A view of the Dixie Red Rock at Pioneer Park, above the city of St. George, Utah. (Mikayla Whitmore for The Post) The name abounds here, but that is slowly changing in the city of St. George though not without resistance. Arab foreign ministers to visit Beijing Azerbaijanis stoned an Armenian car on the Stepanakert-Goris road Armenian FM has a phone call with his Polish counterpart Macron travels to French Riviera to discuss internal security issues Artsakh Foreign Ministry: Azerbaijan's aggressive behavior aims to disrupt Russian peacekeepers' activities US COVID-19 cases reach 60 million European Parliament President hospitalized due to immune system dysfunction Washington and Ankara discuss normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey WHO excludes emergence of deltacron strain In Karabakh Azerbaijanis shelled tractor Indian Defense Minister tests positive for COVID-19 US-Russia talks on security guarantees lasting for seven hours already NEWS.am daily digest: 10.01.22 Pashinyan appoints Hayk Mkrtchyan as Deputy Governor of Kotayk province Blast in eastern Afghanistan kills nine children Pashinyan: One of key priorities of Armenia presidency at CSTO is strengthening of crisis response mechanisms Internet cut off in Kazakhstan Armenia, Kazakhstan ombudspersons confer on Armenian communitys rights Armenia, Russia defense ministers discuss Kazakhstan Turkey defense minister meets with their envoy in process of normalization of Armenia relations Iranian Foreign Ministry reports progress in Vienna negotiations Dollar continues going up in Armenia New attempt by migrants in Belarus to storm Poland border Skat Airlines resumes Yerevan-Aktau and Aktau-Yerevan flights New Covid-related restrictions to be introduced in Armenia Karabakh police: Firefighters also targeted by Azerbaijan shooting (PHOTOS) Artsakh Defense Army has not fired on Azerbaijan positions Azerbaijani military are protesting amid military awards deprivation Azerbaijanis open fire in Nagorno-Karabakh Karabakh MFA: Events in Kazakhstan are result of actions planned by Turkey Armenia army General Staff has new deputy chief Australia to buy US $ 2.5 billion of armored vehicles Artsakh emergency service: Search for soldiers remains continued during holidays Kazakh Colonel Nazanov dies after heart attack Australia begins to vaccinate children aged 5-11 with COVID-19 vaccine Putin: Peacekeeping contingent to stay in Kazakhstan for a limited period Armenia 2nd-President Kocharyan v. premier Pashinyan lawsuit court session is closed Azerbaijan commandos conduct military exercises Part of the Great Wall of China collapsed due to earthquake Armenia MP: Turkey, Azerbaijans regional calculations have mixed up Copper prices decline Armenia ex-President Kocharyan v. PM Pashinyan lawsuit trial resumes Gold is getting cheaper EU is ready to support in addressing Karabakh crisis 126 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Fire in residential building in New York leaves 19 people killed National Center for Infectious Diseases Yerevan branch employees protesting outside center Karabakh President: Radical Pan-Turkic circles are actively involved in process in Kazakhstan Oil is getting more expensive Mars helicopter Ingenuity preparing for difficult 19th flight Interior ministry: About 8,000 people detained in Kazakhstan Earthquake hits Armenia-Azerbaijan border zone Researchers create substitute for egg whites from fungus Kazakhstan official information channel removes message about 164 casualties EC says construction of new nuclear power plants in Europe will require 500 billion in investment Ghost ship that sank 343 years ago discovered in US Post-COVID-19 antibodies may attack healthy cells, scientists say Pope says he was praying for Kazakhstan Media: 164 people die in Kazakhstan during riots Peskov: CSTO session does not plan to sign documents yet Criminal cases launched after bomb threat in Armenian, Belarus embassies in Moscow Norwegian military surrender panties before demobilization Iranian MFA says Tehran is ready for talks on downed plane of UIA Ukraine Russian defense minister says information war is on all fronts Several strategic objects in Kazakhstan transferred to CSTO contingent under protection David Minasyan elected head of Armenia's Parakar community Bloomberg: US is considering issue of limiting supply of high-tech products to Russia Armenia reports 142 COVID-19 new cases Council of Elders meeting continues in Armenia's Parakar White House speaks on Blinken statement on Russian peacekeeping troops Armed people detained at border in Kazakhstan Kazakhstan talks stabilization of situation in all regions of country Azerbaijanis demand Armenian soldier change his faith by taking away his cross, Ombudsman says Armenian painter Mher Mansurian dies in France At least 17 killed in Egypt road accident NATO chief announces Russia forces continued buildup in Ukraine Armenian militarys transfer to Kazakhstan is completed Azerbaijan opens fire on military positions near Armenia village Unidentified persons report threat of explosion at Armenia, Belarus embassies in Moscow Putin confers with Pashinyan, Lukashenko on situation in Kazakhstan Zakharova: OSCE has not provided real assistance to reporters who were attacked in Kazakhstan Lukashenko, Putin discuss situation in CSTO member countries Russia's Putin has telephonic conversation with Kazakhstan's Tokayev Quake hits waters off Chile President Tokayev declares national mourning in Kazakhstan on January 10 US diplomats do not leave Kazakhstans Almaty yet 1 more person dies of coronavirus in Karabakh Artsakh resident, 91 found dead near village Russia MFA reacts to Blinken's words about Russian military in Kazakhstan 195 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Kazakhstan security committee ex-chief detained Kazakhstan interior ministry: There are foreigners among those detained in Almaty region Russia continues transporting its peacekeepers to Kazakhstan Kazakhstan launches investigation into 180 retailers of liquefied petroleum gas BMW introduces concept vehicle that can change colors Shootings continue in Kazakhstans Almaty Lenovo reveals Legion Y90 gaming smartphone Germany to impose tougher rules for visiting restaurants, bars 10 bodies found inside SUV left in front of Mexico state governors office France fines Google and Facebook EUR 210 million Today is the Iowa caucuses. For Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), it may be a campaign-defining day. Her support has been waning in the polls in what should be one of her strongest states. If she doesnt garner at least 15% support, she wont get any Iowan delegates and likely wont end up the Democratic partys presidential nominee. The excitement and tension is palpable. Cant you feel it? (No? Just me?) Well, Im excited because Warren has run a unique campaign. Whats unique about it? As has become a catchphrase of sorts for her, no matter what the issue is, shes got a plan for that. Indeed, with the possible exception of entrepreneur Andrew Yang, she is the candidate with the most and most detailed plans. And just last week, she rolled out another one: her plan for Fighting Digital Disinformation. So far, Ive yet to see a plan from Warren that I actually like, and this is no exception. But to her credit, at least she gives people something to interact with. There is no question what she would try to do and how shed try to do it if she were to become our next president. So what would Warren do about digital disinformation? The plan begins by noting documented attempts by Russia to influence the 2016 election through creating fraudulent accounts on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook and using them to post and spread false and inflammatory information. She continues: These efforts had three main goals: creating deeper divisions among voters on particular issues; discrediting or promoting particular candidates; and suppressing the vote. Now, I think its important to stop for a minute and explain a little of what this actually looked like, because Warren doesnt really do that, and the reality on the ground is one cause for my skepticism. First, social media, perhaps especially Twitter, is full of trolls. Trolls are the sort of people who are just looking to get people riled up. The more clicks, responses, likes, and so on a post has, the more attention it tends to get. So, if trolls can goad a person into embarrassing himself or herself then theyve done their job. That person got owned, and now other people are talking about it. Trolls may be annoying, but there is nothing inherently illegal about trolling. Yes, Russian trolls did seek to deepen our political divisions. However, the primary means of doing that is simply sharing, commenting, and liking things Americans were already arguing about. Removing the mirror from the bathroom wall wont make ones acne go away. Russians havent divided us. They just held up a mirror to the division that was already there. As far as false and inflammatory information goes, this is a little trickier. Like Warren, I certainly dont like the idea of people spreading misinformation or disinformation with the hope of tricking people. But again, we do plenty of that on our own. One does not need to visit a .ru website to find conspiracy theories about ones political opponents. Political talk radio alone has more than enough. I dont doubt that the Russians came up with some of the fake news people shared in 2016, but Im sure plenty of it was, once again, just them spreading around what we were already saying. Last before I get back to Warren and her plan I think it is useful to reflect on the experience of disinformation sharing on social media. Documenting how often fake news is shared doesnt tell us anything about how it was received. This is admittedly anecdotal, but I cant think of an instance on Facebook when someone shared an article from a shady source without a friend very quickly responding, Fake. Similarly, it is not uncommon for doctored photos to be met with Photoshopped. The great thing about social media is that, unlike traditional media, it is social it has a built-in feedback mechanism. Now, that feedback can be bad just as well as good, but the point still stands that in the aggregate the American people are not a bunch of rubes so easily duped by the latest Russia Today article. To the extent that people share what they are reading on social media, what they are reading is more likely to be challenged by others. This is something Warren ought to know. Shes had first-hand experience. According to Politifact just last October: Sen. Elizabeth Warren escalated her battle to break up Facebook by posting an ad that intentionally included a false account about Mark Zuckerberg backing President Donald Trump. Warrens goal was to show that the social media giant allows misinformation by Trump. Breaking news: Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook just endorsed Donald Trump for re-election, the Oct. 10 ad began. Youre probably shocked, and you might be thinking, how could this possibly be true?' The ad then pivoted to a disclaimer no, the Facebook CEO did not endorse Trump before attacking Facebook: What Zuckerberg *has* done is given Donald Trump free rein to lie on his platform and then to pay Facebook gobs of money to push out their lies to American voters. If Trump tries to lie in a TV ad, most networks will refuse to air it. But Facebook just cashes Trumps checks. So, they fact-checked Warrens claim. What did they find? Facebook does have a partnership with third-party fact-checkers including PolitiFact to debunk viral hoaxes and demote that content. But Facebook exempts politicians from the fact-checking program, stating that it wont referee political debates or block a politicians speech from an audience. Facebook has set rules about transparency to show who paid for ads. But it doesnt restrict political content. Good thing for Warren that Facebook cares more about Warrens right to spread false and misleading information about Facebook on Facebook than she does, otherwise she wouldnt have been able to spread her ad on Facebook! As for TV, Politifact found: Broadcasters are bound by [Section 315 of the federal Communications Act of 1934] and therefore cant reject a presidential candidates ad, even if contains false information. (The candidates do have to abide by disclosure rules to make it clear who paid for the ad.) Every election season, some candidates argue that they have been unfairly attacked and that broadcasters should take down ads, wrote David Oxenford, a lawyer who has represented broadcasters for decades and is a partner at Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP. However, broadcasters cant censor a candidate ad, so they cant reject it (or remove it from the air) no matter what its content is, Oxenford wrote. In short, Warren is also wrong about TV ads, due to a law that is more than 85 years old. There is a certain practicality about this law that I appreciate: Most people cant outright lie to us on TV, but if our politicians were barred from lying, how would they promote themselves? Warrens plan acknowledges that social media companies are actually doing a lot to fight disinformation, but she fears it might not be enough, or maybe they will stop someday. The fact that these are private platforms protected by freedom of speech seems to be of no concern to her. It is also worth noting that freedom of speech is not a legal absolute. In extreme cases such as libel, slander, fraud, or credible death threats a person can face civil and even criminal penalties already. But thats not enough for Warren. She wants a lot more state policing of your data and speech. In a boldly unpopular move, she even wants social media companies to share more of your data. Its not enough that they sometimes share it with advertisers. She wants them to be compelled to share it with the government, as well. She wants more civil and criminal penalties, too. In short, she wants more speech and specifically political speech to be punishable by law. This seems alarmingly short-sighted to me. Presumably, Warren is assuming that she or someone like her will always get to do the policing. But according to our current president, CNN, the New York Times, and other traditional outlets are fake news and the enemy of the people. A good practice for evaluating the quality of ones desired policy is to ask, What would people of the opposite political persuasion do with this increased government power? How does she think someone like President Trump would use this kind of power? Heres a better plan: Lets trust the American people to watch out for each other, call out false news, and debate our various, often crazy, political narratives. Lets trust private companies that are already actively trying to crack down on foreign misinformation will continue to do so. And lets trust that when they fail, they will cultivate a reputation that will turn people toward their competitors. Lastly, if Warren would really like to do something about digital disinformation, I suggest she start by being the change she wants to see and keeping her own disinformation in check. Image: Elizabeth Warren [(CC BY)] Over six seasons, BoJack Horseman, which released its final episodes Friday on Netflix, evolved from a scathing Hollywood satire into a more expansive and often disquieting exploration of depression, addiction and human morality. But on the fringes of all that, it was also a show about animals doing funny things. As BoJack, the self-destructive celebrity horse voiced by Will Arnett, negotiated the dark corners of Hollywoo and his own psyche, a steady stream of peripheral visual gags puns, pop culture references, the occasional cocaine-addled lemur made his various descents more palatable. The fact that we get so stupid lets us earn when we get so serious, said Mike Hollingsworth, a co-executive producer and supervising director. Without the silly animal things, it would get too maudlin. After Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the shows creator, and the writers finish the script for an episode, the visual jokes are added during the storyboard phase when we can feel the pacing, Hollingsworth said. They all have to take a back seat to the story. MONROE The Edith Wheeler Memorial Library, 733 Monroe Turnpike will host a Binkathon from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 15. Sponsored by the Binky Patrol, a group that encourages volunteers to make blankets for those in need of comfort, the Binkathon is a day for people of all ages to gather and make as many blankets as possible. Blankets will be given to local agencies, shelters and hospitals. There will be supplies on hand for making the fleece tie blankets, but volunteers must bring sharp scissors with them. The Binky Patrol will gladly sign off on community service hours for all students. Students should bring their forms if them have them. For general information about Binky Patrol, go to www.binkypatrol.org. For more information about the Monroe/Trumbull chapter, drop off locations, or questions, contact ctbinky@gmail.com or visit Facebook at www.facebook.com/ctbinky. To help the event organizers plan for materials as needed, RSVP via the Facebook event, email ctbinky@gmail.com or call Jeanne at 203-449-3985. Caribbean nation cancels agreement with Venezuela to jointly develop natural gas field due to US sanctions on PDVSA. Trinidad and Tobago has cancelled an agreement with Venezuela for the joint development of a natural gas field straddling their maritime border because of United States sanctions on Venezuelas state energy giant Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA). The Caribbean island nation is a major exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), but its own offshore natural gas output has been declining in recent years. That has raised the possibility of using gas from neighbouring Venezuela, which has large untapped offshore gas reserves, to feed LNG plants in Trinidad. Trinidad and Tobagos Prime Minister Keith Rowley said on Monday during an energy conference in Port of Spain that the two countries will now independently develop the 283-billion-cubic-metre (10.04-trillion-cubic-foot) Loran-Manatee shallow-water natural gas field. Progress in the development of the unitised Loran-Manatee field has been impeded by the sanctions imposed by the US government, which inhibits US companies from doing business with Venezuelan oil company PDVSA, Rowley said. Under the agreement signed in 2013 between the two countries, 73.75 percent of the joint field belongs to Venezuela and the rest to Trinidad and Tobago. US oil major Chevron Corp holds a 60 percent interest in the Loran field, with the remainder held by PDVSA, while Shell Trinidad and Tobago Ltd holds a 100 percent interest in the Manatee field. PDVSA, the Venezuelan oil ministry, Chevron and Shell did not immediately respond to a Reuters News Agency request for comment. The US Department of the Treasury slapped sanctions on PDVSA last year in a bid to oust Venezuelas socialist President Nicolas Maduro. He has overseen an economic collapse and is accused by the US and others of corruption and human rights violations. PDVSAs output has declined, but exports have increased in recent months and Maduro remains in power. Rowley said gas production from the Manatee field could start by 2024 or 2025 at rates ranging from 7 to 11 million cubic metres (270 to 400 million standard cubic feet) per day. He said the decision to independently develop the fields also has implications for the development of other cross-border fields that straddle the two countries: the Mankin-Cocuina and the Kapok-Doradoh. These are estimated to hold 24 billion cubic metres (850 billion cubic feet) of gas within the Trinidad and Tobago maritime area. 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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France Tue, February 4, 2020 05:06 706 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062560ab 2 World #France,#corruption,Nicolas-Sarkozy,Libya,funding,election Free A former aide to Nicolas Sarkozy has been charged as part of an inquiry into allegations that Libyan funds helped finance the French ex-president's 2007 election campaign, a judicial source said on Monday. Thierry Gaubert, 68, was charged on Friday with taking hundreds of thousands of euros from the government of Moamer Khadafi that may have been funnelled to Sarkozy's campaign, the source said. Allegations that the campaign received up to 50 million euros ($53.3 million at current rates) from Libya first emerged during Sarkozy's failed 2012 re-election bid. Sarkozy helped to remove Kadhafi from power when France and Britain led a NATO-backed military offensive in 2011. Gaubert worked for Sarkozy when the future president was budget minister in the mid-1990s. He is suspected of accepting a transfer of 440,000 euros in February 2006 from Rossfield, a company of Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine -- another figure who has been charged in the affair. The investigative news site Mediapart reported in December that Rossfield took six million euros from Libya in 2006. Gaubert, as well as his ex-wife, are also on trial for tax fraud and money laundering over Rossfield funds allegedly routed through the Bahamas in 2006. Gaubert has said the money had no links to Libya. Sarkozy was charged in 2018 with taking bribes, concealing the embezzlement of Libyan public funds and illegal campaign financing. He denies the allegations, claiming that an explosive Libyan document presented by Mediapart as proof of the corruption is a fake. New Delhi, Feb 3 : 'Red Bull Can You Make It', a one-of-its-kind race around Europe, will return for another edition in 2020, and students have been invited to apply for a chance to participate in it. Selected teams, comprising three students each, will begin their journey through Europe from a designated starting point, from where they will be tasked with making it to Berlin, the finishing line, using nothing but cans of Red Bull as currency along the way, a statement said. The boldest applicants from around the world will be chosen by a panel of judges and announced on March 9. On April 21, the 200 selected teams, chosen from almost 60 countries around the world, will start their journey at one of the five starting points in Europe: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Budapest, Copenhagen and Milan. Each team will hand over their cash, credit cards and personal phones and have one week to make it to this year's final destination, Berlin. Students will be tasked with exchanging cans of Red Bull for everything they need along their journey -- from food and a place to sleep to transportation to the next location and other adventures. Selected teams will have to create their own path by visiting checkpoints in various European cities (where they will be tasked with body and mind challenges), completing as many tasks on an adventure list as they can, and posting photos and videos that will build support among their social media followers. During their week-long journey, teams must stop at a minimum of six checkpoints before reaching the finishing line in Berlin. Jaipur, Feb 3 : Visiting Shanghai on their honeymoon trip did cost dear to a newly married couple who are now spending their time in Ajmer situated JLN Hospital in an isolation ward after being quarantined as suspected patients for the Novel Coronavirus. Their samples have been sent to SMS Jaipur hospital for further diagnosis and their family members have been asked to stay cautious. The newly married couple from Kishangarh (Ajmer) went to Shanghai on January 25 on a honeymoon trip, however, returned back on January 27 after receiving information about the Coronavirus. Chief Medical and Health Officer (Ajmer) Dr K.K. Soni said: "They have been kept under observation till the time their report comes which is expected in next 24 hours. The patients are around 27 years old." Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Rohit Kumar Singh said that till Sunday, 3,933 passengers from 27 international flights have been screened at Jaipur international airport. Singh is taking constant review meetings to take stock of the situation. The passengers coming from Wuhan shall be admitted in the ESIC hospital in Alwar. V.K. Mathur, ESI Director, also inspected the hospital to check the arrangements. Actor Tovino Thomas has been accused of forcing a student to boo on the microphone. The incident happened while the actor was addressing the students during a function organized by a college in Mananthavady. While Tovino was giving his speech, someone booed from the audience. The actor then stopped his speech and called the student to the stage. The student was asked by the actor to boo, four times. A special court on Monday again remanded Kapil Wadhawan, chairman and MD of Dewan Housing Finance (DHFL), to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till February 7 in connection with a money laundering case also involving gangster Iqbal Mirchi. Wadhawan (46) was arrested on January 27 by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as he was allegedly not cooperating in the probe and was "untrustworthy" in his dealings and statements made to the agency. After his arrest, he was produced before a special PMLA court which sent him in the ED's custody for two days and later extended his remand till January 31. He was admitted to the state-run J J Hospital here on January 31 due to ill health following which the special court sent him to judicial custody till February 3. Wadhawan was on Monday produced before the court where the ED again sought his custody for a period of five days for interrogation. The court accepted the request and remanded Wadhawan to the ED's custody till February 7. According to the ED, Kapil Wadhawan was instrumental in siphoning off huge amounts of money as part of an illegal deal between Mirchi, alias Iqbal Memon, and the Wadhawans, DHFL's promoters. The agency claims that in 2010, the Wadhawans executed a deal with Mirchi to purchase the three properties owned by the gangster in central Mumbai. According to the ED, a sum of Rs 12,773 crore was siphoned out of DHFL fraudulently under the pretext of providing loan to one lakh fictitious individual customers using 79 paper companies. A part of this loan was used to make payments to Mirchi, who died in 2013 in London, it said. Mirchi's Mumbai properties have been called as proceeds of crime by the ED. His three properties were sold to Sunblink Real Estate Pvt Ltd, a company linked to the Wadhawan brothers, Kapil and Dheeraj, the central agency said. The agency has alleged Kapil Wadhawan "diverted" funds from DHFL to shell companies and later these dubious entities got amalgamated with Sunblink to "cover" alleged diversion of loans acquired from the housing finance firm. The ED has filed a criminal case against Mirchi, his family members and others to probe money laundering charges for alleged illegal dealings in purchase and sale of costly real estate assets in Mumbai. Mirchi was alleged to be the right hand man of global terrorist Dawood Ibrahim in drug trafficking and extortion crimes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Politics - like any other field or business - is based mainly on connections and self-interest; only difference is: it's more ruthless. If a person wants to climb the mountain of politics to get where he wants, he first need the blessing and endorsement of those in power and to get that is no easy task; you need to demonstrate a high level of loyalty. Once you get that, you can start your journey. You may be wondering: who's on the top of the pyramid in politics? The president? The senate? No, they are the people who decide who's going to be president and who's going to be in the senate! So who are these people? Well, nobody knows for sure. After you get higher and higher in politics, naturally you gain more influence and power but the eyes of the bosses also follow you more carefully so you can't fail in a task that has been given to you or fail to show appreciation. Even if you reach so high in the world of politics that you're a good candidate to be president of the United States, you need to remember that power is a gift that has been given to you so it also can be taken away from you at any moment. The bosses may need you but don't ever make the mistake of thinking you're Irreplaceable! They can replace you easily and you only get as high as they allow you to be. If you're a person who has a big ego or you're a person of principles, you may want to think twice before taking that journey because the world of politics is not for everyone. By Mohammad Alshereda https://instagram.com/englishkuwaiti Alshereda has an IQ of 142 according to the Stanford-Binet IQ test. Alshereda criticizes evolution and thinks that the idea of human-beings sharing the same ancestor with apes is absurd let alone that we evolved from a fish. He states that: "even science is unable to prove that evolution is a fact or if it ever happened". He believes that calling evolution a fact is just an attempt to drive people into atheism. Alshereda aspires to win The Nobel Prize someday. He comments: "Winning the Nobel Prize is a very high honor and a dream but making a difference in people's lives is even a higher honor because it is a step forward in the way of changing the world". @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Bono Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe aka Abronye DC has disclosed that the man who acted as a middle man between the corruption contract signed between the then Government of Ghana under the erstwhile Prof. Mills and Mahama administration and the Airbus company is the brother of former President Mahama. Abronye DC has challenged the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to come out boldly to deny that former President Mahama is not the blood brother of Adams Samuel Mahama. Abronye DC was responding to former Attorney General and Minister for Justice in the erstwhile John Mahama government, Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, reports alleging that Airbus SE paid bribes during the administration of President John Evans Atta Mills and John Mahama are false, misleading and do not reflect the Approved Judgement. According to her, the Approved Judgement of the Crown Court of Southwark approving the Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) between Airbus and the UK Serious Fraud Office does not allege that any payment was made by Airbus to any Ghanaian government official. "It is, therefore, a gross distortion for the media to conclude that officials of the Ghana Government between 2009 and 2015 were bribed or paid any commission by Airbus for the acquisition of the Casa C-295 aircraft," a statement signed the former government official said. But Abronye speaking on Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia program stated that "the 1992 constitution spells clear that government official 1 is a high ranking elected government who is the same as is the President, official two is the vice president, government official three is the speaker of parliament, government official four is the Chief Justice and government official five is any cabinet minister". He added that the man who was acting as the government middle man between the government and airbus company was called Adams Samuel Mahama, a brother of the then vice president of Prof. Mills regime (John Dramani Mahama). "The Adams Samuel Mahama guy was also the same person that the former president wrote about in his book "My first coup detat". Mahama even wrote about this his brother (Adams Samuel Mahama) on his my first coup d'etat, page 260", he asserted. He explained that the reason why their names were not explicitly mentioned was due to laws that bind every country, hence, the report leaves the rest of the matter to Ghanaian law to deal with the people narrated in the report. Watch Video Below Airbus, Europes largest aerospace multinational, has admitted paying huge bribes in order to secure contracts in Ghana, under the erstwhile Mills-Mahama administration.Airbus was found guilty by a High Court in London and is to pay a fine of 3 billion pounds (3bn) as penalties. Anti-corruption investigators according to The Guardian Report, has described the court's decision as the largest ever corporate fine for bribery in the world after judges declared the corruption was grave, pervasive and pernicious.The Serious Fraud Office's (SFOs) investigation related to bribery offences in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Indonesia and Ghana. The PNFs investigation related to bribery and corruption offences in China, Colombia, Nepal, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia (Arabsat), Taiwan and Russia.The joint investigation team (JIT's) investigation was vast in scale and in scope. It covered all of the BPs engaged by the Airbus divisions until 2016 - more than 1,750 entities across the world. The JIT focussed particularly on about 110 BPs for which red flags had been identified, from amongst which the JIT selected several investigation priorities.The French Parquet National Financier (PNF) focused its investigations on Airbus and/or its divisions conduct in the United Arab Emirates, China, South Korea, Nepal, India, Taiwan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Japan, Turkey, Mexico, Thailand, Brazil, and Kuwait.The SFO focused its investigations on Airbus and/or its divisions conduct in South Korea, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Taiwan, Ghana, Colombia and Mexico. Within this scope, the PNF and SFO selected a representative sample of the markets and concerns involved.Ghana under late President John Atta-Mills in 2011 and former President John Mahama in 2015, acquired three Airbus C295 planes from the company as part of an effort to augment and modernize the fleet of the Ghana Armed Forces.It emerged that the first order of the military aeroplane arrived in the country on November 17, 2011, followed by a second on March 19, 2012. The last order arrived in the country on December 4, 2015.President John Dramani Mahama, in November 2014, announced that Ghana was to acquire an additional C295, in addition to other aircraft, including five Super Tucanos, Mi-17s and four Z-9s.A total of about $150 million was spent in acquiring all the three aircraft, one of which overshot the runway recently. Ghana's Ministry of Defence stated that the accident happened because the aircraft had not gone for its scheduled maintenance. Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Viagra is one of the most controversial and widely discussed pharmaceutical drugs to have hit the market in the last 30 years. Men most commonly use this to treat erectile dysfunction. However, there are men who use Viagra to prolong their erection because, as they claim, the longer you are erect, the better the sexual performance. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned the public of the serious side effects of taking Viagra such as sudden vision and hearing loss, heart attack, stroke, irregular heartbeats, and death. But what if a person has taken Viagra that is not intended for humans, what would be the consequence? An unnamed man from Reynosa, Mexico was rushed to the hospital after complaining about a painful three-day erection. At the hospital, he admitted consuming a sexual stimulant meant for breeding bulls in hopes of having a steamy sexual encounter with his date, according to an article by Latin Times. The man reportedly traveled from Veracruz in East Mexico to purchase a stimulant that would treat his erectile dysfunction as he wanted to have sex with a young, 30-year-old woman. However, the sexual stimulant he bought was actually a drug used by Mexican breeders to stimulate bulls for cattle reproduction. After three days of experiencing the painful erection, the unidentified man decided to have himself checked by a medical professional at a hospital in Reynosa at the U.S.-Mexico border and see if he could undergo an urgent operation that would possibly help alleviate the erection. In an interview, a doctor said he was hospitalized in the Specialized Hospital 20 of the city of Reynosa. "He had taken a sexual stimulant which he had bought in Veracruz, used by farmers in that region to invigorate bulls for insemination," the doctor added. As of this writing, the results of the surgery remain unknown. If it turned out to be unsuccessful, then the likelihood is that the man's penis will no longer function for erectile purposes. Meanwhile, the story was quick to spread like wildfire across the web, with several Twitter users posting amusing comments about the story. "Tadalifil does the same thing, ask your GP for some," one user wrote. "I'll take a whole pack, please," another user joked. One Twitter user even made fun of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his tweet, saying, "Get well soon @BorisJohnson." "They could not have got the coffin lid on if he died," the user added. Some users also jokingly suggested using other types of Viagra as they made fun of the man's condition. "He should have tried the new Viagra LIGHT," one user tweeted. Although many animal drugs start off as human medications, because there is far more money invested in human drug research, there are cases where manufacturers sometimes reformulate their drugs for sale to animal owners. This may explain why the unnamed man experienced the said side effects of Viagra pills for bulls since taking veterinary medications is not recommended for humans. Hernandez Romero was one of the men who showed Mexican and foreign tourists around the Rosario sanctuary. He pointed out the massive clusters of monarchs that hung from oyamel trees and scattered in an orange cloud when they were touched by the morning light. A Gold Coast security guard was hit with a skateboard a dozen times on the head, back and arms overnight in an "unprovoked attack", according to police. It will be alleged a 37-year-old man was walking along the Gold Coast Highway in Burleigh Heads when he used a skateboard he was carrying to smash the side mirror of a passing hatchback. FILE IMAGE: The skateboard assault was stopped by a passer-by and a 37-year-old man will face court this month. Credit:Viki Yemettas The driver, a 38-year-old male security guard, pulled over and went to confront the man about the damage when the skateboard-wielding attacker allegedly bashed him repeatedly with the board. Emergency services were called when a passer-by intervened and the security guard was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. . : , . . , 28 . . ... The terrorist who launched a stabbing attack on a London high street was being monitored by undercover police and had been released from prison just days ago. Sudesh Amman, a 20-year-old Isis supporter, was jailed for terror offences in December 2018 after encouraging his girlfriend to behead her parents and declaring his own wish to carry out an attack. The Metropolitan Police said he was being followed as part of a proactive counterterrorism operation when he started the rampage in Streatham. Amman was able to stab two people before being shot dead by armed officers outside a busy row of shops. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said Amman was wearing a fake suicide vest. Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Show all 22 1 /22 Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police officers on Streatham High Road. The Metropolitan Police warned people to stay away from the Streatham area boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings The man was shot dead by police after two stabbed in 'Islamist-related' terror attack in London boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Sudesh Amman, the attacker, has been named as a convicted terror offender who was released from prison days ago Metropolitan Police/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road Isis supporter Amman was just 18 when he was jailed in December 2018 after police found a stash of bomb-making manuals and other propaganda. Now 20, he had declared his own wish to carry out a terror attack and stockpiled a combat knife, air gun and black flag at his family home in London PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings He was being monitored by undercover police and being followed as part of a proactive counterterrorism operation when he started the rampage in Streatham AP Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Amman was able to stab two people before being shot dead by armed officers outside a busy row of shops Gabriel Video/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A woman reacts as police officers interview people near to the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings An armed police officer on Streatham High Road Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said Amman was wearing a fake suicide ves Gully/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers work outside of a Boots store AFP via Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers at the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police forensic officer works at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police officer on the scene Dave Chawner/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers are seen near the site Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers on the scene outside an Iceland supermarket Andy Bullemor/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police are seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A policeman secures the site of the incident EPA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Megan Tobeck Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Michael Owens Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers at the scene PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A Police officer is seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters "Armed officers, who were part of a proactive counter-terrorism surveillance operation and were following the suspect on foot, were in immediate attendance and shot a male suspect dead at the scene," she added. "The suspect had been recently released from prison, where he had been serving a sentence for Islamist-related terrorism offences." Amman died at the scene, where he could be seen lying face down on the ground wearing the fake suicide vest, with a knife next to his body. A man in his 40s, was initially in a life-threatening condition but is now stable. A woman in her 50s who was also stabbed has been discharged from hospital. Another woman, in her 20s, remained in hospital being treated for injuries caused by flying glass when police opened fire. Members of the public described the man shouting Allahu akbar during the attack, which happened in front of numerous shoppers and passers-by on Sunday afternoon. Ms d'Orsi thanked members of the public who helped officers and paramedics in the aftermath of what she called a very confusing and alarming incident. She added: "We are confident that this is an isolated incident that has been contained. Officers from our Counter Terrorism Command are investigating at pace. We are also liaising and co-operating with the Independent Office of Police Conduct as they conduct their necessary inquiries." A 28-year-old man who saw it unfold told The Independent he saw two men running down the road and heard a shout of stop, police. A couple of seconds later I heard a gunshot then three more, he added. Everyone on the street turned and ran. Sudesh Amman was jailed for terror offences in 2018 (Metropolitan Police) The Streatham stabbing is the third terror attack to hit UK since security services lowered the national threat level from severe to substantial in November, meaning attacks were deemed likely rather than highly likely. The first was the stabbing that left two dead at Fishmongers' Hall on 29 November, and the second by inmates at HMP Whitemoor last month. In all three attacks the perpetrators were Islamist extremists armed with blades, and wearing fake suicide vests. They all involved known extremists subject to various levels of monitoring, including two other men previously convicted of terror offences. Recommended Teenage Isis supporter encouraged girlfriend to behead her parents Whitehall sources said Amman had been released from prison days before the attack after serving half of his sentence for collecting and distributing terrorist material. There had been concerns when he was in prison, a source said. There was nothing that could be done to keep him behind bars under existing laws, hence why he was under surveillance and strict licence conditions. Boris Johnson has been pushing for changes to keep terror offenders in prison for longer, and Priti Patel, the home secretary, said the government would be announcing new plans on Monday. Amman was handed a three year and four month sentence in December 2018 for disseminating terrorist material and collecting information useful for terror attacks after police found a stash of bomb-making manuals and other propaganda. Then 18, he had declared his own wish to carry out a terror attack and had stockpiled a combat knife, air gun and black flag at his family home in London. At the top of a list of Amman's life goals was dying a martyr and going to Jannah - the afterlife. In online chats, Amman told his girlfriend and a friend of his hatred for kuffars (non-believers), his allegiance to Isis and his wish to carry out a terror attack. Armed police at the scene after the Streatham attack this year (PA) In one message he even encouraged his girlfriend to behead her own kuffar parents, and posted al-Qaeda propaganda to a family WhatsApp group including children as young as 11. Prosecutors said he had a fascination with conducting an attack focused on using a knife. Amman was released after serving half of his jail sentence, after a total of 20 months in prison since his arrest in May 2018. The Metropolitan Police will be forced to answer questions on how Amman was able to launch an attack in front of the officers tasked with following him. Detectives investigating the stabbings were searching two houses in south London and Bishop Stortford, Hertfordshire, on Sunday night. No arrests had been made. Low-technology attacks involving knives and cars have been encouraged by Isis as a means of sowing terror worldwide. In 2014 a speech by the groups spokesperson called for indiscriminate attacks on all non-Muslims, particularly in countries including Britain that were bombing the groups territories in Syria and Iraq. Isis propaganda called for supporters to attack soft targets, such as shopping districts, with low security. Such attacks have been difficult for security services to intercept, because of the speed of planning and use of everyday items like kitchen knives. British security services have foiled 24 attack plots 16 Islamist and eight far-right since March 2017. But the effectiveness of MI5's threat assessments has been questioned, as have the quality of probation monitoring and deradicalisation programmes. In November, the head of UK counterterror police said his officers were running 800 live investigations. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu added: Its not the volume of the threat, its the unpredictability and the lack of intelligence that creates the real pressure. Targets are softer, methodology simple and cheap and the perpetrators are either lone actors or more proficient in encryption. The attacks and the planning may be less frequent but they are harder to see and stop. Electronic chipset firm MediaTek on Monday said it expects to roll out new gaming-focussed chipsets G70 and G80 in 5-7 smartphone models by June in India. The company has partnered with smartphone firm Realme to roll out the first smartphone on G70 chipsets this month. "On a global level, gaming has overtaken films as preferred leisure activity. We have come up with G70 and G80 series that will bring premium features in affordable range of devices," MediaTek India Managing Director Anku Jain told PTI. He said MediaTek is in talks with several partners for their roll-out and expects that 5-7 smartphone models in India will have these chipsets by the second quarter. Meanwhile, Realme announced the roll-out of its first smartphone with G70 chipset. "Realme C3 will be the first smartphone in India to feature the world's first MediaTek Helio G70. We will also be the first brand to launch MediaTek Helio G80 in India soon. Continuing to strengthen our association with MediaTek, we will be coming up with more smartphones with MediaTek Helio G70 and Helio G80, offering a 'power meets style' experience for more massive users in India," Realme India Chief Executive Officer Madhav Seth said in a statement. Last year, MediaTek rolled out its gaming-focussed chipsets G90 and G90T, which was adopted by Xiaomi for Redmi Note 8 Pro smartphone priced in the medium range. Jain said G70 and G80 are expected to have wider adoption in India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi, Feb 3 : Four samples from Odisha, which were sent to National Institute of Virology in Pune for novel coronavirus, tested negative on Monday, while one person's result is awaited. "Four samples from #Odisha sent to NIV, Pune found negative. All the Collectors have been asked to carry out awareness drive in their districts. In case of any suspected case, please contact @HFWOdisha helpline number: 0674-2390466/9439994857," the Press Information Bureau tweeted on Monday. According to the reports, all samples were sent from Regional Medical Research Centre in Bhubaneswar to NIV Pune. The Centre has been declared as nodal for coronavirus testing. All of them had a travel history in China. Meanwhile, two more suspected people have been kept in the isolation ward in a hospital in Bhubaneswar. Three confirmed cases of the dreaded virus have been reported from Kerala. On Monday, the number of deaths in China rose to 361, with 17,205 confirmed cases and 475 discharged from hospital, according to the National Health Commission. More than 1,52,700 people are under observation, among which there are a total of 21,558 suspected cases. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) David Abel arrived at his bookshop on the first day of January to find smashed glass all over the floor, books scattered around. Thieves had broken into Passages Bookshops small storefront, grabbed a hundred or so volumes from locked display cases and disappeared back into the night. Abels heart sank as he looked around at the mess. He quickly realized he had lost some valuable items that meant a lot to him personally including a rare issue of a 1960s poetry magazine with an iconic Andy Warhol-designed cover, plus an even harder-to-find version with the cover Warhol rejected. It took Abel 30 years to land both items. The longtime bookseller had to keep his Northeast Portland shop closed for days as he cleaned up. About two weeks after the break-in, Abel answered the phone one morning and heard a woman introduce herself. I didnt even register the name, he admits. The woman said shed read a story The Oregonian/OregonLive had published about the break-in and noticed that one of my books was among those taken. I cant replace the Warhols, but I can send you a box of my books. By this point the name and the voice had clicked in: Patti Smith. A signed hardcover edition of 1998s Patti Smith Complete: Lyrics, Reflections & Notes for the Future had been lost to the burglars. That is so kind, Abel managed to say into his phone. I really love bookstores," Smith responded. "Theyre important to me. Abel gave the 1970s rock legend and National Book Award-winning author his address, and about a week later a box arrived. In it were copies of Smiths acclaimed memoir Just Kids, as well as The Year of the Monkey and M Train. He also pulled out lesser-known Smith titles: Devotion, from Yale Universitys Why I Write series, and a bilingual (Dutch/English) book of poetry, New Jerusalem. Plus a copy of Patti Smith Complete, the one that was stolen. All signed. The aftermath of the Jan. 1, 2020, break-in at Passages Bookshop. The call, Abel said, was very sweet a balm he needed as he was dealing with his insurance company and getting his shop shipshape again. And Smith wasnt the only book lover to offer help. Ai Sugiura, a Tokyo-based artist whod been in the shop last summer, got in touch with Abel. She had a copy of one of the books on the stolen-volumes list hed put on his website. She offered to send it to him. A New York friend in the book business sent a box of books, and another friend told him she was setting volumes aside for him. Abel also received many other calls, offering assistance cleaning up the store, suggesting an online fundraiser. And there was a meaningful uptick in customers as word got around about the burglary. These kinds of gestures of support and solidarity are kind of amazing, he told The Oregonian/OregonLive. A month after the break-in, none of the stolen books has turned up. On the Passages website you can see a partial list of the items stolen, including identifying markings such as author signatures and margin notes. Passages, at 1223 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., specializes in what Abel calls unusual books, with an emphasis on literature and modern art. The newly received gifts from Patti Smith fit right in. The signed books are not yet out for sale, Abel says, but they will be soon. Well, he adds. I think I will keep one for myself. -- Douglas Perry @douglasmperry Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Huawei Nova 7i To Debut As Rebranded Nova 6 SE On February 14 News oi-Sandeep Sarkar Huawei is extending its Nova series with the launch of the Nova 7i in Malaysia. This will be the first handset in the Nova 7-series and is said to be a debut as rebranded Nova 6 SE on February 14, 2020. The company has officially announced the Nova 6 series back in December comprising two more devices, i.e, the Nova 6 and the Nova 6 5G. Huawei Nova 7i Expected Hardware The Huawei Nova 7i will be equipped with similar hardware as the Nova 6 SE. Starting with the display; the device will flaunt an LCD panel measuring 6.4-inches. The display will offer 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution and feature a punch-hole for the selfie camera. The smartphone is likely to be equipped with a quad-rear camera module housing a 48MP Sony IMX 586 primary lens. Aiding the primary lens is an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, a 2MP macro sensor, and another 2MP sensor for creating bokeh effects. It has a 16MP selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture packed inside the notch. The Huawei Nova 7i will use an in-house Kirin 810 processor which is expected to club along with ARM Mali-G52 MP6 GPU. The company might launch the device with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage (expandable up to 256GB). While the Huawei Nova 6 SE is launched with Android 10 OS-based EMUI skin, it remains to be seen which software comes pre-loaded on the Nova 7i. We can also expect a side-mounted fingerprint scanner for biometric authentication. Connectivity-wise, we can expect some standard options like 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Lastly, a 4,200 mAh battery is likely to give the device backup. We are waiting for Huawei to share some official details on the arrival of Nova 7i in India and other markets and will keep you updated on the same. via Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications A shopper has admitted to killing another shopper in a row over a parking spot. Emilio Richard Mac Tanirau Whaanga, 23, headbutted another man for parking in a designated parent's space in Wellington, New Zealand on December 3. The 55-year-old man was knocked out and fell to the ground causing his skull to fracture in multiple places before he died in hospital the next day. A young father has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter death of a 55-year-old man after he headbutted him during a dispute over a parking space (stock image) The victim had taken the day off work to drive his elderly mother to a range of appointments, The New Zealand Herald reported. When he arrived at the Countdown car park on Knights Road in Lower Hutt at about 11.30am he found all the disabled spots were taken. Instead he parked in the parent's spot and left his mother in the car while he ran an errand for her. There is no law against parking in parents' spaces. Shortly afterwards CCTV footage showed Tanirau Whaanga pulling into the car park with his partner and their one-year-old child. When the victim came out he was confronted by Tanirau Whaanga and a verbal altercation started. CCTV footage showed the victim using 'hand gestures' while he tried to explain to Tanirau Whaanga why he parked in the parent's spot. 'The victim pointed towards the disabled car parks and to his vehicle in an attempt to explain his reason for parking in the parents' car park with a mobility permit, and the fact that his mother was in the car with him,' the summary of facts said. Court heard Emilio Richard Mac Tanirau Whaanga headbutted the victim after confronting him over a 'parent's' parking spot (pictured) before he fell and fractured his skull, dying a day later Tanirau Whaanga then headbutted the man, knocking him out and causing him to collapse to the pavement, fracturing his skull in multiple places. Tanirau Whaanga then entered the store as bystanders rushed to the victim's aid. Two minutes later Tanirau Whaanga was seen leaving with his partner and child and not stopping at the scene. While trying to leave the car park he was blocked by a taxi and while trying to get the taxi to move a witness told him to stay because police were on the way. Tanirau Whaanga agreed to stay at the scene until police arrived. The court heard the victim was suffering seizures for up to 15 minutes after the headbutt and didn't regain consciousness in that time. The 55-year-old man died from his injuries the next day in hospital. Police said when they interviewed Tanirau Whaanga he told them he had 'flinched' at the man who then 'walked into his head'. He also stated he feared the victim was getting ready to attack him. Despite his defence Tanirau Whaanga was found guilty of manslaughter and will be sentenced in April. A China-returned student was on Monday admitted to AIIMS, Rishikesh for showing symptoms of coronavirus infection. The 24-year-old woman was doing internship from the University of Traditional Medicine, Nonchang state in China, hospital PRO Harish Thapliyal said. She was kept at the isolation ward of the hospital after she complained ofa sore throat, dry cough and headache, he said. Her blood samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune, the official said. This is the second suspected case of coronavirus reported from the state. The other suspected patient has tested negative for the infection, Thapliyal said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Job Title: Program Officer Linkages and Quality Assurance- HIV self-Testing STAR Initiative Extension (HIVST) Organisation: PATH Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda About US: PATH is a global organization that works to accelerate health equity by bringing together public institutions, businesses, social enterprises, and investors to solve the worlds most pressing health challenges. With expertise in science, health, economics, technology, advocacy, and dozens of other specialties, PATH develops and scales solutionsincluding vaccines, drugs, devices, diagnostics, and innovative approaches to strengthening health systems worldwide. About UNITAID Project: PATH, with support from UNITAID, will implement The STAR initiative Extension, a project fcused on addressing market barriers to HIV self-Testing ( HIVST) roll out, and establishing the structures, systems and oversight mechanisms necessary for HIVST scale up and long-term sustainability in Uganda. The project will pave way and support advocacy for new potential Global Fund (GF) and Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) investments into scale up of HIVST. The STAR Initiative Extension will achieve direct public health impact by reducing the number of new HIV infections and averting deaths due to HIV infection by increasing demand for and access to HIVST and subsequent treatment and prevention services. This project is expected to start in March 2020 until June 2021, in seven countries: Uganda, India, Indonesia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Cameroon. Job Summary: The Senior Program officer will be responsible for supporting Linkages and quality assurance related activities of the STAR Initiative. He/she should be able to provide practical support to ensure the different project models, monitoring, evaluation and Learning initiatives meet high quality standards and contribute to project goals. He or she will report to the project manager. This position will be based in Kampala, Uganda. Key Duties and Responsibilities: Work closely with the health officials of related departments of MoH to ensure buy-in and alignment with project goals, activities and outcomes. Responsible for supporting the projecting monitoring to project relevant stakeholders including the donors. Support the project efforts to update polices and create and implement scale-up and financing strategies for HIVST programming in the country. Set up data collection systems for routine project monitoring and performance measurement. Develop project tools, design and implementation of project evaluation and other project relates studies Provide Technical assistance for the testing and evaluation of sustainable HIVST linkage models Provide oversight and monitoring of distribution channels/Models of HIVST kits. Support projects continuous learning and sharing of evidence to key stakeholders including the donor community. Work with regulatory authorities to clarify and support the set-up of regulatory systems for HIVST products Provide targeted technical support to accelerate the adoption of HIVST including development of relevant SOPs, M&E frame works for different distribution models. Support and establish quality assurance initiatives in the project to ensure project sites perform in line with MOH policy guidelines. Qualifications, Skills and Experience: The applicant should preferably hold a Bachelors degree in public health, health science or medicine, or equivalent degree required, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Masters in Public Health is an added advantage At least five years of experience implementing in conduction project evaluations or operations research. Experience in programming data collection systems, advanced data analysis and reporting including advanced excel, ODK programing. Experience implementing and evaluating new programs and integrating them into existing systems Experience to work in a multi-country, team-based organizational structure. Flexibility to work within multiple time zones and multiple teams across the globe. Problem solving and team player. Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to interact culturally, linguistically, with different stakeholders Excellent organization, attention to detail, coordinating, and management skills. Excellent oral and written English communication skills; demonstrated representational experience in professional and global fora. Experience introducing new tools and/or processes at the primary health care level is desired Must have legal authorization to work in Uganda How to Apply: All qualified candidates should apply online at the link below. Please submit a cover letter with your resume describing your interest in this position and how you meet the requirements. Application materials must be submitted in English and applicants must have legal authorization to work in Uganda to be considered and confirm this in their cover letter. Click Here For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline SAN FRANCISCO Amid canceled flights, tightening global travel restrictions and looming plans to quarantine Americans returning from China, the tension at a handful of airports still receiving flights from the country mounted on Sunday. Travelers described a scramble for the few remaining tickets out of China, as federal officials readied military bases to house hundreds of people potentially exposed to the deadly coronavirus. It feels like trying to leave Paris in 1940 or something theres a bit of panic settling in, said Jeffrey Phillips, 41, who was unsure when his wife, Sue, would be able to return to the United States after a trip to visit her family in China. Under new federal rules that apply to United States-bound flights that take off after 5 p.m. Eastern time, American citizens who have been in Chinas Hubei province, the epicenter of the epidemic, in the last 14 days will be subject to a quarantine of up to two weeks. Military bases said they were expecting to house about 1,000 such evacuees. Other United States citizens who have visited mainland China will undergo a health screening and can be ordered to quarantine in their homes for up to 14 days, according to the Homeland Security Department. Those looking outside of Silicon Valley as a potential hub for their startup might want to take a gander at Utah, at least that's the kind of trend the new Silicon Slopes Venture Fund hopes to create. The newly formed fund, put together by Qualtrics co-founder Ryan Smith, Omniture and Domo founder Josh James and Stance co-founder turned Pelion Venture Partners' Jeff Kearl, pledges to invest solely in Utah-based startups. The goal? To become every bit as notable as a16z or Sequoia Capital. Qualtrics co-founder Ryan Smith and Domo and Omniture founder Josh James onstage at the Silicon Slopes Tech Summit. "I grew up in the Bay Area," Kearl told TechCrunch of the energy he feels in the state. "This feels like the 1990s in the Bay Area. You can find hundreds of open jobs up and down the Wasatch Front." Utah has a reputation as a mostly religious, conservative and sleepy mountain region for outdoors enthusiasts, but tech has fast become the leading job sector in the state, with some salaries from companies like Adobe and Qualtrics rivaling those in Silicon Valley. The state recently pledged a push to include at least one computer science course in every high school in the state by 2022. It also just hosted a massive, 25,000 person startup festival called the Silicon Slopes Tech Summit. The summit held a Utah state governor's debate and both Steve Case and Mark Zuckerberg spoke on stage. It's unclear how much the fund has set aside for its mission to help Utah become a full-fledged tech ecosystem rivaling Silicon Valley but one would imagine it would have a sizable sum to invest, if, as Smith tells TechCrunch, it is to help Utah's up-and-coming startups go all the way from seed stage to IPO. "I want to see companies get even bigger than Qualtrics... and do it in this state," Smith said. Qualtrics sold to SAP in 2019 for $8 billion, notably the largest private enterprise software deal in tech history. Story continues Silicon Slopes Tech Summit 2020 Gubernatorial Debate One of the many issues tech hubs around the world face is both the networking capabilities and the ability to invest after the early stage investment. Most startups throughout the globe still find the need to travel and make connections in Silicon Valley to get them through the next step of growth. This has been true for every billion-dollar startup idea in Utah as well so far. Both Smith and James took in Silicon Valley venture for their companies, as did unicorn turned public edtech startup Pluralsight and the recently rebranded sales platform Xant (formerly InsideSales) before making it big. However, this new fund represents the kind of push needed to create a strong innovation ecosystem in the future, as Steve Case mentioned on stage at the summit event this last week. "Venture capitalists must look at 'whats happening in the Silicon Slopes' and make sure it 'is happening other places', Utah newspaper Deseret News paraphrased the AOL founder as saying. Pelion Venture Partners, which operates in both Utah and Southern California, will act as a support to Silicon Slopes Venture Fund, providing organizational overhead. Each partner will still keep their day job and donate most fees to support the ongoing operation of the non-profit tech organization, Silicon Slopes, which runs the annual tech summit of the same moniker. However, the Silicon Slopes Venture Fund will be an independent fund from Pelion, with the sole purpose of investing in deal flow the three partners find through their respective networks within the state. "I used to hate the term 'a rising tide lifts all boats' because I want to be the only boat," James told TechCrunch. "But I really think it applies here for what we are trying to do [in Utah]." New research has found that rates of disease caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae could be substantially reduced by changing our approach to vaccination. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Simon Fraser University in Canada and Imperial College London combined genomic data, models of bacterial evolution and predictive modelling to identify how vaccines could be optimised for specific age groups, geographic regions and communities of bacteria. The study, published today (3 February) in Nature Microbiology, simulated the performance of vaccines over time to assess the risk of vaccine-targeted strains being replaced by other potentially dangerous strains. Through this predictive modelling approach, the researchers identified new vaccine designs that could help reduce overall rates of disease. S. pneumoniae is often found at the back of the nasal cavity, where it is normally harmless. But when it migrates to other parts of the body, it can cause serious bacterial infections such as pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis - known collectively as invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). IPD was estimated to cause around 1.6 million deaths per year worldwide prior to the introduction of widespread vaccination, with higher rates of disease in many low- or middle- income countries*. Infants and the elderly are most at risk. Vaccines against pneumococcus have prevented millions of infections. But like many bacteria, S. pneumoniae is difficult to target with vaccines because infection can be caused by different serotypes**. Each part of a vaccine usually protects against a single serotype, with the most complex pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) targeting 13 serotypes. Because there are approximately 100 S. pneumoniae serotypes around the world, vaccine effectiveness varies between countries depending on which serotypes are present. When serotypes are removed from circulation by a particular vaccine, other serotypes of S. pneumoniae rise to take their place. In this study, researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Simon Fraser University and Imperial College London optimised a computer model to approximate the effect of vaccines targeting different serotype combinations. Analysis of vaccine effectiveness was then carried out on S. pneumoniae genomic data from Massachusetts, USA and the Maela refugee camp in Thailand. The complexity of S. pneumoniae vaccines means many designs are possible, each with different effects on disease. In Maela, for example, the presence of 64 S. pneumoniae serotypes means around 100 trillion vaccine designs are possible. But it would take 19,000 years to simulate them all, with most being sub-optimal. The researchers developed a more efficient method that made it feasible to identify the best-performing designs from the trillions of possibilities. The team discovered that rates of infant IPD in Maela could actually be reduced by omitting components from the PCV13 vaccine to keep certain serotypes in place, removing the possibility of their replacement by highly-invasive serotypes. In Massachusetts, a vaccine targeting 20 serotypes was found to be more effective than the current PCV13. The results highlight the need for vaccine programmes to be tailored to specific communities of bacteria and to consider vaccination at different ages. Dr Nicholas Croucher, of the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Imperial College London, said: "Our research shows that the best vaccine designs strongly depend on the bacterial strains present in the population, which vary considerably between countries. The best vaccine designs also depend on the age group being vaccinated. These ideas will be critical for applying lessons learned from introducing vaccines in high-income countries to combatting the disease where the burden is highest." Vaccination of infants also affects IPD in adults. However, trends in IPD can differ between infants and the elderly in the same country, as seen recently in the UK. In many places, older adults already receive an S. pneumoniae vaccine, which was designed before the infant vaccine. The study also found that adult disease rates could be reduced by almost 50 per cent by redesigning adult vaccines to complement those administered to infants. Professor Caroline Colijn, of Simon Fraser University and the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: "This approach to optimising vaccines will help to address several problems, such as invasive disease among infants or adults and minimising antibiotic resistance in the post vaccine population. Such an approach also enables public health policy-makers to assess the likely effectiveness of an existing vaccine for a local population based on genomic surveillance data." The findings coincide with growing alarm at the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to common medicines. S. pneumoniae infections are sometime resistant to multiple antibiotics and have been highlighted as a priority threat by the WHO***. This study highlighted how vaccines can be designed to reduce the chances that a person's S. pneumoniae would be resistant to common treatments. Professor Jukka Corander, of the University of Oslo, University of Helsinki and the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: "With the power of the latest DNA sequencing technology we are heading towards a future where large-scale genomic surveillance of major bacterial pathogens is feasible. The approach we describe in this study will play an important role in accelerating future vaccine discovery and design to help reduce rates of disease." ### Contact details: Dr Matthew Midgley Press Office Wellcome Sanger Institute Cambridge, CB10 1SA Phone: 01223 494856 Email: press.office@sanger.ac.uk Notes to Editors: *The World Health Organization has more information on Invasive Pneumococcal Disease (IPD). https://www.who.int/ith/diseases/pneumococcal/en/ ** Serotypes are groups of a species of microorganism that share similar features. The Centre for Disease Control website has more information on bacterial serotypes using the example of salmonella. https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/reportspubs/salmonella-atlas/serotyping-importance.html *** For more information on WHO priorities, see: https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/27-02-2017-who-publishes-list-of-bacteria-for-which-new-antibiotics-are-urgently-needed) Publication: Caroline Colijn, Jukka Corander and Nicholas J. Croucher. (2020). Designing ecologically optimised pneumococcal vaccines using population genomics. Nature Microbiology. DOI: 10.1038/s41564-019-0651-y Funding: This research was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council of the UK, the Government of Canada's Canada 150 Research Chair program, Wellcome, the Royal Society, the UK Medical Research Council and the European Research Council. Selected websites: Imperial College London Imperial College London is one of the world's leading universities. The College's 17,000 students and 8,000 staff are expanding the frontiers of knowledge in science, medicine, engineering and business, and translating their discoveries into benefits for our society. Imperial is the UK's most international university, according to Times Higher Education, with academic ties to more than 150 countries. Reuters named the College as the UK's most innovative university because of its exceptional entrepreneurial culture and ties to industry. http://www.imperial.ac.uk The Wellcome Sanger Institute The Wellcome Sanger Institute is a world leading genomics research centre. We undertake large-scale research that forms the foundations of knowledge in biology and medicine. We are open and collaborative; our data, results, tools and technologies are shared across the globe to advance science. Our ambition is vast - we take on projects that are not possible anywhere else. We use the power of genome sequencing to understand and harness the information in DNA. Funded by Wellcome, we have the freedom and support to push the boundaries of genomics. Our findings are used to improve health and to understand life on Earth. Find out more at http://www.sanger.ac.uk or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and on our Blog. About Wellcome Wellcome exists to improve health by helping great ideas to thrive. We support researchers, we take on big health challenges, we campaign for better science, and we help everyone get involved with science and health research. We are a politically and financially independent foundation. https://wellcome.ac.uk/ More than 200 councils across the nation have embraced the Great British Spring Clean. The huge boost to the campaign comes as 73,000 people signed up to clean up. Local authorities ranging from some of the biggest in the land to little parish councils have come out to support the voluntary clean up. They said they will give out litter pickers and bags to community groups who will blitz their local areas. In all, there are now more than 2,300 organised litter picking events listed, ensuring that scores of beaches, parks, streets and fields will be scoured for rubbish. Bristol Council (City Hall pictured) is one of 200 councils across the nation which have embraced the Great British Spring Clean Local authorities ranging from some of the biggest in the land such as Leeds (building pictured) to little parish councils have come out to support the voluntary clean up The litter picking event by Keep Britain Tidy and backed by the Daily Mail taking place between Friday March 20 and Monday April 13 is aiming to recruit a million-strong army of readers after nearly 600,000 got involved last year. Judging by the phenomenal response in the first few days, it is well on the way. Councils up and down Britain are pledging their support adding their voices to organisations including the National Trust, the Women's Institute and the Church of England. They include Bristol, York, Milton Keynes, Leeds, Oxford, Peterborough and Rochdale. So far 180 MPs have also signed up to back the campaign, as well as Boris Johnson and Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers. In Lancaster, the council has 400 litter pickers at the ready. Last year volunteers there contributed 596 hours of rubbish clearing. So far 180 MPs have also signed up to back the campaign, as well as Boris Johnson (pictured speaking in Greenwich, London) In Sheffield, councillor Mark Jones said the city was 'blessed with volunteers' who care deeply. The initiative comes at a time when caring for our environment has never been more vital. As well as the threat to the natural world, litter costs around 800million each year to clean up money that could be better spent on schools or the NHS. The Daily Mail has long battled against the scourge of litter with its Turn The Tide on Plastic campaign. Manchester will host a grand launch event for the litter blitz that will echo an Olympic torch relay with litter heroes carrying a golden litter picker into the city centre. Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar said: 'We'll be helping residents, community groups, businesses and schools to organise clean-up events all over the city, spreading the word and encouraging as many as we can to take part.' Allison Ogden-Newton, of Keep Britain Tidy, said yesterday: 'It's inspiring to see so many councils getting behind the Great British Spring Clean.' A pandemic an ongoing epidemic on two or more continents may well have global consequences, despite the extraordinary travel restrictions and quarantines now imposed by China and other countries, including the United States The Wuhan coronavirus spreading from China is now likely to become a pandemic that circles the globe, according to many of the worlds leading infectious disease experts. The prospect is daunting. A pandemic an ongoing epidemic on two or more continents may well have global consequences, despite the extraordinary travel restrictions and quarantines now imposed by China and other countries, including the United States. Scientists do not yet know how lethal the new coronavirus is, however, so there is uncertainty about how much damage a pandemic might cause. But there is growing consensus that the pathogen is readily transmitted between humans. The Wuhan coronavirus is spreading more like influenza, which is highly transmissible, than like its slow-moving viral cousins, SARS and MERS, scientists have found. Its very, very transmissible, and it almost certainly is going to be a pandemic, said Dr Anthony S Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. But will it be catastrophic? I dont know. In the last three weeks, the number of lab-confirmed cases has soared from about 50 in China to more than 17,000 in at least 23 countries; there have been more than 360 deaths. But various epidemiological models estimate that the real number of cases is 100,000 or even more. While that expansion is not as rapid as that of flu or measles, it is an enormous leap beyond what virologists saw when SARS and MERS emerged. When SARS was vanquished in July 2003 after spreading for nine months, only 8,098 cases had been confirmed. MERS has been circulating since 2012, but there have been only about 2,500 known cases. The biggest uncertainty now, experts said, is how many people around the world will die. SARS killed about 10 percent of those who got it, and MERS now kills about 1 of 3. The 1918 Spanish flu killed only about 2.5 percent of its victims but because it infected so many people and medical care was much cruder then, 20 to 50 million died. By contrast, the highly transmissible H1N1 swine flu pandemic of 2009 killed about 285,000, fewer than seasonal flu normally does, and had a relatively low fatality rate, estimated at .02 percent. The mortality rate for known cases of the Wuhan coronavirus has been running about two percent, although that is likely to drop as more tests are done and more mild cases are found. It is increasingly unlikely that the virus can be contained, said Dr Thomas R Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who now runs 'Resolve to Save Lives', a nonprofit devoted to fighting epidemics. It is therefore likely that it will spread, as flu and other organisms do, but we still dont know how far, wide or deadly it will be. In the early days of the 2009 flu pandemic, they were talking about Armageddon in Mexico, Fauci said. (That virus first emerged in pig-farming areas in Mexicos Veracruz state.) But it turned out to not be that severe. An accurate estimate of the virus lethality will not be possible until certain kinds of studies can be done: Blood tests to see how many people have antibodies, household studies to learn how often it infects family members, and genetic sequencing to determine whether some strains are more dangerous than others. Closing borders to highly infectious pathogens never succeeds completely, experts said, because all frontiers are somewhat porous. Nonetheless, closings and rigorous screening may slow the spread, which will buy time for the development of drug treatments and vaccines. Other important unknowns include who is most at risk, whether coughing or contaminated surfaces are more likely to transmit the virus, how fast the virus can mutate and whether it will fade out when the weather warms. The effects of a pandemic would probably be harsher in some countries than in others. While the US and other wealthy countries may be able to detect and quarantine the first carriers, countries with fragile health care systems will not. The virus has already reached Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines and rural Russia. This looks far more like H1N1s spread than SARS, and I am increasingly alarmed, said Dr Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Even one percent mortality would mean 10,000 deaths in each million people. Other experts were more cautious. Dr Michael Ryan, head of emergency responses for the World Health Organisation, said in an interview with STAT News on Saturday that there was evidence to suggest this virus can still be contained and that the world needed to keep trying. Dr W Ian Lipkin, a virus-hunter at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health who is in China advising its Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that although the virus is clearly being transmitted through casual contact, labs are still behind in processing samples. But life in China has radically changed in the last two weeks. Streets are deserted, public events are canceled, and citizens are wearing masks and washing their hands, Lipkin said. All of that may have slowed down what lab testing indicated was exponential growth in the infection. Its unclear exactly how accurate tests done in overwhelmed Chinese laboratories are. On the one hand, Chinese state media have reported test kit shortages and processing bottlenecks, which could produce an undercount. But Lipkin said he knew of one lab running 5,000 samples a day, which might produce some false-positive results, inflating the count. You cant possibly do quality control at that rate, he said. Anecdotal reports from China, and one published study from Germany, indicate that some people infected with the Wuhan coronavirus can pass it on before they show symptoms. That may make border-screening much harder, scientists said. Epidemiological modelling released on Friday by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control estimated that 75 percent of infected people reaching Europe from China would still be in the incubation periods upon arrival, and therefore not detected by airport screening, which looks for fevers, coughs and breathing difficulties. But if thermal cameras miss victims who are beyond incubation and actively infecting others, the real number of missed carriers may be higher than 75 percent. Still, asymptomatic carriers are not normally major drivers of epidemics, Fauci said. Most people get ill from someone they know to be sick a family member, a co-worker or a patient, for example. The virus most vulnerable target is Africa, many experts said. More than a million expatriate Chinese work there, mostly on mining, drilling or engineering projects. Also, many Africans work and study in China and other countries where the virus has been found. If anyone on the continent has the virus now, Im not sure the diagnostic systems are in place to detect it, said Dr Daniel Bausch, head of scientific programs for the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, who is consulting with the WHO on the outbreak. South Africa and Senegal could probably diagnose it, he said. Nigeria and some other countries have asked the WHO for the genetic materials and training they need to perform diagnostic tests, but that will take time. At least four African countries have suspect cases quarantined, according to an article published Friday in the South China Morning Post. They have sent samples to France, Germany, India and South Africa for testing. At the moment, it seems unlikely that the virus will spread widely in countries with vigorous, alert public health systems, said Dr William Schaffner, a preventive medicine specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre. Every doctor in the US has this top of mind, he said. Any patient with fever or respiratory problems will get two questions. Have you been to China? Have you had contact with anyone who has? If the answer is yes, theyll be put in isolation right away. Assuming the virus spreads globally, tourism to and trade with countries besides China may be affected and the urgency to find ways to halt the virus and prevent deaths will grow. It is possible that the Wuhan coronavirus will fade out as weather warms. Many viruses, like flu, measles and norovirus, thrive in cold, dry air. The SARS outbreak began in winter, and MERS transmission also peaks then, though that may be related to transmission in newborn camels. Four mild coronaviruses cause about a quarter of the nations common colds, which also peak in winter. But even if an outbreak fades in June, there could be a second wave in the fall, as has occurred in every major flu pandemic, including those that began in 1918 and 2009. By that time, some remedies might be on hand, although they will need rigorous testing and perhaps political pressure to make them available and affordable. In China, several antiviral drugs are being prescribed. A common combination is pills containing lopinavir and ritonavir with infusions of interferon, a signaling protein that wakes up the immune system. In the US, the combination is sold as Kaletra by AbbVie for HIV therapy, and it is relatively expensive. In India, a dozen generic makers produce the drugs at rock-bottom prices for use against HIV in Africa, and their products are WHO-approved. Another option may be an experimental drug, remdesivir, on which the patent is held by Gilead. The drug has not yet been approved for use against any disease. Nonetheless, there is some evidence that it works against coronaviruses, and Gilead has donated doses to China. Several US companies are working on a vaccine, using various combinations of their own funds, taxpayer money and foundation grants. Although modern gene-chemistry techniques have made it possible to build vaccine candidates within just days, medical ethics require that they then be carefully tested on animals and small numbers of healthy humans for safety and effectiveness. That aspect of the process cannot be sped up, because dangerous side effects may take time to appear and because human immune systems need time to produce the antibodies that show whether a vaccine is working. Whether or not what is being tried in China will be acceptable elsewhere will depend on how rigorously Chinese doctors run their clinical trials. In God we trust, Schaffner said. All others must provide data. Donald G McNeil Jr c.2020 The New York Times Company A Birmingham man was killed in a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 65 near Evergreen on Saturday night, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Carl Edward Hogan II, 37, was killed when the 2020 Jeep he was driving collided with a 2014 Freightliner Cascadia, according to a statement from ALEA. Hogan was pronounced dead on the scene. The other driver, Jesus A Cruz-Mariano, 36, of Tuxpan, Veracruz, Mexico, was not injured. The crash occurred at the 96-mile marker on I-65, one mile west of Evergreen. State troopers continue to investigate. (RNS) Two years ago, Vineyard United Methodist Church was in trouble. Attendance had been dropping steadily for years, and the handful of members keeping things running was growing exhausted. While the church was still making its budget, the writing was on the wall for the aging congregation of about three dozen in Hutchinson, Minnesota, a 90-minute drive outside of the Twin Cities. Plans were made to welcome a pair of new pastors to lead Vineyard and merge the congregation with a larger church in town. When the merger fell apart, the young pastor-couple and their older congregants had a choice: change or close. They chose to change. They pulled out pews installed by members grandparents. They cancelled events like an annual turkey dinner, a beloved community tradition, to focus on discussions about the churchs vision. They gradually tweaked services Sunday over Sunday. The first few changes were the hardest, according to Hein. But each one built trust for the next. Everything we did, every meeting we had, every conversation we had, we just tried to be kind of like cheerleaders almost, said co-pastor Jim Hein. While painful for many longtime church members, advocates say a restart can help reverse shrinking numbers and breathe new life into congregations. But leaders have to be careful not to alienate older members of the congregation, who may feel they are being pushed out to make room for new people as a church in the Twin Cities recently discovered. Vineyard relaunched in October with an average attendance of about 85 people. It's one of several successful church "restarts" in the Dakotas-Minnesota Area of the United Methodist Church, according to its bishop, the Rev. Bruce Ough. Restarts have been part of the United Methodist Minnesota Annual Conferences Journey Toward Vitality since Ough took office about seven years ago, he said. That strategic plan also includes helping churches relaunch their lifecycle without closing and starting over, as well as planting new churches, offering online worship options, starting new worship services for populations who don't already attend church and reaching out to immigrant and ethnic populations, according to the bishop. It seems to be working. The Minnesota Annual Conference has been in decline for as long as anybody can remember, Ough said, closing churches and losing 1% to 2% of its average worship attendance every year. In 2018, it turned the corner and had a small increase in its average worship attendance for the first time, he said. That 1% increase brought its average weekly attendance to 28,968, according to the conference. We're bucking the trend in the United Methodist Church in North America, and we are bucking the trend in mainline Protestant churches, said Ough. But a restart is never easy. And sometimes things can go sideways. That was the case at a church near the Twin Cities that made headlines recently where older members accused church leaders of kicking them out of the congregation. The church grew out of the 2008 merger of Woodbury United Methodist Church in Woodbury, Minnesota, and Peaceful Grove United Methodist Church in neighboring Cottage Grove, Minnesota, according to lead pastor Dan Wetterstrom. That merger created a new multi-site church known as The Grove United Methodist Church, which continued to meet in both locations. The hope was that by bringing together the two congregations one that was much larger and had many more resources that there could be a renewed sense of mission on both campuses and that we would be able to revitalize the Peaceful Grove campus, Wetterstrom said. While the campus in Woodbury has swelled to about 400 people, the campus in Cottage Grove has continued to struggle and experienced decline, he said. A small group of about 30 people meets at the Cottage Grove campus, with lay people leading the services since The Grove leadership decided the church didnt have the resources to employ another pastor there. Wetterstrom described the congregation as faithful and close-knit, saying they are devoted and dedicated to how they care for one another within their campus and their life together. But leadership has struggled to revitalize the campus and welcome new members as the population of the city around it has boomed. We all finally concluded we simply couldn't do it, he said. We tried and we couldn't do it. So when the Minnesota Annual Conference hired the Rev. Jeremy Peters last spring to plant a new church in Cottage Grove, The Grove leadership decided a partnership made sense, Wetterstrom said. By the fall, the conference had presented a proposal to launch that church using The Grove's campus in the city, according to Peters. The plan involves closing the Cottage Grove campus in June and reopening it sometime later this year. Members who worship there were asked to attend services instead at the campus in Woodbury at least for 15 to 18 months in order to "let the new culture and norms take root, Peters said. Church leaders also have discussed options like starting a service for members coming from Cottage Grove to continue their lay-led worship in Woodbury. And if those current Cottage Grove members feel called to the new vision and worship style the restart will have, they would be welcomed, he said. This has to do with mission, not age, Wetterstrom added. However, longtime members of the Cottage Grove campus, who are mostly older, feel they have been singled out and that their church is being taken away from them, according to media reports. This is totally wrong, member Cheryl Gackstetter told the Pioneer Press. They are discriminating against us because of our age. Kristin DuMez, professor of history at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, knows how painful a church closing can be. DuMez said that when the Christian Reformed Church her grandparents attended in Sioux City, Iowa, was shut down about 20 years ago, it was called a rebirth. The denomination planted a new church nearby, and her grandparents and the existing congregation was encouraged to scatter to other churches in the area to give the new church a fresh start, she said. While that was happening, her grandfather passed away, she said. What that meant is that my grandmother who for over 50 years had been a member, this was her church community was alone really without the spiritual support, she said. For her grandparents, leaving the church wasnt just leaving a building, DuMez said. It also was leaving a network of people who had been there through births and deaths, new jobs and lost jobs. Theyd served on the church council and staffed the nursery and raised their families together. Her grandmother passed away last year, she said. Shed spent the last 20 years of her life without a church home, without a community to minister to her. The professor said her grandparents' experience has made her question what the purpose of a church is. Is it a community of the faithful, or is it a missions organization for outreach? she said. Ideally, it's always part of both, but, you know, maybe every church can't be all things to all people. Though painful, a restart may be necessary when a church is declining, aging and unable to keep up with its finances or building, according to the Rev. Dottie Escobedo-Frank, a United Methodist pastor and author of Restart Your Church. What I realized is that in the Methodist churches we have, many churches are declining. We've been trying to revitalize for decades, and we haven't been successful at it, and we needed to do something else, Escobedo-Frank said. The United Methodist Church remains the largest mainline Protestant denomination in the United States with just under 7 million U.S. members, according to the denomination. But that is down from more than 10 million in the 1960s and '70s. And the largest generational cohort among U.S. United Methodists is Baby Boomers 38%, compared to 13% of Millennials, according to Pew Research data. More than half of all U.S. United Methodists (62%) are over the age of 50. Escobedo-Frank said the idea for a restart comes from the central story of the Christian faith: the death and resurrection of Jesus. It also comes from restarting a computer that has become stuck. The most successful restart model involves closing a church for six months to a year, then reopening a new church in its place, according to the pastor-author. It also involves moving that churchs members to another congregation, because "if you have the same DNA there, then the same thing will happen, she said. But it's also the most difficult restart model, she said. Nobody wants to watch their church die. On Sunday (Jan. 26.), The Grove's Woodbury campus held a commissioning for Peters and its new Cottage Grove campus. The service had been planned before the recent controversy, but, Peters said, "It was a beautiful end to a crazy, crazy, chaotic week, and really, it really helped us to turn the page to figure out how to move forward." The pastor is hopeful for the future of the church in Cottage Grove, but he knows shutting down the campus won't be easy for those who have attended church there for decades. "Many of them literally built that church," he said. Hein doesnt minimize how hard the restart was for longtime church members at the Vineyard, either but he said many who had concerns were won over through the process. It wasn't the first declining church Heins wife and co-pastor, the Rev. Sara Hein, had led. After six years at a Presbyterian church, she had helped members close the doors on the churchs last Sunday. That gave her a lot of perspective, the Rev. Jim Hein said. These churches really can and do close, and if you don't do something something big or something noteworthy this is going to be the end result for a lot of churches in America. At Vineyard, the pastor-couple opted for a "soft close of the church, making changes gradually during Sunday worship services and canceling all other church activities that werent related to the restart. They offered pastoral care to longtime members and organized relaunch groups to hear members ideas, share their plans and identify leaders who could help with projects like remodeling the building or welcoming visitors. They called church members when they didnt see them at church on Sunday, sent postcards inviting neighbors to the relaunch, reached out to community groups on Facebook for help with things like music or PowerPoint slides and struck up conversations about the church with their running group and others they met in the community. While the church has doubled in size since its restart, the pastors try to be mindful of its longtime members, Hein said. The praise band makes sure to work in favorite hymns alongside more contemporary songs. And they've brought back the beloved turkey dinner. The pastor is excited about the positive things happening at the church and longtime members inviting new people to join them. Those members appear to be excited, too. It doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't happen easily," he said. "But if you're willing to work with people, understand where they're coming from, it seems that it can happen. READ THIS STORY AT RELIGIONNEWS.COM Article originally published by Religion News Service. Used with permission. Photo courtesy: RNS/Scott Takushi/Pioneer Press Related: Church Asks Members over 60 Years Old to Worship Elsewhere to Make Room for New Young People Church Says They Did Not Tell Older Members to Leave to Make Room for New Young People By Rasana Gasimova Azerbaijani low-cost airline Buta Airways will resume flights in Baku-Odessa direction in May, the Odessa International Airport informed on its website. It was noted that Buta Airways will begin flights on the Baku-Odessa route from May 14, 2020. Flights will be operated weekly on Thursdays and Sundays. Tickets for flights are already on sale on the airlines website and at sales offices. Departure from Baku will be at 07:15 local time, while arrival at the Odessa airport at 09:40 local time. The minimum price of the one-way ticket is $52. Note that Baku-Odessa flights were launched by Buta Airways on May, 2019. The company suspended flights on the Baku-Odessa route as part of the winter schedule from October 27, 2019 to March 28, 2020. Baku increasingly spreads its flight map over the world. Last year, Buta Airways also launched flights from Baku to the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Lviv. Flights to Kharkiv have been operated since May 2019 and to Lviv since December 2019. Currently, 37 passenger airlines operate flights to more than 60 different destinations from the country. ATA Airlines, Montenegro Airlines, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia, Nordwind Airlines, Ikar Airlines, IrAero, Al-Naser Airlines, Pobeda Airlines, SalamAir, Komiavaiatrans, Jazeera Airways, Kuwait Wataniya Airways, Mahan Air, Taban Air, Israir, Arkia Israel Airlines, Flynas, Gulf Air, Smartavia and Pegasus Airlines actively operate in the local market. Last year, Heydar Aliyev International Airport also set the record and served 4.73 million passengers last year. This is 7 percent higher than the same figure in 2018. The total passenger traffic in 2019 hit 5.56 million people. In 2019, base airlines of the Airport - AZAL and Buta Airways carried 2 million and 602,000 passengers, respectively. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. The Maharashtra government has set up a high-level committee to conduct an inquiry into alleged phone tapping by the previous BJP-led government, said Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Monday. A comprehensive inquiry will be conducted within six weeks by the two-member committee comprising additional chief secretary (home) Srikant Singh and Amitesh Kumar, joint commissioner of police (intelligence), Deshmukh tweeted. "The home department received many complaints from political parties and leaders about misuse of phone tapping by the previous government," he said in another tweet. "This abuse of power violates right to freedom and privacy as enshrined in the Constitution of India and is a national security threat," the NCP minister said. Former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has denied allegations that phones of political leaders were tapped during his government. After the allegations surfaced last month, the BJP leader asked the Shiv Sena-led government to order a probe. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rakhi Birla from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) represents Mangol Puri assembly constituency and will once again contest from here in the 2020 Delhi assembly elections. Birla is the deputy speaker of the outgoing Delhi Assembly. She became the youngest-ever cabinet minister of Delhi in 2013. She had won from Mangolpuri in 2015 Delhi polls too. BJP has fielded prominent Valmiki leader Karam Singh Karma for the Mangol Puri seat. He had joined BJP from AAP last year. The Congress candidate from Mangol Puri is Rajesh Lilothia, a former working president of the Delhi Congress. Lilothia had contested the last three Delhi assembly elections from Patel Nagar seat on a Congress ticket. Voting in the Delhi Assembly elections 2020 will be held on February 8 and the results will be announced on February 11. In the 2015 Delhi assembly elections, Rakhi Birla won from Mangol Puri by over 22,000 votes. Birla got 60,534 while Raj Kumar Chauhan of the Congress received 37,835 and came second. BJPs Surjeet Kumar was in the third spot with 27,889 votes. Rakhi Birla came to prominence after the 2013 Delhi polls when she defeated four-time MLA Raj Kumar Chauhan of the Congress. She was made the minister of women and child development, social welfare and languages in the Delhi government from December 28, 2013 to February 14, 2014. The Delhi Assembly elections of 2015 saw AAP win 67 of the 70 seats. The BJP won just 3 seats while the Congress, which was in power in Delhi for 15 years till 2013, could not win even a single seat. Delhi assembly election 2020 Date of polling: February 8 Counting date: February 11 Mangol Puri Sitting MLA: Rakhi Birla of AAP Winning margin in 2015: 22,699 Runner up name, party: Raj Kumar Chauhan of INC Number of voters in 2015: 1,78,940 Percentage of votes polled in 2015: 72.12 % Number of male voters in 2015: 96,113 Number of female voters in 2015: 82,818 Tribune Publishing, the owner of The Chicago Tribune, announced a management shake-up on Monday, naming Terry Jimenez, its chief financial officer, as the chief executive. He succeeds Timothy P. Knight, who will step down after only a year leading the company. The changes come two months after Alden Global Capital, a New York hedge fund once called a destroyer of newspapers, acquired the single largest stake in the company and installed two of eight directors on the board. Tribune Publishing has already been cutting staff, eliminating 118 posts through September. Last month, the company asked journalists at its nine news organizations across the country to volunteer for buyouts. Tribune Publishing, which also owns The New York Daily News, The Baltimore Sun and The Orlando Sentinel, has been hit hard by elemental changes to the news business as readers embrace screens for their news, and Facebook and Google siphon away the majority of digital ad dollars. In a memo to staff on Monday, Mr. Knight said the company would have to continue to realign its costs to the current revenue reality, adding: These efforts will allow the company to focus resources on our employees and the journalism you produce. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Vikas Mahatme on Monday gave a Zero Hour Notice in Rajya Sabha over the "need to take precautionary measures to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus". Earlier on Sunday, the second case of novel coronavirus in the country was reported from Kerala, and the patient is being monitored in an isolation ward in the Alappuzha Medical College. Meanwhile, the death toll in the coronavirus outbreak in China's Hubei province has risen to 361 with 56 people succumbing to the deadly virus, according to health authorities. According to the Hubei health authority, authorities confirmed an additional 2,103 coronavirus cases in the province, which brings the total number of cases to over 16,600, CNN reported. The virus originated in China's Wuhan city in December last year and has since spread to various cities around the world. Several countries including India have sped up the evacuation process after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak as a global health crisis.Earlier on Sunday, India evacuated 323 Indian nationals and seven Maldivian citizens, from Wuhan in a special Air India flight. On Saturday, 324 Indians had been evacuated from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Newsletter Subscribe now to get updates from armenian media & videos... ClearStream Technologies Ltd celebrated an important milestone earlier this month when the company celebrated 20 years in business. The company, which is based in Moyne Upper, Enniscorthy, has grown from approximately 20 employees when they started in early 1997 to over 400 employees today. Originally opening as Angiodynamics, an American-based medical device company, the company has been through numerous changes including a management buy out, floating on the AIM stock exchange in London and subsequently being acquired by the global medical devices company CR Bard in 2011. Bard is a leading multinational developer, manufacturer, and marketer of innovative, life-enhancing medical technologies in the fields of vascular, urology, oncology, and surgical specialties. They employ more than 12,000 people worldwide. At the Enniscorthy facility, ClearStream manufactures mainly angioplasty catheters that are used in both coronary and peripheral procedures to unblock arteries. ClearStream's focus has always been on developing talent and promoting from within, with many employees growing their careers in ClearStream. As one of the larger employers in county Wexford and the largest in Enniscorthy , ClearStream are actively looking to foster ties with both local secondary schools and colleges to ensure opportunities are available to graduates in many disciplines in their local area. In addition, Clearstream have been working in the last number of years to give back to the community by increasing their local charity work and help to fundraise for worthy causes in the local area. Each year, the employees at Clearstream nominate and vote on a charity of the year and all fund raising activities during the year will be for the chosen charity. In addition, the company match the amounts raised as part of a campaign by Bard to give back to the local community. In 2014, ClearStream opened a second manufacturing building at their site in the IDA industrial estate in Moyne Upper which represented a very significant investment in the site by Bard. This positivity has carried through with the site continuing to grow and be recognized within CR Bard globally. ClearStream marked its 20th anniversary by ensuring they recognised employees who have been with the company from the outset. The 7 employees work across departments and have shown dedication and loyalty to the company throughout the growth and change of the past 20 years. Director of Operations Pauline Oakes said the company's employees' loyalty and dedication have been key to its success throughout the years. 'It has been wonderful that they have been with us to see the growth of the company over our 20 years of existence , particularly since we became part of C.R Bard. We look forward to having them with us for many years to come.' Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will not use the Indian airspace for his flight to Malaysia, ARY News reported citing sources. Khan, who will embark on a two-day visit to Malaysia on Monday (February 3), has decided not to use Indian airspace. In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui has said that PM Imran is visiting Kuala Lumpur on the invitation of his Malaysia counterpart Mahathir Mohamad. According to the website, Khan is expected to raise the Kashmir pitch during his meeting with the Malaysian counterpart. Sources told ARY News that the Pakistan Prime Minister took the decision of not using the Indian airspace in light of the situation in Kashmir. India and Pakistan are at loggerheads since last year owing to a series of events, including the terrorist attack in Pulwama of Jammu and Kashmir. Live TV The tensions between the two nations increased further after the central government abrogated Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two union territories. Islamabad, on several occasions, did not allow Indian leaders including President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to use its airspace during their trips abroad. In October last year, India had taken the matter of Pakistan's move to deny permission to Modi's special flight to use its airspace, to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). REDDING The Joel Barlow graduate killed in a car accident in Coventry over the weekend was remembered Monday as a thoughtful, exceptional student who mentored younger children. Cole Montefusco was killed Saturday after he was thrown from a vehicle around during a one-car crash on Route 44. First reponders were called to the scene near Lathrop Drive around 4:03 a.m., according to police. Montefusco was transported to Hartford Hospital, where he later died due to serious injuries. He was a very lively, fun-loving, considerate kid, said Tom McMorran, the superintendent of Easton, Redding and Region 9 schools, who was head of school at Joel Barlow while Montefusco was a student. The 21-year-old had been a student at UConn Storrs since graduating from Joel Barlow High School in 2016. It was not immediately clear what led to the accident, but a Facebook post by the North Coventry Volunteer Fire Department showing a single car crash on that road reminded drivers that the roads were slippery and asked they use caution. His former guidance counselor at Joel Barlow remembered how he would make sure everyone was included. Personally I remember Cole as being a really conscientious, thoughtful, kind individual, said Jennifer Ramirez, who recalled him volunteering at an extended day program for younger students in the district. Montefusco played lacrosse, and was on the football team in his senior year. He was great with people. He really was loyal to his family and friends, Ramirez said. McMorran said he visited with staff and students Monday morning in the wake of Montefuscos death over the weekend. Montefusco's mother is a speech therapist at Redding Elementary School. As I was in the elementary and the middle school today, teachers were saying how he wanted to perform well a willing student, McMorran said. I just remember him being a cheerful kid, always surrounded by friends, always very respectful of the staff, he added. The UConn student was studying finance in the universitys School of Business, said Stephanie Reitz, a spokeswoman for the University of Connecticut. She said Montefuscos stellar academic performance won him a Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst internship and a place in the Delta Sigma Pi professional business fraternity. Cole exemplified the UConn spirit in his academic perseverance, community involvement and pursuit of his goals, Reitz said. Although his life was tragically cut short, his impact will be long lasting and his memory will be deeply treasured. The university typically organizes a vigil and transportation to the funeral when one of their students passes away, Reitz said, but so far that has not been organized because news of Montefuscos death is still circulating among the school community. Montefusco was a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity and was a morale captain for the Huskython fundraiser, Reitz said. He was also a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta honor society for academically high-achieving students. His high school yearbook includes a blurb and photo submitted by his family. Wishing you love happiness and success today and always, the caption reads, beneath a quote by the American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. One of Montefuscos friends wrote a message to him beneath his photo in the yearbook Yo Cole, where are you? Yo Ryan, Im over here, Montefusco wrote back a few pages away beneath his own photo. In a Facebook post on Saturday, McMorran, asked the local community to keep Montefusco in their thoughts. As you know, the faculty and staff of RES, as well as the faculties of (John Read Middle School) and Barlow are very close, McMorran said in the post. We will grieve the loss of Cole as we work to support everyone impacted by this tragic accident. Gina Pin, the head of school at Barlow, said Monday the school has counselors available, but that the former students death has had a larger impact on staff members because his former classmates no longer go to school there. Several of the faculty have children of their own who graduated with Montefusco, she said. I think its just such a tragic loss the senselessness thats whats always hard, said Pin. She and Ramirez, Montefuscos former counselor, said they both lost former students before Montefuscos death on Saturday. I tell the kids, the only thing that keeps me up at night, its not the school budget... but the safety of the students, Pin said. And then you realize how powerless you are to protect them, she added. McMorran said cards or letters dropped off at school offices in Redding would be delivered to the family. He said the former Barlow student came from a great family, and that his mother was very involved in the community. Were all very sad today, McMorran said. By Abdul Kerimkhanov The income of hotels and sheltered accommodation institutions in Azerbaijan amounted to 450.2 million manats ($264.8 million) in 2019, which is 25.2 percent higher than in 2018, the State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan told local media. "Some 66 percent of the revenues came from rented rooms, 25.8 percent from the sale of beverages and food products, 2.2 percent from the provision of medical and health services, six percent from the provision of other services," the State Statistics Committee said. In general, in 2019, tourists in Azerbaijan made 3,345,300 overnight stays in hotels (an increase of 11.4 percent). At the same time, the majority of overnight stays were in Baku hotels - 57.7 percent of the total. In Gabala, this indicator amounted to nine percent, Guba- 7.9 percent, Khachmaz - 4.4 percent, Naftalan - 3.7 percent, Gusar - 2.8 percent, Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic - 2.7 percent, Lankaran - 1.2 percent, Gakh - 1 percent, Mingachevir - 1 percent, while other areas - 8.6 percent. Simultaneously, foreign citizens or stateless persons made 2,240,900 (an increase of 9.3 percent) or 67 percent of all overnight. Of these, 13.8 percent are tourists from Saudi Arabia, 11.7 percent - the UAE, 10.9 percent - Russia, six percent - Israel, 5.9 percent - India, 5.2 percent - Iran, 5 percent - Turkey, 3.5 percent - Kuwait, 3.1 percent - Great Britain, 2.1 percent - Qatar, 2.1 percent - Pakistan, 2 percent - the U.S, 1.5 percent - China, 1.5 percent - Kazakhstan, 1.4 percent - Iraq, 1.1 percent - Germany, 1.1 percent - Georgia, the rest - from other countries. The statistics showed that in 2019, the average hotel occupancy rate in Azerbaijan was 22.1 percent versus 20.8 percent in 2018. As for the regions, Naftalan leads in the list with 55 percent, Guba - 44.5 percent, Gabala - 36.6 percent, Beylagan - 32.2 percent, Baku - 31.8 percent, Shabran - 24.2 percent. In 2019, the peak hotel loading occurred in August and made up 46.4 percent. Azerbaijan is developing its tourism potential nowadays to turn into a main regional tourism destination in the coming years. Holding grand international events is part of this work. In recent years, the creation of diversified tourism infrastructure in Azerbaijan has increased the interest of foreign tourists to the country. There are many opportunities for tourism in our country, including rural, health, environmental, cultural, social, commercial, sports, etc. Simplification of visa regime also plays a major role in the development of tourism in Azerbaijan. Currently, citizens of a number of countries get visas right at the Azerbaijani airports, while other tourists can visit the country by getting online tourist visas. The mesmerizing mix of East and West, the possibility to have a rest on the Caspian Sea shore and enjoy According to the State Statistical Committee of Azerbaijan, as of 2017, there are 563 hotel facilities in the country. In 2019, more than 3.1 million of foreigners and stateless persons from 193 countries visited Azerbaijan. In 2020, Azerbaijan expects tourists from around the world to attend three group games of EURO 2020 in Baku in June. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Bats are likely the cause of coronavirus from China after scientists find the virus is 96 per cent identical to one found in the animals. The virus, which has killed 362 people so far, was believed to have transferred to humans from an animal, but identifying which one has been challenging. Now, using samples from seven patients with severe pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, scientists have found striking similarities to coronavirus found in bats. The DNA is also 79.5 per cent identical with the deadly SARS coronavirus, which suggests vaccines for the now non-existent virus may help with this epidemic. Global cases have risen above 17,450, higher than the total recorded cases of the SARS virus that killed some 800 people in 2002 and 2003. Although scientists stress the animal source of the recent outbreak in China is yet to be officially declared, experts have confirmed a wholesale animal market in Wuhan city is to blame. A menagerie of live animals including koalas, rats and wolf pups were available at the Huanan Seafood Market in central Wuhan - the outbreak's epicentre. While most research has pointed towards bats, research at Peking University implicated snakes as the most likely 'reservoir' of the rapidly spreading virus. Researchers say bats are the hosts of a coronavirus almost completely identical to the one infecting people in the current outbreak, which began in Wuhan, China (stock image of a fruit bat) More than 17,200 people have been infected worldwide, higher than the total recorded cases of the SARS virus that killed some 800 people in 2002 and 2003 The Huanan market was a hotspot with locals, who could choose to buy their meat 'warm' meaning it had been slaughtered just moment prior. Dr Michael Skinner, reader in virology at Imperial College London, said: 'The discovery definitely places the origin of nCoV in bats in China. 'We still do not know whether another species served as an intermediate host to amplify the virus, and possibly even to bring it to the market, nor what species that host might have been. 'But the high level of sequence similarity between nCoV and TG13 is not really compatible with some of the more exotic hosts that were considered earlier in the epidemic.' Zheng-Li Shi, a virologist and researcher at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and colleagues, analysed samples of seven people with what's been dubbed '2019-nCoV'. WHAT OTHER RESEARCH POINTS TO BATS AS THE SOURCE OF THE THE KILLER VIRUS? Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the People's Liberation Army and Institut Pasteur of Shanghai came to the conclusion that the coronavirus may have come from bats. In a statement, the team said: 'The Wuhan coronavirus' natural host could be bats but between bats and humans there may be an unknown intermediate. Research published in the Lancet also determined bats as the most probable original host of the virus after samples were taken from the lungs of nine patients in Wuhan. The team suggested that bats passed the disease on to an 'intermediate' host which was at the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan before being passed on to the 'terminal host' humans. Authorities have pointed the blame on food markets in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak that scientists are scrambling to contain. Rodents and bats among other animals are slaughtered and sold in traditional 'wet markets', which tourists flock to see the 'real' side of the country. Advertisement Six of those included were workers at the market in Wuhan, where cases were first reported in December. The team found that full-length genome sequences - which determined the DNA of the virus - from five of the patients, were almost 100 per cent identical to each other. They compared it with TG13, a coronavirus in bats, and found the virus sequence is 96 per cent identical at the whole-genome level to a bat coronavirus. This evidence suggests bats are a probable source of this coronavirus, according to the publication in the journal Nature. This jump between species is rare and makes the virus zoonotic capable of infecting different species. Bats are unaffected by the pathogens in their bloodstreams but people have no protection to the viruses as they are foreign to human immune systems. And once in humans, it can then be easily passed from person-to-person through coughs or sneezes. Zheng-Li Shi and colleagues also found the new coronavirus shared 79.5 per cent sequence identity with SARS, and it enters the body through the same route - via a cell receptor called ACE2. This suggests there are some genetic differences between the novel coronavirus and SARS, but their structures are similar. A test developed by the researchers was able to detect 2019-nCoV in oral swab samples. But samples taken about 10 days later did not have a positive result. This suggests the most likely route of transmission is through the airways. However, the authors say other routes may be possible, and more patient data is needed to investigate transmission routes. In a separate study also published in Nature today, Yong-Zhen Zhang and colleagues at Fudan University, Shanghai, looked at a 41-year-old male market worker admitted to a hospital in Wuhan on December 26 2019. Chinese authorities reported 2,829 new cases over the last 24 hours, taking infections to nearly 17,500 worldwide It comes as the epidemic's official death toll soared overnight by 57 to 361 cases in China, plus one in the Philippines SCIENTISTS SAY SNAKES ARE THE SOURCE OF CORONAVIRUS Researchers at Peking University believe that 2019-nCoV is made up of a combination of one that affects bats and another, totally unknown coronavirus. They think genetic material from the two recombined, picked up a protein that lets viruses bind to certain host cells - including those of humans. When they analysed the genes of strains affecting various host animals, the team found that snakes were susceptible to the most similar version of the coronavirus, and likely provided a 'reservoir' for the viral strain to grow stronger and replicate. Snakes likely served as the jumping-off point for the virus to begin infecting humans, the team said. 'Results derived from our evolutionary analysis suggest for the first time that snake is the most probable wildlife animal reservoir for the 2019-nCoV,' the authors wrote in the Journal of Medical Virology. Advertisement He had experienced symptoms of respiratory illness, including fever, chest tightness and a cough. The authors performed genome sequencing on a sample of fluid taken from his lung. They identified a novel virus and found that the viral genome shared 89.1 per cent similarity with SARS-like coronaviruses from bats. But the researchers say it is not possible to conclude from the analysis of a single patient that this coronavirus is the cause of the current outbreak. Despite extensive treatment efforts, the patient had respiratory failure and his condition did not improve after three days of treatment. Ian Jones, professor of virology at University of Reading, said: 'These two scientific papers provide the formal evidence for what is already widely known. '2019-nCoV is a bat virus, and SARS-CoV, which caused an epidemic in 2002/3, is the closest relative seen previously in people. 'Most encouragingly though, this indicates that treatments and vaccines developed for SARS should work for the Wuhan virus.' Pictures emerging on Twitter shows soup cooked with a bat. Bats are used in traditional Chinese medicine to 'treat' a series of illness, including coughing, malaria and gonorrhea. Bats have been confirmed as the most likely source of the infection Dr Skinner added: 'Together, these papers describe the first steps in understanding the evolutionary and epidemiological origins of WHCV/2019-nCoV. 'The speed of their appearance attests to the rapid pace and extent of scientific and technological progress, globally - but not least in China, since the SARS epidemic in 2002-3. 'They confirm some of the early suspicions, discount others and, typically, raise even more questions that many are already trying to answer - but those answers need more information, which may not be forthcoming for several years.' Some of the patients' antibodies, which fight disease, were shown by Zheng-Li Shi and colleagues to have the potential to neutralise the virus. And the research suggests that a previously identified horse antibody against SARS also neutralises the virus. However, whether or not these cross-react with the current strain needs to be confirmed using serum from humans who have recovered from SARS. As scientists race to find a vaccine, which may take years, the epidemic's official death toll soared overnight by 57 to 361 cases in China. One person has also died in the Philippines. Chinese authorities reported 2,829 new cases over the last 24 hours, taking infections to above 17,450 worldwide. Within a month, the never-seen-before coronavirus strain has spread at an alarming rate. It has reached 23 countries including the UK, US, Canada and Australia. Developments forced The World Health Organisation to declare a public health emergency last week due to high concerns the virus will spread to countries with weaker health systems. Eleven British nationals returned from China on Sunday night as part of the Government's rescue programme. The Foreign Office started pulling diplomats and their families from the disease-hit region last Friday. Around 150 people and 50 others, mainly from the EU and 20 from Spain, arrived at RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire, on January 31. But some 30,000 Brits are still trapped in China and have reportedly been told to make their own way home. The highly contagious infection can spread via a simple cough, sneeze or handshake and the virus can live on inanimate objects such as door handles. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. In preparation for the upcoming statewide ban on single-use plastic bags, the city is holding bag distribution events throughout the city but you wont find one on Staten Island, so far. According to the city Department of Sanitations (DSNY) website, the agency that is hosting the events throughout the city, there are no scheduled events for the borough. The website shows all DSNY events through May 9. The state-wide ban on single-use plastic bags goes into effect on March 1. Consumers will have the option of bringing their own reusable bags or paying a 5 cent fee for paper bags. After being contacted by the Advance and asked about the boroughs exclusion from the listed events, a Department of Sanitation spokeswoman said the agency continues to hold events throughout the city and plans to have bag distribution events on Staten Island soon. The spokeswoman said DSNY has distributed more than 30,000 bags on Staten Island through borough community organizations, its community boards, and elected officials for distribution to their constituents. In addition to providing reusable bags, DSNY has been doing public outreach across the five boroughs informing businesses and residents about the upcoming New York State ban on single-use plastic bags. This outreach includes sending mailers to businesses, doing social media outreach, and running advertisements on websites, city subway trains, and in local newspapers, including the Staten Island Advance, in which a half-page ad was published on January 28th, she said. TAKE A PLEDGE City residents have the option of taking the Zero Waste Pledge, -- a checklist where residents promise to recycle various forms of waste -- on the DSNY website in exchange for a gift, one of which is a reusable bag. However, the website states that: Reusable bag requests are delayed, please allow four extra weeks for delivery while we replenish our inventory. The delayed delivery time means when residents do get their bags, it will be after the new law goes into effect on March 1. BOROUGH STORES PREPARING FOR BAN A ShopRite spokeswoman said the Islands ShopRite locations, owned by Mannix Family Supermarkets, are prepared to fully comply with the new law, which is still being finalized by the state. We are still considering the best options for our customers, the spokeswoman said. ShopRite is concerned about the environmental impact of both plastic and paper bags, which is why we firmly believe that reusable bags are the best choice." ShopRite stocks a number of attractive reusable bags and totes inside its stores, she added. In-store signs reminding customers of the upcoming change its Plan for the Ban campaign will soon be seen in the coming weeks. Offers on the purchase of reusable bags will also be coming, she said. (Photo courtesy of Stop & Shop) Stop & Shop told the Advance that signage would begin appearing in stores this week. There are five Stop & Shop locations across the borough. Stefanie Shuman, spokeswoman for Stop & Shop, said it offers a number of reusable bags for sale inside the stores, including a Stop & Shop Community Bag for $2.50, of which $1 goes to a local non-profit selected by the store. A Lidl spokesman told the Advance it has never offered free single-use plastic bags and has always encouraged customers to utilize reusable bags and charged a small fee for the paper and reusable bags we sell in-store. The spokesman called it a win-win. Its a win for customers because they only pay for the product in their carts; its a win for the environment because it limits the amount of bags consumed, the spokesman said. Owner of Met Foods, Bill Fani, said his stores already have signage and have been selling reusable bags below cost to get them in the hands of as many customers as possible. Were trying to get customers used to coming back with the bags, and also trying to be conscious about being environmentally friendly and getting the customers to do the same, Fani said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 12:55:12|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close DES MOINES, the United States, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Iowa, a state in the Midwestern United States, is to hold Democratic and Republican caucuses on Monday, the first nomination contests on the 2020 presidential primary schedule. On the Republican side, President Donald Trump, as the incumbent, is expected to sail through the caucus night and turn much of the nation's attention to the Democratic events. Democrats seeking the party's nomination to challenge Trump will vie for Iowa's 41 pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention, which will be held on July 13-16 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Though the delegates Iowa have account for only 2 percent of the 1,991 national delegates a candidate needs to win to be the Democratic nominee, a strong finish across the Hawkeye state's 99 counties could inject a strong momentum into his or her campaign in a crowed race. "Iowa is a gatekeeper. It's a table setter. It historically has been an extremely important part of the presidential process," veteran U.S. pollster John Zogby told a recent briefing in Washington D.C. The Democratic caucuses are scheduled to begin at 1,678 precinct locations at 7 p.m. CT on Monday (0100 GMT on Tuesday) and to bring tens of thousands of Iowa's registered voters to people's homes, churches, public libraries, and school gyms. Unlike a traditional primary, in which voters cast ballots, caucuses requires people to show up to their precinct and physically move into designated parts of a room to show their preference for a certain candidate, the first step of which is commonly called "the first alignment." At most precincts, a presidential contender needs at least 15 percent of the support at that caucus site to be eligible to receive any delegates. If he or she does not meet the threshold, they get no delegates, and their supporters can re-sort and go to their second choice in the next -- and final -- alignment. For the first time, caucus-goers this year will write down who they are supporting so there will be paper backups, in case recounts are necessary. After the caucuses, the Iowa Democratic Party will report three numbers: the statewide preference after the first alignment; the preference after the second alignment; and the final "State Delegate Equivalents (SDEs)," numbers used to determine how the state's national delegates are awarded to candidates. While the first two results will be useful for analyses, the candidate who earns the most SDEs will surely declare himself or herself the winner of the Iowa caucuses. Currently, there are 13 Democrats and three Republicans, including Trump, seeking the presidential nomination of their own parties, while 17 Democrats and one Republican have dropped out of the race in this election cycle. According to the latest RealClearPolitics national Democratic primary polling average, former Vice President Joe Biden is leading with 27.2 percent, followed by Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren with 23.5 percent and 15 percent respectively. Sanders, meanwhile, is the frontrunner in the Iowa polling average, together with Biden, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, and Warren rounding out the top four. Michael Bloomberg, who made a relatively late entry into the Democratic primary, is skipping early-voting states, including Iowa. The billionaire former New York City mayor will be holding events in California on Monday, according to his campaign. Trump won't be in Iowa on Monday either but he held a rally in Des Moines, the state's capital, days ago. The Republican Party is expected to nominate Trump for a second term during the Aug. 24-27 national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Iowa caucuses will be followed by the New Hampshire presidential primary, slated for Feb. 11. The 2020 U.S. presidential election will take place on Nov. 3. Newark, NJ, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the report published by Fior Markets, the global automated test equipment market is expected to grow from USD 3.91 Billion in 2017 to USD 5.97 Billion by 2025 at a CAGR of 5.43% during the forecast period 2018-2025. Reduced manufacturing time due to the high testing speed of ATE and the rise in demand for consumer electronics goods like laptops, tablets, smartphones, and others have fuelled the demand for ATE. Growing implementation system-on-chip which is owing to rising demand for consumer electronics also drives automated test equipment. Demand for ATE has been stimulated due to the miniaturization of devices. Automatic test equipment or automated test equipment (ATE) is a computer-operated machine that conducts tests on devices, like electronics, hardware, software, semiconductors or avionics, to measure their performance and ability. These tests are known as the Device Under Test (DUT), Equipment Under Test (EUT) or Unit Under Test (UUT), which use various controlling methods and automated technology to rapidly generate outcomes related to efficiency of the device by evaluating DUT. Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) is also defined as any equipment used to perform assembly line type testing of produced items. Most commonly the term is used for the equipment that is used in testing integrated circuits and printed circuit boards, in the manufacturing process. These tests can be simple or complex depending upon the nature of the equipment tested. It involves the use of wireless communication and radar as well as electronic component manufacturing. Thus, ATE helps to quickly identify the working capability of DUT which saves manufacturing costs and prevents a faulty device from entering the market. The ability of automated test equipment systems to manufacture in less timing is a major factor driving the market. The adoption of new techniques requires new ATE which may act as a constraint for the market. However, growth in the automotive sector along with the rising demand of consumers might boost the market in the coming years. DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT AT https://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/362186/request-sample Key players operating in the global automated test equipment market include Teradyne Inc., Advantest Corporation ,Emulus Holdings Bhd (Aemulus), Chroma ATE Inc., Aeroflex Inc. (a subsidiary of Cobham plc), Astronics Corporation, LTX-Credence Corporation (Xcerra Corporation, Star Technologies, Tesec Corporation, Roos Instruments, Inc., Marvin Test Solutions Inc. Danaher Corporation and National Instruments Corporation among others. National Instruments Corporation are the top leading players of the market. Extensive product portfolio and expansion strategies by major players are contributing for the growth of the sector. For instance, in February 2017, Xcerra Corporation established direct sales and support operations in Taiwan and China through which it expected to boost companys presence in these countries. Many major players are focusing their attention on new product developments and venture capital investments to obtain a great share in market. For instance in March 2017, Virginia Panel Corporation appointed Amplicon as its United Kingdom's partner. This partnership provided both the companies with new business opportunities and further help in strengthening the engineering services. Industrial PC segment is dominating the automated test equipment market with a share of 28.20% in 2017 The component segment is classified into industrial PC, mass interconnect, handler and prober. The industrial PC segment is dominating the automated test equipment market as they are primarily used for administering, controlling and acquiring data which influences growth of the market. Non-Memory ATE segment is dominating the automated test equipment market with USD 1.44 Billion in 2017 Type segment includes non-memory ATE, memory ATE and discrete ATE. Non-Memory ATE segment Is dominating the automated test equipment market due to rising demand of automotive and increasing number of microcontroller-based application. IT & Telecommunications segment is growing with the highest CAGR of 9.01% over the forecast period Application segment is divided into segments such as consumer, automotive, aerospace & defense, IT & telecommunications and medical. IT & Telecommunications is playing a chief role in shaping the business growth and is anticipated to grow with the highest CAGR in the forecast period. Increased use of ATE to test electronic components and systems, emerging technologies, rise in demand of tablets, LCD TVs and smartphones are the key drivers for the market growth. Browse full report with TOC at https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-automated-test-equipment-market-by-component-industrial-362186.html Regional Segment Analysis of the Automated Test Equipment Market North America (U.S. , Canada, Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Rest of the Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan India, Rest of APAC) South America (Brazil and Rest of South America) Middle East and Africa (UAE, South Africa, Rest of MEA) The regions analysed for the market include North America, Europe, South America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. North America region dominated the global automated test equipment market with USD 1.70 Billion in 2017 where as the Asia Pacific region held the second dominant position in the market. The North America region is a major manufacturing hub owing to the increasing innovation and investment. Also, there is a rapid growth in aerospace sector in U.S. which boosts up the market growth. Asia Pacific is the second fastest growing region due to introduction of various technologies like adaptive testing, advanced Design-For-Test (DFT), faster mixed-signal testers, fine-pitch probe cards and design standards. Due to significant presence of semiconductor industries. China and Taiwan are expected to hold significantly to the regional market expansion. About the report: The global Automated Test Equipment market is analysed on the basis of value (USD Billion), volume (K Units), consumption (K Units), imports (K Units) and exports (K Units). All the segments have been analyzed on global, regional and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each segment. The report offers in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining the key insight of the market. The study includes porters five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution and marketing channels analysis. For Instant Purchase: Single User License: https://www.fiormarkets.com/checkout.html?reportid=362186&type=single Corporate License: https://www.fiormarkets.com/checkout.html?reportid=362186&type=corp Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per client requirements. For further queries, you can contact us on sales@fiormarkets.com or +1-201-465-4211. Our executives will be pleased to understand your requirements and offer you the best-suited reports. About Fior Markets Fior Markets is a futuristic market intelligence company, helping customers flourish their business strategies and make better decisions using actionable intelligence. With transparent information pool, we meet clients objectives, commitments on high standard and targeting possible prospects for SWOT analysis and market research reports. Fior Markets deploys a wide range of regional and global market intelligence research reports including industries like technology, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, food and beverages, chemicals, media, materials and many others. Our Strategic Intelligence capabilities are purposely planned to boost your business extension and elucidate the vigor of diverse industry. We hold distinguished units of highly expert analysts and consultants according to their respective domains. The global market research reports we provide involve both qualitative and quantitative analysis of current market scenario as per the geographical regions segregated and comprehensive performance in different regions with global approach. 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Contact Us Avinash D Head of Business Development Phone: +1-201-465-4211 Email: sales@fiormarkets.com Web: www.fiormarkets.com To Read Top Industries Reports, Visit our Affiliated Website: https://www.mrinsights.biz/ Related Reports Global Automotive Embedded Telematics Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-automotive-embedded-telematics-market-by-service-information-362206.html Global Automotive Power Distribution Block Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-automotive-power-distribution-block-market-by-component-362207.html Global Automotive Diagnostic Scan Tools Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-automotive-diagnostic-scan-tools-market-by-offering-362204.html Global Asset Integrity Management Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-asset-integrity-management-market-by-service-type-362184.html [February 03, 2020] Maxar Technologies Will Build Next-Generation Intelsat Epic Geostationary Communications Satellite with NASA Hosted Payload Intelsat (News - Alert) (NYSE: I) has selected Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR), a trusted partner and innovator in Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure, to manufacture Intelsat 40e, a next-generation geostationary communications satellite scheduled to launch in 2022. Maxar will integrate NASA's Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) payload with the Intelsat 40e satellite. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005185/en/ Maxar will build the Intelsat 40e geostationary communications satellite and integrate NASA's TEMPO payload with it. Image: Maxar Technologies "When it's launched, Intelsat 40e will be the newest addition to our next-generation Intelsat Epic platform, which is already providing our global customers with flexible, high-performance connectivity they can count on today - and in the future," said Intelsat CEO Stephen Spengler. "Intelsat continuously invests in innovative new satellite and hybrid technologies that make it easy and affordable for our customers to connect people, devices and networks, even in the most remote locations. We look forward to partnering with Maxar on this next build." Based on Maxar's proven 1300-class satellite platform and Intelsat Epic, Intelsat 40e will provide Intelsat customers across North and Central America with flexible, high-throughput, "coast-to-coast" coverage. The additional capacity will also support the growing number of customers utilizing Intelsat managed-service offerings, including those working with Intelsat to solve connectivity challenges for commercial and private planes, moving vehicles on land and other mobility applications. In 2019, NASA selected Maxar to host its TEMPO payload utilizing the Space and Missile Systems Center Hosted Payload Solutions (HoPS) contract vehicle. Now that Maxar has identified Intelsat 40e as the satellite, the company will begin the integration process. TEMPO is a UV-visible spectrometer that will detect pollutants by measuring sunlight reflected and scattered from the Earth's surface and atmosphere. The resulting data from TEMPO will be used to enhance air-quality forecasts in North America, enabling the more effective early public warning of pollution incidents. The combined Intelsat 40e and TEMPO programs are expected to be accretive to Maxar's earnings and cash flow on an annual basis throughout the production process. "Maxar and Intelsat have a strategic partnership that goes back more than 40 years, and we are honored to have been chosen for Intelsat 40e - the 54th satellite that Maxar will build for Intelsat over the course of our long and successful history together," said Maxar CEO Dan Jablonsky. "Maxar is also honored to have collaborated with NASA for more than 50 years, and we are excited to leverage our strong legacy in bridging commercial and government needs to integrate the agency's TEMPO payload with Intelsat 40e. Maxar's recent work with NASA on TEMPO and several other Space Infrastructure missions demonstrate positive momentum for our expanding civil space portfolio." About Maxar Maxar is a trusted partner and innovator in Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure. We deliver disruptive value to government and commercial customers to help them monitor, understand and navigate our changing planet; deliver global broadband communications; and explore and advance the use of space. Our unique approach combines decades of deep mission understanding and a proven commercial and defense foundation to deploy solutions and deliver insights with unrivaled speed, scale and cost effectiveness. Maxar's 5,800 team members in 30 global locations are inspired to harness the potential of space to help our customers create a better world. Maxar trades on the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange as MAXR. For more information, visit www.maxar.com. About Intelsat As the foundational architects of satellite technology, Intelsat operates the largest, most advanced satellite fleet and connectivity infrastructure in the world. We apply our unparalleled expertise and global scale to reliably and seamlessly connect people, devices and networks in even the most challenging and remote locations. Transformation happens when businesses, governments and communities build a ubiquitous connected future through Intelsat's next-generation global network and simplified managed services. At Intelsat, we turn possibilities into reality. Imagine Here, with us, at Intelsat.com. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements and other information included in this release constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") under applicable securities laws. Statements including words such as "may", "will", "could", "should", "would", "plan", "potential", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate" or "expect" and other words, terms and phrases of similar meaning are often intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements involve estimates, expectations, projections, goals, forecasts, assumptions, risks and uncertainties, as well as other statements referring to or including forward-looking information included in this presentation. Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this presentation. As a result, although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. The risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, the risk factors and other disclosures about the Company and its business included in the Company's continuous disclosure materials filed from time to time with U.S. securities and Canadian regulatory authorities, which are available online under the Company's EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov, under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com or on the Company's website at www.maxar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. All such forward-looking statements are based upon data available as of the date of this presentation or other specified date and speak only as of such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this presentation as a result of new information or future events, except as may be required under applicable securities legislation. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005185/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Director of Social Protection at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), Dr. Rita Owusu Amankwah, has stated that the Free Senior High School Policy implemented by government will help eradicate poverty in the country. The policy, which has seen an increase in enrollment in second cycle schools, she has reiterated, has great prospects for the country. She continued the policy on a larger scale has brought enormous relief to parents and guardians and has also created opportunity for many children to be educated. Speaking to Onua FM at a Video Premiering of beneficiarys experiences with Social Protection Programmes for Poverty Reduction organized by IMANI, Dr. Rita Owusu Amankwah said Ghanaians in the near future will attest and laud government for Free SHS and its implementation. She said though government is putting in efforts to eradicate abject poverty through Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), Planting for Food and Jobs and other programmes, the best policy to considerably eradicate poverty is the Free SHS. When someone completes second cycle school, that person ultimately and automatically becomes open minded in acquiring basic skills that can propel his or her live. They become easy to go especially when enrolled into apprenticeship or enter into trader, she added. Dr. Rita Owusu Amankwah has therefore urged the general public to fully embrace the Free Senior High School Policy in order to help annihilate abject poverty in the country. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Anti-terror police have raided a property in south London and another in Bishops Stortford in Hertfordshire following a terror attack in south London on Sunday. The property on Leigham Court Road in Streatham is believed to be a bail hostel the attacker had been living in for less than two weeks after he was released from prison. Metropolitan Police cordoned off the three-storey building on Monday and are continuing to search it following a terror attack on Sunday. Two people were stabbed in Streatham High Street by convicted terrorist Sudesh Amman, who was shot dead by police at the scene. Amman, 20, had a device strapped to his body which Met Police confirmed was a hoax. He only served half of his sentence of three years and four months. Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Show all 22 1 /22 Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police officers on Streatham High Road. The Metropolitan Police warned people to stay away from the Streatham area boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings The man was shot dead by police after two stabbed in 'Islamist-related' terror attack in London boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Sudesh Amman, the attacker, has been named as a convicted terror offender who was released from prison days ago Metropolitan Police/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road Isis supporter Amman was just 18 when he was jailed in December 2018 after police found a stash of bomb-making manuals and other propaganda. Now 20, he had declared his own wish to carry out a terror attack and stockpiled a combat knife, air gun and black flag at his family home in London PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings He was being monitored by undercover police and being followed as part of a proactive counterterrorism operation when he started the rampage in Streatham AP Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Amman was able to stab two people before being shot dead by armed officers outside a busy row of shops Gabriel Video/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A woman reacts as police officers interview people near to the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings An armed police officer on Streatham High Road Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said Amman was wearing a fake suicide ves Gully/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers work outside of a Boots store AFP via Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers at the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police forensic officer works at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police officer on the scene Dave Chawner/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers are seen near the site Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers on the scene outside an Iceland supermarket Andy Bullemor/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police are seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A policeman secures the site of the incident EPA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Megan Tobeck Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Michael Owens Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers at the scene PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A Police officer is seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said: Armed officers, who were part of a pro-active counter-terrorism surveillance operation and were following the suspect on foot, were in immediate attendance and shot a male suspect dead at the scene. The suspect had been recently released from prison, where he had been serving a sentence for Islamist-related terrorism offences. Three victims were taken to hospitals in south London after the attack. One man, in his 40s, is no longer considered to be in a life-threatening condition following treatment, police said. A woman, in her 50s, who had non-life threatening injuries has been discharged from hospital. The third victim, a woman in her 20s, received minor injuries believed to have been caused by shattered glass and is still receiving treatment. A maintenance worker for the hostel who did not want to be named said he last saw Amman on Friday and added: "Everyone has their own rooms in there. The last time I saw him, I was doing his radiator, setting up his heating on Friday. He didn't speak much." Residents in the area expressed concern that "people like that" were living near them. Andrei Marius, a 40-year-old builder, said: "I've always known the building was a bail hostel. We read the news about what happened, so we thought it was linked. (PA (PA) "It's madness. It's not really safe for us to have people like that living close to our homes." Another neighbour, 62-year-old Fatima Amaral, said: "When I first moved here my eldest son told me not to because there was a hostel in front of the house, but I have never felt threatened. "I feel safe here, but this is really scary. I feel like I should be locking the doors even more often." Home Secretary Priti Patel said on Sunday the government will release new plans to stop the early release of convicted extremists, as well as double terror sentences and overhaul conditions under which they are released back into the community. She said the government will be "announcing some fundamental changes, in addition to what we've already said, that we will do to deal with counter-terrorism and counter-terrorist offenders". Additional reporting by agencies Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required! Stay logged in to skip the surveys. HOUSTON, Texas, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Southcross Energy Partners LLC ("Southcross" or "the Company") today announced its plans to serve customers and drive growth as a gathering and processing company with high-quality, strategically located facilities in the Eagle Ford Shale region. The Company has successfully completed its reorganization and emerged from Chapter 11. As noted in our January 7, 2020 filings with the Bankruptcy Court, the Company is emerging in a net cash positive position and a restructured balance sheet that provides the financial flexibility to fully and properly serve its producer customers needs. Southcross gathering and processing assets include the Lone Star and Woodsboro gas processing plants, the Bonnie View fractionation facility and the Lancaster and Valley Wells gathering and treating system. With the completion of the court-supervised process, the Company is consolidating its headquarters in Houston to be completed on or before the end of the first quarter this year. Southcross will offer customers a complementary suite of gas gathering, processing, treating, fractionation and marketing of residue gas and NGL products. Today is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Southcross, said Bill Waldheim, Chairman of Southcross. We have a high-quality asset base and are moving forward with an aggressive plan to drive growth by investing in our operations and building out our commercial team and its capabilities. We have reduced our debt and our new equity owners have taken great care to create the necessary financial flexibility and a capital budget that will enable us to better serve our customers as we make the transition to the emerged Southcross. In addition, we have new financing as noted above in place so we can assure customers of our financial stability. We look forward to reliably providing our customers a full range of complementary gathering and processing services tailored to meet their specific needs. Jay Swent will be stepping down as CEO and will serve an advisory role over the coming weeks. Waldheim further added We all want to thank Jay for his outstanding leadership of Southcross through its recent challenges and wish him well as he leaves to pursue other opportunities. Pat Giroir, new board member will become the Interim CEO effective immediately and is looking forward to working with Jay on a smooth transition. Giroir, commented, All of us at Southcross would like to thank our customers, suppliers and other business partners for their continued support. We are all deeply grateful to our employees and their commitment to working safely as a team with a continued customer focus. Our outstanding safety record is a testament to their efforts. Their hard work and dedication will enable us to continue providing our customers with the high levels of service they expect from us. Board Appointments In connection with the completion of its reorganization, Southcross also today announced the composition of its Board of Directors. The Southcross Board comprises five directors, including Jacqueline (Jacqui) Dimpel, Robert N. Fitzgerald, Patrick Giroir, William (Bill) Waldheim and Matthew R. Bob. This new Board brings a wealth of relevant industry experience and new perspectives that will help guide our next phase of growth and will take an active role in supporting the companys immediate and strategic business objectives. About William (Bill) Waldheim: Chairman Bill has spent more than 40 years in the energy industry serving in various leadership positions and board assignments. He is a member of the board of directors and audit chairman at USA Compression and previously served on the board of directors and audit committee of Enbridge Energy Partners. Mr. Waldheim held numerous leadership positions at DCP Midstream, including President and board member of DCP Midstream Partners, as well as Vice President of Commercial at DCP Midstream LLC. He previously held senior managerial positions at Union Pacific Resources and Champlin Petroleum. Mr. Waldheim holds a bachelors degree from the University of Arizona majoring in Accounting and is a former CPA. He also completed the Harvard Business Schools Advanced Management Program. His prior board experience includes Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain Inc.; Colorado Oil & Gas Association; Texas Pipeline Association and the Propane Education Research Council. About Patrick (Pat) Giroir: Interim CEO Pat has more than 30 years of experience primarily in the energy midstream space. Most recently he was a Senior Partner with Mill Rock Capital Management, where he helped secure investments in Grammer Industries, a specialty chemical logistics company of which he is a board member, and Cisco Equipment, a heavy equipment sales and rental business of which he is Chairman. Pat was previously a board member of the Texas Pipeline Association. Prior to Mill Rock, he founded HC Midstream and worked with PE firms focused on investing in ArkLaTex midstream assets. Previously, Mr. Giroir held various senior positions for Continuum Energy, Boardwalk Pipeline Partners, LLP and Eagle Rock Energy Partners, LLP. Prior to Eagle Rock, Mr. Giroir served as CCO at Regency Energy Partners, LLC. Earlier in his career, Mr. Giroir held a variety of leadership positions with CenterPoint Energy, El Paso Corp. and Tenneco. He started his career with Deloitte. Mr. Giroir holds a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Administration from Washington State University and an MBA from Tulane University About Mathew (Matt) Bob Matt has more than 35 years focused on the upstream oil and gas sector. Currently, Matt is President of Eagle Oil & Gas, a privately held company with operating properties throughout the continental United States. Previously, Matt held leadership positions in One Map Minerals Partners, MB Exploration, HNZ Potash and Hall Phoenix Energy and Pitts Oil Company. Matt began his career in energy as a geologist with Unocal. Bob graduated from St. Louis University with a BA in Geology in 1979 and received his MS in Geology from Memphis University in 1981. Matt is currently a board member of Callon Petroleum Company. He is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. About Jacqueline (Jacqui) Dimpel Jacqui is a managing partner for real estate companies that operate and develop properties in Utah, Wyoming, Indiana, Texas and Michigan. Previously, she served as Vice President, Midstream at Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and as Senior Vice President of Western Gas Partners, LP. During her time at Anadarko, she served in a variety of technical, operational and planning positions, including reservoir engineering manager, planning manager for the Southern Region, general manager for Carthage, Texas, business advisor for U.S. Onshore Operations and midstream operations manager for the Southern and Appalachia regions. Ms. Dimpel began her career in the oil and natural gas industry with ExxonMobil in 1989. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and is a professional licensed engineer in California and Texas. Ms. Dimpels board experience includes the Texas Pipeline Association and the Midstream Committee and Pipeline Subcommittee of the American Petroleum Institute. About Robert (Bob) Fitzgerald Bob served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of SemGroup Corporation, a midstream energy transportation, storage and processing company with extensive operations from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast, before retiring in January 2020. Mr. Fitzgerald also served as Chief Financial Officer and Director of Rose Rock Midstream, L.P., a crude oil master limited partnership, from 2011 to 2016. Prior to joining SemGroup in 2009, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Windsor Energy, a portfolio company owned by Wexford Capital and the predecessor of Diamondback Energy. Mr. Fitzgerald began his career at Amoco Corporation and spent more than 20 years working in various financial and executive positions at Amoco, PriceWaterhouse Coopers and Williams. He holds a masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Tulsa and a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Accounting from Western Illinois University. Mr. Fitzgerald is a certified public accountant. His prior board experience includes SemCAMS Midstream ULC, Maurepas Pipeline LLC and Rose Rock Midstream LP. With emergence, Southcross is a privately held company and shares of its units will no longer be listed on any public market. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP served as legal counsel to Southcross, Alvarez & Marsal served as restructuring advisor and Evercore served as financial advisor. About Southcross Energy Partners LLC Southcross Energy Partners LLC provides natural gas gathering, processing, treating, compression and transportation services and NGL fractionation and transportation services. It also sources, purchases, transports and sells natural gas and NGLs. Its assets are located in South Texas near the Eagle Ford Shale region and include two cryogenic gas processing plants, two Sour Gas treating plants and a fractionation facility, and approximately 2,500 miles of pipeline. The South Texas assets are located in or near the Eagle Ford shale region. Southcross is transitioning its headquarters to Houston, Texas. Contact: Mallory Biegler mallory.biegler@southcrossenergy.com (214) 979-3714 Sudesh Amman's ex-girlfriend lived in constant fear of the sickening jihadist even after they split because he had urged her to behead her own parents, the 'shaken' woman revealed today. Long before the 20-year-old terrorist's stabbing spree through Streatham, south London, yesterday, he made clear his rampant radicalism to his one-time partner. She said he would fantasise about slaughtering non-believers with knives and had carefully plotted how to execute such an attack. But she ended her hellish one-year relationship which cut 'emotional and psychological' scars after he told her to kill her family. The horrified ex-girlfriend continued life 'looking over her shoulder' - and she has been forced to relive her 'nightmare' following Amman's blade rampage. The woman, who has asked not to be named, told MailOnline: 'What Sudesh did was horrible and disgusting. I don't want anything to do with him or what he has done. Sudesh Amman's ex-girlfriend wiped the sickening jihadist from her mind after he urged her to behead her own parents, the 'shaken' woman revealed today Long before the 20-year-old terrorist's stabbing spree through Streatham, south London , yesterday, he made clear his rampant radicalism to his one-time partner (police mugshot) Sudesh Amman is pictured as a teenager in this image. He was shot dead by police in Streatham yesterday 'I have tried to move on with my life after what he did the first time. This has affected me really badly. 'But now after I heard what he did I am angry. I just want to live a normal life. I never really knew him. 'You never really know someone. Now I just want to be able to walk down the street in peace.' Amman - wearing a hoax explosive vest - was shot dead by undercover officers on Streatham High Road just after 2pm yesterday after snatching a blade from a shop and slashing a man in his 40s and a woman in her 50s. The ex-girlfriend relived a conversation with Amman, in which he schemed the best way to kill civilians without drawing the attention of the security forces. According to the Sun, she said he 'preferred knives' and told her: 'If you can't make a bomb because family, friends or spies are watching or suspecting you, take a knife, molotov, sound bombs or a car at night and attack the tourists (crusaders), police and soldiers of taghut, or western embassies in every country you are in this planet.' Amman - wearing a hoax explosive vest (circle left) - was shot dead by undercover officers on Streatham High Road just after 2pm yesterday after snatching a blade (circle right) from a shop and slashing a man in his 40s and a woman in her 50s Sudesh Amman kept a notebook in which he wrote that his 'goals in life' were: 'Die as a shuhada', which means martyr, and 'go to jannah', which translates as paradise Amman is pictured as a boy, shirtless and pulling a face while playing on the pavement (left), and eating food (right) Mrs Khan also issued this picture of her son Amman posing with a BlackBerry mobile phone 'Die as a martyr': Terrorist revealed four 'life goals' in chilling notebook The Islamic terrorist shot dead by police in London yesterday kept a notebook with his four 'life goals' including being a martyr and going to paradise. Sudesh Amman's notes were revealed when he was jailed for 13 terror offences at the Old Bailey, 14 months before his terror rampage in Streatham yesterday. He kept a notebook in which he wrote that his 'goals in life' were: 'Die as a shuhada', which means martyr, and 'go to jannah', which translates as paradise. It said: 'We need the jihad, the jihad doesn't need us - goals in life: 1) Die as a shuhada; 2) Go to Jannah; 3) Have fun with all my hoor al-ayn; and 4) Party with my brothers and my mother in Jannah.' The Old Bailey was also told during the sentencing hearing in December 2018 that Amman had been fascinated with carrying out a terror attack using a knife. Speaking after he was jailed, Alexis Boon, then head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, said of the notebook: 'Top of the list, above family activities, was dying a martyr and going to 'Jannah' - the afterlife.' In online messages with friends, Amman said he wanted to play violent computer game Call of Duty 'in real life'. He also said he played Fortnite and video game Far Cry 5 in an exchange with other jihadis on the messaging service Telegram. Advertisement The ex-girlfriend said she felt 'trapped' in her year-long romance with Amman, which started well but soon became clear that 'something was not quite right'. In an interview with ITV News, she said: 'He never hurt me physically, but emotionally and psychologically he did. I felt trapped. I tried to deal with it by myself, but it affected me tremendously. 'He seemed OK at first, but it quickly became apparent that things weren't right.' She went on: 'Even though it was a long time ago I still feel like I'm having to look over my shoulder' 'I just live in fear it shouldn't' be like this. But it's given me some closure that I don't feel trapped in a situation anymore' 'It's really opened my eyes you think you know a person, but you don't. People should be careful. I feel hugely betrayed this was someone I trusted, and now I've got to live with this the rest of my life. 'I haven't heard from him for a long time, I don't know what happened to him in prison' 'I didn't believe in his ideology, I didn't condone it, I didn't agree with it and I never will, but I couldn't stop it.' 'The authorities really need to focus on rehabilitation. Offenders like this, with that sort of ideology, if they're not rehabilitated properly before they're released, or the penalties are increased then this will just happen again' 'My tears and heart are with the innocent people affected.' Amman was under surveillance, having only been freed from jail recently after his conviction for possessing extremist material. His ex-girlfriend's auntie threw her weight behind the national outcry for a clampdown on early releases for terrorist offences. She said: 'I blame the authorities. Why did they release him? I can't believe they did that. He hadn't been de-radicalised. They are at fault.' The aunt continued: 'The comments he made some about her beheading her parents are absolutely disgusting, just shocking. Amman's mother Haleema Khan, 41, of Dunstable, Bedfordshire, learned about both yesterday's attack in Streatham and her son's death from TV news, having spoken to him on the phone earlier in the day when he asked for the meal. Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman is pictured as a young boy while holding a vacuum cleaner in his living room Forensics on Streatham High Road, where terrorist Sudesh Amman stabbed shoppers on Sunday before being shot by police She described her son as a 'lovely boy' as she fought back tears today while telling MailOnline how she felt he was radicalised at HMP Belmarsh in Thamesmead, South East London. The top-security jail has been home to a number of high-profile extremist prisoners, including Lee Rigby killers Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale. Mrs Khan said Amman had also developed extreme views after looking at Islamist material online. She is now trying to get her son's body from police as soon as possible to bury him. Amman lived with Mrs Khan and his five younger brothers in Harrow, North West London, before he was jailed for terror offences at the Old Bailey in December 2018. A family source said Mrs Khan was 'disgusted' by the attack, although neighbours said she had been convinced of her son's innocence even after he was convicted Mother of Streatham terrorist reveals her 'disgust' at son's attack, claims he was radicalised in Belmarsh and how he asked for his favourite mutton biryani just hours before his knife rampage By Shekhar Bhatia and Mark Duell for MailOnline Terrorist Sudesh Amman asked his mother for his favourite mutton biryani meal just hours before he was shot dead by police in London, she revealed today as it emerged she was left 'disgusted' by the terror attack. Haleema Khan, 41, of Dunstable, Bedfordshire, learned about both yesterday's attack in Streatham and her son's death from TV news, having spoken to him on the phone earlier in the day when he asked for the meal. It comes as Mrs Khan revealed three pictures of Amman as a boy - shirtless and pulling a face while playing on the pavement; posing with a neck chain while eating with a fork; and holding a vacuum cleaner. She described her son as a 'lovely boy' as she fought back tears today while telling MailOnline how she felt he was radicalised at HMP Belmarsh in Thamesmead, South East London. The top-security jail has been home to a number of high-profile extremist prisoners, including Lee Rigby killers Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale. Mrs Khan said Amman had also developed extreme views after looking at Islamist material online. She is now trying to get her son's body from police as soon as possible to bury him. Amman lived with Mrs Khan and his five younger brothers in Harrow, North West London, before he was jailed for terror offences at the Old Bailey in December 2018. A family source said Mrs Khan was 'disgusted' by yesterday's attack, although neighbours said she had been convinced of her son's innocence even after he was convicted. Mrs Khan told MailOnline today: 'He wasn't even a very devoted Muslim. He got radicalised while he was in Belmarsh Prison (in Thamesmead, South East London). 'He got into all this (supporting terrorism) on the internet, but when he went to prison something happened to him.' She said she saw him twice last week in a bail hostel in Streatham, South London, and last on Thursday where he was staying at following his release. Fighting back tears, Mrs Khan said she had taken him food and that he had not mentioned anything about carrying out a terrorist attack. Forensics outside Boots on Streatham High Road today following Sudesh Amman's stabbing spree yesterday afternoon She said: 'I regularly took food to him at the hostel and on Thursday, I asked him what he wanted. He said: 'Mum, I would really like a mutton biriyani' - so I cooked one and took it over to him.' Amman stabbed two people in Streatham yesterday at about 2pm, before being shot dead by police who were had him under close surveillance because of the potential risk he posed to the public. His parents are from Sri Lanka, where his father Faraz Khan was today. The two-storey terraced home in Harrow, which the family are said to have lived in for 18 years, now sits empty following the family's move shortly before Christmas. All but one of the house's front facing windows were blocked by drawn curtains today. As a teen, Amman attended Park High School, an academy in Stanmore with 1,650 pupils which was labelled 'outstanding' in its most recent Ofsted inspection. A spokesman for Harrow Council told MailOnline today: 'We can confirm that he attended the school between 2011 and 2016.' Amman also attended Kenmore Park Junior School, whose alumni include Tessa Peake-Jones who played Raquel Turner in Only Fools and Horses. Meanwhile, his ex-girlfriend revealed how she wiped the sickening jihadist from her mind after he urged her to behead her own parents. Long before the 20-year-old terrorist's stabbing spree through Streatham, south London, yesterday, he made clear his rampant radicalism to his one-time partner. She said he would fantasise about slaughtering non-believers with knives and had carefully plotted how to execute such a bloody attack. But she ended her hellish one-year relationship which cut 'emotional and psychological' scars after he told her to kill her family. The horrified ex-girlfriend responded by 'erasing' him from her memory. However, she has been forced to relive her 'nightmare' following Amman's blade rampage. The woman, who has asked not to be named, told MailOnline: 'What Sudesh did was horrible and disgusting. 'I don't want anything to do with him or what he has done.' The terrorist's mother said she learned about his death from TV news, adding: 'I saw that there had been something in Streatham, and I got worried.' 'Then I saw the police and what was happening. A short while later they gave his name on the television. 'The police came to see me yesterday and told me too.' She added: 'I can't believe this has happened to my son. He was a lovely boy. I was very close to him.' Mrs Khan said Amman was watching fundamentalist paraphernalia online and it led to his arrest, adding that he became more deeply interested in Islamic fundamentalism while at HMP Belmarsh. Before that he had a girlfriend and would like to play basketball in a local park, his family said. Mrs Khan said she wanted a very quick burial of her son, preferably in the UK, and was trying to talk to her lawyers, police and the Home Office to get his body released. Meanwhile, a source close to Amman's family added that his mother was 'disgusted' and 'very upset' with her son's knife rampage and rejects his fanatical extremist beliefs. The family source told MailOnline today: 'Haleema is disgusted by what he has done and his beliefs, but she is a mother and has lost a son so she is very upset and sad. Forensics on Streatham High Road today where jihadi terrorist Sudesh Amman stabbed shoppers on Sunday afternoon Forensic officers on Streatham High Road today after terrorist Sudesh Amman stabbed two people yesterday afternoon A forensics officer investigates the incident on Streatham High Road today after the stabbing at about 2pm yesterday Amman lived with his mother Haleema Khan and his five younger brothers at a property (pictured today) in Harrow, North West London Sudesh Amman is pictured as a teenager in this image. He was shot dead by police in Streatham yesterday 'But they are relieved that he wasn't able to kill anyone. It has hit them very hard, but now they are trying to get his body from the police as soon as possible and bury him. 'This is done as quickly as one can for Muslims as is custom and prayers for him will begin shortly.' One female friend from Harrow told the London Evening Standard about conversations with Amman when they were younger, saying: 'He kept on saying. 'I am going to bomb you'. 'He said 'I have got a grenade in my pocket and if you take one step closer to me I am going to set it off'. 'We thought he was joking but he kept on saying it. He said, 'when I grow up I am going to be a terrorist'.' A former neighbour of Amman, Savita Khimani, 51, said: 'After he was convicted last the mother still believed her son was wrongly accused and hadn't done anything. 'The last time I spoke to her was about three months ago. They went very quiet. Last time we asked the police what happened and we were scared because armed police were here all the time. 'We've never had any issues with them and we just had casual conversation to be honest. The brothers never addressed anything about him being sent to prison.' Her son, Jignesh Khimani, 20, went to school with Amman. He said: 'He was a normal boy at Park High School (in Stanmore). He kept himself to himself. 'He was a quiet lad. There were no red flags at all. He did have friends. The family all acted normal. 'I would see the brothers out and about but we never saw his dad. Sudesh had no social media whatsoever.' One neighbour in Harrow described the Ammans as 'a normal family' who she knew vaguely as their children went to the same school - Kenmore Park Junior School. Remembering a previous police raid on the house she said happened around three years ago, she said: 'I was shocked. 'When they did the first raid I thought it was for Can't Pay Take It Away. We have been here for 20 years and the kids went to the same school as theirs. 'I didn't really know the guy because I only saw the younger ones. They seemed like a pretty normal family. I said hello to them a few times. The only time I saw the mum was when they were passing.' It comes as the Parole Board confirmed it did not reassess Amman to ascertain if he was a danger before his release, and it emerged Amman had displayed several 'risk indicators'. In the Queen's Speech before Christmas, Boris Johnson immediately promised changes including tougher surveillance, 14-year sentences for all serious terror offences, and a government review of license conditions for 74 terrorists who had been let out of jail early. Two of the 72 have since been recalled to prison, MailOnline understands. Police reveal Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman had been under surveillance for 40 minutes before attack but was dead within 60 seconds of the first stabbing - but they WON'T explain how he was able to get hold of knife By Danyal Hussain for MailOnline Streatham attacker Sudesh Amman was followed by armed police for 40 minutes before he launched his horrific knife rampage on Sunday - and was then shot dead 60 seconds later. A surveillance operation was tracking Amman, 20, following his early release from from jail on January 23. Amman had spent just over a year in prison after being arrested for 13 terror offences, including owning a bomb making manual. However, despite being followed by armed police after his release, the terrorist was able to get his hands on a knife and attack two people on Streatham High Road before being shot dead by police. Police officers inspect the Sudesh Amman, 19, lying face down on Streatham High Road at around 2pm on Sunday (left) and officers suddenly backing off (right) Authorities are now refusing to explain how Amman was able to get his hands on the blade, or give any more details on the surveillance operation. The Metropolitan Police also said the fake suicide vest Amman was wearing was missed by officers trailing him as it was hidden under his clothes. They confirmed that he had been in a shop on Streatham High Road for 60 seconds before grabbing a knife and sprinting outside. He then attacked two people, stabbing a man in his 40s in the stomach and a woman in his 50s in the back, before being shot dead by the officers trailing him around a minute after starting his attack. The Met said in a statement on Monday night: 'The time from him entering the shop to beginning his attack outside was approximately 60 seconds. Police officers responded, fatally shooting him within approximately 60 seconds of him beginning to attack people.' 'An operation was launched which included armed surveillance officers. Revealing details of this surveillance operation could undermine police tactics used to investigate terrorists and other criminals across the UK, so it is right that we do not expand on this further at this time. 'We are confident that this is an isolated incident that has been contained. 'Detectives from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command continue to carry out fast-time enquiries into the circumstances of the attack. We have identified around 50 witnesses from whom we are gathering statements, and we have recovered and are trawling hours of CCTV footage.' The statement added: 'Armed officers, who were part of a proactive counter-terrorism surveillance operation relating to the attacker, were following him as he left an address in the Streatham area at shortly after 13:20hrs. 'He then made his way on foot and was observed entering a shop on Streatham High Road shortly before 14:00hrs. 'From initial witness statements we understand that he stole a knife and ran from the shop as he was pursued by a member of staff. 'As he ran from the shop, he removed packaging from the knife, and once outside attacked two members of public. 'The time from him entering the shop to beginning his attack outside was approximately 60 seconds. Police officers responded, fatally shooting him within approximately 60 seconds of him beginning to attack people.' Armed police shoot dead extremist Amman, after he grabbed a knife from a shop and stabbed a man and a woman in a brutal high-street rampage in Streatham, South London, yesterday Amman, 20, was shot dead just days after he was released from prison on January 23. He had been jailed for three years and four months in December 2018, when he pleaded guilty to 13 counts including possessing bomb-making manuals and knife-fighting guides. However, he was automatically released halfway through his sentence, despite fears he still held extremist views. It is now understood that counter-terrorism bosses decided Amman needed round-the-clock watching by officers, and shortly after this decision surveillance squads were ordered to arm themselves after he was assessed to be even more dangerous than originally thought, sources told the Guardian. Ugandas President Yoweri Museveni and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame have agreed on Monday to improve relations after tensions led to the closure of the main border between the two nations. In a summit in Luanda, the Angolan capital, the two leaders also agreed to take subsequent steps towards peace, stability, neighborliness and restoration of mutual trust. The summit was attended by Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi. President Museveni and President Kagame agreed that their countries would refrain from the perception of supporting, financing, training and infiltration of destabilizing forces in their neighbors territory, according to a communique released after the summit. The two leaders agreed to hold a summit at the Katuna/Gatuna border point between the two countries on February 21. The presidents also undertook, in the spirit of Pan-Africanism and regional cooperation, to comprehensively cooperate in politics, security, defense, trade, and culture. Rwanda closed its border with Uganda at Gatuna in February last year, barring any movement of merchandise from Uganda. Several people, both Ugandan and Rwandan citizens, have since been shot dead or wounded while trying to cross the border to Rwanda. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 3, 2020) - Sixth Wave Innovations Inc. (OTC Pink: ATURF) (formerly Atom Energy Inc.) (the "Company") is pleased to announce the closing of its previously announced acquisition of 6th Wave Innovations Corp. ("6th Wave") (the "Merger Transaction") as well as the receipt of conditional approval to list its common shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE" or the "Exchange"). Subject to final approval, the Common Shares will commence trading on the CSE under the ticker symbol "SIXW" once a listing date is set by the Exchange. Information Concerning 6th Wave 6th Wave is a development stage nanotechnology company focused on extraction and detection of target substances at the molecular level using its patented technologies in the highly specialized field of molecularly imprinted polymers. 6th Wave is in the process of commercializing IXOS, a line of extraction polymers for the gold mining industry, and together with the Company, it has developed extraction polymers for the extraction of CBD, THC and other cannabinoids from cannabis extracts under the name AffinityTM. The Company is a reporting issuer under the laws of the Provinces of British Columbia and Alberta whose common shares ("Common Shares") were voluntarily de-listed from the NEX board of the TSX Venture Exchange on May 29, 2018. The Company received conditional approval to list the Common Shares on the CSE on January 23, 2020 and is in the process of filing the final documents with the CSE. Subject to final approval, the Common Shares will commence trading on the CSE under the ticker symbol "SIXW". A listing date has not yet been set by the exchange. Closing of Merger Transaction The Company, and a wholly-owned subsidiary, ("Merger Subco"), entered into an agreement and plan of merger with 6th Wave Innovations Corp. and Affinity Nanotechnology Inc., as security holders' representative ("Affinity Nano") on September 7, 2018, (as amended, the "Merger Agreement"). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Merger Subco merged with and into 6th Wave by way of a "triangular merger" pursuant to the laws of Delaware, and the issued and outstanding shares of Subsidiary were exchanged for securities in the Company and cash. As a result, 6th Wave became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, the Company issued 14,291,054 Common Shares and US$1.2 million to the former holders of 6th Wave securities, and issued 3,928,042 warrants to purchase Common Shares in exchange for outstanding 6th Wave warrants. The Company also issued 2,719,202 Common Shares and 1,777,778 warrants in connection with the settlement of US$1.39 million of outstanding 6th Wave debt owed to Affinity Nano, repaid US$1.1 million of debt owed to Affinity Nano and replaced the balance of 6th Wave debt owed to Affinity Nano with a US$1.0 million principal amount convertible promissory note (the "Affinity Loan"). Another US$318,000 of accumulated deferred salary was paid to management of 6th Wave. In connection with the closing of the Merger Transaction, 3,603,600 Common Shares were issued upon the automatic exchange of the Company's outstanding subscription receipts. The Company further reports that funds received in escrow pursuant to the Financing Package, as outlined in its press release of January 21, 2020, have been released to the Company as a result of the closing of the Merger Transaction. A total of 4,204,563 Common Shares have been issued pursuant to the escrow closing for gross proceeds of CAD$0.75 per Common Share, resulting in gross proceeds of CAD$3,153,422.25 being released from escrow to the Company. A total of 70,550,650 Common Shares are outstanding following completion of the Merger Transaction, including exchange of the subscription receipts and issuance Common Shares pursuant to the escrow closing. As part of the Merger Transaction, the board of directors of the Company was reconstituted to consist of Messrs. Jonathan Gluckman (formerly Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of 6th Wave), John Veltheer (formerly Chief Executive Officer of the Company), James McKenzie, Peter Manuel and Scot Robinson. Mr. Gluckman has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Veltheer has been appointed Chief Financial Officer and Mr. Sherman McGill, co-founder of 6th Wave, has been appointed Executive Vice President. Additional information regarding the business of the Company and the biographical details of management and the board of directors can be found in the Company's CSE Form 2A Listing Statement, which will be filed on SEDAR prior to the commencement of trading of the Common Shares on the CSE. Pursuant to the rules of the CSE and National Policy 46-201 - Escrow for Initial Public Offerings, all common shares, options, and warrants held by officers, directors, promoters and 10% shareholders will be deposited into escrow for a period of 36 months. In total, 17,859,810 common shares, 1,860,000 options, 6,043,224 warrants and the Affinity Loan will be subject to escrow with Computershare Trust Company of Canada as escrow agent prior to completion of the listing. Early Warning Reporting Prior to the closing of the Merger Transaction, Affinity Nano held no securities of the Company. As a result of the Merger Transaction, including the debt settlements, Affinity Nano holds 10,302,250 Common Shares, representing 14.6% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares of the Company, and warrants to acquire an additional 4,397,000 Common Shares. The Common Shares and warrants are held by Affinity Nano for investment purposes, and are subject to escrow as provided above. Affinity Nano may, from time to time, acquire additional shares, dispose of some or all of the existing or additional shares, or continue to hold the shares of the Company in the normal course of investment activities. Affinity Nano is an investment holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with head office located at PO Box 309, Ugland House George Town Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands KY1-1104. An early warning report pursuant to National Instrument 62-103 - The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues will be filed on SEDAR under the Company's issuer profile. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "John Veltheer" John Veltheer, CFO & Director For information, please contact the Company: Suite 830, 1100 Melville Street Vancouver, BC V6E 4A6 Phone: (604) 562-6915 E-mail: john@veltheer.com This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. Cautionary Notes This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" including statements regarding the expected listing of the Company on the Exchange. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future events or developments that the Company expects, are forward looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual events or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the Company failing to satisfy the Exchange listing conditions. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52053 Top officials in France and the European Union have insisted that any future trade deal with Britain must hinge upon equal access to fishing waters, underlining the symbolic importance of an industry crucial on both sides of the English Channel. In laying out the European Unions position on a future trade deal with Britain, chief negotiator Michel Barnier said Monday that the UKs access to the European market would be directly linked to EU boats access to British waters. It was in the interest of UK fishermen and European fishermen to have reciprocal access to our territorial waters and our markets, Barnier insisted. Agreement on fisheries will be inextricably linked to the trade agreement. Barniers comments came a day after France raised fishing as an area where Britain and the EU had mutual interests. This discussion will be pretty balanced because, while it is true that we need access to British waters, the British need access to the European market, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in an interview Sunday. Fish-rich waters Britain has extremely fish-rich waters in which many Europeans fish, starting with French people from Brittany, Normandy and the northern region, Le Drian said. It so happens that the United Kingdom exports 75 percent of its fishing production to the European Union. Britain left the European Union on Friday under a deal in which the two sides agreed to strike an ambitious, broad, deep and flexible partnership, including a free trade deal and security agreements, during a transition period running to the end of 2020. Until then, Britain remains part of the EU single market including the Common Fisheries Policy that gives all EU members equal access to fishing waters. Much to lose over fishing While British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said taking back control of fishing was one of the prizes of Brexit, the French and EU remarks sought to show the extent to which both London and Brussels had much to gain and much to lose. Story continues We are in favour of free trade but we are not going to be naive, Barnier said. He warned that there would be problems if the sides can not negotiate a deal by the end of the year. Johnson meanwhile said the UK would not agree to follow EU rules in return for unfettered trade, because London wants to strike new deals around the world. The choice is emphatically not deal or no-deal, Johnson said in a speech to business leaders and international diplomats at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich on Monday. The question is whether we agree a trading relationship with the EU comparable to Canadas or more like Australias, the former covering goods and services, the latter meaning new tariffs and other barriers. Could A.G. BARR p.l.c. (LON:BAG) be an attractive dividend share to own for the long haul? Investors are often drawn to strong companies with the idea of reinvesting the dividends. If you are hoping to live on your dividends, it's important to be more stringent with your investments than the average punter. Regular readers know we like to apply the same approach to each dividend stock, and we hope you'll find our analysis useful. A slim 2.8% yield is hard to get excited about, but the long payment history is respectable. At the right price, or with strong growth opportunities, A.G. BARR could have potential. The company also bought back stock equivalent to around 1.1% of market capitalisation this year. Some simple analysis can offer a lot of insights when buying a company for its dividend, and we'll go through this below. Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis LSE:BAG Historical Dividend Yield, February 3rd 2020 Payout ratios Companies (usually) pay dividends out of their earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, the dividend might have to be cut. Comparing dividend payments to a company's net profit after tax is a simple way of reality-checking whether a dividend is sustainable. In the last year, A.G. BARR paid out 59% of its profit as dividends. A payout ratio above 50% generally implies a business is reaching maturity, although it is still possible to reinvest in the business or increase the dividend over time. Another important check we do is to see if the free cash flow generated is sufficient to pay the dividend. The company paid out 63% of its free cash flow, which is not bad per se, but does start to limit the amount of cash A.G. BARR has available to meet other needs. It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously. With a strong net cash balance, A.G. BARR investors may not have much to worry about in the near term from a dividend perspective. Story continues We update our data on A.G. BARR every 24 hours, so you can always get our latest analysis of its financial health, here. Dividend Volatility From the perspective of an income investor who wants to earn dividends for many years, there is not much point buying a stock if its dividend is regularly cut or is not reliable. For the purpose of this article, we only scrutinise the last decade of A.G. BARR's dividend payments. The dividend has been stable over the past 10 years, which is great. We think this could suggest some resilience to the business and its dividends. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was UK0.07 in 2010, compared to UK0.17 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 9.0% a year over that time. Businesses that can grow their dividends at a decent rate and maintain a stable payout can generate substantial wealth for shareholders over the long term. Dividend Growth Potential Dividend payments have been consistent over the past few years, but we should always check if earnings per share (EPS) are growing, as this will help maintain the purchasing power of the dividend. Earnings have grown at around 3.0% a year for the past five years, which is better than seeing them shrink! 3.0% per annum is not a particularly high rate of growth, which we find curious. When a business is not growing, it often makes more sense to pay higher dividends to shareholders rather than retain the cash with no way to utilise it. Conclusion When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. First, we think A.G. BARR is paying out an acceptable percentage of its cashflow and profit. Earnings growth has been limited, but we like that the dividend payments have been fairly consistent. Ultimately, A.G. BARR comes up short on our dividend analysis. It's not that we think it is a bad company - just that there are likely more appealing dividend prospects out there on this analysis. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 8 analysts we track are forecasting for A.G. BARR for free with public analyst estimates for the company. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of dividend stocks yielding above 3%. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. The honey-trap headache: The four exclusive modules in India that report to the ISI Sailors honey trap: Pakistan used same set of social media accounts India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 03: The probe into the naval spy ring case has revealed that Pakistan had used the same set of social media accounts to honey trap sailors. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) which is probing the case found that sailors were paid small amounts of money. NIA officials tell OneIndia that the agency, however, learnt that no sensitive information had been passed on. It may be recalled that 10 sailors were arrested after a joint operation by the Intelligence Bureau and the Andhra Pradesh police. The NIA says that the probe is at a very early stage and it suspects more persons may be part of this racket. The honey-trap headache: The four exclusive modules in India that report to the ISI NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 The honey traps were laid through social media. The same set of accounts used in other cases were also used in the current one, the officer also added. The NIA is now in the process of identifying the person from Pakistan who was trying to penetrate into the Indian Naval system. The coverage on this live blog has ended but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus, visit the live blog from CNBC's Asia-Pacific team. All times below are in Eastern time. 5:00 pm: Washington State patient has been treated and discharged The coronavirus patient in Washington State has been treated and discharged from Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington, a spokeswoman from the Snohomish County Health District said. The patient is recovering in isolation at home, the spokeswoman said. "I am at home and continuing to get better," the patient, whose identity remains unknown, said in a statement. "I appreciate all of the concern expressed by members of the public, and I look forward to returning to my normal life." 4:43 pm: Goldman Sachs cancels annual partners meeting Goldman Sachs canceled its annual partners meeting scheduled for this week because travel restrictions resulting from the coronavirus outbreak prevented some Asia-based employees from making it to the bank's New York headquarters, according to two people familiar with the plans. Chief Executive Officer David Solomon will instead host a townhall meeting for about 250 of the partners able to attend in New York, one of the people said. 4:38 pm: Prepping quarantine facilities for travelers from Hubei The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now working with state and local health authorities to prepare facilities for quarantine. The Trump administration announced a mandatory 14-day quarantine on Friday for any American who has traveled to Hubei province in the two weeks prior to the announcement. "The discussions about where those patients will go is a conversation the CDC has been having actively with the state and local health departments," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said Monday. "We are working through an operational plan that might be slightly different at each of those locations depending on how much preparation they've done." There are currently 195 Americans in mandatory quarantine, according to health officials. But that number could grow. 4:05 pm: Department of Health and Human Services notified Congress it may tap additional funds The Department of Health and Human Services notified Congress Sunday that it may transfer about $136 million to combat the outbreak. The CDC would receive up to $75 million, while $52 million would go toward public health and social services and $8.5 million would go towards management expenses, a person familiar with the situation told CNBC. Typically, HHS would have to wait at least 15 days to access the requested funds, so they are asking for that authority now. The Washington Post first reported the news. 12:40 pm: Oil falls to a more than 1-year low Oil fell to its lowest level in more than a year in midday trading as fears of slowing demand hammered crude prices. "The oil market has been subject to many supply shocks over recent years, but an acute demand shock has not been felt since the 2008 financial crisis," RBC's Michael Tran said in a note to clients, adding that the coronavirus has "roiled the oil market." China is the world's largest oil importer and the second-largest oil consumer, so a demand slowdown could have a big impact on prices. 12 pm: Princess Cruises ship held in Japan Princess Cruises said it is holding a ship for 24 hours while Japanese health authorities assess the 3,700 passengers and crew on board. A previous guest, who didn't have any symptoms while aboard the ship, tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday six days after leaving the ship. "Princess Cruises has confirmed the turnaround of Diamond Princess has been delayed for approximately 24 hours to allow Japan public health authorities the opportunity to review the health status of all guests and crew on board," the company said in a statement. It's unclear where the ship is being held. Correction: The Princess Cruise ship's "turnaround" at port to travel to a new destination has been delayed. An earlier version of this report mischaracterized the action taken by ship. 11:30 am: CDC officials confirm 11 cases in the US CDC officials confirmed on a conference call with reporters that there are now 11 cases in the U.S., two of which were spread through human contact within the country. The officials also said the U.S. will send more flights to evacuate Americans from Wuhan. Upon arrival in the U.S., Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said those passengers will be quarantined for 14 days. 11:20 am: The flu has already killed 10,000 across US as world frets over coronavirus While the new coronavirus ravages much of China and world leaders rush to close their borders to protect citizens from the outbreak, the flu has quietly killed 10,000 in the U.S. so far this influenza season. "In the U.S., it's really a fear based on media and this being something new," Dr. Jennifer Lighter, hospital epidemiologist at NYU Langone Health, said of the new coronavirus. "When in reality, people can take measures to protect themselves against the flu, which is here and prevalent and has already killed 10,000 people." 10:50 am: The CDC has scheduled a call for 11:30 a.m. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has scheduled a call for 11:30 a.m. to update the public on the new coronavirus. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, will speak. 10:45 am: Top WHO official warns world may be 'dangerously unprepared' for next pandemic WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world may be "dangerously" unprepared for the next pandemic. At a World Health Organization executive board meeting in Geneva, Tedros urged the 196 member countries to "invest in preparedness," not "panic." He said funding for outbreak preparedness in surrounding countries "has remained grossly inadequate" in the past. 10:30 am: Apple stock knocked off all-time high on fears coronavirus could hurt iPhone sales Apple stock has been knocked off its all-time high of $324.34 per share amid concerns that the coronavirus outbreak will disrupt company operations in China. Apple shares shot up to the record high after a strong earnings report last week, but investors have cooled. The company previously announced that it had shut all its stores and offices in mainland China through next Sunday. 10 am: UAE suspends flights to China, except Beijing The United Arab Emirates announced it will suspend all flights to and from China starting on Wednesday, a state news agency reported. Flights from Beijing were exempted from the ban. The UAE is home to Dubai, which has the world's third-busiest airport. 8 am: China says it has 'unblocked' channels of communication with Taiwan over coronavirus China told the WHO that channels of communication with Taiwan had been"unblocked," with Beijing sharing full information on the coronavirus with authorities across the strait. Taiwan, which is not a WHO member due to China's objections, has 10 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. China considers self-governing Taiwan a wayward province to be brought under its control. 7:02 am: Saudi Arabia is weighing large oil cuts due to coronavirus Saudi Arabia is debating a short-term oil product cut as the deadly coronavirus continues to spread, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing OPEC officials. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies are expected to meet Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the possible actions, according to the Journal. 4:03 am: China accuses the US of spreading fear and panic Former Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Valeriu Zgonea was convicted on Monday by the Bucharest Tribunal to three years imprisonment for the crime of influence peddling, in a case in which he stood accused by the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) of intervening to appoint the daughter of a local social-democrat councilor in Buzau to an important public position. The decision of the court is not final.AGERPRES New lobbying urging Congress to support a price on carbon emissions is not convincing lawmakers to warm up to the policy. Why it matters: A carbon price is widely considered one of the most economically efficient ways to tackle climate change. But, economics be damned, its politics remain deeply unpopular. Where it stands: Despite renewed agreement that climate change is a problem the government should address, Democrats and Republicans are talking past each other on policy. Thats troubling for those who want action, because bipartisan support is almost always essential for big legislation. House Democrats recently introduced legislation that relies on mandates that could put an indirect and thus less efficient price on CO2. We dont have an explicit carbon price because we dont think we need it, House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone said recently. After a decade of mostly dismissing climate change, Republicans have begun to engage on policies, but House GOP leadership is pushing far narrower policies. Discarded in that shuffle is what economists, business executives and most energy experts agree is the most necessary (if not solely sufficient) tool to tackle climate change: putting a direct price on the climate impact of oil, natural gas and coal through a tax on the carbon dioxide they emit. This dismissal is occurring despite a growing list of deep-pocketed and influential interests saying they want Congress to pass precisely that policy. The Climate Leadership Council, a coalition founded three years ago, and a related lobbying effort launched in 2018 are pushing a carbon price whose funds go back to Americans via dividend checks. Numerous corporations, including big oil companies, are supportive, as are former top Republican leaders and environmental groups. The CEO Climate Dialogue, which launched last spring, is a similarly broad-based coalition pushing a campaign for a less prescriptive carbon price. Yes, but: Its still early days for these efforts. Lobbying behind the scenes could produce a sea change not publicly evident today, either imminently or years down the line. We think its likely our plan will be introduced in both chambers on a bipartisan basis by mid-year, said Ted Halstead, CEO of the Climate Leadership Council. Flashback: Similar legislation has already been introduced in the House, and that by itself does not indicate enough members from both parties will back it. Past precedent is also unfavorable to the policy. In the span of six months in 1993, Bill Clinton proposed and then largely retracted what amounted to the closest thing to a carbon tax a U.S. president has pursued. Neither Barack Obama nor 2016s Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, embraced a carbon tax. Obama nor 2016s Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, embraced a carbon tax. A core problem is that its regressive the tax disproportionately affects low-income people though current proposals attempt to counteract that, like the dividend which helps poorer families the most. The intrigue: The subtle evolution of one moderate House Republican Rep. Tom Reed of New York illustrates todays persistently cool reception. When I interviewed him last summer, he said flat out he doesnt support a carbon tax but that a carbon dividend is more intriguing to him. Fast forward to last month. He told me he has become less optimistic about its prospects and his potential support for it because of long-standing concerns about the money not actually ending up back in Americans pockets. There are stakeholders who are quietly saying that they love this idea, they would get it into law and then they have a strategy to kill the dividend and put it into the general coffers, Reed said. People are salivating to get access to that revenue, and that carries a lot of sway with me. What to do with the money raised is a perennial debate. A more fundamental dynamic is at play with Republicans. Backers of a carbon price argue that such a policy is inevitable. They believe its just a matter of time until at least a few Republicans embrace it, and most Democrats accept it despite wanting something more aggressive, and enough lawmakers get it over the finish line. such a policy is inevitable. They believe its just a matter of time until at least a few Republicans embrace it, and most Democrats accept it despite wanting something more aggressive, and enough lawmakers get it over the finish line. That scenario ignores one possibility: that Republicans dont ever embrace it and instead indefinitely push their renewed focus on innovation, which was also the climate agenda of Americas last Republican president, George W. Bush. There is a risk that the innovation agenda is inadequate to address climate change but adequate to address the political pressure on Republicans. That is a risk today. But the forecast for the impacts of climate change is so severe I believe that pressure to address the reality of the situation will make the current proposals clearly insufficient in time. Alex Flint, executive director, Alliance for Market Solutions Whats next: Expect more support to emerge off of Capitol Hill soon. Halstead says his group is announcing new members this month. The bottom line: On the Hill, a carbon price appears to be on the path it has always been on a road to nowhere. The students will be able to pass exams after the coronavirus situation is normalized. The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine says it recommends that higher education institutions organize distance learning for students from China and Southeast Asia who are currently beyond Ukraine or unable to come to the country due to the coronavirus outbreak. The relevant letter will be sent to all higher educational institutions on Monday, February 3, 2020, the ministry's press service said on Sunday. "Our goal is to ensure continued studies and at the same time to take into account as much as possible all circumstances related to the situation around the coronavirus (2019-nCoV)," the press service quoted Minister of Education and Science Hanna Novosad as saying. Read alsoConfirmed cases of coronavirus increase to 17,205 in China, 362 deaths globally media The ministry tasked the higher education institutions, before February 10, 2020, to inform all their students from China and Southeast Asia about the possibility of distance learning, as well as provide them with the opportunity to pass the exams after the coronavirus situation is normalized. As UNIAN reported earlier, two Ukrainian research teams are working on creating a coronavirus test, which is expected to be ready in 10-14 days. Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk earlier said Ukraine had prepared for the outbreak and spread of coronavirus in the country. Prodded by Mamata Banerjee, Keya Sarkar updates her voter card only to discover... Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com With not much to watch on television and there being only one movie hall in the whole of Santiniketan I find myself watching a lot of news. Of course, with the CAA and NRC protests my time in front of the screen has gone up in the recent past. In any case, for a long time now I have been a great watcher of news on TV. My friends often joke about my daily need for a 'Mamata-fix', but I am a pretty serious follower of her daily public appearances. Not that I agree with all that she or her party prescribes, but I am totally in awe of her personal stamina. From district level meetings where she pulls up officials to her presence in the control room in times of natural disasters, the way she charms protesting university students to her ability to out-walk her security and her party men in her by now famous protest walks, all point to a level of energy which I admire. I had been observing of late that in all her meetings to protest the CAA and NRC she has been advising all those who come for the rallies to do her one favour: 'Please update your voter card,' she says repeatedly. 'You must do me this favour,' and 'I will protect you with my life,' she promises. Having heard this many times on television I urged my husband to check our details on the National Voters Service Portal. He was reluctant to make an effort. Primarily because my existing voter card was fine and secondly because only recently a surveyor had come home to update our details for the voter card. Since this was a few months before the NCR/NPR debate there was no reason to view him with suspicion. And as it happens in small places everyone knows everyone else. So Somenath who we knew (from a nearby village) fed in our data and confirmed that our details were correct. He stayed on for tea and apprised us of how many people had died in our area since the last elections and how the number of voters had shrunk. So reposing immense faith in Somenath, my husband thought the need to check the voters list quite superfluous. However he must have had a rethink. One day just as we were going to sit down for dinner he announced that he had checked the list. "Mine is fine," he said, "but your name has been changed." "To what?" I asked in alarm. To "Keya Nilmoni", he said. "It is fine in Bengali. It reads Keya Sarkar. But in English it is Keya Nilmoni. Your father's name is also Amiya Kumar Nilmoni," he said with what I thought was a hint of glee. I would have laughed too if I wasn't concerned about having it corrected. Thankfully we had Somenath's number. We called him and asked how this could have happened. He, of course, blamed it on "technical error". An error which he said had changed all "Sarkars" of the locality to "Nilmoni". Since I know no other Sarkar in the neighbourhood I had to take his word for it. He helpfully informed us that we could correct the error online. While I sent in a request for the change online my husband and I were wondering how any data input person could create such a strange mistake. Our logical minds were trying to find a plausible explanation. And then it struck us. Actually before we had been introduced to Somenath who used to teach in a school for tribal children run by some friends of ours we used to know his father. He was called Nilmoni! NPR anyone? Cookie Preferences Cookie List Cookie List A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website when visited by a user asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting for our advertising and marketing efforts. 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February 2, 2020 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, today announced the Government of Canadas plan to assist Canadians who have requested help in departing from Wuhan. Government officials have reached out to Canadians and are continuing to offer information and assistance. The Government of Canada has chartered a plane that is standing by. It will land in Hanoi, Vietnam and deploy to Wuhan, where the airspace is currently closed, once the Government of China has given authorization to land. Work is also underway to comply with other Chinese requirements, including providing manifest details in advance of the flight departure and further documentation on the Canadians wishing to depart. Additionally, government officials and Canadian Armed Forces medical personnel are currently on their way to Hanoi and in the process of obtaining the necessary visas from the government of China to enter Wuhan. Canadian officials are in constant contact with Canadians who have requested assistance to facilitate their departure from the affected region. Staff from the Embassy of Canada to China in Beijing, as well as members of Global Affairs Canadas Standing Rapid Deployment Team, are now deployed to Wuhan to prepare for the departure of the flight. To protect the health and safety of Canadiansboth those who are coming to and those already in Canadathe returning individuals will undergo a thorough health screening before boarding, during the flight and upon arrival at CFB Trenton, Ontario. The Government of Canada is working with provincial, territorial and local health authorities to support Canadians who may require further medical attention to be safely transferred to the health-care system upon their arrival. All other returning Canadians, including staff and flight crew, will remain at CFB Trenton for 14 days for further medical assessment and observation, and be provided with all the necessary medical and other supports as needed to ensure the health and safety of all Canadians. Canadians in China in need of emergency consular assistance can contact the Embassy of Canada to China in Beijing at 86 (10) 5139 4000. Canadians can also call Global Affairs Canadas 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre (EWRC) in Ottawa at +1 613 996 8885 (collect calls are accepted where available) or email sos@international.gc.ca. It is important to note that individuals in Hubei Province must contact the EWRC in advance to make the necessary arrangements to access the evacuation flight. Military medical staff airlifted by eight large transport planes of the air force of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) arrive at Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min) On Feb. 1, Cui Tiankai, Chinas ambassador to the United States, gave a talk at a UC San Diego forum on China-US relations. In his remarks at the forum, the ambassador said that the prevention and control of the coronavirus outbreak in China is the top priority for the country and that the well-being of people always comes first. He stressed that China is doing whatever it can and using whatever means it must to curb the spread of the coronavirus and treat those affected. The ambassador also emphasized that China is doing all this not just for the health and safety of the Chinese people, but for the health and safety of the entire global community. He pointed out that the fight against the coronavirus once again shows that we live in a shared community where all of us are in this together. China has taken extraordinary measures to combat the coronavirus outbreak. The entire country has gone into battle mode to combat it. In Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, China recently completed the construction of a 1,000-bed emergency hospital in days and a second 1,600-bed hospital is under construction. The Peoples Liberation Army has also set up medical teams to help local medical staff in this battle. The coronavirus is only one of many health threats that we face as a global community and China is moving mountains to contain it. The H1N1 influenza virus that originated in the United States in 2009, for example, killed an estimated 151,700-575,400 people worldwide during the first year the virus circulated, according to official estimates. The United States did not do enough to stop the global spread of H1N1 but it has done too much in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak in terms of restrictions, which is more harmful than helpful. Many believe that the US response to the coronavirus outbreak has set a bad example for other countries and created unnecessary fear and anxiety. The United States had raised its advisory for China to Level 4, telling Americans not to travel to China and for those currently in China to attempt to depart as soon as possible. It has also banned the entry of all foreign nationals who have been to China in the last 14 days, which goes against the recommendation of the World Health Organization that there should not be any travel or trade restrictions. All countries should take appropriate defensive measures in times of uncertainty to protect the health and safety of their citizens, but we should also be careful not to heighten fears around the world, fueling a wave of panic and overreaction and a wave of racism and xenophobia. To add insult to injury, certain US officials see the misfortune as an opportunity to score points against China. Around the time that WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attacked the Communist Party of China, calling it the central threat of our times, even though Chinas ruling party is going all out to lead the fight against the outbreak, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross suggested that the coronavirus a good thing, saying that it will help to accelerate the return of American jobs. Unnecessary panic and cruel and heartless comments will do nothing to help contain the virus and will only heighten negative feelings, including racism and hostility. As the Chinese ambassador pointed out in his remarks, we must guard against any political viruses that prevent the two largest countries from joining hands to meet shared challenges. We cannot let unnecessary panic or malicious agendas to control the response to a problem that requires all of us to work together. It looked like it might have been the happiest moment in the day for Sen. Bernie Sanders, as the House impeachment managers were making their unpersuasive case last Wednesday for removing President Donald Trump. A man rose up in the visitors gallery at the back of the Senate chamber. As loud as he could, he yelled the Lords name. As he attempted to speak further in words I could not decipher the police dragged him from the chamber. At the same moment, many of the reporters sitting in the press seats above the front of the chamber got up and quickly made their way toward the door in the center of the wall behind them. Perhaps they were heading back to their laptops or cellphones to quickly report this breaking news of a man shouting in the Senate chamber. Or perhaps they were headed to the hallway on the other side of the chamber to discover who the shouter was and why he was shouting. For a few moments, it was possible within the chamber to hear this detained protestors now-muffled shouting from wherever the police had taken him. Down on the Senate floor, Sanders was looking up not toward the door where the police had dragged out the shouting protestor, but toward the door where the anxious reporters were all scrambling to voluntarily leave the chamber. There was a broad smile on his upturned face. Sanders seemed to enjoy watching this spasmodic reaction by the congressional press corps. On Wednesday, according to the videos posted by C-Span, the Senate impeachment proceedings including recesses lasted about 8 hours and 39 minutes. They began at 1:04 p.m. with Chief Justice John Roberts calling for the chaplain to lead the chamber in prayer and closed at 9:43 p.m. with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell asking for unanimous consent that the trial be adjourned until the next afternoon. On Thursday, the proceedings including recesses went on for 9 hours and 30 minutes, beginning with the prayer at 1:02 p.m. and ending with McConnells call for adjournment at 10:32 p.m. Most of the senators on both sides of the aisle during the impeachment proceedings last Wednesday and Thursday when this writer had the opportunity to observe part of the event from the press gallery did their best to at least look attentive. But were they? McConnell may have been the most stoic person in the chamber. He almost always sat upright in his chair with his hands folded together and resting on his lap. His eyes appeared fixed on the impeachment managers, who spoke from a podium just a few feet in front of his desk. Just across the aisle, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer presented a different image. He sometimes slouched in his chair, slid his feet under his desk and put his hand on his head. On Thursday, Schumer even slipped his shoes off once. At 3:09 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, when House Impeachment Manager Adam Schiff was two hours and one minute into his opening statement, Bernie Sanders got up and left the chamber. He did not come back until 3:25 p.m., when Schiff now 2 hours and 17 minutes into his opening statement was still speaking. To be sure, Sanders was not the only juror who felt compelled to take a break and leave the chamber as the House impeachment managers were making their arguments for why the president of the United States should be removed from office. It may be a biological impossibility for most senators to be trapped in a seat that long. Or to remain silent that long. He and other senators also mitigated the length of the proceedings by quietly exchanging words with the senators seated next to them. At 9:08 p.m. on Wednesday, Schiff took the podium yet again. His first words were: So, we have about 20 minutes left in the presentation tonight. Five minutes later, Sanders was standing at the back of the chamber near the door. At 9:19 p.m., he returned to his desk and sat down. At 9:28 p.m., Schiff showed no sign of stopping 20 minutes into a final presentation he said would last about 20 minutes. At 9:35 p.m., Sanders tapped the arm of Sen. Ben Cardin, who sits to his right, and said something to him. At 9:37 p.m., Schiff said, And let me just conclude With these words, Sanders turned his head to his left, away from Schiff, and with a big smile stretching across his face, appeared to silently laugh. It was almost over. Schiff might finally stop. I cannot know for sure what Bernie Sanders thought at that moment. But I suspect it might have been one time he truly had it right. Terence P. Jeffery is an editor for CNSNews.com. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The APAs former executive director for professional practice, Dr. Katherine C. Nordal, has advised people, If the 24-hour news cycle is causing you stress, limit your media consumption. She continued: Read enough to stay informed but then plan activities that give you a regular break from the issues and the stress they might cause. And remember to take care of yourself and pay attention to other areas of your life. The convicted terrorist who launched a knife rampage in south London yesterday is the latest Islamist to wear a fake suicide vest in the bid to become a 'martyr'. Sudesh Amman wore a replica explosive belt around his chest during Sunday's terror attack in what has become an increasingly common tactic used by terrorists. It is believed the use of 'hoax devices' - usually comprised of tapped-up water bottles - is a way of ensuring that armed police shoot to kill during the attacks. Islam clearly forbids suicide, meaning terrorists looking to achieve supposed martyrdom are now finding 'suicide by cop' as an appropriate option. The tactic has been repeated several times since it was infamously utilised by the London Bridge terror attackers in 2017. Armed police shoot dead extremist Sudesh Amman, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, after he grabbed a knife from a shop and stabbed a man and a woman in Streatham on Sunday London Bridge terrorist Khuram Butt is pictured lying fatally injured on the ground wearing a fake suicide vest Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba all wore fake suicide vests as they murdered eight people. Redouane created the fake belts using silver tape and plastic bottles inside his east London flat. As well as ensuring they would be shot dead by armed officers, it also helped to instill fear in members of the public and police, while deterring would-be vigilantes. During an inquest into the deaths of the attackers, a City of London Police officer said he spotted the devices and believed them to be real. Rachid Redouane created fake belts (pictured) using silver tape and plastic bottles inside his east London flat ahead of the 2017 London Bridge terror attack Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba (shown left to right) killed eight people before they themselves were shot dead Convicted terrorist Usman Khan (shown lying on the ground) also used a fake suicide vest when he carried out a similar knife attack near London Bridge in December 2019 He said: 'I thought that I was going to get stabbed and that if it was a viable IED, it was going to explode. I kept firing until that male hit the floor and was neutralised.' Convicted terrorist Usman Khan also used a fake suicide vest when he carried out a similar knife attack near London Bridge in December 2019. He stabbed Cambridge graduates Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, to death inside Fishmonger's Hall before he was shot dead on the bridge by officers. Earlier this year, a convicted jihadi and another inmate attacked two prison officers after equipped themselves with fake suicide belts and used makeshift knives. Brusthom Ziamani, 24, attacked the two officers inside HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire. Ziamani, a follower of radical preacher Anjem Choudary, 52, was found guilty of planning a terror attack in 2015 over a plot to behead a British soldier. Terrorism expert Raffaello Pantucci, a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies in London, said terrorists using fake suicide vests is a 'relatively new phenomenon'. He told MailOnline: 'It is a relatively new phenomenon, and we have seen it in a few plots since 2015 - mostly in Europe that we know, but of course might have seen them further afield as well. 'It was referred to in some extremist material - a media outlet close to ISIS called An Nur suggested it as a good approach. But it seems to be something radicals picked up themselves as a good idea. Brusthom Ziamani, 24, attacked the two officers inside HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire while wearing a fake suicide vest 'I wonder that part of the reason we have seen it in the UK in so many cases in quick succession is an element of copycatting. 'After the London Bridge attack of 2017, it was seen as a successful model that others wanted to copy - in the case of Usman Khan and the incident in HMP Whitemoor, you are also talking about people who are from the same Al-Muhajiroun network. 'Amman appears to not be from this group, but seems to have drawn inspiration from them. 'I think in the UK in particular we are seeing a chain of events taking place at the moment that are to some degree inspired by each other.' A furious row has erupted between former socialite Gayle Killilea and her ex-husband, bankrupt property developer Sean Dunne, after he issued legal proceedings against one of his sons in New York. Premium articles will soon be available only to Independent.ie subscribers. Her legal team has claimed his actions will be "extremely detrimental" to the future of the four children they had before getting divorced last year. The one-time 'Baron of Ballsbridge' is seeking a temporary injunction against John Dunne - his son from his first marriage and Ms Killilea's stepson - preventing him from using the funds of a Cypriot company to settle a lawsuit in Dublin. In legal filings, Mr Dunne (65) has claimed the funds are owed to a trust for the benefit of the four children he had with Ms Killilea, who was his second wife. He has also claimed the children, all minors, are also owners of the company, Yesreb Holdings Ltd. Expand Close Mansion: Walford was bought for Gayle Killilea in 2005. Photo: Mark Condren / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mansion: Walford was bought for Gayle Killilea in 2005. Photo: Mark Condren Mr Dunne wants to stop John Dunne from using Yesreb's funds to settle a legal action taken by the Official Assignee in Bankruptcy, Christopher Lehane, who is working with US bankruptcy trustee Richard Coan to recover assets for creditors. But a lawyer acting for Ms Killilea (44) and John Dunne (32) has claimed the children had "no direct claim whatsoever" to the funds and the injunction proceedings will be "extremely detrimental" to their long-term interests, which would be better served by resolving existing lawsuits. Lawyer Peter Nolin also accused Mr Dunne of interfering in a settlement Ms Killilea is close to finalising with Mr Coan over 18m in assets a US jury found were fraudulently transferred to her by her ex-husband. The former couple, who were synonymous with the Celtic Tiger era, both now live in England. Details of the row emerged in legal correspondence from Mr Nolin to Mr Dunne's New York lawyer Luke McGrath, which has been seen by the Irish Independent. Expand Close Gayle Killilea. Photo: Collins Courts / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Gayle Killilea. Photo: Collins Courts The injunction proceedings have also been criticised by lawyers for Mr Coan, who claim the businessman is violating federal law. The dispute is just the latest twist in the incredibly convoluted legal saga which has unfolded since the Carlow-born businessman was adjudicated bankrupt in Ireland and Connecticut in 2013 with debts of around 700m. Much of the intervening period has been dominated by claims Mr Dunne defrauded creditors by transferring assets to Ms Killilea. A key issue has been whether Mr Dunne held a beneficial interest in Dublin mansion Walford. The Shrewsbury Road property became the most expensive home in Ireland in 2005 when Mr Dunne bought it for Ms Killilea for 57.9m. It was subsequently bought by Yesreb, of which John Dunne is the owner, for 14m in 2013, using a loan from Ms Killilea. Yesreb then sold it for 14.25m in 2016 to Celtic Trustees Ltd, an Isle of Man trust set up for the benefit of billionaire financier Dermot Desmond's children. Last June, a US jury found Ms Killilea financially liable, as the recipient of certain fraudulent transfers, to pay more than 18m to the US trustee. This sum included the 14m from the 2013 transfer of ownership and 2016 sale of Walford. Mr Lehane has sued Yesreb in a bid to recover the proceeds of the sale, claiming Mr Dunne had an involvement with the company. The case is due to start on Wednesday. But the matter has been complicated by Mr Dunne seeking the injunction in New York, where his son is based. Last Friday, Mr Lehane's counsel Bernard Dunleavy SC told the High Court the injunction application would have a "significant bearing" on the case. It remains to be seen whether Mr Coan will intervene in the New York proceedings. His lawyers accused Mr Dunne of "forum shopping" and of intentionally interfering in the trustee's efforts to recoup assets. A 14-year-old girl from Botswana who has gained national attention for her academic achievements has explained that one of her inspirations is Nigerian cleric TB Joshua and his popular channel Emmanuel TV. According to a report published in Mmegi , Botswanas most-read newspaper: In a rare development, a 14-year-old Form 2 student, Naomi Higgins has lifted Nxakato Junior Secondary Schools flag high after obtaining the only Junior Certificate Examinations (JCE) A grade overall pass. The newspaper explained that Higgins surprisingly outperformed all her seniors despite studying simultaneously with two different year groups. I had the confidence and trusted that the God I serve will never disappoint me, Naomi explained to Mmegi during a short interview. According to the report, Miss Higgins is a keen follower of Nigerian televangelist Temitope Balogun Joshua, commonly referred to as T. B. Joshua. Joshua is a philanthropist, leader and founder of The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN). Despite academic challenges, the smart student revealed TB Joshuas messages and inspirational quotes kept her going strong. One inspirational quote which is closer to my heart is that difficult roads often leads to beautiful destinations. When I came across this quote I knew that if I stop learning, I will deny myself an opportunity to create history for myself, family and the school at large, she stated. Naomi revealed she has a dream of becoming a medical doctor who specialises in cardiology. Tebego Motalaote is writing from Botswana... Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in Ukraine today to sign a deal providing the Ukrainian army with assistance funding amid mounting tensions in Turkish-Russian ties following the death of at least eight Turks in Idlib during an exchange of fire with Russian-backed Syrian regime forces. Why it matters: Erdogan didnt hold back from criticizing Moscow from its long-time enemy Ukraine, which had been at war with Russia since 2014. The developments in Idlib have become intolerable. We have been very patient, Erdogan said during the joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky. Right now, nearly a million people are escaping toward our borders as a result of the regimes barrel bombs and unfortunately due to Russias negligence. Five Turkish soldiers and three civilian military personnel were killed by shelling from Syrian government forces as part of Damascus offensive against the war-torn countrys last rebel stronghold. With ironic timing, Erdogan and Zelensky also signed several cooperation agreements, including a military assistance funding package for the Ukrainian army worth some $33 million. The financial support comes in light of the need of the Ukrainian army, particularly to buy arms, Ukraine Ambassador to Turkey Andrii Sybiha was quoted as saying by the Ukrainian media. The Ukrainian military has been at war with Russia and the Russian-backed separatists since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Whats next: The number of Turkish observation posts under siege by Syrian regime forces is likely to increase should the government troops continue their advance. Three of the total 12 Turkish observation posts set up around Idlib as part of a de-escalation deal between Ankara and Moscow in 2018 are already under siege by Syrian forces. Yet despite the recent fraying of Russian-Turkish ties over Moscows support for the Syrian regime, the tension between the two is not expected to escalate as Ankaras cooperation with Moscow is on track in several other fields including energy, gas and arms trade. Know more: Read Fehim Tastekins latest on why Turkey has no option but to accept the new status quo in Idlib, and Metin Gurcan explains here how Idlib has become a challenge for Russian-Turkish ties. Long history of discrimination and slavery has resulted in African Americas feeling more pain than whites and Hispanics, a new study claims. Researchers from the University of Miami examined the brains of 88 Americans while subjecting them to painful levels of heat. During the study scientists found higher levels of activity in a section of the brain linked to discrimination and trust in the African-American participants. The authors say this means they are more sensitive to pain, and the discrimination link points to a greater need for doctors to earn their patients' trust. Scroll down for video History of discrimination and slavery has resulted in African Americas feeling more pain than whites and Hispanics, a new study claims (stock image) The team examined the brains of 28 African American, 30 White American and 30 Hispanic American participants using an functional MRI machine. As well as studying the brains, they analysed 19 sociocultural factors to understand the ethnic group differences in pain sensitivity. It has been a common belief since the time of slavery in the USA that African Americans feel less pain than white Americans, the study authors said. 'This has led to the under-treatment of pain for African Americans and contributed to widespread racial and ethnic health disparities.' Of the three groups they studied, they found the 'Neurologic Pain Signature', a brain measure that tracks the intensity of physical pain, was largely similar. However, African American participants reported more intense pain than others in the cohort, and that pain was linked to discrimination. The authors also found increased responses to physically painful stimuli in the frontostriatal brain circuit of African Americans, but not the other groups. African American participants reported more intense pain than others in the cohort, which was linked to discrimination (stock image) Activity in this circuit was related to discrimination and trust. Previous studies have related activity in this circuit to non-physical aspects of pain. This suggests that the higher levels of pain felt by African Americans may be linked, in part, to differences in non-physical pain systems in the brain. 'This may in turn result from the long-term effects of negative social treatment,' the study states. The authors recommend interventions geared towards reducing discrimination and increasing clinician trust may help to mitigate ethnic disparities in pain. The research has been published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour. Charter rates for supertankers on key shipping routes from the United States and the Middle East to Asia have dipped to their lowest levels since the middle of September, because the coronavirus outbreak has started impacting oil demand in the worlds top oil importer, China, ship brokers tell Reuters. The cost of chartering supertankers on routes to the main Asian and Chinese import hubs has now slumped to levels last seen before the U.S. slapped sanctions in September on several Chinese tanker owners for shipping Iranian oil, including units of Cosco, the ship brokers told Reuters. After the sanctions on Cosco, the cost of chartering supertankers to carry crude oil from the Middle East to Asia soared by double digits overnight. On Friday, the U.S. partially lifted some of the sanctions on Cosco. Now the freight rates for supertankers, the so-called very large crude carriers (VLCCs), are down to their lowest since the middle of September 2019 as Chinese refiners grapple with weakening fuel demand at home and elsewhere in Asia. Demand for jet fuel, gasoline, and diesel is likely to be suppressed in the coming weeks as airlines are canceling thousands of flights to and from China, and Chinese authorities are discouraging or outright banning travel in the areas most affected by the virus. The flow of oil traveling from Latin America to China has stopped in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, with no oil making its way from Brazil or Colombia to China in more than a week, Bloomberg reported last week. Sinopec, the largest oil refiner in Asia, is cutting its refinery production by 600,000 bpd in February, due to decreased fuel demand amid the outbreak, while independent Chinese refiners have already cut run rates by as much as 30-50 percent and now operate at less than half of their refining capacity, sources familiar with the plans told Reuters on Monday. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: After one case has been reported in the country, people rushed to get a mask. After two days, the panic ebbed following the governments information campaign. PIME missionary notes that Cambodians do not resent the Chinese. Phnom Penh (AsiaNews) The fear caused by the first coronavirus case confirmed in Cambodia has lessened, this according to Fr Giovanni Tulino, a missionary with the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME). A sense of panic had developed following the outbreak in Wuhan, the capital of the Chinese province of Hubei, which sparked a world-wide health emergency, The clergyman has been in Cambodia for five years, in Ta Khmau, a town some 15 kilometres south of the capital in the Diocese of Phnom Penh. On 27 January, Cambodian authorities announced the first coronavirus case in the country, a Chinese national living in the coastal city of Sihanoukville, capital of the south-western province of Preah Sihanouk. Together with its region, the city has experienced fast economic growth and a construction boom thanks to a constant inflow of Chinese capital. Chinese interests in fact control about 90 per cent of local hotels, casinos, flats, restaurants and massage parlours. In just a few years, the city has become one of Asias top gambling resorts. "The only case of infection was reported in a region where the Chinese community is very large, Fr Tulino said. For two days after the government's announcement, fear spread across the country. People started wearing protective masks everywhere with vendors on street corners handing them out. It was real panic. Eventually, the Health Ministry provided information material on the virus, explaining the nature and methods of transmission. One of the things that reassured people the most is the fact that the humid climate of this period (the temperature is almost always above 25 C) hinders the spread of the disease. The government repeated its message several times to dispel fears, and decided against closing the country's borders to visitors from China. Closing borders could mean the collapse of the economy, said the missionary. At present, the situation is back to normal. The panic of the first days is no more. Now people go about their business without wearing masks. I have not noticed among locals any resentment or discrimination against the Chinese, who are blamed for the outbreak elsewhere. Even in the worse moments, no one stopped going to shops or restaurants. After the first case was confirmed, the Cambodian civil aviation authority agency cancelled all flights to and from Wuhan following a Chinese ban on air travel to the capital of Hubei. Still, since the beginning of the crisis, some 3,000 Chinese tourists have travelled to Cambodia. In the latter however, some have called for the cancellation of all flights from China because of the possibility that the virus has spread across China. Government critics are saying that the authorities are downplaying the potential impact of the virus for political reasons, which is what Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen did last Friday. There is no need to stop flights from China because doing so would kill our economy and destroy ties with China, Hun said. During his live televised press conference in the capital Phnom Penh, the veteran politician (in power since 1984) urged Cambodians to refrain from discriminating against Chinese people. What is more, he said he had no plan to evacuate our diplomats we will keep them there to help resolve the issues on the ground. After expressing disappointment that so many Cambodian students had returned home from China, he warned that Beijing might not give any more scholarships to Cambodians. Russia entered the new year without a deal binding Minsk more tightly to Moscow, and a visit from the top U.S. diplomat signaled support for the sovereignty of Belarus. Has President Alyaksandr Lukashenka managed to keep Russia at bay for a long time to come? Or will the Kremlin step up the pressure for integration? Current Time Executive Editor Kiryl Sukhotski joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss. Le Net and Vu Thi Thinh from LNT & Partners discuss how important public-private partnerships are to the countrys infrastructure development. As Vietnam prepares to enter a new development period in 2021 amid global economic changes and the widespread influence of Industry 4.0 and free trade agreements, the country is seeking to increase its appeal to private investors so that it can access more resources to cover its development needs. Le Net and Vu Thi Thinh from LNT & Partners Vietnam is a developing country with an abundance of infrastructure potential. While the country has been notably successful in foreign direct investment attraction in recent times, such investment in infrastructure is still limited. Public-private partnership (PPP) projects operating in Vietnam have primarily been in the form of build-transfer or build-operate-transfer and mostly focus on transportation, electrical energy, and several other fields. The potential of Vietnams infrastructure market is highly valued by international investors, and it will surely offer them more opportunities when barriers are demolished and PPP projects in the country align with international norms. In less than 10 years, Vietnam has three times made efforts to introduce, revise, and improve the legal framework governing PPP. These include Decision No.71/2010/QD-TTg by the prime minister in parallel to Decree No.108/2009; Decree No.15/2015/ND-CP, which replaced those two documents; and Decree No.63/2018/ND-CP which replaced Decree 15. Decree 63 took effect in June 2018 as the key PPP legislation. Decree 63 is the current legal instrument for relevant projects and includes provisions in line with international practices such as guarantees to keep the land use plan unchanged, to supply public utilities, and guarantees for covering the risk of government expropriation of assets or covering contracting authority obligations. However, the mechanism to share revenue risks has not yet been included. Decree 63 also allows for government guarantees to be granted to make foreign currency available to the project company. Such a guarantee is important, especially now that the VND is not freely convertible due to restrictions on currency conversion. However, there is no clear policy on the circumstances on which such government guarantees can be provided. The language of the decree is vague based on the socio-economic development orientation, foreign exchange management policy, ability to balance foreign currency in each period, and the target and the nature of the project, the prime minister shall decide balance of foreign currency for projects, subject to approval. This lack of a clear policy and guidelines for providing a foreign currency convertibility guarantee is potentially impeding lenders and private investors from entering into Vietnams PPP market. Solutions in the new decade The country can increase its attraction to PPP projects only when all the barriers are solved. As Vietnam enters the last year of the 2016-2020 development period, the country needs more resources to serve its rapid development demands. Together with recognising the determining role of infrastructure in national development, PPP is regarded as an important tool to promote infrastructure improvement. During 2019, the government was active in submitting a more complete legal mechanism to serve as a basis and a premise for infrastructure development for example in organising seminars and requesting comments from the private sector, including associations and domestic and foreign enterprises. The draft law on PPP submitted to the National Assembly does not only serve as an elevation of regulations into a position of greater constitutional prominence compared to Decree 63, but also answers investor concerns relating to sovereign support. The mechanisms for sharing revenue risks and foreign currency convertibility guarantees are introduced into the PPP draft law by the Ministry of Planning and Investment. In the submission, the government decides to apply a revenue risk sharing mechanism for qualified PPP projects in the form of adjustment of product prices, service fees, or adjustment of contract terms. The government commits to sharing with investors and project enterprises no more than 50 per cent of the decrease between the actual revenue and the committed revenue in the contract. In exchange, the investors and enterprises commit to sharing with the government no less than 50 per cent of the increase in revenue. In terms of foreign currency convertibility guarantee, it may be up to 30 per cent of project revenue in VND after subtracting the amount spent in the same currency. The PPP draft law also specifies three criteria to grant such a guarantee, thus enhancing its real-life applicability. It can be seen that the draft not only benefits investors through guarantee of the projects outcome but also benefits the state as it promises to attract more investment capital to Vietnam. To maintain the fast pace of development and industrialisation, the country needs more new infrastructure works. However, public financial resources are inadequate to fulfil these requirements, thus the mobilisation of private capital is of the essence. The law draft has provided solutions to such concerns. The draft law is expected to be passed and promulgated in 2020, opening a new chapter in the countrys attraction of private investment when a new development period starts. It will provide legal guarantees and ensure a reasonable risk-sharing structure for projects. Therefore, it shall create expectations and attract new projects not limited to traditional areas like roads, energy, and water supply, but also those requiring large capital, advancing national competitiveness, and creating a great number of jobs such as rail and aviation. Key to attracting investors A key factor in investor decision making is cash flows as business by nature comes down to pursuing profit. They also serve as a useful tool for investors to call for project financing from lenders or sponsors. Cash flows include both the input revenues received from the off-takers or customers and output, as in the money spending for the projects interests (see chart). Capital providers shall invest in a project if its estimated profitability has potential, together with considering the internal rate of return. To control these cash flows, investors need to allocate and mitigate the risks generated from a PPP project. In practice, the determining factors of a PPP projects cash flows, among others, are categorised into three main groups: the capability of the investors, the revenue risk sharing mechanism, and foreign currency convertibility guarantee. The capability of investors is the assessment in all aspects that affect the outcome of a project, including the financial situation, experience, business connections, and more. Revenue risk sharing means reducing the likelihood and impact of uncertainties, while the foreign currency convertibility guarantee ensures that capital providers receive their domestic currency in spite of market fluctuations. While the risk sharing, to some extent, ensures the revenue gained by the investors, the foreign currency convertibility guarantee aims at the liquidity of such revenue and provides investors with an effective tool to attract more capital. While the first factor falls under the responsibility of investors, the state should assist its private partners with the two remaining mechanisms as a PPP project benefits both parties. In nature, a PPP project is implemented to provide public services using private capital and/or private management. It means that in case the private sector is not engaged, the state must spend its budget or mobilise official development assistance loans (meaning the state must bear all risks and responsibilities). Therefore, if the state wants to call for financial resources and exploit the knowledge and management capacity from all economic sectors to make up the budget deficit, it must also ensure the feasibility of the project through supports and guarantees in exchange. Therefore, to improve PPP investment in Vietnam, the state should focus on the revenue risk sharing mechanism, and the foreign currency convertibility guarantee. Considering the improvements from current PPP regulations and the effects possibly arising, the law on PPP should be passed and promulgated soon. The law is highly anticipated to be one of the most important legal changes in 2020 and in following years, thus contributing the countrys socio-economic development for the new five-year term and longer. Experts believe that together with the introduction of this law, if the state plans not to increase the debt ceiling but still increase the economys size through several methods for instance, careful selection of investors and consultants the countrys economic picture will be greatly and positively influenced. VIR Infrastructure developers await law on PPP The National Assembly is working on an investment law on public-private partnerships (PPP) which investors hope will settle legal conflicts. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said assuming the top post was never his dream or ambition, but when he realised that the promise made to his father could not be fulfilled by staying with the BJP, he decided to accept the bigger responsibility. In an interview to Sanjay Raut, the executive editor of Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Thackeray said 'Hindutva' to him means honouring the word given by him. Asked if he was an'accidental chief minister', the Shiv Sena president said, "May be." On aligning with ideologically different parties like the NCP and Congress, Thackeray said such tie-ups were made earlier also, and asserted that the interest of the state and country was not bigger than any ideology. "I was not new to political power as I have seen my father (late Sena supremo Bal Thackeray) wield it since my childhood. What came unexpected was the chair of power (CM's post)," he said. Thackeray said he had decided that he will go to any extent to fulfil the promise made to his father about making a Shiv Sainik chief minister of the state. "My becoming chief minister is the first step towards fulfilling the promise made to my father," the 59-year-old Shiv Sena president said. The Shiv Sena snapped ties with its pre-poll ally BJP last year over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post in the state. Thackeray earlier claimed that a 50:50 formula was "agreed upon" between himself, the then BJP president Amit Shah and then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis ahead of the last year's Lok Sabha polls. In the interview to Raut on Monday, Thackeray said the Shiv Sena chief never accepted the post of power and he also never wished for it. "When I realised that I can't achieve the promise made to my father by staying with the BJP,I had no option but to accept the bigger responsibility," he said. Asked if he had shocked people by accepting the post of chief minister of an unlikely coalition, Thackeray said "political shocks are of many kinds". "Promises made are supposed to be fulfilled. There is sadness and anger of breaking a promise and then I had no option. I don't know if the BJP has recovered from the shock. What big did I ask...moon or stars? I just reminded them about what was agreed upon before the Lok Sabha elections," he said. On what changed his earlier stand of going alone in the elections, Thackeray said, "When (the then BJP president) Amit Shah paid a visit to me, I felt what is the harm in starting all over again." Thackeray said he went to Gandhinagar and Varanasi when Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi filed their respective nominations for the Lok Sabha polls last year. "I got sandwiched between the elder (Modi) and younger brother (referring to BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis). Making a promise and honoring the word givenis Hindutva for me," he said. Asked about aligning with parties of different ideologies, Thackeray said it had happened before and cited the example of the previous BJP-led governments at the Centre. "Are the ideologies of BJP and (Lok Janshakti Party leader) Ram Vilas Paswan, (JD(U) president) Nitish Kumar, (Trinamool Congress chief) MamataBanerjee and (TDP head) Chandrababu Naidu same?" he asked. "In Kashmir, there was an alliance with the PDP and talks were held with separatists. The interest of the state and country is not bigger than ideology," he said. On criticism from the BJP that he compromised on the Shiv Sena's ideology, Thackeray said, "You want to break other parties and induct their prominent leaders. Is the laundry with you only? What's wrong if we align with parties." Asked what his mother Meena Thackeray's response on his becoming the chief minister would have been if she was alive, he said, she would have felt 'Oh God, whether he will be able to manage'. "But whatever I do, I do it genuinely," he added. On being compared to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Thackeray said, "I speak more." To a query on him contesting the election, Thackeray, who is not a member of either the state Legislative Assembly or Council, said, "In next two-three months, I will take a decision on contesting polls. Iwill never run away from my responsibilities." Hinting that he may take the Legislative Council route, the chief minister said, "For (getting elected to) Assembly, somebody will have to resign. I will take the decision without hurting anyone." Asked about his experience after becoming the chief minister, Thackeray said he took little time in understanding the "official Marathi language". The chief minister also said his government would work towards resolving the dispute of "Karnataka Occupied Maharashtra". "Maharashtra wants the Marathi-speaking areas on the border adjoining Karnataka to be merged with it (Maharashtra). The matter is in court. But instead of being neutral, the Centre is supporting the Karnataka government," he alleged. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Barcelona ratings vs Levante: Barcelona have a problem in midfield Barcelona vs Levante Have your say Barcelona were able to beat Levante 2-0 at the Camp Nou on Sunday night thanks to a brace from Ansu Fati, but what was evident is that the Catalans no longer have the dominance in midfield that they once did. A midfield three of Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong and Ivan Rakitic started the match and while they played relatively well, it is nothing like Barcelona's fans have grown accustomed to over the years. Have your say on the players' performances. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Authorities identified the man who died as Raheem Murray, 26, of no fixed address. Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene, in the 4300 block of Third Street SE, on the border of Washington Highlands and Bellevue. A safe containing about $5,000 was stolen from Doppio Zero, a pizzeria and Italian restaurant in San Francisco's Hayes Valley, after an intruder broke into the business early Sunday morning. At around 4 a.m. a masked man was caught on surveillance cameras inside the restaurants private office. On camera, the man is shown looking through papers before he locates a small safe positioned on the ground. KGO reported that the man struggled to open the safe before he eventually walks out of camera view with safe in tow. The CEO of Brilliant Circle Holdings International Limited (HKG:1008) is Song Qin. First, this article will compare CEO compensation with compensation at similar sized companies. Next, we'll consider growth that the business demonstrates. Third, we'll reflect on the total return to shareholders over three years, as a second measure of business performance. This method should give us information to assess how appropriately the company pays the CEO. Check out our latest analysis for Brilliant Circle Holdings International How Does Song Qin's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies? According to our data, Brilliant Circle Holdings International Limited has a market capitalization of HK$972m, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth HK$1.4m over the year to December 2018. It is worth noting that the CEO compensation consists almost entirely of the salary, worth HK$1.4m. We looked at a group of companies with market capitalizations under HK$1.6b, and the median CEO total compensation was HK$1.8m. So Song Qin is paid around the average of the companies we looked at. Although this fact alone doesn't tell us a great deal, it becomes more relevant when considered against the business performance. You can see, below, how CEO compensation at Brilliant Circle Holdings International has changed over time. SEHK:1008 CEO Compensation, February 3rd 2020 Is Brilliant Circle Holdings International Limited Growing? Over the last three years Brilliant Circle Holdings International Limited has shrunk its earnings per share by an average of 31% per year (measured with a line of best fit). In the last year, its revenue is up 20%. Unfortunately, earnings per share have trended lower over the last three years. There's no doubt that the silver lining is that revenue is up. But it isn't sufficiently fast growth to overlook the fact that earnings per share has gone backwards over three years. So given this relatively weak performance, shareholders would probably not want to see high compensation for the CEO. We don't have analyst forecasts, but shareholders might want to examine this detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow. Story continues Has Brilliant Circle Holdings International Limited Been A Good Investment? Since shareholders would have lost about 42% over three years, some Brilliant Circle Holdings International Limited shareholders would surely be feeling negative emotions. It therefore might be upsetting for shareholders if the CEO were paid generously. In Summary... Remuneration for Song Qin is close enough to the median pay for a CEO of a similar sized company . The company isn't growing EPS, and shareholder returns have been disappointing. Few would argue that it's wise for the company to pay any more, before returns improve. Shareholders may want to check for free if Brilliant Circle Holdings International insiders are buying or selling shares. If you want to buy a stock that is better than Brilliant Circle Holdings International, this free list of high return, low debt companies is a great place to look. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. NRIs need not pay tax on income earned abroad: FM Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday clarified that the government has no intention to tax global income of NRIs and that only income generated in India will be taxed. The income of a non-resident Indian generated in India is not taxed in the country where he or she is resident and, according to the finance minister, the government has a sovereign right to tax such incomes. The finance ministers clarification comes after reports that the Union Budget 2020-21 has proposed that NRIs who don't pay taxes in a foreign country where they are resident will now be taxed in India if he or she remains in India for more than three months. Also, for being categorised as NRI, a person will now have to stay abroad for a minimum of 240 days in a year as opposed to the 182 days stipulated earlier as per amended Income Tax Act. As per the amended Section 6 of the Income Tax Act, "notwithstanding anything contained in Clause (1), an individual -- being a citizen of India -- shall be deemed to be a resident in India in any previous year, if he is not liable to tax in any other country or territory by reason of his domicile or residence or any other criteria of a similar nature, the budget notes. At a press briefing on Saturday after finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2020-21 in Parliament, revenue secretary, Ajay Bhushan Pandey had told a press briefing that an Indian national who wants to claim non-resident status cannot stay in the country for 120 days, or more, in a year. We have made changes in the Income Tax Act where, if an Indian citizen stays out of the country for more than 182 days, he becomes a non-resident, said Pandey. Now, in order to become a non-resident, he has to stay out of the country for 240 days. If any Indian citizen is not a resident of any country in the world, he will be deemed to be a resident of India and his worldwide income will be taxed, said Pandey. The amendments in the I-T Act is intended to bring tax evaders who deliberatively remain in foreign countries with the sole intention of cheating on income tax. Such persons who remain abroad in countries such as Dubai, where the income tax is low or nil, will now be taxed in India if they fall in the income tax bracket. This, however, may inconvenience those NRIs staying in India for more than 120 days for genuine reasons, experts point out. WASHINGTON Over the past year, President Donald Trump has raked in more campaign contributions from Louisiana residents than all 11 Democratic candidates combined. Trump, a Republican who received a record number of votes in Louisiana when he ran four years ago, amassed more than $1.2 million from Louisiana donors in 2019, records show. His total nationwide haul was more than $211 million. The final campaign finance reports of 2019 were due Friday. In Louisiana, former Vice President Joe Biden took in the most of any of the Democratic candidates with more than $366,000 for the year. He out-raised Trump in Louisiana during the third quarter and immediately after entering the race with $265,313 to Trump's $263,139 during that fundraising period. In Louisiana, Trump rakes in twice as much as Democrat candidates combined in campaign donations WASHINGTON Louisiana voters have given twice as much campaign cash to Donald Trump's re-election effort this year than to all of his Democra South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg followed with $159,763, followed by independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who took in $115,345 from Louisiana supporters. Though the state is nearly guaranteed to vote Republican in November, Stephen Handwerk, director of the Louisiana Democratic Party, said there is an excitement among Louisiana Democrats about the upcoming election. Were cautiously optimistic that we will be able to do some big things, he said. Louisianas primary will be held April 4. Only registered Democrats can cast ballots in the Democratic primary. The deadline is March 4 in person, or March 14 through the Secretary of State's online registration portal at GeauxVote.com. The Louisiana GOP, firmly behind Trump's re-election effort, is also using the primary as a chance to bolster its voter rolls. As Trump's impeachment defense team wraps up, Louisiana Senators remain behind him WASHINGTON President Donald Trump's team wrapped up its defense in the Senate on Tuesday after hours of presenting a case for why the Democr "Take this opportunity to grow our numbers and strengthen our team by encouraging your friends to join the Republican Party of Louisiana," chairman Louis Gurvich wrote in a recent newsletter to supporters. The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Trump carried Louisiana with 58 percent of the vote in 2016 and received more individual votes than any candidate previously on a Louisiana ballot. Polls have shown he remains popular in the state, and there is no indication he's at risk of losing Louisiana in 2020. Trump's biggest haul came from suburban New Orleans residents. Businessman Joe Canizaro and retired shipbuilder Boysie Bollinger, both longtime Republican heavy-hitters in Louisiana, are leading Trumps campaign finance effort in the state. The contributions from Louisiana backers are not huge sums when top tier candidates report having tens of millions in donations to date but the state could still influence the ultimate outcome in the race through other ways. As in most presidential elections, Louisiana Democrats are likely to do more work outside of the state through phone banks and in-person canvassing in battleground states like Florida. Nearly all of the 11 major candidates who are seeking the Democratic nomination have received contributions from Louisiana as of the most recent campaign finance reporting period. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire, isn't seeking donations and is running a self-funded campaign. He recently hired several of Gov. John Bel Edwards' top 2019 campaign staffers, including campaign manager Richard Carbo, to run his Louisiana efforts. In all, Louisiana residents have contributed more than $855,600 to the various Democratic candidates to Trump's $1.2 million in 2019. U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, a California Democrat who ended her presidential campaign in early December, had received backing in Louisiana from some high-profile state and local politicians after multiple appearances in Louisiana, including at the Essence Festival in New Orleans. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, is a co-chair of Bidens campaign and has served as a key surrogate, appearing frequently on CNN to talk about the former vice presidents priorities. Some Louisiana donors have contributed to multiple Democratic campaigns reflecting the crowded field. New Orleans, a Democratic stronghold, overwhelmingly made up the bulk of donations to Democratic presidential contenders during the period examined, followed by Baton Rouge. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Pete Buttigieg has spoken to the online outrage over Donald Trump's Super Bowl advert about criminal justice reform, which featured a woman who was freed from prison after serving 21 years of a lifetime sentence for a non-violent drug offence. In the advert, black and white script praised Mr Trump's decision to grant Alice Marie Johnson clemency, and featured a clip of her crediting the president upon her release. "Politicians talk about criminal justice reform. President Trump got it done," the advert said, in apparent reference to the legislation signed by the president that was said to be leading to the release of 3,100 inmates who showed good behaviour. Mr Buttigieg, who is competing in Monday's Iowa caucuses as he seeks to become the Democratic nominee to take on Mr Trump, said during an appearance on Fox News that those criminal justice reforms are among the handful of things he agrees with the president on. But, he said it "doesn't change the incredible cruel and divisive racial rhetoric that comes out of this White House." Ms Johnson was a first-time nonviolent drug offender who was granted clemency by the president after celebrity Kim Kardashian West pleaded on her behalf. Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week Show all 7 1 /7 Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week Kim Kardashian in the front row Givenchy show, Spring Summer 2017, Paris Fashion Week, France - 02 Oct 2016 Rex Features Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner attend the Givenchy show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2017 on October 2, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) Getty Images Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week Kim Kardashian in the front row Balenciaga show, Spring Summer 2017, Paris Fashion Week, France - 02 Oct 2016 Rex Features Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week Kendall Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Riccardo Tisci and Kim Kardashian backstage Givenchy show, Spring Summer 2017, Paris Fashion Week, France - 02 Oct 2016 Rex Features Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kris Jenner Off-White show, Front Row, Spring Summer 2017, Paris Fashion Week, France - 29 Sep 2016 Rex Features Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week (From L) Kanye West and Kim Kardashian attend the Off-white 2017 Spring/Summer ready-to-wear collection fashion show, on September 29, 2016 in Paris. / AFP / ALAIN JOCARD (Photo credit should read ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week (From L) Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian attend the Off-white 2017 Spring/Summer ready-to-wear collection fashion show, on September 29, 2016 in Paris. / AFP / ALAIN JOCARD (Photo credit should read ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images That lobbying effort ultimately resulted in the passage of the First Step Act, which was among the few signature pieces of legislation that have been passed with bipartisan support during Mr Trump's presidency. The bill shortened the sentences of some inmates, in part through a change in the way good behaviour credits are considered. The bill also increased job training and other programmes. Many of the thousands of inmates targeted for early release were said to be in similar circumstances to Ms Johnson. Shortly after the advert aired, Ms Johnson herself tweeted the clip, beginning a caption by saying "Two Super Bowls ago I was sitting in a prison cell." Then, Kardashian West retweeted the message saying she is "proud" of Ms Johnson. But the advert also drew criticism from some on Twitter who attacked Mr Trump's record on criminal justice reform. While Mr Trump's clemency for Ms Johnson was widely covered, he has so-far during his presidency exercised that presidential power much less than his predecessor, Barack Obama, who announced 330 commutations for nonviolent drug offenders on his last day in office alone. "Alice Johnson is one person who won early release because celebrities brought her to Trump's attention," wrote Joyce Alene, an MSNBC contributor. "She deserved it. But there are thousands more like her in prison. We need a real pardon process that works fairly. We need real criminal justice reform. Don't be fooled." Meanwhile others simply attacked the advert for its apparent snub of Kardashian West. "Anyone just realise how Kim K wasn't recognised in the super bowl(sic) commercial about getting Alice Marie Johnson out of prison?" wrote one Twitter user. "Trump took all the credit". A Chinese man who contracted the coronavirus has died in the Philippines, the country's health authorities reported yesterday. He is the first person to die from the disease outside China, intensifying global fears about the spread of an epidemic that has claimed more than 300 lives. The 44-year-old, who was from Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus, died from "severe pneumonia". Since it first appeared in the city in China's central Hubei province, some 14,500 people have been infected with the virus, which can cause fever and breathing difficulties. The victim who died in the Philippines had arrived there on January 21 via Hong Kong with a 38-year-old woman who also tested positive for the virus and remains under observation. The couple had visited Cebu and Dumaguete before going to Manila, the capital. Philippine epidemiologists are now tracking down passengers who were on the same flights to urge them to take precautions and further tests. "This health event is fast-evolving and fluid. We are continuously recalibrating our plans and efforts as the situation develops," said Francisco Duque III, the health secretary, according to 'The Philippine Star'. Expand Close The Huoshenshan temporary field hospital is seen as it nears completion in Wuhan. Photo: Chinatopix via AP / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Huoshenshan temporary field hospital is seen as it nears completion in Wuhan. Photo: Chinatopix via AP Rabindra Abeyasinghe, the World Health Organisation representative to the Philippines, tried to reassure the public, saying: "We need to take into mind that this is not a locally acquired case." Shortly before announcing the death, the Philippines introduced a temporary entry ban on non-Filipino travellers arriving from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Other nations are following suit with restrictions to stop the virus from spreading further. Meanwhile in China, the first patients have arrived at a 1,000-bed hospital built in 10 days as part of China's efforts to fight a new virus. Huoshenshan Hospital and a second facility with 1,500 beds that is due to open this week were built by construction crews who are working around the clock in Wuhan, the city in central China where the coronavirus outbreak was first detected in December. Most of the city's 11 million people are barred from leaving the area. The Wuhan treatment centres mark the second time Chinese leaders have responded to a new disease by building specialised hospitals almost overnight. As severe acute respiratory syndrome, or Sars, spread in 2003, a facility in Beijing for patients with that viral disease was constructed in a week. The first patients arrived at the Huoshenshan Hospital on Monday, according to state media. The reports gave no details of the patients' identities or conditions. The Huoshenshan - or Fire God Mountain - hospital will open today and be staffed by 1,400 medical workers from China's armed forces, many of whom have experience in treating Sars and Ebola. However, in Hong Kong, thousands of hospital workers have decided to go on strike today, demanding the government closes the city's borders with mainland China to shut out the virus. China has locked down Wuhan, a city of 11 million, and several other cities, but millions of people had already begun travelling to celebrate the Lunar New Year before the restrictions were imposed. About 100 cases have been reported in at least 24 countries, including Britain. Indonesia said yesterday it would temporarily stop flights to and from mainland China from Wednesday and bar visitors who have been in China for 14 days from entering or transiting. From today, New Zealand will deny entry to visitors departing from or transiting through China. Korea and Japan are barring non-citizens who have been recently in Hubei, and Taiwan has extended a ban to Chinese nationals from Guangdong, a southern province that has also been hit hard by the virus. The US, Australia, Singapore and Israel have banned foreign nationals from visiting if they have been in China over the previous 14 days, and advised their own citizens not to travel there. The death toll in China rose to 304 yesterday, with authorities reporting 45 new deaths since the previous day. The US yesterday said that China had been more transparent about the coronavirus than it has been in previous crises. But Beijing has not yet accepted a US offer of help to contain the epidemic. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Jenkintown Road closed from Monday through May Press Release February 3, 2020 Dispatch from Crame No. 712: Sen. Leila M. de Lima's Reaction to Sec. Andanar's Reference to her as "Sacred Cow" In response to a recent Forbes article reporting that the Philippines has become a more corrupt and less democratic state under Duterte, Andanar points out that there are no "sacred cows" under Duterte, and inevitably points to me as an example of a "sacred cow" who was arrested for corruption and criminality. In his overly pathetic defense of Duterte's dismal record insofar as curbing corruption and fighting criminality is concerned, Andanar reveals that he does not even know the definition of "sacred cow". It comes from the Hindu tradition of holding the bovine species as holy and therefore should not be treated as the mere cattle that they are. Figuratively, it means someone who cannot be attacked or be the subject of legal action because a public official is beholden or indebted to said person. By such definition, I can never be Duterte's or this government's sacred cow. I was never in alliance with this President. In fact, I am this President's mortal enemy, the one who pursued him since his days as the leader of the Davao Death Squad and now as the head of a drug war bent on exterminating poor Filipinos. For the education of Sec. Andanar, let me enumerate some of the real sacred cows of this administration. On top of the list are the President's own son and son-in-law, who were implicated in the smuggling of billions of pesos of shabu. This was never investigated by any law enforcement agency, and merely resulted in the arrest of a warehouse caretaker. Second is the infamous Nicanor Faeldon, under whose nose said tons of shabu were spirited into the country. He is also the same official who approved the premature release of Bilibid inmates, including drug convicts, using the GCTA Law. Again, no investigation or prosecution was conducted and no case was filed with the Ombudsman against this most incompetent and corrupt Duterte official. Then of course there is former DOJ Sec. Aguirre, caught red-handed arranging the shake down of gambling lord Jack Lam for 50 million pesos, or probably more. Only his underlings were charged with plunder while he remains scot-free. We can also mention the Tulfo siblings for their record heist of Department of Tourism funds in the millions of pesos. Up to now, the mastermind boasts in the face of Duterte that he will not return their heist. Again, no investigations and arrests. So Mr. Andanar, your pathetic example of me as a "sacred cow" reeks of hypocrisy. You point your finger at me, while several Duterte relatives and officials are allowed to smuggle shabu, shake down syndicates, and steal public funds without Duterte lifting a finger. Let's not forget also the political rehabilitation, under this regime, of some top plunderers who were rightfully prosecuted under the Aquino administration but judicially favored under Duterte. This is Duterte's dismal anti-corruption record, which is actually all about being pro-corruption insofar as his family and allies are concerned. Follow along for live updates from Capitol Hill (all times Eastern): 4:52 p.m. Senators are making statements about the impeachment trial regarding the charges against President Donald Trump. Senators have two days to speak on the Senate floor to explain their votes. A handful of senators in both parties have still not said whether they will vote to convict or acquit the president on the two articles of impeachment abuse of power and obstruction of Congress that the House passed in December. Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., delivered his remarks, describing himself as a moderate centrist, said he believed a bipartisan majority would vote to censure Trump to formally denounce him. Senators in both parties on Monday dismissed censure as an alternative. History will judge (this) Senate harshly for failing in its constitutional duty to try this case and do the impartial justice to defend the Constitution and to protect our democracy, he said. Manchin said he supported Trumps calls for a fair trial, which the president suggested would include witnesses. He said he remained undecided on how he will vote but said a two-thirds majority to remove Trump from office was unlikely. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, asked whether the offense raises to the unquestionable level of removing the president from office, which he said it didnt. He also said House managers used the terms "bribery" and "extortion" on the Senate floor, even though neither terms were in the articles of impeachment. Grassley also said House managers said more than 60 times the evidence was overwhelming. He said repeating that claim didnt make it accurate. Its not the Senates job to read into House articles what the House failed or didnt see fit to incorporate itself, he said. Articles of impeachment shouldnt be moving targets, like moving a goal post. Grassley said, currently, the president can request a foreign leader assist with anti-corruption efforts. 3 p.m. The Senate has adjourned the trial for today. 2:52 p.m. Rep. Adam Schiff, the Houses lead impeachment manager, said President Donald Trump used his own obstruction as a sword and shield. Schiff also remarked on President Bill Clintons impeachment, saying lying about an affair is morally wrong and a crime under oath. But Schiff said Congress is now more accepting of serious misconduct if that person is in that persons party. Schiff said he hoped and prayed there would never be a president in the Democratic party who would betray the national interests and security to help with his reelection. Schiff said if that happens, he hopes that person would be impeached, and Democrats would lead the way. 2:34 p.m. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said House managers proved their case with a mountain of evidence. President Trump tried to cheat. He got caught. And then he worked hard to cover it up, he said. 2:27 p.m. This is a defining moment in our history and a challenging time for our nation, Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., said. Demings reflected on her fathers integrity, decency and honesty and remarked the defense team didnt speak about the presidents character during the trial. She also expressed her concern over the Senates decision not to hear from witnesses. If this body fails to hold this president accountable, you have to ask yourselves, What kind of republic will we ultimately have with a president who thinks that he can really, truly do whatever he wants? 2:19 p.m. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, argued the Senates decision will affect the strength of democracies across the world. She argued the presidents actions warrant removal from office and has implications for the U.S., too. Garcia said the country cant hope the president does better. We have done that so many other times. We know he has not apologized. He has not offered to change. We all know he will do it again. 2:07 p.m. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., a House impeachment manager, said defense attorneys are still disputing at the end of the trial what high crimes and misdemeanors means. She reviewed why the countrys founders created the clause. Theyve been described during that time as offenses against king and government or misconduct, abuse or violation of some public trust, she said. Its clear they knew what they wrote, she said. The presidents lawyers tried to create a muddle to confuse you. Dont let them. 2:05 p.m. Among the reasons why the articles of impeachment should be rejected, attorney Pat Cipollone said they dont allege a violation of law. I believe the American people are tired of the endless and false investigations that have been coming out of the House, Cipollone said. He said the impeachment has been a waste of American tax dollars, time and opportunities. 1:39 p.m. Patrick Philbin, a White House attorney, said the House is not above the law. He said the House of Representatives began an impeachment inquiry without a vote from its full body. That was unprecedented, he said. Philbin also said there were unfair hearings, and proceedings began from an announcement by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at a news conference. Responding to prosecutors arguments about witnesses who refused to testify during the impeachment inquiry, Philbin said presidents who assert immunity for staffs have a longstanding history. This was a purely partisan political process, he said. 1:03 p.m. Kenneth Starr, a lawyer for the defense team, asked if the rules were faithfully followed. He said if not, prosecutors should not be rewarded. Starr said the House majority broke rules by not allowing minority members to ask questions. He also said House managers didnt tell senators everything, and he asked if theres been full and fair disclosure. They have the power, but that doesnt mean anything goes, Starr said. Starr also contrasted the current judiciary committee with the one that moved forward during the Nixon era, arguing present day Democrats proceeded in a "fast-track" manner. 12:55 p.m. Pat Cipollone, a White House lawyer, said senators need to acquit the president. He reviewed a major defense teams point, arguing the impeachment sought to reverse the results of the election. 12:52 p.m. The Senate's impeachment trial has resumed. 12:02 p.m. The Senate is taking 30-minute break for lunch. 12:01 p.m. House manager Hakeem Jeffries warned senators that condoning "the president's obstruction would strike a death blow to the impeachment clause in the Constitution." "A president who can obstruct and thwart the impeachment power becomes unaccountable," he said. "He or she is effectively above the law. And such a president is more likely to engage in corruption with impunity. This will become the new normal. With this president, and for future generations." The New York Democrat said President Trump "hasn't stopped trying to pressure Ukraine to smear his opponent, nor has he stopped obstructing Congress." "President Trump remains a clear and present danger to our national security," he said. Jeffries said that over the past few days, many senators have "publicly acknowledged" that the facts of the case "are not seriously in dispute." "The question that remains is whether that conduct warrants conviction and removal from office," he added. 11:35 a.m. House Democrats are focusing part of their closing arguments in the Senate trial on their belief that President Trump is continuing to act inappropriately and will commit more misconduct in the future. Rep. Val Demings, one of the House impeachment managers, said in her remarks that "as President Trump has orchestrated this cover-up, and obstructed Congress' impeachment inquiry, he remains unapologetic, unrestrained, and intent on continuing his sham to defraud our elections." 11:19 a.m. The House managers are delivering their closing arguments in President's Trump's impeachment trial. Rep. Jason Crow, Democrat from Colorado, spoke first for the House managers. "Today you have a duty to perform, with fidelity, not without a sense of surrounding dangers, but also not without hope," Crow said. "I submit to you on behalf of the House of Representatives that your duty demands you convict President Trump." He called impeachment an "extraordinary remedy" and "a tool only to be used in rare instances of grave misconduct." Original story below President Donald Trump's impeachment trial heads toward a historic conclusion this week, with senators all but certain to acquit him on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress after narrowly rejecting Democratic demands to summon witnesses. Theres still plenty of drama to unfold before Wednesday's vote. The vote is expected to cap a months-long investigation spurred by a whistleblower complaint that Trump improperly withheld U.S. military aid from Ukraine in a bid to pressure it to launch investigations into 2020 Democratic rival Joe Biden. In the Senate, Republicans hold a 53-47 advantage and theres nowhere near the two-thirds needed for conviction and removal. On Friday, Republicans blocked consideration of new witnesses and documents, setting up the speedy acquittal vote for the coming week. It will be a frenetic next few days. Here's what you can expect: Monday House impeachment managers and Trumps defense team return to the Senate floor to make closing arguments in the trial. The 2020 presidential election kicks off with the Iowa caucuses. It will be the first time this election season that voters will officially make their preferences known. Tuesday Trump will deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday. Wednesday The Senate will hold its final vote in the impeachment trial. Senators are largely expected to acquit the president on a party-line vote. Friday The 2020 Democratic candidates will take the stage in another debate. Expect the candidates to talk about the impeachment trial, the Iowa caucuses, and the State of the Union among the other usual debate topics of healthcare, immigration, etc. What to watch on Monday as the third impeachment trial in U.S. history heads to a close: Closing Arguments The trial resumes at 11 a.m. EST Monday for closing arguments by the two legal teams, with each side getting two hours. After the arguments, the Senate goes back into normal session to allow lawmakers to give speeches about impeachment on the floor from late Monday into Wednesday, before they reconvene as the impeachment court at 4 p.m. Wednesday and vote. CNN contributed to this report. A 62-year-old man died of a heart attack during yesterdays protest, in Haytagh village of Armenias Armavir Province, for the soldier who had died. Haytagh resident Julieta Asatryan told this to Armenian News-NEWS.am. "Yesterday morning, when the villagers were gathering to go to the protest, our fellow villager fell ill on the street, fell down, and he was already dead before the ambulance arrived," she said. He had taken Vahram's death very hard, (...) and he had problems with his heart, and thats what happened. Even though his son found out what had happened, he came with us to the protest." Yesterday, the residents of Haytagh village were carrying the dead body of soldier Vahram Avagyan in a coffin to Yerevan demanding to find and punish the perpetrators. They do not believe in the official version that this soldier had committed suicide, and claim that what happened is murder. It was only after Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan's assurances that they returned to their village and buried the soldier. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai poses with her medal during the Nobel Peace Prize awards ceremony at the City Hall in Oslo. Reuters/Cornelius Poppe/NTB Scanpix/Pool Activist Malala Yousafzai has said she is "so excited" after gaining a place at the University of Oxford. The 20-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner tweeted a screenshot of the confirmation that she will study Philosophy, Politics and Economics, or PPE. Earlier this year, she told a conference she had received an offer, which was conditional of achieving three As at A-Level, but did not reveal the institution. Ms Yousafzai, who narrowly avoided death in 2012 after being shot by the Pakistani Taliban for her outspoken campaigning over girls' rights to an education, said: "So excited to go to Oxford!! "Well done to all A-level students - the hardest year. Best wishes for life ahead!" Her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, tweeted: "My heart is full of gratitude. We are grateful to Allah & thank u 2 al those who support @Malala 4 the grand cause of education." Ms Yousafzai will be following in the footsteps of world leaders by studying a course that has been dubbed the degree that "rules" Britain by the media. Notable alumni include former premier of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, a heroine of Ms Yousafzai, and Burma's pro-democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi as well as former British prime minister David Cameron and his one-time Labour opponent Ed Miliband. Expand Close Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai poses with her medal during the Nobel Peace Prize awards ceremony at the City Hall in Oslo. Reuters/Cornelius Poppe/NTB Scanpix/Pool / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai poses with her medal during the Nobel Peace Prize awards ceremony at the City Hall in Oslo. Reuters/Cornelius Poppe/NTB Scanpix/Pool PPE is also one of the prestigious university's most over-subscribed courses, according to figures shown to the Press Association earlier this month. Ms Yousafzai's opportunity may have been unimaginable five years ago. Her career as an activist began in early 2009, when she started writing a blog for the BBC about her life under Taliban occupation and promoting education for girls in Pakistan's Swat Valley. But her campaign angered local militants and she was shot in the head during an assassination attempt while taking the bus to school. She was treated at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital and made the city her home, going on to study at Edgbaston High School in Birmingham since 2013. Two years ago, Ms Yousafzai received 6A*s and 4As during her GCSEs. The grades included A*s in maths, biology, chemistry and physics, and As in history and geography. She also got an A* in religious studies and a maths IGCSE, as well as As in English language and literature. In 2014 she became the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and her campaign for children's rights to education across the world has seen her addressing the United Nations on the issue. Alan Rusbridger, the former editor of the Guardian newspaper who is now principal of the university's Lady Margaret Hall college, tweeted: "Welcome to @lmhoxford, Malala!" The first information report (FIR) filed by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Mumbai on January 24, has not invoked the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections pertaining to sedition and waging war against the government of India against the accused in the Elgar Parishad case. HT has a copy of the FIR filed by the NIA which names 11 persons - the nine arrested activists, and Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde. Others mentioned in the FIR have not been identified. The Pune Police FIR names a total of 23 accused, including those not arrested. Both these IPC charges have been invoked by the Pune Police in their chargesheet submitted in the Pune Uapa court hearing the case. Nine accused, all activists, are currently held the Yerawada Central Jail in Pune. While the original FIR filed by the Pune Police did not have these sections, the investigators in November 2019 invoked Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 121 (waging war against the government of India) and 124(a) (sedition) and 121(a) (conspiracy), against all the accused arrested on allegations of Maoist connections. In its fresh FIR filed in Mumbai on January 24, 2020, days after the NIA was entrusted with the Elgar Parishad probe by the centre, the agency invoked IPC Sections 153A (promoting disharmony), 505(1)(b) (causing fear) 117 (abetting commission of offence by the public or by more than ten persons), and 34 (acts done by several persons with common intention). The agency has also slapped Sections 13 (Punishment for unlawful activities), 16 (Punishment for terrorist act), 18 (Punishment for conspiracy), 18B Punishment for recruiting of any person or persons for terrorist act, 20 (Punishment for being a member of a terrorist gang or organisation) and 39 (Offence relating to support given to a terrorist organisation) under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. While an NIA spokesperson did not respond to phone calls and text messages, a senior Pune Police official involved in the probe said there is always scope for the agency to add fresh sections to the FIR. The NIA has not officially received any details about the case from the Maharashtra government or Pune police. The agency must have filed the FIR based on information in public domain and it can be amended in future, said the Pune Police official. Siddharth Patil, counsel representing some of the arrested activists, said, The state police have not handed over the probe to NIA as yet. This could be the possible reason for NIA not to have invoked remaining sections in its FIR. Pune police in June 2018 arrested five activists including advocate Surendra Gadling, former professor Shoma Sen, activists Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson and former prime minister rural development fellow Mahesh Raut. On August 28 the same year, police made another round of arrests of prominent activists Vara Vara Rao Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha, Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves of which Navlakha is out on bail.. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON P olice have cordoned off a bail hostel in south London, where Streatham terror attacker Sudesh Amman, 20, had been staying. A site manager at the hostel on Leigham Court Road said Amman had been there for less than two weeks following his early release from prison. The maintenance worker, who has not been named, said he had last seen the convicted terrorist on Friday, adding: "He didn't speak much." His comments came as police continued to search the three-storey building - and neighbours spoke of their concern that "people like that" are living so close. A police cordon outside a property in Streatham, following the terror attack / PA The staff member said: "I didn't have much to do with him. I don't really get involved with these guys. "Everyone has their own rooms in there. The last time I saw him I was doing his radiator, setting up his heating on Friday." He added that hostel residents fellow ex-offenders would sometimes socialise together by playing pool or watching TV. Sudesh Amman convicted terror offender (Metropolitan Police) / Met Police It comes after Amman was shot dead by police following the stabbing on Streatham High Road, which left three people injured on Sunday. Construction worker Andrei Marius, 40, who lives opposite the building, said: We came home about 7pm yesterday and we saw the police outside. "There was about three police cars out there, and the officers were in and out all night. Ive always known the building was a bail hostel. We read the news about what happened, so we thought it was linked. Its madness. It is not really safe for us to have people like that living close to our homes. Streatham terror attack - In pictures 1 /28 Streatham terror attack - In pictures Police are dealing with an incident in Streatham Andy Bullemor Police officers conduct a search of a bail hostel in south London AFP via Getty Images A woman reacts near to the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police Getty Images Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police cordon off a property in Streatham PA Forensic officers outside a property on Leigham Court Road, Streatham PA Police activity at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police officers look under a bus as they work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the Streatham area of south London AP Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police officer on Streatham High Road PA Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Police officers guard a cordon on Streatham High Road, at the junction of Prentis Road AFP via Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police secure the area in Streatham AP Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Fatima Amaral, 62, who also lives nearby, said: When I first moved here my eldest son told me not to because there was a hostel in front of the house, but I have never felt threatened. I feel safe here, but this is really scary. I feel like I should be locking the doors even more often. At 9am on Monday, a police van remained outside the hostel, while officers could be seen inside the premises. So far, two homes have been raided by anti-terror police since the suspected terror incident took place at around 2pm yesterday. The Metropolitan Police said they had executed search warrants at two residential addresses in south London and Bishops Stortford. A Northern Ireland-born counter-terrorism expert has hit out at the Government in the wake of the latest terror attack. Sudesh Amman (20) was shot dead by police in London after attacking two bystanders with a knife. He was under police surveillance after being released from prison days earlier. Four years ago Professor Ian Acheson, from Enniskillen, led an independent review of Islamist extremism in prisons and probation. Only eight of his team's 69 recommendations were accepted by the authorities. Speaking of his disappointment at the response, he said: "This implies a continuing serious failure of leadership and will to confront terrorism that I identified." He said the Streatham High Road attack showed that root and branch changes were still needed in the prison system to protect people from extremists. Speaking on Monday on Radio 5 Live, he said: "I don't think if you were trying to construct an incubator for violent extremism and radicalisation, you would do much more than create our current prison conditions where violent and credulous young men searching for excitement and meaning are in close proximity to highly charismatic Islamist and right wing extremists who want to seduce them into a mindset that explains their grievances to them. "And in the case of Islamism extremism at its worst, it gives them theological permission to murder innocent people." Prof Acheson said one of his 2016 recommendations, which was partially implemented, was the creation of separation units for isolating the most subversive terrorists who were intent on grooming other prisoners. He added: "Obviously the problem extends beyond that but I have no idea whether or not yesterday's offender (Amman) was trying to spread his hateful ideology or he may have just have kept it intact when he was inside. "But that is part of the problem. I think that we are failing to assertively and robustly manage the threat inside prison and too often because of the general instability and disorder inside many of our prisons, people who keep their heads down are simply left alone. And we cannot go on like that." He said that in many cases prisoners who didn't cause problems took the first opportunity they got when they were released to try to murder innocent people. Prof Acheson said many ordinary people looking at the system that released Amman were rightly baffled. He added: "We need a root and branch change in the way we manage this risk." In his 2016 review, Prof Acheson recommended that the recruitment, selection, deployment and supervision of Imams to work with Islamist prisoners needed to be revamped. Photo: Unsplash Hiring for technicians in Boston is going strong. Employers in the industry posted 92 new jobs over the past week, and 372 in the last month, more than for any other job category in the area, according to ZipRecruiter, a leading online employment marketplace. Local technicians also came in second in terms of local employers adding new jobs by occupation. In the past month, 135 companies listed open jobs for Boston-based workers in the industry. Top companies seeking local technicians include Key Autism Services, Oxford Airport Technical Services and Breen and Sullivan Mechanical Services, Inc. According to a recent job opening posted by Oxford Airport Technical Services, "Oxford Airport Technical Services is the industry leader specializing in Passenger Boarding Bridges, Baggage Handling Systems, Cargo and Material Handling Systems, 400 Hz Ground Power Units and Pre-Conditioned Air Systems" Jobs posted by Key Autism Services in the past month in the area also included behavior analysts, while Oxford Airport Technical Services was hiring electricians. This story was created automatically using local jobs data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. [February 03, 2020] Medela and The Wing Launch Motherhood on the Move Partnership to Help Co-Working Women Achieve Breast Milk Feeding Goals MCHENRY, Ill., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Medela, the #1 breast pump brand*, and The Wing , a network of work and community spaces designed for women, have teamed up to provide moms the ultimate pumping experience. Pump rooms at The Wing are now equipped with a selection of Medela products to help make moms' pumping and feeding experiences away from home as seamless as possible. As part of the Motherhood on the Move partnership, Medela and The Wing will also host events throughout the year focused on supporting women and moms at every stage of life. "Today more than two-thirds of moms with young children are in the workforce.i We can help women more confidently navigate motherhood alongside their careers and help them achieve their breast milk feeding goals by supporting the thoughtfully designed pump rooms at The Wing with Medela products moms know and trust," said Melissa Gonzales, executive vice president of the Americas for Medela LLC. "With the rise of co-working spaces in the United States, we will support these trailblazing women who are seeking new ways to foster community, collaborate and work." "As a mother of a four-month old, I know first-hand the importance of providing access to clean, comfortable and functional spaces for women to pump. I'm thrilled to have The Wing team up with Medela to provide quality breast milk feeding products to Wing members and hope it helps them feel that much more empowered to accomplish their goals," said Audrey Gelman, CEO and Co-founder of The Wing. Moms at The Wing will have access to Medela's products, breastfeeding education, and resources, all designed to help moms continue breast milk feeding for as long as they choose. As always, pump rooms at The Wing are intentionally designed with a comfortable chair for pumping and a complimentary refrigerator for breast milk storage. Pump rooms at The Wing will include the following: Symphony Breast Pump designed to mimic baby's natural nursing rhythm and built with overflow protection, allowing for multiple users with no risk of contamination designed to mimic baby's natural nursing rhythm and built with overflow protection, allowing for multiple users with no risk of contamination Symphony Breast Pump Kit , including tubes, bottles, membranes, breast shields and valves, for members to take home and reuse when they visit The Wng , including tubes, bottles, membranes, breast shields and valves, for members to take home and reuse when they visit The Wng Accessories to help moms clean and sanitize pump parts, including Quick Clean Breast Milk Removal Soap , Breast Pump & Accessory Wipes and Micro-Steam bags , and Safe and Dry Nursing pads to keep moms comfortable and dry when they have finished a nursing or pumping session to keep moms comfortable and dry when they have finished a nursing or pumping session Tender Care Lanolin to help soothe and protect dry, sore and tender nipples to help soothe and protect dry, sore and tender nipples Booklet with information on Medela's breastfeeding education and resources, including the MyMedela App , The Moms' Room and the New Moms' Healthy Returns program. New York ; Boston ; Chicago ; San Francisco ; Washington, D.C. ; and West Hollywood . The partnership with The Wing builds on Medela's commitment to supporting moms in the workplace. In 2019, Medela launched New Moms' Healthy Returns , a single-source solution to help employers better support breast milk feeding moms with their return to work after baby. Unique programming later in the year will include a panel discussion with a leading reproductive psychiatrist, candid conversations and stories for moms approaching or in the fourth trimester, mommy and me sessions and more. For more information, visit medelabreastfeedingus.com and the-wing.com . About Medela LLC Medela's US-based manufacturing and development facility is headquartered in McHenry, Illinois. Every year, millions of mothers in the U.S. rely on Medela's technology. As the #1 breast pump brand*, Medela provides the best in research-based breast milk feeding products and clinical education to support moms' breast milk feeding journey. The company is fully dedicated to supporting mothers so that they can provide breast milk to their baby for as long as they choose. For more information, visit www.MedelaBreastfeedingUS.com. About The Wing Founded in 2016, The Wing is a growing community of women across the country and globe, gathering together to work, connect, and thrive. The Wing's mission is the professional, civic, social, and economic advancement of women through community. iPew Research Center. Parenting in America. 17 December 2015. Accessed 16 January 2020. https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/12/17/1-the-american-family-today/ *IQVIA, using ProVoice Survey; September 2019-August 2019. Medela wordmark and logo, Symphony, and MyMedela are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Quick Clean, 24/7 LC and New Moms' Healthy Returns are trademarks of Medela. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/medela-and-the-wing-launch-motherhood-on-the-move-partnership-to-help-co-working-women-achieve-breast-milk-feeding-goals-300997118.html SOURCE Medela LLC [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Gov. J.B. Pritzker has announced that hes backing an ambitious criminal-justice reform package he wants the General Assembly to pass this year. The public will just have to take his word on that, because hes publicly embraced only generalities while leaving the specifics for later. He did, however, identify three areas of interest. He wants to end the cash bail system, by which individuals charged with a crime may or may not be required to post a specific sum of money to be released from custody. The bond is intended to serve as an incentive for the defendant to return to court for subsequent hearings. After the case is completed, bond money is returned to the defendant or their family. Pritzker also indicated that he wants to change what he calls low-level drug-crime sentencing and reduce mandatory minimum sentences. Readers will have to leave it to the imagination as to what constitutes low-level drug crimes. Is he talking about smoking methamphetamine? Or selling it? Mandatory minimum sentences are imposed for those crimes the Legislature has decided are not subject to probation and require a prison sentence that fits within the statutory range. For examples, Class X felonies serious crimes like armed violence and aggravated criminal sexual assault require the sentencing judge to impose a sentence that fits within a range of six to 30 years. Pritzker said, specifically, that hes not talking about lowering sentences for violent crimes. But just because some crimes are not violent does not mean they are not serious. After all, residential burglary is not a violent crime, although it can become one. But those who commit one residential burglary after another are serious offenders. Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton recently held a news conference to discuss their proposals. They stem from recommendations put forth by a task force headed by Stratton. The task forces goals suggest a broad and aggressive agenda, one that revisits some of the same social issues that have bedeviled society for decades. Justice reform is about striving to make equity and economic opportunity a reality for every community and every Illinoisan, because we simply cannot have justice without equity and opportunity, Stratton said. She is mixing apples and oranges criminal justice, family collapse and poverty with economic opportunity. But its good to see Pritzker and Stratton embrace the concept of improving the states economy, because doing so would produce a rising tide that lifts all boats. Illinois has a well-deserved reputation as a state with a business climate that is hostile to job creators. If this state is to provide more opportunities to its citizens, particularly those at the bottom of the economic ladder, it has to get serious about making the changes needed to make this state a place where businesses wish to locate and/or expand. Some people may not wish to acknowledge it, but without employers, there are no employees. As a general proposition, Pritzker is suggesting that there are too many people in prison who ought not be there or ought to be serving shorter sentences. Hes also arguing that too many people arrested by police go through the criminal-justice system instead of being diverted into social programs that will put them on the right direction. Indeed, the whole notion of eliminating cash bond is predicated on the idea that judges are setting bonds for defendants who deserved to be released on their own recognizance. There may be merit to the general criticism. In a system as large as this states covering 102 counties with 12.5 million people theres a lot of opportunity for prosecutors and judges to make judgments that are subject to challenge. But the fact is that criminal defendants routinely are released on their own recognizance. Bond is required generally only for problematic defendants; the more serious the crime, the higher the bond. At the same time, prosecutors routinely forego formal prosecutions of some defendants, funneling them into diversion programs that allow them to demonstrate that prosecution is not required. As for those sentenced to prison, its also routine for them to be repeat offenders who have already failed on their second and sometimes third chances. The point is that the whole business is hideously complex and based on many different social factors and individual predispositions. In that context, Pritzker is taking on tough issues that dont lend themselves to easy or ideological solutions. Of course, he hasnt yet identified what his proposed solutions are to these three areas of interest. When he does, they will require serious scrutiny by those with vast knowledge of all aspects of the issues. News-Gazette, Champaign After more than a year of campaigning by presidential hopefuls, Iowa Democrats gather to caucus, the first Americans to officially weigh in on who the Democratic Party?s nominee to face President Trump will be. E arlier this year it was announced that Netflix had secured the rights to 21 films by Studio Ghibli - much to the delight of anime fans. But while the movies - which started to arrive on the streaming service on Saturday, February 1 - are welcome additions to the streaming service, Netflix already has an impressive anime offering. So, if you've never explored the genre before, then now is the perfect time to do so. Here's our guide to all of the best anime shows, films and original series available to watch or coming soon to Netflix... 5 of the best Studio Ghibli films arriving on Netflix 1. Spirited Away (2001) - Available now Chihiro Ogino is moving house with her parents, when her father decides to take a shortcut to make up some lost time. The family then stumbles upon an abandoned theme park and despite her protestations, Chihiro's dad insists they explore the place. Soon, the amusement park comes to life with supernatural beings and spirits, meaning the 10-year-old must find a way to break free with her family. The 2001 animation is the perfect combination of fantasy and adventure, delivering a powerful coming-of-age story that resonates with audiences young and old. 2. Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - Available April 1 Loosely based on the 1986 novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones, Howl's Moving Castle is a fantastic example of fantasy animation, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. A young girl named Sophie befriends wizard Howl, who lives in a flying castle similar to a blimp. Their relationship, however, does not please the Witch of Waste, who soon casts a spell on Sophie causing her to age prematurely. It is then Howl's duty to undo the evil magical curse and return Sophie to her former, youthful self. 3. The Cat Returns (2002) - Available now After rescuing a cat who was about to get run over, school girl Haru gets swept up in a whole new, magical feline world. Far from being just a regular tomcat, the animal that Haru saved is actually Prince Lune, who also happens to be the son of the Cat King. The Cat King then asks Haru to marry the prince, and she is brought to the Cat Kingdom. Before long, Haru starts developing cat features and is prevented from leaving. The imprisoned schoolgirl then embarks on a quest for freedom, before it's too late. 4. My Neighbour Totoro (1988) - Available now Beloved children's animation My Neighbour Totoro is arguably the most popular anime movie by Hayao Miyazaki, owing to its sweet story and breathtaking animation style. It begins with two little girls moving to the countryside with their father, in order to be closer to their sick mother, who has been admitted to a local hospital. Soon after they arrive, however, it becomes clear that the house they are staying in - and the woodlands surrounding it - are enchanted. Whether the animated dust balls and magical forest creatures are real, or simply a figment of the girls' imaginations is unclear, but Totoro (a humongous, but friendly troll) not only provides companionship for the children, he also offers hope for the little ones that their sick mother will pull through. 5. Whisper of the Heart (1995) - Available April 1 Whisper of the Heart is possibly one of the most underrated anime films produced by Studio Ghibli and the only one to be directed by Yoshifumi Kondo before his death in 1998. Whisper of the Heart, which is based on the manga series with the same title, follows a precocious teenage girl who has dreams of becoming a writer. After following a runaway cat one day, Shizuku Tsukishima is led to a decrepit antiques shop run by an elderly fellow and his grandson, Seki, who is learning how to make and restore violins. Over time, the pair bond and discover they are soulmates. Cheesy renditions of John Denver's Take Me Home, Country Roads aside, this romance is a far cry from the sickly cherry blossom-filled anime shorts of its time. The best anime series on Netflix Death Note (2006) - Available now When high-schooler Light Yagami finds a mysterious black notepad, he soon discovers that it has the ability to kill anybody whose name is written in it. Light then endeavours to create a "better world" free of criminals and evil people, using the notebook to wipe out everyone from murderers to burglars. Of course, it isn't as simple as that and Light soon learns that his actions have dangerous repercussions, as he desperately tries to rectify his mistakes. The wildly popular animated series explores themes of death, sin, morality and more - and also comes in bite-sized episodes lasting roughly 22 minutes each. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009) - Available now Adapted from the manga series of the same name, Fullmetal Alchemist is a great anime show for beginners, owing to its short episodes and detailed recaps. Set in the fictional country of Amestris, Fullmetal Alchemist follows two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, on their quest to find the legendary philosopher's stone (panic not: It is nothing like Harry Potter). After their respected alchemist father Hohenheim leaves them during their childhood and their mother dies, Edward and Alphonse try out a notoriously tricky and forbidden alchemical ritual to resurrect their deceased parent. However, the experiment goes horribly wrong, leaving Alphonse without a body and Edward with missing limbs. During the failed ritual, they face a unholy character which becomes the subject of fascination for the boys throughout the series. Edward also manages to apply Alphonse's soul to a suit of armour, which means he's alive in spirit, even if his soul is no longer attached to his body. They then get taken in by an elderly woman and her granddaughter, who creates an "automail" prosthetic arm and leg for Edward. Skip forward a few years, and Edward become the youngest State Alchemist to fight for Amestris. He then earns the title of "Fullmetal Achemist", and juggles his duties with his pursuit of the stone, which he believes will reinstate his younger brother's body. But will they be successful? Only time will tell... The best Netflix Original anime Flavours of Youth (2018) - Available now Directed by Li Haoling, Jiaoshou Yi Xiaoxing and Yoshitaka Takeuchi, Flavours of Youth is broken down into three separate stories which explore nostalgia and loss. The first, entitled The Rice Noodles, sees protagonist Xiao Ming reminisce about his late grandmother, and the times they ate San Xian noodles together at the local shop. The second instalment, A Little Fashion Show, follows a story about two sisters; the older of the two is now a famous fashion model living in the city, while the younger sibling is an aspiring fashion designer. Finally, the third episode, Love in Shanghai, follows classic romance tropes, whereby a teenage boy falls in love with a girl at school, but his confession fails to reach her until many years later. Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya (2019) - Available now Based on the popular Japanese manga series created and illustrated by Masami Kurumada, Knights of the Zodiac came to Netflix in 2019. In a quest to become a Goddess Athena warrior, teenager Seiya is recruited by Alman Kido to become a Bronze Knight. MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. (NYSE: INSP) (Inspire), a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative and minimally invasive solutions for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), announced today that three Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) have announced the effective release date of March 15, 2020, for their final Local Coverage Decision (LCD) policies covering Inspire therapy. In addition, the Wisconsin Physician Services (WPS) Government Health Administrators issued their draft LCD proposing coverage of Inspire therapy. Following the standard public comment periods and formal review meetings, we are excited to announce that the first three LCD policies will be formally issued during the first quarter, said Tim Herbert, President and Chief Executive Officer of Inspire Medical Systems. Secondly, the draft LCD from WPS will provide coverage for the remaining six states, and once issued, will signify 100% Medicare coverage across the United States for Inspire therapy. The effective release dates for First Coast Service Options, Inc. (First Coast), Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC (Noridian) and Novitas Solutions, Inc. (Novitas) were announced to be March 15, 2020. First Coast covers Medicare patients in Florida. Noridian covers Medicare patients in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Novitas covers Medicare patients in Colorado, New Mexico, Arkansas, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and the District of Columbia. WPS covers Medicare patients in Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Nebraska, and their draft LCD proposing coverage of Inspire therapy was published on January 30, 2020. We expect the review process will require several months prior to formal release, as with the other six MACs. The three final LCDs, as well as the draft LCD from WPS, are consistent with the criteria for medical necessity. Specifically, the policies state that U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved hypoglossal nerve neurostimulation is considered medically reasonable and necessary for the treatment of moderate to severe OSA when the following criteria are met: Beneficiary is 22 years of age or older; Body mass index is less than 35 kg/m2; A sleep study is performed within 24 months of first consultation for an Inspire implant; Beneficiary has predominantly obstructive events (defined as central and mixed apneas less than 25% of the total Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI); AHI is 15 to 65 events per hour; Beneficiary has documentation that demonstrates CPAP failure or intolerance; and Absence of complete concentric collapse at the soft palate level as seen on a drug-induced sleep endoscopy procedure. The other three additional MACs, National Government Services, Inc., CGS Administrators, LLC and Palmetto GBA, LLC, which collectively represent 19 states, are completing their respective review processes and Inspire expects these formal release dates to be announced in the near future. About Inspire Medical Systems Inspire is a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative and minimally invasive solutions for patients with OSA. Inspires proprietary Inspire therapy is the first and only FDA-approved neurostimulation technology that provides a safe and effective treatment for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. For additional information about Inspire, please visit www.inspiresleep.com . Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future local coverage decisions and additional draft policies for Inspire therapy. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as may, will, should, expect, plan, anticipate, could, future, outlook, intend, target, project, contemplate, believe, estimate, predict, potential, continue, or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These forward-looking statements are based on managements current expectations and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, estimates regarding the annual total addressable market for our Inspire therapy in the U.S. and our market opportunity outside the U.S.; future results of operations, financial position, research and development costs, capital requirements and our needs for additional financing; commercial success and market acceptance of our Inspire therapy; our ability to achieve and maintain adequate levels of coverage or reimbursement for our Inspire system or any future products we may seek to commercialize; competitive companies and technologies in our industry; our ability to enhance our Inspire system, expand our indications and develop and commercialize additional products; our business model and strategic plans for our products, technologies and business, including our implementation thereof; our ability to accurately forecast customer demand for our Inspire system and manage our inventory; our dependence on third-party suppliers, contract manufacturers and shipping carriers; consolidation in the healthcare industry; our ability to expand, manage and maintain our direct sales and marketing organization, and to market and sell our Inspire system in markets outside of the U.S.; risks associated with international operations; our ability to manage our growth; our ability to increase the number of active medical centers implanting Inspire therapy; our ability to hire and retain our senior management and other highly qualified personnel; risk of product liability claims; risks related to information technology and cybersecurity; risk of damage to or interruptions at our facilities; our ability to commercialize or obtain regulatory approvals for our Inspire therapy and system, or the effect of delays in commercializing or obtaining regulatory approvals; FDA or other U.S. or foreign regulatory actions affecting us or the healthcare industry generally, including healthcare reform measures in the U.S. and international markets; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals; risks related to our debt and capital structure; our ability to establish and maintain intellectual property protection for our Inspire therapy and system or avoid claims of infringement; tax risks; risks that we may be deemed an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940; regulatory risks; the volatility of the trading price of our common stock; and our expectations about market trends. Other important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contemplated in this presentation can be found under the captions Risk Factors and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SECs website at www.sec.gov. These and other important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this presentation. Any such forward-looking statements represent managements estimates as of the date of this presentation. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, unless required by applicable law, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change. Thus, one should not assume that our silence over time means that actual events are bearing out as expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Investor and Media Contact: Bob Yedid LifeSci Advisors inspire@lifesciadvisors.com 646-597-6989 A Danish skydiver plunged to his death after his parachute failed to open. Stefan Eiriksson Andersen, 30, leapt form the plane which took off from an airfield in Si Racha, eastern Thailand on Saturday (February 1). But during the descent, witnesses said Stefan opened the parachute but it failed to fully spread - leaving him with a horror fall to the ground from several thousand feet. Paramedics performed first aid at the scene and while he was rushed to the Phayathai Sriracha Hospital but he was pronounced dead shortly after due to the severity of the injuries. He had suffered broken legs, among other injuries. Police arrived and questioned the staff at the sky diving centre. They said they had checked Stefan's equipment before he boarded the plane and it was all working correctly. Police Colonel Khongsak Boonsuesuwan said that the evidence suggested that it was an accident but they would not rule anything out at this stage. He said: "Initially, this looks like an accident, but we will investigate the case again thoroughly to find exactly what happened. ''Parachute jumping is dangerous with several risk factors, so we have to consider, points such as the wind strength at the time.'' Launching a mobile app can be daunting. How do you make sure your product passes app marketplace guidelines? Where do you find customers? And whats the best way to plan and fund your apps launch? Add marketing and maintenance into the mix, and it becomes easy to get overwhelmed. Fortunately, Developed | The App Economy Tour is here to help you navigate the app ecosystem. On February 4th, 2020, this free event is coming to The Dudes' Brewing Co. in Santa Monica, CA. Stop by for a night of brews, views, and eye-opening discussions about next-generation apps and game-changing mobile solutions driving new innovation. Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss market opportunities and different paths to success in the $1.3 trillion app economy with local industry innovators and influencers. Theyll also get the chance to explore the latest developer tools and connections to give them a built-in customer base, reduced overhead, and vital analytics to ensure growth. Lastly, attendees will also learn the best practices for branding, marketing, and attracting top-tier tech talent. Developed | The App Economy Tour is being held by ACT | The App Association, a Washington, D.C.-based public policy organization that represents more than 5,000 app and connected device companies leading the mobile economy. The association strives to drive smart innovation and regulation in the tech industry by connecting its top leaders with preeminent policymakers. Alex McLeod, Associate Policy Counsel of ACT, will be participating in a live panel discussion alongside Marc Fischer of Dogtown Media, Suzanne Borders of BadVR, Inc., and Clayton Pasley Jr. of Topik. Marc Fischer is CEO and Co-Founder of Dogtown Media, a Venice Beach-based mobile technology studio that leverages disruptive design strategies and dynamic development to deliver industry-leading apps. To date, Dogtown Media has created over 200 mobile apps in industries including Healthcare app development, IoT, and Artificial Intelligence. The firm recently returned to the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Companies in America for the 3rd year in a row. Suzanne Borders is CEO and Co-Founder of BadVR, Inc., the world's first immersive data analytics platform. Through virtual reality and machine learning, BadVR is advancing how people understand and interact with their data. The company has worked with organizations like Magic Leap and the National Science Foundation to address complex data challenges such as visualizing 5G deployment strategies or monitoring smart cities in real-time. Clayton Pasley Jr. is Co-Founder of Topik, a Chicago-based mobile platform designed to give storytellers a powerful & simple way to publish stories from their phone. By empowering storytellers and connecting them to readers, Topik strives to make blogging simple for everyone. Pasley Jr. is also Managing Partner of The Marcus Graham Project, a non-profit and national network of diverse professionals developing the next generation of thought leadership in the marketing and advertising industry. With an all-star panel lined up and several mobile pioneers expected to attend, the Developed | The App Economy Tour is an experience that any aspiring app innovator or entrepreneur in the Santa Monica area cant afford to miss. For more information about the event, please visit the Developed | The App Economy Tour page. Rite-Solutions has been awarded a new contract by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport (NUWCDIVNPT), with a potential value of $71.5 million over the next five years. The company will provide engineering and technical services to the Undersea Warfare Electro Magnetic Systems Department including systems engineering, integration and test, fleet support, and lab support for the Navys imaging and electronic warfare systems. This is the largest single award contract in Rite-Solutions 20-year history, exclaimed Joe Marino, the Chairman of Rite-Solutions Board of Directors and one of the companys founders. Dennis McLaughlin, President and CEO, stated, This award is a game-changer for Rite-Solutions and will expand our ability to provide critical engineering expertise to the Navy. Further, this adds to our impressive string of contract awards over the past three years. The contract will be performed in the Newport, RI area, as well as at critical facilities and Naval bases worldwide supporting both development and fleet response requirements in areas where the Navy has indicated a significant need. Ken Haner, Senior Vice President and Director of Engineering Services, and Mike Coffey, Executive Vice President and General Manager, who teamed up to lead the contract capture, emphasized its importance to Rite-Solutions. The submarine force has been working to increase its capabilities in the electronic warfare domain. This contract award allows Rite-Solutions to support those efforts and solidifies its role as a leading provider of undersea warfare systems and software engineering to the Navy. #### Rite-Solutions, Inc. is an award-winning Veteran Owned Small Business concentrating on system engineering, software development, information assurance (cyber security), and system life-cycle support for government and commercial segments. Rite-Solutions is a CMMI Level-3 appraised, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 company with offices in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Washington D.C. and Virginia. For more information, please visit http://www.rite-solutions.com. The Balkans have seen an uptick in Russian spy activity. Will this damage relations with Moscow? When in March 2018 news broke that former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia may have been poisoned with a nerve agent called Novichok by spies working for Russias GRU, Bulgarian arms dealer Emilian Gebrev became alarmed. Three years earlier, in April 2015, he had been in a coma after being poisoned with an unknown substance. His son and an employee of his company also fell ill and were treated in intensive care. Although the Bulgarian authorities opened an investigation into the matter, they closed it in 2016 for lack of any progress. Feeling that the Skripal case was similar to what he went through, Gebrev alerted the Bulgarian authorities. He believed he had been attacked because of his intention to buy a stake in a Bulgarian arms factory and that Russian GRU agents, potentially linked to a competitor, were involved in his poisoning. The Bulgarian law enforcement agencies and the government were slow to respond and so was the prosecution under the leadership of General Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov, who was said to have close relations with his Russian counterpart, Yuri Chaika. Unlike most other European Union and NATO members and Western Balkan countries like Albania, North Macedonia and Montenegro, Bulgaria refused to expel Russian diplomats over the Skripal case. Usually these cases are not what they seem to be, commented Prime Minister Boyko Borisov in Brussels at the time. But now Sofia is changing tack. On January 23, 2020, the prosecution under the new prosecutor general, Ivan Geshev, charged three Russian citizens believed to be GRU agents with attempted murder. A day later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ordered a first secretary at the Russian Federations embassy as well as an employee at the trade bureau to leave the country. It had already expelled another Russian diplomat in October. A report released in November by the investigative websites Bellingcat and The Insider claimed that one of the GRU agents who was involved in Gebrevs poisoning was Sergey Fedotov (real name Denis Sergeev), who coordinated the Salisbury hit squad. He had booked a hotel room close to Gebrevs office and was caught on security cameras walking around in its car park. The revelations surrounding the 2015 incident come on the heels of a string of spying scandals in the Balkans involving Russian citizens over the past five years. It is no secret that the region has long been a stomping ground for the Kremlins security services. Though Russia has no troops on the ground, it has waged a war against the West and its influence on the Balkans by other means from propaganda and disinformation to assistance to nationalist and far-right groups, all the way to targeted assassinations. In October 2016, the Montenegrin authorities uncovered a plot hatched by Serb ultranationalists and rogue security officers to overthrow the Montenegrin government. According to the prosecutors, they acted in league with two GRU agents, Eduard Shirokov and Vladimir Popov. Both were sentenced in absentia in May 2019. Bellingcat and The Insider established that Popov (real name Vladimir Moiseev) frequently visited Bulgaria in 2014, possibly preparing for the attack against Emilian Gebrev. Russian agents also sought to torpedo efforts by Greece and North Macedonia to settle their long-standing name dispute. In July 2018, weeks after the landmark Prespa Agreement was signed settling the issue, Athens expelled two Russian diplomats for stoking opposition against the deal in the northern regions. The move came despite the fact that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had refused to do the same in reaction to the Skripal affair four months earlier. At about the same time North Macedonias prime minister, Zoran Zaev, pointed a finger at a Greek-Russian businessman for paying Slav Macedonian nationalists to attack the Prespa agreement. Russian spies have stirred trouble in Serbia, a close partner of Moscow, as well. In November 2019, President Aleksander Vucic accused a former assistant military attache at the Russian embassy of bribing a retired officer in order to obtain confidential information. He was forced to speak up publicly about it after a video of the encounter was posted on YouTube and caused outrage among the Serbian public. The recurrent spy scandals, however, are unlikely to disrupt Russias close ties to the region. On the whole, Balkan governments believe in engagement and in recent months they have all showed a willingness to maintain close relations with Russia, despite the spying incidents. In February 2019, a few months before he was elected prime minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis travelled to Moscow to meet a number of top-level Russian officials and express his support for close bilateral ties. Then, in November last year, North Macedonia held a joint business forum with Russia, headlined by Zaev and Aleksei Gruzdev, the Russian deputy minister of industry and trade. And earlier this year, Bulgarian Prime Minister Borisov and President Vucic of Serbia were side by side with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the inauguration of the TurkStream natural gas pipeline in Turkey. No leader seems interested in ramping up rhetoric against the Kremlin at this point. At a time when French President Emmanuel Macron is vociferously arguing for a diplomatic reset with Russia and German Chancellor Angela Merkel is defending the Nordstream 2 pipeline, the Balkans has no reason to strain its relations with the Kremlin. Yet a pushback against Moscow by the security and the law enforcement agencies is a fact. Russia has gone too far in its disruptive tactics, with GRUs daredevil mindset doing the greatest harm. Western states are no doubt encouraging local efforts to resist infiltration. GRU operatives will surely continue to roam the neighbourhood but they will be watched closely. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. The Gujarat model was based on a particular narrative. It was that under Narendra Modi, there would be a departure from the way that government in India was run. It would be made more efficient, leaner, less corrupt. The existing bureaucratic apparatus would be mobilised under firm leadership to deliver the results it was capable of, and had not been delivering because of failures of the previous leadership. These results would show themselves above all in economic growth. This is what brought Mr Modi to the attention of the global media (and also national media). There have been some differing views of what exactly the growth rate was in Gujarat in the period before the BJP period (late 1990s to present) and specifically under Mr Modi. However, there has been no dispute that there was a determination to push economic growth. When I met him in that period, Mr Modi said that he wanted Gujarats GDP to grow at 15 per cent a year so that India could grow at 10 per cent. He said that seriously, and he meant it. It cannot be disputed that in this same period, there was also a departure in the way that the state was governing its population and its justice system. The violence of 2002 was never put behind, and Mr Modi was the only leader in Indias history to have been in power during a major riot and then remained in power after that. But through all of this, his stated intent was to provide strong economic growth for all five crore Gujaratis. It appears to me that this focus on trying whatever was possible to push the economy has gone missing now from the Narendra Modi outlook. I hope that I am wrong in assuming this but it is difficult to see it and read it in any other way. The recent thrust from the government has been on an issue that has not been demanded by anyone and does not help the country in any particular way. I mean of course the three laws and actions being pursued by the National Democratic Alliance. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, the National Population Register and the National Register of Citizens. The ministry of external affairs made light of the fact that the European Parliament tabled a motion condemning the CAA. We were told that the resolution is not binding on India and that is true. But the government nonetheless took it seriously enough to try and ensure that the vote on the resolution was postponed by six weeks. Left unsaid was the fact that this was the first time that Indias internal policies were being assessed and condemned by such an important international body. Other than this effort from India to delay the criticism, nothing was done to protect India from the allegation that it was going down a path that was worrying the rest of the world. This is of concern because India is dependent on the world viewing it positively so that it can attract global capital. An economy cannot be healthy and cannot grow at optimum rates if the state is at war with a large number of its citizens and views millions of them with suspicion. The Budget that was announced on Saturday did not seem to take the view that there was a problem with the economy. It did not please those who wanted to see some initiative. This could have come through the recognition that something was wrong and then an attempt at fix it. India is growing at the lowest rate in the last decade. If it continues in that path, then the jobs and prosperity that has been promised by this government and on the basis of which it was voted in will continue to elude us. It has become clear that Mr Modi is keen on pushing the ideological aspect of the BJPs agenda and much of that has already been achieved. The three big issues on which the BJP was built were Ayodhya, Kashmir and the civil code. The temple has been gifted to it by the Supreme Court, and Kashmir has been annexed to very little resistance from the court. The criminalisation of triple talaq has also happened and that means that only polygamy remains to be struck down for the BJP to declare full victory. Given all of these developments, what is the need for Mr Modi to continue down the majoritarian path? Why take on a new front, the CAA-NRC, when you have already delivered what you promised you would do in your manifesto for three decades? This is puzzling given his own history in Gujarat and his ambition for India. One is awaiting a sign from Mr Modi that the attention of his government and of him personally has comprehensively shifted away from ideology towards the economy. The Budget that was presented on Saturday did not send out that message. By The Associated Press Feb. 03, 2020 | 05:53 AM | LOUISVILLE A Planned Parenthood clinic in Louisville is resuming abortions later this year after the procedure was halted in 2016. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky announced on Friday that its Louisville center received a provisional license from Kentucky officials, making it the second abortion provider in Kentucky. The group says the license allows for a full range of reproductive care, including abortions, beginning in March. Earlier this month, officials from the state Cabinet for Family and Health Services notified Planned Parenthood that it could apply for the license. Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, a staunchly anti-abortion Republican, had ordered abortions halted at the downtown Louisville facility in 2016. The two sides had battled in court since then. Bevin lost his reelection bid to Democrat Andy Beshear in November, and Beshear, who supports abortion rights, took office on Dec. 10. A letter sent from the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services on Jan. 3 to the Planned Parenthood clinic said the state was rescinding its earlier decision under the Bevin administration to deny an application to provide abortions. Kentucky has gone from one abortion provider to two, which is a significant win for reproductive health care in the state," said Chris Charbonneau, CEO of the Indiana and Kentucky Planned Parenthood. She said the department has requested funding since fiscal 2017. The department received grant funding for 100 cameras that year, but their battery life was too short to be useful, Cotterman said. A new version of the camera was deployed to one squad in 2019. And the $500,000 Alsobrooks allocated in the budget allowed for 80 cameras to be put into use that year, Cotterman said in the statement. The raid followed "several valuable leads" and the discovery of a 12 gauge shot gun in the manager's stolen car. Consorting squad detectives last night raided dozens of inner suburban houses in the hunt for a gunman who abducted and wounded bank manager Jack Stevenson yesterday. The Age, page 2, February 5 1970. Bank manager Jack Stevenson lucky to be alive. Escaping from an armed gun man, he ducked a shot that grazed his arm. Credit:The Age Police said that Mr. Stevenson, 52, of Belle Close, Brighton, was the luckiest man alive. That shotgun blast missed him by inches. Another fraction either way and he was dead," a senior detective said. That shotgun blast missed him by inches. Another fraction either way and he was dead," a senior detective said. The Chief of the CIB (Supt. Jim Milner) said the attack was "apparently senseless and without motive." But other detectives said they were following definite lines of inquiry. They said there seemed to be more to the attack than appeared at first. Police first thought the gunman may have been trying to force Mr. Stevenson to drive to the bank he manages, the CBA branch at Prahran. Bas van Steenbergen - Farm: The Red Bull - Ethan Nell: The Call - Vincent Pernin: Artem Efimchuk: Cumberland Hot Lap with Brandon Johnson: Guanch Crew At All-In Skatepark: Connection: Hectic - Kasper Woolley: Sun[day] - Modern Winter 2020: Alex Donnachie - Ozmosis: Alex Donnachie On Home Turf: Alex Donnachie BSD ''Transmission'' Part: Classics - Eric Koston - Yeah Right: Classics - Eric Koston - Chomp On This: Classics - Eric Koston - Menikmati: Scandinavian Migration: In The Mountains And Life: Nomad Africa: Piano To Zanskar: How Walter Murch Worldized Film Sound: Bas van Steenbergen riding a dream track at the Dirt Farm in New Zealand .Behind the scenes at Red Bull Rampage.Shredding in Vosges, France.Crazy tricks in the Ukraine.Brandon Johnson and I have talked about filming another edit together pretty much since we dropped our first one four years ago. Early in the summer of 2019 we jumped on a gap day in both our schedules that lined up with me working in Vancouver. One day of blistering sun, two adult black bear run-ins, and some serious sweat later, we had this little edit.CR and Gabi getting in some early(ish) Metro Jam practice. Video: Morgan.It's finally time to present the feel-good documentary Connection. Get an insight into the Swedish mountain bike scene and the personalities that shaped it into what it is today. From the generation that led the way to the youngsters who have just started their journey. These are their stories, why this sport means so much to them, and what it actually takes to pursue a career as a professional cyclist. Starring: Martin Soderstrom, Robin Wallner, Max Fredriksson, Emil Johansson, Simon Johansson, and Zakarias Blom Johansen. Created by: Niklas Wallner.[ hek-tik ] adjective - characterized by intense agitation, excitement, confused and rapid movement. A short mountain biking video featuring OneUp Components EWS pro racer and Squamish local, Kasper Woolley.Sunday cruising through a warm January 2020 in southern Finland.]After taking gold in Sydney's X-games, Alex embarks on a two week road trip down the sunshine East coast of Australia exploring everything along the way. The result is mind-melting precision mixed with infinite happiness that only he possesses. Welcome back Alex. Video: Rich Forne.Alex Donnachie's last year of stacking clips around Glasgow and Edinburgh. Video: Dave Sowerby.Alex Donnachie drops some serious street science in the final part from Transmission.Koston's style is timeless.Chomp remains one of the all-time great vids to mix up sheer fun and dork tricks with gnarly, hardcore skating. Trevor Colden introduces a classic part from 2002.His skating has never disappointed, but this part made it a written-in-stone, fact of life: Koston's an all-time great. And this was years before Yeah, Right! and Fully Flared. Daryl Angel describes a classic.In iconic ski resorts across the Alps, it's not uncommon to find thriving communities of Scandinavians. We follow Swede, Lovisa Rosengren, and Norwegians, Robert and Heidi Aaring, on their annual migration in an effort to find out what draws these northerners together in the south.Meet Sofia Forsman and Luke Stevens. Two skiers with a mutual goal to make a living in the mountains. We stay at Anderson cabin in Terrace, British Columbia, Canada, in the middle of their future establishment, the vast backcountry. Becoming a guide takes many years. Education builds knowledge. And it builds up the trust other people have for you while traveling with them in the alpine. High winds, cold weather, and prodigious vistas frame our days at the hut. Video: Jay Trusler.A visual experiment featuring surfer Alex Smith and the wild, eccentric landscapes of Africa.Piano to Zanskar is an award-winning feature documentary that follows a semi-retired British piano tuner Desmond Gentle on his mission to deliver a piano to a remote village in the heart of the Indian Himalayas.The Godfather of modern movie sound.Photo: Calvin Huth To check out videos submitted by fellow Pinkbike members that didn't quite make Movie Mondays here The coronavirus (nCOV-2019) is fast spreading, now to over 20 countries. The fear coronavirus spreads is far bigger than the deaths and infections put together. But a worse viral load is also somewhere in some other dimension working worse damage to humanity that is the racism, profiling, hate and alienation of the Chinese person. The social media in most parts of the world have hundreds of thousands of such hate harvest, most of all from societies that boast they are civilized and know better about what a virus should be and different from a citizen of a country from where a killer virus emanated. For the coronavirus, China is the epicenter, the birthplace from where the world picks the vibes. For the hate of it hatovirus, the human and cultural offshoot of the coronavirus, the outer world is the epicenter. The vector is the media, especially the new media. While in Europe and the Americas the Asian is the fall guy and demon that deliberately created the virus, in Asia, the Chinese is singled out. So pathetic! Its quite worrisome that most of the reports about coronavirus induced hate hatovirus, come from Asian countries close to China. Such news simmers in Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam etc. The worst of the reported cases was that of Indonesia on Friday, January 31, 2020 that China flew overseas Hubei residents back to the centre of the outbreak in Wuhan on chartered planes from Thailand and Malaysia, citing practical difficulties the passengers had encountered overseas.. That doesnt sound cheery or humane. In Australia, after two media organisations had screamed headlines that were heavily loaded with negativity against the Chinese person, Global Times, a Beijing based media reported angst by 46,000 Chinese citizens who signed a protest against the reports and demanding a recant. The Global Times report said: More than 46,000 people have signed a petition demanding the Australian media to apologize publicly for racism against the Chinese community after two media outlets carried headlines and highlighted characters on their front pages which labeled the novel coronavirus-related pneumonia as a Chinese virus and hyped sentiments that would require Chinese children to stay at home. The Australian daily tabloid newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, published on its Wednesdays paper a report titled China Kids Stay Home, according to a photo of the paper circulating online. The report indicated that the New South Wales government warned parents not to send their children to school or daycare if they have recently been in China due to fears over the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak. In reaction to this odd trend, Bloomberg, a US platform captured it aptly that: Airlines halt flights from China. Schools in Europe uninvite exchange students. Restaurants in South Korea turn away Chinese customers. As a deadly virus spreads beyond China, governments, businesses and educational institutions are struggling to find the right response. Safeguarding public health is a priority. How to do that without stigmatizing the entire population of the country where the outbreak began and where nearly a fifth of all humans reside is the challenge. In the US, a Vietnamese American celebrity, Michelle Phan said shes been targeted with barrage of racism on twitter amid Wuhan coronavirus scare. And in one of the instances, she replied: Why are some of you telling me to go back to eating bats? Im American you ignorant fs. There have been many other reported cases of such hate attacks in Canada where the government of Ontario and the school board had to issue warning that no Chinese citizen should be maltreated or stigmatized because of the coronavirus outbreak. In an interesting contrast, governments of many countries and intergovernmental bodies including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the EU, India, Pakistan, the Vatican through Pope Francis have praised the Chinese authorities for concerted efforts against the scourge and even offered to assist. Dropping aside the usual antagonism, a US media organization published reports praising Chinas openness in managing and reporting the incident and also allowing the outer world to see what its doing to curtail the spread especially the WHO that has visited Beijing and interacted with President Xi Jinping. The report noted that this open and transparent approach is a deviation from the way China handled the management of the SARS outbreak in 2003, applauding the positive dimension. So how do we reconcile a situation where governments praise China and pledge support in this challenging time while the citizens walk in contrary direction, compounding the problem with stigmatization? That becomes a task for the governments to senitise the uninformed citizens to act properly. However, its many thanks to scientists in Australia and Ghana that have assisted with researches that created vaccines against the virus. After Australia announced the breakthrough, Ghana told the world that two students of pharmacy who trained in China when the first minor coronavirus outbreak occurred cloned the virus with samples they obtained in China then and also volunteered to fly to China and assist in fighting this death agent. Sincerely, if I have the scientific weapon and know-how, I would target to obliterate this virus. Yes, I would rather fight the virus that has traversed continents and nations. But now, I havent the equipment to stop coronavirus from spreading and killing the Chinese mostly, I would readily deploy the little weapon in my hands and within my reach love, to love the Chinese and not mistake him or her for the virus. Since the Chinese is NOT the virus, I rather fight the virus by loving and embracing the Chinese. I wont be fair to him/her and humanity to alienate or profile or castigate the Chinese spared by the virus at a time I should be consoling them for the loss of lives, peace and livelihood. That is what humanity rightly demands of us. Source: africachinapresscentre.org GENEVA, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Firmenich has been ranked by CDP today as a global environmental leader, the only company in its industry to have achieved triple "A" for climate change, water security and forests for the second consecutive year. Being one of only six companies worldwide with a triple "A" listing this year out of more than 8,400 assessed, the Group is recognized for its commitment to responsible business, supported by ambitious science-based targets. "We are immensely proud to be amongst the very few companies who have achieved CDP triple "A" for the second year in a row," said Gilbert Ghostine, CEO, Firmenich. "Ever since we made our first public environmental commitment three decades ago, we have been constantly challenging ourselves to keep making a real difference in global sustainable business. I would like to acknowledge the exceptional people at Firmenich that ensure we continue to lead in environmental management." "Congratulations to Firmenich for achieving this position on CDP's A Lists this year and leading in environmental performance and transparency." said Paul Simpson, CEO of CDP. "The scale of the business risks from the climate emergency, deforestation and water insecurity are vast as are the opportunities from addressing them and it's clear the private sector has a vital role to play at this critical time. The A List companies like Firmenich are leading the market in corporate sustainability, tackling environmental risks and setting themselves up to thrive in tomorrow's economy." "With environmental management programs embedded in our business, and active partnerships across our supply chain, we are accelerating the transition towards a more sustainable global economy," said Neil McFarlane, Senior VP Quality, Health, Safety & Environment, Firmenich. "Our teams are working hard on our journey towards zero impact and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with CDP." The Group currently operates with 100% renewable electricity in manufacturing sites in Europe, North America, Latin America, India, China; Africa and the Middle East. Firmenich is one of 177 visionary companies on the "Business Ambition for 1.5C: Our Only Future", a broad coalition committed to Science-Based Targets to combat climate change. The Group is also a founding member of the One Planet Business for Biodiversity (OP2B) coalition committed to protecting and restoring cultivated and natural biodiversity. Learn more about Firmenich's environmental goals and achievements in its "Performance and Sustainability Report 2019." To view it, click here. CDP's annual environmental disclosure and scoring process is widely recognized as the gold standard of corporate environmental transparency. Companies are assessed on the comprehensiveness of their disclosure, their awareness and management of environmental risks and their demonstration of best practices associated with environmental leadership, such as setting ambitious and meaningful targets. The full list of companies that made this year's CDP A List is available here, along with other publicly available company scores: https://www.cdp.net/en/companies/companies-scores Note to editors The full methodology and criteria for the A List is available on CDP's website at: https://www.cdp.net/en/guidance/guidance-for-companies under 'CDP scoring methodologies 2019'. About Firmenich Firmenich is the world's largest privately-owned perfume and taste company, founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895. Driven by its purpose to create positive emotions to enhance wellbeing, naturally, Firmenich has designed many of the world's best-known perfumes and tastes, bringing delight to over four billion consumers every day. Renowned for its world-class research and creativity, as well as its leadership in sustainability, each year, Firmenich invests 10% of its turnover in R&D to understand and share the best that nature has to offer responsibly. Firmenich had an annual turnover of 3.9 billion Swiss Francs at end June 2019. More information about Firmenich is available at www.firmenich.com. About CDP CDP is an international non-profit that drives companies and governments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests. Voted number one climate research provider by investors and working with institutional investors with assets of US$96 trillion, we leverage investor and buyer power to motivate companies to disclose and manage their environmental impacts. Over 8,400 companies with over 50% of global market capitalization disclosed environmental data through CDP in 2019. This is in addition to the over 920 cities, states and regions who disclosed, making CDP's platform one of the richest sources of information globally on how companies and governments are driving environmental change. CDP, formerly Carbon Disclosure Project, is a founding member of the We Mean Business Coalition. Visit https://cdp.net/en or follow us @CDP to find out more. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/798187/Firmenich_Logo.jpg SOURCE Firmenich Related Links https://www.firmenich.com/ JE. Information Filter by Category All Company Announcement - General Additional Listing AIM Admission AIM Notice Base Rate Change Block Listing Interim Review Capital Reorganisation Change of Name Conversion of Securities Drilling/Production Report Final Announcement Released Geographical Distribution Intention to Float Issue of Debt Issue of Equity Joint Venture Net Asset Value Portfolio Update Price Monitoring Extension Product Launch Publication of a Prospectus Publication of Final Terms Research Update Restoration Rights Issue Stabilisation Notice Statement Suspension Tender Offer Trading Statement Treasury Stock All Mergers, Acquisitions and Disposals Acquisition Merger Form 8 (DD) Form 8 (OPD) Form 8.3 Form 8.5 (EPT/NON-RI) Form 8.5 (EPT/RI) Form 8.6 Rule 2.9 Announcement Offer By Offer For Offer Update All Results and Trading Reports 1st Quarter Results 3rd Quarter Results AGM Statement Annual Report Final Results Half-year Report Notice of Results Result of AGM Result of EGM Result of Equity Issue Result of General Meeting Result of Tender Offer Syndicate Results All Dividends Dividend Declaration Dividend Currency Election All Executive Changes Directorate Change Change of Adviser Change of Registered Office All Directors' Dealings Director/PDMR Shareholding All Advance Notice of Results Notice of AGM Notice of GM Notice of EGM Notice of Results All Non-Regulatory News All Transaction in Own Shares All Holding(s) in Company Total Voting Rights Notification of Major Holdings Prince Charles was recently berated for flying a distance of 125 miles from Highgrove to Cambridge in a chopper to give a speech about lowering aircraft emissions. He was travelling to Cambridge University to give a speech to scientists who were researching on the topic of decarbonisation of air travel. According to reports, the cost of the two way journey was worth 12,000 pounds and released nearly 2.5 tonnes of carbon emissions. Prince Charles ensures all carbon emissions are offset According to reports, a representative said Prince Charles has no personal involvement in making his travel arrangements. The representative further added that the Prince ensures all carbon emissions are offset every year. In addition to this, it was said that the Prince's travel arrangements are made depending on the most feasible options concerning time, security and distance. The spokesperson said that it becomes necessary for him to fly due to some meetings across the United Kingdom and all around the world. Prince Charles has often said that if there is a sustainable way of travelling, he will be the first to use it. According to reports, it was estimated that Prince Charles could have cut down carbon emissions to just 0.2 tonnes if he would have travelled by road. Read: UK's Prince Charles Meets Israeli President Read: Prince Charles, Prince Williams Got Harry-Meghan Statement 10 Mins Before Public Release Buckingham Palace denies rumours of Prince Charles snubbing Mike Pence Buckingham Palace in a statement denied the rumours that Prince Charles deliberately snubbed the US Vice President Mike Pence at a holocaust memorial ceremony, International media reported. This came after a video of Prince of Wales apparently ignoring Pence hit the internet on Thursday. I assume this was purely unintentional. Still kinda funny on an "international diplomatic incident" level. #PrinceCharles @VP pic.twitter.com/2d56Go7wHO Joshua Phillipson (@BioJEP) January 23, 2020 The video showed Prince Charles chatting with world leaders at the ceremony. It further showed the British royal briefly looking at Pence before moving ahead instead of shaking hands with him. Prince Charles was seen moving forward to greet the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Denying the rumours of a rift between the two leaders, a public statement from the office of Prince Charles said, Shortly before the Yad Vashem memorial event began, the prince and Vice President Pence had a warm and friendly chat, which is why they did not greet each other again in the room." Read: Adam Hills Turns Down Invitation By Prince Charles To Play Rugby With Friends Read: Prince Charles Subtly 'flipped Off' Trump, Netizens Point Out Militants blew up a gas pipeline Sunday in Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula, security sources said. The masked gunmen drove a four-wheel drive before detonating explosives in the attack, carried out around 80 kilometers west of the provincial capital El-Arish, the sources told AFP. No casualties or injuries have so far been reported and no group has claimed responsibility. According to sources, the gas pipeline hit was a domestic one that connects to a power station in El-Arish, powering homes and factories in central Sinai. Some media reports in Egypt and Israel however said the section of pipeline hit was part of Israel's Leviathan offshore field that connects the two countries -- claims denied to AFP by the Leviathan consortium. Israel began pumping natural gas to Egypt for the first time earlier this month under a USD 15 billion, 15-year landmark deal deal to liquefy it and re-export it to Europe. The Islamic State group last week encouraged its fighters to launch "a new phase" and vowed major operations against Israel. Egypt's Petroleum Ministry did not react to a request for comment. One of the two offshore fields managed by Israeli and American firms in the deal, Leviathan is estimated to hold 535 billion cubic metres (18.9 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas, along with 34.1 million barrels of condensate. Egypt has previously exported gas to Israel but land sections of the export pipeline were targeted multiple times by Sinai militants in 2011 and 2012. It hopes the recently inked deal will position it to become a regional gas hub. The country has for years been fighting a hardened insurgency in North Sinai that escalated after the military's 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi following mass protests. In February 2018, the army and police launched a nationwide operation against militants focused on North Sinai. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PG&E Corp. shares jumped after the company outlined plans to overhaul its board of directors, bring in safety experts and create regional operating units in a broad reorganization proposal aimed at winning state approval for its bankruptcy exit. PG&E detailed the organizational changes in filings late Friday with the,, and U.S. bankruptcy court. The company will seek new board members with extensive safety experience and wants half of its directors to reside in California. The utility will also appoint an independent safety adviser who would take over after the term of its federal probation monitor ends, according to the filings. PG&E shares rose as much as 11% to $16.90 in New York. The revised restructuring proposal comes as PG&E makes a final push to emerge from the largest utility bankruptcy in U.S. history. The company filed for Chapter 11 last year facing $30 billion in liabilities from wildfires blamed on its equipment, and California Governor Gavin Newsom has threatened a state takeover if the utility doesnt take aggressive enough steps to reform itself. Under our Plan, the company will emerge from Chapter 11 as a reimagined utility with an enhanced safety structure, improved operations, and a board and management team focused on providing the safe, reliable, and clean energy our customers expect and deserve, PG&E Chief Executive Officer Bill Johnson said in a statement. Last week, Newsom reiterated his objections to PG&Es previous restructuring plan, saying it didnt comply with state law. The governor has called on PG&E to replace its current board with directors who had more safety experience and wanted a majority of members who were Californians. In its statement Friday, the company said its latest reorganization plan addresses Newsoms concerns and complies with state law. Newsoms office didnt immediately return a request for comment. The governor has criticized PG&Es present board, saying its comprised of Wall Street hedge fund appointees who wrested control of the company last year. The governor also said the bankruptcy plan depended too heavily on debt and short-term financing that would leave the company without enough capital to fund safety upgrades. And he wanted to set up provisions that would allow for a state takeover if the utility failed to meet certain safety performance standards. PG&E said in its filing with regulators that it will have investment-grade credit metrics when it emerges from Chapter 11. The utility has reduced its holding-company debt by $2 billion compared with its earlier restructuring plan. It also plans to pursue securitization financing to cover $7 billion in wildfire claims costs, according to the filings. The securitization would help improve the utilitys credit metrics and accelerate payments to a trust for wildfire victims, PG&E said. PG&E said Friday it would set up new governance and safety metrics and allow for stricter regulatory oversight of its operations. Its plan, however, doesnt include an option for a state takeover. Regionalization Plan The company would also expand the role of its chief risk officer and increase the number of members on its independent safety oversight committee comprised of outside experts. Under the regionalization plan, a number of local units would each have an executive officer who would report directly to the companys chief executive. Each region would also have its own chief safety officer. The move to create regional units also comes as San Francisco and three county-level agencies in Northern California have made offers to buy parts of PG&Es system, with each saying they want more local control over their power supply. PG&E has so far rejected all of the offers. The utility has a June 30 deadline to win approval from state regulators and the judge overseeing its bankruptcy in order to access a state fund designed to partially cover the costs of future wildfires. PG&E has already reached $25.5 billion in settlements with those impacted by the fires including residents, businesses, insurers and local governments. It recently struck a deal with bondholders that requires them to drop their opposition to PG&Es restructuring plan and support the companys proposal. With assistance from David R. Baker and Christopher Martin. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Nargiz Sadikhova Trend: All Kazakh citizens evacuated from Chinas Wuhan were tested negative for coronavirus infection, Kazakhstans Chief State Sanitary Doctor Zhandarbek Bekshin said, Trend reports with reference to Kazakh media. On Feb 2, 2020, Kazakhstan evacuated 83 Kazakhs back home, including 80 students from Wuhan city (China). Following medical check-up, those returned were placed in 14-day quarantine in a special anti-infection building in the multidisciplinary hospital near Nur-Sultan, located seven km from the city. According to Bekshin, all those evacuated were tested for coronavirus. Their condition is stable, the body temperature is within norm. Notwithstanding negative test results, the patients are still to remain in quarantine for 14 days, he added. The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. Since then over 360 people have died, including a doctor who was treating the victims. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. The symptoms include cough, headache, fatigue, fever, aching and difficulty breathing. It is primarily spread through airborne contact or contact with contaminated objects. Chinese health authorities say that the majority of the people who have died were either elderly or had underlying health problems. Aside from Mainland China, the cases of coronavirus spreading have also been confirmed in Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, the US, France, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the UAE, Canada, Italy, Russia, Nepal, Sweden and Finland. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh Abraham Amuta, a former member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has turned down an offer by the Boko Haram insurgents to be freed and allowed to go home. According to report, Amuta told those who went to the Sambisa forest to secure his release to go back home, saying he had renounced his Christian faith. Amuta, who is from Benue State was participating in the one-year mandatory service in Borno State, when he was abducted alongside Moses Oyeleke of Living Faith Church in Maiduguri and few others, including a schoolgirl, Ndagiliya Ibrahim Umar, on April 10, 2019. It was gathered that they were abducted along Gwoza road from Maiduguri on their way to Chibok to deliver humanitarian assistance. Read Also: Leah Sharibu Delivers Baby Boy For Top Boko Haram Commandant Meanwhile, Oyeleke, who was abducted alongside Amuta was released after seven months in Boko Haram captivity in November 2019. However, the negotiation for the release of Amuta and the other captives was said to have continued until Sunday when the process collapsed at the last hour, following the ex-corps members decision to remain with Boko Haram fighters. London: In the frantic minutes after police shot dead knife-wielding terrorist Sudesh Amman in a busy high street, an armed officer walked into a nearby cafe with a simple instruction. A police officer orders the evacuation of a cafe near the Streatham terrorist attack. Credit:Twitter "Sorry guys, you're going to have to close and evacuate I'm afraid. There's been a terrorist incident down there," he said. "If you want to stay safe you'll listen to me." An incredulous staff member replied: "Just give us half an hour? People have started to eat." "Madam, a terrorist has been shot dead just down there," the officer responded. "They've got a possible IED vest on them, which is a bomb. If you want to try to stay open for half an hour and you want to put people's lives in danger, then be my guest. If not, please listen to me and please make your way out of the shop." These are our Nigerian Newspaper Headlines for Today, 3rd February 2020 Uche Secondus, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is under pressure from top members in the Southwest to resign. According to report, these top members have begun consultations and campaigns to convince other stakeholders in the party to remove Secondus as the partys national chairman. Their grievance is hinged on House of Representatives crisis, constitutional breaches and failure of the National Working Committee (NWC) under his watch to get victory for the party in the 2019 presidential election. Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Abia State chapter, Donatus Nwankpa, says Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, lacks the moral standing to call for President Muhammadu Buharis resignation. Abaribe, Abia South senatorial district senator had called on Buhari to resign over the worsening state of security in the country. Former lawmaker, Shehu Sani and Femi Fani-Kayode have commended Pastor Enoch Adeboye for embarking on protest alongside members of his church against killings in the country. The protest is coming few weeks after Boko Haram fighters beheaded the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN) in Adamawa, after a failed negotiation. The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN has departed Nigeria to the United States-Nigeria Bi-national Commission in Washington DC.Umar Gwandu, the Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations in the Office of the Minister made this known in a statement on Sunday. The Minister is expected to, on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, sign a tripartite agreement with Nigeria, the Island of New Jersey and the United States of America at the 3-day meeting to repatriate 321m US dollars looted assets. Following the proposed permanent residency ban on Nigerian and 5 other countries by the administration of Donald Trump, the US Congress has described the move as outrageous and hinted at a move to unban the affected countries. This was contained in a statement that was released by Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker. The Oluwo of Iwoland, OOba Abdul-Rasheed Adewale Akanbi, has charged the southwest governors to ensure that Amotekun, is also made to fight ritual killings. This was made known to the newsmen by the press secretary of the monarch, Ali Ibrahim. The monarch pointed out that ritual killing is deadlier and more recurrent than herdsmens heinous activities in the region. The Lagos state government on Saturday said there is no confirmed case of coronavirus in the state. Akin Abayomi, commissioner for health, said there has been no confirmed case of the new virus following the quarantine of a Nigerian who just returned from China. Speaking via a series of tweets, he said the China returnee had presented himself at a hospital in the Lekki area of the state where he was screened and found to be in good condition President Muhammadu Buhari has extended his sympathy to China over the outbreak of coronavirus in the country. Over 300 persons have been killed by the novel virus which broke out in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province in China. There are some movies that make you fear the dark, there are some directors who use the horror genre to mess with our minds like no one else. And then there is Bollywood that turns even the scariest stories into comedies with their shoddy production. The trailer of Vicky Kaushal's Bhoot: The Haunted Ship is proof of the same. Seriously, when will our directors realise that horror is not just about crawling in the background, random jumpscares or people being pulled randomly out of context. Dharma-Production When the spooky posters and teaser of Bhoot: The Haunted Ship came out featuring a scared Vicky Kaushal and gazillion of hands around him, everyone thought that this is going to be Bollywood's answer to The Conjuring, It or Jaws. But, the trailer that dropped just now is highly disappointing. Either that or our 'fear-meter' is now so high that we didn't find it scary enough. Dharma-Production Talking about the trailer, Vicky Kaushal plays a surveying officer who is tasked with investigating a dead ship that has anchored at Mumbai's Juhu beach. The ship is supposed to be empty but turns out, it's the perfect hideout for a ghost who loves to play hide and seek with Vicky and everyone who dares to enter that ship. Vicky soon finds himself in a hospital and starts hallucinating, or so he thought. We then see him going back to the haunted, abandoned ship again. Honestly, we can't tell you more than this, because we couldn't understand what was happening in the trailer. So, here's the trailer. Watch it and let us know if you found it scary or the 'josh' of ghosts wasn't high enough. Bhoot: The Haunted Ship also stars Bhumi Pednekar and is releasing on February 21, 2020. We're not the only ones who think the trailer isn't scary enough. There are many of his fans who actually thought that the trailer is more of a comedy than horror. When will Bollywood learn that Horror not about jump scares alone! This one looks more like a comedy honestly.#BhootTrailer #Bhoot Part One: #TheHauntedShiphttps://t.co/p1LGN6XDVH N J (@Nilzrav) February 3, 2020 #TheHauntedShip #BHOOTtrailer First time I endlessly watched a haunted movie trailer .. Yeahhhh .. Am I resistant to watching scary movies now or the movie trailer wasn't scary? Shana Launda (@shanalaunda) February 3, 2020 I am confused . Have I watched the wrong trailer.. spooky and scary , my foot #Bhoot #TheHauntedShip pic.twitter.com/vmIipPCkeG Arihant (@Arihantsurana17) February 3, 2020 All the bhoots in the world should file defamation case against @karanjohar for making trash like #Bhoot #TheHauntedShip Endless (@MeEndleSS) February 3, 2020 PHOENIX - A man that federal authorities say was a leader of al-Qaida in Iraq and is suspected in the killing of two in Fallujah 14 years ago ran an Arizona driving school and was described by friends and acquaintances in Phoenix as an outgoing, friendly member of the citys Iraqi community. The Arizona Republic reported Sunday that 42-year-old Ali Yousif Ahmed Al-Nouri had been in the U.S. for more than a decade and had recently married and had a child. The Department of Justice said Friday that Ahmed appeared before a magistrate judge that day for proceedings to extradite him to Iraq, where the government has charged him with two counts of murder. It wasnt immediately known if he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. Ahmed and other members of al-Qaida shot and killed a lieutenant and an officer with the Fallujah Police Directorate in 2006, according to the Department of Justice. A warrant was issued for his arrest on Wednesday. Jabir Algarawi, a board member of the Phoenix refugee assistance organization Refugees and Immigrants Community for Empowerment, said he met Ahmed in 2010 and knew him well. He said the man arrived in the U.S. in January 2008 as a refugee from Iraq. He said he had 20 bullets in his body, Algawari said. He said he had been shot 20 times in the face and arms and legs. Algawari said he was very shocked to hear Ahmed had been accused of the killings of the officers in Iraq. He said the man did not show any signs of being an extremist. Hes not religious, Algarawi said. He was always out partying, drinking. He does not seem to me to be a person with an extremist background. He said Ahmed had recently married and had a baby weeks ago. Arizona business records show he opened his driving school in 2016. The school, which advertised in English and Arabic, was shuttered on Saturday after his arrest. Erkan Alkledar, an Iraqi refugee who owns an immigration services business next to Ahmeds driving school, said he was stunned to hear the allegations but said he did not trust the man over a past business dispute. Omar Muhialdin, the owner of a nearby Middle Eastern restaurant where Ahmed was a regular customer, said he too had heard Ahmed describe having been shot multiple times in Iraq. He said it was hard to believe Iraqi and U.S. government allegations that Ahmed belonged to an extremist terrorist group. Ali drinks a lot. Ali likes to dance. Hes not religious, Muhialdin said. Eva Kabejan, an 18-year-old worker at the restaurant, said she took driving lessons at Ahmeds school two years ago and took a defensive driving course from him in January. She said he was shocked at the allegations. There is like no way, she said. Hes a hard-working guy. Hes really good guy. Four years ago, Mohamed Ali, a volunteer with the Bernie Sanders campaign, said it was hard getting those in his community to take part in caucuses in the US state of Iowa. They just didnt have the confidence or they felt uncomfortable, Ali, who is a Palestinian-American real estate agent in the Des Moines area, told Al Jazeera by phone. Others, he said, didnt want to be involved in politics for fear of being targeted or discriminated against. But this year participation of the Arab-Muslim community has been huge its been really amazing, he said. According to Ali, thats in large part due to the five mosques that are hosting caucuses on Monday evening the first time Islamic centres will serve as sites for the party gatherings where Iowans openly discuss and choose their preferred Democratic candidate in the US 2020 presidential election. Its historical, said state Representative Ako Abdul-Samad, the only Muslim state legislator in Iowa. The mosques are joining more than 80 other locations around the world to act as a satellite sites, which were established this year to be more accessible and inclusive of all Iowans. Our goal has remained steadfast throughout this process to make these caucuses the most accessible in our partys history, and the satellite caucuses do just that, said Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) Chair Troy Price in a statement announcing the new satellite sites. Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigiegs shadow is cast on Iowas state flag as he speaks during a campaign event [Matt Rourke/AP Photo] There are still more than 1,600 traditional precinct sites across the state but anyone can attend a caucus at one of the satellite sites, the IDP said. For the Muslim community in Iowa, that means having a safe place that is inclusive and is not going to give them any friction in the process, said Rummi Khan, co-chair of the Muslim Caucus of America. Democratic organisers are expecting a high voter turnout for Mondays caucuses, with some predicting the night may break the previous participation record when nearly 240,000 people caucused in 2008. Muslims make up about 1 percent of Iowas 3.1 million residents, according to Pew Research Center. But the community could prove to be vital for candidates in a race won in the past by extremely close margins. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders are neck-and-neck, according to recent polling. Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar rounded out the top five. But the most influential poll, traditionally released just days before the caucuses, was scrapped after candidates were left off some of the questions. Regardless, Khan said many Muslims across the state are feeling very motivated to make sure that theyre participating this round. If we dont tell our story, no one will Their participation comes at a time of heightened discrimination and Islamophobia across the US. According to the Institute for Social Policy and Understandings (ISPU) annual Islamophobia index, Islamophobia is on the rise in the US. The number of anti-Muslim hate crimes and bias incidents surged after US President Donald Trump took office in 2017. The Council on American-Islamic Relations attributed the spike to Trumps travel ban, which targets nationals from several Muslim-majority countries, his frequent anti-Muslim comments, and other policies targeting Muslims. Attendees hold up letters that read CAUCUS during a campaign event in Coralville, Iowa [Matt Rourke/AP Photo] This includes the presidents repeated attacks against Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, the first two Muslim congresswomen. On Friday, he announced an expanded ban, adding six additional countries most of which were Muslim-majority or had significant Muslim populations. Those policies have, in turn, spurred increased political engagement by Muslims across the US. According to Emgage, a US-based organisation dedicated to increasing civic participation, Muslim Americans turned out for the 2018 midterm elections in historic numbers. Iowa State House Representative Ako Abdul-Samad listens as Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks during an organising event at Curate event space in Des Moines, Iowa [Matthew Putney/AP Photo] While Abdul-Samad said rising Islamophobia kept many within Iowas Muslim community from participating in the past, the success of Tlaib, Omar and others motivated many to get involved this election season. I think, now, that Muslims are coming out because we are now realising that if we dont tell our story, nobody else will, said Abdul-Samad, who is also the longest-serving African American legislator in the state. Abdul-Samad said that, although many candidates never saw Muslim communities as a viable entity that candidates wanted to go after, there has been a shift in recent years and candidates actively sought his endorsement, both as a Muslim community leader and an African American. He ultimately endorsed Sanders. There is apprehension. Yes, there is some fear for having four more years of our current administration. But they're actually seeking to come out of their houses and do something. Rummi Khan, Muslim Caucus of America Elvir Klempic, a Democratic party activist who will serve as the Biden precinct captain at the Islamic and Education Center Ezan, agreed that more and more candidates are focusing on engaging with the Muslim American community. The caucus has gone to the community verses the community finding the caucus site, prompting more candidates to engage with the community, Klempic said, adding that Muslim ban, immigration, healthcare and foreign affairs topped the minds of many of the 15,000 Muslims in the Des Moiness Bosnian community. That energy, combined with the establishment of the satellites sites, is helping motivate those within the Muslim community to actively participate in this years election, the Muslim Caucus of Americas Khan said. There is excitement, he said. There is apprehension. Yes, there is some fear for having four more years of our current administration, he added. But theyre actually seeking to come out of their houses and do something. AUDUSD Forecasting The Decline After Elliott Wave Double Three Pattern ElliottWave-Forecast - 1 hour ago Hello fellow traders. In this technical blog were going to take a quick look at the Elliott Wave charts of AUDUSD Forex Pair published in members area of the Elliottwave-Forecast . As our members know,... ^AUDUSD : 0.71728 (-0.08%) Polygon (MATICUSD) Should See Further Downside Short Term ElliottWave-Forecast - 1 hour ago Polygon (formerly Matic Network, MATICUSD) is a Layer 2 scaling solution backed by Binance and Coinbase. The project seeks to stimulate mass adoption of cryptocurrencies by resolving the problems of scalability... Triple Digit Losses for Hogs Barchart - 1 hour ago Lean hog futures are trading $1.15 to $2.60 in the red so far coming out of the weekend. USDAs National Average Morning Base hog price was $65.85 on Monday. The Jan 6th Lean Hog Index from CME was 16... HEG22 : 78.425 (-1.54%) HEK22 : 90.325 (-2.19%) KMG22 : 90.400 (-1.74%) Cotton Trading Firmer through Midday Barchart - 1 hour ago Cotton is gaining 10 to 33 points higher so far. New crop futures are UNCH to 33 points in the black so far. USDAs weekly Cotton Market Review showed 106,372 bales were sold during the week that ended... CTK21 : 89.48s (+3.77%) CTK22 : 113.00 (+0.11%) CTZ21 : 111.55s (+0.25%) Wheat Trading Mostly Higher Barchart - 1 hour ago Front month wheat prices are mixed through midday but are mostly higher. CBT SRW is up 6 to 8 1/4 cents so far. KC wheat is fractionally to 4 cents in the black, save for some fractional losses in new... ZWH22 : 762-4 (+0.53%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.2112 (+0.56%) KEH22 : 775-2 (unch) KEPAWS.CM : 7.5638 (+0.04%) MWH22 : 918-0 (-0.57%) Corn is long term positive, but at short term resistance, 78.6% ONE44 Analytics - 1 hour ago It did hold 38.2% on 11/30/21 and finally took out 61.8% at 590.00 after setting back from it twice. This gave us the next target of 78.6% at 613.00, it hit this on 12/27/21 and closed just above it, ZCH22 : 599-0 (-1.28%) ZCK22 : 600-2 (-1.23%) ZCN22 : 597-4 (-1.16%) Coffee Falls on Hopes for Brazil Production to Recover Barchart - Mon Jan 10, 11:00AM CST March arabica coffee (KCH2 ) this morning is down -5.35 (-2.24%), and Mar ICE Robusta coffee (RMH22 ) is down -72 (-3.11%). Coffee prices this morning are sharply lower, with robusta falling to a 4-week... KCH22 : 234.90s (-1.49%) RMH22 : 2,260s (-2.42%) UK developers told they must foot bill for unsafe cladding AP - Mon Jan 10, 10:53AM CST LONDON (AP) The British government on Monday told property developers they must bear the cost of removing dangerous cladding that has left scores of apartment buildings at risk of fire, and thousands... $SPX : 4,630.74 (-0.99%) $DOWI : 35,938.05 (-0.81%) $IUXX : 15,405.44 (-1.20%) NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global EV Charging Station Market 2020-2024 The analyst has been monitoring the global EV charging station market and it is poised to grow by USD 5.37 bn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 32% during the forecast period. Our reports on global EV charging station market provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05843297/?utm_source=PRN The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current Europe market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by increasing investments in EV charging infrastructure development. In addition, growing popularity of v2g chargers is anticipated to boost the growth of the global EV charging station market as well. Market Segmentation The global EV charging station market is segmented as below: Type Ac Charging Stations Dc Charging Stations Geographic segmentation The Netherlands Germany France UK Rest of Europe Key Trends for global EV charging station market growth This study identifies growing popularity of v2g chargers as the prime reasons driving the global EV charging station market growth during the next few years. Prominent vendors in global EV charging station market We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the global EV charging station market, including some of the vendors such as ABB Ltd., BP Plc, ChargePoint Inc., EFACEC Power Solutions SGPS SA, ENGIE SA, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Schneider Electric SE, Siemens AG, Tesla Inc. and Webasto SE. The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05843297/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com Pir-e Shaliar ancient Iranian festival: Celebrating abundance, good fortune 02/03/20 Report by Tehran Times; photos by Aryan Nasrollahi, Mehr News Agency Pir-e Shaliar is an ancient annual ceremony, celebrating abundance and good fortune since centuries ago in Uraman Takht rural district, Kordestan province, western Iran. Pir-e Shaliar, a legendary folk figure for Iranian Kurds, is warmly remembered for his allegedly magical healing qualities and mojo that locals believe could populate the land with livestock and crops in times of trouble. The figure is associated with the pre-Islamic, Zoroastrian times. This year, the festival was held on January 29 and 30 with hundreds of people from neighboring towns and villages in attendance. The festival usually starts before dawn with children distributing walnuts as gifts, knocking on the villagers' doors and getting sweets from them in return. Sheep and goats are slaughtered as the day breaks. Then several hours are spent for cooking a special soup called 'Veloshin'; meanwhile people celebrate the event by blessings and prayers. The soup will be ultimately distributed amongst all villagers. People come out from their terraced houses, which roof of one is courtyard of another, to witness the ritual. Daf, a local drum, is played and the dervishes of the region gather to chant and dance, while swaying their long hair through the air. Prior to the night, men meet in the house of Pir-e Shaliar and continue their ritual of chanting prayers and playing the dafs to pay their ultimate tribute to the legendary figure of the region. The legend says that Pir-e Shaliar magically cured 'Shah-Bahar Khatoun' the beloved daughter of king of Bukhara so that he was rewarded with getting married with the girl. Uraman region is considered a cradle of Kurdish art and culture from the days of yore. Stretched on a steep slope of Sarvabad county, the village is home to dense and step-like rows of houses in a way that roof of each house forms the yard of the upper one, a feature that adds to its charm and attractiveness. The name Kordestan refers to the region's principal inhabitants. After the Turkish invasion of Iran in the 11th century CE (Seljuq period), the name Kurdistan was applied to the region comprising the northwestern Zagros Mountains. It was during the reign of Abbas I the Great of Iran's Safavid dynasty (1501-1736) that the Kurds rose to prominence, having been enlisted by Abbas I to help stem the attacks of the marauding Uzbeks from the east in the early 17th century. Bernie Sanders once compared poor white Vermonters to black South Africans suffering under apartheid. At other times, he likened the plight of some working people as well as imported foreign laborers to slavery. Now that Sanders is rising in the polls and expected by many to win Iowa, rival Democrats are bringing to light his decades-old comments in an effort to question the senators stances on race and to underscore the challenges he has had with black voters. At a 1986 public forum, Sanders said poor Vermonters are the equivalent of blacks in South Africa. They dont vote, they arent involved, they dont care about the issues, according to the Bennington Banner in Vermont. Sanders amended his statement after one observer on stage commented about his pretty fiery oratory. Obviously the analogy is not true, Sanders then responded, because in South Africa the blacks are not invisible they are beginning to stand up. At the time of his remarks, Vermonts population was about 99 percent white and about 0.2 percent black. ** FILE ** Bernie Sanders announces he will run for governor in Burlington, Vt., in this May 10, 1986, file photo. For three decades, Sanders has been a party of one, an avowed socialist who rails against corporate America, Republicans, Democrats and all those he believes fail the poor and working families. Now 65, the Brooklyn-born independent and his crusade could end up in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File) In 1978, according to the Rutland Daily Herald, Sanders compared the plight of many across the planet to slavery, saying that I believe that the vast majority of the people of the world and of this country are living in a slave-like condition not terribly different from what existed in this country before the Civil War. And in 1976, after the Vermont Marble Co. was sold to a Swiss conglomerate, Sanders suggested that workers are slaves if they dont own the companies they work for or have more say. "What about the 800 workers?" Sanders asked, according to the Brattleboro Reformer. They were informed about the sale four days before it was publicly announced. They were sold to the Swiss. No one asked them how they felt about it. They weren't treated very differently from the way black people in this country were treated when there was slavery. The comments, highlighted by Democrats opposing Sanders and provided to POLITICO, are the latest in a string of similar remarks strategically leaked to the press concerning Sanders' comparisons of white Vermonters to black slaves and imported agricultural labor to slavery. Story continues We expect to see these desperate last-minute attacks continue as long as this movement thrives, but Americans trust Bernie Sanders, and they can identify a cynical, politically motivated ploy when they see one, Sanders national press secretary, Briahna Joy Gray, said in a written statement. Sanders, the statement added, has rising support from black voters, a diverse coalition of backers, policies that help minorities, and a long record of commitment to racial equality. Earlier in the campaign season, Sanders chief rival, Joe Biden, was similarly put through the wringer over old comments and policies concerning busing to desegregate schools and for saying he worked well with known segregationists. Also, Pete Buttigiegs firing of a black police chief when he was mayor of South Bend, Ind. and his struggles to win over voters of color have become a focal point as hes gained in polls. Im not surprised, given the momentum of Sanders, that the knives come out. But it does in fact raise legitimate questions about how he approaches race, said Cornell Belcher, who polled for President Barack Obama and is neutral in the primary. A lot of minorities and sensible voters are going to look at these statements and say its incredibly insensitive and nonsensical to compare black South Africans in this way to workers in Vermont, Belcher said. Its just an insensitivity about him on racial issues that are problematic. To compare slavery to workers not having a say in a company that pays them in Vermont is enormously insensitive. Sanders struggled with the issue of race in the 2016 presidential campaign, when he exploded on the political scene by nearly winning Iowa and then taking New Hampshire against Hillary Clinton. But when he had to compete in states with more diverse populations, Sanders lost badly. Sanders changed his approach this time, working harder to win over black and Latino voters. In Nevada, Sanders was tied with Biden at 24 percent among Latino voters in a January Fox News Poll. In South Carolina, which is viewed as a launching pad by Bidens campaign, the former vice president leads Sanders 43 percent to 12 percent among black voters, according to the same Fox News poll and 30 percent to 16 percent among black voters, according to a Post and Courier-Change Research poll released Sunday. Still, even some of Sanderss admirers think he could do more. Asked recently by the New York Times editorial board about President Donald Trumps appeal of racism, Sanders, in response, focused on economics. Critics called it a missed opportunity. Im not sure if hes recognized that he is severely limited in his analysis as a white male of privilege. I know hes a Jewish man, but a white male of privilege, said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter. He leads from believing that class is the greatest sin of America and not race, that is his weakness to me. Its a false equivalency around race and class he just has a blind spot. But Brown said these newly released comments dont make me angry and, citing Sanders outreach to non-white voters this cycle, that I see a different level of growth in Bernie and his campaign than I do in the Biden campaign. Brown hasnt endorsed any candidate, but she said that we're seeing these things being dug up because I do believe that there's part of the democratic establishment that are afraid of Bernie. Rashad Robinson, president of the nonprofit civil rights group Color of Change, had a similarly nuanced reaction to Sanders' decades-old remarks. "Words matter," said Robinson, whose group is neutral in the Democratic primary. I do think this is an opportunity for Bernie Sanders to be more clear about how he sees race and class, both the connections but the very clear differences, Robinson said. We cannot ignore the realities of race and they should be able to stand on their own without comparison ... But Bernie Sanders has fought for the kind of structural reform that far too many people havent fought for. Quentin James, executive director of The Collective, a political committee that aids African American candidates, said that Sanders' biggest liability with black voters is that he never attempted to build meaningful relationships with black lawmakers and community figures until he ran for president. Hes been in office for decades, but now that he needs black people hes here, said James, whose group is neutral in the race. He added adding that Sanders has improved his outreach to African Americans since 2016 but still needs to explain his past comments about race. Every white candidate in the nomination process has a problem with race, James said, Biden answered for it and was held accountable. Now its Sanders' turn. Mallory Anderson was standing in line at a coffee shop, placing her order. Or trying to. Public tasks like ordering food make her nervous, causing her stutter to kick in more often. It did so at the coffee shop. As she struggled to get the words out, a guy in line behind had a suggestion: If you cant order, then move. Insert disgust here. I wanted to turn around and punch this guy, but I didnt, of course, said Ms. Anderson, a freshman in the Honors College. I think one of the toughest things is that people are just like, Oh, just spit it out or something like that, she explained. Stutterers can speak perfectly well, it just takes a little bit longer for us. She has been a stutterer all her life, but its hard to tell in conversation. An Honors College freshman majoring in biochemistry with a minor in mathematics, she speaks with poise and confidence. Only occasionally does a word stick and then for only a second or two. For me, I have specific letters, words, phrases that I try to avoid at all costs, she said. My brain is thinking probably two or three sentences ahead about what Im about to say, and whether I can think of another word to say it in the place of it. In January 2019, Ms. Anderson connected with a chapter of the National Stuttering Association near her home in Clarksville, Tn. It gave her a community to embrace as well as be embraced. While her father and brother both stutter, she had never met other adults who didor who would talk about it. Its a very taboo subject in my family. Its not something that we talked about a whole lot. But both of my parents are nurses so, obviously, theyre involved in the medical field and, they are very well-educated. Its just not something that we talk about, if that makes any sense. But Tammy Flores, director of NSA, did want her to talk about it, so Ms. Anderson wrote an essay, How the National Stuttering Association Has Impacted My Life, for the associations website. I walked into a room with a lot of smiling faces, she wrote. I introduced myself, and stuttered, naturally, and they all still listened intently, almost as if they were on the edge of their seats. One of her UTC professors, Joseph Jordan in the Department of English, is also a stutterer and he and Ms. Anderson have often discussed the trials stutterers face and how those issues can be intensified in college. Its traumatic to a degree, he said. When I first went to college, I felt depressed and isolated. She is the exact opposite in a way. She has become so self-confident. I am amazed by theI dont want to call it courage because I dont think thats the way she perceives herselfbut shes just so self-assured, and she hasnt let it prove to be any obstacle whatsoever. In 2019, as part of her work with the NSA, she traveled to Middle Tennessee State University and Tennessee State University to talk with speech therapists and students enrolled in fluency disorders courses. A trip to Vanderbilt University in the works. Knowing how the Nashville NSA chapter helped her, she and Mr. Jordan have discussed starting one in Chattanooga. Stuttering is something that that you dont understand until you experience it, she said. I compare it to migraines. You dont know how it feels until you actually have one, and you dont know how people struggle with it, and how people have to cope with it on a daily basis. I will talk to anyone about it, and I will explain whats happening, and that its not that Im less smart than people or less capable than people. Its just something that makes it to where its tougher for me to talk. PLA medical teams to begin treating patients on Monday; second facility to open by midweek A 1,000-bed hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, will begin receiving highly contagious pneumonia patients on Monday, less than 10 days after construction began. The new facility will ease the shortage of beds in the city resulting from an increasing number of patients infected by the novel coronavirus. Medical personnel from the People's Liberation Army will take over the newly constructed Huoshenshan Hospital, with a total of 1,400 expected to start receiving and treating patients on Monday. A second special hospital for the treatment of the novel coronavirusLeishenshan Hospitalis under construction in Wuhan. It is expected to be completed on Wednesday and start receiving patients the following day. The military assistance was approved by President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission. Huoshenshan Hospital, with a floor area of 25,000 square meters, will deal primarily with patients who have been confirmed with the coronavirus. It is a copy of Beijing Xiaotangshan Hospital, which was built in seven days in a Beijing suburb in April 2003 during the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. Its purpose was exclusively to treat SARS patients, and it played a key role in the prevention and control of the deadly disease. Construction of Huoshenshan Hospital in suburban Wuhan formally started on Jan 25 to cope with the rapidly increasing number of people infected by the coronavirus. At the peak of the massive construction project, more than 4,000 workers and about 1,000 construction machines and trucks were on the site. The majority of the 1,400 medical personnel who will treat patients in the hospital come from hospitals administered by the PLA Joint Logistic Support Force, with others from PLA Ground Force Medical University, PLA Navy Medical University and PLA Air Force Medical University. Fifteen experts from the PLA Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the PLA Academy of Military Science's Military Medical Institute will join them to offer professional consultation. Many personnel involved in this operation, the largest mobilization of the PLA's medical forces since the devastating earthquake in Sichuan province in May 2008, are experienced in handling infectious diseases because they took part in fights against the 2003 SARS outbreak in China and the Ebola epidemic in Western Africa in 2014. Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan in December, infections have leaped across China. Cases have also been reported in other countries. The number of confirmed cases rose to 14,380 on the Chinese mainland on Saturday, including 304 deaths, according to the National Health Commission. Hubei, the most-affected province in the outbreak, reported 9,074 confirmed cases as of Saturday, including 294 deaths, the provincial health commission said on Sunday morning. In Wuhan, the number of confirmed cases reached 4,109 on Saturday, accounting for nearly 30 percent of total cases on the Chinese mainland. Bai Xuejian, a publicity officer from China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Co, a leading builder of the hospital, said the company was given the task from the authorities in Wuhan on Jan 23, with construction formally beginning two days later. To ensure timely completion, construction work was done in shifts 24 hours a day. Strict disease control and prevention measures were enforced, he said. Xu Ming, a project manager at Wuhan Construction Group, said he has been on duty every day since the project began. "The workers are organized in two or three shifts for 24 hours a day. And for me, I have to keep supervising and coordinating to ensure the work is done according to requirements," he said on Sunday at the construction site. "Everything has been in a rush, keeping everyone so busy that getting no sleep at night is normal." The construction process for both new hospitals has been livestreamed online every day since the start of the projects. Although construction of Huoshenshan Hospital was expected to be finished on Sunday, Xu and his colleagues may continue working for the hospital for maintenance, he said. "We have to take care of the workers and ensure they are not infected with the virus, such as giving them masks for free and taking their body temperatures every day," he said. Also on Sunday, the People's Liberation Army Air Force used eight of its large transport planes to ferry medical personnel and supplies from the military to Wuhan to aid with disease prevention and control. The eight aircraft landed at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport with 795 medical personnel from the armed forces and 58 metric tons of equipment and materials. They came from Shenyang, Lanzhou, Guangzhou and Nanjing. Wu Peixin, an aviation observer in Beijing, said Sunday's operation showed the Air Force's ability to mobilize a large transport unit on short notice. Among those who write for the Washington Posts news pages, Philip Rucker is arguably the most vicious and dishonest when it comes to President Trump. Ruckers latest anti-Trump article is called (in the paper edition) Probable acquittal [of Trump] will have long-term effects. The subtitle is Senate lowering bar for presidents permissible conduct, historians say. In the body of the article, Rucker claims that this view is supported by numerous historians and legal experts. Who are these historians? Ruckers article cites only two: Jon Meacham and Timothy Naftali, both Trump haters. Who are these legal experts? Rucker doesnt cite any. This failure is probably a function of laziness by Rucker. Given the widespread hatred of Trump in academia, Rucker could have found numerous historians and legal experts to back his claim that the Senate, when it acquits Trump, will lower the bar on what conduct is impeachable. The claim is nonsense, though. Trump was impeached without any allegation that he committed a crime or violated a statute. No president has ever been impeached without a crime or statutory violation in the picture. Andrew Johnson was accused of violating a statute that carried a possible prison sentence. Bill Clinton was accused of perjury. The articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon alleged conduct that could be charged as criminal in an ordinary court. Trump stands accused, in essence, of making substantive U.S. foreign policy decisions based on his desire to be reelected president. No president has ever been impeached for this. Nor is Trump the first president to base an important aspect of his foreign policy on electoral concerns. Barack Obama, among other presidents, did it or says he did. Obama told Russias president that after his reelection, his policy towards Russia would change. This is an admission that Obamas pre-election policy towards Russia was (1) the product of his desire to be reelected and (2) not the policy he thought best for America. Trump, for a brief time, did something similar, though less egregious. His policy towards Ukraine, at least with respect to providing military aid, was the product of his desire to defeat Joe Biden if the Democrats were to nominate him, and perhaps his desire to undermine Bidens attempt to win the nomination so Trump could run against a weaker nominee. Unlike Obama, however, its not at all clear that Trump was eschewing the policy he thought best for the country. From a policy perspective, giving military to aid to Ukraine is probably a matter of indifference to Trump. Moreover, even for those of us who believe aiding Ukraine is important, doing so (or not) is less consequential than our overall policy towards Russia, the country whose aggression Ukraine is trying to resist. Its possible that Obama was lying to Ukraines president when he said, in effect, that his Russia policy was based on electoral considerations and was not the policy he thought best for America. But if the standard for impeachment is what Meacham, Naftali, Rucker, and Ruckers legion of historians and legal experts believe it to be, then, at a minimum, Obama should have been the subject of an impeachment inquiry. He wasnt, and Im pretty sure that neither Meacham, Naftali, nor Rucker called for such an inquiry. They were right not to. Obamas conduct didnt meet the constitutional standard for impeachment. Neither does Trumps. Maker Village, the country's largest electronic hardware incubator, on Monday said it is planning to associate with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) by launching pioneering schemes that promote entrepreneurship and innovation. Maker Village said it aims to sign a pact on the project with Delhi-headquartered AICTE that functions as a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development. Ahead of it, AICTE Vice-Chairman Prof M P Poonia visited Maker Village at Kalamassery here and held talks with top officials of the facility that has around 75 startups developing state-of-the-art hardware electronic products in divergent areas. Such a collaboration with AICTE will enable Maker Village to pilot projects based on innovative ideas, thus improve the incubator's performance level, according to Prasad Balakrishnan Nair, CEO of Maker Village. Maker Village, founded in 2016, is a joint initiative of Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala established by the state government. "Connecting with the all-India network of AICTE would add tremendous value to us," Nair said on Monday after Poonia's visit to Maker Village on Saturday. "We are considering to propose to AICTE programmes that boost entrepreneurship and innovation with specific focus on deep-tech hardware products. This will be a unique differentiator for Maker Village," he said. According to a release issued by Maker Village, Poonia has said that he was "truly impressed" by the kind of innovations and the cutting-edge products shaping up at Maker Village. The AICTE will "seriously consider" three initiatives: getting Maker Village, along with an academic institution, partner with AICTE for entrepreneurship development programs, conduct a national-level hardware hackathon of AICTE at Maker Village and an AICTE Innovation ambassador programme at Maker Village, Poonia has said. The AICTE will explore the possibility of arriving at a broader framework of understanding for engaging with Maker Village, the visiting dignitary added. Nair, while pointing out that a pact with AICTE can woo the country's brightest entrepreneurial minds from the technology student community to Maker Village, said moves were also afoot to partner with various innovation platforms being created by AICTE. The AICTE, which is responsible for proper planning and coordinated development of technical and management education in the country, functions under the Department of Higher Education of the HRD Ministry. The startups in Maker Village are into developing products in areas such as automation, robotics, drones, Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, biomedical instrumentation and energy management among others. Most of the startups leverage cutting-edge technologies such as machine-learning, artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality to make their products innovative and globally competitive. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MANILA, Philippines The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has expanded the countrys travel ban to include foreigners coming from China and its Special Administrative Regions (SARs) following President Rodrigo Dutertes order for temporary travel ban amid the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak. In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente announced that all foreigners, regardless of their nationality, who will be coming from China or its SARs will be turned back and denied entry to the Philippines. However, Filipino nationals and Philippine permanent resident visa holders will be allowed to enter the country but would be subjected to a 14-day quarantine, to be implemented by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ). The BI said the ban also covers other visa holders and transiting passengers, as well as those who traveled to China and SARs (special administrative regions) in the last 14 days. The ban also includes the departure of Filipinos going to China and its SARs. We have sent a notice to airlines and shipping agents requiring them to screen passengers before boarding to restrict the arrival of aliens who have visited the areas of concern in the past 14 days, Morente said. It can be recalled that last Tuesday, the BI has suspended the issuance of the visa upon arrival for Chinese nationals, in an effort to slow down the arrival of Chinese tour groups. The bureau also ordered a prudent assessment of passengers, and immigration officers were instructed to refer foreign nationals who came from Hubei province to the Bureau of Quarantine for rechecking or double-checking. We urge everyone to temporarily refrain from unnecessary travel, and to bear with the government as we implement this measure, said Morente. Let us work hand in hand to ensure that the country is protected from this virus, he added. The post PH Immigration expands travel ban to include foreigners from China, Hong Kong, Macau appeared first on UNTV News. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe The concentration of black carbon on Gangotri glacier has almost doubled in the past few years primarily because of the raging forest fires, said a research done by Dehradun-based Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology. PS Negi, a scientist at Wadias research group on Geomorphology and Environmental Geology said they have been monitoring black carbon through two weather stations on way to Gangotri glaciers - namely Chirbasa station at a height of 3,600 m, and Bhojbasa station at a height of 3,800 m - for the last few years. Analysis of the data from these weather stations in real time has helped us to know about black carbon concentrations and seasonal variations in the higher Himalayas. We have found that the concentration of the black carbon increases in summer months due to varied factors. We have found a range of black carbon up to 4.62 micrograms per cubic metre, he said. In the non-summer months, the concentration comes down to about 2 micrograms per cubic metre of air indicating that forest fires and tourism activities in Uttarakhand contribute to higher concentration of black carbon on glaciers. Period from April to June showed remarkable increase in black carbon concentration primarily due to direct and indirect activities related to tourism. Also, forest fires contribute in increasing black carbon concentration. Also we found high black carbon concentration during September and October. The lowest black carbon concentration has been recorded during August followed by December, likely due to the absence of tourist activities and forest fire incidences during these months, he said. On the sources of black carbon, Negi said the main local sources of black carbon observed during field study include forest fires, domestic and commercial fuel wood burning and seasonal burning of crop residue. According to Forest Survey of India, the forest fire activity is generally reported in Uttarakhand from February to June, with a peak in fire incidences in May and June. Besides man made, other reasons for forest fires in the state include lightning, friction of falling rocks and monkeys accidentally throwing stones that create sparks leading to forest fires. Over 44,554 hectares of forest area has been damaged in forest fires in Uttarakhand since its formation in 2000, according to the state forest department data. On possible impact of the black carbon on Himalayan glaciers, Negi said, black materials absorb more light and emit infra-red radiation which increases the temperature. So effectively, when there is an increase in black carbon in the higher Himalayas, it will contribute to faster melting of the Himalayan glaciers, he said. Negi said black carbon is a kind of an aerosol (an aerosol is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets). Among aerosols, black carbon (BC) has been recognized as the second most important anthropogenic agent for climate change and the primary marker to understand the adverse effects caused by air pollution, he said. On the source of the black carbon in Himalayas, Negi said developmental activities, pollution from local, regional and global sources accumulate over the Himalayan region and increase the concentration of black carbon. Their presence in atmosphere also causes changes in weather pattern such as rain and snow precipitation pattern and local ecosystem and weather cycles. In the longer run, the changes in the atmospheric composition of the high Himalayan will affect the weather pattern, and accordingly natural resources and socio-economic activities of Himalayan communities, he said. Scientists at Dehradun-based Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology monitor black carbon aerosol on real time basis through its monitoring stations and studies its impact on glaciers. The Central government institute also studies the impact of climate change on Himalayan glaciers in north-west India. A week ahead of the Oscars 2020, the BAFTA awards were being watched more closely than ever. Amid #BaftaSoWhite making a lot of noise on social media for lack of diversity in nominations, everyone was eager to know who wins and who loses. This was the fifth award event this season after Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, SAGs and Grammys, and it was quite a grand show. There were hilarious jokes, political speeches and great moments too. Here are the best moments from BAFTA 2020. #1 The Royals made way to the award show! Twitter Will and Kate lit up the red carpet as they made way to the award night. The camera panned at them for quite a lot of time. They seemingly had a great time as they made sure to not give red carpet interviews and hence avoid political (or #Megxit) questions/jokes. #2 Brad Pitt threw Royal shade in his winning speech and left everyone in splits. Brad Pitts full speech at the BAFTAs given by Margot Robbie pic.twitter.com/H77zlRla8d Simply Brad (@SimplyBradCom) February 2, 2020 Brad Pitt couldn't be there at the event as he won BAFTA for best supporting actor, but he gave his winning speech to his Once Upon a Time in Hollywood co-star Margot Robbie to read on his behalf. His speech left everyone in splits. He says, Hey Britain, heard you just became single, welcome to the club. Wishing you the best with the divorce settlement, blah blah blah, Robbie said. He says, Im gonna name this Harry because he is, Really excited to bring this back to the States with him. #3 Joaquin Phoenix's powerful speech bashing BAFTA. #4 Laura Dern's sweetest winning speech. While Margot Robbie had two nominations under the category of Best Supporting Actress, it was Laura Dern who won the award for Marriage Story. My mom told me that its what friends give you to congratulate you because you get to have the job you love, she said before thanking everyone in her winning speech. #5 Hugh Grant and Renee Zellweger had a Bridget Jones Diary reunion. Hugh Grant making Bridget Jones's Diary references when he presented after Renee Zellweger won is the happy thought I'll take with me today#BAFTAspic.twitter.com/jbKiXMoGlR Raw (@rawcinemaa) February 2, 2020 After Renee Zellweger was presented with her best actress' trophy, it was Hugh Grant's turn to present the next award. Their meeting became a Bridget Jones Diary reunion and fans couldn't stop gushing over the two. #6 Emilia Clarkes sleek glittery dress grabbed a lot of eyeballs. Actor #EmiliaClarke puts a contemporary twist on red-carpet dressing in a black beaded gown. Clarkes sleek hairstyle and graphic eye makeup take this striking look to another level: See every look from the red carpet here: https://t.co/h37JEAP2HB pic.twitter.com/ChwdZ6Vz6V NET-A-PORTER (@NETAPORTER) February 2, 2020 The girl nailed it. She was wearing a Schiaparelli Haute Couture gown that had a plunging neckline. #7 Graham Norton made a lot of celebs uncomfortable with his sharp speech. From mocking Joker's 11 nominations to cracking jokes on The Irishman's length, celebs in the audience looked a bit sour as Graham Norton with his opening speech. It was a night to remember! After BAFTA, people are now looking forward to the Oscars 2020, which will be aired on Feb 10 2020, 6:30 am IST. The Elms College executive leadership breakfast will provide a forum for economic issues during unpredictable political times. The April 9 event in Chicopee will attract business executives, state and local legislators, community leaders, and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, whose talk is entitled "Leadership in Turbulent Times. Neal serves as chair of the House Ways and Means Committee. He is a co-chairman of the New England Congressional Caucus, and is the Democratic Leader of the Friends of Ireland Caucus. This will mark the third year of the invitation-only event. Past speakers have been Dennis P. Duquette, head of community responsibility at MassMutual and president of the MassMutual Foundation, and Regina Noonan Hitchery, retired vice president of human resources at Alcoa. Information on sponsorship opportunities, or to request an invitation, can be done by contacting Elms Colleges Office of Institutional Advancement at 413-265-2448. No CM, ministers from other states; AAP invites only Delhi residents for swearing-in ceremony Kejriwal to take oath with 6 ministers: PM Modi invited for swearing-in-ceremony AAPs foray into national politics will begin by going local Days after taking oath as Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal all set to meet PM Modi today Congress manifesto for Delhi elections: Free power, unemployment allowance India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 03: The Congress has promised to implement unemployment allowance of Rs 5,000-7,500 per month, cashback schemes for water and power consumers and challenge the contentious CAA in the Supreme Court if voted to power in Delhi. The manifesto presented by Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra also committed to spend 25 per cent budget each year on fighting pollution and improving transport facilities. The party has promised to provide free electricity up to 300 units per month. He said that the Congress will open 100 Indira Canteens in the city to give subsidised meals at Rs 15, Chopra said. Delhi polls: AAP demands campaign ban on Adityanath over Shaheen Bagh remark An unemployment allowance of Rs 5,000 for graduates and Rs 7,500 for post graduates will be provided monthly under the Yuva Swabhiman Yojna, he said. NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 The announcements come in the backdrop of promises and initiatives by its rivals AAP and BJP. The Congress will challenge the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in the Supreme Court and demand the Centre to withdraw the law. The party will also not implement the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the existing form of the National Population Register (NPR) if voted to power in Delhi. The manifesto, titled 'Aisi Hogi Hamari Delhi', was released at the Delhi Congress office in presence of senior leaders Anand Sharma, manifesto committee chairman Ajay Maken, Rajiv Gowda, Sharmishtha Mukherjee among others. Delhi Assembly Election 2020: BJP to launch mega mass contact programme today "We will get a strong Lokpal in first six months," Chopra said. Congress will launch flagship cashback schemes for power and water supply to benefit consumers from saving these resources. If voted to power, the Congress will launch Sheila Pension Yojna under which Rs 5,000 per month will be provided to senior citizens, persons with disabilities and transgender. The manifesto also promised to open of a 'Yaari Startup Incubation Fund' of Rs 5,000 crore to incentivise entrepreneurs. A major focus area of the manifesto is pollution mitigation and boosting public transport. "We will now make Delhi India's first electric vehicle city via DEVI-Delhi Electric Vehicles Initiative," stated the manifesto, promising procurement of 15,000 electric buses. It also stated that fares of the Delhi Metro will be subsidised for women, students and senior citizens. For students, a subsidy of Rs 300 per month will be given through direct benefit transfer. The manifesto also cited a scheme proposed by party leader Rahul Gandhi in the last Lok Sabha election, promising Rs 7,2000 per year to five lakh families. For women empowerment and safety, the manifesto promised to revive 'Ladli' scheme, free education to girls up to PhD and free health check-up for women. The top three crorepatis in the Delhi elections are AAP candidates Another area of focus in the manifesto is urban renewal and infrastructure promising a 350- square flat for residents of JJ clusters, renewal of TransYamuna Development Board and creation of a Resettlement Colonies Development Board and Shahjahanabad Development Board. These boards will be provided Rs 1,000 crore annually for smooth functioning, it added. While the BJP has promised to set up a water taxi service between Wazirabad and Sonia Vihar, Jagatpur and Tronica City at affordable prices; free rides for women on DTC buses and subsidised electricity are some of the initiatives taken by the AAP government in Delhi. The Aam Admi Party is yet to release its manifesto. RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Five nonprofit arts organizations recently were honored as 2020 Dominion Energy ArtStars for inspiring people of all ages in creative endeavors. The organizations represent five regions across Virginia with annual operating budgets under $1 million. Each received a $10,000 grant to support their winning arts or cultural education program. "This year's winners prove everyday what a powerful impact art can have on a community's culture and history," said Hunter A. Applewhite, president of the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. "Virginia is very fortunate to have these talented organizations committed to the vibrancy of local communities across our Commonwealth." The ArtStars winners were honored Jan. 29 at the Virginia Commission for the Arts' "Art Works" conference: Alexandria Symphony Orchestra ( Alexandria, Va. ) for their Sympatico program at Title I Public Schools. Sympatico increases music opportunity for underrepresented minorities and at-risk youth at no cost to the school or their families. ( ) for their Sympatico program at Title I Public Schools. Sympatico increases music opportunity for underrepresented minorities and at-risk youth at no cost to the school or their families. The Arts Depot ( Abingdon, Va. ) for their education programs that teach weaving, collage, innovative watercolor, acrylic, oil painting, quilting, carving and beading. The program also works directly with special-needs students in the community. ( ) for their education programs that teach weaving, collage, innovative watercolor, acrylic, oil painting, quilting, carving and beading. The program also works directly with special-needs students in the community. Lime Kiln Theater ( Lexington, Va. ) for their music programs. Lime Kiln Theater offers a summer concert series and children's play at their outdoor amphitheater. The "Music in the Schools" program educates children on Appalachian music and dance. ( ) for their music programs. Lime Kiln Theater offers a summer concert series and children's play at their outdoor amphitheater. The "Music in the Schools" program educates children on Appalachian music and dance. Sandler Center for the Performing Arts ( Virginia Beach, Va. ) for their educational matinee program highlighting Title I schools. More than 14,000 students will attend an educational matinee at the Sandler Center or at their school through a partnership with Richmond Ballet. ( ) for their educational matinee program highlighting Title I schools. More than 14,000 students will attend an educational matinee at the Sandler Center or at their school through a partnership with Richmond Ballet. Studio Two Three ( Richmond, Va. ) for their art education programs for youth and emerging artists of all ages. The program offers field trips for local schools, residency for low-wealth artists, and S23 To-Go a mobile printmaking and photography studio on wheels. Visit www.dominionenergy.com/artstars for more information. About the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation Nearly 7.5 million customers in 18 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D). Through its Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, as well as EnergyShare and other programs, Dominion Energy contributed $48 million in 2019 to community causes. The Foundation supports nonprofit causes that meet basic human needs, protect the environment, promote education, and encourage community vitality. Please visit www.DominionEnergy.com to learn more. SOURCE Dominion Energy Related Links http://www.dominionenergy.com he convicted terrorist behind the Streatham attack was shot dead within 60 seconds of launching a violent knife spree, Met Police have said. Sudesh Amman , 20, stabbed two people in Streatham High Road while wearing a fake bomb vest on Sunday at 2pm. In a statement on Monday night, the Met said: The time from him entering the shop to beginning his attack outside was approximately 60 seconds. Police officers responded, fatally shooting him within approximately 60 seconds of him beginning to attack people." Armed officers, who were part of a proactive counter-terrorism surveillance operation relating to Amman, were following him as he left an address in the Streatham area at shortly after 1.20pm. Addressing a rally in Vikaspuri area here in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly polls on February 8, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said that a Pakistan minister is supporting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal because 'he knows only Kejriwal can feed 'biryani' to protestors in Shaheen Bagh'. "Why is a Pakistani minister making statements in support of Arvind Kejriwal? Because he knows that only Kejriwal can feed biryani to protestors in Shaheen Bagh," alleged Adityanath. The UP Chief Minister was referring to Pakistan Minister Fawad Chaudhry's tweet in which he had said, "Under pressure of losing another State election (Delhi), he (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) resorts to ridiculous claims and threats endangering the region." Chaudhry had posted the tweet in response to PM Modi's comment that India can defeat Pakistan in a war within 7-10 days. Slamming Chaudhry for his comments, Kejriwal had said, "Prime Minister Modi is my PM as well, will not tolerate interference in our country's internal issues." "Narendra Modi is India's Prime Minister; he is my Prime Minister as well. Delhi election is our internal issue, and we have zero tolerance for interference by the biggest sponsor of terrorism. No matter how hard Pakistan tries, it cannot attack the unity of our country," Kejriwal had said in a tweet. People have been protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh area since December last year. The CAA grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh if they entered India on or before December 31, 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - People in Butte County got a chance to meet some candidates for the upcoming primary in a very unique way. The League of Women Voters of Butte County hosted a speed dating session over the weekend. Organizers said the event was the first of its kind. RELATED: League of Women Voters of Butte County to hold candidate forums The roundtable open house took place at Chico High School. Organizers called it an opportunity for voters to bring their questions directly to the candidates. "I think the League of Women's Voters is doing a service to Butte County," Director of League of Women Voters, Carol Burr said. "We are all in this together. We have some really big issues affecting Butte County right now so we all need to be educated." The focus of the discussion was public safety. Six candidates came out to meet voters and about 50 people attended the event. - Pastor Boniface Mwamposa has been attracting huge crowds in his church services for promising people healing through the "blessed oil" - The victims were rushing to get anointed with the oil when they crashed on each other leaving at least 20 of them dead - Authorities fear the death toll could rise since people were many and the venue was dark at the time of the incident A total of 20 people have been confirmed dead and 16 others injured during a church service in Tanzania. The victims died in a stampede that occurred while they were scrambling for anointing with "blessed oil" from Pastor Boniface Mwamposa in a stadium in Moshi town, near the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. READ ALSO: Rais Uhuru amruka DP Ruto, asema hana deni ya mtu 2022 Picture of a church. The victims were rushing to for anointing when they crashed on each other and died. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Moses Kuria forgives goons who ejected him from BBI rally in Kitui Confirming the incident, District Commissioner Kippi Warioba said five of those who died were children and 16 others were injured in the incident. "The stampede happened when the congregants rushed to get anointed with blessed oil," said Warioba as quoted by Reuters and other international news outlets on Sunday, February 2. READ ALSO: Solskjaer impressed with Bruno Fernandes debut against Wolves Authorities were apprehensive the death toll could rise since the crowd was humongous and the place was pitch dark during the Saturday night incident. "We are still assessing the situation. More casualties could emerge," said the district commissioner. Pastor Boniface has been attracting crowds after promising to solve life's problems with the "blessed oil".Photo: Zimlive. Source: UGC The pastor in question has reportedly been attracting huge crowds of worshippers after promising them prosperity and healing through the blessed oil. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. Crime of passion | Tuko TV | Tuko Investigates Source: TUKO.co.ke Mani Ratnam's highly-anticipated magnum opus titled Ponniyin Selvan's second schedule is all set to commence in Chennai. The makers of the film had originally decided to shoot the movie overseas but due to date issues, they are planning to shoot some of the minor sequences in Chennai and later, the majority of the second half will reportedly be shot in Pondicherry. After completing Chennai and Pondicherry's shoot schedule, the cast and crew of Ponniyin Selvan will fly to Sri Lanka, according to an online portal's report. Also Read | Aishwarya Rai's 'Ponniyan Selvan' Was To Be Filmed With THESE Actors Initially Also Read | Trisha Shares Her Prep Pic For Mani Ratnam's 'Ponniyin Selvan' Ponniyin Selvan is scheduled to be shot in Pondicherry One of the leading publications quoted a source stating that Mani Ratnam had returned to Chennai from Thailand, where he was shooting major sequences with his primary cast, in the second week of January. After a short break, during which time he finalised a few other supporting actors and other production details, he has resumed the next schedule. Jayam Ravi and a few junior artists will be shooting near the beaches in Pondicherry for another six days. Also Read | Ponniyin Selvan Star Jayaram's Monochrome Picture Is Going Viral The film is produced by Lyca Productions and stars an ensemble cast including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi in key roles. The film will is an adaptation of the Tamil novel Ponniyin Selvan by Amarar Kalki. Other senior actors including Sarathkumar, Prabhu, Jayaram will also be seen playing prominent roles in the film. Even today, the novel has a cult following and fan base among people of all generations. The book continues to be admired and garners critical acclaim for its tightly woven plot, vivid narration, the dialogue, and the way in which the power struggle of the Chola empire was depicted. Image Credit: Madras Talkies Twitter Also Read | Mani Ratnam's 'Ponniyin Selvan' To Have #MeToo Accused Vairamuthu? AR Rahman Reveals French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday sought a "turning point" in strained ties with Poland, saying Brexit requires a new dynamic among the remaining members of the European Union. The French leader announced a summit with Poland and EU heavyweight Germany in the coming months under the "Weimar Triangle" framework which had fallen out of favour in recent years. Poland's controversial judicial reforms, which the EU has warned undermine the rule of law, and its position on EU climate goals, injected tension into ties with Paris and other EU members in recent years. But Macron said Monday he hoped his visit "will mark a real turning point in the role that together we can play for the Europe of tomorrow" following talks in Warsaw with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda. Macron urged cooperation to "make the European project stronger, because indeed today... after Brexit, fragility and doubt have set in." Cooperation must serve to "meet the climate challenge and support Poland, which faces a challenge that I do not underestimate," Macron added, referring to Warsaw's uphill battle to wean itself off coal. - 'New opening'? - Focusing on defence, Macron urged "political dialogue" with Russia but assured the Poles that "France is neither pro-Russian nor anti-Russian, it is pro-European". He also insisted that the development of European defence mechanisms would complement NATO, rather than undermine it. Under Moscow's thumb in communist times, Warsaw is among the strongest advocates of continued sanctions against Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Poland's Duda spoke of a "breakthrough" in ties with Paris and welcomed the signing of a Polish-French cooperation programme as part of their "strategic partnership". Echoing Macron, Duda insisted that Brexit brought a "new hand of cards and new opening; roles in the EU will have to be rearranged." Relations between Paris and Warsaw have been cool at best. Judicial reforms have set the right-wing populist Law and Justice (PiS) government on a collision course with Brussels over rule of law violations and drawn concern from fellow EU members, including France. Macron said on Monday that he had urged Warsaw to "intensify" dialogue with Brussels to safeguard the rule of law. - Economic ties - An agreement by EU leaders in December to try to make the bloc carbon neutral by 2050 was undermined by Poland's rejection. Macron in 2018 himself accused Poland's PiS government and Hungary's populist Premier Viktor Orban of "lying to their people" about the EU's powers to interfere in domestic affairs. But Brexit has made good relations with Poland all the more important as the central European heavyweight will now be the EU's fifth-largest member in terms of population and sixth in terms of GDP. Following talks later Monday with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Macron underscored that the interests of Paris and Warsaw line up neatly on the key issue of continued generous funding for the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the bloc's upcoming 2021-27 budget. The two leaders hailed a "new chapter" in bilateral ties, with both sides keen to develop cooperation in the areas of defence, climate and energy. Despite political differences, economic ties between the two EU partners remain strong and stable. France ranks sixth among Poland of trade partners, having exchanged nearly 21 billion euros worth of goods in 2018. French companies take fourth spot on Warsaw's foreign investor ranking, with 18 billion euros from 1,100 companies, according to Polish data. COVINGTON, Ky. - A worker was killed at an Amazon delivery hub under construction at an airport in northern Kentucky, authorities said. The workplace accident occurred Saturday at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, WXIX-TV reported. The Boone County coroners office confirmed the fatality, the airport said in a statement. Details about the accident, which remains under investigation, were unavailable. The construction workers name wasnt immediately released pending notification of relatives. Ground was broken on the $1.5 billion Prime Air hub last May. W hat can you achieve in 15 minutes? A few emails, perhaps, or pawing slack-jawed through Instagram? Alternatively: how about deep breath granite abs, sculpted shoulders and obliques you could bounce a shiny penny off? The (inevitable) catch does not involve flogging your soul to the devil though it does mean working like a bat out of hell for a 15-minute stretch that will feel like fiery eternity. This is the Faustian pact of micro-HIIT, the latest iteration of the high intensity interval training model that is the through line of all of Londons hardest and most efficient workouts. But instead of toiling through a 45-minute class, sweat cascading from every pore, you could do that, but only for 15 minutes, and see results. Shutterstock / Satyrenko Your normal HIIT class might involve three minutes on and a minute off. Micro-HIIT is more like 20 seconds on, 10 to recover and start again. It sounds easy until youre trying to force your jellied legs into another tuck jump. Saying that, you can endure (almost) anything for 20 seconds. As Matt Delaney, national manager of innovation at Equinox, says: Micro HIIT helps you perform the intervals the way they were intended, with short duration high impact activity followed by a longer recovery period. Convinced? At Equinoxs shiny new club in Bishopsgate five storeys of sleek studios and hardwood floors its work-hard, work-out-harder City clientele are flocking to Core Conditioning, a 15-minute micro-HIIT class that works your core, back strength and flexibility, using a combination of moves including weighted lunges and planks (grimace). The Clock is where Londons cash-rich nad time-poor work out: at its plush studios in Marylebone and Notting Hill, super trainer Zana Morris leads clients in 15-minute highly targeted workouts, to rhapsodic recommendations. Speaking of the cash-rich, on the fourth floor of Harvey Nichols youll find a queue of pert buttocks in lululemon leggings queuing for the Car.o.l bike an AI-powered spin machine that promises to whip you into shape in a ludicrous 40 seconds, in a workout that it claims delivers the same cardio benefits as a 45-minute jog. A whizzy AI algorithm personalises your resistance to ensure you are working at maximum intensity. Join the queue (lululemon mandatory). Its hard to argue with 15 minutes. It is much easier to find several minutes for max-effort activity than it is 60 minutes when your schedule is packed, Delaney adds. Micro HIIT also helps provide a boost to your metabolism not just while you are working through the intervals, but for a period of time post workout. Plus its easy to put together a do-it-yourself routine. Equinoxs Miki Ferriss three-minute regimen involves a cycle of three moves can be done on the gym floor or in the living room. Start with fast feed to jump: run on the spot for five seconds then jump up high. Then, do skaters: standing with shoulders back and chest up, lean slightly forward from the hips and jump to the right, bending the knee to bring your left foot behind, with left arm in front. Repeat on the opposite side. Ensure that your core is engaged throughout the movement. Conflicts in the Middle East attract interventions by regional powers. The Turkish parliaments approval of troop deployment to assist one side in the Libyan civil conflict reveals some themes, explains Mustafa Batman, an International Fox Fellow at Yale University. Turkeys involvement in Libya, like many in the region, centers on oil and began with a signed agreement on maritime boundaries with Libya a response to resist a coalition formed by Cyprus, Egypt, Israel and Greece to develop and distribute Eastern Mediterranean natural gas reserves. Interventions can disrupt traditional partnerships. In Turkeys case, its intervention with Russia against the Syrian Democratic Forces countered goals of the US as a fellow NATO member. Yet, months later, the Libyan intervention puts Turkey and Russia on opposite sides. Finally, interventions can become a tool for rallying domestic public opinion. Batman argues that sending troops to Libya could be more disruptive for Turkeys domestic politics than its previous interventions in Syria. He urges the international community to discourage interventions and sanctions, both of which risk provoking nationalist ire. YaleGlobal As many as 130 samples have been tested of which 128 have been found to be negative so far. The third reported case of infection in India by the novel coronavirus from Wuhan, China was confirmed on Monday, 2 February by the Union Health Ministry. The individual from Kerala, who recently returned from a trip to the epicentre of the outbreak Wuhan, in China's Hubei Province testing positive for the infection and is in isolation and under close observation, the Ministry said in a statement. "The patient has a travel history from Wuhan in China...has tested positive for Novel Coronavirus and is in isolation in the hospital. The patient is stable and is being closely monitored," the Ministry said in a statement by the Press Information Bureau. The Ministry has since updated its travel advisory (issued on Sunday). The additions include advice that people refrain from travelling to China altogether in view of the deadly outbreak in Hubei, and a request to travellers in neighbouring countries to return home for quarantine and treatment if necessary. Of the 130 samples tested by the National Institute of Virology in Pune, 128 have been found to be negative so far. Prior to this, India has reported two positive cases of nCoV both from Kerala. As of 1 pm IST on 1 February, a total of 17,392 confirmed cases of the infection have been reported worldwide, based on data from the World Health Organisation and the Centre for Disease Control. There have also been 362 deaths reported from the outbreak, for which a working vaccine is yet to be found. Of the confirmed cases, there have also 487 cases of recovery from the infection. Also read: Coronavirus outbreak: Rapid infection, virus' evasive nature, gaps in testing make outbreak control particularly challenging Officers were called to the 400 block of East Ohio Street about 3:30 a.m. for an apparent domestic dispute in which a man barricaded himself inside the apartment with two others, police said. A SWAT team was called to assist. Syria: 6,500 children fleeing every day, UNICEF Over 300,000 minors displaced since December (ANSAmed) - ROME, FEBRUARY 3 - The crisis in northwest Syria is endangering minors in an unprecedented way, the director general of UNICEF, Henrietta Fore, has warned ''The crisis in northwest Syria is turning into a child protection crisis of unprecedented scale. Violence over the past week has forced 6,500 children to flee every day'', UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said on Saturday. UNICEF has estimated that over 300,000 have been displaced since December and that 1.2 million children are in desperate need of food, water and medication. Children and families are seeking refuge in public facilities, schools, mosques, unfinished buildings and stores. ''Many are simply living in the open air including in parks, amidst heavy rains and in the freezing cold. Access to the most basic services like health, water or sanitation is either very limited or non-existent'', UNICEF said. (ANSAmed). NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP has announced Angela M. Playle has joined the firm's Nashville office. Playle previously served as Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at an NYSE-listed real estate investment trust (REIT). Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP has announced Angela M. Playle has joined the firm's Nashville office. As a member of Waller's nationally recognized Healthcare Department, Playle will represent REITs, hospitals and health systems, healthcare investors and other healthcare organizations with transactions and operations involving medical office buildings and senior living communities, skilled nursing facilities and other healthcare properties. "We are delighted to welcome Angela to Waller," said Waller chair Matt Burnstein. "Her REIT and healthcare real estate experience will greatly benefit the healthcare organizations we serve throughout the country." In a number of progressively responsible roles at the publicly traded REIT based in Nashville, Playle provided counsel on transactions ranging from $1 million to $100 million. She was a strategic adviser to the executive management team on proposed transactions, operational matters and other issues at the publicly traded REIT that owns and develops assets in the healthcare real estate market. Playle earned her J.D. in 1997 from Emory University School of Law where she received the Commercial Real Estate Award. She earned her B.A., cum laude, in 1994 from Vanderbilt University. Media Contact: Sarah Brawner Phone: 615.610.0323 Email: [email protected] About Waller With more than 270 attorneys in three states, Nashville-based Waller assists clients in complex transactional, regulatory and litigation matters. The firm has a national reputation in healthcare and financial services and boasts robust practices in private equity and real estate. Waller was named one of the best law firms for women by Working Mother and was spotlighted by Chambers Associate as one of the nation's leading firms for recruiting, retaining and supporting legal talent. The firm was honored as a Best Place to Work in 2019. Related Images angela-playle.jpg Angela Playle Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP has announced Angela M. Playle has joined the firm's Nashville office. SOURCE Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP The question, as Marian Keyes went to work on her new book, was: had she used up all her tragedies? She wondered it herself and it was a reasonable query. Beneath the breeziness of her signature wit and perhaps obscured by her fondness for a happy ending, sadness has always been a key component of Marian's magic, an indigo shadow behind all the sparkly jokes. And, inasmuch as she draws from her own life at all, depression was used up already - brilliantly described in The Mystery of Mercy Close. So was alcoholism - she tapped into her own recovery journey for Rachel's Holiday, now an Irish classic. What was left for Grown Ups, her new novel about all the secrets, snobberies and resentments in one Irish family? She is already one step ahead of me. "I know already what everyone's going to wonder after they read this: is she bulimic?" she says, crossing her legs under her in a sitting room at the back of her house. "I'm not bulimic. But from the age of 11, I felt guilt about every bite of food that has gone into my mouth. I'm very porous and I absorbed messages from an early age. A lot of us can't help it. If I'm in the company of goddesses - tall, thin women - I feel inadequate." Expand Close Loved up ... Marian and "Himself", husband Tony Baines / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Loved up ... Marian and "Himself", husband Tony Baines Those feelings of inadequacy also afflict Cara, one of the central characters in Grown Ups. At the beginning of the novel a guest in the hotel where she works calls her "a fat bitch". The insult is deeply felt, and Keyes skilfully peels back the layers of Cara's insecurities about food, about her body, about the image she sees - and hates - when she looks in the mirror. It's a nuanced and at times shocking depiction of an eating disorder: the binge eating, the purging, the secrecy and guilt, and Marian says that ideas of addiction and recovery helped her when it came to writing the character. "As an addict, I know food is connected to the way I want to sidestep pain. Any addiction is about escaping pain, whether it is drink, food, gambling or sex. I think food addiction is trivialised not because it predominantly affects women but because it only kills at the extremes. An eating disorder can hide in plain sight more than a cocaine addiction, where things would fall apart very quickly. "I'm happy to be an alcoholic: it's a very handy thing, I just don't have to drink - but everyone has to eat. That means you deal with the object of your head-fuck every day, and it's challenging." Marian's own salve for her insecurities about food has been some hard-won perspective about weight and body shape. "I've had to realise that I'm not defined by the length of my legs or the size of my waist; I have a kind heart and I can make people laugh. I'm 56 now, though, so that kind of perspective doesn't happen overnight. And I still have to have a word with myself and say 'knock off that nonsense, look at how well-intentioned you are'." And she is well-intentioned. She seems worried about saying too much or getting things wrong. She speaks in a careful, breathy voice that seems to implore you to understand exactly what she means. One of the themes of the new book is the sense that as adults we are faking our competence at life. Video of the Day "When I was a kid I thought it would be incredible to be grown up because I wouldn't be afraid any more then," she says. "I thought I'd be powerful and able to make my own decisions who to see and where to go. That never really happens for anyone; we remain afraid." What is she afraid of now? "I'm afraid of my mother dying. Sometimes I wake in the middle of the night. I really worry about the state of the planet and the way we've abandoned the poor in our country. People will say I'm virtue signalling but I'm sincere." And when she's being funny - which is often - this sincerity seems heightened. We meet in her home, where the hallway is strewn with what might be called her latest wild enthusiasm: painting. Huge colourful canvasses line the floor and walls, and she cannot get enough art supplies. She says her commitment to painting is reminiscent of her alcoholism: "When I was drinking I'd go from off-licence to off-licence and when I started painting I went from zero to Picasso in 30 seconds." She offers me a canvas of my own ("Tony! Have we bubble wrap?") And while he looks she leans in and tells me that the neighbours are worn out from her gifts of art pieces. "It was like the baking, they thought it was a joke at the start; they don't think it's a joke now." The house is beautiful and large and I wonder if it, and the love she gets from legions of readers, represent a kind of two fingers to those who dismiss her as chick lit? "I can't complain, I've got what I wanted, the lovely house, the relationship with readers," she begins. "But I feel for the other women who are not getting what they deserve. Men will not read books written by women; statistically it just doesn't really happen. "Gay men will read my books sometimes, but it's very rare for straight men to do so. If a woman writes about family it's silly domestic concerns, but if a man does the same thing it's a searing exploration of the dynamics of family." This calls to mind another recent quip. Last summer, in what was seen as a thinly veiled reference to Colm Toibin - who told The Guardian that he gets bored by genre fiction books - Marian tweeted: "Sez the lad who wrote a Maeve Binchy pastiche and managed to persuade people it was literary fiction." Did she mean Tobin's Brooklyn? "The fact that I didn't even have to name it proved my point," she replies. "It's a bit silly to be making fun of genre fiction when you've written a piece of genre fiction. That was the only point I was making. Literary authors do this from time to time - they think they've invented a genre. Like, Martin Amis wrote a crime novel and it was treated as a completely different beast to ordinary crime fiction." One of the characters in Grown Ups bemoans a journalist's "shite-y attempt at psychoanalysing me", but Marian herself gamely humours all attempts to extrapolate from her life to her writings. "I don't mind the shite-y psychoanalysing and it's not shite-y!" She tries to avoid any kind of confrontation, even when provoked. "To be human is to be irritated irrationally. But you don't want to be a hermit; you have to button the lip occasionally. Except the odd time. I told someone to f**k off on Twitter the other day. "I said I'd give a signed copy of the new book to raise funds for victims of the fires in Australia. And a guy wrote 'oh you mean to advertise' and so I told him where to go. I mean, come on. How could you be so cynical?" Her Twitter is somewhat compulsive reading, an endless feed of witty observations and exasperated conversations with her mother ("old vumman"). It was her publisher's idea to join but she took to it. She has tweeted 105,000 times in eight years - an average of more than 30 times a day - and she says she prefers it to all other social media platforms. "Facebook was people from years ago coming out of the woodwork and it was like 'you were bitches in school so why would I want to be friends with you now?' Twitter though: duck to water. It suits me in that my head works fast, thoughts occur to me. Yes I've had spells where I've thought I'm doing too much of it, I have to step back. I try not to be online as much now because it steals time and it steals words. "Instagram is all envy. If you post a pair of socks on Instagram everyone will go 'oh look at your lovely socks', whereas if you post the same thing on Twitter everyone will say 'you and your socks - would you ever think of the homeless people who haven't had new socks in 20 years!' It's all the bile. And when it comes you're actually relieved because you can say 'it's come now and I'm grand about it'." From the start of her career she was a genius at alchemising her personal pain into fiction. In her twenties, after a law degree at UCD, she moved to London, found work as an accounts clerk and started binge-drinking in earnest. At her lowest point, around her 30th birthday, she found herself writing short stories in the sober interludes and submitted a few of them to Poolbeg Press. The publisher encouraged her to submit a full-length novel and Keyes began work on her first book, Watermelon. The novel was published the same year. Since 1995, she has published 13 novels and four works of non-fiction and won a large, loyal readership - Grown Ups is a big release for the publisher, Penguin. She has always had a gimlet eye for the gleaming detail, particularly in her descriptions of depression: "At a party, everyone would be looking at the glittering chandeliers," she once said, "and I'd be looking at the waitress's cracked shoes." She has written openly about the condition, which at times left her unable to sleep, read, write or talk. Even now, she says, it requires constant management. "It's a real illness and I have learned to deal with it. I can't manage too much fear or adrenaline. I can't do travel the way I used to. I can't handle too much of the adrenaline you need to do telly interviews. I can't cope with too much airports. I don't like crowds. I just do less and I'm lucky to have that luxury." Her father died at the end of 2018 and she was concerned that her depression would resurface as she mourned. "I was worried then that it would kick it all off again and it didn't. It's been awful and strange but it's been within the parameters of normal grief. I know the warning signs. If I start to feel like I'm dreaming it's an actual thing called derealisation." She met Tony, an Englishman affectionately known as 'himself' on her Twitter feed, while she was living in London and they'll be married 25 years this year. He is everything you could want in a husband: tall, handsome and very calm. "Sometimes I wake in the middle of the night and I have to put my hand on Tony's tummy to make sure he's still alive, still there. I touch him and I feel better." The setting for much of the drama in Grown Ups is a family get-together in a hotel, but Marian says that while she and her own family do organise similar country getaways, she drew her inspiration more broadly. "There's a group of us who have been friends for a long time and recently enough one of them has acquired a new partner who is tricky, to put it mildly, and just has this unerring ability to upset people. "We all went away for a yoke and she didn't come, and the next time I met her she made reference. She said how did you get on, and there was a split second where I nearly said it was great because you weren't there. But we all have to finesse our way through life - it's tact, it's kindness." Writing has become more physically arduous because of the joint pain in her hands. "My hands are very bad at the moment. I am worried about physically being able to write. I'm going to have to move to voice-activated. It'll be a big change." I murmur something about how well she looks, but she bats away the compliment. Danny DeVito is the person who would play her in Marian, the biopic, she says, as she explains how wrecked she would look if someone cut off her supply of hair extensions, expensive skincare and IPL (something to do with lasers). Her editors talked her out of the title All Our Secrets for the new book - "she said it was too low-rent" and she says she can't count the number of people who have taken her aside and asked her to "knock off the one-liners" but awards shortlists and critics be damned, she's not for turning. "It's an Irish thing, we use humour to make our misfortunes bearable. So for me that's non-negotiable. That's just the way I write." Speaking of which, she is rumoured to be working on a sequel to Rachel's Holiday - is there any truth in that? "Well, I don't believe in sequels," she says. "The Break was meant to be a sequel to Watermelon and I couldn't do it in the end because most of my characters go through such an arc that if I were to waltz in a few years later and go 'right lads, I'm going to make it all awful for you again' that would be wrong. But I have about 10,000 words written and it's a Walsh book. But it's tricky because Rachel's Holiday was a special book to a lot of people and she was so me. "Maeve Binchy once said that readers want you to be the way you were when they found you. This, if it is written, has to come with the caveat that I'm older, Rachel is older and my readers are older. So I realise it's a dangerous thing to be doing, but my gut and my heart wants to do it. And those are the things I listen to." Grown Ups by Marian Keyes is published by Michael Joseph Jeep has teased its first ever electric bicycle in a Groundhog Day-inspired Super Bowl ad starring Billy Murray, claiming it's the 'most capable' off-road mountain bike yet. The new Jeep-branded e-bike is being developed in partnership with all terrain electric bike maker QuietKat, which claims it can cover 40 miles on a single charge. In the Super Bowl ad, Murray can be seen riding in the snow on the bike with the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, in a basket on the front. According to QuietKat the bike has a 750 watt electric motor, high-end suspension and 4.8-inch fat tires that can 'tackle the most extreme terrain'. In the Super Bowl ad, Murray can be seen riding in the snow on the bike with the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, in a basket at the front Unlike the original Groundhog Day movie, released in 1993, Bill Murray finds himself much better equipped - with a Jeep Gladiator truck. The focus of the advert is on the truck, but in the middle of the 60-second commercial, Murray climbs on the new e-bike, which is launching in June. It is the first time Murray has ever starred in a US nationally televised advert and was broadcast on February 2, which is the actual Groundhog Day. While Bill bemoans the day as he wakes up in the commercial, things get better as he encounters a shiny new Jeep on the street. This gives him a new way to steal Punxsutawney Phil - the groundhog - then go on a series of adventures with the rodent. Very few details have been released about the new bike, including what it will cost and exactly when it will be released. Murray can be seen trying to get it up at a hill at about 40 seconds into the commercial, with the Gladiator truck in the background. We do know some details about the bike thanks to the Jeep website, such as the fact it has 4.8-inch fat tires that can tackle 'the most extreme terrain' and 'fire-link' suspension with tractive capability. A Jeep Gladiator truck gives Murray a new way to steal Punxsutawney Phil - the groundhog - then go on a series of adventures with the rodent, including on the new e-bike Very few details have been released about the new bike, including what it will cost and exactly when it will be released QuietKat also says on its website for the Jeep e-bike that it will have a 750-watt motor that can do 40 miles on a single charge. However, according to electric vehicle website Electrek, the motor shown in the clip is actually twice as powerful as QuietKat claims. From studying the video, they say the bike Murray rides has a Bafang Ultra motor that can put 1,600 watts of peak power out and an 'insane amount of torque'. Electrek also claims it has high-end hydraulic disc brakes and other top-level components that put it in the high end of e-bikes. About a month before Israeli elections scheduled for March 2, President Donald Trump dropped a bombshell with his deal of the century, unveiling his diplomatic plan for peace on Jan. 28. The economic components had been presented at a workshop convened by the Trump administration in Bahrain last June. Trump's plan has resurrected words in the Israeli discourse that had disappeared from the local political lexicon in recent years, among them diplomatic negotiations, peace, and Palestinian state. With the subject of peace once again on the table, however, instead of the Israeli left, for whom peace with the Palestinians is to a large extent its raison detre, leave it to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to finds ways to derive usefulness from this turn of events. In the days since the public presentation of Trump's plan, the left has made no effort to challenge it, to promote a real peace agenda, to offer new, alternative ideas or unfurl a peace-directed diplomatic vision while simultaneously rejecting the dangerous, hallucinatory ideas in the so-called deal of the century. Knesset members of the center-left have limited themselves to vague generalities that mean little to the Israeli voter despite many of them being given an open mike to speak their minds and promote a peace agenda. They did not call on the public to come out and reject the plan. Only a few hundred people participated in a Feb. 1 protest organized by the anti-occupation group Peace Now against the initiative. Meanwhile, only members of the Arab public participated in a demonstration in the town of Baka al-Gharbiya, revealing that there is little to the notion of a Jewish-Arab partnership. The Trump program calls for a Palestinian state annexing the Israeli cities of the center-north Triangle region, where mostly Arab villages are located, along with the Arab Israelis living there. Blue and White seeking to draw a clear line between itself and the left-wing parties committed to a resolution of the conflict on the basis of two states for two peoples has embraced the US plan. Amir Peretz, leader of the center-left Labor-Gesher-Meretz alliance instead of objecting to Trumps plan and underlining support for a two-state solution limited himself to a few vague words in which he called for a resumption of direct negotiations with the Palestinians and thanked Trump for his efforts. It was as if Peretz represented a ruling party and not a mere technical bloc predicted by the polls to garner only nine Knesset seats. Now it is clear, more than ever, that we need a diplomatic compass, Peretz tweeted Jan. 28. In the next government, Labor-Gesher-Meretz will lead the renewal of the peace process as [late Prime Minister Yitzhak] Rabin had conceived it. But no diplomatic program, even a revolutionary one, can move ahead one-sided. We thank President Trump for his honest efforts; after the elections, direct negotiations should be carried out with the states in the region, and with the Palestinian Authority. Peretz's tweet generated a flood of sharp responses from both the left and the right. Itzik Shmuli, chair of Labor's Knesset faction, was far less diplomatic than Peretz. He declared in a tweet, The deal of the century is the fraud of the century that will not lead to peace, but to one-sided annexation and conflagration. The next morning in a radio interview, Meretz head Nitzan Horowitz also adopted a blunter tone than Peretz in rejecting out of hand the provision to strip Arab Israelis of their citizenship. It will never happen, Horowitz asserted. What was salient about all these statements as well as interviews by Labor and Meretz leaders is that they all highlighted the failures in Trumps program, but there was no attempt to influence or mold the discourse. True to form, Gesher's leader, Orli Levy-Abekasis, kept mum on the issue. Thus, confused Israelis sat in front of their screens watching their prime minister talk himself to death about changing the face of history. None of the opposition parties explained what they plan to do; none of them offered an alternative vision to Trump's; no one talked about crafting a solution that will actually lead to peace and security. This absence of ideas stood in stark contrast to the parties' modus operandi in recent years, with practically every senior Knesset member from the center-left having offered his or her very own peace plan. These old initiatives include Amir Peretzs 2015 diplomatic program and one by Labor Knesset member Omer Bar-Lev that same year along with the Ten-Point outline by former Labor head Isaac Herzog in 2017. Where are all these initiatives and programs today? Why have none of the speakers, tweeters and interviewees mentioned these initiatives? Why dont they address existing plans, including the 2000 Clinton Parameters, the 2003 Geneva Initiative, the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, and more. Dont leaders on the political left understand that they have declined to their present status with only nine mandates for two parties (plus Gesher) that once held almost 30 in 2015 because in the last decade they were not able to explain to the Israeli public what exactly they advocate diplomatically and what their ultimate vision looks like for peace between Israel and the Palestinians? Blue and White does not have a detailed diplomatic vision, but it is not really running on advancing a diplomatic solution, but rather on anything but Netanyahu. It appears that Labor-Gesher-Meretz Knesset members were also afraid to attack or even criticize Trump in their statements, tweets and announcements to the media. Why were they so concerned about the honor of the US president? Have they forgotten the last years of the Barack Obama era when Netanyahu did everything in his power to oppose Obamas policy on Iran's nuclear program? Netanyahu believed that the nuclear deal signed in 2015 endangered Israeli security, so he made impressive (electoral) use of speeches and statements to Congress, Jewish organizations, the United Nations and the Knesset all aimed at Obama. Now needs to be the finest hour of the Israeli left. An American president has presented an extremely problematic diplomatic program that could lead Israel into the abyss of a binational state, proposes the transfer of Israels Arab citizens, and in essence, eternalizes the conflict with the Palestinians. If the left feels that Trump's program endangers Israels future, why not say so directly, boldly and honestly? Why not disparage the crazy ideas born in essence in the Yesha Council, the settlement umbrella organization, and happily adopted by advocates of the settler lobby in the White House? The right has not yet received a seal of approval from the Americans to immediately annex West Bank territories, but they are already using Trump's plan as insurance against any fair, stable agreement in the future. Under these circumstances, the left has nothing to lose, only something to gain. Anyone who wants to see a revival of the Israeli left must first and foremost develop a strategy, and be willing to lead and not be led, and suggest alternatives, not only criticize. At this point, the left continues to mark time and go nowhere in terms of its number of supporters as well as its ideology. [February 03, 2020] Global Flight Data Monitoring Industry NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Flight Data Monitoring market worldwide is projected to grow by US$2.4 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 7.2%. FDM Service, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 8%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$2.8 Billion by the year 2025, FDM Service will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798595/?utm_source=PRN - Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 6.1% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$85.5 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$72.5 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, FDM Service will reach a market size of US$128.5 Million by the close of the analysis period. As the world's second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 10.8% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$685.2 Million in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies. - Competitors identified in this market include, among others, Curtiss-Wright Corporation; Flight Data Services Ltd.; Flight Data Systems Inc.; Flightdatapeople; FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd.; Guardian Mobility; Safran Electronics & Defense; Scaled Analytics Inc.; SKYTRAC Systems Ltd.; Teledyne Controls LLC. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798595/?utm_source=PRN I. METHODOLOGY II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. MARKET OVERVIEW Global Competitor Market Shares Flight Data Monitoring Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide (in %): 2019 & 2025 2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS 3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS 4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE Table 1: Flight Data Monitoring Global Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 2: Flight Data Monitoring Global Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 3: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Shift across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 4: FDM Service (Component) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 5: FDM Service (Component) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 6: FDM Service (Component) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 7: FDM System (Component) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 8: FDM System (Component) Historic Market Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 9: FDM System (Component) Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 10: FDM Software (Component) Geographic Market Spread Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 11: FDM Software (Component) Region Wise Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 12: FDM Software (Component) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 13: Fleet Operators (End-Use) Demand Potential Worldwide in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 14: Fleet Operators (End-Use) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 15: Fleet Operators (End-Use) Share Breakdown Review by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 16: Drone Operators (End-Use) Worldwide Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 17: Drone Operators (End-Use) Global Historic Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 18: Drone Operators (End-Use) Distribution of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 19: FDM Service Providers (End-Use) Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2018 through 2025 Table 20: FDM Service Providers (End-Use) Analysis of Historic Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2009 to 2017 Table 21: FDM Service Providers (End-Use) Global Market Share Distribution by Region/Country for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 22: Investigation Agencies (End-Use) Global Opportunity Assessment in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 23: Investigation Agencies (End-Use) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 24: Investigation Agencies (End-Use) Percentage Share Breakdown of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 III. MARKET ANALYSIS GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS UNITED STATES Market Facts & Figures US Flight Data Monitoring Market Share (in %) by Company: 2019 & 2025 Table 25: United States Flight Data Monitoring Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 26: Flight Data Monitoring Market in the United States by Component: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 27: United States Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 28: United States Flight Data Monitoring Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 29: Flight Data Monitoring Historic Demand Patterns in the United States by End-Use in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 30: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown in the United States by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CANADA Table 31: Canadian Flight Data Monitoring Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 32: Canadian Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Review by Component in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 33: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Component for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 34: Canadian Flight Data Monitoring Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 35: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Canada: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use for 2009-2017 Table 36: Canadian Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 JAPAN Table 37: Japanese Market for Flight Data Monitoring: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 38: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2009-2017 Table 39: Japanese Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 40: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Flight Data Monitoring in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 41: Japanese Flight Data Monitoring Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 42: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Shift in Japan by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CHINA Table 43: Chinese Flight Data Monitoring Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 44: Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 45: Chinese Flight Data Monitoring Market by Component: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 46: Chinese Demand for Flight Data Monitoring in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 47: Flight Data Monitoring Market Review in China in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 48: Chinese Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 EUROPE Market Facts & Figures European Flight Data Monitoring Market: Competitor Market Share Scenario (in %) for 2019 & 2025 Table 49: European Flight Data Monitoring Market Demand Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 50: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Europe: A Historic Market Perspective in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 51: European Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Shift by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 52: European Flight Data Monitoring Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Component: 2018-2025 Table 53: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Europe in US$ Million by Component: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 54: European Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 55: European Flight Data Monitoring Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 56: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2009-2017 Table 57: European Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 FRANCE Table 58: Flight Data Monitoring Market in France by Component: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 59: French Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Coponent: 2009-2017 by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 61: Flight Data Monitoring Quantitative Demand Analysis in France in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 62: French Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Review in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 63: French Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and 2025 GERMANY Table 64: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Germany : Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 65: German Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 66: German Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 67: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Germany : Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 68: German Flight Data Monitoring Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 69: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Distribution in Germany by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ITALY Table 70: Italian Flight Data Monitoring Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 71: Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 72: Italian Flight Data Monitoring Market by Component: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 73: Italian Demand for Flight Data Monitoring in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 74: Flight Data Monitoring Market Review in Italy in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 75: Italian Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 UNITED KINGDOM Table 76: United Kingdom Market for Flight Data Monitoring: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 77: Flight Data Monitoring Market in the United Kingdom : Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2009-2017 Table 78: United Kingdom Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 79: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Flight Data Monitoring in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 80: United Kingdom Flight Data Monitoring Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 81: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Shift in the United Kingdom by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SPAIN Table 82: Spanish Flight Data Monitoring Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 83: Spanish Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Review by Component in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 84: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Spain : Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Component for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 85: Spanish Flight Data Monitoring Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 86: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Spain : Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use for 2009-2017 Table 87: Spanish Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 RUSSIA Table 88: Russian Flight Data Monitoring Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 89: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Russia by Component: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 90: Russian Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 91: Russian Flight Data Monitoring Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 92: Flight Data Monitoring Historic Demand Patterns in Russia by End-Use in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 93: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown in Russia by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF EUROPE Table 94: Rest of Europe Flight Data Monitoring Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Component: 2018-2025 Table 95: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Million by Component: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 96: Rest of Europe Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 97: Rest of Europe Flight Data Monitoring Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 98: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Rest of Europe : Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2009-2017 Table 99: Rest of Europe Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ASIA-PACIFIC Table 100: Asia-Pacific Flight Data Monitoring Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 101: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Asia-Pacific : Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 102: Asia-Pacific Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 103: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Asia-Pacific by Component: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 104: Asia-Pacific Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 105: Asia-Pacific Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 106: Flight Data Monitoring Quantitative Demand Analysis in Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 107: Asia-Pacific Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Review in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 108: Asia-Pacific Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and 2025 AUSTRALIA Table 109: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Australia : Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 110: Australian Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 111: Australian Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 112: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Australia : Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 113: Australian Flight Data Monitoring Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 114: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Distribution in Australia by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 INDIA Table 115: Indian Flight Data Monitoring Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 116: Indian Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Review by Component in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 117: Flight Data Monitoring Market in India : Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Component for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 118: Indian Flight Data Monitoring Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 119: Flight Data Monitoring Market in India : Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use for 2009-2017 Table 120: Indian Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SOUTH KOREA Table 121: Flight Data Monitoring Market in South Korea : Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 122: South Korean Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 123: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 124: Flight Data Monitoring Market in South Korea : Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 125: South Korean Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 126: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Distribution in South Korea by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC Table 127: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Flight Data Monitoring: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 128: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific : Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2009-2017 Table 129: Rest of Asia-Pacific Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 130: Rest of Asia-Pacific Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Flight Data Monitoring in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 131: Rest of Asia-Pacific Flight Data Monitoring Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 132: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Shift in Rest of Asia-Pacific by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 LATIN AMERICA Table 133: Latin American Flight Data Monitoring Market Trends by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018-2025 Table 134: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Latin America in US$ Million by Region/Country: A Historic Perspective for the Period 2009-2017 Table 135: Latin American Flight Data Monitoring Market Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 136: Latin American Flight Data Monitoring Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 137: Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Analysis in Latin America in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 138: Latin American Flight Data Monitoring Market by Component: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 139: Latin American Demand for Flight Data Monitoring in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 140: Flight Data Monitoring Market Review in Latin America in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 141: Latin American Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ARGENTINA Table 142: Argentinean Flight Data Monitoring Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Component: 2018-2025 Table 143: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Argentina in US$ Million by Component: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 144: Argentinean Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 145: Argentinean Flight Data Monitoring Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 146: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Argentina : Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2009-2017 Table 147: Argentinean Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 BRAZIL Table 148: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Brazil by Component: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 149: Brazilian Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 150: Brazilian Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 151: Flight Data Monitoring Quantitative Demand Analysis in Brazil in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 152: Brazilian Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Review in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 153: Brazilian Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and 2025 MEXICO Table 154: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Mexico : Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 155: Mexican Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 156: Mexican Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 157: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Mexico : Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 158: Mexican Flight Data Monitoring Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 159: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Distribution in Mexico by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF LATIN AMERICA Table 160: Rest of Latin America Flight Data Monitoring Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 161: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Rest of Latin America by Component: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 162: Rest of Latin America Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 163: Rest of Latin America Flight Data Monitoring Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 164: Flight Data Monitoring Historic Demand Patterns in Rest of Latin America by End-Use in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 165: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown in Rest of Latin America by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 MIDDLE EAST Table 166: The Middle East Flight Data Monitoring Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 167: Flight Data Monitoring Market in the Middle East by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 168: The Middle East Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 169: The Middle East Flight Data Monitoring Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 170: The Middle East Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market by Component in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 171: Flight Data Monitoring Market in the Middle East : Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Component for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 172: The Middle East Flight Data Monitoring Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 173: Flight Data Monitoring Market in the Middle East : Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use for 2009-2017 Table 174: The Middle East Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 IRAN Table 175: Iranian Market for Flight Data Monitoring: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 176: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Iran : Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2009-2017 Table 177: Iranian Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 178: Iranian Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Flight Data Monitoring in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 179: Iranian Flight Data Monitoring Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 180: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Shift in Iran by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ISRAEL Table 181: Israeli Flight Data Monitoring Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Component: 2018-2025 Table 182: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Israel in US$ Million by Component: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 183: Israeli Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 184: Israeli Flight Data Monitoring Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 185: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Israel : Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2009-2017 Table 186: Israeli Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SAUDI ARABIA Table 187: Saudi Arabian Flight Data Monitoring Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 188: Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Analysis in Saudi Arabia in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 189: Saudi Arabian Flight Data Monitoring Market by Component: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 190: Saudi Arabian Demand for Flight Data Monitoring in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 191: Flight Data Monitoring Market Review in Saudi Arabia in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 192: Saudi Arabian Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Table 193: Flight Data Monitoring Market in the United Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 194: United Arab Emirates Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 195: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Distribution in United Arab Emirates by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 196: Flight Data Monitoring Market in the United Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 197: United Arab Emirates Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 198: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Distribution in United Arab Emirates by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF MIDDLE EAST Table 199: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Rest of Middle East: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 200: Rest of Middle East Flight Data Monitoring Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 201: Rest of Middle East Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 202: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Rest of Middle East: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 203: Rest of Middle East Flight Data Monitoring Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 204: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Distribution in Rest of Middle East by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 AFRICA Table 205: African Flight Data Monitoring Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 206: Flight Data Monitoring Market in Africa by Component: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 207: African Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 208: African Flight Data Monitoring Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 209: Flight Data Monitoring Historic Demand Patterns in Africa by End-Use in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 210: Flight Data Monitoring Market Share Breakdown in Africa by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 IV. COMPETITION CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION FLYHT AEROSPACE SOLUTIONS FLIGHT DATA SERVICES FLIGHT DATA SYSTEMS FLIGHTDATAPEOPLE GUARDIAN MOBILITY SKYTRAC SYSTEMS LTD. SAFRAN ELECTRONICS & DEFENSE SCALED ANALYTICS INC. TELEDYNE CONTROLS LLC. V. CURATED RESEARCH Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798595/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-flight-data-monitoring-industry-300997496.html SOURCE Reportlinker [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Bengaluru, Feb 3 : GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) has signed a deal with the Karnataka government to operate the Bidar airport in the state's northern region, its holding firm GMR Infrastructure Ltd said on Monday. "We have signed a concession agreement with the Karnataka government to commission, operationalise and maintain the civilian enclave at the Bidar airport in the state's northern region," the New Delhi-based GMR said in a regulatory filing on the BSE. Under the central government's flagship regional connectivity Udan scheme, a daily service between Bengaluru and Bidar will commence soon from the airport. "A budget carrier like True Jet is likely to operate the service after the airport's formal inauguration on February 7," a company official told IANS on phone. State Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa told reporters here recently that the Bidar airport would become operational in February first week. "The operationalisation of the Bidar airport is a testimony to our commitment to support the central government's regional connectivity scheme in partnership with the state government," GMR Airports executive Director and GHIAL Chief Executive S.G.K. Kishore in a statement. Located in the north-eastern part of the southern state, Bidar is home to important religious shrines and historic monuments, including Guru Nanak Jhira Sahib, one of the holiest sites of the Sikh religion in the country. "Air connectivity and feeder service will lead the all-round socio-economic development of the region and give a boost to the local economy with pilgrims and tourists flying to Bidar," said Kishore. Bidar is also renowned for Bidriware metal handicraft products, which have been recognised with the coveted Geographical Indication (GI) tag. Bidar is also well connected with Hyderabad, about 150 km away. The GMR group operates New Delhi and Hyderabad international airports in the country. The state-run Airport Authority of India (AAI) commenced operations in November at Kalaburagi airport, which is 120 km away. State-run Air India's subsidiary Alliance Air launched a direct service from Kalaburagi to Bengaluru and Mysuru on December 27 under Udan. For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME. Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire. Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever. Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation. View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union. Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history. Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words. US factories expanded unexpectedly last month, snapping a five-month losing streak. The Insitute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, said Monday that its manufacturing index rose to 50.9 in January from 47.8 in December. Anything above 50 signals expansion. The index had showed US manufacturing contracting from August through December, partly because President Donald Trump's trade war with China had raised costs and uncertainty. Economists had expected another bad month in January. But new orders, production and export orders all grew last month. Factory hiring dropped for the sixth straight month but at a slower pace than it did in December. Factories, the ISM said, were struggling to find workers at a time when the unemployment rate is at a 50-year low 3.5 per cent. The US and China last month reached a truce in their battle over Beijing's aggressive economic policies. But the United States continues to levy tariffs on USD 360 billion worth of Chinese imports. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man who convinced his wife to kill herself and then helped her to do it for a $1.4 million life insurance payout says he was improperly convicted. Graham Robert Morant's lawyer says the judge gave incorrect instructions to a jury during his 2018 trial. Graham Morant is seen leaving the Supreme Court in Brisbane during his trial. Credit:AAP/Darren England. Emails between his wife Jennifer Morant and a euthanasia campaigner about two months before she died should also have been considered by the jury, the lawyer said. But crown prosecutor Dzenita Balic told the Queensland Court of Appeal on Monday that Morant persuaded his wife to end her life in November 2014. 5W Public Relations helped Jerusalem Venture Partners launch its JVP International Cyber Center in Soho at a Feb. 1 event. As part of the event, JVP founder and chairman Erel Margalit talked with Gwyneth Paltrow, actress and founder of lifestyle brand goop. The two discussed issues surrounding innovation, entrepreneurship and creating international market leaders. Also attending the event were representatives from the four universities partnering with JVP on the new center; international business delegations from Europe, the US and Asia; and key players from New York State Economic Development Councils New York Start Up program. Founded in 1993, JVP has created and invested in over 140 companies in Israel, the US and Europe. Vested has acquired New York-based Scribe, which specializes in content development, optimization, strategy and syndication for clients across banking, asset management, hedge fund, and other financial services verticals. Its clients include Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, Vestwell and Threadvest. Vested will own a majority stake in Scribe, which will maintain its brand. The acquisition follows Vesteds 2018 purchase of UK-based Templars PR and last years purchase of minority stakes in Caliber Corporate Advisers and business journalism website, Talking Biz News. Lydia Bednerik Neal Blattel Communications has opened a marketing services division. The new division will work with small- and mid-size firms, in such areas as law, accounting, real estate, architecture and construction, as well as professional associations and nonprofits. The division will be anchored by vice president, marketing services Lydia Bednerik Neal and marketing services director Marcia Delgadillo, both recent additions to the agency. Bednerik Neal rejoins Blattel, where she worked in the early 2000s, from legal firm Wendel Rosen LLP, where she was marketing director. Delgadillo was most recently director of member relations and development for the California Minority Counsel Program. After some candidates have campaigned for more than a year, Monday night's Iowa caucuses will finally kick off the Democrats' presidential primary race. The caucuses come as Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign seems to be gaining steam, while that of Vice President Joe Biden - long considered the party's frontrunner - sputters. Sanders ascent already has the party establishment fearing that the self-proclaimed democratic soclialist will tank Democrats chances to retake the White House from President Trump, who won by small margins in 2016 via the Electoral College, while Democrat Hillary Clinton won the popular vote. Sen. Bernie Sanders addresses an overflow crowd Sunday night in Des Moines as he enter his campaign's Super Bowl party. Sanders is now topping the polls in Iowa, making the Democratic establishment nervous over fears he'd get trounced by President Trump Sen. Bernie Sanders (left) holds the hand of Jane Sanders (right) as they enter the candidate's Super Bowl party Sunday night in Des Moines, Iowa Vice President Joe Biden (right) has long been considered the Democrats' frontrunner - and remains so in national polls - but he could get Bern-ed in Iowa Monday night, as the Vermont senator has overtaken him in recent surveys Former Secretary of State John Kerry (right) provided some last minute drama in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses, as he was overheard on the phone brainstorming how he could jump into the race if former Vice President Joe Biden (left) looks to be losing to Sen. Bernie Sanders John Kerry (left) denied the news report and that he was worried about 'the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party - down whole.' Kerry is on the campaign trail as a surrogate for former Vice President Joe Biden (right) The most dramatic example of party fears being expressed came from an overheard phone call from former Secretary of State John Kerry, in the Hawkeye State as a surrogate for Biden. Kerry was the Democrats' 2004 nominee and lost. NBC News reported Sunday that Kerry was workshopping what he could do to get into the 2020 race because of 'the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party - down whole.' 'Maybe I'm f***ing deluding myself here,' Kerry said. Once the story came out, Kerry denied that he was mulling a 2020 bid in an expletive-laden tweet, which he later deleted, posting a cleaner version. Iowa polls have shown Sanders and Biden neck-and-neck, though have given the Vermont senator a slight edge. The Real Clear Politics polling average on Monday showed Sanders with a 4 point lead over the former vice president. One especially important poll - from the Des Moines Register and CNN - had to be scrapped on Saturday over an error in administering the survey. Sen. Amy Klobuchar seems to be benefiting from late-breaking Iowa voters. She's shot up in the polls in the past week and her events are attracting crowds numbered in the hundreds For months, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg has also had a strong showing in the Hawkeye State - meaning Monday night's caucuses could end up being a five-way split Recent polls also show Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, gaining steam - as a number of late-breaking Iowa voters are flocking her way. Additionally, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg have, for months, had strong interest from voters in the state - meaning it could be a five-way race. On top of that, the way the Democrats caucus in Iowa is unique. Once the Democrats are inside the caucus location they gather in groups with their candidate of choice. Candidate must have a threshold of 15 per cent to be viable, so a lot of politicking happens each caucus night - making the results incredibly difficult to predict. This year, too, the number of initial supporters who came out for each candidate will be reported publicly. That could allow multiple candidates to claim victory. Candidates like Andrew Yang, who has been polling under 15 per cent the whole time, could point to the original vote total to prove that the campaign has enough support to continue on. In the past, Iowa has been where many a campaign died. With the raw vote totals being reported in Iowa this year, candidates like Andrew Yang (left) could point to those numbers and say he has enough grassroots support to move on. Yang appeared with comedian Dave Chappelle (right) in Iowa last week Impeachment has forced the campaigns of the U.S. senators running for president to get creative. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (left) deployed her husband (right) Bruce Mann and her dog Bailey to get out her message on the trail while she was stuck in Washington Sen. Elizabeth Warren's dog Bailey, a 20-month Golden Retriever, even took the candidate's place in her famous 'selfie lines.' Allowing Warren, who was stuck in Washington due to President Trump's impeachment trial, to cover more ground One example, was Biden's 2008 effort. While he came in fifth place in the caucuses, because of the 15 per cent rule his vote total only amounted to 1 per cent. He dropped out the day after. Impeachment has also cast an odd spell over the run-up to the caucuses this year. It kept three leading contenders - Sanders, Warren and Klobuchar - off the ground for days at a time. The fourth U.S. senator running for president, Colorado's Michael Bennet, has bypassed Iowa and has been focusing on New Hampshire, which holds a primary next week. Warren's campaign made-do by deploying her 20-month Golden Retriever Bailey, escorted by her husband Bruce Mann, to campaign stops last week. Bailey even took over Warren's famous selfie lines once the Massachusetts senator was back in state, so she could cover more ground. The Democratic caucuses in Iowa are unique. Caucus-goers gather in groups to back their chosen candidates. If their group doesn't amount to 15 per cent of those at the caucus site, they can choose to be redistributed to a viable candidate. In 2016, caucus-goer Samuel Kreamer is seen joining the group of Bernie Sanders supporters, once his pick, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, wasn't viable Sanders' campaign utilized his wife Jane and a number of buzzy surrogates including the three so-called 'Squad' members who've backed his campaign. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hosted campaign events one weekend Sanders was away, while Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar came to Iowa this past weekend. The newly-divorced Omar even brought her boyfriend, who also recently split from his spouse. Tlaib's decision to encourage a crowd of Sanders supporters in Clive, Iowa Friday night to boo the Democrats' 2016 nominee Clinton showed more splinters in the party. By Saturday morning, Tlaib was walking back her actions. Clinton has popped her head back into the fray to disparage Sanders, who was her primary rival last cycle. In a documentary, she said of Sanders: 'Nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done. He was a career politician.' 'It's all just baloney and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it,' the ex-Democratic nominee added. She's said more recently that she still stands by those comments. How to understand the Iowa Caucuses (and why there may be more than one 'winner') The Iowa caucuses are essentially small local meetings where neighbors and strangers stand up to show their support for a particular candidate, and to persuade others to join them. Iowas 41 national delegates are up for grabs, but the real stakes for the candidates are all about momentum. The caucuses are the first opportunity for Democrats to express their preferences in whats been a long and tumultuous primary. They set the tone for the monthlong sprint through the early primary states, after which the field of candidates is typically culled. The winner usually receives a boost in media attention and fundraising that can propel them through subsequent contests. An unexpectedly bad performance, meanwhile, can hobble a candidate. Attendees hold letters reading Caucus during a campaign event in Coralville, Iowa The caucuses dont always pick the eventual nominee, but for Democrats theyve been more predictive - every winner since 2000 has gone on to become the Democratic nominee. And historically, theyve been known to catapult underdog candidates campaigns to prominence - like they did with Barack Obama in 2008, or Jimmy Carter in 1976. WHERE AND WHEN DO THEY TAKE PLACE - AND WHO PARTICIPATES? The caucuses begin at 7 p.m. CST on Monday. Democrats gather in school gymnasiums, union halls and community centers - known in caucus parlance as precincts. There are 1,678 precincts in Iowa this year and an additional 99 satellite precincts, which are for caucuses held outside of the state or at different times of the day and in locations that may be more accessible to those with disabilities or those who have to work during the main event. Some precincts could have hundreds of Iowans show up, and some may have fewer than 10. The 2008 Democratic caucuses set a record when nearly 240,000 Iowans turned out; this year, party operatives are expecting turnout to be big, but likely not record-breaking. Any registered Democrat who will be 18 by election day can participate, which includes 17-year-olds with an upcoming birthday. And Iowans can newly register or switch their party registration at their caucus site the day of - so campaigns have been courting disaffected Republicans and new voters across Iowa. WHAT HAPPENS AT A CAUCUS? There are essentially two rounds of voting in the caucuses. When all the caucusgoers at a precinct have signed in, the attendees elect a caucus chair, who directs the proceedings. Representatives of the campaigns have an opportunity to stand up and give a last-minute pitch for their candidate, and then the caucuses begin, with a process known as the "first alignment." Thats where attendees gather in the designated area for their favored candidate. In most precincts, any candidate that receives the support of 15% of the people in the room is considered "viable" and moves on to the next round of voting. Caucusgoers who chose a viable candidate on their first round are locked in and cant choose a new candidate on the second. Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg's shadow is cast on the Iowas state flag in Coralville, Iowa Supporters of candidates who didnt meet that threshold, however, have four options: They can support a viable candidate, or join with supporters of another non-viable candidate close to 15% support to get them to viability. Alternately, they can try to entice supporters of other non-viable candidates over to theirs to get them over the threshold. Or, they can go home. This part of the caucuses - known as realignment - is the most crucial, and typically the most chaotic, portion of the night. Well-organized campaigns have volunteers, staffers and surrogates working the room, trying to win over caucusgoers from opposing campaigns. Its part of the reason why having staff and surrogates who know their area and have built a community there is so important for the campaigns. At the end of realignment, the caucus chair takes a final count of the room, and transmits the numbers to the Iowa Democratic Party. Changes from 2016 will allow for additional reporting of caucus results HOW ARE THE RESULTS CALCULATED? The results in each precinct are used by the Iowa Democratic Party to calculate whats known as the "state delegate equivalent," or how many delegates each candidate gets at the Iowa Democratic Party convention. That number ultimately translates to how many of Iowas 41 national delegates each candidate gets at the national convention. HOW ARE THIS YEARS CAUCUSES DIFFERENT FROM YEARS PAST? For the first time, caucusgoers will record their choices on a slip of paper, which theyll sign to certify their support. The caucus leaders will collect those presidential preference cards and turn them into the Iowa Democratic Party, and theyll be used if any candidate requests a recount. This year, there are only two rounds of alignment, rather than the multiple rounds in years past, and supporters of a viable candidate after the first alignment are locked in to that candidate. In previous caucuses, every attendee could choose a new candidate on each realignment. The satellite caucuses are new, and the Iowa Democratic Party is allowing attendees to check in early rather than at their precinct site, a move aimed to cut down on the long lines and wait times in years past. But the biggest change is the change in how the Iowa Democratic Party will report its results. Previously, they only released the state delegate equivalent numbers; now, theyre releasing the raw totals from the first and second alignments, as well as the state delegate equivalents. The Associated Press will be deciding the winner based on state delegate equivalents - but with more data being released, the campaigns have signaled they plan to spin the numbers in their favor, whatever the eventual result. - Associated Press Advertisement Overall, 11 Democrats are currently running for president. Former Rep. John Delaney - who was the first Democrat to announce his bid - dropped out Friday and encouraged Iowa voters to back a moderate choice. His campaign bus has been repurposed to promote D.C. statehood on the day of the caucuses. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is skipping the first caucus and primary states, focusing on races on March 3 - dubbed 'Super Tuesday' for how many states vote. The other billionaire in the race, Tom Steyer, campaigned across Iowa, but is only averaging 3 per cent support in the polls. Close Sadiq Khan warns Streatham attack was 'preventable' The Isis supporter who stabbed two people in a terror attack on a south London high street has been named as 20-year-old Sudesh Amman. Scotland Yard confirmed Amman was under surveillance at the time of the Streatham attack, having only been released from prison days ago after being jailed in 2018 for disseminating terrorist material and collecting information useful for terror attacks. Counterterror police have raided a probation hostel in London and a Hertfordshire property but no arrests have yet been made, while mayor Sadiq Khan expressed anger at Boris Johnsons government over its failure to prevent the foreseeable and preventable attack. The male victim who was stabbed in the attack is no longer in a life-threatening condition, while one woman, in her fifties, was discharged from hospital late on Sunday. Another woman, in her twenties, is believed to have been struck by shattered glass and was receiving treatment, police said. His mother, Haleema Faraz Khan, told Sky News that he was a nice, polite boy and that he had become more religious in prison. Ms Khan said she believed her son had come radicalised while in HMP Belmarsh, where concerns have previously been raised over Islamist extremism and networking between terrorist prisoners. The justice minister is expected to announce fundamental changes to how the UK imprisons convicted terrorists on Monday evening, but it was not immediately clear how the measures would go beyond the 2019 Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act which ended automatic early release for a host of terror offences. Description GIS 03 February, 2020: Twelve Mauritian nationals (including one infant) have been evacuated, yesterday, from Wuhan following the outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus in China. The Mauritians have been taken to a seaside holiday camp at Carry-le-Rouet, near Marseilles, in France, where they will be kept in quarantine for 14 days. Thereafter, arrangements will be made for them to travel to Mauritius. Two of the 14 Mauritian nationals who initially requested evacuation from Wuhan decided to stay back. The 12 Mauritian nationals were transferred from their respective living quarters by transportation provided by their universities. They were first taken to the French Consulate in Wuhan from where they left in cortege to the airport. They underwent medical check-ups conducted by both Chinese and French medical professionals as well as the required security checks before boarding the aircraft. The officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade and of the Mauritius Embassies in Beijing and in Paris monitored the whole process and maintained close communication with the Mauritian nationals being evacuated. The Ministry continues to monitor the situation closely in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and with the Prime Ministers Office. Some may take the view that democracy has gone mad, but among the proposals for a parent and student charter to govern the entire family of school relationships is that pupils have a seat on the board of management. The charter is envisaged in legislation currently making its way through the parliamentary system, aimed at putting relationships between schools, students and parents on a new footing, including a requirement for all schools to publish and operate a parent and student charter. The overall goal of the legislation is to embed better communication, accountability and transparency cultures in schools. While the legislation will set a general framework, the fine detail of the charter will be teased out between the Department of Education and representatives groups, such as the national parents' councils, both primary and post-primary, and the Irish Second Level Students' Union. It is through that working party that the proposal that second-level schools should go beyond having a consultative student council and put a pupil on the board will be considered. It provides scope for lively discussion on any such involvement, and how it might work. Unsurprisingly, the proposed legislation has triggered a national conversation: it is the subject of hearings by the Oireachtas Education Committee, it has its watercooler moments in staff rooms, and the National Parents Council-Post Primary (NPC-PP) is currently conducting a survey on its website to gather views of parents to bring to the working party. Paul Beddy and Paul Rolston of the NPC-PP told the Oireachtas committee that parents feel excluded from having an input into the system at second-level and want to be consulted on all aspects of children's education and development. A few years ago, a survey by the National Parents Council-Primary (NPC-P) found that 96pc of parents listed fundraising as an activity of their school's parent association, but only 31pc reported any encouragement from the school to become more involved in their child's education. According to the NPC-PP, the majority of queries it receives relate to grievance procedures, with many parents unaware of how to pursue a problem, and fearing reprisal if they do. It says that many parents feel intimidated by the process. Current complaints procedures in schools are not underpinned by legislation and there can be a confusing variation in practice. The charter will change that, but the big goal is a culture that will avoid grievances emerging in the first place and, where they do, to resolve them informally. A parents' seat on boards of management, parent associations and student councils have all been part of the education landscape for years, but the charter will provide unprecedented legislative underpinning to the rights of parents and students. One of the charter's goals is to ensure that all schools have a healthy "listening culture", with feedback from parents and students on issues such as teaching and learning and how money is spent. A subtle, but significant, shift encompassed in the legislation will be a change in focus of the student council from being one of promoting the interests of the school, to promoting the interests of the student. The Ombudsman for Children and the Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN) agree that the charter should be renamed the Student and Parent Charter. The issuing, recently, of a Department of Education circular setting a requirement for schools to consult with parents on costs such as uniforms and books is an example of the type of engagement envisaged. In the case of uniforms and books, many schools say they already do this. Some will greet the bestowal of additional rights to students and parents with a certain hesitancy, but the philosophy behind the charter is that it will benefit every stakeholder in school communities. Patricia Gordon, principal of Stratford College Rathgar, Dublin, is very open to the charter idea and recently hosted a panel discussion in the school giving various stakeholders an opportunity to air their positions. Stratford has a tradition of open engagement stretching back over 20 years, which has formalised to become an annual meeting between the board of management, student council and parents' association. She says "such engagement has always been a positive. I see no threat from a parent and student charter, more an enhancement of existing relationships, embedding both rights and responsibilities. "In my experience, the more involved students and parents are in school life, the better understanding they have of how much work is involved." But she says that resources, training and a robust set of guidelines will be needed to steer a path. Teacher unions support schools adopting best practice in their dealings with parents and student, but also caution about the need to balance the rights and responsibilities of all parties and are concerned about any "misconceptions" that may be driving changes. They also insist it will have to be backed by resources. When she addressed the Oireachtas committee recently, as president of the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI), Joanne Irwin said the TUI disputed the assumption that a large volume of complaints and grievances were not being adequately addressed. She noted that the Ombudsman for Children's office recorded 4,000 complaints about schools in the past 14 years. This, she said, amounted to fewer than 300 complaints per year in the context of 4,000 schools, serving 917,000 students. "Viewed objectively, this constitutes a very low rate of complaint," she said. Moira Leyden, assistant general secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers' Ireland (ASTI) describes the legislation as a timely and judicious response to aspects of the education system that are not perceived to be working as well as they might be, but she warns that the cultural change it is seeking cannot, and will not, succeed - unless schools are given adequate resources. Listening to the voice of scholars The pupil voice is clearly heard at Stratford College, Rathgar, Dublin where a vibrant student council is consulted on issues such as the length of classes. It is a two-way process and the council also raises matters of concern to students with the principal. The council, currently made up of 13 members, drawn from all years, meets weekly and, more often, as necessary. Council member Cormac Kelly (17), a fifth year pupil, highlights the role the council has played, and continues to play, in the school's transition from 40 minute to one hour classes, a current trend at second-level schools. "We got feedback to see how students were coping with the change. I think most people believe that one hour classes are more beneficial than 40 minute classes, but we were able to put some ideas about a short break between them, to allow people to get focussed again." Sixth year student Moya Richardson McCrea (18), who chaired the council last year, recalls raising "small things, like access to the microwave at lunchtime, and I was asked to ask if the boys could wear earrings, but there were bigger things as well. "It is nice to know, if you go to Ms Gordon, you will get an answer and, hopefully, a change." She says one of the benefits of being on the council was that it equipped her for public speaking: "I think I was a lot quieter before and now I don't mind doing it." Fifth year pupil Ryan Baker (17) is on the council and also acts as liaison officer between it and Stratford's highly-commended Green Schools' programme, about which he is passionate. "At council meetings, I would suggest something and the rest of group would agree or disagree," he says, and they take it from there. History and CSPE teacher Venita Kenny, who facilitates the weekly meetings, also organises leadership training for members. She describes the council as a "structured opportunity for students to engage with each other and to discuss issues, but also to propose alternatives and to make suggestions for management, for teachers or for each other". The EU and Britain open hostilities in Brexit's next bruising chapter on Monday, laying down red lines for a post-divorce future following the UK's dramatic exit from the bloc. Europe's chief negotiator Michel Barnier will formally announce his ideas for new ties in Brussels, with trade the most pressing issue, while Johnson will firmly make his case in a speech in London. According to the prime minister's office, Johnson will come out swinging against the EU, saying that Britain has no more reason to meet EU standards than the EU has to meet British ones. "There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment, or anything similar," Johnson will say, according to Downing Street. "The UK will maintain the highest standards in these areas -- better, in many respects, than those of the EU -- without the compulsion of a treaty and it is vital to stress this now." There will be just 11 months to reconcile the colliding visions of EU-UK relations with Johnson flatly refusing to extend the negotiating period beyond the end of this year. Until then, Britain has agreed to abide by the rules of EU membership, but failing a deal, the two sides would resort to the most basic of relationships with border checks and high tariffs causing big shocks to the cross-channel economy. Johnson, a polarising figure accused of glossing over the complexity of leaving the EU, is in a rush to seal an agreement and deliver the "independence" promised by Brexiteers, following Britain's exit on January 31. This would also open the way for Britain to seal more ambitious trade deals across the globe, most notably with the United States. Brussels has repeatedly warned Britain that the depth of future trade ties will depend on how closely London adheres to EU standards -- what is known as maintaining the level playing field. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A couple in Ajmer, who returned from China on January 28, have been kept in isolation at a hospital after they complained of cold and cough as a preventive measure against coronavirus. (Representational Image) Ajmer: A couple in Ajmer, who returned from China on January 28, have been kept in isolation at a hospital after they complained of cold and cough as a preventive measure against coronavirus. District Health Officer KK Soni said, "Their samples are being sent to Jaipur. A team will be sent to screen their family too." The first patient who was tested positive with coronavirus is in a stable condition, Thrissur Medical College had said in a statement on Sunday. "Coronavirus patient at Thrissur Medical College is stable. Her condition is satisfactory. There are currently 20 people in Thrissur who are under observation in different hospitals. From here, 30 samples have been sent to Alappuzha virology lab," the medical college said in its statement. Earlier, the patient was shifted from Thrissur General Hospital to the isolation ward of Thrissur Medical College. Earlier on Sunday, the second case of novel coronavirus in the country was reported from Kerala, and the patient is being monitored in an isolation ward in the Alappuzha Medical College. Meanwhile, the death toll in the coronavirus outbreak in China's Hubei province has risen to 361 with 56 people succumbing to the deadly virus, according to health authorities. According to the Hubei health authority, authorities confirmed an additional 2,103 coronavirus cases in the province, which brings the total number of cases to over 16,600, CNN reported. The virus originated in China's Wuhan city in December last year and has since spread to various cities around the world. Several countries including India have sped up the evacuation process after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak as a global health crisis. Earlier on Sunday, India evacuated 323 Indian nationals and seven Maldivian citizens, from Wuhan in a special Air India flight. On Saturday, 324 Indians had been evacuated from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-04 04:07:00|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close Albanian President Ilir Meta (R) shakes hands with visiting President of the European Parliament (EP) David Sassoli in Tirana, Albania, Feb. 3, 2020. The European Parliament (EP) strongly supports the opening of accession talks of Albania with the European Union (EU), EP President David Sassoli said here on Monday. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun) TIRANA, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The European Parliament (EP) strongly supports the opening of accession talks of Albania with the European Union (EU), EP President David Sassoli said here on Monday. At a joint press conference with Prime Minister Edi Rama, Sassoli, who is paying a two-day official visit to Albania, told reporters that the membership process should resume despite the slowdown at the end of last year. "We understand the disappointment of Albanian citizens for the 'non-decision' of the EU member countries, but we have seen that Albanian society still sees hope with the EU. There was a slowdown at the end of last year, but the membership process has to resume. We are convinced that it was only a delay," emphasized Sassoli. Sassoli declared that Albania and North Macedonia deserve to open negotiations with the EU, adding that both countries have made huge progress in line with the EU expectations. According to Sassoli, the EP's only objective that applies to Albania and other Western Balkan countries is to reconcile geographical space with the political space. "Albania's membership process is really important and strategic and as necessary as the other membership processes involving the Western Balkan countries," Sassoli added. Last year, said Sassoli, the EP had a positive decision on Albania, but this decision needs unanimity of all member states. Albania responded positively to the skepticism of some EU countries with its reforms, said the EP president, voicing the hope that Europe will "get the accession process started as soon as possible." Rama called President Sassoli "a long-standing friend of Albania and Albanians and supporter of the enlargement process and Albania's full integration into the EU." He told reporters that Albania deserved the opening of negotiations. "The 'no' answer given to Albania has nothing to do with us... We are trying to get into this family and we are still doing our job. No country has done more than we did before opening the negotiations," Rama added. Sassoli also met with Albanian President Ilir Meta, Parliament Speaker Gramoz Ruci. He is expected to meet opposition party leaders on Tuesday. An Indian woman techie has appealed to the Indian government to evacuate her from China's virus-hit Wuhan city, days after she was stopped from boarding the special New Delhi-bound flights due to high body temperature. The woman was among 10 Indians who were stopped from boarding the special Air Indian flights last Friday and Saturday organised by the India government to evacuate stranded Indians from Wuhan. The Indian Embassy is in touch with the Indians who could not be evacuated along with 647 others due high body temperature, officials here said. One of them, Annem Jyothi hailing from Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, made a video appeal to the Indian government to arrange her exit from the city, saying that her body temperature is normal now and she is fit to travel. She was part of a group of 58 Indian employees of a Chinese electronic company to board the Friday flight. While others made it, she and her colleague could not do so due to high body temperatures, she said. "We are asked to stop and not to take the flight. They said that we can take the next flight. But today in the afternoon they called and said that we were not even allowed to take that flight because of yesterday's body checkWe are stuck," said the mask wearing young woman who is in her 20s. The video was reportedly made on Saturday when the second AI flight evacuated 323 Indians from Wuhan. "We are ready to prove that we don't have any virus because we don't have any symptoms," she said. She said her body temperature was not very high. "It was just some 37.5 degrees which was due to some physical activities under some strain at that time. We were panicked a bit," she added. "We request our government to take us back to India and for that we are ready to prove that we don't have any symptoms regarding the virus and we are safe and healthy. So, I request the government to take us back to India, she added. Two Indian students - Ajith, a student from Bihar, and Manzoor from Kashmir - who were stopped due to the same reason also said they have no fever now. Both made similar appeal while talking to PTI over phone and said their body temperatures are normal and they're fit to travel. India has evacuated its 647 citizens from Wuhan and Hubei province along with seven Maldivians. The evacuated persons are now undergoing a 14-day quarantine in an army run special camp near Delhi. Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Misri said about 100 Indians may still be residing in Hubei province. Twenty-five Indians reportedly preferred to stay back when they were approached by the Indian Embassy for evacuation. Indian officials here said they are in touch with the 10 stranded Indians. It appears that their evacuation may be difficult as the city and the province where the virus is increasingly turning virulent have been virtually sealed. China's National Health Commission on Monday said the death toll from the virus outbreak rose to 361 on Sunday while 2,829 new cases of coronavirus were reported nationwide on February 2, taking the total number of infected people to 17,205. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The parents of the British businessman murdered by his wife in Shanghai are hoping to reunite his two children for the first time in a year. Siblings Alice and Jack Simpson moved to live with their Chinese grandparents after their mother Weiwei Fu stabbed Michael Simpson to death in a jealous rage in 2017. Michael's parents, Ian and Linda, were granted custody of seven-year-old Alice last year after a court battle, but had to reluctantly agree to leave Jack behind as part of the arrangement. Michael Simpson with his two children, Alice and Jack. His parents have been bringing pu Alice since winning custody last year. Michael, 34, was killed in jealous rage by his ex-wife Fu Weiwei in Shanghai Now they are hoping to reunite the two children by arranging to see Jack, nine, this summer. Ian told the Daily Mirror: 'We are negotiating to try and see Jack in the summer. Jack's learning English so we are chatting to him much more. Alice is doing fantastically well.' Michael Simpson, 34, from Wimborne in Dorset, married shop assistant Fu shortly after he arrived in China in 2009 to work as an operations manager for clothing brand Next. They separated in 2015. In 2017 Fu stabbed him in the neck during a blazing row while he was at home with his new partner, Rachel Lin. Fu is now serving a life sentence and is not eligible for release before 2036. Ian and Linda Simpson with their granddaughter Alice, seven. She has been living in the UK for a year while her brother Jack, nine, is being raised in China Dainya Nida was 16 when she went to Jeffrey Epstein's mansion on Palm Beach to give him massages. She cut herself. She attempted suicide. She moved far away from Palm Beach County, hoping distance would help heal her crushing pain. But, while Dainya Nida has worked to build a meaningful life in the years since her much younger self was duped into performing sexual favors for Jeffrey Epstein, the 32-year-old Wellington woman said she needs answers before she can put the horror behind her. I want to know why, Nida said, ticking off the long list of police, prosecutors, judges, jailers and others who she says conspired to keep her and dozens of other young women from getting justice. Her new mission has spurred her to step out of the shadows where she has spent years trying to keep her name out of the hands of reporters tasked with covering all things Epstein. In her quest for answers, Nida is pushing Palm Beach County Chief Judge Krista Marx to reconsider her decision this month to refuse to release records that could explain why Epstein wasnt punished severely for abusing Nida and other teens at his Palm Beach mansion. Told it was improper protocol for Marx to talk privately with her because the court fight isnt over, Nida isnt giving up. Feds: Prince Andrew has provided 'zero' assistance to U.S. authorities in Jeffrey Epstein inquiry 'Surviving Jeffrey Epstein': Lifetime says documentary will air this summer Improper protocol? she said, her calm voice rising slightly. Given the extraordinarily lenient treatment the suspected child trafficker received for nearly two decades, Nida said she cant believe anyone would raise the prospect of proper protocol. While Marx is prohibited by judicial ethics from having private conversations about pending cases, Nida said the talk doesnt have to be behind closed doors. We can do it in a courtroom, she said. Thats how it should have been done in 2008 when he was first convicted. Instead, in what U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra ruled was a violation of the federal Crime Victims Rights Act, neither Nida nor any of Epsteins victims were told of the secret deal that was crafted by then Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer and South Florida U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta. Story continues When Epstein pleaded guilty in June 2008, none of Epsteins victims was given the opportunity to come to court to weigh in on the appropriateness of charging the politically connected financier with two counts of solicitation of prostitution (in one case soliciting a minor) for sexually assaulting teens when some were as young as 14. None was asked whether a roughly year-long jail stay was sufficient punishment for hurting them in ways that would scar them for life. They didnt know that once he pleaded guilty to the state charges, federal prosecutors would shelve a 53-page indictment they had prepared against him. Nida remembers her confusion when she received a letter from Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie Villafana, telling her that Epstein had pleaded guilty. The form letter was labeled confidential and victims were barred from disclosing it. How did he get charged with something but yet I didnt know he was going to be, she remembers thinking. They didnt even involve us in any of it. Now, she says, after years of therapy, soul-searching and second-guessing, she wants to she needs to be involved. The documents Marx refused to unseal transcripts from a 2006 grand jury proceeding could explain why Krischer, and ultimately federal prosecutors, didnt vigorously prosecute Epstein as a serial child molester. The request Marx rejected came from a special prosecutor appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to investigate the countys handling of Epstein. Marx told Treasure Coast State Attorney Bruce Colton that she needed specific evidence of wrongdoing before agreeing to release the records that, by law, are secret. She suggested agents for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement talk to Epsteins victims to find out if Krischer intentionally excluded some from the witness list. In an order signed on Jan. 14, Marx told Colton he could renew his request if he got specific information that would establish that the release of grand jury records in this case are actually necessary to further justice. She said she couldnt take the unusual step of unsealing the documents without concrete evidence of wrongdoing. Speculation, she said, isnt sufficient. Jan. 13: Harvard law professor sues New York Times over Jeffrey Epstein story Given that dozens of teens went to police and the FBI to report they had been sexually assaulted, Nida questioned Marxs reasoning. Im like how many victims do you really need to talk to to release the documents? she said. That the 66-year-old Epstein hanged himself in a Manhattan jail cell in August while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges only makes Marxs decision more perplexing, she said. Youre not going to ruin his reputation anymore. Its already ruined, she said. Even if you dont want to unseal them to the world, which I dont know why we cant, if you know Im a victim, why cant I see the documents now? Whats in there that still has to be such a secret? Dainya Nida talks about her experiences with the legal system in West Palm Beach. Lured by promises of fulfilling a dream Like most of Epsteins victims, Nida was introduced to the jet-setting millionaire by a friend who asked her if she wanted to earn extra cash by giving massages to a rich guy in Palm Beach. It was June 2003. She was a 16-year-old student at John I. Leonard High School. She was like you know, You might have to take your top off, you might not, it was all very vague and so I went and I was like this isnt terrible, she said. Epstein made her feel comfortable even as he convinced her to take off her clothes and molested her. Contrary to claims Epstein would later make that he didnt know the age of his victims, Nida said she told him she was under the age of 18 and he would often ask her about school. She later told Palm Beach police he tried to persuade her to have sex, but she refused. He kind of knew how not to push you too far so you would keep coming, she said. She was working part time at Nordstroms and came from a well-off, loving family. She didnt really need the $200 per visit Epstein paid her. Instead, it was something else Epstein offered that prompted her to return. Tall, thin, with blonde hair and green eyes, Nida dreamed about working as a model. Epstein assured her he could make it happen. I used to tell my parents I dont need your money, she said. Im fine because in my head he had put this whole image of this perfect life. I was going to be living in a penthouse in either New York or Paris. I was going to get my dream of becoming a model and he was going to help me get there. She was also convinced that Epstein was capable of making good on his promises. She saw photos of models hanging on the walls of his waterfront mansion on El Brillo Way. She looked at how his assistants, Sarah Kellen, Nadia Marcinkova and Adriana Ross, were living. Sarah, for instance, was blonde, pretty and about her age. In a way I was like I would like to have her lifestyle, Nida said. She gets to drive all these nice cars, she gets to live in mansions in Palm Beach and New York. What girl wouldnt want that life? Thats quote/unquote the American dream, sadly, she continued. Thats what it is. It was only after she stopped going to his house that the memories of what she had done began ripping her apart. In 2006, days after the grand jury returned the indictment against Epstein on a charge of soliciting a prostitute, she went to Palm Beach police to tell her story. But, while records show police contacted dozens of other teens, who gave the same descriptions of Epsteins house and told nearly identical stories of their abuse, Nida said she was never asked to testify. She was never interviewed by Krischers office. By then, an angry Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter had taken his agencys investigation to the FBI. While FBI Special Agent E. Nesbitt Kuyrkendall swore in federal court records that no victims expressed a strong opinion that Epstein be prosecuted, police records show Nida and other young women said they wanted just that. Nida said neither FBI agents nor federal prosecutors seemed interested in her plight. The agents would come to where she was working to question her, causing her further trauma. Prosecutors failed to tell her what was happening. Investigators working for Epstein, she suspects, talked to her friends, her current and former employers anything to try and get dirt on me. They visited her house, forcing her to tell her parents about her secret life. While her parents were supportive, it was traumatic for all of them. Her father, she learned, was a couple of months younger than Epstein. She remembers receiving a letter from Villafana long after the nonprosecution agreement was signed and two months after Epstein pleaded guilty in June 2008. In the letter, Villafana said previous information she had sent victims was inaccurate. It doesnt detail what information was wrong, but Nida suspects it was the nature of the charges filed against Epstein. How do you send me the wrong information when you know what he got charged with, Nida bristled. But the most crushing blow came when she saw the charges: prostitution. At Villafanas insistence, Krischer agreed to add a charge of soliciting a minor for prostitution so Epstein would have to register as a sex offender. I was like where did prostitution come from? Nida said she asked herself. The labeling youre all lower class, youre all druggies, you all come from terrible families none of what they said should have been a label for me, she said. I think thats why for the longest time I never wanted to be out there because I didnt want that label. New York FBI agents come to call in May By then, however, Nida was just trying to survive. On the advice of her mother, she sought the counseling she desperately needed and after two years she no longer wanted to kill herself. But, after graduating from Palm Beach State College with a degree in human services, she didnt want to live in Florida any longer. Shortly before Thanksgiving in 2011, she bought a one-way ticket to New York, got a job teaching school in New Jersey and tried to forget her past. When she returned to Palm Beach County seven years later, she decided to get a second bachelors degree in supervision and management from PBSC. She was working and going to school when she received a call from her sister in May 2019. Jan. 31: Weinstein accuser shocks court with graphic descriptions, says they had a 'real relationship' Stop surfing the web and watch inmates: Bureau of Prisons to guards Her sister said she had some disturbing news she was reluctant to share. I dont want this to ruin all the progress that youve made and Im scared because I dont want you to go backwards, Nida recalls her sister saying. Eventually, her sister told Nida that FBI agents had visited her house. They wanted to talk. While Nida agreed to meet them, she was still bitter from her previous experience when FBI agents in West Palm Beach interviewed her, created chaos in her life and did nothing. What is this going to do besides hopefully not mess up my life again because youre bringing back a lot of emotion, triggers and all that, she said. But, she said, the attitude of the FBI agents from New York was different. They genuinely wanted to help the victims have some peace of mind, she said. They made it clear that they were going to catch him and they were going to do whatever it took. So, she gave them documents a journal, an agenda from high school where she penciled in dates of her meetings with Epstein and bank statements that showed when she deposited the cash he gave her. Shortly before they arrested Epstein when his private jet landed at New Jerseys Teterboro Airport as he returned from his home in Paris, they called her to tell her he would be in custody soon. It was the best feeling, she said. It actually meant something that they cared enough to call me. The most mentally disturbed human being in this world When Epstein killed himself, she said she wasnt surprised. Once I knew he didnt get bail, I knew it was only a matter of time, she said. Like others, she questions the circumstances. Having attempted suicide two weeks before, why wasnt he on suicide watch? Why was he allowed to have multiple sheets in his cell? Why was video from his first suicide attempt deleted? But, she doubts theories that a powerful man or men, with ugly secrets, paid to have Epstein killed to silence him. Even though hes dead, theres so many people who were always around him, she said. Theres so many other people who could say what happened. Epstein, she said, simply couldnt accept his fate. I think his mind tortured him while he was in there, she said. I dont think he felt guilty for what he did. It was his ego. Epstein thought of himself as untouchable. Im Jeffrey Epstein. I have billions of dollars and Im smart. Im a genius. Im a genius who got away with all this for over 20 years, she said of the thoughts she believes led him to suicide. I can pay people off and I can get out. Im not supposed to be here. After Epsteins death, she joined dozens of other victims, who accepted U.S. District Judge Richard Bermans invitation to tell their stories in open court in New York. Sobbing as she read her statement, she called Epstein the most mentally disturbed human being in this world. If anyone only learns one thing from this case, I hope it is that money should not let you pay your way free! she said, through tears. A crime is a crime and a victim is a victim! Speaking out to lift officials silence Even then, standing with other victims, she said she didnt want her name to be used. At the hearing, she identified herself as Jane Doe 5. But, when she heard that Marx was continuing what she believes is a conspiracy of silence that has prevented her and other victims from learning the truth, she decided to shed her anonymity and speak out. The documents from the grand jury could be just the beginning. She wants to know why Sheriff Ric Bradshaw allowed Epstein to leave the jail on work release, a decision that is now being reviewed by the DeSantis-ordered investigation. She wants to know why law enforcement in the Virgin Islands and New Mexico, where Epstein owned homes, didnt act. They are now conducting investigations and issuing statements but, Nida asks, why didnt they do it years ago when they could have spared hundreds of teens from sexual abuse? Like everyones trying to retrace their steps, but if you would unseal the documents ... I just want to know why, she said. Why cant I see whats in them? Donations: MIT administrators knew about Jeffrey Epstein's $850K in donations Book: Attorney for nearly two dozen Jeffrey Epstein accusers writes memoir The Palm Beach Post has also filed suit, seeking to unseal the grand jury records. A hearing on its request hasnt yet been scheduled. Nida said she still occasionally hears from the FBI. She went to a briefing in Miami after Epsteins death where agents explained in vague terms the status of the ongoing investigation. Nida said she didnt know Epsteins longtime girlfriend, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been accused of recruiting and grooming teens for Epsteins pleasure. She doesnt know whether she and Epsteins other assistants should be prosecuted. They have a story, too. Its like how did you get to where you were? she said. Rather than focus on the ongoing investigation, Nida is trying to finish her latest degree so she can move out of Florida a state she loved but where, she believes, authorities were complicit in her abuse. She dreams of one day using her horrific experiences, her love of teaching and her education in social work to help child sex abuse victims. Its taken a long time to come forward, she said. People need to know they are in a comfortable setting, that they are safe and protected and nothing is going to happen to them. I would like to be able to somehow, some way create that for people. She knows she will never stop struggling with the demons Epstein planted in her memory. But, with the help of her therapist, she has grown stronger. I wont let Jeffrey take my life away again, she said. Hes robbed me of many years. I wont let it happen. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post (Palm Beach, FL): Epstein victim Dainya Nida seeks release of Florida grand jury records Sheri Strobel, CPA, Vice President of Information Systems and Technology "For the past 20 years, Sheri has led healthcare technology teams to maximize the value in solutions delivered to key stakeholders, and we knew she was the ideal person to lead our charge into the future.---Sheryl Sypek, chief information officer at Chapters Health System Chapters Health System, one of the nations premier not-for-profit, community-based healthcare organizations headquartered in Temple Terrace, names Sheri Strobel, CPA, as the organizations new vice president of information systems and technology. She starts in this role today. Strobel will provide leadership for the clinical informatics, information technology and information systems teams. At Chapters Health, we are thrilled to have Sheri become a member of our family, said Sheryl Sypek, chief information officer at Chapters Health. As technology infrastructure and information systems become key components of the transformational change at Chapters Health, it was important to have the right leader in place to support this endeavor. For the past 20 years, Sheri has led healthcare technology teams to maximize the value in solutions delivered to key stakeholders, and we knew she was the ideal person to lead our charge into the future. While attending St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin where she received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, Strobel started her healthcare career as a memory care certified nursing assistant at an Alzheimers care community. Prior to joining Chapters Health, Strobel was vice president of applications at Brookdale Senior Living in Brentwood, Tennessee, and the director of business applications at Alterra Healthcare in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Strobel is certified as a public accountant, agile leader, product owner and a scrum master, and currently volunteers for the Alzheimers Association, WiTT and Technology Leaders of Nashville, and serves on the Technology Advisory Board for Nashville State Community College. About Chapters Health System As a progressive leader and premier health system, Chapters Health System is dedicated to delivering innovative home health, palliative and hospice care along with durable medical equipment and pharmacy services. Since 1983 as a community-based, not-for-profit organization, Chapters Health has provided choices, education and guidance through its managed affiliates: Chapters Health Home Care, Chapters Health Palliative Care, Good Shepherd Hospice, Hospice of Okeechobee, HPH Hospice and LifePath Hospice, located in Citrus, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Martin, Okeechobee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and St. Lucie counties. All offerings are provided in order to improve the patient/family experience well in advance of end-of-life needs. To learn more, visit http://www.chaptershealth.org, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. UMass Boston officials said there is low risk of the coronavirus to the campus community after public health officials confirmed over the weekend that a student at the school has the respiratory infection. The patient, a Boston man in his 20s, was the first person diagnosed with the virus in Massachusetts. He returned to Boston Logan International Airport last week after traveling to Wuhan, China, where the outbreak of the illness started. The man noticed he was sick, sought medical attention and has been isolated since Wednesday, state and city public health officials said during a conference call Saturday. The student, who did not participate in classes or campus activities last week, remains quarantined in his off-campus home. Public health nurses continue to check up on him regularly over the phone. The man is "doing quite well, officials said, but will remain isolated until he is determined to no longer be contagious, according to Katherine Newman, interim chancellor at the university. Given the limited interaction between the student and our campus, the public health authorities indicate that there is low risk to the campus, Newman said in a statement. The students few close contacts have been identified and are being monitored for any sign of symptoms, the statement said. UMass Boston will be open for business Monday, Newman said, and faculty as well as staff are expected to be on their regular work schedules. There is no vaccination available to protect against the coronavirus, named 2019-nCoV. The most effective precautions to prevent its spread, though, include frequent hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes and avoiding touching ones face with unwashed hands. Newman urged anyone at UMass Boston who has a fever or symptoms of a respiratory illness, including a cough or shortness of breath, to call school health services at (617) 287-5660 or ones health care provider. She also encourages members of the campus community to read about the coronavirus on the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Boston Public Health Commission. Related Content: Harves Gardner, 32, faces a felony charge of disrupting public services. CINCINNATI An Ohio man was arrested early Monday after authorities said he called the police more than 25 times to get help looking for a lost hoodie. Harves Gardner, 32, faces a felony charge of disrupting public services. Police said Gardner requested police assistance and officers responded. When police arrived (the) defendant only wanted rides around town to find his hoodie that he lost," officers reported. Police said Gardner was highly intoxicated and officers told him to go back to bed, but he continued calling and gave different locations for the police to respond. Gardner is being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center. He is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday. Follow reporter Cameron Knight on Twitter: @ckpj99 He's the oldest known man with extremely rare Proteus syndrome: He's trying to find a cure A teen stole an ambulance: Then, she took cops on a high-speed chase across state lines This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Man who lost hoodie calls Ohio police 25 times for help finding it Research shows that children whose parents are involved in supporting their learning do better in school, but thats often a barrier for children whose parents arent fluent speakers of English. English-language-learner families are less likely than English-only families to attend parent-teacher conferences and other school-related events, U.S. Department of Education surveys have shown . These families, most of whom are Latino, are also far less likely to volunteer or serve on school committees and attend school or class eventsall important opportunities to communicate about students academic progress. Linguistic integrationthe percent of dependent children whose parents are fluent speakers of Englishis one of 13 indicators that make up the EdWeek Research Centers Chance-for-Success Index. The index examines the role education plays in providing opportunities throughout an individuals lifetime. Across the United States, the percentage of children whose parents are fluent English speakers ranges from 67 percent in California to nearly 100 percent in Montana. Roughly half of states have levels of linguistic integration that are higher than 90 percent. In 17 states and the District of Columbia, the percent of children whose parents are fluent English speakers is between 80 and 90 percent. Levels of linguistic integration are below 80 percent in seven statesArizona, California, Florida, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. While language barriers affect student achievement, linguistic integration is just one factor that can influence academic outcomes. As the index reveals, boosting academic achievement is a complex process. Some states that rate near the top of the index have relatively low levels of linguistic integration. The three states that rank highest on the overall index, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Connecticut, have had at least a 4 percentage point decrease in the number of English-speaking families since 2008, the year the EdWeek Research Center Chance-for-Success Index began its current scoring system. Massachusetts ranks first on the overall index, with an A-minus grade, but 42nd for linguistic integration. New Jersey and Connecticut rank second and third respectively on the overall index, but in the bottom quarter of states for linguistic integration. Conversely, some states struggled on the index despite high linguistic integration rankings. Students in Montana and West Virginia face fewer language barriers than their peers in other states, but that does not necessarily translate to stronger academic achievement and adult outcomes. Montana ranks first in the nation for linguistic integration, but only 28th overall, with a C-plus grade. West Virginia has the second-highest level of linguistic integration, but ranks 49th overall on Chance for Success with a C- minus grade. Louisiana and Mississippi also rank in the top 10 for linguistic integration, but fare much worse on the overall index, earning a C-minus and C grade respectively. Developing Connections Linguistic integration is part of the early foundation category of the Chance-for-Success Index, which also includes parental educational levels, family income, and other factors that can influence whether children start school ready to learn. Under the index guidelines, all parents in the home must be fluent in English for a family to be considered linguistically integrated. Having at least one English-speaking adult in the home increased the likelihood of a parent or guardian attending a school or class event, parent-teacher conference, or meeting with a guidance counselor, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Studies out of Boston Universitys Wheelock College of Education and Human Development have shown that parent involvement is a significant predictor of childrens literacy skills, and that bonds formed with other parents at the school may help increase school involvement among Latino families. A 2015 report from the Center for American Progress, The Case for a Two-Generation Approach for Educating English Language Learners , makes the case that communities looking to improve education for school-aged English-language learners should also offer services to their parents. The study found that limited English skills for parents and students can create a poverty trap for families and argues that engaging them simultaneously improves the academic and educational well-being of both generations. Similarly, a 2015 report from the Education Commission on the States recommended that states do more to connect with English-learner families, including offering adult ELL community education classes to help bridge the language gap. English-learners who do not reach proficiency can often end up illiterate in two languages, effectively unable to read or write in either. Research from the Center for Early Education Development at the University of Minnesota indicates that parents whose primary language is Spanishby far the most common language of English-learner familiesor another language besides English, should encourage and support their childs development and literacy in the home language, which can benefit their English-learning. The flow of traffic just yards away all seemed muted to Scouts and members of the public as the solemnity of the moment demanded respect and attention. Centered in the parking lot of The Crossroads in downtown Dayton early Saturday, a formal, dignified ceremony was conducted by Dayton area Boy Scouts, retiring both United States and Texas flags in disrepair by fire as required by the U.S. Flag Code. Daytons Boy Scout Troop 8, part of the Three Rivers Council 578, Trinity District, ceremoniously retired just over 60 flags under the leadership of Troop Senior Patrol Leader Christopher Lewis. The auspicious occasion drew praise from the public and Daytons top political figure, Mayor Caroline Wadzeck. This is a very exciting day, said Dayton Mayor Caroline Wadzeck. Wadzeck and Scouts were surprised at the number of flags submitted for retirement. We had no idea that this was so needed. We thought it was a really neat thing to do, but never realized the scope of the need for this project, she said. The mayor swelled with pride knowing that more than 1,000 flags were flying on Dayton area properties and the homes of so many patriots. Its also nice to know that they wanted them disposed of properly, she said attributing it to the values character of the citizens. Wadzeck said it was the first flag retirement ceremony that she had ever attended and was impressed. This will be a moment these Scouts will never forget. Me too, she said. The ceremony was the culmination of about two-and-a-half years of planning. The Dayton Enhancement Committee (DEC), under the leadership of the city, was responsible for the idea of The Crossroads area. One of the first things planned for this spot was a flag disposal box, Wadzeck said. Before being elected, Wadzeck served as the head of the DEC. The box has been in place for nearly two years but in the first few months, it was confused for a mailbox. Susan Simmons and I would take the flags out of the box and we found over 300 pieces of mail, she said. The mail was taken to the Dayton Post Office for delivery to the correct addresses, but eventually, the duo realized this was a project for another group. Wadzeck contacted Paul Newton who was Scoutmaster for Troop 8 in Dayton. We were already working with Hunter Alley who was building us a pergola as part of his Eagle Scout project, so it was a natural fit to invite Troop 8 to take over this project, Wadzeck said. They enthusiastically agreed to be in charge of the flag box and empty it regularly and be in charge of the disposal (of the flags), she said. The Scouts accepted the responsibility, researched and did a dry run of the ceremony before their first-ever flag retirement ceremony. The Troop was chartered by Eastgate Church on 1707 CR 611 just off FM 1960 I 2005 and is one of the newer troops in the area with a membership of more than a couple dozen. Scoutmaster Paul Newton said they are already a troop of distinction having installed their 17th Eagle Scout in 15 years including three last year and another one in January. Were one of the most active groups in Liberty County, he said. The Troop enjoys a campout every month, they attend both summer and winter camps. Older Scouts attend High Adventure experiences where they may backpack in the back country for a few days up to a couple of weeks. There is something to do for every Scout, young or old, Newton said. The Troop follows the Patrol method of hierarchya senior patrol leader Scout oversees several other patrol leaders who lead smaller groups of Scouts, usually about a half dozen. Troop 8 is run by the Scouts. Im there for transportation and to make sure no one hurts themselves, and make sure they have the materials they need, he said. Newton praised his Scouts for putting the entire ceremony together with research, gathering the flags, and the organizing and planning. I cant take credit for any of it, he said. They plan the Troop activities and then run them. Thats totally different from Cub Scouts. They are usually first through fifth grade and adults have to plan and execute everything because they have to, he said. Generally, when a Scout reaches the age of 11, they become a Boy Scout and take on a greater role in leadership and planning. Newton said Scouts is a safe place to fail. We learn through our failures. The Scouts make mistakes. We actually want them to fail because they learn, he said. While everything didnt go exactly as planned at the ceremony, Newton said they learned from the experience and will be better at the next event. Sometimes it involves some teeth-gnashing, but its a positive experience, he said. It was the Patrol Leader Council that approved accepting the responsibility for the community service project of collecting the flags and planning the flag retirement ceremonies. It is a heavily used service at that collection box, he said. We have to check it every week or it overflows. Newton said, when they arrive, most often the box is full. We knew there was a need but never realized it was so huge. The sizes of the flags can range from small to really huge. We didnt burn all 1,000-plus flags. If we had, wed still be there, the Scoutmaster said. The Scouts burned mostly cotton or cloth flags. Some of them werent exactly 100 percent cloth. Nylon and plastic flags are burned separately from the public because of the fumes. Those are burned by Scout leaders because they also create a sludge that have to be cleaned carefully. We are proud as patriots to provide this service, he said. We teach those values and respect for holding, taking care of, and retiring the flag, Newton said. The Scouts plan another ceremony in the future to take care of additional flags who meet the criteria for a retirement. Mayor Wadzeck and Newton encourage young men to check out the Scouting program. dtaylor@hcnonline.com There's a new food challenge in San Antonio: How many gorditas can you eat in three minutes? Dona Tota is hosting a contest on Feb. 5 to find "San Antonio's Gordita-Eating Champion." Participants will get three minutes to eat as many gorditas possible. Along with a full stomach, the winner will walk away with bragging rights, free food, free merchandise and a small cash prize, the restaurant said online. The widow of a man who suffered a fatal opioid overdose says she will "do anything and everything" to convict a heroin dealer of murder after an Orleans Parish jury deadlocked on the charge. Michael Willis stood trial last week on second-degree murder in connection with the fatal overdose of Branden Pelot, 41. Prosecutors said Willis supplied a fatal combination of heroin and fentanyl that led to Pelot's death on Jan. 22, 2018. According to the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office, Pelot bought the drugs with his wife Jeanne "Nikki" Glenn by his side. Glenn, who testified at the trial, said she was prepared to take the stand again in a brief telephone interview last week. New Orleans jury deadlocks on murder charge for heroin overdose; convicts dealer on other counts A New Orleans jury deliberated for more than six hours Thursday night over whether to send a heroin dealer to prison for life for allegedly su "I will do anything and everything that I can to testify against Mr. Mike Willis, because he deserves to be behind bars, so we can save somebody elses life, so hes not out there selling heroin mixed with fentanyl," she said. Trial testimony revealed that Willis was a confidential informant for the DEA, while Pelot aided the FBI before his death. Federal agents testified that Willis continued to sell drugs after he began cooperating by using women as his street-level dealers. Willis continued to arrange the drug sales via phone and supplied the women with the drugs they sold, prosecutors said. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Assistant District Attorney Andre Gaudin Jr. told the jury that Pelot's death was caused by a "super-charged" batch of heroin mixed with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. However, the defense argued that another drug not supplied by Willis had contributed to Pelot's overdose. Louisiana is one of seven states where a conviction for what is known as a drug-induced homicide can lead to life imprisonment. Pelot had long struggled with opioids, according to testimony at the trial. "My husband was a wonderful man. Yes, he suffered form addiction, but that doesnt make it right for what Mike did," Glenn said. The New Orleans jury convicted Willis of several drug charges and a money laundering count. He faces sentencing on those charges on March 4. Glenn praised the work of prosecutors and Judge Laurie White. The District Attorney's Office and Willis' defense attorney last week declined comment. Labour leadership candidate Rebecca Long-Bailey has caused fury after referring to a constituent with brain damage as a 'practical vegetable'. Long-Bailey, 40, was forced to apologise for the gaffe, which she made at a hustings in Bristol while describing a man who suffered a serious accident and was placed in a care home. She was discussing how she helped the constituent in question after his accident and brain injury. Speaking at the event on Saturday, the Shadow Business Secretary said she had been gifted a bottle of wine after she helped secure a medical review for the man. He had previously been told there was 'no hope' by care staff. But, as she shared how he was being moved to a new treatment programme because of her intervention, she said he had gone from being 'a practical vegetable' to having 'hope for the future', according to PoliticsHome. Labour leadership hopeful Rebecca Long-Bailey made the comments at a hustings in Bristol Her comments were criticised by the UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum and a spokesperson admitted they were a mistake. She said: 'I promised him that we'd get some consultants in, we'd speak to the clinical commissioning group and we'd get another review done. 'And if he had a different care plan, and he was moved into a different setting, within two years he'd be back home and potentially able to get a job and be back in employment. 'And from where he was as a practical vegetable to having that hope for the future, that made me realise how important my job was to fight for people who didn't have a voice.' Shadow business secretary Ms Long-Bailey (right), Wigan MP Lisa Nandy (second left) Keir Starmer (second right) and Emily Thornberry (left) all spoke at the hustings Chloe Hayward, Executive Director of UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum said: 'We are very pleased that Rebecca Long-Bailey has been so supportive of this family, and that she is aware of the need for appropriate neurorehabilitation services and the lengths families need to go to to fight for appropriate care and support. 'It is very unfortunate that Rebecca used the phrase 'practical vegetable'. 'It is probable that the term 'vegetative state' was the one she was looking for which refers to a person who has a disorder of consciousness.' Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Ms Long-Bailey said: 'Rebecca wanted to emphasise that the person she helped had suffered a severe brain injury. 'She meant to say that they were practically in a vegetative state, and apologises for her mistake without reservation.' Along with Sir Keir Starmer, Long-Bailey is the favourite to become the next Labour leader. The OECD Observer online archive takes you on a journey through half a century of public policy and world progress. Since November 1962, the OECDs experts and leading guests offer insights on the questions facing our member countries with concise and authoritative analysis, and provide our audiences with an excellent opportunity to understand policy debates and consider solutions. Each edition of the OECD Observer reports on a core theme of the OECDs on-going work, from economics and society through governance, finance, and the environment, and articles are bolstered by tables and graphs. The Lok Sabha on Monday witnessed uproarious scenes with opposition, led by Congress, demanding "roll-back" of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reply over the issue in the backdrop of the violent protests against the law across the country. The ruckus began soon after the House assembled for the day. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury raised the issue but Speaker Om Birla disallowed him from speaking and started the Question Hour following which various lawmakers from different opposition parties came near the Speaker's podium and began sloganeering "save our democracy", "save our Constitution", "save our India", "Prime Minister, reply", "stop inflammatory speeches" and "roll-back CAA". Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday hit out at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha describing its leaders as "fake Hindus" and accused the government of "trying to shut the voices of people through bullets." The opposition also raised the statement made by Union Minister Anurag Thakur in which he had proposed to "shoot the traitors" following which the Election Commission restricted him for a certain period from campaigning in Delhi ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections in the city on February 8. Amid pandemonium, Birla continued the Question Hour. Interrupting during the proceedings, Birla requested opposition members to go to their seats and let the House function to save the Constitution. "You all floor leaders had decided unanimously not to disrupt House proceedings when important issues would be discussed. Please don't do that and go to your seats. You will be given opportunity to raise your issue during Zero Hour," Om Birla said. "You can save your Constitution by asking questions related to your area." The Speaker slammed the MPs, saying "you are not sent to Parliament for sloganeering. You should go to your seat and ask questions." Earlier, Congress MPs Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Kodikunnil Suresh and Gaurav Gogoi gave adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha to "reconsider" the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act which came into force on January 10 when the Ministry of Home Affairs made the announcement through a gazette notification -- almost a month after it was passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019 during the winter session -- which triggered widespread violent demonstrations across India. As per the law, migrants of six non-Muslim communities; Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 will be given citizenship. What it looks like inside: Some may see it as antiquated, but its really Democracy in action, Mixon says. "Youre there with your neighbors, people you work with and people really listen to each other, theyre not shouting over each other. It does bother me its 90% white. It bothers me a great deal. But having participated in it, coming from Illinois and having my grandfather involved in Democratic politics he was a precinct captain under the Daley machine was a welcome change in which people engaged in conversation where people would say, well, I guess were going to disagree, I thought I could persuade you, and move on. New Delhi, Feb 3 : In a boost to Congress ahead of the February 8 Assembly polls, the son of AAP's sitting Kalkaji MLA Sardar Manpreet Singh joined the party here on Monday. Avtar Singh joined the Congress at the Delhi party unit office here in the presence of city unit chief Subhash Chopra, and pledging support to his daughter and the party's Kalkaji candidate Shivani Chopra. Along with Manpreet Singh, many other AAP leaders from Kalkaji also joined the Congress, including Murtza, chairman of the Minority Wing, Iqbal Siddique and Mohit Gill. Prominent among those AAP leaders who joined the Congress party from Okhla, endorsing their support to Congress candidate Parvez Hashmi, were Kailash Kake, former ward in-charge of Ward 103-S, and Mohammad Bundu Malik. Addressing the press conference, Subhash Chopra said: "Congress is contesting the Delhi Assembly elections on issues that affect the people and for the development of Delhi, but the BJP and Aam Aadmi Party were trying to polarise people on communal lines." He said that he salutes the mothers and sisters, who never came out of their 'pardah', but were now sitting on protest at Shaheen Bagh in bone-chilling cold to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and to uphold the sanctity of the Indian Constitution, but the BJP was communalising the issue. Chopra also said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal did not bother to meet the Shaheen Bagh women for one month and 10 days, and now he has woken up from his "Khumbakarni" sleep to shed crocodile tears. He wondered at the double-speak and double face of the BJP and AAP and said that police entered the Jamia Millia Islamia campus without the permission of the Vice Chancellor and dragged out students from the library to beat them up. "But the police remained mute spectators when goons attacked students of JNU, on the plea that the force will not enter the campus without the VC's permission," he said. The Congress which ruled the city for 15 years from 1998 to 2013 is looking for a comeback in the February 8 polls. The party was reduced to nil in 2015 assembly polls, while the AAP won 67 seats and the BJP managed to win on three seats. BSP supremo Mayawati on Monday said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens has made life more difficult for the Muslims, as she appealed to the voters to not get lured by the "enticing manifestos" of the Congress, BJP and AAP. Addressing a rally here, Mayawati said if her party wins the Delhi Assembly polls, it will bring development on the lines of BSP-ruled Uttar Pradesh government, driven by the principle of 'Sarvajanhitaye, Sarvajansukhaiye'. After the CAA and NRC issues, "lives of Muslims have become more difficult," she alleged. "Also, beware of all the tricks of the trade that rival parties will use to lure you to vote for them," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress and some other opposition parties on Monday staged a walkout from Lok Sabha over the demand to roll back the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) after the House took up discussion on the motion of thanks to the President's Address. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury sought to raise the party's demand concerning CAA after the House reassembled at 1.30 pm, but was not allowed by the Chair. Members of some opposition parties including Congress, DMK and NCP staged a walkout. The opposition parties had raised slogans against the government during the question hour over its demand concerning CAA. They continued the protest during the zero hour after which Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House till 1.30 pm for lunch. BJP member Parvesh Sahib Singh initiated the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's Address. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Elizabeth Piper LONDON (Reuters) - Britain laid out a tough opening stance for future talks with the European Union on Sunday, saying it would set its own agenda rather than meeting the bloc's rules to ensure frictionless trade. After officially leaving the EU on Friday, Britain now must negotiate future trade relations with the bloc, to take effect when a standstill transition period expires at the end of the year. By Elizabeth Piper LONDON (Reuters) - Britain laid out a tough opening stance for future talks with the European Union on Sunday, saying it would set its own agenda rather than meeting the bloc's rules to ensure frictionless trade. After officially leaving the EU on Friday, Britain now must negotiate future trade relations with the bloc, to take effect when a standstill transition period expires at the end of the year. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has been quick to send Brussels a message before trade talks begin in March: Brexit, for him, means sovereignty trumps the economy. The EU has repeatedly told Britain the level of access to its lucrative single market will depend on how far London agrees to adhere to a "level playing field" -- shorthand for rules on environmental standards, labour regulations and state aid. But despite the appeals of many businesses for the government to ensure goods can trade across borders freely, ministers have been briefing companies that they should adjust to a new future when Britain will not adhere to EU rules. Johnson, according to sources close to him, has taken last year's election, which handed him a large majority in parliament, as approval for his policy of putting Britain's right to set its own rules above the demands of businesses. He will outline that approach in a speech on Monday. "We are taking back control of our laws, so we are not going to have high alignment with the EU, legislative alignment with their rules," foreign minister Dominic Raab told Sky News. "But we'll want to cooperate and we expect the EU to follow through on their commitment to a Canada-style free trade agreement." After more than three years of often tortuous talks, Johnson wants to draw a line under what has been an angry debate that has deepened divides across the country. His aim is a trade deal allowing for tariff- and quota-free trade in goods, similar to the terms the bloc now has in place with Canada. Asked whether the government expected businesses to have to prepare for new checks on goods at the border, Raab said: "The agreement that we made with the EU was to avoid all of that, and I am sure they will want to live up to the undertakings they have made just as we'd expect to do the same." Late on Saturday, a government source said if the EU would not offer a Canada-style trade deal, London would instead pursue a looser trade agreement, similar to the bloc's ties with Australia. "There are only two likely outcomes in negotiation - a free trade deal like Canada or a looser arrangement like Australia - and we are happy to pursue both," the source said. The EU says it will not seal a trade deal with a large, economically powerful neighbour without solid provisions to guarantee fair competition. Some European leaders fear Johnson could try to undercut EU businesses by loosening regulatory standards, something he has promised not to do. "If Great Britain wants to establish outside the European Union a sort of 'Singapore-on-Thames', we would be against it," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a joint interview with broadcasters LCI and RTL and Le Figaro newspaper. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar also called on the British government not to set strict red lines, saying this could make an already difficult negotiation even harder. "One thing I'd say to everyone is let's not repeat some of the errors that were made in the past two-and-a-half years," Varadkar told the BBC. "Let's not set such rigid red lines that makes it hard to come to an agreement and let's tone down the nationalistic rhetoric." (Additional reporting by Maya Nikolaeva in Paris; Editing by Peter Graff and Helen Popper) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. He made the statement in a recent interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the side-lines of a workshop held by the CVFS in Toronto on February 1 on the occasion of the 90th founding anniversary of the CPV (February 3, 1930). Vietnams increasing prestige and position in the international arena demonstrate the political strength and ideology of the CPV, as well as its ingenious ability to seek ways to deal with the current complicated international situation, he said. That Vietnam became a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for 2020-2021 with an almost absolute number of votes has proved the trust of the international community in the CPV, he added. Louis Lang, a representative from the Communist Party of Canada, said the workshop, themed Communist Party of Vietnam: 90 years of accomplishments and international solidarity, created an opportunity to learn about the role of the CPV in the modern society and the gathering of people to solve social matters. He said the people-to-people relations between Vietnam and Canada have been reinforced through respective visits, particularly the remarkable contributions of Vietnamese students in Canada. Participants at the workshop expressed their impression and admiration when seeing documents highlighting the glorious milestones of the Vietnamese nation such as the birth of the CPV, the successful August Revolution 1945, and the Dien Bien Phu Victory in 1954. Portraits of late President Ho Chi Minh by Canadian artists Jean-Maurice Gelinas and Guy Lapierre were put on display at the event. Works featuring the Great Spring Victory of 1975 and the Dien Bien Phu Victory in 1954 were also showcased to help Canadian friends understand better about the leadership role of the CPV in the cause of national liberation, reunification, building and defence. D emocratic presidential candidates are trying to fire up voters in Iowa as they prepare to choose their favoured candidate to take on Donald Trump in November. The Monday night caucuses, seen as a close four-way race, is the effective starting gun for actual voters to select a Democratic nominee to challenge Mr Trump in the 2020 US presidential election. Victory in Iowa will not guarantee anyone the party nomination, but could provide their campaign with crucial momentum in the race as it helps shape initial perceptions among voters. Many candidates have spent the past few weeks campaigning in the Midwest state, which is always the first to vote. The president's popularity within his own party is so high that his nomination is all but a formality / Getty Images While there are also Republican caucuses on Monday, with Joe Walsh and Bill Weld running against Mr Trump, the president's popularity within his own party is such that his nomination is all but a formality. Public opinion polls show a close race among the top of the 11 Democratic contenders vying to oust Mr Trump from the White House later this year. Some suggest Bernie Sanders has risen to be the favourite in Iowa while others show him as the joint-favourite with former vice president Joe Biden. US Senator Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, are not far behind. Mr Sanders, who lost out on the nomination to Hillary Clinton four years ago, has had to stay behind in Washington to attend Mr Trump's impeachment trial. Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders / REUTERS But the 78-year-old's supporters, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are campaigning on his behalf in Iowa. Voters, who will gather at more than 1,600 caucus sites in Iowa, will begin their night on Monday by declaring support for their preferred presidential candidate. At a caucus, voters gather at local precincts and declare support for their chosen candidate - then some have an opportunity to switch sides. After the first round of lobbying, supporters of eliminated candidates can make a second choice. But for the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party will report three sets of results and there is no guarantee that all three will show the same winner. Each set of results represents a different stage of the caucus. The new rules for Monday's contest were mandated by the Democratic National Committee in a bid to make the process more transparent. In the past, Iowa Democrats reported only one set of results: the number of state convention delegates won by each candidate through the caucus process. Democrats choose their party's eventual White House nominee based on national convention delegates and the state delegates are used to determine those totals in Iowa. As the event that kick starts the primary season race, Iowa can help shape perceptions among voters. SCOTTVILLE Apex Clean Energy, the company orchestrating the Lincoln Land Wind Project in eastern Morgan County, is looking at areas near Modesto, Scottville and Virden in Macoupin County for another wind farm project. Landowners in those areas recently received notice about an open house in February that will introduce plans for a 200 megawatt wind development plan called the Lotus Wind Project. The project calls for up to 80 turbines along the northern Macoupin County line. Max Jabrixio, a representative for the Lotus Wind Project, said the company recently opened an office in Virden and area landowners confirmed Lotus Wind representatives have contacted them about the project over the past few months. Jabrixio provided some initial information on the project and says staff have began meeting with area Chamber of Commerce and county board members. The anticipated date of commercial operation for the 200 megawatts capacity project is 2023. Apex has identified sites in Macoupin County for the Lotus Wing Project that have the key attributes of a verified wind resource, the presence of expansive private land and a close proximity to existing transmission lines. The company promotes that, Lotus Wind will create jobs and generate an entirely new source of long-term revenue for local schools, government services and property owners. The total direct financial impact to the region is believed to be tens of millions of dollars over the life of the project. Specifically, The project will generate roughly $49 million in new property tax revenues in its first 30 years (and) will generate an estimated 272 new direct and indirect short-term jobs during construction and 22 new direct and indirect long-term jobs for the life of the project in Macoupin County. Landowners participating in the project also will receive compensation to include annual royalty payments. Jabrixio said he and Lotus Wind staff are excited to learn about the Macoupin County communities and, We plan to start a Community Grant Program aimed at local nonprofits to support work theyre doing in the area. We have a similar program in Morgan County for our Lincoln Land project that was very well received. When the program officially launches, there will be a website with additional details. According to literature from Lotus Wind, they believe about $31 million of the property tax revenues would go to schools in the project area. Last year, state legislators approved letting counties soley regulate wind projects and related infrastructure. Morgan County officials updated their countys ordinance with a number of regulations, including an approval process for a siting permit, construction requirements and a decommissioning plan. At this time, Macoupin County does not have any ordinances or resolutions regulating wind projects. Macoupin County Board members report Lotus Wind staff are slated to attend the countys next Economic Development Committee meeting on Thursday and the regularly scheduled County Board Meeting. Apex Clean Energy is a U.S.-based renewable energy developer headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, with just more than 200 employees across the country. The ruling Chinese Communist Party is moving to curb media organizations and social media users in their reporting of the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic, RFA has learned, as the number of confirmed cases rose to more than 17,000 with a total of 362 deaths reported on Monday. Journalists in Wuhan working for Caixin, Phoenix news, and other state-approved news organizations have been ordered by the party's powerful propaganda department to conduct a review of their coverage after their reports indicated that local officials had likely sought to cover up the extent of the outbreak in its early stages. Journalists who had interviewed patients or their families, or reported on the large number of patients left to fend for themselves at home due to a lack of resources, and were therefore left out of official statistics, were also targeted for "review" by propaganda officials. Many estimates have taken the number of undiagnosed, untreated, and uncounted coronavirus patients into account, with the majority of observers convinced that the number of cases likely exceeds 100,000, with deaths also going unreported. One reporter who declined to be named said propaganda officials had ordered their publication to delete a reference to large numbers of uncounted cases. "The more severe censorship was around the question of statistics," the journalist told RFA. "The central propaganda department directly ordered the deletion of that part." "Other media have been prevented from publishing some stories; the copy just hasn't been published with no notice given, even by word of mouth," the journalist said. Call for CT scans Government censors have also deleted accounts belonging to medical imaging experts Zhang Bo and Zhang Xiaochun of Wuhan University's Zhongnan Hospital after they posted a request for diagnosis to be made through CT scans rather than genetic tests of the virus. Zhang Xiaochun had also called on the government to search hotels and student dormitories for suspected patients to avoid clusters of infection from spreading in areas where people live together. Zhang was also one source of the estimate that the true number of coronavirus cases is likely around 100,000. Her posts came after relatives said via RFA and social media reports that they had been unable to get a diagnosis or treatment for their sick family members because of a lack of hospital beds or coronavirus test kits. A professor surnamed Zhou at Central South University in neighboring Hunan province said Zhang's allegations ring completely true, and warned that sending patients back home will just mean that they infect all of their family and friends. "What she's saying is totally true. This is indeed what is happening," Zhou said. "They won't just be infecting their families but other people in the same building." "It's no good relying on [government] neighborhood committees to prevent infection." Calls to Zhongnan Hospital rang unanswered on Monday. A staff member who answered the phone at Wuhan University declined to comment, saying she didn't know about the situation regarding the two hospital staff members. Citizen journalist held, released The warnings to media professionals and social media users came as state security police released citizen journalist Fang Bin after detaining him in connection with a video he posted of dead and dying patients in Wuhan's No. 5 Hospital at the weekend. The video went viral, and a group of people showed up at Fang's home, dressed as medical personnel. They were actually police, and they confiscated Fang's computers and took him away for questioning, according to a video he posted about his ordeal. "This is why I've been saying all along that my safety depends on all of you," he said, thanking social media users for their outcry following his detention. "There's no point in being fearful or craven, right? The more fearful you are, the worse this sort of thing will get," he said. "Everyone has to work together. We have to save ourselves in a nationwide movement." "You all saved me, and I am very grateful to you all." A Hubei resident who asked to remain anonymous said he hopes Fang goes back to reporting from Wuhan regardless. "I hope that other citizens in Hubei, as well as professional journalists, will be courageous enough to report on the actual situation from the front line," the resident said. "I also hope that the authorities won't try to cover anything up. The more transparent they are about the facts, the less worried people will be." Police under 'huge pressure' In Beijing, veteran rights activist Hu Jia said he was also taken away for questioning by state security police. "[The state security police] are under huge pressure over this epidemic," Hu said. "But people's sense of grievance is already at boiling point because of [the government's] irresponsibility in covering everything up." "They have to stamp out any sign of criticism online," Hu said, adding that he was likely detained for speaking to RFA in an earlier interview. "They reduce your words to trying to overthrow the system, accuse you of using the epidemic to incite subversion of state power, because they feel that this is even more of a threat to [party rule] than the Hong Kong protests last year," he said. "At least they could keep what was going on in Hong Kong outside the Great Firewall and the Shenzhen river, but the epidemic concerns everyone," he said. Reported by Wong Siu-san and Sing Man for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Gao Feng for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. LAKEWOOD, Colo., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Einstein Bros. Bagels is recognizing National Pizza Day the only way they know how... with bagels. Declaring there is no better crust than a fresh-baked bagel, Einstein Bros. Bagels encourages guests to try it out themselves with a special one-time use offer available all week long leading up to National Pizza Day on Feb. 9. Between Monday, Feb. 3 and Sunday, Feb. 9, Shmear Society Rewards members can redeem one coupon for two Pizza Bagel slices for just $3 with purchase. Guests who are not currently a member can visit www.einsteinbros.com/pizzabagel to claim the offer. "Our Pizza Bagels are evidence that bagels are truly the best type of pizza crust," said Chad Thompson, Chief Baker and VP of Menu Innovation at Einstein Bros. Bagels. "There is nothing better than a fresh-baked bagel slice, topped with a layer of pizza sauce and our meltiest blend of mozzarella, provolone and cheddar, crispy pepperoni and our Italian cheese trio to finish it off." Guests can enjoy the ultimate pizza and bagel combination in two flavors: Pepperoni or Cheese. The National Pizza Day offer from Einstein Bros. Bagels can be redeemed at participating locations, excluding license stores inside of colleges, airports, hotels and hospitals. To learn more about Einstein Bros. Bagels, visit www.einsteinbros.com . About Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc. Einstein Bros. Bagels is part of the Coffee & Bagel Brands family, a leading quick-casual company also known for Caribou Coffee, Bruegger's Bagels, Noah's New York Bagels and Manhattan Bagel brands. Einstein Bros. Bagels is a neighborhood bagelry that's always baking up a new way to bagel. Known for its fresh-baked bagels available in a variety of flavors and premium double-whipped shmears, Einstein Bros. Bagels also serves gourmet bagel sandwiches, coffee, espresso, sweets and snacks. Einstein Bros. Bagels is proud to be the largest bagel retail company in America with more than 700 locations in 40 states and the District of Columbia. To learn more, visit www.EinsteinBros.com. SOURCE Einstein Bros. Bagels Related Links https://www.einsteinbros.com JERUSALEMShortly after last weeks rollout of the U.S. contentious Middle East plan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government made a triumphant promise that the Cabinet would vote this weekend to extend Israeli sovereignty over substantial parts of the occupied West Bank. But it looks as if the Israelis misread the signals from Washington. The White House, while fully supportive of Netanyahu, was not ready to endorse an immediate unilateral annexation. In the days following Tuesdays unveiling of the plan in Washington, the Trump administration urged Netanyahu to delay any effective annexation of territory at least until after the March 2 Israeli elections. It was a request that one Israeli columnist likened to a birthday boy being told to wait to open his gift. The question before the Cabinet was whether to extend Israeli sovereignty over all the Jewish settlements throughout the occupied West Bank as well as over a large, strategic swath of territory along the border with Jordan. The plan was expected to be approved easily. But the Cabinet did not meet and the vote never happened. Now the turnabout is proving embarrassing for Netanyahu so close to the election and some of his fellow right-wing politicians fear it could cost their camp votes. Israeli government officials were left to offer somewhat dubious explanations. No Cabinet meeting or vote had actually been scheduled, they said, even though the same officials had issued a clear statement to that effect soon after the plan was announced. The only meeting Netanyahu convened with some of his ministers Sunday was to discuss national preparedness for the coronavirus outbreak. Israeli officials are now saying it is not clear when the Cabinet will meet this week or whether any vote will take place. If he doesnt bring any dividends on the ground meaning annexation it can boomerang, Gayil Talshir, a political scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said of Netanyahu. She noted that the prime minister had already promised to annex West Bank territory before the last election, in September, which ended inconclusively, and that he has since been indicted in three corruption cases. The new U.S. plan did dramatically turn the pre-election discourse away from Netanyahus recent indictment on charges of bribery and breach of trust, and back toward the security and diplomatic arenas, where he is far more comfortable. But Talshir said the prime minister still needed at least a miniannexation of one major settlement, say before the election. Otherwise, she said, some right-wing voters might prefer to stay at home or vote for parties further to the right than Netanyahus conservative Likud Party. Or the focus could go back to Netanyahus legal troubles. Ambiguities and contradictions arose immediately with the presentation of the Trump plan, which is heavily weighted toward Israel. It would allow Israel to annex about 30 per cent of the West Bank, including all the parts it deems important for security or part of its biblical birthright. In return, the plan makes the Palestinians a conditional offer of a truncated state made up of a disarmed Gaza Strip and chunks of the West Bank linked by roads and surrounded by Israeli territory. That would cast aside long-standing Palestinian hopes for an independent state that incorporated the vast majority of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Most of the world considers the settlements a violation of international law. President Donald Trump first introduced the plan as a basis for direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. But he also said the United States would recognize Israeli sovereignty over the parts of the West Bank it gets to keep under the plan, saying that could be immediately achieved. Adding to the confusion, Trump said Americans and Israelis would form a committee to come up with a more detailed map, suggesting a process that might take some time. Then came the dampener. On Thursday, Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who oversaw the creation of the plan, said in an interview with GZERO Media that the hope was that Israel would wait until after the March elections to annex territory. He said the technical work on the map could take a couple of months. We need an Israeli government in place to move forward, Kushner said. Israels last two elections, in April and September, ended in a close tie between Netanyahus political bloc and that of his main rival, and failed to produce a majority government. That led to the scheduling of an unprecedented third ballot within a year and no clear end to the political deadlock. The delay in extending Israeli sovereignty to the occupied territories has exposed Netanyahu to scrutiny from some right-wing allies already leery of his embrace of a plan that includes a form of Palestinian statehood, however limited. Let me be clear, Naftali Bennett, Netanyahus defence minister and leader of the right-wing Yamina party, said on Twitter last week. Whatever is delayed until after the elections will never happen and will remain outside for another 50 years. If we postpone or reduce the scope of applying sovereignty, Bennett said, then the opportunity of the century will turn into the bungle of the century. On Sunday, Shai Alon, mayor of the settlement of Beit El, said, We all celebrated the extension of sovereignty in the media, but we have not progressed 1 millimetre on the ground. There will be huge disappointment here if Netanyahu does not impose sovereignty by the election. There have been concerns in Israel and beyond about the repercussions of publicizing the plan, which the Palestinians angrily rejected. The Israeli military beefed up its forces in the Jordan Valley, the rest of the West Bank and along the Gaza border. Jordans foreign minister warned of the dangerous consequences of any Israeli annexation of Palestinian territory. Everything about this thing is confusing, said Nasser al-Kidwa, chair of the Yasser Arafat Foundation and a nephew of the Palestinian leader, who died in 2004. What is the exact timetable? What is going to happen when? Nothing is clear. The breaking point for everything, he said, will be if the Israelis proceed with any measures to annex or apply Israeli law or sovereignty to anywhere in the West Bank. Whatever the terminology, it amounts to the same thing. At a meeting of the Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo on Saturday, Arab states backed Palestinians rejection of the plan. In a speech, the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, threatened to sever all ties with Israel and the United States, including in the security realm. Nevertheless, the director of the CIA, Gina Haspel, was in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday for meetings with Palestinian security officials. Bennett, the Israeli defence minister, said Sunday that his country was stopping all agricultural imports from the Palestinian Authority to protest the authoritys limits in recent months on the import of calves from Israel. Israeli authorities also halted cement shipments into Gaza and cancelled 500 entry permits issued to Gazan vendors because of the resumption of sporadic rocket fire and the launching of incendiary balloons from the coastal Palestinian territory into southern Israel. Read more about: Houston police officers are working to determine how a man was shot after he was found wounded outside his ex-wifes southwest Houston home early Monday morning. The man is expected to survive, police said. Officers were called to the house in the 800 block of Royal George Lane around 1:15 a.m. for reports of a person down, authorities told media. Panaji, Feb 3 : B.R. Ambedkar had backed the idea of a 'Dalitstan' for Dalits but India has remained united, Goa Deputy Chief Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar told the Legislative Assembly on Monday. Ajgaonkar was speaking during a motion moved by a ruling MLA during the first day of the Assembly Budget session, to congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for passing the Citizenship Amendment Act. "You know Pakistan, when it was created, all Muslims went there. It became a Muslim state. Hindustan is not a Muslim or Hindu state. Some people say it will become a Hindu state. When you say Hindus, it includes all communities, Catholic, Hindus, Muslims, Dalits," Ajgaonkar said. "Babasaheb Ambedkar had said that there will be another Dalitstan for Dalits. But we are all together," Ajgaonkar also said. The Deputy Chief Minister is the only MLA belonging to the Scheduled Castes in the 40-member Goa Assembly. Backing the CAA, Ajgaonkar also said, that Modi would never think of "snatching away anybody's citizenship," while urging members of the minority community to see reason vis-a-vis the amended CAA which he said was aimed at conferring citizenship. "Catholics and Muslims have woken up these days. Grand meetings are being held everywhere. What has been done to you all? This country is one. No community needs to worry," Ajgaonkar said. Chinese gov't slams US for spreading fear The coronavirus outbreak has sparked panic across the globe with infections confirmed in countries. China on Monday criticized the US for spreading fear in the wake of new coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan city last December. Foreign Ministry Spokeswomen Hua Chunying told reporters that Washington did not extend any help to Beijing in its battle against the fatal coronavirus. "US HAS PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE" Hua said, adding that many countries applauded China for its efforts to stop the spread of the latest coronavirus. The novel coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV, has killed 361 people and infected over 17,200 people in China so far. Outside China, only one death was confirmed in the Philippines. The U.S. government has not provided any substantial assistance to us, but it was the first to evacuate personnel from its consulate in Wuhan, the first to suggest partial withdrawal of its embassy staff, and the first to impose a travel ban on Chinese travelers, the official said. All the US has done is to create and spread fear, which is a bad example. The outbreak has sparked panic across the globe with infections confirmed in countries, including Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the US, Singapore, France, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, India, Nepal, and Canada. Travelers from China are being screened at airports worldwide and several airlines have suspended flights to Wuhan. Lara Fabian will perform in a concert at the Palace Hall in Bucharest as part of her tour "50 World Tour" that promotes her 14th studio album - "Papillon." The Belgian artist also marks with her tour her 50th anniversary, which she celebrated on January 9, and 30 years of career. She is set to perform both new songs and old hits like "Je t'aime" or "Je suis malade". The setlist also includes a duet with Romanian artist Horia Brenciu. Lara Fabian was supposed to perform in Bucharest in November 2019 too, but she had to reschedule because of health issues. The same reason caused the cancellation of her concert in Craiova, which was supposed to take place on November 17. Tickets to Lara Fabian's show at the Palace Hall in Bucharest cost between 200 and 600 lei and can be bought through the Eventim network or online on www.eventim.ro. Her show in Bucharest is organised by the International Creative Talent Agency. AGERPRES A mother's face has been scalded beyond recognition by her monstrous husband who doused her with boiling oil while she slept. The Moroccan cleaner, known only a Zohra, can no longer see or speak, according to her friends desperately trying to raise money for her spiralling medical bills. They say her body was left peppered with grisly marks where the hot liquid corroded her skin, while her face was also spoiled by yellowy burn blotches. Pictures show the mother-of-two lying limp on a hospital trolley in Meknes, northern Morocco with her head completely bandaged save only for eye and mouth holes. Pictures show the mother-of-two lying limp on a hospital trolley in Meknes, northern Morocco with her head completely bandaged save only for eye and mouth holes She has already undergone surgery three times to take a skin graft from her thighs and have an eye operation. Rallying round the mother, friends Anisa Rasul and Tahir Anwar wrote: 'The heart is heavy and filled with sadness as we write this. A dear sister and friend, Zohra, in Morocco has been violently attacked and in need of our help. 'We are urgently raising funds to pay for her medical treatment. Zohra is poor, she worked as a cleaning lady, and medical care in Morocco is very expensive.' Ms Rasul, who used to live in Newcastle and employed Zohra, said the December domestic attack has disfigured her face enormously. She has already undergone surgery three times to take a skin graft from her thighs and have an eye operation Speaking from Yemen, she told the Daily Star: 'I love her dearly. She was in my home five days a week and she was part of our family. 'She is of course unrecognisable. Her face although healing is completely different she looks like a different lady.' Zohra's vile husband is understood to have been arrested following the attack and is in custody awaiting sentencing. But Ms Rasul lamented the commonplace violence in Morocco by men against women. The Briton, who lived in the north African country for three years, said: 'I saw domestic violence regularly and women beat by men in their homes, yet when it's reported to the police they turn a blind eye. It is disgusting.' Zohra's Just Giving page has already raked in more than 3,800. Tom Hanks attracted attention on social media after the Aston Villa supporter posted a tweet appearing to celebrate the English side's League Cup triumph -- a month before the final. The two-time Oscar-winning actor has long said he is a fan of the Birmingham club. "Aston Villa took the Carabao Cup! Up the Villa! Hanx," the 63-year-old wrote, referencing the sponsors name for the tournament. Aston Villa beat Leicester on Tuesday to reach the final, where they will face holders and red-hot favourites Manchester City at Wembley on March 1. "Premature speculation?," tweeted former England striker Gary Lineker in response. Hanks will turn his focus back to films next weekend, when he will be hoping to win a third Academy Award after being nominated for best supporting actor for his role as Fred Rogers in "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The long-awaited Samsung Galaxy Home Mini may be headed to stores in South Korea as early as this month, according to a press release thats since been removed from Samsungs website. As reported by Android Police, the announcement on Samsungs South Korean website said that the Bixby-powered Samsung Galaxy Home Mini would arrive on February 12 for 99,000 KRW, or roughly $83 in U.S. currency. The news release was quickly taken down, according to Android Police. Weve reached out to Samsung for comment. The leaked release date for the Galaxy Home Mini smart speaker would be a day after a slated Samsung Unpacked event in San Francisco, where the tech giant is expected to reveal the Galaxy S20. Samsung has already hinted that the Galaxy Home Mini would arrive sooner rather than later, with Samsung execs at CES last month promising that the smart speaker would land in early 2020. Still missing in action, however, is the Samsung Galaxy Home, a larger version of the Galaxy Home Mini that was first announced at Samsungs August 2018 Unpacked event. Outside of a brief appearance at Mobile World Congress nearly a year ago, the Galaxy Home has yet to see the light of day. Word of the Galaxy Home Mini, which looks like a spherical competitor to Amazons diminutive Echo Dot and the Google Nest Home Mini, first surfaced last August. According to a Galaxy Home Mini beta signup form, the Galaxy Home Mini features onboard Bixby (Samsungs voice assistant), and it would double as a SmartThings hub. The Galaxy Home Mini is also slated to boast rich sound courtesy of AKG, a division of Samsung-owned Harman. In a translated version of the now-deleted press release, Samsung added some new details about the Galaxy Home Mini, including dual integrated microphones capable of receiving voice commands over long distances, the ability to detect emergency situations such as fire, smoke, and leaks when its connected to an external sensor, and multi-room audio functionality. The leaked announcement made no mention of a U.S. release date for the Galaxy Home Mini, but its possible that Samsung will finally spill the beans at its February 11 Unpacked event, so stay tuned. The nation's political, religious and traditional leaders must be cautious against succumbing to the antics of the insurgent group Boko Haram, which is geared to undermine the unity of the country and if possible, stoke religious crisis between Christian and Muslim faithful, the All Progressives Congress has warned. Recent comments by leaders following attacks by an insurgent group on soft targets is assuming a dangerous ethnoreligious slant, which has to be curbed for the country's collective interest, the party said via a statement signed by Lanre Issa Onilu, its National Publicity Secretary observed that There have been growing incidents of gruesome murder of Christians by Boko Haram insurgents and armed herdsmen in recent months. They abduct and slaughter their members and leaders at will across states in the North, prominent among which is the decapitation of Lawan Andimi, Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Michigan Local government area. Some prominent Nigerian political and religious leaders have asked the APC administration and particularly, President Mohammadu Buhari to resign over the worsening insecurity. However, APC warmed that the slant of the narrative is tilting to serve the aim of the insurgent which is to divide and pitch Christians against the Muslims. The party alerted that the goal of Boko Haram has not shifted from stoking religious war in the country and warns that Nigerians must guard against the trap. The statement read: Recently, public commentaries on the activities of Boko Haram and bandits, as well as other forms of criminality in the country is assuming a dangerous ethno-religious slant, unfortunately influenced by insensitive and selfish partisan narratives by shortsighted groups and individuals. This is a red flag that must be checked for our collective well-being. Understandably, the aftermath of an attack will trigger inflamed responses particularly from those affected. We however have a duty to rise above simplistic narratives and politically-tainted criticisms which are oftentimes misplaced and counterproductive. True to form, violent extremists and terrorists all over the world would adopt desperate tactics by selecting soft targets for their barbaric and opportunistic attacks. In Nigeria, these godless people are attempting to stoke religious sensitivities by pitching Christians and Muslims against one and other through their recent pattern of cowardly attacks. This demonstrates how debased and degraded Boko Haram and those who sponsor it have become. We must not fall for this divisive ploy. In our respective spaces, we should understand that these violent extremists are our common enemies, and are blind to religious and political affiliation and socio-economic status. Our leaders religious, political, traditional and all others in positions of influence and authority, must now show leadership and temperance in their utterances and actions. Doing otherwise will be acting the scripts and playing into the hands of these fanatics seeking to divide us and pitch us against each other. Onilu said the government is doing its best to curtail the activities of Boko Haram and other criminal hands . In 2015, followed by a reelection in 2019, Nigerians voted President Muhammadu Buhari to among others win the war against terrorism and generally secure the country. Despite the opportunistic and pocket of attacks on some soft targets, the President's resolve and the APC-led government in degrading Boko Haram is not in doubt. Our armed forces are now better equipped with their welfare prioritised; previous insurgency-ravaged communities are being rehabilitated and resettled; gone are those days when attacks particularly on the country's capital city of Abuja and other parts of the country were routine. Currently, no inch of Nigeria's territory is under the control of Boko Haram; bandits, kidnappers and other criminal camps are being cleared with the criminals suffering heavy casualties on a daily basis. Finally, we once again deeply commiserate with families and religious organisations, particularly the Christain Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Catholic Church whose members have been recently targeted and killed by the terrorists as well as of the places of worship attacked. We must now work collectively and continue to support and cooperate with the President Buhari government and our security services on the frontlines as they work to ensure the safe release of our abducted citizens and rid the remnant of these terrorists from our land. God of Wealth Day in Corona time, source: thanhnien.vn Capturing the demand for gold during the God of Wealth day with the hope of securing good fortune throughout the whole year, big gold companies launched a series of items such as Phuc-Loc-Tho gold statues or golden rat statues this year, in addition to traditional products such as golden rings. One of the most popular and sought-after God of Wealth products in the Year of the Rat are the golden rat statues. Besides, gold rings and pendants in the shape of a mouse are also sought by many. In addition to creating eye-catching gold products, many companies also designed attractive packaging for customers to buy their products as gifts for relatives and partners. The domestic price of gold has reached its highest mark in 10 years, surpassing VND45 million ($1,956.52) per tael. Experts said that gold prices increased in part due to the demand on the day of the God of Wealth. Opening the trading session on February 2, the domestic gold price was listed by Doji Jewelry Group at VND44.6/45.1 million per tael ($1,939.13/1,960.87 buy/sell). Prices increased by VND250,000/300,000 a tael ($10.87/13.04) compared to the trading day on February 1. To prepare for this year, Doji has launched 280,000 products, 30 per cent more than in 2018. Phu Quy Company listed SJC gold at VND44.45/44.9 million per tael ($1,932.61/1,952.17). Prices increased by VND100,000 ($4.35) a tael for both buying and selling against the day before. Nguyen Thu Huong, a salesperson of Phu Quy gold shop (Tran Nhan Tong, Hanoi), said, To make it easier for customers, the company accepts advance payments. On the God of Wealth day, the customer will receive the product to ensure their luck for the year. Customers who buy early will get a better price. In the previous years, days before the main day, people often visited the gold shops to check the models and products before deciding on what to buy. On January 31 this year, three days before the God of Wealth, popular gold stores in Hanoi such as those in Tran Nhan Tong and Cau Giay, welcomed far fewer customers than in previous years. At Bao Tin Minh Chau on Tran Nhan Tong Street, Le Thi Ha (Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi) said that her family often buys gold items on this occasion each year. Every year at this time, customers flood the gold store, sometimes they even have to queue up outside. This year, I am worried about the Coronavirus so I try to avoid crowded places. Therefore, instead of going with my niece, I was m the only one coming to see the products and the shops are less crowded, she said. Le Xuan Tiens fa (Long Bien, Hanoi) said that his family often lined up to buy gold directly at stores in the day of God of Wealth. This year, Tien's family chose to order online to avoid crowded places during the Coronavirus. According to economic expert Nguyen Hung, Vietnam Gold Traders Association (VGTA), gold enterprises have considered the God of Wealth day as the gold festival of the year. Buyers on this day will push the demand up, making the price of gold often rises unreasonably. After that, the gold price will go down. Even so, people still defy to choose the gold product on the right day. This year, because of the Coronavirus, to attract customers, many gold businesses have asked all employees to wear masks as well as giving masks to customers. Doji has launched the programme "buy gold - receive a Japanese mask" on the God of Wealth. Customers who come to buy gold at Doji are also advised to wear masks to prevent disease. SHANGHAI, Feb. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kemin Industries, a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services, has appointed Leo Xie-Lei as President of Kemin AquaScience, the company's global business unit that serves the aquaculture industry with sustainable solutions as it shifts from wild-catch to farmed fish and shrimp. Xie-Lei is succeeding Kemin AquaScience's first president, KP Philip, who will continue to lead strategic projects for Kemin Industries. Kemin AquaScience President Leo Xie-Lei Xie-Lei joined Kemin as chief commercial officer for Kemin AquaScience in late 2018. He also served as regional director for China, building the Kemin AquaScience business there from the ground up. "Leo joined Kemin AquaScience when it was just beginning, and he has been an asset and a leader in the business since day one," said Dr. Chris Nelson, President and CEO, Kemin. "KP has built a strong foundation for our newest global business unit, and I'm excited to see Leo continue to advance Kemin in the aquaculture industry." Xie-Lei has spent the last decade in leadership positions in the nutrition and food industry. Prior to joining Kemin, he served as President of Asia Pacific for Royal DSM NV's Food Specialty Business Group. He also held several senior positions with DSM in the Asia Pacific region, Europe and China. "Being part of the Kemin AquaScience team since its launch has been a tremendous experience, and I look forward to continuing our strong momentum as we expand our product portfolio and global reach," said Xie-Lei. Xie-Lei earned his bachelor's degree from Shanghai University in China and an MBA from RSM Erasmus University in the Netherlands. He is currently based in Shanghai and will continue to lead Kemin AquaScience from China. About Kemin Industries Kemin Industries (www.kemin.com) is a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services. The company supplies over 500 specialty ingredients for human and animal health and nutrition, pet food, aquaculture, nutraceutical, food technologies, crop technologies and textile industries. For over half a century, Kemin has been dedicated to using applied science to address industry challenges and offer product solutions to customers in more than 120 countries. Kemin provides ingredients to feed a growing population with its commitment to the quality, safety and efficacy of food, feed and health-related products. Established in 1961, Kemin is a privately held, family-owned-and-operated company with more than 2,800 global employees and operations in 90 countries, including manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Italy, Russia, San Marino, Singapore, South Africa and the United States. Media Contact: Vinoth Kumar R, Communications Manager, [email protected], +91 99529 50735 Kemin Industries, Inc. and its group of companies 2020. All rights reserved. TM Trademarks of Kemin Industries, Inc., U.S.A. Certain statements, product labeling and claims may differ by geography or as required by government requirements. SOURCE Kemin Industries Related Links http://www.kemin.com Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on February 3 targeted the government over the issue of unemployment, saying it has "failed miserably" to generate jobs for the youth of the country. He said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman should not be afraid of answering questions raised by him on behalf of the youth, to whom the government is answerable. "Finance Minister, don't be scared of my questions. I am asking these questions on behalf of the youth of the country, to answer whom is your responsibility," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi. "The youth of the country want employment and your government has failed miserably to provide them the same," he said. The Congress leader used the hashtag "JawaabDoMantriJi" to put across his point. Medical and trauma experts are calling for a mandatory zero blood-alcohol level to be introduced for all drivers on Australian roads after four children were killed while walking on a Sydney footpath on Saturday. In the wake of the tragedy caused by an alleged drink driver, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) is leading the call to reduce the legal blood-alcohol limit to zero. The colleges National Trauma Committee chair Dr John Crozier has pointed to countries overseas with stricter enforcement on the issue as evidence that a zero limit can reduce road deaths. I think its right as you look at this tragedy that any further way of reducing the risk of alcohol affecting the behaviour of the driver and it does should be explored, he told News Corp Australia on Sunday. We have it as a requirement for all commercial drivers and in poignant deaths like this, its reasonable to further explore whether we should have a zero blood-alcohol requirement for all drivers. A number of middle eastern and asian countries have a zero tolerance policy for alcohol and road users, as do the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. Meanwhile, countries including Norway, Poland and Sweden have a lower limit of 0.02. Calls have been reignited to reduce the legal BAC for drivers. Source: Facebook For close to 30 years, states across Australia have enforced a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) driving limit of 0.05, but there has long been calls from the medical community and road safety experts to consider reducing the legal limit further. The tragic consequences of Saturdays incident which saw the 29-year-old driver allegedly record a BAC of 0.15, three time the legal limit has renewed the debate about lowering the amount drivers are allowed to drink. Alcohol a factor in many fatal crashes According to the NSW Centre for Road Safety, drink-driving is a factor in about one in every seven crashes in the state where someone loses their life. Story continues Dr Crozier says that number is much higher in rural areas with about 40 per cent of road deaths involving alcohol. Since random breath testing was introduced in the state in 1982, the number of alcohol-related deaths on our roads has reduced dramatically about fivefold since 1980. But it still remains a major factor in road fatalities. The latest data from the NSW Centre for Road Safety from 2017 shows that 55 people were killed, and 425 seriously injured, in alcohol-related crashes on NSW roads. The Transport and Road Safety (TARS) Research Centre at the University of NSW has endorsed a lower BAC for drivers since 2012. Why a 0.02 BAC limit is supported Professor emeritus at the UNSW and road safety expert, Raphael Grzebieta, agrees with the latest calls from the RACS to lower the limit. Weve been talking about 0.02 for a long time so its time to work on that, he told News Corp Australia. The reason its 0.02 is in case someone takes medication, but 0.02 means you dont drink and drive. As debate kicked off, many on social media appeared to balk at the idea of reducing the legal blood-alcohol limit for drivers. Would a 0.00 blood alcohol limit have stopped what happened to the four children? No. Those who break the law will continue to break the law, one person said after ABC Breakfast asked its viewers on social media whether they would support the idea. There is already a limit which is ignored by some, why do you think a zero limit will be different? another said. One person suggested it would only punishes people who have been doing the right thing already. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. Rajesh Asnani By Express News Service JAIPUR: The continued Ashok Gehlot-Sachin Pilot tussle in Rajasthan has had an unlikely fallout: a clamour to nominate Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to the Rajya Sabha from the state. The buzz in the Congress corridors in New Delhi and Jaipur suggests that it is Gehlot who is strongly pushing for it. It is said he is trying to convince the Gandhi family to agree to fielding Priyanka, the same way former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was last year. The Rajasthan CMs eagerness to bring Priyanka to Parliaments Upper House is linked to what is considered in Congress circles a certainty: the return of Rahul Gandhi as the party president soon. ALSO READ: People who struggled for ensuring poll victory must be made to feel valuable part of govt, says Sachin Pilot It is well known that when the Congress was gearing up to form the government in the state in December 2018 following the partys win in the Assembly elections, Rahul was keen to make Pilot the Chief Minister. But Gehlot, who had already served as the CM twice before and is an old warhorse from the state, was picked on the suggestion of Sonia Gandhi with Priyankas tacit support. The Gehlot camp said the CM has served three generations of the Gandhi family, beginning with Indira Gandhi when he was a minister at the Centre. His supporters said Gehlots steadfastness and party loyalty, coupled with the fact that Pilot has time on his side, ultimately made the party high command opt for Gehlot as the CM. But the likely return of Rahul at the party helm is not good news for the Gehlot camp. Insiders believe that the CMs push for Priyanka for the Rajya Sabha is an attempt to offset the gains the Pilot camp will make if Rahul is back as the party chief. A section of the Congress feels that despite the recent successes in the panchayat elections, the ongoing Gehlot-Pilot fight has the potential to neutralize the goodwill for the party. They said if Priyanka is elected from Rajasthan, it would help cement the party even as it would provide a bulwark for Gehlot. ALSO READ: We cannot go on about $5 trillion economy when people are still dying of hunger, says Sachin Pilot It is also felt that her entry into Parliament will help amplify the Congress voice in the House. The induction would also raise her profile nationally. This would prove to be an asset, especially with several state elections lined up in the near future. Officially, the party is mum on her nomination. I dont have any definite knowledge about this and ultimately the decision will be that of Priyanka Gandhiji. But if she chooses to be a Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan it will be very fortunate for all of us and will greatly strengthen the Congress in the state, said state Information and Public Relations Minister Raghu Sharma. The tussle between the CM and his deputy, quite often played out in full public glare, is the worst kept secret in the state. Recently, Pilot used the infant deaths in a Kota government hospital to embarrass Gehlot. While the CM had defended his governments response to the crisis, Pilot told reporters after visiting the hospital that the incident could have been handled in a more sensitive manner. Gehlots gameplan The Rajasthan CMs eagerness to bring Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to Parliaments Upper House is linked to what is considered in Congress circles a certainty: the return of Rahul Gandhi as the party president soon. Insiders believe that the CMs push for Priyanka for the Rajya Sabha is an attempt to offset the gains the Pilot camp will make if Rahul is back as the party chief. ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Climate scientists say a blizzard that paralyzed eastern Newfoundland signals that greater preparations are needed for extreme precipitation and tidal surges even if a direct line cannot be drawn between individual storms and climate change.The historic Jan. 17 blizzard dropped more than 76 centimetres of snow on St. John's amid winds gusting over 150 kilometres per hour, breaking a record for single-day snowfall in the city. The provincial capital was under a state of emergency for eight days as crews worked to clear roads, and other municipalities responded to infrastructure damage and similarly deep snowfalls. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/2/2020 (708 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Soldiers from the 4th Artillery Regiment based at CFB Gagetown get help from a snowblower-equipped neighbour as they clear snow at a residence in St. John's on Monday, Jan. 20, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Climate scientists say a blizzard that paralyzed eastern Newfoundland signals that greater preparations are needed for extreme precipitation and tidal surges even if a direct line cannot be drawn between individual storms and climate change.The historic Jan. 17 blizzard dropped more than 76 centimetres of snow on St. John's amid winds gusting over 150 kilometres per hour, breaking a record for single-day snowfall in the city. The provincial capital was under a state of emergency for eight days as crews worked to clear roads, and other municipalities responded to infrastructure damage and similarly deep snowfalls. Researchers who spoke with The Canadian Press said more intense storms are likely on the horizon for Atlantic Canada, and the region should prepare accordingly. "I think what the storm showed is that we're not really prepared either for the increased intensity of storms, or the possibility that such storms could become more frequent," said Brad DeYoung, an oceanographer at Memorial University of Newfoundland. According to the federal Canada's Changing Climate Report published last year, the Atlantic region is facing rising seas and falling coastlines. It noted that eastern coasts are continuing to sink while projecting between 75 centimetres and one metre of relative sea level rise for the area by the end of the century. Blair Greenan, a federal oceanographer who oversaw the oceans chapter of the report, said in an email that existing science points to the likelihood of heavier precipitation. "There is some well understood physics that as we warm the atmosphere, the capacity of air to hold water vapour increases," he said. "It is therefore expected that a warmer atmosphere will result in an increase in extreme precipitation events when you look at this from a global perspective." Greenan added "there certainly is some potential that climate change will change the frequency and magnitude of storms in Atlantic Canada," though it's too early to confidently say how often, or with what intensity. For Ashlee Consulo, director of Memorial University's Labrador Institute, governments need to start preparing for frequently intense weather. "There should be an assumption now from an adaptation perspective that these are things that may be more frequent," Consulo said by phone. "There's no harm preparing things that support healthier, stronger, more resilient communities." Ryan Ness, who directs the adaptation team at the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices, said local capabilities to deal with major rainfall and snowstorms should be built up so that "we don't have to call in the troops" after every weather event. Canadian Forces personnel were in Newfoundland for a week following the storm, responding to hundreds of calls from people unable to dig out of their homes. Responding to weather has become an increasingly frequent activity for Canada's Armed Forces, especially in Atlantic Canada. Soldiers were deployed to assist with flood response in New Brunswick last spring and to help with the cleanup in Halifax after post-tropical storm Dorian hit the Maritimes in September with heavy rain and wind that felled trees and knocked out power to thousands. Analysis by The Canadian Press last year showed military assistance was requested for 10 weather-related disasters over the previous two years, compared with 20 calls between 2007 and 2016. Ness said looking to the experiences of those most vulnerable to storms, like the elderly or lower-income people, will be essential when planning for future events that may affect a city's ability to function. He also suggested looking at more sustainable housing design, legislating what can be built in high-risk areas and reviewing building code standards for entrances and exits in provinces subject to severe weather. Joel Finnis, a climatologist at Memorial University of Newfoundland's geography department, said heavy snowfall is not unknown in St. John's. But he said some characteristics of the "weather bomb" that ravaged the region, like intense winds up to 150 kilometres per hour in some areas, are more likely to be seen again, resulting in storm surges that wreak havoc on essential infrastructure in coastal communities. He said continued sea level rise and the expansion of ocean water due to heating could aggravate the storm-surge risk. In Bonavista, north of St. John's, the storm surge from last month's blizzard battered already deteriorating sea walls that protect homes along the historic community's shoreline. Nine-metre high waves, completing destroying the sea wall in some areas. Mayor John Norman said the crucial infrastructure won't withstand another beating, and replacing the sea wall has become an urgent issue for the town. He estimates the recent damage will cost over $1 million to repair, but a future storm could cause extensive damage to homes, sewer and roads and end up being far more costly if the sea wall isn't repaired. Other coastal communities in eastern Newfoundland also sustained storm surge damage climbing into the millions. Terry French, mayor of Conception Bay South, said the damage to infrastructure, from roads to storm drains, could cost into tens of millions of dollars. Finnis said blizzards with heavy snowfall should not worry people as much as other, more damaging events. "This storm that produced the state of emergency in St. John's was what I might think of as a soft, or even a benevolent, disaster," Finnis. "It was it was really not a terrifically expensive hazard compared to other kinds of things that we might expect to see very frequently in the future." He said a greater threat to the city would be a heavy rain-on-snowfall event, which was forecast but narrowly avoided the week after January's blizzard. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb 2. 2020. With files from Michael Tutton SHELTON Owners of a proposed speakeasy on Old Bridgeport Avenue which was rejected by the Planning and Zoning Commission, have now submitted plans for a restaurant in that same location. Hush It Up applicant Randi Lee England applied for a certificate of zoning compliance in December for a restaurant and bar that would occupy both the upper and lower levels of the building at 303 Old Bridgeport Ave. Englands request comes as her attorneys have filed an appeal of a judges 2017 ruling upholding the Planning and Zoning Commissions denial of the speakeasy, which would have only occupied the first-floor space. Attorney Jonathan Klein said that the certificate of zoning compliance request is substantially the same as the special exception granted by the commission for the location in 2011. At that time, the commission gave the approval allowing Hunan Pan to occupy the space. Klein said the name of the proposed restaurant is yet to be determined. Neither the zoning administrator nor the Planning and Zoning Commission has taken action on that (new) application, said Klein. The ruling marks the latest turn in a legal saga that has gone on for more than two years surrounding the proposed business, which was to be called Hush. England has said the bar would operate as a speakeasy a trend in the bar business hearkening back to the days of Prohibition in the Roaring 20s complete with waitresses dressed as flapper girls. An initial description including references to burlesque performances riled residents who worried that it would be a gentlemens club by another name. The commission denied the businesss application, citing concerns about traffic and parking while also stating that self-described speakeasies are prohibited in Shelton. Klein filed an appeal saying the commission caved to public pressure about the business and used the concerns they cited as a pretext. After a hearing in March, the judge handed down a 12-page decision reversing the commissions decision and directing the commission to review the formula used in determining the requirements for off-street parking. The commission replied that 35 off-street parking spaces are needed, but that there were fewer than half of those spaces available. On Sept. 23, 2019, Hiller ruled that that determination was supported by substantial evidence in the record and, on that basis, denied Hush's appeal. Klein has stated that the 35 spaces were more than double the amount the commission had previously said would be required at the business and said the property already had 45 spaces anyway. brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com The issue here is that Sharjeel dared to question the Assam NRC, the detention camps and the general status quo that has emerged after the Assam Movement. Sharjeel Imam was arrested recently on charges of sedition. His crime? Calling for a blockade against Assam in response to the possible disenfranchisement of 1.9 million people on the back of the Assam NRC. Many of the solidarity statements, while condemning the application of draconian anti-sedition laws and the UAPA [Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act], have simultaneously distanced themselves or outright condemned Sharjeels call for a blockade. At this juncture, we need to break down the implications of these half-hearted solidarity statements. There can be two objections to this particular statement, one is that these groups oppose the manner of protest and the other relates to a condemnation of what has transpired in Assam until today. Sharjeels call for a blockade in the so-called chicken neck against Assam is being interpreted as a call for aggression against the people of the state and its people and the North East at large, hence the sedition charges lodged by the governments of Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, apart from those in Assam, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. However, while one can understand that BJP ruled states (or in the case of Delhi, where the police fall under the control of the BJP-run Central government) would be trigger-happy with regards to sedition cases, this does not account for the objections of progressive activist circles in the so-called mainland. It is important to note here that highway blockades are nothing new in the region. These have been employed multiple times, notably by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the United Naga Council. Neither of these has led to such condemnations from the same progressive activist groups. Objections about this mode of protest often are about concerns that this will lead to a shutdown of a state causing distress to its residents, but one can argue that this is certain for any such protest. As a matter of fact, the anti-CAA protests in Assam also involved bandhs which by the same logic, would have caused the same kind of distress to its residents. A similar logic can be used to delegitimise everything from bandhs to transportation strikes, but one would never find progressive activist groups opposing any of this. This is nothing but hypocrisy and this isnt the actual issue for which such objections are being raised at this juncture. On the contrary, the objection is concerning the second. The issue here is that Sharjeel dared to question the Assam NRC, the detention camps and the general status quo that has emerged after the Assam Movement. As a litmus test, those who have condemned Sharjeels statement, have they also condemned the Assam NRC in principle and not simply as a matter of implementation? For instance, the CPM while strongly opposing an All India NRC, has an unsavoury record of supporting the NRC in Assam, demanding a foreigner free Assam. There are a vast majority of such organisations and politicians who have condemned Sharjeel while opposing the sedition charges, in reality, have supported the Assam NRC. The duplicity and hypocrisies of many of these groups, who while opposing an All-India NRC, support an NRC in Assam is attributable to the acceptance of the premise of the Assam Movement and the resultant Assam Accord i.e., the people of Assam can be cleanly divided into khilonjiya (the indigenous) and the outsiders (illegal Bangladeshi migrants). That Assam has been swamped by (mostly) Bengali immigrants, that they constitute an existential cultural threat to the khilonjiya and the first claim upon Assam lies with the former. It is a matter of fact that colonial Assam saw the merger of three districts (Sylhet, Cachar and Goalpara) from Bengal to Assam. So is the migration of Bengalis from say, Mymensingh to Goalpara internal, or as many contend, external? If the precolonial status quo is the basis for making such judgements, then such migration would be internal migration. These mainly Muslim migrants from Mymensingh to the fertile chars of the Brahmaputra Valley as cultivators have faced unspeakable horrors resulting from structural xenophobia and Islamophobia from the 1930s, culminating in the infamous Nellie Massacre in 1983. The Muslims of the chars remain among the most marginalised people in Assam today. There is an unstated assumption at work here that assumes that Assam has been unfairly burdened with Partition and post-Partition refugees from the fallout of the Bengal Partition by the Indian State. Except, this completely ignores the fact that Assam too saw its own Partition, where Sylhet saw a referendum, through which Sylhet minus Karimganj became a part of East Pakistan (although Karimganj voted for merger with Pakistan, whereas Moulvibazar voted to stay in Assam) -- a process which had the support of the Assamese Hindu elites. Furthermore, after Partition, large numbers of Muslims were expelled from Assam on the back of the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950 and the NRC in 1951. The stories of the Sylhet Referendum and Partition of Assam are little recorded and spoken of either in popular discourse in the Brahmaputra Valley or the mainland and scholarship on the same, remains much poorer than that of the Partitions of Bengal and Punjab but this hardly means that these should remain unspoken of today. Even if the claims of the Assamese nationalists were true and that Assam was indeed burdened by an influx of immigrants for which it had no responsibility historically, any process that leads to the mass disenfranchisement of 1.9 million people, the construction of concentration camps, the talk of stripping people who are not khilonjiya of property and political rights are horrific and condemnable. The recent, but belated public interest in the NRC in Assam has thrown up shocking stories like that of Sandhya Chakraborty and Moimunnissa -- of the horrors of the detention camps, the Foreigners Tribunals and so on when these have been ignored and waved away by activist and political groups in the mainland. The list of over 30 suicides in response to the NRC may be termed as nothing but institutional murders in the face of a state that rejects the value of the life of anyone they deem as a migrant and an outsider. This uncertainty that the people find themselves in did not escape the report of even the mainstream newspapers, so on what basis has Sharjeels concern towards these people earned the ire of narratives in Assam and caused discomfort among progressives in the mainland? There are also differences in response to the solidarity offered to Sharjeel Imam and Akhil Gogoi. While the worst thing Sharjeel has probably said in his speech was expressing a nihilistic view of politics, where he cannot comprehend the possibility of solidarity towards Muslims from mainstream Hindu society or secular groups, except cynically, Gogoi had infamously stated in Bidexi Somsya Aru Jatiyo Andolonor Path that constituencies, where minorities are less than 50 percent, should be reserved for the khilonjiya, extending such a regime to local bodies and simultaneously restricting land rights as well. Similar policies have been echoed by the ruling BJP government in Assam over the past couple of months with discussions of policies that will evict millions of outsiders in Lower Assam, restrict the sale of property by khilonjiya to other khilonjiya and restrict political rights for those who arent seen as the same in what used to be undivided Goalpara once. However, in spite of such proposals, Gogoi has been welcome in progressive activist circles in the mainland for years with no disclaimers being associated with solidarity statements for his condemnable arrest under the UAPA. On the other hand, statements of solidarity with Sharjeel are almost universally accompanied by a condemnation of his statements on Assam, even from people like Asaduddin Owaisi of the AIMIM. Until the recent interest in the NRC, voices of dissent against NRC in Assam, from Assam itself whether Bengali, Na Axomiya, khilonjiya or otherwise, have hardly found an audience in progressive circles. The gradual emergence of such voices in these circles has now caused indigestion to a lot of voices who have thus far claimed to be the authentic voices from the state. Sharjeel is one of the very few to have openly spoken about the 19 lakh population who are excluded from the NRC list and incarcerated or would be. The ones who have raised their strong disagreement with Sharjeels comment, have never been found to be sensitive towards the victims of NRC and detention centre, rather many of them are even tacitly complicit in their explicit support for NRC. Investment facilitation cell, customs duty hikes to aid local enterprise Presenting Union Budget 2020-21 minister for finance and corporate affairs Nirmala Sitharaman today proposed the setting up of an Investment Clearance Cell that will provide end to end facilitation and support to create more opportunities to youth and remove roadblocks. Sitharaman has said that entrepreneurship has always been the strength of India and our young men and women have been contributing to Indias growth with their entrepreneurial skills. We recognise the knowledge, skills and risktaking capabilities of our youth and they are no longer job seekers but they are job creators, she added. She also proposed to develop five new smart cities in collaboration with states in PPP mode and such sites would be chosen that offer the best choices in terms of aforementioned principles. In order to incentivise the investment by the sovereign wealth fund of foreign governments in the priority sectors, Sitharaman proposed to grant 100 per cent tax exemption to their interest, dividend and capital gains income in respect of investment made in infrastructure and other notified sectors before 31 March 2024 and with a minimum lock-in period of 3 years. To make available foreign funds at a lower cost, she also proposed to extend the period of concessional withholding rate of 5pe cent under section 194LC for interest payment to non-residents in respect of moneys borrowed and bonds issued up to 30 June 2023. The finance minister proposed to extend the period up to 30 June 2023 for lower rate of withholding of 5 per cent under section 194LD for interest payment to foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) and qualified foreign investors (QFIs) in respect of bonds issued by Indian companies and government securities. The finance minister proposed to further consolidate the gains in order to make India more attractive foreign direct investment (FDI), destination. She said the government will examine suggestions of further opening up of FDI in aviation, media and insurance sectors in consultation with all stakeholders. 100 per cent FDI will be permitted for insurance intermediaries and local sourcing norms will be eased for FDI in single brand retail sector. Growing inflows of FDI rebounding of portfolio flows from net outflow to net inflow and receipt of robust remittances, all showed up in higher accretion of foreign exchange reserves, which, as of end-December 2019, stood at $457.5 billion. Net FDI inflows continued to be buoyant in 2019-20 (AprilNovember) attracting $24.4 billion against $21.2 billion, which is a reflection of a global sentiment that increasingly believes in Indias growth story and reform measure being undertaken by the government. Nirmala Sitharaman said India needs to manufacture networked products that will make it apart of global value chains. This in turn gets more investment and generates more employment for youth. She further said that electronics manufacturing industry is very competitive and the potential in job creation is immense. She further said that India needs to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in the electronics value chain. She proposed a scheme to encourage manufacture of mobile phones, electronic equipment and semi-conductor packaging. In order to support footwear and furniture manufacturing, which come under the MSME sector, the finance minister announced that customs duty is being raised on items like footwear (from 25 per cent to 35 per cent on footwear and from 15 per cent to 20 per cent on parts of footwear) and furniture (from 20 per cent to 25 per cent). She said special attention has been given to put measured restraint on import of those items which are being produced by our MSMEs with better quality. She stressed that labour intensive sectors in MSME are critical for employment generation. Cheap and low quality imports are an impediment to their growth, the finance minister said. To achieve the twin objectives of giving impetus to the domestic medical equipment industry and also to generate resource for health services, the finance minister proposed to impose a nominal health cess (at the rate of 5 per cent), by way of a duty of customs, on the imports of medical equipment keeping in view that these goods are now being significantly made in India. The proceeds from this cess shall be used for creating infrastructure for health services in the aspirational districts, Sitharaman said. She referred the prime ministers call from Red Fort about quality and standards when he spoke of Zero Defect-Zero Effect manufacturing. All ministries, during the course of this year, would be issuing quality standard orders, she added. It is the vision of the prime minister that each district should develop as an export hub. Efforts of the centre and state governments are being synergised and institutional mechanisms are being created. The UKs ability to track suspected terrorists and major criminals is at risk because of Brexit, Dominic Raab has admitted for the first time. Full access to vital EU crime-fighting measures sharing alerts, passenger name records, and fingerprint, DNA and vehicle registration data could be lost, the foreign secretary told MPs. The warning came in answer to a question from Theresa May, who had made security co-operation a key aim of her Brexit negotiations. She warned the measures keep us safe. In the Commons, the former prime minister urged Mr Raab to be much clearer about intentions for a security partnership, which has been all-but ignored in the fears about lost trade. She pointed to passenger name record (PNR) data, the Prum Convention and the upgraded Schengen Information System (SIS II), all of which the UK enjoyed access to as an EU member. But Mr Raab warned of difficulties with Brussels, saying: They claim that some access to some of the instruments is conditional on accepting free movement. He declined to say the UK would remain in any of the data-sharing tools, saying only: We will be looking forward to securing appropriate relations with the EU. The government had already accepted it will crash out of Europol and the European Arrest Warrant, but was expected to fight to retain the benefits of other crime-fighting databases. Existing arrangements will continue in the transition period until the end of 2020 but Ms May protested that what happens next had only been mentioned in passing. Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Show all 66 1 /66 Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A message projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover Sky News/AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o'clock at night AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU The Union flag is taken down outside the European Parliament in Brussels PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU EU Council staff removed the Union Jack-British flag from the European Council in Brussels, Belgium EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to 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Saemann, left, and her seven-year old sister Katie hold a placard during a rally by anti-Brexit protesters outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Europe supporters gather on Brexit day near the British embassy in Berlin, Germany EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit protester hugs a man while holding a placard REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A decorated, old fashioned fire pump in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit Elvis impersonator performs at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexiteers stands with his dog in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Paddy from Bournemouth wears Union colours as he sits next to an EU flag decorated bag in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-EU activist plays a guitar decorated with the EU flag during a protest organised by civil rights 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'Brexit Day' t-shirt Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People celebrate Britain leaving the EU Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man wears a pro-Brexit t-shirt Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit demonstrators visit Europe House to give flowers to the staff on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporter wears a novelty Union Jack top hat outside the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Customers Scott Jones and Laura Jones at the Sawmill Bar in South Elmsall, Yorkshire, where a Brexit party is being held throughout the day PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU activists protest Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit demonstrator burns a European Union flag AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Brexit supports holds a sign in Parliament Square AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man carries an EU themed wreath Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Ann Widdecombe reacts with other members of the Brexit party as they leave en masse from the European Parliament PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit demonstrators in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro EU supporters let off flares from Westminster Bridge Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British MEPs Jonathan Bullock, holding the Union Jack flag and Jake Pugh leave the European Parliament, in Brussels on the Brexit day AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Newspapers and other souvenirs at a store, near Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit supporters hold signs in Parliament Square AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU French newspapers PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald with a Border Communities Against Brexit poster before its unveiling in Carrickcarnon on the Irish border PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU National growers organisation British Apples & Pears has renamed a British apple to EOS, the Greek goddess of dawn, to commemorate Brexit day AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Britain's departure from the European Union was set in law on January 29, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc's parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers. After half a century of membership and three years of tense withdrawal talks, the UK will leave the EU at midnight Brussels time (23.00 GMT) on January 31 Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses with paintings on Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People sporting Union Flags gather in Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man walks with a St. George's flag at Westminster bridge on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A British bulldog toy and other souvenirs at a souvenir store Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British pro-brexit Members of the European Parliament leave the EU Parliament for the last time Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Jonathan Bullock waves the Union Jack as he leaves the European Parliament EPA Will the government make much clearer publicly its intentions for that treaty in regard to key instruments that keep us safe, such as PNR, Prum and SIS II? she asked. And what is the final date on which the treaty can be achieved such that it will become operational on January 1 2021? However, Mr Raab, in a statement on Boris Johnsons negotiating aims including a refusal to extend the transition period ignored the second question altogether. PNR data helps to flag people across the EU who are involved in terrorism and serious crime, including victims of trafficking and individuals at risk of radicalisation. The UK has stressed the importance of maintaining its current access but other countries with agreements on PNR, such as the US, do not enjoy the same level of co-operation. Prum allows the fast-track exchange of fingerprint, DNA and vehicle data. UK access has been held up by its refusal to exchange DNA profiles on people arrested but not convicted of any offence. SIS II enables police to log and view alerts on missing and wanted individuals, as well as lost and stolen objects, including clear instructions on what to do. Answering Ms May, the foreign secretary agreed that data-sharing, extradition and Europol were important elements of our law enforcement cooperation but failed to say they would be retained. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on February 3 served a show cause notice to its Member of Parliament Anantkumar Hegde for his comments on Mahatma Gandhi, news agency PTI has reported quoting party's Karnataka chief Nalin Kumar. CNN-News18 reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "very upset and angry" with Hegde and Hegde may not be allowed to attend the entire Budget session of Parliament. Hegde, a former Union minister, reportedly claimed at an event in Bangaluru that the entire freedom movement was staged with the consent and support of the British, and the independence movement led by Gandhi was a "drama". He also wondered why the Father of the Nation was called 'Mahatma' (a great soul). The party's top leadership had earlier expressed its displeasure over the comment, with a senior party leader saying that Hegde might be forced to apologise. The senior leader had also said that the MP's comments were "condemnable". "The party has conveyed its displeasure to him and asked him to take remedial measure. Any insult to Mahatma Gandhi is unacceptable," the leader had said. Hegde, who has been known to make controversial remarks and put the party is a tough spot, had earlier last year claimed that former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was made the state's CM again in November despite lacking majority only to 'protect' Rs 40,000 crore central funds under the CM's control from being 'misused'. The comment had come days after Fadnavis had resigned, barely 80 hours after taking oath for the second time as the Chief Minister. - Members of the RCCG have joined other Nigerians to express their displeasure over the rate of insecurity in the country - Pastor Adeboye led the members on a prayer walk, seeking God's intervention - All parishes of the church across the country have been enjoined to march around their immediate environment, as they pray for God to intervene Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in The alarming rate of insecurity in Nigeria has been a source of concern for many. As Nigerians continue to wait for a solution, popular clergyman Pastor Enoch Adeboye has joined Nigerians to call the government's attention to the situation. Adeboye, who is the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), joined the members of his church in a prayer walk against insecurity in Nigeria. He was donned in a green suit, which is the colour of the Nigerian flag. He had a placard with the inscription, "All souls are precious to God". READ ALSO: 25-year-old stunning lady graduates as best student in Medicine from top university The cleric had directed his church members to participate in the prayer walk declared by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to address the spate of killings across Nigeria. No fewer than 25,000 parishes of the church are expected to carry out this prayer walk nationwide. The church is matching on and the gate of hell shall not prevail against it. READ ALSO: Lighthouse church does choreography with Sarkodie's song & Atta Adwoa dance (Video) Reacting to this on social media, one Dr. Dipo Awojide said more churches should have partnered with the RCCG. "RCCG should have partnered with Living Faith, Catholic Church, Anglican Church and other megachurches in Nigeria. They should all have joined this nationwide protests against the senseless killings/massacre in Nigeria which the Federal Government has been unable to tackle," he wrote. While the security agencies continue to try their best to secure lives and properties, some senators have demanded that President Muhammadu Buhari sack the nations service chiefs. READ ALSO: Stonebwoy storms his high school with unexpected performance in school attire (Video) Meanwhile, a senator from the southeastern region called on Buhari to step down as president of the nation if he was not capable of handling the issue of security. Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe who is the Senate minority leader made the demand on Wednesday, January 29, when the lawmakers were deliberating on a motion on national security challenges and the need to restructure Nigerias security system. READ ALSO: Meet Larry Hoover the Black man serving 285-year jail term The PDP lawmaker during the debate said the president had done little to address the security challenges in Nigeria. In other news, what could have turned out as a large-scale tragedy was on Sunday, February 2, averted after a bomber said to be at a Winners Chapel building in Kaduna was discovered and arrested by policemen. Eyewitnesses at the church revealed that the suspect, whose identity is yet to be made known, was with Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in one of the toilets when he was detected by CCTV and exposed. Enjoy reading our stories? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! This is what makes 4-year-old Nii Omanye aka Kwame Nkrumah the smartest child in Ghana| #Yencomgh Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh It is unclear if the buildings landlord plans to appeal. David Loshak, a partner in the company that owns the 40-unit building, declined to comment. But other building owners were disappointed in the decision, which they feared could have wide influence. Jay Martin, executive director of the Community Housing Improvement Program, which represents about 4,000 landlords who own mostly rent-stabilized buildings, said he sympathized with Ms. De La O. How could you not? he said. But he said the next case could look very different. Because inheritance rights are not based on income, people who do not need a low-priced home can take advantage of the law, especially now that a judge has interpreted it more broadly than it has been, Mr. Martin said. Rent-stabilized apartments are not as strictly governed as rent-controlled ones, but the same succession rules apply, meaning the new ruling could have a significant effect. While prices of many rent-controlled apartments remain essentially frozen at 1970s levels, property taxes and utility costs have not, Mr. Martin said. Were locked in this argument where its landlords versus tenants, Mr. Martin said. It gets the blood boiling, but never gets at the issue. Many landlords are struggling with same costs that the tenants are. Judge Jeannine Baer Kuzniewski, who issued the ruling, declined to comment through a spokesman for the courts. Ms. De La O and Ms. Valentin had each traveled a long way before their meeting late in life. Ms. Valentin grew up in France and immigrated to New York as a young nanny, following the family whose children she minded. After an early romance ended in heartbreak, she never married and did not have children, said her nephew, Remy Valentin. Turkey hit targets in northern Syria, responding to shelling by Syrian government forces that killed at least six Turkish soldiers, the Turkish president said Monday. A Syrian war monitor said 13 Syrian troops were also killed. Also, Syrian activists said airstrikes in the country's northern, rebel-held region killed at least nine civilians on Monday. The exchange between Ankara and Damascus came hours after a large Turkish military convoy entered the northwestern province of Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in Syria. It is likely to further increase tensions between the two neighboring countries as such direct clashes have been rare and could also cause friction between Moscow and Ankara, which have sought to coordinate their actions in Syria. Earlier, Turkey's National Defense Ministry said the Turkish forces were sent to Idlib as reinforcement and were attacked there despite prior notification of their coordinates to the local authorities. It said Turkish forces responded to the attack, destroying targets. Four Turkish soldiers died at the scene while two others died later in hospital. Seven Turkish troops were wounded. Speaking to reporters before departing for a visit to Ukraine, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkish artillery hit some 46 targets in Syria. Erdogan said Turkish warplanes were also involved and claimed that there were between 30 and 35 casualties on the Syrian side but offered no evidence. Those who test Turkey's determination with such vile attacks will understand their mistake," Erdogan said. He said Russia was told that Ankara would not stand for any situation where we are prevented" from responding to Syrian assaults. It is not possible for us to remain silent when our soldiers are being martyred," Erdogan said. The exchange occurred near the Syrian flashpoint town of Saraqeb, according to the the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group. It added that Turkish troops shelled Syrian army positions in three provinces, killing eight soldiers in Idlib, three in Latakia province and two in the Hama region. However, Syria's state agency SANA said government forces captured two new villages on the way to Saraqeb. It added that as Syrian troops were chasing insurgents, four Turkish soldiers were killed and nine wounded triggering a Turkish retaliation but it claimed there were no casualties among Syrian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry said Turkey had failed to notify the Russian military about troop movements overnight in Idlib and that the Turkish troops got hit by Syrian fire that was directed at terrorists a reference to al-Qaida-linked militants west of Saraqeb. The Russian military, which controls the airspace over Idlib province, said the Turkish aircraft never entered Syria's airspace during Monday's attack. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian military remains in constant contact with Turkish counterparts in Syria. The escalation comes amid a Syrian government offensive into the country's last rebel stronghold, located in Idlib and parts of the nearby Aleppo region. Turkish troops are deployed in some of those rebel-held areas to monitor an earlier cease-fire that was agreed to but that has since collapsed. Relations between Turkey and Syria have deteriorated sharply since Syria's civil war began in 2011. Syria accuses Turkey of undermining its security by allowing thousands of foreign fighters to come battle the Syrian army. Idlib province is currently dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants. With Russian backing, the Syria government has been on the offensive since December to capture and reopen a strategic highway held by the rebels since 2012. The offensive ignored a cease-fire deal brokered late last year between Russia and Turkey. The deal has since collapsed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man shot dead by the Scotland Yard after he went on a stab frenzy on a busy high street in south London was a convicted Islamist terrorist, with family links to Sri Lanka, who was recently released from prison after serving half of his sentence period for preparation of acts of terrorism, police said. The Metropolitan Police said Sudesh Mamoor Faraz Amman, a 20-year-old British national with extended family in Sri Lanka, had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS). Amman was sentenced to three years and four months in prison in December 2018 after being charged with 10 terror-related offences. He was aged 18 that time. Amman was released under licence last month. He was under surveillance. "The suspect had been recently released from prison where he had been serving a sentence for Islamist-related terrorism offences. We are confident that this is an isolated incident that has been contained," said Met Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy D'Orsi on Sunday night. Of the 10 offences under which Amman was jailed, seven were of making records of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism and three of dissemination of terrorist publications. Police had been told of extremist material being posted on the social media app Telegram by an account called @strangertothisworld, which turned out to be of Amman. He had used documents about making explosives, weaponry and carrying out terrorist attacks. Among them were manuals on bomb-making, knife-fighting and close combat. Reports at the time also said he had told his girlfriend she should murder her "kuffar" (non-believer) parents. Police found a notepad in his home, where he had listed his "life goals". "Top of the list, above family activities, was dying a martyr and going to 'Jannah' - the afterlife," Alexis Boon, then head of the Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism command, said after he was jailed over a year ago. On Sunday, Amman was wearing a hoax bomb vest as he was pursued by armed officers as part of a proactive counter-terrorism surveillance operation before they shot him dead at the scene. A man in his 40s, who suffered life-threatening injuries in the stabbing, is said to be out of danger and one woman in her 50s, who had non-life-threatening injuries, has since been discharged from hospital. Another woman in her 20s who suffered minor injuries, believed to have been caused by broken glasses triggered from the discharge of the police firearm, continues to receive treatment at hospital, the Met Police said. "Detectives from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command continue to carry out fast-time enquiries into the circumstances of the attack in Streatham High Road at approximately 1400 hours on Sunday, February 2," the Met Police said in a statement on Monday. "Search warrants are being carried out at two residential addresses in the south London and Bishop's Stortford (Hertfordshire) areas respectively. No arrests have been made and enquiries continue at pace," the statement said. In a statement from Downing Street after an emergency meeting with UK Home Secretary Priti Patel on Sunday night, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson once again pledged tougher sentencing measures for dangerous terrorists. "We will announce further plans for fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences," he said. It is thought that Amman may have realised he was being watched because he stole a 10-inch 3.99 pound kitchen knife from a store on the Streatham High Road at the time of the attack and, within seconds, stabbed a woman in the back. As he ran up the busy high street he stabbed a man. At least two plain-clothed police officers who had been following Amman, dressed in hoodies and jeans and with balaclavas covering their faces, gave chase on foot after he attacked his first victim. It is thought that a third officer on a motorbike who had been part of the surveillance team may have been the first to open fire. In November last year, in a similar scenario, two people were killed after convicted terrorist Usman Khan went on a stabbing frenzy in London Bridge area of the UK capital. It later emerged that Khan's family originated from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and he was out on parole after serving part of his sentence for plotting terrorist attacks on the UK. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A vehicle has veered off a road and crashed 100 metres down the embankment through thick bushland on Tamborine Mountain in the Scenic Rim. Emergency services became aware of the crash about 1.20pm on Monday when a passer-by noticed tyre tracks running off Main Western Road and down the embankment. The car about 100 metres down the embankment on Tamborine Mountain. Credit:Nine News Queensland A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said technical rescue crews rappelled down with paramedics and found the vehicle and the driver, who had freed himself from the wreck. The vehicle was about 100 metres down from the hang-gliding launch area, the QFES spokesman said. Three persons have been arrested in Maharashtra's Nagpur city for allegedly killing a 32-year- old man in December last year and burying the body to hide the crime, an official said. The accused, inspired by Ajay Devgn-starrer 2015 film "Drishyam", buried the body of Pankaj Dilip Giramkar, who worked as an electrician with Haldiram company, along with his motorcycle in the backyard of a 'dhaba' (roadside food stall) in Kapsi area here, he said. The main accused, Amarsingh alias Lallu Jogendrasingh Thakur (24), who owned the food stall, was allegedly having an affair with Giramkar's wife, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Nilesh Bharne told reporters here on Sunday. On December 28, Giramkar -- who shifted with his family to neighbouring Wardha district sometime back to keep his wife away from Thakur -- arrived at the food stall on his motorcycle and asked the accused to discontinue the affair. This led to a fight between the two following which Thakur allegedly smashed Giramkar's head with a hammer. The victim collapsed and died on the spot, the official said. Thakur, with the help of a cook at his eatery and another aide, put the body in a steel drum and hatched a conspiracy to destroy the evidence of the crime. He called a person and asked him to dig a 10-feet deep pit in the backyard of the eatery. The accused then filled the pit with about 50 kg of salt and kept the body over it and covered it with soil. The motorcycle was also buried over the body, Bharne said. The accused threw the victim's mobile phone in a truck which travelled to Rajasthan, he said. In the meantime, as Giramkar did not return home, his family members lodged a missing person's complaint with the police. Later, while probing the case, the Crime Branch officials got a tip-off, based on which they visited the food stall several times in plain clothes to get clues. After gathering concrete evidence against the accused, the police rounded-up Thakur, his cook Manoj alias Munna Rampravesh Tiwari (37) and another associate Shubham alias Tushar Rakesh Dongre (28) on Friday night. Bharne said during interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime. The police then dug up the pit at the food stall and recovered the victim's remains and his motorcycle on Sunday, the official said. Search was on for one more accused who worked as a waiter at the eatery, he said. The accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) and 34 (common intention), he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The president of the Board of Aldermen wants the Planning and Zoning Commission to reject plans to place apartments on the property that also houses PerkinElmer. Just say no, said John Anglace Jr. at the commissions public hearing Jan. 29 on a proposal to build four buildings with a total of 272 apartments at 710 Bridgeport Ave. Anglace said that the city has spent some two decades seeking balanced growth attracting investors by promising to provide adequate services to ensure their financial success. But the latest proposal, coupled with the massive Shelter Ridge development plan and others on the horizon, has Anglace saying the city has reached optimum balance. We've maxed out, Anglace said. Theyve said we need restaurants. We have plenty of restaurants; we need hotels, we have plenty of hotels. They need condos, we have plenty of condos; they need apartments, we have plenty of apartments. But the time has come to just say no. End of story, just say no. The property owners are seeking a zone change for the site to a Planned Development District in order to add the apartments to the location that presently houses offices, light industry and warehouse space. PerkinElmer is the main tenant, and representatives from that company stated that they support the application as presented. This was the third public hearing on the plan, which started as a five-building, 340-unit proposal. Attorney Dominick Thomas, representing the property owners, said that the plans have been reduced to the four-building, 272-unit size, with 10 percent of the units (27 total) listed as affordable housing. The impervious surface of the construction, once complete, was also reduced to 65 percent. If approved, the work would take 18 months to two years to complete, said Thomas. The commission continued the public hearing to a future date, with commissioners seeking more details on parking and traffic flow. Attorneys representing a neighboring property also submitted a list of concerns at the Jan. 29 meeting, and those are expected to be answered at the next hearing. The plan is truly a collaborative effort, said Thomas, noting that the owners and PerkinElmer officials reached agreement on the project. The uniqueness of it is we are taking a property that was once the Philips Medical Systems property in the 1970s with extremely excess parking and repurposed that into a residential amenity for the area and the site. We are not, as was said by a member of the Board of Aldermen at the last hearing, removing office park space. We are not removing economic development, we are putting in economic development, said Thomas. Office and office space rentals are enhanced by having as many services around them, including residential. The application has faced opposition from residents concerned about density, and some city officials and developers who are concerned that further introduction of apartments along Bridgeport Avenue would hurt downtown development. Owners of The Mark, a nearby luxury apartment complex, have also voiced opposition. There is no evidence of competition between downtown and Bridgeport Avenue, said Thomas, adding that the offerings differ, with Bridgeport Avenue offering more amenities than their downtown counterparts. Commissioner Mark Widomski said he was concerned with the amount of traffic that would be generated, as well as the available parking, by adding the apartments to a site that already houses PerkinElmer. Widomski questioned statements that traffic from the apartments would have little impact to flow at peak times. "To sit back and tell us it doesnt impact anything, that is just not true, said Widomski. The numbers sound great it looks great on paper, but the reality is just not there. Dave Sullivan of Milone and Macbroom, who prepared the sites traffic report, said his firm identifies the traffic impacts and offers appropriate mitigation plans. It is hard for people, especially the general public, to believe me. It is not fun not being believed all the time, said Sullivan. But we are using reliable methods, identifying impacts and mitigating them to the best of our knowledge. brian.gioiele@ hearstmediact.com Malta International Airport has revealed details of a 100m (US$110m) terminal expansion. The upcoming project will see the terminal building increase to around 31,200m2 (335,835ft2), double its current footprint. It will mainly focus on improving the experience and airport processes at key points of the passenger journey through the airport, most notably within the check-in hall, the security screening area, and at the departure gates. ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write(' ') } // --> ') } else if (width >= 425) { console.log ('largescreen'); document.write('') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> The design of the expanded terminal will capture the spirit of the Maltese islands particularly through the use of traditional patterns and materials, colors that are evocative of the sea and clear skies, and a play of light designed to the building the warmth that Malta and its people are known for. Smart technologies, including a new building management system to enable energy and water management optimization, and better insulation are among the improvements that will contribute to the development of an energy-efficient building. Other important projects such as the development of Apron X and the construction of SkyParks II are also in the offing. A call for proposals for a hospitality partner to run the hotel which will form part of the SkyParks campus has been issued. Tourism minister Julia Farrugia Portelli said, The Terminal Expansion Project is another great investment that will certainly leave a positive impact on our tourism industry. The Herald reports: As the anniversary of the March 15 terror attacks in Christchurch approaches, there has been a call to change the way we sing the national anthem, God Defend New Zealand. And the Prime Minister has acknowledged that many people may back that call. Hobsonville woman Fiona Downes wrote to Jacinda Ardern last year saying the anthem has outdated language. I feel the language in the first English verse is arcane, she wrote, and that words like triple star, shafts of war and entreat are meaningless to many migrants with limited English, as well as most NZers under the age of 30. Yes we should base our National Anthem on how those with limited English perceive it. Ardern agreed. She told Downes the language is certainly a product of its time, and advised that change could evolve if enough people supported it. Translation: Once we get rid of Winston. Downes also said she believed more people would be able to relate to the simple and direct words of the second verse. The second verse has a strongly inclusive theme. It reads: Men of every creed and race, Gather here before Thy face, Asking Thee to bless this place, God defend our free land. From dissension, envy, hate, And corruption guard our state, Make our country good and great, God defend New Zealand. The sixth line is very pertinent with the Provincial Growth Fund! Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr When it comes to island hopping in Thailand, there are countless options to choose from. Thailand is full of islands with jaw-dropping nature and beauty. There are over 300 islands in Thailand. Here are some of the best locations to go Island hopping in Thailand. Places To Visit In South Africa On Your Next Perfect Vacation To The Beautiful Country Phuket Phuket is among the worlds finest beach destinations, with fine white sands, nodding palm trees, glittering seas and lively towns. It is Thailands biggest island. Phuket is also misunderstood with being busy and crowded by tourists but it is the most convenient place in terms of connectivity. Phuket is blessed with more than 30 mesmerising beaches to choose from. North part of the island reveals some hidden gems for travellers searching for a more romantic atmosphere. Women's Nights In Bengaluru: 5 Best Pubs And Restobars In Bengaluru For Ladies Night Out Koh Phi Phi Koh Phi Phi is just a 45-minute speedboat trip or a 90-minute ferryboat ride from either Phuket or Krabi. It is also known as Phi Phi islands. These picture-perfect islands offer a perfect tropical getaway. The island features classic tropical beaches, stunning rock formations and vivid turquoise blue waters rich in colourful marine life making it a perfect tropical paradise. Koh Phi Phi is a group of six islands with Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh as the main attractions. Many visitors love to stay on the larger and uninhabited island of Phi Phi don while Phi Phi Leh has the world-famous Maya Bay where The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed. Norway Travel Tips That Will Help You With Local Transportation In The Country Krabi Krabi is located between Phang Nga and Trang and is the perfect destination for a relaxing and scenic vacation. It is one of those rare islands which feature stunning scenery at both inland and sea. It has a 150 km long coastline with over 150 islands. Krabi is famous for its jungle-covered interior, towering limestone cliffs, caves, waterfalls and exotic wildlife. Krabi has a great option of leisure activities for the whole family including snorkelling, rock climbing, sea kayaking, jungle trekking and scuba diving. Five Strange Types Of Coffee In The World That You Never Knew Existed Phang Nga Bay (James Bond Island) Image Credit: Photo by Diego Munoz Suarez on Unsplash Phang Nga Bay found its way into the international tourist attraction spots through the James Bond movie, The Man with the Golden Gun. The island is mostly famous as James Bond Island. A distinctive identity of this island is the vertical limestone cliffs out of the emerald green waters. The entire area surrounding this island is spectacular but it tends to get crowded during high season with tourist boats. The area around the island is famous for sailing and kayaking. It is a protected marine area of the Ao Phang Nga Marine National Park, and because of that, boats aren't allowed to get too close to the island. Rescuers desperately attempted Sunday to find survivors in eastern Turkey in the rubble of collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake claimed at least 38 lives. Nearly 4,000 rescue workers combed through debris in freezing temperatures, helped by mechanical diggers, as hope was fading as the 48th hour approached. Three bodies were found in the city centre, nearly 40 hours after the 6.8-magnitude quake struck Friday evening. Hours later, two more bodies were found bringing the death toll to 38 in Elazig province and nearby Malatya, state broadcaster TRT reported. Rescuers carefully cleared the remains of the collapsed four-storey building where the bodies were found, using buckets to remove broken material as a sniffer dog was brought to the scene. Workers were searching for two people still under the rubble, Hurriyet daily said. Residents were still waiting to find out what had happened to their relatives. A group of women burst into tears on learning that the body of a relative had been found, while one woman fainted, an AFP photographer said. But rescue workers have so far saved 45 people, the authorities say. The government's disaster and emergency management agency (AFAD) said 1,607 were injured, 13 of them in intensive care. The story of Syrian university student Mahmud al Osman, who used only his bare hands to rescue a man and woman from underneath rubble, went viral. Osman told state news agency Anadolu he heard voices after the quake ended while Durdane and Zulkuf Aydin said they shouted when they saw Osman's telephone light before he and others helped rescue them. Turkey is home to 3.6 million Syrians in Turkey and although there are limited social problems, tensions have increased following an economic downturn. There was growing concern for residents amid the bitter cold, said Hasan Duran, a 58-year-old shopkeeper, who lives in Sursuru. "If it was summer, people could maybe resist a little longer. But with this cold, it's hard to imagine. Even we are freezing at home. May God give them strength." - 'Every effort made' - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday "every effort was made to ensure citizens whose homes have collapsed or been damaged will not suffer in this winter period." Environment Minister Murat Kurum vowed a "radical transformation project" for buildings in the region at risk in the event of another quake. Since Friday's quake, there have been 714 aftershocks, 20 of them above four in magnitude. Residents avoided returning to their homes because of aftershock fears. Around a thousand people were spending the night in two trains converted into emergency accommodation in Elazig station. "There is no risk of being caught in a collapsed building here and it's warmer than a tent," Berivan Arslan, 55, said, who left her home because of cracks in the building's facade. With her daughter and two granddaughters coping with the boredom by playing with a doll, she had spent two nights sleeping in a six-seat compartment. There are two trains on the platform while a third is scheduled to arrive Sunday evening from Ankara, according to the Turkish National Railway Company (TCDD). - Anger rising - But with not enough emergency accommodation to cover the needs of 350,000 residents in Elazig city, tensions were rising. In a public park in the city centre, dozens of tents have been erected, most of them accommodating Syrians, which has aroused hostility. "So, what, this is a refugee camp? I have no tent yet I am a Turk," an elderly lady told an AFAD official, who promised more tents would arrive Monday. The epicentre of the quake was in the small lakeside town of Sivrice in Elazig province, but it also hit neighbouring cities and countries. With a population of around 4,000, Sivrice is located south of Elazig city on the shores of Hazar lake -- one of the most popular tourist spots in the region. The US Geological Survey said the magnitude was 6.7, slightly lower than AFAD, adding that it struck near the East Anatolian fault in an area that has suffered no documented major incidents since an earthquake in 1875. The recent quake left many wondering how Istanbul would cope, amid heightened fears of a powerful one, which seismologists say is unavoidable. In 1999, a devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Izmit in western Turkey, killing more than 17,000 people including about 1,000 in the country's most populous city, Istanbul. Nearly 4,000 rescue workers combed through debris in freezing temperatures, helped by mechanical diggers, in vain hopes of finding anyone alive Residents nervously waited to find out what happened to their relatives Map locating the earthquake that hit eastern Turkey Authorities say 45 people have been rescued alive but it is believed 14 are still under the rubble CAMBRIDGE, MA -- A team of MIT chemists has discovered the structure of a key influenza protein, a finding that could help researchers design drugs that block the protein and prevent the virus from spreading. The protein, known as BM2, is a proton channel that controls acidity within the virus, helping it to release its genetic material inside infected cells. "If you can block this proton channel, you have a way to inhibit influenza infection," says Mei Hong, an MIT professor of chemistry and senior author of the study. "Having the atomic-resolution structure for this protein is exactly what medicinal chemists and pharmaceutical scientists need to start designing small molecules that can block it." MIT graduate student Venkata Mandala is the lead author of the paper, which appears today in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. Other authors include graduate students Alexander Loftis and Alexander Shcherbakov and associate professor of chemistry Bradley Pentelute. Atomic-scale resolution There are three classes of influenza virus -- A, B, and C -- and each of them produces a different version of the M2 protein. M2 is an ion channel that carries protons through the virus's outer membrane, known as the lipid envelope. These protons usually flow into the virus, making the interior more acidic. This acidity helps the virus to merge its lipid envelope with the membrane of a cellular compartment called an endosome, allowing it to release its DNA into the infected cell. Until now, most structural studies of the M2 protein have focused on the version of M2 found in influenza A, which is usually the most common form, especially earlier in the flu season. In this study, the researchers focused on the version of M2 found in influenza B viruses, which usually dominate in March and April. However, in contrast to previous patterns of seasonal flu infections, this winter, influenza B has been unusually dominant, accounting for 67 percent of all flu cases reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control since last September. The A and B versions of M2 vary significantly in their amino acid sequences, so Hong and her colleagues set out to study what structural differences these proteins might have, and how those differences influence their functions. One key difference is that the BM2 channel can allow protons to flow in either direction, whereas the AM2 channel only allows protons to flow into the viral envelope. To investigate the structure of BM2, the researchers embedded it into a lipid bilayer, similar to a cell membrane, and then used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to analyze the structure with atomic-scale resolution. Very few ion channels have been studied at such high resolution because of the difficulty of studying proteins embedded within membranes. However, Hong has previously developed several NMR techniques that allow her to obtain accurate structural information from membrane-embedded proteins, including their orientation and the distances between atoms of the protein. The M2 channel is made of four helices that run parallel to each other through the membrane, and Hong found that the alignment of these helices changes slightly depending on the pH of the environment outside the viral envelope. When the pH is high, the helices are tilted by about 14 degrees, and the channel is closed. When the pH goes down, the helices increase their tilt to about 20 degrees, opening up like a pair of scissors. This scissoring motion creates more space between the helices and allows more water to get into the channel. Previous studies have found that as water flows into the M2 channel, the amino acid histidine grabs protons from the water in the top half of the channel and passes them to water molecules in the lower half of the channel, which then deliver the excess protons into the virion. Unlike the AM2 channel, the BM2 channel has an extra histidine at the virion-facing end of the channel, which the MIT team believes to explain why protons can flow in either direction through the channel. More study is needed to determine what kind of advantage this may provide for influenza B viruses, the researchers say. Blocking the channel Now that chemists know the structure of both the open and closed states of the BM2 channel at atomic resolution, they can try to come up with ways to block it. There is precedent for this type of drug development: Amantadine and rimantadine, both used to treat influenza A, work by wedging themselves into the AM2 channel pore and cutting off the flow of protons. However, these drugs do not affect the BM2 channel. Hong's research group is now investigating another one of BM2's functions, which is generating curvature in lipid membranes in order to allow progeny viruses to be released from cells. Preliminary studies suggest that a portion of the protein that sticks out from the membrane forms a structure called a beta sheet that plays a role in inducing the membrane to curve inward. ### The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health. A Melbourne music teacher has been reunited with a century-old violin worth a staggering $70,000, which was stolen from her home last month. Thieves broke into Jenny Occleshaw's Hughesdale home during the early hours of January 7, making off with $100,000 worth of instruments including the 1908 A E Smith antique violin. Jenny Occleshaw has been reunited with her vintage violin (pictured) which is valued at $70,000 RECOVERED ITEMS: * A E Smith 1908 antique violin * Roderich Paesold gold-mounted violin bow * J S Tubbs silver-mounted antique bow * 2002 KG instruments 15 inch hand made viola * 2002 KG instruments (full size) hand made cello * Two German Trade three-quarter size violins * Black Chinese bow case, containing six violin bows * Carbon fibre cello bow * Mother of pearl mounted wooden cello bow (Source: Victoria Police) Advertisement Two days later, police found the haul about 20 kilometres away, inside the boot of a stolen Mitsubishi Outlander in Dandenong. In a statement on Monday, Detective Senior Constable Ethan Hamill said he was glad to be able to return the irreplaceable instruments to their owner. 'The owner feared that she would never see her instruments again, so I think she's feeling extremely happy and relieved to have them back,' he said. 'While these instruments are worth a lot of money, they are priceless to their owner so it's a great result to get them back to her in perfect condition.' A 34-year-old man of no fixed address is in custody and is expected to be charged in relation to the burglary, a Victoria Police spokeswoman said. The 1908 handmade instrument was one of only 200 made. Princess Mary and Frederik have been caught renting out their secret Swiss home. Photo: Instagram/@detdanskekongehus Images of Crown Princess Mary and husband Crown Prince Frederik secret Swiss home have emerged less than a fortnight after it was revealed the couple had rented it out to holidaymakers in the past. The Danish royals are said to have let the luxe ski chalet in Verbier, Switzerland for $14,000 a week (65,400 Kroner) on Airbnb according to Herald Sun. Unbeknownst to their adoring public, Mary and Frederik have owned the spacious wooden lodge - which features a sauna, three bathrooms and room for 10 guests - for a decade. Princess Marys controversial $14,000-a-week Swiss ski chalet. Photo: Airbnb. Princess Marys Swiss side-hustle While its unclear how long the property was rented for and how much revenue was made, news of the Crown Prince and Princesss lucrative side-hustle has sparked outrage among the countrys parliament, reports Royal Central. I was very surprised when I found out that the family does not just have such a house, they have had such a house for 10 years, without any ordinary Danes knowing about it, parliamentarian Mai Villadsen said. We are the ones who pay the money so we must know about the house, she added. Like most royal families in the world, the Danes live on a public allowance and are not allowed to spend money on foreign assets - such as a Swiss ski chalet - without approval. Conservative member of parliament Birgitte Bergman, however, was of a different opinion, saying she didnt see anything wrong with the pair owning the home. Mary and Frederik have come under fire in Denmark. Photo: Getty Following the backlash, the Royal Court released an official statement stating the pair had used their own funds to purchase for the property but would no longer accept revenue by renting it out. Now it is no longer an anonymous property, so the conditions for rent are no longer the same, the familys communications manager said. In addition, for the Crown Prince Couple, this makes a difference compared to the possibility of having some privacy. In addition to that, there is also a safety aspect. The property is located in Verbier, one of the world's most exclusive ski resorts, and is rented out when they are not using it. Story continues Mary is currently living in Switzerland with her children. Photo: Getty Marys move to Switzerland The Tasmanian-born Crown Princess of Denmark is currently living at the Swiss home for a 12-week stint while her four children attend boarding school. Prince Christian, 14, Princess Isabella, 12, and nine-year-old twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent have paused their studies at Tranegardsskolen school in Denmark to enrol at the Lemania-Verbier International School in the Swiss Alps. With the school stay, the Crown Prince couple wants to give their children a common experience in an international environment, photos posted to the Danish royal familys Instagram read. Their father, Prince Frederik is expected to visit his wife and kids in between his royal duties. Additional reporting Kristine Tarbert. Got a story tip or just want to get in touch? Email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com. Ankara says it struck Syrian army after five Turkish troops and three civilians were killed in Idlib. Turkey says it has struck back against Syrian military targets after at least five of its soldiers and three civilians attached to the Turkish army were killed by Syrian government forces in the war-torn countrys Idlib region. Turkeys Defence Ministry said on Monday that seven of its troops were also wounded in shelling by Syrian government forces in the last rebel-held stronghold in Syria. The ministry said its forces, who were sent in as reinforcements, came under fire despite advance notification of their coordinates. But Russia, a major backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said later on Monday the Turkish troops were shot overnight due to a lack of information. The developments are likely to further increase tensions between Turkey and the Syrian government as such direct clashes have been rare. They could also cause friction between Moscow and Ankara, which have sought to coordinate their actions in Syria. Speaking to reporters before departing for Ukraine, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankaras response involved fighter jets and artillery fire against Syrian military targets. Erdogan said the counterfire killed between 30 and 35 Syrian troops. Those who test Turkeys determination with such vile attacks will understand their mistake, he said, adding that Moscow was told that Ankara would not stand for any situation where we are prevented from responding to Syrian assaults. It is not possible for us to remain silent when our soldiers are being martyred, Erdogan said. At a news conference in Kyiv, he also said that nearly one million people were moving towards the Turkish border because of the Syrian goverment offensive on Idlib. The exchange occurred near the Syrian flashpoint town of Saraqeb, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group. It added that Turkish troops shelled Syrian army positions in three provinces, killing eight soldiers in Idlib, three in Latakia province and two in the Hama region. However, Syrias state news agency SANA said government forces captured two new villages on the way to Saraqeb. It added that as Syrian troops were chasing fighters, four Turkish soldiers were killed and nine wounded, triggering a Turkish retaliation but it claimed there were no casualties among Syrian troops. Meanwhile, the Russian military, which controls the airspace over Idlib province, said the Turkish aircraft never entered Syrias airspace during Mondays attack. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian military remains in constant contact with Turkish counterparts in Syria. The developments came a day after a large Turkish military convoy moved into the area amid a new Syrian government offensive backed by Russian jets, raising the spectre of a new refugee crisis. The Turkish military convoy consisted of dozens of armoured vehicles, fuel tanker trucks and flatbed trucks carrying tanks and armoured personnel carriers. Turkey has set up 12 military posts around Idlib in line with a 2018 deal between Russia, Iran and Turkey for de-escalation zones in the region. Displaced by violence Idlib province is home to about three million people, many of them displaced from other parts of Syria in earlier bouts of violence. According to the United Nations, almost 390,000 people, mainly women and children, have fled their homes in northwest Syria since December 1 last year. Turkey hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees and is wary of a fresh influx. The Syrian government and its main ally, Russia, maintain the military operation in Idlib is aimed at driving out terrorists from the region, in accordance with the 2018 de-escalation agreement. The Hayet Tahrir al-Sham armed group, a former al-Qaeda affiliate that is considered by Russia and Turkey a terrorist organisation, controls a large portion of Idlib. Russia and Turkey cooperated late last year in establishing the borders of a so-called safe zone in a separate region in northeast Syria, following an operation against Kurdish fighters dubbed terrorists by Ankara. A massive fire that had erupted on a tributary of Brahmaputra river due to oil leakage from pipelines got doused on its own on Monday, an official said. Crude oil pipelines of the Oil India Limited (OIL) got ruptured due to a mechanical issue at the Central Tank Farm (CTF), causing spillage on Burhidihing river in Assam's Dibrugarh district on Sunday, he said. "It appears that some miscreants had set fire to the oil floating on the river. There have been no casualties and the blaze got doused on its own. The situation is under control," the official said. A team, comprising Tengakhat circle officer, officials of the state Pollution Control Board and Fishery Department and experts from the OIL, is accessing any possible damage to the environment due to the incident, he said, adding that necessary actions will be taken. An official of the OIL said there was a sudden closure of remote-operated shut off valves and motor operator valves of inlets and outlets of all the crude storage tanks on January 1 at the company's field headquarters in Duliajan. "Consequently, there was a pressure build-up in the incoming lines to the tanks and it was observed that leaks had developed at five points within the periphery of the CTF. "Leaks had also developed at two points in the incoming crude oil delivery line of one of the field installation near Duliajan. Immediate action was taken to rectify the leakages and restoration works were undertaken," he said. OIL has also initiated actions to recover and clean the crude oil from the affected site, the official said. "An enquiry committee has been set up to find out the underlying root causes of the incident and suggest remedial measures. Presently, normal operations have resumed and all leakages have been rectified and crude oil is being received from installations at CTF, Duliajan," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) To celebrate the recent opening of the sparkling new 113-bedroom Fairways Hotel Dundalk, the hotel is launching a 5 Rooms Giveaway, with 113 overnight stays up for grabs and all proceeds going to Down Syndrome Ireland. From February 3, for just one month, members of the public can enter the 5 Rooms Giveaway on Down Syndrome Irelands website downsyndrome.ie by completing the dedicated entry form and donating 5 to the charity. With the ambition of raising significant funds for Down Syndrome Ireland, the amount of entries per person is not limited, although there will be only one prize per person. Winners will be announced in early March, with each of the 113 winners receiving a complimentary overnight stay in the handsome new four-star Fairways Hotel Dundalk. All funds raised by the 5 Rooms Giveaway will go directly to funding Down Syndrome Irelands Ability Programme, which breaks down barriers and provides people with Down Syndrome access to meaningful employment opportunities. Fairways Hotel Dundalks 5 Rooms Giveaway forms part of a wider partnership between The iNUA Collection, who operate the hotel, and Down Syndrome Ireland. Since launching last year, the partnership has already raised in excess of 40,000 through collection drives hosted at iNUA Collection hotels. We are delighted to host this innovative fundraising initiative in aid of our partner charity, Down Syndrome Ireland, says Fairways Hotel General Manager, Andrew Walker. We look forward to welcoming the 113 winners to experience our new hotel while hopefully raising considerable funds for Down Syndrome Ireland. In Ireland, less than 5% of adults with Down syndrome secure meaningful employment and we in Down Syndrome Ireland are working to change that through our Ability Programme, says Liam Ahern, President of Down Syndrome Ireland. We are overwhelmed with the support all the teams in The iNUA Collection are giving to us to raise vital funds for our Ability Programme and we wish all the management and staff in the Fairways Hotel Dundalk every success. Featuring state-of-the-art design and the latest in technology, Fairways Hotel Dundalk opened its doors in late 2019. All 113 bedrooms have unique features including Chromecast TVs and mobile key-cards, enabling guests to check-in and unlock doors with their phones. The four-star hotel also has a 900-capacity conference centre, stylish wedding venue facilities and The Brasserie, an informal and elegant bar and restaurant serving brunch right through to cocktails and evening dining. To be in with a chance of winning a 5 stay in Fairways Hotel Dundalk through the 5 Rooms Giveaway, complete the dedicated entry form and donate 5 directly to the charity on Down Syndrome Irelands website downsyndrome.ie from 3rd February, for one month. Its not that I dont trust the governor with raising the taxes of uber-rich folks. Its that I and many others dont trust our elected lawmakers with stopping at the top tier and dropping down to that middle-class level when they eventually run out of that ultra-rich tax windfall. And they will. Incense burning falls under air pollution spotlight THAILAND: The severity of the PM2.5 pollution crisis has finally forced the authorities to act tough. healthreligionenvironment By Bangkok Post Monday 3 February 2020, 04:24PM Family environment: A mother brings her child to pay respect to the gods at Wat Mangkon Kamalawat on Jan 24, Chinese New Years Eve. Photo: Bangkok Post Passive smoking: Wat Mangkon Kamalawat, a famous Chinese Buddhist temple in Yaowarat is trying to improve local air quality by reducing the number of incense burners and only allowing burning activities to occur in outside areas. Photo: Bangkok Post Sign of faith: Incense sticks are made of charcoal wood, the burning of which can give off hazardous fumes. Photo: Bangkok Post However, not all polluters face the same sanctions. Motorists, farmers and factories might be inspected and penalised for causing air pollution, yet religious worshippers who burn incense and worship items made of paper in shrines and temples will likely be let off the hook. The smoke given off by incense sticks can be as toxic as cigarette smoke, according to the Ministry of Public Health website. Incense sticks are made of charcoal wood, the burning of which results in the emission of harmful volatile organic compounds, particulate matter including PM2.5 and gases like sulphur dioxide, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. Despite evidence of health impacts, forcing worshippers to give up their long-observed rituals is easier said than done and many governments have tried and failed. The Taiwan Model A good example of this was when the Taiwan government tried to ban burning incense sticks and worship papers. During the nine-day Taoist pilgrimage in Taiwan in 2016, government monitors found harmful PM2.5 dust reached levels more than 60 times greater than the World Health Organisation (WHO) safe threshold of 25 microgrammes per cubic metre (g/m). Yet when the government attempted to ban this ritual in temples and shrines in August 2017 thousands of Buddhists and Taoists came out to protest. The government was forced into postponing the ban indefinitely and instead mount a campaign to inform people about health concerns and seek voluntary cooperation. Its most successful advertisements involved highlighting the dangers of incense burning to young children. In Thailand, the Ministry of Public Healths initiatives have made little headway. It did, however, manage to ban the burning of candles and incense sticks at the renowned Erawan Shrine in Ratchaprasong in 2018. Yaowarats Air Pollution Traditionally one of the most polluted days of the year has been Chinese New Years Eve when worshippers pay their respects to deities at Chinese temples and shrines which are often located in urban areas in major provinces. One of the most visited temples is Wat Mangkon Kamalawat in Yaowarats Chinatown, located in the old town area of Bangkok. On Chinese New Years Eve this year on Jan 24, the level of PM2.5 reached 180g/m at the temple according to data from the air monitoring system during a ceremony when incense burning took place. The government has set its permissible threshold for PM2.5 at 50 g/m. Air quality monitoring at temples and shrines is a sensitive issue, and places of worship have usually fought against allowing the installation of such equipment. Wat Mangkon Kamalawat, on the other hand, welcomed the air monitoring project and has joined in with campaigns to reduce the burning of incense sticks and worship papers for over two years. For this Chinese New Year, the temple cooperated with a research project aimed at changing the physical and cultural landscape of Yaowarat community. The Development of Art and Cultural Assets in Yaowarat project is being carried out by a research team from Silpakorn University and financed by the Thailand Science Research and Innovation. The 15-month project started in the middle of last year to study Yaowarat community and provide recommendations and plans for sustainable development, according to Assoc Prof Nantanit Wanichacheva, vice-president for research at Silpakorn University. One of the aspects being studied is environmental management, and this includes air pollution caused by burning activities in shrines. According to the Interior Ministry, 22 of the 261 shrines in Bangkok are located in the Yaowarat area, and most of them are over 100 years old. Until now, there have been no records kept of the effect of burning incense sticks on local air quality. Cooperate or coerce Wutthichai Arrakphochchong, deputy dean of research and public services at Silpakorn University, says he believes these rituals cannot be changed through the adoption of strict rules alone. To deal with this issue, we need to factor in social dimensions which include temple management, culture, tradition and faith, he told the Bangkok Post during a visit to the temple on Chinese New Years Eve. The team believes that any solutions to this issue must be based on understanding. We also believe in the participation of stakeholders. So we approached the temple to join our alliance. If this famous temple can embrace change, its congregations may follow, he said. Wat Mangkon Kamalawat is globally famous and a magnet for tourists, especially from China. During special occasions such as Chinese New Year, more than 100,000 worshippers, many of them tourists, visit the temple each day. Phra Thawatchai Kaengsingha, an assistant to the abbot of Wat Mongkon Kamalawat, said the temple has become aware of the health impact of inhaling smoke from incense sticks. Monks and staff have been living with this health threat for a number of years, he said. In the light of these risks, and with the help of the team from Silpakorn University, the temple decided to attempt to change the culture surrounding the burning of incense. The temple has already reduced the number of incense burning sets from 50 to five and moved them away from the inner shrine to outside in the open air. We also assigned staff to explain why we had to do it, so people can understand the problem and cooperate, said the monk. One of the messages that we try to convey to worshippers is that merit and blessings do not depend on the number of incense sticks and worship items that are burned. In addition, the temple has also installed air filters in the shrines and banned the burning of any worship items made from paper in all of its indoor areas. Visitors can still leave worship papers at the shrine, but the temple has hired a private company to have them burnt elsewhere and dispose of the ashes properly. Phra Thawatchai believes that it is impossible to ban worshippers from carrying out the practice altogether. Even though we have reduced the number incense burners and prevented visitors from burning papers, people still insist on doing it. But we can try to convince them and ask them to cooperate. Sumarayat Chantarawong, a worshipper, said she welcomed the initiative. Stopping the burning of incense and worship papers can also save trees and improve air quality, she said. Ms Sumarayat had brought her family to pay their respects. The air quality in the temple, especially the shrine has improved since the initiative began, she noted. In the past, stepping into the worship altar inside Wat Mangkon Kamalawat was like walking into the smoking room of an airport. Many people walked out red-eyed from being exposed to so much smoke. Ms Sumarayat said she believes the air quality at the temple will be better next year. It is just a matter of time, she said. Modern worshipers and the young generation tend to believe that worship is about hearts, not about burning incense sticks and worship papers. A general election not to lose is turning into the election everyone is trying their best to throw away. Whoever takes power in the 33rd Dail will take on a healthy economy, buoyant Exchequer returns, low unemployment and positive job creation prospects into the future. Premium articles will soon be available only to Independent.ie subscribers. Not since the 1997 General Election have the economic conditions been so favourable for an incoming government, bringing the opportunity to deliver returns fast. The pent-up demand for some chink of light on health and housing has boiled over. Saturday polling will play a role and ought to ensure a high turnout of young voters. The home to vote sentiment of the same-sex marriage and repeal the Eighth campaign is now poised to convert into vote for a home. A failing society is overshadowing the successful economy, so the tide has gone out on Fine Gael after nine years in office. Fianna Fail's failure to reflect a changed approach in personality or policy has seen it not rewarded either. Sinn Fein has come to embody the mood for change. Before the revisionism kicks in, Mary Lou McDonald's party didn't see this coming either. Just over two weeks ago, Sinn Fein was still taking candidates off tickets as it was on the defensive. Spooked by the arrival of Independent Marian Harkin onto the pitch and worried about losing its seat, the party nationally gave Leitrim-based TD Martin Kenny a clear run and dropped Sligo-based Chris MacManus "as the best way to ensure that we continue to represent the people of Sligo-Leitrim in the next Dail". That was January 17 - now a world away. Candidate line-ups pared back in Dublin following the local and European elections drubbings were left to the bare minimum. Former MEP Lynn Boylan, who should be a candidate but isn't, would sail into a seat in any one of a half dozen places in Dublin - even in southside constituencies. Over the weekend, strategists in all three parties who spoke to the Irish Independent remained pragmatic. Allowing for traditional overstatement of its vote in opinion polls, Sinn Fein still has to be looking at being above 20pc. In other words, for every two voters at the last general election, it will have three this time. A lack of candidates will put a lid on possible gains though. Anything above 30 seats would mean candidates never heard of at all being elected on the Sinn Fein brand alone. From its own private polling, Fine Gael is convinced the Sinn Fein rise is real but doesn't believe its own fall will be as bad as the 2002 wipeout. A really bad day would be 33 seats and, at this stage, a reasonable outcome would be anywhere near 40. Fianna Fail still casts a doubt over the Sinn Fein rise and believes it will still be in the hunt to pick up final seats in a win some, lose some scenario. Being above 53 would be a great day and above 48 still acceptable. The rule is simple though: if you don't get the votes nationally, you don't win the seats locally. Nobody is safe if their party flops and anybody can be elected if the party soars. Police have launched an investigation after the death of a teenager on a Bangor street on Saturday night. The 17-year-old boy died in Market Street in the town centre at around 11pm. Police and the Ambulance Service attended the scene and officers cordoned off the street. "At this time the death is not being treated as suspicious. However a post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course," a PSNI spokesman said. North Down Green Party MLA Rachel Woods described the young man's death as a "terrible incident". She said: "Immediately I think of the young man's family and his friends. "A 17-year-old has their whole life in front of them and it is tragic that life can come to an end in such a sudden way. "Police are working to establish the circumstances surrounding the death of this young man. "I would ask that anyone with any information call PSNI on the non-emergency number 101." Green Party councillor for Bangor Central, Stephen Dunlop, offered his sympathies to the young man's family. "I have a 17-year-old son myself, and what this young man's family is going through must be heartbreaking," he said. "Words will never compensate for what they're going through, but I truly feel for them and I pass on my condolences." Alliance councillor Karen Douglas offered her sympathy to the family, adding: "The death of this young man in Market Street is devastating for his family and friends and I would offer them my deepest sympathies. The circumstances around his death are unclear and I would urge anyone with information that can help the police to pass it to them on the 101 number, or anonymously to the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111." A Northern Ireland Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We received a call at 10.18pm on Saturday night for a young male unresponsive in the Market Street area of Bangor. "We sent two emergency crews and brought one patient to the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald." He fell 'head over heels' in love with his Dancing with the Stars partner, Lily Cornish, last year, only for their relationship to be short-lived. And according to Woman's Day, Jett Kenny is now tipped to be the next Bachelor. An insider claimed that Lisa Curry and Grant Kenny's model son, 26, is a favourite among Channel 10 executives and they're hoping he will be 'a massive ratings boost'. 'He's exactly what producers are looking for!' Jett Kenny is tipped to be the next Bachelor following his appearance on Dancing with the Stars last year 'He's young, handsome and a good role model so he's exactly what producers are looking for, and loads of women would jump at the chance to be with him,' they said. The source added that people are 'definitely interested in [Jett's] love-life' especially since his parents are well-known athletes. 'Coming from such an iconic Aussie family is certainly going to ensure mass appeal for this season,' they said. Is he the next Bachelor? An insider told Woman's Day that Lisa Curry and Grant Kenny's model son is a favourite among Channel 10 execs and they're hoping he'll be 'a massive ratings boost' Despite the speculation, a Channel 10 spokesperson said that 'casting for The Bachelor is still underway' and 'no decision has been made'. Last year, Jett was partnered with 20-year-old Lily on Dancing with the Stars. During the competition, they found themselves at the centre of romance rumours, with reports claiming Jett had fallen 'head over heels'. They were eliminated just before the finale, and Jett said at the time that he hoped to 'stay connected' with Lily following the show. Nothing confirmed: Despite the speculation, a Channel 10 spokesperson said that 'casting for The Bachelor is still underway' and 'no decision has been made'. Pictured: Jett and his mother, Lisa Curry They were later pictured holding hands on the Gold Coast, leading to speculation they were more than just friends. In June, Jett finally confirmed his relationship with Lily in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. It's unknown when the pair ended their relationship. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Assam forest department officials along with locals of Morigaon district rescued an elephant calf who got stuck between two huge rock boulders. The incident took place on Saturday at the Sonakuchi hills area near the Jagiroad area. According to the forest department officials, some villagers noticed that an elephant calf was trapped between huge rocks while its mother was roaming in the area. During the rescue operation, the mother of the elephant calf chased the locals and the forest department personnel when they were trying to rescue the calf. A local had suffered minor injuries during the rescue operation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Warning: Distressing content The man accused of a "massacre" of dozens of koalas in the states south-west says he will accept the legal consequences of his actions, but that the incident, which has caused a global outcry online, has been blown out of proportion by activists. An angry Victorian government was threatening a tough legal response on Monday to the destruction which has seen 40 animals confirmed dead so far, a number that is expected to grow, and about 80 koalas treated and removed from the property. But Keith Troeth, who cleared the former blue gum plantation his family owns at Cape Bridgewater last week, says that most of the koalas found dead on the land died of starvation. Mr Troeth told The Age that a small number of animals may have perished while the land, which was logged in November, was cleared with bulldozers last week despite "every effort to avoid fatalities". GUANGZHOU, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- An expert known as one of the world's top virus hunters is working with Chinese scientists and public health officials to develop strategies for enhancing the basic science needed to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak. Ian Lipkin, professor of epidemiology and director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, told Xinhua in a written interview Saturday that he is speeding up cooperation with Chinese scientists. "Scientists around the world, and specifically speaking for the United States, want to work hand in hand with Chinese scientists to create vaccines, drugs, diagnostic tests to address this outbreak, and to reduce disease and death among the Chinese people," he said. Lipkin, who has over 30 years of experience in diagnostics, microbial discovery and outbreak response, and internationally recognized as an authority on the use of molecular methods for pathogen discovery, said this outbreak coincides with the Chinese New Year and the associated active travel that complicates containment. At the height of the SARS outbreak in 2003, Lipkin was invited by senior Chinese scientists and officials to assess the state of the epidemic, identify gaps in science, and develop a strategy for containing the virus and curtailing infections and deaths. In 2016, he was honored with the China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award. While the World Health Organization said Thursday that the novel coronavirus outbreak has become a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, Lipkin said this should not be considered to imply a criticism of Chinese scientists, health care workers or government officials. "It is a way to acknowledge the serious nature of this threat to public health," he said. yas king Reply Thread Link I knew comrade gritty was being smeared. Reply Thread Link No prison could hold Gritty anyway. Reply Thread Link I would have baked him a cake with a file in it Reply Parent Thread Link mte The audacity that they'd even think to try Reply Parent Thread Link truth and justice prevail! Reply Thread Link whatever this creature is it's perverse and a deviant Reply Parent Thread Link my fav gif of these two :))))) Reply Parent Thread Link this is mesmerizing Reply Parent Thread Link She's a wealthy woman. She can afford this. I proposed if I lost 100 pounds, she could pay for my Hawaii trip this October. Her ass was floored when she saw me at Christmas and I was down over 40 pounds. I'm scamming that woman to pay for Hawaii, damn it! Edited at 2020-02-03 08:37 pm (UTC) I'm a bigger gal. When I was younger, my mom told me she would give me 500 bucks if I lost 50 pounds. I've started losing weight recently and brought up this proposition to her. I was like, "mom, you always told me if I lost 50 pounds, you'd give me a thousand bucks..."She's a wealthy woman. She can afford this. I proposed if I lost 100 pounds, she could pay for my Hawaii trip this October.Her ass was floored when she saw me at Christmas and I was down over 40 pounds. I'm scamming that woman to pay for Hawaii, damn it! Reply Thread Link Lol health AND wealth, we love to see it <3 Reply Parent Thread Link lol +1 Reply Parent Thread Link Lol, get it! Reply Parent Thread Link Yesss get it!!! Reply Parent Thread Link That's great motivation! Get it! Reply Parent Thread Link As long as you're doing it in a way that is safe for you, get that trip/money! You got this! Reply Parent Thread Link Do it! Reply Parent Thread Link Get it!! Reply Parent Thread Link YES WE LOVE TO SEE IT! Reply Parent Thread Link slimming by scamming, we STAN! Reply Parent Thread Link We love a wholesome scammer Reply Parent Thread Link I still can't believe this dad tried to claim this giant mascot got a "running start" before it punched his kid, and that nobody else in the entire world happened to witness this happen lmao Reply Thread Link Yep, at a meet and greet where everyone has a cell phone and is recording every single thing too, lol Reply Parent Thread Link That's right bitches. Don't ever try to fuck with Gritty. Reply Thread Link Lmao Reply Thread Link iconic. JUSTICE prevailed Reply Thread Link They were trying to scheme for free shit anyway, fuck them. Reply Thread Link If Gritty punched me I would thank him. Reply Thread Link That reminds me of this .gif where a teen girl says; One time she punched me. It was awesome. Reply Parent Thread Link That'd be from the official movie of ONTD, Mean Girls. Reply Parent Thread Link Lol, this was so obvious. Glad Gritty was cleared. Feel a bit bad for the kid though, since his face is out there. What a shit dad. Reply Thread Link Dublin, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Neurostimulation - Market Analysis, Trends, and Forecasts" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Neurostimulation market worldwide is projected to grow by US$8.4 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 12.7%. Deep Brain Stimulation Devices, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 14.1%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$3 Billion by the year 2025, Deep Brain Stimulation Devices will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth. Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 11.2% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$328.3 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$275.5 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from the rest of the European markets. In Japan, Deep Brain Stimulation Devices will reach a market size of US$106.7 Million by the close of the analysis period. As the world's second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 16.4% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$2 Billion in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies. Competitors identified in this market include: Boston Scientific Corporation LivaNova PLC Medtronic, Inc. NeuroPace, Inc. NeuroSigma, Inc. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/cn7tbl Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Photo: RJ Sangosti/Denver Post via Getty Images When Anna Flemmings discovered a cyst in her back, she went to the doctor for treatment. But she soon found that her insurance plan wouldnt be much help. Because of the deductible on the insurance that we have, the doctor told me, just wait, if it doesnt bother you right now, then lets leave it for now, she told New York. I would have to come up with about $1,800 to finish out the deductible before they would even consider doing the surgery. Flemmings did not have $1,800. Though she has a full-time job in a Hattiesburg, Mississippi, call center, her employer-provided plan has such a high deductible that it is almost useless. She thus finds herself trapped by a distinctly American irony. Health insurance isnt just a product Flemmings needs, but something she sells: She works for Maximus, which holds a lucrative federal contract to sell Affordable Care Act plans. But while Flemmings connects low-income people with health-care coverage, often for the first time, she struggles to pay her own medical bills. A cancer survivor with diabetes, she says she once stopped taking her insulin because she could not afford the cost. About 10,000 workers in 11 Maximus-operated call centers help people navigate complicated insurance marketplaces. (The workforce fluctuates, reaching a peak during open-enrollment season.) For this labor, many are paid just above minimum wage: Flemmings makes $12.11 an hour. Other workers told New York that they cant afford prescriptions and necessary procedures. They have a deductible of $2500, and their out-of-pocket-maximum is now $5,000 per year. Maximus didnt write the rules for the Affordable Care Act, but it is still speaking out of both sides of its mouth, said Kathleen Flick, who works for a Maximus call center in Bogalusa, Louisiana. Here were trying to help low-income people get coverage, and we can hardly afford our own coverage. In some cases, Maximus workers have had to make difficult decisions about their health care. After a recent trip to the doctor, Frances Poole had to choose between one prescription that cost $14, and another that cost $78. She filled the $14 prescription, and left the other at the pharmacy. If I have $78, Im going to put it on my bills because Im behind, she said. The companys motto, Helping government serve the people, suggests that altruism drives it. But workers tell a different, and much less flattering, story about the hand that signs their paychecks. To raise their wages and improve their benefits, Flemmings and her colleagues are trying to organize a union with the Communications Workers of America, or CWA. But Maximus vehemently opposes the effort. Its anti-union campaign reveals the crux of a bigger problem, one that may be innate to the privatization of public work. Inequality is an opportunity for Maximus to profit, and a problem its labor practices help reinforce. CWAs organizing drive started years ago, before Maximus purchased the call centers from General Dynamics Information Technology, or GDIT, in 2018. Union sources told New York that GDIT, a subsidiary of the better-known, robot-dog-manufacturing General Dynamics, vehemently opposed the union. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) even issued a complaint against the company for violating the federal labor rights of employees. Maximus appears equally intolerant of efforts to unionize. It has retained the powerful Jackson Lewis law firm, which specializes in union avoidance. A July job listing for a senior director of labor relations says the hire should minimize the areas of the business represented by collective bargaining, and advise the company on union avoidance tactics. In early December, Maximus received its own NLRB complaint, this time for suppressing organizing efforts in its Bogalusa call center. CWA alleged that Maximus called the police on pro-union workers, including Flick, for handing out informational material in the parking lot. The U.S. Department of Labor, meanwhile, is investigating allegations of wage theft at the call centers Maximus acquired from GDIT. They dont want to pay us the money that were supposed to make, Poole concluded. Thats why theyre trying to deter everybody from being for the union. As Maximus wars against a union, it lends credence to worries that the privatization of public services can deepen rather than solve inequality. So, too, does the companys very history. In 1987, Maximus received the nations first privatized welfare contract from Los Angeles County, Tracie McMillan reported for Mother Jones last year. That contract cost the county over 120 union jobs, admitted company founder David Mastran in his self-published memoir, Privateer! Building a Business, Reforming Government. In the same book, he seems to deem organized labor outmoded and obsolete. It was thanks to unions that his grandfather, an Italian immigrant, was able to support his family, Mastran wrote. He added, So unions did my grandfather and this country a great service many years ago. But what good are they doing now? Maximus, he thought, offered government a more cost-effective alternative not just to a unionized public-sector workforce, but to federal regulation in general. Because the company had far fewer constraints, we could do a better job serving the public, he wrote. In government, he later added, political decisions need not follow economic principles, but must instead follow politically correct principles. Maximus could cut the corners that the federal government left intact. Though Mastran no longer runs Maximus, the free-market ideology he espoused is still undergirds the companys ethos: Welfare-to-work programs cant administer themselves; some entity has to make sure that a needy parent also works at least 20 hours a month, and Maximus has gotten itself appointed to the role. Moreover, the justification for welfare reform that taxpayers should not have to subsidize the undeserving poor aligns neatly with the Maximus business model. As McMillan put it, the company promises its government partners that it will ensure that only those truly entitled to benefits receive them. In practice, the companys cost-cutting measures can lead to huge backlogs. Officials in Kansas, where Maximus manages the KanCare program, said that the companys chronic understaffing meant it failed basic performance metrics established by the state. As the welfare rolls shrank, deep poverty increased, and Maximuss profits grew. The corporation is now the nations largest administrator of Medicaid enrollment. The passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 expanded the governments reliance on subcontractors like Maximus even as it expanded access to health insurance. An influx of people now had to navigate a complicated private-health-insurance market, many of them for the first time. Call-center workers like Flemmings and her colleagues thus form an invisible front line in the fight to get Americans insured. But they say that the working conditions imposed on them by Maximus dont reflect either the importance of their work, or the skill it requires. Low pay and bare-bones health insurance arent the reasons Maximus workers want to unionize. While workers rearrange their lives around their health-insurance plan, they say Maximus inserts other obstacles into their lives. The company doesnt accept doctors notes as an excuse for missing work. Workers can also only miss 40 hours of work, unpaid, per year before getting a verbal warning. If they miss 64 hours for any reason, they can be fired. The policy is particularly burdensome for parents, Flemmings said, because they have to balance child-care obligations with a limited amount of unpaid leave. Workers also said the company pressures them to apply for leave under the Family Medical Leave Act, even for minor medical procedures. Thats not a realistic solution, according to Poole. I just had surgery on November 7. I had vacation time, so I put in vacation time for four days, she said in a December interview. But they kept saying, No, no, you have to put in FMLA. And I said no. Because if I put in FMLA, Im going to get the payment for my FMLA way at the end of December, or mid-December, or something like that. And I need the money now because my bills are stacked up on me, Poole told New York last December. She added, I had another surgery on March 2. I applied for my FMLA on March 4, and didnt receive a check from them until mid-April. Thats so terrible. In an email to New York, Maximus spokesperson James Dunn said that as a federal contractor, the company adheres to the McNamara-OHara Service Contract Act, or SCA, and that its wages and benefits are determined by the U.S. Department of Labor. MAXIMUS does not set these rates; the government does. At the heart of CWAs wage-theft claim, however, is the assertion that Maximus has been misclassifying employees, and thus underpaying them, at its call centers. Thats not an unusual practice among contractors of its type, said Patricia Smith, senior counsel for the National Employment Law Project and a former solicitor of labor for the Obama administration. While Maximus doesnt set the wages, it does classify the workers. Ive seen this in the past, a lot, in SCA cases where in order to reduce wages, you classified the work at a lower level than it really should be, Smith explained. And though the SCA does establish minimum compensation standards, Smith said that Maximus could exceed those minimums if it chose. Dunn added that Maximus is committed to the National Labor Relations Act, which protects the rights of employees and employers alike, including the right of employees to join a labor union, and an equal opportunity not to join. But the company adopts a more aggressive posture with workers. At a recent captive-audience meeting at a call center in Chester, Virginia, Tom Pierce, the senior director of labor relations for Maximus, repeatedly discouraged workers from unionizing. In a recording of that meeting obtained by New York, Pierce can be heard telling workers that there are risks to organizing, and that in the event of a strike Maximus has a legal right to move work to other facilities. He added, I find it frustrating for some people to think if we just had a union, it would be like a land of rainbows and unicorns. Like everything will be solved; everything will be perfect. That hasnt been in my experience. Flemmings, though, isnt persuaded by the companys reassurances, and believes a union is the only way to protect her own welfare. Im a 54-year-old with a 14-year-old son, she said. I thank God that I had a son at 40, but I have to maintain my health. If I am not able to go to the doctor and make sure that things are okay, my son will be left here for somebody else to take care of. An earlier version of this piece stated that Maximus workers had an out-of-pocket maximum of $2500. The piece has been corrected. Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders are tied as frontrunners in the final poll before a crucial vote in Iowa. With the campaigns of a dozen or so candidates scrambling to knock on doors and put in a final effort to try and win over voters ahead of Monday nights caucus, a poll placed the former Indiana mayor on 19 points, with the Vermont senator on 17, a statistical tie. The poll, by Democratic group Focus on Rural America by party pollster David Binder, came just days after the Des Moines Register announced it was not publishing its traditional, and deeply respected, eve of vote survey, after claims that Mr Buttigiegs name had been left off a questionnaire that was read out to at least some respondents. The latest poll put Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren on 15. Other polls had put Mr Biden in joint first place with Mr Sanders, and the Iowa vote is notoriously difficult to poll, history has shown. In a large respect, the highlighting of Mr Sanders and Mr Buttigieg underscores much of the narrative that has played out here, as candidates have made their pitches to voters, backed up with year-long campaigning reported to have totalled $800m. The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty Much of the debate within the Democratic Party as it seeks to defeat Donald Trump, has been whether the best tactic is to opt for someone representing progressive ideas that could excite and energise the grassroots supporters. Falling into that category have been the 78-year-old Mr Sanders, and Ms Warren, 70, a senator from Massachusetts. Amid the centrists, the contest has largely been between Mr Biden and Buttigieg, and in Iowa at least, Amy Klobuchar. Donald Trump launches blistering attack on 'radical Democrats just down the street' in Iowa The elephant not in the room is Michael Bloomberg, who has skipped the four early voting states, and is spearheading an unorthodox campaign centred on massive advertising in some of the key battleground states. People will get an indication of how successful that approach is on 3 March, so-called Super Tuesday, when more than a dozen states hold their primaries. Among the candidates who have seen their national number bump a little has been billionaire Tom Steyer. Yet in the last poll, he stands at just 3 per cent; to be viable in the caucuses process a candidate has to get at least 15 per cent, before a realignment process takes place, and voters are obliged to pick their second or third choice. Mr Steyer rallied his supporters at his campaign office this morning, as they headed off to knock on doors for one last day. Were absolutely energised to stand up for what is right, he said. The Hill said Ms Warren is the top second choice among voters, taking 20 per cent and suggesting she may have the strongest advantage of attracting other candidates supporters. On the eighth episode of Front Page, politics and state government reporter Mitchell Schmidt, an Iowa native, provides a detailed look into the first in the nation Iowa caucuses and campaign events held by President Donald Trump in the battleground state of Wisconsin in January. The interview portion of this episode was recorded on Thursday, before former Congressman John Delaney made public his decision to drop out of the race. Check out Schmidt's article to read more about how Wisconsin, a 2020 battleground state, could shape the election. Front Page is the State Journals new weekly podcast that takes a look behind the scenes of some of the newspapers most interesting stories. In this podcast series, listeners can hear reporters talk about the heartwarming, heartbreaking and hard-hitting news they cover on a regular basis. Visit go.madison.com/frontpage to hear a new episode of Front Page every Monday. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday pressed Kazakhstan to be wary of Chinese investment and influence, urging the Central Asian nation and others to join calls demanding an end to Chinas repression of minorities. Bringing a message similar to the one he has delivered repeatedly to other countries, Pompeo told Kazakhstani officials that the attractiveness of Chinese investment comes with a cost to sovereignty and may hurt, instead of help, the countrys long-term development. We fully support Kazakhstans freedom to choose to do business with whichever country it wants, but I am confident that countries get the best outcomes when they partner with American companies, he said at the press conference. You get fair deals. You get job creation. You get transparency in contracts. You get companies that care about the environment, and you get an unsurpassed commitment to quality work. Pompeo also urged Kazakhstani officials to continue reforms that would allow greater U.S. investment and said the two nations were discussing the possibility of opening direct passenger flights between the countries. Pompeo also discussed economic and security cooperation with his Kazakhstani counterpart Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tileuberdi. The United States is currently one of the biggest investors in Kazakhstan, comprising 18.5 percent of [its] total foreign direct investment. Tileuberdi and Pompeo talked at a joint press conference, about the contract that American agricultural giant Tyson Foods signed in December with the Republic of Kazakhstan and private holding multinational company Kusto Group also operating in Kazakhstan, on cooperation leading to a construction of a modern beef processing plant and an entire ecosystem for developing livestock production in Kazakhstan. Also, Chevron and ExxonMobil will continue to invest in the Kazakh oil and gas sector, contributing to the development of the countys oil fields and job creation. There is also a potential to expand the cooperation between two countries in the information technology and scientific research, said Tileuberdi. Pompeo said that Kazakhstans reforms aimed to strengthen the economic prosperity and democracy and increasing public confidence in the government, which are welcomed by the United States. Pompeo and Tileuberdi emphasized that the fundamental rule of law and basic protections for transparency in contracts are the key prerequisites necessary to expand the economic cooperation between two countries further and are fundamental for Western companies to do business in Kazakhstan. The American risk-taking entrepreneurs will love the hardworking, capable, talented people here in Kazakhstan to be part of their teams, and we will do good things for American business and for the people of Kazakhstan when we get all of these opportunities brought to fruition, Pompeo said. Fighting International Terrorism Together Both countries also cooperate in fighting international terrorism. The U.S. has provided border security assistance to Kazakhstan, and both countries cooperate in combating money laundering for terrorism financing, narcotics abuse and trafficking, and human trafficking. the statement says. Kazakhstan also helps to support the peace process in Afghanistan mostly through providing logistical access to Afghanistan and professional education to young Afghans. Pompeo congratulated Kazakhstan on its repatriation of ISIS terrorists from Iraq and Syria. Kazakhstan has taken back nearly 600 fighters and family members detained in areas formerly controlled by the group. I have and will continue to commend the Kazakhstani government for its leadership in repatriating foreign terrorists fighters and their families from Iraq and Syria, he said. I hope this commitment to justice will inspire other nations to do the same. Neighboring China Pompeo praised Kazakhstan for its efforts to counter the spread of the coronavirus from China. He said the United States is helping the country, which shares roughly 1,100 miles of its border with China, with expertise from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and providing laboratory equipment. Kazakhstans quick action to stop the spread of the virus has been incredibly impressive, he said. Kazakhstan is among the growing list of countries that have suspended travel links with China. Pompeo met with ethnic Kazakhs whose families have gone missing or been detained in Chinas widespread crackdown on Muslims and other ethnic and religious minorities in its western Xinjiang region. He praised the Kazakhstani government for not repatriating asylum seekers back to China at the Chinese government request. The protection of basic human rights defines the soul of a nation, he said, thanking Kazakhstan for taking in those fleeing persecution. The United States urges all countries to join us in pressing for immediate end to this repression. We ask simply for them to provide safe refuge and asylum for those seeking to flee China. To protect dignity, just do whats right. The U.S.Kazakhstan Relation The United States was the first nation to recognize Kazakhstans independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991. Just 24 hours after your independence back in 1991, almost 30 years ago, my predecessor, Secretary of State James Baker, traveled here to support your vision for a sovereign, prosperous nation, said Pompeo. Since its independence, Kazakhstan had the fourth largest stockpile of nuclear warheads in the world. Kazakhstan renounced its nuclear weapons in 1993 and removed its last nuclear warheads in 1995 with United States assistance, the statement says. Under Soviet rule, Kazakhstan was a testing ground for nuclear weapons, as more than 25 percent of all the nuclear tests in the world was conducted on [its] soil. The United States helped the country recover from the damaging effects of these tests on the people and the environment. And more recently, in January of 2018, President Trump welcomed then-President Nursultan to the White House, who was Kazakhstani first president. Pompeo also met today with Kazakhstani President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and with Nazarbayev. From The Epoch Times The Associated Press contributed to this report. If your tax preparer is not an attorney, CPA or IRS enrolled agent, you can use our lookup to be sure he or she is registered to do your taxes in New York state. Look up registrations for more than 31,000 tax preparers in the search below. Enter a name or look for registrations by city or Zip code. We are absolutely devastated by this catastrophic loss, the heart of our operations is gone and so is 30 years of history, Jerri Rosen, Founder and CEO, Working Wardrobes We will hold a press conference at 10 am on Monday, February 3, at Goodwill Fitness Center at 1601 E St Andrew Pl. Santa Ana, CA 92705. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE On Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020 at 5:50 a.m., a fire broke out at the Working Wardrobes headquarters located at 1851 Kettering Street, Irvine, California. It was several hours before firefighters could access the building. Everything has been destroyed by this fire and we are working closely with the Orange County Fire Authority and Irvine Police Department for more details. We are absolutely devastated by this catastrophic loss, the heart of our operations is gone and so is 30 years of history, said Jerri Rosen, Founder and CEO, after the fire. We are grateful and relieved to report that no one was hurt or in the building at the time of the fire. STATEMENT OF FACTS Approximately 100 firefighters were at the scene OCFA Public Information Officer Capt. Tony Bommarito was onsite No injuries were reported Working Wardrobes has been in this 22,000-square-foot building since 2016 Everything has been destroyed, including: Donation Center: Large warehouse filled with racks, bins, and boxes filled with thousands of donations. Including jackets, pants, shirts, blouses, ties, shoes, jewelry and additional accessories. Home goods, office supplies, etc. Career Center: Computer labs where clients worked to research and apply for jobs online, training rooms and IT computer lab. Plus, the VetNet team and program for veterans, SCSEP program for seniors, all client services for women, men, young adults, and all wardrobing services. Corporate Office: Entire operations of Working Wardrobes We are determined to work with our employees, volunteers and the Orange County community to rebuild and continue to fulfill our purpose of helping men, women, young adults and veterans overcome difficult challenges so they can achieve the dignity of work. NEXT STEPS FOR US Financial donations are what we need the most to rebuild and continue to provide services to veterans, seniors, and unemployed get back into the workforce. To make a financial donation, please visit: https://workingwardrobes.org/donate-money/ Our friends at Goodwill have stepped up to provide a temporary home in one of their facilities at 1601 E St Andrew Pl. Santa Ana, CA 92705. We are so grateful for their support and partnership. Much will change for us over the next few months as we start our journey over, but we know the strength of our friends and supporters will buoy us. We need volunteers to help get our new temporary home set up. Please contact KathiS@workingwardrobes.org or call (714) 210-2460. We will release a list of our needs for donations soon, please contact (714) 210-2460 for more details. MORE ABOUT WORKING WARDROBES: Working Wardrobes is Orange Countys foremost career development nonprofit, championing on behalf of at-risk men, women, young adults, and veterans to help them achieve the Power of a Paycheck. The organization was founded in 1990 by CEO/Founder Jerri Rosen. This is Working Wardrobes' 30th anniversary year. Over that time, with the help of our Orange County community, weve been able to help more than 105,000 people overcome barriers to employment and achieve the Power of a Paycheck. For more information please visit, http://www.workingwardrobes.org Please direct media inquiries to Devon Poer, Marketing and Public Relations Manager at devonp@workingwardrobes.org or (949) 558-4145. The mother of Britain's largest family has announced she has booked the date of the induction for the birth of her 22nd baby. Sue Radford, 44, from Morecambe, Lancashire, and her husband Noel, 48, posted a YouTube clip to reveal they had a date in the diary to welcome the latest member of their family. The mother-of-21, who is in her 29th week of pregnancy, gushed about her unborn daughter's 'brilliant' development as she filmed the clip in her car. It comes after the pair said that after their last child in 2018 there would be no more. Sue Radford, 44, from Hampshire, has revealed a date is in the diary for the end of her 22nd pregnancy (pictured, showing off her baby bump) She said: 'She was doing brilliantly. Her head was measuring at 28 weeks, her leg was measuring at 30 weeks and so was her belly so she's doing really well. 'Her estimated weight is 3lbs 3oz, which is good because I thought she was smaller. 'She's still got time to have a growth spurt and she's growing really well which is brilliant.' She added: 'We have an induction date, I'm not sharing that date but we know when she's going to be arriving it's in the diary.' Sue, 44, and Noel Radford, 48, from Lancashire, are looking forward to welcoming their 22nd child into their brood (Pictured, Sophie, 25, Chloe, 23, Jack, 22, Daniel, 20, Luke, 18, Millie, 17, Katie, 16, James, 15, Ellie, 14, Aimee, 13, Josh, 12, Max, 11, Tillie, 9, Oscar, 7, Casper, 6, Hallie, 4, Phoebe, 3, Archie, 2, Bonnie, one) And despite early concerns her unborn baby wasn't growing quickly, Sue said her bump was getting bigger and her daughter was moving around. She explained: 'She's moving loads, loads more, she's really, really active now. 'She goes absolutely crazy the minute I get into bed and lie on my side she just goes crazy. 'I'm really pleased with the movement she's doing really well which is good. 'Obviously because she's got a bit bigger I'm now getting much more movement.' After her latest appointment - Sue revelled in her unborn daughter's 'brilliant' development as she filmed a Youtube video in her car The Radfords are already parents to Chris, 30, Sophie, 25, Chloe, 23, Jack, 22, Daniel, 20, Luke, 18, Millie, 17, Katie, 16, James, 15, Ellie, 14, Aimee, 13, Josh, 12, Max, 11, Tillie, nine, Oscar, seven, Casper, six, Hallie, four, Phoebe, three, Archie two, and Bonnie, one. The Radford children Chris, 30, Sophie, 25, Chloe, 23, Jack, 22, Daniel, 20, Luke, 18, Millie, 17, Katie, 16, James, 15, Ellie, 14, Aimee, 13, Josh, 12, Max, 11, Tillie, nine, Oscar, seven, Casper, six, Hallie, four, Phoebe, three, Archie two, and Bonnie, one. Advertisement They also have three grandchildren - who are Sophie's kids - Daisy, six, Ayprill, four, and Leo, two. The family, who only claim 170 in child benefits a week, have to rely on Noel's bakery business to make ends meet and pay for their ten-bedroom house. They bought it in 2004 for 240,000. Noel had a vasectomy when the couple were expecting their ninth baby, but got it reversed so they could have more children. The family now have to fork out 350 a week on food and spend three hours tidying up every night to keep their house in check. Noel and Sue have to pay a minimum of 150 if they want to take the family out for dinner and going on holiday means bringing at least seven suitcases. Washing duties are 'non-stop', with 18kg of clothes being washed every day of the week. Sue revealed her daughter has been 'moving loads' as she said she had an induction date in the diary They first shot to fame in 2008, when it emerged the baker and his wife were set to have a 'baker's dozen' of children, 13. When it comes to going to the cinema, things can get very pricey. History of the family December 24, 1970: Noel Radford was born March 22, 1975: Sue Radford was born 1982: The couple met for the first time when Sue was seven 1989: They welcomed their first child Chris 1993: The couple got married, and their second child Sophie was born. Children followed in quick succession ever since. August 2012: Their first grandchild was born after Sophie gave birth to Daisy July 2014: Son Alfie was stillborn October 2014: Sophie gave birth to her second child, Ayprll August 2015: Sophie married Joe Broadley December 2015: Sophie gave birth to her third child Leo Thomas June 2017: First child Chris welcomes a daughter, Maisie November 2018: Sue gives birth to her 21st baby October 2019: Sue reveals she is pregnant with her 22nd baby Advertisement While many of us may scoff at the ever increasing price of a cinema ticket, spare a thought for the parents of 21 children, who say a single trip can set them back over 100. Speaking exclusively to FEMAIL in July, the busy mother said: 'We do like to go to the cinema, especially in the holidays when the kids are a bit bored, it's raining and there's not much else for them to do. But it can be up to 10 per person so it can work out really expensive!' Research provided by Compare the Market found that the average family spends 542 each summer holiday ensuring the kids are entertained. And for the Radfords, trampolining is one of the most expensive days out - setting them back around 230. 'It's about 10 each by the time you've got the socks and everything so we do try to avoid doing that with them all,' said Sue. In a bid to keep costs low, the mother-of-21, who also has two grandchildren, Daisy, six and April, four, Leo, two, looks anywhere she can to save the pennies. 'Believe it or not, we don't tend to get group discounts because we find family tickets are usually for two adults and two children - and obviously there's a lot of us,' she explained. 'We often look for the different discount codes you can find on the internet and go with whatever offers they've got on.' Offering advice to other parents, she added: 'A lot of our best days out have been packing up a picnic and just going for a walk with the kids, or going to a park, or to the beach - and they're all free days out.' Lee Isaac Chungs Minari. Photo: Melissa Lukenbaugh/A24 Despite its share of big deals, this years Sundance Film Festival was a surprisingly low-key affair. Few films came with the prefab advance buzz that the festival has in the past been known for, and no one or two movies seemed to dominate the discussion on the ground at Park City. But that was a good thing, because it spoke to the overall excellence of the slate: There was so much strong, diverse work this year that it was impossible for only one or two titles to break out. With that being said, here are our 12 favorites from the festival just know that there are at least 12 other movies that we could have easily included on this list. Boys State The student state government program thats the focus of Boys State so neatly reveals itself to be a microcosm of the U.S. voting landscape it feels like it could have been scripted. But of course, thats one of the points of this stirring documentary from directors Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss, the team behind 2014s The Overnighters. The 16-, 17-, and 18-year-old boys gather in Austin, Texas, to play politics emulate their heroes. One teen, Steven Garza, an achingly earnest gubernatorial candidate whos canvassed for Bernie Sanders, runs against Eddy Conti, whos enthusiastically described by his supporters as being just like Ben Shapiro. But where this film really offers up glimmers of hope and despair is in the differences between the young men and the figures theyre modeling themselves after, and how much of what happens over the course of the week suggests were destined to break away from the past or repeat it. Alison Willmore Documentarian Kirsten Johnson embarks on a radical experiment that completely pays off in Dick Johnson Is Dead. Frightened of losing her beloved father whos beginning to show signs of dementia, Johnson asks if she can film him pretending to die in a variety of absurd and banal scenarios (falling down stairs, being punctured by a construction workers nail). Hes incredibly game for all of it, and the movie is as much a story about a one-of-a-kind father-daughter bond as it is about mortality and pain and love and memory and the way that film can, in some ways, defeat death. Rachel Handler The Father Like Dick Johnson Is Dead, The Father is about a woman (Olivia Colman) struggling with how to care for her father (Anthony Hopkins), whose dementia has made it impossible for him to keep living by himself. But Florian Zellers film, adapted from his own 2012 stage play, unfolds largely from the disorienting perspective of the aging parent, putting us in the head of someone whose grasp of time and reality has been slipping. People appear in the apartment in which the film takes place and claim to have been living there for years, and then that apartment becomes another, and it becomes clear that the main character has been taken in by his daughter. Its deftly and disturbingly done, and what holds it together is a masterful performance from Hopkins, who allows the audience to feel for his character without needing to like him. A.W. Olivia Colman and Anthony Hopkins in The Father. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute I fell really hard for Miranda Julys latest, a bizarre and bittersweet film thats partly a love story and partly a story about learning to accept the love you dont think you deserve. Evan Rachel Wood is wonderfully weird as Old Dolio, an utterly detached 26-year-old woman whose parents (played by Debra Winger and Richard Jenkins) see her as nothing more than an accomplice to their low-stakes con jobs, and who has apparently never cut her hair. When she meets Gina Rodriguezs luminous Melanie, Old Dolio begins to realize that theres a lot more to life than scamming the local post office. On top of being an affecting portrait of loneliness and the parent-child bond (or lack thereof), the film is full of classically Miranda July touches, like a magical-realist scene filmed inside a pitch-black gas station bathroom with walls that leak pink bubbles. R.H. Minari Minari, from writer-director Lee Isaac Chung, is a sweet, occasionally heartbreaking semiautobiographical film about a Korean family trying to start a vegetable farm in Arkansas in the 1980s. Steven Yeun is predictably wonderful as Jacob, the familys determined patriarch, whos spent years staring at chicken butts for a living as a chicken sexer and is hell-bent on proving to himself and to his family that hes destined for something more. His wife Monica (the lovely Yeri Han) is lonely and skeptical, and just wants to move the family back to California. Alan Kim steals the film as 7-year-old David (Chungs avatar), a spunky and delightfully restless little kid with a heart murmur who yearns to run freely through the grass in his oversize cowboy boots, but Yuh-Jung Youn is just as memorable as Monicas mother, who comes to live with the family and slowly wins David and his sister Anne (Noel Kate Cho) over with her twinkly-eyed wit and card games. Minari is a beautiful, naturalistic story of a family coming apart and together. R.H. The Nest A darker transatlantic cousin to Minari, The Nest is another 80s-set drama about a patriarch (Jude Law) who uproots his family in order to chase his own, probably doomed dreams of success. In the case of Sean Durkins film, though his first since 2011s Martha Marcy May Marlene the location is a gloomy country pile outside of London where wife and mother (Carrie Coon) finds herself unable to settle in, the teen daughter (Oona Roche) falls in with a destructive crowd, and the young son (Charlie Shotwell) cowers in fear of his home and fancy new school. Law, as a flashy class-climber whose bullshit is not as convincing as he thinks it is, is cast perfectly in a role that makes use of both this beauty and his touch of artificiality. But Coon may run off with the movie as a woman increasingly embittered by the expectation that she just accept her husbands decisions to run them off yet another financial cliff in his need to feel impressive. A.W. Jude Law and Carrie Coon in The Nest. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute In Eliza Hittmans understated, realistic drama, two best friends from Pennsylvania come to New York City so one of them can have an abortion. That setup suggests drama enough, but part of the films beauty lies in watching these two very different personalities navigate a situation neither of them entirely knows how to handle, and Hittmans attention to the subtle ways that friendships can both splinter and be reconstructed marks this as the work of a compassionate behavioralist. The scene referenced by the title in which one of the girls must answer a series of multiple-choice questions at the abortion clinic about what has happened to her is probably the most powerful collection of moments in any film at this years festival. Bilge Ebiri Relic Dementia was obviously a major theme at Sundance this year, and the inevitable end point of the progression from the warmth of Dick Johnson Is Dead to the turmoil of The Father is Relic, a horror film from writer-director Natalie Erika James. A chamber piece involving three generations of women, Relic starts with a mother (Emily Mortimer), daughter (Bella Heathcote) in tow, traveling from Melbourne out to her childhood home, where her own mother (Robyn Nevin) has been living alone and from which shes reportedly gone missing. Spooky things start happening in the house, a place cluttered with the remnants of family members whove moved on, but just as frightening is the prospect of a loved one whos slowly losing her sense of self, and who refuses to accept help. Jamess impressive debut has been netting comparisons to The Babadook for its blend of domestic fears and nightmarish ones (as well as for being a horror debut from an Australian woman), and theyre warranted. Relic manages to end on a note thats both grotesque and intensely poignant. A.W. Time Garrett Bradleys haunting film follows the dogged, eloquent, wary Fox Rich, as she fights for her husband Robs release from a 60-year sentence for a holdup they committed together decades ago, even as she raises six kids and tries to have a life of her own. Partly using reams of video footage Fox shot of herself and her family since leaving prison, Bradleys approach is impressionistic; she focuses on faces, gestures, glances, and she loves to luxuriate in passages of intimacy and everyday interaction. Filmed in shimmering black-and-white, theres a grace and generosity of spirit throughout Time that runs counter to our expectations of a picture about incarceration and justice and single-parenthood. B.E. Janicza Bravos Zola. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute Zola seemed like the sort of thing that would be nearly impossible to pull off: a dark comedy based on a Twitter thread about stripping and sex work and murder and abuse and suicide attempts. But Janicza Bravo more than pulls it off, thanks to an idiosyncratic tone, quirky structural choices (a trip deep into Zolas brain; Twitter chirps that punctuate the story), and an incredible breakout performance from Taylour Paige, who plays Zola with equal parts detached bemusement and barely disguised horror. Riley Keough is simultaneously monstrous and sympathetic as Stefani, this bitch here whom Zola falls out with, and Successions Nicholas Braun is perfectly pathetic as Stefanis long-suffering, permanently cucked boyfriend Derrek. R.H. This Is Not a Burial, Its a Resurrection The first film from the enclave country of Lesotho to screen at Sundance apparently, the first film from Lesotho to screen at any international festival director Lemohang Jeremiah Moseses meditative, visually striking drama follows an elderly woman suffering from grief who struggles to protect her village when she discovers that its being resettled to make way for a dam reservoir. Told like a fable and shot like a dream, its a stunning work that immerses us both in the earthy textures of this world and in the spiritual crisis of its central character. B.E. Epicentro Austrian director Hubert Saupers portrait of modern-day Cuba as a place where the legacies of the slave trade, colonization, and globalization all converge is a brilliant mixture of historical-poetic analysis and a ground-level journey among the denizens of Havana schoolkids, teachers, parents, artists, sex workers, tourists, and others. The directors remarkable eye for lived-in detail and for spectacular imagery will mesmerize you, even if you dont agree with all his theories about the state of the world and where Cuba fits within it. B.E. Secretary of Health clarifies childs death not coronavirus related Cancun, Q.R. In a press conference, the Secretary of Health of Quintana Roo disseminated a rumor about the weekend death of a 4-year-old boy in Cancun due to coronavirus. Alejandra Aguirre, Secretaria de Salud de Quintana Roo said the report published by a local newspaper Saturday claiming a 4-year-old boy of Chinese origin had died of coronavirus is false. Aguirre clarified that the child died Saturday due to a tumor after being admitted to the Victoria Clinic in Cancun. She noted that the newspaper stigmatized the child due to his origin. Pediatrician Sergio Gamboa said the cause of death was due to a cardiorespiratory arrest. It means that his heart stopped beating. Mediastinal tumor means a mass or a tumor that is located in the middle region of the chest. It does not mean pneumonia. During the press conference, los Servicios Estatales de Salud (Sesa) reiterated that the state of Quintana Roo remains cononavirus free, adding that protocols are in place to deal with the virus in the event it is detected. How is it that Victorian governments have become so in thrall to corporate giants and cowboy developers? Transurban has been contracted to build a West Gate Tunnel in Melbournes inner west and in return expects $26 billion from increased and extended tolls to 2045 on its existing CityLink toll road, as well as $11 billion from tolls on the tunnel. The tunnel has hit a rock, however: the type and extent of contaminated soil in the west was not anticipated by the "toll road giant". Transurban would prefer taxpayers pick up the bill for the complicated disposal rather than relinquish some of its profits. Premier Daniel Andrews and the Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan this week. Credit:Jason South Lets put aside for a moment the argument that, were the tunnel necessary, the government could have borrowed against its AAA credit rating in a period of record low interest rates and an economic climate in which international finance experts are urging Australian governments to spend, managed the project directly, adhered to the original end of the CityLink tolls in 2035, and collected the West Gate Tunnel revenues. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that 'power' has always stayed with 'Matoshri', the family residence of Thackeray's, irrespective of the government ruling the State and that with his becoming the CM, the 'government's power has now come to' 'Matoshri'. "Power and 'Matoshri' have always stayed together. Becoming the Chief Minister of the State is definitely a different feeling but 'Matoshri' has always wielded power and there is nothing new in it. However, now the Chief Minister is from 'Matoshri'. The government's power has now come to 'Matoshri'," said Uddhav in an interview to Sena mouthpiece Saamana. "Matoshri becoming the CM's residence is actually because of Shiv Sainiks, I have zero contribution in it. All this glory to Matoshri is actually of Shivsena Pramukh, Maan Saheb (mother) and affection of Shiv Sainiks," he added. He further said that his becoming the Chief Minister was not a shock for him. "No, it did not come as a shock (when allied with NCP, Cong and became CM). I am the son of Shiv Sena Pramukh (Balasaheb Thackeray). Several people tried to give me shocks but they did not succeed. This is a field where you have to accept right at the beginning that there will be a bit of pushing and pulling," he said. "Accepting the CM post was not a shock for me and neither was it my dream at any point of time to become the CM," he added. Uddhav, who is heading the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP alliance, was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of the State by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari in November last year after a month-long political drama. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ST. PAUL -- Bipartisan legislators are looking to help clean up rural Minnesotans' drinking water come this month's legislative session. According to a Monday, Feb. 3 news release, state Rep. Jeanne Poppe, D-Austin, and Sen. Bill Weber, R-Luverne, are planning to introduce a bill opening state funds to assist Minnesotans in voluntarily testing their private well water for contaminants and assist with remediation if the water is not up to standards. Poppe said in Monday's news release that, "It shouldnt matter what zip code youre in -- every Minnesotan deserves clean drinking water." But currently, Minnesotans with well water are "on their own" for testing and remediation, unlike those who access municipal systems. According to the Minnesota Department of Health , approximately 1.2 million Minnesotans -- about one-fifth of the states population -- drink water through private wells. Contaminants commonly found in rural Minnesota water such as nitrates and naturally occurring arsenic can taint water, the release said. Lawmakers are working alongside the state Department of Health in drafting the legislation, which would fund a pilot to test the program this year. Poppe said Monday that the funding would come from the DOH, and lawmakers do not yet have a cost estimate for the full program. ADVERTISEMENT This year's legislative session will start Tuesday, Feb. 11. A MAN was acquitted of assault charges relating to a violent incident on the southside of the city almost a decade ago. Frederick OConnor, aged 32, who has an address at Brittas, Thurles, County Tipperary had pleaded not guilty to assaulting another man causing him harm at John Carew Park, Southill, on April 26, 2010. During a three-day trial, a jury at Limerick Circuit Court was told it was the prosecution case that the injured party was hit across the back of the head and the side of his face with a hatchet during an altercation with two other men at Donoughmore Crescent. The victim, who was aged in his mid-20s at the time, received 20 stitches, following the incident. He sustained two lacerations and has some permanent scarring as a result of the attack which happened at around 8.30pm. The jury returned with its unanimous not guilty verdict following less than 40 minutes of deliberations. After thanking the jurors for their attention during the trial, Judge Martina Baxter excused them from further jury service for three years. The schools open house on Jan. 30 continued the cultural celebration with tables of ethnic foods provided by Roosevelt families and eight different cultural dances performed by students. The event also gave Dwyer, a former competitive Irish dancer, another opportunity to put his skills on display. He performed during the schools very first cultural celebration in 2018, which was a much smaller event with just three lunchtime performances in the cafeteria. A fired hedge fund trader has hit back at allegations he slept with a prostitute at Davos, instead claiming the woman he stayed with was actually the girlfriend of married ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Daniel Michalow, 37, has launched legal action against D.E. Shaw, suing them for defamation and seeking millions in damages and an apology after he left the company in March 2018, The Daily Beast reports. He claims the $50 billion company asked its lawyers to speak with his former colleagues and to look through internal communications for incriminating evidence. Michalow says the company defamed him in communicating his firing. A source said one such allegation put to employees was that Harvard graduate Michalow had slept with a prostitute at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2018, where he represented the hedge fund. But it is understood the woman he was staying with was his friend and actually the girlfriend of 64-year-old Schmidt, who is thought to have been at the high profile event with his wife of 39 years, Wendy. Dubbed 'New York's hottest bachelor' despite his wife, Schmidt - who boasts a $13.2 billion fortune - is a part-owner of D.E. Shaw. Daniel Michalow, pictured, has hit back at allegations he slept with a prostitute at Davos, instead claiming the woman he stayed with was actually the girlfriend of Eric Schmidt Despite being legally married to Wendy, left, Schmidt, right, has reportedly had relationships with a series of younger women. The couple are pictured in 2016 Text messages show how senior portfolio manager Michalow told D.E. Shaw Managing Director Max Stone one lunch was 'awesome', writing: 'I was at table with Eric Schmidt, King and Queen of Jordan, Kushner.' Stone is said to have replied: 'Any photos from lunch? And did Eric Schmidt have any of his 18-year-old girlfriends with him?' D.E. Shaw General Counsel Martin Lebwohl is then said to have asked employees about the woman with a view to incriminating Michalow and seemingly unaware she was dating Schmidt. One source told The Daily Beast: 'Lebwohl was asking if Dan had showed up with anyone who reflected poorly on the firm. I think what they were asking was, "Was there a prostitute?" They were trying to find out if there was some type of improper relationship in Davos to use against Dan.' Eric Schmidt pictured at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos in 2015 Schmidt has been married to wife Wendy since 1980 - however the pair do not publicly comment on their relationship. They are pictured together in 2011 A spokesperson for D.E. Shaw told the website: 'The D.E. Shaw group is committed to an environment of mutual respect, in which everyone is free from harassment or discrimination of any kind. 'Mr. Michalow's account is inaccurate and his claims are meritless. We will defend ourselves in the arbitration.' They did not explain why the account was 'inaccurate and meritless'. Schmidt did not comment on the claims. One of Michalows lawyers, Tom Clare, told The Financial Times: 'Clearly, D.E. Shaw continues to be worried about competing with Mr. Michalow. When he voluntarily departed, the firm tried to extract a non-compete from Mr. Michalow. Then they defamed him in the press.' Daniel Michalow, pictured, has launched legal action against D.E. Shaw DailyMail.com has contacted a lawyer for Michalow and D.E. Shaw for comment. Michalow had been placed on a two-week suspension in February 2018 after he allegedly made a joke about calling an assistant 'sugar-tits.' Two days later it was announced he had 'retired' before Michalow then announced his plans to continue working. The company then issued a statement accusing him of 'gross violations of our standards and values'. Michalow followed up with a letter posted to social media, writing: 'There are many, many stories of employees hooking up over the years after the companys lavish, alcohol-filled parties. 'D. E. Shaw also has highly problematic diversity issues, in my view.' In August last year it was reported that Schmidt had split with his 32-year-old girlfriend, ex Olympic skater Alexandra Duisberg, just weeks after he gave her a pink sapphire ring sparking engagement rumors. Former medical student Duisberg, who is the same age as his daughter, Sophie, had reportedly frozen her eggs and asked the tech boss to fertilize them with the hopes of starting a family together, but he declined. The two reportedly met at a party in 2017 and had been seemingly inseparable since. Schmidt was also said to have been spending time with former Miss Ireland Emma Waldron. The 30-year-old beauty queen was pictured with the tech boss at a gala in May 2019 and at an event for Nancy Pelosi. In August last year it was reported that Schmidt had split with Alexandra Duisberg, pictured in 2019, just weeks after he gave her a pink sapphire ring sparking engagement rumors TV personality Kate Bohner, aged 52, allegedly had a three-year affair with the married mogul from 2007 to 2010. In the past, Schmidt had been linked to Lisa Shields, a foreign relations executive and Vietnamese pianist Chau-Giang Thi Nguyen, right Schmidt has been married to wife Wendy since 1980. They met at Berkeley University in the late 1970s and have two adult daughters, Sophie and Alison. A 2012 New York Times article stated that the pair often spend time apart, and do not comment publicly about their relationship . Despite being legally married to Wendy, Schmidt has reportedly had relationships with a series of younger women, including a vivacious television host who dubbed him 'Dr Strangelove,' a public relations executive and a Vietnamese concert pianist. In the past, Schmidt had been linked to Lisa Shields, a foreign relations executive and Vietnamese pianist Chau-Giang Thi Nguyen. Meanwhile, Wendy reportedly resides at one of their homes, a $23million waterfront mansion on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, where she focuses on her philanthropic work. TV personality Kate Bohner, 52, allegedly had a three-year affair with the married mogul from 2007 to 2010. At the time, Schmidt was at the height of his power. He was brought in as Google's CEO in 2001 by creators Sergey Brin and Larry Page, who relied on his expertise to turn their modest internet search engine into a global media powerhouse. He left the board of parent company Alphabet in 2017 and was CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011. He invested in D.E. Shaw in 2015. An ex-flame of Schmidt's said that it's unlikely the tech powerhouse is interested in settling down. 'I think there are a lot of women who date him who think they are going to be the next Mrs. Schmidt,' the anonymous woman stated. 'But he dates a lot of women. He likes to have a ship in every port.' Noting that the economy is facing its worst slowdown in over a decade, a CRISIL report has said this was because consumption and investment have stopped firing for too long Mumbai: Economists at domestic rating agency CRISIL doubt the Budget attaining its targets on growth, given the rural boost and thus consumption and revenue realisations, saying planned budgetary measures are not expected to provide a short-term boost. Noting that the economy is facing its worst slowdown in over a decade, a CRISIL report has said this was because consumption and investment have stopped firing for too long. If at all the GDP were to clip at the projected 5.7-6.6 percent in FY21, it will be thanks more to the base effect-FY20 growth at an 11-year low of 5 percent, down from 6.1 percent in FY19 on the back of a 48 year low nominal growth of at 7.5 percent in FY20. "The given its tied hands, the government has aimed at some measured moves in the Budget to bolster growth. Most of these, however, are not expected to provide a short-term boost," says the CRISIL report. "In the absence of growth kickers, growth pick-up in fiscal 2021 is expected to be largely led by the base effect and supported by somewhat better farm income (led by a good rabi crop) and the delayed impact of monetary easing. Critical to this forecast is the assumption of a normal monsoon in the next season and benign global crude oil prices," it warns. "If that sounds bad, the financial sector stress has been looping into real sector weakness, dragging down growth some more. The external front has also landed the domestic economy a few blows. What makes this "shrinking" feeling stranger and last longer is the long-overdue financial sector clean-up, at a time when the economy is suffering from many other ailments. "To be sure, monetary policy has done its bit, but with moderate and slow success. The Reserve Bank cut the repo rate cumulatively by 135 basis points through calendar 2019, but lending rates has tarried with just 50-bps decline," the report notes. The additional fiscal space of 50 bps more over FY20 budget estimate projection for FY21 (fiscal deficit projected at 3.5 percent of GDP next fiscal against the glide path of 3 percent) is to be funded by aggressive disinvestment, asset monetisation and telecom revenues, optimistic tax-buoyancy assumptions and some tightening in overall expenditure. But the space so created is being used to fund capex and rural sector spending that support consumption, it says. It can be noted that this is the fourth consecutive Budget that the Narendra Modi government has missed the original Budget estimates on deficit numbers. Despite tight fiscal conditions, the Budget makes room for higher CAPEX. Overall CAPEX is budgeted to increase 18 percent in fiscal 2021. A large part of this is infra spending. But ironically, the overall infrastructure spending is budgeted to decline 7 percent in FY21 because of lower reliance on extra budgetary spending through central public sector units despite higher budgetary support. Similar is the projected slowdown revenue expenditure in fiscal 2021, led by lower burden of food, fuel and fertiliser subsidies. Follow full coverage of Union Budget 2020-21 here New rules put in place by Airbnb havent prevented hosts from listing their homes as a good place for an event, and it certainly hasnt stopped parties from taking place. Three young men died and two others were injured following a party hosted in an Airbnb rental over the weekend, the most recent in a string of violent incidents to have occurred at events hosted at apartments listed on the platform. In November, a shooting in California left five dead, prompting Airbnb to announce a ban on party houses. The ban was intended to extend to Canada as well as the U.S. The platforms co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky announced at the time a development of safety initiatives within 10 days, as well as a rapid response team dedicated to respond to problematic reservations. Chesky wrote in a Twitter thread that the platform would (redouble) our efforts to combat unauthorized parties and get rid of abusive host and guest conduct, expand manual screening of high-risk reservations, and take immediate action against users who violate these enhanced guest policies, including removal from the platform. But the new rules certainly hasnt stopped parties from occurring at listings hosted on Airbnb. Nor does it prevent hosts from listing their units as a good place for an event. In a section of their website that houses news releases, Airbnb explains that open-invite parties and events are banned in Airbnb accommodations. Additionally, large parties and events are now banned in Airbnb listings in multi-family residences such as apartment buildings and condos, the post reads. Airbnb appears to delist all homes where there has been violence. In a search of the website, none of the homes identified as the scene of previous violence by the Star are still listed on the platform. Both 791 Colter St. in Newmarket, the scene of a shooting in August where a high school student was killed at an after-prom party, and 5 Glenelia Ave. in North York, where a man was shot during a party, appear to have been removed. So too has a listing on Timber Creek Ave. in Vaughan, where a man was shot at a gathering. In an emailed statement to the Star on Monday, Airbnb said we are deeply saddened by the tragedy that occurred in Toronto (on Friday) night and our thoughts are with all who have been impacted including the victims and their loved ones as well as the neighbouring residents. We are in close coordination with Toronto Police Services to offer our full support of their investigation into this senseless gun violence. We have zero tolerance for this type of behaviour, and we ban both party houses and unauthorized parties on our platform. Speaking to reporters Monday, Mayor John Tory said the murders are immensely frustrating and tragic in terms of loss of life and trauma for people in the neighbourhood. City officials had discussions about the shooting over the weekend and Monday morning, Tory said, noting the condo building at 85 Queens Wharf already has significant constraints to rent out units short-term. Gabor Forgacs, associate professor of hospitality and tourism management Ryerson Universitys Ted Rogers school, told the Star that Airbnb is trying to increase its footprint in the market to include corporate travellers. Airbnb is trying to beef up their revenue sources and hopefully make a case for valuation whenever they want to go public, he said. As such, Its a very delicate position in terms of how to exclude revenue sources. They try to walk a fine line not to get a bad reputation, but not to encourage these horror stories like the Queens Wharf or California shootings, he said. Airbnb can only work with available data in order to rule out problematic hosts or guests, Forgacs said. While it would be tedious to work through manually, he explained that if they have the staff or can outsource the work, the platform could zero in on red flags. Public statements like those from Chesky in November are expected as a reaction to violence, Forgacs said. They have to show to the public that they care, he said. A search in Toronto for homes suitable for events yielded more than 300 listings. The Star looked at three listings that advertised themselves as being event- or party-friendly. Event listings are not banned by Airbnb. A West Queen West listing notes that weekends are exclusively available to host events. The listing requests no prom parties. One listing, south of Highway 401 near Jane St., advertised a five-bedroom home with access to the main and second floors. We have no problem with the noise from parties, the listing reads. A townhome near Scarboroughs Malvern neighbourhood says it is good for groups. While there are tenants living in the basement apartment, they are cool, the listing reads. There are other permanent tenants in the basement, but they wont complain about noise or disturb you. Just no noise after 1am, the listing says. That listing arguably contravenes Airbnbs stated ban on parties in multi-family homes, as it is in both a townhome with neighbours on each side and a tenant in the basement. With files from Ilya Banares and David Rider As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ On the eve of the Iowa caucuses, where the first votes will be cast in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, the corporate media and the Democratic Party establishment are mounting increasingly desperate and reactionary attacks on Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. With polls showing Sanders holding a narrow lead over former Vice President Joe Biden and a half dozen other rivals in Iowa, and tied with Biden nationally, the media barrage has become, in all but name, a stop-Sanders campaign. Bernies Sanders No less than five separate commentaries, including op-eds and articles purporting to be news reports, appeared in the New York Times and Washington Post alone over the weekend, all of them proclaiming that the nomination of a self-described democratic socialist would be a disaster for the Democrats and guarantee the reelection of President Donald Trump. At the same time, defeated 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton stepped up her attack on Sanders, while other leading Democratic Party insiders joined the effort. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced Friday a rule change in determining eligibility for the debates that would open the door to billionaire Michael Bloomberg, and some DNC members were openly discussing proposed rules changes at the Democratic nominating convention to block Sanders. The actual outcome of the Iowa caucuses remains highly uncertain, but Sanders continues to draw by far the largest crowdsmore than 3,000 for a rally Saturday night in Cedar Rapidsand registers the widest support among youth and working people. One poll showed that among voters under the age of 50, Sanders led with 44 percent. Senator Elizabeth Warren followed with 10 percent, and no other candidate, including Biden, reached double digits. Sanders was expected to place first in the final Des Moines Register/CNN poll, set to be published Saturday night, but the poll was unexpectedly canceled after objections from the campaign of former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, which said that some callers in the telephone survey had omitted their candidates name. Perhaps the most open display of media hostility to Sanders came in the Sunday edition of the Washington Postowned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, owner of Amazon and a frequent target of Sanders criticism. The front page of the newspaper carried the unsubtle headline, Sanders and the specter of socialism The central thrust of the article was that Trump would make mincemeat of Sanders in the general election by means of red-baiting vilification of radical socialist Democrats. A lengthy commentary inside the newspaper, written by Dartmouth Professor Brendan Nyhan, bemoaned the fact that the Democratic rivals of Sanders werent going negative on him in the way that Trump inevitably would. Summing up the red-baiting that he claimed the Vermont senator deserved, Nyhan asked: How many Americans know that Sanders is not just an avowed democratic socialist but a former supporter of the Trotskyist Socialist Workers Party, which wanted to abolish the federal defense budget and supported solidarity with revolutionary regimes like Irans and Cubas? Do people know that he spoke positively about Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution (a very profound and very deep revolution) and even praised the Soviet Union and criticized the United States during a honeymoon trip to the USSR? Op-ed columnists in the New York Times were equally McCarthyite. Timothy Egan argued, under the headline Bernie Sanders Cant Win, that what he called class loathing of the billionaires was not a viable electoral appeal. Echoing Nyhan, Egan wrote: The next month presents the last chance for serious scrutiny of Sanders, who is leading in both Iowa and New Hampshire. After that, Republicans will rip the bark off him. When theyre done, you will not recognize the aging, mouth-frothing, business-destroying commie from Ben and Jerrys dystopian dairy. Demagogy is what Republicans do best. And Sanders is ripe for caricature. Egans stablemate at the Times Bret Stephensa neoconservative publicist for US military aggression throughout the Middle Eastclaimed, under the headline Bernies Angry Bros, that online supporters of Sanders were akin to the right-wing mobs assembled by Trump. He wrote that no other Democratic candidate has so many venomous followers The only real analog in US politics today to the Bernie nasties are the Trump nasties. They resemble each other in ways neither side cares to admit. On Friday, Hillary Clinton redoubled her attack on Sanders, which began last week in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, in which she indicated she was not committed to supporting the Democratic presidential nominee if Sanders won the contest. She claimed in a much-publicized podcast that many top Sanders supporters had urged support for third-party candidates in 2016 after she won the nomination, although she could give no examples. In fact, all of Sanders closest aides followed the senators lead in giving groveling support to Clinton, the choice of Wall Street and the military-intelligence apparatus, in the general election. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a Biden endorser, told Politico that Sanders as the presidential candidate would be harmful to other Democrats. I think theres a concern among some, and I think its fairly widespread, he said, that if Bernie is the nominee he may well lose and take other Democrats down with him. In his final public statement as he withdrew from the presidential race, former Representative John Delaney, a multimillionaire businessman, said he was supportive of candidates like Biden and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. People like Bernie Sanders who are running on throwing the whole US economy out the window and starting from scratch, he said, I just think that makes our job so much harder, in terms of beating Trump. Former Maryland Governor Martin OMalley, an also-ran in the contest for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, issued a vicious diatribe against Sanders that was published in the US edition of the British daily Guardian. He described Sanders appeal to youth as a scam and compared it to Nigerian conmen on the internet. Echoing Clinton, OMalley said of Sanders: Hes a man who never has accomplished anything in public office, who has I believe demonstrated his inability to forge a governing consensus, let alone hold a governing consensus. And I think hed be an awful choice as our partys nominee. There was even a report by NBC News that former Secretary of State John Kerry, the defeated Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 against George W. Bush, was overheard Sunday on the phone at a Des Moines hotel discussing entering the presidential race himself because of the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Partydown whole. Kerry reportedly expressed regret that he would have to resign from the board of Bank of America and give up lucrative paid speeches, but could expect wealthy donors to provide backing because they now have the reality of Bernie. What really alarms the Democratic Party establishment and the corporate media is not the prospect that Sanders might lead the party to defeat, but that his capture of the nomination, would contributedespite the Vermont senators own effortsto a radicalization of American working people and youth that Sanders would not be able to contain. The response of Sanders himself to this deluge of negative attacks is revealing. At a Sanders rally Friday night, Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan responded to Clintons attack by booing the mention of her name. By the next day, Tlaib had been compelled to issue a statement of regret and she was left off the speakers list at the next Sanders rally. The candidate himself, as one report described it, went out of his way to be deferential to his opponents, and reiterated that he would support whoever won the Democratic nomination contest. Certainly, I hope that were going to win, Sanders said, but if we do not win, we will support the winner and I know that every other candidate will do the same. We are united in understanding that we must defeat Donald Trump. Despite Sanders claims, however, the Democratic establishment is in no way reconciled to the prospect of a Sanders nomination. The rule change on eligibility for future debates announced Friday by the DNC drops the requirement that candidates have a minimum number of contributors, an action that would allow billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who has only one contributor, himself, to qualify. Sanders campaign adviser Jeff Weaver denounced the move, saying, Now, at this late hour, to change the rules to accommodate a billionaire who wants to buy his way into the party would be unconscionable. There was a report in Politico that members of the DNC have begun privately discussing a change in the convention rules to allow so-called super-delegateselected officials and members of the DNCto vote on the first ballot of the presidential nomination. Under current rules, they have no vote on the first ballot, which is reserved to delegates chosen in primaries and caucuses, and can vote only if no candidate has an initial majority and the contest goes to a second ballot. Such a change would be transparently aimed at blocking a first-ballot win by Sanders. China has built a makeshift hospital in 10 days to combat the novel strain of coronavirus in Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak in central China's Hubei Province. The project was deemed "mission impossible," but with the efforts of experts and thousands of workers working around the clock, Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) Hospital was delivered Sunday, bringing hope to many patients. WUHAN, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- China has built a makeshift hospital in 10 days to battle against the novel strain of coronavirus in Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak in central China's Hubei Province. Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) Hospital was delivered Sunday in Wuhan. It is dedicated to treating patients infected with the virus. A total of 1,400 medical staff from the armed forces are tasked with treating patients in Huoshenshan Hospital starting from Monday. The medics consist of 950 people from hospitals affiliated to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Joint Logistic Support Force, and 450 from medical universities of the army, navy and air force of the PLA who were sent to Wuhan earlier. Replicating Beijing's SARS treatment model in 2003, Wuhan started building two makeshift hospitals: Leishenshan (Thunder God Mountain) and Huoshenshan. On Jan. 23, workers broke ground on Huoshenshan Hospital, with a capacity of 1,000 beds. Aerial photo taken on Feb. 2, 2020 shows the Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) Hospital in Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak in central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Cheng Min) "MISSION IMPOSSIBLE" MADE POSSIBLE Chinese health authorities Sunday said it received reports of 2,590 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 45 deaths on Saturday from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. All the deaths are in Hubei Province, according to China's National Health Commission. As China feels the pinch of the outbreak, authorities have decided to replicate Xiaotangshan Hospital, a temporary medical center in the northern suburb of Beijing built in 2003. Beijing built Xiaotangshan Hospital in just a week in the treatment and control of SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. When Fang Xiang knew he and his team had to finish the hospital in Wuhan in 10 days, he thought it was "mission impossible." "For a project of this scale, it usually takes at least two years," said Fang, project manager of the Third Construction Co. Ltd of China Construction Third Engineering Bureau. "It takes at least a month to construct a temporary building, not to mention a new hospital for infectious diseases." In addition, with a big number of migrant workers partaking, it is difficult to provide adequate food and shelter on-site, according to a staff member of Wuhan Urban and Rural Construction Bureau. Combo photo shows an aerial view of the Huoshenshan Hospital during the past 10 days from Jan. 24 to Feb. 2, 2020 in Wuhan. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu) But the "mission impossible" had to be implemented under severe circumstances. From Jan. 23 to Feb. 1, Wuhan's confirmed cases of infection rose from 495 to a staggering 4,109. This has put huge pressure on local medical facilities, which failed to supply enough beds. A good many patients had to stay home for quarantine and treatment. If not handled properly, the epidemic could exacerbate. Located in a sanatorium near Zhiyin Lake in southwestern Wuhan, the hospital is far away from downtown areas where people converge. The area has sufficient transportation and pipeline systems, and existing dining halls and dormitories are ready to provide services. Authorities spent five hours on the designing plan and created a designing draft within 24 hours. Three companies received an order to build the "Fire God Mountain" under the Third Construction Co., Ltd. of China Construction Third Engineering Bureau. "I have never participated in such an urgent task, and I have never seen so many companies involved in a single project," said Fang Xiang's colleague Shen Kai. "It is a tough job, but we need to give it our best shot." Thousands of workers were operating more than 800 equipment simultaneously as they rushed against time to save lives. They vowed to fight against the virus and worked in shifts to complete the construction. Some people only slept for four hours a day, Shen said. Staff members use a mechanical vehicle to transfer medical equipment at the Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak in central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Li He) Ma Jiaqiang, 47, volunteered for the project when he read about the recruitment ad for Huoshenshan Hospital on social media. "I have been working in Wuhan. It is my home," Ma said. "I just had to take part." Ma operated a digging machine for eight hours a day at the construction site. "I feel honored to be able to part of this," Ma said. CHEER UP CHINA! After the hospital work began, the Chinese public went out of their way to supervise the construction of Huoshenshan. China's state broadcaster has been live-streaming the around-the-clock construction progress, which instantly went viral online. With no narration or background music, the livestream videos provide audiences a real-time bird's-eye view of the construction site. Photo taken on Feb. 2, 2020 shows the interior view of a ward of Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak in central China's Hubei Province.(Xinhua/Chen Yehua) Calling themselves "online supervisors," Chinese citizens have been keeping a close eye on the projects and exchanging their ideas and feelings in the comment section. They cheered when the hospital was delivered. "Cheer up, China! I believe we can curb the epidemic," read a typical online comment. "Salute to the workers working around the clock," read another comment. Aerial photo taken on Feb. 2, 2020 shows the Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak in central China's Hubei Province.(Xinhua/Cheng Min) The project is bringing hope to patients like Zhang Yue, a Wuhan resident, who has been suffering from fever for days. "It feels like seeing the sunlight shining through the dark clouds," Zhang said. NEW YORK, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pawar Law Group announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of shareholders who purchased shares of Qudian Inc. (NYSE: QD) from December 13, 2018 through January 15, 2020, inclusive (the Class Period). The lawsuit seeks to recover damages for Qudian Inc. investors under the federal securities laws. To join the class action, go here or call Vik Pawar, Esq. toll-free at 888-589-9804 or email info@pawarlawgroup.com for information on the class action. According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) regulatory developments in China threatened to negatively impact Qudians fiscal full year 2019 (FY19) financial results; (2) Qudians business was unprepared to mitigate the risks associated with these regulatory changes; (3) as a result, Qudians loan portfolio was plagued by growing delinquency rates; (4) all of the foregoing made Qudians repeated assertions concerning its FY19 financial guidance unrealistic; and (5) as a result of the foregoing, defendants statements about its business and operations were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than March 23, 2020. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. No class has been certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you hire one. You may hire counsel of your choice. You may also do nothing at this time and be an absent member of the class. Your ability to share in any future recovery is not dependent upon being a lead plaintiff. Pawar Law Group represents investors from around the world. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. ------------------------------- On late January 31, the two airlines announced changes to their flights between the two countries, stating that the move aims to protect passengers health and help contain the spread of nCoV. Accordingly, Vietnam Airlines is going to suspend the Hanoi-Hong Kong route starting on February 6 and reduce the frequency of the Ho Chi Minh City-Hong Kong route from ten flights to seven flights per week. It said that after returning from China, aircraft will be sterilized to curb nCoV transmission risks. Meanwhile, Jetstar Pacific is also suspending its Hanoi-Hong Kong route from February 6, its Hanoi-Guangzhou route from February 9, and its HCM City-Guangzhou route from February 11. Both carriers said that passengers will get a refund with no charge or change to earlier flights before the routes are suspended if they want. Earlier, Vietjet Air had halted all flights between Vietnam and China. On January 30 and 31, many other airlines around the world also suspended their flights to and from airports in China. Beijing and Shanghai are the Chinese cities most affected by the suspension. The Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio, is returning to the Pearl this week with its annual pop-up cafe, offering sweet and savory treats from its bakery. Making this year's pop-up even sweeter is a brunch menu on Saturdays. The cafe, which is student-run, will serve up baked goods and more starting at 8 a.m. Tuesday. The pop-up will operate until April 16 and will be located inside Savor Restaurant at 200 East Grayson Street, Suite 117, according to a news release. Acquisition Allows for Expanded Extraction Capabilities to Support Growth TORONTO, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. (CSE: GLH) (OTCQB: GLDFF) (Golden Leaf or the Company), a pioneering cannabis solutions company and dispensary operator built around the recognized brands of Chalice Farms, has signed a definitive agreement (Agreement) for its wholly-owned subsidiary, TZ Acquisition, Inc., an Oregon corporation (Buyer), to acquire Tozmoz, LLC, an Oregon limited liability company (Seller). Founded in 2015 as one of the first Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) licensed processors in Oregon, Tozmoz established itself as one of the premier cannabis extractors in the state. Tozmoz offers multiple extraction processes including CO2, hydrocarbon and ethanol, and both short path and wiped film distillation. Additionally, Tozmoz provides product manufacturing and formulation, as well as packaging services, providing clients OLCC-approved products ready for wholesale distribution and retail sale. We have been working with Tozmoz for years now and this acquisition fits squarely into our product-focused business strategy, said Jeff Yapp, Golden Leaf Holdings CEO. The core of this business is about the highest quality products on the market, like our Elysium Fields line of live resin cartridges and tinctures and our recently launched Chalice Farms RXO lines. This acquisition will allow us to take what weve been doing well, and continue to build and further expand our diverse portfolio of products. In our crawl, walk, run model of business development, we believe Tozmoz is at the run stage. Pursuant to the terms of the Asset Purchase Agreement, Golden Leaf purchased substantially all of the assets of Tozmoz, including the facility located in Clackamas, which serves as the headquarters for multiple extraction options as stated above, for consideration of US$2.8 million consisting of cash and advances totaling US$675,000, an earnout of up to US$400,000 and GLH stock (29,166,667 shares at US$.06 per share). GLH has previously made certain payments to Tozmoz so that only approximately US$227,000 of cash will be due at closing. The earnout of US$400,000 may be paid to Tozmoz quarterly beginning in July 2020, based upon 30% of up to US$1.2 million of third-party revenue generated from the assets acquired by GLH. Since its founding, Tozmoz generated revenue by toll-processing for clients including GLH. The attractive gross margins on the GLH business will now be earned by GLH. In addition, Tozmoz will continue to serve, and is growing revenue from, third-party white-label processing. Tozmoz has contributed to GLH product development for the Companys tinctures and Elysium products. Their expertise will integrate with GLHs existing product research and development abilities. Co-Founders of Tozmoz Joel Klobas and Jerry Wallis, will continue providing services to GLH after the acquisition closes. Mr. Klobas will be employed by the Company as Vice President, Production and Mr. Wallis will assist the Vice President, Production and Senior Vice President Operations, as a consultant. Golden Leaf Holdings and Chalice Farms have become part of the fabric of the Oregon cannabis market, and we are excited to continue to innovate with them and provide the market with amazing new products, said Mr. Klobas. The formal closing of the acquisition is conditioned on the approval of the change of ownership of Seller by the OLCC, which is expected imminently. To be added to the distribution list please email ir@goldenxtrx.com with GLH in the subject line. About Golden Leaf Holdings Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. is a Canadian company with operations in multiple jurisdictions including Oregon, Nevada and California, with cultivation, production and retail operations built around the recognized brands of Chalice Farms. Golden Leaf distributes its products through its branded Chalice Farms retail dispensaries, as well as through third-party dispensaries. Golden Leafs cannabis retail operations and products are designed with the customer in mind, focused on superlative in-store experience and quality products. Visit goldenleafholdings.com to learn more. Investor Relations: John Varghese Executive Chairman Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. 971-371-2685 ir@goldenxtrx.com Media Relations: Anne Donohoe KCSA Strategic Communications adonohoe@kcsa.com 212-896-1265 Disclaimer: This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Companys future business operations, the opinions or beliefs of management and future business goals. Generally, forward looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks include but are not limited to general business, economic and competitive uncertainties, regulatory risks, market risks, risks inherent in manufacturing and retail operations such as unforeseen costs and production shutdowns, difficulties in maintaining brand loyalty, and other risks of the cannabis industry. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. Forward-looking information is provided herein for the purpose of presenting information about managements current expectations relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purpose. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration or an exemption from registration. ST. PAUL -- The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Monday, Feb. 3, accepted the revised environmental review for Enbridge's proposed Line 3 oil pipeline. In a 3-1 vote in St. Paul, the PUC voted the review was "adequate." The PUC must still consider the pipeline's certificate of need and route permit Monday afternoon and Tuesday. The supplemental study was required after the Minnesota Court of Appeals in June said the company's proposal was inadequate because it did not consider an oil spill's impact on Lake Superior and its watershed. The Minnesota Department of Commerce released a supplement to the proposed $2.9 billion pipeline project's environmental impact statement that said an oil spill along the proposed Enbridge Line 3 replacement line would have minimal impacts on Spirit Lake and the Lake Superior watershed , but environmental groups have questioned that modeling. Opponents of the pipeline argued the supplemental study considered an oil spill at only one water crossing, Little Otter Creek, in the Lake Superior watershed and that there are water crossings closer to Lake Superior that should have been examined. ADVERTISEMENT Louise Miltich of the Minnesota Department of Commerce defended the supplemental study. She told the PUC that the Court of Appeals only ordered more information on the impacts to Lake Superior, which was satisfied by studying the impact of a potential spill on Little Otter Creek. The creek flows into the St. Louis River, which in turn flows into Lake Superior. "There is just one remaining issue and its about fixing a very specific gap," Miltich said of the courts order to study the impact of an oil spill on Lake Superiors watershed. During comments ahead of the vote, Scott Strand, an attorney for Friends of the Headwaters, said the Little Otter Creek site was too far east for a true assessment of the impacts on Lake Superior. "You have to look at the other water crossings," Strand said to PUC members. Winona LaDuke, executive director of Honor the Earth, a native-led environmental group, urged the PUC to study the impact of a spill on a "more broad scale." "Looking at Little Otter Creek was entirely inadequate," LaDuke said. Commissioner Matthew Schuerger, the only PUC member to vote against the supplemental study, sided with opponents. ADVERTISEMENT "I disagree that this (final environmental impact statement) is adequate," Schuerger said, adding that he believes the record and law did not support using just a single site in the Lake Superior watershed to model a spills effect on the entire watershed. Commissioners John Tuma, Valerie Means and PUC Chair Katie Sieben all voted in favor of deeming the environmental review "adequate." "I, myself, find the analysis sufficient," Sieben said. She added that the modeling of a spill on Little Otter Creek was similar to other points along the route that were analyzed outside the watershed. The PUC is typically a five-member panel; however, former PUC Vice Chair Dan Lipshultzs term ended last month. Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, is considering candidates to fill that vacancy . Enbridge's proposed pipeline would carry 760,000 barrels of oil (31,920,000 gallons) per day from Alberta, Canada, to the Enbridge terminal in Superior, Wis. EDWARDSVILLE A Bethalto woman charged Jan. 30 with a Class X felony drug charge now faces an additional charge from another police agency. April J. Mundy, 41, was charged Jan. 31 with unlawful delivery of methamphetamine, a Class 1 felony, in a case filed by the Alton Police Department. On Jan. 30 she had been charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, a Class X felony; and unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a Class 1 felony. Those charges stem from an incident in Bethalto. According to court documents, the latest case stems from Mundys alleged delivery of between 5-15 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant on Aug. 29. Bail was set at $85,000 in that case. On Jan. 30 she was charged after a Jan. 29 traffic stop by Bethalto Police. Bethalto Police Chief Mike Dixon said a Bethalto officer stopped a vehicle driven by Derek E. Fogle, 28, also of Bethalto, and officers found five to 15 grams of methamphetamine. Police then obtained a search warrant for the home, where they located between 100 and 400 grams of methamphetamine. Also recovered were drug paraphernalia, currency and about 10 grams of cocaine. Fogle was charged with unlawful possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, a Class 1 felony. His bail was set at $85,000; Mundys bail on the original charge was $150,000. In other felony filings, three people were charged with drug-related felonies stemming from a June incident in East Alton. Michael A. Pierce, 21, of East Alton; Colin R. Garrison, 20, of Godfrey; and Kristen M. Bridges, 20, of the Wood River, were each charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony. Bail was set at $15,000 each. According to East Alton Police Maj. Christian Cranmer, on June 21, 2019, police were dispatched to an East Alton residence after an anonymous report of someone there with a sawed-off shotgun. When officers arrived, they found the three in the basement. Both Pierce and Bridges had outstanding warrants, and police found what they believed was methamphetamine. Lab results came back recently resulting in the filing of felony charges. In an unrelated case, Steven M. Littler, 30, of St. Louis, was charged Jan. 30 with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony. Court records show that Bethalto police found Littler to be in possession of less than five grams of methamphetamine. Bail was set at $15,000. Other recent felony filings by the Madison County States Attorneys Office include: Gray M. Magee III, 52, of Edwardsville, was charged Jan. 30 with theft over $10,000, a Class 2 felony. According to court documents on Nov. 25 Magee exerted unauthorized control over $15,000 in U.S. currency belonging to two minor children, ages 11 and 15. Bail was set at $15,000. Boyd W. Egan, 50, of Lombard, was charged Jan. 30 with identity theft, a Class 3 felony. According to court documents Edwardsville Police found Egan had obtained a drivers license and cell phone number from the victim to obtain less than $300 in property. It was also noted that the suspect has a 1995 conviction in DuPage County for burglary. Bail was set at $15,000. Angela M. Lewis, 34, of Edwardsville, was charged Jan. 31 with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony. According to court documents on July 23 Glen Carbon Police found her in possession of less than 15 grams of cocaine. Bail was set at $20,000. Maurice Cooley, 58, of Alton, was charged Jan. 31 with retail theft under $300 (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. According to court documents, on Jan. 29 Glen Carbon Police found him in possession of lock sets from Lowes. It was noted he had a previous conviction for retail theft in St. Louis County. Bail was set at $20,000. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Doug Allan, CPA, CA, Alan Cosgrave, CPA, CGA, and Christopher Lythgo, CPA, CMA have been honoured with an Early Achievement Award by the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC). The Early Achievement Award recognizes CPAs who distinguish themselves early in their CPA career through professional achievement and volunteer service, with an emphasis on professional accomplishments. Doug Allan, CPA, CA is the vice president, finance and operations with the Vancouver-based real estate development company Burrard Properties. Also a member of its board, he works closely with ownership in crafting Burrards strategic planning process. From 2013 to 2019, Allan served as treasurer with North Vancouvers Polygon Gallery. As part of its $20 million new gallery development project, Allan sourced financing, implemented controls, modernized financial statements and reporting, and increased board engagement with financial matters. Allan began his career at EY, obtaining his designation in B.C. in 2011. His efforts towards enhancing EYs client service model with knowledge-based tools were recognized in 2015 with the EY Canada Better Begins with You Award for exceptional client service, and in 2017, Doug was named to EY Canadas Top Alumni Under 40. Alan Cosgrave, CPA, CGA, is a partner within MNP LLPs Vancouver enterprise risk services (ERS) team. Cosgrave is recognized by clients and peers alike for his depth of knowledge and people-focused leadership. Cosgrave has significantly expanded MNPs ERS service offerings in sectors including private enterprise and financial services, resulting in significant growth in both firm revenue and team size. In the community, Cosgrave volunteers with Big Brothers Vancouver as a mentor and role model. He is also a member of 100 Men Who Care, a charity supporting community organizations, and a board member and treasurer for the Ireland-Canada Chamber of Commerce Vancouver. Cosgrave obtained his designation in 2012 while working in Bermuda, via his legacy body in Nova Scotia. Christopher Lythgo, CPA, CMA is the vice president of advisory services for Western Canada and the North at the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). Hired by BDCs advisory services practice in 2010 in a junior position, he became its regional director in 2017. Appointed to his current role in 2019, Lythgo now oversees advisory services marketplace operations and business development teams. In his community, Lythgo volunteers as secretary-treasurer on the Executive Committee with the Greater Vancouver Board of Trades board of directors, as well as a board director with the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association. In 2017, Lythgo was named one of Business in Vancouvers Forty under 40. He obtained his designation in B.C. in 2010. Quote from Lori Mathison, FCPA, FCGA, LLB, president and CEO of CPABC: Doug, Alan, and Christopher have worked hard to make a difference in both the CPA profession and their businesses and communities. They are an inspiration to other young professionals in the community. We are thrilled to recognize these three CPAs outstanding achievements. NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Individual profiles and publication quality photos of the recipients are available by request. The Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday arrested four alleged members of the banned party Popular Front of India (PFI) with "objectionable" pamphlets in the Muzaffarnagar district. "Four active members of the PFI have been arrested in Muzaffarnagar district. We have also recovered pamphlets in huge quantities from them," Superintendent of Police (City), Satpal told reporters here. A total of 47 persons have been arrested in Meerut zone till now for their association with the PFI, Meerut Zone's Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Prashant Kumar said. Among those arrested from the Meerut Zone, 21 are from Meerut, nine from Ghaziabad, six from Muzaffarnagar and 10 from Shamli. He said that another 75-80 persons linked with PFI have been identified in the zone. "The Enforcement Directorate is scanning bank accounts of the suspected. The PFI network is also active in Shamli," he said. As many as 108 linked to Popular Front of India (PFI) have been arrested in the last four days in Uttar Pradesh in addition to the 25 who were arrested earlier, officials said on Monday. "108 people have been arrested in the last four days. They are in addition to the 25 who were arrested earlier," said Awanish K Awasthi, Additional Chief Secretary, Uttar Pradesh Home Department. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Libya: UNSMIL, Libya Military Commission in Geneva today Composed of five members from Haftar forces and five from Sarraj (ANSAmed) - ROME, FEBRUARY 3 - The Libyan Joint Military Commission, composed of five members from the forces of Khalifa Haftar and five from the Government of National Accord of Fayez al Sarraj, is meeting for the first time on Monday in Geneva, said the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). The convening of the Commission, one of the results of the Berlin Conference, was put into doubt by continued violations of the ceasefire. The meeting on Monday is being moderated by Ghassan Salame, UN special envoy for Libya.(ANSAmed). 02/03/2020 Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco: 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette: 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu This is a notice of upcoming events, photo opportunities and story ideas at UMass Lowell. In case of inclement weather, call UMass Lowells weather hotline at 978-934-2121; if the university is closed, on-campus events are canceled. For more, visit www.uml.edu/pressroom Sources of the week: UMass Lowell faculty experts are available to discuss: Predictions for the New Hampshire primary, based on a new poll of likely Democratic voters from UMass Lowells Center for Public Opinion; Expectations before and analysis after President Trumps State of the Union address Tuesday night; Senators vote this week in the impeachment trial and what could come next. Contact UMass Lowell media relations if you need an expert source on any subject. Upcoming events: Flight of Remembrance Shares Familys World War II Story When and where: Wednesday, Feb. 5, 10 a.m. University Suites, Room 106A, 327 Aiken St., Lowell What: Flight of Remembrance, led by author Marina Kirsch, will share stories of her familys experiences during World War II in Latvia, occupied Poland and Germany where her father was drafted into Hitlers air force before they immigrated to America. Kirschs father went on to play a key role in the United States emerging space program. The event is one in a series presented by UMass Lowells Learning in Retirement Association (LIRA), which offers free enrichment programs and activities. Members of the public who would like more information should email Flight of Remembrance, led by author Marina Kirsch, will share stories of her familys experiences during World War II in Latvia, occupied Poland and Germany where her father was drafted into Hitlers air force before they immigrated to America. Kirschs father went on to play a key role in the United States emerging space program. The event is one in a series presented by UMass Lowells Learning in Retirement Association (LIRA), which offers free enrichment programs and activities. Members of the public who would like more information should email lira@uml.edu Business Guru Shares Leadership Philosophies When and where: Thursday, Feb. 6, 12:30 p.m. University Crossing, 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell What: Business consultant Chris Laszlo, an expert in management and sustainability, will explore how meditation, art, exercise and spending time in nature can enhance the job performance of CEOs and other professionals. The program, which is free and open to the campus and community, draws on findings in his book, Quantum Leadership: New Consciousness. The event is one in the Distinguished Speaker Series presented by UMass Lowells Donahue Center for Business Ethics and Social Responsibility. Members of the public who wish to attend or would like more information should email Business consultant Chris Laszlo, an expert in management and sustainability, will explore how meditation, art, exercise and spending time in nature can enhance the job performance of CEOs and other professionals. The program, which is free and open to the campus and community, draws on findings in his book, Quantum Leadership: New Consciousness. The event is one in the Distinguished Speaker Series presented by UMass Lowells Donahue Center for Business Ethics and Social Responsibility. Members of the public who wish to attend or would like more information should email donahuecenter@uml.edu Photo Exhibit Focuses in on the Azores When and where: Artists reception, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 5:30 p.m. Exhibit runs through Friday, Feb. 28, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. University Crossing second floor, 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell What: The exhibit Seeing the Archipelago will feature photographs taken by UMass Lowell students who traveled to the Azores as part of a class on documentary imaging that also taught them about the history of immigrants who came from the islands to Lowell. The students who hail from communities including Boston, Methuen, Lawrence, Tyngsborough and Wakefield, along with Afton, Va. will also share what they learned through the study abroad experience at an artists reception. Paulo Teves, the Azores regional director for communities, is expected to offer remarks at the event. Both the reception and exhibit are free and open to the campus and community. Members of the public who would like more information should email The exhibit Seeing the Archipelago will feature photographs taken by UMass Lowell students who traveled to the Azores as part of a class on documentary imaging that also taught them about the history of immigrants who came from the islands to Lowell. The students who hail from communities including Boston, Methuen, Lawrence, Tyngsborough and Wakefield, along with Afton, Va. will also share what they learned through the study abroad experience at an artists reception. Paulo Teves, the Azores regional director for communities, is expected to offer remarks at the event. Both the reception and exhibit are free and open to the campus and community. Members of the public who would like more information should email art@uml.edu Economist Examines Housing Market Forecast at Free Event When and where: Thursday, Feb. 20, 11:45 a.m., UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center, 50 Warren St., Lowell If I will die, let it ... Kylie Jenner rang in her daughter Stormi's second birthday by throwing a bash so massive that guests were given maps to help them find their way around. And Cardi B's baby girl Kulture got to get in on the Stormi World action, as the rapper shared various snapshots of her tot 'making some rich friends and eating all the foods' at the high profile extravaganza on Saturday evening in Los Angeles. Cardi B was unable to attend alongside her daughter, so the Bodak Yellow rapper's sister, Hennessy Carolina played mommy for a day with the one-year-old. Stormi World: Cardi B's daughter Kulture, 1, was one of many famous children in attendance at Kylie Jenner's daughter Stormi's second birthday extravaganza, Stormi World, on Saturday evening Mom for a day: While mom Cardi B was in Miami for Super Bowl festivites, Kulture was escorted to the epic birthday party by none other than the rapper's sister, Hennessy Carolina The birthday girl: Hennessy and Kulture stopped for a photo op with none other than Kylie Jenner and the birthday girl, herself, Stormi (right) 'I'm so happy my baby enjoyed herself! Happy Birthday beautiful Stormi! Keep glowing and growing,' captioned Cardi on her Instagram post. Cardi is currently in Miami with Kulture's dad Offset for the weekend's Super Bowl festivities. But, with a spinning Dumbo ride and rooms inspired by the hit children's films Trolls and Frozen at her disposal, it was clear Kulture didn't mind her mom's temporary absence. Luckily for Cardi, sister Hennessy captured every share worthy moment from Stormi's epic birthday party. Wild ride: In one video shared to social media, Hennessy can be seen sitting next to her excited niece on one of the event's many rides Woah: The entrance of Stormi World featured an inflatable head of the evening's birthday girl When Cardi shared her daughter's time during Stormi World on her Instagram page, party host Kylie Jenner was quick to leave a thankful reply. 'Thank u for coming beautiful Kulture,' commented the makeup mogul with a slew of exclamation points. For the high profile party, the Kulture donned a pink tweed coat layered over a white dress, while aunt Hennessy drenched herself in Dior paired with black mini shorts. Ready to go: After taking a few moments to capture Kulture's reaction, the tot was ready to head inside alongside her aunt Too much fun: Kulture was all smiles in a wearable balloon creation Winter wonderland: The party featured multiple rooms for guests to enjoy, including a room filled with snow and ice inspired by Disney's Frozen One video posted by Cardi shows Kulture soaking up the over stimulating atmosphere, as she stands before a giant inflatable Stormi head. This head acted as the party's grand entrance, which lead to the vast soirees multi-room venue. Once inside, Kulture got a photograph alongside Stormi and mom Kylie, who donned matching iridescent jumpsuits. Balloon baby: Kulture refused to let go of one of the balloons given to guests at the soiree which glistened with tiny rainbow light Dior Darling: Kulture donned an eye catching pink tweed coat, while Hennessy drenched herself in Dior Kulture appeared to get a huge kick out of one room in particular that was inspired by the animated Disney film Frozen. The room featured real snow and impressive ice sculptures that immersed attendees in the experience. In another video shared to social media, Kulture enjoys a ride on one of the evening's many carnival rides, as she sits next to her 24-year-old aunt. Exploring: Kulture couldn't get enough of the snow featured in the Frozen room As the party commenced on Saturday, Kylie gave fans a tour of the bash on her Instagram. After walking into the party through a huge inflatable Stormi head, the same one used for last year's bash, the fun began. The two-year-old's face was everywhere. A giant cartoon version of the toddler's face was mounted above the celebration. Inside, people wearing big Stormi bobble-heads danced around, greeting guests. An inflatable rainbow slide also featured a mock-up of her head. There was even a claw machine filled with little pillows bearing Kylie's daughter's face. Famous faces: Stormi World had a plethora of famous attendees, including Sofia Richie who marveled at the dramatics on Instagram Matching outfits: Jenner captured the entire night from her perspective, as well as giving fans a look at her and Stormi's matching outfits Guests could also make their very own plush toys, which all came with little Stormi World tee shirts. Little ones could also play around in an S-shaped ball pit. At the shop people could pick up hoodies or tee shirts that they could tie-dye themselves. The soiree featured three different sections, one dedicated to Stormi and another two inspired by the kids movies Frozen and Trolls. With three different worlds to wander around, attendees were given maps at the beginning of the night. More than 600 exhibitors from 35 countries and over 25,800 attendees are expected at the 19th edition of Medlab Middle East Over 25,800 medical laboratory industry professionals and 600 exhibitors from 35 countries are meeting in Dubai for Medlab Middle East, the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) regions largest medical laboratory exhibition and congress, which is taking place from 3-6 February 2020 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Director General of the Dubai Health Authority, Director General of the Dubai Health Authority opened 19th edition of Medlab Middle East on 3rd Feb. According to research by Wise Guy Research Consultants, the value of the Middle East & Africa (MEA) clinical services market will reach over US$14 billion by 2023 with technological advances one of the key drivers pushing market growth. Medlab Middle East has a central show theme of Transforming tomorrows diagnostics, underscoring the role of innovative technological advances in the development of laboratory medicine in the region. Last year, Medlab Middle East witnessed a 6% year-on-year (YoY) increase of attendees, with more than US$329 million worth of business done following the 2019 edition of the show. With laboratory services in the MEA region expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8% until 2023, expectations for the 2020 edition of the show are high with both the value of business and the number of attendees anticipated to increase. The four-day show which is organised by Informa Markets, is hosting the inaugural Transformation Hub, a dedicated zone showcasing advanced clinical laboratory products by the SMEs and new-to-market pioneers that are transforming diagnostics and advancing healthcare. Tom Coleman, Group Exhibition Director, Informa Markets Healthcare, said: This new experience will identify technology trends & products, address key questions and provide solutions to implementing advanced technology in the laboratory setting. The show theme of Transforming Tomorrows diagnostics is designed to bring business executives and healthcare professionals together to explore innovative actions in transforming diagnostic services to deliver quality and rapid tests. The zone will also feature the Transformation Talks sessions where manufacturers will introduce new launches and in-demand solutions. Some of the key areas that will be highlighted at the Transformation Hub include automation, healthcare information technology (HIT) and laboratory measurement testing and technology. Microsoft Word, like all text-based programs, uses a numeric character code called ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) for each alphabetic, numeric, and special character on your keyboard. This code is the reason we can use open text files in almost any software program, and the reason why some programs passwords are case-sensitive (e.g., the uppercase A is ASCII number 65 and the lowercase a is ASCII code 97). You can insert any or all of these codes/characters (individually) with one easy combination keystroke: the Alt key+ the decimal code on the numeric keypad (note that the numbers across the top of your keyboard do not work)or you can use the Symbols Library. Insert Symbols from the Symbols Library The Symbols Library is the most common and familiar method for inserting non-keyboard characters into a document. The process is simple: 1. Select the Insert tab 2. Click the Symbols button 3. Choose a symbol from the small dialog window of 20 samples, or 4. Select More Symbols and choose one from the Symbols Library (from the normal text font). Word remembers the last 20 symbols you inserted and places them in the dialog window (sort of like a symbol speed-dial). For occasional usage, this is a nice feature. But what if you use the copyright and trademark symbols 25 to 30 times in a single document? Or what if you use em dashes in every other paragraph, or lots of fractions, or accent marks in every five to six words (theres over three dozen accent characters alone)? JD Sartain / IDG 01 Insert Symbols from the Symbols Library Notice that Word provides the number of the Character Code from the ASCII Decimal table plus the name of the symbol and the Alt+ key combination (or Shortcut key) at the bottom of the Symbols dialog window. For volume entries, try the ASCII Codes instead Its certainly a lot faster to type Alt+0169 (the copyright symbol) than to search for it and insert it from the Symbols library, especially if you have to insert it 40 times a day. But there are also other reasons for using the ASCII codes, such as availability and broken keys. Some characters may not be available in your Symbols Library because your fonts dont support them. And what happens if one of the keys on your keyboard is damagedfor example, it seems like the space bar (32) is always the first key to malfunction (Alt+ 032). The Internet provides dozens of websites that chart the ASCII and symbol tables. Two Ive visited are ascii-code.com and another is Special Characters Alt Code Sequences . Remember to press and hold the Alt key and enter a 0 (zero) before each code; for example: if the chart shows 169 as the copyright symbol, you must enter 0169 (that is, from 0 through 255). Somewhere around the decimal code 256, the preceding zero is no longer necessary. You can test this yourself by entering both versions of these numbers. For example, Alt+ 0251 = u (the Latin small letter u with circumflex symbol above it) while Alt+ 251 = (the square root sign)and so forth until you reach 256, which is the same as 0256 (both produce the pronunciation symbol for an uppercase long A; that is, A). In addition to the keyboard characters, youll find decimal codes for Greek and Latin letters, accent letters, pronunciation symbols over the alphabet, and mathematical symbols, such as the division and square root operators, the accent grave and circumflex symbols, plus worldwide currency symbols, and more. But the coolest of all are the graphics and icon symbols. Alt Key Symbols There are hundreds of Alt symbols. In fact, Alt+ 1 through Alt+ 31 (without the preceding zeroes) are icon symbols (such as happy faces, card suits, astrology icons, etc.) and 176 through 223 are graphic lines and polygons. Thats why so many users get discouraged when looking for the British pound symbol (Alt+ 0163) and end up with the lowercase Latin letter acute accent u (Alt+ 163)which is also found at Alt+ 0250. The Alt+ codes extend out five digits, so if you cant find the symbol youre looking for, play around with the numbers and see what you get. Start with 1,000 and try some random numbers through 10,078. Notice that many of the 9,000-level symbols are repeats of the original set (1 thru 255). Its always fun to insert a happy face (Alt+ 1) or (Alt+ 9786) or a snowman (Alt+ 9731) . See the charts (above and below) for several dozen interesting and useful symbols to decorate your documents and emails. These symbols also work in Microsoft Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint. In Excel, the Alt+ symbols after 255 are inconsistent, but the ASCII codes work fine. NOTE: If the ASCII decimal code does not display the symbol you expected, try entering the Unicode / ASCII Hex code instead, followed by Alt+ X; for example 006A plus Alt+ X. JD Sartain/IDG ASCII Decimal, ASCII Hex, or Unicodes? Notice that all of the Alt codes in the charts above are represented by numbers; for example, the White Queen is Alt+ 9813. But notice that some of the new symbols also have letters in the codes such as the Hex ASCII code (aka Unicode) 006A, which is supposed to display a decorative heart from a downloaded symbol font called KR All About the Heart. The ASCII decimal code for this same symbol is Alt+ 106, but that code and both the Unicode and ASCII Hex codes (006A plus Alt+ X displays the Latin lowercase letter j. This means some symbols (especially the downloaded ones) may only be available through the Insert > Symbol commands on the Ribbon menus. IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not enter the plus signs, just the Alt key and the following number OR the characters followed by the simultaneous Alt and X keys. Special characters on laptop or tablet keyboards Some laptops and tablets dont have numeric keypads. If thats the case, the Number Lock keypad is generally on several of the inside keyboard keys, sharing with other characters. Some systems also provide an Fn (function key) button, which must also be depressed in order to use the Alt+ key codes. The most commonly shared keys are the 7, 8, 9, u, i, j, k, l, and m keys. You can also try Fn + the F11 key to open a calculator-type keypad. If that doesnt work, try toggling on both the Number Lock and Scroll Lock keys, then press Alt+ the key code. And last, if all else fails, press down the Fn button and hold, then press and hold the Alt key, then enter the number and release all three keys simultaneously. At this point, it would be easier to use the menus. In other words, if your laptop or tablet is missing the numeric keypad, its faster (and likely more efficient) to just select Insert > Symbol > More Symbols and choose one, then click Insert. Locate & install new symbols The only symbols available on your computer now are the ones that came pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows fonts, and those do not include a lot of artsy symbols. For example, Windows 10 includes the Bookshelf Symbol 7 and Symbol fonts (minimal collections) plus Web Dings, Wing Dings (1, 2, 3), and Zaph Dingbats, which all have some great symbols. Some software programs such as the Adobe Creative Suite and the Corel Draw suite include a number of new fonts with the programs, which are generally pre-installed if you choose the standard installation. If you do not have one of these programs, you can locate hundreds of symbol fonts on the Internet. For example, 1001 Fonts advertises that it has 587 Dingbat fonts in its library, which include categories such as Holiday, Flowers, Animals, Retro, Religious, Romantic, plus dozens more. Downloading these fonts is a breeze: Just browse through the collection, choose a symbol font, and click the Download button. A dialog box appears and asks where/what to do with this Zip file? Choose Save File and click OK. The directory/folder dialog appears. Browse to Downloads and click Save. Its a good idea to always save your downloaded files to the Downloads folder first, then copy/paste, move, or Unzip to the applicable folders. Unzip or Extract the file back to the Downloads folder, or you can extract directly to the Windows Font folder. Note that its safer to extract to the Downloads folder, then copy and paste the font file to the Windows Font folder. Test your new symbol font. Open a Word file, select Insert > Symbol, scroll down to the new font, choose one of the symbols, and click Insert. Notice the character code at the bottom right side of the screen. You can now insert this symbol using the ALT+ character code. If not, see the ASCII Decimal, ASCII Hex, or Unicodes section above. Tips: If you require a lot of mathematical symbols (such as fractions, square roots, etc.) in your document, choose the MS Special Reference symbol fonts. For business or office symbols, download the Computer or Office Dingbat symbols from 1001 Fonts. For additional unique symbol fonts such as the signing alphabet and/or music notes, choose Symbol from the Dingbat symbols at 1001 Fonts. Can icon symbols be converted to vector graphics? Yes! And this wonderful feature gives clip art a whole new meaning, especially since many clipart vendors charge for their products. If you have Corel Draw, Illustrator, InDesign, or Photoshop, you can convert any symbol icon to a vector graphic, which means youll have a graphic that can be altered and sized without compression noise (aka fuzzy pixels). A plumber and his cleaner girlfriend have been jailed for robbing a bushfire-ravaged business so they could buy drugs. Leon Elton, 37, and Kylie Pobjie, 32, broke into an electrical shop in Batemans Bay, on the New South Wales south coast, on January 8. The couple, who were labelled 'grubs' by NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller, stole $20,000 worth of Apple TVs, two drones, hair clippers and laptops from Betta Electrical. On Monday, Elton and Pobjie were each sentenced to a minimum of six months behind bars, plus a 12-month parole period. Magistrate Doug Dick said robbing a store during the deadly bushfire crisis was 'despicable'. 'Every day it's just a raw reminder of what you did,' Mr Dick told the court. Cleaner Kylie Pobjie, 32, was sentenced to a minimum of six months behind bars, plus a 12-month parole period, for looting Betta Electrical in Batemans Bay after a fire tore through the town Plumber Leon Elton, 37, was also sentenced to six months's jail, plus a 12-month parole period. He claimed to have been in a psychotic episode when he looted the store, caused by drug problems He said Elton's family, who live in nearby Tilba Tilba, would end up paying for his crimes in the tight-knit community. 'While you're in custody your family can't hide,' Mr Dick told Elton. Pobjie's lawyer reminded Mr Dick she had called the police to admit to robbing the store. 'I have no doubt what you have done at the time weighed heavily on your mind,' Mr Dick told her. But the magistrate said the town was still reeling from the couple's crimes. Pobjies lawyer said the couple didn't plan on robbing the store, and had only travelled to Batemans Bay to buy drugs. The Princes Highway electronics store was devastated by an inferno on New Year's Eve - but enough stock remained in tact for the pair to allegedly ransack it. Two days after the looting, Elton was arrested at home in Tilba Tilba while Pobjie was detained in Narooma. A registrar described Pobjie's past track record as 'very extensive', claiming she had spent 'several periods in custody' for drug offences. Elton claimed to have been in a psychotic episode when he looted the store, caused by his drug problems. The earliest the pair will be eligible for release is July. Two people have been stabbed in a terrorist attack in south London which police believe to be Islamist-related. Scotland Yard said armed officers shot dead a man as part of a proactive Counter Terrorism operation on Streatham High Road that unfolded at 2pm on Sunday. Three victims were taken to a south London hospital, with one mans condition said to be life-threatening and one woman being treated for non-life threatening injuries. Police said a second woman received minor injuries believed to have been caused by glass following the discharge of a police firearm. A device found strapped to the body of the suspect was a hoax, the Metropolitan Police added in a statement. It said: The situation has been contained and officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command are now leading an investigation into the incident. The incident was quickly declared as a terrorist incident and we believe it to be Islamist-related. One witness described seeing the man apparently carrying a weapon with silver canisters on his chest being shot in front of a Boots store. Another said members of the public came to the aid of victims, with one saying she had been stabbed. People took shelter in nearby shops as the incident unfolded on the busy south London high street. A 19-year-old student from Streatham, who did not want to be named, told the PA news agency: I was crossing the road when I saw a man with a machete and silver canisters on his chest being chased by what I assume was an undercover police officer, as they were in civilian clothing. The man was then shot. I think I heard three gunshots but I cant quite remember. After that, I ran into the library to get to safety. From the library, I saw a load of ambulances and armed police officers arrive on the scene. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party and councillor for the St Leonards ward on Lambeth Council, told PA: Theres absolute shock and disbelief from residents that are around. There was an immediate sense of panic and fear when it happened. He added: The emergency services seemed to have reacted incredibly quickly, I mean so quickly that you wonder whether they had some advance warning about this because they were here in such great numbers so quickly. Nardos Mulugeta, 52, a mechanical engineer who lives in Streatham, said he heard gunshots before seeing one victim lying in the street. He told PA: I heard a shot and then there was a 20-second gap. Then there were three or four shots together. I went over and I saw the first victim, a male victim on the ground, near the White Lion Pub, and people were helping him. Then five minutes later, a woman came over and said, Ive been stabbed too in the back. And then people started helping her. I saw one body lying down further away. He was face-down between Argos and Iceland. Its really scary. Expand Close A police forensics officer works at the scene in Streatham (Victoria Jones/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A police forensics officer works at the scene in Streatham (Victoria Jones/PA) Rafe Askem, 21, was having a cigarette outside Maemes takeaway when he heard a commotion coming from the Lidl supermarket. He told PA: It looked like three boys but Im not sure. I heard a shout, like an ahhh! shout. The next thing I saw was a guy on the floor with blood round him. I didnt see a fight or anything, it seemed quite spontaneous. The others were legging it round the other way. I saw police coming so I went straight into the pub. I definitely didnt hear any gunshots. A lot of people messaged me saying theres gunshots but I didnt hear any. On Sunday evening, forensics officers could be seen near Superdrug and Boots examining the area for clues. Families could be heard asking police how they would be able to access their homes in light of the incident. Streatham High Road remains closed with cordons in place, police said. In a statement, London Mayor Sadiq Khan praised the emergency services as the best of us, adding: Terrorists seek to divide us and to destroy our way of life here in London we will never let them succeed. Thank you to all emergency services responding to the incident in Streatham, which the police have now declared as terrorism-related. My thoughts are with the injured and all those affected. Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 2, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said their thoughts were with the injured. The London Ambulance Service said the first medics arrived at the scene of the attack four minutes after being called just before 2pm. The British Red Cross said it was ready to make the UK Solidarity Fund available to those affected by the attack. The fund was set up in 2017 following the attacks in Manchester and London and offers financial support to victims of terror attacks in need anywhere in the UK. New Delhi: The nine-judge Supreme Court bench constituted to hear the case pertaining to rules for women at places of worship, including Keralas Sabarimala temple, said on Monday it will go ahead with the hearing even as senior lawyers led by Fali Nariman questioned its powers to do so. We are not aborting the hearing, Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde remarked. The bench was constituted after the Supreme Court in November 2019 referred petitions seeking a review of its September 2018 verdict in the Sabarimala case that allowed women of all ages to pray at the temple to a larger bench. The 2018 verdict angered traditionalists, who say women of between the ages of 10 and 50 cannot enter the temple because the presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is considered celibate. In its November 2019 judgment, a five-judge Supreme Court bench observed practices restricting entry of women into places of worship were not limited to Sabarimala, but also arose in respect of three other cases pending before it. The three cases pertain to the entry of Muslim women into mosques, the entry of Parsi women married to non-Parsi men into the holy fireplace of an Agyari or Zoroastrian place of worship, and the practice of female genital mutilation among the Dawoodi Bohra community. The court had said the review petitions can be decided only after certain larger legal questions concerning womens rights vis-a-vis religious practices are settled by a larger bench of not less than seven judges. Senior counsel Fali Nariman on Monday disputed the jurisdiction of a five-judge bench to frame legal questions and refer a case to a larger bench. The legal questions, he pointed out, were decided by the top court in its 2018 judgment. He argued the jurisdiction vested with the Supreme Court while exercising powers of review is very limited. A review bench, he argued, can only correct errors in a judgment being reviewed and cannot frame legal issues and refer it to a larger bench. Nariman underscored that legal questions can be decided as and when such cases come up before the Supreme Court. But a bench hearing a review petition cannot ask a larger bench to answer the issues, he added. Legal issues were answered by a bench of five by 4:1 majority. A review petition against such a decision is limited in scope. The review jurisdiction is very limited is the decision (being reviewed) correct or not. I am not suggesting that Your Lordships should not constitute a nine-judge bench. That is Your Lordships privilege. My objection is to the use of review to do that. It will be a bad precedent, Nariman said. Senior advocates, including Kapil Sibal and Shyam Divan, backed Narimans arguments. It was not clear which party Nariman was representing. Reference to a larger bench is not permissible in a review petition. The review can only be used to correct errors in the main judgment. It cannot be used to frame issues and refer the same to a larger bench. Reference could have been done only in the main judgment of September 2018, Divan argued. Bobde responded saying the Sabarimala case was not before the nine-judge bench which, he said, was concerned only with the larger issues referred to it by the five-judge bench. We are hearing only the questions referred to us by the five-judge bench. We are not hearing the review petitions. We are not deciding the Sabarimala review, CJI Bobde said. Sibal said that a decision by a nine-judge bench on legal issues touching upon religious practices without actually going into facts of each case could have ramifications affecting all religions across the country. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the central government, argued that the nine-judge bench was well within its rights to hear the matter. Senior counsel K Parasaran, who represents Nair Service Society, one of the parties opposing the entry of women into Sabarimala, echoed Mehta. Bobde said the issues raised by Nariman can be among those which the nine-member bench could consider. He added the bench will hold a discussion, frame the issues and then sit again on February 6 when it will decide on the time to be allocated to each counsel to make arguments. We will frame what Mr. Nariman argued as a separate issue and hear it along with the reference, he said. Senior counsel Sanjay Hegde told HT: Mr. Nariman has made a valid objection. A review bench can only look into the pleadings made in the case before it and whether the previous bench has made an error or not. It cannot frame questions and make a reference. Mondays Iowa caucuses will for the first time include a number of satellite caucuses around the state, the country, and in three locations abroad: Paris; Glasgow, Scotland; and Tbilisi, Georgia. In previous years, Iowans have had to be physically present at their local precincts at 7 p.m. to be able to vote. This year, the state party is running more than 90 satellite caucuses. The majority of those are in-state, at locations like nursing homes, college campuses, and work sites, to improve accessibility. The Iowa caucuses have long been criticized for creating onerous conditions that dampen turnout and discourage people with limited mobility from participating. Some of the in-state satellite caucuses are also scheduled for different times to help shift workers and parents with young children. Others are held in languages other than English. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The couple dozen out-of-state satellite caucuses serve a different need: that of the absentee ballot. Last year, the party decided that virtual caucusing would not be an option for out-of-state residents because of security issues. Paper ballots were also eliminated because they threatened to erode Iowas claim to having a caucus system at all, which would in turn threaten its privileged first-in-the-nation spot. Out of that process of elimination, the satellite caucus was born. Paris, Glasgow, and Tbilisi seem like three random locations for caucuses outside the U.S., though, given that only one is a major international hub, and the three dont offer a great geographic spread. Why these three locations? Advertisement Its not because the state Democratic party made a strategic decision. Those three locations just happened to have Iowans who were particularly passionate about electoral participation. The state Democratic party opened up applications for satellite caucuses in October, and nearly 200 applications came in. Applicants had to send in information about their chosen venue, with details about seating, Wi-Fi, accessibility, and other logistical issues. Ultimately, the partys special satellite-caucus review committee approved most of them. Advertisement According to the Associated Press, nearly 1,300 such Iowans are expected to caucus out of state. A very small number of those will be international. The AP reported that nine people are expected to participate in Glasgow (held in one graduate students flat), three of whom will travel from England. Just three people plan to attend in Tbilisi, at the home of one eager expat who, with a friend, found one other Iowan in the area to participate. The Paris caucus, hosted at another home, expects to attract closer to 30 people. The same rules that govern the caucus process in Iowa apply to the international locations. Each candidate will need 15 percent of the room in order to be viable (so, with the Tbilisi caucus, any caucusgoers preferred candidate would be automatically viable). After two rounds, they will submit their results to the party. The outcome of each out-of-state and international caucus will be grouped with the others, creating a single non-Iowa county. HOUSTON, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- KBR (NYSE: KBR) announced today it has been awarded a major Project Management Consultancy (PMC) services contract by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) for the Ghasha Concession portfolio of projects. Under the terms of the contract, KBR will act as the main PMC contractor responsible for managing the successful Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractors for Packages A & B of the Dalma Gas Development Project, Packages 1-5 of the Hail & Ghasha Development Project, Hail & Ghasha Islands Project as well as the Deep Gas Project. This work is expected to be performed over four years with an optional extension for two more years. The Ghasha mega-project has the potential to meet about 20 percent of the UAE's gas demand by around the second half of the decade. In addition, more than 120,000 barrels per day of oil and high-value condensates are expected to be produced when the project is on stream. "We deeply appreciate the tremendous amount of trust that ADNOC has placed in KBR to project-manage such a significant share of this strategic Ghasha Concession program," said Stuart Bradie, KBR President and CEO. "This award highlights ADNOC's confidence in KBR's reputation as the industry leader in the provision of value-added PMC services for similar mega gas-field development projects." "We look forward to continuing our long-term relationship with ADNOC and to demonstrating once again our world class ability to manage large-scale, complex projects such as this on time, within budget, but most of all with a strict safety culture," Bradie continued. "We are confident that the Ghasha Concession Project will significantly boost In-Country Value. As always, KBR remains fully committed to act as one of ADNOC's strategic partners to achieve the targeted In-Country Value objectives." About KBR, Inc. KBR is a global provider of differentiated professional services and technologies across the asset and program lifecycle within the Government Solutions and Energy sectors. KBR employs approximately 38,000 people worldwide (including our joint ventures), with customers in more than 80 countries, and operations in 40 countries, across three synergistic global businesses: Government Solutions, serving government customers globally, including capabilities that cover the full lifecycle of defense, space, aviation and other government programs and missions from research and development, through systems engineering, test and evaluation, program management, to operations, maintenance, and field logistics Technology Solutions, featuring proprietary technology, equipment, catalysts, digital solutions and related technical services for the monetization of hydrocarbons, including refining, petrochemicals, ammonia and specialty chemicals, as well as inorganics Energy Solutions, including onshore oil and gas; LNG (liquefaction and regasification)/GTL; oil refining; petrochemicals; chemicals; fertilizers; differentiated EPC; maintenance services (Brown & Root Industrial Services); offshore oil and gas (shallow-water, deep-water, subsea); floating solutions (FPU, FPSO, FLNG & FSRU); program management and consulting services KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, integrated EPC delivery and long term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results. At KBR, We Deliver. Visit www.kbr.com Forward Looking Statement The statements in this press release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding future financial performance, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the outcome of and the publicity surrounding audits and investigations by domestic and foreign government agencies and legislative bodies; potential adverse proceedings by such agencies and potential adverse results and consequences from such proceedings; the scope and enforceability of the company's indemnities from its former parent; changes in capital spending by the company's customers; the company's ability to obtain contracts from existing and new customers and perform under those contracts; structural changes in the industries in which the company operates; escalating costs associated with and the performance of fixed-fee projects and the company's ability to control its cost under its contracts; claims negotiations and contract disputes with the company's customers; changes in the demand for or price of oil and/or natural gas; protection of intellectual property rights; compliance with environmental laws; changes in government regulations and regulatory requirements; compliance with laws related to income taxes; unsettled political conditions, war and the effects of terrorism; foreign operations and foreign exchange rates and controls; the development and installation of financial systems; increased competition for employees; the ability to successfully complete and integrate acquisitions; and operations of joint ventures, including joint ventures that are not controlled by the company. KBR's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Form 10-Qs and 8-Ks, and other U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss some of the important risk factors that KBR has identified that may affect the business, results of operations and financial condition. Except as required by law, KBR undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason. SOURCE KBR, Inc. Related Links http://www.kbr.com Controversial Sikh preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale started his three-day religious discourse (diwan) at Gidrani village near Lehragaga town of Sangrur district on Monday afternoon amid opposition by some Sikh organisations. Known for his supposedly rationalist interpretation of Sikh religion and history, Dhadrianwale has been in the crosshairs Sikh activists for speaking against the Damdami Taksal, a Sikh seminary. Some of his diwans were cancelled in the Majha region recently, he claimed. Earlier on Monday morning, scores of Sikh activists gathered outside the gurdwara at Kanakwal Bhanguan village to stop the preacher from starting his discourse. But they were stopped by police near the gurdwara. Heavy police force was deployed as a preventive measure. The protesters alleged that Dhadrianwale attacked religious institutes besides speaking against Sikh history. A video was also shared on social media by some Sikh activists threatened Dhadrianwale for speaking against the Damdami Taksal. We have repeatedly approached the civil and police administration but the government is supporting the event. Though chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh might allow organising Dhadrianwales diwan, we will be opposing his activities, said former parallel jathedar Amrik Singh Ajnala, who heads a faction of the Damdami Taksal. Gidrani village sarpanch Harjinder Singh said the villagers were making arrangements for the three-day discourse for the past 20 days. I appeal to Sikh activists not to disrupt the function because people want to listen to Dhadrianwale, he said. After holding his first diwan, Dhadrianwale said he speaks logically and has raised questions on the Damdami Taksal, which were never raised earlier. We cancelled diwans in Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur for peace. A handful of people reached Sangrur and tried to disrupt our congregation. It is my duty to speak against the wrongdoings. However, Taksal was never challenged earlier despite these Jathedars had lied for 20 years that Baba Jarnail Singh would come back, said Dhadrianwale. I am ready for any discussion but they should discuss with a positive approach, he added. Sangrur deputy commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said eight duty magistrates and around 1,500 cops were deployed to maintain law and order situation in the area. The event was organised with prior permission. It remained peaceful, said Thori. The present operational environment of irregular warfare in and around India necessitates changes in the way armed forces need to prepare for, and conduct operations. In this kind of conflict, 'survivability' across the full spectrum of conflict at the tactical level of warfare, is often a battle-winning factor. MKU, a leading Indian private sector enterprise, is actively engaged in developing indigenous solutions for night fighting capability. It is set to unveil its latest range of night vision and thermal devices at DefExpo 2020, Lucknow. Well known globally for its state-of-the-art protection and survivability gear for soldiers and platforms. MKU's Netro range of electro-optic devices on display during the DefExpo will include thermal and image intensified weapon sights, monocular and binoculars, which boast of latest global standards, and more importantly, the 'Made in India' legacy. MKU's proud team of experts will be present on-site to explain intricate details of design and development, and characteristics of their electro-optic devices. "It is the deep understanding of conflict scenarios faced by the soldiers in the field today which enables MKU to develop solutions which go beyond the ordinary," said Vaibhav Gupta, Director, MKU, while speaking to the press. Keeping in line with successive Indian Army Chiefs' resolve of 'Winning Indian Wars with Indian Solutions', MKU has designed and developed its thermal and image intensifier devices in complete compliance with Indian Army's qualitative requirements. "We are fully compliant to meet with Indian Army's QRs, and are ready to compete at the international level as well," said young Prachi Gupta, Vice President, MKU, who has been the moving force behind the innovation team at MKU. "One single solution like 'Thermal Imaging' or 'Image Intensifier' technology cannot suffice and cater to all conditions and parameters. A clever blend of technologies to suit multiple operational requirements is the right answer for night vision solutions," said Neeraj Gupta, MD MKU, while explaining the point further. Power requirements and costs involved are other contributory factors while deciding upon an optimal solution. MKU is also arranging for an elaborate display and demonstration of the capabilities of the latest generation night vision and thermal devices at their 'Experience Zone' created within their booth at the Expo. Visitors are invited to gain a first-hand experience of this capability. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Loading Tiko Mamuchashvili, a senior event planner at the Hyatt hotel in Beijing who was supposed to return to work on Friday, was initially told her holiday would be extended until February 3. Then she received a notification to work from home for two additional days. A few days later, the directive was extended until February 10. She has to notify her department each morning about her whereabouts and report whether she is running a temperature. "Usually going back to work from holidays feels a little weird, but working from home this time with such short notice feels even more unusual," she said. With hotel event cancellations rolling in on a daily basis, "basically, all I can do is answer emails," she said. Some managers worry the office exodus will lower productivity, but there's evidence the opposite may be true. A 2015 study from Stanford University in California found that productivity among call-centre employees at Chinese travel agency Ctrip went up by 13 per cent when they worked from home due to fewer breaks and more comfortable work environments. Shared spaces The virus poses an existential threat to another new business model: co-working spaces, which multiplied around big Chinese cities in recent years as property rents skyrocketed and tech startups boomed. "It will be a very tough time," said Dave Tai, deputy director of Beeplus, a Chinese co-working space and bakery with 300 employees. The virus delayed the opening of its Beijing location and he says it's pretty much impossible for him and others in his industry to work from home. Without customers willing to work in close quarters at the physical space, the business will die. "The core of workspace is community, people coming together. It's difficult to replace that interaction and connection online," he said. Panic is what seems to be the biggest drain on the economy, rather than deaths. Warwick McKibbin, professor of economics at the Australian National University in Canberra. For many companies, instructing office workers to stay home only solves part of the problem. Many rely on factories, logistics companies and retail outlets that face their own disruptions. For phone-case maker Casetify, 2020 was supposed to be the best year yet. Headcount at the Hong Kong-based company had surpassed 150 by the end of December, and it was aiming to double sales this year. But the spread of the virus from the city of Wuhan caused the factories in China that make its products to stay shut and prompted Casetify to ask most employees to work from home. A new outlet in Hong Kong's airport lay empty. Sales in the city tanked. "The show must go on, somehow," said Casetify chief executive Wes Ng, who has been logging onto a laptop in an apartment he shares with his wife and nine-month-old son. No Plan B Casetify has 30 days of extra stock, but Ng says there's no plan B if the factories don't reopen soon, a plight shared by thousands of other businesses in China and around the world. Even for those who can do business by internet and phone, the virus means there may not be much business to do. Bankers say IPOs and deals are on hold. Transaction value in the first 30 days of 2020 was half what it was the year before, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. "The worst is yet to come," said Nomura analyst Ting Lu in a research note. "We reckon the coronavirus could deal a more severe blow to China's economy in the near term, relative to SARS in 2003." While statistics suggest the new coronavirus isn't as lethal as SARS, it has already infected more people, and the speed at which the disease has spread is fueling fear. A big part of the expected blow to the economy during the current outbreak is likely to come from changes in "human psychology," according to Warwick McKibbin, professor of economics at the Australian National University in Canberra. He said SARS cost the global economy $US40 billion and predicts the hit from coronavirus will reach three or four times that amount. "Panic is what seems to be the biggest drain on the economy, rather than deaths," he said. With factories shuttered and office workers staying home, many in China's services industry face a difficult time. The sector is much bigger than it was during the SARS outbreak, accounting for 53 per cent of the economy, up from 41 per cent in 2002. But without customers, many businesses are in limbo. Blockbuster movie premieres, most of which were slated for the new year holiday, have been postponed, Nomura said. Some businesses have turned to the internet to help keep customers loyal, hoping to weather the epidemic. Not working out STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. In one sense, James Mickens is lucky. The victim, whose carotid artery prosecutors say Mickens slashed in Mariners Harbor last summer, survived. Not so fortunate for Mickens, a 56-year-old New Jersey resident - hell spend the next few years locked up in a New York state prison, under a plea agreement. The incident occurred around 11:20 a.m. last July 26, on South Avenue near Arlington Avenue, said a criminal complaint. Mickens cut the victims neck with a chefs knife, hitting his carotid artery, the complaint said. The victim suffered a 4-inch gash and bled substantially, but survived, the complaint said. Mickens, who lives in Passaic, was busted on Sept. 17, about two months after the near-deadly episode. He was charged with assault and criminal weapon possession. Last week, Mickens pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court, St. George, to a lesser count of attempted first-degree assault to satisfy all charges against him. In exchange, hell be sentenced on Feb. 13 to 42 months in prison and 42 months post-release supervision. His lawyer did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the case. Assistant District Attorney Arda Ozdinc is prosecuting the case. C losing arguments in Donald Trump's historic impeachment trial are unfolding in the Senate as it heads towards its conclusion. The House Democratic prosecutors claim that Mr Trump's actions were not isolated but part of a pattern of behaviour that, left unchecked, will allow him to "cheat"' in the 2020 election. "What messages does that send?" asked Representative Hakeem Jeffries. He implored senators to realise that without a vote to convict, the Senate will "allow the president's misconduct to stand". Senators acknowledge the House Democratic managers have essentially proven their case, that Mr Trump abused power and obstructed Congress by leveraging military aid to push Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden to thwart the 2020 election. House manager Hakeem Jeffries / Senate Television via Getty Imag But key Republicans have decided the president's actions towards Ukraine do not rise to the level of impeachable offence that warrants the political upheaval of conviction and removal from office. Mr Trump is expected to be acquitted in a vote in the Senate on Wednesday. House managers opened on Monday with a plea from Rep Jason Crow, who told the chamber: "We cannot and should not leave our common sense at the door." House impeachment manager Rep Jason Crow / AP The former Army Ranger invoked the founding fathers and even Republican Barry Goldwater from the Nixon-era impeachment proceedings to say: "In America, no one is above the law, even those elected president of the United States. "I would say - especially those elected president of the United States." Rep Val Demings, a former police chief, argued that the president is not behaving like someone who is innocent. She warned he will try to "cheat" again ahead of 2020. "Innocent people don't try to hide every document and witness, especially those that would clear them," she told the senators. "That's what guilty people do." Mr Trump's team will have their own chance at closing arguments later on Monday, and the president himself has already registered his views on Twitter where he decried the proceedings as a "hoax." The Senate proceedings are set against a sweeping political backstop, as voters in Iowa on Monday are choosing presidential Democratic primary candidates in early voting. Mr Trump is also poised to deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday in his own victory lap before Congress. President Donald Trump / REUTERS The trial unfolded over nearly two weeks and reached a decisive moment last Friday when senators voted against calling witnesses and documents. Key Republicans said they had heard enough. It becomes the first impeachment trial in the nation's more than 200-year history without any witnesses. PHILIPSBURG:--- On Saturday, January 25th, the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset hosted the Level Up workshop at the Marie Genevieve de Weever Primary school from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. The Level Up workshop was established as a means to encourage and assist in the progression of the youth, post-high school. The workshop offered three sessions comprising of Time Management, Resume Building and Interview Etiquette and was initiated as a means to support and encourage students in the 5th and 6th forms of high school, within the respective areas. Presenting on Time Management was Mr. Rolando Tobias and Ms. Andrea Paul; Rotarian Ms. Adelena Chandler-Schaap conducted Resume Building module, and Ms. Nathalie Lambriex conducted Interview Etiquette portion of the workshop. Thirty students from the Charlotte Brookson Academy, Milton Peters College, Caribbean International Academy, Learning Unlimited, St. Maarten Academy, St. Dominic High School, St. Maarten Vocational Training School and Sundial school attended the workshop, in business casual attire, which was a requirement of the workshop. At the end of the sessions, Kelvin King James James, surprised the students to end off the workshop. He provided a motivational speech about his educational journey as well as his journey to becoming an artist. He left the students with words of encouragement and stressed on the importance of higher education as the foundation for life. The club felt it imperative that during the month of vocational awareness, that students be given another opportunity to receive reinforcement and support about topics that go beyond the classroom. In connection with January's theme of Vocational Services the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset came up with the idea of hosting the first annual Level-Up Workshop. Most high school students are preparing their college applications or getting ready for the workforce, therefore we choose each topic carefully to compliment such. The sessions were well-received and the feedback from the students was positive. As a club, we are hoping to make next year's Level-Up Workshops even bigger and better, Youth Service Chair, Jennifer Rombley added. The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset would like to thank all schools and students for assisting and taking part in the workshop. In addition, a special thank you to the management and staff of the Marie Genevieve de Weever School for allowing the club to utilize the venue and Member of Parliament Anna Richardson, for her kind donation towards the successful event. The expectation is to continue hosting the workshop, in hopes of providing a continuous impact on the lives of students, especially in the final years of high school, on both Dutch and French St. Martin. Hundreds of protesters have staged rallies around Iraq to reject the new prime minister-designate who was recently nominated by rival government factions. Demonstrators have long swore they would not accept a candidate chosen by Iraq's establishment. Meanwhile, an influential Shi'ite cleric also told his followers, who are camped out among protesters in the capital and the country's south, to unblock roads and restore normality. Saturday's selection of former communications minister Mohammed Allawi (66) to replace outgoing Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi was the product of many back-room talks over months between rival parties, ending a political stalemate. Hundreds of students voiced their rejection of Mr Allawi at rallies in Baghdad's central plazas and in southern Iraq. In Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the four-month anti-government protest movement, portraits of Mr Allawi marked with an "X" hung over tunnels and buildings. "We don't want Allawi because he is a party member chosen by the parties," said Hadi Safir, a protester in Tahrir. "We want an independent nominee." Others were more diplomatic, said they would wait and see how Mr Allawi would deliver on promises to hold early elections. Influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr asked his followers camped out in Tahrir and surrounding plazas to resume "day-to-day life" yesterday by opening cut roads and ensure schools and government offices remained open, in a statement posted online. Mr Al-Sadr, who supports Mr Allawi's nomination, heads one of the political parties that garnered the most seats in parliament in the 2018 federal election. Mre Al-Sadr's followers returned to the demonstration camps on Friday after the cleric reversed his decision to stop supporting the protests. Iraqi officials and analysts have viewed the return of Mr al-Sadr's supports as a means for the cleric to gain leverage amid the political deadlock prior to Mr Allawi's selection. Student demonstrations were also held in the southern city of Basra to reject Mr Allawi's candidacy. Other protesters burned tyres in the holy city of Najaf. More than 500 people have died since unrest began in October. (Photo : Photo by Charan Sai from Pexels) Printed photographs Everyone with Google Photos makes use of the application for cloud storage and a tool for printing personalized photos or in a self-curated album. Now, the California-based tech giant is trialing a "monthly picture print" subscription application in selected customers in the United States. According to 9to5 Google, several Google Photos users can subscribe that gives them ten prints at once delivered to their doorstep. The application would automatically select the uploaded photos from the last 30 days. This subscription application, according to Google, is a way to "have your great memories sent straight to your own home per month." ALSO READ: You Can Now View Your Google Photos Photo Spheres On The Web How is it done? Google Photos will ask what type of images are preferred and then leverage some artificial intelligence to pick photographs before shipping. Edits could be made from the choices, but the whole point is to acquire the best images effortlessly and easily. The auto-printing service gives three kinds of themes within the setup while an automatic process leverages Google Photos' smarts. Users choose among a combination of humans and animals, landscapes, or a little little bit of everything. The first "people and pets" option, according to Google, is the "most popular" choice among the users. Google said the printed photos are "great to place on the fridge, frame, and to give as gifts to your loved ones." Google will deliver the prints to your doorstep in a cardboard envelope. The program, similar to efforts with Smart Displays, provides an exciting tactility to photos that most people most effectively enjoy today. ALSO READ:Google Photos Can Now Recognize Your Pets And Automatically Group Their Photos: Here's How It Works How much? Pricing is set at $7.99 per month for 4x6-inch prints. All ten photos would get a matte finish. The images could be placed on white cardstock that consists of a 1/8-inch border. Google ships out all prints in a cardboard envelope that ensures they're no longer broken in transit. Currently, it's unclear if Google will introduce additional sizes and styles below the trial application. It's all part of Google's broader strategy to monetize a platform that hosts greater than 1 billion users worldwide. Google rolled out its 'Print Store' some years in the past with constrained options. Nowadays, the program boasts an array of sizes and styles to choose from. ALSO READ: Google Lens Makes Its Way To Google Photos For Android Google Photos to partner with CVS, Walmart Google also partnered with CVS and Walmart to enable in-keep pick up from hundreds of retail shops across the nation. So it most effective makes sense for Google Photos to gain a subscription-based total feature. Currently, this Google Photos print subscription is classified as a "trial program." Those decided on will see a "You're invited to the monthly photograph prints trial" banner to sign up for at the top of Google Photos on the web. Google hasn't announced its full details. However, a full announcement would roll out once the trial software ends and expands to all users. This Google Photos print subscription is a remarkable expansion of the carrier's Print store. The company commenced with softcover and hardcover pictures in 2017, before increasing to canvas prints last year. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. For the past few weeks, it seems that Megxit is all that anyone can talk about. Ever since Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry shocked the world by announcing their split from the royal family, questions have been flying all over the place. Everyone wants to know where they will live, if Meghan will still be known as a duchess, or if the recent tension between Prince Harry and Prince William was the cause of the split. One of the biggest aspects of the entire situation is the fact that Meghan and Prince Harry have made it clear that they plan to become financially independent once Megxit takes effect this spring. As we know, they have been living a life of luxury and privilege, relying on taxpayer funds to pay a pretty good portion of their expenses. Now that Meghan and Prince Harry have decided to step back from their high-profile positions as senior royals, one of the biggest questions on everyones mind is how they will generate the income needed to support themselves and their son, Archie Harrison. Well, as it turns out, Prince Harry and Meghan will continue taking money from this royal source. The split that left everyone talking Prince Harry has been a fixture in the royal family basically since the day he was born. When he married Meghan, fans around the world were delighted, and she fell perfectly into her position as the Duchess of Sussex. However, Meghan and Prince Harry didnt exactly have the easiest time. According to the Washington Post, Meghan has been hounded relentlessly by the British tabloids, and she and Prince Harry have more than had enough. In fact, Prince Harry has voiced his concern regarding Meghans safety and has been quite vocal about how he wont let the paparazzi do to his wife what they did to his beloved mother, Princess Diana. It is evident Prince Harry and Meghan havent exactly been treated fairly, and it has definitely taken a toll on the notoriously private couple. Ever since they got married, the couple has been criticized for just about everything, from Meghans family issues to their extensive use of private jets this past summer. Still, the announcement of the split came as quite a surprise. One of the newest updates from Queen Elizabeth Naturally, everyone has questions, and the senior royals are doing their best to provide as many updates as they can. So, what is one of the latest pieces of information that we have learned of? Fans can certainly remember when many people were upset about the fact that Meghan and Prince Harry used almost $3 million dollars in taxpayer money to renovate Frogmore Cottage in Windsor before they moved in. Now that they are stepping back, they will repay that money. The BBC also reports the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer be receiving public funds from the Sovereign Grant. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will continue taking money from this royal source Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage It looks like Meghan and Prince Harry are willing to sacrifice a lot as they prepare for the newest chapter of their lives. So, now that they are no longer receiving public funds, where will they get money from? While we cant say where the couple will receive all of their income from just yet, according to Us Weekly, they will continue getting financial support from Prince Harrys father, Prince Charles. How so? Well, Prince Charles owns the Duchy of Cornwall private estate, and funds will continue to be given to Meghan and Prince Harry. While they will no longer be getting revenue from royal duties, they can luckily count on the nearly $3 million dollars that they receive from Prince Harrys father the future king of England. While its not uncommon for a child to receive a cut of their fathers net worth after their passing, Prince Harrys arrangement is slightly unorthodox since it is neither an inheritance nor a trust. Whats more, the decision is especially generous and surprising given how reportedly blindsided Prince Charles was by Prince Harrys move. According to BBC, senior royals like Prince Charles were reportedly disappointed and felt blindsided that the couple did not outline their plans before making their announcement. Author Rachel Louise Snyder will be speaking about her writing on domestic abuse this Thursday at the Colonial Theatre. 'No Visible Bruises': Presentation on Domestic Abuse Slated Thursday PITTSFIELD, Mass. Nine people have died from domestic violence in Bekshire County in the last three years. Requests for restraining orders is 33 percent higher in Berkshire County than in the rest of the state. "Those are indicators that we have a problem," says District Attorney Andrea Harrington, describing it as a public health issue as much as a crime issue. Harrington's office, through the Berkshire Domestic and Sexual Violence Task Force, is bringing award-winning journalist Rachel Louise Snyder to Pittsfield to speak about her latest book, "No Visible Bruises: What We Don't Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us." Snyder will be at the Colonial Theatre on Thursday, Feb. 6, at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The presentation is part of the task force's "One Book, One Community" project in conjunction with the Elizabeth Freeman Center. Harrington said the book had been recommended to her and that she had been "blown away" upon reading it. "It offers a road map of what it is that I would like to do here in Berkshire County to address the problem that we have of domestic violence," she said during a recent interview. "And we do have a serious problem here with domestic violence." The task force, established by her office, and working with partners had ensured that copies were made available locally, especially to law enforcement and judges. There have been more than 30 book club events related to the book since October and some 300 people have already reserved seats for the presentation. "This is a great way for our community to work across many different sectors on a really significant public health challenge," the district attorney said. Harrington said the book shows that there are solutions to domestic violence, once you throw out the old gender stereotypes. "If we have good investigations, if we have effective laws, if we have people who are communicating across the community ... if we ask ourselves why does the perpetrator continue to use violence against loved ones?" she said. Snyder's book offers a guide for systematic change in how to address the issue of domestic violence. She determined proven strategies after years of studying cases and analyzing best practices to address the issue. Her research looks at abusers and the abused, caseworkers, investigators, mental health and poverty, and the "myths" of domestic abuse. "The stories are devastating, but Snyder keeps us reading by pointing us toward possible solutions," write The Washington Post in its review. The Berkshire Domestic and Sexual Violence Task Force organized the event. Greylock Federal Credit Union, Williams College, The Berkshire Eagle, Elizabeth Freeman Center, Berkshire District Attorney's Office, Berkshire Health Systems, Berkshire Theater Group, MountainOne, Berkshire Community College, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, A-List Luxury Vehicles, 18 Degrees, the Berkshire Immigrant Center, Beacon Cinema, Images Cinema, Triplex Cinema, and Hotel on North are sponsoring the presentation. First responders, health providers, and educators will receive continuing education credits for attending; 18 Degrees is providing child care and the Berkshire Immigrant Center is providing Spanish and American Sign Language interpretation. A reception and book signing will follow with catering from Naturally. You can continue to take photos with Gritty without fear of being assaulted... kinda. (Photo by Robert Hradil/NHLI via Getty Images) Philadelphia police announced on Monday that everyones favourite gigantic orange monster has had his name cleared of all accusations of physical assault. Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty was initially accused in January of punching a 13-year-old during a photo opportunity fan event for season ticket holders. Gritty took a running start, and punched [Brandon] as hard as he could, according to his father in the initial report. Officials told ABC News that an investigation was completed and determined the mascot did not commit physical assault as alleged. This is, of course, a very Philadelphia story, as only in Philly would the majority of people hearing about this immediately side with the wild-looking mascot over a child that may or may not have been assaulted. Despite getting cleared of all wrong doing, Gritty is still a terrifying monster. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) Gritty is now free to go about his regular duties at work, which honestly still involves quite a bit of time spent terrorizing kids, popping up to scare people, and dressing up in all manner of costume. More NHL coverage from Yahoo Sports Sudesh Mamoor Faraz Amman, who was shot dead by the Police after a terrorist attack in south London on February 2, had 'expressed desire to carry out a knife attack' in his social media chat exposed in November 2018, according to the Daily Mail. Three people suffered injuries in the attack, during which Scotland Yard officers shot dead the attacker strapped with a "hoax bomb". Amman is said to be a London student believed to have family roots in Sri Lanka. He was reportedly jailed at the age of 18 in December 2018 for the possession and circulation of terrorist material. According to the Daily Mails report, Amman tried to radicalise his younger brothers and was exposed by a Dutch blogger for posting radical material online. He used a family WhatsApp group to share recruitment material with his five younger brothers. He sent the document, the edition 16 of an al-Qaeda magazine called Inspire, to the group that also included his extended family members in Sri Lanka. The document encouraged readers to launch lone wolf attacks, following pipe bomb attacks in New York and New Jersey in September 2016, said the report. Amman reportedly pleaded guilty to six counts of possessing material useful for terrorism and seven counts of disseminating material on Skype between April 19, 2017, and April 2, 2018, on the basis of recklessness. He was arrested by armed police in a street in North London after Mark Van Der Berg, a Dutch blogger who runs an anti-extremist blog, highlighted the existence of posts in a closed Telegram chat room. His social media chat was said to have included an 'expressed desire to carry out a knife attack,' said the report. The police had found instructional material on knife fighting techniques, including documents called Bloody Brazilian Knife Fighting Techniques, US Army Knife Fighting Manual Techniques and Close Combat in Ammans possession at the time of his arrest, added the report. Amman was released from prison recently. (With inputs from PTI) The impact of the current health crisis on Chinese foreign tourism is likely to be worse than during the SARS epidemic in 2002/2003 or the swine flu crisis in 2009, simply because so many more Chinese people travel abroad for pleasure than back then. Their country is now the top contributor to world tourism. But in response to the spread of a novel coronavirus, Chinese authorities have suspended package holidays and advised nationals to avoid foreign travel. Curbs and cancellations affecting commercial flights to and from China are also weighing on traveller numbers. Here are some facts about the worldwide role of Chinese tourism. - Chinese tourism rules - Mainland China with its 1.3 billion inhabitants is the top contributor to world tourism numbers with 150 million foreign trips in 2018. Only about 10 percent of China's population actually hold a passport. - Where they go - Most Chinese tourists go elsewhere in Asia, most often to Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea and Vietnam. When they venture further afield it's usually to Europe, the United States or Australia. France is their top destination in Europe, with 2.2 million Chinese visitors in 2018, followed by Germany, Italy and the UK, according to the European Travel Commission. Most first-time Chinese visitors to Europe pack several countries into their itinerary, typically as part of a package tour, says Atout France, an agency promoting French holiday destinations. - Big spenders - Chinese holiday makers spend more on average than any other nationality on their trips, around $1,850 per person per year. They overtook both the Americans and the Germans as the highest-spending tourists as early as 2012, according to the World Tourism Organization, a UN agency. Total Chinese spending on foreign tourist trips amounted to $277.3 billion in 2018. In Europe, Chinese visitors account for around 30 percent of duty-free sales, according to sector specialists Planet. - The damage last time - The global impact on world tourism of the H1N1 swine flu epidemic that broke out in 2009 is estimated at $55 billion, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), an industry body. The impact of the SARS outbreak in 2002 and 2003 is estimated at between $30 billion and $50 billion. Chinese tourism-linked companies contributed 25 percent less to GDP than usual because of the health crisis, and the sector lost 2.8 million jobs, according to the WTTC. Welcome to this months protracted housing fight. Grab a seat, because its going to be a long year in housing activism. The latest battle is playing out over the Wood Street private lot in West Oakland that the city plans to convert into a safe parking site for 60 or more mobile homes. For at least six years, an untold number of homeless people have lived on and around the site in RVs, trailers, cars, tents and makeshift structures. It became fertile ground for illegal dumping. The propertys owner, Gamechanger LLC, hoped to turn the 4-acre lot over to the city of Oakland in November. Most people voluntarily moved in early November. The city towed many of their inoperable vehicles onto Wood Street with the promise that they wouldnt later be towed to a junkyard. But two months later, instead of grading and paving the ground, Gamechanger is preparing for an eviction battle in court. While I support housing activism, Im conflicted by the folks declining to vacate, because there are dozens of people who moved off the lot expecting to be in a spot by now. Theyre stuck waiting. Isnt that hurting more than helping? Dayton Andrews, a housing activist, has been organizing for Wood Street residents for almost two years. I met him when the city tried to evict people in 2018 without offering an alternative place to park no, an alternative place to live. This time, though, the city said people will be welcomed back onto the lot once the work is completed. The problem for the seven dwellers who refused to move off the lot is trust, Andrews says. No ones actually been given a promise that theyll get a spot on the Wood Street lot, Andrews said. Theyve been given no written proof that they will get to be on this safe parking lot. Folks would like to use the service, but theyd actually want assurance that the service will come through. The mistrust of the city runs deep among homeless people and their supporters. Andrews said people dont trust the city and Gamechanger to keep their promises. And, he pointed out, many in the Wood Street encampment didnt live in RVs. City officials have told me that service providers will be flexible to meet their needs. Last Monday, about a dozen housing activists, including Andrews, protested outside the Third Street office of Alan Horwitz, an attorney who specializes in evictions and is representing Gamechanger. They taped posters with Housing Not Evictions and Housing Not Lawsuits to office windows. In an email, Horwitz said he wasnt available for comment because he was out of town. Pat Smith, a real estate attorney for Smith LLP, the Oakland law firm that also represents Gamechanger, estimated that it will cost the company more than $250,000 to clean and grade the property. Gamechanger is letting the city use the property for free for an initial term of 18 months, with potential extensions to June 2023. Were not turning these homeless people out on the street, Smith said. We want to give them something thats going to be better. Gamechanger began serving eviction notices in December to the holdouts. As my colleague Sarah Ravani reported, Cam McKeel and four other men grew marijuana behind their wooden walls. The men, according to Smith, have demanded $10,000 each to move. McKeel didnt answer my knocks on a fence when I recently visited the lot. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. A trial date will be set Friday, Smith said. That means its probably going to be at least another month before people who want to be on the site get to move in. Thats more days and weeks without electricity, running water and a place to dump garbage. This goes deeper than just a short-term emergency program, Andrews said. Long-term stability is what people are looking for. We have to keep mobilizing. We have to keep fighting. The unhoused want homes as we saw when Moms 4 Housing moved into a vacant house in West Oakland without permission in November. They were evicted last month, but their activism drew national attention to the plight of thousands suffering on Oaklands streets. Until they get homes, people will make themselves at home wherever they find space. Were going to see more of these operations start to happen, because people are really fed up, Andrews said. Theres no way out in sight for the common person. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Otis R. Taylor Jr. appears Mondays and Thursdays. Email: otaylor@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @otisrtaylorjr DoorDash Inc., a fast-growing meal delivery company, is among those not collecting the proper amount of sales tax in Pennsylvania, according to state officials. Shown is a DoorDash courier in an image provided by the San Francisco company. Read more Restaurant delivery powered by smartphone apps has become a fiercely competitive and fast-growing business, as DoorDash, GrubHub, Postmates, and Uber Eats go head-to-head in the streets of cities like Philadelphia for market share. But behind the scenes, some of those companies are engaged in a dance with officials in Harrisburg and other state capitals over whether they are charging enough sales tax. As of Tuesday, the four biggest food-delivery apps were charging sales tax on food, but industry leader DoorDash (which also owns Caviar) and Postmates were not collecting the tax on service and delivery fees. Even on the food, Postmates was charging just a 6% sales tax in Philadelphia, not the required 8%. The confusion is the latest example of tax laws struggling to keep pace with emerging industries and tech-enabled services seeking exemptions from regulators, who have typically been slow to catch up. Its giving consumers a slight break on price, to the detriment of the taxman. Some delivery services have fallen in line. For instance, GrubHub (and subsidiary Seamless) and Uber Eats were charging 8% sales tax in the city on the entire order, including service and delivery fees, according to an Inquirer test of the apps. (The tax is determined based on the location of the restaurant, not the delivery address.) Thats what they should be doing, officials said. In Pennsylvania, the food delivery companies should be collecting sales tax on the entire purchase price, which includes the cost of food, delivery and service fees, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue said. Compliance DoorDash and Postmates both said they were working to get into compliance with Pennsylvania law, but also suggested that their business models could warrant different treatment and that it is not entirely clear what they should be doing without strict guidance from Pennsylvania regulators. Theres nothing vague about service and delivery fees, according to Verenda Smith, deputy director of the Federation of Tax Administrators, a Washington nonprofit trade group for tax collectors. Delivery and service fees have either been taxed or not been taxed, depending on what the state chose its policy to be, she said. New Jersey, for example, does not require sales tax to be charged on third-party food delivery services, according to a spokesperson for the states Office of the Treasurer. The states sales tax is 6.625%. Pennsylvania has not estimated how much revenue it has lost on service and delivery fees since Postmates entered the market in 2014 and DoorDash joined it in 2017. In Philadelphia, where an extra 2 percentage points are tacked onto the states 6% sales tax, officials referred questions on the levy to the state Revenue Department. The first 1% extra goes to the city; the second is split between the city and the School District, with the first $120 million going to the schools and whatever is left going for the citys pension funds. On individual transactions, the amount of uncollected sales tax is small. For example, on a $29.17 order from the Applebees in Center City, DoorDash charged sales tax of $1.56. That is 65 cents or 29%, less than the $2.21 it would have charged if it included the service fee of $2.14 (11% of the food bill) and a $5.99 delivery fee. Because the money is not collected, undercharging for sales tax does not fatten the bottom lines of the companies, but it gives them a slight price advantage. The question of whether sales tax is being collected on service and delivery fees has also arisen in New York, where State Sen. Brad Hoylman called for a sales tax audit of the industry. Its sales grew 41% last year, according to Second Measure, a data analytics firm. Legal confusion The failure of DoorDash and Postmates to collect sales tax on service and delivery fees is playing out against the backdrop of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2018 enabling states to require companies to collect sales taxes and remit them to the state even if the companies have no physical presence in the state. States have responded to that ruling by requiring what are called marketplace facilitators (Amazon as a platform for third-party sellers, for example) to collect sales tax on items sold through their sites and turn them over to state revenue departments. This means that Amazon counts as the retailer responsible for collecting sales taxes, even if theres a remote seller in the background. California and Maryland excluded delivery services from their marketplace facilitator laws, according to the Multistate Tax Commission, which operates through committees of state officials to create model tax laws and regulations that states can choose to adopt or modify. Pennsylvania did that with DoorDash in 2018, but then regulators changed their position last September. Since then, DoorDash said in a Jan. 22 email, "we have been working in good faith to better understand the implications of this change. We are grateful to have received additional clarity as recently as yesterday and intend to fully comply with the guidance we have received from the commonwealth. The company is working on modifications to its software to give it the flexibility to remit any required taxes. Under its existing model, DoorDash collected taxes on the food and sent them to restaurants for payment to the state. Postmates, like DoorDash based in San Francisco, did not respond to a question last week about why it charges only 6% sales tax on food in Philadelphia, but earlier it emailed a statement about its dealings with Pennsylvania tax officials: As tax laws in the on-demand economy are rapidly evolving across different jurisdictions in the nation, we are actively in touch with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue about the distinct products available to merchants and customers on the platform and how tax laws apply to each vertical. Theyre just stalling, said Robert Strauss, a professor of economics and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University. Its a question of trying to arbitrage in a somewhat gray area until it becomes uncomfortable. The reality is, people are not that price-sensitive. Samsung will soon be unveiling its new flagship smartphone expected to be called the Galaxy S20 and the latest rumour suggests it will come with an unrivalled camera feature. The multiple lenses on the rear of the device will be able to take multiple photos at the same time thanks to a "Quick Take" function, according to prolific leaker Max Weinbach. It means users will be able to choose between an ultra-wide, a zoomed-in or regular image when they take a picture. Previous leaks have hinted that the main camera will come with a huge 108-megapixel image sensor, though the Quick Take feature may only be available on the higher-end Galaxy S20 Ultra version of the smartphone. Other rumours suggest the Galaxy S20 range will come with top-end Snapdragon 865 processors and an Infinity-O display. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty A comprehensive leak last month revealed nearly every spec of the Galaxy S20 range of phones, including an impressive 16GB of RAM on the top tier Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G. Full details of the new phones are expected to be unveiled at Samsung's Unpacked event on 11 February. The San Francisco event could also see the debut of Samsung's new folding flip phone, which has also been the subject of numerous leaks in recent weeks. The Galaxy Z Flip is the South Korean firm's latest attempt at establishing a foothold in the nascent foldable smartphone market, which began inauspiciously in 2019 with the ill-fated Galaxy Fold. Leaks suggest Samsung's new folding phone features a vertically folding design (Winfuture.de) Unlike the Samsung's first foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Flip ditches the horizontal mechanism in favour of a vertical-folding design similar to the recently announced Motorola Razr. The insides are not expected to be as high-spec as the Galaxy S20, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. Its compact design could prove popular with consumers fed up with the ballooning size of smartphones and Samsung claims it could "change the way you use your phone". Samsung does not comment on unannounced devices but an official teaser video gave some indication of the what the phone will be like and included the tag line "Change the shape of the future". Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 23:07:32|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close DHAKA, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- As China continues to battle an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, Bangladeshis are showing their support on social media to the Chinese government and people. One Jobayer Huq in a Facebook post Monday expressed hope that "Wuhan will fight back, Wuhan will recover and come back to her usual beauty." "People, come out of racism, xenophobia, and hatred. This country (China) blessed us in many ways. The dress on your body, phone on your palm or laptop on your desk, there is a Chinese touch. China just doesn't shine herself, China shines the whole world," he said. Another Avik Ranjan Bhowmik said on Facebook: "We pray for the country which gave us a safe place for Study, Work and Business." "The China Government gave me scholarship to study a Ph.D and also changed my lifestyle. I and my whole family will never forget China. Let's pray for the people of China and everyone who is suffering from the coronavirus," Bhowmik said. "China acted amazingly quick to contain the disease, hope it gets under control. Prayers," writes Shumona Iqbal in a Facebook post. Ahsan Habib said on Facebook: "We sincerely trust that with the sense of utmost responsibility to its great people, the Govt. of PRC would engage all its efforts, resources and ability to combat this menace within the shortest possible time," he said. Former Bangladeshi Industries Minister Dilip Barua and General Secretary of the Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal also joined those wishing China a quick victory against the epidemic. A Delhi Court has sought action taken report from the Delhi Police over a plea seeking registration of a First Information Report (FIR) in connection with the violence that took place in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on January 5. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Purshottam Pathak has asked the Delhi Police to mention in the report that - 1. Whether a complaint has been made by the complainant in the police station, 2. if yes whether any action has been taken on the said complaint, 3. Whether any investigation or enquiry has been conducted in this regard and if yes then what is the status of the investigation and 4. If any cognisable offence is made out whether any FIR has been registered or not. The court has now posted the matter for hearing on March 25. The directions were passed while the court was hearing a plea seeking court's direction of the court register an FIR in the JNU violence case. The plea was filed by JNU professor Sucharita Sen, one the professors who was attack during the violence on January 5. --IANS CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa Bernie Sanders surrogates booed Hillary Clinton, lit up members of the Democratic National Committee, and proudly noted that people were freaking out that he would win. Meanwhile, at a canvass launch Saturday, Elizabeth Warrens campaign was busy putting up placards that read Unite the Party. In the final hours before Iowas caucuses, the two leading progressive presidential candidates are making diametrically opposed pitches to voters: Sanders campaign is leaning hard into their anti-establishment bonafides, while Warren is selling herself as a candidate who can unify a fractured Democratic Party. Warrens message is aimed toward more traditional and mainstream Democrats who have fretted for months about the need to bring the party together; many believe President Trump won the election partly because the party was divided. Sanders pitch is pointed at young, infrequent and disillusioned caucus-goers who are exhausted and furious with the status quo, and who think Trump rode to victory on an anti-establishment mood throughout the nation. Warrens plan seems to go hard on undecideds and bring them in, said Rebecca Katz, a progressive consultant who advised Cynthia Nixons left-wing New York gubernatorial campaign in 2018. Bernie is going for raw energy and enthusiasm and getting his people to caucus. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. , speaking at a campaign event at The Black Box Theater, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, in Indianola, Iowa. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) To varying degrees, the left-wing rivals closing arguments in the first-in-the-nation state represent a departure from form. Sanders and his team have at times sought to make amends with the party leaders he clashed with in 2016, going so far as to ignore bombs thrown at him by establishment figures such as Clinton. Warren rarely talked about party unity until the last few weeks of the race. But that all changed and never was it clearer than this weekend. On Sunday, Sanders campaign posted a video on Twitter in which he said, You can tell how good I feel by how nervous the establishment is getting. He listed various groups that he believes are rattled the Democratic establishment, Wall Street, drug companies, the fossil fuel industry, and Trump because we are their worst nightmare! Story continues Conversely, Warrens TV and digital ads feature former Sanders and Clinton voters talking about why they support the Massachusetts senator, whos been criticized for practicing a divisive brand of politics. We cant afford a fractured party in 2020, one such spot begins with a former Sanders supporter speaking directly to camera. The result of Iowas caucuses Monday and other early-state contests will shed light on whether Sanders or Warrens approach has more sway in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Filmmaker Michael Moore, campaigning for Sanders at a Bon Iver concert in Clive, said that corporate Democrats are thoroughly pissed that Bernie Sanders is now number one, that Bernie Sanders might win this primary. He also slammed the DNC for changing the debate rules to allow billionaire Michael Bloomberg on stage while not doing the same for Cory Booker or Julian Castro cause hes got a billion fucking dollars!" At the same show, Rep. Rashida Tlaib booed when a moderator began asking about Clinton saying nobody likes Sanders. At a town hall in Indianola, Rep. Ilhan Omar, a major Sanders surrogate, said, You may have noticed that the attacks on Bernie have become more and more desperate. You may hear a lot of labels being thrown out: Bernies too radical, Bernies too dangerous, Bernies too polarizing. Omar said the same criticisms had been lobbed at Martin Luther King, Jr. and other multiracial, working-class movements. She also said we are going to be sending Sen. Bernie Sanders to the White House and there are so many people who are freaking out about that prospect." At a Warren rally on Saturday, Rod Sullivan, a Johnson County supervisor who was one of the first elected officials in Iowa to endorse Sanders in 2016, spoke, followed by Sue Dvorsky, the former chair of the Iowa Democratic Party who was a prominent Clinton backer in 2016. Dvorsky led the chant, "It's time! It's time! It's time for a woman in the White House! In a rare change to her stump speech, Warren spoke fondly of other Democratic candidates who have left the race, including Booker and Kamala Harris. Ive been building a campaign from the beginning that is not a campaign thats narrow, not a campaign that says its us and nobody else, she told voters in Cedar Rapids at Coe College. Its a campaign that says, come on in because we are in this fight together. Sullivan said in an interview after the event that he wasn't sure if his pairing with Dvorsky was an intentional message, "but most things are pretty well thought out, so maybe." I honestly think Sen. Warren is the perfect candidate to bridge that gap that we have in 2016, he said. I really do. Warrens chief strategist, Joe Rospars, tweeted Sunday that her yard signs have read Vote Democratic in the corner since day one" an implicit message that Warren is a party woman (and Sanders, who is still an independent, is not a party man). Faiz Shakir, Sanders campaign manager, told POLITICO that the anti-establishment message is core to the DNA of this campaign from the beginning. But asked why it has been delivered more forcefully recently, he noted that attacks from traditional Democratic leaders have been escalating. Why now? Just lets be honest about the facts first of all, he said. You have a lot of establishment forces who are expressing handwringing and concern about the Bernie rise. John Kerry, a top surrogate for Joe Biden, was among them. The partys 2004 nominee said on Saturday that he doesn't know if Sanders is a Democrat and that hes been a socialist the entire time hes been in the Senate." Clinton went on a podcast Friday to again accuse Sanders of failing to work to unite the party in 2016. Shakir insisted that Sanders also advocates unity: If youre bringing people into the political process from different backgrounds, people who have never caucused before, first-time voters, young people, you are showing the kind of unity approach you would need to defeat Donald Trump. Sanders regularly says in his stump speech that he wants to bring people of all stripes together and that Trump wants to divide us up. For all the Sanders campaigns anti-establishment fervor, some on his team did try to extend an olive branch to mainstream Democrats in the frenzied days before the caucuses. After Tlaib booed Clinton, Rep. Ro Khanna, Sanders campaign co-chair, said Clintons record of expanding health insurance for children and defending womens rights should be respected. We will bring progressive change through addition, not subtraction, he told CNN. Shakir also said Tlaibs booing was a mistake, and she acknowledged it was a mistake. Nick Merrill, Clintons longtime spokesman, said: Rep. Khanna is right: Elections are about addition, not subtraction, and theres a pattern emerging here that plays directly to the electability question for Sen. Sanders and his campaign. Of Democrats concerned about Sanders ability to unify the party, Shakir said they miss the fact that the Vermont senator is part of the Senate Democrats leadership team and respected among other members of the chamber. Four years ago, maybe it was a little bit different. His run was seen as a little bit more concerning. And now this time around, you go around and talk to his colleagues, they see him as having been a value-add to this party, bringing people into it, he said. One of the photos that the Forum for Democracy and human rights leader, Mr in addition, it declines on Friday, on Instagram, you know, it shows a TRAIN controller at public. This confirms that the NS-to the NU.nl from the date of notification of the NOS. In addition, it declines and wrote on the picture that it was going to be "the four Immigrants" who, with two friends in the "Sprinter" train, "a serious beards. as a result of the "incident" did, in addition, it declines an invitation to the Dutch to break free from the "politically correct bullshit". "Tonight, two of my dear friends, is seriously harmed by the four Moroccans in a train. A report would be pointless. Oh dear, childish and naive Dutch people! Vote now at last, for a change. To break loose, politically correct, bullshit! The Red in this country. #FVD", the text in the Instagramfoto Baudet. In one tweet he writes is about the same. it was Not long before the posts, Baudet emerged on social media of two witnesses, a fellow traveler and a regular contributor, who said that it was in order to TRAIN auditors in the public. This story seems to be confirmed by a RAILWAY spokesman, Geert Koolen, who has let us know that a TRAIN's controller is recognized in the image of a Baudet. the Forum for Democracy and human rights was a Sunday night call is not reachable for a comment. NS to confirm that the image controller is showing as , According to Koolen, carried out with the controller, along with two other co-workers and a police officer Friday night at around 20: 45 for a routine check-up in the citizen of the sprinter from Amsterdam to Amsterdam, the netherlands. During that process, met with the four men and two women, who did not want to believe that they are the employees of the train were in place, please let the facilitator know about it. After that, the inspectors, and the police officer were legitimate, leaving the women to their ticket to see it. "It was a kind of co-nietesverhaal," he added. In the evening, around 22: 30 posted posts in addition, it declines-not able to get any train that is going. "Only as a result of the picture, I can tell you that it's the same train," said Koolen. The two women, why not black, and let Koolen know about it. Checks to citizens are more likely to , Koolen, stressed that the controls in the citizen's routine. That is reported by the NS, is also available on the website. The controls are, according to Koolen, always read. That is, in this case, according to him, it happened. "On the social media, it is said that we do not have checks in in a citizen-run. That's not true," says Koolen. On Instagram has responded to one of the three RAILWAY inspectors, it was not in addition, it declines: "I think it is amazing that you do this is to use the current state of people-black, to make. As for me and my co-worker was born and raised in the Netherlands. My mother was born in the province of Friesland, and of my father's in the Dutch province of Drenthe." There has been some confusion about the controls, in the citizen, that is, the NS, together with the police to do it. Want to know more? https://t.co/5frd5fPWGu the Whole of the Netherlands is working with NS and all of our 22,000 employees, to our, like, all the passengers just love it. Please treat them with respect,????????. Updated Date: 02 February 2020, 22:00 AvatarAuteurNS_onlineMoment of plaatsen08:18 - February 2, 2020 A 60-year-old man found dead Dec. 27 at a fire in Williams Township died from a heart attack and smoke inhalation, Pennsylvania State Police announced Monday. William C. Ketrow, of the first block of Joan Street, was lighting a wood stove with a propane torch, when he suffered a heart attack, troopers said. That led Ketrow to unintentionally ignite combustible materials nearby, leading to the fire in the small building near his home, previously described as a wood shed or barn. Ketrow died from a combination of the heart attack and smoke inhalation. The cause and manner of death were both ruled accidental. Authorities were called for the fire at about 10:15 a.m. on Dec. 27, in the clearing along Flagler Street, off Raubsville Road and above the 1900 block of South Delaware Drive (Route 611). The small building burned to the ground, and a truck parked behind it also appeared to have fire damage. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. When Boris Johnson embarks upon post-Brexit trade negotiations in Brussels, his advisers may wish to slip a copy of Monday's Financial Times into his briefing notes. The stridently pro-EU newspaper carried a front-page story that will have tickled the Prime Minister and his team. It claimed that Nissan has drawn up contingency plans to pull out of mainland Europe and boost manufacturing in the UK if Brexit leads to tariffs on car exports. Nissan has reportedly drawn up contingency plans to pull out of mainland Europe and boost manufacturing in the UK if Brexit leads to tariffs on car exports According to the report which has been categorically denied by the Japanese car maker the plan would see Nissan close its ailing Barcelona van plant and stop manufacturing in France. Meanwhile, it would dramatically beef up production in the UK at its giant Sunderland plant. Under the plans said to have been drawn up late last year bosses believe they could eventually sell one in five cars in the UK increasing their market share from 4 per cent to 20 per cent. The Micra, which is currently produced at a Renault plant in France as part of the Renault-Nissan alliance, would be moved back to the UK. And the firm would also weigh up whether to produce its X-Trail model in Sunderland. The rationale for this plan if it exists is fairly simple. If Johnson fails to secure the Canada-style free-trade deal with the EU that he is seeking, the UK could revert to World Trade Organisation rules. This would mean swingeing tariffs of 10 per cent on cars sold from the UK to the EU and vice versa, as well as taxes on car parts. The punitive regime would give Nissan the edge over car makers that import to Britain, such as Volkswagen, BMW and Ford. The premise behind the contingency plans could not be more at odds with Nissan's public position on Brexit. The group has previously warned that it may be forced to shut its plant in Sunderland employing around 6,000 if Britain leaves the EU without a deal. It has also warned it may have to pull the plug on manufacturing in Europe if tariffs are imposed. The firm stuck to this mantra yesterday, saying: 'We've modelled every possible ramification of Brexit and the fact remains that our entire business, both in the UK and in Europe, is not sustainable in the event of WTO tariffs.' But Nissan would not be the first company to hold a different position in public than it does behind closed doors. There is no doubt that the UK car manufacturing industry has the spare capacity to ramp up production. Industry figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show production slumped last year to the lowest level since 2010. Nissan has invested more than 4billion in its Sunderland site, which produces the Qashqai, Juke and electric models and is its most efficient plant outside of Japan. But industry experts have expressed doubts that Nissan sees Brexit as a big opportunity to expand in the UK. David Bailey of the Birmingham Business School said: 'Overall, I'm a bit sceptical. In the event of a hard Brexit we will probably see production shift both ways. 'There will be some shift from the EU to the UK. But this will be outweighed by the scale of the shift from the UK to the EU, as the EU is a bigger market.' As for claims that Nissan believes it can sell one in five cars in the UK, Bailey said: 'That's a bit of a moon shot it seems a huge leap.' Credit: CC0 Public Domain The world's second biggest fishthe basking sharkprefers to travel with family to familiar feeding sites, according to a new study led by the University of Aberdeen. The research, published today in Scientific Reports sheds new light on the migration routes of the sharks and outlines their vulnerability to environmental change. Basking sharks can grow more than 10 metres long and were recently classed as 'endangered' on the IUCN Red List. They feed on plankton and in the Northeast Atlantic, hundreds come together in surface waters during spring plankton blooms such as those that occur on the west coast of Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man. Often seen near the coast, these sharks have been shown to cross ocean basins and equatorial regions, diving to depths of more than 1000m. By developing a register of genetic profiles, the scientists were able to identify individual basking sharks when they arrived to feed. The results revealed that the fish repeatedly returned to the same feeding sites in successive years. Dr. Lilian Lieber, first lead author on the study of the research publication, now Research Fellow at Queens University Belfast, said: "Although developing genetic markers was challenging, the biggest obstacle to understanding how this endangered species uses the oceans was lack of DNA samples collected routinely from aggregations. At the start of our study, the relatively few available samples were from stranded sharks taken years and hundreds of kilometres apart, making them useless for population analyses. "A breakthrough came when we discovered our techniques worked on skin mucus. We routinely swabbed aggregations of sharks quickly and with minimal disturbance, to obtain genetic profiles of individuals traveling together." Regular shark swabbing built up a register of more than 400 DNA profiles, requiring a major global collaboration across five oceanic regions. Over 85 percent of samples were taken from free-swimming sharks at key sites in the Northeast Atlantic during the summer months. Some sharks were re-encountered within seasons, and then again in following years; occasionally on approximately the same date in different years at sampling locations only kilometres apart. The study also points to the increasingly developed Irish Sea as an important migration route. While the authors suggest that individuals of such a wide-ranging, long-lived filter-feeder are likely cosmopolitan, meaning groups are expected to mix and be genetically similar, comprehensive sampling revealed the first evidence of genetic differences between populations. Sharks sampled off Ireland in Spring, perhaps having overwintered near the US east coast, were genetically distinct from other Northeast Atlantic fish. Widespread, regular sampling revealed basking shark groups consist of individuals more related to each other than the rest of the population, indicating a tendency to travel as extended family parties following prescribed seasonal migration routes. Dr. Catherine Jones of the University of Aberdeen, study co-lead, said: "Perhaps relatives hang out together, which could facilitate learning migration routes and encourage other cooperative behaviours. This means theres more going on in basking shark aggregations than first appears in that they dont fit the shark stereotype of a lonesome independent predator." The northern European shelf hosts a plankton bonanza each year, making these areas a draw for basking sharks across the Atlantic, and possibly farther afield. Professor Les Noble, co- lead, now at Nord University, Bod, said: "Until this study the perception was they moved into warmer waters from globally distributed localities, sniffing out a plankton meal as they got closer to feeding sites, collecting in aggregations of unrelated sharkslike gourmets headed into town chancing on finding a good restaurant by smell. Now we know basking sharks book in advance at known Michelin starred venues, and take the family along." Finally, the study provides an important conservation relevant first, estimating a population size unlikely to exceed 10,000 individuals in Northeast Atlantic waters. This populations vulnerability to environmental change will be increased by loss of important genetic differences carried by kin groups; making continued genetic sampling at key sites a vital monitoring tool in this era of rapid environmental change. Dr. Jones added: "Losing a group of kin together, such as occurs during accidental bycatch, erodes variation rapidly, making these big, slowly reproducing fish less capable of evolving to cope with environmental change. That, and a tendency to utilize areas currently designated for development of marine renewable energy, may not produce a happy outcome, unless we see intelligent management of marine environments." Explore further Basking sharks exhibit different diving behaviour depending on the season, a new study shows More information: Lilian Lieber et al. Spatio-temporal genetic tagging of a cosmopolitan planktivorous shark provides insight to gene flow, temporal variation and site-specific re-encounters, Scientific Reports (2020). Journal information: Scientific Reports Lilian Lieber et al. Spatio-temporal genetic tagging of a cosmopolitan planktivorous shark provides insight to gene flow, temporal variation and site-specific re-encounters,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-58086-4 Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! China Monday opened a 1,000-bed hospital that crews rushed to build to help cope with a coronavirus outbreak that has sickened more than 17,200 people and killed at least 361 in China alone. The World Health Organization says it expects the number of cases to grow as test results from thousands of pending cases come in. The virus has been largely confined to China, although there are about 150 cases in 23 other countries. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death due to the virus outside of China. Chinese officials say more than 7,500 workers took part in building the new hospital in Wuhan, the city at the center of the epidemic. The workers began construction on Jan. 25 and are expected to complete a second hospital in Wuhan within days. Chinese authorities have tried to stop the spread by instituting bans on movement in certain regions and extending holidays to keep people away from schools and other large gatherings. Other nations put in place restrictions on those traveling from China, including the United States, which drew criticism from China's Foreign Ministry. Spokeswoman Hua Chunying accused the United States of spreading fear and not offering any substantial assistance in response to the outbreak. She said Washington has "unceasingly manufactured and spread panic," noting that the WHO has advised against travel restrictions. The United States began mandatory 14-day quarantines Sunday for U.S. citizens who had been in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, and entry bans for most non-U.S. citizens who traveled to China within the past two weeks. U.S. citizens and their immediate families, along with permanent residents and flight crews traveling from China, are being flown to certain airports for extra screening. A recent video, which is doing the rounds on the internet, shows Indians quarantined at a facility in Manesar dancing and grooving after their return from Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the outbreak of deadly coronavirus. In the video, which was shared by one of the Twitter users, the isolated group can be seen wearing masks and dancing to a popular Haryanvi song. As per the news reports, the death toll due to coronavirus has crossed 360 in China and the epidemic has already been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Earlier, the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama suggested the Chinese to chant Taara mantra to stop the virus from spreading. Watch the full video here: The video has already garnered over 134.7K views and 1.4K retweets. People on social media are appreciating the group of men for their high spirits and one of the users also commented, They look in very good spirits. Cheers. Check out the reactions here: Haha, we agree! Thank god, Our boys are affected by wrong corona pic.twitter.com/GWkfJL1ypT ( ) (@jrstark007) February 2, 2020 Scaring the virus away. Even the virus must be thinking ..Why the hell I am here Priyank Shah (@ipriyankshah) February 2, 2020 Aww. Happy to be back home! Good to be back home. No point being dull and scared of #coronavirus Have fun. It's long Quarantine period. Lack of TV. They are enjoying this time period. That spirit of India. Anup Sayare (@sayareakd) February 2, 2020 Hahahahahah. Virus :- main mada####d hun jo isme aaya pic.twitter.com/qyqmukrTdj sachin sharma (@sachins989898) February 2, 2020 Haina Yaar, gaana toh achha chun lete. Seema Sapra (@SeemaSapraLaw) February 2, 2020 Stay protected and happy! May you all stay healthy always! Anurag Sharma (@twitt_sunny) February 2, 2020 Indeed. best way to enjoy quarantine shiv ram krishna p.. (@shiv_486) February 2, 2020 Actor Raveena Tandon also reposted the video. unstoppable . My Sunday is made . https://t.co/184WnIMRLU Raveena Tandon (@TandonRaveena) February 2, 2020 Researchers from the University of Southampton compiled a list of countries that are at a high risk. According to them, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, the US, UK and India are the countries that are on high risk list. On Sunday, Air India's second special flight to Wuhan, landed in Delhi with 323 Indian and seven Maldivian citizens onboard. The first Air India flight brought back 324 Indians stranded in Wuhan on Saturday. Australian government officials are negotiating with Chinese authorities to relax its internet firewall to give international students access to online and video teaching from Australian universities. With Australia's international student market facing a potential $8 billion hit, Education Minister Dan Tehan and Trade Minister Simon Birmingham dialled into a meeting of the Council for International Educations global reputation taskforce before addressing the board of Universities Australia on Monday. A student at the University of NSW. Credit:Yianni Aspradakis The taskforce was established to monitor and advise the government and $39 billion industry on the impact of the virus and bushfires. Chair of the taskforce Phil Honeywood said Australian officials were negotiating with the Chinese government to try to relax restrictions on online and video teaching. "Information we have received from our government offices in China indicates there is scope for more flexibility," Mr Honeywood said. Weather Alert ...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in Kentucky...Illinois...Missouri... Ohio River at Paducah...Olmsted Lock and Dam...and Cairo For the Ohio River...including Paducah, Olmsted Lock and Dam, and Cairo...Minor flooding is forecast. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas. Caution is urged when walking near riverbanks. Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov. && ...FLOOD WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM THIS MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Minor flooding is forecast. * WHERE...Ohio River at Paducah. * WHEN...Until early tomorrow afternoon. * IMPACTS...At 39.0 feet, Minor flooding occurs affecting mainly bottomland and surrounding low lying areas. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 11:00 AM CST Monday the stage was 38.5 feet. - Forecast...The river is expected to rise to a crest of 39.0 feet tomorrow morning. - Flood stage is 39.0 feet. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood && Despite a new state law making it illegal to sell DMV appointments, YoGov, an Oakland company, continued to promise people that it could get them to the front of the line within a month in exchange for money until Friday.The company had second thoughts hours after astory questioned whether the service violated the new law.YoGov posted a notice on its website after 9 a.m. Friday advising customers, Please note that we no longer offer our DMV express service in California.In a phone interview, YoGov CEO Ryder Pearce toldthat the decision was made recently out of a desire to discuss the express appointment service with state officials.Id rather have conversations with the DMV first, Pearce said.Until Friday, YoGov offered an express service to find a DMV appointment in 3-4 weeks, about a quarter of the time it typically takes.That would seem to violate a state law that made it illegal to sell, or offer for sale, an appointment with the DMV starting this year.Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 317, authored by Assemblyman Tyler Diep, R-Westminster (Orange County), on Oct. 8. Diep said the law was needed to protect equal access to the DMV.Government is supposed to serve everyone equally, regardless of how much they can afford to pay, he said. At a time when DMV is struggling to meet demand, we cant allow companies to make the problem worse by making it a competitive appointment process between Californians and companies. Especially if these companies are turning a profit off a government service that is free to the public.Asked last week whether he was upset that YoGov was still profiting off its services to set up DMV appointments online, Diep said: The sale of DMV appointments is illegal and the attorney general or local district attorneys have the authority to prosecute any individual or entity that is doing so.He declined to comment on whether he thought YoGovs express appointment service was breaking the new law. So did the DMV.DMV is currently reviewing how this companys business model complies with this new law, said Anita Gore, a department spokeswoman. We advise all Californians that they do not need an appointment to access DMV services which are available at any DMV office.Pearce toldhis company gave average people a better shot at a timely appointment. YoGov didnt sell appointments, he said, but instead had a crew of assistants that worked to find them. He compared it to a CEO assigning an assistant to spend all day on the computer to snag an appointment. The average worker doesnt have the time, patience or money to do this, he said, so YoGov serves as an assistant, or concierge, constantly checking the DMV website and booking the best appointments when time slots open.YoGov workers manually searched individually for appointments for customers, Pearce said. The company did not use bots or other automated methods to gather appointments then dole them out to customers, he added.Abstractly, the law makes sense and I agree with it, Pearce said. But it doesnt apply to the service-oriented nature of what were doing. We provide personal assistance that will help you and save you time.Pearce created YoGov in 2016 out of frustration at standing in long lines at Oaklands Claremont Avenue DMV. The startups business, and its notoriety, soared in 2018 as the DMV struggled to deal with crowds applying for Real ID licenses that will be required to board domestic flights in October.Long waits at the DMV are ingrained in California culture, but lines grew unbearably long and appointments tougher to get as lines stretched out the door and wait times soared past six hours. Lawmakers demanded reform at the DMV, which increased staffing, opened earlier and added Saturday hours.Despite DMV efforts, the earliest appointment is typically three months away.The DMV toldin July 2018 that it was investigating YoGov but has repeatedly declined to disclose the results of that probe, even in responses to Public Records Act requests.Pearce said hes never been interviewed by the DMV but did initiate a conversation in 2018 to explain how YoGov operates. He has had no contact with state regulators, lawmakers or attorneys since the bill became law.I think their understanding was that we snatch up appointments and sell them, Pearce said. Thats not how we operate. This law might be good for the future, to prevent people from doing that, but it is not how we operate. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor The West Central Joint ETSB will vote on an agreement with Jersey County to provide administrative services for Jersey County 911 while its director goes on active duty with the Army National Guard. Jersey County 911 Director Rob Hedger is scheduled to go on active duty with the Army National Guard later this month, leaving the overseeing of the emergency dispatch to West Central Joint ETSB, should the board agree to the terms at its meeting Tuesday. Morgan County Emergency Management Director Phil McCarty said the agreement between the two agencies would be for administrative oversight while Hedger is gone. They will keep all dispatch operations there, we will just be helping with the management side, quality assurance, administrative stuff, McCarty said. We will just be supplementing that role while he is out. In addition to the agreement, McCarty said compensation will be decided on Tuesday as well. There will be some type of compensation, but the board will have to discuss that, McCarty said. They have to agree to provide the oversight first. McCarty said the agreement will be open to cover the entire time Hedger is on duty. Right now we dont know the length, he said. It could be upwards of seven months, or it could be shorter. Its up in the air. His status drives everything. If the board votes to approve the agreement, McCarty said the West Central Joint ETSB will take on the role immediately to provide a short transition period before Hedger leaves for duty. The meeting wiis scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Municipal Building, 200 W. Douglas Ave. PLEASE NOTE! Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate! All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited! (One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!) 'Smart wallpaper' that can boost WiFi signal in your home by up to ten times and allow for even smaller internet-connected devices has been developed by MIT researchers. A team of researchers from the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, has found a way to create a surface that can reflect and enhance wireless signals. They say this means WiFi can be added to devices that are currently too small to make it viable, or make already-connected devices 'more elegant'. This could allow for tiny sensors to detect indoor pollution levels, smaller smart speakers or even 'biomedical devices' inside the human body, according to the study's authors. Scroll down for video 'Smart wallpaper' that can boost WiFi signal in your home by up to ten times and allow for even smaller internet-connected devices is developed by MIT researchers The issue with ever-smaller smart technology is that smaller devices have smaller wireless antennas that struggle to maintain a good signal. The research team from MIT CSAIL developed a 'smart surface' called RFocus that can be installed as wallpaper into a home or office. It doesn't require power or wiring as it simply 'reflects' the signal being put out by other devices. By using the 'smart wallpaper' a device can act as a 'control', sending a lower-powered signal at the wall, which then reflects and scatters it out where needed. It can improve the median signal strength by nearly 10 times and double channel capacity in an office environment, according to the researchers. The technology uses software to control thousands of tiny wireless antennas built into the smart surface. 'The core goal here was to explore whether we can use elements in the environment and arrange them to direct the signal in a way that we can actually control,' senior study author Hari Balakrishnan told VentureBeat. 'If you want to have wireless devices that transmit at the lowest possible power, but give you a good signal, this seems to be one extremely promising way to do it.' The 2D RFocus surface can take signals and reflect them to the desired location, even from a low powered or low signal device such as a sensor Authors say one example of its use could be in a warehouse to connect hundreds of sensors for monitoring machines and inventory. THE INTERNET OF THINGS HAS 'NO WIDELY ACCEPTED DEFINITION' Although the term Internet of Things (IoT) first appeared in 2005, there is still no widely accepted definition. IoT includes gadgets bought by consumers, as well as products and services designed for businesses to help machines communicate with each other. For example, the term IoT can include the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags businesses place on products in stores to track their inventory, or sensors that monitor electricity use in hotels. Advertisement It costs just a few pence per antenna and because they don't require wiring or power, the smart wallpaper would be 'very cheap to produce at scale'. 'The biggest challenge was determining how to configure the antennas to maximise signal strength without using any additional sensors, since the signals we measure are very weak,' says PhD student Venkat Arun. Arun and his team were able to write software that controlled the antenna and pointed the signal where it needed to go. It is very early days for the new technology, which is still at the development stage. Longer term it's hoped it will provide a way to boost WiFi and even 5G signals. The research paper is available on open access library arxiv.org. Karen Finley was the head of an international tech company. She left prison a little over a year ago, at age 60. John Bills grew up in the patronage army of Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. He now sits behind bars in Pensacola, Florida, where he will stay until 2024. Martin OMalley met Bills at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and later became his bag man, for which he served a six-month prison stint. And Martin Sandoval was an Illinois state senator. He now faces 13 years in prison. What do these four characters have in common? They all made dirty money on the spread of red-light cameras throughout Chicago and its suburbs. And then they got caught. With a federal corruption probe burrowing deeper into Springfield, the Illinois General Assembly has only one choice when it comes to the future of a red-light camera industry that has infected nearly 100 communities statewide: shut it down. Sandoval pleaded guilty Tuesday to taking $250,000 in bribes from red-light camera company SafeSpeed LLC and others, as well as filing a false tax return. Court documents show Sandoval accepted money under the table from SafeSpeed in exchange for pushing bills in its favor and opposing bills that threatened the industrys interests. Hes agreed to cooperate with federal investigators. So dont be surprised if additional charges pop up. Sandovals was a familiar scene. It was a remix of the 2016 red-light camera scandal in Chicago where Bills, a former high-ranking transportation official, was sentenced to prison for taking bribes to contract with a particular red-light camera vendor called Redflex. Finley, the former CEO of Redflex, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. And OMalley served time for funneling company perks to Bills, including envelopes stuffed with cash and an Arizona condominium. Every bribe that is taken, every kickback that is tendered or received, every amount of cash that is pocketed further erodes the rule of law, U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall said at the time of Bills sentencing. It erodes faith in our government, and that takes years to rebuild. So what have lawmakers learned? For one, that the Bills scandal made Chicago too hot to touch, and clouted players could make just as much money outside the city as they did within. Last year, the Illinois Policy Institute published the first-ever comprehensive analysis of red-light cameras throughout the state. It found the devices had taken nearly $1.1 billion from drivers from 2008-2018 equivalent to one $100 ticket every 33 seconds. It also showed that while Chicago cameras have been on the decline since Bills arrest in 2014, the number of cameras outside the city have increased every year. Fewer than 90 cameras outside Chicago generating a total of $5.4 million a year in 2008 ballooned to more than 300 cameras generating more than $56 million a year by 2018 just as much cash as the Chicago cameras. Thats where Sandoval made his dirty money. But while its clear corruption runs rampant, did these cameras make communities safer? Claims of the cameras safety benefits have been challenged by studies showing they increase rear-end crashes when drivers slam on the brakes, making them a wash. Further, a 2017 Chicago Tribune report found more than half of camera projects approved by the Illinois Department of Transportation were at safe intersections, according to the departments own criteria. So now local governments are changing their argument: its actually about the money, and they cant afford to lose it. Whats truly unaffordable? Continuing to allow a program with few proven safety benefits and a track record of corruption to keep hitting up drivers for millions of dollars. Eleven states nationwide dont allow red-light cameras to issue tickets. And the number of communities using them is down 35% from their peak in 2012. A bipartisan bill in Springfield pushed by Republican state Rep. David McSweeney, House Bill 322, would ban red-light cameras in non-home-rule communities. Its attracted a dozen additional sponsors since Sandovals guilty plea. Get to work. Take them down. Austin Berg is a Chicago-based writer for the Illinois Policy Institute who wrote this column for The Center Square. He can be reached at aberg@illinoispolicy.org. We had impartial lawyers who developed over time an expertise in evaluating applications and the skills to determine whether this is a person who could be a danger to the public, Kupers said. If you leave it to the White House, you are more likely to get arbitrary, capricious pardons that may be perfectly legal but are not what the Founding Fathers had in mind. There is an ongoing deliberate and comprehensive consolidation of the security situation in the country including plans to recruit more troops and officers to beef up the personnel of security agencies in order to contain the threats and security concerns in the land, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. Mr Osinbajo stated this on Monday when he received, on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, clergymen from the Northern part of Nigeria under the auspices of the Arewa Pastors Forum for Peace. Speaking on how the Federal Government is managing the security concerns across the country, the Vice President assured the pastors we are doing everything that needs to be done. We are handling security well, and as you know, including military deployment in diverse fields, like the Boko Haram in the Northeast. In fact, we have to now recruit more into the army, and much faster than we ever did because we need men on the ground; resources also to buy more arms, to buy more platforms, the Vice President said. READ ALSO: Mr Osinbajo described how serious the Buhari administration considers the task, saying that at the last meeting of the National Security Council that was held on Thursday, we had discussions on how to beef up the militarys platforms. How do we beef up the numbers? How do we recruit more men and women into the army? How do we collaborate more with local vigilante, the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and all that, So, there is a lot going on in terms of trying to beef up security. The security situation is one that is very challenging. We are also looking at aspects of surveillance how we can do more aerial surveillance using drones and electronic devices to improve surveillance, the Vice President noted. Mr Osinbajo assured the clergymen that the Federal Government is also committed to finding lasting solutions to the perennial crisis in communities in the North and other parts of the country, including the ones bothering on religious prejudices. He urged the group as Men of God, to also come up with ideas and their thoughts on how to find lasting peace. Earlier in his remark, president of the Forum, Bishop Mbayo Japhet said the groups visit to the Presidential Villa was to support the administration and the Vice President, describing him as an apostle of peace. Russias S7 Airlines has suspended all flights to China and Hong Kong from 4 February - 28 March due to the coronavirus outbreak. "S7 Airlines have decided to suspend all flights to Chinese cities and Hong Kong from 4 February to 28 March. Flights will be suspended after the last one, S7 5724 from Beijing to Novosibirsk, will be carried out on 4 February", the press service said. According to the press service, the company considers these flights to be risky, as a basic check of passengers at the airport of departure does not guarantee the detection of primary symptoms of the coronavirus. The new strain of coronavirus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December and has since spread to more than 20 countries. The virus has so far killed 362 people and infected over 17,000 others. Former special inspector general of police (IGP) Abdur Rehman, who was set to address a protest at the Aligarh Muslim University against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, was detained by police here and asked to return to New Delhi. Rehman, who had resigned from his post in December last year in protest against the CAA, was detained at Lodha Police Station in Aligarh on Sunday. The former IPS officer from Maharashtra told reporters that he was served a written notice by police stating that his presence at the AMU could lead to a law and order problem, and hence he decided to comply with this missive "and would come back" again after he gets permission. He said the police told him that his presence at the AMU could be misused by some people as an excuse to instigate trouble on the campus. "I agreed to return because I am a law-abiding citizen and my purpose to visit the AMU was only to speak on the CAA and not provoke any trouble," he said before leaving Aligarh. Rehman said he was invited at the university on Sunday by the AMU Students Co-ordination Committee to address them on the new legislation. He had resigned from his post on December 11, 2019 in protest against the the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill which later got President Ram Nath Kovind's assent, turning it into an act. "This bill is against the religious pluralism of India. I request all justice loving people to oppose the Bill in a democratic manner. It runs against the very basic feature of the Constitution," he had said. "The bill is against the basic feature of the Constitution. I condemn this bill. In civil disobedience, I have decided not to attend office from tomorrow. I am finally quitting the service," Rehman had said in a statement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hyderabad, Feb 3 : The Supreme Court-appointed judicial commission probing the December 6 alleged encounter killing of four men accused of the gang-rape and murder of a Hyderabad veterinarian, on Monday began its work here. On the first day the panel obtained details of the investigation carried out by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Telangana government. Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat, who headed the SIT, met the three-member judicial commission to apprise it of its findings. Headed by a former Supreme Court judge, Justice V.S. Sirpurkar, the commission also has former judge of Bombay High Court Justice Rekha Sundar Baldota and former CBI director D.R. Karthikeyan as members. It is conducting its hearing at the premises of Telangana High Court. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is providing security to the panel. Over the next two days, the commission is likely to examine officials of Cyberabad Police including those who took part in the alleged encounter. The panel is also likely to gather details from forensic experts who conducted the autopsy of the bodies of the four accused. It will also record the statements of the families of the four men. Two truck drivers and two cleaners, all aged between 20 and 26 years, were shot dead by police at Chatanpally near Shadnagar town, about 50 km from Hyderabad, on December 6. Police claimed that the accused who were taken to the crime scene to make some recoveries, attacked police personnel and even snatched their weapons and fired. It said all four were killed when police returned fire. All the four were accused in the brutal gang-rape and murder of the 26-year-old veterinarian at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad on November 27. According to police, after the sexual assault and murder, the accused shifted the victim's body to Chatanpally where they set it afire. The alleged encounter was hailed by those demanding immediate justice to the victim but human rights groups raised doubts about the police claim and approached the Supreme Court for a thorough probe. The Supreme Court on December 12 appointed the three-member commission, directing it to submit its report within six months from the date of its first sitting. A bench of Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, Justice Abdul Nazeer and Justice Sanjeev Khanna barred the Telangana High Court and the National Human Rights Commission from initiating or proceeding with any probe already initiated into the encounter. A seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a man at a village in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, police said on Monday. The 22-year-old man allegedly took the girl to sugarcane fields in Dholri village in Titawi area and raped her on Sunday, the police said. She was later found crying in the fields by the villagers who took the girl to her home and informed the police, they said. A case has been registered against the accused and the minor sent for medical examination, the police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Theoretical physicists from Trinity College Dublin have found a deep link between one of the most striking features of quantum mechanics -- quantum entanglement -- and thermalisation, which is the process in which something comes into thermal equilibrium with its surroundings. Their results are published today [Friday 31st January 2020] in the journal Physical Review Letters. We are all familiar with thermalisation -- just think how your coffee reaches room temperature over time. Quantum entanglement on the other hand is a different story. Yet work performed by Marlon Brenes, PhD Candidate, and Professor John Goold from Trinity, in collaboration with Silvia Pappalardi and Professor Alessandro Silva at SISSA in Italy, shows how the two are inextricably linked. Explaining the importance of the discovery, Professor Goold, leader of Trinity's QuSys group, explains: "Quantum entanglement is a counterintuitive feature of quantum mechanics, which allows particles that have interacted with each other at some point in time to become correlated in a way which is not possible classically. Measurements on one particle affect the outcomes of measurements of the other -- even if they are light years apart. Einstein called this effect 'spooky action at a distance'." "It turns out that entanglement is not just spooky but actually ubiquitous and in fact what is even more amazing is that we live in an age where technology is starting to exploit this feature to perform feats which were thought to be impossible just a number of years go. These quantum technologies are being developed rapidly in the private sector with companies such as Google and IBM leading the race." advertisement But what has all this got to do with cold coffee? Professor Goold elaborates: "When you prepare a cup of coffee and leave it for a while it will cool down until it reaches the temperature of its surroundings. This is thermalisation. In physics we say that the process is irreversible -- as we know, our once-warm coffee won't cool down and then magically warm back up. How irreversibility and thermal behaviour emerges in physical systems is something which fascinates me as a scientist as it applies on scales as small as atoms, to cups of coffee, and even to the evolution of the universe itself. In physics, statistical mechanics is the theory which aims at understanding this process from a microscopic perspective. For quantum systems the emergence of thermalisation is notoriously tricky and is a central focus of this current research." So what's all this got to do with entanglement and what do your results say? "In statistical mechanics there are various different ways, known as ensembles, in which you can describe how a system thermalizes, all of which are believed to be equivalent when you have a large system (roughly on scales of 10^23 atoms). However, what we show in our work is that not only is entanglement present in the process, but its structure is very different depending on which way you choose to describe your system. So, it gives us a way to test foundational questions in statistical mechanics. The idea is general and can be applied to a range of systems as small as a few atoms and as large as blackholes." Marlon Brenes, PhD candidate at Trinity and first author of the paper, used super-computers to simulate quantum systems to test the idea. Brenes, a numerical specialist, said: "The numerical simulations for this project that I performed are at the limit of what can currently be done at the level of high-performance computing. To run the code I used the national facility, ICHEC, and the new Kay machine there. So, as well as being a nice fundamental result the work helped us really push the boundaries of this type of computational approach and establish that our codes and the national architecture are performing at the cutting edge." Professor Goold's research is supported by an SFI-Royal Society University Research Fellowship and a European Council Starting Grant. U S Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, has surged in Iowa , eclipsing fellow Leftist Elizabeth Warren. In many polls, Sanders also leads each of the centrist candidates. This is big news. No Left-wing candidate has done this well in the US in roughly 100 years. President Trumps impending acquittal in his impeachment trial, however, may cause Iowas still undecided Democratic voters to break from Bernie Sanders and towards a safe centrist candidate who is seen as able to defeat Donald Trump in 2020. If the likeable but fragile Joe Biden falters, then the youthful and dynamic Pete Buttigieg, adored by older Iowan voters, may displace him. Standing just offstage, however, is multi-billionaire Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, who has vowed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to save the country from both Sanders and Trump. Bloomberg is not a candidate in Iowa but will be a force in future primaries. Buckle up. Gary Gerstle, Paul Mellon Professor of American History, University of Cambridge Editor's reply Dear Gary You sum up the opening salvos in the 2020 presidential campaign well. The result of the Iowa caucus overnight will give us the first solid clue about whether the Democrats are serious about trying to beat Donald Trump, or like when the Labour Party chose Jeremy Corbyn they want to be self-righteous losers. Just as everyone underestimated Trumps likelihood of winning the White House last time, now this time they overestimate it. Its close, or should be. But if the Democrats offer the American public someone on the fringes of the Left, like Bernie Sanders, then US voters will re-elect the current President. If they choose someone more in the centre then the contest will be wide open. The same lessons apply to the Labour Party here as it chooses its candidates to replace the defeated Corbynistas. George Osborne, Editor of the Evening Standard Wuhan was slow to act on virus China's management of the coronavirus reminds us of how globalisation has tied us closely to events in China. The spread of the virus beyond China is not a reason to halt our engagement with China or globalisation. Both have brought huge benefits. But we should draw a lesson from the fact that the Wuhan Government refused to act when the first cases of transmission to human beings were reported in early December. The rest is history. It is one thing for a country to take an absolutist view on sovereignty. It is another when it puts health and safety at risk for party political reasons. Abuse of power in China affects not only Chinese citizens. Steve Tsang, Director, SOAS China Institute This woman MP isnt nameless Hilary Benn, Lisa Nandy, and Catherine McKinnell / Getty Images I enjoyed the interview with Lisa Nandy [I want to speak for everyone, January 30] and she makes good points about gender. So it is a shame in the online picture with the article you mentioned Hilary Benn in the caption but not the female MP Ms Nandy was with. Her name is Catherine McKinnell and she is the Labour MP for Newcastle North. Its details such as these which will help women reach equal representation in politics. Louise Maloney HS2 will bring the country together Our membership, which comprises Central Londons property developers, investors and advisers, are fully behind the HS2 railway line, which will be critically important to not just delivering the jobs and homes that we need, but helping bring the country closer together literally. HS2 would be the greatest-ever partnership between public and private sectors, serve as catalyst for development and regeneration across the country, and, at a conservative estimate, create 500,000 new jobs and 90,000 new homes. Moreover, it would be transformative for our economy, enabling regional cities to capitalise on Londons status as a leading global city, and support the growth of talent and skills across the country. Sardar Manpreet Singh, son of AAP MLA from Kalkaji, Avtar Singh, on Monday joined the Congress in presence of party's Delhi chief Subhash Chopra. Besides Manpreet Singh, several people of the AAP from the Kalkaji assembly constituency joined the Congress, according to an official statement. Chopra said the Congress was contesting the assembly elections on issues that affect the people and for the development of the national capital. "The people of Delhi would certainly seek answers to the double-speak and dual actions of BJP and AAP in the assembly elections, and they would be handed out an unforgettable lesson," Chopra said. Delhi goes to polls on February 8 and the result will be declared on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Even before the Office of the Special Prosecutor, tasked by President Akufo-Addo to unravel the complicity of any past or present public official in the infamous Airbus scandal, Former Head of Communications at the Presidency during ex-President Mahamas tenure, Stan Xoese Dogbe believes considering "Ghana did not lose any money" there is need for government to investigate the matter. The aide to the former President, in a Facebook post, wants the Akufo-Addo government to rather probe his corruption-laden "family and cronies" appointees; their sordid enterprises which are "still fresh in the minds of Ghanaians". "Ha ha ha!! Finally, the SP [Special Prosecutor] will have some work to do." "But please, Mr. Akufo-Addo, given that Govt of Ghana did not lose any money in this Airbus matter, and yet you are willing to attempt some so-called investigation, just asking, why wont you rather investigate the nepotism-induced $24m tax waiver you gave to your in-law which will be at a cost to the tax payer?" "The criminal PDS scandal involving your family and cronies is also still fresh in our minds ooo!" Stan Dogbe's post read. Prez Charges Martin Amidu Following news of the Crown Court at Southwark in the United Kingdom's judgement on 31st January, 2020, between the Director of the Serious Fraud Office and Airbus SE, in which the European multinational aerospace corporation was fined $3.9 billion for the payment of bribes to secure deals in five countries, including Ghana, the Office of the President charged the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, to with immediate effect delve into the bottom of the Airbus bribery scandal and investigate the complicity of any public official, "past or present" who may have been involved in the saga. "....President Akufo-Addo has taken notice of the judgement and its implications, and has referred it to the Office of Special Prosecutor to collaborate with its UK counterparts to conduct a prompt inquiry to determine the complicity or otherwise of any Ghanaian government official, past or present, involved in the said scandal, and to take the necessary legal action against any such official, as required by Ghanaian law," a statement signed by Communications Director at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin read. Grave, Pervasive and Pernicious A London High Court found Airbus guilty, and imposed a fine of three billion pounds (3bn) as penalties. Airbus was charged with five counts of failing to prevent bribery, having used a network of secret agents to pay large-scale backhanders to officials in foreign countries to land high-value contracts. Anti-corruption investigators, according to The Guardian, have described the court's decision as the largest ever corporate fine for bribery in the world. A judge declared the corruption was grave, pervasive and pernicious. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video T he suspect shot dead in the Streatham terror attack was wearing a fake bomb device, police have now confirmed. It comes as footage shows police cautiously approaching him after the shooting, then backing away shouting at members of the public to clear the area. The man was gunned down at around 2pm on Sunday in Streatham High Road after stabbing a man and a woman - the man remains in a life-threatening condition. A third victim, a woman, suffered minor injuries said to have been caused by glass that smashed when a police officer fired his weapon. Police believe the attack was 'Islamist-related' (NIGEL HOWARD ) / Nigel Howard London Metropolitan Police say they believe the incident was Islamist-related and said the man was being surveilled and was killed as part of a proactive Counter Terrorism operation. Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said in a statement: "As part of a proactive Counter Terrorism operation, armed officers were in immediate attendance and shot a male suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene. "A device was found strapped to the body of the suspect and specialist officers attended. DAC D'Orsi said officers managed to quickly establish the device was a hoax. Streatham terror attack - In pictures 1 /28 Streatham terror attack - In pictures Police are dealing with an incident in Streatham Andy Bullemor Police officers conduct a search of a bail hostel in south London AFP via Getty Images A woman reacts near to the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police Getty Images Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police cordon off a property in Streatham PA Forensic officers outside a property on Leigham Court Road, Streatham PA Police activity at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police officers look under a bus as they work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the Streatham area of south London AP Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police officer on Streatham High Road PA Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Police officers guard a cordon on Streatham High Road, at the junction of Prentis Road AFP via Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police secure the area in Streatham AP Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard She added: "The situation has been contained and officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command are now leading an investigation into the incident. The incident was quickly declared as a terrorist incident and we believe it to be Islamist-related. However as you would expect, officers continue to work in the area to ensure there is no continuing danger to the public and that all evidence is gathered. Streatham High Road remains closed at this time, and cordons are in place. We will reopen these as soon as we can. While police say it is an isolated incident, extra police patrols are being placed in the area to reassure the public and people are being asked to "remain vigilant and report any concerns they have to police". Counter Terrorism Command are now conducting an investigation into the attack / NIGEL HOWARD DAC D'Orsi said: "My thoughts are with the victims and their loved-ones at this time. "We would like to thank the numerous members of the public who assisted officers and ambulance staff this afternoon following a very confusing and alarming incident." One witness described seeing the man apparently carrying a weapon with silver canisters on his chest being shot in front of a Boots store. People are being asked to remain vigilant / AFP via Getty Images Another said members of the public came to the aid of victims, with one saying she had been stabbed. People took shelter in nearby shops as the incident unfolded on the busy south London high street. A 19-year-old student from Streatham, who did not want to be named, told the PA news agency: I was crossing the road when I saw a man with a machete and silver canisters on his chest being chased by what I assume was an undercover police officer, as they were in civilian clothing. The man was then shot. I think I heard three gunshots but I cant quite remember. After that, I ran into the library to get to safety. From the library, I saw a load of ambulances and armed police officers arrive on the scene. Kiranjeet Singh, 38, told the Sun Online the suspected terrorist stole a 10inch knife from his brother's bargain shop before leaving a trail of injured people in his wake. He stabbed a terrified woman in the back before she ran away screaming in pain, another witness said, before slashing a young man in the chest with a "huge knife". Residents and people from across the UK have reacted in shock and disbelief in the wake of the incident. A third victim was injured by glass that shattered when hit by a bullet fired by the police officer / NIGEL HOWARD Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party and councillor for the St Leonards ward on Lambeth Council, told PA: Theres absolute shock and disbelief from residents that are around. There was an immediate sense of panic and fear when it happened. In a statement, London Mayor Sadiq Khan praised the emergency services as the best of us, adding: Terrorists seek to divide us and to destroy our way of life here in London we will never let them succeed. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said their thoughts were with the injured. Mr Johnson has returned to Downing Street from Chequers to lead the government's response to the latest terrorist incident to hit the country. Terror attacks in Britain The suspect was shot dead on the street as part of a proactive counter terrorism operation / AP A series of terror attacks has brought horror to the streets of Britain in recent years. The latest saw a man shot dead by armed police officers in Streatham, south London, on Sunday, with the Metropolitan Police declaring it as a terrorist-related incident. Here are some of the major domestic incidents in recent years: May 22, 2013 Fusilier Lee Rigby died as a result of multiple cut and stab wounds after being attacked in Woolwich, south-east London, by extremists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale. Adebolajo was given a whole-life term and Adebowale was jailed for a minimum of 45 years. June 16, 2016 Labour MP Jo Cox was stabbed 15 times and shot three times outside her constituency surgery in Birstall, near Leeds, a week before the EU referendum. Neo-Nazi Thomas Mair, who shouted Britain first in the attack, was given a whole life sentence for the murder. March 22, 2017 Kent-born Khalid Masood, 52, was shot dead by police after he drove a rental car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing Pc Keith Palmer, 48, in the Palace of Westminsters forecourt. US tourist Kurt Cochran, Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, and Britons Aysha Frade and Leslie Rhodes were also killed. May 22, 2017 Around 10.30pm British-born Salman Abedi, 22, walked into the foyer of Manchester Arena as crowds streamed out of an Ariana Grande concert and detonated a device packed with shrapnel, killing 22 people, including children. June 3, 2017 A white van hit pedestrians on London Bridge before three men got out of the vehicle and began stabbing people in nearby Borough Market, leaving eight people dead and 48 injured. Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba were shot dead by police minutes later. June 19, 2017 A group of Muslim worshippers were hit after a van slammed into them near Finsbury Park Mosque, north London, after many of them had attended evening prayers during the holy month of Ramadan. One person died. Darren Osborne was jailed for at least 43 years after being found guilty of murder and attempted murder. September 15, 2017 Ahmed Hassans homemade bomb partially exploded on a London Underground rush hour train at Parsons Green, injuring more than 50 people. He was sentenced to life with a minimum jail term of 34 years. November 29, 2019 One of India's leading matrimonial websites, Shaadi.com, is under fire in the UK for alleged discrimination against the Scheduled Caste community. The website is allegedly reinforcing caste-based discrimination with an option for Scheduled Castes to be left out of algorithms. Shaadi.com is the largest matrimonial website in the UK catering to the Indian community. unsplash/representational image It has been accused of allowing discrimination against the Scheduled Caste community, and raised questions about whether its algorithms are consistent with the country's equality law. According to a report in The Sunday Times, a profile set up for a higher caste person was not offered lower caste potential matches unless they adjusted their preferences to include all other castes. While Shaadi.com has denied caste-based bias because its community" setting is not discriminatory, a barrister has warned that there might be a potential breach of the UK's Equality Act. Restricting matches by caste could be contravening the Equality Act. By forcing users to state their caste, the sites are either discriminating themselves, or knowingly aiding discrimination by users," Chris Milsom, a barrister who led the first successful charge of caste discrimination in the UK in 2015, told the newspaper. Caste discrimination is outlawed in India. In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 prevents discrimination on the grounds of race and other protected characteristics, with caste considered an aspect of race. Santosh Dass, chair of the Anti-Caste Discrimination Alliance, which has been lobbying for a standalone anti-caste law in the UK, told news agency PTI, Using algorithms to segregate and favour certain users on the grounds of caste is outrageous you would never do the same with race. I am shocked." However, Shaadi.com said that its community" question works as an important proxy to determine lifestyle fitment" but that it did not remove any community from user preferences." There is no bias built in the system that reduces the visibility of a particular community. We are not in violation of any act as the platform does not discriminate [on the] basis [of] community or race and provides equal opportunity to everyone regardless of their race and community," a spokesperson of the matrimonial site told the newspaper. New Delhi: Hundreds of locals on Sunday staged a demonstration near the anti-CAA protest site in Delhis Shaheen Bagh, demanding the removal of barricades from the road connecting Noida with Kalindi Kunj. The locals demanded that the people, who have been sitting on dharna there for over a month to protest against the CAA, should clear the stretch as the commuters are facing difficulties, the police said. Senior Delhi police officers were at the spot monitoring the situation to ensure that no untoward incident takes place. The officers were trying to negotiate with the protesters and asking them to maintain peace. The protesters, including women, raised slogans like Jai Shree Ram, Vande Matram, and Khali Karao Shaheen Bagh wallo ko. We want the roads to be cleared. They (protesters) have been sitting on protest for 50 days now. It has been causing inconvenience to us. Our children have not been able to go to school because the roads are blocked, said Rekha Devi, a resident of Jasola. Panasonic has announced it will no longer sell TVs in Australia, but will focus on other products and emerging areas. Customer service will still be provided to all owners of current Panasonic TVs. A statement follows: Panasonic Australia has decided to withdraw from the Australian television market in 2020, in light of current local market conditions and to allow the company to focus on other established and emerging areas of the business. Panasonic has informed our valued retail partners of this decision, and will continue to build on our strong and successful relationship with them as we work together to offer the diverse range of Panasonic products to Australian consumers. Our current range of high-quality television models will continue to be sold via retailers in Australia while stocks last. Panasonic Australia will also continue to provide customer service to all owners of its television products. We will always put our customers first and provide the highest level of support. This decision will not affect any other products in our Home AV range or any other categories, which remain available in Australia in 2020 and beyond. Were excited by whats in store this year across our broad portfolio of consumer electronics and appliance categories including our popular audio, video and LUMIX imaging products, our growing range of personal care and kitchen appliances, and our award winning air conditioning range, as well as our recently re-launched Technics premium audio brand. Panasonic has been an industry leader in consumer electronics for more than 100 years and we are proud of the enduring success of our business in Australia. Panasonic will continue to evolve its portfolio of products and solutions to meet the needs of the Australian market. The Streatham knife attacker was arrested in 2018 on suspicion of planning a terror attack an offence that can carry a life sentence but was charged with less serious crimes on the advice of prosecutors, it has emerged. Sudesh Amman was 18 when counterterror police swooped on his family home in Harrow, after being tipped off over online posts where he claimed to be armed and ready for an attack. Amman had written the slogan on a black flag, alongside a knife and two apparent firearms, after calling for attacks on disbelievers and a pro-LGBT+ speaker in Hyde Park. Police initially arrested him on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism, which can be punished with life imprisonment. But a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) we did not charge with this offence. Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Show all 22 1 /22 Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police officers on Streatham High Road. The Metropolitan Police warned people to stay away from the Streatham area boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings The man was shot dead by police after two stabbed in 'Islamist-related' terror attack in London boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Sudesh Amman, the attacker, has been named as a convicted terror offender who was released from prison days ago Metropolitan Police/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road Isis supporter Amman was just 18 when he was jailed in December 2018 after police found a stash of bomb-making manuals and other propaganda. Now 20, he had declared his own wish to carry out a terror attack and stockpiled a combat knife, air gun and black flag at his family home in London PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings He was being monitored by undercover police and being followed as part of a proactive counterterrorism operation when he started the rampage in Streatham AP Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Amman was able to stab two people before being shot dead by armed officers outside a busy row of shops Gabriel Video/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A woman reacts as police officers interview people near to the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings An armed police officer on Streatham High Road Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said Amman was wearing a fake suicide ves Gully/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers work outside of a Boots store AFP via Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers at the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police forensic officer works at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police officer on the scene Dave Chawner/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers are seen near the site Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers on the scene outside an Iceland supermarket Andy Bullemor/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police are seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A policeman secures the site of the incident EPA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Megan Tobeck Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Michael Owens Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers at the scene PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A Police officer is seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Amman later pleaded guilty to six counts of possessing a document containing terrorist information, and seven counts of disseminating a terrorist publication. Sentencing him to three years and four months in prison in December 2018, Judge Mark Lucraft QC confirmed that Amman had declared a pledge of allegiance to Isis and discussed carrying out attacks using knives and acid. In the notebook found in the search where you made notes about explosives and detonators you also note goals in life that include a desire to die as a martyr and to go to paradise, the judge told the extremist at the Old Bailey. The court had heard how Amman started collecting terrorist propaganda aged 17, shared it with children as young as 11 and incited his girlfriend to behead her kuffar parents. Among the numerous terror manuals he collected were two dedicated to knife fighting techniques. If Amman had been convicted of preparing a terrorist act, rather than the propaganda offences, he would have received a longer extended determinate sentence forcing him to undergo a Parole Board assessment before being released. But he was freed automatically after serving half of his term in prison last week, and sent to a probation hostel in London under licence conditions. On Monday, the justice secretary said the government was planning to introduce emergency legislation to ensure terrorists are not automatically released from prison halfway through their sentence. Robert Buckland told the Commons that "yesterday's appalling incident makes the case plainly for immediate action". Scotland Yard said undercover police officers were following him on foot as part of a proactive operation when he launched his attack in Streatham on Sunday. The 20-year-old was shot dead, while wearing a fake suicide vest, but the two victims he stabbed survived. Streatham terror attack: What we know so far It was the third terror attack in just over two months to be carried out by a convicted terrorist in Britain, following stabbings at Fishmongers Hall and inside HMP Whitemoor. Isis claimed responsibility for the stabbing with a generically worded statement on Monday morning, which suggested the group was working from news reports rather than direct communication with Amman. His mother, Haleema Faraz Khan, told Sky News that he was a nice, polite boy who had seemed normal when she visited him at his probation hostel on Thursday. She said he had become more religious since being in prison, and that she believed he had been radicalised while in HMP Belmarsh. Recommended Terrorist prisoners free to network and radicalise inmates in UK jails She added: He was watching and listening to things online which brainwashed him. Ammans trial heard that he started collecting terrorist propaganda at the age of 17 in the same year where he was handed youth referral orders for possessing cannabis and an offensive weapon. A former neighbour in Harrow told the Evening Standard he became religious at around that time, adding: He had been in a bit of trouble for selling weed. He then started wearing the robes and being religious. It comes after research showed a significant number of Isis recruits across Europe had criminal convictions, and were drawn to terrorism as a means of gaining purpose and salvation. The former head of counterterror police warned on Monday that more dangerous people are now being released from British prisons than returning from Syria. There have been repeated warnings including by the Parole Board and a government review over rampant Islamist radicalisation and networking in British jails. There are currently more than 200 people jailed for terror offences in the UK, but up to 800 inmates have been flagged as potential extremists. Prison officers fear the real number is far higher. Recent cases have shown that terrorists are able to network and radicalise others inside prisons, and may be faking compliance with deradicalisation schemes. British security services have foiled 24 attack plots 16 Islamist and eight far-right since March 2017. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 13:55 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062426cf 1 National Hindus,hindu,denpasar,state-universities,Hinduism,Jokowi,university Free President Joko Jokowi Widodo has issued a presidential regulation (Perpres) turning the Hindu Dharma State Institute (IHDN) in Denpasar, Bali into the countrys first Hindu state university. The regulation stated that the new university, named I Gusti Bagus Sugriwa State Hindu University (UHN), would administer Hindu higher education programs as well as other types of higher education programs to support Hindu higher education programs. Through the regulation, which was enacted last week, all current IHDN students are converted to UHN students, and all the institutes assets and employees are transferred to the newly formed university. The change in status has been declared through a Perpres and is just awaiting the handover from the central government. I am very happy and thankful, IHDN rector I Gusti Ngurah Sudiana said in a statement on the institutes official website on Friday. The institute itself started out as a state academy for Hindu religion teachers in 1993, before being converted into the Hindu Religion State College in 1999, and then into the IHDN in 2004. Sudiana said the regulation marked a historic moment for the Hindu faithful in Indonesia. Clearly this shows that President Jokowi has given special attention to Hindu educational institutions in Bali in order to improve the quality of our human capital, he said. Because of that, we should use this moment to move toward excellent human capital in Bali in the future. (kmt) David McNew/Getty Images Federal officials confirmed the number of U.S. cases of 2019 novel coronavirus had reached 11 on Monday, describing the increasingly deadly global crisis as explosive and unprecedented, and suggesting it amounted to a potential pandemic. Two people over the weekend in California became the second domestic case of person-to-person transmission of the virus, said Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She painted a picture of a dogged but realist federal and state approach to containment that now included measures in place at 11 airports across the U.S. We expect to see more cases of person-to-person spread among close contacts, she told reporters, later adding, The goal here is to slow entry of this virus into the United States. According to Messonnier, 167 people under investigation for the virus in the U.S. had tested negative for infection, and officials had tests on 82 people pending as of Monday morning. She said the CDC had isolated the virus and planned to submit materials to the Food and Drug Administration to facilitate the dispersal of potentially life-saving medical products that might help facilities be better able to identify cases without transmitting samples to CDC headquarters in Atlanta, as they have been. China Arrested Doctors Who Warned About Coronavirus Outbreak. Now Death Tolls Rising, Stocks Are Plunging. California has now become a domestic epicenter of infections, with two infections confirmed in Santa Clara County, in the Bay Area; two more in San Benito County, near Monterey, where a man appeared to infect his wife; and, previously, one case each in Orange County and Los Angeles County, in Southern California. On Saturday, a UMass-Boston college student returning from Wuhan was also confirmed to be infected. Initial U.S. cases were identified in suburban Seattle, in Chicago (where a woman was believed to have infected her husband upon returning from abroad), and in an individual affiliated with Arizona State University in Tempe. Story continues Worldwide, the novel coronavirus has been linked to at least 361 deaths in China and least one in the Philippines. It had infected at least 17,000 people in China as of Sunday, according to The New York Times, which suggested both that its rate of infection was higher than the 2002-03 SARS epidemic and that its mortality rate appeared to be significantly lower. On the call with reporters, CDC officials also offered more details on a travel ban imposed by way of a presidential proclamation Friday. New airports covered by the federal response include Dulles in Virginia, Newark Liberty in New Jersey, Dallas-Fort Worth in Texas, and Detroit Metropolitan. Foreign nationals who have visited China in the last 14 days will be barred from entering the country, with some exemptions. Both citizens and exempted persons will see additional health assessments and, if symptomatic, transferred and potentially quarantined for 14 days. Just how easily the disease might spread from infected people within the United States remains to be seen. While some studies and reports have suggested asymptomatic people can spread the illness, the CDC at one point pushed back on that conclusion, before nodding to growing evidence of the possibility on Friday. Then again, some people might be higher risks of spreading infection than others. There has been a lot of discussion among clinicians and scientists about what is something called the R0, which is how many people on average does one person infect, Davidson Hamer, a professor of global health and medicine at Boston University, told The Daily Beast. The estimates are somewhere between 1.5 and 3, but again those are just estimates. In SARS, there were what we call super spreaders, where one person could infect or appear to infect many, many people, he added. We dont understand how that occurred. We dont know if there are super spreaders with this novel coronavirus yet. Susan Zalkind contributed reporting to this story. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. SIOUX CITY -- Every time Esmeralda Sebastian Benitez looks down, she sees the colors of the rainbow. That's probably because the North High School student uses her knees as a palette for her paints. "My parents complain that I always have dried paint stuck on my clothes and in my hair," Esmeralda said, showing off paint splashed on the exposed parts of holey jeans. "Guess I'm getting it on my skin as well." Esmeralda doesn't seem to mind. After all, a mosaic that she made was good enough to take home second place for the Martin Luther King Jr. Art Contest, sponsored by the Sioux City Community School District and coordinated by fine arts and community outreach program coordinator Pat Toben. Esmeralda and eight other winners will be recognized at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) annual Freedom Fund Banquet, to be held Feb. 15 in Sioux City. While Esmeralda finished second in the high school art category, her classmate Casandra Tounjian had art that got the top spot. "My art shows a little girl surrounded by the quotes of Martin Luther King Jr." Casandra, a North 11th-grader, said. "The flower the girl is holding, represents her bright future." Teacher Sarah Pautsch said her students have participated in the art contest, dedicated to the slain civil rights leader, for many years. "The kids like it because it represents a challenge," she said. "Judges aren't interested in a poster with Martin Luther King Jr.'s face on it. You have to dig deeper. You have to show more of your personality." That wasn't easy for Youla Tricia Onayan, a North 10th-grader whose art earned her a third place finish. A native of the Philippines, Youla only knew about MLK from what she read in textbooks. "There is really only one race in the Philippines and that's Asian," she said. "America is much more of a melting pot." This is why Youla's art showcased a white face, an Asian face and an African-American face, surrounded by the words "live in harmony for we are all related." In addition to high schoolers, the art contest also awarded elementary and middle school artists. Jaci Bowder, of Spalding Park, received a first place finish in the elementary school category, while Mina Philavanh, of Unity, and Kaitlynn Miller, of Spalding Park, took home second and third place honors, respectively. West Middle School dominated the middle school category. Moises Alferez Cruz and Angie Amaya Hildalgo were selected second and third place finishers, while classmate Mya Comstock, a West Middle sixth-grader, received top honors. "My mom freaked out when she found out I came in first place," Mya said, describing her art as representing hands of different colors surrounded by one red heart. In a family where she is one of seven siblings, Mya uses her art as a creative outlet. However, she wants to pursue a career in medicine when she grows up. It is something she shares in common with Youla, who wants to study nursing in college. Like Youla, Casandra loves science as well as art. In fact, she'd like to teach high school science. Esmeralda, on the other hand, is adamant about following her artistic aspirations. "I want to study art in Sweden, spend time in Italy and see as much of the rest of the world that I can," she said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A helpful resource that many Christians use to share their faith is called, The Romans Road to Salvation. This four-point path can help you explain why a person needs a Savior, but if youre not careful it can easily be construed as a religious ritual focusing more on what a person can get from God, in exchange for the simple repetition of a prayer. Consider one warning: I was lost on the Roman Road for years because I trusted a formula instead of trusting Jesus work on the cross. Anyone whos responded to the coaxing and pressure to go forward, raise your hand to get saved, etc. needs to examine Scripture to be sure they are on the right road. Im not ready to throw out the Romans Road as a stepping off point when sharing the gospel, but I think it would be helpful to evaluate ways to incorporate other scriptures along with these verses from Romans to present the whole counsel of God in regards to salvation. My husband was a youth pastor for eighteen years, and we also spoke together at youth camps, so weve seen our share of teens walking aisles to surrender to Christ. Weve been blessed to see countless lives transformed by their genuine repentance. But, weve also observed those who accepted Jesus turn back to follow their own path. Whenever someone falls away its heartbreaking. In 2 Timothy 4:10, Paul lamented over those who turned back to the world. First John 2:19 offers this insight, They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. Its the Spirits work that brings people to genuine salvation. When He invites us to join Him, by sowing seeds of the gospel, its sometimes tempting to pressure a person to raise their hand or pray a prayer to accept Jesus before they're ready. When this happens the heartfelt prayer at the altar may not result in a true conversionwhich is heartbreaking and confusing. It helps to understand that simply reciting a prayer is not what God requires. Rather, Hes looking for a heart that is broken and contrite over sin. It is this godly sorrow, inspired by the Spirits work, that produces true repentance leading to salvation (see 2 Corinthians 7:9-10). The Apostle Paul warned: Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babbling and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge (1Timothy 6:20). Because God calls us to spread the gospel of salvation we must prepare ourselves to effectively communicate what is truly the good news. (see Matthew 7:22-23). One theologian observes: We have domesticated evangelism. We have reduced it to the unimaginative, repetitive level of the door-to-door selling of life insurance. We should be appalled at this." The Romans Road to Salvation Meaning: All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The wages of sin is [eternal] death (Romans 6:23). The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23b). Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). Lets break down the Bible verses and meaning of the four points of Romans Road: 1. All Have Sinned - Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" - Romans 3:23 "As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." Romans 3:10-12 You must help people comprehend how true salvation involves being contrite over their sin. Unless a person is ready to repent and turn from their sinful ways, to walk in wholehearted obedience to Christ as their Lord and Master, they cannot be saved. Ponder Davids contrition: Have mercy on me O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only have I sinned and done this evil in Your sight For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart These, O God, You will not despise. (Psalm 51:1-4, 16-17) 2. The Wages of Sin - Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death" - Romans 6:23 To be truly redeemed, a person must realize their sin is an offense to our Holy God. They must understand, unless they turn to Jesus, they will be judged for their iniquities and suffer the consequence of eternal condemnation. When Jesus shared the gospel with Nicodemus He explained, He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18). For too long the pendulum in the church has swung far away from preaching hellfire and brimstone. I get it. We dont want to scare people into salvation, but its Christs love that compels us to warn them that their sin must be judged. And without Christ, they stand condemned and without hope. Its been said that Jesus warned more about the consequence of hell than the blessings of heaven. Let us learn from His example. 3. Gods Free Gift - Romans 6:23 "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 Be aware that many people whove used, or responded to, the Romans Road often miss the vital point of repentance and wholehearted devotion to Christ as their Master. Giving the impression that simply accepting Jesus will bring earthly blessings and heavens reward, at no personal sacrifice to the sinner, is a watered-down gospel that will tickle the ears of people who want to believe that Christianity is all about them and their happiness. Salvation is and always has been about God redeeming mankind for Himself, not the other way around. While some believe Gods free gift costs them nothing, others mistakenly believe that practicing religious rituals is what God requires. Either extreme misses the way to receive Gods true gift of redemption. The Bible is clear that salvation comes through grace alone (Ephesians 2:4). But we cant give people the impression that believing is all they have to do to be saved. We must follow Jesus example, during His earthly ministry, when people asked Him how to be saved. For example, when the rich young ruler asked Jesus how to be saved, He didnt say, Good, you believe. Awesome! Now go live your life and Ill see you in heaven when you die. Rather, Jesus looked lovingly into the mans heart and knew that his wealth was the sinful idol keeping him from following Christ. Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross and follow Me. But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions (see: Mark 10:17-22). Notice, Jesus loving-kindness toward the man. Oh that God would grant us His heart to share the gospel with such gracious compassion. Realize, its not the mans wealth that kept him from salvation. It was his refusal to turn from everything in his life that was more important to him than following and serving Christ. Following Jesus example when you share Christ with one who's accomplished, wealthy or successful, dont water down the gospel, but rather help them see how things in this life can keep them from following Christ. Jesus was not a weak teacher who glossed over His message to attract followers, and neither should we. He calls for wholehearted devotion. Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospels will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:34-36). 4. Confess Jesus Is Lord - Romans 10:9 "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." - Romans 10:9 "for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13 You might be thinking, Whats all this talk about counting the cost and wholehearted devotion? It is a red flag if someone says, I believe in Jesus, but Im just doing my own thing right now. Belief as mentioned in John 3:16-17 is describing one point and time action with a continuing life-changing resultnot a mere mental assent to who Jesus is and what He accomplished on the cross. A person unwilling to obey The Lord is likely not born again. A true believer will confess with their mouth Jesus as Lord and believe that God has raised Jesus from the deadand they will be saved. Proclaim the Gospel Sharing the gospel can be intimidating but by the power of the Spirit indwelling, you dont shrink back. God wants you and I to boldly proclaim the good news. So arm yourself with the powerful gospel of peace and prayerfully ask Jesus to open doors for you to share the good news with those He is drawing to repentance and salvation. Preach the word; Be urgent in season and out. Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. (2 Timothy 4:2, 1 Peter 3:15). Photo credit: GettyImages/typhoonski Contact Rhonda via her website to request the article How to Have a Relationship with Jesus. For more evangelism training with Rhonda Stoppe: *Read: 10 Ways Christians Can Evangelize without Being Weird or Pushy *Watch: Sharing the Gospel Without Regrets Rhonda Stoppe is the NO REGRETS WOMAN. With more than 30 years experience of helping women build no-regrets lives. I could have listened to Rhonda talk all night, is what women say about Rhondas enthusiastic, humorous, transparent teaching, and zeal as an evangelist. Shes committed to fulfilling the Titus 2:4 commission by mentoring, teaching and writing books that are inspiring, grounded in Scripture and easy to readlike you're visiting with a friend over coffee. Rhonda is the author of 6 books and appears on numerous radio programs including Focus on the Family, Family Life Today and Dr. James Dobsons FamilyTalk, & hosts The No Regrets Hour. Shes an evangelist and speaker at womens events, College Womens Chapel, Pastors Wives Conferences, MOPs and Homeschool Conventions. Sharing the gospel at her NoRegretsWoman Conference is her sweet spot. Rhonda is a regular contributor for Crosswalk and many other magazines. Rhonda ministers alongside her husband Steve, who for 20 years has pastored First Baptist Church of Patterson, California. They live out their own Real Life Romance writing books and speaking at their No Regrets Marriage Conferences, but their favorite ministry is their family. They have four grown children and 10 grandchildren. To learn more about Rhondas speaking topics, watch her teaching and to book Rhonda for your next event visit: NoRegretsWoman.com Bonus: Watch & Share this video of Rhonda Stoppe sharing the gospel message Colourful cross-bencher Bob Katter has handed over the leadership of his eponymous party to his son on Monday, marking a new era of the family's political dynasty. Traeger MP Robbie Katter has represented north-west Queensland in state Parliament since 2012 and will now have to keep his father in check while he settles in as the new face of Katter's Australia Party. "I'll have to get the whip out," he joked. "He [Bob] takes a lot of managing, but I think it is healthy in a relationship to have tension and conflict. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, Feb. 3 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov has paid a visit to Afghanistan and India, Trend reports Feb. 3 with reference to the Turkmen Foreign Ministry. The Turkmen delegation was received by Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani. During the meeting, issues related to intensification of political and diplomatic interaction, expansion of economic cooperation, development of cultural and humanitarian ties between the two countries were discussed, the report said. The parties paid attention to the implementation of regional large-scale and long-term infrastructure projects. Among them, a special place is held by the projects for the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, power and fiber-optic lines along the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan route, and railways from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan. Kabul also hosted meetings with the leaders of the executive branch, ministries of national security, foreign affairs and a number of other state bodies of Afghanistan. During a visit to New Delhi, a working meeting was held with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. An exchange of views took place on the prospects of Turkmen-Indian relations, regional and international topics of mutual interest were discussed. Transport is considered one of the topical areas of business partnership. The possibilities of the North-South transnational corridor project are being explored, using the potential of the seaports of the two countries. Ashgabat and Delhi are also discussing interaction opportunities in the chemical and electric power industries. A special role is assigned to the construction project of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline with capacity of 33 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The construction of the Turkmen section of TAPI was launched on December 13, 2015, while the construction of the Afghan section commenced in February 2018. Pakistan plans to start the work on its pipeline section this year. The energy bridge will then pass through the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar (816 kilometers), through the cities of Quetta and Multan across Pakistani territory (819 kilometers), and reach the settlement of Fazilka in India. The leader of TAPI Pipeline Company Ltd is Turkmengas, which has the controlling stake and acts as the main financier and project manager. The consortium also includes the Afghan Gas Corporation, Pakistans Inter State Gas Systems (Private) Limited and Indian GAIL. Islamabad: Pakistan PM Imran Khan is not going to use Indian airspace to go to Malaysia. At the same time, ARY News quoted its sources. Jah Imran will not go to Malaysia for a two-day tour today. They have decided that they will not use Indian airspace. He has taken this decision in view of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. At the same time, Pakistan's Foreign Office said on Sunday, "PM Khan is visiting Malaysia on February 3-4 at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohammed." Khan will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, which will include cabinet members and senior officials. Shocking revelation in Corona virus, China kept world in dark about it After the terrorist attack on CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama in February last year, tension is continuing in both countries. The attack was carried out by Pakistan-based terrorist organization Jaish-e-Muhammad. In this, 40 CRPF soldiers were martyred. After this, India did an airstrike at terrorist bases in Pakistan. Yogi attacks AAP, says 'Congress used to feed Biryani in Kashmir, Kejriwal is feeding in Shaheen Bagh' According to the information received, on 5 August last year, the Government of India decided to remove Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and divide it into two parts (Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh). This further increased the tension between the two countries. Pakistan was so enthralled by this decision that it had curtailed diplomatic relations with India. Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary lashed out at the AAP and BJP, says 'The party is straying from issues' A Chinese citizen undergoing testing for coronavirus while passing through a temporary corridor opened at a border checkpoint between Blagoveshchensk and Heihe. Temporary corridors are opened to return Russian and Chinese citizens to their countries as the Russian government orders to close the border with China as a measure to prevent the coronavirus spread. All the people passing through the temporary corridor are tested for the virus. Foreigners could be deported from Russia if they test positive for the coronavirus, the prime minister said Monday, according to country's media outlets. Newly appointed Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said a national plan to prevent the spread of the infection in Russia has been signed. "It will allow us to deport foreigners if they are diagnosed with this disease and introduce special restrictions, including isolation and quarantine," the prime minister said in comments reported by the Tass news agency and Interfax. Mishustin added that Russia has "all the necessary medications, protective means to counter the coronavirus spread." His comments about possible deportation were also reported by The Associated Press and Reuters. Tass later dropped any mention of possible deportations. In a subsequent report, Tass said that Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova's office announced that all foreigners diagnosed with coronavirus in Russia will undergo mandatory treatment until they are cured and then can decide whether to stay in the country or leave. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/2/2020 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A northwest Winnipeg coffee shop serves as the unlikely headquarters of a growing network of community keepers. Over cups of hot chocolate and double-doubles, a small cohort of volunteers gathers on a frigid Thursday night in Brooklands to talk about emergency relief. Leila Castro is at the centre. In her black pullover, emblazoned with the yellow logo of 204 Neighbourhood Watch, Castro has the groups attention. She reiterates why the band of real estate agents, settlement facilitators, parents and grandparents are skipping suppertime with their families. Top of mind for the Amber Trails foster mom is a benefit fundraiser the group has planned for victims of the Taal volcano eruption in the Philippines. Logistics have to be ironed out and Castro delegates responsibilities judiciously. A few phone calls later, the group is able to cross off items from its long list of things to do. Each weekly meeting of 204 Neighbourhood Watch is different. On nights when the weather is fair, the group will patrol a nearby neighbourhood, collecting needles they find on the streets and in parks. On other nights, they plan blood donor drives, provide training to other community watch groups or offer emergency support services for families in crisis. The concept of the Tagalog word "bayanihan" explains the volunteers motivation. Bayanihan is a culture of helping your brethren, of providing for your neighbours unconditionally, especially in times of need. "There are good-hearted people who are going beyond what they should be doing as a family person so that they can provide time to make another person have an improved situation," Castro says. "I feel so lucky and very honoured that I am able to walk with them." Castro founded the 204 Neighbourhood Watch group in 2017 as a way to allay her neighbours fears. At the time, the 48-year-old was an administrator for a social media group that included thousands of members of the Filipino community in Winnipeg. The posts gave her insight into issues that were top of mind for her neighbours. "In May 2017, there was a very worried parent who posted about his 16-year-old daughter who was robbed by two men with machetes right in front of their house," Castro says. "That post received so much reaction from that group and the common thinking was we cannot just watch and let this happen." Castro says the patrol has grown into a multicultural effort and many volunteers have been trained to support families and victims of crime. In June 2018, Castro and 204 Neighbourhood Watch led a search party, which involved more than 200 people, for Eduardo Balquit, who was missing. When the community was devastated by the slaying of 17-year-old Jaime Adao Jr. in his home in March 2019, the volunteer group rallied around the family. Other important work goes untold, Castro says, and the neighbourhood watch group has become a rock for those who have lost so much. "There are families who are not able to right away recover, emotionally, mentally, financially, and in those cases, (even) if you have police and social workers, it doesnt address end to end," she says. "There will also be something missing, which should have been filled by a stronger support system." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. People often ask Castro why she volunteers. Few know that before she immigrated to Canada in 2013, she spent years visiting patients at hospitals and isolated seniors at care homes, broke bread with some of the Philippines most vulnerable residents and pitched in after natural disasters. "I realized the word leadership, is something that you achieve not because of yourself," Castro says, "but its something that you achieve because you moved forward with the people around you." Ponz Mapuyan has worked alongside Castro since the patrol hit the streets three years ago, and says the longevity and dedication of the group is in part due to Castros collaborative leadership and ability to attract people who are equally dedicated to community service. A familial culture has developed among volunteers, Mapuyan says, and they are empowered to lead; united in their purpose. "When like-minded individuals come together, they dont have to be pushed to do something," Mapuyan says. "The real spirit of volunteerism is there. "When youre with 204, youre not just a volunteer," he says. "Its not just a simple community effort. Its an effort of a bigger family." danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca A number of senior Fianna Fail TDs have insisted that their party will not go into coalition with Sinn Fein following next Saturdays election despite an ever-growing rumbling from the partys base that such an eventuality should be on the table. Speaking at the partys headquarters in Dublin ahead of the final week of the campaign, finance spokesman Michael McGrath said that if enacted Sinn Feins budgetary proposals, which include massive increases in public spending and taxes on high earners, would leave Ireland a very cold place to do business. He said that his leader Micheal Martins insistence that coalition with Sinn Fein is an impossibility simply reflects the consistent nature of Mr Martins approach since the 2016 election. The latest opinion poll from the Business Post suggests that Sinn Fein has now leapfrogged Fine Gael and is running neck and neck with Fianna Fail on 24% support. Mr McGrath said that the one consistency of the various polls that have been conducted is that people want Fine Gael out of Government. Returning to his previous talking points regarding Fine Gael running a project fear, negative campaign, he said that Fianna Fail by contrast is the only party that is in a position to lead a new government and deliver realistic and meaningful change. He said that in our view too much time has been dragged into process and polling stories with too much time wasted on debates and interviews. This week we are going to try and drag the election back to where we believe it should be about who has the deliverable policies to deliver a change in approach, he said. Beside him, his partys spokesman on health Stephen Donnelly dismissed comments made this morning by the Taoiseach that a vote for Fianna Fail would stymie social progress. Its negative, negative, negative, its very Trumpian Nigel Farage type politics and it doesnt have a place here. Stephen Donnelly Fine Gael are trying to muddy the waters. All of the other parties have been broadly positive - look whats been coming out of Fine Gael, he said. In terms of social change, lets talk about the facts. Micheal Martin made a landmark speech on the Eighth, while Leo Varadkar sat back and did nothing for months and months. (Mr Varadkar) and Simon Harris both went on a journey on repeal of the Eighth. They both started off staunchly against it, then they came out for it. He added that the Taoiseach was initially against a referendum on gay marriage. For Leo Varadkar to be trying to politicise it (the repeal the eighth campaign) at this late stage is a mark of desperation, he said. Mr McGrath, who himself held a high profile opposition to abortion across the Eighth campaign, said that we have had a referendum, the Irish people have had their say, we had a decisive result which has been implemented through legislation and that is how it should be. He described Leo Varadkars description of certain backwoodsmen in Fianna Fail who may be holding the party back as symptomatic of the personalised, nasty approach to politics we have seen from the Taoiseach in particular and Fine Gael in general. Regarding Sinn Feins budgetary approach exemplifying fantasy policies, Mr McGrath said: They will not add up in the real world. Mr McGrath insisted that his leaders dismissal of Sinn Fein is being carried out with the full authority and backing of the Fianna Fail party. There will be no coalition between Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein after this election. He referenced Sinn Feins promises on spending - which, at between 18bn and 22bn would seem to be double the notional amount of fiscal space the Department of Finance has said may be available - and said the would unquestionably damage jobs in Ireland and affect our attractiveness as a place for investment. Data courtesy of The Irish Times Regarding the consistent nature of the polls over the past two weeks, he said that a lot of people make up their mind quite late in the day. Sinn Fein and others have very cleverly tried to paint Fine Gael and Fianna Fail with one brush and I want to deal with that head on because its absolutely untrue, he said. There are dramatic differences, he said, between the parties, citing differences of approach between the two on housing, health, the pension age, and insurance. They go low, we go high, he said, appropriating a well-known soundbite of former American first lady Michelle Obama. Justin Bieber has announced plans for a new studio album and a 2020 stadium tour that will stop at Gillette Stadium. Bieber will play the Foxboro stadium on Sept. 17. Tickets for the show are on sale beginning Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. through all Ticketmaster outlets and locations including ticketmaster.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000. Bieber will release his fifth studio album Changes on the same day as the ticket on-sale. The stadium tour will feature supporting acts Kehlani and Jaden Smith. The tour starts May 14 in Seattle and closes at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 26. Shop for concert tickets here: StubHub, SeatGeek, Ticketmaster. The Toyota C-HR crossover definitely looks apart from the rest. It is worth the wait to see how Toyota India packages the C-HR for the Indian market. India-bound Toyota C-HR crossover has been spied in the country yet again ahead of its official introduction. The spy images show the test mule wearing heavy camouflage at an airport (possibly Bangalore International). It had Karnataka registration plates. Toyota India may not be participating in Auto Expo 2020, but it seems the Japanese brand has no plans to be dormant in the Indian automotive market. Furthermore, BS6 versions of existing Toyota models have already started rolling out. The Toyota C-HR is compact-crossover based on the brands TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) platform. One of the primary highlights of the five-seater is its rather radical design philosophy that features sharp cuts and a coupe-like silhouette. In fact, if we place the car amidst the brands current Indian line-up, the C-HRs looks can easily make the rest of the vehicles feel like a bland backdrop. In the international market, the 2020 Toyota C-HR is powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that makes 144bhp and 188Nm of torque. This is mated to an e-CVT unit that drives the front wheels. The crossover gets three driving modes: Sport, Normal and Eco. The top-end Limited variant comes with 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels, adaptive full-LED headlamps, powered eight-way adjustable driver seat and more. On the safety front, the Toyota C-HR boasts of Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane-Departure Alert, Blind-Spot Monitoring and even radar-based Cruise Control. In the Indian market, the C-HR will most likely debut in a hybrid avatar a 1.8-litre petrol power plant coupled to an electric motor to produce a combined output of more than 120bhp. Even though this may not seem like an impressive figure, the Toyota C-HR was never intended to be an outright performer. It is still a regular five-seater SUV (in the Indian context), but with looks that stand apart from the usuals. Being a proper hybrid and possibly a CBU product, expect the prices to be a bit on the higher side compared to its direct rivals (based on output). Reports also state that the company plans to localise C-HR production if the initial demand is overwhelming. Even if we do not see heavy localisation, expected the Toyota C-HR to debut as at least a CKD product. Still, compared to its international sibling, the Indian-spec Toyota C-HR could be trimmed down a bit to keep the prices in check. Of course, this wont be the case if its a CBU product. It is too early to make any conclusions on the hybrid crossovers pricing, but ideally, the starting figure should be in the range of Rs 15-18 lakh ex-showroom. Professor Vladimir Kolotov, General Director of the Ho Chi Minh Institute of the Saint Petersburg State University, and Professor Carl Thayer from the New South Wales University shared their thoughts with VNA. Professor Vladimir Kolotov, General Director of the Ho Chi Minh Institute of the Saint Petersburg State University, and Professor Carl Thayer from the New South Wales University shared their thoughts with Vietnam News Agency on the role of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in Vietnams revolution on the occasion of the CPVs 90th founding anniversary. Professor Vladimir Kolotov VN achieves high prestige under Partys leadership: Prof Kolotov As far as I am concerned, the Vietnamese revolutions historic events and the CPVs leadership have heightened the countrys prestige and stature. With a new political combat method, the Vietnamese communists laid a foundation for national liberation campaign, gathering people of all walks of life to successfully conduct the 1945 August Revolution and establish the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. That victory and the nations path to national liberation served as an example for countries worldwide. Vietnam then overcame the USs embargo following the 1975 victory thanks to the countrys policies and guidelines that helped protect its interests from external pressures, irrespective of national defence, economic, diplomatic or political pressures. The CPV manifested its flexibility with the prompt issuance of the renovation policy. The country conducted economic reform amid difficulties with the ultimate goal of protecting national interests despite changes to conditions and strategies. Vietnam has never achieved high stature like now, which is a result of the CPVs fight for national liberation, reunification and development, with high economic growth for many years. CPV leads Vietnam on path of independence and modernisation: Prof Thayer In my opinion, the CPV has demonstrated leadership on 10 major occasions to free Vietnam from foreign domination and to establish a reunified and independent Vietnam. Professor Carl Thayer First, the Vietnamese revolutionaries who founded the CPV in February 1930 united other revolutionary organisations from the three regions of Vietnam and became a truly national party. Second, the CPV joined the Communist International in 1930 and assumed responsibility for struggle against colonialism across French Indochina, including Laos and Cambodia. The CPV demonstrated leadership by linking Vietnams struggle with the world struggle against colonialism and imperialism. Third, the CPV demonstrated its revolutionary credentials by supporting the peasants who rose up in revolt against the French to establish the Nghe-Tinh Xoviet in 1930-31. Fourth, the CPV took the lead against fascism and colonialism in 1941 when it founded the League for the Independence of Vietnam and pursued a national-democratic or two-stage revolution. Fifth, the CPV took the decisive step of seizing the opportune moment and successfully launched the August Revolution that led to the declaration of Vietnams independence on 2 September 1945. Vietnam became one of the first colonies to do so this, contributing to the worldwide struggle against colonialism. Sixth, the CPV successfully led the war of resistance against French colonialism from 1946-54 by waging a peoples war. This culminated in the victory at Dien Bien Phu in May 1954. Seventh, the CPV took a bold step in negotiating with France to end their armed conflict at Geneva in 1954. Although Vietnam was partitioned, the CPV had a firm base in North Vietnam that had a capital city, Hanoi, and a port to the outside world, Hai Phong. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam was linked to China and by rail to the Soviet Union. The CPV leaders (then Vietnam Workers Party or VWP) were able to carry out land reform, agricultural collectivisation and begin the initial steps towards industrialisation. Eighth, in January 1959 the VWP took the decision to resume armed struggle in South Vietnam in order to reunify Vietnam. Ninth, the VWP took the lead in mobilising the Vietnamese people to successfully resist the US air war in the North by dispersing people from the cities and utilising advanced weapons from the Soviet Union and China. Tenth, the VWP successfully prosecuted the war against the US in the South by matching the conventional strategy of the US and devising new means to achieve victory such as the 1968 Tet Offensive and the Great Spring Offensive in 1975. Since reunification Vietnam has modernised all elements of the Vietnam Peoples Army including the ground forces, the air defence-air force, navy and coast guard. VNS Vietnam reaches for prosperity General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Nguyen Phu Trong shares his thoughts with the Vietnam News Agency on the efforts the Party and Vietnamese people have made to bring the country to where it is today. Deputy Information Minister, Pius Enam Hadzide, has described the Airbus bribery scandal that involves Ghana as sad, disgraceful and dented the image of the country worldwide. "It is sad to note that all major international news outlets are talking about Ghana in a negative way due to the involvement of past government officials in the Airbus bribery scandal . . ." he said on Okay FM. According to the report about the ruling of the Crown Court in the United Kingdom, some government officials in the erswhile late President Atta Mills and John Mahama administrations were involved in the bribery scandal. The Guardian disclosure has stated that Airbus, Europes largest aerospace multinational, was found guilty by a High Court in London for paying huge bribes in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Taiwan and Ghana to secure contracts between 2009 and 2015". With regards to Ghana, the report further stated that the planemaker, according to Section 7 of UKs Bribery Act 2010, between 2009 and 2015 engaged intermediary 5, a close relative of a high-ranking elected Ghanaian government official (Government Official 1), as its BP in respect of the proposed sale of three aircraft to the government of Ghana. A number of Airbus employees knew that intermediary 5 was a close relative of Government Official 1, a key decision-maker in respect of the sales." "A number of Airbus employees made or promised success-based commission payments of approximately 5 million to the intermediary. False documentation was created by or with the agreement of Airbus employees in order to support and disguise these payments. The payments were intended to induce or reward improper favor by the Government Official 1 towards Airbus. Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Pius Enam Hadzide hinted that the Akufo-Addo government upon knowledge of the news has instructed the office of the Special Prosecutor led by Martin Amidu to investigate the scandal. "It is sad news and a disgrace for the country. If you read the report about the ruling of the Crown Court in the United Kingdom very well, it shows that the past administration officials were involved in the bribery scandal and this is embarrassing for the entire country," he bemoaned. He, however, assured that the Special Prosecutor will do whatever necessary to redeem the name of the country which has been destroyed with this scandal. He, therefore, pleaded with the Special Prosecutor to speed up with the investigations. Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ah, February: That special time of year when were fed up with freezing and dreaming of warmer weather. Yes, its no longer pitch black at 4:45 p.m. and we havent gone completely stir crazy yet, but were getting dangerously close. Although spring is (almost, sort of) just around the corner, theres still plenty of winter to come. If you need us, well be sticking it out under a massive pile of blankets with a big stack of books from February. Here are the best new February 2020 books we plan on reading: 1The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley, out February 4th. Shop it! $17.79, amazon.com. One day, a man writes the truth about his life in a little green journal and leaves it out for others to findand they do. Soon, more people add their secret truths, and eventually, they start finding each other IRL. The Authenticity Project will inspire you to look inward and be honest about who you really are, what you really want, and what you really need. Itll also inspire you to buy a little green journal of your own. Pick up this book if youre trying to be braver and more vulnerable in 2020. 2Black Sunday by Tola Rotimi Abraham, out February 4th. Catapult Shop it! $26.00, amazon.com. If you like sweeping family sagas, this ones for you. Black Sunday follows two twin sisters, Bibike and Ariyike, over the course of two decades in Nigeria. As their family experiences hardships and their parents separate, theyre ripped apart, left to face the world without the other. Dont miss Tola Rotimi Abrahams astonishingly intimate debut. 3The Regrets by Amy Bonnaffons, out February 4th. Little, Brown and Company Shop it! $18.39, amazon.com. The premise of The Regrets drew us in right away: A woman falls in love with a man who is dead but hasnt crossed over into the afterlife yet. If that doesnt make you want to pick this up and read it immediately, we dont know what will. 4Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West, out February 4th. Berkley Shop it! $26.00, amazon.com. Story continues Theres no shortage of drama in high schoolwhich makes it the perfect setting for a novel. Helicopter moms, accidental viral videos, secret Facebook gossip groups, and faculty drama abound in this humorous, lighthearted, fast-paced story that unfolds from multiple perspectives. Its tons of fun from start to finish and just what your TBR pile needs. 5Perfect Little Children by Sophie Hannah, out February 4th. William Morrow Shop it! $17.79, amazon.com. The cure for a chilly winter afternoon? An equally chilling thriller that will make you say, Wait, WTF is happening here? When Beth drives by her ex-BFF Floras house after not speaking to her for 12 years, she hopes to get a quick glimpse of her old friends new life. But she sees that her two kids, Thomas and Emily, are the exact same ages they were 12 years ago: five and three. If you want to get to the bottom of the mystery with Beth, pick up this puzzling, mind-bending thriller ASAP. 6Verge: Stories by Lidia Yuknavitch, out February 4th. Riverhead Shop it! $17.79, amazon.com. Weve been reading Lidia Yuknavitch for years, and were thrilled her first major collection of short stories is here. NGL, its pretty heavyone story is about an eight-year-old organ runner for the black marketbut its well worth a read. 7Weather by Jenny Offill, out February 11th. Knopf Shop it! $17.79, amazon.com. We love Jenny Offills writing, and Weather is an instant classic. Her fragmented, hypnotic prose perfectly captures life in Donald Trumps America: trying, worrisome, urgent, desperate, helpless. 8In the Land of Men by Adrienne Miller, out February 11th. Ecco Shop it! $15.89, amazon.com. When Adrienne Miller was 22 years old, she was hired as an editorial assistant at GQ. She quickly learned how to make it in a mans world and three years later, became the first female literary editor of Esquire. This sharp, reflective memoir tells the story of how she found her voice and her footing in a male-dominated world that wanted nothing to do with her. 9Something That May Shock and Discredit You by Daniel Mallory Ortberg, out February 11th. Shop it! $26.09, amazon.com. You devoured Texts from Jane Eyre and The Merry Spinster, you listen to the Dear Prudence podcast religiously, you subscribe to The Shatner Chatner newsletter, and you still miss reading The Toast every single day. Now, Daniel is getting realer than ever in his newest collection of essays, on topics ranging from transitioning to a sinister reimagining of House Hunters. Read this book. Now. 10The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica, out February 18th. Park Row Shop it! $17.79, amazon.com. Theres always room for more Mary Kubica on our bookshelves. Her latest, The Other Mrs., has all the makings of a perfect thriller: a small-town murder, a killer on the loose, and an eerie old house. Serious twists and turns await you. 11Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall, out February 25th. Viking Shop it! $26.00, amazon.com. If your feminism isnt intersectional, it isnt feminism. Not sure what that means? Thats okaywere all still learning, and this book is an invaluable resource for your feminist education. Through a series of essays, Mikki Kendall explores how things like hunger, violence, and medical care are important feminist issues that we cant ignore. A Red Bank Police officer who was shot and killed by his wife in Sevier County on Saturday night was charged with domestic assault against her in 2007. James "Chip" Smith was a Soddy Daisy detective at the time. His wife, Melissa Smith, is charged with murder after the couple argued in their car and then pulled over to continue the dispute. Police said Ms. Smith retrieved a handgun and shot her husband in the abdomen. She was kneeling down trying to tend to him when officers arrived. He died after being taken to the hospital. In the 2007 incident, he was placed on administrative leave after being charged with domestic assault. It happened at the couple's home at 905 Clayhill Dr. in Soddy Daisy. Officer Smith was arrested by county deputies at the time.. The complaint said he got into an argument with his wife, Melissa, "which led to a physical confrontation." It said Mrs. Smith had confronted her husband "on a marital issue" and he grabbed her and threw her across a bed onto their child, who was asleep. Mrs. Smith said her husband was on top of her and began strangling her with his hands around her neck. She said they began screaming and hitting each other. Mrs. Smith said she ran into another room and called 911 on her cell phone. She said her husband grabbed the phone from her and hung it up. She said he pushed her down on a couch, but she was able to get away. Officers said they saw injuries to the right side of Mrs. Smith's neck as well as injuries on her left arm. The domestic assault case was later dismissed. Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at an event in Marshalltown, Iowa on Jan. 26, 2020 ahead of the Iowa caucuses. Jacob Pramuk | CNBC At least four Democrats have a good chance to leave Monday's first-in-the-nation Iowa presidential caucuses with the most delegates. The 2020 White House hopefuls have deployed vastly different messages as they claw for support at the top of the field in Iowa. Most of their appeals relate in one way or another to their ability to deny President Donald Trump a second term in November. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg have led the pack in the Hawkeye State for months. Recent polls show a tight race, and the fluid nature of the caucuses suggest any of the leading candidates could enjoy a surprisingly strong showing in the first nominating contest. Read more: Iowa caucus: What it is, how it works and why it's important Democrats have criss-crossed Iowa in recent days in the final rush before the caucuses. Sanders and Warren have promised more substantive change in their bids to beat Trump, while Biden and Buttigieg have largely pushed for a return to normalcy or an end to partisan gridlock. Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who has edged ahead of Buttigieg in national polling averages, has not tried to compete in the first four nominating states, instead turning his attention and vast spending to the larger states that voter later on. The four candidates' closing arguments in Iowa reflect their broader motivations for running and why they think they're best suited to defeat Trump. Bernie Sanders Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) holds a campaign event at La Poste January 26, 2020 in Perry, Iowa. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images Sanders' case for his ability to defeat Trump has stayed consistent: he promises to rein in what he calls abuses of workers and consumers by corporations and the wealthy, and enact a "Medicare for All" system to provide health insurance for every American. He has added wrinkles to his argument in the final days before Iowa. Expanding the social safety net factors heavily into the Vermont senator's messaging and appeal. However, he has more explicitly framed himself as the best candidate to protect Social Security and Medicare benefits in the Democratic field or the general election. A Sanders ad that started airing in Iowa on Thursday highlights Trump's recent comments to CNBC suggesting he could consider reforming unspecified entitlements "at some point." The term generally refers to social programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. "We are not going to cut the programs that millions of seniors and people with disabilities depend upon. If they vote to cut Social Security, they may well not be returning to Washington," Sanders says in the ad. He has also repeatedly targeted Biden for past comments suggesting he would consider freezing Social Security spending. The former vice president denies he wants to do that. The Sanders campaign also released a digital ad Friday featuring an Iowa man who says his lung function has deteriorated because he could not afford medications for a hereditary condition. "My lungs may be failing, but I'm going to fight for Bernie with every breath I have left," Jim Williams says in the ad. Sanders' message also took on stronger foreign policy tones in January after the U.S. killing of Iran's top general, Qasem Soleimani, increased fears of war with Iran. He repeatedly highlighted his 2002 vote against authorizing military force in Iraq, which he calls "the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in the modern history of this country." Sanders has led most recent polls of Iowa, though the surveys suggest at least four candidates have a chance to end up with the most delegates. Joe Biden Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign town hall event at the Iowa Memorial Union Ballroom at the University of Iowa January 27, 2020 in Iowa City, Iowa. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images Biden has spent the final stretch in Iowa arguing he is best suited to beat Trump and restore a fundamental decency and stability to the White House. The former vice president has more frequently cast himself as a steady foreign policy hand in recent weeks as the specter of war with Iran rose. His message to Iowa voters, at its core, has revolved around his ability to beat Trump. Biden's campaign has repeatedly pointed to polls showing him beating Trump in hypothetical head-to-head matchups in November. In a Thursday speech designed to contrast his character from Trump's, the former vice president highlighted what he called his role in lifting swing-district Democratic candidates in the 2018 midterms. "I took on Trump all over the country and beat him. In fact, we beat him like a drum and in the process took back the majority in the House. We should remember that this year," Biden said in Waukee, Iowa. Biden issued a refrain during the speech that he has repeated throughout his campaign: "Character is on the ballot." He said two Trump terms in the White House would "fundamentally alter the character of this nation." Biden also took aim at Trump's foreign policy, saying the world will "sleep a little easier" with him in the White House because "they'll no longer have to worry about Donald Trump waking up in the middle of the night and starting a war with a tweet." The former vice president, who frequently touts his middle class roots in Scranton, Pa., has not forgotten to add some economic appeal to his final argument. During a speech in Marshalltown, Iowa, last Sunday, he said that "we need a president that also understands that this country wasn't built by bankers and CEOs." Though he took care to stress as he sometimes does in separating himself from Sanders that "they're not all bad guys." "They didn't build the country. Ordinary people like my mom and dad and my grandmom and grandpop, people in this neighborhood, people in this room, ordinary people given half a chance," he said. Biden has consistently led the 2020 Democratic field in averages of national polls since he entered the race in April, but Sanders has recently cut into his edge. Sanders leapfrogged him in Iowa polling averages, though surveys suggest Biden still has a good chance to leave Iowa with the most delegates. Multiple voters at Biden's Marshalltown event said the increased tensions with Iran made them lean more toward supporting him in the caucuses. Pete Buttigieg Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks at a meet the candidate event at the Chickasaw Event Center January 29, 2020 in New HMapton, Iowa. Win McNamee | Getty Images Buttigieg has placed high stakes on a strong showing in Iowa, and in the final days before the caucus he has focused on "turning the page" on Trump's presidency and winning over "future former Republicans" into his coalition. The 38-year-old Democrat has placed an emphasis on his roots in the Midwest and the literal and metaphorical distance between South Bend and Washington, D.C. "In the face of unprecedented challenges, we need a president whose vision was shaped by the American Heartland rather than the ineffective Washington politics we've come to know and expect," Buttigieg wrote in a post on Twitter on Wednesday. During an interview with Radio Iowa last the week, he emphasized the point, arguing that "the best way to govern is also the best way to win which is to turn the page, to not get caught up in the political warfare and Washington mentality that led us to this point." The campaign has a lot to prove in Iowa, where it has devoted substantial resources. Buttigieg, who is polling in third in the state, has suggested that a strong showing could help him prove himself to voters who remain skeptical of what was once an extraordinarily longshot bid for the presidency, including many voters of color. "We need to do very well in Iowa," he told NBC News on Saturday. "We're in it to win it." In the final days of the race before Iowa, Buttigieg also stepped up his attacks on Sanders and Biden. During a speech in the state, Buttigieg criticized Sanders for being too far to the left and for "a kind of politics that says you've got to go all the way here and nothing else counts." And he chided Biden for "saying that this is no time to take a risk on someone new." "History has shown us that the biggest risk we could take with a very important election coming up is to look to the same Washington playbook and recycle the same arguments and expect that to work against a president like Donald Trump who is new in kind," Buttigieg said. Elizabeth Warren Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts and 2020 presidential candidate, waves during a campaign event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S., on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images Goldman Sachs is in talks to offer small business loans to merchants on Amazon's sprawling e-commerce platform, according to a person with knowledge of the plan. The bank has been working on software that would allow it to plug into Amazon's existing loan platform, said the person, who declined to be identified speaking about negotiations. Last week, Goldman executives led by CEO David Solomon gave investors a vision for the bank's future, which includes becoming a "banking-as-a-service" provider for the business world. That means offering its digital services and know-how across retail, commercial or institutional banking in partnerships with big corporate clients. The deal, if closed, would mark the second tech giant using Goldman as a back-end provider of bank-regulated services. The bank helped Apple launch its first iPhone-integrated credit card last year, resulting in about $2 billion in loans as of the end of last year. The move to begin making loans to small businesses in the latter stages of a decade-long U.S. economic expansion may increase the risks Goldman is taking on. But Goldman executives including CFO Stephen Scherr have been adamant that the bank can manage these risks. For instance, the bank has slowed lending to Marcus personal loan customers in the last year. Spokespeople for Goldman and Amazon declined to comment on this story. Amazon told the Financial Times, which reported on the negotiations earlier Monday, that lending was "part of the services, tools, programs and infrastructure we provide to our selling partners, mostly small and medium-sized businesses, who account for more than half of everything sold in Amazon's stores." Amazon started its small business lending operation in 2011, using algorithms to help determine which businesses should receive money. The loans are for 12 months or less and range in size from $1,000 to $750,000, Amazon said in a 2017 release. Amazon has used Bank of America for its small business lending program in the past, CNBC reported in 2018. The growth of the invitation-only program had slowed as Amazon took a measured approach to the risks involved, a person with knowledge told CNBC. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 17:57 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20624dceb 1 National crocodile,CONTEST,Palu,central-sulawesi,BKSDA,wildlife,rescue Free A contest to save a wild crocodile that has been living with a used motorcycle tire around its neck for years has been cancelled after the Central Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA Central Sulawesi) failed to gain any interest from the community. Yes, we are ending the contest, BKSDA Central Sulawesi head Hasmuni Hasmar said during a visit to the Palu River on Sunday as quoted by Antara news agency. Hasmuni said that, in place of the contest, the agency would prepare a special team with the assistance of the Environment and Forestry Ministrys Biodiversity Conservation Directorate General. We will not give up. We have prepared equipment for the team, he said, adding that the special team would arrive in Palu on Tuesday. However, Hasmuni did not reveal what strategies the special team would adopt to rescue the crocodile. BKSDA Central Sulawesi had launched the contest because it did not have enough resources to locate the wild crocodile in question. Read also: Up for a challenge? Contest held in Palu to save crocodile stuck in tire for years The reptile was regularly spotted swimming in the waters connecting the Palu River to Palu Bay. Officials and conservationists previously tried but failed to catch it. Family Reptiler Tadulako (FARTA), a community of reptile lovers in Palu, expressed hope that the crocodile could be helped as soon as possible, as the tire could endanger its life. Hopefully the evacuation can run smoothly. We hope that we can help the agency in some way, FARTA founder Gunanta said. Gunanta said that, once saved, the crocodile could be released in the Palu River, its original habitat. (syk) OTTAWA - Canadian evacuees from the Chinese province afflicted with the novel coronavirus will be quarantined for two weeks upon their arrival at an Ontario military base, the government announced Sunday night. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/2/2020 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In this photo released by the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, Indonesians who arrived from Wuhan, China, are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam, Indonesia Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. Indonesians evacuated from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of a deadly virus outbreak, were transported to a quarantine zone on a remote island at the edge of the South China Sea, shortly after landing on Batam, an island near Singapore on Sunday morning. (Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP) OTTAWA - Canadian evacuees from the Chinese province afflicted with the novel coronavirus will be quarantined for two weeks upon their arrival at an Ontario military base, the government announced Sunday night. But Ottawa did not provide a timeline for when they'll arrive from the locked-down city of Wuhan, saying it's still awaiting final approval from Chinese authorities. Their plane will land at Canadian Forces Base Trenton. "To protect the health and safety of Canadians both those who are coming to and those already in Canada the returning individuals will undergo a thorough health screening before boarding, during the flight and upon arrival at CFB Trenton, Ontario," said a statement from Global Affairs Canada. "All other returning Canadians, including staff and flight crew, will remain at CFB Trenton for 14 days for further medical assessment and observation, and be provided with all the necessary medical and other supports as needed to ensure the health and safety of all Canadians." Until Sunday, the federal government hasn't said whether Canadians who eventually arrive from China would be quarantined. But officials said they were closely watching developments in other countries, including the United States. Nearly 200 Americans have already been evacuated from Wuhan, and U.S. health officials ordered that they be quarantined for two weeks. It was the first time a federal quarantine has been ordered in that country since the 1960s, when one was enacted over concern about potential spread of smallpox, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. South Korea, too, quarantined its evacuees, who arrived in Seoul on Friday. They underwent screenings for fever before boarding buses to quarantine facilities established in the central towns of Asan and Jincheon. Residents there have protested plans to place the evacuees in their neighbourhoods, throwing eggs and other objects at visiting government officials. A sign for 8 Wing CFB Trenton is seen on Saturday, September 29, 2012. The federal government says Canadian evacuees from Wuhan will be quarantined for two weeks upon their arrival at Canadian Forces Base Trenton. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg The Australian government was forced to defend its plan, which involved sending evacuees to Christmas Island, which has been used to banish asylum seekers and convicted criminals. Critics warned that some Australians would prefer to stay in China rather than go there. "The government remains fully engaged on the issue, and will do all that is necessary to ensure the safety of Canadians, both at home and abroad," said a statement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office after a meeting of senior cabinet members where the plan to quarantine at the Trenton military base was discussed. The number of Canadians who want to flee the Chinese province afflicted by the virus climbed to 325 on Sunday. Global Affairs Canada provided the updated figure on Sunday, as the world saw its first case of a person dying from the new coronavirus outside of China a 44-year-old man in the Philippines. "This has been a rapidly evolving situation and the number of Canadians asking for assistance is quickly changing," said a statement from the department. Global Affairs Canada said government officials and military personnel are currently en route to Hanoi, Vietnam, and in the process of obtaining visas from the Chinese government to enter Wuhan. It said the government has chartered a plane to land in Hanoi and then head to Wuhan, where airspace is currently closed, once it gets approval from the Chinese government. But there was no indication Sunday from Global Affairs about the status of that flight. The department was, however, telling people not to go to the airport unannounced because they will not be permitted to board the aircraft. Instead, they were told to contact its Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa to make arrangements. "Canada is chartering a plane to take Canadians from Wuhan, China back to Canada. We have 325 requests for departure assistance from Hubei Province and we will be reaching out to provide updates and to confirm their needs in order to assist our logistical planning," the department said in a statement. "Spaces will be limited and not guaranteed, and will likely only be confirmed with very little notice." Canada is consulting with the United States and Britain "to ensure co-operation and sharing of best practices in this operation," the statement said. China says 361 have died on the mainland from the new virus, with an additional 2,829 new cases over the last 24 hours bringing the Chinese total to 17,205. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The latest figures, released on Monday in China, come a day after the first death from the illness was recorded outside the country, in the Philippines, as countries around the world evacuated hundreds of their citizens from the infection zone. Canada has four known cases three in Ontario and one in British Columbia. On Sunday, a second French-chartered plane carrying 300 evacuees from China landed at the military base of Istres in the southern French region of Bouches-du-Rhone. That followed the first French plane that landed on Friday. In spite of the widespread fear of the virus, health officials in Canada have said chances of contracting it in this country are exceptionally low. They said people should take normal cold- and flu-season precautions of frequent hand-washing and covering coughs and sneezes. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2020. with files from the Associated Press Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) The House of Representatives and the Senate are imposing stricter measures to ensure that the novel coronavirus does not spread in the halls of Congress. Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Migz Zubiri said the upper chamber will impose a stricter policy on visitors, especially those who are seeking financial assistance from senators. Zubiri said they are asking their fellow senators to limit visits to official matters. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is highly recommending all lawmakers and employees who have recently traveled to any country with confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus to quarantine themselves in their homes. A memorandum advises lawmakers and workers at the lower chamber who have traveled to 25 countries and territories including China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and the United States where cases of the new coronavirus have been reported to stay at home for 14 days once they arrive in the country. They are also asked to check if they have symptoms related to the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, officially known as 2019-nCoV. Symptoms include fever, cough, colds and sore throat. Those who underwent self-quarantine can only return to work after getting clearance from a doctor if they have not experienced any of the symptoms linked to the 2019-nCoV. In his memorandum, House Secretary General Jose Luis Montales also advised lawmakers and employees to refrain from traveling to countries with confirmed cases of the 2019-nCoV. Montales also ordered the use of thermal scanners for screening the temperature of all those who pass through the Houses entrance lobbies. Tents will also be set up at the House as holding areas for people suspected of 2019-nCoV infection. Montales also ordered the distribution of protective masks to House employees at the frontline. President Rodrigo Dutertes security staff are also not taking any chances, with the public being reminded during the Philippine Navy turnover ceremony on Monday that they cannot touch him amid fears due to the 2019-nCoV. Health authorities are now looking at 80 patients who may have been infected with 2019-nCoV, including eight people who came in close contact with the Chinese couple who tested positive for the virus. A 44-year-old Chinese man, the partner of a 38-year-old Chinese woman who is the countrys first confirmed case of 2019-nCoV, succumbed to acute respiratory disease. He is also the first death due to the virus outside of China. The country has imposed a wider travel ban, expanding it to include all of mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. The updated policy also prompted some airlines to cancel flights between the Philippines and mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. The 2019-nCoV outbreak has killed 362 people and infected more than 17,300 globally, CNN reported Monday. The number of infected people has surpassed that of the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, but is significantly less lethal. 2019-nCoV's mortality rate stands between two and three percent. CNN Philippines Correspondents Xianne Arcangel and Crissy Dimatulac contributed to this report. OTTAWA - The Liberal government insisted China let parents and other primary caregivers accompany their Canadian children after leaving Wuhan, the epicentre of an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, even if they are not citizens themselves. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/2/2020 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA - The Liberal government insisted China let parents and other primary caregivers accompany their Canadian children after leaving Wuhan, the epicentre of an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, even if they are not citizens themselves. "We insisted on the concept of family unity," Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Monday in Ottawa. Richard Fabic, his wife Yunfei Li and their daughter Chloe are seen in this undated handout photo. An Ontario father says he missed his 15-month-old daughter's first steps because she is stuck in the Chinese city at the centre of a new coronavirus outbreak. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Richard Fabic *MANDATORY CREDIT* A chartered plane will soon be in Hanoi, Vietnam, where it will wait to pick up Canadian citizens and some permanent residents accompanying their children from Wuhan, the city of 11 million people in the central Hubei province that is currently under quarantine in response to the outbreak. The federal government is awaiting final approval from the Chinese government to fly through the restricted airspace and land at the closed airport in Wuhan, but Champagne said other preparations are already well underway. "We will be in touch with Canadians in Wuhan later this afternoon to provide them all the necessary details," Champagne said. Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said 304 Canadians have asked for assistance to return home, but only 280 have Canadian passports. The numbers remain fluid and Canada has secured a second flight, as well as seats on other flights, should they be needed. Indeed, only a few hours after Hajdu's update, a Foreign Affairs official briefing the House of Commons health committee pegged the number seeking to leave China at 312. Canadas Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam, Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan and Minister of Health Patty Hajdu look on as Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne responds to a question during an update on the coronavirus situation on Monday, February 3, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld China is allowing only foreign nationals from all countries to board repatriation flights, but Champagne said Canada insisted that children be able to fly with their primary caregivers, even if they are permanent residents, and China agreed to let this happen. That will not apply to families where no minors are involved. Hajdu said China will not allow anyone who is showing symptoms of coronavirus to board a flight to leave the country, even if they are Canadian citizens, as part of that country's efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus. "I don't anticipate we will be able to get the Chinese to concede on that point," Hajdu said. Those who remain will be offered consular services from the rapid deployment team already on the ground in Wuhan. Passengers will be screened twice once by Chinese authorities and then again before they board and will be monitored during the flight for possible symptoms of the virus. If any fall ill, they will be transported to a health facility in British Columbia while the plane refuels. Otherwise, passengers will not be allowed to leave the plane until they arrive at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, where they will be held in isolation for 14 days. The Ontario base was chosen because it has the space to allow large numbers of people to be processed quickly, and a facility where people can be housed with dignity, Hajdu said. "I want to remind people that these are Canadians who have been through a very traumatic experience over the past couple of months and in many cases will have significant stressors," Hajdu said. The repatriated Canadians will be housed at the nearby Yukon Lodge until they are cleared to return home. "Part of the reason we're offering social support is they will also be isolated from one another," Hajdu said. "So if one person falls ill, that won't necessitate the start of an entire other quarantine for all of the passengers." Opposition MPs questioned Monday why it is taking so long for Canada to repatriate its citizens when other countries have already done so. In the House of Commons, deputy Conservative leader Leona Alleslev suggested the "hold up" is due to Canada's "disastrous" relations with China. Champagne flatly denied that and said China has been very co-operative in the effort to repatriate Canadians. Officials with Foreign Affairs, Transport Canada and Public Safety later echoed that view and told the Commons health committee that they don't see how Canada could have acted any faster. Heather Jeffrey, assistant deputy minister for consular security and emergency management at Global Affairs Canada, noted that the number of Canadians asking to be evacuated has jumped from none to over 300 in a matter of days. Documentation and authorizations must be obtained for each one to enable passage through multiple check points within Hubei province, where unprecedented travel restrictions have been imposed in a bid to prevent spread of the virus. Whereas, other countries have consular missions in China's Hubei province, Jeffrey noted that Canada does not. "The plane is actually not the most complicated part. The most complicated part is getting Canadians from across this province to the place where we can help them directly," Jeffrey told the committee. "With a pandemic response of this nature, it's the first time we've had to assist such a large number of Canadians from within a quarantine zone." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2020. Laois Offaly Green Party candidate says there is more to her party's politics and General Election policies than the environment and climate action. In a statement, the outgoing senator Pippa Hackett some of her partys policies in relation to health, education and childcare. We are not all green. As a mother myself, these aspects are hugely important to me, and I believe the Green Party has the solutions to many of them. If you take a look at our manifesto, you will see that we have extensive policies on health, housing, energy, transport, employment, enterprise, innovation, social protection, sport and recreation, equality, education, justice, arts, heritage and culture, and foreign affairs to mention a few. In relation to the health service, the Edenderry-based politican backed Slaintecare and opposed wasted spending. I believe that Slaintecare is the beginning of a solution to the crisis that is health. But it needs to be properly implemented, and by people who are innovative and are capable of thinking outside the box. We do not need another series of useless Think Tanks which have been used as an excuse by successive governments to mask their inability to solve, even the smallest problems in the system. We have one of the highest per capita investments in health in the EU, yet the system is overflowing with mismanagement and wastage of funds. "Meanwhile people are dying from misdiagnoses, being treated on trollies, and waiting inordinate times to see consultants. Disability and mental health services have been starved of funding, and this is having a negative effect throughout our society. Of course, the ones who bear the brunt of this mismanagement are our frontline health workers. Do those at the top even care, or does it occur to them that eventually these everyday heroes will, through sheer exhaustion and utter frustration will grind to a halt? Well I care, and my party cares," she said. The former Offaly county councillor backed pay equality for teachers alongside smaller class sizes. "In education, it is imperative that action is immediately needed on pay parity for our teachers. We need to employ enough teachers to ensure that the pupil-teacher ratio is reduced to a level conducive to proper learning and classroom safety, for both teachers and their student. We need to recruit more special needs assistants. Many of our schools are no longer fit for purpose, and need to be renovated or replaced. We intend to implement our policies, as laid out in our manifesto, to solve these problems," she said. Her statement made a number of points on childcare. "Without proper childcare policies and facilities, little can be achieved. Families are struggling with the cost of bringing up the next generation: commuting long distances and working long hours that dont fit into a creche system. While parents and relatives remain the predominant form of childcare used in Ireland, formal childcare settings are becoming more prevalent. The State has encouraged this by penalising non-formal childcare, while also failing to respond adequately to support families with the cost of creches, and this has left many families in limbo. "Our policies seek to balance benefits for parents who care for their children themselves, have relatives care for them, or avail of formal childcare facilities. It is imperative that all children with disabilities, or who have other additional needs, get access to early years support services. We want to establish a comprehensive framework for the early education profession, including qualifications, professional development and remuneration, ensuring that childcare workers are incentivised to stay in the sector after graduation," she said. Her statement concluded that these are just some of our policies that if elected she pledged to "fight tooth and nail" to ensure that they are implemented for the people of Laois and Offaly. Some passers-by poured water on the woman and rushed her to a nearby primary health centre from where she was shifted to Orange City Hospital in Nagpur. (Representational Image) Nagpur: A 25-year-old woman teaching at a college in Wardha district in Maharashtra was set ablaze by a stalker, a married man, on Monday morning at around 7.15 am. The victim, Ankita Pisudde, a resident of Daroda village in Wardha, suffered 40 per cent burns and inhalation injuries and has been admitted to a hospital in Nagpur where she is battling for life. An official said that the accused, Vikesh Nagrale (27), who was the victims friend till two years back before she severed ties with him, has been arrested. Wardha superintendent of police Basavaraj Teli said, It seems to be the case of unrequited love by the accused. The incident occurred after the woman alighted from a state transport bus in Hinganghat town and was heading towards her college. At that time, Nagrale accosted her. He then took out petrol from his two-wheeler and set her ablaze before running away from the spot, said Hinganghat police station inspector Satyaveer Bandiwar. Some passers-by poured water on the woman and rushed her to a nearby primary health centre from where she was shifted to Orange City Hospital in Nagpur. Meanwhile, some eye-witnesses claimed Nagrale was accompanied by his friend. At a health bulletin issued at 5 pm, the hospital said the woman suffered 35-40 per cent grade III deep dermal burns with respiratory distress, and her condition is critical. Alleged history of throwing/splash of inflammable material followed by thermal burn by some person. Deep Burn injuries over Scalp, face, right up-per limb, left hand, upper back, full neck with bilateral eye injury with inha-lational injury. In view of inhalational injury & respiratory distress; emergency tracheotomy was also done along with burn dressing, escharectomy and debridement, it said. Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh told reporters in Mumbai that the case will be tried in a fast track court. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told Minsk that Washington can provide it with all the oil it needs. After a meeting with Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei in Minsk, Pompeo suggested that the U.S. could provide Belarus with oil at "competitive prices". "We're the biggest energy producer in the world, and all you have to do is call us," BBC cited him as saying. At the same time, the Secretary of State said Belarus should satisfy a raft of conditions to access U.S. market. "WTO accession, increased private sector development, and legal and regulatory reforms will all help Belarus unlock its trade potential," Pompeo stressed, South of Market community activist Theresa Imperial has been nominated to the San Francisco Planning Commission to replace Myrna Melgar, who is stepping down to run for the Board of Supervisors District 7 seat. Imperial, who was nominated by Board of Supervisors President Norman Yee, is the executive director of the Bill Sorro Housing Program, which helps low-income residents find subsidized housing. The Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on her appointment Tuesday. Imperial grew up in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States in 2011. She graduated from University of California, Santa Cruz, where she studied political science. Yee said he was impressed by Imperials ability to look at planning issues from the communitys point of view. She understands the impact of gentrification that is something we should always be aware of as we continue to push for more housing development, said Yee. She gets that in a very deep way. Imperial couldnt immediately be reached for comment. The appointment comes as the seven-member planning commission is short one member, as Dennis Richards has taken a leave of absence after clashing with city building officials over a Mission District investment property. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Critics had called for Richards resignation after it came to light he was flipping the property for profit, a practice hed regularly criticized at planning commission meetings. Richards said he has not decided whether he will remain on the commission. Richards has accused the building officials of retaliating against him because he had been critical of the department, which he referred to as a cancer. Its not clear when or if Richards will return. Melgar has served on the Planning Commission for three-and-half years. Yee now fills the District 7 seat, which includes Twin Peaks, West Portal, Lake Merced and many other neighborhoods, but is termed out of the seat. J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen A dangerous suspected crystal meth factory was discovered at a house in east Belfast, the High Court has heard. Prosecutors claimed an eastern European crime gang is linked to the chemical manufacturing operation which could have caused an explosion close to a local school. Details emerged as two brothers arrested at the Shimna Close property on December 18 last year were refused bail at a hearing on Monday. Slovakian nationals Mario Uricek, 45, and Vojtech Uricek, 42, deny charges of being concerned in producing a Class A drug. They had just moved into the house and were cleaning it out when police arrived, a judge was told. Officers went to the area after neighbours reported a strange smell coming from the property. Inside they found quantities of suspected crystal meth and associated production equipment. The two accused were detained at the scene. Opposing bail, a Crown lawyer said the pair are believed to be connected to an eastern European crime gang behind the drug-making operation. "This type of crystal meth is a highly dangerous substance to produce. The chemicals are volatile, which could cause a risk of explosion," she added. "This was being made in a highly populated street, with a local primary school and park nearby." Defence barrister Sean Mullan said his clients insisted they knew nothing about anything going on at the house. "There had been previous tenants at the property, and when (the two accused) moved in they were cleaning it out," the barrister submitted. "They deny any involvement in any form of crystal meth factory." But Mr Justice O'Hara described the explanation given by the brothers as "beyond credible". He pointed out: "They were arrested by police in the house, which had a new form of highly addictive crystal meth plus manufacturing equipment. "On the information before me at present it's impossible to think they were just cleaning out the house before they were about to move in." Bail was refused due to the risk of further offences, and concerns the two defendants may flee if released. The genocide of the East Pakistanis by the government of West Pakistan led to the separation of the two formerly united country, where the East became Bangladesh. The list goes on. by Osita Ebiem Right from the onset, it may be necessary to make this point clear: That Nigeria is a genocidal state. We need to have that in mind while responding to the question of whether the Igbo should continue to maintain their stake as partners in the colonial union known as Nigeria. Throughout history and in all regions of the world where there has been genuine and honest response to genocides, separation has always been the only sensible response. At the end of the crime, the victims are usually removed far away from the perpetrators. That is the only solution that permanently prevents future occurrences of the atrocities of genocide in any society where it has taken place. While the people are saying Never Again, the only reliable guarantee that is capable of safeguarding such a promise is the shield and assurances that sovereign independent international boundaries provide for a persecuted people like the Igbo. The truth is that while you try as much as possible to keep fires away from gunpowder, you should also make efforts to keep gunpowder away from fires. Here following, we will name a few of the victims of genocides in the past who of necessity had to be separated from the perpetrators in order to ensure that the victims do not suffer the same fate in the future. Some time ago in 2016, in the midst of threats from the Turkish government which perpetrated the crime, German legislators officially recognized the Armenian Genocide as such. The United States Congress, despite protests from the Turkish government has also officially recognized the Armenian genocide. Soon after the Turkish Ottoman Empire committed the genocide of the Armenians in 1915 with the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians, the Armenian people had to separate themselves into an independent country of Armenia with the administrative capital in Yerevan. After the German Nazis committed the genocide of the Jews in Germany and the rest of Europe in which 6 million Jews were massacred, the victims had to separate themselves far away from the perpetrators. This Jewish Genocide is known widely as the Holocaust. The genocide ended in 1945 and the Jews established an independent state of Israel in the Middle East in 1948. It is the accusation of genocides that led to the breaking up of the countries that made up the former united country of Yugoslavia. The genocide of the East Pakistanis by the government of West Pakistan led to the separation of the two formerly united country, where the East became Bangladesh. The list goes on. The genocide such as the one that took place in Nigeria against the Igbo is an institutional genocide. Most genocides are institutional crimes, anyway. In most cases it is only states that have the capacity to muster such elaborate machineries usually required to carry out such great massacres. The government as well as the other peoples of Nigeria committed the genocide of Biafrans between 1966 and 1970 in which 3.5 million Biafrans were killed. Igbo made up 3.1 of the 3.5 million who died in that genocide. The root cause of the Igbo Genocide in Nigeria is hatred. Therefore, the hatred that produced the act is institutional and not merely individuals. The Nigerian state as an institution is the primary source of the prevailing Nigerians hatred of the Igbo. Because its source resides in the institution of the federal republic of Nigeria, it will be near impossible to uproot this hatred from the Nigerian society. It will be near impossible to create a lasting atmosphere in the Nigerian society where the Igbo will be eventually accepted and allowed to exist side by side with the other Nigerians in the spirit of true brotherhood. Institutions run as continuums therefore their established policies, customs, norm and culture such as the society-wide hatred of the Igbo, run from one generation to the next. Agreements, armistices and promises such as Never Again, No victors and no vanquished and other similar lofty pledges, when they are genuinely made, can only hold for a while in genocidal societies like Nigeria. Eventually there will always emerge the biblical Pharaoh who did not know Joseph. And once such Pharaohs arrive in power, the vicious cycle resumes and genocide repeats itself. It is in the light of the above truth that we know that the only real permanent solution that will prevent any future genocides of the Igbo in Nigeria is for the Igbo to be separated from Nigeria into a sovereign independent Igbo country or state. Brad Pitt is really, truly, single - and in case you havent heard, hell tell you another ten times. The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star has decided to make 2020 his hot Brad summer - losing the facial scruff, setting up a Tinder profile and reconnecting with his ex Jennifer Aniston over awards season. Hes also somehow managed to make the fallout from his high profile split from Angelina Jolie relatable, joking last night at the BAFTAs about his divorce settlement and making quips about the frenzied dating speculation that surrounds him. Getty Images for Turner Theres no denying that Pitt, who has swept all the major Best Supporting Actor awards this year, is on track to deliver a similarly punchy self-deprecating speech at the Academy Awards if he wins. For a reminder of the dating jokes hes already workshopped at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards and BAFTAs, here's a quick recap: Brad Pitt at the BAFTAs Pitt couldnt be at the BAFTAs due to family obligations, however the Ad Astra actor passed his speech onto his co-star Margot Robbie who read it for him. The opening line started with a jab at his current relationship status, though it was a double whammy as it merged with a Brexit joke. Hey Britain, Pitts speech began. Heard you just became single. Welcome to the club, wishing you the best with the divorce settlement. Getty Images The rest of the speech was funny too, as he thanked Once Upon A Time in Hollywoods costume designer for putting him in oh so tight jeans. The biggest joke came when Robbie held up Pitts award, saying, Hes going to name this [award] Harry because hes really excited about bringing it back to the States with him. His words not mine. Given Prince William and Kate Middleton were there, cameras instantly cut to them - though they took it in good stride and were seen laughing. Screen Actors Guild Awards Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston reuniting at the SAG Awards / Getty Images for Turner Pitts SAG Awards speech was one of the best this season, with the star opening up his acceptance speech with a zinger. As he looked down at his award, he said, I gotta add this to my Tinder profile. While its highly unlikely youd find a man like Pitt on Tinder, he also used his speech to poke fun at his past failed marriages. Speaking of his role as stuntman Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood, he said, Lets be honest, it was a difficult part. A guy who gets high, takes his shirt off and doesnt get on with his wife. It was a big stretch. Getty Images The room burst into laughter in response, including his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston who was watching on. He also took aim at his director Quentin Tarantinos habit of filming female film stars feet, saying, I wanna thank my co-stars Leo [Di Caprio], Margot Robbie, Margot Robbies feet, Margaret Qualleys feet, Dakota Fannings feet. Seriously, Quentin has separated more women from their shoes than the TSA. Getty Images Pitts ex-wife Jennifer Aniston also won an award that night as Best Actress in a Drama Series for her AppleTV+ programme The Morning Show. The victory led to the pair reuniting backstage in a moment that broke the Internet, with the pair beaming at one another and Pitt later hanging onto her wrist as she walked away. Another video also went viral on Twitter, where Pitt was filmed proudly watching on a television screen backstage as Aniston accepted her award. Brad Pitt at the Golden Globes Getty Images Pitt has been at the centre of a lot of romantic speculation, as the bachelors outings with actor Alia Shawkat and an MIT professor have come under public scrutiny. Though Pitt insists that hes single and made a joke at the Golden Globes about the intense media coverage - even prompting a laugh from his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston. Pitt attended the Globes on his own and said, I wanna say hi to my folks, cause hey! Getty Images I wanted to bring my mom, but I couldnt because anyone I stand next to - they say Im dating. And that would just be awkward, he continued. Cameras then cut to his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston, who was seen breaking into laughter as he delivered the punchline. Sorry! This content is not available in your region This is the shocking moment an elephant cries out in pain as it is repeatedly flogged over the head by a trainer. The man is handed a stick which he uses to thrash the elephant with before the whimpering animal keels over in pain. Footage of the horrific scene was captured at a Buddhist temple called Sasanawardena Pirivena in Mirigama, Sri Lanka, according to Metro. A man straddling the elephant in Sri Lanka is handed a stick by another man (left). The elephant groans in pain as the man repeatedly flogs its head (right) It was posted to the Facebook page Rally for Animals Rights & Environment who claim the elephant's name is Vishwa. The video shows the elephant collapse into the murky river after the man whips the animal over the head more than ten times. Vishwa's head dips beneath the water causing the man to deal another blow to his head as another watches on. The elephant keels over in the murky river as he is unable to bear the pain (left). Animal's head dips below the water as he tries to shake off the man by thrashing his tail against the water (right) Stumbling to his feet, Vishwa desperately tries to shake the man off his back by thrashing his tail against the water. However the man continues in his beatings causing the elephant to groan in pain. Activist Maneesha Arachchige from RARE said cruelty and torture is part of everyday life in the captive elephant industry in Sri Lanka. The elephant appears unable to carry his own weight as he is struck by the stick (left). The elephant stumbles to his feet before the video cuts off (right) A monk has also posted pictures and videos to the Facebook page showing Vishwa (pictured) tied to a tree where he was kept for two weeks as part of a Buddhist ritual She described how the cause of elephant suffering in Sri Lanka is through Buddhist parades called peraheras. Peraheras form the cornerstone of Sri Lankan culture featuring drummers, dancers, caparisoned elephants and fanfare. However the elephants are forced to walk for miles and they are decked out in elaborate costumes. A monk has also posted pictures and videos to the Facebook page showing Vishwa tied to a tree where he was kept for two weeks as part of a Buddhist ritual. While catching wild elephants is illegal in Sri Lanka, it is believed that poachers kill elephant mothers before taking their young to Buddhist temples. A Laois soldier who has served 25 years in the Defence Forces has been awarded a prestigious academic fellowship. Sergeant Rena Kennedy Killeen from Portarlington was stunned to be presented with the Fellowship of the European Institute of Public Relations recently. It was presented to her on stage after she had given a guest lecture at the institute on the role of a press officer. I was speechless for once. I dont like the spotlight on me, but it was nice to be recognised for doing my job, she told the Leinster Express. The award was given to mark her outstanding contribution to public relations both nationally and internationally. Rena is originally from Ballycumber in Offaly and now lives in Bracklone Street with her husband and two daughters who attend Portarlington Presentation Primary school. A press officer with the Defence Forces, she recently wrote the press television scripts for high profile events like Queen Elizabeth IIs visit, and the 1916 celebrations. She has also accompanied VIPs like An Taoiseach Enda Kenny and national journalists on trips. Rena has also served overseas in Lebanon, Kosovo and Liberia, and intends to continue her job for years yet. She always wanted to be in the army. I heard as an 11 year old about the Niamba ambush in Congo, and that sparked my interest in the United Nations and serving abroad. I graduated from business management in DIT College of Marketing in 1994 and I joined two weeks later, she said. Her father is Sean Kennedy and her mother is Jenny Hennessy from Portarlington. No relations were in the army but they werent surprised, I had always said some day I would join, she said. The biggest shock was going from student life and a flat in Drumcondra to being confined to barracks, told when to eat, what to eat, what to wear, how to walk, how to address others. But it doesnt take very long to adjust to the life, she said. There were just three other women with me and we are still best friends to this day, she said. She first served in the 2nd infantry battalion in Cathal Brugha barracks, moving to headquarters in 2005. The overseas trips were very different missions. I will never forget the abject poverty in west Africa of the children in villages and towns. Education is so vital to them, all they want to do is learn and unfortunately for girls especially they dont get the opportunity, she said. She volunteered in a AIDS hospice in her downtime at weekends. You would be feeding children that probably wouldnt be alive the following week. I learned great life lessons. It was a hostile, volatile environment. I lived in a tent for six months, you get used to the small space and you learn tolerance, patience and understanding, she said. She says there are equal opportunities for female soldiers in the Irish Defence Forces. There is no job you are prevented from doing regardless of gender. The Defence Forces also encourages and supports continued professional development so I have done many courses with the institute, she said. The biggest changes she has seen are in technology and online media. We were one of the first to embrace social media with a Facebook page, but we dont neglect the traditional print and broadcast media, we find a good balance, she said. Home in Portarlington, her hobby is still to do PR, for the Banrion Gaels camogie club she co-founded six years ago. Her two children play for the club. Our hashtag is the hardest working ladies in the parish. Im happy to use my skills to promote them. Portarlington is a wonderful town to live in, she said. After the multiple firing incidents near the protest areas, twice near Jamia and once in Shaheen Bagh, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has alleged that the shooting incidents have been planned by the center which is why they have maintained silence on the matter. "This (firing incidents) is an order by the government to scare and threaten the people who are peacefully protesting. It is systematic planning by the ruling government, it has maintained silence on the matter. Delhi comes under the Home Ministry still it is not taking any action. It is evident that the police and the center together is involved in this", said Chowdhury. READ | Alleged Firing At Jamia: Delhi Police Registers FIR, Sections Of IPC & Arms Act Invoked Politics over the CAA protests The Congress leader's attack on the centre comes after multiple incidents of shooting near the protest sites, once in Jamia Nagar where a protestor got injured but now in stable condition, and twice outside Shaheen Bagh with rounds of aerial fire. The men firing rounds had raised pro-Hindu slogans against the anti-CAA protests giving fodder to opposition parties. Parties such as Congress, AAP and AIMIM have slammed the centre and the police for the situation of violence. A series of intensified anti-CAA protests in the poll-bound national capital followed by the shooting incidents doubled with political parties attacking each other has made the atmosphere vicious and intense. The Shaheen Bagh protest blocking an important road for over one and a half month in Delhi continues to cause massive inconvenience and delay to civilians in transit, emergency services such as ambulance and fire brigade. READ | Delhi Court Sends Man Arrested For Firing At Shaheen Bagh To 2-day Police Custody What are the protests for? The CAA law grants citizenship to persecuted minorities such as Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi refugees who have escaped persecution from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan and have taken refuge in India since or before December 31 2014. With no mention of Muslims in the CAA law, a section of the Muslim community seemingly feels threatened alleging that government plans to systematically detain or oust the Indian Muslims despite the government's repeated assurance that no Indian citizen will be ousted as the law is about giving citizenship to persecuted minorities and not about snatching away citizenship. READ | Jamia Bans Protest, Mass Gathering, Speeches In Campus As Tensions Remain Elevated Protestors have raised questions on the exclusion of the Muslim refugees in the law. Center in its defence has said that Muslims are in majority in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan and are not persecuted in these countries as against the plight of the minorities which is much worse. The Centre reportedly stated that leaders during the times of independence and partition such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru had promised the minorities that India would accept them if they wish to come back since they were the victims of partition whereas a section of Muslim community willingly chose to make a separate Muslim dominated nation which is today's Pakistan hence the Muslims need not come back to India as it was their decision to go to Pakistan. The centre reiterated that the CAA law is a fulfilment of the long-awaited promise made by Mahatma Gandhi and several such leaders of those times. READ | Bajrang Dal Says Jamia Shooter Not Its Member, Condemns Violence Environmental activists have sprayed Fine Gael's national headquarters in Dublin with green dye. It is to highlight what they say is the partys poor record on climate change action. Protesters sprayed the dye and then cleaned up the mess, "power-washing the harmless, water-based dye away". Extinction Rebellion claims Fine Gael is guilty of greenwashing, by only committing to a national decrease of 2% in carbon emissions. The climate action protesters said that they do not endorse any political party but hold them all to the same standard - which is to tell the truth. Extinction Rebellion said in a statement that they targetted Fine Gael as they have "been the main policymaker in the Dail since 2011. .@ExtinctRebelsIE are spraying Fine Gael offices green to hit out at their inaction on climate change pic.twitter.com/LDLWb5RDOE Hannah Murphy (@Hanelizaa) February 3, 2020 "While all parties have spaces in their platforms regarding their approach to emissions reductions and the climate crisis in general, there is only one party whose real actions on climate (or lack thereof) can be scrutinized. "An overview of Government policy and action in recent years clearly demonstrates that Fine Gael have been by prioritising empty statements over measurable action, thereby meeting the definition of greenwashing." An Extinction Rebellion spokesperson said: Fine Gael have proved through years of inaction that they have not shown the imagination and courage required to tackle the most daunting problem that Ireland has ever had to face. "If Fine Gael are returned to government, we will continue to point out their failures with actions like you saw today. If a new government is formed, we will hold their climate policies to the same standard." His devious plotting has left her terrified for her own safety. And EastEnders' Whitney Dean will break down when Leo King gives her an cruel ultimatum this week. In a bid to clear his paedophile father Tony's name, Leo demands that Whitney, who was trying to make things right with her ex-boyfriend, says she lied about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of Tony. Evil: EastEnders' Whitney Dean will break down when Leo King gives her an cruel ultimatum in scenes set to air on the BBC soap this week The Albert Square villain takes Whitney to Tony's grave and forces her to apologise to his headstone. But when this doesn't appease Leo, he drags her to the Queen Vic and makes her say that she made everything up. However Leo misjudges the amount of support Whitney gets from the locals, with Mick Carter, played by Danny Dyer, ordering Leo out as he comforts Whitney. On her knees: The Albert Square villain takes Whitney to Tony's grave and forces her to apologise to his headstone Plotting: In a bid to clear his paedophile father Tony's name, Leo demands that Whitney, who was trying to make things right with her ex-boyfriend, says she lied about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of Tony In scenes airing this week, Whitney tells Kat Slater that she is in danger from her devious ex. It comes after Leo stole her log book that shows she has been monitoring all of his activities, despite her claims to want to be making things right. He took it during her visit to hospital, where he was recovering from falling off the Prince Albert's balcony in a bust-up with Kush Kazemi, played by Davood Ghadami. Extreme: But when this doesn't appease Leo, he takes her to the Queen Vic and makes her say that she made everything up Kush faces serious charges that he pushed Leo, but promising news when Jack Branning says the police have evidence which could help his case. Stalker Leo's true identity was revealed to Whitney in November, leading to an explosive showdown between the ex-couple when it emerged he was the son of Tony King - her late abusive father figure. Paedophile Tony groomed 12-year-old Whitney in a hard-hitting storyline on the BBC One drama back in 2008. Uh-oh! Eagle-eyed EastEnders fans spotted a worrying development this week after the name of Leo King's stall was revealed as 'Nite And Whey' - an anagram of Whitney Dean Leo, who pursued a relationship with Whitney believing he could prove she was lying about his father's abuse, fled the East End in December after learning how his father's abuse deeply affected her whole life. He returned earlier in January, setting up a health drinks stall next to Whitney's fashion stall and following her around Albert Square. And in a worrying developement, Eagle-eyed EastEnders fans spotted that the name of Leo King's stall was revealed as 'Nite And Whey' - an anagram of Whitney Dean. EastEnders airs these scenes on Monday, February 3 at 8pm and Tuesday, February 4 at 7.30pm on BBC One. Exposed: Leo stole her log book that shows she has been monitoring all of his activities, despite her claims to want to be making things right The widower of a nurse who spent her final days caring for victims of the White Island tragedy has been targeted by scammers trying to profit from of her death. Sheila Cheng, 50, died in a car crash in Rotorua, New Zealand, on December 14, 2019, after five days helping the victims of a tragedy that claimed 21 lives. Her partner Rhys Bugden was also in the car and suffered critical injuries. Sheila Cheng, 50, died after a car crash in the Rotorua, New Zealand, on December 14, 2019, while her partner Rhys Bugden was critically injured Fraudsters have set up a fake GoFundMe dedicated to raising $1,000 for his treatment. 'It is difficult when you are going through it to comprehend it. They don't think about what sort of damage they can do, they just don't care. If they can make some money out of something, it doesn't matter who they hurt along the way,' Mr Bugden told the New Zealand Herald. He said there are always people who take advantage of tragic situations. The person behind the fundraiser claims to be a former neighbour of the couple who since 'became best of friends'. The account has been set up under the name of Lauren Urey, an American newlywed who was involved in the White Island tragedy with her husband Matt. Mr Bugden also said he felt sorry for Lauren and her family being brought into the scam. A fake Go Fund Me has been set up for Mr Bugden using White Island victim Lauren Urey's name, who was holidaying with her new husband Matt when the island erupted 'I know a lot of the people who suffered burns on White Island have been through quite a lot. So to take advantage of them is quite low,' he said. New Zealand Police said no formal complaint has been made. 'We urge anyone who has concerns about potentially suspicious fundraising to contact us straight away,' a spokesperson said. 'Any potential action would be determined on a case-by-case basis.' Ms Cheng cared for victims of White Island tragedy before her death Nicola Britton, Regional Manager at GoFundMe Australia, told Daily Mail Australia: 'We have a zero-tolerance for fraudulent behaviour at GoFundMe. Our team of Trust and Safety experts work around the clock to verify pages and engage with organisers to ensure all donations reach the right place. 'In the very rare instance of misuse, all donors are protected under the industry's only guarantee which ensures funds will reach the right place or donors will be refunded. 'No donations were made to the page in question. The page was removed after failing to meet the requirements of our routine verification process.' A legitimate fundraiser has been set up on Givealittle, which has raised $14,895. Mr Bugden has remembered Ms Cheng as a smart, talented and strong woman. He said he is doing well physically but faces emotional obstacles. Daily Mail Australia has contacted New Zealand Police and GoFundMe for additional comment. Her publisher, Simon & Schuster, announced that she died in Naples, Florida, of natural causes. ``Nobody ever bonded more completely with her readers than Mary did,`` her longtime editor Michael Korda said in statement. ``She understood them as if they were members of her own family. She was always absolutely sure of what they wanted to read _ and, perhaps more important, what they didn't want to read _ and yet she managed to surprise them with every book.`` A widow with five children in her late 30s, she became a perennial best-seller over the second half of her life, writing or co-writing ``A Stranger Is Watching,`` ``Daddy's Little Girl`` and more than 50 other favorites. Sales topped 100 million copies and honors came from all over, whether a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters in France or a ``Grand Master`` statuette back home from the Mystery Writers of America. Many of her books, including ``A Stranger is Watching`` and ``Lucky Day,`` were adapted for movies and television. She also collaborated on several novels with her daughter, Carol Higgins Clark. Mary Higgins Clark specialized in women triumphing over danger, such as the besieged young prosecutor in ``Just Take My Heart`` or the mother of two and art gallery worker whose second husband is a madman in ``A Cry in the Night.`` Mary Clark's goal as an author was simple, if rarely easy: keep the readers reading. ``You want to turn the page,`` she told The Associated Press in 2013. ``There are wonderful sagas you can thoroughly enjoy a section and put it down. But if you're reading my book, I want you stuck with reading the next paragraph. The greatest compliment I can receive is, 'I read your darned book 'til 4 in the morning, and now I'm tired.' I say, 'Then you get your money's worth.'`` Her own life taught her lessons of resilience, strengthened by her Catholic faith, that she shared with her fictional heroines. She was born Mary Higgins in New York City in 1927, the second of three children. She would later take on the last name Clark after marriage. Mary Clark's father ran a popular pub that did well enough for the family to afford a maid and for her mother to prepare meals for strangers in need. But business slowed during the Great Depression and her father, forced to work ever longer hours as he laid off employees, died in his sleep in 1939. One of her brothers died of meningitis a few years later. Surviving family members took on odd jobs and had to rent out rooms in the house. Mary had always loved to write. At age 6, she completed her first poem, which her mother proudly requested she recite in front of the family. A story she wrote in grade school impressed her teacher enough that Mary Clark read it to the rest of the class. By high school, she was trying to sell stories to True Confessions magazine. After working as a hotel switchboard operator (Tennessee Williams was among the guests she eavesdropped on) and a flight attendant for Pan American, she married Warren Clark, the regional manager of Capital Airways, in 1949. Throughout the 1950s and into the '60s, she raised the children, studied writing at New York University and began getting stories published. Some drew upon her experiences at Pan American. One story which appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, ``Beauty Contest at Buckingham Palace,`` imagined a pageant featuring Queen Elizabeth II, Jackie Kennedy and Princess Grace of Monaco. But by the mid-60s, the magazine market for fiction was rapidly shrinking and her husband's health was failing; Warren Clark died of a heart attack in 1964. Mary Clark quickly found work as a script writer for ``Portrait of a President,`` a radio series on American presidents. Her research inspired her first book, a historical novel about George and Martha Washington. She was so determined that she began getting up at 5 a.m., working until nearly 7, then feeding her children and leaving for work. ``Aspire to the Heavens`` was published in 1969. It was ``a triumph,`` she recalled in her memoir ``Kitchen Privileges,`` but also a folly. The publisher was sold near the book's release and received little attention. She regretted the title and learned that some stores placed the book in religious sections. Her compensation was $1,500, minus commission. (The novel was reissued decades later, far more successfully, as ``Mount Vernon: A Love Story``). For her next book, she wanted to make some money. Following a guideline she would often suggest to other writers, she looked at her bookshelves, which featured novels by Agatha Christie, Rex Stout and other mystery writers, and decided she should write the kind of book she liked to read. A recent tabloid trial, about a young woman accused of murdering her children, gave her an idea. ``It seemed inconceivable to most of us that any woman could do that to her children,`` Mary Clark wrote in her memoir. ``And then I thought: Suppose an innocent young mother is convicted of the deliberate murder of her two children; suppose she gets out of prison on a technicality; and then suppose seven years to the day, on her 32nd birthday, the children of her second marriage disappear.`` In September 1974, she sent her agent a manuscript for ``Die a Little Death,`` acquired months later by Simon & Schuster for $3,000. Renamed ``Where are the Children?`` and released in 1975, it became her first-best seller and began her long, but not entirely surprising run of success. She would allege that a psychic had told her she would become rich and famous. Mary Clark, who wrote well into her 90s, more than compensated for her early struggles. She acquired several homes and for a time owned part of the New Jersey Nets. She was among a circle of authors, including Lee Child and Nelson DeMille, who met regularly for dinner in Manhattan. She also had friends in Washington and was a White House guest during the administrations of the Clintons and of both President George H.W. Bush, whose wife Barbara became a close friend, and President George W. Bush. Married since 1996 to former Merrill Lynch Futures CEO John J. Conheeney, she remembered well the day she said goodbye to hard times. It was in April of 1977, and her agent had told her that Simon & Schuster was offering $500,000 for the hardcover to her third novel, ``A Stranger is Watching,`` and that the publisher Dell was paying $1 million for the paperback. She had been running her own script production company during the day and studying for a philosophy degree at Fordham University at night, returning home to New Jersey in an old car with more than 100,000 miles on it. ``As I drove onto the Henry Hudson Parkway, the tailpipe and muffler came loose and began dragging on the ground. For the next 21 miles, I kur-plunked, kur-plunked, all the way home,`` she wrote in her memoir. ``People in other cars kept honking and beeping, obviously sure that I was either too stupid or too deaf to hear the racket. ``The next day I bought a Cadillac!'' RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (BCRX) today announced that it has submitted a new drug application (JNDA) to the Japanese Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) for approval of oral, once daily berotralstat for the prophylactic treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE). The data from APeX-J and the berotralstat clinical program are very exciting for HAE patients in Japan, said Dr. Isao Ohsawa, president of Saiyu Soka hospital and principal investigator of the APeX-J trial. Based on the clinical benefit observed in patients in APeX-J, I expect many patients in Japan will want to use this new treatment, once it becomes available, he added. BioCryst received Orphan Drug and Sakigake designations for berotralstat. Under the Sakigake timeline, the company expects potential approval in the second half of 2020. Berotralstat would be the first approved chronic therapy for HAE patients in Japan and would address a significant unmet medical need, said Jon Stonehouse, president and chief executive officer of BioCryst. Torii Pharmaceutical, Co. is BioCrysts commercial partner in Japan for berotralstat. Under the terms of its commercial agreement with Torii, BioCryst received a $22 million upfront payment and is eligible to receive an additional milestone payment of up to $20 million based on the timing of PMDA approval and upon receipt of a reimbursement price approval from Japans National Health Insurance system in excess of the threshold specified in the agreement. In addition, BioCryst will receive tiered royalties of up to 40 percent of Japanese net sales of berotralstat. The JNDA contains data from both the APeX-J and APeX-2 clinical trials. The company recently announced that the APeX-J trial in Japan met its primary endpoint (p=0.003) of a reduction in HAE attacks from baseline for berotralstat 150 mg compared to placebo, and berotralstat was safe and generally well-tolerated in the trial. In APeX-2, berotralstat also met its primary endpoint (p<0.001) for berotralstat 150 mg compared to placebo, and was safe and generally well-tolerated. Story continues About BioCryst Pharmaceuticals BioCryst Pharmaceuticals discovers novel, oral small-molecule medicines that treat rare diseases in which significant unmet medical needs exist and an enzyme plays a key role in the biological pathway of the disease. BioCryst has several ongoing development programs including berotralstat, an oral treatment for hereditary angioedema, BCX9930, an oral Factor D inhibitor for the treatment of complement-mediated diseases, galidesivir, a potential treatment for Marburg virus disease and Yellow Fever, and BCX9250, an oral ALK-2 inhibitor for the treatment of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. RAPIVAB (peramivir injection), a viral neuraminidase inhibitor for the treatment of influenza, is BioCryst's first approved product and has received regulatory approval in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and the European Union. Post-marketing commitments for RAPIVAB are ongoing. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.BioCryst.com. Forward-Looking Statements This Press Release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding future results, performance or achievements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause BioCrysts actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein include, without limitation, the following: the results of our partnership with Torii may not meet our current expectations (including with respect to the receipt or amounts of potential milestone or royalty payments); competitor products may limit the commercial potential of berotralstat in Japan and the amount of any related royalties we would be entitled to receive; there are risks related to our relying on the performance of our partner, particularly with respect to the conduct of commercialization activities in line with our current expectations; there are risks related to government actions, including that decisions and other actions relating to approval, pricing, and exclusivity of berotralstat in Japan may not be taken when expected or at all, or that the outcomes of such decisions and other actions may not be in line with our current expectations; we rely on third-party contract manufacturing organizations to manufacture berotralstat and any failure of such parties to meet their obligations may impair our ability to supply the required amounts of berotralstat to our partner; there are inherent risks related to commercializing drugs, including regulatory, manufacturing and supply risks; development activities for any indication may take longer or may be more expensive than planned; ongoing and future preclinical and clinical development of our HAE drug candidates (including for APeX-S) may not have positive results; we may not be able to enroll the required number of subjects in planned clinical trials; we may not advance human clinical trials as expected (including those for berotralstat); the FDA, EMA, PMDA or other applicable regulatory agency may refuse to review our applications, require additional studies beyond the studies planned for product candidates (including berotralstat), or may not provide regulatory clearances for studies, which could result in delays of planned clinical trials; and applicable regulatory bodies may impose a clinical hold with respect to, or withhold market approval for, product candidates (including berotralstat). Please refer to the documents the Company files periodically with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, all of which identify important factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections and forward-looking statements. BCRXW Contact: John Bluth +1 919 859 7910 jbluth@biocryst.com Samples of four suspected cases from Maharajganj, Lucknow, Ghaziabad and Muzaffarnagar, which were sent to the lab (NIV Pune), test negative LUCKNOW: As many as 29 travellers from coronavirus-affected countries were identified and tracked in UP till now by district surveillance units and were placed under surveillance. All these people are asymptomatic at present, in fine health, and in home isolation, said Dr Vikasendu Agrawal, director, surveillance, state health department, on Monday. Besides, four samples of suspected coronavirus cases from Maharajganj, Lucknow, Ghaziabad and Muzaffarnagar, which were sent to the lab (NIV Pune), tested negative, he said. These four travellers were also in fine health. WHO has declared the recent Novel Corona Virus (2019-nCoV) epidemic, affecting 24 countries, as International Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) under IHR (International Health Regulation). In this context, the UP government had strengthened surveillance and control measures against the disease. In all, 820 isolation beds were reserved across the state for travellers showing symptoms of coronavirus. Till now, 29 passengers from China were put under observation and home isolation. In all, 397 travellers were screened at airports and 1,42,569 at border check posts in Uttar Pradesh. Health and panchayati raj departments held meetings with village heads in 836 villages on the Indo-Nepal border to sensitise them about the disease. The state has ensured that adequate infection prevention logistics are available for travellers and hospital staff. All medical colleges in UP have also been asked to be in a state of readiness. There is no confirmed case of coronavirus in the state so far, said Dr Vikasendu. Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya on Monday honoured National Bravery Award winner Rakhi who had risked her own life to save her younger brother from a leopard attack. The governor gave the braveheart a cheque for Rs 10,000, describing her as an inspiration for everyone in the country despite being so young. Rakhi, who hails from a village in Uttarakhand's Pauri district, had saved her four-year-old brother from a leopard on October 4, 2019, sustaining serious injuries. The act of courage by the 11-year-old earned her the National Bravery Award on the Republic Day this year. "Rakhi's fearless act shows her ability to stay calm in adverse circumstances and her capacity for quick thinking. Despite being so young, she is an inspiration for everyone, especially young girls," the governor said. She also asked the State Child Development Council to regularly monitor Rakhi's education and medical treatment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Almost a month after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced their plans to step back from the royal family, people think Queen Elizabeth may have made a subtle show of support for the couple. Over the weekend, the Queen made a public appearance for a morning service at Sandringham, where she was photographed wearing a Canadian snowflake brooch, gifted to her by then-Governor-General David Johnson on behalf of the people of Canada in 2017. The sartorial choice could be seen as a subtle nod to Meghan and Harry's decision to possibly move to Canada, after expressing their desire to split their time between the U.K. and North America. Joe Giddens - PA Images/Getty Images Though Meghan and Harry haven't officially announced where they'll be living in North America, it's been theorized that Los Angeles and Canada are two front-runners. After all, Meghan grew up in L.A., where her mother still lives, and Meghan spent years living in Canada while filming Suits. The commonwealth country holds a special place for the couple they made their public debut at the Invictus Games in Toronto in 2017. Not to mention, there might be some privacy perks that come with a move to British Columbia. Following the announcement that they'd be stepping back from the royal family, Meghan and Harry have been photographed in Canada with their son, Archie. RELATED: Why Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Might Benefit From Moving to British Columbia In a statement following Meghan and Harry's announcement, the Queen said she is "entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire to create a new life as a young family." "Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working members of the royal family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as family while remaining a valued part of my family," she said. This is the heartwarming moment a 42-year-old mother was brought to tears when her soldier son surprised her as she was being sworn in as a Texas police officer. In a video shared by the Irving Police Department, Erika Benning raises her right hand as she took the oath of office. Irving police chief, Jeff Spivey, is then seen taking a photo with Benning before handing her badge to her husband of 11 years. Benning, an immigrant from Honduras, thought her husband was going to pin her, but within seconds, her son, Army Sgt Giovanni Pando, is seen walking up to them. According to Irving police, Pando had not seen his mother for more than two years, after being stationed to Germany. In a video shared by the Irving Police Department, Erika Benning raises her right hand as she took the oath of office. Irving police chief, Jeff Spivey, is then seen taking a photo with Benning before handing her badge to her husband of 11 years Benning, an immigrant from Honduras, thought her husband was going to pin her, but within seconds, her son, Army Sgt Giovanni Pando (far right), is seen walking up to them An emotional Benning places her hands over her face and begins to cry as the 21-year-old soldier immediately hugs her. 'All swearing-in ceremonies are special but every once in a while one tugs at your heart strings a little more than others,' the department wrote on Facebook. Pando is then seen pinning his mother as other Irving officers applaud. A smiling Benning, her son and her husband shared a sweet photo together after she was pinned. Pando told CNN that the moment 'was overwhelming'. An emotional Benning places her hands over her face and begins to cry as the 21-year-old soldier immediately hugged his tearful mother Pando is then seen pinning his mother as other Irving officers applaud Benning (center) became pregnant with Pando (right) at a young age, forcing her to put her dream of becoming a police officer on hold Pando says that once he's finished his time in the Army, he wants to follow in his mother's footsteps and become a police officer 'I felt every emotion you could think of just from being happy for her and also missing her. I was also trying to keep my composure as well,' he added, but he admitted that a 'little bit of tears' came out. Benning became pregnant with Pando at a young age, forcing her to put her dream of becoming a police officer on hold. 'He's the reason why I breathe every single day. He's the reason why I wake up every morning. He's my world,' she told CNN. She added: 'The only other moment that I will never forget that is more meaningful than this was the day I gave birth to him. So, this moment of him pinning my badge, I have to say is up there with that.' Pando says that once he's finished his time in the Army, he wants to follow in his mother's footsteps and become a police officer. He said: 'She's never let something stop her from achieving what she wants. And while raising me, that's always something she's preached to me. If you want something, work for it and you'll achieve your goal.' Bosnos and her husband Michael have put their building on the market and are emphasizing to potential buyers the fact that the building at 2229 N. Country Club lies in the Grant Road opportunity zone. Whoever buys it can take advantage of tax breaks that were part of Congresss 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act aimed at spurring long-term investments in low-income urban and rural communities nationwide. The Grant Road Corridor from Tucson Boulevard to Swan Road is one of several designated opportunity zones in Tucson. Bosnos is hoping whoever buys her building will come in with plans for a night club or music venue. Thats the only thing missing in the midtown area, which draws customers from all ends of the city. The thing that is interesting about that area is that people from the east side really dont go to the northwest side and people from the north dont go to the east side. But everybody will come to midtown, said the 75-year-old retiree. And actually its better than downtown because downtown is so busy and very hard to park. Elon Musk has raised concerns about the "dire problem" of cryptocurrency scams on Twitter. The Tesla CEO has been consistently targeted by scammers in recent years, who use fake accounts to impersonate him and trick people into sending them cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum. Scams typically involve fake accounts holding "giveaways", which require people to send cryptocurrency to a digital address in order to receive a greater amount in return. Analysis by The Independent in 2018 found that more than 400 people sent thousands of dollars worth of cryptocurrency to scammers, however Musk claims the problem is even worse now. "The crypto scam level on Twitter is reaching new levels. This is not cool," he tweeted to his 31 million followers. "Troll/ bot networks on Twitter are a dire problem for adversely affecting public discourse and ripping people off." Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Satoshi Nakamoto creates the first bitcoin block in 2009 On 3 January, 2009, the genesis block of bitcoin appeared. It came less than a year after the pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto detailed the cryptocurrency in a paper titled 'Bitcoin: A peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System' Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin is used as a currency for the first time On 22 May, 2010, the first ever real-world bitcoin transaction took place. Lazlo Hanyecz bought two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins the equivalent of $90 million at today's prices Lazlo Hanyecz Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Silk Road opens for business Bitcoin soon gained notoriety for its use on the dark web. The Silk Road marketplace, established in 2011, was the first of hundreds of sites to offer illegal drugs and services in exchange for bitcoin Screenshot Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures The first bitcoin ATM appears On 29 October, 2013, the first ever bitcoin ATM was installed in a coffee shop in Vancouver, Canada. The machine allowed people to exchange bitcoins for cash Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures The fall of MtGox The world's biggest bitcoin exchange, MtGox, filed for bankruptcy in February 2014 after losing almost 750,000 of its customers bitcoins. At the time, this was around 7 per cent of all bitcoins and the market inevitably crashed Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Would the real Satoshi Nakamoto please stand up In 2015, Australian police raided the home of Craig Wright after the entrepreneur claimed he was Satoshi Nakamoto. He later rescinded the claim Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's big split On 1 August, 2017, an unresolvable dispute within the bitcoin community saw the network split. The fork of bitcoin's underlying blockchain technology spawned a new cryptocurrency: Bitcoin cash Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's price sky rockets Towards the end of 2017, the price of bitcoin surged to almost $20,000. This represented a 1,300 per cent increase from its price at the start of the year Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures What goes up... Bitcoin price crashes spectacularly, losing half of its value in a matter of days Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin plunges The cryptocurrency eventually bottoms out below $4,000 in 2019 before slowly rebuilding momentum to outperform more traditional assets Getty Images He urged followers to report any suspicious activity as soon as they see it in order to prevent people from falling for the scams. Twitter could also take lessons from Google, he suggested, by dropping the prominence of malicious accounts. "Trolls/ bots just need to be deemphasized relative to probably real people who aren't being paid to push an agenda or scam," he wrote. "Google still shows bs/ scam pages, they're just several clicks away." The issue was raised at a recent employee conference at Twitter, when Elon Musk appeared via video link to respond to Jack Dorsey's question about how to improve the platform. Musk said it would be helpful to differentiate between real and fake users in order to protect the integrity of Twitter and restore trust in its users. "Basically, how do you tell if the feedback is real or someone trying to manipulate the system, or probably real, or probably trying to manipulate the system," he said. "What do people actually want, what are people actually upset about versus manipulation of the system by various interest groups." Recommended Elon Musk writes and sings new EDM track Musk is not the only high-profile Twitter user to be targeted by such scams, with many figures within the cryptocurrency community also impersonated. The founder of ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, has consistently called on Twitter to come up with a solution, as well as cryptocurrency advocate John McAfee. Twitter has rules in place to prevent its users from being impersonated and claims to have cracked down on scams by implementing various tools. "We're constantly adapting to bad actors evolving methods, and have made improvements in combating cryptocurrency scams on the platform," a spokesperson told The Independent. "If we see content that is violative of our Financial Scams Policy we take action. We will continue to iterate and improve upon this policy and the industry evolves." By PTI LONDON: Actor Joaquin Phoenix targeted the British Academy of Film and Television for overlooking "people of colour" in its nominations and urged the industry to dismantle a "system of oppression" in his Bafta acceptance speech. The actor, who won the best actor Bafta for his portrayal in the title role in "Joker", said he felt "conflicted" receiving the award as so many of his deserving fellow actors didn't have that same privilege. "I think that we send a very clear message to people of colour that you're not welcome here. I think that's the message that we're sending to people that have contributed so much to our medium and our industry, and in ways that we benefit from," he said onstage at the Royal Albert Hall. I dont think anybody wants a handout or preferential treatment, although thats what we give ourselves every year#JoaquinPhoenix #BAFTAs Nothing says this needs to be said like the astonished look on the audience faces. pic.twitter.com/jxEiSP6Xm1 Dr Nisreen Alwan (@Dr2NisreenAlwan) February 2, 2020 Both British Academy of Film and Television and Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences were heavily criticised for the lack of representation and diversity after the nominations were announced. The acting categories had shut out people of colour while no women directors were recognised in the directing segment. VIEW GALLERY: BAFTA Awards 2020: Sam Mendes's '1917' steals the show, check out the list here "I don't think anybody wants a handout or preferential treatment, although that's what we give ourselves every year. I think people just want to be acknowledged, appreciated and respected for their work. This is not a self-righteous condemnation because I'm ashamed to say that I'm part of the problem," Phoenix said. Calling himself "part of the problem", the 45-year-old actor said more than creating a diverse working environment, the issue at hand was about understanding "systemic racism". "I have not done everything in my power to ensure that the sets I work on are inclusive, but I think it's more than just having sets that are multicultural. We have to do the hard work to truly understand systemic racism. "I think it is the obligation of the people that have created and perpetuate and benefit from a system of oppression to be the ones that dismantle it. So that's on us," he said. Customers are opinion multipliers, both in a positive and a negative sense. They pass on positive and negative perceptions to others by word of mouth. When negative, it can be destructive. When positive, it is preciously constructive and the lowest-cost manner of promoting a service or business. Customers want to be impressed. After all, that is what they are paying for. Acquiring new customers is more difficult and costly than keeping existing ones. Losing an existing customer is twice as expensive: for one, it is a loss for the business, and secondly, a replacement customer needs to be found which may take a lot of marketing effort. Customer orientation requires acting the way the customer likes it and wants it! It is not only the offered service that determines success; equally important is the way that customers are treated. Customer friendliness says, We are happy that you are a customer! Keep an ideal customer experience in mind and then try to offer that ideal experience. Exceed your customers expectations and make them feel great. If scientists ever find out where the center of the universe is, some people will be disappointed that theyre not it. You may not want to call your business Center-of-the-Universe either. But, how about placing a sign at the entrance to remind your customers: Caution! By entering this facility, you are becoming the center of our attention Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dali i Domenech, Marquis of Dali de Pubol was a Spanish Surrealist artist. He granted the railway station of the city Perpignan in France an entry in the history of art when he named it the Center of the Universe after having experienced there, in his words, a sort of cosmic ecstasy, stronger than all those I had before. I experienced a precise vision of the construction of the universe. Quick question: what title are you granting your airport, hotel or restaurant? There is nothing wrong with giving customers the feeling that they are the center of the universe, without going as far as Dalis cosmic ecstasy. Anyway, I will just have to give you two quotes of this world famous eccentric artist who claimed that he is not strange, but that he is just not normal. Quote one: The thermometer of success is merely the jealousy of the malcontents, which fits nicely in this article. The second one is something to think about: Every morning when I wake up, I experience an exquisite joy the joy of being Salvador Dali and I ask myself in rapture: What wonderful things is this Salvador Dali going to accomplish today? The personal performance of any individual involved in a business, from the owner or manager to the person who cleans the toilet, contributes to the combined image of the establishment. Anyone who has the slightest contact with a customer is part of the image, even if the cleaning person only says good morning with a smile when the customer walks by. All providers in a chain of services at a tourism destination from arrival to departure contribute to the total image of the destination: airport, taxi, hotel, restaurant, merchants, yes even the security officer at the entrance of the bank. The airport at the beginning or the end of a flight is part of the image of an airline or the tour operator who made the arrangements. You may say: Why are you telling us that? We know that already. Aunt Emma already knew it a century ago. She did not have any education or training for it. Aunt Emma? Tante Emma Laden is the German equivalent of the mom-and-pop store. Can you imagine Aunt Emma running the little general store in her village, years ago? Pure nostalgia! She knew all her customers by name. She could carry on pleasant chit-chat. She gave the little kids a piece of candy. She knew exactly about the shopping habits of her customers and tried to offer the right range of products. She could even give a cooking recipe or advice on how to remove fat stains from a shirt. Shopping at Tante Emmas store always gave shoppers a good feeling, even if the prices were higher than at the supermarket. Tante Emma exercised customer relations management without having software or a computer for it. Human contact on offer is special; time to listen, the exchange of whole sentences. The persons who represent a business or operation can sell a bit of their own personality along with the product and service. It often helps to make the customer experience unique. It could add a bit of authenticity to the culture of a destination. Isnt that what is sometimes missing from customer relations that only follow a formal training protocol? About the author. Cdr. Bud Slabbaert is the Chairman and Coordinator of the Caribbean Aviation Meetup, an annual results and solution-oriented conference for stakeholders of airlift in the Caribbean which will be June 16-18 on St.Maarten. Mr. Slabbaerts background is accentuated by aviation business development, strategic communication, and journalism. By Cdr. Bud Slabbaert Britain will have to stay aligned to EU rules in a whole set of areas after Brexit if it wants a trade deal, the bloc's chief negotiator has said. Michel Barnier said tariff- and quota-free access to EU markets was dependent on the inclusion of "a mechanism to uphold the high standards we have on social, environmental, tax, and state aid matters today and in their future developments". He also said a deal was "conditional" on an agreement giving EU fishing fleets access to British waters, and that it would be governed by the EU's European Court of Justice. How aligned the UK stays to EU rules is set to be a major battleground in the coming trade talks. Mr Barnier warned that the EU would be "very demanding" in its stipulations on the UK and that its objective was "to ensure that [regulatory] divergence doesn't become an instrument for unfair competition whereby there would be disadvantages for EU industry". The negotiator's suggestion that "future developments" in EU rules should be incorporated into UK law is likely to be a particular stumbling block, as it rules out a simple "non-regression" clause in the deal keeping British standards at the level they are now. The European Commission on Monday published its negotiating mandate, which the chief negotiator was unveiling at a press conference in Brussels. It will have to be approved by member states at a meeting later this month. It comes the same day as Boris Johnson lays out the UK approach to talks in a speech in London. The prime minister says he would be willing to accept tariffs in trade with the EU if it means the UK can diverge on its regulations. But if the prime minister fails to negotiate a zero-tariff and zero-quota trade agreement, there will be tariffs and quotas payable on goods moving between different parts of the United Kingdom across the Irish Sea. This is because Mr Johnson's withdrawal agreement puts a customs border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. There will be customs and regulatory checks whether or not a deal is negotiated. In a separate complicating issue, the EU's negotiating mandate says the trade deal will not apply to Gibraltar. The mandate says that any "separate agreements" will require "a prior agreement of the Kingdom of Spain" effectively giving the Spanish government a veto. Mr Barnier would not be drawn on the details of how the regulatory alignment could be enforced, telling journalists in Brussels: "I can't get embroiled in the details of the mechanism, that will all be discussed in the negotiation". Regarding the European Court of Justice's role in overseeing the deal, one official said: "The European Court of Justice's role is important: it will apply to the whole agreement. Whenever there is a question of interpreting EU law, the only court that can do that is the ECJ. We cannot invent a new court, a new legal system to do this. Of course, international agreements are EU law, so they are part of the interpretation that the court has to give." Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Show all 37 1 /37 Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro-Brexit supporters celebrating in Parliament Square, after the UK left the European Union on 31 January. Ending 47 years of membership PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o'clock at night AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro Brexit supporters attend the Brexit Day Celebration Party hosted by Leave Means Leave Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage smiles on stage AFP/Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square People celebrate in Parliament Square Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A Brexit supporter celebrates during a rally in Parliament square AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Police form a line at Parliament Square to prevent a small group of anti-Brexit protestors from going through to the main Brexit rally PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square JD Wetherspoon Chairman Tim Martin speaks as people wave flags Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters wave Union flags as they watch the big screen AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit Party leader, Nigel Farage arrives Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters gather AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Ann Widdecombe speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters wave Union flags as they watch the big screen AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square People wave British Union Jack flags as they celebrate Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square on Brexit day Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A man waves Union flags from a small car as he drives past Brexit supporters gathering AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A pro-Brexit supporter pours beer onto an EU flag PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square An EU flag lies trampled in the mud Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty They added: "It's not a choice, its reality if it's a question of EU law it's for the ECJ to do that." Under the EU's governance proposal, a joint disputes committee would decide whether any issue was a matter of EU law or not and call in the ECJ if it was. If the issue is deemed not to be a matter of European law it would be decided by the committee itself. Talks, which are set to start in the first week of March, will take place in both Brussels and London, the EU official confirmed. Member states are expected to confirm the negotiating mandate at a meeting of ministers on 25 February. Jeep is making an e-bike, it has revealed in a Super Bowl ad starring Bill Murray. While the ad itself was for one of the company's cars, it also showed Murray pedalling an electric bike that is due out later this year. The Groundhog Day-themed ad was primarily focused on the Gladiator pickup truck, but also served as the first introduction of the bike. After the ad was shown, Jeep published a website that gave information on the bike and asked people to sign up ahead of an expected release date later this year. The site gave no information about price but did confirm that the bike would be available in June. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty It called it "the most capable off-road electric mountain bike there is" as well as giving information on specs for the bike. "Get up to 40 miles on a single charge with the power and efficiency of the 750 Watt electric motor," the site claims. "The 4.8 fat tires can tackle the most extreme terrain. The Fire-Link suspension has all the tractive capability youve come to expect from the Jeep brand." Specialist website Electrek suggested that the motor might actually be even more powerful than advertised, and also has a wide variety of other high-end components. It is not clear how extensive Jeep's involvement in the bike is. The website makes repeated references to the bike being "powered by QuietKat", a company that makes similar bikes to the one revealed by Jeep. The company has lent its branding to e-bikes in the past, with one previously being available in South Africa. But it is the first time a Jeep-branded e-bike has been available in the US. The Chinese Communist Party was still refusing to allow American experts into the country to help study and respond to the new coronavirus outbreak, a top American health official said on Feb. 3, but China later in the day finally accepted help from the United States after roughly a week. We have folks ready to go to China as soon as that offer is finalized. I understand that there still are negotiations in process on that. And really, were waiting. As soon as we are allowed to go, we will be there, Nancy Messonnier, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters on a phone call on Monday morning. Later in the day, White House spokesman Judd Deere said that China decided to let American experts join a World Health Organization delegation to help work in the coronavirus outbreak. China has accepted the United States offer to incorporate a group of experts into a World Health Organization mission to China to learn more about and combat the virus, he said in a statement. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters last week that the United States offered to send a team of health experts to China amid the coronavirus outbreak but China had rejected the offer. We do hope that the Chinese government will take us up on the offer, Azar said. CDC experts are standing by, ready to go to China. More cooperation and transparency are the most important steps you can take, he told Chinese officials at the press conference. National security adviser Robert OBrien said on Sunday that China had not even responded to any offers of assistance from the United States. We have not heard back yet from the Chinese on those offers but we are prepared to continue to cooperate with them, OBrien said during an appearance on CBS Face the Nation. Weve got tremendous expertise. This is a worldwide concern. We want to help our Chinese colleagues if we can and weve made the offer and well see if they accept the offer. CDC officials were able to get on the ground in Kazakhstan, which borders China, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said over the weekend. While some international health officials have praised China for being more transparent about the outbreak compared to how it dealt with the SARS epidemic in 2002 to 2003, others have criticized the communist regime for underreporting the scale and severity of the outbreak, and for allowing few outside experts into the country to study whats happening on the ground. U.S. officials have expressed growing alarm at the possibility of the virus spreading in America, and on Jan. 31 announced a public health emergency over the outbreak. The United States has barred entry to foreign nationals, excluding U.S. residents and immediate family of U.S. citizens, who have been to mainland China in the past 14 days. U.S. citizens who have been to Hubei Provincethe region housing the disease epicenter of Wuhanin the last 14 days will be subject to mandatory quarantine when they arrive back to the United States. For citizens returning from the rest of mainland China, they will undergo health screening at selected airports and may face up to 14 days of monitored self-quarantine. If travelers test positive for the virus, theyll be quarantined by health officials at places like military bases and hotels, Messonnier told reporters on Monday. President Donald Trump in an interview on Fox News on Sunday said the United States has shut down the coronavirus coming in from China. We cant have thousands of people coming in who may have this problem, the coronavirus, he said. Currently, 195 people remain quarantined at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California, after being evacuated from Wuhan last week. No other Americans are currently quarantined, health officials said. The United States is planning a handful more flights to evacuate Americans out of Hubei Province, Pompeo said at a Monday press briefing in Uzbekistan while on a diplomatic visit. The Chinese regime criticized the United States this week, claiming the excessive measures announced by American authorities could only create and spread fear. Asked about the regimes criticism during the call, Messonnier noted that other countries and China are taking aggressive actions to try to slow down the spread of the disease. This is an unprecedented situation and weve taken aggressive measures, she said, referring to how the virus can spread between people and reports that the virus can spread from someone showing only mild symptoms or even showing no symptoms, a condition known as being asymptomatic. Our hearts go out to those individuals who are suffering through this, she added. I think that we at CDC have incredibly strong scientists who have a lot of technical experience in really similar diseases, as well as these kinds of disease and our presence on the ground in China would be a help to the folks in China who are trying to unravel this thing. The United States is among more than 30 countries that have closed their borders or imposed some form of travel restriction on China. After Israel announced on Sunday it would refuse entry to foreign nationals coming from China, Chinas acting ambassador to Israel hit back, comparing the move to turning away Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. Dai Yuming told reporters at an English-language press conference in Tel Aviv that the travel ban reminded him of the old days, the old stories that happened in World War II, the Holocaust, the darkest days in human history. The Chinese Embassy in Israel later issued a statement apologizing if someone understood our message the wrong way. From The Epoch Times The ministry said it was an anti-abuse provision amid growing instances of NRIs shifting their stay in low or no-tax jurisdiction to avoid tax payment in India. In what seemed like a partial rollback, the finance ministry on Sunday clarified that non-resident Indians (NRIs) will be liable to pay tax only on income derived from business or profession in India. The Union Budget had proposed on Saturday that NRIs have to pay up taxes on global earnings, if theyre not paying in any other jurisdiction or country, generating much debate. The ministry said it was an anti-abuse provision amid growing instances of NRIs shifting their stay in low or no-tax jurisdiction to avoid tax payment in India. An NRI living in another country earns money there which is not taxed there at all, but has some earnings through something in India and does not pay tax here either because he does not live here. "What we are saying is this: for the income generated in India, pay a tax. "If you have a property here that generates rental income here, but because you live there, you carry this income there and pay tax neither there nor here, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a press briefing on Sunday. Have I got even a sovereign right to take that into my consideration or not? I am not taxing what you earn in Dubai, she added. Adding to that narrative, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) also put out a clarification on Sunday saying the new provision is not intended to include in tax net those Indian citizens who are bonafide workers in other countries. It added that in some sections of the media, the new provision is being interpreted as one creating an impression that those Indians who are bonafide workers in other countries, including in West Asia, and who are not liable to pay tax in these countries, will be taxed in India on the income that they have earned there. This interpretation is not correct, CBDT said, while pointing out that necessary clarification, if required, shall be incorporated in the relevant provision of the law. The finance ministry in Budget 2020-21 proposed two major changes - one on the tax obligation to be imposed on NRIs and second that they had to stay for a longer period to get the status of a non-resident. At present, Indians are classified as NRIs if they stay overseas for over 180 days. The Bill had changed the criterion and proposed that the stay had to be extended to 240 days for the NRI status. Further, it proposed that if an NRI is not paying tax in any other country, he should come under the ambit of Indian tax. Once Parliament clears the Bill, the new norm will come into effect from April 1, 2021, and will apply in Assessment Year 2021-22 and subsequent years, according to the Bill. Amit Maheshwari, partner, Ashok Maheshwary & Associates LLP, states, I think this is a welcome clarification and the intent seems to be to only tax the Indian incomes or those overseas incomes which are derived from an Indian business or profession, of such stateless NRIs. "This is an anti-abuse provision and would target NRIs who have arranged their affairs in a way to avoid Indian taxes, even though having significant economic interests in India. The move was triggered by several cases where the income-tax department had issued notices to NRIs to reopen tax assessments of the last five to six years, seeking photocopies of their passports. The tax department is of the view that NRIs and entities, which were named in various global leaks such as Panama and Paradise Papers and being probed under the Act, had shifted base to conceal their foreign accounts. University News Alice Yi 22, who has conducted cutting-edge research on a rare form of cancer, has been selected as the first recipient of the Bucknall Family Undergraduate Research or Experiential Learning Award. By Renee Chmiel, Office of Marketing and Communications Alice Yi 22 has been selected as the first recipient of the Bucknall Family Undergraduate Research or Experiential Learning Award. Before even arriving on campus, Alice Yi 22 was already planning how she would make the most of her time as a student at the University of New Haven and beyond. Leading up to the start of her first year, she reached out to Ashish Upadhyaya, MBA, director of the Universitys Health Professions Advising Center, to ask how she could best begin to prepare for medical school. A health sciences major, Yis dedication has only increased since she arrived on campus. Last summer, as a rising sophomore, she collaborated with Christina Zito, Ph.D., as part of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program to conduct intensive research into HPV Negative Cervical Cancer, a rare disease. Earlier this year, Yi, a member of the Universitys Pre-Health Professions Scholar Honors Program, became one of the first students to earn the Universitys new Pre-Medical Studies designation, and she is also serving as ambassador for the School of Health Sciences. "She is an impactful member of the University community outside of the lab and classroom as well." Christina Zito, Ph.D. For all of these accomplishments and more she has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Bucknall Family Undergraduate Research or Experiential Learning Award. "When I found out, I was both elated and surprised," said Yi, a native of Guam. "It truly is an honor, as I know the other nominees are just as talented and impressive." The award was created by longstanding University benefactor Bill Bucknall 63, 65, 08 Hon., chair of the Universitys Board of Governors and co-chair of the Universitys Charger Challenge Centennial campaign, and his daughters, Elise Bucknall and Kristin Loranger, to honor students for exemplary work outside of the classroom. Yi will receive a $10,000 award. Yi is a health sciences major. "I knew immediately that Alice was a special student," wrote Upadhyaya in his nomination of Alice for the Bucknall Award. "I immediately recognized her potential and the importance of nurturing her potential. Alice had to adjust to living in a new environment where she did not know a single person; however, she has excelled in her coursework, co-curricular activities, and research endeavors." Yi says she was attracted to the University by the opportunity to pursue hands-on research as early as her first year. "Academically, Alice is a stellar student," Dr. Zito, Yis SURF adviser, wrote in her nomination of Alice for the Bucknall Award. "She has said she is interested in understanding emerging diseases but also making sure people get properly diagnosed so that they can be properly treated. I believe she will be one of our success stories. She is an impactful member of the University community outside of the lab and classroom as well." Yi, who gained experience in the laboratory as a high school student, has had research published in the National High School Journal of Science. She also earned an internship with the Guam Regional Medical City, attended conferences in Japan and Malaysia, and won three science fair competitions. "Alice was selected from a very competitive field of candidates representing all the academic schools and colleges at the University," said Ron Harichandran, vice provost for research and dean of the Tagliatela College of Engineering. "The selection committee found the research she did during her 2019 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship to be exciting and of high quality. Alice is a deserving inaugural recipient of this important award." "It truly is an honor, as I know the other nominees are just as talented and impressive." Alice Yi 22 Yi says she is grateful for the support of faculty, staff, and her classmates. She plans to continue to conduct research, and she plans to pursue both her M.D. and Ph.D. and become a clinical pathologist. "Receiving this award means a lot to me," said Yi, who also hopes to become a professor one day. "It is very humbling and gratifying to be recognized with such a prestigious honor." Credit: CC0 Public Domain UK pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said Monday it was joining a global race to develop a vaccine for a new strain of a coronavirus that has killed more than 360 people. The UK government also pledged 20 million ($26 million, 24 million euros) in funding for research at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)a group formed at the in Davos in 2017and released its sequencing data for the viral genome. GSK said its work will complement the four projects already being funded through CEPI to develop a vaccine for the deadly China strain. "Our (vaccine) adjuvant technology has previously been used successfully in the pandemic flu setting," GSK Vaccine chief medical officer Thomas Breuer said in a statement. Adjuvants are agents that boost a body's response to vaccines or other treatments. The World Health Organization has declared a global virus emergency but refrained from calling the new epidemic a "pandemic". That term is reserved for a disease that spreads across multiple continents or worldwide. CEPI was originally formed in response to the Ebola epidemic that killed more than 11,300 people of the 29,000 recorded cases in West Africa from 2013 to 2016. "Our hope is that, with our partners, we can get an investigational vaccine from gene sequencing of the pathogen through to clinical testing in 16 weeks," CEPI chief executive Richard Hatchett said. CEPI's four other projects aimed at stamping out the new strain include a partnership between the US biotech company Moderna and the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. GSK said it will initially be joining the work already being performed by the University of Queensland in Australia. The other two projects involve the German biopharmaceutical company CureVac and the US-based Inovio pharmaceuticals firm. UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Public Health England has been able to sequence the genome from the two cases of new viral strain recorded in Britain. "Their findings suggest the virus has not evolved in the last month," Hancock told parliament. China shared its genome sequencing data on January 10. Hancock said health ministers from Group of Seven (G7) nations spoke by telephone Monday to coordinate their response. "It is clear that the virus will be with us at least some months to come," the British health minister said. Explore further Companies look into possible vaccines for China virus 2020 AFP Two new cases of 2019-Novel coronavirus have been confirmed in San Benito County, officials with that county's Health and Human Services Agency said Sunday. The confirmed cases are of a 57-year-old man and his 57-year-old wife. The husband had recently returned from a trip to Wuhan, China; his wife did not travel to China, prompting local health officials to note this indicates a "person-to-person transmission" of coronavirus. Neither patient is hospitalized; in fact, neither has left their home since the husband returned from China, health officials said. San Benito County Public Health Services has provided guidance for the couple's home isolation, and is closely monitoring their medical condition. "We continue to monitor the situation closely to protect the health of San Benito County residents and limit the spread of this virus," said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, San Benito County Health Officer, in a statement. "We are working closely with Bay Area health officials, local health care providers and community partners." Sunday's confirmation of the San Benito County patients came the same day health officials in Santa Clara County confirmed the second case of novel (new) coronavirus there. That second Santa Clara patient, an adult woman, is not related to the first case, but officials said both patients had recently traveled to Wuhan. The first Santa Clara patient had been confirmed Friday. Officials in neither county released the patients' names or in which communities they live. Officials advise the public "to engage in their regular activities and practice good health hygiene since this is the height of flu season. Healthy people should not be excluded from activities based on their race, country of origin or recent travel. Anyone with respiratory symptoms, such as a cough, sore throat, or fever, should stay home, practice proper cough etiquette and hand hygiene, and limit their contact with other people." Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. When Delhi went to polls in 2013, a year after the infamous December 16 gang rape case, womens safety had become the major issue in the Capitals political discourse. As scenes of agitated protestors taking to the streets of Delhi demanding justice for the victim remained fresh in everyones minds, the issue found a place of prominence in the manifestos released by the three main political contenders the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the then ruling Congress party. In this election, of the 14.6 million voters, 6.6 million are female. In 2015, when AAP returned to power winning 67 out of 70 seats, it rode on the promise of subsidised water and electricity, while the womens safety issue was kept alive with the assurance of installing 150,000 CCTV cameras in the city and its buses. However, the CCTV project did not figure on the ground till the middle of last year. Tenders were issued and work to install 280,000 cameras in residential areas began in June. The same month, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced free travel for women in buses and the Delhi Metro citing that the more that women use public transport, the more safe the would be as it will increase their presence in public spaces. While the free metro ride scheme did not take off because of procedural issues, buses were made free for women from October, 2019. In addition, the government also announced the presence of a bus marshal in each of the DTC and cluster buses. The scheme was quickly slammed by the opposition. The BJP said it was yet another freebie given by AAP government apart from the free water and electricity schemes. For the Assembly polls that will be held on Saturday, Kejriwal has already promised to extend the free bus travel scheme to the students as well, if voted to power. The BJP and the Congress in their manifestos for upcoming polls have not specifically talked about giving free rides to women or students. The BJPs manifesto promises to run more special buses for ladies, while the Congress plans to train women to be eligible to become bus and auto drivers, apart from penalising private firms who do not provide night cabs to women employees. Many women passengers who have availed of the bus scheme claim that it has changed their lives for the better. Rahima Sheikh (36) makes four trips everyday from residence at Badarpur to South Delhi to drop off and pick up her two sons from their school at Chirag Delhi.Travel expenditure is a big part of my household budget. The free bus rides for women helps me save close to 1,500 every month. My husband, being the sole bread earner, earns about 9000. We spend 3000 on rent. You can imagine what the extra money means to us, said Sheikh. Sita (32) who resides at a slum in Dhaka village in Mukherjee Nagar says that ever since buses have become free she is able to visit her parental home in Govindpuri more frequently. This may not necessarily mean a preference for AAP. For example, when asked if it will be an issue she will keep in mind when she votes, Sita looks at her husband and says, I vote for whoever he asks me to. According to experts, while the free bus rides scheme has positively affected the lives of women, it is hard to tell how much it would impact voting. The kind of buzz we hear about subsidised electricity and water is not there when it comes to free travel. The reason is that only a tiny sector of voters is benefitting. The scheme applies only to women and even among them, several might not prefer taking the bus even when it is free, says Sanjay Kumar, Director of Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS). Kumar adds that the scheme may not play a big factor in helping AAP garner a sizeable number of additional votes. Perhaps that is the reason why opposition parties are quiet about it since opposing it might make them appear as anti-women, he says. While the scheme is largely appreciated by women, challenges such as infrequency of buses and overcrowding are seen as issues that do not allow them to take full advantage of it. For a lot of women, long waiting periods for the bus come across as the biggest deterrent in availing the service. Several women also complain that buses do not halt at stops where a large cluster of women is waiting. Pinky Yadav (29), who lives in Vikram Vihar and works as a domestic help in C R Park, says that on most days she ends up travelling by auto since bus timings are not dependable. I cannot wait for so long since I have to be home before my children come back from school, she said. The lack of sufficient buses was raised by opposition parties soon after AAP had announced the free travel scheme. While Delhi presently has 5,789 buses to ferry around 4.2 million passengers a day, the requirement stands at 11 ,000 buses, which accounts for their infrequency. Ranjana Kumari, Director of Centre for Social Research (CSR) is of the opinion that the scheme plays a big role in empowering women. It gives a level playing field to women to bridge the gender gap. I can see a lot of service sector women labourers using this opportunity. Firstly their mobility has increased and, and secondly, the scheme also allows them to save money on travel, she says. Although the employment gap between people with and without disabilities persists, employment prospects are favorable for people with disabilities who have college degrees, explained Elaine E. Katz, MS, CCC-SLP, senior vice president for grants and communications at Kessler Foundation. Kessler Foundation has awarded a two-year, $250,000 Signature Employment Grant to the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability. They will investigate the experiences of recent college graduates with disabilities as they transitioned into the workplace, including experiences related to career planning and preparation, searching for a job, disability disclosure, onboarding, and accommodations. The grant is part of over $2.4 million in grants awarded by Kessler Foundation in 2019 to organizations across the U.S. to support initiatives that create and expand job training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The UNH Institute on Disability will design and field an online survey to 4,500 individuals (2,250 with disabilities and 2,250 without disabilities) to investigate the transition from higher education to employment. The participants, all of whom will have graduated college within the last five years, will answer a 15-minute survey consisting of multiple choice and open-ended questions. The results will advance knowledge of the challenges and successes faced by college graduates with disabilities when preparing for, seeking, and obtaining employment. On July 26, 2020, it will be 30 years since the ADA was passed addressing discrimination against people with disabilities in education and employment. Individuals with disabilities now comprise about 11% of college students, which matters because educational attainment is associated with gainful employment. Although the employment gap between people with and without disabilities persists, employment prospects are favorable for people with disabilities who have college degrees, explained Elaine E. Katz, MS, CCC-SLP, senior vice president for grants and communications at Kessler Foundation. Yet, research is lacking about the ways college graduates with disabilities successfully navigate barriers to find work. This survey will address this gap in knowledge by researching several key questionswhat supports and services were most helpful to recent graduates during college, what kinds of jobs did they find, how did they decide whether or when to disclose their disabilities to employers, and what were employers attitudes toward them? Findings from this research will support the development of interventions and tools to improve employment outcomes and increase the degree to which college pays off for people with disabilities, said Kimberly Phillips, UNH research assistant professor. College career and vocational rehabilitation counselors will benefit from a greater understanding of the barriers and opportunities unique to people with disabilities within higher education and when seeking work after completing a degree. This survey is part of a larger effort in partnership with Kessler Foundation to generate new, actionable information to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities. This work builds on two prior projects, in 2015 looking at workers with disabilities who were striving to work, and in 2017 where job supervisors were surveyed for their perspectives on employing workers with disabilities. About the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability The University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability was established in 1987 and is a University Center for Excellence in Disability working to improve knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of people with disabilities and their families. Through innovative and interdisciplinary research, academic, service, and dissemination initiatives, the Institute on Disability builds local, state, and national capacities to respond to the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families. The Institute promotes full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all persons by strengthening communities and advancing policy and systems change, promising practices, education, and research. For more information, visit iod.unh.edu. About Kessler Foundation Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research that seeks to improve cognition, mobility and long-term outcomes, including employment, for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit KesslerFoundation.org. Apply Now Kessler Foundation is accepting applications now for its 2020 grant programs. To learn more and to apply, please visit our website. Signature Employment Grants applications are due February 14, 2020. Community Employment Grants applications are due by April 6, 2020. Inquires accepted for Special Initiative Grants on a rolling basis. Stay connected Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/KesslerFdn Facebook | http://www.facebook.com/KesslerFoundation YouTube | http://www.youtube.com/user/KesslerFoundation Instagram | http://www.instagram.com/kesslerfdn Contact information: Kessler Foundation Carolann Murphy, PA 973-324-8382 CMurphy@KesslerFoundation.org Gerth 973-323-3675 RGerth@KesslerFoundation.org Joe Raedle/Getty Images En espanol | Jim Davis says he's had a front-row seat to electoral history for more than four decades and he has always gone to his Iowa caucus firm in his decision about who he wanted to be the Democratic nominee for president. But for the first time, he went to Monday nights contest not knowing who he would support. "I've never seen so much indecision in all my years, Davis said before presiding over a caucus in Charles City, Iowa, a rural town of 7,000 people. I'm trying to make a judgment as to who I think would be great doing the job but also shares my governing philosophy. Davis caucused at one of more than 1,600 sites Monday night. And 56 percent of caucus goers were 45-years-old or older, according to preliminary entrance polls reported by NBC News. Not only are we seeing lots of older caucus-goers, its clear that the 50-plus constituency is very engaged and well-versed on the issues, said Nancy LeaMond, AARPs executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer. LeaMond was at a caucus Monday night at Drake University in Des Moines. Davis said he didnt make up his mind until he arrived at his caucus and decided to caucus for former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Five candidates won delegates at his precinct. Buttigieg, former Vice President Joe Biden, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders each received three delegates and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren received two. Sanders and Buttigieg were leading in the popular vote, followed by Warren, Biden and Klobuchar, according to partial results released Tuesday afternoon by the Iowa Democratic Party. Four days before the caucus, a cacophony of factors was swirling around in his head as he weighed his decision. Davis, 66-year-old retired self-employed businessman, wants a candidate who will protect the integrity of Social Security and make sure it will be there when his children retire. He wants someone who will do something about the runaway costs of prescription drugs. A self-described centrist, Davis also is looking for a candidate who can win the election but more than anything, a candidate who will be good at the job. "What makes it different when you live in Iowa is you actually get to cross paths with folks who are saying to you: I want to be the next president of the United States,' Davis says. How a caucus works Any registered voter in Iowa can participate in a caucus either the Democratic or Republican conclave. They have to be registered with the party they select to caucus with, and can register with that party on caucus night. Experts predict a large caucus turnout, especially among older voters. Brad Anderson, AARP's Iowa state director, has predicted that 60 percent of caucus-goers will be over age 50. An AARP poll of women in Iowa over the age of 50 also found that 60 percent of Democrats responding plan to attend a caucus. It's a foregone conclusion that President Trump will win the Republican caucus, which consists of a straw poll where attendees will write their first choice on a piece of paper and the results are sent to the state party. The Democratic caucus procedure is more complicated. Caucus-goers will arrive at 7 p.m. local time, and in some locations representatives of candidates will talk about why voters should support their hopeful. Then the caucus attendees will physically go to their respective candidate corners where they will congregate with others who support their choice. If a candidate doesn't get the support of at least 15 percent of voters at the caucus, that hopeful's supporters can physically move to another group whose candidate has more support. At this point, after some intricate caucus math is performed, the winners are announced. Why this caucus is pivotal While Davis has been a loyal caucus attendee for decades, Carol Betts says she has skipped them most years, although she's a regular voter. But she believes this election is so important that she plans to attend. But like Davis, she hasn't settled on which Democrat she will caucus for. "I'm having a little trouble figuring out what I'm going to do, says Betts, a 72-year-old who has had a variety of retail management jobs and other careers, including a current gig job delivering groceries in her community. Electability is a big deal for Betts, and she sees flaws in every one of the hopefuls who have campaigned in the state. I've seen Buttigieg twice, Betts says, referring to the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., Pete Buttigieg. She says her husband has seen Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar. She has friends who are trying to sway her toward former Vice President Joe Biden. Betts says she and her neighbors in the blue-collar community of Keokuk are especially worried about how to pay for their prescription drugs and about the future of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The current system is crazy, Betts says. There has to be a better system for making sure people get the drugs they need. Rose Mary Pratt is zeroing in on whom she plans to caucus for. She's been a loyal caucus-goer like Davis, and for the first time since 1976 she has not been actively working for one candidate during this caucus season. "I look at the candidates who are all well qualified, Pratt says, adding she could easily assign cabinet slots to each of them. But she can't necessarily see which one can win in November. "I'm looking for a unifier, Pratt says, and I'm not sure I'm getting the clear unification thing from anyone. I hate to see us sniping at one another. I need to go into the issues. Between health care, income inequality, people don't feel this economy works for them. Pratt, 72, a retired state employee, says there are many people her age who thought they had their retirement solved. Now they're still working because they need to; they are just hanging on." Iowans are the vanguard Davis says he's well aware that Iowa doesn't represent the diversity of the Democratic party nationwide. But, he says, people take the job seriously to the point that if we haven't talked to each candidate twice we won't even consider them." Pratt is bullish about Iowa being the first state in the nation to publicly make their presidential preferences known. Why aren't my health care concerns as valid as anybody else's? Why is Medicaid any different here than in Kansas or California?" But what is different in Iowa, Pratt says, is the ability to look a candidate in the eye and tell them what they are thinking: I guess we believe you can find the pulse of the country here." Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the partial release of Iowa caucus results. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Monday ordered a two-member committee to probe into the allegations of phone-tapping during the regime of former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the state. The probe has to be completed in a period of six weeks. "The inquiry may be conducted by a two-member committee of Shrikant Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Home Deptt, along with Amitesh Kumar, IPS (Joint Commissioner of Intelligence), within a period of 6 weeks, with the liberty to induct officers and technical experts as per the requirements," reads the letter of Maharashtra's Home Ministry. "The inquiry should cover not only the legal documentation but also take the support of technical experts to decipher if unofficial surveillance has been carried out by tracing the foot-print in the servers of various telecom companies through physical verifications and visits," adds the letter. In the letter, Deshmukh alleged that he was taking the decision to form a committee after receiving multiple complaints of "misuse of phone tapping by the previous government." Earlier in January, Fadnavis had said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government could order a probe into it by any agency of its choice. "Phone tapping of opposition leaders is not a tradition of Maharashtra. Our government never gave such an order. The present state government is free to do any probe by any agency. Even the Shiv Sena leaders were a part of the State Home Ministry then," Fadnavis had told reporters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) KP Vishnuprasad By Express News Service MALAPPURAM: Akshay Prakash from Perinthalmanna and Haritha from Ottapalam, two MBBS students in Hubei University of Chinese Medicine in Wuhan, are also among the first lot of more than 300 Indians airlifted from China - where the coronavirus has so far killed more than 250 people - by a special team from India on Saturday. According to the parents of Akshay, 31 students stuck in the university hostel after the coronavirus outbreak in China were also rescued by the team and the students reached New Delhi around 7 am on Saturday. The parents said Akshay and the other students will be quarantined for 14 days. They said they would seek the help of government authorities to meet their son in Delhi. Akshay keeps me updated about their travel and medication. He says he is healthy and we will fly to Delhi to meet him if the authorities allow us to do so, said Prakash V, father of Akshay. The students from the university had earlier posted a video pleading for food and water and immediate steps from the authorities to airlift them from Wuhan. After the video went viral on social media, the Indian Embassy contacted the university authorities and arranged food, water and electricity supply to the hostel. The Embassy contacted the students and promised immediate steps to rescue them from the hostel. Within a few days, the Embassy implemented the airlift plan. Meanwhile, Malappuram district medical office has requested people returning from the countries where the coronavirus outbreak was reported to contact health authorities immediately after arrival in the district. People can use the numbers : 0483 2734387, 1056 and 0471 2552056 to contact the health authorities. NPO aims to make history again this 50th anniversary of Earth Day In 1970, a The New York Times ad helped spark an environmental revolution with a call to action that saw 20 million Americans join national efforts to tackle environmental degradation. On Sunday, 2 February 2020, Earth Day Network ran another full-page ad in the same publication announcing a global day of activism to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on 22 April. The advertisement was run nearly 50 years to the day that the full-page ad in the The New York Times used the words "Earth Day" for the first time. Full-page ad in The New York Times in 1970 click to enlarge The New York Times ad changed everything, says Denis Hayes, coordinator of the first Earth Day. The ad issued a call to all Americans about the state of our planet. Once it ran, millions of people joined this national effort. Like the first full-page ad, Sundays ad is a call to action to millions to unite to tackle environmental degradation and the climate crisis of today. Full-page ad in The New York Times in 2020 click to enlarge For the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we need everyone participating, says Kathleen Rogers, Earth Day Network president. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the EPA, Clean Air Amendments, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act, and many of our nations most important environmental legislation, all passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. In 1970, Earth Day mobilised 20 million Americans. Today, Earth Day is global, and every nation on Earth is participating. Earth Day Network is a non-profit organisation with a mission to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day, Earth Day Network is the worlds largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with 75,000 partners in nearly 192 countries. ad changed everything, says Denis Hayes, coordinator of the first Earth Day. The ad issued a call to all Americans about the state of our planet. Once it ran, millions of people joined this national effort.Like the first full-page ad, Sundays ad is a call to action to millions to unite to tackle environmental degradation and the climate crisis of today.For the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we need everyone participating, says Kathleen Rogers, Earth Day Network president. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the EPA, Clean Air Amendments, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act, and many of our nations most important environmental legislation, all passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. In 1970, Earth Day mobilised 20 million Americans. Today, Earth Day is global, and every nation on Earth is participating.Earth Day Network is a non-profit organisation with a mission to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day, Earth Day Network is the worlds largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with 75,000 partners in nearly 192 countries. General Mills announced today that it is bringing Dunkaroos back to the United States this summer. The sweet snack a favorite of '90s kids was discontinued in 2012, leaving fans pining away for convenient packs of mini cookies and frosting to dunk them in. But the company revealed that it is officially reintroducing the product in just a few months, a move that's been met with enthusiastic approval on social media. Good news! General Mills announced today that it is bringing Dunkaroos back to the United States this summer Get pumped! The sweet snack was discontinued in 2012, leaving fans pining away for convenient packs of mini cookies and frosting to dunk them in Classic: It was launched in 1990 and a favorite of '90s kids Dunkaroos first launched in 1990s and were a popular snack for kids for the next two decades. But in 2012, they were removed from US shelves, though they remained available in Canada. The snack has ended up on countless lists of discontinued products that customers wished would come back, and on Monday, that wish came true. On January 24, the first post from a Dunkaroos Instagram account had some suspecting the announcement might be coming. Can't wait! Commenters quickly chimed in to share their excitement and plans to buy as soon as they hit shelves Today, the Instagram and Twitter accounts shared a new video ad for the release. The clip says that while frosted tips and cassette tapes are definitely not coming back, Dunkaroos definitely are in Summer 2020. Commenters quickly chimed in to share their excitement and plans to buy as soon as they hit shelves. 'BEST. SUMMER. EVERRRRRRRRRRRRR,' one happy Twitter user replied. 'I support this wholeheartedly,' said another, while a third wrote that it was 'ABSOLUTELY THE BEST NEWS I HAVE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE.' Who's excited? Popsicle brought back its beloved Double Pops thanks to popular demand last year The Biebs: It's thanks in large part to Justin Bieber, who tweeted about the pops back in May and earned lots of support They did it! The brand got well over 100,000 retweets and promised to bring the pops back Last year, Popsicle announced that it would bring back its Double Pops, which were discontinued years before, after Justin Bieber helped drum up demand. On May 21, 2019, he tweeted a picture of the pops with the words: 'Talking with @scooterbraun and we just realized we cant find double stick popsicles!! This is crazy. @Popsicle we need those back!' His tweet earned plenty of support, eventually inspiring Popsicle to make moves. On July 16, the brand tweeted their exciting plans: 'Hey @justinbieber you asked where are the @Popsicle Double Pops? Well, you better belieb we made a special batch just for you and @scooterbraun! Theyre coming in hot well, cold actually, because you know Popsicle!' They tweeted again the next day. 'A limited batch has landed but for 100K retweets well bring back the Double Pop fun for everyone. Whos in? RT this tweet & well alert you on 7/23 with the results,' they wrote, sending out an additional tweet to #Beliebers. By Sunday night, they'd reached that goal, and shared the good news. 'Hey Popsicle fans!! Whats better than a Popsicle on #NationalIceCreamDay? Two! We officially hit 100,000 retweets and are going to #BringBackTheDouble Popsicle. Thanks to all the fans that made this a truly happy #NationalIceCreamDay for everyone,' the brand tweeted. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are locked in an election battle to hold the centre ground as Sinn Fein's support grows. Both parties have been caught off guard by the shock rise in support for Sinn Fein as the General Election campaign enters its final week. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe insisted he was "not giving up or giving in on the centre" but said he would have to "fight" to ensure it holds. "We have to continue to change the political centre to make sure it works for more people," he told the Irish Independent. Meanwhile, senior figures in Fine Gael are warning the party needs to significantly change its strategy to focus on Sinn Fein's policies rather than dismissing it as not being a normal party. However, there are divided opinions in the party as other senior ministers believe attacking Sinn Fein is driving voters towards Fianna Fail. Expand Close Mums the word: 94-year-old Sheila Canney casts her vote in Galway East, watched by her son, Sean Canney TD. Photo: Ray Ryan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mums the word: 94-year-old Sheila Canney casts her vote in Galway East, watched by her son, Sean Canney TD. Photo: Ray Ryan "A number of people have told the Taoiseach every time you take on the Shinners it plays into Martin's hands," a senior Fine Gael source said. Fianna Fail will tell voters that supporting them is the only way to keep Sinn Fein out of power. "We will tell voters that if they vote for Mary Lou, they could be putting Marxists like Ruth Coppinger and Richard Boyd Barrett in government," a senior party source said. Mary Lou McDonald said a 'Business Post'/Red C opinion poll which had her party neck and neck with Fianna Fail showed the "energy and momentum for Sinn Fein and for change". "The best possible outcome from this election is a government without Fianna Fail or Fine Gael," she said at a campaign event yesterday. "The worst outcome for us is a government of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael working together." Sinn Fein has officially requested that RTE include Ms McDonald in the final live televised debate of the campaign, which takes place tomorrow night. RTE's election coverage steering committee will meet this morning to consider the request. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin yesterday said they had no objection to Ms McDonald being included in the debate. Labour has also written to RTE insisting the debate should include all party leaders. While there are calls within Fine Gael to target Sinn Fein, the party's hierarchy has decided their focus should remain on Fianna Fail. "There's no votes for us in going after Sinn Fein as we are just sending voters back to Fianna Fail," said a source. Fine Gael campaign sources yesterday said they believe Mr Martin was beginning to "unravel" after his interview with Brian Dobson on RTE last Friday. The party intends to target Mr Martin over his staff wrongly signing an election pledge on rent freezes and also highlighting typos in Fianna Fail's election manifesto. A Fine Gael source also said their research found viewers felt Mr Martin was "overly aggressive" and "snippy" in the Virgin Media debate last week. Health Minister Simon Harris warned "not all change is good" and pointed to the vote on Brexit in Britain and the election of US President Donald Trump. "FF/SF is not change for the better. It's a real step backwards," he added. Meanwhile, Mr Martin sparked anger in Fine Gael when he claimed the party could not "feel for working class people" because of their "privileged background". "Fine Gael have a huge sense of entitlement and they believe that they have a divine right to rule," he told the 'Sunday Independent'. Mr Harris accused Mr Martin of attempting to "sow division" while Fine Gael TD Noel Rock said he was raised by a single mother in Ballymun in Dublin. The Taoiseach said it was "really unfortunate" that Mr Martin, was seeking to "inject class politics into Irish politics". He said he was "sorry that Fianna Fail are trying to pit the working class against the middle class". However, Mr Varadkar also criticised the "backwoodsmen in Fianna Fail" who he said would "slow down social progress". "If we have a Fianna Fail-led government, I have no doubt that the social progress we have seen in recent years will not continue," he added. Separately, Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath said his was the only party that "can lead an alternative government to Fine Gael". Speaking on Newstalk, Mr McGrath said people "want a complete change of government and I think they don't want Fine Gael to have an influence over government". "Our preferences is to build an alliance, following the election, that does not involve Fine Gael in any shape or form." VIPs experience and expertise with public sector clients, paired with the robust OpenText platform is a winning combination that will help organizations migrate existing systems to a fully-supported cloud version of the platform, said VIP CEO Jonna Ward. Visionary Integration Professionals (VIP) today announced a partnership with OpenText, a global leader in Enterprise Information Management (EIM) that completed an acquisition of Dell EMCs Enterprise Content Division, including Documentum in 2017. With the new alliance, VIP now offers OpenText to public sector clients via the State of California Software Licensing Program (SLP). Clients are rethinking their enterprise platforms to better compete in todays digital age, and EIM is the key platform to enable that transformation. Our acquisition of Documentum and the Enterprise Content Division from DELL EMC significantly strengthened our market leading position, said OpenText CEO and CTO, Mark J. Barrenechea. Customers are responding very well to our Release 16 and this acquisition extends our leadership in content services, information archives, key verticals, and the Cloud. Numerous public sector entities nationwide currently use Documentum, which will not be supported after April 2020. This partnership gives VIP the ability to easily work with these agencies to migrate their existing Documentum installations to the current, fully supported version of OpenText. VIPs experience and expertise with public sector clients, paired with the robust OpenText platform is a winning combination that will help organizations migrate existing systems to a fully-supported cloud version of the platform, said VIP CEO Jonna Ward. We are eager to help state and local agencies drive the most value from their EIM investment." VIPs OpenText SLP contract number is SLP-19-70-0220K and more information on the SLP program can be found at https://www.dgs.ca.gov/PD/About/Page-Content/PD-Branch-Intro-Accordion-List/Acquisitions/Software-Licensing-Program#@ViewBag.JumpTo About VIP Visionary Integration Professionals (VIP) provides industry-leading management consulting, system integration, and technology deployment solutions. VIP helps its clients strengthen mission outcomes by combining deep industry specialization, agility to adapt as needed, and an unwavering commitment to client satisfaction. VIP brings expertise in how to deploy systems that align people, processes, and technology to accelerate strategic change and to deliver business results in partnership with its clients. Since 1996, VIP has worked with over 1,200 public sector and commercial clients. For more information, visit http://www.trustvip.com. A woman who hallucinated the Mexican Cartel were hunting her was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia before doctors realised she had a rare and deadly immune disease. Samantha Redfield, of Angels Camp, California, suddenly began experiencing strange symptoms over a two week period in October 2019. She was rushed to hospital when she suffered a seizure, and over the next few days, began to hallucinate her sisters were dead and sob uncontrollably. When brain scans and blood tests showed nothing was wrong, 30-year-old Mrs Redfield was referred to a psychiatrist with suspected schizophrenia, by which point she hadn't slept for ten days. But the psychiatrist said there was something more sinister going on. She told Mrs Redfield's family to take her straight back to A&E. After taking fluid from Mrs Redfield's spine, the doctors were able to diagnose autoimmune encephalitis, which causes the body's immune system to attack healthy brain cells. Inflammation and swelling lead to symptoms similar to psychosis. Mrs Redfield was kept in hospital for two weeks while having treatment which filters the blood and removes harmful antibodies. She has almost fully recovered. Samantha Redfield, of Angels Camp, California, was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia before doctors realised she had a life-threatening disease Mrs Redfield was diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis after more tests. She spent two weeks in hospital recovering (pictured) Mrs Redfield believed that her two sisters, Katie, 29 (pictured), and Danielle, 20, had died and that the Mexican Cartel were hunting her and waiting outside her house Speaking about her hallucinations, Mrs Redfield said: 'The hallucinations that I do somewhat remember were thinking I lost loved ones, I remember sobbing thinking two of my sisters had died. 'I also remember bits and pieces of being incredibly scared that the Mexican Cartel was hunting me, that they were outside our home. I remember very little. 'There is what I believe a good two weeks where I remember nothing. I would be extremely happy one moment and a wreck the next. 'I had trouble speaking, I couldn't write or read. I was told I stayed awake for ten days straight. 'To simply put it, my body was attacking my brain and my body was fighting for its life.' Mrs Redfield suddenly started to experience symptoms of stiffness and numbness in her right hand in October 2019. Over two weeks, the numbness Mrs Redfield was feeling spread to her upper right lip and she struggled to feed herself with a fork without dropping it. She said: 'I knew something was wrong, I quickly became anxious and worried. These symptoms came on quickly over a two-week period just prior to my first seizure. Mrs Redfield was kept in hospital for two weeks while having treatment which replaces her blood with new blood. She is pictured in hospital Mrs Redfield was first rushed to hospital when she suffered a seizure. Her bruised tongue is pictured after one of her seizures From speaking to her family and her husband, Codey, 40, Mrs Redfield knew that she started to hallucinate. She said: 'There is what I believe a good two weeks where I remember nothing. I would be extremely happy one moment and a wreck the next' WHAT IS AUTOIMMUNE ENCEPHALITIS? Autoimmune encephalitis is a serious medical condition in which the immune system attacks the brain, impairing function. It caused by a problem with the immune system (the body's natural defence against infection). The immune system mistakes healthy tissue in the brain as a threat and attacks it, causing the brain to become inflamed and swell. The body produces antibodies which attack the NMDA receptors in the brain, which are proteins that cause electrical impulses. Their functioning is necessary for judgement, perception of reality, human interaction, memory, and the control of unconscious activities such as breathing and swallowing. It's not always clear why the immune system malfunctions in this way. Some cases of autoimmune encephalitis are caused by the immune system reacting to the presence of a tumour (an abnormal growth) inside the body. The main symptoms are flu like, but people also develop memory loss, difficulty sleeping, and may become unable to communicate or speak coherently. They might become confused, have hallucinations or exhibit strange behaviour. Other symptoms include seizures, loss of consciousness and movement disorders. Source: The Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis Foundation Advertisement 'I remember being at a restaurant with my dad and telling him to watch this - I could feel when my hand was about to seize up - I picked up the fork with food on it and before I brought it to my mouth, my hand gave away, dropping the fork and food hit the table, we weren't sure what to think. 'These symptoms continued to escalate and a week after the fork incident I had my seizure. 'We would eventually find out these symptoms on the right side of my body were caused by swelling in the left side of my brain.' Mrs Redfield was rushed to A&E on October 25 following her first seizure, when she also broke her ankle. A doctor ordered blood tests and MRI scans, which all came back clear. 'To have them come back clear was honestly scary as it left us with no answers as to what had caused the seizure,' Mrs Redfield said. 'Unfortunately, the days following with additional MRIs, EEGs and blood work were a blur. My health quickly started to deteriorate and do not remember much or if any of these tests.' After being discharged from the hospital and given the all clear, Mrs Redfield can't fully remember what happened to her as her health rapidly declined. From speaking to her family and her husband, Codey, 40, Mrs Redfield knew that she started to hallucinate. She believed that her two sisters, Katie, 29, and Danielle, 20, had died and that the Mexican Cartel were hunting her and waiting outside her house. On November 5, Mrs Redfield's family took her back to the neurologist who misdiagnosed her with schizophrenia. Mrs Redfield said: 'My dad scheduled an appointment with a psychiatrist the very next day. 'I've been told the psychiatrist said that this is not schizophrenia, she understood I was a healthy happy 29-year-old only weeks before, she knew something was wrong. On November 5, Mrs Redfield's family took her back to the neurologist who misdiagnosed her with schizophrenia. She saw a psychiatrist who said there was something more sinister going on. Mrs Redfield is pictured in hospital with a broken ankle from her first seizure Mrs Redfield, pictured with her husband, suddenly started to experience symptoms of stiffness and numbness in her right hand in October 2019. She rapidly deteriorated Mrs Redfield. pictured with her husband on their wedding day, said: 'To simply put it, my body was attacking my brain and my body was fighting for its life' 'She recommended my family get me to an emergency room immediately to get admitted. My parents did just that.' WHAT IS SCHIZOPHRENIA? Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. People with schizophrenia may seem like they have lost touch with reality. The cause of schizophrenia is not understood and it is believed to be a mix of genetics (hereditary), abnormalities in brain chemistry and/or possible viral infections and immune disorders. Symptoms of schizophrenia usually begin between ages 16 and 30. In rare cases, children have schizophrenia too. The symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three categories: positive, negative, and cognitive. Positive symptoms are disturbances that are 'added' to the person's personality and include: Hallucinations Delusions Thought disorders (unusual or dysfunctional ways of thinking) Negative symptoms are capabilities that are 'lost' from the person's personality and include: 'Flat affect' (reduced expression of emotions via facial expression or voice tone) Reduced feelings of pleasure in everyday life Difficultly beginning and sustaining activities Cognitive symptoms are changes in their memory or other aspects of thinking and include: Trouble focusing or paying attention Problems with 'working memory' Poor ability to understand information and use it to make decisions Figures suggest around one percent of the world population suffers from schizophrenia with around two million in the US. Source: National Institute of Mental Health Advertisement Mrs Redfield was in hospital for two weeks during which time countless tests and a spinal tap diagnosed autoimmune encephalitis. Every years there are up to 6,000 cases of encephalitis of all types in the UK, and approximately 25,000 in the US, according to Encephalitis Society. The condition causes inflammation of the brain and can cause traumatic symptoms similar to those seen in patients with psychosis, including confusion, hallucinations or strange behaviour. Viruses are the most common cause of infectious encephalitis. Mrs Redfield was diagnosed with a rarer autoimmune type. It's caused by a problem with the immune system, but doctors are still baffled as to why the body behaves this way. Mrs Redfield underwent plasma treatment called plasmapheresis which finally brought her out of her psychosis-like state. She was discharged from hospital on November 22. She said: 'This psychiatrist is the reason we ended up admitted at UC Davis Medical Centre where my life would be saved. 'The doctors turned to an aggressive treatment of plasma exchanges that truly saved my life and brought me out of psychosis. 'They inserted a catheter near my collar bone. Every other day a specialist would come in with a machine and bottles of plasma. This machine would take my blood into the machine where it would separate my plasma from my red blood cells. 'The machine would then mix my plasma with the fresh plasma and inject it back into my body. 'This was a two-hour process that happened every other day, five times. By the second or third treatment I started to come out of my state of psychosis.' Mrs Redfield is about to undergo immunoglobulin therapy (IVIg), whereby a mixture of antibodies are injected into the blood to help the body fight disease. She will have IVIg once a month for the next six months to a year to prevent the 20 to 30 per cent chance of relapse. In the meantime, Mrs Redfield must take it easy; she's put her career in marketing on hold while she gets better due to her limited energy and hasn't had a seizure since she was in hospital. Mrs Redfield will have IVIg once a month for the next six months to a year to prevent the 20 to 30 per cent chance of relapse. She said: 'This psychiatrist is the reason we ended up admitted at UC Davis Medical Centre where my life would be saved' Mrs Redfield, pictured resting her broken ankle at home, has put her career in marketing on hold while she gets better due to her limited energy and hasn't had a seizure since she was in hospital Mrs Redfield is still in recovery from her terrifying ordeal but wants to spread the word and raise awareness of her condition. She said: 'In my case, my antibodies were not working correctly, and they turned on my body and attacked the NMDA receptors in my brain. 'NMDA receptors are responsible for a lot of our daily activity like human interaction, our memories, judgement and so much more. 'Each day is better. My body allows me about four hours of energy a day so the things I do each day are limited still. 'I can't drive due to the seizures and with little energy am unable to work so a lot of my time is spent with friends and family or binge watching my favourite shows. I still have a long road ahead of healing and have to remind myself daily to take it easy. 'My new neurologist says there is a twenty to thirty per cent chance of relapse, but we are hopeful IVIG will lessen those chances.' Mrs Redfield added: 'I am so thankful for the ability to share my story and raise awareness through it, in hopes of saving a life - many are misdiagnosed, not treated and trapped in their own bodies and mental health hospitals. 'Take care of yourself, be gentle with yourself, don't apologise for something that's out of your control. You can't rush healing.' For more information, visit Mrs Redfield's Instagram. Democratic presidential candidates hustled across the state yesterday on the eve of the Iowa caucuses, trying to fire up voters and appealing to those struggling with their choice in the crowded field. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders told several hundred supporters in a car park in Cedar Rapids a high turnout in Iowa would mean he wins and low turnout would result in the opposite. The event was moved outside after too many people showed up to fit into his nearby field office. "We are the campaign of energy and excitement," Mr Sanders said. "We believe we are in a position to win tomorrow night" and that "gives us a path toward victory" over President Donald Trump. Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, talked up his newcomer status during a rally in Coralville, where a Republican asked why he should support Mr Buttigieg over former vice-president Joe Biden. "I don't want to put too fine a point on it, but every single time my party has won the White House in the last 50 years, we have done it with someone who is new in national politics," Mr Buttigieg said. In Dubuque, Mr Biden told voters there won't be time for a "on-the-job training" and pledged: "If you stand with me, we can end Donald Trump's reign of hatred and division and unify this country." Expand Close A baby wears ear mufflers as Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A baby wears ear mufflers as Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren closed her Indianola event with an impassioned plea for her supporters to "fight back". "Americans are at our best when we see a problem - we tackle it head-on and we fight it to the ground," Ms Warren said. Underlying the frenzied late moments, campaigns and voters acknowledged a palpable sense of unpredictability and anxiety as Democrats begin selecting which candidate to send on to a November face-off with Mr Trump. The Democratic race is unusually large and jumbled heading into today's caucus. Four candidates were locked in a fight for victory in Iowa; others were in position to pull off surprisingly strong finishes. "This is going to go right down to the last second," said Symone Sanders, a senior adviser to Mr Biden. Polls show Mr Biden in a close race in Iowa with Mr Sanders, Ms Warren and Mr Buttigieg. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang are also competing aggressively in the state. Democrats' deep disdain for Mr Trump has put many in the party on edge about the decision. A series of external forces has also heightened the sense of unpredictability in Iowa, including Mr Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate, which marooned Ms Warren, Mr Sanders and Ms Klobuchar in Washington for much of the past week. Mr Biden's campaign appeared to be trying to lower Iowa expectations, cautioning against reading too much into today's results. He is hoping to sustain enough enthusiasm and money coming out of Iowa to make it to more diverse states where he hopes to draw strong support from black voters. His campaign is particularly focused on South Carolina, the fourth state on the primary schedule. "We view Iowa as the beginning, not the end," said Symone Sanders. Mr Sanders, Ms Warren and Ms Klobuchar all fanned out across the state yesterday, trying to make up ground after missing most of the last two weeks of campaigning due to the Senate impeachment trial. In a conference room in Cedar Rapids, Ms Klobuchar appealed to caucus-goers by asking them to think about the voters who won't be caucusing - moderate Republicans, voters who swung from Barack Obama to Trump and voters who stayed at home in 2016. "They're watching all of this right now," Ms Klobuchar said. "We have people who want to come with us. And we need a candidate who is going to bring them with us instead of shutting them out." [February 03, 2020] Call For Entries: PR Newswire Vietnam Launches National PR & Communications Awards HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PR Newswire, the leading global provider of news distribution and earned media software and services, is proud to present the inaugural National PR & Communications Awards in Vietnam. The awards celebrate the year's outstanding communications programs and recognize trailblazers in the country's fast-growing public relations industry. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on April 13. Organized by PR Newswire Vietnam, the National PR & Communications Awards are open to all organisations and agencies. Spanning ten categories, the awards cover a broad spectrum of disciplines in the public relations and communications field. The award categories are: Multimedia Communications Award Content & Storytelling Award Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Communications Award Global PR Campaign Award Innovation Communications Award Brand Expansion Award Vietnam Brand -- Global Impact Award Media Relations Campaign Award Internal Communications Award Crisis & Issue Management Award The National PR & Communications Awards is poised to become a leading platform for the recognition of PR professionals in Vietnam, covering initiatives by an extensive range of local and international companies. The awards aim to affirm and promote best practices in Vietnam's dynamic public relations industry. As one of the top emerging economies in South-east Asia, Vietnam has seen strong economic expansion fuelled by its transformation into a global manufacturing hub and robust foreign direct investment. These developments have encouraged more home-grown companies to build up their brand presence locally and expand overseas in recent years.Globally, more international companies are also targeting the Vietnamese market. These business trends have led to a thriving demand for more diversified and sophisticated communications services in the country. Mai Anh Le, Country Manager of PR Newswire Vietnam, said: "Over the past two years, we have seen more companies in Vietnam shift their focus from paid to earned media. Securing coverage by third-party media outlets has added credibility to their campaigns and content. With the National PR & Communications Awards, we hope to showcase campaigns that have impacted audiences and foster a vibrant public relations community in Vietnam." Nationwide call for nominations The call for nominations will start from February 3. Applicants can submit online forms for the respective categories here. Submissions will close on March 25. Entries will be shortlisted before the nomination list is revealed on April 13. Shortlisted applicants will be judged by an independent panel of reputable industry leaders and senior communications experts. More details about the panel will be revealed in the coming months. Each entry will be assessed on key criteria that include originality and business impact of campaigns. The finalists and winners will be celebrated at a ceremony and gala dinner at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza in Ho Chi Minh City on April 13. The results will also be announced on PR Newswire's online and social media platforms to a global network of media partners and journalists. Having pioneered the commercial news distribution industry more than 60 years ago, PR Newswire has the world's largest media distribution network, which covers over 300,000 media outlets in more than 170 countries and over 40 languages. In June 2018, PR Newswire expanded its footprint in Asia-Pacific with the opening of an office in Ho Chi Minh City. Since its inception, PR Newswire Vietnam has amassed a robust local distribution network of more than 800 local and international media partners and over 5,700 journalists. PR Newswire has also collaborated with Vietnamese enterprises and conglomerates, from industries such as travel, technology and finance, to share their corporate news to the world. For more information on the award categories and participation process, visit vn.prnasia.com/award/2020/en About PR Newswire PR Newswire, a Cision Company, is a leading global provider of news distribution and earned media software and services. ?In conjunction with Cision's cloud-based communications product suite, PR Newswire's services enable marketers, corporate communicators, and investor relations officers to identify key influencers, engage target audiences, craft and distribute strategic content, and measure meaningful impact.?Combining the world's largest multi-channel, multi-cultural content dissemination network with comprehensive workflow tools and platforms, PR Newswire powers the stories of organizations around the world. PR Newswire serves tens of thousands of clients from offices in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific regions. For further information, please contact: PR Newswire Vietnam [email protected] +84-28-6276-8957 Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200130/2707143-1 Logo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160617/8521603993LOGO-d SOURCE PR Newswire [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] National Park of American Samoa Quarter WHAT: The United States Mint will participate in an event to celebrate the release of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program coin honoring the National Park of American Samoa. The coins reverse image showcases a Samoan fruit bat mother hanging in a tree with her pup. Following the ceremony, $10 rolls of newly minted National Park of American Samoa quarters will be available for exchange. WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020, at 10 a.m. (SST) WHERE: Su'igaula o le Atuvasa Utulei Beach Park Route 1 Utulei, AS 96799 WHO: David Ryder, Director, United States Mint Lt. Governor Lemanu Palepoi Sialega Mauga Amata Coleman Radewagen, Congresswoman Fiu Saelua, Chief of Staff, Governors Office (Emcee) Stanley (Stan) Austin, Regional Director, Pacific West Region Scott Burch, Superintendent, National Park of American Samoa Richard Masters, United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program The National Park of American Samoa quarter is the 51st release in the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters Program, a 12-year initiative that honors 56 national parks and other national sites authorized by Public Law 110-456. Each year until 2020, the public will see five new national sites depicted on the reverses (tails sides) of the America the Beautiful Quarters. A final coin will be released in 2021. The United States Mint is issuing these quarters in the order in which the national sites were officially established. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: # # # United States Mint Connecting America through Coins When it comes to working hard towards your goals and accomplishing something, there are two types of people. Type one: Those who set goals and go shout it out to whoever will listen. Type two: Those who set goals and work hard towards them in silence. And not so surprisingly, the latter actually go on to accomplish their goals more effectively. Below, you'll discover why. Why you shouldn't tell people about your goals. In an essay titled, If You Want To Succeed, Don't Tell Anyone, published in Psychology Today, puts forward research conducted by Peter Gollwitzer - a professor at New York University. It goes on to explain why telling other people about a specific goal makes us less motivated to fulfill it. In Gollwitzer's study, law students were asked to fill out a questionnaire that measured their commitment to becoming lawyers. The students were then split into two groups. For the first group, an experimenter looked at each participants answers. And the second group was instructed to drop their questionnaires into a box and remained anonymous. After that, both groups were given 45 minutes to work on legal cases. The first group, whose answers had been acknowledged, spent less time working on the cases than the second group, whose answers were anonymous. What do these results mean? The study went on to prove how students whose intentions were known tended to act less on them, as compared to those whose answers were anonymous. This is a classic case of Identity Goals - when a goal is closely tied to an individual's identity. When the examiner acknowledged the first groups' answers, for those students, the examiner in a way regarded them as lawyers. So a part of their identity goal - that is to become lawyers - was partly achieved. That led to a decrease in their hard work to actually become lawyers. So, in order to achieve your goals, don't speak about them. The key takeaway? When we tell people what we intend to achieve, we instill in ourselves to a certain degree, a premature sense of achievement. We feel a sense of pride in letting people know what we aspire to do, and that pride doesn't let us actually work on what we want to achieve. Instead, work hard in silence. Achieve your goals and let your success make all the noise. Image credit: Pexels. Actress Sanam Shetty has filed a police complaint against Bigg Boss Tharshan for cheating her by giving false hope and misused her trust. According to Sanam Shetty, she got engaged with Tharshan in May 2019 with the presence of 200 people and they even decided to conduct the wedding in June. But Tharshan asked more time due to his Bigg Boss commitment. James Durbin Today is the last day to register to vote in the March 3 joint primaries, according to the Midland County Elections Office. Potential voters can also make address changes to be eligible to vote. While the Opposition was trying to shout down such mentions, the government was using a financial jargon and technicality-packed Budget speech as a code for the cultural agenda of new India. During her Budget speech on Saturday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman released a projectile at the beehive of Left-colonial historical narrative. For the first time in Parliament, Sindhu-Saraswati civilisation was mentioned and mentioned proudly instead of the customary Indus Valley civilisation. The Opposition reflexively broke into an uproar. And by doing that, it again fell into the trap of ceding not just nationalistic space, but defying concrete scientific evidence which has traced our civilisation back by over a thousand years. Colonial and Leftist historians had limited the Indian civilisation to merely the Indus Valley, while recent excavations at the Rakhigarhi site in Haryana have been established much older, thriving cities. And while the Left historians repeatedly shrugged off Saraswati as a mythical the realm of reality. The other round of boos went up from the Opposition benches with the finance minister mentioned Harappan coins. While the Opposition was trying to shout down such mentions, the government was using a financial jargon and technicality-packed Budget speech as a code for the cultural agenda of new India. It was not just the repeated mentions of Sindhu-Saraswati civilisation or Harappa seals. Sitharaman underlined heritage as the driving force of tourism in India. She also announced the setting up an Indian Institute of Heritage and Conservation with deemed-university status and building eight museums as cultural showcases. Most importantly, the finance minister proposed to transforms into tourism attraction five archaeological sites namely Rakhigarhi in Haryana, Hastinapur in Uttar Pradesh, Dholavira in Gujarat, Sivasagar in Assam and Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu. Each of these is witness to Indias rich pre-Islamic culture and ancient, often pre-historic, legacy. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly feels our glorious past has not got its due from the Nehruvian polity and intelligentsia, for whom the road through past stops at India of Ashoka, Akbar and the British. There are other covert social-cultural-political codes hidden in the Budget speech. One such is raising marriageable age for young women. This could set the ground for a two-child policy that the government is likely to consider bringing soon, and ultimately, a Uniform Civil Code replacing personal laws which still allow Muslims to have four wives at the same time. While both higher marriageable age and two-child policy will apply to all sections, these will affect Muslims more since the communitys fertility rates remain higher than all others despite an across-the-board dip. Indias Muslim population has grown from 9.8 percent in 1951 Census to 14.2 percent in 2011, while Hindu numbers have fallen from 84.1 percent to 79.8 percent. Demography is already Indias fiercest battleground, with the introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Bill and the looming nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC), which Union Home Minister Amit Shah has promised to bring soon. The BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) cultural vision of India is well-coded in the 2020-21 Budget. The finance minister's speech was about numbers, but not just financial ones. Follow full coverage of Union Budget 2020-21 here PCUSA, Episcopal churches rank themselves low on evangelism abilities: survey Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment When it comes to marks of congregational vitality, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Episcopal Church congregations rank themselves lowest on evangelism, according to a recent survey. PC(USA)s Research Services department released an analysis of the U.S. Congregational Vitality Study centered on PC(USA) and the Episcopal Church congregations. The survey, released Monday, included 156 congregations, 78 from PC(USA) and 78 from the Episcopal Church, with the opinions of about 9,000 church members taken, according to Presbyterian News Service. PC(USA) looked at responses centered on what they described as the Seven Marks of Congregational Vitality, which include caring relationships, ecclesial health, intentional, authentic evangelism, lifelong discipleship, outward incarnational focus, servant leadership, and Spirit-inspired worship. Taken on a scale of 1-100, the survey found that of the congregational vitality marks, evangelism was ranked the lowest at 69, deemed the equivalent of a D+ grade. Within the overall questions pertaining to evangelism, the statement I try to ensure that visitors to my church feel welcome was the most popular of the responses, while I invite people who do not attend church to come visit mine was the least popular. The highest of the vitality marks was caring relationships, scoring at 81 percent, or a B to B-, followed by worship and ecclesial health, both at 79 and servant leadership at 78. Angie Andriot, a research analyst with the PC(USA)s Research Services, said in comments to Presbyterian News Service that this marked the first deep analysis of the congregational vitality data, with more analysis expected in the near future. Regarding differences in responses between Presbyterian and Episcopal congregations, Andriot said both denominations tended to have similar responses. We think we are better at outward focus, Andriot told Presbyterian News Service. They think they are better at worship. Over the past several years, much has been made about the decline of membership for both PC(USA) and The Episcopal Church. While still the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States, last April PC(USA) reported losing 143 churches and about 5% of its active members in 2018. This means that PC(USA) ended 2018 with 9,161 member congregations and approximately 1.35 million active members. In a statement released last year, PC(USA) General Assembly Stated Clerk, the Rev. J. Herbert Nelson II, said he felt encouraged that the decline in members appeared to be slowing. The church of the 21st century is changing and we still believe God is preparing us for great things in the future, he said. God is moving through churches, presbyteries and synods, finding new, innovative ways to share the Gospel with a lost world and we are thankful for that. PC(USA) and The Episcopal Church are not the only denominations that appear to have issues with evangelism, according to Kevin Palau, president and CEO of the Luis Palau Association. In an interview on the Dallas Theological Seminary podcast "The Table" last September, Palau said he believed most American Christians are skittish about evangelism. "They hope someone else will do it, they hope the pastor will do it. They really dont want to do it themselves," Palau said at the time. "With all the cultural pressures, young people, even if they live in the Bible Belt, theyre affected very much by social media, and its just not comfortable to express clearly the uniqueness of Jesus Christ." Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have bewildered fans after featuring an advert for a positive news brand's online shop on their official Instagram page. The Duke, 35, and Duchess of Sussex, 38, announced over the weekend that they would be following Global Positive News Network by sharing a collage of nine images with their 11 million followers on @SussexRoyal Instagram. But eagle-eyed royal fan @GertRoyals quickly noticed that one of the images was actually an advert for the brand's online shop which was posted by Global Positive News Network's Instagram account in December. The image, which showed a young model kneeling down by a dog, was used to advertise the brand's Cyber Monday offering and a $21.95 t-shirt on its 'Merch' site. Making a collage of pictures for Instagram is usually done using an app, and the person making it has to specifically choose which pictures they want to include, which are then shown with the captions cropped out. Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, left some royal fans bewildered after featuring an advert for a brand on their official Instagram page Prince Harry and Meghan announced they would be following the page at the beginning of February by posting an online collage made up of nine images on their Instagram page. They wrote they wanted to shine a light on the company because it 'focuses on the acts of kindness and uplifting stories of community across the globe.' Global Positive News Network, which has 133,000 followers and cites itself as 'the most heartwarming page on Instagram,' describes itself as a 'trustworthy news resource that focuses on the positives in life rather than the negatives'. How to create an Instagram collage There are various collage apps available which allow Instagram users to share more than one image in a singular post. Instagrams own app Layout allows users to select several images to make different formations. Through the app, users can select up to nine different images in a square formation similar to the one shared by Sussex Royal. Users are then able to adjust the size of each image, swap in other images, or move the images from one part of the template to another. Several of the other images shared as part of the Sussex Royal collage were posted by Global Positive News as recently as January. Meanwhile one of the other images, which celebrated an all-women Delta flight crew transporting girls to NASA, was shared in November last year. Advertisement It also promises to 'enrich your soul' and 'energize and uplift people' - and it also sells merchandise on its website, including hoodies emblazoned with 'Focus on the positive' for $59 (45). On its 'Merch' site, the brand say that 10 per cent of its net profit goes to charity, although it doesn't appear to name which causes it advocates. The page was founded by Kristi Carter, who is an author and an entrepreneur living in San Francisco. But fans were quick to notice that one of the images was actually an advert for its Cyber Monday offering which the network had posted in December last year. Royal followers were taken aback, with one commenting: 'How closely did they look at the posts when they picked the photos? 'Because this photo is just a Cyber Monday ad for 20 per cent off items in Global News's shop.' Another wrote: 'They're certainly heading in a different direction now. Time will tell how things work out for them no doubt.' Another wrote: 'Not liking that it's a company, not a charity. Yes, they're not working royals yadda yadda, but seems cringey to me.' One of the images shared by the couple on their official Instagram page appeared to be an post highlighting the Global Positive New's 'Cyber Monday' sale from early December One responded: 'If they had just highlighted the positive news that the company shares that would be one thing. But to highlight the company's product is another.' This featured account is the first to be promoted on the couple's page since they decided to take a step back from royal duties and work towards being financially independent. The royal couple vowed on New Year's Day to choose a different Instagram account each month in 2020 to remind followers of 'all the good that is happening in the world.' In January, they decided to promote the work of journalist-run Instagram account, @goodnews_movement, that focused on positive news stories globally. The duo's recent post comes after the Sussex Royal Instagram account hit 11.1 million followers, overtaking the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge just a few days after they broke even with the couple at 11 million followers. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared nine images as they announced they'd be featuring the good news brand on their Instagram at the end of last week, including the one of the girl with the dog (pictured, bottom left) [February 03, 2020] AdvanSource Biomaterials Corporation Announces Completion of the Sale of Substantially All of its Assets to a Subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical America WILMINGTON, Mass, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AdvanSource Biomaterials Corporation (OTC: ASNB) (AdvanSource or the Company), a materials technology company specializing in medical grade polymers for long and short term applications, announced today that on Friday, January 31, 2020, substantially all of its assets were sold to Mitsubishi Chemical Performance Polymers, Inc. (Mitsubishi Chemical Performance Polymers or MCPP). As previously announced, AdvanSource entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with MCPP, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical America, Inc. and its shareholder, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, to sell substantially all of its assets to Mitsubishi Chemical Performance Polymers for a price of $7.25 million in cash (the Transaction). The successful completion of this transaction offers our shareholders a meaningful premium, said Michael Adams, CEO of AdvanSource. We anticipate issuing a shareholder dividend in the near future. The description of the Transaction contained herein is only a summary and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Asset Purchase Agreement relating to the Transaction, a copy of which was filed by AdvanSource with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 2, 2019. About AdvanSource AdvanSource develops advanced polymer materials which provide critical characteristics in the design and development of medical devices. Its biomaterials are used in devices that are designed for treating a broad range of anatomical sites and disease states. Its business model leverages proprietary materials science technology and manufacturing expertise in order to expand product sales and royalty and license fee income. AdvanSources technology, notably products such as ChronoFlex, HydroMed, and HydroThane, have been developed to overcome a wide range of design and functional challenges, such as the need for dimensional stability, ease of manufacture and demanding physical properties to overcoming environmental stress cracking and providing heightened lubricity for ease of insertion. AdvanSources new product extensions customize proprietary polymers for specific customer applications in a wide range of device categories. About Mtsubishi Chemical Performance Polymers Mitsubishi Chemical Performance Polymers, Inc. is a specialty chemical company and direct subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical America, Inc., the regional headquarters in North America of Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation. The Mitsubishi Chemical group of companies operates over 350 affiliates in more than 30 countries, with annual revenue in excess of $24 billion. Leveraging its affiliates manufacturing capabilities and expertise in R&D, sales, and marketing, MCPP seeks to innovate in compounding polymerization and polymer modification technologies for the 21st century, with a view towards sustainability practices in a circular economy. MCPP operates facilities in Bellevue, Ohio, Warren, Michigan, Greer, South Carolina, and Brazil. MCPPs product portfolio includes: Tefabloc, Thermorun, Trexprene and Zelas thermoplastic elastomers; Modic functional polyolefins; Linklon cross-linked polyolefins; Olefista non-halogenated fire retardant polyolefins; Marfyflo, Sunprene, and Vinika polyvinylchloride elastomers; and BIOPBS, DURABIO, and Forzeas bio-sustainable thermoplastic resins. MCPPs products and expertise are used in a wide variety of specialized commercial applications in the packaging, construction, wire & cable, consumer, medical, 3d printing, and automotive industries. Advisor and Counsel In connection with this transaction, Mirus Securities is acting as financial advisor and Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP is acting as legal advisor to AdvanSource. Winston & Strawn LLP is acting as legal advisor to Mitsubishi Chemical Performance Polymers. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Some of the statements in this release are or may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ from expectations, estimates and projections presented or implied and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "target," "optimistic," "intend," "aim," "will", "may" and variations and similar words and expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements relating to the Transaction include, but are not limited to: (i) statements about the benefits of the Transaction; (ii) Mitsubishi Chemical Performance Polymers plans, objectives, expectations and intentions; and (iii) the expected timing of a post-closing dividend. Forward-looking statements involve estimates, expectations and projections and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond AdvanSources control. Actual results could differ materially if not substantially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Important risks and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. With respect to the Transaction, such risks and uncertainties include, among many others: (i) the risk that the benefits to AdvanSource and its stockholders anticipated from Transaction may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; (ii) the outcome of any legal proceedings related to the Transaction; or (iii) any of the factors in detailed in the "Risk Factors" section of AdvanSource's filings with the SEC. The foregoing listing of risks is not exhaustive. These risks, as well as other risks associated with the Transaction, are more fully discussed in AdvanSource's definitive proxy statement in connection with the transaction, which was filed with the SEC on December 31, 2019 (the Proxy Statement). Additional risks and uncertainties are identified and discussed in AdvanSources reports filed or to be filed with the SEC, including its Form 10-K, as amended, for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, and the Proxy Statement, and are available at the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements included in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. AdvanSource undertakes and assumes no obligation, and does not intend, to update AdvanSource's forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Contacts AdvanSource Biomaterials Corporation Michael F. Adams President and Chief Executive Officer 978-657-0075 Ext 156 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Furious Good Morning Britain viewers have blasted an 'arrogant, anti-white' academic who said that the 'British Empire did more harm than the Nazis' and branded whiteness a 'psychosis'. Kehinde Andrews, who is a professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, told Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid that the British Empire was worse than the Third Reich. He was appearing on today's programme debating Labour leader hopeful Lisa Nandy's proposal to removed the word 'Empire' from OBEs. Immediately after his appearance on the daytime television show, the professor took to his Twitter to continue to slam the British Empire and brand 'whiteness' a 'psychosis'. Taking to his social media page the academic praised the author Carol Anderson for her book White Rage and wrote: 'Yes, Whiteness is a psychosis. Much respect to @ProfCAnderson for the excellent White Rage. First stop on my reading our for the #PsychosisOfWhiteness book.' He later added: 'The British empire lasted far longer, did more damage and in many ways paved the way the Nazi's and their genocidal ideology. Pictured: Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid confront Kehinde Andrews after he says 'whiteness' is a 'psychosis' on Good Morning Britain The professor took to Twitter to share his praise of Carol Anderson's book White Rage and brand 'whiteness' a 'psychosis' The professor continued to slam the British Empire on social media and said that they in 'many ways paved the way' for the Nazi's 'We do no favours to the victims of the Holocaust by pretending otherwise. If we forget the past we are likely to repeat it .' Following the show viewers branded Professor Andrews a racist after he incensed them with his remarks about Britain, the Empire and 'whiteness'. As Piers and Susanna accused him of racist language, he responded: 'Whiteness is not just for white people there also Asian people black people who purport the psychosis of whiteness. 'It's about the ideas, it's about the fact that in the 21st century 60 per cent of British people believe the empire was a force for good. This is like saying because the Nazis built motorways we should celebrate them.' When Piers asked if he was honestly comparing the British Empire to Hitler's totalitarian state, Professor Andrews hit back: 'You're right. There is no comparison. The British Empire did far more harm to the world for a far more sustained period of time.' Journalist Toby Young argued that had Britain not acquired so much territory it may not have been able to defeat the Nazis. He said: 'What about the role that Britain in collaboration with its overseas territories played in defeating the Nazis?' 'It's about the ideas, it's about the fact that in the 21st century 60 per cent of British people believe the empire was a force for good. This is like saying because the Nazis built motorways we should celebrate them.' When Piers asked if he was honestly comparing the British Empire to Hitler's totalitarian state, Professor Andrews hit back: 'You're right. There is no comparison. The British Empire did far more harm to the world for a far more sustained period of time.' Journalist Toby Young argued that had Britain not acquired so much territory it may not have been able to defeat the Nazis. He said: 'What about the role that Britain in collaboration with its overseas territories played in defeating the Nazis?' But Professor Andrews then said concentration camps were invented by the British Empire as well as the idea of being about to kill people based on their race. Professor Andrews (left) clashed with Toby Young (centre) over the history of the British Empire on Good Morning Britain He added: 'The science underpinning the Nazis came largely from the British empire.' It comes one year after he said the decision to build tributes like the Bomber Command Memorial desecrated with white paint yesterday was like 'justifying terrorism'. He said: 'We are talking about a war crime. I think it is a tragedy they died, but we don't need a statue.' His extraordinary statements aired on Good Morning Britain on January 22 last year, when Piers Morgan asked him: 'Why do you see everything that we are proud of as sticks to beat our country with? 'Sometimes you have to stand up and fight. A war crime is Hitler and the Nazis'. Dr Andrews fired back: 'You can't justify terrorism by saying we won a war. The next time a terrorist lets off a bomb I'll come back to you, because you just justified it.' Piers and Susanna accused Professor Andrews of racism when he said 'whiteness' is a 'psychosis' on Good Morning Britain today The Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park, built to remember the 55,573 airmen who never came home during the Second World War, has been damaged for the fourth time since the Queen opened it in 2012. The attacks have caused great anger and grief to veterans and the families of those who lost their lives. Dr Andrews, who believes Britain was 'built on racism', said: 'I'm not defending the vandalism of memorials at all. What I'm saying is the way we put up these memorials is the wrong way. 'It's a tragedy, and those lives lost were also a tragedy. But the majority of those bombers were going to civilian targets over half a million German civilians, men and women, were killed. This was a war crime'. He added: 'In that story we forget the 500,000 people who died. We don't hear about the killing of civilians, which was a war crime'. Dr Andrews also clashed with Piers when he branded wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill a racist. He claimed in an appearance in October 2018 that Britain was 'built on racism' and that 'everyone involved in it probably has a really racist past'. The academic compared Churchill to Hitler for his treatment of Indians when the country endured a famine in 1943. The Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park to remember its 55,000 war dead has been defaced with white paint in January last year, causing outrage in Britain Describing Churchill's 'imperialist views', Mr Andrews said: 'The historical record here is clear. Even Boris Johnson admitted that Winston Churchill was racist. 'He believed that the white race was superior, that natives didn't have right to their lands in the Americas and that the Indians were a ghastly people.' When co-host Susanna Reid asked if Churchill should be viewed as a product of his time, Mr Andrews said: 'That was the Jimmy Saville defence, it was 'that way back in the day'. Was Churchill racist? Controversial acts of one of Britain's greatest leaders Winston Churchill is regarded as one of the greatest leaders of all time for uniting Britain during the Second World War and playing a pivotal role in defeating the Nazis. But he had racist views that were common in the British Empire during the early 1900s and has been blamed for several controversial episodes in Britain's history. - He took little action when in 1943, India, then still part of the British empire, experienced a famine in which 3million people died. Churchill even appeared to blame Indians for the famine, claiming they 'breed like rabbits'. The famine was sparked by the Japanese occupation of Burma the year before, which affected rice supplies. - In 1937 he said he had no sympathy for Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia, who were enslaved and succeeded by whites. He said: 'I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place.' - Churchill advocated the use of chemical weapons, particularly against the Kurds and Afghans. In a 1919 war memo he wrote: 'I cannot understand this squeamishness about the use of gas. I am strongly in favor of using poisoned gas against uncivilized tribes.' Advertisement 'Leo Amery, the secretary of India, said that Churchill's views on India were so extreme he couldn't separate them from Hitler's. 'The truth is Hitler was a great military leader, a product of his time, and if they had won the war we would be having this same discussion now. 'The fact of the matter is that [Churchill's] views led to three million people starving to death in Bengal as he was more interested in stockpiling rations for war. 'This is the problem that Britain has, the reality is that it's built on racism and everyone involved in it probably has a really racist past.' Piers hit back at the academic, claiming that despite Churchill's 'obvious flaws' he played a vital role in defeating Hitler and the spread of Nazism. If it hadn't been for Winston Churchill I think we probably wouldn't have the stomach to take on Hitler,' added Piers. 'He rallied everyone in this country. 'During the war, I genuinely believe, is that notwithstanding his flaws which aren't in dispute, he evolved as a man and became a wonderful leader of this country.' Piers then asked Mr Andrews why he remained in Britain, despite being a 'successful man' who has 'enough money to live somewhere else'. Mr Andrews replied: 'This is the problem with Churchill; colonials and imperialism has ruined other parts of the world. 'Britain's impact has devastated most of the world and Churchill is a big part of that.' Asked whether the university was standing by Professor Andrews, a Birmingham City University spokesman told MailOnline today: 'We do recognise that comments such as those you refer to may be considered controversial by some but this does not negate our respect for the ability of all individuals to exercise freedom of speech within the law. 'Indeed, under the 1986 Education Act we have a legal duty to promote freedom of speech. Universities are plural societies which are home to differences of opinion, debate and views. 'As such, the University neither endorses nor condemns Dr Andrew's personal views, but we defend his freedom of speech to express controversial or unpopular opinions.' Irish sovereign bonds continue to trade close to record lows, despite opinion polls suggesting a surge in support for Sinn Fein at the start of the final week of the election. Other European election campaigns, including in Italy and Spain, in the recent past, had led to an increase in sovereign market borrowing costs. Sovereign rating firm DBRS Morningstar said the Irish polls suggested that the elections could yield another fractured outcome, which would result in another minority government or a multi-party coalition government. However, it expects the outcome of the election wont derail stable macroeconomic policy-making. Ryan McGrath, head of fixed income at Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland, said Irish bonds have had a good run in the last 10 days, as investors moved money from shares into safe haven eurozone bonds, amid fears the coronavirus outbreak will weigh on economic growth around the world. ECB purchases for eurozone bonds have also long played a huge part in keeping the cost of borrowing for governments at close to zero. The election hasnt been a major factor, so far, Mr McGrath said. In essence, the market believes that, ultimately, it will be one of the two established parties who will end up in power and I think there is an element of trust that Ireland will remain fiscally compliant. Mr McGrath said the State can refinance at very attractive levels, adding that whatever the outcome of the election, bond yields would likely remain at very low levels for the foreseeable. The yield on the Irish 10-year bond traded at minus-13 basis points, compared with minus-11 basis points before the election campaign, and not far from Augusts record low of minus-15 basis points. Irish bond yields are trading close to those of France, while Germany continues to be the standout sovereign borrower, with its 10-year yield trading at minus-43 basis points. In some other parts of the eurozone, the governments of Portugal, at plus-27 basis points, Spain, at 24 basis points, and Italy, at 95 basis points, continue to pay albeit low costs to borrow and refinance their debts. With a much higher base rate, the UKs 10-year gilt trades at plus-52 basis points. Conall Mac Coille, chief economist at Davy, said the polls had, so far, made no marked impression on Irish bonds. It would be a concern for investors if there were uncertainty around the government or some sort of uncertainty emerged about maintaining budget surpluses in the medium-term, he said. RADNOR In a 6-1 vote on Jan. 27, the Radnor Board of Commissioners approved a contract extension with the Radnor Fraternal Order of Police through December 2024. The pact, as explained by township labor lawyer Joseph Rudolf, includes raises of 2.7 percent each for three years. Rudolf called this significantly below what other departments in similar townships are getting. The FOP also agreed to extend the high deductible health care plan now in place for nonunion and non-uniformed employees to the police, with incentives for officers to select it, said Rudolf. This will save the township an estimated $82,000 over the life of the contract, he said. Commissioner Richard Booker questioned the creation of a new defined retirement option plan (DROP) for senior officers. Rudolf explained those officers would continue to work and be paid but their retirement contributions would stop when they enroll in it. The township would also lose state contributions for those individuals. Booker, who was the sole vote against the contract, said the township stands to lose $10,200 a year for each officer in DROP. Its double-dipping without finding that post-retirement job yet, said Rudolf. Their pension benefit is calculated without changes or increases. Booker said that those employees are not to require making the 3 percent contribution to their pension if hired before 2013 or the 5 percent if they started after 2013. This is not what I think is a good plan for Radnor Township, said Booker. Commissioners President Jack Larkin told Booker that the commissioners get packets in advance and could ask their questions of staff ahead of the meeting, telling him it was inappropriate for him to discuss the topic. But Booker said that it was important to share with the public. In other business, after some discussion, the board voted 5-2, with Booker and Commissioner Sean Farhy opposing, to approve the introduction of an ordinance to require lock boxes on new commercial, office or multi-unit housing. Police Superintendent Christopher Flanagan said it would bring a joint approach increasing public safety and also help with a rapid police response if police carry these keys as well as the firefighters, who have keys to lock boxes on commercial buildings now. There would be a three-tiered response with police, fire and ambulance, Flanagan said. He called it a very proactive step. Doug Felske, deputy chief with the Radnor Fire Company, said the fire company supports the ordinance. There has been a lock box system in place for 35 years, he said. But he was concerned that the lock boxes be all standard throughout the township. Again, Booker sounded an opposing voice. We are requiring the government be able to get into a persons house, said Booker, adding there might be constitutional issues with the plan as a violation of someones privacy. Solicitor John Rice said it was for new developments only and for multi-family units, not single-family houses or duplexes. This is big brother going wild, said Farhy. He owns a business in Haverford and is required to have a lock box on his building. He is concerned about authorities accessing it and also because it mars the appearance of the facade. Police Sgt. Christopher Gluck said the secure keys include pin codes and have a time stamp and the entire system uses cloud-based software. Farhy said he has concerns about the keys getting into the wrong hands with so many people having access. The guidelines for entry would not change, said Flanagan. Emergency responders would still use forcible entry if warranted. Farhy said, If you break in, I would know you were there. If you put a code in no one knows you were there. He compared the system to Big Brother and said it was a potential violation of ones civil rights, search and seizure. Commissioner Damien Enderle, a volunteer firefighter, said the fire company has lock box keys secured. It is a very, very secure system, said Enderle. As a firefighter, I love the alternativetaking an ax and bashing the window if there is fire in there were getting in. This enables us to lessen loss of property. It is a very, very necessary tool as a first responder. If a key gets stolen, its out there, said Farhy. In a first, researchers have shown that low and high exercise intensities influence brain function differently, a finding that may pave the way for better clinical applications of physical activity in patients recovering from mental illness or brain injury. The study, published in the journal Brain Plasticity, used resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (Rs-fMRI) -- a non-invasive technique that allows for studies on brain connectivity -- to demonstrate that low-intensity exercise triggers the brains nerve networks involved in thought control, and attention processing. On the other hand, it said, high-intensity exercise primarily activates networks involved in emotion processing. We believe that functional neuroimaging will have a major impact for unraveling body-brain interactions, said Angelika Schmitt from the University of Bonn in Germany. These novel methods allow us to look directly into the brains of a group of athletes, and, maybe even more importantly, understand the dynamic changes in brain structure and function associated with the transition from a sedentary to a healthy lifestyle, Schmitt said. In the study, 25 male athletes underwent individual assessments using an incremental treadmill test. The athletes performed low and high intensity exercise bouts for 30 minutes on alternate days, the researchers said. Using the Rs-fMRI, the scientists examined the the connectivity of different brain regions in the participants before and after exercising. The athletes also completed a questionnaire to measure positive and negative mood before and after the exercise. According to the study, low-intensity exercise led to increased connectivity in brain networks associated with thought processing and attention. High-intensity work-out, the scientists said, led to increased functional networks related to emotional processes, and a decreased connectivity in areas linked to physical movements. The researchers believe that the findings may lead to more studies exploring the type of exercise intensity that best suits certain behavioural modulations. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BJP MP Parvesh Verma on Monday strongly criticised the Congress in the Lok Sabha for opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act and accused the Opposition party of creating problems like Article 370 as part of its 'vote bank politics' BJP MP Parvesh Verma on Monday strongly criticised the Congress in the Lok Sabha for opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act and accused the Opposition party of creating problems like Article 370 as part of its "vote bank politics". The BJP member initiated the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address in the Lok Sabha even as some Opposition members staged a walkout and asserted that the controversial law would not be revoked. "They (the Congress) should know that it is not Rajiv Feroze Khan government, it is Narendra Modi's government," he said. "We will not take back CAA. It is a question of the country's integrity," asserted Verma. The reference to Rajiv Gandhi's father was a factually incorrect one, as his name was Feroze Gandhi, not Feroze Khan. Also, while Verma's assertion suggests that he was a Muslim, he was in fact a Parsi. Verma said that "they (Congress) create problems like Article 370 and 35(A)" by their "vote bank politics", and "we solve them" to strengthen India. The West Delhi MP also attacked the Congress and the AAP for their governance in Delhi and said that if the BJP comes to power in Delhi, it will ensure that 'pucca' houses will be built in unauthorised colonies. Verma also referred to the Shaheen Bagh sit-in, saying it is not a protest against amended citizenship law, and that people there are saying "Pakistan zindabad, and Assam and Kashmir should be separated from India." Taking strong exception to his speech, the Trinamool Congress said it was meant for the Delhi campaign and not for a debate on the President's address. Participating in the discussion on Motion of Thanks on the President's address, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that a member banned by the Election Commission for campaigning in Delhi was allowed to speak first in the House and "that shows the BJP's attitude towards the Election Commission and Parliament". Verma had been banned from campaigning by the Election Commission for 96 hours ahead of the 8 February Delhi polls owing to communally divisive remarks made by him. Union minister Anurag Thakur was also handed a 72-hour ban for the desh ke gaddaron ko slogan during election rallies. Gogoi also demanded that Union Minister Anurag Thakur be booked for egging on participants at an election rally to raise an incendiary slogan that "traitors should be shot". "Book the minister under relevant laws", he said without taking the minister's name. Referring to the JNU incident on 5 January, Gogoi said people witnessed disturbing scenes in universities. Students and professors at JNU were bleeding due to an attack and police did not do anything, he said adding, "I am not questioning Delhi Police". He also accused " political masters" of "giving directions to the police". Referring to the firing near Jamia Millia Islamia University on 30 January, the Congress member said: "In front of Delhi Police, a boy fired on the people,"adding that he must have been "motivated by someone". "I want to know who is pulling the trigger. It's not the minister or that boy," he said. Terming issues like unemployment and poverty as the true Ravanas, Gogoi said that the Union Budget 2010-21 did not provide any solutions to these problems. DMK's TR Baalu also criticised the budget, arguing that it had not done anything to boost investment in the agriculture sector. TMC member Mahua Moitra dubbed the National Population Register (NPR), National Register of Citizens and the CAA as the "biggest betrayal" of the people of India. She also said that the state of economy is abysmal and the finance minister was fearful in giving the target for the real GDP. Vinayak Raut, member of former NDA constituent Shiv Sena, dared the BJP to give Bharat Ratna to Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar . Earlier, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 3 pm, shortly after it reconvened at 2 pm and Opposition members raised slogans as Union minister Bhupendra Yadav moved the Motion of Thanks. The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 1.30 pm as the chorus against the CAA, NRC and NPR by the Opposition grew louder. The Budget Session of the Parliament began on 31 January with President Ram Nath Kovind addressing a joint sitting of both the Houses. On Monday, both the Houses were to initiate the discussion on the ''Motion of Thanks'' to the President's address. However, even before the session began, two notices for adjournment and three notices for suspension of business were given by leaders from the Congress, BSP, CPI, CPM and Indian Union Muslim League over the remarks by BJP ministers against anti-CAA protests and situation prevailing in the country due to the contentious law, demanding that NPR and NRC be stopped. Other parties that gave adjournment notices were DMK, TMC and AIMIM. As soon as the Lower House convened, Opposition members began raising slogans, demanding a debate on the issue. Members also raised slogans such as 'Say no to CAA', 'save our democracy' and 'save our Constitution' during Question Hour. Despite Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birlas reminder that members can raise issues during the Zero Hour, members kept chanting slogans. Even as Thakur began speaking in response to a query about chit fund scams, the slogans grew louder owing to his controversial shoot the traitors remark during Delhi election rallies against anti-CAA protesters. Congress members, who descended into the Well, shouted slogans against the minister and asked 'Aapki goli kaha hai? (where is your bullet?)', an apparent reference to the minister's controversial remarks. Some members also shouted 'Goli maarna band karo, desh ko todna band karo (Stop shooting, stop breaking the nation)'. Whenever Thakur was responding to supplementaries during the Question Hour, the members began sloganeering against him. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the government cannot silence people's "boli" (voice) with "goli". When he was allowed to speak during Zero Hour, the Congress leader hit out at the BJP and alleged that even as anti-CAA protestors held the national flag and sang the national anthem, they were fired upon and killed, making a reference to the deaths reported across the country during agitations against the law. You are fake Hindus," he said, adding that if its members were "asli (genuine) Hindus", they would have behaved differently. It's a conspiracy by ruling party to scare and threaten protesters. The ruling party's goons are doing such things and the government is silent, he added. Meanwhile, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that the government should be ashamed for firing on students, expressing solidarity with the students of Jamia Millia Islamia. Do they know that students have lost their eyes? Do they know our daughters were beaten? he asked. His statements come even as three firing incidents have been reported within a week in the Jamia Nagar area, which is also witnessing the Shaheen Bagh protest. The attackers held on Thursday and Saturday said statements like Ye lo azaadi (take this freedom) and Is desh mein sirf Hinduon ki chalegi (Only Hindus will run this country). He had said in December last year that a population database will be the start of work for a register of citizens. "I am telling you that NPR and NRC are two sides of a coin. The rules of NPR and NRC are the same, he had said. The Upper House had also been adjourned at 12 pm as Opposition members demanded a debate on CAA, NRC and NPR and TMC members trooped into the well after Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan refused to hold a discussion on the matter and began the Question Hour. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad insisted that the discussion should be allowed because people are being allegedly killed in BJP-ruled states across the country. Earlier, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu disallowed notices given by several Opposition members to discuss the issue and then adjourned proceedings till noon after MPs belonging to the Congress, TMC, Left and BSP rose to raise the issue. The President's address had specific mention of the amended citizenship law and it can be discussed during the debate on the Motion of Thanks, he said. However, Satish Chandra Mishra of the BSP, Derek O'Brien of the TMC, TK Rangarajan of the CPM and other Opposition members rose to speak on it. The Opposition has termed the CAA passed by Parliament as "unconstitutional" and has challenged the same in the Supreme Court which will hear the matter later this month. The Opposition parties have also urged chief ministers of those states which have opposed the CAA to not roll out the NPR exercise. The Parliament had passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill on 11 December last year with 311 Lok Sabha MPs and 125 Rajya Sabha MPs voting in its favour. Soon, protests against the Act began and, in some places, turned violent. Owaisi had said during the debate on the proposed citizenship law that it aimed to make Muslims stateless and ripped a copy of the bill apart in the Lok Sabha. With inputs from agencies G Subhash Chandra By Express News Service CHITRADURGA: For the first time, all three key offices of the district -- district administration, police and rural development -- are headed by women. The district administration is headed by Deputy Commissioner R Vinoth Priya, zilla panchayat is headed by C Satyabhama, and now, G Radhika is the new Superintendent of Police of the district. Apart from these, there are other departments where women have been taking up roles in administration, like horticulture deputy director G Savitha, disabled welfare officer J Vaishali, minorities welfare officer Rekha G, child protection officer Venkatalakshmi, social welfare officer Manjulamma, district labour officer Vinutha, and jailor at sub-jail Apeksha Satish Pawar, among others are leading various departments effectively. Speaking to TNIE, Vinoth Priya said, It is very heartening to have women heading all the three departments at the district level; this is a real transformation. The new SP, G Radhika, said, Being a woman, the top priority is to protect women and children. Along with this, pro-people policing will be taken up to build confidence among the public on the police. She also said that her emphasis will be on using technology for smart policing in the district. It is heartening that the entire district has three women officers administrating revenue, RDPR and the police, she added. With the number of incidents of chain-snatching reported in the district, efforts will be made to reduce them. People should use technology and phone numbers to call the police in case of any incident, she said. Radhika is a 2012-batch IPS officer. Earlier, Radhika worked as the SP in Mandya, and recently, she was at the DG&IGs office in Bengaluru. Thanking the government for her posting, she said that she would work with integrity. Former CMC president Sunitha Mallikarjun said, It is a proud moment in the history of Chitradurga, as all three officers are women and we are expecting efficient administration. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed his first rally in poll-bound Delhi on Monday where he said that the BJP delivers what it promises, and believes in positivity. I dont need to tell you what Delhi really wants - it is clearly visible. In last years general elections , BJP was strengthened by the people of Delhi, who gave all seven Lok Sabha seats to BJP. Their vote helped in changing the fortunes of this country, said Modi. This time,their vote will change the fortunes of Delhi, and make the city safe, modern and clean, he added. Also read: Take a dip in Yamuna like PM Modi and CM Yogi: Shah challenges Kejriwal in rally He also targeted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi, saying it only believes in doing politics. I feel sad when I see that PM Awas Yojana is not being implemented in Delhi. Centre made two crore houses across the country, but not a single one was constructed in Delhi, said PM Modi. ALSO WATCH | Why PM Modi called Shaheen Bagh protest an experiment in Delhi rally Everyone wants to own a house, but till the time, these people (AAP) are in power, they will keep on blocking such projects. Thats because they only know how to indulge in politics, he added. He also listed the achievements of BJP-led central government, like scrapping of Article 370, paving way for construction of Ram temple with the historic Ayodhya verdict, criminalising the practice of triple talaq etc. But people of Delhi are still waiting for Lokpal. What happened to such a big movement and tall promises? Good intentions are needed to take decisions like this, said the PM. Recounting the glorious history of Delhi, the Prime Minister said it is due to hard work of people of the city that Delhi has made a name for itself. But for the last two decades, the city is being run by people who never let the wave of 21st century touch the city, said PM Modi, also targeting Congress. The BJP has been out of power in Delhi since 1998. Also read: No difference between anarchist and terrorist: Javadekar targets Kejriwal Modi, the star campaigner for the BJP, is scheduled to hold two rallies in the run-up to Assembly elections in the national capital. In the final week before polls, BJP has amped up its campaign and fielded PM Modi. The party made the best use of Sunday, the last before the February 8 Delhi assembly polls, to garner support for their candidates. The BJP conducted a mega contact programme, with its top leaders, including party chief J P Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, visiting all 70 assembly constituencies in the national capital. Union minister Smriti Irani campaigned extensively in Rohini, Mehrauli, R K Puram, Kasturba Nagar. She said that it was a tragedy that Chief Minister Kejriwal who joined politics to bring a change was supporting anti-national elements. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also targeted his Delhi counterpart Kejriwal over the protests at Shaheen Bagh. Sudhir Suryawanshi By Express News Service MUMBAI: Maharashtra Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad suggested the Narendra Modi government to carry out DNA test on all the people if it was serious about identifying the original residents of India for the NRC-CAA exercise. A vocal critic of the amended citizenship law, the NCP leader is campaigning against the CAA and the NRC across the western state. In India, there are several communities like tribals and gypsies who are always on the move in search of livelihood. In that case, how will they prove their citizenship if they do not have the documents like Aadhaar, PAN or passport? he told this reporter, after a man with Right-wing leaning targeted the NCP leader for his stand on the NRC-CAA. We are against the tyranny and dictatorship of the government. The Act should be immediately withdrawn else anger of the people will grow day-by-day, Awhad said, adding that if the government is really serious about screening citizens, then it should start taking DNA test of all Indians. There are many migrated populations from Eurasia the part between Russia and Asia in India. They are called Aryan. So these populations should be sent back to Eurasia after their screening and DNA test, Awhad said, taking a jibe at the central government. This is not the first time that Awhad has made his anti-CAA stand known. Earlier, he had at a rally in Thane claimed that ancestors of the people sitting in power in Delhi were appeasing the Britishers when his ancestors were embracing the noose shouting slogans of Inquilab Zindabad. When your forefathers were surrendering to the British rulers, my ancestors were embracing the noose shouting slogans of Inquilab Zindabad, he had said at the rally which was held against the new citizenship law. Meanwhile, BJP ex-MP Kirit Somaiya said that the Maharashtra minister wants to divert the attention from the real issue by asking the Centre to conduct the DNA test of each and every citizen of India. There is a confusion among the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. One is supporting, while another is opposing... The Congress, the NCP and the Shiv Sena should clear their position first over the CAA and the NRC. Then, we will comment on (our views over) conducting the DNA test and on the people from Eurasia, Somaiya said. Controversies galore Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut claimed that former prime minister Indira Gandhi used to meet yesteryear don Karim Lala. Later, Raut withdrew his statement after the Congress expressed displeasure. PWD minister Ashok Chavan asserted Cong chief Sonia Gandhi was against joining ranks with the Shiv Sena. Sonia wanted that the party gets in writing from the Sena that the government would work within the ambit of the Constitution, he added. Former CM Prithviraj Chavan claimed the Sena offered a proposal to the Congress in 2014 to form the government in Maharashtra. But a consensus evaded the Congress, he said. Housing minister Jitendra Awhad said Indira Gandhi tried to throttle democracy by imposing the Emergency. After Ashok Chavan warned of a befitting reply, Awhad released a video saying his statements were wrongly interpreted. HCSO Makes Arrests After Two Men Shot In Whitney The Hill County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) has released information about a shooting that occurred in the Whitney area Saturday, January 25. According to the sheriff's office, deputies were dispatched to a shooting in the 100 block of Waterview Street off FM 1713 in Whitney at around 2:30 p.m. A 9-1-1 caller stated that three males had entered a home and began fighting with another male who lived at the residence. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the three males were at the house demanding money, and one was brandishing a handgun, according to a sheriff's office press release. One of the suspects then allegedly shot the victim in the head with a shotgun. During the fight, one of the suspects was also shot. After the shooting, authorities said that the three suspects fled the scene. The suspect who was shot went to an area medical center and was later transported to a Fort Worth hospital, according to HCSO. The victim was transported to a McLennan County medical facility and then transported to another hospital for treatment, the sheriff's office said. Both the victim and the suspect were expected to live, according to the press release. Investigators later recovered a shotgun and handgun believed to have been used in the offense at another residence on Waterview Street. While at that residence, investigators arrested a male for damaging the evidence that they were trying to seize. Arrest warrants were obtained for all three suspects, and investigators secured a search warrant for a Bosque County residence in relation to the offense. A SWAT team executed the search warrant and arrested Tyler Edwin Hernandez, 22, of Clifton, at the home. Hernandez was booked into the Hill County Law Enforcement Center on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance between four and 200 grams. Jason Payne, 39, of Whitney, was charged with tampering/fabricating physical evidence. The sheriff's office was assisted by the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division, Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens, Whitney Police Department and Bosque County Sheriff's Office. The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is encouraged to call Sergeant Kyle Nevil of the HCSO Criminal Investigations Division at 254-582-5313 ext. 230. Collins emphasized that the campus will not cater to just one company. There will be strong ties with Amazon, he said, but I want to be clear: It wont be an exclusive relationship. There are a lot of companies that are going to be interested in this campus, and we want to be open to all of them. Cystic Fibrosis Market: Information by Treatment Method (Medication, Devices, Others) and Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East & Africa) Forecast till 2025 Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a chronic genetic disease that affects the progress of the entire body and can cause severe disabilities and even early death in some cases. Market Research Future (MRFR) has published a research report about the global cystic fibrosis market, which anticipates a great increase in this market at a 13.8% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) between 2016 and 2022. In terms of value, the market is expected to be worth US $ 1,192.2 mn by the end of the forecast period. The compelling factors ensuring an enriching growth for the global cystic fibrosis market include the development of new drugs & therapies and financial support from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) for the research and development of cystic fibrosis drugs. However, the high costs of many cystic fibrosis treatment procedures can dampen the market growth. Latest Free Sample PDF Available @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1825 The global cystic fibrosis market has been segmented on the basis of diagnostic test, drug type, treatment, and lastly, region. Based on the diagnostic test, this market has been segmented into chest X-Ray, computed tomography (CT) scan, immunoreactive trypsinogen (IRT) test, pulmonary function test, sputum test, and sweat chloride test. By drug type, the market has been segmented into biologics and small molecules. The treatment-based segmentation segments the market into medical therapy, surgical treatment, and others. The regional segmentation of the global Cystic fibrosis market segments the market into the following regional markets: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa (MEA). North America is the largest regional market due to the availability of advanced medical facilities, large patient population, overall technological advancement, presence of strong economic conditions, the presence of many key market players, and lastly, the availability of government funding for research and development in the medical sector. The strongest economies in this region that can be important markets are the USA and Canada. Europe is the second largest regional market, as it has the second highest patient population. Advanced medical facilities are available in most European countries. In this region, the strongest economies that can be the perfect markets are France, Germany, and the UK. The Asia Pacific is a smaller market for cystic fibrosis than North America and Europe due to limited information, leading to the majority of cystic fibrosis cases going undiagnosed. Due to limited healthcare facilities, the market is limited in the region. Countries that have the potential to become lucrative markets by improving their healthcare facilities are China, India, and Japan. China and Japan have the lowest population of cystic fibrosis patients. The MEA region has the smallest market share due to the presence of poor countries, lack of awareness, lack of education, low standard of medical facilities, lack of healthcare facilities, and a majority of governments not considering healthcare a priority. Key Players The key players in the global cystic fibrosis market include AbbVie (USA), Gilead Sciences (USA), F. Hoffmann-La Roche (Switzerland), Forest Laboratories (USA), Genentech (USA), Novartis (Switzerland), Pharmaxis (Australia), and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (USA). Latest Industry News In an innovative partnership, NuvoAir and Londons Royal Brompton Hospital are helping cystic fibrosis patients to conduct tests at home. With the Air Next simple-to-use spirometer, patients can conduct tests on their own, with an app called Aria, to measure the state of the patients lungs and predict worsening. Aria has been developed by Nuvo Air. Patients can analyze the data on the app itself and can share them with the health care team. 4 DEC 2018 According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, cystic fibrosis lung function can be improved with triple therapy on the basis of chloride sweat concentrations where VX-659 is added to ivacaftor and tezacaftor. 9 DEC 2018 OBTAIN RESEARCH REPORT DETAILS WITH TOC @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/cystic-fibrosis-market-1825 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Contact: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Nargiz Sadikhova Trend: US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo encouraged Kazakhstans continued reforms in support of civil society and fundamental freedoms, Trend reports with reference to US Department of State. Pompeo expressed encouragement within the framework of his official visit to Kazakhstan on Feb. 2, 2020. Within the framework of the visit Pompeo met with Kazakhstans First President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Nur-Sultan. Pompeo discussed a range of global and regional issues with Nazarbayev and praised the breadth and depth of the bilateral relationship begun under Nazarbayevs leadership. The Secretary commended Nazarbayevs legacy of principled leadership on nuclear non-proliferation, highlighting the positive model set by Kazakhstans repatriation of its citizens from Syria and Iraq. Pompeo also encouraged Kazakhstans continued reforms in support of civil society and fundamental freedoms. The development of a comprehensive partnership with the United States is one of the main priorities of our country's foreign policy. Political dialogue is being consistently developed at all levels, including the highest one. At the current stage, the Kazakh-American cooperation is determined by the agreements reached as a result of the official visit of President Nazarbayev to the US, during which the two leaders adopted the Joint Statement Kazakhstan and United States: An Enhanced Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century." --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh With African business aviation witnessing phenomenal growth, Jetex is assuming a more dominant role in the region. Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jetex, an award-winning global leader in executive aviation, announces the opening of its latest VIP Terminal at Marrakech Menara Airport, introducing a new world-class facility in the Moroccan market. Since first establishing its presence in Morocco as a fixed-base operator (FBO) in 2016, the company has already brought the signature Jetex experience to Casablanca, Agadir and Rabat. The new flagship Jetex VIP Terminal in Marrakech brings the companys total number of African locations to 16, including six FBOs. Each year, Morocco sees more than 10,000 private jet movements, making it one of the most important markets in Africa, while the Middle East and North African region is expected to see around 175,000 business aircraft movements in 2020. We anticipate private aviation in Africa to continue its rapid growth. We want Jetex to help usher in that growth and better serve the markets increasing needs. It is an honor for us to establish the first VIP Terminal of its kind in North Africa and we are grateful for the ongoing support of the Government of Morocco, said Mr. Adel Mardini, Founder and CEO of Jetex. Since 2009, Jetex has redefined the FBO concept and evolved it into a tailor-made luxury travel experience aimed at the most discerning travelers. The Jetex VIP Terminal is an exclusive space spanning 1,000 square meters, offering a moment of calm and serenity as well as the promise of an exceptional travel experience. The terminals private and confidential feel is a haven for customers wishing to enjoy a genuine moment of relaxation in tranquil surroundings, while the Jetex Experience Team takes care of any travel formalities and special requests. Furnished with designer pieces by Zaha Hadid, the modern facility is complemented by 25,000 square meters of aircraft parking and remains open 24/7 for the utmost convenience of private jet travelers. Story continues Jetex celebrated the momentous event with a gala reception hosted at the new facility with the distinguished presence of Moroccan authorities. - END - About Jetex: An award-winning global leader in executive aviation, Jetex is recognized for delivering flexible, best-in-class trip support solutions to customers worldwide. Jetex provides exceptional FBO, aircraft fueling, ground handling and global trip planning. The company caters to both owners and operators of business jets for corporate, commercial and personal air travel. To find out more about Jetex, visit www.jetex.com and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Attachments Nicolas Castanheira Jetex +971 4 212 4900 teamorange@jetex.com ROME- Rome Police are asking for the public to provide information on a missing teen from Rome. Polica say 15-year-old Joseph Mendoza is missing. He's approximately 54, 150 pounds last seen wearing a black Champion hooded sweatshirt with sweat pants and black shoes. If you have any information please contact the Rome Police Department at 315-339-7780. Democratic presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg. Photo: Jim Watson (both photos)/AFP via Getty Images The day before the Iowa caucuses, the atmosphere of a close, tense contest was only enhanced by the failure to launch of the usually reliable Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll (aborted at the last moment after the Buttigieg campaign raised concerns about its methodology). So its fitting that on this bright Sunday, I attended events for two candidates whose strategies have most depended on a good result here in Iowa. At Simpson College in Indianola (a small town a half-hour outside Des Moines), Elizabeth Warrens campaign exuded its usual vibe of intensity and obsession with the mechanics of caucusing. The candidate herself appeared in the overflowing auditorium about an hour late, after her local precinct captain reminded the crowd that what we do here matters. Adding to the sense of urgency, she let the crowd know she wouldnt be performing her customary selfie line on this penultimate day for campaigning, but would offer her dog, Bailey, as a substitute (adding that he is a good boy). Sen. Elizabeth Warren addresses an overflow crowd in the Kent Campus Center atrium at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, on Sunday. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images It was impossible to tell from the conduct of Warren, her staff, or her volunteers whether the botched Iowa Poll represented a dodged bullet or a lost opportunity. Her strategy in Iowa all along has been to exceed expectations with the best organization in the field, and this is probably not the time to fail to persist with the prize so close and the outcome so unclear. But because her national strategy depends so much on Iowa, theres bound to be some fear of the unknown in her camp as well. When she was riding high in the national polls in late summer and early autumn, you could see a clear path to the nomination for her, running straight from Des Moines to Milwaukee, the site of Julys Democratic National Convention. It appeared that she might either squeeze Bernie Sanders off his own path to the nomination, or position herself as a clear and increasingly popular alternative to both Sanders and Biden. But as her national and early-state standing gradually eroded, Bernies flourished and Bidens held strong, making an impressive Iowa finish Warrens slender lifeline. A loss to Sanders here would, for the moment, end any talk of her becoming the progressive survivor of the invisible primary battling the Establishment and its presumed candidates (Biden, Buttigieg, and Klobuchar). Without momentum from Iowa, Warrens next stops in New Hampshire and Nevada dont look very promising. And a loss to both Sanders and Biden in Iowa could set the political obituary writers to work. Just days into the voting phase of the 2020 contest, the idea of vindicating Hillary Clintons big loss by breaking the glass ceiling and finally electing a woman to the presidency could look premature once again. Clintons loss was on my mind when I entered the Roundhouse Arena at Des Moines Lincoln High School (Home of the Railsplitters) for Pete Buttigiegs big pre-caucus rally. It was the site of Clintons final Iowa caucus rally in 2016, at which her campaign looked confident but nervous, just before her narrow win over Bernie Sanders (which his campaign, of course, questioned). Team Pete filled the Roundhouse as fully as Clintons well-honed operation had four years ago. He was introduced by his recently acquired sidekick, Congressman Anthony Brown of Maryland, a talisman against claims he has no African-American supporters. The vibe, beginning with the candidates own unvarnished prediction of victory, was that of a campaign trying to talk itself into self-confidence. And Buttigieg may have even more to win and lose in Iowa tomorrow than Warren. If she needs to finish ahead of Sanders, he needs to finish ahead of Biden. But given his current polling weakness in states voting after New Hampshire, an actual win in Iowa is what he really needs. Pete Buttigieg speaks at Lincoln High School during a Get Out The Caucus rally on Sunday in Des Moines, Iowa. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images Both Warren and Buttigieg have been offering unity pitches down the stretch in Iowa. The Massachusetts senator has been working to revive the once-strong sense that she could be a unity figure for a Democratic Party torn between the political revolution of Sanders and the less substantive agenda associated with Bidens nostalgia-focused campaign. Buttigieg, whose sharp elbows toward fellow Democrats have been more prominent as the campaign has evolved, is claiming hell serve as an instrument of national unity, as the candidate who can credibly reach out to military veterans, people of faith, and others who have tuned out the Democratic Party. Its no secret that hes trying to buy some of the Obama 08 vibe that electrified Iowa with a trans-partisan message. And in a way, here in the Roundhouse, Buttigieg is offering his own subtle rejoinder to Bidens claim to represent the Obama legacy., He presented himself as the candidate prepared to turn the page (his main slogan) not just on Trump but on the era of politics that have turned steadily sour in the 21st century. Alluding to Obamas 2008 win in Iowa and the hope it gave him as a gay man, he challenged the audience: Are you ready to make history a second time? In the Q&A period, Buttigieg was asked about his favorite Beatles song. He answered Come Together, of course, as the crowd went crazy. In response to a question about electability, he said: I have my own answer, but we can provide our own answer tomorrow. Its unclear whether this naked appeal to Iowas change-making power will work, but it makes sense for Pete. Buttigieg and Warren represent one tradition of appealing to Iowans by offering, in their own ways, a different agenda for the Democratic Party. Sanders and Biden represent Iowas ability to confirm the recent past, whether its Bernies frustrated but still-vibrant revolution or Bidens restoration project. Both Buttigieg and Warren are capable of exceeding expectations Monday night, and both could be in trouble if they underperform. Personally, my moneys on Warrens organization her, well, persistence, and her potential as a unity figure in a party that needs one. But in a cycle when Iowans have been slow to decide, and when even one of the best pollsters in America cant tell us what will happen, anything could. Just last week, RMS Titanic Inc. (RMST), the company with sole rights to remove artifacts from the wreck, sought a courts permission to retrieve the famous Titanic radio that relayed the doomed ships final messagesciting the fact that fast acting erosion would render the radio inoperable if they didnt move quickly. It appears that something else might endanger the shipwreck other than salt, rust, and timesomething man-made. During the week of July 29 through August 4, 2019 a small submarine operated by British-led EYOS Expeditions briefly lost control of the sub on a diving expedition due to intense and highly unpredictable current. Because of this, accidental contact was occasionally made with the seafloor and on one occasion the wreck. The Triton DSV Limiting Factor, a submersible that is capable of diving below nearly 23,000 feet, is relatively weightless underwater, and according to the report filed by EYOS, the shipwreck did not appear to have any abnormal physical signs of damage. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia was first notified about the incident on January 7, 2020. The crash went unreported for nearly five months. In court documents filed on January 28th, RMST alleges that they learned of the crash three weeks ago, and, as the Washington Post reports, the company demands video footage of the incident be turned over immediately, under penalty of perjury. Rob McCallum, the EYOS expedition leader confirmed to the Telegraph that we did accidentally make contact with the Titanic once while we were near the starboard hull breach, a big piece of the hull that sticks out. Afterwards we observed a red rust stain on the side of the sub. The submersible is covered in white fiber glass and is very delicate and expensive. While underwater its essentially weightless its not a battering ram, McCallum went on to say. The shipwreck, previously preserved by UNESCO regulations, is now protected through a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and the U.K., which was signed in November 2019. The treaty, first presented in 2003 between the U.K., the U.S., Canada, and France languished for nearly two decades due to the stipulation that at least two signees were required to make it binding. The U.K. quickly signed, but it was not until 2019, when the U.S. State Department announced that it had also entered into the agreement, was it declared official. The concerns of preserving and protecting the famed ship have been fiercely fought over since it was rediscovered in 1985. RMST alleges in the court documents that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is partially responsible for protecting deep sea wrecks, knew about the EYOS crash but failed to disclose the information. In the legal filing at the District Court of Eastern Virginia ahead of the hearing, RMST attempts to strike first by casting doubt on NOAAs stewardship of the Titanic, reports the Telegraph. The NOAA strongly opposes RMSTs request to salvage Titanics famed radio. And while the ocean liner went seemingly unharmed by the Triton submersible, the failure to disclose has raised serious questions among those entrusted to protect the ship of who is the appropriate steward of the watery gravesite. One hundred and eight years later, the catastrophic maritime accident that claimed the lives of 1,523 of the 2,228 passengers on board still captivates historians, the public, and scientists alike. Representative Adam Schiff (D., Calif.) said Monday that a whole range of utterly unacceptable conduct in a president would now be beyond reach if the Senate acquits President Trump in his impeachment trial. Schiff, the lead House impeachment manager, said during closing arguments in the trial that Trump could offer Alaska to the Russians in exchange for support in the next election, or decide to move to Mar-a-Lago permanently and let Jared Kushner run the country, delegating to him the decision whether to go to war. Schiff also accused Trumps legal team of employing the dangerous and absurd argument that a president cannot be impeached for anything other than a violation of federal criminal law. According to Trumps lawyers, abuses of power that would help the president get reelected were permissible and therefore unimpeachable, and only those for pecuniary gain were beyond the pale, Schiff argued. Under this theory, as long as a president believed his reelection was in the public interest he could do anything and no quid pro quo was too corrupt, no damage to our national security too great. Democrats have accused Trump of withholding military aid from Ukraine until the country pledged to investigate allegations that 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden used his position as Barack Obamas vice president to help a Ukrainian gas company avoid a corruption probe soon after his son, Hunter Biden, was appointed to its board of directors. The Senate voted Friday not to hear testimony from new witnesses or call for new evidence and is expected to vote to acquit Trump on Wednesday. More from National Review Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Benny Mawel (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura Mon, February 3, 2020 16:01 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062496f3 1 National Papua,West-Papua,student,Papuan-students,Jember,East-Java,Jayapura Free During a meeting about the fate of Papuan migrant students after last years racial abuse incidents in East Java, the Papuan Peoples Assembly (MRP) asked Jember Regent Faida to ensure the safety of the Papuan students in her regency. MRP chairman Timotius Murib said during the meeting that took place at the office of the special representatives for indigenous Papuans on Jan. 27 he had asked the regent to take care of the Papuan student community currently in Jember. We left a message [for Faida] to protect the Papuan people, especially the 200 students who are studying in Jember, he told The Jakarta Post. Timotius said that he relayed the message on behalf of the students parents, with the hope that there would be security guarantees for students in Jember. We communicated the message so that [the students] can be [treated] like the regents children, as well as the Forkopimdas [Regional Leadership Communication Forum] children and the people of Jembers children, he said. The meeting with the regent was a follow-up to a discussion with Papuan migrant students the week before, during which the students asked the MRP, the Papuan Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) and the Papua Governor to pay more attention to their future, Timotius said. He said that many Papuan students who were studying in different cities outside the region have returned to Papua because they felt unsafe in their cities of study. We are victims of racism. The government must talk about it seriously. We want a solution, Eko Pilipus Kogoya, one of the migrant students who moved back to Papua, told the Post. In response to the message, Jember Regent Faida said she promised to take care of the Papuan people in her regency. We promise to protect the bright generation who will develop Papua in the future, she said in a statement released by the MRP. Last year, racial abuse incidents against Papuan students living in Malang and Surabaya, East Java, triggered widespread and prolonged protests, some turning violent, in Papua and West Papua. Man killed in fireworks accident following Chiefs' Super Bowl victory KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- A man was killed Sunday night after attempting to light commercial-grade fireworks in an improvised mortar when one of them exploded following the Chiefs' Super Bowl win. Police were called at 9:17 p.m. to the 9800 block Richmond to assist paramedics on a fireworks accident. A casualty from last night's partying in addition to the great deal of liver damage, questionable merch purchases and STIs that occurred during the historic ruckus . . . Read more: In a bid to enhance luggage screening, the Ahmedabad Customs Commissionerate has decided to install eight units of X-ray Baggage Inspection System (XBIS) at two international airports in Gujarat, an official said on Monday. These advanced luggage screening units will be also installed at Inland Container Depot at Khodiar village near Ahmedabad and Foreign Post Office here, he said. These X-ray units are much advanced than the current luggage screening system in place at Ahmedabad and Surat international airports, Kumar Santosh, Principal Commissioner (Ahmedabad Customs), told reporters here. "Current luggage screening units are around five to six years old. Some units often experience technical snag and stop functioning. "The Ministry of Finance has approved eight XBIS for better luggage screening and we will receive these advanced units very soon," Santosh said. Meanwhile, to thwart any attempt of smuggling, particularly of gold, the Ahmedabad Customs has now started profiling of passengers using a newly developed system called Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS). Using APIS, an Indian passenger was recently held at the Ahmedabad airport for trying to smuggle 600 grams of gold upon his arrival from Sharjah, said Santosh. The customs department started doing profiling of passengers and prepared a list of frequent travellers through APIS, the officer said. A person with frequent travel history is most likely to be a smuggler whose only intention to undertake a foreign trip is to bring gold illegally, he said. The Ahmedabad Customs registered 113 cases of gold smuggling between April 1, 2019, and January 20, 2020, and seized 77 kgs of gold worth Rs 27.11 crore at Ahmedabad and Surat airports, Santosh said. A majority of the apprehended passengers had arrived from Dubai, Sharjah, Oman, Kuwait and Bangkok, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vaughan, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 3, 2020) - Spyder Cannabis Inc. (TSXV: SPDR) ("Spyder" or the "Company") would like to announce that it has cancelled the previously announced (January 13, 2020) non-brokered private placement of senior secured convertible debentures in the aggregate principal amount of up to $1,500,000. BRIDGE LOAN SECURED To ensure its short-term working capital needs are covered, Spyder has secured bridge loans in the amount of $442,000 provided primarily by management and insiders in the Company. The bridge loan will have the following attributes. The term matures on July 25, 2020, bears interest at 12% per annum payable monthly in arrears and Spyder may repay all or a portion there-on at any time during the period. To secure the bridge loans, Spyder granted a security interest over all of the personal property, assets and undertakings of Spyder. "Securing a bridge loan for nearly half a million dollars largely from management and insiders shows confidence in Spyder's ability to execute on its business model. We are excited to begin this next phase in Spyder's development," says Dan Pelchovitz, CEO of Spyder. APPOINTMENT OF NEW BOARD MEMBER In addition, Spyder is pleased to announce that Mr. Ben Leung has been appointed as a director. Ben is an accountant with over 28 years of financial accounting and management experience in both private industry and public practice. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Cultivate Capital Corp., a company investing and operating in the cannabis and hemp industry throughout North America. Over the past 2 years, Ben has acquired strong working knowledge of this industry and was responsible for leading strategic discussions, acquisitions, budgeting, financing, financial reporting and internal controls. Most recently, Ben was the controller, and then promoted to CFO of QE2 Acquisition Corp. He served a critical role in getting the corporation listed on the TSXV. His experience includes financial reporting, taxation, risk management, human resources and corporate governance. Prior to that, he was a senior manager with a Calgary based accounting firm and focused on the audit and assurance department. He has held controllership positions with publicly listed companies in the pharmaceutical, oil and gas, and manufacturing industries. Story continues The Company would also like to announce the resignation of Mike Lerner from its Board of directors. The Company would like to thank Mr. Lerner for his time and commitment during his tenure on the Board. MI 61-101 DISCLOSURE Several directors and insiders as defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"), participated in the bridge loans, either directly or indirectly, therefore the bridge loans constitute a "related party transaction" within the meaning of MI 61-101. In its consideration and approval of the bridge loans, the board of directors of the Company determined that the bridge loans are exempt from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 on the basis that the fair market value of loans to related parties does not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company, in accordance with Sections 5.5 and 5.7 of MI 61-101. The Company did not file a material change report more than 21 days before the closing of the bridge loans as the details of the bridge loans, and the confirmation of insider participation in the bridge loans, was not definitively known to the Company until the date of the closing of the bridge loans and the board of directors determined that it was in the best interests of the Company to close the transaction as soon as practicable. About Spyder Cannabis Inc. Spyder is a CBD and Cannabis retailer that operates in jurisdiction where the products are federally legal in both Canada and the United States. The Company, through its subsidiaries, is a retailer involved in the development of three retail business units. The first is the sale of CBD in the United States, the second is the sale of smoking cessation and cannabis products in Ontario; and the third is the sale of cannabis products in Alberta. Cautionary Statements Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release includes statements containing certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Forward- looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: For more information, please contact: Spyder Cannabis Inc. Dan Pelchovitz President & Chief Executive Officer Telephone: 1.888.504.7737 Email: corporate@spydercannabis.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52035 A section of students of the Presidency University on Monday launched a sit-in before the office of its vice-chancellor for prompt renovation of three of the five under-repair wards of a 130-year-old Hindu Hostel. They also demanded that the VC, Anuradha Lohia, express regret for what they said preventing female students to take part in a convention over the on the day of Saraswati Puja in the campus. Spokesman of the agitating students Subho Biswas alleged that despite repeated reminders, the authorities did not expedite the repair work in the Hindu Hostel and prevented female students to enter the campus on Saraswati Puja for attending a convention on the hostel issue. "The university authorities were dilly-dallying over timely completion of work in wards 3, 4 and 5 of the Hindu Hostel since last year. Over 30 students are made to put up within a very limited space of the two renovated wards," Biswas claimed. "Today we demanded the VC should express regret for the gender discrimination by the management on January 29 and also an assurance from her that the three blocks, where renovation works are still incomplete, will be readied soon. But she refused to listen to us," Biswas said. The students, including members of SFI and Independent Consolidation, also protested against "undemocratic sacking of seven staff of the Hindu Hostel mess by the authorities" recently and their reinstatement. Lohia, who was inside the office when the sit-in began at 2 pm, told PTI: "I am in a meeting and can't talk now." Dean of Students Arun Maity had earlier said, "I urge the students to have a discussion with the VC about the demands. We are open for discussion." Two wards of the Hindu Hostel, which was under repair for three years, were thrown open to students in November 2018 after intermittent agitation by students. The Hindu Hostel building, located adjacent to the university, was shut down for repairs since July, 2015 and the boarders had been shifted to a rented accommodation at New Town as a makeshift arrangement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Credit: CC0 Public Domain A merger of math and medicine may help to improve the efficacy of immunotherapies, potentially life-saving treatments that enhance the ability of the patient's own immune system to attack cancerous tumors. By creating mathematical models that represent the complex interactions within the tumor microenvironment (TME) - the non-mutated cells, connective tissues and blood vessels inside a malignant tumorresearchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS) can predict how tumors may respond to immunotherapy, and how adding other anti-cancer drugs could lead to improved treatment. In addition, the models suggest that the relative health of a tumor's blood supply could predict how that tumor will respond to immunotherapy. Their work is described online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Immune checkpoint inhibitors such as Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and Opdivo (nivolumab) have greatly improved treatment for more than a dozen malignancies, including non-small cell lung cancer, kidney cancer and melanoma, but even in these cancers only a minority of patients benefit from these immunotherapies. "An estimated 87% of patients currently do not derive long-term benefit from immune checkpoint blocker monotherapy. Therefore, new therapeutic strategies are needed to improve the response rates in patients who are resistant to immune checkpoint inhibition," explains co-author Rakesh K. Jain, Ph.D., from the Edwin L. Steele Laboratories in the Department of Radiation Oncology at MGH and HMS. Impaired blood perfusion (the flow of blood through vessels in the tissues) is a common feature of many tumor types that limits the ability of drugs to reach malignant cells and results in hypoxiaabnormally low oxygen levels that can in turn lead to suppression of the immune response. To address this problem, Jain and colleagues used a combination of computational and systems biology techniques to develop a model to determine whether "normalization" of the blood vessels and stroma (connective tissues) in the TME could improve the efficacy of immunotherapy. Although other researchers have developed systems-level mathematical models to predict tumor response to immune checkpoint inhibitors, theirs is the first to incorporate crucial components and interactions of cells with the TME as well as known mechanisms of immune response to explain how the TME might adversely affect the efficacy of immunotherapy, and to predict tumor response to checkpoint inhibitors. Importantly, the study also points to potential strategies for normalizing the TME to improve the response to immunotherapy. For example, normalization of the stroma with common drugs for treating high blood pressure could improve treatment of desmoplastic tumors, which are marked by dense tissues and compressed, highly abundant but disorganized blood vessels. Conversely, perfusion in tumors with open, leaky blood vessels could be improved with low-dose anti-angiogenic drugs currently on the market, allowing for better delivery of immunotherapy to target tissues. Triantafyllos Stylianopoulos, Ph.D., co-corresponding author from the University of Cyprus, adds "the identification of tumor perfusion as key to the efficacy of immunotherapy suggests that perfusion could serve as a biomarker of response to immunotherapeutic agents." Explore further B cells linked to effective cancer immunotherapy A driving force in the early days of the Matakana Farmers Market, Barbara Souter, aka The Bag Lady, is calling it a day. Barbara says that after 16 years, it is time to hand over to someone with fresh ideas and energy. Im looking forward to the freedom of not being committed every Saturday, she says. When the business is sold, the plan is to travel overseas, mainly France, and around New Zealand. It was Richard and Christine Didsburys vision for the farmers market that first drew Barbara to Matakana. Id recently returned from Germany when I read about their plans and thought, Id love to be involved in that. I have a public relations and events management background, so they hired me to sell and promote Brick Bay Wines and get the market up and running. I introduced them to Joe Polaischer and Trish Allen, who at that time owned Rainbow Valley Farm, and it all started from there. My job was to identify local growers and producers and convince them to come on board. It wasnt always easy because farmers can be shy, but it was lots of fun. The Bag Lady stall was there from the very beginning. Other market originals included Cobara Foods, Whangateau Roses, Matakana Coffee, Organic Delights Chocolates and the Lothlorien Winery. Barbara has been actively involved in business and community activities in the area for many years. She and Trish Allen were the masterminds behind the Kingdom for a Day event in 2007, which raised money for the Matakana toilets. Eleven years later, Barbara and a team organised MataCarnival, which raised $57,000 for the parking area beside Matakana School. She owned and ran the delicatessen Market Provedores at Snells Beach for five years and worked at Nosh for five years. She also runs a small holiday accommodation business. Its been wonderful to watch Matakana develop into the exciting, sophisticated little village it is now. I get such a buzz from hosting visitors and seeing them enjoy all that our area has to offer. I believe the Matakana Community Group can take a lot of the credit for this. Barbara says the market is always evolving and the stallholders feel like a family. I will miss the camaraderie. So now its John Bolton who, in the name of defending President Trump, is to be demonized by conservatives. Some conservatives will find the task an easy one. Bolton is a foreign policy/national security hawk. Many conservatives have become rather dovish. But many other conservatives have continued to admire, or at least respect, Bolton. We like his hard line stance against Americas worst enemies, especially Iran. Bolton has plenty of company under the Trump bus. Some of it is good company. Jeff Sessions was a conservative hero of longstanding. But he fell out of favor for the sin of meeting his ethical obligations as Attorney General and declining, in his capacity as AG, to act as Trumps consigliere. After his dismissal, Sessions declined to say anything adverse to Trumps interests. Sessions is a gracious man and he wanted to return to the Senate. Bolton, by most accounts, isnt gracious and he has no intention of running for office. Thus, he felt no need to hold back when writing about the Trump administration. But that doesnt mean he deserves to be demonized. He does deserve to be demonized if he has written falsely about Trump. However, there is no reason to believe that what he has written about Trumps Ukraine policy, or what Trump told him about it, is false. Anyone who has taken the trouble to review the record with even a half-open mind should conclude that Trumps policy was, as Bolton says Trump told him, to withhold aid to Ukraine for the purpose of inducing that countrys government to investigate the Bidens (or at least announce that it would do so). Nor is there any reason to believe that Bolton was okay with Trumps policy until Trump fired him though even if this were the case, it wouldnt show that the policy was other than what Bolton described. Fiona Hill, who worked closely with Bolton at the White House, testified that Bolton analogized the effort to induce Ukraine to investigate the Bidens to a drug deal. Obviously, he was disgusted by it before Trump sacked him. (Boltons August statement that Trump and Ukraines president had cordial phone conversations is not at all inconsistent with Boltons account of what Trump told him about his Ukraine policy). Does Bolton deserve to be demonized for writing a book about his time at the White House while Trump is still president, and in his first term? There was a time when ex-staffers and officials didnt do this. However, its common practice now. Its also standard practice in this genre to report what the president said to the author about important issues. Indeed, this is the most valuable information an ex-White House staffer or ex-Cabinet member can provide. (Im not aware of any evidence that these kinds of reports have prevented presidents and their advisers from speaking candidly to one another.) The more hot button the subject of an insider report, the more valuable the report. The question of whether there was a quid pro quo relationship between the release of aid to Ukraine and a Ukrainian investigation of the Bidens is both disputed and (to say the least) of interest. It may be that, although the public has a strong interest in knowing what Trump said to Bolton about the matter, Bolton is not permitted to publish a book containing this information. If Bolton has violated any law, he deserves to be criticized and punished for it. If, going forward, he violates any law, he will deserve to be criticized and punished. However, absent a showing that Bolton has violated the law, I see no reason to criticize Bolton, much less to demonize him. Assuming no such violation, and assuming he has written truthfully, Bolton has done the public a service by providing information about a matter President Trump chose (unnecessarily because he has other, better defenses against impeachment) to dispute a matter that, presumably, will still be in dispute when the book is published. Finally, I want to comment on what Trump said about Bolton. The president tweeted: For a guy who couldnt get approved for the Ambassador to the U.N. years ago, couldnt get approved for anything since, begged me for a non Senate approved job, which I gave him despite many saying Dont do it, sir, takes the job, mistakenly says Libyan Model on T.V., and many more mistakes of judgement, gets fired because frankly, if I listened to him, we would be in World War Six by now, and goes out and IMMEDIATELY writes a nasty & untrue book. All Classified National Security. Who would do this? My question is: Who would appoint such a man to be his national security advisor? Fortunately, Trump has presented a caricature of Bolton, not a true picture. Otherwise, we would be forced to conclude that, against the advice of his counselors, Trump appointed a known warmonger with terrible judgment to this crucial position for no better reason than that Bolton begged him to. Even though were not forced to reach this conclusion, we must still ask why Trump has selected for top positions so many people whom he later found seriously wanting. Either Trump is a very poor judge of talent and character or hes one unlucky president. Irish stars may not have featured in the awards at Londons BAFTAS, but they certainly won in the fashion stakes, with Saoirse Ronan and Jessie Buckley appearing in stunning red carpet creations. Both actresses had been nominated for Leading Female Actress but that award went instead to the favourite - Renee Zellweger for playing the lead role in Judy, about actress Judy Garland. Saoirse Ronan, who was nominated for her role in Little Women, appeared at last nights awards bash, which was hosted at Londons Royal Albert Hall by Graham Norton, in a black spaghetti-strap dress. She also wore what looked like long dangle rainbow earrings, although one red carpet observer described them as resembling the contents of a Skittles bag. Saoirse Ronan attending the 73rd British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall, London. PA Photo. Picture date: Sunday February 2, 2020. (Matt Crossick/PA Wire) The Carlow actress played Jo March alongside an all-star cast which includes Emma Watson, Laura Dern and Meryl Streep. An only child, Ronan has previously said she was pleased to be cast as Jo, telling Vanity Fair: "I got to have sisters." Jessie Buckley, who was nominated for her role in Wild Rose, wore a black floor-length gown with a stunning white feather shawl around the neck of her bodice,. The Kerry actress was due to perform at the ceremony, and had said on her way in last night that she planned to just sing my socks off. Jessie Buckley attending the 73rd British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall, London. (Matt Crossick/PA Wire) Another highlight of the night was the tumble The Irishman star Al Pacino took on his way in. He had to be helped to his feet by those beside him. He was later all smiles for the cameras and brushed it off. Al Pacino is helped to his feet after falling over whilst attending the 73rd British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall, London. (Ian West/PA Wire) 1917 won Best Film and Outstanding British Film, Joaquin Phoenix won Leading Male Actor for playing the lead in Joker and Brad Pitt won Best Supporting actor for Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood Other awards included Jojo Rabbitt for Best Adapted screenplay and Granddad Was A Romantic for Best British short animation. The star-studded ceremony, which is one of the last stops on the awards circuit before the Oscars on February 9, saw guests walk on a recycled red carpet before tucking into a dinner made of sustainably sourced food. Single-use plastic was banned at the ceremony. The traditional gift bags were axed in favour of a "gifting wallet" made from recycled plastic by sustainable travel goods company Groundtruth and containing redeemable vouchers. Guests were asked to make sustainable fashion choices for the ceremony and consider the impact of their travel options. Bafta chairwoman Pippa Harris, who is also the producer of nominated film 1917, discussed the lack of female directors being nominated this year. She told the PA news agency: "Although there are no women directors in the main fiction category, there are actually 13 female directors nominated, so for documentary, foreign language film, feature animations, short films, debut directors, and those women, their work should be celebrated, their work is just as important. "They represent the future of the industry, so actually I think it's quite a positive story but it sort of got lost in the fact that there's no-one in the main fiction category." On the issues around the lack of diversity at this year's awards, Ms Harris said: "We've announced a wide-ranging review, we're going to be looking at everything across the board in terms of the awards process. "But also I think it's fair to say this is an industry-wide issue. It takes everyone to look at what they're doing. "Awards are right at the end of a whole process and so we need to look at the types of films being made, the opportunities that people are getting, how the films are being promoted. All of these things play a part." National Security Adviser Very Confident Bolton Manuscript Wasnt Leaked by National Security Council National security adviser Robert OBrien said hes very confident that no one at the National Security Council (NSC) leaked the contents of a manuscript penned by his predecessor, John Bolton. Details allegedly from Boltons upcoming book were leaked to news outlets in January. Bolton, his publisher, and his agent have denied leaking the contents of the manuscript, which was submitted to the NSC for pre-publication review in December 2019. I am very confident that the leaks of that book did not come from the NSC, OBrien, 53, said during an appearance on CBSs Face the Nation on Feb. 2. OBrien said conversations that Bolton reportedly wrote about, including discussions between President Donald Trump and his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, would be investigated. OBrien didnt directly respond when asked if he had personally reviewed the manuscript. He said its always disappointing when someone who has access to classified material decides to write what he described as a tell-all book. He said the NSC is in touch with Boltons lawyer about the contents of the manuscript. Theyll continue to be in touch with Ambassador Boltons lawyer, because what we need to do as the National Security Council is to make sure that state secrets and important classified information that could jeopardize American lives are not released, he said. Bolton, 71, was the national security adviser from April 2018 to September 2019. OBrien replaced Bolton on Sept. 18, 2019, after serving for about a year and a half as the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs. U.S. national security adviser Robert OBrien walks onstage during the 7th ASEAN-US Summit in Bangkok on Nov. 4, 2019. (Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP via Getty Images) The reports of details from Boltons manuscript bolstered calls for the former White House official to testify during the Senate impeachment trial against Trump. While the House of Representatives didnt subpoena Bolton during the impeachment inquiry, Senate and House Democrats argued that Bolton was a material witness who should testify about what he knows. A motion to subpoena Bolton was voted down 51-49 on Jan. 31. All Democrats voted to subpoena Bolton, as did two independents who caucus with the Democrats, along with two Republicans, Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Susan Collins (R-Maine). Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who was considered a possible swing vote, said Jan. 31 that she decided against calling witnesses, including Bolton. I worked for a fair, honest, and transparent process, modeled after the Clinton trial, to provide ample time for both sides to present their cases, ask thoughtful questions, and determine whether we need more. The House chose to send articles of impeachment that are rushed and flawed. I carefully considered the need for additional witnesses and documents, to cure the shortcomings of its process, but ultimately decided that I will vote against considering motions to subpoena, she wrote in a statement. Given the partisan nature of this impeachment from the very beginning and throughout, I have come to the conclusion that there will be no fair trial in the Senate. I dont believe the continuation of this process will change anything. It is sad for me to admit that, as an institution, the Congress has failed. The Senate trial continued with closing arguments on Feb. 3, with a vote on whether to convict or acquit Trump scheduled for Feb. 5. A simple majority is required to acquit the president, or dismiss the articles. A supermajority is required to convict the president, and remove him from office. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 03, 2020 | PADUCAH By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 03, 2020 | 10:26 AM | PADUCAH The City of Paducah has released information about a recent data breach affecting some of its servers. Paducah Public Information Officer Pam Spencer said officials are investigating after an unknown third party targeted city servers. "We are addressing this incident with the highest priority and working with outside experts to explore all options for responsibly and securely restoring full IT operations," Spencer said Monday. Spencer said city officials learned on Saturday about the intrusion that disrupted access to multiple computer servers. She said independent IT security and computer forensic specialists, as well as local and federal law enforcement officials are investigating the breach. She said police, fire and 911 dispatch services have continued operating without disruption. She added that nothing points to any data being misused by the unknown third party. Spencer said the city's IT team has taken potentially affected servers offline, and several internal systems will be temporarily unavailable while the investigation takes place. We apologize for any inconvenience or delays caused to our citizens as our team works around the clock to address this matter. We are proceeding deliberately and thoughtfully as we work to ensure the security of the citys technology and to protect the interests of our community, said City Manager Jim Arndt. We are prioritizing security over speed. We want to fully understand what happened and how to implement additional security safeguards to prevent any future incidents. In an embarrassment for the ruling BJP in "dry" Gujarat, one of its corporator from Surat was captured on camera while purportedly dancing in an inebriated condition. With the video of the corporator, Piyush Shivshaktiwala, going viral on social media, the party has issued a show-cause notice to him, Surat BJP president Nitin Bhajiyawala said on Monday. Shivshaktiwala represents Sagrampura municipal ward in the Surat Municipal Corporation. The undated video was shot on a mobile phone at a farm house in coastal Nagrol village in neighbouring Valsad district. "A show cause notice has been issued to Shivshaktiwala. The city unit will also demand his suspension from the party," said Bhajiyawala. Manufacture, storage, sale and consumption of liquor is prohibited in Gujarat. The corporator was allegedly enjoying a party with a group of people at the farm house. Meanwhile, Shivshaktiwala on Monday denied that he had consumed liquor at the party. He said a bottle shown in the video contained fruit juice. "I have a liquor permit which was granted to me on a health ground. I danced at the party but did not consume liquor. Dancing is not a crime. I will issue a clarification to the party about this. The bottle had no liquor but fruit juice in it," he told reporters. Stating that they will seek the corporator's suspension from the BJP, Bhajiyawala said such act is not acceptable in a state like Gujarat where liquor is prohibited. "Being a public representative, such behaviour is not acceptable from Shivshaktiwala," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) T he European Union has set out battle lines for its post-Brexit trade negotiations with Britain. Michel Barnier, the bloc's chief Brexit negotiator, said the EU was prepared to offer quota and tariff free access to the single market - dependent on two key points. Outlining the bloc's stance this morning, he said these were: Measures to ensure competition remains open and fair An agreement on fisheries with "reciprocal access" He insisted that the EU wanted an ambitious deal - but reiterated the stance that such a plan was dependent on Britain's actions. The withdrawal agreement, he said, outlined the desire for fair competition - so it is "not a surprise" to the UK that the EU wants "unfair competitive advantages" to be ruled out. Brexit Day at Parliament Square - In pictures 1 /22 Brexit Day at Parliament Square - In pictures Anti-Brexit protesters in Parliament Square, London PA Police presence at anti-Brexit protests in Parliament Square, London PA The Winston Churchill statue and Union flags in Parliament Square, London PA Pro Brexit supporters hold placards at Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images A man carries an EU themed wreath at Parliament Square Reuters Anti-Brexit demonstrators in Parliament Square, London, ahead of the UK leaving the European Union PA Pro Brexit supporters hold placards at Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images A man wears a President, Donald Trump mask and holds an American flag at Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images People hold placards in Parliament Square opposite the Houses of Parliament in London AFP via Getty Images A man holds up a President, Donald Trump, American flag at Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images A Red Viking apple with the Union Jack is displayed and given out for free to promote British produce as an Anti-Brexit demonstrator waves the European Union flag in Parliament Square AP Joseph Afrane in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn Pro-EU anti-Brexit protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images A man takes a photo of political artist Kaya Mar's paintings in Parliament Square Getty Images A man in an oversized 'Keep America Great' hat and draped with a US flag holds a Union Flag in Parliament Square opposite the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images A woman holds a newspaper at Parliament Square Reuters A woman wears a face mask in Parliament Square PA The bloc respects the desire for divergence but said it does not want to allow this to become "an instrument for unfair competition". Describing Britain as a "great ally" and "great neighbour", he bemoaned the nation's departure but said the bloc wished to respect Britain's choices. Brexit: UK's final day in EU 1 /44 Brexit: UK's final day in EU Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives to attend a cabinet meeting held at the National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland AFP via Getty Images A massive banner by the campaign group Another Europe is Possible is hung off Westminster Bridge in London, ahead of the UK leaving the European Union PA People wear Union Jack hats and Brexit Day t shirts in Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images Pro EU supporters let off flares from Westminster Bridge by the London Eye as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images European Parliament President David Sassoli speaks during a media conference at the Parlamentarium in Brussels AP MEP Jonathan Bullock holding the Union Jack waves from a taxi as he leaves the European Parliament AFP via Getty Images Commuters walk along London Bridge toward the City of London with Tower Bridge AFP via Getty Images Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon delivers a speech on Brexit day Reuters AFP via Getty Images European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and European Parliament President David Sassoli arrive for a meeting near The European Parliament in Brussels AFP via Getty Images Steve Bray in Westminster this morning Jeremy Selwyn People walk past a Brexit countdown clock at the Parlamentarium in Brussels AP Union Flags line the Mall leading to Buckingham Palace AFP via Getty Images British members of the European Parliament from the Brexit Party Jonathan Bullock and Ann Widdecombe wave in front of the train station as they leave in Brussels AFP via Getty Images Pro-EU anti-Brexit protesters hold placards in Parliament Square in London AFP via Getty Images Sunrise over the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid arrives at King's Cross St. Pancras Station in London before boarding a train to the North East for a cabinet meeting in Sunderland PA Brexit Party members of the European Parliament, Jack Pugh and David Bull, depart from the Parliament to return to Great Britain on the day the United Kingdom will officially fulfill Brexit and leave the European Union Getty Images Britain's ambassador to the European Union Tim Barrow leaves the British representation to the EU residence in Brussels AFP via Getty Images A man sits as members of the media set up on Parliament Square on Brexit day Reuters European Commission Chief Negociator Michel Barnier arrives for a meeting near the European Parliament in Brussels AFP via Getty Images Red Viking apples with the Union Jack are displayed and given out for free to promote British produce on Parliament Square AP A woman carrying the red box belonging to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab goes into King's Cross Station in London to board a train to the North East for a cabinet meeting in Sunderland PA A technician makes lighting adjustments prior to a media conference of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and European Parliament President David Sassoli at the Parlamentarium in Brussels AP Ann Widdecombe member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South West England, reacts with other members of the Brexit party as they leave en masse from the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium PA Euro Balloons stuck in a tree in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn Newspapers and other souvenirs are pictured at a store, near Parliament Square REUTERS Julian Smith, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland arrives at King's Cross Station in London PA A British bulldog toy and other souvenirs are pictured at a souvenir store, near Parliament Square Reuters International Trade Secretary Liz Truss arrives at King's Cross St. Pancras Station in London before boarding a train to the North East for a cabinet meeting in Sunderland PA British MEP's carry a Union flag as they march out of European Parliament with their luggage in Brussels to take the Eurostar train back to Britain AP A Brexiteer in Parliament Square, Londo PA "It was a sombre moment [Britain formally leaving]. Very sombre," he said. "The most ambitious partnership was the one we had." Asked about the potential of a Canadian-style deal, as touted by the Government, he said: "Yes, that's the objective, where there is a will, there is a way. But we are constrained by the decision of Boris Johnson, if it is confirmed, to leave the single market and the custom's union at the end of this year." However, he said every such agreement similar to Canada's was individual and dependent on a number of circumstances. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson is set to outline the Government's stance on trade in a speech in London later today. He is expected to tell the EU he will accept no alignment, no jurisdiction of the European courts, and no concessions to any Brussels demands. Whether its pleasant walks with family or charming sightings of foxes and other wildlife, it seems every Toronto councillor has a personal story to share about the citys ravines. But one of the problems with Torontos ravines is that too few of the millions of others who live and work in the city find themselves regularly drawn to these quiet and meandering outdoor spaces. So they dont have similar experiences. Let alone the kind of elevated view of the citys ravines as espoused by Robert Fulford in Accidental City: The Transformation of Toronto. The ravines are to Toronto what canals are to Venice and hills are to San Francisco, he wrote. They are the heart of the citys emotional geography. The citys ravine plans, which passed easily at council last week amid all those happy anecdotes, will help with some of the ravines most pressing problems. There will be an additional $2.7 million annually to clean up litter and tackle the invasive species that choke off native plants and trees and threaten the ravines long-term biodiversity and health. Thats all good and long overdue. But ultimately the best way to ensure the ravines have a healthy future is to help more people enjoy and value these unique wildlife habitats and green spaces. On a warm summers day people flock to the Toronto Islands and High Park, and theres scarcely a blade of grass visible in neighbourhood parks like Trinity Bellwoods for all the people who gather to enjoy the outdoors. The ravines, meanwhile, are practically deserted. Ravines cover 17 per cent of the city but theyre largely hidden, leaving them with both an accessibility problem and a public relations challenge. The series of amendments that councillors made before passing the citys implementation strategy suggests councillors see that. Now, city staff will have to encourage citizen volunteer engagement in both ravine clean-up and stewardship, and explore partnership opportunities whereby schools would adopt their local ravine as part of their curriculum to support ravine sustainability and protection. The city should also permit qualified volunteers to lead volunteer groups without city supervision. One can almost hear the forestry experts and ecologists rolling their eyes. But the councillors desire to foster grassroots engagement is wise. Especially since we already know that bureaucracy, pretty much anywhere and certainly at any level of government, has a tendency to over-complicate things. Indeed, Councillor Paula Fletcher proved that very point when she raised concerns about a volunteer group, Friends of the Don, who were told to cease and desist their efforts to remove invasive species lest they pull out the troublesome dog-strangling vine the wrong way. That kind of work needs to be done carefully, Fletcher was told by city staff. If thats the case, the city should work with with these citizen experts, as Fletcher rightly called them, rather than making them feel unwelcome. Nothing hurts community support for just about anything than being told to go away and let the experts handle it. Ravines offer a refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city. Theyre also an invaluable natural flood prevention system, which is needed more than ever as climate change brings us more extreme weather. Thats all at risk as numerous reports have warned that Torontos ravines are on the verge of ecological collapse. The city has taken an important step in turning that around by increasing funding to protect and enhance the ravines. Some of that money, the city says, will go to engage community groups in those activities. And that may well be the most important component of all. The best long-term outcome for the ravines rests with residents really valuing the treasure they provide. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 13:08 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20623e591 1 Business Trade-Ministry,coal-business,minerals,ESDM,Energy-Mineral-Resources-Ministry,European-Union,EU,WTO,Geneva,switzerland Free Deputy Trade Minister Jerry Sambuaga joined delegates from the European Union and other countries at a World Trade Organization (WTO) consultation on Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland, to comply with the dispute settlement regarding the EUs objection to a number of Indonesias coal and mineral policies. The consultation served as a platform for WTO member states to express their objections to and/or clarify policies deemed to run counter to the 1994 General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT), as well as those policies deemed to have had a negative impact on international trade, especially commerce within the EU. During Thursdays meeting, EU delegates pointed out that several of Indonesias coal and mineral policies were particularly unfair to the union, including Energy and Mineral Resources Ministerial Regulation No. 11/2019 on the second amendment to Ministerial Regulation No. 25/2018 on the coal and mineral business. The regulation limits the nickel content of ore exports to below 1.7 percent, among other things. Read also: Indonesia to have four new smelters this year as mineral ore export ban nears Starting this year, Indonesia is banning the export of nickel ore as a part of a government program to boost the downstream mining industry, which requires miners to process ore at a local smelter prior to exporting. Jerry addressed the concern during the consultation, reassuring the EU delegation that the policies were not intended to hinder world trade, but were instead implemented to ensure fair contribution among stakeholders in the domestic industry. The Indonesian government desires a positive outcome from this consultation process, so that the EU and other WTO member states may understand that Indonesia never had the slightest intention to hinder international trade, the deputy minister said in a statement on Jan. 30. We hope that the WTO member states, including the EU, can understand the reasoning behind Indonesias policies so the regulations may remain in place. He added that the regulations were crucial to ensuring sustainable national mineral production as a driver of economic growth. (rfa) Advertisement Saoirse Ronan lead the glamorous arrivals at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards official star-studded after-party held at The Grosvenor House Hotel in Mayfair, London, on Sunday evening. The Little Women actress, 25, looked impossibly chic in a shift-style black mini dress with a heavily embellished neckline, adorned with statement jewels and golden sequins for a final flare. Saorise added a seventies inspired twist to her after-party outfit with a pair of black heeled knee-high boots, which boosted her frame and put her toned pins on display. Wow! Saoirse Ronan lead the glamorous arrivals at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards official star-studded after-party held at The Grosvenor House Hotel in Mayfair, London, on Sunday evening Saoirse kept her quirky hairstyle the same as earlier in the evening, while also rocking a glamorous coat of make-up including a touched-up slick of bright red lipstick and black winged eye-liner. The star was joined at the bash by fellow Best Actress nominee Charlize Theron, who was given the nod for her leading role in Bombhsell, while Margot Robbie, who was up for Best Supporting Actress, was also present. Both actresses opted to stay in the gowns they wore to the ceremony, with the Birds of Prey star, 29, opting for an elegant black lace gown with a dramatic collar neckline and ruffled chiffon detailing. Edgy: Saoirse kept her quirky hairstyle the same as earlier in the evening, while also rocking a glamorous coat of make-up including a touched-up slick of bright red lipstick and black winged eye-liner Wow! Sequin-clad Rebel Wilson put on a very animated display with Star Wars actor John Boyega Margot accessorised the look with some simple accessories which included a pair of diamond earrings and a black flower ring. The Australian star styled her peroxide blonde locks into a sleek blow-dried sweptback hairdo, she added a slick of glamorous make-up. Margot has had a busy week after the premiere of her Birds of Prey movie took place in London on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Charlize, 44, put on a showstopping display in a plunging purple gown, which featured a structured bustier and flowing pleated skirt. Loved up: Hugh Grant's wife Anna Elisabet Eberstein put on a leggy display in a polo neck dress with diamond detailing Glam: Zazie Beetz, Wallis Day and Margot all dressed to impress as they made their arrivals at the after awards bash The dress was tied together with a slim black belt, which was cinched around her trim waist and accentuated her enviable physique. Charlize accessorised her awards look with a simple yet chic silver necklace and a selection of silver studded earrings. Paul Edmonds London, official hair partner of the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020, are best known for their hairstyling for some of the biggest names in the film and television industry over the past 25 years. This year at the BAFTAs, Paul Edmonds supported young Brits set to take Hollywood; Freya Allan, Amber Anderson, Sophie Simnett and Rafferty Law. Pals: Fleabag actor Andrew Scott attended with Rising Star nominee Jessie Buckley who looked stylish in a white suit Hundreds of carcasses from an online wildlife market in China have been seized as officials clamp down on the trade in the struggle to contain the coronavirus. Distressing images show the owner of the market among frozen wild animals including raccoons, squirrels and eagles after her freezers were raided on Friday. China has imposed a ban on selling the potentially disease-carrying meat after it emerged the deadly virus was probably passed onto humans by wildlife sold as food, especially bats and snakes. The virus has so far killed 362 people and infected nearly 17,500 globally. Officials found hundreds of frozen wild animal carcasses during a raid in the city of Baise The female owner (pictured) had been selling carcasses online via WeChat message service The suspect racoons, squirrels, leopard cats and eagles as well as horse, dog and sparrow Forestry officials said they arrested the owner of the market in the county of Pingguo in Baise, a city in China's southern Guangxi region after a raid on her refrigeration facility on Friday. The woman, whose surname is Huang, ran her business mainly through WeChat - the country's most popular messaging service. Officials found the carcasses of 250 birds, three eagles, two leopard cats, 48 racoons, 30 squirrels and three pheasants in freezers in a rental unit. In online adverts, Huang allegedly also offered horse, dog and sparrow meat, as well as the testicles of pigs and goats. Officials found the carcasses of 250 birds, three eagles, two leopard cats, 48 racoons, 30 squirrels and three pheasants in freezers in a rental unit Officials said the owner (pictured left) had hundreds of carcasses in her freezers Forestry police officer Tan Chunmao said: 'The female vendor Huang sold frozen wildlife through WeChat for an extended period of time. 'She also created a WeChat chat group, access to which was granted to loyal customers.' According to the police, Huang admitted to purchasing the carcasses of exotic game, freezing them, and then selling them online. She remains in custody as further investigations continue. The temporary ban on trading wild animals was imposed over a week ago as it is believed to have been spawned in a food market that sold wild animals in the city of Wuhan. But market vendors around China are still secretly selling them. Investigations have exposed stalls in Hubei Province, the ground zero of the epidemic, as well as Guangdong Province continuing to trade wild rodents, snakes, pheasants, deer, badgers and weasels. On Friday, one undercover investigation found that a market in Guangdong was still selling the forbidden creatures by hiding them in tents. According to the report by Chinese news outlet Southern Metropolis Daily, one seller in Baiyun District in Guangzhou was eager to offer wild snakes and bamboo rats to the journalist, who posed as a customer. The man charged 300 yuan (33) per kilogram for the snakes and 160 yuan (18) per kilogram for the rats, hidden camera footage shows. Two vendors aged 56 and 26 from the market were arrested by police an hour after the article was published, wrote Southern Metropolis Daily in a follow-up report. Its original report has been censored on the internet. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Semarang Mon, February 3, 2020 12:42 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20623cdb1 1 National Central-Java,Ganjar-Pranowo,coronavirus,students,China Free Four Indonesians who were studying at Chinese universities have been declared free of coronavirus infection after their recent return to their hometown in Banyumas regency, Central Java. The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has killed more than 300 people in China since it first emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei province. The students, who were enrolled at Hunan University and Chongqing University, arrived in Banyumas on Saturday and were immediately taken to Margono Regional General Hospital upon arrival for a medical examination. "Based on the results of their anamnesis [patient account], physical examination, laboratory [tests] and X-rays, the students have been declared coronavirus-free," Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo said on Sunday in Semarang. "[They have] no symptoms of the novel coronavirus, nor did they have any prior contact with [2019-nCoV] patients. They were not even under observation since they were not suspected [cases]." The four students have returned to their homes, while a team from the Banyumas Health Agency will continue to monitor them. Read also: [UPDATED] Indonesia bars entry to visitors from China amid evacuation protest Eleven other students from Central Java are reportedly still waiting to be evacuated from China. "We are pushing [for the evacuation]. We are still awaiting communication between the Foreign Ministry and the Chinese government," Ganjar added, referring to the students still in China. "We are ready to help them to come home. Some of them have complained that they do not have the money to get home." To date, Indonesia has no confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV infection. Meanwhile, nine of the 19 people that the Health Ministry placed under observation on Jan. 30 have been declared coronavirus-free. Indonesia has repatriated 238 of its citizens from several cities in China, including Wuhan at the epicenter of the outbreak. As of 12 a.m. on Monday, all foreign travelers who have been in China for 14 days or more are prohibited from visiting or transiting in Indonesia. (dev) A gunman opened fire aboard a packed Greyhound bus as it was travelling from Los Angeles to San Francisco early Monday, local time, killing one passenger and wounding five others before the driver pulled over onto the shoulder and managed to force the killer off, authorities said. The suspect was taken into custody without incident, and the motive was not immediately known, said California Highway Patrol Sgt Brian Pennings. Passenger Mark Grabban, 29, told NBC News the gunman was talking incoherently when he boarded the bus and had argued with someone who had asked him to be quiet. He was muttering things, about Wait till we get to the station, Mr Grabban said. The dead passenger was identified as a 51-year-old woman from Colombia. Two victims were hospitalised with serious injuries, Mr Pennings said. The shooting took place shortly before 1:30am, local time, in the small community of Lebec, about 113 kilometres northwest of Los Angeles, as the bus was travelling along a mountainous stretch with 43 people on board, authorities said. Investigators are seen outside of a Greyhound bus after a passenger was killed on board. Source: AP Mr Grabban said he heard the gunman a tall, massive figure, he recalled curse and cock his gun, firing eight or nine shots. The driver initially thought the gunshots were the sound of an engine problem, the passenger said. I dove to the floor right to under the seat. I got to my girlfriend, tried to put her head down, Mr Grabban said, adding that the shooter aimed toward the back of the bus where he was sitting. I was just waiting for the next shot. I was assuming I was going to get shot. A casing ended up on Mr Grabbans lap, he said. I saw the blood on the floor of the aisle, he said. I looked to the woman on the left, and she wasnt responding, wasnt moving or anything. She was lifeless. Drivers actions were heroic Sgt Pennings said the driver immediately pulled to the right shoulder and somehow were still trying to figure out to how this happened was able to coerce the suspect off of the bus. Story continues After leaving the gunman behind, the driver continued on to the next exit and pulled into a gas station parking lot. His actions were very appropriate and one could say heroic, the officer said. A gunman killed one passenger and wounded multiple others on a Greyhound bus traveling from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area. Source: AP Highway patrol officers found the suspect a few minutes later. A handgun believed to have been used in the shooting had been left on the bus, Mr Pennings said. The names of the suspect and the victims were not immediately released. Greyhound prohibits passengers from bringing guns, explosives or dangerous chemicals on board its buses or in their luggage, according to its website. The company declined to answer additional questions about security on its buses. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst said Sunday that she thought it was likely Republicans would quickly launch impeachment proceedings against Joe Biden if he were elected president. Ernst, who made the comments in an interview with Bloomberg, claimed that the Democrats would be at fault if the scenario played out as she predicted. I think this door of impeachable whatever has been opened, she said. Joe Biden should be very careful what hes asking for because, you know, we can have a situation where if it should ever be President Biden, that immediately, people, right the day after he would be elected would be saying, Well, were going to impeach him. Advertisement According to Ernst, Republicans would impeach Biden for being assigned to take on Ukrainian corruption yet turning a blind eye to Burisma because his son was on the board making over a million dollars a year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trump is likely to put his own impeachment trial behind him this week. And already, Republicans have geared up to try to shift the focus of the scandal onto Biden. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday morning that the Foreign Relations Committee will investigate Bidenand the whistleblower who first alerted Congress to Trumps conversations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the Bidensonce the impeachment trial wraps up. If the whistleblower is a former employee of, associate of, Joe Biden, I think that would be important, Graham said. Later in the conversation, he insisted that Bidens work in Ukraine fighting corruption was undercut by his son Hunters position on the board of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma and that were not going to give him a pass on that. Advertisement Advertisement Throughout the impeachment proceedings, as more and more evidence piled up indicating Trump made military aid to Ukraine contingent on a public statement by Zelensky saying he was investigating the Bidens, Republicans attempted to redirect some of the publics attention onto the former vice president. During Barack Obamas presidency, Biden pushed to have Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin removed from office over corruption charges. Shokin, who was fired in 2016, later argued that he had been ousted because he was investigating Burisma and Biden was trying to protect his son. There is no evidence supporting that claim. Advertisement Biden has maintained that Trumps insistence on having the Bidens investigated revealed that the president fears him as an electoral threat. Biden has also highlighted earlier comments by Ernst after she speculated that Trumps impeachment trial would damage Bidens performance in the caucuses. Biden told supporters Tuesday that Ernst had spilled the beans on the Republicans intentions to smear him. You Iowa caucusgoers have a chance for a two-fer, he told a crowd. You can ruin Donald Trumps night by caucusing for me, and you can ruin Joni Ernsts night as well. On Sunday, Biden told reporters that Ernsts latest comments about impeachment further proved Republicans intent. They very much dont want to face me obviously, he told the Des Moines Register. Ernst, a deeply conservative senator, has argued before for the impeachment of a Democrat without any real high crimes or misdemeanors to cite. In 2014, Ernst told a crowd in Iowa that by making recess appointments, Obama had become a dictator and that he needed to be held accountable, whether thats removal from office, whether thats impeachment. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: Irans Persian Gulf Fajr Energy Company has saved more than 150 billion rials (approximately $3.5 million) by import-substitution (domestic production) of spare parts for the equipment necessary for production of oxygen, nitrogen, plant air, instrument air, electricity and steam in the Petrochemical special economic zone in Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni district of Khuzestan province, said Gholamali Zalikhani, managing director of the Persian Gulf Fajr Energy Company, Trend reports Feb. 3 with reference to the companys website. Zalikhani noted that the company aimed at producing 760 types of spare parts within 7 years (2011-2018), adding that 790 types of spare parts were produced during this period. In addition to the production of equipment and spare parts, the company has produced 13 chemicals that are widely used in Iran, the managing director said. With the domestic production of these chemical substances in Iran, at least 1 million euros were saved, Zalikhani added. In a blatant crackdown on a citizen's freedom and a brazen attack on democracy, the Uttar Pradesh Police booked former UP Governor Aziz Qureshi for participating in an anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest in Lucknow on February 2. READ: Poll Campaign Gets Shriller As BJP, AAP, Cong Trade Barbs On CAA, Kejriwal Govt's Performance Arrested for peaceful protests The former UP Governor was among seven others who had participated in a peaceful, candlelight protest on Sunday. The march took place in Gomtinagar and they were booked in violation of Section 144 of CrPc in India. Along with Qureshi, the others arrested ar Mahfooz, Salmaan Mansuri, Mohammed Wali, Rehnuma Khan, Priyanka Mishra, Sunil Lodhi. "Why is this law being brought? This (CAA) is communal. This country does not need anything on the basis of religion. People here need employment. People here need justice against injustice," Qureshi said earlier. The FIR registered states that the organizers had not been given permission to hold protests. The CAA was passed in the Parliament in December and ever since there have been countrywide protests against the Act, with many calling it to be discriminatory against the certain religions. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee claimed it to be against the poor. READ: CAA: Goa House Passes Motion Hailing PM Amid Walkout By Cong Home Minister Amit Shah, who led the debates and discussions in the Parliament, has clarified that the Act will not be repeated and that it is not discriminatory at all. Recently, at a rally, Shah said, "The Opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati are misleading people against the CAA. They are spreading false information that the CAA will snatch the citizenship of the Muslims. However, I would like to reiterate that this act will provide citizenship to the minorities who have faced persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. They have been exploited and it is our duty to protect them. The opposition is behind these protests in different parts of the country to create a divide in the society for vote bank politics." Multiple states such as Kerala, West Bengal have already passed a resolution in the state Assembly to repeal CAA. (Image credits: PTI) READ: Won't Inform Kiran Bedi In Advance About Proposed Anti-CAA Resolution: Puducherry CM READ: Women, Girls Take Centrestage In Anti-CAA Protests In Aligarh WATERLOO Bond has been set at $200,000 for a Waterloo man accused of shooting a man in the neck last month. Jesse Lee Lax, 35, of 325 Dunham Place, was arrested Friday for willful injury causing serious injury and felon in possession of a firearm. Authorities said Lax went to an upstairs apartment at 215 W. Fifth St. to pick up his girlfriend at about 3:40 p.m. Jan. 20. He was asked to leave the apartment and went to his vehicle. When he returned, he fired a 9mm Taurus PT111 handgun, striking Charles Tate in the neck, according to court records. A struggle followed, and someone disarmed Lax, who also dropped his keys and fled, records state. Paramedics took Tate to a nearby hospital for a gunshot wound to the neck, and he survived his injuries. Investigators located Laxs vehicle parked nearby and discovered his ID card inside, records state. Police said Lax is prohibited from handling firearms because of prior felony convictions in Colorado in 2011 and 2017. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The government in an emergency meeting Sunday decided to ban all visitors who have been to Wuhan and surrounding Hubei Province in China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, in the last two weeks. The ban becomes effective on Tuesday and was announced 13 days after the first case of coronavirus was reported here on Jan. 20 and three days after the World Health Organization announced a global emergency. Some 62 countries have now banned or restricted visitors from Hubei and other parts of China. The arrivals area for domestic flights is deserted at Jeju International Airport on Monday. /Yonhap Hubei has already gone into lockdown, but more than 300 cases of coronavirus infection have been reported in six other Chinese provinces, sparking demands here to ban all visitors from China. The Korean Society of Infectious Diseases, Korean Society for Healthcare-associated Infection Control and Prevention and Korean Society for Antimicrobial Therapy said in a joint statement, "Forty percent of infections have been reported in parts of China outside Hubei Province, so limiting only people from Hubei is not enough." Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo at a press conference on Sunday afternoon said, "We will consider halting the issuance of short-term, tourist visas" for Chinese visitors. The government raised its travel advisory on China from a recommendation to refrain from visiting to evacuation. All tourism to China will be prohibited. Tourists walk in Myeong-dong, Seoul on Sunday. /Yonhap The government also declared a temporary halt of visa-free travel to Jeju Island for Chinese tourists. A Chinese tourist who visited Jeju Island recently has tested positive for coronavirus after returning to China. The government said it will impose 14 days' self-quarantine on all workers at nursery schools and post-natal care centers who visited China. Read this article in Korean EUGENE, Ore. -- While Punxsutawney Phil maybe have predicted an early spring, winter made it known that it is not going away without a fight on Monday morning. This is as many folks woke up to a light dusting of snow and slick roadways. The sunshine has since come out, melting any snow that accumulated on the grassy surfaces, and partly sunny skies are expected the rest of the day, although a spotty shower is possible into the early afternoon. Temperatures are expected to only be in the low 40s. The normal high temperature for the date in Eugene is 49 degrees. Fast Forecast: Monday: Morning flurries, Partly sunny. Highs in low 40s. Tuesday: Partly sunny w/ rain chances increasing overnight. Snow level 2,000 ft, rising to 4,500 ft. Highs in mid 40s. Wednesday: Rain. Snow level 4,500 ft. Highs in upper 40s. Thursday: Mostly cloudy w/ chance late. Snow level 5,000 ft. Highs in low 50s. Friday: Isolated showers. Snow level 5,000 ft. Highs in low 50s Saturday: Isolated showers. Snow level 3,500 ft, dropping to 2,000 ft. Highs in upper 40s. Sunday: Mostly sunny. Highs in upper 40s. STORMTRACKER 9 FORECAST WEATHERCAM 9: Corvallis, Eugene, Roseburg and more MAPS & RADARS: Temperatures, Day Planner, Pollen Tracker and more INTERACTIVE RADAR Skies will continue to clear Monday night and without a blanket of clouds, radiation cooling will allow temperatures to fall into the upper 20s and low 30s. These cold temperatures will likely trigger frost on Tuesday morning. Drier weather will continue on Tuesday, but clouds will be increasing as a front moves into the region on Tuesday night. Snow levels during this time will start around 2,000 feet but will rise to 5,000 feet by Wednesday morning. Levels will continue to rise to 6,000 feet by Wednesday afternoon. Overall 2 to 6 inches of new snow is expected on Tuesday night in the Cascades. Rain showers will be heaviest on Wednesday and Thursday to the north, with places along the northern Oregon Coast seeing 2 to 4 inches of rain, while the Southern Oregon Coast will be closer to 0.5 to 2 inches of rain. The Willamette Valley and Umpqua Basin only see to 0.25 to 0.75 inches of rain thanks to the valley rain shadow. Thursday will likely be fairly dry and mild, but mostly cloudy. Mild temperatures are expected to continue on Friday, but the next cold front will arrive on Friday night/Saturday morning. This system looks to be a solid rain maker but will go out rather quickly. Sunday will likely be cooler but mostly sunny. For more information, visit the KEZI 9 News StormTracker 9 weather page. Abraham Amuta, an ex-member of the National Youth Service Corps has reportedly refused an offer of being freed by Boko Haram insurgents. Daily Trust reported that the ex-corps member from Benue State, told those who came to secure his release in Sambisa forest to go home as he has already renounced his Christian faith. Amuta was abducted alongside a Pastor of the Living Faith Church, Moses Oyeleke and few others including a schoolgirl, Ndagiliya Ibrahim Umar in an attack coordinated by the insurgents against motorists along Gwoza road from Maiduguri on April 10, 2019. The abducted persons were on their way to Chibok to deliver humanitarian assistance before the attack. Negotiation for the release of Amuta collapsed at the last hour after he conveyed his decision to remain with his captors yesterday, February 2. Share this: Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said that he will always remain firm on the ideology of 'Hindutva' and will not compromise on that. "I am still firm on Hindutva and will always be. No compromise on that," Thackeray said in an interview with Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana. Thackeray said that he "never ran away from responsibilities, and will never do so." "So, I will do whatever is possible without hurting anyone. If I choose to go to Legislature through assembly, someone would have to resign and by-elections will be required to be held. So, Legislative council will be more convenient as I can go through it without hurting anyone or asking anyone to resign," he said. On BJP's allegation regarding 'Hindutva', Thackeray said, "Have I converted from my religion? Do they want to say that they have the final authority on Hindutva? It is laughable to think that only their version is true and everyone else is false". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) OTTAWA - Suddenly, the Liberal government is all about Africa, and there is a very practical political reason for that avoiding an embarrassing defeat in a major upcoming international election. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/2/2020 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Prime Minster Justin Trudeau is photographed during the Lunar New Year celebration at Casa Deluz in Scarborough, Ont., Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tijana Martin OTTAWA - Suddenly, the Liberal government is all about Africa, and there is a very practical political reason for that avoiding an embarrassing defeat in a major upcoming international election. When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives in Ethiopia later this week, he will be following in the footsteps of two cabinet ministers and a parliamentary secretary who have visited in the last few weeks. The attention is all part of Canada's campaign for a seat on the United Nations Security Council. Many analysts say Trudeau's Africa tour may be too little, too late because Canada's spending commitments on foreign aid and personnel contributions to UN peacekeeping are at all-time lows. His government has been accused of largely ignoring Africa, which is a key UN voting bloc, but now suddenly the Liberals are discovering the political value of the fast-growing continent. Africa, with its 54 voting countries, is a kingmaker of sorts in the secret ballot at the UN General Assembly's 190-plus countries where Canada will need at least 128 votes in the upcoming June election for a two-year term starting in 2021. Canada faces tough competition from Norway and Ireland, which both spend more on foreign aid and peacekeeping. Two seats up for grabs in what is called the "Western European and Others Group" of the UN. It's a bloc that usually circles the wagons in favour of its own European members at the expense of the "others" in the group namely Canada, Australia and Israel. "Without support on the African continent, Canada's bid for the Security Council is a non-starter," said Nicolas Moyer, the president of the Canadian Council for International Co-operation. Trudeau visits Addis Ababa to meet with Ethiopia's prime minister and president and attend the African Union Summit there before travelling to Dakar to meet with the president of Senegal. Trudeau committed Canada to a Security Council run in 2015 as part of his "Canada is back" pledge, following the 2010 loss of a seat to smaller and economically fragile Portugal under the previous Conservative government. Moyer and many others have long called on Canada to make a commitment to reach the UN goal for development spending of 0.7 per cent of gross national income. Canada's current level is less than 0.3 per cent, which has it near the bottom of the pack among of the roughly three-dozen richest countries in the world. Norway's development spending rate is almost at one full per cent, while Ireland has laid out a plan to reach the 0.7 target. "On that measure we don't compare very well to our competitors." Canada's 2010 loss to Portugal was largely due to the inability of the then Stephen Harper Conservative government to persuade African countries to offer support, said Adam Chapnick, the Royal Military College professor and author of the new book "Canada on the United Nations Security Council: A Small Power on a Large Stage." "The votes we needed that we didn't get were largely in Africa. In the previous campaigns, we'd virtually swept Africa and that made up for the fact that we rarely have much success in Eastern Europe. And Europe itself can be challenging because our opponents are usually Europeans." Canada is better positioned in Africa than most might think, in part because too much is being made of Canada's low spending on rate based on gross national income, said Chapnick. "Africa doesn't vote as a bloc," said Chapnick, whose book examines the intricacies of Canada's past Security Council bids. "Every country votes in large part, based on what the nominees have done for them personally, lately. And the total number of dollars we spend on aid to Africa is not nearly as proportionately low as the percentage of our GNI." On a recent conference call at the end of his Africa trip, Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne noted that Canada had given the West African country of Mali $1.6 billion in development assistance over the last decade. Canada also has an advantage over Ireland in West African countries because it is French speaking, said Chapnick. That's something Trudeau is likely to emphasize when he arrives in Senegal next week. "The personal touch in Africa does matter quite a bit. The appearance of a G7 leader . . . brings credibility to your state and demonstrates the importance of your state on the world stage, and that can be quite helpful," said Chapnick. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. But Leona Alleslev, the deputy leader of the Conservatives, said numbers matter more, and Canada's will be hurt by the recent withdrawal of peacekeepers from Mali and the fact the Trudeau government has no clear plan to redeploy elsewhere in Africa. "They don't have a strategy and now they're grasping at straws. So, what is it that they are offering when they have withdrawn from the Mali peacekeeping mission, when they haven't looked at any other peacekeeping missions?" she said. Unlike some fellow Conservatives including former prime minister Stephen Harper who once branded the UN a club for dictators Alleslev said Canada needs a seat on the Security Council to better represent the interests of middle powers, and to build international credibility with important trading partners. Alleslev noted the latest figures tabled in the House of Commons showed the government spent almost $2 million on the bid as of early December, up from the $1.5 million of the previous spring. "I think it's too little, too late because they don't know what they're trying to sell." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2020. NEW YORK The Korean-American family drama Minari, Lee Isaac Chungs tender autobiographical tale about his upbringing in rural Arkansas, won two top honors at the Sundance Film Festival. Awards for the annual festival for independent film were handed out Saturday night in Park City, Utah. Minari, starring Steven Yeun, had arguably been the biggest critical sensation at Sundance, earning raves for the immigrant drama set in 1980s Arkansas. Its produced by Plan B Productions, with Brad Pitt as an executive producer; A24 will release it later this year. The film snagged the U.S. dramatic grand jury prize and the dramatic audience award, voted on by festival audiences, at Sundance. The top documentary prize went to Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaines Boys State, a portrait of the annual mock-government competition held in Texas with politically ambitious 17-year-old boys. The film reportedly fetched a record acquisition price for a documentary at Sundance, with A24 and Apple picking up Boys State for $12 million. Crip Camp, a history of the disability rights movement as emanating from a summer camp in upstate New York, took the audience award for documentary. Nicole Newnham and Jim Lebrechts film, is a Netflix release backed by Barack and Michelle Obamas Higher Ground Productions. The juried awards are chosen by small panels of filmmakers and critics. In stark contrast to Hollywoods Oscars season, many of the directing awards went to women. Radha Blank won best director in the dramatic competition for her breakthrough debut The 40-Year-Old Version. The film, produced by Lena Waithe, is a black-and-white, semi-autobiographical tale about a New York playwright who turns to rapping. The jury also gave special awards to Josephine Decker for her Shirley Jackson drama Shirley, for auteur filmmaking; and Eliza Hittman for her teen abortion drama Never Rarely Sometimes Always, for neorealism. The award for documentary directing went to Garrett Bradley for Time, about a Louisiana activist years-long effort to get her husband released from a 60-year prison sentence. During the awards, Sundance also announced Tabitha Jackson as its new director. Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally invested over 100 hours in making the Union Budget 2020, finance ministry sources told BusinessToday.In. Hearing a case filed by Japanese firm Daiichi Sankyo, the Supreme Court on Monday asked former Fortis promoters Malvinder and Shivinder Singh to submit a plan to refund Rs 1,175 crore each by February 24. Four months after joining the board of directors for Reliance Infrastructure, Anil Ambani's sons, Anmol and Anshul Ambani, have resigned from the board. Read for more top stories from the world of business and economy: 1. Budget 2020 has Modi imprint; PM personally invested over 100 hours on it Prime Minister, carrying forward his legacy as Gujarat chief minister, sat through long sectoral presentations and went through nearly every detail; as Gujarat CM, he was known to get into every minute detail of budget. 2. Daiichi case: Supreme Court asks Singh Brothers to present a plan to refund Rs 1100 crore by Feb 24 The apex court also asked Daiichi and Fortis Healthcare to reply to Sebi petition on allowing Malaysia's IHH open offer to take over Fortis Healthcare. 3. Coronavirus: Worried investors erase $420 billion from China's stock market Investors sold the yuan (Chinese currency) and dumped commodities as the fears concerning the spreading of the deadly virus and its economic fallouts drove selling on the first day of trade in China. 4. Anil Ambani's sons, Anmol, Anshu, step down from Reliance Infra board after four months Reliance Group Chairman Anil Dhirubhai Ambani's sons had joined the board of Reliance Infrastructure as non-executive directors on October 9, 2019. 5. LIC IPO: 5 things to know about the upcoming share sale Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her second Budget speech on February 1 announced stake sale in the insurer in the next fiscal. A deadly confrontation between Turkish troops and regime forces in Syria has threatened to unravel a delicate detente brokered by Russia, and add a new dimension to the already calamitous nine-year Syrian war. On Monday, Turkeys armed forces hammered at 40 military positions held by Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in the northwest of the country and as far east as Ain al-Issa, north of Raqqa, following an attack on a Turkish outpost that killed five soldiers and a civilian. Turkey claimed to have killed up to 35 Syrian government troops in howitzer artillery fire and F-16 airstrikes. It described the violence as retaliation for the attack on one of its outposts in Idlib province, the war-ravaged corner of the country where rebels have for years been battling the Assad regime. Turkey has also dispatched half a dozen military convoys into northwest Syria to bolster its positions, and resupplied allied Syrian rebel fighters with fresh ammunition and other weaponry, said a military expert. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 00:06:18|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close HONG KONG, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong police said two homemade bombs were found Sunday on a train arriving at Hong Kong's Lo Wu station, condemning the perpetrators for "taking a big step towards terrorism." The two improvised explosive devices were concealed in a plastic bag and placed under a seat on a mass transit rail (MTR) train from Kowloon to Lo Wu, the New Territories. After the train arrived at the Lo Wu MTR station at around 3:10 p.m. local time, a cleaner found the bag and removed it onto the platform, where an MTR staff found suspected wire devices in it and reported to the police. The police cordoned off the scene immediately and called explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) officers. At around 3:50 p.m. the suspicious items suddenly made a noise and caught fire, emitting a lot of white smoke. Senior Bomb Disposal Officer Alick McWhirter told a media briefing on Sunday night that after examination the EOD officers found the two homemade bombs were viable, and one of them partially functioned while the other was defused by the police. "Over the past days, weeks and months, Hong Kong has been faced with an ongoing bombing campaign ... We have found powerful homemade bombs designed to kill and injure innocent people. The bombing campaign continues today with the placement of homemade bombs on board a public train," he said. Superintendent Po Chun-kuen of Organised Crime and Triad Bureau said someone has claimed responsibility on an online platform and threatened to placing more bombs in public places. Similar claims emerged on the same online platform after a homemade bomb was found in a hospital in Hong Kong on Jan. 27. The police will examine the ingredients of the bombs and investigate into the perpetrators' motives and whether they were connected with any criminal organization, he added. Similar attacks have occurred in foreign countries where homemade bombs were placed by terrorists in public transportation systems as a means to threat, Po pointed out, adding that the bombs could have led to very serious damage to the passengers if they exploded on a moving train. "The police severely condemn these violent extremists who have taken a big step towards terrorism," Po said. This is the fourth bombing case in Hong Kong in a short period of time, he said, reiterating that the police would never condone these acts and would do their best to bring the perpetrators to justice. Lessons from keeping the country free of Ebola have informed steps taken since the coronavirus scare first broke. Credit: Shutterstock Early this year, China confirmed the first case of a new strain of coronavirus (2019nCoV) isolated from a cluster of people with a respiratory syndrome in Wuhan. Within weeks it had spread to 11 countries mostly in Asia, some in Europe, and the US. Thousands of cases have since then been confirmed globally. More than 170 people have died. Scientists, however, are presently working on developing a vaccine. Nigeria is at risk of importing the novel virus. There are 160 Chinese firms in Nigeria and it is estimated that about 40,000 to 60,000 Chinese nationals live in Nigeria with 120,000 visiting annually. The number of Nigerians visiting China annually is estimated to be at about 30,000. Nigeria has dramatically improved its ability to manage the outbreak of a major pandemic since the Ebola scare in West Africa in 2014. Many of the lessons from keeping the country free of Ebola have informed the steps taken since the news of the coronavirus epidemic first broke. Containment The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has released a public health advisory which provides information about the symptoms, screening measures and advice on how people can protect themselves. It has also set up a multi-sectoral technical group to assess and manage the risk for Nigeria. In addition the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service has ramped up activities for preventing the importation of 2019nCoV through infected animals. The 2019nCoV appears to be transmitted through respiratory droplets expelled during coughing and sneezing. These droplets tend to settle on horizontal surfaces, where they can contaminate hands. Control measures, therefore, are geared towards reducing the expulsion of these droplets into the air and reducing spread through hand hygiene. At the population level, with so many people moving between China and Nigeria, surveillance systems and laboratories must be ready for action. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has already activated the port health mechanisms set up during the Ebola epidemic to screen all travellers coming through the airports. The network of laboratories, set up after the Ebola disease epidemic, have also shown their capabilities and efficiency by their response to recent epidemics, including the ongoing Lassa epidemic in the country. Lessons from Ebola The Ebola epidemic achieved three things. It highlighted the country's good fortune of having the Ebola virus coming first to Lagos state, because the state has the best public health infrastructure and legal framework needed to enforce quarantine of people. Secondly, it brought into sharp focus the country's inadequacies in facing such public health threats. Thirdly, it convinced leaders of the importance of preparedness, collaboration and coordination using an emergency operations centre and incident management system, which ultimately led to the effective containment of the epidemic. This resulted in two major outcomes. First, the Nigerian Health Act was signed into law in October 2014. In 2017, three years after the Ebola epidemic, the World Health Organisation evaluated Nigeria's preparedness for another epidemic. The country scored only 39% with the largest inadequacies seen in its response systems, especially in routine capacities and at points of entry. This was followed in 2018, by the passing into law of an act establishing the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. Stronger surveillance and management The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, which has the mandate to oversee disease control, surveillance and outbreak management, has since developed capacity country-wide for outbreak preparedness. At least 29 laboratories around the country are better prepared to identify the viruses and provide outbreak support for various diseases such as Lassa fever, yellow fever, cholera, influenza, cerebrospinal meningitis, measles, rotavirus and hepatitis E. In addition, 22 of the 36 states have emergency operating centres and over 400 field epidemiologists have been trained to assist in surveillance. Infection prevention and control units have been set up and plans are under way to train healthcare workers in all the 36 states, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, US. There have also been improvements in information flow: the Nigerian centre's website provides real time updates on outbreaks. Lessons from other African countries The African continent continues to record disease epidemics such as Ebola, a viral disease that is still raging in the DRC, Lassa fever in West Africa, plague in Madagascar as well as cholera, yellow fever and cerebrospinal menigitis. These reflect the major weaknesses in health systems, ranging from inadequate human and infrastructural resources to inadequate funding. But collaboration between countries is improving and the signing of the continental free trade area in 2017, may be a step towards more formalised cooperation in public health. Africa has recognised the need for strong health systems capable of dealing with public health emergencies and providing quality health care to all. This commitment was formalised by signing on to achieve universal coverage for all by 2030. But more political commitment to health is required for African countries to reach this goal. Explore further Lassa fever kills 29 in Nigeria This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Photo Illustration by Kristen Hazzard/The Daily Beast/Getty Senate Republicans turned President Trumps impeachment trial into a farcical exercise in partisan whitewashing. That leaves the job of canceling Trumps reality show presidency to U.S. voters. A heavy responsibility thus lies on Democratic caucus and primary voters as they start selecting their partys nominee next week. If they make the wrong choice, it means four more years of Trumps corrosive assaults on reason, democracy, and basic human decency. For many, the right choice will require setting aside their ideological druthers and picking the candidate most likely to beat Trump in the Electoral College. Its hard to know at this point which candidate is most electable. Its easier to say who isntand Sen. Bernie Sanders tops the list. Despite the devotion he inspires among young left-wing activists, the self-avowed socialist is too far outside the U.S. political mainstream to be considered anything but the longest of long shots against Trump. When Iran Took Americans Hostage, Bernie Backed Irans Defenders Sanders is Democrats Jeremy Corbyn option, someone who offers ideological catharsis to Americas perennially disappointed left but who cannot unite a Democratic Partyor a countrythat lies much closer to the political center. A solid majority of Americans (55 percent) have a negative impression of socialism. Young people have moved left in recent years, but the country as a whole hasnt. A New Center survey finds that 34 percent of Americans place themselves on the right of the political spectrum, 23 percent on the left and 43 percent at the center. New Gallup polls also confirm that America remains a moderate country that lists slightly to the center-right. Democrats split down the middle, with 42 percent identifying with the center and 42 percent leaning left. Independents are much more moderate: 60 percent identify with the center, 22 percent with the right and 17 percent with the left. The basic electoral math shows Democrats cant beat Trump with liberal-left voters alone, especially in the older, less educated and diverse Midwest states that decided the 2016 election. Story continues They will need a nominee who can make inroads among swing voters in those states: moderate and GOP-leaning independents, college educated suburbanites, and culturally conservative, blue collar whites. For Sanders, however, the first stumbling block would be moderate Democrats. His palpable disdain for them is amplified by zealous supporters who excoriate centrist Democrats as neoliberals or corporate Democrats, presumably because they obstinately refuse to see its time for America to trade in free enterprise for socialism. No wonder White House aides view Sanders as their dream opponent this fall. Trump lately has been disingenuously defending Sanders in tweets and claiming Democrats are scheming to cheat him out of the nomination again. Sanders has laid out an ambitiouseven utopianagenda for toppling capitalism and massively expanding federal power to reengineer a more equal America from the top down. Unfortunately, his unapologetically progressive ideas create enormous vulnerabilities for Democrats. Start with his controversial plan to force all Americans into a government health care monopoly. Sanders backers insist that Medicare for All is popular, but public support quickly dissipates once voters understand what it means. They strongly oppose being compelled to give up the private insurance plans they get from their jobs, as well as the substantial tax hikes entailed in moving everyone into a public program. For example, a recent poll of Democrats in Michigan found only 18 percent who said theyd be willing to pay as much as 10 percent more in taxes for Medicare for All. And it will take a lot more than that to cover the plans stratospheric costestimates range from $32 to $40 trillion over 10 years. Sanders hasnt specified how hed finance it, other than promising the super-rich will pay the full freight. Not possible, says Rob Shapiro, a prominent Democratic economist. He calculates that Congress could raise income and payroll taxes by 50 percent, and double the corporate tax, and still not cover more than 60 to 74 percent of the cost of moving 228 million more Americans to the Medicare rolls. Sanders spending ambitions dont stop with single-payer. A partial list includes his Green New Deal proposal ($16 trillion over the next decade); as well as multi-trillion plans to build affordable housing; rebuild infrastructure; make tuition free at all public universities; pay off all $1.6 trillion in college student debt; and, create universal preschool. Although the U.S. unemployment rate has dropped to its lowest level since 1969, Sanders also is pushing an unprecedented federal job guarantee for all Americans. Each job would cost taxpayers around $56,000 and would likely wreak havoc in labor markets as low-wage workers flock to make-work public jobs. All told, Sanders plan would cost about $60 trillion over the next decade, doubling the size of the federal government. Its hard to believe that U.S. voters, already leery of Washington, will support Sanders redistributive superstateespecially when they learn it will mean punishing taxes on everyone or crushing levels of public debt. Another major political liability is Sanders call for a ban on fracking. That would shut down the remarkable shale energy boom that over the past decade has made the United States the worlds largest producer of natural gas and oil. Its bad climate policy and bad politics. Posturing against fracking might gain Sanders extra voters in deep-blue California and Northeast, but it would hurt him (and Democrats down ticket) in pivotal battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Mexico, and Colorado. Shale production has created tens of thousands of good, middle-class jobs for the very blue-collar workers Sanders claims to speak for, not to mention lowering fuel costs for U.S. manufacturers and households. If a candidate comes into this state and tries to sell that policy (a fracking ban), theyre going to have a hard time winning, says Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, a Democrat. These examples hardly exhaust the list of political flanks a Sanders nomination would expose. His relentless business-bashingthe private sector is always the villain Sanders economic parablesand his quasi-pacifistic security and foreign policy outlook also would be hard sells to moderate Democrats, never mind swing voters. In fairness, Bernie Sanders is everything Donald Trump is not: honest, decent, and principled. Authentic he is, but all the authenticity in the world cant make Sanders the pragmatic leader Democrats need to build a winning coalition in November. But it would make him the perfect foil for Donald Trump, Fox News, and Republicans eager to deflect accusations of political extremism back onto Democrats. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Thank You Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also manage your communication preferences by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. She says she knows the candidate better than anyone else. He likes to say he married up. Jill and Joe Biden have been married for 43 years, and during his time as both a senator and vice president, she continued to work, most recently as a professor of English at a community college. It provided a real-world, outside of the White House bubble perspective, people say was invaluable. So when the 77-year-old Mr Biden called a raft of ex-senators, members of the House, and others, to head to both Iowa and New Hampshire to campaign for him and act as surrogates, nobodys dispatch was important than that of his wife. She has acted as an energetic, morale-boosting visitor to remote campaign offices, far from the state capitals. And because of who she is, she has said things about him and his campaign, other surrogates might not feel so free to express. Last year in New Hampshire, she told told supporters of others candidates, to swallow a little bit and vote for her husband, because he had a better chance of defeating Donald Trump. The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty Your candidate might be better on, I dont know, health care, than Joe is, but youve got to look at whos going to win this election. Ms Biden, 68, last year published her own memoir, Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself, that told of the pain they had to fight through following death of their son, Beau. His passing away in 2015 after developing a brain rumour, was perhaps the key reason Mr Biden stood out the 2016 race. In the last few days, as Iowa prepares to become the first state in the nation to vote, Ms Biden has been racing across the state, much like her husband, trying to ensure the decision they took as family does not hang over them forever. In the city of Davenport in eastern Iowa, having spoken to staff and volunteers at the campaign office, she went door knocking on doors in the community of Bettendorf. She did not spend that long how much it was something to be used on social media and how much it was to actually win over voters was unclear. Joe Biden says 'Beau should be the one running for president' Yet, as she approached the houses with Texas congressman, Filemon Vela Jr, she got at least at least one person to say they would vote for her husband. At a house with a sign for Pete Buttigieg pressed into the snow-covered ground, she laughed at the suggestion she was going to pull it out. Better just knock might need them in the second go-around, said Mr Vela Jr, as they left a leaflet, hoping that even if the person did not support Mr Biden in the caucus, or primary, they would turn out to vote in the general election if he is candidate. Asked why she was putting herself through the prospect of going back to government, Ms Biden said the country needed new leadership. I have heard this all over Iowa and New Hampshire, she said. We need someone we can respect a leader. She said she could highlight to people better than anyone her husbands strengths and why he would be the best president. Ms Biden is not the only campaign spouse being used in Iowa to remind voters, that even candidates seeking the highest office in the land, are also human. On Saturday night in Cedar Rapids, Bernie Sanders saved his last words of thanks for his wife, Jane. Meanwhile, Mr Buttigiegs husband, Chasten Glezman, has hosted fundraising events. On Friday night in Davenport, Mr Buttigiegs husband, was at the back of the crowd as the former Indiana mayor spoke at St. Ambrose university. People are positive, Ms Biden said of people reaction to her campaigning. They say theyre going to vote for my husband because we need a change. Always on message, she said: A lot of people people here in Iowa are struggling with food issuesThey want a leader who will change things. But they also want a president they can respect. A city in Chinas central Hunan province said it killed thousands of chickens following an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu, according to the Chinese regime. The countrys ministry of agriculture said Saturday that 18,000 chickens were culled in Shaoyang, Hunan Province. But that came after some 4,500 chickens were sickened and died, amounting to more than half the flock on the farm at the source of the outbreak. The strain of influenza was the poultry H5N1 subtype of the highly pathogenic bird flu, the statement read. No human transmission of the bird flu was reported. Shaoyang is located about 300 miles south of Wuhan, the epicenter of the new mystery coronavirus strain that that has triggered lockdowns and quarantines across Hubei province. The coronavirus has prompted several countries to suspend flights to and from China and travel alerts. The H5N1 avian flu has killed hundreds of people across the world since 2003, according to the World Health Organizations (WHO) data. Avian flu was reported this week in India, prompting government officials to deploy a response team to Chhattisgarh, according to Indian officials. The virus killed 5,634 of about 21,060 birds on the farm in Baikunthpur. All of the remaining birds were slaughtered, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, the Chinese city of Wenzhou in coastal Zhejiang Province announced on Sunday that it would restrict its citizens movement, allowing only one member of each family to buy goods every two days. Residents could still go outside to see a doctor and work in the citys public transportation sector. Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Filipino Department of Health (DOH) reported that a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan diedthe first death from the virus outside of China. I would like to emphasize that this is an imported case with no evidence of local transmission, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said in a statement. The Philippine Government has already implemented a temporary travel ban for travelers coming from China, Macao, and Hong Kong. DOH is monitoring every development on the 2019-nCoV very closely and is taking proactive measures to contain the spread of this virus in our country, Duque added. WHO last week declared a global health emergency over the virus, while the United States and Australia both raised their travel alerts to the highest, urging citizens not to travel to China. Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with it, WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus said Thursday. I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak, he remarked. From The Epoch Times Watt International continues to be recognized for their innovative thinking and integrated offerings. Results-oriented creative solutions that build brand value and enhance customer affinity have positioned the company as an industry leader. Both companies share a common vision of delivering remarkable end-user experiences. This acquisition will expand offerings for their clients. Watt International has a 53-year legacy of building shopper-focused retail experiences that lead their categories and deliver business success. Through the acquisition of Communique Incentives, Watt International builds its bench-strength, leveraging Communique Incentives' 37-year history in delivering more event-based, interactive experiences that will drive brand differentiation through more disruptive customer engagement programs. Vince Guzzi, Managing Partner of Watt International says, "We are beyond thrilled to see this partnership come to life. We'll be able to offer even more compelling end-to-end solutions to our clients, building from solid strategies and framed in shopper-centric store experiences. This is timely as retail stores continue to evolve towards being more immersive and event-based." Lindsay Rudyk, President of Communique Incentives, says, "Under our new partnership with Watt, we can take our legacy of building engaging and memorable programs to the next level. Together, we will be best-in-class in bringing great ideas to life." About Watt International Inc. (www.wattisretail.com) Watt International Inc. is an integrated retail agency, with over 50 years' experience working in over 40 countries around the world. With a unique business model that integrates world-class consulting with inspired creativity, Watt International leads its industry in uncovering the most meaningful insights, setting the right strategies, and delivering results-oriented creative solutions across every brand touchpoint. About Communique Incentives Inc . (www.communique.to) Communique Incentives Inc. is a full-service event management agency founded on the simple but fundamental mandate to innovate, explore and inspire. With over 35 years' experience planning dynamic events, innovative incentive programs, and meetings that inspire, Communique Incentives explores ideas and the world over to create programs that will move people physically and emotionally. At Communique Incentives, ideas are brought to life. SOURCE Watt International Inc. They recently enjoyed a romantic weekend away in Paris to celebrate their one year anniversary. But back on home ground again, Binky Felstead, 29, enjoyed a much more low-key jaunt on Monday with her beau Max Fredrick Darnton and her two-year-old daughter India. Visiting the London Wetlands Centre, the mum-of-one cut a relaxed figure in an oversized sheepskin coat paired with simple blue jeans and tan Ugg boots. Cute: Binky Felstead, 29, enjoyed a low-key day out on Monday with her beau Max Fredrick Darnton and her two-year-old daughter India at the London Wetlands Centre Little India looked adorable in her VeJa trainers and baby Chloe coat. The Made in Chelsea star's boyfriend looked equally casual in a parka coat and beanie hat. Binky was ever the doting mum carrying a tired India to the car. Her helpful beau was also seen sweetly cradling the tot. Cosy: The mum-of-one cut a relaxed figure in an oversized sheepskin coat paired with simple blue jeans and tan Ugg boots The brunette beauty also shared some Instagram stories detailing her family day out. These included their bagel breakfast and a sweet video chasing India through some branches. Binky and Max, who is managing director at a global executive search and consulting firm, have been in a relationship since last January after meeting at countryside private members' club Soho Farmhouse. In November, the couple took the next step by buying a home together in Barnes, west London, where they live with Binky's daughter, who she raises alongside her Made In Chelsea co-star ex-boyfriend Josh 'JP' Patterson, 30. Mummy-duties: Little India looked adorable in her VeJa trainers and baby Chloe coat. The Made in Chelsea's beau looked equally casual in a parka coat and beanie hat Tired tot: Binky was ever the doting mum when she carried a tired India to the car. Her helpful beau was also seen sweetly cradling the tot The reality star recently admitted the relationship is so serious that she and Max have already discussed having children in the not too distant future. She told MailOnline in an interview last November: 'I think you always want what you are one of. I am one of three, so I've always had three in my head girl, boy, girl.' Asked whether she could see this happening with Max, Binky replied: 'I wouldnt be mentioning it [my relationship with Max] if I didn't think it had any legs. He is really great. I am very happy.' Binky appeared on Made In Chelsea from its first episode in 2010 through to 2017, during which time she met fellow star JP. Sweet: Binky and Max, who is managing director at a global executive search and consulting firm, have been in a relationship since last January She and ex JP dated on and off from the summer of 2015, when they got together during the Made In Chelsea spin-off season in Los Angeles, to September 2018 when they confirmed their split. But the reality star admitted it is refreshing to be in a relationship with someone who isn't in the public eye. She told MailOnline: 'He [Max] is just amazing. The first thing I told him was that I'm a mum when he asked me what I did. Helping hand: In November, the couple took the next step by buying a home together in Barnes, west London, where they live with Binky's daughter 'He is a businessman, he isn't really into being in the public eye, he just likes to get on with his own stuff. 'He has a firm he runs in Asia. He is very different. He has a different thing to what I have going on which is nice. 'He's very supportive, he gets me, he makes me laugh, we have a giggle and we take the mick out of each other.' Sales across the Centra group hit a record 1.7bn last year, boosted by an increasing shift to food-to-go, including the roll-out of Frank & Honest coffee and new vegan options. The Musgrave-owned Centra brand's 473 shops are mainly owner-operated franchises. Franchisees are expected to invest around 27m this year into their outlets, with 20 new stores expected to open, according to Martin Kelleher, managing director of Centra. The new shops will create around 480 jobs. Sales across the Centra 'system' were up 4pc last year to 1.7bn. Hot food-to-go sales were up 13pc. The increase in sales reflects increased demand for a healthy food-to-go offering, including new vegan and vegetarian options and pre-prepared evening meals, Mr Kelleher said. Owners have increased investment in their physical outlets in line with a 2016 brand strategy, he said. Most new stores and an increasing number of established outlets now have a sit-down area, and many have Frank & Honest-branded coffee counter and Moo'd-branded ice-cream counter, he said. The Centra brand is supplied via the Musgrave wholesale business, and last year the business stockpiled twice to ensure continuity of supply in the event of a crash-out Brexit. Extra warehousing and other action to protect supply lines in March and October cost "hundreds of thousands of euro" which proved unnecessary in the end, Mr Kelleher said, but was warranted to avert the real risk of empty shelves. Further Brexit costs are expected this year, he said. Around 1,000 delegates are attending Centra's annual conference at the Great Southern Hotel in Killarney, Co Kerry, this week. SEATTLETwo men who investigators say were involved in a downtown Seattle shooting that killed one person and injured seven others were arrested Saturday, the Seattle Police Department said. The Seattle Times and the Las Vegas Review-Journal report that Marquise Tolbert, 24, and William Tolliver, 24, were booked into jail in Clark County, Nevada, according to jail records. Tolbert and Tolliver were identified by police as suspects last week after the Jan. 22 shooting at Third Avenue and Pine Street. Records show both have lengthy arrest records. The men, who were taken into custody in Las Vegas, complied when confronted by detectives, Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Ken Nogle told the ReviewJournal. Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best offered few details about the arrest, the Times reported. Personally, Im glad they are in custody We know that after the mass shooting and the homicide, there was a lot of fear, Best said. Police located a third suspect injured in the shooting at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Jamel Jackson, 21, was charged last week with unlawful possession of a firearm in the shooting, The Seattle Times reported. Jackson was not the aggressor, but he is suspected of firing his gun multiple times in the crowded intersection, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Mary Barbosa said. Surveillance footage allegedly captured Jackson holding and firing a gun, prosecutors said. Jackson admitted to firing a handgun and said he got rid of the weapon before first responders contacted him at the scene, police said. The gun has not yet been found, prosecutors said. The woman who was killed in the shooting was Tanya Jackson, 50, a resident of a group housing facility. Jackson had a reputation as always being joyful among the staff members who managed her building, the Times reported. She had a very rich life, said Kelli Larsen, chief program officer at the facility for people who suffer from physical and/or mental health conditions that make finding and maintaining traditional housing challenging. The shooting was one of several violent incidents in a part of the city long known for rampant drug use and street unrest. Business groups implored officials to improve public safety. And while crime rates in Seattle are low compared to other big cities, critics say mayhem downtownfrom shootings to drug dealing and the effects of the citys ongoing homelessness crisismakes locals and tourists feel unsafe. A Supreme Court judge has told the Government minister tasked with insurance reform not to interfere with her review of personal injury payouts. In an extraordinary letter, Justice Mary Irvine insisted she would not be influenced by the cost of compensation on businesses or community and volunteer groups. The judge was recently appointed as the chair of the Judicial Council's Personal Injuries Guidelines Committee in line with legislation enacted by Minister of State Michael D'Arcy. In a letter obtained by the Irish Independent under the Freedom of Information Act, Mr D'Arcy congratulated Ms Justice Irvine on her appointment and noted there was "considerable" public interest in the Judicial Council's plans to "recalibrate" the awards for personal injury claims. In his letter dated December 9, 2019, the minister, who is also the chair of the Cost of Insurance Working Group (CIWG), said he fully understands the "separations of powers and the independence of the judiciary". Mr D'Arcy also noted that the Personal Injuries Commission, which he established, found personal injury awards were much higher in Ireland than the UK and recommend that Judicial Council should "address this disparity". Expand Close Michael D'Arcy. Photo: Damien Eagers / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michael D'Arcy. Photo: Damien Eagers "The purpose of this letter is therefore only to indicate the CIWG is available to offer whatever assistance it can should you decided to consult with it," Mr D'Arcy said. However, three days later, Justice Irvine wrote back saying: "I regret that I should have to write a letter such as this in reply." Justice Irvine insisted it was not for the minister to "advise or urge upon" her committee how it should "discharge its obligations". "In light of your letter it is necessary to emphasise that the purpose of the legislation passed by the Oireachtas is to be found in the legislation itself and that the role of the committee, as therein provided for, is not to recalibrate damages in a manner favourable to any particular interest group as would appear to be your understanding," the judge added. Justice Irvine said her committee would continue to review compensation payments while being at "all times mindful of the rights of persons injured through the negligence of third parties". The clash is the latest in an ongoing row between the judiciary and the Government over plans to reduce the cost of insurance. In November, days before his letter to Justice Irvine, Mr D'Arcy publicly said the Judicial Council's review of compensation would bring payouts in line with those awarded in the UK. He said guidelines for compensation in the five most common types of personal injury cases will be reduced by between 15pc and 20pc by March this year. However, Chief Justice Frank Clarke hit out at what he described as "recent publicity" around the Judicial Council's committee on personal injuries. In a statement, Justice Clarke said: "I feel that it is incumbent on me to emphasise the total independence which the law gives to that committee subject only to such directions as the Judicial Council itself may give." He also said there was "no basis" for suggesting the committee would pick the five most common injuries or finish its work by March. The Judicial Council was formally established in December last year following the passage of legislation through the Dail. The aim of the council is to oversee and review the work of the judiciary. The legislation specifically required the council to form a committee to address awards given in personal injury cases. The Government has been under pressure to address the rising cost of public liability insurance for businesses. There has been a wave of businesses, mostly in the leisure industry, which have closed due to the rising cost of insurance. The Odisha Congress on Sunday charged BJD MP Anubhav Mohanty with submitting false affidavit on his educational qualifications during the Rajya Sabha polls in 2014 and urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take stern action against the parliamentarian. Mohanty, however, denied the allegation. Senior Congress leader Nishikant Mishra alleged that Mohanty, who won the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Kendrapara, had furnished false information about his educational qualification during 2014 Rajya Sabha polls. Mishra said information obtained through RTI showed that the BJD lawmaker had stated in his affidavit that he became a graduate from a university in Meerut in 2014. However, the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry had informed the Supreme Court in 2010 that it has de-recognised that institute, Mishra told reporters here. Besides, the RTI information obtained from the Utkal University showed that Mohanty graduated from Kandarpur College in Cuttack in 2003, the Congress leader said. The Utkal University has not provided migration certificate to Mohanty, he said adding that no university outside the state will allow admission to a student without a migration certificate. So, Mohanty had furnished false information to contest the 2014 election, and the Chief Minister who is also BJD president, should take stern action against the party MP, Mishra said. Terming the allegation as false and baseless, Mohanty said the Congress has levelled the charges in a bid to malign him. "This is a deliberate and malicious attempt to malign and defame me," the BJD MP said in a statement. King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH&RC) is one of four recipients of this years Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Davies Award of Excellence and is in the top 100 list of organisations worldwide to achieve this award. KFSH&RC is the first HIMSS Davies Award winner in the kingdom and the first outside of North America to achieve HIMSS Stage 7 Ambulatory and HIMSS Stage 6 Analytics Maturity. The HIMSS Davies Award recognises outstanding achievements of organisations that have utilised health IT to substantially improve patient outcomes through sharing evidence-driven best practices on implementation strategies, workflow design, change management and patient engagement. The HIMSS Davies Award of Excellence for KFSH&RC Riyadh & Jeddah shows the maturity and interoperability of our Integrated Clinical Information System (ICIS) since its inception more than 17 years ago, said Majed Al Fayyad, MD, MMM, Chief Executive Office of KFSH&RC. To reach this level of excellence and, more importantly, to share our lessons with the wider health care community is truly an enterprise-wide achievement and speaks to the dedication, usage and adoption of technology by our staff. KFSH&RC manages three facilities in the country and plays the role of a tertiary service provider for specialised medicine services, such as oncology, cardiology, transplant and fertility with approximately one million outpatient visits each year. Since the 2002 implementation of ICIS with the Cerner Millennium electronic health record (EHR), KFSH&RC has realised several long-term improvements that stood out to the HIMSS selection committee. To quantify the benefits of ICIS, KFSH&RC conducted detailed studies of their influenza vaccine, breast & colon cancer screening and the Smart Tech to Smart Care utilising Cerner Smart RoomTM project. These studies showed improvements to patient and staff experiences and communications, as well as smarter ways to engage patients in their health journey. During Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage, approximately three million pilgrims from across the globe visit Makkah in addition to the 18 million that visit throughout the rest of the year. With the increasing pandemics of influenza occurring worldwide since 2010 (including H1N1, MERs- CoV, etc.), KFSH&RC, the gateway to Makkah, targeted increased vaccination and testing for influenza. KFSH&RC utilised Cerners Health Maintenance module, part of the KFSH&RC EHR system, to remind clinicians of patients due for influenza vaccination. To increase compliance, these reminders were the first pieces of information presented to clinicians inside their workflow and were also pushed directly to patients through their patient portal as preventative care. KFSH&RC has sustained improved volumes of influenza vaccinations administered by an increase of more than 300 per cent on average1. In addition, KFSH&RC has increased testing for influenza by more than seven times and significantly increased the volume of prescriptions to treat affected patients. Colon cancer and breast cancer are considered the number one malignancy for males and females, respectively in Saudi Arabia. Cerners Health Maintenance module reminds clinicians of patients due for cancer screening directly in their workflow. In addition, as preventative care, screening reminders are pushed directly to patients through their patient portal. KFSH&RC significantly increased proactive testing of patients for these cancers to help with early detection. These interventions yielded huge increases in early stage cancer detection. For example, the volume of fecal occult blood test ordered from 2014-2018 rose 59 per cent. Similarly, the volume of mammogram test orders rose 30 per cent over the same period, compared to baseline data. The number of positive results through this increased screening rose 267 per cent for colon cancer and 600 per cent for breast cancer. The leadership team of the King Abdullah Centre for Oncology & Liver Disease (KACOLD), part of KFSH&RC, sought to transform the delivery of patient care and address issues related to staff-to-staff and patient-to-staff communication to develop an improved experience with patients at the centre. KFSH&RC decided to enhance communication to improve the timeliness of care delivery, increase care team communication and improve existing levels of clinical decision support. This ultimately led to an increase in patient safety, decrease in number of manual interventions and manpower, as well as decrease of length of stay for patients. The KFSH&RC team worked with Cerner to design and deploy the Cerner Smart Room, leveraging a significant number of new solutions and tools unique to both the region and the world. KFSH&RC decreased average length of stay by approximately 9 per cent through the interoperability of these new solutions with the Cerner Smart Room, along with evidence-based guidelines and clinical pathways to improve outcomes and communication2. In addition, compared to baseline measures for the same unit, patient satisfaction score increased by 28 per cent for environmental cleanliness, 25 per cent for pain management, 12 per cent for nurse communication and 14 per cent for physician communication (as reported through standardised patient perception studies). In addition, the volume of data-entry errors was reduced by 99 per cent through automation of vital signs documentation. This automation saved on average 140 minutes of staff time per patient per day in the critical care units and 58 minutes of staff time per patient per day in non-critical care units3. This recognition by HIMSS highlights the positive paradigm shift that technology can now cause in health care. Health care can no longer operate as a car workshop because technology has begun to put pressure on quality, cost and access as demonstrated by this digital transformation at KFSH&RC, stated Osama Al Swailem, MD, MA, Chief Information Officer at KFSH&RC. The health care revolution has begun! King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre has been a long-time Cerner client and we congratulate them on their recent award for achieving the HIMSS Davies Award. This level of accomplishment does not come without many years of hard work, adoption and determination, said Alaa Adel, Managing Director, Cerner Middle East and Africa. We are proud that Cerner is one of the key components that helped KFSH&RC receive such an honor and we wish them many more successes in the future. -- Tradearabia News Service Hyundai Sonatas at King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 22. Hyundai Motor said Monday it had signed a deal with Saudi Arabian transport firm Al-Safwa to deliver 1,000 Sonatas as airport taxis by the end of this year. One hundred were delivered on Jan. 22 and the rest will be shipped by the end of this year. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor An urgent proposal was submitted by a parliamentarian yesterday to temporarily ban Chinese citizens from entering the Kingdom. MP Adel Al Asoomi urged the government to ban Chinese nationals from coming to Bahrain following the recent outbreak of coronavirus in China. He said the outbreak of coronavirus is a cause of concern and that allowing people from China to visit Bahrain could lead to a risk in spreading the disease in the Kingdom. He said that a temporary ban should be in place until the situation settles down. The Bahrain International Airport is now doing a thorough check on passengers coming to Bahrain amidst coronavirus fears. In co-operation with the Ministry of Health, the Bahrain International Airport is conducting thorough checks to make sure patients infected with coronavirus does not enter Bahrain other than the airport. Bahrainis, were assisted by the Bahraini Embassy in China to return to the Kingdom to escape the country amidst the coronavirus scare. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health is taking measures to prevent an outbreak of the deadly coronavirus. A number of measures has already been taken to prevent an outbreak, according to a statement issued by the ministry. The ministry is taking all precautionary measures for this purpose. The situation is being monitored closely. Co-ordination is ongoing with relevant authorities and the Bahrain International Airport. The ministry has urged the public to take precautionary measures after travel. It said that it is communicating directly with the World Health Organisation. The UAEs Ministry of Health and Prevention announced on Friday that a new case of coronavirus had been diagnosed in the country yesterday. The person, the fifth to be identified as having the virus in the country, arrived from Wuhan, the centre of the virus outbreak in China. All five patients are in a stable condition and the ministry called on all citizens and residents to adhere to guidelines that it has provided. China is facing deepening isolation over the epidemic as the death toll soared to 259 on Saturday, with the US and Australia leading a growing list of nations to impose Chinese travel bans. With the UK, Russia and Sweden among the countries confirming their first infections, the virus has now spread to more than two dozen nations, sending governments scurrying to limit their exposure. In light of the current breakthrough of the deadly Coronavirus across China and its detection in several countries of the world, the Embassy of the Kingdom in Beijing has requested universities and educational institutions in China, where Bahraini students are enrolled, to extend the students holiday, sources confirmed. Sources also told that the Embassy has requested these institutions to allow Bahraini students and trainees to return to Bahrain considering their safety. Additionally, Tribune learnt that the students there are on holiday until February 17, 2020, on the occasion of the New Chinese Year. The virus was first reported to the World Health Organisation on Dec 31 and has been under investigation since then. Chinese scientists have linked the disease to a family of viruses known as coronaviruses, the same family as the deadly SARS and MERS viruses. Scientists have yet to fully understand how destructive the new virus, known as 2019-nCoV, might be. Researchers and investigators are just beginning to understand where it originated, how its transmitted, how far it has spread and what its symptoms look like. CONTACT: Pamela D. Wilson 303-810-1816 Email: Inquiry_For_Pamela@pameladwilson.com Golden, Colorado February 3, 2020 The Caring Generation - Advocating for Elderly in Nursing Homes Golden CO- Caregiving expert Pamela D. Wilson hosts The Caring Generation radio program for caregivers and aging adults this coming Wednesday, February 5th, on the Bold Brave Media Global Network. The program airs live at 9 p.m. EST. The Caring Generation aired initially from 2009 to 2011 on 630 KHOW-AM in Denver, Colorado. The caregiving topic for this week's program is Advocating for Elderly in Nursing Homes: Tips for Recognizing and Preventing Elder Abuse and Neglect. Elders admitted to nursing homes benefit from a high degree of family oversights and visits. Pamela will share tips for family caregivers to recognize elder abuse and neglect. Guest Jim Berklan Executive Editor of McKnight's Long-Term Care, McKnight's Assisted Living magazine, and mcknights.com will share information about Medicare's New Program to Pay Nursing Homes for Patient Care called PDPM. Under Jim's direction, McKnight's has received more than 100 national journalism awards. He is a specialist in the field of senior housing and care. A caregiving advocate with over 20 years of experience, Wilson served as a guardian, medical power of attorney, a care manager for many elderly and disabled clients. According to Wilson, "The nursing home care system is complex and not understood by family caregivers or elders. With regulations and payment systems changing, advocating for elders in nursing homes is even more essential. When family caregivers take an active role in understanding medical treatment provided in nursing homes and the aspects of discharge, they can limit surprises when elderly parents are discharged and may still need care." Wilson confirms that she often received phone calls from despondent caregivers on Friday afternoons at 3 p.m., saying, "mom or dad is being discharged from a hospital or nursing home now, and we don't know what to do." Caregivers rely on the healthcare system to provide medical care. Stress results in failing to think about or plan for what happens after discharge when an elderly parent is sent home and has not returned to the prior level of independence. Most elderly adults want to stay at home and need the support of adult children caregivers to make this a reality By being proactive in advocating for elders in nursing homes, family caregivers can be more prepared about the level of aftercare and support needed by elderly parents. Avoiding elder abuse and neglect is more likely when caregivers understand the areas in which neglect occurs and how to work with nursing home staff to resolve the concerns. The February 5th edition of The Caring Generation gives caregivers positive suggestions for advocating for elders in nursing homes and recognizing elder abuse and neglect. All of The Caring Generation radio shows offer tips and solutions to help caregivers and aging adults manage and feel more in control of caregiving relationships and situations. Make plans to join Pamela D. Wilson, caregiving expert and the host of The Caring Generation radio at 6 p.m. Pacific, 7 p.m. Mountain, 8 p.m. Central, and 9 p.m. Eastern every Wednesday night. Replays of the weekly programs are available in podcast format with transcripts on Pamela's website and all major podcast sites. More information is available on Pamela's website. # Management at Federated Cooperatives Limited (FCL) in Regina, Saskatchewan, summarily dismissed a rotten concessions offer made by Unifor negotiators Friday night aimed at ending a lockout of around 750 oil refinery workers now in its ninth week. A clearly shaken Scott Doherty, the unions lead negotiator and executive assistant to Unifors national president Jerry Dias, appeared at the refinery gates shortly after the talks collapsed to announce that a blockade of the plant would be immediately reinstated. The union had lifted its 11-day blockade earlier that day as a condition demanded by the company if it was to return to the bargaining table. As the company stalled and stone-walled throughout most of Fridays talks, refinery managers took advantage of the lifted blockade to push through several large trucks carrying food and other supplies to restock the sprawling scab camp inside the facility, and lined up a steady stream of tankers to move its processed fuel out of the plant. The labour movement got played, Doherty said later to reporters. Dohertys comment is disingenuous and aimed at concealing Unifors desperate efforts to sell out the workers struggle. With their despicable capitulation to managements outrageous demands to restart contract talks, and their acceptance of sweeping concessions, Dias, Doherty and their fellow union bureaucrats consciously played directly into the hands of the company, which responded with predictable ruthlessness. It was not the labour movement that got played, but rather the corrupt Unifor bureaucracy, which connived with management to pull the wool over the eyes of the locked-out workers and pave the way for Unifor to sabotage the struggle against pension cuts. FCL is a highly profitable company, earning a whopping $3 million per day from its Regina Co-op refinery. To further line the pockets of its executives and its network of co-op stake-holders and to gain an edge on its competitors, this ruthless and arrogant company has committed to smashing the resistance of its workforce. The dispute, which centers around FCLs demand that the defined benefits pension plan be gutted, has pitted the courageous and determined refinery workers against a massive scabbing operation mounted by FCL, court injunctions restricting picketing, a $100,000 court imposed fine on the union and a police attack on the blockade resulting in the arrest of 14 picketers, including national president Dias. A second contempt of court hearing is scheduled for February 4. Picketing injunctions are also being sought by the company at its blockaded fuel distribution depots in Carseland, Alberta and Winnipeg, Manitoba. In addition, the workers face the right-wing government of Premier Scott Moe, which has backed FCL to the hilt throughout the lockout, including by green-lighting its scabbing operation. At the Friday negotiations, the union bargaining team twice offered new concessions. As Doherty explained in a Facebook video, Unifor negotiators suggested that workers could pay a 6 percent payroll deduction to help fund their own pension, an unprecedented measure. They also agreed, with the aid of the Moe government, to weaken the provincial Pension Solvency law to benefit FCL. All told, the concessions amounted to a $20 million windfall per year for the company. The unions miserable climb-down merely emboldened FCL management. As the company rejected the unions proposals out of hand, it also tabled new demands for the reduction in the number of process operators and maintenance staff. The talks ended without agreement. Such was the depth of the capitulations by the bargaining team that at a press conference the following day, Doherty remarked that local president Kevin (Bittman) and I might get beaten up later when we tell them (the members) that we gave the company six percent. FCL has taken the measure of the union bureaucrats since the beginning of this round of bargaining and, indeed, since the last contract three years ago. In that deal, Unifor opened the door for the current attack on pensions by agreeing to a two-tier system that forces all new hires onto an inferior defined contributions scheme. In the run-up to the December 5 lockout, Unifor conceded a scheme whereby the union would assist the company in seeking ways to move veteran workers from their defined benefits program to the defined contributions plan. Then, last week it sent a letter to the company agreeing to its demand that the union withdraw preconditions prohibiting negotiating reductions in the defined benefits program. But this was not enough for FCL. It then demanded that the union lift its blockade before any talks could begin. Unifor agreed. After the first overtures by the union to management last week, the World Socialist Web Site wrote, Smelling blood in the water, Co-op management is demanding that Dias now perform a full-on strip-tease, surrendering even the fig leaf of credibility that he seeks to maintain before selling out the workers demand that the proposed gutting of their pension plan be stopped. Not satisfied with the strip-tease, FCL is now demanding that Dias run naked through the snow. Dias will eventually oblige unless the locked-out rank-and-file now take control of their struggle out of the hands of the conniving union leadership. Already, in response to Friday nights events, Dias and Doherty sent a letter Saturday to Premier Moe calling for binding arbitration and for Moe to wake up and show some leadership. Dias appeal to the right-wing, anti-worker Moe government must be seen by the locked-out workers as part of Unifors criminal attempts to sell out their struggle. The rigged labour arbitration process is designed to enforce employer demands and, aided by a bit of Dias trademark rhetorical bluster, defuse workers struggles. Dias suggestion that Moe and his ministers can be pressured into acting as neutral mediators is absurd on its face. For over a decade, the Saskatchewan Party government has mounted major attacks on workers rights and living standards, including restricting public sector workers right to strike through essential services legislation. But the struggle can still be won. In order to prepare the fight against whatever rotten contract that Unifor and FCL seek to conclude, Regina refinery workers must take the conduct of their struggle into their own hands by organizing independently of, and in opposition, to the trade union bureaucracy. The fight against FCL is not merely a collective bargaining dispute with a single, ruthless employer, but a political fight against the government and all its institutions. This political struggle demands that workers recognize they face the combined opposition of the right-wing provincial government, the police and courts, which act as enforcers for FCL, the NDP, which refuses to stand up for workers rights, and the entire union bureaucracy, which has systematically suppressed all working class struggles for the past four decades. While workers have powerful enemies, their allies are stronger still. Appeals must be made to the 5,000 Unifor members in the Saskatchewan Crown Corporations to join in a strike against the Moe government. Energy, rail and industrial workers must join this action. The solidarity of union bureaucrats who fly into town for a day for a photo-op on the picket line and soon scurry back to their warm offices is wearing thin. Working people across Canada and internationally are being driven into struggle by the same attacks on wages, pensions, and living conditions that have motivated the Regina refinery workers to show tremendous determination and a readiness to fight during the two-month lockout. If locked out workers are to prevail, they must fight to make their struggle the spearhead of a working-class counter-offensive against the ruling elites austerity drive and for a workers government committed to socialist policies. [February 03, 2020] Rosa & Raymond Parks Institute (RRPI) and O Museum Announce "Hold My Hand Challenge" to Commemorate Mrs. Rosa Parks; Unity Event Coincides with State of the Union Address To celebrate the life of Mrs. Rosa Parks - RRPI and O Museum in The Mansion are asking people to come together and hold hands with their friends, family, neighbors, school and office mates starting February 4th, the birthday of Mrs. Parks. Hootie & the Blowfish have given the rights to use their iconic debut hit "Hold My Hand" for the theme music of the nation-wide event. VIEW: "Hold My Hand Campaign" video "The Hootie & the Blowfish song is a perfect way to introduce and to sustain an annual Mrs. Parks' national hand holding campaign -- making it the anthem for the movement," says Ms. Elaine Steele, co-founder of RRPI. "We are so grateful to them for their generosity and love." Help spread Mrs. Parks' messages of hope, unity, and love when you participate - document and share your hand holding experience on your favorite social channels and challenge your friends/followers to post their own video or image/photograph. Post your videos and images using the hashtag #HoldMyHandChallenge On December 1, 1955, Mrs. Parks ignited the civil rights movement when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a municipal bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She was a life-long advocate for human rights and dignity for all. "The Hold My Hand Challenge" is the creation of RRPI and H.H. Leonards, Founder of O Museum, who opened The Mansion February 14, 1980 and who provided a home-away-from-home for Mrs. Parks. Mrs. Parks moved there for a period of time after she was brutally assaulted in her home in Detroit. Holding hands is something Mrs. Parks did to inspire those she met. She said, "It's a simple, non-threatening gesture that holds immense opportunity to ignite change and to demonstrate how we should all focus on what we have in common with each other. When you hold hands, there is no fear." The kickoff event at the O Museum, also home to RRPI, D.C., coincides with the State of the Union Address. "What better way to highlight unityin our Nation on that day, than to have people hold hands in Mrs. Parks' honor throughout the world," said Ms. Leonards. "Mrs. Parks believed in the power of touch - she gently touched the hands of nearly everyone she met, from the Pope, to President's, Secretary of State, to people who served our government with generosity and love, to people that she met at church to people in her neighborhood, but especially to the children of the world, who she loved, with all her heart. She knew that holding hands unites us, boosts love, creates bonds and provides a sense of security -- and most important community," said Ms. Leonards. "Now more than ever the world needs to be reminded of Mrs. Parks' gentle strength, her peaceful activism, and her capacity for compassion and forgiveness," says Darius Rucker, of Hootie & the Blowfish. "We hope our song will provide a way to change hearts and minds. Laws may have changed, but we still need to change some people's hearts." Everyone is encouraged to visit The Library of Congress' Exhibition "Mrs. Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words" to learn more about Mrs. Rosa Parks' life and work. Additional information about the activities may be obtained by visiting holdmyhandchallenge.org About The Rosa and Raymond Institute for Self-Development About the Library of Congress Exhibit: Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words About The O Museum in the Mansion About Hootie & the Blowfish 2020 O Street N.W., D.C. 20036 | 202.496.2070 | [email protected] | omuseum.org | rosaparks.org O Street Museum Foundation and Rosa & Raymond Parks Institute are registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations. Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Your tax-deductible donation funds their programs. No goods or services were provided for this gift. Please consult your tax advisor regarding specific questions about your deductions. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005811/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Masked attackers detonate explosives under the pipeline supplying power to homes and factories in central Sinai. A group of attackers has blown up a gas pipeline in Egypts restive Sinai Peninsula, security sources said on Sunday, but imports of gas from Israel were unaffected. The armed men, wearing masks, detonated explosives in the attack carried out about 80km (50 miles) west of the provincial capital El Arish, the sources told news agencies. The explosion caused a fire, but no casualties or injuries have so far been reported. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) armed group claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement posted on its Telegram chat groups, the group said its fighters targeted the natural gas line linking the Jews and the apostate Egyptian government. According to sources, the gas pipeline hit was a domestic one that connects to a power station in El Arish that supplies electricity to homes and factories in central Sinai. However, some media reports in Egypt and Israel said the section of pipeline hit was part of Israels Leviathan offshore field operations. The Leviathan consortium denied the claim in a statement. The flow of gas from Leviathan to Egypt is continuing as normal, it said. Israel began pumping natural gas to Egypt for the first time in January under a multibillion-dollar, 15-year landmark deal to liquefy and re-export it to Europe. Egypt hopes the recently inked deal will position it to become a regional gas hub. The pipeline, owned by the East Mediterranean Gas Company (EMG), includes a subsea connection between El Arish in Sinai and Ashkelon in Israel. Leviathan, one of the two offshore fields managed by Israeli and American firms in the deal, is estimated to hold 535 billion cubic metres (18.9 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas and 34.1 million barrels of condensate. Egypts petroleum ministry did not respond to a request for comment, reported AFP. Australian wine companies and grape growers have called for a $103 million federal government investment to lift exports, increase wine-tourism and protect the economic prospects of an industry hit by drought and bushfires. The local industry has also warned that removing the right of Australia to use the term Prosecco wine, which it says the European Union is pushing for as part of a free trade deal, would have a devastating impact and threaten its viability. Prosecco wine is building a bigger footprint in Victoria's King Valley. Credit: The industrys call to retain the right to produce and label wine Prosecco, a popular grape variety which originated in Italy and is now booming in Australia and abroad, comes on the eve of the latest round of free trade negotiations between the EU and Australia. Tony Battaglene, chief executive of industry group Australian Grape and Wine, said Prosecco would be front and centre in the talks. Mauritania is looking to Morocco as an economic and security ally in a region plagued by instability and closed-borders. After a political and diplomatic rapprochement that ended years of aloofness sowed by the previous Mauritanian administration, Morocco and Mauritania now look forward to fostering security cooperation. Two high-level delegations of Mauritanian security and military officials paid a visit to Rabat last during which they raised with Moroccan counterparts the means to further secure the Moroccan-Mauritanian border crossing and help Mauritania deal with transferred threats emanating from its long borders with Algeria and Mali where terrorist groups operate. The border crossing of Guerguarat, a key lifeline for Mauritanian supply, has been hindered by the Polisario militias on multiple occasions. The separatist group has often violated the UN-brokered ceasefire agreements and set up checks that disrupted the supply of Mauritanian market. The Polisario has also engaged in all sorts of trafficking in connivance with criminal and terrorist networks, a fact that pushes Mauritanian to look to Morocco as an ally to counter the violations of the Algerian-backed separatists. The visit by the Mauritanian delegation to Morocco also comes after Mauritania banned trading in embezzled food-stuff that was supposed to reach the population held against their will in Tindouf. The Mauritanian security delegation also sought exchange of expertise with Moroccos security and intelligence agencies on countering-terrorism, le360.ma reported. The Mauritanian press welcomed the visit as a sign of excellent relations between two neighbors after years of silence. Copper has long been an excellent proxy for global economic health. Its used in everything from washing machines to electric cars. Thats why copper is often referred to as Doctor Copper because it can diagnose the health of the market. Theres been a lot of market sentiment that the bottom has been put into copper, and that 2020 is the year of the metal rat. Im long term bullish on copper, but I stated publicly in late 2019 that caution was required in the near term. Rewind just over 12 months ago when we wrote about the potential of a copper wipeout. That research piece was one that got an insane number of eyeballs. Many copper stocks have been taking it on the chin lately, just as they did in 2018. Copper itself ended up hitting a 2-year low of $2.51 early last Fall before trying to make a rally back to $3/pound, which failed. Now its back to last Falls lows. In my Copper Wipeout, report I stated that most analysts that were bullish on copper had two major errors in their models. The first error was that analysts across the board were using consensus demand side growth metrics that were too optimistic. The second error was that analysts were too aggressive on the supply decreases, meaning they modelled overly aggressive production declines from existing mines. I believed the consensus used by analysts was fundamentally flawed as the production profile declines were incorrect. The 2019 production numbers published thus far support my model yet none of the analysts are updating their models. What nobody took into account though was the black swan that would come in and wipe out all of the gains copper made since it bottomed out last September This past week, copper prices took a 12% nosedive, and things might get even uglier from here. The reason? Doctor Copper A Casualty of the New Flu Pandemic If youve been paying attention to the news, then you probably already know about the Wuhan Coronavirus. Officially named the Novel Coronavirus, this latest flu belongs to the same family of viruses as the SARS and MERS infections of 2003 and 2012. With the first case occurring in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December, the virus has since spread worldwide. The Chinese New Year, which took place on January 25th this year, intensified the problem with its large influx of travelers looking to celebrate the New Year with family. As of earlier this week, there have been more cases of this new virus detected in China than there were of the SARS epidemic. The WHO (World Health Organization) held emergency meetings to discuss the outbreak. Its unclear at the moment exactly how bad things will get. But one thing is certain the Chinese economy isnt getting out of this one lightly. Chinese New Year Extended Due to the coronavirus situation, Chinas central government has extended the Chinese New Year holiday by three days. In addition, certain provincial governments have instructed corporations to delay restarts by an additional 7 days. Flights to China have been stopped. Production plants are halted. And there are rumors of Chinese manufacturers declaring force majeure and canceling contracts from commodity suppliers. The 12% drop in copper over the last week confirms this. All this led a Chinese government economist to predict that the countrys growth rate for the quarter may drop from 6% to 5% or even lower. And as the chart below shows, Chinas slowing growth will have a significant effect on global copper demand. Over the past 5 years, China has averaged out to a little over half of the total global demand for copper. Fears over the virus are keeping the Chinese economy down. And just like the doctors lending a helping hand in Wuhan, Doctor Copper is feeling the pressure. This isnt the only thing thats currently impacting copper prices, though its certainly the most significant Chile and Indonesia are also in the spotlight, as far as copper goes. Chile as a nation is the worlds largest copper producer. Organized strikes by labor unions at several of the countrys mines caused multiple shutdowns and delays during 2019. Its a very real risk that more unrest in Chile could impact global supply, but that fear is already priced into the copper market. The second wildcard in the copper market is Grasberg, Freeport McMorans mine in Indonesia. Freeport has been battling the Indonesian government for years, and its losing the battle. Grasberg is expected to produce 350,000 tonnes of copper in 2020 making it a top 10 copper producer in the world. The Indonesian government will continue to play hardball and Grasbergs copper production will be impacted. But again, thats all known and already priced into the copper spot price. That said, if things in China or the rest of the world get worse, we could see copper go back down to 2016 levels of below $2.00. Cu Later, Alligator My caution on copper in the short term was rewarded. To reiterate, Im long term bullish on copper. Further weakness in copper could make 2020 a great buying opportunity to pick up quality copper companies at big discounts to their intrinsic value. But the time isnt ripe just yet. Im an alligator investor. I dont chase stocks. I patiently wait for my prey to come to me. We do have exposure in the Katusas Resource Opportunities portfolio to copper and the share price of that stock has already doubled to our cost base. I do expect it will continue to go higher. Has your copper stock done that this year? Now, if copper continues its freefall Im on the sidelines waiting for the falling safe to hit the ground, bounce around a bit, and crack open. Theres one copper stock Ive had my eyes on for years. I want to own it. I know it well. But I havent pulled the trigger yet, as I believe Ill be able to get it at lower prices. My subscribers will get to know about it and act on it before I do. The Metals Markets in 2020 and Beyond: A Fireside Chat With Ross Beaty At last weeks ground-breaking Vancouver Resource Investment Conference, we kicked things off with a 1 on 1 interview between me and legendary mine builder, Ross Beaty. Ross made a stop at the VRIC just prior to boarding a plane en route to Davos for the World Economic Forum. We talked about the cycles in the commodities markets and which metals Ross sees performing and under-performing in the short, medium and long term. Ross reveals one metal that was in a mania a few years ago that he sees making huge growth in the near future. And he talks about one sector that hes very bearish on in the current markets. Not to mention, if youre a shareholder of his companies, you dont want to miss his updates. The upcoming infrastructure upgrades in Perth, such as the METRONET project, could potentially boost its housing and investment markets. However, property investors are still encouraged to carefully study the market to avoid possible pitfalls, according to the latest forecast by Momentum Wealth. Property investors need to consider the potential impact of infrastructure improvements in their prospective suburbs, particularly in terms of capital growth, said Shaun Strickland, research advisor at Momentum Wealth. "Infrastructure upgrades such as new transport links can provide an important catalyst for capital growth due to the increased accessibility and amenity they bring to a suburb, both of which can help to drive higher levels of demand from buyers and renters," he said. Also read: Rents, prices up in WA regional centres One of the biggest infrastructure upgrades to watch out for is the METRONET project, which will develop up to 18 new stations across Perth's metropolitan region. The METRONET project could potentially bring the spotlight to some of the overlooked suburbs like Forrestfield. The first stage of the project includes the development of three new stations under the $1.86bn Forrestfield-Airport Link. "Investors who enter these suburbs at the right time have the opportunity to leverage the relative affordability of these areas before buyer competition starts to place upwards pressure on property values," Strickland said. However, investors need to be careful about the property types that they get into. Strickland said the new zonings arising from the project would likely impact future supply, which could, in turn, influence the value of properties. Bridesmaid suburbs key to growth? Bridesmaid suburbs, or those neighbourhoods surrounding the most expensive suburbs, give investors affordable options and allow them to leverage future growth opportunities, Strickland said. "What we often find is that buyers who are missing out on opportunities in aspirational suburbs, or equally being priced out of these markets, will start to look towards affordable alternatives in surrounding areas, many of which offer similar demand drivers and high-quality investment opportunities, just at a lower price point," he said. When Como and South Perth recorded price increases during the last market upturn, surrounding areas like Manning also witnessed a spike in demand. However, not all properties will turn into good investments, Strickland said. "Buyers need to ensure they are still doing their research and steering clear of poor-performing pockets or red flags that could hinder their portfolio's long-term growth," he said. Supply to dictate prices? Overall, Perth is expected to witness tighter supply levels as demand further accelerates this year. This trend will enable investors to see which areas will continue to benefit from the improving market conditions. "Buyers searching for suburbs with strong growth prospects should look towards areas that are tightly held, where there are few property transactions occurring due to limited supply coming on stream," Strickland said. Suburbs near school zones are an example. These suburbs typically witness high levels of demand from owner-occupier markets and offer great stability during downturns. Bateman and Carine are two of these suburbs. They managed to buck the overall downturn in Perth, recording respective price growths of 2.4% and 5.3%. This was amid the 2.9% decline in the wider market. A clear majority of Canadians feel their country does not have to pay for security for and his wife Meghan Markle, who have settled in Seventy-seven per cent of people surveyed by Nanos Research, for CTV, believe the Candian taxpayer does not have to pay for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex because they are not in Canada as representatives of the Queen. Canada is a parliamentary monarchy and Queen Elizabeth II is the reigning head of state. Only 19 per cent of Canadians would not object to their country assuming a share of the security costs. There has been no official announcement about the question of security for and Meghan, or who will cover the bill, now that they have officially left the royal family. Canadian authorities have only indicated that discussions were taking place. More than two-thirds of Canadians feel the privacy of the couple and their infant son will be better respected in Canada than it was in Britain. But Harry and Meghan -- who live in Victoria, on Vancouver Island -- are taking no chances: last month they issued a legal warning to media over photographs of the duchess out walking her dogs with Archie, their son. Their lawyers claimed the images were taken without Meghan's consent, the BBC reported, and the couple were prepared to take legal action. Perhaps more worrying for the couple in the long run is that only 32 per cent of those surveyed were strongly in favour of maintaining links with the royal family and their country's status as a constitutional monarchy. Twenty-eight per cent said they were only somewhat supported that option. And 35 percent would be more or less strongly in favour of abolishing links with the British monarchy. The survey was conducted by telephone and online, with a sample of 1,003 Canadians and a margin of error of 3.1 per cent. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Today we're going to take a look at the well-established Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKG:388). The company's stock received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the SEHK over the last few months, increasing to HK$280 at one point, and dropping to the lows of HK$241. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing's current trading price of HK$259 reflective of the actual value of the large-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Lets take a look at Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearings outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change. Check out our latest analysis for Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing What is Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing worth? Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing appears to be overvalued according to my relative valuation model. Ive used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because theres not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stocks ratio of 35.02x is currently well-above the industry average of 12.16x, meaning that it is trading at a more expensive price relative to its peers. If you like the stock, you may want to keep an eye out for a potential price decline in the future. Given that Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearings share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us another chance to buy in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility. Can we expect growth from Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing? SEHK:388 Past and Future Earnings, February 3rd 2020 Future outlook is an important aspect when youre looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Although value investors would argue that its the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. With profit expected to grow by 46% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation. Story continues What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? 388s optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading above its fair value. At this current price, shareholders may be asking a different question should I sell? If you believe 388 should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards its real value can be profitable. But before you make this decision, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed. Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping tabs on 388 for some time, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has surpassed its industry peers, which means it is likely that there is no more upside from mispricing. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for 388, which means its worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop. Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters the fundamentals before you make a decision on Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing. You can find everything you need to know about Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. [February 03, 2020] Big Compute 20 Conference Unveils Sponsors and Inaugural Speaker Lineup SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Big Compute Conference announced sponsors and speakers for its inaugural event, held February 11-12, 2020 at the SFJazz Center in San Francisco, CA. The two-day conference will feature business leaders and scientists describing how they are transforming their industries with access to unlimited cloud compute. Platinum Sponsors include AWS, Intel, and Rescale; Gold Sponsors include Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud; and Silver Sponsors include ANSYS, Convergent Science, and Siemens. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and Chairman of Y Combinator, will present the keynote address for the conference. Big Compute 20 brings together thought leaders in aerospace, automotive, AI, biotech, medical, academic, technology, and chemical industries. In addition to inspiring talks, the event will feature workshops, networking, panels and a hackathon sprint, all focused on the freedom to think big. Featured speakers include: Keynote: Sam Altman OpenAI, CEO and Y Combinator, Chairman Platinum Sponsors: Joris Poort Rescale, CEO and Co-founder Rescale, CEO and Co-founder Barry Bolding Amazon Web Services, Global Head of HPC Amazon Web Services, Global Head of HPC Bill Magro Intel, Fellow & Chief Technologist, HPC Gold Sponsors: Nidhi Chappel Microsoft Azure, Head of Product and Tim Carrol Director Microsoft Azure, Head of Product and Director Jamie Kinney Google Cloud, Solutions Walt Hearn ANSYS, VP ANSYS, VP Kelly Senecal Convergent Science, CEO and Co-founder Convergent Science, CEO and Co-founder Patrick Farrell Siemens, Marketing Industry Analysts: Addison Snell Intersect 360 Research, CEO Intersect 360 Research, CEO Earl Joseph Hyperion Research, CEO Hyperion Research, CEO Peter Rutten IDC, Research Director Industry Innovators: Mark Oldakowski Bionano Genomics, COO Bionano Genomics, COO Blake Scholl Boom Supersonic, Founder and CEO Boom Supersonic, Founder and CEO Julien Desmettre Veolia, Head of Cloud & Data "Big Compute 20 is the first conference to focus on one of the most revolutionary accelerators of our time: how infinitely scalable compute changes scientific and technical computing," said Shawn Hansen, COO of Rescale. "The advent of true Big Compute fundamentally changes how the world's thought leaders accelerate product innovation." To register or learn more, visit https://bigcompute.org/ or contact [email protected]. About Big Compute Big Compute is an annual thought-leadership conference featuring inspiring speakers, workshops, panels, and networking, all focused on the freedom to think big in an era of limitless compute. Hosted by leading companies in the tech, science, and engineering industries, Big Compute fosters a vibrant community of innovators sharing new methods for solving challenging problems across aerospace, automotive, AI, biotech, medical, academic, technology, and chemical industries. For more information, visit https://bigcompute.org/ Press Contact Jolie Hales 8015104667 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/big-compute-20-conference-unveils-sponsors-and-inaugural-speaker-lineup-300997434.html SOURCE Big Compute [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] By the books, the Rochester Civic Theatre shows a reversal in a net financial loss last year. The theater shows a net income of $97,000 so far in the fiscal year ending in July, following a net loss of about $461,000 last fiscal year. However, financial reports without line items for specific expenditures, including facility maintenance and a recently disclosed $300,000 loan last fall, have city administrators raising concerns about the theater company's financial situation. Have the theater's financial fortunes reversed? "Conservatively, looking at the books, I find it hard to support that narrative," said Nick Campion, a city council member who sits on the citys Outside Agency Oversight Committee. ADVERTISEMENT The nonprofit theater operation receives city funding each year in part to maintain the building it occupies. The oversight committee is working to put greater scrutiny on how that maintenance money is accounted for and spent. "A new model for performing arts services may need to be evaluated for the space currently exclusively leased to the Civic Theatre," states a report to the committee, which is comprised of City Council members Campion, Shaun Palmer and Patrick Keane. When the committee met in October, for the first time in nearly a year, members raised questions regarding the $200,000 provided to the Civic Theatre in connection to its operations in the city-owned facility. At the time, members suggested that the city could require all organizations using city facilities to submit two separate funding requests one for building needs and another for requested programming support. The committee will meet with Civic Theatre representatives at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Room 104 of City Hall. Materials provided to the city ahead of the meeting point to financial concerns in the nonprofit operation, which recently saw the resignation of executive director, Kevin Miller . Millers departure came about two weeks after the theater was notified that it will not be eligible for state funds through the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council and the Minnesota State Arts Board or any other regional arts council this year, due to a delay in returning $10,000 in unspent grant funds from 2019. A letter sent to Miller dated Jan. 8 indicates that it took the theater more than four months to return $10,000 in funding after the theater informed the arts council that a planned project did not take place. ADVERTISEMENT Last years net loss came during a period in which the theater paid approximately $500,000 for staffing, which included hiring professional directors and actors. In a report sent to the city committee, the theater cites educational opportunities related to hiring professionally trained directors and actors, as well as the opportunity to expand performance offerings to the community. It also estimates that the theater provides a $1.9 million economic impact to the community, while also working with community partners to host performances, forums and other events throughout the year. In addition to income statements, the theater provides a balance sheet for January, which indicates its liabilities outweigh its assets by nearly $105,000. GALVESTON Two outreach workers walk toward a group of men and women exiting Our Daily Bread, a social services organization for homeless and mentally ill people near downtown Galveston on a sunny, breezy January afternoon. Their goal: Counting every single homeless person they can find. Hilda Tobias of The Childrens Center, a homeless shelter for families and children, approaches a man navigating the cracked sidewalk en route to Our Daily Bread in a wheelchair. Leedell Anthony Brown, 59, a disabled veteran, lives a nomadic life, moving across the country in search of cities that have the resources to serve his needs. He came to Galveston from Pennsylvania four months ago, living in a room at the Salvation Army, the islands only emergency homeless shelter. This isnt a place Im kind of liking too much, Brown said. Its not enough resources here. Its not enough fellowship. You meet some people who are legitimately nice and then you meet others that are not. If they have some resources, they often refer you (to) somewhere else. Or if they have resources, its a wait period. Such is the plight of homeless men and women in a 41-square-mile island community stretched thin for the type of wraparound services required to tackle a homelessness problem that local advocates say is growing worse every year. It is why Tobias and her team at The Childrens Center say this years count is so critical. Advocates have a single day every year to do what essentially amounts to a census of homeless people for Galveston and Brazoria counties, a task made all the more difficult by the transient nature of homelessness. The Galveston count was conducted on Jan. 23. Weve been doing street outreach for many years and when you do street outreach, the first word is consistency, said Tobias, vice president of The Childrens Center. You have to be out there, they have to know who you are. The count is mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, carried out locally by homeless advocacy organizations that contract with the agency. The Texas Homeless Network coordinates the count statewide in corodination with regional providers, such as the Gulf Coast Center, which is running the count for Galveston and Brazoria counties. The network has an app for outreach workers and volunteers to log the name, age and date of birth of any homeless persons they encounter. The final count is sent to HUD, which uses the figures to determine how much federal grant funding should be provided. Justine St. Cyr, a case manager, said Gulf Coast Center uses the data to determine what the needs are whether its housing, mental health services, or food banks. She noted that housing providers, which are desperately needed in Galveston and Brazoria, will only partner with local service organizations if they can show theres a critical mass of homeless persons that need it. In order to get partners like that, we need the numbers to prove it, St. Cyr said. However, the one-day count is hardly ideal, particularly for rural counties and small cities like Galveston where there is not as much density and the homeless tend to scatter, including on the miles of coastline. It is nearly impossible for homeless outreach workers, the vast majority volunteering for a day, to cultivate the street knowledge of when and where to find the homeless. To have it one day is ridiculous because you have to build that rapport with the families, with the youth that are out there and theres no way for you to develop a rapport just like that, in one day, Tobias said. Last years count, for example, found a mere 325 homeless persons in both Galveston and Brazoria counties, only 69 of whom were under 18. Marsha Wilson, statistical program coordinator for The Childrens Center, said the homeless liaison for the Galveston Independent School District told her last month that the district had 379 children considered homeless, be it living in a shelter or sleeping on the couch of a classmate. But because HUD defines homelessness as living on the street, in a shelter or in transitional housing, many of those children arent officially counted. Weve got to inquire, Are you on the same couch you were on last night? in order to count them today, Wilson said. Everything but my dog In the city of Galveston, where the vast majority of Galveston Countys homeless population resides, the face of homelessness is heterogeneous: from undocumented immigrant youth and families to baby boomers and seniors. And for every man, woman or child who has a bed to sleep in at one of the islands three shelters, there are dozens more like Billy Wooldridge, 58. The disabled veteran roams from beaches to parking lots to back alleys any haven for him and his dog, Kujo, a brown mutt with a bad back leg that he transports in a stroller. Tobias and her colleague, Frank Ramos Molina, approached Wooldridge in the parking lot of a Family Dollar on Broadway. Their tact and empathy is palpable as Molina hands Wooldridge a bag of blankets and food and Tobias asks how he ended up living on the street. Bad divorce. I used to be the maintenance man at Fort Crockett before Hurricane Ike and I started my own business after Hurricane Ike, did pretty good for a while until the divorce, Wooldridge said. Gave her everything but my dog. Tobias brings Wooldridge a can of dog food that he pours onto a plastic bag for Kujo to devour. He recently came into possession of a van that he is hoping to turn into a makeshift home for them if he can scrape together enough money from his monthly Veterans Affairs check. They say its mine, all I gotta do is get it fixed, he said. Tobias and Molina, two of roughly 67 outreach workers and volunteers surveying the regions homeless on the day of the count, have the unique experience of having also once been homeless. Tobias is the daughter of undocumented Mexican immigrants who crossed the Rio Grande in search of work. She was shuttled around southern Texas with her parents, sleeping in bathroom facilities, cars, parks and beaches, her fathers meager wages as a farmhand barely affording them the basics. I know that because I had the experience of being homeless with my family, I know that theres a reason why people end up homeless, Tobias said. I always say, Help me understand what got you to this point, and Im able to relate to that. Molina grew up in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and was indoctrinated into a street gang at age 7. He fled the violent city with his father when he was 13, migrating north to Houston. Molinas father was arrested and deported not long after arriving, leaving him to roam the streets begging for money, narrowly avoiding slipping back into gang life or selling drugs. An encounter with a police officer led to Child Protective Services sending Molina to Galveston, where he ended up living in a home hosted by Terry Keel, the CEO of The Children Center. Now 21, Molina is a father, equipped with a GED and ambition he eventually wants to go to college and a knack for homeless outreach , particularly connecting with runaway undocumented children. What I tell them is, Do whatever makes you happy, but dont hurt other people, Molina said. Living day to day By midday in Galveston, the outreach workers have mostly encountered older males. Some, such as William Wilkins, 61, were victims of natural disasters. A former contractor who moved to Galveston from Illinois, Wilkins left the island six months prior to Hurricane Ike in 2008 to retrieve his ID and Social Security card back home. I came back to the island and it was underwater, Wilkins said. Others, such as Lester Musterman, who had a laundry bag slung over his shoulder near Galvestons City Hall, struggle medically. Musterman was working until a medical condition that led to a large protrusion on his stomach limits his mobility. I had to go to UTMB, Ive got problems, Musterman said, gesturing toward his stomach. And there are some, like Leedell Anthony Brown, who see Galveston as a means to an end. Unlike many homeless persons, Brown has money in his pocket. He gets a disability check from Veterans Affairs, but he says the income is barely enough to rent a bedroom in Galveston. Brown has been reading a history book about Thailand and hopes to acquire a passport in the next several months to live out the rest of his life abroad. I just live day to day, week to week, month to month, Brown said. Ive been here long enough. Its time for me to move on. This town isnt Leedell-friendly. By the end of the count, the numbers roll in: 390 homeless in Galveston and Brazoria counties, a slight uptick from the previous year. Some volunteers reported glitches with the app they used to log names, possibly contributing to a lower number than expected. Tobias is already thinking ahead to what they can improve better organization, more volunteers, more accurate locations. For me, I really dont feel comfortable with the numbers, Tobias said. I see the streets, I see them, I work after hours. I know the numbers would have been more. nick.powell@chron.com Iraq's outgoing Prime Minister, Adil Abdul Mahdi met the newly appointed prime minister-designate, Mohammed Allawi on Sunday to congratulate him. They also discussed how to smoothly transition power based on constitutional and democratic factors. Mahdi also affirmed his full support for the next government. The selection of former Communications Minister Mohammed Allawi on Saturday was the product of many back-room talks over months between rival parties, ending a political stalemate. In response, protesters converged on Baghdad's Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the four-month anti-government protest movement, to reject the new prime minister-designate. Protesters in the Iraqi capital held up pictures of Allawi marked with an "X" and repeated Allawi is "rejected" in their chants. Mass anti-government protests erupted on October 1, when thousands of Iraqis took to the streets in Baghdad and the predominately Shiite provinces in southern Iraq to decry rampant government corruption, poor services and lack of employment. New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday faced serious opposition from a battery of top lawyers who assailed as "erroneous" the reference made to it by a 5-judge bench on questions related to discrimination of women in religious places while dealing with the Sabarimala case. While exercising review jurisdiction there cannot be any reference order on issues to be heard by a larger bench as it has a very limited scope, said senior advocate F S Nariman. In two-hour long hearing, he said the 5-judge bench, headed by the then CJI Ranjan Gogoi, was wrong in making a reference of broad contours while deciding the review petition against the 2018 verdict, which allowed women of all age group to enter Kerala's Sabarimala temple. The 9-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde, said however that it would go by the reference order of November 14 last year made by the 5-judge bench. The apex court further noted that by a majority of 3:2, the bench had held that larger bench will have to evolve a judicial policy to do "substantial and complete justice" in matters of freedom of religion, such as entry of Muslim women into mosques and 'dargah' and Parsi women, married to non-Parsi men, being barred from the holy fire place of an Agyari. Nariman said however: "This is not practice which have been adopted by the Supreme Court since Privy Council days and there are several judgements to this effect." The 9-judge bench took note of vehement opposition by senior advocates including Nariman, Kapil Sibal, Rajeev Dhavan, Rakesh Dwivedi and Shyam Divan as also the lack of consensus among them in framing larger issues over discrimination against women at various religious places, and decided to frame them by itself. The bench -- also comprising justices R Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan, L Nageswara Rao, M M Shantanagoudar, S A Nazeer, R Subhash Reddy, B R Gavai and Surya Kant -- said that it will inform the parties about the time frame for hearing and would commence the proceedings by next week. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for All Indian Muslim Personal Board (AIMPLB), said the Board maintained that Muslim women are allowed to enter mosques for offering Namaz, and the court should not enter into matter of faith to decide the essential religious practice while entertaining a PIL filed by a person not belonging to a particular faith. The bench however said, "There is no point holding up everything for the sake of the issues. We will decide the issues with the rider that there may be additional issues at any time under Order 14 (Supreme Court rules)." Sibal then said, "To say something de hors the facts will present a dangerous situation. If a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court says something, it will have ramifications across the entire country and across all religions." The bench asked Sibal to give an example of what he was saying. Sibal replied saying, "Articles 21, 14 and 17 have to be seen in the context of religious practices. Any statement you make will impact every community across the board. The right to dignity will impact the entire caste system." To this, the bench said that no crime is protected under Article 25 and 26 (freedom of religion). Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, referred to the Supreme Court rules and said that the court can undertake a larger debate "on the contours of Articles 25, 26 (fundamental right to religion)". He said further that the court can refer even the Sabarimala matter to the larger bench. He alleged all the lawyers had agreed to frame common questions for consideration of the bench and now "they are taking us back to the review. And asking not to do anything else. Is that permissible". Senior advocate A M Singhvi said the court has assembled to decide the broad issues. "Now we are hearing if at all to decide. The question of reference to this 9-judge bench may not be open at all. Now we are not only deliberating the review of the 5-judge bench decision but also the review of the 9-judge bench's last order. "Your Lordships should consider framing a broad charter... I have tried to keep them case-neutral, fact-neutral, and they can be ironed out further in the course of the hearing", Singhvi said. Sibal said the fundamental rights are enforceable against the state action and here a person, who does not practice a faith, files a PIL and says Halala is bad, polygamy is bad. "Who are they to say that?", he said, adding that as to how the court would deal with such a situation. The bench, then observed, "The bar and the bench must understand what is the issue. And to approve or disapprove it. We need not go into facts of each case." In the 5-judge bench, Justices A M Khanwilkar and Indu Malhotra had decided to keep the pleas seeking a review of its decision regarding entry of women into the Sabarimala shrine pending and said restrictions on women at religious places were not limited to it alone and were also prevalent in other religions. The minority verdict by justices R F Nariman and D Y Chandrachud gave a dissenting view by dismissing all the review pleas and directing compliance of its September 28, 2018 decision. By a 4:1 majority verdict, the apex court had in the 2018 decision lifted the ban that prevented women and girls between the age of 10 and 50 years from entering the famous Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala and held that the centuries-old Hindu religious practice was illegal and unconstitutional. An electrical spark likely ignited a gas leak that led to a massive explosion in Houston last week, killing two workers, injuring 20 others and damaging hundreds of buildings, law enforcement officials said. Highly flammable propylene gas started leaking in the piping connected to a tank inside a warehouse at Watson Grinding and Manufacturing within about 24 hours of the predawn blast, said Fred Malinowski, the local special agent in charge for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Sensors could have detected a leak, Malinowski said, but its unclear whether sensors were in place, operating correctly or able to notify the company of a problem. There is no evidence to indicate arson, vandalism or other criminal wrongdoing behind the Jan. 24 explosion, Malinowski said. Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said the ATFs finding is preliminary, and that determining a final cause could take up to two months. Company employees Frank Flores and Gerardo Castorena were killed. Two other warehouse workers were injured, along with 18 people from neighboring homes and businesses. City officials say 450 structures mostly homes were damaged in the explosion at the metal fabricating and manufacturing company. Of those homes, 35 were seriously damaged. City representatives say they are working with nonprofit groups to see what assistance can be offered to residents whose homes were damaged but who might not have the financial resources to repair and rebuild. John Watson, the CEO of Watson Grinding and Manufacturing, told KTRK-TV on Tuesday: I will repair all the damaged homes My insurance company will. However, later Tuesday, Watson issued a statement taking back his earlier comments, saying, Who is at fault and who will pay for damages cannot be determined at this early stage. Mayor Sylvester Turner said the citys legal department has reached out to Watson to see what it will do to help those whose homes are damaged. The city was also looking at whether any federal assistance might be available. Volunteers from several community groups have also helped residents with cleanup and repairs. At least 13 lawsuits have been filed against the company since the explosion, including a wrongful death suit by Flores family. Harris County and the state of Texas filed one of the suits, alleging Watson violated the Texas Clean Air Act. Officials say propylene a colorless gas used to produce chemicals in plastics, synthetic rubber and gasoline burned after the blast. The gas was in a 2,000-gallon tank at the facility. People exposed to propylene can become dizzy and light-headed, and the gas can also cause liver damage. The county and state also allege the company might have failed to properly maintain equipment and properly store chemicals at its facility. Houston and Southeast Texas are home to the highest concentration of oil refineries in the U.S. The region has experienced a series of explosions in recent years. Last July, a blast at an ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown, east of Houston, left more than a dozen people with minor injuries and put nearby residents under a shelter-in-place advisory for three hours. In December, two blasts in the coastal city of Port Neches shattered windows and ripped doors from nearby homes. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Texas WASHINGTON - House managers argued Monday that senators have a "duty" to remove President Donald Trump from office as they opened closing arguments in the impeachment trial following last week's vote not to call witnesses regarding his conduct toward Ukraine. Senators will hear from both the House impeachment managers, led by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Trump's lawyers, led by White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and Trump personal lawyer Jay Sekulow. The trial is expected to end Wednesday with an acquittal. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., began closing arguments on behalf of the House managers, telling senators that they have a duty to remove Trump from office. "I submit to you on behalf of the House of Representatives that your duty demands that you convict President Trump," Crow said, "Now, I don't pretend that this is an easy process. It's not designed to be easy. It shouldn't be easy to impeach or convict a president. Impeachment is an extraordinary remedy, a tool only to be used in rare instances of grave misconduct. But it is in the Constitution for a reason in America. "No one is above the law. Even those elected president of the United States, and I would say especially those elected president of the United States." Crow continued to argue that the House managers had proved Trump to be a threat to the coming election. "If you believe, as we do and as we have proven, that the president's efforts to use his official powers to cheat in the 2020 election jeopardize our national security and are antithetical to our democratic tradition, then you must come to no other conclusion than that the president threatens the fairness of the next election," he said. With an acquittal of Trump all but assured after a two-week impeachment trial, a handful of Republican senators have opted to declare Trump's conduct "inappropriate" but not impeachable - which has fueled speculation that Congress could pursue the less grave sanction of censure for the president. Multiple senators of both parties dismissed the idea as they arrived at the Capitol on Monday. Asked to gauge the appetite for censure among Republicans, Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., said, "zero." The vast majority of Republicans, he said, believe Trump committed no wrongdoing and has been subjected to a partisan, politically motivated investigation. "The only time I ever heard that question is from reporters," he said. Several Democrats said they were also uninterested in the idea, calling it a punishment well short of what Trump's alleged conduct deserves. "What he did was an impeachable offense - I think it's absolutely obvious, and giving a slap on the wrist doesn't do any good," said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, suggested a censure would only allow Republicans to skirt responsibility for protecting Trump: "I'm not bailing them out." One Democrat who was open to the idea was Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who said "some additional action may well be appropriate," but added that he would want to speak with colleagues before endorsing the idea. Meanwhile, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said on her way into Monday's closing arguments that she believes Trump's conduct was inappropriate. Asked if she agreed with Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., that Trump acted inappropriately, she said, "I would concur." She said little else. Murkowski had been considered a key potential swing vote but voted against calling witnesses in the Senate trial. Trump was impeached by the House for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The crux of the case against him is the allegation that he withheld military aid and a White House meeting to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son. Hunter Biden served on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, while his father was vice president. Tottenham had no chance of re-signing Gareth Bale in a sensational transfer deadline day move, according to the Welshman's agent. The Real Madrid star was linked with a shock return to north London which saw Spurs chairman Daniel Levy fly out to the Spanish capital to try and negotiate a deal for the 30-year-old. However, no move came to fruition with Bale's mammoth 600,000-a-week wages proving to be a huge stumbling block for both parties. Gareth Bale is happy at Real Madrid and still has a future at the club, according to his agent Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett insists most clubs couldn't afford the 30-year-old forward With the transfer window now closed, Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett insisted that there was never any negotiations between Spurs and his client, and that the Premier League outfit wouldn't be able to afford his wages. When asked if Tottenham approached Bale over a move, Barnett told talkSPORT: 'No. [Levy] may have [visited Madrid], it's not for me to say whether he did or didn't. 'Gareth is very happy over there. And let's be realistic: for most clubs he is out of their league, financially. 'It is all well and good to say, "give up that money and go and play somewhere else", but it is not all about money. It is about his lifestyle and his children, who have grown up in Madrid. The Welshman spent six years at Spurs but a return to his former club was highly unlikely 'I think people don't know anything about what's going on. People write articles, make comments and they have no idea what they're talking about, and they themselves probably wouldn't do it [leave Real Madrid].' Bale currently has two-and-a-half years remaining on his contract at Real and is intent on staying put in Madrid. 'It's not up to me, but Gareth believes there's a still a future at Real Madrid,' Barnett continued. 'His family are very happy and settled and he has a lovely lifestyle, so he can pick and choose where he wants to play.' Be careful what you wish for, it is said, for it might just come true! This is exactly what has happened to Indian taxpayers. For long, they have demanded a simplified tax regime with liberal slabs and lower rates. In Union Budget 2020, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has acceded to the demand, but with a caveat: to take the simplified tax structure, you will have to let go of a host of exemptions and deductions offered so far. The current income-tax regime and the new one will exist simultaneously, with the option of choosing between the two. You, the taxpayer, will now have to decide which one works for you. Ironically, the simpler tax regime comes with embedded complications, triggering confusion rather than a sense of relief. Here is a five-point guide to making the right choice. Plan ahead to take an informed call There is no single answer to the switch or stick question. And, it doesnt just depend on your income or salary structure. You also need to look at your investment habits, your age, life-stage, goals, responsibilities and likely expenses. You will have to plot your actual income and deduction figures to decide whether to switch or not. Also Read: Income Tax Calculator: Know your post-Budget 2020 tax liability as per new income tax slabs For example, if you are a young individual and dislike paperwork, and claim little or no tax-saver benefits, the new regime might sound inviting. Forgoing these tax benefits to ensure more money in your hands will not be a difficult choice to make. However, for those who do take multiple tax breaks, the older regime will help save more on taxes. Also Read: Budget 2020: Should you switch to the new income tax slabs? Therefore, financial planning is now more critical than ever. Start planning right away to be prepared to take a call before your employers ask you to submit your proposed investment declarations, from the April of every year. Your employer deducts your tax from your salary through the year on the basis of the indicative declarations you make. Even those who have documentation-phobia will have to put themselves through this process at least once. Salaried tax-payers have the option of switching between the regimes, something that those who draw business income do not have. So, if you are a salaried individual, you can always change your course next year, says Ameya Kunte, Founder, Globeview Advisors, a tax consulting firm. Old is gold for most Financial advisors are unanimous in their opinion: the older regime is better for most if you have been availing of multiple tax benefits, mainly those that give you an impetus to invest, such as section 80C and 80CCD tax benefits. In most cases, the old regime will turn out to be beneficial. Only those who did not make an effort to invest in section 80Cs avenues and avail of other deductions or could not utilise this Rs 1.5-lakh limit due to higher expenses could find their tax outgo going down in the new regime, says Pankaj Mathpal, a Mumbai-based financial planner. For example, if your total income is Rs 7.25 lakh or Rs 10 lakh and you take 80C benefits and standard deduction, your tax outgo will be lower by Rs 18,720 and Rs 3,120 respectively in the old regime vis-a-vis the new one (see 'Old may still be gold'). Those earning say Rs 15 lakh could save Rs 14,820 in the new regime. However, most individuals also utilise other benefits apart from the section 80C. For instance, house rent allowance (section 10), home loan interest paid of up to Rs 2 lakh (section 24B), health insurance premium paid of up to Rs 25,000 for those under 60 (section 80D), NPS contribution of up to Rs 50,000 [section 80CCD(1B)] help a great deal in bringing down the taxable income. So, if you earn Rs 15 lakh and also pay a home loan interest of Rs 2 lakh, besides claiming standard deduction and section 80C tax deduction benefits, you will be poorer by Rs 47,850 in the new regime. Put simply, the higher the number of deductions and exemptions, the better it is for you to stick to the old regime. Many deductions are of a recurring nature. Why would you want to stop availing of these benefits by switching to the new regime? asks Mathpal. For example, your provident fund contribution, eligible for tax break under section 80C, is a mandatory deduction made from your salary every month. You cannot turn the tap off. Any investment in public provident fund (PPF) also has to be made for 15 years. If you claim deduction under section 24 (b) on housing loan interest paid, you will be incurring this expense over the home loan tenure, which could extend to 30 years. Homi Mistry, Partner, Deloitte, though said in an earlier interaction with Moneycontrol that even if you opt for the new regime, you can still continue your investments in the typical Section 80C compliant investments. Just that the tax benefits will not accrue to you, if you choose the new tax regime. However, clarity is awaited here if, say, you have invested in a public provident fund and the interest here is tax-free. Will the interest continue to be tax-free if you choose to switch to the new regime? Do not ignore long-term savings For millennials or those in their first or second job and claiming minimal tax benefits on account of relatively lower PF deduction, the prospect of moving to the new regime might seem interesting. After all, it will be easy to let go of lower eligible deductions as also avoid the pressure of investing more to claim higher tax breaks. They could be left with more money in their hands, besides bidding goodbye to paperwork (see 'New regime good for some'). That doesnt mean its okay for the young to not save. The urge to splurge this additional disposable income could mean indiscriminate spending, especially through credit cards. Not only can it lead them into a debt trap, but lack of savings can also hamper their financial future. Absence of any push to save will be a highly negative fallout from the new tax regime proposal, feels financial planner Gaurav Mashruwala. Individuals by nature will not save unless you force them to. The tax deductions are one way of getting them to save for their future. Increasing consumption should not come at the cost of savings. I do not recommend anyone to switch to the new tax regime, he explains. On the positive side, however, forgoing section 80C will eliminate the possibility of any taxpayer falling prey to insurance agents sales pitches for low-yielding endowment policies. Disciplined investors can always look at equities for long-term goal planning. NPS gets the edge now The new tax regime does get one tax benefit, though. Thats the national pension system (NPS). In her Budget speech, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that nearly 70 exemptions and deductions will be removed from the new tax regime, out of over 100. There are some tax benefits that escaped the axe. Employers contribution to the NPS that is deductible from your salary under section 80CCD(2) is one such tax break. The deduction limit is 10 per cent of your basic salary plus dearness allowance. Whether you choose the old regime or the new one, ensure that you enquire whether your employer offers this option and take the same. Choose your charity with care One of the deductions you can presently claim is on donations made to charitable institutions. Based on the organisation, you can claim 50 or 100 per cent of the amount donated, under Section 80G. The pain point for taxapayers has been in claiming the deduction, as donors had to preserve the receipt after the financial year. This was because he/she had to quote the details such as the receipt number, charitable institutions address, PAN and the amount donated in the tax-return form. Budget 2020 has eased the process a bit. Now, the income-tax department will directly get your donation details from charitable organisations and mention the details beforehand in your income-tax form. In simple words, your income-tax form will come pre-filled with your donation activities. An essential condition here is that the charitable institution needs to be registered with the IT department and should have obtained a unique registration number. If you make a donation, ensure that your charitable trust has completed this process. (Khyati Dharamsi also contributed to the article) New Delhi [India], Feb 3 (ANI): The BJP leadership is seriously concerned about the Congress not putting up a decent fight in Delhi elections, and is fearful that a bad show by its chief opponent could end up boosting the chances of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Sources stated that the BJP was hoping that Congress would put up a good fight in the capital, just as it had done in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Most of Congress' candidates had secured the second position in the polls held last year, cornering a sizeable vote percentage. The senior leaders of the BJP feel that the top Congress leadership has deliberately not gone in for campaigning for the Delhi assembly polls in an effort to provide help to the AAP. "We feel there is a tacit understanding between the Congress and AAP, which has been proved as their top leaders like Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, former chief Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are yet to campaign in the city with just four days left for the polling," sources pointed out. However, Congress' abject surrender to AAP has made the road tough for the BJP and its leadership is trying hard to secure and reach out to the last possible voter. According to a senior party leader, the percentage gap between BJP and AAP is narrowing but it is yet to be filled. Congress holds sway over 5 to 6 per cent of votes in Delhi. If this percentage goes up and translates into seats too it could really improve the chances of BJP in securing a majority in the 70-member Delhi Assembly," sources added. The party feels that the 12 per cent floating votes are likely to play a big role in the forthcoming polls. It feels that the recent incidents in Shaheen Bagh and its aftermath could help it in ensuring a majority in the polls. Assembly polls in Delhi are scheduled to be held on February 8 and the counting of votes will be held on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The U.K. has pledged 20 million ($26 million) to help fund the development of a vaccine for the new coronavirus, which has so far killed 362 people globally. The funding will go to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), an organization founded in 2017 to develop vaccines that can stop future epidemics. "Vaccines are our best defense against a host of deadly diseases, including coronavirus," U.K. Health Minister Matt Hancock said in a press release on Monday. CEPI, an international alliance of public and private organizations, announced on Friday that it had partnered with pharmaceutical firm CureVac to work on a coronavirus vaccine. CEO Richard Hatchett said Monday that the donation from the U.K. came "at a crucial moment as the world races to respond to the emergence of a novel coronavirus." "The rapid global spread and unique epidemiological characteristics of the virus are deeply concerning," he said. "Our hope is that, with our partners, we can get an investigational vaccine through to clinical testing in 16 weeks." He added that the earliest stage of clinical trials, which would establish the safety of such a vaccine, would take around two to four months. "This is an extremely ambitious timeline indeed, it would be unprecedented in the field of vaccine development," Hatchett said. "It is important to remember that even if we are successful and there can be no guarantee there will be further challenges to navigate before we can make vaccines more broadly available." The U.K. confirmed its first cases of the coronavirus on Friday after two members of the same family tested positive. They had reportedly been staying at a hotel in the city of York when they fell ill but have since been transferred to a specialist hospital in Newcastle. Eleven Britons were flown back to the U.K. from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the coronavirus outbreak, on Sunday. Like the 83 people repatriated from Wuhan to the U.K. on Friday, they will be quarantined for 14 days. Australia, France and the U.S. have all announced similar measures to quarantine those returning to their home countries from China's Hubei province. The Trump administration said last week that the U.S. government was fast-tracking work on a coronavirus vaccine, with a view to begin phase one trials within three months. A total of 11 cases of coronavirus have so far been reported in the United States. Meanwhile, Germany's Research Minister Anja Karliczek said on Friday that she expected a vaccine for coronavirus to be developed within months, according to Reuters. Germany has so far confirmed eight cases in the country. From public spending and tax cuts, to pension reforms and house-building, some of the proposals from parties chasing your vote do not add up, writes Jim Power Over the past week, various party manifestos have been published which has set the context for much of the electioneering we have subsequently seen. This is as it should be as the electorate needs to have a clear idea and understanding of what each party stands for and aspires to deliver. Whether these manifestos will be delivered or not by those who form the next government is a moot point, but I guess it is important to have a plan. The economic and fiscal context for General Election 2020 is mixed. In the early days of January, the Department of Finance updated its growth forecast for 2020 reflecting the lessened risk of the potential for a disorderly Brexit in 2020. The revised forecasts are predicated on a free-trade agreement between the EU and UK that mirrors existing arrangements or the agreement of an extension to the transition period. GDP is forecast to expand by 3.9% in 2020 and growth is projected to average 2.9% between 2020 and 2025. These forecasts look realistic based on the facts available at the moment and the various manifestos are based on these forecasts. Other relevant issues include the fact the UK eventually left the EU on Friday night, and the trade negotiations over the coming year will be difficult and the risks of a significant trade disruption next January cannot be dismissed lightly. In addition, Ireland is still a heavily indebted country, roughly 205bn at the end of 2019, equivalent to just over 100% of gross national income (GNI), which is a more accurate measure of the real size of the economy compared to GDP. The various manifestos certainly differ significantly in nature and provided the electorate actually believes the various promises will be delivered, choice is being provided. The balance between spending and taxation is the kernel of what differentiates the various party offerings. Labour, Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail have a very heavy emphasis on increasing expenditure, while Fine Gael is slightly more concerned about the hard-pressed taxpayers of the country. Not surprisingly, housing and health dominate the expenditure commitments. Fine Gael has committed to 2.8bn in tax reform and reduction between 2021 and 2025. The key tax commitment is to lift the Standard Rate cut off point from 35,300 to 50,000. This policy has been criticised on the grounds that it does not help the lower paid. However, for a country that is seeking to attract Brexit related investment, the level of income at which one ends up paying the top rate of tax is ridiculously low and is not a positive indicator of competitiveness. There is also a pledge to increase the USC exemption from 13,000 to 20,500. On the expenditure side, Fine Gael is committing to extra spending of 8.57bn on top of what is already pencilled in. It plans to spend an extra 5bn on health. Fianna Fail is allocating increased resources of 9.75bn. It is allocating 7.9bn to additional expenditure measures, with health, housing and social welfare getting the bulk of the extra monies. On the taxation side, the proposed measures will cost 1.85bn. The main tax measures include cutting the CGT rate from 33% to 25% (that proved very successful for Charlie McCreevy in the past); an increase of 3,000 in the Standard Rate band and a reduction from 4.5% to 3.5% in the USC rate. Sinn Fein has committed to an additional 12bn in day-to-day spending on public services and social welfare, and a further 10bn in additional capital expenditure, with housing accounting for the bulk. This is a very substantial expenditure package. What differentiates Sinn Fein from its two rival parties is the commitment to fund some of this with a tax-raising package of 3.8bn. The USC will be removed for those earning under 30,000; the local property tax will be abolished; but taxes on higher earners will be increased significantly. It is clear what segment of the electorate the party is targeting its appeal, but the damage this policy could do to Ireland as a place for higher-earning talented individuals to locate would be damaged by these policies. It is worth bearing in mind, that somebody earning 100,000 currently hands almost 51% of this to the Revenue Commissioners. They are already making a very significant contribution to the State coffers. Demonising higher earners is not the way to create a functioning economy. The Labour Party has a much shorter version than the others, but it is very firmly opting for spending increase over taxation reductions. There are a number of aspects of all the party offerings that should give cause for concern. All parties are committing to significant increases in expenditure on public services. This is all well and good, but history should show us that there is not a strong correlation in this country between extra spending on public services and better public services. There is little mention of public sector reform from any party. It is important to remember that the extra spending commitments from the various parties are coming on top of already strong pre-committed increases in expenditure. The USC is a tax that is deeply disliked, but it is a fundamentally good tax as originally conceived, as it ensured that a lot more people were taken into the tax net, which is positive from a social solidarity perspective, and also from the perspective of broadening the tax base. It is a retrograde step to start narrowing the tax base again. The commitments that are being made on housing delivery, both in terms of cost and capability of delivery, are deeply flawed. The private construction sector is facing serious capacity constraints already and will unfortunately struggle to deliver what is being promised. The reaction of all parties to the changes in the State pension age is worrying. There are very good reasons why the changes announced back in 2011 make sense. To suggest that the demographic time bomb is not an important issue that needs to be addressed is reckless in the extreme. However, in the heat of election battle, logic is very often a casualty. Another issue of concern is the manner in which the parties have costed the various proposals. Fianna Fails in particular is full of smoke and mirrors and there would appear to be no account taken of second-round and carry-over costs of the various measures. It would appear that some parties have certainly set out to obfuscate. As usual, we the gullible electorate are being treated to many significant promises. All parties are pledging to significantly increase the spending base of the country, which is all well and good if fair winds continue to blow. We should all remember that once spending is committed to, it gets embedded in the system and is very difficult to row back on should economic times change, and then taxpayers become the easy victims. At the end of the day, the resources to finance expenditure on public services derive from economic activity. We should be wary of policies that might damage growth. Some parties take this fact more seriously than others. Cliff Strong just spent two weeks in the hospital with his latest bout of pneumonia. He has a litany of illnesses now, at 78, including the Parkinsons disease that requires him to use an electric wheelchair to get around. Strong is also on day parole for second-degree murder, living at a halfway house in Peterborough that is specifically designed to provide supportive and palliative care to former inmates on parole. Its the kind of place you wouldnt hear about until you or someone you care about needed it. Resources for elderly parolees is one part of a new guidebook released by the Provincial Human Services and Justice Coordinating Committee on Monday that provides a crash course in navigating the criminal justice system for people with age-related illnesses and their caregivers. Its also intended to be an educational resource for service providers, police and lawyers with a section about various possible illnesses to screen for. There really isnt a lot of information out there for family members or caregivers of people that are caught up in the justice system, or are getting out. What supports or resources are available in the community on their release? said Jeff Morgan, a case manager at Haley House, the halfway house where Strong has lived for the past four years. Odds are their heath cards expired so they cant see a doctor. They dont know how to start up their old age or CPP (Canada Pension Plan) because thats been suspended, he said. Where do they turn for housing or getting their ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program) started up again? There is a growing number of inmates over the age of 50 in the prison system now 25 per cent of the population, according to a 2019 report from the Office of the Correctional Investigator. Prisons are increasingly being called on to care for inmates who have serious age-related illnesses, or require end-of-life care, and there are not enough community-based options. According to the Alzheimer Society, there are 564,000 Canadians currently living with dementia. In 15 years that number will be 937,000. The increasing number of people with age-related illnesses such as dementia and Alzheimers is one reason service providers have documented an increased number coming in contact with the justice system as a result of their conditions. If you have an increase in population and no increase in services, you are going to see this type of effect, said Sara Dias, co-chair of the committee that released the guidebook. Aside from the demographic changes, there has also been an underfunding of mental health and addictions supports for several years resulting in an overburdened system that has not been able to provide enough specialized services to older adults, she said. The criminal justice contact happens in many ways. Sometimes it is through domestic violence, which is a growing problem among seniors. Or it is related to wandering, or assaults in long-term care homes or hospitals. Once this happens, there can be a number of outcomes, often depending on how knowledgeable police officers and lawyers in a particular region are about how to respond when the incident is related to an illness, Dias said. The Criminal Code is the Criminal Code and the processes are the processes and they should be the same everywhere, she said. I think this guide helps that consistency in best practices. Strong is on day parole again after serving 36 years in prison. His first parole was revoked many years ago, after he committed two sexual assaults. As he began to develop mobility issues, stemming both from aging and a serious assault he suffered, he found that it was hard to get a cane while in prison because it could be considered a weapon. The electric wheelchair he uses now would not have been permitted in custody. Hed have had to have a manual wheelchair and with his tremors it would be a little difficult, he said. Strong said he does not know what he would have done upon being released on parole if Haley House hadnt been there an option more inmates should know about and have access to, he said. For Strong, the biggest difference in how he was treated inside and outside prison is not the medical treatment, its the compassion shown by the staff at Haley House. The general overview of imprisonment is not to be kind and caring and compassionate, you know. Thats just the way it is, he said. But it behooves us to understand the kinds of things our aging population are living with and dealing with inside. Morgan, who was a police officer in Peterborough for 32 years, says he has seen an improvement in the understanding that many of the people who come into the criminal justice system are sick and should be given treatment, rather than being punished. There are now therapeutic courts including mental health court and courts specializing in addictions and diversion options that can result in no criminal record. When asked what hed say to anyone trying to help a loved one navigate the criminal justice system, Strong wryly said: Get a good lawyer. Police here questioned students of Shaheen School after a play against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and Register of Citizens (NRC) was staged by the students during republic day celebrations. Questioning has been going on for the past couple of days. Karnataka police had sealed the offices of the school after its students participated in the play, which was enacted on the Republic Day, January 26. Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student organisation affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), had protested saying the play was derogatory. In the play, the participants were shown staging an anti-CAA sequence where there were dialogues encouraging non-cooperation with anyone asking for documents. A case was registered against the school management. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [February 03, 2020] Zyxel Launches All-In-One VPN Solution for Medium Businesses Zyxel Communications, a leading provider of secure broadband networking, Internet access and connected home products, today announced the launch of the ZyWALL VPN1000 VPN Firewall, an all-in-one security solution for small and medium businesses. The flagship of the growing Zyxel family of ZyWALL VPN firewalls, VPN1000 is an integrated security solution that combines a powerful firewall with high-performance VPN tunnel capabilities to protect the local network against threats and safeguard data communications between multiple locations or hybrid clouds. Designed to address the growing cybercrime threats faced by small and medium businesses, the rack-mountable VPN1000 is an easy-to-deploy solution that provides robust security and central management to connect and protect the cross-group network. The high-performance VPN1000 features 12 configurable Gigabit Ethernet ports and two SFP ports. 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About Zyxel: Zyxel, a pioneer in IP technology for over two decades and trusted brand for over 30 years, provides a complete portfolio of multi-service LTE (News - Alert), fiber and DSL broadband gateways, home connectivity solutions, smart home devices and enterprise-class Ethernet switches, security and Wi-Fi equipment for small to mid-size businesses. Zyxel offers integrated, interoperable network solutions based on open standards. Headquartered in Anaheim, California, Zyxel offers its partners service-rich solutions backed by a domestic team of logistic, sales, and technical support professionals. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005273/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview that a leaked audio recording proved that Iran knew it had shot down a Ukrainian airliner almost immediately, despite authorities in Tehran initially denying the allegation. The recording, revealed on Ukrainian television on Sunday, played the voice of an Iranian airline pilot telling a control tower that he saw the light of a missile before Ukrainian International Airways Flight 752 crashed soon after taking off. Is this an active area? Theres lights like a missile. Is there anything? the pilot says. Nothing has been reported to us. Whats the light like? the controller asks. The pilot then states its the light of a missile. Zelensky said that the audio proves that the Iranian side knew from the start that our plane had been hit by a missile. The disaster, which occurred just hours after Iran launched 15 missiles at U.S. troops stationed in Iraq in retaliation for the assassination of general Qasem Soleimani, killed all 176 passengers aboard. He says that it seems to me that a missile is flying, he says it in both Persian and English, everything is fixed there, Zelensky stated. Iranian state media had initially reported that the plane crashed due to technical issues, and Ali Abedzadeh, who leads the countrys civil aviation organization, said initially he would not hand over the recovered black boxes to the United States. Abedzadeh then dismissed allegations the plane was shot down, saying it was scientifically impossible and such rumors make no sense at all. What is obvious for us, and what we can say with certainty, is that no missile hit the plane, Abedzadeh said at a press conference. If [Western governments] are really sure, they should come and show their findings to the world. Iran later admitted that it had accidentally shot down the plane due to a human error. More from National Review Retired Air Force Senior Master Sgt., Arthur Richard Bowers passed away peacefully at NHC of Chattanooga on Monday, January 27, 2020. Arthur (Art) was born January 25, 1931 to Wm. E. and Edith Grant Bowers. Arthur proudly served in the United States Air Force active and reserves for 30 years. After his Air Force retirement he also retired from Erlanger Hospital with several years of service. Among his many honors and awards, he served as a Boy Scout Leader and earned the prestigious Order of the Arrow Award. Arthur was of the Baptist faith. Art lived his life with great enthusiasm and unforgettable wit. He loved fishing, metal detecting, the Civil War, woodworking, and traveling. He was an avid collector and dealer of antiques and more. He was preceded in death by his devoted wife of 52 years, Rosa Wilhelmina Navis Bowers; his parents, and nine brothers and sisters. Left to cherish his memory are sister-in-law, Nell McBryar; nieces, Frankie Ott and Brenda (Dan) Kilgore; nephew, Joe (Patsy) Mode along with many more nieces, nephews, and a host of friends. Condolences may be shared at lane-southcrestchapel.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Arthurs memory to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital at stjude.org. The family expresses great appreciation to all the staff of NHC of Chattanooga with special thanks to Zinda, David, Brittney, and Angel. And also Meredith and Amanda of Hospice of Chattanooga. The family is especially grateful to Darrell Smith for his continued care, love, and support. Graveside services will be held on Monday, Feb. 3, at 1 p.m. in the Chattanooga National Cemetery with Darrell Smith officiating. Full military honors will be provided by the United States Air Force. Arrangements are by the South Crest Chapel of Lane Funeral Home and Crematory, Rossville, Ga. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has just surfaced yet again, this time around, on Geekbench. This listing confirms some of the phones specifications, and there are no surprises here. Geekbench confirms Android 10 will come pre-installed on the Galaxy Z Flip The Galaxy Z Flip appeared under the model number SM-F700N on Geekbench. The listing surfaced today, and it reveals that the phone will ship with Android 10 out of the box. On top of Googles operating system, you can expect to see Samsungs custom UI, of course. To be more specific, the Galaxy Z Flip is expected to include One UI 2.1. Advertisement The device will be fueled by the Snapdragon 855+, which is something this listing points towards as well. Geekbench also confirms that the Z Flip will include 8GB of RAM. It seems like that will be the only model of the phone. The Galaxy Z Flip managed to hit 725 points in the single-core, and 2,610 points in the multi-core test on Geekbench. These results are not as accurate as they should be, not even close, do dont pay much attention to them. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip actually surfaced in a hands-on video quite recently. That video gave us a pretty good look at the phone. The Z Flip will be extremely tall, it seems, and the design is exactly what weve expected. Advertisement That video gave us all a look at the phones Focus Display, which will be placed on the outside. The Z Flip is expected to arrive on February 11, and become available from February 14, at least in the US. The phone will become official alongside the Galaxy S20 series in San Francisco. This handset will be a direct competitor to the Motorola Razr, and it will become Samsungs second foldable handset. The device will cost around $1,500 in the US The Galaxy Z Flip will cost around $1,500 in the US, so itll be quite expensive. This is not the only foldable Samsung will release in 2020, not even close. Advertisement As per rumors, the company is planning to announce quite a few foldable smartphones this year. The Galaxy Fold 2 is quite probably the most anticipated one. That device is expected to become Samsungs new flagship foldable smartphone. Rumors are saying it will arrive in the first half of the year, and that is possible. We dont know when exactly will that happen, however. Leaks are expected to commence soon after MWC 2020. If youd like to know more about the Galaxy Z Flip, feel free to check out our preview article. This is surely one of the more interesting smartphones youll see in 2020. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 22:21:27|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close CAPE TOWN, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Rhino poaching continues to decline in South Africa as additional steps are taken to effectively deal with the crime, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Barbara Creecy said on Monday. Last year, 594 rhinos were poached nationally, compared with 769 in the previous year, Creecy said in her latest update on rhino poaching statistics. This decline can be attributed to a combination of measures implemented in line with the government's strategy, the minister said. These measures include improved capabilities to react to poaching incidents linked to better situational awareness and deployment of technology; improved information collection and sharing amongst law enforcement authorities; better regional and national cooperation and more meaningful involvement of the private sector, NGOs and donors, according to Creecy. South Africa has recorded a decline for rhino poaching for five consecutive years, the minister said. She called the decline "a reflection of the diligent work of the men and women who put their lives on the line daily to combat rhino poaching, often coming into direct contact with ruthless poachers." Most of the rhino poaching took place in the Kruger National Park (KNP) in northeast South Africa, one of Africa's biggest game reserves. Last year, a total of 327 rhino were lost as a result of poaching in the KNP where 2,014 incursions and poaching activities were recorded. During 2019, a number of successes were also recorded through the number of arrests and convictions linked to rhino poaching and the illicit trade in rhino horns, Creecy said. Last year, 178 alleged poachers were arrested within the KNP, while at the national level, 332 arrests were effected in respect of both rhino poaching and rhino horn trafficking, said Creecy. The success of the operations demonstrates the government's ability to work together in fighting wildlife trafficking in South Africa, said the minister. Because wildlife trafficking constitutes a highly sophisticated form of serious transnational organized crime that threatens national security, the government will establish an integrated strategic framework for an intelligence-led, well-resourced, multidisciplinary and consolidated law enforcement approach to fight rhino poaching, Creecy said. South Africa is home to about 85 percent of the world's rhino population, making it the center of the poaching crisis. First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva has made an Instagram post on the occasion of 2 February- the Day of Azerbaijani Youth. In a post on her official Instagram page, Mehriban Aliyeva said: "Dear young people, I sincerely congratulate each of you on the occasion of the Azerbaijani Youth Day. You are the future of our country. I am confident that with your intelligence, knowledge, abilities, victories and achievements you will always make our people happy and worthily contribute to the development of Azerbaijan. I wish all our young people the best of health, inexhaustible enthusiasm, good mood, happiness and prosperity!" Uon Chhin (L) and Yeang Sothearin (R) speak with reporters outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in Phnom Penh, Aug. 30, 2019. A court in Cambodias capital Phnom Penh has rejected a request by two former RFA reporters to return their passports and identifying documents after an appellate court ruled last week to continue a reinvestigation into espionage charges against them, according to their lawyer. Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhinwho had worked as an editor, reporter and news anchor, and a photographer and videographer for RFAs Khmer Service, respectivelywere taken into custody in November 2017. They were charged with illegally collecting information for a foreign source after RFA closed its bureau in the capital in September that year. In a written verdict dated Jan. 28, which RFAs Khmer Service obtained a copy of on Monday, Phnom Penh Municipal Court investigating judge Pich Vicheathor ruled that the court will not return the passports or identification cards of the two former RFA reporters as the reinvestigation into their charges continues. Pich Vicheathor said that his decision was also made in accordance with recommendations by the prosecutor to dismiss the reporters request, which was filed by their defense lawyer, Sam Chamroeun, two weeks earlier in a bid to reduce the illegal restrictions on their freedoms after an appellate court removed their obligation of judicial supervision. Sam Chamroeun told RFA Monday that he does not agree with the judges decision, saying that any confiscated items that are not being used as evidence should be returned to their owners, and that refusing to return their documents seriously affects their ability to seek justice. As of now there is no separate order to restrict their freedoms besides the past verdict that placed them under judicial supervision, he noted. While they are not obligated to be kept under judicial supervision, the judge still decided not to return their passports and ID cards, which serve no purpose as evidence. Such a decision undeniably affects the justice of the case and affects the freedom of my clients. Sam Chamroeun said that in more than 15 years of work as an attorney he had never once seen a judge ruling to keep confiscated items that are irrelevant to a case, and especially not when the accused are no longer being kept under judicial supervision. He urged the court to reconsider and return the reporters passports and identification cards immediately. Reporters speak Speaking to RFA on Monday, Yeang Sothearin said there is no need for the court to hold his documents because they do not constitute evidence of the charges against him and vowed to appeal the decision. The judge seemingly does not want to give back our freedom, he said. I am not sure if he is angry with us about a certain issue. The judge should have leniently ruled on our cases and given us complete freedom. There is no advancement in the investigation process. They should have provided us back with our freedom so that we may enjoy our rights as normal citizens. Uon Chhin said he is disappointed with the decision, saying it indicates that his freedom remains restricted, despite being out on bail, and adding that he also plans to appeal the ruling. Im very disappointed with this ruling which, in effect, means we both are still under judicial supervision, he said. There is nothing different from being under judicial supervision if our passports and ID cards have not been returned. Local rights group and spokesperson for ADHOC Soeung Senkarona said he believes the courts intent is to restrict the freedom of the two and called the decision a form of discrimination. He said that the court should not keep the documents of the reporters because they have fully cooperated with the court throughout all stages of their trial. Their passports and ID cards are no longer necessary for the procedure of the court unless the two intend to escape and not to appear per summons from competent authorities or the court, he said. In complete contrast, we see that the two have shown intentions of good cooperation with authorities and the court. Soeung Senkarona urged the court to accelerate a hearing on the merit of their case and if no sufficient evidence is presented, the court should drop their cases and unconditionally render complete freedom for the two. High profile case The two face charges of illegally collecting information for a foreign source, under Article 445 of the Criminal Codean offense punishable by a prison term of from seven to 15 years. Additional charges were added in March 2018, alleging that the two men had illegally produced pornography. On Dec. 30, the court rejected an appeal by the two reporters to halt a reinvestigation into the pornography case, allowing a new investigation into those charges to proceed. RFA closed its nearly 20-year-old bureau in Phnom Penh on Sept. 12, 2017 amid a crackdown by the government that also saw the Supreme Court dissolve the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) a month later. The move paved the way for Prime Minister Hun Sens ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) to sweep the ballot in national elections in 2018, effectively turning Cambodia into a one-party state. Cambodian journalists working for RFA had reported over the years on corruption, illegal logging, and forced evictions, among other stories largely ignored by pro-government media, and authorities had already closed independent radio stations carrying RFA reports, using a pretext of tax and administrative violations. The arrest of Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin came after a warning from Cambodias Ministries of Information and Interior that any journalists still working for RFA after its office in the capital closed would be treated as spies. They were released on bail in August 2018, but were placed under court supervision, which barred them from changing their addresses or traveling abroad, and required them to check in with their local police station once a month. Local and international rights groups and legal observers have long condemned the treatment of the pair in the courts as part of a wider attack on the media and civil society in Cambodia and called for the country's trade and aid partners to press for their release. Paris-based Reporters Without Borders ranked Cambodia 143rd out of 180 countries in its 2019 World Press Freedom Index. Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Grand Rapids has adopted a plan intended to bring equity to the citys economic development and mobility programs, policies and decision-making. Based on the plans strategies, the city would create an equitable scorecard for issuing incentives for proposed developments and increase the number of minority-owned contractors working a city-supported projects, among other objectives. The plan and its creation process, which cost the city more than $450,000 in consultant payments, was more than a year in the making and was put together by a group that includes city staff, a 35-member steering committee, and more than 100 community members. Officially known as the Grand Rapids Equitable Economic Development and Mobility Strategic Plan, its a 21-page document intended to drive decision-making over the next five years to support more equitable participation in the economy. We recognize the need for a bold commitment to equity and a strategy for economic development and mobility planning that capitalizes on our citys advantages while broadening opportunity and targeting initiatives to communities that have been left out of our economic growth, said Jono Klooster, the citys acting director of economic development. This plan evaluates current programs and practices through a lens of equity and crafts a community-defined goal for equitable economic development and mobility. It also gives us a set of actionable strategies that we are committed to implementing to realize this goal. While Grand Rapids has experienced significant economic growth in recent years, the impact has been disproportionate across the citys different communities and geographies, including communities of color. In 2017, 44 percent of the citys black population and 46 percent of the Hispanic population were below 125 percent of the poverty level, compared to 23 percent for the white population. Poverty and unemployment rates in 17 city neighborhoods in the First and Third wards were significantly higher than their neighboring communities. While opportunity is being created in Grand Rapids, not all of our residents are benefiting, Klooster said. The plan identifies 12 objectives and 40 strategies to achieve equity in economic development and mobility. Of those strategies, 11 were given priority for calendar year 2020. Some of the prioritized strategies include: Increasing the number of minority- and women-owned business contractors working on city-supported projects. Creating a centralized information hub, with the help of a communications firm, and streamline the application process for incentives to make it easier for businesses and aspiring businesses to learn about and access city resources and incentives. Developing an equitable development scorecard for promoting and incentivizing development projects that create jobs, support the citys tax base and advance equity. Increasing funding support and services for existing businesses. Creating a new position in the Economic Development Department that further supports the various corridor improvement authorities. Developing a parking expansion decision tool to better inform public investment in new parking for neighborhoods with limited parking. Other strategies in the plan are meant to help the city increase the total number of jobs and access to employment for the under- and unemployed; add transit routes to connect people to jobs and services; gather more input from business leaders and historically marginalized voices. Klooster and Josh Naramore, director of the citys Mobile GR department, presented the plan to the city commission on Jan. 21. Afterward, three members of the steering committee spoke about the citys historical inequities and the process to which the plan was created. Aaron Jonker, a steering committee co-chair, challenged the commission to be courageous in aligning its decisions with the plan. You all are tasked with using our taxpayer dollars and programs that are created to help things out and do it in a way that benefits the community, he said. That means making some hard choices. "If this commission and this staff is willing to stand behind this plan, things will necessarily change in this community. Becca Valazquez-Publes, a steering committee co-chair and representative of the Urban Core Collective, asked the city commission to skip the consultant process next time and invest more in city staff who know the city better than outside parties. She said the staff knew most of what steps need to be taken to reach the desired outcomes, and they acted with nothing but integrity throughout the stressful process of developing the plan. As you go through these processes and put equity over the work being done department by department, really look at what would it look like to invest those dollars back into the city and back into the staff, she said. No one knows us better than us ... We challenge you to do things differently. Planning One of Mark Washingtons first priorities upon taking the job as Grand Rapids city manager was to lead the commission and city staff on a process of developing a priority road map known as the FY2020-23 Strategic Plan. Washington directed the citys various departments to establish their own strategic plans that align with the citywide plan and provide department-specific steps to reach desired outcomes. For the economic development and mobility departments plan, the city chose to seek consultant assistance. The city received 11 bids from consultants to lead the plan-creating process. A review team of city staff and steering committee members chose New York-based HR&A Advisors -- the high bid -- to lead the efforts. Additionally, the review team proposed that the city contract with Sam Schwartz Consulting LLC for an operational assessment of Mobile GR and Parking Services. On March 26, 2019, the commission approved payments of up to $370,000 and $85,300, respectively, for the consultants work. Steve Guitar, media relations manager for the city of Grand Rapids, said other departments are not expected to contract with consultants in the creation of their strategic plans. Part of creating the development-mobility joint strategic plan was identifying what obstacles to equity exist for economic development and mobility. Some of those challenges include: State incentives administered by the city mainly support real estate development, not job creation. The citys reliance on partner organizations often results in fragmented or decentralized economic development activities. That limits the citys ability to promote equity. Minority workers are underrepresented in sectors that provide higher-wage, entry-level positions with opportunities for advancement, while growing industries such as health care and manufacturing face talent pipeline challenges compounded by high turnover. Limited weekday and weekend evening service hours and extended time between bus arrivals leave many areas and individuals under-served by transit. Racial and income disparities persist in ownership of personal vehicles. Capital investment, programming and staff capacity are behind the rapid pace of development and the need for equitable service delivery. Seeking opportunity for all City officials have been vocal about the need to make changes to how the city uses its development incentives to promote equitable economic opportunity. The city has experienced significant economic growth and expansion since emerging from the most recent recession, with strong economic growth indicators that include high levels of private investment, low unemployment rates and rising property values, Klooster said. However, data clearly indicate that disparities remain in the community. These disparities are manifested in large gaps in poverty and unemployment rates and median income, among other indicators of economic prosperity." In 2016, data showed that the citys 17 poorest Census tracts -- home to 31.2 percent of the population -- had a poverty rate of 37.9 percent and 13.5 percent unemployment. That area is 29.4 percent black and 33.4 percent Hispanic -- significantly larger makeups than the citys other neighborhoods. Of Grand Rapids three wards, the Third Ward to the southeast has received considerably less investment than its neighboring wards to the west and northeast. Part of that disparity is the Third Wards lack of link to downtown, but officials have expressed a need to aim more resources at the neighborhoods beyond downtown. To remove such geographic barriers to development, the new joint strategic plan calls for more technical assistance and funding for real estate development in neighborhood business districts. The new plan also seeks to enhance mobility options, increase safety and promote inclusive growth and access to city services. Josh Naramore, the citys Mobile GR and parking services manager, said the city has made strides related to parking, transit, transportation demand management and safety, but disparities still exist. Vulnerable and historically marginalized communities of color experience disproportionately high levels of impact whether related to accidents or access to safe, affordable and efficient transportation options," Naramore said. HR&A Advisors is a real estate and economic development consultant with offices in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Raleigh, and Washington, DC. The organization was also hired in August 2019 to evaluate the economic and social benefits of restoring and revitalizing the rivers edge. Sam Schwartz Consulting LLC is a traffic and transportation planing and engineering consulting firm based in New York. Community stakeholders who met with the consultants include representatives from the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Grand Rapids Area Black Businesses, West Michigan Asian American Association, Corridor Improvement Authorities, The Rapid, and city staff. Focus groups were made up of representatives from construction trades, small business development, financial institutions, mobility, parking, business environment, and real estate, workforce, and neighborhood development. To view the full plan, visit the citys website, here. Read more: Has Grand Rapids city manager met high expectations? Most say yes How to register to vote, get absentee ballot in Grand Rapids Grand Rapids seeks directors for economic development, planning departments WA's taxpayer-owned State Theatre Centre has apologised to the Chinese government after it allowed a Taiwanese performing arts group to hire its facilities. According to the Perth Theatre Trust, the state government body which manages the theatre, the Chinese consul in WA was embarrassed when "a flag was raised that did not align with the Commonwealth's one-China policy" at a performance of the Taiwanese Acrobatic Troupe. Falun Gong-linked Shen Yun dance troupe, which is based in New York, failed to secure a booking at a WA theatre in 2020. Credit:Must Do Brisbane The People's Republic of China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, but this is rejected by the controversial east-Asian democracy, which maintains informal diplomatic relations with Australia even though its independence is not recognised by most countries. In March last year, the Perth Theatre Trust's venues director Glenn Hall apologised in person at China's consulate in East Perth when officials requested a meeting about the Taiwanese performance. The Duchess of Cambridge won praise for re-wearing a dazzling gold and white gown to the BAFTAs last night. But royal fashion experts noted Kate, 38, had made slight tweaks to the stunning Alexander McQueen dress since its first outing eight years ago. The team behind What Kate Wore pointed out last night's iteration featured more structured shoulders and more fitted sleeves than the original version, which was worn to a state dinner in Malaysia in 2012. The sleeves of the BAFTA gown were also lined, taking away the sheer effect of the original. Speaking to FEMAIL, stylist Susie Hasler who runs Styled By Susie said the updates created structure that flattered Kate's figure. Royal fashion experts noted Kate, 38, had made slight tweaks to the stunning Sarah Burton dress for last night's BAFTA red carpet (left) since its first outing eight years ago (right). The version last night had more structure shoulders and more fitted sleeves than the original (right). The sleeves were also lined to remove the sheer effect seen in the 2012 version Kate Middleton, 38, wowed in a stunning floor length white and gold gown by Alexander McQueen as she walked the red carpet at the BAFTAs alongside husband Prince William, 37 The Duchess of Cambridge first wore the gown to a state visit on the royal tour of Malaysia in 2012, pictured. She updated the dress by tweaking the sleeves and changing accessories She said: 'Kate looked incredible in her BAFTA outfit. By adapting the sleeves of this glamorous gown, she has created a much more structured style, which is really flattering on her body and face shape. 'This beautifully tailored look complete with shoulder pads, frames her face so well - and makes her appear much more confident, and improves her posture by making her shoulders appear broader. 'Her hair being styled in an chic updo completed a much more powerful nighttime look for the Duchess, which was also very feminine and pretty.' It is not uncommon for Kate to alter pieces for a second wear. Indeed the Duchess wore a gown to the National Portrait Gallery last year that appeared to be an altered version of a dress first worn to the BAFTAs in 2017. Kate brought the glamour with her choice of jewellery: a 13,250 gold and mother of pearl four leaf clover earring and necklace set by luxury French brand Van Cleef & Arpels, pictured Attendees including Joaquin Phoenix and Renee Zellweger rose to their feet as the couple arrived at the ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall Hall, where they took their seats, pictured Kate added a touch of glamour to the outfit by pairing it with new accessories, including a new pair of shimmering 525 Jimmy Choo heels (just seen) and an Anya Hindmarch clutch bag She has also had more low-key looks like dresses and coats tailored ahead of repeat wears. Kate's decision to re-wear the stunning gown was in keeping with a Bafta request that attendees endeavour to promote 'sustainable' fashion by hiring gowns, re-wearing outfits or donning vintage ensembles for the occasion. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's recycled looks stood out on the red carpet in a sea of largely new couture creations. It is not uncommon for Kate to alter pieces for a second wear. Indeed the Duchess wore a gown to the National Portrait Gallery last year (left) that appeared to be an altered version of a dress first worn to the BAFTAs in 2017 (right). The alterations sparked much comment online Kate added a touch of glamour to the outfit by pairing it with new accessories, including a new pair of shimmering 525 Jimmy Choo glitter heels and an Anya Hindmarch clutch bag. She also brought the glamour with her choice of jewellery: a 13,250 gold and mother of pearl four leaf clover earring and necklace set by luxury French brand Van Cleef & Arpels. Kate and William, who have made it their tradition to attend the biggest night in UK cinema each year, beamed at one another as they took a seat alongside a host of other celebrities at the awards ceremony. A minor rape victim filed a plea in the Delhi High Court on Monday by seeking permission to terminate her 24-week pregnancy. The plea is listed for hearing on Tuesday before Justice Vibhu Bakhru. The petition, filed through the 16-year-old girl's mother, is aggrieved as Section 3 of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act does not permit termination of pregnancy in case the period of gestation is more than 20 weeks. The plea filed through advocates Anwesh Madhukar and Prachi Nirwan, said the pregnancy poses a substantial risk to the girl as she herself is of tender age. It said the rape victim was examined by doctors at a government hospital here on January 25 and she was found to be 24 weeks pregnant. Pursuant to this, a case of rape and criminal intimidation was lodged at Swaroop Nagar police station here. The doctor has opined that since the period of gestation is more than 20 weeks, it is beyond the permissible limit and court's permission is required for pregnancy termination. The Union Cabinet had last Wednesday approved extending the upper limit for permitting abortions from the present 20 weeks to 24 weeks for "special categories of women" which would include rape survivors, victims of incest, differently-abled and minors, an official statement said. The Cabinet gave its nod to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 and it would be introduced in the Budget session of Parliament beginning January 31. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Mexican steel market faces a variety of headwinds, but industry observers have a degree of optimism that conditions will improve this year, reports Myra Pinkham While the Mexican steel market continues to face a number of challenges, some industry observers are expressing at least a measure of optimism that things will improve with the expected ratification of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) upgrade of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) trade pact. Even so, it is very likely that any improvement will be gradual. It is very common for the Mexican steel industry to have ebbs and flows, Al Zapanta, president and CEO of the US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, said, given that many Mexican metals producers, including steel producers, tend to be relatively small by comparison with those elsewhere in the world. In addition, many of the smaller producers have been acquired by larger, foreign companies. Over the last few years, some forecasts indicated that the Mexican steel market would be booming, bolstered by the auto market, which is one of its key end- use sectors, Christopher Plummer, managing director of Metal Strategies Inc., noted, but those predictions have not materialized. Instead, after peaking in 2017, both Mexican steel production and demand have been declining since then. Canacero, the Mexican steel trade association, reports that in 2019 the countrys raw steel production declined by 7.7% to 18.7 million tonnes, its finished steel production fell by 9.3% to 17.7 million tonnes, and its apparent steel consumption fell by 5.7% to 26.9 million tonnes on the back of a 6.1% decline in the apparent consumption of products containing finished steel. Marina Maliushkina, a senior analyst for Fastmarkets MB research, said the decline in Mexican steel output included an 11% decline in flat-rolled products. She said there was also a sharp fall in long-product output, down by 10% during the same period, but that sector has been supported to some extent by an increase in rebar exports to the US. This has been helped by the combination of the removal of antidumping duties on some rebar producers and of Mexican steel Section 232 tariffs last year. She noted, however, that while Mexican steel exports to the US have picked up with the removal of the Section 232 tariffs, theincrease has not been dramatic as there is a mechanism by which those tariffs could be re-introduced if there is a surge in imports. According to Canacero, total Mexican finished steel imports were down by 1.6% last year to 10.0 million tonnes, while total Mexican steel exports were 3.4 million tonnes, a 10.6% decline. Maliushkina said that the weakness in the Mexican steel market is not that surprising, given that during the first half of 2019 the Mexican economy had fallen into a recession for the first time since the global financial crisis. While there was some growth later in the year, it is believed that for the full year 2019 Mexican GDP was essentially flat. Potential improvements Zapanta said that both the Mexican economy and the Mexican steel market are likely to improve once the USMCA is ratified. It has already been accepted by the US and Mexico, and was also expected to get a green light in Canada shortly after its parliament resumes business at the end of January. He said that is largely because of the trade agreements expected positive impact upon the Mexican automotive market and the amount of domestic steel used in light vehicles produced in Mexico. Benjamin Zermeno Zirion, president of the Mexico-based Serviacero Worthington steel service center joint venture, agreed, stating that he believes that once the USMCA is ratified it will result in more confidence in the Mexican economy and that, in turn, will result in greater investment in Mexico not only in its automotive sector, but in other steel-consuming industrial markets as well. He said that is one reason that the Mexican government is predicting 2% GDP growth this year. It remains to be seen whether such GDP growth will indeed occur, especially amid concerns held by some observers that the administration of the new Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, may not be particularly business friendly. Plummer noted that it has been described as being more nationalist or socialist than the previous administration. Zapanta pointed out that the Obrador administration has stopped several major infrastructure construction projects, including the building of a new airport in Mexico City. Zirion said, There is a question of how much the Mexican government will allow private investors to go into the energy sector going forward. Plummer said that given these factors and certain trends in the major end-use markets, he believes that Mexican steel apparent consumption could decline moderately again this year, possibly by about 3%. Despite the possible positive impact of the USMCA, Maliushkina said that the growth of Mexican manufacturing activity is expected to remain at just below 1% in 2020. This is a deceleration from the rate of growth seen between 2014 and 2018. She also noted that the IHS Markit Mexican manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) was pointing to a contraction of the manufacturing sector at the end of 2019. While the PMI had been below 50% for seven of the past 12 months, it fell to 47.1% in December its lowest level since 2011. In a press statement on the PMI data, Pollyanna De Lima, IHS Markits principal economist at IHS Markit said, So far, its difficult to see a light at the end of the tunnel and any meaningful rebound in 2020. In fact, businesses are at their least optimistic towards growth prospects in the series history, with many concerned about lingering uncertainty, a lack of investments and ongoing troubles in the automotive sector. Maliushkina said that last year there was also a 5% decline in Mexican construction activity the sector which accounts for about 60% of domestic steel use. She said that included a 6% decline in public works construction and a 4.5% fall in residential construction. A large contributing factor to the weakness in public works construction was the cancellation of the Mexico City airport project, which Zirion said reduced demand for steel long products. This year, however, construction activity will either pick up somewhat or at least it wont be quite as bad as it was in 2019, he predicted. That depends upon whether the Mexican government begins working more with the private sector to promote incremental investment in the nations infrastructure, which has been declining over the past six to seven years, Maximo Vedoya, Ternium S.A.s chief executive officer, said during the companys third quarter earnings conference call. He said that while it remains uncertain whether infrastructure investment will pick up in 2020, it should do so by 2021. Automotive is another major Mexican steel end-use market, which, according to Canaceros website, accounted for 10.6% of Mexican steel use in 2018. Even though Mexican automotive production was down by 4% year-to-date through November, Plummer said the impact upon steel use was partially offset by the mix of vehicles produced, given that Mexican light truck output which contains 80-90% more steel was up by 2.8% year-to-date. Plummer said that the fact that in November total Mexican auto output was down 13.7% year-onyear bodes poorly for the short- to medium-term outlook. Maliushkina said that not only have Mexican local sales continued to be weak, buy also auto exports, which had been propping up Mexican auto production earlier last year, have been declining on an annual basis since August. Plummer said that given that about 80% of the light vehicles produced in Mexico are exported, the automotive supply chain, including for steel and other metals and components, is very complex and is affected by trade issues and other global uncertainties. USMCA impacts The expected imminent ratification of the USMCA is expected to have a positive impact upon Mexican steel market, Zapanta said, especially given that it mandates that 75% of the content for autos and other transportation equipment is sourced from North America. However, Zirion said it might be hard for Mexico to comply with the domestic content requirements, given the percentage of scrap and steel slabs that are imported into Mexico. Scrap might be the lesser problem, Plummer said, given that about 75% of Mexican crude steel is produced by EAFs and some mills use as much as 95% direct reduced iron in their charge most of which is sourced locally. Slab imports could be more of a challenge. Zirion said they could necessitate the building of additional new steelmaking capacity to produce more domestic slabs, although he said there have not been any such announcements yet. Maliushkina said that the ratification of the USMCA could also result in more auto-related investments in Mexico, because it will be removing the uncertainty that automakers faced while the deal was still under negotiation. But given the complexity of the auto supply chain, including multi-year and multi-decade supply chain arrangements, Plummer said that it will take a while for this to benefit the Mexican auto market and steel suppliers to that market. Maliushkina agreed, stating that while Mexican auto output is forecast to drop by 3% again this year, it could start picking up in 2021. At the same time, she observed that some US steel mills located, or locating, close to the border are hoping to benefit from the long-term growth prospects of the Mexican auto market. That includes the recently announced Sinton, Texas, flat-rolled steel mill to be built by Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI), which is expected to start up in mid-2021. Mark Millett, SDIs president and CEO, said during the companys third quarter earnings conference call that meaningful increases in Mexicos manufacturing base is one of the factors supporting his companys US and Mexico growth strategy. Plummer estimated that about30-40% of the Sinton mills output, much as is already the case with the existing Calvert joint venture mill of ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel in Alabama, will be targeting Mexican automotive and other high-end markets. The same could be true if Big River Steel decided to build a second facility in Brownsville, Texas, as many speculate will happen. Domestic capacity grows There have also been some investments in additional Mexican steelmaking capacity, largely based on the belief that the Mexican automotive sector will grow over the long term. Plummer observed that Ternium recently brought a second, 430,000 tonne per year, hot-dip galvanizing (HDG) line online at its Tenigal automotive joint venture site, and it is in the midst of building a new 4.1 million tonne per year hot strip mill in Pesqueria, near Monterrey. It is slated to come online in late 2020 or early 2021, to supply Tenigal with hot-band feedstock, replacing the hot-rolled coil that would otherwise come from Japan. ArcelorMittal is building a new 2.5 million tonne per year hot strip mill in Lazaro Cardenas, which is expected to come online mid-year. Plummer estimated that somewhere between 1.5 million and 2 million tonnes of that output is targeted for the automotive market. In addition, Grupo Simec is in the process of bringing online a 600,000 tonne per year special bar and wire rod plant in Apizaco, Tlaxcala, and the Nucor-JFE Steel Mexico joint venture recently commissioned a 400,000 tonne per year hot-dip galvanizing line at its new plant in Silao, Guanajuato. Over the past three years several steel service centers made significant investments in Mexico, anticipating that by 2021 Mexican auto output, which is currently a little over 3.7 million light vehicles per year, would increase to close to 5 million units per year. But Zirion said that since the growth in that market has been less than anticipated, many Mexican service centers and processors are experiencing overcapacity. The energy sector The Mexican energy sector has recently seen limited investment, although the countrys drill rig count was up by 158% year on year in 2018 and up by another 31% year to date through October. Plummer said that it has helped that over the past two years, under its previous administration, the Mexican government had opened up drilling through Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), the stateowned petroleum company, to international bidders for the first time. But there are concerns that the Obrador administration could put significant constraints both on private investment on that and on the building of energy transmission pipelines, Zirion said. Plummer said that would be a mistake given that, with both oil and natural gas prices being much more expensive in Mexico than in the US, there is a clear need for more pipelines between the two countries. Plummer said that Mexican pipe and tube production only accounts for 1.5% of the countrys apparent finished steel consumption since about 79% of the tubular products produced in the country are exported. Maliushkina said that while 2019 was a tough year for the Mexican steel market because of all the uncertainty related to demand and trade issues, it helped that steel exports began to pick up in the second half. That should continue this year with US steel prices especially flat-roll prices maintaining their upward momentum in early 2020, she said. Mexican steel demand, however, will remain challenging in 2020 for both flat and long products with both construction activity and automotive output expected to decline. To view the entire issue, please click here. A virus similar to the SARS pathogen has killed 259 people in China and spread around the world since emerging in a market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. On Saturday, China's National Health Commission said nearly 12,000 people had been infected by the novel coronavirus. Outside mainland China, there have been more than 100 infections reported in more than 20 countries. The World Health Organization has declared an international emergency over the outbreak. Here are the places that have confirmed cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus: CHINA As of Saturday, 11,791 people have been infected across China, the majority in and around Wuhan. Most of the 259 who have died were in that region, but officials have confirmed multiple deaths elsewhere, including in Beijing. AUSTRALIA Twelve patients have been confirmed in Australia. Most of them arrived in the country from Wuhan or Hubei province. CAMBODIA Cambodia's health ministry has so far reported one case, a 60-year-old man who arrived from Wuhan. HONG KONG Fourteen people are known to have the disease. INDIA Officials confirmed the first case in Kerala, southern India, on Thursday. The woman, a student at Wuhan University, was isolated at a hospital. JAPAN Japan's health ministry reported three new cases on Saturday, bringing the number of infections in the country to 20, including two cases of human-to-human transmission. The new cases were three people who returned from Wuhan on government-chartered flights. MACAU Macau, a gambling hub popular with Chinese mainland tourists, has confirmed seven cases. MALAYSIA Malaysia has confirmed eight cases, all Chinese nationals. NEPAL Nepal has reported one case so far: a man who arrived from Wuhan. THE PHILIPPINES the Philippines reported its first case of the virus on Thursday, a 38-year-old woman who arrived from Wuhan and is no longer showing symptoms. SINGAPORE Singapore on Saturday announced two new infections, bringing the city-state's total to 18. SOUTH KOREA South Korea on Saturday confirmed one more case of the virus, a 49-year-old Chinese man who worked as a tour guide in Japan. He arrived in South Korea from Japan on January 19, authorities said. The latest case took the total in the country to 12. SRI LANKA Sri Lanka has confirmed one case, a 43-year-old Chinese tourist from Hubei province. TAIWAN Taiwan has uncovered 10 cases so far, including two female Chinese nationals in their 70s who arrived in the country as part of a tour group. THAILAND Thailand has announced 19 confirmed infections. VIETNAM Vietnam reported one more case on Saturday, taking the total in the country to six. State media said the latest case was a 25-year-old hotel receptionist in central Khanh Hoa province. CANADA Canada has confirmed four cases. UNITED STATES The United States has confirmed seven cases: three in California, two in Illinois, one in Arizona and one in Washington state, BRITAIN British health officials on Friday announced that two people had tested positive for the virus, the country's first confirmed cases. FINLAND A tourist from Wuhan tested positive for the virus on Wednesday and was being treated in isolation in a hospital, officials said. FRANCE There are six known cases in France, the first European country to be affected. GERMANY Germany now has seven confirmed cases. ITALY Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the first two cases in his country on Thursday two Chinese tourists who recently arrived in Italy. RUSSIA Russia said Friday that two Chinese citizens had tested positive in the country's first cases. SWEDEN Sweden on Friday announced its first case, a woman whose nationality has not been revealed. SPAIN Spain reported its first case late on Friday in a man on the island of La Gomera in the Canaries. He was one of five people isolated after coming into contact with a German man with the illness. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UAE health officials have confirmed a Chinese family of four tested positives for the virus after arriving from Wuhan. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) London, United Kingdom Mon, February 3, 2020 12:47 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20623d99c 2 World London,TerrorAttacks,extremism,Brexit Free Britain has been struck by a string of attacks in recent years, many claimed by jihadists. Here is a recap of some others since 2005. February 2, 2019, Streatham A man is shot dead by police on Streatham High Road, a busy thoroughfare and shopping street in south London. At least two people were injured, according to initial police reports. November 29, 2019: London Bridge Police shoot a man on London Bridge, in the heart of the capital, after several people were stabbed in what officers said was a terrorist incident. September 15, 2017: Tube bomb A bomb partially explodes on a London Underground train at Parsons Green station in southwest London during the morning rush hour. It leaves 30 people injured. An 18-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker, Ahmed Hassan, believed to have trained with the Islamic State group in Iraq is later given a life sentence. The judge said it was an attempt to kill as many members of the public as possible. June 19, 2017: Mosque attack A van ploughs into people leaving late-night prayers at a mosque in Finsbury Park in north London, killing one man and injuring 11 others. The driver, 47-year-old Darren Osborne, is later given a life sentence for murder. He said he was seeking revenge for Islamist terror attacks and a child sex scandal. June 3, 2017: London Bridge attack Three men wearing fake suicide vests mow down pedestrians with a van at a popular nightlife hub around London Bridge before getting out to stab people. They are killed by police. Eight people are killed and about 50 are hurt. The Islamic State group claims responsibility. May 22, 2017: Manchester Arena bombing A suicide bomber blows himself up outside a pop concert by teen idol Ariana Grande in Manchester, killing 22 people and injuring 116. Seven of the victims are under the age of 18. The attack was carried out by 22-year-old Salman Abedi, a Manchester-born university drop-out of Libyan origin, and claimed by the Islamic State group. March 22, 2017: Westminster Bridge attack Five people are killed and more than 50 wounded when a man rams his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in London before crashing into the barriers surrounding parliament and then stabbing a police officer to death. The attacker, 52-year-old British Muslim convert Khalid Mahmood, is shot dead by police. Investigators describe it as a lone-wolf attack and "Islamist related terrorism". 2013: British soldier slain British soldier Lee Rigby, 25, is hacked to death in May by two Britons of Nigerian descent whom witnesses say shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest") before being injured and arrested. Michael Adebolajo, 29, is later sentenced to life in prison for the murder while Michael Adebowale, 22, receives a minimum of 45 years behind bars. 2007: Glasgow airport attack - Two men in a burning vehicle ram into the main terminal of Glasgow Airport in Scotland in June. An Indian man driving the car suffers serious burns and later dies. The passenger, Iraqi doctor Bilal Abdulla, 29, is jailed in December for at least 32 years for plotting to murder hundreds of people. 2005: London transport hit On July 7 four British suicide bombers inspired by Al-Qaeda attack London's Underground network and a bus during rush hour, killing 52 people, as well as themselves, and wounding 700. It is the deadliest attack on British soil since 1988 when an airliner blew up over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing 270 people. Topics : London TerrorAttacks extremism Brexit Every year experts from across the world travel to Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum. While at the Forum, participants are surveyed as to their opinions of the risks facing the world. The participants are asked to rank 25 long-term risk factors as to their likelihood of occurrence and impact. The 25 factors represent the five broad categories of economic, environmental, geopolitical, societal and technological risks. Climate change emerged as the number one issue in both likelihood of occurrence and impact in 2019. In fact, the top five factors listed as most likely to occur deal with climate change. The likelihood of extreme weather events and the failure to act on climate were the top two factors. The remaining factors in the top five were the loss of biodiversity, natural disasters and human-made environmental disasters. The risk factor selected as having the greatest impact was the failure to act on climate. This ranked above the global impact of weapons of mass destruction. The other climate factors in the top five were loss of biodiversity and extreme weather events. Many of the risk factors currently receiving media attention such as cyberattacks, migration, social instability, terrorist attacks, and infectious diseases are all ranked lower. Although these factors have lower rankings, they still remain major risks. The rise in climate risks relative to non-climate risks is not due to a decline in non-climate risks. Rather, the participants believe that, overall, the risks facing the world have generally increased. Its just that the risks associated with climate change have increased even more. Don Hofstrand is a retired agricultural economist from Iowa State University Extension. During the last few years of his work life, he focused on renewable energy and climate change. He and his wife live in Mason City. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Bryan Cranston channels Jack Nicholson's iconic 'Here's Johnny' scene in The Shining in a hilarious new Mountain Dew commercial set to air during Super Bowl LIV. Turns out the Breaking Bad star nearly refused to accept the role in the advert, based on hotel caretaker of Jack Torrance, that also features Tracee Ellis Ross as his frightened wife. 'I love Nicholson and I love The Shining,' Cranston explained to People about his hesitancy on Saturday. 'And when I first heard the pitch they came back to me and some of the dialogue was, maybe better than the original and the only concern I had was, I don't want anyone to think that Bryan Cranston is saying that I'm better than Jack Nicholson.' Hesitant: Bryan Cranston confessed he nearly passed on the role of channeling Jack Nicholson's version of Jack Torrance in The Shining for a Mountain Dew commercial Being a fan of Nicholson's legendary work throughout his career made it imperative to Cranston that he didn't just mimic the famous ax-wielding scene in The Shining. 'He's a god. So unbelievably talented and watchable in everything he does. So, I was nervous about that,' he said. 'They assured me we are going to make sure it was clearly a parody. So I was happy.' At first, the Los Angeles native, 63, took strides to avoid a direct imitation of Nicholson's version in the 1980 film. 'That move when he pushes his face through the door, it's so iconic, that 'Here's Johnny. So it's like, was that too close?' He then rethought his approach, adding, 'How do I do it not exactly like him, but it has to be that.' Fans can now get a behind-the-scenes look at the filming of the Mountain Dew ad. Some new photos include alternative angles of Cranston wielding the ax and Ross looking absolutely terrified from inside the bathroom. Behind the scenes: Instead of Murder spelled backwards like the 1980 film, the producers of the ad spelled MTN DEW backwards on the door of the bathroom Alternative take: There's a side angle of Cranston after he came into the room with an ax Another look: Behind-the-scene photos also showed Cranston from his left side just before he weilds the ax into the door Much like the legendary horror film, the commercial begins with Cranston limping up a staircase with an ax in his left hand, but in this case he's also holding a bottle of Mountain Dew in his right hand. 'Come out, come out, wherever you are,' he calls out He then taps on a bathroom door with a bottle of Mountain Dew, saying: 'I've got new Mountain Dew Zero Sugar, with the same refreshing taste as the original.' Just as he yells out: 'But without any of the sugar,' Cranston's Torrance begins to attack the door with the ax, as a frightened Ross hides behind the door. Nervous: The Breaking Bad star was hesitant to recreate Nicholson's portrayal of Jack Torrance: 'He's a god. So unbelievably talented and watchable in everything he does. So, I was nervous about that,' he told People Spot on: Tracee Ellis Ross looks terrified as Cranston begins to wield his ax into the door Cut: There's also a view of the bathroom with a hole in the door in-between takes Once he smashes a hole in the door he pokes his face through the hole in the door and delivers a revised version of 'Here's Johnny.' 'Here's Mountain Dew Zero!' he announces to a terrified Ross, who eventually stops screaming to take the drink, before casually pronouncing, 'I am thirsty.' In a twist on the original film wave of blood scene, the advert's final shots show Mountain Dew pouring out of the doors of an elevator, and Cranston is donning a dress and wig in a take on the film's ghostly twins Alexie and Alexa Grady. Action: After sticking his face into the hole for his big 'Here's Johnny' moment, Cranston hands over a bottle of Mountain Dew Iconic 'Here's Mountain Dew Zero!' the actor announces to a terrified Ross Play of a classic: Eventually Ross stops screaming and grabs the drink, before casually pronouncing, 'I am thirsty' The Stanley Kubrick-directed film centered on a struggling novelist (Nicholson) who becomes a winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer's block. But as the days go on, Torrance begins to slip into madness and go on a murderous rampage. Nicholson's wife in the film was played by Shelley Duvall. 'Dew launched a Zero Sugar product for the first time ever this January and we're using our Super Bowl spot to tell fans it's As Good As the Original, Maybe Even Better,' said Erin Chin, Senior Director, Marketing, Mountain Dew. Product placement: The behind-the-scenes photos place a bottle of Dew during the recreation of the iconic elevator door scene Green blood: In a twist on the original film wave of blood scene, one of the advert's final shots show Mountain Dew pouring out of the doors of an elevator Kate Ritchie and her estranged husband Stuart Webb put on a brave front as they came together on Monday for their daughter Mae's first day of school. The proud parents were spotted holding five-year-old Mae's hand as they walked her to school. Kate and Stuart's reunion comes three months after the actress 41, reportedly moved out of their marital home after police took out an apprehended violence order on her behalf against the NRL star, 39 after an incident at her house in Randwick. Reunion: Kate Ritchie and estranged husband Stuart Webb reunited for their daughter Mae's first day of school... after their rumoured split and AVO drama The former Home and Away star donned black trousers with a blue shirt and pair of white sneakers as she walked alongside her daughter. At one point, the pair stopped to take photos of their daughter ahead of her first day of school. Milestone moment: At one point, the pair stopped to take photos of their daughter ahead of her first day of school In December, Stuart made headlines for his five-time drink driving history. His shocking driving history was revealed in a police fact sheet, as he faced court for blowing 0.083 when he was pulled over by highway patrolmen in the city's east in March. Stuart came in front of a magistrate on the same day that NSW Police told Daily Mail Australia that he will not be charged over a separate 'incident' at home with Kate in October. That ended in an AVO being brought against him, which banned him being in Kate's company within 12 hours of drinking alcohol. Incident: In December, Stuart made headlines for his five-time drink driving history. His shocking driving history was revealed in a police fact sheet, as he faced court for blowing 0.083 when he was pulled over by highway patrolmen in the city's east in March Court documents about the March incident said Stuart had 'glazed and bloodshot' eyes when he was pulled over by highway patrolmen in Randwick. He had just run a red light and was also driving home on a suspended licence. In court documents, police described Webb as a drink driving 'repeat offender'. Daily Mail Australia confirmed Kate had moved out of the couple's marital home in Sydney's Randwick, in October. The former couple had reportedly been spending weekends away in a last bid to save their marriage. If your husband has maltreated you for many years and just for his visitors buys you the finest thing you can think of in the world just to win your heart to serve his visitors well, you must rethink. NPP and NDC have ruined the life of Ghana and you must not accept any gift just to buy your conscience. Prior to this years elections, there will be people who will come in the name of these life-ruining parties, NPP and NDC asking you to vote for them. They will sometimes entice you with gifts knowing that you actually need them. But I bet you that you can live without those gifts. Accept those gifts and ruin your life and that of others centuries. Scripture records moments where persons accepted things not knowing they were exchanging wealthy things for T-rolls. You can read the scene of Esau and Jacob. Remember what happened! You can show to NPP and NDC that you have a fundamental right to choose good fortune for mother Ghana. You have to do this by voting for people with heads to bring something better to Ghana. You will regret it as it is part of those who always make the wrong choice of voting for headless people. After all what will they offer you? Hardship with no retirement! Ghana can be better again if you begin to choose well. The silence of former President J. A. Kuffuor must be interpreted here. This good man is quiet simply because Ghana is not going well as he wills it and has refused to speak because they wont listen to him. At least Ghana is blessed with two ex-presidents whom current presidents can tap knowledge from but what do Ghanaians witness? I can also do it, it is my turn is all they say when they climb the seat. If youre a Ghanaian and youre tired of the situation you find yourself in then dump NPP and NDC in the bin. You go in for Independent Candidates. In fact, they may perhaps not be controlled by party rules and the need to do what the party says in order to be kept in office. As for NPP and NDC, they are HAZARDOUS than acid. Drop the yam! NPP and NDC! From the pen of Emmanuel Graham Nyameke. We were saddened by the resignation of University of Tulsa President Gerard Clancy and frightened to see the financial stress the school is facing. Both announcements came out of a special TU trustees meeting Thursday. Clancy was a visionary, dedicated and talented leader for TU, and he accomplished much in only four years. Under his leadership, the school developed a solid strategic plan based on data and realistic expectations, built new systems for student success, achieved steady growth in domestic freshman enrollment, set a record enrollment for the 2019 freshman class and began a difficult but necessary review of what the school does, how it does it and what it should be doing in the future. Clancy cited health issues in his letter of resignation. The trustees have appointed Provost Janet Levit as the interim president. Levit has been the acting president since emergency surgery forced Clancy to step away from the presidents office earlier this month. Clancy plans to stay at TU, aiding in fundraising, recruitment, community outreach, teaching, research and other duties. On February 1, Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, succeeded in extracting from the Arab League a rejection of US President Donald Trumps Middle East plan by warning its leaders that neither he, nor they, could afford to go down in history as the ones who sold Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque to Israel. This is the same argument the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat made to justify rejecting the US and Israeli dictates at the Camp David summit in 2000, knowing all too well that Arab autocrats may not care about Palestinian rights but could not be seen to have surrendered Jerusalem. The ploy worked. US arrogance in declaring all of Jerusalem the capital of Israel has backfired on Trumps entire vision, leaving Washington humiliated and its foolishly dubbed deal of the century barely alive. Furthermore, Abbas severed all relations with the US and Israel. If Jerusalem is off the table, America is off the table, warned one Palestinian official. This may have come as a shock to the Americans, who thought he would come back to the table sooner or later, but it was no surprise to their Israeli partner. American ignorance or Israeli arrogance It is hard to say whether the Trump plan has been driven mainly by the ignorance of young Jared Kushner, Trumps adviser and son-in-law, or the arrogance of his mentor, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But it is probably both, since gullibility is required for successful manipulation. It is embarrassingly clear that the plan is based on Netanyahus extremist ideas. Indeed, when Trump and Netanyahu stood side-by-side at the White House ceremony to announce it, there could be little doubt whose vision it was. Trump seemed like he was reading it for the first time. And from there on, it was downhill for the plan as the presidents son-in-law parroted Netanyahus propaganda pointers and debunked cliches. Indeed there is an eerie resemblance between Kushner and Netanyahus former spokesman, Mark Regev, in style and spin, both taking their cue from Frank Luntzs Global Language Dictionary, which became Israels propaganda playbook after its release a decade ago. It did not help that Netanyahu, the puppet master, wanted the plan to be announced, especially the parts legitimising new Israeli annexations of Palestinian land, not to make peace with the Palestinians, but to win a fourth term. Unlike Kushner, Netanyahu knows all too well the deal is a non-starter for the Palestinians. He has already tested its main ideas and is familiar with the Palestinian response. Indeed, such anticipated Palestinian rejection is the very reason he devised and supported the plan in the first place. All of this begs the question, what now? What will the Palestinians do if or when Netanyahu goes through with the annexation? A game changer Netanyahus refusal to make a deal with moderate Abbas the amenable negotiator, who rejected armed struggle, embraced diplomacy and accepted the principle of a demilitarised Palestinian state on a fifth of historic Palestine and his insistence on annexing more Palestinian territories, leave the Palestinians with no option but to embrace a new vision and a new strategy of liberation. What applies to the Palestinians also applies to Abbas. After all, Netanyahu is hoping to do away with both, future Palestinian independence and current Palestinian leadership. To be clear, Abbas has proven too naive for too long, reckoning that winning the moral argument is enough to change Israels strategic calculus. But Abbas misses the cardinal principle of diplomacy: it is a reflection of the balance of power. Palestinian failure to extract an independent state from the disastrous Oslo Accords is the direct result of Israels supremacy on the ground. The same goes for Abbass renewed call for an international conference under the auspices of the international Quartet, namely the US, the UN, the EU and Russia. The US supremacy in such a gathering will ensure no result is disadvantageous to Netanyahus Israel. Diplomacy could achieve little without a real change on the ground in Israel-Palestine. Even Trump, who admires the strong and abhors the weak, may find it in his interest to redress the US position, albeit technically, if the situation changes. A Palestinian spring Change requires summoning Palestinian talent, energy and passion for liberty and justice, which in turn needs national reconciliation and unity around a clear national agenda. It also necessitates dismantling the police state in the occupied Palestinian territories which has intensified its grip on the civilian population under pressure from the US and Israel. Abbass announcement that all security coordination with Israel will be severed and that it will be treated as an occupying power rather than a peace partner, is a first important step towards galvanising popular support for a freedom agenda. If Abbas indeed goes through with it, this will prove a game-changing development that could transform the conflict for years to come. Agree with him or not, the octogenarian Abbas should be commended for believing in peace and appreciated for schlepping around the world from the Arab League to the UN to promote coexistence. But he should not stop there. He must also ensure a smooth transition of power to a new, younger, more vibrant Palestinian leadership that can galvanise and channel people power at home and abroad. Despite over 70 years of dispossession, 53 years of occupation and a million imprisoned, the Palestinians remain resolute. They may bend but they do not break. With Palestinians making up some 20 percent of Israels population a number that will rise to 25 percent in the not-so-distant future the Jewish state is fast becoming a bi-national state. And with almost as many Palestinians as Jews living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, and with a maximum distance of a few kilometres separating any Palestinian from any Jew, Israel-Palestine is increasingly a binational reality. Israeli annexation of new territories will only help underline this fact. In this context, no nukes, no air force and no walls will define the future relationship between the affluent centres and ghettos, between rich cities and their belts of poverty, indeed between next-door neighbours. Israel may continue to use brutal force against the Palestinians, but like every colonising power in the past century, it will not be able to subdue a determined indigenous population with violence. There is a demand for a change of vision based on ethical not religious awakening, one that transcends fetishist archaeology and sacred sites to honour sacred human rights for all. It is time for David to face up to Goliath, for liberty to overcome occupation, for democracy to beat fanaticism, and for justice to defeat and uproot racism. Thirty years after apartheid was dismantled in South Africa, it is time it is done away with in Palestine as well. It is time for a Palestinian and Jewish spring. By Rasana Gasimova Azerbaijan's Agency for the Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry have signed a protocol of cooperation. The document was signed as part of the 12th meeting of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine held in Kyiv on January 31, SMEs Development Agency media reported. The document signed by Chairman of SMEs Agency Orkhan Mammadov and President of the House Gennady Chizhikov reflects issues related to the exchange of information and experience, as well as organization of joint events. Addressing the meeting, Orkhan Mammadov emphasized the great potential of both countries in the field of small and medium-sized enterprises. He also noted the important role of various events in expanding relations between SMEs. He informed the participants about the state support provided to the development of the SMEs sector and the Agency's activities in this direction. The Agency also proposed to identify areas of cooperation in the field of SMEs, create an Azerbaijan-Ukrainian business council, establish active ties between business associations, to study Ukraines experience in cooperation between the public-private sector, as well as create joint ventures. Note that the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Ukraine increased by 15.5 year year-on-year in 2019 and the two countries are taking measures to expand and diversify the bilateral trade ties. In December 2019, the countries held the Azerbaijan-Ukraine business forum aimed to further develop economic and trade relations. Over 90 companies from Ukraine and more than 100 companies from Azerbaijan participated in the forum. As part of the forum, a protocol of intent was signed between the city of Ganja and the city of Odessa and an Agreement on trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation between the city of Guba and the city of Truskavets. An agreement on cooperation between the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the State Regulatory Service of Ukraine in the field of the regulation of conditions of doing business was also signed. Azerbaijan Trade House was opened in 2018 in Kyiv and Ukrainian Trade House was opened in Baku in December 2019. Companies with Ukrainian capital successfully operate in industry, construction, trade, agriculture, transport, services and other areas of Azerbaijani economy. The two countries have potential for cooperation in various sectors of economy, including transport, ICT, tourism and other areas. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The last few months may have been loads of fun with Christmas shopping sprees and holiday treats all so easily racked up on the credit card, afterpay schemes and buy-now-pay-later deals. But now, back to school expenses may be piling on top of the New Year bills and if you feel like there is no way to make ends meet, youre not alone. New Zealanders are highly likely to be worried about financial problems. When FinCap surveyed people from 2017 to 2018, half of us were just treading water or sinking. FinCap is a Government supported trust that aids all budgeting and financial capability services in New Zealand, so they see a wide range of people and problems. Other organisations surveying their members have identified that money worries are keeping plenty of us awake at night. No one plans to have personal debt get out of control but commonly it happens when a relationship breaks down or a work situation changes, and both are more prevalent during our summer holiday season. Also, an accident or the onset of a chronic health condition can create unexpected financial woes. People often try to sort the problem out on their own, but organisations that provide non-judgemental and informed support can improve the outcomes for people struggling with debt. For a starter, they can provide much needed relief to stop people from feeling overwhelmed, which is the first step towards making lasting changes. Budgeting services listed at www.moneytalks.co.nz offer guidance for free and, in Rodney, there are six locations for budgeting organisations and one debt management specialist service, Debtfix, which I recently co-founded. These experienced organisations have a good understanding of the law and the options that work best for the borrower, as well as the people they owe money to. Often professionals that seem like a good option, such as lawyers and accountants, may not have the specialist knowledge, and they frequently suggest bankruptcy, which has dire consequences. A quick Google search for debt management will most likely result in debt consolidation companies that buy your debt and charge you a higher rate of interest. They are unlikely to help you address your financial problems. On the other hand, a debt specialist investigates options such as negotiating a repayment plan with organisations that are chasing you for money and freezing late payment penalties that just escalate the debt. Most people genuinely want to repay their debt. With good guidance and support they can learn from a debt disaster and gain valuable financial skills for a more stable future. For more free, non-judgemental advice and support phone Warkworth Wellsford Budget Service at 423 7123 or Stepsforward Orewa at 09 424 4584. New Delhi: The Allahabad High Court on Monday (February 3) granted bail to former Union Minister and BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand, accused of raping a law student from Uttar Pradesh. Chinmayanand, whose trust runs Shahjahanpur Law College, where the law student studied, was arrested on September 20, 2019, and booked under sections 376C (sexual intercourse by person in authority), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code on the basis of the complaint filed by the victim. The 23-year-old law student alleged that she was repeatedly raped and blackmailed by former Union Minister Swami Chinmayanand for over a year, following which he had also filed an extortion case against the woman and her three friends. The woman was arrested on September 25, 2019, in connection with an extortion case filed based on Chinmayanand`s complaint alleging that she, along with three of her friends, demanded Rs 5 crore from him. On December 11, 2019, she was released on a bail. Chinmayanand had alleged that they threatened to make public some purported videos of him getting a massage from the law student. Since 2015, Donald Trump and his allies have bent and broken the law to boost his political fortunes. These breaches occur with an audacious frequency. But the most recent scheme by the president's supporters proves that they can always get more audacious. In December, news broke that a nonprofit founded by a Trump ally raffled envelopes of cash to attendees at an event targeting black voters in Cleveland. The event, hosted by the Rev. Darrell Scott's Urban Revitalization Coalition, honored White House official Ja'Ron Smith and featured "lavish" praise of Trump and his policies. The "$25,000 Cash Giveaway" was part of the group's nationwide strategy to lure black voters into listening sessions about Trump. While many have rightly condemned this effort as cynical and disrespectful, it could also put the coalition and White House staff in legal trouble. The coalition was founded in 2017 as a section 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity and certified by the IRS in April 2019. Under the law, section 501(c)(3) organizations are "absolutely prohibited" from directly or indirectly participating or intervening in any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for elective public office. The coalition claims that its events are nonpartisan, but it has taken numerous steps that belie the group's support of Trump's reelection bid. For example, the coalition website highlights its founders' roles on the National Diversity Coalition for Trump, an organization that "strongly supports Donald J. Trump for President of the USA." Last year, the coalition published a report stating that financial support helps the "URC continue to fulfill its mission and purpose as PROMISED by President Donald J. Trump to 'Make America Great Again.' " The same report also bragged that the coalition is working to "increase the 8% African-American vote from 2016 by 25% in the 2020 Presidential Election." Increasing African American voter participation is a laudable and legal goal. But the "8%" figure referenced by the coalition does not reflect overall black participation in 2016, as the group's language implies; it's the estimated percentage of black voters who supported Trump. Voter registration drives can be prohibited political activity for 501(c)(3)s if they are "conducted in a biased manner that favors" a partisan candidate. In addition, public records show that in 2018, the coalition received a $238,000 donation from America First Policies, a politically active group backing Trump's reelection. These facts suggest that the coalition is exploiting tax laws to serve as a front for political advocacy. Those partisan ties may jeopardize the coalition's nonprofit status, but Smith's reported attendance at the "giveaway" could also have legal implications. Federal workers are allowed to engage in political activity on their personal time, and some, like Smith, can engage in politics while on duty. Government funds, however, cannot be used for these officials' attendance at political events. Smith's official Twitter account suggests that he spent the weekend of the raffle in Cleveland attending several events for his government job. Trump campaign officials have disavowed knowledge of the coalition's event, and the White House declined to comment for a Politico report about it. But in a video on its YouTube page, the coalition claims that its work was "commissioned by President Donald J. Trump." If the White House covered Smith's travel to Cleveland, the government may need to be reimbursed for costs associated with any portion of his travel related to political activity. The coalition claims that its cash giveaways for sitting through pro-Trump talking points are legal and will continue. But recent history offers ample reason for caution. Last year, Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang was lambasted for offering raffle money to visitors on his campaign website. Ironically, in 2012, President Barack Obama was accused of gifting cellphones to voters in what was exposed as a "Pants on Fire," race-baiting mischaracterization of the federal government's Lifeline program, which aimed to expand telephone communications access to low-income Americans. Here, the coalition's status as a section 501(c)(3) nonprofit group presents credible and serious legal questions regarding its partisan ties and "charitable" activity. The racial targeting of the coalition raffles invites even more suspicion. If White House staffers show up at cash giveaways that promote Trump as he pursues reelection, they could find themselves in the crosshairs of ethics officials inside and outside the government. Trump and his allies have repeatedly faced legal jeopardy because of inappropriate efforts to influence electoral politics. These incidents include campaign finance and Hatch Act violations and, of course, the president's interactions with Ukraine. Such ethical abuses have become a signature of the Trump years. The coalition's cash-giveaway scheme suggests that some of the president's surrogates are still reaching new depths. _ _ _ Sherman is deputy director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and a former congressional ethics and oversight attorney in the House, Senate and executive branch. People seen wearing face masks on the streets of Orchard Road on 31 January, 2020. (PHOTO: Dhany Osman/Yahoo News Singapore) UPDATE: A joint statement from three ministries warned landlords not to evict tenants who are placed on leaves of absence (LOAs) or home quarantine orders (HQOs). SINGAPORE The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Monday (3 February) announced that there are no new cases of the Wuhan coronavirus as of 2pm, with the total tally standing at 18. It is the second day in a row with no new confirmed cases in Singapore, with the latest two announced by the ministry on Saturday. Singapore remains the third country with the highest number of confirmed cases outside mainland China, behind Thailand and Japan. 16 of the 18 cases all of whom have travelled to Hubei province, home to Wuhan, recently are Chinese nationals while the remaining two are Singaporeans. The ministry said that there is currently no evidence of community spread here. None of the cases is critically ill and all remain in stable condition, with most of them improving, added the MOH. The ministry also said that 262 suspect cases have tested negative for the novel coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, while test results for the remaining 32 cases are pending as of 12pm on Monday. Contact tracing for the confirmed cases is ongoing, it added. As of 12pm on Monday, the MOH has identified 256 close contacts. Once the close contacts are identified, they will be closely monitored by the ministry and quarantined for 14 days from their last exposure to the patient. In addition, all other identified contacts who have a low risk of being infected will be under active surveillance and will be contacted daily to monitor their health status. Of the 187 who are still in Singapore, 186 have been contacted and are being quarantined or isolated. Efforts are ongoing to contact the remaining close contact. 524 individuals quarantined In Parliament on Monday, co-chair of a multi-ministry taskforce for the coronavirus, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, said that a total of 524 individuals are currently quarantined in Singapore. Of that figure, 222 are being housed in government quarantine facilities, with the remaining at home. Story continues The minister also revealed that since Saturday, more than 200,000 face mask packs or 15 per cent of the total have been distributed by the government. The decision to release masks directly from the national stockpile built up over the years thanks to crises like the SARS epidemic to the general public was taken thanks to a rapid consumption rate by the public, he added. Landlords who evict tenants face restrictions A joint statement by the Ministry of National Development, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Manpower on Monday (4 February) said that the government has received feedback of landlords evicting tenants who are placed on LOA or HQO, and based on their nationality. The statement said that guidelines are available for landlords to adopt should they have a tenant who is on home quarantine or LOA. There is no need for them to evict persons who are serving their HQO or LOA. Landlords found to have irresponsibly evicted their residents may face restrictions and even be barred from renting out their flats to foreign work pass holders in future. Same family of coronaviruses as SARS The novel strain belongs to the same family of coronaviruses as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 800 people globally during a 2002-2003 outbreak and also started in China. On Monday, China's death toll from the coronavirus epidemic soared past 360, exceeding the 349 mainland fatalities from the SARS outbreak. The coronavirus has also spread to 26 territories beyond mainland China, sickening close over 17,000 people worldwide. The World Health Organization declared a global emergency over the new virus last Thursday (GMT), after initially downplaying the threat posed by the disease. The new strain likely originated from Wuhans Huanan Seafood Market, where live animals or products such as foxes, wolf puppies, giant salamanders, snakes, porcupines, and camel meat are sold. Patients suffering from the new strain may exhibit fever and symptoms of lower respiratory illness such as coughing or difficulty in breathing , as well as pneumonia-like symptoms like a runny nose, sore throat, and headache. However, some who have died from it have not displayed symptoms of fever, according to details released by Chinas National Health Commission, potentially complicating global efforts to check for infected travellers as they arrive at airports and other travel hubs. This means that temperature screening, the most common measure being used at transport links and airports to check travellers, may not identify some infected people. (INFOGRAPHIC: Yahoo News Singapore) Travel ban On Friday, the taskforce announced expanded travel curbs in a bid to contain the outbreak. All China passport holders not residing in Singapore are barred from entering or transiting through Singapore. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority has suspended the issuance of all forms of new visas to those with China passports. Singapores status as a visa-free transit facility for those with China passports has also been suspended. Previously issued short-term and multiple-visit visas for those with China passports would also be suspended. During this period of suspension, they are not allowed entry into Singapore. Wong said on Monday, that for holders of Chinese passports who have not visited China in the past 14 days, the ICA is prepared to issue them with a short-term visit pass or extend their short-term pass. All new visitors with recent travel history to mainland China within the last 14 days are not allowed to enter or transit through Singapore. Returning Singaporeans and long-term visa pass holders with similar recent travel history are allowed to enter, but they have to get 14 days of Leave of Absence upon returning. As of 1pm on Sunday, 15 travellers have been refused entry into Singapore following these restrictions. Affected passengers who give false or inaccurate information in their travel history may be subject to penalties under the Infectious Diseases Act. A person who is convicted under the Act could be jailed up to six months and/or fined up to $10,000. Separately, the MOH has advised Singaporeans to defer all travel to Hubei, and all non-essential travel to mainland China. (SOURCE: MOH) Related stories: China's virus death toll spikes, more than SARS Wuhan virus: 524 people now under quarantine in Singapore Parliament: About 140 Singaporeans still in Wuhan, says Lawrence Wong Wuhan virus: Washing hands offers more protection than face masks, authorities say MIDDLETOWN State Sens. Mary Daugherty Abrams, D-Meriden, Matthew Lesser, D-Middletown, and state Rep. Quentin Phipps, D-Middletown, announced their endorsement for Elizabeth Warren for president. Elizabeth Warren is the anti-corruption candidate who has the best chance of beating Donald Trump, Lesser said in a prepared statement. Abrams said Warren is a dynamic leader: She will confront the challenges we face with compassion, courage and intelligence. We need a leader who takes pride in championing equitable solutions for all. Senator Warren has shown an unwavering commitment to finding these solutions and is ready to stand up for them, Phipps said in the press release. The Connecticut Working Families Party has rallying support and endorsements from legislators, activists and voters for Warren. In 2019, the Working Families Party endorsed Warren, the release said. The party has been organizing volunteers to door knock and generate voter support in New Hampshire ahead of the primary Feb. 11. A passenger said he experienced the flight from hell after he and three other travellers collapsed during a Ryanair service from Budapest to Edinburgh. Shaun Pinkerton, a 27-year-old garage manager, said people started fainting around an hour into the three-hour flight on 31 Jaunary. The first person to collapse was just 17 and needed CPR, he told the Scottish Sun. Then a second person collapsed, followed by Mr Pinkerton and finally a fourth passenger, he said. Everyone was panicking and we still dont really know what happened, he said. It makes you not want to fly again. It was the flight from hell. World's safest airlines 2020 Show all 20 1 /20 World's safest airlines 2020 World's safest airlines 2020 Qantas Check up: the Qantas fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft are being examined Qantas World's safest airlines 2020 Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Eva Air Eva Air Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Etihad Etihad Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Qatar Airways Qatar Airways Heathrow Airport World's safest airlines 2020 Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines Getty World's safest airlines 2020 Emirates Emirates AFP/Getty World's safest airlines 2020 Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Getty World's safest airlines 2020 Virgin Australia Virgin Australia Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Airlines World's safest airlines 2020 Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic World's safest airlines 2020 TAP Portugal TAP Portugal Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 SAS SAS AFP/Getty World's safest airlines 2020 Royal Jordanian Royal Jordanian Bjorn Strey/Wikimedia World's safest airlines 2020 SWISS SWISS Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Finnair Finnair Getty World's safest airlines 2020 Lufthansa Lufthansa Reuters World's safest airlines 2020 Aer Lingus Aer Lingus AFP/Getty World's safest airlines 2020 KLM KLM Getty According to Mr Pinkerton, cabin crew got out huge tanks of oxygen and were in the aisles performing CPR on those who needed it. I was knocked out and needed an oxygen mask, he said. Then I went into shock and was totally shaking. He is demanding compensation after his traumatising experience and claims there was a fault with the aircraft. There was something seriously wrong with that flight, folk were worrying there wasnt enough oxygen, he said. I dont know why they didnt divert the plane to land sooner. Recommended Plane makes emergency landing after engine catches on fire Mr Pinkerton added that, although hes due to travel to both Madrid and Poland in the next couple of months, the experience has seriously affected him. I dont want to step foot on a plane ever again. It was like something out of a movie. Edinburgh Airport confirmed to The Independent that an emergency first aid request was made by the flight crew and that a team of medical staff was on hand to meet the aircraft when it landed. The crew of this flight from Budapest to Edinburgh (31 Jan) called ahead to request medical assistance on landing after two customers became ill onboard, a Ryanair spokesperson told The Independent. The aircraft landed normally and these customers were met by medics for further treatment. They emphasised there was no fault with the aircraft. The Benin-Ore road was totally blocked yesterday due to road construction along the axis. According to TVC, travelers say they were on stand still for hours with no sign they will move from their spot. Hopefully, something is done quick. More photos below Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Building innovative products and services that create a competitive advantage is undoubtedly a strategic priority for most company boards across Australia. So why are less than one-third of senior technology executives in Australia and New Zealand who responded to the 2020 State of the CIO survey spending time on driving business innovation in their current roles? Only 27 per cent of respondents here and across the Tasman, and 32 per cent across the Asia-Pacific region according to the survey indicated that this was part of their remit. But its an activity that more than half (53 per cent) indicated that they would spend more time on in the next three years. Whats even more surprising is that 53 per cent of A/NZ respondents said that their teams were not tasked with creating new revenue from the development of new products and services with the remainder (47 per cent) having this responsibility. Rowan Dollar, chief information officer at the Department of Human Services in South Australia, says the challenge every CIO and the technology group faces is simply keeping systems running. Regardless of how innovative a CIO might be, at the end of the day when the bosses laptop doesnt work, youve got a problem and you need to go and fix that. Innovation is about solving problems but most people are not good at identifying the root cause, Dollar adds. Sometimes they might find a problem but the business doesnt actually want to get on with it. Too many technical people sit back and have their blinkers on they just cant be innovative, he says. Boards dont want to be disrupted, they dont really want to transform and they dont really want to do anything other than what they have always been doing, he adds. Weve just had a banking royal commission that proves that. At the end of the day, government and business think that innovation requires money. It doesnt require lots of money, I think that this is the killer of innovation because you starting throwing people at the problem rather than trying to solve the problem,he says. Connie Gagliano In his previous role as CIO at the Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry & Resources, Dollar and seven of his staff worked with Microsoft on an artificial intelligence project. They used computer vision and machine learning technologies to identify fish species from raw video taken from offshore reef protection zones. The project has global impacts across a range of industries. You dont need a $100 million innovation fund to be innovative; the reverse is the case. There are millions of dollars being thrown around innovation centres [but] where is the innovation? he asks. You get so caught up in the 9-5 that you actually stop looking for problems. My approach [to overcome this] is to build relationships with people, I go and build them with not just my peers at the executive level but everyone else that I know. Connie Gagliano Simon Reiter, chief information officer at Defence Health, put the low innovation figure down to the fact that many organisations still have technical debt. This limits their ability to undertake transformative activities, he says. Reiter says he spends 10 per cent of his time focused on revenue generating activities now that Defence Healths core system is in place. We are now looking at how we can capitalise on what we have built and how we can use that to generate revenue through a BPO doing some outsourcing for other health insurers or smaller funds, Reiter says. Ive got a skillset that I have built up with my transformation [activities] in the last two years and using those staff to consult to other funds. But a lot of my time is still spend on BAU. So whats driving technology investments? Improving customer experience (55 per cent of respondents) and increasing operational efficiency (53 per cent) are the top initiatives driving IT investments at organisations in Australia and New Zealand. This was followed by increasing cyber security protections (31 per cent), transforming existing business processes (33 per cent), improving employee productivity (24 per cent), improving profitability (22 per cent), and increasing top line revenue for the business (11 per cent). Connie Gagliano Everything is about the experience of internal and external customers, says Dollar. Its about understanding what they [customers] do and how they do it. Thats how you can improve their experience, its about figuratively walking a mile in their shoes. For example, we have a connectivity project going on at the moment for social workers; giving them access to [systems] when they are sitting in someones loungeroom talking to them. Its about the social worker knowing, for instance, if the SA Police were at the premises last night or the patient missed an appointment at a hospital. Its critical information that allows [workers] to change their approach when they walk in the front door. Its about understanding what their experience needs to be and how technology can fix that. Connie Gagliano Meanwhile, Defence Healths Reiter, says that IT budgets arent really growing by much which means that organisations are having to stretch their dollars further when it comes to investing in technology. We can look at how we use technology to drive internal efficiencies, he says. Its about how we automate things; its easy but I think robotic process automation has potential to be something that provides a good return. But if you dont have your business processes documented, you cant automate them. Reiter agrees that improving customer experience is key, adding that brand loyalty is important in an environment where buyers are fickle. He says that Defence Health has looked closer at its communications with customers, providing clarity around exactly where payments are made when members make claims. Which departments have budgets for tech? Several groups or functions outside of the IT organisation currently have budgets specifically earmarked for technology spending. Marketing leads the way with 38 per cent of respondents indicating that this group has a tech budget, followed by finance/accounting at 36 per cent, operations (33 per cent), supply chain (16 per cent), human resources (15 per cent), risk management (20 per cent), and sales (18 per cent). Connie Gagliano Defence Healths Reiter says that in his organisation, marketing has the biggest share of tech spend outside the IT group. The CMO and the marketing group are always looking at how they can do things or how they can leverage technologies coming out to target different markets. Defence Healths operations group is also spending more on technology, he says. Reiter believes that other departments are getting a larger slice of the technology dollar because technologists are not being proactive enough about approaching the business about funds for new projects. IT is slow, we go through this whole process around reviews, looking at securityit ends up being four or five months whereas marketing will go to Google and sign up to get [a service] straight away. Finding the right skills State of the CIO respondents were asked to indicate the areas where they are having difficulty finding people with the right skills. Not surprsingly, 47 per cent are having issues finding staff in the areas of data science/analytics, followed by 42 per cent in cyber security, and 31 per cent in artificial intelligence/machine learning and robotic process automation. The Department of Human Services in South Australia has a data analytics team, staffed by around 12 people, says Dollar. Weve got some good data sets, which is a carrot for people to come into this space, and weve got data youre not going to get to otherwise. Dollar is adamant that people tend to follow the headlines around skills shortages in the marketplace. If the headlines are saying that cyber security people are difficult to find, then they are going to say thatmaybe thats a good thing if you are a cyber person because your [pay] rate goes up. Dollar says he is more worried about cognitive diversity across his team than technical skills, which can be taught. Thats not just a gender conversation. I am looking for two things when I am hiring staff: the ability to be a critical thinker and showing initiative because you need to question. The questioners are not here anymore. One of the things that I teach my teams is to ask why we are doing something and ask it a lot. He adds that in the race for people with cyber security and data analytics skills, other areas of IT are being forgotten about all of the other skills that are needed to run an IT shop. The other most critical I think are business analysts (BA) and project managers (PM) because youve got to understand what the business is doing yet people are not hiring BAs. So how do you understand what the business is doing if you dont have the BA to do the work? The way to get runs on the board as a CIO is that you need good BAs and good PMs because thats what the business recognises. Connie Gagliano Defence Health is in Melbourne, a city that Simon Reiter says has no real shortage of cyber security specialists but the issue is attracting them to his organisation. There are a lot of big companies in Melbourne that pay well above market rates. Its about attracting them a company like Defence Health. Insurance isnt sexyweve outsourced all our cyber security roles apart from the CISO because we need that link to the business. Defence Health also has a data science team of 12 full time staff and takes advantage of a few artificial intelligence platforms to automate the data analysis process. Meanwhile, CIOs responding to the survey were also asked which skills they needed most to support their ongoing business activities. Change management was top of the list with 56 per cent indicating they need these skills, followed by technology integration/implementation (47 per cent), project management (38 per cent), and risk/security management (33 per cent). Tenures still fairly short In Australia and New Zealand, CIOs are spending on average of 3.52 years in their roles. Almost one-third (29 per cent) had been in their roles between one and two years (26 per cent in 2018); 22 per cent less than one year; seven per cent between two and three years; and 18 per cent between three and four years. Connie Gagliano I think that CIO tenures should be getting shorter, says Dollar. I read a stat that said IT tenure generally is about six years and that 50 per cent of staff move within the first two years of being in a role. The challenge that I am finding is that you get brought into a company that says, yes, we want to be disrupted, we want to be innovative and we want all of the things that you are bringing to the table but when you actually turn up, they dont want it. So for disruptive, innovative CIOstenure is a challenge because organisations actually dont want what you bring to the table. They actually want someone to keep the lights on and make sure the laptops turn up. Thats why I am not surprised that tenures are getting shorter and shorter and I think that the recruitment process is a problem. Youve got innovative CIOs who turn up into old fuddy duddy organisations that dont want change and then youve got to the other way around, youve got innovative companies that want innovators but they dont find them. Theres an argument on both sides and I think this is why tenures are getting shorter because people are either moved on or they move on, Dollar says. Over the past week, there have been two, possibly three, incidents of shooting in Delhis Jamia area. A young gunman walked towards protesters and shot a bullet injuring a student who was protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA on Thursday. On Saturday, another man, Kapil Gujjar, fired bullets in the air in the Shaheen Bagh area which has emerged as the hub of the anti-CAA protests and declared that only Hindus had a right to rule. And late on Sunday night, two men on a moving vehicle allegedly fired shots near the gates of the Jamia Millia Islamia university. While the first two shooters have been arrested, the police are investigating the third case. It still isnt certain whether shots were fired. The incidents merit the strongest condemnation. They also point to both a political and institutional failure. First, the violence cannot be divorced from the political rhetoric that has emanated from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership. From home minister Amit Shah down to candidates in the Delhi assembly polls, the BJP has decided to contest the elections by demonising Shaheen Bagh as the citadel of anti-nationals. Irrespective of ones view on the protests, this is undemocratic, for those protesting against CAA have grievances which they are expressing peacefully. To demonise it, instead of engaging with it, is flawed. The rhetoric has also taken violent overtones, especially in the openly provocative slogans chanted by minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur, statements by Delhi Member of Parliament Parvesh Verma and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. All of this has contributed to extremism among a section of young Hindus and is getting manifested in the violence targeted at Muslim-dominated protests in Muslim-dominated areas. The second responsibility is institutional. The State is tasked with the duty of maintaining law and order and preventing violence, while safeguarding democratic rights. In this case, it is clearly the responsibility of the Delhi Police which reports directly to the ministry of home affairs to ensure that no violence occurs. The fact that there have been two (maybe three) shootings in the same, limited, geographical area points to an abysmal dereliction of duty. In recent months, the Delhi Police have either been excessive in their use of force (in Jamia on December 15), seemingly complicit in mob violence (in Jawaharlal Nehru University on January 5) or incompetent (in Jamia/Shaheen Bagh over the past week). It is time for the political leadership of the BJP, the leadership of the home ministry, as well as the top officials of the Delhi Police to meet their constitutional responsibilities. Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno south, says the country is presently at war with criminals. The lawmaker said this when he appeared as a guest on a Channels TV programme on Sunday. According to him, the security challenges in the country have gone beyond Boko Haram insurgency to other crimes in various parts of the country. Ndume said, Nigerians think it is Borno state that is at war, and the armed forces, but that is not the case. Nigerians are supposed to know we are in a state of war. I think that it is high time for the government and Nigerians, in general, to see that Nigeria is at war with criminals. And this is not a conventional war. And attention should be focused more on solving these insecurity challenges that are not only affecting the north-east now but spreading to other areas and has made Nigerians so frustrated and you can see that Nigerians are taking to the streets to demonstrate. Ndume added also more security personnel are needed to tackle insecurity in the country. The police we have in this country is not up to 400,000; the Nigerian army and armed forces that we have are around 150,000 with around 6,000 officers. Read Also: Abducted Corps Member Refuses Offer To Be Released From Boko Haram Camp But the situation we are facing here with banditry here and there, with the police and army not well equipped and not well motivated, there is the need to face this challenge seriously. He spoke also of the resurgence of Boko Haram insurgency. When this government took over, virtually all our local governments in Borno state, about 22, were occupied by Boko Haram. When this government came in, Boko Haram was chased out, decimated and we thought it was even eliminated; it has been defeated but not eliminated. But recently, there is a resurgence of the insurgents in the north-east and particularly Borno state. But I still have the belief that the insurgency or the security challenges we are facing in this country can be addressed if the government becomes more serious and put in more resources. Health official: 'Regardless of variant, the protective measures are the same' local By Express News Service DEHRADUN: Despite a global alert on the outbreak of coronavirus, gross negligence is visible along Uttarakhand's border with Nepal and China. It is alleged that the security personnel screening the people at the border are not even provided with masks. Over 800 people have the Nepal border into Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand in the last five days. However, the state health department officials claimed otherwise. Usha Gunjyal, chief medical officer, Pithoragarh said: "We have provided masks to all personnel and requested the head office in Dehradun to send more of them. Every precaution regarding coronavirus is being taken." Three doctors, including an Ayurvedic physician, have been stationed at India-Nepal border posts of Dharchula and Jhulaghat to check and ascertain if people have symptoms of coronavirus infection. Last week, the Uttarakhand health department cancelled all leaves of medical staff. The decision came after reports of suspects emerging across the country. They have been instructed to take into account the travel history of the people with any symptoms like that of coronavirus-affected ones. No positive case has been found in Uttarakhand so far. Police in Texas are investigating the death of a bedridden 7-year-old girl whose mother has since been arrested. On Friday afternoon, Bay City police responded to the request of a welfare check. During the check, officers discovered the body of a 7-year-old girl, according to a police news release. The girl was bedridden due to medical conditions. Her mother, 26-year-old Lauren Kay Dean, was arrested for second degree felony charges of abandon, endangerment of a child imminent danger, bodily injury. The little girls two other siblings, aged 5 years and 3 months, who were also living in the home, were subsequently removed by authorities. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLEs free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Dean was booked into Matagorda County Jail. It is unclear whether she has an attorney to comment on her behalf as of Monday. Police are still investigating the girls death and anyone with additional information is encouraged to call Detective Stephen Lunsford or Detective Reyna Perez at 979-245-8500. OTTAWA, Feb. 1, 2020 /CNW/ - The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Black History Month: "Today, we celebrate the start of Black History Month and honour the legacy of Black Canadians. This year's theme Canadians of African descent: Going forward, guided by the past reminds us of the need to reflect on our history to build a successful future. "This is a time to learn more about the important role that people of African descent have played in our history. Time and again, Black Canadians have demonstrated courage, resilience, and leadership when faced with adversity. "William Hall was the first Canadian sailor and Black person to receive the Victoria Cross. While serving on the HMS Shannon, he volunteered with a relief force sent to protect a British garrison. The garrison was besieged and, by the end of the attack, he was the last sailor standing. In a remarkable act of bravery, he continued to fight alone, until the garrison was safe. "Mary Ann Shadd Cary was an educator, publisher, and abolitionist. She established a racially integrated school for Black refugees in Windsor, and was the first Black female publisher in North America, co-founding The Provincial Freeman weekly newspaper in the 1850s. "Devon Clunis, who moved to Canada from Jamaica when he was 12 years old, joined the Winnipeg Police Service in 1987. After 25 years of service, he was sworn in as the Chief of Police, becoming the first Black Canadian to hold the position. "While these Canadians helped build the more diverse and inclusive society we enjoy today, too many people continue to face systemic racism and discrimination. As a government, we are committed to standing up for human rights and fighting racism in all its forms, here at home and around the world. "To mark the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent, we also committed to projects that celebrate, share knowledge, and build capacity in Black Canadian communities. By listening to communities, activists, and advocates, we can combat anti-Black racism and help give every Canadian an opportunity to thrive. "This month, let us celebrate the contributions of Black Canadians, and learn more about their past and present experiences." This document is also available at http://pm.gc.ca SOURCE Prime Minister's Office For further information: PMO Media Relations: [email protected] Related Links http://pm.gc.ca/ Summit which serves the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas was acquired by American Financial Group (Great Americans parent company) in 2014. Following her promotion to SVP of the P&C group, Sipe will continue her role as president of Summit. She will also serve as the reporting officer overseeing another Great American Insurance subsidiary, Republic Indemnity, a release said. During her tenure, Carol has overseen several key initiatives at Summit that have resulted in innovation and efficiency, including a strategy to update Summits core technology systems, said Great American P&C group president and COO Gary Gruber. Carol and her team have achieved excellent results and have expanded Summits business into several new states. We wish Carol continued success in her expanded role. The Initial Public Offering (IPO) for Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) is likely to be launched in the second half of FY21, Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar said on February 2. The decision to launch the LIC IPO was introduced during the Budget speech on February 1 when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to sell a part of government stake in the insurance giant. As per Kumar, There are a number of processes which have to be followed and would also be required for the listing of LIC, . "We will follow the extant procedure for listing and for other things including the legislative changes it requires in consultation with the Ministry of Law and that process we already started ... listing in the second half of FY21 seems logical," he said. Some legislative changes need to be made before launching the IPO, Kumar told PTI. Asked about the quantum of dilution, Kumar said, it could be 10 per cent but no decision has been taken so far. Later speaking to media, the finance minister assuaged concerns of policyholders of any breach of sovereign guarantee as ownership stays with the government. "We have only said an IPO. We have not given complete ownership to somebody," she said. The government aims to garner Rs 90,000 crore from the listing of LIC and stake dilution in IDBI Bank in the next fiscal out of total disinvestment target of Rs 2.10 lakh crore. The government currently owns 100 per cent in LIC, while it holds around 46.5 per cent stake in IDBI Bank. "Listing of companies on stock exchanges disciplines a company and provides access to financial markets and unlocks its value. It also gives opportunity for retail investors to participate in the wealth so created. The government now proposes to sell a part of its holding in LIC by way of Initial Public Offer (IPO)," the Finance Minister had said in her Budget speech. Market participants are quite bullish about LIC and said it could be "IPO of the decade" akin to the Saudi Aramco listing. The 60-year-old state-owned firm, LIC, is the country's largest insurer, controlling more than 70 per cent of the market share. The insurer has a market share of 76.28 per cent in number of policies and 71 per cent in first-year premiums. LIC has many subsidiaries including IDBI Bank. It acquired controlling stake in IDBI Bank in 2019. (With PTI inputs) CHICAGO, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Golden Apple , the leading Illinois nonprofit committed to preparing, honoring and supporting great educators who advance educational opportunities for students, today announced the 2020 finalists for the distinguished Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Leadership , presented in honor of founding Golden Apple board member Stanley C. Golder. Six Pre-K through 12th-grade principals and heads of schools were selected as 2020 finalists. Leadership award nominations increased 40% over last year and were received from 33 counties, with four counties being represented at the finalist stage. This is the seventh year that Golden Apple has recognized exceptional school leaders with the Excellence in Leadership Award and the second year that nominees have been accepted from throughout Illinois. The Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership honors exemplary performance in school leadership by a principal or head of school who has had a significant and sustained positive impact on the school, created a culture of inclusivity, and delivered dramatic student growth. Fellow educators, students, parents, and community members nominate school leaders for the awards. "Outstanding school leaders enable teachers and students to reach their full potential, and it is an honor to recognize these finalists for the many ways in which they empower their school communities to thrive," said Alan Mather, President of Golden Apple and the first recipient of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership. "Preparing students for the world of tomorrow requires school leaders who are ambitious in their vision and bold in their pursuit of excellence. Each of the 2020 finalists embodies these ideals." View the 2020 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership Award Finalists "Golden Apple's vision is an Illinois in which every student has a highly effective teacher, but the reality is that great teachers do not remain in schools without great school leaders," said Alicia Winckler, Golden Apple CEO. "It is impossible to overstate the transformational impact of school leaders like the 2020 finalists, and we are thrilled to highlight the many ways in which they strengthen the educational experience for all those around them." The finalists for the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching were announced on January 23. Information about this elite group of teachers can be found here . Award finalists for both the Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching and the Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Leadership will be recognized on Saturday, February 22 at the Golden Apple Celebration of Excellence in Teaching & Leadership at the Q Center in St. Charles. Event details and tickets are available at www.goldenapple.org/celebration . The 2020 Golden Apple Award recipients will be notified in the spring with surprise visits at their schools. Leadership Award recipients are selected by master educators and school leaders who understand and recognize balanced and collaborative leadership and who utilize professional standards to assess the culture, innovation, and outcomes achieved by exemplary school leaders. Members of the selection committee include previous Award recipients, district and university leaders who will conduct on-site observations and interviews with finalists' direct managers, other administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community members. The Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership recipient receives a cash award of $10,000, with $5,000 for the school leader and $5,000 to the school for a project of the recipient's choosing. Award recipients also become Fellows of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, a community of educators who support current and future teachers and deepen the learning of students. Fellows play an important role in preparing the next generation of teachers by providing instruction and mentorship to future teachers in the Golden Apple Scholars and Accelerators programs - programs dedicated to addressing the teacher shortage in Illinois. Over the coming weeks, Golden Apple's social media channels will feature each of the finalists and the announcements of the final award recipients. Follow the news here: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn . About Golden Apple Golden Apple's mission is to inspire, develop and support teacher and school leader excellence in Illinois, especially in schools-of-need. Our leading-edge preparation delivers exceptional teachers who make an impact. We help students thrive in the classroom and in life. Since our beginning, we have recognized master educators annually; and, these master educators help prepare the next generation of teachers. Our vision is an Illinois in which every classroom has a great teacher and to realize this, we are committed to making a material difference in resolving the teacher shortage throughout Illinois. Visit http://www.goldenapple.org for more information. Media contact: David Pickard 708-305-1910 [email protected] SOURCE Golden Apple Related Links https://www.goldenapple.org David Platt says he needed to 'repent' for not preaching on abortion as younger pastor Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment WASHINGTON Popular megachurch pastor and author David Platt, who at one point was the youngest megachurch pastor in the United States, says that there was a time in his life when he needed to repent for not preaching enough on abortion as a younger pastor. There was a point as a pastor when I just kind of stayed away from abortion [because Id think] thats a political issue, Platt, the lead pastor of McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia, and author of Radical, told CP. But I got really convicted. Far before it is any kind of political issue, it is a biblical issue that God speaks really clear about the value of life. The former leader of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board was on stage last Friday at the 2020 National March for Life rally on the National Mall. He delivered the closing prayer and didn't shy away from calling out sin. Everyone marching today is a sinner, Platt prayed, adding that sin affects everyone from the White House to every house and how everyone needs Gods mercy. We have all turned aside from your ways to our ways in our lives and as a country. How we have settled for racial injustice, ignored the immigrant, marginalized the poor and neglected the needy. How we have confused sexuality, abused authority, objectified beauty and how we have taken the lives of children, he said in his prayer. He further prayed for an end to laws that make it legal to murder a child. Platt, 41, and his family began attending the annual national march against abortion a few years back when they moved to Northern Virginia. He joined the staff at McLean in 2017 after longtime pastor Lon Solomon resigned following 36 years of ministry. Since we have moved up here, my family and I have tried to come [to the march] consistently, he explained. Whereas before he was too timid to speak on abortion, today he believes that as a pastor who preaches Gods Word, he must speak clearly about the value of life for babies, for women, for men. I have an obligation to do that, especially in a culture where so many childrens lives are taken in the womb, he said as hundreds of thousands of abortions occur each year in the U.S. If we are going to be faithful to shepherd Gods people in this culture, we have to address this issue. Platt said he doesnt remember exactly what year the Lord convicted him on the abortion issue, but said that he had already been a pastor for a few years at that time. I just kind of dodged abortion altogether, he explained. I had to repent before the Lord for sitting idly by and not doing anything personally or pastorally to mobilize people to see the value of life according to Gods Word. After the conviction, he not only began preaching on abortion and the value of life but he also helped mobilize his congregation to take action. We did a lot then in the church I was pastoring (Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama) and we are doing a lot now, he said. Its not just saying, Here is what God says about life. But it is showing with our lives how we are caring for mothers with unwanted pregnancies. So [its about] stepping up our efforts to do that in church. How do we care for kids in the foster care system and caring for kids in need of adoption? We should be leading the way in not just saying give birth to a child but we will be there to help you in the process and if you come to the conclusion you cant care for this child, well be there to care of this child. Platt said McLean is in the early stages of foster care and adoption ministry. We are trying to create a culture of foster care and adoption, he said. I have preached on it each year. More and more families are getting involved in the foster care system here in Virginia-Maryland-D.C. More and more families are starting the adoption process. One of those families is Platts. My family and I are about to adopt our fifth child next week, he revealed on Friday. Two of our kids are adopted and this will be our third child that we have adopted. His family is doing an international adoption but he couldnt yet publicly disclose what country the child is from. Platt stressed that there is still a need to show the dark realities of whats happening to children and shine a light on the effects of that on women. He urged churches to come alongside women who have abortions in their healing process. We have many women in our church who have had abortions, he explained. We have outlets where we are doing ministry with them as they walk through a healing process from having an abortion. We have got to make sure we are addressing this issue holistically and not just saying, OK, let me make this political statement and move on. There is so much more. Isis has claimed responsibility for the Streatham terror attack. The group issued a generically-worded statement on its official propaganda channels on Monday morning saying the stabbing was carried out by an Isis soldier. It said he was responding to calls for attacks on citizens of countries bombing Isis territories, which have since been lost in Syria and Iraq. Isiss statement contained no new details of the attack or the perpetrator, meaning it may have been based on media reports rather than direct communication with Sudesh Amman. The terrorist organisation has claimed numerous attacks without proof, including the Fishmongers Hall stabbing in November. Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Show all 22 1 /22 Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police officers on Streatham High Road. The Metropolitan Police warned people to stay away from the Streatham area boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings The man was shot dead by police after two stabbed in 'Islamist-related' terror attack in London boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Sudesh Amman, the attacker, has been named as a convicted terror offender who was released from prison days ago Metropolitan Police/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road Isis supporter Amman was just 18 when he was jailed in December 2018 after police found a stash of bomb-making manuals and other propaganda. Now 20, he had declared his own wish to carry out a terror attack and stockpiled a combat knife, air gun and black flag at his family home in London PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings He was being monitored by undercover police and being followed as part of a proactive counterterrorism operation when he started the rampage in Streatham AP Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Amman was able to stab two people before being shot dead by armed officers outside a busy row of shops Gabriel Video/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A woman reacts as police officers interview people near to the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings An armed police officer on Streatham High Road Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said Amman was wearing a fake suicide ves Gully/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers work outside of a Boots store AFP via Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers at the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police forensic officer works at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police officer on the scene Dave Chawner/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers are seen near the site Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers on the scene outside an Iceland supermarket Andy Bullemor/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police are seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A policeman secures the site of the incident EPA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Megan Tobeck Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Michael Owens Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers at the scene PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A Police officer is seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Amman had been jailed for collecting and distributing terrorist material, and his trial heard that he had declared a pledge of allegiance to Isis. Prosecutors said he had a fascination with dying in the name of terrorism, discussed carrying a knife attack and listed becoming a martyr as his top life goal. He posted a photo of a knife and two guns on top of a black Islamist flag, with the caption armed and ready 3 April before his arrest, but was not charged with preparing an act of terrorism. Amman was handed a three year and four month sentence in December 2018 for disseminating terrorist material and collecting information useful for terror attacks. He was released last week after serving half of his jail sentence, after a total of 20 months in custody since his original arrest. Amman's, mother Haleema Faraz Khan, told Sky News that he was a nice, polite boy who had seemed normal when she visited him at his probation hostel on Thursday. She said he had become more religious since being in prison, and that she believed he had been radicalised while in HMP Belmarsh. He became more religious inside prison, that's where I think he became radicalised, she added. He was watching and listening to things online which brainwashed him. Concerns have frequently been raised about terrorist networking inside the prison. Sadiq Khan warns Streatham attack was 'preventable' Ms Khan also said that Amman, the eldest of her five sons, had also developed extreme views after looking at Islamist material online. His 2018 trial heard that he had started collecting terrorist material online at the age of 17 and was active on Telegram - then Isis's main platform. The Metropolitan Police said he was being followed by undercover officers as part of a proactive operation when he launched his knife attack in a busy shopping street on Sunday afternoon. He stabbed two people, who survived, before being shot dead by police. Recommended Terrorist prisoners free to network and radicalise inmates in UK jails Like other recent Isis-inspired attackers, Amman was wearing a fake suicide vest that ensured police would shoot to kill. It was the third terror attack in just over two months to be carried out by a convicted terrorist in Britain, following stabbings at Fishmongers Hall and inside HMP Whitemoor. The former head of counterterror police warned that more dangerous people are now being released from British prisons than returning from Syria. There are currently more than 200 people jailed for terror offences in the UK, but up to 800 flagged as potential extremists and prison officers fear the real number is far higher. Recent cases have shown that terrorists are able to network and radicalise others inside prisons, and may be faking apparent compliance with deradicalisation schemes. The government recently announced a package of new terror measures including lie detector tests for released terrorists and changes to make them serve longer in jail. Further proposals were to be announced on Monday but there are mounting concerns that imprisoning extremists could actually be increasing the risk they pose because of a lack of control and effective deradicalisation work. British security services have foiled 24 attack plots 16 Islamist and eight far-right since March 2017. But the head of counterterror police has admitted that softer targets and more simple plots have become harder to stop. In 2014 a speech by Isis's spokesperson called for indiscriminate attacks on all non-Muslims, particularly in countries including Britain in the US-led coalition bombing its territories. Isis propaganda called for supporters to attack soft targets, such as shopping districts, with low security. Such attacks have been difficult for security services to intercept, because of the speed of planning and use of everyday items like kitchen knives. The Allahabad High Court on Monday granted bail to former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand, accused of sexually abusing a law student. Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court on Monday granted bail to former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand, accused of sexually abusing a law student. Chinmayanand, whose trust runs the Shahjahanpur law college where the woman studied, was arrested on 20 September under Section 376-C of the IPC, a charge short of rape. It is applied when someone in authority takes advantage of his official position and induces or seduces a woman to have sex with him. In a parallel case, the survivor was charged with trying to extort money from the BJP leader, whom she had accused of rape. The high court granted her bail in that case in December. Amazon has entered an extremely exclusive Wall Street club ... again. The company opened Monday above $1 trillion in market cap. The stock joined Microsoft, Alphabet and Apple in that mega market-cap group. It briefly surpassed that milestone on Friday and had also topped $1 trillion for a stretch back in September 2018. One trader isn't buying into the Amazon story here, though, preferring one of its trillionaire peers. "I personally love Microsoft. I think it's one of the best long-term investments out there," Danielle Shay, trader specialist at Simpler Trading, said Friday on CNBC's "Trading Nation." Microsoft has rocketed higher over the past 12 months, up 68% and hitting record highs as recently as Thursday. Shay said there are a few reasons behind her call for continued outperformance. "You have CEO Satya Nadella who has basically changed the landscape of the company. Microsoft is now a cloud computing powerhouse. They got the JEDI contract from the [Department of Defense] last year -- that was a hug win, especially over Amazon. And they've shown consistent quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year growth," she said. Shay finds commonality with Bill Baruch, president of Blue Line Capital. "On a technical basis I'm leaning on Microsoft as well," Baruch said during the same segment. "It's hard to choose from these bellwethers but I use the process of elimination. Apple has hit my $324 upside target. Amazon $2,000 is too fresh -- I want to see some consistent closes above $2,000. For Alphabet, $1,370 is the next real support level about 4% away." Microsoft looks different from the rest, though, Baruch said he sees one level that should act as a cushion should the broader markets experience more downside. "For Microsoft we have a strong support about 1.5% away at $168, it's a breakout level. I think there is good support there. And then below there, you have great support 4.5% away at $163," said Baruch. "I'm leaning on Microsoft as a buy here." Disclosure: Shay has a position in Microsoft. Disclaimer The BJP issued a show cause notice to its MP Anantkumar Hegde on Monday for his comments against Mahatma Gandhi, the party's Karnataka state president Nalin Kumar Kateel said. Kateel told PTI that the party's central leadership has served the notice to Hegde, taking strong objections to his remarks targeting Gandhi and seeking an explanation from him. In controversial comments, Hegde questioned the freedom movement led by Gandhi and described it as an "adjustment" with the British rulers. Freedom fighters who did not sacrifice anything made the country believe that it attained independence through 'Upavas Satyagrah', Gandhi's preferred mode of agitation, and became 'mahapurush' (great person), Hegde had said at an event in Bengaluru on Saturday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SAN ANTONIO -- Feb. 3, 2020 -- Using data from NASA's Parker Solar Probe (PSP), a team led by Southwest Research Institute identified low-energy particles lurking near the Sun that likely originated from solar wind interactions well beyond Earth orbit. PSP is venturing closer to the Sun than any previous probe, carrying hardware SwRI helped develop. Scientists are probing the enigmatic features of the Sun to answer many questions, including how to protect space travelers and technology from the radiation associated with solar events. "Our main goal is to determine the acceleration mechanisms that create and transport dangerous high-energy particles from the solar atmosphere into the solar system, including the near-Earth environment," said Dr. Mihir Desai, a mission co-investigator on the Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (IS?IS) instrument suite, a multi-institutional project led by Principal Investigator Prof. Dave McComas of Princeton University.. IS?IS consists of two instruments, Energetic Particle Instrument-High (EPI-Hi) and Energetic Particle Instrument-Low (EPI-Lo). "With EPI-Lo, we were able to measure extremely low-energy particles unexpectedly close to the solar environment. We considered many explanations for their presence, but ultimately determined they are the smoking gun pointing to interactions between slow- and fast-moving regions of the solar wind that accelerate high-energy particles from beyond the orbit of Earth. Some of those travel back toward the Sun, slowing against the tide of the outpouring solar wind but still retaining surprisingly high energies." PSP, which will travel within 4 million miles of the Sun's surface, is collecting new solar data to help scientists understand how solar events, such as coronal mass ejections, impact life on Earth. During the rising portion of the Sun's activity cycle, our star releases huge quantities of energized matter, magnetic fields and electromagnetic radiation in the form of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). This material is integrated into the solar wind, the steady stream of charged particles released from the Sun's upper atmosphere. The high-energy solar energetic particles (SEPs) present a serious radiation threat to human explorers living and working outside low-Earth orbit and to technological assets such as communications and scientific satellites in space. The mission is making the first-ever direct measurements of both the low-energy source populations as well as the more hazardous, higher-energy particles in the near-Sun environment, where the acceleration takes place. When the Sun's activity reaches a lull, roughly about every 11 years, solar equatorial regions emit slower solar wind streams, traveling around 1 million miles per hour, while the poles spew faster streams, traveling twice as fast at 2 million miles per hour. Stream Interaction Regions (SIRs) are created by interactions at boundaries between the fast and slow solar wind. Fast-moving streams tend to overtake slower streams that originate westward of them on the Sun, forming turbulent corotating interaction regions (CIRs) that produce shock waves and accelerated particles, not unlike those produced by CMEs. "For the first time, we observed low-energy particles from these CIRs near the orbit of Mercury," Desai said. "We also compared the PSP data with data from STEREO, another solar energy probe. By measuring the full range of energetic populations and correlating the data with other measurements, we hope to get a clear picture of the origin and the processes that accelerate these particles. Our next step is to integrate the data into models to better understand the origin of SEPs and other materials. Parker Solar Probe will solve many puzzling scientific questions -- and is guaranteed to generate new ones as well." ### This research is described in the paper "Properties of Suprathermal-through-Energetic He Ions Associated with Stream interaction regions Observed over Parker Solar Probe's First Two Orbits," published February 3 in a special issue of the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series devoted exclusively to the first science results from the Parker Solar Probe mission. PSP is part of NASA's "Living With a Star" program to explore aspects of the Sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society. The Living With a Star flight program is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, manages the mission for NASA. APL designed and built the spacecraft and is operating it. The IS?IS instrument suite has two instruments mounted to the spacecraft on an SwRI-designed and fabricated bracket. The EPI-Lo instrument measures the lower-energy particles. SwRI collaborated with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the mechanical fabrication and analyses for the EPI-Hi instrument, which measures the higher-energy materials. Data from the IS?IS instrument suite are processed by the IS?IS Science Operations Center led by Prof. Nathan Schwadron at the University of New Hampshire. In addition to Princeton, JHU/APL, Caltech, SwRI and UNH, the IS?IS team also includes scientists and engineers from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the University of Delaware and the University of Arizona. For more information, visit https://www.swri.org/heliophysics. Release url: https://www.swri.org/press-release/parker-probe-solar-wind-high-energy-particles?utm_source=EurekAlert!&utm_medium=Distribution&utm_campaign=Parker-Probe-Solar-PR Client service url: https://www.swri.org/heliophysics?utm_source=EurekAlert!&utm_medium=SwRI&utm_campaign=Parker-Probe-Solar-PR By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Union Budget proposal increasing the number of days one has to stay abroad to get NRI status and avoid taxation from 182 to 240 has caused a flutter with several expatriates raising concerns as to whether they will be forced to pay income tax for the remittances they make to India. As the proposal to amend Section 6 of the Income Tax Act, 1961, and another proposal to tax non-resident Indians who are not taxed in the foreign country where they stay caused confusion and worries, Chief Minister Pinarayi Minister wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing the deep anguish of the state and requesting him to desist from amending the section. Following this, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday came out with a clarification that there is no intention to tax global income of NRIs and only income generated in India will be taxed. What we are doing now is that the income of an NRI generated in India will be taxed here. If hes earning something in a jurisdiction where there is no tax, why will I include that into mine that has been generated there, Sitharaman said. Whereas if you have a property here and you have a rent out of it, but because you are living there, you carry this rent into your income there and pay no tax there, pay no tax here ... since the property is in India, I have got a sovereign right to tax, she further said in a post-Budget interaction with media. ALSO READ | Kerala concerned over changes to I-T Act as it would affect state's economy supported by Gulf NRIs I am not taxing what youre earning in Dubai but that property which is giving you a rent here. You may be an NRI, you may be living there but that is revenue being generated here for you. So thats the issue, she added. Though the explanatory memorandum to the Finance Bill states that this is a provision to check tax abuse, the proposal caused heartburns in Kerala as it has a large number of people working in foreign countries, whose remittances alone comprise approximately 15 per cent of the states GDP. However, only a section of NRIs who work in oil rigs, merchant navy and some businessmen who have to stay in India for more than 120 days as part of their work schedule, will be most affected by the new proposal. A majority of Keralites who toil in West Asian countries will not fall under the ambit of this tax net. Sachin Menon, national head, indirect tax practice, KPMG India, said it seems this is mainly aimed at a section of businessmen who use NRI status to avail tax evasion and this will not affect the ordinary workforce employed abroad. Ameren Illinois demonstrated its goal towards community mindedness by giving Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles WSIE 88.7 FM The Sound a $2,000 grant. Partly, the electric companys mission is to enhance the quality of life in the communities they serve, according to Ameren officials. WSIE is a non-commercial, education-focused radio station, broadcasting at 50,000 watts on the campus of SIUE and reaching most of the Greater St. Louis region. In the past, WSIE enjoyed state support to help offset costs, but after July 1, 2018, that stipend was discontinued because of the former Illinois budget crisis. Now, the station is reliant on underwriting partners and donations from listeners, as well as grants and corporate donations. This heritage station is loved by many, and this donation from Ameren Illinois will help us as we continue to work on funding our operation costs, said WSIE General Manager Jason Church. Gifts like this are necessary in order to help us continue to provide quality jazz and jazz-centric programming, as well as offering the opportunities for students to get real world experience with a professional radio station. WSIE not only offers a nice lifestyle amenity for residents in the region, but also the broadcasters who graduate from their program will one day be delivering the news about topics of importance to our customers, said Vice President of Electric Operations George Justice and fan of the station. Were proud to provide resources to help the station continue its good work in the Greater St. Louis area. To learn more about how you or your business can support this community radio station, visit WSIE. Ameren Illinois is a regulated electric and gas delivery company headquartered in Collinsville, Illinois. Ameren Illinois delivers energy to 1.2 million electric and more than 800,000 natural gas customers in Illinois. Their mission is to power the quality of life. Their service territory covers more than 1,200 communities and 43,700 square miles. For more information, visit AmerenIllinois.com. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan held a telephone conversation with President of the European Council Charles Michel on February 3, the PMs Office told Armenpress. The officials discussed issues relating to the Armenia-EU relations. They expressed readiness to further develop the Armenia-EU future cooperation, including the commercial ties. The discussion also focused on the agenda of ongoing reforms in Armenia. The European Council President said he attaches importance to the reform path selected by Armenia. During the phone talk the Armenian PM and the European Council President exchanged views on their expectations from the upcoming summit of Eastern Partnership in June in Brussels. The phone talk was held by the initiative of the Armenian side. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan The farmer accused of massacring dozens of koalas while bulldozing a blue gum plantation has claimed the animals had already died of starvation. Just weeks after Australia's worst bushfire season killed an estimated 8,000 koalas, another 40 were reportedly killed after the plantation in Portland, Victoria, was bulldozed. The Victorian government was threatening legal action against the bulldozing, but father Keith Troeth insists most of the koalas on the land died of starvation. Mr Troeth's family owns the blue gum plantation and he told The Age only a small number of koalas may have been killed while it was bulldozed last week. The farmer accused of massacring dozens of koalas while bulldozing a blue gum plantation has claimed the animals had already died of starvation Other koalas which survived the initial impact were eventually euthanised due to their injuries The land had been logged in November but the farmer said they had every effort to 'avoid fatalities'. 'We made every effort to do it professionally, we made every effort to minimise any fatality,' Mr Troeth said. The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning are investigating the incident. Workers have been combing through the slash pile on the 60 hectare property in search of dead or injured koalas. But Mr Troath said the number of dead koalas found on the property had been heavily inflated by local activists. He said the logging was completed in November and they noted that 72 koalas were on the property during the time. More than 100 animals are believed to have been on the property when it was bulldozed last week, but Mr Troath denies there being 500. Mr Troath said he has been personally impacted by the outrage and overreaction caused online. 'I'm not stressed for myself, it's more that people are using the koalas for their own agenda,' he said. Victorian Environment Minister Lily D'Ambrosio vowed to penalise those responsibe. Ms Oakley found one koala with a broken arm which later had to be euthanised despite best efforts to save him 'We will do everything possible to bring the people who are responsible for this to account and to throw every penalty that is available to us at them,' she said. Registered nurse Helen Oakley surveyed the property over the weekend, claims it 'smelt like death' and said she saw dozens of dead and injured koalas. In a tearful video explaining the devastation, Ms Oakley said the logging company 'bulldozed 140 acres now and have just killed all of our koalas.' 'There are koalas lying there dead,' she said. 'Mothers killed with their little babies.' Local MP for the region Andy Meddick also spoke of his devastation after pictures of the dead koalas emerged on Sunday. He said he would do all that he could within his electorate to get to the bottom of the situation and save the animals. 'As bushfires ravage parts of our state, killing millions of native animals, a bluegum plantation full of koalas is being cleared in my electorate of Western Victoria,' he said. Wildlife experts estimate at least 8,000 koalas have perished in Australia's deadly bushfire season, which is almost a third of the entire population in New South Wales 'According to local sources, hundreds of koalas have been impacted. Some have been killed, many injured.' Mr Meddick said a law was passed in January 2017 making it mandatory in the state for individuals or businesses to report koala deaths. Ms Oakley told Yahoo News some of the surviving koalas were so badly injured medics were forced to euthanise them after rescuing them. 'The surviving koalas are being brought down from trees and the vets are checking them for hydration and malnutrition as they're all covered in ticks... a lot of them had to be euthanised' She said one of the koalas which was later put to sleep was discovered with a broken arm. 'I've never seen so many koalas in a concentrated area like this and so much death and smell. 'I started thinking if these were humans what this would be like and I just lost it.' Wildlife experts estimate at least 8,000 koalas have perished in Australia's deadly bushfire season, which is almost a third of the entire population in New South Wales. Ecologists say the animals may disappear from some regions and have to be reclassified as an endangered species. Research News Smoke two of these and call me in the morning? Not quite, study finds Researchers say the empirical evidence doesn't match up with cannabis enthusiasts beliefs about the medicinal and health uses of marijuana. By DAVID J. HILL People are using cannabis and cannabinoids for everything and anything, and we dont have enough systematic research on whether its effective for these conditions. Researchers quizzed cannabis enthusiasts at a marijuana advocacy event about their beliefs on whether the drug is effective in treating certain medical conditions. The majority of the nearly 500 people surveyed failed the quiz, according to the best science available. There is a big discrepancy between what the empirical evidence is saying and what people believe, says Daniel Kruger, lead author of the study, which was published this month in the American Journal of Health Promotion. Weve gone back to the 19th century miracle cure, adds Kruger, research associate professor of community health and health behavior in the UB School of Public Health and Health Professions and research investigator with the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan. People are using cannabis and cannabinoids for everything and anything, and we dont have enough systematic research on whether its effective for these conditions. People are stopping or reducing prescription drugs to use medical cannabis. Its a serious issue, he says. And thats exactly why researchers felt it was important to survey marijuana users. Researchers set up a table during Hash Bash, an annual marijuana advocacy event that has taken place on the campus of the University of Michigan for the past several decades. The research team which included Jessica Kruger, clinical assistant professor in UBs School of Public Health and Health Professions has conducted several previous studies with data collected at Hash Bash. Among them was a paper published last spring that showed that the munchies exist, and that theres a need for tailored nutrition education as the population of marijuana users grows. For the current study, nearly 500 Hash Bash participants completed surveys that asked about their cannabis use and where they obtained their information about marijuana. They also were asked to respond to questions such as, Which of the following conditions do you think marijuana is effective in treating (check all that apply)? and Which of the following conditions/events do you think marijuana use increases the risk for (check all that apply)? Participants knowledge was compared with National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) conclusions regarding medical effectiveness and risk related to cannabis use. In addition to revealing a disconnect between mainstream health and medicine, and the medicinal use of marijuana, the study results also identified a lack of awareness of the potential risks involved. For example, only 22% of respondents thought that cannabis use during pregnancy could be risky. That was really striking, Daniel Kruger says, adding that there is evidence that marijuana use could lead to lower birth weights. In addition, the majority of survey respondents said cannabis was effective in treating cancer, depressive symptoms and epilepsy. The NASEM assessment, however, concludes there is limited evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids effectively reduce depressive symptoms, and no or insufficient evidence that it works for cancer and epilepsy. Participants also said marijuana can treat irritable bowel syndrome, despite, again, a lack of empirical data supporting that conclusion. Kruger is quick to note the following caveat: Marijuana remains a Schedule I substance, which prohibits scientists from conducting the clinical trials necessary to properly inform NASEM conclusions. The majority of study participants reported using marijuana every day, and 85% said they use it for health or medical reasons. About 78% said their knowledge of cannabis stemmed from personal experience, compared to just 23% from a medical cannabis caregiver or dispensary and 18% from a primary care provider. The knowledge gap identified in the study is significant from a public health perspective, researchers say, noting that as a growing number of states legalize or consider legalizing adult recreational marijuana use, the conversation needs to shift. These results highlight the disconnect between marijuana advocacy and policies, and the lack of scientific evidence. We need more scientifically rigorous research to inform health messages that provide guidance about the use and effectiveness of cannabis and cannabinoids for a wide range of medical conditions, says study co-author R. Lorraine Collins, associate dean for research in UBs School of Public Health and Health Professions and a contributor to the NASEM report. The issue is moving at a rapid pace due to citizen-driven ballot initiatives and pushes from public officials, Daniel Kruger adds. For example, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in his recent State of the State Address again called for legalizing marijuana for adult recreational use. Michigan voters passed a bill in 2018 approving legalizing, regulating and taxing marijuana there. Given these efforts, its time for public health to get up to speed, Daniel Kruger says. Abstinence wont work as the only goal anymore. We need to maximize the benefits and minimize the costs, risks and harms to individuals and society. We hope our study broadens the conversation. As the Chinese government puts Wuhan and neighbouring cities at the epicentre of the coronoavirus outbreak on lockdown, African students are trying to deal with the situation as they wait to hear if and when their governments will repatriate them. We've been in lockdown for nearly 12 days today and we don't go outside because there isn't really much to do. And if you have stock of food or water, it's better not to go out unless it's necessary, says Soliana Aregawi, an Ethiopian university student studying in Wuhan. A large number of foreigners who have been affected by the lockdown are students. Wuhan, referred to by one Chinese educational website as the Chicago of China, referring to the American midwestern industrial city, is home to 12 universities. According to the World Health Organisation, China has recorded some 361 deaths, 17,238 confirmed infections and 151 confirmed cases in 23 countries and 1 death which was reported from the Philippines on Sunday, World Health Organization declares international coronavirus emergency Africa-Chinese trade raises spectre of coronavirus outbreak across African continent Aregawi has been living in Wuhan for more than four years, studying economics as an undergraduate and now graduate student. She lives in an apartment, which she believes is a better option than some of the 300 Ethiopian students living in Wuhan or the 100 in neighbouring cities in Hubei province who are also locked down. She is on a group chat with other Ethiopian students and she says that the universities are providing food for them, and have even opened an online platform where students can order groceries and have them delivered. But we've also heard stories of schools maybe not providing what is required of them. Since everything is closed, you only rely on the school, Aregawi tells RFI. We've heard stories that some are not in a good situation and your conditions are not being met, and what they need are not being met. So it really depends on where you are and what school you're in, she says. Story continues Aregawi added that while everyone wants to be evacuated, the Ethiopian government was holding a meeting in the capital Addis Ababa to determine what they were going to do with the students. Senegal students want to leave There are 13 students in Wuhan, according to Becaye Cissokho Ndiaye, the Beijing-based president of the Senegalese Students Association in China. He said that an aide from the Senegalese embassy is trying to help them, but they want to get out of the city, he said. Right now, what they want is to return home. But if they cant be repatriated, they want to be evacuated to another city, says Ndiaye. Being there is very difficult, because some people are getting hysterical over this, because of the virus and that their freedom is curtailed. The 13 students are studying at different universities and are staying in their rooms, only going out to get food. Some are trying to get supplies without going downstairs. They have told Ndiaye that the streets are deserted, but there are a few people on the street. In Beijing, the people are pretty calm. Its true that we are under the same restrictions with our university. There are times that we can go outside and they give us passes. Our movement is limited and we are taking precautions but its ok, he says. Aregawi tells RFI that she is safe, but that it is hard to stay inside the house for so long. Im an outdoor person so Im not used to staying inside, but its for the greater good, I guess, so Im dealing with it, she says. She says that her parents are worried and call every day, but she has nothing new to report, except to tell them shes fine. The Senegalese student president says he is concerned for the students in Wuhan. On our level, we dont think about ourselves, because what worries us is our fellow countrymen who are in Wuhan, because they are more under threat. We have a representative there who we speak to frequently. We are pretty calm over here in Beijing, though, he says. The aircraft was dispatched to evacuate Jordanians, Palestinians and Arabs residing in this Chinese city where the corona virus was said to originate. The entire aircraft underwent the sterilisation process: seats, facilities and air conditioning; the best cleaning materials and equipment were used by a highly qualified team from a local company for the purpose. The sterilisation and disinfection process went through three phases and took over two hours, following the international standards of the civil aviation authorities and Boeings protocol in this regard, which helps kill 100% of bacteria, virus and fungi. News junkies not of the Jewish faith might have focused more on the impeachment proceedings on Tuesday than the president's Middle East peace plan, but the latter event may turn out to be the one most remembered for many years to come. But the Palestinians had already rejected it, you say. As the framers of the "deal of the century" knew they would. Nevertheless, the odds are in favor of the plan's having a major impact on the seven-decade-old conflict. Here's why: The alignment of nations in the Middle East has shifted from the time after the Six-Day War in 1967, when eight Arab states declared "no peace, no recognition of Israel, and no negotiations." The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is no longer considered the primary roadblock to regional peace, having been replaced by Shia/Sunni enmity and Iran's aggression. Further, peace with Israel offers many carrots to Sunni countries, including access to Israeli technology that can help them raise their standard of living. Evidence of this shift was the presence of Oman, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates at the peace plan unveiling. The Palestinians are all too aware that they cannot count on unbridled support from several Arab states for refusal to enter negotiations. A second factor that suggests the peace plan has a chance of yielding results is that the political leaders in Gaza and the West Bank lack the support they once felt was unquestioned. Polls last year suggested that the influence of the terror group Hamas, which rules in Gaza, is waning. The reason is easy to understand: Young Palestinians are likely weary of the promises Hamas made and yet failed to bring about. While their communities suffer from underdevelopment and unemployment, they see Israel booming and hear from their cousins in Israel that they are enjoying the advantages of full citizenship, including well-paying jobs, free health care, and free education. Wisely, the framers of the peace proposal have given it a four-year window for certain conditions to be met that would result in statehood, including connecting Gaza and the West Bank. Should their leaders continue to stonewall and champion violence and resistance over negotiation, something on the nature of a Palestinian Spring may result in a new leadership pledged to enter into negotiations. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Finally, there are incentives that should appeal to young Palestinians, some of whom have attended university but remain unemployed. The internet has changed the calculus in the Middle East, as it has done elsewhere. Perhaps they will find an out by remembering that as Muslims they, like the Jewish people, are descendants of Abraham, and thus find a way to accept Israel's existence in a land they claim for their own. What is clear is that this proposal cannot be dismissed if it doesn't lead to peace in the weeks to come. The framers understood finding a solution meant creating a process with incentives for both sides to come to the table to find a way to live as neighbors rather than enemies. Let's give the process a chance to work before we claim it's failed. YouTuber Josh Pieters just pulled off one of the best pranks we've ever seen. As reported by Monika Barton of Newshub: The notorious far-right columnist was overjoyed to receive the Campaign to Unite the Nation Trophy, an entirely made-up honour which happens to spell out the word "c***". The stunt was the brainchild of Josh Pieters, a known social media prankster with 1.2 million subscribers. Having fallen hook, line and sinker for an email sent to her by the fake company the Cape Town Collective for the Freedom of Speech, Hopkins flew nearly 26,000kms to attend the pretend ceremony. There, Pieters had hired a conference room at the Four Seasons hotel, organised a gourmet dinner, and arranged a group of actors to fill out the room. Hopkins can be seen applauding and nodding as Pieters addresses the room, blissfully unaware that his championing of "free speech" is actually making fun of her. "Without being able to say what we think, without being able to mock people, without being able to attack people, we are not free," Pieters says. When Hopkins finally went up to accept her award, the screen behind her changed to show the name of the Campaign to Unite The Nation trophy, essentially spelling out the C-word. In her acceptance speech, Hopkins made several of the racist and offensive comments she's become infamous for, including calling Muslim people "retards" who "rape their own mothers". "If you call 'Mohammed' in a school playground in the UK, 2000 f**king kids come running and you don't want any of them," she said. Hopkins also said people with epilepsy are "all weirdos, up there with the Asians", and called 16-year-old climate change activist Greta Thunberg an "autistic f**king wench". The mother of three said the event was "the most fun she'd had in a very long time", and that she wasn't used to receiving awards. The evening concluded with a series of drinking games, in which Hopkins can be seen drinking alcohol from her trophy. How bloody good. Pat and Paul McLarnon found out something was wrong with their daughter when they woke to the screams of 17-year-old Debbie in the middle of the night. Rushing to the bathroom two decades ago, the north Down couple found her writhing on the floor in agony. Frightened, confused, trying desperately to help, it was only when they searched her schoolbag and found laxatives that the suspicions started. Asked about them, Debbie refused to say how many she had taken. She shook her head at one, two, three. It was only when the counting reached 44 that she nodded. That was the start of a 10-year battle that threatened to tear the McLarnon family apart and threatened the life of the talented Commonwealth gymnast. Today Debbie is 37 and unrecognisable from the stricken teenager who battled through every family meal time - anorexia and bulimia stripping away the fun-loving, carefree daughter that Pat and Paul loved. Having fought a lone battle over the years with little to no help, less understanding from health services and a complete lack of anyone to turn to for support, the McLarnons' love for their daughter and their determination to see her through the worst times took them on a journey to where they all stand today. Read More FightED, a charity set up to provide the support, care and understanding for families going through the trauma of dealing with an eating disorder that the McLarnons never had, is now making sure there is somewhere to turn to. The name says it all. The McLarnons had to fight every inch of the way for their daughter, and now they are determined to fight to give others who find their family in the same situation the support they found distinctly lacking. Read More "When an eating disorder knocks on your door your whole world falls apart," said Pat, who along with husband Paul now delivers courses for parents on how best to help. "We know. It's your worst nightmare. "Looking back now we know we made so many wrong decisions, even if they were for the right reasons. "We didn't know how to help Debbie. Everything that we did as parents seemed to make things worse." Debbie admitted her problems started when she was 12 years old. "As a gymnast, there was a lot of pressure to be skinny and we were weighed every day," she said. "It started out with cutting out cakes and biscuits and ended in me eating next to nothing and nearly dying. "But it wasn't simply the gymnastics. I was a perfectionist, I was very competitive and a high achiever and it was that combination of factors that led me to having an eating disorder." She gave up gymnastics after competing at the Commonwealth Games as a 16-year-old. "That meant I gained weight and I couldn't cope with it. I felt obese," she said. "Everything I ate, I had to throw up. My eating disorder had gone on for so long I didn't know what normal eating was." At one stage, told by a doctor that her eating disorder would make her teeth fall out, all she could think about was how much weight that would help her lose. Voices in her head, 24 hours a day, were telling her how disgusting and worthless she was." Her parents had no idea what to do. Pat recalled: "Meal times were a battlefield and we tried everything, from punishment to grounding, but if we had known then what we know now we could have helped her so much more. We didn't realise that we were pushing her into the arms of the eating disorder. "When she did eat she would go to the bathroom and make herself sick because not only was she anorexic, she also became bulimic. As she became weaker, we, as parents, felt powerless and helpless." The couple often felt unable to cope on their own. "There was little or no support for parents," said Pat. "If we had had the skills earlier we would have been much better prepared to deal with it. Parents need to know how to deal with this and that's what FightED is here for, to give families a fighting chance of making it through. Pat, looking back to her daughter's teenage years, recalled how she became "a stranger" to them. "She became very depressed and sad, argumentative and manipulative and we had literally no idea how to help her," she added. Parental love for their daughter made sure they would never give up, even in the darkest days when Debbie no longer wished to live. "Our lives were thrown into turmoil from that first night," said Pat. Every morning Paul and I woke up with a knot in the pit of our stomachs. We were terrified. Pat "Debbie's younger brother went into her room that night and hugged her and said: 'Debbie, please don't die'. But she had hit her self-destruct button and had started basically starving herself to death. "Every morning Paul and I woke up with a knot in the pit of our stomachs. We were terrified. "As far as treatment, there was none here in Northern Ireland, so we had to battle the services. We wrote to every MP and MLA and got two compliment slips and one letter back." It was in London where Debbie finally found help. She saw a therapist for four years. With no treatment available in Northern Ireland, the government paid for her to travel to get the help she needed. Thrown that lifeline, Debbie never missed an appointment. "Even then it came to the point where the counsellor told us to bring her home," said Pat. "She was so weak she was on the brink of heart failure." In the end Debbie suffered until her early 20s. Today, the mother of a daughter herself, Debbie hasn't left her eating disorder behind. Instead, she carries it with her as a medal of honour, determined to use her personal experience and the experience of her mum and dad, by being there to help others through. "In the end, it's the whole family that needs support, treatment, knowledge," she said. "There could be many parents out there in Northern Ireland feeling isolated, with nowhere to turn to. That has to change." That's why Pat, Paul and Debbie started FightED. "Debbie had to go to London to get the help she needed, but that was hard for her to be away from her family, and hard for us not to be there by her side all the time to support her," said Pat. Now FightED is on hand to provide the support Pat and Paul never had. "We're the proof that eating disorders can be overcome," said Pat. "No parent should have to go through an illness like that unprepared." FightED now offers courses for families regularly through the year, and the McLarnons, with Debbie, have travelled around the UK and Ireland delivering life-saving support services. Long-term, Pat and Debbie's goal would see a purpose built facility for eating disorders running in Northern Ireland. Now a fully qualified psychotherapist herself and chairperson of FightED, Debbie knows better than most what it takes to fight an eating disorder, and win. "Things can get better and through FightED we can show you how," she said. l For further information on the support and advice FightED can provide, visit fighted.org or call 07999 901936. An outraged Basil Fawlty-esque cafe owner has starting banning customers who moaned about their lunch on TripAdvisor from his tearoom life. Nearly one third of all reviews of Oriel Daniel Tearoom in Anglesey, north Wales, left on the popular travel website are 'average, poor or terrible'. But the cafe's TripAdvisor account, 'Daniel - the master butler', has responded to bad reviews by telling the unhappy customers never to return to his cafe. Nearly one third of all reviews of Oriel Daniel Tearoom in Anglesey, north Wales, left on the popular travel website are 'average, poor or terrible' Embarking upon long and bizarre rants akin to those made by John Cleese's Basil Fawlty from the sitcom Fawlty Towers, 'Daniel - the master butler' has accused bad reviewers of 'taking advantage of his generosity'. He's barked at customers taking to TripAdvisor, banning them from ever again entering his cafe, and said he'll contact police if things get out of hand. The tearoom owner has even warned that he will be picking out perpetrators who dare to re-enter his shop using CCTV cameras installed. 'Daniel - the master butler' has accused bad reviewers of 'taking advantage of his generosity', barked at customers taking to TripAdvisor, banning them from ever again entering his cafe, and warned that he'll contact police if things get out of hand But the cafe's TripAdvisor account, 'Daniel - the master butler', has responded to bad reviews by telling the unhappy customers never to return to his cafe When one customer said that she was 'flabbergasted' when a pot of coffee and a ham sandwich cost her 20, 'Daniel - the master butler' responded with an emphatic: 'What a Load of Pure Rubbish! 'Listen here you, we know who you are, we have CCTV Recording here so don't bother coming here again because you are banned for life.' Another customer alleged that she and her husband were kicked out of the tearoom for complaining about an undercooked egg. Taking to TripAdvisor, 'Daniel - the master butler' sardonically responded: 'This lady obviously has no idea what a proper sandwich tastes like! 'Madam I knew from the moment you walked in, you were looking for a free lunch. 'You are now banned for life from our Duchy Organic Tearoom in Llangefni! Don't bother coming to this Town again, you are not welcome do you hear me?' Another review left on the site read: 'Once our tea was served, the door was locked! Presumably to prevent us from leaving without paying. 'We were made to feel pretty uncomfortable.' One review from November, posted by a customer calling herself 'The Welsh Daisy, of Menai Bridge', moaned: 'Was looking for a quick coffee before attending a meeting so called here. Firstly the way in was barred by lines of chairs. 'We were just about to turn round and leave when a young man moved two chairs to let us in. How we wish we had turned round. 'On entering there was a strong smell of damp. The elderly gentleman, who looked like something from the Adams Family, immediately welcomed us so we sat down. 'All the tables were fully laid with every possible piece of cutlery, crockery, etc including cake stands. A touch of class: ranting hotelier Basil Fawlty's best bits Fawlty Towers was inspired by the Monty Python team's stay in the Gleneagles hotel in Torquay, where hotelier Donald Sinclair was described by John Cleese (pictured as Basil Fawlty) as 'rude', throwing a bus timetable at guests when they asked what time the buses were (stock) Basil Fawlty is the main character of John Cleese's iconic 1970s sitcom Fawlty Towers. The proprietor of the hotel Fawlty Towers, he is a cynical and snobbish misanthrope desperate to belong to a higher social class. In one episode, as upper-class guests leave, Basil rants: 'You snobs! You stupid stuck-up, toffee-nosed, half-witted, upper-class piles of pus!' As Basil desperately tries not to 'mention the war' in another episode, he slips in front of his German guests: 'So, thats two egg mayonnaise, a prawn Goebbels, a Hermann Goering, and four Colditz salads.' When asked by a hotel guest if there is 'anywhere they do French food', Basil retorts: 'Yes, France, I believe. They seem to like it there. And the swim would certainly sharpen your appetite. You'd better hurry, the tide leaves in six minutes.' Fawlty Towers was inspired by the Monty Python team's stay in the Gleneagles hotel in Torquay, where the proprietor Donald Sinclair was described by Cleese as 'rude', throwing a bus timetable at guests when they asked what time the buses were, and calling American-born Terry Gilliam 'too American'. Advertisement The cafe owner has hit back at a flurry of bad reviews by claiming 'What a load of rubbish', before dissecting his own version of events, and then telling them not to return 'We asked for coffee but there was no choice of coffee. The menu seemed to describe everything as "nice". 'The gentleman kept telling us that we could have plenty of nice coffee. 'Despite the way the tables were laid there was no menu for afternoon tea or even cakes. The only food on offer was sandwiches on 'nice' bread but no price list. 'The coffee arrived in a "silver" pot. It was really strong. 'Unfortunately there was so little space on the table because of all the cutlery and crockery that I accidentally knocked over the sugar bowl. When I bent down to pick the cubes off the floor I was horrified to see the floor was filthy dirty. 'We couldn't get out of there fast enough. How on earth does a place like that keep its licence? It was really a weird experience and we certainly wouldn't ever go back. No wonder we were he only people there. 'Would DEFINITELY not recommend this place.' The tearoom owner stormed: 'We are closed from 1st Oct till 1 April 2020 namely the Tearoom. How did you manage to enter the Tearoom? We have a Grading of 5 from the Council and therefore we do not appreciate your comments at all. 'The Tearoom will be open from 1st April 2020 to Visitors from Cumbria, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Liverpool, Manchester also members of the National Trust, English Trust, Constitutional Monarchy Association and of course Visitors with their Dogs. 'We are very Dog Friendly. Negative minded Visitors should refrain from entering our Tearoom with a view to posting damaging comments on line!' Many reviews were from people very happy with the service they had received, with several awarding five star scores. This (above) is not so happy A post by 'Barry M' from June read: 'Ordered ham sandwiches and coffee for two...couldn't see a price list anywhere. 'The food apparently had to be sent out for and, to my knowledge was not made on the premises..rather strange, I thought. 'Anyway, to cut a long story short, our order arrived rather too promptly for it to have been made there and then. Two slices of brown bread with ham, a few crisps and a pot of coffee for two - nice enough. 'But when we received the bill, we were flabbergasted..... 20!!!!! We could have gone to a restaurant and had a meal each for that!! We definitely won't be patronising this place again in a hurry!!!' Daniel responded 'What a Load of Pure Rubbish! 'Why do people visit a Tearoom to cause trouble? We have been here for Ten Years this Year and over and over we get a few nasty visitors looking for trouble. 'I go out of my way to help each visitor and how do these people respond well by causing trouble. Anglesey County Council have recently awarded us 5 Star Grading. 'Listen here you we know who you are we have CCTV Recording here so don't bother coming here again because you are banned for life.' And last May, 'Daniel' took umbrage with a 'Ms Geezlouise' who moaned about hygiene standards, saying: 'What a Load of Pure Rubbish. The Hot Water Heater was broken and therefore we couldn't Provide any Sandwiches! 'I remember the lady coming in looking for a Toilet. I tried to help her and pointed her to our Toilet Facility for Customers only! 'As soon as this woman had been and used our Toilet she made a flit! 'People like this should be banned from abusing our Services and then writing horrible comments on this site. 'I have CCTV Footage of this woman and know who she is! 'She is BANNED for ever from visiting our Tearoom.' Many reviews were from people very happy with the service they had received, with several awarding five star scores. One from April said: 'We had tea and a large plate of delicious beef sandwiches and crisps. The service was spot on and very friendly towards us both and our dog. 'Also was given the added bonus of two slices of Bara Braith on our departure.' Another described it as: 'class, giving the business a top rating. 'Seldom have we enjoyed such an interesting afternoon as when we entered the Oriel Daniel Tearoom in Llangefni and met mine Host'. The tearoom has an overall TripAdvisor rating of 3.5 out of 5, based on 31 reviews. Oriel Daniel Tearoom has been contacted for comment. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Public Sector Reforms Secretariat, Mr Thomas Kusi-Boafo, has described the opposition NDC as hypocrites. He said the NDC is secretly mobilizing its members to take part in the upcoming new voters registration exercise after all the demonstrations in town. "The NDC has exhibited its hypocrisy to the highest level by openly kicking against the move but secretly lobbying members to go out and register if the EC announces a date. The EC has the power to conduct a new voters register, am surprise the NDC are kicking against the New voters register but secretly mobilizing their members to take part in the new voters register exercise, Thomas Kusi-Boafo told Kwaku Dawuro on Medo Ghana on Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7. He said demonstrations against the EC could negatively affect the countrys democratic credentials and so any party with concerns over the electoral process must use the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) for redress. The EC says it is in the process of changing the current voter register for the 2020 election. According to the EC, assessment of the system by the two teams has revealed that it would be prudent to acquire a new system rather than refurbish the current one. The District Administration on Monday declared three days holiday from February 5 to 7 for schools, colleges, and universities across the district. The holiday has been declared in view of the 85th Akhila Bharat Kannada Sahitya Sammelan to be held in the district. Manu Baligar, chairman of Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Bengaluru, said: "All teachers and lecturers will be active participants in the literary conference." "The school buses will be used for transportation. The classrooms will be used for the accommodation of the representatives attending the conference. Hence, it will be necessary to declare a holiday for schools and colleges of Kalaburgi," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kerala, which today confirmed the third novel Coronavirus infection in the state and the country, is showing the world how to effectively monitor and fight the dreaded fast spreading disease, using the experience in taming the Nipah virus outbreak two years ago. The state government has declared the (coronavirus) epidemic "a state calamity" with nearly 2400 people under observation. State health minister KK Shylaja said a third person returned from China's Wuhan has been tested positive for novel Coronavirus (2019 nCoV) adding that there are chances of more samples testing positive. The third patient is now undergoing treatment in an isolation facility in Kanhangad District hospital in Kasargod. The previous two cases were from Thrissur and Aalappuzha. About 140 samples have been sent to the National Virology Institute in Pune for testing and out of this, so far three have been tested positive and 36 were tested negative. A total of nearly 1,999 people are under observation in the state, of which 75 have been taken to isolation wards in various hospitals and the remaining 1924 have been quarantined at home. Sources said the three patients are medical students in Wuhan and travelled together back to India, after the outbreak in China. Every year, hundreds of medical students from India, especially South India, go to Chinese medical universities for studying MBBS, as these universities offer cheap medical education at Rs.25-Rs.35 lakh as opposed to between Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh in Russia, Georgia and Australia. In India, self-financed private medical colleges charge much higher than these overseas medical teaching havens. Shylaja's statement in the Kerala Assembly shows how the state was prepared to tackle any possibility of the virus spreading. "We took the necessary precaution on a war footing immediately after the World Health Organisation (WHO) alerted the world on the virus", she said. The state, which effectively implemented WHO guidelines and protocols to prevent spreading of Nipah virus in 2018, urgently initiated preventive measures and put in place the requisite infrastructure, in consultation with the union health ministry. Headed by the minister herself, a high level Emergency Rapid Response Team (ERRT) was constituted to decide on protocols on observation and isolation of suspected cases, treatment guidelines, training for paramedics, drivers, support staff and awareness among public. The State ensured activation of isolation wards in all districts, besides roping in the private sector to prepare isolation wards in the case of an emergency. A campaign was launched directing people returned from China to report to district medical officers. Health professionals were roped into constantly monitor suspected cases. The first patient was confirmed by the Union health ministry on January 30. The patient had voluntarily got admitted to the district hospital in Thrissur. Immediately the state machinery initiated 'contact tracing' to find who all the patient mingled in the past couple of weeks, as the virus' incubation period is about two weeks. Another suspected patient, who was isolated in Aalappuzha medical college on January 24, was confirmed positive on February 2. By that time, her 'contacts' were traced and all got either isolated or brought under observation. If it took three days for samples to be tested in Pune, the state set up a testing centre in Aalappuzha, so that results can be obtained the same day itself. By then, Kerala had set up state and district level control rooms, with daily meetings and assessment led by the Principal Secretary of the State health department and the minister. State run Kerala Medical Services Corporation (KMSCL) was directed to ensure adequate storage and supply of masks, gloves, medicines, safety suits, protective gears, medicines etc. All passengers passing through airports and sea ports are thoroughly screened by health officers and any suspected cases are directly sent to isolation wards. Those allowed to go home, are being monitored by health workers for four weeks. All contacts of suspected cases are being traced and brought under observation. Various government departments, police are seamlessly coordinating to counter an emergency disease outbreak. Wide publicity has been given through media on precautions to be taken, and the public can call a toll free number to report suspected cases. Meanwhile, action will be taken against those returning from Wuhan but fail to report to authorities. When the Nipah virus spread in two northern districts of Kerala, experts could quickly identify the virus and rapidly implement war footing measures to tame its spread to certain pockets in these districts. However, the deadly brain damaging bat-borne disease had killed 17 people in those two districts in short time. Later, a Malayalam film 'Virus' was made based on the efforts in finding the Nipah virus and fight of the state to counter the disease. Efforts of Kerala in fighting the Nipah virus were widely appreciated by international health agencies including the WHO and the Institute of Human Virology in Baltimore honoured the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Shylaja for in successfully fighting the virus. Also read: Coronavirus case in Kerala: State health minister confirms third case Also Read:First case of coronavirus confirmed in India; student tested positive in Kerala Also Read: Coronavirus update: India temporarily suspends e-visa facility for Chinese citizens, foreigners in china The conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh said on his live show on Monday that he had advanced lung cancer. He told listeners that he had noticed some shortness of breath but was not experiencing symptoms at the moment, and that he would continue working but would be absent from the show for a couple of days to undergo testing and determine a treatment plan. I cant help but feel that Im letting everybody down with this, but the upshot is that I have been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, Mr. Limbaugh, 69, said during his broadcast. He added that he first realized something was wrong on Jan. 12 and that the diagnosis had been confirmed by two medical institutions on Jan. 20. [Rush Limbaugh was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the State of the Union.] My hearts in great shape, ticking away fine, squeezing and pumping great, he said. It was not that. It was a pulmonary problem involving malignancy. So Im going to be gone the next couple days as we figure out the treatment course of action and have further testing done. But as I said, Im going to be here as often as I can. Rebecca Killens Cobalt collection is a contemporary reworking in luminous porcelain of something we all find nostalgic: the good old fashioned milk bottle. From 33; rebeccakillen.com If there's one change a lot of us are making this year it's shopping better. Whether that's driven by climate extinction panic, the fires in Australia or us waking up to the fact that we buy too much unnecessary stuff that then fuels the landfill cycle, it's the defining trend of 2020. Lobbying our supermarkets for less single-use plastic is vital, but another key part of switching up your purchasing pattern is to buy local - or as local as you can - from producers who also create those products locally. That cuts down massively on air miles and local jobs and materials are used, too. Forging positive change ties in nicely with the craft tradition we have in Ireland. From basket-making to weaving, glass-blowing and ceramics, we have a storied, handmade history. Some have risen and fallen: the story of Waterford Crystal is a sad tale in the book of Irish craft and the Kilkenny shops have long supported a tourism-friendly middle market of solid and reliable makers. Now, other skills and ways of working are gaining traction with a younger demographic, thanks to the work of brands such as We Make Good (wemakegood.ie). Ireland's first social enterprise design brand, We Make Good supports the work of craftspeople, "facing social challenges who have been supported to develop valuable skills and gain employment in their craft". Discover tin vessels made by James Collins and Tom McDonnnell, Traveller tinsmiths, from WFinglas, or baskets woven at Camphill, Co Wexford, a co-living community, "where people with disabilities and able bodied community members support each other". New names in craft are emerging, too. January's annual Showcase at the RDS saw some perennials and a few fresh faces - some of you may already know: Ballyshane, makers of beautiful kitchen boards using responsibly-sourced hardwoods; Foxford, the Mayo-based handweavers; as well as Arran Street East, the hip ceramics company which brought Scandi-style ceramics to a millennial audience. On our radar for 2020 is Belfast-based artist Eimear Maguire's Dollybirds (dollybirdsart.com), a lovely art print brand that celebrates nature, particularly our native birds. In ceramics, Rebecca Killen (rebeccakillenceramics.com) and Diem Pottery (diempottery.com) are newer names to know for porcelain pieces made in the image of traditional milk bottles (the former), and design-led, yet functional pieces with colourful additions, for the latter. Couple Sam agus Nessa (Samagusnessa.com) create beautifully whimsical pieces in a very Irish way. Using locally-sourced timber, they make fun and functional furniture and accessories. Keeping the irreverent theme, but using concrete, Hey, Bulldog! Design (Heybulldogdesign.com) is a brand for lovers of colour: think succulent planters and clocks with a nod to the paint splatters of Jackson Pollock. While McNutt might be the Ulster weaver du jour, Mourne Textiles (mournetextiles.com) is a revived name to know. Its story begins at the start of the last century; the company made fabrics for Robin Day and Conran as well as Sibyl Connolly. Now back at the loom, they make beautiful homewares that include throws, rugs, wall hangings. Kirstie McDermott is editorial director at House and Home magazine HOUSTON, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy, Inc.'s (NYSE: CNP) board of directors today declared dividends on shares of its common stock, Series A Perpetual Preferred Stock and Series B Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock. Common Stock Dividend The company's board of directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.2900 per share of common stock payable on March 12, 2020 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Feb. 20, 2020. This quarterly dividend, if annualized, would equate to $1.16 per share. "This marks the 15th consecutive year we have increased our common stock dividend," said Scott Prochazka, president and chief executive officer of CenterPoint Energy. "The board's decision today demonstrates CenterPoint Energy's continued commitment to dividend growth, while also driving shareholder value by capitalizing on its significant rate base investment opportunities in its regulated utilities. Central to this commitment of dividend and regulated utilities earnings growth is our continued focus on strengthening our balance sheet following the Vectren merger and the divestiture of the non-rate regulated CenterPoint Energy Infrastructure Services business segment." Series A Preferred Stock Dividend The company's board of directors declared a regular semiannual cash dividend of $30.6250 per share on its Series A Fixed-to-Floating Rate Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock payable on March 2, 2020 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Feb. 14, 2020. Series B Preferred Stock Dividend The company's board of directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $17.5000 per share on its 7.00% Series B Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock payable on March 2, 2020 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Feb. 15, 2020. As Feb. 15, 2020 falls on a Saturday, the effective record date for the dividend will be the close of business on Feb. 14, 2020. This equates to $0.8750 per depositary share (NYSE: CNPPRB), each of which represents a 1/20th interest in a share of the Series B Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock. Annual Meeting The company also announced that its 2020 annual meeting of shareholders will be held on Friday, April 24, 2020, at 9 a.m. CDT in the CenterPoint Energy Tower auditorium, 1111 Louisiana Street, Houston, Texas. Shareholders who hold shares of CenterPoint Energy common stock as of Feb. 28, 2020, will receive notice of the meeting and will be eligible to vote. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with regulated utility businesses in eight states and a competitive energy businesses footprint in nearly 40 states. Through its electric transmission & distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution businesses, the company serves more than 7 million metered customers in Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. CenterPoint Energy's competitive energy businesses include natural gas marketing and energy-related services; energy efficiency, sustainability and infrastructure modernization solutions; and construction and repair services for pipeline systems, primarily natural gas. The company also owns 53.7 percent of the common units representing limited partner interests in Enable Midstream Partners, LP, a publicly traded master limited partnership that owns, operates and develops strategically located natural gas and crude oil infrastructure assets. With approximately 14,000 employees and nearly $35 billion in assets, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com. This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions of management which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Any statements in this news release regarding future events, such as annualized dividends per share, dividend and utility earnings growth, actions with respect to CenterPoint Energy's balance sheet, capital investments and rate base growth, the anticipated divestiture of the infrastructure services business segment and any other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement contained in this news release speaks only as of the date of this release. For more information contact Media: Alicia Dixon Phone 713.207.5885 Investors: Dave Mordy Phone 713.207.6500 SOURCE CenterPoint Energy, Inc. Related Links http://www.centerpointenergy.com Joy Ranch reopens under new ownership Joy Ranch near Watertown has reopened under new ownership. Media coverage of our General Election has to date given us an altogether skewed message. To all intents and purposes the underlying message that has been relentlessly pushed home is that politics is more or less a man's world. At the outset, RTE determined that the outcome of the election was a foregone conclusion. It would be a two-horse race between the two men that would be Taoiseach. A 'Varadkar/Martin' bromance, so to speak. The Sinn Fein party leader, Mary Lou McDonald, would be arbitrarily excluded from their forthcoming leaders debate. However, the opinion polls did not perform to this cosy plan. The latest, a RedC poll in the 'Business Post', upended the apple cart. With Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail now both on 24pc and Fine Gael languishing in third place at 21pc, things are all changed - changed utterly. Virgin Media followed this contrived male narrative. Two men in suits being interviewed by another man in a suit. A tone-deaf decision. The result: narrow, stiff and one-dimensional. We need to not only see women, but to hear their voices also. Current affairs panels consisting of two besuited male presenters, pitching their bon mots against a panel of four men in suits and one token woman, gives the very strong message that women are only bit players in this important 'game' of running our country. Not acceptable. Programme makers who can't be bothered to source a diverse range of guests have no place in the modern media landscape. Gushing first-name colour pieces by male commentators, about Leo purchasing a new tie or eating his lunch on the hoof or Micheal cracking one of his decidedly unfunny quips in a tone that implies that he is a hilarious raconteur, are a daily occurrence. The 'Varadkar/Martin Male Roadshow' is now verging on the absurd. It is a contrived media-driven narrative. It is not reflected in the opinion polls measuring voting intentions. The fact that neither men are overly engaging speakers merely compounds the problem. More importantly, it feeds into the stereotype that politics is a male-only club. Endless male-fronted podcasts - interviewing largely male candidates - are doing much the same job of promoting the false narrative that politics is really akin to a locker-room activity for the male of the species. The truth is that women can't be what we can't see. This is especially true for young women. Women belong at the decision-making table in a democracy. Media is obliged to lead on this in the interests of balance and fairness. Whoever decided to frame this rolling media narrative that this General Election is largely about the two men who may be elected Taoiseach - in what is most likely to be a coalition government formed with the support of other parties, including those led by women - is totally out of kilter with the real world. Such an exclusively male perspective is also potentially off-putting to female voters. Lack of adequate media exposure of female candidates inevitably puts them at a disadvantage. While media may still be obsessed with party political agendas, many young voters, particularly female ones, are not so interested in traditional Irish political parties. The success of both the marriage equality and repeal the Eighth Amendment referendums confirmed that young voters are issue-driven when it comes to their politics. It is also worth noting that women played a very high profile in both of these referendum campaigns. Many young voters were energised by the experience and were impressed that they could lead and effect such momentous change. Now that truly is new politics. Media needs to get with the beat. Most young voters couldn't give two hoots about which party or leader delivers the goods. In this General Election, young people are looking to have the opportunity to buy or rent a home of their own. They are tired of the cliches of "lots done, more to do" or, worse still, "you can't build houses overnight". I have no doubt this propensity by some senior media folk here to divide the sexes in this way harks back to our antiquated education system. More than a third of Irish secondary schools are still single-sex schools. This is highly unusual by international standards. RTE will host its tete-a-tete between Micheal Martin and Leo Varadkar tomorrow night. It will be jointly moderated by Miriam O'Callaghan and David McCullough. This amounts to little more than a cack-handed attempt at gender equality by the national broadcaster. At the time of writing, the debate itself remains between two men we have seen and heard a great deal from during this campaign. The decision to continue to exclude Mary Lou McDonald from this debate is highly questionable in light of a succession of opinion polls indicating Sinn Fein, complete with a female leader, is a major player in this election. I wonder how this second two-horse debate between two male party leaders will score on the 'fatigue severity scale' for female viewers/voters? High I suspect. Companies in Vietnam have been requested to suspend receiving Chinese laborers returning from coronavirus-infected regions after spending their Tet holiday at home. Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh asked localities to report the number of Chinese workers not having returned to Vietnam yet after their Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday spent in pneumonia-hit areas. "Companies are requested to temporarily stop welcoming Chinese workers returning to Vietnam until the coronavirus situation is under control," said the minister. Meanwhile, companies need to appoint replacements and adapt business plans to ensure production and business activities commence undisturbed during the outbreak. Many companies are awaiting the return of Chinese workers following the Chinese governments ban on exiting the country. Those who have returned via land or sea would be quarantined for 14 days for monitoring. Vietnam confirmed Monday that a 29-year-old worker returning from Wuhan is the nation's eighth patient infected with the new pneumonia causing coronavirus. Local government declared the novel coronavirus an epidemic Saturday. The death toll has reached 361 people in China and one in the Philippines. Over 17,000 have been infected. [February 03, 2020] Kao Data Wins Global ASHRAE Technology Award for 'Industrial Facilities and Processes' LONDON, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kao Data, the home of innovation and UK's leading entrant to the wholesale colocation data centre market, has gained global recognition receiving the ASHRAE Technology Award for Industrial Facilities and Processes and recognises Kao Data for outstanding achievement in the design and operation of energy efficient buildings, across the global reach of the ASHRAE institution. The award demonstrates Kao Data's commitment to the principles of responsible business, customer service, climate and environmental sustainability. Paul Finch, Interim CEO and COO, Kao Data, who was presented with the award by ASHRAE President Darryl K. Boyce during the ASHRAE Winter conference and AHR Expo, Orlando, FL, said, "As a member and contributor within ASHRAE, it is immensely gratifying to be acknowledged and awarded first place in this broad category. At a time when our market is maturing and continuing to grow exponentially, the need to develop sustainable data centres is essential. Energy, water and natural resources are at a premium and as an industry we must all bare the responsibility to address sustainability and place it at the top of the corporate agenda." The award acknowledges the design, engineering and execution in the development of the Kao Data as the UK's first 100-percent free-cooling wholesale co-location campus. Its voluntary registration to accredited industry associations and ISO standards are highlighted through its previous achievement of BREEAM 'Excellence', which assessed the buildings' energy efficiency, environmental, ecological and sustainability competency, amongst other key benchmarks. Also notable is the complete omission of the use of refrigerants as a cooling medium, eliminating the associated global warming potential. Kao Data sets the standard in data centre design and innovation whilst following industry best practices defined by ASHRAE Technical Committee 9.9 (TC9.9). Its design is Hyperscale inspired for enterprise concept is certified as the UK's first Open Compute-Ready (OCP) campus. It is engineered to be highly efficient, utilising 100% free cooling to reduce the complexity of mechanical components, whilst resulting in increased levels of reliability and availability. At a time where the Uptime Institute Annual Data Centre Survey 2019 reports operational averages of PUE >1.6, Kao Data continues to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability through its use of 100% renewable energy and its ultra-low PUE of 1.2, even at low IT utilisation. This delivers a highly scalable, ultra-efficient and market leading colocation solution for Life Sciences and enterprise customers in the UK Innovation Corridor, and cloud services businesses throughout the UK and Europe. ASHRAE is a global society dedicated to advancing human well-being through sustainable technology for the built environment. Its worldwide membership focus is on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability. TC 9.9 is concerned with all aspects of mission critical facilities, data centres, technology spaces and electronic systems. This includes computer rooms, server rooms, raised floor environments, high-density loads, emergency network operations centres, telco facilities, communications and electronic equipment rooms within the technology industry. "We congratulate each of ASHRAE's Honors and Awards recipients for their leadership in advancing the future of our industry and our Society," said 2019-20 ASHRAE President Darryl K. Boyce, P.Eng. Paul Finch, Interim CEO and COO, Kao Data, will be delivering a keynote speaking session at the UK Innovation Corridor LSCC event, taking place on the 25th February 2020 at the BT Tower, London. For more information, please visit the Kao Data website. About Kao Data Situated in the UK Innovation corridor, the 200m+ Kao Data Campus provides around 150,000 sq. ft technical space and 35MW power for IT equipment. The completed site will comprise four 8.8MW data centres, providing a customer product set from a Technology Pod, Technology Cell, Technology Suite and complete Technology Building, tailored to meet the demands of conventional ITE infrastructure, through to specialist HPC and Edge at Scale deployments. Through technical leadership Kao Data continues to drive innovation increasing reliability supporting 100% availability at reduced total cost of operations. Dynamic load tracking at the campus site ensures high energy-efficiency with ultra-low PUE <1.2, even at 20% ITE utilisation. The company has made the added commitment to 100% renewable energy to power its data centres. Served by a dedicated and redundant 43.5MVA power supply, the quality of the design, construction and systems installation has helped Kao Data achieve BREEAM excellent certification. The technical capability, hyper-connectivity strategy and secure data resilience of the Kao Data Campus makes it ideally placed to support both cloud and hybrid-cloud solutions for a range of enterprise businesses, including financial services, life sciences, defence and the health sector. For more details, please visit www.kaodata.com About ASHRAE ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is a global society advancing human well-being through sustainable technology for the built environment. The Society and its members focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability within the industry. Through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education, ASHRAE shapes tomorrow's built environment today. ASHRAE was formed as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers by the merger in 1959 of American Society of Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHAE) founded in 1894 and The American Society of Refrigerating Engineers (ASRE) founded in 1904. For more details, please visit https://www.ashrae.org/about View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kao-data-wins-global-ashrae-technology-award-for-industrial-facilities-and-processes-300997613.html SOURCE Kao Data [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] "This award is a testament to Envoys devotion to innovation and to reinventing the way companies approach immigration management in an age of increasing regulation and scrutiny. I am proud to lead such an amazing team of talented individuals," said Richard Burke, CEO, Envoy Global Envoy Global, the technology leader in global immigration and workforce mobility, today announces that its CEO, Richard Burke has been named a 2020 Notable Leader in HR, presented by Crains Chicago Business. Crains selected Burke among other Chicago executives who are leaders in their fields, mentor other human resources executives and have demonstrated an ability to effectively make an impact in recruitment, retaining talent, improving efficiency, enhancing corporate culture and promoting diversity and inclusion. Under Burkes leadership, Envoys headcount has increased by 85% since 2015, making key hires across leadership, including a new chief financial officer (Meg Miller) and VP of human resources (Lindsay Dagiantis). Burke oversees the companys overall strategy, building out teams across departments and driving overall growth and profitability. The Chicago HR market is filled with many outstanding leaders, and its a privilege to be recognized as one of them by Crains, said Burke. This award is a testament to Envoys devotion to innovation and to reinventing the way companies approach immigration management in an age of increasing regulation and scrutiny. I am proud to lead such an amazing team of talented individuals. The recognition comes after an impressive year of honors for Envoy Global. In January, Envoy was ranked 38th on Built In Chicagos 100 Best Places to Work and 13th on Built In Chicagos 50 Best Mid-Sized Places To Work list. Envoy was also awarded Built In Chicagos 50 Companies With The Best Perks and 50 Companies With The Best Benefits list. Built In Chicago honors Chicago companies that go the extra mile to provide employees the support and resources they need to thrive and succeed. Companies are selected based on data submitted by companies and their employees. Were incredibly lucky to have great leadership from our CEO and across our executive board that cultivates a culture where people feel proud and motivated to carry out Envoys mission every day, said Dagiantis. Across all levels of the organization, we are focused on hiring and retaining intelligent, passionate individuals who are committed to making a difference. Were looking forward to continuing our momentum by making Envoy an even better best place to work in 2020. For a list of 2020 Crains Chicago Business Notable HR leaders, click here. To see the full list of Built In Chicagos 100 Best Places To Work and 50 Best Mid-Sized Places To Work, click here. About Envoy Global Founded in 1998, Envoy Global is a global immigration services provider offering the only immigration management platform that makes it seamless for companies to hire and manage an international workforce. By combining expert legal representationfor both inbound and non-U.S. immigrationand proprietary technology, Envoy empowers companies to acquire the best talent regardless of where they live, while simultaneously managing their entire global workforce and enabling employees to take advantage of business opportunities around the globe. Envoy is a 2019 honoree of the 18th Annual Chicago Innovation Awards, 20th Annual Illinois Technology Association (ITA) CityLIGHTS Awards, Corporate Immigration & Relocation Best Global Corporate Immigration Platform, Built In Chicagos 2019 100 Best Places To Work and 50 Best Mid-Sized Places To Work and ChicagoInnos Coolest Companies List. Envoys affiliated law firm is Global Immigration Associates, P.C. (GIA), who provide immigration legal services to companies. Website, technology platform and administrative services are provided by Envoy Global Inc., a Delaware corporation. Legal services are provided by Envoy-affiliated attorneys. Please visit envoyglobal.com for more information. About Global Immigration Associates Global Immigration Associates, P.C. (GIA) is an independent law firm based in Chicago, Illinois. GIA is the affiliated law firm of Envoy Global, providing immigration legal services to companies. GIA staff are experienced, dedicated, highly-skilled professionals who have a passion for immigration law and for the clients we serve. Some fresh weakness in the Euro this week so far has been unable to prevent the Euro to Pound exchange rate from seeing significant gains already. The Euro outlook remains mixed amid mixed Eurozone ecostats and strength in rival currencies, but returning Brexit fears have caused the Pound to plummet across the board. Last week saw EUR/GBP open the week at the level of 0.8434 and briefly jump higher, before ultimately tumbling and closing the week at the level of 0.8401. This put EUR/GBP fairly close to Fridays 2020 low of 0.8389 the worst level for the pair since mid-December. This week though, EUR/GBP has already seen a significant recovery of over half a pence. At the time of writing, EUR/GBP was trending near highs of 0.8483 just below last weeks best levels. The primary cause of todays significant Euro to Pound gains was more due to a Pound selloff than any fresh strength in the Euro. Last week saw the Pound surge higher, as the Bank of England (BoE) took a less dovish than expected tone on UK monetary policy. However, Britain left the EU at the end of last week and since the weekend investors have been more anxious about the future relationship between Britain and the EU. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier both took tough stances on negotiations since yesterday. This has led to fresh market concern that this 2020 Brexit transition period could end in a hard Brexit at the end of the year. In a Monday speech, Johnson said: There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment, or anything similar any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules Euro Exchange Rates Supported even as Eurozone PMIs Beat Forecasts Despite EUR/GBPs major gains today, demand for the Euro has actually been fairly limited this week so far. The Euro was one of the days weaker major currencies, gaining on Sterling due to the Pounds broad weakness. Investors were hesitant to buy the Euro due to a strong recovery in its biggest rival, the US Dollar (USD). Investors returned to the US Dollar (USD) following last weeks poor performance, as markets calmed from the worst of the panic over a coronavirus outbreak. As investors returned to the US Dollar (USD) over its safer rivals like the Japanese Yen (JPY), the Euro was pushed lower by a recovering US Dollar. As the Euros strength was limited by rivals today, investors ultimately had little reaction to the latest Eurozone manufacturing PMI results. Manufacturing PMIs actually beat forecasts in key French, German and overall Eurozone stats. According to Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at IHS Markit: The improvement adds to our view that the Eurozone economy could see growth strengthen in the coming months, meaning the ECB will hold off with any policy changes and instead focus on its strategic review. However, key risks which could alter the brightening outlook include the threat of US tariffs and trade war escalation, Brexit-related disruptions to trade as well as uncertainty surrounding the impact of the Wuhan coronavirus. EUR/GBP Exchange Rate Forecast: Final PMI Results in Focus With the Euro gaining largely on Pound weakness today, the Euro to Pound exchange rates strength could be limited in the coming sessions. However, if markets continue to calm from last weeks coronavirus jitters, the Euro could see fresh support from Eurozone data in the coming sessions. While tomorrows Eurozone PPI data is unlikely to be influential, Wednesday will see the publication of the Eurozones final January services and composite PMI results. These will give markets a better idea of if the Eurozone economy is showing signs of recovery from its poor 2019 performance. If Eurozone services beat forecasts, the Euro could see more solid demand later in the week. Eurozone retail sales, due Wednesday, could also boost Euro demand if they impress investors. The Pounds movement, meanwhile, could continue to be heavily influenced by any surprising Brexit developments in the coming sessions. If UK or EU negotiators show any softening of tone the Pound could recover some of its losses. Strong UK services data on Wednesday could also boost Sterling and put pressure on the Euro to Pound (EUR/GBP) exchange rate. Turkish president to attend meeting with Ukraine The Ukrainian Defence Ministry said that Turkish-Ukrainian defense cooperation was moving to joint production when defense officials from the countries met in Kyiv on Jan. 26. Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky to hold high-level strategic council meeting Monday in Kiev. The Turkish Communications Directorate on Sunday announced that bilateral and regional issues would be discussed during the meeting between relevant ministers under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. 200-MILLION FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO UKRAINE During the meeting, the condition of Ukraine's Crimean Tatars will also be discussed, along with new opportunities for cooperation to deepen strategic partnership relations, said the directorate. Another collaboration on armed drones, which the Turkish firm Baykar has built a strong reputation around will be on the table. Ukraines ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Sibiga, said that an agreement will be signed include 200 million liras of Turkish financial support for the Ukrainian army. - Bank of Ghana to be awarded as the Central Bank of the Year at this 2020's Central Banking Awards - The awards will be held on March 19, 2020, in Brussels, Belgium Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in The Bank of Ghana to be awarded as the Central Bank of the Year at this year's Central Banking Awards to be held on March 19, 2020, in Brussels, Belgium. This feat was achieved following measures it pursued in a bid to ensure a strong financial sector through a raft of reforms implemented over the past two years. According to a report filed by Citi Newsroom, the central bank has an impressive record of achievement, but the most notable is its reform of a seriously undercapitalized and poorly managed banking sector. READ ALSO: Corruption Perception Index: Ghana named as one of Africas corrupt countries in 2019 The central bank has dealt with this complex set of risks, which could have caused serious damage to the countrys economy, the Central Banking Awards said in a post on its website. According to the report, aside the reforms in the banking sector, the bank's performance in other fields has also been impressive to some outside observers. It noted that Dr. Addisons predecessors faced the problem that the previous Ghanaian government had been resorting to monetary financing while adding that the international donors helped to push the government away from this device. READ ALSO: Government did not lose any money; why investigate - Stan Dogbe to Akufo-Addo In other news, GCB Bank, Ghana's leading bank in terms of capital and customers, has finally rolled out its G-Money Mobile Wallet with loads of freebies users. Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana G-Money which came into operation on Thursday, January 30, 2020, is aimed at helping customers of the bank and non-customers to transact businesses with ease, pay bills and purchase airtime on their mobile phones. Apart from making transactions easy for users, G-Money promises the best value for money in terms of transaction fees. Already, GCB has offered free usage of the G-Money platform for the months of February. READ ALSO: Mills-Mahama never took bribe from Airbus - NDC How convenient is it to use the new GHC 200 note at the market? | #Yencomgh Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh An Indian-origin shopkeeper tried to stop the convicted terrorist from stealing the knife which he used for a stabbing frenzy on a busy high street in south London, before being shot dead by armed police officers during Sunday's terror attack. Jagmon Singh was in the shop where convicted terrorist Sudesh Amman stormed in to steal a knife before using it to stab a woman in the back, who has since been discharged from hospital. The 20-year-old Sri Lankan origin Islamic State (ISIS) inspired Londoner went on to attack another man, who suffered life-threatening injuries and remains in hospital but has been declared out of danger. Jagmon Singh's brother revealed on Monday how his brother tried to grab the knife out of Amman's grip, believing him to be a shoplifter, before he fled out of the store on Streatham High Road on Sunday. "My brother recognised him because he had come in the week before and didn't buy anything," Kiranjeet Singh told the Evening Standard' newspaper. "My brother said he grabbed a ceramic 10-inch kitchen knife that was hanging by the till. He walked in, took the knife, saw nobody was looking and ran out. He removed the packaging then stabbed the woman in the back. It was completely random then he started running," said the 38-year-old, who owns the 'low price store' on the street. Scotland Yard counter-terrorism officers have been carrying out searches on Monday in the bail hostel in south London where Amman had been lodged after he was released half-way through a three-year terrorism prison sentence under parole conditions. Amman's mother Haleema Faraz Khan spoke about her last visit with her son at the hostel last week as she described him as a "polite and lovely boy" who had been "brainwashed" by material he saw online. She told Sky in an interview that her son had been further radicalised by his time in the high security Belmarsh prison in south-east London. Khan, whose family is originally from Sri Lanka but is now based in Bedfordshire in the east of England, said when she first heard an attack had taken place, she "had a feeling" her son was responsible because it was in south London. "I saw it on the TV, that's when I knew it was him. His name was there. That was the first time I heard. He didn't answer his phone, I tried to ring him [after the attack]," she told Sky Amman had been under surveillance since his release following his sentence for terrorism offences in December 2018. He had pleaded guilty to the possession and dissemination of terrorist material and it emerged in court that he had shared ISIS-related beheading material on social media. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reiterated that the government will be looking into imposing tougher custodial sentences on dangerous and convicted terrorist suspects. "We are bringing forward legislation to stop the system of automatic early release. The difficulty is how to apply retrospectively to the cohort of people who currently qualify," he said, during a speech in London on Monday. "It is time to take action to ensure, irrespective of the law we are bringing in, people in the current stream don't qualify automatically for early release," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The picture Eamonn Holmes posted on his Twitter account standing in front of the Stephen Clements poster in Carrickfergus Eamonn Holmes has paid an emotional tribute to the late Radio Ulster presenter Stephen Clements during a visit to the radio host's home town. The popular broadcaster tweeted a picture of himself in front of a newly-erected billboard in Carrickfergus in honour of 47-year-old father-of-two Clements, who died suddenly on January 7. "Paying my Respects to friend and fellow Broadcaster Stephen Clements," 60-year-old Eamonn said. "Went to see this amazing tribute to him in his home town of Carrickfergus... Gone too soon." Read More The large billboard, which has been put up on the Belfast Road, bears a smiling image of the late DJ surrounded by heartfelt messages from some of Northern Ireland's best-known personalities. It carries the words "Remembering Stephen Clements", with a message that reads: "Thank you for bringing joy and laughter to so many. Forever in our hearts." It also highlights tributes from Eamonn himself, radio stars Stephen Nolan and Colin Murray, and actress Bronagh Waugh. Fans of the former Q Radio presenter turned Radio Ulster host have praised Eamonn's touching gesture. "Such an amazing man Stephen was Such lovely words Eamonn," one fan wrote, while Eamonn's wife and fellow This Morning star Ruth Langsford, said: "Too young, too soon. May he rest in peace." Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-04 03:33:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MUSCAT, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Omani deputy prime minister for the council of ministers on Monday affirmed the Sultanate's efforts to boost the development of sports, the Omani Council of Ministers said in a statement. Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said made the remarks during his meeting with David Lappartient, president of Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The meeting discussed means of supporting cooperation between the Sultanate and the UCI, including the establishment of the International Centre for Omani Cyclists Training with technical support from the UCI, said the statement. The statement said that the Omani deputy prime minister affirmed that the Sultanate attaches great attention to sport and youth sector, as well as all activities that polish talents and develop skills. Al Said also expressed the Sultanate's appreciation to the UCI's role in supporting cooperation in this field and organizing tournaments in various countries around the world to enhance communication among different nations. Three persons died while 14 others sustained injuries in an accident around Saapade area on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Monday. The spokesman of the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the incident to journalists in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital. Mr Akinbiyi said the accident, which occurred around 7:15am, involved a Mazda bus marked AKD 53 XN travelling from Ibadan to Lagos and a Ford bus marked RGB 490 XA travelling from Lagos to Ikire. He said the accident occurred at a diversion area on the expressway where the vehicles collided due to speeding and reckless driving. The eyewitness account posited that the driver of the Ford bus coming from Lagos to Ikire was among the three dead victims while the other two were among the passengers in the Mazda bus, the spokesman said. Mr Akinbiyi said the three corpses were deposited at FOS Mortuary, Ipara. He said the injured victims were taken to Victory Hospital, Ogere; State Hospital, Isara; and Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu. He warned motorists to avoid excessive speed and reckless driving at diversion/construction areas because of its attendant consequences. Mr Akinbiyi urged them to keep to the 50km/h speed limit. (NAN) Shares of Malaysia's AirAsia Group and unit AirAsia X fell on Monday, after allegations by Britain's Serious Fraud Office that Airbus paid a bribe of $50 million to win plane orders from Asia's largest budget airline group. AirAsia shares fell as much as 11% to 1.27 ringgit their lowest since May 2016 while those of AirAsia X tanked 12% to their all-time low of 11.5 Malaysian sen. Malaysia's anti-graft agency is investigating the allegations from Britain. AirAsia has said it never made any purchase decisions that were premised on Airbus sponsorship, and that it would fully cooperate with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Malaysia's Securities Commission said on Sunday it would also examine whether AirAsia broke securities laws. The allegations were revealed on Friday as part of a record $4 billion settlement Airbus agreed with France, Britain and the United States. Prosecutors said the company had bribed public officials and hidden payments as part of a pattern of worldwide corruption. Airbus said at the weekend it would not comment on the Malaysian investigations. Analysts said the accusation against AirAsia comes at a particularly bad time as airlines grapple with a slowdown in business because of the fast-spreading coronavirus epidemic that has killed more than 300 people in China and disrupted air travel. "Besides being embroiled in this corruption scandal, we expect a tough operating environment to persist over the medium term with maintenance cost remaining high ... and concerns over the Wuhan virus outbreak which could derail propensity for air travel in the region," Malaysia's Kenanga Investment Bank wrote in a research note. TA Securities downgraded AirAsia Group stock to "sell" from "buy". "We choose the 'sell first, ask questions later' approach to avoid the uncertainty in association with the corruption investigation by MACC, where the impact on AirAsia could be significant in terms of corporate governance," it said in a note. TWO men who flouted the laws of the Turks and Caicos Islands once before by entering the territory illegally, now face a harsher sentence. Haitian nationals Roberto Carlo and Ronal Jvoril are now guests at Her Majestys Prison having once before been deported from the TCI following a six-month jail sentence for illegal entry. Last year, the men were arrested for having entered the country illegally, they were charged, taken before the court and subsequently sentenced to six months imprisonment. They were then deported to Haiti following the completion of their jail sentence. But at the beginning of this year, on January 7, Carlo and Jvoril again unlawfully entered the Islands. They were captured along with others, charged and appeared this week before the chief magistrate. This time, the two were slapped with a two year and five month sentence. Following which they will again be deported to their home country. Another Haitian national Gistave Charles also appeared in court charged with the same offence of illegal entry into Turks and Caicos Islands. He was sentenced to serve nine months in prison before he is deported back to Haiti. All three men illegally entered the Islands on January 7 on board a sloop carrying 67 men and 10 women. The red and blue, wooden 30 foot, outboard vessel was intercepted at 11.15am by Marine Branch officials via motor vessel Sea Pursuit and motor vessel Sea Guardian in the area of French Cay. The Coalition of Aggrieved Customers Of Gold Coast Fund Management (GCFM) has sent a strong warning to the Akufo-Addo led-Administration to pay them their monies owed them or face their wrath. According to the aggrieved customers, they are disappointed the President has refused to put in measures at fixing the situation. Addressing the media, the Public Relations Officer of GCFM, Charles Nyame said "We will be holding a mammoth demonstration on the streets of Accra against Government on February 25. Since he has refused to pay us, we have also resolved as a group to vote against this current government." He accused the President and his cousin, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta for the recent collapse of banks and Ghanaian business under the guise of a supposed financial sector cleanup. Mr. Nyame revealed that the Coalition cannot fathom why Hon. Ken Ofori Atta and Security and Exchanges Commission Boss, Rev. Ogbame Tetteh who are shareholders of Data Bank withdrew its 10 years investment from GCFM. "What was their motive for redrawing their investment from GCFM in March 2018 before coming out with their wicked directive in May 2018 which led to the collapse of GCFM and other fund management companies," he quizzed. Mr. Nyame stressed that the act of collapsing other banks leaving out Data Bank was the worse move by the government as compared to the revolutionary days of the PNDC. He pointed out that the current NPP administration has failed to add to the little resources the customers have but rather clandestinely taken from them due to its pursuit of political governance. "All that this current government is concerned about is how they will manipulate their way in the midst of messes they have created in their quest to win political power," he intimated. Mr. Nyame further mentioned that the validation process which was haphazardly planned and initiated by SEC and government was a means to buy time. He added that no bank or fund management company can technically meet all obligations at a goal if it has been mandated to refund all funds belonging to its customers and still survive as a business. The Coalition of Aggrieved Customers Of Gold Coast Fund Management says it asking the President to guarantee full payment of their investment as promised in his 2019 Christmas message. The group says it will not accept the GHc10000/GHc200 00 earlier proposed by the Finance Minister considering the different levels of individual investments with the company ranging from GHc50,000 to over Ghc4000,0000. "We consider the rationale for the capped amount proposed by government as irrational since it does not address the urgent needs of all the various categories of Investors but rather will worsen the already deplorable plight of majority of the customers," he emphasised. Friday, January 17, was a historic day at Coolderry Central School. On the day, the pupils and staff welcomed both the German Ambassador Deike Potzel and the French Ambassador Stefan Crouzat to the school. They were welcomed to Coolderry Central School by Mrs Una Teehan, principal of the school. The pupils formed a guard of honour, cheered, waved flags and clapped as they welcomed the esteemed visitors. Mrs Teehan has been working on a study of the European Union as part of the Blue Star Programme with her class pupils in fifth and sixth class over the past few months. Both of the Ambassadors had been invited to the school in relation to the project. On the day, both ambassadors had discussions with Mrs Teehan and the pupils in fifth and sixth class in relation to the member states and developments in the European Union in recent years. The pupils were also given the opportunity to ask questions. Both of the Ambassadors were very gracious and gave very generously of their time in spite of their hectic schedule. Afterwards, pupils from throughout the school entertained the two ambassadors with music, song and dance. The school expressed a special word of thanks to Mrs Geraldine Bryan for her expertise and her time. Michael H Gregory October 14,1973-December 2, 2019 Well-known figure in DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) Michael Gregory died late last year aged 46 from cancer of the oesophagus. Born in Melbourne, (his parents were both teachers) he was educated at Melbourne Grammar School and then the University of Melbourne where he completed a BA (honours) and a MA by thesis on early Australian foreign policy. He developed a taste for travel at his school visiting India and then was selected to visit the French base at Antarctica. After university he travelled and trained as a French chef and then worked at restaurants at Oxford and Guildford in the UK gaining favourable reviews for his dishes. On return to Melbourne he joined the Migration Review Tribunal, and then in 2001 the Department of Immigration working first in Melbourne before being posted to Canberra. From Canberra he served in the Australian High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan from 2005 to 2008. There he oversaw all visa operations from Pakistan and Afghanistan. Gay Tanzanian activist Tee, 34, recalls with nostalgia a time when Tanzania was like "paradise" for LGBT people -- before the 2015 election of President John Magufuli ushered in fear and persecution. It's all relative. Tanzania has long criminalised same-sex relations, and social stigma has always existed, but under previous governments homosexuality was not a public discussion. The country was slowly making progress by including the LGBT community in discussions on healthcare and the fight against HIV/Aids. "In those days Tanzania was like paradise... We were enjoying our life, people were going out, hanging out in bars, having meetings, public events, without fearing anyone. We were able to participate in government meetings," Tee told AFP during an interview in neighbouring Kenya, using a pseudonym out of fear for his safety. "But now you can't even dare. Now we have to hide ourselves." Since 2016, Tanzanian authorities have carried out numerous raids on private meetings held by LGBT organisations, arrested and carried out forced anal examinations on suspected homosexuals, and blocked crucial healthcare services and HIV prevention programmes. Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday released a report called "If We Don't Get Services We Will Die", detailing the anti-LGBT crackdown under Magufuli's rule. "The Tanzanian authorities have orchestrated a systematic attack on the rights of LGBT people, including their right to health," said Neela Ghoshal, senior LGBT rights researcher at HRW. "Manufactured threats around the so-called 'promotion of homosexuality' have displaced best practices and evidence-based approaches in guiding HIV policy in Tanzania." According to HRW, the crackdown began when a transgender woman spoke to a local television station about her work with civil society organisations which provide condoms and lubricant -- essential HIV prevention tools as condoms are more likely to tear during anal sex without water-based lubricants. This led a lawmaker to accuse the station of "glorifying gayism", and it was forced to issue an apology. In ensuing days the regional commissioner of Tanzania's economic capital Dar es Salaam, Paul Makonda, pledged to arrest gays and anyone who followed them on social media. Not long after, the health ministry banned the sale of lubricants outside of government hospitals. They also shuttered scores of drop-in centres which had been established by NGOs to provide HIV testing and counselling and distribute anti-retroviral therapy, condoms and lubricant -- seen as safe spaces for the LGBT community -- for "promoting homosexuality". Tee, like numerous LGBT people interviewed by HRW, said he knew of many people who had stopped taking their HIV medication and died as a result. He is also HIV positive and said that government hospitals "are stigmatising the people going to access services. There is a lot of preaching, a lot of negative words from those healthcare workers. They tell you how to live." A transgender women activist and sex worker, who identified herself as Queen M., 31, told AFP she had been ridiculed at public hospitals. She said transgender women had also been increasingly targeted by police. "There was a time I was coming from a club, in a short dress. I did not have money... They said if you don't have money what else can you offer. I had to have sex with five of them (police officers) the same night," she said. Queen M. said that she also knew many people who had stopped taking their medication. "The funny thing is there are those who are still taking medication -- but still their viral load is increasing, from stress, self-stigmatisation," Queen M. said. "At the end of the day, they end up dying." Tee, who was also arrested during one of the raids, managed to prevent forced anal examination by freely admitting he was gay, but saw younger men traumatised by the procedure as well as forced HIV testing given without counselling. Magufuli has been credited with efforts to stamp out corruption, but he has come under fire for clamping down on civil liberties. That includes tightening the screws on the media, opposition and civil society organisations. In 2018 he assured the World Bank -- which had blocked missions to Tanzania over discrimination against LGBT people -- that the government would end "discriminatory actions related to harassment and/or arrests" on the basis of sexual orientation. The World Bank later lifted this directive. Denmark also reversed a decision to withhold $10 million in aid from Tanzania on the basis of human rights violations. On Friday, the US State Department slapped a travel ban on Makonda, the outspoken anti-gay commissioner of Dar es Salaam, for "his involvement in gross violations of human rights." However, HRW says nothing has changed and urged donors to "hold President Magufuli accountable to his commitment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chinas acting ambassador to Israel Dai Yuming apologized after comparing the closure of several national borders to Chinese citizens amid fears of coronavirus from China to the turning away of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. The envoy said at a press conference in Tel Aviv that the "errors to limit or even ban entries of Chinese citizens" reminded him of "the old days, the old stories that happened in World War Two, the Holocaust, the darkest days in human history." "Millions of Jewish were killed, and many, many Jewish were refused when they tried to seek assistance from other countries. Only very, very few countries opened their door, and among them is China," the AP cited him as saying. The Chinese Embassy in Israel later issued a statement saying "there was no intention whatsoever to compare the dark days of the Holocaust with the current situation and the efforts taken by the Israeli government to protect its citizens." Israel halted direct flights to China last week, and Israels Health Ministry has authorized border control agents to deny entry to non-Israelis who have visited China in the past two weeks. Israeli citizens who returned from China have been instructed to remain quarantined at home for two weeks in order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission U.S billionaire media proprietor Anne Cox Chambers (C) smiles after being awarded "Commandeur de la L'gion d'Honneur" at the Culture Ministry, in Paris, on Nov. 13, 2009. (Thibault Camus/AP Photo) Anne Cox Chambers, Media Heiress and Former US Ambassador, Dies at 100 Anne Cox Chambers, a billionaire heiress of media company Cox Enterprises and a former U.S. ambassador to Belgium, died at her home on Jan. 31 at the age of 100, the company confirmed. My aunt, a vivacious and charismatic woman, was very proud of Cox Enterprisess success and the accomplishments of its employees, Jim Kennedy, Cox Enterprises chairman and Chamberss nephew, said in a statement to CNN and other media outlets. In addition to her work for the company, she had a career of her own that was driven by her personal passions and the respect she earned within the business community. Chambers served as ambassador to Belgium during the administration of President Jimmy Carter. She also was a director of the board at Coca-Cola during the 1980s. I received a check each month from the U.S. government, and I knew that I had earned it, Chambers told Fortune magazine in 1991 about her political role. Carter offered condolences following Chamberss death, in a statement on his website. Ambassador Chambers was an important part of our lives for over six decades, Carter said. Her life serves as a path for fairness and equality for everyone and especially for women and girls. He added: Atlanta, our state of Georgia, and the world has lost a wonderful woman, business leader, and philanthropist. Rosalynn and I are grateful to have been among those whose lives were so richly touched by her. Cox Enterprises is run by Chamberss grandson Alexander C. Alex Taylor, who serves as president and CEO, and is owned by her children: Margaretta J. Taylor, Katharine J. Rayner, and James C. Chambers, as well as the children of her sister, Barbara Cox Anthony, who died in 2007. They are Blair Parry-Okeden and James Cox Kennedy. Chambers was the daughter of James Middleton Cox, who founded Cox Enterprises, which has owned The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, WSB-TV, and a number of other media ventures. Chambers, her mother, and her siblings inherited the company when the elder Cox died in 1957. Its subsidiaries include Cox Communications, one of the largest cable providers in the United States, and Cox Automotive. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, in a statement, praised Chambers for her contributions to the city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia, which will be felt for generations to come. Forbes magazine estimated that Chamberss net worth was about $17 billion in 2016, but she dropped off the Forbes 400 list that year after transferring her fortune to her children. Her three children, James Chambers, Katharine Rayner, and Margaretta Taylor, are all billionaires, according to the magazine. The Associated Press contributed to this report. / -- With a common aim of giving a boost to telecom infrastructure and improving quality of lives, Dehradun Smart Cities Limited (DSCL) and Indus Towers, one of the world's largest telecom tower companies, have partnered on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model to install 70 ground-based mast telecom sites, 60 Smart Poles and deployment of 100 km of Underground Fiber Network. This contract, part of various initiatives introduced by DSCL having Smart City focus, is brought about with the chief purpose of building and strengthening digital network across Dehradun and contributing towards smarter infrastructure services. The project entailed installation of 60 Smart Poles equipped with WiFi access points, Smart lighting solution (warm LED lights consuming lesser energy) and CCTV cameras (for video surveillance) in Dehradun. This momentous occasion was graced by key attendees, which included Sh. Sunil Uniyal Gama, Hon'ble Mayor, Shri Ashish Bhatgai, ACEO, Dehradun Smart City and Mr. Bimal Dayal, CEO, Indus Towers. Commenting on this Collaboration, Sh. Sunil Uniyal Gama, Hon'ble Mayor, said, "Robust connectivity is one of the critical aspects of Smart City initiative. Deployment of these smart poles will ensure seamless digital connectivity, surveillance and environment monitoring on a real-time basis thus also enabling smooth Integration between different departments." Mr. Ashish Bhatgai, ACEO, DSCL, said, "Dehradun Smart City's vision is very clear - the betterment of citizens in terms of safety, connectivity and healthcare. DSCL has various initiatives that have a Smart City focus e.g. IOT based devices/sensors - CCTV, VMDs, Environmental Sensors etc. This contract on the PPP model is for Smart Pole and Fiber deployment throughout the city to provide seamless digital connectivity." Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Bimal Dayal, CEO, Indus Towers, said, "We at Indus Towers are delighted to partner with DSCL and together we aim to provide a robust NextGen telecom infrastructure in Dehradun. Indus Towers' selection to implement the third such project in India is a testament of its capability and experience to execute Infrastructure projects on PPP Model. We continue to be the pioneers when it comes to enabling Smart Cities through our innovative solutions of smart telecom infrastructure. We express our heartfelt gratitude to the DSCL for partnering with us to help improve lives of citizens of Dehradun and tourist inflow.'About Indus Towers LimitedIndus Towers Limited is an independently managed company offering passive telecom infrastructure to all telecom operators. Indus is headquartered in the National Capital Region. Founded in 2007, Indus Towers Limited has been promoted under a joint venture amongst (i) Bharti Infratel Limited (group company of Bharti Airtel limited, rendering telecom services in India under the brand name Airtel), (ii) Vodafone India Limited (group company of Vodafone Group- UK) rendering telecom services in India under the brand name Vodafone, since merged with Idea Cellular Limited and (iii) Aditya Birla Telecom Limited (group company of Idea Cellular Limited, now re-named as Vodafone Idea Limited) which created history by collaborating to share telecom towers & infrastructure. Indus has presence in 15 telecom circles of India and has achieved over 2,32,924 tenancies till date. With the current count of over 1,25,649 towers, Indus has the widest coverage in India and is one of the largest telecom tower companies in the world. Indus Towers has been actively involved in developing scalable models for smart cities. The company's approach is to enable the integration of the digital infrastructure with the existing infrastructure. Recently, the company executed Smart Poles project for New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) as part of its efforts to make Delhi a smart city as well as Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC). Indus' vision of "Transforming Lives by Enabling Communication" is setting a new paradigm for a networked economy, on a world leading scale, whereby there is inclusive and impactful growth for all. For any further information please visit the website www.industowers.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1085207/Indus_Towers_Dehradun_Smart_City. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian sent a condolence message to President of the Peoples Republic of China Xi Jinping on the occasion of the tragic consequences as a result of the outbreak of coronavirus. I am confident that under your leadership effective measures are taken in the direction of prevention and overcome of the epidemic. In this difficult moment Armenia expresses solidarity with China, reads the condolence message of President Armen Sarkissian. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Presidents Office, Armen Sarkissian wished fortitude to the friendly people of China and speedy recovery to the infected. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan EXTON, Pa., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ricoh USA, Inc. has been named a gold winner in the Most Customer Friendly Company category in the Best in Biz Awards, the only independent business awards program judged by prominent editors and reporters from top-tier publications in North America. Ricoh earned this honor thanks to a number of initiatives within the company's overall strategy to make customer satisfaction and success the primary metric by which it measures its own success. To fully commit to this approach, Ricoh created a role focused entirely on "voice of the customer" data collection, survey governance and feedback implementation, which served as the bedrock for further changes to shorten feedback loops and improve measurement of customer satisfaction. Among these changes: facilitating real-time data ingestion and analysis, empowering teams to reduce lead time on reporting and analytics from weeks to days; augmenting a quarterly reports system for customer feedback with a live-updated, accessible-anywhere visual dashboard of customer survey responses; and automated flagging of urgent issues, so if a customer survey response mentions a pressing concern, a support ticket will automatically be created and Ricoh will proactively reach out to address the problem within 24 hours. The company also implemented Smart Hands, a program that puts Ricoh's 3,000-plus field technicians in instant, hands-free contact with the company's vast knowledge resources. The Smart Hands mobile application allows technicians to both provide a live feed of what they see and access information or collaborate with other remote technicians in real time, while keeping their hands free to continue working on repairs the first time such a technology has been deployed in the print space. "At the end of the day, there is only one way to succeed long-term in the B2B space: bring value to customers," said Heather Loisel, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Ricoh Americas. "Once you accept this, it only makes sense to focus your efforts on understanding and driving customer success. When our customers provide feedback, we don't just listen we act on it. To make sure we are responsive, effective, and useful to our customers, we needed better ways to measure: shorter feedback loops, automated issue flagging, and faster, more effective data ingestion. We are pleased to report we have found a better way, and we intend to continue improving, every day." Since 2011, Best in Biz Awards entrants have spanned the spectrum, from the most innovative local companies and start-ups to some of the most recognizable global brands. With more than 700 entries, the 9th annual program attracted a record number of entries from an impressive array of public and private companies of all sizes and spanning all geographic regions and industries in the U.S. and Canada. Best in Biz Awards 2019 honors were conferred in 80 different categories, including Company of the Year, Fastest-Growing Company, Most Innovative Company, Best Place to Work, Customer Service Department, Executive of the Year, Most Innovative Product, Enterprise Product, Best New Service, CSR Program, Event and Blog of the Year. Each year, winners in Best in Biz Awards are determined based on scoring from independent judging panels assembled from some of the most respected newspapers, TV and radio outlets, and business, consumer, technology and trade publications in North America. Combining top editors' and reporters' unparalleled expertise and experience with the objectivity inherent in the journalistic ethos and further enhanced by the breadth and variety of outlets represented on the panel, Best in Biz Awards is uniquely able to determine the best of the best from among the hundreds of entries. The 2019 judging panel included, among others, writers from Accounting Today, AdWeek, Associated Press, Barron's, Consumer Affairs, eWeek, Healthcare Innovation News, Inc., Investment Advisor Magazine, USA Today and Wired. "It seems to get harder each year to select the best of the best in Best in Biz Awards," said Mark Huffman, Consumer Affairs, returning to judge Best in Biz Awards for the sixth year. "As a consumer reporter, it is particularly gratifying to me to see so many businesses striving to enhance the customer experience." For a full list of gold, silver and bronze winners in Best in Biz Awards 2019, visit: http://www.bestinbizawards.com/2019-winners. For the latest updates and insights on Ricoh's solutions, visit https://www.ricoh-usa.com/en or follow @RicohTweets on Twitter, Ricoh USA, Inc. on Facebook and LinkedIn. | About Ricoh | Ricoh is empowering digital workplaces using innovative technologies and services enabling individuals to work smarter. For more than 80 years, Ricoh has been driving innovation and is a leading provider of document management solutions, IT services, communications services, commercial and industrial printing, digital cameras, and industrial systems. Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group operates in approximately 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ended March 2019, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 2,013 billion yen (approx. 18.1 billion USD). For further information, please visit www.ricoh.com 2020 Ricoh USA, Inc. All rights reserved. All referenced product names are the trademarks of their respective companies. Contacts: John Greco Ricoh USA, Inc. (973) 882-2023 [email protected] Tracey Sheehy Breakaway Communications for Ricoh (212) 616-6003 [email protected] SOURCE Ricoh USA, Inc. Related Links http://www.ricoh.com (Natural News) Questioning the safety of untested 5G technology is now illegal in the United Kingdom, at least if you try to do it on an advertisement billboard. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has reportedly outlawed what it claims is a misleading advertising campaign put out by Electrosensitivity-U.K. about the dangers of 5G, which include reduced male fertility, depression, disturbed sleep and headaches, as well as cancer. A series of posters that were put up around town back in July and August of 2019, asking How safe is 5G? followed by various quotes from health professionals, has been outlawed by the ASA, effectively silencing the conversation about 5G that very much needs to be had for public safety purposes. You can view the ad in question at this link. As youll notice, the ad draws attention to the fact that the general public is being treated as human guinea pigs in a massive EMF (electromagnetic frequency) experiment, the long-term health consequences of which remain unknown. It also points to an Italian study which found that animals exposed to 5G developed brain and heart tumors. Scientists and doctors call for a moratorium on the roll-out of 5G, reads another quote on the poster from a group known as The 5G Appeal. 5G will substantially increase exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields that have been proven to be harmful for humans and the environment. In the eyes of the ASA, none of this is true because the telecommunications industry claims that 5G is perfectly safe. So, this is all that needs to be said or done about 5G, and the British people need to just shut up and accept 5G towers and micro-cells being placed every couple hundred yards across their neighborhoods and cities. Sure, theres a little more to it than that. The British government is also relying on industry-conducted studies, all of which have conveniently determined that 5G is 100 percent safe and effective just like vaccines are 100 percent safe and effective, according to the government. 5G is a radioactive weapon that the deep state will use to surveil the global population in real time But the mini-documentary 5G: Next Gen Health Dangers, available for viewing at Brighteon.com, tells a much different story one that the ASA doesnt want you to hear. As it turns out, 5G is not only a mass-poisoning tool to blast the public with deadly radiation, its also a real-time surveillance tool for keeping 24/7 tabs on the public without warrant or probable cause meaning 5G is an affront to the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The U.K. doesnt share our Constitution, of course, but it doesnt really matter as 5G is also being rolled out across the late-great U.S. of A. with no regard whatsoever for its impact on public health. The entire point of 5G, flatly stated, is to create the worlds most invasive surveillance network that also doubles as an electromagnetic weapons platform that can target specific individuals with focused beams of cancer-causing radiation, warns Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, adding that the movers and shakers know full well the many dangers associated with 5G, and this is a big reason why they want to implement it. The tech industry is fully aware of these dangers but pushed 5G anyway, censoring critics of the technology and trying to silence the science that exposes the public health risks associated with this extreme technology. Electrosensitivity-U.K. has also published its own list of research about the dangers of 5G exposure that you can access at this link. For more related news about the dangers of 5G radiation, be sure to check out EMF.news. Sources for this article include: InformationLiberation.com NaturalNews.com Brighteon.com ES-UK.info The Shanghai Composite index tumbled nearly 8% on Monday as Chinese regulators moved to stabilize markets jolted by a virus that has spread to more than 20 countries, slamming regional tourism and threatening global growth. The outbreak of the virus in China has prompted governments around the world to step up surveillance and quarantine requirements as airlines cancel hundreds of flights. Millions of Chinese remained in lock-down as the number of people infected by the virus topped 17,000 as of Sunday night. It has killed more than 360 people, all but one in China. The Shanghai benchmark dropped almost 9% after markets opened after a week-long Lunar New Year holiday that was extended by three days. It was its worst day since August 2015, despite the central bank's effort to put billions of dollars of extra cash into the markets through short-term securities purchases. Many analysts have dropped their forecasts for China, the world's second-largest economy, to near 5% from earlier forecasts of 6% economic growth for the year. With tens of millions of Chinese city dwellers ordered to mostly stay home, retailer and tourism-related businesses already are suffering. China's communist leaders have massive resources for intervening to staunch panic selling of shares and have deployed them during past crises, including the 2008 global financial meltdown and the 2002-2003 outbreak of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. Most of the country's largest companies and financial institutions are state-controlled. On Sunday, the central bank announced it was putting 1.2 trillion yuan ($173 billion) into the markets to ensure there would be enough cash. The Shanghai Composite fell 2.8% on Jan. 23, its last day of trading before the holiday. While shares in many sectors fell on Monday, prices for some Chinese pharmaceutical companies hit their 10% upside limit in early trading. Shandong Lukang Pharmaceutical, Jiangsu Sihuan Bioengineering and Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Co. were among the limit-up companies. Major conglomerate New Hope Group plunged to the 10% downside limit, as did Dongfang Electric Co. The benchmark for China's smaller market, in Shenzhen, plunged 8.4%. Worries over the potential harm to businesses and trade from the virus, first reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, have triggered wide swings in share prices around the globe. On Wall Street on Friday, the Dow skidded more than 600 points as the widening pandemic stoked fears that travel restrictions and other uncertainties could dent global growth. The U.S. market, which had calmly been setting record after record, suffered its worst January since 2016 and its first monthly loss since August. The worst case scenario is that this Wuhan coronavirus rages on unchecked like the ebola crisis in west Africa several years ago," said Francis Lun, a stock analyst in Hong Kong. It could take two or three years for China to recover, he said. Because China is the big elephant in the room now. If it falls, it will bring down all these smaller fries like Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and even Japan. So nobody is immune," Lun said. The central bank said its open market operations were aimed at ensuring sufficient liquidity. The People's Bank of China often uses reverse repurchases of securities that it plans to sell back, basically serving as very short-term loans, to increase the amount of money circulating in markets. A large share of the 1.2 trillion yuan put into the markets was going to meet payment obligations falling due on Monday, analysts said. This is well beyond the band-aid fix, and if this deluge doesn't hold risk-off at bay, we are in for a colossal beat down, Stephen Innes of AxiCorp. said in a client note. The plunge when markets reopened was expectable, he said. It's not the earthquake at the open but rather the aftershocks that will drive risk sentiment on Monday, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scott W. Schwartz is the archivist for music and fine arts and director of the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music at the University of Illinois Library. In a bid to land a date and find love, a single man did something which has now turned into a topic of Twitter chatter. He used a massive billboard to put forth his message and invited the interested people to get in touch with him and its working. Turns out, he has already received over 100 applications. Mark Rofe, after venturing out various dating apps got fed up and decided to try out this unusual route, reports the BBC. He paid 425 for the huge sign on a busy road in Manchester, UK. The huge billboard features a picture of Rofe lying on his side. It also reads, Single? This could be the sign youve been waiting for. A video of the billboard was also shared by Rofe on Twitter. Im at the billboard. Regret not getting my haircut first, he wrote. Im at the billboard. Regret not getting my haircut first. pic.twitter.com/kh35aL6m3x Mark Rofe (@iamrofe) February 1, 2020 People had lots of thoughts about this surprising way and they expressed the same while commenting. While some wished him good luck, others were impressed by his efforts. Heres what they tweeted: Good man! Love this Duncan M. MacGregor (@duncanmacgregor) February 1, 2020 Good Luck to you! Ellie Kent (@elliek2182) February 1, 2020 Get any dates yet? Dorota Pankowska (@dorithegiant) February 1, 2020 I was talking to my mate saying how I was struggling on all these dating apps and I joked that I should put my face on a big billboard, Rofe told the BBC. We laughed about it but then actually I thought what a good idea, he added. Some people might think Im mad paying 425 but if I find love then its fairly cheap. I tried to make it funny so hopefully I dont come across as a desperate loser, he further added. What do you think of this innovative way? SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Singapore, Singapore -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/02/2020 -- A Singapore-based enterprise, Makeshift Singapore Pte Ltd. is popular for offering aesthetically appealing, trendy and multifunctional office furniture. Additionally, the company is reputed for providing tailor-made workplace solutions. The services that Makeshift Singapore Pte Ltd. offers include office space planning, office reconfiguration, dismantle/reinstallation, office renovation and repair and change. The company's team, which includes skilled, experienced and professional office furniture installation, office reconfiguration and space planning experts, goes overboard to make every customer happy and content. Makeshift Singapore Pte Ltd.'s spokesperson in an interview commented, "There was a time when businesses hardly used to pay attention to their office design and layout. All that they focused on was operations and business development. However, time today has changed. Organizations have to plan and design their offices carefully, as organized and appealing office spaces leave lasting impressions on clients. In addition to this, a pleasant office design tends to keep employees motivated and enhance their productivity. We at Makeshift Singapore Pte Ltd dedicate our resources to add all these qualities to office spaces. We supply trendiest, high-quality and multifunctional office furniture and offer reliable office space design and planning services." Makeshift Singapore Pte Ltd.'s team of certified and experienced installation and reconfiguration personnel provide appropriate office space planning guidance to clients. The team members don't just concentrate on the present needs of the office space while working on a project but keep in mind future growth and development prospects as well. The same helps them to design office spaces that successfully cater to the present work requirements and can easily accommodate additional staff and departments in future. Answering a query related to office workstations offered by Makeshift Singapore Pte Ltd., the spokesperson added, "The ambience and functionality of an office relies on the type of workstations employers choose for their staff. For example, premium workstation designs merged with modular styles can make the office environment ergonomic and comfortable. At Makeshift Singapore Pte Ltd., we provide contemporary and multifunctional workstations to suffice the varying requirements of the client's business. As a leading supplier of customized office furniture, we maintain the pace with changing trends and bring mundane workplaces to life. Our designs inspire creativity and productivity while our workstations foster collaboration among teams at the office." Makeshift has emerged as a top choice for offices seeking modern, high-quality and multifunctional workstations. The company boasts a wide selection of modern workstations and open cubicles designed for the modern workforce. Those interested can browse Makeshift's collection of cool cubicles, workstations, adjustable benching systems and office system furniture in Singapore. People can contact the company to discuss their specific requirements and seek tailored solutions fitting their needs and budget. About Makeshift Singapore Pte Ltd. Makeshift Singapore Pte Ltd. is a Singapore-based enterprise renowned for providing customized workplace solutions. The company offers a contemporary range of office furniture that adds to offices' aesthetics and functionality. The wide range of functional and modern office furniture that Makeshift Singapore Pte Ltd. offers includes ergonomically designed workstations, office tables, office chairs, pedestal, office desks, filing cabinets, office sofas and coffee tables and other office accessories. Besides, Makeshift Singapore Pte Ltd. can be a reliable choice for those seeking the best office movers in Singapore. Contact Information: Makeshift Singapore Pte Ltd 2 Jurong East St.21 #02-149 IMM Building Singapore 609601 +65 6252 9939 +65 6255 9949 Email: sales@makeshift.com.sg Web: https://www.makeshift.com.sg There was little luck for the Irish at the Baftas last night as war epic '1917' swept the boards in a night hosted by Graham Norton. Saoirse Ronan and Jessie Buckley both went home empty-handed, beaten in the Best Actress category by Renee Zellweger, who won for her role in 'Judy'. Meanwhile, Sam Mendes's '1917', based on a story told to him by his grandfather, won seven of the nine prizes for which it was nominated, including best film, outstanding British film, best director and best cinematography. Irish actor Andrew Scott shared the stage with Mendes as one of the cast when '1917' was named best film. Expand Close Pleased: Irish actor Andrew Scott is among the cast of best film 1917. Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pleased: Irish actor Andrew Scott is among the cast of best film 1917. Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images Joaquin Phoenix was named best actor for 'Joker' and used his speech to address the fact only white performers were nominated this year. He said: "I feel very honoured and privileged to be here tonight - Bafta has always been very supportive of my career and I'm deeply appreciative. But I have to say that I also feel conflicted because so many of my fellow actors that are deserving don't have that same privilege. "I think we send a clear message to people of colour that you're not welcome here, I think that's the message we're sending to people that have contributed so much to our medium and our industry and in ways that we benefit from." Laura Dern was named best supporting actress for 'Marriage Story'. Brad Pitt, who was named best supporting actor for 'Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood', missed the ceremony because of "family obligations" but asked co-star Margot Robbie to read his speech, saying; "Hey Britain, heard you just became single, welcome to the club. Wishing you the best with the divorce settlement." She added: "He says he is going to name this Harry because he is really excited about bringing it back to the States with him. His words not mine." Expand Close Irish actress Aisling Bea poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Photo: TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Irish actress Aisling Bea poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Photo: TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images Video of the Day Roger Deakins's win for best cinematography for '1917' made him the most-decorated winner of that category, while Mendes won his first directing prize, making him the first UK winner in the category since Danny Boyle won for 'Slumdog Millionaire'. The outstanding contribution to cinema award was presented to Andy Serkis. Hundreds of stranded Pakistani students in the coronavirus-hit Wuhan city have made desperate pleas to the Imran Khan government to evacuate them from China's worst-affected Hubei province, urging his administration to take a leaf out of India's book. India airlifted 654 people, including seven Maldivians, on Saturday and Sunday from Wuhan. The evacuated Indians would be monitored for any signs of infection for two weeks by a qualified team of doctors and staff members. India also temporarily suspended e-visa facility for Chinese travellers and foreigners residing in China in view of the rapid spread of the virus. Pakistan's Ambassador to China Naghmana Hashmi on Sunday said that the Pakistani students should not be evacuated from Wuhan as medical facilities back home did not meet the standards required to treat a patient diagnosed with coronavirus. Hashmi's remarks came a day after Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza said the government will not bring its citizens back despite multiple requests from the students and their families for immediate evacuation. Stranded Pakistani students on social media from Wuhan and Hubei province made desperate pleas to the government to change its decision of not to evacuate them due to fears that they may spread the virus in Pakistan. Watching the Indian students leave, the Pakistani students posted videos on social media asking their government to do the same. In one of the videos, a Pakistani student while showing the Indian students boarding the bus to go to the airport, said while India was evacuating its citizens, the Pakistan government says "you live or die we will not evacuate or facilitate" their journey home. "Shame on you Pakistan government. Learn from India how it takes care of its people," he said in the video that went viral. Pressure is also mounting on Nepal from hundreds of its students studying in China to evacuate them. One Nepali citizens is reported to have tested positive for coronavirus. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have evacuated their citizens from Wuhan. Pakistan has more than 28,000 students in China, including 500 in the worst-hit city of Wuhan. Meanwhile, China has praised Pakistan for resuming flights to the country, a day after it received special medical kits from Beijing to detect the deadly virus cases. Pakistan joined other world airlines on Friday in suspending flights to China over virus fears, raising eyebrows here considering Islamabad's all-weather ties with Beijing. Pakistan however resumed the flights from Monday even as the death toll jumped to 361 with confirmed cases soaring to over 17200 all over China. Four Pakistani students from Wuhan have reportedly contracted the virus. Asked about Pakistan resuming flights, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters here on Monday that Pakistan Prime Minister Khan highly commended China and firmly supported its efforts to fight against the coronavirus. "They also appreciate China's assistance for Pakistani citizens in China and express confidence in China winning this battle with the strength of its system. The Pakistani people are standing firmly with their Chinese brethren," she said. The coronavirus outbreak, which originated in the central Hubei province in December, has killed 361 with 57 deaths reported on Sunday while the number of confirmed cases has climbed to 17,205. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death outside China from the epidemic that has spread to 25 countries, including India, the US, the UK and Russia. In China, almost all the deaths have been reported in Hubei Province - the epicentre of the virus outbreak. The virus was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on January 31. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A n unexploded Second World War bomb found Londons Soho has been removed after the discovery sparked evacuations. Police cordoned off parts of Dean Street near the Soho Hotel and a bomb disposal unit were scrambled to the scene to handle the suspected explosive on Monday. Witnesses described lots of commotion as the area surrounding the site was shut off at about 1.40pm, with cordons put in place in Oxford Street, Charing Cross Road, Shaftesbury Avenue, Lexington Street and Poland Street. Scotland Yard confirmed shortly before 9pm that the half-tonne bomb had now been removed and that cordons in the area were being lifted. Soho lockdown after discovery of unexploded WWII bomb 1 /32 Soho lockdown after discovery of unexploded WWII bomb Sophie Chuter Sophie Chuter Sophie Chuter Sophie Chuter AFP via Getty Images Getty Images AP AP AFP via Getty Images Members of the fire brigade work near a police cordon in the Soho area AFP via Getty Images PA AP AP AP AP PA PA PA Anton Thompson-McCormick Anton Thompson-McCormick Simon Jones James Lewis James Lewis Anton Thompson-McCormick Soho Hotel, the Soho Theatre and private members club the Groucho Club were evacuated when the bomb was discovered. Several police officers had blocked off the street as crowds gathered near the police tape. Soho worker, George Turner, said people in offices had been told to stay inside and away from the windows. "We are just outside the blast radius. However, all the neighbouring offices have been evacuated," he told LBC News. Firefighters at the scene where an uxploded Second World War bomb was discovered / AFP via Getty Images A Royal Engineers bomb disposal unit had been called in and removed the half-tonne device. One video showed police checking nearby buildings to make sure no one was still inside. London Fire Brigade said they are at the scene supporting police with four fire engines and around 25 firefighters. Members of the fire brigade work near a police cordon in the Soho area / AFP via Getty Images A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said following the discovery: "An Army explosive ordnance disposal team has been called out to Soho to support the Metropolitan Police after discovery of a 500kg Second World War device. "The Army EOD team have confirmed the bomb was safe to remove overnight to a location where it will be detonated. Il Lazzarone. | Photo: North C./Yelp Top pizza choices in Kansas City for takeout and dining in A lot goes into choosing a pizza even beyond the question of toppings. But whether you go for takeout or sit-down, thick crust or thin, sauced or bare, you want something delicious particularly on National Pizza Day, Feb. 9. Fortunately, Kansas City boasts a number of quality pizza shops to satisfy your craving for a slice or a pie. Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top pizza outlets, using both Yelp data and our own blend of spices to produce a ranked list of the best places to venture or to call on National Pizza Day. 1. Il Lazzarone Photo: adam s./Yelp Topping the list is Il Lazzarone. Located at 412 Delaware St. in River Market, the spot to score pizza and more is the highest-rated business of its kind in Kansas City, boasting four stars out of 336 reviews on Yelp. 2. Pizza Shoppe Photo: pizza shoppe/Yelp Platte Ridge's Pizza Shoppe, located at 7687 N.W. Prairie View Road, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the restaurant to score pizza and more four stars out of 22 reviews. 3. Godfather's Pizza Godfather's Pizza, a place to score pizza and more in Davidson, is another go-to, with four stars out of 20 Yelp reviews. Head over to 5402 N.E. Antioch Road to see for yourself. 4. Johnny Jo's Pizzeria Photo: alison m./Yelp Over in West Plaza, check out Johnny Jo's Pizzeria, which has earned 4.5 stars out of 204 reviews on Yelp. You can find the Italian spot, which offers pizza and more, at 1209 W. 47th St. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. 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A strong winter storm system will push east through the Quad State Saturday into Sunday. Wintry precipitation will spread eastward into southern Illinois and southeast Missouri late Friday night, and then southeast over the remainder of the region Saturday morning. The evolution of the storm for the remainder of the weekend is quite uncertain at this time. The ultimate path and intensity of the storm system, along with the temperature forecast, will determine how impactful it will be across the Quad State. For now you are encouraged to monitor the latest forecasts and follow your winter weather preparedness plans ahead of this potentially impactful winter storm. : In the third novel coronavirus case reported in India, another Keralite student who returned from Wuhan university on Monday tested positive for the infection, Health Minister K K Shailaja said here on Monday. The student is in an isolation ward at Kanhangad district hospital in Kasaragod district, she informed the state Assembly. The condition of the student is "stable", she said. Out of the 104 samples tested till Sunday, three have been tested positive. This is the third posititve case reported from Kerala. Two earlier posititve cases, also of students who came back from Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, were reported from Thrissur and Alapuzha districts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dr Jill Biden, the wife of Joe Biden, says that a once close friendship with senator Lindsey Graham has been torn to bits amid the impeachment efforts against Donald Trump this past year. Dr Biden told CNN that Mr Graham's comments about her family have been "hurtful", and that she and her husband were once "great friends" with the South Carolina politician. Whereas they once travelled together and dined together, things have changed. "Now, he's changed," Dr Biden said. "I don't know what happened to Lindsey... It's hard when you consider somebody a friend and then they've said so many negative things. That's been a little hurtful." The comments come after repeated attacks by Republicans during the impeachment effort, who have urged the Senate to bring forward Hunter Biden as a witness. Mr Trump has found himself facing the impeachment trial in part because of his efforts to coerce the Ukrainian government into investigating the former vice president and his son, who was given a seat on the board of a Ukrainian energy company while his dad was in charge of Ukraine policy. Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Show all 26 1 /26 Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Donald Trump Accused of abusing his office by pressing the Ukrainian president in a July phone call to help dig up dirt on Joe Biden, who may be his Democratic rival in the 2020 election. He also believes that Hillary Clintons deleted emails - a key factor in the 2016 election - may be in Ukraine, although it is not clear why. EPA Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal The Whistleblower Believed to be a CIA agent who spent time at the White House, his complaint was largely based on second and third-hand accounts from worried White House staff. Although this is not unusual for such complaints, Trump and his supporters have seized on it to imply that his information is not reliable. Expected to give evidence to Congress voluntarily and in secret. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal The Second Whistleblower The lawyer for the first intelligence whistleblower is also representing a second whistleblower regarding the President's actions. Attorney Mark Zaid said that he and other lawyers on his team are now representing the second person, who is said to work in the intelligence community and has first-hand knowledge that supports claims made by the first whistleblower and has spoken to the intelligence community's inspector general. The second whistleblower has not yet filed their own complaint, but does not need to to be considered an official whistleblower. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Rudy Giuliani Former mayor of New York, whose management of the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2001 won him worldwide praise. As Trumps personal attorney he has been trying to find compromising material about the presidents enemies in Ukraine in what some have termed a shadow foreign policy. In a series of eccentric TV appearances he has claimed that the US state department asked him to get involved. Giuliani insists that he is fighting corruption on Trumps behalf and has called himself a hero. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Volodymyr Zelensky The newly elected Ukrainian president - a former comic actor best known for playing a man who becomes president by accident - is seen frantically agreeing with Trump in the partial transcript of their July phone call released by the White House. With a Russian-backed insurgency in the east of his country, and the Crimea region seized by Vladimir Putin in 2014, Zelensky will have been eager to please his American counterpart, who had suspended vital military aid before their phone conversation. He says there was no pressure on him from Trump to do him the favour he was asked for. Zelensky appeared at an awkward press conference with Trump in New York during the United Nations general assembly, looking particularly uncomfortable when the American suggested he take part in talks with Putin. AFP/Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Mike Pence The vice-president was not on the controversial July call to the Ukrainian president but did get a read-out later. However, Trump announced that Pence had had one or two phone conversations of a similar nature, dragging him into the crisis. Pence himself denies any knowledge of any wrongdoing and has insisted that there is no issue with Trumps actions. It has been speculated that Trump involved Pence as an insurance policy - if both are removed from power the presidency would go to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, something no Republican would allow. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Rick Perry Trump reportedly told a meeting of Republicans that he made the controversial call to the Ukrainian president at the urging of his own energy secretary, Rick Perry, and that he didnt even want to. The president apparently said that Perry wanted him to talk about liquefied natural gas - although there is no mention of it in the partial transcript of the phone call released by the White House. It is thought that Perry will step down from his role at the end of the year. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Joe Biden The former vice-president is one of the frontrunners to win the Democratic nomination, which would make him Trumps opponent in the 2020 election. Trump says that Biden pressured Ukraine to sack a prosecutor who was investigating an energy company that Bidens son Hunter was on the board of, refusing to release US aid until this was done. However, pressure to fire the prosecutor came on a wide front from western countries. It is also believed that the investigation into the company, Burisma, had long been dormant. Reuters Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Hunter Biden Joe Bidens son has been accused of corruption by the president because of his business dealings in Ukraine and China. However, Trump has yet to produce any evidence of corruption and Bidens lawyer insists he has done nothing wrong. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal William Barr The attorney-general, who proved his loyalty to Trump with his handling of the Mueller report, was mentioned in the Ukraine call as someone president Volodymyr Zelensky should talk to about following up Trumps preoccupations with the Bidens and the Clinton emails. Nancy Pelosi has accused Barr of being part of a cover-up of a cover-up. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Mike Pompeo The secretary of state initially implied he knew little about the Ukraine phone call - but it later emerged that he was listening in at the time. He has since suggested that asking foreign leaders for favours is simply how international politics works. Gordon Sondland testified that Pompeo was "in the loop" and knew what was happening in Ukraine. Pompeo has been criticised for not standing up for diplomats under his command when they were publicly criticised by the president. AFP via Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Nancy Pelosi The Democratic Speaker of the House had long resisted calls from within her own party to back a formal impeachment process against the president, apparently fearing a backlash from voters. On September 24, amid reports of the Ukraine call and the day before the White House released a partial transcript of it, she relented and announced an inquiry, saying: The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Adam Schiff Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, one of the three committees leading the inquiry. He was criticized by Republicans for giving what he called a parody of the Ukraine phone call during a hearing, with Trump and others saying he had been pretending that his damning characterisation was a verbatim reading of the phone call. He has also been criticised for claiming that his committee had had no contact with the whistleblower, only for it to emerge that the intelligence agent had contacted a staff member on the committee for guidance before filing the complaint. The Washington Post awarded Schiff a four Pinocchios rating, its worst rating for a dishonest statement. Reuters Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman Florida-based businessmen and Republican donors Lev Parnas (pictured with Rudy Giuliani) and Igor Fruman were arrested on suspicion of campaign finance violations at Dulles International Airport near Washington DC on 9 October. Separately the Associated Press has reported that they were both involved in efforts to replace the management of Ukraine's gas company, Naftogaz, with new bosses who would steer lucrative contracts towards companies controlled by Trump allies. There is no suggestion of any criminal activity in these efforts. Reuters Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal William Taylor The most senior US diplomat in Ukraine and the former ambassador there. As one of the first two witnesses in the public impeachment hearings, Taylor dropped an early bombshell by revealing that one of his staff later identified as diplomat David Holmes overheard a phone conversation in which Donald Trump could be heard asking about investigations the very day after asking the Ukrainian president to investigate his political enemies. Taylor expressed his concern at reported plans to withhold US aid in return for political smears against Trumps opponents, saying: It's one thing to try to leverage a meeting in the White House. It's another thing, I thought, to leverage security assistance -- security assistance to a country at war, dependent on both the security assistance and the demonstration of support." Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal George Kent A state department official who appeared alongside William Taylor wearing a bow tie that was later mocked by the president. He accused Rudy Giuliani, Mr Trumps personal lawyer, of leading a campaign of lies against Marie Yovanovitch, who was forced out of her job as US ambassador to Ukraine for apparently standing in the way of efforts to smear Democrats. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Marie Yovanovitch One of the most striking witnesses to give evidence at the public hearings, the former US ambassador to Ukraine received a rare round of applause as she left the committee room after testifying. Canadian-born Yovanovitch was attacked on Twitter by Donald Trump while she was actually testifying, giving Democrats the chance to ask her to respond. She said she found the attack very intimidating. Trump had already threatened her in his 25 July phone call to the Ukrainian president saying: Shes going to go through some things. Yovanovitch said she was shocked, appalled and devastated by the threat and by the way she was forced out of her job without explanation. REUTERS Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Alexander Vindman A decorated Iraq War veteran and an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, Lt Col Vindman began his evidence with an eye-catching statement about the freedoms America afforded him and his family to speak truth to power without fear of punishment. One of the few witnesses to have actually listened to Trumps 25 July call with the Ukrainian president, he said he found the conversation so inappropriate that he was compelled to report it to the White House counsel. Trump later mocked him for wearing his military uniform and insisting on being addressed by his rank. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Jennifer Williams A state department official acting as a Russia expert for vice-president Mike Pence, Ms Williams also listened in on the 25 July phone call. She testified that she found it unusual because it focused on domestic politics in terms of Trump asking a foreign leader to investigate his political opponents. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Kurt Volker The former special envoy to Ukraine was one of the few people giving evidence who was on the Republican witness list although what he had to say may not have been too helpful to their cause. He dismissed the idea that Joe Biden had done anything corrupt, a theory spun without evidence by the president and his allies. He said that he thought the US should be supporting Ukraines reforms and that the scheme to find dirt on Democrats did not serve the national interest. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Tim Morrison An expert on the National Security Council and another witness on the Republican list. He testified that he did not think the president had done anything illegal but admitted that he feared it would create a political storm if it became public. He said he believed the moving the record of the controversial 25 July phone call to a top security server had been an innocent mistake. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Gordon Sondland In explosive testimony, one of the men at the centre of the scandal got right to the point in his opening testimony: Was there a quid pro quo? Yes, said the US ambassador to the EU who was a prime mover in efforts in Ukraine to link the release of military aid with investigations into the presidents political opponents. He said that everyone knew what was going on, implicating vice-president Mike Pence and secretary of state Mike Pompeo. The effect of his evidence is perhaps best illustrated by the reaction of Mr Trump who went from calling Sondland a great American a few weeks earlier to claiming that he barely knew him. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Laura Cooper A Pentagon official, Cooper said Ukrainian officials knew that US aid was being withheld before it became public knowledge in August undermining a Republican argument that there cant have been a quid pro quo between aid and investigations if the Ukrainians didnt know that aid was being withheld. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal David Hale The third most senior official at the state department. Hale testified about the treatment of Marie Yovanovitch and the smear campaign that culminated in her being recalled from her posting as US ambassador to Ukraine. He said: I believe that she should have been able to stay at post and continue to do the outstanding work. EPA Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Fiona Hill Arguably the most confident and self-possessed of the witnesses in the public hearings phase, the Durham-born former NSC Russia expert began by warning Republicans not to keep repeating Kremlin-backed conspiracy theories. In a distinctive northeastern English accent, Dr Hill went on to describe how she had argued with Gordon Sondland about his interference in Ukraine matters until she realised that while she and her colleagues were focused on national security, Sondland was being involved in a domestic political errand. She said: I did say to him, Ambassador Sondland, Gordon, this is going to blow up. And here we are. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal David Holmes The Ukraine-based diplomat described being in a restaurant in Kiev with Gordon Sondland while the latter phoned Donald Trump. Holmes said he could hear the president on the other end of the line because his voice was so loud and distinctive and because Sondland had to hold the phone away from his ear asking about the investigations and whether the Ukrainian president would cooperate. REUTERS "Hunter has done nothing wrong," Dr Biden laughed when asked about efforts to compel him to testify. "Why would Hunter be called? Donald Trump should be before that committee." Mr Graham has evolved into an ardent supporter of Mr Trump's, after once being a vocal critic of the man during the 2016 election. The president's rise to power has been marked by even deeper partisan divides in Washington, with many Republicans and Democrats seeing the damage done as potentially irreversible. Mr Biden, for his part, has maintained a belief that he could unite Republicans and Democrats should he become president, in spite of criticism that nothing like that was seen during the Barack Obama presidency, and in spite of his apparent falling out with a once close Republican friend, Mr Graham. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The demand for efficient automobiles is escalating gradually and the demand for components that can ensure that efficiency is also growing. Global Exhaust Heat Recovery System Market reports linked to the automobile industry have been presented by Market Research Future which makes reports on other industry verticals that aims to analyze the current market scenarios better. The market is projected to earn incomes reaching USD 54.01 billion by 2023 while progressing at a CAGR of 10.40% in the forecast period. The market for exhaust heat recovery system is expected to be primarily motivated by the strict emission regulations together with growing demand for diesel vehicles. The innovations in modern engine systems are expected to further spur the development of the exhaust heat recovery system market. The considerable fuel cost savings and substantial CO2 reduction are the other important factors that will influence the market expansion in the approaching forecast period. Segmental Analysis The segmentation of the exhaust heat recovery system market is carried out on the basis of the component, technology, region, and vehicle. On the basis of component, the exhaust heat recovery system market is segmented into turbine, EGR valve & cooler, condenser, evaporator, TEG module, compressor, and others. Based on technology, the exhaust heat recovery system market is segmented into turbocharger, EGR, ORC, TEG among others. The segmentation of the market based on vehicle comprises of light commercial vehicle (LCV), PC, hybrid, truck, bus and overhead valve engine (OHV). The regions included in the exhaust heat recovery system are Europe, Asia Pacific, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East. Detailed Regional Analysis The regional analysis of the exhaust heat recovery system market globally is segmented into Europe, Asia Pacific, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East. The Americas region is the leading market in the exhaust heat recovery system market globally. The strict regulations applied by the government along with several environmental organizations to conserve energy is motivating the market in the Americas region. The United States (U.S) has appeared as a major contributor in the North American region that is backed by robust economic development as well as speedy industrialization in the country. The market in the Asia Pacific region is increasing at a rapid rate as a result of the increased rate of industrialization together with the growing significance of sustainable energy in developing markets, chiefly in China and India. Moreover, the flourishing manufacturing sector in the region is expected to profit the exhaust heat recovery system market in the region. Moreover, countries such as Japan, China, Singapore, and Australia are prominent contributors to the market in the region. Competitive Landscape The market contenders find themselves in a favorable position with the ability to manage the pace of change. The development of a strong value chain is moreover motivating the expansion of the market. The market trends hint at favorable development of the products that can bring in novelty to the product range and address the customer need better. The market also shows potential for demonstrating a greater comparative or differential value. The presence of a productive entity is expected to generate more sales or superior margins compared to its market rivals. The advent of new technology has boosted the growth potential of the market. Substantial cutbacks in administrative finances are bringing further development to the market. The prominent competitors in the exhaust heat recovery system market are Faurecia (France), Continental (Germany), Bosal (Belgium), Denso (Japan), Valeo (France), Calsonic Kansei (Japan), Mahle (Germany), Delphi Technologies (UK), Dana (US), Mitsubishi Electric (Japan), Hitachi Ltd. (Japan), Tenneco Inc. (US), Borgwarner Inc. (US) Industry Updates: Dec 2018 BorgWarner who is a product leader in technology solutions in a variety of propulsion systems has recently introduced its new offerings such as advanced exhaust heat recovery system (EHRS) among others at a prominent tradeshow. Appointment 3 February 2020 HSMAI Region Europe is proud to announce the new chair of the Customer & Distribution Advisory Board. Monique Jaspers-Wijn, Global Head of Digital Media at Travelport takes on the role with immediate effect, replacing outgoing chair Nina NieminenThe aim of the advisory board is to change the way of thinking, and approach to distribution. As chair, Monique will be the driving force, aiming to initiate a paradigm shift throughout the industry. While there has been a multitude of changes in this field over the years, the future is sure to present many more changes, even a revolution. It's critical to be prepared for these changes, and that is why the appointment of Monique is pivotal to the future of this HSMAI advisory board. HSMAI would like to express thanks to Nina Nieminen, Director of Revenue Management and Distribution for SOK Travel and Hospitality Industry Chain Management (Sokos Hotels), as the former chair of this advisory board. As the previous chair of this Advisory Board Nina has been very active with HSMAI as a speaker at our events and has always been sharing her competence with HSMAIs members CAIRO Al-Qaidas branch in Yemen claimed responsibility Sunday for last years deadly shooting at the Naval Air Station Pensacola by an aviation student from Saudi Arabia. The shooter, 2nd Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, was a member of the Saudi Air Force in training at the base. He opened fire inside a classroom at the base on Dec. 6, killing three people and wounding two sheriffs deputies before one of the deputies killed him. Eight others were also hurt. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, released a video claiming the attack. SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks messaging by militant groups, reported the claim. AQAP has long been considered the global networks most dangerous branch and has attempted to carry out attacks on the U.S. mainland. The 18-minute video did not provide evidence of training the shooter, but did indicate that Alshamrani and AQAP were in communication, said Rita Katz, director of SITE. It was not clear when the video was recorded. The video claimed that Alshamrani had been planning for years to attack a U.S. base, and had been training and selecting targets. The video, which was viewed by The Associated Press, provided a will written by Alshamrani to his family in September 2019, three months prior to attack. He said he wanted to attack the U.S., citing religious reasons. However, he made no mention of al-Qaida. Foreign nationals participating in U.S. training go through a vetting process. The Pentagon says it includes screening for any illicit drug activities, support for terrorist organizations, corruption and criminal conduct. The video included audio from top AQAP leader Qassim al-Rimi claiming full responsibility for the attack by Alshamrani, calling him the hero, the courageous knight. A suspected U.S. drone strike destroyed a building housing al-Qaida militants last week in eastern Yemen. President Donald Trump retweeted several tweets and media reports that seemed to offer confirmation the strike killed al-Rimi. Katz also said that AQAP did not state May Allah Protect Him in regard to al-Rimi, as its releases usually do. (This) adds yet more suggestion to him indeed being killed, she tweeted. Al-Rimi was one of AQAPs founders and became the groups leader after Nasser al-Wahishi was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2015. LANSING, MI -- While the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, Michigan health officials are taking action. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) on Monday, Feb. 3, launched its Community Health Emergency Coordination Center, which aims to coordinate a cohesive response to the threat by disseminating consistent information and guidelines to health officials statewide. MDHHS is also acting as a liaison between local with federal health officials at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The coordination center is activated in response to large-scale health threats, most recently to address the hepatitis A outbreak in August of 2016, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin said. We at MDHHS recognize the potential threat associated with this virus and are working to identify any suspect cases in Michigan along with our local health partners, MDHHS Chief Medical Executive and Chief Deputy for Health Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said. To help coordinate Michigans response to 2019 Novel Coronavirus, we are opening the Community Health Emergency Coordination Center to assist the multiple public health jurisdictions involved in the response and prevention of coronavirus here in our state. There are no known cases of the respiratory illness in Michigan. The first U.S. case, involving someone whod visited Wuhan City, China in the Hubei Province, the suspected epicenter of the outbreak, was verified Jan. 21. Michigan had four suspected cases that resulted in negative results for the virus, Sutfin said. The Centers for Disease Control have identified 11 cases nationwide with 82 cases pending investigation. Confirmed cases have occurred in Massachussetts, Arizona, California, Illinois and Washington. Sypmptoms of the coronavirus, identified by health officials as the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-NCoV), include coughing, shortness of breath and fever. Chinese health officials have reported thousands of infections with (coronavirus) in China, with the virus reportedly spreading from person-to-person in many parts of that country, the CDC said. Infections with (coronavirus), most of them associated with travel from Wuhan, also are being reported in a growing number of international locations, including the United States. The United States reported the first confirmed instance of person-to-person spread with this virus on January 30, 2020. The U.S. and World Health Organization have issued health emergencies. The World Health Organization, as of Monday, had confirmed 17,391 cases more than two dozen countries, the vast majority in China. There had been 361 deaths, all but one in China. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is denying entry to foreign nationals inbound from China and is screening or quarantining U.S. travelers who are returning from China. Any U.S. citizen who has been to China in the last two weeks will be diverted to one of 11 airports, including Detroit Metropolitan Airport, to be checked and potentially quarantined for an additional 14 days, MDHHS said. According to DHS, as of Sunday, Feb. 2, U.S. citizens who have been in Hubei province within 14 days of their return will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine to ensure they are provided proper medical care and health screening. The coronavirus is a large family of viruses that are usually confined to animals and not transmittable to humans. The ability for humans to contract and spread among themselves the new version of the virus is what makes it so unique, Sutfin said. One of the most recent and prolific coronaviruses was SARS, which spread between 2002 and 2004, resulting in nearly 8,100 infections and 774 deaths, according to the CDC. More information about the virus is available through the CDC and MDHHS websites. -- Gus Burns is the marijuana beat reporter for MLive. Contact him with questions, tips or comments at fburns@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, @GusBurns. Read more from MLive about medical and recreational marijuana. A 24-year-old woman lecturer was set ablaze allegedly by a jilted lover in Maharashtra's Wardha district near Hinganghat area on Monday. The unmarried woman has suffered approximately 40 per cent burn injuries and is being treated in a Nagpur-based hospital. Speaking on the incident, Police Inspector Satyaveer Bhandivar said, "The incident took place when the woman was heading to her college at around 7 am on Monday morning. The man threw kerosene on the woman and set her on fire. The victim was taken to the hospital by the locals present at the site. She has been taken to Nagpur for further treatment. The accused man is absconding, we are trying to search him." The police have assured that they are trying to ascertain the motive behind the incident. Meanwhile, the Nagpur based hospital has issued a medical bulletin stating that the victim has suffered 40 per cent burn injuries. "The woman lecturer was brought from Primary Health Center, Hinganghat by Hinganghat police to Nagpur based Orange City Hospital and Research Institute, with history of being burnt alive in front of her academic institute today morning at around 7:15, am," hospital's statement read. Primary aid was provided to the patient and was reviewed by the Burns and Plastic Surgeon. "She is noticed to be suffering from Grade III Deep dermal burns covering the scalp, face, right upper limb, left hand, upper back, full neck with an approximation of 40 per cent burns with inhalational injuries affecting respiratory system also. She is presently admitted to CCU," the statement further read. The accused, who is already married is absconding and a case has been registered in this matter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China's death toll from the coronavirus epidemic soared to 360 on Monday, with deepening global concern about the outbreak and governments closing their borders to people from China. The fresh toll came a day after China imposed a lockdown on a major city far from the epicentre and the first fatality outside the country was reported in the Philippines. Authorities in Hubei, the province at the epicentre of the outbreak, reported 56 new fatalities. That took the toll in China to 360, exceeding the 349 mainland fatalities from the 2002-3 SARS outbreak. Struggling to contain the virus, authorities took action in the eastern city of Wenzhou on Sunday, closing roads and confining people to their homes. Countries or territories with confirmed cases of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus as of February 1 at 08:30 GMT.. By John SAEKI (AFP) Wenzhou is some 800 kilometres (500 miles) from Wuhan, the metropolis at the heart of the health emergency. Since emerging out of Wuhan late last year, the new coronavirus has infected more than 16,400 people across China and reached 24 nations. The G7 countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States -- have all confirmed cases of the virus. They will discuss a joint response, Germany's health minister Jens Spahn said on Sunday. In Thailand, which has 19 confirmed cases, doctors said Sunday an elderly Chinese patient treated with a cocktail of flu and HIV drugs had shown dramatic improvement and tested negative for the virus 48 hours later. The World Health Organization late last week declared the new coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency. By Hector RETAMAL (AFP) Most of the infections overseas have been detected in people who travelled from Wuhan, an industrial hub of 11 million people, or surrounding areas of Hubei province. The man who died in the Philippines was a 44-year-old from Wuhan, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared the epidemic a global health emergency. China has embarked on unprecedented efforts to contain the virus, which is believed to have jumped to humans from a Wuhan animal market, and can be transmitted among people. Wenzhou lockdown China's efforts have included extraordinary quarantines in Wuhan and surrounding cities, with all transport out banned, effectively sealing off more than 50 million people. Authorities are conducting temperature checks on people across China as they return to work following the Lunar New Year holiday. By NOEL CELIS (AFP) But 10 days after locking down Wuhan, authorities imposed similar draconian measures on Wenzhou, a coastal city of nine million people in Zhejiang province, part of the eastern industrial heartland that has powered China's economic rise over recent decades. Only one resident per household is allowed to go out every two days to buy necessities, and 46 highway toll stations have been closed, authorities announced. The city had previously closed public places such as cinemas and museums, and suspended public transport. Zhejiang has 661 confirmed infections, with 265 of those in Wenzhou, according to the government. This is the highest tally for any province in China after ground-zero Hubei. Closing borders The United States, Australia, New Zealand and Israel have banned foreign nationals from visiting if they have been in China recently, and they have also warned their own citizens against travelling there. The coronavirus has seen airlines stop flights to China and countries close its borders to travellers from China. By ADAM TANJUNG (AFP) Mongolia, Russia and Nepal have closed their land borders. The number of countries reporting infections rose to 24 after Britain, Russia and Sweden confirmed their first cases this weekend. There were 2,103 new confirmed cases in hardest-hit Hubei province on Monday, bringing the total infected to more than 16,480. With hospitals in Wuhan overwhelmed, China will open a military-led field hospital Monday that was built in just 10 days to treat people stricken by the virus. And with the Chinese economy suffering, the central bank announced it would release 1.2 trillion yuan ($173 billion) on Monday to maintain liquidity in the banking system -- the day markets re-open after the long holiday break. Holiday ending The emergence of the virus coincided with the Lunar New Year, when hundreds of millions travel across the country in planes, trains and buses for family reunions. People around the world are donning face masks in a bid to protect themselves from the virus. By Alberto PIZZOLI (AFP/File) The holiday, which was scheduled to end on Friday, was extended by three days to give authorities more time to deal with the crisis. With many due back at work on Monday, people were starting to return on planes and trains over the weekend, with almost everyone wearing face masks. Customs authorities had ordered temperature checks at all exit-entry points in Beijing, according to state media. Returning travellers were being checked and registered at residential compounds, while fever checks were in place in subway stations, offices and cafes. One 22-year-old arriving at a Beijing train station from northeastern China said her family had urged her to delay her return. "But I was worried it would affect my job," she said. Security guard Du Guiliang, 47, said he would be starting back at work in Beijing on Sunday, after returning from northeast Liaoning province. "Many colleagues (from Hubei) couldn't come back. Now, those who work the day shift at our company have to do the night shift as well," he said. Many businesses were to remain closed for at least another week, however, while some major cities -- including Shanghai -- had also extended the holiday. Klobuchar has been to all of Iowas 99 counties and needs a strong showing to continue in the race; Buttigieg has surged with the states heavily white electorate but without a solid performance may not be able to find his footing in more diverse states later this month; Warren has spent considerable time in the state and also needs liftoff here because of her relatively weak standing in the coming states. SIU will host inaugural Saluki Transfer Day on Feb. 24 by Christi Mathis CARBONDALE, Ill. Hundreds of high school students from all over Southern Illinois have gotten a personalized introduction to Southern Illinois University Carbondale since the inception of SIU Day events 1 years ago. Now, the event is being revised for a new audience transfer students. SIU will host its inaugural Saluki Transfer Day from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 24. Registrations are still being accepted. Learn what SIU has to offer The event is designed to give students who have previously or who are currently attending a community college or other institution of higher learning the chance to learn what SIU can do for them. Participants will get to explore academic programs that interest them through interactive presentations. They will meet faculty, academic advisers and financial aid specialists, and talk with current Salukis who are transfer students. They will learn about the SIU campus and the many resources available to them. Its a unique opportunity for transfer students to explore majors they are considering and learn how SIU can assist them in realizing their academic and career goals. As an added bonus, SIU will waive the application fee for any term until fall 2022 for anyone who attends the Saluki Transfer Day. Bolstering partnerships SIU has nearly 500 articulation agreements with more than 70 colleges and universities across the country, offering clear pathways into many of the universitys degree programs. Nearly half of todays Salukis' are transfer students as SIU really is a destination for freshmen, transfer and graduate program students. The university has spread the word about the first Saluki Transfer Day at community colleges across Illinois as well as in Missouri, Indiana and Kentucky. SIU has eliminated out-of-state tuition, so all students now pay the in-state tuition rate. Sign up now Registration is underway for Saluki Transfer Day. Sign up at siu.edu/transferday. Although participants are encouraged to register by Feb. 14, they can still sign up through the morning of the event. Anyone who needs transportation assistance can email transfer@siu.edu for help. For more information about Saluki Transfer Day, visit the website or email transfer@siu.edu. Four men, involved in more than 30 cases of highway robberies in Delhi-NCR and adjoining states, have been arrested from Dhaula Kuan, police said on Monday. The accused, Raju (40), Rinku (32), Anand Soni (28) and Lalit Tyagi (30), who were staying on rent inc, used to travel to Delhi to commit the robberies, they said. With their arrests, more than 10 robbery cases have been solved in the national capital, police said. A trap was laid on Ring Road, Dhaula Kuan on January 31 after police received information that Raju along with his gang members would come there. All the four men were overpowered and apprehended from the spot, they said. Two single shot pistols along with seven live cartridges and a car used in the commission of crime was also recovered, police said. "During interrogation, it was revealed that they committed robberies at gunpoint by luring passengers to sit in their car on the pretext of dropping them at their destination. Raju used to drive, while his associates sat in the car posing as passengers," P S Kushwah, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), said. They used to commit late night robberies or in the wee hours of morning. On the way, they would rob the victims of their cash, jewellery and other valuables at gunpoint before dumping them at isolated places, he said. Raju is previously involved in more than six cases of robbery, while Rinku was arrested in over eight such cases, Kushwah added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Harare magistrate has expressed disquiet over delay tactics being employed by the defence team of former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko, who is facing charges of criminal abuse of office. The trial was supposed to start on Thursday last week, but his lawyer Mr Zibusiso Ncube sought a postponement to enable a new advocate to handle the case. This was the fifth time the matter was deferred at the instigation of the defence, which cited various reasons each time the matter was brought to court for trial. The postponement did not go down well with both the trial magistrate Mr Hoseah Mujaya and the prosecution which accused the defence of playing games with the court. Mphoko, who all along was being represented by Advocate Tawanda Zhuwarara, advised the court that he had sought the services of Advocate Thembinkosi Magwaliba. In this regard, he requested for a postponement to February 13 to allow Adv Magwaliba to familiarise himself with the case and prepare the defence. Mr Mujaya asked: Will this trial ever commence in this lifetime. We cannot continue postponing this matter. All we seem to do is gather here and look at each other and leave the court. We need progress. It is not only about the interest of your client, the interest of justice requires to be protected. I am worried about these several postponements. Mr Mujaya then requested that the trial commences on February 1, which was a Saturday last week. I am against the date you proposed, he said. Court is willing to have the matter start on February 1 and inconvenience myself and everyone else so that we put a start to the matter. Courts are allowed to express displeasure and demand some sort of progress. In response, Mr Ncube rejected the date proposed by the court, saying they were members of the Seventh Day Adventist church, hence they did not work on a Saturday. He said he could not compromise on the Sabbath. Representing the prosecution, Mr Lovert Masuku and Mr Andrew Kumire said they were ready to proceed to trial. Mr Masuku said: Your Worship, the record speaks for itself. The defence has been making several applications for postponements. We are opposed to their application. They promised to serve us with the defence outline on January 24, but up to now they have not served us. After several arguments and submissions, the State and the defence reached a consensus and agreed that the matter be remanded to February 13 for trial. Mr Mujaya then remanded Mphoko to the agreed date. Police officers at the scene after a man was shot and killed by armed police in London on Feb. 2, 2020. (Hollie Adams/Getty Images) Man Shot Dead by UK Police Wanted Girlfriend to Behead Her Parents Sudesh Amman, the man shot dead by police in what officials described as a terrorism incident in south London, had been jailed for promoting violent Islamist material and had encouraged his girlfriend to behead her parents. Amman, 20, was named by British police as the attacker who stabbed two people before he was shot dead by armed officers who had been carrying out surveillance on him. In November 2018 he pleaded guilty to possession of terrorist documents and disseminating terrorist publications, and the following month he was sentenced to more than three years in prison. He was 17 and living at home with his mother and younger siblings when he first began committing terrorism offenses, according to authorities. Police became aware of his activities in April 2018 and he was arrested by armed officers in a north London street a month later. When officers examined his computers and phone, they found he had downloaded material about making explosives and carrying out terrorist attacks, according to police. Messages showed that he had discussed with his family, friends, and girlfriend his extreme views and desire to carry out an attack, often focused on using a knife, police said. In December 2017 Amman posted a picture of ISIS terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed during a U.S. raid in Syria in October, and told his brother in a message that the Islamic State is here to stay. He also described Yazidi women as slaves and said the Koran made it permissible to rape them, and in another message he encouraged his girlfriend to behead her parents. Police said he had shared an online al-Qaeda magazine with his family and while in a discussion about school with a sibling he wrote he would rather blow myself up. By Michael Holden Geoffrey S. Watson, known to friends as Jef, passed away in Rome on 30 January 2020. Geoffrey was a senior and central member of the Wanted in Rome family, joining the team about a decade ago after retiring as chief press officer at the British embassy to Italy, with a journalistic portfolio including work for Reuters. Geoffrey became the main news writer for our Wanted in Milan website, documenting news in the Lombardian capital, with a particular personal interest in stories concerning themes such as crime, terrorism and politics. Geoffrey also played a crucial role as proof-reader for feature articles published in Wanted in Rome magazine. His proof-reading skills were second to none and he could spot a typo at a hundred yards. One always imagined him tackling the page as a surgeon would approach an operation. Proofs were regularly returned to us with a sea of minuscule corrections highlighted, accompanied by wry observations and quirky anecdotes. Awkward turns of expression were fine-tuned, waffle dissected, slang frowned-upon. He was a big fan of commas. Geoffrey was meticulous with his work; "nitty gritty" was a favourite expression of his, and he took an almost perverse pleasure in tackling and conquering the intricacies of Italian bureaucracy. His last feature article for our magazine was entitled Dealing with red tape in Italy. A resident of Italy for more than 40 years, Geoffrey was a committed European and it is worth noting that he chose to leave this world the day before the UK left the European Union. Geoffrey is survived by his wife Marina and son Martin. He will leave a void at Wanted in Rome and we will miss him very much. DUBAIIran is no longer sharing evidence from the investigation into the Ukraine airliner crash with Ukraine after audio from the investigation was leaked by Ukrainian media, the director in charge of accident investigations at Irans Civil Aviation Organization was quoted as saying on Monday. The audio file was part of the evidence that was given to Ukrainian experts as part of the joint investigative teams examination of the crash. The technical investigation team of the Ukrainian airline crash, in a strange move, published the secret audio file of the communications of a pilot of a plane that was flying at the same time as the Ukrainian plane, Hassan Rezaifar said, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency. This action by the Ukrainians led to us not sharing any more evidence with them. More Compensation for Citizens Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Kiev was not satisfied with the amount of compensation Iran had offered to families of Ukrainians killed in the downing of a plane near Tehran last month and would seek more money. As for the Iranian side, they immediately offered us $80,000 for each family It is too small. We will press for a larger amount, Zelenskiy told Ukrainian 1+1 TV. The airliner was struck by a missile on Jan. 8 shortly after it left Tehran en route to Kiev. Iran admitted its forces had shot down the Ukraine International Airlines plane in error, after initially denying it had a role in the incident. All 176 people aboard, including 11 Ukrainians, were killed. By Babak Dehghanpisheh Hamish Macdonald battled to contain a noisy crowd during his debut as Q&A host on Monday night. Liberal senator Jim Molan was laughed at and heckled by the audience for saying he was not convinced climate change was caused by humans. Macdonald had to step twice to quieten the crowd so the 69-year-old former general could be heard. Senator Jim Molan has been mocked online after a 'car crash' Q&A performance on Monday night. Pictured: One of the tweets about his performance The first episode of the year, filmed in Queanbeyan, focused on the bushfire crisis. In a section on climate change, American panellist Michael Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University, said: 'Climate change is real and human caused.' 'It's already leading to disastrous impacts here in Australia and around the rest of the world. And it will get much worse if we don't act.' Hamish MacDonald then asked Senator Molan if he agreed with the scientists. The senator replied: 'I accept the climate is changing. It has changed and it will change and what it's producing is hotter and drier weather and a hotter and drier country.' Macdonald pressed him, saying: 'What's causing that?' Senator Molan continued: 'As to whether it is human-induced climate change is...' The audience could not help but laugh when Senator Molan said he does not rely on evidence Hundreds of viewers expressed their fury on twitter after Senator Molan said he was 'open minded' about the cause of climate change At that point he was cut off by frustrated jeers and boos from the crowd. Mr Molan hushed to crowd by saying: 'Thank you, thank you' before Macdonald helped him by shushing the audience. He went on to say he respected 'scientific opinion' but 'every day across my desk comes enough information for me to say that there are other opinions.' Macdonald asked him to outline exactly what opinions he was referring to but Mr Molan repeatedly dodged the question. Who is Jim Molan? Jim Molan returned to Canberra as a senator in November after receiving the support from a ballot of his NSW Liberal delegates. The former major-general, 69, had previously served as a NSW senator for 18 months but failed to gain pre-selection for the May election. He had the backing of the likes of Prime Minister Scott Morrison and former Liberal leader John Howard. Mr Molan replaced Liberal stalwart Arthur Sinodinos, who left the upper chamber in October to become Australia's next ambassador of the United States. Mr Sinodinos had gone against the prime minister's wish and backed former federal MP Peter Hendy to take his place. Advertisement 'I see so much that, I'm a very practical man, Hamish. I'm going to get out there and do things,' he said. In another attempt to dodge the question, he rambled: 'The one thing that I agree with Michael is that climate change and our policies in relation to climate change are designed to mitigate the risk. 'It's very difficult to mitigate the risk. You can go back and look for the last 100 years how or why it started. If we can't mitigate risk, then we've got to adapt. And that's the key to what they're doing. We are adapting.' Macdonald pressed him again, saying: 'You haven't answered the question. You said you get information across your desk every day which leads you to doubt or be open-minded about the science.' Mr Molan replied: 'I am open minded' before Macdonald said: 'What is that information?' 'It's a range of information which goes,' Mr Molan said before he was cut off by heckling. Macdonald tried to tame the crowd, saying: 'Sorry. Could we just respectfully listen to this question. He then asked the senator once more to explain his position: 'What is the evidence that you are relying on?' Mr Molan replied: 'I'm not relying on evidence, Hamish,' prompting laughter from the crowd. As the crowd laughed, Dr Mann said: 'You said it. You said it.' Dr Mann then put on an Australian accent and said: 'Come on now, mate.' One scientist on Twitter called for Senator Molan to take time to speak to scientists Prompting a huge laugh from the audience, he added: 'You should keep an open mind but not so open that your brain falls out.' Later, the scientist said: 'When it comes to human caused climate change, it is literally the consensus of the world's scientists that it's human caused... natural factors would be pushing us in the opposite direction.' It is literally the consensus of the world's scientists that climate change is human caused Molan was mocked online for being unable to explain why he doubted climate change was human caused. Even Tasmania senator Jacqui Lambie piled in, writing: 'Oh dear @JimMolan it's gone from a car crash to a train wreck #qanda #ClimateEmergency.' Macdonald received mostly positive reaction for the way he handled the situation on his debut show. One Twitter user said he did a 'remarkable job moderating an emotive edition of tonight's #qanda on the ABC. 'I predict this experienced and engaging journalist will bring a younger audience to the show while retaining the respect of regular watchers of this unequalled programming format.' Another added: 'The new faces at the ABC have done well! David Speers on his Insiders debut and Hamish Macdonald on a very emotional Q and A.' Not everyone was impressed, however. One viewer wrote: 'Macdonald is a hopeless moderator'. There was panic at Living Faith Church in Sabon Tasha area of Kaduna metropolis on Sunday, after a suspected suicide bomber sneaked into the church. Nathaniel Samuel, the alleged bomber was said to have gained access into the churchs auditorium before he was arrested. According to report, he concealed an improvised explosive device (IED) in his bag. The suspect, according to Ekpenyong Edet, chief security officer of the church, was monitored on closed-circuit television (CCTV) before he was arrested. Read Also: Bishop Oyedepo To Build 10,000 New Churches In 2020 Edet said, He successfully gained access and was seated in the auditorium before he was suspected and the bag searched, only to find the explosive device. He noted that the suspect had been handed over to the police. Yakubu Sabo, spokesman of the Kaduna police command, confirmed the report, saying Samuel is currently undergoing interrogation. Today 02/02/2020 at about 0930hrs, One Nathaniel Samuel M of Maraban Damishi via Maraban Rido in Chikun L.G.A was arrested by the Police inside Living Faith Church at Sabon Tasha while the Church service was in session with some suspected Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) contained in a bag, the statement read. The suspect is currently being interrogated at the Commands Criminal Investigation Department was said to have left the bag on the churchs seat and went into a rest room for over an hour. Efforts are on to apprehend his accomplices. Sabo said all police officers in the command had been directed by the police commissioner to intensify surveillance and to liaise with stakeholders within their respective jurisdictions to ensure collective vigilance. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Two teenagers admitted Monday to roles in a botched carjacking that killed a pastor's wife in Gentilly in November 2018. Jontrell Robinson, 18, and Edwin Cottrell, 19, each pleaded guilty to a count of manslaughter and other criminal charges in the death of Jeannot Plessy, 49, who police said was run over with her own car by Robinson, when he, Cottrell and Robinson's younger brother were trying to steal it. Under the terms of a plea deal, Robinson is expected to receive a 30-year prison sentence while Cottrell faces 12 years, according to Orleans Parish District Attorneys Office spokesman Ken Daley. They had each originally been charged with murder. Plessys family approved the agreements, and a sentencing hearing is set for March 2 in front of Criminal District Court Judge Benedict Willard. The third defendant in the case Robinsons younger brother, 16-year-old Boavanti Robinson pleaded guilty in May to charges of obstruction of justice and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Teen on trial in killing of pastor's wife in Gentilly pleads guilty after manslaughter charge dropped One of three teenagers charged in the killing of a church pastor's wife during a botched carjacking in Gentilly last year pleaded guilty to le Prosecutors dismissed a charge of manslaughter in return for the plea from Boavanti Robinson, who was ordered to serve six additional months in a youth detention center, perform 50 hours of community service and pursue a high school diploma during an 18-month parole stint following his release. In a statement Monday, DA Leon Cannizzaro said Plessys killing was a reminder of how the car thefts and burglaries that have been plaguing New Orleans in recent years can escalate. These incidents can flip from nonviolent to deadly in a split-second, he said. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Attempts to contact Plessys family for comment Monday werent successful. According to authorities, on the night of Nov. 27, 2018, Plessy went to her adult daughters home in the 2400 block of Prentiss Avenue to pick up Plessy's two younger children. The adult daughter, Nadia Sanchez, and her husband, Kristian Sanchez, had been babysitting while Plessy was on a dinner date with her husband. As Plessy got out of her car, Jontrell Robinson then 17 yanked Plessy to the ground and got into the drivers seat of her vehicle, police and prosecutors said. Cottrell, 18 at the time, and Boavanti Robinson, then 15, waited in a stolen minivan nearby. Kristian Sanchez heard his mother-in-laws screams and came out to try to protect her. Jontrell Robinson accelerated in reverse, striking Sanchez and Plessy. Plessy was mortally wounded. Surveillance video and DNA evidence soon led police to Cottrell, whom they found in the company of the Robinsons. They arrested all three. The murder trial of Jontrell Robinson and Cottrell was scheduled to start Monday. In addition to pleading guilty to manslaughter, defined as an unintentional yet unjustified killing, the two suspects also pleaded guilty to charges of attempted murder, obstruction of justice, conspiracy to obstruct justice, simple robbery, conspiracy to commit simple robbery and unauthorized use of a vehicle. Cottrell would have faced mandatory life imprisonment if convicted of murder. Robinson would also have faced a life sentence, but with the possibility of parole eligibility after 25 years because he was younger than 18 when the crime was committed. The Congress on Monday demanded a sedition case against BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde for his swipe at Mahatma Gandhi, while a red-faced BJP initiated disciplinary proceedings by serving him a show cause notice seeking an explanation. A senior BJP leader said its top brass, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is "upset" with the sixth-term Lok Sabha MP, who was a minister in the first Modi government, and the Karnataka leader has been asked to take remedial measures, including tendering an apology. The party will take its next course of action after receiving his reply, he added. Hegde had questioned the freedom movement led by Gandhi, saying it was an "adjustment" with the British, remarks which triggered a huge political row. Freedom fighters who did not sacrifice anything made the country believe that it attained independence through 'Upavas Satyagrah', Gandhi's preferred mode of agitation, and became 'mahapurush' (great person), Hegde had said at an event in Bengaluru on Saturday. Hitting out at the BJP, the Congress demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At a party briefing, Congress senior spokesperson Anand Sharma said it was time for Modi to show whether his loyalty was with Gandhi or with his assassin Nathuram Godse. "They are disparaging the movement. If the prime minister and the BJP government are sincere about the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi, we demand that the PM come to Parliament and clarify his position," Sharma said. "They are desperate for elections and only to get some votes, they are inflicting deep wounds on the soul of India," he said. Demanding Hegde's expulsion from the BJP, Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said Modi should apologise for Hegde's remarks and a sedition case should be lodged against the former Union minister. Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel told PTI that the party's central leadership has served a show cause notice to Hegde as part of its disciplinary measure against him. A Union Minister from the BJP said that the top party brass, including Modi, is "unhappy and upset" with Hegde for his swipe at Gandhi, whose birth and death anniversaries have often been occasions for the saffron party under Modi to launch public campaigns over a variety of issues. With the BJP parliamentary party meeting slated for Tuesday, there is speculation in the party that Modi may touch on the issue in his address as he has often in the past expressed his displeasure over show of indiscipline by its members. Incidentally, this is not the first time a show cause notice has been issued to Hegde. He and Pragya Thakur were served show cause notices by the BJP leadership for their praise of Godse during the 2019 Lok Sabha poll campaign. While the then BJP president Amit Shah had condemned their remarks and announced action against them, the party never made any official comment about the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings. However, the party had barred Thakur from attending its weekly parliamentary meeting during Parliament's last session after she praised Godse yet again. Both Hegde and Thakur were elected to Lok Sabha. Maharashtra's water resources minister and senior NCP leader Jayant Patil said Hegde had insulted the freedom movement with his remarks. Hegde is a sixth-term Lok Sabha MP and is known for his hardline Hindutva views and controversial comments. A minister in the first Modi government, he was forced to apologise after saying that the BJP dispensation was here to change the Constitution. She continued: Read enough to stay informed but then plan activities that give you a regular break from the issues and the stress they might cause. And remember to take care of yourself and pay attention to other areas of your life. That is precisely what many people are doing: turning away from Trump, to the degree they can, and pouring their passions into pet projects, things they can actually control, things close to them where they feel they can make more of a difference. But, even as such, Trump is still somewhat inescapable. He has seized on Americas obsessions. He has bored his way into our brains. Even when you are not obsessively consuming news about him, he is still omnipresent. Trump has arrived at a moment of supreme voyeurism and compulsive fame whoring. He has stepped into our flaws and stretched open our shame. He is a genuine danger, but also a perfect object for political mania. Still for some people, being checked out means they consume less of the poison, and that is the only way they feel they can survive. I struggle with how to evaluate these people. In a way, I completely understand. Sometimes I, too, take a day or a weekend away from the insanity to preserve my own peace. But is a sustained disconnect irresponsible and a demerit on ones political citizenship? Does disconnection represent a drift toward cynicism, self-defeat and apathy? I dont think it has to be, but I worry that on some level it is inevitable. I see two main groups of people who want Trump gone: the exhausted and the excited. The exhausted just need this nightmare to draw to a close. The excited have a replacement candidate about whom they are passionate. The former, I believe. lean more on the electability argument, and the latter promote the more transformative candidate. Allahabad High Court on Monday granted bail to Former Union Minister and BJP leader Chinmayanand in the alleged rape case of a law student. Earlier in December 2019, the 23-year-old law student, who has accused Chinmayanand of rape, was released from a district jail on bail in connection with an extortion case. The Allahabad High Court had on December 4 granted bail to the accused in the matter. The father of the woman said that they had faith in the judicial system and will see this case through. The woman was arrested on September 25, in connection with an extortion case filed based on Chinmayanand's complaint alleging that she, along with three of her friends, demanded Rs 5 crore from him. Chinmayanand had alleged that they threatened to make public some purported videos of him getting a massage from the law student. On the other hand, the woman had alleged that she was repeatedly raped and blackmailed by Chinmayanand for over a year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Air Canada plane made an emergency landing at Adolfo Suarez-Madrid Barajas airport on Monday. The Boeing 767-300, with flight number AC837, had taken off from the Spanish capital at 2.30pm bound for Toronto with 128 passengers on board, but suffered damage to a wheel during takeoff. The situation was further complicated by an engine problem. The plane was forced to circle over the Madrid region while burning off and dumping fuel before it could complete an emergency landing in the safest way possible, according to Spains air navigation authority ENAIRE. The plane flying over Madrid to use up fuel. According to passengers on board the aircraft, the atmosphere in the cabin was calm, thanks in part to the captain confirming that the situation was under control. We are going to land at Barajas airport but the tanks are filled with fuel, so we are going to circle to spend some of the fuel so that we are lighter when we land, he is reported to have said. Everything is under control. This plane has eight wheels in the back and front landing carriage, and we have only lost one, so landing will not be a problem. Thank you for your patience. Given that the plane was scheduled to cross the Atlantic Ocean, it was carrying a full fuel load, which it had to lighten. An F-18 fighter aircraft was sent from an Air Force base in nearby Torrejon to evaluate the damage to the plane. Drone incident The emergency landing came after Madrid-Barajas airport was forced to close its airspace earlier on Monday due to the presence of unauthorized drones near the facility, Spains Transportation and Mobility Ministry confirmed. The state air navigation authority ENAIRE was the first to indicate that the airport was experiencing delays. The Transportation and Mobility Ministry later confirmed that the airspace had been closed. Flying drones near an airport is a serious violation and can lead to fines of up to 90,000 Spains Air Security Agency The decision to close the airspace was made just after 12.30pm on Monday after two pilots reported the presence of drones near the runways. This activated a process known as Rate O, which stops planes from landing and leaving the airport, according to sources from ENAIRE. Flights scheduled to arrive in Barajas airport after 12.40pm were diverted to other airports, while all flights from the airport were suspended. At 2.15pm, Spains AENA airport authority confirmed that 26 flights had been diverted at least seven to Valencia, three to Barcelona, three to Zaragoza, and two to Alicante and Valladolid. The Civil Guard sent officers to the scene to track down the individuals who flew the drones. Regulation The 2017 royal decree on the civilian use of drones states that they cannot be flown within eight kilometers of any airport or airfield, or within six kilometers of the furthest runway. This limit can be altered if the drone owner has reached an agreement with airport management. Failing to comply with this regulation can lead to serious sanctions. After the airspace shutdown, Spains Air Security Agency (AESA) said in a message on its official Twitter account that flying drones near an airport is a serious violation and can lead to fines of up to 90,000. English version by Melissa Kitson. French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for closer ties with Poland in shaping the European Union without Britain, in European security and relations with Russia. Following talks in Warsaw with Polish President Andrzej Duda, Macron also called for a revival of trilateral ties with Germany, urging a summit meeting in coming weeks following years of hiatus. He said the three countries bear responsibility for Europe's future and should resume that role, especially after Britain's departure last week. Macron has previously been critical of Poland's right-wing government and its policies of refusing to accept migrants, continuing reliance on coal and trying to bring the judiciary under political control. His predecessor, Francois Hollande, canceled a visit in 2016 after Warsaw scrapped a planned purchase of French helicopters. Macron said he would like his visit to be a turning point in bilateral relations and for any misunderstandings to be cleared up. Relations with Russia have been a sticking point, as Poland pushes for increasing sanctions on Moscow for its seizure of the Crimea Peninsula while France is seeking dialogue. France has not become pro-Russia, like I hear sometimes, France is neither for nor against Russia. France is pro-European, " Macron said. "It is not our interest to have a situation where we don't face up to our relationship with Russia, letting unsolved conflicts pile up and misunderstandings persist, he said. Macron expressed concerns over the changes Poland's right-wing government of the Law and Justice party is making to the judiciary, bringing it under political control, a nd urged a more intensive dialogue with the EU's executive body to end a conflict on Poland's rule of law record. I spoke with President Duda with the honesty we owe each other as European partners, about the concerns that the ongoing reforms of the judicial system have given rise to," Macron said. I wish for the dialogue with the European Commission to intensify in coming weeks because I know that the values of freedom and justice are ingrained in Poland and throughout its history, he added. Duda said this first visit by a French president to Poland in many years had breakthrough value for Poland. Arriving 40 minutes behind schedule, Macron was greeted by Duda and a military guard of honor in chilly weather in front of the Presidential Palace. Macron's office said the visit is a crucial part of France's efforts to bolster ties with European partners. The French delegation includes the ministers of foreign affairs, defense, finance and the environment. Later Monday, Macron is to meet Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz. On Tuesday, he travels to the southern city of Krakow where he will visit Wawel Castle and give a speech at the Jagiellonian University on European cooperation and values. His agenda includes meeting with French expatriates in Poland and Polish intellectuals. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WARE A pedestrian, struck by a vehicle on West Street Sunday morning, was taken to Baystate Mary Lane Hospital for treatment. Police told Western Mass News the crash occurred about 11:20 a.m. near the Walgreens pharmacy. Additional information, including the nature of the victims injuries, was not immediately available. Western Mass News is television partner to The Republican and MassLive.com. I am the middle child of eight children; there were six of us to begin with and then my parents fostered a boy and a girl who became my half-brother and sister. I always joke that my parents called every single one of my sisters names before they called mine! As a middle child, I think you both pine for attention and are able to amuse yourself, its a good thing to learn at a young age. We had an excellent upbringing and my parents were wonderful. My entire extended family is involved with the caring of others, whether it be through charity or otherwise, and that was definitely something that was bred into us. It is important to be kind and to be aware of others, always. At school, I think that I would have been described as shy and quiet, and I was. I am 48 now and it feels like forever ago, but I remember feeling really shy. I didnt necessarily worry about school or about the social side of things, but I was definitely one of the more quiet individuals. I attended Scoil Aiseiri Chriost on the north side of Cork City for primary school and it was a great experience. I was studious and got good grades; I think I really developed an interest in specific subjects when I went to secondary school. I went to secondary school at North Presentation I loved three subjects above all else. Art allowed me to indulge my creative side. I loved to draw and I loved doing the projects that involved mediums like collage and things like that. I felt really free when I was in art class. I adored geography and history, because of the teachers I think. History as a subject just fascinated me. I loved learning about the big events that had happened in the world and hearing the stories that surrounded them. We had a history teacher in secondary school called Mrs Buckley and she captivated me. She taught us all about the Second World War in such a way that I was really in it. It never felt like she was just reading out of a textbook; she was fabulous. She lives in Blarney and I see her the odd time. I have such an interest in history because of her and I dont think Ive ever told her that. Our geography teacher Mr Murphy was a lunatic altogether and we loved him. He was very funny, and he made geography so interesting. We loved him. Because of him, when I came out of school I was determined to travel. I spent time living in Africa, when I travelled all around and then I travelled all around India. I dont think that teachers realise the impact that they have on the children they are teaching. In fact, its only when you leave school yourself that you realise how much you are influenced by what and who has been at the head of that classroom. I think if you have a teacher who can keep you engaged and interested then you are already ahead of the pack. There are some incredible young teachers coming up now who are brilliant. They have an interest in both their subjects and in the children who they teach; they are going to inform and inspire the next generation in such a great way. Right now my eldest daughter Shauna is trying to fill out the CAO form and I want her mind to stay as wide as it is now. I think when you are in school, the subjects that you study will give you the stability to focus on what you want to do. You do need a grounding and you do need a structure to be successful, and school give you that. For example, the subjects that I chose in secondary school, like accounting and business all contributed me starting my own business. Growing up in a big family, there was no way that all eight of us were going to go to college. I think the question that was asked of us as we finished school was what job are you going to get rather than what course are you going to do. The aim was to take the best job that was available to you at the time. Esters Aromas products I try to encourage my son and daughter to keep dreaming above all else. Thats what I hope for them. I want them to keep all their hopes and dreams alive; I dont want them to finish school and shut off. I think that sometimes when you become an adult you shut off your optimism and your self-belief it tends to disappear among all the parts of life like paying bills and going to work every day. I think that children are open and its our job and the job of teachers and the education system to encourage them to stay that way. It is my hope that school gives children options and different routes to achieving their dreams, to keep that fire of optimism and hope burning inside them. Life is just a series of stepping stones, and even if you have a bad experience, its just one stone on the way to achieving your dream. Ester Murray is the woman behind Esters Aromas, a natural range of calming oils, candles, organic body butters and body sprays. She recently was invited to showcase her range at Gifted in the RDS. Her products can be found in eight pharmacies in Cork city and online at www.estersaromas.com/ Shane Dunphys new audiobook revolves around a troubled teenager with mixed feelings about his involvement in a crime gang, writes Richard Fitzpatrick. Audible is about to release the first of three audiobooks by Irish author Shane Dunphy set in the ganglands of Ireland. The Wexford writer and social care worker says Stories from the Margins: Bleak Alley was inspired by characters he encountered during his time working in child protection, and contacts he made as a freelance journalist. Narrated by Dunphy himself, the book revolves around Mikey Smith, a 16-year-old who joins a local gang to escape a troubled home life in an unspecified town. Along the way, the author weaves in a history of Irish gangs, from the days of Cuchulainn to the Peaky Blinders, and Audible will be hoping its release capitalises on a surge in popularity of audiobooks, as well as the growth in the true crime genre. We hear how Mikey (not the characters real name) wants to get out of the life of crime, but hes conflicted. Although hes so stressed he suffers panic attacks, he feels beholden to the gang for giving him status, money and acting as a type of surrogate family. Mikeys mother suffers from schizophrenia. His dad is an alcoholic who used him as a punchbag while drunk. School acts as a respite until the bullying gets so bad he walks out the school gates at 13, never to return. On his 14th birthday, stuck at home, hungry and watching a TV thats broken, Mikey has an epiphany. There has to be more to life, he reckons, so he decides to sign up for one of two rival gangs. His pact with the devil means working for gang leader Patrick Griffin, a dangerous, violent psychopath, in the words of a local detective inspector. Hes even rumoured to have carried out a hit on his own gangster father, a career move to show the upper echelons what a crazy bastard he was. KNIFE THREAT Through the book, we hear how Dunphy gets lured into Mikeys world and those of secondary characters like Jolene, whose drug-addicted son has run up a 3,000 debt which quickly raises the hackles of Griffin, who in one scene in the audiobook threatens Dunphy with a knife. So, given Ireland is such a small country, with characters easily recognised even with fictional names how much of the story is true? Dunphy admits the tale isnt a documentary account. As well as changing details to avoid incriminating Mikey and some of the other main characters in the book, the author says he also had to protect himself, both legally and from physical harm. Names were changed, timelines altered, some situations embellished, etc. Griffin is almost based completely on one particular individual, but I would have brought in some traits from these other gang leaders that I would have worked with in the past, says Dunphy. One of the easiest ways to anonymise the situations in the book is to alter the timeline slightly. "The situation for example with the young guy whos gay [a friend of Mikeys] that would have been something that wouldnt necessarily have happened with the Mikey character. "I would have brought these stories together because theyre illustrating themes that Im trying to explore. The way you present evidence in a book like this is done very carefully so nobody is incriminated. The publishers do a legal read. In the book, I dont report Mikey committing any crime. Mikey is telling me that hes being asked to do things but I dont in the book depict him doing anything. CALCULATED RISK Dunphy says the crime boss was aware of what he was doing. Going in as a journalist after Veronica Guerin [reporter murdered in 1996], doing anything to me would have been more hassle than it was worth. "He warned me off. I wasnt doing anything that was going to be a thorn in his side particularly. He adds: Because you have to anonymise it the way you do, Ive heard people describe it as faction in that you have to fictionalise certain elements. "I make absolutely no bones about that. Its something Ive done with all of the books Ive written because of the fact youre walking that line. And while audiences have always had a voyeuristic attraction to such crime tales, Dunphy says his book does not glamorise that world. I think that what I show is that it can be absolutely terrifying, says Dunphy. Young people have said to me before that their actual life expectancy may well be shortened by the fact theyre in a gang, but because of the benefits theyll get from it while theyre alive theyre prepared to accept that gamble. Its a trade-off. I dont believe that any of them that have said that to me truly believe it. Its bravado. "I dont think Ive painted a picture thats desirable or that anybody will think, Yeah, thats the life I want. "Almost everybody Im describing in the book who is living in their situation is unhappy. Stories from the Margins: Bleak Alley is published by Audible on Thursday. For years now, an international team of researchers has hidden themselves deep beneath a mountain in central Italy, tirelessly collecting the most sensitive measurements from the coldest cubic meter in the known universe. The scientists are searching for evidence that ghostly particles called neutrinos are indistinguishable from their own antimatter counterparts. If proved, the discovery could resolve a cosmic conundrum that has plagued physicists for decades: Why does matter exist at all? They've long known that matter has an evil twin dubbed antimatter . For every fundamental particle in the universe, there exists an antiparticle that's nearly identical to its sibling, with the same mass but opposite charge. When a particle and antiparticle meet face-to-face, they annihilate each other, creating pure energy. "We have this apparent complete symmetry of accounting between matter and antimatter," Thomas O'Donnell, a professor of physics at Virginia Tech University, told Live Science. "Every time you make a piece of matter, you also make a balancing piece of antimatter, and every time you destroy a piece of matter, you must destroy a piece of antimatter. If this is true, you can never have more of one type than the other." Related: Big Bang to now: Snapshots of our universe through time This symmetry is at odds with our current understanding of how the universe began. According to the Big Bang Theory , when the universe expanded from an infinitesimal singularity some 13.8 billion years ago, it is believed that equal amounts of matter and antimatter came into existence. However, when astronomers look out into the cosmos today, the universe is composed almost entirely of matter with none of its evil twin in sight. More troubling, if the Big Bang Theory is correct, then we yes, humans shouldn't be here today. "If matter and antimatter fully obey this symmetry, then as the cosmos evolved, all the matter and antimatter would have annihilated into photons and there would be no matter left for stars, planets or even human cells. We would not exist!" O'Donnell said. "The big question then is: 'Did this accounting scheme break sometime during the evolution of the universe?'" That question is what O'Donnell and fellow collaborators hope to answer. Over the past two years, their team has collected and analyzed data from the CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events) experiment at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy, looking for the smoking gun that would put this cosmic mystery to rest. The little neutral ones (Image credit: Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN)) CUORE, which means "heart" in italian, is searching for evidence that elusive subatomic particles called neutrinos are their own antiparticle, what physicists call a Majorana particle. Neutrinos, which pass like specters through most matter, are extremely hard to detect. In fact, according to NASA , trillions of neutrinos originating from the fiery nuclear furnace of our sun pass through our bodies every second. The CUORE experiment looks for the signature of Majorana neutrinos annihilating each other in a process called neutrinoless double-beta decay. In ordinary double-beta decay, two neutrons inside the nucleus of an atom simultaneously morph into two protons, emitting a pair of electrons and antineutrinos. This nuclear event, although exceedingly rare and occurring only once every 100 quintillion years (10^20) for an individual atom, has been observed in real life. Related: The 18 Biggest Unsolved Mysteries in Physics However, if the researchers are correct and neutrinos are true Majorana particles (they are their own antiparticle), then the two antineutrinos created during the decay could annihilate each other and create a neutrinoless double-beta decay. The result? Just electrons, which are "ordinary matter." If this process proves true, it may be responsible for seeding the early universe with ordinary matter. Observing this process, however, is another story. Scientists estimate neutrinoless double-beta decay (if it exists at all), may take place just once in every 10 septillion years (10^25). "The neutrinoless mode is the one we really want to see, it would break the rules, creating matter without antimatter," said O'Donnell, who is a member of the CUORE collaboration. "It would be the first clue to a real solution of the matter-antimatter asymmetry." The CUORE detector looks for the energy signature, in the form of heat, from the electrons created during the radioactive decay of tellurium atoms. Neutrinoless double-beta decay would leave a unique and distinguishable peak in the energy spectrum of the electrons. "CUORE is, in essence, one of the world's most sensitive thermometers," Carlo Bucci, a technical coordinator for the CUORE collaboration, said in a statement . Assembled over a decade, the CUORE instrument is the coldest cubic meter in the known universe. It consists of 988 cube-shaped crystals made of tellurium dioxide, cooled to 10 milli-kelvin, or minus 460 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 273 degrees Celsius), just a hair above the coldest temperature physics will allow. To shield the experiment from interference by outside particles such as cosmic rays, the detector is encased in a thick layer of highly pure lead recovered from a 2,000-year-old Roman shipwreck. Despite the team's technological achievements, finding the neutrinoless event has proved to be no easy task. The researchers have more than quadrupled the collected data since their initial results in 2017, representing the largest dataset ever collected by a particle detector of its kind. Their latest results, published on the preprint database arXiv , show they found no evidence of neutrinoless double-beta decay. The collaboration is still determined to hunt down this elusive double-agent particle. Their results have put a tighter bound on the expected mass of a Majorana neutrino, which they believe is at least 5 million times lighter than an electron. The team has plans to upgrade CUORE after its initial five-year run, introducing a new type of crystal that they hope will vastly improve its sensitivity. "If history is a good predictor of the future, then we can be fairly certain that pushing the envelope of detector technologies will allow us to scrutinize neutrinos with ever-growing depth," O'Donnell said. "Hopefully, we will discover neutrinoless double-beta decay, or perhaps something more exotic and unexpected." Originally published on Live Science . A man wanted by Interpol for sex trafficking in Romania was found hiding out in the Lower Keys, police said. Catalin Aionesei Lupu, 51, was caught Saturday by Monroe County sheriffs deputies who were checking out a report of people squatting at a home on Sugarloaf Key. Lupu was turned over to U.S. Border Patrol agents, who came to the 17000 block of Jamaica Lane to take him into custody, said Adam Linhardt, spokesman for the sheriffs office. Lupyu Lupu is accused of forcing women and girls into prostitution in Romania and was wanted on an international warrant. The case began when a real estate agent who suspected trespassers were inside the home called deputies to ask them to check it out. Sgt. David Lariz went to the home at 1 a.m. Saturday. A 2016 Honda Odyssey minivan parked outside and the back sliding glass door was open. Lariz spotted food and water on a kitchen counter and called for backup. While Lariz was waiting for other deputies to arrive, a man later identified as Lupu emerged from one of the bedrooms and Lariz took him into custody. A 49-year-old man was found sleeping in another bedroom. Deputies quickly learned Lupu was wanted by Romanian authorities and Interpol, the international police organization, and also that Lupu was in the U.S. illegally. Lupu had an ID card that listed an address on Chablis Drive in Boca Raton. The 49-year-old man had an ID listing a Miami address. There were no women, minors or anyone else in the residence other than Lupu and the other man, Linhardt said. The other man was not arrested. Police gave him a ride to the emergency overnight homeless shelter on Stock Island [February 03, 2020] GridBeyond Launches Operations in the United States This is a key element of GridBeyond's global expansion plans over the coming months. The first step will focus on the liberalized energy markets across the US, starting with Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and PJM Interconnection1. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005357/en/ Michael Phelan, CEO and Co-founder at GridBeyond (Photo: Business Wire) The company brings to market a globally recognized and award-winning AI-powered platform called Point. The platform connects grid operators, C&I operational load, power suppliers and PPA providers, distributed generation, energy storage, EV charging and utilities, to ultimately support the balancing of demand and supply on the grid, whilst delivering financial incentives. Wayne Muncaster, Vice-President for North America operations, who leads on the US expansion, commented: "After months of research and preparation work with our investors and American partners, we are delighted to announce GridBeyond's expansion into the US and the opening of our new office in Houston. "For many years Houston has been recognized as a leading center for the global energy industry. We are proud to launch our US operations from here, and to add our presence to the growing number of energy tech companies choosing this area as their base. We expect our US team to grow to fifty employees across the country within the next three years. "The expansion of GridBeyond is built on our globally recognized intelligent energy technology and a decade of experience in enabling some of the largest European energy consumers, generators, distributors, utilities, transmission and grid operations networks, to participate in the financial and operational benefits of the most advanced energy markets. "We are looking forward to working closely with commercial and industrial businesses, utilities and other participants of the US energy markets to enhance their financial outcomes, increase operational resilience and improve sustainability." Michael Phelan, Chief Executive and Co-founder at GridBeyond, commented: "Having achieved and maintained the leading position in the European market, it is a natural progression for GridBeyond to expand our intelligent energy and smart grid services into the world's biggest market for Distributed Energy Resource Management. "By extending our business into the US, some of the world's biggest producers and manufacturers across multiple industries will be able to benefit from fast-acting automation and optimization. By managing energy demand assets and distributed generation through our AI-driven itelligent energy technology platform, Point, businesses will see the benefits without impact on their operations. "Our expansion into the US marks a significant step forward in the growth of GridBeyond. There is a rising global demand for advanced automation technologies driven by the energy transition toward digitalization, decarbonization and decentralization. This creates opportunities for further dynamic growth of our business. "Together with our investors and partners, we are working on finalizing our offerings and entry strategies to other markets beyond the US. We are looking forward to sharing more information about the acceleration of our business growth plan in the coming months." Last week, the company announced the successful conclusion of its Series B financing round, with a number of high-profile partners, including EDP - Energias De Portugal, Act Venture Capital, Electricity Supply Board (ESB) and Total Carbon Neutral Ventures, investing in an $11.7m (10.5m) transaction to support the scale-up of the business and international expansion. The expansion announcement comes only a couple weeks after the CleanTech Group picked GridBeyond, out of thousands of organizations, as one of the world's leading technology innovators in advancing global sustainability in 2020. A month earlier, in December 2019, global experts in the energy sector named GridBeyond the winner of the Grid Edge Award at the Global Energy Awards by S&P Global Platts. The prestigious award recognizes innovation, leadership and outstanding performance throughout the entire energy system that advances the electric grid to most effectively link industrial and commercial energy users to utilities and the grid. "The independent panel of judges was impressed with GridBeyond for their standout performance in Grid Edge category and their commitment to the energy industry's advancement," said Martin Fraenkel, President of S&P Global Platts. At the beginning of 2019, Frost & Sullivan (News - Alert), the leading global research, analytics and consultancy company, named GridBeyond as the winner of the 2019 Innovation Award for European Demand Response Technology. The experts referred to GridBeyond's technology as 'the paradigm-shifting DR solution [that] allows C&I and public sector consumers to monetize the flexibility in their energy consumption and effectively control the energy future." Notes for the editors: About GridBeyond Transform energy into opportunity. GridBeyond is a global leader in intelligent energy technology for industrial, commercial, institutional and utility partners. Energy users are provided the ability to manage and control demand response participation, energy performance, markets and costs via the multi-award-winning AI Point platform. By stacking various market opportunities and programmes, GridBeyond delivers demand response revenues, enhanced savings, strengthened operations and sustainability to over 400 I&C sites worldwide, including some of the planet's best-loved brands. Furthermore, networks and utilities are empowered to optimize electricity supply and provide value-add opportunities to their customers. By connecting grid operators, operational load, distributed generation, storage, EV charging and utilities to integrated energy services, GridBeyond's vision is to build a shared energy economy that delivers sustainability, resilience, affordability and adaptability through collaboration and innovation. GridBeyond was founded in 2007 and is home to the world's first hybrid battery and demand network. A powerful combination of technological excellence, consultative approach and unrivalled expertise means that GridBeyond partners and clients have future-proof access to energy services. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 PJM Interconnection is a regional transmission organization (RTO) that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005357/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and acting leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu brushed off on Monday allegations about PSD having entered an agreement with the ruling National Liberal Party (PNL) to trigger early elections, and advised PM Ludovic Orban to resign office and not count on the Social-Democrats to lift the ball for him to get the early electoral process in move. "What would the basis for such and agreement be? First, they came before Parliament to assume responsibility for the two-round local election law. The PSD, the Hungarian Democratic Union and the National Force Party are backing the censure motion. If, God forbid, the motion is defeated, we still have a lever at hand to challenge the law in the Constitutional Court. (...) Had they not come before Parliament to assume responsibility, there could have been some reason to suspect an understanding, but as long as it's all being played in Parliament, at the Constitutional Court, what arrangement are we talking about ?! I still recommend the Prime Minister to resign. If he wants early elections, let him resign office, not count on the PSD," Ciolacu said at the Palace of Parliament when asked whether PNL and PSD have an agreement to trigger early elections.The Lower House Speaker said that if the censure motion passes "this still doesn't open the way for early elections"."I am sure that we now have the necessary votes to get the censure motion through," Marcel Ciolacu said, adding that he would prefer elections to take place as scheduled, but that he does not rule out an early ballot in the event of a crisis.The censure motion tabled by the PSD after the Government assumed responsibility for the bill on the two-round mayoral elections was presented in Parliament on Monday. The joint Standing Bureaus will set the date of the debate and of the vote on the motion. AGERPRES Union Minister Giriraj Singh, on February 3, said that Pakistan was created for "people like" All India All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi and those "against the Constitution". "Radicals like Owaisi are spreading poison against the nation in universities like Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). They are creating an army against the nation," Singh said in a tweet, adding that "such people" should be stopped and that the citizens of India had now "woken up". "Don't suppress us... it was for people like you that Pakistan was created. Now let us live peacefully," Singh said in the tweet. Singh's comments come after Owaisi, a Member of Parliament (MP) from Hyderabad, called the shooter who had opened fire near Jamia Campus on January 30 a "terrorist". "We stand with the students of Jamia. This government is doing injustice upon children... they don't have any shame, they are hitting children and firing," Owaisi had said in Lok Sabha. "The government is harassing students and it is shameful," Owaisi had said. LAWRENCE - As we run around the world, posting selfies, counting our steps and checking in on our smartphones, we're leaving digital traces of our activities. And a new book by a University of Kansas professor argues that all this digital placemaking is actually changing the city - "replace-ing" it, in her coinage. Party has enough stuff, prestige and capacity to lead nation: Top leader Updated: 17:41 - 03/02/2020 General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and President Nguyen Phu Trong at the ceremony__Photo: VNA , , , There have been no political organizations in Vietnam except the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) that has enough stuff, brainpower, experience, prestige and capacity to lead the country to overcome all difficulties and challenges, and drive the national revolutionary cause from victory to other victory.General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and President Nguyen Phu Trong made the statement at a ceremony marking the CPVs 90founding anniversary in Hanoi on February 3.The ceremony also saw the attendance of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, and many other incumbent and former leaders of the Party, State and Vietnam Fatherland Front, and veteran revolutionaries.The top leader looked back on the process of establishment, training, devotion and development of the CPV and highlighted the historical significance of its foundation on February 3, 1930.The Vietnamese revolutions diverse and vivid reality over the past 90 years has demonstrated that the Partys sound and clear-sighted leadership is a leading decisive factor to ensure all revolutionary victories and make many exploits in Vietnam, he said.Mentioning the achievements Vietnam has gained during nearly 35 years of reform, the leader said Vietnam has emerged as a developing country with middle-income, while its politics and society have been stabilized, national defense-security, independence and sovereignty have been firmly maintained, and position and prestige on the international arena have been enhanced.The country has to date joined most of international organizations and become an active and responsible member of the international community, he stressed, noting that Vietnam was recently elected for the second time as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in a landslide vote.With the obtained great achievements, we have the foundation to affirm that our country now has the best-ever fortune, potential, position and prestige, the leader stressed.He emphasized the need to carry forward beautiful traditions, maintain and spur the Partys revolutionary nature and its pioneer role during the Party building and rectification work.It is a must to build a pure and strong Party in terms of politics, ideology, morality, apparatus and personnel, revamp leadership methods, strengthen the close-knit relations between the Party and people, prevent and push back degradation, and enhance the Party leadership and combat capacity, considering this a vital task of the Party and regime, he said.The leader also pointed out major tasks in 2020 - the final year of the 12National Party Congress, such as completing all socio-economic development targets, reinforcing macro-economic stability, accelerating the implementation of strategic breakthroughs, restructuring the national economy in tandem with reforming the growth model, ensuring social security and welfare and improving peoples living standards.He also called for greater efforts to firmly maintain national independence and sovereignty, keep a peaceful and stable environment to serve national development and promote external relations.Due attention must be paid to the successful organization of Party congresses at all levels, towards the 13National Party Congress, as well as the implementation of resolutions on the Party building adopted at the fourth plenums of the 11and 12Party Central Committees, and the Politburos Directive No. 05 on promoting the studying and following of President Ho Chi Minhs thought, morality and lifestyle, thus creating stronger changes in the Party building and rectification work, the leader stressed.On behalf of Party members nationwide, 87-year-old Ha Ky who has 70-year Party membership expressed his pride and deep sentiments to the glorious Party and beloved President Ho Chi Minh.Meanwhile, Nguyen Thuy Linh, a student of the University of Languages and International Studies under the Vietnam National University-Hanoi, affirmed the resolve of the Vietnamese youth to uphold the tradition of older generations, study and work harder to contribute to the nations development.Earlier, a delegation of the Party Central Committee, the President, the National Assembly, the Government and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum, and laid flowers at the Monument to Heroes and War Martyrs in Hanoi.- Tax campaigners have claimed Netflix should be paying corporation tax after hitting 1 billion in revenues in the UK. Analysis by think tank TaxWatch has suggested Netflix could be making as much as 68.5m in profits from its 11.5m UK subscribers. Warning sign: Analysis by think tank TaxWatch has suggested Netflix could be making as much as 68.5m in profits from its 11.5m UK subscribers The sum would give rise to a tax liability of 13m if the profits were declared in the UK. But because current laws allow it to book profits through its Dutch parent, Netflix International, it is not required to pay corporation tax in the UK. A Netflix spokesman said: 'We believe that international taxation needs reform. In the meantime, we comply with the rules in every country where we operate. An individual who contacted the authorities almost 8,000 times contributed to a tenfold increase in complaints about aircraft using Dublin Airport last year. Figures published by Dublin Airport show a total 15,160 complaints about noise were filed last year an average of 42 per day. It compared to just 1,453 in all of 2018. However, they also reveal that two individuals accounted for almost three-quarters of all complaints logged by DAA, the operator of Dublin Airport, during 2019. One person from Ongar made a total of 7,786 complaints a daily average of 21 including 4,554 in July alone when he lodged an average of 147 complaints each day. Another individual filed 3,435 noise complaints. DAA said the large increase in complaints last year was skewed by the multiple complaints made by a number of individuals. The airport spokesperson said DAA has engaged directly with the two individuals who had made numerous complaints: Aircraft noise is subjective and is personal to each individual." He pointed out that the number of different individuals who made a complaint during 2019 declined by 3% to 284 from 293 the previous year. The biggest number of complainants came from Swords (37) followed by Portmarnock (27), Hollystown (25), St Margarets (20) and Tyrrelstown (13). The spokesman added: The level of aircraft noise is dependent on the type of aircraft and the number of flights. While the number of flight movements at Dublin has increased in recent years, the advent of newer, quieter aircraft has brought about substantial reductions in aircraft noise. For example he pointed out that the new Airbus A320Neo aircraft introduced by Aer Lingus last year generate 50% less noise than the previous model of the same plane. According to DAA, more than 95% of aircraft using Dublin Airport since 2015 were the quietest type of aircraft compared to 83% in 2008. The DAA spokesman said the reduction of aircraft noise on neighbouring communities is the joint responsibility of Dublin Airport, the Irish Aviation Authority and airlines: DAA works closely with all those stakeholders to minimise aircraft noise at the airport." Figures show that 88% of complaints last year related to aircraft departures from the main runway taking off in a westerly direction. The spokesman said DAA is acutely aware of the concerns of local residents in relation to noise and engages with them on an ongoing basis. However, he added: A balance has to be achieved between those concerns and the needs of the Irish economy. Official figures show that 99.2% of commercial aircraft using Dublin Airport last year kept to the correct flight path on approach and take-off. Under a noise management plan, most aircraft taking off from Dublin Airports main runway must maintain a straight course for five nautical miles before commencing a turn unless otherwise permitted by air traffic controllers. DAA operates a 1m noise and flight track monitoring system to ensure minimum disruption to local communities which includes eight fixed noise monitoring terminals around north Dublin and one mobile monitor. It said all aircraft operating at Dublin Airport conform to current standards regulated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation: As older aircraft are phased out in the short term, this situation will continue to improve." Government will move in swiftly to protect the shrines of Mbuya Nehanda in Christon Bank overlooking the Mazowe Valley, which has been invaded by illegal miners, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe has said. The Christon Bank community has also raised alarm over the Mazowe River, which is being contaminated by small-scale miners who use mercury and cyanide in the extraction of gold. The community appealed to Government to consider making the valley and shrines tourist attractions. According to the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, the Mazowe Valley is a cultural and historical landscape worthy of preservation as the sacred sanctuary of the spirit of Mbuya Nehanda, which led the African struggle against colonialism in two major wars, the First and Second Chimurenga. Speaking during a tour of Mazowe Valley where Mbuya Nehandas shrine is located, Minister Kazembe yesterday said Government will not allow illegal miners to destroy such historical evidence. What we have witnessed here is shocking in any language and we cannot allow this to carry on, he said. This area is where Mbuya Nehanda used to live and there is archaeological evidence to confirm that and there is even a cave she used. These are being destroyed by illegal miners and we cannot allow this to carry on. This is very useful for historical evidence. There is also environmental degradation that is taking place here and it is now dangerous for humans and our animals. All the soil that is coming from the degraded land is going towards Mazowe River and that will eventually affect Mazowe Dam. This must stop. Minister Kazembe said given that the new city centred around the new Parliament building in Mt Hampden was around the corner, there was need to curb all illegal activities in the area to keep water from Mazowe Dam clean. So, something has to be done urgently to stop whatever is going on here in the interest of our environment, he said. We want also to sit down with the Ministry of Mines (and Mining Development) and work together and see how best we can solve this issue. Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu said the area could be turned into a tourist destination if it was protected from illegal miners. These illegal miners are doing more harm than good to the environment, he said. They are wantonly cutting down trees and digging huge pits in search of gold and this has to stop. Mazowe Valley is one of the most vital tourism sites in the country, rich with vast natural resources ranging from dense forests, caves and rock paintings, among other features. These are important for domestic and international tourism. Energy and Power Development Minister Fortune Chasi said illegal mining in the Mazowe Valley was now a cause for serious concern, requiring urgent intervention. This damage needs to be stopped, he said. There is need for proper environmental management here. Christon Bank Environment and Tourism Association chairperson Mr Angus Wakeling appealed to the Government to seriously consider the communitys wish for the area to be an official tourism destination. The shrines and the scenic views are suitable for a tourism destination, he said. As a community, we appeal to the Government to consider this area. A lot of people visit this area for various activities like mountain climbing. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday asked Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath to look after the schools and hospitals in UP and said Delhis schools and hospitals are better than UPs. Uttar Pradesh chief minister is holding rallies in Delhi, he has been saying that hospitals are bad here, education is bad, and that Kejriwal has spoiled the schools but people are saying they are at least better than Uttar Pradesh, said Kejriwal. Adityanath has been campaigning for the BJP for the upcoming assembly election in Delhi, which is scheduled to be held on February 8. The counting of votes will take place on February 11. Addressing a rally in Vishwas Nagar area here, Kejriwal said, He (Adityanath) will tell us that hospitals and schools are bad here, everybody knows the reality of the hospitals in Gorakhpur, and you just look after your hospitals and schools. He further said, If BJP people come to you tell them, as long as our Kejriwal is (Chief Minister), electricity, water, schools, medical treatment and travel in buses will be free. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday petitioned the Election Commission to bar the Uttar Pradesh CM from campaigning in Delhi over his incendiary remarks and allegations against Delhi CM Kejriwal. Third in a series of stories in 2020 about inspirational Iowa women in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment allowing women to vote. Gertrude Elorza Rush (Durden), was born Aug. 5, 1880, in Navasota, Texas. She was the daughter of Frank and Sarah Durden (Reinhardt). Gertrude married James Buchanan Rush, a lawyer, Dec. 23, 1907. Rush attended Des Moines College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1914. She completed her third year of the study of law by way of correspondence with LaSalle University of Chicago. Rush passed the bar exam in 1918 but she was denied admittance to the American Bar Association six years later in 1924. Despite this setback, she became the first African-American woman in Iowa to practice law, having taken over her husbands practice after his death in 1918. She would remain the only African-American woman to do so until the 1950s. Rush, along with four African-American men, founded the National Bar Association, created after a number of African Americans, including herself, were denied entry to the American Bar Association. The Des Moines chapter officially became chartered in 1925. Her law practice primarily focused on womens legal rights, mainly in estate cases. Being an advocate for women and African Americans, she and her team led to the appointment of the first black probation officer. In addition to her work in law, she was an advocate for the advancement of African Americans and women. Rush was involved in a number of other organizations dedicated to the rights of African-American women. She served as the state president of the Iowa Federation of Colored Womens Clubs from 1911 to 1915. One of these organizations, the Colored Womens Suffrage Club, worked to help African-American women obtain the right to vote. She was a member of this organization and an advocate for womens right to vote. Rush specifically supported African-American womens right to vote because she saw the chance to start a fight for better conditions, rights, and an end to some racial injustices. She saw a black womans vote as an opportunity for equality and as a push to end racial discrimination and injustices. Courier Reporter Amie Rivers most memorable stories of 2019 Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Syracuse, NY -- Two state prisoners were arraigned Monday morning on a sealed indictment charging them with the 2016 murder of Francisco Frankie Tejeda, 36, near a busy city park, a prosecutor said. Charles Lawrence, now 26, and Deartis Stanley, now 22, are each serving prison sentences for separate illegal gun convictions from 2018, records show. But they are accused of acting together in the March 27, 2016 murder of Tejeda, who was shot multiple times as he headed toward Skiddy Park, which was filled with children and families on Easter Sunday. A 10-year-old boy also was shot in the right ankle as bullets sprayed across the 300 block of Tioga Street, Syracuse police said at the time. Another bullet crashed through a neighbors kitchen window at Tioga and Tully streets. The investigation has been ongoing for months now. In September, chief homicide prosecutor Melinda McGunnigle went to court to seek an order that would confirm, what she said, evidence that tied Stanley to the suspect vehicle. By then, McGunnigle also indicated she had evidence against Lawrence, as well. Nothing further was known about the investigation until an indictment was unsealed Monday morning before County Court Judge Stephen Dougherty. The indictment itself has not been released yet, but contains numerous counts and charges murder, among other crimes. Under law, murder is punishable by up to 25 years to life in prison. Both Lawrence and Stanley remain in custody, serving their prison sentences, as the murder case continues. Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. While there are other LED touch lamps on the market today, most of them come with either long cords that make your desktop messy or short ones that limit the lamps use to specific areasor they cant be used at all if there isnt a socket nearby...Cuppa solves all these problems. Cuppa, the worlds first LED lamp that integrates full-body touch control technology with cordless design, is lighting-up Kickstarter raising more than $113,000 and counting -- with 10 days remaining in the campaign. Were extremely pleased that our supporters on Kickstarter have pushed presales of the Cuppa more than 20 times above our initial campaign goal, said Cuppa Founder Kevin Smith. We believe these customers are attracted to the portability, simplicity, functionality and reliability in the design of Cuppa. Cuppa is a smart lamp that works without WIFI, Bluetooth, APPs, a smart phone or a remote controller. Inspired by the shape and size of a coffee cup, Cuppa features patent pending 360-degree Any Touch technology that allows it to be turned on with a touch anywhere on its base. Being cordless and lightweight makes it extremely portable and its available in three colors so it looks great with all furniture styles and home and office decor. While there are other LED touch lamps on the market today, most of them come with either long cords that make your desktop messy or short ones that limit the lamps use to specific areasor they cant be used at all if there isnt a socket nearby, Smith said. Cuppa solves all these problemsand allows you to say goodbye to that messy desk for good. Cuppa, which is available at an early-bird price of $99 during crowdfunding, has the following features: Cordless Offers 360-degree Any Touch, allowing it to be turned on and off from any part of its base LED Bulbs, saving up to 80 percent in energy use and easy on the eyes Features Stepless Dimming Waterproof Flame - Resistant Eliminates the risk of electrical shock Weighs about two pounds, making it easy to move and difficult to topple Cuppa is also equipped with a memory mode, that allows it to be returned to its previous brightness level. Both the memory mode and stepless dimming make it easy for users to customize Cuppa to their favorite light level. The portable light also features Type C fast charging, which means it can provide light for as long as 12 hours with a full charge (2.5 hours) and can last for two hours with only 10 minutes of charging. Cuppa can also be charged with a power bank, which makes it the perfect back up lamp in case of an electrical black out. For more information, or to pre-purchase Cuppa at a crowdfunding discount, visit the Cuppa Campaign Page on Kickstarter. At the same time, its Ombudsman believes that the process of exchange of detained persons cannot be stopped Self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic believes that the exchange of detained persons with Ukraine in 'all for all' format is impossible until the military actions are discontinued. This was stated by the Ombudsman of the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic Darina Morozova, Interfax reports. According to Morozova, new detentions are expected to continue in Ukraine until the law on amnesty of participants of illegal armed formations is applied. "This means that a claim could be made against every person. Therefore, exchange in 'all for all' format is impossible until the conflict is completely resolved," she said. At the same time, Morozova believes that the process of exchange of detained persons cannot be stopped. "We have confirmed information that there are some people who are detained in the territory of Ukraine. The number is not that large, but they are there. Therefore, the exchanges cannot stop," Morozova added. As we reported earlier, Russian human rights envoy Tatyana Moskalkova has no information about any new agreements about the exchange of inmates between Russia and Ukraine. TASS quoted her as saying. "As it usually goes, the beginning of the work to exchange citizens between the two states is a deal between two presidents. I know nothing about any such agreement. I only heard statements from President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky; there have been no signals from the other side so far", she said. A leading Australian heart surgeon who trained in Trinity College has come under fire this week for her advice to her students. According to Dr Gabrielle McMullin young female doctors should avoid reporting sexual harassment if they want to progress in their careers. She this week defended her comments further and referred to a case where she suggested that the victim would have been better to perform a sex act on the person harassing her than to report him. Dr McMullin's reckoning is that women who are seen to complain about such behaviour in the workplace never progress and that standing up for themselves is likely to hinder their careers in the long term. I really don't understand how an educated and respected woman can dispense such dangerous advice to younger medics. Regardless of what line of work one is in, nobody, male or female should ever have to put up with sexual harassment from a colleague, much less ignore it. It is advice like this that will allow the sexist workplace environments that Dr McMullin criticises so vehemently to flourish. Would someone of her standing not be better placed to empower the next generation of young doctors to be confident and strong to the point where being violated in such a manner would be addressed and clamped down on before it is allowed to get out of hand. If, as she claims, the sexism in the medical profession in Australia is so prominent women like her are needed to try and stamp it out and change things for the better. Her comments only serve to let predators know they can do whatever they like without fear of the law or damage to their careers. I don't know any woman who would be happy to accept such physical and emotional violation for the sake of their career, and anyway it should never come down to a choice between preserving one's career or dignity and personal safety. Everyone has the right to a safe and secure workplace and colleagues should be the last people to fear. It was highly irresponsible of Dr McMullin to share such a damaging view which could exacerbate the situation which she is already critical of. She might think she is helping the safeguard the opportunities of women in the medical world but she has only put them at more risk than ever. The Deputy Chief of Staff Hon. Francis Asenso Boakye together with Bantama Sub Metro educational directorate has launched a quiz competition dubbed Asenso Boakye quiz competition for Bantama Sub Metro for pupils. The quiz has been grouped into three categories for both primary and JHS. They are Abrepo circuit, Bantama circuit and Bohyen circuit. The quiz will commence on Tuesday 11 February 2020 at Bantama State Boys M/A JHS. He mentioned that the trophy with three computers, two computers, one computer will be given to first, second and third respectively as their reward. All the finalist students at both primary and JHS will get tablet and laptop each. Speaking at the launching which took place at the Bantama State Boys M/A JHS, Mr. Asenso revealed that, the authorities from the Bantama Sub Metro educational directorate approach him to support them in their upcoming quiz competition which agreement was made to use his name as the banner headline. The ratonale, he added was that he was a spelling B champion during his primary days and urged the students to learn hard to be able to reach his level of education in future. He urged the students to excel through this quiz competition for a better future. He added that the competition will be a continuous initiative for those in Bantama constituency. Meanwhile Mayor for Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Hon Osei Assibey Antwi who graced the occasion also commended Hon. Asenso Boakye for launching this quiz for the students within Bantama Sub Metro. Hon. Mayor, pleaded with other old students to follow the trend by organizing such things for their various formal schools which are in need of educational logistics. He cited an example that, Hon. Asenso Boakye started from State Boys M/A JHS and now he is a presidential staffer and also mentioned the late Kofi Annan who also attended Asem boys but ended up being a UN General Secretary. He encouraged the students to always take their lessons serious to achieve better living at the end of the day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (February 3) broke his silence over the ongoing anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh and Jamia and said that political designs were behind the protests. The prime minister remarked that these anti-CAA protests are no coincidences but a conspiracy to divide India and ruin the harmony of the nation. "Protests against the Citizenship Act are going on in Seelampur, Jamia and Shaheen Bagh for the past several days. These protests are no coincidences. These protests are a conspiracy to divide India. There is a design of politics behind it, which is going to ruin the harmony of the nation," he said. The prime minister made the statement while addressing an election rally in Delhi's Karkardooma. PM Modi asserted that if people protesting at Shaheen Bagh and other parts of the country were against the CAA then they would have called off their agitation after repeated assurances from the ministers. "But AAP and Congress are provoking people. Constitution and tricolour are being kept in front and attention is being diverted from the real conspiracy," PM Modi alleged. During his address, the prime minister also promised that when BJP comes to power in Delhi it will take steps aimed at development of the unauthorised colonies. He added that BJP-led government at the Centre is committed to provide housing to all by 2022. The prime minister also attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and accused the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi of blocking the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in the national capital. "Till this government is in power in Delhi, they will continue to put obstacles in welfare work. They don't know anything except playing politics," PM Modi said. "The vote of the people of Delhi had supported the change in the country, now the vote of the people of Delhi will also change and modernise our Delhi. It will make it safe, make the lives of the people living here easier," he added. Live TV The prime minister remarked that India will not be driven by politics of hate but by the policy of development. Talking about Budget 2020, PM Modi said that it will not only benefit Delhi for this year but for the entire decade. "The benefit of this budget will be for the youth of Delhi, traders of Delhi, the middle class, poor and women," said PM Modi. Ghana three Military Airplanes C295s from Airbus. The nation received its first C295 in November 2011. The second aircraft was received in April 2012 and the third in November 2015. The deals covering them were argued at the time to be in line with the 2009-2012 Strategic Plan of the Ghana Armed Forces. All three purchases, approved by Ghana's Parliament after heated disagreements on the floor, were roundly marketed by the government of the day as a drive to modernize Ghana's Air Force. Funding for the purchase of aircraft Funding for the first two C295s came from a 60,034,636 loan facility from the Deutsche Bank S.A.E. A further 11,750 million loan from the Fidelity Bank Ghana Limited was also approved by Parliament during the period for the acquisition of two DA42 MPP Guardian surveillance aircraft for the Ghana Airforce. The House also approved a total loan sum of $105,370,177.09 from the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) for the purchase of an Embraer E190 jet for the country. The Embraer agreement was to cover related spare parts, relevant accessories as well as the construction of an aircraft hangar big enough to house three large aircraft. Prior to the Parliamentary approval of the loan agreements, Minority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu had slammed the deals as both questionable and non-transparent, adding that the contract sums had been padded by the government. He famously tabled figures obtained from the internet to back his claims but was scorned for doing no more than relying on Google to come up with such serious claims of wrongdoing. One of the C295s acquired under the deal supported United Nations-led missions in Mali. The rest were bought, as the Government explained at the time, to support strategic operations of the Ghana Air Force including surveillance of the country's offshore oil production fields, border patrol, the training of pilots and internal transportation of troops. In November 2014, then President John Mahama had announced that Ghana planned to acquire more Military equipment, including five Super Tucanos, Mi-17s and four Z-9s, for the Ghana Airforce. At the time, Ghanaian troops were said to have relied heavily on civilian flights for their movements and needed military aircraft to correct this anomaly. Despite opposition criticisms, the government went ahead with the purchase agreements. UK Courts judgement The recent judgement by England's Crown Court in Southwark would appear to have now given a new life to earlier suspicions that the agreements covering the C295s especially were corrupt. The January 21, 2020 decision approved a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) between the Serious Fraud Office and Airbus SE, a subsidiary of Airbus, after investigations exposed massive bribery scandals involving the aircraft manufacturer in breach of the Bribery Act 2010. English law allows the SFO to postpone prosecution of an organisation based on an agreement between the SFO and a company or companies suspected to have committed economic crimes. Such an agreement (DPA) requires a seal of Judicial approval to become lawful and may even allow the offending institution to avoid prosecution entirely. The court, in its decision on such applications, considers among other things, whether or not the DPA before it is in the public interest. Also, the terms of the agreement must be fair, reasonable and proportionate. In the present case, the court found that the DPA is in the public interest and that the terms agreed to meet the tests of fairness, reasonability and proportionality. The court took the view that prosecuting Airbus now would among other things, lead to massive job losses and decimate the company's performance on the stock market in the immediate to long term. Independent estimates suggest Airbus could easily haemorrhage some 200 billion in the long term if it faced prosecution immediately. The judgement stated that SFO investigations found that Airbus which has since agreed to pay over 3 billion in fines had engaged in schemes that involved bribing its way to lucrative contracts in countries such as Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Indonesia and Ghana. French and US authorities have also found similar evidence of alleged bribery involving Airbus officials and or their agents in other countries, including Russia and China. In the case of Ghana, the Judgement of the Crown Court highlights instances where Airbus officials, as part of a scheme to obtain and or maintain contracts with the government, either bribed or agreed to bribe intermediaries with close links to a high-ranking state official said to have influence over the country's aircraft purchase plans between 2011 and 2015. The court documents did not mention any names but the timeframe stated in the judgement covered some periods of the Mills-Mahama era. The first agreement to pay bribes in Ghana was to involve some 5 million which was disguised as a Commission to an intermediary intermediary 5 engaged by Airbus to promote its proposal to sell two C295 aircraft to Ghana. Eventually, due process tests exposed the dubious arrangements and no money was paid. Subsequent approaches by Airbus succeeded, resulting in Ghana buying 3 C259 aircrafts through the multinational's Spanish defence subsidiaries at separate times. The deals were arranged through a number of intermediaries led by intermediary 5, said to be an unnamed relative of a powerful Ghanaian official who, at the relevant time, was in a decision-making position over the proposed aircraft purchase agreements. However, after an internal investigation exposed the link between intermediary 5 and the unnamed high ranking government of Ghana official, a scheme was then hatched by the parties to route the transaction through a third party company of Spanish origin, which company had no previous dealings with Ghana. The Spanish company was passed off as the facilitator of the proposed aircraft purchase agreements when in fact it was merely inserted into the arrangements to circumvent due diligence requirements in order to give the questionable transaction a clean bill of health. Upon conclusion of the deal with Ghana, under which two aircraft were initially sold, Airbus or its agents relied on false representations and documentation to pay bribe amounts close to 4 million to the Spanish third party company which in turn funnelled the payments to intermediary 5. The payments were disguised as commission on the contract amount. The Spanish third party company pulled out of a subsequent deal that handed Ghana her third C259 aircraft. This was after Airbus had engaged an external counsel to conduct due diligence on it. Intermediary 5's subsequent claim that Airbus owed him some 1.6 million under the deal covering the third C295 was not honoured. The DPA does not mean the Airbus and its officials are immune from prosecution for the alleged crimes. Under English law, the SFO is entitled to, in due course, prosecute Airbus if it is satisfied that the company failed to comply with the terms of the DPA approved by the Court. Indeed, ongoing investigations mean that while the SFO might, in the light of Airbus' cooperation thus far, forgo prosecuting the aircraft manufacturer, it may, after the investigations bring criminal actions against the persons who actually paid or received the bribes complained of. Such a move is likely to include the intermediaries in Ghana and related individuals. In such a case, the SFO may rely on Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) provisions under English law to mount the relevant charges. ---citinewsroom Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 14:52 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206245d63 1 Business tourism,foreign-tourists,travel,Indonesia,data,Statistics-Indonesia,BPS,2019,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,China,Chinese-tourists Free A total of 16.1 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia throughout 2019, falling short of the governments target of attracting 20 million tourists, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced on Monday, warning that the coronavirus outbreak could cloud the outlook this year. The figure reflects a sluggish 1.88 percent growth in tourist arrivals from 2018, which recorded 15.81 million individuals entering the country, because of a significant surge in tourist arrivals in the summer season, which lasted between June and August, according to BPS data. We still have work to attract more foreign tourists to come into Indonesia, said BPS head Suhariyanto during a press conference in Jakarta. The agency recorded a contraction of 2.03 percent of foreign arrivals in December last year, which saw 1.37 million foreign tourists. Read also: Indonesia tourism, trade prone to Wuhan coronavirus impact According to BPS data, 9.8 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia by using airlines, followed by 4.1 million using sea transportation and 2.1 million using land transportation. Suhariyanto said that Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali and Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta saw the most foreign arrivals in 2019, recording 6.23 million and 2.41 million, respectively. BPS data showed that in 2019, Bali recorded an increase in foreign arrivals of 3.55 percent compared to 2018, while Jakarta recorded a decrease of 14.05 percent compared to 2018. Meanwhile, Batam recorded 1.94 million of foreign arrivals through sea transportation in 2019, an increase of 3.21 percent. Suhariyanto said Malaysia sent the most tourists to Indonesia, followed by Singapore and China in 2019. However, the coronavirus outbreak in China will no doubt lower foreign arrivals from China to Indonesia this year, said Suhariyanto. Read also: Indonesia closes doors to travelers from China As of Monday, the coronavirus had killed 362, all but one in China, and had infected nearly 17,392 globally, surpassing infections caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the result of another strain of coronavirus that originated in China in 2003. The Indonesian government declared on Sunday that it would ban all travel to and from China to prevent the spread of the deadly and highly contagious coronavirus. The ban, which took effect at 12 a.m. on Monday, prevents visitors who have stayed in China for 14 days or more from visiting or transiting in Indonesia. The government will suspend visa-free and visa-on-arrival provisions for Chinese citizens. Sen. Joni Ernst Clarifies Remarks About Potentially Impeaching Joe Biden Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said her remarks about Congress potentially impeaching Joe Biden if he was elected president were taken out of context. That was taken entirely out of context. The point is that the Democrats have lowered the bar so far that regardless of who it is, if you have a different party in the House than that of an elected president, you can have just random comments thrown out there with folks saying were going to impeach, Ernst, 49, told reporters in Washington on Monday, reported The Hill. So, no, it was taken out of context. I didnt say what the headlines [said] but simply that weve lowered the bar so much, is this really what the American people want? And I would say no its not. Ernst, the vice chairwoman of the Senate Republican Conference, said on Sunday that Biden, 77, was in danger of being impeached if he was elected president. I think this door of impeachable whatever has been opened, Ernst said. Joe Biden should be very careful what hes asking for because, you know, we can have a situation where if it should ever be President Biden, that immediately, people, right the day after he would be elected would be saying, Well, were going to impeach him. Biden could be impeached for being assigned to take on Ukrainian corruption yet turning a blind eye to Burisma because his son was on the board making over a million dollars a year, Ernst added. Hunter Biden, 49, was on the board of the Ukraine-based Burisma Holdings from 2014 to 2019. Joe Biden said in 2018 that in 2016 he threatened to withhold $1 billion of aid from Ukraine unless a prosecutor probing Burisma was ousted. Viktor Shokin, the prosecutor, said he resigned under pressure. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a stop at an event in Des Moines, Iowa, on Feb. 3, 2020. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images) A probe into Burisma was revived last year by a new Ukrainian administration. Biden spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield told Bloomberg News: Iowans have the chance tomorrow to say the words that Donald Trump and Joni Ernst fear most: Im here to caucus for Joe Biden. The Iowa caucuses, the first in the nation, are on Monday. Biden is a top Democratic presidential candidate but faces fierce competition. The Bidens have been in the spotlight over their actions related to Ukraine since last year, when President Donald Trump said in a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he wanted Ukraine to look into corruption allegations against them. Trump referenced Bidens 2018 comments during the call. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it It sounds horrible to me, Trump said. Zelensky said he was aware of what happened. The call sparked an impeachment inquiry that culminated with Trump being impeached in December 2019. Hes expected to be acquitted by the GOP-held Senate this week. Islamabad, Pakistan A Pakistani court has dismissed sedition charges against 23 rights activists arrested at a protest in the capital, ordering authorities to grant them bail so they may be released from prison. The Islamabad High Court ruled on Monday that the activists had been proceeded against unfairly and asked authorities to review the case, according to an order by Judge Athar Minallah. The activists had been taking part in a protest on January 28 against the arrest a day earlier of Manzoor Pashteen, the leader of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM). The PTM is an ethnic Pashtun rights movement that has been calling for accountability for alleged rights abuses committed by Pakistans military in its war against the Pakistani Taliban. The protest on January 28 was jointly organised by the Awami Workers Party (AWP), whose provincial president Ammar Rashid was among those arrested, and the PTM. The 23 activists are due to be released later on Tuesday. Earlier, at the protest, two other political leaders PTM leader and member of parliament Mohsin Dawar and AWP leader Ismat Shahjehan had also been arrested, but they were released shortly afterwards. Police accused the protesters of having attempted to defy their orders and raising slogans that were against Pakistans government and institutions. Witness accounts and videos from the protest, however, belied that claim, showing the protesters as peaceful when police raided the demonstration venue. At the time, the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) decried the arrests as unconstitutional. HRCP believes that [the arrests] were unconstitutional and have violated citizens right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, chairperson Mehdi Hasan said in a statement. The arbitrary use of the charge of sedition under an archaic law to curb political dissent that has in no way incited hatred or violence indicates how little regard the state has for its citizens civil and political liberties. The arrests were the latest in an intensifying crackdown on dissent in the South Asian country, where the powerful military has ruled for roughly half of the countrys 73-year history. Last month, parliament voted to amend a law that would allow Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa whose term was up in November to remain in office for up to another five years. Criticism of the military is rare in Pakistan, with the PTM one of the few movements to directly call for accountability and protest against the institution. On Sunday, at least 43 activists were arrested at separate protests in the cities of Karachi, Faisalabad and Dera Ismail Khan in solidarity with the PTM. All of those arrested were released by nightfall, barring a PTM activist, Shahid Sherani, who was arrested in Dera Ismail Khan, PTM officials told Al Jazeera. Pashteen, arrested in a midnight raid in the northwestern city of Peshawar, remains in police custody and is facing charges of sedition. The Women Wing at Effiduase-Asokore constituency in the Ashanti Region has bought Parliamentary Primaries nomination forms for the Member of Parliament (MP) in the area, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie to contest the position again. The women stormed the constituency office to buy the forms for the MP whom they described as an outstanding leader who has brought huge developments to the Effiduase-Asokore Constituency. Even before the womens wing picked the forms - Dr Ayew Afriyie was declared unopposed by Assembly Members of the Sekyere East district after a survey was conducted within the Effiduase-Asokore Constituency to assess his performance within two years. 364 out of 367 delegates in the constituency also voted YES to let Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye represent the constituency in parliament for another four years. Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye who is currently out of the country for official duties has lauded the womens wing for believing in him. According to him, he will continue to work harder to help President Nana Addo and the NPP government achieve their aim. He promised to work hard to increase the President's vote in the constituency from 83.4 % in 2016 to 90% in 2020. He also assured to lobby for more projects to the constituency to help build up Effiduase-Asokore. NPP is set to hold its Parliamentary primaries on 25th April 2020 in areas the party has sitting Members of Parliament. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The New Zealand dollar was little changed amid ongoing worry about both the spread of China's coronavirus and the economic impact of measures aimed at countering it. The kiwi was trading at 64.63 US cents at 5pm in Wellington from 64.64 in New York on Friday and from 64.77 locally at 5pm on Frida... Read the full story at BusinessDesk subscribe now: https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/nz-dollar-treads-water-as-investors-fret-about-coronavirus Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Greenfern Industries Limited (NZX: GFI) Announces Cannvalate Transaction 10th January 2022 Morning Report 7th January 2022 Morning Report 6th January 2022 Morning Report 5th January 2022 Morning Report Harmoney Corp Limited (NZX: HMY) HMY Signs A$20m Corporate Debt Facility 24th December 2021 Morning Report Goodman Property Trust (NZX: GMT) GMT to develop North Shore facility for NZ Post 23rd December 2021 Morning Report SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited (NZX: SKC) EXPANDS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH GIG MITCHELL Youth and children will again be able to ride Madison County Transit (MCT) fixed-route buses free of charge through the YouthPass program. A resolution approving the program for the coming year was OKd at Fridays MCT board meeting. This is a really popular program for us, said interim Managing Director SJ Morrison. Its a huge help for families with working parents. The pass is primarily geared toward 7th-12th graders. The program started in 2008. Passes are available through multiple schools and agencies, and also through MCT The board also approved resolutions allowing the filing of applications to the East-West Gateway Council of Governments for Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Improvement Funds for the RideFinders program and the purchase of four new 40-foot transit buses. RideFinders is the St. Louis regions rideshare program for car- and van-pools and is administered by MCT. MCT is seeking $1.5 million in CMAQ funding for the program. MCT is also seeking $2.3 million to replace four 40-passenger buses, which are used primarily on express and high-volume routes. Each bus costs approximately $525,000, and the four retiring buses will end with an estimated 700,000 miles. Also approved was allowing Morrison to sign several agreements with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for bike trail grants. The grants would cover improvements to the Nickle Plate Trail outside of Edwardsville, the Schoolhouse Trail, and a trail near Troy. The grants total approximately $500,000. MCT Board Chairman Ron Gedda also brought up the idea of developing a 503 (c) foundation for the bike trail system. He noted there likely are companies and individuals who would donate for trail maintenance and improvement, but would require a nonprofit organization rather than a unit of government. Morrison said he would investigate the possibility. Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447. Setyono Djuandi Darmono, the chairman and founder of Jababeka Group in Indonesia, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times held at the Lotte Hotel, Jung-gu, Seoul, Wednesday./ Hankookilbo photo by Lee Han-ho By Jung Hae-myoung Setyono Djuandi Darmono is the founder and chairman of Jababeka Group, which has more than 1,500 companies operating in its industrial estate in Cikarang, Indonesia. Darmono met with The Korea Times at the Lotte Hotel, Jan. 29, to talk about his business philosophy and thoughts on working with Korean companies. Darmono emphasized the importance of having a philosophy rather than focusing on making money. The basis of his business philosophy is "Pancha Sila," which was an ideology introduced by President Sukarno, the founding father of Indonesia. "In 1945, Indonesia called for independence from the Dutch. Pancha Sila was the uniting ideology of all the 700 different ethnicities with different religions," he said. The five principles of Pancha Sila are belief in one god, humanity, nationality, democracy and social justice. As this philosophy led to the unification of Indonesia, it also helped Darmono to manage the industrial estate that houses many multinational firms with a need to cooperate. "In township development, we want to have a mix of multinational companies, local companies and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)," he said. He also stressed the importance of education, which led him to establish President University, which is the only university in Indonesia with all its courses taught in English. This is based on his philosophy that good leaders are those with good character supported by knowledge and skills. Although he deems knowledge and experience as very empowering, he hopes students at the university will become wise enough to take on leadership roles in their respective countries. "By the time they graduate, the students would have international friends, speak English and will have built character. Our emphasis is to provide an environment in which we build character," he said. Darmono started the company by being the "driver" of a consortium of 21 "shareholders" in Indonesia back in 1989, when the business owners wanted to build cheaper factories near Jakarta. He started by transforming 5,600 hectares of vacant land into a modern city at Cikarang, 40 kilometers from Jakarta, with the vision of developing a compact city. "The vision was to make investors from all over the world feel at home building their factories, and living in a residential area with an emphasis on the environment," Darmono said. He noted that his company plays the role of a "container" for multi-national firms and welcomes the "contents" from different countries. By providing water, education, and residential areas, he has made a friendly environment for foreign investors there. "Now we are developing four cities and are jointly redeveloping old Jakarta city. We hope to invite more Korean companies to join us in developing more cities." Continuing its positive partnership with Korean companies, Jababeka Group signed an MOU with Korea's Daewon, Jan. 13. Asked about the strength of Korean companies, Darmono put forward three factors. "First is timing, as Korea came in a big way to Indonesia in 1998, when Japan and the rest of the world stopped investing due to the ASEAN crisis," he said. "Second is that Korea came with a large number of SMEs thus big companies found a plentiful supply of raw materials." Finally, he said Korean products are of high quality and technologically superior and are therefore very competitive in the world market. He also hinted that Korean companies should forge partnerships with young Indonesian companies who have well-educated employees and who are hungry for success. Darmono recently joined the Korea-Indonesian Management Association (KIMA) and gave a speech based on his book, "Build a Ship While Sailing," as part of the Korea-Indonesia Forum held at St. Mary's Hospital in Seoul, Jan. 30. New Delhi: As campaigning for the Delhi Assembly elections intensifies with the date of polling inching closer, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address his first rally in east Delhi's Karkardooma area on Monday (February 3). The rally will be held at CBD Ground in Karkardooma at around 2 pm. Ahead of the rally, Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik along with other police officials inspected the CBD Ground on Sunday. Modi, who is BJP's star campaigner for the Delhi Assembly polls, will address another rally in southwest Delhi's Dwarka area on Tuesday. "One rally of the Prime Minister will be held in East Delhi at Karkardooma on February 3. The other rally will be held in Dwarka on February 4," a senior party leader had said. Delhi: Amulya Patnaik, Delhi Police Commissioner along with police officials today inspected the CBD Ground in Karkardooma, Shahdara where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public rally tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/nyzAkbTzYu ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2020 The Prime Minister's appeal is likely to be used by the party as a final push for votes. The party feels that Modi's appeal can be effective in garnering votes of undecided voters. Sources said the two rallies have been planned after the Union Budget. "The dates have been chosen as the BJP wants to utilise the Prime Minister when the campaign is at its peak," sources added. Modi had addressed a rally at Ramlila Maidan on December 22 last year. In that rally, he attacked the opposition parties, accusing it of spreading lies over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). The Prime Minister also took on the ruling AAP government in Delhi, accusing it for not doing enough to combat rising pollution levels in the city. The BJP's senior leadership -- led by the party national president JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah -- has been in overdrive ever since the announcement of the Delhi Assembly polls. Other leaders, including Union Cabinet Ministers and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states, have also been campaigning across the city. On February 2, the BJP conducted a mega contact programme, with its top leaders, including party chief JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh UP CM Yogi Adityanath and party leader Smriti Irani, visiting all 70 assembly constituencies in the national capital. According to the Model Code of Conduct, parties are allowed to campaign till Thursday 5 pm, after which all campaign activities will be banned. Voting in all 70 Assembly constituencies of Delhi is slated to be held on February 8 and the counting of votes will take place on February 11. A man who smashed 28 television screens in a bookmakers with a hammer after he was not given winnings he believed he was owed has been given a suspended sentence. John Farrell (aged 47), who caused 10,400 in damage, was raging about not getting his winnings. He felt the bet he had put on had not been processed properly and placed on the wrong race. Farrell, of Barnwell Drive, Ballymun, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to criminal damage at Boyle Sports, Ballymun Road on September 6, 2016. Farrell has 25 previous convictions. The most recent, handling stolen property, was recorded in 2001. Garda Keith Morris told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, that Farrell came to the shop that morning and handed in a docket for a treble bet looking to collect his winnings. The staff member pointed out to him that the first horse in the first race had not won so it was not a winning ticket. He was not happy when she handed the ticket back to him and said it was not a winner. The woman served some other customers before scanning the ticket for Farrell again and explaining to him as the first horse on the ticket had not won the whole bet was lost. Farrell muttered something under his breath before telling her: Wait until you locking up the door on your own I will be there. The whole interaction lasted three or four minutes before he left. Farrell returned in the afternoon and gave the ticket to a different staff member and was again told the ticket was not a winner. If you are not going to pay me I will take it out on the screens, said Farrell. who was carrying a black bag. He took out a hammer and started smashing television screens. Staff went into a back room and continued to hear smashing. They activated a panic alarm. After Farrell left there were 28 screens of different sizes smashed, as well as three panes of glass broken at the front of the shop. The damage was valued at 10,450. Farrell was nominated as the person involved and told gardai he had been having a difficult time. He said he felt the bet he had put on had not been processed properly and was very ticked off and raging about not getting his winnings. He said he was sorry but felt he had no other option at the time. Seoirse O Dunlaing BL, defending, said his client, who is receiving treatment for an aggressive form of cancer, had felt the money was owed to him. He said Farrell made full admissions and has not come to garda attention again. Mr O Dunlaing handed a letter from Fr Peter McVerry into court on his client's behalf. Judge Melanie Greally said the case had a few exceptional features. She said the serious incident had been prompted by rage after discovering one of the bets had been placed on the wrong race. She said he was understandably highly upset a mistake had been made but his reaction was vastly out of proportion. She said it had been costly and distressing for all involved and staff members. She said it was quite exceptional Farrell had not transgressed since 2001 and this offence was out of character with his recent past, noting a staff member had described him as a quiet customer. Judge Greally took into account the contents of Fr McVerry's letter, his guilty plea and co-operation. She noted he was receiving the help he needed and was unlikely to come before the courts again. She said it was an incident that in the normal course would attract a custodial sentence but in Farrell's particular circumstances she imposed a four year suspended sentence. Houston oil major ConocoPhillips is preparing for a major round of drilling in the Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas. The companys shale arm, Burlington Resources, is seeking permission from the Texas Railroad Commission to drill 17 horizontals wells. ConocoPhillips plans to drill 15 of the wells in Karnes County, southeast of San Antonio, and two in neighboring Live Oak County. In the Eagle Ford, 11 wells will target the Eagleville field and four will drill the Sugarkane field. Two will target the Sugarkane field of the Austin Chalk. Ranked by Drilling Down as the 10th most-active driller in Texas, ConocoPhillips filed for 215 drilling permits in 2019. Drilling Down: Birch Resources emerges as Permian Basin leader Permian Basin Denver oil company QEP Resources is planning to drill 15 new horizontal wells on state-owned land in Andrews County. The oil wells target the Spraberry field to depths ranging from 8,990 to 9,950 feet. Eagle Ford Shale More Information Top 10 Drillers in Texas (Jan. 22 through Jan. 28) ConocoPhillips 19 Occidental Petroleum 19 QEP Resources 15 Parsley Energy 12 EOG Resources 12 BP 11 Murphy Oil 11 Double Eagle Energy 10 Concho Resources 7 Carrizo Oil & Gas 6 Source: Railroad Commission of Texas See More Collapse Japanese oil company Inpex is gearing up for its latest round of drilling in South Texas. The company plans to drill four horizontal wells split between its Nance West Unit and Ivey Unit leases in Karnes County. The four oil wells target the Eagleville field of the Eagle Ford at total depths ranging from 8,800 to 8,900 feet. Fuel Fix: Get energy news sent directly to your inbox Haynesville Shale Houston exploration and production company Sabine Oil & Gas plans to drill three horizontal natural gas wells in East Texas. Two target the Carthage field of the Haynesville Shale down to a total depth of 12,100 feet. The other targets the Henderson East field of the Cotton Valley geological layer down to a total depth of 12,250 feet. Barnett Shale There were no drilling permits filed for horizontal wells in the Barnett Shale over the past week, but Jack County is emerging as a hot spot for conventional vertical wells. Tarpon Oil & Gas, Oakridge Oil & Gas and Bowles Energy filed a combined five drilling permits in Jack County. Four of the wells target the Jack County Regular field while the other targets the Marble Falls formation. More: Read the latest oil and gas news from HoustonChronicle.com Conventionals Refugio-based T-C Oil Co. plans to drill a pair of vertical wells in Refugio County, 10 miles west of Tivoli. The oil and natural-gas wells target the McFaddin field to a vertical depth of 6,500 feet. Samasource founder and chief executive Leila Janah has passed away at the age of 37 from complications of Epithelioid Sarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer. The Indian American entrepreneur is seen here at the Fortune + Time Global Forum 2016 on Dec. 2, 2016 in Rome, Italy (Elisabetta Villa/Getty Images for TIME) The Rolex Arts Weekend will take place at the Baxter Theatre Centre in Cape Town on 8 and 9 February 2020. Over 200 renowned artists and arts leaders are expected to attend the event. Highlights of the arts weekend The Arts Weekend, a series of public events which includes talks, readings, exhibitions and performances, including two world premieres will feature the work of the 20182019 proteges of the Rolex Mentor and Protege Arts Initiative with their mentors. Rolex arts initiative mentors Sir David Adjaye, Zakir Hussain, Crystal Pite and Colm Toibin will join their proteges at the event.The two-day celebration is the culmination of the current cycle of the programme, which pairs master artists with emerging artists in several disciplines for a period of creative exchange in a one-to-one mentoring relationship.The Baxter is a most appropriate venue for the Arts Weekend, said Rebecca Irvin, head of the Rolex Arts Initiative. Not only is it known for presenting a variety of progressive works, it is led by CEO and artistic director Lara Foot, herself a former protegee of the theatre great Sir Peter Hall in the 20042005 series.Through these various events, the proteges will demonstrate the insights they learned from their mentors over the course of the mentoring period. This interchange between generations is integral to Rolexs dedication to passing on knowledge, in this case, perpetuating excellence in the arts.The Rolex Arts Weekend is being curated this year by Fruzsina Szep, the Hungarian-born festival and artistic director of Lollapalooza Berlin who also served as an Arts Initiative nominator, helping to identify suitable potential proteges for the programme in 20182019.The opening event is a world premiere by Senegalese protegee Khoudia Toure, a pioneer in urban street dance, with three members of the dance company, Compagnie La Mer Noire. The production was created following Toures close interaction with her mentor, Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite, who will introduce the dance, When the night comes, a piece born from hip-hop and infused with other dance styles and techniques.Under the tutelage of mentor Colm Toibin, fellow Irishman and protege Colin Barrett completed his first novel, The English Brothers. An adapted extract from the book that features the two writers mutual fascination with questions of belonging and self-definition will be performed by local actors in advance of a discussion What Can be Said: Home and Voice between mentor and protege.Protegee Mariam Kamara, originally from Niger, and mentor Ghanaian-born British architect Sir David Adjaye will present their plans for a new cultural centre in Niamey, Nigers capital. The discussion, moderated by Ghanaian-Scottish architect Lesley Lokko, will be followed by the official opening of the exhibition, Public realm along the Niger River, Niamey.Attendees will also have the opportunity to hear international artists debating the role of culture in society and the interdisciplinary nature of their work in two separate panel discussions led by Prof. Homi Bhabha of Harvard University. They are entitled, respectively: Sister-Arts and Other Muses: Influences and Confluences in the Making of Art and Against the Grain: The Arts in Times of Polarization.Music protege Marcus Gilmore, an innovative young drummer from the United States, will present a world premiere of his composition, pulse, commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra. The composition for ensemble and the spoken word will include an exciting exchange between Gilmore and former Rolex literature protegee Tracy K Smith. Gilmore will perform the work with musicians from the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and its resident conductor Brandon Phillips. Following the performance and a solo by Gilmore, the protege and his mentor Zakir Hussain will discuss their mentoring experience.In addition to the symposiums and the mentor-protege events, an Arts Weekend Cinema event at the Baxters Golden Arrow Studio will feature films about the Rolex Arts Initiative, as well as past and current mentors and proteges.For moreinformation about the Rolex Arts Initiative, go to www.rolex.org/rolex-mentor-protege UAE Sunday announced investment of $2 billion in development projects in Mauritania, including a soft loan, during the visit of President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani to Abu Dhabi. Emirati state-run news agency, WAM, reported that Ould Ghazouani and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan also signed a number of agreements and memorandums during their meeting. The two countries are bound by strong ties. Mauritania has sent troops to Yemen to fight on the side of the Emirati-Saudi-led international coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The Emirati pledge comes following wide spread rumors of the Arab Gulf countrys plans to establish a military base in the North African country. The Mauritanian defense ministry has debunked the rumors. The Goa Legislative Assembly on Monday passed a motion congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) amid a walkout by MLAs of opposition Congress and the Goa Forward Party (GFP). Majority of Catholic MLAs of the ruling BJP supported the motion which was moved by Atanasio Monserratte and Clafacio Dias in afternoon on the first day of the Budget session. MLAs of Congress and the GFP led by the Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat created ruckus and rushed to the Well of the House demanding that Speaker Rajesh Patnekar disallow the motion. They later staged a walkout saying they had submitted a notice seeking a discussion on the new citizenship law and the proposed country-wide National Register of Citizens (NRC). In the House of 40, the ruling BJP has 27 MLAs of its own including the speaker, who all were present besides two Independent legislators who support the party-led government. NCP MLA Churchil Alemao, who also supports the government, was absent. The opposition MLAs included five members of the Congress, three of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), one of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and an Independent. Addressing the House, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said "few leaders were misguiding people on the CAA". READ: Women, Girls Take Centrestage In Anti-CAA Protests In Aligarh "Opposition members are not ignorant about the Act. They are well aware about it, but are purposefuly trying to misguide people," he said. Sawant said the CAA was enacted to take care of the minority communities in Pakistan, Afghanisthan and Bangladesh. The CAA, under which non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be given Indian citizenship, came into force from January 10. It was passed by the Parliament on December 11, 2019. The amended law is facing strident opposition from various quarters over its "discriminatory nature", with states like Kerala, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Punjab passing resolutions opposing it. Sawant said the number of Hindus in Pakistan shrank from 13.5 per cent to 1.85 per cent. "Where have these people gone? They have either got converted or migrated, and naturally they have come to India," he said. Urging the Opposition benches to read the history, Sawant saidIndia was divided on the religious lines in 1947 by the Congress party. "Pakistan (was created) for Muslims while India is for Hindus. The attempt to give citizenship (to refugees from Pakistan) was made by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who in the year 1950 assured the Lok Sabha that the refugees would be given (Indian) citizenship," the CM said. He said some people from outside Goa are trying to "poison" the minds of local Christians. Ports Minister Michael Lobo of the BJP said many Christians who had migrated to Pakistan are wiling to return to Goa. "I have been giving them the letters required by the embassy to visit Goa for participating in feasts and other occasions. Those people would be benefitted due to enactment of the CAA," he said. Deputy Speaker Isidore Fernandes said the Goa Church has adopted an anti-CAA stand, but it is for the elected representatives to clear the air on the act. "We face humiliation many a times when we go for religious gatherings, but we should face it and we should convince people on this Act," he said. BJP MLA and Power Minister Nilesh Cabral said the CAA will resolve the major issue of enemy properties in Goa. "Several people who had migrated to Pakistan have left their properties in Goa which are now labeled as the enemy properties. These people will benefit due to the CAA," he said. Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar said some political leaders are trying to "revive their career through anti-CAA agitations". LONDON - The British government plans to announce new rules for the imprisonment of convicted terrorists after an Islamic militant who was recently released from prison stabbed two people in south London, the second such attack in less than three months. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government would release its plans Monday. Following Sundays attack and a Nov. 29 attack in which two people were killed in central London, the government said it would effectively stop the early release of convicted extremists, double terror sentences and overhaul the conditions under which they are released back into the community. This is a liberal country, it is a tolerant country, Johnson said. But I think the idea of automatic early release for people who obviously continue to pose a threat to the public has come to the end of its useful life. He said the difficulty is how to apply new laws retrospectively to the cohort of people who are currently in the system. He added that de-radicalizing people is a very, very difficult thing to do and that he was concerned about the way convicted terrorists in prison are handled. Do you detain them en bloc, in one group, and try to keep them together because that avoids them, as it were, infecting or passing the virus of their beliefs to others in jails, or do you disperse them and try to stop them reinfecting each other? he said. A man police identified as 20-year-old Sudesh Amman strapped on a fake bomb and stabbed two people on a busy London street Sunday before being shot to death by police. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said Amman had been convicted of publishing graphic terrorist videos online and had stockpiled instructions on bomb making and knife attacks. Police on Monday continued to search a hostel that Amman had moved into less than two weeks ago and raided another property outside of London. Officers had been trailing Amman at the time of Sundays attack, DOrsi said, but were unable to head off the bloodshed in the commercial and residential south London neighbourhood of Streatham, where Amman struck outside a major pharmacy on a busy shopping afternoon. The intelligence think-tank SITE reported that the Islamic State group claimed that the south London attack was perpetrated by one of its fighters. IS has been responsible for deadly attacks in Europe in the past few years, but also has a track record of claiming attacks as its own, often with no evidence to prove it. In some cases, the attacks turned out to be carried out by perpetrators with no known ties to the extremist group. The attack in London recalled a November stabbing attack carried out by another man who had served prison time for terrorism offences. Two people were killed in that attack. Counter-terrorism officials have warned of the threat posed by militants unless the government couples prison sentences with effective de-radicalization programs. More than 70 people convicted of terror offences have been released in Britain after serving time in prison and more than 200 others are currently in prison convicted of terrorist offences. Londons opposition Mayor Sadiq Khan said Sundays attack was clearly foreseeable in the wake of the London Bridge murders. One of the questions Ive got for the government is what are we doing about those 70-odd people who have been released from prison? he asked. Ian Acheson, who led an independent review of Islamist extremism in the criminal justice system, told the BBC that the risk-management system was broken. We are going to have to accept that we have to be much more skeptical and robust about dealing with the risk of harm, he said. We may need to accept that there are certain people who are so dangerous they must be kept in prison indefinitely. The former head of U.K. counterterrorism policing, Mark Rowley, told the BBC there was some logic in giving convicted militants indeterminate prison sentences. Rowley said unless current law was changed police and security services are going to have many, many more cases that they are prioritizing. ___ Associated Press writer Zeina Karam contributed to this story. Impeachment has kept the senators who are running for president stuck in Washington for most of the past two weeks. Sanders, Warren and Klobuchar planned to return to the capital Sunday night, and hoped to make it back to Iowa Monday night to address supporters. Sen. Michael F. Bennet (Colo.), who has been campaigning in New Hampshire while most of his competitors were in Iowa, also planned to return to Washington late Sunday. Before the presentation, Kilian said she was already familiar with local history. For example, Kilian said Che-Che-Pin-Qua, a Native American also known as Alexander Robinson who helped people escape from Fort Dearborn when it was attacked during the War of 1812, is buried nearby. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-04 06:32:11|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "very much alarmed" by reports of clashes between Turkish and Syrian troops in northwest Syria seen as a "threat to regional and international peace and security," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday. Guterres called for an immediate end to hostilities, said the spokesman. Dujarric was asked at a regular briefing about a direct confrontation in northwest Syria between the forces in which eight Turkish soldiers were reportedly killed and an unspecified number of Syrian troops wounded. "We're very much alarmed by the reports that we saw of clashes between Syrian government troops and Turkish forces in northwest Syria," Dujarric said. "This escalation underscores once again the threat to regional and international peace and security caused by the ongoing conflict in Syria." "We also remain deeply concerned by the continuing reports of civilian casualties and the large-scale displacement of civilians, resulting from the current Syrian government offensive inside the Idlib de-escalation zone," the spokesman added. "The secretary-general affirms yet again that no attacks on civilians or civilian infrastructure should take place." As to what the world organization is doing over clashes between the two neighbors, he said diplomatic contacts are being held at various levels to pass on the message publicly and privately for the need to de-escalate. Dujarric said the UN is alarmed about the safety of more than 3 million civilians in Idlib and the surrounding areas, over half of whom are internally displaced, following reports of airstrikes and shelling. Between Jan. 31 and Feb. 2, there were at least 25 communities reportedly affected by artillery shelling, while 47 communities were reportedly impacted by airstrikes, he said. To add to that, the spokesman said there were more than 500,000 people displaced due to the hostilities since December 2019. Around 80 percent of them are women and children. He also recalled the World Health Organization's reports that at least 53 health facilities suspended services last month due to insecurity and threats of attacks, or as areas were deserted by civilians fleeing violence. Dujarric said that over the weekend the secretary-general reminded that military operations of all parties, including actions against and by designated terrorist groups, must respect the rules and obligations of international humanitarian law, which includes the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure. The secretary-general reiterated that there is no military solution to the Syrian conflict and that the only path to stability is a credible and inclusive UN-facilitated political solution as laid out in the Security Council. TORONTO, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Golden Star Resources Ltd. (NYSE American: GSS; TSX: GSC; GSE: GSR) ("Golden Star" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Karim Nasr has been appointed to the Board of Directors (the "Board"), replacing Naguib Sawiris as a nominee of La Mancha Holding S.a r.l. ("La Mancha") who stepped down from the Board given the range of other commitments which he has. La Mancha is Golden Star's largest shareholder, owning approximately 31% of the Company's issued and outstanding common shares. Mr. Nasr is the Chief Executive Officer of La Mancha, a privately held Gold mining investment company with a portfolio of assets in Australia and West Africa, having initially joined as Chief Financial Officer in February 2018. Prior to joining La Mancha, he was the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Digital World Capital, an FCA regulated investment manager investing globally and across the capital structure in Telecom and Media companies. Prior to that, he oversaw the corporate finance function for Wind Telecom, one of the largest mobile operators by subscribers. He holds a Masters Degree in Management from the University of Paris IX Dauphine with a major in Finance. Company Profile: Golden Star is an established gold mining company that owns and operates the Wassa and Prestea underground mines in Ghana, West Africa. Listed on the NYSE American, the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Ghanaian Stock Exchange, Golden Star is focused on delivering strong margins and free cash flow from its two underground mines. Gold production guidance for 2020 is 195,000-210,000 ounces at a cash operating cost per ounce1 of $790-$850. Since winning the PDAC 2018 Environmental and Social Responsibility Award, Golden Star has remained committed to leaving a positive and sustainable legacy in its areas of operation. Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information Some statements contained in this news release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws include but are not limited to, statements and information regarding: gold production of 195-210koz and a cash operating cost of $790-$850 per ounce in 2020. Generally, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words and phrases (including negative or grammatical variations) or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements and information are inherently uncertain and involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual facts to differ materially. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which Golden Star will operate in the future, including the price of gold, anticipated costs and ability to achieve goals. Forward-looking information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Golden Star to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information and statements, including but not limited to: risks related to international operations, including economic and political instability in foreign jurisdictions in which Golden Star operates; risks related to current global financial conditions; risks related to joint venture operations; actual results of current exploration activities; environmental risks; future prices of gold; possible variations in Mineral Reserves, grade or recovery rates; mine development and operating risks; accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities and risks related to indebtedness and the service of such indebtedness. Although Golden Star has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information and statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the Company will be those anticipated by management. Please refer to the discussion of these and other factors in Management's Discussion and Analysis of financial conditions and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2018 and in our annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2018 as filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forecasts contained in this press release constitute management's current estimates, as of the date of this press release, with respect to the matters covered thereby. We expect that these estimates will change as new information is received. While we may elect to update these estimates at any time, we do not undertake any estimate at any particular time or in response to any particular event. Non-GAAP Financial Measures In this news release, we use the terms "cash operating cost", "cash operating cost per ounce". "Cash operating cost" for a period is equal to "cost of sales excluding depreciation and amortization" for the period less royalties, the cash component of metals inventory net realizable value adjustments, materials and supplies write-off and severance charges and "cash operating cost per ounce" is that amount divided by the number of ounces of gold sold (excluding pre-commercial production ounces sold) during the period. "Cost of sales excluding depreciation and amortization" includes all mine-site operating costs, including the costs of mining, ore processing, maintenance, work-in-process inventory changes, mine-site overhead as well as production taxes, royalties, severance charges and by-product credits, but excludes exploration costs, property holding costs, corporate office general and administrative expenses, foreign currency gains and losses, gains and losses on asset sales, interest expense, gains and losses on derivatives, gains and losses on investments and income tax expense/benefit. We use "cash operating cost per ounce" as a key operating metric. We monitor this measure monthly, comparing each month's values to prior periods' values to detect trends that may indicate increases or decreases in operating efficiencies. We provide this measure to investors to allow them to also monitor operational efficiencies of the Company's mines. We calculate this measure for both individual operating units and on a consolidated basis. Since cash operating costs do not incorporate revenues, changes in working capital or non-operating cash costs, they are not necessarily indicative of operating profit or cash flow from operations as determined under IFRS. Changes in numerous factors including, but not limited to, mining rates, milling rates, ore grade, gold recovery, costs of labor, consumables and mine site general and administrative activities can cause these measures to increase or decrease. We believe that these measures are similar to the measures of other gold mining companies but may not be comparable to similarly titled measures in every instance. For additional information regarding the Non-GAAP financial measures used by the Company, please refer to the heading "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the three months ended September 30, 2019, which are available at www.sedar.com SOURCE Golden Star Resources Ltd. Related Links www.gsr.com West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she is counting on the young generation to lead the movement against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). The Trinamool Congress students' wing has been demonstrating against then new citizenship law at Rani Rashmoni Avenue in the heart of the city. Banerjee visited the venue in the evening and expressed solidarity with the students. "I am proud that I entered politics through student activism. I want a new generation of leaders... It is the young generation which will lead the protest against CAA and NRC. The youth will fight and save the country from those forces that are dividing the country. I have full faith in all of you," she said. Members of the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) were seen with posters and placards against the contentious legislation at the protest site. "The NRC, CAA... are not just discriminatory against Muslims but also against the poor, the working-class and the students. Why do we have to prove our citizenship after so many years of Independence? "We want jobs for youths and food for the poor. The Centre should be bothered about these issues rather than keeping themselves busy deciding who is an Indian and who is not," a senior TMCP leader said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Even though Sajjan Jindal had led JSW Steel to the numero uno position of the Indian steel industry, topping Tata Steel, there was still one chink in his armour; something that had been rankling him since he commissioned the companys first unit in Karnatakas Viayanagar, in 1997. It was this: JSW Steel didnt have its own iron ore mines. That was a gaping hole for a business where having your own iron ore reserves meant lower costs and a much higher margin, something Tata Steel had been enjoying for over a century. Even Jindals younger brother Naveen Jindal had seen the market capitalisation of his Jindal Power & Steel going through the roof in 2008, thanks to its power business and considerable mining assets. Yes, in the last two years, JSW Steel had made some progress. Through auctions in Karnataka, it now owns six iron ore mines in the state. But these are small, with a combined annual production of up to eight million tonne. They would meet about 35 percent of the companys iron ore needs. But on January 31, even as rest of the India Inc was busy reading the details of Economic Survey and looking forward to the Union Budget, news came that JSW Steel had won the Nuagaon mine in Odisha. It was a major victory. JSW Steel had outbid scores of other competitors, including ArcelorMittal, Tata Steel and the Adani Group. The mine was the largest among those was on the block, with a reserves of around 790 MT. That is higher than the combined reserves of rest of the mines on offer. These mines were auctioned by the state, ahead of March 31, when their leases would have expired. There was more for Jindal. On February 2, news agency PTI reported that JSW Steel had bagged one more mine in the auction. This was the Narayanposhi iron block with reserves of 190 MT. Put together, JSW Steel now has access to about a billion tonne of iron ore. Both wins in Odisha, will give JSW Steel an annual supply of around 22 MT of captive iron ore for its plants. The C-category mines in Karnataka are now fully operational. So, around 30 MT of iron ore are now readily available to meet the companys requirements, said a senior industry executive. The mines now make the steelmaker nearly, completely self-sufficient in its iron ore needs, as it can immediately start sourcing the raw material from the Odisha mines, which are operational. To produce a tonne of steel, around 1.5 to 1.6 tonne of iron ore is needed. But Jindal cant sit easy, not yet. He is currently expanding JSW Steels capacity. Later this year, 5 MT of additional capacity will come into use at the companys Dolvi facility. And if its acquisition of Bhushan Power & Steel materialises, then that will add another 3.5 MT of steel capacity. These will increase its iron ore requirement. Can Jindal win a few more mines from the auctions in Odisha? In total, 18 mines are being auctioned. Though he has already got control of the jewel of the lot, the remaining mines have a combined reserves of about 500 MT. He will surely try to get as many as possible. Also, JSW Steel doesn't have coal mines, either. On the other hand, Tata Steel has enough to meet at least half of its coal requirement. Jindal would be looking to bridge this gap too. Sister Mary Scullion, of Project HOME, will head the hunger and homelessness committee that will help prep leaders for the city's big visit from Pope Francis. Read more Sister Mary Scullion, Philadelphias nationally renowned expert on homelessness, will attend the State of the Union address Tuesday night as a guest of Philadelphia Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans. Evans, like other members of Congress, is allowed to bring one person to the House of Representatives to hear President Donald Trumps speech. He said he chose Scullion, the executive director of Project HOME, Philadelphias leading homelessness advocacy agency, because she has been a leader on poverty and homelessness for 25 years. What better person could I bring? I see it as a way to honor her and to highlight her work. Saying she was grateful for the invitation, Scullion expressed hope that Congress will see and hear and stand with the millions struggling with poverty and with homelessness to make it each day. She added, We need a strong federal commitment to continue to make progress on ending homelessness in Philadelphia and across our nation. Along with Evans, other members of the Philadelphia-area congressional delegation will have guests at the State of the Union address: Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon of Delaware County invited West Philadelphia native Kevin Harden, a gun violence survivor and lawyer. Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean of Montgomery County invited Patrick Flynn, who struggled with opioid addiction for 10 years and is now an activist. Democratic Rep. Andy Kim of Burlington County invited Melissa and Gianna DiMona of Medford Lakes, who lost two family members in separate military training accidents. Evans noted that before the speech, he will accompany Scullion to receptions on Capitol Hill, including one held by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It will be a great opportunity for Sister Mary to interact with our leaders, Evans said. Im trying to use all methods and means to highlight her efforts to address poverty and homelessness. Scullions presence in Washington, he said, will also help him shine a light on the need to prevent cuts to programs that help the vulnerable, such as SNAP [the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps] and Social Security disability benefits. Calling Scullion a model to show you whats the right way to go, Evans praised her for providing housing for homeless youth and LGBTQ Philadelphians, and for helping homeless veterans. Not long ago, Scullion drove Evans around low-income areas of Philadelphia to show him the work that was done, and the efforts that were still needed to help those without housing. What better way to reciprocate than to bring her here to Washington for the State of the Union? he said. Evans hosted a bipartisan roundtable last year on housing in Philadelphia with Scullion, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.), and others. He also traveled to Los Angeles to view conditions of homelessness there. That city was where Trump addressed homelessness in September, bringing the issue to the forefront of national debate. Trump said Americans are fed up with people living on the streets. He suggested that those who are homeless should be rounded up and warehoused. He was quickly blasted for expressing the problem as a quality-of-life issue for those who must live and work in proximity to the homeless, and not primarily as a humanitarian crisis borne by people who have nowhere to sleep. And others voiced surprise that Trump, who has said he wants to reduce funding for food assistance and affordable housing, was being vocal about helping those under duress. Explaining Trumps interest in the issue, a White House spokesperson said the president had grown aware of the crisis of homelessness, particularly in cities and states where the liberal policies are combining to dramatically increase poverty and public health risks. Neither Evans nor Scullion criticized Trump in interviews on Monday. Evans, in fact, referenced a Washington Post story that noted that the Trump administration may be shifting away from harsh rhetoric on homelessness to working more cooperatively with local leaders. Scullion echoed the sentiment, saying she ultimately hopes for bipartisan support to address these very human issues of poverty and homelessness in Philadelphia and elsewhere. Staff writer Andrew Seidman contributed to this article. The Kerala High Court on Monday dismissed a petition challenging the decision of the State Election Commission to conduct the upcoming local body elections based on the voters' list it had prepared for the 2015 civic body polls. Dismissing the plea filed by IUML leader Sooppy Narikkatteri and other leaders of the Congress-led UDF challenging it, the court said decisions related to voters' list came under the discretionary power of the Election Commission. Justice Amit Rawal also made it clear it has limitations in interfering in the affairs of the Election Commission. Narikkatteri and the UDF leaders had moved the court after the SEC had issued a direction to the election officers to renew the electoral roll of all local bodies keeping the list of 2015 as the draft electoral roll. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congratulations, o-jeux.fr got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: O-jeux.fr scored 72 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 3.5/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 9 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. o-jeux.fr is very popular in Facebook. It is liked by 971 people on Facebook and it has 3 google+ shares. Furthermore its facebook page has 980 likes. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the o-jeux homepage on Twitter + the total number of o-jeux followers (if o-jeux has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the o-jeux homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the o-jeux homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the o-jeux homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if o-jeux has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the o-jeux homepage on StumbleUpon. Basic Information PAGE TITLE Jeux Fr gratuit sur O-Jeux.fr DESCRIPTION Portail des meilleurs jeux fr gratuits pour toute la famille, jouer en ligne aux jeux flash sans inscription, jeu gratuit, jeux enfants. 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Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Character set and language of the site. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for o-jeux.fr by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK FOUND FACEBOOK PAGE www.facebook.com/pages/RedAntfr/100536733333356 DESCRIPTION ounded': 'Gerant : Hemery Cedric LIKES 980 PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT 2 PAGE TYPE Internet/software TIMELINE PAGE TIMELINE The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The type of Facebook page. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The URL of the found Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Fishermen in Rameswaram on Monday staged a protest and asked the central government to secure the release of 11 fishermen who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy near the Palk Strait area last week for allegedly trespassing theInternational Maritime Border. They also demanded compensation for their boat seized by the Sri Lankan navy. Speaking to ANI, NJ Bose, a fisherman said, "The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 11 fishermen and seized their boat. Sri Lankan government has repeatedly arrested fishermen. The central government does not recognize this. One should allow us to go fishing or leave Rameswaram." "If the government does not take action, there would be large-scale protests at the state level," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Photo: Courtesy of HBO It started with a Post-it note that had three words scrawled on it, followed by a question mark: McDonalds Monopoly Fraud? Not long after Doug Mathews, a young FBI agent in Jacksonville, Florida, snatched that Post-it off a senior agents desk, an investigation began that would eventually uncover years of deceit and the theft of millions of dollars from one of the most well-known corporate entities in the world. The story behind that investigation is the basis for McMillions, an extremely entertaining six-part docuseries that debuts February 3 on HBO. Like the best true crime, the central narrative of McMillions takes some surprising detours and delivers plenty of youve gotta be kidding me details. Its also an account that functions the same way a glass prism reflects the light: Tilt it a certain way and the colors could start to look different. You may remember that in 2001, arrests were made in connection with a scheme to rig the McDonalds Monopoly promotion, a contest that enabled customers to collect game pieces and win various prizes, including menu items, cars, and as much as $1 million. If thats all you remember before you start watching McMillions, so much the better. The series is much more absorbing if youre hearing all this information for what either feels like the first time or actually is the first time. Without divulging too much Ive seen only the first three episodes provided for review I can say after Mathews gets his hands on that Post-it, he gets tipped off that three of the recent $1 million Monopoly winners are related and may be connected to a man known as Uncle Jerry. Once FBI agents start to gather more intel and launch an initial undercover operation, it becomes clear that this scam is complicated so complicated that it will involve more than one person named Jerry, the Mafia, misbegotten Dodge Vipers, strip clubs, lies, more lies, and some people getting rich while others get ripped off. And when its all over, it seems unlikely that the ringleaders will [said in Datelines Keith Morrison voice] draw any get out of jail free cards. Directors James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte deftly blend hazy reenactments with actual footage obtained during the investigation and interviews with many of the people who either worked the case or got caught up in it. The tone fluctuates between tense the recounting of the first undercover op, spearheaded by an anxious Mathews, crackles with the energy of a great heist flick and moments of wry, Coen brothersesque comedy. Actually, if theres any filmmaker that McMillions conjures, its Steven Soderbergh. The way Hernandez and Lazarte shoot and pace certain scenes, you can instantly imagine them in a Soderbergh-directed feature crafted in the vein of Logan Lucky or The Informant! (Actually, a feature film about the fraud case has already been optioned by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, with Affleck, at least at one point, poised to direct.) McMillions is filled with characters with a capital C, the kind who can recall specific decisions and moments with brutally funny frankness. My husband kept picking Italians on the East Coast, says Robin Colombo, the ex-wife of a pivotal figure in the scam who decided whom some of the fake winners would be. He couldnt have been stupider. But the biggest character in McMillions may be Mathews, an affable guy with a southern twang who seems more like a real-estate agent or a salesman than a G-man. Mathews, who frequently chuckles like a dude kicking back at a Sunday barbecue, admits that, as a young agent, he was always itching to do something exciting, or, as he puts it, something that would move the dial on his funmeter. The Monopoly case certainly granted him that wish. But McMillions also shows how the case turned into a nightmare for some people who were seduced by the prospect of free money and ended up unwittingly walking into stressful, potentially dangerous situations. The folks at McDonalds may have gotten hoodwinked and robbed of massive amounts of money, which obviously is wrong. But if told from another point of view, McMillions can be viewed as a story about some Americans who wanted to provide more for their families and maybe didnt feel that bad, at first, about taking a cut from a Fortune 500 fast-food chain that feeds junk to the masses. Ill be interested to see if McMillions does more to explore that angle in its last three episodes. For now, the first three chapters in this epic saga of burgers and lies definitely have my attention. Sure, if you want, you can even say theyve stolen it. The scene of the attack at Milltown Cemetery The sister of one of jailed loyalist killer Michael Stone's victims is mounting a new legal bid to ensure he remains behind bars. In September last year the High Court ruled that Sentence Review Commissioners (SRC) could consider the Milltown Cemetery bomber's application to be freed early for a second time. Although 64-year-old Stone was turned down at that stage, there is nothing to stop him making further requests in future. Lawyers representing Deborah McGuinness have now taken their legal battle to the Court of Appeal. Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan listed the case for a one-day hearing in May. Ms McGuinness's brother, Thomas McErlean, was among three mourners Stone killed in the attack on an IRA funeral at Milltown graveyard, west Belfast in March 1988. The former UDA man was also the gunman in three other killings. Expand Close Michael Stone claims he should be released again because he would not pose a danger to the public / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michael Stone claims he should be released again because he would not pose a danger to the public Stone is currently serving a 30-year term for his sectarian murder campaign. He had been freed early as part of the Good Friday Agreement arrangements in 2000. Six years later, however, he was sent back to jail after trying to enter Parliament Buildings at Stormont, armed with explosives, knives and an axe, in an attempt to murder Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness. Stone denied it had been a bid to kill the politicians, instead claiming it was an act of performance art. As it stands he must remain in jail in 2024. His application to the SRC for release again under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement led to last year's court battle. Stone's legal team contended that the legislation does not limit the number of times a prisoner can seek to be let out. A High Court judge ruled the body has legal power to consider further applications after identifying no prohibition in the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998. Even though Commissioners then assessed and denied Stone's request, Ms McGuinness's lawyers are challenging a judicial determination they believe leaves him free to try again at any point. According to their case he is not entitlement to any second chance after being returned to prison for the Stormont attack. WASHINGTON Even as they are set to acquit President Trump in his impeachment trial this week, Senate Republicans appear to be increasingly breaking with his defense that he did nothing wrong. On Sunday, Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who was a key vote against calling witnesses in the Senate trial, expanded upon his criticism that Trump was crossing the line in his pressure campaign against Ukraine. And Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, who has remained a reliable defender of the president during his trial, called his actions not what I would have done. A day before the first contest of the 2020 election, two days before Trumps State of the Union address and three days before his expected acquittal, they and other Republicans appeared to be coalescing around a more nuanced argument: Trumps efforts to push Ukraine into investigating a political rival while withholding critical military aid might not have been appropriate. But that did not warrant the presidents removal from office for the first time in American history. I think he shouldnt have done it I think it was wrong, Alexander said on NBCs Meet the Press. And then the only question left is: Who decides what to do about that? The people, he added. The people, is my conclusion. Alexander acknowledged the merits of the House case for removing the president on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress: that the president had withheld nearly $400 million in military aid to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. I dont think its the kind of inappropriate action that the framers would expect the Senate to substitute its judgment for the people in picking a president, he said Sunday. That argument has come under fire from Democrats, who say the nature of Trumps offense could compromise the 2020 election. They need to remove him from office because he is threatening to still cheat in the next election by soliciting foreign interference, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, said Sunday on CBS Face the Nation. The Republicans argument stands starkly at odds with Trumps that he had a perfect phone call with Ukraines president and did not act improperly. But Alexanders reasoning was echoed by multiple Republicans. Lamar speaks for lots and lots of us, said Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb. Emily Cochrane is a New York Times writer. The pro-Amaravati farmers object to the government issuing GO Ms: 13 for the relocation of the Vigilance Commission and its associate office to Kurnool from Amaravati. Vijayawada: The Amaravati movement has almost reached the last stage in the fight to stop the relocation of the capital, and pro-Amaravati farmers are now pinning their hopes on the courts. The pro-Amaravati supporters, including farmers who had given their land for the new capital, have been agitating for the past 47 days but have failed to get the YSR Congress government to reverse its decision of relocating government offices in an attempt to decentralise development and have three capitals. The pro-Amaravati farmers filed nearly 30 petitions objecting to the relocation of the capital, allotting of lands in Amaravati to other purposes like AP government housing scheme, challenging repeal of the AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) and seeking compensation. Several petitions have been filed in the AP High Court in the past few days. Jonnalagadda Ramakrishna and 30 others have filed a writ petition challenging the three capitals decision. Rajadhani Rythu Parira-kshana Samiti, Amaravi Rajadhani Sameekarana Rythu Samakhya and 15 others have filed writ petitions challenging the legality of the expert committee, two filed writ petitions challenging the repeal of APCRDA. Eight writ petitions have been filed objecting to the police restrictions against Amaravati protests in Amaravati. Farmers have also filed writ petitions against the government for asking farmers to submit their difficulties and objections without providing reports of expert committees. The pro-Amaravati farmers object to the government issuing GO Ms: 13 for the relocation of the Vigilance Commission and its associate office to Kurnool from Amaravati. They said that now they are pinning their hopes on the courts and the intervention of the Union government to stall the capital relocation process. Protesting farmers such as C.R. Kotaiah, D. Rama Rao, and P. Sudhakar are upset that their peaceful protests, for the past 47 days, together with family members, has left the government unmoved. They said that 28,000 farmers offered 34,000 acres of farmland to the AP government through legal agreements made with the APCRDA and not with the Telugu Desam, which was then in power. They said when the TD lost the elections and the YSRC came to power, it should honour the agreements made by the farmers with the previous government. New Delhi, Feb 3 : New foreign players dealing in automobiles, electric vehicles, connected technologies, alternate fuels and tyres from China, Italy and Brazil will have made a beeline for the upcoming Auto Expo 2020. The interest shown by these companies can be gauged from the fact that the largest showcase areas have been booked by them at the event. This trend, many industry insiders believe, is a sign of their intent to use the expo as a launch pad into the Indian market. "This Auto Expo is beyond just showcasing of vehicles and will also focus on the new paradigms of mobility like connected cars, electric cars, and alternative fuel," Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers Director General Rajesh Menon told IANS. New automobile firms like the Chinese' Great Wall Motor, FAW Haima, Olectra and MG Motors will showcase a vast variety of cars, SUVs and buses. Besides, Brazilain UNICA (Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association), one of the world's largest bioethanol producers, Italian tyre firm Pirelli and design company Icona will also mark their maiden presence at the expo. Even the homegrown PSU major GAIL is participating to showcase its fuel technology. Furthermore, Reliance Jio and FaceBook will also be present at the event along with 15 new technology start-ups. Lately, telecom operators have entered the segment to provide connectivity to internet-enabled cars and Jio will be showcasing embedded SIM technology for the automobile sector. Facebook will host a town hall discussion and will also be holding other events. Additionally, the Expo 2020 will also feature more than 15 start-ups, which will showcase technology solutions focused on green mobility and services connected to the automobile industry. Others such as Lithium-ion battery and charger manufacturers, along with tyre firms will also showcase their presence at the auto show. The visitors to the event will witness 60 launches of passenger cars, commercial vehicles and two-wheelers. Many of these launches are expected to be face-lifts of existing models with BS-VI compliant engines as the country is shifting to BS-VI from April 2020. The healthy participation and launches assume significance as the sector has been battered by falling sales due to high goods and services tax (GST), farm distress, stagnant wages and liquidity constraints. While some companies had to reduce production, dealers took inventory correction measures. Besides, brands like Volkswagen, Skoda, Force Motors will make a return to the motor show. The 15th edition of the expo, is being jointly organised by ACMA, CII and SIAM from February 7-12 for the general public, at the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida. (Rohit Vaid can be contacted at rohit.v@ians.in) Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. A man with an extensive criminal history of driving while intoxicated is now facing a charge of felony murder after a deadly wreck Sunday night near Willowbrook, a top prosecutor said. The suspected drunken driver, identified by the Harris County Sheriff's Office as Jeffery Davis, was in a turning lane on Bammel North Houston Road around 7:45 p.m. when he attempted to make a left turn onto Champion Forest Drive, according to Sean Teare, vehicular crimes chief for the Harris County District Attorney's Office. He had a flashing yellow turn signal on as he made his way into the intersection, Teare said. R.C. Bhargava, chairman of Maruti Suzuki India., gestures as he speaks during a news conference in New Delhi, India. The new coronavirus outbreak is unlikely to have a serious impact on India's struggling auto sector even as factories remain shuttered in China as part of an effort to contain the infection, the chairman of Maruti Suzuki said. Maruti Suzuki is one of India's top auto manufacturers. While many Maruti vendors rely on supplies of some components and raw materials from China, most of them have inventories of up to 30 days, Maruti Chairman R.C. Bhargava told CNBC's Tanvir Gill. Efforts are also being made to look at alternative sources for some of those parts, he explained. "It's not a large amount," he said, referring to the percentage of components Maruti and its vendors import from China. "Total imports are small, but the point is that for a car, even if one component is not there, I can't put the car on the road." He added that while alternative sources of supply will probably add a little to the cost of making a car, it is unlikely to disrupt production or sales. India's auto industry has been struggling due to rising prices of cars and the lack of cheap loans available due to problems in the financial sector, which made consumers more reluctant to spend. Car sales fell 19% last year while sales of two-wheelers declined 14%, Reuters reported. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: Irans National South Oilfields Companys projects related to six oil fields are being implemented to maintain and increase oil production, head of the research and technology department of the company Shahin Kord said. These are Ahvaz, Gachsaran, Kupal, Mansouri, Karanj and Bibi Hakimeh fields, Kord added, Trend reports referring to the companys website. The Research Institute of Petroleum Industry deals with Ahvaz and Bibi Hakimeh fields, Petroleum University of Technology deals with Gachsaran field, Shiraz University deals with Mansouri field, Sharif University of Technology deals with Kupal field and the Islamic Azad University deals with Karanj field, the head of the department added. "The purpose of signing agreements with these universities is to maintain and increase the production rates, simplify the production operations, reduce operating costs and increase value added by using the innovative and advanced technologies," Kord said. The agreements envisage five work packages, the head of the department added. So far, the work on the first packages is under completion and the programs for the next packages are being developed. Irans National South Oilfields Company belonging to the National Iranian Oil Company has 45 big and small hydrocarbon fields in the area of 400,000 square kilometers from the Bushehr province to the north of Khuzestan province. About 80 percent of Irans crude oil and 16 percent of Irans gas are extracted in the companys territories. In general, there are 125 oil fields and 59 gas fields in Iran. Irans total hydrocarbon reserves are 836 billion barrels. With the technology equipment, it is possible to extract 239 billion barrels. Iran may use 29 percent of the reserves, while 71 percent remain underground. Some 800,000 barrels of oil and 13 million cubic meters of gas are extracted from Ahvaz oil field a day, 127,000 barrels of oil and 2.5 million cubic meters of gas are extracted from Karanj oil field, 120,000 barrels of oil are extracted from Bibi Hakimeh field, 480,000 barrels of oil and 25 million cubic meters of gas are extracted from Gachsaran oil field, 100,000 barrels of oil are extracted from Mansouri oil field, and 91,000 barrels of oil and 2,000 barrels of gas condensate are extracted from Kupal oil field a day. Humanity needs some government somewhere that is willing at least to make the case powerfully for freedom of exchange, he said. Some country ready to take off its Clark Kent spectacles and leap into the phone booth and emerge with its cloak flowing as the supercharged champion of the right of the populations of the earth to buy and sell freely among each other. Four Turkish soldiers were killed on Monday by Syrian regime shelling in the northwestern region of Idlib, Turkey's defence ministry said. Nine other soldiers were wounded, including one seriously, the ministry said in a statement, adding that Turkish forces retaliated and "destroyed targets". The ministry said the soldiers came under attack despite previous coordination on where they would be in the region. It added Turkey was following the latest developments closely and that the necessary measures would be taken. Turkey has 12 observation posts in the region as part of a Turkey-Russia deal to prevent a regime offensive. The deaths come after local media reported Sunday that Turkey's military sent reinforcements to the region to bolster the forces stationed at the posts. The Syrian regime, supported by Russian air strikes, has intensified its assault in recent weeks against Idlib, the last major opposition bastion. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week warned Ankara could use "military force" against Syria as he hit out against the "cruelty" of the Damascus regime. Turkey, which is home to over 3.5 million Syrian refugees, fears another influx from renewed violence in Idlib. Hundreds of thousands of people have already been displaced in the region, while many of them have fled towards the Turkey-Syria border. Erdogan previously said Turkey was building homes on the Syrian side of the border to shelter those fleeing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Anyone who has travelled with young children will know the feeling. That moment where you step on board the aircraft to see the heads of fellow passengers turn and their eyes narrow. Please dont sit next to me, is the collective prayer. You shush the smallest noise from your offspring as you take your seats fast and send silent prayers to the gods of air travel that they wont be poorly during the flight. Or worse, bored. Its a sad fact that many with young families are anxious about air travel because of potential hostility they may experience on board. Thats why parents and grandparents planning to fly with children should consider Etihad, which has a little-known service dubbed the Flying Nanny. Easing the burden: One of the Norland-trained Etihad nannies that are marked out by their slightly different uniforms On every long-haul flight (more than six-and-a-half hours) there will be a stewardess who has been trained at the prestigious Norland College. The Etihad nannies are marked out by their slightly different uniforms an orange pinafore thats hard to miss and their job is to help you and your children enjoy the flight. And the service is free. Once you are settled in your seats, the nanny will introduce herself to you and your children and offer to help at various points during the flight. Youll soon find that these nannies have myriad ways to help keep your youngsters entertained. Our two little ones were invited to draw their dream plane and, as a reward, were allowed to visit the pilot in the cockpit. Nanny will also bring toys and activity packs my children staggered off the flight laden with so much swag they looked as if they had been on an Etihad edition of Crackerjack. And, of course, staff will arrange their meals. Children are offered a choice from their own menu (after checking about allergies) and then brought their food whenever they want. The nanny will organise meal times too, so that one parent can eat while the other watches the children, or feed everyone together (and early too a nice bonus for adults). On every long-haul flight (more than six-and-a-half hours) there will be a stewardess who has been trained at the prestigious Norland College TRAVEL FACTS Etihad (etihad.com) flies to Abu Dhabi four times a day from Heathrow and twice daily from Manchester. Advertisement Perhaps you prefer the children to be fed first and then with your permission the nanny will take them to meet the captain, so you can take your time over a meal and a restorative G&T. They are also trained in paediatric first aid. On our flight, I saw the nanny help a mother travelling solo with a poorly two-year-old, dispensing Calpol and monitoring the childs temperature. With Etihad now flying from the UK all over the world, it will be our top choice for future trips. Its not often parents can start their holiday as relaxed as they will be on their return. Rajya Sabha proceedings were washed out on Monday as opposition members raised slogans against the government, demanding a debate on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and NPR. As soon as the House assembled at 3 pm after repeated adjournments, opposition members including those from the Congress, TMC, CPM started raising slogans against the NPR and CAA demanding a debate on the issue. They did not allow Bhupender Yadav (BJP) to move the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address. Yadav said the Deputy Chairman Harivansh should ask the Leader of Opposition whether they want to run the House or not. The Deputy Chairman tried to pacify opposition members, saying they can raise the issue during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on President's Address. However, when members refused to relent and insisted on their demand the Deputy Chairman adjourned the House for day. Members also shouted slogans against alleged police brutality and incidence of firing on protestors agitating against the NPR and CAA recently. Earlier when the House resumed its business at 2 PM, the Deputy Chairman had to adjourn proceeding as Congress and TMC members continued shouting slogans and did not allow Yadav to move the Motion of Thanks on the President's address. The Deputy Chairman also told protesting members that they can talk on the CAA issue and all related matters during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks. As Harivansh made repeated appeals to members to return to their seats and allow the House to function, Yadav said the House must be in order for him to proceed. However, as members were unrelenting and protests continued, Harivansh adjourned the House till 3 pm. Earlier when the House had reassembled at noon, members from Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) were up on their feet demanding an immediate discussion on CAA, National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The deputy chairman said he cannot allow discussion on issues on which the chairman has already given a ruling on adjournment notices given by Opposition parties. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "I have a fundamental issue. We run the House based on rules. There is Rule 267 for discussion. Why there is such a rule in the book if it is not allowed." The Chair did not yield to members' demand and began to take the Question Hour, but Opposition members were on the aisle while TMC members trooped into the Well protesting against CAA, NRC and NPR. Azad insisted that the discussion should be allowed because people are being allegedly killed in BJP-ruled states across the country. As there was no order in the House, the Chair was forced to adjourn the proceedings till 2 pm. In the morning, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu disallowed notices given by several opposition members to discuss the issue and then adjourned proceedings till noon after MPs belonging to the Congress, TMC, Left and BSP rose to raise the issue. Naidu said members will get enough opportunity to raise the issue during discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament. The President's address had specific mention of the amended citizenship law and it can be discussed during the debate on the Motion of Thanks, he said. However, Satish Chandra Mishra of the BSP, Derek O'Brien of the TMC, T K Rangarajan of the CPM and other opposition members rose to speak on it. Naidu cut them short, saying he has already given a ruling on adjournment notices and cannot allow them to speak now. As other opposition members joined them, Naidu adjourned proceedings. Naidu said he had received notices from leaders such as Azad and Anand Sharma of Congress, TMC leader O'Brien, Binoy Viswam of the CPI and others under Rule 267 seeking setting aside of the business of the day to take up discussion on issues related to NPR and CAA. Also, call attention notice has been received from Subramanian Swamy on related issue. When the House met for the day at 11 am, Naidu read out an obituary reference on the passing away of Sultan of Oman Qaboos Bin Said Al Said and also on the death of 29 people and animals in Australia's bushfires. Members stood in silence as a mark of respect to departed souls. Naidu also mentioned sitting member M C Mary Kom being awarded the Padma Vibhushan, saying she is the first woman spokesperson of the country to be decorated with the award. He also mentioned the award being conferred on former members Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, George Fernandes and Manohar Parrikar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Activists from an environmental protest group have sprayed green dye over a Fine Gael office, accusing the party of greenwashing the public over its environmental record. Members from the group Extinction Rebellion Ireland (XRI) staged the protest in a bid to expose Fine Gaels electoral campaign. Up to 30 demonstrators coated the steps of Fine Gaels Dublin office in uranine dye. The group has called for the party to come clean about the record on tackling climate change issues. Activists from Extiniction Rebellion protest group spray the Fine Gael office in green dye, accusing the party of greenwashing. pic.twitter.com/qmZ3yeoH06 Cate McCurry (@CateMcCurry) February 3, 2020 While ERI says it does not endorse any political party, it has called for the electorate to challenge General Election candidates on their climate action commitments. Protester Claire Brennan said: Fine Gael has talked about climate action while they have been in government but have failed to take any meaningful action. Coming up to the election they are talking about it more and using it to garner green votes, which we call greenwashing. Its using green PR to manipulate the public into thinking that their policies are environmentally friendly in order to get more votes. We are not here to attack Fine Gael specifically. Tricia Kiersey, of Extinction Rebellion, outside Fine Gaels office following their greenwashing protest (Cate McCurry/PA) We have scrutinised their actions, and any other party that will be in government will be under the same scrutiny. This is a warning we are on to the politics of it and we want some real action. A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated that global emissions need to be reduced by 8% per year until 2030 to avoid global temperature rising over 1.5C. Ms Brennan added: We want policies that will guarantee at least 8% reductions, really Ireland should be doing more since we have contributed heavily to the crisis. Killed the Climate Emergency Bill which was passed by majority vote TWICE in the Dail Support Shannon LNG to import Fracked Gas MEPs voted against a resolution to step up search and rescue for refugees in the Mediterraneanhttps://t.co/sa6ZE1w3wx Extinction Rebellion Ireland (@ExtinctRebelsIE) January 31, 2020 We would be looking for clean public transport and action across all sectors. Sarah Doherty, a 21-year-old activist from Kilkenny, accused Fine Gael of failing to tackle climate change. However in their election campaign they have been saying they have been doing great work in terms of climate action and they will continue to do this great work which we know is not true judging on their past work, she added. The green paint symbolises greenwashing, which happens when a company or government pretends to care a lot about the environment and reflects this in their products but its really a way to disguise climate dis-action. Fine Gael has been contacted for comment. Seamus Mallon had this to say about Gerry Adams, who is adulated by Mary Lou McDonald and Sinn Fein. "I just can't be in the same room with him. I don't want to be. There is just something about him that I recoil from. He has his hand in too many awful events." Mary Lou McDonald's Sinn Fein have never apologised, never mind atoned, for any of these "awful events". Micheal Martin has made it clear he cannot bear to be in government with Sinn Fein, as long as it continues to condone these same "awful events". Expand Close Cartoon by Jim Cogan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Cartoon by Jim Cogan But far from praising a politician with principles, most of the media seem to deeply resent Martin taking a moral stand against coalition with Sinn Fein. That media agenda was set by RTE, the primary patron of political pundits who toe the Montrose line to stay on the invitation list. Last Friday, Sean O'Rourke's panel rounded on Martin for rejecting Sinn Fein. Neither presenter, nor panel, made any attempt to look at the merits of Martin's stance. Later, Bryan Dobson, who had smiled benignly at Leo Varadkar in a light interview last week, stared stonily at Micheal Martin, asked second-rate questions, and seldom let him finish a sentence. Dobson's failure to delve into Martin's moral problem with Sinn Fein reflected RTE's reluctance to deal with the three main reasons for rejecting Sinn Fein in government. First, it is now widely accepted that Sinn Fein is influenced by a shadowy outside group which includes members of the IRA army council. Second, as long as Sinn Fein condones the Provisional IRA campaign, its presence in the Republic's Government would make the State retrospectively complicit in IRA atrocities. Finally, it would remove credible objections to the Recurring IRA which could reasonably hope for a similar future absolution. Luckily for the future of Irish democracy, Micheal Martin's reservations are shared by most politically alert people in the Irish Republic, and supported by the heavyweights on his shadow front bench. Unlike Fine Gael chief whip Regina Doherty, Fianna Fail's Dara Calleary, Jim O'Callaghan, Michael McGrath, Lisa Chambers, and Barry Cowen have been rock-solid in rejecting Sinn Fein. Incredibly, our gullible commentators seem to believe that Sinn Fein, in government, would give us a green Shangri-La. But what I see are dark shadows and dangers. Let me list them as follows: The army council of the IRA still exists and actively pursues the same agenda - to control the levers of state power, north and south. The army council views Sinn Fein as its political arm and expects the ard comhairle to act accordingly. The army council's influence on Sinn Fein is supplemented by the party's militaristic code of decision making, which allows deceptively minor functionaries to act like political commissars. The army council will urge Sinn Fein in government to seek ministries like education, and communications to legitimise their sectarian war against the Irish people. The army council would ask Sinn Fein ministers in government to seek access to police intelligence and affect policing policy. Goodbye to a crackdown on the crime empires of former comrades along the Border. The army council, which influenced the collapse of the Northern Assembly, will also influence when Sinn Fein pulls the plug on its coalition partner. The army council will influence Sinn Fein in ramping up pressure at home and abroad to end partition, regardless of the wishes of Ulster unionists. The army council will influence Sinn Fein to keep up Irish government pressure, even if it creates conflict on the island. The army council believes such a crisis will lead to a British withdrawal. But it's much more likely to lead to prolonged sectarian violence. Lest you think the above thesis far-fetched, I sent it through channels to some retired senior members of the Garda who specialised in subversion. They thought it a generally accurate analysis of the Provisional IRA's project to secure state power, north and south. Unlike our gullible Generation X, these gardai know the Provisional IRA has never gone away and is still pursuing its historical agenda at many levels. But thanks to their craven dependence on RTE, many journalists now feel it's a social faux-pas to support Micheal Martin's concern about Sinn Fein in government. When you get away from the metropolitan media monotone, however, you find most people privately support Martin's stance. Irish people with a moral compass think a party, that still weasels about the murder of Tom Oliver, is not likely to be squeamish about abusing State power. My fear of an IRA-influenced Sinn Fein with State power is rational and rooted in lived experience. Like most of my family, I was reared a republican. But I clearly recall the first two murders that caused my lasting moral revulsion against the Provo IRA. On 16 September, 1974, Martin McBirney, a Protestant lawyer, married to a Roman Catholic, was shot dead at breakfast at his home in Belfast. McBirney was a Labour democrat whose play on Daniel O'Connell was broadcast a few weeks before his murder. On that same day, the IRA shot dead a Catholic judge, Rory Conaghan, in front of his eight-year-old daughter, in their home on the Malone Road. They did this despite Justice Conaghan having a brave record in awarding damages against the British army and RUC for assaults arising from internment. In spite of Sinn Fein still defending that foul murder campaign, most of our media spent the past three weeks castigating Micheal Martin for daring to draw attention to it. In doing so, Martin is following in the footsteps of Eamon de Valera, who loathed the later IRA and used the full force of the State to crush it. But the Irish media is out of touch with Middle Ireland, which will not give Sinn Fein a mandate for government until it cleans house - luckily for Irish democracy. Come election day, the silent moral majority will reward Martin for acting with good authority by supporting his view that Sinn Fein is not just another normal political party. Most Irish people still respond to that rarest of political virtues: responsible moral leadership. As Christianity retreats from the public sphere, people want politicians who can act as moral guardians. Micheal Martin has remodelled the Fianna Fail party in accordance with his own ideals of decency, civility and moral integrity. His honest personality and republican pluralism is the foundation of a new public trust in Fianna Fail. I believe Martin's republican tolerance will be reciprocated by the real Arlene Foster revealed by Ryan Tubridy on The Late Late Show by simply asking her the right questions, in the right way, and letting her finish her reply. On this, St Brigid's Day weekend, my prayer for Ireland is that on February 8 you will keep the wrong ones out and let the right ones in. By Laman Ismayilova A conference on the topic "Azerbaijani youth in Russia" has been held in Moscow. The event was held on the initiative of the Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, chairman of the Azerbaijani Youth Organization of Russia (AMOR) Leyla Aliyeva. During the conference, AMOR members, representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora, government agencies, youth organizations of Russia discussed prospects of joint scientific and educational projects. Opening the conference, AMOR Project Coordinator Ramin Radjabov, welcomed the participants on behalf of Leyla Aliyeva. He stressed the importance of the conference timed to the National Youth Day. Notably, Azerbaijan celebrates the National Youth Day on February 2. The public holiday takes its origin from the First Youth Forum which was held in 1996. A year later, national leader Heydar Aliyev signed a decree according to which February 2 was declared the Day of Azerbaijani Youth. Speaking about activities carried out by the organization, Rajabov noted various projects implemented by AMOR in education, culture, healthcare and other spheres. AMOR Executive Secretary Jeyhun Huseynov said that young people are closely watching the processes taking place in Russia and Azerbaijan, rejoicing at each other's successes. He also noted that Azerbaijan and Russia enjoy close friendly ties thanks to the wise policies of Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Vladimir Putin. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz State-run engineering firm BHEL on Monday said it has bagged an order for electro-mechanical works for 40 MW Rahughat Hydroelectric Project in Nepal. This is the second consecutive success for BHEL in the hydro power sector of Nepal. Last year, it had won an order for the largest hydropower project in Nepal, 900 MW Arun-3 HEP, which is presently under construction. The latest order has been placed on BHEL by the Raghuganga Hydropower Limited (RGHPL), a company 100 per cent owned by Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the sole public power utility in Nepal and owned by the Government of Nepal, BHEL said in a statement. "In the face of stiff competition, BHEL has won an order for the Electro-Mechanical (EM) works for the 40 MW Rahughat Hydroelectric Project in Nepal. The order has been placed on BHEL by RGHPL and the project is majority funded by EXIM Bank of India in the form of a soft loan, along with funding from NEA and the Government of Nepal. WAPCOS, India is the project consultant," it said. The order for Rahughat HEP, located in the Raghuganga municipality of Myagdi district of Nepal, envisages design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, erection and commissioning of the complete electro-mechanical package involving supply of two Vertical Pelton Turbines (20 MW each) along with associated equipment, matching generators, governors, controls & instrumentation, protection system, transformers, 220 KV switchyard and balance of plant (BoP) packages. Major equipment for the contract, BHEL said, will be manufactured and supplied by BHEL's plants at Bhopal, Jhansi, Rudrapur and Bengaluru, while the installation activities on-site will be carried out by the company's northern region division. The company, however, did not disclose the order amount in the statement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Credit: Johns Hopkins Medicine Using results of a survey of more than 2,700 self-reported users of the herbal supplement kratom, sold online and in smoke shops around the U.S., Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers conclude that the psychoactive compound somewhat similar to opioids likely has a lower rate of harm than prescription opioids for treating pain, anxiety, depression and addiction. In a report on the findings, published in the Feb. 3 issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence, the researchers caution that while self-reporting surveys aren't always entirely reliable, they confirmed that kratom is not regulated or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and that scientific studies have not been done to formally establish safety and benefits. They say that U.S. drug agencies should seek to study and regulate rather than ban kratom sales outright because of its seemingly safe therapeutic potential, and as a possible alternative to opioid use. The American Kratom Association (AKA), a consumer advocacy group, estimates that 5 million people in the U.S. regularly use kratom by either eating its ground leaves in food or brewing them in tea. Kratom is a tropical plant related to coffee trees, and grown mainly in Southeast Asia. It contains a chemical called mitragynine, an alkaloid that acts on the brain opiate receptors and alters mood. In Asia, where use has long been widespread, people use it in small doses as an energy and mood booster, similar to coffee use in the West. They use larger amounts for pain, or recreationally like beer and wine. Kratom products are unregulated and nonstandardized, and reportsalthough sparsehave linked its use to hallucinations, seizures and liver damage, when combined with alcohol or other drugs. In 2016, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) proposed banning commercial sale and use, and the FDA has advised categorizing it as a Schedule I drug, meaning it has no proven medical application and has a high risk of abuse. These agencies were met with public and supplement industry pushback, and no action was taken. A salmonella contamination outbreak in 2018 among users increased concerns. However, says Albert Garcia-Romeu, Ph.D., instructor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the new survey findings "suggest that kratom doesn't belong in the category of a Schedule I drug, because there seems to be relatively low rate of abuse potential, and there may be medical applications to explore, including as a possible treatment for pain and opioid use disorder." "There has been a bit of fearmongering," he adds, "because kratom is opioidlike, and because of the toll of our current opioid epidemic." A 2015 study in Thailand that reported that people in Asia have been using kratom successfully to treat opioid addiction for decades renewed interest among researchers in the U.S. For the current survey, Garcia-Romeu says, he and his team enrolled 2,798 people to complete an online survey on their use of kratom. They recruited participants online and through social media, as well as through the AKA. Overall, users were mostly white, educated and middle-aged. Some 61% of users were women, and 90% were white. About 6% reported being multiracial, 1.5% reported being Native American or Hawaiian, 0.5% reported being Asian and 0.4% said they were African American. Participants were an average age of 40. About 84% of participants reported having at least some college education. Of these participants, 91% reported taking kratom to alleviate pain on average a couple times a day for back, shoulder and knee pain, 67% for anxiety and 65% for depression. About 41% of survey responders said they took kratom to treat opioid withdrawal, and of those people who took it for opioid withdrawal, 35% reported going more than a year without taking prescription opioids or heroin. As part of the survey, participants completed a Substance Use Disorder Symptom checklist to assess whether their use qualified as a substance use disorder according to the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition guidelines. Fewer than 3% of responses met the criteria for moderate or severe substance use disorder for abusing kratom, but about 13% met some criteria for kratom-related substance use disorder. This is comparable to about 8%-12% of people prescribed opioid medications who became dependent, according to statistics from the U.S. National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA). "Both prescription and illicit opioids carry the risk of lethal overdose as evidenced by the more than 47,000 opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2017," says Garcia-Romeu. "Notably there's been fewer than 100 kratom-related deaths reported in a comparable period, and most of these involved mixing with other drugs or in combination with preexisting health conditions." A third of the survey participants reported having mild unpleasant side effects from kratom, such as constipation, upset stomach or lethargy, which mostly resolved within a day. Only 1.9% reported that side effects were severe enough for them to seek medical treatment, such as feeling withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, depression or insomnia when the kratom wore off. Fewer than 10% of participants reported notable kratom-related withdrawal symptoms. "Although our findings show kratom to be relatively safe according to these self-reports, unregulated medicinal supplements raise concerns with respect to contamination or higher doses of the active chemicals, which could increase negative side effects and harmful responses," says Garcia-Romeu. "This is why we advocate for the FDA to regulate kratom, which would require testing for impurities and maintaining safe levels of the active chemicals. Otherwise, unregulated products run the risk of unsafe additives and dosing problems, which could be like getting a shot of grain alcohol when you were trying to order a beer." Garcia-Romeu adds that data is scant on whether one can overdose on kratom alone, or how it interacts with alcohol or other drugs. The researchers also say rigorous clinical research needs to be done to test kratom for its potential therapeutic benefits, for behavioral intoxication effects and adverse side effects to further help inform government policy and regulation. They also suggest that people err on the side of caution and not mix kratom with any other drugs or medications, and to always talk with their health care provider before taking any supplement. Explore further Kratom herbal supplement used to treat addiction and pain found unsafe by researchers The Pakistan government has declared a national emergency to combat swarms of desert locusts destroying crops on a large scale in the eastern province of Punjab, local media reported. The decision was taken on Friday during a meeting convened by Prime Minister Imran Khan at his office. The meeting, which was attended by federal ministers and senior officials of the four provinces also approved a national action plan (NAP) that requires a sum of PKR 7.3 billion to overcome the crisis, Dawn reported. During the meeting, Khan ordered the formation of a high-level committee to be headed by Khusro Bakhtiar to take decisions at the federal level for the elimination of locust swarms. He also directed the authorities concerned to take immediate measures on the basis of damage of ripened crops. "Protection of farms and farmers is the highest priority of the government. Therefore, the federal government should take all necessary steps to save national crops and provide required resources to the quarters concerned," Khan said during the meeting. The desert locusts arrived in Pakistan from Iran last year and have since destroyed corps on a large scale in the provinces of Sindh and Punjab, raising fears of food insecurity in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Coillte has confirmed that a compromise has been agreed between it and the family of the late Kildare born US soldier, Staff Sergeant Liam Flynn over a memorial erected in Donadea forest. It said that the memorial plaque and tree will remain and the concrete slabs will be replaced by grass. Sgt Flynn, who was originally from Clane, was killed along with 10 others in a US military helicopter crash during a training exercise off the Florida coast in 2015. His family erected a memorial to him in Donadea forest but after complaint from a member of the public Coillte asked them to remove it or part of it. SEE ALSO: Applications are now open for Miss Kildare 2020 Last May, a petition on behalf of the Flynn family to retain the memorial was signed by 4,000 people and sent to Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed. On January 31, last, Malachi Maguire, who has been campaigning on behalf of the Flynn family to retain the memorial was told by Mr Creed's office that a solution had been agreed. He welcomed the news. Mr Maguire said he received a letter from the office of the Minister for Agricultures office saying that Coillte had a constructive discussion with members of the Flynn family. The Ministers private secretary, Graham Lennon said that Coillte, with Mrs Flynns consent, will take up the recently laid flagstones and relay the grass sod and will reposition the existing memorial plate so that it will be clearly visible. SEE ALSO: more Kildare stories Mr Maguire said the plaque in memory of Staff Sgt Flynn, which shows his rank and regiment in the US Marine Corps, will be there to tell his story as one part of 9/11 Memorial Plots, in Donadea Forest Park, for the 20th anniversary commemoration on September 11 2021 in which a contingent of American Firemen will honour, not one but, two Irishmen, both from Kildare, who contributed to bettering the lives of Americans both at home and abroad through extraordinary acts of valour. Im proud to have been a very small part of that story, because in the decades to come both men will receive a tip of the hat from any who pass that pleasant grove in Donadea, and it is the thought that strangers from every part of the globe will know that our patch of green, shouldering the wild Atlantic, produce men who will sacrifice their own lives for strangers such as they. A n Air Canada plane with 128 passengers on board has made an emergency landing in Madrid after part of the landing gear reportedly fell into an engine. Spains Defence Ministry said that an F18 fighter jet was dispatched from a military airport near the Spanish capital to evaluate the damage done to the landing gear of Toronto-bound Flight AC837. The plane returned to Madrid and made an emergency landing at about 7.15am local time (6.15pm UK time). Pictures posted on social media show flames coming from the left engine of the plane. The same person also posted a video of the inside of the plane as it made its landing at Adolfo Suarez-Barajas international airport. The Boeing 767-300 aircraft had departed from the same airport earlier in the day and was scheduled to land in Toronto at 3.40pm local time. After the pilot requested an emergency landing half an hour into the flight, it spent several hours circling to the the south east of Madrid in an effort to burn fuel before landing. In a statement, Air Canada said the plane experienced an engine issue shortly after take-off as well as a ruptured tyre. It added that the aircraft is designed to operate on one engine and our pilots are fully trained for this eventuality. Nonetheless, an emergency was declared in order to obtain landing priority, Air Canada said. The Air Canada plane after landing / AFP via Getty Images A spokeswoman with Spains airport operator AENA said the airline had requested a slot for an emergency landing some 30 minutes after take-off. A spokesman for Enaire, Spains air navigation authority, said the planes landing gear did not fold up properly on taking off and that a piece of it may have damaged part of one of the engines. Emergency service vehicles including fire engines and ambulances have been deployed at the Spanish capitals airport. Spains El Mundo newspapers website published audio it said featured the planes pilot explaining to the passengers the need to return to Madrid because a wheel had been damaged during take-off. Because we are a bit too heavy, we have to get rid of fuel before being able to land, the voice can be heard saying in Spanish. Madrid residents posted videos online showing a plane flying unusually low over the Spanish capitals centre and suburbs. It was the second incident of the day at Madrids international airport, the busiest in the country. An Ozark woman faces forgery charges after she allegedly attempted to cash a forged check Friday in the 3200 block of Ross Clark Circle. Daphne Devon Taylor, 36, was arrested and charged with possession of a forged instrument. During the investigation it was determined Taylor was in possession of a forged $4,800 check, said Dothan police Lt. Doug Magill. At this time we are unsure how Taylor came to have possession of the check. The fraudulent check belongs to Episcopal School of Dallas, Texas. Police made contact with the school during its investigation. Taylor was booked in the Houston County Jail. She is currently out of jail on a $1,000 bond. Get Breaking News Alerts Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health told CNBC on Monday that a quarter of China's coronavirus cases require intensive treatment. "About 25% of them have very serious disease, requiring relatively intensive or really intensive care," said the director of the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. China's National Health Commission said Monday that the confirmed coronavirus cases in China increased to 17,205. The death toll rose to 361 there with one additional fatality in the Philippines, the first outside China. The World Health Organization said there's been more than 150 coronavirus cases in about two dozen countries outside of China. Last week, WHO declared the virus a global health emergency. "It's escalating," Fauci said on "Squawk on the Street." "The number of cases that increase from one day to another is clearly going up in a very steep slope." There are many health-care professionals and analysts, including Fauci, who believe the number of coronavirus cases to be much higher. "There are probably a lot more people who were infected in China who have not been really counted ... because they were either asymptomatic or their symptoms were so light that they didn't come to the attention of health authorities," Fauci said. "The number is probably much larger." NEW DELHI: The four convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case are trying the patience of the nation, the Centre told the Delhi High Court on Sunday, challenging the trial courts order staying their execution. The court, which was giving a rare Sunday hearing to the matter, has reserved its order. Nirbhayas mother Asha Devi, who has repeatedly questioned if only convicts and not victims of crimes have rights, hoped that the judgement will be delivered on Monday. Hope it is in our favour, hope it gets us closer to justice, she told reporters. The four men Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta, Mukesh Singh and Akshay Singh convicted for the 2012 gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedical student in Delhi, referred to as Nirbhaya, were to be executed on Saturday. But the hanging was postponed indefinitely after one of convicts, Vinay, filed a mercy petition before President Ram Nath Kovind. As his appeal was turned down, another convict, Akshay, filed his mercy plea. The four convicts, along with two others, had gang-raped the young woman in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012. Tortured with an iron rod and thrown off the vehicle, she died on December 29 at a hospital in Singapore. One of the assailants, just short of 18 when the crime was committed, was released after spending three years in a reform home. The main accused, Ram Singh, was found hanging in jail. The trial court had earlier stayed the death sentence of the four convicts till further orders. Accor-ding to the rules, a convict is given 14 days between the rejection of a mercy plea and his execution. The original date of execution of the four convicts was January 22, which was deferred after Mukeshs mercy petition was rejected. While requesting the High Court to order execution of the two convicts who have exhausted all legal options and whose mercy plea have been turned down, Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said : People are losing faith in the judicial system due to the delays. The convicts are testing the patience of the country. It was a crime that shook the country. It was a devilish and inhumane crime. Mr Mehta said if a mercy plea is pending, then delay in execution is only for the person whose mercy plea is pending. The rules only protect the co-accused when an appeal is pending before the Supreme Court. Protection cannot extend to pending mercy petitions. Accusing the convicts of acting in tandem to frustrate the very objective of the punishment, Mr Mehta said Pawan has been filing all kinds of appeals in courts but not the mercy petition. Mukesh filed almost his seventh legal proceeding on January 31. Till that point, he had still not filed his mercy plea. This is to deliberately delay the execution. Advocate A.P. Singh, who appeared for Akshay, Vinay and Pawan, questioned the haste in the matter. Why only in this case there is a hurry? Justice hurried is justice buried, he said, adding, The convicts belong to poor, rural and Dalit families, and hence, cannot be made to bear brunt of ambiguity in the law. Mukeshs lawyer Rebecca John said: I am standing here today because even death row convicts of heinous crimes are entitled to their rights. The convicts are under no constitutional obligation to hasten the proceedings. You cant condemn me for using legal remedies, she added. Ms John argued that the Centre was never a party in the case proceedings before the trial court. While the government was accusing the convict of delay, it has woken up just two days ago, she said. Ms John contended that it was the victims parents who moved the trial court for issuance of death warrants against the convicts. At no point, the Central government or the state government approached the trial court to immediately issue death warrants. Ms John said: Im a horrible person. Ive committed the worst crimes imaginable but I am still entitled to the protection of the law. You tell me there has been calculated inaction on my part. I want to ask what has the government done? Did you file any plea to hurry the process? Reading the CrPC, she said, The High Court has to confirm the sentence of death. The sentencing order of the trial court was one common order for all convicts. The convicts were sentenced by a composite order which was upheld by the HC and the SC. My question is, does the scheme envisage the delinking of the convicts? A common sentence and a common execution. Thats all Im seeking today. Ms John said: The Centre has no power to de-link the sentence. There is no sentence greater than the death sentence. The Centre does not have the power to execute me separately. After my mercy petition was rejected, the court under Tihar Prison Rules 2018 was obligated to give me 14-day time till the execution. But the court did not separate the orders. If no mercy was pending, how did the other three get benefit when my mercy was rejected. Executions are always common. They cannot be bifurcated. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado Authorities did an extensive search Saturday through a Colorado Springs neighborhood where an 11-year-old boy has been for five days. About 160 people helped law enforcement in the search, said Jacqueline Kirby, spokeswoman for the El Paso County Sheriffs Office. She declined to explain if they found anything useful, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported. The FBI has also joined Colorado law enforcement as they try to figure out what happened to Gannon Stauch of Colorado Springs. Authorities called the boy a runaway when it first went public asking for help on Monday. They say he was last seen wearing a blue jacket and jeans and left his house walking. The boys stepmother, Letecia Tecia Stauch, told law enforcement he was on his way to a friends house Monday when he went missing. The agency had received more than 100 tips about the case as of Saturday evening. "Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO's director-general. On Sunday, the first overseas death from the virus, that of a 44-year-old Wuhan resident who had died a day earlier, was reported in the Philippines. The virus has spread to about two dozen countries. Don't be so afraid of the coronavirus. It won't last long because 'made in China.' Hours before the death was announced, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a temporary entry ban on most travellers who had recently been in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Earlier in the week, Duterte, who has brought the Philippines closer to China while distancing it from the United States, said there was no reason to bar visitors from mainland China, bringing a barrage of criticism from local medical experts. "We are not as prepared as First World countries," said Anthony Leachon, a Philippine health advocate who had urged a temporary entry ban, even if it risked riling Beijing. "Countries should break protocols to save their people." With 19 confirmed cases, Thailand has the most cases in south-east Asia, followed by Singapore with 18. Japan, with 20 confirmed cases, has the second-largest number outside China. Thailand announced on Friday that a Thai taxi driver had tested positive for coronavirus, most likely after coming into contact with a Chinese traveller. Yet even as the threat of human-to-human transmission grows, the country's health officials have counselled against undue concern. The temperatures of all shoppers entering the Siam Paragon mall in Thailand are being monitored in an attempt to curb the coronaviruss spread. Credit:Amanda Mustard/The New York Times One of the confirmed cases in Thailand involved a Chinese man in the northern city of Chiang Mai who initially tested negative for the virus after being admitted to a hospital and was therefore transferred out of an isolation unit to a general ward, said Rungrueng Kitphati, a spokesman for the country's Health Ministry. "The chances of him spreading the disease is very low," said Rungrueng, noting that the space between beds in the general ward was at least a metre. "Our medical staff always wash their hands in and out. It will not be communicable to others." Yet in Wuhan, the coronavirus has infected medical workers, including a doctor who had raised the alarm about the mysterious virus in December, only to have the local government berate him for "illegal behaviour". As the virus has spread across the region, some governments have remained in denial. At one hospital in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, a slideshow during a presentation on preventing the spread of coronavirus said, "Don't be so afraid of the coronavirus. It won't last long because 'made in China.'" "Health is not a joke, and the virus is not a joke either," said Aung Aung, a surgeon at Mandalay General Hospital. "I don't think Myanmar has the modern techniques to know whether the virus is here." On Friday, Myanmar announced its first suspected case, involving a Chinese man who had arrived by plane from Guangzhou. Myanmar does not have the capacity to test for this specific coronavirus, said U Zaw Htay, a government spokesman. Any samples will need to be sent to Thailand or Hong Kong, which could take up to a week. Even high-level officials have been trading in folk remedies. After a Facebook user in Myanmar wrote a widely read tribute to onions as a way to prevent transmission of the coronavirus, the chief minister of Tanintharyi Division, U Myint Mg, shared the post on his Facebook page. "The Chinese government has announced that people should consume and have on hand as many onions as they can," the post read, with no basis in fact. Cambodia has only one confirmed case of the deadly virus, involving a Chinese national in the boomtown of Sihanoukville, which has been remade by an influx of tens of thousands of Chinese workers. About 3000 travellers from Wuhan have flown to Cambodia since the epidemic was announced last month, according to Cambodian civil aviation authorities. Loading In a country with limited media freedoms, some Cambodians worry that the full scope of the virus's potential effect is not being reported for political reasons. The country's Health Minister suggested that Cambodia's hot and humid climate could ward off the coronavirus. And China has been pressuring countries not to ban its travellers, with a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman calling an entry ban enacted by the United States "not in keeping with the facts" and not "in keeping with friendship". Hun Sen, who has tethered his country close to China, has said he will not ban flights from China to Cambodia. Nor will he organise an effort to evacuate Cambodians from Wuhan, as other nations have done, he said, because they "have to continue staying there and joining with Chinese to fight this disease". "Is there any Cambodian or foreigner in Cambodia who has died of the disease?" the Prime Minister asked. "The real disease happening in Cambodia right now is the disease of fear. It is not the coronavirus that occurs in China's Wuhan city." Indonesia, where direct flights from Wuhan brought tourists to the holiday island of Bali, has not confirmed any cases of coronavirus, leading to concerns about lax monitoring of incoming passengers. The virus has been found in Malaysia, Singapore and Australia, three much less populous countries around Indonesia. Laos, a secretive socialist nation on the border with China, has also not confirmed any cases, even though a large number of Chinese tourists and workers cycle through the country. On Saturday, residents of the remote Natuna islands in Indonesia, on the southern shores of the South China Sea, gathered by the hundreds to protest a decision to quarantine about 240 Indonesians airlifted there from Wuhan. "People are upset," said Andes Putra, head of Natuna's Parliament, noting that local officials had been given scant information about the virus. Like other countries in south-east Asia, Indonesia depends heavily on Chinese tourism. On Thursday alone, 10,000 Chinese tourists cancelled their trips to Bali, according to one industry association. But on Sunday, Indonesia said it was temporarily barring visitors from mainland China who had been there for 14 days. Loading Terawan, the Health Minister, has suggested that the coronavirus will not affect people who exercise properly and sleep amply. "Don't fret," he said. "Just enjoy and eat enough." In Thailand, where normally bustling airports have been emptied of holidaymakers and tourism officials said that arrivals from China could drop by 80 per cent in the first four months of this year, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul recommended temporarily revoking the country's visa-on-arrival program for mainland Chinese travellers. Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja on Monday said that the third case of coronavirus tested positive in Kasargod, Kerala. "Today one more case has tested positive from Kasaragod. The patient is under treatment in Kanjangad District Hospital in Kasaragod. The 'patients' condition is stable. The student had returned from Wuhan," Shailaja said. On Sunday, Shailaja said that a second case of novel coronavirus in India was reported from Kerala and added that the patient was being monitored in an isolation ward in the Alappuzha medical college. She, however, said that the state government was waiting for results from the Pune Virology Institute. "Patient has been admitted and is undergoing treatment at Alappuzha Medical College. We did not get the result from Pune Virology Institute. There are chances it is positive but we can confirm it only after getting the report. The patient has travel history from China," Shailaja said. "The patient is stable and is being closely monitored," she added. The first case too had arisen from Kerala, a few days ago. The virus originated in Wuhan in December and has since then spread to various cities around the world. China has imposed quarantine and travel restrictions, affecting the movement of 56 million people in more than a dozen cities, amid fears that the transmission rate will accelerate as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel for the Lunar New Year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Deputy floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) and the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party shake hands at the National Assembly, Monday, to discuss political issues and measures to fight the new coronavirus. From left are Rep. Lee Dong-sup of the Bareunmirae Party, Rep. Yoon Hu-duk of the DPK and Rep. Kim Han-pyo of the LKP. Yonhap By Jung Da-min Rival parties have come under criticism for failing to cooperate and make joint efforts to fight spread of the new coronavirus although the epidemic is getting serious here amid the growing number of confirmed cases. The parties continue to cast blame on each other for failure to agree on joint actions, paying more attention to how the outbreak will affect their campaigns for the April 15 general election. On Monday, ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) floor leader Lee In-young called for the need to establish a special committee at the National Assembly for legislative support in fighting the epidemic. He said a committee had been set up at the time of 2015 outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). "I urge non-partisan efforts (to fight the epidemic), as it is the most important task for the political circle to relieve public concerns over coronavirus," Lee said in a party meeting at the Assembly. He urged parties to give priority to the outbreak over the election. "We have to bear in mind that the first priority is quarantine, the second is economy and the third is the election," Lee said. The opposition parties, however, are using the situation as a chance to highlight the government's incompetence and poor response to the epidemic. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) said the government's decision to bar foreigners who have been in China's Hubei Province in the past two weeks from entering the country starting Tuesday not only came late but also needs to be expanded to ban those who have been to any other regions of China. The main opposition party has been calling for banning all Chinese nationals from entering Korea and deporting those who are already here, as stronger "preventive measures." "The government's belated responses are lax and poor, and they naturally cause public concerns and fear," LKP floor leader Rep. Shim Jae-cheol said in a party meeting. "Some 40 percent of infections in China took place outside of Hubei Province. Banning only people from Hubei is not enough." LKP Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn also denounced the government decision to provide masks to China. "Korean people are angry at Chinese people in Korea buying all masks here and taking them overseas," he said. "We (Koreans) have to have a full supply of masks first. The government should limit the number of masks foreigners can buy and ban them from taking masks to their countries." Other parties including the minor opposition Justice Party have criticized the LKP for trying to stir up racial hatred. The Justice Party, however, said the scope of the prohibition of entry to Korea should be expanded to cover other Chinese regions where the numbers of infected people are increasing, such as Guangzhou. Deputy floor leaders of the DPK, LKP and the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party had a meeting at the Assembly, Monday, to discuss measures to battle the new coronavirus and other political issues. They agreed to hold a provisional session of the Assembly for 30 days within this month to pass key bills including revision bills to the Quarantine Act, which are related to fighting infectious diseases. The start of 2020 has seen hundreds of diners tucking into vegan dishes as dozens of high-street chains and supermarkets launch plant-based menus. Among them was Burger King, which is now serving a soy-based alternative to its much-loved Whopper, which is available across the country in store and for delivery exclusively on Deliveroo. Although the ingredients are completely plant-based, the burger isn't strictly vegan because it's cooked in the same grill as meat. The burger chain says the Rebel Whopper is aimed at flexitarians looking to reduce their meat-intake, rather than vegans or vegetarians. It also claims that the new plant-based offering is just like the original burger, so what happened when three meat-loving MailOnline reporters put it to the test. All three of our tasters were blindfolded to see if they could tell the difference between the new plant-based offering and the original. Claire's verdict: Correctly guessed which burger was meat Claire said: 'I wasn't 100 percent sure which one was which, because the tastes were very similar. 'Something in the texture of the vegan rebel gave it away, though. 'I was it was good, although, I would not seek it out, there are definitely better vegan burgers out there! Tim said: 'Even with a blindfold on it was easy to tell which was which the rebel whopper had a softer texture, different taste and even left behind a much more planty aftertaste.' Claire, who thought the burgers were very similar, said: 'I would not seek it out, there are definitely better vegan burgers out there!' Both Claire (right) and Tim (left) correctly guessed which burger was made from beef and which was soy A vegetarian's verdict As the Rebel Whopper is cooked on the same grill as meat, it's debatable as to whether its actually vegan, but I tried it and many other vegetarians I know would too. PETA encourage people not to worry too much traces of meat or dairy and with that in mind I had a bite of the burger. I didn't think either burgers looked particularly appealing, but in appearance they were indistinguishable, Burger King have done a good job of making it look very meaty. As soon as I tried the Rebel Whopper I could tell it was soy. I've tried just about every mock-meat there is and soy has a very distinctive texture, it reminded me of Linda McCartney's mozzarella burgers. I don't mind the texture of soy though. That said it was tasty, it definitely wasn't as good as an Impossible Burger, a Moving Mountains Burger or a Beyond Burger but still as nice alternative nonetheless - and better than a load of mushed up veg. I wouldn't seek it out, but if I was with someone who was really keen on getting a BK, I wouldn't be opposed to ordering it. - Bridie Pearson-Jones Advertisement Tim's verdict: Correctly guessed which burger was meat ' Both these burgers were very filling, but that's really where the similarity ends. 'Even with a blindfold on it was easy to tell which was which the rebel whopper had a softer texture, different taste and even left behind a much more planty aftertaste. 'The salad only masked the difference very slightly. 'The Rebel version was fine but I think I'd stick to the meaty one if I was ordering myself and one of these burgers is more than enough to fill you up. James' verdict: Correctly guessed which burger was meat 'Before I tried both burgers, I was hopeful that both would taste remarkably similar. 'I'd heard these vegan alternatives could almost have you fooled into thinking they were the real thing. 'However I found the taste between the meat Whopper and the Rebel Whopper quite different and it was clear to me which one was which. 'This wouldn't be a problem if the Rebel Whopper tasted better than the meaty original, but for me it was the latter that got my taste buds tingling. 'It was certainly a good try from Burger King on this, the Rebel alternative is still tasty and people should be commended for branching out and trying new things. But on taste alone, it'll have to be the meat for me. James correctly guessed which burger was meat. He said:'I found the taste between the meat Whopper and the Rebel Whopper quite different and it was clear to me which one was which.' James added: 'It was certainly a good try from Burger King on this, the Rebel alternative is still tasty and people should be commended for branching out and trying new things. But on taste alone, it'll have to be the meat for me.' Can you tell which is which? Three MailOnline reporters tried the Original Whopper (left) versus the Rebel Whopper (right) Oxygen When a stage performance is going on, all eyes are on the stage. Could someone really disappear mid-show? It's exactly what happened to Helen Mintiks. It was the night of July 23, 1980. The Berlin Ballet was performing at the famous Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. At one point during the performance, recorded music was played instead of the orchestra, which was made up of talented freelance musicians. These musicians used this period as a break. But 45 minutes later, around 9:30 p.m. Hackers are leveraging the fears surrounding Coronavirus in order to carry out cyber attacks on a massive scale, security researchers have warned. Malware and email viruses that use Coronavirus-themed lures to trick people have spread to over a dozen countries, according to security firm Proofpoint. The company also observed that attackers are beginning to register URLs and create fake websites relating to Coronavirus in order to carry out malicious activity. "Global events often capture the world's attention with a combination of wide recognition and a sense of urgency," Proofpoint's threat intelligence team wrote in a blog post. "But they are also unfortunately likely candidates for threat actor campaigns." The emails being circulated come with a document attached that appears to contain an urgent message relating to new developments with the virus's spread. Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Show all 154 1 /154 Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Paramedics wearing personal protective equipment carry patient on a stretcher on to an ambulance in North Point district in Hong Kong, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker wearing protective gear takes a rest as he waits for ambulances carrying patients infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at an entrance of a hospital in Daegu, South Korea YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker sprays disinfectant on an ambulance after carrying a patient infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Daegu YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective face masks shop at a supermarket in Casalpusterlengo, one the northern Italian towns placed under 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hospital in Chuncheon, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Soldiers in hazmat suits sanitize cargo from a China Airlines plane at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan City, Taiwan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Barricades are seen to block the entrance a the gate of a local mall in a nearly empty area in Beijing, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor wearing a protective facemask waits for customers at a shop in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The body temperature of an Iraqi child returning from Iran is measured upon her arrival at the Najaf International Airport AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers hand out free facemasks at a shopping district in Quezon city, Metro Manila, Philippines Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers wearing protective gears carry a patient suspected of contracting the new coronavirus toward an ambulance at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker disinfects a shop at a market in Shanghai AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A restaurant worker wearing protective clothing as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus passing a bag of food to a customer on the street outside their restaurant in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A recovered patient is discharged from Leishenshan Hospital, the newly-built makeshift hospital for novel coronavirus patients, in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a factory with sanitising equipment in Huzhou, China China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to a patient inside an isolated ward of Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A drone operated by the Suwon municipal government flies around Changyong Middle School spraying disinfectant, in Suwon, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers transfer medical waste at Leishenshan Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective mask rides a bicycle with his children in Guangzhou, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a railway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Changsha, Hunan province, China cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman repatriated from Wuhan carries a child as she walks upon her arrival at the Van Don airport in Vietnam's Quang Ninh province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff checking the body temperature of a patient who has displayed mild symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker in protective suit transports oxygen tanks at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Boys wearing protection masks, gloves and modified water bottles sit on a cart at the airport arrival terminal in Guangzhou EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Employees work on a production line manufacturing protective suits at a clothing factory in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits move a patient at an isolated ward of a hospital in Caidian district following an outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in protective clothing, including face mask and gloves, carries a bucket as he works inside of The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton, southern England, after it closed for "urgent operational health and safety reasons", following reports a member of staff was infected with the strain of the novel coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers of the ecology and environment bureau collect samples from the sewage system of a hospital in Xinle, Hebei province China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man in protective clothing cleaning the County Oak Medical Centre GP practice The British government warned the outbreak of novel coronavirus was a "serious and imminent threat" and reported four new cases that brought the total recorded in the country to eight. Two hospitals The Royal Free and Guys and St Thomas', have both been designated as "isolation" facilities, with both currently housing Britons who have returned from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to the newly completed Huoshenshan temporary field Hospital in Wuhan. The global coronavirus death toll rose again with Hong Kong announcing its first death from the outbreak on 4 February EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff wait as coaches carrying Coronavirus evacuees arrive at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, in Milton Keynes, after being repatriated to the UK from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A crew member of the cruise ship Diamond Princess talks to a worker wearing protective gear standing near the vessel, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Doctors scan a patient's lungs at Huoshenshan temporary hospital built for patients diagnosed with coronavirus in Wuhan Xinhua News Agency/AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective suits walk from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesians who arrived from Wuhan are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam. People evacuated from the Chinese city at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak, were transported to a quarantine zone on a remote island at the edge of the South China Sea, shortly after landing Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a market in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members hugging each other in an isolation ward at a hospital in Zouping in China's easter Shandong province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A portrait of Dr Li Wenliang is left at Li's hospital in Wuhan. He is regarded a whistleblower on the outbreak and died of the coronavirus which triggered wide-spread mourning on Chinese media Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear enter the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where people tested positive for coronavirus, after the ship arrived at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Firefighters and personnel from the health ministry participate in a drill to prepare for the potential arrival of passengers infected with the coronavirus at the Viru Viru International Airport, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Scientists are at work in the VirPath university laboratory as they try to find an effective treatment against the new Sars-like coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to patients at the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital to receive patients with mild symptoms caused by the virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A girl wears a mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man is transferred from the World Dream cruise ship to an ambulance at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong as health officials conduct inspections AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers from a disinfection service company enter Lotte Department Store in central Seoul, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man who arrived from Hubei province talks with police at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor holds a handheld digital thermometer near health officials preparing a health check for arriving passengers from China at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A resident walks across an empty track in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A scientific staff member works in a secure laboratory, researching the coronavirus, at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members preparing equipment to meet passengers of a military plane, which evacuated citizens of Russia and ex-Soviet countries from China's Wuhan province Vsluh.ru via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff wearing protective suits as they prepare to disinfect a Vietnam Airlines plane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi Vietnam Airlines/AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A South Korean person, who was evacuated from Wuhan, arrives at the National Medical Center after showing suspected symptoms of novel coronavirus, in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was on board cruise ship Diamond Princess and was tested positive for coronavirus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor being disinfected by his colleague at a quarantine zone in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buses carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, arrive at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesian health officials conduct an exercise drill in transporting a patient requiring isolation at the Belawan port in Medan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Pasteur Institute in Dakar, designated by the African Union as one of the two reference centres in Africa for the detection of the new coronavirus that appeared in China, is hosting experts from 15 countries on the continent this weekend to prepare them to deal with the disease AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A government worker disinfects a co-worker after visiting a quarantined woman's home in Qingdao EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An aerial view of the deserted roads and bridges in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers hold a strike outside the Hospital Authority as they demand for Hong Kong to close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person has their tempriture checked in Qingdao, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Malaysian nationals being directed from a bus by health officials in protective suits as they arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, after being evacuated from Wuhan Malaysia's Ministry of Health/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People hoping to buy face masks crowd outside a medical supply shop that was raided by police for allegedly hoarding and overpricing the masks, as public fear over China's Wuhan Coronavirus grow in Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government has been heavily criticized after failing to immediately implement travel restrictions from China, the source of a deadly coronavirus that has now killed hundreds and infected thousands more Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Residents wearing masks and raincoats volunteer to take temperature of passengers following the outbreak of a new coronavirus at a bus stop at Tin Shui Wai, a border town in Hong Kong Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Italian citizens repatriated from Wuhan going though a health control zone after landing at the Mario De Bernardi military airport in Pratica di Mare, south of Rome, prior to be placed in quarantine Italian Defence Ministry/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers arrange beds in a 2,000-bed mobile hospital, set up in an exhibition center, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor checks conditions of occupants in a hotel accommodating isolated people in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city of Wuhan, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital. The Chinese army deployed medical specialists to the epicentre of the spiralling viral outbreak that has killed and spread around the world AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A baby wearing a protective face mask is pushed by a woman as they arrive from Shenzhen to Hong Kong at Lo Wu MTR station AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A young child wears a protective mask and is covered in plastic while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance crews arrive at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, as it prepares for a return flight from Wuhan, China. Eighty-three Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan are being flown back to the UK Tom Maddick / SWNS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman carries a baby wearing a protective mask as they exit the arrival hall at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Camp beds at a Medical Assessment Center set up at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on the eve of the arrival of German citizens evacuated from Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Funeral parlour staff members in protective suits help a colleague with disinfection after they transferred a body at a hospital in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Muslims wearing masks pray for the victims of coronavirus at a mosque in Ahmedabad, India Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical officials waiting for people who wants to check the novel coronavirus at Myeongdong shopping district Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift homemade protection and protective masks while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A patient assisted by medical staff gets off an ambulance in Wuhan AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People line up to buy face masks from a medical supply company in Nanning, southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Countries began evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city hardest-hit by a new virus that has now infected more people in China than were sickened in the country by SARS Chinatopix via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Millions spent their normally festive Lunar New Year holiday under lockdown Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children with face masks wash their hands before prayer at Erawan shrine in Bangkok. Thailand has detected eight Coronavirus cases so far AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An Indonesian health officer points at the screen of a thermal scanner for passengers China confirmed that the deadly Wuhan coronavirus virus can be transmitted between humans AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Hospital workers wearing protective eyewear and masks examine an Indonesian student who returned from China in quarantine at a hospital in Banda Aceh AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance staff dispose of an outfit at the hospital in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person checks the temperature of a passenger to help stop the spread of a deadly virus as he arrives at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International airport in Palembang AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Nepali students, wearing face masks, attend a class at Matribhumi School in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Two Buddhist monks wear face masks while walking along a street in Yangon AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting a residential area in Ruichang, part of Jiujiang in China's central Jiangxi province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers are seen at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020. - China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken thousands of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) HECTOR RETAMAL AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Vapor blurs the goggles of an ambulance driver while they work, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Yangzhou AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff getting on an ambulance in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor of traditional masks wears a facial mask at his shop in Thamel EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An airport official checks the temperature of a passenger upon his arrival at the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An ambulance driver talking with medical staff in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team leave the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market The new coronavirus appears to have its origins in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a popular transport hub AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers produce protective suits at a factory in Nantong AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures after they landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Thai royal guard wears a mask while on duty at the Grand Palace in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a face mask rides a nearly empty subway train in Beijing AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A shopper wearing goggles with a face mask and gloves uses a self checkout machine at a supermarket in Wuhan AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Italian Red Cross putting on protective gear, getting ready to give health checks to passengers that landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of the Hong Kong government's Civil Aid Service gestures at the entrance to the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village which is being used as one of two quarantine centres for people who have been in close proximity with suspected cases of a SARS-type virus. Hong Kong will turn two holiday camps, including a former military barracks, into quarantine zones for people who may have come into contact with carriers of the Wuhan virus, officials announced AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff wearing protective suits at the Zhongnan hospital in Wuhan STR/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Malaysia Health official checks passengers going through a thermal scanner upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting Yingtan North Railway Station, China China banned trains and planes from leaving the major city at the centre of a virus outbreak on January 23, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed lives and spread to other countries AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A passenger walks past a quarantine control station at Narita airport, Japan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Patients queue up to seek treatment in Wuhan Tongji Hospital Fever Clinic, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Quarantine workers spray disinfectant at Incheon International Airport, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of staff checks the temperature of a guest entering the casino of the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau, after it reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jin Yintan hospital Little is known about the new disease which, if confirmed, would be only the seventh coronavirus known to science that can infect humans Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Three Gorges Medical Laboratory offering free masks to the public in Yichang, China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Gabriel Leung, right, chair professor of public health medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, speaks about the extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team conducting searches on the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine officer at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, uses an electronic thermometer to check the temperature of passengers arriving by plane from Wuhan The virus causes symptoms of viral pneumonia, and has already led to several deaths EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A screen shows cancelled flights at Tianhe airport in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials hand out information about the current coronavirus at Kuala Lumpur International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A store owner argues with security guards as he attempts to enter the closed Huanan wholesale seafood market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Handan, China's northern Hebei province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff and security personnel stop patients' family members from being too close to the Jinyintan hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus maya-goodfellowAn airport staff member uses a temperature gun to check people leaving Wuhan Tianhe International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A rescue worker walks past a notice about new coronavirus that has broken out in China Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members carry a patient into the Jinyintan hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A staff member checks body temperature of a child after a train from Wuhan arrived at Hangzhou Railway Station in Hangzhou AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine station measures passenger body temperatures at Narita Airport JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a notice displayed near a quarantine control station at Narita airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a poster alerting on coronavirus screening ahead upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An employee sprays disinfectant on a train, as a precaution against coronavirus, at Suseo Station in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Kazakh sanitary-epidemiological service worker uses a thermal scanner to detect travellers from China who may have symptoms possibly connected with the previously unknown coronavirus, at Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Pharmacist Liu Zhuzhen stands near a sign reading "face masks are sold out" at her pharmacy in Shanghai AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in a protective suit at the closed seafood market in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers wear protective face masks at the departure hall of a high speed train station in Hong Kong AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A notice for passengers from Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wears a mask while riding on mobike past the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market Getty One message in Japan spread by the hacking group TA542 claims that new cases have been reported, urging the reader to open the attachment to read an important message relating to face masks and other prevention methods. Opening the attachment launches an extremely malicious form of malware known as Emotet, which is capable of stealing valuable personal information like login details for banks. The infected device can also then be used to launch further attacks. Recommended Robot serves food to people in coronavirus quarantine Emotet was previously used in campaigns relating to climate activist Greta Thunberg, as well as in seasonal emails promising details about a "Christmas party" or "Halloween party". "Threat actors exploit times of confusion or global events to conduct cyber attacks and email phishing campaigns," said Francis Gaffney, director of threat intelligence at Mimecast. "These actors are opportunistic and inventive - identifying vulnerabilities in infrastructure and defences, which they then use to improve their attack methodologies." Mr Gaffney warned that periods of global disruption and confusion have become a major opportunity for cyber criminals, who play on the public's genuine fears to increase the likelihood of targets clicking on dangerous links or attachments. Proofpoint described TA542 as a "formidable threat actor group" that would continue evolving its attacks and urged users to be particularly cautious about unsolicited emails relating to current events. Mothers of the Earth International Foundation will hold its 3rd International Conference on the Economic and Social Effects of Women Migration in Africa in March. The Conference will be x-raying the challenges faced by women during migration with the aim of proffering solutions through practical education and empowerment. The highlights of this years conference is the introduction of a training workshop on the sideline. The President and CEO of the foundation Hajiya Hafsatu Yusuf explained that the foundation entered into partnership with the Arete Academy Geneva (GENEVA ACADEMY FOR PEACE & MEDIATION) who will be conducting the training on the follow topics: 1. Conflict Resolution and Mediation. 2. Gender, Diversity and Inclusion 3. Sustainable Development and Human Rights Part of the highlights of the conference also will be the official launch and call for nomination for the Africas outstanding Womens Award. The training workshop will hold at the Corinthia Villa Hotels 9B Arochukwu street by Old FERMA Garki, Abuja on the 2nd of March, 2020 from 9am while the 3rd Edition of the ECONOMIC and SOCIAL EFFECTS OF WOMEN MIGRATION will hold on the 3rd of March 2020 in Ladi Kwali Hall of the Sheraton Hotels Abuja. UNM alumna Nina Lanza, a planetary scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, summarizes her job on her Twitter account, @marsninja, as I shoot the lasers, pew pew. Her career isnt one young girls are traditionally encouraged to follow, but Lanza hopes that will change. In a recent newspaper essay in the Santa Fe New Mexican, Lanza related an experience she had that demonstrated strides still need to be made until outdated stereotypes die. Three years ago, I was a keynote speaker at a conference, talking about my job at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a planetary scientist who shoots rocks on Mars with a laser. Part of my job involves helping to guide the Curiosity rover to the appropriate targets. After my talk, I was socializing with a small group of other conference attendees when one of them said, Oh, so weve got a woman driver on Mars! The joke was made by a man and the others assembled also men laughed. I didnt. I just stood there, speechless. I couldnt believe that he had just made such a tired, outdated (and unfunny) joke She continued, The fact is, despite the great strides women have made in the sciences, stereotypes persist. In the 1960s and 70s, a social scientist asked 4,807 elementary school students to draw a scientist. Of those, only 0.6 percent depicted a woman. The good news is, today, about 28 percent of children draw female scientists, a significant improvement, but we still have a long way to go especially when you consider that women earn roughly 34 percent of all doctoral degrees in science, technology, math and engineering. Lanza is a role model for any child, girl or boy, who might be interested in science. Besides being involved in the Mars rover project, she has hunted meteorites in Antarctica and told her adventures to Ira Flatow on Science Friday. The team is currently working on a new instrument that will travel aboard the Mars 2020 rover, scheduled for launch in July, according to Lanza. Called SuperCam, its been dubbed the Swiss Army Knife of instruments, because it can do so many different tasks. It has a high-res camera, a microphone, a rock-vaporizing laser, and three spectrometers to examine Martian rocks and soil, looking for materials that could point to signs of past life on Mars. While ChemCam looks at the chemical composition of rocks, SuperCam will look at both the chemistry and the mineralogy, which will provide a lot more information to researchers and reveal more about the past and present surface of Mars. After getting her undergraduate degree in astronomy from Smith College and a masters in earth and environmental sciences from Wesleyan University, Lanza came to UNM in pursuit of her Ph.D. in earth and planetary sciences. At the time, UNM was (and still is) working in conjunction with Los Alamos National Laboratory on the ChemCam instrument, which would ride aboard the Mars Curiosity rover, Lanza said. The ChemCam Engineering Operations team was until recently comprised only of women, although a man recently joined the team. Still, its unusual to have a majority-women technical team, simply because engineering still tends to be a male-dominated field, Lanza said. Whats important to note is that nobody set out to create a team that was only women. We want the best people. It doesnt matter if theyre a man or a woman what matters is that they have the right set of skills and the right personality. The ChemCam the name is short for chemistry and camera instrument sits atop the Mars Curiosity rover and uses a laser to zap Martian rocks, Lanza explained. ChemCams spectrometers record the light created by this zap through a telescope. This information enables scientists to identify the chemical composition of the rocks. UNM alumna part of Mars rover research team A man reportedly entered Raja Bhoj Airport, Bhopal, threw stones at a private chopper and lay down before a flight which was about to take off. He was detained by CISF personnel and deemed to be mentally unstable. Twitter/TOI According to a CISF official, the SpiceJet flight in front of which the man lay was brought to a halt and the passengers were asked to deboard. After a security check they boarded again. The man who is a civilian damaged a private chopper and lay before a flight. Questioning is still going on. We will be able to give details after some time, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) (intelligence wing) officer at the airport, AS Chandel said. Major security breach at Bhopal Airport, A man entered the operational runway area of the Airport today & vandalised the helicopter & stopped @flyspicejet take off. @CISFHQrs has detained the person. Further probe is underway. #AvGeek @AAI_Official pic.twitter.com/Z7miYsoilf Ashoke Raj (@Ashoke_Raj) February 2, 2020 Superintendent of police, Bhopal Sampat Upadhyay, reportedly said, The CISF is yet to hand over the man to police. Our police officers leading a team are at the airport. The moment we get the custody we will file an FIR and start investigation. According to TOI, the man has been identified as 22-year-old Yogesh Tripathi, and he told the security personnel that he did what he did because he 'wanted get into commando training'. Twitter Well, that certainly is no way to get into any kind of training, let alone one of the toughest in the country. Sunday's event was the second of its kind to happen in Nebraska a similar event took place in Omaha on Saturday. "We just think these new products are super good, so we're excited to share them with everyone," said Shannon Durkin, assistant field marketing manager for Dunkin'. The inside of the Dunkin' was cordoned off for the private event while influencers made "doughnut bouquets," but customers were still able to order from the drive-thru. Cobey Gragg, an employee who manned the register, said this was his first time witnessing such an event. "It's kind of crazy, having this and the drive-thru open," he said. Other Dunkin' employees tended to the folks in cars, as well as showing the guests how to make the new drinks behind the counter. Lauren Stoughtenger, who came to the event with Ringenberg, said it was interesting to her from a research standpoint. "I'm not really an influencer now, but I'd like to be after college," she said. "Influencing is interesting from a marketing point of view." Type address separated by commas Your Email: SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- POET Technologies Inc. (POET or the Company) (OTCQX: POETF; TSX Venture: PTK), the designer and developer of the POET Optical Interposer and Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) for the data center and tele-communication markets, today announced updates related to multiple recent developments across the Company. In January, POET completed its proof of concept project with its existing North American-based networking customer. As previously announced, POET received orders in 2018 from this customer to provide initial device prototypes of its Optical Interposer platform to systematically address specific integration requirements under a paid development program. At its Annual General Meeting in September, the Company disclosed that it had successfully completed all but one of an eight-step project and that it expected to complete the final milestone by the end of 2019. POET recently completed this final deliverable and is now engaged in follow-on discussions aimed at products to be designed, qualified and incorporated into the customers product portfolio. The low loss coupling of light from a laser into our waveguides (which are additionally configurable as Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) multiplexers or de-multiplexers) through passive wafer scale placement techniques and then into fiber demonstrates the complete functionality of the Optical Interposer platform technology. Moreover, we believe our wafer scale integrated athermal CWDM filters represent an industry first, commented Dr. Suresh Venkatesan, Chairman & CEO. With optical losses at a fraction of that of other materials, our waveguides and filters enable the fabrication, assembly and testing of integrated optical engines at wafer-scale, providing maximum flexibility across a broad range of applications, from datacom to co-packaged optics. Additionally, the Company provided an update regarding the remaining payments related to the sale of its Singapore-based subsidiary, DenseLight. POET negotiated a delay in the payment schedule from the Buyer, due in part to an unrelated third-party expressing interest in acquiring DenseLight in late December. The payment of Tranche 1, which occurred in November, transferred a 30% interest in DenseLight to the Buyer, with the remaining 70% going into escrow. Over the past several weeks, POET negotiated with the Buyer to split Tranche 2 into two parts, with 2a due at the end of January and 2b due at the end of February. The Tranche 2a payment of US$4.75 million will initiate the transfer of an additional 19% of DenseLight shares from escrow to the Buyer (bringing the total to 49%), while the 2b payment of US$8.25 million will transfer an additional 32% (for a total of 81%). The final Tranche 3 payment of US$5 million for the remaining 19% is due at the end of May. The unrelated third party continues to be in confidential discussions with all parties to participate in the current transaction. Responding to the coronavirus outbreak, the PRC government has extended the Lunar New Year holiday to February 2 (February 9 in Shanghai) resulting in the closure of all government offices. Once reopened and final approval is received for the Overseas Direct Investment (ODI) applications previously underway, POET expects immediate disbursement of the 2a payment. Receipt of the 2b payment is anticipated to be delayed beyond February due to the extended holidays disruption of the ODI application process. Furthermore, the Company announced the appointments of James Lee as Vice President & General Manager of POET Technologies, Pte. Ltd., the Companys recently opened Singapore-based subsidiary, and Edward Cornejo, Vice President of Technical Marketing. Lee came to POET from IMEC in Belgium, where he was Vice President of Logic Technology. Previously, he held increasingly responsible positions over a 19-year career with GLOBALFOUNDRIES. Cornejo has over 30 years of experience in the optical components industry in senior marketing and engineering roles at Lucent, OpNext (now Lumentum), and MACOM. POET Technologies will be hosting analysts and strategic partners in conjunction with the Optical Fiber Communications (OFC) Conference & Exhibition on March 8 12 in San Diego, California. About POET Technologies Inc. POET Technologies is a developer and manufacturer of optical light source products for the sensing and data communications markets. Integration of optics and electronics is fundamental to increasing functional scaling and lowering the cost of current photonic solutions. POET believes that its approach to hybrid integration of devices, utilizing a novel dielectric platform and proven advanced wafer-level packaging techniques, enables substantial improvements in device cost, efficiency and performance. Optical engines based on this integrated approach have applications ranging from data centers to consumer products. POET is headquartered in Toronto, with operations in Ottawa, Silicon Valley, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. More information may be obtained at www.poet-technologies.com . Shareholder Contact: Shelton Group Brett L. Perry sheltonir@sheltongroup.com Company Contact: Thomas R. Mika, EVP & CFO tm@poet-technologies.com This news release contains forward-looking information (within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws) and forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Such statements or information are identified with words such as anticipate, believe, expect, plan, intend, potential, estimate, propose, project, outlook, foresee or similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding any potential outcome. Such statements include the Companys expectations with respect to receiving payments in connection with its sale of DenseLight, the success of the Companys product development efforts, the expected results of its operations, and the expectation of continued success in the financing efforts, the capability, functionality, performance and cost of the Companys technology as well as the market acceptance, inclusion and timing of the Companys technology in current and future products. Such forward-looking information or statements are based on a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions which may cause actual results or other expectations to differ materially from those anticipated and which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, managements expectations regarding the success and timing for completion of its development efforts, financing activities, receiving full payment for its sale of its DenseLight subsidiary, future growth, plans for and completion of projects by the Companys third-party consultants, contractors and partners, availability of capital, and the necessity to incur capital and other expenditures. Actual results could differ materially due to a number of factors, including, without limitation, operational risks in the completion of the Companys anticipated projects, delays or changes in plans with respect to the development of the Companys anticipated projects by the Companys third-party relationships, risks affecting the Companys ability to execute projects, the ability of the Company to generate sales for its products, the ability to attract key personnel, and the ability to raise additional capital. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information or statements are reasonable, prospective investors in the Companys securities should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because the Company can provide no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking information and statements contained in this news release are as of the date of this news release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise this forward-looking information and statements except as required by law. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. 120 Eglinton Avenue, East, Suite 1107, Toronto, ON, M4P 1E2- Tel: 416-368-9411 - Fax: 416-322-5075 Comparing the Canadian and the American Right updated to 2020 (Part Two) By Mark Wegierski In regard to immigration, Canada has received about a quarter-million immigrants a year about 75% of them from non-European sources -- since 1988. The mass, dissimilar immigration began in the mid-1960s, but the total immigration since that time had been about 100,000 persons a year. Indeed, it had reached a mere 54,000 in Pierre Elliott Trudeaus last year in office (1983-1984). It was Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney who had raised it precipitously, where it has basically remained ever since. The population of Canada is now close to 38 million. Unlike the U.S., where there is some degree of criticism of mass, dissimilar immigration permitted, this is virtually a closed issue in Canada. Related to policies of mass, dissimilar immigration are policies of multiculturalism. Canada has been a pioneer in the area of multiculturalism the city of Toronto today is probably the most diverse city in the world, with probably close to 200 groups represented. All levels of government (federal, provincial, and municipal) are required to support the cultural endeavours of ethnic groups, at least to some extent. Ethnic groups also claim absolute cultural self-determination, rejecting the earlier assimilation model. Multiculturalism today may really be called multiracialism, as it is visible minorities (a term officially used in Canada), rather than white ethnics such as Ukrainian-, Italian-, Portuguese-, and Polish-Canadians, who are overwhelmingly the focus of government, media, and corporate concern. Related to multiculturalism is employment equity (the Canadian term for affirmative action), which operates on behalf of the following designated groups women, visible minorities, aboriginal peoples, and persons with disabilities in all levels of government, as well as in much of the private sector. In one major pay-equity settlement, the Canadian Human Rights Commission (a quasi-judicial tribunal) ordered the Federal Government to pay about $3.5 billion (Canadian) to women working or formerly working for the Federal Government. (By contrast, the entire budget for the Canadian military in the year 2000 was about $10 billion.) The Aboriginal peoples of Canada (traditionally called Indians, Metis, and Inuit) are now hoping to wrest vast resources and territories from other Canadians, based on re-negotiation of earlier treaties and claims of compensation for past abuse. In Canadas Far North, a semi-sovereign entity called Nunavut has been created, and has been receiving about $500 million (Canadian) in every year of its existence, to cover its budget deficit. In attempting to explain how the money going to Aboriginal peoples has apparently not yet benefited the average Aboriginal person, some critics have suggested that a small coterie of Aboriginal leaders and activists while living extravagant lifestyles themselves often does not pass on many of the benefits to their own group. In August 2002, there was an attempt to further entrench employment equity in the Federal Civil Service twenty percent of all new hires were to be visible minorities, and senior managers were to receive performance bonuses depending on how many visible minorities they hired. Although there were a few scattered voices of protest, this is fact seemed like a continuation of policies that had been in place for at least thirty years. The Harper government had several years ago promised some kind review of employment equity policies, but this did not go anywhere. As far as disabled persons, they have probably been included under employment equity to give the policy an increased aura of kindness and compassion. It could be argued that there is not all that much being done for most disabled persons today, apart from giving them disability support payments and some subsidies for housing and assistive devices, which are not excessively generous. However, the inclusion of disabled persons as a designated group inclines this rather heterogeneous category of people (and their care-givers) to support the current-day equity regime, and increases still further the social stigma of publicly challenging employment equity. Canada is also permeated by the bilingualism (French and English) policy. This means that Canada is an officially bilingual state, and that most positions (and especially senior positions) in the Federal Civil Service require knowledge of both French and English. The effect of this has been to increase the chances of French-Canadians and members of Canadas liberal English-speaking elites (more of whom tend to be bilingual) to obtain civil service positions. It has tended to discriminate against ordinary, English-speaking Canadians. New Brunswick, an Atlantic Maritime province with a French-speaking population of about 35%, is fully officially bilingual, and Ontario, with a French-speaking population of about 5%, has been urged to move to full official bilingualism. However, the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec, where one of seven inhabitants doesnt have French as a first language, embraces unilingualism in its government and official policy: French only. Government (typically white-collar) jobs at the federal, provincial, or municipal levels are often considered to be relatively easy to do, with comparatively large benefits (relative to private sector compensations), so policies such as employment equity tend to exclude increasing numbers of persons (especially white males) from remunerative employment. And it now sometimes happens that persons are typically hired only if they bridge two or three designated categories. The government sector is also clearly permeated by varying degrees of political correctness, so a person with more conservative or traditionalist views is unlikely to be hired, and, even if hired, they may sometimes end up in a rather miserable situation, with constant stress and little chance for advancement. To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home Josep Borrell to meet President Hassan Rouhani in bid to reduce tensions over the countrys nuclear programme. The European Unions foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell is on his way to Iran, his first trip since taking office in December, aimed at reducing tensions over the Islamic republics nuclear programme. During his two-day trip that started on Monday, Borrell will meet President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani, his office said in a statement. Borrells visit aims to de-escalate tensions and seek opportunities for political solutions to the current crisis, said the office of the EUs high representative for foreign affairs and security policy. The 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and a group of world powers has been crumbling since United States President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018. Washington has since stepped up sanctions and a campaign of maximum pressure against Tehran. Iran has gradually stepped back from its own commitments under the deal, while military tensions with the US have brought the two countries to the brink of full-blown confrontation in recent weeks. Borrells visit will allow him to convey the EUs strong commitment to preserve the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and discuss cooperation between the EU and Iran, his office said. Tensions in the region stepped up after the killing in early January of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani by the US in Iraq. Crippling sanctions Washington accuses Tehran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which Iran has always denied. The landmark nuclear deal struck in Vienna between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council Britain, China, France, the US and Russia plus Germany, offered Tehran a partial reprieve from crippling international sanctions. In exchange, Iran agreed to drastically reduce its nuclear activities and submit to a tailor-made inspection regime by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The renewed US sanctions have almost entirely isolated Iran from the international financial system, driven away oil buyers, and plunged the country into a severe recession. Iran is now producing uranium enriched beyond the 3.67 percent set by the agreement, and no longer adheres to the limit of 300 kilogrammes (660 pounds) imposed on its enriched uranium stocks. It has also resumed research and development that was restricted under the deal. Amid the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, Chinese troops have taken control of delivering basic essentials to people living in the city, South China Morning Post reported. SCMP citing Chinese state media reported that a backup logistics team which includes 260 military officers from PLA's land and air forces and 130 trucks, had delivered 200 tonnes of supplies to supermarkets in Wuhan. The death toll due to the outbreak of the deadly virus in China surpassed that of the Sars epidemic. It has risen to 361 with 56 people succumbing to the deadly virus, according to health authorities. Xinhua reported that a new hospital built in just ten days in a Chinese city hit hardest by the novel coronavirus outbreak will soon be functional. The report said 1,400 medical staff from the armed forces are tasked with treating patients in the 1,000-bed Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan starting from Monday. Meanwhile, lawmakers from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) have demanded that the residents of the city-state returning from the mainland to be put under home surveillance for two weeks. The novel coronavirus was first detected in China's Wuhan in late December and has since spread to more than 20 countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam have arrested a man for murdering another person while they were gambling during the Lunar New Year holiday. The provincial Department of Police confirmed on Monday it had apprehended Nguyen Canh Ba, 25, who resides in Que Son District, Quang Nam, for murder. According to preliminary information, Ba and his friend arrived at a location in Thang Binh District at around 8:00 pm on January 27, the third day of the 2020 Lunar New Year fest, to gamble. A conflict later broke out between the two men and a group of local men, before Ba and his friends were chased down and attacked. During the quarrel, Ba took out a knife and fatally stabbed Nguyen Chien Lam, 37, while injuring another man before running away. He headed to the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, about 750 kilometers south of Quang Nam, to hide himself until being arrested by police officers. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) CEO Yoon Jong-won, front row center, poses with the IBK union leaders, after his inaugural ceremony at the state-run bank's headquarters in Seoul, Jan. 29. / Yonhap State-run banks advised to be cautious about co-determination system By Park Jae-hyuk Critics are expressing growing concerns as State-run banks have expressed a willingness to adopt a "co-determination system," where employees or their representatives are allotted seats on the board of directors. Implementation of such a system is one of the pledges President Moon made during his election campaign, but it has never been carried out in the nation's financial industry. On Jan. 27, the Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK), however, agreed with its labor union that it will push ahead with the shared governance structure. The agreement was a prerequisite for the inauguration of newly appointed CEO Yoon Jong-won, who was blocked from entering the IBK's Seoul headquarters for 27 days following his appointment. Although none of four non-executive directors at the state-run lender will face the end of their terms within 2020, the unionists are expected to push for the management to offer board seats to their representatives next year. The IBK union's previous request for the implementation of a shared governance structure ended in failure in 2019. Then Financial Services Commission (FSC) Chairman Choi Jong-ku expressed his skepticism about offering board seats to bank employees, saying, "Considering wages and welfare offered to bank workers, their working conditions are not poor enough to enforce worker representation on boards of directors." The FSC chairman has the right to appoint and dismiss the state-run bank's nonexecutive directors. Incumbent FSC Chairman Eun Sung-soo, however, did not rule out the possibility of introducing a co-determination system at the state-run bank, saying last Wednesday that he will "deliberate over the system." Against this backdrop, the Korea Development Bank (KDB), which is also under supervision of the FSC, expressed a willingness to consider offering board seats to members of its labor union. The KDB labor union's new leadership, launched last Thursday, promised its members that they will urge the management to adopt a co-determination system. In response, the KDB said it will think about the system, if there exists demand from the workers. According to the KDB, the terms of its five non-executive directors will end this year. Experts advised state-run banks to be more cautious about introducing a co-determination system. "Basically, the shareholder of state-run banks is the government, not their workers," Yonsei University economics professor Sung Tae-yoon said. "State-run banks are supposed to offer public services, but worker representatives on board seats may go against shareholder rights in order to maximize the interests of workers." In December 2019, the Export-Import Bank of Korea discussed with its union about offering one board seat to an expert recommended by its members. However, it eventually hired two experts recommended by management as new board members. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 14:24:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Several departments of China's central government have rolled out favorable policies or provided funds for local governments and individuals to fight the new coronavirus, an official with the National Health Commission (NHC) said Monday. Patients confirmed to be infected with the virus will receive subsidies from the central and local governments for medical expenditures that are not covered by insurance or medical aid, said Li Bin, deputy director of the NHC, at a press conference. Medical workers and other personnel involved in preventing and controlling the virus will also be subsidized and those who become infected with the virus on duty will be compensated, Li said. The central government will also provide necessary help for local governments to purchase medical equipment and testing kits to battle the epidemic. The Ministry of Finance has earmarked a total of 5.4 billion yuan (about 769.8 million U.S. dollars) to support local governments across the country to prevent and control the epidemic, including 1.5 billion yuan to Hubei Province, the center of the battle, Li said. The National Development and Reform Commission has also invested 300 million yuan from the central budget to support the construction of a new hospital in Wuhan, capital of Hubei, which is designated to treat patients infected with the new virus, he said. Kalgoorlie elders warn racial tensions are running high after the local mayor and Liberal MP told visitors from desert communities they weren't welcome in town, labelling their behaviour "frightening" and "anti-social". In a joint statement released by Kalgoorlie MP Kyran O'Donnell and the mayor of the city, John Bowler, the pair took aim at an "influx of visitors" from remote Indigenous communities and referred to "drunken carrying-ons, swearing and yelling, [and] frightening and threatening behaviour". Travellers from Tjutjuntara camp on the outskirts of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Credit:Marta Pascual Juanola "Kalgoorlie-Boulder welcomes any person who wishes to visit our wonderful city, no matter who you are or where you are from," the pair's statement read. "However these people show utter disrespect to our city, to our residents, our properties and they give their own people a bad reputation and total disregard for their own culture. We don't want anybody here with behaviours like that." The Delhi Police's Crime Branch has arrested a wrestler for supplying a weapon to the juvenile who opened fire on anti-CAA protesters outside the Jamia Millia Islamia university last week, officials said on Monday. New Delhi: The Delhi Police's Crime Branch has arrested a wrestler for supplying a weapon to the juvenile who opened fire on anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters outside the Jamia Millia Islamia university last week, officials said on Monday. Ajeet (25) hails from the Sahajpura village in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh district and is a wrestler by profession, they said. "We have arrested the accused from whom the juvenile had procured the weapon. He is a wrestler," said Rajesh Deo, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime). The accused will be produced in court on Tuesday, the officer said, adding that further investigation is underway. On 30 January, the juvenile fired at a group of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters outside the Jamia Millia Islamia injuring a student. He was subsequently overpowered by police and taken into custody. A case of attempt to murder under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code and Arms act was registered at the New Friends Colony Police Station and the probe was transferred to the Crime Branch. The juvenile is currently under protective custody, he added. By Trend President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev issued an order on the establishment of a special commission for the preparation of programs of measures to prevent the entry and spread of coronavirus in the territory of Uzbekistan, Trend reports citing the Uzbek media. The Cabinet of Ministers held a meeting of the extraordinary commission to combat the epidemic, which was chaired by Prime Minister of UzbekistanAbdulla Aripov. As reported, more than 28,000 people entered Uzbekistan on January 31 only. On February 2, 38 aircrafts from abroad landed at Tashkent International Airport named after I.Karimov from abroad, and 4,194 Uzbek citizens including 84 persons studying in China, were checked by thermometry equipment at sanitary quarantine points, 84 of them are studying in China. Among those underwent thermometry, one passenger who had arrived from Russia had an elevated body temperature; however, the epidemiological survey conducted by doctors found that this person was not in contact with patients with this disease, the message said. Another 953 Uzbek citizens who arrived on five trains were checked at six short-stay hospitals of the central Sanitary and Epidemiological Station of Uzbekistan Railways, and no patients with elevated body temperatures were found among them. Test samples from 21 suspicious citizens were taken to the agency's virological laboratory for coronavirus research. No traces of coronavirus samples were found among the samples taken. As of February 1, no cases of infection with coronavirus were registered among citizens of the Uzbekistan. In each region, three operational teams consisting of intensive care specialists, infectious disease specialists and epidemiologists were deployed, the report said. First charter flights from Beijing to Tashkent are scheduled for February 4 and 5, Foreign Ministry reports. Uzbek citizens are asked to arrive in Beijing February 3. The dates of the other flights will be announced additionally. According to the Uzbek embassy in Beijing, there were 81 Uzbek citizens in Wuhan as of February 1. On December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization about an outbreak of unknown pneumonia in Wuhan in the central part of the country. Specialists have identified the causative agent - Coronavirus 2019-nCoV. The number of people infected with coronavirus in China exceeded 17.2 thousand people, 361 died. Almost 150 more people became ill outside China, one of them died. World Health Organization has recognized the outbreak as an emergency of international concern. Belfast Harbour does not expect to introduce any immediate changes to its procedures as a result of Brexit. However, officials said they were working to be prepared for what may come out of the future trade talks between the EU and UK. The comments come after the boss of ferries operator Stena Line said his firm was preparing for new checks to be carried out at British ports. Stena boss Ian Hampton told the BBC that there will be a border down the Irish Sea at the end of the transition phase of the Brexit process. That is currently December 31. Belfast Harbour told the Belfast Telegraph that no immediate changes to its procedures are expected during the transition period. A spokesman for Belfast Harbour said the port currently handles more than 70% of Northern Ireland's seaborne trade. "A key priority for us is to ensure the smooth flow of goods and people through our port with minimum disruption," the spokesman said. "As the UK formally exits the European Union and moves into a period of transition, Belfast Harbour continues to engage with government and its agencies, along with our customers and terminal operators, so that we are prepared and ready to deal with any operational implications of future trade agreements. We do not expect any immediate changes to our operating procedures during the transition period. Warrenpoint Port also said there was no new checks or inspections on trade coming into Northern Ireland from Great Britain. "We are, however, continually working to maximise the flexibility of the harbour estate in order to ensure we can respond quickly to any future changes," it said in a statement. Belfast International Airport said it has not introduced any changes to infrastructure during the transition period. "We will work closely with government departments should there be any requirement for additional checks to be made on goods incoming from GB," a spokesman said. We do not expect any immediate changes to our operating procedures during the transition period. Belfast Harbour Stena Line operates a fleet of ferries connecting Great Britain to the island of Ireland and owns three ports on the routes. It wants to know the physical changes required on what has, until now, been frictionless trade. "The complication in the Irish Sea is where they have moved the border. The border is now physically a sea border rather than a land border," Mr Hampton said. When asked whether there will be checks on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, he said: "Yes, that is as it sits. "But let's be future focused. These only come in after the transition period so the January 31 date is just a date. Formally when we leave, we leave the EU but with the transition period there is no change. "If we do not progress, if we do not use this time wisely, then of course we could encourage a rethink. Let's not have a date where we fall of the cliff slightly later in the year. So we have the 11 months. "I think government has learnt an awful lot by partnering with business and I would encourage that." Mr Hampton said that the final quarter of the year will be vital for businesses and called on the British Government to clarify what changes it will pay for if checks are introduced. "If we know by then that we don't have a trade deal, then we will have to default to maximum checks as a hypothesis, then temporary infrastructure can be brought in to play," Mr Hampton said. "You need to have the space to do the necessary checks. You need to be able to house necessary officials from governments to be able to carry out and perform their role to protect the border- which is important- it is an obligation of being a port owner to the state." The UK formally left the EU on Friday January 31 but will continue to follow EU regulations on trade until December 31 2020, unless the transition period is extended. Trade talks between the EU and the UK are set to begin in March, with a view to having a new trading relationship established by the cut off point in December. SkySwitch, the ultimate channel-only white label cloud voice platform provider for telecom resellers, announced that Founder and President, Eric Hernaez, will participate in the panel of experts at the Cloud Voice Alliance (CVA) mini-conference, presented as part of ITEXPO at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale. The CVA mini-conference will be held in Room 114 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 13, 2020. The mission of the CVA is to be the voice of telecom resellers in the highly competitive and fast-growing market of Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and other cloud voice services. The Cloud Voice Alliance assists our members, the locally-owned Cloud PBX and UCaaS providers, in competing effectively against the growing number of large, and mostly self-service, national providers, said Jeff Dworkin, Managing Director of the Cloud Voice Alliance. These national and multinational telecom companies are often larger, with well-funded marketing departments that drown out the voices of local resellers. The CVA provides resellers marketing support and a collaborative environment where members can share best practices, pool resources and leverage buying power to increase profitability. The members of the SkySwitch community that are participating in the CVA are enthusiastic about the opportunity to take advantage of group-funded marketing and sales support, said Eric Hernaez, President and Founder of SkySwitch. For that reason SkySwitch continues to support the CVA, helping them to empower our resellers so they can gain momentum and broaden local market awareness. Other experts participating in the CVA mini-conference include Jon Arnold, independent research analyst and Principal at J. Arnold & Associates, Cindy and Guy Fawkes, Owner and President of Telepath Communications and members of SkySwitchs Club 1000, Aaron Foss, Founder of Nomorobo, and Mike Cromwell, Founder and CEO of EagleTeq. About Cloud Voice Alliance Cloud Voice Alliance helps members, locally-owned hosted PBX and UCaaS providers, compete effectively against large, national and multinational voice providers. We do this by providing a framework where members can share best practices and pool resources in ways that increase profitability. About SkySwitch SkySwitch is the US-based, next-generation communications platform provider offering white-labeled Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) solutions to telecommunication and business technology resellers across North America. Customers include MSPs, agents, interconnects, ISPs, WISPs and VARs. SkySwitch provides resellers with the competitive advantages required to succeed in todays overcrowded marketplace by combining best-in-class customer support, with an advanced cloud-based UCaaS platform, delivering feature-rich voice, video, text and fax communications. The Wuhan coronavirus spreading from China is now likely to become a pandemic that circles the globe, according to many of the worlds leading infectious disease experts. The prospect is daunting. A pandemic an ongoing epidemic on two or more continents may well have global consequences, despite the extraordinary travel restrictions and quarantines now imposed by China and other countries, including the United States. Scientists do not yet know how lethal the new coronavirus is, however, so there is uncertainty about how much damage a pandemic might cause. But there is growing consensus that the pathogen is readily transmitted between humans. The Wuhan coronavirus is spreading more like influenza, which is highly transmissible, than like its slow-moving viral cousins, SARS and MERS, scientists have found. Its very, very transmissible, and it almost certainly is going to be a pandemic, said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. But will it be catastrophic? I dont know. In the last three weeks, the number of lab-confirmed cases has soared from about 50 in China to 14,000 in 23 countries; there have been over 300 deaths, all but one in China. But various epidemiological models estimate that the real number of cases is 100,000 or even more. While that expansion is not as rapid as that of flu or measles, it is an enormous leap beyond what virologists saw when SARS and MERS emerged. When SARS was vanquished in July 2003 after spreading for nine months, only 8,098 cases had been confirmed. MERS has been circulating since 2012, but there have been only about 2,500 known cases. The biggest uncertainty now, experts said, is how many people around the world will die. SARS killed about 10% of those who got it, and MERS now kills about 1 of 3. The 1918 Spanish flu killed only about 2.5% of its victims but because it infected so many people and medical care was much cruder then, 20 to 50 million died. By contrast, the highly transmissible H1N1 swine flu pandemic of 2009 killed about 285,000, fewer than seasonal flu normally does, and had a relatively low fatality rate, estimated at .02%. The mortality rate for known cases of the Wuhan coronavirus has been running about 2%, although that is likely to drop as more tests are done and more mild cases are found. It is increasingly unlikely that the virus can be contained, said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who now runs Resolve to Save Lives, a nonprofit devoted to fighting epidemics. It is therefore likely that it will spread, as flu and other organisms do, but we still dont know how far, wide or deadly it will be. In the early days of the 2009 flu pandemic, they were talking about Armageddon in Mexico, Fauci said. (That virus first emerged in pig-farming areas in Mexicos Veracruz state.) But it turned out to not be that severe. An accurate estimate of the virus lethality will not be possible until certain kinds of studies can be done: blood tests to see how many people have antibodies, household studies to learn how often it infects family members, and genetic sequencing to determine whether some strains are more dangerous than others. Closing borders to highly infectious pathogens never succeeds completely, experts said, because all frontiers are somewhat porous. Nonetheless, closings and rigorous screening may slow the spread, which will buy time for the development of drug treatments and vaccines. Other important unknowns include who is most at risk, whether coughing or contaminated surfaces are more likely to transmit the virus, how fast the virus can mutate and whether it will fade out when the weather warms. The effects of a pandemic would probably be harsher in some countries than in others. While the U.S. and other wealthy countries may be able to detect and quarantine the first carriers, countries with fragile health care systems will not. The virus has already reached Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines and rural Russia. This looks far more like H1N1s spread than SARS, and I am increasingly alarmed, said Dr. Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Even 1% mortality would mean 10,000 deaths in each million people. Other experts were more cautious. Dr. Michael Ryan, head of emergency responses for the World Health Organization, said in an interview with STAT News on Saturday that there was evidence to suggest this virus can still be contained and that the world needed to keep trying. Dr. W. Ian Lipkin, a virus-hunter at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health who is in China advising its Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that although the virus is clearly being transmitted through casual contact, labs are still behind in processing samples. But life in China has radically changed in the last two weeks. Streets are deserted, public events are canceled, and citizens are wearing masks and washing their hands, Lipkin said. All of that may have slowed down what lab testing indicated was exponential growth in the infection. Its unclear exactly how accurate tests done in overwhelmed Chinese laboratories are. On the one hand, Chinese state media have reported test kit shortages and processing bottlenecks, which could produce an undercount. But Lipkin said he knew of one lab running 5,000 samples a day, which might produce some false-positive results, inflating the count. You cant possibly do quality control at that rate, he said. Anecdotal reports from China, and one published study from Germany, indicate that some people infected with the Wuhan coronavirus can pass it on before they show symptoms. That may make border-screening much harder, scientists said. Epidemiological modeling released Friday by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control estimated that 75% of infected people reaching Europe from China would still be in the incubation periods upon arrival, and therefore not detected by airport screening, which looks for fevers, coughs and breathing difficulties. But if thermal cameras miss victims who are beyond incubation and actively infecting others, the real number of missed carriers may be higher than 75%. Still, asymptomatic carriers are not normally major drivers of epidemics, Fauci said. Most people get ill from someone they know to be sick a family member, a co-worker or a patient, for example. The virus most vulnerable target is Africa, many experts said. More than 1 million expatriate Chinese work there, mostly on mining, drilling or engineering projects. Also, many Africans work and study in China and other countries where the virus has been found. If anyone on the continent has the virus now, Im not sure the diagnostic systems are in place to detect it, said Dr. Daniel Bausch, head of scientific programs for the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, who is consulting with the WHO on the outbreak. South Africa and Senegal could probably diagnose it, he said. Nigeria and some other countries have asked the WHO for the genetic materials and training they need to perform diagnostic tests, but that will take time. At least four African countries have suspect cases quarantined, according to an article published Friday in The South China Morning Post. They have sent samples to France, Germany, India and South Africa for testing. At the moment, it seems unlikely that the virus will spread widely in countries with vigorous, alert public health systems, said Dr. William Schaffner, a preventive medicine specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Every doctor in the U.S. has this top of mind, he said. Any patient with fever or respiratory problems will get two questions. Have you been to China? Have you had contact with anyone who has? If the answer is yes, theyll be put in isolation right away. Assuming the virus spreads globally, tourism to and trade with countries besides China may be affected and the urgency to find ways to halt the virus and prevent deaths will grow. It is possible that the Wuhan coronavirus will fade out as weather warms. Many viruses, like flu, measles and norovirus, thrive in cold, dry air. The SARS outbreak began in winter, and MERS transmission also peaks then, though that may be related to transmission in newborn camels. Four mild coronaviruses cause about a quarter of the nations common colds, which also peak in winter. But even if an outbreak fades in June, there could be a second wave in the fall, as has occurred in every major flu pandemic, including those that began in 1918 and 2009. By that time, some remedies might be on hand, although they will need rigorous testing and perhaps political pressure to make them available and affordable. In China, several antiviral drugs are being prescribed. A common combination is pills containing lopinavir and ritonavir with infusions of interferon, a signaling protein that wakes up the immune system. In the U.S., the combination is sold as Kaletra by AbbVie for HIV therapy, and it is relatively expensive. In India, a dozen generic makers produce the drugs at rock-bottom prices for use against HIV in Africa, and their products are WHO-approved. Another option may be an experimental drug, remdesivir, on which the patent is held by Gilead. The drug has not yet been approved for use against any disease. Nonetheless, there is some evidence that it works against coronaviruses, and Gilead has donated doses to China. Several U.S. companies are working on a vaccine, using various combinations of their own funds, taxpayer money and foundation grants. Although modern gene-chemistry techniques have made it possible to build vaccine candidates within just days, medical ethics require that they then be carefully tested on animals and small numbers of healthy humans for safety and effectiveness. That aspect of the process cannot be sped up, because dangerous side effects may take time to appear and because human immune systems need time to produce the antibodies that show whether a vaccine is working. Whether or not what is being tried in China will be acceptable elsewhere will depend on how rigorously Chinese doctors run their clinical trials. In God we trust, Schaffner said. All others must provide data. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. The number of people infected in China by the coronavirus outbreak jumped on Wednesday to nearly 500, after Hong Kong reported its first death from the disease and millions more in China were ordered to stay indoors. The confirmed toll in mainland China rose to 490 after hardest-hit Hubei province reported 65 more people had died -- the biggest single-day tally since the first fatalities emerged last month. More than 20 countries have confirmed cases of the virus, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global health emergency, several governments to institute travel restrictions, and airlines to suspend flights to and from China. The WHO said Tuesday that the dramatic measures taken by China had provided a "window of opportunity" to halt transmission, while calling for more global solidarity to combat the virus. The novel coronavirus has continued to spread with Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand on Tuesday reporting new infections that were not imported from China. In a sign of growing concern about a spread to other densely-populated Chinese metropolitan areas, authorities in three cities in eastern Zhejiang province -- including one near Shanghai -- limited the number of people allowed to leave their homes. Three districts in Hangzhou -- including the area where the main office of Chinese tech giant Alibaba is based -- now allow only one person per household to go outside every two days to buy necessities, affecting some three million people. The city is only 175 kilometres (110 miles) southwest of the financial hub of Shanghai, which has reported more than 200 cases, including one death. Zhejiang has confirmed 829 cases -- the highest number outside the central province of Hubei, whose capital Wuhan is the epicentre of the outbreak. The disease is believed to have emerged in December in a Wuhan market that sold wild animals, and spread rapidly as people travelled for the Lunar New Year holiday in January. China has struggled to contain the virus despite enacting unprecedented measures, including virtually locking down more than 50 million people in Hubei. The WHO has said the outbreak does not yet constitute a "pandemic". The head of the organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, accused wealthy countries of falling short on their duties in sharing data, stating that: "Of the 176 cases reported outside China so far, WHO has received complete case report forms for only 38 percent." - Hong Kong's first death - The death of the 39-year-old man in Hong Kong came as the semi-autonomous city closed all but two land crossings with the Chinese mainland. Hong Kong media said the man had underlying health issues. He had visited Wuhan last month and his 72-year-old mother was also infected. The financial hub has been particularly on edge over the virus as it has revived memories of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002-03, which killed nearly 300 people in the city and 349 people in the mainland. Health officials noted that the mortality rate for the new coronavirus stood at 2.1 percent, with most victims either old or with underlying health problems. SARS killed nearly 10 percent of patients. - New foreign cases - Singapore confirmed the first four cases of people being infected locally, taking the total number of infections in the city-state to 24. In another example of growing global anxiety, Japan has quarantined a cruise ship carrying 3,711 people and was testing those onboard for the virus after a former passenger was diagnosed with the illness in Hong Kong. Macau, China's semi-autonomous gambling hub that is popular with mainland Chinese visitors, decided to temporarily close all of its casinos for at least two weeks. And the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Tuesday advised Britons to leave China, "if they can", to minimise their risk of exposure to the virus. The United States, meanwhile, acknowledged that the outbreak may delay Beijing's plans to purchase American goods under the terms of a deal meant to end the two countries' trade war. - Beijing admits 'shortcomings' - China's Communist leadership made a rare admission of fallibility earlier this week, acknowledging "shortcomings and difficulties exposed in the response to the epidemic". The elite Politburo Standing Committee called for improvements to the "national emergency management system" at the meeting, according to the official Xinhua news agency on Monday. The government also said it "urgently" needed medical equipment such as surgical masks, protective suits, and safety goggles as it battles the outbreak. Most of the deaths have been in Wuhan and the rest of surrounding Hubei province, which has largely been under lockdown for almost two weeks. A 1,000-bed field hospital in Wuhan built from scratch within two weeks to relieve overburdened medical facilities started receiving patients on Tuesday, with a second makeshift hospital due to open later this week. A cultural building, an exhibition centre and a gymnasium have also been converted into improvised clinics with 3,400 beds. State media reported that the city planned to convert an additional eight facilities into hospitals. burs-lth-rox/qan Last year Karl Chu offered to make me a pair of shoes under his Ascot Shoes label for review. I had known Karl (pictured below) for a while, but mostly through his hosting of bespoke shoemakers in London - such as Masaru Okuyama - in his old space on Savile Row and now in the basement of Mark Powell in Soho. Id never tried the shoes he sold himself, which are both from Hungarian shoemaker Vass (Karl is the European agent for their non-bespoke) and the Kaan model, which is partly made by Vass and partly in Northampton. I was interested in Vass because Id never had any before (always a driver as far as this site is concerned) and because Vass is known for making hand-sewn shoes at slightly more affordable prices. This kind of hand-sewn construction, with both the welt and the sole stitched by hand, is mostly only available from bespoke makers, and therefore priced in the thousands. Vass costs around 900 from Ascot in the UK and $735 from No Man Walks Alone in the US. The reason is historical. Like many smaller economies, most shoemakers in Eastern Europe never industrialised, and therefore have continued to make all their shoes by hand, the old-fashioned way. Ive visited a few of these, including in Warsaw a long time ago. Karls main job is running a software consultancy, working for investment banks. But he takes time off to work on his shoe projects. And that time off is getting longer: his current shoebbatical has lasted a year. Karl started by introducing Vass to the UK, where they werent otherwise available, and eventually became the local agent. Other work, such as hosting bespoke makers, is more a passion project and he doesnt (at least initially) charge a fee. The bespoke makers he currently works with are Masaru Okuyama, Ginza Clematis and Korbinian Hess Ludwig from Germany. Appointments for the various services are available in three London locations: Mark Powell in Soho, English Cut in Marylebone, and Taylor & Son also in Marylebone, where Karl also offers bespoke shoes that he measures and fits. And in Paris appointments are possible at Chato Lufsen. The lions share of the business is Vass ready-made and MTO, however, and around 40% of that is the Kaan model. (This is also more expensive: 910 for calf, 1295 for cordovan). Karl developed this out of a desire for a split-toe derby with a hand-sewn apron, in different leathers and lasts. He originally asked English makers such as Edward Green and John Lobb to make one to order for him, in alligator and on particular lasts, but this wasnt available. So he found a maker in Northampton that would do the clicking (cutting) of the leather, and then sew the uppers with the U-shape around the apron the traditional way - by hand, with a pigs hair bristle (like the Edward Green Dover). He then convinced Vass in Budapest to do everything else: hand lasting, hand sewing the welt and sole, and hand finishing. With my shoes, I introduced an extra layer of complication, asking for my Kaan to be in cordovan. I had admired the Alden split-toe blucher in cordovan for a while, and thought this was a nice way to make a similar shoe at bespoke-level quality. Karls maker was initially reluctant. Cordovan is about 30% thicker than calf, and harder. Sewing it with a bristle, and punching the holes, would not be easy. And so it proved, with a few broken needles. But it was done in the end, and the maker is happy to make them again in the future (Im told four have been made since). Wearing the shoes now, Im not entirely sure the technique is suited to cordovan. The way it works, the outer section of the upper is turned upwards at the seam, while the middle part (the apron) is kept flat, meeting the outer section at 90 degrees. This means the inside of the cordovan, the raw edge, is exposed. Its not an issue with most leathers, but with cordovan the inside is paler and stands out a little more. Its probably clear from the photos that the cordovan also made stitching around the apron (and internal sewing on the toe) a little tricky, and the edge uneven as a result. Cordovan might be more suited to the machine stitching that Alden uses, which doesnt expose the edge of the leather. ('Leather' used for simplicity, as cordovan is of course not really a leather or a skin, but a membrane.) The look and the shape of the Kaan were great. One thing that had always put me off Vass was the impression that all the designs and lasts were chunky and round - a little rural, a little old-fashioned. But this is probably just because those styles have become most popular. The F and U lasts are actually pretty slim, with a rounded and squared toe respectively. I liked the look and shape of mine, on the U last - slimmer than the Alden would have been, and elegant without being too long. The length, though, was affected by an issue over sizing. At the time, Ascot was based in the Cad & The Dandy rooms on Savile Row. PJ there took me through the process, we tried on various U-last Vass shoes, and settled on a size and design. There was clearly some miscommunication, because the shoes that came back were a size too big. My feet are almost a half size different, and there did seem to be some lack of understanding about ordering different sizes for each foot (something Karl offers with MTO). But even then, they were too big. With two insoles, they were comfortable and wearable, though perhaps a little long for my foot (causing double creasing on the vamp). This is the pair I have now, and are shown in the images. Karl says he thinks he knows why the miscommunication happened, and it shouldnt happen again. But I might look at Alden pair in the future if the size issues bother me too much. There was also an issue with the sole, which was meant to be a thin rubber but came as Vibram. However, its actually one thing I really like about the finished shoe. It makes the look a lot heavier and more rugged, but with denim I think its nice - and very practical as a rain shoe, with the cordovan as well. That, of course, is more of a personal style point, and it might be a look others dislike. I should also say that, although I've heard of issues with Vass quality control from others, in every other way the shoes were very well made. Although of course with the Kaans the clicking and closing are not done by Vass but in Northampton. In the images, the shoes are worn with my Blackhorse Lane jeans (NW1, 18oz), vintage field jacket with fur lining, striped PS Oxford shirt, and lambswool cardigan from Drakes. More images of that outfit on the article about the lining, here. Photography: Jamie Ferguson. MTO Kaan shoes in cordovan cost 1620 Britain is to reject EU demands for a deal on fishing that would give foreign trawlers access to our waters for 25 years. Instead, France and other European nations will have to request access annually, with quotas negotiated each year. The UK has some of the richest fishing grounds in the world, but British vessels land less than a third 32 per cent of the total catch. Britain is to reject EU demands for a deal on fishing that would give foreign trawlers access to our waters for 25 years. Pictured: Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a fish during a visit to Grimsby Fish Market, while on the General Election campaign trail EU boats take 43 per cent, while the Norwegians catch 21 per cent. At the end of the transition period in December, the country will leave the EUs Common Fisheries Policy, which dictates how much British trawlers can catch and where. Fishermen complain they do not get a fair share of what is caught in UK waters. The UK has some of the richest fishing grounds in the world, but British vessels land less than a third 32 per cent of the total catch The Fisheries Bill going through Parliament will end the automatic right of EU vessels to fish in British waters, with access to fisheries set to be a matter for the UK to negotiate. Ministers see Norway as a model. It holds annual negotiations with the EU on access to waters, management of shared stocks and exchanges of quota rights. The political declaration on future relations agreed by Boris Johnson and EU leaders last year states fishing rights must be ratified by July. Kerala cop kicks, beats up passenger for travelling without ticket on train, video goes viral Complete lockdown in Kerala? Here's what Health Minister has to say Kerala plans airstrips-heliports to connect tourists spots India oi-Madhuri Adnal Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 03: Besides the four international airports, Kerala may soon have a string of airstrips-heliports, which can operate small, single-engine aircraft connecting major tourist destinations. Unveiling the plan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said the state had submitted a feasibility study report in this regard to the Civil Aviation Ministry for approval. The objective of the initiative is the comprehensive development of the state's aviation sector, he told the state assembly during question hour. Under the plan, the airstrip-heliports would be set up at Ashramam maidan in Kollam, Munnar, Thekkadi, Kalpetta, Bekal, Guruvayur, Palakkad, Alappuzha beach, Varkala and Kumarakom, he said. "We are planning to commence airline service connecting the state's major tourists spots by operating tiny single-engine aircraft having 8-10 seats. The plan is to set up the proposed airstrips at Bekal, Wayanad and Idukki in the initial phase," he said. NEWS AT 3 PM, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 Kerala confirms 3rd case of coronavirus; Union Health Ministry issues fresh travel advisory The state government has also requested the Centre to include the proposed airstrips under its Regional Connectivity Scheme-UDAN to operate them as feeder ports of the international airports, the Chief Minister added. Steps to set up a greenfield airport to help Sabarimala pilgrims are also progressing, Vijayan said adding a techno-economic feasibility report in this regard is under the government's consideration. EU sets conditions for trade with UK The proposed negotiation mandate involves three main chapters: economic and security partnership, as well as an institutional framework for governing future relations. The European Commission on Monday presented its draft negotiation mandate on the EUs future partnership with the UK. The UK left the bloc on Friday after being a member of the European integration for 47 years. In the upcoming 11-month transition period, the UK and the EU are meant to agree on the terms of economic cooperation. "UK CAN'T HAVE ANYMORE BLOC'S ADVANTAGES" Lets be clear and dont forget that the best relationship with the EU is to stay a member, Michel Barnier, the EUs chief negotiator said at a news conference. The UK decided to leave the single market and the customs union, so it cant have anymore the blocs advantages, he added. In terms of economy, the EU offers a highly ambitious trade deal with zero tariffs and quotas for all goods and services entering the single market, Barnier explained. It covers a wide range of sectors, including business, telecommunications, intellectual property rights and access to EU public procurements. A British woman and an Australian man were caught having sex in broad daylight on a busy family beach in the Philippines - but refused to stop even when police arrived. The pair, named by police as Jasmine Nelly and Anthony Carrio, both 26, were arrested and handcuffed but still carried on romping as they were taken to the cells. They were seen by shocked locals on the popular Boracay Island in Aklan province. Cops arrived and stood over the pair while telling to stop but they continued romping last Thursday evening at around 5.45pm - a busy time with many children and families on the beach. Police released this photo of the couple having sex on the Philippines beach in broad daylight They were seen by shocked locals on the popular Boracay Island in Aklan province but carried on having sex even after the police arrived (stock image - these sunbathers were not involved) Police Corporal Joel Banga-ora said today that the pair were both so drunk that they tried to ignore police and continue having sex. He said they had to be handcuffed and dragged to the station but they were still all over each other in the back of the police truck. They have both been charged and released on bail pending a court appearance in February. Corporal Joel Banga-ora said: 'Officers arrived at the beach and they kept going. We were stood next to them and they continued having sex. 'They were not embarrassed that everybody could see their bodies. The woman's breasts were fully exposed and the man's penis was visible. 'They were so engrossed in each other they did not know what was happening around them.' Officers handcuffed the couple and put them into a truck to be taken to the local station. The couple continued to have sex on the beach even after police were called (stock image) However, police said they continued groping each other even when they were on the way to the cells. Corporal Joel Banga-ora added: 'They were very drunk so they were still trying to finish what they started on the beach.' The pair were detained at the Malay Municipal Police Station and later charged at the Aklan Prosecutor's Office with grave scandal. A second charge of disobedience to a person in authority was added because the Australian man allegedly tried to run away after he had been arrested. They couple posted bail of 6,000 pesos (90) each for grave scandal and the man paid another 3,000 pesos (45) for disobedience to person in authority. They were both released on the same day. Corporal Joel Banga-ora added: 'The names are correct and the trial has been scheduled for February but there are no exact dates yet. If they don't show up for trial they will get a travel ban to the Philippines. 'They have already left Boracay for Cebu City.' Vials are filled in an HIV vaccine laboratory. Credit: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has stopped administration of vaccinations in its HVTN 702 clinical trial of an investigational HIV vaccine. This action was taken because an independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB) found during an interim review that the regimen did not prevent HIV. Importantly, the DSMB did not express any concern regarding participant safety. The Phase 2b/3 study, named HVTN 702 or Uhambo, began in 2016 and is taking place in South Africa. It was testing an investigational prime-boost vaccine regimen based on the only vaccine regimen ever to show protection from HIVthe regimen tested in the RV144 clinical trial in Thailand led by the U.S. Military HIV Research Program and the Thai Ministry of Health. For HVTN 702, the vaccine regimen was adapted to the HIV subtype Clade C most common in southern Africa, where the pandemic is most pervasive. "An HIV vaccine is essential to end the global pandemic, and we hoped this vaccine candidate would work. Regrettably, it does not," said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. "Research continues on other approaches to a safe and effective HIV vaccine, which I still believe can be achieved." The HVTN 702 study enrolled 5,407 HIV-negative volunteers at 14 sites across South Africa. The study population consisted of sexually active men and women aged 18 to 35 years. The study volunteers were randomly assigned to receive either the investigational vaccine regimen or placebo injections. Study participants received six injections over 18 months. As with all NIAID-sponsored HIV prevention trials, the safety of HVTN 702 study participants was closely monitored throughout the trial, and participants were offered the local standard of care for preventing HIV, including access to oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). In the January 23, 2020 interim analysis, the DSMB examined data from 2,694 volunteers who received the investigational vaccine regimen and 2,689 volunteers who received the placebo injection. The analysis looked at how many participants were diagnosed with HIV after at least 60 percent of the participants had been in the study for more than 18 monthsenough time for the vaccine regimen to stimulate an immune response. In this analysis, 129 HIV infections occurred among the vaccine recipients, and 123 HIV infections occurred among the placebo recipients. Based on these findings, the DSMB concluded that the investigational vaccines had not shown any efficacy. The DSMB recommended that no further vaccinations be administered and that participants remain in the study for follow-up. The report noted there was no significant evidence of either decreased or increased infection rates with vaccination. NIAID, the trial sponsor, concurred with the DSMB's recommendation, and stopped the vaccinations. Participants are being informed, and study investigators will continue following study participants over time. "The people of South Africa have made history by answering this important scientific question. Sadly, we wish the answer was different," said HVTN 702 Protocol Chair Glenda Gray, M.B.B.C.H., F.C.Paed. (SA). "We will continue to explore promising avenues for preventing HIV with other vaccines and tools, both in South Africa and around the world." Dr. Gray is president and chief executive officer of the South African Medical Research Council; research professor of pediatrics at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg; and a founding director of the Perinatal HIV Research Unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, South Africa. NIH is investing in multiple approaches to prevent HIV with the goal of delivering new options that are safe, effective, desirable to diverse populations, and scalable worldwide to help end the global pandemic. These efforts include two other late-stage, multinational vaccine trials, Imbokodo and Mosaico, both testing a novel mosaic vaccine regimen and being sponsored by Janssen Vaccines & Prevention, B.V., part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. The vaccine concept being tested in these trials is different than the one under investigation in HVTN 702. In addition, the proof-of-concept AMP trials are testing an intravenously delivered investigational antibody for preventing HIV. Other cutting-edge studies, including the AMP trials, are investigating if broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) can protect against HIV. Two other large-scale trials are testing an investigational long-acting injectable antiretroviral drug, cabotegravir, for HIV prevention. Additional novel, long-acting HIV prevention products are also under study, including implants, vaginal rings, combinations of bNAbs, and multi-purpose products that offer contraception along with HIV prevention. The HVTN 702 vaccine regimen consisted of two experimental vaccines: a canarypox vector-based vaccine called ALVAC-HIV and a two-component gp120 protein subunit vaccine with an adjuvant to enhance the body's immune response to the vaccine. Both ALVAC-HIV (supplied by Sanofi Pasteur) and the protein vaccine (supplied by GSK) were modified from the versions used in RV144 to be specific to HIV subtype C. Additionally, the protein subunit vaccine in HVTN 702 was combined with MF59, a different adjuvant than the one used in RV144, in the hope of generating a more robust and durable immune response.Finally, the HVTN 702 vaccine regimen included booster shots at the one-year and 18-month timepoints in an effort to prolong the early protective effect observed in RV144. HVTN 100, a predecessor clinical trial using the HVTN 702 regimen, found that the new vaccine regimen was safe and induced high and boostable titers of antibodies to several HIV strains prevalent in southern Africa. South Africa has one of the highest HIV rates in the world. According to UNAIDS, more than 20 percent of the adult population ages 15-49 in South Africa are living with HIV, and 240,000 people acquired HIV in 2018. Young people, like the volunteers who enrolled in the HVTN 702 studyand particularly young womenare at the highest risk for HIV. HVTN 702 is part of a larger HIV vaccine research endeavor led by the Pox-Protein Public-Private Partnership, or P5a diverse group of public and private organizations working to build on the RV144 trial. P5 members include NIAID, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the South African Medical Research Council, which funded HVTN 702; the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN), headquartered at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, which conducted HVTN 702; Sanofi Pasteur and GSK, which provided study materials; and the U.S. Military HIV Research Program. "We appreciate the trust and effort from our participants, and the tremendous effort expended by our staff at all of our South African sites," said Larry Corey, M.D., Principal Investigator of the HVTN. "We commend all the sites, the South African communities and each participant for their tireless commitment to finding solutions to the HIV epidemic," added HVTN 702 Protocol Co-Chair Linda-Gail Bekker, M.D., Ph.D., deputy director of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre at the University of Cape Town and chief operating officer of the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa. The DSMB commended the HVTN team on their effort in conducting the trial, and their high regard for the participants in the trial. The study team expresses its gratitude to the participants and partners whose leadership were integral to this study and the pursuit of an HIV vaccine. NIAID and the HVTN 702 study team are working to thoroughly analyze the study data to guide future vaccine development efforts. Detailed scientific findings will be made public as soon as possible. For more information about the HVTN 702 study, please see the updated Questions and Answers. Explore further Cross-clade immune responses reported in South African RV144 HIV vaccine regimen (L to R) Amy Huberman, Saoirse Ronan, Jessie Buckley, Prince William and Kate Middleton at the BAFTAs The 2020 BAFTAs enjoyed the largest contingent of Irish stars in recent years, marking a record year for homegrown talent - with jaw-dropping fashion to match. Actress Amy Huberman (40) made her debut at the prestigious ceremony's red carpet in a dove grey tulle couture gown by Helen Cody, with semi-sheer panelling. She is one of Irish fashion's most ardent supporters and has some of her most well-received looks were courtesy of Dublin-based designer Cody, who has dressed a number of women at the Oscars over the years and is well versed in the specifics of what's required at such a high profile event. Saoirse Ronan, already a red carpet veteran at 24, has been working every red carpet with aplomb during her Best Actress Oscar campaign for her role as Jo March in Little Women. Her dramatic black Gucci ballgown was made using discarded satin. "We wanted to create a gown that didnt waste any resources or peoples time, her stylist Elizabeth Saltzman told British Vogue.Its the first time weve gone dead simple, but weve been geeking out about the intricate craftsmanship. I love that the most classic pieces are often the hardest to make it feels good to celebrate this unique work." Expand Close Amy Huberman arrives at the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 2, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Amy Huberman arrives at the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 2, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images) Jessie Buckley, from Killarney Co Kerry, who was nominated in the Best Leading Actress category, opted for a more structured artistic take rather than a more traditional red carpet gown. Her feathered Miu Miu design - alongside a new, sharper bob - divided critics; half of whom praised her for stepping outside the box and others who couldn't see its artistic value. Andrew Scott has been a red carpet fixture this awards season thanks to the success of Fleabag, and as usual, he elevated men's formalwear with a green velvet Paul Smith tuxedo. Aisling Bea, who is enjoying a breakout year thanks to roles on Netflix's Living With Yourself and This Way Up, has long been a champion of sustainable fashion and was well equipped to adhere to this year's memo issued by the British academy to guests encouraging to adopt a more eco-friendly approach to their style, whether it was re-wearing something (as she did with her green platform heels) or borrowing something already made, as she did with her monochrome sequin gown by Rupert Sanderson. Britain's Duchess of Cambridge, alongside husband Prince William, who is president of the independent arts charity. In keeping with the 'sustainable' theme, she re-wore an Alexander McQueen gown from her Malaysia tour in 2012 and what has stood the test of time as one of her most memorable looks ever.This time around, she added more structure to the original cap sleeves, wore a more formal up 'do and donned Van Cleef jewels. Zoe Kravitz emerged as the best dressed of the night in a structured gold Saint Laurent gown, while Charlize Theron and Scarlett Johansson's bright ensembles were denounced for their fashion misses. For all the BAFTA looks, see our gallery below: Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next BAFTA Red Carpet 2020 Close US-Irish actress Saoirse Ronan poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP) Amy Huberman arrives at the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 2, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images) Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (C) and Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (R) attend the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Jeff Gilbert / POOL / AFP) Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, (L) and Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, (R) arrive for the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Jeff Gilbert / POOL / AFP) US actress Scarlett Johansson poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP) US actress Scarlett Johansson poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP) Irish actress Aisling Bea poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP) British actress Florence Pugh poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP) Australian actress Margot Robbie poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP) Irish actress Jessie Buckley poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP) Irish actress Jessie Buckley poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP) Irish actress Jessie Buckley poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP) US actress and singer Zoe Kravitz poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP) US actress and singer Zoe Kravitz poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP) British actress Emilia Clarke poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP) Andrew Scott poses in the Winners Room during the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Naomie Harris attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Vanessa Kirby attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Pixie Lott and Oliver Cheshire attend the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 After Party at The Grosvenor House Hotel on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images) Dermot O'Leary and Dee Koppang attend the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 After Party at The Grosvenor House Hotel on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images) Aisling Bea attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Renee Zellweger attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Saoirse Ronan attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Saoirse Ronan attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Margot Robbie attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Florence Pugh attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Lily-Rose Depp poses in the Winners Room during the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (L) and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (L) and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Daisy Ridley attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (L) and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Charlize Theron attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Charlize Theron attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Scarlett Johansson attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Scarlett Johansson attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Emilia Clarke attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp US-Irish actress Saoirse Ronan poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP) Expand Close Aisling Bea attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Aisling Bea attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Video of the Day Every name on the BrandBucket marketplace is exclusively listed with BrandBucket. That means that all of our sellers are very responsive, making for quick domain transfers. A dedicated BrandBucket agent will manage your domain transfer from beginning to end, ensuring a secure and easy transaction. 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BrandBucket has vetted and supports the following registrars: GoDaddy Namesilo Uniregistry NameCheap Google Domains Network Solutions Name.com Dynadot Amazon Route 53 123 Reg Gandi 2. We request the name from the seller. Once we know where you would like the domain transferred, BrandBucket will request the domain from the seller. All of our sellers are very responsive, making for a quick process. 3. Transfer the name into your account As soon as we receive the name from the seller, we start the transfer into your account and guide you through the whole process. 4. Verify with the buyer that the transfer is complete Once we confirm that you have received the name, we consider the escrow process to be complete. Only then do we release payment to the domain seller. HYDERABAD: The 15th Finance Commission has kindled hope in Andhra Pradesh that the state may, after all, get special category status (SCS), as assured by the Centre in Parliament when the undivided AP was bifurcated. The Centre had all these days been taking shelter under the 14th Finance Commission report as an excuse for denying SCS to AP. However, the 15th Finance Commission has clearly said in its report that the Centre can take a decision in granting SCS to any state.. In Paragraph 7.4 of the 7th chapter of the report, the Commission says, Some states have requested special category status. This does not constitute part of the mandate of 15th Finance Commission and remains entirely in the domain of the Union government, which can take an appropriate decision. The concluding lines indicate that the Centre can indeed grant SCS to Andhra Pradesh if it so desires. All political parties have been demanding special status for AP for more than five years. AP Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, before and after the Assembly polls, said his government will bring pressure on the Centre for SCS. Whether or not the Centre grants SCS, the Finance Commission has given a weapon to the YSRC to pressurise the Centre on the issue. The Centre now cannot continue saying that the 14th Finance Commission had made no mention of SCS, because the 15th Finance Commission has mentioned it. Incidentally, the 15th Finance Commission has also given ammunition to Opposition parties in AP for attacking the YSRC on the special status issue. Since it leaves the matter with the Centre, the Opposition parties may take up cudgels against the ruling party for its failure in bringing pressure on the Centre if it does not secure the SCS. The government has decided to ban from Tuesday any foreigners who have visited China's Hubei Province over the past two weeks. The city of Wuhan in Hubei is the epicenter of a new coronavirus infection. The government also told Koreans who visited the region to quarantine themselves at home for two weeks and temporarily halted visa-free travel to Jeju Island by Chinese tourists. The government earlier said it would not impose entry bans but relented after a person in the Philippines who was infected with coronavirus died, the first death outside China. But the belated measures are too late and ineffective. Epidemic experts said it is not enough to block visitors from just Hubei Province since more than 40 percent of coronavirus infections in China occurred in other provinces. Countries around the world have already taken steps to restrict or ban visitors from all of China. The U.S. and Australia ban foreigners who have visited China recently, while Singapore even imposes a transfer ban on flights from China. Russia, Mongolia and North Korea closed off their borders with China. Latin American countries, which have yet to report any coronavirus infections, are quickly canceling flights to and from China or banning the entry of Chinese visitors. These measures are not racist or malicious. They are simply safety measures to minimize contact with high-risk regions. It is the responsibility of a government to place top priority on the health of its people. But still around 20,000 visitors from China enter Korea every day, and stringent measures should have been taken weeks ago faster than any other country. President Moon Jae-in last week vowed to deal with the crisis "so strongly as to be seen as excessive" but has failed to live up to his words. The government and ruling party shuddered each time there was a call to ban the entry of Chinese visitors. The Chinese are our friends, they said, and we must help them out in tough times. They even ignored warnings by the Korean Medical Association, accusing it of being "politically motivated." But who is really politically motivated? Is the government being so reckless because it wants to ensure that Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Korea before April's general election? Britain could not have hoped for better news on the economy on the first trading day since leaving the European Union. First came the fascinating report that Nissan has drawn up contingency plans to pull out of manufacturing across Europe in the event of a hard Brexit, preferring to ramp up UK production instead. The Japanese car maker is said to be considering switching to selling more cars in the UK than in Europe if a trade deal leads to tariffs. UK manufacturing had its best performance in nine months in January, with new orders growing at their fastest rate since April last year despite a downturn in exports to the continent If that were so, Nissan plans to keep the Sunderland factory going but shut production in Spain and France. Internal reports suggest that Nissan reckons its share of the UK market could be boosted from 4 per cent to a fifth of all cars sold here. Nissan denies the report, claiming neither its UK nor its European businesses are sustainable in the event of WTO rules. Yet there is rarely this much smoke without fire. The more interesting point is that Nissan is no longer threatening to leave the UK should Boris Johnson and the EU fail to agree on terms. What this also indicates is that Nissan prefers to stay here rather than switch all production to the continent, mainly because it values its hard-working and loyal Sunderland workforce so highly. This brings us to the second bit of bright news. The UK's manufacturing sector had its best performance in nine months in January, with new orders growing at their fastest rate since April last year despite a downturn in exports to the continent. The IHS Markit/Cips manufacturing purchasing managers index rose to 50 in January as orders flowed, and business confidence bounced back after December's decisive election. Britain's manufacturing industry has emerged from its longest decline since the financial crisis. This is hugely important as manufacturing makes up 10 per cent of the economy and has the potential to grow further still. But it is a sector which needs urgent repair work. Make UK, the manufacturing trade association, warns we have a shortage of 59,000 engineering graduates and technicians each year, a staggering statistic which is holding back growth and which the industry is trying desperately to address. Reforming the apprenticeship levy scheme should be a priority. Yet there's a third reason for optimism. Marcus Gibson of the Gibson Index says official figures from the Office for National Statistics are missing out on a boom in exports by SMEs to big growth markets: the US, the Middle East and south Asia. Gibson, who monitors 70,000 UK small companies, calls this historic shift the 'Big Switch'. If all small-company export successes are included such as the 200,000 tiny companies which sell via Amazon and eBay he claims the real figure for exports growth since the Brexit referendum is 29 per cent rather than the official 22 per cent. More pertinently, Gibson's tracker shows this extraordinary revival is coming from small companies based in the regions from Wales to the North of England and they are exporting all over the world. Nor are they just selling a few lamb cutlets. Leading the charge are those specialising in chemicals, automotive and food and drink, and they export to countries as diverse as Nigeria to Oman. Macedonia now buys nearly as much from the UK as Austria. As Christopher Columbus said: 'You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.' More Brexit boost Just as Brexit unleashed a competition among experts fighting over each other to come up with the worst scenarios for Project Fear, so leaving the EU is prompting competition for the best ways to boost the economy. The latest experts to wave the Project Hope flag are Alvarez & Marsal, the professional services firm, and Capital Economics, which claim GDP could be stimulated 7 per cent with four tax changes. This could be achieved by increasing R&D incentives, the creation of ten free ports and a regional corporate tax system with lower tax rates as well as energy tax changes to reduce energy consumption. Together, these changes would add up to a 150billion boom to the economy, or 5,500 per household. More submissions, please. All aboard Does Richard Meddings, the TSB chairman, not have enough to do sorting out his own troubled bank? You would think so, and so do customers. Meddings clearly does not agree as he is off to join another scandal-hit bank, Credit Suisse, as a non-executive director. He should think again. NEW HAVEN As the United States announces an extended ban on immigrants entering the country, Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services in New Haven is bucking the trend. Some 3,200 runners and walkers took to the streets of New Haven in a 5K race Sunday that is expected to raise $200,000 for the organization that provided services to an estimated 1,000 immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers in 2019, IRIS Executive Director Chris George. On Friday, the Trump administration announced a ban on immigrants from six more countries with mainly Muslim populations. The crowds at the major IRIS fundraiser are the largest yet, as the administration becomes more and more cruel, George said. The executive director said it was a day that also saw 160 volunteers arrive at Wilbur Cross High School with a dozen of them reporting as early as 6 a.m.to set up for the 10 a.m. race/walk. IRIS, which was scripted to deal only with persons approved to enter the country as refugees, has, since 2016, slowly expanded that mission to asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants through the use of unrestricted private donations, George said. It has been gradual, but it has really taken off recently, George said. Its annual appeal this year featured a person seeking asylum. Over the past 15 years, he said an average of 500 have been helped annually. The director has sent a case manager to the Mexican border to bring two families to New Haven from Democratic Republic of Congo, as they had been stymied as they sought asylum. He said they got a call from Catholic Charities in McAllen, Texas about the plight of the families who will now come to Connecticut with the help of JCARR, the Jewish Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement, and volunteers from the Madison Congregational Church. They are being let into the U.S. under humanitarian parole, a small program that recognizes they have a good chance of winning asylum and are given one year to do so. We are not waiting for the State Department to bring us families. We taken action into our own hands, George said. He said the race is an indication that Connecticut welcomes refugees and immigrants and it is sending a message to Washington that says we are a welcoming nation. The race was a morning of celebration with music performed by public school students, as well as a group from Yale University and sponsorships and food donations from a number of local institutions. U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, one of several officials to speak, recently came back from Matamores, Mexico where 3,000 asylum seekers are being held as they try to apply for refugee status in the U.S. She said she found unbelievably inhumane circumstances, where there is a shortage of food, limited health services and people with little option but to bath in the Rio Grande River. DeLauro encouraged the crowd to tell President Donald Trump the situation is unacceptable. Its got to stop. She praised IRIS for having the courage to fight for what our values are, despite the challenges. There is a new horror every day, DeLauro said. We are fighting for the soul of our country. We are an immigrant nation. We welcome the stranger, she said. Mayor Justin Elicker, who has run the race every year since it was started, came in 49th, 10th in his age group with a time of 20.02 for a 6:27 mile pace. Since he took office on Jan. 1, he said he is finding it hard to fit in his daily run. He thanked the group of about 20 city employees who also joined the race and, according to Carlos Eyzaguirre, an economic development officer, raised about $1,000 to donate to IRIS. New Haven has always been a place that welcomes everyone and the work that IRIS is doing, and the record number of people today today, shows that we continue that spirit to make sure that people who are struggling around the world have a home in New Haven, Elicker said. A young mother and her 6-year-old daughter were among the runners/walkers. This is one of the events that we do every year that is truly about inclusive community. Is shows we want to live in a true sanctuary city ... We want to be part of a United States that lives up to what we are supposed to be about, Jennie Heikkila Diaz said. She said she was part of some 20 people from Teach for America who participated. Gladys Mwilelo came to Connecticut some 6 years ago from the Democratic Republic of Congo, along with her extended family, and was helped by IRIS to settle here. Now a student at Central Connecticut State University, Mwilelo told the crowd that as a new U.S. citizen, my hope for the world is to not turn people into refugees anymore. She asked the runners to welcome their current immigrant neighbors and reminded them that they are more than their immigration status. They are people just like you. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said it was really reinvigorating and renewing to come to this race after the past week, in Washington where the Senate is dealing with impeachment charges against Trump, a trial without witnesses that continues this week. He characterized IRIS as a model for the whole country. You give me the hope and the inspiration that America will do better, Blumenthal told the runners. In a memo to Trump, he said: This is what America looks like. This is what the best in America looks like. He called implementation of an immigration ban directed at Muslimsone of the saddest and shameful days in American history. Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz thanked immigrants for the talent, time and energy they bring to Connecticut. She also thanked the president for inspiring the great turnout at the race, which has grown from 360 participants the first year to the 3,200 on Sunday. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577. If your parents admonish that youll never be able to make a living with comic books, video games and toys, tell them about Robert Atkins. The 40-year-old Jacksonville native has been doing artwork for these genres for more than 14 years, and chances are good youve seen some of his creations. My grade school friends and I would draw quite often, but I really buckled down and took it seriously in college, Atkins said. I thought that Ive got to do this professionally, because this is the strongest thing I have going for me. Atkins artwork has been featured in G.I. Joe comics as well as the Marvel comics Spider-Man, Venom, X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Hes designed the packaging artwork for such iconic toys as the Nerf Gun and Hot Wheels cars, and a new video game is coming out for which Atkins created the conceptual art and level design. What I am most known for is my work with G.I. Joe, the revitalization of that nostalgia for people from their early to mid thirties onward, Atkins said. I created the G.I. Joe characters Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, and there is a Snake Eyes movie coming out in late 2020. Whenever I talk about the comics industry people are surprised. They know the comics come out, but theyre never really sure how theyre made, or think that there has to be somebody there whos read a script, visualizes it, and draws it out, Atkins said. Its an assembly-line process, with a writer, penciler, inker, colorist, a letterer, there are five of us usually working together. Atkins is typically the penciler, which is the first and arguably most important part of the visual creative process. I receive a script that looks very much like a screenplay, then I have to see those pictures in my head and translate it to the page to make it read and visualize clearly, so everything is easy to read, exciting and dramatic, Atkins said. Its similar to storyboarding for a movie screenplay, it takes that initial step to visualize it. Atkins artistic roots run deep in Jacksonville. His grandmother, Jane Atkins, was a known artist and operated a downtown Jacksonville art store with her husband in the 1960s. Roberts father Tom is also very artistic. Robert attended Illinois College, MacMurray College and Illinois State University before earning his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Savannah (Georgia) College of Art and Design. Robert hoped to get work in the comic industry, and his big break came while he was still a student in Savannah. I went to a convention in Orlando and one of my professors introduced me to a few different artists, including Randy Green, who was an artist for Marvel at the time, Atkins said. A few months later Randy called me to drive up to North Carolina to help him with a deadline he was on for X-Men, so I was doing backgrounds for his pages. Nine months after college graduation Atkins received a call from a classmate who had become a comic book company editor, and in 2005 Atkins began working on G.I. Joe artwork. Atkins was the main artist on the G.I. Joe comics through 2008, and this past year he resumed doing artwork for the franchise. Atkins also designed the package artwork for the Nerf Zombie Strike toy guns. I talk to a lot of elementary schools and I always ask who here has a Nerf Zombie Strike gun? Most of them will raise their hands, Atkins said. Then I ask how many of you kept the package? And nobody puts their hands up, and I say, well, thats what I worked on. Atkins designed the package artwork for the Star Wars Hot Wheels cars, some related action figures, and created some animated scenes, storyboards and finishing lines for video games. He did the conceptual art and level design for a new video game called Luckys Tale that has just hit the stores. All of the artwork hes done has been on a freelance basis, and while its been tremendously satisfying, Atkins needed a steadier income. So for the past two years, in addition to his freelance work, Atkins has been a professor in the Sequential Art Department at his alma mater, the Savannah College of Art and Design. The Atkins family moved there after having lived in Springfield the previous 12 years. Sequential art is anything visual that tells a story. We are putting one image in sequence after the next, Atkins said. It applies to storyboarding for movies, animation, comic books and advertising. Even if its a single image there might be a story you can tell with that image. Atkins and his wife Laura, whom he met at Jacksonville High School, have a 13-year-old son Conner and 11-year-old daughter Emma, who are both really creative and draw for fun, Atkins said. Now that I am teaching I look forward to doing that for a while. Being surrounded by creative people professionally, my colleagues as well as the students we teach, is exciting, Atkins said. Now that I am not reliant on comics as my sole income, I would like to collaborate and write my own series with my own characters. Ive always worked on other peoples characters to pay the bills. Will Atkins self-developed characters be the newest comic book superheroes? As soon as I made a superhero it would automatically have to compete with the Marvel and DC superheroes of the world, so I dont have a superhero character in mind yet, Atkins said. Atkins work can be seen on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter @ RobertAtkinsArt. . If you have a suggestion about someone who should be profiled, send their name and any contact information available to communitynews@myjournalcourier.com. In Peoples Parks 2.8 acres, there are countless stories. Stories that have shaped the history of Berkeley, and the progressive movement as we know it. And in Peoples Park, there is also pain. The park was born in the face of callous government repression and abuse by Gov. Ronald Reagans National Guard, and today perhaps no other plot of land in Berkeley so visibly and viscerally exemplifies the housing crisis that we face as a city and a region. In the shadow of mid-rise dormitories that house Southsides growing student population, several dozen unhoused individuals of every walk of life depend on the park daily. For many years, Peoples Park has been a sanctuary for the unhoused, but it can be more. The park has played various symbolic roles in the last 50 years, and today, it is time for it to play yet another one that includes housing and support for the homeless, green open space that honors the parks history and dense student housing. We are committed to guiding that transition. We do not take our decision to step forward and voice our support lightly. Attempts have been made to develop the park before, and they have failed, generally for good reason. However, the current plan that the campus is developing is a balanced one one that meets the most critical needs of our community while simultaneously affirming the important legacy of Peoples Park. The university plans a three-pronged approach to the space: a state-of-the-art permanent supportive housing facility with as many as 125 units for homeless individuals, a new housing facility for up to 1,000 students and community open space and park amenities around the two facilities that will include a memorial to the legacy of the park. Peoples Park would remain, both in form and spirit, a Peoples Park. It is truly historic and unprecedented for a university to offer its land for the development of permanent supportive housing for the homeless. There is no greater demonstration of collaboration between town and gown, the city and the campus. The housing crisis is our greatest challenge, and a new facility with as many as 125 beds would represent a dramatic expansion of our supportive services capacity. This is an immense opportunity for our citywide efforts to not only help our homeless with the highest needs, but to contribute to our goal of reducing homelessness altogether. The year has only just begun, and already four homeless individuals have passed away on our streets. Lives are at stake, and we know that the most effective way we can combat homelessness is by building supportive housing. The future we imagine at Peoples Park is a promising one, but the journey there will be full of challenges. Such a transformation of a historic space so treasured by the community demands a delicate and robust public process, a clear and well-defined displacement plan and significant investment to ensure a smooth transition. What will happen to the unhoused residents of the park while the space is under construction? How will the development impact neighboring residents, churches and businesses? Will activists who led the creation and preservation of Peoples Park be involved in planning the proposed monument or memorial there? Over the next several months, the campus is hosting a series of open houses to collect public input on the proposed project, the first of which will be on Monday, Feb. 10, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the MLK Jr. Student Union Ballroom. We encourage you to attend to make your voice heard, and help the campus shape its approach to answering these important questions. The legacy of Peoples Park for years has been one of resistance, of rising up to the defining challenges of our time. However, while we should be inspired and guided by the legacy of the 60s, we must not be constrained by it. In 2020, we live in a Berkeley where more than 1,000 of our residents are homeless. In 2020, we live in a Berkeley facing such a severe student housing shortage that 10% of UC Berkeley students will experience homelessness. In 2020, we have the opportunity and a duty to meet these challenges head-on. We hope you will join us in advocating for a new Peoples Park, one with permanent supportive housing, student housing, and open space that honors its heritage. Rigel Robinson and Lori Droste are Berkeley City Council members. Jesse Arreguin is the mayor of Berkeley. Rates of Indigenous peoples in federal prison have increased by 43 per cent over the past decade. This is a direct result of systemic discrimination and misguided legal approaches. On Tuesday I will introduce legislation to give judges the ability to not impose mandatory minimum penalties where they consider it would be just and reasonable. This bill responds to decades of recommendations, most recently from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, aimed at reducing the number of Indigenous people in prisons. In 1995, recognizing the link between the legacy of trauma and marginalization of residential schools and other colonial policies, and the escalating over-representation of Indigenous people as victims, accused and prisoners, the Criminal Code was amended to require judges to consider all available sanctions, other than imprisonment at sentencing. It directed particular attention to the circumstances of Indigenous people, which may specifically make imprisonment a less appropriate or less useful sanction. The possibilities of this provision have been obliterated by mandatory minimum penalties, which eradicate the ability of judges to craft fair sentences based on individual circumstances. Since 1995, the number of mandatory minimums in Canadas criminal law has increased seven-fold from around 10 to about 72. Over the same period, the proportion of women in the federal prison system who are Indigenous has increased from 10 per cent to 42 per cent. One group disproportionately affected by mandatory life sentences is women who have survived abuse. A 1995 government review of 98 cases of women convicted of using lethal force to protect themselves or their children from abusers determined that far too many had pleaded guilty, despite having a potentially valid claim of self-defence. Faced with circumstances ranging from limited financial resources, to navigating a legal system that had failed to protect them from violence, to fears of having to put their children through the harrowing process of testifying in court, their choice not to risk going to trial was influenced by the spectre of a mandatory life sentence. Canadian law guarantees a right to a sentence proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the degree of responsibility of the person being sentenced. In recent years, courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, have found a growing number of mandatory minimum sentencing provisions to be unconstitutional because they result in cruel and unusual punishment. Of the 72 mandatory minimums currently on the books, nearly half some 31 have been found unconstitutional by at least one court. The harms associated with mandatory minimums are clear and theres no evidence they make us safer. In fact, the Supreme Court says empirical evidence suggests that mandatory minimum sentences do not, in fact, deter crimes. Mandatory minimums are often advertised as being tough on crime. In reality, they are toughest on those who are already most marginalized and victimized. Canadians deserve better. >>> Vietnam successfully fulfils role as President of UNSC in January Ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, Permanent Representative of Belgium to the UN, said that Vietnam had done a good job despite formidable challenges when it took up the presidency of the UNSC immediately at the beginning of its tenure as a non-permanent member of the council. Vietnam had really left its imprint with the open debate on the 75th anniversary of the UN Charter, particularly in the context of mounting tensions in the UN as well as in the world. He stressed that in its rotary presidency, Vietnam worked to ensure all sessions and events in January ran smoothly. Meanwhile, Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the UN, said that Vietnams efforts during the presidency month has helped increase ASEANs position in the international arena. He hailed Vietnams initiative to bring forward cooperation between the UN and ASEAN at the UNSC, saying it is significant to help both sides exchange experience in assuring a peaceful environment in the Southeast Asian region. According to Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the UN Anne Gueguen, thanks to Vietnams effective coordination, the UNSC was able to adopt several important resolutions that have influence on millions of people worldwide, for example the resolution on extending the authorisation for the mechanism that allows cross-border humanitarian aid to Syria. Besides, all UNSC members made concerted efforts to discuss measures to reduce tensions in the Middle East, especially in Libya, she added. She said she was impressed with what the head of Vietnams mission to the UN Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy and his team did in the past month, and congratulated Vietnam on its successful presidency. PALM BEACH, Fla., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "As the Chairman and CEO of The Hollywood Land Development Company, I am extremely proud to report that my company has received a Presidential Order, which is so rare and amazing to have received this order, being the first company in U.S. history to have received this level of recognition in regards to the $16 billion settlement for The Sovereign Towers Project consisting of Sovereign Tower I luxury hotel project for $6.8 billion from the $6,341,776,000 2016 sale of the planned best-in-class, 800-room Marriott dual-branded Ritz-Carlton/St. Regis luxury hotel with a rooftop Wolfgang Puck Spago and CUT restaurants, as well as $2.4 billion for Sovereign Tower II," Mr. Nicholas Phipps White announced. Mr. Nicholas Phipps White, is the Chairman and CEO as well as the 100 percent Owner of The Hollywood Land Development Company LLC and the 100 percent Beneficiary of the more than $16 billion Nicholas Phipps White Trust account with Bank of America Private Bank/Merrill Lynch, as well as, the great-great grandson of prominent philanthropist U.S. Senator Lawrence C. Phipps, Treasurer of Carnegie Steel, who architected U.S. Steel, the first billion-dollar company in the world, and also the nephew of Palm Beach industrialist Henry Phipps Jr. of Palm Beach, Florida who founded Bessemer Trust. Mr. Nicholas Phipps last year pledged the largest gift in U.S. law enforcement history of $370 million to Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. Continuing the successful 100-year tradition of U.S. Senator Phipps insisting on representing himself in all legal, financial and banking matters, Mr. Phipps White successfully entirely himself negotiated and settled Tort Claim #164222575 which had been provided by former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, with the Attorney General of the United States William Barr of the Department of Justice for $6.8 billion for the sale of Sovereign Tower I and $6.8 billion for the settlement of Sovereign Tower II, totaling more than $16 billion. "I especially wanted to thank President Trump, for his Presidential Order, which is the highest honor for our company to receive. The President understands the hard work it takes to achieve private sector success. The President has done an extraordinary job with measurably improving the U.S. economy and honestly caring about the independent spirit of every American worker and recognizes the more than 10,000 important U.S. jobs projected for Sovereign Tower I alone. As the 100 percent Beneficiary and 100 percent Owner of the Nicholas Phipps White Trust account, I also want to thank Bank of America's Chairman and CEO Mr. Brian T. Moynihan and President of Bank of America Private Bank Ms. Katy Knox, for continuing to safeguard The Hollywood Land Development Company's currency and U.S. Gold Bullion from Sovereign Tower I and II," Mr. Nicholas Phipps White added. The Hollywood Land Development Company's former public advocate who opened this trust account in Coral Gables, Florida with Merrill Lynch International Wealth Management Advisor, Mr. Gerardo Moya, the former advocate added his personal friends to the Nicholas Phipps White Trust account as Co-Trustees to include: former Vice President Joe Biden, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Adam Schiff who took more than $565,894 a day of Mr. Nicholas Phipps White's interest income without his knowledge or authorization. The Offices of Mr. Biden, Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Schiff have confirmed they have received their Trustee forms to remove themselves of all Nicholas Phipps White Trust related Bank of America/Merrill Lynch international accounts. The Family of former U.S. Senator Lawrence C. Phipps will require these public-sector Co-Trustees who were never authorized by the Chairman and CEO Mr. Nicholas Phipps White, to return him his interest income and provide a full accounting of this private-sector Merrill Lynch account. Mr. Tom Girardi was terminated as The Hollywood Land Development Company's public advocate and has removed himself as a Co-Trustee. For media inquiries please contact Mary White (424) 355-1171 [email protected] SOURCE The Hollywood Land Development Company LLC WUHAN, China People desperate for treatment started descending on a new hospital that was mostly built in just 10 days to help cope with the outbreak of the new coronavirus in the central city of Wuhan on Monday. Construction workers in hard hats, medical staff in hazmat suits, and men and women in army fatigues scrambled around the dusty site on Monday afternoon, dodging moving trucks, excavators and cranes. Workers were still trying to finish construction on the Huoshenshan Hospital a name that means Fire God Mountain even as the facility prepared to accept its first batch of patients, the official state broadcaster, China Central Television, reported. [Read: How to survive an outbreak.] Xue Ying, a resident of Wuhan, had driven to the new hospital hoping to find help for his increasingly unwell cousin. But city officials and signs on checkpoints have said the hospital would not accept walk-ins. Admission was only for patients with officially confirmed coronavirus infections who were transferred from other facilities. The SAD core committee has accepted party workers' demand to expel senior Akali leader Sukhdev Singh Dhinda and his Parminder Singh Dhindsa from the outfit, said former minister Daljit Singh Cheema here on Monday. The father-son duo were earlier suspended for "anti-party" activities. On Sunday, the Shiromani Akali Dal had oragnised a rally in Sangrur, where party workers had reportedly adopted a resolution for the expulsion of both from the Akali Dal. "The core committee (of SAD) today accepted sentiments of the party workers who were seeking their expulsion," said SAD spokesperson Cheema. He further said the core committee, SAD's highest decision making body, would go by the decision taken by the party workers at the Sangrur rally. The meeting of the core committee was chaired by party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal. In the Sangrur rally, the SAD leadership had accused the Dhindsas of backstabbing the party. Veteran Akali leader and Rajya Sabha member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa had rebelled against the party leadership, especially its chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, in a bid to "liberate" the SAD from the Badal family and "revive its lost glory". Sukhdev Dhindsa joined hands with SAD splinter groups, including the SAD (Taksali). Toeing his father's line, his son and former Punjab finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa too resigned from the post of the party leader in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, questioning the "lack of internal democracy" within the Akali Dal. In another decision, the party also decided to hold protest rallies against the Congress-led government in the state for "not keeping" poll promises at Amritsar on February 11, Ferozepur on February 25 and Anandpur Sahib on March 9. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The union election affects only the 15 in-store shoppers assigned to the Skokie Marianos, said Instacart, which is based in San Francisco. The company said it will honor the outcome of the election, pending its certification by the National Labor Relations Board, and will negotiate in good faith on an initial collective bargaining agreement. The partial or full suspension of classes in several education units across the country because of the influenza currently affects 3,466 pupils, the Education and Research Ministry (MEC) has informed on Monday. According to the quoted source, this number doesn't represent the number of sick children. The school units of 8 counties and Bucharest are targeted. Thus, in Arges county one education unit is fully closed, in Bucharest - 23 school units have partially suspended their classes, in Cluj country - one education unit is partially closed, in Giurgiu county - one education unit is fully closed, in Iasi county there are two partially closed units, in Ilfov county - one education unit is partially closed, in Neamt county - one unit is fully closed, in Olt county - one education unit is partially closed and in Sibiu county there is only one education unit partially closed. AGERPRES The anti-CAA protests in Seelampur, Jamia Nagar and Shaheen Bagh are not a coincidence but part of a political design to harm national harmony, Prime Minister said on Monday while accusing the AAP and the Congress of fuelling the demonstrations. Addressing a rally in east Delhi ahead of the February 8 Delhi assembly elections, the prime minister referred to his government's initiatives for the city and for the country, made promises and also put the spotlight on the protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Alleging that the protests across the city are not "coincidental" but "experimental", he said Delhi's ruling AAP and the Congress were provoking people and misinforming them and asked voters to back the BJP because Delhi could not be left to anarchy. The two parties were keeping the Constitution and tricolour in the forefront, but the aim was to "divert attention from the real conspiracy", Modi said in his 55-minute speech in Karkardooma. Referring to the protests in Shaheen Bagh, on the Delhi-Noida border, he said people commuting to and from the satellite city are facing a lot of problems. The Shaheen Bagh protests have taken centrestage in the BJP poll campaign with the top party leadership raking it up in every rally. The BJP has also accused the AAP of supporting the protests at Shaheen Bagh. The people of Delhi are quiet and they are angry watching this vote bank politics, he said. "If the strength of those plotting a conspiracy increases, then another road or lane will be blocked. We can't leave Delhi to such anarchy. Only people of Delhi can stop this. Every vote given to the BJP can do this," he said. "Be it Seelampur, Jamia (Nagar) or Shaheen Bagh, for the last several days, there have been protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Are these protests coincidental? No, this is not coincidental, it is an experiment," he added. Behind the protests, Modi said, is a political design aimed at harming national harmony. "In the India of 21st century, politics of hate will not work. Only politics of development will," he said. Modi said the Supreme Court and the High Court have expressed their dissatisfaction over the violence during protests and the destruction of property. "But these people don't care about courts. They don't accept what the court says and talk about the Constitution," he said. In December, several parts of the national capital witnessed widespread protests against the amended citizenship act. Modi also took a swipe at the Congress saying those who questioned the Batla House encounter are now saving those who raised 'tukde tukde' slogans. He also slammed the AAP and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and said they questioned the Army on surgical strikes. Modi listed out a series of measures taken by his government to address the issues of the national capital, touching on national issues like the revocation of special provisions of Article 370, construction of a Ram Temple and bringing in the Citizenship Amendment Act for persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Seeking to reach out to traders and the common person, he also detailed steps in the budget for them. Modi said his government was finding solutions to decades-old problems affecting the country and cited the regularisation of unauthorised colonies to assert that the BJP had fulfilled its promise to the people of Delhi. The move is expected to benefit over 40 lakh residents of the national capital. "We delivered on our promise to people of Delhi that we will regularise unauthorised colonies," Modi said. Modi also accused Kejriwal of playing politics over health and housing by not implementing the central government's flagship schemes Ayushmaan Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. The Kejriwal-led party will continue to stall welfare schemes for people if it is voted back to power, he said. He also promised that the BJP-led Central government will provide 'pucca' houses to all poor families by 2022. The BJP, he added, believes in positivity and the interest of the country is supreme for the party. Absentee ballots for the March 10 primary election will be available to voters in the City of Midland beginning Monday, Feb. 3. Voters may obtain an absentee ballot by submitting an application in person or by mail to the Midland City Clerk's Office, 333 W. Ellsworth Street, Midland, MI 48640; by fax to 989-835-2717; or via email to clerk@midland-mi.org. A request for absentee ballot form can be found at www.cityofmidlandmi.gov/absentee. Please note that only the individual voter may be in possession of his or her unvoted ballot. Unvoted ballots will not be given to family members, friends, or any other individual besides the voter to whom it is addressed. Voters who have already submitted an application to vote by absentee ballot to the City Clerk's Office will receive their ballots by mail in the coming weeks. These ballots will be mailed and cannot be picked up in person. Beginning this year, voters will receive their absentee ballots in a new style of envelope: the former "Kraft brown" envelope has been replaced by a white envelope with a blue stripe on the left side labeled "Official Absent Voter Ballot." The envelope will contain the ballot and another white envelope with a green stripe on the left side which should be signed and used to return the completed ballot back to the City Clerk's Office. Completed absentee ballots must be received by the City Clerk's Office by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted. The City Clerk's Office recommends allowing two weeks' mailing time for returning voted ballots by mail. Return postage of 70 cents is required to mail back an absentee ballot. Following the passage of Proposal 3, all registered Michigan voters are now eligible to vote by absentee ballot for any reason in any election. For questions or more information on how to obtain an absentee ballot, visit www.cityofmidlandmi.gov/clerk or contact the Midland City Clerk's Office at 989-837-3310 or clerk@midland-mi.org. Serious threats are endangering lightning bugs across the globe; and they are all thanks to humans. I grew up in California, a place where fireflies lack the ability to light up. During summer visits to my grandmother's lake house in the midwest, I was so deliriously enchanted by the magic of these glowing fairy insects that I cursed my home state for producing such duds. Is there anything more iconic of a summer evening than the show of flashing lights performed by a firefly? Whenever I write about fireflies, commenters note that they are seeing fewer and fewer of these glowing wonders. Is it just anecdotal? Sadly, no. The scientific and citizen consensus agree that all is not well for the fireflies. There is even an international symposium of experts dedicated to conservation of the firefly. Scientists have for years been warning that the worlds estimated 2,000 species of fireflies are dwindling, notes " The New York Times. Now researchers from Tufts University and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature have taken a closer look to better understand the state of the fireflies. They surveyed firefly experts around the world to determine the biggest threats to survival for their local species. According to the survey, habitat loss is the most prominent threat to firefly survival in most geographic regions, followed by light pollution and pesticide use. The ol' insect extinction trifecta. "Habitat loss, pesticide use and, surprisingly, artificial light are the three most serious threats endangering fireflies across the globe, raising the spectre of extinction for certain species and related impacts on biodiversity and ecotourism," according to Tufts. "Lots of wildlife species are declining because their habitat is shrinking," said Sara Lewis, lead researcher and professor of biology at Tufts University, "so it wasn't a huge surprise that habitat loss was considered the biggest threat. Some fireflies get hit especially hard when their habitat disappears because they need special conditions to complete their life cycle." They explain that, for instance, the Malaysian firefly (Pteroptyx tener) which is famous for its synchronized flashing, is a "mangrove specialist." Previous research has shown dramatic losses in this species after mangrove habitat was converted into palm oil plantations and aquaculture farms. A female glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca Jason Steel Second on the list of threats is light pollution. Given that many fireflies rely on their namesake fire to find mates, illuminating the night with artificial light wreaks havoc on the insects' love life. "In addition to disrupting natural biorhythms including our own light pollution really messes up firefly mating rituals," explained Avalon Owens, Ph.D. candidate in biology at Tufts and a co-author on the study. And perhaps it's no surprise that the widespread agricultural use of pesticides is another strike against fireflies. Pesticides are created to kill insects, and kill they do ... even the good guys, like fireflies and important pollinators. While this is all so depressing humans strike again, yay us it is also hopefully hopeful that scientists are rallying around the fireflies of the world. And by determining what the risks are, the researchers will be able to better predict which populations are vulnerable to what. For example, females of the Appalachian blue ghost firefly (Phausis reticulata) are not able to fly. "So when their habitat disappears, they can't just pick up and move somewhere else," explains co-author J. Michael Reed, professor of biology at Tufts. "Our goal is to make this knowledge available for land managers, policy makers, and firefly fans everywhere," said co-author Sonny Wong of the Malaysian Nature Society. "We want to keep fireflies lighting up our nights for a long, long time." The paper A Global Perspective on Firefly Extinction Threats was published in the journal Bioscience. - Some Indonesians were sent back to their home country after being trapped in Wuhan, China - An official said that these passengers passed the health standards set by the World Health Organization - In a video, it can be seen that officials sprayed antiseptic to the passengers upon their arrival in Indonesia - The netizens were also pleased to know the precautionary measures of Indonesia amid the 2019 novel coronavirus threat PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed! It has been recently reported that officials sprayed antiseptic to the passengers who came from Wuhan, China, upon their arrival in Indonesia. KAMI learned that the video was shared online when the passengers arrived on February 2 at the Hang Nadim Airport in Batam, Indonesia. In a report by the Business Insider (authored by Connor Perrett), as of posting time, there is no confirmed case of the 2019 novel coronavirus yet in Indonesia. As seen in the video, individuals wearing yellow hazmat suits and backpacks with a label that read ALKOHOL. As reported by The Jakarta Post, the passengers of the flight are those who had been trapped in Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province. "All have been declared healthy according to World Health Organization standards," the spokesperson of Indonesian President Joko Widodo said. Meanwhile, the netizens were pleased to know the precautionary measures that Indonesia did for its residents amid the 2019 novel coronavirus scare globally. Here are some of their comments on the Facebook post Inquirer: No confirmed case in Indonesia. They are prepared. indonesia has a good precautionary measures... mabuti pa ang Indonesia may malasakit sa kababayan nila. That's a very good precaution. Well done! PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! The Department of Health has recently confirmed that about 80 people are under investigation for suspected novel coronavirus. There are over 17,000 cases of novel coronavirus in the world. About 362 deaths were reported, one of them was in the Philippines. Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Source: KAMI.com.gh The Wednesday Comedy Improv Show at Chattanooga State Humanities Theatre will begin at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free and the event is family friendly. Upcoming shows will be held on Feb. 5, 12 and 19. Comedy improvisation returns to Chattanooga State with second year students of the Professional Actor Training Program, joined by faculty and staff. The scenes are improvised from audience suggestions. Mr Yovich is now asking about the physical set up of the Pathwest DNA lab. In 1994, the lab was on the ground floor of J Block at the QEll Medical Centre. By late 1995, when Ms Ashley had returned from maternity leave, the lab had moved up to the first floor. She said the area was secured by two doors at either side of the corridor, and required a keycard to enter. Once inside, the left side of the corridor housed an open plan office for seven staff members and an examination area for physical exhibits such as presumptive tests on clothing, swabs etc. On the right side of the corridor was the DNA testing lab, which was a separate room, and freezers. Mr Yovich has asked if there were telephones in the lab, which Ms Ashley has agreed. Mr Yovich: Who serviced them? Ms Ashley: No idea. Mr Yovich: Did you see anyone come and service the telephones? Ms Ashley: No, I don't recall. Mr Edwards was a Telstra technician in the 1990s, and mostly worked for the telecom's corporate and business clients. Previous evidence has heard Mr Edwards was assigned to another medical building, Hollywood Hospital in 1990 to upgrade their phone system. While carrying out the work, he assaulted a female social worker by trying to drag her into a public bathroom. During re-examination, Ms Barbagallo has asked Ms Ashley if she was aware of any contamination in relation to the two cases she has given evidence about the past three days. "Not that I am aware of," she said. A Montana state GOP lawmaker said that he believes the US Constitution calls for people who identify as socialists to be jailed or shot. State Rep. Rodney Garcia made the comment at a state party gathering in Helena, Montana, Friday, after former interior secretary Ryan Zinke spoke at the election season kickoff event. Garcia said that he was worried about socialists 'entering our government' and being 'everywhere' in Billings - the city he represents - the Billings Gazette reported. Montana State Rep. Rodney Garcia said Friday at a GOP gathering that the US Constitution said it was OK to shoot or jail people found guilty of being socialists The newspaper reported that Garcia then said that the Constitution stated that socialists could be shot or put in jail. Given the chance to clarify his comments the next day, Garcia told the newspaper that: 'So actually in the Constitution of the United States (if) they are found guilty of being a socialist member you either go to prison or are shot.' Garcia could not, however, point to the section of the Constitution that allowed for socialists to be shot or jailed. Garcia said that it was fair to do either to socialists and called people who supported the political philosophy 'enemies of the free state.' 'What do we do with our enemies in war? In Vietnam, (Afghanistan), all those. What did we do?' Garcia told the Billings Gazette. He then went to state, 'I agree with my Constitution' and added 'Thats what makes us free. Were not a democracy, were a Republic Constitution.' Garcia was unable to point to where in the Constitution it was written that it was OK to do so. He did, however, note that socialists are the 'enemies of the free state' In 2018, Garcia ran against Amelia Marquez, a member-at-large of the Montana Democratic Party and a self-proclaimed democratic socialist. Garcia told the newspaper that he believes the growth of socialism in Montana is 'very dangerous' and pointed to his belief in the negative impact of socialism in countries including Venezuela. Garcia added he believes socialism is growing, citing advertising he says is done by socialists on Facebook. University of Montana law professor Anthony Johnstone told the Washington Post that there is 'nothing in the Constitution of the United States authorizes the government to punish socialists or anyone else on the basis of their political beliefs.' In 2018, Garcia ran against Amelia Marquez (pictured), who is a member of the Montana Democratic Party and claims to be a democratic socialist Johnston added that the US Constitution's First Amendment actually prohibits punishing political speech, while the Constitution of Montana 'expressly prohibits discrimination on the basis of political beliefs.' Johnston noted that Article 3, Section 3 of the Constitution, which deals with treason, is often misinterpreted and used as justification for punishing political opponents. This, in fact, runs contrary to what the framers of the Constitution intended, as Johnston said that they 'were careful to define treason narrowly so it could not be used for merely political purposes.' The Montana Republican Party condemned Garcia's comment Saturday. Spenser Merwin, the executive director of the Montana Republican Party, said in statement the party wholeheartedly condemned Garcia's comments. 'Under no circumstance is violence against someone with opposing political views acceptable,' Merwin said. 'Its disappointing that this isolated incident took away from the weekends events which showcased the strength of our statewide candidates and the importance of the upcoming election.' Montana Democratic Party chair Robyn Driscoll also condemned Garcia's remarks. Monday, February 3rd, 2020 (12:05 pm) - Score 12,171 UK ISP Giganet today appears to have become one of the first providers to reveal how much they will charge at retail for Openreachs new 550Mbps and 1Gbps Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband tiers, which are due to go live from 23rd March 2020. But theres a catch.. the pricing is currently only for homes in Salisbury. Just to give this announcement some context. Openreachs (BT) Fibre First project last year pledged to invest around 8 million in order to roll-out a new Gigabit-capable full fibre network to cover all 22,000+ premises in Salisbury (Wiltshire) within just 12 months (here). The city also plays host to their first major FTTP exchange migration trials. On top of that Giganet has also invested quite a bit of money to unbundle the local exchange (i.e. building their own dedicated equipment rack into the exchange and connecting that back to their resilient London-core network), which gives them more flexibility than providers that just take a regular wholesale solution from supplier(s). As it stands Openreachs citywide full-fibre roll-out is around 80% complete in Salisbury, with the remaining schedule to be reached by the end of March 2020. From next month, Giganet will thus start accepting orders via their website for homes and businesses to access a range of exclusive local packages, which are cheaper than their regular FTTP services in non-unbundled areas. Residential Services (Salisbury) inc. VAT Service Download Speed Upload Speed Activation Price per Month Available from Salisbury UltraBEAM 80 80Mb/s 20Mb/s 55 35 1st March Salisbury UltraBEAM 200 200Mb/s 30Mb/s 55 38 23rd March Salisbury UltraBEAM 300 300Mb/s 50Mb/s 55 47 1st March Salisbury UltraBEAM 500 500Mb/s 70Mb/s 55 65 23rd March Salisbury UltraBEAM 1000 930Mb/s 100Mb/s 55 79 23rd March Take note that their 300Mbps service is cheaper than BTs comparable tier, which was one of the cheapest in the market on Openreachs FTTP network (at least for the first contract term). All packages come with a 12 month contract and Technicolor DGA2231 802.11ac Wave 2 WiFi router, except the 1000Mbps (1Gbps) tier that comes with the superior Technicolor DGA4231 802.11ac 44 MIMO WiFi 5 router and a longer 24 month term. Matthew Skipsey, Head of Giganet, told ISPreview.co.uk: Next-generation fibre Internet is our lifeblood. Its what were known for and what weve been successfully delivering to our UK business customers for well over a decade. Were extremely pleased to now launch our leading service to homes in Salisbury, and across the nation. Our significant investment in the Salisbury exchange, with 80,000Mb/s of connected capacity, along with our partnership with Openreach enables us to provide truly game-changing fibre technology at highly competitive prices. Not only for residents in Salisbury but also to other Giganet Local cities such as Winchester and Basingstoke where we have unbundled, and Giganet National cities across the UK. You can see the Salisbury specific packages and prices here https://www.giga.net.uk/salisbury/ , although you do have to select the residential tiers as by default it only shows the business plans and those are more expensive. Just by way of a quick comparison, Giganets normal Openreach FTTP tier at 300Mbps is 65 per month (47 in Salisbury). Quite a saving. Take note that we also expect ISP BT to launch consumer 550Mbps and 1Gbps tiers from Openreach soon too, albeit with the same pricing for everywhere. Cheer, one of the biggest shows on Netflix right now, is all anyone is talking about right now. But for one of the stars of the show, the success has made him want to improve himself During an interview, La'Darius Marshall said that watching how others percieved him on the show has helped him grow. "I've grown from this show. Just watching myself like, Ooh, this is not how I really want to be as a person." ILLEGAL migrants are not buying a passage across dangerous seas but purchasing the removal of any future attempt of emigrating legally, the governor stressed this week. His comment came after a staggering 243 illegal Haitian migrants were captured in TCI waters after arriving on two separate boats. According to a police statement, a total of 144 Haitian migrants were apprehended by the Royal TCI Police Force Marine Branch on Tuesday (January 28). At about 10.30pm, a 40-foot wooden vessel carrying 110 men and 34 women was spotted six miles south of South Dock Port in Providenciales by coastal radar operators. The migrants were detained and taken to the port on the police boat Sea Guardian for processing by TCI immigration officials. In the second incident, at about 7.30am on Thursday, Marine Branch officers were conducting surveillance near French Cay when they intercepted a 36-foot wooden boat. The boat had a total of 99 suspected Haitian migrants on board and was located six miles east of French Cay. Governor Nigel Dakin in an Instagram post said this weeks successful interdiction reflects the theme of the recently unveiled National Security Strategy - aimed at tackling illegal migration from all angles. He said: "This large illegal sloop was intercepted last night at around 10.30pm. "It was initially non-compliment, which is a serious mistake to make, and without divulging tactics or methods the vessel was brought under control. The governor commended the Marine Branch for safely intercepting the illegal vessel. "It required operational judgement and seamanship of the highest order and not only do I want to commend the team effort that delivered it but also the judgement of the skipper and his team out at sea working on our behalf. "Get these decisions wrong and you risk a capsized vessel with all the serious consequences that will bring. Serious stuff. "We can only hope that the news is now starting to get to Haiti - not through TCIs words but through TCIs actions - that the chances of getting through are reducing to the point where you are not buying a passage across dangerous seas but you are purchasing the removal of any future attempt, in your lifetime, of emigrating legally. He urged those in the TCI who have connections to Haiti to discourage anyone from falling victim to traffickers. "It would be helpful if you could reinforce this message because those you see in the photographs have been played by the people traffickers for fools. "Theyve been mugged for their money, sold into detention and risked their lives in the process. On January 22, the governor and Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson unveiled the long awaited National Security Strategy. The governor in highlighting the serious destabilising impact illegal immigration has on the territory said increased focus will be placed on bringing traffickers to justice. "Going after those profiting from the trade rather than just those trafficked - our intention is to build a secure and vetted capability on the Islands that can better collect, assess and then take action on intelligence we generate - or which is generated by our partners, Dakin said. Work has begun with the US Coast Guard and the Bahamian Defence Force to significantly strengthen tri-lateral and bi-lateral cooperation to tackle illegal migration, especially from neighbouring Haiti, the governor said. (By Olivia Rose) Women and girl protesters have taken centrestage in the ongoing protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) over the past few days at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) as well as in the old city. A large number of girls blocked all traffic within the AMU campus on Monday, forming a human chain at the main crossing near the university guesthouse, while at Shahjamal under the Delhi Gate police station, hundreds of women from the neighbouring localities continued with their round-the-clock sit-in that is going on for three days. On January 30, when a large number of women held their first protest at the Eidgah grounds, police had slapped cases against about 250 people, most of them unidentified, for violating prohibitory orders. Despite this, they have continued with their indefinite "dharna" and are spending the nights under the open sky. Despite attempts, no senior police official is willing to comment on the ongoing dharna. At the AMU, girls in large numbers resumed their protest on the main road leading to the campus from the Baab-e-Syed gate on Monday. The Students Coordination Committee said the protest intensified primarily because there was no visible action on their demand for withdrawing the false cases lodged by the police in connection with the anti-CAA protests. Also, they had demanded the resignation of senior university officials for their moral responsibility in the alleged police excesses inside the campus, but not a single official was removed. When contacted, AMU spokesperson Omar Peerzada said till Monday afternoon, classes were held in almost all the faculties but subsequently, some protesters assembled at the Baab-e-Syed gate. The process for withdrawing false cases was a long-drawn one and despite their best efforts, it was bound to take some time, he said, adding that the university was actively pursuing the matter with the district authorities. Peerzada said senior professors of the university were constantly making all necessary attempts to persuade the protesting students to ensure that their stir was peaceful and did not disturb any academic activity. He added that the vice chancellor had already initiated necessary action on almost all the major demands raised by the students. The AMU spokesperson said on their part, the protesters had to ensure that no troublemakers from outside the campus succeeded in disturbing the university's academic schedule. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the leader of Sudan on Monday and said they began talks on normalization, a major diplomatic breakthrough with an Arab and African state two days after the Arab League rejected a US Mideast initiative that heavily favors Israel. Sudan is a longtime member of the Arab League and joined other members in rejecting President Donald Trump's plan. But Sudan is also desperate to lift sanctions linked to its listing by the US as a state sponsor of terror _ a key step toward ending its isolation and rebuilding its economy after the popular uprising that toppled longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir last year. For Israel, the meeting marks a major step toward improving ties with both Arab and African countries, and further burnishes Netanyahu's diplomatic credentials as he seeks re-election in March under a cloud of corruption charges. In a sign of the sensitivities involved, the meeting with Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the head of Sudan's transitional government, was kept secret, with Netanyahu only announcing it after the fact. ``We agreed to begin cooperation that will lead to normalization of relations between the two countries,'' Netanyahu tweeted. ``History!'' Netanyahu's office said the meeting came at the invitation of Uganda. It said Netanyahu ``believes that Sudan is moving in a new and positive direction, and the prime minister expressed his views to the US Secretary of State`` _ an apparent reference to removal from the terror list. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo invited Burhan to visit the United States in a phone call on Sunday. The date of the visit has not yet been set. A senior Sudanese military official said the meeting was orchestrated by the United Arab Emirates and aimed at helping to remove the terror listing, which dates back to the 1990s, when Sudan briefly hosted Osama bin Laden and other wanted militants. Under al-Bashir, Sudan was also believed to have served as a pipeline for Iran to supply weapons to Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. Israel was believed to have been behind airstrikes in Sudan that destroyed a convoy in 2009 and a weapons factory in 2012. The official, who was not authorized to brief media and so spoke on condition of anonymity, said Burhan agreed to meet Netanyahu because officials thought it would help ``accelerate'' the process of being removed from the terror list. He said only a ``small circle'' of top officials in Sudan, as well as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, knew about the meeting. Sudan hosted the Arab League summit after the 1967 war that became famous for establishing the ``three no's``: No to peace with Israel, no to recognition of Israel and no to negotiations with Israel. That consensus broke down when Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, and has further eroded in recent years as Israel has improved ties with Gulf Arab nations that share its concerns about Iran. Establishing diplomatic ties with Sudan would be seen in Israel as a major achievement. Only two Arab states, Egypt and Jordan, have made peace with Israel. The launch of the process could also give Netanyahu a boost ahead of next month's elections. He has portrayed himself as a world-class statesman, trumpeting his close ties to Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Over the past week he attended the unveiling of Trump's Mideast proposal at the White House and convinced Putin to release an Israeli tourist from prison. That may shift the focus away from Netanyahu's indictment on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust as he seeks to extend his rule _ already the longest of any Israeli prime minister. He is fighting for his political survival after failing to cobble together a governing majority after unprecedented back-to-back elections last year. Search Keywords: Short link: The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a petition against Vishesh Ravi, AAP candidate from Delhi's Karol Bagh seat for allegedly concealing his educational qualification in his nomination papers filed before the Election Commission. The petition was filed by Ravi's opponent candidate BJP's Yogendra Chandolia who alleged that there were discrepancies in his poll affidavits "It has been revealed in the media that AAP's Vishesh Ravi has stated in his 2013 poll affidavit that he graduated by completing B.Com from Chaudhary Charan Singh University in 2008," Chandolia had told ANI. "But in 2015, he said that he is pursuing BA from IGNOU. Now he has mentioned tenth class pass as his highest educational qualification. I filed a complaint regarding this with the returning officer but he asked me to approach the court," the BJP leader added. Polling on 70 Assembly seats of Delhi will be held on February 8 and the counting of votes will take place on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pro-Brexit and pro-Remain protests have dominated Westminster since 2016. Mike Kemp By leaving the EU, the British have the possibility to establish a relationship they apparently always wanted with continental Europe in some kind of a free trading area. With a strong mandate to negotiate such an arrangement by the end of this year, Britain's governing Conservative Party can proceed with dispatch to stop the economic slowdown and lift the country's weak growth rate closer to the potential trend line. Moving with dispatch means a swift breakout from a vicious cycle of political turmoil, trade uncertainties depressing business investments and economic growth, while an aggressive import penetration keeps edging out domestic product supplies in a highly open economy. Nearly four years of Brexit negotiations have largely cleared up the scope for a trade deal with the EU Commission. London has everything to gain by working around the EU's red lines to get an early agreement. The EU, for its part, will probably have a political mandate to keep things on reasonably amicable terms because Britain will remain an important strategic partner. Such a constructive negotiating environment would help London to improve business confidence and the investment climate. That would also strengthen the financial market support for tax cuts and the public spending Britain will need to step up economic growth and get moving toward the promised post-Brexit "golden age." All that, however, would be the easy part. It will be much more difficult to solve structural problems that are currently reflected in Britain's high external deficits. Those trade losses have reduced the U.K.'s economic growth over the last two years by a total of 1.4 percentage points. A sustained investment revival is key to Britain's future growth strategy. And that's why clearing up trade uncertainties to spur business capital outlays is of paramount importance. Brexit disputes with the EU have taken a heavy toll. Britain's private sector investments collapsed during the last two years, taking down the country's productive capital stock and the ability to supply products and services from domestic sources. That means that a large part of any growth stimulus would quickly leak out to the rest of the world. A calculation based on the most recent data shows, for example, that a 1% increase in Britain's GDP growth triggers a whopping 2.7% increase in import demand. Investments are, therefore, needed to expand and modernize Britain's (physical) capital stock, and to increase the stock and quality of human capital. That would raise productivity growth, lower unit labor costs, increase the competitive standing and cut down excessive trade deficits culminating last year at nearly 6% of an essentially stagnating GDP growth. There are no quick fixes and shortcuts in such long-overdue structural adjustments. It will all be hard work requiring focus, patience and constructive trade arrangements with the EU. Police in Indiana have charged a 56-year-old man with murdering his ex-girlfriend last week two months after he was bonded out of jail for allegedly trying to kill her in November. Online records obtained by PEOPLE confirm the charges against Charles Goforth, who was apprehended over the weekend in Missouri. Goforth allegedly shot 55-year-old Sylvia Williams at her home in Hammond on Thursday. An ambulance was called to the home after Williams daughter found her inside, bleeding from the chest. Williams was taken to the nearest hospital, where she eventually died from her injuries. Months ago, Goforth was charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting Williams six times on November 1. He was released November 26 on $8,000 bond. According to The Times of Northwest Indiana, Williams was shot five times on Thursday. The Times reports that court documents containing phone records show Goforth tried to call Williams dozens of times between January 24 and January 30. Those same records indicate he was outside her home at the time. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLEs free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. An exact motive for the violence was not revealed by police. The Times spoke to Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott, Jr., who expressed disbelief and frustration over the case. The system failed the victim in this case, McDermott told the paper. This [man] should have never been set free on bond in the first place. GUYSBOROUGH, N.S. - An inquiry investigating why a mentally ill Afghanistan war veteran fatally shot three members of this family before killing himself enters its second week of hearings today. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/2/2020 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Desmond Fatality Inquiry is being held at the Guysborough Municipal building in Guysborough, N.S. on November 18, 2019. An inquiry investigating why a mentally ill Afghanistan war veteran fatally shot three members of this family before killing himself enters its second week of hearings today. Lionel Desmond, a 33-year-old former infantryman from rural Nova Scotia, killed his mother, wife and 10-year-old daughter before turning a military-style rifle on himself in January 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan GUYSBOROUGH, N.S. - An inquiry investigating why a mentally ill Afghanistan war veteran fatally shot three members of this family before killing himself enters its second week of hearings today. Lionel Desmond, a 33-year-old former infantryman from rural Nova Scotia, killed his mother, wife and 10-year-old daughter before turning a military-style rifle on himself in January 2017. Desmond, a retired corporal, had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after two particularly violent tours in Afghanistan in 2007. The inquiry in Guysborough, N.S., is expected to hear today from two doctors who spoke with Desmond only days before the killings in nearby Upper Big Tracadie. Last week, lawyer Stewart Hayne said Desmond first met with Dr. Justin Clark, who noted Desmond was not in distress and did not have any suicidal or homicidal thoughts when he showed up at St. Martha's Regional Hospital in Antigonish, N.S. As well, Hayne said a psychiatrist, Dr. Faisal Rahman, will tell the inquiry Desmond was "pleasant, forthcoming engaging, respectful and a proud father" when he talked to the former soldier at the hospital on Jan. 1, 2017 and again the next day. The lawyer said Rahman will tell the inquiry that Desmond confirmed he had an altercation with his wife earlier in the evening, and he asked Rahman if he could spend the night in the hospital to "reflect and regroup." The recollections of the doctors are important because some of Desmond's friends and relatives had complained he was turned away from the hospital before the killings an allegation the hospital has denied. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2020. By Masako Yonekawa (Tsukuba Gakuin University, Japan) In her latest book, Yonekawa highlights the repeated refusal of post-genocide Rwandan refugees to return home. This resistance has taken place for a lengthy period and up to today in spite of the fact that genocide ended 25 years ago and the government of Rwanda and the United Nations have assured security in the country. Based on interviews conducted with a number of refugees living in Africa, Europe, and North America, the book explains the high degree of fear and trauma refugees have experienced in the face of the present Rwandan government that was involved in the genocide and other serious crimes both in Rwanda and the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. With this book, refugee policies and implementation of the United Nations and some host countries in Africa must be questioned. Some exiles have been stripped of their refugee status in early 2018 and host countries may refoul the refugees back to Rwanda, counter to the principle of non-refoulement (no expulsion of refugees to a high-risk country), the cornerstone of asylum and of international refugee law. For more information on the book, click here When The event will take place on Friday 7 February from 1pm 2pm Where Institute of Development Policy Room S-004 Lange St.-Annastraat 7 2000 Antwerp Belgium A singleton who bought a massive roadside billboard appealing for a girlfriend has thanked the men and women who have written to him from the 'bottom of his lonely heart'. Mark Rofe, 30, from Sheffield, decided to pay 425 for a 3M x 6M billboard advertising himself, after noticing that all his friends were in long-term relationships or getting married while he remained single. The massive sign which appeared last week in Manchester features a photo of him lounging on his side and says: 'Single? Date Mark. This could be the sign you've been waiting for'. Appearing on This Morning, he told how 'over 1,000 people' have applied to date him - although specified that while he'd flattered by all attention, he is a 'straight guy' and hopes to find a woman to settle down with. Mark Rofe, 30, from Sheffield decided to pay 425 for a 3m high and 6m wide billboard (pictured) advertising himself Mark (pictured) told that he set up the advert after he noticed all his friends were getting married while he was struggling to get a date after trying every online app He told: 'The reaction has been insane, I can't believe it. 'I've had over 1,000 people apply. I'd like to thank everyone of those from the bottom of my lonely heart, I can't believe it.' When quizzed on what his type is, Mark clarified: 'A girl, half the applications have been men. I probably should have specified. 'I'm a straight guy, but I'm flattered by all the applications that I've had.' Appearing on This Morning today, he told how 'over 1000 people' have applied to date him - although specified that he is a 'straight guy' and hopes to find a woman to settle down with Mark, who has been single for over a year and insisted he's tried 'every online dating app' says his ideal person would be anyone 'brave enough to apply to some idiot' that plastered his face on a billboard. He teased: 'I think my ideal person is anyone whose brave enough to apply to some idiot whose put his face on a billboard. 'I think someone whose fun, has a sense of humour, intelligent and there has to be some sort of attraction there.' Mark, who is 6ft and said his ideal woman is Maya Jama,previously told he bought the billboard to stand out from the crowd. He had launched a website - datingmark.co.uk (pictured) - where applicants get in touch and has launched a crowdfunding website for more billboards Mr Rofe hopes to raise enough funds to purchase more in Dublin, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Sheffield, Portsmouth, Bristol, and London. Pictured is his website He said: 'I've been single for a little while now, and many of my friends are married or in long term relationships. 'I've tried the dating apps, but they just weren't working for me, so I decided to try something a little bit different to try and stand out.' The billboard went up on Fairfield Street in the centre of Manchester last Wednesday, and was predicted to be seen by around 462,000 drivers a week. He said he placed it in Manchester because it is one of the largest cities in the UK, near where he lived and has the highest footfall in the region. Mark has been single for over a year and hopes to find a woman who is 'intelligent' and has a good sense of humour Mr Rofe, who jokes he has kissed 'over three' women, works in marketing but insists his campaign is totally legitimate. Mark describes himself as 'extremely handsome and modest'. He had launched a website - datingmark.co.uk - where applicants get in touch and has launched a crowdfunding website for more billboards. Mark hopes to raise enough funds to purchase more in Dublin, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Sheffield, Portsmouth, Bristol, and London, should his first not lead to love. He added: 'If at first you don't succeed, buy more billboards?' London: Actor Joaquin Phoenix targeted the British Academy of Film and Television for overlooking "people of colour" in its nominations and urged the industry to dismantle a "system of oppression" in his Bafta acceptance speech. The actor, who won the best actor Bafta for his portrayal in the title role in "Joker", said he felt "conflicted" receiving the award as so many of his deserving fellow actors didn't have that same privilege. "I think that we send a very clear message to people of colour that you're not welcome here. I think that's the message that we're sending to people that have contributed so much to our medium and our industry, and in ways that we benefit from," he said onstage at the Royal Albert Hall. Both British Academy of Film and Television and Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences were heavily criticised for the lack of representation and diversity after the nominations were announced. The acting categories had shut out people of colour while no women directors were recognised in the directing segment. "I don't think anybody wants a handout or preferential treatment, although that's what we give ourselves every year. I think people just want to be acknowledged, appreciated and respected for their work. This is not a self-righteous condemnation because I'm ashamed to say that I'm part of the problem," Phoenix said. Calling himself "part of the problem", the 45-year-old actor said more than creating a diverse working environment, the issue at hand was about understanding "systemic racism". "I have not done everything in my power to ensure that the sets I work on are inclusive, but I think it's more than just having sets that are multicultural. We have to do the hard work to truly understand systemic racism. "I think it is the obligation of the people that have created and perpetuate and benefit from a system of oppression to be the ones that dismantle it. So that's on us," he said. Hamish Macdonald pulled it off, taking over the Q&A host chair in the middle of a news storm and delivering what he needed to deliver: gravitas in denim and an open-collared shirt. This was as thankless a task as has ever presented itself on Australian television - stepping into the hosting slot on a program that has been one of the most significant and contentious in the history of the medium. It is the only program ever to inspire an official boycott directed from a prime minister. It has its own unofficial name on social media - "the bad show" - for those too pure to speak its name. It has covered news, and made news. Across its first 12 years on air, its founding host Tony Jones presided over moments of fury, fanaticism, many fights, and gave birth to a famous catchphrase: he would take that as a comment. With no major format changes on the table, the question on Monday night was how Hamish Macdonald would slide in to the formidable shoes his predecessor had left under it. China's Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. on Monday of setting a "very bad example" when it comes to tackling the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak, saying President Donald Trump's administration is spreading fear instead of providing much-needed assistance. A ministry spokesperson said it's unreasonable for countries around the world to try to prevent people from crossing borders. The ministry singled out the U.S., saying it was spreading panic instead of offering significant assistance to halt the coronavirus outbreak. "The U.S. government hasn't provided any substantive assistance to us," ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. "What it has done could only create and spread fear, which is a very bad example." The White House was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. English French OTTAWA, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Following completions of the Lower Churchill hydro development and the West White Rose offshore platform, construction employment in Newfoundland and Labrador is expected to resume a downward trend in 2020 and 2021. A period of relative stability is expected to follow, supported by the anticipated start of the Bay du Nord offshore development project, increased institutional investment, and a modest recovery in new-housing construction, according to the labour market forecast released today by BuildForce Canada. BuildForce Canadas 20192029 Construction and Maintenance Looking Forward provincial report forecasts that with current levels of construction demand and a shrinking population, the provinces construction labour force will return to levels more consistent with the pre-peak period of the late 2000s. Under the current outlook scenario, construction employment is projected to decline by 3,200 workers over the coming decade, with the bulk of the adjustment expected to occur over the next few years. The labour force continues to adjust to pre-peak employment levels, says Bill Ferreira, Executive Director of BuildForce Canada. As a consequence, some displaced workers may turn to out-of-province employment or employment in other industries over the next 10 years. Despite the ongoing adjustment, record levels of retirements over the decade could lead to periods of labour force tightness and future skills shortages if recruitment and training efforts are neglected. The commencement of work on the West White Rose platform and the Voiseys Bay underground mine helped moderate employment declines in 2018 and contributed to a small employment increase in 2019. With work completed at the Tacora Resources Wabush mine, the winding down of activity at the Lower Churchill Muskrat Falls generating station project, and the expected completion of the West White Rose project by 2021, non-residential construction employment is expected to decline slightly in 2020 and again in 2021. The anticipated start of the Bay du Nord deepwater oil development project in 2022 should offset employment declines related to the completion of the Voiseys Bay project, but overall net gains in employment may be limited by lower demand levels for the construction of industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) buildings, due to population declines. In the absence of any new major construction projects following Bay du Nord, non-residential construction employment is expected to return to the pre-expansion levels of the late 2000s. Across the scenario period to 2029, non-residential employment is estimated to decline by close to 3,000 workers (-22%) as compared to 2019. In the residential sector, an anticipated improvement in economic conditions is expected to help sustain stable renovation investment across the scenario period. While housing starts have been in decline for the past few years, the number of household formations is expected to begin rising by 2022, supporting a modest recovery in housing starts by 2026. Over the outlook period, total residential employment is expected to decrease further, but only marginally. Between 2020 and 2029, an estimated 5,900 workers are anticipated to retire, yet the industry is expected to draw only 3,400 first-time entrants aged 30 and younger into the labour force from the local population. With one of the oldest population demographics in Canada, competition for these younger workers in the province is increasing. The development of skilled tradespersons in the construction industry takes years, and often requires participation in a provincial apprenticeship program. Between 2013 and 2019, nearly 5,120 apprentices registered in the 13 largest construction trade programs, with 3,110 completions reported during this period. To help the construction industry better measure the retention of its skilled workers, BuildForce Canada now tracks the number of provincial tradespeople in possession of certificates of qualification. Taking into account current apprenticeship completion trends and anticipated retirement levels throughout the decade, several trades may see reductions in the number of certified journeypersons. Heavy-duty equipment technicians, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics, and steamfitters/pipefitters may be at higher risk. An ongoing commitment to training and apprenticeship development will be necessary to ensure there are sufficient numbers of qualified tradespeople to sustain a skilled workforce over the long term. Building a sustainable labour force will require the construction and maintenance industry to increase recruitment from groups traditionally underrepresented in the current construction labour force, including women, Indigenous people, and new Canadians. In 2019, approximately 1,600 women were employed in Newfoundland and Labradors construction industry. Of the 17,700 tradespeople employed in the industry, women made up only 4.6%. Similarly, Indigenous people also represented a small percentage of the construction labour force, accounting for little more than 8% of the total, of which about 76% work directly on construction projects. Increasing the participation rate of both these groups would go a long way to help the industry address its future labour force needs. Over the coming decade, Newfoundland and Labrador is expected to welcome an average of approximately 1,700 newcomers every year, making the immigrant population an important future source of potential workers for the provinces construction and maintenance industry. Currently, new Canadians make up just about 1% of the provinces construction workforce. BuildForce Canada is a national industry-led organization that represents all sectors of Canadas construction industry. Its mandate is to provide accurate and timely labour market data and analysis, as well as programs and initiatives to help manage labour force requirements and build the capacity and the capability of Canadas construction and maintenance industry. Visit www.constructionforecasts.ca. For further information, contact Bill Ferreira, Executive Director, BuildForce Canada, at ferreira@buildforce.ca or 613-569-5552 ext. 222. Funded by the Government of Canadas Sectoral Initiatives Program. The following area students have been named to the fall semester deans list at St. Johns College of Nursing in Springfield. To be named to the deans list, a student must earn a 3.5 or higher grade point average. Students are Lauryn Kraushaar and Hailey Lesser of Jacksonville and Eduardo Zabala of Rushville. Andrew Allen Haggerty of Jacksonville has been named to the fall semester deans list at Baylor University in Texas. To be named to the deans list, a student must earn a 3.7 or higher grade point average. William Fenner of Jacksonville has graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor of business administration degree with a major in accounting. Lydia Ballard of Winchester has been named to the fall semester deans list at William Woods University in Missouri. To be named to the deans list, a student must earn a 3.6 or higher grade point average. Joyce Killday of Winchester has been named to the fall semester deans list at Westminster College in Missouri. To be named to the deans list, a student must earn a 3.6 or higher grade point average. Ellen Geiselman of Pittsfield has graduated from Iowa Wesleyan University. She was also named to the fall semester deans list with a 3.5 or higher grade point average. The following area students have been named to the fall semester honor roll for academic achievement at Culver-Stockton College in Missouri. Griggsville: Kobie McCallister; Nebo: Kennedy Merryman; Pittsfield: Austin Motley; Winchester: Aaron Brown, Kaitlin Hubbert. Courtney Privia of Jacksonville has been named to the fall semester presidents list at Illinois Central College. To be named to the presidents list, a student must earn a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Lukas Hillen of New Berlin and Rachael Ruble of Jacksonville have been named to the fall semester deans list for academic achievement at Illinois Central College. Kaylee Casson of New Berlin and Lauren Paisley of Mount Sterling have been named to the fall semester presidents list for academic achievement at Culver-Stockton College in Missouri. Compiled by Laurie Bosworth Have you seen Tesla today?? The stock is up another 10%--and just crossed the $700 mark for the first time. That's a 60% gain for the year--and it's Feb 3. Tesla is now worth more than all the "big three" automakers (GM, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler)--combined. We'll have more on that on the show(s) today, plus the latest on coronavirus and its macro impact. Dave Zervos will be joining me on set with his latest musings, and John Rutledge actually has a couple of Chinese stock picks he'll explain as well. And did you see the ISM manufacturing number this morning? Not too shabby! The survey jumped three points to a 50.9 reading, the best since July and back above the 50 level that indicates overall expansion in the sector. Especially after the terrible Chicago PMI number the other day, that's a bit of a relief. All that's helping the market rebound from Friday's steep slide; the Dow's up about 300 points but there's still plenty of time before the close. I'll see you at 1 p.m.--yay!--with the very latest. Kelly P.S. The Exchange is now a podcast! Click to subscribe. Twitter: @KellyCNBC Instagram: @realkellyevans (RNS) Billionaire businessman-turned-climate-activist Tom Steyer has emerged as an unexpected player in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, recently polling among the top contenders in South Carolina. Known for his environmental advocacy, Steyer, like other candidates, has made a point of referencing his faith often while on the campaign trail and even referred to religious activists while on the debate stage. Still, less is known about Steyers personal approach to matters divine. He spoke with Religion News Service to discuss his faith, how it intersects with his policy agenda, and the overlap between religion and politics in the United States. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You had an interview with The New York Times recently in which they misunderstood your religious history, so I want to give you a chance to clear this up: Can you tell me a little bit about your faith journey? I dont know what made me do it, (but) somewhere in my early thirties I had sort of a midlife crisis, finding God as an adult ... It couldve had to do with having kids. At the time I just felt, like, Wow. I also had an Episcopal priest who is a good friend of mine and started going to her service with our family. So that was serendipitous. I think it really had to do with, at some level, becoming an adult and taking responsibility for myself. And feeling that I needed a framework of meaning in my life. You now draw the Jerusalem cross on your hand. Why that symbol? You know, Id never heard of it. I was just drawing a cross on my hand and then I kept filling it in to remind myself to be steadfast, be truthful to what you think are the deepest meanings. Dont give up on that. And you identify as a Christian? I definitely do. Enough to identify ... as an Episcopalian. I used to mock my mom for being a contradiction in terms: A devout Episcopalian. In 2015, you called out Democrats running for president after Pope Francis released his encyclical on the environment, asking them to heed his call to take action on climate change. Now that youre the person running for president, do you see yourself as following Pope Francis call? And how does your faith inform your activism and positions on climate change? If you listen to what the pope was saying, he was saying your responsibility is to take care of the most vulnerable amongst us, and to preserve Gods earth. This is a question about human suffering. It seems like, to me, the pope really nailed it. Its up to us together to change and do the right thing and thats what Im calling on people to do. We have got to step up on this. I thought the pope was correct in saying we have a responsibility to act, and people at this point have got to take responsibility for themselves. I think people have got to change. Its time. You recently visited the church of the Rev. William Barber a prominent progressive faith activist and head of the Poor Peoples Campaign in North Carolina. Why did you see that as an important place to visit, and what did you take away from that experience? Well, Bishop Barber is an amazing spiritual leader. I think hes one of the most articulate and insightful people about whats going on in the United States. Ive known him for several years, Ive spent time with him, and I have a ton of respect for him. I was planning on going and speaking during his church service in July when I announced I was going to run for president. But he said, "Tom, you cant speak during the church service because that would, you know, threaten our (nonprofit status)." Then we arranged for me to come down several months later and speak after the church service in a nonreligious fashion. Ive had a ton of respect for Bishop Barber for years what he stands for and also his honest-to-God brilliance. Youre wealthy. Youve spoken about trying to use your means for good, but as you are a Christian, how do you respond to Matthew 19:24, when Jesus says, And again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God? Maybe I wont be rich when I die. Have you considered that possibility? I did take the giving pledge (to dedicate a majority of my wealth to others). During this campaign there has been this sense (that) people dont understand who I am. These are people who dont know me, and theyre very sure that they do know me. Theres an assumption in there that where Im gonna end up is where I am (now), and I would say I wouldnt be so sure. What do you think is the appropriate role of religion in politics? I think your religion informs your values. Im not someone who insists that someone agree with me about where to find God. I think everybody has a right to find God in their own way, and you can find it in a lot of different ways, and Im perfectly fine with it. But do I think we have a responsibility to be good people on the earth? Yes, I do. I dont think you get to destroy the earth and put everybody at risk and walk away and be cool with it. Theres nothing cool about that. I always say to people, youve got to find the positive life force. You can do it your way. I get to do it my way, but you dont have a choice about whether to do that. I mean, were all supposed to be here, making the earth better and helping each other out and leaving the earth a better place and people better off. You mentioned in other interviews that you dont think God plans on saving just one group of people No! I mean, if you believe theres (a) God, could you really believe that he, she, however you describe God, is really only going to save one tribe in the Middle East? Really? Is that possible? I mean, think about it. No. So do you think that everyone goes to heaven? Are you somewhat universalist that way, or do you think its not something we have figured out yet? We definitely havent figured it out. I certainly havent figured it out. But what I do believe is there is good and evil and theres a positive life force that you can connect with thats bigger than any of us. You cant have good without having evil, and the idea that weve moved away from that to this relativist way of thinking, I think, doesnt make any sense. Honestly thats just not the real world. Do you think its a good thing Democrats are being more vocal and engaging with faith and religious and spiritual ideas this election cycle? Yeah, I think its good. Ill say this: there are a lot of people in this world who find their meaning in faith and specifically through religion. Part of why this has been so fun is connecting with those people. Going to Bishop Barbers church was really fun. Im not a Baptist, but those Baptist churches are seriously fun, and people are positive. You see a deep faith that has informed people through the harshest things you can imagine, and people are very sincere. Its been one of the real incredible joys of this is connecting with people over that. Has it been difficult for you as a person of faith enduring the trials of running for president? Hell no. Thats been one of the best things about this. Really? I would never be doing this if I didnt believe in God. It has made me feel much more confident in my faith. Thats been one of the absolute outcomes of it. People think that politics makes people cynical, manipulative and dishonest. And Id say for me the exact opposite is true. (It's) made me feel much more intent on being corny and sincere and spiritual. I dont think theres any other way to get through it. You have a choice, and I dont see any way to do it except by being more honest and more sincere and more spiritual. I think otherwise you lose yourself. READ THIS STORY AT RELIGIONNEWS.COM. Article originally published by Religion News Service. Used with permission. Photo courtesy: RNS/AP Photo/Andrew Harnik By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Accusing the convicts of acting in tandem to frustrate the very objective of the punishment, Centre on Sunday told the Delhi High Court that the convicts in the case are filing all kinds of appeals in courts but not the mercy petition. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told Justice Suresh Kait, Mukesh has filed almost his seventh legal proceeding on January 31. Till that point, he had still not filed his mercy plea. This is to deliberately delay the execution. Mehta went on to explain how much time each convict in the case has taken in exercising their legal remedies. Countering Centres stand, senior advocate Rebecca John appearing on behalf of Mukesh Singh said, I am standing here today because even death row convicts of heinous crimes are entitled to their rights. The convicts are under no constitutional obligation to hasten the proceedings. You cant condemn me for using legal remedies. Even the convicts have constitutional rights and we are only exercising them, why did Centre wake up only yesterday (Saturday) what were they doing earlier. Can the convicts be hanged separately by common sentencing order? Trial court has passed the common sentence order it means common execution. There must be affirmative powers to execute me separately which prison rules dont allow. Bifurcation is not permissible, John argued while questioning the haste in which Centre has approached the high court challenging the trial court order. The Delhi Jail Manual Rule 14(2) makes it clear that multiple convicts in the same crime cannot be hanged before each one of them has exhausted all legal options, including filing mercy petitions before the President. The four convicts, along with two others had gang-raped the young woman in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012. Delay tactics Mukesh: Filed for review after 550 days Akshay: Filed for review after 950 days Vinay: Filed a curative after 549 days Pawan: Has not filed his curative plea A TEENAGER is among the nine suspects detained for the kidnapping for ransom of St Helena co Krueger: With some care over the years, the old family barn keeps standing Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Communist Party of India (CPI) have given a suspension of business notice in Rajya Sabha under rule 267 citing "prevailing situation in the country over the proposed Register of Citizens- Population Register and Citizenship (Amendment) Act". Congress on Monday also gave a suspension of business notice under Rule 267 in the Rajya Sabha over "prevailing situation in the country due to proposed NPR-NRC following the Citizenship Amendment Act". The notice was submitted by senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma. The Rajya Sabha Chairman is empowered to accept the notice under the said rule or dismiss it on his discretion. Protests have been going in several parts of the country over the Citizenship Amendment Act, Register of Citizens, and National Population Register. The first phase of the Budget Session of the Parliament will conclude on February 11, while the second part of the session will begin from March 2 and will end on April 3. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a scathing attack on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union Minister and BJP leader Prakash Javadekar on Monday (February 3) said that there is plenty of proof that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief is a terrorist. Addressing a press conference, Javadekar said that the Delhi CM is making an innocent face and asking the people of Delhi if he is a terrorist and the answer is that yes, he is a terrorist. The BJP leader asserted that Kejriwal had himself said in the past that he is an anarchist and there is not much difference between a terrorist and an anarchist. Kejriwal is making an innocent face and asking if he is a terrorist, you are a terrorist, there is plenty of proof for it. You yourself had said you are an anarchist, there is not much difference between an anarchist and a terrorist," Javadekar said. The AAP has eacted strongly to Javadekar's statement with the party MP Sanjay Singh demanding that the Election Commission should take action against the BJP MP for using such language. Sanjay Singh challenged the BJP to arrest Kejriwal if he is a terrorist. "This is happening in the capital of our country where the Central govt is sitting, the Election Commission is present. How can a central minister be permitted to use such language? If Arvind Kejriwal is a terrorist, I challenge BJP to arrest him," said the AAP leader. Earlier on Monday, BJP candidate from Model Town constituency, Kapil Mishra, targeted Kejriwal saying that the AAP should change its name to Muslim League because the party is backing the ideals of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. Mishra accused the AAP of backing the terrorists in order to get the support of 20 per cent Muslim voters in Delhi Assembly election. Live TV The new name of the AAP should be Muslim League. Umar Khalid, Afzal Guru, Burhan Wani and those who consider terrorists as their father, are afraid of Yogi Adityanath ji, Mishra tweeted. It may be recalled that Mishra was recently banned from campaigning for 48 hours by the Election Commission for comparing the upcoming election to an India-Pakistan contest. Voting for all the 70 Assembly seats of Delhi will take place on February 8, 2020 and the results will be declared on February 11. A medical worker holds the newly-born baby. [people.cn] HARBIN, February 3 (Xinhua) A pregnant woman with novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pneumonia has delivered a healthy baby in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. The woman was in the 38th week of her pregnancy when she was found to have caught a fever of 37.3 degrees Celsius and tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Thursday, Na Hui, vice president of the No. 6 Hospital of Harbin City in the provincial capital, said Monday at a press conference. Doctors decided to give her a cesarean section, through which a girl weighing about 3 kg was born on the same day. The baby tested negative for the novel coronavirus on Friday and Sunday. The mother's body temperature had returned to normal by Sunday, Na said. Both the mother and the baby are in quarantine, with two special medical teams designated for their observation and treatment. The hospital did not disclose the mother's name or age. (Source: Xinhua) In Cleveland, the John H. Glenn Research Center's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will now have a new director. According to an article by remezcla, Dr. Marla Perez-Davis will be the leader of more than 3,200 employees. Her position allows her to handle a budget of $933 million. Perez-Davis is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico. She was promoted to the director position on January 22. The team expressed their excitement for the new leadership. What Does Her New Team Have to Say? The team believes that the doctor is equipped with rich experience to successfully fulfill her duties as the director of the facility. They believe that she can lead them to successfully carry out the mission of the center. As NASA Glenn is venturing into new explorations, discoveries, and innovations that will potentially open new jobs, its employees are optimistic about the Puerto Rican doctor's leadership. According to the Administrator of NASA Jim Bridenstine, he believes that the responsibility that Perez-Davis had accepted a job where she can use her immeasurable abilities as part of the Ohio community. He hopes for the success of all the ventures that her leadership will be having especially for the nation and NASA's ambitious plans for Moon-Mars Exploration. Her Qualifications Dr. Marla Perez-Davis's lists of achievements are long and meaningful. The doctor of chemical engineering had been working with NASA Glenn for more than 40 years. Since her employment in the facility, she had switched from various high-profile positions such as deputy director and directorship for smaller-sized teams. Throughout her career, she had received countless awards including the Outstanding Leadership Medal from NASA and the Women of Color Technology Award for Career Achievement. Her NASA Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification, Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Santiago Rodriguez Diversity Award, and her numerous awards for her leadership and skills make her the perfect candidate to lead NASA Glenn to reach its goals. Ellen Ochoa, the first woman of Latino heritage to go to outer space, obtained a similar role Perez-Davis played in Houston from 2013 to 2018. Currently, there are approximately 1,500 Latinos (1000 are male and 500 are female) out of the 18,000 total NASA employees. Dr. Marla E. Perez-Davis' Career Journey before Directorship Appointment at NASA Glenn From 2014 to 2016, Marla E. Perez-Davis served as the Research and Engineering Directorate's deputy director. This position allowed her to undertake responsibilities such as planning, leading, coordinating, and handling all processes involving research and engineering undertakings in the NASA Glenn to finish multiple missions for NASA. Other relevant key positions that prove her highly-qualified leadership skills include her position as the Aeronautics Research Office's director (2010 to 2014) where she served as the principal point for research involving aeronautics. She also supplied exemplary leadership, project management skills, and support to the aeronautics mission of the agency. From 2007 to 2010, Marla E. Perez-Davis worked as the Project Liaison and Integration Office's chief. She led her team to streamline the business process, develop contract arrangements, and improved the prompt response to safety assurance requirements. In the Electrochemistry Branch, she also attained a chief position. Her leadership allowed the improvement of the storage of energy and power capabilities. She also started new partnerships to help support the missions of NASA. World Wetlands Day 2020 (2 February): Wetlands and biodiversity February 03,2020 | Source: UNESCO World Wetlands Day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Todays World Wetlands Day under the theme, Wetlands and Biodiversity, is an opportunity to highlight the importance of wetland biodiversity conservation. The significance of wetland biodiversity was stressed recently by the global IPBES assessment which identified wetlands as the most threatened ecosystem. This impacts 40% of the worlds plant and animal species that live or breed in wetlands. The World Heritage Convention works closely with other entities to protect the most important wetland systems in the world. Wetlands can be protected under different designations, whether by Ramsar, the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme and others, and some of these overlap. Pantanal Conservation Area (Brazil) represents 1.3% of Brazil's Pantanal region, one of the world's largest freshwater wetland ecosystems. Ferto / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape (Austria, Hungary) is a unique example of people living in harmony with nature and a meeting place for different cultures for eight millennia. Forty-five percent of Sundarbans National Park (India) is wetland in the form of tidal rivers, creeks and canals and supports a wealth of biodiversity and animal species including the single largest population of tiger, and threatened aquatic mammals such as the Irrawaddy and Ganges River dolphins. Wetlands are also vital feeding and breeding grounds for migratory birds. These flyways include World Heritage sites that are key stopover sites for birds, so the effective conservation of these sites is crucial for migratory bird conservation on a global scale. Banc dArguin National Park (Mauritania) is one of the most important zones in the world for nesting birds and Palearctic migratory waders. Inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee, the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I) (China) is another critical site for migratory birds. The intertidal areas of the Yellow Sea/Gulf of Bohai are of global importance for the gathering of many migratory bird species that use the East Asian-Australasian flyway. Large gatherings of birds, including some of the world's most endangered species, depend on the coastline as a stopover to moult, rest, winter or nest. While World Heritage wetland sites are an important habitat for biodiversity, they are also threatened by pollution, climate change, dams and over exploitation. The World Heritage Centre is working towards addressing these issues, such as through the Okavango Delta (Botswana). Okavango Delta was designated as a Ramsar site in 1996 and as a World Heritage site in 2014 due to its exceptional biodiversity and scenic values. Its Cubango-Okavango River basin is among the worlds last undisturbed river systems, but faces threats due to development pressure. The Delta is home to indigenous peoples and some of the worlds most endangered species of large mammal, such as the cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, African wild dog and lion. In 2019, the States Parties of Angola, Botswana and Namibia agreed on a roadmap to explore the boundary extension of the Okavango Delta World Heritage site to protect the river basin and the unique wetland system (a project funded by UNESCO/Flanders Funds-in-Trust cooperation of the Government of Flanders, Belgium). This example illustrates how the World Heritage Convention can be a powerful tool to formalize international cooperation over shared heritage resources, and promote sustainable development by combining a global standard framework with the development of operational projects and concrete collaboration. Our work with the Ramsar Convention is another mechanism to protect wetlands. According to the World Heritage Review on Wetlands, more than 130 Ramsar sites are wholly or partially inscribed in 90 World Heritage properties. From 25 to 28 February 2020, upon the invitation of Spain, the World Heritage Centre will dispatch a Reactive Monitoring mission to Donana National Park (Spain), conducted jointly with the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention. UNESCO World Heritage Centre 1992-2020 Theme(s): Others. A major winter storm is expected to blanket the US with snow from the Rockies across to the East Coast, as other parts of the country brace for ice and heavy winds this week. The winter storm system is predicted to include 'heavy snow over the western mountains, strong winds in the Southwest, severe thunderstorms in the South, ice and heavy snow from the southern Plains to the Northeast,' according to the National Weather Service. It also said that 'widespread snow' is expected across parts of Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. The Great Basin and Rockies to the western South Dakota have already been hit by snow, leading to travel difficulties in the region. A major winter storm is expected to blanket the US with snow from the Rockies across to the East Coast, starting Monday through the rest of the week The snow will continue across southern plains, northern Texas and midwest by Wednesay Snowfall is expected to move through the interior northeast, upstate New York and northern New England region between Wednesday and Friday Up to nine inches of snow was reported at Utah's Salt Lake City International Airport Monday morning, while there were several interstate closures due to snowfall in the northern Rockies, The Weather Channel reported. Salt Lake City, Colorado's Boulder and Wyoming's Cheyenne have been placed under winter storm warnings - where the heaviest snowfall is expected and could greatly impact travel - while Denver, Colorado, is currently under a winter weather advisory, where lighter snow might lead to only some travel difficulty. The NWS said to expect heavy snow and 'strong gusty winds' across the Rockies through Monday night. Next up on the storm's path are the southern plains. While only general thunderstorms are expected Monday, as the winter storm moves through the southeast Tuesday, the NWS said to brace for the possibility of 'several days of severe thunderstorms,' which could bring strong winds and large hail. A dog walker is seen in Salt Lake City, navigating the snowy streets Monday morning Utah's Salt Lake City airport reported up to nine inches of snow had fallen Monday morning A shot of the snow blanketing the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City on Monday A Utah driver spotted a snowplow truck stuck in the snow on a road on Monday morning The National Weather Service forecasts as much as six to 12 inches of snow in the Rockies A look at the weather that the winter storm is expected to bring to the US by midweek From Tuesday into Wednesday, the storm is expected to travel across the southern plains 'where ice and snow could make for tricky travel midweek,' prompting winter storm watches to be issued already from northwestern Texas into central Oklahoma for later Tuesday into Wednesday. Driving conditions are expected to be difficult due to inbound snowfall during this period, impacting southeast New Mexico to West Texas and Oklahoma. Anywhere from three to six inches of snow are expected during that period. The southeastern US will likely feel the effects of the winter storm via heavy downpours with widespread rain of two inches or more from the Gulf to the Mid-Atlantic starting Tuesday. On Wednesday, freezing rain and sleet are expected to affect areas ranging from northern and western Texas, across to the mid-Mississippi Valley and northern Ohio Valley, with winter weather continuing to head east towards the southern Great Lakes, Pennsylvania, New York and parts of New England by Wednesday evening. Any snow in the northeast on Thursday is expected to turn into rain on Thursday, however. Come Friday, additional snow is expected across parts of the interior Northeast, while the the area between Boston and North Carolina is expected to see rain. Light to moderate snowfall is forecast for most of the area running from the Ohio Valley into the southern Great Lakes, while more than six inches of snow could strike upstate New York to northern New England between Wednesday night and Friday. A 25-year-old woman teacher was set ablaze by her stalker, a married man, on Monday morning in Maharashtra's Wardha district, sparking an outrage with the state home minister announcing that the case will be tried in a fast track court. The victim, Ankita Pisudde, suffered 40 per cent burns and inhalation injuries, a Wardha police official said, adding that the woman was admitted in a hospital in Nagpur, about 75 kms from Wardha, in a critical condition. The accused Vikesh Nagrale (27), who was the victim's friend till two years back before she severed ties with him, has been arrested, the official said. Vardha superintendent of police Basavaraj Teli said it seems to be the case of unrequited love by the accused. The incident occurred around 7.15 am after the woman alighted from a state transport bus in Hinganghat town and was heading towards her college. She is a resident of Daroda village. "At that time, Nagrale accosted her. He then took out petrol from his two-wheeler and set her ablaze before running away from the spot," said Hinganghat police station inspector Satyaveer Bandiwar. He said some passers-by poured water on the woman and rushed her to a nearby primary health centre from where she was shifted to Orange City Hospital in Nagpur. "She has suffered 40 per cent burns," the official added. Meanwhile, some eye-witnesses claimed Nagrale was accompanied by his friend. At a health bulletin issued at 5 pm, the hospital said the woman suffered 35-40% grade III deep dermal burns with respiratory distress, and her condition is critical. "Alleged history of throwing/splash of inflammable material followed by thermal burn by some person. Deep Burn injuries over Scalp, face, right upper limb, left hand, upper back, full neck with bilateral eye injury with inhalational injury. "In view of inhalational injury & respiratory distress; emergency tracheotomy was also done along with burn dressing, escharectomy and debridement," it said. The woman is admitted in the CCU of the hospital. "She suffered 35-40% Grade III deep dermal burns with respiratory distress and inhalational injury with Ocular involvement and related complications," it stated. Nagrale, who fled the scene of crime, was nabbed from Takalghat village and charged under Indian Penal Code Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means, the SP said. Bandiwar said the accused was a friend of the victim till two years ago, but she broke ties with him due to his "irrational behaviour". "Nagrale, also from Daroda village, is a married man and has a seven-month-old son. He works at a firm in Balharshah. He used to stalk the woman. He had even tried to commit suicide last year, though no complaint was lodged at that time," the official said. The woman's cousin Shubham Pisudde told PTI that Nagrale had been harassing her for the last many years despite repeated warnings. "Her marriage was broken last year due to Nagrale," he said. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh told reporters in Mumbai that the case will be tried in a fast track court. He said the woman was injured in the "acid attack". "The Hinganghat incident wherein a woman was attacked with acid is a serious matter. The accused Nagrale has been arrested. He will get the strictest punishment," he said. The case will be tried in a fast track court to ensure speedy conviction of the accused, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Heaven is a place A place where nothing Nothing ever happens Talking Heads, Heaven Everything good must come to an end in order to be meaningful. Thats the message at the center of The Good Place, the afterlife comedy that ended last week after four seasons and 52 hilarious, philosophically enriching episodes. Whereas Jean-Paul Sartre declared in his play No Exit that hell is other people, The Good Place proposed that heaven is other people; the loving friendships of the Soul Squad were genuinely salvific for the entirety of humanity. What began as an experiment in hell by the demonic architect Michael (Ted Danson) on four unsuspecting humansthe sinfully spunky Eleanor (Kristen Bell), moral philosophy professor Chidi (William Jackson Harper), aristocratic philanthropist Tahani (Jameela Jamil), and Floridian doofus Jason (Manny Jacinto)concludes with a poignant and provocative solution to the problem of an eternal afterlife: death itself. In the penultimate episode, Patty, the Soul Squad finally made it to the actual Good Place, only to discover that everyone there was languishing with boredom (theres always a twist in this show, isnt there?). So Eleanor offers a solution: They create the option to leave the Good Place through a door which leads to well, thats unclear, but most likely a peaceful transition into oblivion. In other words, they propose death as the solution to eternal life. The idea is met with ecstatic cheers by the Good Place residents. So, instead of Sartres no exit, the sitcoms finale, Whenever Youre Ready, is more like, Yes, one exit, please. We witness the Soul Squad experience the passing of thousands of Jeremy Bearimy units of time until each chooses to shuffle off this immortal coil. Jason decides hes ready after finally playing the perfect game of Madden. Tahani stays on as an afterlife architect. Chidi says he feels a quietude in my soul about walking through the door and convinces Eleanor its his time. Before she goes, Eleanor meets back up with Michael to support his dream of becoming human. (Their relational trajectory, from torturer-victim to parent-child to mutual friends, has been one of the The Good Places greatest strengths, and the finales final scene is remarkably affecting, if not a little silly, with his sendoff to Eleanor: Take it sleazy.) Noticeably absent from this heavenly realm in The Good Place is God. The judge of the afterlife, Gen (wonderfully portrayed by Maya Rudolph) is a burrito-eating, podcast-binging demigod of sorts, but shes quite limited in her abilities and was born during the beginning of the cosmos. Perhaps the closest we have to the divine is Janet (DArcy Carden), the all-knowing, Siri-like not-a-robot-but-not-a-girl. Janet serves as the final guide for every human as they walk through the door into the unknown beyond. But even as Janet apparently remains in existence in the new Good Place after all her friends leave, shes certainly not a deity, and her trajectory feels the most tragic (all her friends leave, so shes now perpetually alone). This is an eternal afterlife wholly absent of God, where humans endure character-forming tests by a group of trained demons until everyone eventually earns their way into a paradise of hedonism for eternity, until they feel complete (at best) or bored (at worst), in which case they voluntarily end their own existence. Its a hybrid of universalism, syncretism, andto put it bluntlya type of hereafter suicide. Article continues below Where does this central idea of death brings meaning come from? The Good Place finale features cameos from its two academic philosophy advisors, Todd May from Clemson University and Pamela Hieronymi from UCLA. Mays book, Death, which appeared in Chidis teaching curriculum in earlier seasons, is likely the inspiration for this afterlife death-after-death. Alluding to Jorge Luis Borgess short story, The Immortal, where death threatens the meaning of existence through negation, May suggests that immortality threatens the fact of mattering itself. In other words, the sad reality of death nevertheless makes every living experience precious and purposeful; as time-bound creatures, our very fleetingness gives us significance. The philosopher compares eternal life to a novel that never endsit just keeps going on and on forever, lacking any sense of closure or direction. Or, instead of a novel, we can draw a connection to a beloved TV series ending after only four seasons. In this, The Good Place is emblematic of its very message of self-chosen consummation. Rather than drag the sitcom out into potential irrelevance, tedium, or mediocrity, The Good Place ends on an upward trajectory filled with pathos and optimism, making fans simultaneously sad and satisfied. At peace, even. Its as if creator Michael Schur, the cast, and the writers had to make a similar choice to their characters, of when to walk through the door and allow the show to end. I think the timing was rightin spite of the brilliance of the first two seasons with their huge metaphysical twists and complex moral philosophy ruminations, the third season had some rough patches, and this fourth season often struggled to maintain consistency and freshness. Does the Good Place reflect our ideas of heaven? As a Christian theologian, Im inclined to say no, at least not the conception we have as a new heaven and a new earth where God will make his home with us and there will be no more death (Rev. 21:15). I confess, I initially found myself truly troubled by The Good Places apparent atheistic cosmic euthanasia, which seemed like an overly romanticized view of death. Yet, upon reflection, I think theres some truth to discern here, particularly for Christians. If God has conquered death through Christ, then we need not glorify or fear death, even as we grieve its reality and mourn with those who mourn. Death is not our ultimate source of meaning for existenceGod is. As theres a time to be born and a time to die, a time to weep and a time to laugh, we can face all of it with a sober recognition of the real sadness of death and a courageous hope anchored in Gods unending love for us. Perhaps the greatest contribution of The Good Place is not in its theology, but in its ethics. Schur was always more interested in making a show about moral philosophy than about religion; its looks at what it means to be a good person here and now. As theologian Jurgen Moltmann once wrote, Whenever we ask about life after death we are really asking about a meaningful, livable, and beloved life before death. This is the beauty of The Good Place, a goofy show so full of hope and joy (even in the midst of hell itself) that invites us to practice hope and joy in our present-day hells. The Good Place reminds me of Jesus parable in Luke 16 about Lazarus and the rich man, a narrative metaphor not necessarily intended to unpack the metaphysics of the afterlife, but to provoke our theological and ethical imaginations and make us rethink how were treating other people today in light of eternity. Article continues below In our contemporary world filled with political turmoil and vitriol, where systemic injustice runs rampant via impersonal bureaucracies and immoral political leaders, The Good Place reminds us that our theology and philosophy must be practicedour orthodoxy is only as good as our orthopraxy. And we can begin practicing the presence of heaven right now, loving and being loved by our friends and neighbors, giving each other grace when we inevitably screw something up, picking one other up, and trying again. The Good Place is over. Im sad that its done, but Im also grateful for the time I spent with it. I think Im ready for it to go. Take it sleazy, everyone. Joel Mayward is a pastor-theologian and film critic. The author of three books, he is currently a PhD candidate at the Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts (ITIA) at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Officials announced on Sunday that an additional two people in New York City are being tested for the novel coronavirus after recently traveling to mainland China. A 60-year-old man, who has been hospitalized at Flushing Hospital Medical Center in Queens, is considered to be in stable condition, according to the citys Department of Health. An additional 60-year-old individual is being hospitalized at New York Presbyterian in Queens. The first person from New York City to be identified for testing, an individual under the age of 40 who also recently traveled from China to New York City, is being held at NYC Health + Hospital/Bellevue in Manhattan, the Advance previously reported. While none of the cases are currently confirmed, being identified for testing means they had recently traveled from China and showed signs of a fever and cough or shortness of breath without another common cause, like influenza and other cold viruses, according to the Health Department. Testing to determine whether this is a confirmed case of coronavirus will take a minimum of 36 to 48 hours and depends on CDC testing capacity. Authorities have cautioned that cases under investigation should not be presumed as likely to be confirmed. We're reporting the second person under investigation for the novel #coronavirus. The individual, who is over 60 years old, has been hospitalized at Flushing Hospital Medical Center and is in stable condition. More: https://t.co/wSKYy9PLPf pic.twitter.com/XiYq1GSo6x nycHealthy (@nycHealthy) February 3, 2020 We are continuing to work closely with our partners at the CDC, State and federal government as the coronavirus situation evolves, said Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot. If you have traveled to the area affected by the outbreak in the last 14 days and feel unwell, call your doctor or visit a clinic, and you will be cared for," Barbot said. "Also, practice everyday precautions like you would during flu seasonwash your hands frequently, and cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze. We remain grateful to all New Yorkers for their cooperation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Thursday that the first person-to-person spread of the new coronavirus in the United States has been reported between an Illinois couple in their 60s shortly before the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a global health emergency. President Donal Trump declared a public health emergency in the U.S. on Friday in response to the spread of coronavirus. Starting Sunday, JFK Airport in Queens will be screening people who arrive from China for the coronavirus. JFK is one of seven airports where flights from China will be directed, according to NY1. The New York Times reported on Sunday that there are currently over 17,000 cases in at least 23 countries; there have been more than 360 deaths. Nine cases have been confirmed in the United States as of Sunday night, according to multiple reports. With the best public health system in the world, New York City stands ready to respond to any confirmed cases of the coronavirus, said Mayor Bill de Blasio. I urge all New Yorkers to remain vigilant, and if you or anyone you know matches the criteria and have recently traveled to the affected areas of China, please see a medical professional," de Blasio said. CDC RECCOMENDATIONS For those who feel sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, and traveled to Hubei province Chinaor been in contact with a confirmed case nCoV within 14 days of symptom onset, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends: Seek medical care right away. Before going to a doctors office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about recent travel and symptoms. Avoid contact with others. Do not travel while sick. Cover mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not hands) when coughing or sneezing. Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. For more information about the coronavirus, visit the Heath Department website at nyc.gov/health. LOS ANGELESThe official TEA Pre-Party venue was supposed to be LA's Sayers Clubbut for some reason, that club pulled out of its contract to host the event just six weeks before it was to take placeso now, the official TEA Pre-Party will be returning to Club Avalons connecting property, the Bardot, and will still take place on March 13, 2020. Despite having the Sayers Club confirmed and signed in August, they now make an unbelievable claim that it was double-booked, said TEA creator and Grooby CEO Steven Grooby. I can only believe that someone in their hierarchy has seen that this is an event by an LBGT adult company and have reasons to themselves as to why they don't want us there. I'd urge any LGBT company or persons to be very wary of dealing with them and we're looking at actions to take against them. On a more positive note, he added, returning the Bardot feels like going home. They've consistently helped us with our shows and we're very happy that they can accommodate us at a late notice. We're planning to invest a lot more into the look of the pre-party this year thanks to extra pre-party sponsorship from Kink and TranzFanz and I think everyone will be surprised and exhilarated at the new ideas we're bringing. The Bardot in Hollywood is a posh open-air lounge that has an old school glamorous Hollywood vibe. It has been the longtime home of the Transgender Erotica Awards Pre-Party and former After-Party for multiple years. The Transgender Erotica Awards (the TEAs) are a two-day event held in Hollywood, CA, during the weekend of March 13-15, 2020. The event is the only of its kind and celebrates the accomplishments of the trans adult industry. More details about the event will be released in the months to come at theTEAShow.com. (Sharecast News) - Activity in the eurozone manufacturing sector improved in January but remained in contraction territory, according to figures out on Monday. Markit's manufacturing purchasing managers' index ticked up to 47.9 from 46.3 in December and a flash estimate of 47.8. It remained below the 50.0 level that separates contraction from expansion for the twelfth month in a row but marked the highest reading since April 2019. Greece was the strongest-performing country, with growth reaching a five-month high, while Germany was again the weakest-performing country. Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit, said: "Eurozone manufacturing started 2020 with green shoots of recovery in sight. Most encouragingly, order books moved closer towards stabilisation, falling to the smallest extent since late 2018. With the survey indicating the steepest fall in warehouse stocks since September 2016, the new orders-to-inventory ratio, a key forward-looking indicator for factory production, surged to its highest for nearly one-and-a-half years. "Expectations for output growth also leaped to the highest since August 2018 amid a broad-based improvement of sentiment across the region, with an especially important upturn in confidence seen in Germany. "The improvement adds to our view that the eurozone economy could see growth strengthen in the coming months, meaning the ECB will hold off with any policy changes and instead focus on its strategic review." Still, Williamson highlighted risks that could alter the brightening outlook, including the threat of a trade war escalation, Brexit-related disruptions and uncertainty over the impact of the coronavirus. Tomas Dvorak, eurozone economist at Oxford Economics, said: "This is positive news and consistent with our view of gradual industrial stabilisation in the eurozone that we have been forecasting since late last year. Encouragingly, too, the manufacturing PMI increased across the board in all four of the largest eurozone member states. "However, it's important to note that the index remains well below the 50 mark that indicates no change showing that manufacturing activity continues to decline. The headline reading still has some way to go to return to any strength. Potential disruption to supply chains due to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak poses an additional and new downside risk to manufacturing." Romania's President Klaus Iohannis will meet President of the European Council Charles Michel in Brussels on Friday. According to the Presidential Administration, the agenda of this meeting covers negotiations over the budget of the European Union for 2021-2027. The meeting is part of a series of meetings that Michel has with the leaders of the European Union member states to prepare an extraordinary European summit on February 20 for negotiations over the future multiannual budget of the EU. The negotiations have entered a new stage, where process coordination has been taken over by the president of the European Council with the aim of obtaining, as quickly as possible, an agreement at the level of the heads of state or government of the European Union. AGERPRES While not a mind-blowing move, it is good to see that the Avenir Telecom S.A. (EPA:AVT) share price has gained 21% in the last three months. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last half decade have been stomach churning. Like a ship taking on water, the share price has sunk 94% in that time. The recent bounce might mean the long decline is over, but we are not confident. The million dollar question is whether the company can justify a long term recovery. We really feel for shareholders in this scenario. It's a good reminder of the importance of diversification, and it's worth keeping in mind there's more to life than money, anyway. Check out our latest analysis for Avenir Telecom Avenir Telecom wasn't profitable in the last twelve months, it is unlikely we'll see a strong correlation between its share price and its earnings per share (EPS). Arguably revenue is our next best option. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. Some companies are willing to postpone profitability to grow revenue faster, but in that case one does expect good top-line growth. Over half a decade Avenir Telecom reduced its trailing twelve month revenue by 39% for each year. That's definitely a weaker result than most pre-profit companies report. So it's not that strange that the share price dropped 44% per year in that period. This kind of price performance makes us very wary, especially when combined with falling revenue. Of course, the poor performance could mean the market has been too severe selling down. That can happen. The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers). ENXTPA:AVT Income Statement, February 3rd 2020 If you are thinking of buying or selling Avenir Telecom stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet. A Different Perspective Avenir Telecom shareholders are down 92% for the year, but the market itself is up 19%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 43% over the last half decade. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 5 warning signs for Avenir Telecom (of which 2 can't be ignored!) you should know about. Story continues For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on FR exchanges. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. facebook like button Tweet tweet button for twitter Published Feb. 3, 2020 The College of Arts, Education, and Sciences at the University of Louisiana Monroe is hosting the Spring 2020 ULM Art Crawl at several campus locations from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13. A showcase of ULMs talented students, faculty, staff, and alumni will be on display throughout the crawl. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend. Light refreshments will be served. Participating galleries include The Walker Gallery, CAES Deans Conference Room Gallery (Walker 1-47), Bry Art Gallery, Bry Gallery reception area, the Stubbs Hall senior art student studios, and a sculpture walk extending from the ULM Library to Walker Hall. Professor Joni Henry Noble, Ph.D., of the School of Visual and Performing Arts, recognizes students accomplishments, saying, I am so proud of our ULM art majors and all of their efforts to constantly remain on the creative path. I hope everyone can attend our ULM Art Crawl and meet these talented artists. We are also hosting our 27th Annual High School Competition and Awards Ceremony in Bry Gallery. The high school students are always so excited to be recognized, and each year they seem to be more talented. Spring 2020 ULM Art Crawl The Deans Conference Room will host an exhibition of photography by Prajal Prasai, senior editor of The Hawkeye campus newspaper. Prasais work consists of photos of his native country of Nepal and award-winning photos of New York City. The show in The Walker Gallery highlights the ULM Art Programs ongoing and in-class work, featuring notes on each students creative-thinking process. These include paintings, pottery, sculpture, prints and photographs. Bry Gallery will display the 27th Annual Jr./Sr. High School Art Competition. The awards ceremony for the high school students begins at 6 p.m. The Bry Gallery reception area will feature recent oil paintings by Kelli Sims, adjunct instructor of art at ULM. The senior art students studios in Stubbs Hall will be open for visitors to meet the artists and observe their works in progress. A new exhibition of public art sculptures will be installed along a walk between the University Library and Walker Hall. Art students exhibiting their sculptures include Kaitlyn Vaughan, Lexi Smith, Donna Glennon, Brandon Ward, and Elysabeth Peoples. Campus student-run radio station 91X KXUL, will broadcast live from Walker Hall across from the Walker Gallery all evening. The College of Arts, Education, and Sciences is sponsoring this opportunity for the community to walk through the beautiful ULM campus and appreciate the outstanding work of each artist. For more information, contact Noble at noble@ulm.edu or 318-342-1376. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 4) The whole province of Davao Occidental has been put under a state of calamity, with up to 10,000 hogs affected by African swine flu (ASF) in some of its municipalities. Governor Claude Bautista confirmed Tuesday that they made the declaration yesterday following recommendations from authorities and groups on their proper response to the outbreak. According to Bautista, ASF cases were recently confirmed in the towns of Don Marcelino and Malita. The province has been put on lockdown, with the entry and exit of all hogs and pork products banned. Don Marcelino has already implemented a total ban on the transport and sale of hogs, all pork products and by-products since January 31, after approximately 1,000 pigs have already died due to the disease. Information officer Ruel Sasuman told CNN Philippines that the total lockdown against hogs in their municipality was only made official at 10am today during the council session of the municipality. Agriculture Secretary William Dar said Monday that at least eight barangays in Don Marcelino were affected by the outbreak. "Eight barangays within Don Marcelino ang naka-cordoned off para di kakalat ang disease (were cordoned off so that the disease will not spread)," Dar said in a media briefing on Monday morning. These were the villages of Linadasan, North Lamidian, South Lamidian, Calinan, Mabuhay, Lawa, Nueva Villa and Baluntaya. Meanwhile, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte implemented also on Monday a lockdown against hogs coming from Davao del Sur where reports said another pig has died and Davao Occidental. Duterte said the lockdown is the citys measure to ensure that the hog industry will not be affected as neighboring towns already declared cases of the deadly swine disease. Dar said the agency's quick response team in Region 11, along with the Davao Occidental provincial veterinary office and municipal agriculture office of Don Marcelino, conducted an investigation on January 29 on the affected villages. Burial sites have already been identified for the dead pigs. The Department of Agriculture is monitoring the seven barangays in the adjacent town of Malita with reported swine fever cases. These are Bito, Kidalapong, Tubalan, Felis, Mana, Talogoy, and New Argao. "Ang ating usapan kahapon, sinabi po ni Governor [Claude] Bautista na i-meet lahat ng barangay captains at lahat magiimbestiga," said Dar. [Translation: From our meeting yesterday, Govenor Bautista said that he will meet the barangay captains and investigate the swine flu incidence.] Bautista added that the provincial government is awaiting the test results on the pig blood samples from the towns of Sta. Maria and Jose Abad Santos. He said that the Agriculture Department will pay 5,000 per head of culled pig, regardless of age, and provide 30,000 worth of loans to the affected hog raisers. The provincial government, on the other hand, said that they will assist in giving monetary consideration to hog raisers in Davao Occidental depending on the kilos of pork which will be turned over to them. Don Marcelino is targeting to cull over 5,000 pigs in three days, while hog raisers are asked to submit an inventory of their swine to authorities for proper monitoring of their health condition, Sasuman said. As of now, meron nang listed 5,000 pigs na for cullingwe are looking for the rest. Ang iba very adamant to surrender their pigs sa authorities, said Sasuman. [Translation: As of now, there are already 5,000 listed pigs that are up for cullingwe are looking for the rest. Other hog raisers are very adamant to surrender their pigs to the authorities.] We are requesting the populace na isurrender nila ang baboy nila so that the virus will go away that [quickly], he added, amid the municipalitys aim to depopulate their pigs. [Translation: We are requesting the populace to surrender their pigs so that the virus will go away.] Cebu and Misamis Oriental have already issued a directive prohibiting the entry of pork and other by-products from Davao Region to prevent the spread of the virus within their respective provinces. Over a hundred hog raisers have been affected by swine fever in Davao Occidental, which to date has a hog population of 13,000. This is the first case of African swine flu in Mindanao, six months after an outbreak was declared in Luzon. CNN Philippines' Carolyn Bonquin, Pearl Gajunera and Glee Jalea contributed to this report. Chinese police used huge iron bars to barricade a screaming woman inside her home in a bid to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus that has already killed at least 360 people. Authorities in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, were filmed locking the woman in her apartment and stopping the family from leaving. Police even put up a sign warning neighbours to 'stay away' and not to have contact with the people who lived inside because they had recently returned from the outbreak's epicentre of Wuhan. The footage showed masked men dressed in black screwing huge metal bars and over the doors and windows. In a video posted on social media on Thursday, a woman could be heard screaming as uniformed officers locked her inside. Chinese police bolted iron bars across the front door of an apartment in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, to stop a family who had been to Wuhan from leaving A group of around seven officers wearing face masks shut the family inside as a woman could be heard screaming from inside Around seven officers barricaded the family inside, with one telling them 'don't come out' as the bars were put in place across the front door. A sign was then stuck next to the door after it was sealed off, reading: 'This family came back from Wuhan. Stay away, no contact.' Some officers used their mobile phones to film the final stages of the bars being put in place. Online videos from other areas around China showed similar scenes in which authorities locked potentially infected families in their homes. One video reportedly taken in the capital Beijing showed wooden planks being nailed across an apartment door. Fengsuo Zhou, a Chinese human rights activist, said he had seen videos in at least four different areas across the country, all showing people being locked inside. As the bars were being put in place a sign saying, 'this family came back from Wuhan. Stay away, no contact' was placed next to the door Police dressed in black put the family in Nantong on lockdown in a bid to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus He said lockdowns were being ordered by the central government to cover up criticism they were too slow to act to tackle the killer coronavirus outbreak. Zhou told Metro.co.uk: 'People are feeling desperate and angry. The Chinese government is more focused on censorship than public welfare because they know their credibility is challenged. 'They have covered up the crucial information too long. Doctors were censured by police for talking about the pandemic one month ago.' The death toll from coronavirus soared to 361 on Monday and hit some 24 countries worldwide, with the number of infections in China jumping significantly, passing 17,200. Many cities have been put on lockdown, with residents only allowed to leave their homes to buy food and face masks. In another video reportedly from Beijing, authorities were seen speaking to residents (left) before barricading their door shut with wooden planks (right) Hubei, the province of more than 50million people at the centre of the outbreak, has made it compulsory to wear masks in public. China's most populous province Guangdong has also done so along with Sichuan, Jiangxi, Liaoning and the city of Nanjing, with a combined population of more than 300million. The eastern industrial city of Wenzhou was put under a similar lockdown to Wuhan on Sunday. The G7 countries - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States - have all confirmed cases of the virus. The US, Australia, New Zealand and Israel have banned foreign nationals from visiting if they have been in China recently, and they have also warned their own citizens against travelling there. Mongolia, Russia and Nepal have closed their land borders. The Senate impeachment trial has resumed. House impeachment managers and President Donald Trump's defense team have completed their closing arguments. Senators are now allowed to give short speeches. Refresh this page for updates. WASHINGTON Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she cannot vote to convict President Donald Trump during a speech on the Senate floor Monday. I cannot vote to convict, she said. The Constitution provides for impeachment, but does not demand it in all instances. Instead, the senator said we must trust the judgement of voters when they go to the polls in nine months. Denouncing the conduct of both parties, Murkowski said Democratic House lawmakers "failed in its proceedings" while casting Trumps behavior as shameful and wrong. She has not previously taken a public position on the final impeachment vote on Wednesday, when lawmakers will decide whether to acquit Trump or convict and remove him from office. The House rushed through what should have been one of the most serious, consequential undertakings of the legislative branch simply to meet an artificial, self-imposed deadline, she said. Murkowski was also critical of the Senate and the rank partisanship in the body during the impeachment proceedings. She slammed the hypocrisy of her colleagues who took opposite positions on impeachment than they did during President Bill Clintons impeachment. Democrats had hoped Murkowski would be one of a handful of Republican senators to vote for allowing the trial to hear from witnesses on Friday. But her ultimate decision not to back witnesses led to a narrow vote to reject further testimony, pushing the trial into final arguments and a deciding vote Wednesday. - Nicholas Wu Sen. Manchin calls for Senate to censure Trump Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., called for the Senate to censure President Donald Trump, explaining Monday he was deeply torn about how he would vote on articles of impeachment later in the week. Story continues Censuring Trump would formally express the Senates disapproval of his actions but would not remove him from office. The Senate votes on whether to acquit Trump or convict and remove him from office on Wednesday. I see no path to the 67 posts required to impeach President Trump and I haven't since this trial started, Manchin explained in a speech on the Senate floor. "However, I do believe a bipartisan majority of this body would vote to censure President Trump for his actions. He said censure would allow this body to unite across party lines and formally denounce Trumps actions with Ukraine. Rep. Jason Crow: Democrat reads from children's Constitutions during the Trump impeachment trial Manchin, a key Democratic vote representing a state Trump won, has refused to say how he will vote Wednesday. "I remain undecided on how I will vote," he said. "I am truly struggling with this decision and will come to a conclusion reluctantly," he said. A draft resolution of a censure resolution, which Manchin's office provided to USA TODAY, would "condemn" Trump's conduct "in the strongest terms." It could not be introduced until after the end of the impeachment vote on Wednesday. The resolution acknowledges Trump's pressuring of another country to open politically motivated investigations and obstructing Congress' investigation into his conduct in Ukraine. Manchin's resolution also looks past impeachment and Ukraine, saying the "Senate now moves on to other matters of significance." Any effort to censure Trump would likely face an uphill battle. If Manchin attempted to introduce the resolution and have it adopted by unanimous consent, it would likely be blocked in the GOP-led Senate. If it were introduced like any other resolution, it would likely be referred to the relevant committee and simply be ignored by Republicans. Sen. Joni Ernst: Sen. Joni Ernst says her comments on impeaching Joe Biden were 'taken out of context' After his speech, Manchin acknowledged to Politico the effort would likely be dead on arrival but said hed been trying to gain support from Republicans for a while. Its a shame, he told Politico. Trump has already faced two failed attempts to censure him. One was due to the presidents comments after the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the other after Trumps reported comments about African countries in a private meeting. There have been more than a dozen attempts to censure other presidents in recent history, including Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. All failed. The clearest successful censure was in 1834 against President Andrew Jackson. Resolutions were adopted three other times, against James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln and William Howard Taft, but they were amended and the original language rebuking the president was altered and obscured, according to the Congressional Research Service. - Christal Hayes Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., talks on his phone as he walks in the U.S. Capitol on Monday Some GOP pour cold water on censuring Trump Shortly before Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., said he supported a censure resolution against Trump on Monday, some Republican colleagues panned the idea. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who said in a statement Friday that Just because actions meet a standard of impeachment does not mean it is in the best interest of the country to remove a President from office told reporters that even with that view, he would rather wait until the election instead of censure. We have an election in nine months, and that's in my mind, the appropriate way for people to take into account how they feel about what the President did. It's the ultimate accountability, Rubio said. Removal is not a punishment. The House managers have said removal is designed to protect the country and thats in the best interest of the country. I think the best interest in the country will be served by the American people in November in an election. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., agreed, saying there was zero desire for a censure resolution and that the first time he heard about it was from reporters. He reiterated that so many senators had constituents that thought it was ill-founded, because it was so partisan." Sen. Roy Blunt, R-MO., simply said that it was too late for a censure vote. - Savannah Behrmann Parnas focused on impeachment as judge sets his trial Lev Parnas, the man who eagerly offered to testify in the impeachment trial against the president he once admired, learned Monday he will face trial Oct. 5 on charges of breaking federal campaign finance law. But he remained focused on the impeachment trial that entered its final days without any consideration of his bid to testify against Trump. Asked after Monday's hearing whether he would continue to seek a plea-bargain deal with prosecutors in his criminal case, Parnas pivoted to the impeachment trial. "We've been the past month trying as strong as possible to be able to help the Senate, Congress and the world ... know the truth on what has happened and what is happening" in a fight against a "powerful enemy," Parnas said. "I think the truth will come out, and we will all know and see what President Trump, Attorney General (William) Barr, Rudy Giuliani and their cohorts did in the Ukraine situation." Parnas helped Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer, seek damaging information in Ukraine about former Vice President Joe Biden, one of Trump's rivals in the 2020 presidential race. - Kevin McCoy Rep. Adam Schiff: Trump 'will not change' Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, the lead House Democrat prosecuting President Donald Trump, told senators they couldnt wait for voters to decide whether to remove the president in November because he would undermine national security and try to cheat in the election until then. You cant trust this president to do the right thing, not for one minute, not for one election, not for the sake of our country," said Schiff, D-Calif., during closing arguments in the impeachment trial. The Senate will vote Wednesday whether to acquit Trump or convict and remove him from office. Schiff argued Trump wouldnt change, particularly if the Senate acquits him, and pointed out past Trump actions as his evidence: Trump had publicly invited Russia to hack his Democratic opponents' emails during the 2016 election and they did. He continued to pursue a lucrative real-estate deal in Russia during the campaign and his personal lawyer went to prison for lying about it. And the day after special counsel Robert Mueller testified about his investigation into Russian interference in that campaign, Trump spoke July 25 with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to urge the investigation of his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. The call was at the heart of the impeachment accusation of abuse of power. He has not changed. He will not change, Schiff said. A man without character or ethical compass will not find his way. Trumps defense team had said the articles of impeachment, for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, were too vague to enforce. The defense lawyers argued that Trumps fate should be left in the hands of voters in November. But Schiff said the chances that Trump would continue to try and cheat in the 2020 election were 100%. The scheming persists and the danger will never recede, Schiff said. Schiff closed by arguing the men who wrote the Constitution provided impeachment as a rare but significant tool to remove a president for misconduct. They gave us the tools to do the job, a remedy as powerful as the evil it was meant to constrain: impeachment, Schiff said. They meant it to be used rarely, but they put it in the Constitution for a reason. For a man who would sell out his country for a political favor. For a man who would threaten the integrity of our elections. For a man who would invite foreign interference in our affairs. For a man who would undermine our national security and that of our allies. For a man like Donald J. Trump. - Bart Jansen Lead House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., speaks during closing arguments in the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump on Monday. Crow reads from children's Constitution during impeachment trial Taking his turn to sum up the House case against President Donald Trump in the Senate impeachment trial, Rep. Jason Crow read a passage that he inscribed on a copy of his childrens Constitution. Our founders recognized the failings of all people, so they designed a system to ensure that the ideas and principles contained in this document would always be greater than any one person, said the Colorado Democrat, a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its the idea that no one is above the law. But our system only works if people stand up and fight for it. Fighting for something important always comes at a cost. Someday you may be called upon to defend the principles and ideas embodied in our Constitution. May the memory and spirit of those who sacrificed for them in the past guide you and give you strength as you fight for them in the future. - Bart Jansen Ernst: comments on impeaching Biden 'taken out of context' Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said Monday that her comments suggesting Republicans could move to impeach former Vice President Joe Biden over Ukraine if he were elected president were taken entirely out of context. Ernst said Sunday: "I think this door of impeachable whatever has been opened. Joe Biden should be very careful what hes asking for because, you know, we can have a situation where if it should ever be President Biden, that immediately people right the day after he would be elected would be saying, Well, were going to impeach him.'" On Monday, Ernst walked back her comments when speaking to reporters. The point is that the Democrats have lowered the bar so far, she said. Regardless of who it is, if you have a different party in the House than that of an elected president, you could have just random comments thrown out there with folks saying, Were going to impeach.'" Sen. Joni Ernst: Iowa Republican says comments on impeaching Joe Biden were 'taken out of context' In an interview Sunday with the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network, Biden said Ernst's comments and Trump's decision to ask Ukraine to investigate his actions overseeing foreign policy in that country show that the president is afraid of running against him. "They very much dont want to face me, obviously," Biden told the Register. "Ive never seen a sitting president and his allies this frightened about who may be the nominee." - Savannah Behrmann and Nicholas Wu Trump attorney: 'reject' impeachment, trust voters White House counsel Pat Cipollone closed the defense of President Donald Trump in his impeachment trial by arguing that he did nothing wrong and the American people should decide who should hold the countrys highest office, rather than have the Senate remove him. It is wrong, Cipollone said of the impeachment. There is only one answer to that, and the answer is to reject those articles of impeachment, to have confidence in the American people, to have confidence in the result of the upcoming election, to have confidence and respect for the last election and not throw it out. Cipollone said the Senate could help end the era of impeachment, after three formal inquiries since 1974, by acquitting the president and leaving the decision about whether Trump should remain in office to the wisdom and judgment of voters in November. I urge you on behalf of every American, on behalf of all your constituents, to reject these articles of impeachment, Cipollone said. Its the right thing for our country. The president has done nothing wrong. These types of impeachments must end. - Bart Jansen Trump attorney: partisan impeachment is what founders feared Jay Sekulow, a private lawyer who is part of President Donald Trumps defense team, argued that House Democrats pursued a partisan impeachment that the countrys founders feared, saying it should never happen again. This is exactly and precisely what the founders feared, Sekulow said. This was the first totally partisan presidential impeachment in our nations history and it should be our last. Sekulow said the House essentially tried to usurp power by accusing Trump of abuse of power for his dealings in Ukraine. And Sekulow said the second article should fail because Trumps defiance of subpoenas was for constitutional reasons such as protecting the confidentiality of advice from top aides. What the House Democrats have done to this nation, the Constitution, the office of the president, the president himself and to this body is outrageous, Sekulow said. They have cheapened the awesome power of impeachment and unfortunately, of course, the country is not better for that. - Bart Jansen Trump attorney: Dems. didn't follow the law in impeaching Trump Patrick Philbin, deputy White House counsel, attacked the Houses impeachment inquiry as initially invalid and therefore invalidatd the rest of the impeachment leading to a Senate trial of President Donald Trump. In many important and significant respects, they didnt follow the law, Philbin said during closing arguments of Trump's defense team in the impeachment trial Monday. This was a purely partisan impeachment from the start. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., declared the impeachment inquiry on Sept. 23 without a vote in the House, as had traditionally happened. The House voted to authorize the inquiry Oct. 31 and then impeached Trump on Dec. 18. The House has the sole authority in the Constitution to impeach officials in the executive and judicial branches, which is how Pelosi justified her announcement. But Philbin argued that Pelosi didnt have the authority to announce the investigation and thus the 23 subpoenas issued before the full House vote were invalid. - Bart Jansen Ken Starr to senators: consider the lack of GOP support Ken Starr, a member of President Donald Trumps defense team, suggested Monday that senators should take into account that the House impeached Trump largely along party lines. The House, he said, has the sole power to impeach a president, but House Democrats should have spent more time on their investigation to persuade Republicans to join them. Starr, the former independent counsel whose investigation led to the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton, said the House vote to investigate President Richard Nixon was 410 to 4. The vote to investigate Clinton was supported by 31 of his fellow Democrats. But none of Trumps fellow Republicans joined Democrats in authorizing the inquiry or impeaching him. Theyve got the power, but that doesnt mean anything goes, Starr told senators. The question fairly to be asked: why cast my vote to convict and remove the president of the United States, when not a single member of the presidents party the party of Lincoln was persuaded at any time in the process. - Bart Jansen Ken Starr, an attorney for President Donald Trump, arrives on Capitol Hill on Monday. White House attorney: acquit Trump, let voters decide White House counsel Pat Cipollone said the only appropriate result in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump is to acquit him and let voters decide in November whether to keep him in office. The key conclusion, the only conclusion, based on the evidence and the articles of impeachment themselves and the Constitution, is that you must vote to acquit the president, Cipollone said. At the end of the day, this is an effort to overturn the results of one election and to try to interfere in the coming election that begins today in Iowa. On Monday, Iowa is holding its caucuses, the first nominating contest of the 2020 election as Democrats begin to decide whom will challenge Trump in November. The only appropriate result here is to acquit the president and leave it to the voters to choose their president, Cipollone said. - Bart Jansen Live Iowa caucuses updates: Follow along for live coverage from across Iowa, and the world Some senators still quiet about final impeachment vote While a Republican majority in the Senate indicates President Donald Trump will be acquitted Wednesday, how a number of key senators will vote is still up in the air. Those senators have remained fairly tight-lipped on how they will ultimately vote on both articles of impeachment. Asked how he would vote on acquittal or conviction, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., told USA TODAY, weve got a vote to make Wednesday. Over the weeks, Manchin, whose state supported Trump by a wide margin, has said both sides did a good job of presenting their case but has declined to say how he would vote. Sen. Doug Jones, another Democrat representing a Trump state, said he is still wanting to hear closing arguments and that he is undecided on the final vote. "I'm getting there. I really do want to hear the arguments and some conversations from colleagues," said the Alabama Democrat, who is facing a tough reelection battle. Another Democrat, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., has remained virtually silent on her thoughts during the weeks-long trial. She has repeatedly declined to discuss her thoughts throughout the proceedings. Nancy Pelosi: It was 'sad' for Mitch McConnell to 'humiliate' Chief Justice John Roberts Votes from a number of key Republicans also remain to be seen. To convict and remove Trump from office, it would require the backing of at least 67 of the 100 senators. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told reporters she "would concur" with Sen. Lamar Alexander's statement that what Trump did was inappropriate but not impeachable. However, she would not comment on how exactly she was voting. When asked whether any Democrats would vote to acquit, Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., said he thinks its possible" a couple" would vote with Republicans "at least on obstruction of Congress." "They've got a real difficult decision because of how heavy Trump carried those particular states," he elaborated. - Savannah Behrmann, Nicholas Wu and Christal Hayes Demings: Trump 'weaponized our government' In House Democrats' closing arguments in the impeachment trial, Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., focused on President Donald Trumps alleged pressure on Ukraine to announce investigations into a political rival. She said the scheme served as the foundation for the Senate trial. President Trump weaponized our government and the vast powers entrusted to him by the American people and the Constitution to target his political rival and corrupt our precious elections, subverted our national security and our democracy in the process, Demings said. He put his personal interests above those of the country. More emails: Trump administration acknowledges emails show Trump's thinking on Ukraine aid at center of impeachment Demings explained that Trump withheld a coveted White House meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and then $391 million in military aid while urging an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden. She said the pressure began before a July 25 call between Trump and Zelensky, and the aid was released Sept. 11 only after Congress began investigating. Trumps defense team have said he was justified in seeking the investigation of possible corruption in Ukraine involving Biden and his son. - Bart Jansen Rep. Jason Crow: Trump tried to 'cheat' and should be removed House Democrats prosecuting President Donald Trump in the Senate impeachment trial urged in their closing arguments Monday that senators should convict and remove the president from office. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., said Trump tried to "cheat" in the 2020 election by inviting a foreign government to interfere in the election. I submit to you on behalf of the House of Representatives that your duty demands that you convict President Trump, Crow said. If you believe, as we do, and as we have proven, that the presidents efforts to use his official powers to cheat in the 2020 election, jeopardize our national security and are antithetical to our democratic tradition, then you must come to no other conclusion that the president threatens the fairness of the next election and risks putting foreign interference between voters and their ballots. The Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump began shortly after 11 a.m. Monday, beginning with closing arguments from Democratic House impeachment managers. - Bart Jansen House Democratic impeachment managers Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., center, and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., right, arrive at the Senate on Monday for the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump Klobuchar going to Iowa Monday for caucuses Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., was asked whether it was frustrating to be in Washington on the day of the Iowa caucuses. But she said shed be flying to Iowa at 4 p.m. EST, after the closing arguments in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump are completed about 3 p.m. It is what it is. Ive got a constitutional duty to be here, Klobuchar said. Im a mom; I can do two things at once. Live Iowa caucuses updates: Follow along for live coverage from across Iowa, and the world She will fly directly to New Hampshire at midnight, after the caucus. Im really excited about how were doing right now a few points away from the people you guys talk about, Klobuchar said with a smile. Im punching way above my weight. - Bart Jansen and Christal Hayes Kennedy doesn't think Democrats have made their case Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said when he counts his blessings, he counts Sen. Lamar Alexander twice. But Kennedy said he disagrees with the Tennessee Republican that the House Democrats have made their case in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. I dont agree that the prosecution has made its case, Kennedy said. Lamar made a crucial vote Friday not to allow witnesses at the trial, helping push through a party line vote to reject witnesses and clearing the way for a final vote on acquittal or conviction Wednesday. He shouldnt have done it: GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander, who scolded Trump on Ukraine, explains why he backs acquittal Alexander told USA TODAY Trump's dealings with Ukraine were "a mistake" and that he "shouldn't have done it," but ultimately said the president's conduct did not meet the standard of removal from office. He said he believed the House proved its case that Trump withheld nearly $400 million in military aid last year to pressure Ukraine into investigating his political rivals, notable former Vice President Joe Biden. Kennedy said he would explain his vote further on the Senate floor either late Monday or on Tuesday. - Bart Jansen Closing arguments to begin House impeachment managers and President Donald Trump's legal team will make their closing arguments Monday as senators prepare to vote on whether to convict or acquit the president on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Those two articles of impeachment were approved by the Democratic-controlled House on Dec. 18 after a two-month inquiry into allegations that Trump held up military aid to pressure Ukraine into announcing investigations for his political benefit including one involving former Vice President Joe Biden, a Democratic rival in the 2020 election. Trump has insisted he did nothing wrong and was acting to combat corruption. His defense team has said the House failed to prove its case, that the abuse of power charge is too subjective and the obstruction of Congress charge robs the president of his right to claim executive privilege in court. Attorney Alan Dershowitz made the argument, which many legal scholars dispute, that even if the allegations were true, they weren't impeachable because they did not constitute a crime. Last week, the Senate voted 51-49 against issuing subpoenas for additional witnesses and documents, which would have delayed the trial's conclusion. Each side will have two hours to argue the case a final time before senators take to the floor to deliver speeches explaining how they view the charges. With a 53-47 Republican majority in the Senate and a two-thirds vote needed for conviction, it is almost certain the president will be acquitted in the final vote on Wednesday. What we know: Senators will vote Wednesday to acquit or convict Trump Impeachment and 2020 election: Warren, Sanders, Klobuchar and Bennet will have to juggle Trump impeachment trial and the Iowa caucuses Monday Schiff: The House proved its case The lead House impeachment manager, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calf., said Sunday Democrats "proved the corrupt scheme that they charged in the articles of impeachment." "That's pretty remarkable when you now have senators on both sides of the aisle admitting the House made its case and the only question is: 'Should the president be removed from office because he's been found guilty of these offenses?'" Schiff said on CBS News' "Face the Nation." Schiff said even if the Senate votes to acquit, "it's enormously important that the president was impeached" because "by standing up to this president as we have, by making the case to the American people, by exposing his wrongdoing, we are helping to slow the momentum away from our democratic values." "But I'm not letting the senators off the hook. We're still going to go into the Senate this week and make the case why this president needs to be removed," he said. "It will be up to the senators to make that final judgment and the senators will be held accountable for it." Schiff declined to say if the House would continue to seek testimony from former national security adviser John Bolton, who says in his upcoming book that Trump told him the aid to Ukraine was tied to the investigations Trump desired, according to news media reports. But he said one way or the other, "the truth will come out." William Cummings 'We want to hear that': News of John Bolton's book casts shadow over Trump impeachment trial Republicans concede Trump should have gone through DOJ GOP Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee said Sunday that while Trump's acts were not impeachable, he should have gone through the Department of Justice if he had concerns about Biden and his son's former position on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company. "I think, generally speaking, going after corruption would be the right thing to do," Ernst, who declared she will vote to acquit, said on CNN's "State of the Union." "But I think he could have done it through different channels," she added, referring to Trump's decision to have his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, handle it. "He should have probably gone to the DOJ. He should have worked through those entities, but he chose to go a different route." On NBC News' "Meet the Press," Alexander said he believed Trump "called the president of Ukraine and asked him to become involved in investigating Joe Biden." And he said, "at least in part, he delayed the military and other assistance to Ukraine in order to encourage that investigation." "I think he shouldn't have done it. I think it was wrong," said Alexander, who plans to vote for acquittal. "If he was upset about Joe Biden and his son and what they were doing in Ukraine, he should have called the attorney general and told him that, and let the attorney general handle it the way they always handle cases that involve public figures," said Alexander, who is not seeking re-election in November's election. When asked why he thought Trump did not go to the DOJ, Alexander said, "Maybe he didn't know to do it." "I would think he would think twice before he did it again," he added. William Cummings He shouldnt have done it': GOP senator who scolded Trump on Ukraine explains why he backs acquittal Republicans keep Biden in the spotlight Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Fox News on Sunday that "the day of reckoning is coming for congressional and Senate oversight of Joe Biden." "I'm going to bring in State Department officials and ask them, why didn't you do something about the obvious conflict of interests Joe Biden had?" said Graham, who previously pledged to have his committee investigate the matter but has not yet scheduled any hearings. "We're going to get to the bottom of this," he said. "And I can prove beyond any doubt that Joe Biden's effort in the Ukraine to root out corruption was undercut, because he let his son sit on the board of the most corrupt company in the Ukraine, and we're not going to give him a pass on that." In an interview with Bloomberg News, Ernst said Democrats had lowered the bar for impeachment to the point that if Biden were to become president there would be voices calling for his removal because of Hunter Biden's connection to Burisma. "I think this door of impeachable whatever has been opened," Ernst told Bloomberg. "We can have a situation where if it should ever be President Biden, that immediately, people, right the day after he would be elected would be saying, 'Well, were going to impeach him.'" William Cummings 'Is that true?': Here are questions senators asked during Trump's impeachment trial Contributing: Bart Jansen, Maureen Groppe and Ledyard King This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump impeachment trial: president's defense making closing arguments Arya Vardhan is a 40-year-old dynamic bachelor and an astute businessman; whose world revolves around his family and work. Anu, on the other is a 19-year-old fun-loving, free-spirted girl whose thirst for living it up often compromises any semblance of focus in life or any serious career aspirations. What do they have in common? Little, perhaps, except that they are destined to fall in love with each other. Zee Telugus brand-new prime time offering Prema Entha Madhuram brings viewers an unconventional romance that transcends the barriers of age, life stages and background. In line with the channels brand philosophy Aarambam Oka Aduguthone, the show questions if people really need a license to love? Do lovers need an external approval from society to feel for one another? Should factors like cast, creed, monetary backgrounds and, in this case, age define who should love whom? Produced by South Indian Screens, Prema Entha Madhuram will premiere on 10th February at 9 PM, every Monday to Friday, only on Zee Telugu and Zee Telugu HD. The series was applauded for the title song, which was shot in Pahalgam, Kashmir. For the first time in the Telugu television industry, Zee Telugus Prema Entha Madhuram title track caller tune is out for subscription on Airtel, Vodafone, Idea, and BSNL on popular demand by the ardent audience. This popular tune will also be released on OTT platforms soon. Superstar Mahesh Babu joined hands with Zee Telugu for a unique concept video which already garned much accolades from the fans of Prince and ardent viewers of the channel. The charming star shot with the cast of the show along with the famed Anchor Pradeep Machiraju. The business-romantic drama boasts of a stellar star-cast including the popular actors Venkat Sriram as Arya Vardhan and Varsha HK as Anu. Set against the backdrop of Hyderabad, Prema Entha Madhuram chronicles the unique journey of Arya Vardhan and Anu, two strikingly different individuals hailing from diverse backgrounds fall in love irrespective of their substantial age difference. As their contrasting universes collide, will Arya Vardhan and Anu stand up against taboos and prejudice as they face the eternal question What will society say? Will the two muster the courage to admit their love? Commenting on his character, Venkat Sriram says, Aryavardhan is an unexplored character for me and for Telugu television. I am very thrilled to play this role. Hope the audience embraces my comeback with love! Commenting on her role, Varsha HK says, Anu is very close to my heart and I and very happy that I got an opportunity to be a part of this new-age love story. I am sure the audience is going to love it. Fingers crossed though! As the story progresses, viewers at multiple junctures will be posed with interesting questions about love and companionship. Will a love so intense bow down to the cognition of age differences? Or will braving societal stigma together empower Arya Vardhan and Anu as a couple? To find out, embark on a journey of unconditional love with Zee Telugus Prema Entha Madhuram premiering on 10th February, every Monday to Friday, at 9:00 PM only on Zee Telugu and Zee Telugu HD. To enjoy the show, subscribe to Zee Telugu, available in the Zee Prime Pack at Rs. 20 per month To ensure you do not miss out on your favorite Zee Telugu shows, choose the Zee Prime Pack that includes Zee Telugu, and Zee Cinemalu alongside 7 other top channels of the Zee Network that cater to the daily entertainment needs of your entire family at Rs. 20 per month only. For further information, contact your DTH or Cable operator. The Goa legislative assembly on Monday adopted a resolution congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah for having passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) after a walkout by Opposition claiming that the government was using its brute majority to pass the resolution. In the 40-member assembly, the ruling BJP has 27 MLAs, besides two Independent legislators who support the government. NCPs Churchil Alemao, who supports the government, was absent. The Opposition had moved a motion before Speaker Rajesh Patnekar to hold a long discussion on the CAA, National Population Register and National Register of Citizens but the Speaker allowed a congratulatory motion. How can you allow the congratulatory motion when we have already sought a 2.5 hour discussion on the CAA, NPR and NRC? This is illegal... As much as this law is unconstitutional, what you are doing is also unconstitutional, Goa Forward Partys Vijai Sardesai said. Amid the din, the Speaker adjourned the House. When the House resumed, LoP Digambar Kamat led the Opposition walkout. The CAA paves way for safeguarding the rights of the oppressed, religious minorities...who have sought refuge in India, BJP leader Atanasio Monserrate said, while tabling the motion. Goa CM Pramod Sawant said, We want to differentiate between who is a refugee and who is an illegal immigrant.... However, he sidestepped the NRC issue saying there was no talk of NRC...so, no need to discuss it. A British man who flew home from China suffering from coronavirus-like symptoms is expecting to receive results within hours telling him whether he has the illness. Anthony May-Smith, who was put into isolation after landing, said later he felt fine. The total number of deaths from the epidemic in China has risen to 362, with new infections in China increasing by 2,829 on Sunday, bringing the total to 17,205. At least another 171 cases including two in Britain have been reported in countries including Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Russia, Spain and Thailand. The number of cases of the virus worldwide is doubling roughly every five days, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, revealed. It came as Chinese scientists revealed they had uncovered fresh evidence that the novel coronavirus had originated in bats. Dr. Jennifer Winward leads student workshops for families to learn about college entrance exams "Were thrilled to see the U.S. Department of the Interior supporting educational equity initiatives for American Indian students." - Jennifer Winward, Founder & CEO of Winward Academy Winward Academy - a San-Diego based ed-tech company - has launched an initiative to bring its educational programs to American Indian schools and students around the country. The curriculum provides support for students to prepare for math class, ACT and SAT college entrance exams, and college applications. Recent data from ACT highlight that American Indian students in the United States attain lower levels of college readiness than their Asian American or White peers. Only 32% of American Indian teens are considered college ready in English; 15% are college ready in Math; and 15% are college ready in Science - compared to their white peers of whom 72% are college ready in English, 49% in Math, and 46% in Science. These discrepancies are staggering and point to a serious gap in resources and support for American Indian youth. Winward Academy is addressing this resource gap. In the past six months, American Indian students using the program have shown tremendous success, showing, on average, increases in English performance by 17% and in Math performance by 15%. Skylar Frasier, AVID elective teacher at Chemawa Indian School in Salem, Oregon shared, Chemawa students need the individualized approach to ACT preparation that Winward offers. Our students report that they feel more empowered when they are in control of their test preparation study plan and we have noticed an increase in engagement with the test preparation course. In Anadarko, Oklahoma, Kellie Moser instructs juniors at Riverside Indian School. She said, my students have really enjoyed the program and are becoming more comfortable with the content and more confident in their test taking abilities. Its critical that they develop the knowledge and skills to be successful beyond an ACT or SAT and into college and career. Thats what we focus on every day. As part of its continued effort to support all students, Winward Academy is committed to continuing this program and its support for American Indian high schools. Were thrilled to see the U.S. Department of the Interior supporting educational equity initiatives for American Indian students, shared Winward Academy founder and CEO, Dr. Jennifer Winward. Were hopeful to see continued growth and improvement among all students we serve, and were thrilled to work closely with such dedicated teachers working every day to transform outcomes for the youth they serve. Nothing would be possible without them. For more information about Winward Academys efforts to support American Indian students, please contact Jon Medovich at 305.842.1197 or jon@winwardacademy.com. About Winward Academy Test success, college success, and life success they all begin at Winward Academy, a research-based, student-centered learning platform for the ACT, SAT, math class, and college applications. Winward Academy applies a scientific approach to customize learning for each student, enabling growth for students of all levels and learning styles. Winward Academy is a team of passionate adolescent learning researchers committed to thoughtfully developing curriculum that improves learning, retention, and test performance building confidence for life. Winward Academy curriculum is used by students at home, by teachers in the classroom, and by charities in after-school and summer programs. For more information on Winward Academy, see winwardacademy.com or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Health Minister Greg Hunt has criticised a political party that advocates against compulsory vaccination for a "misleading" attempt to change its name. Mr Hunt will write to the Australian Electoral Commission urging it to reject the Involuntary Medication Objectors (Vaccination/Fluoride) Party's application to change its name to the Informed Medical Options Party. Health Minister Greg Hunt wants the AEC to reject an application by the Involuntary Medication Objectors (Vaccination/Fluoride) Party to change its name to the Informed Medical Options Party. Credit:AAP "I call on the anti-vaxxers to withdraw their name change and will be writing to the AEC, indicating that such a name would be misleading," he told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. The controversial micro-party was registered in 2016, ran eight Senate candidates at the 2019 federal election and received 17,055 first-preference votes - 5024 from NSW, 8240 from Queensland and 3791 from Western Australia. As the spotlight is on the surreal U.S. Senate impeachment hearings, recently consequential steps are happening to turn the country more into an authoritarian state. President Trump expanded the Muslim ban to include six additional countries Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania on Friday, Jan. 31. One might note the racial makeup of these countries, with four of the six being predominantly black racially. With a national security excuse in use, and believed unfortunately by a number of uninformed Americans, racism can be cloaked effectively by the Donald Trumps and Stephen Millers of the world. As found at the Muslim Advocates website, The Muslim Ban expansion is about one thing: weaponizing anti-Muslim bigotry for political gain... which forces tens of thousands of Americans to sacrifice their families. In fact, over a million Americans were born in the now thirteen Muslim Ban countries and could be affected. Trumps Birtherism of President Obama is an early example of his political application of prejudice and hate of black Muslims. Most likely, increased tensions in the Middle East brought on by Trump missteps is being used as a rational for further political use of hate, ignorance and intolerance. Erwin Curry, Missoula You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 2 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 A Jersey City police officer struggling with a teen with a gun broke his ankle and tibia late Friday night, authorities said. The 15-year-old with the gun and a 16-year-old were charged after they fled from a traffic stop at 11:50 p.m., Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said. Officers attempted to stop their vehicle in the area of Communipaw Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard when the occupants fled. It is believed the vehicle was stolen. Officers gave chase and one of the officers broke his ankle and tibia while struggling to arrest the 15-year-old who was resisting arrest and in possession of a handgun, Wallace-Scalcione said. A 16-year-old was also quickly apprehended. The name of the injured police officer was not released. The 15-year-old was charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of a weapon, possession of firearms by a minor, prohibited weapons and devices, prohibited weapons and devices defaced firearms, receiving stolen property-knowing property is stolen, resisting arrest and obstruction of a governmental function. The 16-year-old was charged with resisting arrest and obstruction of a governmental function. Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) candidate for Delhis Model Town constituency Kapil Mishra has once again targeted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its chief Arvind Kejriwal. Aam Aadmi Party should be renamed as Muslim League. Those who patronise Umar Khalid, Afzal Guru, Burhan Wani and other terrorists are scared of Yogi Adityanath, Mishra tweeted in Hindi on Monday. , , , Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishra_IND) February 3, 2020 His remarks came in the wake of AAP seeking a ban on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his alleged provocative speeches while campaigning for BJP candidates in Delhi. AAP has also sought Adityanaths arrest. He (Adityanath) must be arrested for his communal speeches. We have lodged a complaint with the EC, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said on Sunday. Singh added that it has been 48 hours since his party sought time from the Election Commission for a meeting but it has not been granted. Adityanath had alleged on Saturday that those who supported terrorists in Kashmir were staging protest in Shaheen Bagh and raising slogans of azadi. The UP chief minister had also attacked his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that he and his party were siding with protesters at Shaheen Bagh and that a Pakistan minister and AAP were speaking on similar terms. From Uttar Pradesh, Yogi manorogi (mentally-ill) came to Delhi. What all abusive and divisive things he is saying. He said Arvind Kejriwal is connected to Pakistan. We dont know how BJP leaders get all information about Pakistan. If what Yogi speaks is right, it should be proven. Otherwise he should desist from talking such nonsense, said Singh. Kapil Mishra had created a controversy last month with a string of tweets that compared the February 8 Delhi Assembly election to India vs Pakistan clash. In his other tweets and public statements that followed, Kapil Mishra had claimed that mini-Pakistans were being created in Delhi and alleged that Pakistani rioters are occupying the roads. The Election Commission had imposed a 48-hour campaigning ban on Mishra, concluding that his tweets appeal to communal feelings. Mishra, who was earlier with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and was a minister in the Arvind Kejriwal government before falling out bitterly with the party, had crossed over to the BJP last year. A Palestinian protester hurls stones at Israeli soldiers during clashes after a protest against the U.S. Middle East peace plan, in the West Bank city of Hebron, Feb. 2, 2020. (Photo by Mamoun Wazwaz/Xinhua) RAMALLAH, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Sunday reiterated its rejection of the U.S. Mideast peace deal, describing it as a "declaration of hostility" against the Palestinian people. "The plan poses a serious threat to the rules-based international order and the foundations of international law," according to a position paper issued by the Palestine Liberation Organization's Public Diplomacy and Policy Department. It said that the proposed plan grants Israel "immediate rewards of annexation," leaving Palestinians with no sovereignty at all. "The U.S. plan presents a disconnected and inviable archipelago of Palestinian communities stripped of any sovereignty or viability, engulfed in Israel's belly and denied of any control over borders, airspace, territorial waters security or natural resources," said the statement. According to the paper, Palestine is ready to engage in "constructive and meaningful political effort on the basis of international law, relevant UN resolutions and the Arab peace initiative," and the Palestinian leadership is ready to work with the international community to achieve a real peace on this foundation. No significant threat of coronavirus from fishing vessels: Fiji Ministry by Koroi Tadulala February 03,2020 | Source: FBC News Fiji's Ministry of Fisheries, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, continues to reassess potential Coronavirus risks through fishing vessels. Both ministries are working with the border agencies in strengthening the protection measures in the fishing industry and companies. However, the Ministry of Fisheries noted that there is no significant threat of Coronavirus from fishing vessels at this stage as most vessels have been at sea for almost three to six months. At the operational level, the Ministry of Fisheries takes its cue from first-line border agencies including the Fiji Ports Authority, Immigration Department, Ministry of Health as well as Biosecurity. The Ports Authority of Fiji is the first team to board vessels before and when they berth at Fiji's wharves. 2018-19 Fijian Broadcasting Corporation Limited Theme(s): Others. Yogi Adityanath addressing public Delhi goes to poll on Saturday and with just three days of campaigning remaining, BJP unleashed its top brass, including firebrand Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, who has raked up the delectable issue of Biryani. Adityanath has alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party is serving Biryani to the Shaheen Bagh protesters, who have been in a sit-in for around 50 days now, demonstrating against the citizenship law. Campaigning in Delhi, since February 1, Adityanath has raised the Biryani issue everyday. On Monday, he was in Vikaspuri, when he said: "Pakistani Minister is praising (Delhi Chief Minister Arvind) Kejriwal because he knows only Kejriwal can feed Biryani in Shaheen Bagh." Speaking to IANS, a protester in Shaheen Bagh, Zulqarnain, said: "We only know three types of Biryani; Hyderabadi, Moradabadi and Kolkata Biryani. "But BJP wants to make Election Biryani which is not good for people like Adityanath as it may cause indigestion." Kejriwal too, has slammed his Uttar Pradesh counterpart: "The fate of hospitals in UP is known to everyone and specially in Gorakhpur first the UP CM should look after his own state." The Congress also slammed Adityanath and said: "It was Narendra Modi who went to Pakistan to eat Biryani with Nawaz Sharif." "And its an irony that the BJP is making this protest a communal issue where as the governance should be the main issue and Congress can only lead Delhi on the path of development," said Sandeep Dikshit, former Congress MP. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were married in February 2015. However, 15 months after their marriage, Amber filed a divorce citing irreconcilable differences and accusing Depp of physical assault-which he denied. Depp filed a $50 million defamation suit against Heard, and said she is not the victim of domestic violence, but rather, the perpetrator. Sputnik News reports that fans and netizens are asking "Justice for Johnny Depp" after Hollywood actress Amber Heard admitted in a leaked audio that she physically abused her ex-husband. The leaked audio was obtained by the Daily Mail and was said to be the couple's informal therapy session in which the couple was trying to "sort out" and fix their relationship. The leaked audio contains the conversation of the couple. Depp said to his wife, "You punched me," but Heard replied, "I'm sorry that I didn't, uh, hit you across the face in a proper slap, but I was hitting you, it was not punching you. Babe, you were not punched". Heard is a known human rights activist and an outspoken advocate for human rights who admits that after their conversation "she did start a physical fight." Meanwhile, Depp said that every time their arguments intensified that it lead to insults and physical altercations he claimed that the two of them would go to their "corners" and take some time apart because he was afraid that their fight would lead to a divorce or worse, they would kill each other. With this, Heard replied: "I can't promise that it will all be perfect. I can't promise you I won't get physical again. God, I f**king sometimes I get so mad I lose it. I can f**king promise you I will do everything to change. I promise you." After the leaked audio was published, a #JusticeForJohnnyDepp began to trend on twitter and netizens were saying that Heard, who routinely spoke about equality, should be jailed. In the defamation suit filed by Johnny Depp, he said that the actress put out a cigarette on his face and threw a bottle at him that broke and nearly severed his finger. Meanwhile, netizens also spoke out about the hypocrisy of the media saying that when they heard that Johnny Depp physically abused Amber Heard they chastised the actor, but now that it was found that it was Heard who physically abused the actor they are not paying attention to it. Meanwhile, other netizens were also happy after they heard the news of the leaked audio as it will eventually clear the name of Johnny Depp and they expressed their support of the Hollywood star. Other netizens, however, joked about how Depp escaped from the issue in the same fashion as his iconic character, Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Carribbean trilogy. Adam Waldman, Depp's attorney, said that the audio that contains the confession of Heard will help clear the name of Depp and will end the physical abuse. However, a spokesman for Heard has accused Johnny Depp of leaking the audio and is trying to victim-blame the actress. He said: "Anyone familiar with the dynamics of domestic abuse would immediately recognize what is going on here. For Mr. Depp, who lived and lives in an echo chamber of his own making, to try to twist this private conversation to suggest either that he didn't abuse Ms. Heard or that she somehow deserved it is nothing more than the latest misogynistic effort at victim-blaming". Heard filed for divorce in May of 2016 accusing Depp of domestic violence. However, the couple reached a $7 million settlement in August of the same year and said that their relationship is bound with love and there is no intent of physical or emotional harm. However, despite the couple's settlement, Heard told news outlets that she was in fact a victim of domestic violence, in which Depp later filed his $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife. T he London Ambulance Service has defended its response to the Streatham terror attack after it was claimed paramedics took half an hour to arrive at the scene. One man in his 40s is in a serious condition in hospital while a woman in her 50s received treatment for non-life threatening injuries and was discharged. A third victim, who was not stabbed, also suffered from minor injuries. The LAS was criticised on Monday morning for allegedly taking half an hour to arrive on the scene and treat the victims. Streatham terror attack - In pictures 1 /28 Streatham terror attack - In pictures Police are dealing with an incident in Streatham Andy Bullemor Police officers conduct a search of a bail hostel in south London AFP via Getty Images A woman reacts near to the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police Getty Images Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police cordon off a property in Streatham PA Forensic officers outside a property on Leigham Court Road, Streatham PA Police activity at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police officers look under a bus as they work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the Streatham area of south London AP Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police officer on Streatham High Road PA Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Police officers guard a cordon on Streatham High Road, at the junction of Prentis Road AFP via Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police secure the area in Streatham AP Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard But the LAS has dismissed these claims, saying their medics arrived within four minutes and approached patients as soon as police confirmed it was safe for them to do so. In a statement, they said: "We have hear reports that it took 30 minutes for our medics to arrive at yesterday's incident in Streatham. "We can confirm that our medics arrived in 4 minutes and we were initially directed to a rendezvous point until the police confirmed it was safe for them to approach patients." The statement came after Dave Chawner, a stand up comedian, said he was on the phone to the paramedics for more than 30 minutes after the knife attack. He told Good Morning Britain: "I was on the phone with the paramedics for over half an hour while this poor innocent bloke was bleeding on the pavement." GMB host Piers Morgan put it to Mr Chawner that the slow response was because the terrorist had a suicide vest on so emergency services did not deem it safe to approach the scene. Dave Chawner, a stand up comedian, said he was on the phone to the paramedics for more than 30 minutes / GMB Mr Morgan said: "The problem was that they believe that the terrorist had a suicide vest on him and it turned out to be a hoax suicide device. "But they were very worried understandably, apparently, that anybody who came into that vicinity they could themselves be in threat of their life." Mr Chawner replied: "I don't want to blame anyone because the services that were there were amazing and incredible. "However, I spoke to one of the police offices, who was quite distressed himself that the ambulances weren't there." On Twitter, the LAS also shared a statement from Graham Norton, its strategic commander, saying: "We were called at 1.58pm today (2 February) to reports of an incident in Streatham High Road. "We worked closely with other emergency services and sent a number of resources including five ambulance crews, an advanced paramedic practitioner, an incident response officer and a motorcycle responder, and we also dispatched London's Air Ambulance. "The first of our medics arrived in four minutes, and were initially directed to a rendezvous point until the Metropolitan Police confirmed it was safe for them to approach and treat patients. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin on Monday proposed to censure Donald Trump, arguing it was a way for members of both parties to hold the president 'accountable.' The move would give political cover to a number of moderate senators from both parties, offering them a way to vote their disapproval of the president without voting to remove him from office. 'I see no path to the 67 votes required to impeach President Trump and haven't since this trial started. However, I do believe a bipartisan majority of this body would vote to censure President Trump for his actions in this manner. Censure would allow this body to unite across party lines and as an equal branch of government to formally denounce the president's actions and hold him accountable. His behavior cannot go unchecked by the Senate and censure would allow a bipartisan statement condemning his unacceptable behavior in the strongest terms,' Manchin said in a speech on the Senate floor. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin proposed to censure Donald Trump Such a move would allow lawmakers to punish President Trump but not remove him from office CENSURE: COULD TRUMP MAKE MORE HISTORY? No president has been censured for all time by the Senate and just one president has been formally and clearly censured: Andrew Jackson, whom Trump has cited as a role model. He was censured in 1834 for withholding documents about defunding the Bank of the United States by the Whig-controlled Senate - but just before the end of his term, his Democratic party gained the upper hand and expunged the censure. Inspiration: Donald Trump has acknowledged Andrew Jackson as a role model. In 1834 he was formally and clearly censured by the Senate, the only president in history to be the subject of such a vote Two lesser censures have been administered, with the motion starting as a censure naming the president at the time, but being diluted before it was passed. That applied to Abraham Lincoln in 1864 over letting two senators remain as generals in the Union Army, and William Howard Taft in 1912, allegedly for interfering in a disputed Senate election. A string of other presidents have been the subject of draft censure motions which did not reach a vote. All of the last three presidents - Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama - have had censure motions tabled against them but none reached a vote. Advertisement His proposal came after the Democratic impeachment managers and Trump's legal team wrapped up their closing arguments in the president's trial. The vote on Trump's fate will come Wednesday at 4 p.m. Manchin, who was elected from a state Trump won in 2016 and is popular there, has not said how he will vote on the two articles of impeachment - abuse of power and obstruction of justice - facing the president. 'I am truly struggling with this decision and will come to the conclusion reluctantly is voting whether or not to remove a sitting president is the most consequential decision that I or any U.S. Senator will ever face,' he said in his remarks Monday. Several senators have said they don't approve of Trump's actions but don't find them to rise to the level of an impeachable offense. Trump, in a July 25 phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, asked him to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden. The president said this was out of concern for corruption in that country - Hunter Biden at the time sat on the board of a powerful Ukrainian gas company. Democrats claim he was trying to get a foreign government to help him win re-election. 'I think he shouldn't have done it. I think it was wrong. Inappropriate was the way I'd say improper, crossing the line,' Republican Senator Lamar Alexander said on NBC's 'Meet the Press' Sunday. 'I think what he did is a long way from treason, bribery, high crimes and misdemeanors.' And, in a statement last week on the impeachment trial, Alexander noted: 'It was inappropriate for the president to ask a foreign leader to investigate his political opponent and to withhold United States aid to encourage that investigation. When elected officials inappropriately interfere with such investigations, it undermines the principle of equal justice under the law. But the Constitution does not give the Senate the power to remove the president from office and ban him from this year's ballot simply for actions that are inappropriate.' Several Republican Senators have said they agree with their GOP colleague Lamar Alexander, who said the president was wrong to ask Ukraine for help but shouldn't be impeached for it After his statement was released several Republicans on Capitol Hill said both privately and publicly they agreed with him. Manchin on Monday argued that 'no one, not even the president is above the law' but said he 'must be realistic' about the likely outcome for Trump. The president is expected to be acquitted in the Republican-controlled chamber where it would take a two-thirds vote to convict him. In 1999, Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein proposed a resolution that would have censured Bill Clinton after the impeachment vote against him failed. But her legislation died in a procedural vote. It's unclear how much support Manchin will be able to muster for his resolution. Feinstein's had 38 co-sponsors. The final vote on Trump's fate Wednesday will conclude the Democrats' three-month investigation into allegations the president with held nearly $400 million in military aid to the Ukraine in exchange for that country to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden, his political rivals. Trump denies the charges but House Democrats voted in December to charge him. Three Democratic senators - Doug Jones of Alabama, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona - all represent states the president carried in the 2016 election and have stayed quiet about how they intend to vote on impeachment A NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found the majority of voters believe that Trump abused his power and obstructed Congress, but they are split on whether he should be removed from office. In the poll, released on Sunday, 46 per cent said the president should be removed from office while 49 per cent said he should remain. Republicans have a 53-47 advantage in the Senate, meaning there's nowhere near the two-thirds votes needed for Trump's conviction and removal from office. The focus of Wednesday's vote, however, will be if the president gets a bipartisan all-clear. Three Democratic senators - Manchin, Doug Jones of Alabama, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona - all represent states the president carried in the 2016 election and have stayed quiet about how they intend to vote. Just one Democratic voting in his favor would give the president something to crow about. The president often boasts about the two House Democrats who crossed party lines to vote against the articles of impeachment. Manchin has been a special target for Trump. The president has tried to get the senator from West Virginia to switch parties and join the Republicans. He's voted for and against the president's goals. Manchin was the only Democrat to cross party lines and vote for Trump's controversial Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. But he also voted with Democrats to keep the Affordable Care Act. During the impeachment trial, the West Virginia senator said while he was in favor of hearing from additional witnesses that should include Hunter Biden, a statement that irked Democrats. But the most pressure is on Doug Jones, who sits in the most precarious political position Jones is the only Democratic senator from the Deep South. Jones' victory in 2018 came after his Republican competition, Roy Moore, was accused of having inappropriate relationships with teenager girls. Republicans are working to ensure a stronger nominee against him this time around. And Trump has kept an eye who's running in the crowded primary field. One of the contenders is his former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who Trump has railed against for recusing himself from the Robert Mueller investigation. Should Jones vote to convict the president, Republicans will eviscerate him. And Democratic voters may not forgive him if he votes for acquittal. Jones said last week he could go either way. 'I'm open to acquit. I'm open to convict. I want to hear all the evidence. I want to hear witnesses,' he told reporters on Capitol Hill. Sinema, meanwhile, has been silent on the impeachment issue, refusing to answer reporters' questions on the matter and giving no indication of how she will go. Manchin's censure proposal could give them political cover. It could also help out moderate Republican Senators like Cory Gardner, Susan Collins, Rob Portman, and Lisa Murkowski. Censure - unlike impeachment - does not involve removing an official from office. It's merely a formal statement of disapproval. But that statement could make a difference for many senators facing tough re-election contests in November. That lists includes Jones, Gardner, and Collins. Manchin made his proposal after Adam Schiff made a passionate plea for the Senate to remove President Trump for office, arguing to senators it was the only way to stop his abuse of power, while defense attorney Ken Starr accused the Democrats of wanting to declare the 2016 election 'null and void. The dueling arguments played out on the Senate floor Monday afternoon ahead of Wednesday's vote on whether to convict or acquit President Trump of the two articles of impeachment against him. Schiff, the lead impeachment manager who the president has dubbed 'Shifty Schiff,' made the final case for his side as the odds were against them. 'You can't trust this president to do the right thing, not for one minute,' Adam Schiff told senators Both sides made their closing arguments in Donald Trump's impeachment trial on Monday Schiff, in his 26-minute speech, warned senators the president can't be trusted. 'You can't trust this president to do the right thing, not for one minute, not for one election, not for the sake of our country. You just can't. He will not change. And you know it,' he said. He warned acquittal could bring about absolute power for Trump. 'Trump could offer Alaska to the Russians in exchange for support in the next election,' he said. And he warned senators they could be the president's next victim. 'They'll hack your opponents' emails, mount a social media campaign to support you, announce investigations of your opponent to help you, and all for the asking. Leave Donald Trump in office after you have found him guilty and this is the future that you will invite,' he said. 'History will not be kind to Donald Trump. I think we all know that. Not because it will be written by Never-Trumpers but because whenever we have departed from the values of our nation we have come to regret it, and that regret is written all over the pages of our history,' he said in a passionate final plea to the 100 senators who decide the president's fate. 'Every single vote, even a single vote by a single member can change the course of history. It is said that a single man or woman of courage makes a majority. Is there one among you who will say enough?,' he added. 'Truth matters little to him. What's right matters even less. And decency matters not at all. I do not ask you to convict him truth or right or decency matter matters nothing to him but because we have proven our case and it matters to you. Truth matters to you. Right matters to you. You are decent. He is not who you are,' he told the senators. The president's defense team focused on the politics with deputy White House counsel Patrick Philbin calling impeachment a 'partisan political process.' And White House Counsel Pat Cipollone asked the Senate to 'end the era of impeachment once and for all.' Rep. Val Demings made the Democrats case that President Trump committed the two articles of impeachment - abuse of power and obstruction of justice President Trump has denied all charges 'This was the first totally partisan presidential impeachment in our nation's history,' Trump's personal attorney Jay Sekulow charged. 'And it should be our last. What the House Democrats have done to this nation, to the constitution, to the office of the president, to the president himself and to this body is outrageous. They have cheapened the awesome power of impeachment.' He played a video - complete with pulsing beat of ominous music - of an array of Democratic figures calling for the president's impeachment back in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Sekulow went on to add: 'The bottom line is that the president's opponents don't like the president and they really don't like his policies.' Starr echoed an argument the president and his allies have long made: Democrats were trying to overturn the last presidential election. He said a vote for impeachment would give the message that 'your vote in the last election is hereby declared null and void. And by the way, we are not going to allow you - the American people - to sit in judgment on this president and his record.' Cipollone made the same point and said the only conclusion the senators could come to was to impeach the president. 'At the end of the day, the key conclusion, we believe the only conclusion based on the evidence and based on the articles of impeachment themselves and the Constitution, is that you must vote to acquit the president,' Cipollone said. 'At the end of the day, this is an effort to overturn the results of one election and to try to interfere in the coming election that begins today in Iowa.' 'Leave the choice of the president to the American people,' he said, referring to the upcoming November election. And deputy White House counsel Patrick Philbin warned that a vote for impeachment could upset the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches. He argued that anything a president does that Congress doesn't like 'and a time they don't like can be treated as an impeachable offense. That's an incredibly dangerous assertion. Because if it were accepted, it would fundamentally alter the balance between the different branches of our government,' he said. 'This was a purely partisan political process,' Philbin said. 'It was imposed by partisans in the House. It was done not to persuade anyone, to get to the truth or go by past presidents. It was done to get done by Christmas on a political timetable. And it's not something this chamber should condone. That in itself provides a sufficient and substantial reason for rejecting the articles of impeachment.' President Trump's attorneys - Ken Starr, Pat Cipollone, Jay Sekulow and Patrick Philbin - argued Democrats were acting in a partisan way to try and overturn the 2016 election Democratic Rep. Val Demings of Florida outlined the role Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani played in the allegations against the president. 'Donald Trump was the central player in the corrupt scheme assisted principally by his private attorney Rudy Giuliani,' she said. And she said he was still doing it. 'As I stand here today, delivering the House's closing argument, President Trump's constitutional crimes, his crimes against the American people and the nation remain in progress,' Demings said. In her 20 minute argument, Demings made the most detailed case for Democrats. She charged the president with trying to 'cheat in the next election' and alleged that he 'weaponized our government.' She told senators that Trump 'violated his oath of office' and committed a 'grave abuse of power.' Rep. Demings didn't hold back when she talked about Rudy Giuliani's actions in the Ukraine Demings led the Democrats' main argument that Trump committed the two articles of impeachment - abuse of power and obstruction of Congress - and it warranted his conviction and removal from office. 'The House has presented to you overwhelming and unconverted evidence that President Trump has committed grave abuses of power that harmed our national security and were intended to defraud our elections,' she said. The water authority's line Minister also said this was the first he too was hearing of the problem at Mt Hololo Road and he said it would be given priority. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the State of New South Wales, Australia, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on future space activities. The Memorandum puts in place a framework for cooperation on space related activities such as: Space science, technology and applications, including high-tech instrumentation, ground communications and services, smart payloads development, space and intra-space communications and commercialisation of space data; Space policy, law and regulation. The exploration and sustainable utilisation of space resources is given particular emphasis, along with the desire to foster a sustainable use of space and its resources. New South Wales and Luxembourg both have strong space industries and research communities. The MoU will enable a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas and personnel as well as the exploration of commercial possibilities. Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said, "NSW already excels in mining technology and services, including smart sensor systems, robotics and automation and this MoU will help the State build and deliver on its world-leading research in such areas as space resource utilisation. The MoU is an outcome of Mr Ayres and Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy Etienne Schneider's space industry meeting during Mr Schneider's visit to Sydney in November 2019. Etienne Schneider said: "The cooperation with NSW is yet another driver behind Luxembourg's ambition to become a European hub for the exploration and use of space resources. We are focused on supporting a sustainable ecosystem for the space industry and offering a platform in Europe for commercial space development. New South Wales New South Wales is home to over 40 per cent of Australia's space industry, with a very broad range of space capabilities. The state excels in mining technology and services, including smart sensor systems, robotics and automation. The state also undertakes world-leading research into the application of these fields to the exploration, exploitation and utilisation of space resources. Luxembourg Luxembourg has a thriving space industry and research community, fostered by government policy designed to encourage high tech industry - space in particular. Luxembourg space sector's contribution to the nation's GDP is amongst the highest in Europe. Over the past four decades, the Luxembourg space industry has grown significantly. The country hosts world leaders of satellite-based communications and is the home to other highly advanced technology companies. Luxembourg is strongly engaged in research, development activities and support industry providing products and services in areas such as telecommunications, earth observation, navigation and security. Press release by the Ministry of the Economy and the Luxembourg Space Agency Four more confirmed cases of coronavirus infection were reported in Korea over the weekend, raising the total to 15. Health officials announced tougher measures to deal with the spread of the virus. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday said that all individuals who came into contact with infected people must quarantine themselves, and anyone with symptoms like cough, fever or sore throat can be tested for coronavirus. So far the tests were only administered if x-rays confirmed pneumonia. The government dispatched two chartered planes to evacuate 368 Koreans from Wuhan on Friday and another 333 on Saturday. As of Monday, over 17,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection have been reported in China and 361 have died. Some 4,000 infections and 224 deaths came from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. Drivers of select vehicles in Virginia are going to be part of the initial deployment of next-generation Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything technology. The technology (C-V2X) will be used on Northern Virginia roads with a focus on work-zone warnings and red-light signal phase transmissions, according to a news release last week from Qualcomm Technologies, which has partnered with Audi of America and the Virginia Department of Transportation to launch the program. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute is developing the software and other system technology for the program. Qualcomm is providing the transmitter chips used in Audi Q8 SUVs for traffic light information. The system will run on the 5.9 GHz spectrum, which the FCC has proposed for connected vehicle usage. The project is expected to be launched in the latter half of the year. Cathy McGhee, the director of Virginias Transportation Research and Innovation, touted the technologys capabilities. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Eldar Janashvili - Trend: The increase in the number of women entrepreneurs in Azerbaijans agricultural sector will positively affect many factors, Chairperson of the Board of Agro Procurement and Supply OJSC Leyla Mammadova said. Mammadova made the remark in Baku at the first seminar of the FAO cooperation program with Azerbaijan, dedicated to increasing the number of women employed in Azerbaijans agricultural sector, Trend reports from the event. The chairperson noted that the project to improve housing conditions and ensure food safety in villages through the development of economic opportunities for women has been implemented for two years and is related to the state program on increasing employment and entrepreneurial conditions for women in Azerbaijan. Mammadova added that the program for the development of womens economic opportunities includes increasing their competitiveness in the domestic market, ensuring equal economic opportunities and rights, as well as resource management and technical assistance. The chairperson said that as part of the project, visits were made to various Azerbaijani districts. As a result of these visits, an increase was recorded in the number of women employed in the agricultural sector, and the number of requests in this regard, Mammadova noted. During these visits, more than 500 meetings were held with women, where it was investigated what kind of production women farmers need and what funds are needed for this, said the chairperson, adding that this year the work will be continued. Within one year, the appeals will be considered, and then special programs will be prepared for women who applied, Mammadova noted. As a result, until the end of 2021, about 200 Azerbaijani women will be provided with certain technical equipment and training to continue their activities as entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector, the chairperson added. Woori Financial Group Chairman Son Tae-seung, left, and Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Chairman U Zaw Min Win display a memorandum of understanding regarding support for Korean and Myanmarese companies, during the Korea-Myanmar Business Forum in Yangon in this September 2019 file photo. / Courtesy of Woori Financial Group By Park Jae-hyuk Woori Bank has remained skeptical of operating a bank in Myanmar, in contrast with the other three major commercial banks here that have vied fiercely to hold a dominant position in the Southeast Asian country, according to industry officials, Monday. In January, the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) received applications from bidders for banking licenses that will be given to several foreign financial firms. A Woori Bank spokesman told The Korea Times his company did not join the bid. "We will focus on microfinancing in Myanmar for a while, rather than operating a banking business which still looks uncertain because of the poor financial system there," he said. "At this moment, we do not have any plans to apply for a banking license." KB Kookmin Bank and Hana Bank applied for a "subsidiary license" and a "branch license," respectively. Among state-run lenders, the Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) seeks to set up a subsidiary there, while the Korea Development Bank (KDB) wants to open a branch. Kookmin and IBK failed to get licenses in previous biddings in 2014 and 2016. Shinhan Bank has been running a branch in Yangon since the largest bank in Korea won the license in 2016. Because the CBM is unlikely to give a new banking license to foreign banks for the next few years, Shinhan and the four Korean bidders have gone all out to occupy the leading position in the market. "When Myanmar offers additional banking licenses to foreign banks, we will be able to seek more business opportunities," a KB Kookmin Bank official said. A Hana Bank official recognized Myanmar for its huge growth potential. Initially, Woori Bank was also expected to participate in the latest bid, because its affiliates have been rapidly expanding their presence in Myanmar since 2012. Woori Financial Group has 59 networks in the Southeast Asian country Woori Bank's Yangon office, 40 branches of Woori Finance Myanmar and 18 branches of Woori Card TuTu Finance. The number is the largest among Korean financial firms. In addition, its Chairman Son Tae-seung signed a memorandum of understanding with Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Chairman, U Zaw Min Win, in September 2019 to support both Korean and Myanmarese companies. Back then, a Woori Bank official said the commercial bank would try to get licenses for additional financial services there. A banking license, however, was not the license the bank wanted. Some experts agreed with Woori's skepticism, citing Myanmar's underdeveloped financial industry. "Myanmar's financial environment is underdeveloped, because the country's national income is low," the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) said in its report. "Due to the low credibility of banks, only 22 percent of people aged over 15 have a bank account." The KOTRA also said the country has barred foreign banks from offering certain services, such as loans for individuals, foreigners and local companies. With Shinhan already operating in the country the chance of success for Korean bidders is assumed to be low because the CBM has tended to give banking licenses to foreign banks from different countries. Budget data suggests that government may be expecting to receive the principal portion of statutory liability from telecom firms in the current financial year itself, Goldman Sachs said on Monday. In its latest sector report, Goldman Sachs noted that government has revised upwards expected proceeds in FY20 from 'Other Communication Services', and added that part of that could be attributed to recurring license fee/spectrum charges and deferred payment liability, an estimated $ 2.9 billion (roughly Rs 20,700 crore) are likely from other avenues. "We note that this $ 2.9 billion is roughly equivalent to the principal-only component of Bharti and Vodafone Idea's combined AGR-related liability," it said. The government on Saturday more than doubled its revenue estimate from the debt-ridden telecom sector to Rs 1.33 trillion for 2020-21 mainly on account of statutory dues derived from (AGR). The government in the receipt budget has pegged a revenue collection of about Rs 1,33,027 crore for financial year 2020-21 under communications head. It expects a revenue of Rs 58,686.64 crore under this head in the current fiscal year against budgeted amount of Rs 50,519.8 in 2019-20. "The expected proceeds in FY21 per the budget indicates about $ 15 billion non-recurring payment from telcos (based on our calculations); however it is unclear if this only accounts for potential spectrum auction proceeds, or if there is any component of AGR liability in the amount," Goldman Sachs note added. Telcos' ability to participate in spectrum auctions in the near term remains an uncertainty, it observed. "As far as the FY21 proceeds of $ 19 billion (Rs 1.3 trillion ) are concerned, of which we estimate $ 15 billion from non-recurring payment (based on our estimate of industry revenues in FY21), telcos' ability to participate in spectrum auctions in the near term remains an uncertainty," it said. This, it added, is especially true if Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea were to make substantial payments for AGR liability in the short term, it said. Further, given Vodafone Idea's stretched balance sheet, it does not expect the company to participate meaningfully in spectrum auctions in the near term. It is pertinent to mention here that 15 entities owe the government about Rs 1.47 trillion in past dues -- Rs 92,642 crore in unpaid licence fee and another Rs 55,054 crore in outstanding spectrum usage charges. The Supreme Court, in October last year, had upheld the government's position on including revenue from non-core businesses in calculating the annual AGR of telecom companies, a share of which is paid as licence and spectrum fee to the exchequer. In the case of Bharti Airtel, the liabilities add up to nearly Rs 35,586 crore, of which Rs 21,682 crore is licence fee and another Rs 13,904.01 crore is spectrum usage charge dues (not including the dues of Telenor and Tata Teleservices). Airtel, which recently raised $ 3 billion through Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) and convertible bonds route, is scheduled to announce its third quarter results on Tuesday. Vodafone Idea, which is staring at unpaid statutory dues of Rs 53,038 crore, including Rs 24,729 crore of spectrum dues and Rs 28,309 crore in licence fee, has already warned of shutdown if no relief is given. Most of the remaining liability is with state-owned BSNL/MTNL and some of the shut/bankrupt telecom companies. Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and Tata Teleservices have jointly filed a modification application in the Supreme Court seeking more time to pay statutory dues. Gov. Jim Justices office announced on Friday that West Virginia will receive more than $131 million (118 million euros) to replace schools in Nicholas County that were destroyed by flooding in 2016. The money comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and will be used to replace Summersville Middle School, Richwood Middle School, and Richwood High School, according to an announcement from Justice. I will continue to fight to bring every resource possible to restore the areas ravaged by this disaster, Justice said in the release. The award also positions West Virginia to seek an adjustment that would allow it to pay only 10% of the total cost of rebuilding schools in Kanawha and Nicholas Counties, rather than the normally required 25%. The reduction is subject to FEMA approval. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Flood Virginia "I feel an incredibly deep obligation to do my due diligence and try as hard as I can to make an informed decision," Kuehl says. Welcome to Iowa in early February, where the corn fields are covered in snow and voters approach their civic duty with an almost biblical sense of responsibility. A house in Waukee, Iowa, whose residents are backing Joe Biden. Credit:Matthew Knott Because of its cherished "first-in-the-nation" voting status, Iowa exerts an outsized influence over American politics. Seven of the last nine Iowa winners have gone on to become the Democratic presidential nominee, including in the last four election cycles. Kuehl is far from alone in her struggle to make up her mind. Days out from caucus night, two in five likely participants said they still hadn't settled on a candidate. Kuehl is adamant about one thing: she will pick a candidate she truly believes in, rather than the one she thinks has the best chance to beat Trump. It's a different story with fellow undecided voter Joe Stutler, a Gulf War veteran. He's thinking with his head, not his heart. "This shit is way too real to say, 'Whatever happens happens'," he says. "If you can't win in November, please step aside." In Iowa, military veteran Joe Stutler is looking for one thing in a Democratic candidate: someone who can beat Donald Trump. Credit:Matthew Knott Recapturing the Obama spirit Bruce Springsteen's husky vocals blast from the gymnasium speakers as the crowd waits for Joe Biden appear. The Biden campaign's song choice, We Take Care of Our Own, is a revealing one. It was Barack Obama's official campaign theme in the 2012 election, and Biden is trying to recapture the spirit of that era. "He's the one who can start us on the healing process," says Mary Polson, a retired city councillor. "I have moderate Republican friends say they would be willing to vote for Biden. I just don't think some of our more liberal candidates would be able to do that." Democratic presidential candidate former vice-president Joe Biden speaks at a campaign stop at Hiatt Middle School, in Des Moines, Iowa. Credit:AP Polson, 65, is a typical member of the crowd that has gathered to hear Biden speak in Waukee, a town in central Iowa. There are a few hundred people, and almost everyone is aged over 50. You don't come to a Biden rally if you're looking for a political revolution. The 78-year-old's supporters want comfort and stability. They want to Make America Sane Again. "Things are so messed up right now - our country is in pain," says Deborah Guthrie, 70. "He would be able to walk in on day one and get things working again." Friends Kathlen O'Malley and Deborah Guthrie at a Joe Biden rally in Waukee, Iowa. Credit:Matthew Knott Seated near the front I see a young man with a ring in his ear. I'm curious why he's supporting Biden. I quickly find out he isn't. Stephen, 26, is more of a Sanders fan. "Millennials are really struggling with student debt, with the cost of housing and [Biden] has been very dismissive of that," Stephen says. "He's not speaking to people my age." Biden emerges to speak, delivering an address focused squarely on Trump's unfitness for office. "Character is on the ballot: Americas character," he says. "I do not believe were the dark, angry nation we see in Donald Trumps tweets. "Hes more a bully than a president." There's a lot of goodwill in the room, a lot of affection for Biden. The crowd leaves soothed, but not electrified. St Kilda in Iowa Australians are taking over the world. Or at least their cafes. It's common nowadays to find Australian-style coffee shops in New York or Los Angeles, but I'm surprised to find that Des Moines' caffeination hot spot is named St Kilda. The menu features flat whites and avocado on toast and "Aussie iced coffee". From left: Demoracts Rashida Tlaib, Pramila Jayapal and Ilhan Omar participate in a panel during a campaign event for Bernie Sanders in Clive, Iowa, on Friday. Credit:AP Two members of the so-called "squad", Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, walk in and sit down at a nearby table. Last year Trump famously told the newly-elected Congresswomen to "go back" to their countries of origin - a remark widely decried as racist. Like fellow squad member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Omar and Tlaib have endorsed Bernie Sanders and are travelling across Iowa to mobilise his supporters. At a rally later that night Tlaib encouraged the crowd to boo Hillary Clinton, who narrowly defeated Sanders in the 2016 primary. It's the type of behaviour that explains why Iowa Democrat Becky Krob won't be supporting Sanders on caucus night. "She really upset me by doing that," she says. "That's what people like me don't want in our politics." Dog deputy Karen Krupp knows it seems ridiculous. Yet here she is. Waiting in line to get a photo taken with someone else's dog. Elizabeth Warren has become famous for the long "selfie lines" at her campaign events. After her speeches, she usually stays until everyone who wants a photo has one. It's not a luxury she can afford now. Over the past few weeks Warren has been held hostage in Washington as a juror in Trump's impeachment trial. Meanwhile, rivals like Biden and Buttigieg have been crisscrossing Iowa juicing their turnout. So Warren has deputised her golden retriever, Bailey, to pose for selfies after her rally at Coe College, a university in Cedar Rapids. Krupp, who works in sales, started out as a supporter of California Senator Kamala Harris but is now on Team Warren. "She has the progressive ideas we need in this country," Krupp says. "She is relatable. You feel a connection to her when you see her up close, you feel her energy." Loading Unlike Biden, Warren takes questions from the audience - making her events livelier and less predictable. She uses her answers to explain not just what she wants to achieve, but how she will use the levers of power in Washington to do it. For a certain type of voter - usually those with a university degree - it's a political aphrodisiac. "Things were broken long before Donald Trump came along," she tells the crowd. "This is not a time to think small. Political science professor Lynda Barrow looks like an archetypal Warren supporter. But the candidate's plan to abolish employer-funded health insurance is too radical for her to stomach. Loading "I like my private healthcare, it really works for me," she says. She will be caucusing for Buttigieg, the openly-gay 38-year old mayor. He's a military veteran and a practising Christian who exudes a wholesomeness that is tailor-made for the Midwest. "He's bright, he's articulate, he's even-keeled," Barrow says. "We need someone who can appeal to independents and Republicans. We need a mainstream candidate." "Rad dude" Ryan Ask is a 24-year-old carpenter with a beanie on his head and a huge plastic cup of beer in his hand. He's at the US Cellular Arena in Cedar Rapids for the first political event of his life: a Bernie Sanders rally. "He is just rad dude," Ask says, explaining why so many young people are devoted to the 78-year-old democratic socialist. "He's direct, he's upfront. I love that he says he will raise taxes to pay for healthcare." An estimated 3000 people have come to tonight's rally - more than any other campaign event in Iowa this caucus cycle. It helps that it doubles as a free concert by popular indie band Vampire Weekend, who won a Grammy last month. None of the other candidates can match Sanders' star power or the enthusiasm of his supporters. Indie folk band Bon Iver performed at one of his rallies the night before. The Strokes will play a free gig for him in New Hampshire next week. I look around the arena and see Miranda Devine, one of Australia's best-known conservative columnists. She's currently on secondment at The New York Post, but the leftist crowd here seems unfamiliar with her work. Cornel West, an African American activist and intellectual, is preaching to the crowd, whipping them into a frenzy. "Bernie Sanders is not a human being, he's a deity," he says. "Let the word go forth here and now: we are on the way to the White House." Sanders delights the crowd by saying how rattled both the Democratic and Republican establishments are by the prospect of him winning the nomination. C oronavirus has hit the UK with the Department of Health confirming that thousands of people have been infected. Public Health England said anyone with Covid-19 symptoms should self-isolate for seven days. If someone in a household develops symptoms, the rest of the inhabitants need to self-isolate for 14 days. The first British person to die of Covid-19 was confirmed to be on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan on February 29. Here's everything you need to know about the virus - including symptoms and NHS guidance. Sneezes should be caught in a tissue / PA What is coronavirus? Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars). The strain that has recently emerged is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. The respiratory disease has been named Covid-19 by WHO. It is thought to be transmitted in droplets from coughs and sneezes and can survive for a limited time on surfaces. What are the symptoms of coronavirus? According to the NHS, the main symptoms of coronavirus are having a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath. New research suggests loss of smell and taste may also be symptoms of the disease. People with the virus will typically show flu-like symptoms, including a fever and a cough, that can progress to severe pneumonia. This can then cause breathing difficulties. The World Health Organisation has also stated that some patients may also experience aches and pains, as well as nasal congestion, a runny nose, sore throat or diarrhoea. Who is most at risk? Those with weakened immune systems, the elderly or those with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease are more at risk. What measures should you take to protect yourself? Simple steps go a long way to helping people avoid catching and spreading germs, such as coronavirus. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds Comply with lockdown rules of staying at home and only leaving the house for infrequent shopping trips and for exercise Catch sneezes and coughs with a tissue, then bin it immediately, making sure you wash your hands afterwards or use antibacterial gel Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands Avoid those who are unwell Before and during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures 1 /44 Before and during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures AP Buckingham Palace AP Piccadilly Line tube AP Big Ben AP Millennium bridge AP Wembley Stadium AP St Pancras International train station AP Downing Street AP Victoria Station AP Regent Street AP The Mall leading to Buckingham Palace AP London's National Gallery in Trafalgar Square PA Edinburgh's Royal Mile PA Barry Island, South Wales PA Bath PA Bath PA London's Waterloo station PA London Bridge PA London's Canary Wharf Jubilee Line platform PA London's Canary Wharf Station PA London's Buckingham Palace PA London's Tower Bridge PA London's Leicester Square PA London's Millennium Bridge with St Paul's Cathedral PA London's Criterion Theatre PA London's Palace Theatre PA London's Phoenix Theatre PA London's Canary Wharf Station PA Bournemouth beach PA Bath PA Bath PA Barry Island, South Wales PA Bournemouth beach PA Hand washing advice: Public Health England launched an advertising campaign to encourage Brits to wash their hands more effectively. The Government said this will help slow the spread of the virus. The nation should wash their hands after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing and before eating or touching food. You should wash your hands for 20 seconds each time, using soap and water or hand sanitiser. Health secretary Matt Hancock said: "Washing hands regularly is the single most important thing that an individual can do." Is there treatment available? As the infection is relatively new, there is no specific treatment for coronavirus at this time. Medics try to relieve symptoms and keep the infected alive. The UK has become the largest contributor in the international effort to find a coronavirus vaccine and Boris Johnson announced a 210 million donation during a virtual summit with G20 leaders at the end of March. The Prime Minister said the money will help the whole word fight the Covid-19 strain and urged other countries to step up and help defeat the virus. During a daily press briefing, Cabinet member Michael Gove said thousands of ventilators will be distributed to hospitals across the nation. How to self-isolate and NHS guidance on calling 111 The latest NHS guidelines state that you should not go to your local GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital if you are displaying signs of coronavirus. If you have symptoms like a fever or a continuous cough, you are advised to stay at home for 7 days. You should only call 111 if you feel you cannot cope with the symptoms, you do not get better after 7 days, or your symptoms worse. If you are staying at home you are advised to do the following: Try to keep at least 2 metres from other people, particularly older people or those with long-term health conditions Ask friends and family and delivery services to deliver things like food shopping and medicines but avoid contact with them Regularly wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds Try to sleep alone if possible Stay away from older people and those with long-term health conditions Drink plenty of water and take painkillers, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, to help with your symptom [February 03, 2020] Value of Switching Confirmed: Track Rabbit Surges as Multimillion-Dollar Processor, Anticipates Growing Tenfold WILMINGTON, Del., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As automotive tracks, clubs, and schools across North America publish their schedules for the 2020 season, thousands of drivers are heading to Track Rabbit to sign up. Only in its third year, the registration system has become a primary platform for these events, and now that it has renewed its contract with every client from last seasonas well as signed on a bevy of new onesTrack Rabbit projects it will only increase its presence in the auto/motor industry. It is in response to this tremendous growth that led to the decision to expand their Account Management Team earlier this week. Beyond increasing its workforce, Track Rabbit also surpassed a financial benchmark by processing millions of dollars through its system; a testament to the record-breaking attendance and numerous sold-out events held by its clients; a pattern that is already repeating itself in this new season. The source of this rapidly-increasing success derives from what sets Track Rabbit apart from other platforms. Track Rabbit goes beyond the standard; as an automotive and motorsport event registration and administration platform within a comprehensive marketing ecosystem, the company is backed by a team of 100 marketing experts who have a systematic approach in how they target new audiences, and work to promote and meet the goals of their clients. Additionally, Track Rabbit accommodates all types of events with their customizable white label sites. With its advanced technologypowered by Angular and .NET Coreclients have access to a platform that can be customized to quickly meet their needs, all at no cost. Organizations only pay a percentage per transaction. This allows many clients to save 40% on processing fees, and amounted to $20K in savings per year for one track alone. The culmination of Track Rabbit's qualities does not go unnoticed by its clients or its users. "The Milwaukee Region is always looking for ways to reach new members and improve the experience for existing members," said Bethany Porter, SCCA's Milwaukee Region Registrar. "Track Rabbit has already given us greater flexibility, lower costs, and links to a broader enthusiast base. The service is second to none and the spirit of cooperation on all levels has energized our core members. Track Rabbit has risen to every challenge we've presented them, making the transition appear seamless to our participants, who have responded in an overwhelmingly positive way to the change." Now is the time for tracks, clubs, and schools to join the leaders of the industry who have made the switch to the most cost-effective registration system. Click here for more information about Track Rabbit, and email [email protected] to schedule a free demo on your organization's personalized white label site. About Track Rabbit Track Rabbit is an automotive and motorsport event registration and administration platform within a comprehensive marketing ecosystem. Its customizable features keep users informed and connected while giving racing tracks, clubs and schools the tools they need to fill their rosters and lower operating costs. About Andy Lally ALIVE Andy Lally ALIVE is a digital marketing and technology, products and services business in the automotive and motorsports enthusiast space. ALIVE's vision is to fuel this industry through the development of robust products and services that engage businesses and consumers through a valuable network of data generating tools, systems, and content that encourages sharing, community, and connectedness. Media Contact: Allison Billmire 302.442.6152 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/value-of-switching-confirmed-track-rabbit-surges-as-multimillion-dollar-processor-anticipates-growing-tenfold-300997299.html SOURCE Track Rabbit [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Words by David Hughes The US state of North Carolina is building a strong business aviation sector on the foundations of its rich aviation heritage. ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write(' ') } // --> ') } else if (width >= 425) { console.log ('largescreen'); document.write('') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> North Carolina has been prominent in aviation ever since the Wright Brothers selected Kitty Hawk for glider trials due to the favorable winds and the wide beach. Today, it takes a lot more than a steady wind over a mile-wide beach to catch the attention of aviation. Aerospace companies look globally for their next business opportunity. The state of North Carolina knows this and is playing close attention. North Carolinas advantages include the largest manufacturing workforce in the Southeast United States and the tenth largest in the nation. It is home to the third largest military workforce of any state in the USA and has several tier one research universities. The state graduates more than 22,000 students per year with degrees in science, technology, engineering and math. North Carolina has the second fastest growing aerospace manufacturing sector in all the states. The economic impact of public airports in North Carolina is US$52 billion per year, 9% of the states annual gross domestic product. Aviation accounts for more than 300,000 jobs. A 2019 Price Waterhouse Cooper ranking of US states for how attractive they are to aerospace and defense companies rated North Carolina in seventh place, with favorable tax policies and lower costs than most other states. The states transportation arm is funneling aviation fuel tax money back to 72 public airports to fund improvements and expansion. Of these airports, 62 are general aviation facilities. Last year 24 of these airports received US$24.7 million in state and federal funds. One goal of the states aviation division is to see that every general aviation airport has a 5,000ft runway. This isnt a mandate but we have set this goal and are striving to reach it, says Bobby Walston, director of the North Carolina Department of Transportations (NCDOT) Aviation Division. So far about 80% of the airports receiving public funds have a 5,000ft runway. There are also 30 privately owned airports open to the public in the state and 400 others that are purely private airstrips and airports. Hondas vision North Carolina has a big focus on attracting aviation business to the state. Walston says business aviation is helping North Carolina communities attract new corporations to locate in the state. And he notes, the taxes collected on one corporate jet based locally can equal the taxes on 100 houses. The 3,300 aircraft based at public airports in the state provide local tax revenue and there are 18,000 pilots and 15,000 aircraft mechanics. The state attracted Honda to set up a research facility in Greensboro in 2000. When the Honda Aircraft Company was formed in 2006 it built its world headquarters and very light business jet manufacturing plant at the Triad-Piedmont International Airport (PTI), which is called Triad because the airport is situated in a triangle between Winston Salem, High Point and Greensboro. Honda delivered 25 HondaJet Elite aircraft in the first three quarters of 2019 and is engaged in a US$15.5 million expansion at the PTI plant, with a new 83,000ft2 facility for building wings and storing parts that will bring its total investment in the state to US$245 million. There are currently 140 Elites in operation. Honda is a shining star in the state and PTI has a tremendous number of additional aviation related jobs, Walston says. They are like a little aerospace Mecca, with more potential announcements coming up. One New Jersey-based business aviation consultant thinks more may be afoot at Honda than just the manufacturing of the HondaJet Elite. Brian Foley, who was marketing director at Dassault Falcon Jet for two decades and before that a senior engineer and marketing manager at Boeing, believes the company needs to build or acquire a second larger model to create a family of products. He says, I thought they might have something to say at Octobers National Business Aviation Association convention in Las Vegas, but maybe they werent quite ready. The danger for Honda is that customers may go elsewhere if it doesnt have a larger sibling jet in the family. Recent job advertisements for aircraft system designers, structural engineers and fuselage design experts with Honda could suggest a new model is in the works. Triad-Piedmont aviation services PTI is a major hub of aviation activity in North Carolina and boosts the local economy by US$6 billion. It hosts a Cessna Citation Service Center which opened in the 1980s. Cessna Citation jet and HondaJet owners take advantage of local maintenance capability by making PTI their home drome. Airlines fly into PTI to visit the major repair and overhaul (MRO) facility run by Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (HAECO) Americas. The company is recruiting 500 workers to boost its workforce to 2,200 and is building a 250,000ft2 hangar. The new hangar is twice the size of the other four HAECO Americas uses at PTI. FedEx operates its mid-Atlantic hub at PTI in a one million square foot building and recently doubled its workforce there to 800, to handle ten additional flights per night. Other tenants at PTI include Collins Aerospace, North State Aviation, B/E Aerospace and Triumph Aerospace. In all, 5,000 people at PTI are employed by aviation and aerospace companies. Nearby Guilford Technical Community College has three buildings on the airport where it can train up to 400 students with aviation skills. Business aviation is very important at PTI and a lot of large corporate jets fly in and out of here, says PTIs executive director Kevin Baker. We have new tenants planning to come but they are still confidential. PTI owns 1,000 acres of undeveloped land which Baker says is ready to be developed. A taxiway with a bridge over an interstate highway is already being built to access the site and PTIs ambitions for the site are lofty. Our goal is to be the Wichita of the East, says Baker. Coastal access Wichita employs more than 50,000 aerospace workers and is the business aviation capital of the world, so PTI has a long way to go to challenge that position, unless you start counting other locations of business aviation activity in North Carolina. Andrew Shorter, airport director at Coastal Carolina Regional Airport in New Bern believes his airport provides business aviation and corporations with the access they require to coastal region of the state. The airport serves general aviation on one side and airlines on the other. The airports Shell-branded Tidewater Air Services is an FBO with a 4000ft2 building that includes a conference room, kitchen and showers. A US$5.5 million apron expansion at the airport just added two acres of surface and the improvement makes way for heavier aircraft. The airport has a 6,450ft and a 4,000ft runway and aims to grow its 250,000 annual passenger traffic. Shorter is president of the North Carolina Airports Association (NCAA) and says that their motto is that airports in the state mean business. He says of the states airports are aware that corporate and business aviation are important and bend over backwards to serve them. The corporate terminal at Coastal Carolina Regional is the front door to the community out here in Eastern North Carolina, says Shorter. If there is a large, multimillion-dollar site selection going on in New Bern, the principals wont drive in, they will fly in. Shorter hopes more aerospace business will come to the area. US Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point is just 12 miles away from New Bern. The Cherry Point base hosts the US Navys Fleet Readiness Center East and specializes in maintaining advanced technology such as F-35 lift fans. Fleet Readiness Center East is the largest industrial employer in Eastern North Carolina with more than 4,000 employees. Around the state Just 40 miles west of New Bern is Kinston Regional Jetport. The state-owned 2,500 acre Global Transpark industrial park adjoins the airport. Spirit AeroSystems manufactures parts for the Airbus A350 there and also has a 3,000ft2 composites training lab on site. There are some other aviation and logistics companies at Kinston Regional Jetport including a charter jet service, a flight training operation and several state organizations including the Forest Service aviation unit. Kinston Jet Center is the FBO. Near Charlotte, one of the airports serving business aviation is Concord Padgett Regional Airport, which is owned by the city of Concord. It has a single 7,400ft runway and is home to the aircraft operated by several National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) teams. The teams at the airport include award winning Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Stuart Hass Racing teams, among others. Concord Aviation deputy director Dirk Vanderleest said the NASCAR teams fly rather than drive any time a race is more than a five hour drive from Charlotte. The airport also has eight corporate hangars, five community hangars and 67 T hangars on the field. The city of Concord-operated FBO employs about 40 people, is part of the Air Elite network and belongs to the World Fuel Services Network with Phillips 66. The airport handles everything from Boeing 737s to the largest business jets. A recent US$1.4 million state grant was matched with federal funds recently to strengthen the runway and taxiways. The airport has a control tower and its rescue and fire department is on 24 hour standby. The airport already has a US$1 billion impact on the local economy and this figure is expected to grow as the airport develops. Future drone operations North Carolina is also participating in the FAAs Drone Integration Pilot Program, which is designed to fit drone operations into the national airspace system. NCDOT has been running drone deliveries for medical and food package delivery as well as infrastructure inspection and used this capability to assist in the emergency response to the deadly and destructive Hurricane Florence, the wettest storm on record to hit the state. PrecisionHawk, a small company with 150 employees that provides drones, flight services and remote pilots to other corporations and governments, is located in Raleigh. Michael Chasen, the chief executive officer, was chosen earlier this year by the FAA to lead its Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) as its chairman. Drones are typically associated with technology startups in San Francisco but Robert Young, the chairman of the board of our company, founded Red Hat here in North Carolina, said Tyler Collins who is vice president of airspace services. Software company Red Hat, which was acquired by IBM for US$34 billion last year, is also based in Raleigh and Young was the chief executive officer from 2015 to 2017. Such industries attract corporate jets and charters. North Carolina has made it from Wright Brothers gliders in 1902 to HondaJets, F-35s, Boeing 777s, Airbus A350s, commercial drones and lots of aircraft in between. The future looks bright and the wind over the beach in the state is rising. The Bombay High Court has dismissed the petition of a temporary judge, who was assigned cases pertaining to the multi-crore National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL) scam, seeking quashing of a Maharashtra government's order that had terminated his services. A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and N B Suryawanshi dismissed the petition filed by the judge Ajay Dinode challenging the order dated June 23, 2017 discharging him from the service and "creating disqualification from future employment". The bench noted that the impugned order was passed by the government after taking into consideration the overall performance, conduct and the suitability of the petitioner for the job. Dinode was appointed as a district judge on August 26, 2014 and was posted at Akola in east Maharashtra. He was transferred time and again before being conferred with the powers of an additional sessions judge in 2015. Dinode was then appointed as the special judge for speedy and expeditious trial for the matters relating to the NSEL scam. In his plea, Dinode stated thatthe appointing authority--the state government- has mechanically followed the recommendations of the high court while discharging him from the service. He further claimed that since the termination order was stigmatic, the same cannot be sustained in absence of any inquiry conducted by the high court. In its order passed on January 30, the bench noted that Dinode's appointment letter clearly states that it was a temporary appointment that can be terminated without assigning any reason. It further noted that Dinode was terminated from service when he was on probation. The court also noted that the state government's order is of simply terminating the petitioner's services and it cannot be termed as stigmatic or punitive. "We are of the view that the impugned order was passed taking into consideration the overall performance, conduct and the suitability of the petitioner for the job," the bench stated. While taking such a decision, neither notice is required to be given to the petitioner nor opportunity of being heard is required to be given, the judges noted. "The termination cannot be termed as removal for any misconduct or on the ground of indiscipline. While judging performance of the petitioner's overall suitability, performance record, so also reports from higher authorities were called and were looked into before arriving at the decision of discharging the petitioner from service," the order said. The HC further said the order of termination and discharge from services was passed by the state government after the administrative committee of the HC had considered all relevant material and formed an opinion that Dinode was not suitable for the post. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Light commercial vehicle sales last month stood at 3,901 units as compared to 4,870 units in January 2019, down 19.8 per cent. The company had sold 19,741 units in the same month last year, Ashok Leyland said in a regulatory filing. New Delhi: Hinduja group flagship firm Ashok Leyland on Monday reported 39.9 per cent decline in total vehicles sales at 11,850 units in January. The company had sold 19,741 units in the same month last year, Ashok Leyland said in a regulatory filing. Total domestic vehicles sales stood at 10,850 units in January against 18,533 units in the year-ago period, registering a decline of 41.4 per cent. Medium and heavy commercial vehicles (M&HCV) sales in domestic market were down 49.1 per cent at 6,949 units in January this year, as compared to 13,663 units in the year-ago month, it added. Light commercial vehicle sales last month stood at 3,901 units as compared to 4,870 units in January 2019, down 19.8 per cent the company said. Shares of Ashok Leyland were trading at Rs 76.40 a piece on BSE, down 0.78 per cent from the previous close. Cash is pouring into California congressional campaigns, whether the candidates need it or not. Campaign finance figures for the last three months of 2019, posted Friday by the Federal Election Commission, showed a flood of contributions into what are some of the most closely watched congressional races in the country. But many of the states biggest fundraisers, including top party figures like Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and GOP leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, face minimal opposition in their own contests and dont need to spend the money on themselves. The cash they have raised could end up making a huge difference in a number of other House races in California. Candidates with plenty of money and easy re-election prospects can spread that money around. While campaign committees can give a maximum of $2,000 per election to individual candidates, they can transfer unlimited amounts to party organizations, such as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee or the National Republican Congressional Committee, putting that money where its politically most needed. In 2018, Democrats flipped seven GOP congressional seats in California, which played a big role in the partys takeover of the House. Holding onto those seats or for Republicans, grabbing them back is a key focus for the parties in November, which means the money will keep flowing. Some of the California districts that saw the tightest contests in the 2018 midterms are again attracting large amounts of cash. In the Central Valleys 10th Congressional District, Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock (Stanislaus County), had $2.6 million on hand for his re-election bid on Dec. 31, after beating GOP incumbent Jeff Denham in 2018. Republican challenger Ted Howze, a Turlock veterinarian, reported $588,263 in the bank. In Orange Countys 45th District, Democratic Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine raised more than $1 million in the final quarter of 2019, leaving her with $2.7 million in the bank in her bid to hang on to the seat she won in 2018. Her leading opponent, Republican Donald Sedgwick of Laguna Hills, reported $521,405 on hand. Just down the Orange County coast from Porter, another first-term Democrat, Rep. Mike Levin of San Juan Capistrano, had $1.3 million at the end of the year, compared with $330,689 for Republican challenger Brian Maryott, also from San Juan Capistrano. In 2018, Republican David Valadao of Hanford (Kings County) lost his 21st District seat to Democrat TJ Cox of Fresno by only 862 votes. Hes back for a rematch and has an early lead in the money race over Cox, $1 million to $887,054. Republicans also are outpacing the Democratic incumbent in another repeat matchup, this one in Orange County. Young Kim, a Republican former Fullerton assemblywoman, reported $889,481 cash on hand, edging the $850,248 that Democratic Rep. Gil Cisneros of Yorba Linda had on Dec. 31. Kim lost her bid for the 39th Districts open seat to Cisneros in 2018 by fewer than 8,000 votes. One of the states most unusual contests also is in Southern California, where candidates will be running in two elections March 3 in a district covering parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The 25th District slot was left open by the resignation of Democratic Rep. Katie Hill, who flipped the seat in 2018 but quit in October amid allegations of affairs with staffers in her campaign and congressional office. On March 3, candidates will be running both in a special election to fill out Hills term and in a primary race for the full two-year term that starts in January. A pair of Democrats are the leading fundraisers. Cenk Uygur, a co-founder of the progressive Justice Democrats, has $651,541, and Assemblywoman Christy Smith of Santa Clarita (Los Angeles County) is close behind with $592,401. On the GOP side, businessman Mike Garcia has $312,815 in the bank, and former Rep. Steve Knight, who lost the seat in 2018, has $105,997. Another Southern California race is shaping up to be one of the most expensive in the country. First-term Democratic Rep. Harley Rouda of Laguna Beach (Orange County) and GOP county Supervisor Michelle Steel have each already smashed the $1 million barrier for their 48th District race, with Rouda reporting $1.7 million in the bank and Steel $1.3 million. Having $1 million in the bank isnt the big deal it used to be in California congressional races. The latest federal figures show that on Dec. 31, 26 of the states 53 seats had at least one candidate with a seven-figure campaign account. In the Bay Area alone, that includes not only Pelosi with $2.6 million, but also Democratic Reps. Mike Thompson of St. Helena ($1.5 million), Jackie Speier of San Mateo ($1.7 million), Ro Khanna of Fremont ($1.9 million) and Zoe Lofgren of San Jose ($1.3 million). All of those candidates are in deep-blue districts, and none will face a significant challenge in November. Also, theyre pikers compared to a few other candidates in the state. McCarthy, the House GOP leader, has $3.8 million on hand. His Republican neighbor, Rep. Devin Nunes of Tulare, has $7.3 million. And Rep. Adam Schiff of Burbank, who led the Democrats impeachment effort, took in $2.5 million in the last quarter of the year, boosting his campaign war chest to $8.1 million. Then theres Democratic Rep. Judy Chu of Monterey Park (Los Angeles County). She has $2.7 million put aside for her 2020 re-election campaign. Her leading GOP opponent? Well, Republican Johnny Nalbandian reported $79.17 in his campaign account. John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth FARMINGTON Sources close to the estate of Fotis Dulos said his attorneys will likely file a court motion, complaining about a real estate broker allegedly leaking photos of the Jefferson Crossing homes garage area where his apparent suicide occurred. Rob Giuffria, of Tea Leaf Realty in West Hartford who is the court-appointed caretaker of the property, was directed to stop releasing photos and giving interviews with the media about the 14,000-square-foot house after leaking the images Monday to at least two Connecticut TV stations. Giuffria, who was hired as the listing agent when the home was put up for sale, has given several interviews with the media over the past eight months as police investigated Fotis Dulos in the death and disappearance of his estranged wife, Jennifer Dulos. One of the photos Giuffria took shows a broken door window where Farmington police are believed to have accessed the garage when they saw Fotis Dulos unresponsive in his running SUV last Tuesday. Other photos show Dulos Chevrolet Suburban still parked in the garage and a board that was placed in front of one of the doors. I believe in our legal process and I certainly understand that the Farber-Dulos case has become a national, and international case, said attorney Richard Weinstein, who represents Jennifer Dulos mother, Gloria Farber, who is foreclosing on the home. But there is a sense of decency and a sense of propriety. He has no right to give out interviews or photos and I have directed him not to provide any access to the house. READ MORE: With loss of top defendant, focus to shift in Dulos case Giuffria declined to comment late Monday afternoon, saying he had been instructed by attorneys not to give any interviews. Attorneys for Fotis Dulos and Farber spoke to a judge by phone Monday to begin the process of sorting out his financial affairs amid two pending foreclosures and $2.5 million in lawsuits that have not been finalized. Weinstein and attorney Norm Pattis, who represented Dulos in the criminal proceedings, have filed motions asking the Farmington probate judge to appoint a temporary administrator of the estate. The temporary administrator would have to determine if Dulos had a will and if the $2.5 million lawsuits will move forward, Weinstein said. Weinstein said he was told Monday that Dulos likely did not have a will. Weinstein said any money from Dulos estate will go to his five children who have been staying with Farber since their mother disappeared on May 24. Im working for these five kids, Weinstein said. The legal wrangling over Dulos assets and estate began the day after Farmington police found him unresponsive at his home when he failed to show up at an emergency bond hearing. Dulos died Thursday at a New York hospital after suffering from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning. A representative from the New York medical examiners office said Monday the cause and manner of death have not yet been determined. In a note found in his car, Dulos said: I refuse to spend even an hour more in jail. Dulos was slated to appear in court last Tuesday for an emergency hearing, where a judge could have revoked his $6 million bond and sent him back to jail. Fotis Dulos had been on house arrest on charges of felony murder, murder and first-degree kidnapping in the death and disappearance of his estranged wife. His house at 4 Jefferson Crossing in Farmington is in foreclosure proceedings with Farber seeking to take possession of the property. The Farber family put up more than $2 million in securities and cash as collateral, allowing Fotis and Jennifer Dulos to obtain a mortgage to build the home, court documents said. Farber paid off the mortgage in July to protect her familys assets as police continued an intense investigation into the whereabouts of her missing daughter. Fotis Dulos had stopped paying the mortgage in November 2018 as he and Jennifer Dulos were in the midst of a two-year acrimonious divorce. Hartford Superior Court Judge Cesar Noble agreed Friday to appoint Giuffria as the temporary receiver for the home. As the receiver, Giuffria is responsible for maintaining the house and making sure utilities are paid so the property does not fall into disrepair before Dulos financial affairs can be finalized. But attorney Michael Habib, representing Fotis Dulos in the foreclosure action, objected to the appointment. In a motion filed in response, Habib claimed Giuffria owed Dulos money. Habib is also representing Dulos in a second foreclosure action related to a home at 61 Sturbridge Hill Road in New Canaan that his company was developing for sale. A receiver to take care of that home was appointed last month. Habib filed a separate request Friday, saying his clients family wants to stay at the home, which they consider a safe haven, as his financial affairs are sorted out. Habib was seeking an emergency hearing on the matter, but no date has been set. Farber filed two lawsuits against Fotis Dulos and his high-end real estate company, Fore Group, in early 2018. The lawsuits claim Dulos owes the family $2.5 million in unpaid business loans. The lawsuits went to trial in early December with Dulos testifying that he considered Farbers husband a father figure who offered him business advice and funding for his real estate development projects. According to arrest warrants, Jennifer Dulos was last seen on a neighbors security camera at 8:05 a.m. May 24, returning to her Welles Lane home after dropping off her children at a nearby school. Police believe Fotis Dulos was lying in wait and attacked her in the garage, the warrants indicate. Fotis Dulos and his girlfriend Michelle Troconis were caught on video that night in Hartford dumping bags that were later determined to contain Jennifer Dulos blood and clothing, according to arrest warrants. Fotis Dulos mentioned the bags in his suicide note, claiming that his criminal defense attorneys have an explanation that would exonerate him. Fotis Dulos claimed in the note that he had nothing to do with the disappearance of his estranged wife. Troconis and attorney Kent Mawhinney, who previously represented Fotis Dulos in the lawsuits, were also charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the case. Troconis and Mawhinney are both due in state Superior Court in Stamford on Feb. 20. EDWARDSVILLE In every community there are dark, sordid, heart-breaking stories no one wants to tell, but must be brought to light to help combat the pungent reality of human and sex trafficking. Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles Educational Outreach co-hosted a Human Trafficking Awareness Seminar with the Troy Tri-Township Library and Troy-Maryville Chamber on Jan. 29 at the Troy-Township Library. Erin Heil, PhD, author and associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, spoke about human trafficking. Kristen Shinn, director of Community Support Services at Hoyleton Youth and Family Services, addressed the subject of sex trafficking. More than 40 people including representation from shelters, hospitals, hotels, non-profit agencies and the Troy Police Department attended the class. I have done extensive research on the topic of human trafficking, said Heil, In 2008, I went to Immokalee, Florida, which is ground zero for modern day slavery. The tomato industry is in the area, and there is much agriculture labor trafficking there. Some of the many abuses I came across involved one man getting paid $2 for every ton of tomatoes he picked, and someone getting paid with watermelons, she said. Then there were instances when people did not get any time off. Labor trafficking can involve someone having to work to pay off debts or having someone else in control, according to Heil. Labor trafficking can also exist in factories, begging, hotel industry, carnivals, beauty salons and more. Southern Illinois and southern Missouri are hot spots for trafficking because of agriculture, explained Heil. Trafficking can also involve bait and switch, where people are promised well-paying jobs and then end up with menial jobs, or not being paid at all. Heil co-authored the book, Human Trafficking in the Midwest. She noted some indicators of human trafficking and victims: Employees live on the premises Employees are transported to work by the employer No time clock or hours maintained in ledger by the employer Avoids eye contact Appears malnourished, exhausted, injured Appears submissive or fearful of employer Many times, there is a crossover between human and sex trafficking, according Shinn. She gave the following definition for sex trafficking: The recruitment, harboring, transportation, providing, or obtaining of a person for a commercial sex act, in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not yet attained 18 years old. Shinn gave several scenarios of sex trafficking. One involved a 13-year-old boy on the run who needs a place to sleep. A man he meets at a party offers him the use of his couch for the night, if the teen will have sex with him. Shinn then showed a film on sex trafficking that interviewed and followed actual sex traffickers and their victims. This film can be emotionally difficult to watch, she said. But the subject matter is important to know, and unfortunately, it is critical that we have this conversation with everyone, especially our youth. There are aspects of our culture that makes human trafficking possible, or ways in which our society promotes or perpetuates exploitation, according to Shinn. Some of those listed include racism, sexism and misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, sexualization of girls and young women, and glorification of pimp culture. Shinn encouraged the audience with things that can be done to help alleviate the problem: strengthen practices and policies, increase awareness among schools, businesses and social service providers, celebrate clients success in their recovery and prosecute trafficking related charges. We are more reactive than proactive. Its tough to be proactive, said Troy Chief of Police B.A. Parsons. We were finally successful in prosecuting a case involving sex trafficking. This is happening in our community, and we promote education and awareness. I had a preconceived idea of what sex trafficking was. I thought that it always involved people being taken by force, said Charmian Aaron, of Edwardsville, sales manager for TownePlace Suites, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Express & Suites and Comfort Inn. I didnt realize that young girls can be groomed and manipulated and contacted through social media. The workshop was extremely eye opening for me, said the mother of four, ages 2-17. After what I learned today, I will be spreading this information to our staff, my children and whomever else will listen. Linda Alms, of Troy, attended the workshop to gain more information and find out how she could do more. This has been heavy on my heart human trafficking, said Alms. She and husband, Maurice, a retired Lutheran minister, have nine adopted children and have fostered 32 children. I dont want to walk out of the door and not do anything. I want to see about helping with funding for a women and childrens homeless shelter in Granite City. I also want to tell more people about it in order to generate more interest. Sometimes it looks like a Mission Impossible, but you have to try to do as much as you can in this life. Isaac Ashai Odamtten 03.02.2020 LISTEN The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has issued a two-week ultimatum to Isaac Ashai Odamtten, the party's parliamentary candidate for the Tema East Constituency of the Greater Accra Region, for relinquishing his position. He has been asked to avail himself to his constituents before February 18, 2019 to carry out his duties to avoid serious action against him. Information gathered by DAILY GUIDE from sources within the party indicates that the former Chief Executive (MCE) of Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) reportedly left the shores of the country to further his education immediately after winning the party's last parliamentary primaries. He is said to be in the US for the past year where he is said to be currently schooling at Oral Roberts University. Fearing the repercussions of his absence, the party has issued an ultimatum to him in a statement signed by Theophilus TettehCha, the Greater Accra Regional Secretary, which was sighted by DAILY GUIDE, directing him to make himself available to start campaigning. Members of the party through the Concerned Youth of Tema East Constituency (CoYTEC) have also expressed concern about his absence. According to them, the attitude of the aspirant MP is disrespectful. We are compelled under the circumstances to demand from the constituency executives to prevail upon Hon. Odamtten to avail himself to the duties consistent with his office with all sense of seriousness and urgency, lest we advise ourselves appropriately. Failure to do this will leave us with no option but advise ourselves appropriately, the party branch executives stated. ---Daily Guide Thursdays defeat of SB50, the state Senate bill that would have required cities to allow dense residential development near transit, shows how housing policy can be a flash point in California politics. But state legislative efforts to spur new housing at a much different scale one unit at a time, in the backyards of existing homes have generated a multiyear string of bills that could end up making a sizable impact with relatively little fuss. I think were close to being good to go, said Karen Chapple, director of the Center for Community Innovation at UC Berkeley. The state can change policies incrementally, even when it cant do the top-down stuff. Chapple, a planning professor, co-wrote a new report that monitors how local government has responded to a three-year series of bills involving accessory dwelling units the bureaucratic term for what some people call granny flats or backyard cottages. There have been nearly a dozen bills in all, each aiming to help clear the regulatory obstacles that can keep homeowners from adding a second unit on their property. The study, which includes research funded in part by the state Department of Housing and Community Development, suggests that many municipalities responded to the initial legislative push with a lack of enthusiasm. More than half didnt update their local ordinances to conform to state expectations. Others updated their accessory dwelling policies but also imposed building fees or minimum lot size requirements. The bills that went into effect last month, however, bar cities and counties from charging fees to build granny flats that are 750 square feet or less. Theres no minimum backyard size for new units. No parking is required for cottages within one-half mile of a transit stop. This year, evidence suggests that the steady procession of bills coupled with debates in Sacramento about the need for local governments to take the state housing crisis seriously is having an impact. At the Department of Housing and Community Development, five staffers are involved in aspects of the accessory dwelling effort. This includes answering as many as 40 calls and emails a day seeking clarification on aspects of what is or isnt allowed. In the past there would be occasional calls, nothing more, said Paul McDougall, housing policy manager for the department. Accessory units are much more on city radars as being part of local housing strategies. They definitely play a larger role. Danville, for instance, has put out a call to architects interested in designing plans for granny flats that could be preapproved by the city in three architectural styles. The idea is that by August, homeowners seeking to add backyard units to their homes could select a plan at the permit counter and be done with paperwork. The emphasis on accessory dwellings really seems different right now, said Tai Williams, Danvilles assistant town manager. I cant recall all the buzz in prior years. In Marin, Corte Maderas town council last month updated its accessory dwelling unit regulations. After several study sessions, a final version was approved on Jan. 20. When we first started the (update) process, we didnt have a clear sense of where things were going, said the towns senior planner, Martha Battaglia. She said local officials strain to keep up with Sacramentos annual edicts: Its challenging to keep on top of whats going on theres been a lot of housing-related legislation the past two years. This top-down emphasis on finding cures for Californias housing crisis could explain why Chapples study found so many municipalities out of compliance, observers say. My gut feeling is that cities werent trying to stick their heads in the sand, said Jason Rhine, legislative director of the League of California Cities. What Ive heard from our cities the most is, Please stop changing the laws every year. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. But by any measure, the backyard building boom is real. There were 360 approved in Californias largest cities in 2016, the year before the first regulatory reforms went into effect. The numbers for last year arent yet available, but in 2018 there were well over 5,000. One early advocate for emphasizing backyard cottages was the Bay Area Council, a business organization. We looked for potential sources of housing that didnt come burdened with all the political baggage of larger initiatives, said Matt Regan, a policy specialist at the council. With the latest batch of bills in place, he predicted that every municipality in California is going to have ADU applications this year. At UC Berkeley, Chapples next project will be to survey cities and counties on what they find works and doesnt in terms of stimulating accessory dwellings. She also expects to see more legislative efforts that push for incremental change in housing policy, rather than SB50s blunt effort to change the landscape. The state of California is at the very beginning of the process of doing real housing legislation, Chapple suggested. Were going to have to get smarter and and smarter. John King is The San Francisco Chronicles urban design critic. Email: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron Agence France-Presse Facebook's massive settlement in a class-action case over violating a state law on how it uses facial recognition is being hailed as a watershed moment for "biometric privacy." The leading social network said Wednesday it agreed to the $550 million payout after failing to win dismissal of the case alleging it illegally collected biometric information for "face tagging" in violation of a 2008 Illinois privacy law. The settlement could have wide-ranging implications for Facebook and other tech firms using facial recognition technology, and highlights the potential for state laws to force changes in privacy practices. (Also read: Sundar Pichai supports temporary ban on facial-recognition, Microsoft believes otherwise) Plaintiff attorney Jay Edelson said the case helps establish the principle of biometric privacy, or the right of users of tech services and products to control access to their data used for facial recognition. "Biometrics is one of the two primary battlegrounds, along with geolocation, that will define our privacy rights for the next generation," Edelson said in a statement. "We hope and expect that other companies will follow Facebook's lead and pay significant attention to the importance of our biometric information." Attorney Nathan Wessler of the American Civil Liberties Union, which backed the plaintiffs' legal arguments, said the settlement could mark a turning point for consumers and biometrics. "Companies are going to have to take this seriously," Wessler said. "Hopefully a settlement of this size will be a deterrent." The deal is one of the largest settlements in a US privacy case, topped only by Facebook's $5 billion deal with the Federal Trade Commission on its data practices. Both are awaiting court approval. Facial recognition growing The legal case comes amid an array of deployments of biometric technologies such as facial recognition for law enforcement and border control, but also for "tagging" in social networks and in applications for retail stores or unlocking personal devices and cars. Several US cities including San Francisco have passed bans on the use of facial recognition technology. There are concerns about creating large databases with the potential for errors in identifying some individuals. "We have seen growing recognition in the courts and in the public for the last few years on the need for reasonable but strong limits on the collection and use of our most private information," Wessler said. The Illinois law does not apply to government entities or contractors. At least two other states have similar laws, but Illinois is the only one allowing for private lawsuits for damages when companies collect data without consent. Alan Butler of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which also supported the plaintiff arguments, called the case "hugely significant" with a potential impact for all Facebook users. Butler noted that the courts ruled the case could proceed merely on the basis of showing a violation, without evidence of specific harms. (Also read: Facebook to face $35 billion class-action lawsuit over misuse of facial recognition data) Unintended consequences? But the Illinois law and similar restrictions may have negative consequences as well, according to Daniel Castro of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a think tank often aligned with industry. The ability to sue without showing damages has unleashed a flood of litigation and some firms "are even blocking their services in Illinois to avoid the risk of penalties. That's not good for consumers," Castro said. "At the same time, it does not do much to actually address many specific concerns, such as police use of facial recognition to track citizens." Castro said the "patchwork" of state laws could make it difficult for tech firms to launch new products, leaving them at a disadvantage compared to their Chinese counterparts. The settlement comes as US lawmakers are debating federal privacy legislation, with some proposals that could pre-empt laws such as those in Illinois. Wessler argued that some states have been taking the lead in offering strong privacy rules, and that a federal law could weaken overall data protection. "The worst outcome would be a weak federal law with no private right of action, and which pre-empts state law, even though that is what the industry is seeking," he said. NEWS PROVIDED BY Catholic League Feb. 3, 2020 NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on another article alleging the Catholic Church is not being transparent about abuse cases: Last month, the Associated Press (AP) quoted a professor from Case Western University, Brian Clites, who made spurious comments about the Catholic Church. He was referred to as a "leading scholar on clergy sexual abuse," a statement that was patently untrue. As I pointed out, the man has never written a book on anything, much less on this subject. How he became elevated to being a "leading" scholar only AP knows. Now this genius is back. Clites posted a piece on "Catholic Investigations Are Still Shrouded in Secrecy" for the online publication, "The Conversation." It was picked up by Yahoo for distribution. Clites notes that Buffalo Bishop Richard Malone recently resigned after being criticized for some decisions he made handling clergy sexual abuse. That much is true. He then cites the case of Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City as an example of a Vatican investigation that did not go public with its findings. Clites fails to mention that when Finn learned of some disturbing photos on the laptop of a priest in his diocese, he contacted a police officer and an attorney. They concluded that the pictures of fully clothed girls, which were admittedly suspect (crotch shots), did not constitute child porn. It is important to note that there was no complainanthad Finn said nothing, no one would have known about this incident. After the priest was evaluated by a psychiatrist, restrictions were placed on him. When he violated the agreement, Finn contacted the authorities. It is important to note again that he had no legal mandate to do sono law had been broken. When it was then learned that hundreds of offensive pictures were found on the priest's computer, the police were summoned. A week later the priest was arrested. So why didn't Clites mention any of this? Because it would get in the way of his narrative about the shameful Catholic Church. He did not stop there. Clites is critical of Pope Benedict XVI's decision to sanction an Australian priest in 2007. He should not be. The pope was confronted with a priest who rejected various Church teachings. Would not the editorial board of any newspaper fire a member of the board who decided to go rogue and promote a point of view that is contrary to the established policy? Should the Catholic Church be held to a different standard? Similarly, Clites questions the "highly secretive" investigations of some nuns by the Vatican. Perhaps he never read about all the faithful nuns who had long been demanding such a probe: in some cases, they are surrounded by dissident sisters who have gone off the reservation. Clites gives away his cards altogether when he writes of the "authoritarian and top-secret nature" of Church investigations. He must be thinking of the media and Hollywood: they still invoke confidentiality agreements governing sexual misconduct. Too bad they don't follow the lead of the Catholic Churchthese gag orders were banned almost two decades ago. Contact: brian.clites@case.edu People wear masks at a metro station in Taipei, Taiwan. Photo: Chiang Ying-ying/AP Chinese stocks had their worst day in nearly five years on Monday, even after the Peoples Bank of China tried to ease fears by pumping a mammoth $171bn (130bn) into the countrys financial system. The sell-off was driven by growing anxiety about the coronavirus epidemic. While primarily a public health crisis, the outbreak is having an economic impact too. In the short term, [its] likely to bring some slowdown, Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said last week. In the long term, we don't know. While the full impact is still up in the air, economists already expect a significant hit to global GDP growth. Investment banks Goldman Sachs (GS), UBS (UBS), and Jefferies (JEF) have all warned about the economic impact of coronavirus in recent days. A blow to China is a blow to the global economy Economists are looking to the 2003 SARS epidemic to put coronavirus in context. SARS, which is similar to coronavirus, knocked two full percentage points off Chinas economic growth in the quarter before the virus was contained; 8,100 people were infected with the virus over the course of eight months. There have now been well over 17,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide, less than two months after the first cases emerged. There is no indication that infections are slowing. Not only is the coronavirus outbreak larger, but China is far more dominant in the global economy than it was in 2003 when SARS broke out. As a share of global GDP, Chinese goods imports are three times as large as they were in 2003. And Chinese tourists spending abroad is about eight times as large, Jan Hatzius, the chief economist of Goldman Sachs, told clients on a call on Monday. READ MORE: Coronavirus sparks biggest Chinese stock crash since 2015 Chinese equities play a much larger role in markets too. In dollar-value terms, Chinese stocks accounted for just 5% of Asian equities in 2003. Now, they account for 33%, meaning a sell-off in China ricochets across an entire continent. Story continues Investors look at a screen showing stock market movements at a securities company in Hangzhou in China's eastern Zhejiang province on Monday. Photo: STR/AFP via Getty Images Adding to Chinas economic significance is its status as the worlds biggest oil importer. Wuhan, the centre of the outbreak, is one of the countrys oil and gas hubs. The coronavirus will have a much more meaningful impact on GDP [than SARS], analysts at Jefferies said on Monday. Goldman Sachs predicted the epidemic would shave two percentage points off Chinese economic growth in the first quarter, assuming the virus is contained within the next two months. That would take Chinas annual GDP growth to 5.5% in 2020 the slowest pace of expansion in 30 years. Goldman warned global growth could be cut by two percentage points in the first quarter, as a result of the slowdown in China and spillover effects internationally. China is the European Unions second-largest trading partner and Germany sends more goods to China than anywhere else. UBS and Jefferies have predicted similar blows to global GDP growth. Retail and travel stocks feel the heat The economic impact of epidemics is typically linked to efforts to contain outbreaks. Travel in China has been severely restricted, factories have been shut down, and major retailers like Apple, Starbucks and McDonalds have shuttered stores across the country. Most consumers are hunkered down at home. All of that means less demand for imported goods, air fares, and potential supply chain problems for companies. It translates to lower profit expectations at many companies, which is whats driving investors to sell shares. One of the worst-hit sectors has been luxury goods, which relies heavily on affluent Chinese shoppers. Shares in Burberry (BRBY.L), for example, have lost more than 10% of their value since the beginning of the year. Shares in Burberry are down by more than 10% since the beginning of 2020. Chart: Yahoo Finance We dont know the scale of the crisis Economists are now focused on figuring out just how long the coronavirus outbreak will continue. The key issue is how long these [restrictions] stay in place and whether you start seeing these kinds of restrictions in other countries, Andrew Tilton, chief Asia economist at Goldman Sachs, said on Monday. READ MORE: How coronavirus outbreak is hitting companies around the world Tilton said epidemics typically trigger a one- to three-month slowdown in the economy, which often cuts several percentage points at an annual rate off GDP growth for one quarter in the worst-hit economies. But he warned annual Chinese GDP growth could fall below the 5% mark if the virus is not contained by the start of the second quarter. We are still in a period of high uncertainty, said Zach Pandl, co-head of global FX at Goldman Sachs. We don't really know what exactly the scale of the crisis we have here is, he said. Richard Di Natale has resigned as leader of the Greens. The senator made the announcement on Monday, sparking a leadership spill. Adam Bandt and Larissa Waters' positions as co-deputy leaders will also become vacant. Both are likely to make bids to take over as leader. The Greens will vote for a new leader on Tuesday. Mr Di Natale has not backed anyone to succeed him. Richard Di Natale has resigned as leader of the Greens Mr Di Natale told the Sydney Morning Herald that he wanted to spend more time with his family. He has two sons Luca, 11, and Ben, nine, with his wife Lucy. 'It's a tough, demanding job. It's been a privilege to do it. But I've got to the point in my life where I've got two young boys. I want to be there for them,' the senator said. 'Being away for half the year from a young family has just become, for me, too difficult. And when I've got my youngest boy saying, "I wish you weren't a politician, Dad, because we don't see you," it's telling you something.' Mr Di Natale has been the Greens' leader for nearly five years, taking over from Christine Milne in 2015. Newly appointed Ambassador of Slovenia to Armenia Tomaz Mencin (residence in Kiev) today presented the copies of his Letters of Credence to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Grigor Hovhannisyan, reports the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia. Congratulating the Ambassador on his appointment, Grigor Hovhannisyan wished him fruitful work and success in his important and responsible mission. Expressing gratitude for the reception and kind wishes, Ambassador Mencin stated that he will spare no effort for the deepening and strengthening of the relations between the two countries. The interlocutors discussed a broad range of issues related to the Armenian-Slovenian ties, including the prospects for the promotion of political and economic relations and development of the mutually beneficial cooperation in different sectors. The parties also touched upon the prospects for cooperation arising from the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement and other issues of mutual interest. Earlier, the newly appointed Ambassador of Slovenia to Armenia had been received by Head of the Department for Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Tigran Samvelyan, who discussed with the Ambassador a broad range of issues related to the bilateral ties, the press release reads. The streets around Box Hill Central, typically buzzing at all times of day, are much quieter than usual, as customers stay home over fears about the spread of the virus. At Dumpling King, just around the corner in Station Street, Jun Heng was also standing in an empty restaurant when The Age entered. Typically, they serve 30 or 40 people for Monday lunch. That had been reduced to five. "Last week was OK; today is horrible," the waiter said. Charming Spice owner Grace Tian summed up the mood as she stood next to her nervously idle staff: "Everyone is quiet, so, we are too." A sign on a shop in Box Hill. Credit:Jason South The ban on people entering Australia from China for two weeks has only made things worse for traders. Loading This is usually the period when business picks up as people return from their Lunar New Year holidays to work and study. Business is down as much as 50 per cent at Roast Duck Inn, where there is sometimes a line out the door during peak times. On Monday, the regular crack of a cleaver splitting crispy, mahogany-coloured duck was reduced to an occasional bang. "I think people are not coming to restaurants; they are staying home, not wanting to go outside," said manager Stephen Ku. "They are shopping in the supermarket and going straight home, not staying outside too long." Business is slow at Roast Duck Inn, says Stephen Ku. Credit:Jason South Mr Ku knew of one yum cha restaurant in Box Hill that had 270 bookings for Lunar New Year but only 50 people turned up. "They have closed for two weeks," he said. A sign on one bakery explained that it, too, was shutting up for a fortnight to protect its staff and customers. It's not just restaurants that are affected by the downturn. Mary Ma from Hair Lovers Salon said the phone had stopped ringing in the past week and fewer reservations were being taken online. Mary Ma from Hair Lover Salon says there has been a drop in bookings since the coronavirus outbreak. Credit:Jason South "Everyone knows about the virus; they are just scared to come out," she said from behind a mask. "Better to stay home." At the neighbouring liquor store in Whitehorse Road, William Yang said the fear of contagion had spread to delivery drivers, with some customers asking for orders to be left at the front door. He said the area was home to a lot of international students who would normally be returning for the start of the university semester. Shops are closing in Box Hill because of the coronavirus outbreak. Credit:Jason South Even before Trump won the presidency in 2016, Democrats launched their plan to impeach him. They threw every dirty trick at Trump in their "Take Out the Republican" playbook. They all failed. Frustrated, Democrats said, "Screw it we'll just make up crimes supposedly committed by Trump." In their bogus "impeachment hearings," Democrats demanded and received a ton of documents. They called 17 witnesses while outrageously refusing to allow Republicans to call any witnesses. The fix was in, and two absurd articles of impeachment against Trump were approved in the Democrat-controlled House. This ended Democrats' presentation of their case to remove the president. The next step was for their articles to go to the Senate for a vote. Realizing that their case was extremely weak, Democrats demanded that the Senate rules be changed. They demanded that Senate Republicans allow them to call more witnesses and demand more documents in the Senate's portion of the case. That is not how this works. Democrats had their incredibly unfair opportunity to present their case in the House portion. Thank God enough Republicans had the courage to vote no to Democrats using the Senate to further their evil, disgusting scheme to reverse the 2016 presidential election. Because Trump has done nothing wrong, the Senate will vote for acquittal. Another Democrat and fake news media scam to remove Trump from office has failed. Democrats and fake news media are flooding the airwaves with their lie that Trump's acquittal will be illegitimate because Senate Republicans unfairly refused to call witnesses and present documents. They say, "How can you have a trial without witnesses?" They want average-Joe-American to wrongly conclude that no witnesses were called during the impeachment trial. For laughs, I turned on CNN. They pretended the mountain of documents presented and the 17 witnesses Democrats called in the House hearings did not happen. I thought, "Oh, my gosh it is all fake news." This is really scary, folks. These wicked people are fully committed to deceiving and discouraging us 24/7 with lies. At the beginning of the Tea Party movement, I toured the country on numerous Tea Party Express national bus tours. I opened hundreds of rallies performing my original song, "The American Tea Party Anthem." CNN, NPR, and other fake news outlets invited me to be a guest on broadcasts. I was excited, naively thinking that as a black member of the movement, I could clear up the nonsensical claim by the media that the Tea Party was racist. Forty percent of the Tea Party voted for Obama. They simply opposed his immediate left turn, driving us down the road to socialism. Silly me. Fake news media hosts shouted me down and argued with me. They implied that I was an Uncle Tom buffoon. Someone informed me that a late-night TV host, I can't remember which one, had a ball painting me as an idiot. For a documentary on the Tea Party movement, a CNN film crew was embedded with our team on one of the Tea Party Express bus tours for around 35 rallies. As I stated, I opened every rally, firing up the crowds with my "American Tea Party Anthem." Our team included black authors and black conservative speakers. Yet CNN's documentary excluded our black faces. They intentionally sold the public a lie that the Tea Party was a bunch of redneck whites who hate a black man in the White House. It was all fake news. I began to realize that fake news media had zero interest whatsoever in the truth. They care only about fulfilling their evil mission to spread racial hate via bogus narratives. The Quran says non-Muslims are infidels. Muslims believe they have divine authority to kill infidels who refuse to convert. CNN host Don Lemon justified progressives attacking people for wearing "MAGA" hats. In other words, Progressivism is a religion. Trump supporters and patriotic Americans are progressivism's version of infidels. All who refuse to convert to progressivism are worthy of severe punishment. We see their mindset played out across America: seniors, women, and youths being assaulted, beaten for wearing "MAGA" hats. Remember the Facebook Live post of four black progressives who kidnapped and tortured a mentally disabled white man? The four zealots tie up the man, punishing him while yelling, "F--- Trump" and F--- white people!" It is truly remarkable that Trump has survived every Democrat and fake news media evil tactic to destroy him and his presidency. I call it "The Trump Phenomenon." No other Republican would have survived. Clearly, God's hand of protection is on this man, whom He has prepared for such a time as this. Trump repeatedly emerging victorious has frustrated Democrats and fake news media to the point of total insanity. In their sick, hate-filled minds, nothing in the world matters other than destroying Trump and punishing his supporters. Thankfully, more and more Americans are beginning to realize the evil within seeking to destroy our exceptional great nation. At Trump's rally in New Jersey, over 25% were Democrats and over 10% did not vote in 2016. His approval among black Americans has skyrocketed to 34%. Our only hope is to continue fighting back in one united voice, boldly refusing to be silenced and intimidated. Democrats and their fake news media minions cannot bully millions of patriotic Americans. We must spread the truth about Trump's amazing achievements for America, while riding all over this country aboard the Trump Train. Download the Trump Train 2020 song and crank it up! We must remain diligent spreading the truth, because mainstream media is all fake news. Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American Help Lloyd Spread the Truth http://LloydMarcus.com Florida is known to be the place where the wishes come true. This state is one of the most visited state of United States of America and the reasons are completely justified. Whether it's amusement park, national parks, forests or beaches, Florida has some top-notch tourist attractions where a visit is worth every penny. You may relax on white-sand beaches of Florida Panhandle or take a sunbath in beaches of coastal cities like Miami. A visit to Florida asks for more visits because of their attraction spots like Daytona 500 NASCAR races and Kennedy Space Center. Florida is the place that can entertain a person of any nature and has variety of amazing experiences to offer. Florida has a longlist of its tourist destinations and you must shortlist the best attractions to make your visit more pleasurable. Moreover, add pleasure to your trip by making your stay comfortable at Radisson Resort at the Port. They have a wonderful comfy experience for theirs guests. Walt Disney World Walt Disney World is the best amusement park for an ultimate experience in Orlando. The majestic Disney World is still glowing and shining even after being visited by millions of tourists over several decades. Along with the magic kingdom, people come here to experience numerous activities in this mega amusement park. The magical Walt Disney World now houses a large list of unique attractions and activities that extends far beyond the conventional theme parks. A visit to Disney World is the best surprise you can give to your children. Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center has been a primary launch center of human spaceflight of NASA. Located in Florida's Space Cost since 1962, this is the place where space exploration was evolved. KSC is also the most interesting, fascinating and education attraction for its visitors whether kids or adults. You will find rockets and space shuttles, the history of space missions on screens and you can also meet the astronauts and learn more about space and its adventures. The offer a very interactive and engaging experience for adults and kids by their interesting displays designed with all ages in mind and exhibition on specific themes. Universal Studio Universal Studio tops the list of most visited place in Orlando every now and then. This massive theme park and film studio is a home to one of the most thrilling and fantastic rides. Universal Studio is a huge amusement park offering experience of 3D and 4D rides and they have also recreated sets of famous Hollywood movies and films. The thrilling rides of Universal's Volcano Bay theme park is the newest addition to Universal Studio. The most visited and exciting attraction in Universal Studio is "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" which has Hogwarts Express and Hogsmeade Village. Miami Beach If you visit Florida and returned without going to Miami Beach, then you wasted your visit. Lounge on the golden sand at the edge of Atlantic Ocean, take a sunbath and enjoy a sight of beautiful people against blue waters. Miami Beach is one of the world's most visited and crowded beach. You may join a beach party, play some volleyball with locals, dive into water or enjoy the water sports. Busch Gardens Tampa This African theme park is of the most popular tourist attraction of Tampa. As a home to all kinds of exotic animals, Tampa takes prides in claiming their Busch Gardens as one of the largest Zoos in the whole of North America. Their Safari style tours are worth taking to see some animals like Giraffes, Zebras, Rhinos and Ostriches roaming here and there. Also lookout for animals like Lions, Tigers, Gorillas, Elephants and much more. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Some aerospace companies including business jet manufacturers Textron and General Dynamics's Gulfstream division said they no longer planned to attend the Singapore Airshow due to the new coronavirus epidemic. The trade portion of Asia's biggest airshow, held every two years, is set to begin on Feb. 11 under the shadow of the fast-spreading virus that has prompted Singapore to deny entry to all Chinese visitors and foreigners with a recent history of travel to China, where the virus originated. The death toll from the coronavirus has risen to 361 in China, bringing the number of confirmed infections to 17,205. The flu-like virus, which can be transmitted from person to person, has spread to more than two dozen other nations and regions. Experia Events, the organizer of the Singapore Airshow, said last week the show would continue as planned, but the government measures meant it would "undoubtedly see a reduction in terms of the number of expected exhibitors and visitors this year". The organizer said there would be doctors and medics on standby to attend to visitors who were feeling unwell. In 2018, there were 54,000 trade attendees from 147 countries and 1,062 participating companies who come to network, examine products and sign deals covering commercial aviation, defense, maintenance and repair operations and business jets. Typically, it is not a major show for commercial plane orders but talks during the show can set the stage for deals that are completed later in the year. Boeing, Airbus and Lockheed Martin, among the biggest exhibitors, said they still planned to attend the show. Textron and Gulfstream said their decision to not attend was a precautionary measure to protect the health of employees. South Korea's air force said on Monday it had decided not to participate as part of broader precautions against the coronavirus. Its Black Eagles aerobatic team has taken part in the flying display at Singapore airshows in recent years. Russian aerospace group Rostec plans to send a reduced delegation to the show, Russian media reported. Rostec did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The deputy administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Li Jian, is no longer listed as a speaker at a pre-show leadership conference on Feb. 10. Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), which is developing the C919 narrowbody jet, had been due to attend the airshow before the travel ban was announced. COMAC did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The outbreak of the new virus has sent shivers through financial markets, with investors drawing comparisons to the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that also started in China and killed 800 people globally. Singapore, a Southeast Asian tourism hub where Chinese nationals make up the largest share of visitors, was among the worst hit outside of China during the SARS outbreak. Twenty people were trampled to death at an open-air church service in Tanzania after the crowd surged to touch a holy oil. Officials fear the death toll could rise after at least 16 others were also injured during the stampede. The stampede broke out on Saturday after popular preacher Boniface Mpwamposa had poured what he said was holy oil in the ground - prompting worshippers to rush forward in the hope of being cured of sickness. Mpwamposa, who heads the Arise and Shine Ministry Tanzania, fled the scene in the town of Moshi but was arrested on Sunday. The aftermath of an open-air church stampede in Tanzania where 20 people were killed and at least another 16 injured after worshippers rushed forward to touch holy oil A woman grieves at Mawenzi hospital yesterday after her granddaughter was one of 20 people killed during the church service 'The Apostle Boniface Mwamposa poured sacred anointing oil on the ground,' one witness, Jennifer Temu, said. 'Dozens of people immediately fell being jostled and trampled, and some died. We have counted 20 people killed - but there are also wounded.' 'It was horrible, people trampled on mercilessly, jostling each other with elbows,' said another witness, Peter Kilewo. 'It was like the preacher had thrown bundles of dollars about... and there were all these deaths!' Kippi Warioba, district Commissioner in the northern town of Moshi, said he feared the number of dead could still rise from the accident which took place on Saturday. 'So far, 20 people have died, but the death toll could increase as there were also wounded,' Warioba said. At least 16 others were injured in the crush, he said. A map showing the town of Moshi in Tanzania where the crush took place on Saturday Moshi residents were in mourning yesterday after the stampede broke out at a prayer ceremony fronted by popular preacher Boniface Mpwamposa Abandoned shoes and personal belongings lie on the ground at the Ushirika stadium in Moshi where a stampede broke out at a prayer ceremony on Saturday Mwamposa, the preacher, fled the scene after the stampede, and police appealed in a broadcast on national television for him to hand himself in. He was arrested in the port city of Dar es Salaam later on Sunday. 'Boniface Mwamposa tried to flee after this incident, but as I speak, he is in the hands of the police,' Interior Minister George Simbachawene told a press conference. Simbachawene said that the preacher had started the stamped by calling on the packed crowd to place their foot on the spot where he had poured the oil. 'These are the words that led to these deaths,' said Simbachawene. 'He must answer for it.' The pastor had been drawing huge crowds by promising prosperity and cures for diseases to worshippers who step in what he calls 'blessed oil' during his services. Tanzanian police chief Simon Sirro, who confirmed the toll of 20 dead, said investigations were ongoing into the incident. The site of the stampede where Boniface Mpwamposa had poured what he said was holy oil in the ground - prompting worshippers to rush forward in the hope of being cured of sickness Moshi residents queue outside Mawenzi hospital on Sunday to identify their relatives Seven other people were arrested in Moshi, where the stampede took place,in connection with the incident. Sirro also said police would also look into how church organisations handle such large-scale crowd events in general. 'We pray for them, but I must say that some churches are troublesome -- and we will see how to handle them,' Sirro said. President John Magufuli also issued a statement mourning the death of 20 people in Moshi, as well as 20 others killed by floods in Tanzania's southern Lindi region this week. 'I'm very sorry for these deaths of these Tanzanians in the two events,' Magufuli said. Market surveillance officials check medical equipment prices at a pharmacy in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh. Vietnamese traders are buying masks to export to China despite a shortage at home. The Market Surveillance Agency recently seized 200,000 masks that were being transported to China in the border province of Quang Ninh. The agency said the masks are in high demand in China because of the deadly new coronavirus (nCoV). The agency plans to distribute the confiscated masks since they are also in high demand in Vietnam. The seizure came amid complaints in many localities about mask shortages. Hanoi, the northern provinces of Lang Son and Hoa Binh, Ho Chi Minh City and several southern localities have reported shortages. Since last Friday the agency discovered and fined 1,221 pharmacies raising the prices of masks and other items such as hand wash gel and gloves. It said by Sunday there were no longer the queues to buy masks that were seen on Friday, but many drugstores only allowed customers to buy one or two boxes due to limited stocks. Some pharmacies in Da Nang City and Quang Ngai Province in the central region sell a box of 50 masks at VND70,000 ($3), doubled the regular price. Authorities are cracking down on retailers taking advantage of the emergency situation and selling masks at high prices. Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has ordered relevant authorities to punish sellers who raise the prices of medical equipment. The Ministry of Health has said the 30 mask manufacturers in the country will produce enough masks to meet demand. Vietnam had eight confirmed cases of nCoV infection as of Monday morning, including three foreigners. There are 92 suspected cases with symptoms like high fever and cough, including some who visited infected areas in China. The epidemic has killed 362 people globally, one in the Philippines and the rest in China. Hitting out at the government, BSP's floor leader in Lok Sabha Ritesh Pandey on Monday said the ruling BJP is fulfilling the dreams of M A Jinnah by bringing the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) and talking about the NRC. Participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address, Pandey alleged that the BJP is spreading its "vicious ideology of dividing the country", similar to the one propagated by Pakistan founder Jinnah. Referring to Jinnah's remarks that Hindus and Muslims can't stay together in one country, Pandey said, "Through the CAA and the NRC, the BJP is fulfilling the dreams of Jinnah." Targeting the government over the economic slowdown, he said the ruling party is trying to befool the people by making fake promises and doing nothing. The mandate was given to them to bring 'achhe din' and not to make an "intolerant India", Pandey said. Echoing similar sentiments, CPI(M) member AM Ariff alleged that the BJP is "defaming" Mahatama Gandhi and has "killed his soul" by enacting the Citizenship Amendment Act. Accusing the BJP of destroying the Constitution of the country, Ariff said the people who are on streets protesting against the CAA are actually fighting to save the Constitution. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Defense attorneys hope a published opinion issued last week by a California appellate court will curb a tactic used by plaintiffs attorneys to steer minor cases to small claims court in hopes of winning default judgments that carriers wont bother to appeal. The California Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled Thursday in a published opinion that insurers have a right to appeal small claims court decisions when a default judgment is entered against a policyholder. Insurance defense attorney Harry W.R. Chamberlain II said that principle is already clearly established in statute, but plaintiffs attorneys are also well aware that sometimes judges get it wrong. Chamberlain said thats exactly what happened after Vanessa Gonzalez filed a small claims action against Jonathan Johnson for damages in a motor vehicle accident in Orange, California. Johnson did not show up for the hearing so the small claims judge awarded Gonzalez $10,000, the maximum amount allowed in small claims, plus $140 in costs. Johnsons carrier, Pioneer Pacific Insurance Co. appealed that ruling toOrange County Superior Court, but temporary Judge Carmen Luege ruled that Code of Civil Procedure section 116.710(d) precludes defendants from appealing small claims judgments. Chamberlain said it probably would have been easy for Pioneer Pacific to pay the claim and move on, but instead they filed an extraordinary writ of mandate asking the appellate court to intervene. Chamberlain said ordinarily, small claims actions cannot go beyond the superior court. But in this case, attorneys Dwayne S. Beck and James W. Colfer decided to fight back. They didnt want to be shaken down every six months on this, Chamberlain. Chamberlain joined the effort by filing an amicus brief on behalf of the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel. The defense lawyers said in their briefs and the Fourth District agreed that the legislature recognized insurers are at a disadvantage when defending claims in small claims court because they are not allowed to send attorneys. Subsection (d) of the statute states that the defendant cannot appeal a decision in small claims if he or she failed to attend a hearing. But subsection (c) states that an insurer can appeal a default judgment of more than $2,500 to the superior court. The 4th District opinion said lawmakers recognized when they adopted the current small claims statute in 1990 that insurers needed a way to defend themselves against default actions. The Legislature expressed its intent that insurers be able to protect themselves in situations where their insureds are unable or not motivated to defend a small claims action, the opinion states. Plaintiffs attorney Shaun Bauman of Los Angeles said the appellate court has got it wrong. He said Pioneer Pacific should have filed a petition to vacate the Superior Courts ruling instead of taking the case up to the appellate court. Bauman said a previous attorney had sent notice to Pioneer Pacific about Gonzalezs claim. If the carrier had done its due diligence, it would have sent a reservation of rights letter to the policyholder informing him that it would not accept liability for the claim if he didnt defend himself in small claims court, he said. Bauman said the impact of the 4th Districts opinion will be to give insurers greater rights than claimants. We are going to appeal this decision because it doesnt make sense, he said. 02/03/2020 Contacts for media: UMass Lowell: Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu City of Lowell: Phillip Geoffroy, 978-674-4400 or pgeoffroy@lowellma.gov LOWELL, Mass. Long at the forefront of efforts to implement and grow sustainable operations and practices in the Merrimack Valley, UMass Lowell and the City of Lowell today announced the Green Community Partnership. An alliance to provide leadership, resources and expertise for sustainability initiatives throughout greater Lowell, the Green Community Partnership is the brainchild of university Chancellor Jacquie Moloney and City Manager Eileen Donoghue who, along with philanthropist Nancy Donahue, will co-chair a Green Community Commission that includes a broad swath of business, community and environmental leaders. The commission held its kick-off meeting today at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center. Moloney and Donoghue also announced the establishment of a new sustainability grant program to launch the partnership. Funded by a generous donation from Nancy Donahue to the university and matched by community partners, $50,000 will be available for joint university-community projects. Proposals must align with the sustainability goals in UMass Lowells 2020 Strategic Plan and the City of Lowells Sustainable Lowell 2025 Master Plan to be considered for grants ranging from $500 to $10,000. Applications must be submitted online by Friday, March 6 and a committee comprised of university and city officials will review the proposals. Open houses and outreach events will take place in February to provide additional details about the application and submission process for organizations and groups seeking grant funding. Grant recipients will be announced on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22. As the No. 1 sustainable university in Massachusetts, UMass Lowell has been on the leading edge of this important movement, Moloney said. Our efforts have saved millions of operating dollars and reduced our impact on the environment. This partnership with the city will advance both our institutional values and our business efficiency and Im grateful to City Manager Donoghue and her team for joining us in this effort. Environmental sustainability has long been a central focus for the City of Lowell and through bold action, we have made measurable progress in curbing carbon emissions and improving our energy efficiency, said Eileen Donoghue. The Green Community Partnership will capitalize on the innovative spirit that Lowell is known for and that is fostered at the university by supporting creative ideas to protect our environment and advance our shared sustainability objectives. Both leaders thanked Nancy Donahue for her gift that served as a catalyst for the green initiative. They also praised elected leaders in Lowell and in the region for their support. Moloney and Donoghue said the Green Community Partnership will put Lowell well ahead of other communities as the governors office and the Massachusetts Legislature ramp up sustainability grant funding opportunities. Two Green Community Partnership open houses have already been scheduled for individuals, university and community groups interested in applying for grants. The City of Lowell will hold an open house from 5 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 10 at the Lowell Senior Center, 276 Broadway St., Lowell. UMass Lowell will hold a similar session Wednesday Feb. 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. at University Crossing, 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell. As an institution, UMass Lowell is recognized as a national leader for its commitment to sustainability and climate-change awareness. The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) rates UMass Lowell the highest among all colleges and universities in Massachusetts and among the top 2 percent globally for its sustainability efforts. Since signing on to the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment in 2007, UMass Lowell has committed itself to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 through its aggressive Climate Action Plan. The recently completed $23.1 million Accelerated Energy Program resulted in more than $1 million in yearly savings and annual reductions of 1.7 million gallons of water and 9 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. In 2010, the City of Lowell became one of the first communities in the Commonwealth to be designated as a Green Community, reflecting the citys longstanding commitment to environmental sustainability and its leadership among Massachusetts gateway cities in implementing ambitious renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives. Since earning that designation, the city has continually made substantial investments to enhance the efficiency of municipal buildings and vehicles, resulting in a 30.77 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Lowell has also prioritized and invested in the development of renewable energy, which has led to the construction of a vast network of solar installations serving the municipality, including out-of-city solar facilities that generate net metering credits for the City of Lowell. Effective policies have been adopted by the city that have incentivized significant residential and commercial solar installations citywide. The Lowell City Council has made sustainability a priority, consistently offering its full support of initiatives aimed at enhancing energy efficiency and reducing emissions. In 2017, the council adopted a resolution supporting the goal of transitioning Lowell to the use of 100 percent clean and renewable energy, prompting concrete steps that have reduced the citys fossil fuel usage. Lowells sustainability efforts are also guided by an active Sustainability Council, formed in 2016. This photo taken on January 30, 2020 shows workers producing disinfectant at a factory in Xiaogan in China's central Hubei province, to support the supply of medical materials during the virus outbreak in Hubei's city of Wuhan. A private survey showed China's manufacturing activity in January expanded at its slowest pace since August. On Monday, Markit/Caixin said its manufacturing PMI came in at 51.1 for the month of January. That's the slowest in five months. Economists polled by Reuters had expected the Markit/Caixin manufacturing PMI to come in at 51.3. The Markit/Caixin manufacturing PMI a measure of factory activity was 51.5 in December. PMI readings above 50 indicate expansion, while those below that level signal contraction. Slow demand dragged on manufacturing activity, with total new orders weakening to a level not seen since September 2019, said Zhengsheng Zhong, director of macroeconomic analysis at Caixin subsidiary CEBM Group. On Friday, China's National Bureau of Statistics said the country's official manufacturing PMI came in at 50.0 for the month of January an indication of stalled activity. The bureau said that the impact of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak was not fully reflected in the survey, which was conducted before Jan. 20. With most responses to the Markit/Caixin survey likely submitted early before the Lunar New Year holidays and before widespread public awareness about the scale of the outbreak, the results would not have reflected the extent of the economic damage from the coronavirus, said Capital Economics. "Since then, it's become clear that manufacturing activity is facing major near-term headwinds," wrote economists Julian Evans-Pritchard and Martin Lynge Rasmussen in a note on Monday. "Domestic demand has taken a big hit as consumers are staying home and likely delaying non-essential purchases," they added. Lunar New Year holidays have also been prolonged in many cities and provinces in attempts to contain the virus. "This means that factories and ports will be churning out a much lower output than usual, if anything at all," they added. Transport disruptions will also make it difficult for migrant workers to return from holidays once businesses are officially allowed to reopen, they said. CEBM's Zhong said China's economy will be impacted by the coronavirus epidemic in the near term. Before the outbreak, China's economy had already been affected by the country's long-drawn trade war with the U.S. The official PMI survey typically polls a large proportion of big businesses and state-owned enterprises while the private manufacturing PMI survey by Markit/Caixin features a bigger mix of small- and medium-sized firms. With falling beef prices and the continued dark cloud around Brexit, there is considerable interest among beef farmers in earning extra money by taking in dairy heifers or even bull/beef calves from dairy herds. There are many beef farmers considering contract rearing as a reaction to poor cattle prices and the considerable media campaign to promote contract rearing in light of expansion of our dairy herds. However, while there are good opportunities, there are potentially big problems ahead for many of these farmers if they do not properly research and financially plan where they are going. In my experience over the past 20 years working with technically efficient beef farmers in Co Roscommon, the returns from improvements in their farm business have not been financially rewarded, and that's why some are looking for better returns on their investment. A beef farmer who can provide a contact rearing skill-set for dairy farmers and build a solid relationship over time can become an integral part of developing better dairy business. The key part of developing trust in this relationship is that the contract rearer is working to the highest of standards and returning close to 95pc of heifers in-calf and on target weight within the 20 months. BACKGROUND Seven years ago I selected a group of top beef farmers in Roscommon to research opportunities in contract rearing. We realised that there were potential business opportunities in contract rearing, but that we were not yet ready as a group to provide that service as there were gaps in our knowledge. We visited Moorepark, some top dairy farmers and a number of existing contract rearers around the country. We realised that the key to providing a good contract rearing business is to reduce the workload and pressure on dairy farmers in February/March. The suckling farming background of this group ensured they were competent stock men, so breeding heifers was not a big challenge. The long-term sustainability of contract rearing as we saw it involves providing the full package, taking the dairy calves at three weeks and returning them in-calf at 20 months. The success of our group over the past number of years is largely based on developing that service, with a primary focus on strict protocols. Protocols around animal health, constant monitoring of live weight gain and grassland management were developed. The greatest risks to this system are around breakdown in animal health, which manifests itself in underachieving liveweight targets and ultimately higher mortality and infertility in the system. A fundamental requirement of the group is to understand grassland management, make top-quality silage (over 70pc DMD) and be competent at heat detection to achieve 95pc of heifers in calf within a six-week period. This is the basic criteria of the contract and why the contract rearer is paid for that service. Dairy expansion is largely slowing down. The tide is turning, with concerns over nitrates and climate action targets applying a brake to further expansion. This in turn will limit the potential for wide-scale contract rearing. The reality of the situation in Ireland is that there is a shortage of top-quality calf rearers and too many beef farmers wanting to start contract rearing. I spent a long day on a contract rearing stand last summer at the Dairy Open Day in Moorepark, and I reckon 90pc of people I spoke to were beef farmers wanting to be a contract rearer rather than dairy farmers looking for the service. As with any business, high supply and lower demand will drive contract-rearing rates down and what is already a marginal business will become less viable. Opportunities There are, however, opportunities for top farm managers to work with top dairy farmers, but the real opportunities are in calf rearing pre-weaning with proper facilities and with calf-rearing skill-sets. This is labour-intensive service and requires a greater knowledge bank but in the long term is where dairy farmers see real merit. Dairy farmers, particularly in the spring with high cow numbers and excessive workloads, will choose to pay a labour unit to someone to manage their calves and replacement enterprise off-farm. The key requirement is for that individual is to hit close to national targets and provide healthy stock on their return, otherwise they can pay someone locally to do the same job at the minimum agricultural wage. The benefit to having access to contract rearers' land for reducing nitrates tips the balance in favour of opting to send a dairy heifer enterprise off-farm. Many beef farmers would only consider taking on weaned calves or yearling heifers and they will ask if it will be a sustainable opportunity if too many farmers drive down rates at a time of falling milk prices. Therefore, the real opportunities in the long term involve focusing on the calf-rearing skill-set with proper facilities. Farmers need to take a planned approach for the next few years to have a sustainable contract rearing business. Working in isolation can be very stressful for the contract rearer One of the big considerations in contract rearing is how good or profitable is the dairy farmer you are working with. Reducing replacement costs is the first part of the dairy business to be streamlined if milk prices fall or there are other financial pressures. Therefore, if you are working with better financially performing dairy farms you will be exposed to lower risks. Remember also that poorer-performing dairy farms could be struggling with animal health issues or infertility in the herd, and no contract rearer in one year can resolve these factors. In my experience when targets are not met, the dairy farmer will be quick to blame the contract rearer and the blame game starts. That leads me on to the issue of penalty clauses, which are often not discussed until the actual contract is being drawn up. Security From the dairy farmer's point of view, they are paying considerable monies for the service and they require some security to cover the risk in terms of poor performance from the contract rearer. This is a very important consideration for any beef farmer before embarking on contract rearing. The biggest lesson we have learned over the last four years is that contract rearers working in isolation can find themselves in extremely stressful situations when targets are not being met. The support of a discussion group or a group of like-minded people helps to alleviate and reassure the contract rearer when systems are breaking down. A support network of technical professionals is also vital for the contract rearer. There are still opportunities for beef farmers to go contract rearing. One option they have with their current land base is to replace their own stock with contract dairy stock - this reduces their overall net worth but can be justified with a long-term, sustainable contract-rearing business. A word of caution here: a dairy farmer not committed to a longer-term arrangement can leave the contract rearer very exposed financially if they break the contract or do not renew it. The other option is to have beef farmers contract rearing as a smaller add-on to their main business. This can leave both herds exposed to animal health issues but is less of a financial risk. A long-term, planned approach to contract rearing rather than a knee-jerk reaction to poor beef prices is what is required. Gerry Cregg is a Teagasc business and technology advisor based in Castlerea, Co Roscommon Police found a male body floating in the water of Elk Glen Lake on Sunday morning in San Franciscos Golden Gate Park, authorities said. Officers responded to the area around 8:51 a.m. and located the body, and San Francisco firefighters were able to recover it before turning the body over to the medical examiner, according to San Francisco police. January is normally the time for New Year's resolutions. We tend to see an uptick of people searching for the best price on a used Steinway piano not just here in Dallas but throughout the United States. Piano Gallery, the leading piano store in Dallas, Texas, and the entire DFW metroplex, is proud to announce a new website update for 2020. Pianists ready to upgrade can review a new listing of used Steinway pianos on the updated website, and those in the Dallas Fort Worth area are urged to visit the store immediately as the store is in the process of moving. Considered the best piano retailer in Texas, the company helps pianists find the right model for their musical desires. "January is normally the time for New Year's resolutions. We tend to see an uptick of people searching for the best price on a used Steinway piano not just here in Dallas but throughout the United States," commented Maestro Bruno, proprietor of Piano Gallery and a leading expert on sourcing Steinway pianos for sale. "We are happy to serve both seasoned musicians and novice piano players. Our updated website provides a listing of newly procured models for the public to review." The new content upgrades from Piano Gallery can be reviewed at at http://dfwpianogallery.com/. The website enhancements include detailed content for many popular piano brands in particular the popular Steinway piano brand. Indeed, the store is in the process of moving and their 'lost the lease' sale is in progress right now. People who are looking for pre-owned or used Steinway pianos are flocking to the Dallas store for the incredible prices. Persons specifically searching for used Steinway pianos can visit the updated Steinway B page at http://dfwpianogallery.com/used-steinway/. In addition, the company partners with Concert Pianos, an online retailer which focuses on used Steinway pianos. For more information, interested persons can go to https://concertpianos.com/. Finally, persons who want to sell their Steinway can visit http://pianopartnersllc.com/ which is a service that purchases used Steinway pianos. MUSIC LOVERS FIND DALLAS, TEXAS, THE BEST PLACE FOR USED STEINWAY PIANOS IN 2020 Here is the background on this release. 2020 might be the year people make a New Years resolution to take their piano skills to the next level. Indeed, anyone looking for a Steinway piano could benefit from reaching out to Maestro Bruno for one-on-one help on sourcing their dream piano. For these reasons, Piano Gallery has announced website updates for the New Year. ABOUT CONCERT PIANOS Based in Dallas, Texas, Concert Pianos is a best-in-class retailer of used and Premium pre-owned Steinway pianos. Under the leadership of Maestro Bruno, Concert Pianos has garnered a reputation as the best place on the Internet to find Steinway pianos for sale, including the popular Steinway model B. Connoisseurs of Steinway pianos seeking to buy Steinway pianos online (or even to sell their Steinway) reach out to Maestro Bruno for expert guidance as to the value of Steinway pianos, how to buy or sell them, and how to find them at the best price. Always ready to talk, Maestro Bruno can be reached via the website and is happy to discuss the opportunities to buy or sell a "dream" piano online. China has sent medical workers and equipment to a newly built hospital, infused cash into financial markets and further restricted peoples movement in sweeping new steps to contain a rapidly spreading virus and its escalating impact. Chinas updated figures of 361 deaths and 2,829 new cases over the last 24 hours bring the Chinese total to 17,205 cases. They come as other countries continued evacuating citizens from hardest-hit Hubei province and restricted travel by Chinese people or those who recently travelled in the country. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the number of coronavirus cases will keep growing because tests are pending on thousands of suspected cases. Chinese President Xi Jinping, presiding over a special meeting of the countrys top Communist Party body for the second time since the crisis started, said we have launched a peoples war of prevention of the epidemic. He told the Politburo standing committee that the country must race against time to curb the spread of the epidemic and that those who neglect their duties will be punished. His speech was read by an anchor on the major evening news programme of state broadcaster CCTV. Reopening of schools was delayed to keep the virus from spreading further in Hubei, where the 1,000-bed hospital in the provincial capital Wuhan was completed in just 10 days. A second hospital with 1,500 beds will open within days. Restrictions were tightened still further in one city by allowing only one family member to venture out to buy supplies every other day. Medical teams from the Peoples Liberation Army were arriving in Wuhan to relieve overwhelmed health workers and to work at the new hospital, located in the countryside far from the city centre. Its prefabricated wards, where patients began arriving by late morning, are equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and ventilation systems. Leading Chinese epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan said additional hospital space was crucial to stopping the spread of new infections. Story continues The lack of hospital rooms forced sick people to return home, which is extremely dangerous. So having additional (beds) available is a great improvement, Zhong told state broadcaster CCTV. Zhong played a major role in overcoming Chinas 2002-2003 outbreak of Sars, a coronavirus from the same family as the current pathogen. In a sign of the economic toll of the outbreak, Chinas Shanghai Composite index plunged nearly 8% on the first day of trading after the Lunar New Year holiday. That was despite a central bank announcement on Sunday that it was putting 1.2 trillion yuan (131 billion) into the markets. We are fully confident in and capable of minimising the epidemics impact on economy, said Lian Weiliang, deputy chief of the National Development and Reform Commission. Hong Kongs leader, Carrie Lam, announced on Monday that the semi-autonomous territory will shut almost all land and sea border control points to the mainland from midnight to stem the spread of the virus. She said only two border checkpoints at Shenzhen Bay and the bridge to Macau and Zhuhai will remain open. Some hospital workers went on strike on Monday and more threatened to walk out on Tuesday unless the government agrees to talks. Hong Kong has recorded 15 cases of the virus and has cut flights and train and bus connections to the mainland, but a push is growing for it to close the border completely. Strike organisers say about 6,000 medical staff were prepared to participate. The Huoshenshan temporary field hospital during its construction in Wuhan (Chinatopix via AP) Hong Kong was severely impacted by the Sars outbreak, which many believe was intensified by official Chinese secrecy and obfuscation. An international cruise ship industry group said its members will ban anyone, including guests or crew, who has travelled from or through mainland China in the previous 14 days, the maximum incubation period for the virus. The Cruise Lines International Association said it represents more than 50 cruise lines and is the worlds largest cruise industry trade association. South Korea, which has 15 confirmed cases, was quarantining 800 soldiers who had recently visited China, Hong Kong or Macao or had contact with people who had, defence ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyunsoo said. Military service is required of all young South Korean men to guard against the threat from the communist North. In Beijing, officials sought to reassure the countrys 1.4 billion people of adequate supplies of face masks and disinfectant, despite reported shortages in parts of the country. The Philippines banned the entry of all non-citizens from China after two cases were confirmed there, including the only death outside China. (PA Graphics) The US, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia have imposed similar restrictions despite criticism from China and the WHOs guidance that such measures were unnecessary. About 150 cases have been reported in two dozen other countries. The total in the US rose to 11, mostly involving recent travel to Wuhan. The US said on Sunday that Americans who had travelled in China within the last 14 days would be routed to designated airports for enhanced health screenings and most non-Americans who were recently in China would be denied entry. At an online briefing, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying accused the US of overreacting, acting against WHO advice and spreading fear. Chief Executive Carrie Lam, centre, at a press conference in Hong Kong (Achmad Ibrahim/AP) The US government hasnt provided any substantial assistance to us, but it was the first to evacuate personnel from its consulate in Wuhan, the first to suggest partial withdrawal of its embassy staff, and the first to impose a travel ban on Chinese travellers, Ms Hua said. Amid accusations of a slow official response to the outbreak, six officials in the city of Huanggang, next to Wuhan in Hubei province, were fired over poor performance in handling the outbreak, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. It cited the mayor as saying the citys capabilities to treat the patients remained inadequate and there is a severe shortage in medical supplies such as protective suits and medical masks. The head of the WHO said it was working with Google to ensure that searches about the new virus turned up information from the UN health agency first, as part of efforts to fight rumours and misinformation about the outbreak. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the opening of the WHOs executive board meeting in Geneva that social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Tencent and TikTok have also taken steps to limit the spread of misinformation. Volunteers man a barricade checkpoint at a village in Hangzhou in eastern Chinas Zhejiang Province (Chinatopix via AP) With no end to the outbreak in sight, authorities in Hubei and elsewhere extended the Lunar New Year holiday break, due to end this week, well into February to try to keep people at home and reduce the spread of the virus. All Hubei schools are postponing the start of the new term until further notice. The trading and manufacturing centre of Wenzhou, with nearly 10 million people in coastal Zhejiang province, confined people to their homes, allowing only one family member to venture out every other day to buy necessary supplies. Huanggang, home to seven million people, imposed similar measures on Saturday. With more countries imposing restrictions on travellers from China, and reports of discrimination against Chinese abroad, the countrys diplomats began speaking out. "[We must] combat the spread of rumours & misinformation. [We must] review preparedness plans, identify gaps & evaluate the resources needed to identify, isolate and care for cases, and prevent transmission"-@DrTedros #2019nCoV pic.twitter.com/fbxFA974HL World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) February 3, 2020 Chinese ambassador in Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan expressed worries over Chinese people being turned away by restaurants and taxis in the Indian Ocean island nation. We understand the concerns of (the) Sri Lanka public but we at the same time hope that they could feel Chinas responsible attitude and see the forceful and effective measures taken by China, Cheng said. The crisis is the latest to confront Mr Jinping, who has been beset by months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong, the re-election of Taiwans pro-independence president and criticism over human rights violations in the traditionally Muslim territory of Xinjiang. Meanwhile, the domestic economy continues to slow, weighed down by slowing demand and the trade war with Washington. ICAEW and Vinh University officially signed their first co-operation agreement, in the witness of Heather Wheeler, a Member of the UK Parliament, and Gareth Ward, the British Ambassador to Vietnam The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and Vinh University officially signed their first co-operation agreement, in the witness of Heather Wheeler, the Right Honourable Member of the Parliament (MP), Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Gareth Ward, the British Ambassador. Addressing the signing ceremony, Heather Wheeler said, I am so pleased to see the globally-recognised and highly respected Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) launch a new partnership with Vinh University. This partnership reflects the UKs expanding commitment to Vietnam, and the growing strength of our strategic partnership. ICAEW is a world-class professional body which provides internationally-recognised qualifications in accountancy and finance. Students and professionals who hold the ICAEWs qualifications will have a better chance in the job market in Vietnam, and around the world. I look forward to the partnership between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and Vinh university producing lots of fantastic graduates, Heather Wheeler added. Within the framework of co-operation, ICAEW will co-ordinate with Vinh University to build a Model Class plan to support teaching costs and initial registration fees and examination fees for 25 outstanding students. Besides, ICAEW will co-operate with Vinh University and the Department of Economics to develop a high-quality training programme in accounting within three years from February 2020 to February 2022. In addition, ICAEW will invite experts from the UK and the region to come and have discussions on useful topics for the students future careers. As part of the co-operation framework, ICAEW will support the development of faculty resources through training sessions with experts from the UK and the region. Also in the context of co-operation, ICAEW will organise seminars, exchange-of-expertise events, as well as provide original curriculum materials and account access to ICAEW data sources for Vinh Universitys students and lecturers. In addition, the two parties will co-ordinate to organise professional training for lecturers with topics on accounting, finance, and tax. ICAEWs partnership with Vinh University reflects the UKs expanding commitment to Vietnam, and the growing strength of Vietnam-UK strategic partnership To strengthen international relations and to assure high-quality education, Vinh University has partnered up with many universities and organisations around the world, and the UK is an important destination. The signing ceremony between ICAEW and Vinh University today will open a new opportunity for our university to extend international co-operation. I hope the two parties will make full use of their potentials for mutual benefits, Tran Ba Tien, vice president of Vinh University, said. Speaking at the ceremony, Dang Thi Mai Trang, head of ICAEW in Vietnam, said, We are delighted that this co-operation agreement between ICAEW and Vinh University was signed today. One year ago in January 2019, ICAEW and the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam signed an MoU in London, with the aim to enhance opportunities for co-operation and the development of accounting and financial resources for universities in Vietnam. Over the past one year, we have made every effort to realise this commitment with encouraging results, including signing a new co-operation agreement and extending co-operation with six major universities in Vietnam. Vinh University is the centre of training leading human resources of the central region with excellent students. I believe that the co-operation between the two parties will bring opportunities for Vinh Universitys students to maximise their capacity through an international-standard training programme. Professional skills are needed to meet the new requirements of the current financial labour market, she added. With the prestigious ICAEW's qualifications recognised globally, the ICAEW Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business (CFAB) programme has so far been the formal syllabi of the 10 leading Vietnamese economics, finance, and accounting universities, and also the international finance-accounting professional training programme most chosen by educational institutions in Vietnam. The co-operation between ICAEW and Vinh University is expected to increase the number of universities integrating CFAB certification in Vietnam, contributing to creating high-quality workforce in finance and accounting. Our goal is to exceed the expectations of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) community. That means responding quickly and communicating often. The Villarreal Law Firm, a team of accident attorneys serving the Brownsville Texas area, is proud to announce over 200 positive reviews on Google. The professional team of accident lawyers has received highly-rated reviews on Google and Bird Eye. South Texas locals have described their experiences using phrases such as 'quick to respond,' 'amazing,' and 'very professional.' A reliable listing of accident lawyer reviews in Brownsville Texas, can help residents seek the right type of legal support after a car accident. "Our goal is to exceed the expectations of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) community. That means responding quickly and communicating often. So far, it's been the most successful formula for serving our clients," explained attorney Javier Villarreal, managing partner at the law firm. "The positive postings not only make us very proud but inspire our legal team to do even better." The Cameron County community can read accident lawyer reviews for Villarreal Law Firm on the Bird Eye site at https://reviews.birdeye.com/law-office-of-villarreal-javier-148861693802966. The Villarreal Law Firm could thus be considered the "most reviewed" personal injury and accident law firm in the Rio Grande Valley and Cameron County. The expert legal team specializes in personal injury cases, including; slip and fall, trucking accidents, pedestrian accidents, and car crashes. Brownsville, Texas locals, struggling to recover from an injury at work, on a boat, or the road can reach out to an attorney ready to help. Interested persons can access the Google Reviews page at https://jm-seo.net/villarreal. IN GOOD HANDS: LOCALS POST TOP ACCIDENT LAWYER REVIEWS IN BROWNSVILLE TEXAS Here is the background for this release. After a severe car wreck, time could be of the essence. First responders can change the outcome of an accident by quickly administering care. After a victim gets back on their feet, the next emergency could include paying expensive medical bills. The response time of an attorney might be critical to the financial health of an individual. Finding a legal expert ready to respond quickly and fight for fair compensation can help. Brownsville, Texas locals, searching for help could start by reading accident lawyer reviews. For these reasons, Villarreal Law Firm announces over 200 positive posts on a listing of accident lawyer reviews. Comments include quick response times, attentive behavior, and communicating often. Texas residents share personal experiences about being in 'good hands' with a top Brownsville law firm. ABOUT THE VILLARREAL LAW FIRM The law firm of Javier Villarreal (https://www.jvlawfirm.net/) offers a team of attorneys, considered among the best personal injury attorneys in Brownsville, Texas, and surrounding cities in Cameron County. If a person is looking for an auto or car accident attorney, a lawyer with broad experience in trucking accidents and litigation (including 18 wheelers), there is support. If a South Texas local needs a lawyer for injuries that resulted from motorcycles, boating, or other forms of mishaps (including slip and fall), the Villarreal team of attorneys can help. The attorneys fight for client rights throughout Cameron County - and are known as the top personal injury lawyers in Brownsville and Harlingen, from Los Fresnos to San Benito, and in all of South Padre Island. The Iowa Caucuses are just hours away, and if you believe the polls, a tense evening beckons. The caucuses are a sometimes-mysterious, often-misunderstood process, and winning in Iowa requires a unique set of campaign strategies. One person who knows the intricacies of the Iowa Caucuses is my good friend Gordon Fischer, a Cedar Rapids attorney and a former Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party. Gordon served as state party Chair during the 2004 Iowa Caucus campaign, when he was a party spokesperson and ambassador for the caucuses; he traveled all over Iowa to meet with local party officials and activists, and he has been an occasional national media commentator on politics for several years. I dont know of anyone who understands the Iowa Caucuses better than Gordon, and theres no one more passionate about Iowas unique role in starting the process of choosing the next president. He has special insights into how the caucus process works, what the campaigns are trying to accomplish, and what it takes to win. I spoke with Gordon about the 2020 Caucus race, which candidates might win, and the secret truths about Iowa that people from around the country might not understand. Whats going on behind the scenes right now at the various campaign headquarters? What are the campaign staffers thinking right now? If youre working on a presidential campaign in Iowa, this is the time of freaking out. Theres not enough time to do everything that needs to be done. Its like the week before a wedding, the week before a play opens, where youre scrambling. Get that last undecided voter. Get out one last mailing, one last email blast, try to surge that final week. Everything your campaign has been building toward, now youre trying to drive it home. Make sure your supporters show up on Caucus Night. A lot of people who dont live in Iowa or dont follow politics closely might not know this, but its really crazy how long of a process the Iowa Caucus race really is. Some of the campaigns have been here for over a year already. Its true! The Iowa Caucus campaign is a yearlong process of building relationships with caucus-goers at the local level, down to the level of precincts. There are approximately 2,000 precincts in Iowa, and they all matter. Its a small state, but its like 2,000 separate local elections happening on the same night. The campaign tactics that seem to get the most attention are things like TV ads and campaign junk mail, but how important are TV ads in Iowa, compared to the ground game of organizing people and knocking on doors? Obviously, things like TV ads can help boost a candidates name recognition and get the message out. But theres really no shortcut to winning the Iowa caucuses. Its not about money. Even with all the money that a candidate like Tom Steyer is spending, its not about money. The real secret to winning Iowa is the ground game: knocking doors, organizing, Get Out the Vote. Theres a huge amount of retail politicking and one-on-one relationship building that happens during the campaign. And I say this with nothing but affection, but its kind of like herding cats. Its a lot of time organizing, building relationships with local activists, having coffee with people who are influential with voters in their communities. To win Iowa, you need to work hard, be present all over the state, and organize a great team, in all 2,000 precincts. You need to have a volunteer Precinct Captain in every precinct, staff in every precinct, supporters identified in every precinct. You cant afford to ignore a wide swath of precincts, that would be a sure route to defeat. A precinct in the smallest town in Iowa matters just as much as a precinct in the capital city of Des Moines. At its best, it really is all about grassroots organizing and knocking doors and making phone calls and making person-to-person contact. It seems like so often in the Iowa Caucuses, if you look back at previous years results, there are surprises. Some candidate does better than expected, someone surges in the last few days, another candidate fades down the stretch. What really drives turnout and causes these Caucus Night surprises? When I look back at 2004, the last few days of the race were incredibly fluid. A week out from 2004, Howard Dean was still seen as a favorite, John Kerry had a lot of momentum and was kind of described as a comeback or surprise winner when he won Iowa, and then John Edwards was a huge wild card; no one saw that coming, he finished 2nd to John Kerry and he had strength in rural areas. A big factor in 2004 that I think helped John Edwards was when the Des Moines Register endorsed him. The Des Moines Register just recently endorsed Elizabeth Warren for 2020; I dont know that it will have the same level of impact as that endorsement had in 2004. The Register also endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2008, and a lot of Obama campaign people were discouraged about that at the time, but Obama still won Iowa in 2008. Caucus night results can be driven by a lot of factors. Its all about turnout; who shows up, who doesnt show up, which areas of the state have higher or lower turnout than expected, even the weather can have an effect on the outcome. Passion matters. Campaigns with the most enthusiastically committed supporters have an advantage over the candidates who are more casually committed. Thats because the Iowa Caucus is more of a time commitment; its not just showing up at the polls and casting a secret ballot, its sometimes two or three hours where you meet with your neighbors and stand up to be counted in a school gym or church basement. Its just a different sort of situation. And uncommitted caucus-goers and second- and third-choice candidates matter. Lots of people dont make up their minds until late in the process, some candidates are not viable on caucus night, so their support goes to other candidates. Based on your experience in 2004, what do you think about the state of the race for 2020? I feel like here in 2020, Iowa is up for grabs. It feels almost like 4-way tie, depending on the polls. There are 4 candidates within a few percentage points of each other, and we just dont know whats going to happen. It comes down to campaign mechanics: who has the best on the ground organizations, who has built the best relationships in local precincts like Precinct 34 in West Des Moines. The result will be affected by peoples second- and third-choice candidates. Its going to be really fluid and fascinating to see how it turns out. I really think that only in retrospect will we be able to say, Candidate X or Y had a better ground game or was waning or surging Are you going to caucus? Have you committed to a candidate? Im going to caucus but I am genuinely uncommitted. Sometimes people in Iowa do that, we show up on caucus night uncommitted and we dont choose who to support until were in the room on that night. People get mad at me about being uncommitted! Theyll say to me, Dont you see that Candidate X is OBVIOUSLY the best candidate?? To me, the number one priority is beating Trump in November. And a rational person can make rational arguments for several different candidates who can beat Trump. How do you feel about the outlook for November? Can Trump be beaten, or will he somehow escape from accountability once again? Lots of people might not agree with this, but I feel like the Iowa Democratic Party is even more unified now than we were in 2004. I feel like there is a dynamic now where Democrats dislike Trump so much that theres a feeling that the whole field of Democratic candidates are broadly acceptable to the party base, just because Trump is so uniquely awful. Democrats didnt like George W. Bush in 2004, but the antipathy was nowhere near what it is for Trump. And rightly so. I think the vast majority of Democrats are going to Vote Blue No Matter Who in November, but I also think Democrats need to be careful not to attack each other, not to tear each other down, not to create hard feelings that could linger into the general election. I dont think Trump can win, but if were not careful, the Democrats can lose. If the Democrats stay unified, Trump loses. Trump has a low ceiling for 2020! A huge percentage of voters already dont want to vote for Trump. And its kind of amazing that Trump is so unpopular, because any other person in the White House in his situation would be comfortably on track for re-election. If you step back and look at it, the economy is pretty good, weve had some saber-rattling in the Middle East but its nowhere near Vietnam 1968 or Iraq 2006. And yet, even with all the factors that should be supportive of an incumbent president, close to a majority of people are already saying that they will NOT vote for Trump. The trade wars have not helped, we have this ridiculously enormous deficit fueled by tax cuts for the wealthyTrump is definitely vulnerable, and Democrats can win in November. Hopefully the Iowa Caucus result will be the first step toward the end of Trumps presidency. Y esterdays attack in Streatham by Sudesh Amman is yet another stark reminder of the persistent threat of terrorism facing our country. Two weeks ago the Government announced new counter-terrorism reforms including tougher sentencing, an end to early releases and a review of the management of convicted terrorists. However, we also need to ensure we have effective deradicalisation programmes in place. As the countrys most senior counter-terrorism police officer, Met Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, has regularly argued, stopping further attacks also requires preventative work. That is why the Prevent strategy is so important because early intervention is one of the most important and effective long-term anti-terror measures. It is two years since my appointment as independent adviser to the Government on extremism. Having published my extensive review of extremism in October, it is my conclusion we have a significant gap in our response that needs to be addressed. Like so many other terrorists before him, including the 2019 London Bridge attacker Usman Khan , Ammans journey into extremism did not start with terrorism, although it did end there. It started as what my commission has identified as hateful extremism. Ammans hatred for the kuffar or unbelievers, and his support for Islamist extremism was evidenced at his trial at the Old Bailey in 2018. Drawing on a whole range of hateful or supremacist beliefs or ideologies, hateful extremism is causing severe harm to individuals, communities and our whole society, and were failing to counter those hateful extremist behaviours and the ideologies that inspire them effectively. Current counter-extremism policy and approaches are poor; we lack the operational infrastructure to effectively respond to the pace and scale of current extremist activity. Sara Khan / Alex Lentati Ive travelled the country, including visiting communities across the capital, and Ive found an increasing number of well-organised individuals and groups persistently engaging in hateful extremism online. Technological advances have enabled many extremists to spread their propaganda with increasing sophistication and reach. My report, Challenging Hateful Extremism, provides numerous examples of extremists actively seeking to spread their propaganda. We outlined the situation in Sunderland where local, national and international far-Right activists descended on the city over 13 months to exploit local tensions around asylum-seekers and whip up vile anti-Muslim hatred, resulting in violence. Frightened residents described communities torn apart. Many brave people who spoke out were harassed. My report identified our collective inability to counter extremists. Islamists are able to persistently harass and bully volunteers who try to bring communities and faiths together including trying to shut down interfaith events or Holocaust exhibitions. One London-based imam, described by the High Court in 2016 as an extremist who had encouraged religious violence, continues to enjoy a leading role in his community, working with young people. The lack of response to such open extremism has shocked me. I am of the view that extremists are currently acting with impunity in our country and they know it. Its no surprise therefore that 78 per cent of people believe more needs to be done to counter extremism. The lack of response is shocking. Extremists are acting with impunity and they know it The Governments counter-extremism strategy is unfocused and out-of-date, and needs replacing. During the election, the Prime Minister committed to a new counter-extremism strategy. He stated the current one hadnt kept up with the changing threat. I have written to Home Secretary Priti Patel to ask her to prioritise this work, because we desperately need a robust and consistent approach. The new strategy must address the lack of clarity, consensus and shared language on what we mean by extremism. The Governments definition is broad and ambiguous. For too long this has hampered efforts and trust in counter-extremism work. If we focus on hateful extremism it is possible to find consensus, reconcile our human rights principles and maintain a robust response. Practitioners, policymakers, experts and activists are all excited about our new approach. As well as a clearer definition, the new strategy must respond to the three pillars of hateful extremism: behaviour, beliefs and harms. We need to join up the response nationally and locally so we can effectively respond to hateful extremism. I have called for a new taskforce led by the Home Secretary and I am putting plans in place for a pilot to show how this can work. My review argues we must use existing laws more effectively to stop hateful extremist behaviours. I intend to undertake a detailed review of current legislation to ensure we have the necessary legal provisions in place to stop those who engage in such persistent and harmful behaviour. Not enough is being done to counter hateful extremist narratives, such as the Great Replacement Theory a far-Right conspiracy theory which states that Europes white population is being progressively replaced with non-European peoples, specifically non-white Muslim populations as well as anti-Semitic tropes which are being shared at eye-watering levels online. The Queens Speech confirmed the Government would bring forward legislation on online harms including a duty of care and a new regulator. This is an important opportunity. But challenging extremism is not just a job for government. It requires a response from all of us, and leadership is essential from NGOs, faith bodies and tech companies. The UK is one of the most inclusive and diverse countries in the world. We have a commitment to pluralism, equality and human rights, but we do need to focus on the gap in our counter-extremism response. The worst mistake we can make is to ignore the growing signs of hateful extremism. In many countries, debates we had 40 years ago are starting to be rehashed: can one be both a Catholic and a classical liberal? Its good to remember some of the arguments that liberal Catholics used then to justify their positions. The Spanish priest Enrique Menendez Urena, SJ (1939-2014) started to work on this topic in the late 70s and early 80s. His work culminated in the book The Myth of Socialist Christianity, first published in 1981 as El Mito del Cristianismo Socialista. In a very respectful way he asked: if we judge socialism by its goals, how does it compare with more open societies? His answer was a clear and respectful criticism of socialism, no matter how well-intentioned. In an article I wrote in Forbes last year, I mentioned that the English translation only appeared in 1988, published by the Franciscan Herald Press with a title which, unlike the Spanish edition, does not give away the anti-socialist conclusion: Capitalism Or Socialism? An Economic Critique for Christians. Menendez Urena predicted the fall of communist economies. He was attacked by members of his own religious order. It distressed him, but he responded with another book, Left-Wing Neoclericalism. Like James Sadowsky (1923-2012), another Jesuit favorable to economic liberty, he became a member of the Mont Pelerin Society, the prestigious society of free-market economists. Unfortunately he died at 76. Menendez Urena was for a time a roommate of Fr. Luis Ugalde (1938-), the influential Venezuelan Jesuit and fellow critic of socialism who had a long tenure as rector of Venezuelas Andres Bello Catholic University (1990-2010). Lay intellectuals who gave impeccable examples of Catholic life, such as the deceased Rafael Termes (1918-2005), also produced profound work in defense of economic freedom. Termess book The Creative Power of Risk (1986) describes the proper framework of a free economy in which profits reward entrepreneurial work that correctly anticipates the needs of the market. In the United States, Michael Novak (1933-2017) abandoned his leftist past and wrote The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism (1982). This work became a key book for liberal Catholics. From that point on, Novak continued his studies and his great admiration for the benefits of economic freedom in the context of Catholic traditions. The first great treatises on Catholicism and economics, in the 15th and 16th centuries, were not published for ideological reasons. They did not seek to determine whether one could be Catholic and liberal. Moral theologians needed to respond to questions such as: Is it sinful to sell something at too high a price? Is it immoral to make an exorbitant profit? Jurist-theologians asked: Does the governor have the right to fix prices? Are salaries and profits topics for contractual justice or distributive justice? It would be hard to find a topic more important to liberals than that of private property. Theologians of the late Middle Ages analyzed the meaning of the seventh commandment: You shall not steal. They described the just ways of obtaining, disposing of, and transferring property and noted the problems created by property held in common. On almost every topic (except for that of interest), the great Late Scholastic doctors responses were favorable to freedom. The principle of volenti non fit injuria (no injustice is committed against one acting voluntarily) was studied and accepted in the majority of cases. But fraud, coercion, monopoly, and to a certain extent ignorance and extreme need on the part of participants could lead to injustice in an apparently free exchange. In our day, when profit is again under attack, its worth recalling the answers that St. Bernardine of Siena, a Franciscan, gave in his day. If a merchant buys a product in one province for 100 monetary units and then sells it in another province where its price is 300, is that profit just? Yes, was Bernardines answer but if the price were to drop to 50, his loss would also be just. Now that we are more frequently seeing papal pronouncements on topics such as profits, corruption, globalization, and money, the writings of religious figures such as St. Bernardine and St. Antoninus of Florence (a Dominican and bishop) can shed light on our analyses. Who were these figures and what were their contributions to the development of the market economy? St. Bernardines Siena and St. Antoninuss Florence had a very rich cultural, social, political, and economic life. These saints reflections on economic topics complemented the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas and other precursors. Their work laid the foundations for the ideas that in the hands of Francisco de Vitoria, a Dominican, gave rise to the Salamanca School. Another prominent Dominican in this regard was Domingo de Banez, the confessor of St. Teresa of Avila. After St. Ignatius founded the Society of Jesus in 1539-40, a significant group of its members added their own reflections on economic topics. Among the most famous of these are Luis de Molina, Leonardus Lessius, Juan de Lugo, Antonio de Escobar y Mendoza, Juan de Mariana, and Francisco Suarez. Their reflections on economic topics, and especially on political topics, led Lord Acton to write that the greater part of the political ideas of Milton, Locke, and Rousseau, may be found in the ponderous Latin of Jesuits who were subjects of the Spanish Crown, of Lessius, Molina, Mariana, and Suarez. Books entirely dedicated to economics were few. Juan de Marianas treatise on money, published in 1609, is one significant exception. The book is full of lessons even for todays world. Tomas de Mercado, who wrote a book on trade and contracts, did a great deal of his studies in Mexico, where he received his masters degree. When we compare these authors writings to many of the Church hierarchys statements on economic topics today, we note little progress. These theologians were very careful to distinguish the ideal from reality. On the topic of just price, for instance, Domingo de Soto author of one of his times most famous books on justice declared that it would be easier if the government could determine prices in the same way it determines measures of weight and distance. But since determining all prices is inconvenient and not in accord with nature, De Soto accepted the common teaching that in most instances the just price is the market price. This market price isnt just any price but the price determined by common market assessment, but without fraud, monopoly, or coercion. These authors attacked the idea that the government can determine just profit levels. A just profit is one that comes from buying and selling at just prices in the market, no matter the amount. Not all of us who have the grace of being Catholic have the same love, understanding, and respect for economic freedom. But those of us who feel part of both traditions have many sources to nourish our vision of the economy that, like no other, has aided the progress of civil society and the development of the human person. (Homepage photo credit: Unsplash.) Cook County correctional officers in Division IX found Ruiz unresponsive in his cell with apparent head trauma about 1:55 a.m., according to Cook County sheriffs spokesman Joe Ryan, and immediately began lifesaving measures. Ruizs cellmate was secured in handcuffs and moved to another cell. MBABANE There are over E500 000 worth of counterfeit goods that are brought into the Eswatini black market. This was revealed in South African newspaper The Citizens January 27 issue which stated that KwaZulu-Natal police had seized E5 million worth of counterfeit goods during an operation in the Durban Central area last Friday. The police seizure of the goods was reported to have resulted in the confiscation of clothing under brands such as G-Star, Diesel, Hugo Boss, Puma and Christian Louboutin. The publication further mentioned that most of the fake goods were sold to emaSwati hawkers who stocked them and sold them to locals. The figures mentioned in the SA publication proved to be true as every last weekend of the month, emaSwati hawkers open stalls in the capital city and sell their merchandise. Condition In Manzini, this happens every Wednesday and Thursday. During a visit to the hawkers stalls, which are famously known as dobha phansi, business was booming as locals were seen busy. It should be noted though that some hawkers buy bales from Mozambique to sell locally. Meanwhile, shop dealers said the selling of counterfeit goods in the black market took a huge toll on their businesses. One businesswoman, who preferred to comment on condition of anonymity, said she had to let go of two of her employees at the shop because business was not doing well. This is because people now opt for cheaper goods which are sold in the streets by hawkers and this greatly affects our businesses, the businesswoman said. She went on to say people got fake versions of prominent brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci, and this led to staff retrenchments from the established shops due to dwindling sales. The businesswoman expressed her wish that people could soon realise that buying cheap clothing was more costly than buying superior quality goods, which did not require for one to return to a shop to buy another item after it has been damaged. On the other hand, hawkers have declared that they will not stop selling counterfeit goods. During interviews with the hawkers, this publication gathered that they would not stop buying the fake goods because they were affordable and they in turn provided cheap services to people. This is what some had to say: HAWKER ONE: It is true that the items are fake but not all of them are as they tend to last longer. People also love the goods we sell because there is nowhere in shops you would find them as cheap as they are here. It is a bargain and people really support the business. HAWKER TWO: I think this is the only business that sells goods at low prices. We get them cheap from South Africa and Mozambique but the challenge is when we get to the border and we are taxed an arm and a leg. This kills our profits but we have no choice because we need to be able to provide for our families. I dont think I will leave this business. HAWKER THREE: People may call the items fake but this is where life is. Even high profile people come to support our businesses. Perhaps they realise that the expensive clothes sold in some shops match the standards here. The only difference is the location really. New Delhi, Feb 3 : A court here on Monday extended the police custody of sedition-accused Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Sharjeel Imam by three days. Imam, whose five day police custody ended on Monday, was produced at Patiala House Court's Chief Judicial Magistrate Purushottam Pathak's residence amidst high security. The Delhi Police sought his custody for three additional days to probe his alleged links to a WhatsApp group, Crime Branch sources said, and the court accepted the demand. Imam was nabbed from Kako in Bihar's Jehanabad district on January 28 for allegedly making seditious and inflammatory speeches against the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). Following this, he was sent to police custody for five days. The Crime Branch had registered a sedition case against him on January 26 for delivering a provocative speech on January 13 after its video went viral. Subsequently, he went into hiding and the police launched a manhunt to nab him. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Uttar Pradesh also followed the suit and filed cases against him. In a purported video, Imam was seen talking about splitting the northeast from India to block the implementation of the NRC. "We know how Muslims are being treated in Assam. We have to save people from the NRC. The only way to do this is by cutting off northeast from India," he had allegedly said. About 200 Pakistani Hindus crossed over to India through the Attari-Wagah border on Monday, officials said amid indications that several travellers did not wish to go back. The Pakistani Hindus came on a visitor's visa but some of them claimed that they felt unsafe in Pakistan and hoped to get India citizenship after the enactment of the CAA. Akali leader and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Manjinder Singh Sirsa was at the border to receive four families who he claimed had "fled" Pakistan due to religious persecution. Borders official claim the number of Hindus travellers from Pakistani using this border crossing has increased significantly over the past month. The Citizenship Amendment Act envisages giving Indian nationality to members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 due to religious persecution there. Most of the travellers crossing over to India on Monday belonged to Sindh and Karachi areas. Some of them carried luggage and said they will seek asylum in India. One of the Pakistani Hindus on the condition of anonymity said after the enactment of the new citizenship law, Hindus and Sikhs living in Pakistan and Afghanistan were "optimistic" of getting Indian citizenship. Most of them were travelling to Rajasthan to meet their relatives, they said. "We are not feeling safe in Pakistan. Our girls feel insecure as they fear that they could be kidnapped any time by hardliners while police watch as mute spectators. Our girls cannot walk freely in the north-west area of Pakistan," said a woman. Two more women, without disclosing their names, told the media that kidnapping of Hindu girls had become a routine affair in Pakistan and no family dared to lodge a complaint with police against fundamentalists. Meanwhile, Akali leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said he was at the border crossing to receive four families who "fled" Pakistan. Sirsa said he would meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday and requested him to grant them Indian citizenship. "4 Hindu-Sikh families have fled Pakistan to save their life and religious faith. I recvd the family members today at border. We are meeting HM @AmitShah Ji tomo to request him to grant them citizenship at the earliest possible," Sirsa tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland will hold a town hall meeting Wednesday to address local concerns after it was named one of four military installations in the United States that will house Americans evacuated from China and at risk of contracting the coronavirus. Joint Base San Antonio on Monday tweeted out an invite to personnel and their families to attend a town hall to address any questions or concerns. The Air Force base on Sunday tweeted it understands the concerns of the community and military family members regarding the quarantine and wants to hold the town hall meetings to hear from residents and to answer questions. On Saturday, it was announced that about 1,000 Americans who were in China near the epicenter of the disease will return to the U.S., and approximately 250 of them will be quarantined at hotel rooms on Lackland, home to Air Force basic training. On Thursday, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency after the death toll at that time rose to 170 and the number of cases spiked tenfold in a week. FROM EXPRESSNEWS.COM: Americans evacuated from China to be quarantined at JBSA-Lackland The evacuees are expected anytime this week and will stay through the end of the month. According to a tweet, they will be housed at the Gateway Inn and Gateway Villa, both of which are on the base. The incoming evacuees won't have access to any other installation locations and will not have any contact with the Joint Base San Antonio population, the Air Force base tweeted. Joint Base San Antonio also tweeted that it is working with those already staying at the Gateway Inn and Gateway Villa to find alternative accommodations. "37th TRW Leadership assures unit members, families, trainees and visitors to JBSA facilities that they are safe and everyone's well-being is our first priority," the Air Force base said in a tweet. Joint Base San Antonio assured that the immediate health risk to the public is low. In a statement released Saturday, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said that he is comforted by the extra precautions being taken by federal, state and local health officials regarding the plans to house the evacuees at Lackland. He said the individuals coming to San Antonio have no symptoms of the virus and pose no risk to the community. The Air Force base said it has started to collect comments and concerns in order to provide a fact sheet and frequently asked questions for residents. The meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Gateway Club at Lackland. It is unclear if the Air Force base will hold multiple town halls. Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, MySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway This is the frightening moment a family-of-two is told to hand over $1,000 by a cartel in northern Mexico so that they can continue their trip after driving across from the United States. The incident reportedly took place on a road in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, last Thursday and was recorded on one of the victims' cellphone while they were briefly sequestered by a man, who identifies himself as a member of the Cartel of the Northeast. The male driver immediately tells his son that they being stopped by 'la mana,' a Spanish slang term for cartel. A man and his son were reportedly intercepted last Thursday on a road in northern Mexico near the border with Texas and were told by a member of the Cartel of the Northeast that they had to pay a fee of $1,000 to continue their trip on the highway. The family said it only had $300 After driving into northern Mexico from the United States, a man (left) was forced to hand over $300 to the Cartel of the Northeast, after a man (pictured outside the vehicle) who identified himself as member of the gang originally asked for $1,000 to guarantee their safety 'Sir, put it on parking,' the cartel member member said before requesting a large sum of money for the family's right of passage. 'You have to pay a fee to the Cartel of the Northeast so that you can leave and nobody bothers you. Put the phone away please, I dont want to take it away. Put it away.' The man and his son keep their poise throughout the horrifying ordeal and advise the Northeast Cartel's extortioner that their phone was still on because of its online road map. The cartel member then orders the family fork over $1,000 in order to allow them through. He even offers to provide them with a code that would serve as their 'receipt' if other cartel members stop them further down the road. 'You have to pay $1,000 to the cartel here,' he says. '$500 and $500 so that you can go on your merry way. I am going to give you a code.' The dad remained calm throughout the frightening ordeal after a cartel forced him to stop at a checkpoint moments after driving into northern Mexico from the United States Father and son subsequently count the few dollars they have renaming after informing the cartel member they had just paid a fee at the customs station after crossing the Mexico-Texas border. 'It is for your own protection,' the cartel man tells the young man. 'Help him out as well, sir. Add another $300, $150 for each of you,' the cartel member said before the video ended. It's unknown if the victims drove over the Laredo International Bridge that links El Paso, Texas with Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, or the JuarezLincoln International Bridge connecting Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. The Cartel of the Northeast, splintered from Los Zetas, manages its operation out of the state of Tamaulipas and also has a presence in the state of Nuevo Leon along with Coahuila. Panaji, Feb 3 : Not just airports, Goa's railway stations should also be screened for coronavirus suspects, former Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party MLA Churchill Alemao said on Monday. "Coronavirus has reached Kerala, which is why it is important that not just the airport, but railway stations in Goa should also be screened for suspects," Alemao told reporters at the state Assembly complex here ahead of the budget session, which begins later in the day. Goa is well connected to Kerala thanks to the Konkan Railway, which traverses along the Western Indian coastline. Two coronavirus cases have surfaced in Kerala. "It is a very serious issue. The government should do as much as it can to protect the people, the rest is up to God," Alemao also said. Two persons are currently admitted to the isolation ward of a government hospital in Goa after they developed symptoms similar to those of the coronavirus. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Jose K Joseph By Express News Service TIRUCHY: Some stories of burglary or even petty thievery have often left us puzzled about the preference of the coveted object that an outlawed gang sets its eyes on, and its quirky modus operandi. So when an organised group of burglars pulled out stainless steel taps in the bathrooms of Cholan Express in the Tiruchy sector, the blunt pipes left passengers baffled, and got the railway authorities to swing into swift action. The Railway Protection Force (RPF)s recent nabbing of a thief in Tiruchy with about 28 taps in his possession, all stolen from Cholan Express, has thrown light on the planning and execution undertaken by gangs of railway tap thieves. We received a complaint about taps missing from a train that was halted in Tiruchy station. Our team checked the CCTV visuals and identified a suspicious person. RPF officials immediately checked various trains and caught the culprit red-handed from Cholan Express, a source said. In this case, the quick response and wide CCTV coverage in Tiruchy railway station helped the RPF officials net the thief before he messed up the journey of several passengers on the train. Stealing of taps started in Mumbai This onboard stealing trend, which the RPF says began in Mumbai, has reached South India. Sources said that Tiruchy railway station had witnessed a similar incident a few months ago when a whopping 98 taps were stolen. The trains go to the yard for regular maintenance and then return to the station. Before going ahead with its next trip, the railway officials carry a thorough check to see whether the train is fit for its next run. We had received a complaint that about 98 taps were missing from a train that came from the Tiruchy yard. After thorough investigation, we caught the thief and recovered the taps, an officer said. In Southern Railway, sources said that the first tap missing case was reported from Ernakulam. We caught the three gangs that were active in stealing taps. In Tamil Nadu, we have such cases from Madurai, Tiruchy and Thanjavur. Normally, these people entrain carrying newspapers and spanners. After removing the tap, they plug the pipe using the paper. But, the one who was recently caught from Tiruchy was able to remove taps without spanners. These thieves sell the taps and make anywhere between Rs 300 and Rs 2,000 depending on the number of taps, sources said. Indian Railways took the issue seriously when thieves stole toilet accessories worth Rs 5 lakh from Deccan Express and Gadag Express in Mumbai. However, sources said that the railways may now go for plastic ones to stop tempting the tap thieves. Rs 2,000 is how much the thieves could earn depending on the number of taps sold. An art performance at the program (Photo: vtv.vn) The program had the participation of nearly 200 artists performing immortal works praising the Party, Uncle Ho and patriotism, as well as glorious feats of the Vietnamese army and people in the struggle for national liberation, national unity, and in the process of construction and defense of the country. Apart from art performance, images and documentary films about historical background before the establishment of the CPV, portraying the image of a young man named Nguyen Tat Thanh, who went out to find a way to save the country; portrait of President Ho Chi Minh - the founder and trainer of the CPV, is the vanguard of the working class and of the working people of Vietnam. In 2020, the Party Committee, administration and people of the Ho Chi Minh City will strive to successfully complete the targets and tasks of the year, welcome the 11th Ho Chi Minh City Party Congress and the 13th National Party Congress and contribute to building the country to be more proper and more beautiful as Uncle Ho expected./. BEIJING The first death outside China from the new coronavirus was recorded Sunday in the Philippines, as countries around the world evacuated hundreds of their citizens from the infection zone and Chinese authorities completed a new, rapidly constructed 1,000-bed hospital for victims of the outbreak. Chinese authorities also delayed the reopening of schools in the hardest-hit province and tightened the quarantine in one city by allowing only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. The Philippine Health Department said a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan, the city at the center of the crisis, was hospitalized Jan. 25 with a fever, cough and sore throat and died after developing pneumonia. The mans 38-year-old female companion, also from Wuhan, tested positive for the virus as well and remained hospitalized in isolation in Manila. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte approved a ban on the entry of all non-citizens from China. The U.S., Japan, Singapore and Australia have imposed similar restrictions despite criticism from China and an assessment from the World Health Organization that such measures were unnecessarily hurting trade and travel. The death toll in China climbed by 45 to 304, and the number of cases worldwide surged past 14,550, according to Chinas National Health Commission and other nations. The vast majority of those infected are in China; about 150 cases have been reported in two dozen other countries. The U.S. has recorded eight cases, including three in California in Santa Clara, Orange and Los Angeles counties. A hospital specially built to handle coronavirus patients in Wuhan is expected to open on Monday, just 10 days after construction began. A second hospital is set to open soon after. Also, six officials in the city of Huanggang, near Wuhan in Hubei province, were fired over poor performance in handling the outbreak, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. It cited the mayor as saying the citys capabilities to treat the patients remained inadequate and there is a severe shortage in medical supplies such as protective suits and medical masks. The trading and manufacturing center of Wenzhou, with nearly 10 million people in coastal Zhejiang province, confined people to their homes, allowing only one family member to venture out every other day to buy necessary supplies. Huanggang, home to 7 million people, imposed similar measures on Saturday. Despite its own drastic travel restrictions, China has chafed at those imposed by foreign governments, criticizing Washingtons order barring entry to most noncitizens who visited China in the past two weeks. The crisis is the latest to confront Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who has been beset by months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong, the re-election of Taiwans pro-independence president and criticism over human rights violations in the traditionally Muslim territory of Xinjiang. Press Release 3 February 2020 Los Angeles - In an effort to bring top minds in the boutique lifestyle space together in a closed, intimate setting to discuss worldly topics and opportunities as well as issues we are facing for 2020. BLLA organized another dinner in London co-hosted by the Inhabit Hotel in Paddington. Advertisements "This Dinner Club series is aimed at gathering the minds pushing boutique forward in a close-knit and comfortable setting, thus bolstering the community we represent," said Frances Kiradjian, Founder & CEO, BLLA. The following leaders who attended the social club dinner shared their passion for our rapidly growing industry segment: Sue Walter, Global CEO of Maggie & Rose, Jean-Pierre Bandeira, CEO of Light Human Hotels, Jagdish Johal, Managing Partner of YOO, Gerard Greene, Co-Founder, Yotel and Founder & CEO of Society, Luca Del Bono, Co-Founder of Quintessentially and Founder & CEO of Onda, Karen Cummings-Palmer, Founder of 79 Lux, Richard Valtyr, Founder of Mews Systems, Olivia Byrne, owner of the Eccleston Square Hotel and Nadira Lalji, Co-Founder of the Inhabit Hotel along with Ariela and Frances Kiradjian of BLLA and StayBoutique. BLLA's COO, Ariela Kiradjian, produced and organized the 2019 dinner in a collaboration with Nadira Lalji and stated, "As we fully immerse our association deeper into the boutique space by bringing individual businesses together, we constructively help grow their recognition globally in an effort to strengthen and expand the community for the greater good of all involved." BLLA and StayBoutique events in 2019 were thematic in advancing the characteristics of 'believing in boutique.' The question of why they believe in boutique, as hotel or concept boutique owners, was asked to participants who responded enthusiastically. Sue Walter described her support of the boutique world this way: "I believe in boutique because it plays to my passion of bringing people together and building a community. Great things happen when people come together, including innovation, creativity and learning. Boutique is a great manifestation of these principles." From a hotel perspective Olivia Bryne said, "I believe that guests are looking more and more for a unique and local experience. Boutique hotels offer personality and individual experience. We really get to know our guests and work hard on connecting them with the neighborhood. It's less mass tourism and more individual experience. We all are looking to disrupt/modernize the industry." Gerald Greene felt that "boutique has always been the breeding ground for innovation and passion in the hospitality industry and with the increasing monopoly of the large brands it is even more important in this day and age to support and nurture boutique hotels." We second his thoughts. The dinner event ended on a very high note with positivity and friendship flowing. "It was so great to connect with innovators and peers in our industry. So much we can learn from each other and it's also great to experience that sense of camaraderie and shared passion for delivering great experiences" said Sue Walter. "It was easier to share ideas and I believe that everyone opened up more! We are in a very exciting time in hospitality and the industry is moving fast!" stated Olivia Bryne. Karen Cummings Palmer added, "I was able to have really meaningful discussions with people that were interesting." Final thoughts on attending this event included, "I found the intimate atmosphere to be much better to have more in-depth conversations and would not hesitate to come again." Gerald Greene All agreed it was an unforgettable night of conversation and deep discussions mixed in with fellowship and wonderful food presented by the Inhabit Hotel. The continuation of our invite-only dinner series points to a continued interest in the initiatives of BLLA by respected, global boutique brands. Boutique hotels succeed because they envelop their patrons in culture and immerse them in novel experiences. Over time, the District became too urbanized to support farm animals. Dogs, on the other paw, were a constant source of concern. In 1854, it was estimated there were 8,000 dogs in the city, many of which apparently had the run of the place. The large number serve but to terrify our citizens by day and serenade them by night, noted one writer. Princeton University has ordered students, faculty and staff who recently traveled to China to self-isolate as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread worldwide. More than 100 students including undergraduate and graduate students are in self-isolation, according to Michael Hotchkiss, deputy university spokesperson. They must confine themselves for 14 days following their last time in mainland China, according to a statement issued by the university. The mandate requires they remain indoors and not attend classes or jobs on campus. Each students needs are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis to ensure they receive appropriate assistance, Hotchkiss told NJ Advance Media in an email Monday. The university said it is working to implement guidelines from the New Jersey Department of Health. A team from across the university has been working for days to ensure that we can provide academic, housing and dining support to students who are self-isolating, Hotchkiss said. Meanwhile, Gov. Murphy signed an executive order Monday creating a coronavirus task force, which will coordinate all State efforts to appropriately prepare for and respond to the public health hazard posed by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), according to a statement from the governors office. The statement noted that Newark airport will continue requiring enhanced entry screening for coronavirus. With the outbreak and rapid spread of coronavirus around the world, it is critical that New Jersey has strong preparedness protocols in place, Murphy said in the statement. By establishing the Coronavirus Task Force, we are bringing together experts across state agencies, health officials, and federal partners to ensure that we are working collaboratively to protect the health and safety of all New Jerseyans. Besides asking those who already have been in China to self-isolate, Princeton also banned all students, faculty and staff from traveling to the nation on university business or as part of university-sponsored programs. We recognize that self-isolation is a very challenging situation for our students, and we are working to fully support them while following guidance from government and health officials, Hotchkiss said. The virus has infected 17,000 people in more than two dozens countries, including 11 confirmed cases in the U.S. It has killed more than 360 people nearly all of them in China and none in the U.S. The universitys order comes after the U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory to Level 4 the agencys highest warning advising people not to travel to China, where the outbreak began. The Trump administration declared the coronavirus a public health emergency last week and imposed a mandatory 14-day quarantine for Americans returning to the U.S. from Chinas Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak. Certain foreign nationals who pose a risk of transmitting the virus will also be temporarily prohibited from entering the country. The university is requiring students, faculty and staff who are currently in China or have returned from the country since Jan. 16 to complete a confidential registration form so that the university can provide students with assistance. For those who must self-isolate, the university said: It will contact students about self-isolation after they complete the form. Staff, including postdocs, who are self-isolating should advise their supervisors. Faculty members who are self-isolating should also advise their department managers. For more information, visit the universitys coronavirus website here. Any student, faculty or staff member who needs to speak to someone about the coronavirus can call the universitys department of public safety at 609-258-1000. Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. What if you get stuck on the highway in a storm? Here are some tips A man shot by Toronto police officers in Scarborough earlier this year has died in hospital, Ontarios police watchdog says. On Jan. 18, police were observing a 37-year-old man who was a person of interest in an investigation, the Special Investigations Unit said in a statement released Monday. Around noon, officers confronted the man on McCowan Road, south of Town Centre Court. After what the SIU called an interaction, several officers fired shots and the man was struck multiple times. The man was rushed to hospital for treatment and pronounced dead Monday. SIU spokesperson Monica Hudon said the watchdog would not be releasing the mans identity at this time . . . in accordance with the SIUs name release policy, which requires next of kin consent to release names. A source with knowledge of the investigation confirmed to the Star that the dead man is Ricardo Miraballes, who was charged with first-degree murder in the Jan. 13 death of Maryna Kudzianiuk. Kudzianiuks body was found after a fire at an 18th-floor apartment unit at 25 Bay Mills Blvd., near Sheppard Avenue East and Warden Avenue. The SIU said its investigation is continuing. The SIU is an arms-length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been a death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. With files from Wendy Gillis Ilya Banares is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @ilyaoverseas Read more about: Pakistanis stranded in China started arriving in Islamabad on Monday as the Imran Khan-led government resumed flight operations to the Asian giant where the deadly coronavirus outbreak has killed 361 people. Following the resumption of flights, two flights carrying Pakistanis arrived from China earlier in the day, a Dawn news report quoted Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza as saying. Taking to Twitter, Mirza said: "We supervised implementation of 'Airport SOPs' and I interviewed passengers." On January 31, Pakistan had suspended flights to China, a day after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak as a global health emergency. The first, a Qatar Airlines flight, arrived from Doha, carrying 40 students. Health department staff conducted medical examinations of all the students at the Islamabad airport after which they were permitted to go home. The second, a China Southern Airlines flight CZ6007, brought 69 passengers. According to aviation officials, a checkup for coronavirus was conducted. The flight included members of a group of Pakistani students and community members stranded in Urumqi due to the suspension of flights in the wake of the outbreak. They were earlier granted an 11-day visa extension by Chinese authorities. The third flight, carrying 86 passengers, also arrived at the Islamabad International Airport, directly from China, the Dawn news report said. Ahead of the flight arrivals, Mirza had reviewed the arrangements for screening passengers at the airport. "At all airports, screening systems have been strengthened. The Pakistani government is prepared for any emergency situation," Mirza said, adding: "The health department has the facilities for detecting coronavirus cases. "At all airports, comprehensive screening arrangements are available." China's death toll from the new coronavirus increased to 361 on Monday, surpassing the number of fatalities of its SARS crisis two decades ago. The virus has since spread to more than 24 countries, including India, Sri Lanka and Nepal in South Asia. The Pakistan government has confirmed that the seven suspected coronavirus cases in the country have tested negative. By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Kim Min-jun's elation at news that South Korea would evacuate its citizens from the epicentre of a virus epidemic in China quickly faded when he learned his Chinese wife would be unable to accompany him. South Korea arranged this week to airlift hundreds of its citizens from Wuhan, which has been the centre of an outbreak that has claimed more than 300 lives in China and on Sunday the first victim overseas, in the Philippines. But Chinese regulations meant Chinese nationals like Kim's wife of three years could not leave, forcing the family to make a heartbreaking decision to stay together. Fears over his 7-month-old son's safety led Kim, 31, and his family to fly to South Korea briefly last month to get a flu vaccination in the hopes it would lessen the chances of infection. They returned to Wuhan just in time for the Chinese government to impose a lockdown on January 23, restricting travel out of the city. "While in Korea, we had indeed thought about staying longer because of the virus but we had no idea it would become so serious, and we also have our business," Kim, who has run a Korean restaurant in Wuhan since 2015, told Reuters from the city. When South Korea announced the evacuation plans, joy gave way to disappointment when he realized they could not leave as a family. "My wife told me to go with the baby but I could not, without knowing how the lockdown will end," he said. More than 700 South Koreans flew out of Wuhan on two flights last week, and will spend at least the next two weeks in precautionary isolation at government-run facilities in South Korea. But for at least 120 other South Korean residents of Wuhan, family and other ties meant leaving was out of the question, according to Jeong Tae-il, head of the South Korean community in Hubei Province, where Wuhan is located. Kim tried to be philosophical about not being evacuated. "Yes, we were disappointed but it can't stay like this forever," Kim said. "For my son, perhaps it's better we're here because he's too young to go through the isolation plans and sudden schedule change." The family has spent the last week holed up at home, surviving off stockpiled food and avoiding the outside world out of fear that their son could be infected. While Kim says he is well supplied, he fears they might run out of powdered milk for the baby if the lockdown is extended beyond February. "I'm afraid to go out, not for myself but for him, because all of the hospitals are full and there's no way to get him treated if he gets sick from me," Kim said. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Lincoln Feast.) The most common way to pick up a virus is to literally pick it up. For that reason, nothing beats some hot water and soap, not even an N95 respirator.(Gang Liu/Shutterstock) Theres No Masking the Best Way to Avoid Coronavirus Coronavirus is scaring up sales of face masks but to ward off the disease focus on washing your hands Americans are watching with alarm as a new coronavirus spreads in China and cases pop up in the United States. They are barraged with information about what kinds of masks are best to prevent viral spread. Students are handing out masks in Seattle. Masks have run out in Brazos County, Texas. Hang on. Ive worked as an emergency room physician. And as a New York Times correspondent in China, I covered the SARS outbreak in 2002 and 2003 during which a novel coronavirus first detected in Guangdong sickened more than 8,000 people and killed more than 800. My two children attended elementary school in Beijing throughout the outbreak. Here are my main takeaways from that experience for ordinary people on the ground: Wash your hands frequently. Dont go to the office when you are sick. Dont send your kids to school or day care when they are ill, either. Notice I didnt say anything about masks. Having a mask with you as a precaution makes sense if you are in the midst of an outbreak, as I was when out reporting in the field during those months. But wearing it constantly is another matter. I donned a mask when visiting hospitals where SARS patients had been housed. I wore it in the markets where wild animals that were the suspected source of the outbreak were being butchered, blood droplets flying. I wore it in crowded enclosed spaces that I couldnt avoid, like airplanes and trains, as I traveled to cities involved in the outbreak, like Guangzhou and Hong Kong. You never know if the guy coughing and sneezing two rows ahead of you is ill or just has an allergy. But outdoors, infections dont spread well through the air. Those photos of people walking down streets in China wearing masks are dramatic but the subjects appear uninformed. And remember if a mask has, perchance, intercepted viruses that would have otherwise ended up in your body, then the mask is contaminated. So, in theory, to be protected maybe you should use a new one for each outing. The simple masks are better than nothing but not all that effective because they dont seal well. For anyone tempted to go out and buy the gold standard, N95 respirators, note that they are uncomfortable. Breathing is more work. Its hard to talk to people. On one long flight at the height of the outbreak, on which my few fellow passengers were mostly epidemiologists trying to solve the SARS puzzle, many of us (including me) wore our masks for the first couple of hours on the flight. Then the food and beverage carts came. Though viruses spread through droplets in the air, a bigger worry to me was always transmission via what doctors call fomites, infected items. A virus gets on a surfacea shoe or a doorknob or a tissue, for example. You touch the surface and then next touch your face or rub your nose. Its a great way to acquire illness. So after walking in the animal markets, I removed my shoes carefully and did not take them into the hotel room. And, of course, I washed my hands immediately. Remember, by all indications SARS, which killed about 10 percent of those infected, was a deadlier virus than the new coronavirus circulating now. So keep things in perspective. Faced with SARS, many foreigners chose to leave Beijing or at least to send their children back to the United States. Our family stayed, kids included. We wanted them with us and didnt want them to miss school, especially during what would be their final year in China. But equally important in making the decision was that the risk of getting SARS on an airplane or in the airport seemed greater than being smart and careful while staying put in Beijing. And we were: I stopped taking my kids to indoor playgrounds or crowded malls or delicious but densely packed neighborhood Beijing restaurants. Out of an abundance of caution, we canceled a family vacation to Cambodiathough my fear was less about catching SARS on the flight than that one of the kids would have a fever from an ear infection upon our return at a border screening and would be stuck in a prolonged quarantine in China. We instead took a vacation within China, where we carried masks with us but didnt use them except on a short domestic flight. In time, during the SARS outbreak, the government shut down theaters and schools in Beijing, as it is doing now in many Chinese cities because these viruses are more easily transmitted in such crowded places. But there was also a lot of irrational behavior: Entering a village on the way to a hike near the Great Wall, our car was stopped by locals who had set up a roadblock to check the temperature of all passengers. They used an oral thermometer that was only minimally cleaned after each use. What a great way to spread a virus. The International School of Beijing, where my children were students, was one of the few in the capitalperhaps the only onethat stayed open throughout the SARS outbreak, though the classes were emptier since so many kids had departed to their home countries. It was a studied but brave move because a parent at the school had gotten SARS at the very beginning of the outbreak on a flight back from Hong Kong. She recovered fine, but it was close to home and families were scared. The school instituted a bunch of simple precautionary policies: a stern note to parents reminding them not to send a child to school who was sick and warning them that students would be screened for fevers with ear thermometers at the school door. There was no sharing of food at lunch. The teacher led the kids in frequent hand washing throughout the day at classroom sinks, while singing a prolonged handwashing song to ensure they did more than a cursory pass under the faucet with water only. If a family left Beijing and came back, the child would have to stay at home for an extended period before returning to class to make sure they hadnt caught SARS elsewhere. With those precautions in place, I observed something of a public health miracle: Not only did no child get SARS, but it seemed no student was sick with anything at all for months on end. No stomach bugs. No common colds. Attendance was more or less perfect. The World Health Organization declared the SARS outbreak contained in July 2003. But, oh, that those habits persisted. The best first-line defenses against SARS or the new coronavirus or most any virus at all are the ones that Grandma and common sense taught us, after all. Elisabeth Rosenthal is a doctor, author, and editor-in-chief at Kaiser Health News, which first published this article. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: One more student who came back from Wuhan University in China has been infected with the coronavirus, Keralas health minister K.K. Shailaja said on Monday. With this, the total number of Indians infected with coronavirus has risen to three. The third patient is under treatment at Kanhangad district hospital in Kasargod. The condition of the three patients, all classmates in Wuhan University, is satisfactory and there is no need for worry, the minister said. The number of confirmed deaths from Chinas coronavirus outbreak, meanwhile, rose to 361. As many as 56 people had died on Sunday alone in China. Chinas National Health Commission in its daily report on Monday said that 2,829 cases of coronavirus were reported on February 2, taking the total number of infection to 17,205. All three cases of coronavirus infection in India were reported from Kerala. The state health minister said though the mortality in the novel coronavirus infection is significantly low, there is no room for complacency as the coronavirus spreads quickly in a community. It is against this backdrop that the health officials have been given instructions to prepare a list of persons with whom the infected persons might have come into contact before they were quarantined. So far 140 samples have been sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV) for testing and of these 36 have been found to be negative and three positive. The results of the remaining samples are awaited. The Kerala minister said the state health department had implemented effective preventive measures after the second positive case in Alappuzha. I have instructed the officials at different levels to convene meetings in Kasargod in the wake of the third positive case. There is no need for panic. We appeal to everyone to strictly follow the guidelines issued by the government, she added. The coronavirus is believed to have emerged in December from a market that sold wild game in the Hubei provincial capital Wuhan in China. The epidemic has ballooned into a global health emergency, with cases reported in more than 24 countries. Several countries, including India, have banned visitors from China. Mongolia, Russia and Nepal have closed their land borders. Hundreds of medical workers walked off their jobs on Monday in Chinas territory Hong Kong, demanding the city close its border with mainland China to reduce the virus spreading. ISTANBUL - A reported 151,000 civilians have been displaced from Idlib over the past week and have travelled towards the Turkish border after raids carried out by the Syrian regime and Russia against the rebel stronghold in northwestern Syria, said Muhammad Hallaj, director of the Coordination for the response to operations in Syria, an organization close to Ankara. Since the start of November, when the government's offensive resumed, overall 692,000 have been displaced, according to the same source. Over the past few days Ankara has repeatedly said that a truce has been violated in the de-escalation zone of Idlib. The truce was agreed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. In the early hours of Monday, an intense exchange of fire between the Syrian and Turkish armies killed several on both sides of the front in the strategic area of Saraqib, south-east of the city of Idlib. New Covid curbs in UP: Government and private employees to work at 50 per cent capacity Night curfew in Andhra Pradesh: Know timings, guidelines, rules; What is allowed, what is not allowed Contacts of confirmed cases don't need to get tested unless identified as high risk: Govt Two perons who returned from China, show coronavirus symptoms, hospitalised in Kottayam India pti-Madhuri Adnal Kottayam (Kerala), Feb 03: Two persons, who returned from coronavirus-hit China two weeks ago, have been admitted to the isolation ward of the Government Medical College Hospital in Kottayam for symptoms of cough and cold, government officials said on Monday. Health workers who reached the house of the two for a routine check-up for the virus found them with the symptoms and took them to the hospital, the officials said. Samples taken from the patients have been sent to the National Institute of Virology, Alappuzha, for testing, they added. Earlier in the day, in the third novel coronavirus case reported in India, another Keralite student who returned from Wuhan university on Monday tested positive for the infection, Health Minister K K Shailaja said here on Monday. The student is in an isolation ward at Kanhangad district hospital in Kasaragod district, she informed the state Assembly. The condition of the student is "stable", she said. Out of the 104 samples tested till Sunday, three have been tested positive. This is the third posititve case reported from Kerala. Two earlier posititve cases, also of students who came back from Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, were reported from Thrissur and Alapuzha districts. A special warfare equipment group formation featuring a type of aerial assault gyroplane marches in a parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in Beijing on October 1, 2019. Photo: IC The latest gyroplane commissioned by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has increased plateau capabilities for a wider variety of missions and is expected to be deployed along China's southwestern border regions, experts said on Sunday. Commonly known as the Falcon, the new Lieying gyroplane is equipped with three seats instead of two and has a more powerful engine with 135 horsepower. The gyroplane also has a longer rotor blade that stretches 8.8 meters and redesigned fuel tank, according to Ordnance Industry Science Technology, a Xi'an-based periodical focused on the national defense industry, on Thursday. Compared with the two-seat model, the three-seat issue has broader military applications as it can carry more personnel and weapons, transport wounded personnel, and conduct missions like two-person parachuting, the report said. Already proven in earlier tests, the latest model is also capable of operating in plateau areas with heavy loads. The three-seater can transport up to 630 kilograms and take off, fly, and land at an elevation of 4,200 meters, the magazine reported. With sledges as landing gears, the gyroplane can take off and land on ice and snow surfaces, the report said, noting that it can also land and take off on water when equipped with floatation gear. The new Lieying edition is a practical choice for plateau operations in regions like Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, where the two-seat version might struggle, a military expert who asked not to be named told the Global Times on Sunday. The Falcon is adept at infiltrating hostile areas during stealth reconnaissance missions due to its agility, small size, and low noise output, the expert said. The Lieying, developed by Shaanxi Bao He Defense Technology, made its PLA debut at China's the National Day parade on October 1, 2019. Toronto: Passengers on an Air Canada Boeing 767 that made a safe emergency landing in Madrid Monday evening have described how they spent hours flying in circles to burn fuel in a tense calm. An Air Canada flight does an emergency landing at Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport in Madrid, Spain. Credit:Getty Toronto-bound flight AC837, carrying 128 passengers, departed from the Spanish capital in the early afternoon but had to request an emergency return almost immediately after one of its two engines was damaged and a tire ruptured during takeoff. Brock Mierzejewski, from Vancouver, who was on the plane with his parents, told The Associated Press: "Obviously a lot of nervous tension while we were in the air, but the pilots did a terrific job landing the plane." "We are still in a little bit of shock but glad to be safe," Mierzejewski said shortly after the plane landed at the Adolfo Suarez-Barajas international airport. It was quickly surrounded by emergency vehicles, firefighting trucks and ambulances. The UK government has donated 20 million pounds to produce a vaccine within six to eight weeks to combat the deadly new coronavirus that has claimed 362 deaths globally. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the money would help the UK lead the way in developing a new inoculation against the virus. The coronavirus, officially called 2019-nCov, is reported to have originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. It comes as the death toll in China alone increased to 361 with the total number of cases there now above 17,000. A 44-year-old Chinese national from Wuhan died in the Philippines on Sunday, taking the death toll to 362. Announcing the investment into stemming the spread of the virus, Hancock said: "Vaccines are our best defence against a host of deadly diseases, including coronavirus. "The UK is a hub of world-leading and pioneering research, and it is vital that we lead the way in developing new vaccines to target global threats with scientists from across the world," the BBC quoted the minister as saying. The government's 20 million pounds investment will go to CEPI - the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations - a global body aiming to fast-track a vaccine within six to eight months. CEPI chief executive Dr Richard Hatchett said such a tight timescale was "unprecedented". If the biologists are successful, more time would still be required to test the vaccine more widely and secure sign-off from medical regulators before it could be distributed across the world. "This is an extremely ambitious timeline - indeed, it would be unprecedented in the field of vaccine development," Dr Hatchett said. "It is important to remember that even if we are successful - and there can be no guarantee - there will be further challenges to navigate before we can make vaccines more broadly available." The UK's money will help fund the efforts of Dr Kate Broderick, a 42-year-old Scot based in California, who is working to create a coronavirus vaccine, the report said. "We hope to get the final product into human testing by early summer," Broderick, a molecular geneticist who works for the pharmaceutical company Inovio, said. More than 17,000 cases have been confirmed and a small proportion of those - around 100 - have been identified outside China. The UK, US, Russia and Germany have all confirmed cases in recent days. Latest figures from China's National Health Commission on Monday showed that there were 21,558 suspected cases in the country and that 152,700 people are "under medical watch". Meanwhile 11 Britons flown back from Wuhan - the outbreak's epicentre - have begun two weeks in quarantine. The additional evacuees - who travelled from China via France - joined 83 people already in group isolation at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral. The coronavirus outbreak has been categorised as a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation, with cases confirmed in several countries including Canada, Australia, Germany and Japan, as well as in the UK. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two horrific murders of women, 13,000 kilometres apart. In June 2018, in the city of Lima, Peru, 22-year-old Eyvi Agreda died in hospital two months after a stalker doused her in petrol and set her alight on a bus. In January 2019, Aiia Maasarwe, 21, was raped and murdered while walking home in the northern Melbourne suburb of Bundoora. Now, in 2020, Peruvian teacher Cecilia Bravo Huaynates will travel to Melbourne to take up a $272,000 scholarship to research the safety of women and girls in memory of Ms Maasarwe. Ms Huaynates is the first recipient of the Aiia Maasarwe Research Scholarship at La Trobe University. CALGARY, AB and SAN ANTONIO, TX / ACCESSWIRE / February 3, 2020 / Emerald Bay Energy Inc. (TSXV:EBY)(OTC:EMBYF) (the "Company" or "Emerald Bay") today announced that its Board of Directors has called for a special meeting of the Company's shareholders proposed to be held on February 28, 2020 (the "Special Meeting"), to consider: (i) a special resolution to approve the consolidation of the issued and outstanding Common Shares of the Corporation on a "1 new for 15 old" basis (the "Consolidation"); and (ii) a special resolution to approve changing the Corporation's name to "Nexera Energy Inc." (the "Name Change"). The record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Special Meeting is January 24, 2020 (the "Record Date"). As of the Record Date, there were 354,103,367 Common Shares issued and outstanding. If the proposed Consolidation is approved by the shareholders, there would be, post-Consolidation, approximately 23,606,891 Common Shares issued and outstanding. The Board of Directors believes that the Consolidation could lead to increased interest by a wider audience of potential investors resulting in a more efficient market for the Common Shares. Subject to the acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange, the Consolidation requires approval by special resolution, being a majority of not less than 66 2/3% of the votes cast by the shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Special Meeting. The Name Change is being proposed in order to better reflect the future business and operations of the Corporation. Subject to the acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange, the Name Change requires approval by special resolution, being a majority of not less than 66 2/3% of the votes cast by the shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Special Meeting. The information circular containing the details of the matters to be acted upon at the Special Meeting is expected to be mailed to shareholders on or about February 3, 2020. The meeting will be held at #3, 4015 - 1 Street SE, Calgary, Alberta, at 1:00 p.m., on Friday, February 28, 2020. About Emerald Bay Emerald Bay Energy Inc. (TSX Venture: EBY, OTC: EMBYF) is an energy company with oil producing properties in Southwest Texas as well as non-operated oil and natural gas interests in Central Alberta, Canada. EBY is the operator of the Wooden Horse and Nash Creek Projects in Guadalupe, Texas, where the Company currently owns a 50.00% working interest those projects. Additionally, the Company owns and operates various working interests in the HugoCellR, Cotulla, and MarPat partnerships. The Company also owns 75% of Production Resources Inc., a South Texas oil company. For all upcoming news releases, articles, comments and questions, to stay updated and speak with management about Emerald Bay Energy. Please JOIN our Investor Information Group at: http://bit.ly/8020EBY For further information, please contact: Emerald Bay President, Shelby D. Beattie, or CFO, Mike Rice, by telephone at (403) 262-6000 Email: info@ebyinc.com www.ebyinc.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Emerald Bay Energy Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/575061/Emerald-Bay-to-Hold-Special-Meeting-of-Shareholders Recovery of high powered American-made assault rifles from terrorists killed by security forces last week at Srinagar's Bann toll plaza has raised alarm among security forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the CRPF sources, forces have recovered American made MP4 guns, which are rare, but this time they were equipped with night vision screens. Interestingly, these terrorists were from new infiltration from Kathua. An MP4 gun can be fitted with many accessories, such as night vision devices, suppressors, laser pointers, telescopic, etc, which makes it more deadly. Forces have also recovered Chinese made pistols and live grenades, hand grenades, etc in large numbers after neutralizing the terrorists.Well placed sources have claimed that there are almost a dozen weapons that are either extremely rare or never recovered. "Militant groups having access to night screens is alarming for the forces. Though forces are obviously better equipped to deal with any attack but the accessibility of high tech war equipment and such guns is a big concern," a senior CRPF official told ANI. According to the sources, a list has been prepared by the security forces which has total 53 items includes M4 carbine with night screen, Night screen battery, Glock 17 pistol and it's magazine and rounds, MOD CF 98 Chinese black star pistol, it's magazine and rounds, Kirnkov rifle, Chinese hand grenades, and live grenades. Live TV "Earlier, forces have recovered M4 carbine in Srinagar but those were without night screens" official claimed. Another major concern for the security forces is the dynamites and remote-controlled IEDs. The recovery also includes armor-piercing ammunition which can damage level 3 bulletproof vests. Forces have recovered a total of 53 items, which includes, guns, ammunition, grenades, Indian and Saudi Arabian currency, etc. "After the recovery, we can say that a massive attack has been foiled by security forces especially men deployed at Bann toll plaza. We have also beefed up security and continuously following drills," a CPRF official claimed. On 31 st January, An Encounter was done by security forces neutralizing three terrorists at Bann Toll Plaza, Nagrota, Jammu. "These terrorists were a newly infiltrated group who were on the way to Srinagar. They suspectedly infiltrated from Kathua, Hiranagar. An investigation is on," Dilbag Singh, DGP J-K police had told ANI. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here The Bachelor airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. (and Wednesday this week, too!). This season of the series follows airline pilot Peter Weber as he searches for love amidst the difficulties of Champagne Gate, a performance of Lonely If You Are by Chase Rice in Cleveland, and a few quirky, dramatic characters like Hannah Brown and Alayah Benavidez. Heres the information youll need to watch a live stream of the fifth and sixth episodes of The Bachelor live and on demand. When is 'The Bachelor on? The Bachelor is on ABC every Monday at 8 p.m. Each episode runs from two to three hours and is usually followed by The Good Doctor. A bonus episode will air Wednesday, Feb. 5 as well. How to watch The Bachelor without cable If youre a cord-cutter, dont have cable, or are just looking for an easy way to catch up with the series, you can live stream The Bachelor on Hulu Live TV. (To get a free trial, click the Hulu logo in the top-left corner and choose the Hulu + Live TV package.) What channel is ABC? You can use the channel finder on your providers website to locate it: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish. How to watch The Bachelor online on-demand If you missed an episode of The Bachelor or want to binge watch the entire season online, look for it on Hulu Live TV. (To get a free trial, click the Hulu logo in the top-left corner and choose the Hulu + Live TV package) Where can I find merchandise for The Bachelor?' If youre looking for gear to match with your Monday Bachelor time, there are a few different sites to check out: Shop ABC Official Bachelor Merch Amazon Official Bachelor Merch Tee Public Bachelor Merch Redbubble Bachelor Merch What is The Bachelor about? According to the official ABC website: Airline pilot Peter Weber caught the attention of Bachelorette Hannah Brown and all of America the first night they met, stepping out of the limo and expressing his desire for a co-pilot in life. While Peter seemed sweet at first glance, it became clear this charming man in uniform could bring the heat. The passion between Hannah and Peter was undeniable. After expressing his love to her and spending a memorable night in a windmill together, all of America was left shocked and heartbroken with Hannahs decision to end the relationship. Returning home from Greece, Peter was forced to confront his pain and pick up the pieces of his broken heart. Now, Peter is back to take his search for true love to new heights on the 24th season of ABCs hit romance reality series The Bachelor, premiering in January 2020. Heres a look at a scene from The Bachelor in which Peter goes on an extremely awkward date, courtesy of Bachelor Nation on ABCs official YouTube channel: Related stories about The Bachelor Here are some additional stories and articles about The Bachelor, including a look at some major spoilers for the entirety of the upcoming season: The Bachelor New Season Spoilers Chase Rice from The Bachelor: The Album, Pt. 1 Everything you need to know about Bachelor In Paradises Brooke Blurton The Bachelor: The Women Blow Up on Peter for Bringing Back Manipulative Alayah Joseph Rejent may be reached at jrejent@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. She's recently returned to the small screen as co-presenter of hit Netflix show Next in Fashion. And designer Alexa Chung looked every inch the fashionista as braved the New York winter chill in a stylish tan overcoat and bold green trousers on Monday for a day of promo. The model-turned-presenter, 36, teamed the coat with an elegant umber blouse with a subtle horizontal pattern and a shiny black choker. Snuggly: Alexa Chung looked every inch the fashionista as braved the New York winter in a tan overcoat and bold green trousers for a day of promo for her new Netflix series on Monday Alexa seemed to be beckoning in the spring with her green linen trousers which clung to her enviably lithe legs and brightened up the grey NYC sidewalk. The British designer added a bit of sparkle to her ensemble with some black ballet pumps sporting criss-cross diamante fastenings. Alexa, who has joined forces with Queer Eye icon Tan France, also 36, kept her copper locks loose in a smart side parting and showed off her natural beauty with a make-up-free face. The star was later pictured meeting up with Tan for a Build Series event to chat about their show, which is already proving a hit on Netflix. Always chic: Alexa seemed to be beckoning in the spring with her green linen trousers which clung to her enviably lithe legs and brightened up the grey NYC sidewalk Cool ensemble: The model-turned-presenter teamed the coat with an elegant umber blouse with a subtle horizontal pattern and a shiny black choker British stylist and designer Tan also dressed to impress for the promo day, sporting a colourful floral print sweater. Their Netflix series, Next In Fashion - which hit the streaming service in January is similar to hits like Project Runway in that designers will compete week to week in different challenges. Alexa and Tan, hailing from Hampshire and Doncaster respectively, then appear in front of the judges after displaying the collection created for that week. Fancy feet: The British designer added a bit of sparkle to her ensemble with some black ballet pumps sporting criss-cross diamante fastenings Although the show starts out with 18 designers, these numbers will quickly dwindle as the judges decide who has what it takes and who doesn't. The stakes are high for the talent competition, as it is offering the winner $250,000 and the opportunity to display their collection with Net-a-Porter, an online store offering a curated selection of designer wear. All 10 episodes of the competition show aired on January 29, giving fans the opportunity to binge watch and discover the winner within hours of starting the series. TV duo: The star was later pictured meeting up with Tan for a Build Series event to chat about their show, which is already proving a hit on Netflix Chic: Alexa showed off her elegant bronze shirt teamed with her green trousers Always impeccably dressed: British stylist and designer Tan also dressed to impress for the promo day, sporting a colourful floral print sweater Speaking to Buzzfeed, the pair discussed how the trending programme differs from other fashion contestant shows. Tan explained: 'We have established designers from the likes of Stella McCartney, Alexander Wang and Louis Vuitton, they are seasoned designers that just haven't been given the platform... we want to make them household names.' Alexa added: 'It's less of a gimmick and more a representation of what actually goes on in the fashion industry.' The brunette beauty, who has her own fashion line in London, said she was approached late in the production of the show for the role of presenter - but jumped at the opportunity leaving her CEO to run the Alexa Chung brand. She admitted during the early morning interview in New York that she had just landed from London, which was why she was so awake and full of energy. Check out the shoes! Alexa showed off her diamante bow and pearl strappy shoes at the event For the first time, a sitting Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) has announced his resignation. The resignation of Kelvin Charles takes effect at the end of April 2020. A court in Ranchi has started proceedings against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah who have been accused of cheating and dishonesty, according to a report by India Today. The report noted that the third accused in the case, which is scheduled to come up for hearing on March 2, is Union Minister Ramdas Athawale. According to the report, the complainant, HK Singh, filed a case against Prime Minister Modi and Shah in which he accused them of cheating people by allegedly promising in 2013-14 to credit Rs 15 lakh in every bank account if they come to power. The report noted Singh, an advocate with the state's High Court, lodged the complaint under Sections 415 (cheating) and 420 (dishonesty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with Section 123 (b) of the Representation of the People Act. The report noted that Singh had earlier said that while the BJP had promised to bring in the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which they did, the Rs 15 lakh promise was not fulfilled. "Why was the promise on CAA delivered but the promise on crediting Rs 15 lakh in each person's account, a promise made in BJP manifesto not honoured?" Singh asked. BJP's manifesto, however, does not mention the promise. Singh said that false promises made to seek votes amount to "fraud with people," according to the Representation of People Act. "Even I feel duped and so do many others by the cunning deceit of BJP leaders. They cannot have double standards. If they can deliver their promise on CAA, then they should also deliver on the Rs 15 lakh promise," Singh told the news channel. The Independent National Electoral Commission,INEC office in Orlu local government in Imo state has been set on fire by suspected thugs on Monday, 3rd February. Read Also: Imo: PDP Protests In US, UK, EU Embassies In Abuja (Photos) Confirming the incident, Orlando Ikeokwu, police spokesman in the state, said the state police commissioner has since mobilized security operatives to the area. I can confirm the incident to you but the cause of fire outbreak is unknown for now. The state commissioner of police has dispatched security operatives to the scene of the incident, he said. The deputy commissioner of Police in charge of operations led the squad to the scene. The incident is believed to be connected to the recent Supreme court judgement which sacked Emeka Ihedioha as governor of the state and pronounced Hope Uzodinma as winner. The wren has retained the title of Britain's commonest bird as a run of mild winters has sent the number of pairs of the tiny bird soaring to around 11 million. This figure means that the wren is more numerous than the blackbird, the robin and the sparrow, a report from the British Trust for Ornithology found. Their last survey which was undertaken in 2013 also had the wren at the top of the list, but with a population of just over 8.5 million pairs. Wren numbers are known to fluctuate with environmental conditions, and it is possible that climate change has benefited one of our smallest birds. Scroll down for video The wren, pictured, has retained the title of Britain's commonest bird as a run of mild winters has sent the number of pairs of the tiny bird soaring to around 11 million TOP SIX BRITISH BIRDS BY NUMBER 1. Wren (11 million pairs) 2. Robin (7.35 million pairs) 3. House sparrow (5.3 million pairs) 4. Wood pigeon (5.15 million pairs) 5. Chaffinch (5.05 million territories) 5. Blackbird (5.05 million territories) Advertisement Although the number of wrens has continued to rocket, not all of the UK's bird species have been so lucky. The turtle dove of which there were around 75,000 pairs in 1997 is down to just 3,600 in the latest report. In addition, there are no longer any breeding waders in the UK with a breeding population greater than 100,000 pairs. Both the lapwing and the oystercatcher have now fallen below this threshold for the first time. The researchers were also surprised by the fall in numbers for the chaffinch, one of Britain's most familiar birds. Over the last seven years, their breeding population has fallen by 1.15 million pairs with the cause of this decline remaining unclear. It is estimated that, in total, there are around 85 million breeding pairs of birds in the UK the equivalent of around over one-and-a-quarter pairs for each of us. This figure is similar to its last estimate which was made back in 2013. There are also 20 species whose populations number more than one million pairs. Although the number of wrens has continued to rocket, not all of the UK's bird species have been so lucky. The turtle dove, pictured of which there were around 75,000 pairs in 1997 is down to just 3,600 in the latest report from the British Trust for Ornithology 'It is great to have these latest estimates of the numbers of our birds,' said paper author Ian Woodward of the British Trust for Ornithology. 'Knowing how many of which species we have is important for many reasons, not least of which is the ability to make better informed decisions when it comes to conservation policy and site management.' 'It is thanks to the thousands of volunteers that take part in a variety of bird surveys that we have the data and are able to produce these figures at all.' The British Trust for Ornithology has conducted four bird population surveys to date the first in 1997, followed by others in 2006, 2013 and 2020. The full findings of the survey were published in the journal British Birds, whereas a summary of the report's key findings can be read on the British Trust for Ornithology website. Burma Myanmar Court Grants Bail to Lawyer and Poet Sued by Military Lawyer U Kyi Myint (left) and poet U Saw Wai (right). YANGONProminent political activists lawyer U Kyi Myint and poet U Saw Wai were granted bail by the township court in Kawthaung, Tanintharyi Region on Monday. The court cited the defendants old age and health concerns. The Myanmar military sued U Kyi Myint, age 75, and U Saw Wai, age 60, for defamation for remarks they made in April about constitutional amendment under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code, which carries a penalty of up to two years in prison. Defendants sued under the statute are normally denied bail but the elderly, women and people suffering from diseases are allowed to apply for an exception. The Myanmar military filed its lawsuit in October against U Kyi Myint, U Saw Wai and former Myanmar army captain Nay Myo Zin. U Kyi Myint and U Saw Wai appeared in court on Monday after the court issued a warrant for their arrest last month. The warrant was nullified after the two attended Mondays hearing. After Mondays decision, only Nay Myo Zin, who is already serving a one-year prison term in Insein Prison on the same charge from another military lawsuit, will remain in detention. We are happy to have a chance to defend ourselves fairly against the lawsuit. I am also satisfied since we managed to open up the possibility of bail under Section 505 of the Penal Code, U Saw Wai told The Irrawaddy on Monday. The court granted the two defendants bail because of their ages and because they were able to prove they are suffering from heart disease. The court reportedly set their bail at 10 million kyats each (US$6,865). As aging men, we are happy that we were granted bail. But I am sorry for those students, farmers and laborers sued under Section 505 who have not been granted bail. Section 505 should be amended to allow for bail, said U Kyi Myint. The next court hearing in the lawsuit is scheduled for Feb. 17. When the military filed its suit in November 2019, 130 Myanmar civil society groups condemned the suit as an attempt to suppress the activists and called on the military to drop the case immediately. Over the past four years, the Myanmar military has filed at least 47 lawsuits against 96 people, including 51 activists, 14 journalists, five religious representatives, four artists, three members of political parties and 19 other individuals, according to a recent report by Athan, a group advocating for the right to freedom of expression in Myanmar. According to Athan, most of the lawsuits by the military are attempts to take action against its critics. Athan and others have called on the military to drop its cases and stop suing those who raise criticisms against it. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Police Call on Thailand, Laos in Case Against AA Chiefs Relatives Myanmar Home Affairs Minister to Retire; Military to Pick Successor Resistance Struggle Not Over Yet for Myanmars Karen, KNU Chief Says Kailash Gahlot election result 2020 live news and latest updates online - Read about Kailash Gahlot AAP candidate who is fighting Delhi assembly (Vidhan Sabha) election from Najafgarh seat and many more at Firstpost.com. Kailash Gahlot, the incumbent transport minister of Delhi, will seek re-election from the Jat-dominated rural constituency of Najafgarh. Gahlot belongs to Mitraun village in Najafgarh, where his family has lived for over nine generations. In the 2015 Assembly polls, he defeated local strongman Bharat Singh by a narrow margin of 1,515 votes. Professionally, Gahlot is an accomplished advocate in the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court with over 16 years of legal practice. During 2005-2007, Gahlot was also elected as executive member in Bar Association of High Court of Delhi. Gahlot also runs a trust named after his father, which has undertaken several initiatives in the last two decades to bring quality primary, secondary, vocational and higher education to the entire Najafgarh. Gahlot has set up over 63 vocational centres, especially for women, to impart skills, like cutting and tailoring and beauty culture, in villages and colonies of his constituency. Gahlot, a rich landlord from Najafgarh, was not included in the first Cabinet that was sworn-in on February 2015. He was sworn in as a minister in May 2017 and was entrusted with the portfolios of transport, law, justice and legislative affairs, Information and Technology, administrative reforms. As the transport minister, Gahlot is at the helm of the contentious odd-even scheme in Delhi. As the revenue minister, Gahlot has been the driving force behind Delhi governments doorstep delivery of services scheme, which aims to provide government services to people without them stepping out of their homes. Gahlot has been accused of evading taxes to the tune of Rs 120 crore, a claim that he vehemently denies. Yet, 16 properties linked to him were raided in 2018 by the Income Tax department, after reports emerged that he used shell companies to siphon off money. JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia will temporarily stop food and beverage imports from China as a precaution to prevent the coronavirus spreading to the Southeast Asian country, Indonesia's trade minister said on Monday. Minister Agus Suparmanto told reporters the measure would be put in place soon and would remain in place until "the virus problem has ended". China is Indonesia's biggest trade partner. The Southeast Asian country imports garlic and fruit, among other food and beverages, from China. (Reporting by Bernadette Christina Munthe; Writing by Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by Edmund Blair) - Manasseh Azure has broken his silence on the Airbus scandal that made the headlines over the weekend - President Akufo-Addo has however called on the office of the special prosecutor to conduct a probe immediately Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Investigative Journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni has joined the ongoing discussions about the Airbus bribery case and how Ghana has been mentioned. In a post sighted by YEN.com.gh on his Twitter page, Manasseh, in a subtle denial, just couldn't fathom how politicians always found a way to deny whatever issue that directly or indirectly was related to them. If you catch a politician on top of your wife, he will start denying the affair even before he withdraws, he wrote. READ ALSO: NDC accuses Akufo-Addo of giving his in-law $24m tax waiver for hotel project Ghanaians couldn't keep calm as the post shared by the ace journalist stirred some emotions in them. Thierry Nyann said politicians deny everything. Bless couldn't have agreed better. He believes politicians are Africa's biggest problem. George said Manasseh was indirectly speaking to Marietta Brew. Mr Amu said Manasseh should speak up with the same energy he used top chastise corrupt issues under the Mahama administration. READ ALSO: Bank of Ghana to be awarded Central bank of the year In other news, an aide to former President John Dramani Mahama, Stan Xoese Dogbe believes that there is no need to investigate the Airbus bribery case which cited Ghana as one of the countries involved. According to a Facebook post sighted by YEN.com.gh, shared by Stan Dogbe, he said it is not really necessary since Ghana did not actually lose any money. His somehow sarcastic comment comes in reaction to President Akufo-Addo's referral of the matter to the Special Prosecutor to investigate the said Ghanaian government officials involved in the case. READ ALSO: Government did not lose any money; why investigate - Stan Dogbe to Akufo-Addo How convenient is it to use the new GHC 200 note at the market? | #Yencomgh Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh FORESTVILLE, Calif., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Audiobook Publishers Association announced today that The Barefoot Spirit Audiobook is a Finalist for the 2020 Business/Personal Development Audiobook of the Year Award. The original paperback version of The Barefoot Spirit, How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America's #1 Wine Brand was a New York Times Bestseller and chronicles the humble beginnings of the now ubiquitous Barefoot Wine brand. Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, Founders of Barefoot Wine, Founders of www.businessaudiotheatre.com,, authors of the New York Times bestselling business paperback, "The Barefoot Spirit, How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America's #1 Wine Brand", and producers of the Audiobook Producers Association's Finalist for the 2020 Business & Personal Growth category "Audie Award", "The Barefoot Spirit" audiobook. Cover tile for the fully casted and performed Barefoot Spirit Audiobook, available now at all audiobook retailers, and Finalist for the Audiobook Association's 2020 "Audie" Award for Business and Personal Growth audiobook. The audiobook was nominated based on its content as well as its original audio theatre approach to storytelling. Bonnie Harvey, Barefoot Wine cofounder and coauthor said, "We wanted our message to reach more people, so we presented it in a radio theatre audio play complete with a full cast of actors, scenes, sound effects, and music." Michael Houlihan, Barefoot Wine cofounder and coauthor added, "We are thrilled to be recognized by the Audiobook Publishers Association. It gives credibility to this new genre which we call Business Audio Theatre. The best way to communicate business concepts is through story and the best way to communicate story is through theatrical performance." Houlihan & Harvey's company, Business Audio Theatre is looking to attract other founders who want to preserve their legacy and keep their entrepreneurial spirit alive through creative storytelling performed as audio cinema, using their experienced team of professionals. The audiobook launched on all audiobook retail platforms on September 3rd, 2019 and has been garnering positive reviews from throughout the business community. "The Business Audio Theater format has a neat balance between modern technology and the charisma of the old-fashioned radio plays." - Laura Sicola, PhD, CEO Vocal Impact Productions "An enjoyable experience filled with the exuberance of the founders themselves." - Audiofile Magazine "A Transformative Idea: Business Audio Theatre from the Founders of Barefoot Wine not Just Narrated Performed!" - Forbes At 90 years of age, the venerable Hollywood actor Ed Asner, voices the part of the grumpy supermarket buyer who initially rejects Barefoot Wine but ultimately paves the path for its success. Asner said, "I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to be a part of this new genre of Business Audio Theatre!" Director Matt Weinglass, and founder of Sherwood Players Productions, whose company produced the audiobook said, "I'm excited to see this innovative type of storytelling [Business Audio Theatre] catch on as we continue to bring more business stories to life using all the cinematic resources available to us in our Industry." Ryan Foland, Executive Producer & Communications Specialist said, "This is a whole new way to entertain, engage, and educate employees and customers by preserving the founder's history and principles." The 2020 Audie Awards Ceremony will take place at New York City's Guastavino's on Monday, March 2nd, 2020. "The Barefoot Spirit" Audiobook is narrated by Alamada Karatihy and features Ed Asner and Gigi Perreau with Matt Weinglass, Hazel Paraoan, Ruffy Landayan and Tom Malloy, with original music by Tyler David Gilbert, executive produced by Michael Houlihan, Bonnie Harvey and Ryan Foland and is directed by Matt Weinglass. For interviews please contact: [email protected] or (707) 484-1600. For more information or audiobook samples visit: www.barefootaudiobook.com Media Contact: Michael Houlihan 707.484.1600 [email protected] SOURCE Business Audio Theatre Related Links https://www.businessaudiotheatre.com A federal judge refused to dismiss conspiracy and bribery counts against a North Carolina insurance magnate and two associates, allowing the case to move toward a February trial. Lawyers for Greg E. Lindberg, John Gray and John Palermo had argued various reasons the charges issued in a grand jury indictment last March should be canceled. But in a ruling signed Thursday and released Friday, U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn denied their motions. The court finds that there is a legally sufficient basis to support defendants indictment for honest services fraud and federal funds bribery, Cogburn wrote. Moreover, the indictment is sufficiently specific to give the defendants fair notice of the charged offenses. Finally, the defendants have failed to demonstrate prosecutorial misconduct warranting dismissal. The indictment charges Lindberg, Gray and Palermo with trying to bribe state Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey with up to $2 million in campaign funds in return for his removing or replacing the regulator that examined Lindbergs Global Bankers Insurance Group. Causey, a Republican, alerted law enforcement voluntarily to help them uncover the alleged scheme, federal prosecutors have said. Lindberg was recently a major donor to GOP causes, giving millions of dollars. A fourth person indicted former U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes accepted a plea agreement in October in which he acknowledged lying to federal agents about his role in trying to bribe Causey while Hayes was chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party. Hayes has not yet been sentenced but agreed to help prosecutors with their case and potentially testify. The trial of the three other defendants is set to begin Feb. 18 in Charlotte. Lindberg, who helped found investment firm Eli Global LLC, and Gray, his consultant, contended the indictments details failed to meet the definitions of the counts in federal law and court cases. But Cogburn wrote that a staffing charge within the Insurance Department constituted an official act. He also rejected arguments that the indictment interferes with a citizens First Amendment right to use campaign contributions to advocate for certain policies. The First Amendment will not serve as a safe harbor to protect defendants from being prosecuted for quid pro quo corruption, Cogburn wrote. Palermo, who worked with Lindberg and was a local Republican leader, argued government prosecutors wrongly entrapped him and participated in the selective recording of conversations between Causey and the defendants. Cogburn wrote that Palermo provided no credible evidence of either. Related: Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Legislation Abuse Molestation North Carolina It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Lamb Weston (LW). Shares have added about 8.6% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500. Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Lamb Weston due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers. Lamb Weston's Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Sales Rise Y/Y Lamb Weston delivered second-quarter fiscal 2020 results, with the top and the bottom line surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate and rising year over year. Sturdy performance in the Global as well as other units boosted the quarterly results. Moreover, management raised its net sales and adjusted EBITDA guidance for fiscal 2020. Quarter in Detail In fiscal second quarter, the company delivered adjusted earnings of 95 cents per share, up 19% year over year. The upside was backed by higher income from operations and gains of nearly 4 cents from BSW acquisition. Moreover, the bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 85 cents. Net sales came in at $1019.2 million, up 12% year on year and surpassing the consensus mark of $964.39 million. Volumes grew 10% on the back of strength in the Global and Foodservice segments coupled with gains from acquisition and favorable price/mix impacts. Additional shipping days related to Thanksgiving also contributed to top-line growth. Gross profit increased 14.5% to $285.1 million, backed by price mix, greater volumes and lower transportation costs. These were somewhat countered by higher manufacturing costs stemming from maintenance and other related costs. Further, gross profits were hurt by higher input costs and depreciation expenses related to the companys french fry production line in Oregon. SG&A expenses increased 22.1% to $91.6 million due to higher incentive compensation expenses and investments in the companys sales, marketing, operating as well as systems capabilities. Nevertheless, foreign exchange expenses declined year over year. EBITDA (including unconsolidated joint ventures) increased 17.1% to $260.9 million, driven by higher operating income and benefits from BSW acquisition. Segment Analysis Sales in the Global segment rose 15% to $539.6 million. Volumes increased 14% on strong sales, gains from acquisitions and extra shipping days due to Thanksgiving holiday. Price/mix increased 1% courtesy of pricing adjustments in multi-year contracts. Product contribution margin in the segment increased 15% to $128.9 million, backed by higher volumes, lower transportation costs and price/mix gains. Foodservice sales increased 9% to $304.9 million. Price/mix improved 4%, driven by consistent favorable impact of strategic pricing actions undertaken during the quarter and better mix. Moreover, volumes moved up 5% on the back of branded and distributor private label products growth. Product contribution margin rose 14% million to reach $111.3 million, owing to improved price/mix and volumes along with lower logistics cost. In the Retail segment, sales went up 7% to $132.1 million. Volumes in the category went up 4%, stemming from increased Grown sales in Idaho as well as branded and private label products sales. Additional shipping days related to Thanksgiving also contributed to volume growth. Price/mix improved 3% owing to gains from pricing actions and favorable mix. Product contribution margin increased 10% to $28.5 million driven by improved price/mix and volumes as well as lower transportation cost. Other Financial Details The company ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $23.8 million, long-term debt and financing obligations (excluding current portion) of $2,203.7 million as well as total shareholders equity of $201.1 million. Lamb Weston generated $345.3 million as net cash from operating activities at the end of fiscal second quarter. Guidance Management is encouraged with its quarterly results, which indicates consistent growth in segments. The upside can be attributed to gains from improved volumes and price/mix. Going ahead, management expects the operating environment to remain favorable and aid meeting set targets. Moreover, management raised its net sales and adjusted EBITDA outlook for fiscal 2020. It expects net sales to increase at high end of mid-single digit range from its previous guidance of a mid-single digits growth. Adjusted EBITDA (including unconsolidated joint ventures) is expected in the range of $965-$985 million, up from its previous guidance of $950-$970 million. Interest costs are projected to be nearly $110 million. Further, the company plans to use cash of $300 million for capital expenditures, excluding buyouts. Story continues How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then? In the past month, investors have witnessed a downward trend in estimates revision. VGM Scores Currently, Lamb Weston has a strong Growth Score of A, though it is lagging a lot on the Momentum Score front with a C. Following the exact same course, the stock was allocated a grade of C on the value side, putting it in the middle 20% for this investment strategy. Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of B. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in. Outlook Estimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions indicates a downward shift. Notably, Lamb Weston has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). We expect an above average return from the stock in the next few months. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Lamb Weston Holdings Inc. (LW) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research A packet of Rizla Blue cigarette papers and a pouch of Golden Virginia tobacco. Photo: Newscast/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Tobacco giant Imperial Brands (IMB.L) on Monday named car executive Stefan Bomhard as its new chief executive. Bomhard, who currently runs high-end car retailer Inchcape, will take over from Alison Cooper, who announced plans to leave last October. Cooper will step down with immediate effect, Imperial said. Stefan has significant experience across multiple consumer sectors and within large multinational organisations, particularly in brand building and consumer-led sales and marketing, said Imperial chair Therese Esperdy. Bomhard has run Inchcape for five years but previously held senior roles at Cadbury, Unilever, Burger King, and Procter & Gamble. Im delighted to be joining Imperial as the next chief executive, said Bomhard. I believe the business has a great future and Im looking forward to working with the groups employees to maximise the opportunities that lie ahead and build a stronger, more sustainable business. READ MORE: Tobacco giant 'welcomes' US flavoured vape ban Esperdy said Bomhard was selected after a thorough search process, which attracted strong, high calibre interest. His appointment comes at a time when Imperial is trying to navigate declining smoking rates at the rising in vaping. Imperial Brands is best known in the UK for its Golden Virginia loose tobacco and Rizla rolling papers. It also owns cigarette brands such as Kool, Winston, and Davidoff. Tobacco companies around the world are facing headwinds from falling smoking rates and the growth of new vaping brands, such as American startup Juul. Imperial has its own vaping brand, Blu, but the sector has suffered from a regulatory crackdown in the US. Imperials profits dropped by 8.7% last year and the share price has declined more than 20% over the last 12 months. Stefan takes on the chief executive role at a significant point in Imperials development and the Board is confident that his experience and expertise will drive the business forward, Esperdy said. Shares in Imperial (IMB.L) rose 0.7% on Monday and shares in Inchcape (INCH.L) were down 0.1%. READ MORE: Tobacco giant's stock crashes on vaping crackdown warning Omans Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm (Sezad) and Maysan Properties, a leading real estate developer in the sultanate, signed recently a usufruct agreement to establish a business park at a cost of RO43 million ($111 million). The agreement was signed by His Excellency Yahya bin Said Al Jabri, chairman of the Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm (Sezad), and by Sadiq bin Jaffer bin Sulaiman, CEO of Maysan Properties, on behalf of the developer. The business park 'Maysan Square Duqm' will be built over an area of 122,000 sq m featuring 20 buildings that include a commercial complex comprising various shops, restaurants, cafes and offices. The projects also offers a number of freehold, rental apartments, serviced apartments, business hotel, multi-purpose hall and other leisure and retail facilities. The complex will cover an area of 100,000 sq m, standing on a common base with a public square. The project will be developed in five phases, starting from 2021. The first phase will entail building three pavilions. The project is expected to offer around 500 direct job opportunities. Establishing this project comes in line with the ongoing efforts of the Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm to attract local investments and encourage them to invest in the sone. The project confirms the confidence of Omani investors in the zone and its capabilities to grow. TradeArabia News Service Photo: Rick Cooper/Flickr Here's the most recent top news you may have missed in Phoenix. No charges against officer who fatally shot teen in the back A Tempe police officer who shot and killed a 14-year-old boy carrying a fake gun wont face criminal charges. The Maricopa County Attorneys Office announced Friday that Officer Joseph Jaen was justified in the 2019 shooting death of Antonio Arce and had reason to believe he was in imminent danger. Read the full story on New York Daily News. Indigenous group honors missing and murdered Native American women Selena Not Afraid, who was found dead in Montana after her car broke down, and other missing and murdered indigenous women were honored during a memorial ride and ceremony in Phoenix on Saturday. Read the full story on 12NEWS. Simpson rallies to beat Finau in Phoenix Open playoff Webb Simpson birdied the final two holes of regulation to force a playoff with Tony Finau, then won with a 10-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole. Read the full story on The Detroit News. Suspected al-Qaida leader accused of killing Iraqi police arrested in Phoenix A man who federal authorities say was a leader of al-Qaida in Iraq and is suspected in the killing of two policemen in Fallujah 14 years ago ran an Arizona driving school. The Arizona Republic reported that 42-year-old Ali Yousif Ahmed Al-Nouri had been in the U.S. for more than a decade. Read the full story on KVOA.com. 137,000 fentanyl pills, other drugs seized in Phoenix Phoenix police seized $2.5 million worth of fentanyl pills, along with other drugs and weapons, after stopping a suspected trafficker on Thursday, officials said. Read the full story on CNN. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. Islamabad Pakistan on Monday resumed flights from coronavirus-hit China after two planes from the country landed at the airport in Islamabad. Pakistan had suspended flights from China till February 2 after the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak of the novel virus as a global health emergency. The death toll in the coronavirus epidemic soared to 361 with 57 deaths on Sunday alone while the number of confirmed cases climbed to 17,205. According to the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCCA), two flights of China Southern Airlines CZ 6007and CZ 5241 - from Urumqi city of China landed at Islamabad International Airport. The flights were allowed a day after Pakistan said it has received special medical kits from China to detect the coronavirus cases. Officials said a Qatar Airlines flight also came from Doha, bringing at least 40 Pakistani students from China who had travelled to Qatar due to suspension of direct flights to Pakistan. Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza who was at the airport to see the arrival and mandatory checks on the passengers confirmed the development. At Islamabad airport this morning - received passengers from China along with HE Chinese Ambassador in Pakistan. We supervised implementation of Airport SOPs' and I interviewed passengers, Mirza tweeted. Following all international protocols ensuring their health & safety as well as that of all Pakistanis. A responsible Pakistan means being emotional when needed but rational and practical in decision making as well. We support the Chinese Govt efforts to overcome CNV (coronavirus), he said. So far, no case of the virus has been found in Pakistan. While India, the US, Sri Lanka and many other countries evacuated their nationals from Wuhan, Pakistan has declined pleas by its stranded citizens in the city to airlift them. Pakistan's Ambassador to China Naghmana Hashmi on Sunday said that Pakistani students should not be evacuated from Wuhan as medical facilities back home do not meet the standards required to treat a patient diagnosed with coronavirus. Bilal Sennousni has now been jailed for 18 months after a sceptical youth court judge brought in specialists to assess his physical appearance A bearded illegal immigrant who mugged victims of watches worth nearly 100,000 tried to avoid prison by insisting he was still a child. But despite convincing police he was just 17, Bilal Sennousni has now been jailed for 18 months after a sceptical youth court judge brought in specialists to assess his physical appearance. They concluded the Tunisian thief was at least 21. Sennousni, who has a trimmed moustache and beard, had been part of a gang that targeted wealthy residents in affluent parts of London. On September 13 he was caught red-handed with a 75,000 Richard Mille watch that had been snatched from a Norwegian millionaire in Mayfair, and was then linked to a mugging two weeks earlier, when an 18,000 Hublot Big Bang watch was wrenched from his victim near Harrods in Knightsbridge. He then tried to convince officers he was a vulnerable 17-year-old who had been ordered to steal the watch by a friend. Scotland Yard accepted he was a teenager as they could not find any birth records for Sennousni, who entered the UK illegally in June 2018. However, when he appeared at a Highbury Youth Court in north London to plead guilty to two charges of robbery, District Judge Susan Williams ordered an age assessment, which included a quiz on his migration history. Bilal Sennousni was then linked to a mugging two weeks earlier, when an 18,000 Hublot Big Bang watch was wrenched from his victim near Harrods in Knightsbridge. The store is pictured above in a stock image [File photo] When his real age emerged, she sent him to crown court for sentencing and ordered that he be transferred from a youth detention centre to an adult prison, saying: Following the assessment and indeed from looking at you in the dock today I deem you to be not less than 21 years of age. It was only when the matter was sent to Isleworth Crown Court last week that Sennousni finally changed his date of birth and admitted he is 21, and Judge Nicholas Wood jailed him for 18 months. However, following the sentencing, Scotland Yard refused to release his photograph as it still listed him as a youth on its records. But today Sennousni can finally be identified after the Daily Mail pointed out that automatic youth reporting restrictions no longer applied. In court, Judge Wood said to Sennousni: You were part of a group in an affluent area of London where you targeted your victim. Justin McClintock, defending, said: He worked as a kitchen porter and delivery driver until he ran into some trouble in the summer of last year and committed these very ugly offences. He has expressed remorse to me today and told me he is very sorry and ashamed of his behaviour. The Supreme Court on Monday said it will frame legal questions to be adjudicated by a nine-judge bench on religious discrimination against women at various religious places, the larger concerns which have arisen during the Sabarimala temple case. The nine-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said that it will inform the parties about the time frame and the questions framed in the matter on February 6. The bench, also comprising justices R Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan, L Nageswara Rao, M M Shantanagoudar, S A Nazeer, R Subhash Reddy, B R Gavai and Surya Kant, said it will also deal with the issue whether a reference order can be made in review jurisdiction for a hearing by a larger bench. During the hearing, senior advocates Fali S Nariman, Kapil Sibal, Shyam Divan and Rakesh Dwivedi said in review jurisdiction, there cannot be any reference order on issues to be heard by a larger bench. The senior lawyers contended that in review jurisdiction, the scope is very limited and the court can only see whether the judgement under review has any error apparent or not. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, senior advocates K Parasaran and Ranjit Kumar, however, opposed the arguments and said the top court while exercising the review jurisdiction can refer a larger issue, which had arisen during the adjudication of the dispute, to a larger bench. The bench said it will deal with all the issues and frame the questions which needs to be adjudicated by the nine-judge bench. The bench made clear that it was not discussing the issue of entry of women of all age groups into Sabarimala temple in Kerala. It has been hearing several senior lawyers on the issue of framing of larger legal questions to be deliberated upon by it relating to discrimination against women in various religions. "The Sabarimala review case is not before us. We are not deciding Sabarimala. We are deciding the larger questions," the bench said when senior advocates Nariman, Sibal, Divan and Dwivedi opposed the hearing on the so-called larger issue relating to discrimination against women in various religions. A five-judge bench, by a majority of 3:2 on November 14 last year, had referred to a larger bench the issue of discrimination against women in religions such as denial of entry of Muslim women into mosques, the practice of female genital mutilation in Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community and denial of right to Parsi women who have married outside their religion. At the outset, Nariman said the question whether women of all age groups can be allowed entry into the Sabarimala temple has been already decided by the Supreme Court in 2018 and the subsequent review has also been dealt with and hence, this cannot be adjudicated afresh. The bench said it will also consider the objection of Nariman as one of the issues. Nariman said the apex court cannot club other issues with Sabarimala and it cannot frame questions in a review and bring in new issues. "Scope of review is very restricted. This will set a new precedent. How can you think about other issues in a review?" he said. To this, the CJI said, "No. We will not be deciding these issues. We will only interpret articles involved in these cases." Sibal, appearing for the All India Muslim Personal Board, said though Muslim women are allowed entry into the mosque, the issue of essential religious practice is broad enough to be decided by this court. The Article 25 and 26 (fundamental rights to religion) of the Constitution are part of the fundamental rights which are enforceable against state action, he said. "A lot of petitions have been filed saying Nikah Halala is bad. Somebody is saying polygamy is bad. How the bench will decide the issue," Sibal said. To this, the bench said, "That is why we have set up a nine-judge bench. That is why we are hearing you." The bench said it was only going to decide the interpretation of those articles which have been invoked in Sabarimala. The five-judge bench on November 14 last year had set out seven questions of law to be examined by the larger bench. They include the interplay between freedom of religion under articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, need to delineate the expression "constitutional morality", the extent to which courts can enquire into particular religious practices, meaning of sections of Hindus under Article 25 and whether "essential religious practices" of a denomination or section thereof are protected under Article 26. While the five-judge bench unanimously agreed to refer religious issues to a larger bench, it gave a 3:2 split verdict on petitions seeking review of the September 2018 decision, allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala shrine. A majority verdict by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices A M Khanwilkar and Indu Malhotra decided to keep the pleas seeking a review of its decision regarding entry of women into the shrine pending and said restrictions on women at religious places were not limited to Sabarimala alone and were prevalent in other religions also. The minority verdict by justices R F Nariman and D Y Chandrachud gave a dissenting view by dismissing all the review pleas and directing compliance of its September 28, 2018 decision. By a 4:1 majority verdict, the apex court had lifted the ban that prevented women and girls between the age of 10 and 50 years from entering the famous Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala and held that the centuries-old Hindu religious practice was illegal and unconstitutional. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. By Express News Service KASARAGOD: A 19-year-old medical student, who returned from China, has tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus and is being monitored in an isolation ward in the District Hospital in Kanhangad. This is the third confirmed case in Kerala, said minister for health KK Shailaja. Of the 104 samples checked till Sunday, three tested positive for the coronavirus, she said in a statement. The student's friend is also under observation in the district hospital, though her test result was yet to come, said health officials. ALSO READ: Novel coronavirus - Kerala issues revised guidelines The first case of the Wuhan coronavirus in India was reported in Thrissur and the second in Alappuzha. "The condition of all the three patients is stable and there is no cause for concern," the minister said. Seventy-six people had returned to Kasaragod district from China, mostly from Wuhan, where the outbreak happened. "We are in touch with every person who returned from China," said district medical officer A P Dinesh Kumar. He said the student who has tested positive showed symptoms of common cold and runny nose. "But his condition is stable," he said. He has been kept in the isolation ward of the District Hospital in Kanhangad. According to medical officials, the student and his friend -- both medical students in a college in Wuhan -- arrived in the district five days ago. They gave their swabs for testing at the District Hospital before going home. Health officials said the students landed in Delhi and took another flight to Kochi, from where they came to Kasaragod. Both the students are in the isolation ward in the district hospital. "We have sent the swab of the second student also for testing. The result is yet to come," said an official. The health officials, said the DMO, were invested in stopping the spreading of the virus. The coronavirus infects the respiratory passages, and spreads like influenza, he said. "We have advised those who have come from China to keep their interaction with others to a minimum and stay indoors for three weeks," Dr Kumar said. Around 360 people have died and 17,000 people in at least 23 countries have tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus in the past three weeks. Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Mahua Moitra on Monday accused the BJP-led government of betraying the voters, who had reposed their faith in it, saying that nobody wants to be part of "us versus them" debate. Participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address in the Lok Sabha, Moitra made a hard-hitting attack on the government, saying it should not go beyond tenets of democracy or arrogate any extra-constitutional authority. She accused the government of "betrayal of body politic" and said that the people were on the streets against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Population Register (NPR) and the Register of Citizens (NRC). "As a member of the opposition, I have an unquestionable right to tell you that as a government you lack humility," she said. "Do not go beyond the tenets of democracy. Today I rise to speak of betrayal. And this betrayal is not just for myself. I was not part of 31 per cent who voted for you in 2014 and 37 per cent who voted for you in 2019. This is not about people like me. I was sceptical about you, your ideology, your rhetoric right from the word go. In a sense, you own me little. The truth is you have betrayed the very citizen who did vote for you," she said. Moitra said the BJP did not come to power only on votes of "the Hindu right" but because a very large section of ordinary people, the aspirational middle-of-the-road voters "cast aside whatever reservations they might have had about your past" and believed in the slogan of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'. She said these were not hard-core believers but "they still believed you, they voted for you." "You have betrayed the young voters looking forward to their first job. You have betrayed small businessmen by your decision of demonetisation killing his market," she said. She accused the government of questioning the citizenship of the people who had voted for it. "The middle-of-road voters who cannot recognise the India they are living in, cannot recognise the images they see on TV screens," she said and accused the members of the ruling party of "spewing hate-filled invective." She also mentioned the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp and said all holocaust memorials serve one reminder that it could happen again. "NPR, NRC, and CAA are all tools in Machevillian design to first mark out and then disenfranchise and finally annihilate. This is your biggest betrayal of those who voted for you. Nobody wants to be part of this 'us versus them' debate. My friends who voted for you in 2014 are horrified by what is happening in their name under your watch," she said. She accused the BJP of demonising dissent and forgetting dharma. Moitra also objected to BJP choosing its MP Parvesh Sahib Singh as its first speaker in the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address, saying that he had been barred from campaigning for 96 hours by the poll panel. "You have executive authority to do so but your government depends on higher authority -- moral authority," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tehran, Feb 4 : Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the Islamic republic is ready for interaction and cooperation with Europe to settle nuclear deal-related problems, the official IRNA news agency reported. Rouhani made the remarks while meeting with Josep Borrell, high Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who arrived in Tehran on Monday for talks on a range of issues, Xinhua news agency reported. Rouhani referred to Iran's reduction of commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA,) saying that Tehran is ready to re-embrace its vows if the Europeans help protect Iran's economic interests enshrined by the JCPOA. He expressed the hope that under new EU representative the relations between the Islamic republic and Europe will improve. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 18:08 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20624eee3 1 National Wuhan-coronavirus,Natuna,quarantine,evacuation,Jokowi Free President Joko Jokowi Widodo has asked for local residents understanding over Jakartas decision to use a military base in Natuna, Riau Islands, as the location of quarantine for 243 people who were evacuated over the weekend from coronavirus-hit Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province, China. Jokowi said the government had previously prepared several locations to observe the health of the evacuated people, but it came to decide on Natuna due to, among other reasons, the preparedness of the medical workers there. Not every island can be used [as a quarantine location]. We calculated the level of preparedness of the local health team until we decided on Natuna, Jokowi said on Monday. The governments decision to quarantine the evacuees was previously met with opposition from Natuna residents, who staged protests over the weekend due to concerns over the coronavirus spreading in the region. In response to the backlash, Jokowi said, I believe we need the generosity of the Indonesian people. After all, they [the evacuees] are our brothers and sisters. The government airlifted on Sunday 243 people comprising 237 Indonesian nationals, five Indonesian diplomats and a foreigner and spouse of an Indonesian citizen from cities in Hubei, including Wuhan, where the pneumonia-like virus was first detected. Read also: [UPDATED] Indonesia bars entry to visitors from China amid evacuation protest The evacuees boarded a Batik Air flight and landed at Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands, at around 8:45 a.m. They were immediately transferred to other planes operated by the Indonesian Air Force and taken to Natuna Island. The Health Ministrys disease control and prevention director general, Anung Sugihantono, said separately that, as of Monday, there were no plans from the government to change the location of the quarantine area. He said a number of government officials, including Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy and Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto, had explained the situation to local officials on Sunday to clear up any miscommunication regarding the establishment of the quarantine area in Natuna. Anung also said the government would try to accommodate the wishes of the local residents, many of whom had asked that the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) work on additional preventive measures by providing face masks. [...] Those who reside near the [quarantine location] had also asked to hold temporary residence away from the area, said Anung. BNPB head [Lt. Gen. Doni Monardo] reported yesterday that [the BNPB] will facilitate this if the public needs such things. As of Monday, Chinese authorities confirmed that the coronavirus had killed 360 people in the country. Since it first emerged in Wuhan on December, the virus has so far infected more than 16,400 in China and spread to at least 24 nations, AFP reported. Amanatullah Khan election result 2020 live news and latest updates online - Read about Amanatullah Khan AAP candidate who is fighting Delhi assembly (Vidhan Sabha) election from Okhla seat and many more at Firstpost.com. Amantullah Khan, the firebrand Muslim face of the Aam Aadmi Party, will be contesting from the Muslim-dominated Okhla constituency. The constituency is currently in the news as it includes Shaheen Bagh, the epicentre of the anti-CAA protests in Delhi. Khan, who will be contesting his third Assembly election, won the 2015 election by a massive margin of over 64,000 votes. Khan, who is originally from Meerut, attended the Jamia Millia Islamia but did not graduate with a degree. He fought his first election in 2013 as a Lok Janshakti Party candidate. However, he could only garner only 3747 votes and lost his deposit. He later joined the Aam Aadmi Party before the 2015 elections and was elected to the partys national executive in 2016. Khan, who is also the Delhi Waqf Board chairman, has had a controversial term as a legislator. He was involved in a long-standing fracas with former AAP leader Kumar Vishwas. After the party faced a drubbing in the Assembly elections of 2017 and the municipal polls, Vishwas had called for introspection within the party ranks. However, Khan alleged that Vishwas was trying to control the party and was working on behest of the BJP and the RSS. The verbal spat between the two led to Khan quitting the partys political affairs committee in May 2017. However, he was later reinstated by the party. In 2019, the Delhi police filed a chargesheet against Khan for assaulting and threatening a person at a wedding. On 29 January, the Delhi Anti Corruption Bureau booked Khan for allegedly misusing Waqf Board funds and conducting irregular recruitment. Hon. Lawyer Barbara Oteng Gyasi (Mrs.) the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Prestea Huni-Valley Constituency in the Western Region of the Republic of Ghana has picked nomination forms to contest the parliamentary seat and seek RE-ELECTION for the second term in 2020. Hon. Member of Parliament who also doubles as the Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Creative Art,. let the NPP to snath the constituency seat from the NDC in the 20216 general elections. Hon. MP congratulated the constituency executives, electoral area Coordinators, Polling station executives and all party sympathizers for the support they gave her during the 2016 elections and charged them to do more to retain the power come 2020 both Presidential and Parliamentary elections. She said the president has performed Better and therefore need four More years to do more for the good people of Ghana especially Prestea Huni-Valley Constituency Gaborone, Botswana (PANA) As Botswana seeks means to transform her economy, the central bank will next week host stakeholders to chart the way on moving it from a middle income to a high income status Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 04:32:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close SANAA, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths arrived in the rebel-held capital Sanaa on Sunday to facilitate a humanitarian "medical air bridge", the Houthi rebel-run al-Masirah TV reported. The air bridge, launched by the Saudi-led coalition in cooperation with the World Health Organization, is scheduled to open on Monday. Patients, with chronic diseases which cannot be treated inside Yemen, will be airlifted by UN chartered air flights from Sanaa airport to hospitals in Jordan and Egypt. Yemen's airspace has been controlled by the Saudi-led coalition since its intervention in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to support the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthis seized control of much of the country's north and forced the Saudi-backed government of Hadi out of Sanaa. A Kansas company pleaded guilty Friday to violating clean air rules and is expected to pay a $1 million fine for its role in a chemical gas cloud that formed over Atchison in 2016, causing more than 140 people to seek medical treatment. Harcros Chemicals Inc., of Kansas City, Kansas, pleaded guilty to negligently violating the federal Clean Air Act, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said in a news release. The plea agreement calls for both sides to recommend no probation when Hacros is officially sentenced May 27. Another company, MGP Ingredients Inc., of Atchison, pleaded guilty to the same charge in November and is also expected to pay a $1 million fine. On Oct. 21, 2016, a greenish-yellow chlorine gas cloud formed over Atchison when 4,000 gallons of sulfuric acid were mistakenly combined with 5,800 gallons of sodium hypochlorite at MGPs plant. The noxious cloud covered the city for 45 minutes until emergency personnel turn off the flow. Nearby homes and schools were evacuated and other residents were told to shelter in place. Atchison has about 11,000 residents and is about 50 miles (about 80 kilometers) northwest of Kansas City. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Kansas Chemicals French President Emmanuel Macron will pay an official visit to the Republic of Poland on February 3-4. One of the goals of Macrons first visit to Warsaw is to involve Poland in negotiations on the situation in eastern Ukraine before and after meetings in the Normandy format, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. This is a crucial visit, as it opens up new opportunities for strategic cooperation with France for the next four years. This is the last country that had certain critical opinions about Poland, Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said before Macron's visit. During the visit, the parties will sign a strategic program of cooperation between Poland and France for the next four years and a declaration of cooperation with the EU. ish ALBANY Two men who were passed over for the top law enforcement position at the state Department of Environmental Conservation have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit accusing the agency, its leaders and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's office of eliminating the civil service requirements for the job so a black candidate who had failed the qualification test could be appointed. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Albany by Dennis Scott Florence, a former major with the DEC's Bureau of Environmental Criminal Investigations, and Maj. Michael St. Jeanos, who oversees the DEC's Special Operations and Emergency Response Unit. The complaint alleges that at the behest of an unidentified person in the governor's office the DEC's director of law enforcement position was given two years ago to Bernard Rivers, who held the rank of captain but had failed a civil service test and had "inferior" qualifications and experience to eight white candidates who had been in line for the job. Scott Florence was "so offended, upset and disgusted" that he retired from his job five years earlier than he intended to work, reducing his income and pension benefits. St. Jeanos remains on duty but, after filing a complaint on the issue with the state Division of Human Rights, has allegedly been subjected to "adverse employment actions" including threats to move his office and having his job duties changed. Richard Azzopardi, a spokesman for the governor, dismissed the case as "frivilous." "These complaints were independently investigated by the Division of Human Rights and emphatically dismissed at the investigative stage, finding that complainants had no proof whatsoever of discrimination and that DEC had a legitimate and non-discriminatory reason for its selection," Azzopardi said. The director of law enforcement position became available in March 2018 when the former director retired. Rivers was appointed to serve as acting director allegedly because he had failed the civil service exam and as a result was not a candidate for the position. The lawsuit contends DEC officials said Rivers was appointed as the active director rather than the eight candidates who had passed the exam because they did not want to give any of those individuals an advantage in the selection process. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. But in a June 2018 letter from DEC to the state Civil Service Commission, the agency requested the law enforcement director's position be "declassified" to a non-civil service position. But during that summer and into October, Scott Florence and St. Jeanos said they and other candidates being interviewed for the job, including by DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos, "were repeatedly assured ... that the selection process was moving forward and that a decision from among the candidates on the list would be made shortly." "Rumors began circulating through DEC that ... Rivers, who is African-American, could be hired despite having failed the exam," the federal complaint states. "These rumors indicated that someone on the governor's staff was advocating for Capt. Rivers from an affirmative action standpoint" and that Rivers confirmed "the substance of the allegations" during a staff meeting. Rivers was appointed to the permanent position of director of law enforcement in November 2018. "The best way to understand this case is to think of it in reverse," said James B. Tuttle, an attorney for Scott Florence and St. Jeanos. "If there were eight minority candidates on a civil service list, but that list became invalidated by means of a clandestine process concealed from those candidates and the position was awarded to a white candidate who had failed the same civil service test that the eight minority candidates had passed, there would be an outcry of discrimination. The reverse is what happened here." Brazilian filmmaker Barbara Paz's "Babenco: Tell Me When I Die" hasbagged the prestigious Golden Conch Award for Best Documentary Film at the 16th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) that concluded on Monday. At the closing ceremony of the festival that began on January 28, "Sairat" director Nagraj Manjules "Paavsacha Nibandh" (An Essay of Rain) received the Silver Conch for Best Short Fiction Film. "Babenco: Tell Me When I Die" a tender immersion into the life of the South American filmmaker and Paz's late life partner Hector Babenco got the highest honour for its intimate and celebratory portrayal of the Brazilian film director and his reflections of life and death. Receiving the award on behalf of the director, Consul General of Brazil Guilherme Patriota read out a written message from Paz which said winning the award fills her with huge emotion. "'Babenco' is a film about love, the love of cinema, the love of life. It is a film about how to say farewell to life by doing what you love, filming till the last. Brazil thanks you for this prize. Director Babenca is dancing in Paradise," the letter read. Manjule's film tells the story of a ten-year-old boy who writes an essay on rain for a school assignment. The film bagged the honour for its evocation of a grim social reality through the metaphor of rain that transforms into an unwritten essay," a statement read. TheSilver Conch Award for the Best Animation Film has been shared by two films the German film "Portrait of Suzanne", directed by Izabela Plucinska, and the Indian film "Panangaatu Nari" (The Fox of the Palmgrove) by Divakar SK. Speaking on the occasion, Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari highlighted the important role of documentary films and exhorted filmmakers to improve public awareness and sensitivity towards societal and humanitarian issues, so as to inculcate higher values and inspire actions among people. Bhagat said this will make such films timeless and remembered and lived by generations to come. Chairman, International Jury, Shaji N Karun, said for filmmakers, Films Division, a unit under the I&B ministry, is the emotional history of the nation. "Documentaries represent the real history of India... In order to bring more stability to a great and important festival such as MIFF, we like to recommend to create a position of independent artistic director or curator, so as to acquire the best films from India and the world for the festival, based on a wider and deeper philosophy," Karun said. "The organising committee (of MIFF) should be formed at least one year in advance for better programming and for providing better information to the public on the films on offer. "One copy of the winning film should be deposited with the National Film Archive of India," he suggested. Congratulating the winners, Maharashtra Minister for Cultural Affairs and Medical Education Amit Deshmukh said the state government is going to do everything possible in order to promote the film sector. "The Union and the state governments must come together in order to create new avenues for filmmaking, to give infrastructure to experiment and produce films which can cater to the world. Films are a great contributor to the economy as well," he said. Chairman, National Jury, Thomas Waugh said the National Jury had an enjoyable and challenging week. "Part of the challenge has been the diversity of the films. We need to reach out to the global animation community and get a larger representation of animation films. "We need to reach out further to the producers of feature-length documentaries. We need to focus more on independent documentary production," Waugh said. "We need to increase the number of selected films, so that a broader range of films can be examined by both national and international juries. "The new section on water conservation is a very promising development. We are very proud of the strong representation of woman directors in the National Competition Section, Waugh added. Additional Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Atul Kumar Tiwari, said the awards are a small effort by the government to deepen the documentary film culture in India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Monday, February 3, 2020 at 2:56PM What the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is expected to look like Samsung is all set to launch the Galaxy S20 series next week on February 11. There doesn't seem to be much that's been kept secret at this point. But now we learn a new feature rumoured to be coming to its cameras. According to XDA Developers' Max Weinbach, the Galaxy S20 series can take photos and videos simultaneously using the main, ultra-wide, and telephoto cameras. The feature will reportedly be called Quick Take, which will let you go into the gallery app after you take the three photos and choose from there which ones you want to keep. The Galaxy S20 will also reportedly get a feature called Single Take, which combines the images captured from the three cameras into short videos. Using the three cameras at the same time isn't a novel feature. LG has done something similar before with the V40's Triple Shot. Source: GSMArena Danny Kruger is MP for Devizes and is a former Political Secretary to Boris Johnson. I voted Leave in 2016, and I am glad that we are leaving the EU on Friday. The twenty-first century will reward countries that are nimble, agile and free, but Brexit is about more than Global Britain; it is a response to the call of home. It reflects peoples attachment to the places that are theirs. Patriotism is rooted in places. Our love of our country begins with love of our neighbourhoods. Our first loyalties are to the people we live among, and we have a preference to be governed by people we know. That impulse is not wrong; it is right. As we finally get Brexit done this week, it is right that we are considering how to strengthen local places, especially places far from London. I wholeheartedly support the plans to invest in infrastructure to connect our cities and townsthe broadband and the transport links that will drive economic growth in all parts of the UK. Just as important as economic infrastructure is what we might call social infrastructure: the institutions of all kinds where people gather to work together, to play together and to help each other. I make my maiden speech in this debate because I spent 10 years as the chief executive of a project I founded with my wife Emma that works in prisons and with young people at risk. It was the hardest job I have ever done, and I worked in some very tough places. We often failed, but we were always close to the people we tried to help. Never bureaucratic, and never treating people as statistics ora phrase I do not likeservice users, we saw them as people whose lives had gone wrong and whose lives, but for the grace of God, could have been ours. We are now trustees of that charity. If I might make a plea to Ministers, it is for them to recognise the role of independent civil society organisationscharities and social enterprisesin the fight against crime and, indeed, against all the social evils we debate in this place. Social problems demand social solutions, not just a state response. Of course we need the police, the prison system and the probation servicewe need them very badly, and we need them to be betterbut, just as important, we need the social infrastructure that prevents crime, supports victims and rehabilitates criminals. The Government have a great mission as we leave the EU and try to fashion a UK that is fit for the future. This mission represents a challenge to some of the traditional views of both left and right. The main actor in our story is not the solitary individual seeking to maximise personal advantage, nor is it the central state enforcing uniformity from a Department in Whitehall; the main actor in our story is the local community. We need reform of the public sector to create services that are genuinely owned and cared for by local people. We need reform of business so that directors are incentivised to think of people and the planet, as well as their quarterly profits. And we need reform of politics itself to give power back to the people and to make communities responsible for the decisions that affect them. I finish on a more abstract issue, but it is one that we will find ourselves debating in many different forms in this Parliament. It is the issue of identity, of who we are both as individuals and in relation to each other. We traditionally had a sense of this: we are children of God, fallen but redeemed. Capable of great wrong but capable of great virtue. Even for those who did not believe in God, there was a sense that our country is rooted in Christianity and that our liberties derive from the Christian idea of absolute human dignity. Today those ideas are losing their purchase, so we are trying to find a new set of values to guide us, a new language of rights and wrongs, and a new idea of identity based not on our universal inner value or on our membership of a common culture but on our particular differences. I state this as neutrally as I can, because I know that good people are trying hard to make a better world and that Christianity and the western past are badly stained by violence and injustice, but I am not sure that we should so casually throw away the inheritance of our culture. There is so much to be positive about. I share the Prime Ministers exuberant optimism about the future, but we need a set of values and beliefs to guide us. As we advance at speed into a bewildering world in which we are forced to ask the most profound questions about the limits of autonomy and what it means to be human, we may have reason to look about for the old ways and to seek wisdom in the old ideas that are, in my view, entirely timeless. This article is an extract from the authors maiden speech, which was delivered in the Commons last week. He has been keeping a low profile since relocating to the U.S. in 2012. But it seems troubled actor Matthew Newton is planning a career comeback after signing with LA talent agency Kaplan-Stahler. According to New Idea, the 43-year-old Looking for Alibrandi star, who is the son of Australian media royalty Bert and Patti Newton, is hoping to return to writing and directing. He's back? Matthew Newton is 'planning a career comeback' after fleeing to New York in 2012 and vows he 'wants nothing to do with Australia'. Pictured at Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney on June 12, 2007 'Its been a bumpy road but hes really trying to prove to people he has overcome his past issues and is ready to move on with his life,' a source told the publication. They went on to say: 'There is pressure for him to relocate to LA to really get back in the driving seat of his career, network with executives and other directors'. The star previously directed Hollywood hit, Who We Are Now, which featured an all-star cast including Emma Roberts, Lea Thompson and Jason Biggs. New beginnings: 'Its been a bumpy road but hes really trying to prove to people he has overcome his past issues and is ready to move on with his life,' a source told the publication Meanwhile, according to Woman's Day magazine, Matthew has completely given up on his home country, much to the distress of his 74-year-old mother, Patti. 'Because of his scandals over the years, he can't face coming home to Australia,' a source told the publication. 'Matthew lives a private, almost reclusive, life with his partner Catherine in New York now, where he is rarely bothered. He has no desire to reawaken old demons by returning to Australia,' the insider added. Heartbreak: Matthew has reportedly completely given up on his home country, much to the distress of his 74-year-old mother, Patti But Matthew's absence has apparently left his parents, Bert and Patti, devastated. Matthew, who suffers from bipolar disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder, was forced to withdraw as director of the Hollywood film Eve in October 2018 after a social media backlash over his alleged history of assault. This includes domestic violence allegations from two former girlfriends: Australian actresses Brooke Satchwell, 38, and Rachael Taylor, 34. Right from the onset, it may be necessary to make this point clear: That Nigeria is a genocidal state. We need to have that in mind while responding to the question of whether the Igbo should continue to maintain their stake as partners in the colonial union known as Nigeria. Throughout history and in all regions of the world where there has been genuine and honest response to genocides, separation has always been the only sensible response. At the end of the crime, the victims are usually removed far away from the perpetrators. That is the only solution that permanently prevents future occurrences of the atrocities of genocide in any society where it has taken place. While the people are saying Never Again, the only reliable guarantee that is capable of safeguarding such a promise is the shield and assurances that sovereign independent international boundaries provide for a persecuted people like the Igbo. The truth is that while you try as much as possible to keep fires away from gunpowder, you should also make efforts to keep gunpowder away from fires. Here following, we will name a few of the victims of genocides in the past who of necessity had to be separated from the perpetrators in order to ensure that the victims do not suffer the same fate in the future. Some time ago in 2016, in the midst of threats from the Turkish government which perpetrated the crime, German legislators officially recognized the Armenian Genocide as such. The United States Congress, despite protests from the Turkish government has also officially recognized the Armenian genocide. Soon after the Turkish Ottoman Empire committed the genocide of the Armenians in 1915 with the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians, the Armenian people had to separate themselves into an independent country of Armenia with the administrative capital in Yerevan. After the German Nazis committed the genocide of the Jews in Germany and the rest of Europe in which 6 million Jews were massacred, the victims had to separate themselves far away from the perpetrators. This Jewish Genocide is known widely as the Holocaust. The genocide ended in 1945 and the Jews established an independent state of Israel in the Middle East in 1948. It is the accusation of genocides that led to the breaking up of the countries that made up the former united country of Yugoslavia. The genocide of the East Pakistanis by the government of West Pakistan led to the separation of the two formerly united country, where the East became Bangladesh. The list goes on. The genocide such as the one that took place in Nigeria against the Igbo is an institutional genocide. Most genocides are institutional crimes, anyway. In most cases it is only states that have the capacity to muster such elaborate machineries usually required to carry out such great massacres. The government as well as the other peoples of Nigeria committed the genocide of Biafrans between 1966 and 1970 in which 3.5 million Biafrans were killed. Igbo made up 3.1 of the 3.5 million who died in that genocide. The root cause of the Igbo Genocide in Nigeria is hatred. Therefore, the hatred that produced the act is institutional and not merely individuals. The Nigerian state as an institution is the primary source of the prevailing Nigerians hatred of the Igbo. Because its source resides in the institution of the federal republic of Nigeria, it will be near impossible to uproot this hatred from the Nigerian society. It will be near impossible to create a lasting atmosphere in the Nigerian society where the Igbo will be eventually accepted and allowed to exist side by side with the other Nigerians in the spirit of true brotherhood. Institutions run as continuums therefore their established policies, customs, norm and culture such as the society-wide hatred of the Igbo, run from one generation to the next. Agreements, armistices and promises such as Never Again, No victors and no vanquished and other similar lofty pledges, when they are genuinely made, can only hold for a while in genocidal societies like Nigeria. Eventually there will always emerge the biblical Pharaoh who did not know Joseph. And once such Pharaohs arrive in power, the vicious cycle resumes and genocide repeats itself. It is in the light of the above truth that we know that the only real permanent solution that will prevent any future genocides of the Igbo in Nigeria is for the Igbo to be separated from Nigeria into a sovereign independent Igbo country or state. [February 03, 2020] RenaissanceRe Names Ann Manal as Chief Human Resources Officer RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:RNR) (the "Company" or "RenaissanceRe") announced today that Ann Manal has joined the Company as Chief Human Resources Officer responsible for overseeing the global HR Function. She will be based at the Company's Bermuda headquarters. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005491/en/ Ann Manal (Photo: Business Wire) Kevin O'Donnell, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated: "I am delighted to welcome Ann to our global leadership team. At RenaissanceRe, our people are our most valuable asset and Ann brings a wealth of experience in human resource management to this critical role. I look forward to having her on board, ensuring that we continue to attract, develop and retain talent of the highest caliber." Ms. Manal has over 25 years of experience in human resources and managing business change, most recently as the Chief Human Resources Officer for Stewart Information Services Corporation, a global publicly listed title insurance company. Prior to Stewart, she was a Consulting Director for Towers Watson's Human Capital Practice and held senior roles at Mercer and Deloitte (News - Alert). About RenaissanceRe RenaissanceRe is a global provider of reinsurance and insurance that specializes in matching well-structured risks with efficient sources of capital. The Company provides property, casualty and specialty reinsurance and certain insurance solutions to customers, principally through intermediaries. Established in 1993, the Company has offices in Bermuda, Australia, Ireland, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005491/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Hundreds of protesters detained at the Greater Tehran Penitentiary (GTP) for taking part in demonstrations against the fuel price hike and the downing of the Ukrainian passenger flight are being held onwards run by thieves and drug dealers, like security guard and convicted drug seller Vahid Safari. These violent convicted criminals hired by the prison warden Hedayat Farzadi, according to Iran HRMs informed source. Safari pushes the protesters to take drugs, especially crack cocaine, saying that protesters will find life inside hard and this will make it easier for them. The security forces then closed the bathroom and shower complex, where there are no closed-circuit cameras so that inmates could use drugs there. A similar thing occurred after the 2017 and 2018 protests. The Iranian Judiciary systematically uses this tactic against young protesters who fight oppression and injustice. It is often said that it is easier to find drugs than a book in the GTP, with political prisoners asking for books and being told there is no budget for them, while drugs like crack, heroin, opium, and B2 pills can be used without fear of punishment. In August 2018, Iran HRM received a report from inside the GTP, where more than 80% of the prisoners are addicts. The report read: [This] is a prison for political and non-political prisoners and usually does not have any media attention and human rights activists protesting the conditions. Attention to the social and welfare conditions of ordinary non-political prisoners in [here] is a matter of urgency. Their rights have been trampled on and they have no backers. They are under inhumane conditions and are experiencing conditions that are unbearable even for a day. Without a doubt, they are experiencing irreparable damage to their body and soul. The conditions at the GTP are also overcrowded, lacking basic hygiene requirements, and does not provide clean food and water for the inmates. The hierarchy within the prison means that prisoners who have been charged with fraud and embezzlement are given the best treatment, with beds to sleep on, socks to wear, and cigarettes to smoke, while robbers have the next highest status. Political prisoners and minorities are at the bottom of the pile. Read more: Thousands have been executed in Evin prison and former inmates have told horror stories of electrocution, rape, and torture its no wonder Irans Evin Prison is known as one of the most brutal on earth. In 1988, 30,000 thousands of dissidents from the opposition group the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK/PMOI) were hanged in the prisons of the regime, in one of the most savage political mass killings in modern history. Nowadays, anyone who speaks out against the regime in Iran can find themselves behind Evins deeply fortified walls. Bloggers, teachers, and academics are arrested in the middle of the night and thrown in Evins squalid cells after being convicted of questionable crimes without proper legal defense. There are said to be so many intellectuals in one wing of the prison that its earned the dark nickname Evin University. In the vernacular here at Yonder Mountain, I been a thankin An a readin An a watchin An a listenin An a wonderin why is it that every time the subject of educating our precious progeny comes up, some folks begin advocating we eliminate tried and true basic elements of the learning process? Its long been known that cursive writing aids development of fine motor skills. The over educated geniuses to whom weve delegated administering the education of our precious progeny have been trying to eliminate it from the curriculum for decades with no real reason other than it takes time and practice to master the skill. Fine motor skills? When IBM built a humongous campus in Charlotte, N.C. there was talk about expanding, perhaps even moving, some of their mechanical assembly manufacturing to Charlotte from up north. In the end they decided against it because, as was explained to me at the time, there was no ready workforce capable of assembling the intricate mechanisms. Fine motor skills but some genius with an EdD is more capable of telling the community what our children need to learn in order to be successful, taxpaying adults. Another favorite is math. Oh, they feign advocacy that math skills are necessary, but their actions state otherwise unless, of course, our children need only to know how to cook rice and grits perhaps flip burgers at the local greasy spoon. That needs to be put in the same stink-hole as the old adage that women have smaller feet than men so they can stand closer to the stove and sink while theyre cooking and washing dishes. And the geniuses to whom we delegate administration of educating our children continue their attempts to be paid more for less Education, by its very nature, is foundational. Before advancing to the next phase, the previous subject matter must be conquered. Conquering must include understanding, not merely performing operations by rote. Doing otherwise is nothing more than setting students up for failure. Exempli gratia; before studii can understand why women leave dents in flooring with high heels they must first understand force multiplication, that if we take a little bitty 100 pound girl, put her in spike heels, that relatively small weight is concentrated on a very small area, the area of her heels, and can be significant. Its easy to calculate the magnitude if we understand simple math. In his Notebooks of Lazarus Long, Robert A. Heinlein attributes to ol' Laz; Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. At best he is a tolerable sub-human who has learned to wear shoes, bathe, and not make messes in the house. If we stop and think about that a little, just a little, it really isn't too far from wrong is it. A favorite example of geniuses on the wrong track is algebra. We have some teachers whod have us believe most of our precious progeny will never use algebra, so they ask why it's even taught. To be sure, algebra can be difficult to master, but only because by the time were capable of understanding the underlying concepts were used to doing all our ciphering with numbers, not letters used to working with specifics, not generalities. Properly introduced, thats nothing more than a speed bump someones saturated with diesel fuel a couple of knocks and the barrier falls to pieces. Algebra is a transitional subject, like the concrete block laid between the footings and wall plate of a house, its somewhat useful on its own but is absolutely necessary as the foundation for other subjects. As a practical matter, will any particular studii need to know that (3x^2 14x + 127) is a prime polynomial? Probably not, but it isnt a matter of understanding a specific operation. Its that foundation dealie, the process of getting from one level to the next and to throw out such an illustration is a prime example of using information, or an example, out of context. Will every studii need to know 127 (decimal), 01111111 (binary), 01000000 (Gray, a specialized binary code), 177 (octal), and 007F (hexadecimal) are all the same magnitude? Probably not, unless shes going into one of the pocket protector fields, and possibly not even then. But there are also those situations when flipping a binary 2 or 4, depending on the hand, at some idiot who desperately needs it is a must except the flipp-er also needs to be good with his hands in other respects in case the flip-ee takes offense. One might believe accountants dont need to understand anything but addition and subtraction, debits and credits. I once had a company controller explain that he made 3 percent on his money by paying me in 60 days instead of 30, even if he paid a 1.5 percent late fee. I offer a 2 percent prompt payment discount if you pay in 10 days said I, and he repeated that he got 3 percent by paying me in 60. So I asked if he would agree a 2 percent discount would be the same as investing money at 2 percent interest. He agreed. So we had a lesson in the time value of money, and compounding, using algebra, in which he learned that investing his money with 2 percent interest paid every 10 days his money would double in 37 periods 370 days to double his money a 100 percent effective annual percentage rate or APR. He started paying our invoices in 10 days and asking other vendors to give him a similar prompt payment discount. Wont use higher math after high school? There certainly are those of us who must use relatively complex math each and every day. Not just the pluses and minuses but the timeses, gazintas, and more; powers, roots, functions, sets, transforms. And those funny little Greek hickiebobs. Math is the basic language of the universe, of thought. We use math for triangulation, calculating roof geometries, the slope of a road or incline, calculating distances with only basic tools, phase relationships, vector forces, mapping coordinates, playing pool, writing, writing poetry, music, and timekeeping. Some of us even work with other than 1s and 0s, outside of the digital world sometimes with pi on paper and pie in the other hand. We can talk about calculators, computers, iPads and fast internet service, how theyll make doing school or work work easier. How do any of these contribute to understanding? Isnt education all about understanding? I keep thinking back to my calculus instructor in college telling us Weve spent the last semester and a half learning how to do things the hard way. That was so you understand the concepts. Now were going to learn the easy way. In the previous class shed given us a test with only one (1) question on it one question that took 6 or 7 sheets of paper to work out, and required us to show our work. Studying math teaches us to follow a process toward a goal. Nothing we do can be performed without following some sort of process, at least in the beginning and before were slapped with an epiphany about the subject at hand. We cant build a house beginning with the roof, or the walls with no foundation. Understanding math enables us to evaluate life and the world around us, eliminate superfluity, and focus on the necessities. Administrators of our education systems dont like it because we might begin asking questions. Processes some time ago I was swapping war stories with a Semper Fi Bro. To keep things in perspective; the difference between a fairly-tale and a sea story is that fairy tales begin with once upon a time and sea stories begin with now this is no bull. War stories are worse, generally with a soldier involved. Back when he was a crewleader on a piping project out west in the middle of BuFu, Nowhere they were pressure testing a mile section, seriously behind schedule due to a number of unforeseen challenges, like metamorphic rock where pipe was supposed to go, and in their rush to get back on schedule they opted to use compressed air instead of non-compressible water because either was allowed in their test plan. They had a weld on the end of the pipe fail. Man, the flange on the end of that pipe blew off and landed 5 miles away. Where it landed looked like a bomb went off. Thats a lot of force, said I. Not really. We were only working with 750 PSI (pounds per square inch). I disagreed about the force, and knowing where hed been we ciphered it out... after some discussion. There might have been adult beverages involved, and cigars, so we werent necessarily in a big hurry but Ill admit to nothing on the off chance one of Speaker Pelosis understudies gets wind and tries to take away the EGAs (Eagle, Globe, and Anchor) we earned all those years ago for violating some imagined law. Those folks are diligently trying to take away anything people have worked hard to earn arent they Presidential authority, assets we deplorable working stiffs have accumulated, anything and everything they can get a grubby Mitt on. In order to determine the force applied across a surface by a pressure we must know the area of the surface. They were working with a 36 inch round pipe. There are at least 2 methods to determine the cross sectional area, the area of the open end of the pipe that was capped off. First would be to take a string, run it around the inside of the pipe, then lay it on the ground in a parallelogram and multiply the length of the base times the height. The second, and easier, method would be to use a formula developed by those ancient GreekGuys, Pi times r^2 (the circle radius squared). Much, much easier and more accurate. We can get out to better than 3 decimal places with that baby. Both methods were actually developed by those ancient GreekGuys, and each requires algebra. So we have Pi (3.1416, rounding to 4 decimal places) times 18 inches ( of 36) squared = 3.1416 x 324 = 1,017.8784 square inches of surface area. 750 PSI means were applying a force of 750 pounds to each square inch of surface area of the cap across the end of that pipe, which gives us 750 pounds (force) x 1,017.8784 square inches (surface area) = 763,408.8 pounds of force pressing against the capped end of that pipe, ignoring insignificant zeroes and the process of cancellation of units. If we consider they had a mile of compressed air, in effect a mile long compressed spring, exerting that amount of force, they had a serious amount of stored energy and it isnt inconceivable the landing zone of the cork in the end of their pipe might have looked like a bomb exploded, because thats exactly what they had when the setup blew a bomb. Okay, so it might have only landed 2 miles away. The airborne distance and potential damage was still significant, and if it was legal here in Tennessee Id wager hes still requiring his welders to calculate the force applied during a pressure test when they do one lowly welders lowly in the eyes of some, that is. So what happens when we arent taught algebra, and geometry, in school? There could be serious safety issues, for one, each and every day on each and every job no matter if its a pipeline welder or a stock clerk at Wallys because they dont understand the potential hazards of their jobs. We use algebra every day whether we know it or not. What happens to the kid with a driving interest in science, making stuff work, inventing stuff to solve a problem who doesn't have the tools to proceed? What about the kid who doesn't know what she wants to do in life, then stumbles onto something that flips a switch... and it's off the the races because the fire was lit? Cutting basic, and necessary, elements of childrens education is just plain igner'nt for any adult to advocate, pure laziness when suggested by a freeloading educator. Freeloading educator? Not all of them but if the Foo Bird poops, ya gotta wear it. Teachers charged with educating our precious progeny must have support from the system administration, and the community, to shield them from minutiae so they can teach those who want to learn dont they. If those determining the curriculum don't know the subject matter and how its used, that's a problem too. And then theres ol Laz again; Dont handicap your children by making their lives easy. But what do I know. I was just one of those kids whose life was changed by an electrical spark, a high voltage arc actually. Bzzzzzzt! Royce Burrage, Jr. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Twelve persons including eight Chinese nationals, have been kept under observation at isolation wards across the State, according to Health Minister C Vijayabaskar. Speaking to reporters after inspecting the lab facility at the King Institute, Guindy, where the blood and swab samples will be tested for coronavirus, the minister said 10 people were under observation at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, one at Ramnad district and another at Tiruchy. All are asymptomatic. However, they were being kept under observation on account of travel history and there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the State yet, the minister said. He further said that a total of 799 people, who had travelled to China and other affected countries and returned to Tamil Nadu, were being kept under house observation. "Also, the Central government wants to test all passengers from Wuhan even if they dont have symptoms. So far, samples have been taken from nine people, among them four were sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune, and the remaining will be tested at the King Institute, he added. Vijayabaskar also said the patients will get the results within 48 hours of sample collection. He also appealed to people not to spread rumours about the virus in the State. We are monitoring the situation closely and have so far, screened 5,543 passengers at the airports. Among them, 646 are from China and 153 were from coronavirus affected countries, he said. Earlier, he also appealed to people through a video, to maintain personal hygiene. People should wash hands after returning home from public places. Simple hand washing and disinfecting surfaces will prevent infection from spreading. , he said. Meanwhile, officials at the Directorate of Public Health said among the 10 people at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, eight are Chinese nationals. Only one Chinese national had symptoms like cold, cough and also mild temperature, during screening at the airport, so he was shifted to the isolation ward there and samples were taken. While the other seven were asymptomatic, we didnt want to take a chance, so we kept them also under observation and their samples will be taken, an official said. In another case, the officials also took samples from a family in Coimbatore, after a woman in the family who travelled from China, had symptoms. Tests to be going on All the tested people are asymptomatic. However, they were being kept under scrutiny. 799 people who returned to Tamil Nadu, were kept under house observation. File image Delhi Police registered a case after two unidentified persons allegedly opened fire outside Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) on February 2 night, police said. No one was injured in the attack. A senior police official said a case of attempt to murder under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Arms Act was registered in connection with the incident and an investigation is underway. Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC), a group comprising students and alumni of the university formed to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, said in a statement that the attackers were on a red motorcycle. One of the miscreants was wearing a red jacket, the statement said. This is the third firing incident in the Jamia Nagar area in a week. On January 30, a minor fired at anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters preparing to march from Jamia towards the Rajghat, injuring a student. On February 1, a 25-year-old fired two rounds in air at Shaheen Bagh, where a protest against the new citizenship law has been going on. No one was hurt in the incident. "Firing has taken place at Gate No. 5 of Jamia Millia Islamia...by two unidentified persons. As per report, one of them was wearing a red jacket and driving a red scooty having vehicle no. 1532 or 1534," the statement said. Asim Mohammed Khan, a former Congress Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Okhla, said the incident occurred around 11.30 pm. "We heard the gunshot. That is when we stepped out to see and the two men left on a scooty," a student said. "We have taken down the vehicle number and called police," he added. (With inputs from PTI) West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched a scathing attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), daring them to play the political card instead of religious card and said that the country was facing criticism because of the present government. We are proud of our country but now-a-days everybody is criticising India. We dont like this. We love our motherland. So, it seems like they (BJP) are scared. There is a saying that those who get scared die, whereas those who fight, win, Banerjee said. If they have guts, they should play the political card. But they cant talk development. Their only option is to divide the country, she said. Banerjee accused the Narendra Modi government of turning the country into a killing field and called BJP a party of rioters, goons and opportunists. To scare off people, they are sometimes going to universities and sometimes opening fire at womens gathering. All important personalities of the BJP and they are all holding constitutional positions, are directly talking of bullets. This proves that the country is facing its greatest danger, she said. The chief minister said that she condemned the way Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was dubbed a terrorist by a union minister. If all are terrorists, what are they (BJP)? Are they the greatest nationalists or opportunists? I think they are the greatest opportunists. They cannot deliver. All they can do is encourage vandalism and hooliganism, said the chief minister. Banerjee said that her government was always in support of peaceful demonstrations and it did not allow anyone to create a disturbance at Park Circus, where a Shaheen Bagh-styled demonstration against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) entered its 27th day on Monday. Alleging that the BJP was using religion to divert discussions on issues related to politics and development, Banerjee said, They should have played the development card, the humanity card. They could have said that GST would stay, they should have addressed the unemployment issue and why it is not solved, and why the economic disaster is going on. BJP state unit general secretary Sayantan Basu alleged that the Mamata Banerjee government was trying to bury the issue of infiltration from Bangladesh that harmed the well being of the people of West Bengal. Infiltrators are eating away the resources meant for the states true citizens. But her government is ready to back those infiltrators and deprive real citizens. I want to know whose development concerns her, that of the real citizens or the infiltrators? Basu said. A former Uber executive wants Facebook and Google to publish details of their most-shared content about the deadly coronavirus, to assist health authorities in combating dangerous misinformation. Amit Singh, a board director of Responsible Technology Australia, said Facebook, Twitter and Google (which owns YouTube) should keep a live list of the top 100 viral posts about the novel coronavirus, amid a deluge of false and misleading online claims. Health authorities are battling online misinformation about the coronavirus. Credit:Getty If government and health authorities knew who was being targeted with misinformation, Mr Singh said, they'd be better equipped to "to directly educate the public and calm any panic in the community" with evidence-based rebuttals. "Facebook and Twitter are sitting on a treasure trove of detailed data about who is seeing what misinformation and how far reaching it is," he told the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has said that Russia and the other countries will carry out preparations on a weekly basis for the five-year development strategy for the Union, TASS reports. "An important document is being prepared that will determine the Union's development strategy for the next five years," Mishustin said during a meeting with the deputy prime ministers. "There are many questions about what the strategy should look like." According to him, from the Russian side these activities will be coordinated by Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk. "The development strategy plan should be presented to the president [of Russia] in May this year," the Russian prime minister added, in particular. "This document will become the main guideline for further work in the Eurasian area." To note, Armenia is also a member in the EEU. Trump plan: Riyadh denies visas to Iran for OIC summit Tehran says 'Saudis abusing their position' (ANSAmed) - TEHRAN, FEBRUARY 3 - Saudi Arabia has not allowed the Iranian delegation to attend on Monday a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah in which US President Donald Trump's plan on Israel and Palestine will be discussed, by not issuing the necessary visas, according to the spokesman of the Iranian foreign ministry, Abbas Mousavi, quoted by Fars. The Islamic Republic has presented a complaint against Riyadh for ''abuse of its position'' as the country hosting the headquarters of OIC. (ANSAmed). By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: The Energy department has sought financial and technological support from the French government agency AFD (Agence Francaise de Developpement) as part of an endeavour to achieve reliable and low-cost electricity generation and supply, which is essential for economic activity and attracting productive investment to the State. A high-level delegation led by AFD Country Director Bruno Bosle met senior officials of the energy department and held discussions on possibilities of investing in the power sector. Officials said producing low-cost power was the highest priority for the government and that it invites every initiative that encourages cost-effective power production. The officials sought the role of AFD in providing technical assistance to scale up operations of the current research and training institute for power systems, where electrical engineers and officials will be training in the latest technologies and capacity building. They also discussed with the AFD on funding to energy efficiency projects in upcoming industrial townships across the State. The government plans to develop 10 such industrial townships and an energy-efficient power system in Visakhapatnam industrial park. However, the AFD delegates indicated that they would give more priority for projects that contributes to mitigate climate change and have the potential to generate long term positive impact on the quality of life and environment. It was suggested that a proposal could be developed for renewable energy and energy efficiency related projects. Energy secretary Srikant Nagulapalli said that high electricity costs and interruptions in power supply act as a disincentive to investment, hamper competitiveness and complicate efforts aimed at poverty reduction. In view of this, the government prefers only low-cost power to improve the overall financial performance of the power sector. In fact, the purchase of renewable power at high prices caused a huge financial burden on the discoms and government as well. The Discoms incurred a loss of `29,000 crore by December 2019. The discoms are taking loans from financial institutions like IREDA and APPFC to pay dues to renewable generators. The utilities paid `1,890.86 crore to the developers in the last few months. In view of this, the government is determined to achieve cheapest power, that is an essential input for economic activity and to attract productive investment to the State and solve the financial distress of power utilities. As part of this, the government is contemplating to establish a 10,000 MW solar power project for supply power to agriculture. The government has already identified land of 50,000 acres in Kadapa, Kurnool, Ananthapuram and Prakasam for the project. AP would be the first State in the country that has chosen renewable energy as the ideal source to exclusively supply electricity for agriculture sector. The government wants the power generation should be eco- friendly and cost-effective, the officials explained. They said the government has already achieved some progress by saving around `500 crore in power purchases. The State government also intends to introduce cutting edge technologies across the power generation, transmission and distribution. MADRID Passengers on an Air Canada Boeing 767 that made a safe emergency landing in Madrid Monday evening have described how they spent hours flying in circles to burn fuel in a tense calm. Toronto-bound flight AC837, carrying 128 passengers, departed from the Spanish capital in the early afternoon but had to request an emergency return almost immediately after one of its two engines was damaged and a tire ruptured during takeoff. Brock Mierzejewski, from Vancouver, who was on the plane with his parents, told The Associated Press: Obviously a lot of nervous tension while we were in the air, but the pilots did a terrific job landing the plane. We are still in a little bit of shock but glad to be safe, Mierzejewski said shortly after the plane landed at the Adolfo Suarez-Barajas international airport. It was quickly surrounded by emergency vehicles, firefighting trucks and ambulances. There was no immediate information on what had caused the malfunction. Landed safely, everything is ok! said Guido Fioravantti, from New York, whose father was on the plane and had told him that the cabin had remained calm and collected during the ordeal. Pilots train for this a lot, so no reason to panic. Its also more common than many people would think, Fioravantti said. The plane spent close to four hours flying in circles near Madrid, burning off fuel before it was light enough for landing. Spains Defense Ministry dispatched an F18 fighter jet to evaluate the damage done to the landing gear. In a statement, the airline said the plane experienced an engine issue shortly after takeoff from the same airport, as well as a ruptured tire one of 10 on the Boeing 767-300. It added that the aircraft is designed to operate on one engine and our pilots are fully trained for this eventuality. Nonetheless, an emergency was declared in order to obtain landing priority, Air Canada said. A spokeswoman with Spains airport operator, AENA, told the AP that the airline had requested a slot for an emergency landing some 30 minutes after takeoff. A spokesman for Enaire, Spains air navigation authority, said the planes landing gear did not fold up properly on taking off and that a piece of it may have damaged part of one of the engines. The officials were not authorized to be named in media reports. It was the second incident of the day at Madrids international airport, the busiest in the country. Earlier on Monday, the airport closed for over an hour due to the reported sighting of drones in the vicinity. ___ AP writer Robert Gillies contributed to this report from Toronto. During the week of 19-25 January, U.S. hotel occupancy dipped 0.3% to 57.8%, ADR rose 0.6% to $125.07 and RevPAR increased 0.3% to $72.24. The U.S. hotel industry reported mixed year-over-year results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 19-25 January 2020, according to data from STR. In comparison with the week of 20-26 January 2019, the industry recorded the following: Occupancy: -0.3% to 57.8% Average daily rate (ADR): +0.6% to US$125.07 Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +0.3% to US$72.24 St. Louis, Missouri-Illinois, registered the largest jump in RevPAR (+19.6% to US$57.74), driven by the only double-digit lift in ADR (+12.1% to US$107.42). Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia, experienced the only double-digit rise in occupancy (+12.4% to 56.2%). Oahu Island, Hawaii, recorded the second-highest increases in ADR (+8.4% to US$246.12) and RevPAR (+17.9% to US$227.29). Overall, 15 of the Top 25 Markets reported a RevPAR increase. Anaheim/Santa Ana, California, saw the steepest decline in occupancy (-8.7% to 71.7%) and the largest drop in RevPAR (-18.6% to US$108.76). San Francisco/San Mateo, California, reported the largest decrease in ADR (-14.1% to US$218.18). View U.S. weekly hotel performance review STR provides clients from multiple market sectors with premium, global data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 10 countries around the world with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and an international headquarters in London, England. For more information, please visit str.com. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest all industry news and trends. Subscribe 2022 Hospitality Trends We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. By PTI MUMBAI: Air passengers arriving in Mumbai from Singapore and Thailand are also being screened now, besides China, for the coronavirus infection, a Maharashtra government official said on Monday. The state government has also decided to provide a team of 25 health officials to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to assist its personnel in screening passengers arriving at the Mumbai international airport from Monday. "Passengers arriving from China and Hong Kong are being screened since January 18. From Saturday, we have also added two more locations - Singapore and Thailand - to be watched out for the coronavirus infection," the official said. So far, AAI's health officials have been carrying out screening of passengers at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport here for the coronavirus infection. As more number of passengers arriving from various countries now need to be screened, more staff is required for the speedy scanning, the official said. ALSO READ: At Army's quarantine facility, Indian students celebrate return from coronavirus-affected Wuhan "The AAI also requested the state government to provide more staff for screening passengers. The government has issued an order and health officials from neighbouring Thane district will be deployed at the Mumbai international airport for the screening purpose, starting today," she said. Till Sunday, a total of 6,432 people were screened at the Mumbai international airport after arrival from China. So far, no confirmed case of coronavirus infection has been found in the state, an official earlier said. The outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus was first reported in Hubei province of China and has since spread to several countries, including two positive cases in India, both in the southern state of Kerala. The central government on Sunday issued a new travel advisory asking people to refrain from travelling to China in view of coronavirus outbreak in its Hubei province, and said travellers on return from the neighbouring country could be quarantined. In its advisory, the Health Ministry also said anyone with a travel history of China since January 15 could be quarantined. The decision of issuing a new travel advisory was taken at a high-level review meeting held by the Cabinet Secretary on the preparedness to deal with the novel coronavirus which has now spread to 25 countries. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 10:28:57|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close WUHAN, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Over 200 Taiwan people will take a chartered flight to return to Taiwan from the mainland's novel coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, according to the Taiwan affairs office of Hubei Province. The office said Sunday it would assist them to return to Taiwan, noting that measures have been taken to help Taiwan people in Hubei, including distributing masks, disinfectants and other medical materials. An information gathering system has also been set up to record their daily health conditions and willingness to return to Taiwan, according to the office. Among the Taiwan people in Hubei, one was confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus and two were suspected of being infected, the office said, noting that all of them have received timely medical treatment. West Chester, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/03/2020 -- Whether a client needs assistance with choosing a business entity, fighting criminal charges, or appealing a denied Social Security Disability claim, the experienced attorneys at Carosella & Associates can help. Conveniently located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, they provide top-notch legal representation in Chester, Montgomery, and Delaware counties and beyond. Several attorneys at the full-service law firm are licensed to practice in New Jersey as well and are available to travel to areas like Cherry Hill for clients who need big firm legal firepower with personalized small firm service. "Our attorneys have wide-ranging knowledge of the law in many areas, including real estate, business succession planning, contracts, family law, and estate planning, to name a few," says Vincent Carosella, founder of Carosella and Associates. "Our team is proud to provide clients in Pennsylvania and New Jersey with straightforward, experienced legal counsel on which they can rely." Carosella & Associates' philosophy in everything they do is based on the values of service, trust, interdependence and cooperation. Their team of skilled attorneys and support staff works collaboratively to find creative solutions for any legal issue a client may be facing. They understand the importance of responsive, competent legal counsel. No two legal matters are alike. At Carosella & Associates, their lawyers serve each client as if they were the firm's only client. They listen, gladly answer any questions, and inform clients of their options in straightforward terms that are easy to understand. Privacy, confidentiality, and high professional standards are of the utmost importance. The team at Carosella & Associates is dedicated to protecting clients' interests, helping them understand their rights, and providing quality services and counsel in any legal matter that may arise. About Carosella & Associates For more than 23 years, the skilled team of attorneys, paralegals, firm administrators, administrative assistants and legal secretaries at Carosella & Associates has provided top-quality legal representation for matters in myriad aspects of the law. The full-service law firm has decades of experience in many different areas, including estate planning, business succession planning, commercial and residential real estate, zoning, contracts, bankruptcy, immigration, divorce, and criminal law. Several of the attorneys at Carosella & Associates are licensed to practice law in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. For more information visit carosella.com ADARE remains open for business, Dan Neville, the chairman of Adare Community Trust stressed this week as work begins on laying a new sewer pipe in the village. The pipe will run from the Village Hall along the Rathkeale Road as far as Scoil Iosaef Boys National School and the work is expected to take 12 weeks. Traffic diversions have been put in place by Irish Water working in partnership with Limerick City and County Council. A stop-go system will be in place at the location of the works with vehicle triggered traffic lights in operation outside of working hours, a spokesman for Irish Water explained. Traffic flow is therefore maintained in Adare. However diversions to and from Limerick are recommended. For traffic travelling eastwards it is recommended they divert at Newcastle West on to the Bruff Line to Rourkes Cross and then take the N20 into Limerick. Alternatively, they can divert at Rathkeale and on to Askeaton and the N69. For traffic travelling westwards, a diversion is indicated at the N20/M20 Attyflin Interchange. Vehicles should take the Cork road to Rourkes Cross and then turn for Newcastle West. We acknowledge that there will be some disruption to traffic and apologise in advance for any inconvenience that may be caused due to these necessary upgrade works, Gerry ODonnell of Irish Water said. However we are working closely with the local authority and An Garda Siochana to ensure any disruption can be minimised and to complete this project as quickly and as safely as possible, Mr ODonnell added. We would like to thank the local community and road users for their patience and co-operation. Local councillor and businesswoman, Bridie Collins (pictured) has stressed that shoppers and visitors can get access to the villages many shops and businesses while the work is going on. There is no obstacle to traffic from the east or from the north, coming into the centre of Adare, she explained. and cars coming from the west can use the new car park at the edge of the village, she poined out. The stop-go system is to keep traffic moving through town. We are open for business, she said, adding that the same warm Adare welcome will be there for everybody. For further information regarding the works, people can contact the project team on 1850 278 278 or see the Service and Supply section of www.water.ie. Regular progress updates will also be provided to the local community. BAY CITY, MI - The Bay City Commission on Monday will consider a shoreline disaster declaration request and the approval of several medical marijuana licenses. The Commissions agenda for Monday, Feb. 3, shows it will consider submitting a declaration of shoreline disaster request to the state. Bay City is looking to join surrounding shoreline communities and townships in submitting disaster requests. Nearby Bangor Township submitted such a request on Tuesday, Jan. 14 based on high Lake Huron water levels impacting the shoreline and forecasts for future high water levels. According to the item report connected to the agenda, the city experienced excessive infrastructure damage to the riverfront, parks and water and sewer after dealing with four major storm events since June 1, 2019. The city stated in the report that extensive flooding as led to unprecedented infrastructure damage, such as storm drain failures resulting in street sinkholes and washouts along the supporting elements on the Riverwalk. The report states that the damage has reached a level that the city is aiming to work with surrounding areas to have the shoreline areas declared a disaster area to assist in obtaining assistance so that further damage is prevented. Marijuana applications Meanwhile, the city will also consider approving applications for several medical marijuana facilities. The applications are for the following entitys at the listed locations: - Sammy Hesano dba Garfield Ventures LLC; 1100 Garfield Ave. - David Leroux dba The Pot Spot; 1117 Ann St. - Med Leaf Pharm LLC; 800 Garfield Ave. - 200 Salzburg Inc; 200 Salzburg Ave. - ANW BC LLC; 1421 S. Euclid Ave. The Monday commission meeting starts with a Finance Policy Committee meeting at 6 p.m., with the regular meeting to follow at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Commission Chambers at 301 Washington Ave. Related news: Bay City changing trash, yard waste collection rules beginning this spring Bay City postpones Trumbull Street closure planned for February United Bridge Partners discusses its plans to take over Bay Citys drawbridges, charge tolls These houses in Bay City are scheduled for demolition in 2020 As Hong Kong treads gingerly in the grip of the coronavirus outbreak, with most avoiding going out and office staff told to work from home, negative sentiments against one group of people are more pronounced than ever. The wariness of mainland Chinese comes against the backdrop of soaring numbers of infection across the border. As of Monday, more than 17,000 cases have been reported in mainland China, with over 360 deaths. Hong Kong recorded its 15th confirmed case on Sunday. Analysts said while it was understandable that people would want to isolate themselves from mainlanders to reduce risks of infection, in Hong Kong, the situation had been politicised by government opponents. Anti-mainland sentiments, simmering in recent years and brought to the fore in the ongoing protests sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill last June, have found new momentum amid the health crisis, seeding a fertile environment for full-blown xenophobia to take root in the city, some warned. Embattled city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who earlier announced partial border closures with the mainland, is under immense pressure to roll out a complete shutdown. But she has so far rejected calls for this, saying it would be discriminatory. I hope that as the whole of society takes part in prevention of and fighting the disease, we can be tolerant ... rather than targeting or rejecting a particular group, she said, citing the World Health Organisations position that draconian travel and trade restrictions were not necessary. Tian Feilong, an associate professor at Beihang Universitys law school in Beijing, lashed out at policymakers in Hong Kong in a commentary published on mainland news website guancha.cn on Thursday. He said city officials had put their own interests above the countrys. Hong Kong authorities are supposed to be accountable to both the city and Beijing, yet ... their logic has always been localist: the burden is yours and the benefits are mine, he wrote. Story continues They are good at transferring their burden and pressure to the central government, and fighting for benefits and advantages for the city. Tian also said the localist mindset among Hong Kong people could stop the city from integrating with the new international order in which China was a major power. In terms of values, Hong Kong and Taiwan have been followers of the United States and Japan, but they lack [Washingtons and Tokyos] vision and wisdom in exchanges with [mainland] China. Hong Kong, however, is not alone in its instincts to distance itself from mainland Chinese. In Singapore, over Lunar New Year, online comments bordering on racism circulated about mainlanders propensity to eat anything with four legs except the table. The jokes soon grew into policy calls similar to Hong Kongs, with a petition in the Lion City on January 26 garnering more than 110,000 signatures on change.org. On Friday, Singapore became the next country after North Korea to close its borders to all new visitors from the mainland. In Hong Kong, calls for a similar move are ongoing, with various groups within the medical sector voting to go on strike on Saturday evening, piling pressure on the government to yield. Measures put into place so far include denial of entry to residents of Hubei, the province in which outbreak epicentre Wuhan city is located, health declaration forms for all incoming visitors, and an extension of the school break. Avoiding Mandarin-speaking people But pan-democrats have called for more drastic moves, such as turning some of the barracks under the local garrison of the Peoples Liberation Army into quarantine camps, rather than using newly built flats at Fai Ming public estate in the border town of Fanling. Staging a protest outside the governments headquarters on Friday, Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai said: As the Lunar New Year holiday comes to an end, hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong people could be returning. Apart from using more holiday resorts as quarantine camps, Lam must talk to the State Council about borrowing barracks. Asked if empty or occupied barracks should be used, Democrat lawmaker Helena Wong Pik-wan said the government should discuss with Beijing about temporarily moving some PLA soldiers across the border first, to free up some facilities for quarantine. We are not saying those [quarantined] people should stay in already occupied barracks. But Hong Kong is not that far from Shenzhen, and there is no urgent defensive need in Hong Kong, why cant we consider that as one of the options? she said. Lam had since abandoned plans to use the estate in Fanling as a potential quarantine facility, after a backlash during which radical protesters firebombed the lobbies of empty buildings there. On Saturday, news emerged that the 89-room Heritage Lodge in Lai Chi Kok would join three other facilities set up as quarantine centres Lady MacLehose Holiday Village; Lei Yue Mun Park and Holiday Village; and Po Leung Kuk Jockey Club Pak Tam Chung Holiday Camp. Staff members at Lady MacLehose Holiday Village, one of the quarantine centres in Hong Kong. Photo: Nora Tam In local universities, which have mostly suspended classes until March, Hubei students who have earlier returned from the mainland were designated quarantine floors in dormitories or hotels. But the move triggered a backlash among local student communities, with 15 residents associations of the University of Hong Kong petitioning president Zhang Xiang to suspend the arrangement, deeming it an infection risk. The animosity towards Hubei students in Hong Kong is palpable, as told to the Post by one at Lingnan University. She said some mainland students who stayed on the quarantine floors had their personal data and room numbers posted on social media. They are calling on Hong Kong students to stay away from me. I feel helpless as I did nothing wrong, she said. They are calling on Hong Kong students to stay away from me. I feel helpless as I did nothing wrong Hubei student from Lingnan University On local internet discussion channels such as Telegram and LIHKG, the chatter on fear of mainlanders has grown, but such paranoia is not limited to Hong Kong. On Tuesday, a Chinese man reportedly died from a heart attack outside a restaurant in Sydney, as bystanders were accused of refusing to help him over worries he may have been a coronavirus carrier. The news report triggered a heated discussion on the reddit-like LIHKG forum, with users suggesting that Australian passers-by made the right choice. I would do the same in Hong Kong. Ive actually been trying to avoid Mandarin-speaking people on the streets, one wrote. Hundreds of people queue up for masks at Bonjour in Causeway Bay. Photo: Edward Wong The shop is closing down if the border isnt The contagion has only hardened Hong Kongs sentiment against mainlanders, with anti-government protesters citing the crisis as justification for border closures. Since June last year, the city has been roiled by protests, which have morphed into a campaign against authorities and a call for universal suffrage. Amid months of civil unrest, protesters have decried what they see as Beijings encroachment on the city, with radicals showing their hatred of the central government by burning Chinese flags and vandalising shops and banks deemed to have mainland ties. The protests have led to more than 7,000 people arrested, with clashes between demonstrators and police often descending into violence as radicals hurl petrol bombs while officers fire tear gas in return. More than 10,000 rounds of rubber bullets, 2,000 beanbag rounds, 19 live rounds and 16,000 rounds of tear gas have been used. With the virus outbreak, some so-called yellow shops, or businesses owned by supporters of the movement, have barred people who speak Mandarin or who are from the mainland. Kwong Wing Catering, a pro-democracy chain of seven restaurants in Kowloon and Tsuen Wan, said on its Facebook page on Tuesday that it would no longer serve Mandarin-speaking customers, except friends from Taiwan. We serve Hongkongers. Orders can only be made in Cantonese and English ... The shop is closing down if the border isnt, the statement said. The post drew mostly positive reactions and comments. By Friday it had attracted 7,100 user responses with 6,200 showing like and more than 700 showing love. One of the most popular comments read: Thats great! Real Hongkongers should support you. But some internet users were upset, giving poor reviews on its page and describing the chain as xenophobic fascists and discriminatory against their own people in the country. Some political parties or activists are magnifying all kinds of threats that the mainland is posing to reinforce their separatist demands Lau Siu-kai, Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies Lau Siu-kai, vice-chairman of semi-official think tank the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said all of these were evidence the virus outbreak had been politicised. Some people have been seeing and handling it from a political perspective. It may not be the majority of the public, but its not a small minority, he said. Its normal for people to be worried. But now the anti-government protests have been losing momentum, and some political parties or activists are magnifying all kinds of threats that the mainland is posing to reinforce their separatist demands. Baptist University in Kowloon Tong. Photo: Felix Wong Lau also said anti-mainland sentiment was weaker in 2003, when Hong Kong was hit by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak. He noted that the individual visit scheme was only launched after Sars, meaning that when the outbreak broke out, mainland travellers mainly arrived in tour groups and they were much fewer in number. Also, after the 1997 handover, Beijing was relatively hands-off on Hong Kong issues, so Hongkongers anger was mainly targeted towards the citys government, he said. Lau added that while some had criticised Guangdong authorities in 2003 for covering up the Sars outbreak before it spread to Hong Kong, it was only a relatively minor issue. Baptist University associate vice-president Yeung Chi-kong, also a public affairs commentator, said Hong Kongs response to the outbreak highlighted the peoples anti-mainland sentiment and their lack of trust in the government. The outbreak should ideally drive the people and the government towards a new-found unity ... But the campaign has already been politicised in the early days of the fight against the virus, he said. But political scientist Dr Edmund Cheng Wai of City University said anti-mainland sentiment was only a side issue. The core issue has to do with Lams government. Even at the start of the outbreak, medical experts had proposed taking a more proactive approach, he said. If officials were more professional and responsive, the peoples discontent would not be this strong. In 2003, even the medical sector and civil society were more supportive of the government. But now the situation has changed. The Democratic Partys Wu said it was ridiculous to suggest that pan-democrats had put political goals over health concerns. We, together with medical professionals, are suggesting border closure and quarantine measures just because we can only handle a limited war. We cannot cater for unlimited needs, he said. But Lam only understands our demands from a political point of view, and suggested it was already benevolent of Beijing to stop issuing new visas [to mainlanders wanting to come to Hong Kong] ... She is the one politicising the issue the most. Wu also proposed that quarantine camps be built on a 60-hectare site to the east of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort on Lantau Island, which is currently reserved for the theme parks future expansion. Cheng said the government must up its game, and discuss with mainland authorities on imposing more measures. Even Macau discussed with its mainland neighbour Zhuhai about containing the outbreak, and mainland cities considered ways to protect their own people. Has our government done enough on that front? he asked. Hong Kong officials also need to consider using public money, such as HK$200 million or HK$300 million, to buy surgical masks from around the world. Lau believed that even Beijing would not oppose the idea of Hong Kong banning mainland residents from entering the city. If you are bowing to discriminatory suggestions, of course, Beijing will oppose, but if Hong Kong needs to ban mainland and foreign visitors from entering so the city will not be sanctioned or banned by foreign countries as well, I think Beijing will understand, he said. Lau feared that Hong Kong peoples response to the outbreak would make the central government more insecure about the city. Hong Kong will also face more opposition on the mainland, even if Beijing wanted to roll out more measures to support its growth, he said. This article Something else may be spreading in Hong Kong amid coronavirus outbreak and anti-government protests xenophobia against mainland Chinese first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. As much as I hate to give them any more of my money ... I grew up Catholic, so Id like to keep my kids in Catholic school, said Beata Wojcik, the mother of two daughters attending St. Louise, which will close at the end of this school year. 1K Shares Share Health care professionals, medical students, and students of public health are increasingly aware of the social determinants of health. Everyone has begun to realize that poverty is the most important cause of illness. Too often, however, the analysis stops there, instead of asking what the root cause of poverty is, the question is: what causes those social determinants? Why do resources remain unequally distributed, why cannot everyone access the same quality of health care? Addressing only social determinants conveniently avoids discussing their causes in the global politico-economic system and the structural violence used to preserve that system. Poverty results from neoliberal capitalism, and together with climate catastrophe and nuclear war, constitute existential threats to the survival of the human species, as identified by Noam Chomsky. We all find ourselves, not as we have ourselves chosen, participating in the current unsustainable organization of the material forces of production, the real foundation of our societies and their ills. As Marx clearly identified: these relations of production constitute the economic structure of society, the real foundation, on which arises a legal and political superstructure, and to which correspond definite forms of social consciousness. Unless we can change the way that these forces of production have compelled us to participate in unjust systems, and unless we lay the foundations for new forms of social consciousness, we face the collapse of our civilization. Globally, health and health delivery systems are in crisis. Deteriorating social, political, economic, and environmental conditions in developing states lead to pollution, conflict, famine, population displacement, and a catastrophic loss of biodiversity. Sea-level rise and tropical cyclones threaten the very existence of island states and the poor and marginalized who live in inadequate dwellings in low-lying areas. Despite reduction of infant mortality and the extension of life-spans, the promise of improved health recedes. The poor and marginalized continue to suffer from tuberculosis, malaria, HIV, cholera, dengue, and Ebola as antimicrobial resistance increases and vaccination refusal results in a resurgence of preventable diseases. Populations everywhere have rising rates of chronic noncommunicable diseases. Incremental reforms will not mitigate these existential threats. We cannot eliminate these threats unless we reorganize the fundamental basis of our economic and social life and eliminate capitalism. This situation demands of us that we adopt revolutionary thinking and revolutionary practice. Revolutionary Medicine Throughout history, empires have flourished and collapsed without threatening the existence of the entire human population. Epidemics typically had limited geographic distribution. Neither scenario fits the world today. As Marx noted: The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it. The practitioner of revolutionary medicine must think not reductively, but rather dialectically. A mans decision to smoke may increase his risk of heart disease and cancer in the long run. But as one of the few ways he has of coping with stress, it may save the lives of his wife and children. Our assumption of conditional rationality means that we cannot expect to change behavior by education alone: rather, we must alter those circumstances that make such harmful choices seem optimal. From the individualist perspective, we might say in the name of harm reduction, Go ahead and smoke. From the revolutionary perspective, we need to work with the man, the woman, their workplaces, and their societies to combat alienation, addictions, and violence against women and children. Revolutionary medicine is the medicine wherein health workers understand the social origins of illness and the need for social change to improve health conditions. It is created from the practice of the peoples struggles against their oppressive conditions. Revolutionary medicine serves the oppressed classes in advancing their struggles. Proletarianization. Health workers toil harder and longer to accomplish increasingly complex patient care and administrative burdens. Corporations demand adherence to specific formularies and prior authorizations only to deny treatments. Employers escalate their documentation demands in a coding arms race with insurers. Is this exploitation of health workers simply the business plan of the corporate health care system? In Marxs labor theory of value, the difference between the market price of a good and the cost, largely labor, of producing the good is the profit margin, the surplus labor that is extracted from the worker. Commodified medicine leads to the proletarianization of health workers. We find ourselves alienated from our patients, the products of our labor (better health for patients), and our workplace. Consequently, we become alienated from our fellow workers and, ultimately, from ourselves, from our own humanity. Health worker alienation, often termed burnout, is actually moral injury. Health, as a commodity, damages the health of patients and causes the entire society to be ill, diseased. Class-conscious solidarity among health workers will ensure that health is recognized as a human right, that surplus labor should not be extracted for profit, but rather used by workers to ensure the health of their communities. In the future, digital algorithms might take over-diagnosis and curing, allowing health care workers to focus on healing. In a capitalist society, the division of labor forces each worker to perform a particular task repetitively while in communist society, where nobody has one exclusive sphere of activity, but each can become accomplished in any branch he wishes, society regulates the general production and thus makes it possible for me to do one thing today and another tomorrow, to hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticize after dinner without ever becoming hunter, fisherman, herdsman or critic. The post-revolutionary health worker will be a global citizen, helping to create cohesive, equitable, socially just societies that address health everywhere. Otherwise, all of us face increasing threats to our own health and well-being. Revolutionary medicine is required to create such a society. Seiji Yamada is a family physician. Arcelita Imasa is a family medicine resident. Gregory Maskarinec is an anthropologist. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Unemployment, poverty and territorial integrity remain among top 3 problems By Natalia Kochiashvili The NGO Caucasus Research Resource Center-Georgia (CRRC-Georgia) presented a new survey of the Georgian population's leanings. The presentation titled "Decade of Change: Opinions and Values in Georgia, 2009-2019" is based on eight waves of data from the Caucasus Barometer conducted during this period.At the presentation, CRRC-Georgia representatives spoke about the transformative shift in attitudes towards domestic and foreign policy, conflict, migration and social issues of Georgians over the past decade.The average error of the survey varies from 2.2 to 2.8%. The number of respondents interviewed is 2 100.One of the aims of the study was to study the factor of confidence in today's governmental bodies. According to the report, the number of people who do not trust the judiciary has increased from 29% to 46%. The rate of mistrust of the executive branch has also increased from 29% to 40%. A similar rate of mistrust is the highest in the last 10 years, according to this study. 29% do not trust the president at all, while 20% do not trust her mostly. Political parties are also highly mistrusted.There is a similar tendency for confidence in the Parliament.The percentage of those who believe that the government treats people fairly is diminishing. Half of the surveyed recognize that Georgia's democracy has significant problems, and nearly 2/3 believes that people should take part in protests.Attitudes towards both the UN and the EU have worsened. In 2008, the UN was mostly trusted by 31%, while in 2019, the figure reduced to 24%. The EU was trusted by 35% in 2008, whereas now 28% of the surveyed answered positively.However, more than half of the surveyed support EU and NATO membership, which is the highest figure since 2013. The surveyed support NATO membership due to the protection of foreign threats and the possible restoration of territorial integrity.As a result of the CRRC-Georgia survey, in 2019, the population identifies economic problems as the main problem. Unemployment, poverty and territorial integrity occupy the top three in the main problems. The number of people who cite unemployment as the number one problem has increased from 15 to 48 percent. However, 28% of the population thinks that domestic policy in Georgia is mostly wrong, and 15% are absolutely convinced.According to a CRRC-Georgia survey, the population's attitude toward the collapse of the Soviet Union is almost evenly divided - 41% think it was a good thing, and 42% think otherwise. However, young people are more likely to rate this event as positive than older respondents.Respondents attribute the positive attitude to the collapse of the Soviet Union to independence and the opportunity to develop a national culture. 82% of respondents cited independence as the major achievement of the collapse of the USSR.As for the negative attitude, 64% of the respondents think that it was unfortunate because the process was followed by economic problems, while 64% indicated military conflicts.According to one study, the population of Georgia is closest to the Ukrainians and Russians, the most distant to Arabs, Iranians, and Jehovah's Witnesses.Compared to 2013, the proportion of people who think that men and women in the family should be treated equally has doubled. Also, since 2010, there has been a rise in those who believe that education, hard work, professionalism, and talent are needed to get a good job in Georgia.Regarding migration, the majority of respondents surveyed on this topic stated that they have at least one relative who has lived outside Georgia for more than 3 months. Russia, Italy and Greece are the top 3 countries.According to the research, the significant majority of the population considers themselves religious, though they rarely attend religious services. 62% of respondents say they never fast. This figure was lower in 2008 - 58%.When asked how important religion is in their life, 46% said it is very important. Religious institutions came after the army, in assessing the most trustworthy institutions. Police came the third.The fieldwork was conducted from October 19 to November 4, 2019, in Georgian, Azerbaijani and Armenian languages. Being a great place to work is one of our core strategic priorities. Im grateful to be a part of our special community and thank all my colleagues for their contributions to fostering our compelling culture, said Ron Millard, Envoy CEO. Envoy Mortgage was named one of the 2020 Best Mortgage Companies to Work For by National Mortgage News and Best Companies Group. The distinction was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best mortgage employers in the United States and Envoy was one of forty companies to earn the distinction. Envoy achieved this award due to its determined commitment to its employees and initiatives implemented to promote motivation within the organization. The accolade is one of great merit in the mortgage industry as participatory companies were evaluated based upon workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems, demographics and an anonymous employee survey. Im proud to see Envoy recognized for our fantastic focus on ensuring we provide a fulfilling environment where our team can attain both personal and professional success. Being a great place to work is one of our core strategic priorities. Im grateful to be a part of our special community and thank all my colleagues for their contributions to fostering our compelling culture, said Ron Millard, Envoy CEO. To maintain a balanced departmental ecosystem, Envoy directs its strategic focus to the needs of its associates and consistently promotes collaboration within the workplace to construct efficient solutions, establish effective communication and support a comfortable environment. By establishing these practices, Envoy has cultivated a business setting that nurtures, supports and promotes associate success personally and professionally. As Envoy commences a new decade of service, it continues to maintain a professional climate that allows its employees to thrive, by investing in the latest technology, processes and collaborative experiences. The companies named to this years rankings have shown real commitment to workplaces that support and motivate their teams. In financial services, and the mortgage industry in particular, employee engagement is a critical component of success. Each of this years honorees can be proud of the cultures they have built and sustained, said Richard Melville, Banking & Capital Markets group editorial director. Madrids international airport was closed for over one hour on Monday due to the reported sighting of drones, authorities in Spain said. The airport manager, AENA, tweeted that 26 flights had been diverted to other airports by the time air traffic restrictions were lifted at 14.15 p.m. (1315 GMT). It said that a security committee had been set up to study the incident. The Transport Ministry announced the closure of the airspace around the Adolfo Suarez-Barajas airport in Madrid after Enaire, Spains air navigation authority, reported the possible presence of drones in the area. Spains Civil Guard said an investigation had been opened after two pilots had reported seeing some drones near the airport, which is located just east of the city centre. Enaire, which activated a special procedure to halt landings and takeoffs and diverting flights to other airports, warned in a tweet: A drone is not a toy, its an aircraft. With an average of 1,200 flights per day, the Adolfo Suarez-Barajas international airport in northeastern Madrid is the one with most traffic in Spain and one of the busiest in Europe. Nearly 62 million passengers went through the airport last year, AENA said. At the end of 2018, more than 140,000 travellers were stranded or delayed after dozens of drone sightings shut down Londons Gatwick airport, Britains second-busiest, for parts of three consecutive days. Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, head of Russias delegation to PACE Pyotr Tolstoy, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, commented on the relations of Russian and Azerbaijani MPs, both in the Assembly and at the bilateral level. "We have a good relationship, we have no problems with our Azerbaijani colleagues. I hope we will continue to develop our cooperation," he said. Pyotr Tolstoy praised the work of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE. "This has been the case in Azerbaijan, and I think it will continue to be that way, that the MPs working in the Council of Europe are the best representatives of the Azerbaijani people, entrusted with this function by voters," the Russian MP stressed. Speaking about the upcoming parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, which will be observed, among others, by PACE, Pyotr Tolstoy suggested that European PMs will look for causes to criticize. "They have target countries. While there was no Russia in PACE, Azerbaijan has been criticized a lot, I think, they will continue to criticize it. But it's not a huge deal, because the reports are advisory in nature," he said. Russia will observe the elections in Azerbaijan without bias, as always. "The main thing in the elections for us is the country's sovereignty and the will of voters," the PACE Vice Speaker concluded. As the Philippine market leans towards cashless payments, Globe Telecom has tapped Vending Experts Night and Day Philippines, Inc. (VEND Phils. Inc.) to come out with the first vending machines in the country that operate using the Quick Response (QR) code for cashless and contactless transactions. Mobile technologies continue to evolve to make our life easier and we now see cashless payments using mobile phones gaining traction in the Philippines. Anyone who has used the QR code for payments will realize that it is much more convenient and secure than credit cards or cash, said Rizza Maniego-Eala, Globe Chief Finance Officer. She added: This initiative with VEND is also a prime example of how closely we work with our partners in developing new business models with innovation and sustainability in mind. In 2013, Globe started using GCash as payment for goods inside the company headquarters. It then went cardless in 2017 when GCash scan-to-pay was launched. However, coffee vending machines in the building were not capable of contactless payment, prompting Globe to look for ways to shift to the QR system. Payment via this method is performed by scanning a QR code from a mobile app like GCash. Technology continues to move forward and we believe that vending operations should also be aligned with the times. We are thankful to Globe for bringing this idea to us. We are proud to be the first vending company in the Philippines to successfully launch a cashless coffee vending machine through a QR code payment scheme utilizing GCash, said Gilbert Dela Cruz, President and CEO. Instead of paying with bills, coins, or card, users simply have to open their GCash app and scan the QR code displayed on the machine and input the price of the item. Once payment is successfully sent, they can already press the button of their desired drink. At present, there are 18 QR-operated vending machines in the Globe corporate headquarters in Taguig. The vending machine does not only promote cashless transactions but also supports Globes sustainability campaign by giving customers a P1 discount on their transaction if they opt to use their own mug instead of disposable paper cup. Last year, Globe introduced the Wag sa Single Use Plastic (WasSUP) program focusing mainly on banning plastic cups and lids, spoons and forks, and straws in the company cafeteria. At the same time, it encourages employees to bring their personal utensils to lessen their contribution to the growing waste problem not only in the Philippines but globally. We have incorporated mobile technology in our system so that end-users will have an enjoyable and satisfying interaction with us and our vending machines. We are looking forward to offering the same solution to all companies which are in the business of selling vending machines, said Dela Cruz. VEND is the official vending partner of Commonwealth Foods, Inc., maker of well-known Filipino household brands, Cafe Puro and Ricoa. The initiative supports UN Sustainable Development Goals 9 on Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; and 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production. Yuma Library Yuma, Arizona - The Yuma Main Library, in collaboration with AARP, will host Social Security & Medicare on Saturday, February 15th, at 10:00 a.m. There is no charge to attend. Karl Koenig, a trained volunteer with Arizonas Community Educators Program, coordinated through the Arizona AARP State Office, will discuss the following topics: How and when to start retirement benefits Other benefits offered by Social Security Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage How Parts A, B, and D work with each Medicare option The Main Library is located at 2951 S 21st Drive. For more information, call (928) 782-1871. Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray slammed his partys estranged ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), over their break-up, after the latter he said did not honour the promise of equally sharing chief ministership. Thackeray, in his first interview to party mouthpiece Saamana after becoming CM, said he had not asked for the moon and stars from BJP, and wanted the chief ministers post to be shared so as to fulfil a promise he made to his father, the late Bal Thackeray. Thackeray said the three-party alliance between Shiv Sena, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra cant be called immoral, and it isnt his partys deviation from Hindutva ideology. The CM blamed BJP for the change in power equations in the state, and said even the BJP has joined hands with several parties with different ideologies at the state and national level. They [BJP] did not keep their promise made to us before the Lok Sabha elections. Shiv Sena had decided to go solo in the polls, but the BJP leadership approa-ched us for an alliance and we honoured their request. I even went for the nomination filing of Narendrabhai [Modi] and Amitbhai [Shah] to Varanasi and Ahmedabad. I did this for Hindutva and even campaigned for the alliance. What did we expect in turn? said Thackeray. Did I ask for the moon and stars? I only expected the promise made to us to be honoured, said Thackeray. I had promised my father that a Shiv Sainik would sit in chief ministers chair and I had decided to go to any extent to fulfil it. Had they honoured the promise, I would not have been in the chair. Some another Shiv Sainik would have occupied it. Sena joined hands with NCP and Congress to form the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in November last year after their three-decade-old alliance with BJP ended. Sena and BJP could not arrive at a consensus over sharing of the chief ministers post for two-and-a half years. Speaking about BJPs allegations that Thackeray had compromised Hinduvta ideology and principles, the chief minister questioned the formers alliances with Nitish Kumar, Mehbooba Mufti and Mamata Banerjee. Have I converted to some other religion? One should not be under the impression that theirs is the final word [on Hindutva] They talk about our ideology, how many ideologies have come together in the NDA government at the Centre? Does your ideology match with that of Nitish Kumar and Ram Vilas Paswan? Did it match with Mehbooba Mufti, Chandrababu Naidu and Mamata Banerjee when they were in power with the BJP? We are firm on our Hindutva... Is it written in Constitution that what they [BJP] says is Hindutva, said Thackeray. Thackeray said the Maharashtra BJP leaders have no right to criticise him for forging an alliance with Congress and NCP, as the latter had inducted key leaders from these parties for political gain. Many Congress, NCP leaders were inducted in BJP and were made MPs and MLAs. Was that based on ideology? The leaders, who had attacked Modi, were given entry into BJP and latter Modi went and campaigned for them. What type of morality is this? We do not need to learn ethics from them, said the chief minister. Reacting to the interview, BJP leader and former minister Ashish Shelar said Thackeray was expected to chart out the roadmap for development of various stakeholders of the society; instead he has spent time on explaining why he formed government with NCP and Congress. We were expecting him to speak about his plans to generate employment for youth, doubling the income of farmers, growth of the state, but he has failed to do so in the first part of the interview. He is talking about the induction of leaders from other parties into the BJP, but even Shiv Sena is not an exception to this. Thackerays explanation over his act of joining hands with Congress and NCP is out of guilt of an alliance formed for political gain, said Shelar. A court in Iran's second-largest city, Mashhad, has sentenced eight dissident political and civil rights activists to a total of 72 years in jail for calling for the resignation of the country's Supreme Leader. The eight individuals, along with six others, wrote an open letter in 2019, calling on the Islamic Republic Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to step down. Prominent lawyer and the attorney of the eight, Mohammad Hossein Aghasi, has listed the sentences in a tweet on February 2. However, Aghasi says that the court has not officially notified him of the ruling, and he has to go to Mashhad, northeast Iran, to obtain a copy the verdict in person. In an open letter on June 10, 2019, fourteen civil rights activists had called for Khamenei's resignation and a fundamental change in the Islamic Republic's Constitution. The former chancellor of Tehran University, Mohammad Maleki, documentary film director, Mohammad Nourizad, Ms. Gohar Eshqi (Eshghi), whose young son was killed under torture behind bars, and Hashem Khastar, an outspoken defender of teachers' rights, were among the signatories to the letter. In a statement addressed to the "thoughtful, intellectual, and considerate people in Iran," the signatories had urged their compatriots to leave any "tendency toward discreetness" aside, audaciously step in, and call for Khamenei's resignation and fundamentally amending the country's constitution. "Herald a new national movement," the activists encouraged the Iranian people in their letter, "by demanding Khamenei's resignation" since they said he is increasing his "unfair" power and authority daily. "Based on recent amendments to the constitution, there is no room for doubt that the president and members of the parliament are merely butlers of the supreme leader. People, deprived of the right to elect figures who have brought glory to their country, may only vote in individuals who play right into the hands of the Supreme Leader, the letter said. In the current situation in Iran, and amid the absence of republicanism as well as freedom, the statement had argued, none of Iran's problems will be solved without Khamenei resigning. Demands for Khamenei to step down are not unprecedented in Iran. In an essay published on the dissident website Kalameh in November 2018, former regime supporter, Abolfazl Qadyani (Ghadiani), described lifetime appointments as the "mother of all corruption." The signatories of the letter to Khamenei were immediately accused of advocating "regime change" and preparing for a "sedition." According to Aghasi, Abdol-Rasoul Mortazavi received 26 years, Mohammad Hossein Sepehri 6; Hashem Khastar 16 and banished to the city of Nikshahr for three years and banned from leaving Iran for three years; Mohammad Nourizad fifteen, banished to the town of Izeh, banned to travel abroad for three years. Others received lighter prison terms. Almost all the signatories to the letter were arrested in August by Intelligence Ministry agents in a rally in Mashhad in northeast Iran in support of Kamal Jafari-Yazdi, also a signatory of the letter, who was sentenced to thirteen years in prison for "insulting the leader." Most of the signatories are still behind bars. Cincinnati, Ohio-based Great American Insurance Group has promoted Carol Sipe to senior vice president within its Property/Casualty Group. Since 2009, Sipe has served as president of Summit, a provider of workers compensation insurance coverage in the southeastern United States. She has held a variety of roles within Summit, including senior vice president and chief operating officer, since joining the company in 1989. Summit was acquired by American Financial Group Inc., Great Americans parent company, in 2014. In addition to continuing her role as president of Summit, she will now serve as the reporting officer overseeing one of Great Americans subsidiaries, Republic Indemnity. Summit provides its comprehensive workers compensation insurance services to businesses in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Source: Great American Insurance Group Topics Property Property Casualty Ohio Casualty The latest update on Coronavirus is surfacing in Thiruvananthapuram, where the third case has been confirmed. A Kerala student who returned from Wuhan University on Monday, tested positive for the infection. The medical student has been kept in an isolation ward at Kanhangad district hospital in Kasaragod. Health Minister K K Shailaja informed the state assembly about the same, and also said that the condition of the student was stable. About 2000 people have been kept under observation in the Southern Indian state, as the virus has claimed 361 lives globally. The government has issued a travel advisory for the people travelling from China to India. How is India dealing with Coronavirus? A task force has been set up to monitor the spread of Coronavirus. AFP The center has set up a task force for continuous monitoring of the novel Coronavirus, with representatives from Ministries of Health, Home Civil Aviation and Women and Child Development, as told by Union Minister, G Kishan Reddy. A third case has been reported from Kerala. Third positive case of Novel #Coronavirus patient has been reported in #Kerala. The patient has travel history from Wuhan in #China Details here: https://t.co/dOTZ1DBan5 pic.twitter.com/N2R51RPSCB PIB India (@PIB_India) February 3, 2020 On Monday, Kerala Health Minister, K K Shailaja, confirmed a third case of Coronavirus - a student has tested positive in Kasargod. On Sunday, February 2, the second case was confirmed and the patients are being monitored in the isolation ward at Alappuzha Medical College. Around 2,000 people are under observation in Kerala. Kerala Health department has put 1,924 people under observation in their homes, and 75 people have been admitted in the isolation wards in various different hospitals. As of now, 104 samples have been sent for testing, out of which results for 36 have been received. Out of these 36 cases, three were confirmed to be positive. India has evacuated 647 Indians from virus -prone, Wuhan. Revised Travel Advisory for #novelcoronavirus: Indians should refrain travel to China. In case of travel, on return from China they could be quarantined. Anyone with travel history in #China since 15th Jan, 2020 and from now on could be quarantined.@PMOIndia@drharshvardhan Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) February 2, 2020 In the last two days, 647 Indian people have been evacuated from Wuhan, the city of China that is the epicenter of this global health crisis. 324 Indians were part of the first batch; 323 Indians and seven Maldives nationals were evacuated on the next trip on Sunday. Feb 3 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group is in advanced talks with Amazon.com Inc to offer small business loans in the United States on the e-commerce giant's lending platform, the Financial Times reported on Monday. Goldman has begun building technology that would allow it to offer loans to small and medium-sized businesses over Amazon's lending platform, the FT reported, citing two people familiar with the matter, adding that the project could go live as soon as March. https://on.ft.com/3b8PHDJ Goldman Sachs and Amazon did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. (Reporting by Ambhini Aishwarya in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva) Houston Methodist neurosurgeons and neuroscientists are looking at a new way to study the blood of pituitary adenoma patients to determine tumor type and whether they might respond to medical treatment rather than surgery. This potential new way to classify pituitary tumors could lead to more precise and accurate diagnosing for patients. The results appear Jan. 28 in Scientific Reports. Credit: Kumar Pichumani Houston Methodist neurosurgeons and neuroscientists are looking at a new way to classify pituitary tumors that could lead to more precise and accurate diagnosing for patients in the future. Found in up to 10% of the population, pituitary tumors, also called adenomas, are noncancerous growths on the pituitary gland and very common. Although these pituitary tumors are benign in nature, they pose a major health challenge in patients. The new tests being investigated at Houston Methodist not only have the potential to lead to better diagnoses for patients with pituitary adenomas, but also for many other types of brain tumors in the future. The findings, which were published Jan. 28 in Scientific Reports, an online journal from Nature Publishing Group, describe a new way being looked at to study the blood of patients with pituitary tumors to determine exactly what tumor type they have and whether they might respond to medical treatment rather than surgery. "Often called the 'master gland,' the pituitary gland controls the entire endocrine system and regulates various body functions by secreting hormones into the bloodstream to control such things as metabolism, growth and development, reproduction and sleep," said corresponding author Kumar Pichumani, Ph.D., a research physicist at the Houston Methodist Research Institute. "When pituitary adenomas occur, they may secrete too much of one or more hormones that could lead to a variety of issues, ranging from infertility and sexual dysfunction to vision problems and osteoporosis, among many other health problems." Neurosurgeon David S. Baskin, M.D., director of the Kenneth R. Peak Center for Brain and Pituitary Tumor Treatment and Research in the Department of Neurosurgery at Houston Methodist Hospital, collaborated with Pichumani on this study. He said some pituitary tumors can be treated with medication rather than surgery, but a precise diagnosis of the type of tumor someone has and what hormone it's secreting is essential for proper treatment. This is sometimes very difficult to do based on standard endocrine hormone testing. "To guide our decisions on diagnosis and treatment, we currently rely on a blood-based hormone panel test that measures the levels of hormones in the blood to determine which hormones are overproducing in the tumor," Baskin said. "However, some tumors secrete too much of more than one hormone, making this test ambiguous for diagnosis." Led by Pichumani and Baskin, a team of researchers from the Peak Brain and Pituitary Tumor Treatment and Research Center and Houston Methodist Neurological Institute studied 47 pituitary adenoma patients of different subtypes by collecting blood during surgery to remove their tumors. They confirmed that elevated blood levels of a non-hormonal compound called betahydroxybutyrate, also known as BHB, was found only in patients with the prolactinoma subtype of noncancerous pituitary gland brain tumor that overproduces the hormone prolactin. This compound is known to supply energy to the brain during starvation, which led the researchers to speculate that BHB might be providing non-hormonal energy to these prolactinoma tumors causing them to grow and spread. The discovery could be further developed into a diagnostic lab test. This study is part of a developing field called metabolomics in which researchers study small molecules in tumors to see what's unique about their metabolism and how they're used as nutrients to supply energy. This contributes to better diagnoses and discovering new ways to kill tumors by poisoning the specific energy they use without causing damage to normal cells. The researchers are now enrolling more patients in a larger study currently underway to validate the results of their pilot study. If successful, they say BHB could be used as a non-hormonal metabolic biomarker for prolactinoma pituitary tumor diagnosis and prognosis to supplement the current hormone panel tests. They're also looking for biological reasons why only prolactin-secreting tumors have elevated BHB blood levels to inform therapeutic intervention. Explore further Study shows multiple-dose, targeted radiation more effective for treating pituitary tumors More information: Omkar B. Ijare et al, Elevated levels of circulating betahydroxybutyrate in pituitary tumor patients may differentiate prolactinomas from other immunohistochemical subtypes, Scientific Reports (2020). Journal information: Scientific Reports Omkar B. Ijare et al, Elevated levels of circulating betahydroxybutyrate in pituitary tumor patients may differentiate prolactinomas from other immunohistochemical subtypes,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-58244-8 President Xi Jinping on Monday warned officials of punishment if they shirk responsibility in tackling the coronavirus outbreak as China opened a 1,000-bed hospital built in record nine days in Wuhan city and started trials for new drug to contain the virus that has killed 361 people, infected 17,238 others and spread to more than 25 countries. The ruling Communist Party of China on Monday held its political bureau meeting presided by President Xi to review the steps being taken on various fronts to halt the spread of the deadly virus. The outcome of the epidemic prevention and control directly affects people's lives and health, the overall economic and social stability and the country's opening-up, Xi said. Xi also demanded resolute opposition against bureaucratism and the practice of formalities for formalities' sake in the prevention work. "Those who disobey the unified command or shirk off responsibilities will be punished," Xi was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency. Xi said that the party and government leaders supervising them would also be held accountable in severe cases. Chinese armament firms, including those building aircraft carrier and military aircraft, have postponed planned work in order to concentrate on controlling the risk of coronavirus, state-run Global Times reported. Noted Chinese health expert Zhong Nanshan has said that based on the fresh evidence, the novel coronavirus, which is spreading rapidly in China and the world, may reach its peak in the next 10 to 14 days, contrary to earlier estimates of climaxing sooner. This means that the cases would drastically increase in the next two weeks before slowing down. The death toll in China's coronavirus epidemic soared to 361 with 57 deaths on Sunday while the number of confirmed cases climbed to 17,238, Chinese health officials said on Monday. Among Sunday's deaths, 56 were reported from Hubei Province, the epicentre of the virus outbreak, and one from southwest China's Chongqing. The Philippines already reported the first overseas death from the virus while 148 cases have been reported from abroad. India has reported three cases of the coronavirus, all of them in Keralites who returned from Wuhan. Meanwhile, China opened a 1,000-bed hospital built in record nine days in Wuhan city, the epicentre of the epidemic, to exclusively treat the coronavirus patients, and started clinical trials for a drug to contain the virulent virus. On Wednesday, another 1,300-bed makeshift hospital will be opened adjacent to it. Together, they will open up 2,300 bed hospitals exclusively to treat the coronavirus patients. The new facility will ease the shortage of beds in the city resulting from an increasing number of patients infected with the virus, official media reported. Medical personnel from the People's Liberation Army will take over the new Huoshenshan Hospital. Official media publicised the construction of the hospitals in tearing hurry as major strength of the ruling Communist Party of China's ability to deal with such epidemics. Also, China has begun clinical trials to test a drug to treat the patients of the coronavirus which till now has no cure. Currently, patients are being treated with a combination of antivirals and other measures, as scientists race to find a vaccine. Some reports said drugs to treat HIV too was being tried to treat the patients. The experimental antiviral drug, Remdesivir, to be tested in field trials is developed by US-based Gilead Sciences, is aimed at treating infectious diseases such Ebola and SARS, South China Morning Post reported. It was given to the first US patient last week - a 35-year-old man whose condition appeared to improve within a day, it said. China's National Health Commission on Monday said the drug trials were being carried out at multiple hospitals in Wuhan. Some 270 patients will take part in the study, the Post quoted China's thepaper.cn as saying. Zhong, also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said current research has shown the virus originated from bats, but whether there are more intermediate carriers between bats and humans requires further investigation. Although there is no effective cure yet, there are at least seven drugs targeting the virus' genetic material going through various stages of clinical trials, he told Xinhua. A vaccine is also in the works, though it requires more time to reach clinical application. The average incubation period of the virus is around five days, with fever being the most common symptom of the virus, he said. China on Monday said it "urgently needs" medical masks, protective suits, and safety goggles. The novel coronavirus epidemic has triggered a sharp increase in demand for masks for citizens and protective clothing for medical workers. Companies have been mobilised to run at full capacity to produce these high-demand materials. China on Monday accused the US of spreading "panic" through its actions like travel bans and evacuation of diplomats and said there was no "substantial help" from Washington to contain the virus. "What the US has done could create and spread panic," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said addressing the first online media briefing. It follows the US decision to declare a public health emergency and deny entry to foreign nationals who had visited China in the past two weeks. The World Health Organisation has said it was partnering with Google to prevent the spread of misinformation about the new coronavirus. (Image credit- AP) Actor Anil Kapoor is one of Bollywoods favourite cops, thanks to his roles in movies such as Ram Lakhan and Race. He has donned the khaki uniform once again for his upcoming film Malang. Bollywood has had many actors essaying the role of police officers. Asked what makes him a different cop in Malang, Anil told IANS here: My early memories of cop is Ardh Satya. Om Puri gave one of his finest performances in it. I was really shaken up when I saw the film. I really loved the film. Om was terrific as a police officer. Then of course, there was Zanjeer which was a mainstream commercial film. After that I think it was Ram Lakhan - a mainstream commercial film where I played a cop who just wanted to be rich, even if he had to go against the system. I did other films as well where I played a cop, he said. The list of actors playing police officers in films goes on. There is Ajay (Devgn) who played a cop in Singham, Salman (Khan) in Dabangg. When this role (in Malang) was offered to me, first I said let me not do this role because I have already played a cop. There is a tendency of people saying that You are playing a cop again, he said. But then he realised that cop is something that you can play again and again. Sharing an example from Hollywood, he said: Clint Eastwood has played so many of these roles (cop roles) like in Dirty Harry. Talking abut his role, Anil said: It is a pretty dark role. I said I have not played such a dark character. I wanted to be little more fun and watchable also. Its a commercial film. I have tried to make it as interesting as I could. Also read: Kapil Sharma asks Mohit Suri has Emraan Hashmi lost his kissing powers?, Aditya-Krushna recreate Aashiqui 2 scene His look in the upcoming film has already got a thumbs up from many people. Did he give inputs to his cop look, he said: Yes, it is a collaborative look. Mohit (Suri) wanted an all-black look but I said No, you know all-black... I am playing a cop so it might not look real. It might look slightly stylised. Then I added the cop shirt. The red glasses was his (Mohits) idea. The tattoo was also his idea, he added. He let his natural grey hair shine in the film. There is a lot of anger which he (his character) has towards the department, the system and a lot of anger towards Goa. He feels that Goa is not the way it used to be. Keeping all this in mind, I thought my hair and all should be dishevelled and he is 50 plus, so he should look like he is 50 plus. I have grey hair. I said Let me leave my real grey hair, which you see in the film. Its not artificial, Anil said. Follow @htshowbiz for more Artistic renders have revealed the US Air Force's top secret $600 million B-21 Raider stealth bomber. The graphics, released by the US Air Force and manufacturer Northrop Grumman, show the B-21 Raider concept inserted into photos of three US hangars. The long-range stealth bomber is expected to come into service in 2025 and will be capable of delivering conventional and theromonuclear weapons. Thermonuclear bombs, or H-bombs, provide enormous explosive power resulting from chain reactions between isotopes of hydrogen under high temperatures. The new aircraft will be able to drop thermonuclear bombs on surface targets with greater precision while avoiding detection. Artist rendering of a B-21 Raider concept in a hangar at Dyess, Air Force Base, Texas, one of the future bases to host the new airframe The B-21 Raider will be capable of penetrating the toughest defenses to deliver precision strikes anywhere in the world, playing a vital role in Americas national security, said Northrop Grumman. B-21 Raider will support America's defense strategy by forming the backbone of the Air Force's future strike and deterrent capabilities, according to the US Secretary of Defense. The W-shaped aircraft will complement existing Rockwell B-1 Lancer, Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, and Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber fleets in US service and eventually replace these bombers. The B-21 Raider concept as it would appear in a hangar at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri Renders provided by the US Air Force show the new, secret $600 million B-21 Raider stealth bomber's sleek frame and landing gear, as it would appear here in Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota It will operate out of Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, as well as Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Northrop Grumman received the contract to build the aircraft back in 2015, but since then only one piece of concept art of the secret bomber has existed. The new renders conceal key aspects of the design. However, they do reveal for the first time the set of two-wheel landing gear. Until now, only this single piece of official concept art of the aircraft B-21 Raider existed We are designing the B-21 Raider to replace our ageing bombers as a long-range, highly-survivable aircraft capable of carrying mixed conventional and nuclear payloads, to strike any target worldwide,' said Chief of Staff of the Air Force general David L. Goldfein. Stealth aircraft such as the B-21 are designed to be invisible to detection technologies such as radar signals and infrared and visible light. Design features, such as shape and coating, can help stealth aircraft deflect detection signals away from the opponents radar equipment. The bomber is expected to do more than just drop bombs, however, and will eventually become the centrepiece of the USs nuclear air fleet, replacing B-52 and B-1 bombers. High-power cameras, increased processing power and antennas embedded into the outer surface will turn the B-21 into a versatile spy plane and airborne command centre, according to Defense One. B-21 Raider may even be capable of manned or unmanned operations, according to US Air Force documents viewed by The Drive, meaning it may not even require a pilot. OPEC OPEC and its allies are considering cutting their oil output by a further 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) due to the impact on oil demand from the coronavirus, two OPEC sources and a third industry source familiar with discussions said. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, known as OPEC+, are considering holding a ministerial meeting on February 14-15, one of the OPEC sources said, earlier than a current schedule for a meeting in March. Oil has fallen $10 a barrel this year to $56, lower than the level many OPEC countries need to balance their budgets. The coronavirus outbreak in China could cut oil demand by more than 250,000 bpd in the first quarter, analysts and traders say. OPEC member Iran said on Monday the spread of the virus had hit oil demand and called for an effort to stabilise prices, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported. "The oil market is under pressure and prices have dropped to under $60 a barrel and efforts must be made to balance it," Iran's oil minister, Bijan Zanganeh, said. Russia on Friday said it was ready to bring forward the OPEC+ meetings to February. The country is the biggest non-OPEC producer working with OPEC so its approval is key. An OPEC and non-OPEC panel called the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) has scheduled a meeting for Feb. 4-5 in Vienna to assess the impact of the virus on demand, other OPEC+ sources said. The technical panel is likely to make a recommendation on any further action to support the market, the sources said. OPEC+ has been reducing oil supply to support prices, agreeing in December to cut output by 1.7 million bpd until the end of March. Its next meeting is scheduled for March 5-6. The partners are also discussing extending the duration of the cuts and separate OPEC sources said last week the group wanted to prolong the curbs until at least June. Saudi Arabia's economy, the largest in the Arab world, remains dominated by hydrocarbon revenue despite plans to diversify. The kingdom needs prices of around $80 to balance its state budget. The Centre has set up a task force to monitor the situation arising out of the novel with representatives from the Ministries of Health, Home, Civil Aviation and Women and Child Development, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Monday. The move came amidst reports that a third case of novel was detected in Kerala and the person had recently returned from China. "A task force has been set up to monitor novel situation. The first meeting of the task force will be held today. We will discuss what all precautions need to be taken to prevent the spread of the virus," Reddy told reporters here. The union minister of state for home said Indians, who want to return, will be evacuated from China. "Whoever wants to come back to India, they should get in touch with our embassy," he said. The Health Ministry on Monday updated its travel advisory, which was issued on Sunday, and asked people to refrain from travelling to China in view of the deadly coronavirus outbreak in its Hubei province. It also said that travellers returning from the neighbouring country could be quarantined. : Five of the 15 convicts in the sensational case of sexual assault of a minor child at Ayanavaram here were sentenced to life imprisonment by a special court here on Monday. Pronouncing the quantum of punishment, Judge R N Manjula of the court for trial of cases under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, also sentenced the other 10 convicts to varying terms of imprisonment. Of the five awarded life term, four would remain in prison till death. Ravikumar (56), Suresh (32), Abhishek (23) and Palani (40) have been sentenced to undergo life imprisonment until death while Rajasekaran (40) has been sentenced to life with entitlement to be released prematurely on his application. One of the accused has been sentenced to a seven-year prison term while the other nine have been sentenced to five years Rigorous Imprisonment. The judge had on Saturday convicted 15 of the convicts and acquitted one. Another died during the course of the trial. The case relates to the sexual assault of a hearing-impaired minor girl by a group of 17 people, mostly plumbers, housekeepers, security guards and lift operators working in an apartment complex at Ayanavaram here. Police had charged the accused with sections 354-B (Assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 366 (kidnapping), 376-AB, 376-DB, 506 (i) and 506 (ii) of the IPC and sections 5 and 6 of the POCSO Act. The girl was allegedly sexually assaulted several times by the accused for over seven months. The matter came to light after the victim, a class 7 student, narrated her ordeal to her elder sister who then informed their parents following which the girl's father lodged a police complaint on July 15, 2018. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prior to her role at Actelion, Dr. Griffiths was the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) Company Group Chairman at Janssen Pharmaceuticals and held various roles within Johnson & Johnson since completing her PhD in Plant Sciences at the University College of Wales. Dr. Griffiths has in-depth knowledge of many disease areas including oncology, haematology, pulmonary hypertension and psychiatry, and has significant experience in HIV and hepatitis C. Her previous roles include global commercial strategy where she oversaw the entry of Janssen into HIV and worked across the globe to build a plan to ensure true global patient access. "We are thrilled to have Dr. Griffiths join as a member of the Board," said Dr. Mel Spigelman, president and CEO of TB Alliance. "As we advance the introduction of new TB therapies, her global experience will contribute greatly to TB Alliance and our mission." Dr. Griffiths is a passionate advocate for women in business and STEM education. She was the first female Company Group Chairman of Janssen EMEA and is determined to encourage more women to pursue leadership roles, and was a sponsor of the Johnson & Johnson Women's Leadership and Inclusion initiative. About TB Alliance TB Alliance is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding faster-acting and affordable drug regimens to fight TB. Through innovative science and with partners around the globe, we aim to ensure equitable access to faster, better TB cures that will advance global health and prosperity. TB Alliance operates with support from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research through KfW, Global Health Innovative Technology Fund, Indonesia Health Fund, Irish Aid, Medical Research Council (United Kingdom), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rockefeller Foundation, United Kingdom Department for International Development, and the United States Agency for International Development. SOURCE TB Alliance Related Links https://www.tballiance.org The Pittsburgh Quarterly Restaurant Review Board recognizes outstanding restaurants and chefs, publishing the top 20 annually in The List. Diverse board members are chosen for their interest and knowledge of food and fine dining. Each is anonymous, ensuring no special treatment during restaurant visitsbut in the coming reviews, each has picked an icon from the array above, and that icon will accompany their reviews so you can follow each board member via his or her icon. Throughout the year, they dine out frequently, sharing their experiences with other members via mini-reviewsbrief, off-the-cuff impressions not meant to be definitive or comprehensive. And now we share them with you! Jean Louis Parisian Bistro 3271 W. Liberty Avenue, Dormont Dinner reservations for four on Friday evening. The atmosphere was warm and authentic and the owner/chef (Gaetano Ascione) was there to greet us at the door. He was very friendly and personally seated us. Upon being seated, our waiter set our table with fresh linens and flatware. He asked our preference on water and immediately brought out a carafe and filled our glasses. During this time, the owner arrived at our table and went over the specials. He also made recommendations for wine pairings. We ordered a bottle of the Montepucliano DAbruzzo and two French martinis. The wine was fantastic and the martinis were well-prepared. After ordering our drinks, the waiter brought out a hot plate with warm toasted baguettes and oil. The bread was cooked perfectly! It was so good that we asked for another order throughout our meal. I ordered the Soup a lOignon Gratinee as well as the Macaroni au Gratin for my appetizer. Both were visually appealing and loaded with flavor. The portions were small, but the quality of the ingredients was excellent. For my entree I ordered the Entrecote et Frites (medium rare). The steak was cooked perfectly and well-portioned, and the sweet sauce that accompanied it was superb. The Kennebec French Fries were below average and lacked flavor. Two of us ordered the Entrecote et Frites and instead of our waiter bringing out an order of the French Fries for both of us, he put them in one large bowl. This was a little unappetizing and disappointing. For dessert, I ordered the Creme Brulee. The portion was adequate as well as the taste. At the end of the meal, the owner brought out an order of Chocolate Bonbons on the house. They were not on the menu, but absolutely fantastic. Overall, the experience was great! The staff was friendly and professional, the interior was well appointed, and the food was loaded with flavor and authenticity. Alta Via 46 Fox Chapel Road, Fox Chapel Plaza in Fox Chapel Dinner for four on a Tuesday evening. We and our guests had already had cocktails and hors doeuvres at home beforehand, so we went straight to selecting first courses, salads and entrees. We ordered the mushroom first course again, after having had it several months ago, and it did not disappoint. The mix of sauteed beech, hen of the woods and royal trumpet mushrooms with pine nuts and crispy sage was cooked thoroughly, but not so much that the mushrooms were mushy; the smoked mozzarella was perfectly melted and not tough. The portion was generousenough for the four of us to share. Very special and not to be missed. Three of the four of us ordered off-menu specials. The first, a pillow ravioli with carrot puree, mascarpone and ricotta in a white wine sauce, was light and flavorful and accented with a broccoli pesto. The second one was duck tagliatelle, a delicious, earthy duck ragout, with brussels sprouts, tomato, cinnamon, and perfectly cooked pasta, in a white wine sauce and topped with a light dusting of cheese. The three of us agreed we would order these entrees again if they appeared on the menu. The fourth member of our group ordered the popular Campanelle, a house-made sausage cacciatore, with Grana Padano, and he pronounced it fabulous. Desserts were the chocolate-hazelnut torte, a deep chocolate cake layered with chocolate mousse which was tasty and plated attractively (although it was somewhat dry), and the chocolate and vanilla gelatos. The gelato servings were enormoushard to imagine anyone eating the entire portionand two of us left more than half the serving in the goblet. Prepare to share! The service was a little awkward in that every face that appeared at our table was different from those who had come before! All of them were all engaging and knowledgeable, but we had to repeat a few requests because the cast of characters kept changing. Only one negative continues to frustrate herewhen the dining room is full (as it is most evenings), conversation is difficult among only four people at a small table. It becomes even more limited with a larger group. Might be worth considering a request for seating in the bar on a future visit, but the food is so consistently good here that perhaps the noise level is something one just has to get used to. Hoffstots 533 Allegheny Avenue, Oakmont Have eaten there every few months for decades. Im writing because they refreshed the menu and tableware. Missing is my favorite Linguini with Manzanilla clams (unreliable fresh clams). Still the same is the iced cold house salad with an incredibly light dressing and crumbled bleu cheese. The olive oil based bread dipping sauce is now for sale to-go. I had the beans and greens with added sausage. Also tried the manicotti. Both solid Italian preparations. Fresh grated Reg at the table. Its not one of the best in the city, but the best in its Oakmont neighborhood. Buzzing bar with classic drinks. Attentive service from a well-trained team who moves quickly and efficiently. Not the trendiest place in the city, but they have been doing something right for the past 40 years to be filled solid for 40 years. Modified On Feb 02, 2020 01:56 PM By Sonny These are the cars you dont want to miss at the 2020 Auto Expo The upcoming Auto Expo 2020 is going to be a whirlwind of showcases from numerous carmakers across the venue. If youre a bit overwhelmed by all the cars to look at, heres a comprehensive list of the top attractions at this edition of the expo: Kia QYI Kias third product for India, a sub-4m SUV based on the Hyundai Venue with the same engine options. The QYI will make a pre-production debut at the expo. It is expected to be launched by August 2020. Kia Carnival The Carnival premium MPV will be launched at the expo on Feb 5. It is the follow-up to the Seltos and offers a step above the Toyota Innova Crysta while staying under the Rs 30 lakh mark. Kia Seltos X-Line Concept The Seltos is an urban SUV but Kia showcased a couple of custom built off-roading versions of the SUV late last year in the US. Known as the X-Line Concept, expect these to get some attention at the upcoming expo too. Hyundai Creta 2020 The second-gen Hyundai Creta compact SUV will make its India debut at the expo. It will feature an all-new front and rear design, new BS6 engines and updated cabin layout. The new Creta is expected to launch around March 2020. Hyundai Verna Facelift The Verna is due to get a big cosmetic makeover with this facelifted model. It will also get an updated range of BS6 engines with the addition of connected car technology. It is due to launch by March 2020 as well. Hyundai Tucson Facelift The Tucson is Hyundais flagship offering in India. It is also due a facelift with the BS6 engine update and expected to launch by March 2020 if not at the expo. Hyundai Grand i10 Nios N-Line Hyundai will be entering Indias hot-hatch segment by adding the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol to the Grand i10 Nios. It will offer 100PS of power likely in the new N-Line variant which is expected to be launched by March 2020. Hyundai Le Fil Rouge concept The Le Fil Rouge was Hyundais headline concept car at the 2018 Geneva motor show. It is a sporty four-door coupe with a sharp design language on the outside and a minimalistic cabin loaded with technology. Maruti Futuro-E The Futuro-E will be Marutis small electric SUV concept. It will be the precursor to the production-spec model that is likely to rival the Nexon EV rather than the likes of the Hyundai Kona Electric and MG ZS EV. It will also showcase the carmakers design direction for SUVs. Maruti Vitara Brezza Facelift The Vitara Brezza finally gets a facelift for the first time since its launch in 2016. While the cosmetic updates are mild, the big change will be under the bonnet with a petrol engine for the first time. It will be launched at the expo itself. Maruti S-Cross Petrol Maruti will be adding a petrol engine to the S-Cross compact SUV as well. It is unlikely to get any cosmetic changes. The BS6 petrol engine will likely be the 1.5-litre K15B unit from the Ertiga and Ciaz. Maruti Ignis Facelift The entry-level model for Marutis Nexa chain of dealerships is also getting a mild facelift. The 2020 Ignis will get a fresh front fascia while the rest of the car looks pretty much the same with no big updates to the feature list either. Maruti Swift Hybrid Maruti Suzuki is discontinuing the diesel engine for the BS6 era, the carmaker is looking to offer a strong hybrid for increased fuel efficiency. The Swift Hybrid showcases that possibility with a pure EV mode as well. It hasnt been launched in any market yet. Tata Gravitas The Gravitas is the 7-seater variant of the Harrier SUV. While it looks a lot like the Harrier with a revised rear end for the extra row of seats. It was previewed at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show as the Buzzard. The Gravitas will be Tatas new flagship SUV. Tata Harrier 2020 The Harrier is getting a few feature updates just over a year after its launch. The 2020 Tata mid-size SUV will get a BS6 diesel engine, automatic transmission option, larger wheels and a panoramic sunroof. Tata Altroz EV Tata will be pushing its future EV lineup with an electric version of its new premium hatchback, the Altroz. It will be showcased in its pre-production version at the expo with over 300km of range and a likely launch by early 2021. Tata H2X After debuting at the 2019 Geneva motor show, Tata will be bringing a pre-production model of the Tata H2X micro-SUV to the expo. It would be smaller than the Nexon, likely aimed as a rival to the Renault Kwid with the launch by the end of 2020. Mahindra XUV500 EV Concept Mahindras Auto Expo showcase will be highlighted by a range of electric offerings, starting with an EV concept to preview the next-gen XUV500. Mahindra XUV300 EV While the XUV500 EV will be a new concept, the XUV300 electric will be a pre-production showcase at the 2020 expo. It will rival the Nexon EV as an all-electric sub-4m SUV with an expected range of around 300km. Mahindra eKUV100 The Mahindra eKUV100 is expected to be the first of the brands new range of electric cars. It is aiming to be the most affordable EV in India with a starting price tag of under Rs 9 lakh with the latest government incentives. MG Hector 6-seater The three-row version of the MG Hector mid-size SUV will have its own monicker in the product lineup. It has been spied to be a 6-seater offering with captain seats in the middle row. It is expected to be launched within the first half of 2020. MG Gloster The Maxus D90 will be called the MG Gloster in India. It is a premium three-row, body-on-frame SUV from MGs portfolio. It would be a rival to the likes of the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour. It could be launched in India by end-2020. MG G10 MPV From three-row SUVs to an MPV, the Maxus G10 would be MGs potential rival to the Toyota Innova Crysta. In its global spec model, it comes with different seating layouts to seat upto 10 passengers. The G10 is unlikely to be brought to India anytime soon. MG Vision-i Concept Among the many SUVs, MG will also be bringing its concept for electric mobility with autonomous capability called the Vision-i. It has MPV-like styling but the ground clearance of an urban SUV. It will be a showcase of MGs 5G capabilities. MG Marvel X The Marvel X, in some countries, is offered under the Roewe marquee, a sister brand to MG Motor. It is a premium electric SUV offering with semi-autonomous driving assist systems and a claimed range of over 400km. MG RC-6 The MG RC-6 made its debut in China under its sister brand Baojun. It has a sedan body type with a sloping roofline and increased ground clearance, like the Volvo S60 Cross Country. This crossover coupe may be launched in India by 2021. Renault HBC Renault is looking to enter the sub-4m SUV segment with a new offering that will debut at the expo. Currently known by its codename, the HBC has been spied testing numerous times and is expected to launch in the second half of 2020. Renault Triber 1.0-L Turbo & AMT The Triber sub-4m MPV was launched with a single powertrain option - 1.0-litre petrol engine with a 5-speed manual. Renault will debut the new 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine option alongside an AMT for the current 1.0-litre engine at the expo. Expect the Triber to get the AMT by March 2020 and the new engine soon after. Renault Zoe The Renault Zoe is an electric compact hatchback offered in the European market. It is a popular EV offering from the French carmaker and a showcase for its EV-making abilities. It is unlikely to be launched in India. Renault Kwid Electric Renault had unveiled another compact EV in 2019 based on the Kwid. It is known as the City K-ZE in China and is the brands budget EV offering with a range of around 270km based on the old NEDC test cycle. Skoda VISION IN Concept Skoda will preview its first new made-for-India SUV with the VISION IN concept. A compact SUV built on the Indianised version of VW Groups MQB A0 platform, it will take on the likes of the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos when launched in 2021. Skoda Rapid TSI The Rapid is Skodas entry-level offering in India. It will be getting a new 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine for the BS6 era to replace the current lineup of 1.5-litre diesel and 1.6-litre petrol engines. Skoda Octavia vRS245 The new-gen Skoda Octavia is expected to arrive in India later in 2020. The current model wont get BS6 engines, so Skoda is seeing it off with the vRS245 limited edition performance variant which will be launched at the Auto Expo. Skoda Karoq The Karoq is the current Skoda compact SUV offering in various global markets. It is the successor to the Yeti and renowned for its rugged abilities and 4WD drivetrain. The Karoq may lend some design cues to the India-spec Skoda SUV and will a market launch soon after the expo. Volkswagen T-Roc Volkswagen will be bringing its own range of future SUV offerings in India to the expo. The T-Roc is a compact SUV with a coupe like styling and premium features. It would be positioned below the likes of the Tiguan when launched in India by mid-2020. Volkswagen A0 SUV In a slightly unexpected fashion, Volkswagen has teased a new small SUV that will make its global premiere at the upcoming Auto Expo. It will be based on the A0 platform just like the Skoda Vision IN. It will be launched in Q2 2021. GWM Haval F7 The Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motor will be making its India debut at the upcoming Auto Expo. Its first product will likely be the Haval F7, a mid-size SUV to take on the likes of the MG Hector and Tata Harrier. GWM Ora R1 GWMs star attraction should be the Ora R1 which was unveiled in China as the worlds most affordable EV with government subsidies. It is a small EV with plenty of tech and a range of over 300km. Mercedes-Benz EQA Mercedes-Benz will be one of the few luxury brands present at the Auto Expo 2020. It recently introduced its EQ division of electric cars in India with the EQC electric SUV. The EQA is the brands compact offering, still in its concept stage. Mercedes-Benz AMG GT 4-door Coupe The ultimate four-door speedster from Affalterbach will be making its debut in India. The AMG GT 4-door Coupe is powered by a 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 making 639PS and 900Nm. It is expected to be launched in India in 2021 to take on the Porsche Panamera Turbo. [February 03, 2020] Coravin, Inc. Appoints Christopher Ladd as Chief Executive Officer BEDFORD, Mass., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CORAVIN, Inc., the premier global wine technology company, announced today the appointment of Christopher Ladd as its chief executive officer. In his role, Ladd will leverage his deep experience across consumer, retail, marketing, and e-commerce to strengthen the Coravin brand. Frederic Levy, who occupied the role since 2015, stepped down January 31, 2020. "On behalf of everyone at Coravin, we thank Fred for his contributions to the company over the past five years," said Greg Lambrecht, founder of Coravin. "As we look forward, we are thrilled to welcome Chris in the role of CEO. His passion, creativity, and proven track record of building world-class brands are invaluable as we continue to pursue strategic growth and progress on our mission to change the way the world drinks wine." Chris is based in Boston and brings experience from his successful career spanning more than twenty years with impressive brands such as Crocs, Lululemon and New Balance. The majority of his experince has focused on digital, retail, eCommerce and marketing in addition to successfully scaling businesses globally. Moreover, he brings passion for wine and deep knowledge of the global digital consumer. "As a wine enthusiast, I am so thrilled to join the Coravin team," said Ladd. "Combining my personal passion and a unique consumer offering creates an exciting opportunity. I look forward to learning more and working with the team to help change the way the world drinks wine." For more information on Coravin, please visit www.coravin.com. About Coravin, Inc. Coravin, Inc. is a privately held company located in Bedford, Massachusetts focused and the leader in wine tech around the world. Coravin designs and markets the Coravin Wine Preservation Opener for wine enthusiasts, restaurants, wine stores and wineries. Unparalleled in craftsmanship and design, Coravin uses proprietary patented technology to access and pour wine from a bottle without pulling the cork. Wine enthusiasts can now enjoy wine sealed with corks without feeling the need to commit to the whole bottle, allowing them to explore wines of any vintage, varietal or region, one glass at a time. With Coravin, wine, after being accessed, remains in the bottle, continuing to evolve naturally. It can then be enjoyed later since it was never exposed to oxygen. For more information, please visit www.coravin.com. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/coravin-inc-appoints-christopher-ladd-as-chief-executive-officer-300997252.html SOURCE Coravin [ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com/wimax's Homepage ] Alfred Chan has been the CEO of The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (HKG:3) since 1997. This report will, first, examine the CEO compensation levels in comparison to CEO compensation at other big companies. Then we'll look at a snap shot of the business growth. And finally - as a second measure of performance - we will look at the returns shareholders have received over the last few years. The aim of all this is to consider the appropriateness of CEO pay levels. Check out our latest analysis for Hong Kong and China Gas How Does Alfred Chan's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies? Our data indicates that The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited is worth HK$253b, and total annual CEO compensation was reported as HK$38m for the year to December 2018. While we always look at total compensation first, we note that the salary component is less, at HK$6.4m. Importantly, there may be performance hurdles relating to the non-salary component of the total compensation. We took a group of companies with market capitalizations over HK$62b, and calculated the median CEO total compensation to be HK$6.9m. There aren't very many mega-cap companies, so we had to take a wide range to get a meaningful comparison figure. It would therefore appear that The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited pays Alfred Chan more than the median CEO remuneration at large companies, in the same market. However, this fact alone doesn't mean the remuneration is too high. We can get a better idea of how generous the pay is by looking at the performance of the underlying business. You can see a visual representation of the CEO compensation at Hong Kong and China Gas, below. SEHK:3 CEO Compensation, February 3rd 2020 Is The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited Growing? The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited has increased its earnings per share (EPS) by an average of 7.8% a year, over the last three years (using a line of best fit). In the last year, its revenue is up 11%. Story continues This revenue growth could really point to a brighter future. And the modest growth in earnings per share isn't bad, either. So while performance isn't amazing, we think it really does seem quite respectable. Shareholders might be interested in this free visualization of analyst forecasts. Has The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited Been A Good Investment? Boasting a total shareholder return of 44% over three years, The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited has done well by shareholders. So they may not be at all concerned if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for companies around the same size. In Summary... We examined the amount The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited pays its CEO, and compared it to the amount paid by other large companies. As discussed above, we discovered that the company pays more than the median of that group. Over the last three years returns to investors have been great, though we might have liked stronger business growth. Considering this fine result for investors, we daresay the CEO compensation might be apt. So you may want to check if insiders are buying Hong Kong and China Gas shares with their own money (free access). If you want to buy a stock that is better than Hong Kong and China Gas, this free list of high return, low debt companies is a great place to look. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. In the parlous year of 1938, German litterateur Thomas Mann left his homeland in order to save it. He emigrated to the United States and, using his unique verbal gifts, attempted to persuade our political leaders to drop their neutrality and assist the European allies in resisting Hitler and, more broadly, combat the obverse ideologies of fascism and socialism. Even America feels today that democracy is not an assured possession, that it has enemies, that it is threatened from within and from without, that it has once more become a problem, Mann cautioned in a lecture series broadcast nationwide. His own country had succumbed to Nazism and jingoistic irredentism. America, Mann urged, must force democracy to take stock of itself and lead a renewal of its spirit in thought and feeling. Manns warning proved prescient, with the Anschluss unfolding just as his words reached American ears. In just a year, waves of anger and fear would, to quote Auden, circulate over the bright/and darkened lands of the earth. I bring up Manns address because of its absence from the first dispatch in a new series from The New Yorker about the struggles of Western democracy in the era of Trump. In The Last Time Democracy Almost Died, Jill Lepore surveys the current scene, comparing it with -- when else? -- the 1930s. In the nineteen-thirties, you could count on the Yankees winning the World Series, dust storms plaguing the prairies, evangelicals preaching on the radio, Franklin Delano Roosevelt residing in the White House, people lining up for blocks to get scraps of food, and democracies dying, from the Andes to the Urals and the Alps, she writes, in the briefest of history lessons that wouldnt even meet Wikipedia editorial standards. But she gets the last part right: democracy -- a catchall for western liberalism -- was indeed faltering. Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Metaxas, Stalin, and others personified the sublimation of illiberal, humanity-quashing tyranny. Lepore now sees dead despots clutching the reins of todays democracies; meaning that she envisions the ghostly forms of the Fuhrer and Il Duce pulling countries like Hungary, Brazil, Russia, and the United States back to the old oppression that was supposed to have been civilly smothered at Potsdam (the Soviet Union notwithstanding). Quoting period intellectuals such as Walter Lippmann, Arnold Toynbee, and future Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, Lepore composes a medley of dirges to democracy. But, as history illustrated, liberal democracy was more resilient, more flinty in the face of adversarial authoritarianism, than its defenders supposed. Lepore overestimates the threat to democracy posed by present-day leaders. The current year isnt 1939; democracy isnt under armed assault from the twinned doctrines of Nazism and Stalinism. At least in the United States, democracy, by Lepores lights, is thriving despite her baseless fears of President Trump. Democracy as a concept isnt easy to define. True, its base precepts are straightforward: one person, one vote, equal access to the ballot box, government of, by, and for the people. But, in function, in the messy process of practicing civic responsibility, democracy reverts to a nebulous aspiration. Lepore settles on a pat definition of democracy: a society is democratic if it argues about the proper limits of democracy. She writes, Its a paradox of democracy that the best way to defend it is to attack it, to ask more of it, by way of criticism, protest, and dissent. Democracy is democracy when its autogenous -- it perpetuates participation within itself. If the health of democracy is measured by how many citizens are arguing about whether or not their country is democratic enough, Id wager democracy in the U.S. has never been so hale and hearty. The proof is in the vitriolic, epithet-filled pudding we loosely call the internet comment section. Its in the interminable Facebook screeds that populate the social-media channel deep into the night. Its even in the noxious cut and thrust of Twitter, even with its vindictive mobbing. Pace Lepore, the Trump presidency has seen, if anything, an increase in democratic disagreement. The near-entirety of the celebrity-media-art-industrial complex speaks out against the administration, all while pocketing the disposable income of its easily impressed patrons. Case in point: Taylor Swift. The mega-popular songstress only recently started speaking out about politics, in predictable left-wing patter. Donald Trumps adversaries are hardly being deprived of their democratic voice. If anything, the converse is occurring. Trump critics are loud, outspoken, pugnacious, emotionally incontinent, rude, even murderous. They arent timid Falun Gong members being crunched under the heel of the all-powerful Sino-state. More so, congressional Democrats are embroiled in the most partisan gambit allowed by the Constitution: impeaching the President. House Democrats, led by a failed screenwriter with a flair for melodrama, are questioning the very validity of the Trump administration. Lepore repines that democracy meant something once, and that it still does amidst our acrimonious times. That Democrats are free to pursue the path of deposition proves that reports of democracys demise are well overstated. Manns definition of democracy resembled Lepores: Democracy is thought; but it is thought related to life and action. Were living through a democratic upheaval, no doubt, with much thought and plenty of action happening over the future of a country that puts behind its helm a man with no previous political experience. I feel that the hopes of all those who cherish democratic sentiments in the sense in which I have defined them, must be concentrated in this country, Mann concluded in his encomium to American democracy. The doomsayers of our day arent contending with the evil Mann fought in his. In the name of democracy, theyre remonstrating against one of its core canons: the elevation of a common man to high office. And in doing so, theyre proving Americas democratic essence is unflagging. MBABANE Sodomy and sexual violation allegations have rocked an institution housing children with disabilites, the St Josephs Mission. The institution has recently expelled about 10 children from the boarding facility. Some of the expelled children have been accused of allegedly engaging in sexual activities, including acts of sodomy. The St Josephs boarding facility is run by the Roman Catholic Church. The expulsion of the pupils from the boarding facility is said to be frustrating to most of the pupils, who end up dropping out of school due to their various disabilities while some manage to commute to and fro school. It is alleged that the expulsion of the pupils from the dormitory, emanates from various transgressions they allegedly committed while at the hostel, which include sexual violations. Disabilities The initiation of the school was a vision of the late Father Angelo Ciccone, who passed away a few years ago. Ciccone loved and protected children with disabilities and did not want to see them suffer. In an interview with the Coordinator of the Hostel Office, Thamsanqa Mpanza, he said they were forced to expel the pupils from the hostel as they were found on the wrong side of the law. According to Mpanza, most of the physically challenged children were hyper and allegedly engaged in sexual acts, something which the facility could not tolerate. We are also handling cases of sodomy within the institution, he alleged. Meanwhile, he said others carried weapons and cellphones, which was against the school rules and regulations. Mpanza said they treated all the children at the hostel equally regardless of their physical challenges. We do not disorient the children but treat them like the others who do not have disabilities, Mpanza stated. However, he said there were over-aged pupils who attended skills training at their Ekululameni Centre. These pupils, he said, were very difficult to handle, yet they also needed to adhere to the hostel facility rules. Procedure Mpanza said they followed procedure at the school before taking the decision to expel the pupils. He said first they warned the pupils and when they repeated the offences, they engaged the parents and finally expelled them. He said most parents denied that the children were unruly and protected them which became a challenge for them. If a child has broken the rules and failed to stick to the principles, there are surely consequences, Mpanza reiterated. Further, he said the administration no longer administered corporal punishment but used positive discipline. When questioned why the number of expelled pupils was high at the boarding facility, compared to the time of Father Angelo Ciccone, Mpanza said they could never be the same. He said their office tried very hard not to expel the pupils. Mpanza noted that the facility also lacked professionals when handling children with physical challenges. He said most of the staff at the facility were school leavers but they received training time and again. The expulsion of the pupils from the hostel has brought about some division within the mission. An insider, who asked not to be named due to the sensitive nature of the matter, conceded that most of the children with disabilities at the institution were being expelled, something that really bothered them as a church. The insider said the unfortunate part was that the administrative office took decisions by themselves without engaging them. We do not know why and how the children end up being driven out of the boarding facility. According to the insider, the initiator of the programme never wanted children to be expelled from the school. The insider said during Father Ciccones time, the children were engaged and disciplined but they did not reach a point where they would be expelled. Suffering He did not want to see a child with a disability suffering and walking alone on the streets. This is the reason he started the St Josephs project because he wanted children to have a place to stay and easy access to school, added the insider. The insider further said he had no idea what exactly led to the expulsion of the children but confirmed that there were allegations of ill treatment and sexual abuse. The insider admitted to have also not been taking the necessary action on the issues raised by the children which bordered on abuse. However, he said he once engaged the administrative office and raised the concerns of the children but nothing was done. I canvassed a bit last week and Ill do a bit more this week. I was out with friends for a friend: Juliet OConnell, of the Labour Party, whos running in Dun Laoghaire. Im never sure whether knocking on doors helps to inform you or whether it distorts the picture. It is certainly the case that at the start of this election, people were largely indifferent. But, quickly, they have become engaged. Im quite convinced that the more theyve gotten to know our candidate, the better they like her. But the canvass has also revealed a voter wariness about changing horses in midstream. If I was relying on a few days canvassing in Dun Laoghaire, Id be telling you that Fine Gael are a shoo-in in this election, and that the only change the electorate want is a return to old-style, two-party coalitions. But the opinion polls are saying the opposite. My first election was in 1981 thats almost 40 years ago. I worked full-time or part-time in a very large number of elections until relatively recently. Nowadays, Im more a spectator. Some of the elections Ive been involved in were joyous and life-changing. Some were gall and wormwood, as your man in the Bible (I think it was Moses, but Im not an expert) said. But every one of them taught me a lesson. And those lessons are set in stone. The first one is never disbelieve the polls. When I worked in politics full-time, the news of an imminent poll almost had the same effect on me as the vomiting bug. Until I got my hands on the data (and I used go to enormous lengths), I had a permanent cramp in my stomach. And once I got hold of it, I instantly believed the good ones. Polls that were good for my party were based on impeccable science, I reckoned. But polls that were bad for the party were always rogue. They were outliers that would be proved desperately wrong on the day. Except, in forty years, that has never really happened. They can be wrong, of course, and they can be affected by turnout. Especially differential turnout, whereby some constituencies have a large proportion of the population that is marginalised and alienated from the political system. Voters like that will always tell pollsters theyre going to vote in huge numbers against the establishment. But they dont vote against the establishment, because they dont vote at all. But, in forty years, the polls have never got it utterly wrong. And especially if you follow trends carefully, and you watch gaps narrowing and opening, pollsters in Ireland have a very good record at calling the result. Before I tell you what exactly the polls are predicting right now and I dont know if there is one more poll to go (I dont have the stomach-churning need to go hunting for them any more) there is another rule you need to know. Even though polls are never wrong, theyre not always right. To put that another way, if a poll is treated as a piece of useful intelligence by a political party, it tells them something important. It tells them where they stand right now. Its up to the political party to figure out how to change that. You can bet that the strategists spent the weekend poring over the polls in as much detail as they could get and making decisions about where and how to change tack. You might see the outcome of those decisions in the shape of the national campaign over the next few days. But its more likely that there will be a host of local changes that are much less visible. This is the moment where a party thats running three candidates in a constituency has to make a final call on which is its best bet. They may have been trying to big up all three candidates up to now, but if the polls say so, one of them maybe even two of them will disappear from view for the last week. The last big push, if there is one, will be very heavily concentrated on the best prospect. The phrase devil take the hindmost comes very much into play. So, when the votes are counted, the stories youll be reading in the immediate aftermath will be about how candidate X or Y has bucked the national trend in his or her constituency. And they will also reflect, especially in the case of the smaller parties, how local factors came into play and proved the pollsters wrong. There is a third rule about polls. They can self-fulfil if the parties and candidates dont react correctly. The people most affected by polls, for good or ill, are not the electorate, but the activists. Polls dont dictate how people will behave: they reflect how people are thinking now. But Ive been involved in campaigns where you can see activists drifting away, giving up the ghost, after a couple of bad polls. At precisely the point where they should be redoubling their efforts, morale gets so badly sapped by bad news that people abandon hope. They forget that the bad news in an opinion poll is just todays bad news. It doesnt have to be tomorrows. Because youre reading this with four or five days of campaigning to go, Im not going to make hard-and-fast predictions. But this much is clear. Fine Gael will have a bad day nationally, but they will hold on to more seats than the polls are predicting. Fianna Fail will be able to say were back, but wont have anything like enough to form a stable government, although Micheal Martin will be in a good position to be Taoiseach (if he can identify a Cabinet). Sinn Fein will have a great day, but only if they invest heavily in getting the vote out Labour and the Greens will both do okay, but neither will be in a position to go into government on their own. The independents will find it difficult to form a cohesive group, and the hard left will struggle. The bottom line is likely to be that no government will be possible (except the long-overdue, grand coalition between FF and FG) without the participation of Sinn Fein, probably with the addition of one of the smaller parties. As the votes are counted, theres going to have to be a lot of swallowing of previous commitments. In the end of the day, one person gets to shape all that: You. You need to get stuck in, just for 20 minutes or so, next Saturday. The tighter the election, the more influence you have. Whatever youre doing on Saturday, set enough time aside to be really influential on the future of your country. Its a big decision, and you need to know that you really can make a hell of a difference. A man in Australia was charged with manslaughter after he struck seven children while allegedly driving drunk on Saturday, Feb. 1, according to a news release issued by the New South Wales Police Department. According to the news release, a little before 8 p.m. on Saturday, the emergency services were dispatched to Bettington Road, Oatlands, in Sydney, Australia, after receiving reports of multiple individuals being struck by a vehicle. Police have been told the children were on the footpath when a Mitsubishi Triton utility allegedly mounted the kerb and struck the children, according to the news release. Seven children were struck by the car, four of whom died at the scene, according to the news release. Three girls aged 8, 11, 12, and a 13-year-old boy were among the children who died. Three other children, an 11-year-old boy and two girls aged 10 and 13 were injured. The three injured children were treated by the New South Wales Ambulance Paramedics at the scene of the crash before they were transported to the Childrens Hospital in Westmead, according to the news release. The 11-year-old boys condition is stable, but he remains in a serious condition. The two injured girls are stable, according to the news release. Officers from The Hills Police Area Command established a crime scene, which has been examined by specialist police from the Metropolitan Crash Investigation Unit, the news release stated. As indicated by the news release, along with the 29-year-old man driving the vehicle, there was also a 24-year-old man in the passenger seat. Both of the men in the Mitsubishi vehicle were uninjured, according to the news release. Police also performed a breath test on the 29-year-old driver. Castle Hill Police Station took the 29-year-old into custody, where he was subjected to a further breath analysis, and the tests determined that the 29-year-old had a blood-alcohol level of 0.15three times more than the legal limit in Australia, according to the news release. The driver is charged with 20 separate offenses: four counts of manslaughter; four counts of dangerous driving occasioning deathdriving under the influence; four counts of dangerous driving occasioning deathdriving manner dangerous; dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harmdriving under the influence; dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harmdriving manner dangerous; two counts of causing bodily harm by misconduct in charge of motor vehicle; negligent driving (occasioning death); negligent driving (occasioning grievous bodily harm); driving with high range PCA; and proceeding through a red traffic light (not toll booth). The 29-year-old is scheduled to appear at the Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday, Feb. 2. Imperial Valley News Center Sale of F-35 Aircraft to Poland Washington, DC - Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State: "The United States welcomes the Polish governments decision to purchase 32 F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft worth $4.6 billion under the Foreign Military Sales program overseen by the U.S. Department of State. "We commend President Duda, Prime Minister Morawiecki, and the Polish governments commitment to continue modernizing Polands military through the acquisition of the worlds most advanced fighter aircraft, which will improve Polands ability to provide collective and self-defense. We look forward to working with our NATO Ally Poland on this project and continuing to enhance our long-term strategic partnership." A group of Chinese workers have been isolated at a hotel in Ha Tinh Province when returning to work at the Formosa Ha Tinh Company after the Tet Holiday. The hotel where the Chinese workers stay in Ha Tinh 17 Chinese workers are being monitored by local authorities in case they contracted the coronavirus. The Taiwan-invested Formosa Ha Tinh Company recently announced that all staff that went to China during the Tet holiday should not return to work until February 15. The move was to prevent the spreading of the coronavirus in the Vung Ang Economic Zone where Formosa Ha Tinh is operating its steel plant. Chairman of Ky Trinh Ward People's Committee, Nguyen Huy Dong confirmed that the Chinese workers returned to Ha Tinh by road on January 29 and stayed at a local hotel since after the company refused to admit them to work. They are now in good health but still need to be strictly monitored by health officers as they came from the virus area," Dong said. "They are asked not to go outside and the hotel has been disinfected every day to prevent the possible spread of the novel Coronavirus. According to the company's announcement, they will issue further notice depending on the situation after February 15. Any workers who want to return to work must submit a health certificate confirming they are not infected by coronavirus within 14 days. "This may cause inconvenience but we must take this action to prevent the potential spread of the deadly virus to the area," the company said. The Ha Tinh Provincial Department of Health has asked Formosa Company to set up a separate area inside the company for those workers who returned from China after the Tet Holiday. A report from the company said that they have 754 Chinese staff and 429 of them returned to China for the Tet Holiday. Dtinews Xuan Sinh China seeks to import medical face masks from Vietnam In Vietnam, demand for medical face masks and hand sanitizers has increased sharply on fears of potential outbreak of the new coronavirus (nCoV). ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said airstrikes on Monday morning by the Syrian regime against Turkish targets in Idlib killed eight people - five soldiers and three civilians. "We made them pay and we will continue to make them pay for what they did," Erdogan said, speaking in Kiev at a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at the conclusion of a meeting of the two countries' High-Level Strategic Council. Erdogan therefore updated the previous death toll of six victims (five soldiers and one civilian) that was previously released by the Turkish Defence Ministry. "Everyone must recognise their own responsibilities in the framework of the Astana Process and continue to work," Erdogan said. Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had a telephone conference on the most recent developments in Idlib with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. In recent days, Ankara accused Moscow of not enforcing the ceasefire in the area of the regime of Bashar al Assad. Michael 'Mad Mike' Hoare, who was considered the world's most famous mercenary and inspired the film The Wild Geese, has died at the age of 100. His family paid tribute to an 'absolute legend' after he died in his sleep at a care facility in Durban, South Africa, on Sunday. Hoare, who was born in India to Irish parents, rose to fame commanding a unit of mercenary troops to suppress a Communist-inspired uprising in the Congo during the 1960s. But his reputation was tarnished when he was jailed for hijacking a jet following a farcical coup attempt in the Seychelles in 1981. Michael 'Mad Mike' Hoare (pictured in Congo in the 1960s) who was considered the world's most famous mercenary and inspired the film The Wild Geese, has died at the age of 100 Mike Hoare celebrating his 100th birthday last March in Durban, South Africa, where he died on Sunday The 1978 film The Wild Geese (pictured) starred Richard Burton as Colonel Allen Faulkner, a character based heavily on Mr Hoare From fame in the Congo to humiliation in the Seychelles Mike Hoare rose to fame in 1964 when he spearheaded a mercenary commando force in the Congo. Hoare was hired by Congolese PM Moise Tshombe to put down a Communist-inspired uprising shortly after the country's independence from Belgium. A fervent anti-Communist who styled himself a colonel, Hoare led a unit of some 300 mercenaries who became known as the Wild Geese. The rebellion was eventually put down after an 18-month campaign and Hoare became a household name. On his return to South Africa, he reportedly told journalists that 'killing Communists is like killing vermin, killing African nationalists is as if one is killing an animal'. Hoare ruined his reputation in 1981 when he led a group of mercenaries into a shambolic coup attempt in the Seychelles. The group of more than 40 entered the country disguised as a beer-drinking tourist party called the Froth Blowers, hoping to overthrow president Albert Rene and re-install former leader James Mancham. However, their plan came undone when one of his men got into the wrong queue at customs, an airport inspector found a weapon in the luggage and a gunfight broke out. The men then hijacked an Air India flight and forced the pilot to take them to Durban in South Africa to escape. The attempt was widely ridiculed as a 'package holiday coup' after Hoare had arrived in the Seychelles on a Royal Swazi flight booked through a budget travel firm. Hoare was arrested, convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison in South Africa. But he only served nearly three years in jail before he relocated to France where he lived for 20 years. Six of Hoare's men were left behind and four were sentenced to death by firing squad, although all were later pardoned and deported. Advertisement Mike Hoare's son Chris described his father as 'an officer and a gentleman' with a bit of 'pirate thrown in'. He said: 'Mike Hoare lived by the philosophy that you get more out of life by living dangerously, so it is all the more remarkable that he lived more than 100 years. 'Most people who met Mike described him as a legend, and as an officer and a gentleman; only a few realised there was a bit of pirate thrown in. 'Known as "Mad Mike", he was short and dapper, impossibly charming, unaccountably enigmatic, always polite, strangely proper, absolutely sane, good natured, a brilliant leader and an absolute legend.' Hoare was born in 1919 in India to Irish parents, and was educated in England. After serving in the British Army during the Second World War and reaching the rank of major, he qualified as a chartered accountant and emigrated to South Africa in 1948. Hoare began his mercenary career in 1961 when he commanded a unit of troops in Katanga, a province which was trying to break away from the Congo. He was recruited by Katanga leader Moise Tshombe, who was defeated in his secession attempt but later rose to become Congolese prime minister. After becoming PM in 1964, Tshombe once again hired Hoare as a mercenary - this time to fight in support of the Congolese government and suppress a Communist-inspired uprising. Hoare led a group of mercenaries in that campaign who became known as the Wild Geese and were famed for their daring exploits to rescue nuns and missionaries from behind enemy lines. On one occasion a bullet grazed his forehead when he was shot in a rebel ambush, but he escaped with only a minor injury. His commando force was mainly made up of troops from South Africa and what was then Rhodesia, but included some Britons. The so-called Simba rebellion was successfully put down after an 18-month campaign. Hoare subsequently fought across East, West and Central Africa and while active in Africa he married Phyllis Sims, an airline stewardess. After giving up command of his mercenaries in the Congo, Hoare lived in Durban with his wife and four children and enjoyed his hobby of yachting. The 1978 film The Wild Geese starred Richard Burton as Colonel Allen Faulkner, a character based heavily on Mr Hoare. Mr Hoare himself also served as technical adviser for the film, which was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. He was given the nickname 'Mad Mike' after East German radio regularly described him as 'that mad bloodhound Hoare'. Mike Hoare rose to fame commanding a unit of mercenary troops in the Congo during the 1960s Mike Hoare training a group of mercenaries in the Congo in 1964, when he was hired to suppress a Communist-backed coup attempt However, Hoare's career ended in ignominy after he led a failed coup attempt in the Seychelles in 1981. Seychelles exiles in South Africa hoped to re-install the country's former leader James Mancham, who had himself been deposed in a coup in 1977. Hoare and a team of 42 fellow mercenaries entered the Indian ocean archipelago masquerading as a rugby team and drinking club called the Froth Blowers. The coup went wrong almost immediately, after one of the mercenaries wandered into the 'something to declare' lane at the airport and customs officials discovered an automatic weapon in his suitcase. After a gun battle broke out at the airport terminal, Hoare hijacked an Air India Boeing 707 plane to escape with his most of his fellow mercenaries. Hoare was later convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison in South Africa over the hijacking. As he was sentenced he told the court: 'I did my duty as I saw it, I brought my men home safely and I am proud of that.' He was released in 1985 after serving three years. Hoare said he was to be paid $100,000 for overthrowing Rene but claimed he did not know who was financing the coup. 'Mad Mike' also claimed to have the backing of the South African government, which denied the claim. Hoare lived in France for 20 years before returning to South Africa in 2009 and leaves five children Chris, Tim, Gerry, Mikey and Simon. He also wrote several books about his career, including Congo Warriors and The Seychelles Affair. Mike Hoare (left) appears in court in South Africa in 1981, where he was jailed over a disastrous coup attempt in the Seychelles earlier that year Mike Hoare chatting with Roger Moore and Richard Burton on location during the filming of The Wild Geese Mike Hoare (right) and Belgian Congo Armed Forces evacuating refugees during the 1960s THE manufacturing sector returned to growth last month on the back of greater certainty around Brexit, and an improvement in the industrial backdrop in Europe. In addition, confidence among firms was at its highest since last May, according to the latest purchasing managers' index (PMI) from AIB. The PMI is an indicator designed to provide a single-figure measure of the health of the industry. Any reading over 50 is deemed growth. Last month, the headline PMI moved back into expansion territory, rising to a nine-month high of 51.4 from 49.5 in December, signalling an overall improvement in Irish manufacturing operating conditions. In December, the Conservative Party secured an overall majority in the UK general election, providing increased stability in the British parliament. On Friday the UK formally left the EU, and the two will now concentrate on negotiating a trade agreement. "The AIB manufacturing PMI survey for January shows that activity in the sector picked up momentum at the start of 2020," said Oliver Mangan, AIB chief economist. Expand Close Oliver Mangan said the survey shows marked improvements / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Oliver Mangan said the survey shows marked improvements "The survey shows marked improvements in key sub-components such as output, orders and employment." New orders rose for the third time in four months, and at the fastest rate since April last year. A number of firms that took part in the survey reported an improving UK market and stable US economy, which was reflected in a halt to the recent slide in new export orders at the start of the year. That said, the new orders index remained slightly below its long-run trend level, according to the survey. The stronger inflows of new work drove a rise in manufacturing output in January. Production rose for only the third time in the past nine months, and at the fastest rate since March 2019. Manufacturers supported workloads by expanding their purchasing operations, with the volume of inputs ordered posting the first meaningful rise since last April. On the back of improving conditions in the industry, employment increased at the start of this year, following a two-month spell of job shedding. In addition, improving business conditions were accompanied by a brighter 12-month outlook. The Future Output Index posted its largest one-month gain in more than three years, and signalled the strongest overall sentiment among manufacturers since last May. The improving confidence was linked to new products, the installation of new plant machinery and greater certainty regarding Brexit. However, Mr Mangan warned "difficult" trade talks between the EU and the UK "could test this greater optimism, as may the continuing subdued growth prospects for the global economy". The documentary is Al-Kateabs love letter to her daughter Sama made of more than 500 hours of footage she filmed over five years Syrian filmmaker Waad Al-Khateab has urged a full house of British and international filmmakers "to make their voices heard defending the Syrian people still suffering from war', after her film For Sama won the Best Documentary Award at the 2020 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) last night. "As we're speaking now, the situation in Syria is still so bad," Al-Khateab stated while receiving her award, adding that "as we're speaking there are bombing and shelling on over 3.5 million civilians. These people there in Edleb, they should hear your voice now, they should hear that Britain as a great country will not let that happen again. I know it's so hard." For Sama, made by Al-Kateab and Edward Watts, which has been nominated for the Oscars too, is Al-Kateabs love letter to her daughter Sama made of more than 500 hours of footage she filmed over five years, starting as an 18-year-old student in Aleppo witnessing the start of the uprising. This award I will dedicate to the great Syrian people who are still suffering until today and the great heroes of doctors, nurses, civil defense... Please, let them hear your voice." The documentary, initially filmed by a mobile phone and gradually moved onto more professional equipment, chronicles events in Al-Kateabs personal life: falling in love with her friend, doctor Hamza, their wedding, and the birth of Sama, in the wake of the war. Three years ago, we were in Aleppo. We were in a basement of a filled hospital, Hamza, me, Sama and Afraa, and we were hearing the bombing all the time around us. We even thought we should bury our footage because in case we didnt make it, this needs to be saved." For Sama has won many awards including the 2019 SXSW Film Festival's Best Documentary and 2019 RiverRun Film Festival's Best Cinematography, and it may snatch an Oscar on 9 February in Hollywood. Search Keywords: Short link: Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 22:29:28|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close LUANDA, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Angola's environment ministry is investigating an oil spill in the beaches of Soyo, in the country's northern province of Zaire, the ministry said on Monday. The spill happened on the dawn of Saturday, affecting the Quinfuquena beach, in Soyo municipality, the ministry said in a statement. Located at the mouth of the Congo River, Soyo is the largest oil-producing region in Angola. The ministry considers it premature to give any information about the origin of the spill as well as its environmental impact, the statement said. Sundays BAFTA guests have not disappointed with their stylish ensembles with the likes of Zoe Kravitz, Emilia Clarke and Charlize Theron turning heads in stunning designer gowns. However, what made the outfits of the stars arriving at the annual ceremony at Londons Royal Albert Hall even more exciting was an admirable tweak to the regular dress code. This years attendees were asked to recycle an outfit they already own or acquire a pre-loved one, rather than purchase a brand-new one for the night. Kate Middleton stepped out in an Alexander McQueen gown she first wore on a royal tour of Malaysia in 2012. She was joined by Joaquin Phoenix, who slipped on a Stella McCartney suit for a third awards ceremony in recent weeks, after the Golden Globes and SAG Awards. Many famous faces are likely to have donned old favourites from their wardrobe, opted for vintage and second-hand, or even hired an outfit and this environmentally friendly red carpet looked just as great as normal. A guide provided to guests, created by the London College of Fashion, had encouraged those attending to rent outfits from sites including Hurr Collective, By Rotation and My Wardrobe HQ. It also suggested looks could be sourced from Vestiare Collective and Depop, and highlighted eco-conscious brands including Stella McCartney and Reformation. The move to promote sustainable fashion came as part of the organisations commitment to going carbon-neutral for its 2020 awards ceremony. According to a press release, they announced: From travel and food, to branding and materials, BAFTA is ensuring the awards are as sustainable as possible. And the dazzling eco-friendly style on show did not fail to impress. BOZEMAN -- A longtime Montana State University professor was recognized last month for his pioneering work in the field of remote sensing and geographic information systems over his 21-year career. Rick Lawrence, a professor in the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences in MSU's College of Agriculture and director of the Spatial Sciences Center, received the lifetime achievement award from AmericaView, a national nonprofit that seeks to advance applications for remote sensing technologies on a state and local level across the U.S. The recognition came at an apt time; Lawrence retired at the end of January after more than two decades at MSU. From 1979 to 1993, Lawrence worked as a corporate lawyer in the Los Angeles area. After nearly 15 years working with large international law firms, he sought a career change, wanting to pursue something that could make positive differences to the natural world. Ultimately, he returned to college, receiving a master's and doctorate in forestry, the latter with an emphasis on geographic information systems and remote sensing. AmericaView's lifetime achievement award recognizes Lawrence's work in creating MontanaView, which at its inception was the 18th state-level organization in the collection. Now, there are 40 state bodies. It also notes his years spent on AmericaView's national board of directors, including three years as chairman, the longest term as a chairperson in the organization's history. For the roughly 20 years AmericaView has existed, Lawrence has helped lead it for 15 of those. The national nonprofit oversees state-level organizations that are led by researchers at universities in their respective states. After arriving in Bozeman in 1998, Lawrence helped AmericaView create MontanaView. He was instrumental in creating the consortium -- made up of MSU, the University of Montana, Montana Tech and Salish Kootenai College, along with agricultural and governmental bodies -- to apply remote sensing technology to their fullest potential in Montana. "Over the years, we've used remote sensing for looking at habitat for endangered species, including Canada lynx, grizzly bears and wolverines, used it heavily for agriculture to look at herbicide applications and agricultural inputs and even down in Yellowstone looking at geothermal features and changes in those features over time," said Lawrence. "The goals of these state consortia were to look at the needs that could be fulfilled to advance remote sensing and make a difference in people's lives." But arguably most notable are Lawrence's contributions to the field of remote sensing itself, introducing novel uses for state-of-the-art algorithms and applying them to natural resources in ways they never had been before. "With something like Google Earth, you can see things, but sometimes you want more than a picture. You want to know how much biomass is out there, or what the composition of a forest is in terms of species, or what the geothermal energy is if you're looking at Yellowstone," said Lawrence. "How can we use these techniques from the computer science, machine learning and statistical worlds to make better maps? I was able to bring some of those over into the remote sensing world to help more accurately extract useful map data from the imagery." And while academia was his second career, Lawrence has made an indelible impact on those around him. "This lifetime achievement award, coinciding with his retirement, is an ideal way to recognize Dr. Lawrence's accomplishments," said Scott Powell, an assistant professor in the land resources and environmental sciences department and faculty member in the Spatial Sciences Center. "I have worked closely with Rick for 20 years, first as a graduate student and then as a faculty peer, and I have seen few people who have approached their work with as much integrity, pride and joy as he has." For Lawrence, that impact goes both ways. The people of MSU, and particularly the students, that he has worked with over two decades are the thing upon which he looks back most fondly, he said, calling his time in Bozeman a dream. "I remember when I first interviewed here, I told the committee that if I ever had to choose between research and teaching, I would choose teaching," he said. "That's the focus for me. I see in our students a strong desire to learn, and even when they struggle, it's with the desire of moving forward. It's been such a pleasure, and it's been worth every minute of it." ### - A young graduate has given thanks to God after graduating with a first-class in political science - The man identified as Abdool Moh revealed that he is one of the first students to graduate with first-class in his department in forty years from Ahmadu Bello University - Moh also congratulated his coursemate who also achieved first-class. He revealed that he and his coursemate had the same Cumulative Grade Point Average Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in A young Nigerian man identified as Abdool Moh, who recently graduated from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, has thanked God for graduating with a first-class in political science. The graduate shared the good news on the popular micro-blogging platform, Twitter. He explained that he is one of the first students to bag a first-class degree in his department in forty years. According to Moh, he and a coursemate identified as @zizoholic graduated with 4.52 Cumulative Grade Point Average. He congratulated his coursemate for also breaking the 40-year record. READ ALSO: Top 3 rap videos of Accra Aca student rapper with out-of-this-world punchlines Graduate thanks God as he graduates with first-class in political science in ABU Source: Abdool Moh Source: UGC READ ALSO: Stonebwoy storms his high school with unexpected performance in school attire (Video) Moh also used the opportunity to congratulate three graduates from the international relations department for graduating with a first-class too. The young man said the journey was tough but the end justified the means. He went ahead to congratulate all graduating students, praying that God would bless their certificates. READ ALSO: Kwame Eugene's mother celebrates him as he graduates with master's degree He also addressed the remaining students, praying that they would also graduate with grades higher than his own. He thanked everyone who congratulated him, adding that he appreciates every one of them. The man graduated with a 4.52 CGPA Source: Abdool Moh Source: Twitter READ ALSO: 4-year-old girl who survived big blast in 2002 yet to be compensated after 18 years In other news, a video of local boys from an unnamed rural location in Ghana is fast going viral on social media as the young boys combined empty cans as drumset to produce amazing beats. In the footage sighted by YEN.com.gh, a crowd of people had gathered to marvel at the talent the young boys were displaying in front of them. The people appear to have been greatly thrilled as they kept applauding and cheering as the drummers were performing their 'magic'. Enjoy reading our stories? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! This is what makes 4-year-old Nii Omanye aka Kwame Nkrumah the smartest child in Ghana| #Yencomgh Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh Advertisement Hundreds of mourners have gathered in Sydney's north-west for an emotional vigil honouring the lives of the four young children who were tragically mowed down by an alleged drunk driver on Saturday. Heartbroken friends and relatives crowded around a sea of flowers, candles and teddy bears on Bettington Road, in Oatlands - where siblings Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, nine, and their 11-year-old cousin Veronique Sakr, were struck and killed. Leila Abdallah, the mother of the three siblings, appeared overcome with emotion as she knelt down and prayed at the scene of the horror incident on Monday evening. Mourners were seen comforting each other while laying down rosary beads, messages of condolences and framed photographs of the four kids at makeshift memorial along the footpath. Tragic: Hundreds of mourners gathered at Bettington Road, in Oatlands, north-west of Sydney for an emotional vigil honouring the lives of the four young children killed by an alleged drunk driver on Saturday Heartbreaking: Leila Abdallah, the mother of the three siblings, appeared overcome with emotion as she knelt down and prayed at the scene of the horror incident on Monday evening One unidentified relative was seen kissing a framed photo of one of the victims left at the makeshift memorial Mourners were seen laying rosary beads, flowers, and picture frames at Monday night's vigil Pictured: Antony Abdallah (far left) 13, killed in the horror crash as he and his siblings went to get ice cream on Saturday evening in Sydney's western suburbs. His younger sisters Angelina, 12, (centre) and Sienna (far right) nine, were also killed A schoolgirl who was killed alongside her three cousins was identified as 11-year-old Veronique Sakr. Veronique's family said in the statement released on Sunday they were 'devastated' by the loss of 'our beautiful girl' in the horrific crash The emotional service was led by a priest who guided the crowd through a recital of the Lord's Prayer and the stations of the cross. The victims' families are believed to be members of the local Maronite Christian community in Oatlands, where they are well known. Among the mourners were Lakemba MP Jihad Dib, and actor Rob Shehadie. Large crowds gathered at the crash site after the Abdallah family invited those affected by the tragedy to attend the vigil earlier on Monday. 'May the power of prayer and our faith in god show some light and comfort to all those affected by this horrific tragedy,' the message said. Earlier, the distraught mother publicly forgave the man who allegedly struck them, saying she couldn't find it in her heart to hold on to anger. Large crowds gathered at the crash site after the Abdallah family invited those affected by the tragedy to attend the vigil earlier on Monday Two relatives comfort each other as they mourn the loss of the four young children taken too soon on Saturday night Distraught family members huddled together during the emotional service on Monday The emotional service was led by a priest who led the crowd in reciting the Lord's Prayer and the stations of the cross Dozens of balloons and flowers now line the footpath where the four kids were tragically killed Members of the Abdallah family comforted each other as they paid tribute to the children Mr Abdallah and his wife Leila had had six children. Three of his kids, and the daughter of his cousin, were killed on Saturday Supported by friends, Mrs Abdallah returned to the scene of the crash on Monday where she prayed a rosary before reading the condolence letters on hundreds of bouquets of flowers left at the scene. 'The guy (driver)...Right now I can't hate him. I don't want to see him, but I don't hate him,' she said. 'I think in my heart to forgive him, but I want the court to be fair... I'm not going to hate him, because that's not who we are.' In the same spot where a day earlier her husband Danny told stories about his three children so tragically taken from him and said they are now 'in a better place', Mrs Abdallah said she could feel them hugging her. 'Danny and myself were blessed to have six kids. We loved our kids so much I can feel them hugging me right now, ' she said. Seven children, all from the same extended family, were allegedly hit by a blue 4WD driven by a drunk driver three times over the legal limit (pictured) The alleged driver Samuel William Davidson (pictured being taken away in handcuffs and shirtless) was arrested at the scene and remains in custody. He did not appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday and has been refused bail until his next court appearance in April Samuel William Davidson (pictured) was allegedly three times over the legal blood alcohol limit when his Mistubishi Triton allegedly mounted the kerb and slammed into a group of seven children riding bikes on a footpath in Oatlands 'We tried to teach them to pray the rosary, to read their Bible, to believe their faith, to be good people in life and to show God's face through them. 'I asked God to bring us all together as a community to pray together, but I didn't ask him to take my kids. 'To be honest with you, I am sad, I am heartbroken, but I am at peace because I know my kids are in a better place. My kids are angels and I know right now they are with us. '(But) I am still waiting for them to come home. My daughter was in surgery today and the first thing when I opened my eyes this morning I was waiting for Antony, Angelina and Sienna to run in and see her it feels very unreal.' The alleged driver, Samuel William Davidson is facing up to 25 years in prison if he is convicted of 20 offences including four counts of manslaughter, high-range drink driving and running a red light, after Saturday's horrendous crash. He was allegedly three times over the legal blood-alcohol limit when his Mistubishi Triton mounted the kerb on Bettington Road - one of the main thoroughfares through Oatlands - and slammed into a group of seven children. Police claim Davidson had been drinking with friends at home before he got behind the wheel of his ute. He drove to a Caltex service station about 1.8km away from his Oatlands home to get cash. While on his way home, he allegedly ran a red light before crashing into a group of seven children The street is now lined with flowers, balloons and condolence messages to the victims and their families The victims' families are believed to be members of the local Maronite Christian community A photo of the victims hangs from a fence at the scene where seven children were hit by a four-wheel drive (4WD) in the suburb of Oatlands in Sydney The mother's brave outing came as it was revealed the accused of killing her children has been placed in isolation in jail so other prisoners cannot harm him. Davidson is being kept alone in Silverwater Prison's processing facility in western Sydney. When he is moved to a long-term jail before his next court appearance on April 2, he will be placed in protective custody. Father Danny Abdallah pleaded with drivers to be more careful as he came to grips with the loss of three of his six children with Leila. 'I don't know what to say. I'm numb, probably that's what I feel at the moment. All I want to say is please, drivers, be careful,' he said. The fatal crash has sparked a renewed push for a road rules overhaul in NSW. Sydney University professor David Levinson says the NSW government should look at lower residential speed limits and tougher drink-driving penalties. 'We need a more serious response to driving under the influence. It's not taken seriously enough in our society,' Prof Levinson told AAP on Monday. 'Speed limits are also relatively high. If you hit someone at a high speed you do more damage and are more likely to kill them.' The four children were going for ice cream at the time of the crash. An 11-year-old boy has been put into an induced coma and remains in a stable condition at The Children's Hospital in Westmead. Two girls, aged 10 and 13, were treated by paramedics at the scene and are in a stable condition. Davidson was arrested after returning a positive roadside breath test result and allegedly recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.15. He was charged with 20 offences including four counts of manslaughter, dangerous driving occasioning death and grievous bodily harm, negligent driving and drink-driving. EU top diplomat holds talks in Iran to de-escalate tensions Tehran, Feb 3 (AFP) Feb 03, 2020 Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell on Monday held talks in the Iranian capital during a mission aimed at lowering tensions over the Islamic republic's nuclear programme. Borrell's trip, his first to Iran since taking office, follows a spike in tensions between arch foes Washington and Tehran after the January 3 assassination in Baghdad of a top Iranian general in a US drone strike. Borrell started his visit by meeting Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, discussing the situation in the region and ways of reducing tensions as well as the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the ministry said. He later met separately with President Hassan Rouhani and parliament speaker Ali Larijani. The nuclear deal between Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, the United States and Russia -- and Germany offered Tehran a partial reprieve from crippling international sanctions. But it has been crumbling since US President Donald Trump withdrew unilaterally in 2018, and Washington has since stepped up sanctions and a campaign of "maximum pressure" against Iran. Tehran has gradually stepped back from its own commitments under the deal, while military tensions with the US brought the two countries to the brink of a full-blown confrontation last month. The European parties to the agreement triggered a complaint mechanism under the deal in January in a bid to press Tehran to return to full implementation. Borrell however played up the future of the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the commitment of France, Germany and Britain to try and keep it alive. He told reporters "the activation of the dispute settlement mechanism... doesn't mean that these countries want to go to the security council in order to definitely cancel the nuclear deal". "All of them insisted on the idea that this was not a measure oriented to finish with the deal but to try to keep it alive, to give time to negotiations," Borrell said. - 'Uphold commitments' Rouhani, in a statement released by the presidency, told Borrell that Iran "was ready... to cooperate with the European Union to resolve problems" facing the deal. Tehran is also ready to "return to the commitments" when the other parties "uphold their commitments", the statement added. Borrell said last month that a joint commission overseeing the deal, including representatives of all the countries involved, will meet in February, without giving a precise date. Washington accuses Tehran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which Iran has always denied. The US withdrawal from the deal and its reimposition of biting sanctions deprived Iran of keenly awaited economic benefits. The renewed US sanctions have almost entirely isolated Iran from the international financial system, driven away oil buyers and plunged the country into a severe recession. - IAEA inspections - Under the deal struck in Vienna, Iran agreed to drastically reduce its nuclear activities and to submit to a tailor-made inspection regime by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). But since May 2019, Iran has progressively scaled back its commitments in response to the US sanctions and Europe's inability to circumvent them. Iran is now producing uranium enriched beyond the 3.67 percent set by the agreement, and no longer adheres to the limit of 300 kilogrammes (660 pounds) imposed on its enriched uranium stocks. It has also resumed research and development that was restricted under the deal. It stresses that all its moves away from the agreement are reversible. Rouhani told Borrell on Monday that for now Iran would continue to submit to IAEA inspections. The top EU diplomat insisted in Tehran that the UN atomic energy agency "is the only one who can witness, who can certify" the state of Iran's nuclear development. "I've asked the Iranian authorities, and I think they agree, we have to continue with the survey of the International Atomic Energy Agency," he said. Zarif and Borrell also touched on Trump's controversial peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and developments in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, the foreign ministry said. "I've been visiting Iran because we cannot talk about the stability in the region without taking into account Iran," Borrell said. "We are trying to keep in touch with everybody in order to try to see what we can do... to stabilise the region and to create mutual understanding or at least to build trust which is certainly lacking." (Refiles to correct typo in headline, missing word first par) TAIPEI, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Taiwan is asking its diplomats to talk to governments where Taiwanese airlines fly to ensure more flights are not cut off due to the island's inclusion by the World Health Organization as part of China due to the coronavirus outbreak. Taiwan has only reported 10 cases, compared to more than 14,000 in China, but as the WHO considers self-ruled Taiwan part of China, it has included it in its advice that China is "very high risk". Taiwan is not a member of the WHO due to Chinese objections. China considers democratic Taiwan its own territory with no right to participate in international organisations unless it acknowledges it is part of China, something Taiwan's government has refused to do. Italy last week ordered all flights between the country and China to be stopped based on the WHO categorisation, including Taiwan's China Airlines, the only Taiwanese airline to fly between the island and Italy. Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said on Sunday they are asking their diplomats around the world in places where Taiwan airlines fly to explain that what the WHO is doing to include the island as part of China is wrong and should not be allowed to affect flights. "Taiwan is Taiwan. Taiwan is not a part of the People's Republic of China," he told reporters in Taipei, adding they had totally separate health and airline management systems. "This simple reality the WHO should not get wrong." No other place aside from China has seen flights restricted and it is not fair to include Taiwan as part of the China restrictions, Wu added. Johnson Chiang, the head of Taiwan's Foreign Ministry's Europe department, said they had told the Italian government on Friday their ban on Taiwan flights was not based on science. "We think this decision is incorrect," he said. The WHO has put Taiwan under China which has misled Italy's health department, Chiang added. Taiwan managed within a few hours to get Vietnam to lift its ban on flights to Taiwan, as the Southeast Asian country had likewise included the island in its ban on flights from China. Taiwan has called on the WHO to grant it access to ensure it gets the most up-to-day virus information. The WHO says Taiwan is getting the information it needs, though has not been permitted to attend emergency meetings. (Reporting by Fabian Hamacher; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Lincoln Feast.) The latest season of Married at First Sight premiered on Monday and fans already have a favourite contestant. Poppy Jennings won viewers at home with her hilarious one-liners and great sense of humour. The 38-year-old mother-of-two introduced herself in a very amusing way - by saying, 'I walk past and all the penises in Australia go flaccid!' She's fun! MAFS Viewers were in stitches over bride Poppy Jennings' (pictured) hilarious one-liners during Married at First Sight on Monday Fans on Twitter were quick to be amused, with one writing: 'I walk past and all the penises in Australia go flaccid.' Channel 9 what were you thinking? #MAFS' Another chimed in: 'I walk past and all the penises in Australia go flaccid'.....oh #MAFS I've missed you!' One more fan joked: 'Who had 'flaccid' in their bingo card? #mafs.' Loved her: The 38-year-old mother-of-two introduced herself in a very amusing way - by saying, 'I walk past and all the penises in Australia go flaccid!' The single mum of twins also joked that if her TV husband broke her heart, she's 'run him over with my double stroller.' Later Poppy explained why she broke up with her previous husband in a very amusing way. In mock seriousness she said: 'I was married. and we had two little boys. But when our boys were six weeks old, my husband had a terrible accident. Funny lady: Later Poppy explained why she broke up with her previous husband in a very amusing way In mock seriousness, she said: 'I was married. and we had two little boys. But when our boys were six weeks old, my husband had a terrible accident' Then came the punchline: He tripped and fell and landed in his co-worker's vagina and he's still stuck there!' Then came the punchline: 'It was a really, really hard time in my life. He tripped and fell and landed in his co-worker's vagina and he's still stuck there!' That won her fans also, with one person Tweeting: 'Solidarity for Poppy and all the other ladies out there who have had their partner have a terrible accident and land in someone else's vagina #MAFS.' Someone else was fooled by her emotive delivery, writing: 'I was actually about to shed a tear thinking he had died lol.' One person Tweeted: 'Solidarity for Poppy and all the other ladies out there who have had their partner have a terrible accident and land in someone else's vagina' Yet another person joked: 'See this is why I never join the WHS committee at work!' alongside a meme from Family Guy. Others felt solidarity for her, with one fan writing: 'Right now, Australia turns their collective evil eye towards her ex who tripped and fell into his co-worker's vagina.' One audience member watching at home summed it up simply: 'I think I'm going to like this chick.' A very challenging paper - with some very high-end questions, bordering on third level standard - is Ray OLoughlin's description of the Leaving Certificate Economics Higher Level. Mr OLoughlin of the Institute of Education, Dublin said even well-prepared students would have found this paper very challenging. He noted that students were required to have knowledge of a wide range of topical issues outside of their textbooks. He thought Section A was very challenging. Among the questions he singled out was the one on structural unemployment a term with which students would be unfamiliar. Mr O'Loughlin also says students may not have been familiar with the question on the benefits/ costs of Eirgrid pylons. Students would have required considerable independent knowledge to respond to the question on the implications of emerging from the Troika Bailout to the Irish economy . A better choice in Section B, he said, although he felt some students would have been unnerved by the questio in which they were asked to apply the concept of Consumer Surplus to market equilibrium. This is the first time the question has been phrased like this he said. THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) ordered all barangays to form their Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) to help the National Government address the issue of the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV ARD) within their communities. In a memorandum, DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano said each barangay captain must appoint BHERT members composed of an executive officer, a barangay tanod, and two barangay health workers, one of them a nurse or a midwife. Ano said aside from informing the barangay about the dangers of the 2019-nCoV ARD, BHERT members must serve as the first line of defense against the spread of the deadly disease and apply needed measures if they see signs and symptoms within their localities. BHERT members shall be equipped with protective gear such as surgical gowns, goggles, masks, and gloves, Ano said. Ano added that BHERT members should visit the home of arriving passengers from a coronavirus-infected country and list down the names of persons they had contact with. The BHERTs shall also require newly-arrived passengers to record their daily body temperature in the morning and afternoon for the next 14 days of home confinement and observe possible coronavirus symptoms, read part of the memo. Carriers of the dreaded disease usually manifest cough and colds, fever, difficulty in breathing, and shortness of breath, which can lead to pneumonia, bronchitis, kidney problems, and even death. If symptoms are observed, BHERTs must immediately isolate the coronavirus suspect in a room away from the rest of the family members, the DILG chief said. The suspect shall then be required to wear an N95 mask before transferring to a Department of Health-designated coronavirus-referral center or hospital for further tests and treatment, he added. In case of a lack of resources to transport the suspect, the case should immediately be referred to the local government concerned for assistance. Story continues Family members of suspected coronavirus carriers must also be placed on a 14-day home confinement and repeat the process of checking, including contact tracing, Ano said. Ano said if the suspect does not manifest any signs, BHERTs must still report the case to the City or Municipal Health Officer for the lifting of the home confinement. Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella told employees of the City Government not to panic amid reports of the 2019-nCoV ARD entering the Philippines. Labella also asked the Citys 80 barangay captains to allocate space in their respective barangay halls as quarantine area for those who may show signs of the virus. ( JKV, PAC ) YEREVAN. The lawyers team of Gagik Khachatryan, Armenias former State Revenue Committee chairman and ex-Finance Minister, has issued a statement saying that Khachatryan has serious health problems. According to the lawyers, the hearing of their appeal against the court ruling extending Khachatryan's arrest will take place today at the Criminal Court of Appeal. As per their statement, however, this court hearing comes amid numerous reports on Khachatryan's deteriorating health, and he has been in custody for seven months. According to the lawyers, Khachatryan receives symptomatic treatment in prison, whereas he needs specialized care, and in the absence of medical care, irreversible consequences can occur. As per the statement, before his arrest, Gagik Khachatryan was in Germany, but he returned to Yerevan upon the investigator's phone call, and did not to hide from the investigation. According to the lawyers, Gagik Khachatryan received post-operative treatment in Germany, he has problems with his spine and movement system, and an implant is inserted in his body. New figures show how UK manufacturing is performing. Photo: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP via Getty Images UK manufacturing has emerged from its worst spell since the financial crisis as a Boris bounce lifted industry fortunes, new figures suggest. The latest UK purchasing managers index (PMI) data for industry showed firms activity at least remaining steady for the first time since April 2019. It had seen nine straight months of decline, the longest downward slide since the global financial crisis more than a decade ago. The headline figure on the index came in at 50 for January, indicating neither growth or decline. Last month it had come in at 47.5. Output is no longer falling, but remains stagnant amid continued troubles including a global slowdown in demand and Brexit uncertainty. READ MORE: Pound slides as Boris Johnson threatens hard Brexit Industry managers reported employment was no longer falling for the first time in nine months, but it also remained flat. Optimism hit an eight-month high, but was still low by historical standards. The figures are based on a survey of around 600 manufacturers, and compiled by IHS Markit and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Supply (CIPS). It is the latest in a string of data signalling increased business and consumer confidence since prime minister Boris Johnsons decisive election victory in December. The start of 2020 saw the performance of the UK manufacturing sector stabilise, as receding levels of political uncertainty following the general election aided mild recoveries in new order intakes, employment and business confidence, said IHS Markit director Rob Dobson. READ MORE: Fastest leap in house prices in a year as election lifts confidence But a separate survey on Monday by advisory firm Crowe suggested the risk of future tariffs and global economic conditions were manufacturers main worries in 2020. It remains to be seen if the revival in business confidence can last, as the UK governments priorities appear increasingly at odds with industrys concerns. Prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to say in a speech on Monday that the government would accept a significant rupture with the EU if no trade deal can be reached. Story continues Britain remains under EU rules as part of a Brexit transition period, meaning business as usual for many manufacturers. But new talks will begin soon over Britains future trading relationship after the end of the transition from 2021. The prime minister hopes for a Canada-style free trade agreement, with no tariffs or quotas on goods. But he will also warn Britain will not commit to EU rules on everything from competition law to social, environmental, and employment protections. His stance sets him on a collision course with Brussels, which has warned Britains current access to EU markets is reliant on aligning with EU standards. READ MORE: Firms demand seat at the table in post-Brexit trade talks A hard Brexit could cause heavy damage to UK manufacturers reliant on EU markets and supply chains. Hopefully the momentum will now build in spite of potential obstacles and the sector pulls itself up by its bootstraps into growth next month as the UK negotiates its position with the EU, said Duncan Brock, CIPS group director. But he said the latest figures showed firms had seen a fairly muted start to the year as the sector crawled towards equilibrium. Domestic orders and UK consumer demand provided much of the boost, with exports continuing to fall for a third month in a row. Sudesh Amman, who is understood to be the man who was shot dead by armed police in Streatham High Road (Met Police/PA) The man shot dead by police following a stabbing attack in south London was a convicted terrorist who had recently been released from prison. Police said the suspect was yet to be formally identified but they are confident he is 20-year-old Sudesh Amman. It is understood that Amman, who was jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, had been freed in the past six weeks. Expand Close Police forensic officers work at the scene in Streatham High Road (Victoria Jones/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police forensic officers work at the scene in Streatham High Road (Victoria Jones/PA) Sam Armstrong, from the Henry Jackson Society, said Amman was thought to have been staying in a bail hostel in Tulse Hill. He said the society had warned in December that Amman was due for release within the next two months and should not be let out of prison. Amman, who at the time of his sentencing was 18 years old and had an address in Harrow, north-west London, had been jailed for three years and four months. Two people were stabbed in the attack in Streatham on Sunday afternoon which police believe to be Islamist-related. Scotland Yard said armed officers were following the suspect on foot as part of a proactive counter-terrorism surveillance operation on Streatham High Road. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) Three victims were taken by ambulance to south London hospitals. One man, in his 40s, is no longer considered to be in a life-threatening condition following treatment, police said. A woman, in her 50s, who had non-life threatening injuries has been discharged from hospital. Police said a second woman in her 20s, who received minor injuries believed to have been caused by glass following the discharge of a police firearm, continues to receive treatment. A device found strapped to the body of the suspect was a hoax, the Metropolitan Police added in a statement. It said: The situation has been contained and officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command are now leading an investigation into the incident. The incident was quickly declared as a terrorist incident and we believe it to be Islamist-related. One witness described seeing the man apparently carrying a weapon with silver canisters on his chest being shot in front of a Boots store. Expand Close Police forensic officers at the scene in Streatham High Road (Victoria Jones/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police forensic officers at the scene in Streatham High Road (Victoria Jones/PA) Another said members of the public came to the aid of victims, with one saying she had been stabbed. People took shelter in nearby shops as the incident unfolded on the busy south London high street. Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party and councillor for the St Leonards ward on Lambeth Council, told the PA news agency: Theres absolute shock and disbelief from residents that are around. There was an immediate sense of panic and fear when it happened. He added: The emergency services seemed to have reacted incredibly quickly, I mean so quickly that you wonder whether they had some advance warning about this because they were here in such great numbers so quickly. Thank you to all emergency services responding to the incident in Streatham, which the police have now declared as terrorism-related. My thoughts are with the injured and all those affected. Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 2, 2020 Neighbours in Harrow told of their shock at what had happened. Mechanical engineering apprentice Jignesh Khomani, 20, said he was saddened by the attack, and described Amman as a pretty average guy. He told the PA news agency: I just did not expect anything like this would happen. He did not seem like a character who would do something like that. A teenager, who said she knew him from the local neighbourhood but did not want to give her name, said Amman used to talk about being a terrorist but she and others thought he was joking. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he will announce plans on Monday for fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences following the attack. He added: Following the awful events at Fishmongers Hall in December, we have moved quickly to introduce a package of measures to strengthen every element of our response to terrorism including longer prison sentences and more money for the police. On Sunday evening, forensics officers could be seen near Superdrug and Boots examining the area for clues. Families could be heard asking police how they would be able to access their homes in light of the incident. Streatham High Road remains closed with cordons in place, police said. Stranded residents were being offered temporary accommodation inside the Odeon cinema in the cordon, with workers at Lambeth Council inside looking after those affected. Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via Email Ryanair: Boeing 737 Max deliveries could be two years late By the end of last year, Ireland's low-cost airline Ryanair was expecting to get the first 737 Max into its fleet. Now, it's not expecting to get its first one until October, which has prompted the carrier to warn it may have to cut jobs, and close some bases. With 135 Max planes ordered, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has been very vocal in his disappointment with Boeing's management. CNBC's Phil LeBeau reports. In wake of coronavirus outbreak, Malappuram District Collector Jafar Malik on Monday chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness in hospitals to deal with the virus. The meeting comes after Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja on Monday said that the third case of coronavirus tested positive in Kasargod."Today one more case has tested positive from Kasaragod. The patient is under treatment in Kanjangad District Hospital in Kasaragod. The patient's condition is stable. The student had returned from Wuhan," Shailaja said.The virus originated in Wuhan in December and has since then spread to various cities around the world.China has imposed quarantine and travel restrictions, affecting the movement of 56 million people in more than a dozen cities, amid fears that the transmission rate will accelerate as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel for the Lunar New Year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Political apathy and neglect over decades rendered this revenue-generating district of GB Road into an undeveloped area. Even after more than seven decades of Independence, the two Assembly segments under Delhis Chandni Chowk parliamentary constituency Ballimaran and Matia Mahal known as Asias biggest market and countrys distribution hub for tools and machinery parts, besides the infamous red-light district of the National Capital still suffer due to absence of civic amenities and lack of attention from the administration. Right from traders and the common man to sex workers of Garstin Bastion Road (GB Road), the red light area -- all have lost faith in the political parties, whether its the ruling AAP in Delhi or BJP at the Centre or the opposition Congress. Over the years, the commercial hub has metamorphosed into Delhis underbelly with thriving crime due to deteriorating law and order situation in the area. This part of the walled city Chandni Chowk, where iconic tram used to be a major attraction and the means of public transport during the British Raj, and the three-storeyed buildings at Delhis biggest red light area GB Road, running from Ajmeri Gate to Lahori Gate that served as brothels seems to be out-of-place in the National Capital that aspires to be a world-class city. The history of GB Road dates back to Mughal era but it became an organised block (Kothas) for sex workers through an administrative measure during the British rule. While the ground floor of three-storeyed buildings serves as shops and commercial establishment, the upper floors are brothels, housing nearly 1,850 sex workers. Immediately after Independence, GB Road, which was rechristened as Swami Shradhanand Marg in 1966, emerged as Asias biggest wholesale and retail market for tools, machinery, sanitary ware and automobile parts. Its the biggest distribution hub of these items for the country. Unfortunately, political apathy and neglect over decades rendered this revenue-generating district into an undeveloped area. Potholed roads, overflowing drains, chocked sewerage system, dangerously hanging overhead electrical wires intertwined with telephone cables, lack of parking facility, unruly traffic, lawlessness and crime in broad daylight -- all have contributed in giving these two Assembly segments a bad name. Its a nightmare for outsiders, especially traders from outside Delhi, who visit the market for business transactions, on more than a kilometre-long stretch, the over-crowded Shradhanand Marg, even during the day. They can be intimidated anytime by goons. Ahead of the Delhi Assembly election in 2014, the residents of GB Road, which is a part of Ballimaran and Matia Mahal Assembly segments, handed a memorandum to senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal, who had visited the area for campaigning. Among other residents and traders, a large group of sex workers, who had then got voting right after a long struggle met Sibal, and the latter had assured the voters of development. Congress party was completely wiped out in the election, and AAP came to power with a historic majority, winning 67 in the 70-seat assembly in 2015. The BJP-led NDA came to power defeating the UPA at the Centre in 2014. Despite the change in political guards at the Centre and in Delhi, the fortune of these two Assembly segments, especially GB Road, remained unchanged, in fact, it turned for worse. At present, Muslim-dominated Ballimaran and Matia Mahal are AAP strongholds. The voters of Matia Mahal had expected some development to take place as the AAP MLA from this seat, Asim Ahmed Khan, became a minister (Food and Civil Supplies) in Arvind Kejriwals cabinet. In 2015, Khan, who had defeated the then five-time Congress MLA Shoib Iqbal and become a giant-killer was ousted from the party over alleged corruption charges. While AAP has retained the candidature of its sitting Ballimaran MLA Imran Hussain for the upcoming poll, it has given a ticket for Matia Mahal seat to Shoib Iqbal also an ex-deputy speaker, who joined AAP in January this year. Congress party has fielded Javed Mirza and ex-minister Haroon Yusuf for Matia Mahal and Ballimaran respectively. The BJP candidates are Ravindra Gupta and Lata Sodhi. During 2014 Assembly election Kapil Sibal had visited this area and interacted with us including many sex workers. But after that, no one visited, not even Arvind Kejriwal, who had made tall promises before elections. In the past, a few politicians used to visit like Congress leader and minister, Haroon Yusuf in Sheila Dikshits government. But over the decades, the condition of this area has deteriorated in every aspect. In fact, GB Road has turned into a crime district, Iqbal Ahmed, secretary (Delhi unit) of Bhartiya Patita Uddhar Sabha (BPUS), an NGO working for the welfare of sex workers told Firstpost. Political parties visit only during elections for campaigning, but they never visit even once to take stock of the situation after winning. Due to illegal double parking on the main road that connects Ballimaran and Matia Mahal, theres always a traffic chaos. If theres an emergency, it would be impossible for an ambulance or a fire tender to move through the road. Chances of spreading vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria are high as the sewer lines are choked with garbage. During rainy season drains over-flow on roads, Ahmed said. The residents of the area have a strong complaint against the deteriorating law and order situation. Besides pimps operating in GB Road area, there are anti-social elements who openly roam on the street and intimidate passersby. There had been several incidents of pick-pocketing, looting and even stabbing in broad daylight. According to an NGO, many of the members of these local gangs are as young as 12 years, who are used either for pick-pocketing or as couriers to sell drugs. I had complained to the police thrice against the rising crime, but to no effect. Instead, I was intimidated and attacked as Ive become a target of these criminals. Now I have stopped complaining. Theres a police picket close by, but its of no use. The entire area has turned into a hub of drug peddling, snatching, pick-pocketing, looting and whatnot, a resident of Matia Mahal shared with Firstpost on condition of anonymity. Sex workers at receiving end The inhabitants of this red light area generally remain oblivious of the ongoing political spectacle or the manifestos of political parties. Each time an election takes place whether Assembly or for the Lok Sabha, the sex workers hope something may come their way, which ultimately never happens. Though these sex workers will again exercise their voting rights on 8 February, they are apprehensive about the fulfilment of their demands. According to several sex workers of GB Road with whom Firstpost interacted, no politician ever visits them during campaigning due to social stigma. Though nearly 1,200 sex workers now have voting right and they cast their vote during elections, they have no faith in political parties. Brothel owners decide who to vote for and the sex workers follow. For political parties and the government, we dont exist. We dont even have ration cards. Water is free but often its so dirty that it cant be consumed. Whom should we complain to? Several times weve been attacked by these local goons. However, nothing will change for us, no matter who comes to power, said a 50-year old sex worker of GB Road. Many of the sex workers were found unaware of AAP governments Mohalla clinic due to its absence in the area. Instead, they choose to visit private clinics. A large number of sex workers are poor and they end up paying high fees to doctors. Theres no Mohalla clinic nearby GB Road, Matia Mahal or Ballimaran. Were compelled to go to private clinics for tests and treatment, and often its very expensive for us, said another sex worker. Traders discontent Various trade associations have not only raised the issue with political parties, but also with the Centre, Delhi government and Municipal Corporation of Delhi but to no effect. Even after more than 70 years of Independence, the situation has become worse in this general machinery market, which is considered as Asias biggest. Besides poor civic infrastructure, the law and order has hit rock bottom. Our customers from outside Delhi are afraid of visiting here due to crime. Government is earning revenue from this commercial hub, but hasnt paid any heed to several complaints made by us, said Radheshyam Sharma, president, Federation of Delhi Trade Association, who has been in business in this market since 1958. Our minimum demand to the government is that the parking facility, drainage system, road and law and order must improve as our business is facing the brunt, added Sharma, also the ex-president of General Machine Merchant Association. While AAP is an apparent favourite in these two constituencies, Congress seems to have more followers than the BJP. However, if AAP returns to power, it will have to pay attention to these vital constituencies, especially if it intends to make Delhi a world-class capital. Russian journalists killed in the Central African Republic in 2018 had broken many local laws, while people who had sent them there were consciously putting the reporters in danger, Russian Ambassador in Bangui Vladimir Titorenko told Sputnik MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2020) Russian journalists killed in the Central African Republic in 2018 had broken many local laws, while people who had sent them there were consciously putting the reporters in danger, Russian Ambassador in Bangui Vladimir Titorenko told Sputnik. Kirill Radchenko, Alexander Rastorguev and Orkhan Dzhemal were killed in July 2018. The three journalists were sent to the car by the Investigations Management Center, a media outlet of Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky. "They [the journalists] entered in breach of many CAR laws. In the CAR Embassy in Moscow, they presented themselves as tourists to get visas but they came with press cards signed by the Investigations Management Center and saying they were UN Volunteers. But a citizen of Russia who is in charge of the center cannot be a UN official who signs such cards. That is why they were allowed through, that was because they had UN cards, otherwise they would have been stopped at a checkpoint and sent back to the city for the night," Titorenko said. The people who sent the journalists should have hired guards for them and notified the embassy, according to the diplomat. "So the people who sent journalists there were consciously putting their lives in danger," Titorenk said. BOSTON, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Analysis Group, one of the largest international economics consulting firms, has again been recognized as a leader on the Global Competition Review (GCR) Economics 21. The annual ranking highlights top firms measured by size of practice, reputation, and work on impactful competition matters over the past year. In the 2020 rankings, Analysis Group placed in the top three for number of litigation matters, complex mergers, and government investigations in which the firm was involved. Analysis Group was also highlighted as having one of the largest practices, with 265 competition economists across its offices worldwide. "Markets are undergoing significant change in virtually every jurisdiction around the world, resulting in novel antitrust questions being raised," said Martha S. Samuelson, CEO and Chairman of Analysis Group. "It's quite an exciting time to be a competition economist, and our recognition in the Economics 21 reflects the important work we are doing to help our clients as they navigate complex issues in a shifting environment." Analysis Group played a significant role in many of the past year's noteworthy antitrust cases around the world. GCR cited several examples of the firm's work on complex issues involving questions of market dominance, litigation, and damages, including in the following: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Digital Platforms Inquiry An Analysis Group team supported its academic affiliate Professor Catherine Tucker of the MIT Sloan School of Management , a leading authority on digital markets and advertising, in preparing three reports for the ACCC's inquiry into digital platforms. Professor Tucker's reports addressed the nature of competition in digital advertising and data, social media, and the distribution of news and information. Qualcomm Inc. v. Apple Inc. and FTC v. Qualcomm Analysis Group teams supported several of the firm's academic affiliates on behalf of Qualcomm in its defense against separate allegations by Apple and the FTC, and in its countersuit against Apple. Apple and the FTC claimed that Qualcomm acted anticompetitively in both its licensing business and its chip business, and used its market power in each to reinforce its market position in the other. Analysis Group affiliates who submitted testimony included Nobel Laureate Dr. Oliver Hart , the Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor at Harvard University ; Dr. Christopher Knittel , the George P. Shultz Professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management ; Professor Jeffrey Prince , the Harold A. Poling Chair in Strategic Management at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business; and Dr. Edward Snyder , the William S. Beinecke Professor of Economics and Management, and former Dean, of the Yale School of Management. In Qualcomm's widely reported settlement with Apple, the parties ultimately agreed to dismiss their suits against each other, while the FTC matter is ongoing. In re: Asacol Antitrust Litigation Analysis Group supported Allergan in its defense of the Asacol antitrust litigation pertaining to allegations of delayed market entry of a generic pharmaceutical. Analysis Group Managing Principal Bruce Strombom provided testimony that addressed questions about the nature of uninjured class members, changes in the competitive environment that that may lead consumers to be uninjured, and the estimated share of uninjured class members. The class certification was overturned on appeal in what may prove to be a watershed ruling for the pharmaceutical industry. Panjing Dongxing Oil Well Measure Service Co. Ltd. v. PetroChina Inc. Analysis Group teams from its US and Beijing offices jointly supported Panjing, the plaintiff, in a monopolization, abuse of market power, and refusal to deal case brought before the Beijing Intellectual Property Court. The firm supported Adjunct Professor Wei Tan of Johns Hopkins University , who filed two reports opining that the defendant had the power to dictate pricing and contract terms over the plaintiff, a conclusion further supported by a monopsony test and agreed by the court. To learn more about Analysis Group's capabilities, visit www.analysisgroup.com About Analysis Group: Analysis Group is one of the largest international economics consulting firms, with more than 1,000 professionals across 14 offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. Since 1981, we have provided expertise in economics, finance, health care analytics, and strategy to top law firms, Fortune Global 500 companies, and government agencies worldwide. Our internal experts, together with our network of affiliated experts from academia, industry, and government, offer our clients exceptional breadth and depth of expertise. Contact: Analysis Group Eric Seymour, 617-425-8103 [email protected] SOURCE Analysis Group Related Links http://www.analysisgroup.com Sources have named Sudesh Amman as the attacker killed by police in London Armed police officers surround a figure on the ground in a video recorded by an eyewitness Boris Johnson has said he will announce plans today for "fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences" following a terror attack in south London. Two people were stabbed in the attack which police believe to be "Islamist-related". Scotland Yard said armed officers shot dead a man as part of a "proactive Counter Terrorism operation" on Streatham High Road that unfolded at 2pm yesterday. He has been named as Sudesh Amman, and he is believed to have been released from prison halfway through his sentence as recently as a week ago after serving time for 13 terror offences. Whitehall sources told The Daily Telegraph that "there was nothing that could be done to keep him locked behind bars". It has been reported that he was under active counter terrorism surveillance. Alexis Boon, former head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, told The Telegraph that at the time of his conviction Amman had a "fierce interest in violence and martyrdom". Three victims were taken to a south London hospital, with one man's condition said to be life-threatening and one woman being treated for non-life threatening injuries. Police said a second woman received minor injuries believed to have been caused by glass following the discharge of a police firearm. A device found strapped to the body of the suspect was a hoax, the Metropolitan Police added in a statement. It said: "The situation has been contained and officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command are now leading an investigation into the incident. "The incident was quickly declared as a terrorist incident and we believe it to be Islamist-related." After paying tribute to the police, the Prime Minister said that after the "awful events at Fishmonger's Hall" in London in December - when an Islamist extremist out of jail on licence killed two people - "we have moved quickly to introduce a package of measures to strengthen every element of our response to terrorism - including longer prison sentences and more money for the police". "Tomorrow, we will announce further plans for fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences," he added. One witness described seeing the man apparently carrying a weapon with "silver canisters on his chest" being shot in front of a Boots store. Another said members of the public came to the aid of victims, with one saying she had been stabbed. People took shelter in nearby shops as the incident unfolded on the busy high street. A 19-year-old student from Streatham, who did not want to be named, said: "I was crossing the road when I saw a man with a machete and silver canisters on his chest being chased by what I assume was an undercover police officer, as they were in civilian clothing. The man was then shot. I think I heard three gunshots but I can't quite remember. "After that, I ran into the library to get to safety. From the library, I saw a load of ambulances and armed police officers arrive on the scene." BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: Iran exported goods worth $840 million through the customs of Markazi province during 10 months (from March 21 through January 20) of this Iranian year (beginning on March 21, 2019), Director General of the Customs Administration of the province Ismayil Huseyni said. The export volume reached 1.5 million tons, Huseyni added, Trend reports referring to IRNA. The export volume increased by 24 percent, while export value increased by 1.5 percent during 10 months of this Iranian year compared to the same period of last Iranian year, the director general added. "Various hydrocarbons, armature, heavy and lightweight polyethylene, glass, polypropylene, fruit juices are among the main exported products," the director general said. The goods were exported to 58 countries through the customs of the province by the end of third month of this Iranian year [May 22 - June 21, 2019], Huseyni said. Later, despite the US sanctions against Iran, the goods were exported to 22 more countries. Some 156,000 tons of products worth $399 million were imported during the reporting period, the director general added. The import volume increased by 18 percent while import value increased by 46 percent during 10 months of this Iranian year compared to the same period of last Iranian year. The equipment, fruit juices, aluminum lids, compressors, cars and other products were imported, Huseyni said. "These products are imported from 55 countries, including China, Turkey, Germany, UAE and India," the director general said. The customs of the province gained revenues worth 16.9 billion rials (about $403,000) during 10 months of this Iranian year. Lam said Monday that she would leave open only three of the financial center's 14 crossing points with mainland China, including the airport. Hong Kong had already closed six border checkpoints, but Lam said further steps are needed "because of the latest developments in the outbreak." She said she hoped the closure would make it inconvenient for people to travel to mainland China and provide a disincentive for people to cross. If mild winters are making you pine for the days when it really used to snow in New York or if you just have a taste for the dramatic vistas and peculiar goings-on of Scandinavian television heres a roundup of recent and coming series from the Far North. And we mean far: None of these shows was filmed below 60 degrees north latitude. All the Sins Fans of Henning Mankells mystery novels, and of the British series Wallander, which was based on them, may feel comfortable in the confines of this Finnish series available through the PBS Masterpiece channel on Amazon Prime Video. The deep green and dark blue landscapes, a mix of tidy agriculture and ubiquitous water, recall the southern Swedish vistas of Wallander. And like many of Mankells stories, All the Sins is built on a specific Scandinavian social issue, in this case the power in northern Finland of Laestadianism, a stern offshoot of Lutheranism. As portrayed in the series, the sect's strictness combined with its belief in the absolute power of forgiveness make it a good match for a story involving ritualistic murders and church-enforced cover-ups. The mystery is handled competently if a bit perfunctorily, with a typical gallery of suspects including an immigrant Iranian pizza maker, a fervent atheist and a skeevy businessman pushing a shopping-mall project. The real focus is on the byplay between the mismatched detectives: an uptight former Laestadian (Johannes Holopainen) for whom the case is an excuse to skip therapy sessions with his boyfriend, and a middle-aged single mom (Maria Sid) with guilt issues she killed her daughters father, for one thing who self-medicates with loud and frequent sex. Jordan's Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) has achieved a new milestone for annual passenger traffic, receiving 8,924,080 passengers during 2019, a 5.9 per cent increase compared with 2018. According to statistics released by Airport International Group, aircraft movements (ACM) in 2019 reached 79,740, indicating a 3.7 per cent rise, whereas handled cargo amounted to 102,459 tons, signifying a marginal 1.6 per cent decrease. As for December 2019, QAIA welcomed 659,591 passengers, recording a 4.7 per cent surge as opposed to the same month a year earlier. Furthermore, ACM totalled at 6,121, up by 2.5 per cent, while handled cargo settled at 8,280 tons, down by 9.1 per cent. The top five travel destinations in terms of number of passengers during 2019 were Dubai, Istanbul, Cairo, Doha and Kuwait. In tandem, four new airlines joined QAIAs route network - namely SaudiGulf Airlines, Transavia (Netherlands and France) and Royal Air Maroc - and five new cities were made available - namely Casablanca, Memmingen, Malta, Thessaloniki and Lyon. 2019 has proven to be yet another fruitful year for Queen Alia International Airport. The remarkable dedication of our teams and partners has enabled us to break new records, while further strengthening our standing on the global aviation map and positioning the kingdom as a prominent travel destination within the Mena region and beyond," commented Airport International Group CEO, Nicolas Claude. "We also claimed the title of Best Airport by Size and Region: Middle East for airports that serve five to 15 million passengers for 2018, and received the Airport Customer Experience Accreditation - both of which were granted by Airports Council International, Claude said. I would like to express gratitude towards our employees, partners and stakeholders, without whom these accomplishments would not have been possible. Together, we will continue working towards attaining new achievements in 2020, giving rise to QAIA as Jordans prime gateway to the world, he said. - TradeArabia News Service American Electric Power's (NYSE: AEP) AEP Renewables subsidiary has signed a long-term power purchase agreement with Evergy Inc. for the output of the new Flat Ridge 3 wind project. AEP Renewables is developing Flat Ridge 3 near Kingman, Kansas. The project will include 62 wind turbines capable of producing 128 megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable energy and is expected to be operational by the end of 2020. "Our AEP Renewables business is focused on developing and operating renewable generation facilities to help meet the long-term, clean energy goals of utilities, electric cooperatives, municipalities and other companies. Flat Ridge 3 will increase AEP Renewables' contracted renewable generation portfolio to 1,430 MW, and when complete, will demonstrate a $2.03 billion cumulative investment in our contracted renewables business," said Greg Hall, president, AEP Renewables. Flat Ridge 3 will provide more than $20 million in economic development to the surrounding area, including payments to local government and landowners, and will support approximately 200 jobs during peak construction. AEP Renewables, with offices in Columbus, Ohio, and San Diego, is a wholly owned subsidiary of AEP. AEP Renewables owns and operates 1.3 gigawatts of large-scale wind, solar and energy storage in 11 U.S. states and has an active development pipeline across the U.S. AEP Renewables sells renewable energy through long-term contracts with utilities, electric cooperatives, municipalities and corporate customers. For more information, visit www.aeprenewables.com. American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP's approximately 18,000 employees operate and maintain the nation's largest electricity transmission system and more than 219,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation's largest electricity producers with approximately 31,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including more than 5,200 megawatts of renewable generation. AEP's family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners, and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. MEDIA CONTACT: Melissa McHenry Managing Director, External Communications 614/716-1120 ANALYSTS CONTACT: Managing Director, Investor Relations Darcy Reese 614/716-2614 A drug peddler was arrested with one kilogram of cannabis at Banihal railway station in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district on Monday, officials said. He was identified as Muzamil Hussain Shah, they said. During a routine checking, a police party intercepted Shah at the Banihal railway station and recovered one kilogram of cannabis from him, the officials said. He was arrested and a case registered against him, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Weve heard a lot over the last few years about what Brexit might mean for the future of Britain and the United Kingdom. Rather than prognosticate (enough people have already made enough bad predictions) lets instead look at what history teaches us about such a divorce might mean in a time of climate crisis. The place: Scotland. The time: 1695. Already, much of the Northern Hemisphere was shivering its way through the so-called Little Ice Age, which lasted from about 1450 to 1850. The decade from 1695-1705 was the coldest of all, though, according to a recent study in the Journal of Vulcanology and Geothermal Research. In fact, its still Scotlands coldest decade in the last nearly 800 years. The century 1612-1711 is the coldest hundred-year period on record (1911-2010 is the warmest). Looking at rings from centuries-old trees in the Cairngorms in northern Scotland, the researchers and determined that this particular cold spell was caused by a few significant volcanic eruptions in the tropics and Iceland from 1693-1695, and possibly a shift in the North Atlantic/Arctic Oscillation, the atmospheric pressure pattern that affects the climate of the northern hemisphere. The studys authors lay out some of the consequences: Population loss in Scotland of around 10-15% (25% in some places) because of crop failure and ill-advised export laws, and over-enthusiasm about Darien, a proposed colony in Panama, which was a spectacular failure. It lasted less than two years and resulted in the deaths of about 2,000 colonists and the loss of about a third of Scotlands wealth. The effect of all of this population loss, economic and agricultural collapse was that Scotland united with England in 1707 after centuries of resistance, the authors write. And while no decades were as bad, climate-wise, as the 1690s, once unified with England, Scotland never saw the same kind of desperation again. By joining England, Scotland became more resilient, said Rosanne DArrigo, the lead author and a tree-ring scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University. The bigger message for today is arguably that as the climate changes, nations will be stronger if they stick together and not try to go it alone. Story continues Theres an obvious parallel to Brexit: going it alone in difficult climatic times can result in disaster, particularly for smaller countries with fewer resources, which is relevant for both the United Kingdoms relationship with the E.U., and for how its members relate to each other. But it has relevance beyond the U.K. and Europe, since the climate is changing not only on a regional or hemispheric scale, but a planetary one. Though effects may be worse in some places and for some people than others namely for poor black, brown and indigenous women in the Global South there are no parts of the world that the climate crisis will leave untouched. There isnt really a way to go it alone emissions anywhere have consequences everywhere. The work these scientists have done suggests that we consider ourselves and our economies separate from nature at our own peril. And we err when we dont understand the history of climate change, pollution, and resource exhaustion. The need to take from nature and the belief that more can always be taken are part of what drove settlers to the New World, and once in North America, pushed them to expand across the continent. The American sense that natural resources have no limits there has always been more has allowed us to think of nature and its limits as an abstract idea rather than a physical reality, as much as our economic and geographic growth has physically depended on our resources. We have our own cautionary tales too: the near-extinction of the buffalo and wild Atlantic salmon in U.S. waters, and the actual extinction of the passenger pigeon and the eastern elk. We cant (or shouldnt) understand the Ludlow Massacre of 1914 without considering the environmental costs and transformations that came with coal mining. Taking this long view helps us understand that while climate change may be an especially intense and relatively recent problem, weve been dealing with versions of it for centuries. We take the stability of our natural world for granted, but it is always changing, both on its own and in response to how we scramble time burning ancient fuels to melt ancient ice to alter our future. Were already seeing the imprint of the climate crisis on events that may otherwise seem unrelated to it: Mass migration to Europe following the Arab Spring and the Syrian Civil War can be attributed in part to climate change. The arrival of immigrants in Europe has often been met with hostility, and has triggered political changes influencing the rise of right-wing populism on the continent as well as in the British Isles. We may be able to change the climate, but we should remember that the climate changes us, too. To contact the author of this story: Tatiana Schlossberg at tatiana.schlossberg@gmail.com To contact the editor responsible for this story: Sarah Green Carmichael at sgreencarmic@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Tatiana Schlossberg, a former New York Times science reporter, writes about climate change and the environment. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. French GP venue Paul Ricard says it would like to host F1's pre-season testing early next year. The six days of official winter running kicks off later this month at the now-customary pre-season venue in Barcelona. But Paul Ricard circuit director Stephane Clair told f1only.fr: "We are candidates to host the winter tests. We dream about it and we discuss it. "We already had a good chance that it would happen this year." Clair said Barcelona ultimately got the job when a new one-year deal to rescue the Spanish GP at the same circuit was reached with Liberty Media. "In the deal, F1 felt that Barcelona had given them a lot and it was normal for them to help by extending the race for one year with more winter testing," he said. But Clair said he thinks the teams would be quite happy to test at Paul Ricard rather than Barcelona. "In terms of climate and distance and data it makes no difference to them. What they especially don't want is to go to the other side of the world," he said. (GMM) Ice calving from the front of Thurston Island off of western Antarctica on Nov. 5, 2014. The image was taken as part of NASAs Operation IceBridge, an airborne science mission to study Earths polar ice. Credit: NASA/Jim Yungel A new study suggests the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet is less stable than researchers once thought. As in the past, its collapse in the future is likely. The finding is based in part on the results of a paper published this week in Nature, co-led by University of WisconsinMadison atmospheric scientist Feng He and Oregon State University's Peter Clark, which looks back at the last two time periods in which the planet transitioned from a glacial state, when ice sheets covered large swaths of the globe, into an interglacial state, such as the one we are in now. The goal of the study, He says, was to better understand what contributes to rising sea levels. This has challenged researchers because of the large amount of uncertainty involved in understanding the contributions made by the melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. "Essentially, we just don't know how fast they are going to melt, whether the marine-based Antarctic ice sheet will collapse, or how quickly it will happenwhether it's 100 years or 1,000 years," says He, associate scientist in the Center for Climatic Research at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. "By 2200, there is a possibility of 7.5-meter sea level rise when accounting for the instability of the western and eastern Antarctic Ice Sheet." Overall, the study found that warming below the surface of the planet's oceans is a significant contributor to ice sheet melt, particularly in the Antarctic, where a large portion of the ice sheet exists under the water. During the last two transitions from glacial into interglacial periods, that warming was largely driven by the disruption of a process known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), akin to an oceanic conveyor belt that carries warm waters northward and cold waters south. Sub-surface warming, also referred to as oceanic forcing, was likely responsible for the collapse of the Western Antarctic Ice sheet during Earth's last interglacial period going back 125,000 years, which led to three meters of sea level rise. Overall, seas rose by up to nine meters, or nearly 30 feet, during the last interglacial period. "Even right now, observations show that 50 percent of the mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet is from subsurface ocean forcing," says He. The study took a modeling approach to gather best estimates of the planetary influences underlying glacial and ice sheet melt as well as sea level rise, including greenhouse gas concentrations, global temperatures, and subsurface ocean temperatures. Using the Community Climate System Model version 3 from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the research team ran simulations for more than 25,000 model years using conditions and climate reconstructions surmised from data collected around the globe. That includes greenhouse gases measured in deep ice cores, sea level indicators in corals, and cave features called speleothems. The simulations also included the position of the planet relative to the sun, ice sheet data and changes in heat transport associated with changes to AMOC. The study found that AMOC was reduced in a single step at the transition of the last interglacial for roughly 7,000 years. During the transition into the current interglacial period, the Holocene, AMOC reduction lasted only about two-thirds as long and occurred in two steps. During both transitions, however, AMOC reduction caused subsurface warming throughout the Atlantic Basin, which agrees with observed data. The reduction resulted in more sea ice in the North Atlantic Ocean and the reduction of ocean convection. Both of these reduce heat loss from the surface ocean, warming the subsurface, similar to the way in which winter snow helps insulate the ground below. "Though we have known for a long time that sea levels rose during this past warm period, this study helps us to identify why and how that happened," says Andrea Dutton, study co-author, professor of geoscience at UWMadison, and a current Fulbright scholar at the Antarctic Research Centre in New Zealand. "In particular, this new work points to the importance of the warming of the ocean in destabilizing marine-based ice sheets." In the U.S., four out of 10 people live in populous coastal areas, making them vulnerable to the effects of rising seas. Seventy percent of the world's largest cities are located near a coast. Globally, by 2010, seas had already risen about 10 inches above their average levels in pre-industrial times. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in 2014 they were rising at an increasing rate of roughly one-eighth of an inch each year. Also by 2014, global temperatures had increased by 1 degree Celsius (1.8 deg Fahrenheit) relative to pre-industrial conditions, representing the same amount of warming that led to sea level rise during the last interglacial period. "This is really scary because on paper at least, it shows that six to nine meters of sea level rise can occur with the same amount of global warming happening right now," says He. "The Antarctic Ice Sheet is very susceptible to warming from the ocean so if we want to reduce the uncertainty of sea level rise from the Antarctic we need to monitor where subsurface warming will occur, with more ice sheet modeling development," He says. "Sea level rise is the number one threat of global warming." Explore further Research reveals past rapid Antarctic ice loss due to ocean warming More information: Peter U. Clark et al. Oceanic forcing of penultimate deglacial and last interglacial sea-level rise, Nature (2020). Journal information: Nature Peter U. Clark et al. Oceanic forcing of penultimate deglacial and last interglacial sea-level rise,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-1931-7 Taoiseach Leo Varadkar granted an audience to the BBC's Andrew Marr Show yesterday morning, and promptly took the opportunity to warn the British Government to "tone down the nationalist rhetoric" over Brexit. Pot, meet kettle. The Irish leader would have been better off taking his cue from Arlene Foster, who marked the exact moment that Britain left the EU on Friday night by appearing on RTE's iconic Late Late Show in Dublin, where she wisely bore in mind the BBC's founding motto that "nation shall speak peace unto nation". The First Minister effortlessly defied the expectations of many Southerners, perhaps a majority, who only ever normally see her grim-faced in the midst of another crisis at Stormont. Republicans who, drunk on conspiracy theories, were convinced that she'd only been brought on RTE to scupper Sinn Fein's chances in next weekend's general election, by reminding voters of her personal experience of that party's bloody history, must have been fuming that she came across so well. Presenter Ryan Tubridy helped her in that task by being on his best behaviour. He did tiptoe round her a bit at times, as if she was an alien from Planet Orange, when she only lives 100 miles up the road. He also gave her an easy time on the whole "cash for ash" scandal, perhaps deciding that now wasn't the time to open that can of worms. It was a Friday night, after all. People just want to relax after a long week at work. Tubridy was clearly conscious of the fact that Mrs Foster, a Brexiteer, had made a magnanimous and neighbourly gesture by travelling to Dublin on a night that an overwhelming majority of people in the Republic had never wanted to see. She in turn did her bit by insisting that the relationship between the two parts of the island would stay the same after 11pm, whatever happens in Brussels, but that, no, she didn't think a united Ireland was on the cards, and, no, it wasn't something that she would personally welcome, for a variety of perfectly level-headed political, economic and cultural reasons. Arlene played it pitch-perfect throughout, even dodging potentially awkward questions about her attitude to gay marriage. That drew the one hostile reaction of the night from a small section of the audience, who appear to believe that tolerance is for everyone except those with whom they disagree. She also remembered to smile. That always helps. The DUP leader has an engaging way about her, when she chooses to show it, and it never hurts for politicians to show that they're able to laugh, including at themselves, however serious the job. If they learn nothing else from Boris Johnson, let it be that. "Regrets?" the RTE man asked her. "I've had a few," she quipped right back, before promising: "I'm not going to sing." If only former Secretary of State Peter Brooke had been as quick thinking when he appeared on the Late Late Show in the early Nineties and was handed a microphone and coaxed into a rendition of My Darling Clementine on the same day as an appalling IRA mass murder. He was gone from his job within months. Ironically, the First Minister's most significant message on Friday was probably not for the ears of the Republic, but for people back at home, as she expressed a desire to make Northern Ireland a welcoming place for everybody, regardless of sexuality or religion or political affiliation. It was a theme the DUP leader reinforced in her interview for Radio Ulster's Sunday With Dearbhail yesterday, not only meaning British-Ulster and Irish identities, but including all the other communities that now exist in Northern Ireland. If unionists keep bearing that in mind through whatever difficulties are ahead of us, it will prevent many a pitfall. Sadly, for those who may never have seen the Late Late Show before, the bad news is that you missed it when it was at its best for the first 37 years under the late, great Gay Byrne. It's a shadow of its former self these days. In a way, it's a bit like turning up at a party to find that the booze has run out and all the really fun people have gone home. Apart from Johnny Logan, obviously. As Samuel Johnson might have said, he who is tired of hearing What's Another Year is tired of life. Roosters have boarded airplanes. So have turkeys, ducks and monkeys - all in the name of service. These animals allegedly helped their owners stay calm. Never mind that they may have had the opposite effect on nearby passengers. The "emotional support" designation also helped owners save money - calming, indeed, when airlines charge $125 one way to convey a pet in a carrier under the seat. A friend once told me that she easily obtained a letter from a psychologist so she could fly her tiny dog around the country free of charge. The mile-high menagerie may be coming to an end. The U.S. Department of Transportation proposed a new rule recently that would let airlines ban untrained emotional support animals - an entirely different breed, so to speak, from the fully trained service and guide dogs that help the likes of veterans with PTSD and the visually impaired. Already, airlines have banned certain animals. Alaska Airlines, for instance, prohibits rodents, ferrets and snakes. Delta's list is longer and includes birds, all amphibians and animals with tusks, horns or hoofs, such as goats. People with legitimate need of a support dog - a veteran, the mother of an autistic child - have told me that the surplus of support animals makes their air travel uncomfortable, as fellow flyers look askance at their dogs. Flyers have been bitten by unrestrained dogs in airports and on planes. Online sites spit out letters qualifying pets as emotional support animals for a fee. It's time to take a look at the issue. The flying zoo started in 2003, when the Department of Transportation expanded the definition of service animal to include any that lends emotional support. That followed a 1986 law requiring U.S. airlines to permit service animals. The public has through July 9 to comment on the proposed rule that would limit the flying privilege of service animals to only those that are fully trained. Share your views at regulations.gov (input docket number DOT-OST-2018-0068). Or send a comment by mail to Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 SE. New Jersey Ave., West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington DC 20590-0001. Whether a growl or a purr, let your voice be heard. Visit the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) at www.startribune.com Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Streaming platforms interested. Orava Castle made it to the vampire films several times, most recently in Dracula mini-series by Netflix and BBC. (Source: Sme) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled After Netflix's Dracula filmed in Slovakia last year, big Hollywood productions are expected in the country this year. Related story: Related story: Retreat for filmmakers pops up in Bratislava Read more Currently, the shooting of the Van Helsing project is in the pre-production phase and there were tours of Slovak sites for several projects that could be filmed in the second half of 2020, Zuzana Bielikova of the Slovak Film Commission told the TASR newswire. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The legislation with which parliament decided to increase the volume of retrograde grants of used costs when filming in Slovakia helped intensify the interest of filmmakers in shooting their projects in Slovakia, according to Bielikova. Under new protocols announced Friday, U.S. citizens who have been in Hubei province within 14 days of their return will be subject to 14 days of mandatory quarantine to ensure they receive proper medical care. Those citizens who have been in other areas of mainland China within 14 days of their return will been screened when they enter the United States and may be subject to up to 14 days of self-quarantine to ensure that they have not contracted the virus. The China travel ban is a massive financial blow to Australia as Chinese students and tourists pump $16 billion into the economy every year. Coronavirus fears saw the ASX plunge by almost two per cent on Monday, the first day of trade since Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced his travel ban. Mr Morrison took the drastic action at the weekend in response to the deadly virus's spread around the world. The illness has infected more than 17,000 people and been declared a global health emergency. The Federal Government has banned any traveller from China who is not an Australian citizen, resident or their immediate family member from entering the country. More than 200,000 Chinese students attend schools and universities in Australia and 1.4 million visit the nation each year. They now have nowhere to go. More than 1.4 million Chinese tourists visit Australia each year but the coronavirus travel ban has barred them from entry for at least two weeks Worldwide fears: A passenger has his temperature checked by staff at an airport in Japan Universities, schools, student accommodation providers, hotels, restaurants, tourist operators and airlines are bearing the brunt of ban, which may last for longer than a fortnight if the outbreak worsens. In an interview with the ABC, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg admitted virus fears will cause a 'significant' hit to the economy. 'China's a critical economic partner for us,' he said. But treasury boffins have told Mr Frydenberg that it is 'too early' to tell how badly the possible pandemic will affect the economy - or whether it could push the country toward recession. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said it was too early to tell what impact the coronavirus will have Professor Tim Harcourt, a fellow at the University of New South Wales business school, said: 'The main impact, short term, is on tourism and education'. Prof Harcourt said the country could expect a quarter of negative growth - halfway to a recession, which is defined as two quarters of consecutive negative growth. Education industry officials said the travel ban could cost their industry alone up to $8 billion in the worst case scenario. Phil Honeywood, who is coordinating the education sector's response, told ABC News Breakfast the ban's impact goes beyond university-age Chinese students to schools, student accommodation, popular English language colleges and international TAFE students. The escalating crisis has been worsened by timing of the outbreak - coming over the Lunar New Year holiday when many Chinese students are holidaying back home. The education sector (stock image) is bracing for a loss of up to $8 billion should the situation continue to worsen in China 'Some (students) have even contacted me indicating they have pets in boarding kennels because they went home for Chinese New Year,' Mr Honeywood said. The ban has affected some long term students, who are 'two years into a three year degree and can't come back'. Meanwhile, the tourism industry - already groaning under the strain of the nation's summer bushfire crisis - has reportedly forecast a $1 billion loss for each month the ban continues. Chinese tourism brings in about $12 billion a year onto Australian shores and businesses have reported waves of cancellations. Restaurant and Catering Association chief executive Wes Lambert told Melbourne's The Age: 'Some members have told us they have gotten calls from some of their tourism operators that have had cancellations in the hundreds of thousands.' Prof Harcourt said many of the about 6000 Australian small and medium sized businesses dependent on China will experience some pain. 'If you're selling wine into Qingdao, you're going to put off your travel,' Dr Harcourt said. The local seafood industry has also ground to a halt after China shut down its live animal trade, after the disease apparently began in 'wet' Chinese markets in Wuhan. But Prof Harcourt said the main drivers of Australia's trade - commodities such as coal and iron ore - would continue to bubble along. 'Rocks and crops - minerals and agriculture - that will continue and they're our lion's share of trade,' he said. 'Those things are really strict in terms of customs and quarantine'. The 'lion's share' of Australian trade - minerals and agriculture - will continue. A coal ship at Newcastle port is seen above At the weekend, Treasurer Frydenberg compared to economic impact of the coronavirus to the damage SARS did to the economy in 2003. SARS, or Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome, spread around the world from animals in late 2002. Fears of infection led Chinese student numbers, tourist numbers to fall 11 per cent and a blip in trade. But, under questioning, Mr Frydenberg conceded Australia's economy is now far more entwined with China's than it was in was 17 years ago. Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases has already surpassed the number of SARS infections. SARS infected 8,100 people over an eight months. 12,000 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus since December. Merit-based grants are a government's best bet for providing effective student aid for long-term economic growth - increasing both welfare (measured in terms of long-term well-being outcomes) and efficiency, according to a new joint study from the University of British Columbia, Queen's, Princeton and Yale. The study focuses on current education policy in the United States, and finds that the current system of grants and loans has significant long-term value. Figures from 2012 show the U.S. federal government spends around $150 billion on grants and loans annually. Given such a sizeable investment, the researchers wanted to test the effectiveness of such spending and found the current amount of federal aid is extremely valuable. "We found that a $1000 increase in grants per year for every student, which corresponds to roughly a 50 per cent increase on average, would lead to a long-run gain in GDP of close to one per cent," said study co-author Giovanni Gallipoli, an associate professor at the Vancouver School of Economics at UBC. "This is a comparatively large return on investment." The study finds grants remain the most effective at improving the country's overall welfare, more so than loans or tax cuts. The study's economic modelling shows that one third of ability-tested grant recipients make an extra $2,300 per year in earnings over their entire careers, confirming the high return per dollar spent. The researchers say there will be additional benefits if grant programs are further expanded, especially those based on academic performance and merit. The researchers argue ability-tested grants work best because they prioritize those students who are likely to have the highest returns to college attendance and who are most likely to complete a college education, irrespective of family and social background. These students have their tuition funded, based on grades and test scores, deriving large gains from their degree in the labour market. The researchers do recognize that this method may have potential flaws because students from well-off families could still have an advantage to receive grants based on performance. These students would have greater access to different supports or resources, like tutors or mentors, to advance their cognitive skills that are simply not available to working class children with the same or similar abilities. For this reason, the researchers do see a significant benefit in keeping a portion of federal aid based on need intact. "This approach also benefits non-recipients, through overall economic growth," said Gallipoli. "One key finding of the study is that expanding post-secondary education for any given generation reduces the cost of human capital accumulation for future generations to come." Removing tuition grants completely would result in a drop in college attainment of more than three percentage points, and reduce output and welfare by two and three per cent respectively. "Without grants, the student body would possess lower skills, and the system would become much more reliant on parental wealth and transfers," said Gallipoli. Gallipoli also said the study's findings could have implications for education policy outside of the U.S., including here in Canada. "The U.S. system, through a mix of grants and subsidized loans, funds education for students from very poor backgrounds quite well, provided they do well academically," he said. "In Canada, similar funding doesn't really exist, nor is it as readily available or as expansive to such a group." ### The study, Education Policy and Intergenerational Transfers in Equilibrium, was published in December 2019 in The Journal of Political Economy. Gallipoli's co-authors include Brant Abbott at Queen's University, Giovanni Violante at Princeton University, and Costas Meghir at Yale University. A traffic police checks alcohol level in breath of a driver in Hanoi, January 2020, through a disposable mouthpiece. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh. The deadly new coronavirus crisis has prompted traffic police to cut the first step of testing drivers alcohol breath blowing into a funnel. With the novel coronavirus nCoV confirmed being transmitted from human to human through surfaces upon which respiratory droplets land, the traffic police department under the Ministry of Public Security has directed that the single-use mouthpieces are used to measure alcohol breath. It says each used mouthpiece is disposed of in accordance with the Ministry of Healths regulations. Before the new regulation, alcohol breath testing involved two steps. The drivers were made to blow into a funnel from a short distance to tell whether or not there was alcohol in their breath, and in the event the first test was positive, the next step was resorted to - holding a disposable mouthpiece to measure the level of alcohol. This meant that many drivers were being asked to blow into the same funnel at different times, said senior lieutenant-colonel Nguyen Quang Nhat, who heads an investigative branch of the general traffic department. "However, with the latest order, traffic police will skip the funnel step and go directly to having drivers use the disposable mouthpiece. The police will have to wear face masks during the testing process," he said. A traffic police office asks a driver on the Hanoi-Hai Phong Expressway in northern Vietnam to blow into a funnel to test if there is alcohol in his breath, January 25, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Tran Quang. In the central province of Nghe An, the nCoV epidemic has prompted authorities to provide an additional instruction to local traffic police officers apply the disposable mouthpiece test sparingly, stopping drivers for it only when "really needed." Vietnam has taken stronger action against drunk driving since the beginning of this year, doubling penalties for violations. Cyclists and electric bicycle riders found driving under the influence of alcohol face fines of VND400,000-600,000 ($17-26); motorcyclists and car drivers, VND6-8 million and VND30-40 million ($1,394-1,725); and everyone caught driving under the influence could have their driving licenses suspended for 22-24 months. Vietnam confirmed its eighth nCoV infection Monday morning after reporting the first cases on January 23. Of these, one woman has been cured and discharged from the hospital. The country declared the novel coronavirus an epidemic on Saturday. The nCoV death toll has reached 362 361 in China and one in the Philippines. More than 17,400 have been infected and 523 have recovered by Monday afternoon. Legendary fund manager Li Lu (who Charlie Munger backed) once said, 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital. It's only natural to consider a company's balance sheet when you examine how risky it is, since debt is often involved when a business collapses. Importantly, Eo2 Societe Anonyme (EPA:ALEO2) does carry debt. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky. When Is Debt Dangerous? Debt is a tool to help businesses grow, but if a business is incapable of paying off its lenders, then it exists at their mercy. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. However, a more common (but still painful) scenario is that it has to raise new equity capital at a low price, thus permanently diluting shareholders. Of course, the upside of debt is that it often represents cheap capital, especially when it replaces dilution in a company with the ability to reinvest at high rates of return. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together. View our latest analysis for Eo2 Societe Anonyme How Much Debt Does Eo2 Societe Anonyme Carry? You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that as of August 2019 Eo2 Societe Anonyme had 9.00m of debt, an increase on 2.19m, over one year. But it also has 11.9m in cash to offset that, meaning it has 2.94m net cash. ENXTPA:ALEO2 Historical Debt, February 3rd 2020 How Healthy Is Eo2 Societe Anonyme's Balance Sheet? We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Eo2 Societe Anonyme had liabilities of 6.92m falling due within a year, and liabilities of 12.3m due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of 11.9m as well as receivables valued at 4.38m due within 12 months. So its liabilities total 2.94m more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables. Eo2 Societe Anonyme has a market capitalization of 10.2m, so it could very likely raise cash to ameliorate its balance sheet, if the need arose. However, it is still worthwhile taking a close look at its ability to pay off debt. While it does have liabilities worth noting, Eo2 Societe Anonyme also has more cash than debt, so we're pretty confident it can manage its debt safely. Story continues Pleasingly, Eo2 Societe Anonyme is growing its EBIT faster than former Australian PM Bob Hawke downs a yard glass, boasting a 1359% gain in the last twelve months. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But you can't view debt in total isolation; since Eo2 Societe Anonyme will need earnings to service that debt. So when considering debt, it's definitely worth looking at the earnings trend. Click here for an interactive snapshot. Finally, a business needs free cash flow to pay off debt; accounting profits just don't cut it. Eo2 Societe Anonyme may have net cash on the balance sheet, but it is still interesting to look at how well the business converts its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, because that will influence both its need for, and its capacity to manage debt. Over the last three years, Eo2 Societe Anonyme actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT. That sort of strong cash conversion gets us as excited as the crowd when the beat drops at a Daft Punk concert. Summing up Although Eo2 Societe Anonyme's balance sheet isn't particularly strong, due to the total liabilities, it is clearly positive to see that it has net cash of 2.94m. The cherry on top was that in converted 214% of that EBIT to free cash flow, bringing in 2.4m. So we don't think Eo2 Societe Anonyme's use of debt is risky. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Eo2 Societe Anonyme that you should be aware of. Of course, if you're the type of investor who prefers buying stocks without the burden of debt, then don't hesitate to discover our exclusive list of net cash growth stocks, today. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. The tourism sector of Vietnam is actively taking measures to contribute to curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and limiting the impact of the virus, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has affirmed. Passengers at Noi Bai international airport VNAT Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh on February 2 sent a letter to international business partners andfriends to inform them on the measures to curb the epidemic taken by the Government and allsectors of Vietnam, including the tourism sector. He said immediately afterChina announced the outbreak of the 2019-nCoV outbreak and the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern,the Vietnamese Government, the health and tourism sectors as well as allrelated State agencies have actively took part in responding to the emergencysituation and promptly applied a series of measures to minimize the risks. Vietnam has set up anational steering committee for nCoV epidemic prevention and control along with45 rapid response teams. All border gates have been put under strictmonitoring, and all suspected cases are being isolated and treated in hospitals. The VNAT has issued alertson the epidemic and guidance on preventive measures to the tourism sectornationwide in order to ensure safety for all visitors. The administration alsoset up a special page on its website at http://vietnamtourism.gov.vn to provide update information on the epidemic. The VNAT chairman said withextensive experience in dealing with such epidemics as SARS, MERS in the past,Vietnam has a good health monitoring system to control the nCoV epidemic. Henoted that two Chinese citizens infected with the virus had been cured inVietnam and the situation is well controlled. The VNAT believes theepidemic will soon be contained and tourism and community activities will returnto normal, Khanh said in the letter./. VNA Caltex with Techron, the record-setting fuel, closes 2019 with a series of milestones that make it stronger than ever. In their statement, Caltex enters 2020 more determined to provide world class quality products that will meet motorists fuel needs. By opening 30 new service stations in 2019, Caltex will be able to reach more customers nationwide. Other notable Caltex highlights for 2019 were setting a new world-record, naming a new brand ambassador, and inking new partnerships. Caltex was able to open two service stations before entering 2020 with new sites along Osmena Highway, San Andres, Manila; and along Dinalupihan Road, Porac, Pampanga. The growing number of their retail sites is a testament of Caltexs determination to reach out to every community in the country by providing fuels that power every drive to a joyful ride. Caltex aims to open more stations this year to provide quality and reasonably priced fuels and help millions of Filipino motorists set personal records on their journeys. Aside from the continued growth of its retail network, 2019 saw Caltex forge strategic team-ups with leading companies such as LICA Auto Group, AC Motors, and Lalamove to bring clean, safe and quality fuels to more customers. The team-ups allow the customers, employees, and contractors of these partners to earn big fuel savings through their Caltex SavePlus card. Caltex has always proven how their fuels take every ride to the next level. Last July 2019, the same Caltex with Techron that Filipino motorists use in their everyday journey is the same fuel that recently powered a 28-year old car to set an official Guinness Book world-record of fastest 1,000 meter ascent up Thailands Doi Chang Mountain, in under 7 minutes. In the same month, Caltex also announced the newest Caltex brand ambassador, Dingdong Dantes, who embodies Caltexs tagline and philosophy of Enjoy the Journey. The multi-awarded actor represents the brands personality of being positive, friendly, genuine and encourages people to enjoy the journey of whatever they are doing and wherever they are going. Story continues Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), marketer of Caltex, was also able to comply with the governments initiative to deter oil smuggling in the country. CPI is the first of the Big Three to join the fuel marking program. I am very glad that we are able to pull off 2019 with success. Our achievements are the product of what our hard-working employees have delivered. These accomplishments fuel us to strive more and provide our customers the vehicle support they need. We open 2020 with more desire to make ones journey a wonderful ride. CPI Country Chairman, Louie Zhang said. In 2019, Caltex became the only fuel brand to extend rewards offering to utilities, telecoms, and tollroads, in addition to food and groceries, for loyal motorists by partnering with the MVP Group for the Caltex-MVP Rewards Loyalty Program. The partnership offers motorists rewards in the form of cash rebates each time they fuel up in a Caltex station. This is in addition to the rewards customers receive each time they pay their PLDT, Smart, Sun, and TnT bills. Cardholders can also enjoy various deals and privileges from partner establishments when they show their Caltex-MVP Rewards Card, a prepaid VISA card powered by PayMaya. Aside from service stations, the Caltex Havoline autoPro Workshop Programs expansion shows no signs of stopping. Since the opening of its first site in Davao City last May 2019, it has established its presence in other parts of the country and more shops will open in 2020. Caltex Havoline autoPro Workshop is tailored for quick-lube and automotive service business owners who want to partner with a global brand to gain credibility as a preferred operator. Also read: The post Caltex Posts Strong Feats in 2019 appeared first on Carmudi Philippines. [February 03, 2020] ManifestSeven Acquires The People's Kush, Further Expanding Retail Reach ManifestSeven ("M7" or the "Company"), California's first integrated omnichannel platform for legal cannabis, today announced the acquisition of The People's Kush, a legal cannabis delivery service based in Davis, California. The People's Kush will be integrated into M7's retail arm Weden, which has storefront and delivery operations across the state, and will help drive operational expansion into areas ranging from Napa Valley in the southwest to the Greater Sacramento area in the northeast. "M7 sees tremendous growth potential in The People's Kush, especially when it comes to serving surrounding population centers and tourism destinations," said Pierre Rouleau, Chief Operating Officer of ManifestSeven. "We are committed to reaching every corner of the state, and this highly-scalable operation connects our retail footprint with a concentrated local population and tourism base." The People's Kush has been in operation since 2017, building a loyal customer base by serving the communities of Davis, Woodland and areas of Yolo County, but has not yet established a presence in larger nearby markets, which will provide signficant growth opportunities for its operations. "We are excited to be a joining a market leader in M7, allowing user to reach a broader, underserviced part of Northern California with greater efficiency," said Ishar Dhaliwal, Founder of The People's Kush. "Integrating into this powerful omnichannel platform will also create a more seamless environment for our customers in accessing the highest quality legal cannabis products. We are grateful to our community for its ongoing support and look forward to continued growth with M7." Forward Looking Statements: This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements regarding our business that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Although we believe the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements are not guarantees of future results, performance, levels of activity or achievements, and actual results may differ materially from what is expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement. We caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking. ABOUT MANIFESTSEVEN: ManifestSeven ("M7" and formerly known as MJIC) is the first integrated omnichannel platform for legal cannabis, merging compliant distribution with a retail superhighway. M7, based in Commerce, California, services the needs of lawful operators across the supply chain, from the cultivator to the consumer, through an expansive network of seven facilities stretching from the San Francisco Bay Area to San Diego. M7 further augments its business-to-business value proposition with a growing portfolio of owned and operated retail operations located in major metro markets, including brick-and-mortar dispensaries, local on-demand delivery services, e-commerce and subscription offerings. As further described in M7's April 10, 2019 press release, M7 has entered into a merger agreement with, among others, P&P Ventures Inc. ("P&P"), pursuant to which M7 will complete a reverse-takeover of P&P (the "Proposed Transaction"). Pursuant to the Proposed Transaction, the shares of ManifestSeven Holdings Corp., the resulting issuer of the Proposed Transaction, are expected to be listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange. Closing of the Proposed Transaction is subject to a number of conditions precedent, including regulatory approval. To learn more, please visit manifest7.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005088/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] By Will Ziebell Feb 2 (Reuters) - New Zealand announced on Sunday it would bar entry into the country from all foreign nationals arriving from mainland China due too the increasing threat from the coronavirus epidemic. The ban is in effect from Monday and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade also raised its travel advice to New Zealanders for all of mainland China to Do not travel, the highest level. "We have been advised by health officials that while there are still a range of unknowns in the way the virus is being transmitted, we should take a precautionary approach, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement. New Zealand citizens and permanent residents returning to New Zealand can still enter the country, as can their immediate family members, but will be required to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival back in the country. The ban will be in effect for up to 14 days, reviewed every 48 hours and includes all foreign travellers who leave or transit through mainland China after February 2. (Reporting by Will Ziebell in Melbourne; Editing by Lincoln Feast.) Two unidentified persons opened fire outside Gate No 5 of Jamia Millia Islamia on Sunday night, the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) said New Delhi: Two unidentified persons opened fire outside Gate No 5 of Jamia Millia Islamia on Sunday night, the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) said. A statement issued by the committee, a group comprising students and alumni of the university formed to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, said the attackers were on a red scooty. No one was injured in the attack. One of the miscreants was wearing a red jacket, the statement said. "Firing has taken place at Gate No.5 of Jamia Millia Islamia right now by two unidentified persons. As per report, one of them was wearing a red jacket and driving a red scooty having vehicle no. 1532 or 1534," the statement said. Police said they were verifying the JCC's claims. Asim Mohammed Khan, former Congress MLA from Okhla, said the incident occurred around 11.30 pm. "We heard the gunshot. That is when we stepped out to see and the two men left on a scooty," a student said. "We have taken down the vehicle number and called police," he added. #WATCH Delhi: People gather in protest outside Jamia Millia Islamia University following an incident of firing at gate no.5 of the university. 2 scooty-borne unidentified people had fired bullets at the spot. SHO (Station house officer) is present at the spot. Investigation is on pic.twitter.com/EKlxQPBVum ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2020 This is the third firing incident in the Jamia Nagar area in a week. On Thursday, a minor fired at anti-CAA protesters marching towards the Rajghat, injuring a student. Two days later, a 25-year-old fired two rounds in air in Shaheen Bagh in Jamia Nagar. No one was hurt in the incident. The incident on Sunday night triggered panic in the area. A police vehicle had reached the spot after the incident but was chased away by angry students. Hundreds of students and locals gathered outside the university. Many raised slogans against the Delhi Police. They also staged a dharna outside the Jamia Nagar police station. Shezad Ahmed, a Jamia Millia Islamia student and resident of Zakir Nagar, said they were not even allowed to protest peacefully. "We are not going to be deterred by such incidents. We will continue with our protest," he added. To refresh our memories, it was in 1986 when the No. 4 nuclear reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded and was burning as the solid fuel rods of Uranium melted down. The smoke and steam from the fire and firefighting spread across Northern Europe and the Russian steppes. The number of deaths attributed to this disaster could be as high as 100,000 but accepted estimates are closer to 27,000. It was the failure of the Soviet system in dealing with a coordinated response that shook the faith of the people. They began to question whether the Soviet government had abandoned the interests of the people in favor of propaganda. The conclusion was that it certainly was not the health and welfare of the people which was first and foremost in Soviet governmental policy. Gorbachev himself wrote in 2006: The nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl was perhaps the true cause of the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is clear that Gorbachev could not bring himself to admit that it was Ronald Reagans foreign policy which was the underlying cause. Regardless of the causes of the collapse, it seems history is about to repeat itself. The outbreak in Peoples Republic of China (PRC) has led to a declaration of a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). In the 2019 WHO report of the ten most likely threats to global health, an influenza pandemic was in the top three. In light if recent events, it seems that it should have been listed as the number one threat. Just as with the Chernobyl cover-up, there are indications that the outbreak of the corona virus is much more severe than has been admitted by the communist government. There are reports that the PRC is digging mass graves and burning bodies to deal with the death toll. If true, then the actual death toll is well above the 170 officially stated by President Xi Jinpings government. Unlike the trade war or the Hong Kong protest, Xi cannot blame this outbreak on foreign powers. This was also the case with the Chernobyl meltdown The questions about the official statements concerning the epicenter of the outbreak being a wild game market are being raised. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) issued this statement: "I would note that Wuhan has China's only biosafety level-four super laboratory that works with the world's most deadly pathogens to include, yes, coronavirus," Some scientists now speculate that the government of the PRC was using this lab to devise a biowarfare pathogen. The process would include developing a vaccine, then testing the vaccine. The test subjects would likely be human. China, with the assistance of other communist countries, has a history of experimentation on human subjects, e.g. Korean War POWs. The possible scenario for the current outbreak is that the test vaccine was ineffective and the human test subjects were not effectively quarantined. There is an historical parallel concerning the Spanish Flu outbreak. It has been alleged that the Spanish Flu of 1918 was the result of contaminated Yellow Fever vaccines. If a bioweapon development proves to be the cause, then it is likely that this pathogen will not be contained effectively, at least not in China. The measures that the PRC has taken so far seem too little too late. Leaked video of doctors having meltdowns as the hospitals are overwhelmed seem to confirm that the situation is out of control. As with the Spanish flu one hundred years ago, this pathogen will likely decimate the People.s Liberation Army, since they are quartered in barracks which are not very modern. The tight quarters and common eating areas (it would be too kind to call them mess halls) are an ideal environment for spreading the virus. Looking back at the 1918 Spanish Flu, the army on both sides of the trenches were devastated by the flu. In the U.S. Army alone, 46,992 soldiers died of the flu. This was roughly 6,000 fewer than the 53,000-plus soldiers who were killed in combat or died of their wounds. A severely weakened Chinese Army will provide an opportunity for both Hong Kong and Taiwan to sign a joint sovereignty declaration or some other instrument pledging mutual assistance and cooperation. The recent election in Taiwan suggests there is no appetite to align with mainland China in any way. And the protests in Hong Kong evidently suggest the same sentiment. There may be other provinces that harbor simmering resentment toward the current status quo. This is hard to gauge since there is overwhelming censorship (thanks to Google et al.) in mainland China. The scenario above is far from certain, but neither is it impossible. The question then must be asked, how will the PRC cope with this crisis? And we must also ask, how will America respond to a fracturing China? The Congress on Monday raised slogans against Union minister Anurag Thakur in Lok Sabha over his controversial remarks during a recent election rally in the national capital. While Opposition members, mainly from the Congress, were protesting against the amended citizenship law, they raised their pitch whenever Thakur started replying to questions. Thakur, who is the Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, had made some controversial remarks during a recent poll rally in the national capital. Belligerent Congress members, who were in the Well, shouted slogans against the minister and asked 'Aapka goli kaha hai? (where is your bullet?)', an apparent reference to the minister's controversial remarks. Some members also shouted 'Goli maarna band karo (Stop shooting)'. Whenever Thakur was responding to supplementaries during the Question Hour, the members began sloganeering against him. During the election rally, Thakur had egged on the crowd to raise an incendiary slogan, "shoot the traitors", after he lashed out at anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) protestors. The Election Commission had also banned him for three days from campaigning for the Delhi elections in the wake of his controversial remarks. The Lower House also witnessed incessant protests against the amended citizenship law, and proposed NRC (National Register of Citizens) and NPR (National Population Register). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Almost 40 per cent of Queenslands highest-priority regional land is being targeted for resource sector activities, despite laws introduced in 2014 to address the power balance between farmers and project proponents. Analysis conducted by community action group Lock the Gate has revealed 37 per cent of the land flagged under the Regional Planning Interests Act is covered by mining or gas titles a total of 7.7 million hectares. Grazier Angus Emmott on his property, Noonbah, outside of Longreach. Credit:Jacky Ghossein The areas - split into priority agricultural, living, along with strategic cropping and environmental categories - cover 11 per cent of the state and require approval by the Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning for any production or exploration by the resource sector. Of the 10 million hectares of strategic cropping land, 4.9 million is covered by mining and petroleum production and exploration titles, the analysis shows, along with about 1.7 million hectares of the 4.3 million marked as priority agriculture. The Texas Attorney Generals Office quashed the uprising in Galveston with just a warning shot, a terse but distinctly threatening letter. The Office of the Attorney General demands that the City repeal these regulations and any like them immediately, Assistant Attorney General Cleve Doty wrote. Rather than file litigation now, we are confident that the City of Galveston intends to comply with Texas law and will rescind regulations that are in violation of Texas law. The message was a reminder that state law prohibits municipalities from adopt[ing] regulations relating to: the transfer, possession, wearing, carrying, ownership, storage, transportation, licensing, or registration of firearms. And how exactly had the city so brazenly defied the state? It had passed ordinances prohibiting gun stores from operating within 200 feet of schools, public parks or places of worship, and also set noise limits for outdoor shooting ranges. The state was having none of it, and Dotys confidence in Galvestons rapid repentance was not misplaced. The City Council quickly repealed the local mandates in an unconditional surrender. Nobody wants to be sued, especially if we can conform, Donna Fairweather, an assistant city attorney, said. Gun stores in Galveston will now be treated the same as any other commercial retail operation. Shooting ranges will not be required to limit noise and will be allowed in nearly any commercial zoning district. The outcome of this brief skirmish was inevitable to anyone with even a passing knowledge of the states fealty to protecting guns rights, especially under the vigilant eye of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. One interpretation could be that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the conservative approach to government had won the day in this truncated battle of Galveston. But another point of view would suggest that a debate over reasonable limits to gun ownership had been silenced by the states legal bullying in violation of an equally valid conservative approach that political decisions should be made at a local level whenever possible and that issues should be managed by the smallest, lowest or least-centralized competent authority. In this case, the City Council is better positioned to decide what are essentially zoning issues than lawmakers and state authorities in Austin. Council members can also be more readily held accountable through direct contact by citizens, political challenges and elections. We understand that when it comes to protecting individuals fundamental rights, including voting rights, there is sometimes room for a strong-arm approach from state or federal authorities. But any fair reading of the Second Amendment, as well as its most supportive legal precedents, makes clear that the right to bear arms is subject to reasonable exceptions. Galvestons rules were certainly that. Its hard to see how these ordinances, which many would see as plain common sense, do much to restrict gun ownership in Galveston or any other part of Texas. It is just another case of the state forcing its will on local governments because it can. Galveston City Council member Jackie Cole picked up on some of the hypocrisy of Texas politicians railing against rules and regulations from the federal government. It seems as though the people in the state dont like Washington telling them what to do, that local control is good, but its only good at the state level, Cole said. For them to be able to tell us from Austin that in Galveston the citizens cant decide where they want to have a gun range or that they dont want a gun range next door to their schools is amazingly outrageous. Too often, cities and other municipalities lack the resources to fight the state in court even if there were a chance of prevailing. That means leaders must come to heel even if its not the best thing for the people they represent. Training the big legal guns on local political decisions is not good governance, it's asymmetrical warfare. On a night dedicated to high glamour Jenna Coleman ensured she was not overshadowed as she attended the British Vogue x Tiffany & Co's BAFTA party on Sunday evening. The Victoria actress, 33, looked typically stylish in a sweeping two-tone dress as she made her way into exclusive London venue Annabels. With ruffled detailing and an asymmetric hemline, the distinctive gown caught the eye while Jenna mingled with guests at the star-studded event. Looking good: Jenna Coleman ensured she was not overshadowed as she attended the British Vogue x Tiffany & Co's BAFTA party on Sunday evening The actress added to her look with a pair of strappy black heels, while distinctive gold hoop earrings were her only notable accessories. Jenna drew further attention to her naturally pretty features by opting for deft touches of make-up selected from a dusky colour palette. Styling her hair with a simple side parting, Jenna was an engaging sight as she posed for photos inside the exclusive venue. Making an exit later as the party wound down, the British star draped a stylish grey coat over her shoulders while making her way onto the street with American actress Dianna Agron. Quite a sight: The Victoria actress, 33, looked typically stylish in a sweeping two-tone dress as she made her way into exclusive London venue Annabels Make way: Jenna covered her dress with a tasteful grey coat as she left the event later that night In good company: The British star was joined by American actress Dianna Agron Earlier that night Sam Mendes' 1917 led the winners at the Royal Albert Hall. The World War I masterpiece took home seven gongs, which included the Best Film, Director, Outstanding British Film, Special Visual Effects, Cinematography, Production Design and Sound at the star-studded ceremony. While Renee Zellweger, 50, won the Leading Actress gong for her role as Judy Garland in the namesake biopic Judy with Joaquin Phoenix, 45, taking home the Leading Actor award for his role as Joker. Finishing touches: The actress added to her look with a pair of strappy black heels, while distinctive gold hoop earrings were her only notable accessories Despite receiving 11 nominations, Joker only took home three awards - Casting, Original Score and Joaquin's Leading Actor gong. Other A-lister wins included Laura Dern, 52, who won the Supporting Actress gong for her role as cutthroat lawyer Nora Fanshaw in Marriage Story. An absent Brad Pitt won the Supporting Actor gong for his role as Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which was collected by his co-star Margot Robbie who lost out on her own Supporting Actress nomination for her Sharon Tate role in the Quentin Tarantino movie. China is grappling with an outbreak of infections from a new coronavirus that began in December. Caixin Global will continue covering this story as it develops. Please check back regularly for updates. Saturday, Feb. 15, 9:00 p.m. Today, Europe recorded its first coronavirus-related death and Africa its first case. A Chinese tourist died in a Paris hospital, while a visitor in Egypt was diagnosed with the disease. The U.S. confirmed reports it would evacuate American citizens and their families by chartered aircraft from the Diamond Prince cruise ship, which has been quarantined off of Yokohama, Japan. The ship is the largest infection cluster outside China, with 67 additional cases reported there on Saturday, according to Bloomberg. There are thought to be around 380 Americans on board. Medical worker becomes Thailands 34th coronavirus case Thailand recorded a new case of coronavirus in a 35-year-old medical worker who caught it while treating a patient, the Bangkok Post reported. Authorities said the patient who passed the virus onto the medical worker was not known to have Covid-19 when the infection occurred. Twenty-four of the medical workers colleagues at the private hospital where she works reportedly tested negative for the virus and have no symptoms. The first case of a health worker being infected in Thailand brought the Southeast Asian countrys total to 34, the third-highest outside of China. The Thai economy relies heavily on Chinese holidaymakers. While the nation has stepped up checkpoint health screenings and is quarantining travelers with fever, it is one of the few in the region not to close its borders to visitors from the Chinese mainland. Read more Coronavirus Latest (Jan. 15 - Feb. 1): China Infections Reach 14,411, Apple Closes All Mainland Stores In other virus news China's central bank has been cleaning cash. People's Bank of China (PBOC) Deputy Governor Fan Yifei said Saturday (link in Chinese) that it was sanitizing bank notes as well as blocking their movement between cities in regions most affected by the outbreak in order to limit the transmission of the virus. New Zealand has extended its ban on visitors who have been in China over the past 14 days. New Zealand's immigration authorities said the ban had been extended for an additional eight days, but would be reviewed every 48 hours. The nation has temporarily shuttered its visa office in Beijing. Compiled by Flynn Murphy Saturday, Feb. 15, 7:20 p.m. France reports first coronavirus death A Hubei man has died of Covid-19 in France, in Europe's first death from the disease and the first outside Asia. French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said the 80-year-old tourist had arrived in the country on Jan. 16, and had been hospitalized in Paris since Jan. 25, according to the New York Times. The man died on Friday. It is the third reported death from the disease outside of China. Saturday, Feb. 15, 11:00 a.m. Egypt has reported its first case of coronavirus, the first in Africa, as the disease once concentrated around a seafood market in Wuhan spread to a fifth continent. South America and Antarctica are now the only two continents with no confirmed cases. In China, 2644 cases were added overnight, according to the nations top health body. Most of the new cases were in Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak, and 849 of the new cases were severe. They brought Chinas official diagnosis count to 66,576. The death toll climbed by 143 to 1,524. Elsewhere, researchers cautioned against vaccine hype, Vietnam became the latest country to turn away a cruise ship, and a struggling car plant in Serbia showed how the contagion was spreading to global supply chains. The U.S. State Department will evacuate Americans and their families from the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship, which has been quarantined in Yokohama, the Wall Street Journal reported citing an official at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A Fiat Chrysler assembly plant in Serbia was poised to become the first European carmaker to halt operations as a result of the coronavirus's impact on supply chains, Bloomberg reports. The factory has been unable to source the Chinese parts needed to make the Fiat 500L. Despite an abundance of capital and resources flowing into the research and production of a vaccine for the new coronavirus, researchers have told Caixin of the limitations surrounding the science and cautioned against hyperbolic claims. We should not bet on seeing a vaccine up and running anytime soon, they said. Read the story. Wuhan authorities have further tightened the quarantine restrictions confining all residents to their neighborhoods unless they are seeking medical care, directly fighting the outbreak or running essential services, according to a notice (link in Chinese) from the local government. Concerns are mounting about the true state of the situation in North Korea, which has not reported any coronavirus cases, after the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies issued an urgent call (link in Chinese) for personal protective gear and testing kits to prepare for a possible outbreak there this week. Hong Kong Disneyland has agreed to lend vacant land to the region's government to build coronavirus quarantine facilities, the South China Morning Post reports. An AIDA Cruises Ltd. ship with more than 1,100 passengers canceled plans to visit Vietnam after a provincial government enforced a directive barring those on cruise liners that were in China recently from disembarking there, according to Bloomberg. As people have begun to head back to Beijing after an extended Lunar New Year break, city authorities have ordered all returnees to remain at home in self-isolation for 14 days. Those who fail to do so could be punished, a notice from the municipalitys coronavirus crisis group said (link in Chinese). Compiled by Flynn Murphy * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Friday, Feb. 14, 9:00 p.m. Today there was some much-needed transparency as China released figures on the number of frontline health care workers who have been infected while fighting the new coronavirus Covid-19. The bad news is the numbers are bleak. The outbreak is continuing to wreak havoc on Chinas economy too, with small and midsized businesses, the backbone of the nations private sector, emerging as some of the hardest hit. In other virus related news From Jan. 24 to Jan. 30, the Chinese box office took in less than 20 million yuan ($2.9 million). It had expected to earn 6.9 billion. Chinas services sector has taken a battering from the coronavirus. Now its pulling out all stops to survive. Singapores total number of coronavirus cases grew to 67, after nine new cases were confirmed today. Six of those were linked to the Grace Assembly of God church, which has suspended services for two weeks after it emerged as a major cluster of coronavirus infections in the city state, according to The Straits Times. An intensive care doctor dispatched to Wuhan as part of a medical relief team has told Caixin of scenes of devastation at a hospital on the brink of collapse. Major cruise lines are dodging Asia entirely for the remainder of the season, putting the brakes on one of the regions fastest-growing tourism sectors, as more ports in the region shut their doors to cruise ships amid fears over the spread of the coronavirus. The Beijing-based American Chamber of Commerce in China said in a WeChat post that its member companies had donated at least 360 million yuan ($51.5 million) in cash and materials to the coronavirus relief effort in Wuhan. Compiled by Flynn Murphy Friday, Feb. 14, 4:30 p.m. 1,700 medical workers infected with Covid-19 More than 1,700 medical workers on the frontlines of Chinas battle against Covid-19 have fallen ill from the disease, with almost 90% of those in the epicenter of Hubei. Six have died. The figures were disclosed by Chinese National Health Commission deputy head Zeng Yixin at a press conference in Beijing on Friday. Its the first time China has released an official count of the number of infections among medical workers. Among the dead are Li Wenliang, the hero doctor who sounded an early alarm about the human spread of the new virus before the information was made public, and was punished by authorities for doing so. Aside from demonstrating the impact of the disease on frontline staff, such information is considered important by infectious disease researchers because it provides insights into a diseases transmissibility and spread. Compiled by Flynn Murphy Friday, Feb. 14, 11:00 am Chinas total recorded Covid-19 cases increased by 5,093 overnight, and an additional 121 deaths were recorded, according to the latest figures from Chinas top health body. That brought the total to 63,932 confirmed cases, 10,204 of which were severe. There had been 1,381 deaths overall in China, and a total of 6,728 cases were recorded as cured. In addition, 1,043 previously confirmed cases were removed from the count, with no reason given. 116 of the new deaths were in Hubei, the province at the center of the outbreak, where authorities said 108 double-counted deaths had also been removed from official statistics. Hubei health authorities added 4,823 new cases on Thursday, with 3,095 diagnosed by clinical methods, or chest X-rays, as opposed to standard lab tests. Caixin reported on Thursday that the inclusion of X-ray-diagnosed viral pneumonia cases in Hubeis count intended to catch more cases of the disease for early treatment caused a massive spike in Chinas figures yesterday and rattled markets. But experts generally see it as a positive move. In other virus related news A Feb. 10 report from the official Xinhua news agency shows Beijings Ditan Hospital was treating coronavirus patients as early as Jan. 12, more than a week before the city's first cases were publicly announced at another hospital in the Daxing district, and Chinese epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan confirmed the disease was being transmitted from person-to-person. This year's Chinese Grand Prix has been postponed due to coronavirus fears. The FIA and Formula One said in a joint statement they had decided to postpone the race, which was to take place on April 19 in Shanghai, after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency. Research teams from Guangdong and Zhejiang have isolated the live virus in stool samples of patients diagnosed with the disease as part of ongoing work to explain how it is transmitted. The presence of live viruses in the stool raises prospects it may be spread via the oral-fecal route, such as in water contaminated by sewage. In a study by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the experimental Gilead Sciences drug remdesivir successfully prevented monkeys infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) from falling ill, raising hopes it will benefit patients suffering from the related disease Covid-19. Early human trials of the drug in China are ongoing. More than a third of Australian companies in China are reviewing their strategies as a direct result of the coronavirus outbreak, according to a poll of 100 member companies of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai released Friday. Almost all respondents said the coronavirus would negatively impact their business, with more than half predicting first quarter revenue would drop more than 20%. The Chambers CEO and Executive Director Jack Brady said, unfortunately the outbreak is not only having profound health impacts, but also impacts to local and foreign business in China. Australian organizations here are far from exempt from that. If your relationship is strong, every day is a good day. That's the Valentine's Day message coming from the Xuecheng District Civil Affairs Bureau in Zaozhuang, Shandong province, which has asked marriage-minded couples to postpone registering their unions in order to curb the virus spread. The virus is ruthless, but there is love in the world, the bureau said in a public notice. Compiled by Flynn Murphy Friday, Feb. 14, 4 a.m. U.S. health officials confirmed the countrys 15th case of coronavirus in a person who was evacuated from China on a government flight. The patient is among a group of people under quarantine at a military base in Texas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. It was the first time a person among the quarantined group developed symptoms and tested positive for the virus, the CDC said. Vietnam locked down a village with more than 10,000 residents for coronavirus control. The village, Son Loi in northern Vietnam, is about 40 kilometers northwest of Hanoi. Son Loi will be sealed off for 20 days after a recent confirmed infection case suggested that human-to-human transmission is taking place in the area, according to local officials. More than 90 other people at Son Loi were under close monitoring as of Wednesday. It was the first country outside China to lock down a village to contain the virus. Vietnam confirmed 16 cases as of Wednesday. In China, there is still no agreed estimate of how many people could have been infected by the virus in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. A preprint research paper posted at medical research archive medRxiv suggested that the number of infection as of Feb. 9 could have totaled 54,000 to 90,000 in the city of 11 million. Outside Wuhan, about 21,00 people have been infected by the virus in the rest of Hubei province, according to the paper. The paper was written by Zhou Yongdao, a statistics professor at Nankai University, and Jianghu Dong, an assistant professor at the Department of Biostatistics & Division of Nephrology of the University of Nebraska. The papers estimate of the number of infected patients in Wuhan was based on the overall infection rate calculated with a sampling survey of infections in Wenzhou city, which has a better data collection system, and different samples of Wuhan tourists to Singapore. Based on the estimates, the paper said additional medical capacity is still needed to care for the rising number of patients. In other coronavirus-related news Oil demand this year will record the slowest rate of growth since 2011, reflecting the impact of the coronavirus epidemic, the International Energy Agency said. The organization cut its 2020 growth forecast to 825,000 barrels a day from the previous forecast of 1.2 million as the outbreak weighs on Chinese consumption and the global economy. There havent been dramatic increases in coronavirus cases outside China, the World Health Organization said Thursday. The comment came as global markets were shaken after China reported a surge of confirmed cases. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO health emergencies program, said the increase reported Thursday reflected older cases and doesnt represent a sudden surge in new infections. Airbnb Inc. has extended a suspension on all Beijing business by two months. The U.S. home-sharing giant is now suspending check-ins at all of its listings in the Chinese capital until April 30, instead of the end of February. Customers who had reservations in Beijing during the period will be refunded, said Airbnb. Compiled by Han Wei * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Thursday, Feb.13, 8 p.m. Japan reports first death Japans top health authority reported the countrys first death from the coronavirus on Thursday, according to (link in Japanese) Japanese broadcaster NHK. The authority confirmed an additional 44 infections aboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship. The myth of data Hubei province, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, reported nearly 15,000 new confirmed cases within a single day, bringing its total to more than 48,000 as of Wednesday. The surge comes about one week after the National Health Commission required (link in Chinese) Hubei to put suspected cases whose CT scans show symptoms in a new category clinically diagnosed cases and then confirm whether they test positive for the virus as soon as possible and treat them in a timely manner. This category applies only to the central province. Caixin has previously reported that some nucleic acid tests have yielded false negatives, potentially resulting in data underrepresenting the real number of infections. Hubeis provincial health body said (link in Chinese) that it has included all clinically diagnosed cases which totaled over 13,000 as of Wednesday in the confirmed case category of its data releases, putting its classification categories in line with other regions in China. It is widely believed that many, if not most, of the clinically diagnosed cases are coronavirus infections. Among the 1,310 total deaths from the virus in Hubei as of Wednesday, over 10% had been classified as clinically diagnosed cases, according to official data (link in Chinese). A commentary (link in Chinese) by a Caixin editor calls official death toll counts to include those who should have been counted as infections but were put into other categories. Provincial and city heads removed China has removed Hubeis and Wuhans Communist Party chiefs from office, and dispatched two senior officials from Shanghai and the eastern province of Shandong to take over their positions. The moves come days after two senior Hubei health officials were discharged from their posts. When they have no idea what consequences they will face for flawed epidemic control, local officials may struggle to come up with the best solutions, the Caixin editor said (link in Chinese), suggesting that the replacement officials may bring more transparency and efficiency to efforts to contain the virus. The day in numbers Total confirmed cases globally exceeded 60,000 as of Thursday afternoon. Confirmed cases in China, including clinically diagnosed cases in Hubei, climbed to 59,901. The official death toll remained unchanged at 1,368. Confirmed cases in 24 other countries rose to 501, including two deaths. In other coronavirus-related news Singapore confirmed eight new cases, bringing its total to 58. Vietnam reported (link in Vietnamese) one additional infection, bringing its total to 16. The U.K. confirmed its ninth case of infection on Wednesday. Australia has extended its travel ban due to expire on Saturday for people who have traveled through China by another week, the Guardian reported, citing Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Compiled by Lin Jinbing Thursday, Feb. 13, 11:20 a.m. Jiang Chaoliang, party chief of Hubei province at the outbreak's epicenter, has been removed and replaced by Ying Yong, mayor and deputy party chief of Shanghai, state media said. The move followed a huge surge of total confirmed infections in China on Wednesday, most of those in Hubei. Thursday, Feb. 13, 9 a.m. The number of confirmed Covid-19 coronavirus cases in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, jumped by 13,436 on Wednesday as the nations health authority has implemented a new way to diagnose and confirm the virus, according to official data (link in Chinese). The rise is well above the citys daily increases of infections between 1,000 and 2,000 during the past week. On Wednesday, the local death toll from the virus surged 216 to 1,036. The new diagnosis criteria, released on Feb. 5, allows for the use of CT scans, in addition to nucleic acid tests, in the confirmation process in Hubei province. There had been criticism that earlier diagnostic criteria for the coronavirus were too stringent, and experts had called for the inclusion of CT scanning as a key basis for diagnosis. An additional 14,840 cases of infection were confirmed in Hubei, the province around Wuhan, on Wednesday, bringing the provincial total to 48,206, which is higher than the entire national figure for the previous day. The death toll in Hubei rose by 242 to 1,310. Compiled by Guo Yingzhe Thursday, Feb.13, 5 a.m. A bullet train cleaning staff member tested positive for the new coronavirus, now known as Covid-19, fueling fears that the virus might have been spread to passengers on more than a dozen trains. The worker, surnamed Tao, had a fever Feb. 8 while at work and was sent to a hospital. Tao later tested positive for the virus, the Xuzhou city health authority in Jiangsu province said Thursday at a briefing. Tao worked aboard 15 high-speed trains between Jan. 20 and Feb. 8 that traveled through cities including Beijing, Nanjing, Ningbo, Hangzhou and Yancheng, according to the Xuzhou health commission. The commission has started tracing people who potentially had contact with Tao. Train crews have been among the riskier groups exposed to the virus. Since the outbreak, several infection cases have been reported involving railway staff, including a cluster infection case in Tianjin in which 15 people were infected and more than 400 were quarantined. Amid fears of the spreading disease, a cruise ship that was turned away by several countries and regions finally found a port to land. The Westerdam luxury cruise liner is sailing to Sihanoukville, Cambodia, to disembark more than 2,200 passengers and crew. The Westerdam, operated by Holland America Line, began its cruise in Singapore last month. Its last stop was in Hong Kong Feb. 1. Since then, the ship was refused entry by Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Guam and Thailand and faced risks of low food supply. The operator of the ship said theres no reason to believe there are any coronavirus cases aboard. However, fears on the disease have heightened since Japan's health ministry confirmed at least 174 cases aboard another cruise ship that is quarantined in Yokohama, Japan. In other coronavirus-related news: Warm weather may not slow the outbreak of the new coronavirus as many expected, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although it is expected that the epidemic will ease as the weather warms up, its premature to assume that, said Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. The 2020 Chinese Grand Prix motor racing event, scheduled for April 17-19, joined a list of global events being canceled or postponed because of the epidemic. The organizer, Formula One, said it is considering potential alternative dates if the situation improves. MWC Barcelona, the wireless industrys top annual event, is facing great uncertainties after some of the biggest telecom companies withdrew amid concerns about the outbreak. The event is scheduled to run Feb. 24-27, drawing around 100,000 people. However, several major exhibitors including Deutsche Telekom AG, Vodafone Group Plc, Nokia Oyj, Ericsson AB and Sony Corp. pulled out. The organizer is deliberating on whether to cancel the event, Bloomberg reported. Compiled by Han Wei * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Wednesday, Feb. 12, 7 p.m. Singapores Ministry of Health said Wednesday it had confirmed three more cases of the new coronavirus, bringing the total number there up to 50. None of the three cases, all of whom are men aged between 34 and 62, have a recent history of travel to China, the ministry said. The news came as a major Singaporean bank, DBS, evacuated around 300 employees from its office at the citys Marina Bay Financial Center after a member of staff was confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus. Japan, the country outside China hit hardest by the coronavirus outbreak, will bar entry to travelers from East Chinas Zhejiang province from Thursday, according to the Kyodo news agency. The move extends an initial prohibition on travelers from Central Chinas Hubei province, whose capital Wuhan is the epicenter of the epidemic. As of Wednesday morning, Japan had reported 203 coronavirus cases, including 174 aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship currently moored at the port of Yokohama. Zhejiang, meanwhile, had confirmed 1,131 cases of the virus, also known as Covid-19, the fourth most of any Chinese province after Hubei, Guangdong and Henan. On Tuesday night, authorities in the southern city of Guangzhou evacuated a residential housing block and put its residents under medical observation after three households in the building were confirmed to have the coronavirus. The successive infections recalled the Amoy Gardens apartment complex in Hong Kong, where 321 people fell sick during the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic after that virus spread through the plumbing system. Meanwhile, reports from the stricken city of Wuhan continue to raise questions about the work and living conditions of medical workers. Two migrant hospital workers said they spent two nights on the streets earlier this week after showing signs of illness. Chen Cuilan, 48, was confirmed Sunday to have contracted the coronavirus. Her colleague, 52-year-old Zhang Lan, is suspected to have the disease but is awaiting confirmation. Both Chen and Zhang live and work on the campus of the Central Hospital of Wuhan. However, hospital bosses ordered them to leave the premises for public health reasons after they reported coronavirus-like symptoms, they told Caixin (link in Chinese). With nowhere else to go, they slept in the communal area of a nearby apartment block. Below is our roundup of some of todays other coronavirus-related developments. Finally, if you want to check whether a major international event is affected by the epidemic, theres a good chance itll be listed here. 1. Standard Chartered revised down (link in Chinese) its 2020 economic growth forecast for China to 5.8% from 6.1%, citing the black swan event of the epidemic. The British bank also tweaked its global growth prediction fractionally downward to 3.2% from 3.3%. 2. A number of home renters in the eastern city of Hangzhou told Caixin they have been prevented from living in their apartments after some residential compounds barred entry to residents who didnt own their homes. 3. An article published Monday in the government-backed China Society News triggered widespread concern that charitable donations aimed at supporting epidemic relief efforts in Wuhan ended up flowing into state coffers. The article claimed that the Wuhan Charity Federation had received more than 3 billion yuan ($430.5 million) in public donations toward epidemic control efforts, of which 2.7 billion yuan had already been transferred to the city finance bureau. On Tuesday, the Wuhan Charity Federation sought to clarify the situation. In a post on its WeChat account, the federation said that under local authorities guidance, all the unrestricted funds it receives needs to be transferred to a designated bank account overseen by the finance bureau. Some of the 2.7 billion yuan has been spent on creating isolation wards and supplying treatment facilities and medicines to hospitals, it added. Compiled by Matthew Walsh Wednesday, Feb. 12, 11:00 a.m. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in China had risen to 44,742 as of 10 a.m. Wednesday, while 24 other countries had reported a combined 441 infections. Another 97 people died (link in Chinese) from coronavirus infections in China on Tuesday, according to the National Health Commission (NHC), bringing the countrys death toll to 1,114. A total of 2,015 more cases were confirmed on the Chinese mainland yesterday, the NHC said. Authorities also noted a further 3,342 suspected cases, bringing that figure to 16,067. Some 746 people in China left hospital yesterday after recovering sufficiently from the illness, bringing the total number of recoveries to 4,742. Hubei, the province at the center of the epidemic, said (link in Chinese) it added 1,638 new cases on Tuesday, 1,104 of which were in the provincial capital of Wuhan where the virus is thought to have originated. The province also reported 94 new deaths, 72 of those in Wuhan. Hubei is by far the Chinese province hit hardest by the outbreak. Of the more than 44,000 cases confirmed so far in China, around 33,000 are in Hubei. The province has also witnessed 1,068 deaths from the virus, or 96% of the nations total. In other coronavirus-related news: Japans health ministry said (link in Japanese) that 39 more people on board the Diamond Princess cruise liner have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total number of infected people aboard the ship to 174. The United States on Tuesday permitted nonessential staff at its consulate in Hong Kong to leave the city if they wished to do so, according to the South China Morning Post. Hong Kong confirmed seven new coronavirus cases Tuesday, bringing its total to 49. Nearly 200 Americans who had been evacuated from Wuhan on a government-chartered flight were released from a two-week federal quarantine in California, CBS News reported. Compiled by Matthew Walsh Wednesday, Feb. 12 4:00 a.m. Shortages of oxygen (link in Chinese) and other medical gear are still major constraints at the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic, medical workers said. China has dispatched 12,000 medical workers from across the country to support Hubei. Hospitals in Wuhan, the provincial capital of Hubei where the disease first broke out, are in desperate need of oxygen cylinders for severe patients, according to doctors in the city. Patients with lung infections caused by the coronavirus often require additional oxygen. In large hospitals such as Wuhan Tongji Hospital, where a large number of severe patients are hospitalized, the daily shortage could amount 100 oxygen cylinders. In addition, many Wuhan hospitals also face a shortage of ventilators. The situation remains severe in Huanggang, one of Hubeis hardest-hit cities in the epidemic, its party boss said (link in Chinese) Tuesday. Huanggang, a city of 7.5 million, reported 2,332 confirmed infections, including 204 severe cases, as of late Monday. The death toll reached 52, the second-highest total after Wuhan. An additional 8,437 people are under observation. The city faces shortages of medical supplies including masks, goggles and protective suits. As of Sunday, Huanggang completed virus tests for cases previously recorded as suspicious and screened 13,000 people with fevers. Ten institutions in the city now have the capacity to test 900 samples a day. In other coronavirus-related news The World Health Organization Tuesday officially gave the new disease the name COVID-19. The name consists of CO for coronavirus, VI for virus and D for disease; 19 stands for the year 2019, the United Nations health organization said. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the name was carefully chosen to avoid stigma and inaccuracy. We had to find a name that did not refer to a geographical location, an animal or an individual or group of people, he said. Several institutions in China started animal tests (link in Chinese) of vaccines for the novel coronavirus. Caixin learned that the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai Tongji University and Siwei (Shanghai) Biotechnology Co. initiated animal tests Sunday of a jointly development vaccine. But animal testing is only an early step in the long journey of vaccine development, experts said. More than a dozen research institutions and biotech companies in China have also reportedly launched vaccine development. Blood transmission of the new coronavirus is possible, an expert said (link in Chinese). Although there is yet to be clear evidence that the virus can be passed through blood, people with potential contact with the virus should stop making blood donations for four weeks, according to a circular issued by the National Health Commission (NHC). The NHC confirmed that the virus can be transmitted by respiratory droplets and direct contact. A virus expert said that theoretically any virus that infects the bloodstream can be transmitted through blood. Compiled by Han Wei * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Tuesday, Feb. 11, 6 p.m. Two senior Hubei health officials have been discharged from their posts (link in Chinese) the Health Commission of Hubei Provinces Communist Party chief Zhang Jin, and its Director Liu Yingzi. Their positions have been filled by Wang Hesheng, a vice minister of the National Health Commission. Chinas coronavirus epidemic may peak in mid-to-late February, Zhong Nanshan, a leading respiratory expert noted for his role in the fight against SARS, said in Guangzhou on Tuesday. However, it is still hard to forecast a turning point, he said. As the economic and social shockwaves from the coronavirus outbreak continue to spread across China, the countrys small and midsize enterprises are particularly vulnerable. Several local branches of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission have instructed banks to loosen up standards (link in Chinese) for recognizing companies nonperforming loans. Additionally, some factories and offices resumed work Monday. The National Development and Reform Commission, the top economic planner, said (link in Chinese) Tuesday in a briefing that in regions where the epidemic is relatively mild, full resumption of work should be carried out as soon as possible with reasonable protections in place. Otherwise, the supply of medical supplies would be affected in the short term, and in the long run, all kinds of daily necessities might also face the risk of shortage, the agency said. In other coronavirus-related news Total confirmed cases around the world rose to 43,142 as of Tuesday afternoon, as those in China climbed to 42,744. The official death toll in the country remained unchanged at 1,017. A total of 24 other countries have confirmed a combined 398 infections. Hong Kongs government urgently evacuated people in a residential building unit after two infected patients were found to live in the same building but 10 floors apart. Thailand will not allow the Westerdam cruise ship to let passengers disembark at the Laem Chabang port, the Bangkok Post reported. The ship has been turned away from Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and the U.S. territory of Guam due to a suspected coronavirus infection onboard. British Airways has canceled all its flights to the Chinese mainland until the end of March, Reuters reported. Some of Chinas major internet companies, including Tencent, ByteDance, Baidu and Didi, have further pushed back the date for their employees to return to their offices to Feb. 17 or Feb. 24, though work has resumed remotely. The Baibuting neighborhood in Wuhan has again made headlines for its lack of information transparency. The neighborhood has not yet disclosed information of confirmed and suspected cases, leaving residents anxious, several told Caixin. Despite signs that the virus was already spreading in the broader Wuhan area, the local government lent its support to a massive Lunar New Year event in the neighborhood on Jan. 18 similar to a Western potluck, where about 40,000 families brought meals to share with one another. Compiled by Timmy Shen Tuesday, Feb. 11, 9:30 a.m. As of the end of Monday, China had reported 42,708 infections, this number includes 1,017 deaths and around 4,000 recoveries, official data show (link in Chinese). An additional 108 new deaths were confirmed on Monday, the largest daily death increase so far, continuing a general upward trend in daily fatalities that began since the first death (link in Chinese) from the coronavirus was reported in January. On Monday, a total of 2,484 new cases of infection were reported in China with 2,097 of them being reported in Hubei, the province at the center of the epidemic down from 3,073 new cases the day earlier. As of the end of Monday, the number of suspected cases on the Chinese mainland stood at 21,675, marking the second straight day of falling figures. Hong Kong had reported 42 cases, with one death, as of the end of Monday. Macao had reported 10 infections with one recovery. Taiwan had reported 18 cases and one recovery. Compiled by Timmy Shen Tuesday, Feb. 11, 3:30 a.m. Chinese President Xi Jinping (link in Chinese) made a public appearance Monday on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak, visiting a Beijing hospital treating infected patients and a local disease-control office, according to state-run media Xinhua. Beijing so far has 337 confirmed cases and two deaths. As some factories and offices across China resumed work Monday following an extended Lunar New Year holiday, Apple iPhone maker Foxconn (link in Chinese) is planning to keep its mainland factories stay shut for another week and to delay a complete reopening until the beginning of March, according to employees. Workers at a Foxconns Shenzhen factory, which makes tablets and cell phones, were originally scheduled to resume work Monday, but they received notice Sunday night that production would remain suspended, the employees told Caixin. Medical updates Amid growing fears that nucleic acid tests (NATs) used to identify the coronavirus are failing to catch large numbers of people with the disease, California-based diagnostics company Cepheid said Monday it is developing an automated molecular test, which is expected to deliver results in about 30 minutes. Once the product is finalized, Cepheid intends to use the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Emergency Use Authorization pathway for regulatory approval and make the test available globally. But the company didnt say when the new test would be available. International measures Kazakhstan is sending two more planes to evacuate citizens from China, CNN reported Monday, citing an official in the Embassy of Kazakhstan in London. The planes, operated by Air Astana, will depart from Kazakhstan for Beijing Monday and Wednesday. This is the second evacuation effort carried out by Kazakhstan, with the first taking place last Monday. Mongolia will suspend deliveries of coal across its southern border into China until March 2, Reuters reported Monday, citing the countrys National Emergency Commission. The commission also recommending that the country suspend its Lunar New Year celebrations later this month. Mongolia has not yet reported any cases of the coronavirus. Taiwan will ban most people traveling from Hong Kong and Macao starting Tuesday, Taiwans Mainland Affairs Council said Monday. Meanwhile, South Korea said Monday that it will temporarily suspend entry to any cruise ships after more than 130 people on a cruise ship stuck in Japan were confirmed with coronavirus. Business impact More than 300 Chinese companies including smartphone-maker Xiaomi and Chinas ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing are seeking bank loans totaling at least $8.2 billion to ease the impact of the coronavirus epidemic, Reuters reported, citing two banking sources. Xiaomi, the worlds fourth-biggest smartphone maker, is requesting $716.24 million in loans to produce and sell medical equipment including masks and thermometers, according to documents sent to banks, according to the report. Office-sharing startup WeWork temporarily closed 100 buildings in China because of the outbreak, WeWork Executive Chairman Marcelo Claure told CNBC Monday. Tech giants Amazon and Sony are the latest to pull out of the Mobile World Congress, one of the worlds biggest annual business meetings, citing the coronavirus outbreak. The withdrawals follow the exit of Ericsson and LG electronics, which said last week they also wouldnt attend the event. The organizers of the conference, scheduled for Feb. 24-27 in Barcelona, Spain, said Monday that the event will go ahead as planned and that they would ban access to all travelers from Hubei province. Compiled by Denise Jia * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Monday, Feb. 10, 6 p.m. Worldwide infections Confirmed cases in China rose to 40,261 on Monday afternoon. The official death toll remained unchanged at 909. Infections in 24 other countries climbed to 389, as Japan and the U.K. confirmed more cases. Cruise ships Diamond Princess: A total of 136 people on board the cruise ship have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, U.S.-based operator Princess Cruises Inc. told Caixin. Japans health ministry confirmed six additional cases Sunday, bringing the total confirmed cases onboard the Diamond Princess to 70. By Monday afternoon, this tally had jumped again by another 66. This brings Japans total number of cases to 162 individuals. According to the ministry, those with confirmed infections have been transported to medical facilities onshore, and screening for infections will continue. This contradicts previous remarks made by Princess Cruises that Japanese health officials were concluding their tests. Princess Cruises said in a statement that despite the new cases, the ships quarantine is still slated to end on Feb. 19. World Dream: The Hong Kong government announced Sunday that its health department had finished screening the crew of the World Dream cruise. All samples tested negative for 2019-nCoV, and all individuals onboard were permitted to disembark and passengers could proceed to immigration. Westerdam: Holland America Line, the U.S.-based operator of the Westerdam, said Monday that the ship, which has been turned away from Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and the U.S. territory of Guam due to a suspected coronavirus infection onboard, was granted permission to dock in Bangkok, Thailand. The company said that it had no reason to believe there were any cases of the new coronavirus onboard. For an explainer of all ships affected by 2019-nCoV, click here. Medical updates Despite the fanfare and record speed at which Wuhans two new makeshift hospitals were built, they appear to be operating far below capacity. Huoshenshan Hospital, which began admitting patients on Feb. 3 and touts accommodation for more than 1,000 patients, had only 286 beds in use and zero vacancies as of Saturday, according to data released Sunday by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission. Leishenshan Hospital, which touted at least 1,500 beds, opened Saturday with just 30, according to the data. New research based on data gathered from 1,099 2019-nCoV patients from 552 hospitals in 31 provincial-level regions in China found that the incubation period of the new coronavirus was as long as 24 days, though the median was three days. The median age of patients was 47 years and 58.1% were men, according the findings, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, posted Sunday on medical research archive medRxiv. Only 1.18% of patients had been in direct contact with wildlife, whereas 31.3% had been to Wuhan and 71.8% had been in contact with someone from Wuhan. The study was co-authored by at least three dozen researchers from Chinese hospitals and medical universities. The outbreak in Wuhan will peak in mid-to-late-February, according to another study by scientists affiliated with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The non-peer-reviewed findings were posted Friday on repository hosting service Github. The disinfection of the seafood market believed to be the origin of the deadly coronavirus outbreak means it will be virtually impossible to trace the source of the pathogen, a renowned epidemiologist has said. In an interview with Caixin, American epidemiologist and virus hunter Walter Ian Lipkin said that based on conversations he had with experts who visited the South China Seafood Market in Wuhan, ground zero of the outbreak, he believes that the areas subsequent decontamination had destroyed any remaining potential samples. International measures North Korea, which has yet to report a single case of the novel coronavirus, has expanded epidemic prevention measures (link in Chinese), according to the countrys state media. Instead of focusing on its borders and individuals with an overseas travel history, it is now screening individuals across the country. The country has set up disease prevention stations in cities, on roads, railways and other major transport routes. China may not be the only country delaying classes. Australian universities are offering deferred starts or refunds to students affected by the epidemic and are trying to keep accommodation available for students that may be able to travel later on. About 106,600 Chinese students set to attend higher education in Australia have had plans derailed due to travel restrictions placed by both Chinese and Australian governments, The Straits Times reported. Economic impact Rising food prices helped to fuel a 5.4% year-on-year jump in consumer prices in January, 0.9 percentage points higher than the previous month and the highest since October 2011, as Chinas economy began to feel the pain of the novel coronavirus outbreak, official data showed. BHP Group Ltd., the worlds top miner, is in talks with Chinese customers to delay shipments of copper concentrates as the nation extended factory shutdowns to combat the spread of the coronavirus, according to people familiar with the matter. ByteDance appears to be a beneficiary of the coronavirus outbreak, with three of its apps making it onto App Annies top 5 list of non-game apps by downloads on Apples App Store in China in January. Hon Hai Precision Industry, better known as Foxconn, Apples main iPhone production partner, said its factories worldwide are coordinating with authorities in carrying out virus protection and are preparing safety measures with the approval of local governments. Compiled by Dave Yin Monday, Feb. 10, 10:00 a.m. As of late Sunday, China had reported 40,235 infections, 909 deaths, almost 24,000 suspected cases, and 3,283 recoveries, the latest data (link in Chinese) from the countrys top health commission show. That represents an increase of 97 deaths from the day before, the highest daily increase so far, continuing a general upward trend that began since deaths were first reported. With the exception of six deaths spread across Anhui, Heilongjiang, Jiangxi, Hainan and Gansu provinces, all other new fatalities took place in Hubei province, the epicenter of the 2019-nCoV epidemic. Regions outside of Hubei reported 455 new cases as of late Sunday, marking the sixth consecutive day of declines in new confirmed cases. As of late Sunday, Hong Kong had reported 36 infections including one death, Macao had reported 10 cases and one recovery, while Taiwan had reported 18 cases and one recovery. By Saturday night, the death toll from the new strain of coronavirus in China alone exceeded that of the SARS epidemic globally in 2003, which resulted in 774 deaths worldwide. Compiled by Dave Yin * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sunday, Feb. 9, 6:00 p.m. Since the coronavirus epidemic began in December, it has disrupted Chinas entire economy, suspending business across sectors, rattling financial markets and turning bustling megacities into virtual ghost towns. But now, after an over a week of extra holiday for the Lunar New Year, most of the country is finally set to go back to work (link in Chinese). However its unlikely to be business as usual as the fragile economy gets moving again. A special group formed by the central government to tackle the crisis said in a Thursday meeting that businesses outside the worst-province of Hubei should resume work in an orderly fashion. While emphasizing the need for scientific control of the disease, this is the first time the group has called for the country to return to work since its formation on Jan. 25. To prevent the disease from spreading further as millions return to their workplaces, local governments have been put on high alert. For example, Beijings residential communities were told to ramp up their examination of people returning to the capital. A race against time With the total death toll from the coronavirus now exceeding that of the SARS epidemic in 2003, doctors in China are racing to prevent further fatalities. By the end of Saturday, among the 37,198 confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland, 6,188 remained in a critical condition mostly in Hubei. Although the coronavirus fatality rate is generally thought to be low, the chance of a patient deteriorating into a critical condition may be as high as 20%, even with medical intervention, according to Caixins latest cover story (link in Chinese), which cites numerous doctors on the front line of the fight against the coronavirus. In Wuhan, critical patients are being treated in designated hospitals, which have been under huge strain due to a lack of available beds. On Saturday, a rare bit of good news came when a second new quarantine center, called Thunder God Hospital, opened (link in Chinese), providing an additional 1,500 beds for critical patients. More news from Hubei Jiang Chaoliang, Hubei Communist party secretary, said on Saturday that the government would aim to have every person suspected of having the virus tested by Monday (link in Chinese). About 4,000 more suspected cases were reported on Saturday, more than half in Hubei. On Sunday, the Hubei government gave official coronavirus fatality rates for the first time. Unexpectedly, Wuhan, with a rate of 4.06%, came in second (link in Chinese) and was topped by Tianmen, a nearby city, with a death rate of 5.08%. Since Feb. 5, Huanggang has been overtaken (link in Chinese) as the second most hard-hit city after Wuhan. As of end of Saturday, Xiaogan, a city with a population of 4.92 million to the west of Wuhan, reported 2,436 confirmed cases. That compares to the 2,141 cases found among the 7.5 million-strong population of Huanggang, a city to Wuhans east. Other coronavirus-related news Aerosol transmission of the coronavirus can only happen under certain special situations, (link in Chinese) a health expert said in National Health Commission media briefing Sunday. This is an apparent attempt to calm the public after warnings from Shanghais health experts on Saturday that aerosol transmission of the novel coronavirus could be a risk, fueling public fears of infection. Aerosol transmission happens when people inhale small particles of a virus which are suspended in the air. The researcher, Feng Luzhao, from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that aerosol transmission was more likely in a clinical context, for example when a doctor applies a breathing tube to a patients trachea. Feng said the most common transition channel is through droplets on a surface. This can be combated through good hand hygiene and wearing face masks. The U.S.-based Royal Caribbean Cruises, the worlds second largest cruise operator, said on Friday that it has banned Chinese citizens from its cruises (link in Chinese) regardless of when they were last in the country. On the same day, Norwegian Cruise Lines, the worlds third-largest cruise line, announced a similar move. Another six passengers on a Princess Cruises ship quarantined in Japan have been diagnosed with the disease, bringing the total number of infections on the Diamond Princess to 70, Bloomberg reported, citing a statement by the cruise operator. As of Sunday, at least 307 infections, with at least one death, have been reported outside China, from a total of 24 countries. Compiled by Mo Yelin Sunday, Feb. 9, 10:00 a.m. As of the end of Saturday, the total death toll in China reached, according to the latest data (link in Chinese) from the countrys top health ministry. That means the death toll from the coronavirus in China alone now exceeds that of the SARS epidemic globally in 2003, which resulted in 774 deaths worldwide. An additional 89 new deaths were confirmed on Saturday, the largest daily increase so far. The official number of people dying each day from the coronavirus has risen this week, climbing past 60 for the first time on Monday, past 70 on Wednesday and past 80 on Friday. By the end of Saturday, total infections in China rose to 37,251, including 2,657 new cases reported on Saturday. On the Chinese mainland, regions outside Hubei the stricken province of which Wuhan is capital recorded 509 new cases on Saturday, marking the fifth consecutive day that figure has declined. The number of suspected cases on the Chinese mainland rose to 28,942 after 3,916 new suspected cases were reported on Saturday; A total of 2,649 people have officially recovered. Hong Kong has reported 26 cases, with one death. Macao has reported 10 infections, and Taiwan 17. As of 10 a.m. Sunday, 301 confirmed cases, with one death, were reported outside China in a total of 24 countries. Compiled by Mo Yelin * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Saturday, Feb. 8, 7:00 p.m. A tough fight Its now more than two weeks since the government locked down the 11 million-strong city of Wuhan in a bid to halt the spread of the deadly new coronavirus. Across the country, the situation on the frontline of the epidemic remains serious. An emerging need is to improve diagnostic accuracy after public health experts said commonly used coronavirus tests were returning worrying numbers of false negatives, fueling concerns that the virus may have spread far further than reported. Some people with symptoms have undergone CT scans showing viral infection in the lungs, but not been diagnosed with the coronavirus as so-called nucleic acid tests perhaps inaccurately returned negative results. Shortages of medical staff and supplies persist, especially in lower-profile cities in Hubei, the stricken province where Wuhan is located. The mayor of Suizhou, Ke Ke, said (link in Chinese) Thursday that the city only has three days worth of medical supplies, and the government of a region it administers published a letter (link in Chinese) online pleading for emergency support. As of Friday, Suizhou had confirmed 953 (link in Chinese) cases of infection, the fourth-highest out of all cities in Hubei. Across the province, cities outside Wuhan now account for over 50% of total cases. Xiaogan and Huanggang are the worst hit cities, with both reporting more than 2,000 infections. Aerosol transmission has again fueled public fears of infection. The novel coronavirus can be transmitted through aerosols, a Shanghai official cited health experts (link in Chinese) as saying at a press briefing on Saturday. That means a person can get infected by viruses through inhalation of the mix of the air and infected patients droplets. Multiple studies have found that viruses such as the SARS and H5N1 bird flu viruses can be transmitted through aerosols, which can remain suspended in the air. Read more In Depth: How Wuhan Lost the Fight to Contain the Coronavirus The day in numbers Total confirmed cases around the world rose to 34,915 as of Saturday afternoon, as those in China climbed to 34,664. The official death toll in the country edged up to 724. Experts say it remains unclear when the epidemic will see a turning point, which some interpret as continuous declines in daily new infections or deaths. A total of 24 other countries have confirmed a combined 291 infections. Other coronavirus-related news A U.S. citizen aged around 60 died from the coronavirus in Wuhan on Thursday, the New York Times reported, citing the U.S. embassy in Beijing. The U.S. government is prepared to spend up to $100 million to assist China and other impacted countries in an effort to combat the coronavirus, the U.S. State Department said Friday, adding that it had this week facilitated the transportation of nearly 18 tons of donated medical supplies to China, including masks and gowns. Its too early to get excited about American biotech company Gilead Sciences Inc.s coronavirus drug, experts say. Following the death of whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang on Friday, a Caixin editorial has urged Chinas government not to repeat the same mistakes it made during the SARS epidemic 17 years ago, which infected thousands across the country and resulted in 774 deaths worldwide. At the time, large numbers of medical staff were among the thousands infected in China, the piece said. It was one of the most tragic chapters in Chinas medical history. Compiled by Lin Jinbing Saturday, Feb. 8, 11:30 a.m. New appointment A senior Chinese health official has assumed a key position at the top policymaking organ in the central province of Hubei, the region worst affected by the epidemic. Wang Hesheng, a vice minister of the National Health Commission (NHC), has been appointed as a senior member of the Communist Partys Hubei provincial committee, according to a local party-backed media outlet (link in Chinese). The move was rubberstamped by the partys central committee, which is led by President Xi Jinping. Wang, 58, is a member of the task force dispatched to Hubei by the central committee to supervise and guide epidemic control. In 2016, he became a vice minister of the NHCs predecessor organization following more than a decade working in Tianjin, a port city bordering Beijing. While there, he served in multiple party and government positions, including a more than six-year stint as chief of the municipal health bureau. Wang has a robust health background, having graduated from a medical college in Tianjin in the 1980s. As of Friday, Hubei had reported nearly 25,000 confirmed cases of infection by the new coronavirus, over 70% of the national total, according to government data (link in Chinese). The death toll in the province rose to 699 on Friday, accounting for nearly 97% of the countrys total deaths. Numbers on the rise Confirmed cases in China rose to 34,621 on Saturday morning, including 723 deaths. A total of 24 other countries have confirmed a combined 278 infections, as Japan (link in Japanese) and the United Arab Emirates respectively reported three and two additional cases. Compiled by Lin Jinbing Saturday, Feb. 8, 10:00 a.m. China recorded 86 more deaths from the new coronavirus on Friday, the largest daily increase so far, according to the latest data (link in Chinese) from the countrys top health body. That brings the total death toll to 723. Numbers of daily deaths have risen this week, climbing past 60 for the first time on Monday and past 70 on Wednesday. By the end of Friday, Chinese authorities had confirmed 34,598 infections, including around 3,400 new cases reported on the day. From Monday through Friday, more than 3,000 new cases were confirmed each day. On the Chinese mainland, 2,050 patients had been recorded as having recovered and been discharged from hospital as of Friday. Suspected cases climbed further to more than 27,600 on the mainland at the end of Friday. Mainland authorities said that they had tracked over 345,000 close contacts of infected people, nearly 55% of whom were under medical observation. Compiled by Lin Jinbing Saturday, Feb. 8, 3:30 a.m. As Hubei faces a severe shortage of medical workers and supplies, the National Health Commission established a nationwide support system Friday. Under the plan, 16 provinces will commit to providing targeted medical support to 16 Hubei cities that have been hit the hardest by the epidemic. It isnt clear whether this means some of the patients in Hubei will be transferred to the designated provinces. Wuhan is converting four universities and a Communist Party training school into hospitals to accept patients confirmed with coronavirus infection but with minor symptoms. The schools will provide 5,400 beds, Wuhan Vice Mayor Hu Yabo said Friday at a daily press briefing. In addition, the 1,600-bed Leishenshan makeshift hospital will be ready Saturday to accept patients with severe conditions. The Wuhan government found that the death of Li Wenliang, a doctor and one of the whistleblowers punished by police for trying to warn others of the new coronavirus, was work-related injury, making his family eligible for 820,000 yuan ($117,000) of benefits. Li died Friday after being infected with the virus earlier this month. A doctor in Maanshan, central Chinas Anhui province, faces a criminal charge of endangering public safety for concealing symptoms of the deadly coronavirus while working. The doctor surnamed Jiang, a thoracic surgeon at a large public hospital in Maanshan, continued receiving patients for days while experiencing fever and flu-like symptoms, until some of his family members were confirmed with coronavirus infection, local police said Friday in a statement (link in Chinese). The doctor tested positive for the infection in a primary test, the police said. In response to a media report that China is considering delaying the annual meeting of its top legislative body scheduled for March, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying (link in Chinese) said Thursday she has not heard anything on the matter. Reuters reported the possible postponement, citing five people familiar with the matter. In other coronavirus-related news: Hospital workers in Hong Kong ended a five-day strike after a vote by the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance Friday fell short of enough support to extend the strike until next Wednesday. The union started its strike Monday to protest the governments decision not to fully close its border with mainland China. Taiwan is suspending numerous flights to and from mainland China starting Monday, the islands Central Epidemic Command Center said Friday in a statement. The suspension is expected to remain in place until April 29, longer than most other government-imposed flight restrictions. Routes to several major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen and Chengdu, will remain exempt from the suspension. Compiled by Denise Jia Friday, Feb. 7, 6:00 p.m. Graft buster steps in As grief and anger have spread across China after whistleblower Li Wenliang died of the coronavirus, the countrys top graft buster has decided (link in Chinese) to dispatch a task force to Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak where Dr. Li worked, to conduct a comprehensive investigation into what happened to him. Last month, Li was criticized by police for trying to warn others of the virus. I believe there should be more than one voice in a healthy society, Li said in an interview with Caixin last month. I dont agree with the use of public power to overly interfere. Whistleblowers in China should be better protected, a Caixin editor said in a commentary. We must make sure they wont be punished, or bear excessive, harsh consequences because of their words. Read more Q&A: Whistleblower Doctor Who Died Fighting Coronavirus Only Wanted People to Know the Truth Supply shortages remain On the frontlines of the fight against the disease, shortages of medical supplies and daily necessities remain a tough issue despite efforts at home and abroad. A number of Chinese manufacturers, including Apple Inc. manufacturing partner Foxconn Technology Co. Ltd. and several carmakers, have decided to refit their production lines to produce medical supplies such as face masks. The National Development and Reform Commission, Chinas top economic planner, said (link in Chinese) Friday that it is set to transfer 2,000 tons of frozen pork from elsewhere in the country to Wuhan, which has been locked down for over two weeks. In addition, the commission asked (link in Chinese) more than 100 logistics firms to set up fast tracks for transporting medical supplies to Wuhan and other cities hit by the epidemic. It has also designated state-owned China Post Group Co. Ltd. to transfer overseas donations to Wuhan after they arrive in China. Multiple countries, including the U.S. and Japan, have sent medical supplies to the epicenter in an effort to stop the disease. Xi, Trump talk Chinese President Xi Jinping told his American counterpart, Donald Trump, that he hopes the U.S. government can calmly assess the epidemic, and properly design and adjust its countermeasures. The remarks were made in a phone conversation on Friday morning, the official Xinhua News Agency reported (link in Chinese). Earlier this month, the U.S. suspended the entry into the country of foreign nationals who pose a risk of transmitting the novel coronavirus. Trump said that the U.S. will view the epidemic and take corresponding actions with a calm attitude, and is willing to help, including by sending experts to China. Singapore reports more infections Singapore had confirmed three additional infections as of 2 p.m., bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 33. So far, no links have been found to previous cases reported in the country or travel history to China, its health ministry said. The country moved its disease outbreak response up a level to Orange in response to the virus spread. In other coronavirus-related news: Confirmed cases of infection by the virus have climbed to 31,257 in China, while the official death toll remained unchanged at 637. Infections in 24 other countries have risen to 272. Multiple regulators have required all types of financial institutions to give a helping hand to businesses, especially those impacted by the epidemic, and those who make or sell urgently needed medical supplies and daily necessities, central bank Deputy Governor Pan Gongsheng said (link in Chinese) at a press briefing on Friday morning. A Caixin in-depth report said that the previously slow process for diagnosing coronavirus, due chiefly to stringent diagnostic criteria, stymied disease control efforts in the early days of the outbreak. Compiled by Lin Jinbing Friday, Feb. 7, 5:30 p.m. Dig into data While Hubei, the province around Wuhan, has drawn much attention and received donations from across the globe, other parts of the country are also facing a grim situation. Outside the central province, China reported over 9,000 confirmed cases of infection as of Thursday, nearly 30% of its total. That said, infections in other Chinese regions have climbed at a slower clip than those in Hubei. In Hubei, the fatality rate stood at around 2.8% as of Thursday. The gauge measures how many people who catch the disease actually die from it. The province had reported 618 deaths from the virus by the day, accounting for 97% of the national total. Compiled by Lin Jinbing Friday, Feb. 7, 2:30 p.m. More details on cruise ship Among the most recent batch of people onboard the Diamond Princess cruise revealed to have tested positive for the new coronavirus Friday, 21 are from Japan, eight are from the U.S., five are from Canada, five are from Australia, one is from the U.K., and one is from Argentina. Princess Cruises, the operator of the ship quarantined off of Yokohama, Japan, confirmed the figures to Caixin in a written statement. The U.S.-based company said that the Japanese health ministry confirmed that this was the last batch to be tested and that the quarantine of the cruise ship is expected to end Feb. 19, unless there are any other unforeseen developments. Travel restrictions The transportation department of southern tech hub Shenzhen has rebutted (link in Chinese) rumors that the city and Guangdong province, where it is located, will undergo a lockdown, calling such reports false. Rather than close roads, as some have speculated, some provincial roads will have disease prevention stations, and individuals entering Shenzhen will have to register their information, including their body temperature. Health measures The Wuhan government announced (link in Chinese) Thursday evening that it would begin daily monitoring of the body temperatures of all of its roughly 11 million residents, through a combination of self-reporting and door-to-door checks by Communist Party members, district police, property managers and volunteers. Those with elevated temperatures will be brought to local health centers, tested, and quarantined if necessary. Residents have been notified via SMS among other mediums. Medical research The pangolin, a scaly mammalian anteater, is the latest animal to be identified as an intermediate host of the novel coronavirus. On Friday, scientists at the South China Agricultural University in Guangzhou, Guangdong, announced (link in Chinese) the results of their research, which they conducted jointly with the Peoples Liberation Army Academy of Military Science in Beijing, and the research department of the Guangdong Zoo. According to local media reports, analysis of genome sequences of viruses isolated from pangolins were a 99% match with those of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus. Compiled by Dave Yin Friday, Feb. 7, 10:00 a.m. Twenty-four countries outside China have now reported a combined 266 infections. The worst-hit countries are Japan (86 cases), Singapore (30), Thailand (25), and South Korea (24). Australia, Germany, and the U.S. have respectively confirmed 15, 13, and 12 cases. Compiled by Lin Jinbing Friday, Feb. 7, 9:00 a.m. Virus spreads further in China As of the end of Thursday, Chinese authorities had confirmed 31,211 cases of infection by the new coronavirus, of which more than 4,800 were severe, according to the latest daily data (link in Chinese) from the countrys top health body. That included over 3,150 new cases reported on the day. Seventy-three additional deaths were recorded on Thursday, including 69 in Hubei, the central province surrounding Wuhan, the city at the epicenter of the outbreak. That brings the official death toll to 637. On the Chinese mainland, 387 additional patients were recorded as having recovered and been discharged from hospital, bringing the number of such patients to a total of 1,540. The number of suspected cases rose to over 26,300 on the mainland, up from around 24,700 a day earlier. Mainland authorities said that they had tracked more than 314,000 close contacts of infected people, nearly 60% of which were under medical observation. Japan confirms more infections Japans top health authority confirmed (link in Japanese) Friday morning that 41 of 171 additional people screened aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship had tested positive for the new coronavirus. Combined with previously confirmed cases, infections on the ship had reached 61. That brings the total infections in Japan to 86, the highest tally for any country outside China so far. Compiled by Lin Jinbing Friday, Feb. 7, 4:30 a.m. The Chinese doctor who tried to warn others about coronavirus died Friday after he was infected with the virus. Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist in Wuhan, was one of the whistleblowers on the coronavirus outbreak who were punished by local police. After he was later vindicated by the Supreme Peoples Court, Li returned to the front lines and continued fighting the virus. He disclosed on his social media account Feb. 1 that he was diagnosed with the coronavirus. More than 10,000 doctors from across China have been dispatched to Hubei province, but the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic still faces a gap of 2,250 medical workers, a senior provincial official said. Nine cities in the province are requesting medical team support, and local retired medical workers are being encouraged to return to work, Hubei Vice Governor Yang Yunyan said Thursday at a press conference. The head of the Wuhan health commission said the city has an inventory of 109,000 coronavirus test kits and can test 4,000-5,000 patients a day. But the city lacks testing facilities, protection supplies and testing staff. The government of Guangshui, a county-level city in northeastern Hubei province, is requesting emergency support as the city with a population of 950,000 has confirmed 219 coronavirus cases. In a letter posted online Thursday, the city said its in urgent need of medical supplies, doctors and policy support and is requesting help from the public. In other coronavirus-related news: Singapores health ministry confirmed two more cases Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 30. One of the two new patients did not travel to China recently and does not seem to be linked to previous cases. Yum China Holdings Inc., which runs more than 9,000 KFCs, Pizza Huts and other restaurants in China, said its same-store sales plummeted 40% to 50% since the Lunar New Year holiday from a year earlier, reflecting shorter opening hours, reduced traffic and other factors. Yum China, which temporarily closed about a third of its restaurants in the country, warned it could report an operating loss in the first quarter. Several more U.S. government-chartered evacuation flights were expected to depart Wuhan Thursday. The U.S has evacuated about 350 people in two planes. The World Health Organization (WHO) is inviting scientists from around the globe for a two-day international research forum starting Feb. 11. Theres still a lot we dont know, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. We dont know the source of the outbreak. We dont know what its natural reservoir is and we dont properly understand its transmissibility or severity. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the Trump administration doesnt think the coronavirus outbreak will hamper the implementation of the phase-one trade deal with China. Toyota Motor said it is looking for alternatives to auto parts suppliers in China because of the coronavirus. The automaker has halted production at its China plants through Sunday but may extend the shutdown if the situation worsens. Compiled by Denise Jia Thursday, Feb. 6, 6 p.m. When it comes to the ongoing fight against the coronavirus, all eyes are now on the local authorities in Wuhan, and how they are stepping up efforts to deal with an awkward situation theyve struggled with from the beginning: a lack of medical resources. In a late night CCTV interview Wednesday, Wang Chen, a well-known respiratory specialist and dean of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, said the city still faced a grim situation as a large number of infected were unable to be hospitalized. Building makeshift hospitals has been one major solution to bridging the gap between supply and demand for medical treatment. After converting three public venues into medical facilities on Monday, Wuhan authorities now plan to convert eight more, including gymnasiums, exhibition centers and sports centers, as well as a provincial Chinese Communist Party school (link in Chinese), according to a report by the state-run Xinhua News Agency. Wuhan health officials revealed that 28 hospitals designated to treat coronavirus patients have 8,245 beds (link in Chinese) in total. The two newly built quarantine hospitals have more than 2,000 beds. And the makeshift hospitals, mainly used to accept confirmed patients suffering mild symptoms, will have 4,400 beds. Putting those patients under quarantine and treating them according to their symptoms could be effective at controlling the virus. Meanwhile, a war over masks (link in Chinese) has been fought between two southwestern areas of China. Local authorities in the popular tourist destination of Dali, Yunnan province, confiscated an unknown number of masks bound for Chongqing, a nearby municipality. Chongqing had purchased the masks from vendors in Dali and planned to have them shipped via express delivery services. The Yunnan provincial government reprimanded Dali officials for the expropriation of the masks. As of Thursday, Chongqing had confirmed 389 cases of the new coronavirus, while Dali had eight. As of Thursday, authorities had arrested 294 people (link in Chinese) related to 1,116 fraud cases involving the coronavirus epidemic, recovering property worth about 6.6 million yuan ($941 million), according to Chinas Ministry of Public Security. In other coronavirus news: Confirmed cases of infection have risen to 28,130 in China, while the official death toll remained unchanged at 564. A total of 24 other countries have reported at least 218 infections, including one death. China is stepping up efforts to offer incentives to firms (link in Chinese) that are directly involved in the fight against the virus. According to a post by Chinas State Council on Wednesday, the measures proposed include cutting the value-added tax and encouraging banks to offer loans with interest rates below 1.6% to companies in certain industries, such as those that make everyday necessities. Four more infections were reported Wednesday in Singapore, including the case of a 6-month-old who is the child of an infected couple. The baby is the youngest coronavirus patient confirmed so far in the Southeast Asian country. One Malaysian and two South Koreans who attended a conference at Singapore tested positive for the coronavirus, Malaysian and South Korean authorities said Wednesday. These cases indicate that the virus is now being transmitted via human-to-human contact outside of China. The World Health Organization is investigating (link in Chinese). Japans Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare confirmed coronavirus infections among at least 20 passengers on the cruise ship Diamond Princess. Combined with what the ministry classifies as 21 confirmed cases with symptoms and four asymptomatic pathogen carriers, total infections in the country have risen to 45, by far the highest tally of any country outside of China. Another cruise ship, the World Dream, which has 1,800 crew members and more than 1,800 passengers, has also been quarantined. As of Wednesday night, health officials have ruled out 2019-nCoV infections among 32 of 33 crew members they have tested. Those crew members had reported symptoms akin to those of an upper respiratory tract infection. Nevertheless, three crew members who had developed fevers had been sent to the hospital. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament that the Tokyo 2020 Olympics would not be canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus, Bloomberg reported. 1. Starting from Friday, Taiwans government would suspend most visa applications from residents of Hong Kong and Macao, as part of efforts to control the spread of the virus, Reuters reported. 2. The government of Tajikistan said it would evacuate 58 people from Wuhan as early as Thursday, Reuters reported, citing the head of the Central Asian countrys emergency committee. 3. Saudi Arabia has said it would ban citizens and residents from traveling to China, the Associate Press reported, citing the kingdoms General Directorate of Passports. Compiled by Mo Yelin Thursday, Feb. 6, 10:00 a.m. By the end of Wednesday, Chinese authorities had confirmed a total of 28,060 infections, including 3,697 new cases reported on Wednesday. An additional 73 new deaths were confirmed, bringing the total death toll to 564. At the end of Wednesday, suspected cases on the Chinese mainland rose to 24,702 after 5,328 new suspected cases were reported on Wednesday; A total of 1,153 people had recovered, including 261 who were categorized as having officially recovered yesterday. Hong Kong had reported 21 cases, with one death. Macao has reported 10 infections, and Taiwan 11. Local authorities in Ningbo say they have footage of the moment they believe a person with coronavirus was infected. The 56-year-old man from Ningbo, Zhejiang province, who was diagnosed with the virus Tuesday, was caught in a surveillance video visiting a local vegetable market late last month. He is seen standing alongside another person, who has since been confirmed to have had the disease at the time, at the same booth for about 15 seconds. Neither were wearing masks. Wang Chen, a respiratory physician and dean of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, said in a CCTV interview on Wednesday Wuhan still lacks medial resources to deal with the increase of infections even as two new hospitals were built and had already started accepting patients. Chinese president Xi Jinping met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Beijing on Wednesday, the official Peoples Daily reported. Sen was quoted as saying he came to China at this special time to express his support for the Chinese government and Chinese people in their fight against the coronavirus epidemic. Yum China has warned its sales and profit this year could take a hit due to the coronavirus, which has forced it to shut more than 30% of its stores, Reuters reported. The operator of KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants in China also warned it could shut more stores depending on the situation. Similarly, Disney has also warned it could lose $175 million in the current quarter from the closures of its two parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong due to the coronavirus. Compiled by Mo Yelin Thursday, Feb. 6, 3:00 a.m. Coronavirus patients with severe conditions increase in Hubei The testing process to confirm coronavirus infection is speeding up in Hubei province, leading to a drop in the number of suspected cases in recent days but a marked increase in the number of confirmed patients with severe conditions, an expert said Wednesday. The number of patients with severe conditions increased by more than 400 cases each day for the past two days, most of them in Hubei province, data from the National Health Commission shows. These patients conditions usually worsen in the ninth to 12 days of their illness, said Li Xingwang (link in Chinese), an infectious disease expert with Beijing Ditan Hospital at a daily press briefing on the epidemic. The National Health Commission eased (link in Chinese) the diagnosis criteria for coronavirus, designating patients with either fever or respiratory symptoms for diagnosis as suspected cases. The previous criteria also included pulmonary imaging showing infection symptoms. Li said removing the pulmonary imaging requirement aims to increase the diagnosis ability of lower-tier hospitals that do not have CT imaging equipment. The revision means the number of suspected cases might further expand but will also help to control the spread of infection. A Chinese infant was diagnosed with coronavirus just 30 hours after birth Sunday in Wuhan to a woman who had tested positive for the deadly disease, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Doctors at the Wuhan Childrens Hospital cited the case Wednesday as evidence that pregnant women infected with the virus may be able to pass it to unborn children, CCTV reported. In other coronavirus-related news: Singapores health ministry confirmed four more coronavirus cases, including a six-month-old baby. Both parents of the infant, a Singapore citizen, have also been infected, the ministry said. On Tuesday, Singapore reported its first cases of patients who had contracted the virus without recent travel to China. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said it will spend as much as $100 million to improve detection, isolation and treatment efforts for the new coronavirus. The worlds largest private charitable foundation said it also hopes to accelerate the development of vaccines, drugs and diagnostics. The World Health Organization (WHO) played down reports of a drug breakthrough against the coronavirus. There are no known effective therapeutics against this 2019-nCoV and WHO recommends enrollment into a randomized controlled trial to test efficacy and safety, the United National health agency said Wednesday. The international community has launched a $675 million preparedness and response plan covering the months of February through to April 2020, the WHO announced Wednesday. The Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP) for the new coronavirus lays out activities and resources needed by international health organizations globally, including WHO, to implement priority public health measures in support of countries to prepare and respond to the outbreak. Almost 2,000 tourists are being held on a cruise ship in Hong Kong and being tested for the coronavirus after several crew members reported symptoms. The ship World Dream, operated by Gentings Dream Cruises, arrived in Hong Kong from Taiwan Wednesday with 1,871 passengers aboard, most of them from Hong Kong. Compiled by Denise Jia * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Wednesday, Feb. 5, 6 p.m. Cruise ships are the big story of the day, as Japan confirmed 10 infections among more than 3,700 passengers on board one of the floating resorts. At least four infections have been reported among the about 4,000 passengers on a cruise ship that traveled from the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou to Vietnam in January, the Guangdong province government said. The ship, which arrived in Hong Kong Wednesday with a new batch of passengers but the same crew has been placed into quarantine, according to media reports. Airlines are also taking significant measures amid the outbreak. Hong Kongs Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. asked all of its nearly 27,000 employees to take three weeks of unpaid leave as the outbreak continues to take a toll on its business. The Hong Kong airline plans to cut 90% of flights to the Chinese mainland. As for the economy, the impact of the epidemic on China will be felt mainly in the first quarter, when GDP growth could be 1 to 1.5 percentage points lower than under a scenario without the outbreak, said Zhong Zhengsheng, director of macroeconomic analysis at CEBM Group, a subsidiary of Caixin Insight Group. However, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it has confidence in the resilience of Chinas economy amid fears that the coronavirus outbreak will harm the worlds second-largest economy. Domestically, China on Tuesday recorded the highest single-day rise in deaths and new infections. Chinas death toll hit 493, while the total number of infections reached 24,421. Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, is scrambling to set up makeshift hospitals. So far, a stadium, a local exhibition center and a cultural complex have been converted into temporary medical facilities capable of holding 3,400 beds in total. See the photos here. In other coronavirus-related news: Internationally, Japan suffered a surge in infections as of 6 p.m. Wednesday, with total infections at 34, mainly due to its new confirmed cases on the cruise ship. Outside China, the total number of infections reached 195. Hong Kongs Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced a two-week quarantine for all visitors crossing the border from the mainland, including foreigners and Hong Kong residents. Hong Kongs securities watchdog and the citys stock exchange said in a joint statement that if listed companies face difficulties in publishing preliminary results or audited financial statements, they should contact the stock exchange to discuss the situation. If an issuer is unable to obtain a sign-off from its auditors but is otherwise able to publish its preliminary results, it should publish such results. Key public health measures to respond to the coronavirus outbreak will cost an estimated $675.7 million through April, the WHO said in a draft plan, Bloomberg reported. Hong Kongs first death reveals that young people may be more vulnerable than previously thought. A 39-year-old man who died Tuesday was one of the youngest victims so far reported in the epidemic, as most fatalities have been among elderly people. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd., which makes the vast majority of the worlds iPhones in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, cut its 2020 revenue growth outlook. It is now projecting a sales increase of 1% to 3% this year, down from a Jan. 22 forecast of 3% to 5%. Schools in Shanghai will remain closed until the end of February. Compiled by Timmy Shen Wednesday, Feb. 5, 10:00 a.m. By the end of Tuesday, Chinese authorities had confirmed 24,363 infections, including over 3,800 new cases reported on Tuesday, representing the highest one-day rise in new reported infections. The official death toll in China also saw its highest one-day rise on Tuesday, with 66 new deaths bringing the total to 491. On the Chinese mainland, suspected cases rose to 23,260, and 892 patients had recovered from the virus, as of the end of Tuesday. Hong Kong had reported 18 cases, with one death. Macao has reported 10 infections, and Taiwan 11. Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of Macau, said Tuesday that the government will suspend operations (link in Chinese) in gambling and other related entertainment industries for about two weeks, after he consulted with Zhong Nanshan, Chinas leading respiratory expert and a hero of the fight against SARS. The Baibuting neighborhood in Wuhan has reported many fever cases and has listed 57 buildings as fever buildings, Caixin has found (link in Chinese). Despite earlier signs that the virus was spreading in the broader Wuhan area, the local government gave its support to a massive Lunar New Year event in the neighborhood on Jan. 18 similar to a Western potluck, where about 40,000 families brought nearly 14,000 meals to share with one another. Compiled by Timmy Shen Wednesday, Feb. 5 4:00 a.m. As the viral coronavirus continued spreading globally, the central China province of Hubei and its capital Wuhan remained the hardest-hit as a top health official cited shortages of medical supplies and hospital beds. As of Tuesday, 74% of the 425 deaths caused by the virus in China were in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The city, which has been under quarantine since Jan. 23, has recorded a fatality rate among those sickened by the fast-spreading disease of 4.9%, according to Jiao Yahui, an official with the National Health Commission. The broader Hubei region accounted for 97% of the national death toll with a fatality rate of 3.1%. Nationwide, the death rate for the viral pneumonia is 2.1%. Excluding Hubei, the fatality rate of the disease in the rest of China was 0.16%, Jiao said Tuesday at a press briefing (link in Chinese). China has confirmed 20,522 infections of the new coronavirus and an additional 23,214 suspected cases as of Tuesday evening, Wuhans lack of hospital beds and shortages of medical supplies in the face of surging numbers of patients were the main factors behind the citys high fatality rate, Jiao said. Elderly people, especially men or those with chronic diseases, are most vulnerable to the virus, he said. There has yet to be clear data on recovery rates, although China reported that 632 patients recovered. The average hospital stay for those discharged ranges from five to 20 days. In other coronavirus-related news: The British government asked its citizens to leave China amid the epidemic. In a statement, the Foreign Office told all Britons who are able to leave China to do so. The government is advising against all but essential travel to the mainland. An estimated 30,000 British citizens remained in China, according to Britains Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. Hong Kongs Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. plans to cut 90% of flights to mainland as the city reported its first death from the coronavirus. The move is part of Cathay Pacifics plan to slash 30% of its capacity over the next two months as its business struggles in the face of the viral disease. By Caixins count, 59 airlines from 44 countries and regions as of Tuesday said they were suspending some or all flights to the mainland. Vietnam said it will quarantine anyone who entered the country from China over the past two weeks. The country has confirmed 10 infection cases of the virus as of Tuesday. The World Health Organization said Tuesday that the deadly coronavirus outbreak does not yet constitute a "pandemic the worldwide spread of an epidemic. The strategy is still to extinguish transmission, and the UN health organization will be able to provide a better estimate of the severity of the disease in coming days, the WHOs Sylvie Briand said at a briefing in Geneva. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb warned Monday that the viral disease is likely to become a pandemic. Compiled by Han Wei * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Tuesday, Feb. 4, 8:15 p.m. The economic impact of Chinas deadly coronavirus outbreak continued to be felt Tuesday despite no repeat of the vertiginous near-9% slump that greeted yesterdays reopening of the countrys stock markets. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index closed up 1.34% on Tuesday, while its Shenzhen-based equivalent ended the days trading up 3.17%. Those heartening figures came despite the largest single-day rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus-related deaths so far, with 64 people in China reportedly succumbing to the disease on Monday. On Tuesday, a 39-year-old Hong Kong man became the second person outside the Chinese mainland to die from coronavirus infection. The total number of infections worldwide now exceeds 20,000. On Tuesday, Singapore confirmed six new coronavirus cases, bringing the countrys confirmed total to 24, according to The Straits Times. In Thailand, six new cases were reported, including four Thai citizens, Reuters reported. The country now has 25 confirmed cases. The epidemic is still sending ripples through the global economy. Experts from OPEC and its allies are meeting today and tomorrow in Vienna to discuss supply cuts in order to prop up sliding oil prices. Brent crude was selling for a mere $54.17 per barrel on Monday, its lowest price in more than a year. Domestically, too, businesses continue to feel the outbreaks unpredictable repercussions. Casino operators in Macau will be asked to shutter their businesses for two weeks to help control the outbreak, Reuters reported. The former Portuguese colony, which is the worlds largest gambling center, currently has 10 confirmed coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, the nearby Guangdong province city of Zhuhai has required bars, cafes, barbecue joints, teahouses, and farms in some areas to suspend business indefinitely (link in Chinese), while other food and beverage sellers are restricted to providing takeout services. The move, which has been echoed by other cities in the province, came as many restaurateurs there said revenues during the Lunar New Year period fell by more than half compared with last years holiday, prompting them to consider staff cuts. Elsewhere, an estimated 2,700 medical personnel, including hundreds of doctors and nurses, went on strike in Hong Kong to protest the governments handling of the outbreak, according to the South China Morning Post. The mass walkout went ahead despite the semiautonomous territorys Chief Executive Carrie Lam Yuet-ngor announcing an expanded, but not total, closure of the border with the Chinese mainland. The Hong Kong Hospital Authority said the strike seriously affected a number of important services. In other coronavirus-related news: Belgium said (link in French) a person who returned to the country Sunday on a repatriation flight from Wuhan tested positive for the virus, making them the nations first case. Malaysia confirmed two new cases, one of whom is the first Malaysian citizen to test positive, according to The Straits Times. The countrys other nine cases are all Chinese nationals. South Korea also added one new case, bringing the total number of infections there to 16, according to the Yonhap News Agency. A further case was confirmed in Vietnam, marking the 10th coronavirus diagnosis in the country, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said. Taiwan said that from Feb. 7 it will bar entry to most nonlocal residents who have visited or resided on the Chinese mainland in the past 14 days, Reuters reported. Authorities in Hubei reprimanded three high-ranking members of the provincial Red Cross Society for mismanaging relief work tied to the outbreak. Zhang Qin, the deputy head of the humanitarian organizations Hubei arm and a member of an affiliated Communist Party leading group, was dismissed from his position and subjected to internal party discipline. Two further Red Cross officials held onto their jobs but didnt escape a slap on the wrist from their party comrades. The Hubei Red Cross came under fire Sunday after it was revealed that donations of critical medical supplies from across the country had failed to arrive at the overburdened hospitals at the center of the outbreak. Compiled by Matthew Walsh Tuesday, Feb. 4, 1 p.m. The death toll in China from the virus logged its highest one-day rise on Monday, with 64 new deaths bringing the total to 425. The number of confirmed infections also passed (link in Chinese) the 20,000 mark, the National Health Commission said. The top health authority also confirmed that 157 more people have recovered from the virus. All of Mondays deaths as well as 2,345 of the new diagnoses occurred in Hubei, the province at the center of the epidemic. Nationwide, 492 of the new cases are considered serious, with 442 of them in Hubei. Hong Kong reported Tuesday its first coronavirus-related death when a 39-year-old man succumbed to the pneumonia-causing pathogen, according to Hong Kong Cable TV (link in Cantonese). The semiautonomous territory has closed all but three border crossings with the Chinese mainland on the orders of Chief Executive Carrie Lam. A rapidly built makeshift quarantine hospital in Wuhan designed to treat people with coronavirus began admitting its first patients on Tuesday morning, state-owned broadcaster CGTN reported. The Bavarian health ministry said (link in German) another man in the southern state had tested positive for the virus, bringing Germanys total number of confirmed cases to 12. Japan on Monday quarantined a cruise ship containing some 3,700 people at a port in the city of Yokohama after a former passenger was diagnosed with the virus upon leaving the vessel in Hong Kong late last month, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported. Chinas foreign ministry once again told the United States not to overreact to the coronavirus outbreak. Hua Chunying, a ministry spokeswoman, also said Beijing hopes Washington will soon send aid to help control the epidemic, Reuters reported. Chinese stock markets clawed back some of the losses sustained during Mondays dismal 8% drop, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 1.21% as of 2:45 p.m. Chinas civil aviation administration said its affiliated carriers had delivered more than 4,600 tons of epidemic control supplies (link in Chinese) as of Sunday, including a combined 600,000 facial masks, prevention suits, and containers of sterilization fluid. Around 1,200 tons of supplies went to Hubei, the authority said. Compiled by Matthew Walsh Tuesday, Feb. 4, 5 a.m. As markets and businesses gradually resume after the extended Lunar New Year holiday, the impact of the fast-spreading coronavirus on all aspects of the economy are starting to show as experts evaluate how profound and lasting the damage could be. Chinas financial regulators took a series of measures to bolster confidence, including lowering interest rates on reverse repurchase agreements and injecting liquidity. Kristalina Georgieva, head of the International Monetary Fund, offered backing for the Chinese economy. We support Chinas efforts to respond, including recent fiscal, monetary and financial actions, Georgieva wrote Monday on Twitter. We are confident that Chinas economy remains resilient. But the deadly epidemic will take a toll on Chinas already slowing e The NIA had registered the case against separatist and secessionist leaders, including unknown members of the Hurriyat Conference, who have been acting in connivance with active militants of proscribed terrorist organisations Hizbul Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and other outfits and gangs in 2016. Srinagar: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will question former Jammu and Kashmir MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid for his links with self-styled Hizbul Mujahideen commander Naveed 'Babu', arrested along with suspended Jammu and Kashmir Police DSP Davinder Singh, officials said in Srinagar on Monday. Rashid, popularly known as 'Rashid Engineer' and leader of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), contested as an Independent candidate in the 2014 Assembly constituency from Langate in North Kashmir. He is at present in judicial custody at the Tihar Jail after he was arrested by the NIA on 9 August in connection with a case related to finding of terror activities in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The officials said the agency would soon approach court for seeking a production warrant for summoning Rashid and question him about his association with Naveed alias 'Babu', whose full name is Syed Naveed Mushtaq Ahmad. He is at present under the custody of the NIA till 6 February. Rashid was arrested along with suspended Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Davinder Singh on 11 January. The police officer was allegedly ferrying Naveed along with two others out of the Valley. As reported by PTI last week, Naveed had claimed during interrogation that he had been in constant touch with the legislator for establishing a firm base for the terror group in North Kashmir and was looking for possible hideouts in that area, the officials alleged. This is definitely a serious offence and needs to be probed thoroughly, they said, while justifying the need for questioning Rashid. Along with Singh and Naveed, Rafi Ahmed Rather and Irfan Shafi Mir, who claims to be an advocate, were also arrested on the day from the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway at Qazigund. On 23 January, Naveed's brother, Syed Irfan Ahmed, was also arrested after he was brought from Punjab. He was in constant touch with his brother and had asked him to look for an accommodation in Chandigarh, where they could escape the harsh winter months of Kashmir. Last year also, Singh had ferried Naveed to Jammu and facilitated his return to Shopian after "rest and recuperation". Rashid was first a mainstream politician who was arrested by the NIA, 2019, in connection with a case related to the funding of terror activities in Kashmir. His name had cropped up during the interrogation of businessman Zahoor Watali arrested by the NIA for allegedly supplying money to terror groups and separatists in the Valley. The NIA had registered the case against separatist and secessionist leaders, including unknown members of the Hurriyat Conference, who have been acting in connivance with active militants of proscribed terrorist organisations Hizbul Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and other outfits and gangs in 2016. The case was registered for raising, receiving and collecting funds through various illegal means, including hawala, for funding separatist and terrorist activities in the erstwhile state and for causing disruption in the Valley by pelting stones on the security forces, burning schools, damaging public property and waging war against India, the probe agency said in the FIR. Hafiz Saeed, chief of the banned Jamaat-ud- Dawa (JuD), the front of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror outfit, has been named in the FIR as an accused. The FIR also names organisations such as the two factions of the Hurriyat, one led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the other by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Hizbul Mujahideen and the Dukhtaran-e-Millat, an all-women outfit of separatists. TORONTO, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - VersaPay Corporation (TSXV: VPY) (the "Company" or "VersaPay"), is pleased to announce that Glass Lewis & Co. LLC ("Glass Lewis"), a leading independent proxy advisory firm, has recommended that shareholders of VersaPay (the "Shareholders") vote FOR the proposed acquisition by 1233518 B.C. Ltd., an affiliate of Great Hill Partners, of all of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company ("VersaPay Shares") by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under the Canada Business Corporations Act (the "Arrangement") for consideration of $2.70 for each VersaPay Share held. In making its recommendation that Shareholders vote FOR the Arrangement, Glass Lewis stated: "Given the Company's capital restraints and considering that the board appears to have adequately considered the Company's strategic and transaction alternatives, ultimately arriving at a proposed transaction that provides shareholders with certain value and liquidity for their shares at a significant premium, we believe shareholders have more than sufficient cause to approve the proposed arrangement as the best path to maximize the value of their shares at this time. Based on these factors, along with the support of the board, we believe the proposed acquisition is in the best interests of shareholders." Glass Lewis' endorsement follows a report by Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. ("ISS"), also a leading independent proxy advisor firm, that recommended Shareholders vote FOR the Arrangement. VersaPay disclosed ISS' recommendation in a press release dated January 29, 2020. Your vote is important regardless of the number of VersaPay Shares you own. As a Shareholder, it is very important that you carefully read the management information circular dated January 15, 2020 (the "Circular") and related materials with respect to the special meeting of Shareholders (the "Meeting") and then vote your VersaPay Shares. You are eligible to vote your VersaPay Shares if you were a Shareholder of record at the close of business on January 8, 2020. HOW TO VOTE Shareholders are encouraged to vote today using the internet or telephone. Registered Shareholders may vote by: Non-registered Shareholders may vote by: Shareholders who hold VersaPay Shares through a bank, broker or other intermediary will have different voting instructions and should carefully follow the voting instructions provided to them. In most cases, non-registered Shareholders will receive a voting instruction form as part of the meeting materials. A non-registered Shareholder can complete the voting instruction form by: (i) calling the phone number listed thereon, or (ii)through the Internet at www.proxyvote.com. YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT - PLEASE VOTE TODAY VERSAPAY MEETING The Meeting will be held on Friday, February 14, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. (Toronto Time), at the offices of Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, Suite 2100, Scotia Plaza, 40 King Street West, Toronto, Ontario. Shareholder Questions and Assistance If you have any questions or require assistance voting your VersaPay Shares, please contact our proxy solicitation agent, Laurel Hill Advisory Group, at 1-877-452-7184 toll-free in North America, or outside North America at +1 416 304-0211, or by e-mail at [email protected]. About Great Hill Partners Great Hill Partners is a Boston-based private equity firm targeting investments of US$25 million to US$500 million in high-growth companies across the consumer, digital infrastructure, financial technology, healthcare, and software sectors. Over the past two decades, Great Hill has raised nearly US$8 billion of commitments and invested in more than 75 companies, establishing an extensive track record of building long-term partnerships with entrepreneurs and providing flexible resources to help middle-market companies scale. For more information, visit www.greathillpartners.com. About VersaPay Corporation VersaPay is a Fintech company and leading provider of cloud-based invoice-to-cash solutions, enabling businesses to provide a superior customer experience, get paid faster, streamline financial operations, and dramatically reduce DSO and costs. VersaPay ARC is the first platform to provide Customer-Centric ARTM with a customer self-service environment to view invoices online, collaborate on inquiries and disputes, and facilitate secure online payments (EFT/ACH and credit card). Businesses gain access to a suite of powerful tools that enable efficient collections, cash application and real-time insight into accounts receivable. VersaPay ARC automatically reconciles payments and account information through integrations with a wide range of ERPs and accounting software providers. More information about VersaPay is available at www.versapay.com or under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward Looking and Other Cautionary Statements This press release contains "forward-looking information" which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Meeting and the completion of the Arrangement, including expected timing, and statements with respect to the anticipated benefits of the Arrangement to VersaPay and the Shareholders. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of terminology such as "anticipates", "believes", "expects", "plans", "intends", "estimates", "schedules", "forecasts", "budgets", "proposes", or variations or comparable language of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof. Forward-looking information is based upon certain assumptions and other important factors that, if untrue or incorrect, could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such information. Readers should not place undue reliance on forwardlooking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from any forwardlooking information include, but are not limited to, the possibility that the Arrangement will not be completed on the terms and conditions, or on the timing, currently contemplated, and that it may not be completed at all, due to a failure to obtain or satisfy, in a timely manner or otherwise, required Shareholder and court approvals and other conditions of closing necessary to complete the Arrangement or for other reasons, the possibility of adverse reactions or changes in business relationships resulting from the announcement or completion of the Arrangement, and changes in equity markets. Specific reference is made to the "Risk Factors" section of the Circular which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for a discussion of some of the factors and risks underlying forwardlooking information. All of the forwardlooking information in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements and are made as of the date hereof. The Company assumes no responsibility to update them or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances other than as required by law. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE VersaPay Corporation Related Links www.versapay.com Jeffrey Quivey of Altamont, a veteran of the Iraq war, has been promoted to sergeant major in the New York Army National Guard during a ceremony at New York National Guard Headquarters in Latham. Sergeant major is the highest enlisted rank in the Army. Quivey, who joined the Army National Guard in 2002, currently serves as the senior noncommissioned officer for the New York Army National Guard's military personnel office. Quivey served as an infantryman with Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry, in Samarra, Iraq, from February 2004 to December 2004. He joined the Army National Guard's Active Guard and Reserve program as a full-time soldier in 2006. Quivey's previous assignments have included aide to the state adjutant general, readiness noncommissioned officer and platoon sergeant, noncommissioned officer in charge of mobilization, enlisted personnel manager, and first sergeant of the 222nd Chemical Company based at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn. He earned a bachelor's degree in business management from Excelsior University. His awards include a Meritorious Service Medal, an Army Commendation Medal, an Army Achievement Medal, Combat Infantry Badge and Parachutist Badge. He also holds the Valorous Unit Award and the Meritorious Unit Commendation for his service with the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry in Iraq. Quivey and his wife, Tiffany, who is a sergeant first class in the New York Army National Guard, have two daughters, Alexis and Avery. New lieutenant colonel Nestor Berge of Niskayuna, a veteran of the Afghanistan war, was promoted to lieutenant colonel during a ceremony at New York National Guard Headquarters in Latham. Berge, an Army lawyer, serves as the top lawyer for the New York National Guard. He joined the New York Army National Guard in 2003 after serving as an enlisted soldier and noncommissioned officer in the active Army for 14 years. After graduating law school from Syracuse University College of Law, he was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the Judge Advocate General Corps in 2008. He was assigned to the 27th Infantry Brigade, first as the trial counsel and later as the brigade judge advocate. Since 2015 he has been assigned to Joint Forces Headquarters, where he served as attorney adviser and now the staff judge advocate. He also earned a bachelor of arts degree in history with a minor in German from Kansas State University. While serving in the active Army, Berge deployed to Honduras, Panama, Haiti, Thailand, Jordan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He also served in Afghanistan in 2012. Berge is a graduate of the Army's Airborne School, Jumpmaster School, Drill Sergeant School, Joint Firepower Control and Naval Gunfire Training, Survival, Escape, Resistance and Evasion training, and the Army Ranger School. He is also a graduate of the Army's Command and General Staff Officer School. Berge has earned a Meritorious Service Medal, a Joint Service Achievement Medal, a Drill Sergeant Identification Badge, a Master Parachutist Badge, a Jordanian Master Parachutist Badge, a Thai Master Parachutist Badge, and a Ranger Tab. Other soldiers advance Amanda Moran of South Glens Falls was promoted to second lieutenant while on duty with Company G (Forward Support Company Infantry), 427th Brigade Support Battalion. Nicholas Pardi of Niskayuna advanced to sergeant major while serving with Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 104th Military Police Battalion. Kyle Ross of Waterford advanced to sergeant while assigned to 466th Medical Company. Military talk A program on "Left for Dead on Slaughter's Field: The 177th New York Volunteer Infantry at Port Hudson" will be offered at 2 p.m. Saturday, at the New York State Military Museum at 61 Lake Ave. in Saratoga Springs. Historian Pat Chaisson will use photographs and the diary of Pvt. William Henry Harrison Freligh, a 21-year old soldier from Albany County. News of your troops and units can be sent to Duty Calls, Terry Brown, Times Union, Box 15000, Albany, NY 12212 or brownt@timesunion.com. Two Ukrainian troops were injured amid shelling and another soldier sustained a combat trauma. On Sunday, February 2, Ukraine reported twelve ceasefire violations by Russian occupation forces in eastern Ukraine's Donbas, Joint Forces Operation HQ press service says. Two Ukrainian troops were injured amid shelling and another soldier sustained a combat trauma. It is noted that the enemy fired at Ukrainian defense positions, employing 120 mm and 82 mm mortars proscribed by the Minsk agreements, armaments installed on IFVs, as well as grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and other small arms. The HQ says enemy forces launched thirty-four 82 mm mines at Ukrainian units near Luhanske. Positions near Pisky, Lebedynske, Krymske, Hladosove, Vasylivka, and Novotoshkivske were also shelled. Joint Forces returned fire to suppress the invaders' fire activity. "Joint Forces reliably control the enemy along the entire line of contact, staying ready to repel any actions of the invaders," the Ministry of Defense noted. Read alsoTeam Zelensky eyes holding elections in Donbas late October As UNIAN reported earlier, on Saturday one soldier with the Joint Forces was killed and another two were injured in Donbas amid 15 truce violations by the enemy. No-confidence votes and other parliamentary maneuvers facilitate leadership turnover, as in the events that allowed Theresa May to resign as prime minister of Britain and Boris Johnson to succeed her, while the Conservative Party kept power, ministers and members of Parliament kept their jobs until a new election sorted things out. MILWAUKEE - Authorities on Monday searched for suspects in the weekend killing of a pregnant woman who was shot while aboard a party bus parked outside a Milwaukee restaurant and bar. Milwaukee police said Monday that the investigation into the death of Annie Sandifer is active and ongoing and that police were still seeking suspects and trying to determine a motive. The shooting happened at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday. A gunman in a passing car fired five or six shots outside Genes Supper Club, hitting Sandifer, a mother of five. The bus rushed her to a hospital, but she didnt survive. Doctors were able to deliver Sandifers baby via an emergency cesarean section, police said. The baby was in stable condition Monday, but delivered just 26 weeks into the pregnancy, it was born very premature. Police said Sunday it wasnt clear whether the bus was the intended target of the attack. At a Saturday evening vigil, family described Sandifer as a loving, giving mother to her children, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. She did everything, like a mother should, said her cousin, Kisha Ducksworth. She went out of her way for her kids. The mission will remain independent of other international deployments in the region, including one led by the United States and another by European countries. The action remains controversial given Japan's war-renouncing constitution written after World War II that forbids the use of military force to settle international disputes. The destroyer and its 200-member crew will operate with two P-3C maritime patrol aircraft to guard ships heading for Japanese ports, officials said. The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said it was prepared to authorize force to protect ships in danger. Japan has dispatched a warship to help safeguard the country's oil supplies through the tense-but-vital waterways in the Middle East. The helicopter destroyer Takanami on February 2 left its port near Tokyo on an assignment to protect merchant ships and oil tankers passing through the Gulf of Oman, through which flows some 90 percent of Japan's oil. Japan and other U.S. allies are attempting to balance efforts to show support for U.S. President Donald Trump while looking to minimizing risks of getting drawn into a larger conflict with Iran as tensions flare between Tehran and Washington. In October, Japan announced it would not join a U.S.-led coalition to protect shipping in vital commerce lanes in the Middle East but would send its own vessels to ensure safe delivery of oil to Japan. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga at the time said Tokyo would still cooperate closely with Washington in efforts to protect oil tankers amid a series of attacks the West and Arab allies blamed on Iran. "We won't join the United States, but will cooperate closely with them," Suga told a news conference. "Self-Defense Force assets will ensure the safety of vessels related to Japan." "Peace and stability in the Middle East is extremely important for the international society, including Japan," he added. "After we studied comprehensively what measures can be most effective, we have decided to pursue our own measures separately." Several incidents in and around the Gulf of Oman, which sees around one-fifth of international oil shipments, raised tensions last year. Tehran denied any involvement in attacks on tankers. Trump accused Iran of carrying out June 13 attacks against two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, including a Japanese vessel. No one was hurt in the attack, but the ships suffered damages. Japan, which is heavily reliant on the import of oil products, has maintained relatively good relations with Tehran and expressed reluctance to join the U.S.-led force. A 51-year-old woman from Colombia has died and five more people are injured after a Greyhound bus passenger opened fire on six people on the California Interstate 5 Monday. A total of 43 people were travelling from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area before 1.27am and one witness said an altercation began after a passenger asked the gunman to be quiet. 'He was, massive, so tall, I remember before this happened, I noticed he had really big shoes on,' passenger Mark Grabban, 29, told NBC News. 'He was muttering things, about "wait till we get to the station".' Then Grabban heard 'f**k you, f**k all of you'. The witness added: 'I heard a gun cock, and eight to nine rounds let off.' Another passenger said that they woke up to the male suspect yelling, 'prompting us further in the back to take cover'. They said fellow passengers seemingly 'physically subdued' the gunman after shots were fired. Six people were shot by a fellow Greyhound bus passenger on Monday after 1am. A 51-year-old woman from Colombia died at the scene on the bus and five others were taken to hospital A witness said an altercation began after someone asked the gunman to be quiet. Investigators are seen outside of a Greyhound bus later on Monday The driver got the gunman off the bus after pulling over on to the right hard shoulder The driver was praised by police who said he immediately pulled over on the hard shoulder of the I-5 and persuaded the shooter to get off. The shooter left the weapon - a black handgun, make and model unknown. The driver continued to the next exit on Grapevine Road, where victims were able to get medical attention. Numerous people on the bus made 911 calls and multiple agencies, including the Kern County sheriff's and fire departments, responded to the original scene south of Bakersfield. California Highway Patrol said a suspect was in custody on Monday by 1.34am. The suspect was taken in without incident. Five of the victims were taken to hospital with moderate to major injuries. One of those five was airlifted from the area in Tejon Pass, which rises to an elevation of more than 4,100 feet (1,250 meters). The driver has been praised for driving onto the next exit and getting the victims medical attention Police said the suspect left the weapon - a black handgun - behind on the bus The body of the dead woman remained on the bus at 6.30am Monday while others were taken to hospital Greyhound told DailyMail.com in a statement: 'Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone and every family member impacted by the incident today' However the fatally injured body of a woman from Colombia remained on the bus, 80 miles northwest of LA, around 6.30am local time. Sgt. Brian Pennings said the driver 'handled the situation professionally and appropriately to minimize any more possible victims'. 'Were grateful that the bus driver acted quickly,' Pennings added. 'His actions were very appropriate and one could say heroic.' The identities, ages and genders of the victims were not immediately known. Police sealed off a Valero gas station on the 8000 block of Grapevine Road East near Lebec and the on and off ramps to the section of the freeway were closed around 3am. Police were waiting to interview the suspect Monday morning. Sgt. Brian Pennings added that an incident like this is rare and he's never seen anything like it in his 25-year career. Greyhound told DailyMail.com in a statement: 'Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone and every family member impacted by the incident today. 'We are gathering details and will assist the Kern County police in every way possible during their investigation. What we do know at this time is that the incident involved schedule 6848-1, traveling from Los Angeles to San Francisco.' Forty people were on the bus going from LA to the San Francisco Bay Area. Passengers were shaken and angry One passenger said they woke up to the male shooting yelling and 'prompting us further in the back to take cover' One woman who appears to suffer from PTSD after the October 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, woke up to a man yelling and thought she was going to die Passengers, who were scheduled to be dropped off in San Francisco and Oakland, were shaken and angry. One tweeted Greyhound: 'You need to implement proper security measures at ALL of your stations! A bus departing from Los Angeles had been infiltrated by someone with a gun, and we are currently stopped at the Grapevine to have authorities and paramedics assist with the shooter situation!' The social media user who had missed their intended bus and had to get on a later one, said at the time of the shooting 'the lights were off due to the nature of it being a red-eye overnight ride'. The passenger said they were about 'half the bus' length away from where the incident had occurred' and 'was unable to identify the suspect outside of him being male' but 'from what I can tell, some passengers physically subdued him'. They added in tweets: 'Until Greyhound and Megabus implement proper security measures, I am either flying or hitching a ride with a friend or other trusted person for future SoCal trips! As of now, I no longer feel safe using these services! 'A transportation service that allows for people to bring weapons on board is not a transportation service worth using.' Police said the suspect was arrested without incident and used a black handgun, make and model unknown. Sgt. Brian Pennings is pictured Another passenger who appears to suffer from PTSD after the October 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, woke up to a man yelling and thought she was going to die. Im okay. Just was on my way to San Francisco shooting happened on the Greyhound,' she posted on Twitter. 'I suffer from Vegas tragic couple years and I was asleep [sic] and a guy talking so loud and started firing 7-9 round and happened so fast I thought that was the end. Passengers had to wait for a rescue bus to collect them after the incident so they could continue their journey. Grabban, who heard the altercation break out, said that Greyhound needs to screen passengers using metal detectors like they would at an airport. The British man who lives in the States was with with his girlfriend and says he told a mother who was with her young children to stay crouched down. Grabban said the shell casing from one of the bullets landed on his lap. 'I dove to the floor right to under the seat, I got to my girlfriend, tried to put her head down. I was just waiting for the next shot, I was assuming I was going to get shot,' Grabban added to NBC News. 'I saw the blood on the floor of the aisle. I looked to the woman on the left, and she wasnt responding, wasnt moving or anything. She was lifeless. It was horrifying to see. I hadnt seen anything like it.' KYIV, Ukraine - A leaked recording of an exchange between an Iranian air-traffic controller and an Iranian pilot purports to show that authorities immediately knew a missile had downed a Ukrainian jetliner after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 people aboard, despite days of denials by the Islamic Republic. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/2/2020 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In this Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, photo, rescue workers search the scene where a Ukrainian plane crashed in Shahedshahr, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran. Iran on Saturday, Jan. 11, acknowledged that its armed forces "unintentionally" shot down the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed earlier this week, killing all 176 aboard, after the government had repeatedly denied Western accusations that it was responsible. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) KYIV, Ukraine - A leaked recording of an exchange between an Iranian air-traffic controller and an Iranian pilot purports to show that authorities immediately knew a missile had downed a Ukrainian jetliner after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 people aboard, despite days of denials by the Islamic Republic. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged the recording's authenticity in a report aired by a Ukrainian television channel on Sunday night. In Tehran on Monday, the head of the Iranian investigation team, Hassan Rezaeifar, acknowledged the recording was legitimate and said that it was handed over to Ukrainian officials. After the Jan. 8 disaster, Irans civilian government maintained for days that it didn't know the countrys paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, answerable only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had shot down the aircraft. The downing of the jetliner came just hours after the Guard launched a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. forces in retaliation for an earlier American drone strike that killed the Guard's top general, Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad. A transcript of the recording, published by Ukrainian 1+1 TV channel, contains a conversation in Farsi between an air-traffic controller and a pilot reportedly flying a Fokker 100 jet for Irans Aseman Airlines from Irans southern city of Shiraz to Tehran. "A series of lights like ... yes, it is missile, is there something?" the pilot calls out to the controller. "No, how many miles? Where?" the controller asks. In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, honor guard carry a coffin of the one of the eleven Ukrainian victims of the Ukrainian 737-800 plane that crashed on the outskirts of Tehran, at Borispil international airport outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. An Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people has crashed just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital's main airport on Jan. 8, 2020. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) The pilot responds that he saw the light by the Payam airport, near where the Guards Tor M-1 anti-aircraft missile was launched from. The controller says nothing has been reported to them, but the pilot remains insistent. "It is the light of missile," the pilot says. "Dont you see anything anymore?" the controller asks. "Dear engineer, it was an explosion. We saw a very big light there, I dont really know what it was," the pilot responds. The controller then tries to contract the Ukrainian jetliner, but unsuccessfully. Publicly accessible flight-tracking radar information suggests the Aseman Airlines aircraft, flight No. 3768, was close enough to Tehran to see the blast. Iranian civil aviation authorities for days insisted it wasnt a missile that brought down the plane, even after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. officials began saying they believed it had been shot down. There were 57 Canadian citizens aboard the aircraft along with several others who had ties to Canada. Iranian officials should have immediately had access to the air-traffic control recordings and Zelenskiy told 1+1 that "the recording, indeed, shows that the Iranian side knew from the start that our plane was shot down by a missile, they were aware of this at the moment of the shooting." Ukraine's president repeated his demands to decode the plane's flight recorders in Kyiv something Iranian officials had promised last month but later backtracked on. On Monday, Ukrainian investigators were to travel to Tehran to participate in the decoding effort, but Zelenskiy insisted on bringing the so-called "black boxes" back to Kyiv. "It is very important for us," he said. Iranian authorities, however, condemned the publication of the recording as "unprofessional," saying it was part of a confidential report. "This action by the Ukrainians makes us not want to give them any more evidence," said Rezaifar, the head of the Iranian investigators, according to a report by the semiofficial Mehr news agency. ___ Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Daria Litvinova in Moscow and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Payam is an airport, not a city. Islamabad (AFP) - Airlines in Pakistan resumed flights to and from China Monday after health authorities said they were confident they had systems in place to keep the deadly coronavirus out of the country. The move comes as dozens of global airlines are halting flight services with China, and governments are increasingly barring entry to anyone who has recently visited the country. China has long been an all-weather ally of Pakistan and in recent years has provided Islamabad with billions of dollars in loans as part of Beijings global Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. Some 28,000 to 30,000 Pakistanis are living in China, and more than 500 nationals are believed to be in Wuhan, where the virus originated. "Flight operations with China have resumed," Zafar Mirza, a public health advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan, told reporters Monday. "I personally received passengers from China this morning. I checked the whole system step by step and we have not seen any suspected patients that needed to be kept under observation," he added. The decision was questioned by medical experts in the country, where investment in health care has been woefully lacking for decades. "Pakistan is not capable of treating the coronavirus," said Athar Niaz Rana, a senior medical practitioner at Islamabad's Shifa International Hospitals. "We don't have any facility to properly test suspected cases," he told AFP. So far there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Pakistan, but four students living in Wuhan have been infected. There are currently more than two dozen weekly flights between Pakistan and China, civil aviation authority spokesman Abdul Sattar Khokhar said. Prime Minister Khan has visited China three times since taking office in 2018, and has repeatedly refused to criticise Beijing when asked about the countrys treatment of its Muslim minorities. Coronavirus gifts Kerala an accredited NIV Kerala, which has been depending on the National Institute of Virology in Pune to test samples in cases of new virus infections until now, will now start testing Coronavirus samples at the new National Virology Institute in Alappuzha, state health minister said today. While the local lab was not authoridsed to test such cases, the minister said, as a measure to make the sample analysis of suspected Coronavirus cases quicker, Kerala will depend on the National Institute of Virology in Alappuzha instead of NIV Pune. Despite the state having an NIV, there was no permission to test the samples and declare the results, and hence the state had been depending on NIV Pune for confirming the results. We had sought permission to carry out the tests in Alappuzha NIV, and on Saturday we got the required permission. Samples have already been sent there. From today we will start testing at NIV Alappuzha, the minister told media. With almost all states across the country dependent on NIV Pune to test suspected coronavirus cases, rising workload has slowed down analysis at the institute, which delayed the final results. Testing of pathogens like coronaviurus has to be carried out in facilities which are classified as Biosafety Level 4, and NIV Pune is the only such lab in the country. The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) classifies laboratories into different categories, starting from Biosafety Level (BSL) 1 to 4. Laboratories classified as BSL 4 study extremely harmful pathogens, including Ebola, Nipah and Coronavirus. Strict hygienic measures and special conditions needed to test the microbes, will be in place in BSL 4 labs as organisms tested there are potentially fatal. Such facilities should be located in isolation in a separate building or in a restricted zone in a building. NIV Pune is one such facility. NIV Alappuzha has now also been equipped with the facilities and conditions required to test the Coronavirus samples. During the time when Kerala faced the Nipah virus outbreak in 2018 and in 2019, though tests were held simultaneously at NIV Pune, Manipal Institute of Virology and Alappuzha NIV, the official result could only be announced after the result came out from Pune. But at present, results which come from sample analysis from Alappuzha will be considered official. A new University of Miami study indicates that brain systems related to discrimination could underlie differences in how African Americans and white Americans respond to pain In her Social and Cultural Neuroscience Lab at the University of Miami, assistant professor of Psychology Elizabeth Losin investigates the mechanisms underlying racial and ethnic disparities related to pain and pain treatment. She looks at the role the brain plays using functional MRI (fMRI) and the impact of social and cultural factors, including the doctor-patient relationship and stressful life experiences such as discrimination. In the study "Neural and sociocultural mediators of ethnic differences in pain," published today in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, Losin; Tor Wager, Diana L. Taylor Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience at Dartmouth College; and colleagues identify possible brain and social factors underlying racial and ethnic disparities in pain. The researchers found that African American participants reported greater pain in response to a controlled pain stimulation than Hispanic or non-Hispanic white participants did. African Americans also exhibited differences in their brain responses to pain, which correlated with their personal histories of experiencing discrimination. "There's evidence that both the general public and clinicians believe that African Americans are less sensitive to pain than non-Hispanic whites; yet research, including our own, shows exactly the opposite." said Losin. "Minorities, particularly African Americans, actually report more pain." These inaccurate racial and ethnic biases about pain could have medical consequences. "If medical professionals, whether consciously or unconsciously, believe that African Americans feel less pain than others, clinicians may be less inclined to alleviate the pain of their African American patients," explained Losin. Understanding why these pain biases exist, therefore, is a key step toward closing the pain gap - in other words, eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in pain and its treatment. In the study, Losin and her team measured brain responses using an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machine while simultaneously inducing pain in participants via a laboratory heating apparatus on the arm. Outside the MRI scanner, they asked participants questions about different aspects of their lives, including stressful life experiences and previous experiences with pain. The subject group consisted of 88 participants (28 African Americans, 30 Hispanic Americans, and 30 non-Hispanic white Americans) from the Denver metro area, who were recruited and tested by Losin in Wager's Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder. All of the study participants were administered the same controlled pain stimulation. African Americans, however, reported greater pain than Hispanic or non-Hispanic white participants, which is consistent with previous studies. During this study, the researchers also looked for differences in brain responses to pain. Using the MRI scanner, the researchers identified two specific areas of the brain, the ventral striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which responded to pain more strongly in African American participants than the other two groups. Prior research has found that these two brain regions also respond more strongly to pain in chronic pain patients. The researchers think that the similarity between the increased pain sensitivity observed in African Americans in their study and that which is typically seen in chronic pain patients may be due to stress. "We know that stressful experiences early in life predispose people to developing chronic pain," said Losin. The results of this study suggest that a history of other kinds of stressful experiences, including discrimination or having a mistrust of doctors, may change the brain in ways that may cause people to respond more strongly to physical pain. "These findings exemplify how neuroimaging is teaching us that there are multiple contributions to pain," noted Wager, "and that we need to consider the broader psychological and cultural setting when we think about what is underlying pain and how to address it." This study suggests that racial and ethnic disparities in pain may be a symptom of a much broader problem, underscoring the impacts of racial and social discrimination in society. The findings point to a promising avenue for reducing pain-related health disparities in the near term, however: building greater trust between African American patients and their doctors. Ongoing experiments in Losin's laboratory are aimed at understanding the relationship between patients' trust in their doctors and their experience of pain. Despite the differences observed, Losin pointed out that the groups in this study were more alike than different. "An important part of studying group differences is also to look for similarities," Losin explained. "In our study, brain systems related to the sensory aspects of physical pain were responding very similarly across all ethnic groups." "It's a common misconception that any difference you see between groups of people must be an intrinsic difference, rooted in our biology. But the differences we found in this study were related to people's life experiences." This, according to Losin, is good news: "It reaffirms our similarities and provides hope that racial and ethnic disparities in pain can be reduced." ### London, Feb 3 : A man shot dead by the UK police after he stabbed people in south London, has been identified as a 20-year-old who was "recently released from prison" after serving time for terror offences, it was reported on Monday. The suspect was identified as Sudesh Amman hours after he was killed by the police in a "terror-related" stabbing incident on Streatham High Road on Sunday where at least three people were injured, but none were in a life-threatening condition, the BBC said in a report. He was under active police surveillance at the time of the attack, which the police believe was an Islamist-related terrorist incident. "No arrests have been made and inquiries continue at pace," the Metropolitan Police said, while Scotland Yard officers continued searching addresses in south London and Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy said: "He (Amman) was under surveillance quite soon after being released which begs the question, why was he released so soon?" Following the attack, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that his government on Monday would announce further plans for "fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences". He said the government had moved quickly to introduce measures strengthening its response to terrorism, including longer prison sentences and more money for police, following the attack at Fishmongers' Hall, near London Bridge, last November. Amman had pleaded guilty in November 2018 to six charges of possessing documents containing terrorist information and seven of disseminating terrorist publications, according to the BBC report. One of the manuals Amman admitted owning was one about knife fighting. He was jailed at the Old Bailey the following month for three years and four months. Amman was first arrested in north London in May 2018 by armed officers on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. In response to the attack, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "Terrorists seek to divide us and to destroy our way of life - here in London we will never let them succeed." Concerns among small and medium-sized manufacturers in China over the impact of the coronavirus outbreak have risen sharply, with many worrying about going bust if the situation is not brought under control soon. Anxiety is most acute among labour-intensive manufacturing firms, as local governments have restricted business where numerous people congregate in an effort to contain the deadly virus. If the outbreak is not brought under control by March or April, when many foreign customers place orders for the rest of the year, some Chinese companies fret business will shift to suppliers outside China, accelerating a move to alternative manufacturing bases, especially in Southeast Asia. Foreign customers will definitely wait and see how the epidemic situation develops and may place new orders in other regions, instead of China, said Tom Wang, who runs a footwear factory in the city of Dongguan in Guangdong province. Foreign customers will definitely wait and see how the epidemic situation develops and may place new orders in other regions, instead of China Tom Wang Small shops, restaurants and local logistics firms have suffered most from government controls, with many saying they can only hold out for two or three months before they are forced to close for good. The rapidly spreading virus, which has killed at least 304 people and infected more than 14,000 in mainland China, has prompted authorities to close factories, shopping malls and tourist attractions, as well as put severe curbs on transport. Several governments have extended the Lunar New Year holiday, ordering firms not to reopen until at least February 10. In Guangdong province, one of Chinas manufacturing hubs, small business owners, who are already grappling with rising costs and the effects of the trade war, are bracing for a downturn should the epidemic continue. The number of workers resuming work [at factories] in Dongguan will definitely be affected in the coming couple of months, as well as at logistics operations and supply chain firms, Wang said. Story continues In the first quarter, a drop in orders is certain, and most of [Dongguans] factories are labour-intensive. We are very afraid of possible contagion in our factory, so we dare not take any big orders in the first quarter. He said he was not confident about the outlook for export orders in the second quarter, either. The impact of the coronavirus which has been declared a global health emergency will be much larger than that of the Sars epidemic in 2002-2003 for Chinas small and medium-sized factories (SMEs), Wang said. China had just joined the [World Trade Organisation in December 2001], so there were a lot of foreign orders, resulting in a boom in the manufacturing sector, he said. Now, supply chains have begun to shift in the past couple of years because of the trade war. The epidemic situation will definitely give more factories the incentive to [shift]. Liu Kaiming, head of the Institute of Contemporary Observation, which studies working conditions in hundreds of factories across China, warned that the uncertainty created by the coronavirus outbreak could be a death blow for many manufacturing firms. If the epidemic can be controlled by the end of February, the impact on the manufacturing industry will be manageable, he said. If in early March they still see that the [virus] situation has not been brought under control, they are likely to turn to other countries to place orders. Supply chains have begun to shift in the past couple of years because of the trade war. The epidemic situation will definitely give more factories the incentive to [shift]. Liu Kaiming Liu said that if the situation had not calmed by March, then Chinas supply chains and status as the worlds factory could fall off a cliff. Advanced manufacturing industries and low-end, labour-intensive enterprises would be affected, he said, as the outbreak could lead to a severe drop in orders and a cash shortage for both hi-tech and traditional manufacturing firms. Jason Liang, sales manager for a Guangdong-based exporter of LED lighting products, said his company had already moved some of its production overseas and predicted others would soon follow. LEDs are seasonal products, and most of our export orders have been completed and shipped, he said. In particular, were so lucky we invested in a Thailand-based factory last year, which started production in January. I think this virus outbreak will spur more production capacity to be relocated abroad. Ftech, a major supplier for Hondas car production facilities in China, is planning to move its brake pedal production to the Philippines from Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus outbreak, according to Japanese newspaper Nikkei. If the coronavirus continues to spread, other companies are likely to follow Ftechs move, the report said. Honda has three production facilities in Wuhan, all of which are closed until at least February 10. Numerous Chinese and foreign carmakers, as well as semiconductor companies have production bases in Wuhan, which is also a major logistics hub. The Guangdong government must act to help smaller manufacturing firms, said Peng Peng, vice-president of the Guangdong System Reform Research Society, a think tank. The international reaction [to the coronavirus outbreak] is more psychological, he said. Foreign clients cannot distinguish between Chinese goods manufactured in Wuhan from those manufactured elsewhere in China, so all Chinese goods exports may be delayed or cut back in the short term. Many small service firms and restaurants may not last more than two months under the current conditions, Peng said. More than 20,000 employees of Xibei, one of Chinas biggest restaurant chains, had been unable to work because of the virus outbreak, company chairman Jia Guolong was quoted as saying by Chinaventure, a leading investment research and consulting firm. Xibei had 400 stores with more than 20,000 employees in more than 60 cities across the country and at present almost all dine-in restaurants had been shut, he said. The outbreak has cut Xibeis revenues by about 90 per cent compared to the same period of last year. We pay 156 million yuan (US$22.3 million) per month for employees salaries. Our cash flow can only keep this up for three months, Jia said, adding if the situation continued until April we will have no choice but to lay off employees. For now, was is little small and medium-sized enterprises could do, said Wang, the owner of the footwear factory. We can only keep out Hubei natives and check workers body temperatures on a daily basis, and let the workers live outside the factory. However, the rent, workers social security and other government fees, as well as operating costs, remain unchanged and are a stranglehold on SMEs like ours, he said. Sign up now for our 50% early bird offer from SCMP Research: China AI Report. The all new SCMP China AI Report gives you exclusive first-hand insights and analysis into the latest industry developments, and actionable and objective intelligence about China AI that you should be equipped with. More from South China Morning Post: This article Coronavirus could be death blow for many of Chinas small manufacturers if not under control by April first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. Edward Vines, left, has been sentenced after sending letters to Emily Maitlis's mother. (PA Images) An obsessive stalker who harassed Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis for more than 25 years has been jailed for three years after breaching his restraining order for a 12th time. Edward Vines, 49, admitted in January to sending two letters to the BBC presenters mother Marion saying he was in love with her and was distressed when she ceased contact with him. At Nottingham Crown Court on Monday, a judge said he feared there was no sight of this ever ending describing the defendants behaviour as a life-long obsession. Judge Stuart Rafferty QC told the defendant: For whatever reason, you have an obsession with Emily Maitlis and it is your belief that you have been wronged by her and you have been wronged by the law. You are convinced that you are in love with her and, no doubt, you think she is in love with you. I am afraid I have to sentence you on the basis that you are a long way from any reality dawning on you. Edward Vines stalked Emily Maitlis for 27 years (PA Images) If you love Emily Maitlis as you say you do, one might be forgiven for saying you have a very strange way of showing it, because you have made her life, in many ways, a misery. Vines was given a restraining order in 2009 after years of stalking Maitlis, and was jailed for 45 months in January 2018 for continuing to breach the order by writing to her from his prison and bail hostel. It led Maitlis and the judge who sentenced him that month Judge Peter Ross to question how Vines has been able to continue writing to her from HMP Bullingdon in Oxfordshire. At Vines sentencing last month, Judge Stuart Rafferty QC said he had a long-term fixation on Maitlis and that it was not clear to the court what [Viness] present mental state is. It followed Vines guilty plea for breaching his restraining order on 7 May and 16 May last year and again on 6 October, when he wrote to Marion Maitlis asking her to pass a letter on to her daughter. Vines and Maitlis briefly became friends when they both attended Cambridge University in the mid-1990s. Story continues Maitlis has previously spoken about how his behaviour had upset her husband, scared her children and affected her work. She said in January 2018: When I heard that Edward Vines had breached his restraining order I felt scared and let down. Edward Vines. (SWNS) Scared because it meant that even from within the prison system the perpetrator was able to reach me let down because the system had been unable to stop him getting in touch even though the crime he is serving time for is harassment through unwanted and ongoing contact. Altogether the breach has been a reminder for me that this man remains a constant threat in my life and my familys life and that my ability to do my work, hang out with my children and lead a normal family life without a constant sense of suspicion and fear has been badly damaged. In a previous court hearing, Vines, who represented himself, had asked whether he could call Maitlis as a witness. Finishing his sentencing remarks on Monday, Judge Rafferty said: She cant live a free life because of you. She is forever looking over her shoulder to see if you are there. If you keep breaching the order, all the court can do is lock you up. This at the moment has to be treated as a life-long obsession by you. All the court can do is try to protect Ms Maitlis and her family as best as it can. Until you can take the step to stop being the unrequited 19-year-old that you were at the start of all of this, nothing will ever change. House managers and defense lawyers are set to deliver their closing arguments in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, after Democrats' failure to secure new witness testimony and documents all but guaranteed an acquittal. The seven House impeachment managers, led by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., will take to the floor of the Senate at 11 a.m. ET to make their final pitch that Trump deserves to be removed from office for allegedly abusing his power and obstructing Congress through dealings with Ukraine. The House managers and Trump's legal team will share four hours to make their final points. A formal vote on whether to convict or acquit Trump is set for 4 p.m. on Wednesday the day after Trump delivers his State of the Union address. "It was a very serious thing," Trump told Fox News opinion host Sean Hannity in an interview that aired Sunday before the Super Bowl. "It should have never happened to another president." From the start of the impeachment proceedings in the Senate, it was considered unlikely that two-thirds of the GOP-majority chamber would vote to convict a Republican president. After Friday's vote against allowing new witnesses and documents into the trial, acquittal is virtually certain. The UN Security Council is considering plans to hold a closed-door session on Thursday with White House senior adviser Jared Kushner to discuss the newly unveiled US-Middle East peace plan, Belgium Permanent Representative to the United Nations Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve said in a press briefing. "We expect to receive requests from the American delegation for closed consultations on February 6 with Jared Kushner to present the American peace plan," de Buytswerve, who presides with the UN Security Council in February, told reporters on Monday. De Buytswerve noted that such a request, when received, will have to be confirmed by the UN Security Council. On January 28, US President Donald Trump unveiled his Middle East peace plan to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians via the two-state solution. Under the plan, Israel would annex settlements in the West Bank and Jordan Valley and keep Jerusalem as its "undivided capital." The peace plan envisions the Palestinians would double the land they currently hold and receive USD 50 billion in investment to spur the Palestinian economy. However, Palestinian refugees would not be permitted to return to their land. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the peace plan, the Palestinian leadership have outrightly rejected it. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to visit the UN Security Council on February 11 to mobilise opposition to the peace plan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category by Michael Liss The rights and interests of the laboring man will be protected and cared for, not by the labor agitators, but by the Christian men to whom God in His infinite wisdom has given control of the property interests of the country, and upon the successful Management of which so much depends. George Baer, President of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, during the Coal Strike of 1902. Whenever I read yet another article about intramural warfare in the Democratic Party over which candidate will be progressive enough for the Progressive wing, I think about that quote. Know your enemy, know yourself. Do contemporary Progressive politicians really know either? The old Progressivism, which reached its zenith in the period between 1896 to 1916, was primarily a social and political reform movement. Faced with the excesses of the unbridled capitalism of the Gilded Age that had preceded it, it did not look first toward redistribution. Rather, it took aim at the pervasive rot that was created as immense wealth was being made in businesses like mining, railroads, shipping, steel, meatpacking, and finance, often at the expense of the working man, the farmer, and the small businessman. From this, it drew its moral force. We should acknowledge that those fortunes were the product of the efforts of real visionaries, larger-than-life figures like Vanderbilt, Jay Gould, James J. Hill, the Armour and Swift families, J.P. Morgan, Rockefeller, and Carnegie. Talent aside, though, their successes were enhanced by the sharpest, most predatory tactics, of the type described in Ida Tarbells The History of The Standard Oil Company, a 19 part series in McClures Magazine, which chronicled the rise of Standard Oil. Business was not for the faint of heart, and the most successful businessmen were monopolists who went from strength to strength, squeezing every competitor, and every last dollar, out of every transaction. No matter how entrepreneurial the businessman, no matter how rich the oilfield, no matter how coldly efficient the operator, it couldnt have been done without grease. Corruption was literally everywhere. State and big-city government often amounted to organized thievery, with bribery and favoritism at every level. Licenses, jobs, concessions and contracts, franchises for the operation of electric street railways, telegraph and telephone lineseverything had a price. The cash reached as high as the federal court system and Congress, with Senators just as prone to having a hand out as local aldermen. And why shouldnt they? Before the 17th Amendment, Senators were selected by State legislators, and not answerable to the public in a direct election. There was also a philosophical undercurrent, perhaps too bluntly expressed by George Baer, but shared by many of his caste: a strong sense of Social Darwinism, a belief that good fortune was reflective of a natural superiority and effort, and bad fortune of laziness and immorality. With that as their reality, it was thought that government should stay out of the relationships between capital on the one hand, and labor and consumers on the other. If there were to be any government intervention, it should simply be to afford police protection to those men of property. Just as this philosophy influenced the treatment of gigantic industries, so too did it affect more niche markets, like the one for Patent Medicines. The same forces applied, and the argument we sometimes hear now in opposition to regulationthat the market will self-regulatewas shown to be true in reverse. Those who wanted to play it straight found themselves at an enormous competitive disadvantage. Better to sell something worthless and even dangerous than not to sell anything at all. Demographics and geography also played roles in creating demand. In 1900, 60 percent of the population lived in rural areas, about two thirds of that on farms. Doctors were not always available, and did not always have either the best training or equipment at hand. Not everyone made the connection that Lister and Pasteur did in the 1850s and 60s, between dirt and infection. As they often lacked adequate anesthetics and were unable to control blood loss, surgeons operated quickly, so nuance was out, making recovery longer and more painful. When they did cut, they did so with bare and sometimes unwashed hands and unsterilized equipment. Not surprisingly, mortality rates were exceptionally high. As to the cities, pockets of wealth supported patrician doctors, but elsewhere, especially in areas that drew large numbers of immigrants, often unspeakable squalor prevailed. As for even common diseases, running the spectrum of what we would now consider minor to life-threatening, there were no antibiotics, no insulin, and very little in the conventional formulary to cure what ailed people. There was also a strong tradition among rural and immigrant families of self-reliance and the use of home-brewed remedies. Patent Medicines, often packaged and marketed in interesting ways, reasonably priced at perhaps $1 a bottle for multiple doses, and supposedly containing miracle ingredients, were a lot more convenient and cheaper than calling for a doctor. Weve all seen the prototypical snake-oil salesman in movies like The Outlaw Josey Wales and Little Big Man, but this wasnt all hucksters in sharp suits. Sears Roebuck, in its 1892 catalog, devoted more than 30 pages to a variety of pills, elixirs, ointments, and devices. What did they cure? The better question is, what did they claim to cure? Cancer, Coughs, Consumption, and the dreaded Catarrh. Paralysis and Pleurisy. Tremors, Chills, and Fevers. Rheumatism, pimples, spinal issues, eye sores, ringworm, and dyspepsia. Every claim was served up with a little flair from the emerging world of advertising. What wonderful names and commanding slogans those ads offered: Dr. Williams Pink Pills for Pale People, which claimed to have saved a boy from paralysis, and Dr. Fenners Cough and Cold Syrup, which even promised to be free of opium, morphine, or any narcotic. Dr. Ayres Cherry Pectoral, which would cease your cough, strengthen your throat, and heal your lungs. Kemps Balsam, which urged you not to delay, because it was a sure cure for Consumption in the early stages, and was also effective on Whooping Cough and Influenza. If all else failed on the respiratory front, Smiths Throat And Lung Balm was no less than Natures Invincible Panacea. Ah, Nature. Cure or kill, so lets not leave out what nature could have in store. The terrifying tapeworm was one of the scourges of the age, often transmitted through undercooked food or the unwashed hands of unsanitary food preparers (of which there was an abundance). There are, apparently, several varieties of these colorful parasites, going by a variety of intimidating names, like T. saginata, T. solium and T. asiatica. Tapeworms head to the intestinal tract, hang out, feed, and decide to reproduce (in enormous numbers). They also occasionally grow far too large for comfort (or health), and migrate to more unfortunate places in the body. In case you needed a little extra push, in the advertising of the time, tapeworms looked much like Amazonian Anacondas. But, fear not. Kemps Vegetable Pastilles was ready, and The Kickapoo Indians Tape-Worm Secret was sure to get the head, body and all. So many organs, so many opportunities. The Liver was a big one. While the French were supposedly experts in livers, if you had to buy domestic, there was Dr. M.A. Simmons Liver Medicine, which cured Indigestion, Biliousness, Colic, Costiveness, Dyspepsia, Sick Headache, Foul Breath, and Sour Stomach. Health issues, of course, can effect us in so many ways, even in those intimate matters for which one would want the privacy of a doctor-patient relationship, if a doctor were ever around: Let me start with my own gender: Men, can we speak in a discreet, but straight-from-the-shoulder manly way? Who among us hasnt occasionally felt lacking in.enthusiasm? Yes, help is on the way: Glandol for lack of vigor, or if you prefer something a little more daring, Dr. Dyes Voltaic Belt. And, let us be honest, we men can be weak. As we can be lured by a pretty face, the siren call of vice is constantly beckoning. Fear not, my friends; should there be unpleasant medical consequences, a Doctor Clarke of the Chicago Dispensary promises to promptly, reliably, and thoroughly cure. Chicago too far? Just purchase Alternative Juice from the Seroco Chemical Laboratory, or (and Im not making this up) Gono, which apparently is unequaled in treating all unnatural discharges. Women, draw near. I fully admit I dont quite understand your issues, but there is someone who does. Lydia Pinkham. Mrs. Pinkham was born in 1819, but, thanks to her remarkable preparations of various herbs and spices (and, in their original form, a bracing dose of something more bracing), she is still with us today (in Walmart!), offering a variety of potions for the various stages of a womans life. She had a stern, but comforting face (which adorned every box of her medicines) and an intuitive grasp of marketing at a time before there were women doctors (Only a woman can understand a womans ills.). Did any of these things actually work? After a fashion, as it depends what you were looking for. If you wanted a buzz, you were in luck. Old Dr. J. Townsends Sarsaparilla modestly sold as The Most Extraordinary Medicine in the World, claimed to purify the blood and, in turn, cure a litany of other ailments. Along with the sarsaparilla part of the sarsaparilla, it was anywhere between 18 to 25 proof alcohol. Not bracing enough? Browns Iron Bitters promised relief from diseases of your liver, kidneys, and bowels, plus malaria, fevers, indigestion, and the ever-dreaded dyspepsia. For flavoring, they added 39 percent alcohol, and, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, a chaser of cocaine. Prefer the high in slightly lower doses? Mrs. Winslows Soothing Syrup (for teething babies!) managed to include both morphine and alcohol. How did all this glorious dosing come to an end? A confluence of factors led to intense pressure on Congress to break away from the contribution-influenced, laissez-faire approach and step in. Women were organizing and emerging as effective and persistent advocates for a number of social causesSuffrage, of course, but also things like poverty, racism, and hearth-and-home issues like Temperance and public health. People and, in particular, children were dying, and in very large numbers, from disease-ridden food, incredibly toxic additives (Formaldehyde!) meant as preservatives or fillers, and adulterated medicines. In the Spring of 1905, the magazine Womens Home Companion published Henry Irving Dodges The Truth About Food Adulteration. Finally, the slow-developing, but eventually spectacular success of Upton Sinclairs The Jungle (about the horrors of the meatpacking industry) brought public outrage to a boil. At the same time, an extraordinary series of articles by Samuel Hopkins Adams appeared in Colliers. The Great American Fraud painstakingly, and sensationally, laid out the extent of the harm all those good-for-you medicines caused. But, where to go? The manufacturers were still incredibly powerful, and their influence reached well beyond their friends in the House and Senate. Many general-interest newspapers relied on advertising revenues from them, and those contracts often came with non-disparagement clauses. As much agitation as there was for change, the time never seemed ripe. The reformers needed something more than just the lurid reporting of horrible facts, and, starting in late 1905, they got it. First, Teddy Roosevelt finally decided to weigh in, and, on November 5, 1905, he backed what came to be called the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, [f]or preventing the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated or misbranded or poisonous or deleterious foods, drugs, medicines, and liquors, and for regulating traffic therein, and for other purposes. TR could be a potent force, but he wasnt the final gatekeeper. The House and Senate needed to go along, and, there, the chances still seemed very slim. The Senate Majority Leader, Nelson Aldrich of Rhode Island, had absolutely no interest in it, publicly condemned it as an assault on individual liberties, and refused to bring it to the floor for a vote. The bills prospects seemed doomed, until help arrived from an unexpected directionthe 135,000 member, normally apolitical, American Medical Association. The doctors werent as much interested in food as they were with drugs, but realized the two were intertwined. They made it clear to Aldrich that he was either going to relent, or all 135,000 of those doctors would rally in favor of the bill and tell their patients to do the same. Aldrich yielded, and the bill was passed by the Senate in late February 1906, and sent to the House. There, in a last gasp of the old guard, it was placed on ice for three months, while industry (with the help of the Speaker, Joe Cannon of Illinois, Stockyard Division) did what it could to stall, amend, and defang it. But the tide had turned. TR was running out of patience, and commissioned another study, confirming Sinclairs account of the filthy conditions of the meatpacking houses. Then the market itself shifted: the British refused to buy canned American meat, and Germany and France expanded that to any American meat at all. The ladies sent outraged letters, and the AMA urgent telegrams. The House passed it, and on June 30, 1906, Teddy Roosevelt signed it (taking a hefty portion of credit for himself). This, of course, wasnt the end. The new law was filled with compromises, and, with regard to drugs, in keeping with the times, it did not actually ban alcohol, narcotics, or stimulants. It did, however, require them to be listed on the label as addictive, and that, coupled with a provision that allowed mislabeled drugs to be seized and destroyed at the manufacturers expense, gave it some teeth. In 1911, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in United States v. Johnson that the prohibition against making misleading statements did not apply to claims of efficacy, which were merely free speech. As long as you disclosed the addictive ingredients, you were at liberty to claim your product cured whatever ailed the sufferer. In 1912, Congress amended the Act in response, but was only able to provide relief where it could be demonstrated that the manufacturer had knowingly made fraudulent claims. Still, the Progressives had won something important. In a time in which every bit of regulation was considered a threat to the nation by the powerful, they had marshalled the key components of change in any democracy. They had held up a mirror to the problem, gained critical constituencies not present at the start, enlisted people of influence to take up their cause, and persisted. They had shown that government intervention on behalf of the people was, under certain circumstances, the morally correct thing to do. That was Progressivisms genius. It did not attempt to end inequality, or just redistribute wealth. Its bigger ambitions were grounded in basic right and wrong: end the corruption, the undue influence, the disenfranchisement, and the predatory behavior that led to injustice and appalling conditions. Its a lesson that is applicable today. Photo: DriveBC UPDATE: noon The Sumas border crossing has reopened to traffic in both directions. ORIGINAL: 9:45 a.m. The Sumas border crossing in Abbotsford is closed to traffic entering the U.S. this morning, due to flooding on the American side. DriveBC reports the border crossing is open to northbound traffic only. The crossing was first shut down Saturday night, CTV News reports. Widespread flooding is reported throughout Washington state's Whatcom County. with files from CTV Vancouver OPEC is likely to make some cuts, Ms. Sen said, but that may not be enough to bolster skittish markets. People are fearing the worst, she said. Chinese oil demand already appears to have crashed as the lockdown of Wuhan and other cities and overall fear curb air travel, driving, trucking and factory use. Gary Ross, chief executive of Black Gold Investors, a New York trading and investment firm, estimates that Chinese oil demand over the last two weeks has been down around 2.5 million barrels a day, or close to 20 percent compared with the previous year. Mr. Ross said that cutbacks in Chinese oil purchases were likely to ripple across the world, causing supplies to build up in the United States and Europe. At least for the short term, he said, the oil market has entered a vicious circle of selling pressure with no hope in sight. There is much at stake for the big OPEC producers and Russia, as many of them depend on sales to China, particularly now that the United States has turned from major importer to exporter, largely because of shale production. In December, before the crisis hit, China imported nearly 11 million barrels of oil, comparable to the output of a major producer like Russia. A little more than half of Chinese supplies come from OPEC countries. Saudi Arabia was Chinas largest supplier last year, averaging about 1.7 million barrels a day, or close to a quarter of Saudi exports, according to Energy Aspects. Russia was a close second, with Angola, Brazil and Iraq also feeding large volumes of crude to the Chinese economy. Analysts say it might not be easy for OPEC to come up with an effective response. For one, it is difficult to predict how long the coronavirus crisis will last and how much damage it will do to the world economy. Also, output curbs on the order of 2.5 million barrels a day would be unusual for OPEC, because such a deep cut would require producers to absorb serious pain. It is also difficult to judge when Libyan volumes, now down about one million barrels a day because of political infighting, will return. Sudhir Choudhrie is an international investor, businessman, and philanthropist who's among the wealthiest people in India. Choudhrie has turned much of his recent attention to a deep love for philanthropic work and endeavoring to explore some of the causes and interests about which he's most passionate. This has been particularly true since a frightening experience with heart failure that occurred in 1999 which required a heart transplant. In fact, Choudhrie is officially one of the world's longest surviving recipients of a transplant in history, a fact that he refers to as his 'greatest achievement.' He then moved to London where he became a visionary for the C&C Alpha Group, an investment firm. With the new company he was able to invest in everything from aviation to healthcare. He also became a director of Deccan Aviation Ltd and Kingfisher Airlines, as well as a director of Ebookers, a travel website. He is also one of the world's most prolific collectors of vintage cars, some of which we will explore in this article. The Sudhir Choudhrie Vintage Car Collection One constant across the Sudhir Choudhrie vintage car collection is the idea that they are appreciated, that they are an investment, that they are often rescued and restored and that the vehicles are sometimes also rolled out to be part of road rallies and parades. Choudhrie and his family appear to genuinely enjoy finding cars that have fallen on hard times. He saves them and then diligently returns them to their former glory. With the range of models, Choudhrie really has an impressive collection. It's been called the finest private collection in India. Perhaps the most intriguing thing about the Sudhir Choudhrie vintage car collection is how it refuses to be pigeonholed. It is an ever-evolving collection of beautiful and vintage cars that anyone would be proud to call one's own. The History of Automobiles in France While many might not know it, France was actually one of the pioneering nations when it came to the rise of the automobile industry. Ever since the Frenchman Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built the world's first self-propelled mechanical vehicle in 1789, the French have been instrumental in pioneering some of the most significant advancements in automobile manufacturing in history. Today, the two major auto making companies in France- PSA Group and Renault Group- help France rank as the 11th largest automotive industry in the world and the 3rd largest in all of Europe, behind only Germany and Spain. French-designed cars have received worldwide accolades on multiple occasions, including the coveted European Care of the Year and World Car of the Year awards. For many years, France also dominated the market in much of Africa before Japanese automakers began to make inroads thanks to their more economical prices and vehicles designed for moderate off-road work. French Car Manufacturers Some of the most iconic vintage French car manufacturers include Hispano-Suiza, Cottereau, and Darracq-all brands represented in Choudhrie's historic collection. Though many of these brands are no longer in operation, at their peak they produced some of the greatest, most stylish, and most powerful luxury automobiles in the world. The attention to detail and design are apparent in every curve and feature of these vehicles, making them a must-have addition in any serious collection. The French Collection Although his interests and businesses have expanded since his motor vehicle company was up and coming, he still has his own way of celebrating collectible cars from around the world. A big part of that collection pays homage to France. Choudhrie does this by taking vintage cars that might not be in the best shape and restoring them. When it comes to luxury cars, France is a bit of an underdog, which makes these vehicles even more attractive to Choudhrie. France was a pioneering nation in the industry, creating a self-propelled vehicle back in 1789. While France does not get the attention that Germany gets in the automotive industry, the country is ranked 11th in the world among auto-making companies and third in Europe. Sudhir Choudhrie has made sure that some unique vintage French cars are properly represented in his collection. Some French brands represented include Hispano-Suiza, Cottereau and Darracq. The fact that these brands are not on today's roads and highways gives them an even more special place in the collection. Some of the individual cars included are: Hispano-Suiza H6B 1927 The Hispano-Suiza H6B is a French luxury car that was first introduced at the Paris Motor Show in 1919. The straight six engine was inspired by Marc Birkigt's aircraft engines. The cutting-edge technology also extended to the way the car's deceleration drove the brake servo to provide more power. Both revolutionary in its features and beautiful in its design, this 1927 Hispano-Suiza H6B is one of the most prized pieces in Choudhrie's collection of vintage vehicles. Sudhir Choudhrie's Hispano-Suiza H6B 1927 Cottereau 7hp Voiturine 1903 Among the oldest vehicles in Choudhrie's collection, and in fact among the oldest automobiles still in existence, the Cottereau 7hp Voiturine was manufactured by Lois and Henri Cottereau at their car manufacturing company in France. The Voiturine is one of the first cars imported to India. It features a single-cylinder water-cooled engine, chain drive and a three-speed gearbox. The original owner was the Maharajah of Patiala, before it ultimately made its way into the hands of collector Sudhir Choudhrie. Sudhir Choudhrie's Cottereau 7hp Voiturine 1903 Darracq 12hp Type V circa 1914 The Darracq 12hp was a popular car, with 14 cars rolling off the factory floor every day. It has a tourer ody, a 4-cylinder in an inline side-valve engine with a 4-speed gearbox. While it was technically a French company, Darracq branched out into the UK and Italy before it was finally bought out by Rootes Group. Still, its French roots are exceedingly evident in every line and curve of the Darracq 12HP Type V. It's truly a beautiful vehicle and is certainly among Choudhrie's favorites from his collection. Sudhir Choudhrie's Darracq 12hp Type V circa 1914 While much of Sudhir Choudhrie's time is split between his many business ventures and philanthropic efforts, he still manages to find time to manage and expand his vintage car collection, arguably the greatest in all of India. An avid restoration fan, Choudhrie has personally overseen the restoration of dozens of vehicles-including many still in his collection. With vehicles spanning the entire globe and over a century of automobile manufacturing history, a walk through Choudhrie's garage is like a walk-through time that's sure to be a rewarding and fascinating experience. Students at three Pennsylvania schools were told to stay home Thursday amid ongoing concerns over lead and asbestos contamination, as state police investigate what former district officials did to address problems with tainted water. One day after Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled a $1.1 billion plan to help Pennsylvanias public schools remediate lead and asbestos, crews in the Scranton School District were conducting air quality tests and making emergency repairs. All of these things are alarming and upsetting to parents and staff and we want to be as communicative as possible, said Katie Gilmartin, president of the Scranton School Board. Wolfs proposal would expand an existing grant program to make money available for lead and asbestos removal in Pennsylvania schools, though its prospects for passage in the Republican-controlled Legislature are unclear. School districts statewide have been grappling with how to address environmental hazards in aging school buildings. Asbestos is a known carcinogen, while lead can cause lifelong brain damage and other injuries, especially in children. A 2018 state law encourages schools to test for lead in drinking water annually, though it does not mandate testing, and the state Department of Education does not track how many districts have tested. Schools that find high levels of lead are required to notify the state and act immediately to prevent people from drinking contaminated water. As of the end of November, testing had revealed excess lead concentrations in more than 100 buildings in more than 30 Pennsylvania school districts, vocational-technical and charter schools, and other public education buildings. In Scranton, district officials announced high lead levels at 38 sinks and water fountains in several schools, including at least one of the three schools closed Thursday. Those three schools along with a fourth announced Thursday afternoon will be closed again Friday as officials evaluate and remediate asbestos. We will keep these buildings closed until all are deemed safe for students and staff, Superintendent Melissa McTiernan wrote in a message on the districts website. As the district works to make its buildings safe, state authorities and parents are trying to figure out what took so long. They were supposed to fix this years ago and they havent. So now were dealing with the mess and the cleanup and once again, the kids are the ones that suffer, Barbara Richter, whose grandchildren attend two of the schools that were closed Thursday, told WNEP-TV. An environmental engineer said he first notified district officials in 2016 that he had found elevated lead levels in drinking water. Joseph Guzek said that when he returned in December 2018 and again in December 2019, he also found lead in the water. I was told, when I had been down in 2016, that they were going to take care of this, he said. Then in 2018 we give them the same report, and in 2019 we give them essentially the same report. We dont know whether corrective action was taken and the sinks were turned off like we asked. Guzek said state police interviewed him about his findings this week. He added that top district administrators who began working at the district last year and were unaware of the previous testing took immediate steps to address the situation when he submitted his latest report earlier this month. Gilmartin, the school board president, said Thursday its very alarming that problematic sinks and fountains evidently werent addressed by previous district administrators. Safety is the No. 1 priority, obviously, she said. Even if it seems like we cant afford to do this now, we cant afford not to do it and we cant afford to let it get worse.88 Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Peacefmonline.com can confirm that the Office of the President has charged the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, to with immediate effect delve into the bottom of the Airbus bribery scandal and investigate the complicity of any public official, "past or present" who may have been involved in the saga. A statement signed by Communications Director at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin stated that these investigations are expected to be conducted in collaboration with the United Kingdom authorities. "The attention of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has been drawn to a 31st January, 2020 judgement of the Crown Court at Southwark, in the United Kingdom, between the Director of the Serious Fraud Office and Airbus SE, in which the European multinational aerospace corporation has been fined $3.9 billion for the payment of bribes to secure deals in five countries, including Ghana.... "....President Akufo-Addo has taken notice of the judgement and its implications, and has referred it to the Office of Special Prosecutor to collaborate with its UK counterparts to conduct a prompt inquiry to determine the complicity or otherwise of any Ghanaian government official, past or present, involved in the said scandal, and to take the necessary legal action against any such official, as required by Ghanaian law," the statement read. Gov't Official 1 & Intermediary 5 According to The Guardian of the UK, Airbus, Europes largest aerospace multinational, was found guilty by a High Court in London for paying huge bribes in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Taiwan and Ghana secure contracts between 2009 and 2015". With regards to Ghana, the report further stated that the planemaker, according to Section 7 of UKs Bribery Act 2010, between 2009 and 2015 engaged intermediary 5, a close relative of a high-ranking elected Ghanaian government official (Government Official 1), as its BP in respect of the proposed sale of three aircraft to the government of Ghana. A number of Airbus employees knew that intermediary 5 was a close relative of Government Official 1, a key decision maker in respect of the sales. A number of Airbus employees made or promised success-based commission payments of approximately 5 million to the intermediary. False documentation was created by or with the agreement of Airbus employees in order to support and disguise these payments. The payments were intended to induce or reward improper favour by the Government Official 1 towards Airbus. Ruling A London High Court found Airbus guilty, and imposed a fine of three billion pounds (3bn) as penalties. Airbus was charged with five counts of failing to prevent bribery, having used a network of secret agents to pay large-scale backhanders to officials in foreign countries to land high-value contracts. Anti-corruption investigators, according to The Guardian, have described the court's decision as the largest ever corporate fine for bribery in the world. A judge declared the corruption was grave, pervasive and pernicious. Why Probe When Ghana Did Not Lose Any Money? Meanwhile, even before the Office of the Special Prosecutor, tasked by President Akufo-Addo to unravel the complicity of any past or present public official in the infamous Airbus scandal, Former Head of Communications at the Presidency during ex-President Mahamas tenure, Stan Xoese Dogbe believes considering "Ghana did not lose any money" there is need for government to investigate the matter. The aide to the former President, in a Facebook post, wants the Akufo-Addo government to rather probe his corruption-laden "family and cronies" appointees; their sordid enterprises which are "still fresh in the minds of Ghanaians". "Ha ha ha!! Finally, the SP [Special Prosecutor] will have some work to do." "But please, Mr. Akufo-Addo, given that Govt of Ghana did not lose any money in this Airbus matter, and yet you are willing to attempt some so-called investigation, just asking, why wont you rather investigate the nepotism-induced $24m tax waiver you gave to your in-law which will be at a cost to the tax payer?" "The criminal PDS scandal involving your family and cronies is also still fresh in our minds ooo!" Mr Dogbe posted. INQUIRY INTO BRIBERY OF GHANAIAN OFFICIALS IN MILITARY AIRCRAFT DEAL For Immediate Release The attention of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has been drawn to a 31st January, 2020 judgement of the Crown Court at Southwark, in the United Kingdom, between the Director of the Serious Fraud Office and Airbus SE, in which the European multinational aerospace corporation has been fined $3.9 billion for the payment of bribes to secure deals in five countries, including Ghana. According to the Statement of Facts in the case, between 2009 and 2015, a number of Airbus employees made or promised success based commission payments of approximately 5 million to Intermediary 5, who is said to be a close relative of a high ranking elected Ghanaian Government official (Government Official 1). Significantly, Government Official 1 was a key decision maker in respect of Government of Ghana aircraft orders. The payments to Intermediary 5 by officials of Airbus SE were, thus, intended to induce or reward improper favour by Government Official 1 over the purchase of three (3) C-295 military transport aircrafts. Indeed, out of the 5 million promised Intermediary 5, 3.85 million was paid between March 2012 and February 2014. President Akufo-Addo has taken notice of the judgement and its implications, and has referred it to the Office of Special Prosecutor to collaborate with its UK counterparts to conduct a prompt inquiry to determine the complicity or otherwise of any Ghanaian government official, past or present, involved in the said scandal, and to take the necessary legal action against any such official, as required by Ghanaian law. Eugene Arhin Director of Communications Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A military plane carrying 20 passengers, who were evacuated from virus-struck China landed in Lisbon on Sunday evening. According to local authorities, the group included 18 Portuguese nationals and two Brazilian citizens. The group had landed earlier in the day on French soil, part of a second French-chartered airliner carrying 300 evacuees from Wuhan as more foreigners flee a rapidly spreading virus that originated in the Asian country. Of the people on the flight, 36 showed potential symptoms of the virus. Sixteen are being sent to other European countries, and 20 are being tested in France. Those aboard the flight include French, Belgians, Dutch, Danes, Czechs, Slovaks and some African citizens. As of Sunday night, Europe had 25 known cases of people who have been infected with the virus that first emerged in central China's city of Wuhan: Germany has 10; France has six; Russia, Italy and the UK have two each and Finland, Sweden and Spain each have one. The Duchess of Cambridge has encouraged young people to ask for help when they are struggling with mental health issues, saying that doing so can be incredibly courageous. On Monday 3 February, the Duchess published a statement to mark the beginning of Childrens Mental Health Week, an annual initiative organised by childrens mental health charity Place2Be. In her statement, the royal outlined how the world can seem like a scary and daunting place for children, which can make them feel less comfortable opening up about any issues they are going through. While we might not always feel brave inside, even the smallest act such as sharing a worry or asking for help can be incredibly courageous, Kate said. Helping children to feel confident about seeking support can have a transformational impact on their lives. The Duchess stated that trying new things and venturing out of your comfort zone are important skills that can build childrens resilience and self-esteem. Learning these skills early in life can give children tools to cope with future challenges they may face in adulthood, she said. Kate concluded her message by saying she is pleased to support Place2Bes Childrens Mental Health Week, the 2020 theme of which is bravery. Through all my interactions with the charity, Im proud to have seen how its work is helping children, young people and adults to be more confident in looking after their mental health, but there is still much more to do, the royal affirmed. Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Show all 18 1 /18 Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Last month, the Duchess of Cambridge launched a landmark UK-wide online survey exploring several facets of early childhood. Titled Five Big Questions on the Under Fives, the survey consists of five short questions designed to help shape public perceptions of the importance of childrens early years. These include questions such as: What do you believe is most important for children growing up in the UK today to live a happy adult life? A statement released from Kensington Palace with regards to the survey said: This public feedback will also help to focus Her Royal Highness work through The Royal Foundation as she endeavours to provide children across the UK with the best foundations to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. On Sunday evening, the Duchess of Cambridge attended the Baftas wearing a gold-embroidered gown by Alexander McQueen. A passenger train route connecting northern Vietnam and China is expected to shut down in the next couple of days to prevent the contagion of the novel coronavirus. Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the Vietnam Railway Authority and Vietnam Railways are working with their Chinese counterparts regarding the temporary closedown of the train route. According to the Vietnam-China border railway agreement, both sides must discuss and reach a consensus before ceasing the operation of the railway route. The transport service is expected to shut down in one or two days so that passengers who already bought their tickets would be able to get on the final trains, said Deputy Minister Dong. The border railway connects Gia Lam District, Hanoi and Nanning City, China, via Dong Dang Border Gate in northern Lang Son Province, with trains departing at 9:00 pm on a daily basis. The trains travel from Gia Lam to Beijingxi Station in Beijing every Tuesday and Friday. On Thursday and Sunday, two trains travel from Beijingxi Station to Nanning and Gia Lam. According to the Hanoi Railway Transport JSC, passengers of this railway route are mainly Chinese nationals who travel from Vietnam back to their hometowns. All passengers have been asked to undergo quarantine inspection upon their arrival at Dong Dang Border Gate. The novel coronavirus, which first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has caused over 360 deaths and infected more than 17,380 people globally as of Monday. Vietnam has confirmed eight infections so far, including five Vietnamese, one Vietnamese American, and two Chinese. One of the Chinese and one of the Vietnamese patients have been cured. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam previously grounded all flights to and from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan to curb the spread of the deadly virus. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Photo: Police photo A man convicted of first-degree murder for the death of a British Columbia police officer has been sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole for 25 years. Oscar Arfmann's B.C. Supreme Court trial last year heard that he ambushed Abbotsford Police Const. John Davidson and shot him twice from behind in November 2017. The conviction of first-degree murder is an automatic life sentence of 25 years before parole can be considered, and the judge says that time served will be accounted for. The officer's wife, Denise Davidson, told the sentencing hearing Monday in a victim impact statement that her husband treated everyone with compassion and fairness, yet he was shot in the back for his kindness. She says he was a man who didn't hesitate to put his own life in danger as the job required, and he stepped out of his vehicle that day to bring a peaceful resolution to the situation. She says she and Davidson emigrated from the United Kingdom with their three children for a better life and he once told her that he believed no one would ever shoot a cop in Abbotsford. She says her life has been shattered by his murder and she has no vision for the future because she can't imagine life without her husband. A psychiatrist told the trial Arfmann had psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia at the time of the murder, but was capable of understanding his actions, although he denied killing the officer even after the conviction. His lawyer, Martin Peters, said it was open to the court to find Arfmann not criminally responsible for the murder because of mental disorder. Instead, Peters said Arfmann directed him to tell the judge that he wanted to be sentenced for first-degree murder. Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: At a time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is under firing lines of Opposition over a recent statement of its leader Anurag Thakur, another Union minister and loudmouth leader of the party Giriraj Singh again courted a fresh controversy on Monday. Singh on Twitter alleged that educational institutions like AMU and Jamia were being used to raise a traitors army against the country. Singh alleged that Owaisi like "katarpanthi"(hard core religious believer or radical) have been vitiating these educational institutions for creating an army of traitors against the country. Slamming them, he said Pakistan has already been created for them. He stressed that such "Owaisi and the anti-constitution people will have to be stopped". He warned that the people of India have now got awoken. Singh tweeted: "In educational institutions like Jamia/AMU, radicals like Owaisi are creating a traitors' army against the country by mixing poison against the country. Owaisi and such constitutional opponents will have to be stopped. The people of India have awakened, don't squeeze us, don't break.). Pakistan was made for you now let us live peacefully". Singh was reacting to a statement of Asaduddin Owaisi in which he had expressed his solidarity with the students of Jamia and accused the government of perpetuating tortures on them. Stepping up Twitter attacks on Arvind Kejriwal, Singh also said that the whole of India is awakening against Kejriwal's appeasement and help for anti national forces. "Patriotic people will choose their paths and the supporters of Shaheen-Baghi will give a heavy blow to Kejriwal",he said. He also condemned the threat given to an international meditation mentor Dipankar Ji Maharaj and asked the police to provide adequate security to him. President Donald Trump may soon be finished with his impeachment trial. This resulted from senators deciding not to call any witnesses or the entry of additional evidence. Before the total votes were made, the Democrats prayed that four Republicans would support the call for witnesses. This would provide an opportunity to extend Trump's trial period and present new, unheard testimony and documentation. After the votes were made, Democrats attained only two votes from Republicans. The votes are now shifting to determine whether or not to acquit Trump in this impeachment trial. Trump's Relief From Impeachment Trial and Its Effect on the 2020 US Election According to an article by the BBC, the statement released by Mr. Bolton and his connection with the issue with Ukraine had relevantly affected the strength of the case placed by the lawyers of President Donald Trump during the trial. President Trump is being accused of two charges. First, the abuse of power which resulted from the Democrats accusing the President of persuading Ukraine to sabotage Biden's political image. Lastly, the obstruction of Congress where Dems claim that he intently caused obstruction to his impeachment investigation. Both are exrtemely flimsy accusations, and don't look to hold up well in the Senate. The final vote that will determine Trump's fate, will be made on February 5. What to Expect in the Coming Days? The senate will be deciding the fate of Donald Trump through a bi-partisan vote. According to Chuck Schumer, Senate minority leader of the Democratic Party, the total votes on Friday would be four on Democratic Amendments. This will then be followed by arguments to close the trial on Monday. He said that different declamations will be given by multiple senators starting from Monday to Wednesday. A final vote will be made on Wednesday. It is the same day Donald Trump will be giving his State of the Union address. Mr. Bolton's Testimony Seniors of the Republican Party supporting President Trump have been pushing since the start for a fast trial with the insufficiency of witnesses and additional evidence. Primarily, Republicans feel as if Democratss had their chance in the House to provide a sound case againt Trump, which they failed to do. Now Dems want to call new witnesses, such as former Adviser of National Security John Bolton, which the GOP are refusing to do. According to some Republicans, the Democrats failed to do their job in the House, and now want Republicans to help them fix their problem. In the previous week, the competition of showing witnesses had been intense between the Democratic Party and the GOP. The situation heightened when Mr. Bolton gave a statement that supported the president's significant connection with the Ukraine military aid controversy. According to a report from the New York Times, in his upcoming book, Mr. Bolton said that President Trump had directly ordered him to not release the military assistance coming from Ukraine. The exchange for the deed would be sharing controversial knowledge about Joe Biden, another presidential candidate. Only to later be disproven when a video clip of Mr. Bolton surfaced where he was recorded saying the exact opposite of what his book alleges. Facts about Donald Trump's Impeachment Trial Two-thirds majority, or 67 votes, is needed to remove Donald Trump as the leader of the country. The Senate is dominated by the Republican Party with 53 members. The Democratic Party's count in the senate is only 47. All of the Republicans in the senate are in support of the president. A more news-worthy focus will be on the Democrats in the Senate who will vote for the relief of President Donald Trump from his impeachment trial. Various members of the DNC have already shown favor for President Trump, with one Democrat changing parties. Any support from the Democratic Party in the senate to Donald Trump will be used to his advantage in his 2020 presidential election campaign. Segregation is not being stamped out in schools because people are 'afraid' to cause offence, Ofsted's chief inspector warned yesterday. Amanda Spielman said concerns about religious, cultural and ethnic sensitivities meant parents were not speaking out about the practice of treating boys and girls differently. She drew a parallel with the scandal of police and local authorities failing to tackle child exploitation by Asian grooming gangs as a result of 'censoring ourselves'. But rather than shrinking from their responsibilities, people should be 'braver' to stop children being exposed to damaging practices, added Mrs Spielman. Last month, the Mail reported how inspectors found Redstone Academy (pictured), Birmingham, guilty of discrimination for segregating pupils and giving boys preferential treatment 'In a school in Birmingham, we found some very, very rigid segregation that meant that boys were always put ahead of girls for everything,' she said. 'Children literally didn't see each other. We found books in the library saying men can beat their wives provided they don't leave a mark and that women aren't entitled to refuse sex to their husbands.' This example was an Islamic school but it was 'theoretically for all children' as it was a state-funded community school. Conditions were also 'very restricted' at a Jewish school in London, Mrs Spielman told the Sophy Ridge on Sunday show on Sky News. 'Not just on the kinds of topics we know are sensitive for some people around evolution and reproduction but things as startling as the history of the reign of Queen Elizabeth the girls weren't allowed to know that,' she added. 'There's a slide to shutting down what children are allowed to know. How can we make sure everybody's prepared for adult life if we let schools narrow what they do? 'Problems exist at a small minority of schools but the point is because of our sensitivities about religion, culture, ethnicity, we're very reluctant to say we've got some really tough issues.' The private Islamic-faith secondary Redstone Academy (pictured) said improvements were under way Mrs Spielman said difficulties arose when 'religion and other rights bump into each other'. Referring to the abuse of girls in Rochdale, Rotherham and other cities, she said: 'There's no question that we're afraid. All the dreadful grooming gang stories that shows vividly what happens when we censor ourselves. 'We desperately need everybody to be a little bit braver, calling things by their name, talking about what's there.' Mrs Spielman called on local authorities and MPs to do more to solve the problem. Last month, the Mail reported how inspectors found Redstone Academy, Birmingham, guilty of discrimination for segregating pupils and giving boys preferential treatment. The private Islamic-faith secondary said improvements were under way. The Campaign for Real Education also warned that girls were often treated as second-class citizens but people were 'scared' to say anything. Chairman Chris McGovern said: 'We mustn't be afraid to speak truth to the power of political correctness. Otherwise we are finished as a society. We will fragment.' Brisbane, Australia, Jan 31, 2020 - (ABN Newswire) - Lake Resources NL (ASX:LKE.AX - News) (HAM:LK1.F - News) provide the Quarterly Activities report for the period ending December 31, 2019. HIGHLIGHTS - Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) is near completion for the Kachi Lithium Brine Project in Argentina, a major lithium project in the Lithium Triangle. - Large volume high purity lithium carbonate with very low impurities to be produced from Lake's Kachi Lithium Brine Project for off-takers in Asia. Delivery to commence from March 2020. - 20,000 litres of brines currently underway to arrive at pilot plant in California soon after the end of January 2020. - Pre-production targeted in early 2020 from pilot plant using Lilac Solutions' direct extraction ion exchange methodology expected to produce at the lower part of industry cost curve. - London based, SD Capital Advisory Limited appointed to secure debt funding of up to US$25 million for DFS, permitting and lithium pre-production from its Kachi Lithium Brine Project in Argentina. - Capital raising underway for purpose of increasing shareholder value with intent to repay convertible notes; update due by 10 February. To view the quarterly report, please visit: https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/XT0ZOC08 About Lake Resources NL: Lake Resources NL (ASX:LKE.AX - News) is a lithium exploration and development company focused on developing its three lithium brine projects and hard rock project in Argentina, all owned 100%. The leases are in a prime location among the lithium sector's largest players within the Lithium Triangle, where half of the world's lithium is produced. Lake holds one of the largest lithium tenement packages in Argentina (~200,000Ha) secured in 2016 prior to a significant 'rush' by major companies. The large holdings provide the potential to provide consistent security of supply demanded by battery makers and electric vehicle manufacturers. The Kachi project covers 69,000 ha over a salt lake south of FMC's lithium operation and near Albemarle's Antofalla project in Catamarca Province. Drilling at Kachi has confirmed a large lithium brine bearing basin over 20km long, 15km wide and 400m to 800m deep. Drilling over Kachi (currently 16 drill holes, 3100m) has produced a maiden indicated and inferred resource of 4.4 Mt LCE (Indicated 1.0Mt and Inferred 3.4Mt) within a 8-17 Mt LCE exploration target (refer ASX announcement 27 November 2018). Story continues A direct extraction technique is being tested in partnership with Lilac Solutions, which has shown 80-90% recoveries and lithium brine concentrations in excess of 3000 mg/L lithium and is planned to be trialled on site in tandem with conventional methods as part of a PFS to follow the resource statement. Scope exists to unlock considerable value through partnerships and corporate deals in the near term. Contact: Steve Promnitz Managing Director Lake Resources N.L. T: +61-2-9188-7864 E: steve@lakeresources.com.au Source: Lake Resources NL Copyright (C) 2020 ABN Newswire. All rights reserved. MANILA, Philippines President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is set to meet with government agencies tasked to address the concerns relative to the 2019 novel coronavirus- acute respiratory disease (2019 nCoV-ARD). Malacanang believes that the Presidents meeting with the Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on Monday (Feb. 3) is just right in the course of time. The chief executives meeting with the task force will happen four days following the World Health Organization and the Department of Healths confirmation of the first case of 2019-nCoV case in the Philippines and just a day after the country recorded the first nCoV-related death outside of China. Its not late, in fact very timely ang desisyon ng gobyerno. Again, we follow also the directives and also the recommendation from the World Health Organization, the Department of Health. [] Ang desisyon ng gobyerno ay very methodological. At yung meeting mamaya nataon lang din na timely because noong weekend namatay ang pasyente na galing ng China, said Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar. The palace official called on the public not to spread division and politicking, and not to let discrimination prevail at these times. We urge the public to stop spreading rumors as well as ending the stigma against specific nationality or race. There is no room for discrimination, there should be none at all. Lets set aside our individual differences as we ask moratorium for people who want to hijack this situation and reduce it to mere politicking because lives are at stake, Andanar added. The World Health Organization, meanwhile, said they are pleased with the measures being adopted by the Philippine government in addressing the deadly virus. WHO representative Dr. Rahindra Abeyansinghe believes that the outbreak of the 2019-nCoV ARD in China is controllable and the spread of the virus can be quelled. We are satisfied so far with the measures being implemented by the government of the Philippines and we are continuing to work with them to increase their preparedness in case there are further importations or there is evidence of local transmission. As I have mentioned earlier, at this point in time, there is no report of local transmission, Abeyansinghe said. Story continues Meanwhile, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) appealed to the public not to use surgical masks if they are not experiencing any respiratory syndrome, and save its use for health workers and patients. Let us reserve our masks to those who need them. I have seen many people wearing masks and please think of whether the use of these masks are indicated because now there is a current shortage of this valuable commodity. Let us give them to those who need them most especially the health workers, RITM director Dr. Celia Carlos said. (from the report of Rosalie Coz) /mbmf The post Pres. Duterte to meet with Inter-agency Task Force on 2019-nCoV ARD appeared first on UNTV News. Cong accuses BJP of using Tek Fog app to propagate agenda on SM, seeks intervention by SC TMC's presence in Goa to help BJP in polls, claims Sanjay Raut BJP set to pull out all stops in UP, SP main contender UP Election 2022: BJP panel meet today to decide candidates for first phase BJP serves show cause notice to Anantkumar Hegde for swipe at Mahatma Gandhi India pti-PTI New Delhi, Feb 03: The BJP issued a show cause notice to its MP Anantkumar Hegde on Monday for his comments against Mahatma Gandhi, the party's Karnataka state president Nalin Kumar Kateel said. Kateel told PTI that the party's central leadership has served the notice to Hegde, taking strong objections to his remarks targeting Gandhi and seeking an explanation from him. In controversial comments, Hegde questioned the freedom movement led by Gandhi and described it as an "adjustment" with the British rulers. Freedom fighters who did not sacrifice anything made the country believe that it attained independence through 'Upavas Satyagrah', Gandhi's preferred mode of agitation, and became 'mahapurush' (great person), Hegde had said at an event in Bengaluru on Saturday. Greens MP Adam Bandt is poised to become the next leader of his party, after Richard Di Natale announced he was leaving politics to spend more time with his young family. The ten-member Greens party room will meet on Tuesday morning in Canberra to elect a new leader. Mr Bandt, the party's only lower house MP, was the sole nominee for the role on Monday evening, with senior Greens sources confident he had the numbers to win. Adam Bandt, right, wants to run for the leadership on the Greens, replacing Richard Di Natale, centre. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen However, while co-deputy leader Larissa Waters and Tasmanian senator Nick McKim quickly ruled themselves out of the contention on Monday, high-profile South Australian Senator Sarah Hanson-Young did not respond to requests for comment by deadline. Late on Monday, NSW Senator Mehreen Faruqi said she was considering nominating for an undefined "leadership role". Both the leader and co-deputy leader positions became vacant after Senator Di Natale called time on more than four years as the parliamentary leader and nearly ten in federal politics. M ichel Barnier told Boris Johnson that Britain can have an ambitious trade deal with the EU but warned that fishing rights must be on the table and European regulations will be applied in some areas. The EU chief negotiator said any trade deal would be less favourable to the UK than the terms it enjoyed as a member of the European Union before Brexit took place on Friday. He spoke out as the Prime Minister made a keynote speech setting out the UK position in talks on trade, security and other agreements. Mr Johnson warned he would rather walk out of talks with no free trade deal than sign a treaty that tied the UK to EU regulations, including its so-called level playing field rules on fair competition. Mr Johnson said Britain was ready for the great multi-dimensional game of chess in which we engage in more than one negotiation at once. Boris Johnson / AP Speaking to business leaders and ambassadors, he said trade teams would be in talks with the United States, the Commonwealth and old friends like Australia, New Zealand and Canada while negotiating with the EU. We want a thriving trade and economic relationship with the EU, our neighbours, our partners, our friends, he said. But are we going to insist that the EU does everything we do, as the price of free trade? Of course not. Mr Johnson argued that British standards on the environment and worker rights already went further in some cases that the EUs own standards. Therefore, he argued, there was no need to lay rules down in a treaty. Mr Johnson is calling for a deal similar to Canadas, despite a Treasury analysis suggesting it would reduce growth by 4.9 per cent over 15 years. If that fails, he says he would settle for Australian terms, which would mean mainly World Trade Organisation rules and limited extra agreement in some sectors. Mr Barnier was also playing hardball. He said: The most ambitious partnership is the one that we had, because we were in the same union. He added: When you are not a member of the European Union then ... your position is different and less favourable. Earlier he told French radio: There will be no trade deal with the British if there is no reciprocal access deal for our fishermen ... I hope I make myself clear. He hit back at Government claims that the EU had reneged on an offer of a Canada-style deal by adding demands for level-playing field rules. He said there should be no surprise at the EU position which was long established. This will be the key, basically, to opening up our markets, including markets in services, he said. (Alliance News) - Eleven more evacuees from coronavirus-hit China are beginning a two-week quarantine period after they were flown back to the UK on Sunday evening. The British nationals and family members arrived at RAF Brize Norton on a flight from France shortly before 8pm and will join 83 people already in isolation at Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral. The latest repatriation flight came as a man in the Philippines became the first person to die from the virus outside China, where the death toll has risen above 300. Chinese authorities said the number of confirmed cases of infection had increased to 14,380. A University of York student and their relative remain the only two confirmed cases in the UK and the pair are being treated at a specialist unit in Newcastle. On Sunday, the Foreign Office, which has withdrawn some staff from China and closed the British Consulate-General in Wuhan, said it is continuing to work with EU countries to add remaining Britons to any rescue flights they may charter back from Wuhan. A spokesman for the Foreign Office (FCO) said: "The government is in touch with British nationals who remain in Wuhan, and are doing everything we can to bring them home as safely and quickly as possible." Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the government a which has launched a public health campaign advising people how to slow the spread of the virus a is doing all it can to help Britons leave Wuhan. Raab told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "We'll do everything we can to make sure that those that still want to leave, give them the opportunity to do so." He added: "The challenge that we've got, and the Chinese have got frankly, is to contain the virus but also then to lift out people that want to come back home and we're doing that as sensitively and as effectively as we can." The Department of Health said the new campaign of advertisements advising people to use tissues when sneezing or coughing and wash their hands regularly will target publications and forums known to be read by Chinese nationals in the UK. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said UK medics are working "round the clock" to prevent the spread of the illness, but added the general public can do its bit. He said: "Basic hygiene such as washing our hands regularly and using tissues when we cough and sneeze can play an important role in minimising the spread of viruses like this." The University of York reassured staff and students that the risk there remains low as investigations revealed the unnamed student had not been on campus or in student accommodation either before or after being exposed to the virus. Vice-chancellor Professor Charlie Jeffery said the student did not attend a university Chinese New Year celebration or recent graduation ceremonies and contacted emergency services as soon as their relative showed symptoms of the virus. Public Health England is continuing to work to try to trace people who had close contact a defined as being within two metres of the infected person for 15 minutes a with the pair, who had checked in to the Staycity apartment-hotel in York. A dedicated helpline set up by the University of York at the weekend for people with concerns about the virus had received more than 240 calls by Sunday afternoon. The UK risk level from coronavirus remains at moderate, having been raised from low last week, on the same day the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared an international public health emergency. The Department of Health said 266 coronavirus tests had been carried out in the UK to date, with only the two confirmed cases coming back positive. The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has surpassed that of the Sars epidemic, although death rates are lower. Many countries have said they plan to quarantine evacuees for two weeks to avoid spread of the virus and evacuation flights out of Wuhan a where the virus was first identified a are expected to continue. Russia, Mongolia and North Korea have announced that they will close their land borders with China to guard against the spread of the virus. New Zealand announced on Sunday that it is imposing a temporary 14-day ban on foreign travellers from China. The Department of Health said it had "no current plans" to stop travellers from entering the UK. A spokeswoman said: "We have no current plans to restrict entry into the UK, but we will keep this constantly under review and follow WHO guidance." source: PA Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Leading Silicon Valley VC Firm in Cybersecurity, Enterprise Software, Consumer and Healthcare Closes Twelfth Fund to Continue Successful Early Stage Franchise U.S. Venture Partners (USVP), a top-tier, early-stage venture capital firm, announced today the closing of USVP XII, a $340M fund. This new fund continues USVP's premier franchise, successful over nearly 40 years, building leading companies in cybersecurity, enterprise software, consumer and healthcare. USVP XII follows USVP XI, a successful $300M fund that is now fully invested. USVP has led investments in 88 companies that completed initial public offerings and 85 more that were profitably acquired. "With USVP XII, we are pleased to continue building on our extensive track record of successful early-stage VC investing," said Rick Lewis, General Partner. "In addition to a multi-decade track record of success, USVP has demonstrated exceptionally strong performance in recent years. In the last three years, USVP portfolio company exits have generated $933M in proceeds to USVP funds. Over the past decade, USVP has distributed over $2B to our investors. And 2019 was the eighth consecutive year that USVP distributions to limited partners exceeded called capital." USVP's strategy is to be the lead Series A investor in companies based in the U.S. or Israel in four core sectors: cybersecurity, enterprise software, consumer and healthcare-including the emerging digital health sector. "USVP is a proven leader in our areas of focus. USVP companies like Inspire Medical Systems, ThreatMetrix, Box, HotelTonight, Pluto TV and Omada Health are all leading companies in massive global markets," remarked Steve Krausz, General Partner. "Our team has achieved strong results by investing in proven entrepreneurs leading companies in the early stages of development, in sectors where the USVP team has deep domain expertise. We have been fortunate that many of those companies have gone on to become the undisputed leaders in their industries and markets. And we continue to innovate within our firm to assure we are at the leading edge to meet the rapid pace of change in technology." The USVP XII investment team is an experienced group of six partners-Steve Krausz, Rick Lewis, Jonathan Root, Casey Tansey, Dafina Toncheva and Jacques Benkoski-with a nearly 3X track record on realizations across USVP's three most recent fully-invested funds. "All of the USVP partners have operating experience and a strong venture investment track record in their investment sectors," said Casey Tansey, General Partner. "The USVP team, strategy and results enable us to attract world class entrepreneurs. Our experience allows the USVP team to be true company-building partners to our management teams, as they seek to transform and create leading global industries. We deeply respect the entrepreneurs with whom we work. We are also proud and honored to have earned the confidence of the sophisticated Limited Partners in the U.S. and around the world who have invested in our new fund, USVP XII." About U.S. Venture Partners U.S. Venture Partners (USVP) is a leading Silicon Valley venture capital firm, partnering with entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into world-changing companies. USVP has invested in over 400 companies spanning four decades, including: Box, Check Point Software, Guidewire, HeartFlow, HotelTonight, Imperva, Inari Medical, Inspire Medical Systems, Intersect ENT, Luminate, Omada Health, Pluto TV, Prevoty, Sequent, ThreatMetrix, Trunk Club, Trusteer, Vontu, Yammer and Zerto. USVP focuses on early-stage start-ups that transform cybersecurity, enterprise software, consumer and healthcare. The USVP team consists of former entrepreneurs, technologists, corporate executives, and financial professionals who assist with strategy, scaling, team building, product development, and business development. USVP is based in Menlo Park, California. More information can be found at www.usvp.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005241/en/ Contacts: Dale Holladay USVP (650) 854-9080 pr@usvp.com Sunday, February 2, 2020 at 8:54PM Cover art for 'Poe Dameron: Free Fall' (Alice X. Zhang/Disney Publishing) We've gotten a glimpse of Poe Dameron's past in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but an upcoming young adult novel will explore more of his backstory. Polygon confirms that a Poe-centric book will be released on August 4. Called Star Wars: Poe Dameron: Free Fall, the novel will be written by Alex Segura of the Peter Fernandez mystery series. The book will also feature cover art from Alice X. Zhang. The story will take us back to when Poe was a teenager. Here's the official description: "It's been a few years since Poe's mother, who was a pilot for the Rebellion, passed away, and Poe and his father have had more and more trouble connecting. Not sure what he wants to do with his life, teenage Poe runs away from home to find adventure, and to figure out what kind of man he is meant to be." Segura describes it as a "galactic crime novel" in that it "explores the seedier side of the Star Wars universe." Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-02 22:34:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close National flags of China (R) and the United States.(Xinhua/Bao Dandan) The U.S. side regarded the challenges faced by China as opportunities for its own development. This highlights its meanness and irresponsibility. BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- As China makes its utmost efforts to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak, the U.S. side has recently released unfriendly comments and actions towards China, which are neither based on facts nor helpful at this particular time. Taking advantage of other people's difficulties is the last thing we need in state-to-state relations. The U.S. moves are certainly not a gesture of goodwill. The World Health Organization (WHO) commended China's timely and effective measures to control the outbreak and made it clear about its opposition to travel or trade restrictions against China. The United States has decided to act in the opposite way, as the U.S. Department of State on Jan. 31 raised its travel advisory for China to the highest level, the same as for Iraq and Afghanistan. In the meantime, the U.S. secretary of commerce said the outbreak would help to accelerate the return of jobs to the United States. Some other U.S. officials suggested that China is not cooperating with the U.S. side. The U.S. side regarded the challenges faced by China as opportunities for its own development. The U.S. moves highlight its meanness and irresponsibility. In fact, China is doing its best to prevent and control the epidemic, and has released information and shared data with the United States and the rest of the international community in a timely, transparent and responsible manner. People make protective suits at the workshop of a company in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, Feb. 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan) The outbreak of the epidemic is unwilling to be seen by the whole world. In today's globe, many common challenges require countries to work together to respond. As the saying goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed. In sharp contrast with U.S. unfriendly moves, many countries have spoken positively of and supported China's efforts to battle the outbreak through various means. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry, several international organizations or countries, including the United Nations system, Belarus, and Japan have provided anti-epidemic materials. Although the U.S. side is trying to create panic, people can tell right from wrong and widely recognize that only when China is good can the world be good. China has the capacity, confidence and determination to win the final victory in fighting the outbreak, and it is hoped that the U.S. side refrains from making irresponsible decisions that cannot benefit the world and neither make itself great. Australian oil and gas producer Oil Search will hold meetings with its partners to discuss how they can keep multibillion-dollar gas field expansion plans alive in Papua New Guinea after the nation's new prime minister terminated negotiations for an interconnected project. Oil Search is involved in a $20 billion plan to double PNG's exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) including constructing and feeding three additional liquefaction units at the P'nyang and Papua LNG fields. Australian-listed Oil Search operates oil fields in PNG. But PNG Prime Minister James Marape on Friday abruptly "stopped negotiations" over the P'nyang project an ExxonMobil-led joint venture involving Santos and Oil Search blasting Exxon's terms as unacceptable. The impasse sent ASX-listed Oil Search's shares down by as much as 11.5 per cent in early trade, its biggest single-day fall in four years. It finished the day trading 7.2 per cent lower at $6.72. Americans have been hearing more about brain injuries after an Iranian missile attack on United States forces in Iraq. The missiles targeted an air base were U.S. and coalition troops were deployed. The U.S. Defense Department reports that 50 service members were found to have suffered a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, after the attack last month. TBIs are not wounds like burns or cuts. They result from being near an explosion or a forceful strike to the body. TBIs appear to take a long time for doctors to diagnose. William Schmitz is a national commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He told The Associated Press, TBI is a serious injury and one that cannot be taken lightly. Schmitz added that, TBI is known to cause depression, memory loss, severe headaches, and loss of balance. It can also make the person feel very tired. Sometimes there are long-term effects. U.S. President Donald Trump was recently criticized after he dismissed news of the injuries. The veterans group called on Trump to apologize for what it called his misguided remarks. Missile attack caused injuries The missile attack took place on January eighth. Because the injuries take so long to appear, the Defense Department did not announce the first cases until one week after the attack. At the time, it said 11 people were affected. Military officials now say 50 service members have been diagnosed and the number could increase. By January 28, 31 of the 50 had returned to active duty. Details of the U.S. injuries have not been reported and the severity of the cases has not been made public. No one was killed in the attack. It took place after a drone strike in Baghdad killed a top Iranian general who commanded the paramilitary Quds Force. The recent history of TBI TBI began to gain more attention after the U.S. military invaded Iraq in 2003 to oust President Saddam Hussein. After his defeat, resistance forces continued to use roadside bombs to fight U.S. and coalition forces. Survivors of such attacks not only suffered physical injuries, but experienced head injuries like concussions that have been linked to mental health problems. For generations, battlefield traumatic brain injuries were not understood and often dismissed, notes U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Research has shown that the issue of TBIs remains poorly understood. The Defense Department has been studying brain injuries since the early 1990s. It established a head injury program that developed into the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. The center studies research findings related to TBI, such as possible links to behavioral issues, including alcohol abuse and suicide. In January, one study suggested that military members with serious TBI were more likely than others to experience mental health problems. The study was a project of University of Massachusetts Amherst health services researchers. Some experts are linking long-term health effects to smaller explosions that take place, for example, in artillery training and from small, hand-held rockets. Riyi Shi is a professor of biomedical engineering at Purdue University in Indiana. He says researchers are finding that even a mild blast can cause long-term, life-changing health issues. A 2018 study by the federally-supported RAND Corporation found little research on the subject. There also appeared to be little understanding of the possible damage to the nervous system from repeatedly experiencing low-level blasts. The same year, a research group called the Center for a New American Security also released a study. It urged the Defense Department to keep records of any soldier, in training or combat, who is likely to be in a position where he or she may be exposed to blasts. The group called for brain imaging tests of soldiers to better understand how explosions affect the brain. Im Caty Weaver. And I'm Mario Ritter Jr. Robert Burns reported this story for AP. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Quiz - Brain Injuries in Iraq Put Attention on Unseen War Wounds Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story traumatic adj. a severe injury to body tissue diagnose v. to recognize a disease or condition by examining someone drone n. an unmanned aircraft or missile concussion n. an injury to the brain caused by sudden force blast n. a powerful explosion Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has accused the BJP-led central government of siding with Karnataka in the Supreme Court over the Belgaum border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra. "I am committed toward a unified Maharashtra... Whatever is happening in Belgaum is shocking. I will meet the committee looking after this matter. The central government is a guardian of all states and is expected to be unbiased towards all states, but it is shocking that Centre is taking sides with Karnataka in Supreme Court for last the five years. This is really shocking," Thackeray said in an interview with Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana. On December 7 last year, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had chaired a high-level meeting over the border dispute between the two states. It was decided in the meeting that attempts will be made to get fast track hearing on the border issue in the Supreme Court. Earlier on January 19, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had said that Belgaum border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra is a long-pending dispute but can be resolved if Union Home Minister wants. "If Home Ministry can resolve Kashmir issue and abrogate Article 370 then I think this border issue can be resolved too if Amit Shah wants. The matter comes under the Home Ministry. It is a long-pending issue. He should pay attention to this too," he said while speaking to ANI in Belagavi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Maharashtra government on Monday announced the formation of a two-member committee to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into allegations of tapping of phones of political rivals by the previous BJP-led administration. Making the announcement at a press conference here, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said the panel, comprising additional chief secretary (home) Shrikant Singh and Amitesh Kumar, joint commissioner of police (intelligence), will complete the probe in six weeks. They will have liberty to induct officers and technical experts as per requirement, he said. Deshmukh, who took charge in early January, said he had received complaints from many political parties and their leaders regarding tapping of their phones during the BJP rule. "It is imperative that a comprehensive inquiry is conducted into the issue of keeping phones of political rivals under surveillance for vested interests," he said. The NCP minister said the inquiry will be broad-based to cover whether legal provisions regarding phone tapping had been followed in letter and spirit and whether there was any mala fide intention. The probe will cover not only legal documentation, but also take support of technical experts to decipher if unofficial surveillance has been carried out by tracing the footprint in the servers of various telecom companies through physical verifications and visits, he said. "They (the panel members) will find out which officers went to Israel to get the software for spying and misused it," Deshmukh said. The home minister reiterated the phone tapping charges against the BJP-led government. Last month, Deshmukh claimed he had received complaints about phone tapping. "The BJP government, before the assembly polls (held in October 2019) and afterwards, tried to gather information about what and with whom Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena leaders were talking," he said. In November, the Shiv Sena snapped its ties with long- standing ally BJP and joined hands with the Congress and the NCP, its ideological opponents, to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. When the phone tapping allegations first surfaced late last month, former chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis had rejected them. In late January, Fadnavis had said phone-tapping was not the culture of the state and his government had not given any such orders. Fadnavis, now Leader of Opposition in the assembly, had said the MVA government was free to conduct an inquiry into the matter. "The government should immediately conduct an inquiry and make the report public. If it wants to go to Israel for the probe, it should do that, Fadnavis, who held the home portfolio during his tenure, had said. The Shiv Sena was part of the Fadnavis government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND [February 03, 2020] Nabd and United Nations Sign Partnership Agreement Nabd - the largest Arabic news aggregator - has signed a partnership agreement with the United Nations. The partnership empowers the United Nations to distribute its Arabic news to Nabd's massive Arabic audience, globally. "The United Nations welcomes the new partnership with Waveline Media, through which we can expand the reach of UN News articles, features, and interviews to users of the Nabd app," said Hua Jiang, Director of DGC's News and Media Division. "Our collaboration brings Arabic-language UN-related news to new audiences, providing up-to-date information on breaking developments and comprehensive updates on the work of the organization toward achieving its Sustainable Development Goals," affirmed Ms. Jiang. The partnership is part of Nabd's ongoing strategy to strengthen its collaboration with international organizations and to diversify its curated content offerings. "We're very pleased to execute this partnership with the UN. The collaboration falls under our commitment to support non-profit organizations in reaching Arabic readers with valuable content via our platform, and our desire to contribute to the UN's mission of maintaining international peace an security," said Mr. Abdur-Rahman El-Sayed, the Chief Executive Officer at Nabd. Numerous international publishers and organizations have established strategic partnerships with Nabd, benefiting from the instantaneous advantages gained once their content is integrated into the platform. "In BBC Arabic, we consider our partnership with Nabd to be the most valuable and important of all our digital partnerships. This reflects the growing importance of news aggregators and the position of Nabd as a market leader. Our partnership with Nabd has enabled us to widen our reach and gain a new perspective of our audience needs," says Mohamed Yehia, Head of Daily Output at BBC. Worth mentioning, Nabd has steadily grown to become the primary source of referrals for key Middle Eastern publishers, overtaking Social Media and Search Engines, as a traffic referral source. About Nabd (http://www.nabd.com) Nabd is a Personalized Arabic News Aggregator, enabling Arab users across the globe to stay up-to-date with their favorite topics on the go. Today, Nabd reaches over 20 million users, generating over 1.6 billion page views every quarter, making it the biggest Arabic app globally. It is currently available for iPhone (News - Alert), iPad, and Android devices. *Source: AETOSWire View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005446/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] She replied, No Im not a farmer. Then why you wearin them? Because I like them. Why are you wearing that Green Bay Packer jacket you play for the Packers? He snorted, No, I dont play for the Packers She smiled, and said, Then why are you wearing that jacket? Because I like it? See? said Sam. He retreated and hid behind some older ladies. As we walked away, Sam, whos from Kansas, said: He doesnt know anything about farming. These are Tony Llamas, and Id never wear them in the field! Thats another sport for locals in caucus season: I love watching staff members and the press from the big city who tiptoe across farm lots worrying about what they might step in. After stepping in manure, one young women clawed up my back like a cat, screaming a glorious stream of expletives. Another time a woman in capri pants and low shoes was walking very oddly across a field. I asked her what she was doing, and she said she didnt like grass touching my ankles. One young guy spotted a farm dog, and yelled, Dog! as a toddler would, and then giggled and touched and petted it like he had only seen them in picture books before, never in real life. At the same farm, a nicely dressed young man asked me to inspect a smudge on his shirt. Whats this? he asked. Dirt, I replied. He scrunched up his face. Dirt? Really? Thats dirt? Yup. Dirt. Oh, and dont forget President Trump Just a reminder of what awaits the winning Democratic nominee: Last week, I went to the Trump rally in Des Moines. It was brilliant, and he is an extraordinary showman. Over 7,000 people attended, and many more were turned away or watched from a large screen outside, on a 29-degree winter evening. You are here: World Flash Josep Borrell, high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, arrived in Iran for talks with Iranian senior officials on multiple issues, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Monday. Borrell will meet with the Iranian president, foreign minister and parliament speaker to discuss the course of affairs concerning the Iranian nuclear program, the Iran-EU relations as well as regional and international issues, Mousavi said at his weekly press conference. The Iranian spokesman expressed hope that Borrell's "important" visit will result in further understandings and de-escalation of tensions between Iran and some Western states. Borrell's visit to Iran, for the first time since taking office in December 2019, comes amid escalating disputes over the country's nuclear program. On Jan. 16, Borrell met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, India. During the meeting, Zarif urged the European countries to fulfil their commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated that at least 25 percent of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria found in clinical settings are capable of spreading their resistance directly to other bacteria. At the same time, the study shows that, despite common beliefs, the use of antibiotics does not significantly affect the rate at which the genes responsible for resistance are swapped between bacteria. Researchers used a new high-throughput method of measuring the rate at which bacteria exchange the packages of DNA that bestow resistance. The speed and ability to automate much of the process could allow new insights into what variables affect transfer rates. Such efforts could help doctors slow -- or even reverse -- the spread of resistance in certain human pathogens. The results appears online on January 24 in the journal Science Advances. "Our previous research showed that antibiotics do not affect the rate at which bacteria spread their resistance directly to their community in laboratory strains of E.coli," said Lingchong You, professor of biomedical engineering at Duke. "But we wanted to see if this is also true for clinical strains of pathogens that are actually out there in the world." Each antibiotic-resistant pathogen carries a genetic recipe for its resistance. But like chocolate chip cookies, not all recipes are the same, and not all of them are easily taught to others. One way of transferring resistance, however, is for that genetic recipe to be neatly written into a sharable book of sorts called a plasmid, which is then picked up and read by a neighboring bacteria through a process called conjugation. As resistance to antibiotics grows around the world, scientists are trying to figure out how to stop it from spreading. But because a lot of antibiotics come from natural sources, it would be impossible to completely eliminate resistance in the wild, which means there will always be reservoirs of bacteria filled with recipe books for resistance. advertisement "So the real problem is the resistance making its way into pathogens that harm humans," said Jonathan Bethke, a PhD student working in You's laboratory and first author of the new paper. "We're looking to gain a good understanding of what factors affect their rate of conjugation, because if you can slow that process down enough, the plasmids carrying the genes for resistance can fall out of a population." One major challenge in accomplishing that, however, is the classical method of measuring the rate of plasmid conjugation. Besides being labor intensive, researchers must wait 16 hours for a new generation of bacteria to grow in Petri dishes before they can get the results. This restriction makes this approach difficult to use when dealing with hundreds of bacterial strains and dozens of tweakable variables. Rather than taking years to finish the experiment, Bethke and Allison Lopatkin, a former graduate student in You's laboratory who is now an assistant professor at Barnard College, developed a method that uses automated machinery and takes only five hours to deliver results. It involves mixing two strains of bacteria -- a donor strain with resistance to one antibiotic that can be shared through plasmid conjugation and a recipient strain with resistance to a different antibiotic that cannot be shared. After letting the strains mingle and the plasmid conjugation process take place for a set amount of time, the bacterial mixture is transferred to vials containing nutrients and both antibiotics. This promotes the growth of the recipient bacteria that have successfully received the donor's plasmids for resistance while stunting the growth of all the rest. The researchers then wait to see how long the newly dual-resistant population takes to hit a certain threshold, which indicates how many there were to begin with. "This method opens up the ability to test many more drugs or environmental factors to see how they influence the rate of plasmid conjugation," said Bethke. "It will also allow us to determine if there's some sort of genetic determinant that is playing a greater role in terms of the transfer rate." You and Bethke collaborated with Joshua Thaden, assistant professor of medicine at Duke, and Vance Fowler, professor of medicine at Duke, to obtain 219 clinical isolates of pathogens -- bugs found in real patients. All carried resistance to beta-lactamase, the most common form of antibiotic in use today. By measuring the rate of plasmid conjugation both with and without beta-lactamase antibiotics present, they showed that, except for one outlier, these antibiotics do not increase the rate of sharing resistance. They also discovered that more than 25 percent of the strains studied are capable of sharing their resistance at rates fast enough to detect. advertisement "We were surprised to discover that it was that high," said You. "And of course antibiotics do promote the spread of resistance, but our study indicates that it is primarily through selective population dynamics rather than through an increased rate of plasmid conjugation." The researchers also examined how slight variations in the genetics of the resistance plasmids themselves affect their conjugation rate. Working with Minfeng Xiao's laboratory at BGI Genomics in Shenzhen, China, the team sequenced the plasmids and analyzed their DNA. They then categorized the plasmids into "mobility groups" based on how they jump between cells and "incompatibility groups" based on how they replicate. Much to the researchers' surprise, they discovered that while there were only two mobility groups present in their sample library, neither of which affected the rate of conjugation, there were seven incompatibility groups -- and they very much did affect the rate of conjugation. "This is a preliminary but potentially big discovery because these two classifications are genetic, which makes them easy to identify," said Bethke. "If we can start to build a library of genetic markers that indicate what a pathogen's ability to spread its resistance directly to its neighbors is likely to be, then we can start to make large predictions about things like horizontal gene transfer networks and maybe start understanding how bacteria are evolving through this process at large." "Such a library would also have direct implications for how doctors use antibiotics in the field," said You. "This knowledge would help doctors make patient-specific decisions on whether or not to administer antibiotics." Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Importance of IT in healthcare has increased significantly, as it helps in managing healthcare data and boosts the growth of advanced healthcare activities. Moreover, increasing use of cloud-based services has also boosted demand in the global healthcare IT market. In this market, big data helps in effectively managing population health management programs through data analytics, and also reduces expenses on chronic health conditions. Sharing health data with academic researchers has increased with healthcare IT, as it helps in developing new medical therapies and drugs. Moreover, providing precision medicine (PM) can be easily on individual patients thorough cognitive computing. Integration of IT software solutions increases reporting, evaluation, and monitoring in the healthcare industry have grown substantially, thus making appropriate use of data as one of the healthcare technology trends. Additionally, healthcare IT is also estimated benefit from blockchain to get medical records through a streamlined and secure process. Attributing to these factors various players offering healthcare IT services are coming up with new more advanced solutions. One of the leading players in the global healthcare IT market is CERNER CORPORATION. This company provides robust HCIT product portfolio designed for medium-sized and large-sized organizations. This is expected to help them with advanced software services and products designed for specific needs. As the company focuses on expanding its geographical presence, the company is growing its network in different regions by collaborating with other companies. CERNER has recently partnered with NeuroLogix Technologies (US) with an objective to integrate the Cerners HealtheAthlete health management system with C3Logix concussion management system. This step will help the company to enhance the quality of care given to athletes. Moreover, the company will gain a competitive edge, as they will be providing high-value services at a reduced cost to smaller hospitals, physician practices, and critical access hospitals. Interesting.? Apply For A Sample Report @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3084 Healthcare information technology (IT) is a vast field that involves the use of information technology for designing, creating, developing, using and maintaining information systems in the field of healthcare. Healthcare IT market is growing at a fast rate due to technological advancement in the field and increasing demand for improved healthcare facilities worldwide. Healthcare IT allows exchange of health-related information among organizations electronically. On the basis of applications, healthcare IT market can be segmented into clinical technology, non-clinical technology and payer technology. Various wireless technologies are available in the market such as radio frequency identification (RFID), bluetooth, WLAN, WWAN, WMAN, zigbee technology and others. Use of healthcare IT lowers the cost of treatment and reduces errors associated with healthcare facilities; thus improves the efficiency of the healthcare system. On the basis of delivery mode, web-based technology has the largest market. However, cloud technology is growing at the fastest rate. This is due to various successful technologies being used in cloud technology, such as Saas, Paas, Iaas and others. North America, followed by Europe, has the largest market for healthcare IT due to rise in incidence of various diseases, increasing adoption of electronic health records and technological advancement in the region. Asia is expected to show high growth rate in healthcare IT market in next few years due to rise in ageing population, increasing patient pool in the region and government initiatives sin the region. Technological advancement, government initiatives, rise in investments from healthcare IT players, increasing number of patients are some of the key factors driving the growth for global healthcare IT market. In addition, increasing demand for better healthcare facilities and rising need for integrated healthcare systems are expected to drive the market for healthcare IT. However, high maintenance and service expenses, lack of experienced professionals and interoperability issues are some of the major factors restraining the growth for global healthcare IT market. IT-enabled healthcare solutions for physicians, emerging markets such as China and India and innovation of some new information technology in healthcare are expected to offer good opportunities for growth of global healthcare IT market. In addition, shifting focus towards patient-centric healthcare facilities is anticipated to develop good opportunity for global healthcare IT market. Some of the trends that have been observed in healthcare IT market are increase in the use of mobile devices, rising adoption of electronic health records and wireless and cloud technology in healthcare. Some of the major companies operating in the global healthcare IT market are CERNER CORPORATION, Dell, McKesson Corporation, GE Healthcare, Agfa Gevaert NV, Siemens Healthcare, NextGen Healthcare Information Systems Inc., Epic Systems Corporation, To Receive Extensive List Of Important Regions, Ask For TOC Here @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/3084 Key points covered in the report Report segments the market on the basis of types, application, products, technology, etc (as applicable) The report provides the market size and forecast for the different segments and geographies for the period of 2010 to 2020 The report provides company profiles of some of the leading companies operating in the market The report also provides porters five forces analysis of the market. The report covers geographic segmentation North America europe Asia Michael L. Farr, a community activist who has experienced the pitfalls of suffering cities first hand, has completed his new book Rerock: How to Renovate and Rebuild Urban (Black) Neighborhoods: a thorough examination of data concerning policies, which, through design or coincidence, seem to hinder the growth of Black Americans throughout the country. Rerock is a full, true look and breakdown of black communities across our nation, Michael L. Farr said of his work. It shows ways to change our way of thinking so that we can get our communities back to functioning more on the positive side of the fence than the mountains of negative outlooks and actions that we have going on today. Published by Page Publishing, Michael L. Farrs work forces individuals to question themselves and their actions, their decisions and their opinions, in order to reevaluate the lives they have led up to now in order to become improved members of their neighborhoods. In these pages, you will learn small things that you can do to be proud of where you live, who you are, and most of all proud to be a black human being, Michael L. Farr promises potential readers. My book doesnt only apply to poor communities or just black communities, but also to middle-class, rich any race. All can get something out of these pages to help the community that they live in. To learn more about this inspired piece of social criticism, readers can purchase Rerock: How to Renovate and Rebuild Urban (Black) Neighborhoods at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708. About Page Publishing: Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com. The departure of Bridget McKenzie from Cabinet has raised serious questions about Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormacks hold on the National Partys leadership. Only hours after her resignation, and with a party room meeting today, Barnaby Joyce had already signalled his intention to challenge McCormack if given the opportunity. But another McCormack has had a quiet leadership win. The DPMs wife Catherine McCormack has been appointed convener of the Parliamentary Partners Association. Thats the social caucus of parliamentary husbands, wives and partners presided over until late last year by Teresa Ramsay and Robyn Coulton (the spouses of Government Whip Rowan Ramsay and Regional Services Minister Mark Coulton respectively). Erdogan: Turkey determined to ensure safety of citizens Turkish president says some 40 positions targeted in the ongoing operation in N. Syria after regime forces kill 4 Turkish troops. In the wake of regime attack on Turkish troops in Syria, Turkeys president reiterated his vow to ensure safety of Turkish people and Syrians in Idlib. "TURKEY WILL CONTINUE RETALIATION" Turkey has retaliated to this attack as it did previously, and it continues the retaliation, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at Istanbul Airport before departing for Ukraine on an official visit. At least four Turkish soldiers were martyred and nine others injured in an intense shelling by forces of Bashar al-Assad regime in Idlib, northwestern Syria early Monday. Some 40 positions have been targeted in an ongoing operation, Erdogan said, adding that almost 30-35 regime troops were killed according to the initial reports. Representative image The coronavirus outbreak has forced several people in China to work from home, Bloomberg reported. This may be the worlds 'largest work-from-home experiment', the news agency said. With over 350 deaths and 17,000 confirmed cases, the Chinese government is struggling to handle the situation. China has locked down two cities Wuhan and Wenzhou in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus. The situation has also impacted daily business in major financial centres such as Shanghai, Beijing and even neighbouring Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. Companies based in the central business districts of these cities often have employees based out of multiple locations. Its a good opportunity for us to test working from home at scale, the article quotes Alvin Foo, Managing Director at a Shanghai-based advertising agency, as saying. Foo said it does create a challenge since advertising agencies do a lot of brainstorming in person. Working from home will lead to more video conferences and phone calls, he added. The number of people who work from home will only increase as people return from their Lunar New Year holiday, the report said. Companies will increasingly relying on video chat apps and other productivity platforms such as WeChat Work and Lark, which is similar to Slack. Usually going back to work from holidays feels a little weird, but working from home this time with such short notice feels even more unusual, Tiko Mamuchashvili, a Senior Event Planner at a hotel in Beijing, told the news agency The report also suggested that the hike in number of people working from home could hurt the co-working spaces business. Its time to start brushing up on your dunking skills because Dunkaroos are officially coming back! General Mills announced on Monday that theyre finally giving 90s kids what they want and bringing back the lunchbox staple to select retailers this summer. Were thrilled to relaunch Dunkaroos in the U.S. after years of it only being available in Canada, said General Mills President of Snacks Jeff Caswell in a press release. For those who grew up in the 90s, the original cookie-frosting combo represents the taste, color and fun of being a kid during that decade. We know theres a lot of love for Dunkaroos, and fans everywhere have been asking for it. Were excited to help 90s kids relive all the best parts of childhood. RELATED: Cookies and Creme Twix Have Returned PermanentlyAnd You Can Get Matching Sneakers The first sign that the famous cookies were staging the ultimate comeback was last week when a verified Dunkaroos Instagram account was created. They posted just one photo: a close-up shot of their vanilla frosting with rainbow sprinkles. The caption contained a singular side-eye emoji: . So far, the photo has racked up more than 45,000 likes and 6,000 comments, while the account now boasts more than 60,000 followers. Fans immediately began speculating about the return of the snack (for good reason). Thousands of people commented excitedly on the post. I would die for this brand, said one Instagram user, while another said, This was my all time favorite childhood snack lets goooo. Many others were cautiously optimistic, saying, Dont play w me and Dont dont give me hope. RELATED: The Definitive Guide to All of Kim Kardashian Wests Favorite Foods But theres no reason to speculate anymore, as the brand confirmed to PEOPLE on Monday morning that Dunkaroos would be making their official comeback with their most requested and beloved flavor: vanilla cookies with vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles. Story continues They also uploaded a short video to the Instagram page featuring old footage of teenagers hanging out together. Frosted tips? Totally not coming back, reads the clip caption. Cassette tapes? Definitely not coming back, it continues. The teens are seen dancing around on the street in mini skirts and denim vests when the brand drops the big news: Dunkaroos? Definitely coming back! WATCH: Celebs Confess: My Favorite After-School Snack Dunkaroos first launched in the US in 1992 in five different shapes along with a side of chocolate or vanilla frosting. Within one year, General Mills had introduced four new flavors of frosting: chocolate chip, cinnamon, peanut butter, and fan-favorite rainbow sprinkles. And while the graham cookies have remained on sale in Canada, they havent been spotted on shelves in the U.S. since May 2012, despite constant begging. Perhaps we have Kim Kardashian to partially thank for this return. Back in April 2018, she retweeted a photo of a fake text exchange with Betty Crocker along with the old Dunkaroos products in an attempt to get enough shares to actually make it happen. Obsessed with Dunkaroos. Please come back! she said to her massive Twitter audience. Chrissy Teigen also expressed her desire to see the snack back on shelves in a September 2019 tweet: if u try to buy dunkaroos on amazon, u can only get kadunks (still buying). Betty Crocker While youre waiting for the snack to officially hit stores this summer, you can throw it back to another 90s favorite: Twix Cookies & Creme. The comeback flavor features a fun, flavorful twist on the classic chocolate version: in-place of a caramel-filling, customers will find a soft-creme center packed with crunchy cookie bits and covered in creamy milk chocolate. The new permanent addition to the Twix lineup returned to major retailers across the country in January. To celebrate its re-release, Twix and The Shoe Surgeon have partnered together to give away 100 limited-edition Cookies & Creme sneakers. The first batch of sneakers will be given away at New Yorks Extra Butter, one of the countrys top sneaker shops, on Feb. 6. A second in-store drop will occur at one of Chicagos hottest sneaker shops during All-Star weekend (Feb. 14-16). Fans who dont live in either big city will also have the chance to get their hands on a pair during the week of Feb. 10, when Twix will conduct a digital drop via their social handles. If this kind of thing interests you, you can monitor Twixs social media presence over the course of the next few weeks to find out more about the online drop. You can find the brand on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or on Twix.com. A simmering feud between Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg boiled over today as the president mocked the billionaire Democrats height - and the former New York mayor branded him a pathological liar. The former friends rivals traded insults as Mr Bloomberg, who is vying to take on Mr Trump in this years White House election, and the president squared-off with multi-million campaign TV adverts that aired during the Super Bowl. Mr Trump went on the offensive in a pre-Super Bowl interview on Fox News, describing Mr Bloomberg as very little and mini Mike. He alluded to unsubstantiated claims that Mr Bloomberg has asked for a box to stand on during upcoming televised Democratic debates. Its okay. Theres nothing wrong. You can be short. Why should he get a box to stand on? He wants a box for the debates. Why should he be entitled? Does that mean everyone else gets a box? I would love to run against Bloomberg, he added. I would love it. President Donald Trump's pre-game Super Bowl interview / Getty Images Hitting back, the Bloomberg campaign called Mr Trump a pathological liar and attacked his fake hair, his obesity and his spray-on tan. Mr Bloomberg, 77, who is 5ft 8ins tall, compared to 73-year-old Mr Trumps 6ft 3ins, added: I stand twice as tall as he does on the stage that matters. The former friends fell out in 2016 when Mr Trump accused Mr Bloomberg of taking a nasty shot in an interview when the media mogul mused about entering the 2016 presidential race because he found the level of discourse discussion distressingly banal and an outrage and an insult to the voters. He was a friend of mine. As far as Im concerned, hes not a friend of mine anymore, Mr Trump, who won that election, said at the time. Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg / Getty Images Since then, Mr Bloomberg has branded Mr Trump a dangerous demagogue while the president called his last term as New York mayor a disaster. Mr Bloomberg has also taunted the president over their comparative wealth. His estimated worth is about $60 billion, which is 17 times more than Mr Trump. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania / AFP via Getty Images The rivarly has intensified since Mr Bloombergs late entry into the Democratic nomination race, which kicks off today as party supporters in Iowa vote for their favoured candidate to take on Mr Trump in November. Mr Bloombergs unconventional campaign has seen him skip the early nominating contests. He is pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into later battles in California and elsewhere, and is rising in the polls. ANSAmed - Tomorrow's events in the Mediterranean (ANSAmed) - ROME, FEBRUARY 3 - These are the main events scheduled in the Euro-Mediterranean for tomorrow: TUNIS- third international conference on financing investment and trade in Africa, FITA 2020 (also 5/2). ANKARA - Parliament discusses a motion by President Erdogan calling for a one-year extension of the armed forces mission in the Gulf of Aden.(ANSAmed). Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 08:13 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206229f34 1 Editorial #Editorial,Jokowi,Jokowi-administration,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,politics,#coronavirus,#Wuhan,Jokowi-second-term,omnibus-law Free President Joko Jokowi Widodo has made it public that for his second term he will not set any milestones to measure his performance in office, be it the first 100 days, one year or five years. He just wants to get the job done and get it done fast. Considering that this is Jokowis last term and he will not run in 2024, refusing to allow others to dictate how he measures his performance makes sense. But for those of us who like to keep tabs on every development while measuring key performance indicators, the first 100 days of any administration provides a key insight for predicting how things will shape up in the future, and judging from what has happened in the last three months, it is safe to conclude that the road ahead will become increasingly rough. Or, if we allow ourselves to be less pessimistic, it will be business as usual. It is ironic that in the first three months, President Jokowis biggest success has come from the unfortunate events happening thousands of miles away in Wuhan, China. And that minor success did not come easily for the second-term President. It was only after Jokowi expressed his displeasure about the slow progress of repatriating 245 Indonesian nationals trapped in Chinese cities locked down because of the coronavirus that the ball started rolling, with the Indonesians finally arriving on Saturday. It was also reported that the President had become frustrated by the lack of action taken by relevant government agencies to tighten the countrys borders to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. This is a classic example of the lumbering bureaucracy failing to keep pace with a President who demands quick work and immediate results. This is likely to persist throughout Jokowis final term, unless something drastic changes. In his second term, President Jokowi has attempted to make dramatic changes, with his goal to have omnibus laws passed by the House of Representatives in a matter of months among his early priorities. But even this goal has been hobbled by his underlings. Of the four omnibus bills one on taxation, one on job creation, one on pharmaceuticals and one on the new capital city only the taxation bill has reached the House. As for the bill on job creation, President Jokowi has expressed displeasure about its current iteration, which privileges big business and tends to marginalize small businesses. And then theres the classic problem of political corruption, which will continue to compromise Jokowis reform agenda. The conflict of interest of Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly in a graft probe involving politicians from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is a clear example of how Jokowis penchant for having a big-tent political coalition could undermine good governance. While his second term should be easier, Jokowi will still need to work extra hard, especially as hell have to do most of the heavy lifting himself, given his comparatively weak vice president in Maruf Amin. Good luck trying, Mr. President. Roosters have boarded airplanes. So have turkeys, ducks and monkeys - all in the name of service. These animals allegedly helped their owners stay calm. Never mind that they may have had the opposite effect on nearby passengers. The "emotional support" designation also helped owners save money - calming, indeed, when airlines charge $125 one way to convey a pet in a carrier under the seat. A friend once told me that she easily obtained a letter from a psychologist so she could fly her tiny dog around the country free of charge. The mile-high menagerie may be coming to an end. The U.S. Department of Transportation proposed a new rule recently that would let airlines ban untrained emotional support animals - an entirely different breed, so to speak, from the fully trained service and guide dogs that help the likes of veterans with PTSD and the visually impaired. Already, airlines have banned certain animals. Alaska Airlines, for instance, prohibits rodents, ferrets and snakes. Delta's list is longer and includes birds, all amphibians and animals with tusks, horns or hoofs, such as goats. The fledgling reporters of JRNL 100 at Torontos Humber College will hear from a special visitor Monday. Former Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne is coming to speak to them. And Ive been thinking about how to introduce her. I will ask the students to consider, as they open notebooks and ensure cameras and tape recorders are powered up, that only 26 people have occupied the premiers office in this province since Confederation. To do so is an experience about as rare as being a Canadian in space. And in many ways, it too takes intrepid souls into a realm the rest of us can never really understand. Only eight Ontario premiers are still living. And only one person who has ever held the job is a woman. What my students will see, in the diminutive dynamo that is Kathleen Wynne, is a person who is literally one of a kind. I will tell the students that, personally, I address every former first minister I encounter as Premier. Its a sign of respect for the office, for those assuming the often thankless task of deciding on behalf of more than 13 million citizens how to meet limitless demands with finite resources. I will tell them that, should they have the privilege of working in a parliamentary press gallery, they will get to observe first-hand something we too often take for granted. That is the process by which we peacefully resolve differences and transfer power as citizens ordain through elections. I might tell them what the late James Travers, a wonderful newsman, Star columnist, boss, mentor and friend, once said when asked the biggest lesson he had learned as a foreign correspondent. Travers said hed seen that the veneer of civilization and its institutions are thin, that if not cherished and protected, they crumble. And when they do, he said, they can be very difficult to rebuild. I will tell my students that Ive met a great many politicians over the years and that the vast majority got into it for the right reasons motivated by a wish, whatever their political stripe, to improve the lot of their communities. I will say that politicians are not overpaid. In fact, it is the reverse. The hours they work, the travel they log, the complex files they must master, the abuse they absorb are beyond what most citizens would tolerate. By then, the students will be restless, so I will get on with introducing the guest. I will say that Kathleen Wynne got into politics for a very good reason to defend a public education system she regarded as vital from what she saw as attack by the government of the day. I will say that over the course of her career as MPP and cabinet minister she was probably the most informed minister on the job. I will say that, in being sworn in as premier, she became an inspiration for millions of young girls and women about what they could achieve. I will say that, in that job, she inherited a great deal of baggage that made even one election victory a significant accomplishment. I will say that, because of being both a woman premier and the first openly gay first minister in the country, she took sickening abuse from misogynists and homophobes, most of them cowards hiding anonymously in the noxious social media swamp. I will say that she handled that and the crushing ouster of her Liberal government two years ago with uncommon dignity and grace. I will say what you see before you today is history on two legs. Then, I will ask: Any questions? Jim Coyle is a journalism instructor and former columnist, feature writer and editorial writer at the Toronto Star. is a journalism instructor and former columnist, feature writer and editorial writer at the Toronto Star. Read more about: Senior RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday hit out at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for sharing stage with his "mahboob" (lover) Union Minister Amit Shah while campaigning in the Assembly polls in Delhi. Kumar, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, said "in his desperation to share the stage with Shah had broken all his past records of uttering lies". The JD(U) chief had shared the dias with Shah in Delhi on Sunday while stumping for his party's nominees at Burari and Sangam Vihar constituencies. He had claimed during the campaign meetings that the Delhi government has not performed at all on any front. Lalu Prasad's younger son's caustic remarks drew sharp reaction from the BJP and the JD(U). Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said in a tweet that the joint rally of Kumar and Shah in the national capital was a big success whose "jerk" has been felt badly by the rivals in Bihar. Sushil Modi said RJD which has thrown anti-Congress ideology of veteran socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia into "dustbin" is busy searching good words for itself in the dictionary and invectives for the opponents. "Respected Nitish Kumar ji, you shared the stage with your 'mahboob' (lover) Amit Shah ji in Delhi for the assembly election. Your political compulsion, plight and shrewdness were evident despite your efforts to hide them. "You broke all your past records of uttering lies in your sheer desperation to share the stage with Amit Shah in Delhi yesterday (Sunday). You were not even ashamed at all in branding the national capital as a city worse than any one in Bihar," Yadav said in a release. Taking a swipe at Kumar's regime, Yadav wondered why crores of Biharis are migrating despite the 15-years of "so-called sushashan raj" (good governance). "If you think that infrastructure, education and health care system of Delhi are worse than in Bihar then only God can fathom your mental state," he said. The RJD leader said the Bihar chief minister must have told in Delhi the number of youths who have got employment in the state and the number of sugar, rice and jute mills shut there. "You (Kumar) can't give an account of your 15 years of governance, but you went to Delhi to seek that of the government headed by an opposition party(AAP) ... This is called defending the indefensible," Yadav said. Kumar without naming Kejriwal had said at the meetings, "Some people are more interested in publicity and advertisements. Some people have the habit of praising oneself. We don't do that ... Those who got the mandate to govern Delhi did nothing". Recounting the Nitish Kumar government's alleged failure on several fronts, the RJD leader said that 500 children died of AES in the state, besides thousands lost their lives due to heat and countless others in floods. The entire country saw the water-logging in Patna over TV, he said and reminded Kumar of the Muzaffarpur shelter home scandal in which 34 minor girls were physically assaulted under the protection and patronage of the state government. "Instead of demanding special category status, special package for Bihar, assistance for flood victims or fighting for the state's rightful demands, you are busy in branding as 'popular' and 'great leader' those who are out to change the Constitution and are trying to snatch citizenship from its own citizens," Yadav said referring to Citizenship Amendment Act. Bihar JD(U) chief spokesman Sanjay Singh said "what else one can expect from a 9th fail man. We all have witnessed the scene that prevailed during his parents' regime of 15 years. Bihar has marched ahead from RJD's misrule in the state." "It is the sanskar that he is speaking in such a manner...RJD and its leaders have no agenda except making such absurd statements, " he said. On Kumar sharing stage with Shah, Singh said his party has an alliance with BJP in Delhi and that's why the party chief shared stage with its leaders but what about RJD leaders who flaunt sharing stage with anti-social people like Mohammad Shahabuddin and Raj Ballabh Yadav. Bihar BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand said Tejashwi Yadav does not know the decorum of language and should tender apology for such "loose talk" against the CM. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Auto Expo 2020: Asia's biggest automobile exhibition Auto Expo 2020 takes place every two years. This year's Auto Expo will feature a host of launches and unveilings such as the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza facelift and Maruti Suzuki Futuro-E concept. Tata Motors is also expected to bring forth its new offerings such as the Tata Gravitas and also the EV version of its latest hatchback Altroz. Also read: Auto Expo 2020 Day 2 Live Updates: Mercedes V-Class Marco Polo, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza to launch today Here's how to reach Auto Expo 2020 at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida: By a cab or carpool If you are travelling from a nearby location then the best way to reach Auto Expo 2020 at IEM in Greater Noida is to hire a taxi or a sharing cab. Metro Station The other way to reach is from Noida's Botanical Garden Metro station on the Blue Line. One can look for shuttle services and buses to go to the venue. It usually takes around half an hour to cover a distance of 27km till IEM. Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport at New Delhi is the nearest airport to the IEM, The airport is around 48km away and takes nearly 50 minutes via car. Attendees can also take a Metro train from Airport Express Line to New Delhi Station and then to Botanical Garden Station or a direct cab Here's everything you need to know about the Auto Expo 2020 Auto Expo 2020 history Auto Expo 2020 was first held from January 3 to January 11 in 1986. The event is jointly organised by the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Society of Indian Manufacturers (SIAM). By 1998, Auto Expo started happening every two years. India Expo Mart in Greater Noida is spread over a total area of 2,35,000 square meters with manufacturers participating in a built-up area of 51,000 square meters. Auto Expo 2020 theme The theme for this year's Auto Expo is 'Explore the World of Mobility'. This year's Auto Expo aims to show the industry's vision towards a safer, cleaner, connected, bespoke and shared mobility for tomorrow. Auto Expo 2020 will also focus on cars manufactured as per the BS6 upgrade. EVs will also be a top draw. Auto Expo 2020 venue and date The Auto Expo 2020 will take place at India Expo Mart, Knowledge Park 2, in Greater Noida, UP.The upcoming event will take place from February 7 to February 12. It'll be open for general public from February 8 to February 12 from 11:00 am to 08:00 pm. Auto Expo 2020 ticket fee The entry fee on February 7 is Rs 750 as it is open only for business visitors. The entry fee from February 8-12 is Rs 350 to Rs 475 and it's open for general public. The Auto Expo tickets can be purchased from the official Auto Expo website or BookmyShow, which also offers a discount of Rs 75 on all home delivery transactions provided the number of tickets is three or above. Auto Expo 2020 timings On February 7, the Auto Expo will be open from 11:00 am to 07:00 pm. From February 8 to February 12, the Auto Expo will remain open for the general public from 11:00 am to 08:00 pm. Auto Expo 2020 exhibitors The auto companies attending the Auto Expo 2020 include Tata Motors,Vespa, Hyundai, Hero electric, Kia,Mahindra,Maruti Suzuki, Mercedes Benz, MG Motors,Renault,Skoda, SML Isuzu and Volkswagen. Other exhibitors include companies like Droom, Facebook, Jio, JK Tyre, Pirelli, Ralco Tyres. The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) is also one of the exhibitors at the Auto Expo 2020. Auto Expo 2020 Upcoming cars South Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai is likely to launch the New Hyundai Creta and also the Hyundai i20 at the Auto Expo 2020. Both these upcoming Hyundai cars are expected to feature BS 6-compliant engines . Mahindra and Mahindra is expected to showcase three SUVs - Mahindra Thar, Mahindra XUV500 and Mahindra Scorpio. Mahindra Scorpio and Mahindra Thar are expected to be powered by BS 6 compliant engines whereas Mahindra XUV500 is expected to receive aesthetic upgrades. Kia Carnival will reportedly be launched at the Auto Expo 2020. The upcoming MPV by Kia Motors is expected to feature aesthetic upgrades and connectivity features. MG Hector 7-seater will also be unveiled. It is expected to sport the same design as its predecessor but will receive minor cosmetic tweaks. Also read: Shadow of coronavirus looms large over Auto expo 2020 Also read: Auto Expo 2020: Maruti Suzuki to display Futuro-E Concept, Vitara Brezza facelift Also read: Hyundai tests new i20 ahead of Auto Expo debut; here's what to expect Medical workers hold a strike near Queen Elizabeth Hospital as they demand Hong Kong close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading, in Hong Kong, China, on Feb. 3, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) Hong Kong Hospital Workers Strike to Demand Border Closure Over Coronavirus Thousands of Hong Kong hospital workers turned out in force to support a strike called by local union Hospital Authority (HA) Employees Alliance on Feb. 3. The alliance wants the Hong Kong government to meet their five demands, such as banning the entry of all travelers from China, providing enough isolation wards, and suspending non-emergency hospital services. Formed in December last year, the alliance has about 18,000 members, including nurses, doctors, and other hospital workers. The alliance voted in favor of a strike 3,123-to-10 on Feb. 1 during a general meeting, according to Hong Kong media. Feb. 3 marked the first day of a planned five-day strike. According to Hong Kong media HK01, hundreds of hospital workers lined up outside several hospitals in the morning, including Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Queen Mary Hospital, to sign their names in support of the strike. The sign-up was scheduled to end at noon, and hospital workers planned to take to the streets at several locations in the afternoon. Medical workers hold a strike near Queen Elizabeth Hospital as they demand Hong Kong close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading, in Hong Kong, China, on Feb. 3, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) According to Hong Kong media, Lai Ching-lung, a professor in gastroenterology at the University of Hong Kongs Department of Medicine, voiced his support for the strike outside of Queen Mary Hospital. Lai said that closing the citys border with mainland China was a good preventive measure to safeguard Hongkongers. Currently, Hong Kong has 14 known cases of coronavirus. According to Hong Kong media Stand News, 3,000 of the Alliances members, including 1,000 nurses, 1,000 full-time medical staff, 300 doctors, and other hospital workers, were expected to take part in the strike. If there is no full border closure, there wont be enough manpower, protective equipment, or isolation rooms, to combat the outbreak, Winnie Yu, the alliances chairwoman, told reporters on Feb. 2, according to RTHK. Yus remarks came after talks with Hong Kongs Hospital Authority broke down because Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam did not show up for the discussion. The alliance has said that if the Hong Kong government is unable to respond to their demands by 6 p.m. local time on Feb. 3, about 9,000 hospital workers, including those in the hospitals emergency units, will take part in the second phase of the strike beginning on Feb. 4. According to RTHK, the Hong Kong government has shut down six of the citys 14 border crossings with China. However, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam rejected the idea of closing the border with China to contain the spread of the new coronavirus in a press conference on Jan. 31, saying that such measure contradicts the WHO [World Health Organization] suggestion, according to Reuters. On Jan. 30, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. 03.02.2020 LISTEN The Savannah Regional Minister Mr.Adam Salifu Braimah has released the ambulances to be dispatched to the various constituencies just within the 48-hour ultimatum issued by the regional NDC was due. The savannah Regional capital Damongo, saw the ambulances leave to their various destinations on Sunday afternoon hours to the end of the 48hours ultimatum given by the NDC Savannah regional Communication officer Malik Basintale. Many who were waiting to join the Savannah Regional Communication Officer to the premises of the Regional Minister's Office to forcefully drive the ambulances out to their destinations as threatened by Malik Basintale felt satisfied they had been able to force the minister do the right thing. Below is the statement by the NDC: PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release 30th January, 2020 RELEASE S/R AMBULANCES WITHIN 48-HOURS OR FACE OUR WRATH. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Savannah region has taken notice of an insensitive and tactless attitude being exhibited by the Savannah regional minister Mr. Adam Salifu Braimah in unreasonably withholding the tax-payers ambulances meant for the various constituencies at his office awaiting another regional commissioning and funfair after President Akufo-Addo has already done same. The funfair commissioning that took place at the forecourt of the Black Star Square in Accra on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 saw all ambulances been driven straight to their respective constituencies and were directed to their various Units for the commencement of work as the already built hospitals, clinics and CHP compounds in various districts by H.E John Mahama were ready to receive them. It is highly disappointing that the ambulances earmarked for the Savannah Zone only found their way through the various constituencies they were allocated to without stopping and driven straight to the regional capital and were parked directly at the doorsteps of the regional ministers office. They have since been tasked to continuously drive through the streets of damongo township on an hourly bases with loud sirens and parked every night at the ministers compound or the West Gonja DCE's compound since the last two days. This insensitive and intolerable act has mounted tensions in the region as on watchers feel irritated by this misconduct being exhibited by the regional minister and can no longer control their temper with this unpardonable act. A situation where 2 patients around the langbanto traditional area in damongo died yesterday due to lack of urgency to the hospital yet saw these ambulances displaying wastefully on the streets just for public attention. The NDC has found it neccessary to salvage the situation with immediate effect by giving the regional minister a 48-hours ultimatum to get the ambulances to their designated locations or face a forceful dispatch and allocation of these ambulances for work to commence. We will not wait until we are told few days later that one of the ambulances has been stolen just as the toyota hilux pickup being used by the regional minister was purported to have disappeared neither will we watch on as indigenes lose their lives as a result of this shameful misconduct. The Next CAUTION will be ACTION. Thank you. Signed: Malik Basintale Regional Communication Officer - S/R Earlier today, a man described by authorities as an Islamic terrorist stabbed three people in Streatham, a part of south London. He stole a knife from a store and immediately began stabbing people with it; one was injured critically. Police arrived within a few minutes and shot him. (One thing about the London police, they arent shy about saving taxpayers the money involved in trial and incarceration.) The terrorist, like the London Bridge attacker of a couple of months ago, was wearing a suicide belt that presumably was a fake. The London Times reports here, the Sun here. The Sun quotes various witnesses and politicians. This is the one I want to take note of: Co-leader of the Green Party, Jonathan Bartley, 48, who heard the gunshots, told Sun Online: I am absolutely shocked and devastated. I am in disbelief that this could happen in Streatham. This is one of the most diverse, inclusive and tolerant communities in London. The idea that diversity and inclusivity are somehow antidotes to extremism is one that apparently will never die. The girls of Rotherham might have been able to explain, but no one asked them to comment. The Road to 270 is a weekly column leading up to the presidential election. Each installment is dedicated to understanding one states political landscape and how that might influence which party will win its electoral votes in 2020. Well do these roughly in order of expected competitiveness, moving toward the most intensely contested battlegrounds as election day nears. The Road to 270 will be published every Monday. The column is written by Seth Moskowitz, a 270toWin elections and politics contributor. Contact Seth at s.k.moskowitz@gmail.com or on Twitter @skmoskowitz. Arkansas From statehood through 1964, Arkansas was one of the most reliably Democratic states in presidential elections. Since then, however, it has only voted Democratic three times. Two of these three were for native son Bill Clinton, in 1992 and 1996. The other Democrat to carry the state was fellow southerner Jimmy carter in 1976. The states flip from Democratic to Republican stems from a political legacy of slavery and regional factionalism. Pre-Statehood Arkansas was first explored by the Spanish in 1551. French explorers arrived 130 years later, which led to missionaries and traders settling in the region in the 18th Century. France claimed the territory from the mid 1600s through 1772 as a part of Louisiana, or New France. Spain then controlled the territory for 29 years until they returned it to France in 1800. In 1803, territory including what is modern-day Arkansas would be acquired by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Before Arkansas would become a state, it would go through several territorial iterations. First the Louisiana Territory from 1805-1812, then the Missouri Territory from 1812-1819, then the Arkansas Territory in 1819. The Arkansas Territory comprised most of todays Arkansas and Oklahoma, but the Oklahoma portion was cut off in 1824, defining the boundaries of modern-day Arkansas. Finally, in 1836, Arkansas was added to the United States as the 25th state. Statehood and Slavery Arkansas entered the Union as a slave state. Like most of the south, Arkansas was dependent on agriculture and the associated economics of forced labor, bringing it tightly into the pro-slavery Democratic Party. The state cast its electoral votes accordingly from its first election in 1836 through 1860. In 1860, however, the Democratic Party split between pro-slavery Southern Democrats and the northern Democrats. Arkansas, along with most of the South, voted for the pro-slavery Southern Democratic nominee while northern Democrats supported Stephen Douglas. The division allowed the abolitionist Republican Abraham Lincoln to win the Electoral College with just 40% of the popular vote. Arkansas did not secede from the Union immediately following the election. It wasnt until April, 1861, when President Lincoln tried to enlist Arkansans to suppress a rebellion in South Carolina, that Arkansas seceded. Arkansas became the first state admitted back into the union on June 22, 1968 after it passed a new Constitution that temporarily disenfranchised former confederates and ratified the 13th and 14th Amendments. The new document would ostensibly lead to universal male suffrage and equality before the law, but racial and economic discrimination remained. In 1868, largely due to the voting restrictions placed on former confederates, Arkansas voted for Republican Ulysses Grant. This was the only election out of the states first 31 in which it would cast valid electoral votes for the Republican. While Grant would again win the popular vote in Arkansas in 1872, the states votes were not counted due to voting irregularities. From 1876 through 1964, Arkansas voted Democratic. Voter suppression helped Democrats in the post-reconstruction years. This first took the form of the Klu Klux Klan and voter intimidation. Later, in 1891 and 1892, it was a poll tax that disenfranchised poor blacks and whites. Between the 1888 and 1892 elections, turnout fell in Arkansas from 157,000 to 148,000 with the Republican vote total dropping by 13,000 while the Democratic total grew by 2,000. A Turn to Republicans Like the rest of the South, Arkansas stuck with Democrats. It often did so by enormous margins. Franklin Roosevelt carried the state by 73%, 64%, and 58%, and 40% margins in his 1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944 elections. It wasnt until 1956 that Republicans would come within single digits. Democrats still managed to carry the state through 1964, even with these smaller margins and more competition. The Democratic streak finally broke in 1968. George Wallace, the former and future Democrat from Alabama, broke with his party and ran as the American Independent Partys pro-segregationist candidate. Wallace won the plurality of the vote (39%) in Arkansas, and with it, the states Electoral College votes. From 1968 through 2016, Arkansas would only vote Democratic in three more presidential elections. In 1976 it would overwhelmingly support fellow southerner Jimmy Carter. In 1992 and 1996, another Democrat would again leverage his southern charm to win the presidency. This time, however, that candidate was the state's very own governor. Bill Clinton carried his home state in both 1992 and 1996, beating George H.W. bush by 18% in 1992 and Bob Dole by 17% in 1996. Even though Arkansas voted overwhelmingly for Clinton it was the only state to give Clinton a majority in 1992 these elections marked the end of the road for Democratic presidential candidates in the state. Recent Republican Domination In 2000, Republican George W. Bush beat Democrat Al Gore by 5%. This margin would expand in every subsequent presidential election. Since 2000, Arkansas has trudged rightward in every presidential election without regard to the national environment. The biggest rightward jump was between 2004 and 2008, when John McCain doubled George Bushs margin of victory from 10% to 20%. In those same years, the national popular vote shifted nine points in Democrats' favor. The same is true of 2012 and 2016 even as the national environment became more Democratic, the Republican nominees expanded their margins in Arkansas. Finally, in 2016, Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton 61% to 34%, a 27% margin. Until recently, Democrats regularly won downballot elections here. From 2003 through 2010, Democrats held both Senate seats and three of four House seats. The party also held the governorship from 2007 through 2014. Arkansans were willing to split their ballots and vote for Democrats even as they voted Republican for president. This ticket-splitting trend stopped abruptly. In the 2010 Republican wave, two Democratic House incumbents retired and Republicans won their seats. Republicans also flipped one of the Senate seats that year. Two years later, Republicans flipped the fourth and final House seat. Finally, in 2014, Republicans took control of the entire Arkansas Congressional delegation by winning the second Senate seat. Current Political Landscape Its not surprising that Arkansas has become decisively Republican. The states demographic makeup neatly aligns with that of the party at this point in time. The state is whiter, more rural, and less college educated than the country as a whole. The partys key demographic base non-college educated whites make up 60% of the population. Economically suffering, rural regions of the country of which Arkansas has many were particularly receptive to Donald Trumps Make America Great Again brand of populism. While Democrats were once able to compete throughout the entire state, their support is now isolated to Little Rock and some counties on the eastern border. Back in 1996, Bill Clinton won all but 9 counties in the state, including the states rural, less dense regions. Twenty years later, Hillary Clinton only won eight counties while Donald Trump carried 77. Trump improved upon Mitt Romneys margins in nearly the entire state, but he did so by the greatest margins in the northeastern corner of the state. Clinton meanwhile, outperformed Barack Obama in four urban and suburban counties. Pulaski and Faulkner Counties, which include Little Rock and its northern suburbs, shifted leftwards. So too did Benton and Washington Counties in the northwestern corner of the state. Donald Trump still outran Clinton in Benton, beating her by 40%. Washington County, home to Fayetteville, went to Trump by 10%, closer than Romneys 16% margin. Overall, Arkansas has followed the national trend of rural regions shifting rightward and urban ones moving left. Other southern states like Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas have deep blue urban centers that offset Republican-leaning rural regions. As these cities and their suburbs have grown and become more Democratic, the states have shifted towards battleground status. Arkansas has a similar landscape with its rural, white, Republican regions and the more diverse, dense, and Democratic Little Rock. Unlike these other southern states, however, Little Rock is not large enough to balance the states rural population. Unless Little Rock becomes a demographic and political powerhouse on the scale of Atlanta or Charlotte, or until the current party coalitions break down, Arkansas will remain with the GOP. With such a shift all but impossible before November, Arkansas is safely Republican. Next Week: TBA A special committee comprised entirely of independent and disinterested members of the Company's board of directors (the "Special Committee"), which retained independent legal and financial advisors, as well as the Company's board of directors, determined that the entry into the Stock Purchase Agreement (as defined below) and the completion of the Internalization are fair to and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. Pursuant to the Company's governing documents, stockholder approval of the Internalization is not required. "This internalization transaction is the result of a diligent and detailed process led by the Special Committee," said Howard McLure, Chair of the Special Committee. "We believe that the transaction has numerous positive benefits for the Company's stockholders, the most important of which are the substantial cash savings and alignment of management interests, as compared to the previous external management structure." "The management team is very excited about this transition and the opportunity it provides us in our management of the Company," said Joel T. Murphy, the Company's Chief Executive Officer. "The entire PAC team remains deeply committed to our mission of growing stockholder value and believes this internalized format gives PAC an optimized platform to execute our business and financial objectives over the long term." Potential benefits of the Internalization include: Immediate Cost Savings; Economies of Scale with Growth Estimated cash savings to the Company in 2020 of approximately $32 million . Fees related to management in an externally managed REIT structure scale directly with assets whereas an internally managed REIT structure allows for significantly lower incremental costs as the Company's assets grow. Simplified Structure The Internalization will simplify the Company's structure through the integration of all of its investment activity, corporate operations, and resources under a single, transparent corporate structure, and provide the Company with the ability to control key functions that are important to the growth of its business. Internalizing management will also mitigate perceived or actual existing conflicts of interest between the Company, on the one hand, and the Manager and the Sub-Manager, on the other hand, resulting from the previous external management structure. Continuity The Company's pre-Internalization management team and corporate staff remain employed by the Manager, which has become an indirect subsidiary of the Company, and will continue to lead the Company. This continuity in management will provide a seamless transition to future senior leadership. The Internalization Transaction was effected pursuant to a stock purchase agreement, dated as of January 31, 2020 (the "Stock Purchase Agreement"), by and among the Company, Preferred Apartment Communities Operating Partnership, L.P. ("PAC OP"), PAC Carveout, LLC ("PAC Sub"), NELL Partners, Inc. ("NELL"), NMA Holdings, Inc. ("NMA") and the sellers of NELL and NMA. The Manager is a wholly owned subsidiary of NELL, and the Sub-Manager is a wholly owned subsidiary of NMA. Trusts established, or entities owned, by the family of John A. Williams, the Company's former Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Daniel M. DuPree, the Company's Executive Chairman of the Board and former Chief Executive Officer, and Leonard A. Silverstein, the Company's Vice Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Operating Officer, were the owners of NELL. Trusts established, or entities owned, by Joel T. Murphy, the Company's Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board, the family of Mr. Williams, Mr. DuPree and Mr. Silverstein were the owners of NMA. Additional information regarding the terms of the Stock Purchase Agreement and the Internalization are available in the Current Report on Form 8-K filed today by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement, the sellers sold all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of NELL and NMA to PAC Sub in exchange for an aggregate of approximately $111.1 million in cash paid at the closing which reflects the satisfaction of certain indebtedness of NELL, the estimated net working capital adjustment, and a hold back of $15 million for certain specified matters (the "Specified Matters Holdback Amount"). The Specified Matters Holdback Amount is payable to the NELL sellers less certain losses following final resolution of any such specified matters. Additionally, upon the occurrence of an Earnout Trigger (as defined below), PAC Sub will pay to the sellers of NELL and NMA the Earnout Amount. An "Earnout Trigger" will occur upon the earlier of (i) if, for the immediately preceding fiscal year beginning on January 1, funds from operations ("FFO") of the Company per weighted average basic share of the Company's common stock and Class A Unit (as defined in the limited partnership agreement of the PAC OP) outstanding for such fiscal year is determined to be greater than or equal to $1.55 or (ii) on the thirty-six (36) month anniversary of the closing of the Internalization; provided, that in no event can the Earnout Trigger occur (and the Earnout Amount be paid) more than once. Houlihan Lokey acted as financial advisor to the Special Committee and Alston & Bird LLP acted as legal advisor to the Special Committee in connection with the Internalization. Moelis & Company LLC acted as financial advisor to the Manager, NELL and NMA, and Vinson & Elkins LLP acted as legal advisor to the Manager and Sub-Manager in connection with the Internalization. About Preferred Apartment Communities Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE: APTS) is a real estate investment trust engaged primarily in the ownership and operation of Class A multifamily properties, with select investments in grocery anchored shopping centers, Class A office buildings, and student housing properties. Preferred Apartment Communities' investment objective is to generate attractive, stable returns for stockholders by investing in income-producing properties and acquiring or originating real estate loans for multifamily properties. As of September 30, 2019, the Company owned 101 properties in 15 states, predominantly in the Southeast region of the United States. Forward Looking Statements "Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Estimates of the impact of the Internalization on our future operating results and future goals and performance are, by definition, and certain other statements in this press release may constitute, "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance, achievements or transactions to be materially different from the results, goals, performance, achievements or transactions expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that impact such forward-looking statements include, among others, our business and investment strategy; legislative or regulatory actions; the state of the U.S. economy generally or in specific geographic areas; economic trends and economic recoveries; changes in operating costs, including real estate taxes, utilities and insurance costs; our ability to obtain and maintain debt or equity financing; financing and advance rates for our target assets; our leverage level; changes in the values of our assets; the occurrence of natural or man-made disasters; availability of attractive investment opportunities in our target markets; our ability to maintain our qualification as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, for U.S. federal income tax purposes; our ability to maintain our exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; availability of quality personnel; our understanding of our competition and market trends in our industry; and interest rates, real estate values, the debt securities markets and the general economy. Except as otherwise required by the federal securities laws, we assume no liability to update the information in this press release. We refer you to the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 that was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, on March 1, 2019, which discuss various factors that could adversely affect our financial results. Such risk factors and information may be updated or supplemented by our Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K filings and other documents filed from time to time with the SEC. SOURCE Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc. Related Links http://www.pacapts.com BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Some 901,723 citizens of Azerbaijan visited Turkey in 2019, which is 5.03 percent more compared to 2018, Turkeys Ministry of Culture and Tourism told Trend on Feb. 3. The share of Azerbaijani citizens in the total number of foreigners visiting Turkey in 2019 amounted to 2 percent. In December 2019, 59,666 tourists from Azerbaijan visited Turkey, which is 7.15 percent more compared to December 2018. At this time, over 2.1 million tourists visited Turkey, which is 10.11 percent more compared to 2018. Over 45 million tourists visited Turkey in 2019, which is 14.11 percent more compared to 2018. During 2019, more than 14.9 million tourists visited Istanbul and over 14.6 million tourists visited Antalya. The remaining 15.5 million tourists visited countrys other cities. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 Trend: OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will hold its 19th Winter Meeting at the Hofburg Congress Centre in Vienna on Feb. 20-21, 2020, Trend reports referring to the OSCE PA website. The upcoming parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan scheduled for Feb. 9 will also be discussed at the meeting, according to the report. Nearly 300 parliamentarians are foreseen to attend, as well as high-level representatives of governments, international organizations and the OSCE. The opening session will feature keynote addresses by the President of the Austrian National Council Wolfgang Sobotka, OSCE PA President George Tsereteli and the OSCE Albanian Chairmanship. Members will discuss issues such as how to efficiently leverage the tools and mechanisms of the OSCE to resolve protracted conflicts; the security implications of climate change; and multilateral human rights co-operation. The closing joint session of all three general committees will include a special debate on combating anti-Semitism, discrimination and intolerance in the OSCE region. The session will also feature reports by leaders of recent election observation missions to Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan to be followed by discussions. Appointment 3 February 2020 Absolute Hotel Services' Senior Vice President - Operations Asia, Mr. Frank Clovyn, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs. Chutima Kaewta-Fortescue as General Manager at U Nimman Chiang Mai and Eastin Tan Hotel Chiang Mai in Thailand. With a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry, gained in a variety of roles over more than 30 years, Chutima joined Absolute Hotel Services Group in 2010 in the capacity of General Manager at U Inchantree Kanchanaburi, Eastin Hotel Makkasan Bangkok and U Sukhumvit Bangkok. All the properties she managed have seen great improvement in terms o f service and financial results. Following a brief sabbatical, during which time she was managing her own consultancy company assisting non-branded properties with their operations, Chutima returned to Absolute Hotel Services Group in 2019 to take on the role of Quality Assurance Director before taking on her new General Managers position in Chiang Mai. Sortis Holdings Inc., a Portland, Oregon-based alternative investment fund manager, has launched Sortis Growth Venture Fund. The $10m fund is a hybrid venture capital and consumer-focused private equity fund dedicated to accelerating rising consumer brands. Open to accredited investors, Sortis Growth Venture Fund has a target return of 20% on invested capital. Led by Butch Bannon, fund manager and principal, and Paul Brenneke, founder, Sortis considers branded consumer and retail companies in various categories including apparel and accessories, health and wellness, pet, beauty and personal care, food and beverage, and footwear based in North America and have a domestic or global reach that can quickly leverage the funds category expertise and e-commerce capabilities. The fund is open to accredited investors and accepts up to $1 million per investment, with a $25,000 minimum investment. FinSMEs 03/02/2020 Kim Brent / The Enterprise Health care these days is unfortunately more about subtraction than addition, with every year seeming to bring more cutbacks in facilities and services. So it was refreshing last week to see a new hospital in Southeast Texas, a phrase that hasnt been uttered in this region for a long time. Altus Emergency Centers in Lumberton received certification for its freestanding emergency room in Lumberton to operate as a hospital. The facility has only four beds, but it is a hospital, and its always possible that it could expand in the future. Altus has 10,000 square feet of additional space on the second floor as well as additional acreage behind the hospital that could be used for future growth. Even in these early stages, the company hired at least 10 new employees to help staff the new inpatient services, and at least one physician and one nurse practitioner will be on duty at all times. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 21:03:18|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BERLIN, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Profits after tax of medical technology company Siemens Healthineers decreased by 12 percent to 304 million euros (336 million U.S. dollars) in the first quarter (Q1) of the fiscal year 2020, the German company announced on Monday. At the same time, revenues went up by 8.7 percent to nearly 3.6 billion euros from October to December, according to Siemens Healthineers which bundles Siemens medical products and was split off in 2018. "Profitability was dampened by temporary effects," said Siemens Healthineers CEO Bernd Montag. The medical imaging business achieved sales of 2.2 billion euros and grew around 7 percent compared to last year. X-ray systems, molecular imaging and magnetic resonance business units "contributed in particular to this growth." For the fiscal year 2020, Siemens Healthineers expects an increase in revenues of 5 percent to 6 percent and an increase in adjusted basic earnings per share of 6 percent to 12 percent. "Against the background of our very strong order situation, we are confident about the further development of the financial year," said Montag. LONDON, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Forecasts by Platform (Land-Based, Naval and Airborne), by Component (Human Machine Interface, Sensors and Weapons & Armaments) and by Technology (Close-In Weapon Systems, Remote-Controlled Gun Systems and Other). Plus, Analysis of the Leading Players in the Market Space Contract to deliver Remote Weapons Stations to Denmark worth 270 MNOK Elbit Systems awarded $35 million contract to equip Montenegro's 44 vehicles with Remote Control Weapon Stations UAE confirms EOS weapon station contract Leonardo DRS to supply advanced thermal imagery technology for Army's remote combat vehicle weapon stations Kongsberg has signed CROWS contract worth MUSD 48 These are just some of the business-critical headlines that have surfaced about your industry in the past 12 months. How are you, and your company, reacting to news such as this? By ordering and reading our new report today, you will be fully informed and ready to act. What does the future hold for the Remote Weapon Station market? Visiongain's new study supplies the answer to you and provides it to you NOW. In this new, 153-page report, you will receive 225 tables and charts as well as independent, impartial and objective analysis. To request sample pages from this report please contact Sara Peerun at [email protected] or refer to our website: https://www.visiongain.com/report/remote-weapon-station-market-report-2020-2030/#download_sampe_div By ordering and reading this report today, you will be given: A concise and comprehensive analysis of the Remote Weapon Station market from 2020 to 2030. An understanding of not only the financial prospects of the Remote Weapon Station industry but also the growth potential of several submarkets including different platform, component, and technology types. An informed forecast of the sales of 17 countries United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Japan, China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Israel, South Africa, Brazil and Mexico. A description of the main drivers and restraints that are affecting the development of the Remote Weapon Station market. Profiles of the key players in the industry as well as up-to-date information on the latest financial performances and R&D expenses. Predictions for the global market and submarkets what's possible? Along with an evaluation of the current level of international investment in the Remote Weapon Station market, this report provides measured forecasts for four submarkets covering the period 2020 to 2030. Remote Weapon Station Market by Platform, 2020-2030 Land-Based Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Naval Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Naval Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Remote Weapon Station Market by Component, 2020-2030 Human Machine Interface Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Sensors Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Weapons & Armaments Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Remote Weapon Station Market by Technology, 2020-2030 Close-In Weapon Systems Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Remote-Controlled Gun Systems Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Remote Weapon Station Market by Region & Country, 2020-2030 North America Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 United States Canada Europe Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 United Kingdom Germany France Italy Russia Spain Asia-Pacific Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Japan China India South Korea Middle East & Africa Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Saudi Arabia Israel South Africa Rest of World Submarket Forecast, 2020-2030 Brazil Mexico To request a report overview of this report please contact Sara Peerun at [email protected] or refer to our website: https://www.visiongain.com/report/remote-weapon-station-market-report-2020-2030/ Did you know that we also offer a report add-on service? Email [email protected] to discuss any customized research needs you may have. Companies covered in the report include: Ares ASELSAN AS Asia Security Technology PTE Ltd Australian Government BAE Systems Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited BMC Otomotiv Canadian Federal Liberal Government China North Industries Group Corporation (Norinco) Elbit Systems Ltd Electro Optics Escribano FN Herstal General Dynamics Corporation Hanwha Defence Hanwha Defence IMI Systems KMW Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace AS Kongsberg Gruppen Larsen & Toubro Leonardo Mahindra Defence Systems Moog Nexter Systems Nexter Systems Peruvian Government Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Rauma Marine Constructions Raytheon Company Reutech Radar Systems Reutech Solutions Rheinmetall AG ST Engineering Swedish Defence Materiel Administration Switzerland Army Switzerland Federal Office The AST Group UAE Navy US Air Force US Army US DoD US Navy VNL Yugoimport SDPR To see a report overview please e-mail Sara Peerun on [email protected] Related reports: Fire Control System Market Report 2020-2030 Military Land Vehicle Electronics (Vetronics) Market Report 2019-2029 Military Smart Weapons Market Report 2020-2030 Weapons Carriage & Release System Market Report 2020-2030 SOURCE Visiongain PITTSBURGH, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kennametal Inc. (NYSE: KMT) (the "Company") today reported results for its fiscal 2020 second quarter ended December 31, 2019, with loss per diluted share (LPS) of $0.07, compared with earnings per diluted share (EPS) of $0.66 in the prior year quarter, and adjusted EPS of $0.17, compared with adjusted EPS of $0.71 in the prior year quarter. "Our second quarter results reflect weakening end-market conditions, particularly from greater than expected deceleration in the U.S., Germany and India, combined with headwinds developing in the 737 MAX supply chain," said Christopher Rossi, President and CEO. Rossi continued, "We expect increased profitability in the second half driven by progress on simplification/ modernization and raw material cost improvements now that higher-priced inventory has moved through the P&L. Nevertheless, we are reducing our full-year outlook to reflect further second half end-market weakness and a higher adjusted effective tax rate." Fiscal 2020 Second Quarter Key Developments Sales of $505 million decreased 14 percent from $587 million in the prior year quarter, reflecting 12 percent organic sales decline, 1 percent unfavorable currency exchange effect and 1 percent decline from divestiture. Reported EPS in the current quarter includes restructuring and related charges of $0.39, loss on divestiture of $0.03 and discrete benefits from foreign tax reforms of $0.18. Reported EPS in the prior year quarter includes a non-recurring benefit related to U.S. tax reform of $0.04, a tax charge from change in permanent reinvestment assertion of $0.07 and restructuring and related charges of $0.02. Restructuring Update In connection with the Company's simplification/modernization initiative, total incremental benefits were approximately $11 million in the quarter, which includes incremental restructuring savings of approximately $3 million . We achieved annualized total savings inception to date from simplification/modernization of $69 million . Pre-tax restructuring and related charges for the FY20 and FY21 Restructuring Actions (1) in the quarter were $51 million , or $0.39 per share. in the quarter, which includes incremental restructuring savings of approximately . We achieved annualized total savings inception to date from simplification/modernization of . Pre-tax restructuring and related charges for the FY20 and FY21 Restructuring Actions in the quarter were , or per share. As part of the FY20 Restructuring Actions, the Company completed the full closures of the Lichtenau, Germany and Irwin, Pennsylvania manufacturing facilities. Additionally, distribution activities at the Neunkirchen, Germany distribution center have been transitioned to third-party logistics providers. FY20 Restructuring Actions are still expected to result in annualized savings of $35 to $40 million with pre-tax-charges of $55 to $65 million. and manufacturing facilities. Additionally, distribution activities at the Neunkirchen, distribution center have been transitioned to third-party logistics providers. FY20 Restructuring Actions are still expected to result in annualized savings of $35 to $40 million with pre-tax-charges of $55 to $65 million. As previously announced, the Company also expects to deliver the FY21 Restructuring Actions with the original estimated annualized savings of $25 to $30 million but with lower estimated pre-tax charges of approximately $55 to $65 million, down from $60 to $75 million. Following negotiations with local employee representatives, the Company has agreed to downsize the Essen, Germany operation. It will be substantially smaller with considerably lower operating costs. This change also enables the Company to pursue other footprint actions, which are currently under evaluation. Since the inception of simplification/modernization, the Company has taken steps to permanently reduce its cost structure, decreasing the footprint by five facilities. Other Items Recognized in the Quarter The Company recorded non-cash pre-tax Widia goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges of $15 million as a result of deteriorating market conditions, primarily in general engineering and transportation applications in India and China , in addition to overall global weakness in the manufacturing sector. The impairment charges had no effect on EPS in the quarter due to income taxes fully offsetting the pre-tax charge. as a result of deteriorating market conditions, primarily in general engineering and transportation applications in and , in addition to overall global weakness in the manufacturing sector. The impairment charges had no effect on EPS in the quarter due to income taxes fully offsetting the pre-tax charge. The Company completed the divestiture of its non-core specialty alloys business in the Infrastructure segment as part of its ongoing simplification/modernization initiatives. Cash proceeds from the sale were $24 million , and the pre-tax loss on the sale was $7 million , or $0.03 per share. The divestiture is expected to be accretive to margins. , and the pre-tax loss on the sale was , or per share. The divestiture is expected to be accretive to margins. The Company recorded a discrete tax benefit of $15 million , or $0.18 per share, to reflect transition benefits related to the enactment of tax reform in Switzerland . Operating loss was $48 million, or 9.4 percent loss margin, compared to operating income of $79 million, or 13.4 percent margin, in the prior year quarter. Adjusted operating income was $24 million, or 4.8 percent margin, compared to $81 million, or 13.8 percent margin, in the prior year quarter. The decrease in adjusted operating income was due primarily to organic sales decline, unfavorable labor and fixed cost absorption in certain facilities due to lower volumes and simplification/modernization efforts in progress, and higher raw material costs, partially offset by incremental simplification/modernization benefits. Higher raw material costs, which will abate in the second half of fiscal 2020 now that higher-priced inventory has moved through the P&L, had a detrimental effect on year-over-year adjusted operating margin of approximately 130 basis points. The reported effective tax rate (ETR) for the quarter was 87.9 percent benefit on a loss and the adjusted ETR was 29.6 percent provision on income, compared to reported ETR of 24.8 percent provision on income and adjusted ETR of 21.3 percent provision on income in the prior year quarter. The increase in the adjusted ETR is due primarily to the effects of global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) and base erosion and anti-abuse tax (BEAT), which are both provisions of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, and jurisdictional mix. Year-to-date net cash flow provided by operating activities was $87 million compared to $62 million in the prior year quarter. Year-to-date free operating cash flow (FOCF) was negative $60 million compared to negative $24 million in the prior year quarter. The change in FOCF was driven primarily by lower earnings and higher capital expenditures of $59 million due primarily to simplification/modernization, partially offset by changes in working capital. Outlook The Company has reduced its outlook due primarily to lower end-market demand experienced in the December quarter, as well as expectations of further weakness through the remainder of the fiscal year, which was previously forecasted to stabilize. The outlook also accounts for the effect of the 737 MAX on the aerospace supply chain, and a higher than anticipated effective tax rate. The updated outlook for fiscal 2020 is as follows: Adjusted EPS of $1.20 to $1.50 on organic sales decline of 9 to 12 percent to on organic sales decline of 9 to 12 percent Adjusted ETR of 25 to 28 percent Capital spending of $240 to $260 million to Break-even FOCF Segment Results Industrial sales of $279 million decreased 12 percent from $317 million year-over-year, driven by organic sales decline of 11 percent and a 1 percent unfavorable currency exchange impact. Operating loss was $19 million, or 6.9 percent loss margin, compared to operating income $58 million, or 18.1 percent margin, in the prior year quarter. Adjusted operating income was $30 million, or 10.7 percent margin, compared to $59 million, or 18.6 percent margin, in the prior year quarter. The decrease in adjusted operating income was driven primarily by organic sales decline, unfavorable labor and fixed cost absorption in certain facilities due to lower volumes and simplification/modernization efforts in progress and higher compensation expense, partially offset by incremental simplification/modernization benefits. Higher raw material costs, which will abate in the second half of fiscal 2020, had a detrimental effect on year-over-year adjusted operating margin of approximately 70 basis points. Widia sales of $44 million decreased 9 percent from $49 million year-over-year, driven by organic sales decline of 8 percent and an unfavorable business day effect of 1 percent. Operating loss was $16 million, or 35.9 percent loss margin, compared to operating income of $2 million, or 3.5 percent margin, in the prior year quarter. Adjusted operating loss was $1 million, or 2.4 percent loss margin, compared to adjusted operating income of $2 million, or 3.7 percent margin, in the prior year quarter. The change in adjusted operating results was driven primarily by organic sales decline, partially offset by incremental simplification/modernization benefits. Higher raw material costs, which will abate in the second half of fiscal 2020, had a detrimental effect on year-over-year adjusted operating margin of approximately 230 basis points. Infrastructure sales of $182 million decreased 18 percent from $221 million year-over-year, driven by organic sales decline of 14 percent, a 2 percent decline from divestiture, an unfavorable currency exchange impact of 1 percent and an unfavorable business day effect of 1 percent. Operating loss was $12 million, or 6.4 percent loss margin, compared to operating income of $21 million, or 9.3 percent margin, in the prior year quarter. Adjusted operating loss was $3 million, or 1.8 percent loss margin, compared to adjusted operating income of $21 million, or 9.6 percent margin, in the prior year quarter. The change was primarily driven by organic sales decline, unfavorable mix and higher raw material costs, partially offset by incremental simplification/modernization benefits. Higher raw material costs, which will abate in the second half of fiscal 2020, had a detrimental effect on year-over-year adjusted operating margin of approximately 180 basis points. Dividend Declared Kennametal also announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share. The dividend is payable on February 25, 2020 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 11, 2020. The Company will host its second quarter fiscal 2020 results on Tuesday, February 4, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The conference call will be broadcast via real-time audio on the Kennametal website at www.kennametal.com. Once on the homepage, select "About Us", "Investor Relations" and then "Events." (1) Previously announced restructuring actions associated with the ongoing simplification/modernization program. These restructurings and proposed facility closures in fiscal 2020 (FY20 Restructuring Actions) are currently estimated to deliver annualized savings of $35 to $40 million with pre-tax charges of $55 to $65 million. Fiscal 2021 proposed restructuring and facility closures (FY21 Restructuring Actions) estimated to deliver annualized savings of $25 to $30 million with pre-tax charges of $55 to $65 million. This earnings release contains non-GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations and descriptions of all non-GAAP financial measures are set forth in the tables that follow. Certain statements in this release may be forward-looking in nature, or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are statements that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. For example, statements about Kennametal's outlook for earnings, sales volumes, cash flow, capital expenditures and effective tax rate for fiscal year 2020 and our expectations regarding future growth and financial performance are forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements are based on current knowledge, expectations and estimates that involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, our actual results could vary materially from our current expectations. There are a number of factors that could cause our actual results to differ from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. They include: downturns in the business cycle or the economy; our ability to achieve all anticipated benefits of restructuring, simplification and modernization initiatives; risks related to our foreign operations and international markets, such as currency exchange rates, different regulatory environments, trade barriers, exchange controls, and social and political instability; changes in the regulatory environment in which we operate, including environmental, health and safety regulations; potential for future goodwill and other intangible asset impairment charges; our ability to protect and defend our intellectual property; continuity of information technology infrastructure; competition; our ability to retain our management and employees; demands on management resources; availability and cost of the raw materials we use to manufacture our products; product liability claims; integrating acquisitions and achieving the expected savings and synergies; global or regional catastrophic events; demand for and market acceptance of our products; business divestitures; labor relations; and implementation of environmental remediation matters. Many of these risks and other risks are more fully described in Kennametal's latest annual report on Form 10-K and its other periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We can give no assurance that any goal or plan set forth in forward-looking statements can be achieved and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements, which speak only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of future events or developments. About Kennametal With over 80 years as an industrial technology leader, Kennametal Inc. delivers productivity to customers through materials science, tooling and wear-resistant solutions. Customers across aerospace, earthworks, energy, general engineering and transportation turn to Kennametal to help them manufacture with precision and efficiency. Every day approximately 10,000 employees are helping customers in more than 60 countries stay competitive. Kennametal generated nearly $2.4 billion in revenues in fiscal 2019. Learn more at www.kennametal.com. Follow @Kennametal: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED) Three Months Ended December 31, Six Months Ended December 31, (in thousands, except per share amounts) 2019 2018 2019 2018 Sales $ 505,080 $ 587,394 $ 1,023,168 $ 1,174,080 Cost of goods sold 373,062 388,796 752,170 764,389 Gross profit 132,018 198,598 270,998 409,691 Operating expense 107,548 114,635 221,739 237,920 Restructuring and asset impairment charges 62,329 1,545 66,995 2,620 Loss on divestiture 6,517 6,517 Amortization of intangibles 3,262 3,560 7,008 7,141 Operating (loss) income (47,638) 78,858 (31,261) 162,010 Interest expense 8,055 8,104 15,936 16,201 Other income, net (4,211) (4,022) (6,891) (6,782) (Loss) income before income taxes (51,482) 74,776 (40,306) 152,591 (Benefit) provision for income taxes (45,253) 18,529 (41,487) 37,921 Net (loss) income (6,229) 56,247 1,181 114,670 Less: Net (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interests (290) 1,549 653 3,274 Net (loss) income attributable to Kennametal $ (5,939) $ 54,698 $ 528 $ 111,396 PER SHARE DATA ATTRIBUTABLE TO KENNAMETAL SHAREHOLDERS Basic (loss) earnings per share $ (0.07) $ 0.66 $ 0.01 $ 1.35 Diluted (loss) earnings per share $ (0.07) $ 0.66 $ 0.01 $ 1.34 Dividends per share $ 0.20 $ 0.20 $ 0.40 $ 0.40 Basic weighted average shares outstanding 83,075 82,331 82,979 82,218 Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 83,075 83,310 83,618 83,233 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED) (in thousands) December 31, 2019 June 30, 2019 ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents $ 105,210 $ 182,015 Accounts receivable, net 310,379 379,855 Inventories 522,499 571,576 Other current assets 97,824 57,381 Total current assets 1,035,912 1,190,827 Property, plant and equipment, net 1,008,638 934,895 Goodwill and other intangible assets, net 427,224 461,009 Other assets 151,259 69,538 Total assets $ 2,623,033 $ 2,656,269 LIABILITIES Current maturities of long-term debt, including notes payable $ 2,102 $ 157 Accounts payable 173,160 212,908 Other current liabilities 233,848 248,661 Total current liabilities 409,110 461,726 Long-term debt 593,223 592,474 Other liabilities 273,673 227,365 Total liabilities 1,276,006 1,281,565 KENNAMETAL SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 1,306,168 1,335,172 NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS 40,859 39,532 Total liabilities and equity $ 2,623,033 $ 2,656,269 SEGMENT DATA (UNAUDITED) Three Months Ended December 31, Six Months Ended December 31, (in thousands) 2019 2018 2019 2018 Outside Sales: Industrial $ 279,242 $ 317,320 $ 559,270 $ 637,878 Widia 44,337 48,954 88,394 97,626 Infrastructure 181,501 221,120 375,504 438,576 Total sales $ 505,080 $ 587,394 $ 1,023,168 $ 1,174,080 Sales By Geographic Region: Americas $ 245,243 $ 295,626 $ 504,532 $ 584,755 EMEA 150,433 174,608 303,913 346,115 Asia Pacific 109,404 117,160 214,723 243,210 Total sales $ 505,080 $ 587,394 $ 1,023,168 $ 1,174,080 Operating (Loss) Income Loss: Industrial $ (19,259) $ 57,519 $ 2,012 $ 116,061 Widia (15,918) 1,728 (17,882) 3,822 Infrastructure (11,570) 20,614 (14,260) 44,474 Corporate (2) (891) (1,003) (1,131) (2,347) Total operating (loss) income $ (47,638) $ 78,858 $ (31,261) $ 162,010 (2) Represents unallocated corporate expenses NON-GAAP RECONCILIATIONS (UNAUDITED) In addition to reported results under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (GAAP), the following financial highlight tables include, where appropriate, a reconciliation of adjusted results including: operating (loss) income and margin; ETR; net (loss) income attributable to Kennametal; diluted (LPS) EPS; Industrial operating (loss) income and margin; Widia operating (loss) income and margin; Infrastructure operating (loss) income and margin; FOCF; and consolidated and segment organic sales decline (all of which are non-GAAP financial measures), to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. Adjustments for the three months ended December 31, 2019 include (1) restructuring and related charges; (2) goodwill and other intangible asset impairment charges; (3) loss on divestiture; and (4) discrete benefit from Swiss tax reform. Adjustments for the three months ended December 31, 2018 include: (1) restructuring and related charges; (2) discrete effect from U.S. tax reform; and (3) tax charge from change in permanent reinvestment assertion. For those adjustments that are presented 'net of tax', the tax effect of the adjustment can be derived by calculating the difference between the pre-tax and the post-tax adjustments presented. The tax effect on adjustments is calculated by preparing an overall tax calculation including the adjustments and then a tax calculation excluding the adjustments. The difference between these calculations results in the tax impact of the adjustments. Management believes that presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures provides useful information about the results of operations of the Company for the current and past periods. Management believes that investors should have available the same information that management uses to assess operating performance, determine compensation and assess the capital structure of the Company. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the most comparable GAAP financial measures. Investors are cautioned that non-GAAP financial measures used by management may not be comparable to non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. Reconciliations and descriptions of all non-GAAP financial measures are set forth in the disclosures below. Reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures for the following forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures for the full fiscal year of 2020 have not been provided, including but not limited to: adjusted EPS, adjusted ETR, organic sales decline and FOCF. The most comparable GAAP financial measures are (loss) earnings per share, ETR, sales decline and net cash flow from operating activities, respectively. Because the non-GAAP financial measures on a forward-looking basis are subject to uncertainty and variability as they are dependent on many factors - including, but not limited to, the effect of foreign currency exchange fluctuations, impacts from potential acquisitions or divestitures, gains or losses on the potential sale of businesses or other assets, restructuring costs, asset impairment charges, gains or losses from early extinguishment of debt, the tax impact of the items above and the impact of tax law changes or other tax matters - reconciliations to the most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP financial measures are not available without unreasonable effort. THREE MONTHS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019 (UNAUDITED) (in thousands, except percents and per share data) Sales Operating (loss) income ETR Net (loss) income(3) Diluted (LPS) EPS Reported results $ 505,080 $ (47,638) 87.9% $ (5,939) $ (0.07) Reported margins (9.4)% Restructuring and related charges 50,969 (11.5) 32,402 0.39 Goodwill and other intangible asset impairment charges 14,627 (13.3) 381 Loss on divestiture 6,517 (3.8) 2,433 0.03 Discrete benefit from Swiss tax reform (29.7) (15,288) (0.18) Adjusted results $ 505,080 $ 24,475 29.6% $ 13,989 $ 0.17 Adjusted margins 4.8% (3) Attributable to Kennametal THREE MONTHS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019 (UNAUDITED) Industrial Widia Infrastructure (in thousands, except percents) Sales Operating (loss) income Sales Operating loss Sales Operating loss Reported results $ 279,242 $ (19,259) $ 44,337 $ (15,918) $ 181,501 $ (11,570) Reported operating margin (6.9)% (35.9)% (6.4)% Restructuring and related charges 49,024 219 1,726 Goodwill and other intangible asset impairment charges 14,627 Loss on divestiture 6,517 Adjusted results $ 279,242 $ 29,765 $ 44,337 $ (1,072) $ 181,501 $ (3,327) Adjusted operating margin 10.7% (2.4)% (1.8)% THREE MONTHS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2018 (UNAUDITED) (in thousands, except percents and per share data) Sales Operating income ETR Net income(3) Diluted EPS Reported results $ 587,394 $ 78,858 24.8% $ 54,698 $ 0.66 Reported margins 13.4% Restructuring and related charges 2,071 1,621 0.02 Discrete effect from U.S. tax reform(4) 4.6 (3,452) (0.04) Tax charge from change in permanent reinvestment assertion(5) (8.1) 6,093 0.07 Adjusted results $ 587,394 $ 80,929 21.3% $ 58,960 $ 0.71 Adjusted margins 13.8% (3) Attributable to Kennametal (4) Additional charge recorded to reflect adjustments to the amounts recorded for the application of a measure of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) requiring a one-time transition tax on previously untaxed accumulated earnings and profits of non-U.S. companies (toll tax) considering regulatory guidance issued through December 31, 2018. (5) As a result of TCJA, the Company reevaluated its permanent reinvestment assertion in certain jurisdictions, concluding that the unremitted earnings and profits of certain of our non-U.S. subsidiaries and affiliates will no longer be permanently reinvested. This change in assertion required the recognition of a tax charge of $6 million primarily for foreign withholding and state income taxes. Industrial Widia Infrastructure (in thousands, except percents) Sales Operating income Sales Operating income Sales Operating income Reported results $ 317,320 $ 57,519 $ 48,954 $ 1,728 $ 221,120 $ 20,614 Reported operating margin 18.1% 3.5% 9.3% Restructuring and related charges 1,480 76 514 Adjusted results $ 317,320 $ 58,999 $ 48,954 $ 1,804 $ 221,120 $ 21,128 Adjusted operating margin 18.6% 3.7% 9.6% Free Operating Cash Flow (FOCF) FOCF is a non-GAAP financial measure and is defined by the Company as net cash flow provided by operating activities (which is the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure) less capital expenditures plus proceeds from disposals of fixed assets. Management considers FOCF to be an important indicator of the Company's cash generating capability because it better represents cash generated from operations that can be used for dividends, debt repayment, strategic initiatives (such as acquisitions) and other investing and financing activities. Six Months Ended December 31, FREE OPERATING CASH FLOW (UNAUDITED) (in thousands) 2019 2018 Net cash flow provided by operating activities $ 87,097 $ 61,501 Purchases of property, plant and equipment (147,532) (88,076) Disposals of property, plant and equipment 835 2,490 Free operating cash flow $ (59,600) $ (24,085) Organic Sales Decline Organic sales decline is a non-GAAP financial measure of sales decline (which is the most directly comparable GAAP measure) excluding the impacts of acquisitions, divestitures, business days and foreign currency exchange from year-over-year comparisons. Management believes this measure provides investors with a supplemental understanding of underlying sales trends by providing sales growth (decline) on a consistent basis. Management reports organic sales growth (decline) at the consolidated and segment levels. ORGANIC SALES DECLINE (UNAUDITED) Three Months Ended December 31, 2019 Industrial Widia Infrastructure Total Organic sales decline (11)% (8)% (14)% (12)% Foreign currency exchange impact (6) (1) (1) (1) Business days impact (7) (1) (1) Divestiture impact (8) (2) (1) Sales decline (12)% (9)% (18)% (14)% (6) Foreign currency exchange impact is calculated by dividing the difference between current period sales at prior period foreign exchange rates and prior period sales by prior period sales. (7) Business days impact is calculated by dividing the year-over-year change in weighted average working days (based on mix of sales by country) by prior period weighted average working days. (8) Divestiture impact is calculated by dividing prior period sales attributable to divested businesses by prior period sales. SOURCE Kennametal Inc. Related Links http://www.kennametal.com DES MOINES, Iowa On the eve of the Iowa caucuses, Democratic presidential candidates hustled across the state Sunday trying to fire up voters and appeal to those still struggling to make a final choice in the crowded field. Campaigns and voters acknowledged a palpable sense of unpredictability and anxiety as Democrats begin choosing which candidate to send on to a November face-off against President Trump. The Democratic race is unusually large, with four candidates locked in a fight for victory in Iowa and others still in position to pull off strong finishes. Many voters say theyre still weighing which White House hopeful theyll support. This is going to go right down to the last second, said Symone Sanders, a senior adviser to former Vice President Joe Bidens campaign. Polls show Biden in a tight race in Iowa with Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, as well as former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang are also competing aggressively in the state. Democrats deep disdain for Trump has already put many in the party on edge about the decision before them. And a series of external forces have also heightened the sense of unpredictability in Iowa, including Trumps impeachment trial in the Senate, which marooned Warren, Sanders and Klobuchar in Washington for much of the past week. New caucus rules have also left the campaigns working in overdrive to set expectations. For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party will release three sets of results: who voters align with at the start of the night; who they pick after voters supporting nonviable candidates get to make a second choice; and the number of state delegate equivalents each candidate gets. The new rules were mandated by the Democratic National Committee as part of changes sought by Sanders following his loss to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 primaries. The revisions are designed to make the caucus system more transparent and to make sure that even the lowest-performing candidates get credit for all the votes they receive. But party officials have privately expressed concerns that campaigns will spin the results in their favor, potentially creating confusion on caucus night. Julie Pace and Sara Burnett are Associated Press writers. [February 02, 2020] Yardi Supports Australia Fire Relief and Recovery Efforts Global real estate technology provider makes donations to world's largest volunteer fire service and families and communities affected by the devastating fires SANTA BARBARA, California, Feb. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As Australia continues to fight the worst fire season the country has ever seen, Yardi has donated to two organizations to support relief and recovery efforts. The California-based real estate technology leader, no stranger to the frequent wildfires that have taken place near its corporate headquarters, has offices in Sydney and Melbourne. The company has made a $250,000 donation, split evenly between two critical agencies in New South Wales and Victoria. To date, the two coastal southeastern states have suffered 16 million acres of land burned, 2,500 homes lost and 33 fatalities. It is also estimated that hundreds of millions of wild animals have either perished or lost critical habitat. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service is the largest volunteer firefighting organizaton in the world. Its volunteers provide fire and emergency services to approximately 95 percent of New South Wales (NSW). Over 2,000 volunteer brigades provide firefighting coverage for 108 local governments in NSW, and over than 1,000 firefighters are battling 60 ongoing fires. The Victorian Country Fire Authority Bushfire Appeal is a government-administered fund that will distribute 100 percent of donations directly to those affected by the fires. The intent is to provide practical support as impacted Victorians begin to rebuild their lives. "We've been shocked and saddened by the devastation caused to communities, wildlife and individuals that have lost their homes and lives in the fires in Australia," said Neal Gemassmer, vice president of international for Yardi. "Supporting our communities, and those effected by disasters has been an important part of Yardi's philosophy of giving back." Fire and disaster relief has been a longstanding part of Yardi's corporate philanthropic program. In recent years the company supported recovery efforts from the Thomas Fire in Southern California, the Fort McMurray wildfire in Canada, Hurricane Irma in Florida and Hurricane Harvey in Texas. The company also contributed to mobile disaster response command centers in its hometown of Santa Barbara. About Yardi Yardi develops and supports industry-leading investment and property management software for all types and sizes of real estate companies. Established in 1984, Yardi is based in Santa Barbara, Calif., and serves clients worldwide. For more information on how Yardi is Energized for Tomorrow, visit yardi.com. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/737275/Yardi_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Visitors to Center Parcs in Longford are spending more on extra activities, food and beverage than guests at the chain's holiday resorts in the UK. Some 76% of guests are coming from the Republic, around 11% from Northern Ireland and 11% visiting from Britain, the company said. Center Parcs said it's meeting expectations with an occupancy rate of over 80% for its first six months at Ballymahon. It is expecting this level to increase to levels in the UK of over 90%. Reviewing the first six months of Center Parcs' performance in Ireland, chief executive Martin Dalby said additional purchases, known as on-park spend, "had taken us by surprise, particularly on leisure activity". "The families are so keen to take part in activities that actually the level of revenue there has been higher than expected. "We have had to put on more programmes and more activities, and change some of [the] labour scheduling to accommodate those activities." "The expectation was based on what we have seen in the UK," he added. "So actually the Irish families are spending a little bit more on dining out as well, which is fantastic and really sets us up for a successful business as we get everything established." He said there have been over 100,000 guests to Center Parcs Longford since it opened on July 29, and 3,000 visitors have re-booked. Mr Dalby said he was aware of commentary that the resort was expensive and unaffordable for many: "But what we always say to people is if you take a look at the website and you search around, there is a price point for everyone there." BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Nargiz Sadikhova Trend: Kazakhstan has evacuated 83 Kazakhs back home, including 80 students from Wuhan city (China), Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstans prime minister. Following medical check-up, those returned were placed in 14-day quarantine in a special anti-infection building in the multidisciplinary hospital in Nur-Sultan, located seven km from the city. Evacuated citizens will undergo an additional examination, including testing for coronavirus. During the quarantine period, only medical personnel experienced in dealing with especially dangerous infections will be in contact with the arrivals. In addition on behalf of Kazakhstans President Kassym Jomart Tokayev, humanitarian aid was sent to China. The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. Since then over 360 people have died, including a doctor who was treating the victims. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. The symptoms include cough, headache, fatigue, fever, aching and difficulty breathing. It is primarily spread through airborne contact or contact with contaminated objects. Chinese health authorities say that the majority of the people who have died were either elderly or had underlying health problems. Aside from Mainland China, the cases of coronavirus spreading have also been confirmed in Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, the US, France, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the UAE, Canada, Italy, Russia, Nepal, Sweden, Finland. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh Margot Robbie introduced her handsome brother Cameron to the world when she took him as her date to the BAFTA Awards in London on Monday. The 29-year-old Bombshell star was accompanied by her 24-year-old actor brother, who told Channel Nine it was his first time attending an awards show. The genetically-blessed siblings smiled as they posed together on the red carpet, with Cameron later sharing several photos from the ceremony to Instagram. Teaming up: Margot Robbie introduced her handsome brother Cameron to the world when she took him as her date to the BAFTA Awards in London on Monday Margot was nominated twice in the Best Supporting Actress category for her roles in Bombshell and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. She lost out to Laura Dern, 52, who won for her role in Marriage Story, but the Australian actress still got to give an acceptance speech. Margot accepted the award for Best Supporting Actor on behalf of her Once Upon a Time in Hollywood co-star Brad Pitt, who was absent. Making his debut: The 29-year-old Bombshell star was accompanied by her 24-year-old actor brother, who told Channel Nine it was his first time attending an awards show Hollywood glamour: The former Neighbours actress looked stunning in a floor-length black gown with a lace peplum overskirt and lace shawl sleeves Reading a pre-prepared speech, Margot's joke about Prince Harry's move to Canada prompted laughter from Prince William and Kate Middleton in the audience. 'He says he is going to name this [award] Harry because he is really excited about bringing it back to the States with him. His words not mine,' she said. After collecting the award on her co-star's behalf, Margot acted as custodian of the trophy throughout the evening. Family outing: The genetically-blessed siblings smiled as they posed together on the red carpet, with Cameron later sharing several photos from the ceremony to Instagram The dark side: Margot and Cameron looked glamorous in their respective ensembles, with both opting for black In a post to Instagram Stories later in the night, Cameron shared a photo of himself holding the mask-shaped statue up to his face at an after party. Margot and Cameron looked glamorous in their respective ensembles, with both opting for black. The former Neighbours star looked stunning in a floor-length black gown with a lace peplum overskirt and lace shawl sleeves. 'We text constantly': In a June 2018 interview with OK! Australia, Cameron spoke fondly of his relationship with his older sister The sweeping gown featured a backless design, and she wore her long blonde hair swept back in a low bun. Margot accessorised simply with diamond drop earrings and a statement ring. Meanwhile, Cameron looked suave in a tuxedo with a velvet blazer and black bow tie. Man behind the mask: In a post to Instagram Stories later in the night, Cameron shared a photo of himself holding the mask-shaped BAFTA statue up to his face at an after party In a June 2018 interview with OK! Australia, Cameron spoke fondly of his relationship with his older sister. 'We text constantly, and I get to see her a lot on the down-low, which is quite nice. If no one knows she's in town!' he said. 'She's always been a good big sis to me, we love to have a lot of fun. I'm really proud of her.' A Met Police officer has sparked backlash after he was caught on camera playing a catching game with his hat just metres away from the scene of the Streatham terror attack. Sudesh Amman was shot dead by armed police after two people were stabbed outside an Iceland supermarket on the south London high street on Sunday afternoon. One man in his 40s is in a serious condition in hospital while a woman in her 50s received treatment for non-life threatening injuries and was discharged. A third victim, who was not stabbed, also suffered from minor injuries. Twitter user Alex Roebuck shared Sky News footage from the scene, which showed a police officer trying to perform a stunt with his hat close to the crime scene's cordon. Streatham terror attack - In pictures 1 /28 Streatham terror attack - In pictures Police are dealing with an incident in Streatham Andy Bullemor Police officers conduct a search of a bail hostel in south London AFP via Getty Images A woman reacts near to the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police Getty Images Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police cordon off a property in Streatham PA Forensic officers outside a property on Leigham Court Road, Streatham PA Police activity at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police officers look under a bus as they work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the Streatham area of south London AP Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police officer on Streatham High Road PA Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Police officers guard a cordon on Streatham High Road, at the junction of Prentis Road AFP via Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police secure the area in Streatham AP Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard The policeman can be seen throwing is head backwards in an attempt to flick his hat off his head before trying to catch it behind his back. Mr Roebuck wrote: "Mate I don't want to point out the obvious but your live on TV around the world (sic)." The post prompted a stream of comments, with some Twitter users branding the behaviour "disgraceful". Commenters wrote that he "should be sacked" or "needs a serious word," while one Twitter said: "This is disgraceful". Another user said: "No professionals in today's police force. Just young blokes lucky to have a job and wear a uniform". Others found the video funny or endearing. One wrote "It's nice to see the Police have fun at work," while another said: "Lmao I bet he's gonna get a stern word in the morning." Several people came to the officer's defence with one suggesting the wind had blown off his hat. Another said: "Hes doing his job, he ain't committed the murder and obvs never knew he was being filmed. Cut the lad some slack (sic)." The Met Office declined a request for comment. It comes as the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Streatham stabbing attack. The group's Amaq news agency put its name to the attack on Monday, without giving evidence. "The perpetrator of the attack in Streatham district in south London yesterday is a fighter of Islamic State, and carried out the attack in response to calls to attack the citizens of coalition countries," a statement carried by Amaq said. Amman, 20, had previously praised the Islamic State, shared an online al Qaeda magazine and encouraged his girlfriend to behead her parents. He was jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, had recently been freed from prison,and had been staying at a bail hostel in nearby Leigham Court Road for the past two weeks. Lord Flight is Chairman of Flight & Partners Recovery Fund, and is a former Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. One of the criticisms of our bureaucracy is that it takes so long to address tax injustices which are blindingly obvious to citizen tax payers. I refer to retail property taxes, IHT, the non-allowability of expenses and in particular of child care costs for working mothers; and lastly, property taxation and VAT. Perhaps the most pressing is the treatment of local high street shops business rates versus out of town stores property taxation. The latter remains modest, while high streets are closing down because the businesses large and small do not support the prevailing high levels of business rates and rental costs. Out of town stores should pay a great deal more and high street shops a great deal less tax to achieve a fair balance and to save our high streets. I believe it was also wrong, and the wrong time, to reduce so substantially the tax deductibility of interest costs on domestic rental incomes. The provision of much needed accommodation over that last decade has depended substantially on the buy to let market. We are moving towards a position where it is no longer an attractive investment and the supply will ebb, because of the sharp reduction in the tax allowance of interest as an expense against rental income. Recent polls have shown that a significant majority of voters dislike inheritance tax, and think that the 45 per cent flat rate is too high and that the level of 350,000 at which it applies is far too low compared with the US, where IHT only applies at levels of substantial wealth. Most citizens would like to get rid of IHT, which I hope the Government will consider seriously. For British citizens, it is a punishment for saving. In the meantime, there are also particular aspects which are unfair for example a brother and sister who have shared the same house for many years ought to be treated the same as a married couple. At present, when one dies the survivor is often forced to realise their half of the property they have lived in together, and may not be able to afford suitable alternative housing. Where both partners in a marriage or relationship work full time, as is now usually the case, (more women than men are employed), any children below school age have to be looked after in some form of nursery. The Government has partially addressed this issue by providing limited amounts of free nursery facilities that is if you can get into one near where you live. The free care may cover the morning, but the afternoon care has to be paid for, and the costs of it are alarmingly high. This issue mostly applies to the mothers. The point is that they cannot work without incurring the costs of nursery facilities. These should surely be a tax-deductible expense. The individual cannot work unless they are paying for childminding services. Those justifying the present regime have argued that having children is the choice of the parents, and so couples with or without children should be treated alike. The weakness here is that if everyone decided not to have children, mankind would die out. Essentially the same issue applies to self-employed individuals needing to hire an assistant in order to deal with their requirements. While the individual cannot run their business without such assistance, the cost of this is not tax deductible against the employer individuals income, where their remuneration is paid via PAYE. This means that the individual is having to pay for such assistance out of after-tax income. Where VAT does and does not apply on building works is a mystery to most people. It is determined by what was agreed when we joined the EU and is in need of rationalisation, especially as it can affect charities. This was impossible whilst we were EU members, but could soon be rationalised. Finally, the television licence is in the news. The principle ought to be that those who wish to watch the BBC pay a fee for it and those who do not do so, but may watch other channels, do not pay a licence fee. It ought to be possible to monitor any houses watching the corporations programmes, but not paying the fee, who can then be billed. Possibly the easiest way of dealing with people being able to receive the BBC for paying nothing would be for it to be required to copy the type of arrangements which other fee-paying channels already operate? (Bloomberg) -- Michael Bloomberg said Saturday he would raise taxes on the wealthy, increase the corporate tax rate, and curb tax-free inheritances of large estates, elements of a tax plan that he says would raise $5 trillion over a decade. Tax rates on low-income and middle-class Americans set by the 2017 Republican tax law would remain the same. Bloombergs plan serves to show how hed pay for an array of proposed new spending initiatives, which so far top $3 trillion. But his campaign cautioned that the tax plan could still change as the former New York mayor rolls out even more policy plans in the near future. The tax overhaul would also close loopholes that the rich can exploit, according to a summary of the plan, which would allow for more spending on education, job training, infrastructure and in other areas and fight income inequality, Bloomberg said. My tax plan will make the tax code more progressive, Bloomberg said during a campaign event Saturday in Denver. Im a wealthy guy, and I didnt need a tax cut. Right now, I give nearly all of my companys profits to charity, Bloomberg said in a statement. Under my plan, Ill continue doing that -- but I will also pay more in taxes to make sure all Americans have the same opportunities I did. Thats only right. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg, LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News. Democratic Themes Bloombergs plan touches many of the same themes that his Democratic competitors have embraced, including raising income taxes on the wealthy, taxing capital gains at the same rate as wages, increasing corporate tax rates, and bolstering the Internal Revenue Services ability to audit. The 2020 presidential hopefuls and Democrats in Congress have seized on popular sentiment for increased taxes, particularly for the wealthy and corporations, after the 2017 Republican tax law failed to gain the publics backing and partially contributed to Democrats winning the House majority in the 2018 midterms. Story continues The Bloomberg campaign said it hasnt finalized the details of his plan, including what the threshold would be for taxing estates, because it hasnt yet designed all of Bloombergs policy proposals and tallied their costs. $3 Trillion Bloomberg has released more than 20 proposals covering health care, the economy, climate and other issues since joining the race on Nov. 24, but he hasnt provided cost estimates in most cases. The estimates he did release exceed $3 trillion over 10 years, including spending $1.2 trillion over 10 years for infrastructure and $1.5 trillion for health care. But there are dozens of other policy elements in the plans released so far, with no price-tags attached. The plan released on Saturday adopts several of the policy ideas that Bloombergs moderate competitors, including Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg, have touted. It stops short of some of the more progressive ideas -- such as a wealth tax or financial transaction tax -- floated by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, whove proposed tens of trillions of dollars in tax increases to pay for universal health care. Instead of a wealth tax, the Bloomberg campaign said its looking to increase taxes on the wealthy with a 5% surtax on all income -- both wage and capital gain -- above $5 million a year. The idea is a pared-back version of an idea getting consideration in Congress that would put a 10% surtax on income greater than $2 million. This type of plan is seen as a way to raise revenue from rich taxpayers without the political and legal problems associated with a wealth tax. Bloomberg proposes reversing some of the central elements of the $1.5 trillion GOP tax law championed by President Donald Trump. He would raise the top individual tax rate to 39.6% from 37%, increase the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%, and repeal a 20% deduction for so-called pass-through income from limited liability companies and partnerships. Bloomberg has said the corporate rate needed to be lowered in the 2017 measure for competitive reasons, but went too far. The campaign said its planning to design a mechanism so that small businesses and low-income people wouldnt be harmed by the elimination of the 20% write-off. The tax benefit helps companies ranging from small mom-and-pop businesses to large investment funds, so a full repeal of the 20% tax break would face some political opposition from both Republicans and Democrats. Basis Step Up The plan also would also tax capital gains income for those earning more than $1 million at the same rate as wage income -- 39.6%, according to the plan. The campaign didnt specify what happens to those below the threshold, who now pay the current long-term capital gains rate of 23.8% on the proceeds selling stocks, bonds or real estate. It would end so-called basis step up which allows heirs to avoid paying taxes on appreciated assets. The campaign said it would seek to prevent wealthy investors from deferring taxes on their capital-gains income, but the proposal didnt specify how it would do that. The plan also looks to restrict corporations ability to dodge taxes offshore and would apply diplomatic pressure to tax haven countries that help companies harbor profits. It will also call for lowering the threshold at which the estate tax applies, but hasnt yet set that amount. Bloomberg would ideally want a Democratically-controlled Congress to pass a tax bill if elected, but thinks there are elements of the plan that Republicans could support, the campaign said. Bloomberg has also said that while he knows tax increases are unpopular, the public can be convinced theyre necessary to pay for needed public services. As New York mayor, Bloomberg increased property taxes by 18.5% in 2003, the largest hike in city history, to generate $837 million to plug budget deficits. Bloomberg said that while his poll numbers suffered as a result, he was re-elected in 2005. I probably had the worst polls any mayor in America has ever had, and then I came back and won going away because people said, I didnt like spending more money, but he needed it, Bloomberg said in a Jan. 11 interview. (Updates with Bloomberg comment in fifth paragraph) To contact the reporters on this story: Laura Davison in Washington at ldavison4@bloomberg.net;Mark Niquette in Columbus at mniquette@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Ros Krasny For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Press Release February 3, 2020 In times of conflict, can China shut down our power grid? - Hontiveros "In times of conflict, can China shut down our power grid?" This was the question posed by Senator Risa Hontiveros as the Senate Committee of Energy probed the operations of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) on Monday. Hontiveros said that the country must implement better safeguards to address China's influence over the country's power infrastructure, given the reported use of Chinese software and equipment, as well as the previous hiring of Chinese personnel in the NGCP's daily operations. The Senator took notice of the State Grid Corporation of China's 40% ownership of NGCP. "SGCC owns 40% of our grid. But SGCC is no ordinary company. It is owned by the Chinese Communist Party," Hontiveros detailed. "They are bound by Chinese laws to gather intelligence and report to the Chinese government. Now, paano tayo secured sa ganitong set-up? Paano sa panahon ng conflict sa pagitan ng China at ng Pilipinas, kanino sila papanig?" asked Hontiveros. At present, Hontiveros argued, China may not even need to hack into the Philippine's transmission grid to remotely disable it, given that the SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) network used to monitor and control the NGCP's power transmission facilities, is supplied by a Chinese state-owned entity, NARI Group Corporation (NARI). She said that since 2009, NGCP has not been subjected to any external audit, and that the corporation has barred inspections - even by government agencies- of their operations, particularly the source code audit of the software and firmware used in the SCADA system. "Ever since the computer system was installed in 2009, hindi nabigyan ng pansin ang importanteng cybersecurity issues dahil walang audit na nangyari," Hontiveros said. The hearing also took exception to Chinese nationals in the managerial position of NGCP. "Nasa Constitution mismo, executive and management positions should always be held by Filipinos. Tapos nagkaroon ang isang Chinese national ng special visa to act as a technical officer. Alin ang mas mataas at alin ang mas dapat sundin, ang konstitusyon ba o ang isang special visa?" Hontiveros remarked. "It is true that the Constitution and the law implement safeguards to ensure control of our power infrastructure remains in Filipino hands. However, it is clear that these safeguards are not being enforced, much to the disadvantage of the Filipino people," she concluded. 2020 key for tech start-ups in Vietnam Updated: 10:00 - 03/02/2020 Ki-Ki, the first Vietnamese chatbot, was presented at Zalo AI Summit 2018 in late December 2018, where Vietnams AI community showed optimism about the development of AI__Photo: brandsvietnam.com , , , , Like many other Asian countries, Vietnam is racing its regional counterparts to spur economic innovation with artificial intelligence (AI). Experts say voice recognition technology, AI, blockchain and big data will be major trends in 2020.Although Vietnam is on the back foot in terms of AI and faces huge challenges, including a weak technology sector and lack of human resources, the country has managed to build a vibrant AI ecosystem and set up a plan for research and development with breakthrough strategies.At the same time, many organizations and businesses in Vietnam are now trying to keep up with their foreign rivals by building technical skills to shape raw ideas into fully serviceable and effective AI applications.Viettel Cyberspace Center (VTCC), established in 2014, has focused research on AI. VTCC.AI focuses on providing three services for speech processing, including TTS (Text to Speech), Speech to Text, and Voice Wake-up. The products can be applied to a variety of platforms, such as reading newspapers, books, or in automated customer care systems.Zalo AI plans to develop applications such as Zalo Brain and Zalo Assistant.At the Zalo AI Summit conference held at the end of 2018, the Ki-Ki virtual assistant was officially launched with the ability to recognize the voice of Vietnamese people and answer with northern, central and southern accents.ELSA is an English pronunciation training application founded by Van Dinh Hong Vu. The application uses AI to recognize voice accuracy and help users improve their skills.AI is also providing strong support in the field of transport. Self-driving cars with AI can automatically avoid people or obstacles, and are being used in the Ecopark urban area in Hanoi. In Ho Chi Minh City, AI has been used to help monitor traffic cameras and adjust traffic lights.In health, AI is also being employed to improve quality, efficiency, overcome risks, medical incidents and reduce hospital overcrowding.The 115 Peoples Hospital and Gia An 115 Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City are the first two hospitals in Vietnam to apply Rapid Artificial Intelligence software in stroke diagnosis and treatment.According to Ngo Quoc Hung, Creative Director of COTAI the center for talents in AI who has been teaching AI to students of the Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted in Ho Chi Minh City, AI is no longer unfamiliar to high school students. In their eyes, AI is now an interesting subject which offers useful information and applications.In several more years, Vietnam will have many good engineers in AI and the number of start-ups in AI will increase, Hung said.Tu Nguyen, managing director of VietA.I Community, who has been working for 10 years in emerging technologies, said there were 25 workers in the international payment division of HSBC five years ago.Nowadays, when the work volume is five times higher, the division only needs three workers, because a big workload is now undertaken by computers.Also according to the expert, at Minh Long II Technical Ceramics factory in Binh Duong province, 70 percent of work is being undertaken by robots.This shows that AI has penetrated into all areas in Vietnam, raising the need of developing the labor force in the field of AI, he said.Dang Hoang Vu, Science Director of the FPT Corporation, said that 2020 will be the year of popularizing AI.And while Vietnam has a lot of potential for AI development, most AI start-ups are still at a very early stage of development.The countrys AI start-ups are still facing many difficulties when resources are limited, training is inadequate and many high-skilled workers choose to work overseas.According to the 2018 Vietnam AI Landscape Report published by Nexus Frontier Tech initiative RubikAI, almost 60 percent of AI companies in Vietnam have been in business for less than two years, and only 34 percent have raised more than USD 200,000 from external sources.Also according to the report, two other big challenges for Vietnam are a shortage of talent and the ability to approach data.Vu said that in order to develop faster than its competitors, the Government needs to have policies to socialize AI and encourage businesses to use artificial intelligence in business activities.He also emphasized the importance of effective connection among the community and major businesses, among the components of the AI ecosystem.- The Reverend Thomas Henry Quamson, Senior Pastor of the Holy Ghost Worship Centre, Assemblies of God, Ashaiman, has cautioned the public to beware of fake marriage counsellors on radio, television and social media platforms. He said many of those self-styled counsellors were untrained and lacked understanding and experience to deliver effectively. Rev. Quamson said this during a Family and Business Dedication Service to climax the weeklong Family Life and Business Summit of the Church on Sunday. He said wrong counselling was when the counsellor did not know the practical issues on the ground and just spoke off the cuff. Such reckless approach to marriage counselling is creating a lot of havoc in marriages and influencing the youths in their decisions and perception of marriage, Rev. Quayson said. He said Christian marriage was specially constituted by God and should be governed by sound biblical principles. He urged Christians and the public, in general, to seek the services of qualified counsellors within the church to make informed decisions. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Iraqi protesters are seeking greater international attention to both their cause and attacks by security forces and armed groups, even at one point displaying a large United Nations flag at the Turkish restaurant at Tahrir Square; the restaurant was seized Feb. 1 by supporters of populist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Protests started in early October in a bid to bring about political change in the country. On Jan. 28, the logo of the international organization was raised, a day after demonstrators circulated posters in Tahrir Square calling for the UN to intervene to protect them from excessive violence. Demonstrators accuse the government and Iran-backed armed factions close to it of resorting to violence, including firing live bullets and deadly tear gas canisters at protesters; these have killed and wounded a large number of those protesting. Iraqi official authorities have denied issuing any orders to use violence or to fire live bullets on protesters. They blamed a third party they did not reveal and said they are officially investigating the matter. Protesters' tents have also been set ablaze at night in the provinces of Baghdad, Basra and Dhi Qar. Amnesty International reported that more than 600 people have been killed since early October as a result of civil demonstrations and sit-ins taking place in 11 provinces in central and southern Iraq. The Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights, a quasi-governmental organization, reported that on Jan. 26, 12 people were killed in the provinces of Baghdad and Dhi Qar and that 230 were reported injured, including protesters and government security forces. The military spokesman for Adel Abdul Mahdi, who became a caretaker prime minister after resigning in November, provided a lower number of casualties. However, President Barham Salih corroborated the numbers issued by international organizations. The UN is not that popular among protesters, and less so after the UN secretary-general's special representative for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, welcomed the Feb. 1 naming of Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi to be prime minister. On Jan. 27, in the wake of escalating violence, the embassies of 16 countries in Iraq issued a joint statement condemning the excessive and deadly use of force against peaceful demonstrators by Iraqi government forces and armed factions. The statement included ambassadors of countries that have influence in the UN Security Council, such as the United States, Germany, Canada, Britain, Spain and Italy. This is the first time that so many countries have joined forces to condemn the violence against Iraqi demonstrators. On Jan. 30, the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq issued a strongly worded statement in which it repeated its condemnation of the use of violence against demonstrators, saying the continued loss of young lives and the daily bloodshed are intolerable. The UN statement, which was widely circulated in the media, provided numbers of victims of protests that were lower than those declared by humanitarian organizations. The UN mission's statement said, Preliminary information points to the use of live ammunition and the impact of tear gas canisters as the chief cause of death, while additional injuries occurred as a result of security forces beating demonstrators with sticks. In addition to the violence that is being used against protesters in protest and sit-in squares, a number of influential activists, bloggers and journalists are also being pursued. The High Commission for Human Rights in Iraq documented 49 cases of attempted assassinations and 72 abduction attempts involving protesters, activists, and bloggers since the first day of the demonstrations. In a statement distributed to the media Jan. 29, the commission said it had documented 50 assault cases against journalists, through beating, threatening, inhaling tear gas, attacking many satellite channels, breaking equipment and preventing media workers from playing their role in covering the demonstrations. The embassies of the 16 countries, the UN and several human rights organizations have all pointed out that armed factions were involved in the assault on protesters. The Popular Mobilization Units, which include most of the armed factions in Iraq, have denied responsibility for the violence used against demonstrators. The violent methods used against protesters are leading protesters to lose confidence in the official authorities or any other government agency when it comes to protecting them. This sentiment led protesters to repeatedly chant slogans calling for their protection internationally and for the Security Council to take measures against the government and Iraqi groups for using excessive violence. Al-Monitor made five attempts to reach Iraqi government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi to ask for the governments response to the recent international statements, to no avail. Alia Nassif, an Iraqi member of parliament, told Al-Monitor that while the demonstrators are facing a great deal of violence, the statement of the 16 embassies regarding the demonstrations is meddling in the internal affairs of Iraq. She advised demonstrators to resort to the Iraqi judiciary to file cases against those they deem to be involved in killing operations. Issam al-Faili, a professor of political science at Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, told Al-Monitor, The government and the parties that support it are neither aware of the seriousness of the statement of the 16 countries, nor of those of the United Nations condemning the use of violence. He said, These countries some of which are permanent members of the UN Security Council could demand the prosecution of those involved in the killing of Iraqi demonstrators. Faili added, Raising the UN flag is aimed at placing pressure toward the internationalization of the issue of violence against protests in Iraq, all the while pushing the international community to prosecute those involved in the killing of demonstrators. Some Iraqi political parties have started threatening to go to the international community in an attempt to halt the violence against the protesters. Chief among these are the head of the Qarar Coalition, Osama Nujaifi, and the head of the National Coalition, Ayad Allawi, who said one possible step would be to raise the protesters request to the Arab League. People need licenses to operate cars, boats and airplanes. In order to actually use home-built versions of those vehicles, they must be registered and inspected. But what if you've set your sights higher? Much, much higher. The bureaucracy has you there too. But you aren't just making a stop at the Department of Motor Vehicles -- you're probably going to have to review some international treaties as well. Depending on the country from which you're blasting off, you should first review the 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, also known as "the Outer Space Treaty." This is the foundation of Space Law. The United Nations wants to make sure you aren't going to bring any nuclear weapons into outer space. The moon and other extraterrestrial bodies are for peaceful purposes only. And don't plan on staking a claim there, either. The Space Force might soon arrive to evict you. According to the Outer Space Treaty, you need your home government's permission to be there. However you get that approval, it will likely involve an inspection of your space vehicle by some kind of federal agency, likely NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration. If your garage-built spaceship will only make it halfway up and then crash into the ocean, you may need to go back to the drawing board. Cutaway drawing of the Avrocar showing its major components. (U.S. Air Force) Once the FAA and NASA are certain the vehicle won't randomly crush a village in Cambodia from low-earth orbit, you'll need to file a flight plan with the FAA, like any other airborne vehicle. After that, your flight plan will need to be reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission to ensure that your craft and its comms don't pose a risk to existing commercial and government satellite operations. Once you've somehow cleared all that bureaucracy for your orbital soapbox racer, you need to decide whether you're going to take photos. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration requires a permit for live broadcasts of our home planet. Congratulations on your home-built plan to slip the surly bonds of Earth. Here's hoping government bureaucracy isn't a stronger force than gravity -- but it probably is. -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. Want to Know More About the Space Force? Be sure to get the latest news about the Space Force, as well as critical info about how to join the military and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox. What is the military? In simple terms, the U.S. Armed Forces are made up of the six military branches: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy and, most recently, Space Force. There are three general categories of military people: active duty (full-time soldiers and sailors), reserve & guard forces (usually work a civilian job but can be called to full-time military duty), and veterans and retirees (past members of the military). And of course, there are the millions of family members and friends of military members, past and present. But you're here to learn more about the military. There is much to learn. So first the basics. Who Is in Charge of the 6 Military Branches? The president of the United States is the commander in chief, who is responsible for all final decisions. The secretary of the Department of Defense (DoD) has control over the military and each branch -- except the Coast Guard, which is under the Department of Homeland Security. With more than 2 million civilian and military employees, the DoD is the world's largest "company." What Are the Branches of the Military? Each branch of the military has a unique mission within the overall mission of U.S. security and peace. In addition to the six branches of the military, the Army and Air National Guards also serve their own special functions. Here's a rundown: Air Force and Air Force Reserve The nation's source of air and space power. The primary mission of the USAF is to fly planes, helicopters and satellites. Air National Guard The Air National Guard, as we know it today, is a separate reserve component of the United States Air Force. Army and Army Reserve The dominant land power. The Army generally moves into an area, secures it and instills order and values before it leaves. It also guards U.S. installations and properties throughout the world. Army National Guard The Army National Guard is an elite group of warriors who dedicate a portion of their time to serving their nation. Each state has its own Guard, as required by the Constitution; in fact, it is the only branch of the military whose existence actually is required by the Constitution. Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve The Coast Guard's mission is primarily with domestic waterways. The Coast Guard does rescues, law enforcement, drug prevention and clears waterways. Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Corps is known as the country's rapid-reaction force. They are trained to fight by sea and land, and usually are the first "boots on the ground." Marines are known as the world's fiercest warriors. Navy and Navy Reserve The Navy accomplishes its missions primarily by sea but also by air and land. It secures and protects the oceans around the world to create peace and stability, making the seas safe for travel and trade. Space Force The newest branch of the military, the U.S. Space Force, was signed into law in December 2019. The Space Force currently does not have a reserve component. The sixth branch of the military, the Space Force is also still in development and will be for some time as many final decisions are made, including uniforms, basing and even recruitment. Where Are These Military Men and Women Stationed? The U.S. operates in more than 100 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Bahrain, Brazil, South Korea, Australia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Japan. Interested in Joining the Military? We can put you in touch with recruiters from the different military branches. Learn about the benefits of serving your country, paying for school, military career paths, and more: sign up now and hear from a recruiter near you. Aerial photo taken on Feb. 2, 2020 shows the Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. China has built a makeshift hospital in 10 days to battle against the novel strain of coronavirus in Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak in central China's Hubei Province. Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) Hospital was delivered Sunday in Wuhan. It is dedicated to treating patients infected with the virus. (Xinhua/Cheng Min) BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- A new hospital built in just ten days in a Chinese city hit hardest by the novel coronavirus outbreak will soon start operation. Approved by Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xi Jinping, 1,400 medical staff from the armed forces are tasked with treating patients in the 1,000-bed Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan starting from Monday. This is the latest development in the Chinese people's critical battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak, with the number of cumulative confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland reaching 14,380 by the end of Saturday. Commanding this fight is President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. Under Xi's leadership, China has taken unprecedented measures to contain the outbreak, pooling national medical personnel and supplies to the hardest hit regions, building new hospitals, extending the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, postponing the opening dates for schools and businesses, and imposing travel restrictions. The nation is currently experiencing a peak period of confirmed cases. With prevention and control measures in place, the number of future infections will be significantly reduced, said Li Lanjuan, a renowned Chinese epidemiologist. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said China's measures are not only protecting its people, but also protecting the people in the whole world. President Xi's personal guidance and deployment show his great leadership capability, Tedros said. TOP PRIORITY Over the past few weeks, Xi has called multiple meetings, heard reports and made important instructions on the prevention and control work. The message is crystal clear: people always come first. Before the Chinese Lunar New Year, as the epidemic spread, Xi ordered resolute efforts to curb the spread, stressing people's lives and health as the top priority. On Jan. 25, the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, Xi chaired a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. He reiterated putting people's lives and health as the top priority and ordered Party committees and governments at all levels to take novel coronavirus outbreak prevention and control as the most important task. On Jan. 27, in an instruction to Party organizations, members and officials, Xi asked them to keep in mind that the people's interests are the highest priority in the current arduous battle. Xi said in an instruction to the military that the epidemic prevention and control remained grim and complex and demanded the armed forces shoulder their responsibility, fight the hard battle and actively assist local authorities in fighting the epidemic. UNIFIED COMMAND, JOINT EFFORTS Following a unified command and pooling together efforts from all sectors are key to China's battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak. At the Jan. 25 meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, a central leading group was set up to form a unified command to oversee the prevention and control work in different localities. In the Jan. 27 instruction, Xi asked Party organizations, officials and members to unite the people in resolutely implementing the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee, to let the Party flag "fly high at the frontline of the battleground." On Jan. 28, Xi told Tedros that China has full confidence and capability to win the battle against the virus with concerted efforts, scientific containment and targeted policies under the strong leadership of the CPC. The joint task mechanism was repeatedly stressed. It would help fortify a strong defense against the outbreak by mass participation, according to Xi. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION As the virus is highly contagious, the entire world is looking to China's prevention and control efforts. Xi has stressed releasing information in a timely manner and deepening international cooperation. The Jan. 25 meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee underscored the timely, accurate and transparent release of information to address concerns from home and abroad. Xi told Tedros that China attaches great importance to the cooperation with the WHO. China is ready to work with the WHO as well as the international community to safeguard regional and global public health security, Xi said. Jamia Millia Islamia's Mass Communication Research Centre has unanimously decided to 'boycott' Arnab Goswami's Republic TV from the placement process this year Jamia Millia Islamia's Mass Communication Research Centre has unanimously decided to "boycott" Arnab Goswami's Republic TV from the placement process this year. This came after Republic TV ran a programme alleging that the person who had shot a student on Thursday was a Jamia student and an anti-CAA protester. The shooter was later identified as a resident of Jewar in the Greater Noida area of Uttar Pradesh, who sought to give "azaadi" to the students. While shooting, he shouted, "Yeh lo azaadi. Hindustan zindabad. Delhi police zindabad (Here is your azaadi. Hail India. Hail Delhi police)." Using wording ranging from "Protester turns violent" to "End the violence now", the channel did its best to portray the gunman as one of the anti-CAA protesters at Jamia Millia Islamia. But after the shooter was identified as not being a Jamia student, Republic TV changed its stance to say that the protesters had somehow provoked the incident. The channel pushed this narrative through a hashtag on Twitter #StopProvokingIndia. In retaliation, the same day, another hashtag trended on Twitter, asking people to ban Republic TV #BanRepublicTV. But according to Jamia students, calling for a ban on Republic TV on Twitter is not enough. They have decided to ban the channel's representatives from attending the forthcoming placement drive at Jamia. "Initially, we had decided to invite Republic TV for the placement programme in college. We had sent a mail and had received a call back too. But at that time, we didn't have a designated faculty member, so the process didn't go through. But since we have seen the coverage of the [Thursday] incident, we have unanimously decided to not invite the channel now," Sadaf Zarreen, a Master's student of Mass Communication who is one of the placement coordinators of the department explained. She also added that one member of the placement team initially had reservations against the decision, but then after the incident on Thursday and Republic TV's coverage of it, even he agreed to it. "We do not approve of the kind of journalism that Republic does. The placement team of our class, an extended team of 10 people, had already had this conversation before we talked to the whole class about it. We had also decided not to enforce this on anybody, if any student of the total 54 wanted the channel to attend, we would have sent an invitation. But then we got a heartwarming response from the class. People not only agreed to the idea, they even commended us for taking this call," she further added. Harshita Anand, another placement coordinator from the Mass Communication department said, "Obviously, not calling a huge channel to our department, especially during a time of turmoil when a lot of companies are taking a step back from coming here for placements was a big decision. Companies that have come in the past are already not coming this year. So it was a big step. But then the other day, when a junior of ours was attacked and Republic TV misreported it, the amount of hate that the channel spread was too much. They called the shooter a student of Jamia and even a protester." The student who had been hit by the bullet is Shadab Farooq, a student of Mass Communication. She added, "It would be unethical for us to go to them and work for them completely against our morals. The least we can do right now is not call them to the university. Also I think Republic TV will be happy to know this because they think we are 'anti-nationals'. So we stay away from them, and they from us. It's the perfect equation." The main courses offered by the Mass Communication Research Centre include Mass Communication, Convergent Journalism and Development Communication. Republic TV has, in the past, had students from Convergent Journalism, but this year, even students from this course have decided to boycott the channel. Rishabh Jain, the placement coordinator of the class, said, "We are students of journalism and we have been against the kind of reporting Republic TV does from the very beginning. How it targets students of universities, whether in JNU or Jamia, is a nightmare. After the events of 13 and 15 December, the channel launched propaganda against Jamia." On 13 December, 2019, the students of Jamia were lathi-charged for trying to carry out a peaceful march from the university to Parliament to protest the CAA. And two days later, the police entered the university premises and beat up students without the administration's permission. A student named Minhajuddin, who was not even part of the ongoing protest, lost an eye due to what the students call "police brutality" on campus that day. According to Rishabh, Republic TV tried to push a narrative calling Jamia students "goons" and "stone-pelters". "Republic TV was not only trying to demonise us, but also trying to tell us not to protest and simply focus on our studies, as if Jamia students are not allowed to be political or take part in the political discourse." Development Communication placement coordinator Paoni Patidar has also confirmed that the class of 21 people has unanimously decided against calling Republic TV to the placement drive. Shohini Ghosh, the director of the Mass Communication Research Centre, has decided to file a defamation suit against Republic TV for misrepresentation of facts and defamation. While talking about how she will personally write a letter to the country's broadcasting council to file a complaint, she said, "The best way to do this is to do this is to pass a resolution on this decision, if the students really want this. I recently got in touch with the vice-chancellor and suggested that we shouldn't just protest, but file a defamation suit against Republic TV for misrepresentation." But it is not just the current batch of students who have raised objection to the kind of coverage that Republic TV does. Even former students of Jamia, who had been hired at Times Now via Jamia's placement drive and then at Republic TV, have left the organisation owing to ideological qualms. A former Republic TV reporter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, "When I started working there, I got to know that the work culture wasn't conducive. People weren't treated well. Untoward behaviour of seniors [were] trying to perpetuate only a certain kind of ideology. It was an everyday fight. A lot of people who had joined Republic TV initially have now left due to this reason." He joined the channel when it was founded in 2017, and left the organisation within five months. Republic TV was co-founded in May 2017 by Arnab Goswami and Rajeev Chandrashekhar, then an Independent member of Rajya Sabha, and vice-chairman of the NDA in Kerala. Chandrashekhar resigned from the board after he officially joined the Bhartiya Janata Party in 2018 as a member. Zeeshan Khan, another former student of the Mass Communication Research Centre of Jamia had also joined Republic TV after working for Times Now. He was among the team of people that Arnab Goswami had carried forward with him when he left Times Now to co-found Republic TV. Talking about his experience at Republic TV, Khan said, "The university should really sue Republic TV. I will be very glad if that happens. The only reason I even joined Republic TV was because its package was attractive for a young person living in Mumbai. But I stopped going after a month, I didn't feel like I could work there any longer. There was no one particular incident that triggered it. After working there for a month, I just saw that it wasn't an ideal working environment." Speaking about the recent coverage of Jamia's Anti CAA protest, the former Republic TV reporter quoted above said, "The channel's coverage was disgusting even by its own standards. Its standards of reporting are already pretty low the lowest in the journalism that we see." He added, "I am an alumnus of Jamia and I feel strongly about the cause. If the students have collectively decided to boycott the channel, it is a superb decision." The old house was jammed and noisy, with people standing elbow to elbow in the bar, drinking beer, roaming the premises, and stepping to the porch for a cigarette or a cigar. Many of the men were dressed in kilts, and a number of the women wore tartan skirts and shawls. In the yard behind the house, others gathered round a blazing bonfire while a bagpiper slowly strolled back and forth, warming up his pipes for the evenings festivities. Upstairs, a buffet awaited these guests, with the featured items being haggis and a large casserole dish of neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes). Soon the piper, preceded by a kilted young man carrying a broadsword, would pipe the haggis down the stairs before the assembled guests. Then would come poems and songs, various toasts, and a formal address regarding some aspect of Robert Burns and his work. Burns Night NoI was not in Scotland. I was at the Virginia Beer Museum on Chester Street in Front Royal to commemorate the birth of a Scots poet born more than 250 years ago. And on this day of his birth, Jan. 25, similar celebrations were taking place around the world. Robert Burns (17591796) wrote more than 600 poems and songs in his short life. He adored his native country, supported the American and French Revolutions, drank too much whisky, loved several women, failed as a farmer, spent most of his life struggling to earn a living, and died of rheumatic fever. He could be curmudgeonly and opinionated, and his personal life was, to put it kindly, a mess. Yet in Scotland and around the globe, Burns Night brings a celebration of this man, eclipsing in its festivities even Scotlands official national holiday, Saint Andrews Day. Admirers have erected more than 60 statues to Burns, putting him third in line behind Christopher Columbus and Queen Victoria in the number of statues dedicated to people other than religious figures. In a poll conducted in 2009, Burns was declared the Greatest Scot of all time, beating out such luminaries as William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, and Alexander Fleming. One of the 60 statues of the poet Robert Burns in the world, this one unveiled in the town center of Dumfries, Scotland, in 1882. (Public Domain) Ponder that honor for a moment. If Americans were asked to name the 10 Greatest Americans of all time, we might safely wager that no poet would make the cut. Fame and Homage So how is it that his fans toast the Bard of Scotland in places like Chicago and Moscow? One reason has to do with geographic dispersal. A variety of factors, especially poverty and the English suppression of Scotland following the Battle of Culloden, led Scots and Scots-Irish to migrate to places like America, Canada, and Australia. Here in the United States, for example, the Scots-Irish put down roots in frontier Appalachia, and their cultural influence on the region remains strongly felt even today. With these immigrants came the poetry of Robert Burns. Burns was also regarded, both in his lifetime and afterward, as a peoples poet. His use of the vernacular, his poetic style, and many of his themes, especially his down-to-earth take on love and life, spoke to the man on the street, so much so that even in czarist Russia his words found an audience. Of course, Burns Night has also kept alive his work. This celebration of the poet began shortly after his death and eventually became the phenomenon it is today. And phenomenon it is, as I observed at the Virginia Beer Museum. We Americans honor Shakespeare, yet few of us throw parties on his birthday. We honor our own writers by declaring their homes historical sites and by establishing societies to preserve and promote their work, but we have no annual observances to match the widespread homage shown to Burns. Portrait of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, 1787, by Alexander Nasmyth. Scottish National Portrait Gallery. (Public Domain) Natures Own Beloved Bard Of course, the chief reason we remember and honor Robert Burns lies in his verse, which Samuel Taylor Coleridge esteemed as written by Natures own beloved bard. Emblematic of his appeal is one of his better-known poems, A Red, Red Rose: O my Luve is like a red, red rose Thats newly sprung in June; O my Luve is like the melody Thats sweetly played in tune. So fair art thou, my bonnie lass, So deep in luve am I; And I will luve thee still, my dear, Till a the seas gang dry. Till a the seas gang dry, my dear, And the rocks melt wi the sun; I will love thee still, my dear, While the sands o life shall run. And fare thee weel, my only luve! And fare thee weel awhile! And I will come again, my luve, Though it were ten thousand mile. Here we see the quintessential Burnsian verse: simple, straightforward in meaning, written in dialect, words so sweetly played in tune that these might be lyrics for a song, which indeed they were. Here we feel the poets joy, his exuberance in love and life. Note, too, that in the entire poem only seven words contain more than one syllable. This is language honed sharp as a razor. Burns was a songwriter as much as a poet, and many of his compositions found a broad audience. From my childhood, I remember my mother playing the piano and singing Flow gently, sweet Afton, and realized Burns had written the lyrics only when I began teaching literature to homeschool students. And of course, whenever we raise our glasses on New Years Eve and belt out Auld Lang Syne, we are singing Burtons words to an old Scottish folk song, one of more than 300 such songs that Burns helped preserve. Lifting a Glass In his massive tome Lives of the Poets, Michael Schmidt devotes a page to the criticism of Burns by Victorian poet and critic Matthew Arnold, who wrote that Burnss poetry often depicts a harsh, a sordid, a repulsive world and that his verse lacked the high seriousness which comes from absolute sincerity. Despite this critique, Arnold then goes on to compare Burns to Chaucer, writing: Of life and the world, as they came before him, his view is large, free, shrewd, benignanttruly poetic, therefore; and his manner of rendering what he sees is to match. On Burns Night, the keynote speaker traditionally addresses some aspect of Robert Burnss life and work, and ends his remarks by raising his glass and declaring, To the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns! Given the respect and love paid to the poet at the Virginia Beer Museum, and in an uncounted number of places around the globe, we may safely predict that Robert Burns is in no danger of being forgotten. Jeff Minick has four children and a growing platoon of grandchildren. For 20 years, he taught history, literature, and Latin to seminars of homeschooling students in Asheville, N.C., Today, he lives and writes in Front Royal, Va. See JeffMinick.com to follow his blog. This was Iowa caucus night back in the mid-1970s. And these are members of the national media covering the voting. It was so unusual to see national media in Iowa back then that people actually paid to watch them. The Democratic Party charged $15 a head for people to watch the media watch the people. See, in previous years, Iowas caucuses just hadnt attracted national attention. There are 3,000 frozen media members in downtown Des Moines Just over a decade later, Iowa is the place to be. Its Iowa caucus night. Lets party. [shouting] The caucuses are now a key part of the presidential election cycle. Bush, 57. Theyre the first chance to see what kind of support candidates have among voters. So how did we get here, from caucuses that only Iowans seem to care about to the national spectacle we see today? Turns out, a lot of it was accidental. For most of Iowas history, its caucuses were dominated by political insiders. There was little room for input from rank-and-file members. An historian writing in the 1940s put it like this: The larger number of party voters were deprived of a voice. But the old ways start coming to an end in 1968. The countrys in turmoil, and so is the Democratic Party, mostly over the Vietnam War and civil rights. Basically, the party establishment wants to handle things one way, and many rank-and-file members have other ideas. All this comes to a head as the Democrats hold their national convention. Protesters gather outside. So do police. Inside, the mood is also tense. All this division leads the Democratic Party to rethink the nomination rules to include the voices of all party members in the process. This is how we come to the moment when Iowa becomes key to electing a president, basically by accident. First up, how Iowa became first to hold a presidential contest. It starts with new rules to give everyday members more of a say. So by 1972, winning Iowa now involves four stages. Iowans choose their top candidates, first at the precinct level. These are the caucuses at the heart of this story. But technically, theres further voting at the county, congressional district and state levels. The new rules make things a lot more inclusive, but this creates new delays. Committees need to be formed, and everyone needs to have up-to-date party materials. The problem is, the state party only has an old mimeograph machine to make copies of all this. Its really slow. So because of an old machine and a bunch of new logistics, the party decides it needs at least a month between each step to do it all. The national convention is set for early July, so youd think that the state-level convention would happen about a month before, in June. Except, the party cant find a venue thats available to hold everyone. That little detail helps push everything earlier in a chain reaction. See whats going on here? The precinct caucuses now have to happen early in the year. The party chooses a date that makes Iowas the first presidential contest. The New Hampshire primary has been the first kickoff contest since the 1950s, but Iowa Democrats arent necessarily looking for national attention. They just think itll be fun to be first. Still, attention is what they get. The story begins with George McGovern. People didnt know much about the Iowa caucuses. As a matter of fact, there wasnt a great deal of interest in them. Hes the long-shot candidate. Hes been at the bottom of national polls. He often walked the campaign trail alone, little known by the voters. Most people think this guy, Edmund Muskie, is going to be the big winner in Iowa. That challenge is great, but we can meet it. Then comes caucus night. As the people vote, state party officials gather at their headquarters. Richard Bender is one of them. And we had about 10 or 12 press people show up. These press people included one guy, Johnny Apple. Johnny Apple, a 37-year-old political correspondent for The New York Times. Iowas Democrats arent ready to publicize the results right away. They hadnt expected much demand. According to Bender, only Johnny Apple asked for them that night. I happen to be fascinated with such things, so I made it my business, beforehand, to understand it. Bender sets up a phone tree to gather results from across the state. He adds them up himself with a calculator. And the next day, Apples article helps swing the national spotlight onto the caucuses. Hes got quite the story to tell. Muskies won, but just barely. Not the runaway win people were expecting. And McGovern comes in a strong second. No one expected that, either. The reformed caucus rules helped a long-shot candidate rise to the top. And because this is happening so early in the election now, and because Apples article gives the results national coverage, something else happens. That got picked up by some of the national news shows. The Democratic front-runner has been damaged in Iowa. And wow, all of a sudden, we were being paid attention to. McGovern eventually wins the Democratic nomination. I accept your nomination with a full and grateful heart. He loses the presidential election, but some havent forgotten what those early caucuses did for McGovern, including Georgias former governor, Jimmy Carter. Three years later There was a major headline on the editorial page of the Atlanta Constitution that said, Jimmy Carters running for what? [laughter] And the What was about this big. [applause] Im running for president. Carter heads to Iowa before any other Democratic candidate. Hes got no national profile. He didnt have hordes of press following him around. It was a very lonely campaign. Washington pundits call his candidacy laughable. I remember when we couldnt find a microphone. Jimmy Who? becomes a catchphrase. Carters own campaign film plays it up. Jimmy who? I dont know who he is. But as long as Iowans come to know him and like him, Carter bets that the media will start paying attention, just like with McGovern four years earlier. Carter campaigns as locally as possible. One day, he learns that hes been invited on a local TV show. And I said, that is great. I cant believe it. I said, What are we going to do? He said, Do you have any favorite recipes? And I said, What do you mean, recipes? He said, Well, this is a cooking show. Well, they put a white apron on me and a chefs hat. That was my only access to TV when I first began to campaign in Iowa. His opponents are in Iowa, too, but they spend far less time there. Carter wins. Surprisingly top of the class after his win in a somewhat obscure race in Iowa against the others. You cant tell until we go to the other 49 states, but its encouraging for us. A year later I, Jimmy Carter, do solemnly swear he becomes the 39th president. Now we need to head to 1980 because we havent talked about the Republicans yet. Heres the states Republican chairman that year. Hes asked why Iowas caucuses have become so important. I think because Jimmy Carter got his start in Iowa in 1976. The Republicans in Iowa are keen to copy the Democrats success, and one candidate in particular gets inspired by Carters underdog win: George H.W. Bush. Hes running against Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and others, and hes near the bottom of the pack. Your name isnt really a household word, but Ronald Reagan can But Bush goes big in Iowa. He gets a surprise win. Its a far cry from just months before. I was an asterisk in those days. And my feelings got hurt. And now, Im no longer an asterisk. Bush is now the third underdog to get a boost from the caucuses. The next morning on CBS, he distills the essence of this new Iowa effect. We will have forward, Big Mo on our side, as they say in athletics. Big Mo? Yeah. Mo momentum. Bush loses to Reagan, but becomes vice president. And the desire to capture the Big Mo from Iowa has only grown, thanks in large part to Iowas embrace of being first, and the media storm that descends every four years. Thats despite the fact that most candidates who win This is a job interview. dont become president. Plus, many point out that the states overwhelmingly white population doesnt reflect the countrys diversity. I actually think that we can find places that represent that balance of urban and rural better. But the race to get the Big Mo out of Iowa persists because its the first chance to upend expectations, and put political fates in the voters hands. Foreign ministers of countries seeking to broker a peace agreement in Libya have agreed to meet again in the middle of March, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said. All foreign ministers present at the recent Libya conference in Berlin will meet again in mid-March, Maas told German broadcaster ZDF. It was important that the Libyan factions should meet within the next few days, he said. Last Monday, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) called on foreign countries to take hands out of Libya, which is suffering from increasing foreign interference in the long-running factional conflict in the country since the fall of former dictator Muammar Gadaffi in 2011. The UN envoy described the current situation in Libya as particularly difficult and bleak. Ordinary people are paying dearly, with dozens of schools closed, health facilities attacked, and thousands displaced. UNSMIL has launched a three-track process to bring the two sides together to address the economic and financial situation, military and security matters, and political dialogue. A commission made up of military officials from each side, formed at the Berlin conference, failed to hold a meeting under United Nations auspices. The meeting was originally scheduled for last Wednesday. India and the Philippines announced their first confirmed cases Thursday, joining a growing list that includes Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong Japan, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. China says as of Thursday, there are 7,800 cases in China and 170 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control Thursday reported the first case of human transmission in the United States. Doctors say a Chicago man caught the virus from his wife who had been in Wuhan. He is the sixth confirmed coronavirus case in the United States. Thursday's announcement from Geneva means the WHO regards the outbreak as an "extraordinary event" needing a coordinated international response. Experts say there is evidence of people-to-people transmission of the virus. The World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus outbreak that has spread from China to 18 other countries a global health emergency. The United States has evacuated more than 200 people from Wuhan. Several other countries have also evacuated their nationals and some international airlines have suspended direct flights to China. U.S. President Donald Trump was briefed on the outbreak by those he calls the "great agencies" working with China. "We will continue to monitor the ongoing developments. We have the best experts anywhere in the world and they are on top of it 24/7," he tweeted late Wednesday. The White House has said it is considering further restrictions on U.S. airlines flying to China, in addition to the voluntary restrictions by some air carriers. It has not yet decided whether to impose a travel ban. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said none of the 195 American passengers evacuated Wednesday from Wuhan show symptoms of coronavirus. They will remain at a U.S. military base in California at least through the end of the week. The CDC said the risk to Americans is low and that it is working with the WHO to get a U.S. team to China as soon as possible. The CDC's Dr. Nancy Messonnier says the symptoms of a cold or the flu and the coronavirus are the same, but the risk factors are having visited China's Hubei province or having close contact with those who have been there. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 20:31:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday urged relevant countries to view the novel coronavirus epidemic rationally and calmly and form science-based and measured responses. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks when asked to comment on the situation that certain countries have successively announced restrictions on the entry of Chinese citizens. Among them, the United States has raised its travel advisory for China to the highest level and has temporarily banned all foreigners who have traveled to China in the past 14 days from Feb. 2. Acting with a high sense of responsibility to people's health, the Chinese government has taken the most comprehensive and strict prevention and control measures after the outbreak of the epidemic, many of which have far exceeded what International Health Regulations required, said Hua. Hua quoted the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as saying, China is setting a new standard for outbreak response. In the same speech, he said explicitly that declaring a public health emergency of international concern is not a vote of no confidence in China. On the contrary, the WHO continues to have confidence in China's capacity to control the outbreak. There is no reason to take unnecessary measures restricting international travel and trade. Noting most countries appreciate and support China's efforts to fight the novel coronavirus, Hua said China understands and respects them when they adopt or enhance quarantine measures at border entries. "But in the meantime, some countries, in particular the United States, have inappropriately overreacted, which certainly runs counter to WHO advice." "The U.S. government hasn't provided any substantial assistance to us, but it was the first to evacuate personnel from its consulate in Wuhan, the first to suggest partial withdrawal of its embassy staff, and the first to impose a comprehensive travel ban on Chinese travelers. (The U.S. actions) could only create and spread fear, setting a bad example for others," said the spokesperson. Hua said even U.S. media and experts doubted the government's decision. They said that the U.S. government's restrictions on China are precisely what the WHO rejects, that the United States is turning from overconfidence to fear and overreaction, and that banning the entry of foreigners who traveled to China in the past 14 days is suspected of infringing on civil rights rather than reducing risks of virus spreading, according to Hua. Hua cited a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as saying that the flu from 2019-2020 season has caused 19 million infection cases and at least 10,000 deaths in the United States. By contrast, by Feb. 2, 17,205 cases of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection had been confirmed in China with 361 deaths, and 475 patients had been cured, while there are only 11 confirmed cases in the United States. "The contrast is thought-provoking," Hua said. She pointed out that the Canadian minister of health said Canada would not follow the U.S. to impose travel restrictions on Chinese or foreign nationals who had been to China, which was baseless. "It is a sharp contrast to the U.S. behaviors," Hua said. Noting that the destinies of all countries are closely linked in a globalized world, Hua said in the face of a public health crisis, countries should work together to overcome the difficulties, rather than resort to beggar-thy-neighbor practice, let alone take advantage of others' difficulties. According to Hua, since Jan. 3, the Chinese side has notified the United States of the epidemic and China's control measures altogether 30 times. Chinese Center for Disaster Control and Prevention and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held many rounds of communications on the outbreak. On Jan. 29, China's National Health Commission (NHC) replied through an official channel to the U.S. side that China welcomes it to join a WHO joint expert group. The United States thanked China for this on the same day. On Jan. 31, the United States told NHC that it had contacted WHO headquarters and submitted a list of U.S. experts wishing to join the group. "We hope relevant countries will make reasonable, calm and fact-based judgments and responses," said the spokesperson, adding that China will enhance cooperation with the WHO and the international community in an open, transparent and highly responsible manner. "We have the confidence and capability to win this battle as soon as possible," she said. Rotunda Rumblings No coronavirus in Ohio: Coronavirus tests on two Miami University students who had recently been to China have come back negative, cleveland.coms Laura Hancock reports. Health officials announced the results Sunday night in Oxford. Money Mike: After a breather the first few months after Gov. Mike DeWine took office last year, the governors campaign fundraisers collected nearly $1.4 million in the last half of 2019, according to cleveland.coms Jeremy Pelzer. About $165,000 of that came from various unions, a reflection of how of organized labors increasing friendliness with Republicans as the GOP continues their dominance of state government. Cash stash: Ohio House Republicans enter 2020 with a three-to-one ($1.8 million to $601,000) cash advantage over their Democratic opponents, while Senate Republicans cash lead is closer to 10-to-one, ($2.6 million to $221,200) cleveland.coms Andrew Tobias writes. The Republicans also outraised by around 15 times as much the Democrats running for the Ohio Supreme Court. The makeup of the court will be important as it will probably have a redistricting case before it, Hancock reports. Federal funds: Cleveland.coms Sabrina Eaton has the details on congressional fundraising, which show Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Jordans campaign benefiting from his enhanced profile as one of President Donald Trumps most vocal public defenders. Meanwhile, Rep. Tim Ryan, who abandoned his Democratic bid for president, had the least amount of money in the bank for his re-election of any area member of Congress. Two more months: The Ohio Senate has accepted the Houses plan to delay for two months a decision about how to change the states voucher program. Open enrollment in EdChoice was to begin Saturday. The Ohio Federation of Teachers, which is critical of the vouchers, was hopeful of a good outcome. Citizens for Community Values, which supports vouchers, said the legislature created chaos and confusion. Postponed again: DeWine has put off three more executions. As Pelzer reports, Ohio continues to have difficulty finding pharmaceutical suppliers willing to provide drugs for executions. Giving it another try: A group seeking a ballot measure in November to expand Ohios voting access laws will have to collect another 1,000 signatures and resubmit its proposed summary language, Tobias reports. Attorney General Dave Yost rejected the amendment language, saying it wasnt an accurate summary of the issue. Not giving it another try: State Rep. J. Todd Smith is ending his re-election campaign, Pelzer reports. His departure from the race could give a potential boost to Democrats eyeing his House District 43 seat in Western Ohio. What Iowa means for Ohio: Iowas up first with its caucuses Monday while Ohios primary is six weeks away. These two states voted for Barack Obama twice, then flipped to Donald Trump in 2016. Cleveland.coms data guy Rich Exner took a look by the numbers at the two states, noting that Iowa is less diverse, Ohio far more densely populated. And as for the all-important economy scorecard: jobs are up and unemployment rates down in both states in the three years since Trump took office in January 2017, but at slower rates than the improvements over the last three years under Obama. More from Iowa: Cleveland.coms chief political reporter Seth Richardson has been in Iowa covering all things caucus. You can find all of his coverage here. On the guest list: A Cincinnati man will be a guest of Trump for his State of the Union address, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Tony Rankin, an Army veteran and recovering drug addict, will attend the Tuesday speech. Meanwhile, Ohio Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown says hes calling attention to Trumps betrayal of workers by inviting Dave Green, who was United Auto Workers Local 1112 president when GM shut down its Lordstown plant. Coming up: Secretary of State Frank LaRose is expected to announce this week how many of Ohios 88 county boards of election met a Jan. 31 state deadline to upgrade their security measures. LaRose issued the security directive last June. In December, the last time he shared a substantive update, LaRose said 52 counties had completed at least half of the security checklist contained in the directive. Its official: The final blow has been dealt to the referendum to overturn House Bill 6, the law bailing out Ohios nuclear power plants. As Randy Ludlow reports for the Columbus Dispatch, the Ohio Supreme Court officially dismissed the case after the group behind it abandoned the effort. Rate cut: The Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation hopes to cut rates for private employers by 13%, Mark Williams reports for the Columbus Dispatch. The reduction would be the third rate cut in three years for private employers and the 11th since 2008, Williams writes. Last years cut was 20%. Lobbying Lineup Five groups that are lobbying on House Bill 49, which would allow a concealed gun license to be used as voter identification. The bill is in a House committee. State lobbying forms dont require people to identify which side of an issue they are on. 1. Ohio Association of Election Officials 2. County Commissioners Association of Ohio 3. UHCAN, also known as University Health Care Action Network 4. City of Dayton 5. Nationwide Childrens Hospital On the Move Consultant Wes Farno has been named executive director of the Ohio Strong Action PAC, a conservative organization chaired by Mike Gibbons, a Cleveland businessman and former U.S. Senate candidate. Birthdays Shawn Kaysich, former Ohio House chief of staff Judson Harmon, Ohios 45th governor (1846-1927) Straight from the Source They call it free enterprise. Actually, its a free ride but only for the special interests that this states legislature bows to, every time. -Thomas Suddes, cleveland.com/Plain Dealer editorial board member, in a column about Senate Bill 33, which seeks to protect critical infrastructure, but in Suddes view, really aims to shut up Ohioans concerned about the states air, water and lands. Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free. A high-profile New York anti-gang and gun violence activist has been accused of making threats against his traffic officer neighbor, telling him that he would recruit Bloods gang members to kill him. Shanduke McPhatter, founder and CEO of the Brooklyn-based Gangstas Making Astronomical Community Changes Inc (G-MACC), was arrested a month ago on two counts each of misdemeanor menacing and harassment. McPhatter, 41, was released a day later on his own recognizance pending his next court appearance scheduled for Wednesday. Scroll down for video Shanduke McPhatter, founder and CEO of Gangstas Making Astronomical Community Changes Inc, has been charged with menacing and harassment. He is accused of threatening to recruit his former fellow Bloods members to kill his neighbor McPhatter, 41 (far left), has close ties to City Hall and attended a meeting with Mayor Bill de Blasio (far right) two weeks ago According to a criminal complaint first obtained by the New York Daily News, McPhatter, a reformed Bloods member, on December 23, 2019, threatened his neighbor on Carlton Avenue in Brooklyn. 'Im going to get my people, the Bloods, to come handle you,' McPhatter was quoted as telling the NYPD traffic cop. 'I'm going to have you killed. A week later, on January 2, McPhatter confronted the victim a second time and issued another threat. 'Hey copper, I have not forgotten what I said, Im going to finish what I said, Im going to shoot you,' the anti-gang activist allegedly told his neighbor. McPhatter's attorney has said his client denies any wrongdoing. The allegations against McPhatter run counter to his public persona that he has been cultivating as an advocate committed to breaking 'the cycle of incarceration and violence,' as G-MACC's official website describes him. McPhatter's non-profit organization has been working closely with City Hall since 2014 and has received more than $1.5million in public funding over the course of four years, according to tax records. G-MACC's counselors have been allowed access to the city's jails, including Rikers Island, where they have been providing conflict resolution and mediation services to adolescent inmates, and teaching staff violence interruption and deescalation techniques. Until recently, Mayor Bill de Blasio's Office to Prevent Gun Violence listed G-MACC as a resource for recently released inmates. Two weeks ago, McPhatter shared a Facebook video of himself attending a New York City Anti-Violence Crisis Management System meeting with de Blasio. McPhatter has painted himself as an advocate committed to breaking 'the cycle of incarceration and violence.' He only recently was honored by the Brooklyn Borough president for his advocacy work Two days later, McPhatter received a proclamation from Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams honoring his advocacy work. A spokesperson for City Hall has released a statement describing the allegations against McPhatter as 'unacceptable and of great concern.' 'To ensure G-MACC is able to serve our neighborhoods in a manner that reflects the values of our administration, we are requiring the organization to strengthen their internal protocols and procedures,' Mayor de Blasio's Deputy Press Secretary Avery Cohen stated. Besides McPhatter's personal legal troubles, his organization has been tied to a federal contraband crackdown at Rikers Island. A G-MACC counselor and McPhatters own brother have been accused of smuggling marijuana and controlled substances into the jail with the aid of a half-dozen correction officers. One of the suspects, Jonathan 'Trigg' Medina, 29, worked as a 'violence interrupter supervisor' on behalf of G-MACC at Rikers Island. The other, James 'Jah Blize' Albert, who is said to be McPhatter's 43-year-old brother, is currently serving a 23-year to life sentence on a robbery conviction. Adewale Adeleke, Davidos elder brother, and his fiancee, Kani, held their star-studded white wedding on Sunday, February 2nd, 2020 at Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The couples white wedding which was attended by family, friends and loved ones, was hosted by , Ebuka Obi Uchendu. More photos below Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates CANBERRA, Australia Dozens of homes were destroyed overnight in Australias southeast but the wildfire threat diminished later Sunday across New South Wales state and around the national capital Canberra, officials said. Bega Valley Mayor Kristy McBain said damage in her region 150 miles south of Canberra had yet to be fully assessed by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, but properties were lost. Were talking probably dozens more. We want to make sure we continue to support our community. This fire isnt over yet, she said. She said the blaze brought losses of homes in the valley to more than 400 in the current fire season. Rural Fire Service spokesman Greg Allan said damage assessment teams had yet to confirm media reports of homes lost near the village of Bumbalong, about 60 miles south of Canberra. A dangerous fire threatened southern Canberra and the nearby village of Tharwa. The fire had burned 136,000 acres of forest and farmland by Sunday, with a perimeter 92 miles long, the Australian Capital Territory Emergency Services Agency said. This morning the fire is still active. There are still days and possibly weeks of firefighting ahead of us, said Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Andrew Barr. A state of emergency for Canberra and its surrounds remains in place until at least Monday. It is the first such emergency declaration in the Australian Capital Territory since 2003, when wildfires killed four people and destroyed almost 500 homes in a single day. There were no fires burning at emergency level the most dangerous on a three-tier scale across the Australian Capital Territory or surrounding New South Wales on Sunday. Fires across southern Australia have claimed at least 33 lives since September, destroyed more than 3,000 homes and razed more than 26.2 million acres. Rod McGuirk is an Associated Press writer. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has expanded market access for Irish livestock exports to Algeria during day one of the Trade Mission. Algerian authorities agreed and signed a certificate for the export of cattle for slaughter from Ireland to Algeria with immediate effect. This follows on from agreement from last year on certificates for export of cattle for breeding and fattening. The Algerian market represents a key opportunity for Irish livestock exports, with imports of live cattle growing strongly in 2019 to approximately 100,000 head, of which 75% are young bulls. Todays agreement offers significant opportunities for Irish livestock exports and reflects the highest standards of animal health and welfare in Ireland. . The meeting also progressed discussions on market access for beef and sheepmeat exports. Other issues discussed were possibilities for engagement and partnerships between both countries and technical cooperation. HOBOKEN A historian says a major Hudson County tragedy has been mostly forgotten and hes among those doing something about it. Dylan Gottlieb, whos studying for his Ph.D. at Princeton, spoke at the Hoboken Historical Museum Sunday about how the Hoboken Fires, a string of suspicious blazes in the 1970s and 80s, reshaped the city through gentrification and reconstruction. The discussion was organized by The Hoboken Fire Victims Memorial Project, which successfully lobbied the Hoboken City Council to honor the fire victims with a memorial plaque at Tom Olivieri Park sometime in the spring. People should learn about the home they live in, Gottlieb said. This is a story that has been forgotten by a lot of the residents. Research from Jersey Journal and Hudson Dispatch newspaper articles show that at least 55 people, mostly Hispanic women and children, died in the fires while 8,000 residents were displaced and left homeless. Many of the fires occurred before dawn while residents slept. On Jan. 2, 1979, 21 people died in a fire at 131 Clinton St., a residential building that still stands today. In a phone interview on Saturday, Gottlieb said the fires hypothetically could be traced to corrupt landlords who wanted to take advantage of the trend of young professionals moving into Hoboken. Tenants at the time suspected that many of the fires were set on purpose, but no one was ever convicted for arson. (The fires) speaks to urbanization, arrival of capital and professionals, later accompanied with gentrification, Gottlieb said. Like Hoboken, Indianapolis, Boston and Chicago experienced this phenomenon, which is a similar process of arson-for-profit, Gottlieb said in an interview with the Journal of American History. Gottlieb pointed out that Hobokens Hispanic population was the biggest victim of the fires. In the 1990s, Hispanics made up over 30% of Hobokens population, but today the group only makes up 16.2%. Coronavirus: What you need to read Coronavirus maps: Cases and deaths in the U.S. | Cases and deaths worldwide Vaccines: Tracker by state | Booster shots | For kids 5 to 11 | Guidance for vaccinated people | How long does immunity last? | County-level vaccine data What you need to know: Omicron variant | Breakthrough infections | Symptoms guide | Masks FAQ | Delta variant | Other variants | Follow all of our coverage and sign up for our free newsletter Impact of the pandemic: Supply chain | Education | Housing Got a pandemic question? We answer one every day in our coronavirus newsletter A baby girl who was born by emergency caesarean after her mother died falling from a moving car has been released from hospital. Helena Broadbent, 32, died near her Keilor Park home in Melbourne last September after falling from a car allegedly driven by her boyfriend William Wilson, who is accused of threatening to kill her. Ms Broadbent was airlifted to Royal Melbourne Hospital where doctors performed an emergency caesarean and successfully delivered her baby. She died a short time later, while her newborn baby was transferred to Royal Women's Hospital. Helena Broadbent's (right) brother Paul (left) said her baby is doing 'extremely well' after being released from hospital in January Broadbent, 32, suffered a 'catastrophic brain injury' when she fell backwards out of the Mitsubishi Triton and died in hospital after delivering a baby girl by caesarean After spending her first four months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Royal Womens Hospital, the miracle baby was released in mid-January. 'Bubs is finally home now and doing extremely well,' Ms Broadbent's brother Paul told the Herald Sun. Baby Helena, whose name is in homage to her late mother, was born by emergency caesarean at just 26 weeks gestation. Mr Broadbent said his sister's other daughters Sophie and Bella are also happy and healthy. Wilson, 35, was allegedly driving the car Ms Broadbent fell from, and was charged with dangerous driving causing death. After spending the last four months behind bars, Wilson will apply for bail in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, angering Mr Broadbent. Police allege Ms Broadbent and Mr Wilson had gotten into an argument over dirty nappies at their shared home and he left in his Mitsubishi Triton. After he returned some time later, police said Ms Broadbent called triple zero. Mr Wilson took some items from the home and left again, believing police were on the way. Ms Broadbent followed him to remove child seats from the vehicle but Wilson drove off, a court previously heard. New Delhi: Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor was extremely close to his mother, late Mona Kapoor. She succumbed to cancer on March 25, 2012. On her birthday (February 3), proud son and actor Arjun Kapoor expressed his thoughts on social media. Arjun penned a heartfelt note wishing his mother on birthday along with her picture which is the last one where the family celebrated together. He wrote: Happy birthday Mom Love You. I hope ur smiling right now whenever you are... this picture was the last birthday we had together & I just assumed we would have many more... its selfish to say I miss you all the time but I really do ya... I try & be strong cause thats the way society expected me to be at the age of 25 when I lost you forever... they all expect u to figure it all out with ur life taken away from you I was supposed to sorted & what not... but Im not strong enough on most days... I just ride it out... anyway as usual I sit and complain & trouble u with my non sense... happy birthday Mom wish we had more time together.... PS - @anshulakapoor s started @fankindofficial & shes kicking ass just like you did.... Boney Kapoor and Mona Kapoor have two childrenArjun and Anshula Kapoor. Arjun has on multiple occasions shared how much attached he was with her mom. On the work front, the actor is 'Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar' co-starring Parineeti Chopra. It has been directed by Dibakar Banerjee. The release date of this black comedy has not been announced as yet. It is bankrolled by Yash Raj Films (YRF). Lego VIP members can receive this space patch with purchase of the Lego Ideas International Space Station set (Image credit: collectSPACE.com) Like the orbiting outpost on which it is modeled, Lego's new International Space Station has its own mission patch. Released Saturday (Feb. 1), on the same day that Lego debuted the 864-piece International Space Station (ISS) set for sale, the colorful space patch is a bonus for the members of Lego's loyalty program, "VIP." "VIPs receive this cool space patch February 1-9 for free when they purchase the International Space Station!" Lego announced on its website. Related: NASA Apollo Saturn V moon landing set in pictures The 2.75-inch-square (7 centimeters) woven patch depicts the Lego ISS orbiting over the blue and green Earth, set against a black sky dotted with white stars. The patch reads "International Space Station Set" at its top and has both Lego's logo and NASA's "ISS 20" logo, the latter celebrating 20 years of continuous occupancy on board the real space station as of this November. The patch, which comes packaged in its own small box, has an adhesive backing for easy application. The "ISS 20" logo also appears on the box for the new Lego Ideas ISS set, which includes the toy bricks needed to build a desktop model of the orbital outpost. "Build a legend with the exclusive new Lego International Space Station," reads the product page on Lego's website. "For over 20 years, the International Space Station has welcomed cooperation from different nations to achieve common goals that benefit all mankind. The largest spacecraft ever built, it continues to unlock discoveries not possible on Earth and push the boundaries of human space exploration further than ever before." The new Lego Ideas International Space Station toy model set on display in the front window of a Lego Store in Houston, Texas. (Image credit: collectSPACE.com) The $69.99 ISS set, when assembled, forms a 12-inch-long (31 cm) model of the space station, including its habitable modules, eight solar array wings and backbone truss, as well as its multi-window Cupola, robotic arm and expandable activity module. Two microfigure astronauts, three visiting vehicles and a shuttle orbiter are also part of the set, as is a stand on which to support and display it all. "Use a robotic arm to launch a satellite into orbit. Bring in the next crew of astronauts. Send the microfigure[s] out to perform repairs," Lego described. More of a model than a toy, though, the ISS set is recommended for builders 16 years of age and older. The Lego International Space Station was based on a project submitted to the Lego Ideas website by fan designer Christoph Ruge of Germany. On Friday (Jan. 31), the Lego Store in Nuremberg hosted Ruge for a box signing, providing fans with their first chance to purchase the set. "That was quite a crowd today thanks everybody for stopping by!" Ruge wrote on Twitter, retweeting a video showing that the line for his signature filled the store. The International Space Station VIP bonus is the second space patch that Lego has given away with one of its space-themed sets. In May 2019, members who purchased the NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander received a similar patch celebrating that set's release and the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing mission. The International Space Station set and its space patch are available exclusively from Lego Stores and the company's online shop. Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2020 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved. Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vadym Prystaiko has met with Head of EU Delegation to Ukraine Matti Maasikas to discuss the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU and said that the EU and Ukraine will continue developing a wide common agenda with London after Brexit. "Met EU Ambassador Matti Maasikas to discuss Brexit. Received EU diplomatic note. No geopolitical changes for Ukraine. EU and Ukraine will continue developing wide common agenda with London," he wrote on Twitter on Monday. Prystaiko added that they also touched upon the progress of the Minsk process during the meeting. As reported, the UK left the EU on January 31, 2020. BAGHDAD Anti-government demonstrators rejected Iraqs new prime minister-designate Sunday after his nomination by rival government factions, compounding the challenges hell have to surmount in order to resolve months of civil unrest. Meanwhile, new divisions emerged among protesters and supporters of a maverick and often inscrutable Shiite cleric, who initially threw his weight behind the uprising but now is re-positioning himself toward the political establishment, after elites selected a candidate for prime minister that he endorsed. On Sunday, Muqtada al-Sadr told his followers camped out among protesters in the capital and in the countrys south to unblock roads and restore normalcy, angering protesters who felt al-Sadr had betrayed them and the reformist aims of their movement for political gain. Saturdays selection of former Communications Minister Mohammed Allawi, 66, to replace outgoing Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi was the product of months of back-room talks between rival parties, ending a political stalemate. Hundreds of students voiced their rejection of Allawi at rallies in Baghdads central plazas and in southern Iraq. We dont want Allawi because he is a party member chosen by the parties, said Hadi Safir, a protester in Baghdads Tahrir Square. We want an independent nominee. Iraqi officials said it was likely Allawi would face the same political realities that bedeviled his predecessor, who was often caught between rival political blocs Sairoon, headed by al-Sadr, and Fatah, headed by Hadi al-Ameri. Student demonstrations were also held in the southern city of Basra rejecting Allawis candidacy. Other protesters burned tires in the holy city of Najaf. We did not choose this person; we demanded certain qualifications, said Ahmed Ali, a protester in Basra. Mohammed Allawi is rejected by the people. Mass anti-government protests erupted on Oct. 1 in Baghdad and the predominately Shiite south. They have decried rampant government corruption, poor services and lack of employment, and came with lofty goals: overthrow the political establishment, pass electoral reforms and hold snap elections. Security forces have killed at least 500 protesters since. Samya Kullab is an Associated Press writer. Bernie Sanders was standing on stage at the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids on Saturday night in front of 3,000 cheering supporters waving blue and white signs as Vampire Weekend began riffing behind him. It was, according to Sanders campaign, the largest rally any presidential candidate has held in Iowa this cycle, and the impressive turnout was backed up by a similarly sweeping ground game: the campaign hit its goal of knocking on 500,000 doors ahead of the first-in-the-nation caucuses on Monday, Sanders told the audience in his speech. The stadium was not full to capacity and many of the supporters I encountered were from out of state, but the place was unquestionably electric with energy. According to a drumbeat of recent polls, Sanders is one of two candidates to beat. Iowa is anyones game as the frontrunners remain locked in a close race, and while its unclear what will happen on Monday night, the expectations for Sanders are sky high. The rest of the Democratic party appears to only just be waking up to this fact and theyre worried. Very worried. That should be a four-alarm fire for the entire Democratic party regardless of your exact ideology, says Jonathan Cowan, the President of Third Way, a center-left think tank that opposes Sanders. The Democratic party has been asleep at the switch. Some Democrats are scrambling to catch up. Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg warned in an email to supporters: Bernie Sanders could be the nominee of our party. Third Way sent a memo to approximately 300 prominent Iowa Democrats, exhorting them that supporting Sanders is what Trump wants you to do. And a Democratic pro-Israel group started running television ads raising questions about Sanders electability and referencing his October heart attack. Some Democratic operatives are reportedly discussing funding an anti-Sanders initiative, should the Vermont senator do well in both Iowa and New Hampshire. Story continues Supports of Sen. Bernie Sanders hold signs during the Bernie Caucus Concert in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. | Devin Yalkin for TIME On Sunday, former Secretary of State John Kerry, one of Joe Bidens most prominent surrogates, was overheard discussing what he would have to do to enter the presidential race in light of the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party down whole, according to NBC News. (Kerry subsequently tweeted to confirm he is not running.) Conversations with top Sanders advisers and supporters as well as Democratic operatives and party officials indicate theres no clear or single answer to why the Democratic party appears to have again failed to recognize Sanders as a formidable force. In 2016, his grassroots movement blindsided the party elite: propelled by a formidable grassroots base, he only very narrowly lost the Iowa caucus to frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Yet he was somehow never considered capable of pulling off the same feat in 2020. So how did establishment Democrats manage to miss the Sanders movementagain? I think they do tend to underestimate Bernie, I dont quite understand why, Jane Sanders, Sanders wife and a top campaign adviser and surrogate, told me. The only explanation I have is that the people they talk to are within the same establishment structure. The Democratic party, she added, is very insular: They talk to each other, and we believe were opening up the system. Sanders appeal, in part, has to do with his ability to tap into the righteous anger a lot of voters feel in this political moment. Hes given people permission to be furious at a system that feels unfair. Time and time again, the people he has reached have been let down by politicians who were supposed to be on their side. This anger is born in part from frustration with the Obama era, when many progressives felt that very little was accomplished. Barack Obama is beloved, says Grant Woodard, a Des Moines attorney with experience as a Democratic strategist. But many progressive Democrats see it as a flawed period: They see it as, Wall Street was Wall Street again. No one got blamed. [Wall Street] is doing better than ever. The middle class is getting its neck stepped on more and more. Many supporters have told me they are drawn to Sanders specifically because they see him as ideologically uncompromising: what you see is what you get. Sanders would likely still run into roadblocks passing any legislation if Republicans held on to the Senate. But at least, his supporters figure, he wouldnt drift toward the middle to appeal to Republicans who are unlikely to end up supporting whatever the final policy proposal is. Theres particular frustration with Obamas signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act. They believe that Democrats settled for a flawed law, rather than reaching for something bigger. Sanders signature policy is Medicare for All. Another notion about why Sanders momentum appears to be growing is the speed-dating theory. The field started with more than 20 shiny new candidates for voters to consider, but eventually they had to choose a favorite. I think that as people are getting closer, I think that folks, maybe some of his former supporters, may have been looking at other candidates, but some are starting to lock in, said Troy Price, chair of the Iowa Democratic Party. A scene from the Bernie Caucus Concert in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. | Devin Yalkin for TIME Another reason establishment Democrats were perhaps slow to predict Sanders rise in 2020 is that this cycle is very different than it was in 2016, when many Democrats appeared to have a binary choice: Sanders or Clinton. The bet that most Democrats made, including more than two dozen other campaigns, was that Senator Sanders resonance was the consequence of folks looking for an alternative to Secretary Clinton, said Scott Mulhauser, a longtime national Democratic operative. Until about October, Sanders was not front of mind. Hed been fundraising well and polling with the top tier, but was broadly overshadowed. Buttigieg broke out, Biden was the presumed frontrunner, and Warren was seen as the alternative progressive. JD Scholten, a Democrat running again against Congresss most notorious racist in Iowas largely rural fourth district (where Sanders is polling well), told me that some Democrats from the moderate side of the party reached out to him to discuss the danger to down-ballot candidates like him of a progressive at the top of the Democratic ticket. But the discussions, as Scholten understood them, were about Warren, he says. Sanders, though mentioned, was the afterthought, he said. Theyre like, we need somebody at the top of the ticket who will help you. I go, literally any of them will help me, and honestly I feel if its Warren or Bernie, it might be slightly even better, said Scholten, who has not yet endorsed a candidate, pointing to his districts anti-establishment tendency. People have been assuming hes going to go away since last summer. And he just hasnt. And if anything, these rallies that hes doing are extremely impressive, especially musically. Hes got The Strokes! I want to go to New Hampshire! I feel like hes personally trying to get me to endorse him by his music. Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks to reporters at the Bernie Caucus Concert in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. | Devin Yalkin for TIME Sanders heart attack in early October also set back his prospects in many Democrats eyes. But he managed to leverage the situation into a comeback, sparked in large part by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs endorsement, which was timed closely to endorsements from other prominent congressional progressives, including Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. For Ocasio-Cortez, at least part of the reason Sanders was overlooked was because the power of grassroots organizing is underestimated, she told TIME. For all of the talk that happens on Twitter, or a lot of the discourse that happens in media or on television, oftentimes the story that gets missed is the one thats right in front of peoples faces, which is the actual door knocking and field organizing thats going on, she said, adding that going door to door can transcend some of the resources other campaigns rely on. I think people really slept on that kind of organizing. Sanders still has to answer a lot of questions. Can he grow his base? Can he persuade Democrats who were put off by him in 2016 to throw in their support? Can an Independent who identifies as a democratic socialist really be the Democratic partys nominee? Mainstream Democrats must reckon with questions of their own. If Sanders is the nominee, can their party rally behind him? If not, is it too late to stop that train? No it is not too late. Its not even close to too late, Cowan told me. He believes that for Sanders to be stopped, Democrats have to treat him like a frontrunner and consolidate their support behind one moderate candidate who can defeat him. Then, he thinks, Sanders will lose his advantage. If you wait until April or May, it will be too late. This is a must-do-now kind of thing. The Sanders campaign, meanwhile, is looking forward to the caucuses on Monday night. Winning Iowa would be an extraordinary feat, one that would give him additional momentum moving forward. And one that would cause a reckoning within the Democratic party. According to a late 2019 piece in the New York Times, one in five newspapers in America has been shuttered over the past 15 years, and journalist numbers cut in half. This bodes ill for the vibrancy of communities, for which newspapers have been the essential glue, prod and town crier. We must stop wringing our hands and instead devise alternatives, just as news in paper form in the 18th century replaced the news shouted out earlier by the town criers. My dad ran the Stark County News in Toulon post-World War II. As a teen in the 1950s, I sat at the huge keyboard of a Model 14 Linotype, a balky iron and steel beast that spit out lines of type from molten lead. It was high tech! On Wednesday afternoons, townsfolk crowded, literally, the corridor of the post office, waiting impatiently for Billy Humphrey to stuff the new edition into their mailboxes. The paper included one or two pages of personals, of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Jackson spending the weekend in Mahomet with Mrs. Jacksons parents. They all enjoyed dinner in Champaign Saturday evening. Personals were the Facebook of 70 years ago. News-on-paper operations are struggling mightily to hang onto enough advertisers, stolen by Facebook and Google, to keep printing. For towns that have lost their newspaper, here are several models, already in place here and there, that might in coming years provide that glue, prod, and town crier role for your community. The free, 100 percent coverage newspaper: Veteran journalist Jeff Lampe has had success with his printed Weekly Post and Prairie News publications in rural territory between Peoria and Galesburg. Each covers several communities, not one as in the past. His publications go by mail to all 16,000 households in his coverage area. He pays reporters a small amount per each city council and school board meeting. Its an expensive model, as Jeffs only revenue is from advertising, and he has to produce, print and pay postage to reach each household. But advertisers in the small-town area love it, as they cant afford television from the big cities nearby. Readers page through the news and see the ads. Alternative newspapers: These have been around for a century or more. The decades-old Illinois Times in Springfield is free to all who pick the paper up weekly at drop boxes and stores throughout the state capital region. And it is a must for many, who want to know what is happening at the music spots and new restaurants. They also read the latest investigative reporting of the one reporter who does such, and does it well, as well as the letters to the editor about various controversies. Not so comprehensive as the once-robust subscription newspapers, the paper still serves a valuable function. Nonprofit newspapers, somewhat along the NPR model: Economists say it is irrational for an individual to contribute to keep an otherwise free service going. But folks do. Podcasts: I have a local farmer friend with a podcast called the Shark Farmer. Rob Sharkey reaches scores of thousands of farmers in the U.S. and Canada each week, with provocative interviews about the challenging world of farm life. Rob makes more money from the podcast than he does from his farming and outfitting businesses. Maybe a podcast of community news and interviews could generate enough listeners to spark interest from advertisers, and make doing such worthwhile. In effect, podcasters would be the new town criers. Facebook: I know several dailies that use their Facebook pages to link readers to limited numbers of stories on their websites. The papers then pitch inexpensive online subscriptions. There are Facebook pages about ones community. It would take an unpaid administrator-editor and volunteer reporter-contributors to transform such pages into effective news outlets. And, of course, this newspaper you are reading may figure out a profitable combination of print and online news distribution that will keep the community informed and energized. This brings me to my final point (about time, Jim). Volunteer (or slave wage) reporters will probably be necessary for many news outlets. Fortunately, there are now more of us with some time on our hands, who might be induced into covering one, maybe two, government meetings a month. Minimal training would be needed in how to cover and write up a meeting. There are reporting basics, which could be taught in several evenings. Maybe the state press association could organize such around the state, ditto for college journalism programs. Solid news about what is going on and what needs to be done in a community is a key underpinning for community vitality. Lets keep the news coming, whatever the format. For many years, Jim Nowlan was a senior fellow and political science professor at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. He has worked for three unindicted governors and published a weekly newspaper in central Illinois. A woman waiting for an international traveler to arrive to LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal wears a medical mask for protection against the coronavirus outbreak on February 2, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. U.S. health officials revealed fresh details Monday about the order to quarantine hundreds of Americans to contain the coronavirus outbreak, which has now killed at least 362 people and sickened nearly 17,400 worldwide. Health officials say 195 Americans are now in mandatory quarantine. But that number is expected to grow as Americans who have recently traveled to Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, return to the U.S., Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said Monday. Trump administration officials on Friday announced a mandatory 14-day quarantine for any U.S. citizen or permanent resident who has traveled to Hubei province in the two weeks prior to the announcement. With some exceptions, travelers who are not citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. who have been in Hubei will not be admitted into the U.S., the announcement said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with state and local health authorities to prepare facilities for quarantine, Messonnier said. "The discussions about where those patients will go is a conversation the CDC has been having actively with the state and local health departments," she said. "We are working through an operational plan that might be slightly different at each of those locations depending on how much preparation they've done." All flights from China are now being funneled through 11 airports in the U.S., so passengers eligible for quarantine will be brought to facilities near those airports, Messonnier added. Where passengers will be quarantined may vary broadly depending on where they land, Messonnier added. "I think for some specific locations, military bases are close by," she said. "Other states have already made plans for hotels as part of their operational planning." Messonnier declined to provide an estimate of the number of people who will be placed in quarantine. Messonnier also said Monday that the State Department is preparing to send more evacuation flights to Wuhan. Those flights, however, will land in the U.S. at "specific Department of Defense locations," rather than the 11 designated airports. CDC officials will monitor the health of the passengers throughout the quarantine, Messonnier said. The decision to quarantine Americans is based largely on mounting evidence that the new coronavirus spreads before symptoms appear, she said. 03 Feb 2020, 1:18 PM BSNL, MTNL VRS scheme: Employees opting for VRS will have to wait till FY21 for dues Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) employees, who have opted for voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) scheme, will have to wait for next fiscal year i.e. FY21 (2020-21) to get their dues. The reason for this delay is because the Union Budget 2020 has not made any provisioning for any disbursement towards the programme in the FY20 (current fiscal year). Travel bans in virus-hit China hamper auditing deadlines Auditors for listed Chinese companies will likely struggle to complete their work by stock exchange deadlines because of travel bans and other restrictions designed to limit the spread of the new coronavirus. A delay in filings could hit companies' ability to raise funds if they cannot show would-be investors and lenders up-to-date numbers. Reduced confidence could also impact share prices. Modi's guarded stimulus unlikely to revive Indian growth India's new budget is unlikely to drag Asia's third- biggest economy out of its worst slowdown in more than a decade as the government has proposed only moderate spending increases and small cuts in personal taxes, economists said on Sunday. Economists and industry leaders said the budget proposals would provide some support to growth over the longer term but were insufficient to give it an immediate boost. Union Budget 2020: Individuals earning over Rs 13 lakh salary per annum to save under new tax regime Individuals having an annual salary income of over Rs 13 lakh and availing deductions of up to Rs 2 lakh will save on their tax outgo if they opt for the new tax regime proposed in the Budget, government sources said on Sunday. For those earning a salary of Rs 12 lakh and less and availing deductions of up to Rs 2 lakh, the old tax system will be beneficial as the tax outgo will be less compared to the proposed new structure. LIC unions to stage protest against govt's stake sale in life insurer Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) unions have reportedly decided to stage a series of protests against the government's decision to sell a part of its holding in the life insurer by initial public offering (IPO). Following finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman's announcement in her Budget 2020 speech, three major trade unions of LIC will demonstrate before all offices of the life insurance behemoth across the country. Coronavirus in India: Second case confirmed, 600+ Indians evacuated, no e-visa for Chinese citizens India on Sunday confirmed its second coronavirus case. Another Indian student who returned to Kerala from Wuhan (China) tested positive for the deadly virus. Meanwhile, the government brought back 323 more Indians and seven Maldivians by air from the Chinese city which is the ground zero of the outbreak. The total number of evacuees is 654 so far. The central government also temporarily suspended the e-visa facility for Chinese citizens travelling to India as well as foreigners dwelling in the neighbouring country. Budget 2020: New tax proposal may hurt exporters and MSMEs Buried in the Finance Bill -- the document that lists changes in tax laws - this year is a proposal that might hit businesses, especially exporters, hard. Budget 2020 proposes a seller should collect 0.1 per cent as tax collected at source (TCS) from a buyer on sale of goods worth more than Rs 50 lakh in a year, if the sellers own sales exceeds Rs 10 crore during the year. If the buyer does not have a PAN or an Aadhaar, then the rate of TCS would be 1 per cent. Tax experts say this is an extremely harsh and retrograde provision which has been introduced without much thinking. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Yulia Savitri (The Jakarta Post) Palembang, South Sumatra Mon, February 3, 2020 14:50 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206245c26 1 National forest,restoration,South-Sumatra,Youth,millenials,App,land Free Youths in South Sumatra are encouraged to participate in the restoration of degraded forests and land through data crowdsourcing platforms. RESTORE+ project manager Hidayah Hamzah said such data crowdsourcing used an app available for download called Urundata. Hidayah said the activity started in November 2019 and was to run until March. Participants, she said, would receive the status of #PahlawanData (data hero). Presently, we need 1.8 million interpretations from people, especially youths or university students to become data heroes, she said in Palembang, adding that the activity was conducted in five regions, including South Sumatra. The collected data, she said, would be made as a base to map the restoration potential that the government and other stakeholders could use to come up with restoration policies. She said restoration efforts had to be conducted inclusively by involving the wider community considering that critical land, according to data at the Environment and Forestry Ministry, had reached 14 million hectares, 1.5 times as much as South Sumatras area. Previously in 2019, her side had conducted a similar activity for land coverage data in South Sumatra. The program, with 600 students from 10 universities in the province participating, was considered successful and effective in helping improve the quality of a map on the change in land coverage. It had collected 1 million satellite image data interpretations with an accuracy rate of 77 percent. Hidayah said when comparing satellite imagery from 2010 and 2018, degradation was shown to have decreased in the field coverage of some regions in South Sumatra. "It was then supported by data from users of the Urundata app. It proves that there was a change in the fields in 2019," Hidayah said. The success, she added, had encouraged her side to develop the activity at the national level. To contribute data, she said, users only needed to choose "Yes", "No" or "Not Sure" for questions and images presented on the app. Users with the highest score had the opportunity to take part in an internship program together with the RESTORE+ consortium. Such an opportunity of course offers valuable experience for students to learn more about landscape and forest restoration activities, chairperson of the Community Research and Development Institution (LPPM) STIPER Sriwigama Palembang, Dewi Meidalima, said. Meanwhile remote sensing specialist Hadi of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) said the quality of the data collected would be tested by a panel of experts from ICRAF, WRI Indonesia and WWF Indonesia. Validated data would then be published on the Urundata site for the public to use for analysis purposes. The compiled data could be further processed into ideas for national landscape restoration. For the next project, we will involve youths to go to the field and directly observe the degraded environment, Hadi told The Jakarta Post. Motanga Andrew and Chief Ndiko Fonderson PhotoGrid by Atia Azohnwi In an open letter dated January 18, 2020, the Limbe Subdivisional Conference of Traditional Rulers have accused the Government Delegate to the Limbe City Council, Motanga Andrew Monjimba of disrespect and disregard for traditional rulers, turning down an invitation extended to him. In the letter signed by 14 Limbe chiefs, Motanga is accused of wrongdoings. That the letter of the chiefs comes after the National Anti-Corruption Commission, CONAC, reported irregularities at the Limbe City Council to the tune of over FCFA 9 billion has sent pundits wondering if it is a calculated attempt to further sink Motangas boat. For one thing, Motanga is a hopeful for the job of Limbe City Mayor given that the post of Government Delegate will cease to exist under the special status contained in the Decentralisation Code. The chiefs accuse the Limbe Government Delegate of managerial errors and highhandedness in the discharge of his functions as political godfather of Limbe. They also stung Motanga for recruiting staff at the council without taking into consideration their lists. The 14-point open letter is said to have been signed during a sitting at Mondoli village during an extra-ordinary meeting of the Limbe Conference of traditional rulers. The meeting is thought to have been chaired by HRH Ndiko Fonderson Henry, Chief of Meveo and President of the conference. Cameroon-info.net recalls that the National Anti-corruption Commission, CONAC, in its 2018 corruption report indicted the Limbe City Council, LCC, for irregularities that caused the state an overall financial loss estimated at over FCFA 9 billion. The executive summary of the voluminous CONAC report was presented to the public in Yaounde Thursday December 19, 2019 by CONAC Chairman Rev. Dr. Dieudonne Massi Gams. According to the 2018 CONAC report, 24 investigative missions exposed numerous irregularities that have caused the state an overall financial losses estimated at CFA 9 billion 425 million 314 thousand 946 francs. Motanga and his collaborators at the time are expected to appear at the Special Criminal Court on February 5, 2020 to shed light on the CONAC report. Of the above amount, CONAC reports that CFA 9 billion 240 million 829 thousand 996 francs was lost at the Limbe City Council as uncovered by an investigative mission that visited the institution. It adds that FCFA 180 million was lost at the Nkometou Tollgate Post, 14 million 849 thousand 850 francs at the Bafia District Hospital and FCFA 3 million at the Parent Teachers Association of Government High School Obala. Cameroon-info.net understands that on Monday, February 15, 2016, Limbe City Council employees used a caterpillar to prevent the National Anti-corruption Commission, CONAC, team from carting away official documents (files) to Yaounde, which were considered dirty. The council employees blocked the head of the CONAC team, Hon. Chief Norbert Mbile, from taking away the documents. It was a little after 11:00am when Hon. Mbile and his team wound up their two weeks investigation at the City Council and were about to take off when their vehicles were blocked from driving out. The CONAC team had arrived at City Council on Tuesday, February 2, 2016 to begin what was described by the media as a routine control mission. As the story goes, Mbile and his team drove into the premises of the Limbe City Council about mid-morning, just moments after Police Commissioner Ewungeme arrived. The Post reported at the time that the CONAC team asked for documents for every contract the council has given out between 2010 and 2015; minutes of council sessions and other financial transactions the council carried out within the same period. On Monday, February 15, 2016 the team handed to the Secretary General of the Council at the time, Charles Arrey Nkongho, an inventory of all the documents they had been given. Trouble started when Mbile and his team informed the Secretary General that they were taking away the documents to Yaounde. But Arrey Nkongho is said to have objected on grounds that CONCAC could not take away the original copies of their documents to Yaounde. He reportedly proposed that the team take photocopies and leave the originals but Mbile and his team refused. While the argument was going on in Arreys office, one of the CONAC vehicles that had most of the documents in question drove out of the council premises. An employee is said to have rushed and informed the Secretary General, who ordered that the second vehicle be blocked from moving. The council employees then positioned a caterpillar across the main entrance into the yard. The argument that followed brought out the Government Delegate, Motanga Andrew Monjimba. All attempts by the Government Delegate to cause the CONAC team to cave in failed. The supervisory authority of the council, Fako SDO at the time, Zang III, was called to intervene to no avail. Eventually, CONAC took away all the councils documents in its possession. The CONAC drive came on the heels of the Government Delegates warning to his workers on Friday, February 12, 2016. Motanga had warned the workers against acts of corruption, laziness and indiscipline. If we have to achieve our objectives of making Limbe the city of our dreams, we need workers who can stay away from corruption, late coming, absenteeism and personal interest,Motanga had said. The Post recalled at the time that on May 16 breaking 17, 2014; thieves broke into the Limbe City Council and carted away FCFA 30 million. The thieves stroke the Council safe, the Government Delegates office and Secretariat, the Secretary Generals office and the Credit Union safe where the aforementioned sum was collected. Journalists who got to the Council premises that morning were tactfully dismissed by the Secretary General on grounds that a press conference will be organised to explain what happened. He further said no news about the incident should be aired, since the visiting delegation from CAF was in town for the first inspection of the Limbe Omnisport Stadium. Nkongho had argued that if the robbery incident was broadcast to the hearing of the CAF officials, it would mar the chances of Cameroon winning the hosting bid. The local stations stayed mute. Cameroon went on to win the bid. But, since then, neither the press conference nor a word had ever been uttered by the council official about what happened to the peoples money in their keeping. The SDO of Fako, has never questioned what happened. The theft was simply swept under the rugs, a foothold stomped on it and lips have remained sealed over it. Perhaps, the CONAC report will give details of what happened to the peoples money. By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued rules on Sunday to implement new restrictions on Americans who have recently visited China to address the threat of the coronavirus. Airline officials said Sunday the new rules will mean they must now ask all U.S.-bound passengers if they have visited mainland China. Airlines are expected to scrutinize passports of travelers, and warned the new rules could require passengers to arrive even earlier for U.S.-bound flights. American Airlines Inc said Sunday it encouraged U.S.-bound passengers "to arrive at the airport three hours early as we expect this additional screening will lengthen the normal check-in process." The United States said Friday that for flights departing after 5 p.m. EST Sunday, it will bar entry to nearly all foreign visitors who have been in China within the last two weeks. The Trump administration is limiting flights from China and for Americans who have visited China within the last 14 days to eight major U.S. airports for enhanced screening: New York's JFK, Chicago's O'Hare, San Francisco, Seattle-Tacoma, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Dulles in Washington, DC. Three more airports - Newark, Dallas/Fort Worth and Detroit - would be added on Monday, DHS announced on Sunday. The new rules do not impact cargo-only flights, DHS said. American Airlines temporarily halted all flights to mainland China on Friday, while Delta Air Lines said Sunday its last flight had departed China before it planned resumption of flights in May. United Airlines is scheduled to continue China flights through Wednesday before halting flights through March 27. Many other nations are imposing similar restrictions. Airlines must ensure foreign visitors arriving in the United States have not visited China within the last two weeks and Americans who traveled within the last 14 days to China are flying to one of the seven designated airports. Story continues Airlines said they are working to ease the burden on gate agents by also including questions about China travel online and at check-in lobbies, and adding new signs. A spokeswoman for a group representing U.S. airlines said Sunday "carriers will continue to comply with all government rules and regulations." DHS warned that "travelers without a nexus to China" may also be routed through one of the screening airports if it is discovered mid-flight that someone else on their flight has been in China in the last 14 days. Americans who have been in Hubei, China province within 14 days of their return will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine. U.S. citizens who have been in other areas of mainland China within the last 14 days "will undergo proactive entry health screening and up to 14 days of self-quarantine," DHS said. For Americans who recently traveled to China - but outside Hubei - if they show no symptoms after a screening "they will be re-booked to their destination and asked to 'self-quarantine' at their homes." DHS said Sunday none of restrictions impact flights or visitors from Hong Kong or Macau. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Additional reporting by Ted Hesson; Editing by Chris Reese) NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Manganese Mining Market 2020-2024 The analyst has been monitoring the global manganese mining market and it is poised to grow by 5,385.13 k tons during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 5% during the forecast period. Our reports on global manganese mining market provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05843289/?utm_source=PRN The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by advances in manganese battery technology. In addition, increasing adoption of stainless steel is anticipated to boost the growth of the global manganese mining market as well. Market Segmentation The global manganese mining market is segmented as below: Application Alloys Others Geographic segmentation APAC Europe MEA North America South America Key Trends for global manganese mining market growth This study identifies increasing adoption of stainless steel as the prime reasons driving the global manganese mining market growth during the next few years. Prominent vendors in global manganese mining market We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the global manganese mining market, including some of the vendors such as African Rainbow Minerals Ltd., Anglo American Plc, Assmang Proprietary Ltd., Compania Minera Autlan SAB De CV, Consolidated Minerals Ltd., Eramet SA, Gulf Manganese Corp. Ltd., Manganese X Energy Corp., South32 Ltd. and Vale SA. The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05843289/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com FILE PHOTO: A Credit Suisse sign is seen on the exterior of their Americas headquarters in the Manhattan borough of New York City By Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi ZURICH (Reuters) - Credit Suisse proposed on Monday Richard Meddings, a British banker with long experience of crisis management, for election to its board in its first non-executive nomination since the Swiss bank was rocked by a spying scandal. Two incidents of spying on some of Credit Suisse's top executives have drawn scrutiny of both the executive and non-executive management of Switzerland's second-biggest bank. Meddings, chairman of Britain's TSB Bank, has wide experience helping lenders navigate challenging times, including previously at Deutsche Bank and Standard Chartered . His appointment will need to be approved by shareholders at an annual general meeting on April 30. Switzerland's market supervisor FINMA is examining Credit Suisse's oversight of Chief Executive Tidjane Thiam and his top lieutenants, as well as possible control failures at the bank's board of directors. Credit Suisse Chairman Urs Rohner, in a statement announcing Meddings' nomination, highlighted the Briton's record in the financial industry and managing risk. "Through his wealth of knowledge and experience in the financial industry and his expertise in audit and risk management, Richard will make a valuable contribution as a new member of our board of directors," Rohner said. As chairman of Britain's TSB Bank, Meddings assumed executive responsibility after the lender's chief executive was forced out following a botched migration of customer data which locked out nearly 2 million customers and wiped millions off parent Sabadell's 2018 profits. Meddings also served on the board of Deutsche Bank when it paid more than $7 billion to settle U.S. allegations of mis-selling mortgage-backed securities. He was finance director of Standard Chartered when it faced pressure from U.S. authorities over $250 billion worth of transactions tied to Iran. (Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi and Silke Koltrowitz, editing by John Revill and Susan Fenton) BJP's Parliamentary Party meeting will be held on February 4 in Parliament. This meeting comes close on the heels of Anantkumar Hegde's controversial remark about Mahatma Gandhi after which many top BJP leaders expressed unhappiness over his remark, party sources said earlier today. Hegde has been asked to issue an unconditional apology, according to BJP sources. Hegde had attacked Mahatma Gandhi by calling the freedom struggle led by him a "drama" and also questioned as to how "such people" come to be called 'Mahatma' in India. "None of these so-called leaders was beaten up by the cops even once. Their independence movement was a big drama. It was staged by these leaders with the approval of the British. It was not a genuine fight. It was an adjustment freedom struggle," he had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The PEI Standardbred Breeders Association is asking all members of the Atlantic Canadian trotting sector to come to a stakeholder meeting on February 8 at 1 p.m. at Red Shores' Charlottetown Driving Park. The meeting will involve a discussion of the current state of the trotting industry on the east coast and the association would like input from all members of the trot side of the business on how to plan for the future. This includes breeders of trotters, buyers of trotters at the yearling sales, owners of trotters of all ages as well as trainers and drivers of trotting horses. The meeting will take place in the grandstand seating on the second level of Red Shores' Charlottetown with participation strongly encouraged. (PEI Standardbred Breeders Association) BDO Remit brand ambassador Piolo Pascual is very proud of his life as an Overseas Filipino (OF). While very challenging, he said his life abroad was full of valuable lessons, which helped him achieve financial freedom. People may not know that Piolo temporarily left showbiz at age 19 to join his mom and other siblings in California, USA. There, he juggled two jobs, working as a hospital staff during the day and as a security guard in downtown Los Angeles at night. He was working almost 16 hours a day, only to make ends meet. It was hard at first because I was blocked out of the life that I had here. I was already an actor back then living a different lifestyle. When I migrated to the US, I had to start from scratch. I had to work right away or else I wouldnt have any food on the table, he said of his early struggles. My sister and I were just renting a place. My mom, who lives in the same community, would drop by once in a while to give us food. But even so, we still had to fend for ourselves. I had two jobs because my salary was not enough to pay for my insurance, my car, my rental, my food and allowance, Piolo added. Two years after moving to the US, he decided to go back home. He wanted to give acting another try. While his years as an OF didnt last long, he credits much of his success to the valuable lessons he learned while living and working abroad. I wouldnt be what I am today if it werent for the hardships I went thru as an OF. I learned to work very hard to be able to pay for things but at the same time, I learned not to spend beyond my means. It really takes discipline to be practical and not buy things that you really do not need, he said. Piolo did not only work hard to earn his keep, he worked doubly hard to protect it. He shared he remains a very practical person, who would rather spend on things that would bring in returns, than on material possessions. More importantly, he learned that part of protecting your hard-earned money is choosing the right remittance partner, one that not only promises convenience but security as well. My mom was already in the US when we were growing up. At that time, it was so hard for us to get money from her for our schooling. We would then go to an agency, which would charge us with all sorts of fees. BDO really changed the landscape of remittance. They made it easy for Filipinos overseas to send money to their loved ones, he said. As a former OF, Piolo said he knows how much our kababayans abroad sacrifice just to be able to provide for their families back home and so he cautions OFs against sending money to just any remittance agency especially those they just happen to see online. You are entrusting your hard-earned money to others. Always go for someone who is trustworthy, who has a track record, and who has been there for a long time. The last thing that you want to happen is for your money not to reach your loved ones. Thats why I always choose BDO. With BDO, you are confident that your money will be safely remitted to your loved ones back home, he said. (PR) NEW YORK, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NetworkNewsWire NetworkNewsWire (NNW), a multifaceted financial news and publishing company part of the InvestorBrandNetwork (IBN), today announces its collaboration with the IPO Podcast Series, produced by Channelchek , as the Official NewsWire. Brett Heimann, Director of Digital Marketing for Channelchek, states, We are pleased to have the support of NetworkNewsWire as we widen the distribution of our IPO Podcast Series. The series is an exciting opportunity to connect our audience to the ideas of talented businessmen and women, and were glad to have the considerable abilities of NetworkNewsWire to further our reach. The podcast is directed and hosted by Brant Pinvidic. Originally a Hollywood producer, Pinvidic has pursued his passion for business by becoming a C-level business consultant. Pinvidic merges his Hollywood talents with his business expertise in the IPO Podcast Series, seeking out individuals who have found success in order to celebrate their accomplishments and highlight what they learned along the way. The IPO Podcast Series explores the ideas, people and opportunities behind thriving organizations. Each IPO episode is made up of an informative opening, followed by an interview between Pinvidic and a successful business creator. This series already boasts a variety of high-powered guests, including Kathy Ireland, Rob Lowe, and King Bach. The IPO Podcast Series can be found on the Channelchek website, as well as on iTunes and other podcast services. NetworkNewsWire doubles as a financial news outlet and a content distribution company, explains Jonathan Keim, Communications Director of NetworkNewsWire. With each episode launch, we are leveraging our network of 5,000-plus downstream partners for amplification beyond our own dedicated followings. We appreciate the opportunity to further grow our collaboration with Noble Capital Markets. Access the IPO Podcast Series at the following link: https://www.channelchek.com/news-channel/IPO_Podcast_Series About Channelchek In 2018, Noble Capital Markets (Noble) launched www.channelchek.com , a new investment community dedicated exclusively to small and micro-cap companies and their industries. Channelchek is tailored to meet the needs of self-directed investors and financial professionals. It is the first service to offer institutional-quality research to the public, for FREE at every level without a subscription. More than 6,000 emerging growth companies are listed on the site, with growing content including webcasts, podcasts, and balanced news. Noble is a research-driven boutique investment bank that has supported small and micro-cap companies since 1984. As a FINRA and SEC licensed broker dealer, Noble provides institutional-quality equity research, merchant and investment banking, wealth management and order execution services. About NetworkNewsWire (NNW) NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is a financial news and content distribution company, one of 40+ brands within our InvestorBrandNetwork (IBN), that provides: (1) access to a network of wire services via NetworkWire to reach all target markets, industries and demographics in the most effective manner possible; (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ news outlets; (3) enhanced press release services to ensure maximum impact; (4) social media distribution via IBN to 1+ million followers; and (5) a full array of corporate communications solutions. As a multifaceted organization with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, NNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience comprising investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in todays market, NNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. NNW is where news, content, and information converge. For more information, please visit: https://www.NetworkNewsWire.com Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the NetworkNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by NNW, wherever published or re-published: http://NNW.fm/Disclaimer Corporate Communications: WhatsApp has been under the scanner after Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos iPhone was hacked through the messaging app. It was being reported that It happened after a malicious MP4 file was sent to Jeff on WhatsApp by Crown Saudi Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman. Ever since the company has been trying to clear their name by reiterating that its platform protects all conversations with end-to-end encryption. However, Telegram's CEO Pavel Durav in an official blog has called out WhatsApp for misleading its customers in the name of end-to-end encryption. He lashed out at Facebook-backed messaging app for putting the blame on Apple for Jeff Bezos's phone hack. He wrote, iOS devices have loads of privacy-related issues. But this was not one of them. WhatsApp's corrupt video vulnerability was present not only on iOS but also on Android and even Windows Phone devices. Meaning, on all mobile devices with WhatsApp installed. Hence, the issue was not iOS-specific, but WhatsApp specific. Pavel also called WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption a sham. He wrote, WhatsApp uses the words end-to-end encryption as some magic incantation that alone is supposed to automatically make all communications secure. There are flaws in encryption implementation. How can anybody be sure that the encryption WhatsApp claims to use is the one actually implemented in their apps? Their source code is hidden and the apps' binaries are obfuscated, making them hard to analyze. It is no secret that WhatsApp is Telegram's biggest competitor hence the criticism is bound to happen but Durov stated in his blog that his statements are based on facts and not personal preferences. Post the Jeff Bezos fiasco, the United Nations had asked all its officials to remove WhatsApp from their devices and people working with Donald Trump have also been asked to stop using WhatsApp and switch their phones. Earlier, WhatsApp had discloses 12 vulnerabilities in 2019 out of which, 7 were said to be critical. One of the bugs that were recently discovered in the messaging app, allowed the hackers to execute malicious codes on smartphones while another flaw allowed attackers to crash WhatsApp by sending a malicious code that would result in WhatsApp becoming unusable for the affected person. In 2019, WhatsApp was in the eye of the storm once again after a report stated that messaging app has been used to spy on public figures and journalists across the globe. Around 1400 people were targeted using the spyware, out of which 121 users were Indian journalists, human rights activists and political figures. WhatsApp, however, stated that they had fixed the bug and encouraged users to upgrade to the latest version of the app as that promises end-to-end encryption. WhatsApp is the widely-used messaging app with over 450 million users in India. A number of doctors have claimed a service under which adolescents with gender dysphoria can be given puberty-suppressing hormone blockers is "unsafe" and must be immediately stopped, but their concerns were suppressed. The service is provided in Ireland by flying in two clinicians from an NHS trust in London to run clinics at Crumlin Children's Hospital. But the Irish Independent has learned at least three doctors working in the gender area expressed grave concerns over the service provided by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust at Crumlin. The concerns over standards of clinical care and governance were raised at a meeting of doctors and hospital officials in Crumlin last March. These included that children had been started on hormone treatment when they did not appear to be suitable. However, the issues raised and calls by the doctors for the service to be "terminated with immediate effect" were omitted from draft minutes of the meeting. Expand Expand Previous Next Close Prof Donal O'Shea. Photo: Steve Humphreys Dr Paul Moran / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Prof Donal O'Shea. Photo: Steve Humphreys Something of a standoff has ensued since then, with the HSE claiming their concerns were "not representative of the many clinicians who refer to the Tavistock". Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) has also said it does not have any concerns about the service provided in Crumlin. Some 291 Irish children have used the service since 2015. The doctors who raised concerns are consultant endocrinologist Professor Donal O'Shea and consultant psychiatrists Dr Paul Moran and Dr Ian Schneider. All three are attached to the adult national gender service at St Columcille's Hospital in Loughlinstown, Dublin, which deals with adult referrals, including children previously treated at Crumlin. News of their concerns comes days after it emerged a lawsuit was being taken by a former nurse, a parent, and a former patient against the trust in the London High Court. The action is challenging the clinic's practice of prescribing hormone blockers and cross-sex hormones to children under the age of 18. The trust has also been hit by a series of resignations by psychologists amid disquiet about the alleged "over-diagnosis" of gender dysphoria. Details of what transpired at the meeting were confirmed by Prof O'Shea and Dr Moran after they were contacted by the Irish Independent. In a statement, Dr Moran said they were concerned some patients they were seeing, who had been started on hormone treatment in Crumlin, did not appear to be suitable or ready for such treatment, and appeared to have mental health problems that had not been identified or addressed. He said that for many children on hormones, there was no documented report or assessment by Tavistock, and where these were available, they were not sufficiently detailed and not a sound basis for a treatment recommendation. "There was usually no clear record of how or when the decision to commence treatment was made," he said. Dr Moran raised questions over the clinical governance of the service and said the funding for it was also irregular. He said it was funded under the EU Treatment Abroad Scheme, which is used to fund treatments outside the country, but most of the children were being treated in Ireland. He also said that when he protested about the omissions in the draft minutes, these were not corrected. A query regarding the minutes was not addressed by the hospital. In a statement, the HSE said it was satisfied with the arrangements in place and that the service was in line with the terms of the Treatment Abroad Scheme. It said the trust "records thorough notes on each patient", which are shared when they are referred to the consultant endocrinologist delivering transgender care in Crumlin. It said the notes also form part of onward referrals to the adult gender service. The HSE said it was planning to develop an entirely Irish-based service "within the next year" and was working with leading clinicians and representatives of the transgender community to develop an agreed model of care. Joule Assets, via Joule Community Power, rolled out community choice aggregation (CCA) programs to more than 25,000 utility account holders in seven communities in New York State. The six towns that banded together to form Hudson Valley Community Power and the Town of Geneva, NY, through the Finger Lakes Community Choice aggregation, have all selected 100% renewable energy at a fixed rate that is lower than the average utility rate for the previous year as the default energy supply for their communities. Joule serves as program administrator for both aggregations and partners with local program managers to provide local program support, education, and outreach in the communities. In 2020, Joule expects three additional towns, with 6,500 homes, to join the Hudson Valley Community Power aggregation. Joule also plans to launch four new aggregations: Gateway Community Power, Monroe Community Power, Rockland Community Power, and an aggregation in Long Island, NY. Currently, with 16 communities under contract, Joule is looking forward to administrating CCA programs for more than 190,000 total households in 25 communities by this time next year. Joule Community Power Director Glenn Weinberg said, "Communities throughout New York State are leading the way in the clean energy transition. Joule's programs help them get the most out of the powerful tools available to them to get the best deal for their residents and to drive local development of renewable energy." Roctricity's Susan Hughes-Smith explains, "We have been working to bring CCA to the Rochester area since 2016. Working with Joule perfectly aligns with our mission of advocating for communities to purchase 100% renewable electricity that is procured at a price that is lower than consumers paid, on average, the previous year. We are pleased to serve as the local program manager for Finger Lakes Community Choice and, in the not too distant future, Monroe Community Power and Gateway Community Power." Jeff Domanski of Hudson Valley Energy, the nonprofit that serves as the local program manager for the Hudson Valley Community Power and Rockland Community Power programs, is excited about the benefits of the programs led by Joule. "It's been great to talk to so many people in our partner communities about how these programs provide a win-win-win opportunity that helps so many people get what they want: supporting renewable electricity generation with no additional cost and protection from bad actors in the energy marketplace. We're able to increase knowledge, help build trust, and deliver benefits." Maximizing CCA's Impact with Solar In 2019, offering yet another way to reduce both electricity costs and carbon gas emissions, Joule launched Geneva Community Power, a community solar (or "local solar") pilot program for NYSEG customers in NY's Finger Lakes region and offered local solar to Central Hudson customers in New York Hudson's Valley. Unlike other community solar programs, Joule's solar offering is designed to reward communities that support renewable generation by helping fund future local sustainability efforts. For the Geneva Community Power pilot program, funding of the "sustainability grant" was based upon reaching a threshold of 400 community solar subscribers. Town of Geneva opted to spend the money on projects that protect and preserve the quality of water in Seneca Lake. In the Hudson Valley, funds are allocated to communities based on actual enrollment numbers. By year-end 2019, more than 500 utility customers in the Hudson Valley, who consume more than 3,700 KWhs of electricity annually, subscribed to community solar, earning their local communities upwards of $25,000 for future sustainability efforts. The City of Beacon elected to put the money towards local school projects. Marbletown intends to use the funds for local walk and bike projects. Philipstown will allocate the money toward a program what will reduce the leakage of greenhouse gases from air conditioners, refrigerators, and other appliances. When possible, the municipalities may use the sustainability grants to seek State matching funds in order to increase the amount of money they can put towards their local projects. Mike Gordon, CEO of Joule Assets, explains, "Joule has established a community solar program that gives back to the community and enables subscribers who support clean energy to spend less on electricity. Community solar participants save approximately 10% annually on electricity by supporting the buildout of renewable power plants. Joule supports communities that support renewable generation by funding, based on solar program enrollment, locally chosen sustainability efforts." Joule Assets Managing Director Jessica Stromback states, "Joule is the only company in New York State offering CCA administrative services with a Public Service Commission-approved implementation plan that automatically integrates community solar projects. These two programs community choice and community solar work together to amplify the benefits of each program individually. Both CCA and local solar are designed to lower your electricity bill and help combat climate change. By offering solar through the CCAs we administer, Joule can maximize the reach and therefore, the impact of these benefits." Why CCA? CCA empowers participating communities to leverage the collective buying power of residents and small businesses at large enough scale to create the buying power to negotiate better terms. Through CCA, communities can secure more favorable supply rates and designate renewable generation sources. CCA also provides increased consumer protection while providing residents supply options and participation flexibility. While eligible residents are automatically enrolled in the program, anyone can opt out without penalty prior to launch or at any time during the contract term. Why Solar? Community solar programs allow utility customers (including members of community choice aggregation programs) to support local solar power and save on annual electricity costs without having to install solar panels. Those who sign up will lower their electricity bills while supporting renewable energy generation and, in Joule's model, while raising funds towards local sustainability projects. When used in conjunction with CCA, participants can augment their electricity bill savings and combat climate change on multiple fronts, thereby maximizing the impact of their participation. Please visit joulecommunitypower.com to learn more about how we empower communities to access cleaner and cheaper energy on their own terms. About Joule Community Power Joule Community Power (Joule) works with municipalities and local partners to empower communities and facilitate their goals of providing residents and businesses with cleaner and cheaper energy. Joule principals were responsible for implementing New York State's first Community Choice Aggregation Program (CCA) a program that enables communities to aggregate local energy demand in order to: 1) save money gain leverage to procure less expensive electricity for residents and businesses, 2) make money create new revenue opportunities by participating in energy markets, and 3) go green gain local control to opt for clean and renewable generation sources. Joule is the only company in New York State offering CCA administrative services with a Public Service Commission-approved implementation plan that integrates local renewable energy projects, and only Joule has the expertise, relationships, and experience to effectively design, implement, and manage such a program. Joule's innovative renewable energy strategy in New York is driving new regulation and encouraging the Public Service Commission to rapidly advance innovative solutions. Joule Community Power is a division of Joule Assets. Learn more at joulecommunitypower.com. About Joule Assets Joule Assets is a corporation focused on market representation, products and services in the areas of clean energy, efficiency, and demand management. Joule Community Power is the division of Joule Assets that partners with municipalities to develop community-scale clean energy solutions, empowering communities to set and achieve aggressive clean energy and energy reduction targets. This includes CCA Administration services, Community Distributed Generation integration, community-scale demand management, and home efficiency services. For this reason, program materials refer primarily to Joule Community Power as the CCA Administrator. When appropriate, we have made it clear in program materials that Joule Community Power is a division of Joule Assets. Joule Community Power is not a distinct entity from or subsidiary of Joule Assets, and is staffed by Joule Assets employees and contractors. Joule Community Power is operated out of the Joule Assets corporate office, located in Katonah, NY. by Disclosure: In any review for a product or service, products or compensation may have been provided to me to help facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Guidelines. Please see Disclose and "Terms of Use" tabs for more information. If youve ever been to Thailand, you may have made tracks to the laid-back beach resort town of Hua Hin. Known as a quick escape for those fleeing city life in Bangkok, Hua Hin has recently become a premier Teamxl Thailand team building destination. Hua Hin is ideal to visit whether as a tourist or for companies who want their employees to unlock the benefits of team building activities here. Whats to See? Theres a whole range of places to see in the area, including: Phraya Nakhon Cave Within a 45 minute drive from southern Hua Hin is the stunning Phraya Nakhon Cave in the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. What makes this mystical place truly special is the gold and green Kuha Kharuehat temple hidden inside the second cave. Built in 1890, its beautifully lit by rays of sunlight that pour in from the caves ceiling. The pavilion stands on a hill surrounded by trees and vegetation, and if you or your team happen to be the only visitors, the unusual silence just adds to the spectacle before you. The temple was built especially for the visit of King Chulalongkorn the Great (Rama V). Thailands present King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) has also visited. The journey there is not for the faint-hearted, however. Drive to the small village of Bang Pu, and then hire a boat round the coast to Laem Sala beach. On arrival, theres a climb of 430 meters over steep, uneven stones until you start to descend into the first cave. Monkey Mountain Another popular location, whether youre a traveler, or going with colleagues, is Son Tra, or Monkey Mountain. It stands 272 meters above Hua Hin. Its name comes from the numbers of macaque monkeys leaping from tree to tree. The spot is also host to a 20-meter Buddha overlooking the ocean. If youre up for four hours of hiking from Bai Bac beach through jungle trails to the mountain summit, you may be rewarded with sights of rare species, including rhesus and long-tailed macaques, and red-shanked douc langurs. Pala-U Waterfalls One of the highest in Thailand, the Pala-U waterfalls are located within a 1000-year old forest in Kaeng Krachan National Park. The spot is approximately an hours drive from Hua Hin. A relaxing, peaceful location set within a region of pineapple plantations, its known for its many butterfly species. You may even be lucky enough to see wild elephants emerging from the jungle, who then may block the road. Whats in it for Companies? With beautiful beaches, stunning scenery and wildlife, Hua Hin has plenty to offer organizations whod like their employees to bond in relaxed surroundings. People can choose from a range of activities that are focused on a common goal. For example, the Community Kitchen activity offered by Team XL is a chance to cook a nutritious meal for the areas homeless and hungry. Other activities include the Bike Factory, where your companys team build a whole bike. Recipients are children from registered charities, who are presented with their gifts by the team. Why Everybody Wins Attending team-building activities in areas such as Hua Hin gives employees the chance to learn from each other and forge stronger bonds but in a more relaxed environment. People can learn all-important skills such as leadership, better communication, delegation, and collaboration while focused on a fun, potentially worthwhile activity. Plus, by contributing to Thailands local economies and promoting responsible tourism, you are putting their policies of corporate social governance into action in a way that can benefit all involved. BEIRUT, Lebanon January 2020 was to be a major month for Lebanons budding oil and gas sector, with the first ever offshore exploratory drilling expected to have started and the second round of licensing to close at the end of the month. However, both have been postponed. The exploratory drilling by a consortium of companies headed by Total SA Ricardo Darre, general manager of Total E&P Liban told LOGI earlier this month that the ship, the Tungsten Explorer, would arrive in January, after a delay. However, Walid Nasr, acting chairman of the board and head of strategic planning at the government-affiliated Lebanese Petroleum Administration, told Al-Monitor that there was another delay while the ship completed drilling in Egypt, but that it would arrive within two weeks. The second licensing round for five blocks within Lebanons maritime borders was also postponed for three months. Nasr explained the delay was to allow companies more time to prepare their bids. The delays came against the backdrop of protests that began Oct. 17, 2019, and an economic crisis in Lebanon that has been worsened by unofficial capital controls limiting citizens from withdrawing money and a lack of dollars for key imports. Under these conditions, many have been looking to the gas sector in Lebanon as a way to boost the economy. Their hope has been bolstered by politicians who have been pointing to the sector as a way to shore up local energy supplies. However, Lebanon is a long way off from seeing returns from the sector and nearly a decade behind neighboring countries, and in these early stages, predictions are far from certain. Between September 2012 and October 2013, first as energy minister and later as foreign minister, Gebran Bassil made four different claims about the amount of gas within Lebanons maritime border. Diana Kaissy is the executive director of the Lebanese Oil and Gas Initiative, a nongovernmental organization that lobbies for a transparent and beneficial sector. She told Al-Monitor, We only have estimates" of around 122 trillion cubic feet of gas and 1.7 billion barrels of oil in the Levant Basin. "We could have zero or we could have some of that. We need to drill to know what our share of it is. The predictions specific to Lebanon come from a series of seismic surveys between 2000 and 2013 that are not available to the public. However, nearby countries have found large deposits of gas, with Israel making two major discoveries by 2010 in the Tamar and Leviathan gas fields and Egypt and Cyprus finding deposits later on. Lebanon's Offshore Petroleum Resources Law established the Lebanese Petroleum Administration, an independent public institution that advises the Ministry of Energy and Water. The government went so far as to open a round of licensing in 2013. However, nothing came of it and the sector stagnated. In 2018 the licensing for two blocks was approved for the only bidder, a consortium of Total, Novatek and ENI. I call them the lost years, Kaissy said. These four years were not just time lost but also lost opportunities. During this time, Israel was not sleeping; Cyprus wasnt; there was a big discovery in Egypt. Several regional deals have come to fruition in the last 12 months including a trade deal between Israel and Egypt, a controversial maritime border agreement between Turkey and Libya, an ambitious and expensive Israeli-Cyprus-Greece proposed pipeline and the establishment of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum, of which Lebanon is not a member. The region is now bubbling, Kaissy said. Lebanon is aware of the issue. Nasr said, We are trying to start this cooperation with the countries we work with and we are starting to do this with Egypt and Cyprus. He added, I am very pragmatic, [and] we dont have gas today but we need to start up discussions to have good relations and this is what we are doing. Despite the effort, Charles Ellinas, CEO of the Cyprus-based consultancy ECP Natural Hydrocarbons Company, told Al-Monitor, Its a sector in turmoil. He explained that while there is no one-size-fits-all analysis, natural gas does not have a bright future. The demand for [natural gas] is not what it used to be because a substantial amount of the worlds energy is made by renewables, and that will continue [to grow], Ellinas said. According to a 2019 McKinsey report, this decade the demand for gas will only see half the growth of the last year and will plateau and even decline after 2035. Ellinas added that even as demand weakens, new gas deposits are being found. Its an oversupplied market, he said. It's particularly true for Europe, a large market close to the eastern Mediterranean Sea, with a planned pipeline with Russia and the adoption of an ambitious European Green Deal drastically reducing European demand. Even Cyprus, which first found the Aphrodite gas field back in 2011, still has seen no serious benefit from gas, according to Ellinas, who added, Ten years before it would have been significant, but the new environment we are in now [consists of] small gas fields and the major companies no longer fund small projects. They go for big things. However, Nasr assured Al-Monitor that several companies have asked to see the seismic data in Lebanon for the second licensing round, adding, Every country has its own context. It is not that you have to catch up with every other country; you have a different track. But with Cyprus still not seeing returns on gas discovered nearly a decade ago, Lebanons track is a long one. Key policies such as the establishment of a sovereign wealth fund that would regulate and formalize how profits a small amount of which has already been made from the sector are used and by whom are still waiting for approval. Furthermore, if gas is found, Lebanon will face an ongoing dispute over territories in Block 9 leased in 2018 as well as 8 and 10, which Israel claims are its own. Kaissy added, For the sector to proceed, you need a national strategy. We do not have one, so we are working blind. Nasr said that because there have not yet been any discoveries of oil and gas, the Lebanese Petroleum Administration has adopted a scenario planning approach" with multiple strategies depending on what is found during drilling, "not in one document [but many], and it is internal for the government to plan." However, he added that even in these early days, The priority is the local market as nearly all of Lebanons fuel is imported and the country still cannot offer 24 hours of electricity a day. While this priority is not explicitly stated in law, Nasr said it's a component of the contracts signed with the companies. However, Ellinas warned against placing any long term hopes on the sector, saying, Dont assume gas will sort out your problems. If you dont do other things, you will pay the price later. If it comes one day, then its an added blessing, but even if some discoveries are made the profits are not going to be enormous. See Full Image Gallery >> Those who have been waiting (perhaps not-so) patiently for concrete signs of Hyundai's Santa Cruz reaching production, today is your day. The long-promised compact Korean pickup has been spotted in the wild. Hyundai first caught our attention back in 2015 when it trotted out the HCD-15 Santa Cruz concept at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The idea of a practical, compact pickup stirred up the automotive community, which has been thirsty for just that formula ever since American automakers virtually abandoned the segment after the demise of the Ford Ranger. We were told back then that Hyundai was considering a production model, but that's often the case with concepts. What are they, after all, besides a method for gauging customer interest in something new? In this case, it appears we have proof that Hyundai intends to keep its promise. Unfortunately, that's about all we have. Hyundai has kept mum on the Santa Cruz's vitals, but we suspect it will follow somewhat in the footsteps of the Honda Ridgeline. Like the midsize Honda, Hyundai's concept was based on a unibody architecture. Unlike the Japanese entry, however, Santa Cruz is supposed to be on the smaller side. We can't really get a good sense of the pickup's scale from these shots, but we can see that Hyundai is testing a crew cab model, which stands to reason based on the competition in smaller pickup segments. Americans like space. Who knew? Hopefully this mule means we're not too far from getting some concrete details on Hyundai's plans for the Santa Cruz, but we'll urge you to remain patient, as we don't expect a production model to hit showrooms any earlier than the 2021 model year. Related Video: Click here to See Video >> The convicted terrorist who went on a knife rampage in south London yesterday is the latest in a growing list of Islamists to strike while on the radar of security services. Sudesh Amman was able to stab two people on Streatham high street despite being under close surveillance by MI5 and anti-terror police following his release from jail. He was freed just a few days ago under 'very stringent' licencing conditions, meaning armed police who were tracking him arrived on the scene in moments. But officers were unable to prevent him from knifing one man in the stomach and a female cyclist in the back before he was eventually shot dead outside Boots chemist. Amman, 20, becomes the second convicted terrorist to carry out a knife attack in Britain within ten weeks, following a similar rampage by London Bridge attacker Usman Khan. Sunday's terror attack by Sudesh Amman (left) was the second knife rampage by a convicted terrorist to take place in ten weeks, following the atrocity committed by Usman Khan (right) Armed police shoot dead extremist Sudesh Amman, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, after he grabbed a knife from a shop and stabbed a man and a woman in a brutal high-street rampage in Streatham, South London, at about 2pm yesterday Usman Khan, 28, killed two people at Fishmongers' Hall in 2019 Khan, 28, was shot dead by police on London Bridge in November after killing two people at a nearby rehabilitation conference while out on licence for terror offences. The son of a taxi driver, he got an indeterminate jail term in 2012 after admitting preparing terrorist acts, including the plot and starting a terror training camp in Pakistan. In 2013 the Court of Appeal changed that to a 16-year fixed sentence which meant Khan had to serve only half. While on licence in November, he stabbed Cambridge graduates Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, to death while wearing a fake suicide vest at Fishmonger's Hall. In the aftermath of Khan's attack, it was claimed Khan had reformed and become a model prisoner while in prison, which helped him win permission to travel unescorted from his Stafford bedsit to London. But Khan was moved to a Category A prison after he was involved in incidents of violence and threats to endanger staff. Khan was released from HMP Woodhill in Buckinghamshire in December 2018. Just over two months ago, on November 29, convicted terrorist Usman Khan (pictured) killed two Cambridge graduates before he was fatally shot on London Bridge Khuram Butt, 27, ringleader of 2017 London Bridge attack that killed eight people The ringleader of the 2017 London Bridge attack that killed eight people, Butt had been the subject of a two-year investigation by security services. However the chief coroner, in a report into the atrocity, said police and MI5 did not recognise the threat he posed. Mark Lucraft QC said this was despite Butt's association with Islamic State fanatic Anjem Choudary and an appearance in the documentary The Jihadi Next Door. The probe was twice suspended due to pressure on resources and the authorities did not pass on tip-offs about his extremism, including one from a family member. There was also a two-month delay in translating a request from the Italian authorities for information about his fellow attacker Youssef Zaghba. An Old Bailey inquest heard that Butt, who was an MI5 subject of interest (SIO), had looked at extremist material online in the months and years before the attack, including propaganda for so-called Islamic State, violent images and sermons from extremist preachers. Bereaved families said MI5 and counter-terror police should review their assumptions about the weight placed on an SIO's so-called mindset material. Mr Lucraft said there is no evidence investigators are not capable of making those judgments properly after police and security services pointed out that many SIOs possess such material. Like Usman Khan and the 2017 London Bridge attackers Khuram Butt (pictured), Rachid Redouane and Yousef Zaghba, Amman went on a knife rampage wearing a fake suicide vest Butt is pictured on the left appearing in 'The Jihadis Next Door' which aired on January 20, 2016 Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba (shown left to right) killed eight people before they themselves were shot dead Khalid Masood, 52, who killed five people in 2017 Westminster attack Masood killed five people and injured more than 50 after he mounted the pavement in his car outside the Houses of Parliament and went on a knife rampage. The 52-year-old Briton was probed by MI5 from as early as 2004, with concerns high enough that he was classified as a threat to national security. However the file on him was closed in 2012 as it was deemed that he was not considered a serious threat. Masood, a violent criminal who picked up a string of convictions during his time living in Kent and Sussex, is believed to have converted to Islam while he was serving two prison sentences between 2000 and 2004. After emerging from prison, he went to Saudi Arabia to teach English in trip a thought to have been inspired by his new-found spirituality. When he returned from Saudi around 2009, he moved to Luton, a city in which a number of extremists and Islamic radicals were operating. Theresa May would later tell the House of Commons that 52-year-old Masood was considered a 'peripheral' figure at the time. Khalid Masood (pictured left) murdered five people (including PC Palmer, right) and injured 50 others when he drove his car into pedestrians outside the Houses of Parliament in March 2017 Salman Abedi, Manchester Arena bomber who killed 22 in 2017 Abedi, the jidahi terrorist who detonated a suicide vest at Manchester Arena in 2017 and killed 22 people, was also known to British security services. But was not deemed a high risk, despite five community leaders reporting him for extremist views. A report found a series of failures on behalf of security services, including how he had visited a category A extremist inmate in prison. Counter-terror police were also alerted to Abedi frequently travelling to Libya from 2014 onwards but he was not made the subject of travel restrictions or monitoring. Abedi's case was flagged for review, but was not re-examined before he slaughtered parents and children at the Ariana Grande concert The Abedi family, originally from Libya, fled during the Gaddafi dictatorship with the father returning to fight with opposition forces when the uprising began in 2011. Both brothers travelled to Libya in April 2017, then Salman returned alone before carrying out the suicide attack in Manchester. He detonated his device at the end of the concert, with 353 people, including 175 children, around him in the foyer of the venue. As well as the 22 dead, 16 people suffered serious injuries including paralysis, loss of limbs, internal injuries, and serious facial injuries involving complicated plastic surgery. Abedi, the jidahi terrorist who detonated a suicide vest at Manchester Arena in 2017 and killed 22 people, was also known to British security services Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi (left) and London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt (right) were both known to MI5 but were not actively being investigated at the time of their attacks Ahmed Hassan, 18, whose homemade bomb failed to explode at Parsons Green Tube station in 2017 The 18-year-old Iraqi asylum-seeker left a homemade bomb on a District line commuter train in 2017 which partially exploded after the train arrived at Parsons Green station. He claimed during an asylum interview that he had been trained to kill by ISIS against his will and spent several hours a day in a mosque under their command, receiving religious education. After those comments, he was brought to the attention of MI5 on February 2 2016 during a discussion with Counter-Terrorism Policing, but he was never made a subject of interest. Instead he was referred to the Channel mentoring scheme - part of the Prevent de-radicalisaton programme - in February 2016. It was not until June 2016 that he was made an 'active' Channel case and nine formal meetings were then held of the joint agency Channel panel at which his case was discussed. However, Hassan was never assigned a mentor, for a six-month period in 2017 there were no panel meetings, and at the time of the attack, the panel was considering closing his case. Ahmed Hassan (pictured in a mugshot, left, and on the day of his attack, right) was sentenced to life in prison The bucket bomb (pictured), wrapped in a Lidl cool bag, was built at Hassan's foster home Darren Osborne, 48, killed one in 2017 Finsbury Park mosque attack Darren Osborne (pictured) drove a vehicle into a group of people gathered near a mosque in Finsbury Park Darren Osborne, from Cardiff, drove a vehicle into a group of people gathered near a mosque in Finsbury Park in north London on June 19, 2017, killing Makram Ali. He was said to have had an extensive criminal history dating back to 1984, including 33 convictions for 102 offences ranging from offences against the person to drugs and theft. He had not been investigated by MI5 or Counter-Terrorism Police before launching his attack and was 'not known to be a member of, or have links to, any extremist right-wing groups.' Osborne first appeared a court in his home town of Weston Super Mare aged 15 in 1984. Before the terror attack, he was last in court in 2014. He had planned to drive into crowds attending a pro-Palestinian march inLondon in June last year, and he claimed he hoped to kill Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and London mayor Sadiq Khan. But road closures meant he couldn't get near the march and, after driving around London looking for Muslim targets, he drove at a group of people outside the Muslim Welfare House in Finsbury Park. Sudesh Amman, 20, stabbed two people in Streatham in 2020 Amman was a convicted terrorist under police surveillance having recently been freed from prison when he went on a knife rampage in Streatham. The 20-year-old bearded Islamic fanatic, who was on licence and known for having a fascination with knives, dived into a local convenience store to steal a 3.99 blade before embarking on a bloody stabbing spree. Wearing a fake suicide vest, he targeted pedestrians at random on the Sunday afternoon, stabbing one man in the stomach, before knifing a female cyclist in the back just after 2pm in Streatham, South London. Armed police who had been following him closely, were on the scene within minutes, chasing him down the high street shouting 'stop' before opening fire, shooting him dead outside a Boots chemist. He was jailed in December 2018 for three years and had served only half his more than three year sentence for the possession and distribution of extremist material. Whitehall sources said he had been very recently released 'despite concerns over his conduct' because the law did not give them the power to keep him locked up. He was let out at the end of January on 'very stringent' licencing conditions included a curfew, it is understood. Today, the Prime Minister is expected to come forward with new plans to further crack down on terrorist offenders. A huge fire broke out at a bakery owned by Morrisons in Wakefield yesterday afternoon. Around 50 firefighters were on hand to tackle the blaze at the Rathbones Bakery on Stephenson Way, which saw plumes of black smoke drift across the nearby M1 and burnt buns and bread flying through the air. West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service reported that around 80% of the 86,000sq ft building was on fire and firefighters were working through the night to get the blaze under control. Some staff were treated for smoke inhalation, but there were no serious injuries reported. A spokesman for Morrisons told British Baker: There was a fire at our Rathbones bakery in Wakefield. All colleagues were evacuated quickly and safely. He added that the fire brigade was still in attendance on Monday morning, but there was no further news at present as they were unable to access the site as yet. Morrisons acquired the whole of the Rathbones Kear bakery business in 2007, when it bought out the 20% stake owned by bakery entrepreneur Harry Kear. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Rehman had resigned from his post in December last year in protest against the CAA Aligarh: Former special inspector general of police (IGP) Abdur Rehman, who was set to address a protest at the Aligarh Muslim University against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), was detained by police in Aligarh and asked to return to New Delhi. Rehman, who had resigned from his post in December last year in protest against the CAA, was detained at Lodha Police Station in Aligarh on Sunday. The former IPS officer from Maharashtra told reporters that he was served a written notice by police stating that his presence at the AMU could lead to a law and order problem, and hence he decided to comply with this missive "and would come back" again after he gets permission. He said the police told him that his presence at the AMU could be misused by some people as an excuse to instigate trouble on the campus. "I agreed to return because I am a law-abiding citizen and my purpose to visit the AMU was only to speak on the CAA and not provoke any trouble," he said before leaving Aligarh. Rehman said he was invited at the university on Sunday by the AMU Students Co-ordination Committee to address them on the new legislation. He had resigned from his post on 11 December, 2019 in protest against the the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill which later got President Ram Nath Kovind's assent, turning it into an act. "This bill is against the religious pluralism of India. I request all justice loving people to oppose the Bill in a democratic manner. It runs against the very basic feature of the Constitution," he had said. "The bill is against the basic feature of the Constitution. I condemn this bill. In civil disobedience, I have decided not to attend office from tomorrow. I am finally quitting the service," Rehman had said in a statement. Haiti - Politic : President Moise on tour in the South Saturday, February 1, President Jovenel Moise was on a site monitoring tour in the South Department, especially in the city of Les Cayes and in the commune of Torbeck. The opportunity for the Head of State to see the state of works in progress at the Antoine Simon of Les Cayes regional airport, with a view to bringing the runway in line with international standards. Subsequently, the Head of State went to the EDH Central in Les Cayes where the 4 new generator sets are in operation pending the arrangements to change the energy matrix, as part of his promise to electricity 24/24. In Torbeck, President Moise visited the Seed Center funded by Taiwan (Republic of China) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26606-haiti-taiwan-$22-million-for-increased-rice-seed-production.html to take stock of the progress of the work. Recall that the Torbeck Seed Center is one of 3 built in the country, the other two are located in Morne Casse in the commune of Ferrier (North East) inaugurated in January 2020 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29795-haiti-taiwan-president-moise-inaugurates-a-modern-seed-center-in-morne-casse.html and the third in Estere in the Atibonite. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29795-haiti-taiwan-president-moise-inaugurates-a-modern-seed-center-in-morne-casse.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29621-haiti-taiwan-financial-support-for-food-self-sufficiency-in-haiti.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26606-haiti-taiwan-$22-million-for-increased-rice-seed-production.html HL/ HaitiLibre [February 03, 2020] MGT Capital Provides Operating Update RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (OTCQB: MGTI) today provided an operating update to investors. As of January 31, 2020, the Company is operating 1,500 new generation Bitcoin miners collectively rated at approximately 80 Ph/s at its facility in LaFayette, Georgia. All miners were purchased from Bitmain and possess enough computational power to mine 38 Bitcoin per month at the current Difficulty Rate.* The total electrical load at this production level is estimated at slightly under 4.0 MW. MGT's miners are housed in five modified shipping containers, including two manufactured by Bit5ive LLC of Miami. As an early investor and design consultant, the Company receives a modest royalty participation in all sales of Pod5ive containers. To date, we have been very satisfied with the ease of deployment and operating effectiveness of these units. Phase I of the LaFayette site is structurally complete and awaiting final grading and landscaping. The entire facility, including the land, five 2500 KVA 3-phase transformers, the mining containers and the miners, are owned by MGT. As we are presently using only one-third of the available electrical load, the Company is exploring ways to grow its current operations. Also of note, MGT has successfully terminated all third-party hosting agreement and has sold all but approximately 1,000 of its S9 Antminers. *Note: The Difficulty Rate (DR) of the Bitcoin network is a direct function of the capacity of the entire mining network. The DR changes roughly every two weeks and is widely available on Bitcoin data feeds and websites. Ovr time, the DR has, and is expected to, increase due to increased investment by network participants in more powerful and efficient mining hardware. Furthermore, at any Difficulty Rate, the Company's Bitcoin output is also impacted by power and network stability, weather, and other factors outside our control. About MGT Capital Investments, Inc. MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (OTCQB: MGTI) is a U.S.- based Bitcoin miner with operations at an owned facility in Georgia. The Company owns 1,500 new generation Bitmain miners generating approximately 80 Ph/s of hashing power. For more information on the Company, please visit: https://mgtci.com Forwardlooking Statements This press release contains forwardlooking statements. The words or phrases "would be," "will allow," "intends to," "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimate," "project," or similar expressions are intended to identify "forwardlooking statements." All information set forth in this news release, except historical and factual information, represents forwardlooking statements. This includes all statements about the Company's plans, beliefs, estimates and expectations. These statements are based on current estimates and projections, which involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include issues related to: rapidly changing technology and evolving standards in the crypto mining industry; the ability to obtain sufficient funding to continue operations, maintain adequate cash flow and execute its business strategy; volatility in the Bitcoin market; and other factors set forth in the Company's most recently filed annual report and registration statement. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forwardlooking statements, which reflect management's analysis only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forwardlooking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof. Readers should carefully review the risks and uncertainties described in other documents that the Company files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. MGT Capital Investments, Inc. provides no assurance regarding the actual outcome of the events contemplated by any forward-looking statements included in this release. Investor and Media Contact: Robert Lowrey Chief Financial Officer [email protected] 919-378-1788 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mgt-capital-provides-operating-update-300997507.html SOURCE MGT Capital Investments, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Wexford County Council has granted planning permission to Slaney Clinic Ltd for the building of a 40 million private hospital at Carricklawn on the outskirts of Wexford town. A senior planning official who dealt with the application said the proposed development 'represents a significant investment in the provision of private medical care in County Wexford. He described it as 'an extremely welcome development for those wishing to avail of such services where journeys to Waterford and Dublin could be avoided.' The planner said the contemporary design of the hospital will introduce another landmark building to this area of Wexford town - the site is adjacent to Wexford General Hospital and opposite Wexford County Council and the Department of the Environment. He noted that the design is of a high modern standard and the street level height can easily be accommodated on such a wide thoroughfare. Go-ahead was given for the construction of a five-storey high block and a four-storey block connected by a four-storey curved link entrance with on-site patient and staff car parking. The building will incorporate 24 consultant rooms, operating theatres, aftercare rooms, general offices and examination rooms (ultrasound, physiotherapy, cardiology, mammography etc) with a pharmacy and staff area at ground floor level. The directors of Slaney Clinic are Suhail Khan and Mark Mulhern, consultant doctors who have been working on the project for the past two years. A report on the application was received from the Environmental Health Service of HSE South noting that the plan is for a hospital carrying out day procedures and will include facilities for surgery, x-ray, medical tests and consultations. The HSE said it is important that the operation of nearby Wexford General Hospital is not compromised in any way and communication between the developers and hospital staff should be maintained throughout the building work. 'The EHS have concerns about the impact that construction activity might have on food businesses (in the general hospital and Wexford County Council) and any restriction on access to Wexford General Hospital during the construction phase as well as local residents and offices.' 'Wexford General Hospital is one of the largest food premises in County Wexford and servces a very vulnerable populations.' The EHS also raised questions about the impact of construction noise in different parts of the hospital and called for a construction management plan. A local resident made a submission expressing concern about the height of the building and the danger of overlooking as well as noise from the car park at night and an increase in traffic on the Old Hospital Road as well as light pollution. The County Council imposed conditions on the permission including that the developers pay planning levies of 40,915.20 towards public roads and 27,276.80 towards community facilities. The entrance and exit of the building must be restricted to a left hand turn only with signage to indicate this. Site development and building works must be carried out between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays with no work on Sundays and public holidays. Before work starts, a tree survey must be carried out showing clearly what trees are to be retained and removed. The entire eastern, northern and western boundaries of the site must be retained. A landscaping scheme must be carried out within 12 months from the date when any building is occupied. Details of additional landscaping on the eastern boundary with a neighbouring dwelling must be submitted in writing to the planning authority. At the outset, the developer must obtain the written agreement of the planning authority on a plan to manage waste, particularly medical and hazardous waste and recyclable materials, including provision for the storage and separation of waste on the site. As the FBI builds a $1 billion campus at Redstone Arsenal, the bureau is reaching out to college students in Alabama to fill one of the potentially thousands of jobs in Huntsville. During a visit to Auburn University on Friday, FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich signed a memorandum of understanding with the school that will help address the demand for a larger future workforce trained in such disciplines as STEM and foreign language, the school said in an announcement. The FBI has said it is looking to fill more than 4,000 jobs over several years as the bureau creates an unofficial HQ2 behind the secured fences at the arsenal. "The agreement calls Auburn a partner with the FBI as it expands its workforce and operations at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville," the announcement said. "The university will educate and train bureau employees, and provide the next generation of specialists needed to take on critical roles across the agency. The FBI and Auburn will also share mutually beneficial information, research and technology that advances criminal justice and student and faculty opportunities." In December, the FBI described building a college-like campus at Redstone Arsenal. Seven construction projects are underway on the 243-acre campus. The FBI already has 450 employees at Redstone and Rob Hamilton, the FBI's senior executive at Redstone, said in his presentation at the Redstone Update in December that 1,400 jobs are expected to be transferred from Washington in 2021. The FBI making a significant presence in Huntsville enables Auburn to take on a leadership role to work jointly on threats targeting critical infrastructure sectors such as power and telecommunications, Rodney Robertson, executive director of the Auburn University Huntsville Research Center, said in the announcement. The impact this partnership will have will not only benefit the state of Alabama, but the nation as a whole as threat intelligence for analysis leads to a better understanding of new and emerging threats targeting our networks. In speaking to students, Bowdich encouraged them to seek out opportunities to serve their country. We have an opportunity to serve the public and to serve the country, and if the college students out there hear nothing else, I would say this: Serve your country in some form or fashion. It doesnt have to be with us, but this is a great country were in, said Bowdich, according to the announcement. Serve it, at least through part of your adult life, please, because it will provide you more gratification than that big check will, I promise you. It wont relieve tension like that big check will, but I promise you at the end of the day you will go home feeling good about what you just did or about what you are doing, and thats something that money cannot buy. China WTO Entry Cost 451 American Manufacturing Jobs a Day Since 2001 News Analysis The United States lost about 451 manufacturing and 145 other jobs a day since sponsoring Chinas entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001, the Economic Policy Institute reported. President Bill Clinton passed legislation on May 2000 to give China permanent normal trade privileges. Clintons decision paved Chinas entry into the World Trade Organization on Dec. 1, 2001, cementing his legacy of using free trade to advance Americas foreign policy interests, according to online magazine Slate. But the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found the 3.7 million U.S. job losses corresponds to the $17 trillion in U.S. trade deficits with China, and $17 trillion growth of U.S. national debt from 2011 through 2018. EPI documents show that the worst state for percentage job losses as a result of Chinas entry into the WTO was New Hampshire, which is set to hold the first Democrat presidential primary on Feb. 11. Unlike other states that had pockets of concentrated WTO job losses, EPIs interactive map reveals that the losses blanketed the states high-skill mill towns such as Nashua, Manchester, Laconia, Portsmouth, and Concord. California was the worst state for negative WTO impacts with 654,100 total job losses. The Golden State also had the three worst impacted Congressional Districts in areas just south and west of Silicon Valley. The 17th District lost 787,700 jobs, or 20.4 percent of its workforce; the 18th District lost 48,400 jobs, or 12.99 percent of its workforce; and the 19th District lost 45,400 jobs, or 11.91 percent of its workforce. California had another 9 of the other Top Twenty worst hit Congressional Districts. California, which holds its presidential primary on March 3, was also reported by the U.S. Census Bureau to lead the nation with 5,160,208 people living in poverty. When the Clinton administration advocated granting China WTO most favored nation status to increase U.S. high technology exports, the United States had about a $6 billion monthly trade deficit with China. But with about $35 billion a month China trade deficit in 2018, Census Bureau data reveals about 32.1 percent of the U.S. goods trade deficit with China is advanced elements of the computer and electronic parts industry as well as other sectors such as biotechnology, life sciences, aerospace, and nuclear technology. In stark contrast to persistent trade deficits with China, the United States had a $6.5 billion trade surplus in advanced technology products with the rest of the world in 2018. In addition to job losses and factory closings, EPI also blames the WTO for contributing to stagnating wages of typical workers and widening income inequality. Advocates claimed that bringing China under the international rule of law would bring it into compliance with an enforceable, rules-based regime that would require China to open its markets to imports from the United States and other nations by reducing Chinese tariffs and addressing non-tariff barriers to trade. EPI blames China for engaging in trade-distorting practices that violated WTO rules including giving large subsidies to its state-owned enterprises; failing to abide by labor or environmental standards; currency manipulation; and subsidizing production oversupply to dump excess production below cost primarily in the United States. Beijings unfair trade practices caused U.S. companies to close factories, fire workers and outsource jobs to China. Photo: Alonso Javier Torres/Flickr Here's what you need to know about what's happening in Philadelphia. Bryants stolen jersey returned for ceremony at high school Kobe Bryants high school jersey spent more time in China of late than it did hanging on the wall of the gym named in honor of the schools career leading scorer. The uniform was at last back on Saturday where it belonged. Read the full story on KGET - TV 17 Bakersfield. Deputy police commissioner resigns; told his services 'no longer needed' Joe Sullivan, who has been with the department since 1982, said he was told that his services "were no longer needed." Read the full story on 6abc Action News. Philadelphia's Chiefs bar turns into big party after Andy Reid gets first Super Bowl win Big Charlie's Saloon in South Philadelphia turned into one big party after the Chiefs beat the 49ers in Super Bowl 54. Read the full story on CBS Philadelphia. South Philly activists unveil plans to save Hoa Binh Plaza The plaza opened in 1990, but late last year tenants said they received eviction notices. Read the full story on CBS Philadelphia. New concerns over asbestos temporarily close Francis Hopkinson School The elementary school will be closed today and Tuesday, the School District of Philadelphia announced on Sunday. Read the full story on CBS Philly. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. IN what has been described as an historic first, Limerick is the first local authority in the country to establish and recognise a Womens Caucus. Set up by the eight female members of Limerick City and County Council, the caucus is non-party and all-party. And at a meeting of the full council in Limerick this Monday, councillors unanimously backed and supported it. Hopefully, it will send a strong message on equality and opportunity and will encourage more women to run for public office, said Cllr Sarah Kiely, who proposed the motion. Hopefully also, she said, it would be the last time so few female councillors were returned to Limericks council chamber. Men significantly out-numbered women in local government seats between 2004 and 2019 with about four times as many men as women, Cllr Kiely continued. She contrasted this situation with that in Rwanda, which had become the first country in the world with a female majority in parliament: 61% in the Lower House and 38.5% in the Upper House. Will we ever see numbers like this in Europe or Ireland?, she asked. Only time will tell. However, she pointed out, the introduction of gender quota legislation before the 2016 General Election had produced an increase of 6% in female representation in the Dail, where women TDs were now 22.2% of the total. But by forming the caucus in Limerick council, she added, the women councillors had already achieved a better and more supportive political working environment in this chamber, and by passing this motion we have made history. Ireland, has adopted a number of goals in its Sustainable Development Plan, one of which is gender equality and to ensure womens full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. Seconding the motion, Cllr Sharon Benson said: We are making history today. Given the disproportion of men to women councillors, it was, she added, a good place to start. Cllr John Sheahan fully supported the motion but pointed out that six of the eight women in the caucus were missing. A lot of men are missing as well, came Cllr Kielys rapid response. The challenge facing ladies, Cllr Jerome Scanlon said, is that they are not put to the forefront by the mainstream parties, particularly Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. I admire anybody who puts their name up for election. I especially admire any woman, said Cllr Eddie Ryan. Limerick, he added, was lucky to have its women representatives. Its a pity we dont have more. The test is going to come after this election, Mayor Michael Sheahan said. If a number of the councillors who are standing are elected, he asked, who is going to be their replacement? A 3-year-old boy who prosecutors said was traumatically abused by his uncle died Sunday, three days after being flown to the Texas Medical Center, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. His uncle, 27-year-old Melvin Omar Morales-Gomez, was held Friday in county jail on a felony charge of causing injury to the child. Officials alleged Morales-Gomez squeezed him so tight that he allegedly fractured the boys jaw, broke his clavicle, and caused brain swelling and extensive bruising. While we knew this was the likely outcome, its always sad when it happens, Gonzalez said on Twitter. The little guy never had a chance. Morales-Gomez did not post a $500,000 bond set at his initial court hearing Friday. Prosecutors said the man told investigators that he bit the boys lip so hard it began to bleed, and that he also squeezed him tightly. Morales-Gomez said thats what caused the boys injuries, officers said he told them. Its not clear what, if anything, provoked the attack. Afterward, he noticed something was wrong with the boy and brought him to a hospital, prosecutors said. The boy was then transferred to the medical center in a helicopter, and doctors said he was not expected to survive his injuries. On HoustonChronicle.com: 'Horrific, heartbreaking' abuse of a toddler leads to uncle's arrest, according to sheriff Gonzalez called the case a horrific, heartbreaking case of abuse, neglect of an innocent, defenseless child. Morales-Gomez appeared at the hearing Friday standing in a white shirt with his arms crossed while prosecutors detailed the boys injuries. He buried his hands in his head after a judge issued the bond and granted a protective order against Morales-Gomez on behalf of the boys parents. She said there is an active hold from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well for Morales-Gomez, who is a Salvadoran national. He is scheduled to be in court Monday. As of 2:30 p.m. Sunday, no additional charges had been filed. dylan.mcguinness@chron.com gwendolyn.wu@chron.com A leaked audio recording of an Iranian pilot talking to the control tower in Tehran shows that Iran knew immediately it had shot down a Ukrainian airliner last month, despite denying it for days, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. On the recording, played on a Ukrainian television station late on Sunday, the pilot of another plane can be heard saying he saw "the light of a missile" in the sky before Ukrainian International Airways flight 752 crashed in an explosion. Tehran blamed the Ukrainian authorities for leaking what it described as confidential evidence, and said it would no longer share material with Ukraine from the investigation into the crash. All 176 people aboard the flight were killed when the plane crashed shortly after takeoff en route from Tehran to Kiev on January 8. The leaked audio "proves that the Iranian side knew from the start that our plane had been hit by a missile," Zelenskiy said in a television interview. "He says that 'it seems to me that a missile is flying', he says it in both Persian and English, everything is fixed there," Zelenskiy said. After denying blame for three days, Iran acknowledged shooting the plane down, saying it had done so by mistake while under high alert, hours after it had fired at U.S. targets in retaliation for a U.S. strike that killed an Iranian general. Iran has said it worked as quickly as possible to determine what happened to the plane. The Iranian commander who first acknowledged the plane had been shot down said he informed the authorities on the day of the crash. Iran has faced pressure from Ukraine and other countries whose citizens were on board the flight to send evidence abroad for international investigations. The Iranian official in charge of accident investigations at Iran's Civil Aviation Organization called it a "strange move" by Ukraine to release the confidential recording. "This action by the Ukrainians led to us not sharing any more evidence with them," the official, Hassan Rezaifar said, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency. In the recording, a pilot for Aseman, an Iranian airline, can be heard radioing the control tower that he has seen what he believes is a missile. "Is this an active area? There's lights like a missile. Is there anything?" the pilot says. "Nothing has been reported to us. What's the light like?" the controller replies. The pilot says: "It's the light of a missile." The control tower can be heard trying and failing to raise the Ukrainian airliner on the radio. The pilot of the Iranian plane then says he has seen "an explosion. In a very big way, we saw it. I really don't know what it was." Ukraine International Airways said in a statement the recording provided "yet more proof that the UIA airplane was shot down with a missile, and there were no restrictions or warnings from dispatchers of any risk to flights of civilian aircraft in the vicinity of the airport." Rezaifar, the Iranian aviation official, said in the Mehr report that the Ukraine investigation team, as well as all other foreigners involved in the investigation, have left Iran. PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-03 13:30:12 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 806 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / February 3, 2020 / MCTC Holdings, Inc. (OTC PINK:MCTC), a cannabinoid science forward company developing unique hemp infusion technologies, is pleased to announce it has added cannabis industry veteran, Mr. Robert L. Hymers III, as its Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Hymers, a current director of the Company, brings with him an extensive background in corporate finance, treasury, financial planning and analysis, tax, investor relations, strategic planning and risk management along with a deep understanding of the hemp and cannabis industries."The addition of Robert Hymers to the management team significantly strengthens our Company. He brings a unique combination of financial knowledge, executive insight and managerial talent that will help us not only in financial reporting and compliance, but also relative to both strategic planning and tactical execution. We welcome Robert to his new role with the MCTC family," commented Arman Tabatabei, Chief Executive Officer.Mr. Hymers is the Managing Partner of Pinnacle Tax Services in Los Angeles and was previously Chief Financial Officer and Director of Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC: MCOA) and has significant experience in matters concerning tax accounting, auditing, SEC reporting, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance. Mr. Hymers holds a Master of Science in Taxation and a Bachelor's of Science in Accountancy, in addition to a CPA license.Regarding the appointment as MCTC's Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Hymers said, "I am honored with my new role with MCTC. We are bringing not only unique intellectual property to the hemp extract and cannabis marketplaces, but we are also beginning to introduce highly innovative products based on our IP. It's an exciting time in the marketplace and I am looking forward to helping the Company achieve its objectives while seeking to maximize shareholder value." The Company has recently filed six patents on hemp extract technologies and delivery systems. As previously announced, the Company plans to continue other areas of delivery systems research including its programs pertaining to cannabinoid glycosides, polymeric cannabinoid nanoparticles and nanofibers, and its hemp extract-based alcohol replacement technologies. The Company has also recently announced a new research project named THC-V Skinny Cannabinoid Project Varin for THC-V infusions, nanoparticles, and nanofibers, which it is in the process of launching.About MCTC Holdings, Inc.MCTC Holdings, Inc. (d/b/a: Cannabis Global) is a Delaware registered, fully reporting and audited publicly-traded company. With the hemp and cannabis industries moving very quickly and with a growing number of market entrants, MCTC plans to concentrate its efforts on the middle portions of the hemp and cannabis value chain. The Company plans to actively pursue R&D programs and productization for exotic cannabinoid isolation, bioenhancement of cannabinoids and polymeric solid nanoparticles and nanofibers for addition into consumer products and for dermal application. The Company was reorganized during June of 2019 and announced its intent to enter the fast-growing cannabis sector and its intent to change its corporate identity to Cannabis Global, Inc. The Company is headed and managed by a group of highly experienced cannabis industry pioneers and entrepreneurs.More information on the Company can be viewed at www.CannabisGlobalinc.com For more information, please contact:Arman TabatabaeiIR@ cannabisglobalinc.com Forward-looking StatementsThis news release contains "forward-looking statements" which are not purely historical and may include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the development, costs and results of new business opportunities and words such as "anticipate", "seek", intend", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "project", "plan", or similar phrases may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects, the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based products. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information, please visit www.sec.gov SOURCE: MCTC Holdings, Inc For the first time in nearly two decades, a non-political public servant is in line for Canadas top diplomatic post abroad ambassador to the United States. While the job is traditionally given to political appointees known to be tight with the prime minister currently in office, all indications are that Canadas next ambassador to the U.S. will be the public servant already acting in that role: Kirsten Hillman, an expert in international trade and law. The appointment, which could come soon, would fit well with what seems to be a depoliticization trend in Canadas foreign affairs these past few weeks. The biggest issues confronting Justin Trudeaus government since the beginning of this year from the Tehran air crash to the outbreak of coronavirus in China have required Canada to put whats practical over whats political. Despite fraught diplomatic relations with Iran and China, the federal government has been focused instead on non-political working relationships with both countries. Appointing a public servant to be our representative in Washington would signal too that Trudeau is looking to take politics out of the Canada-U.S. relationship in what is destined to be a crazy political year in Washington. A workmanlike approach seems eminently sensible as the U.S. lurches toward an election between the impeached Donald Trump and yet-to-be decided Democrat contender. Hillman has been acting ambassador since the departure last summer of David MacNaughton, a long-time Liberal with deep ties to Justin Trudeaus PMO. She served ably as MacNaughtons deputy as the Liberal government navigated the roller-coaster talks on free trade and Trumps on-off disposition toward Trudeau. Its known that Hillman has earned this PMOs trust since arriving in Washington in 2017 and especially over the past few months while shes been acting ambassador. She was the calm, quiet public servant who helped manage the trade negotiations behind the scenes not just during the intense sessions when all the lead Canadian players were at the table in Washington, but also the quieter times in between those bargaining rounds. I met Hillman briefly last summer while I was in Washington and we talked about all what she had been seeing in Trumps America as she travelled the U.S., talking up the importance of Canada-U.S. trade. She may have earned her diplomatic reputation as a public servant, but it wasnt just behind a desk or sitting in D.C. Hillman knows the lay of the land in the current United States. The ambassadors job has usually gone to political appointees because Washington works on politics. (Canadas last apolitical public servant in the job was Michael Kergin, from 2000 to 2005.) The White House values people who are known to have the ear of the prime minister. So Jean Chretien unapologetically appointed his nephew, Raymond Chretien to the job when he was prime minister (though Raymond Chretien was also a career public servant) and Stephen Harper installed former Conservative finance minister Michael Wilson not long after he took power in 2006. Harper also did a neat twist on the political-appointee front when he appointed Gary Doer, a New Democrat former premier of Manitoba, to succeed Wilson. Doer may not have been a Conservative, but he was highly political, with a huge network of contacts at the state level in the U.S. All of these examples have been fuelling speculation about who will be Canadas next top representative to the United States. Many bets (including mine) were placed on Katie Telford, Trudeaus current chief of staff, who has also forged many links with Trumps White House, notably the presidents daughter, Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner. When it became clear that Telford was staying in place at the PMO, rumours started to surface about the possible appointment of Ralph Goodale, the veteran Liberal cabinet minister who unexpectedly lost his long-time seat in Saskatchewan in the election. Bob Rae, a former interim leader of the Liberal party, former Ontario premier, was also seen as a potential ambassador. Rona Ambroses name also kept showing up at the top of the list of likely appointees, for a number of reasons. As a former Conservative interim leader, she would be a nod to the reality of Trudeaus minority government someone who could stay in her job if Conservatives took over in a year or two. She also served Trudeaus government as an adviser on an all-party trade panel throughout the NAFTA 2.0 negotiations and would have been the first woman ever appointed as Canadas ambassador to the United States. All of these potential appointees would have done Canada proud. But the safe betting is now on Hillman, who would be the first woman ambassador to the U.S. and also someone who came up through the public service ranks. Current events on the Canadian diplomatic front are showing that when things get political abroad, the nonpoliticians are the antidote. Susan Delacourt is a columnist covering national politics based in Ottawa. Reach her via email: sdelacourt@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @susandelacourt Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Budi Sutrisno (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 The Kemayoran Complex Management Center (PPK) is to hold discussions with the central government to anticipate inundation at the Gandhi underpass in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta as rainfall continues to batter the city. The centers director for planning and development, Riski Renando, said he got in contact with the Public Works and Housing Ministry after the underpass experienced 2.5 meters of flooding on Jan. 24. We have been looking for field data and assessing the conditions since the water was supposed to flow [freely without causing a flood], Riski told The Jakarta Post on Saturday, refusing to reveal when he would speak with the city administration. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login In a first for Springfield, the city has appointed its first African American district chief. Tyrone Denson has been appointed the new district chief of Station 3 on White Street. It was unexpected, said Denson who was officially made district chief on Jan. 20. He said that this position he now holds was never something he expected when he joined in the late 90s. I wanted to be the best firefighter I could be and eventually it landed me in this position, said Denson. At his promotion ceremony, Springfield Commissioner B.J. Calvi and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno paid special tribute to Denson. I also want to acknowledge District Chief Denson on this historic occasion of being the first African American to be promoted to District Chief. I am looking forward to working with him on behalf of our residents, Commissioner B.J. Calvi said. I also wish to recognize our newly promoted District Fire Chief Tyrone Denson on becoming the first African American to serve at this position, said Mayor Domenic Sarno. This is a well-deserved and earned promotion and another milestone for our citys history, our Fire Department and my administration. Congratulations and Godspeed. Springfield has had a fire service since Jan. 17, 1794, formed by citizens to make what was called the fire club. The Springfield Fire department was born, making it one of the oldest established fire departments in the country. In 1997, Denson first saw an advertisement in the paper for the fire service asking for minorities to join the ranks of the fire department. It was one of three careers he was interested in at the time. But he finally chose the fire service because of the opportunities it gave. Born and raised on Wellington Street in Upper Hill, Denson said that he was humbled, honored and grateful to be in this position. Denson is still waiting for the weight of this historic promotion to sink in. He gives off a humble and relaxed atmosphere and seems to be taking the significant promotion all in his stride. When there is an emergency his demeanor transforms. I'm the kind of guy who likes to go in and try and solve the problem, Denson added. Denson spoke of the first African American Springfield firefighter Leonard A. Corbin who paved the way for him and his colleagues in the service. Every year Corbin is honored outside of Mason Square Fire Station in Springfield. Mason Square was Corbins first assignment when he was hired in 1969 and at that time, he was the only black firefighter in the department, and one of the first two in the entire state. I wish I knew that then, said Denson. I didnt realize the impact that he had. I just thought that African Americans would have been on the job way before then. Having another person to talk to when Denson joined, to speak to about the role of a firefighter and particularly as a minority would have been valuable. Its something that he thinks about often. I want to create pathways to help others lift [themselves] up. Im a firm believer that sometimes you have to see it to be it, said Denson. Id never seen an African-American firefighter growing up, so I didnt think that actually, I could really be [one]. This couldnt be further from the truth as Denson can now attest to. There are still problems however in recruiting more minorities into the service as he has seen in his own district. I talk to the recruiter and she told me that African Americans are not signing up, said Denson. When I first joined, we had almost 500 firefighters. Now we're down to 250-260. Firefighter [numbers] are going down every year and then she says [its because] theyre not following the process. To apply for the fire service there is a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy that the potential recruits have to go through. Many give up before the process is complete. Denson does feel the future is positive in this regard. The department pushing to gain more minorities to the ranks to better represent the community they serve. In 2019, African Americans made up over 21% of the total population of Springfield. In the fire department there are 41 African American firefighters that make up 17% of Springfield firefighters. Denson has hopes that more will join in the future. He already has two cousins in the department and other family members looking to join. This year also marks the sesquicentennial of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870, which prohibited denying someone the right to vote based on race. Springfields neighboring city Chicopee also celebrated a first last month as well with the first all-female firefighting crew at Station 7. U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo traveled to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as part of a Central Asian snap visit, and today he will take part in a ministerial meeting in the C5+1 (Central Asia-U.S.) format, during which the U.S. will present its new Central Asia strategy. The priorities of the new U.S. Central Asia strategy will remain unchanged - a stable, developing region, cooperation with all world players, Pompeo said at a press conference in Nur Sultan following talks with Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi. "We fully support Kazakhstans freedom to choose to do business with whichever country it wants, but I am confident that countries get the best outcomes when they partner with American companies," Pompeo said. According to him, such large companies as Chevron and ExxonMobil will continue to invest in the Kazakh oil and gas sector, contributing to the development of the oil fields and job creation in Kazakhstan. The U.S. Secretary of State emphasized that bilateral partnership provides the development and strengthening of Kazakhstan' economic relations not only with the U.S., but with the whole region. Doctor of Political Sciences, Deputy Director General of the Center for Strategic Estimations and Forecasts Igor Pankratenko believes that the United States offers economic preferences and assistance in attracting investment in exchange for distancing from Moscow and an independent foreign policy not only at the regional level, but also in the international arena. "As for the previous claims of the U.S. related to human rights and democracy, it does not make much difference for the United States now, they have other priorities - only business, almost without any ideology, leaving behind by history those chimeras that pretty much harmed the U.S.-Central Asian relations when Barack Obama and his Democrats occupied the White House," Pankratenko told Vestnik Kavkaza. According to him, Pompeos visit to Minsk showed that he has some rather unfortunate news for local, Central Asian human rights defenders. Of course, the State Department will continue to listen to them carefully, knitting eyebrows or showing concern where it is necessary. Except this is the protocol, the ritual action, the "bone" that simply needs to be thrown to the "progressive world community." In reality, this will no longer have anything to do with 'realpolitik' pursued by the U.S. - these are different times in Washington, and now, after the impeachment debacle, the White House administration has no intention of hiding this. "Experts who see some hostile intentions against Moscow in Pompeos visits to the post-Soviet space can also calm down. The U.S. is not going to "replace" Russia in Central Asia, taking a number of its "elder brother's" comments. There is no "either or" question. Washington is just ready to "help" Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in becoming a little more relaxed, in its opinion, in their foreign policy steps, which be supported through U.S. economic preferences - "That wasn't on purpose, it just happened," the expert noted. In Nur Sultan, Pompeo also thanked Kazakhstan for supporting U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. Work on this issue will continue, as the United States plans to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, and Kazakhstan remains an important link on the northern supply route. In addition, Pompeo noted the progress of the C5+1 in cooperation to address the fight against terrorism and radical Islamism. "Kazakhstans leadership in the C5 + 1 ensures its fulfillment of its tasks, and I look forward to the meeting in Tashkent," he added. The C5 + 1 format, established by Washington in 2015, is a multilateral mechanism of interaction between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the United States. Head of the Center for Central Asia and Caucasus Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences Stanislav Pritchin told Vestnik Kavkaza that when launched, this format was unique because the countries of the region did not have their own dialogue platform. The United States acted as a mediator in this project. However, after Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power in Uzbekistan, the acute need for such a dialogue was minimal. At the Uzbek president's initiative, a regional dialogue platform was established and the countries act independently now. The first summit of the regional leaders was held in Astana (now Nur-Sultan), the second in Tashkent, the third summit is planned to be held in Bishkek. Despite the fact that the U.S. is making attempts to revise the strategy, they have no new economic, military, and energy proposals, while the old ones have long been implemented. A new strategy is needed as an element of the U.S. presence in Central Asia. As for Mike Pompeo's visit, it can be regarded as a courtesy visit. "U.S. secretaries of state travel to Central Asia once in five years to indicate their interest in the region. At least for form's sake. John Kerry, Condoleezza Rice, Madeleine Albright and now Mike Pompeo have visited the region. This visit is interesting because we see U.S. priorities in the post-Soviet space and in Central Asia, in particular. Pompeo traveled to Belarus and Ukraine, visited two key Central Asian countries - Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan - due to the country's geopolitical position, as well as cooperation in the energy sector with many American companies. Uzbekistan has a strategic geopolitical location. The country is now opening up, and its important for the U.S. not to miss the moment and fix itself as one external key players at the backdrop of Uzbekistan's intensifying relations with Russia and China ," Pritchin stressed. Chinese expert Sheng Siyu believes that it would be a mistake to consider the U.S. Secretary of State visits to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in isolation from U.S.-Chinese relations. "A few years ago, approximately in 2010-2012, the U.S. lost interest in Central Asia. Moreover, this affected political and economic interaction, as well as security cooperation," Sheng Siyu told Vestnik Kavkaza. As a result, according to him, there was a certain vacuum, when there was a request for an external "third force" in the region, and Washington did not want to take on this role. But, as the Russians say, "nature abhors the vacuum," and this place was taken by China, proposing to the region the construction of a joint future within the framework of Chairman Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative. "With varying degrees of approval and varying degrees of involvement, but the countries of the region still accepted China's proposal to participate in this initiative. And such successes have been achieved in its implementation in a short time, that it is already possible to speak with confidence about China's economic predominance in Central Asia, about the cooperation with Beijing being the locomotive of the region's socio-economic development. Naturally, this cannot but cause concern in American business and economic circles. Washington is unable to gain a foothold here as a major player, but it has no such goal. But it is quite able to partially regain its position, and become a partner for local elites, which is more attractive than China in some areas. And I think the restoration of some positions and the launch of the process of U.S. penetration into individual niches is the main task of Mike Pompeo's visit to Tashkent and Nur Sultan," the Chinese expert said. PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-03 13:30:09 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 385 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / February 3, 2020 / Aquarius Surgical Technologies Inc. (CSE:ASTI) ("ASTI" or "the Company"), an exclusive provider of innovative, minimally invasive medical laser systems and consumables for multiple medical disciplines in the field of urology, today announced that one of its long-standing investors has agreed to exchange his 15% unsecured short-term loan of C$250,000, which matured on December 31, 2019, for a 9.5% unsecured convertible note maturing April 15, 2022.Interest will be payable quarterly on April 15, July 15, October 15 and January 15. The note will be convertible into common shares at $0.35 per share at any time up to a date of maturity.Gordon Willox, Founder and President, commented: "We view this gesture as a major vote of confidence in our company and appreciate the trust. There have been several important advancements in ASTI's product development, operations and sales efforts, and we are looking forward to updating the market in the near future." About Aquarius Surgical Technologies Inc.Aquarius Surgical Technologies (ASTI: CSE) is an exclusive provider of innovative, minimally invasive medical laser systems and consumables for multiple medical disciplines, principally in the field of urology. Solutions also include clinical education, service, support and maintenance. ASTI is focused on increasing the availability of services for patients, enhancing the quality of patient care, improving operationally efficiencies and reducing total operational costs. Learn more by visiting the Investors tab on ASTI's website https://surgicallasersinc.com/ For more information, please contact:Gordon Willox, PresidentPhone: 844-441-9090Phone: 905-853-9090gordonwillox@ live.ca Cathy Hume, Investor RelationsPhone: 416-868-1079 x 231Email: cathy@ chfir.com Neither the CSE Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Investors are cautioned that trading in the securities of the Corporation should be considered highly speculative. Except for historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially. Aquarius Surgical Technologies Inc. will not update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. More detailed information about potential factors that could affect financial results is included in the documents filed from time to time with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities by Aquarius Surgical Technologies Inc.SOURCE: Aquarius Surgical Technologies Inc. The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has reacted to reports a suspected suicide bomber at Living Faith Church, a.k a Winners Chapel, in Kaduna on Sunday. The suspected bomber who snuck into the church located at Sabon Tasha in Chukun Local Government Area of the state was promptly arrested by the state Police Command. In its reaction, MURIC said the arrest of a Christian attempting to bomb a church makes mockery of the rally organized by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday. Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Yakubu Sabo, had described the suspect as a middle-aged man, Nathaniel Samuel, a Christian from Bauchi State. He said he was apprehended inside the church with a bag containing items suspected to be Improvised Explosive Devices (IED). In a press statement the director of the organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Monday, the group commended the Kaduna State police command for its diligence and described the arrest as divinely ordained. Read Also: Amotekun Has Its Origin From The Bible: MURIC It added, This arrest is the outcome of our prayers for Allah to expose all those who are behind the bombing of churches. We are not surprised that the suspect happens to be a Christian. We have said it on several occasions that there is a Christian version of Boko Haram. Christians bomb churches and the whole world blame Nigerian Muslims for the atrocity. The arrest of Nathaniel Samuel for attempting to bomb this church is not a new development. Victor Moses was arrested on 1st March 2016 for spying for Boko Haram bombers. He confessed that he carried out surveillance before the bombing of Madalla church in Abuja on 25th December 2011. It must be noted that for every single arrest there must have been several successful crimes committed. There is no doubt that there are many other Christians warming up somewhere to bomb churches and lay the blame on Muslims. We give kudos to the Kaduna Police Command for this feat. People blame the security agencies for no just cause sometimes. This arrest must have been the outcome of careful planning and prolonged surveillance. Those who handled the operation deserve a promotion. But the arrest of a Christian attempting to bomb a church makes mockery of the rally organized by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday. The rally was called ostensibly to protest against alleged rising insecurity in the country. But God works in wonderful ways. He exposed another plot by a fellow Christian to bomb a church on the same day that CAN called for the rally. The coincidence is equally divine and it gives the impression that the rally itself was nothing but a hocus pocus. CAN would have exploded immediately in its usual self-righteousness if Nathaniel Samuel had succeeded in bombing the church yesterday. A world press conference would have been held this morning to blame the killing on Muslims. Also, there would have been screaming headlines in newspapers across the country: Boko Haram Bombs Church Again: Hundreds Killed! White House would have called Aso Rock: Why are you killing Christians? This scenario is becoming too ridiculous. It is turning our country into a bundle of contradictions. We say enough is enough. This hypocrisy in articulated religiousity must stop. CAN nurses a false dogma of permanent insecurity, incompetence, and persecution. But in reality, Nigeria today is much better than Nigeria in 2015 when the Buhari administration took over. Boko Haram that was controlling 17 local governments at that time has been reduced to a pack of hoodlums hitting and running. Nigerian soldiers who were running and hiding from the insurgents before are now putting the latter on the run. The fact that Boko Haram tactics have diminished to guerrilla warfare cements our hypothesis of a debilitated insurgency. Ditto for kidnappings and armed robbery. There is a gross reduction in the spate of crime but groups like CAN feed fat on misinformation. In a nutshell, MURIC calls on patriotic Nigerians to continue to pray for peace, political stability and economic prosperity. But above all, we call on the security agencies to step up their safety measures. Life is sacred and this country can only make progress in an atmosphere of security. Therefore, the security agencies must be alert to their responsibilities. We charge Nigerians to be extra-vigilant. Our enemies are in our midst. AFP via Getty Images A chilling series of witness videos and surveillance footage capture the burst of violence and panicked screams after Jeremy Christian's hate-filled rants led to the murder of two people onboard a public train in Oregon in 2017. Christian is charged with murdering 53-year-old Ricky Best and 23-year-old Taliesin Namkai-Meche and the attempted murder of Micah Fletcher, who was 21 at the time of the attack. He also is charged with second-degree intimidation following his racist, unhinged rants against two teenage girls on the train, one of whom was wearing a hijab. Opening statements in his trial began last week, and the crucial video evidence rarely seen with such clarity from several sources in a murder case has repeatedly been displayed throughout the hearings, along with testimony from the people who filmed the moment or who were captured on the footage. The trial in Multnomah County Circuit Court is expected to run through February. In the videos, Mr Christian can be seen seated on a public MAX train while yelling about Muslims, Jews, circumcision, and "free speech", telling passengers that "if you don't like it, get the f*** out" before he slaps a mobile phone from Mr Namkai-Meche and yells "Do something, b****!" Mr Namkai-Meche and Mr Fletcher stand to face Mr Christian, who shoves them away. Mr Fletcher shoves back, sending Mr Christian into a row of seats against the side of the train, and tells him to get off the train. As Mr Namkai-Meche reaches for his phone from the floor, Mr Christian can be seen reaching for a knife, unleashing a quick, deadly attack within 12 seconds, as horrified passengers try to escape or look on without realising that Mr Christian was holding a knife. He stabs Mr Fletcher in the neck, then stabs Mr Namkai-Meche several times, sending him backward as he grabs his neck. Mr Best is stabbed in the neck and face before falling to the floor of the train. Passengers rushed to the victims to apply pressure to their wounds, to no avail, as the floor of the train filled with blood. Story continues Another man applied a blanket to Mr Fletcher's neck as he collapsed against a pole. One man, who police identified as George Tschaggeny, can be seen grabbing Mr Best's backpack and removing his wedding ring from his finger. As Mr Christian threatened people with his knife while running from the scene, several people gave chase, alerting police to his direction, according to witnesses in the trial. Alvin Hall testified that he found Mr Christian cleaning blood off his body a mile from the train. He said Mr Christian threatened him, saying "I'm going to ... do the same thing to you that I did to those guys" before police arrived and arrested him. Mr Christian's defence attorney doesn't dispute that Mr Christian stabbed the victims, but he said he acted in self-defence after Mr Fletcher had shoved him. Read more Trump blamed for attacks on Hispanics as violent hate crimes soar Hate crime charge after man 'throws acid in US citizen's face' Suspect in rabbi home attack charged with federal hate crimes Charges in less than 1% of cases reported to online hate crime unit Less than one in 10 hate crimes prosecuted despite record attacks A Doctor at a Cape Coast Hospital has given full account of Highlife Musician Kofi B in his last days before the sudden death. According to Kofi Nti, a doctor who witnessed the final minutes of his friend, Kofi B said he was restless and vomited a lot. Upon reaching the hospital in Cape Coast, Kofi B started sweating profusely and later started vomiting, Kofi Nti told Peace FM in an interview. He talked about feeling hot before he started vomiting. The doctor gave him some injections and gave him oxygen. I know the doctor did his best; he died about 3:am, he said. In an interview with the doctor who saw him give up the ghost, he said Kofi B was restless and had a very High Blood Pressure (BP). His BP was around 150/120. He had difficulty in breathing and had profuse vomiting. The doctor added that his body is being sent to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. A post-mortem will be conducted to know the real cause. For now we dont have the authority to confirm what killed him. Kofi B, born Kofi Boakye Yiadom, is known for hit songs such as Mmbrowa, Bantama Kofi Boakye among other hit songs. The Koforidua Flowers hitmaker is a household name in Ghana and his demise is breaking lots of hearts. Tributes have started flooding social media. ---GhananNewspage A Chechen blogger and vocal critic of Chechnya's President Ramzan Kadyrov died of multiple stab wounds in an attack at a hotel in northern France last week, a source close to the inquiry said Monday. Imran Aliev, a 44-year-old who used the pseudonym Mansur Staryi, was found dead Thursday morning in the hotel room near the train station in central Lille. He had arrived from Belgium the day before with another man, "who presumably had the same nationality," the source told AFP. Aliev had been stabbed several times in the throat, and the knife was found close to the body. Given his outspoken critiques of Kadyrov's government, the killing "bears all the hallmarks of having a political motive," the source said. The prosecutor's office in Lille said no one had been detained so far in the investigation but declined to provide further details. Kadyrov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has governed Chechnya since 2007, and several of his rivals have been killed in suspicious circumstances in recent years, including outside the Russian republic. Last August, a former Chechen rebel commander, Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, was shot and killed in Berlin, prompting Germany to expel two Russian diplomats, though Moscow denied any role in the murder. (AFP) Unless more incriminating evidence emerges to dramatically alter public perception, the impeachment trial of Donald Trump is effectively over. Its comforting, no doubt, to believe that Trump has survived this entire debacle because he possesses a tighter hold on his party than Barack Obama or George W. Bush or any other contemporary president did. But while partisanship might be corrosive, its also the norm. In truth, Trump, often because of his own actions, has likely engendered less loyalty than the average president, not more. Its difficult to recall a single Democratic senator throwing anything but hosannas Obamas way, which allowed the former president to ride his high horse from one scandalous attack on the Constitution to the next. In 1998, not a single Democrat voted to convict Bill Clinton, who had engaged in wrongdoing for wholly self-serving reasons, despite the GOPs case being methodical and incriminating. Attempting to impeach a president for lying under oath to a federal grand jury in a sexual-harassment case in an effort to obstruct justice was, as Alan Dershowitz and many others argued, sexual McCarthyism. Few Democrats, though, claimed Clinton was innocent, because no one could credibly offer that defense; they merely reasoned that the punishment was too severe for what amounted to a piddling crime. The chances of any partys removing its sitting president without overwhelming evidence that fuels massive voter pressure are negligible. Its never happened in American history unless you count the preemptive removal of Richard Nixon and probably never will. Democrats are demanding the GOP adopt standards that no party has ever lived by. Perhaps if the public hadnt been subjected to four years of interminable hysteria over the United States imaginary decent into fascism, it might have been less apathetic toward the fate of vital Ukrainian aid that most Democrats had voted against when Obama was president. Story continues And perhaps if institutional media hadnt spent three years pushing a hyperbolically paranoid narrative of Russian collusion a debunked conspiracy theory incessantly repeated by Democrats during the impeachment trial the public wouldnt be anesthetized to another alleged national emergency. You simply cant expect a well-adjusted voter to maintain CNN-levels of indignation for years on end. Beyond the publics mood, the Democrats strategy was a mess. House Dems and their 17 witnesses set impossible-to-meet expectations, declaring that Trump had engaged in the worst wrongdoing ever committed by any president in history. (Im not exaggerating.) When it comes to Trump criticism, everything is always the worst thing ever. Even if Trumps actions had risen to the level of removal, Adam Schiff and Jerrold Nadler were quite possibly the worst possible messengers to make the case. These are not the politicians you tap to persuade jurors; theyre the politicians you pick to rile up your base. Despite all the fabricated praise directed at Schiff over the past couple of weeks, the man reeks of partisanship. Not only because hes been caught lying about the presence of damning evidence against Trump on more than one occasion, but because he personally played a sketchy role in helping the whistleblower responsible for sparking the impeachment come forward. Lots of Americans rightly believe that a large faction of Democrats has been looking to impeach the president from Day One. Nadler happened to be someone who was actually caught scheming to do it. Even then, instead of spending the appropriate time building a solid case, subpoenaing all the vital witnesses, and laying out a timeline, House Democrats, by their own admission, rushed forward. They justified taking shortcuts by warning that the country was in a race to stop Trump from stealing the 2020 election just as he had allegedly stolen the 2016 election. That wouldnt have been a big deal if Nancy Pelosi hadnt exposed the supposed need for urgency as a ruse, by withholding the articles of impeachment from the Senate for weeks. She did so despite having zero standing to dictate the terms of the trial, no constitutional right to attempt to dictate them, and no political leverage. In the end, she got nothing from Mitch McConnell for her trouble. Meanwhile, Democrats had spent most of the House hearings focusing on the specific criminal offenses of bribery and extortion poll-tested words that were taken up after the House realized quid pro quo didnt play as well with the public. If, as seems likely, its true that Americans are more familiar with the concepts of bribery and extortion than with the concept of a quid pro quo, that just means they have clearer expectations regarding the evidence needed to substantiate those accusations. And the Democrats didnt have such evidence. They didnt even bother including the former crimes no, you dont need a violation of criminal law to impeach, but the word was incessantly used by House Dems anyway in their open-ended articles of impeachment, which were expressly written to compel Senate Republicans to conduct an investigation for them. The House had no right to demand that, and the Senate had no reason to comply. So as soon as the upper chamber took up impeachment, Democrats began dropping one bombshell leak after the next the same strategy they deployed during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings to try and drag out the spectacle and maximize the political damage. It didnt work. Some of us would certainly have preferred that more Republicans concede Trumps call was unbecoming and, in parts, inappropriate, even if it didnt rise to the level of an impeachable offense. Those who did, such as Alexander and Pat Toomey, had a better case to make in dismissing the need for any witnesses. Trumps actions, though not ethically perfect, fall under the bailiwick of presidential power. Voters can decide his fate soon enough. Democrats, though, keep demanding that Republicans play under a different set of rules. The Constitution, a document that is under attack by the very people claiming to want to save it from the president, worked exactly as it should in this case. The House is free to subpoena all the vital witnesses Republicans have supposedly ignored, and then send a new batch of impeachment articles. Impeachment isnt tantamount to a coup, any more than Senate acquittal is unconstitutional or corrupt. Pretending that democracy is on the precipice of extinction simply because you didnt get your way, though, is nothing but histrionics. More from National Review FILE PHOTO: The logo of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) sits outside its headquarters in Vienna By Alex Lawler and Dmitry Zhdannikov LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC and its allies are considering cutting their oil output by a further 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) due to the impact on oil demand from the coronavirus, three OPEC+ sources and a industry source familiar with the discussions said. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, known as OPEC+, are considering holding a ministerial meeting on Feb. 14-15, one of the OPEC+ sources said, earlier than a current schedule for a meeting in March. Oil has fallen $10 a barrel this year to $56, lower than the level many OPEC countries need to balance their budgets. The coronavirus outbreak in China could cut oil demand by more than 250,000 bpd in the first quarter, analysts and traders say. OPEC member Iran said on Monday the spread of the virus had hit oil demand and called for an effort to stabilise prices, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported. "The oil market is under pressure and prices have dropped to under $60 a barrel and efforts must be made to balance it," Iran's oil minister, Bijan Zanganeh, said. The Wall Street Journal reported that another option being considered is a temporary cut of 1 million bpd by the Saudis to support the market. Reuters was not able to verify the report. Russia on Friday said it was ready to bring forward the OPEC+ meetings to February. The country is the biggest non-OPEC producer working with OPEC so its approval is key. An OPEC and non-OPEC panel called the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) has scheduled a meeting for Feb. 4-5 in Vienna to assess the impact of the virus on demand, other OPEC+ sources said. The technical panel is likely to make a recommendation on any further action to support the market, the sources said. OPEC+ has been reducing oil supply to support prices, agreeing in December to cut output by 1.7 million bpd until the end of March. Its next meeting is scheduled for March 5-6. Story continues The partners are also discussing extending the duration of the cuts and separate OPEC sources said last week the group wanted to prolong the curbs until at least June. Saudi Arabia's economy, the largest in the Arab world, remains dominated by hydrocarbon revenue despite plans to diversify. The kingdom needs prices of around $80 to balance its state budget. (Additonal reporting by Olesya Astakhova; editing by Edmund Blair and Jason Neely) The son of a hairdresser murdered by her violent ex-boyfriend has told her inquest that police knew her life was in danger two weeks before her death. Katrina O'Hara, 44, was stabbed to death days after jealous Stuart Thomas was released by police having been arrested for harassment. Police were told by her family that Thomas had threatened to kill both himself and her, the inquest in Bournemouth heard. However, he was released on bail and no action was taken against him despite him twice breaching his bail conditions by indirectly contacting the mother-of-three in the subsequent days. Katrina O'Hara, 44, (pictured) was stabbed to death days after jealous Stuart Thomas was released by police having been arrested for harassment Police were told by her family that Thomas had threatened to kill both himself and her, the inquest in Bournemouth heard. Pictured: her daughter Morgan O'Hara arrives at the inquest in Bournemouth this morning Thomas stabbed Ms O'Hara to death at the shop where she worked in Blandford, Dorset, on January 7 2016. Thomas, now aged 53, denied murder but was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 26 years in August 2016. The inquest heard Ms O'Hara contacted police to voice concerns about ex-partner Thomas on November 17, 2015. Her son Kyle Stark also called them saying he feared for her life over the Christmas period after she confided in him about Thomas' threats and violent outbursts. Ms O'Hara called police on December 28 and Thomas was arrested on suspicion of harassment the following day. He was seen by a psychiatrist and interviewed by two police officers but was released on bail. Thomas (pictured), now aged 53, denied murder but was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 26 years in August 2016 Katrina O'Hara's son, Dean Stark, Dean's wife, Marnie (centre) and Katrina's daughter Morgan O'Hara (right) on their way to the inquest Ms O'Hara was in further contact with police reporting potential breaches of bail conditions on January 1 and 4, 2016. Thomas' daughter had contacted the O'Hara family demanding the hairdresser drop the charges against him. However, her younger son Dean Stark said the police took 'no action' in response to this before Ms O'Hara was murdered. In a written statement read out at today's inquest in Bournemouth, Dean Stark, 29, said: 'Some time over Christmas my brother Kyle called the police because we were so worried Stuart Thomas would kill my mum. 'She confided in us that he had been violent with her and had made these threats to 'do her'. 'My mum then contacted police herself and gave a full statement. 'We were told Stuart Thomas would be arrested and maybe sectioned but if he was bailed we would be notified in advance. 'But then on New Year's Day during a family gathering my sister Morgan got a message from his daughter saying mum should drop the charges. Katrina O'Hara with daughter Morgan. The inquest heard Ms O'Hara contacted police to voice concerns about ex-partner Thomas on November 17, 2015 Thomas stabbed Ms O'Hara to death at the shop (pictured) where she worked in Blandford, Dorset, on January 7 2016 'This was in breach of his bail which says he couldn't contact her directly or indirectly but as far as I'm aware police didn't take any action and he killed my mum.' Giving evidence, Detective Inspector Richard Dixey, of Dorset Police, described the gruesome scene officers discovered inside the barbers after receiving calls from members of the public on the evening of the murder. While he recounted the bloody scene, Ms O'Hara's daughter Morgan O'Hara, 20, walked out of the inquest. DI Dixey said: 'At 6.10pm on January 7, 2016, we received several calls from members of the public about an incident at Jocks Barbers. 'We discovered the victim laying wounded towards the rear of the barber shop bleeding profusely but unresponsive. 'Despite everyone's best efforts and receiving CPR she sadly died at the scene. 'A trail of blood led to a courtyard at the rear of a nearby property where Stuart Thomas was discovered badly injured with a cut to his left wrist and unconscious. Police at work in Blandford town centre following the murder of Katrina O'Hara who worked at Jock's Barbers in East Street 'He was taken to Poole Hospital and once he regained consciousness he was arrested for murder.' A post-mortem examination by pathologist Dr Russell Delaney revealed Ms O'Hara died of two stab wounds to the front left side of her chest. In a statement issued prior to the inquest via their legal representatives, Hudgell Solicitors, the family said: 'It's been four long years since our mum was so cruelly and violently taken from us. 'The fact that our mum's death could have been prevented only makes our grief even harder to bear.' Ms O'Hara's daughter Morgan O'Hara, 20, (right) walked out of the inquest as the details were discussed Ms O'Hara was originally from Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland and moved to southern England later in her life. She lived she her daughter in the village of Okeford Fitzpaine, near Blandford. The inquest, which is due to last three weeks, continues. Apple is temporarily closing its 42 stores in mainland China, one of its largest markets, amid the coronavirus outbreak that has killed 362 people globally. The iPhone maker said in a statement it was closing stores, corporate offices and contact centers in China until February 9 'out of an abundance of caution and based on the latest advice from leading health experts'. 'Our thoughts are with the people most immediately affected by the coronavirus and with those working around the clock to study and contain it,' the statement said. Apple's online store will remain open. Scroll down for video Apple (file image of Apple store in Beijing) is temporarily closing its 42 stores in mainland China, one of its largest markets, as a new virus spreads rapidly and the death toll there rose to 259 on Saturday China is the company's third biggest market in terms of sales behind the United States and Europe and it is also where most iPhones and other devices are made China is the company's third biggest market in terms of sales behind the United States and Europe and it is also where most iPhones and other devices are made. CEO Tim Cook told analysts on Tuesday that uncertainty due to the outbreak was keeping the Cupertino, California-based company from offering more specific guidance about its financial performance in the coming months after announcing results for the holiday shopping season that were far better than investors anticipated. That performance propelled Apple's stock price to new highs earlier this week, but the escalating uncertainty about the situation in China quickly dampened spirits. Apple shares dropped 4 per cent Friday to finish at $309.51. In a Saturday note, Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives predicted the store closures will have a 'negligible' impact on Apple, largely because consumers in mainland China will still be able to buy iPhones and other products through online channels. Even if the shutdown of the brick-and-mortar stores extends throughout the entire month of February, Ives predicted it would lower only lower Apple's annual iPhone sales in that region by about three per cent. Apple doesn't disclose how many iPhones it sells in China, but the company generated nearly $44billion in revenue from the country in its last fiscal year. Cook also said the company's contractors in China have been forced to delay reopening factories that closed for the Lunar New Year holiday. According to Cook, the company was looking for ways to minimize supply disruptions. Some of its suppliers are in Hubei, the Chinese province at the center of the outbreak that's been under lockdown for more than a week. Several airlines have also started suspending flights to China amid the outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is filing for emergency authorization to distribute its test for the deadly coronavirus and believe the diagnostic may be available to send out by week's end, officials said Monday. Currently, the health agency's laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia, is the only place in the nation equipped with the blood test that diagnoses the virus - and 82 people are awaiting results. Emergency authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would allow the federal agency to send the tests to states, expediting the diagnostic process. The CDC revealed on Monday that more planes are being sent to rescue Americans stuck in Wuhan, China - the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has sickened 11 in the US The CDC also revealed that four more planes are being sent to Wuhan - the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak - to rescue Americans who are stuck in the region. An estimated 1,000 Americans were left behind after a charter flight last week transported 195 US citizens stateside. The newly-announced additional flights are expected to arrive this week, after which the passengers will undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Health officials stress that the coronavirus risk to Americans is low, but travelers continue to trickle in from Wuhan and mainland China, and CDC authorities say it's all but certain that some will carry the virus with them. Starting on Sunday night, new rules from the Trump administration went into effect barring foreign nationals who have been in China in the last two weeks from entering the US. However, this excludes immediate family members of US citizens or permanent residents as well as citizens from Hong Kong or Macao. Dr Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said that anyone who has traveled within China in the last 14 days will be directed through 11 US airports for screening. Previously announced were John F Kennedy International Airport in New York City; O'Hare International Airport in Chicago; Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport in California; Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington; Daniel K Inouye International Airport in Hawaii; and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta. Four new airports were added to the list: Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC; Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey; Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas; and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Michigan. Dr Messonnier said that if any passengers are symptomatic, they will be transferred to a location that has yet to be determined and isolated for 14 days. Since the outbreak began in December 2019, 99 per cent of cases have been in China and mostly in Wuhan. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) Purdue University is working to get six students studying in China home safe and healthy. It comes as the CDC continues to monitor the worldwide outbreak of the Wuhan Coronavirus. According to the university, the six students are studying in Shanghai. Purdue is going to cover the travel costs to get the students home safely. Purdue has put all university-sponsored trips to China on hold, based on the U.S. State Department's recommendation. The university has yet to see any positive cases of Coronavirus. About 135 Purdue students call Wuhan, China their hometown. Eleven cases of the disease have been confirmed in the U.S. as of Monday. Cases have been reported in California, Arizona, Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington. A possible case in Porter County, Indiana last week was not confirmed. More than 300 people in the world have died of the infection. Officials said about 1,700 people are currently sick with the virus. ...ChildCareCRM is uniquely positioned to deliver essential software solutions to help our customers thrive. ChildCareCRM, the leading sales and marketing software platform specifically built for the childcare industry, today announced the promotion of Matt Amoia to Chief Executive Officer, effective February 1, 2020. Co-founder Chuck Gibbs will continue to play an integral role in the companys enterprise sales and overarching vision as Chairman of the Board. Prior to joining ChildCareCRM in October as President, Amoia was Chief Customer Officer at PayLease, a vertical SaaS business based in San Diego, where he gained extensive experience across all functions. As Chief Executive Officer of ChildCareCRM, Amoia will work closely with Gibbs to lead the company through its next phase of market expansion and rapid growth. I am honored to assume the CEO role at ChildCareCRM and build on the tremendous history of success, said Amoia. Between our strong reputation in the childcare industry and our exceptional employees, ChildCareCRM is uniquely positioned to deliver essential software solutions to help our customers thrive. Today is a special day for me, and I will work hard to ensure it is an exciting day for our team members, customers, prospects, and partners and to honor what Chuck and the ChildCareCRM team have built over the last ten years, Amoia added. Matts integrity, passion and vision for the business make him the perfect leader for our next phase of growth, said Gibbs. It is clear Matts experience and leadership qualities will be invaluable as we scale the business to new heights. This is a special moment in our companys history, and I am excited his addition will allow me to spend more time helping with business growth and vision. ChildCareCRMs industry-leading SaaS platform helps childcare centers grow and maintain their enrollment efficiently. The companys platform allows childcare centers to engage customers more effectively, convert more inquiries into enrollments, and enroll children seamlessly, dramatically improving the centers overall sales and marketing effectiveness. In addition to its core CRM and marketing automation solution, the company introduced ChildCareForms, an automated digital forms solution, in 2019 to streamline a centers historically paper-based enrollment forms process to save time, money, and ensure state-level compliance. ChildCareCRM ChildCareCRM provides a comprehensive, web-based sales, marketing, and customer relationship management platform specifically designed for the childcare industry to thousands of childcare centers worldwide. The companys software platform is the result of more than 100 years of industry experience and delivers a simple-to-use, yet powerful, lead management and enrollment forms automation solution that drives results to a centers bottom line. ChildCareCRM customers include childcare centers, academies, schools, and preschools in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. To learn more about ChildCareCRM or ChildCareForms, visit http://www.childcarecrm.com and follow @ChildCareCRM on Twitter and LinkedIn. Semena last week received documents from a Simferopol court that confirm that his suspended sentence had been lifted. OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir welcomes a decision by the authorities in Ukraine's Russian-controlled Crimea region to expunge the criminal record of RFE/RL contributor Mykola Semena, insisting that the Crimean journalist shouldn't have been "persecuted" in the first place for expressing his views. Semena, who had been convicted of separatism on the peninsula, last week received documents from a court in Crimea's capital, Simferopol, confirming that his suspended sentence had been lifted and his criminal record expunged, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) said. Read alsoOSCE concerned over Ukraine's new draft law on disinformation "I am glad that Mykola Semena is finally free," Desir said in a statement on February 3, expressing hope that the move means "he will now be able to resume his journalistic work unhindered, and travel freely." Semena, who has contributed to the Crimea Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, was arrested by Crimea's Russia-imposed authorities in 2016 and charged with acting against the "territorial integrity of the Russian Federation." In 2017, a court convicted Semena, handed him a 2.5-year suspended sentence, and banned him from "public activity" for three years. Another court in Crimea upheld his conviction three months later, but a court in Simferopol on January 14 this year ruled to prematurely terminate the probation period and expunge his criminal record. Semena says the accusation against him was politically motivated and that Russian authorities based their case on an inaccurate translation of one of his stories from Ukrainian into Russian. The United States, the European Union, and international media watchdogs all condemned the trial and verdict. "Semena's case reminds us of the harsh conditions in which journalists work when covering the conflict in and around Ukraine," Desir said. "It is paramount to ensure safe working conditions for the journalists," the OSCE representative added. Asyikin could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but she said in a CNN report that her son was very much your typical 3-year-old, adding that he particularly enjoyed playing with modeling clay and toy bricks. Asyikin is an engineer, and the family lives in Durham, in northeastern England, according to CNN. A performative art piece celebrating the strength of Indian women at the India Art Fair was interrupted on Sunday after police arrived at the venue following a complaint that some paintings against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) were being exhibited. "We received a PCR call that some paintings depicting the CAA were being exhibited at the fair. A police team was sent to check it, but no such painting was exhibited, a senior police official told news agency PTI. The art exhibition at the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre was curated by artist Myna Mukherjee and it featured paintings as well as songs including Faiz Ahmad Faiz's Hum Dekhenge, and poetry recitations talking about the love, beauty, tenderness and the strength of women across the country, a participating artist told PTI. shethepeople The artwork was not about any one particular protest or issue. It is about women of India. We had together created a space to celebrate women. It was purely in solidarity and celebration of the resilience and strength of the women in India. This was in no way political. We don't know what the problem was. The audience was very receptive. But, someone complained, participating artist Gargi Chandola said. Another participating artist Indranil Roy told PTI the incident was very unfortunate, and alleged that the fair's organisers behaved unprofessionally. The India Art Fair management behaved very unprofessionally and made the matter out of proportion. Police did apologise for the misunderstanding and fair's management came charging on us without even trusting the artists works or the curator. That's very unfortunate Without even knowing anything or the Urdu language which no one could read, everything was stopped, he said. The fair's organisers said that while they embrace the freedom of expression, ensuring safety and security of their visitors was paramount. Shaheen Bagh finds space in the Indian Art Fair. pic.twitter.com/OPOi8tfgjK shilpi tewari (@shilpitewari) February 2, 2020 The only piece I found in an otherwise sanitised space of high art which spoke about Shaheen Bagh By Probir Gupta. A Poem of Instruments. 2020 From India Art Fair 2020, held 5 kms away from Shaheen Bagh, the site of resistance art. #highart #indiaartfair #art #shaheenbagh pic.twitter.com/wOLRpXQEHG Mahima Taneja (@mahima_t) February 3, 2020 They said exhibitors were expected to share "details of all activities to take place at their booths during the course of the four-day art event, which was not done for the performance in question. We were informed about an incident that occurred at the booth of the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre where a performance was ongoing. Our contract with the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, consistent with others, required them to share with us the details of all activities which were to take place at their booth over the course of four days of India Art Fair. "We were not informed about the activities at the booth. In fact, post the incident, the fair director spoke with the Italian Ambassador in New Delhi who confirmed that they too had not informed of the activities taking place in their booth, the fair organisers said in a statement. They said they found out about the commotion only after the police arrived and then followed it up with the Italian Embassy Culture Centre. "The organisers of the India Art Fair only became aware of the activities when the police arrived. They informed us that they had received a complaint. In fact, post the incident, the fair's director spoke with the Italian Ambassador in New Delhi who confirmed that they too had not been informed of the activities taking place in their booth. "India Art Fair embraces freedom of expression and believes individuals have the right to express their opinions in their own way. Artists are conscience keepers of a society and we place their voice at the centre of our programme. "This was demonstrated through the strong line-up of artists, art and programming throughout the Fair. As event organisers, ensuring the safety and security of all our visitors is paramount. Each year, the fair hosts a large number of visitors, including young children and the elderly, many of whom were onsite when the incident took place, they said. A couple from Michigan is filing a case of discrimination against American Airlines. The lawsuit was brought about after they were kicked off a flight by the airplane's staff. According to an article by The Daily Beast, the couple was kicked off the plane for having "extremely offensive body odor". The employee also said that he has knowledge that "Orthodox Jews take baths once a week." According to an article from Live and Let's Fly, the airline is being accused of discriminatory acts based on the couple's religion. The couple, Yehuda Yosef Adler and Jennie Adler, said in their statement that they do not have the kind of odor that they were being accused of having. The couple stated that the action of the airline's employee last year caused the couple's humiliation and embarrassment. What Exactly Happened Last Year? On January 28, the lawsuit was filed by the couple at the District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The lawsuit claims that it was January 2019 when the couple and their 1-year-old child boarded an American Airlines flight from Miami to Detroit. After five minutes of finding their seats on the plane, they were approached by an employee of the plane. The employee asked them to leave. The reason given to them was for emergency reasons. After leaving the plane, the staff of the plane revealed to the couple that the pilot asked the couple to leave because of their "extremely offensive body odor." This shocked the couple as say they have never encountered such a humiliating experience in their lives. In the lawsuit, they claimed that they had showered the morning of their flight. The Adlers revealed that they asked more than 20 people in the airport to tell them if they have an unpleasant odor. According to the Adlers, all of the people they asked, answered that they do not smell offensive. After pleading multiple times to re-board the plane of American Airlines, they failed. The plane took off without the family. They were left without their luggage and their child's essential things like diapers and their stroller. The family reached their destination the next day. During that time, the couple were left humiliated, confused, and disrespected. They were at a loss as to what to do about the situation. They feel as if they were discriminated against based on their nationality, race, and religion. Religion not the Reason, Says American Airlines The airlines stated that the issue was not related to the religion of the couple. The American Airlines statement revealed that there were passengers and members of the plane's crew who complained about the odor of the family. The airline said that the decision made by their staff was for the comfort of the other passengers. The airline took care of the Adlers. They shared that they paid for their meals and accommodation until they were re-booked on a flight the following day. The airline stressed that it was not their religion that made the staff of the plane ask them to leave. How were they treated before they were asked to leave? Before the incident, the couple noticed that the pilot was rude to them while serching for their seats on the plane. Upon boarding the plane, Yehuda asked a crew of the plane for headphones. The crew member, from a previous flight, told them that they can be provided with such accessories upon request from the plane's staff. Upon hearing the request, the pilot said that the plane they were on is a different one, and that they do not allow complimentary services like free headphone to passengers. Getty Images Explosive new documents show the US government knew a weather map used by Donald Trump was doctored, despite publicly defending the presidents false claims about a hurricane striking Alabama. In September last year, Mr Trump repeatedly claimed wrongly that Alabama would most likely be struck by Hurricane Dorian, a category five storm which devastated the Bahamas. After being rebutted by experts, Mr Trump doubled down by showing off a doctored National Hurricane Center (NHC) map, which featured the projected path of Dorian with an additional Sharpie-drawn line around a corner of Alabama. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) leadership later backed Mr Trump against its own scientists when it released an unattributed statement defending the presidents claims and criticising a National Weather Service (NWS) tweet which said Alabama would NOT see any impacts from the hurricane. NOAA staff were also warned against contradicting the president and told not to provide any opinion about the issue". But a trove of emails requested by Buzzfeed and released by NOAA late on Friday shows the true extent of the anger and confusion among scientists at the response to Mr Trumps false claims. I find it unconscionable that an anonymous voice inside of NOAA would be found to castigate a dutiful, correct, and loyal NWS Forecaster who spoke the truth, NOAAs acting chief scientist Craig McLean wrote in an email to leading officials on 7 September. What concerns me most is that this Administration is eroding the public trust in NOAA for an apparent political recovery from an ill timed and imprecise comment from the President. I hope that NOAA's trust in the public eye will outlast this Administration. (Getty Images) He added: Our employees need to know that we stand for science, not politically motivated apologies. Gary Shigenaka, a senior biologist at NOAA, asked the agencys acting secretary of commerce Neil Jacobs to address this crisis in moral leadership and to reassure employees they were not mere pawns in an absurd game. Story continues He added: Please do not allow the science and support that we perform on behalf of the American public to be tossed into the trash heap by political expediencies. Please support and stand with us. Other emails confirmed the map used by Mr Trump to defend his assertions had been doctored. How do you want to handle this one? Looks like someone at the WH drew with a marker on the image of our official forecast, Scott Smullen, deputy director of NOAA communications, said in an email to colleagues. Under an email with the subject line, Tweet shows POTUS altering NHC map, public affairs specialist at the NOAA, Jerry Slaff told Mr Smullen the map shows a sharpie extension of cone to include Alabama. Yes, that was doctored, Corey Pieper, an official in the NWS communications division, said to public affairs official Susan Buchanan. Mr Trump claimed at the time he did not know who had doctored the map Bloomberg reported he did it before claiming all models gave Alabama a 95 per cent chance probability of being hit. Although some early models suggested Alabama had a chance of being in the hurricanes path, there is no evidence the NHC or other forecasters were predicting Alabama would be struck at the time Mr Trump was claiming the state was in danger. Read more Trump 'orders admiral' to publicly defend his false Alabama claims Weather Service staff told not to contradict Trump over hurricane Puppy trapped by Hurricane Dorian found alive one month later Update 11.13: A Dublin Airport passenger, who was suspected of having the coronavirus, has tested negative. The passenger arrived into Ireland on Saturday on a flight from Moscow and was escorted off the plane by medical staff in hazmat suits. It is believed he had originally flown from China. The Department of Health said today that it does not comment on individual cases but in a statement issued on Sunday, it said: "To date, there are no confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Ireland." Earlier: Man under observation for suspected coronavirus in Dublin A man is under observation for coronavirus after arriving into Dublin Airport on Saturday on a flight from Moscow. It is understood he travelled there from China. The man was Read More: A HSE spokeswomen, while not confirming any details relating to the incident, said yesterday that they have a "protocol in place" to activate any plan at ports of entry into Ireland. Leaflets from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HSPC) were given to passengers on the flight which landed just after 9pm on Saturday. An image showing a medic in a hazmat suit boarding the aircraft at Dublin Airport last night. The Department of Health said today that it does not comment on individual cases. In a statement issued on Sunday, it said: "To date, there are no confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Ireland." It added: "Ireland has advanced plans in place as part of its comprehensive preparedness to deal with public health emergencies such as novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). "These plans have helped us to respond to previous incidents such as pandemic influenza, SARS and MERS." The National Public Health Emergency Team is due to meet on Tuesday "to continue its review of Irelands ongoing preparedness in line with the advice from the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)." An Irish teacher based in Wuhan has been evacuated to a facility in Liverpool. Ben Kavanagh says he and 93 others are staying in isolation in student accommodation. "I travelled on a plane with about 200 [people] and maybe 100 or so of them continued onto Spain. "Here in the Wirral there were 83 and then last night 11 more came from Wuhan who couldn't make it on the first flight." Mr Kavanagh said the area he is staying in is "grand." He said: "It's actually nurses accommodation, like student accommodation for nurses. It's grand." Mr Kavanagh had been Read More: An Irishman in quarantine near Liverpool after being evacuated from China due to the coronavirus has told RTE News he is tired, but well, reports @JulietteGash pic.twitter.com/OgRVdQiakY RTE News (@rtenews) February 1, 2020 He told RTE that that quarantine was less lonely than Wuhan where he had been in self-imposed quarantine. He told RTE that "each person has their own bedroom and each bedroom has its own ensuite and four bedrooms share a kitchen like they would in university." He added that there is also a common room where those in quarantine can mix. Meanwhile, the first patients have arrived at a 1,000-bed hospital built in 10 days as part of Chinas efforts to fight the coronavirus. DALLAS, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Perennials Fabrics and Rugs, the leader in the international design industry and the preeminent provider of luxury performance textiles and accessories, is pleased to announce the redesign of PerennialsFabrics.com. Aiming to mirror a personalized and intimate showroom experience, the Perennials website now features upgraded navigation tools to guide users seamlessly through pages of inspiration, custom portfolios and enhanced product pages. The redesigned site, created by Plano-based agency Lifeblue, empowers and excites the user every step of the design process. The mission of Perennials is to invigorate the design community with sophisticated resilient textilesand a splash of trademark wit. The enhanced website mimics this brand mantra with an aesthetic facelift full of bold graphics and rich content. Reorganizing search functions and landing pages, users can now easily filter collections by color, abrasion rating, texture, and more. After receiving designer and representative feedback, the brand updated product pages design to display additional colorway options per quality, while also detailing durability ratings and dimensions. The website also tracks browsing data in order to target users with SKUs similar to their search history on the site. Looking for blue Tibetan knot rugs? Perennials will suggest similar styles, plus performance fabrics that may work as well. Designers and trade members can also create separate project boards in order to organize quotes and desired SKUs per project. Additionally, while logged in as a trade member, designers can view pricing and inventory levels, making planning and budgeting a breeze! Backend updates improve the Perennials fulfillment process, decreasing lag time during the order process. "As an organization that prides itself on saving the world from bad design, we're honored to work with Perennials, who revolutionized their industry more than two decades ago," says Phillip Blackmon, Lifeblue co-founder and Chief Experience Officer. "We wanted the new site to serve as their digital showroom. In doing so, we drove integration, optimizing the way Perennials operates, so for the first time, they can manage everything in one place providing a faster, seamless experience for their own use and that of customers. We believe this site is the next step in Perennials' evolution, harkening back to their origins while propelling them forward." With a strategic focus on inspiring moments and customer education, content creation became a key component of the website redesign in early discovery stages. The final site features new brand videos that detail care instructions and educate users on points of difference. Additionally, Perennials introduces The Spill, a blog section including designer interviews, industry commentary, design trends, and behind-the-scenes content. "Perennials continues to evolve as the leading manufacturer of performance luxury textiles while keeping up with the modern design community's ever-changing needs," says Perennials Founder and CEO Ann Sutherland. "We went the extra mile seeking feedback from designers, sales representatives, fulfillment team members, and many more in order to create a site that truly delivers in respect to service, design, and engagement. We are thrilled to kick off the next Perennials era with the new site launch." In addition to new features rolling out, the Perennials Rugs Visualizer will continue to thrill designers. Allowing them to choose from hundreds of color and style combinations to find the best underfoot solution for a space, the Visualizer combines Perennials' performance technology with endless personalization. Discover these new features and browse the Spring 2020 Perennials Fabrics and Rugs collection, In the Mix, by visiting www.perennialsfabrics.com. About Lifeblue Lifeblue is a full-service digital media company that strategically partners with organizations to grow their social, cultural or economic impact in the world by creating experiences people love. It delivers tailored strategies, including digital platform development, website design, and content marketing, that reduce friction points and improve the customer journey. Lifeblue strives to be a leader in the movement to improve web accessibility by focusing on responsible design from the outset of its projects. That commitment to the community earned them the distinction as one of only five Certified B Corporations headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Among the 13-year-old company's clients are Heifer International, the Dallas Arboretum, Voly.org and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. About Perennials and Sutherland, LLC The Perennials and Sutherland, LLC companies are icons and acknowledged leaders in the international design industry. Founder David Sutherland and CEO Ann Sutherland share an ingenious talent for curating the finest interior and exterior collections of luxury furniture, fabrics, rugs and accessories. Based in Dallas, Texas, the company is comprised of Sutherland Furniture, Perennials Luxury Performance Fabrics, and David Sutherland Showrooms. Perennials Fabrics is recognized by interior designers and high-end retail customers as the leader in luxury performance fabrics. Perennials Fabrics and Perennials Luxury Performance Rugs combine the look and feel of high-quality, natural materials with the superior performance properties of their genuine 100% solution-dyed acrylic fiber technology. View the full collections at perennialsfabrics.com. SOURCE Perennials Fabrics and Rugs Related Links https://www.perennialsfabrics.com Press Release February 2, 2020 GORDON STRESSES NEED FOR RP TO HAVE MORE MEDICAL SUPPLY FIRMS With only one manufacturer of surgical masks in the country amid the growing demand for masks and other personal protective equipment, Senator Richard J. Gordon pointed to the need for Filipino businessmen to build medical supply factories or to encourage foreign medical supply companies to open up business here. Gordon pointed out that with the possibility of other outbreak of diseases, such as the current novel Coronavirus (2019-nCOV) outbreak, in the future, the Philippines should be self-reliant in terms of medical supply production since the country is currently only importing from China majority of the medical supplies needed here. "I am encouraging Filipino businessmen to put up factories for face mask and medical supplies para kung may mga lalabas na medical emergencies, meron tayong supply ng gamit. Kung may mga ganyan pang lalabas, buong mundo mamimili yan, saan tayo kukuha kung wala tayong sariling kumpanya?" he said. Gordon also reminded the public not to go into panic buying for masks because it only triggers price increases that only benefit only the greedy and not the needy public, adding that practicing proper personal hygiene precautions, such as washing hands properly and frequently, is still the best way to avoid contracting nCOV and other viruses. He added avoiding going to hospitals unless necessary, avoiding crowded places and maintaining a distance of at least one meter from someone who has respiratory illness will also keep viruses away. The chairman of the Philippine Red Cross said one needs to wear a mask if he or she has respiratory illness; if one is taking care of another person who has respiratory illness; if one is going to a hospital; or if one has to go to a crowded place. "'Yung face mask araw-araw papalitan mo 'yan. Hindi pwedeng, kunwari ginamit mo, ibababa mo habang naglalakad ka o itinataas mo habang nagsasalita ka. It defeats the purpose. Sa tingin ko, kung pupunta ka sa ospital, dapat mag-face mask ka. Hindi naman tayo dapat maging reckless, mag-ingat lang. Kung may aalagaan kang may respiratory illness, may cough, dapat mag-face mask ka para sa safety ninyong dalawa. 'Wag ka lang magpabaya. Dapat tulungan mo ang sarili mo," Gordon stressed. "Kung ikaw ay galing sa isang lugar, at may tama doon, dapat pagpaalam ka sa mga awtoridad na galing ka doon, magkulong ka muna sa bahay ng 14 days at sabihin mo kung sino ang mga nasa bahay para kung sakaling meron ka, mahahawa 'yun, kailangang matulungan din mga 'yun doon," he further reminded. A young woman was caught by the hair and thrown around the kitchen of her own home by her ex-partner who has been jailed for two years. The attack by Antonio Arundel of 54, Shannon Lawn, Mayfield, Cork, was described by the sentencing judge as violent, abusive and nasty. Judge Sean O Donnabhain imposed a three-year sentence with the last year suspended. Detective Garda Jim Bugler said Arundel, 31, pleaded guilty to two charges, assault causing harm and causing criminal damage in the kitchen of the house. Arundel visited the house and on the morning of November 19, 2018, an argument broke out. The accused assaulted his former partner, punched her face, caught her by the hair and threw her around the kitchen, Det. Garda Bugler testified at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. Some of her hair was pulled out. She also suffered bruising to her face and some scratches. Niamh Stewart, defence barrister, said, There was a lot of animosity between Antonio Arundel and his former partner. Ms Stewart BL said that a previous assault causing harm conviction related to Arundel assaulting his ex-partners brother. He is very sorry. He is very remorseful, Ms Stewart said. It emerged through victim impact evidence that the young woman was left suffering anxiety and panic attacks. I never thought he would do anything so horrible. I am afraid to go out alone. It is a terrible thing to go through, she said. Judge O Donnabhain said: Whatever the personal relationship between the parties it (the assault) was violent, it was abusive and it happened in her own home. You can understand how hurt she feels. Not alone were they violent and nasty but they all happened in the confines of her home. I think it is a very serious matter. He is a man with a previous record of assault and he is back here on a charge of violence to another person. Three years is merited. I will suspend the last 12 months on condition that he will not approach her for two years from the time of his release. A Fairfield man is behind bars, accused of killing another man who was reportedly a witness in an undisclosed violent crime investigation. Cantrell Devonte Furr, 20, was booked into the Jefferson County Jail at 10:17 p.m. Saturday. He is being held with bond on a charge of capital murder. He was taken into custody over the weekend by members of ATFs violent crimes task force, which included Birmingham police investigators. He was arrested at the Atlanta airport as he was arriving from California, said David Hyche, ATFs assistant special agent in charge in Alabama. Furr is charged in the June 17, 2019 shooting death of 27-year-old Michael James Weeks. Birmingham police and fire medics were dispatched at 8:15 p.m. that Monday to the 4800 block of Court M in Ensley. Residents in the neighborhood heard gunshots and called 911. After making the emergency call, authorities said the residents went outside to investigate. They found the wounded Weeks in a vehicle that had rolled back into another vehicle. They pulled him out of the car but were unable to save him. Weeks was pronounced dead on the scene at 8:31 p.m. by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service. Under Alabama law, a murder becomes a capital case when the victim is subpoenaed, or has been subpoenaed, to testify, or the victim had testified, in any preliminary hearing, grand jury proceeding, criminal trial or criminal proceeding of whatever nature, or civil trial or civil proceeding of whatever nature, in any municipal, state, or federal court, when the murder stems from, is caused by, or is related to the capacity or role of the victim as a witness. Authorities have not disclosed details about the allegations against Furr. OAKLAND (BCN) A prosecutor and a defense attorney on Monday disagreed about whether the fatal shooting of two men in West Oakland five years ago was an act of multiple murder or self-defense. In his opening statement in the trial of Carlton Broussard, 34, Alameda County prosecutor Jimmie Wilson told jurors that at the end of the case, they should convict Broussard of two counts of murder for the shooting deaths of Marcus Sims, 29, and Donald Ward, 22, in the area of 10th and Willow streets at about 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2015. Wilson alleged that Broussard is a member of the violent Campbell Village gang and said a witness told police that Broussard killed Sims and Ward because they were robbing elderly people who were friends of Broussard's mother. But defense attorney Stephen Avilla said Broussard shot Sims and Ward because he had been warned that his cousin had hired Sims and Ward to kill him. "Mr. Broussard had a genuine concern that he would be killed by these two people," Avilla said, referring to Sims and Ward. He said Broussard "did what he felt he had to do." Avilla also alleged that Sims and Ward "weren't angels by any stretch of the imagination." Avilla told jurors that at the end of Broussard's trial, there won't be enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Broussard is guilty of two counts of murder for the deaths of Sims and Ward and the special circumstance of committing multiple murders. In addition to murder, Broussard is charged with being an ex-felon in possession of a gun as well as a second-degree robbery for a robbery at a smoke shop in Brentwood on Jan. 25, 2015, five days after the shooting. Broussard has prior convictions for possession of a controlled substance with a firearm in January 2010, possession of a firearm by a felon in March 2006 and possession of drugs for sale in August 2005. Wilson alleged that Broussard and two associates committed the robbery so that he had enough money to flee the state. Broussard was arrested in Middleburg, Florida, on March 21, 2015, two months after the shooting. Wilson said Broussard confessed after he was arrested. The prosecutor said there was a second gunman in the shooting who has never been arrested. Sims was the older brother of Anthony Sims, now 24, who was convicted of second-degree murder for his role in the fatal shooting of Chyemil Pierce, a 30-year-old mother who was struck by crossfire as she was trying to help two of her children to safety outside her home in the 2800 block of Chestnut Street in West Oakland at about 4:45 p.m. on March 9, 2015. That shooting occurred after two groups of women got into a fight on Chestnut Street and two groups of men came to the scene and became involved in the confrontation. Wilson told jurors on Monday that parts of West Oakland are known for "extreme violence." Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. By Dong Sun-hwa Actress Koo Hye-sun will leave Korea to study in England, amid an ongoing divorce lawsuit with her actor husband Ahn Jae-hyun. "I'm going to England for language study," the actress wrote on her Instagram, Sunday. She said she was thrilled about the trip. Koo did not say where she would be staying or for how long. But the actress known for her artistic prowess is set to hold an exhibition of her paintings in Seoul in April. Koo, 35, debuted in a TV commercial in 2002 and has starred in numerous hit dramas including "Boys Over Flowers" (2009). She married Ahn in 2016, but her husband filed a divorce lawsuit against her in last September, following a bitter "blame game." Ahn recently appeared in MBC's rom-com "Love with Flaws." A top City trader was suspended over claims he stole food from his staff canteen. Paras Shah, a senior bond trader at Citigroup, reportedly left his post last month following the allegations. The 31-year-old was a high-flying trader and joined the bank in 2017 after seven years at HSBC. Paras Shah, a senior bond trader at Citigroup, reportedly left his post last month following over claims he stole food from his staff canteen The average salary for a credit trader is 183,740, according to employee review website Glassdoor. However, because of Shahs senior position at Citi, he was likely to have been on a far higher salary possibly running to seven figures. But the Bath University graduate was accused of stealing food from the canteen at Canary Wharf, London. He declined to comment when contacted. Citi also declined to comment. The Union home ministry is reaching out to states who have expressed reservations in updating the National Population Register a biometric register of residents in India, said people familiar with the development. The Union home minister is also expected to address Parliament on Tuesday on the same issue. The Register General of India (RGI) is writing to states like Kerala, West Bengal and Rajasthan states who have expressed their unwillingness to update the register among others, senior officials who did not want to be named said. Other states like Odisha and Tamil Nadu too have expressed their discomfort in updating the NPR database in the current form. The letter addressed to the Chief Secretaries of the states also solicits the cooperation of states to update the database. Assuring states, the MHA has reiterated the National Population Register (NPR) was created in 2010 and it was subsequently updated in 2015. Similarly, the register is being updated for 2021. States among other things are objecting to the inclusion of three questions; when and where your parents born, what is your mother tongue and finally previous addresses? Importantly for states, the RGI is also underlining that the government has taken no decision to create a National Register of Citizens (NRC) a database of Indian citizens. The NPR database will be used to prepare the database of Indian citizens. And, to qualify to be included as Indian, individuals depending on when they were born will have to give proof. For instance, those born after 1987 will have to prove that at least one of the parents were an Indian citizen and the other was not an illegal migrant. In addition, the MHA has also told states that no documents will be asked for when updating the register. And, providing details is to update the NPR is voluntary and depends on the individual. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Over the years, the royal family has been known for its conservative and traditional approach. Although they have adopted in some major innovations, they still stick to adhere protocols to preserve the mystery and privacy within the Buckingham Palace. During the past few years, royal watchers have seen how the members of the royal family used social media to their advantage. They use it to communicate directly with their supporters, a medium to share their charity works and give us a glimpse of their day-to-day work. Now that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has officially stepped down as senior members of the royal family and will no longer accept money as "working royals," experts believe that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex can survive and thrive through the help of social media. In an interview with Mirror, marketing expert Stefan Drew (a.k.a Marketing Magician) said that the royal couple must take advantage of their social media following and influence to support their newfound private and independent life. "Now they must earn a living for themselves; social media will be all the more important in building that brand and allow them to reach not only their fans but key influencers who may help them commercially," Stefan said. "Social media is a powerful medium and instrumental to the Sussexes' future. It's a platform for Harry and Meghan to get their brand out to the world." As of writing, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Instagram account with @sussexroyal handler has a total of 11.1 million followers. But Stefan said that they still need to work on these numbers to maximize the money-making potential of social media, and they can do this by putting vital information about them. "To start with, they can use it to put rumors to bed and get control of the narrative, which they'll like," Stefan explained. The 38-year-old Meghan is not new to this kind of business. Before marrying Prince Harry in May 2018, the Duchess was a professional actress and a lifestyle blogger at the same time. She exchange deals with brands to be featured on her blog called "The Tig" and also her social media account, which was taken down when she got engaged with Prince Harry. Meanwhile, it looks like the royal couple is already gearing up for their post-royal hustle after a marketing agency recently announced that they are already accepting engagements for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. "Sheeraz, Inc is now taking appearance and endorsement requests for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle @sussexroyal," the firm wrote on Instagram alongside a previous photo of the royal couple. Sheeraz Inc. encourages their client from the Middle East, India, USA and Asia to send their offers so they can take it directly to Meghan and Harry's representatives. However, per a report from The Sun, the Buckingham Palace denied the couple's association to the firm run by Sheeraz Hasan. They labeled such association as "categorically untrue. Some of the Sheeraz social media influencers include Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, Selena Gomez, Priyanka Chopra, Paris Hilton and more. Detectives are hoping to track down several youths caught on CCTV scrambling at a Melbourne train station moments after a teenager was stabbed to death. Aguer Akech Lual, 17, died at the scene of a fight near the Keilor Plains railway station in St Albans, north-west of Melbourne, on December 22. The South-Sudanese national had been living in Adelaide and was in Melbourne to surprise his mother for Christmas before heading to Uganda to attend boarding school. Police released the footage in the hopes of tracking down the men in the video. The footage showed several young African men, some armed with planks of wood, frantically running through the train station around the time of the street brawl. The video showed a several young African men, some armed with planks of wood, frantically running through the train station around the time of the street brawl Detective Inspector Tim Day said it was 'crucial' investigators tracked down the people in the footage Detective Inspector Tim Day said it was 'crucial' investigators tracked down the people in the footage. 'We are keen to hear from anyone who can identify any of the males, or alternatively, we ask any of those people shown in the footage to come forward and contact police themselves,' Insp Day told the Herald Sun. 'We don't know if any of the males in the CCTV were involved in the fatal stabbing. 'Because they were in the vicinity of the station at the time of the incident it's possible that they were part of either group involved, or they may simply be valuable witnesses for our investigation.' Ten people were arrested on the night of the stabbing, but all were released and no one has been charged over the teen's death. Aguer Akech Lual, 17, died at the scene of the fight near the Keilor Plains railway station in St Albans, north-west of Melbourne, on December 22 It's understood two groups of teens met at the train station at 11.30pm on Saturday, December 21, in relation to a dispute over a Holden Commodore. After meeting at the station, the groups went to a nearby home in Fox Street where an altercation took place. Members from one group - including the victim - were chased back to the train station where a violent altercation involving sticks, fence posts and knives broke out. Aguer was injured in the brawl and was unable to be revived after collapsing in nearby Regan Street. The two groups then scattered, while Aguer and some of his friends made their way to platform one. Aguer was unable to be revived after collapsing in nearby Regan Street. A dispute between two men in Grand Bay, Alabama, started with one of them urinating in public early Sunday morning and ended with both men getting their guns and shooting at each other, a spokesman for the Mobile County Sheriffs Office said. Theyre neighbors, said Capt. Paul Burch. The man who confronted the urinating man about 7:30 a.m. ended up shot in the face and transported to a hospital. They got in a dispute because one of them was urinating in a yard, or in a street, Burch said. Either one was inappropriate. That started an argument. The man angry about the public urination went to his vehicle, got a gun and began firing shots, Burch said. The other man, who had finished urinating, went to his vehicle and also retrieved a gun and returned fire. The one who was mad about the guy peeing is the one who fired the first shots and he got shot, Burch said. Its not life-threatening. Hes shot in the face. He walked himself to the helicopter. He was flown to a hospital in Pensacola for treatment, Burch said. The incident happened on McGehee Road in Grand Bay, he said. No one has been charged in the shooting yet. Not at this point, Burch said. Well turn the investigation over to the District Attorney. A grand jury may have to decide if it was a case of self-defense by the urinating man, he said. He was being shot at first, Burch said. This is out in the county; there wouldnt be an ordinance about urinating in public. Its more common decency than anything. DBM Names New Chief Executive In Australia, financial services insights and consulting firm DBM has appointed former National Australia Bank exec Kipling Zubevich as its new CEO. Co-founder Dhruba Gupta will continue to focus on business development and promoting the firm's DBM Atlas survey. Founded in 1992 by Gupta and Maria Claridad, DBM offers specialist research services in the retail and b2b sectors using syndicated and bespoke programs. Its DBM Atlas survey offers data on Australian consumers' behaviour and attitudes regarding retail banking, insurance and wealth management; while its Business and Financial Services Monitor (BFSM) provides the country's major financial institutions with information about the business market. In 2018, the firm merged with insight-driven strategy consulting group Illuminera. Zubevich (pictured) joins from National Australia Bank where he most recently served as General Manager Business Marketing, overseeing the activities of 100 in-house and agency professionals and managing multi-million dollar budgets. Earlier, he spent most of a decade as a strategy consultant, primarily at Corporate Value Associates, where he advised executives in the finance, pharmaceutical, government, manufacturing and energy sectors. Commenting on the appointment, Chris Riquier, CEO International of holding group Illuminera, said: 'We are enthusiastic to have someone of Kipling's calibre to accelerate DBM's growth. His industry knowledge, leadership, and advisory capabilities will be critical for progressing the DBM journey'. Web sites: www.dbmconsultants.com.au and www.illuminera.com . A Thousand Tails at Soi Dog In the first part of this article, long-term expat Bruce Stanley reflected on how life in Phuket has improved remarkably for the islands stray dogs and cats thanks to the work of Soi Dog Foundation. But what goes on behind the scenes to make this happen? Allow me to walk you through a day at the Soi Dog sanctuary in Mai Khao, the beating heart of Southeast Asias largest rescue organisation. PetsCommunityLife By Amy Bryant Monday 3 February 2020, 06:30PM Puppies excited to find a new home at Soi Dog Foundation The sanctuarys 200-plus staff pass through the gates each morning to the sound of excitable barks, howls and meows from the resident dogs and cats. This creature chorus can mean only one thing: its breakfast time. Soi Dog distributes food not only to the 1,100-plus animals at the sanctuary but also to local feeders and other shelters across Thailand, including government-run facilities. This means purchasing approximately 20 tons of dog and cat food each month at a cost of nearly B1 million. As the animals lap up the last of their morning meal, Soi Dogs volunteers arrive by songthaew, ready to walk the dogs around the green grounds of the sanctuary and fuss over the felines in the cattery. Soi Dog welcomed a record 881 volunteers from all over the world last year, some spending days at the sanctuary, others months. Their socialisation of the animals is vital in preparing them for adoption. Socialisation continues back at the runs, where the dogs live in groups of around 25 under the careful watch of keepers and carers. Each of Soi Dogs 29 runs houses a different doggie demographic, from puppies to teenagers, to senior and special needs dogs, to dogs rescued from the horrific dog meat trade. There are also behaviourally challenging dogs who the Behaviour and Enrichment Team work closely with to help them overcome their shyness or aggression. Over at Soi Dogs purpose-built hospitals, its almost as busy as in the runs, with new patients constantly being admitted. These sick and injured animals are either brought in by kind members of the public or picked up by Soi Dogs animal rescue officers or Community Outreach Team. Recent expansions mean the veterinary teams have the specialist equipment and state-of-the-art facilities needed to treat everything from road traffic injuries to poisonings, skin diseases and cruelty cases. Over 100 animals are neutered and vaccinated at the hospitals every day too, as part of Soi Dogs Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return (CNVR) programme. Since 2003, over 380,000 animals 119,542 of those last year alone have passed through the programme in Thailand, meaning Soi Dog is far and away neutering and treating more animals than any other organisation in the world. Phuket is Soi Dogs best example of the effectiveness of CNVR. The implementation of the programme here has reduced the stray dog population by over 90% and has been a significant contributing factor in the island reporting just one confirmed case of rabies in 24 years. With the situation in Phuket under control, Soi Dog is able to reach out to other parts of Thailand. The sight of Soi Dog vans zipping around Bangkok, Nakhon Si Thammarat and beyond is now nothing unusual. As awareness of Soi Dog increases, so too does the demand on its assistance and resources. The Phuket sanctuary is expanding to meet this demand, with a dedicated cat hospital, six community runs, two blocks of individual kennels and a Visitor and Volunteer Centre opening last year. And near the entrance to the sanctuary, an Isolation Unit and an Education Centre are beginning to take shape. While Soi Dog works hard to make the sanctuary as pleasant as possible for the animals, the goal is to keep them there for the minimum amount of time and instead adopt them into a loving home of their own. Last year, Soi Dog found homes for 944 animals 675 dogs and 269 cats both here in Thailand and overseas, with popular destinations including the USA, Canada and Europe. And so the sun sets on another busy day at the sanctuary. The gates are locked and the resident dogs and cats are settled for the night, affording us a quiet moment to reflect on the remarkable growth of Soi Dog. From a disused restaurant in Phuket Town to a 14-rai sanctuary in Mai Khao. From neutering and vaccinating 175 animals in 2003 to 119,542 in 2019. From three co-founders to over 300 staff. From strength to strength. With no government funding, this was only made possible by donations from like-minded animal lovers around the world. While its disappointing that only 5% of funds are raised here in Thailand, where the benefit of Soi Dogs work is felt the most, the organisation remains grateful for all the support it receives to carry out its many and varied operations which come at a cost of around B30 million each month. To see what B30 million does for the dogs and cats of Thailand, visit the sanctuary for an interactive guided tour. With your support, Soi Dog can make 2020 the best year yet for even more stray animals in need. Soi Dog Foundation is located at 167/9 Moo 4, Soi Mai Khao 10, Mai Khao, Thalang, 83110. Tours run 9:30am, 11am, 1:30pm and 2:30pm Monday-Friday and 10am on Saturday. visit www.soidog.org The Korean Navy has come to the aid of the crew of an Iranian vessel near the Gulf of Oman. The Defense Ministry said on Sunday that its Cheonghae Unit rescued six Iranian sailors on a small oil tanker, which was drifting after running out of fuel near the Omani port of Muscat on Saturday. The naval unit provided the Iranians with enough fuel and food to return to their home country. ERIC PIERMONT, Contributor / AFP via Getty Images WASHINGTON Papua New Guinea has called off negotiations with Exxon Mobil over developing a natural gas field there, as the two sides clashed over their financial split on the project. "The government has signaled it is willing to play hardball to secure a better fiscal take than it achieved with its first LNG project. The ball is now back in the operators' court as to how they will respond," Wood Mackenzie research director Angus Rodger said in a note to investors Monday. Over the past few days, South Africa has been lively with so much buzz about the beautiful white butterflies that have been spotted dancing their way through the streets. The breath-taking sight of the white butterflies is quite captivating as the magnificent creatures move in masses as they migrate. They passed through Gauteng, Free State, and the Northern Cape. The white butterflies South Africa made the cities beautiful as they brightened the day. Image: pixabay.com Source: UGC Interestingly, these creatures are the most common in South Africa. The flattering creatures have been spotted in Namibia and Mozambique as well. Here are some fascinating facts about the beautiful white butterflies in South Africa you should know. What is a white butterfly known as? They are referred to as the brown-veined whites (Belenois aurota) and are originally from the Kalahari. They are also known as the pioneer, caper white, or the pioneer white. Some of them are also from the arid regions of the Northern Cape. According to Dave Swart, Butterfly Valley owner in Ramsgate, he says that most of these species do not make it to their destination. However, a number of them are spotted in the coastlines of Mozambique while others perish into the sea. Image: pixabay.com Source: UGC The species is from the Pieridae family and has a wingspan of 45 mm. The figure of the white butterflies migrating depends on the availability of food in their area of origin. This is because it determines how the butterflies pupate and lay their eggs as they migrate. Are there white butterflies in South Africa? They are in South Africas north, north-eastern areas, and the central areas, and just a few days ago, the fascinating butterflies lit up the South African skies. The sad part of the migration is that they dont make it to the end of their journey as they are preyed on by dragonflies and insect-eating birds. When do the white butterflies South Africa migrate? The migration takes place every year, at the end of January, during mid-summer. However, the numbers in each migration vary as a result of factors such as temperature, drought, and rains. Once they cross the Northern Cape, the North West province, and parts of the Free State, they find their way to Gauteng as well as parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. According to Johan van der Walt, the migration takes place during the summer when they start a northeasterly direction. He continues to say that the move should not be termed as migration, but an emigration as the creatures only end up dying at the end of their journey. What is the lifespan of the white butterfly? According to the Director of Conservation of butterflies in South Africa, Earle Whiteley, the species lives up to four weeks and six weeks, if the conditions are favorable. After every flight of about 20 minutes, which is between 30 to 45 kilometers, they feed for about four minutes to regain their strength and continue with their migration journey. He also reveals that there are various flights of migration for the insects. He states that the same butterflies would never make it to their destination. There are three migration flights that start from various areas from the west coast, the misconception is that the butterflies fly the whole distance by themselves, which is impossible because theyd never make it. During their migration, the males mate with the females, and the males move ahead. The female laying eggs follow behind, which paves the way for the next generation of the beautiful creatures to start a new migration phenomenon later on. Many people posted pictures and videos on social media platforms to express their awe of the beautiful creatures that filled up the city. White butterfly Instagram posts READ ALSO: Are rain spiders dangerous? READ ALSO: How to get rid of ants: 7 genius ways Over the last couple of years, the white butterflies South Africa migration has become a phenomenon that most South Africans look out for in the mid-summer. However, the rare species is becoming extinct as most do not survive during the migration. This is the reason why the affected areas need to be repopulated to ensure that the species are re-established in other regions. READ ALSO: You probably know the Big 5 but have you heard of the Small 5? Source: Briefly News UKGC Issues Seven On-course Bookmakers with Large Fines by Victoria Hughes, 3 February 2020 The Gambling Commission has handed out hefty fines to seven bookmakers for allowing under 18s to place bets on-course. The UKGC charged the bookmakers after investigators observed them accepting a bet from a 16-year-old during Royal Ascot last year. The UKGC has ordered that the bookmakers pay 2.5% of their gross annual profits. A penalty that is said to have left the bookmakers shellshocked. The bookmakers, who have not been named at this stage, had until Friday last week to decide whether to appeal the fines. It is not the first time that the Gambling Commission has performed an investigation into under-age gambling at race meetings. At Ascot, in June 2014, the Gambling Commission compliance manager worked closely with Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead trading standards officials. Out of the 20 on-course bookmakers operating during a meeting, they all served a 16-year-old with a bet. None of the bookmakers asked for proof of age. The Commissions Director at the time, Mathew Hill, said it was a poor result. Hill reminded the company taking the bets that Preventing under 18s from gambling is one of the most basic obligations every bookmaker has, on or off the course. The industry must do better, or operators are likely to find themselves facing formal sanctions. For the offences in 2014, the offending bookmakers were advised about their conduct by the Gambling Commission and required to improve their policies and procedures for preventing underage gambling. It is, therefore, the severity of the fines that have been handed out by the regulator on this latest breach that has raised eyebrows. The Federation of Racecourse Bookmakers called the fine was absolutely horrendous and revealed that one bookmaker had been told they are facing a 7,600 fine for accepting just a 5 bet. Mick Williams, representing the Federation called the punishment scary and questioned why there wasnt a formal process in place to deal with these offences. He said; Youd think thered be a procedure in place: a warning for the first offence, a fine for the second and then at some stage a possible suspension of your licence. But theres none of that. Mick Williams, Spokesperson FRB . It was the Guardian newspaper who originally reported the significant nature of the Gambling Commission ruling and many racing fans and industry players took to Twitter to express their surprise and outrage. Colossus Bets, Bernard Marantelli called out the hypocrisy of under 18s legally purchasing Lotto scratchcards. The CEO questioned how a 16-year-old could bet in 44,000 retail outlets on a product designed very specifically to be totally addictive and damaging. Marantelli said these bets placed at Ascot were not in the top 100 concerns or things this industry does wrong. Jason Brautigam, former MD of Totepool accused the Commission of going after a soft target and stated he felt that underage drinking surely far more of a problem at racecourses than gambling is. However, news of the fines for their members is likely to be a big PR blow for The Federation of Racecourse Bookmakers. In 2015, the federation teamed up with Under Age Sales, the social enterprise that specialises in helping retailers prevent underage sales. The partnership had stated goals of provide robust new training to tackle underage gambling at racecourses across the UK. Retail staff at more than 400 on-course bookmakers and FRB members attended training that led to a BTEC Level 2 Award for Preventing Underage Gambling. The training contained all the usual requirements of a retail module but had been specially tailored to the gambling industry. The training and assessments were performed on the job and designed to meet the Gambling Commissions new social responsibility codes. People enter a Forever 21 store at a shopping mall in Montebello, California on September 30, 2019 a day after the fashion retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Forever 21 has reached an $81 million deal to sell its retail business to a group that includes Simon Property Group, Brookfield Property Partners and Authentic Brands. Forever 21 said in a bankruptcy court filing it is seeking approval to name the three as the lead, stalking-horse bidders in an auction. Rival bidders have until Friday to make any counteroffers, the filing said. If other bids are made, an auction will be held on Feb. 10. Forever 21 is planning to seek approval of the sale by Feb. 11. Forever 21 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September. The mall-based apparel chain, which caters to younger customers, got into trouble by expanding too quickly inside and outside the United States. Forever 21 has shuttered more than 100 locations since its bankruptcy filing. It still had more than 800 stores globally in September. The fear for many of America's mall owners has been that a liquidation of Forever 21 would leave them with too much vacant space. Simon and Brookfield are two of Forever 21's biggest landlords. Nearly 50 Hindu Families from Pakistan entered India through the Wagah border on Monday. The families, most from the Sindh province, have 25-day visa to visit Hindu shrines and Haridwar. The number of individuals who crossed over on Monday is about 200. Four of the families that crossed over on Monday will meet Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjinder Singh Sirsa said after receiving them. The four families were escorted to Guru Teg Bahadar Jee Sarai on Lawrence Road in Amritsar where they will stay for the night before leaving for Delhi in the morning. I was in touch with these families for a long time. As they were facing religious persecution in Pakistan, we requested the government to grant them visas. I, along with four families, will meet Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Tuesday and request him to grant them citizenship, he said. Members of one of the families are highly educated and they were wary of religious conversions. We will ensure that they get Indian citizenship, Sirsa said. Former Vice President Joe Biden told NBC's "Today" that President Trump's impeachment trial hasn't "shaken" his faith that he will be able to work with "at least some" Republicans if he's elected president, adding, "I think you're going to see the world change with Trump gone." Why it matters: Trump's legal team and a number of Republicans have sought to use the trial to scrutinize Hunter Biden's position on the board of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, arguing that the president had a legitimate reason to pressure Ukraine into investigating the Bidens. Some Republicans had even demanded that the Bidens be called to testify if a Senate vote to call White House officials as witnesses succeeded. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) on Sunday also told Bloomberg that there could be an immediate push to impeach Biden over his actions in Ukraine if he's elected, despite there being no evidence of wrongdoing. What he's saying: "My hope is he won't be majority leader anymore," Biden said when asked if he could still work with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). When pressed about his son's work, Biden said, "No one's found anything wrong with his dealings with Ukraine, except that they say it sets a bad image." Biden denied that Hunter Biden took the position because Burisma wanted "access" to the Obama administration, claiming, "You're saying things you do not know what you're talking about. No one has said that who said that?" Hunter Biden admitted in an interview with ABC News in October that he probably wouldn't have been named to the board if his father wasn't vice president. Go deeper: Biden surrogates test electability argument ahead of Iowa clash with Sanders A husband and wife in San Benito County who were diagnosed with the new coronavirus on Sunday became suddenly much more ill that night and were taken by ambulance to a hospital in San Francisco early Monday, public health officials said. The man and woman had been self-isolating in their own home since Jan. 24, when the husband returned from a trip to China. The couple was taken to UCSF, though the university would not say which campus. They are being cared for in isolation, UCSF officials said. Doctors there are specialists in the care of patients with complex illnesses, including infectious diseases like the novel coronavirus, UCSF said in a statement. UCSF also treated patients during past epidemics, such as SARS in 2003. San Francisco public health officials said the couple represent no elevated risk to the public. The hospital is taking all appropriate precautions for patient and staff safety. The couple had been in regular contact with public health officials and had been receiving medical treatment in their home until their symptoms worsened, San Benito public health officials said. They were reevaluated and transferred out of county for a higher level of care, said Sam Perez, a spokeswoman for the San Benito County Department of Public Health. The husband was traveling in China from Jan. 18 to Jan. 24, Perez said. Upon his return, he contacted public health authorities about the possibility of having been exposed to the new coronavirus and was told that he and his wife should isolate themselves in their home. The man did not have symptoms of illness when he returned to the United States, but began feeling ill a few days later. He almost certainly was infected by the virus while in China, and then passed it on to his wife after coming home. Public health officials are not saying what airport the man flew into. They were the fifth and sixth reported in California. The other four cases two in Santa Clara County and one each in Los Angeles and Orange counties were in people who had recently returned to China. The two Bay Area patients have so far been mildly ill and have not needed to be hospitalized. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The coronavirus outbreak that started in China late last year has exploded over the past month, with more than 20,000 cases now reported worldwide most of them in China and 425 deaths. But infectious disease experts believe the total number of cases is likely much higher, perhaps close to 100,000. There have been 11 confirmed cases in the United States. Perez said the San Benito couple had not interacted with anyone outside their home, other than public health officials who were monitoring their their conditions and providing treatment. They had no contact with the outside world, Perez said. Our county health officer continues to stress that San Benito County residents are at low risk. Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com BJP leader Kapil Mishra on Monday said that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is doing "Jinnah politics" and asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to rename itself to Muslim League. "I want to say that the Aam Aadmi Party should change its name to Muslim League. They are doing the same as that of the Muslim League. They are doing of of divide and Muslim vote bank. They are against Yogi's speech. Only those people will be afraid of Yogi who are standing by anti-nationals, terrorists, traitors, and rioters. Yogi has stopped rioters in Uttar Pradesh," Mishra told ANI. "In Delhi, buses were burnt and policemen were beaten up. AAP and Congress are behind this. Arvind Kejriwal is doing Jinnah politics," he said. The AAP had urged the Election Commission of India to ban Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from campaigning in Delhi over his remarks linking Kejriwal with Pakistan. Speaking on the Shaheen Bagh protests against the new citizenship law, the BJP leader said: "Manish Sisodia said he is standing by people at Shaheen Bagh. I think it is all political drama to garner 20 per cent Muslim votes. But 80 per cent people are angry and they will give an answer through their vote." The Election Commission had earlier placed a temporary ban on Kapil Mishra from campaigning for Delhi assembly elections for violating the Model Code of Conduct over his tweet where he termed the ensuing Assembly elections in the capital as a contest between India and Pakistan. Mishra, a former AAP minister, is contesting for the BJP from Model Town assembly constituency. The capital will go to polls on February 8 for the 70-seat assembly with the counting of votes scheduled for February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cummins Inc. (NYSE:CMI) shareholders might be concerned after seeing the share price drop 11% in the last quarter. On the bright side the share price is up over the last half decade. However we are not very impressed because the share price is only up 18%, less than the market return of 69%. Check out our latest analysis for Cummins There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS). During five years of share price growth, Cummins achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 13% per year. This EPS growth is higher than the 3.3% average annual increase in the share price. So one could conclude that the broader market has become more cautious towards the stock. The reasonably low P/E ratio of 9.91 also suggests market apprehension. You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values). NYSE:CMI Past and Future Earnings, February 3rd 2020 It is of course excellent to see how Cummins has grown profits over the years, but the future is more important for shareholders. Take a more thorough look at Cummins's financial health with this free report on its balance sheet. What About Dividends? It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. In the case of Cummins, it has a TSR of 37% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence! Story continues A Different Perspective Cummins shareholders gained a total return of 12% during the year. But that return falls short of the market. The silver lining is that the gain was actually better than the average annual return of 6.5% per year over five year. This suggests the company might be improving over time. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Cummins better, we need to consider many other factors. Take risks, for example - Cummins has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of. Of course Cummins may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. At least one Democrat might break with his party in President Trump's impeachment vote. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) announced Monday he's still "undecided" on whether he'll vote to acquit or convict Trump at the end of the ongoing presidential impeachment trial. Manchin was clear in placing some fault on Trump and the arguments made in his defense, but said he will ultimately come to his decision "reluctantly" come Wednesday. On Monday, Manchin used his floor speech to say that even though "I remain undecided on how I will vote," he believed Trump's July 25 call with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky was "not a perfect call." Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz's argument that the president could essentially do no wrong was the "most dangerous" thing Manchin had heard during the Trump impeachment trial, Manchin added. And while he doesn't "see a path" to the 67 votes needed to force Trump out of office, Manchin said he does believe "a bipartisan majority would vote to censure" Trump, and said he has prepared a resolution to do so that he'll unveil soon. .@Sen_JoeManchin on impeachment: "I remain undecided on how I will vote, but these points I believe to be true; first, it was not a perfect call." pic.twitter.com/aznRJcfaZo CSPAN (@cspan) February 3, 2020 Manchin is a centrist Democrat who narrowly held onto his seat in 2018 after his state firmly favored Trump in the 2016 election. Manchin has since voted in step with Trump's positions more than any other Democratic senator currently in Congress. More stories from theweek.com Trump just won the Iowa Democratic caucuses Should financial markets be freaked out by coronavirus? America is doing so much better than you think Press Release February 3, 2020 De Lima slams rash of summary killings in Metro Manila Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has decried anew the recent rash of killings of poor civilians purportedly perpetrated by masked men and motorcycle gunmen akin to the violent implementation of the Duterte administration's "war on drugs." De Lima, a staunchest critic of the government's war on drugs, said it is alarming that summary killings have once again resumed in areas where killings supposedly died down after the supposed "epicentre" of assassinations shifted to other regions. "Uulitin ko ang aking panawagan sa ating mga kababayan: Kailan tayo lalaban at tatayo para sa ating mga karapatang pantao? Hanggang ilan ang kailangang mapatay para tayo ay tumindig at magsabing: 'Itigil na ang patayan!'", she said. De Lima recalled the recent killings of a certain Vicente Rufino, 33, a father and husband from Caloocan, who was reportedly shot multiple times by two masked assailants in the head and body around 2AM last Jan. 29. According to Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, Rufino and his brother were released last Dec. 2 due to lack of evidence on illegal drug charges against them. Eerily similar to deaths caused by the administration's anti-drug operation Oplan Tokhang, De Lima also cited the death of a certain Carlos Sanchez, 37, who was shot and killed last Jan. 29 in Caloocan City by motorcycle gunmen. Based on Caloocan prelate's accounts, two sachets of what was believed to be illegal drugs were recovered from Sanchez corpse. The lady Senator from Bicol also lamented the untimely death of Rhonjay Furio, an eight-year old boy from Manila who was hit by bullets intended by assassins for Robert Cudal, 52, an incumbent Barangay Councilor. Furio, a grade three pupil, was buying food when the shooting occurred. Footage from a closed-circuit television camera showed that he was clutching his chest before he fell after several gunmen open fired on Cudal and those beside him. "This brutality has to stop. Not only should authorities investigate the summary executions, that also put children in the crosshairs of assassins, but also ensure that the killers and their enablers are unmasked and prosecuted," De Lima said. "It is dishearthening that many of these killings are left unreported by media, even ignored. Hindi na 'news' ito para sa karamihan, dahil tila normal na normal na ang mga patayan sa ating lipunan," she added. De Lima pointed out that the recent streak of killings all the more makes the International Criminal Court's (ICC) intervention urgently imperative, noting that Mr. Duterte has done almost nothing to prevent the mass atrocities happening under his watch. "Para sa akin, wala nang duda na dapat nang buksan ng ICC ang formal investigations nito sa crimes against humanity na nangyayari dito sa ating bansa sa ilalim ni Duterte," she said. In October 2017, De Lima filed an official communication to the ICC regarding the glaring human rights violations allegedly committed by President Duterte and other state actors under his administration. The ICC, led by its Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, said it will finalize its preliminary examination and will present a report sometime this year on the situation of alleged crimes against humanity in the Philippines. As early as 2016, De Lima was the first lawmaker to initiate a Senate investigation into the glaring human rights violations being committed under the Duterte administration's all-out war on illegal drugs. Due to her vocal opposition to violent war on drugs, she was subjected to verbal attacks and vilification as well as unjustly and illegally charged with trumped-up drug cases based on testimonies by convicts and persons with questionable integrity. A Morris County oral surgeon will lose his license for five years after 15 patients were sickened and one died of a bacterial heart infection following his treatment, the New Jersey Attorney Generals office announced Monday. Dr. John Vecchione, who practiced in Budd Lake, was also ordered to pay $293,500 in penalties and costs after he failed to follow infection protocols and exposed patients to bacterial endocarditis, officials said. He previously agreed to have his license suspended as the allegations against him were being heard. This settlement brings closure to a troubling case in which a medical professional allegedly took irresponsible risks with patients health by disregarding health and safety standards, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said in a statement. We are committed to ensuring that medical practitioners do not flout professional standards in place to protect patients health and safety. A 2014 inspection of Vecchiones office found a number of issues, including the use of a single use vial of Propofol for more than one use; pre-filled syringes of medication; expired vials and multi-dose vials of medication; non-sterile preparation of instruments and poor documentation of medication units, a deputy attorney general wrote in 2016. The inspections were held after a number of Vecchiones patients developed bacterial endocarditis, a serious infection of the inner lining of the heart chambers. The infection can be treated, but can also cause heart damage, paralysis and death. At least 14 lawsuits have been filed against Vecchione. A lawyer representing 12 former patients, Jim Lynch, did not immediately return NJ Advance Medias request for comment. Lynch previously criticized the state Department of Healths handling of the matter, saying the department erred when they removed Vecchiones name from initial reports. I hope changes will be made so members of the public can perform their own due diligence by researching their health providers and can better protect themselves, Lynch said in 2016. Vecchiones suspension will include time already spent suspended. He will be allowed to begin a probationary period as early as Aug. 31 so long as he complies with the terms of the order, and first demonstrates of his fitness and competency to resume practice, officials said. Vecchiones lawyer, Russell Hewit, did not immediately respond to request for comment Monday afternoon. Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieKausch. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 22:24:27|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close MOSCOW, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Armed Forces will receive a series of modern weapons in the next few years under a current armament program, First Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko has said. "Irrespective of the western economic sanctions, we will continue creating technologically independent weapons systems capable of efficiently opposing potential means of attack of any origin, even most modern, hypersonic ones," he said in an article recently published in the Radioelectronic Technologies journal. Krivoruchko said that serial deliveries of new RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles, which should replace the Voyevoda heavy missiles in the Strategic Missile Forces, will begin in 2021. The new missile, which has a launch mass of 208.1 tons and a payload of about 10 tons, can hit targets at ranges up to 18,000 km, he said. Krivoruchko recalled that the Russian military successfully tested the S-500 Prometey anti-aircraft missile systems last year, which will be ready for supply to the Armed Forces in 2020. The main task of the S-500 is to intercept medium-range ballistic missiles at a range of up to 3,500 km as well as intercontinental ballistic missiles, he said. The deeply modernized strategic missile carrier Tu-160M2 will make its maiden flight in 2021 and its deliveries to long-range aviation units should begin in 2023, he said. According to Krivoruchko, the Russian Defense Ministry plans to purchase 10 such missile carriers by 2027. : GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL) has signed a concession agreement to commission, operationalize and maintain the Civilian Enclave at Bidar Airport in North Karnataka. The agreement was signed under the centres Regional Connectivity UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) Scheme, a press release from GMR said on Monday. GHIAL is expected to start the airport operations in the first week of February 2020 with the operations of one daily flight connecting Bidar with Bangalore. S G K Kishore, Executive Director South, GMR Airports and CEO - GHIAL, said,"The operationalization of Bidar Airport is a testimony to our commitment to support the Government of Indias flagship Regional Connectivity Scheme. We are very pleased to partner with the Government of Karnataka to support efforts for all-round development Bidar and nearby regions and we are confident that the start of commercial operations at Bidar will provide a boost to the local economy through better connectivity for the people of Bidar and the large number of tourists who visit the area." Located in the north-eastern part of Karnataka , Bidar city is the headquarters of Bidar District and is home to important religious shrines and historic monuments, including Guru Nanak Jhira Sahib, one of the holiest sites of the Sikh religion in this part of the country. Bidar is also renowned for Bidriware metal handicraft products which have been recognized with the coveted Geographical Indication (GI) tag. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UUP MLA Doug Beattie has accused the DUP of trying to wash their hands of the Stormont House Agreement after calls from the party to revisit Troubles legacy provisions. He made the comments after it emerged that DUP leader Arlene Foster has written to Secretary of State Julian Smith to express her concerns around certain provisions in the 2014 agreement, including the establishment of a Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) to re-examine unsolved murders. As part of the New Decade, New Approach deal the Government has promised to table legislation to implement the legacy provisions, agreed at Stormont House in 2014, within 100 days. Mrs Foster has also expressed a desire to amend the definition of a Troubles victim to a "person who was killed or injured through no fault of their own". Mr Beattie and his party have opposed the legacy mechanisms and repeatedly called for them to be dropped. The UUP justice spokesperson said that the DUP had expressed support for an investigations unit in their 2019 General Election manifesto and in response to the public consultation on legacy. "The DUP set us on this path at Stormont House and now it has left us for Westminster they are trying to distance themselves from what they created," he said. "It is positive that they are now seeing what I have been saying for the past few years, but is it too late? Is it unstoppable?" Mr Beattie accused the DUP leader of making "glib statements" around the HIU and challenged Mrs Foster to categorically state that her party cannot support it. He said that the DUP had known for years what was in the agreement and now that it was getting down to the wire they had changed tact. "It's not just myself, the Police Federation and retired RUC officers have spoken out against the HIU. It's absolutely disgraceful," the Upper Bann MLA said. "I'm not against the HIU because I am a unionist or former soldier, I do not support an amnesty. If introduced it will stop thousands of people from getting justice and how can anyone support that. "If you change the HIU in the way that's needed it will no longer resemble what was created in the first place." The UUP MLA said he believed the DUP may have changed their position due to pressure from the Police Federation, Orange Order and other policing groups. "This is the DUP preparing for the 2022 Stormont election. They are dancing on the head of a pin. The HIU is the brainchild of the DUP," Mr Beattie said. Expand Close First Minister Arlene Foster and (right) Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp First Minister Arlene Foster and (right) Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill rejected calls the from Mrs Foster to revisit the legacy provisions. Read More The party's vice-president said that the agreement must be implemented in full and pointed out that the DUP signed up to the agreement, alongside the UK and Irish Governments and other political parties. In her letter Mrs Foster wrote that in the five years since the agreement was signed "things have evolved" and that "the issues must now be addressed in light of the passage of time" She said that the concerns must be addressed before any legislation could be introduced. The DUP leader expressed concern that the HIU would "focus more on state-related deaths" and said that many victims and survivors were "losing confidence or not being supportive of the proposal". Mrs Foster also questioned the HIU investigating "non-criminal police misconduct", saying it cannot under law reach any meaningful outcome. "There are a range of additional issues that I would wish to raise with you, on how we can build on, improve and address issues since the high-level agreement on legacy as set out in the Stormont House Agreement," the First Minister wrote. Expand Close MLAs and members of the British and Irish governments at the signing of the Stormont House Agreeement PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp MLAs and members of the British and Irish governments at the signing of the Stormont House Agreeement Mrs Foster called on the Secretary of State to begin discussions as soon as possible as the 100 day deadline "does not give much time for what will need to be substantive discussions on the way forward". She outlined her reasoning in an interview on Sophy Ridge on Sunday. "I think we need to revisit the Stormont House Agreement because what is being proposed, and we made this clear in our consultation response at the time, is not acceptable to the victims' groups here and it's certainly not acceptable to us," the Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA said. "There is a need to deal with these issues but it has to be done in a way that recognises fairness and recognises what actually happened here in Northern Ireland over 35-40 years, the fact that we did have a terrorist campaign and there were so many innocent victims as a result of that." Mrs Foster also called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to protect members of the security forces based in Northern Ireland from "vexatious claims" alongside their mainland counterparts. Expand Close Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith (Liam McBurney/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith (Liam McBurney/PA) Speaking following the interview, deputy First Minister Ms O'Neill said the Stormont House deal could not be "cherry picked by the British Government or the DUP". She said that she had requested an urgent meeting with the Secretary of State to discuss legislation on victims persons and other legacy issues. The British government has been resiling from the commitments it made at Stormont House and has delayed implementing the agreement for more than five years, further delaying truth and justice to the victims and their families," the Mid Ulster MLA said. The British government needs to implement its commitments in full in a human rights compliant manner. The DUP has been contacted in relation to Mr Beattie's comments. Jamia firing a result of hyper-nationalism says injured student India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 03: The Jamia Millia Islamia student who was injured in firing outside the university during an anti-CAA protest dubbed the incident "a result of hyper nationalism". In his Facebook post, Shadab Farooq said what happened on Thursday can be termed as "a result of hyper nationalism". "If you want to make it a protest, make it one. Raise black flags, raise red flags," he stated. Jamia firing: Two gunmen fire shots near gate 5 of university amid Anti-CAA protest He further stated that the Delhi Police alone was not to be blamed for the incident. NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 The Jamia administration and the vice chancellor should also be blamed for it, he said. In his post, Farooq, a mass communication student, narrated the incident and stated that the Jamia Coordination Committee had called for a Gandhi March from the university to the Rajghat on January 30. "I was about to join the protest, waiting for the crowd to march forward when I saw a random person holding a pistol in his hands walking towards Holy Family (Hospital). I saw some of my friends standing there, I immediately ran towards him to calm him down," he stated in the post. "People were asking the police to stop him. They were continuously shouting that he's holding a pistol but the police didn't listen. Instead, they kept recording videos. I kept saying put the gun down, I said it twice. He shot me on my left forearm when I said it for the third time," he added. Farooq said what he did wasn't an act of heroism as he did what he felt was right. EC transfers DCP Chinmoy Biswal after Jamia, Shaheen Bagh firing incidents "I am calling for an action because I am hurt. If the administration still doesn't take action on it and if it fails to reach out to its students, then tomorrow there will be another Shadab standing in front of a bullet while the police keep their hands in their pockets and record videos," he said. "And I'll be back to college real soon. The fight is long, but we will fight. We will win," he added. Brisbane, Australia, Jan 31, 2020 - (ABN Newswire) - Emerging lithium miner Sayona Mining Limited (ASX:SYA.AX - News) (HAM:DML.HM - News) (OTCMKTS:DMNXF - News) announced its activities report for the December quarter 2019, as it continues to advance its lithium projects in Canada and Australia amid growing demand for the metal of the 21st century. Quarter Highlights - Revised Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for Authier Lithium Project shows boost to profitability, with estimated net present value (NPV) increasing to C$216 million from previous study's C$184.8m - Agreement signed with First Nation Abitibiwinni for exploration phase of Authier project as Sayona advances approval process - Potential for a new lithium deposit at the Viau-Dallaire prospect, located within the Company's Tansim Lithium Project in Quebec - World class team assembled to support Sayona's bid for North American Lithium (NAL), with leading technical skills, managerial expertise and financial capacity - Work progressing on WA tenements under earn-in agreement with leading lithium producer, Altura Mining. To view the quarterly report, please visit: https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/V0P3JK03 About Sayona Mining Ltd: Sayona Mining Limited (ASX:SYA.AX - News) (OTCMKTS:DMNXF - News) is an Australian, ASX-listed (SYA) company focused on sourcing and developing the raw materials required to construct lithium-ion batteries for use in the rapidly growing new and green technology sectors. The Company has lithium projects in Quebec, Canada and in Western Australia. Please visit us as at www.sayonamining.com.au Contact: Brett Lynch Managing Director Phone: +61 (7) 3369 7058 Email: info@sayonamining.com.au Source: Sayona Mining Ltd Copyright (C) 2020 ABN Newswire. All rights reserved. One of the six pillars of the Chester County Historic Courthouse on North High Street will shine in blue light on January nights beginning Tuesday evening in recognition of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, or Sinopecthe largest oil refiner in Asiais cutting its refinery production by 600,000 bpd in February, due to decreased fuel demand amid the raging coronavirus outbreak, four sources familiar with the plans told Reuters on Monday. The spread of the coronavirus and its impact on fuel demand amid travel restrictions and thousands of canceled flights has already had analysts saying that refiners in China and throughout Asia would resort to reducing refinery runs because of depressed demand. Chinas independent refiners were expected to cut refinery throughput more significantly because they are not allowed to export fuels, unlike the state-held corporations. Independent refiners in Chinas Shandong province in the east have already cut refinery runs by as much as 30-50 percent and are now said to operate at less than half of their refining capacity, according to Reuters sources. Sinopec, for its part, is cutting 600,000 bpd of fuel production this month alone, which represents 12 percent of the corporations 5-million-bpd average fuel production for last year, Reuters sources say. Sinopec told Reuters in a statement that it was carefully monitoring market demand and would optimize its run rates and fuel product mix based on that demand, avoiding to directly refer to refinery production reductions. Analysts continue to struggle to peg the exact demand loss from the coronavirus, but they agree that there would be some demand destruction in China, in the first quarter at least. Wood Mackenzie estimates that Chinas oil demand will be reduced by 250,000 bpd in the first quarter of 2020. The sudden demand shock from the coronavirus will make OPEC and Russias efforts to balance the market and support oil prices even more difficult. The OPEC+ allies are said to be considering deepening the cuts by another 500,000 bpd, due to the oil demand destroyed by the coronavirus, OPEC and industry sources told Reuters on Monday. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: by Karlene Lukovitz @KLmarketdaily, February 3, 2020 Locast, the free service that lets users stream feeds of ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and other broadcast stations in a growing number of major U.S. markets, is stating it has surpassed 1 million registered users. The service made the claim in an an emailed ad. The companys site, as well as the email, also state that the service (which launched last year with broadcast feeds from 13 stations in the New York City metro area) is now available in 17 urban markets, giving 41 million TV homes, or 36% of the U.S. market, the option to use the service. Locasts cities now include Sioux City, Iowa which it added last week, in time for this weeks Iowa Democratic caucuses. Its other markets are Atlanta, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Seattle, Dallas, Boston, Denver, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Phoenix, and Sioux Falls and Rapid City, South Dakota. advertisement advertisement Locasts email also pointed out that cable and satellite TV providers are raising rates this year. Comcast, for instance, is raising rates on its broadcast channel package 50%, the promotion stated. Why pay more when you can sign up to Locast in 17 cities and watch your local broadcast TV channels for free via the internet? Locast users can access streams through TiVos over-the-air set-top boxes, DirecTV, Apple iOS, AppleTV, Android, AndroidTV, Roku, Amazon Firestick, Hopper, and web browser platforms. Locast is free, but requests donations of at least $5 a month. Locast maintains that it is a public service operating under the copyright statute that allows nonprofit translator stations to rebroadcast local stations without a copyright license in order to boost reach in areas where a primary broadcaster isnt reaching receivers with a strong enough signal. Locast.org operates just like a traditional broadcast translator service, except instead of using an over-the-air signal to boost a broadcasters reach, we stream the signal over the Internet to consumers located within select U.S. cities, states the organizations site. The big broadcast companies dont see it that way, however. Broadcasters including CBS, ABC, NBC Universal and Fox sued Locast last July, claiming Locast is engaging in wholesale infringement of the broadcast companies copyrights, and seeking a shutdown of the service and damages. The broadcasters suit contends that Locast is financially benefiting big pay-TV operators, including Dish TV and DirecTV, as well as itself. Locast countersued in September, asserting that the broadcasters violated antitrust law by conspiring to transmit signals that are too weak to reach local television markets, effectively forcing people to pay fees for access. In October, the broadcasters filed a motion asking that the court dismiss Locasts antitrust claims. Following the first and so far only diagnosis of the coronavirus in Massachusetts, public health officials continue to say the risk of the outbreak to the state as well as the country is low. A UMass Boston student arrived at Boston Logan International Airport last week after traveling to Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus outbreak started. The student, a man in his 20s, recognized he was sick, sought medical attention and was diagnosed with the virus, named 2019-nCoV. He has been quarantined in his off-campus home since Wednesday and is being monitored regularly by nurses over the phone, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The man is doing quite well, according to Dr. Jennifer Lo, medical director at the Boston Public Health Commission. He will remain isolated until cleared by public health officials, and his few close contacts are being observed for any symptoms indicating the respiratory infection. Right now, we are not asking Boston residents to do anything differently," said Boston Public Health Commission Executive Director Rita Nieves in a statement. "The risk to the general public remains low. And we continue to be confident we are in a good position to respond to this developing situation. The threat of the virus remains low in the rest of the country as well. Eleven confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions website. More than 165 people tested negative for the virus and continue to be observed, and 82 patients test results are pending. Two people were tested negative for 2019-nCoV in New Hampshire after traveling to Wuhan and displaying respiratory symptoms, the states Department of Public Health announced last week. This is a very serious public health threat, the CDCs website says. The fact that this virus has caused severe illness and sustained person-to-person spread in China is concerning, but its unclear how the situation in the United States will unfold at this time. Despite the viruss low threat domestically, concerns remain about the 2019-nCoV strain internationally. Nearly 14,600 cases have been confirmed globally, and the World Health Organization reported 305 deaths from the illness, 304 of which were in China, according to WHOs most recent situation report. Several Massachusetts schools have suspended school-related travel to China, including Boston University, Harvard University and UMass Amherst. At Northeastern University, students traveling to China via university sponsorship will now need approval to do so from the Office of the Provost. Officials at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester said they have been in contact with five students who are on a year-long study abroad program in Beijing about travel restrictions relating to the outbreak. At Clark University, two students who were expected to study to abroad in China now see their departure influx, MassLive previously reported. A student at Smith College, who reported experiencing cold-like symptoms, notified the college Sunday she may have been on a flight with the UMass Boston student who tested positive for the coronavirus. The state Department of Public Health and CDC has not yet indicated whether the student is at risk of exposure or transmission of the respiratory infection. Out of an abundance of caution, and in accordance with DPH and CDC guidance, the student will follow standard flu treatment guidelines and remain in isolation, school officials said in an email to the campus. Medical staff will stay in close contact with the student to ensure she receives the care and support that adheres to public health guidelines. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is running for president, also released a policy plan Jan. 28 aimed at combatting outbreaks of infectious diseases. The Massachusetts Democrats proposal calls for increased funding to hospitals, health care providers and public health agencies, including the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services. Logan airport was identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as one of 20 U.S. airports that will have enhanced screenings of passengers arriving from China, according to MDPH. Passengers are expected to fill out a questionnaire about their travel history, and staff from the agency will take the temperatures of travelers. If passengers do not show any symptoms, CDC staff will provide the travelers with health information cards telling them what symptoms to look out for and what to do if they develop symptoms within 14 days after leaving China. The White House announced Friday it would be suspending all entry into the U.S. by foreign nationals who have traveled to mainland China within the past two weeks. Immediate family members of American citizens and legal permanent residents are allowed to come into the country, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a teleconference Monday. The CDC has warned against all nonessential travel to China as well. In Massachusetts, state officials are working with Massport, local health departments and other medical partners to prevent the spread of the virus. The state Department of Public Health has launched a website to provide information about the virus, disseminated clinical advisories to health care providers and issued guidances to hospitals and EMS. While person-to-person spread among close contacts has been detected with this virus, at this time this virus is NOT currently spreading in the community in the United States," the agencys website says. Related Content: There was tension in Isiama Afaraukwu community in Umuahia North local government area of Abia State when over 100 fierce-looking soldiers invaded the the country home of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu on Sunday afternoon. This is coming barely two weeks to the burial of parents of Nnamdi Kanu; HRH Eze Israel Okwu Kanu and Ugoeze Sally Kanu, scheduled to hold on the 14th of February. According to residents, nine military vans were spotted with soldiers blocking all the roads leading to the home of the IPOB Leader. Shops that were opened for minor businesses on Sunday were forced to shutdown, as every nearby streets and major roads became deserted as fear gripped residents. The soldiers numbering over 100 in nine military veterans and 2 Armored personnel carriers have been patrolling Bank road to Flo FM. The Soldiers have blocked the entrance street to Eze Kanus Palace, Afaraukwa, Umuahia with their van, walking round the community on foot. Everyone was scared, we ran away, a resident said. Another resident who simply gave his name as Abarikwu said he was on his way back from church when he got a call that soldiers had invaded the community. The younger brother to the IPOB leader, Prince Emmanuel Kanu in a telephone interview confirmed the presence of the soldiers in the community and roads leading to the palace. Younger Kanu also told reporters that residents, road users and visitors who tried to make use of the road leading to the palace on sighting the heavy military presence turned back. The 14Brigade Public Relations Officer, Capt Iliya Daudu couldnt be reached, but a military source in Umuahia dismissed report of the invasion. Meanwhile, KanyiDaily had reported that Afaraukwu kinsmen of Nnamdi Kanu are divided over his return from the United Kingdom (UK) to pay his last respects to his parents. While some chiefs said they would have loved Nnamdi Kanu to return as is customary so that he could take part in the burial rites for his parents. Others warned that his return may trigger another crisis that could lead to another invasion of the community by security agencies. Europe could import some 100 million tons of liquefied natural gas this year as many cargoes turned down by Asian buyers head for the continent, Reuters has reported, citing energy analysts. Last year LNG imports to Europe reached 85 million tons, an all-time record at the time. Yet it seems that depressed demand for LNG in Asiaa key market for the blooming industrywill drive this years intake by European countries substantially higher, with 78 cargoes of excess LNG coming from Asia into northwestern Europe. The problem is that the European LNG market is already oversupplied. Last year, the Gate Terminal in the Netherlands, which takes in a lot of the LNG coming into the continent, said it processed a record 171 LNG carriers in 2019. It seems a lot of the LNG remained in storage, sparking concern that soon Europe will not be able to handle the unwanted LNG of Asia, not least because of unseasonably warm weather that has pressured already lackluster demand further. This state of LNG fundamentals has already driven prices low. The November and December spot price for LNG in the Netherlands averaged some $3.95 per million British thermal units. It was the lowest for this time of the year since January 2004, Reuters noted in a report. But as the glut deepens, traders expect prices to fall further, to $2.4 per mmBtu later this year. There is less room to inject gas in storage this summer and a lot of coal to gas switching has already taken place, an Energy Aspects analyst told Reuters. European authorities have approved the construction of new LNG import terminals but these have yet to be built, so capacity is indeed already stretched. If the warm spell continues, some LNG production terminals might need to shut down. The first to be hit by the European glut would be U.S. LNG producers, according to Natural Gas Intel, if they can redirect the gas to the domestic market, which is also in an excess supply situation. The situation for U.S. LNG producers specifically is made additionally complicated by Chinas still standing 25-percent tariff on LNG imports from the U.S. Reuters last week quoted Freeport LNGs chief executive Michael Smith as saying local producers could not afford to sell their LNG to a country that has a 25-percent tariff on the commodity. Smith was commenting on the fact that China has restarted negotiations with U.S. LNG producers regarding future LNG purchases under the Phase 1 trade deal Beijing inked with Washington earlier this month. Under that deal, China undertook to buy an additional $18.5 billion worth of U.S. energy products but with the 25-percent tariff on LNG still active, LNG might not end up among these energy products. Importantly, should mild weather or stronger than expected LNG deliveries in NW Europe continue to the point that they would add another 2 Bcm to storagethe market would have to move lower to look for the next lever of adjustment, arguably the curtailment of US LNG exports, Goldman Sachs said in a note earlier this week. At current US gas forward prices, we estimate this would be tested with TTF and JKM moving $0.60/mmBtu and $0.80/mmBtu lower from here. Europe is turning into the final destination for a lot of LNG and its storage facilities are filling up. What will happen when they do fill up, with spring and summerseasons of lower LNG demandcoming? Prices will fall even lower, possibly to a point where some production becomes uneconomical. With the right circumstances, this year could see a smaller, LNG version of the oil price crash of 2014. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: A postal worker braved the rain and floods to successfully drop of packages despite having to work in heavy rain and ankle-deep water. Port Lincoln, west of Adelaide, became submerged by flash floods when rain battered the area on Friday. Despite the downpour - which cut power to more than 5,000 properties - an Australia Post battled through the massive downpour to deliver mail. Sarah Wormald was watching the rain when she noticed the postwoman pull up outside her house. Port Lincoln, west of Adelaide, became submerged by flash floods when rain battered the area on Friday Despite the downpour - which cut power to more than 5,000 properties, an Australia Post worker continued to deliver mail in the ankle-deep water She started filming the flooded streets and watched as the Australia Post worker stood in ankle-deep water. 'That is commitment, that is awesome! Loving the rain,' Ms Wormald can be heard saying in the video. Ms Wormald told Daily Mail Australia she had just noticed the downpour of rain when she decided to open her French doors to 'cool the house down and watch it'. 'The driver had pulled up two or three minutes later while I was out there and I just couldn't believe the amount of water,' she said. 'She steps out from behind the van and she was just soaked.' 'I went to meet her down the stairs and we had a little chuckle as the signature machine started playing up from getting wet' Ms Wormald described the postwoman as a 'lovely lady' who was 'doing her job in all conditions'. Rain water pooled into a shopping plaza's car park, trapping vehicles and turning the town's centre into a gigantic swimming pool One woman embraced the rain by diving into flood waters as they climbed above her waist, engulfing a Woolworth's store Cars' tyres became completely engulfed, with reports claiming the force of the floods caused some cars to float Port Lincoln quickly became flooded on Friday, with residents posting photos to social media of cars bogged in the water as it scaled up buildings. The storm cut power to more than 5,000 properties across Port Lincoln and to Adelaide Hospital, which had to use a generator to run the 800-bed facility. There were reports the force of the floods caused some cars to float, while one woman was pictured taking advantage of the weather change by swimming in the deluge. Local business owner Shelly Walford said: 'Cars were actually floating in the car park, some fully submerged, the shop everything.' A man was filmed struggling to wade himself out of the flooded car park, pulling up each water-weighed leg strenuously to take a new step South Australian State Emergency Services spokesman Jon Carr said many cars 'had been flooded quite significantly' In three hours, Kangaroo Island, that was ravaged by bushfires only weeks ago, became saturated in 40millimeters of rain. The South Australian State Emergency Services released a statement at 6.30pm urging residents in Adelaide, Mount Lofty Ranges, Yorke Peninsula, Eastern Eyre Peninsula and Kangaroo Island to stay indoors, away from windows, and to avoid unnecessary travel. South Australian State Emergency spokesman Jon Carr said an storm hit just after 2pm dumping 70 millileters of rain into Port Lincoln. The storm rolled in suddenly after the Lower Eyre Peninsula town battled through sweltering mid-30s temperatures on Thursday. Boris Johnson will today rule out accepting Brussels regulations as he squares up to the European Union over a trade deal. Setting out his vision for the country's post-Brexit relationship, the Prime Minister will tell EU leaders he wants a Canada-style free trade agreement. But in a tough-talking speech, he will warn they must drop demands that the UK sticks to their regulations as the price of a deal. If the leaders refuse to back down, Mr Johnson will say he would rather accept trade tariffs than EU rules and would instead follow Australia's trading relationship with the EU, which is based on World Trade Organisation terms. 'In either case, I have no doubt that Britain will prosper,' the Prime Minister will say. Boris Johnson will today rule out accepting Brussels regulations as he squares up to the European Union over a trade deal His speech, which he will deliver to an audience of business leaders and ambassadors in London, comes as the EU will also unveil its guidelines for Brexit talks. The two sides are set on a collision course as the EU insists that any deal is dependent on the UK signing up to a 'level playing field' on regulations and rules, which would effectively stop British businesses being able to undercut those on the continent. But the Prime Minister will argue no other country which has a trade deal with the EU has been forced to sign up to such obligations. He will say: 'There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment or anything similar, any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules. 'The UK will maintain the highest standards in these areas better, in many respects, than those of the EU without the compulsion of a treaty and it is vital to stress this now.' Leo Varadkar, the Irish Taoiseach, yesterday insisted the extra protections were needed as the UK is geographically closer to the EU than Canada and does a much larger volume of trade He will add: 'We have often been told that we must choose between full access to the EU market, along with accepting its rules and courts on the Norway model, or an ambitious free trade agreement, which opens up markets and avoids the full panoply of EU regulation, on the example of Canada. We have made our choice: we want a free trade agreement, similar to Canada's.' In the 'very unlikely event' that talks do not succeed, Mr Johnson will say in his speech he will seek a much looser arrangement. 'The choice is emphatically not 'deal or no deal'. The question is whether we agree a trading relationship with the EU comparable to Canada's or more like Australia's,' he will insist. 'In either case, I have no doubt that Britain will prosper.' Mr Johnson will say 'our new relationship with our closest neighbours will range far beyond trade'. 'We will seek a pragmatic agreement on security, protecting our citizens without trespassing on the autonomy of our respective legal systems,' he will announce. Leo Varadkar, the Irish Taoiseach, yesterday insisted the extra protections were needed as the UK is geographically closer to the EU than Canada and does a much larger volume of trade. He told the BBC's Andrew Marr show yesterday: 'You're geographically part of the European continent, we share seas, we share airspace and our economies are very integrated. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said any suggestion the UK will have to follow EU rules and laws after 2021 'just ain't happening' 'One thing that we feel very strongly in the European Union is that if we're going to have tariff-free, quota-free trade with the UK... then that needs to come with a level playing field. We would have very strong views on fair competition and state aid.' But Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said any suggestion the UK will have to follow EU rules and laws after 2021 'just ain't happening'. He told Marr that staying tied to EU regulations 'obviously defeats the point of Brexit'. Mr Johnson has vowed to negotiate a trade deal with the EU by the end of this year so there is no need to extend the transition period beyond December. Some EU figures have questioned whether the fast-track timetable is realistic, but former European Council president Donald Tusk yesterday said he believed it would be possible. He told Marr: 'One year is enough to finalise our negotiations.' Give Brussels fishing rights for 25 years? Codswallop! Britain to reject EU demands for deal that would allow foreign trawlers access to our waters until 2045 Britain is to reject EU demands for a deal on fishing that would give foreign trawlers access to our waters for 25 years. Instead, France and other European nations will have to request access annually, with quotas negotiated each year. The UK has some of the richest fishing grounds in the world, but British vessels land less than a third 32 per cent of the total catch. EU boats take 43 per cent, while the Norwegians catch 21 per cent. At the end of the transition period in December, the country will leave the EUs Common Fisheries Policy, which dictates how much British trawlers can catch and where. Fishermen complain they do not get a fair share of what is caught in UK waters. The Fisheries Bill going through Parliament will end the automatic right of EU vessels to fish in British waters, with access to fisheries set to be a matter for the UK to negotiate. Ministers see Norway as a model. It holds annual negotiations with the EU on access to waters, management of shared stocks and exchanges of quota rights. The political declaration on future relations agreed by Boris Johnson and EU leaders last year states fishing rights must be ratified by July. MANZINI Does what you wear to church have any meaning of the level of your Christian belief or its just clothes? This is one question that could cross ones mind following the ongoing debate in churches on what a moral Christian should wear in church, as some Christians believe that God is more concerned with the heart than He is with clothes while others believe that people should dress appropriately in church. In a bid to dissect the aforementioned subject, random interviewees, including prominent pastors were engaged on the matter. Hazel Sihlase said she was of the view that it would be wise for a Christian to wear anything or as they pleased to church. When you cover something, you cause someone to be more curious to know whats hidden there. when something is exposed, people lose interest in it. Thats the nature of men, she said. Implying Mbuso Hlanze said the type of clothes worn by Christians in church were not of any particular significance, however, he was quick to mention that he was not implying that people should walk naked but said on the contrary, what he meant was that sin was not in action but in the mind and nature of man so whether people covered or uncovered their bodies, a corrupt mind would still fall. Sipho Dludlu said how you dress up for church should be a consideration. He said there may not be a specific law to deal with how people should be dressed up in church but it remains an undisputable fact that some people were mischievous by nature. Consider While you are in your house preparing and dressing up for church, what comes to your mind as a Christian? Do you ever consider the item that you want to wear on that particular day? Its a pity that some people call evil good and good evil, otherwise you have to think about the weak in your midst as a Christian before dressing up for church, said Sebe Mavuso. Mkhuzeni Msweli said when he hears Africans argue about clothes, he just laughs. A majority of people just knew clothes recently; all their ancestors wore almost nothing but did not have such lust they are talking about, he said. Well-known Mbabane Centre leader, Apostle Justice Dlamini said given that the Bible did not specify a particular dress code for men and females since its a book that was not written for any particular ethnic group of any particular culture but for a multicultural world population, it becomes safe to give a well thought-out opinion on the subject. (HealthDay)A mad dash is afoot to craft a vaccine for the new coronavirus that's ravaging China and starting to spread across the globe, with possibly dozens of labs working on permanent protection against the pathogen. Researchers say an effective vaccine could be created in a matter of weeks, using advanced techniques. "We know enough. We can do this. We can actually make a vaccine in the lab in two weeks," said Florian Krammer, a professor of vaccinology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City. "Buthere's the butthat doesn't help us much." Why not? Because any new vaccine will still face manufacturing and regulatory hurdles that would take months to surmount, experts say. Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said, "Though we may be in clinical trials within a year, I do not expect a coronavirus vaccine to be commercially available within a year." The World Health Organization on Thursday declared the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak a global public health emergency. Countries around the world are reporting isolated cases of coronavirus, as travelers carry the bug out of Chinaincluding the United States, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia,, Malaysia, Macau, France, South Korea, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Vietnam, India, the Philippines, Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Finland, the United Kingdom and Russia. And the United States has had its first case of person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus, with a Chicago woman passing the virus to her husband. "I don't think it's been overhyped," Krammer said of the threat posed by the virus. "We have to take this very seriously. We don't know which direction it will go. It might be that it's stoppable. It might be that it's not stoppable." In response, vaccine labs worldwide are adapting their work on previous coronavirus vaccines for SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) to try to stop this new pathogen, Krammer said. "There are SARS vaccines and MERS vaccines that work. We can model a vaccine right away with the new coronavirus, based on those vaccines. My lab is doing that. There's probably 50 labs in the U.S. that are doing that right now," Krammer said. For example, virologist Keith Chappell at the University of Queensland in Australia told NPR that his lab is working at speed to produce a vaccine using the virus' genetic sequence, which Chinese researchers cracked and have shared with the world. "Our goal was to be able to hit 16 weeks from sequence information to having a product that is shown to be safe and effective, and is ready for administration to the first humans," Chappell said. The more high-profile efforts at developing a coronavirus vaccine include: A Massachusetts biotech company called Moderna is developing a vaccine genetically designed by researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to the Washington Post . The NIH hopes to have safety trials for this vaccine underway by April. . The NIH hopes to have safety trials for this vaccine underway by April. A Philadelphia biotech firm, Inovio, is gearing up for lab and animal testing of a vaccine of its own design. The effort is backed by a $9 million grant from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, according to The New York Times . . Pharmaceutical industry leader Johnson & Johnson is also working on a vaccine, but its top scientists say it could take up to a year to bring the vaccine to market, CNBC reports. Unfortunately, getting millions of doses of coronavirus vaccine into the hands of doctors and the arms of patients is a more complicated process, Krammer said. The problem is that there are no vaccines on the market for any coronavirus, not even SARS or MERS, Krammer said. If this were the flu, manufacturing could be more easily spun up because the technology is in place to mass-produce the annual flu vaccine, Krammer said. "There's no already-in-play manufacturing technology we can employ right now that regulatory authorities are used to," Krammer said of a coronavirus vaccine. "That's the complication." Vaccine developers also have to prove to federal regulators that their creation is safe and effective, and being manufactured to the highest standards, Krammer added. "You need to make these vaccines in a quality that is acceptable to regulatory agencies," Krammer said. "That's a little bit harder, because that includes sourcing qualified materials that can be used in such a process, which is not so easy, and you also need to have extensive testing in order to release these vaccines," he explained. "The truth is it's going to take a few months until there is a vaccine available for testing," Krammer concluded. "Then the main question that remains is how long it will take to produce, once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows its use in the population. How much time do we need to make sufficient doses?" Explore further When will there be a coronavirus vaccine? 5 questions answered More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about coronaviruses Copyright 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Korean Air is launching a direct flight between Budapest and Seoul, Airportal.hu said. Korean Air will operate the service three times a week Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday until October 17. Its Airbus A330-200 will land in Budapest at 3.30pm and take off at 6.30pm. Korean Air also operates a freight service between the two cities twice a week. LOT Polish Airlines already operates regular flights between the two cities. With the new service, direct connections operated by the two carriers will be available every day except Monday. The dozens of troops who suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI) from the concussive effects of Iranian airstrikes on Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, are eligible for Purple Hearts, the Pentagon said Monday. But the individual services must still decide whether to award them. At a news briefing, Pentagon chief spokesman Jonathan Hoffman cited general standards for awarding the Purple Heart that appear to qualify all or most of the troops who were treated for TBI after the Iranian missile strikes Jan. 7. He said Purple Heart eligibility for TBI requires both a doctor's diagnosis and that the service member miss at least two days of duty because of the injury. Many of the service members injured at Al Asad were evacuated to Landstuhl, Germany, for medical treatment and evaluation and would appear to meet those requirements. Related: 64 Troops Now Being Treated for TBI Following Iran Missile Attack However, Hoffman said that the final call on awarding the medal is "a question for the services," adding that he has yet to receive an update on when those decisions would be made. "The process is going to play out," he said. "Fortunately, all the cases to date have been characterized as mild TBI, which is the equivalent of concussions." About 60% of those who suffered TBI in the Al Asad strikes "have already returned to duty," Hoffman said, "and we're optimistic that the rest of them will return to duty very soon." In the early years of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the military appeared reluctant to hand out Purple Hearts for TBI. But awards have gone out more regularly as it became known as the "signature" combat injury of the wars. The Iranian missile strikes on Al Asad were in response to the Jan. 3 U.S. drone strike at Baghdad International Airport that killed Iranian Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani. The White House and the Pentagon initially said that there were no U.S. casualties from the estimated 15 Iranian missiles that hit the sprawling base in Iraq's Anbar province, where an estimated 2,000 U.S. troops are based. Officials said the attack came in waves and lasted about 90 minutes. However, officials later said that at least 11 service members suffered TBI; the numbers have risen as symptoms can take weeks to show up. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Read more: Still Misunderstood: How Traumatic Brain Injuries Affect America's Veterans I have been following with keen interest, the discussions and developments developing between the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) led by the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Eminent Advisory Committee Persons (EAC) led by Mr. Justice Emily Short, the Civil Society Organization for Good Governance (CSOs), and the Election Management Body, led by Madam Jean Mensa. Fellow Ghanaians, in my silent mode of reflection, considering the final advice and verdict of the EAC, there's a huge fire on the mountain! The statement of the EAC that "majority of the people within the IPAC want a new register" despite the fact that the EAC conveniently disallowed a slot for the Civil Servants Organization for Good Governance to make their submission on the issue, makes the entire work of the committee jaundiced! Somebody should have reminded the EAC what George Bernard Shaw is quoted to have said: "Wherever you are on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." It is not about what majority want, but what would be good for Ghana. Say what you like, there's no smoke without fire. The debacle and fiasco that characterized the Ayawasu West Wuogon Constituency by-election last year, and President Akufo Addo's White Paper which was issued to that effect, seem to have taken a toll on the latest Justice Emily Short-led EAC's recommendation to compile the new voters register. Recall the Emily Short Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate into the Ayawasu West by-election violence left no stone unturned in their work to actually establishing the causes of the violence and who should the president place his thumb to condemn. The commission did a stellar job to the amazement and admiration of every Tom Dick and Harry in this country even though President Akufo Addo suppressed their recommendations with his White Paper. I think that stellar job of the Commission which exposed the president's phony love and jaundiced pacifist perspective in this country, is the reason why the Commission this time around decides to cover his keister by supporting the EC. From the Commission's statement "each party should place Ghana first in pursuing their interests" sums it all that, they were not wholeheartedly in support of the move by the EC but because of government's do or die mission to compiling a new register. But because of unmoderated greed to maintain their disequilibrated status quo of economic management where only few rejoice in their government having thrown commonsense and caution to the wind, the Commission in a low tone tacitly endorses the NVRC exercise in order not to expose President Akufo Addos fake patriotism for this country. It's important to point out the arguments that have been adduced so far by both sides of the Electoral Commission (EC) and the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), and why each of them maintain their stance. And let me begin with the EC first that is arguing in favor of the new voter register without substance. Madam Jean Mensa and her entourage argue that the current electoral equipment are faulty and not in good shape to conducting this year's polls, hence the need for new set of biometric devices. Again, the EC keeps pointing at the credibility of the impending elections, raising legitimate reason like the EC's lack of access to the Source Code from the manufacturer of the current devices which were purchased under the NDC in 2011. And for them, it's riskier since third party's possession of the Source Code may risk tampering with the outcome of the elections. Madam Jean Mensa and her Commission also alleged that purchasing new equipment and compiling a new register would save Ghana an amount of over GH136 million. On the side of the biggest opposition NDC-led Interparty Advisory Committee (IPAC), they argue that there's not enough time to undertake the exercise and failure to meet the timeline posited by the EC, could result in the disenfranchisement of eligible voters. They maintain the compilation of a new voters register is nothing more than an exercise in futility which would amount to waste of resources and time of Ghanaians. IPAC thinks to demand a new voters register on just the wee hours of the impending elections, is a calculated attempt to mar the credibility, and sanctity of the impending general elections by the governing NPP for political Animus Furandi reasons (rigging the election). There are hypocritical other political parties that claim to be neutral and would only swing the direction of the political wind. Be that as it may, there's the need to critically consider the views of both sides by commonsensically or intellectually dissecting each view, and exposing them to the statement made by the Eminent Advisory Committee Persons: "to place Ghana above personal aggrandizement in finding common grounds" as far as this dicey issue of a new register compilation brouhaha is concerned. And to start with the arguments by the EC, one finds nothing but an animal farm attitude of one nation two moralities here and there in their claims for new voters register. A clear double standard character on the part of the EC. In the first place, is it today that the EC finds faults with the current electoral equipment or when did the EC find out the current system is faulty? And which system did the EC want to use to conduct the Referendum President Akufo Addo abandoned in just December 17 last year 2019? Was Madam Jean Mensa going to rig the Referendum with the so-called (now) faulty voter equipment for her greatest benefactor President Akufo Addo when she was preparing to conduct that Referendum? Were the equipment not faulty in just last two months ago? If they were not, when did they get damaged and can no longer be used? Talking about the claim of lack of access to the Source Code from the manufacturer and seller for which reason the EC believes its absence could have the tendency of compromising the elections, did madam Jean Mensa have access to the said Source Code from the manufacturer when she conducted the Ayawasu Wuogon by-election? Wasnt Madam Jean Mensa's paymaster President Akufo Addo who emerged the greatest beneficiary of the last elections with this same Codeless system? Did the absence of the said Source Code compromise the big win of her paymaster? Is it all voter equipment that has spoilt? How come their maintenance would be costly than procuring new ones? If they all spoilt, which equipment did madam Jean Mensa want to use to conduct the December 17 2019 Referendum? And if all the equipment has been damaged beyond repairs and new ones must be acquired as she wants Ghanaians to believe, mustn't she be arrested for the damaged electoral apparatus under her watch as the EC chairperson? Clearly, there's something fishy indeed regarding this compilation of new voters register which the EC thinks must be compiled come rain, come shine. But I trust in the words of Mae West when he observed that between two evils, one should choose the one he or she never tested before. Obviously, there are two "evils" before Ghanaians to choose from. We always cause financial lost to the State. Let's for once, save our country the lot of financial lost. Let's maintain the current system and save the country from the impending danger looming that is more catastrophic than Coronavirus. But you see, having realized the disappointment of the disgruntled Ghanaian voter, the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) wants to continue increasing the public debt stock in power to service their apparatchiks. That's why they want to win the impending elections "all-die-be-die" even if it involves risking the innocent lives of Ghanaians. The NDC-led IPAC's strong opposition to this midsummer madness of the EC, and the Messiah delusions of the NPP to rig the elections, is legitimate. Right now the fear is that if unanimous consent is given to this ill-fated move by the EC and its benefactor NPP, as the Eminent Advisory Committee Persons are recommending for, the tendency and temptation to use the not so properly organized Ghana Card Acquisition exercise throughout the country maybe the yardstick to registering the Ghanaian voters. That is, government would want to disenfranchise some Ghanaians. In that case, majority of Ghanaians, mainly from the strongholds of the main opposition NDC, are going to be the heavily targets for disqualification and disenfranchisement ahead of the general elections. I even envision government wanting citizens to pay money in order to be registered because of the very limited time involved in the registration process when this temeritous exercise begins. Ghana would likely go to a civil war with herself if that attempt is made by the government to disenfranchise other Ghanaians. We have had enough of President Akufo Addos deception, shenanigans, and profligacy of governance. Until then, we all remain civilized Ghanaians. Long Live Ghana. The Writer, Iddrisu Abdul Hakeem, is a MasterCard Foundation Scholar (Alumnus) @ KNUST. Contact: 0261669954 (WhatsApp Only) Nokia 5.2 is tipped to come equipped with 6GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It appears to be sporting a quad rear camera setup. Nokia 5.2 is seen sporting a waterdrop notch. HMD Global will host a launch event in Barcelona on February 23. The company is expected to launch an entry-level phone, the Nokia 8.2 5G, Nokia 5.2 and a feature phone. The Nokia 5.2 has surfaced online. The new leak includes photos, specs, and the price of the device. The leak comes from tipster Evan Blass who took Twitter to reveal information about a Nokia phone codenamed Captain America. The device is tipped to come equipped with 6GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage. These are the only known specs of the device and screen size, battery capacity, and processor were not revealed. The tipster also mentioned that the alleged Nokia 5.2 could cost $180. It is expected to go on sale on March 4. As for the design, the purported Nokia 5.2 is seen sporting a waterdrop notch and a moderately thick lower bezel with Nokia branding on it. Moreover, one can see the three-button navigation turned on. Hence, it could be running Android 9 Pie. Coming to the rear panel, it has a quad rear camera setup arranged in a circular housing with a pill-shaped LED flash in the middle. It protrudes and has a fingerprint scanner below it. The phone appears to be covered in frosted glass or plastic with curved sides. While Nokia Captain America is expected to be Nokia 5.2, we advise our readers to take this information with a grain of salt. Trust Brad Pitt to make the most entertaining speech of any awards night, even when he is not in attendance. Pitt could not attend Sunday nights BAFTAs, due to some family obligations. So when he was announced as the Best Supporting Actor for his role in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, he sent co-star Margot Robbie with a pre-written speech to collect his award. Margot delivered the speech with great charm and enthusiasm and even made a Prince Harry joke in front of his older brother Duke of Cambridge Prince William and his wife Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. Brad Pitts full acceptance speech at the BAFTAs given by Margot Robbie #BAFTAs pic.twitter.com/xGqV6VSDXd Lord Mahmoud Jjunju GBE (@J_______mahm) February 2, 2020 Hey Britain! I heard you just became single, welcome to the club, Margot said as she read out from Brads speech. She then thanked the Royal Academy and the films crew on his behalf, including the costume designer for the tight jeans. She added that Brad intended to name his award Harry as hes really excited about bringing this back to the States with him. At this, the camera panned to the faces of William and Kate, who were seen laughing at the joke with the others. Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, (L) and Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, (R) arrive for the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall. (AFP) Also read: Neha Kakkar, Aditya Narayan fly to Goa, he says they had a blast. See pic Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently announced that they were stepping away from royal duties for a more humble, financially independent life in North America. Their decision created waves around the world with many speculating if things are not all well between the two brothers. Prince William and Prince Harry released a joint statement to refute rumours of a tiff. Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between The Duke of Sussex and The Duke of Cambridge. For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful, the statement had read. Follow @htshowbiz for more More governments in the US are offering the option to vote by smartphone. West Virginia's governor is poised to sign a bill requiring that all counties offer people with disabilities a way to vote online, just in time for the 2020 presidential election. It'd be the first state to provide the option. While the details have yet to be established, Secretary of State Mac Warner said it would most likely offer the mobile app Voatz, just like it did when it allowed online voting for overseas troops. Security is a concern, though. While Warner said Voatz worked well in the 2018 midterms and was going through an audit for consideration, security researchers have cautioned against using it or other voting apps. There have been concerns that its web server and blockchain implementations weren't all that secure, and that the private source code made it harder to find vulnerabilities. There was an attempt to hack the mobile voting system in 2018, and it's not clear how successful that was -- officials may be taking a chance by expanding access to the voting system while an investigation into that hacking attempt is still ongoing. As Warner explained, though, the decision involve a calculated risk. While Russia or another hostile actor could try to disrupt online voting, this could also enfranchise people who otherwise wouldn't cast ballots in the first place. In addition to the challenges of getting to a polling station, many of these locations pose difficulties in themselves -- this sidesteps all those concerns. And when people with disabilities represent a relatively small portion of the population, the potential damage from a worst case scenario may be relatively limited. Tehran, Feb 3 : Josep Borrell, the high representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, arrived in Iran for talks with senior officials on multiple issues, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Monday. Borrell will meet President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani to discuss the course of affairs concerning the country nuclear programME, the Iran-EU relations as well as regional and international issues, Xinhua news agency quoted Mousavi as saying. The spokesman expressed hope that Borrell's "important" visit will result in further understandings and de-escalation of tensions between Iran and some Western states. Borrell's visit to Iran, for the first time since taking office in December 2019, comes amid escalating disputes over the country's nuclear programme. On January 16, Borrell met Zarif on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, India. During the meeting, Zarif urged the European countries to fulfil their commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. In May 2018, the Islamic Republic began a set of nuclear counter-measures in retaliation for the US' departure from the historic 2015 nuclear accord between Tehran and major world powers, Press TV reported. As part of the retaliatory steps, Iran stopped recognizing the limits set by the deal on the level of its enrichment activities and the volume of its heavy water reservoir. On January 5, the country said it would no longer observe any operational limitations on its nuclear industry, whether concerning the capacity and level of uranium enrichment, the volume of stockpiled uranium or research and development. A couple of weeks ago, when Dan Shure was searching on Google for information about butchering meats, he did something he had avoided for 20 years. He unknowingly clicked on an ad. Shure, a US-based consultant who helps companies manage where they appear in Google searches, had always thought it was easy to distinguish between paid search results and unpaid links. Google's recent search results redesign was criticised by both consumers and advertisers. Credit:Bloomberg That changed on January 13 when Google revamped the look of its search results page for desktop computers. Even for someone with a trained eye like Shure, it was hard to see the difference between an ad and a regular link. "I felt dumb because I had never clicked on an ad before," said Shure, 40. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon will attend the meeting, the sources said, adding that the Palestinian delegation is preparing a resolution that would condemn the controversial plan, though the resolution will likely be vetoed by the United States. Danon is currently meeting with his counterparts on the Security Council to enlist their support for the joint US-Israeli action and "to prevent support for any Palestinian declarations of protest," according to a press note issued Saturday by the Israeli UN mission. On January 28, US President Donald Trump revealed his controversial Middle East peace plan, also known as the "Deal of the Century," calling for a two-state solution while recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's "undivided capital." The US president outlined the 80-page plan at the White House along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that it proposes a "realistic" two-state solution. A UN spokesman said on January 28 that the position of the United Nations on the two-state solution of Israel and Palestine has been defined, throughout the years, by relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. He added the United Nations remains committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve their conflict on the basis of United Nations resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements, to realize the vision of two states living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders on the basis of the pre-1967 lines. Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations Riyad Mansour on January 29 said that Trump's plan "will fail." "We believe that the Trump plan, (or) the Trump-(Benjamin) Netanyahu plan, which is an attempt to destroy the national rights of the Palestinian people, will fail," Mansour told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York. In an emergency meeting at the Arab League (AL) headquarters in Cairo on February 1, Arab foreign ministers unanimously agreed to boycott the US plan and not to cooperate "in any way" with Washington in its implementation. Bachchan's murder is the latest instance in a series of killings of right-wing leaders in Uttar Pradesh. A leader of a right-wing Hindu outfit was shot dead on Sunday while he was out on a morning walk, barely a couple of kilometres away from the high-security Uttar Pradesh legislature complex in the heart of state capital. Saffron-clad Ranjeet Bachchan, 40, who founded Vishwa Hindu Mahasabha, was shot in the head and his cousin Aditya Srivastava injured in the attack by an unidentified assailant who also snatched their mobile phones, according to Joint Commissioner of Police Naveen Arora. According to Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha president Swami Chakrapani, Bachchan was also the working president of the outfit's Uttar Pradesh unit. Bachchan's murder is the latest instance in a series of killings of right-wing leaders in Uttar Pradesh. The incident comes nearly four months after the leader of a little known Hindu Samaj Party was killed in the city. On 18 October, 2019, Kamlesh Tiwari (45), who was earlier associated with a faction of the Hindu Mahasabha, was found murdered at his home in the congested Naka Hindola area of Lucknow. On 28 November, 2019, the body of a Hindu Yuva Vahini leader Sandeep Nagar was found hanging from a tree in Gautam Buddha Nagar district. According to a NewsLaundry report, the police have claimed that Bachchan's killing was not connected to his political leanings, but was likely to have been a result of a family dispute or personal enmity. However, some of his family claimed he was killed for his political activities, and that he had received several threats. Nevertheless, the deaths of Bachchan, Tiwari and Nagar show the state of law and order in Uttar Pradesh in a poor light. This is particularly stark as one of the key points touted as "achievements" for the Yogi Adityanath government is his tough stand on law and order. In terms of law and order, Adityanath's government has perhaps been best known for its "encounter" policy of dealing with criminals. Last year, in a span of two to three months, the Uttar Pradesh police gunned down 67 people accused of crime each was termed as a "dreaded" criminal carrying a reward. However, a Deccan Herald report quoted police insiders as saying that nearly three-fourths of those killed in such "encounters" did not actually qualify to be called hardened criminals. The report quoted a senior IPS officer as saying that in some cases, petty offenders were picked up and later gunned down so that the police and government could claim a "big catch." Similarly, a report in The Indian Express also found startling similar descriptions of the sequence of events by the police, and identical phrases being used by the police in many cases of "encounters". These raise serious questions about whether the encounters were genuine or not. What is clear is that such an approach does little to improve the security situation in Uttar Pradesh, notwithstanding the state government's assertions. With inputs from PTI BRENDON NELSON FLIES INTO BOEING JOB The personal link-up between the banks and industry is supplemented by the personal link-up between both of them and the government. VI Lenin Greetings Comrades! Two weeks ago, news broke that former Australian War Memorial (AWM) director Brendan Nelson had become president of Boeing Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific. During his tenure as director of the AWM, Nelson received serious criticism for allowing several weapons companies to act as corporate sponsors. Among those companies? You guessed it, Boeing. Lets forget for a moment how disgusting it is that a man in charge of an institution honouring our dead soldiers accepted corporate sponsorship from arms manufacturers and focus on how another former politician is using their political ties to help major corporations. In 2019, two former ministers found themselves working in the private sector. Julie Bishop, former Minister for Foreign Affairs, joined the board of Palladium. What does Palladium do? It is a private aid contractor that handles millions of dollars in contracts from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Christopher Pyne, the former Minister for Defence, followed after that by joining Ernest & Young (E&Y) as a defence consultant because, according to Pyne, the firm [is looking] to expand its footprint in the defence industry. So here we are again; another former member of parliament finds themselves in a prestigious role at a major corporation. But why Brendon Nelson? What expertise can Nelson offer Boeing? Nelson is a medical doctor, first and foremost. All his education is in medicine. However, Nelson was a former Defence Minister in the Howard government, and naturally has ties to parliament and the Australian Defence Force. Thus, despite his buddy-buddy relationship with Boeing as director of the AWM (which undoubtedly helped him secure his new job), Boeing seems interested in Nelson, as Palladium does with Bishop, and E&Y with Pyne, because of their connections to the government and their ability to secure contracts. Lenin highlights as much with a quote from the economist Jeidels in his Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism: Seats on Supervisory Boards [] are freely offered to persons of title, also to ex-civil servants, who are able to do a great deal to facilitate (!!) relations with the authorities. These connections between the state with the private sector are an important feature of finance capital. Here, we see that ex-civil servants have a purpose in helping the corporations that employ them to continue their concentration of production and of capital that in turn results in monopoly. This is not a bug of finance capital but a feature and its the inevitable evolution of capitalism that grows out of the much-vaunted Free Market capitalism of the past. This is why reform is a lost cause. The state is an oppressive tool. Capitalists use the state to exploit the working-class and secure private property. In the hands of capitalists, there is no amount of reforming the state that will ensure justice for the working-class because the capitalists, who run the state, industries, and banks will ensure that the rules are rigged in their favour. It is only in the hands of the working-class that the state will ensure justice and equality is served to the masses. Us communists must highlight this at every step. We need to make clear to the working-class that bourgeois politics are not the answer, that we must dismantle the capitalist state. We can accomplish this by emphasising moments like these where the bourgeoisie collaborate to ensure they are getting theirs while were not getting ours. Soon enough the facade of capitalist meritocracy will vanish and the workers will rise. Franc Stregone Britain's departure from the EU has dramatically cut black and ethnic minority representation in the European Parliament, a new analysis has found. The number of BAME members of the legislature has fallen by 20 per cent following Brexit, undoing most of the gains at the last election. Just 24 out of 705 MEPs are people of colour, down from 30 despite an estimate 50 million estimated to be living in Europe. The UK had the highest number of ethnic minority MEPs in the 2019 mandate - at seven - with only 13 of the 28 EU member states electing any at all. The parliament has also lost all six of its MEPs of south Asian descent with Britain's departure, despite such communities existing in other European countries. Brexit day is a sad day for racial diversity in the EU," said Karen Taylor, chair of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), said. "But it is also an opportunity for EU institutions to step up their game and finally take measures to ensure representation of racial and ethnic minorities in their structures. "We will also continue to act in solidarity with anti-racist activists in the UK. Racial diversity at the EU institutions hit the headlines in July last year after a black MEP said he was asked to leave the European Parliament by an official on his first day in the job. Magid Magid, a Green who represented Yorkshire and the Humber until last Friday, said he was "visibly different" to other MEPs because he was black, adding: "I don't have the privilege to hide my identity". Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Show all 37 1 /37 Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro-Brexit supporters celebrating in Parliament Square, after the UK left the European Union on 31 January. Ending 47 years of membership PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o'clock at night AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro Brexit supporters attend the Brexit Day Celebration Party hosted by Leave Means Leave Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage smiles on stage AFP/Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square People celebrate in Parliament Square Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A Brexit supporter celebrates during a rally in Parliament square AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Police form a line at Parliament Square to prevent a small group of anti-Brexit protestors from going through to the main Brexit rally PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square JD Wetherspoon Chairman Tim Martin speaks as people wave flags Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters wave Union flags as they watch the big screen AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit Party leader, Nigel Farage arrives Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters gather AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Ann Widdecombe speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters wave Union flags as they watch the big screen AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square People wave British Union Jack flags as they celebrate Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square on Brexit day Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A man waves Union flags from a small car as he drives past Brexit supporters gathering AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A pro-Brexit supporter pours beer onto an EU flag PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square An EU flag lies trampled in the mud Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Campaigners at ENAR say that ethnic minorities are already poorly represented through all institutions, though the EU does not collect official data on its workforce. The group says that "anecdotal evidence suggests that the few members of staff of racial or ethnic minority background are often from the United Kingdom" and that after Brexit there is a risk that "even the acknowledgement of racism as a major issue will decline". The new European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen was accused of being oblivious to concerns about race after she described her new all-white cabinet as representing "Europe in all its diversity". She also sparked criticism after naming a commission post dealing with immigration policy the Commissioner for Protecting Our European Way of Life. Syria: '150,000 displaced from Idlib in a week' Ankara:'Civilians fleeing raids carried out by Damascus, Russia' (ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, FEBRUARY 3 - A reported 151,000 civilians have been displaced from Idlib over the past week and have travelled towards the Turkish border after raids carried out by the Syrian regime and Russia against the rebel stronghold in northwestern Syria, said Muhammad Hallaj, director of the Coordination for the response to operations in Syria, an organization close to Ankara. Since the start of November, when the government's offensive resumed, overall 692,000 have been displaced, according to the same source. Over the past few days Ankara has repeatedly said that a truce has been violated in the de-escalation zone of Idlib. The truce was agreed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. In the early hours of Monday, an intense exchange of fire between the Syrian and Turkish armies killed several on both sides of the front in the strategic area of Saraqib, south-east of the city of Idlib. (ANSAmed). Hong Kong, Feb 3 : More than 1,000 Hong Kong public hospital workers staged a strike on Monday as they demanded the city's government to completely close the border with mainland China in an effort to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Long queues formed at various hospitals as doctors, nurses and medical assistants registered for the industrial action, aimed primarily at forcing the border shutdown, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) said in a report. "Closing the border entirely is the only effective way to prevent the spread of the virus," University of Hong Kong microbiologist Ho Pak-leung told a radio programme. Ho said that closing the border would not be discriminatory or go against the World Health Organization's 2005 International Health Regulations, a legal instrument which includes specific measures for ports, airports and ground crossings to limit the spread of diseases. He added that anyone entering the city from the mainland carried the same risk of infection, whether they are a Chinese citizen, a Hong Kong resident or a foreign national. More than 3,000 non-essential hospital workers were expected to take part in the strike's first wave on Monday, a day after Chief Executive Carrie Lam refused to meet the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, an 18,000-strong union which emerged last December during the anti-government protests, said the SCMP report. The alliance has threatened to step up its action, with more than 6,000 essential personnel joining the strike on Tuesday if the government refuses to respond by 6 p.m. on Monday. China's death toll from the new coronavirus increased to 361 on Monday, surpassing the number of fatalities of its SARS crisis two decades ago. In Hong Kong, where there were 15 confirmed cases, the government had closed six of its 15 border checkpoints, and refused entry to travellers coming from Wuhan. But it had resisted calls that the closure should cover everyone coming from China and be extended to all border checkpoints. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-04 04:43:02|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close DES MOINES, the United States, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Voters of the Republican and the Democratic parties will cast their first votes in the Iowa caucuses on Monday, formally kicking off the 2020 U.S. presidential election. While the latest surveys showed that Trump is certain to seek re-election on behalf of the Republican Party, on the Democratic side, history over the past four decades suggests that the result of the Iowa caucuses is indicative of the party's final presidential nominee. Following is the background information of the 11 remaining Democratic candidates vying for nomination. Bernie Sanders: Born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, and aged 78, Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist, advocating for Medicare for all and tuition-free public college education. Elected to the Senate in 2006, he was runner-up to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary. Joe Biden: Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and aged 77, Biden is considered a centrist among the Democratic presidential contenders. Former six-term U.S. senator from Delaware since 1972, Biden was the vice president in the Barack Obama administration. Having sought Democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and 2008, Biden regards 2020 as his last bid for president. Biden claims he strives for restoring U.S. prominence on world stage and protecting economic wellbeing for low-income workers. Pete Buttigieg: Born into a family where his father is a Maltese immigrant, Buttigieg, 38, has lived in his hometown of South Bend, Indiana, throughout his life till now -- a city of which he served as mayor for two terms until January 2020. The youngest candidate in the Democratic field, Buttigieg was a former intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve, former consultant for McKinsey & Company, and former Rhodes scholar. He has campaigned on his generational identity, focusing on issues like climate change and economic opportunity. Elizabeth Warren: Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and aged 70, Warren was elected to the Senate representing Massachusetts in 2012. A progressive and former law professor specializing in bankruptcy law, Warren frequently talked about "big, structural change" during her campaign, vowing to weaken the power of big corporations and give more benefit to working people. Amy Klobuchar: Born in Plymouth, Minnesota, and aged 59, Klobuchar was elected to the Senate in 2006 to represent her home state. A moderate, she calls for bipartisan approach to dealing with issues including climate change and healthcare, stressing that bipartisanship would be the best strategy for Democrats to win the White House. In a list of over 100 actions she vowed to take in the 100 days following her election as president, Klobuchar touched upon issues like voting rights, prescription drugs and antitrust enforcement. She has also released a detailed infrastructure plan and a plan to help seniors. Klobuchar, whose father struggled with alcoholism, has also championed combating the opioid crisis and drug addiction. Andrew Yang: Born into a family of Chinese descent in Schenectady, New York, and aged 45, Yang was a former tech executive working at various startups in Silicon Valley. Without prior experience in politics, Yang's signature proposal in the presidential campaign is the "universal basic income" initiative, which provides a monthly payment of 1,000 dollars -- what he calls the freedom dividend - to every American aged 18 and over. He also highlighted issues such as robotics and artificial intelligence, drawing from his experience in related sectors as a businessman. Also in the Democratic race are: Michael Bloomberg, 77, billionaire media mogul who founded of Bloomberg L.P. and former three-term New York City mayor; Tulsi Gabbard, 38, four-term congresswoman representing Hawaii's Second District; Deval Patrick, 63, former and first African American governor of Massachusetts; Tom Steyer, 62, billionaire hedge fund manager and founder of progressive political action committee NextGen America; and Michael Bennet, 55, incumbent senator from Colorado. For Sama, a documentary that depicts an Aleppan mother's struggle to raise her daughter amid the Syrian war, won the best documentary award at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). The modest-budget film is also one of the few from the Middle East to make the 2020 Academy Awards' short list for best documentary. I take this award for the great Syrian people who are still suffering; and to the great heroes the doctors, nurses, humanitarian workers and volunteers, said Channel 4 News journalist Waad al-Kateab, the film's co-director and main character, at the awards ceremony Feb. 2. Kateab attended the ceremony in London with her daughter, Sama, the documentary's namesake, and her husband, surgeon Hamza al-Kateab. She also recalled a dark moment in the war-torn city of Aleppo four years ago. In 2016, we were at the basement of a hospital" being shelled. "At one point, we discussed with Channel 4 News where we could bury the footage so if we did not survive, it would not be lost. The documentary, co-directed by Kateab and Edward Watts, is based on Kateabs own story in Aleppo between 2011-2016. She falls in love with a surgeon, Dr. Hamza al-Kateab, marries him in a cramped hospital room and eventually gives birth to their daughter, Sama. Her personal story runs in parallel with what happens to the city in those five years starting with demonstrations at the universities calling for the Syrian revolution, the siege of Aleppo, the misery as the rebels and the government forces clashed in the city and its surroundings and displacement by President Bashar al-Assads regime, which pushed the rebels north toward the Syrian-Turkish border by the end of 2016. The documentary has already swept up international awards such as the Cannes Golden Eye, a considerable achievement given that it basically rested on the efforts of a single person. Kateab wrote the script, narrated it with her own voice and cut some 500 hours of filming to 100 minutes with Watts' help. The scenes range from news footage of demonstrations at Aleppo University to deeply personal shots such as the modest marriage ceremony and Kateabs talks with Sama, who was barely speaking, on motherhood, love and fear. I wanted to convey that what happened in my country was not a civil war but a revolution against oppression, Kateab told Al-Monitor. What we witnessed in Aleppo was death itself, not a close brush with death. She added that if she had to start all over again, she and many of her friends would do as they had, meaning stay and fight. Many people have faith in freedom and revolution and if we turn back the clock and put them under the same conditions, they would still resist until their last breath, she said. Kateab, who started to film what was going on in Aleppo as a citizen journalist before she started working in the press, said she dreamed of turning her footage into a film that would reach audiences across the globe, but was not sure she could make a documentary and release it by herself. Now the film is shown in festivals and cinemas around the world. She said, We tried to tell viewers that the same scenes are being reproduced every day in other Syrian towns. Schools, hospitals and bakeries are shelled in Idlib and its neighboring towns. People want to know more about what is happening in Syria, which makes me happy, she said. In one of the scenes her husband, who leads a medical team in Al Quds hospital, was seen standing among dead bodies and heavily injured people, trying to look calm and contained. In another, he asked his wife whether it would be better to keep Sama at the hospital, which was surrounded by the forces of the Assad regime. When I asked Waad to leave Sama at the hospital once the regime got to us, I was hoping that they would not touch her because she was a child, he told Al-Monitor. We, the grown-ups, were doomed to be arrested and killed. But my hope as a father was that my child would survive and not be tortured like others. He admitted that he was shocked by some of the scenes in the documentary. In the last year, 51 medical centers were shelled. Despite the risk and difficult circumstances, I had to be ready to work. It is not easy to stay mentally stable and positive in the face of some of the news that reaches the hospital and to keep up the morale of your team and patients. What is strange is that I dont remember some scenes in the movie. I might have blocked them out of my memory. Well-known civil rights worker Afraa Hashem and her husband Salem al-Atrash also appeared in For Sama. When I see the scenes in the movie, my memory goes back far beyond them and to many others, Hashem told Al-Monitor. Every scene of the documentary and those that are not in it have left a mark on our lives, experience and struggle. The movie was a message to the world saying that we survived a massacre committed by the regime. We left our friends buried in Aleppo and the rest of Syria. The documentary is the first Syrian film to be shortlisted for an Academy Award for best documentary. But its production team is more concerned with getting their voices heard than winning awards. 1. New ACIP Adult Immunization Schedule recommends changes to several vaccines ACIP now recommends shared decision-making for HPV, PCV13, and Meningitis B vaccines Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M20-0046 URL goes live when the embargo lifts The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) released its 2020 Recommended Immunization Schedule for adults with changes to the administration of the influenza, human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal B, and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. The schedule, which can be complex and challenging to implement, features revised content, format, and graphics to make it easier to follow. The complete schedule, including changes in the vaccine notes section, is being simultaneously published in Annals of Internal Medicine and on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) web site. The schedule is streamlined for ease of reference. Physicians should pay careful attention to the details found in the vaccine notes section, as they clarify who needs what vaccine, when, and at what dose. In addition to changes in the administration of some vaccines, the 2020 schedule includes new instructions for shared clinical decision-making for several vaccines. First, the HPV vaccine is recommended for some patients aged 27 through 45 who are not adequately vaccinated. Clinicians should consider discussing HPV vaccination with those who are most likely to benefit from it based on a detailed list of considerations. Second, the pneumococcal 13-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV13) should be discussed with adults 65 years or older who do not have an immunocompromising condition, cerebrospinal fluid leak, or cochlear implant, and who have not previously received PCV13. And third, clinicians should consider discussing the meningitis B vaccine with adolescents and young adults age 16 through 23 who are not at increased risk for meningococcal disease. The ACIP is comprised of 15 voting members, ex officio members who represent other federal agencies, and non-voting representatives of liaison organizations, including the American College of Physicians, that bring related immunization expertise. Each year, ACIP reviews the CDC's Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule to ensure it reflects current clinical recommendations for licensed vaccines. The recommendations are intended to guide physicians and other clinicians about the appropriate vaccines for their adult patients. Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF please contact Lauren Evans at laevans@acponline.org. To speak with the lead author, Mark Freedman, DVM, MPH, please contact him directly at fll0@cdc.gov. 2. Primary care visits on significant decline among commercially insured adults Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M19-1834 Editorial: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M19-4000 URLs go live when the embargo lifts Primary care use among commercially insured adults is on a significant decline. Findings from a national population-based study are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Studies suggest that primary care is key to improving health and fixing the health care system. However, Americans are seeing their PCPs less often, and it has been unclear why. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital studied claims data to describe trends in PCP visits among adults enrolled with a large, national, commercial insurer and assess factors underlying a potential decline in PCP visits. They found that rates of PCP visits decreased by 24 percent from 2008 to 2016, and the proportion of adults with no PCP visit in a year increased from 38 percent to almost half. Specialist visit rates remained essentially unchanged, whereas visits to alternative settings, predominantly urgent care centers, sharply increased. All subgroups had a double-digit decline in PCP visits, with the largest declines among young adults, persons without chronic conditions, and those living in low-income areas. The authors note that these changes seem to be associated with decreased (real or perceived) need for primary care, rising financial barriers, and increased use of alternative venues of care. The author of an accompanying editorial from Emory University and Alliant health Group suggests that declines in PCP visits may be an unintended consequence of money-saving efforts of large insurers that push patients to curb unnecessary health care use in an uncoordinated health care system. Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF please contact Lauren Evans at laevans@acponline.org. To speak with the lead author, Dr. Ishani Ganguli MD, MPH, please contact Haley Bridger at hbridger@bwh.harvard.edu. 3. Bedside "sitters" have limited or no effect on reducing in-hospital falls Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M19-2628 Editorial: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M19-4005 URLs go live when the embargo lifts There is scant evidence that bedside "sitters," nurses or other personnel who monitor patients and remain nearby at all times, reduce falls in hospitalized adult patients. Findings from a systematic review are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Falls are very common in acute care settings and may result in serious injury. Up to one million hospitalized patients fall each year, and as many as one-third of those falls are considered preventable. Preventing in-hospital falls has been a Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goal. The use of bedside sitters to provide patients with constant supervision and protection is a practice rooted in tradition, but their use is expensive. Determining how effective they are for preventing falls is important for patients and providers. Researchers from the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center reviewed published evidence about the effect of sitters and alternatives to sitters on patient falls in adults in acute care hospitals. Of 20 studies meeting inclusion criteria, only two added sitters to usual care and had conflicting results. 18 studies compared alternatives to sitters. From those, the investigators found moderate-certainty evidence that interventions that included video monitoring decreased sitter use without adversely affecting fall rates when compared with use of sitters. They found little convincing evidence that close observation units or nurse assessment tools were effective alternatives. While there is a lack of evidence to support the use of 1-to-1 sitters, the rationale for their use to prevent falls is sufficiently compelling that it is premature to conclude that their use should be abandoned. The evidence is most consistent that, at best, any effect of sitters on fall risk is modest, and equally or more effective interventions may exist. Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Lauren Evans at laevans@acponline.org. To reach the lead author, Adela Greeley, MD, please contact the VA public affairs office at vhaglapublicaffairs@va.gov. 4. Experts in transgender medicine discuss appropriate care for a transgender patient Annals 'Beyond the Guidelines' discussions are based on real Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Grand Rounds Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M19-3813 URLs go live when the embargo lifts Two experts in transgender medicine discuss appropriate care for a transgender woman with anxiety and hypertension. The experts and the patient agree that her case should be managed in primary care and that the topic of caring for transgender patients should be included in general medical training. This is an important point, as transgender patients face discrimination in the health care setting and may not have access to medical professionals who can provide competent care. In addition to primary medical and preventive health care, transgender patients need access to gender-affirming interventions, including hormone therapy and surgeries. Two specialists in transgender medicine discuss a patient's care in Annals of Internal Medicine. Joshua D. Safer, MD, Director of the Center for Transgender Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System, recommends continued work with a mental health provider to treat the patient's anxiety and gender-affirming hormone therapy. He also recommends that the patient be monitored for hypertension. Her care can be managed in the primary care clinic with support from an endocrinologist. Jennifer Siegel, MD, Medical Director of the Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery at Boston Medical Center, largely agrees with Dr. Safer and recommends that the patient's care team determine the desired elements of medical, social, and legal gender affirmation in the content of addressing all of her primary care needs. All 'Beyond the Guidelines' papers are based on the Department of Medicine Grand Rounds at BIDMC in Boston and include print, video, and educational components. A list of topics is available at http://www.annals.org/grandrounds. Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF please contact Lauren Evans at laevans@acponline.org. To speak with the lead author, Howard Libman, MD, please contact Jennifer Kritz at jkritz@bidmc.harvard.edu. Also new in this issue: In The Clinic: Urinary Incontinence in Women Camille P. Vaughan,MD,MS; Alayne D. Markland, DO,MSc In The Clinic Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/AITC202002040 ### Superintendent Lt. Gen. John Rosa told me it was his biggest challenge at the Air Force Academy in 2004. In 2008, the next superintendent, Lt. Gen. John Regni pledged to stamp it out. We must have a positive learning environment and at its basis is to have one thats free from discrimination and assault, Regni told me. In 2012, academy boss Lt. Gen. Mike Gould wanted it eliminated. One sex assault is one too many, he told me. In 2015, Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, the academys first female superintendent, said the academy remained committed to stamping out sexual assault but noted that less than 1 percent of all cadets even have significant disciplinary issues. Last week, Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria echoed his star-wearing, bemedaled predecessors. The bottom line is that one sexual assault is too many, and a culture and climate that allows any prevalence of these harassing and assaultive behaviors is corrosive to our academy and our militarys ability to accomplish its mission, he told me. For 17 years I have covered the academy, through five superintendents. And, while they were all highly qualified, dedicated and hard-working, none of them won their battle against sexual assault. The failure was highlighted in a Pentagon report that revealed a still-alarming number of sexual assault reports, 130, at U.S. service academies during the academic year that ended in June. Air Force had 40 reports. And with just 12% of cadets reporting sexual assaults, the problem is far larger an estimated 293 unreported attacks at the Air Force Academy and 1,083 unreported attacks across the nations service academies, and 953 of those victims suffer in silence, according to Pentagon estimates. Its not that Air Force has a lock on ineffectiveness. Superintendents from West Point and the Naval Academy have pledged to end sexual assault in the past 17 years, and they failed, too. I have covered dozens of courts-martial in the academys Harmon Hall courtroom. The tales are gut-wrenching. A young, clean-cut high school superstar sits at the defense table flanked by lawyers. On the witness stand, a young, clean-cut high school superstar holds back tears while describing the worst day of their life. They were full of potential and too often they are ruined by what happened in just a few minutes. I do not know how the military can fix it. Im having enough of a hard time protecting my kids, and I dont envy the men and women at the academy charged with protecting 4,000 of them. I have seen the common factors in the academys sexual assault cases. Booze is most prevalent. Back in the days when I covered the courts-martial alongside reporters from The Denver Post and the now-defunct Rocky Mountain News, we reporters counted the number of alcoholic beverages that would be elicited in testimony. I have also seen that the blurry line of consent is almost always a factor. I have watched jurors and judges mull whether an embrace or kiss was actually a green light. Lawmakers have created reforms. The academy has stacked program on program to warn cadets of the dangers and consequences of what can happen in a dorm room, on a team trip or in the backseat of a Toyota. But theres a simple issue. And the military cant fix it. The academies are full of young Americans, and sexual assault is an American problem. Young people are raised in a world of sexual spontaneity in movies and across the spectrum of our culture. You dont watch actors pause and ask Do you want to do this? before they are shown horizontal in a bedroom. But popular culture is also not to blame. We are. Relatives and mentors have too often let down young people and this country by not teaching kids how intimacy and love really work. Yes, I hate the sex talk. Still, I have tried to do my part as a father of two teenagers, Laura and William. They dread the days when I come home from yet another sexual assault court-martial and remind them again of my rules: Unless you are both sober, dont do it. If you have been drinking, keep your pants on and head home. Love will wait until your hangover has cleared. No one has lost a boyfriend or girlfriend by asking permission. So, if your date heads in that direction, ask: Can I hug you? Can I kiss you? And someday, probably too soon for me, my kids will contemplate more intimacy. And that absolutely requires permission. Its trite, but no means no. If someone says no, that means stop what you are doing. If you dont give permission, say no and run like hell. Fight back, and report it. Yes, we are in a society where sex has become more casual. But old rules apply. And if you know someone who is reaching that age, be a patriot and teach them those rules. It might save our military and win future battles. Contact Tom Roeder: 636-0240 Twitter: @xroederx But thats not as strong a position as his call for an amendment. It gives him wiggle room to backtrack. Who defines unfair"? Party leaders who insisted the last map was fair? If Pritzker is serious about confronting a scourge that has been plaguing our political system for far too long, as he said in his speech, he needs to lead the way on establishing an independent process to draw districts. Allowing legislators to keep manipulating their own boundary lines may be legal, but its conflicted and corrupt. Filipino line workers repair power meters atop an electricity pole along the main street in Quiapo city, a district in Manila, Oct. 8, 2017. Updated at 7:58 a.m. ET on 2020-02-04 Senators in Manila expressed concerns Monday about Chinas potential access to the Philippine power grid, as an executive from a Chinese-linked utility told a senate inquiry that hackers had attacked the national grids computers hundreds of times in recent weeks. Anthony Almeda, president of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), which operates the electricity system the backbone of the nations fragile energy infrastructure testified that the grid's computers had come under attack from unknown cyber entities. Since 2008, the State Grid Corp. of China has held a 40 percent stake in NGCP. The system was attacked a hundred times already in just the past few weeks, Almeda told the Senate Committee on Energy as it opened an inquiry into the ownership of the national utility firm and whether the Chinese state companys stake in NGCP could jeopardize the grids security. The NGCP has been responding as fast. We have 22 calamities every year. Weve proven ourselves that we have worked hard in having electricity for the grid, Almeda testified. And on the cyberattacks we dont know if its from the outside, he said. Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who filed a resolution last year that started the investigation, warned the Chinese could switch off the grid and cause outages during elections or at other times in the former U.S. colony in Southeast Asia. The United States remains a defense and trade partner but, under President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines has shown signs of distancing itself from Washington and growing closer to Beijing. In times of conflict can China shut down our power grid? the senator asked on Monday as the committee began its deliberations. They are bound by Chinese laws to gather intelligence and report to the Chinese government. Now, how secure is this set up? Hontiveros said, pointing to the Chinese companys part ownership of NGCP. What happens when the Philippines and China run into conflict, who will they choose? Since 2009, the NGCP has not been subjected to any external audits and the utility has barred government agencies from inspecting its operations, Hontiveros said. Official: Government working to bolster grid security On Monday, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., who also testified before the committee, urged lawmakers not to be panicked or rush to change things where the national grid was concerned. Id caution immediately against being in a panic about it because there are also measures that we can adopt to allow NGCP to continue operations, Esperon told the senate inquiry. Hence, we are working with stakeholders to reinforce the security protocols and guarantee that the countrys energy sector remains free from vulnerabilities and foreign control, he said. Esperon, a former chief of staff of the Philippine armed forces, said he had formed a cyber security team to tackle the problem and ensure that the countrys power grid was safe from any foreign manipulators. We assure Filipinos that the administration is taking steps and precautionary measures to guarantee that the NGCP, its facilities and infrastructure are protected with the highest security procedures, he said. Sen. Richard Gordon, who co-led the inquiry, also questioned why Chinese nationals were in executive and managerial positions in NGCP where they could exert influence over the grids operations. Almeda could not provide a satisfactory answer when Gordon questioned him about how it was possible that two Chinese nationals had signed a contract for an expansion project for the grid in 2011. Gordon suggested that the NGCP operations could be controlled remotely from China by Chinese engineers. They can turn off our grid from China, is this correct? Gordon asked. I would be uncomfortable allowing a foreigner to have a connection here. The principal objective is to protect the country on a situation where we will be totally dependent or we do not have control, the senator added. The Chinese Embassy in Manila could not be immediately reached for comment. CLARIFICATION: An earlier version quoted Anthony Almeda, president of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), as saying that hackers had breached the grid's computers. That evening, after our tour of Arran and another whisky-soaked evening, Charles walked me outside Strabane. He was carrying, for some reason, a large bowl of eggs hed taken from the refrigerator. These eggs, he told me, are very special Isle-of-Arran eggs from our own chickens. Handled properly, theyre virtually indestructible. Wait here. Baffled by all this, I did as I was told, while Charles walked around to the other side of the large house. All set? he called out. Ready as ever! I called back. Heads up for the egg! he cried, and almost immediately an egg came flying over the roof of the house and landed in the stiff Arran grass at my feet. The damned thing was perfectly intact. Pretty remarkable, no? said Charles, returning to my side of the house. Want to give it a try? I selected an egg from the bowl and sent it sailing over the roof of Strabane. We then walked around the house and there was my egg, lying in the grass and cracked to pieces. Youre not tossing it right, Charles said, and for the next hour we practiced throwing eggs over the roof of Strabane. All Charles eggs landed intact and all my eggs landed broken. Youre hopeless, Charles said, and we went inside for more whisky. In the living room Lady Jean cast a stern eye on Charles, then said to me, Pay no attention to that fool. The tricks to put the egg under your armpit for a minute before you toss it. Warm eggs dont break. Charles laughed uproariously. That night I wrote a poem about this bizarre event, called Egg Tossing in Scotland. Fortunately, it has been lost. * * * The next morning Charles and I walked around Brodick, inspecting the many small-but-terminally-charming houses Lady Jean had let out to the townspeople. Along the way, Charles continued his story of the emergency. Arran had come into the hands of the Dukes of Hamilton back in 1503, Charles told me. It seems that James, the 2nd Lord Hamilton, had played cupid, helping arrange the marriage of King James IV (Hamiltons cousin) to Margaret Tudor. The Earldom of Arran was his reward. All went well until the early nineteenth century, when the 10th Duke of Hamilton began evicting tenants from the land. This event, which happened across Scotland, is known as the clearances. What was happening, according to Charles, is that for centuries Scottish farming had been operated on the so-called run-rig system, that is, the land was open and used commonly by everyone, although each year specific areas were allocated to individuals to be farmed. But during the Agricultural Revolutionpart of the First Industrial Revolutionrapid improvements were made in farming techniques and equipment. The rapidly growing cities of London, Manchester, Glasgow, etc. needed cheap food and the new technologies were making that possible. However, the new farming methods required a certain minimum amount of tillable acreage to be economic. On Arran, as in many places in Scotland, the tiny fields assigned to farmers by the run-rig system were far too small. Something had to give, and its only a slight exaggeration to say that either the people in the big cities were going to starve or the small crofters were going to starve. Progress suggested the latter course and thats the course the 10th Duke took. He would evict twenty or thirty families in one section and enclose the land to make one larger farm. Then he would do the same with another section and so on. On the other hand, the Duke didnt want to see his fields dotted with the rotting corpses of his starved former tenants, so he suggested they emigrate to Canada, and even paid half the cost of their transport. The actions of the 10th Duke, and of his contemporary lords across Scotland, outraged the Scottish people not merely because of its cruelty, but also because it violated the principle of duthchas, according to which clan members had an inalienable right to rent land from the clan chiefs (the dukes). The duthchas system stretched far back into the Middle Ages. With no strong central government to maintain order, the clans were the major social unit in Scotland. Clanship offered protection to the clansmen, who repaid the clan chief with service (including military service) and in-kind rent. The chiefs, however, gradually stopped thinking of themselves as chiefs owing a duty to the clansmen, and started thinking of themselves as simple economic landlordsthat is, lords of the land. If it made sense to move tenants off the land in order to form larger, more economic units, thats what they would do. Do you understand, Charles asked, why Im telling you all this? I have a sneaking suspicion, I said, that its relevant to the situation Lady Jean faces today. It does, said Charles. When Nanna died [i.e., Lady Jeans mother], the family had done no estate planning at all. Like most of the British aristocracy, Lady Jean and her mother had been illiquid-house-and-land-rich, but liquid-cash-poor. There was no way to pay the death duties. Lady Jean had to deed Brodick Castle over to the Scottish National Trust in lieu of death taxes, and on draconian terms at that. Lady Jean was forced to leave the castle with nothing but the shirt on her back, leaving behind personal photos, mementos and all other personal property. If Lady Jean wished to throw a dinner partysay, in honor of her distinguished American guest from Pittsburghshe had to write a letter to the Trust asking to borrow her own china and silver service. In short, said Charles, Mums broke. All she has is the land, and all the lands held by the tenants. If we attempt another clearance the people will hang us from the nearest mountain ash. Thus it was that, as per my bosss instructions, I had gone to Arran without dilly-dallying, I had treated Lady Jean respectfully (not counting the upchuck), and now I had gotten almost to the bottom of the emergency. What I could do to fix it was something else altogether. SPRINGFIELD Former President Barack Obamas Yes we can! slogan echoed through City Hall on Monday as Bishop Talbert W. Swan II said it over and over while delivering the keynote address at the 34th annual Black American Heritage ceremony. Swan was joined by many elected officials, schoolchildren and community leaders in a ceremony that married speeches, song and the raising of the Black American Heritage Flag to mark Black History Month. Honorees at the celebration included Tyrone Denson, Springfields first African American district fire chief, Rupert Daniel, the first African American deputy police commissioner, and Daniel Brightwell Jr., CEO of the Brightwell Insurance Agency, which is celebrating 50 years in business. Others speaking from the podium were state Rep. Bud Williams, state Sen. Jim Welch, Hampden County Sheriff Nicholas Cocchi and City Council President Justin Hurst. Gloria B. Williams was the mistress of ceremonies. As a race of people, we have suffered enough, said Swan in his address. Its time for you and I to take the lead in sustaining the yes we can attitude that made the black community a force to be reckoned with. Musical selections were performed by children from Frank H. Freedman Elementary School chorus and by preschoolers from Educare Springfield. MANILA, Philippines The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said there is no local transmission of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Acute Respiratory Disease (ARD) in the country following the reported death of one of the two individuals who contracted the deadly disease. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the two confirmed cases of nCoV in the country both involved Chinese nationals a 38-year old female and her partner, a 44-year old male who arrived in January from Wuhan, China. The male, who was admitted to a hospital in January 25 for flu-like symptoms such as fever, colds, cough, and throat irritation, died on Saturday becoming the first fatality recorded outside of China. It is very clear, and I categorically state that the two are imported cases and the one who died is a statistics for China. Thats not for us, Duque said in a press briefing. The World Health Organization (WHO) echoed Duques statement, stressing that no Filipino has been reported infected by the virus as of this time. We want to reiterate that there is no evidence of any local transmission in the Philippines or among Filipinos at this point of time. The only two positives that we have identified here in the Philippines were among the two travelers who came from Wuhan, WHO Country Representative Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe said. The DOH said the remains of the male Chinese national will be cremated. It also stressed its protocol when it comes to the management and the burial of the remains of those who carried the virus. Sa ngayon ang hina-handle pa rin natin, of course, as potentially infectious iyong cadaver and being treated with care. And of course, the cremation will be done as soon as possible, DOH Spokesman and Undersecretary Eric Domingo said in the same press briefing. The DOH said it was able to trace a total of 74 persons who had close contact with the Chinese couple infected with the virus. Of this figure, 8 manifested symptoms of the 2019-nCoV and are now under quarantine. Story continues As of Monday, the DOH reported it is investigating a total of 80 persons for suspected infection of the 2019-nCoV ARD. Of this number, 67 are still under isolation while 10 have been discharged under strict monitoring. Earlier, the department reported one person under investigation (PUI) mortality with a negative result and two nCoV confirmed cases with one death. The DOH advised PUIs discharged from hospitals to still refrain from going to crowded places and to take good care of their health. Iyong mga pinauwi ng sampu, although we are encouraging them to still be conscious ng kanilang kalusugan, pero sila po ay na-clear na at ang base sa kanilang laboratoryo negatibo sila sa nCoV, Dr. Ferchito Avelino, Director IV of DOHs Epidemiology Bureau, said. As of February 3, Chinas National Health Commission reported that the death toll due to the novel coronavirus has soared to 361 deaths with 17,205 confirmed cases. Around 21,558 people are suspected of being infected while 475 people have recovered and have been discharged from the hospital. RRD (with details from Correspondent Aiko Miguel) The post No local transmission of 2019-nCoV in PH, DOH says appeared first on UNTV News. UK Officials Still Searching for Travelers Who Arrived From Wuhan Health officials in the UK are still searching for travelers who arrived in the country on direct flights from Wuhan, China, between Jan. 10 and 24. On Feb. 2, the Department Of Health and Social Care and Public Health England said that 162 of the 1,466 passengers have already left the UK, while 866 are now outside of the viruss two-week incubation period. So far, 203 people have been tested in the UK, of which two were found to have the virus. The two individuals who tested positive for the virus are members of the same family and are receiving specialist care, while health specialists are using tried and tested infection control procedures to prevent further spread of the virus. Last month health officials and Border Force said they were searching for 2,000 airline passengers who flew into Britain from Wuhan who could have been in the incubation period when they landed, but may not have been displaying symptoms. The department advised that anyone who has traveled from elsewhere in China, not including Macao or Hong Kong, to the UK in the last 14 days and developed symptoms of cough, fever, or shortness of breath, should stay indoors and avoid contact with other people, even if these symptoms are only minor. These travelers should also inform the NHS of their recent travel to the country. It comes as the UK government launched a nationwide public information campaign to advise the public on how to prevent the virus from spreading and reducing the impact on health care services. The campaign advises people to always carry tissues and use them to catch coughs and sneezes, and bin the tissue and wash their hands with soap and water, or use sanitizer gel, to kill germs. The department said the UK is extremely well prepared for any potential outbreak of an infectious disease and that the nation is one of the first countries in the world to have developed a test for the new virus. Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Feb. 3 announced a 20 million fund ($26.4 million) to help with vaccine research to tackle the coronavirus and other diseases. At the start of this month, officials in the Philippines said a 44-year-old Chinese man had become the first person outside of China to die from the coronavirus, after developing severe pneumonia. The man, from Wuhan, was the second confirmed case in the Philippines and a companion of the woman who was the first confirmed case. The Philippines has since expanded its travel ban to include all foreigners coming from China, widening an earlier restriction that covered only those from Hubei. Cases of the virus have also been reported in Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, the United States, France, Germany, North Korea, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Vietnam, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the UK, Russia, Nepal, Cambodia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Finland, and India. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), according to the World Health Organization. Common symptoms of the virus include respiratory issues, fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties, and in more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, or death. Moroccos regulator has issued a fine of $375 million to Maroc Telecom for contravening the countrys antitrust regulations on the implementation of local loop unbundling (LLU). After a complaint was brought against the countrys market leader by Zain subsidiary Inwi (formerly Wana), the ANRT (the National Agency of Telecommunications Regulation) opened an investigation into the fixed-line incumbents activities in 2017. Inwi claimed that Maroc Telecom had hindered its rivals access to LLU and fixed broadband since 2013, and following its investigation the ANRT concluded that Maroc Telecom had abused its dominance in the market to this effect. In 2014, the ANRT issued its guidelines for LLU which obliged Maroc Telecom to host rivals equipment in its existing cabinets, as well as build out multi-operator cabinets in future deployments. It was also required to provide wholesale tariffs for other operators using a virtual unbundled local access (VULA) model. Maroc Telecom will now have to introduce these measures, in addition to paying its fine to the Treasury. The operator, which is 22% owned by the Moroccan government, registered profits of $312 million in H1 2019. Only 39 social houses have been built in South Kerry in a five-year period and the construction is confined to just two towns. There are 624 approved applicants currently on the county council housing list in the area which includes most of the Ring of Kerry. Half are single persons. The information, released at a meeting of the Kenmare Municipal District Council in Cahersiveen, also sets out how not a single house was built in the region stretching from Kilgarvan to Kenmare, along with Sneem, Castlecove and towns of Cahersiveen and Killorglin in the years 2015, 2016, or 2017. No social house at all has been built in Kilgarvan, the home village of two Kerry TDs and three of its county councillors the Healy Rae family where around 30 applicants await houses. The town and village associated with 'the Liberator' Daniel OConnell has had no social house either in Cahersiveen where OConnell was born, or in the village of Caherdaniel alongside his stately home of Derrynane. The construction which has taken place in the past two years has been confined to, Killorglin with 17 houses in 2019, some 14 of which remain to be allocated, and Kenmare with 22 houses which were built in 2018. The tourist villages of Sneem or of Waterville have not had a single social house built. The housing report revealed how the council is given annual targets from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government but it had yet to receive its 2020 targets. Just 18 houses have been bought by the council and some 28 leased in the region since and including 2015. There had been no capital housing programme locally or nationally for a number of years, director of housing, Martin ODonoghue, said. Councillor Michael Cahill said housing in south Kerry is 'at crisis': We need a more imaginative approach. As well as building, we need to start buying." Almost half of the applicants 307 are for one-bed units. Cllr Johnny Healy Rae said the circumstances arising from marriage break up and such are not being accommodated: Changing life circumstances are not being taken into account and over the years the need for accommodation for single males has been neglected. In Kilgarvan, near Kenmare, family homes are needed and he urged the council to buy vacant village houses - but the process is taking too long as Departmental approval is needed and this takes nine months and more, Cllr Healy Rae said. WOOD DALE, Ill., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AAR (NYSE: AIR), a leading provider of aviation services to airlines and governments worldwide, announced that Jessica A. Garascia has joined as General Counsel, effective today. Garascia succeeds Robert Regan and will report to John Holmes, President and Chief Executive Officer. She will oversee AAR's internal legal team, as well as outside counsel, and will have responsibility for all legal affairs. Garascia joins AAR from USG Corporation where she served as Deputy General Counsel responsible for overseeing all M&A activity, compliance, corporate governance, securities law and NYSE compliance. Garascia began her career as an attorney with the law firm of Jenner & Block. She holds a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College and a juris doctorate from Indiana University law school. Holmes commented on Garascia's appointment: "We are excited to add Jessica to our strong leadership team. She will bring a fresh perspective and energy to both our legal and management team." Holmes also thanked Regan for his 12 years of service before recently retiring from AAR. During his tenure, Regan steered the Company through many pivotal events, as well as built a strong legal team. "Bob is a true professional, was a pleasure to work with and has been a mentor to many." Garascia said, "I am thrilled to join AAR, a dynamic company with an exciting future in an important, global industry. I look forward to being part of the Company's culture of Doing It Right." About AAR AAR is a global aerospace and defense aftermarket solutions company that employs more than 6,000 people in over 20 countries. Headquartered in the Chicago area, AAR supports commercial and government customers through two operating segments: Aviation Services and Expeditionary Services. AAR's Aviation Services include Parts Supply; OEM Solutions; Integrated Solutions; and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Services. AAR's Expeditionary Services include Mobility Systems and Composites Manufacturing operations. Additional information can be found at www.aarcorp.com. This press release contains certain statements relating to future results, which are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on beliefs of Company management, as well as assumptions and estimates based on information currently available to the Company, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those anticipated, including those factors discussed under Item 1A, entitled "Risk Factors", included in the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2019. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize adversely, or should underlying assumptions or estimates prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described. These events and uncertainties are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many are beyond the Company's control. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. For additional information, see the comments included in AAR's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. SOURCE AAR Related Links http://www.aarcorp.com U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has demanded "demonstrable evidence" from the Taliban that it will lower the violence level in Afghanistan before signing a deal that would lead to peace talks and a withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country. Pompeo told a news conference in Uzbekistan on February 3 that a deal was close but that they had been close before and failed because the Taliban was unable to prove it is serious about peace. "We're working on a peace and reconciliation plan, putting the commas in the right place, getting the sentences right," Pompeo said. "We got close once before to having an agreement: a piece of paper that we mutually executed and the Taliban were unable to demonstrate either their will or capacity or both to deliver on a reduction in violence." "So, what we are demanding now is demonstrable evidence of their will and capacity to reduce violence, to take down the threat, so the inter-Afghan talks...will have a less violent context," he said. "We're hopeful we can achieve that but we're not there yet, and work certainly remains." Pompeo's statement came two days after U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during a visit to Kabul that there had been "no notable progress" in talks with the Taliban. However, Khalilzad said he was hopeful of reaching a deal with the militants on a reduction of violence, without offering any time frame. Khalilzad has held multiple rounds of talks with the Taliban in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar amid efforts to end 18 years of war in Afghanistan. The militant group maintains a political office in Qatar. Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP A Muslim father is being prosecuted for keeping his son off school for months in a row over teaching LGBT+ equality lessons. Jabar 'Jay' Hussain, 51, faces a fine and potentially jail for failing to ensure his nine-year-old went to Parkfield Community School in Birmingham. Mr Hussain has instructed lawyers to seek a judicial review over the issue if Birmingham City Council does not back down. Scroll for video Jabar 'Jay' Hussain (pictured), 51, faces a fine and potentially jail for failing to ensure his nine-year-old went to Parkfield Community School in Birmingham Pictured is the protest outside the primary school over the 'No Outsiders' equality programme Mr Hussain claimed 'No Outsiders', created by the school's former assistant head Andrew Moffatt (pictured), promoted homosexuality and transgenderism He claimed the school's 'No Outsiders' equality programme was 'incompatible' with his rights and Muslim faith. He alleged the lessons posed a 'safeguarding risk' and caused confusion for young pupils about their gender identity and the decision to prosecute him was unlawful and breached his human rights. His lawyer Paul Conrathe said: 'This prosecution criminalises him for not submitting to teaching in breach of his rights.' He wrote to Birmingham City Council on Friday saying: 'He [the father] considers the school's approach presents a safeguarding risk to his child.' Mr Hussain previously said he did not want his son to be told 'it is okay to be gay'. An estimated 600 Muslim children were pulled out of Parkfield Community School in protest against lessons about homosexuality and gender in March (pictured) Mr Hussain said in September: 'We have no issue if Mr Moffat wants to put on a dress, or dance around like a ballet dancer, or put on a skirt, we have no issue. We have an issue with teaching that nonsense to our kids' He claimed 'No Outsiders', created by the school's former assistant head Andrew Moffatt, promoted homosexuality and transgenderism. During a protest outside the school in September, Mr Hussain told BirminghamLive: 'We are not against anyone expressing their sexuality or being homosexual if that's what they want. 'We have no issue if Mr Moffat wants to put on a dress, or dance around like a ballet dancer, or put on a skirt, we have no issue. We have an issue with teaching that nonsense to our kids.' In his legal challenge, he also claimed the school 'goes well beyond teaching acceptance for different types of families. For instance, it advocates for children to be whatever they feel they might be (including in relation to gender)...' The letter to the council also said the programme 'reinforces the message that it is ''good'' to be transgender' and claimed - wrongly according to Mr Hussain - gender identity is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. The book 'Introducing Teddy', used as part of the 'No Outsiders' programme in the school, was held up as an example of the content Mr Hussain condemned. The book is about friendship and features a boy teddy who reveals he would rather be a girl teddy. The school reportedly responded to Mr Hussain previously to say: 'Whilst Mr Hussain may believe being gay and lesbian as well as transgender are morally wrong, they are protected characteristics under the Equality Act.' The legal challenge by Mr Hussain is likely to revive the debate between some parents of faith and city primary schools about what should be said to young pupils about LGBT+ families and people. Protests started at the gates of Parkfield in early 2019, led by Muslim parents who said they did not want their children to be taught it was okay to be gay. Protests started at the gates of Parkfield in early 2019 (pictured), led by Muslim parents who said they did not want their children to be taught it was okay to be gay At one point hundreds gathered outside the school, chanting in protest, while 600 Muslim pupils - aged between four and 11 - were withdrawn from classes. Some demonstrators even said they would rather leave the UK than allow their children to continue attending Parkfield Community School. The lessons were suspended for consultation over several months - but when the programme was amended and revived in September there were new protests. This time Mr Hussain was at the forefront. In a demonstration in front of the school, he urged parents to join a day of withdrawal of children, telling them if they lived by the Qu'ran and their Muslim faith, they would protest. Ofsted ruled the 'No Outsiders' programme taught at Parkfield was 'age appropriate' and the school has retained its 'outstanding' grading through the protests. Pupils have five of the lessons a year, covering areas including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. Some of the protesters at the school in Birmingham have said Islam did not accept homosexuality The programme was first piloted at the school in 2014 and is now also taught at dozens of other schools in the country. Mr Moffat, who is in a civil partnership, was made an MBE for services to equality and diversity in education in 2017. Anderton Park School in Sparkbrook was also the target of regular protests over the LGBT+ issue. Birmingham City Council successfully won a high court injunction which placed a permanent exclusion zone around the school, prohibiting protests. In her annual report published last week, Ofsted's chief inspector criticised the government for a lack of action over protests against LGBT+ equality lessons, warning tensions remain 'unresolved'. Amanda Spielman said national leadership was 'lacking' and there was no swift condemnation from the government during the row over teaching primary school children same-sex families exist. The Ofsted chief warned 'anxiety and concern' remained in communities ahead of relationships lessons becoming compulsory in all primary schools across England from September. A parent who fails to ensure their child attends school for long periods is liable to a fine of up to 2,500, a community order or a jail sentence up to three months. The court would also give a parenting order. Parkfield Community School has been approached for comment. Imperial Valley News Center U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor Addresses Latin American Judges at Justice Departments Judicial Studies Institute San Juan, Puerto Rico - Last Week, at the Judicial Studies Institute (JSI) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor addressed 24 judges from El Salvador, Mexico, and Panama as part of a Department of Justice (DOJ) training program for the judiciaries of the Western Hemisphere. Justice Sotomayor stressed the importance of their contribution to rule of law in the hemisphere and lauded them for their role in the transformation of Latin American justice. With the support of Justice Sotomayor, and in partnership with the Department of States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, the Justice Departments Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) launched JSI in 2012 as a response to the wave of justice sector reforms in Latin America that saw many countries transition from an inquisitorial to an adversarial system of justice. Through Spanish instruction, practical exercises, and observations of courtroom proceedings, participating judges learned about evidentiary guidelines, the role of judges, and courtroom management in an adversarial justice system. This capacity building is critical to the region as there are significant differences between the two systems. For example, in an inquisitorial system, judges investigate charges and determine guilt through written deliberations behind closed doors. In an adversarial system, the judge acts as an impartial referee responsible for weighing evidence and guaranteeing the rights of both the victim and the accused in an open courtroom setting. Since establishing JSI in 2012, OPDAT and its partners at the University of Puerto Rico and Inter-American University law schools have trained over 800 Latin American judges. Cult mom Lori Vallow and Mormon Doomsday author Chad Daybell acted like loved-up teenagers 'let loose from their parents' less than three weeks after his wife had supposedly died peacefully in her sleep, DailyMail.com has learned. They were touching each other's bodies in public and behaving like a couple of kids first discovering each other, according to a woman they tried to rent a Hawaiian house from. 'They were giddy with happiness,' said divorcee Jeani Martin. 'I had chills all over my body, I thought this was so creepy. I didn't like the look of it at all.' Vallow and Daybell have been on the run for months and have refused to help cops looking into the disappearance of her two children, Tylee Ryan, 17, and seven-year-old Joshua 'JJ' Vallow. Lori Vallow and new husband, Doomsday author Chad Daybell, fled to Hawaii once questions started to be asked about her two missing kids Chad's then-wife Tammy Daybell (pictured together) was found dead under mysterious circumstances in October, just two weeks before he married Lori and they fled to Hawaii. Her body has been exhumed in a bid to see if she was poisoned and toxicology results are expected any day Vallow's children, seven-year-old JJ and 17-year-old Tylee were last seen in Rexburg, Idaho, in September and weren't reported missing until November The couple were discovered living on the Hawaiian island of Kauai last weekend and Vallow was served with court papers telling her she had to produce the children to authorities in Idaho by last Thursday a deadline she blew through, leading to increased fears that the siblings are dead. A court in Rexburg, Idaho, is now expected to hold her in contempt, opening the way for her arrest and extradition from Hawaii, more than four months after her children were last seen. The couple tried to rent a home from Jeani Martin, 70, in Princeville at the northern tip of Kauai, Hawaii, early in the afternoon of November 7 Daybell and Vallow turned up uninvited at Martin's home in Princeville at the northern tip of Kauai early in the afternoon of November 7, asking if the home was for rent. They claimed God had sent them to the address. Martin, 70, who owns a company producing organic cleaning materials, had rented the home in the past but it was not being advertised at the time. She invited the couple in, thinking they were potential future tenants, or could even rent her upper floor while she lived downstairs. 'They came in and looked around and said they needed some place to stay the next day - or two days at the latest. They said their landlord was coming back from the mainland so they had to leave. 'They said they owned their own house in Princeville but they had rented it out so they couldn't go back there.' Martin said she talked to the couple for nearly two hours, asking about their lives. 'They said they had a blended family and all the kids got on and they would come out to Kauai to visit them.' She described Lori Vallow, 46, as 'bubbly, fun and personable.' But she sensed something was wrong, so after the couple left her three-bed, two-bath home she decided to do some online sleuthing. 'Some people can put on a facade and you don't know their evil heart,' she explained. She looked up Daybell's Facebook page and soon found a link to a Tammy Daybell. She clicked on that to find her obituary. 'It said she was Chad Daybell's wife and she had passed on October 19. I kept looking to see what year that was - until I realized it was 2019! 'I started counting and writing dates down and I realized that was less than three weeks before. I thought there is something wrong here, he's not even grieving. 'He and Lori were acting like two teenagers let loose from their parents and I was thinking, this is just nuts.' Martin, a committed Christian, said she got a vision in her head of Daybell, 51, suffocating his wife in her sleep. 'I said to myself they are not renting from me because I don't want them to be here when the cops come looking for them. 'I didn't want that in my house and I knew it was going to happen. It was so creepy. I didn't like the look of it at all.' Cops only realized they were missing two days before Thanksgiving when they were asked to conduct a welfare check by relatives who had been unable to contact JJ since September This is the home the couple had been holed up in an exclusive gated resort in Princeville on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Martin's house is less than half a mile away Montana native Martin spoke to DailyMail.com in Honolulu. She splits her time between the state capital and her home on Kauai. Daybell and Vallow ended up living in a condo in Princeville, just yards from a $1.7 million home where she and ex-husband Charles Vallow had once lived. Martin's house is less than half a mile from those two addresses. The condo in a gated community has been unoccupied since the couple were stopped and served papers at the Kauai Beach Resort, some 25 miles away, although some windows have been left open. Martin said Daybell had told her he earned $30,000 a month from his books and publishing business. She believes this is a true figure as financial checks she performed appeared to back him up. Her home rents for $3,910 a month. She said that she decided to ask Daybell to get Vallow to fill in the lease paperwork so she could find something about her background. 'But the next morning he texted me to say they could get back in their own house,' as their tenants had to go to Hawaii's Big Island to look after a sick relative. Martin said she later texted Daybell because she was curious about the death of his wife. 'I wanted to say something so I prayed and thought about everything. I said I had come across an obituary of your wife Tammy and said she had only been passed a few weeks. 'I said it must have been sad and your kids must be grieving. I even told him of my experience, my mother died when she was 47 and I was 17, so I told him how that made me feel. 'A couple of days later he texted me back and said yes, it was really sad. He said she passed peacefully in her sleep and at the funeral when they were putting her in the ground, he saw her and she was on the other side of the veil and she told me that she was fine, she was over there helping other people like she always did and I should go on with my life. 'He said he told the kids and we've all gone on with our lives. I thought, really, in two weeks?' Martin said Daybell told her his dead wife had given him permission to 'reconnect' with Lori Vallow. 'The impression I got was that Tammy hadn't known Lori before, but he had!' Lori's estranged husband Charles Vallow (pictured together) was shot dead by her brother, Alex Cox, in July Vallow used her real name and provided her license when booking a room at the Kauai Beach Resort, tipping off cops to their whereabouts. The next time they checked in, police where waiting for them Daybell and Vallow are said to have married within two weeks of Tammy's death, although no paperwork confirming the marriage has emerged. Tammy Daybell, 49, was originally said to have died due to natural causes. She was buried in a Utah cemetery where Chad had once worked. Her body has now been exhumed in a bid to see if she was poisoned. Toxicology results are expected any day. Vallow has been married multiple times. Her most recent husband, Charles Vallow was shot dead last July by her brother Alex Cox. Charles, who was estranged from Lori, had gone to pick up JJ and the three got into an argument. Police ruled that Cox had acted in self-defense but the death is now being re-examined. Cox died mysteriously in Arizona on December 12, the day after Tammy Daybell's body was dug up. Another twist to the case occurred on October 2 when Brandon Boudreaux - who was married to Vallow's niece Melani, a follower of Daybell - was shot at as he drove in Gilbert, Arizona. The gunman was driving a car registered to Charles Vallow who had died three months earlier. Martin said she fears Tylee and JJ, who were last seen on September 23, are dead -and that she herself could have ended up victims of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell if she had rented them her house. In divorce papers, Charles Vallow had claimed that Lori had told him she would kill him if he got in her way. 'She said if anyone stopped her she would kill them,' she said. 'Who knows what would have happened to me?' SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A bicyclist suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries in a collision with a vehicle in San Francisco's Outer Parkside neighborhood Saturday morning, police said. The collision was reported at 10:34 a.m. in the area of 42nd Avenue and Rivera Street. The 66-year-old bicyclist was taken to a hospital and an update on his condition was not immediately available. Police did not make any arrest in connection with the collision. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. After loud cheers for Sanders, there were groans for Biden when he mentioned his closeness with Barack Obama and defended his vote to invade Iraq. Then came the allegation that Sanders once told Warren a woman couldnt win the presidency. Id left by then, but according to a Washington Post account of the party, his supporters cheered when he denied having made the comment, then gasped when Warren doubled down, stunned at the collapse of what they viewed as an unspoken alliance. For the rest of the night, many groaned or even booed Warren. Kosovo's parliament approved a new prime minister on Monday after four months of haggling over government posts, raising hopes that long-frozen talks with Serbia could resume. Former rebel leader Albin Kurti and his cabinet were installed only a day before the deadline, helping to avoid a political crisis. Dubbed Kosovo's Che Guevara by reporters in the 1990s when he organised mass student protests against Serbian repression, Kurti vowed to tackle economy and unemployment, fight corruption and introduce three months of compulsory military service. "We will be the government of economic development and employment," he said, adding that the goal was to create a "socially just state". Lawmakers approved a coalition of his left-wing Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) and the centre-right Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) with 66 votes of support in the 120-member assembly. The snap election was called after Ramush Haradinaj resigned as prime minister in July as he was summoned to be questioned at a war crimes court in The Hague. In October, Vetevendosje and LDK won 29 and 28 seats respectively. They inflicted a historic defeat on the PDK party, led by ex-guerrilla commanders who have dominated Kosovo since it declared independence in 2008. But the election was followed by months of bargaining between the two camps over government posts rather than ideological differences. On Sunday they finally reached a deal that led to Monday's vote. Kurti first gained fame as a student activist protesting in the 1990s against the Serbian regime of strongman Slobodan Milosevic, whose troops waged a bloody campaign against Kosovo's Albanian majority. Brussels and Washington had urged Kosovo's leading parties to unite and start tackling urgent economic, social and legal reforms. They are especially eager to see a revival of stalled negotiations with Belgrade -- a lingering source of tension in the volatile Balkans. Earlier on Monday, the new prime minister told lawmakers he was "ready to lead future talks with Serbia" focusing among other things on "mutual recognition between the two states". Unlike most EU countries and the United States, Serbia rejects the independence of its former province, declared almost a decade after the end of a bloody war that claimed 13,000 lives, mostly ethnic Albanians. "With Serbia, we will restore full trade, economic and political reciprocity," Kurti told the parliament. Brussels insists that the two sides reach a binding agreement on their relations before they could make progress toward a European Union membership, to which both Belgrade and Pristina aspire. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Facial recognition has become a cause for concern in western democracies. The European Commission is considering imposing a five-year moratorium on the use of facial recognition technologies in the European Union (EU). In the United States (US), municipalities have passed, or are considering passing prohibitions, and California is considering a similar legislation. This alarm is justified. India, however, is rushing to adopt public facial recognition without any legal restraint, and discussion. Recently, former minister of state for civil aviation, Jayant Sinha, celebrated the launch of DigiYatra, endorsing the omnipresent use of facial recognition in airports where someones face would suffice as the boarding pass. Not to be left behind, the Telangana State Election Commission announced the use of facial recognition in Medchal Malkajgiri district to counter impersonation by voters in a forthcoming municipal election. Sinha asserted that DigiYatra was General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)-compliant, which would be enough to protect the privacy of Indian citizens. The GDPR 2016/679 is a regulation in the EU law on data protection and privacy to protect European citizens. It doesnt talk about rights of Indian citizens and its applicability in this context is unclear. In the 21st century, an Aadhaar number, a mobile handsets IMEI number, and the unique network address of a wifi adapter in smartphones, for example, can locate users in the digital world. From financial transactions to interpersonal communications, from web searches to everything that a person reads, watches, or listens can be used to identify almost everything we touch, do and think. Once cameras are connected to a facial recognition software, citizens have no privacy anywhere. To those with power governments or businesses people are seen, recognised, analysed, predicted and controlled all the time. This technology can be used to perfect despotism. Thanks to the technical sophistication and political audacity of the Chinese Communist Party, which has made a demonstration prototype to warn residents of Xinjiang, we dont have to treat that possibility as science fiction. The Indian government may go down the same road. By beginning to apply it in elections in Telangana, the State is claiming that this technology is somehow integral to democracy. Tech enthusiasts tend to dismiss anyone asking basic questions as Luddites, especially if billions of dollars are at stake. But once such a society without privacy is built, it cannot be dismantled. Once people allow their government to permit its construction, they are entrusting all future governments, and all future dominant data-mining companies, with powers that can be used to destroy freedom. This is why the other advanced democracies are hesitating. In civil society, within government, and even in the tech companies themselves, there is a sudden awareness that a tipping point has been reached. Facial recognition is just one form of identification. Even if it is controlled or forbidden to use on the public, all the other forms of digital identification, when accompanied by comprehensive behaviour collection and secretive data analysis, are a threat to the autonomy of each individual. There is a need to regulate the industry on behaviour collection, and subject government surveillance to the rule of law. But once we have also enabled comprehensive facial recognition, we have made all those problems exponentially worse, and probably irreversible. Yet in India, the government and private industry are forging ahead. What they are asking is not only that we should trust the government and these private market parties with power sufficient to destroy democracy. We are being asked also to trust all their successors with such power. This, even before we have forgotten the Whatsapp/NSO spying scandal. Unless the Puttaswamy judgment (the right to privacy is protected as a fundamental constitutional right) of the Supreme Court has already become meaningless, for the government to take such a step violates basic constitutional rights. For the government to allow the private market to create the infrastructure, placing the impetus in constitutionally unaccountable hands while reserving to itself the right to have continuous access to the data, should also be held a violation of constitutional human rights. What should happen now? First, as in Europe, we should declare a five-year moratorium on all public-space facial recognition, governmental and private, to allow time for society and the law to catch up. Parliament should make by statute a strong personal privacy charter protecting the rights of everyone to be free from forms of behaviour collection and mass data analysis that are demonstrably harmful. Such an Act should not have any exceptions. It should subject all government surveillance and government use of private surveillance technologies to the rule of law. Parliament should also make a data protection statute that regulates the sale and transfer in commerce of behavioural information about individuals that does not meet technical standards of safety and appropriateness of acquisition. It is only then that a democracy can safely begin to adopt technologies that, unregulated as they presently are, can corrode and destroy the very fabric of human freedom. Mishi Choudhary is an international technology lawyer and founder of SFLC.in. Professor Eben Moglen is professor of law and legal history, Columbia Law School, Columbia University The views expressed are personal - Nigerian lawyer and media personality Ebuka Obi-Uchendu has expressed fear over coronavirus - The media personality landed in Dubai and started seeing people wearing nose masks due to the outbreak of coronavirus - Ebuka was in Dubai for the wedding of Kani and Adewale Adeleke - Adewale is the brother to multiple award-winning Nigerian artiste and DMW boss Davido - Coronavirus is a large family of virus that typically attacks the respiratory system Nigerian lawyer and media personality Ebuka Obi-Uchendu has expressed fear over coronavirus after he landed in Dubai for the wedding of Kani and Adewale Adeleke. Ebuka took to his Instagram page to express his fear, saying seeing people wearing nose masks in the Middle East country feared him. He wrote: These face masks are scaring me. Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that five Abuja residents were arrested by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command for falsely claiming to have contracted the coronavirus. Anjuguri Manza, the spokesperson for the command, said the suspects who are alleged pranksters had visited the Wuse District Hospital claiming that one of them had been infected with the coronavirus. The police stated that the prank led to panic and confusion as well as a disruption of normal health service delivery at the hospital. The command stated that investigations into the activities of the suspects had begun and it would charge them to court when it concludes its investigation. In other news, the federal government, through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), reacted to claims of the outbreak of coronavirus in the country. The NCDC said that such viral reports and rumours were both false and unfounded and therefore called on Nigerians to completely disregard such. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app The agency, however, admitted that there was a Chinese man who was put under close observation after his return from China recently but was given a clean bill of health. The NCDC, in a statement released on Sunday, February 2, said: The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is aware of ongoing rumours of the importation of the Coronavirus to Nigeria." It also said that to detect the spread of the disease, a laboratory testing platform has already been established in the country. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better Which country would you leave Nigeria for? | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 3, 2020) - East West Petroleum Corp. (TSXV: EW) ("East West" or the "Company") provides this update on the sale of its interest in Petroleum Exploration Permit 54877 and Petroleum Mining Permit 60291 (the "Cheal Permits"), which are subject to joint venture between a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and Cheal Petroleum Limited (the "Joint Venture"), to an arm's length private New Zealand company (the "Purchaser"), on the terms previously announced in a news release of the Company dated June 24, 2019 (the "Transaction"). At this time there are no contractual issues that are an impediment to closing the Transaction, and the Company and the Purchaser had previously anticipated closing at or about this time. In a news release dated November 27th 2019, the Company announced that because of the change in ownership of Cheal Petroleum Limited as the operator of the Joint Venture and owner of 70% interest in the Cheal Permits, certain government authorities in New Zealand had issued a notice regarding the financial capacity of the operator that impacted tenure to the Cheal Permits. If the concerns are not satisfied, then tenure to the Cheal Permits could be revoked. A revocation would impact both the Company's 30% interest and Cheal Petroleum Limited's 70% interest. The government has communicated no specific issues with the Company or the proposed Purchaser of the Company's 30% interest in the Joint Venture. Cheal Petroleum Limited has prepared and submitted a response and fully expects that all issues will be satisfactorily resolved. Until local regulatory issues are addressed closing of the Transaction cannot occur. At this time, it is not known when such concerns will be resolved, or whether they will be resolved, and further it is not known whether the delay could impact the Company's agreement with the Purchaser in respect of the Transaction. As additional information is available, the Company will provide further updates. About East West Petroleum Corp. East West Petroleum Corp. (www.eastwestpetroleum.ca) is a TSX Venture Exchange listed company established in 2010 to invest in international oil & gas opportunities. The Company has its primary focus on two key areas: New Zealand, where it has established production and cash flow and Romania where it is carried to production on an exploration program. In Romania the Company has exploration rights in four exploration concessions covering 1,000,000 acres in the prolific Pannonian Basin of western Romania with Naftna Industrija Srbije ("NIS"). The Company does not own the acres but has exploration rights. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" which reflect the Company's current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that it believes might affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may", "might", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "indicate", "seek", "believe", "estimates", "predicts" or "likely", or the negative of these terms, or other similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. Whether actual results, performance or achievements will conform to the Company's expectations and predictions is subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, including without limitation, those risks and uncertainties discussed elsewhere in the Company's filings on SEDAR. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date hereof and is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Nick Demare ndemare@chasemgt.com Tel: (604) 685-9316 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52038 Connecticut Attorney General William Tong is blaming New Englands regional power grid for continued high electric rates in the state, saying ISO-New England failed to follow a competitive bidding process as is required law. Tong has joined officials in Massachusetts and Maine in asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to force the Holyoke, Mass.-based grid operator to do competitive bidding in the development of transmission lines. Connecticut is plagued with some of the highest energy costs in the nation, and families and businesses simply cannot afford these bloated contracts, Tong said in a statement released Thursday. Restoring competition to this broken system could save ratepayers millions of dollars while also opening doors to improved energy efficiency and use of renewable technologies. ISO-NE has evaded the competitive bidding process, and this practice needs to end. Matt Kakley, a spokesman for ISO-NE, on Friday defended the grid operators actions. ISO New Englands transmission planning process has resulted in significant improvements to the regional transmission system, increasing reliability, providing access to lower cost resources, and enabling the retirement of older fossil fuel plants Kakley said in a statement. Among these improvements were upgrades in Southwest Connecticut that effectively eliminated congestion costs for the region, and primarily for Connecticut consumers. Tong was joined by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and Maine Public Advocate Barry Hobbins in signing onto the letter to FERC. Also signing onto the letter were Katie Dykes, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, as well as Richard Sobelewski, the states acting consumer counsel. Healey said in a statement that the way ISO-NE operates when it comes to transmission line work has cost ratepayers across the region millions of dollars. Allowing for competition will help support our transition to a cleaner, reliable energy system she said. Dykes said ratepayers have been waiting for years to get the benefit of a competitive process. Competitive processes could also enable the incorporation of new technologies to provide a more efficient and resilient grid, she said. Its time for ISO-NE to move that forward. But Kakley said that contrary to these parties assertions, ISO New England has properly applied its federally-approved tariff. FERC officials werent immediately available for comment. The letter to federal energy regulators is the latest volley in an ongoing dispute between the Connecticut officials and ISO-NE. Dykes said during an energy forum at Trinity College in Hartford in mid-January that Connecticut is being hurt by a lack of leadership at the grid operator. We are at the mercy of a regional capacity market that is driving investment in more natural gas and fossil fuel power plants that we dont want and we dont need, Dykes said. This is forcing us to take a serious look at the cost and benefits of participating in the ISO New England markets. Building new electric transmission grids accounts for approximately 20 percent of the cost of running the regional electric grid, according to Connecticut officials. Investment of approximately $1.3 billion is planned for the near future, with 67 various projects planned, proposed or under construction currently, they said. Sources told Hearst Connecticut Media Thursday that a detailed white paper assessing the pros and cons of the states relationship with ISO-NE and what would be involved in exiting the regional power market likely will be released soon. Regional transmission grid operators were created to assure that massive regional blackouts, like the one that hit the Northeast in 1965 never occurred again. In addition to protecting the reliability of New Englands power grid, ISO-NE also oversees what is known as the forward capacity market. That market is designed to assure the region has adequate power supplies years in advance of when they are needed. Paul Chernick, president of Research Insight, an Arlington, Mass.-based consulting firm that specializes in the regulation of electric and gas utilities, said friction between ISO-NE and its members isnt that unusual. State officials in the region believe the grid operator isnt tough enough in dealing with the electric generating companies that bid into the market and that the regions transmission grid shouldnt cost as much as it does. But Chernick said ISO-NE is doing a good job in making sure the regions power grid is reliable. I dont have any inside knowledge of this, but this could be a negotiating tactic by the states to get more of what they want, he said. Its highly unlikely, according to Chernick, that Connecticut would sever its relationship entirely with ISO-NE or even be allowed to by the federal government. But it is possible Connecticut officials could determine it is in the states best interest to exit the forward capacity market, he said. luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com Authorities in Hong Kong said they would shut down the majority of border crossings with mainland China at midnight on Monday amid the expanding coronavirus epidemic, as thousands of medical staff went on strike over the government's handling of the public health emergency. Striking workers set up stalls on picket lines outside several government hospitals on Monday, allowing participating medical workers to register as being on strike. One staff member in the physical therapy department at one hospital said half of the department's staff had taken part. Yu said the next phase of the strike will potentially involve some 9,000 medical staff from Tuesday through Friday. A healthcare worker surnamed Choi said this strike was very different from a run-of-the-mill action, however. "Usually, strike action is taken to fight for the personal rights and interests of employees, but this time our demands are very clear," Choi said. "We want to see [the government] protect public health in Hong Kong." A striking worker surnamed Loh said a total border shutdown was the only way to stop the influx of people from the worst-hit areas of the epidemic in mainland China. A patient surnamed Lee at the Tuen Mun Hospital said he supported the strike, which he blamed on "poor decision-making" by the government. A patient surnamed Woo said he had to wait longer than usual for treatment on Monday, but said he believes a total border shutdown is necessary to protect Hong Kong's seven million people from the coronavirus. Flights still coming in The government on Monday announced it would shut all land border crossings except for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge and the Shenzhen Bay crossing, but the airport will still receive incoming flights from mainland China, the government said. Chief executive Carrie Lam said it was impossible for the city to completely shut down the border, because many people in Hong Kong have a "genuine and legtimate" need to travel back and forth across it. All ferry services coming into Hong Kong have also been suspended, she told a news conference on Monday. But Lam said the additional closures were unconnected to the strike by medical staff in government hospitals. "The measures to further control the flow of people across our border are in the same vein as we have done before, but a bit stronger," Lam said. "They have nothing to do with the five-day strike threat by some Hospital Authority staff," she said. "Anyone who thinks that they can use extreme tactics like this to intimidate the [Hong Kong] government or the Hospital Authority won't succeed." But journalists asked if the "stronger" measures were in the interests of the people of Hong Kong, given that government figures showed that more than 60 percent of the 11,715 people who arrived in Hong Kong from mainland China on Sunday did so via the three border points that are to remain open. Hong Kong had reported 15 confirmed cases of the Wuhan coronavirus by Monday. Partial victory claimed Winnie Yu, who heads the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, claimed a partial victory for the strike action, however. "As we have just seen, our action forced the government to take steps to close more border crossings," Yu said. "But they left three border crossings open, and nearly 60 percent of inbound people came across at these crossings." "So there is still no sign that the government has any sincerity about implementing border controls," Yu said. Democratic Party lawmaker Helena Wong said the government's moves are confusing, and called on Lam to respond to widespread public support for a total border shutdown. Reported by Gao Feng and Lu Xi for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Lau Siu-fung and Tam Siu-yin for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have taken fans inside their gorgeous home for the March 2020 issue of Architectural Digest and a video where the two quiz each other about their home is so revealing. Find out their favorite rooms (Kardashian loves her bathroom lighting, for example), their favorite celebrity house guest, and get the scoop on how they transformed the house entirely. Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West | ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images Kardashian and West share the backstory of their dream home Kardashian and West purchased the Los Angeles home in 2014, as Kardashian explained: We passed by this incredibly extravagant house while strolling through the neighborhood. Id just had North, and we were doing a lot of walking so I could work off some of the baby fat. I didnt really know Kanyes style at that point, but I thought the house was perfection. Kanye was less enthusiastic. He said, Its workable. In their Design Quiz video for the magazine, Kardashian shared more about the story behind their dream home, explaining they each had a home that was not that family-ish and they discovered her dream home during a walk. West said I like it, which is high praise from the rapper because he doesnt really like anything, according to Kardashian. He added, Thats my specialty, not liking stuff. I knew that it was going to be our dream home and that he was going to fully redo it and it was going to be likeable, Kardashian shared. West also explained how he and Belgian designer Axel Vervoordt came to collaborate on the home, telling the magazine: When I saw the kind of work he was doing, I thought, This man could design Batmans house. I had to work with him. It was a coup to get Axel to come to Calabasas to redo a McMansion, which is essentially what the house was. They revealed their favorite rooms Kardashian and West delved into some fun home questions, like the soundtrack for their house, with Kardashian naming Jesus Is King as the vibe. An all-important question about which room has the best light for selfies came up, with Kardashian naming the theater room because I like a dark room and I like to use a flash. Kardashians favorite thing about their bathroom is taking selfies in it because the lighting in the bathroom is so good that it smooths out all cellulite the whole ceiling is one giant light. She shared how it really sets the tone for her day, as she explained, I start my day off getting in the shower feeling so good about myself, but when she goes in the closet to get dressed, she realizes it just was the lighting. West also counts the bathroom among his favorite rooms, sharing, I love how the whole side of the bathroom is just blown out. Additionally, one of the favorite things that West and Vervoordt designed was a hallway, as West shared, we pushed it to minimize it and make it as strong as possible and as simple as possible. Bonus fun fact: Kardashian has never used their pool! Can you believe that?, she said as West looked stunned. She added, But I love our pool, as she shred that the pool stairs is the place all the babies sit on. Their fave house guest is a big celebrity When West was asked about his favorite house guest, the two agreed: Dave Chappelle. Kardashian shared, I love when Dave comes over, and West chimed in, but he aint gonna put his feet on our couch, Ill tell you that! We all have that one mate that just doesnt know how to give it a rest sometimes - and god damn do we wish they would be the one being punished for a change. In a strange turn of events, a man in Aussie was literally sent to court for just that - being criminally annoying, and even the magistrate was confused. 25-year-old Brady Leigh Macpherson was arrested by police over claims he verbally assaulted a woman in Hobart's CBD in Tasmania. Brady was accused of repeatedly calling the woman a 'f***head' on Elizabeth St. And while it might sound like a pretty bizarre reason to end up in court, it's definitely against the rules in Tassie. The Police Offences Act 1935 has a little stipulation in there that forbids people from jostling, insulting, or annoying another person. So you could probably say that yelling at a random person on the street would make you eligible to be charged. Even the magistrate presiding over the case 'hadn't heard' of the charge before when Macpherson fronted court though, so its obviously not a common scenario that ends up in court. Macpherson is also facing charges of contravening the conditions of a notice and cannabis possession on top of generally being annoying. He's been granted bail and will appear in court next month. But this Police Offences Act 1935 has quite a few different clauses in it which could lead to a lot of people getting arrested in Tasmania, so if youre ever over for a visit, be warned: You're not allowed to, in any public place, or within the hearing of any person in that place: (a) curse or swear; (b) sing any profane or obscene song; (c) use any profane, indecent, obscene, offensive, or blasphemous language; or (d) use any threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour calculated to provoke a breach of the peace or whereby a breach of the peace may be occasioned. Yikes, sounds like most of us could be getting locked up if we were unlucky enough to be caught. : The third novel coronavirus case has been reported in India, with another Keralite student who returned from Wuhan university on Monday testing positive for the infection. The medical student is in an isolation ward at Kanhangad district hospital in Kasaragod, Health Minister K K Shailaja informed the state assembly. The condition of the student is "stable", she said. Out of the 104 samples tested till Sunday, three have tested positive. This is the third positive case reported from Kerala. Two earlier positive cases, also of students who came back from Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, were reported from Thrissur and Alapuzha districts. The minister made the statement in the assembly under Rule 300 in the wake of three positive cases reported from the state. A total of 1,999 people, who have a travel history from China and other affected countries, are under observation in Kerala,of whom 75 are in isolation wards of various hospitals. The remaining 1,924 are under home quarantine as per a medical bulletin issued on Sunday night. The minister has made it clear that those under observation at home should keep away from public functions and should not participate in any events or go out of their homes during the 28 day incubation period. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ukrainian leader urged Turkish businesses to invest in the Ukrainian economy right now. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says investment is the most promising area of economic partnership between Ukraine and Turkey. "I am sure that the investment sphere provides the greatest prospects for economic partnership between Ukraine and Turkey today. It is not only about establishing joint ventures, but also about active participation of Turkish companies in the privatization process," he said at a Ukrainian-Turkish business forum in Kyiv on Monday, February 3, according to the presidential administration. A number of Turkish companies have already taken advantage of the opportunities in Ukraine, he said. The Ukrainian president urged Turkish businesses to invest in the Ukrainian economy now. In particular, he invited Turkish businesspeople to participate in concession tenders in infrastructure modernization projects. "One of our priorities is a large-scale modernization of infrastructure roads, airports and seaports, the launch of transportation by river. The first concession tenders of the seaports of Olvia and Kherson have already been launched. We are currently preparing new tenders for airports and seaports, as well as concession road projects," he said. According to him, investment in the development of tourist infrastructure in Kherson and Odesa regions was potentially attractive for both countries. Read alsoWeek's balance: Zelensky vows to get investors a "nanny", while Ukraine issues eurobonds and releases population count data He mentioned that the Ukrainian authorities were initiating a number of innovations to improve the investment climate. These include, for example, five-year tax holidays, the so-called Investment Nanny project, the creation of international arbitration for investors. In his words, further development of cooperation between the two countries will be facilitated by the signing of a free trade agreement. "This will give impetus in many areas: agriculture and food, housing construction, energy and energy efficiency, transport and tourism. We also have significant potential in engineering, production of transport and energy equipment," he said. by Dave Maier Another not-necessarily-the-best-of-the-year mix, but there do seem to be a number of 2019 releases. Warning: this ones pretty drony, so dont be driving or anything. Sequencers next time, I promise! (A few anyway.) 0:00 Anne Chris Bakker Norge Svmmer (Reminiscences [Dronarivm]) 4:50 FRAME Earth (The Journey [Glacial Movements]) 12:30 Strom Noir There will never be another you (va/Illuminations II [Dronarivm]) 17:30 Kinephilia Nothing really 21:20 tsone a good cleansing always sets ones mind to rights (pagan oceans I [Home Normal]) 26:00 Joseph Branciforte & Theo Bleckmann 5.5.9 (LP1 [greyfade]) 34:20 Le Berger 0003 [No thanks to you] ( Sounds of the Sleepless Sam v.1) 40:40 Silent Vigils Mossigwell (Fieldem [Home Normal]) 51:00 Forrest Fang The Other Earth (Ancient Machines [Projekt]) 1:00:30 end Further info about this mixs music in a sec. First, a program note. Theres something a bit screwy about one of the tracks here. I should know, because I made it myself. Its kind of a thought experiment (so you probably wont be able to hear what I mean, and it shouldnt interfere with your enjoyment), and I originally intended to finish this post with a discussion of the issues I think it raises. It got a bit out of hand though, so I think well postpone that part until next time. (Theyre really great issues though, so thatll be a lot of fun.) Now back to the show. Direct link: https://www.mixcloud.com/duckrabbit/stars-end-annex-220/ Anne Chris Bakker Norge Svmmer The Russian ambient label Dronarivm provides two of our tracks this time. The first is this fine piece from the first full length solo release by Netherlander Anne Chris Bakker, who tells us [with some typos corrected] that: Reminiscences existed with no detailed plan. It is more the result of spontaneous playing and recording over a period of 5 months using guitar, pedals and and a violin bow. During playing lots of images came up in mind, quite similar to the half sleep state of mind where images and situations flow and bind in an unstructured way. While playing and listening to the material it opened up a map of lost memories. This is how I recollect. FRAME Earth FRAME is Eugenio Vatta and Andrea Benedetti, who began the project with the idea to re-create the atmosphere of a movie theater in a musical show FRAME creates something between cinema and a concert; a sort of live soundtrack: humanity and technology in communication. Vatta seems to be the music half, suggesting (although it does not say this) that Benedetti supplies the visuals. The Journey, they tell us, is composed of ten soundscapes that focus on silence silence in glacial environments and in space are very similar, both in a figurative sense and in terms of perception. Indeed this track does get a bit quiet, so make sure you have your headphones on! The reference to glacial environments may indicate that they are explaining why a space journey (the other tracks are planet names as well) should appear on this label, whose other releases, as the name suggests, tend to be more explicitly frigid (Below Zero, Descending Into Crevasse, Snowbound, etc.) Maybe well come back to this label in, say, August. Strom Noir There will never be another you In 2018 Dronarivm released this massive 30-track exclusive anthology to support a charity called 4 Paws for Ability, which enriches the lives of children with disabilities by training and placing quality, task-trained service dogs. From the many fine tracks available here I selected this one by Slovakian Emil Matko, who records as Strom Noir and has quite a few releases himself. At his own Bandcamp page you may purchase several of them at once for a low low price, should you feel so inclined. Kinephilia Nothing really As you may remember from previous mixes, Kinephilia is the name I have chosen for my own humble efforts. As its title is intended to suggest, I regard this particular effort, if thats even what you want to call it, as especially humble. As noted above, I will explain my concerns in a subsequent post. Just to be clear: I do like the track, or I wouldnt have included it in the mix. tsone a good cleansing always sets ones mind to rights tsone is Tony Obr, and while pagan oceans is not strictly a collaboration, it seems that Ian Hawgood (Mr. Home Normal himself) had quite a bit to do as well with the albums sound: We went about working on the masters using an old Studer A80, and finally doing all three album mixes [pagan oceans I, II, and III were apparently all done at once DM] on reels directly before transferring back across for this release. The process of getting such wonderfully textured analog-ambient-noise just right for such a project took an age to say the least, and also required getting new reels sent to Japan periodically which was quite a task at the time. The result was, as you can hear here, well worth the effort. Joseph Branciforte & Theo Bleckmann 5.5.9 From greyfades Bandcamp page: The debut recording from Grammy-nominated vocalist Theo Bleckmann (ECM) and electronic musician & producer Joseph Branciforte. Vocal loops of hushed beauty framed by artificially-synthesized tones, deep subharmonic oscillations, and gently layered sheets of noise, with a shared musical language drawing upon ambient, choral, microsound, and free improvisation. Without a note of music prepared or a word of discussion, the two arrived at Brancifortes Brooklyn studio, armed with an array of looping devices, guitar pedals, found objects, and sound-making machines. [The result is] an expanded vision of ambient music that embraces narrative and arc as much as landscape and line. Le Berger 0003 [No thanks to you] Le Bergers Bandcamp page does not reveal his name (although from the below it seems that it may be Berg), but it does give his location as Montreal, so thats something. (The banner landscape looks rather more like the moon than Montreal though.) If you like this track be sure to click over, as a mere $16.66 will net you his entire 20-release oeuvre, which is what, about 83 cents per, so thats pretty good. About this particular release he tells us: This is a collection of soundscapes, more or less. It came about as a friend was visiting me and asking what I was working on. Conversation goes something like: Friend Hey hey good lookin, what you got cookin? (not in so many words) Berg Not much really, just some sounds I dabble with at night but no material to speak of. Friend Lemme hear em! Berg Ok. Friend Woah, you should let people hear those maaaaaan. Berg Ok. Good job, Bergs friend! Silent Vigils Mossigwell Our second Home Normal release features Belgian Stijn Huwels and Londoner James Murray, both of whom have multiple releases on their own. Fieldem, they tell us, is a dialogue motivated by mutual respect and revolving around our shared love of the minimal, the graceful and the understated. Its four pieces have become our personal dedications to the quiet strength of blended culture, free thinking and open borders. Mossigwell, like the other places referenced here, is neither here nor there; half in the world, half in the mind so this will probably be the only way you can visit it. Forrest Fang The Other Earth This is the longtime Bay Area ambient composers 18th release, inspired in particular by his 80s-era fascination with minimalist classical composers like Philip Glass and Terry Riley, although as he notes, the sound of the record is more of a hybrid ambient style than a direct homage: When asked, Fang purposely leaves the ancient machines referenced in the title open to the listeners interpretation. However, he may well be referring to the internal machines of all sentient and nonsentient life on this planet that evolve and mutate as part of the symphony of change. Or not. We report, you decide. Dumaguete City (CNN Philippines, February 3) Five inmates, including one convicted of murder, escaped the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Manjuyod Negros Oriental Monday morning, police said. Detainees Janly Callao, Julan Paculanang, Lito Pedro, Ronnie Flores, and Joseph Casido, were discovered to have fled their cell at 7am, when the morning head count was being conducted. The investigator said they destroyed the wall of their detention cell and ran to an unknown direction. Casido is convicted of murder, and Flores of illegal possession of firearms, while Pedro, Paculanang, and Callao, are charged of rape. The Manjuyod Police Station is in coordination with the Manjuyod District Jail, and are now conducting investigation and follow-up operations for the immediate capture and arrest of the convicts. CNN Philippines stringer Roy August Bustillo contributed to this story. China accused the United States on Monday of whipping up panic over a fast-spreading coronavirus with travel restrictions and evacuations as Chinese stocks plunged on the first day back from the extended Lunar New Year holiday, Trend reports citing Reuters. The death toll in China from the newly identified virus, which emerged in the city of Wuhan, rose to 361 as of Sunday, up 57 from the previous day, the National Health Commission said. With Wuhan and some other cities in virtual lockdown, travel severely restricted and China facing increasing international isolation, fears of wider economic disruption are growing; sources at the OPEC oil cartel said producers were considering cutting output by almost a third to support prices. The World Health Organization (WHO) last week declared the flu-like virus a global emergency, and it has since spread to 23 other countries and regions. Airlines around the world have stopped flights to parts of China. A suspension by the United Arab Emirates on Monday will affect the Gulf airlines Etihad and Emirates. China accused the United States of spreading fear by pulling its nationals out and restricting travel instead of offering significant aid. Washington has unceasingly manufactured and spread panic, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters, noting that the WHO had advised against trade and travel curbs. It is precisely developed countries like the United States with strong epidemic prevention capabilities and facilities that have taken the lead in imposing excessive restrictions contrary to WHO recommendations, she added. There was no immediate official comment from the United States, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the United States was still negotiating with China on an offer to send U.S. experts. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking in Geneva, again said travel bans were unnecessary. There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade, he told the WHOs executive board. A WHO-led international team of experts could go to China this week and could include U.S. experts, a WHO spokesman said. The outbreak is reminiscent of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a virus from the same family that emerged in China in 2002 and killed almost 800 people around the world out of the 8,000 or so who were infected. Chinese data suggest that the new virus, while much more contagious than SARS, is significantly less lethal, although such numbers can evolve rapidly. The number of confirmed infections in China rose by 2,829, bringing the total to 17,205. The WHO said at least 151 cases had been confirmed in 23 other countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Britain. President Xi Jinping said controlling the virus was Chinas most important task. Xi stated that the prevention and control of the pneumonia epidemic is directly related to the peoples life safety and fitness, directly related to the overall economic and social stability, and directly related to Chinas opening, Xinhua state news agency said. Chinese stocks fell almost 8%, wiping $393 billion off the value of the Shanghai bourse, the yuan currency had its worst day since August, and Shanghai-traded commodities from oil to copper hit their lower limits all despite the central banks injection of 1.2 trillion yuan ($174 billion) into money markets. Fears for the effect of Chinas lockdown on global growth have slashed more than 22% off the price of the Brent global crude oil benchmark since its recent peak on Jan. 8. [O/R] Economists are predicting world economic output will be cut by 0.2 to 0.3 percentage points. OPEC sources told Reuters that members of the cartel and its allies were considering a coordinated output cut of 500,000 barrels per day, about 29% of the total - to support prices. Taiwans Foxconn, which makes smartphones for Apple and other brands, has halted almost all of its production in China after companies were told to shut until at least Feb. 10, a source said. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. While Chinese stock markets reopened, most provinces have extended the holiday to try to contain the virus, with workers in Hubei not scheduled to return until after Feb. 13. A 1,000-bed hospital built in eight days to treat people with the virus in Wuhan was due to receive its first patients on Monday, state media said. A second hospital with 1,600 beds is due to be ready on Feb. 5. While countries have been trying to block the virus with travel bans, they have also been getting citizens out of Wuhan. The United States, which flew people out last week, is planning a handful more flights while Russia was due to start evacuating its citizens from Wuhan on Monday. Beijing said it had shared information about the virus with self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own. Shut out of the WHO, Taiwan is being included as a high-risk area as part of China but is unable to get epidemic information first-hand. It has only 10 coronavirus cases compared with thousands in China. Chinese-ruled Hong Kong, rocked by months of sometimes violent anti-China protests, announced the closure of four more border crossings with mainland China, leaving just three open. Chinas efforts to contain the virus have taken some unexpected, and some might say unnerving, forms. A video clip posted on the microblogging website Weibo showed people playing mahjong in a village near the city of Chengdu being spotted by a camera mounted on a patrolling drone. Playing mahjong outside is banned during the epidemic! an official tells the villagers through a loudspeaker as he watches footage transmitted by the drone. You have been spotted. Stop playing and leave the site as soon as possible! Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has admitted that the general election campaign has been very difficult for his party and that public opinion has reset against us. He also took a swipe at rivals Fianna Fail, saying there are a lot of backwoodsmen in the party who have opposed social change. In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Mr Varadkar conceded the campaign in which he and his party have relied on Brexit so heavily has not gone to plan. He said the sharp drop in support for Fine Gael would have happened anyway even had he called the election in November, as many in his party had urged. I would say that certainly we feel that the first week of the campaign was very difficult, he said. It was very much a focus on all the many real problems that the country has, like health and housing, but lots of other ones. There is a view and its a view that a former taoiseach held. And I think he may be right. Bertie Ahern actually said it to me and he said, you know, dont pay too much attention to opinion polls, because when the election is called, public opinion resets. And it can reset in your favour. It can reset against you. As it happened, public opinion reset against us at the start of this campaign, or just before it. I think that probably would have happened anyway, even if the election had been called in November. Mr Varadkar has said that, since the publication of manifestos and debates on TV, the campaign has improved and the mood is much better than in the 2016 campaign, which he admitted was very difficult. Senior Fine Gael sources last night insisted there was no panic in the ranks, despite the party now being in third position behind Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein. We are playing into the wind alright, but heads are calm, a senior source said. Mr Varadkar was severely criticised by Fianna Fail for suggesting there are a lot of backwoodsmen in the party who opposed social progress. And if we have a Fianna Fail-led government, I have no doubt that the social progress we have seen in recent years will not continue, he said. There are a lot of backwoodsmen in Fianna Fail that would slow down social progress. The referendum would not have happened had Fianna Fail been in office. In response, Fianna Fail figures said such comments were beneath the Taoiseach. This type of condescending name-calling should be beneath the Taoiseach its disappointing that he is stooping to such a level, a senior source said. Fianna Fail have thousands of decent, hard-working members who are doing their utmost to get as many of our 84 candidates elected. Each of them know that the people want this Government out, and we are offering a real and sustainable change. "So people will decide next Saturday and we will work every day and night up to that to ask them to give FF their vote. Meanwhile, Sinn Fein renewed its call for RTE to include leader Mary Lou McDonald in its final debate tomorrow, set to be a head-to-head affair between Mr Varadkar and Micheal Martin. RTE said: At the outset of the election, RTE set out its approach to leaders debates based on empirical data. That has not changed. Throughout the campaign, RTE has considered representations made by those contesting the election, regarding our coverage and leaders debates. We will continue to give consideration to any representation made. Its steering committee is to meet at 11am today to discuss Sinn Feins request. It is expected that Ms McDonald will be included in the debate. However, the Labour Party has also requested its leader Brendan Howlin and other leaders be include. Earlier, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe warned that electing Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail to office will have grave consequences for the country. Legendary fund manager Li Lu (who Charlie Munger backed) once said, 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital. When we think about how risky a company is, we always like to look at its use of debt, since debt overload can lead to ruin. We can see that Tsingtao Brewery Company Limited (HKG:168) does use debt in its business. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky. What Risk Does Debt Bring? Debt and other liabilities become risky for a business when it cannot easily fulfill those obligations, either with free cash flow or by raising capital at an attractive price. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. However, a more frequent (but still costly) occurrence is where a company must issue shares at bargain-basement prices, permanently diluting shareholders, just to shore up its balance sheet. Of course, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together. View our latest analysis for Tsingtao Brewery How Much Debt Does Tsingtao Brewery Carry? The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at September 2019 Tsingtao Brewery had debt of CN473.2m, up from CN298.5m in one year. But it also has CN17.8b in cash to offset that, meaning it has CN17.4b net cash. SEHK:168 Historical Debt, February 3rd 2020 How Healthy Is Tsingtao Brewery's Balance Sheet? According to the last reported balance sheet, Tsingtao Brewery had liabilities of CN12.6b due within 12 months, and liabilities of CN3.30b due beyond 12 months. Offsetting this, it had CN17.8b in cash and CN339.1m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it can boast CN2.31b more liquid assets than total liabilities. This surplus suggests that Tsingtao Brewery has a conservative balance sheet, and could probably eliminate its debt without much difficulty. Simply put, the fact that Tsingtao Brewery has more cash than debt is arguably a good indication that it can manage its debt safely. Story continues On the other hand, Tsingtao Brewery saw its EBIT drop by 5.5% in the last twelve months. If earnings continue to decline at that rate the company may have increasing difficulty managing its debt load. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Tsingtao Brewery can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts. Finally, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. Tsingtao Brewery may have net cash on the balance sheet, but it is still interesting to look at how well the business converts its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, because that will influence both its need for, and its capacity to manage debt. Happily for any shareholders, Tsingtao Brewery actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT over the last three years. That sort of strong cash generation warms our hearts like a puppy in a bumblebee suit. Summing up While we empathize with investors who find debt concerning, you should keep in mind that Tsingtao Brewery has net cash of CN17.4b, as well as more liquid assets than liabilities. And it impressed us with free cash flow of CN2.0b, being 137% of its EBIT. So is Tsingtao Brewery's debt a risk? It doesn't seem so to us. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Tsingtao Brewery , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. If you're interested in investing in businesses that can grow profits without the burden of debt, then check out this free list of growing businesses that have net cash on the balance sheet. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. [February 03, 2020] Beanfield Technologies Expands Fiber Footprint into Montreal with Acquisition of Openface TORONTO, Feb. 3, 2020 /CNW/ -- Beanfield Technologies Inc. ("Beanfield"), an independent telecommunications infrastructure provider in Canada serving the enterprise, carrier and multi-dwelling units markets, today announced its acquisition of Openface Inc. ("Openface"), a leading provider of fiber-based telecom services primarily to small and medium-sized businesses as well as enterprise customers. Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed. Openface serves a well-diversified customer base spread across Montreal through a portfolio of 100 kilometers of owned fiber, more than 200 on-net buildings, and over 3,000 near-net buildings. The company maintains its own construction and installation team, which has given Openface a well-earned reputation for expertise in fiber construction and experienced domain knowledge of Montreal and the city's buildings. As part of the transition, Openface's employees will join Beanfield and the company will maintain its current location in Montreal providing Beanfield with an additional presence in the city. "We are excited to join forces with Openface and expand our presence into Montreal," said Dan Armstrong, CEO of Beanfield. "This acquisition will allow us to meet our customers' growing connectivity needs as data speed and reliability become increasingly critical to business operations. Furthermore, the combined larger business will ensure customers in Canada's two largest markets can access our best-in-class fiber solutions." "Beanfield shares a number of our core employee values, as well as our belief that customer relationships and employee engagement are the backbone to our business, which makes this transition an ideal next step in our growth," said Andrew Lassner, CEO at Openface. "I am extremely proud of the growth Openface has had to-date and look forward to watching the company in its next evolution." The acquisition was funded through an equity commitment from Digital Colony Partners, which made a substantial investment in Beanfield in October 2019. Digital Colony Partners is managed by an affiliate of Digital Colony Management, LLC, the global digital infrastructure inestment platform of Colony Capital, Inc. (NYSE: CLNY) and a leading investor, owner and operator of companies enabling the next generation of mobile and internet connectivity. "Our goal at Digital Colony is to support connectivity around the world through our portfolio of digital infrastructure companies. Beanfield's acquisition of Openface immediately scales its operations in Montreal," noted Steven Sonnenstein, Managing Director at Digital Colony. Sadiq Malik, Principal at the firm added, "We are excited to back Beanfield on this important transaction and to work with the company as it takes this next step forward." Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP served as legal advisor to Beanfield and TD Securities led on the debt financing, while Spiegel Sohmer served as legal advisor to Openface and Richter served as financial advisor. About Beanfield Technologies Inc. Beanfield installs, owns and operates the largest independent fiber optic network in Toronto, and provides comprehensive telecom services to over 700 commercial and residential buildings. Founded in 1988, Beanfield prides itself on exceptional speed and outstanding customer service. The company also operates four data centers and is facilities-based, maintaining and managing its own in-house construction and fiber maintenance teams. Beanfield is a portfolio company of Digital Colony, the global digital infrastructure investment platform of Colony Capital, Inc. (NYSE: CLNY) and a leading investor, owner and operator of companies enabling the next generation of mobile and internet connectivity. For more information visit www.beanfield.com. About Openface Inc. Openface Inc. ("Openface") is a telecommunications company that owns and operates a fibre-optic network, as well as a point-to-point wireless service spanning across greater Montreal. Openface specializes in private networks, helping businesses connect all their service points across Canada. Founded in 1996, Openface has earned an enviable reputation among IT managers, CIOs and CTOs for the performance of its network and the agility with which the company deploys and connects businesses. For more information visit www.openface.com. About Digital Colony Management, LLC Digital Colony Management, LLC ("Digital Colony") is the global digital infrastructure investment platform of Colony Capital, Inc. (NYSE: CLNY) and a leading investor, owner and operator of companies enabling the next generation of mobile and internet connectivity. The vehicle was launched in 2018 by Digital Bridge Holdings, LLC and Colony Capital to bring together Digital Bridge's industry, operational and investment expertise in the telecommunications sector with Colony Capital's global scale, operating platform and capital markets access. For more information, please visit www.digitalcolony.com. Media Contacts For Beanfield David Swain Marketing Manager (416) 532-1555 [email protected] For Digital Colony Kerri Donner, Stanton (646) 502-3565 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/beanfield-technologies-expands-fiber-footprint-into-montreal-with-acquisition-of-openface-300997832.html SOURCE Beanfield Technologies [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] NEW YORK As this winters flu outbreak intensifies, small-business owners try to keep their companies from being overwhelmed by employee absences. At Gold Medal Wine Club, any surfaces people are likely to touch, including the coffee machine, water dispenser and doorknobs, are wiped down and theres hand sanitizer on every desk. The 11 staffers are expected to sub for one another when someones sick, something thats critical when orders for wine pour in. We want to be sure our phones are answered, says Kelsey Chesterfield, marketing manager for the Santa Barbara, California, company. If some people are out sick, others have to come in earlier. The flu can be devastating for small businesses. If a company with just a handful of employees has two or more out at once, it can be difficult or impossible to get the work done. So owners pay for flu shots and use disinfectants in hopes of keeping everyone healthy and urge sick staffers not to come to work. And, as Gold Medal Wine Club does, they train and reassign staffers to cover for sick colleagues. Nothing harms our ability to hit deadlines more than a spreading flu through the ranks of our staff members, says Alex Kehoe, co-founder of Caveni, a website design company that has 10 employees at its Philadelphia headquarters and more than 10 others who work remotely. When Kehoes staffers start having flu symptoms, he encourages them to stay home. Kehoe follows his own advice; he was working at home with a bad cold while being interviewed by phone for this story. This flu season started early and all but two states reported widespread outbreaks by the week that ended Jan. 11, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From 1982 to 2018, the flu most often peaked in February, so theres a good chance the rest of the states will see their cases increase this year. There may be even more concern about illness spreading at work with the new coronavirus in China, which has spread to more than a dozen countries including the United States and has killed more than 200 people. Jo Trizilas firm has five employees and no wiggle room when flu hits. Clients expect work to be done no matter what circumstances Dallas-based TrizCom Public Relations is dealing with. Trizila can find herself with 18-hour days to cover her work and a sick staffers she has nowhere else to turn. Were not in a position to hire a temp because our jobs are so specific and so creative, Trizila says. Someone cant just step in and do it. Like many other owners whose work is done on computers and online, Trizila tells staffers they can work from home. But shes realistic that chills, sore throat and high fever can wipe out an employees ability to do any work. You dont even check your phone, you feel so crummy, she says. Like many other owners, Trizila has encouraged staffers to get flu shots. The vaccines are fully covered under many health insurance plans, and some owners arrange for employees to get their shots at work. At Gold Medal, staffers are paid $25 if they get flu shots, although vaccinations are covered under the companys insurance. But owners often cant require staffers to be vaccinated, says Rick Gibbs, a consultant with human resources provider Insperity. Some employees may be covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits employers from requiring employees to undergo medical procedures. However, people who work in health care facilities can be required to be immunized. Some staffers dont want to stay home if theyre sick. Gibbs recommends owners appeal to staffers common sense its better for them and their co-workers if they stay home. And if a staffer wants to work rather than lose pay, Gibbs recommends owners rethink their paid time off or sick leave policy; workers are more likely to stay home if they know they wont lose pay. Staffers whose work is done at customers homes and businesses are at risk not only of spreading the flu, but also catching it. At Christina Clarks Molly Maid home cleaning franchise, some customers who are sick want their homes cleaned and sanitized anyway. As soon as we find out someone is sick in a home, we do ask that we reschedule the cleaning until they are feeling better, says Clark, whose company is based in Pensacola, Florida. Clark contracts with a company to give staffers flu shots at work. If she has several staffers out at once, it makes it harder to do all the scheduled cleaning jobs; its not the kind of work that Clark can hire part-time workers to do. I wouldnt be comfortable with having someone I didnt know going to a customers home, Clark says. The employees at Vinnie Sposaris Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchise have to be careful about germs year-round. Working with bathrooms, kitchens, drains, sewer lines and septic tanks exposes people in the plumbing business to the possibility of all kinds of illnesses. Its standard practice at Sposaris Seattle business for plumbers to put drop cloths down before putting tools on a surface, Sposari says. Thats meant to protect staffers and customers. Carol Galles staffers are continually exposed to germs. Her company, Special D Events, provides administrative services at corporate events; her staffers hand out registration badges at conferences, run errands and help clients and attendees with problems. Theres never-ending contact: shaking hands, passing ID cards back and forth, borrowing pens and staplers. Galles 19 staffers are often flying, and planes are well-known germ carriers. Galle does the best she can to help staffers stay healthy or have an easy recovery. I have a no-questions-asked policy right now regarding work from home. If you are ill, dont come in, says Galle, whose company is based in Ferndale, Michigan. When her staffers get sick while running an event, Galle has backup plans including a network of freelancers who can fill in when someone gets sick. The show must go on, Galle says. Sibling rivalry in the Korean Air owner family has escalated into war, with disgraced heiress Cho Hyun-ah taking on her brother and Hanjin Group chairman Cho Won-tae. Cho Hyun-ah, whose temper tantrums made the airline a global laughing stock in the "nut rage" incident in 2014, has aligned herself with hedge fund Korea Corporate Governance Improvement and Bando Engineering and Construction to wrest control from her equally disgraced younger brother. "The grave crisis cannot be improved under the current management," the attackers said in a statement. "We will demand the appointment of a professional manager." The alliance seeks to drive the chairman out at the upcoming shareholders meeting of the conglomerate's holding company Hanjin KAL, in which all three siblings hold an almost equal stake. Cho Hyun-ah, KCGI and Bando said in a public notice last week that they signed a co-ownership agreement for Hanjin KAL shares. The heiress holds a 6.49 percent stake, while KCGI owns 17.29 percent and Bando 8.2 percent. Their combined stake easily outstrips the 10.67 percent Cho Won-tae controls with his own 6.52 percent and his allies' 4.15 percent. An intense battle is expected at the shareholders' meeting in March. Their mother Lee Myung-hee holds a 5.31 percent stake, their sister Cho Hyun-min a 6.47 percent stake, Delta Air Lines 10 percent and the National Pension Service 4.11 percent. When their father Cho Yang-ho died in April last year just days after being ousted as Korean Air chief in a palace coup, management control of the Hanjin Group was uncertain. Cho Won-tae took the helm, but conflict in the dysfunctional family erupted almost immediately over Cho Hyun-ah's return to an executive job at the conglomerate. Vietnam has been the beneficiary of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Eurasian Economic Union since 2016, as a result of which bilateral trade with Russia has boomed. With three years of experience and investment in increasing trade infrastructure, Vietnamese importers, distributors and retailers considering expanding this trade should be conducting market research activities into the opportunities in this market. Vietnam is a good choice as a developing trade partner for Russia, it has a large and increasingly prosperous consumer base of 96 million, spending US$0.6 trillion in 2018, and a GDP per capita of about US$2,750. (Russias per capita GDP is about US$11,500). National GDP growth in 2020 is expected to be about 6.5%. Consumer confidence is also high. Recent reports here by ourselves and here by Societe Generale point to a booming, domestic economy. Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang are all high-value consumer hotspots with consumer values far above the Vietnamese average. Current Russian trade trends with Vietnam are also on an upward path, as we can see in these statistics courtesy of Trading Economics (figures in millions of US dollars) and grew steadily during the course of 2019. Both the Russian and Vietnamese Governments have stated that bilateral trade should reach US$10 billion in 2020. Key imports from Russia, are petrol, oil, steel, fertilizers, and machinery. Major Vietnamese exports include phone components, electronic devices, computers, apparel, and footwear. Food exports include fruits, vegetables, coffee, cashew nut, and seafood. The Vietnam-EAEU Free Trade Agreement covers more than 90 percent of all traded goods and has significantly benefited the EAEUs exports of agricultural and industrial products. In turn, it has also increased Vietnamese exports of garments, textile products, farm products, and electrical devices. An additional 5,535 tariff lines were reduced to zero percent in 2019. These focused-on items are input materials for the textiles, footwear, electronics, plastic, fertilizers, and farming sector. Another 3,270 tariff lines were reduced to zero percent for goods such as milk and dairy products, chemicals, automobiles, and spare parts, steel products, rubber products, and electrical appliances at the end of 2019. However, the FTA also provides some protective measures. According to Article 2.1 in the FTA, the EAEU may apply a trigger safeguard measure for Vietnamese goods in case the import volumes during a calendar year exceeds the trigger level as established in Annex 2 of the agreement. Currently, under this measure, certain products in the textile and garment sector in Vietnam face safeguard duties from the EAEU, which aims to limit the increasing volume of imports to the Union. Since March 14, 2018, duties were imposed on Vietnamese underwear and childrens wear products for nine and six months, respectively. Traders have to ensure that they do not exceed the trigger levels as defined under the agreement; else, they may face most favored nation rates and not the preferential tax rates as prescribed under the free trade agreement. To reduce trade violations, the Vietnamese government has to ensure that traders are well informed and aware of such measures. In addition, individual governments have to promote the FTA and investments to increase the participation of private firms. In the last few years, the EAEU has also started to work with other ASEAN member states on trade and investment, and this puts Vietnam in a unique position, as it can act as a supply chain gateway for Russian and other EAEU businesses in the region. Going forward, to achieve their target of US$10-12 billion bilateral trade by 2020 and US$30 billion by 2030, trade between Vietnam and the EAEU can be expected to grow exponentially. There are numerous opportunities for foreign distributors and manufacturers to compete in the Vietnamese market. Russian truck manufacturer Gaz has recently established operations in the country. In terms of Russian exports to Vietnam, it should be noted that there are Quality Control standard differences between Russia and ASEAN nations, and Russian exporters should be aware of these. We covered this in the article Quality Control Challenges For Russian Exporters To ASEAN. This article previously appeared on Russia Briefing, titled What Products And Services Is Vietnam Buying From Russia https://www.russia-briefing.com/news/products-services-vietnam-buying-russia.html/ NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. ("Spirit AeroSystem" or the "Company") (NYSE: SPR). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980. The investigation concerns whether Spirit AeroSystems and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here for information about joining the class action] In December 2019, Spirit AeroSystems commenced a review of its accounting process compliance and determined that it did not comply with established accounting processes related to certain potential contingent liabilities. Then, on January 30, 2019, Spirit AeroSystems announced the resignations of both its Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer for failure to comply with accounting rules on contingencies. On this news, Spirit's stock price fell $2.62 per share, or 3.87%, to close at $65.02 per share on January 30, 2020. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP [email protected] SOURCE Pomerantz LLP Related Links http://www.pomerantzlaw.com 38 Shares Share About three years ago, I was chatting about pain with a friend at a social function, and she told me she was taking a prescribed opioid for her chronic pain. I quickly got the uncomfortable feeling in my stomach that comes from discussing and prescribing opioids in clinical practice. I responded with my concerns, based on solid scientific evidence: Opioids arent really effective for the treatment of fibromyalgia, or chronic pain in general. You are putting yourself at risk without much benefit. Her reply stopped me in my tracks: But its the only thing that helps. Its important not to understate how devastating chronic pain can be. It can make managing responsibilities at work or at home nearly impossible. By the time doctors see patients with chronic pain, many of the patients have been struggling with their maladies for months or years. A lot of tension and emotion surrounds the treatment of chronic pain with opioids. Its difficult for all parties. Several studies have shown that doctors experience a great deal more stress and regard their patients less favorably if opioids are discussed during visits. Likewise, in an unpublished study, our research team found that language reflecting negative emotions, such as anger and disappointment, was prominent in the medical charts of patients on chronic opioid therapy. As we work to slow the opioid epidemic, we have to acknowledge that even talking about opioids can lead to strong emotions. Chronic pain and opioids Opioids were first prescribed in a widespread fashion for the treatment of chronic pain in the 1990s, when major reevaluation of such treatment commenced. Early research suggested that they were safe and effective. Pharmaceutical companies aggressively marketed them for this purpose. As government and nongovernmental medical organizations recognized the importance of undertreated pain and set benchmarks for hospitals and clinics to treat it, the number of opioid prescriptions rose dramatically from the late 1990s through the middle of this decade. By the time I was in medical training in 2010, prescribing opioids had become fraught with challenges. Many chronic pain patients taking opioids reported a poorer quality of life. Meanwhile, opioid tolerance, or the need for increasing doses, was ballooning, accompanied by an epidemic of overdose and death. As a novice doctor, when I received a request to increase a dose of an opioid, I found it difficult to detect whether the request was due to undertreated pain, opioid tolerance, opioid addiction, or a combination of the three. Tapering and treating pain For chronic-pain patients, opioids can also lead to dependence and a side effect called opioid-induced hyperalgesiaincreased sensitivity to pain due to the effect of the opioids. Starting around 2014, in response to the opioid crisis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released more-cautious recommendations for opioid prescribing. These endorsed tapering down the opioid dose for selected patients who were using chronic opioid therapy. The CDC also advised an individual evaluation for every patient, yet the guidelines caused concern among doctors and a dramatic shift in how patients on chronic opioid therapy were managed. Opioid prescribing, already down, now faced a greater, more marked decline. Opioid tapering does decrease the risk of opioid overdose, opioid dependence, and even opioid-induced hyperalgesia. But this practice carries with it potential harm. For example, it can lead to worse general health or increased pain, especially for those tapered too quickly or by too much. Though a large review of the scientific literature found that tapering does not generally result in worse pain, studies have shown that more research is needed to determine whether it could be harmful in other ways. Medicaid beneficiaries in Vermont who discontinued their high-dose opioids were more likely to visit the emergency room or be hospitalized because of opioid poisoning or a substance-use disorder. In a study our group conducted, we found that patients who experienced opioid tapering were four times more likely to terminate their care with a hospital system entirely. We concluded that this could lead to worse health as patients then had to search for new doctors. More evidence is accumulating that patients with chronic pain have sometimes been left without the care they need. Opioid tapering and race There is controversy about how tapering is applied to certain patients. Our research found that black patients and female patients were more likely to be tapered than white patients and male patients, respectively. Additionally, patients who experienced opioid tapering tended to be dissatisfied with their medical care. In a qualitative study we presented at the annual conference of the Society of General Internal Medicine, we observed that patients felt it was unfair if they were tapered despite having done nothing wrong. As they put it, they didnt cause the opioid epidemic, but they felt punished because of the actions of others. After the CDC guidelines were published, there was a trend toward misapplication of the opioid-tapering guidelines. In 2018, Medicare came perilously close to imposing a rule that would effectively have refused to pay for long-term, high-dose opioid prescriptions. Some insurance companies toyed with hard dose limits for their patients. In response, a letter cosigned by more than 500 clinicians called on the CDC to provide clarification for its opioid-tapering recommendations in view of these misapplications. This controversy reached a breaking point earlier this year, when two of the authors of the CDC guidelines wrote an op-ed in the New England Journal of Medicine clarifying the CDCs initial recommendations. Subsequently, both the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services recommended that doctors not abruptly taper opioids. Returning to my friend: My provocation created a temporary stir. I had science on my side, after all, but she had the debilitating pain. I stepped back and listened. The opioids helped her. I then realized my folly: while we must do our best to manage risks associated with chronic opioid therapy, having a one-size-fits-all mentality does everyone a disservice. It fails to recognize the patient as a person with needs, goals, and emotions. We do have an opioid crisis, but its incumbent upon us to be careful about what we do in response to it. Hector R. Perez is an internal medicine physician who blogs at the Doctors Tablet. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Barring any last-minute change, the government will commence the implementation of the UNIPASS platform for the recording of imports and exports at the country's ports this month, February. Though widely known as the UNIPASS system, a Deputy Finance Minister, Kwaku Kwarteng explains that the eventual rollout will see to the outdooring of a new name for the platform altogether. The new platform is to replace the work currently carried out by the Ghana Community Network Services Limited, GCNet as well as Customs World or West Blue Consulting. Proponents of the new system say it has the ability to help the government block revenue shortfalls that have plagued the customs division of the GRA for some time now. Despite initial plan to get the new system to roll out in January 2019, concerns over issues such as the trade facilitation fee (0.75%) which was higher than that of GCNet and West Blue altogether (0.68%), plus some court cases over allegations of pirated software, led to its suspension. But a Deputy Finance Minister, Kwaku Kwarteng in an interview with Citi Business News justified the government's decision to sail through with the plan this month. I am confident that the new system will also provide opportunity to deal with some of the weaknesses that we have had in respect of irregularities and revenue leakages because the new system is more robust and it responds to the challenges that we have seen working with the multitude of vendors that we have within customs management right now, he said. Mr. Kwarteng further intimated of a possible name change eventually, It won't be called UNIPASS as that was the name given by those who are building the system for us. But it is our system, we are paying for it with the taxpayers' money, we will give it an appropriate name on the day we outdoor it. Meanwhile, the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) has strongly opposed the move citing possible distortions to trade facilitation. We are the front-end users of this technology so if you do not get us involved in initiating these policies, then it will be a recipe for chaos. Where we stand now, we are confused so unless we sit down to get to know really what this is. To tell you the truth, we are comfortable with what we have is there is not anything that a perfect system and it is our critique and hard work that has brought us to this point, the President, Eddie Akrong noted. The contract signed between the government of Ghana and West Blue Consulting which provides a platform for the integration of systems at the country's ports to facilitate trade while reducing transactional time expires in December 2020. The government's agreement with GCNet which also engages in trade facilitation activities at the ports also expires in 2023. However, with the decision to go ahead with the new platform, it is still unclear what becomes of the companies for the number of years they have to work until their respective agreement dates expire. citinewsroom Jammu, Feb 3 : J&K Chief Secretary B.V.R. Subrahmanyam here on Monday chaired a meeting to review the schemes, like Kisan Credit Card (KCC), the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan), MGNREGA and disbursement of relief to farmers under the SDRF. Several top officials along with representatives of J&K Bank and State Bank of India attended the meeting. Divisional Commissioner Kashmir and Deputy Commissioners along with representatives of the lead banks and other officers attended the meeting through video link. Expressing dismay at slow progress in registration of beneficiaries under the KCC scheme, the Chief Secretary said, "The process needs to be completed in a mission mode through a sustained drive to be launched by the DCs to achieve 100 per cent coverage by March 31". The Divisional Commissioner Kashmir/Jammu would monitor the progress to ensure accomplishment of targets by the stipulated date, he added. He asked the DCs to get farmers engaged in poultry, fishery and other such sectors also included in the KCC scheme. The scheme could be linked with Aadhar to avoid duplication, he said. While reviewing implementation of PM-Kisan, the Chief Secretary complimented the Divisional Commissioners and the DCs for excellent work. He asked the DCs to cover the remaining cases by March 1, with lead bank officials' involvement. He asked the Deputy Commissioners to ensure disbursement of compensation against damage to kharif crops in the Jammu Division and apple crop in the Kashmir Division within a month. The DM&RRR Department has released Rs 102 crore to 10 districts, three in the Jammu Division and seven in the Kashmir Division. The Chief Secretary asked the DCs to review MGNREGA works on a weekly basis and ensure completion of works within the allocated funds without creating wage liability and disbursement of wages to the beneficiaries. Speaking to the media on Monday, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut slammed BJP for creating fear about the Citizenship Amendment Act. At the same time, he acknowledged that it was very difficult for the Centre to throw individuals out of the country. He also questioned the Centres ability to provide food, shelter, and employment to new citizens at a juncture when lakhs of Indians lacked these very necessities. Read: Committees To Be Formed In All UP Districts To Launch Protests Against CAA, Say Social, Minority Bodies Thereafter, Raut referred to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackerays statement that many people in the government also did not have their birth certificate. He contended that this issue would affect both Hindus as well as Muslims. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that there was a difference between the CAA and the National Register of Citizens. Read: TMC Gives Suspension Of Business Notice In RS To Discuss Nationwide Anti-CAA, NRC Protests Sanjay Raut remarked, Whether anyone opposes CAA or not, it is not easy for the government to throw anyone out of India. The Home Minister has said that this law is not to throw someone out, it is for giving citizenship. We want to see how people are provided with food, shelter, and employment. In this country, there are already lakhs of people who do not have shelter and employment. The law has not been operationalised yet. He added, In Maharashtra, CM Uddhav Thackeray said that there are many people enjoying government posts who do not have a birth certificate. So, will you throw them out? There are many Hindus and Muslims like this. I will talk about NRC. NRC and CAA are different. The fear of the law that you are creating for votebank politics is not good. Read: BIG: Centre Reaches Out To Shaheen Bagh Protesters, Ready To Clear Misgivings About CAA CAA seeks to provide citizenship The CAA seeks to provide citizenship to the minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This will be applicable to the members of these communities having arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. Moreover, they will not be considered as illegal migrants. Additionally, the mandatory residence period for naturalised citizenship for these communities has been reduced to five years. The opposition contends that the Act discriminates on the basis of religion. Read: Digvijaya Singh Questions Centre On Need For CAA, Cites Citizenship Granted To Adnan Sami The morning sell-off of Chinese steel futures on Monday February 3 is a sign that worse is to come for global steel prices, market sources told Fastmarkets. Expectations of a rosy second quarter fueled by seasonal demand have crashed on the pandemic, which broke out on the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday in China. With the current situation, the world can forget about steel prices increasing any time soon, a Chinese trader in Singapore told Fastmarkets on Monday. Steel futures prices have already hit the stop-loss limit this morning when the Chinese market resumed and domestic physical prices will follow, he said. The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak has caused more than 17,000 infections and 361 deaths in China and is expected to continue battering global steel market sentiment for the foreseeable future. Force majeure certificates Other market participants have not ruled out the possibility of steel mills declaring force majeure if they cannot deliver on their contracts, especially if prices are on a downward trend. We will have to wait for the mills to inform us if there will be any delivery delays before deciding if we will apply for a force majeure certificate, a trader in northern China said. The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade said on January 30 that businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak can apply for the certificate. Its likely that steel mills in China may make use of the force majeure certificate, especially with domestic steel prices falling, so they won't have to sell at lower prices, an industry source in Singapore told Fastmarkets. A steel mill in Shandong has already told its customers that it will reduce production, according to market sources. It is planning to cut total production by 25% and stop a bar production line and a wire rod production line, a trader in China said, quoting an official announcement by the steel mill. It also asked its customers to adjust their procurement schedules accordingly. The full scale of the impact on the Chinese steel market is starting to emerge as more information trickles out from market sources. Four major provinces - Shanxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan and Gansu - have officially declared a cut in production rates for their steel industries to ensure that transport and human movements are reduced to contain the spread of the virus. This is expected to cut 55,000 tonnes of steel production per day. Logistical delays Logistics will prove to be a major concern for the domestic China steel industry. The main obstacle for employees returning to work and the delivery of goods is enhanced virus scanning by the authorities at land checkpoints, which could result in transportation bottlenecks in areas of high traffic density, a trader in Shanghai said. At least 24 provinces and regions in China have delayed the resumption of business activities by another seven days to the week starting February 9-10, including major cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, Anhui, Chongqing, Fujian and Guangdong, according to official notices. Market participants outside China who need material can just buy small amounts from their domestic markets or other sources to replace any temporary supply shortfall, the trader in northern China said. There were some offers for hot-rolled coil at 3,630-3,650 yuan ($523-526) per tonne on Monday, down 230 yuan per tonne from 3,860-3,880 yuan per tonne before the Lunar New Year. But downstream buyers were not active and no real price negotiations due to the delayed resumption of business activities in key market Shanghai, according to a local trader. It will be hard to deliver cargoes anyway, because most logistics companies havent resumed operations, he said. A second Shanghai-based trader believed transaction prices will be lower if any deals are concluded in the near future because steel mills are worried about mounting inventory levels in the face of delayed consumption by end users. Impact on Southeast Asia The fallout from the coronavirus has also hit major steel producing and user countries in Southeast Asia, such as Indonesia and Vietnam. In Indonesia, a major integrated steel mill was heard to have delayed the blow-in of its blast furnace, although this could not be verified with the mill by the time of publication. Another steel producer will quarantine employees returning from China for 14 days. The PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park, where the steel mill is located, has barred 43,000 staff, including about 5,000 Chinese workers, from leaving or entering without written permission, according to media reports. The main issue is that Chinese employees who have not returned to Indonesia will no longer be able to enter the country and Chinese-owned companies could face a manpower crunch, an industry source in Indonesia said. The Indonesian government has enacted a ban from midnight today prohibiting all visitors from entering or transiting in Indonesia if they have been to China within the past 14 days. A second industry source in Indonesia said steel demand outside China remains weak, so it is difficult to predict if any reduction of exports from China will have a major impact on prices. Hot-rolled coil end-users in Vietnam, which typically has high exposure to Chinese imports, are considering imports from other sources in Asia, such as Taiwan, South Korea, India and Japan, if Chinese steel mills are not able to deliver on February-shipment contracts. Vietnam has also restricted cross-border movements of people and agricultural products at its northern border with China, causing accumulated inventories on the Vietnamese side of the border, sources in Vietnam told Fastmarkets. Bearish ferrous scrap Even in the Asian scrap markets, which have little direct exposure to China, offers have started to drop from last week, and traders expect more bad news in the coming weeks. I feel that the number of infected cases reported will continue to increase quickly and that whatever numbers the Chinese authorities are releasing may be lower than the actual situation, an industry source in North America said. There are fears that cargoes transiting through East Asian [territories], such as Hong Kong or Taiwan, may also face logistical restrictions and cause delays in discharging at their ports of call, the source said. Vietnamese and Taiwanese buyers have both lowered their bids in the face of the virus outbreak and weak downstream demand. Fastmarkets weekly price assessment for bulk cargoes of steel scrap HMS 1&2 (80:20), cfr Vietnam, was $278-285 per tonne cfr on Friday January 31, down $10-12 per tonne from $290-295 per tonne cfr Vietnam a week earlier. Fastmarkets daily price assessment for containerized cargoes of steel scrap HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), US material import, cfr main port Taiwan, was $242-245 per tonne cfr on Friday, narrowing downward by $5 per tonne from a day earlier. The assessment is down by $7-10 per tonne week on week. "Yes, we're here to help them graduate and get job training, but we first need to reach their heart before we can reach their head," said Lorena Galaviz, director of school counseling and student support at Learn4Life . "We offer a safe environment and take the time to really get to know the students. In many cases we are the key people in their lives they can count on." Learn4Life, a nonprofit dropout recovery program focused on at-risk students, is successful with 90 percent of its students reengaging them in their education, helping them graduate, and preparing them for a life beyond high school with job training and placement. Learn4Life understands the profound need for school counselors. In its 85 schools, Learn4Life provides a counselor for every 250 students, as recommended by the American School Counselors Association (ASCA) and far better than the 1-to-622 for California public schools or national rate of 1-to-464. Most Learn4Life students have had difficulties in life and struggled to keep up in traditional high school. They have endured traumas such as homelessness, foster care, hunger, abuse, bullying, illness and even human trafficking. Eighty percent are low-income, many are pregnant or parenting teens, and most enroll with us after dropping out, more than a year behind in credits. Learn4Life developed its counseling program seven years ago based on the ASCA national model. Counselors receive extra education in areas such as trauma-informed care, mental health first aid, behavior threat assessment, human trafficking, social media and how to work with foster and homeless students. "We work with community partners to provide wraparound services everything we can do to reduce the issues that are preventing them from learning," she added. "Students flourish with our model of personalized learning, one-on-one support and counseling," noted Galaviz. February 3-7 is National School Counseling Week, designed to draw attention to the unique contributions of school counselors and the urgent need to increase the number of counselors in schools across the U.S. While the student-to-counselor ratio has improved over the past few years, there is still a long way to go in most states. High-res Photos Available About Learn4Life Learn4Life is a network of nonprofit public schools that provides students personalized learning, career training and life skills. Each school is locally controlled, tuition free and gives students the flexibility and one-on-one attention they need to succeed. Serving more than 49,000 students across California, we help students prepare for a future beyond high school. We are proud to be a GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency recipient for our ethical, transparent and effective organizational practices. For more information, please visit www.learn4life.org. MEDIA CONTACT Ann Abajian, Learn4Life (844) 515-8186 [email protected] SOURCE Learn4Life Related Links https://www.learn4life.org The Bridge eNewsletter from Rigaku focuses on materials science This issue debuts a new look and updated format optimized for use on mobile devices. The first edition of The Bridge, the materials science newsletter from Rigaku Corporation, for 2020 is now available on the companys global website. The Bridge presents current news and analysis techniques related to X-ray based materials science and includes articles, scientific papers and news reports. This issue debuts a new look and updated format optimized for use on mobile devices. The newsletter includes an article on the principles and operation of the direct derivation method, a quantitative phase analysis technique using X-ray diffraction, employed to nd weight ratios of individual component phases in a mixture. A report covering last months Asian Crystallographic Association Conference, held at the National University of Singapore, is also featured. The conference focused on three main topics: macromolecular crystallography, chemical crystallography, and materials and applications, with parallel sessions for each. Over 450 scientists attended the conference. A featured application note describes the analysis of the crystal structure and crystallization temperature of chocolate obtained under several tempering speeds by simultaneous X-ray diffraction and differential and scanning calorimetry (XRD-DSC). Chocolate gets its flavor and texture through tempering. The tempering process deliberately changes the crystallization temperature, thereby controlling the crystal phase efficiently. The wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) application note for the month describes trace element analysis in geological samples by the pressed powder method. The method employs "GEO-TRACE-PAK," a pre-calibration package that provides a quantitative application set including calibration, measuring conditions and analysis parameters. An energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) application note from Applied Rigaku Technologies, Inc. (ART) details the analysis of air filters using indirect excitation with secondary targets and polarization in full Cartesian geometry. The method complies with instrument sensitivity requirements outlined by U.S. EPA method IO-3.3 (Determination of Metals in Ambient Particulate Matter Using X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy). A featured video shows a new method of 3D printing known as multimaterial multinozzle 3D printing or MM3D. A breakthrough for manufacturing, MM3D achieves fast and continuous switching among up to eight different printing materials. Also included in the latest edition of The Bridge is a collection of news reports related to materials science, product features and a schedule of upcoming events. Readers can subscribe to the newsletter or view the current issue online at https://www.rigaku.com/subscribe About Rigaku Since its inception in Japan in 1951, Rigaku has been at the forefront of analytical and industrial instrumentation technology. Rigaku and its subsidiaries form a global group focused on general-purpose analytical instrumentation and the life sciences. With hundreds of major innovations to their credit, Rigaku companies are world leaders in X-ray spectrometry, diffraction, and optics, as well as small molecule and protein crystallography and semiconductor metrology. Today, Rigaku employs over 1,400 people in the manufacturing and support of its analytical equipment, which is used in more than 90 countries around the world supporting research, development, and quality assurance activities. Throughout the world, Rigaku continuously promotes partnerships, dialog, and innovation within the global scientific and industrial communities. For further information, contact: Michael Nelson Global Marketing Coordinator Rigaku Corporation michael.nelson@rigaku.com A month after an armed mob attacked students and teachers on JNU campus, a special police investigation team and a panel set up by the university have unearthed little about the violence that sparked an outrage and raised questions about inability of the police to control it. HT has learnt that while police are yet to make any arrests, the JNU probe committee has not even approached the victims or eyewitnesses in the last four weeks. On January 5, a mob of masked men and women, carrying iron rods, sticks and a sledgehammer had assaulted students and teachers on JNU campus, injuring at least 30, while a police contingent waited outside the university gate for a formal permission by the administration to enter the campus. The SIT set up by the Delhi police has questioned some students, including JNU students union president Aishe Ghosh, one of those injured, but one alleged suspect, identified as a student of Delhi university and a member of the ABVP, is yet to join investigation. Her questioning is important because her involvement, if confirmed, establishes the role of outsiders. In the videos circulated on social media, she is seen carrying a stick and leading a mob on the campus. Also Watch | JNU violence: Masked men allegedly attack teachers & students inside campus JNUSU members, who are from the Left parties, said though they have been questioned many times, police are yet to arrest anyone. JNU Students Union (JNUSU) general secretary Satish Yadav said it is astonishing that Delhi police visited so many states and arrested Sharjeel Imam under the colonial law of sedition but they have not been able to arrest anyone in connection with the JNU mob attack case. The police should show the same enthusiasm and arrest the masked goons. We even helped them identify the students caught on tape, yet there is little that the police have done. Students helped them identify the female DU student, who was the most aggressive. Students had also identified her but despite that police have not questioned her. She is a member of the ABVP. This raises suspicion that police are silently supporting the attackers, Yadav said. A police officer, who did not wish to be named, confirmed that the suspect DU student is yet to join probe. The SIT has questioned leaders from both sides. She will join probe. Initially there was a problem because her phone was switched off. Instead of calling female students to the station, our women officers are going to the place where the female students call us. This is a detailed investigation and is ongoing. The officials of the SIT said over the last one month, they have collected evidence in the form of cell phone videos and eyewitness statement. The videos have also been sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory. Similarly, the internal probe by the varsity too has made little progress since the day vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar constituted the committee. The committee was formed to probe the violence inside the campus. HT spoke to many students from the Left and the right leaning groups who said they were yet to be contacted by the committee to record their statement. Monika Bishnoi, president of Sabarmati hostel at JNU, which had witnessed maximum vandalism, said no one contacted her or any other eye witness of the incident in the hostel for questioning. Our hostel residents should technically be the first one to reach out to know about the violence. We are not being contacted by any of the committee member yet, she said. On January 10, five days after the violence, Mazhar Asif, chairperson of the Centre of Persian and Central Asian Studies and a committee member, had said, We will approach students and teachers to record their accounts. Velentina Brahma, one of the ABVP members who received injuries in the violence, said, Ive no clue about the committee. Ive not been approached by anyone to record my account. Another ABVP member in JNU Manish Jangid said that they are in contact with the Delhi Polices crime branch but unaware of internal committee. The president of the Jawaharlal Nehru Teachers Association too confirmed that the injured teachers were yet to be contacted by the committee. Apart from Asif, the other four members of the committee are Sushant Mishra, chairperson of the Centre for French and Francophone Studies; Sudhir Pratap Singh, professor at the School of Languages; Santosh Shukla, professor at the School of Sanskrit and Indic Studies, and Bhaswati Das, professor at the Centre for Studies in Regional Development. While the other four committee members did not respond to calls and text messages, Das said she was not authorised to speak. JNU V-C Jagadesh Kumar and registrar Pramod Kumar also did reply to calls and texts made to seek a comment. Police reveal 20-year-old Amman had been released from sentence for terror-related offences, was under surveillance. A man who carried out a stabbing attack in south London had been recently released from jail, where he was serving a sentence for the possession and distribution of terrorist material, and was under police surveillance. Police killed Sudesh Amman during the attack on Sunday in Streatham, a residential suburb. ISIL claimed responsibility for the assault in a statement released through the Telegram messaging application, saying: The attacker in the Streatham area in south London yesterday is an [ISIL] fighter, and he carried out the attack in response to a call to target nationals of countries belonging to the global anti-ISIL coalition. Amman, 20, was jailed in 2018 for Islamist-related terrorism offences but released automatically halfway through serving his three-year sentence. The suspect had been recently released from prison where he had been serving a sentence for Islamist-related terrorism offences, Londons Metropolitan Police service said. The UKs Guardian newspaper said Amman had left prison only days ago, while the BBC said the release was in January. Amman injured three people in the attack on Streathams busy high street a woman in her 50s who was treated and released from hospital; a woman in her 20s who was hurt by flying glass and a man who was feared to be in serious condition at the time he is now recovering. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now expected to set out tougher rules for terror convicts. We will announce further plans for fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences, Johnson said. My thoughts are with the injured victims and their loved ones. Conservative British politicians have repeatedly called for tougher rules for terror suspects, calls that increased after a former convict killed two people and wounded three more before police shot him dead near London Bridge in November. Johnson said that, since that attack, the government had moved quickly to introduce a package of measures to strengthen every element of our response to terrorism including longer prison sentences and more money for the police. Amman had been jailed for promoting violent material and had even encouraged his girlfriend to behead her parents. In November 2018, he pleaded guilty to possession of terrorist documents and disseminating terrorist publications. He was sentenced to more than three years in prison the following month. He was 17 and living at home with his mother and younger siblings when he first began committing offences, according to authorities. Police became aware of his activities in April 2018 and he was arrested by armed officers in a north London street a month later. After examining his computers and phone, officers found Amman had downloaded material about making explosives and carrying out attacks, according to prosecutors. Messages showed that he had discussed with his family, friends and girlfriend his views and desire to carry out an attack, often focused on using a knife, prosecutors said. In December 2017, Amman posted a picture of ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed during a US raid in Syria in October 2019, and told his brother in a message that the Islamic State is here to stay. He also described Yazidi women as slaves and said the Quran made it permissible to rape them. Police said he had shared an online al-Qaeda magazine with his family and while in a discussion about school with a sibling he wrote he would rather blow myself up. Ankara, Feb 3 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said here on Monday that 30 to 35 Syrian troops were killed in a retaliatory attack by Turkey in Idlib province. According to Turkey's Defence Ministry, the retaliation came after four Turkish soldiers were killed and nine others wounded by Syrian shelling in Idlib, reports Xinhua news agency. Speaking to reporters before departing for a visit to Ukraine, Erdogan said Turkish artillery hit some 46 targets, Anadolu News Agency reported. "We have responded in kind to these attacks and will continue to do so, whether it is with our artillery or mortars. We are determined to continue our operations for the security of our country, people and our brothers in Idlib," he added. He further said that Turkish warplanes were also involved and said that between 30 and 35 Syrian troops were killed. In a statement, the Turkish Armed Forces said that one of the injured soldiers was in critical condition. The development comes after Erdogan on January 31 had said that Turkey might launch a military operation there unless the fighting was halted. Turkey, which has a 911-km border with Syria along its southern frontier, has 12 military observation posts in the region, under a deal with Russia and Iran in 2017. The Kerala government on Monday declared novel coronavirus epidemic as a 'state calamity' with a third student testing positive for the infection in the state. IMAGE: Medical staff dispose garbage outside an isolation ward for coronavirus, at a hospital in Kochi, on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo State Health Minister K K Shailaja told reporters that the government has declared the epidemic as a 'state calamity' to take all necessary steps to ensure that the outbreak is effectively controlled. The decision was taken at a meeting of the apex committee of the State Disaster Management Authority chaired by Chief Secretary Tom Jose, she said here, hours after the third positive case in the country was confirmed from the state. A medical bulletin issued by the government said the health status of all the three students, who tested positive for the virus, was 'satisfactory'. Earlier, two students from the state who studied in Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the epidemic, had tested positive for the virus in Thrissur and Alappuzha. Till date, a total of 2,239 people, who travelled from the novel coronavirus affected countries, including China, have been identified and placed under surveillance in the state, it said. Of them, as many as 2,155 are under home quarantine and 84 have been admitted to isolation wards in hospitals. Shailaja said some people who have returned from China were evading the health department. "What they are doing by not reporting is very dangerous", she said. Meanwhile, a Group of Ministers (GoM) formed to review, monitor and evaluate the preparedness to contain the deadly coronavirus infection in the country held its first meeting on Monday. IMAGE: Indian nationals who were airlifted from coronavirus-hit Hubei province of Chinas Wuhan, undergo tests inside a quarantine facility set up by the ITBP, in New Delhi, on Monday. Photograph: Indo-Tibetan Border Police via PTI Photo The high-level GoM includes Union ministers Harsh Vardhan, Hardeep Puri, S Jaishankar, G Kishan Reddy, Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Mansukh Lal Mandaviya. The ministers were apprised of the three confirmed cases reported from Kerala and the preventive steps and measures taken to contain coronavirus, the Ministry of Health said. The GoM also took note of the government announcing temporary suspension of e-visa facility for Chinese travellers and foreigners residing in the neighbouring country and a fresh advisory saying anyone with travel history to China since January 15 can be quarantined. 'e-Visa facility for Chinese passport holders has been temporarily suspended, e-Visa already issued to Chinese nationals is also not valid temporarily and the facility for submitting the application online for the physical visa from China is suspended,' the ministry said. They were also informed that 645 people evacuated from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, have been admitted to quarantine centres of the Army and the ITBP in and around the national capital. All inhabitants are medically examined on a daily basis, though none of them have tested positive for coronavirus, the ministry said. The ministry has also advised that people having compelling reasons to visit India should contact the Indian embassy in Beijing or consulate in Shanghai or Guangzhou. The Ministry of Aviation has also issued instructions to all national and international airlines operating from China to comply with the above travel advisory. The GoM was also briefed that as of Monday, 72,353 passengers in 593 flights have been screened for the infection. Screening of passengers is ongoing in 21 airports, international seaports and border crossings, particularly with Nepal. Universal screening in all flights from Singapore and Thailand, besides Hong Kong and China is being done. Further, 2,815 people are presently under community surveillance across the country. Out of a total of 338 samples sent for testing, three are positive, 335 negative, while 70 are being processed, the health ministry said. IMAGE: Indians play carrom inside the quarantine facility set up by the ITBP. Photograph: Indo-Tibetan Border Police via PTI Photo The ICMR National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune has been made a nodal centre for coordinating diagnostics for coronavirus. Twelve regional labs have been activated, standardised and are testing the samples. "The GoM was also apprised that adequate materials like Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and N95 masks are available and the situation is closely monitored in all states and union territories. "The preparedness and actions are being reviewed at the highest level everyday by the Union Health Minister and the Cabinet Secretary, in addition to Secretary (HFW). A 24x7 control room is operational (011-23978046). IEC material is prepared and widely disseminated through various channels of print, electronic and social media," the statement said. The meeting was attended by Secretary (MHFW) Preeti Sudan, Secretary (Foreign) H Vardhan Shringla, Secretary (Civil Aviation) Pradeep Singh Kharola, Special Secretary (Health) Sanjeeva Kumar, Additional Secretary (Shipping) Sanjay Bandopadhyay. ***** 406 people kept at ITBP facility test negative Tests conducted for coronavirus on 406 people, who were evacuated to Delhi from China's Wuhan city to a Indo-Tibetan Border Police facility in New Delhi, have been negative till now, a senior official of the border guarding force said on Monday. "Periodical medical checks are being done and all the tests conducted on the inmates for possible coronavirus exposure have been negative till now," an ITBP spokesperson said. "Four isolation beds have been kept prepared at the facility in case it is required and doctors from AIIMS and Safdarjung are visiting regularly to assist the medical team of the force that is posted here round-the-clock," the spokesperson said. IMAGE: As many as 647 Indians have been evacuated through two special Air India flights amid reports of more than 300 people being killed due to the virus in China. Photograph: Indo-Tibetan Border Police via PTI Photo A total of 406 people have been kept at the ITBP facility in Chhawla area of the national capital after they were brought in two batches from Wuhan on board separate Air India flights. There are a total of 302 males, including three children, and 100 females, including a child, at this facility. Two people were shifted from the Manesar facility to here on Sunday. Seven Maldivian nationals are also part of this group. They were evacuated by the second AI flight and brought here on Sunday. Apart from this facility, the rest have been kept at an another quarantine facility prepared by the Army in Manesar (Gurgaon). ***** Stranded Indian woman in Wuhan appeals for evacuation An Indian woman, preparing to marry next month, has appealed to the Indian government to evacuate her from China's virus-hit Wuhan city, days after she was stopped from boarding the special New Delhi-bound flights due to high body temperature. The woman was among 10 Indians who were stopped from boarding the special Air Indian flights last Friday and Saturday organised by the India government to evacuate stranded Indians from Wuhan. The Indian Embassy is in touch with the Indians who could not be evacuated along with 647 others due high body temperature, officials in Beijing said. One of them, Annem Jyothi hailing from Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, made a video appeal to the Indian government to arrange her exit from the city, saying that her body temperature is normal now and she is fit to travel. IMAGE: Tests conducted on 406 people at the ITBP facility have been negative till now. Photograph: Indo-Tibetan Border Police via PTI Photo She was part of a group of 58 Indian employees of a Chinese electronic company to board the Friday flight. While others made it, she and her colleague could not do so due to high body temperatures, she said. "We are asked to stop and not to take the flight. They said that we can take the next flight. But today in the afternoon they called and said that we were not even allowed to take that flight because of yesterday's body checkWe are stuck," said the mask wearing young woman who is in her 20s. The video was reportedly made on Saturday when the second AI flight evacuated 323 Indians from Wuhan. "We are ready to prove that we don't have any virus because we don't have any symptoms," she said. She said her body temperature was not very high. "It was just some 37.5 degrees which was due to some physical activities under some strain at that time. We were panicked a bit," she added. "We request our government to take us back to India and for that we are ready to prove that we don't have any symptoms regarding the virus and we are safe and healthy. So, I request the government to take us back to India, said the woman, who is preparing to marry in March. Her mother said Jyothi was under lot of stress as she was alone after her friends were evacuated. Two Indian students -- Ajith, a student from Bihar, and Manzoor from Kashmir -- who were stopped due to the same reason also said they have no fever now. Both made similar appeal while talking to PTI over phone and said their body temperatures are normal and they're fit to travel. Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Misri said about 100 Indians may still be residing in Hubei province. 25 Indians reportedly preferred to stay back when they were approached by the Indian Embassy for evacuation. Indian officials in Beijing said they are in touch with the 10 stranded Indians. It appears that their evacuation may be difficult as the city and the province where the virus is increasingly turning virulent have been virtually sealed. OXFORD, Ohio - The federal Centers for Disease Control and Preventions lab tests from two Ohio college students came back negative Sunday. Let me say again we have no confirmed cases in Ohio, said Dr. Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of Health at a press conference at Miami University on Sunday night. Two Miami University students had reported mild flu-like symptoms to the campus health center Monday. They had recently returned to Ohio from China. Jennifer Bailer, health commissioner at Butler County General Health District, declined to share many details about the students -- such as their ages or genders. She said that Oxford is a small community, and such details would make it easy to identify them. The two students had recently visited China, and one of them had traveled extensively throughout the country, including probably to Wuhan City, Hubei Province, where coronavirus broke out, she said. I want to emphasize these students did everything right to allow rapid response to contain whatever it was that was making them ill," Bailer said. They fully understood what was going on with coronavirus and they knew that they needed to report right away. They were responsible, conscientious, mature and cooperative with every step of the investigation. The students had been moved to isolated housing after reporting the symptoms last week. Food was brought to them, and calls were made to check on compliance and symptoms immediately, she said. Shortly after the CDC notified the Ohio Department of Health the tests came back negative -- which occurred late Sunday evening -- the students were cleared to leave the isolated housing and can resume their regular activities -- including class Monday. We can now say Oxford has no cases of coronavirus, no cases under investigation, Bailer said. Bailer said public health officials dont know what made the students ill, but it was likely another virus. The students are no longer under isolation, Bailer said. The outbreak continues to grow rapidly around the world and in the U.S. since first reported in Wuhan. With coronavirus, public health officials have been reaching out to contacts or people who have been around infected individuals. Reaching out to contacts does not occur unless a case has been confirmed, so public health officials didnt have to begin that work with the Ohio students, Acton said. Some athletic games at the university were postponed after public health officials said they were investigating coronavirus. Those games are being rescheduled. One will occur Monday, Miami University President Greg Crawford said. Earlier Sunday, a ninth case was confirmed in the U.S., in Santa Clara County, California, according to CBS News. And the first death outside China was reported in the Philippines. China has more than 16,000 cases and 360 deaths. The virus is likely to become a pandemic, the New York Times reported, citing infectious disease experts. The Ohio Department of Health is requiring hospitals, clinics and doctors to report any suspected case of the infection to their local health department. Now while these are very good results, we understand there are a lot of concerns out in the community, and around the country tonight, Acton said. ... What we are doing in Ohio is working. As I said before, we stand ready. Other news out of Columbus: Republican 2020 Ohio Supreme Court candidates outraise Democrats Will Ohio accept Trump Medicaid block grant? Capitol Letter Man infected with coronavirus had recently visited Cleveland U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos talking to Ohio lawmakers as they negotiate voucher legislation Will Ohio embrace Trumps Medicaid plan? Lawmakers reactions are mixed. With possible cases at Miami U., what are other Ohio colleges doing to protect students from coronavirus? Man who requested Ohio medical marijuana for Browns, Bengals fans says it could help them cope The Plateau police command has said that 26 persons were killed and 190 houses completely razed down in the recent attacks on some communities in Bokkos and Mangu Local Government Areas of the state. Ubah Ogaba, the police public relations officer of the command, said in a statement on Monday that it wanted to set the record straight. In the attacks that happened in Bokkos, 22 people lost their lives including 14 killed in Kwatas, 4 killed in Sabon Barki, 3 killed in Marish, 2 killed in Changet. Also, 4 persons were killed in Marish Mangu LGA bringing the total numbers of death to 26, he said. Arising from the crisis, a total of 190 houses were burnt including 123 owned by natives and 67 houses owned by Fulanis. So far, 11 persons have been arrested including Ardos and community leaders. They have been moved to police force headquarters in Abuja for further investigation. While the police are soliciting for useful information from members of the public in respect of this unfortunate incident, the public is encouraged to remain alert and report any suspicious movement to security agencies, the police said. As part of efforts to address the situation, a delegation of the Northern Governors Forum on Sunday paid a solidarity visit to the government and people of Plateau State over the killings. In a similar vein, the Middle Belt Forum has endorsed the arrest of Fulani Ardos and other community leaders in Bokkos, Riyom and other areas over the latest killings in parts of Plateau State. It asked the state governor, Simon Lalong, to ensure the prosecution of the perpetrators of the attacks in Kwata village in Bokkos Local Government Area in which 13 persons were killed and many others injured. The Forums national president, Bitrus Pogu, in a statement on Sunday, noted that the arrest of the community leaders would open new prospects in dealing with the mindless bloodshed and destruction. Mr Pogu said, We urge Governor Lalong to spare no effort in bringing the perpetrators of these devious murders to justice. When criminals are not brought to account for their dreadful crimes, they get emboldened and continue in their evil to the detriment of peace. We are encouraged that the order to arrest Ardos and other community leaders is capable of opening new vistas in understanding the dynamics behind these mindless killings and destruction. GADSDEN, Ala. Jan. 31, 2020 Gadsden February 5-7 Alabama February 5-7 10AM to 4PM Gadsden, AL the United States /PRNewswire/ -- The National Institutes of Health'sEducation and Enrollment Center is visitingonand 11-14 to educate communities about the opportunity to participate in a historic medical research effort. TheEducation and Enrollment Center is an interactive mobile exhibit designed to share information about theResearch Program, which aims to collect health data from one million or more people living in the United Stateswith the goal of accelerating precision medicine.An individual's personal health can be affected by factors such as geographical location, occupation, ethnicity, genetic health history and more. By gathering health data from one million or more participants, from all walks of life,hopes to build a data resource rich with diversityparticularly from groups who have historically been underrepresented in biomedical research. This will give researchers a more complete picture of factors that impact health and disease.Since the tour's launch in the summer of 2017, the Journey has traveled to more than 42 states and 110 communities across the country, helping enroll more than 7,000 participants in theResearch Program. Currently, over 16,400 people inare among the more than 322,000 people who have already enrolled in the program.Quality of Life Health ServicesQuality of Life Health Complex1411 Piedmont Cutoff35903about theEducation and Enrollment Center exhibits and schedule updates, please visit joinallofus.org/drive.The mission of theResearch Program is to accelerate health research and medical breakthroughs, enabling individualized prevention, treatment, and care for all of us. The program will partner with one million or more people acrossto build the most diverse biomedical data resource of its kind, to help researchers gain better insights into the biological, environmental, and behavioral factors that influence health. For more information, visit http://www.JoinAllofUs.org/drive and www.allofus.nih.gov. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-institutes-of-healths-all-of-us-education-and-enrollment-center-mobile-exhibit--travels-to-gadsden-300997138.html SOURCE All of Us Research Program Congratulations, desipeoria.com got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: Desipeoria.com scored 61 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 3/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 20 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. desipeoria.com is very popular in Facebook. Furthermore its facebook page has 59 likes. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the desipeoria homepage on Twitter + the total number of desipeoria followers (if desipeoria has a Twitter account). 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Basic Information PAGE TITLE Peoria Desi, Peoria Indian Community, Peoria Indians DESCRIPTION Peoria Indian community, Peoria Desi, Waukesha Indian, Peoria Temple, Tamil, Telugu, Indian restaurants, classifieds, Rentals and Roommates, Movies, Event Tickets, Grocery Stores, Coupons, Website KEYWORDS Peoria Desi, Peoria Indian, DesiPeoria, Peoria, Peoria India, Peoria Indian, Peoria Indian Yellow Pages, Peoria Indian Directory, Indus, indo, Peoria Indian Community, Peoria Desi, Peoria Restuarant Coupon, Peoria Indian Event, Peoria Indian Classifieds, OTHER KEYWORDS peoria, indian, company, bloomington, developer, in peoria, il java The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The title found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache/2.2.3 (CentOS) (PHP/5.1.6) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux Operative System running on the server. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Character set and language of the site. The language of desipeoria.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Type of server and offered services. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for desipeoria.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK FOUND FACEBOOK PAGE www.facebook.com/pages/DesiPeoriacom/294443377293772 DESCRIPTION Peoria Indian community LIKES 59 PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT 2 PAGE TYPE Website TIMELINE PAGE TIMELINE The type of Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The URL of the found Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND The Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) says it has arrested and charged three members of an Iranian secessionist movement on suspicion of spying for Saudi Arabia in Denmark. Three members of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz (ASMLA), a group seeking a separate state for ethnic Arabs in Irans southwestern province of Khuzestan, carried out espionage activities from 2012 to 2018, PET said in a statement on February 3. It said the three individuals collected information about individuals in Denmark and abroad and passed on this information to a Saudi intelligence service," among other things. A pretrial detention hearing is due on February 4. "This is a very serious case, where Saudi Arabia and Iran have brought their rivalry to Denmark," PET head Finn Borch Andersen said. Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said he had summoned the Saudi ambassador for talks earlier in the day, and instructed Danish diplomats in Riyadh to deliver his objections to Saudi authorities. "We have reacted firmly. We wish to make clarify that this is completely unacceptable," Kofod told reporters. Andersen said the case is linked to a 2018 police operation over an alleged Iranian plot to kill one or more opponents of the Iranian government. PET requested the arrest in absentia of an Iranian intelligence officer linked to the plot, he said. An Iranian-born Norwegian national remains in Danish custody over the 2018 plot, with which Tehran has denied any connection. ASMLA seeks a separate state for ethnic Arabs in oil-producing Khuzestan Province. Iran considers the group to be a terrorist organization and blames it for a September 2018 attack on a military parade that killed at least 25 people in Khuzestans capital, Ahvaz. With reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, and dpa New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday (February 1) attacked the Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal accusing him of trying to create anarchy in the city by orchestrating incidents like Shaheen Bagh. Training his guns on the Delhi Chief Minister over the Shaheen Bagh incident, the BJP leader said that 'democracy will be decided by ballots and not bullets'. Continuing his diatribe against the Shaheen Bagh protest, Yogi accused Kejriwal of sponsoring the blockade in the area and doing nothing to control the situation. He also alleged that the AAP government did not grant permission to register cases against those raised anti-India slogans during protests against the Centre. "Arvind Kejriwal and his aides, while being in the government, are trying to create anarchy in Delhi by orchestrating incidents like Shaheen Bagh," he said. "Kejriwal didn't believe in the Indian Army's valour by questioning the surgical strikes or Indian government's decision to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. He is more concerned about his future than the country. Expecting him to support government schemes to promote peace, harmony and growth is waste," CM Yogi said. Live TV Adityanath has been campaigning for the BJP for the upcoming assembly election in Delhi, which is scheduled to be held on February 8. The counting of votes will take place on February 11. On February 2, the AAP approached the Election Commission urging to ban Yogi Adityanath from campaigning in the national capital over his alleged provocative speeches. AAP leader Sanjay Singh also demanded an FIR against him for his remarks. Speaking at a press conference in Delhi, Singh said yesterday (Feb 2) that it has been 48 hours since the AAP asked the Election Commission time to meet them but it has not been granted. "If the EC does not give us time, we will stage a sit-in in front of the ECI office on Monday," he said. Hitting back at Kejriwal over his remarks on Yogi, BJP leader Kapil Mishra had on Sunday (February 1) said that the Delhi CM has been doing 'Jinnah politics' and asked the AAP to rename itself to Muslim League. "I want to say that the Aam Aadmi Party should change its name to Muslim League. They are doing the same politics as that of the Muslim League. They are doing of politics of divide and Muslim vote bank. They are against Yogi`s speech. Only those people will be afraid of Yogi who are standing by anti-nationals, terrorists, traitors, and rioters. Yogi has stopped rioters in Uttar Pradesh," news agency ANI quoted Mishra as saying. Sudesh Amman is understood to be the man shot dead by armed police in Streatham High Road, south London, on Sunday. (PA) Convicted terrorist Sudesh Amman, 20, was behind Streatham stabbing attack Three people were injured and Amman was shot dead by police Dying a martyr was reportedly one of his life goals Isis has claimed responsibility for the attack Amman had been freed from prison just days before The convicted terrorist shot dead by police after a stabbing attack in south London had a life goal of dying a martyr. Sudesh Amman, 20, who had recently been released from prison, stabbed people in Streatham on Sunday in what police are calling an Islamist-related terror incident. Amman, who had been jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, was freed about a week ago. Three people were injured in the attack on Streatham High Road on Sunday afternoon. A device found strapped to Ammans body was a hoax, the Metropolitan Police said. Amman served half his sentence after being jailed for three years and four months for terror offences in December 2018, when he was 18. Police on the scene on Streatham High Road following the knife attack. (SWNS) Clothing and used medical supplies litter the scene after the attack. (SWNS) The Old Bailey heard that one of Ammans life goals was to die a martyr. Police found a notepad in the North West London College students home in Harrow, in which the phrase life goals had been scrawled. Top of the list, above family activities, was dying a martyr and going to Jannah the afterlife, Alexis Boon, then head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, said after Amman was jailed. He said Amman had a fierce interest in violence and martyrdom and that he was fascinated with dying in the name of terrorism. Amman, an Isis supporter, had posted al-Qaeda propaganda on a family WhatsApp group, exposing siblings as young as 11 to graphic material, and had shared bomb-making literature via Skype chat. He had told his girlfriend of his wish to carry out acid attacks and that he preferred the idea of a knife attack over using bombs. On Monday, Isis claimed responsibility for the terror attack in Streatham. Without giving evidence, the groups Amaq news agency said: The perpetrator of the attack in Streatham district in south London yesterday is a fighter of Islamic State, and carried out the attack in response to calls to attack the citizens of coalition countries. Story continues Scotland Yard said armed officers had been following the suspect on foot as part of a "proactive counter-terrorism surveillance operation" on Streatham High Road. Read more Desperate mothers are 'eating donated baby food', says charity founder Royal Family defends Prince Charles flying by helicopter to environment speech I was disappointed when Boris Johnson won the election, says Donald Tusk The Metropolitan Police said: "The incident was quickly declared as a terrorist incident and we believe it to be Islamist-related." Three victims were taken by ambulance to south London hospitals. One man in his 40s is no longer considered to be in a life-threatening condition following treatment, police said. A woman in her 50s who had non-life threatening injuries has been discharged from hospital. Police said a second woman in her 20s, who received minor injuries believed to have been caused by glass following the discharge of a police firearm, continues to receive treatment. An armed police officer at the scene. (Getty) Police forensics officers at the scene. (PA/Getty) Police are treating the incident in Streatham as a terrorist attack. (SWNS) The London Ambulance Service has defended its staff after a witness tweeted that he had to stay with someone who had been stabbed for 30 minutes before an ambulance arrived. We have heard reports that it took 30 minutes for our medics to arrive at yesterdays incident in Streatham We can confirm that our medics arrived in 4 minutes, and were initially directed to a rendezvous point until the police confirmed it was safe for them to approach patients pic.twitter.com/dxXPRdX5r6 London Ambulance Service (@Ldn_Ambulance) February 3, 2020 A video posted on Twitter showed a police officer trying to evacuate a Streatham cafe only to be told by a member of staff to give us half an hour. In the video, posted by user @The_Write_Type, the female member of staff replies to the officers request by saying: Just give us half an hour, people just have to eat. Police: Sorry guys. You need to close. We need to evacuate - theres been a terror incident just down the street. Cafe staff: Just give us half an hour because people have to eat. #Streatham pic.twitter.com/O3RmYImQKC Claire Stephenson (@The_Write_Type) February 2, 2020 The officer then responds: Madam, a terrorist has been shot dead just down there. Theyve got a possible IED vest on them, which is a bomb. If you want to stay open for half an hour and you want to put peoples lives in danger then be my guest. If not, please listen to me and please make your way out of the shop, turning that way and making your way from the area. The incident follows last Novembers stabbing at Fishmongers Hall at London Bridge, in which convicted terrorist Usman Khan killed two people before being shot dead by police. He had been released from prison on licence a year earlier. Police forensics officers at the scene of the stabbing in Streatham. (PA/Getty) Police forensic officers at the scene in Streatham. (PA/Getty) Boris Johnson said he will announce plans on Monday for "fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences" following the attack. He added: "Following the awful events at Fishmongers' Hall in December, we have moved quickly to introduce a package of measures to strengthen every element of our response to terrorism including longer prison sentences and more money for the police." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil, Apriza Pinandita and Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 08:51 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20622bb5d 1 National Wuhan-coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,wuhan,coronavirus,travel-ban,China Free After repatriating 238 citizens from Wuhan and other cities in China, the Indonesian government declared on Sunday that it would ban all travel to and from China to prevent the spread of a deadly and highly contagious novel coronavirus. The ban, which took effect at 12 a.m. on Monday, prevents visitors who have stayed in China for 14 days or more from visiting or transiting in Indonesia. The government will suspend visa-free and visa on arrival provisions for Chinese citizens. The government asks Indonesians not to take trips to mainland China for now, said Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, after a Cabinet meeting held by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta on Sunday afternoon. Indonesia has followed the United States, the Philippines and Singapore in imposing travel restrictions to and from China amid rapid contagion of the virus worldwide. AFP reported that, as of Sunday, the coronavirus had killed 304 in China and had infected nearly 14,500 globally, surpassing infections caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the result of another strain of coronavirus originated in China, in 2003. Often called the first pandemic of the 21st century, the SARS outbreak resulted in 8,100 cases worldwide and killed at least 775 people. Read also: Virus deaths in China rise to 360, exceeding SARS mainland toll While the Philippines reported the first death outside of China due to the recent coronavirus on Sunday, Indonesia has not yet confirmed any cases. Indonesia's travel ban was announced hours after 238 Indonesian nationals evacuated from Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province landed on Natuna Island and were placed in quarantine at Raden Sadjad airbase. They will undergo observation [in quarantine] for 14 days. This observation period will also be implemented on the 42 airlifting personnel from Wuhan, so 285 people will undergo this observation. They are still healthy so far, Retno said. Spread of the new coronavirus (AFP/-) The evacuees disembarked from the Batik Air Airbus A-330 airplane at 9:23 a.m. at Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands. They disembarked one by one, with long intervals between each passenger. Officers wearing hazmat suits examined the passengers and escorted them to the planes that later transported them to Natuna. The Indonesian Military (TNI) used three planes to carry the returnees from Batam to Natuna: a Hercules A-1315, a Boeing AI-7304 and a Boeing A-7306. The passengers underwent medical examinations inside the Batik Air aircraft before boarding the planes that brought them to Natuna Island. Batam Class I Port Health Office head Achmad Farchanny previously said that several health assessments, such as temperature checks, would be made.The quarantine facility will be guarded by 117 Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officers sent on a Wings Air plane to Natuna, Riau Islands, according to Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Harry Goldenhardt. We sent our officers for preemptive security as there has been a protest from the locals [about the quarantine on Natuna], Harry told The Jakarta Post on Sunday. On Saturday, residents protested in front of the Ranai subdistrict Military Command (Koramil) in Natuna regency in opposition to the decision to make Natuna Island the site of the quarantine. Natuna Deputy Regent Ngesti Yuni Suprapti said the central government had not consulted the administration. Of the 245 Indonesians planned to be evacuated from Hubei, only 238 arrived in Indonesia. Four people were unwilling to leave China, while three people were sick at the time of departure and were not given clearance by the Chinese government to leave the country. Read also: Coronavirus: Indonesians from Wuhan arrive in Batam, before taken to Natuna for quarantine Following standard health protocol, the passengers underwent multilayered medical examinations conducted by both Chinese authorities and an Indonesian medical team at Wuhan's Tianhe International Airport. Its their right for those that refused. For those that did not pass, thats the rule; the sick cannot [leave China], Health Ministry spokeswoman Widyawati told the Post on Sunday. In quarantine, she said, the evacuees would be treated as healthy people and would be told to continue their activities, albeit at the facility. They are actually healthy residents so we treat them as healthy people, not as sick people. We will also make them as comfortable as we can, Widyawati said. She said that the evacuees would be treated, provided with healthy food and allowed to exercise for two weeks while their health was observed to determine if they were free from the coronavirus, which has an incubation period of up to two weeks. They cannot be visited yet, but they can communicate using their gadgets, Widyawati said. Viral fears: Natuna residents protest in front of Raden Sadjad Air Force Base in Ranai, Natuna, Riau Islands, on Saturday. They opposed the arrival of Indonesian citizens repatriated from Wuhan, China, in the regency, where the evacuees will be observed to ensure they are free from the new coronavirus. (Antara/Cherman) Other national governments have instated quarantines for those returning from China amid the coronavirus outbreak. The US government evacuated 195 Americans from Wuhan and has quarantined them at the March Air Reserve Base in California for 14 days. Singapore has evacuated 92 citizens from Wuhan. All Singaporeans coming from China have been put on quarantine order at home or at three university hostels in China designated as quarantine facilities. Australia plans to evacuate at least 150 of its residents from Wuhan on Monday to be quarantined on Christmas Island, Australian territory. The Foreign Ministry said the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing would take care of the four Indonesians who chose to stay in China with their family and the three others who were unable to depart because they did not pass the health screening. The Indonesian Embassy said it would be in constant communication with the remaining Indonesians and would coordinate with authorities in China to ensure those staying behind would still be able to access supplies. Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said the Indonesians who remained would be taken care of by the authorities. "The government will fully protect them," he said. Marchio Irfan Gorbiano contributed to this report. In 2015, Israel once again came under terrorist attack from Palestinians desperate to erase Jews from the land they've inhabited continuously for 3,800 years. Unlike past terrorist attacks, which mostly relied on suicide bombs in restaurants and buses or on rocket attacks from afar, this was a more personal type of terrorism: Palestinians walking down the street or shopping in stores would suddenly pull out long knives and savagely stab anyone within reach. It was called "the knife intifada." But what happens in Israel doesn't stay in Israel. In some ways, you can consider Israel a testing ground for terrorist tactics that jihadists intend to use against others around the world and it's clear with Sunday's "terrorist-related" knife attack in the Streatham neighborhood in London that the knife intifada has fully arrived in England. The Palestinians haven't been shy about using knives to wage war on Jews. Here's a grim photograph from 1947 before there was an Israel, before there were 1967 lines, and before the PLO had even formed showing an Arab stabbing a Palestinian journalist, while the British soldiers took a photograph but did not bother to help: Here are two videos to remind you what began to happen in Israel five years ago: These attacks are still happening, although they're less common. What probably changed this is the fact that Israel loosened its tight gun control laws: When the knife intifada erupted in September 2015, the Israeli government's response was to ease the process for the civilian populace to obtain weapons. After a particularly bloody Jerusalem shooting attack that killed four, thenPublic Security Minister Gilad Erdan drastically changed the gun laws in order to significantly raise the number of armed civilians on the streets. Instantly, graduates of Special Forces units and IDF officers with the rank of Lieutenant and above were permitted to purchase guns at their will, security guards were allowed to bring their guns home after work, and the minimum age for a license was reduced from 21 to 18. Erdan explained that "civilians well trained in the use of weapons provide reinforcement in the struggle against terrorism", while Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat called for every resident to carry a gun, and was even photographed traveling the city carrying a Glock 23. In addition, the overwhelming majority of terror attacks in Israel are stopped by armed civilians, not law enforcement. For example, the terrorists in the 2016 Sarona market attack were stopped by armed passersby. A pistol-carrying tour guide put an end to the 2017 ramming attack in Arnona that left four soldiers dead. Meanwhile, England has experienced its second terrorist-inspired knife attack in two months. On November 29, 2019, a known potential terrorist armed only with a knife killed two people on London Bridge. Then, on Sunday, February 2, 2020, Sudesh Amman, whom police already considered a "person of interest," decided to go to town with a knife: Sudesh Amman, 20 who was shot and killed after the 2 p.m. attack in Streatham in south London had been let out of lockup a week ago, where he was serving time for charges of disseminating and possession documents containing terrorist information, the BBC reported. He was released after serving only part of his three-year-and-four-month sentence, according to The Guardian. Amman came to the attention of counter-terrorism authorities in April when investigators learned of postings on a messaging app, which included a photo of a knife, two guns and a Shahada flag with the Arabic words for "Armed and ready April 3," the outlet said. Amman donned a fake suicide vest and then, after grabbing a convenient knife from a shop, stabbed three people, one of whom is in critical condition. The police killed Amman. While London has had two terrorist knife attacks in two months, the rest of Europe is not immune. In Ghent, Belgium, just minutes after the knife attack in Streatham, a knifeman stabbed two people on a busy street before officers were able to control him. It's not clear whether this latest continental attack is terrorist-inspired, but it's a certainty that Islamic immigrants have imported to the West their preference for using knives to settle disputes, both personal and political. Europe and England stubbornly deny that Islamists are at war with them. This means they'll be equally stubborn in refusing to arm their citizens to fight this war. When there's an active war going on, but only one side is armed and fighting, it's a dead certainty which side will win and which side will lose. BlackRocks Melanie Seymour took home the Expat CEO of the Year award at the sixth annual BBJ Top Expat CEO Gala, held at the Corinthia Hotel Budapest last Friday night. In receiving the award, Seymour was recognized as the most successful foreign company head in the past year, contributing greatly to the economic development of Hungary, while also showing a great example to her employees and peers within the expat community. The award is now a tradition; it has been granted every year since 2015. The gala dinner featured Hungarys most important expat company leaders, and a number of distinguished guests such as Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency head Robert Esik as well as several ambassadors and diplomats. "We have closed a very successful year of investment promotion," Esik said, adding that the level of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) hit a new record in 2019. He argued that HIPA managed to achieve a breakthrough in attracting Asian investment to the country. He also praised expat CEOs for their contribution to the Hungarian economy, saying, "You are the ones who convince parent companies to bring their investments here." U.K. Ambassador Iain Lindsay delivered a special address regarding the United Kingdoms future relationship to the European Union and Hungary, as the gala was held on Brexit Day. "We are leaving the European Union, not Europe," he said. The Ambassador told the audience in both English and Hungarian that Hungarian citizens living in the United Kingdom "Do not need to be afraid, do not have to leave the country." This year, the HIPA partnership award was given to Siemens Zrt. president & CEO, and German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce board member Dale A. Martin. He also served as the president of the chamber in the past. "I am honored that HIPA chose a company with more than 130 years of history in the country," Martin said in his acceptance speech, recounting how the company was already involved in the designing process of metro line M1 at the end of the 19th century. After the main courses were served, the galas main event started, with a screening of short videos of the three candidates for the Expat CEO of the Year award. In addition to Seymour, the other short-listed candidates were Romke Noordhuis, managing director at ExxonMobil Hungary; and Charles Wassen, general manager and country lead, Dana Hungary Ltd. The winner was selected by a professional jury of five just 30 minutes before the gala. The panel consisted of BBJ CEO Balazs Roman, American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary CEO Irisz Lippai-Nagy, HIPA CEO Robert Esik, Dale A. Martin, and last years Expat CEO of the Year Taira-Julia Lammi. After receiving the award, which was handed over by last years winner Lammi, Seymour recalled her thoughts when she started working in Hungary "I remember walking past the Parliament when I said: I need to make an impact, I am not here to just build BlackRock, Ive got to do something different. I have really got to do something for Hungary." Seymour currently holds the position of head of Global Client Service at BlackRock. She served as the head of BlackRock Budapest between 2017-2019. She is the first person from the United Kingdom to win the BBJ Expat CEO of the Year award. Siemens Zrt. president & CEO Dale A. Martin received the HIPA Partnership award. Minister of State (MoS) Finance Anurag Thakur, who was also one of the BJP's star campaigners in the Delhi Assembly elections has been receiving a lot of criticism for allegedly instigating violence on the anti-CAA protesters. This after a video of him went viral, where the minister was seen chanting "desh ke gaddaron ko", to which the crowd replied "goli maaro saalon ko". BCCL/FILE After backlash, the minister was removed as the party's "star campaigner" and was also banned from campaigning for Delhi elections for 72 hours. But the damage was already done. On Thursday, a 17-year-old boy was caught was by police outside Jamia Millia Islamia for doing exactly what the minister called for. REUTERS He pulled out a country-made pistol and shouted 'yeh lo azadi (take your freedom) before opening fire. Following the incident, many including AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi blamed Thakur for inciting violence. #ArrestAnuragThakur was also trending on Twitter. On Friday, Youth Congress president Srinivas B V has approached the Delhi Police with a complaint against Thakur for making an inflammatory speech leading to attempt to murder of peaceful demonstrators. Even after the shootout outside Jamia which left a student injured, there seems to be no end to the goli maaro chant from BJP leaders. The latest to echo Thakur's provocation is controversial Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA and 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots accused Sangeet Som. "The women sitting on protests have no work, a probe is needed to find out the source of funding of these protests. As far as people like Sharjeel Imam, who talk of breaking India, are concerned, such people should be shot dead publicly," the MLA was quoted as saying by ANI. Som has a notorious track record when it comes to hate speech against Muslims. In 2017, he had called Taj Mahal a blot on Indian culture. A staunch 'gau rakshak' Som, has on several occasions defined those accused in the lynching of t Mohammad Akhlaq over alleged beef consumption. He had even claimed that instead of the men accused lynching, the family of Akhlaq are the ones who should be sent to jail. In 2015, it was also reported that 'gau rakshak' Som was one of the directors in Al Dua Food Processing Pvt Ltd, a company which was exporting meat including beef. Anurag Thakur, however, was not the first BJP leader who wanted anti-CAA protesters to be shot. It was Kapil Mishra, BJP's candidate from Delhi's Model Town constituency. BCCL/FILE In December Mishra was leading a march in support of CAA where he was seen shouting desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko. ARCHIVED - 10 unauthorized Algerian migrants intercepted off Cartagena Four of the Algerians are reported to be under the age of 18 A small boat carrying ten unauthorized migrants from north Africa towards the coast of Murcia and the EU was successfully intercepted on Monday morning near EL Gorguel, just a couple of kilometres east of the city of Cartagena. It is reported that all ten of the occupants, who received medical attention, food and blankets from the Cruz Roja before being handed over to the authorities, were male and had travelled from Algeria to reach the southern coast of Spain. Four of them are under the age of 18. For more local news, events and other information go to the Cartagena section of Murcia Today. Follow Murcia Today on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest news, events and information in the Region of Murcia and the rest of Spain: https://www.facebook.com/MurciaToday/ Nigerians everywhere, those of belief and those of none, are mourning the death of pastor Lawan Andimi, taken from us by Boko Haram for his refusal to denounce his Christian faith. I did not know Pastor Andimi personally. Yet Nigerians and I both know him and his church by their works: healing, caring, feeding and educating, particularly in the northeastern regions of my countryin those areas threatened for too long by terrorists. Every day, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN) places itself there bravely where the brotherhood of man is most in need of sustenance. Pastor Andimis ministry was located only 60 miles from the town of Chibok, from where in 2014 the world witnessed the shocking kidnapping of 267 schoolgirls. That even one individualthis time a man of the churchcould still be taken by the terror group seven years later might be viewed as evidence the terrorists are fully functional, and undefeated. But it is not. Since I was first elected to office in 2015, 107 of the Chibok girls have been freed. Today we seek the others. Boko Haram are no longer one, unified threat, but fractured into several rivals. These splinters are themselves degraded: reduced to criminal acts whichnonetheless no less crueltarget smaller and smaller numbers of the innocent. We owe thanks to the Nigerian defense forces, bolstered by our partnership with the British and American militaries, that we are winning this struggle in the field. But we may not, yet, be completely winning the battle for the truth. Christianity in Nigeria is notas some seem intent on believingcontracting under pressure, but expanding and numbers about 45 percent of our population today. Nor is it the case that Boko Haram is primarily targeting Christians: not all of the Chibok schoolgirls were Christian; some were Muslim, and were so at the point at which they were taken by the terrorists. Indeed, it is the reality that some 90 percent of all Boko Harams victims have been Muslims: they include a copycat abduction of over 100 Muslim schoolgirls, along with their single Christian classmate; shootings inside mosques; and the murder of two prominent imams. Perhaps it makes for a better story should these truths, and more, be ignored in the telling. It is a simple fact that these now-failing terrorists have targeted the vulnerable, the religious, the non-religious, the young, and the old without discrimination. And at this point, when they are fractured, we cannot allow them to divide good Christians and good Muslims from those things that bind us all in the sight of God: faith, family, forgiveness, fidelity, and friendship to each other. Yet sadly, there is a tiny, if vocal, minority of religious leadersboth Muslim and Christianwho appear more than prepared to take their bait and blame the opposite religious side. The terrorists today attempt to build invisible walls between us. They have failed in their territorial ambitions, so now instead they seek to divide our state of mind, by pulling us from one from anotherto set one religion seemingly implacably against the other. Translated into English, boko haram means Western teachings are sinful. They claim as proof passages of the Quran which state that Muslims should fight pagans to be justification for attacks on Christians and those Muslims who hold no truck with them. They are debased by their willful misreading of scriptureat least those of them who are able to read at all. Article continues below Of course, there is much of Christianity and Islamboth in teaching and practicethat are not the same. Were that not so, there would be no need for the separateness of the two religions. Yet though these unread terrorists seem not to know it, there is much between our two faithsboth the word and the scripturethat run in parallel. For the Bible teaches, Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion (2 Cor. 9:7), while the Quran states: There is no compulsion in religion (2:256). Similarly, the Bible states: For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror (James 1:23). The Quran concurs: Those who believe and do good works, theirs will be forgiveness and a great reward (35:7). I call on Nigerias faith leaders, and Nigerians everywhere, to take these words of concordand the many more that existto their hearts and their deeds. Just as my government, and our international partners, quicken our campaign to defeat Boko Haram within and without our borders, we must turn our minds to the future. There is no place in Nigeria for those who seek to divide us by religion, who compel others to change their faith forcibly, or try to convince others that by so doing, they are doing good. Rather, we might all learn from the faith and works of Pastor Andimi. There seems little doubt he acted selflessly in so many regardsgiving alms and prayers to both Christians and Muslims who suffered at the hands of the terrorists. And he passed from us, rightly refusing to renounce his faith that was not for his captors to take, any more than his life. His belief and his deeds are a lesson and an inspiration to all of us. Muhammadu Buhari is president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Speaking Out is Christianity Todays guest opinion column and (unlike an editorial) does not necessarily represent the opinion of the magazine. CTs previous coverage of Boko Haram is here. Meal Magazine Issue One We strongly believe in the power of food and drink to bring people together. A Minneapolis-based team of writers and artists has launched Meal Magazine, a new print magazine serving up a bounty for every appetite. Unlike traditional food magazines, this bi-annual publication is compelling for die-hard foodies as well as those who enjoy long-form storytelling, evocative photography, and inspired graphic design. Led by editor-in-chief, Peter Sieve, and co-founder and executive editor, Joshua Page, the publication celebrates our shared humanity with deep, meaningful stories about food and the people who grow, make, and eat it. "We strongly believe in the power of food and drink to bring people together," said Page. Which is why we set out to create a food magazine that tells stories about people building community, fighting for equality and justice, and caring for each other. Added Sieve, Meal Magazine is one of few publications that leans deeply into the artful, personal storytelling of how food brings us all together as people. It goes beyond traditional food magazine content by exploring the incredibly interesting nuances of what it means to be a human beingand food is a great vehicle for taking that tour. Meals inaugural issue takes readers on an inspiring, thirteen-course journey. From the political story of pupuserias in the U.S. to the chefs and bartenders crafting a new kitchen culture of care, a diverse team of award-winning writers, food critics, and artists from Minneapolis to Lima, Peru celebrate creative, authentic, and unconventional stories about food and society. Issue 1 includes firebrand bartender, Marco Zappia, named one of Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2019; Soleil Ho, the San Francisco Chronicles provocative new restaurant critic; three James Beard Foundation Best Chef nominees; and indelible portraits from internationally acclaimed photographer Bill Phelps. The first issue of Meal is available now at meal-magazine.com and select stores, or by subscribing to the Meal Magazine Patreon. About Meal Magazine Meal Magazine is an independent bi-annual print publication that uses food and art as jumping off points to explore the critical social issues of our time, along with the nuances of what it means to be humanand humanetoday. With thought-provoking investigative journalism, personal essays, colorful profiles, and striking art direction, weve positioned Meal as an accessible authority on matters of food, culture, and style. Within our pages, youll find evocative stories to savor. Meal is creating a community for those who value art and creativity, political engagement, and social connection. To purchase the inaugural issue, visit meal-magazine.com or become a subscriber by joining the Meal Magazine Patreon. Hyderabad: Over 3,000 medical students, who have completed only six months of internship and are not able to go back to China due to coronavirus, are now in the grip of fear and anxiety over whether they would be awarded an MBBS degree. Besides those students, who were recently airlifted from Wuhan and are now in quarantine, there were many others, who had come for the winter break to India and cannot go back to complete their one-year internship. The students are approaching their consultants and universities to appeal to the Centre to allow them to complete their internship. Their anxiety is caused by a Medical Council of India (MCI) norm that internships must be completed without any breaks. With coronavirus widespread in China, it is not possible for these students to go back. But more than health, what is worrying them right now that the gap in their internship term could be considered as a break and disqualify them from getting a medical degree due to non-completion of internship. There are doubts whether the degrees will be awarded to them, given this break. Dhirender Trivedy, managing director, Growell Education Consultancy Services for the Tianjin Medical University, China, explained, The students are in India for safety reasons. Those of them who are in their last year have completed only six months of internship. They have to complete the remaining six months to qualify, according to MCI rules. They will have to write the NEET exam in India, where their internship certificates would also be considered. There is now a break. The MCI must look into problems of these students. The government of India must give them some relief as this is the time of crisis. Students are approaching consultants who helped them seek admissions to universities in China to bail them out of the present crisis. A senior doctor with the MCI, on condition of anonymity, explained, We have to wait and watch. We do not know how long this crisis will continue. The students cannot practice in India without clearing the NEET exams. They have to prepare for NEET, clear it and then only will they be registered in India. The internship issue will have to be discussed and looked into. There is a growing demand that these students must be allowed to complete their internship in India if the crisis continues for long. But senior doctors say that it was not possible as there are different teaching methods and bedside practices. To practice in India, a student has to clear NEET. With a new Board of Governors to look into the issues of MCI, parents and consultants are planning to approach them to grant relief for internship. Dr T Narsinga Reddy, senior doctor, said, The best way forward for medical students from China is to give NEET exam, which will be held in June and December. In this way, they can make up for the lost time. Sanjay Dhotre, Minister of State (MoS) for Human Resources Development (HRD) on Monday expressed concerns over the Jamia firing incident that occurred on Sunday night while asserting that the government is taking action against it seriously. "An incident like this is a matter of great concern, Nishank ji (HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank) and I will discuss the issue," Dhotre said. Asked about different firing incidents, he added, "We are taking action against this very seriously." The Delhi Police has registered an FIR in connection with the firing incident that took place near Jamia Millia Islamia University on Sunday night. The firing incident was reported near gate number five at the university following which people including some students of the varsity gathered outside the Jamia Nagar police station. They returned from the Jamia Nagar police station after their complaint was registered. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a fresh travel advisory on Monday (February 3) urging people to refrain from visiting China. "Travel Advisory further revised informing the public to refrain from travel to China and that anyone with travel history in China since January 15, 2020 and from now on could be quarantined," said the statement released by the ministry here. The statement also said, "e-Visa facility for Chinese passport holders has been temporarily suspended." The ministry informed that e-Visa already issued to Chinese nationals was not valid temporarily. "The facility for submitting the application online for the physical visa from China is suspended," the ministry said. It also advised to contact the Indian embassy in Beijing or consulate in Shanghai or Guangzhou in case of people having compelling reasons to visit India. On Monday, the number of deaths in China rose to 361, with 17,205 confirmed cases and 475 discharged from hospital, according to the National Health Commission. More than 1,52,700 people are under observation, among which there are a total of 21,558 suspected cases. There are two confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in India too. Both have been reported from Kerala. Earlier on Sunday, the Ministry had informed that apart from China, people coming from Singapore and Thailand were also screened at the airports. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also released information and advisory to the public regarding the novel coronavirus outbreak in China, which the world body has declared a global health emergency. Wonder what it was like to see a young, scrappy and hungry Lin-Manuel Miranda and the original cast of the ground-breaking musical Hamilton on Broadway? A.Ham fans will get a chance to see it for themselves when Hamilton comes to movie theaters on Oct. 15, 2021, it was announced today. According to Variety, the movie version isnt an adaptation like the upcoming Miranda film In the Heights, but rather a live capture of a stage performance. It was shot at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in Manhattan before founding members began to depart the production. ...You all have that friend who brags, 'I saw (Hamilton) with the original cast. Were stealing that brag from everyone because youre all going to see it with the original cast. Were just trying to find the right time to do it," Miranda told Variety. (See the video below.) Disney calls the musical an unforgettable theater experience and a true cultural phenomenon." All who saw it with the original cast will never forget that singular experience. And were thrilled to have the opportunity to share this same Broadway experience with millions of people around the world, Disney CEO and chairman Bob Iger said in a statement. Hamilton debuted in 2015 on Broadway, winning 11 Tonys and the Pulitzer Prize for drama. The original Broadway cast includes Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr, Christopher Jackson as George Washington, Jonathan Groff as King George, Renee Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler, and Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton. Hamilton tells the story of Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who climbed his way up the political ladder to become the countrys first Secretary of the Treasury. Lin-Manuel Miranda tells his story with through hip-hop, rap and a fast-paced show that also tugs at the heartstrings. You can see Hamilton the musical through Feb. 9, 2020 at DeVos Performance Hall in Grand Rapids, presented by Broadway Grand Rapids. More info at broadwaygrandrapids.com. A few tickets remain for all performances. Be sure to use Ticketmaster on the website, which you can access on the broadwaygrandrapids.com. RELATED: Hamilton cast show up at Grand Rapids restaurant and kid seizes the moment RELATED: Hamilton cast member returns to his West Michigan roots RELATED: How to get $10 lottery tickets to see Hamilton in Grand Rapids Disney to release Hamilton with the Original Broadway Cast. Filmed on stage at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. In a theater near you. October 15, 2021. #Hamilfilm Posted by Hamilton on Monday, February 3, 2020 Disney presents: Hamilton. With The Original Broadway Cast. Filmed onstage at The Richard Rodgers Theatre. In A Theater Near You. October 15, 2021.#Hamilfilm pic.twitter.com/z4ohfWXzi3 Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) February 3, 2020 Below: While promoting his documentary Siempre, Luis with his father at Sundance, Lin-Manuel Miranda revealed some details about a Hamilton movie and what it was like adapting In the Heights for the big screen. (Listen at the 7:14 mark.) Three persons, including two BJP activists, have been arrested for allegedly attacking the residence of Union minister Rameswar Teli during anti-CAA protests in Assam, police said on Monday. The house of Teli, Union Minister of State for Food Processing, in Upper Assam's Duliajan town was attacked on December 11 during the statewide stir against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. "Based on CCTV footages, Debajit Hazarika, Vicky Sonar and Arup Kahar were arrested. We had picked them up on Sunday," Dibrugarh Superintendent of Police, Sreejith T told PTI. A total of 18 persons have been arrested so far for allegedly attacking Teli's house, he said. "These three persons were also involved in pelting stones on a police party during protests in Duliajan," Sreejith said. A BJP source confirmed that Debajit Hazarika and Vicky Sonar are party activists. Family members of the accused have given statements to the police on the arrested persons' alleged role in violence and attacking Teli's house, sources said. When contacted, Teli said, "I do not know for what reasons they were apprehended. But if police arrested them after proper investigation, then there must be some truth. The trio stays near my house. They always attended my programmes with their families." A total of 88 people have been arrested so far from Dibrugarh district for their alleged involvement in violence during protests against the Act. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: BJP's star campaigners for Delhi assembly election 2020 and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in an exclusive interview with Zee opened up on several key issues including CAA-NRC and the ongoing anti-CAA protest in Shaheen Bagh. Launching an attack on Delhi CM said that Arvind Kejriwal has poisoned Yamuna's water, poison can only be countered with poison. Speaking to Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary, Yogi said that CAA just a fig leaf to protest against Article 370's abrogation, Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the abolition of triple talaq. He further asserted that Arvind Kejriwal does not have the guts to speak against Shaheen Bagh protesters and he is using it to play politics in the national capital. Read the full interview here: Question: Opposition is claiming that Yogi is in Delhi for polarisation? Answer: I am in the middle of the public with BJP's resolution and as a party worker. Kejriwal government did not fulfil their promises in the last 5 years. Lokpal has not been constituted in Delhi till date. Most ministers of the Kejriwal government are corrupt. The AAP government failed to open schools in Delhi but he has ensured liquor shops in every colony. Kejriwal polluted the water of Delhi so much that the people here are coughing after drinking the dirty water. No central government scheme was allowed to be implemented in Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal is the head of an irresponsible government. The capital of the world's largest democracy should have a government with good governance, unlike AAP. Question: Why is the February 8 Assembly election in Delhi looking like an India-Pakistan match? Answer: BJP has always opposed the act of violence in democracy and believes that the decision should be made through ballot and not bullet. Anti-India slogans are raised in JNU and Jamia. AAP stands with those who shout anti-India slogans. Kejriwal did not allow the police to prosecute traitors. He questioned the military's valour in the Pulwama attack and Balakot airstrikes. Imran, Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal feel the pain of removing Article 370. For the opponents, the party is bigger than the country and they want to remain in power at any cost. Question: Do you believe that AAP was behind the firing incident of Jamia and Shaheen Bagh and who do you think would benefit from such incidents? Answer - It is a matter of investigation, there may be a conspiracy as well. The BJP believes in democratic values. BJP always condemns the incident of violence. The question is not of profit or loss. The incident reveals an anti-democratic character. Question: Don't you think Delhi election campaign is one of the most poisonous election campaign seen till date? Answer- Whose work has made the Yamuna poisonous, the poison will definitely be seen in the election. Sometimes poison has to be given to kill poison. The question is, who poisoned the Yamuna? Kumbh was successfully organized due to Namami Gange scheme. My challenge to Kejriwal is to take a dip in the Yamuna in Delhi. Question: How big a challenge is Shaheen Bagh for the BJP? When I went there they shouted slogans of 'go back' what will you say on this? Answer - You have shown the truth, hence you had to face the slogans of go back. These people have blindfolded themselves and do not want to see the truth. People sitting in Shaheen Bagh do not even know what CAA is. These people do not know about NPR and NRC either. PM Modi has said that CAA has no relation with NPR and NRC. The NRC was implemented by order of the Supreme Court inside Assam. CAA is a law for granting citizenship and not taking it. The citizenship amendment law is an excuse but the target is something else. The protestors are unhappy by the ban on triple talaq because that ends the politics of fatwas in the country. The opposition said that there will be violence during abrogation of Article 370 or Ram Janmabhoomi issue but nothing of that sought happened. Opponents have become unemployed because all their business of collecting donations has been destroyed. Shaheen Bagh was made the centre through CAA. People of Delhi, Noida are upset because of the demonstration in Shaheen Bagh. Opponents' sympathies are with the people of Shaheen Bagh. Opponents have sympathy with Kashmir's separatists. Providing basic facilities to the people of Delhi is not the priority of the opponents. Question: BJP is being accused of using the Shaheen Bagh demonstration for getting votes in Delhi election? Answer: BJP does not have sympathy for Shaheen Bagh. The issue of BJP is nationalism, development and good governance. The public should be aware of the reality of Shaheen Bagh. Congress and AAP leaders go and support protesters at Shaheen Bagh. Question: Why is nationalism a big issue in Delhi elections? Answer: Delhi is mini India as it is the capital of our country. We raised issues of development in elections. I have spent 19 years in Delhi as an MP. Why do we still see packed streets, hanging wires in the capital? They are not providing pure drinking water to the people of Delhi. DTC's capacity has halved in the last 5 years. AAP government did not allow work on the fourth phase of the metro. They denied NOC for Delhi-Meerut Express Way. I believe Elections should be contested on the issue of development, good governance, nationalism. Question: Have you studied Delhi more than Kejriwal? Answer: We have learned this from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The major border of Delhi connects with Uttar Pradesh. Rapid rail work starts soon, NOC is not available. Due to the poisoning of Yamuna, people living in Mathura are also facing trouble. Delhi is playing with public sentiment. Kejriwal has no right to come to power again. Question: For designer journalists, you are the poster boy of Hindutva? Answer: The Bharatiya Janata Party is a democratic party. The worker goes for cooperation in any state when elections are held. Question: What formula do you have for Shaheen Bagh? Answer: We will bring out the formula at the right time. Question: Why were most of anti-CAA protests held in Uttar Pradesh? Answer: In the middle of the Jamia incident, violence erupted in AMU as well. The police's vigil in Aligarh countered the attempted violence. There was a conspiracy to throw UP into the fire of riots. There was arson first in Sambhal, then in Lucknow. The protesters set a bus on fire in Sambhal. These acts caused a major loss of public property. The protesters had petrol bombs, illegal weapons and we took action as per the evidence present in the video footage. The agitators associated with SIMI and PFI were found to be involved in these violent protests. Nearly, 108 people associated with PFI have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh in the last four days. Question: Opponents allege that BJP gives negative slogans? Answer: We did not talk about killing any common man. The slogan is about tackling anti-India forces, and it was not related to common people of India, BJP's is against terrorism, separatism, Naxalism and corruption and not against the citizens of India. Question: How and when will Shaheen Bagh be emptied? Answer: We do not want to use force on women and children. The movement in Shaheen Bagh is non-social, without any objective. We want a solution in a democratic way. Law Minister had asked the people to talk it out. CAA is not against any citizen of India. Question: What will you do to those who don't listen to your words? Answer: In the end, people will understand our words. BJP guarantees everyone's development and security. Question: If Shaheen Bagh was in Lucknow how would you deal with the situation? Answer: Let the time come, let things go. With time everything finds an answer. India will win, BJP will win. TEHRAN - Saudi Arabia has not allowed the Iranian delegation to attend on Monday a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah in which US President Donald Trump's plan on Israel and Palestine will be discussed, by not issuing the necessary visas, according to the spokesman of the Iranian foreign ministry, Abbas Mousavi, quoted by Fars. The Islamic Republic has presented a complaint against Riyadh for ''abuse of its position'' as the country hosting the headquarters of OIC. The South Korean military is mulling joint exercises with U.S. troops in California, which would require a large operation transporting tanks and other equipment there. Large-scale joint drills here were suspended after the first U.S.-North Korea summit in June 2018, and frontline artillery training has been scrapped under an inter-Korean military agreement from September 2018. "The government hopes to transport tanks and artillery by ship to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin in the Mojave Desert in California to conduct practical training with U.S. troops," a government source said Sunday. "This will cost a lot and won't happen until 2022," the source added. So far South Korea has sent only 10 to 200 troops a year to Fort Irwin, rising to 300 this year. A military source said, "There have been fewer field drills above the regimental level and, among other things, fewer training exercises using tanks and armored vehicles in compliance with the inter-Korean military agreement and an agreement signed at the U.S.-North Korean summit." Military authorities say the plan is aimed at improving the effectiveness of joint training with a U.S. military unit that will be deployed with the U.S. Forces Korea on regular rotation to take advantage of the superior facilities at Fort Irwin. But observers suspect this is merely an expensive way of compensating for the closure of artillery training sites here. It will probably cost billions of won to send scores of tanks and self-propelled guns on landing ships to the U.S. mainland (US$1=W1,188). Former Joint Chiefs of Staff deputy chairman Shin Won-sik said, "I doubt the effectiveness, because there are big differences between the terrains and climates of the Korean Peninsula and the Californian desert." Tom Hollands Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World is a substantial work that makes a straightforward case. In Hollands view, the teachings of Jesus constituted an ethical revolution that would gradually transform human consciousness, to the extent that we today find it hard to imagine credible alternative systems. When we see Christians, past or present, behaving in ways we may find abominable, in matters such as war, slavery, colonialism, or patriarchy, our disgusted attitudes must themselves be understood as products of that sweeping revolution. Without the existence of Christianity, it would not occur to us to abhor such things, whoever the perpetrators might be. Beyond any single policy or attitude, Christianity mattered because it taught respect (or even veneration) for the poor and the oppressed. That implied the historically unprecedented exaltation of humility, forgiveness, and love. Moreover, the faith created the practical urge to offer aid and relief, to assist the poor, and (among other things) to reject infanticide. Christianity is the essential foundation of the liberal West, of democracy, and of notions of human rights. As the books jacket copy proclaims, Concepts such as secularism, liberalism, science, and homosexuality are deeply rooted in a Christian seedbed. From Babylon to the Beatles, Saint Michael to #MeToo, Dominion tells the story of how Christianity transformed the world. Christian, or Western? These are bold claims, to which I will certainly offer some caveats. What is not debatable is the very high quality of the book as a whole, and its appeal to anyone interested in Christian history. Rather than offering a straightforward narrative, Holland tells his story through 21 vignettes, each representing a particular historical moment, which he uses to advance his larger argument. Those together constitute three distinct eras of the church: Antiquity, Christendom, and a period he calls Modernitas, extending from roughly the middle of the 17th century to the present day. The Antiquity section begins, winningly, with some pre-Christian examples, which serve to outline the framework from which the new order would emerge. Later, for instance, we have snapshot accounts of the issues and debates arising from Mount Tabor in Bohemia in 1420, St Georges Hill in England in 1649, or the Somme battlefield of 1916. In each case, Holland takes a specific incident as a launch pad for a wide-ranging account of related movements and themes, an approach that yields surprising and provocative connections. Thus, a section on Lyon 177 naturally begins with the Gaulish persecution of that year, and the deeds of the church Father Irenaeus, but is soon conducting the reader through the following two centuries, through pivotal figures like Origen and sects like the Donatists. Some of Hollands biographical sketches, such as that of Catherine of Siena, are effective, moving, and memorable. I am confident that Holland could, if he chose, have expanded any or all of these quite rich vignettes to book-length studies in their own right. A reader feeling daunted by the whole book could very profitably dip into any of these chapters as a freestanding item. Although the book assumes little previous knowledge, the more familiarity readers have with the larger field, the more they will get out of this erudite work, and it repays multiple readings. This is a seriously rewarding project, well written and consistently thoughtful, and it can be heartily recommended. Butand obviously there is a butI would raise some objections. Looking through the list of vignettes, we must be struck by their overwhelmingly European focus, particularly upon Western Europe, whether Roman Catholic or Protestant. From the seventh through the 18th century, for instance, all the examples fit this category. You might find that reasonable, given that, during this era, Christianity had been seriously reduced from its earlier splendors in other parts of the world, such as Central Asia. But in Egypt and across the Middle East, those other churches persisted very strongly well into the 13th century and beyond. Nor, oddly, does Holland have much of note to say about Eastern Orthodox Christians, who right up to the First World War constituted perhaps a third of the worlds Christian believers. Article continues below In noting this, I am not just pleading for a larger number of representative examples, but mainly suggesting that perhaps the Christian reality Holland stressesthis supposed Christian revolutionhit some areas of the world and not others. If, for instance, we find that churches in France or Italy saw some values as fundamentally and integrally Christian, while the churches of Egypt or Syria did not, that does undermine the idea that the tradition of Jesus and his first followers inevitably led to certain conclusions or outcomes. We can hardly argue that the Coptic or Russian churches, for instance, just failed to receive the appropriate memos. Rather, it implies that those revolutionary values arose from a particular constellation of circumstances that affected Christians in (Western) Europe and Euro-America, but not elsewhere. They simply were not part of the faiths original DNA, which exposes a weak point in his argument. Holland justifies his exclusion of Orthodox and Eastern churches in an interesting way, declaring that he prefers to concentrate on how we in the West came to be what we are, and to think the way that we do. But if the model he uses does not apply outside the Christian West, then surely he can hardly claim to root it in Christianity itself. He is describing a Western revolution, which is not necessarily a Christian one. If those Western revolutionaries found scriptural justifications for their policies within the Christian tradition, they might just as well have found similar support elsewhere. On a related point, it is far from obvious what the components of that Christian revolution might be. Just as Christian attitudes varied enormously around the world during the early-church era, so they were extremely diverse over the two millennia of the faiths historical development. It is not clear, then, why the attitudes prevailing in one particular time or place should be privileged over the attitudes prevailing in other eras and regions. That is especially true in matters of gender or sexuality, which have differed widely among Christian and Christian-derived societies. In my view, Holland does find himself overstretching at various points, as when he roots the #MeToo phenomenon in the Christian urge to sexual continence, especially in its Puritan manifestations. Could I not argue, in response, that sexual hedonism is equally a product of Christian-derived radical individualism? We begin to wonder which aspects of modern Western civilization could not be credited with ultimate Christian roots, with varying degrees of plausibility. The Slavery Example The challenge of assigning proper credit to Christian thought emerges clearly in the matter of slavery, to which Holland returns frequently. Most modern Christians would see slavery as antithetical to the faith, but other generations have held very different opinions. In the New Testament or the early-church era, we easily find remarks urging humane treatment of slaves. Owners were instructed to treat their slaves with humanity and compassion, avoiding brutality or sexual exploitation. They were encouraged to consider freeing or manumitting their slaves on easy or generous terms, which did not preclude replacing them with new arrivals. Article continues below But as Holland acknowledges, explicit condemnations of slavery as such, or outright calls for its abolition, are vanishingly rare, and they are not explicitly present in the New Testament itself. For whatever reasons, slavery became less common in medieval Europe, although it remained remarkably stubborn in particular societies. When the Normans invaded the great Christian kingdom of England in 1066, around one-tenth of the population they encountered were slaves, and slave raiding and trading were both key parts of economic life and political action. That was a full millennium after Pauls time. The brutal institution of slavery returned full-force in the early modern era, with the vast European exploitation of Africa. Yet from (say) 1450 through the 1760s, it is extremely difficult to find any vaguely mainstream Christian church, group, or individual challenging the institution of slavery as such. Even in the 1760s, that radical, new anti-slavery position was at first mainly a product of the Anglosphere. Before that point, abolitionist opinions, which seem so fundamental to us today, were the preserve of the most radical and marginal sects, such as the Quakers. Only in the 19th century did Christian advocates of slaveholding become a diminishing and ultimately insignificant minority, as Christian powers felt a moral obligation to fight the practice wherever it might appear. On what basis, then, can we reasonably say that opposition to slavery and slave-holding grew directly or inevitably from Christian ethical principles? If that linkage seems so natural to us, it was not so for at least 80 percent of Christian history. Surely nobody is arguing that around 1760, Europeans suddenly opened their New Testaments for the first time and realized the horror of their policies. Has Christianity remade the world? Yes. But did it launch the sort of across-the-board Christian revolution for which Holland contends? Maybe, but we really need better evidence. Readers of Dominion will find themselves better informed, but they will also be repeatedly disturbed and provoked and driven to rethink just how they understand the relationship between religion and the development of culture. I mean that as high praise. Philip Jenkins is distinguished professor of history at Baylor University. His many books include The Next Christendom: The Rise of Global Christianity (Oxford University Press) and The Great and Holy War: How World War I Became a Religious Crusade (HarperOne). - Tacha, a former Big Brother Naija housemate, has announced the launch of her reality show - The former Big Brother Naija housemate named the show Keeping Up With Tacha - Recall that Tacha launched her fashion line Titans Collection a few weeks ago Former Big Brother Naija housemate Tacha has announced the launch of her reality show, Keeping Up With Tacha. The former Big Brother Naija housemate made the announcement on her Twitter page on Saturday, February 1. She wrote: Today, I get to finally announce the launch of Keeping Up With Tacha @kuwtacha A production that will have entertaining MINI series and MORE. I am just excited as you are. Recall that the former Big Brother Naija housemate launched her fashion line Titans Collection a few weeks ago. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read the best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Actor Uche Maduagwu showed his support for former Big Brother Naija 2019 housemate, Tacha, on social media. The actor shared a post on his Instagram page heaping praises on the reality star. The actor shared the Instagram post to celebrate after Tacha hit one million followers on Instagram. According to Maduagwu, the reality star will always lead while others follow. He noted that she is always winning and being the first. He stated that Tacha will marry before every other housemate. He added that she would marry first because she does not carry her boyfriend on her head. Maduagwu claimed that Tacha is destined to marry before the other 2019 housemates. He said that she would never be seen doing something like taking bike in Lagos. However, he noted that taking bike is not bad, but she would not do it like she is a pageant queen. The actor also mentioned the fact that Tacha was the only 2019 housemate to receive a grand reception in Ghana. The reality star was given a grand welcome at the Kotoka International Airport. Several fans also reacted to Tachas arrival on social media. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better BBNaija Exclusive: Evicted housemates reveal their true feelings about Tacha - on Legit TV Source: Legit.ng London A man armed with a knife and wearing a fake explosive device strapped to his body was shot and killed by police in South London on Sunday after he was suspected of stabbing people. Authorities described the attack as "terrorist related." According to Lucy D'Orsi, the deputy assistant commissioner in specialist operations, the suspect was Sudesh Mamoor Faraz Amman, 20. Local news reports said Amman had been under surveillance by police when two pedestrians were stabbed on Sunday in Streatham, about 5 miles south of Central London. One of them was hospitalized with "life-threatening" injuries, according to police. A third pedestrian, a woman, was believed to have been injured by glass after officers discharged their weapons, police said. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Amman had been arrested in May 2018 under the Terrorism Act. He was sentenced in December 2018 to three years and four months in prison for six counts of collecting information "likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism" and seven counts of "dissemination of terrorist material," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement at the time. According to the BBC, Amman was released about one week ago after serving part of his sentence. TWIN LAKES Richters Marketplace in Twin Lakes is being sold to Berkots Super Foods after serving Twin Lakes and surrounding communities for 73 years. The sale will become effective near the end of the month. Owners Norm Richter and Larry Richter are planning to retire when the business is sold to Berkots Super Foods, an Illinois company. Brothers George Richter (Norm and Larrys father) and John Richter opened their first store on Main Street, called Richters IGA Supermarket, in 1947 in Twin Lakes. In 1954, John sold his share of the store to George. The business was then owned and operated by George and his wife, Mildred. The Richters changed the name to Richters Sentry in 1962, and opened another location in 1965 in Lake Geneva, which closed about 40 years later. In 2001, the Richters purchased the Burlington Sentry store, 156 S. Pine St., from the Winkler family and a new building was built behind the old one. That store closed last fall after almost two decades in business. Norm and Larry ended their association with Sentry in 2013 and became Richters Marketplace when they joined Associated Foods Midwest. In 2016, AFM merged with Associated Wholesale Grocers, which is a cooperative supplying more than 3,000 stores in 30 states. Both Richters and Berkots are family-owned businesses. Both are members of the AWG cooperative and receive their merchandise from the same warehouse. Because of this, there should not be a large difference in product selection. Longtime area connection Norm and Larry grew up in Twin Lakes and have worked at the stores since grade school. Most of their children have worked at the stores at various times. Norms daughter Megan is the general merchandise manager and Larrys son Joel is the grocery manager. Debbie Richter, Larrys wife, is the administrative assistant. Norms wife, Shirley, is also involved in aspects of the business. It has been a privilege for the Richter family to serve the Twin Lakes community all these years, the family said in a news release. We are both grateful and blessed to have had such incredible employees and customers through all 73 years. We have provided first jobs for thousands of high school students. Twin Lakes is a wonderful community and we are confident it will continue to grow and flourish.Richters Marketplace has hosted many fundraisers, and the family said it has donated about $400,000 to nonprofit organizations over the years through its Funds for Friends program. Our customers have supported many events, including holiday bags of groceries for the Twin Lakes Area Food Pantry, and more recently cookouts to raise money for the Twin Lakes Police K-9 Unit. We cherish the many friends and relationships we have made with the Twin Lakes community. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 M aison Francois, a new brasserie and wine bar, will open in St Jamess this spring, boasting both a MasterChef star in the kitchen and family connections to top restaurants of Londons past. Matthew Ryle, a finalist in the 2018 series of the BBCs MasterChef: The Professionals, will lead the kitchen at the new Duke Street restaurant, which has been founded by restaurateur Francois ONeill. ONeill is the son of Hugh ONeill, who co-founded Knightsbridge hotspot Brasserie St. Quentin in 1980 a collaboration with his cousin Quentin Crewe, who was the Evening Standards restaurant critic for nearly 20 years. Francois ONeill took over the restaurant in 2008, rebranding it as the Brompton Bar & Grill until its closure in 2014. The restaurant will look to the grand brasseries of Paris, Lyon and Alsace for inspiration, with a menu incorporating the likes of rustic terrines, homemade saucisson and a dessert trolley stocked with the likes of Gateau Marjolaine and praline Paris-Brests. Maison Francois will also feature an in-house bakery open from the early morning, as well as a downstairs wine bar called Franks, which will be open until midnight and boast a 250 bottle-strong wine list. Prior to heading up the new venture, Ryle trained at The Dorchester before becoming head chef at Mayfairs Isabel at the age of 22. He is joined in the restaurant team by front of house star Ed Wyand, a former head maitred at Scotts who opened Clapton wine bar Verden in 2014. Maison Francois will open in Spring 2020 at 36 Duke Street, SW1Y 6DF. For more information, visit maisonfrancois.london The multi-talented British television presenter and stand-up comedian Bill Bailey is bringing his Larks in Transit show to Torremolinos in March. Bailey is currently touring Europe with the show, which is described as "a compendium of travellers' tales and the general shenanigans of 20 years as a travelling comedian". Known for his work on television shows like Black Books, Have I Got News for You, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and QI, Bailey was voted the seventh greatest standup comic by Channel 4 in 2007, and again in 2010. A competent pianist and guitarist, he began his career as a double act called the Rubber Bishops during the 1980s and he soon began developing his own unique style, mixing musical parodies with variations of traditional jokes. With musical virtuosity and two decades of life as a comic, Larks in Transit tackles politics, philosophy and the pursuit of happiness filtered through what the Daily Telegraph calls "the brainiest comic of his generation". The UK dates have already sold out and promotors are predicting that his Spanish shows, which include Barcelona, Madrid and Torremolinos, will attract much attention and are advising early reservation. Tickets for the Torremolinos show, which will be held in the Principe de Asturias auditorium on Thursday 5 March, cost 36 euros. Show starts at 8.30pm. Farmers from over two dozen villages in Gujarat's Navsari district on Monday opposed land acquisition for the multi-billion dollar Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project and prevented officials from carrying out measurement of their farm plots. A farm leader said the protest started in Parthan and four other villages and those opposing the land survey were joined by representatives from 23 other areas. Farm leader Siddharth Desai said the land in these areas was surveyed a year ago but no compensation had been awarded to anyone as yet, though villagers had demanded at the time that they be paid in two months. Desai said farmers would continue to protest in the "Gandhian way". "Villagers opposed the survey but the process is continuing. We cannot divulge more details as of now," said Tushar Jani, Navsari Prant Officer (government's coordination officer at taluka level). Jani said villagers are dissatisfied with compensation on offer. The high speed line is being built with Japanese loans and technology, and its foundation stone was laid on September 14, 2017 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Central Research Inc. (CRI), a provider of customized management and financial service solutions for government and commercial sectors, announced the hiring of Bobby McKinnon as president of Central Research Inc., effective January 27. He will be responsible for corporate services, operations and business development for the company. McKinnon, a retired officer in the Army, has more than 25 years experience providing information technology solutions for the federal government, most recently serving as CEO of a nationwide professional services provider to federal, state and local agencies. Prior to that position, he served in executive roles for two different companies in the government contracting business. His military career including serving as a Project Director/Deputy Project Director with the U.S. Army Reserve Component Automation System and then as Assistant Program Executive Officer with the U.S. Army, Program Executive Office (PEO) Enterprise Information Systems. With McKinnon taking over duties as president, Scott Dillard will continue his role as CEO, where he will be responsible for leading the development and execution of long-term strategies. Were fortunate to have someone of Bobbys caliber and experience lead CRI, said Dillard. He brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership to our team during an exciting time for the company. Bobby has a proven track record of developing and implementing key strategic initiatives that have led to growth and success in our industry. McKinnon stated, Im honored and excited about the opportunity to lead CRI. I believe we have tremendous talent and opportunity to do great things. I look forward to working with the leadership team and other key personnel as we focus on diversifying our portfolio and growing our business. Dillard founded CRI in 2002 with his late father, Dr. Johnny Dillard. The company has several locations across the U.S., including a program office in Annandale, Virginia. In September, the company announced plans to build a new headquarters in Lowell, Arkansas. About Central Research Inc. Central Research, Inc. (CRI) provides management and financial service solutions in the federal, state and commercial sectors, including records and document management, call center and debt collection, and improper payments. We are committed to providing excellence with every service and solution. Learn more at central-research.com. Plans have been unveiled for a cyclist bridge to curve over the river at the edge of the Kangaroo Point Cliffs. The state government has opened public consultation for the bridge, which would connect the Kangaroo Point Bikeway to the existing Veloway 1 at Captain Cook Bridge. An artist's impression of the new cycle bridge at South Brisbane. When asked how much the bridge was expected to cost, a spokesman for Transport Minister Mark Bailey said it was too early to put a price tag on the project, with costings to be determined after consultation wrapped up. "A business case is being developed for the proposed veloway, with engineering consulting firm SMEC awarded the contract to confirm the projects feasibility and cost of the preferred option," a government spokesman said. Istanbul, Feb 4 : Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said a total of 76 Syrian soldiers "were neutralized" and 54 targets were hit by Turkish forces in Syria's northern region of Idlib. "We continue our efforts and take additional measures to ensure the continuity of the ceasefires and the security of the troops," Akar was quoted as saying by a written statement published on the ministry's website on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported. Meanwhile, the death toll in the Syrian artillery shelling in Idlib climbed to eight, including five Turkish soldiers, press reports said. The Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, have been carrying out airstrikes in Idlib, the last stronghold of rebels in the war-torn country. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey might consider launching a military operation if the bombardments in Idlib continue. In brief: An artist from Berlin has proven just how easy it can be to manipulate Google Maps' real-time traffic data. With a wagon full of phones, he was able to create virtual traffic jams and presumably reroute traffic, causing others to unnecessarily avoid the area. Clever or dangerous? Google for well over a decade has used colored overlays in its mapping application to illustrate real-time traffic conditions. Green means smooth sailing, yellow indicates some crowding and red signifies a bona fide traffic jam. This information about your commute is deemed invaluable to many, but did you ever stop to question where Google and others source their data from? Look no further than the trusty ole spy in your pocket, otherwise known as your smartphone. Mapping providers like Google rely on crowdsourcing to collect speed and location information from smartphone users. By analyzing the movement and congestion of phones, theyre able to determine traffic conditions with a reasonable level of accuracy. That is, until a prankster like Simon Weckert comes along. Weckert gathered 99 smartphones, loaded each one with the Google Maps app then walked around town with them in a wagon. As Weckert appears to demonstrate in the clip above, the behavior succeeded in creating a virtual traffic jam, turning green streets red within the app. Presumably, this also affected others by rerouting them to avoid the traffic jam. For its part, Google seems to be taking it all in stride. A spokesperson for Google told 9to5Google that Whether via car or cart or camel, we love seeing creative uses of Google Maps as it helps us make maps work better over time. Masthead credit: Google Maps by XanderSt The Union home ministry is reaching out to states who have expressed reservations in updating the National Population Register a biometric register of residents in India, said people familiar with the development. The Union home minister is also expected to address Parliament on Tuesday on the same issue. The Register General of India (RGI) is writing to states like Kerala, West Bengal and Rajasthan states who have expressed their unwillingness to update the register among others, senior officials who did not want to be named said. Other states like Odisha and Tamil Naidu too have expressed their discomfort in updating the NPR database in the current form. The letter addressed to the Chief Secretaries of the states also solicits the cooperation of states to update the database. Assuring states, the MHA has reiterated the National Population Register (NPR) was created in 2010 and it was subsequently updated in 2015. Similarly, the register is being updated for 2021. States among other things are objecting to the inclusion of three questions; when and where your parents born, what is your mother tongue and finally previous addresses? Importantly for states, the RGI is also underlining that the government has taken no decision to create a National Register of Citizens (NRC) a database of Indian citizens. The NPR database will be used to prepare the database of Indian citizens. And, to qualify to be included as Indian, individuals depending on when they were born will have to give proof. For instance, those born after 1987 will have to prove that at least one of the parents were an Indian citizen and the other was not an illegal migrant. In addition, the MHA has also told states that no documents will be asked for when updating the register. And, providing details is to update the NPR is voluntary and depends on the individual. You may wonder what Catherine Noone was thinking when she called Leo Varadkar autistic last week. You might say she wasn't thinking, she just said it off the cuff, and only realised afterwards just how wrong it was. That would be a lame excuse. It would be about as lame to suggest that she didn't mean it. Or, worse, that it was a joke. Catherine Noone said what she said because she thought it was OK to say it. She said it because, not necessarily consciously, she thought no one would take issue with it. As if it was no big deal. She used the word autistic as an insult, to sum up perceived social awkwardness, and she assumed it was OK to do so. Otherwise, why would she have said it? If she didn't think it was OK, Catherine Noone wouldn't have said it. She's looking to be liked and voted for, after all. Also, Noone was talking to a journalist at the time, so you'd have thought she'd be watching her Ps and Qs. A journalist from The Times (Ireland Edition) was on the canvass trail with her in Dublin Bay North, where Noone, currently a senator, is running for election. As they chatted between houses, the journalist was openly recording her on his iPhone. He asked Noone what she thought of her party leader, Leo Varadkar's perceived lack of empathy, as addressed by the Taoiseach on the previous Virgin Media leaders' head-to-head debate, and she said what she thought. "He's autistic, like, on the spectrum," Noone said, "there's no doubt about it. He's uncomfortable socially and he doesn't always get the in-between bits." There is so much in that couple of sentences. The lumping together of all people diagnosed as autistic into an unfeeling, unsubtle monolith that, well, makes the rest of us feel a bit awks. The apparently blithe belief that we're all on the same page when it comes to casually slinging ''autistic'' around as a put-down. The fact that Noone said this to a journalist beggars belief - she'll go a long way to find anyone to sympathise with her blunder. Her ease in saying it, to a person with a recording device, however, speaks of something that extends beyond just Catherine Noone's apparent ignorance of autism as a wide-ranging neuro-developmental condition. Her comfort in saying this to a journalist speaks of a them and us attitude. It speaks of viewing people with autism as other. It speaks of them and the rest of us, in a way that goes beyond the autistic community. It makes sense of how children with autism and children with disabilities in this country go without crucial services and no one seems to care. It shows up how, if you think of people who aren't neurotypical as other and not like the rest of us, then it's easy to not worry about them in the same way. In a society where a senator thinks it's OK to go on the record using ''autistic'' as an insult, there is a problem. And it is no better than when I was a kid, and people, as a matter of course, bandied around the likes of "spa" and "mongo" and "retard" as entirely casual insults. We weren't consciously saying that people with physical, or intellectual disabilities, were bad, but we were saying they were lesser than the rest of us. We like to think we are better people now. But once you set people apart like that, make them outsiders, you don't have to treat them the same. They're different. Or, as Catherine Noone might say, they're a bit special. Because while what Catherine Noone said on the canvassing trail was bad, her explanation of it was nearly worse. First, when contacted by The Times (Ireland Edition) to clarify her comments, she denied she had made them. Then, according to the paper's news editor on Sean O'Rourke last Tuesday, when they told her they had them on tape, she owned up and, in her own way, explained. "I didn't mean it in the case of the actual illness or anything," she said to The Times. "I just mean he can be a bit wooden and lack in empathy. I wouldn't even have said it in that way." She then went on to compare the use of ''autistic'' to the use of other words that could be used or taken up wrongly. Such as ''special'', or the n-word. But, before you get worked up, she wouldn't ever use the n-word, Noone said. Phew. But, added the senator, "Sometimes I say, 'Oh God, I'm a bit special', but I don't mean it in a derogatory way." Yes, you do. There is no other way. It doesn't really fly with any Irish person to claim that calling yourself, or anyone else, a bit special isn't derogatory. Used that way, it means stupid, it always has. You're not describing anyone thus to convey that they are great or unique or fantastic. You're saying they're different, you know, one of those. Noone's explanation, complete with labelling autism as an illness, was worse than the original statement. A later apology was more clued-in. It said "completely unacceptable" and "inexcusable and wrong". It said she was truly sorry, not just baffled by the fuss, as her original, on-the-hoof explanation to the newspaper seeking clarification had been. But, as the news editor of that paper explained to Sean O'Rourke, she had been a bit flustered when they confronted her with the quote. Flustered. Caught, more like it. You might wonder what Catherine Noone is thinking this weekend. One hopes it's something that goes a bit deeper than that she won't get caught like that again. Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif have held talks in Tehran aimed at lowering tensions over the Iran's nuclear program. Borrell is in Iran on a two-day visit, his first to Iran since taking office, following a spike in tensions between Washington and Tehran after the January 3 assassination in Baghdad of a top Iranian general in a U.S. drone strike. Borrell is also due to meet with President Hassan Rohani and parliament speaker Ali Larijani. The landmark 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers has been falling apart since U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal it in 2018. Washington has since reimposed harsh economic sanctions on the country, and initiated a campaign of "maximum pressure" against Iran. Tehran has gradually stepped back from its own commitments under the accord and said earlier this month that it no longer considered itself bound by it. Borrell's mission aims "to de-escalate tensions and seek opportunities for political solutions to the current crisis," his office said. Borrell said last month that he had consulted the countries still in the accord -- which also include Russia and China -- and that all are determined to save the deal. The current trip will allow Borrell "to convey the EU's strong commitment to preserve" the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and to discuss cooperation between the EU and Iran, his office said. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi told a press conference on February 3 that Tehran hoped Borrell's visit would help the European Union "understand" its situation and prompt the bloc to "show goodwill by taking serious measures." A joint commission that oversees the deal and comprises representatives of all the countries involved will meet in February, he said, without giving a precise date. With reporting by AFP and dpa Two titans of Alabamas beverage business are teaming up on a new venture that looks to go nationwide this year. Former Royal Cup Coffee CEO Hatton C.V. Smith and Back 40 Beer founder Jason Wilson have partnered to launch a line of naturally flavored sparkling waters infused with CBD. Head Water began shipping to select stores in Birmingham, Gadsden, Montgomery, Anniston and Decatur in December 2019. Head Water comes in Citrus and Passion Fruit. The drink contains no artificial sweeteners, flavors or colors and is gluten free, the company says. Each serving contains 10 mg of water-soluble CBD isolate, a version of CBD that does not include the psychoactive ingredient THC. Head Water has 45 calories per serving, or about a third of a traditional soft drink. Market research firm Nielsen projects the U.S. C.B.D market may rake in between $2.25 to $2.75 billion this year. Smith and Wilson say they believe non-psychoactive CBD will play a significant role in the future of the beverage industry, with applications in everything from sports, energy and recovery drinks, to sodas, bottled water, coffee and tea. Smith called it an exciting segment of the beverage industry with tremendous potential. Our goal is to establish Head Water as the leading CBD infused beverage in the United States, and we look forward to being part of the growth in this segment, Smith said. Wilson said those who sample Head Water can find out all about the product. We hold ourselves to the highest standard of quality control, and we look forward to FDA guidelines pertaining to the manufacture and sale of CBD products in interstate commerce," he said. "We have been very diligent in our development of this product, and the CBD used in Head Water is tested by an independent 3rd party laboratory. The results of these tests are available on our website. Zambias Bishop of Mansa Diocese, Patrick Chisanga, OFM Conv., who is also Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) Director for Consecrated Life has commended consecrated persons in Zambia for their pastoral presence in the various dioceses. Paul Samasumo - Vatican City & Gustav Kpeyibor, SJ Nairobi. In a message on behalf of other Zambian Bishops, Bishop Chisanga said the annual celebration of the World Day for Consecrated Life was also an occasion for introspection and recommitment to the values of a consecration life. Each year, the Catholic Church celebrates the World Day for Consecrated Life together with that of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Zambian Churchs sincere gratitude to consecrated persons The Church in Zambia does recognise, with deep gratitude, your presence and apostolic activities in all dioceses. Through your presence and ministry in the health facilities, schools, nutrition centres as well as other integral human development programmes, our Lord Jesus Christ guarantees his continued living presence among his people, especially those on the margins of society. May you fan into an even bigger flame the passion for Christ and the spirit of witnessing by which the dignity of every human person is promoted and upheld, said the Mansa Bishop. Consecrated Persons as the un-dimming light of the world The Bishop says consecrated persons must continue to carry out their everyday apostolate, whatever it may be, with the love and joy of the Gospel. He also urges self-reflection on the part of the consecrated person. I invite you to take this annual celebration as the opportune occasion for introspection and recommitment to the values of your consecration above all, let the community and personal daily prayer and meditation on the Word of God be the springboard that propels you into your everyday life and activities, Bishop Chisanga said. A life of selfless witness Instituted by Pope St. John Paul II in 1997, the World Day for Consecrated Life celebrates the selfless witness of the service of consecrated persons in the life of the Church. Consecrated men and women live out their unique vocation through the profession of the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience in religious congregations, secular institutes or private vows. Consecrated Persons called to be light of the world The World Day for Consecrated Life is celebrated on the same day as the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, who is the light of the world. This is symbolic because consecrated persons are called and reminded to be the light of the world through the symbolic lighting of candles during the liturgy of the day. Being the light, consecrated persons reach out to those on the peripheries of society where others find ordinarily hard to reach. The Holy Family in dialogue with Simeon and Anna In the Gospel reading of the day, one encounters the Holy Family in a unique conversation with Simeon and Anna. The whole episode represents the convergence of humanity around the light of salvation: the new-born in the child Jesus, the young in Mary and Joseph, and the old in Simeon and Anna. The convergence point is Gods own dwelling place The Temple. This is the point from which all go forth, and all return. In the presence of Christ the Light, each person finds fulfilment, serenity and acceptance. Vita Consecrata In Vita Consecrata, the 1996 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Saint John Paul II wrote of the different forms of consecrated life as "the many branches which sink its roots into the Gospel and brings forth abundant fruit in every season of the Church's life." These diverse forms include Monastic Life, the Orders of Virgins, Hermits, and Institutes completely devoted to contemplation, Apostolic Religious Life, Secular Institutes, Societies of Apostolic Life, and new or renewed forms of the consecrated life. Each type is described in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I really dont think its possible to believe that Joe Scarborough is stupid. The man has a law degree. Scarborough served four terms with distinction in the U.S. House of Representatives as a New Federalist Congressman from Florida, earning a 95 percent conservative lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union and received a Friend of the Taxpayer award from Grover Norquist and Americans for Tax Reform, and signed the Contract with America. Scarborough was also one of the 228 Republicans who voted to impeach Bill Clinton. Today Scarborough is co-host of MS-NBCs Morning Joe with his third wife, Mika Brzezinski. However, this man of many talents also authored three published books and played with his band Dixon Mills on their album Calling on Robert E. Lee (nice race-baiting title, right?). More recently Scarborough produced what might be the worst music video available on YouTube, New Age garbage titled Mystified. Be forewarned before clicking the link: its five minutes and twenty-three seconds of your life you can never get back. I took one for the team, just so you wouldnt have to watch it yourself. While watching it myself I was reminded of Opus the penguins classic review of Benji Saves the Universe in the comic strip Bloom County, a movie he described as simply bad beyond all dimensions of possible badness. For whatever reason, the words We are not men. We are Devo ran through my brain. Joe Scarborough has an estimated net worth of approximately $25 million dollars and makes $8 million dollars a year, in spite of having two ex-wives and six children to support. Its really surprising to think that Scarborough might be economically illiterate, but the alternative would be that this former conservative Republican congressman sold his soul for the almighty dollar when he transitioned from serving our nation to servicing his personal bank account. Yet that seems to be the most reasonable explanation for him to make such a stupid claim as to say that Trumps economy is worse than Jimmy Carters infamous year of malaise in 1979 or Bill Clintons GDP of 2.7 percent in 1995. Of course the numbers are accurate (Scarborough isnt that stupid) but anyone who has taken an introductory course to economics (that would be me) can tell you that a snapshot in time is useless, and cherrypicked numbers can be very misleading, especially if that is the intention of the analyst. Seriously, only a low-information voter or a fan of Morning Joe might get fooled by such sophomoric thinking. All it takes is digging into the numbers just a little deeper and noting the trends. Plus, it doesnt hurt to remember events from a historical perspective. Shall we? Okay, lets start with Jimmy Carter. Yes, it is absolutely true that U.S. GDP in Carters final year was 3.2 percent with total annual revenues of around $2.6 trillion dollars. However, GDP per capita (Gross Domestic Product divided by total population) was only $11,700 per person. Radical Iranian terrorists invaded the U.S. embassy and had been holding 52 Americans hostage for 444 days causing gas shortages and rationing. Carter gave a speech imploring Americans to adjust their thermostats to endure hotter homes during the summer and to wear sweaters during the winter. America was in a funk because Jimmy Carter was a weak president, and thats why he lost to Ronald Reagan in 1980. For a complete and accurate picture of the economy as a whole, employment numbers should be looked at as well, but Im reticent to bombard the reader with too many numbers and statistics at once when it happens to me and the numbers start to bore me, my eyes tend to glaze over and I get sleepy. But I encourage the reader to evaluate the employment trends over these same periods that are being discussed in regard to GDP. But Carters failure was not limited to foreign policy any economist worth his salt (this would exclude Paul Krugman) will concede that economies should be seen as trends and an analogy is often used of turning a battleship; it doesnt happen on a dime. Economic policies implemented today will often not be felt for several years. The real damage of Jimmy Carter can be seen in the first few years of Ronald Reagans first term. Annual GDP growth for 1980 was -0.3 percent. In 1981 it slightly improved to 2.5 percent and then dropped again to -1.8 percent in 1982. In 1983 we finally saw decent improvement in the GDP jump up to 4.6 percent. But with three out of Reagans first four years being dismal compared to Carters final year, how come Reagan won reelection in a landslide in 1984 while Carter had suffered humiliating defeat only four years earlier with a much better economy than Reagan seemed to have had? Well, its because voters arent stupid. Reagan cut taxes and slashed regulations, and the economy was booming long before GDP numbers reflected it. Reagan won in a landslide because even a stupid teenager like me at the time could see the difference between high unemployment and lines to buy more expensive gas and a prosperous economy. Reagan won, and from 1984 to 1988 the GDP grew at 7.4%, 4.2%, 3.5% and 3.5%. At the same time, GDP per capita went from $11,700 in Carters final year in office up to $20,000 under Reagan. Voters gave George H.W. Bush credit for being Reagans vice president and gave him four years from 1988-1992, and the Reagan boom continued for two more years: 4.2 percent GDP in 1988 and 3.7 percent in 1989. Then what happened? Read my lips. No new taxes! Bush promised America. Then he buckled to Democrats in Congress and passed new taxes. In 1990 GDP dropped to 1.9 percent, followed by -0.1 percent the following year, and Bush was toast. Democrats love to brag about the Clinton economy from 1992-2000 which saw solid if not spectacular annual GDP growth per year of 3.5, 2.8, 4.0, 2.7, 3.8, 4.4, 4.5, 4.8, and 4.1 percent. Clinton was lucky in several respects: he was up against a Republican Congress implementing the Contract With America (which Scarborough oddly enough seems to have completely forgotten even though he signed it) that kept him from screwing up the economy, Clinton was often pragmatic when it came to making a deal he thought would make him more popular, and most importantly, Hillarys plan to implement her version of ObamaCare failed miserably, keeping approximately one-fifth of the economy safe from greedy Democrat politicians. If nothing else, Bill Clinton deserves credit for not screwing the economy up -- remember the famous catchphrase of that Louisiana lizard James Carville, who said, Its the economy, stupid. The economy saved Clinton from impeachment and kept him relatively popular through his two terms, but voters were tired of his shenanigans by 2000. Voters arent stupid. By every measurable standard, the economy has improved under Donald Trump since 2016. Yes, the unadjusted GDP growth rate for 2019 was only 2.3 percent, as Scarborough gleefully pointed out but from 2016 to 2019 annual GDP rose from 18.7 to 21.4 trillion dollars per year, and GDP per capita grew from $57,900 to $65,460 as unemployment dropped to fifty year lows. Trump is drawing overflow crowds in traditional Democrat strongholds and freezing temperatures. Well, at least we know what mystifies Joe Scarborough -- basic economics. John Leonard writes novels, books, and occasional articles or blogs for American Thinker. You may follow him on Facebook or his website (and blog, which includes the AT rejected pieces) at southernprose.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-04 02:02:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on Feb. 3, 2020 shows International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in Washington D.C., the United States. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) supports China's efforts to tackle the novel coronavirus outbreak, and is confident that China's economy "remains resilient," IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Monday. (IMF/Handout via Xinhua) WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) supports China's efforts to tackle the novel coronavirus outbreak, and is confident that China's economy "remains resilient," IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Monday. In a statement on Twitter and a similar one on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo, the IMF chief expressed that "our deep sympathies to all those affected by the serious situation related to #Coronavirus." "We support China's efforts to respond, including recent fiscal, monetary, and financial actions," Georgieva said. "We are confident that China's economy remains resilient." In a recent press briefing, IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice had also shown support for China's battle against the outbreak, noting that Chinese authorities are clearly "taking this very seriously." Rice said China is a large economy with the resources and the resolve to effectively meet the challenge of the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus. Tope Akinyode, a human rights lawyer, says the protest the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) held on Sunday is a signal for Presid... Tope Akinyode, a human rights lawyer, says the protest the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) held on Sunday is a signal for President Muhammadu Buhari to resign. Enoch Adeboye, RCCG general overseer led the protest after a thanksgiving service at the church headquarters in Lagos. Adeboye said every soul lost to insurgency is precious to God, while praying that evildoers in the country be exposed. Reacting to the protest, Akinyode, who is the national president of Revolutionary Lawyers Forum, said it is up to patriotic citizens to protest and register their displeasure against any anomaly. He asked the president to step down if he finds it hard to perform his constitutional duty of protecting the lives and properties of citizens. We commend the leadership and members of RCCG for exercising their constitutional rights as enshrined under Sections 38, 39, 40 and 41 of the 1999 constitution by taking to the street to protest against rising insecurity and wobbling economy in Nigeria, the statement read. It is unfortunate that the backward Buhari regime considers every criticism unpatriotic. The biggest disservice of the regime is its clampdown on human rights, free speech and press freedom. It is worthy of note that by virtue of S 33 of the 1999 Constitution, every Nigerian has right to life and that right cannot be illegally taken away. It is for this purpose that Section 14 (2) of the Constitution provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. Where government is failing in its primary responsibilities as prevalent today, patriotic citizens of goodwill must protest and register their displeasure against such anomaly. We wish to remind President Muhammadu Buhari that if he finds it hard to perform his constitutional duty of protecting the lives and properties of citizens, it is very lawful for him to resign as provided by S 306 (1) and (3) of the Constitution. Otherwise, the National Assembly should take the bull by the horn and commence impeachment proceedings against him in accordance with S 143 of the Constitution. It is our considered view that there is no more time for Nigerians to sit on the fence or fold their arms over the awry incompetence of this administration. We hereby call on all Nigerians to raise their voices and demand for the resignation of the president. Enyinnaya Abaribe, senate minority leader, had earlier called for the presidents resignation over the widespread insecurity in the country. Budget 2020: FM clarifies only NRIs' India income to be taxed Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in her Union Budget speech that NRIs who don't pay taxes in a foreign country will now do so in India but also clarified that only income generated in India would be taxed. The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman (centre) addressing a Post Budget Press Conference in New Delhi. The Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Anurag Singh Thakur (left) and Atanu Chakraborty, the Revenue Secretary are also seen. Photo courtesy: PIB [The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman addressing a Post Budget Press Conference, in New Delhi on February 01, 2020. The Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur and the Secretary, Finance & (Financial Services), Shri Rajiv Kumar are also seen.] The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman (centre) addressing a Post Budget Press Conference in New Delhi. The Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Anurag Singh Thakur (left) and Atanu Chakraborty, the Revenue Secretary are also seen. Photo courtesy: PIB The Budget redefined NRIs as Indian passport holders who reside abroad for 240 days in a year, up from the previous period of 182 days. NRIs working in income tax-free jurisdictions such as the UAE will have to pay tax only on their income generated in India, and not on their earnings outside the country, the FM said on Sunday, clarifying that the provision would be added to the tax statute to avoid any confusion. I would certainly not desire any confusion in the minds of the tax authority. If there is any confusion in the minds of assessees, I am here to answer," Sitharaman added. Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey had said in the post Budget briefing, "Some people are residents of no country. They may be staying in different countries for a certain number of days. So, if any Indian citizen is not a resident of any country in the world, he'll be deemed to be a resident of India and his worldwide income will be taxed." Amending Section 6 of the Income Tax Act, the budget proposed that "notwithstanding anything contained in Clause (1), an individual - being a citizen of India - shall be deemed to be a resident in India in any previous year, if he is not liable to tax in any other country or territory by reason of his domicile or residence or any other criteria of a similar nature". "Some individuals who actually carry out substantial economic activities from India manage their period of stay in India so as to remain a non-resident in perpetuity and not be required to declare their global income in India," the memorandum to the budget read. The provision is aimed at NRIs who used the previous domicile regulations to avoid paying taxes in India or resided in countries where paying Income tax was not required, including the United Arab Emirates, Panama and the Bahamas. Netizens took to Twitter to express their displeasure over the proposed amendment. The first patients have arrived at a 1,000-bed hospital built in 10 days as part of Chinas efforts to fight a new virus. Huoshenshan Hospital and a second facility with 1,500 beds that is due to open this week were built by construction crews who are working around the clock in Wuhan, the city in central China where the coronavirus outbreak was first detected in December. Most of the citys 11 million people are barred from leaving the area. The Wuhan treatment centres mark the second time Chinese leaders have responded to a new disease by building specialised hospitals almost overnight. As severe acute respiratory syndrome, or Sars, spread in 2003, a facility in Beijing for patients with that viral disease was constructed in a week. Expand Close Zhou Xianwang, left, the mayor of Wuhan, exchanges documents with Bai Zhongbin, right, deputy commander-in-chief of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Joint Logistic Support Force, during a handover ceremony at the Huoshenshan temporary field hospital (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Zhou Xianwang, left, the mayor of Wuhan, exchanges documents with Bai Zhongbin, right, deputy commander-in-chief of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Joint Logistic Support Force, during a handover ceremony at the Huoshenshan temporary field hospital (AP) The first patients arrived at the Huoshenshan Hospital on Monday, according to state media. The reports gave no details of the patients identities or conditions. The ruling Communist Partys military wing, the Peoples Liberation Army, sent 1,400 doctors, nurses and other personnel to staff the Wuhan hospital, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The government said earlier some have experience fighting Sars and other outbreaks. Expand Close An isolation unit in the hospital (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp An isolation unit in the hospital (AP) Authorities have cut most road, rail and air access to Wuhan and surrounding cities, isolating some 50 million people, in efforts to contain the viral outbreak that has sickened more than 17,000 and killed more than 360 people. The Huoshenshan Hospital was built by a 7,000-member crew of carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other specialists, according to the Xinhua News Agency. Photos in state media showed workers in winter clothing, safety helmets and the surgical-style masks worn by millions of Chinese in an attempt to avoid contracting the virus. Expand Close A Chinese army medic looks at a patient room at the Huoshenshan temporary field hospital in Wuhan (Chinatopix/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A Chinese army medic looks at a patient room at the Huoshenshan temporary field hospital in Wuhan (Chinatopix/AP) About half of the two-storey, 60,000-square-metre building is isolation wards, according to the government newspaper Yangtze Daily. It has 30 intensive care units. Doctors can talk with outside experts over a video system that links them to Beijings PLA General Hospital, according to the Yangtze Daily. It said the system was installed in less than 12 hours by a 20-member commando team from Wuhan Telecom Ltd. The building has specialised ventilation systems and double-sided cabinets that connect patient rooms to hallways and allow hospital staff to deliver supplies without entering the rooms. The hospital received a donation of medical robots from a Chinese company for use in delivering medicines and carrying test samples, according to the Shanghai newspaper The Paper. Expand Close Journalists take photos of the nameplate at the Huoshenshan temporary field hospital (Chinatopix/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Journalists take photos of the nameplate at the Huoshenshan temporary field hospital (Chinatopix/AP) In other cities, the government has designated hospitals to handle cases of the new virus. In Beijing, the Xiaotangshan Hospital built in 2003 for Sars is being renovated by construction workers. The government has yet to say whether it might be used for patients with the new disease. Michael Nnadi The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev Alfred Adewale Martins, has broken his silence followng the murder of an 18-year-old catholic seminarian, Michael Nnadi, on Sunday. Recall that Nnadi, who was among the four students of Good Shepherd Seminary students kidnapped from the school a few weeks ago, was found dead on Sunday evening. The Registrar of the institution, Dr. Rev. Fr. Joel Usman, confirmed that the missing student was found dead. Though three of the abducted Good Shepherd Seminary students located at the outskirt of Kaduna regained their freedom on Friday, Nnadi was declared missing. Reacting in a release signed by the Director of Social Communications, Rev Fr. Anthony Godonu, Archbishop Martins said the murder of the young seminarian was another indication to prove that the present security arrangement of the Federal Government had failed. The cleric warned that the inability of Buhari government to protect innocent Nigerians is breeding a state of anarchy in Nigeria, stressing that no one will fold their arms and watch being slaughtered like animals. Archbishop Martins urged Buhari to immediately address the present security structures in the land and rejig them before Nigerians begin to take the law into their own hands. He advised that the only way the government can reassure Nigerians was to enforce mass arrests of the killers and bring an end to the menace of kidnapping across the land. The statement reads in part: I received with sadness the news of the murder of the fourth seminarian, Mr. Michael Nnadi, who was kidnapped in Kaduna. The Seminarian who abandoned all with the desire to serve his creator and humanity was murdered for no just cause. This is just one of several cases of innocent Nigerians being killed daily by kidnappers while our security services and their chiefs watch as if they were helpless. Recently we recorded the case of the CAN Chairman in Adamawa State who was executed and before that the murder of eleven innocent people by so-called ISWAP . Also, the situations of suicide bombers going into mosques to murder people who had gone to worship God as they know Him. This appalling situation must come to an end. Nigerians cannot just fold our arms and allow these monstrous activities to continue to thrive. The Buhari-led Government must act now before things get out of hand. For a period of time, many Nigerians from different walks of life have been calling for a revamping of the security arrangements in the nation even if it means the replacement of the Heads of the various Security Agencies to give room for new ideas. It is beyond doubt that the gains of the past few years are being lost because those at the helm of affairs and the soldiers in the thick of the war are tired and need to be replaced. The strategy for executing the war needs to be re-examined to determine its effectiveness. The utilization of Kids glove approach by the security agencies in addressing insecurity in the land is not producing the desired result. The cleric further consoled the families of the victim, the priests, the Bishop of Sokoto, the faithful of the Diocese and the staff and seminarians of the Good Shepherd Seminary. He advised Christians to remain calm and prayerful, assuring them that light would eventually prevail over darkness. Thirty different nationalities arrived in France on Sunday aboard a second plane returning from China's Wuhan city qs French officials continue to evacuate its citizens from the epicenter of the coronavirus. There are many Europeans, 29 different nationalities, 30 with French nationality, said Jean-Yves le Drian, France's minister of foreign affairs. We have assumed our responsibility in the sharing and solidarity with Europeans. The majority of them were brought back to their country of origin immediately upon their arrival in France," he added. Le Drian hailed Chinese authoritites for assisting the departures of all French nationals who wanted to leave. All diplomatic personnel, however, are not back in France. If by chance there are difficult cases suspected, a medical plane will be sent, he added the minister. For now, the second group of evacuees will be under surveillance in the south of France where a quarantine centre has been set up. First batch of evacuees On Saturday, the first plane sent to evacuate the first round of mainly French nationals and their spouses returned to France in the south, near Marseille. The 179 evacuees have been sent to quarantine at a sea-side base in Carry-le-Rouet, 30 kilometres from Marseille for the next two weeks. The isolated site is in the middle of a pine forest. There, the evacuees must continuously wear a mask and undergo regular medical checks supervised by a team of 20 doctors, nurses and psychologists. Coronavirus in France and abroad On Friday, six cases of coronavirus were confirmed in France, the first European country to be affected by the virus. A map from Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering follows coronavirus cases across the world. It collects data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organisation, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Chinese website DXY, which aggregates data from China's National Health Commission and the CCDC. The results populate a worldwide view of coronavirus cases in real time. (with AFP) April 16, 2019, marks the 166th anniversary of India's first passenger train journey in which 400 invited passengers travelled in 14 carriages on a 57-minute journey from Bori Bunder in Bombay (now Mumbai) to Thane. Since that first journey in 1853, railways have become one of the most important modes of transportation in the country. Here's a look back at the early days of Indian railways in a series of vintage photographs. A train carrying livestock passes Rohtas Fort, India. The area is now part of Pakistan. (Image: Getty Images) Balu Varghese, the young actor, and Aileena Amon, the model turned actress entered the wedlock on February 2, Sunday. The couple tied the knot in a traditional Christian wedding ceremony which was held at the St. James Church, Cheranelloor, Kochi. Several popular names of the Malayalam film industry, including Balu Varghese's best buddies Asif Ali and wife Zama Mazreen, Arjun Ashokan and wife Nikhita, Ganapathy, etc., attended the church wedding. The reception was held post the church wedding ceremony in a popular hotel in Kochi and was attended by the couple's colleagues from the industry. Balu Varghese and Aileena Amon met and fell in love during the filming of the blockbuster movie Vijay Superum Pournamiyum, which featured Asif Ali and Aishwarya Lekshmi in the lead roles. Balu proposed Aileena in the presence of family members and friends during her birthday celebration in December. The couple later got officially engaged in a low-key ceremony in January. Balu Varghese, who made his acting debut with the Dileep starring blockbuster Chanthupottu as a child artist, is the nephew of popular actor-director Lal and renowned music director Alex Paul. He had appeared in the younger version of Indrajith Sukumaran's character Kumaran in the movie, which is directed by Lal Jose. The actor later appeared as a child artist in several popular films including Arabikkatha, Thalappavu, Manikyakkallu, etc. Balu Varghese's first prominent role as an adult was in the blockbuster movie Honey Bee, which was directed by his cousin Lal Jr. He later played pivotal roles in several popular films including King Liar, Ezra, Chunkzz, etc. Aileena Amon, on the other hand, entered the industry as a model and was featured in several popular ad films. She later rose to fame through her stint with some prominent reality shows. Aileena has played supporting roles in a few popular films as well. By PTI BEIJING: Hundreds of stranded Pakistani students in the coronavirus-hit Wuhan city have made desperate pleas to the Imran Khan government to evacuate them from China's worst-affected Hubei province, urging his administration to take a leaf out of India's book. India airlifted 654 people, including seven Maldivians, on Saturday and Sunday from Wuhan. The evacuated Indians would be monitored for any signs of infection for two weeks by a qualified team of doctors and staff members. India also temporarily suspended e-visa facility for Chinese travellers and foreigners residing in China in view of the rapid spread of the virus. Pakistan's Ambassador to China Naghmana Hashmi on Sunday said that the Pakistani students should not be evacuated from Wuhan as medical facilities back home did not meet the standards required to treat a patient diagnosed with coronavirus. Hashmi's remarks came a day after Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza said the government will not bring its citizens back despite multiple requests from the students and their families for immediate evacuation. Stranded Pakistani students on social media from Wuhan and Hubei province made desperate pleas to the government to change its decision of not to evacuate them due to fears that they may spread the virus in Pakistan. Watching the Indian students leave, the Pakistani students posted videos on social media asking their government to do the same. In one of the videos, a Pakistani student while showing the Indian students boarding the bus to go to the airport, said while India was evacuating its citizens, the Pakistan government says "you live or die we will not evacuate or facilitate" their journey home. "Shame on you Pakistan government. Learn from India how it takes care of its people," he said in the video that went viral. Pressure is also mounting on Nepal from hundreds of its students studying in China to evacuate them. One Nepali citizens is reported to have tested positive for coronavirus. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have evacuated their citizens from Wuhan. Pakistan has more than 28,000 students in China, including 500 in the worst-hit city of Wuhan. Meanwhile, China has praised Pakistan for resuming flights to the country, a day after it received special medical kits from Beijing to detect the deadly virus cases. Pakistan joined other world airlines on Friday in suspending flights to China over virus fears, raising eyebrows here considering Islamabad's all-weather ties with Beijing. Pakistan, however, resumed the flights from Monday even as the death toll jumped to 361 with confirmed cases soaring to over 17200 all over China. Four Pakistani students from Wuhan have reportedly contracted the virus. Asked about Pakistan resuming flights, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters here on Monday that Pakistan Prime Minister Khan highly commended China and firmly supported its efforts to fight against the coronavirus. "They also appreciate China's assistance for Pakistani citizens in China and express confidence in China winning this battle with the strength of its system. The Pakistani people are standing firmly with their Chinese brethren," she said. The coronavirus outbreak, which originated in the central Hubei province in December, has killed 361 with 57 deaths reported on Sunday while the number of confirmed cases has climbed to 17,205. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death outside China from the epidemic that has spread to 25 countries, including India, the US, the UK and Russia. In China, almost all the deaths have been reported in Hubei Province - the epicentre of the virus outbreak. The virus was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on January 31. Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen has claimed responsibility for last year's deadly shooting at the Naval Air Station Pensacola by an aviation student from Saudi Arabia. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, released a video Sunday claiming that they were in communication with Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani before his attack. While the group didn't provide evidence it had trained Alshamrani, it did reveal a will written by him in September 2019, three months before the shooting. Alshamrani was a member of the Saudi Air Force in training at the base. He opened fire inside a classroom at the base on Dec. 6, killing three people and wounding two sheriff's deputies before one of the deputies killed him. Eight others were also hurt. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, has claimed responsibility for the fatal shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola by Saudi trainee Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani (pictured right) AQAP claimed to have been in contact with Alshamrani ahead of the attack, and said he spent years picking a target while moving through US military bases (pictured, the base he attacked) The 18-minute video, viewed by terror monitoring service SITE, claimed that Alshamrani had been planning for years to attack a U.S. base and had been training and 'selecting' targets. In his will, Alshamrani told his family that he wanted to attack the US for religious reasons. However, he made no mention of al-Qaida. Foreign nationals participating in US training go through a vetting process. The Pentagon says it includes screening for any illicit drug activities, support for terrorist organizations, corruption and criminal conduct. Saudi Air Force officer, 2nd Lt. Mohammed Alshamrani is seen above. Alshamrani killed three U.S. sailors and injured eight other people The video included audio from AQAP leader Qassim al-Rimi claiming 'full responsibility' for the attack, calling him 'the hero, the courageous knight.' The timing of the video - released on the same day as the Super Bowl - also comes amid reports that al-Rimi was killed in a US drone strike. A missile destroyed a building housing al-Qaida militants last week in eastern Yemen. President Donald Trump retweeted several tweets and media reports that seemed to offer confirmation the strike killed al-Rimi. Rita Katz, founder of SITE, also said that AQAP did not state 'May Allah Protect Him' in regard to al-Rimi, as its releases usually do. '(This) adds yet more suggestion to him indeed being killed,' she tweeted. Al-Rimi was one of AQAP's founders and became the group's leader after Nasser al-Wahishi was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2015. The shooting at Pensacola in which Saudi Air Force officer Mohammed Alshamrani killed three U.S. sailors and injured eight other people focused public attention on the presence of foreign students in American military training programs and exposed shortcomings in the screening of cadets. The victims (left to right): Airman Apprentice Cameron Scott Walters, 21; Mohammed Haitham, 19; Joshua Kaleb Watson, 23. Eight others were injured Police tape stretching across a street near a building after the shooting incident at a naval base in Pensacola, Florida Following the attack, the FBI and the Pentagon began a review into a slew of Saudi trainees studying at US military installations across the nation. About a dozen Saudi trainees were confined to their quarters in Pensacola while the FBI investigated the shooting as a possible terror attack. Jonathan Hoffman, chief spokesman for the Defense Department, announced last week that the department will introduce additional screening procedures for international students as well and increased security measures at American bases. The shooter had two iPhones with him when he attacked the base. One of them he took with him and the other he left in the car. The phone he took with him in the attack he shot, leading cops to believe there may be key information on it. Information on his Twitter account led investigators to believe he was radicalized. When Ed Buller went to a World vision fundraiser a year ago, he expected to pull out his chequebook and make a donation, just as he always has. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/2/2020 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. When Ed Buller went to a World vision fundraiser a year ago, he expected to pull out his chequebook and make a donation, just as he always has. Instead, the pastor of Winnipegs Filipino Heart of Worship International Church was inspired to do more. Pastor Ed Buller (right) with World Vision president and CEO Michael Messenger. Last September, Buller, 51, organized a walk that brought together 700 people from 13 Filipino churches. They raised $42,000 to provide clean water for people in the developing world through World Vision. For his efforts, Buller received a Heroes for Children award from World Vision on Jan. 27 in Toronto. The national award is given annually by the Christian relief, development and advocacy organization to people who have made the world a better place, especially for children. Buller was one of four people from across Canada to receive the recognition. Buller was inspired to raise money for clean water after he heard about World Visions Walk for Water. The campaign asks people to walk six kilometres since that is the average distance people in the developing world, often children, have to walk to get water. When they get there, the water is often not clean, which means many get sick and die. When he heard that about 1,000 children in the developing world die each day due to water-borne illness, and that a donation of $50 would save a life by providing a person with clean water, he knew he had to do something. The result was the first annual six-kilometre walk, which Buller organized. It raised enough to save the lives of 800 children. For this years walk, Buller wants to double the amount to be raised. "We want to save the lives of 1,600 children," he said. Helping others is his duty as a Christian, he said. "Im so blessed," he said. "God has blessed me with so much, including with clean water." "Christ told his followers to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give water to the thirsty," he shared. "This is a practical way to serve my Lord, a way to live out my calling." As for being honoured with an award, he finds it a little awkward. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "I felt unworthy to receive it," he said. "It really belongs to all those who came out for the walk. I was just the pastor. The hard work was done by everyone who came out that day. They inspired me. They caught the vision and ran with it." Chris Schroeder of World Vision Canada, who is based in Manitoba, says Buller is an inspiration. "We are so grateful for Eds steadfast dedication and partnership in serving vulnerable children who face poverty and injustice," he said. Buller is "a true changemaker in our community," he said. "We value his and the entire Heart of Worship International Church familys commitment and generosity that help make our world a better place for children." The churchs next Walk for Water will take place Sept. 12. faith@freepress.mb.ca A Vietnamese woman has become the second patient to be cured of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (nCoV) after being treated at the hospital in her hometown, located in the north-central Vietnamese province of Thanh Hoa. The patient, 25-year-old N.T.T., was quarantined, monitored, and treated at the Thanh Hoa Province General Hospital for 10 days, said Dr. Hoang Huu Truong, deputy director of the infirmary. Doctors have performed two tests on T. and the results all showed that she is no longer infected with the virus. As the patient has not showed such symptoms as a fever, coughing, or a tightness in the chest for the past five days, she was discharged on Monday. Her treatment was for free. T. was among a group of nine workers of Nihonplas Company who were previously sent to Wuhan, China for a two-month training program. Upon T.s arrival at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on January 17, she was picked up by her companys bus to its headquarters in Binh Xuyen District, located in the northern province of Vinh Phuc. N.T.T. is pictured during her treatment at the Thanh Hoa Province General Hospital. Photo: Binh An / Tuoi Tre T. traveled to the Giap Bat Bus Station located in Hanois Soc Son District to catch a passenger bus to go to her hometown on January 23. She traveled a total distance of 214 kilometers and arrived at her home at 6:00 pm on the same day. Four hours later that day, T. showed the first symptoms of the nCoV infection and was taken to the General Hospital of Yen Dinh District at 1:00 pm on January 24, before being transferred to the department for tropical diseases at the Thanh Hoa Province General Hospital. The novel coronavirus, which first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has caused over 360 deaths and infected more than 17,380 people globally as of Monday. Vietnam has confirmed eight infections so far, including five Vietnamese, one Vietnamese American, and two Chinese. Aside from T., one of the Chinese patients has also been cured at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Trump took particular aim at Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who describes himself as a democratic socialist. Under three years of my administration, net farm income has already gone up nearly 50 percent and will now be rising even faster, Trump told the crowd. What are you going to do? You are going to vote for Bernie? You are going to vote for Bernie? A n expert who carried out a review of the management of Islamist extremists in jail has said prison does not have the aptitude or attitude to manage terrorist offenders. Ian Acheson, who led the independent review in 2016, told the BBCs Today programme on Monday that the risk-management system was broken. He added that some people were so dangerous they might need to be kept in prison indefinitely. We are going to have to accept that we have to be much more sceptical and robust about dealing with the risk of harm, he said. Sudesh Amman was shot dead after a stabbing attack in Streatham / Met Police We may need to accept that there are certain people who are so dangerous they must be kept in prison indefinitely. Mr Acheson said that he was concerned about the prison services ability to manage terrorist offenders. Blame is a strong word the prison service obviously cannot be blamed for lawfully releasing this man when they had to, he said. I am more concerned about what happened when he was in custody. I am still unconvinced that the prison service itself has the aptitude or the attitude to assertively manage terrorist offenders. Police at the scene in Streatham High Street / NIGEL HOWARD Sudesh Amman, 20, who was jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, had been freed in the past six weeks. Former head of UK counter-terrorism policing Sir Mark Rowley said there was a case for giving terrorists indeterminate prison sentences. But he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that they should also be given rehabilitation and de-radicalisation support so they can change their ways. Streatham terror attack: What we know so far I dont think there should be a lock-up-and-throw-away-the key we need to be as equally aggressive about trying to help people turn their lives around as we are determined to protect the public. He also warned that there will be more dangerous people on the UKs streets being released from prisons with terrorism convictions than returning from Syria. He added: That seems to be whats happening at the moment. One of the challenges for the Prime Minister and his team is how much he can look back and amend the rules for people already serving sentences. Legally thats very, very difficult. But if there are many, many coming out on regimes that we no longer think work, is it possible to change that? CORRECTED: 'Jihadist attack' kills nearly 20 civilians in Burkina Faso Ouagadougou, Feb 3 (AFP) Feb 03, 2020 Suspected jihadists killed nearly 20 civilians in an attack overnight on the northern Burkina Faso village of Lamdamol, Seno province, security sources said Sunday. "The attackers, heavily armed and on motorbikes, literally executed the local inhabitants," the security source told AFP. The attackers left nearly 20 dead, the source added. A local health official, speaking from the town of Dori in the north, said the village's chief nurse was among the victims. "There is panic in the village and the surrounding area," the official added, saying local people were fleeing towards the centre-north of the country. Another security source said that the attack had come as a reprisal after jihadists had told local people to leave the area a few days earlier. The security forces worked day and night to make the zone safe, "but it is difficult to be everywhere at once", said the source. This massacre comes a week after several similar attacks in the north of the country. On January 25, 39 civilians were killed in the village of Silgadji, in the neighbouring province of Soum. Burkina Faso borders Mali to the northwest and Niger to the east, both countries that are struggling to contain a wave of lethal jihadist attacks. Burkina's security forces, under-equipped and poorly trained, have not been able to counter the deadly raids in their territory, despite the help of foreign soldiers, notably French troops. According to UN figures, the jihadist attacks in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso killed 4,000 people in 2019 and caused an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, having forced 600,000 to flee their homes. Bachelor In Paradise star Jarrod Woodgate has shared an emotional social media post after the death of his family farm's alpaca Tristan. The 33-year-old vineyard manager from Gippsland, Victoria, took to Instagram on Monday to share the heartbreaking news that his furry friend of over 16 years had died. 'Today is a devastating day; Tristan I will miss you so much. Love you mate,' wrote Jarrod next to a gallery of photos of himself and the gentle creature. 'I will miss you so much': Bachelor in Paradise's Jarrod Woodgate has been left devastated after the death of his beloved alpaca Tristan (R) Jarrod went on to explain: 'This morning we woke to no longer having our beloved Tristan as he had passed away throughout the night.' 'Tristan was more than an alpaca to me, he was my furry friend, he would openly give me cuddles when I was down,' he went on. Jarrod praised Tristan for 'listening to his problems without judging', and for helping him guide other alpacas to safety. Man's best friend: The 33-year-old vineyard manager from Gippsland, Victoria, took to Instagram on Monday to share the heartbreaking news that his furry friend of over 16 years had died Fancy that! Tristan even made an appearance on Sophie Monk's season of The Bachelorette Jarrod revealed that what made the loss 'so much harder' was the feeling that he'd 'lost a very close family member.' The reality star pledged to spend the rest of the day celebrating his 'beautiful friend', before going to describe one a fond memory of the times they once shared. 'That time he made it on TV and met @sophiemonk - what a super star you are Tristan,' he wrote. 'One word... Happy!' Meanwhile, Jarrod (pictured) has continued to fuel rumours he is dating Sam Royce by holidaying in the Northern Territory with her last week News of Jarrod's gut-wrenching loss comes amid speculation of a new addition in his life continues to gather steam. Jarrod continued to fuel rumours he is romancing The Bachelor's Sam Royce last week by holidaying with the blonde beauty in the Northern Territory. The pair have shared a series of snaps to their respective Instagram accounts over the last week, as they enjoyed a glamping experience in Kakadu National Park. In one image, Jarrod is seen beaming in an Akubra hat, writing in the caption: 'One word..... Happy!' Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 1 PM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. Goli maarna band karo: Opposition protests against Union minister Anurag Thakur in Parliament Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union minister Anurag Thakur faced Opposition ire as he rose to speak during the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament on Monday. Read more Take us back to India: Woman in Wuhan releases video to ask for help A young woman, who is among the six Indians stopped from coming back to India, has released a video seeking the governments help to fly them back home from Chinas coronavirus-struck Wuhan city. Read more 3 men carry out Drishyam-style murder, bury victims body, bike in food stall Three persons have been arrested in Maharashtras Nagpur city for allegedly killing a 32-year- old man in December last year and burying the body to hide the crime, an official said. Read more This user hacked Google Maps traffic flow in an entire area with 99 smartphones We often hear apps and services being hacked or breached resulting in user data sharing without consent. But the latest hack found on Google Maps is quite an unusual one. Read more Filmfare Awards 2020 curtain raiser: From Alaya F to Kareena Kapoor Khan, here are some of the best red carpet looks Sunday night was quite star-studded as Bollywood celebrities including Alaya F, Ananya Panday, Vaani Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Kartik Aaryan, Nushrat Bharucha, Tara Sutaria, Karan Johar, Rajkummar Rao, R Madhavan Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Rakulpreet Singh, Kriti Kharbanda, among others rocked the red carpet of Filmfare awards curtain-raiser. Read more India vs New Zealand: Not in the ODIs, not even the IPL - KL Rahul has a request to Kane Williamson after India complete clean sweep - WATCH For India the biggest takeaway from their dominant series win over New Zealand was the form and consistency of KL Rahul. Read more Brad Pitt makes Margot Robbie deliver joke about Prince Harry at BAFTAs, cracks up Prince William and Kate Middleton Trust Brad Pitt to make the most entertaining speech of any awards night, even when he is not in attendance. Read more Shutterstock Among the myriad steps to taken when starting a business, it is essential to have the right people around you. Such individuals can be professionals, friends or family who can provide feedback and information, something three successful women can attest to. Cindy Moulton, co-owner and co-founder of Sacred Leaf Wellness, knew there was a need for CBD, or cannabidiol, and found a high-quality source. They opened for business in Rice Village in 2019. Sacred Leaf Wellness Studio is a friend/family-owned business. Together we formulated ideas about the look of our shop, logo, product display -- everything related to starting the business, Mouton said. Having a good manager to manage inventory, setting up a point-of-sale system, and tracking sales is also important. Ask friends or relatives who may be looking for a job to find someone you can trust, Moulton said. A bookkeeper/accountant is also essential to maintain proper books and provide reporting so you can track the business performance. A small accounting firm can provide such services for a fee. Find a good web developer to create a powerful website, assist with search engine optimization, market your business through social media and seek positive reviews from customers, Moulton said. An insurance broker can assist with setting up insurance. Also, ask other business owners for guidance and assistance, Moulton said. Kairy-tate Barkley, owner of French Cuff Boutique, opened her store in Bellaire in 2008. It was a success, leading her to opening three other stores. Barkley suggests contacting a business advisor for evaluating your business plan and to help tighten financials. She found her first business advisor through the Small Business Administration. Also, the right commercial real estate agent can help you find the location that best reaches your demographic, Barkley said. In addition, a banker can help you secure funding, understand your long-term goals and the right funding products. Shawntell McWilliams, CEO of SM Global Consulting and CEO of Infinity Cleaning Solutions LLC, is an entrepreneur and philanthropist with a passion to serve the community. McWilliams realized there was a need to create small- and medium-sized businesses, nonprofit organizations, social influencers, and philanthropists in order to provide a greater value to the community with a targeted approach. She also formed Infinity Cleaning Solutions to provide top commercial cleaning services. Business mentors who have your best interests in mind are important to bounce ideas off of, as well as offer strategies to stay on track, McWilliams said. When starting a business, a CPA or financial professionals can help create a budget, show important forecasts and help with goals. An operations person to handle contracts, paperwork and proposals is also key, McWilliams said. Securing an attorney is recommended when starting a business as well in order to learn key legal aspects of the business. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam speaks in her weekly press conference in Hong Kong on Jan. 14, 2020. (Bill Cox/The Epoch Times) Hong Kong Leader Carrie Lam Refuses to Seal Off the City Completely From China Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has announced the additional closure of four border crossing points with China, bringing the total number of closed crossings to 10. The four crossings, to be shut down at midnight today, are Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau, Huanggang, and the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal. The remaining three open crossings are Hong Kong International Airport, Shenzhen Bay, and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Lam said the additional closures had nothing to with a five-day strike by local health workers beginning on Feb. 3, who are demanding that the city government implement a full border closure with China. In a reference to the strike, Lam added that extreme measures taken by anyone in an effort to force the city government into doing something not rational will not get anywhere. Local union Hospital Authority (HA) Employees Alliance, organizer of the strike, held a press conference after Lams announcement. Winnie Yu, the alliances chairwoman, said that over 2,500 members of the alliance supported the strike. She added that the strike successfully put pressure on the city government to announce the additional crossing closure. In response to Lams accusation of extremism, Yu said that people in Hong Kong have the right to assemble and protest. Yu added that the city government was insincere in response to their demands. She expressed hope that Hospital Authority, a statutory body managing Hong Kongs public hospital services, will put pressure on Lams government so that the city will be completely sealed off. Aside from demanding a full border closure, the alliance has four other demands, including that the city government must provide enough isolation wards. The alliance has previously announced that it will escalate the scale of the strike on Feb. 4, by having more members taking part, including those in the hospitals emergency units. In response to Lams remarks, pro-democracy lawmaker Lo Kin-hei wrote on Twitter that the Hong Kong government has been consistently, NOT listening to public views, DELAYING measures, implementing HALFWAY measures, IRRITATE everyone every time they speak, during the past eight months. Joshua Wong, activist and the iconic figure from the 2014 Umbrella Movement, tweeted on Feb. 2 asking people to support the strike. This is the only last-ditch leverage medical professionals have before our healthcare system collapses. The government is clearly incapable of protecting Hong Kongers as they put politics before our wellbeing, Wong wrote. Currently, Hong Kong has 15 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus. Local outlet RTHK reported on Monday that 2 of 15 patients were in serious condition, with one in critical condition. So far, the only death from the virus reported outside of China is in the Philippines. The victim was a Chinese national from Wuhan and not a local. IONIA COUNTY, MI --- Police are looking for a suspect in a home invasion and stabbing in a home in Ionia County. Officers were dispatched at 3:40 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 2 to a residence on Pearl Street in the village of Hubbardston, according to the Ionia County Sheriffs Office. Investigation at the scene determined that a man entered the house and was confronted by two people staying at the home, police said. The intruder attacked the two people and used a knife to stab and slash, causing serious injuries to one victim and minor injuries to another. The intruder then fled the residence in an unknown direction, police said. Police said the suspect was described as a white male, about 25-30 years old, smaller physical build, potentially with facial hair and wearing a brown coat with a hood and baggy jeans. The motivation of the invasion is unknown, police said, and "further information may be released on Monday. The Ionia County Sheriffs Office is asking for anyone with information about a possible suspect or anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in Hubbardston to call Ionia County Central Dispatch at 616-527-0400. READ MORE: Medical emergency leads to fatal crash in Grand Rapids West Michigans most affluent ZIP Codes for senior citizens Inside the key decision that helped end Michigans liquor shortage The Food and Drug Administration first has to approve the test for wider distribution, the C.D.C. said. The United States has 11 confirmed cases so far. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said that 167 patients under investigation who had symptoms like cough or fever, and had traveled to Wuhan or been in contact with a patient, had negative test results. A further 82 tests are pending, including some with samples in transit to the agencys labs. The severity of the disease has varied in patients in the United States, Dr. Messonnier said. Some have had mild illness, but a few have been more severely ill, with some needing oxygen. None has died. Of the 11 patients, nine had been to Wuhan and two were close contacts of patients who had traveled, indicating that person-to-person spread of the virus has occurred in the United States. We expect to find additional cases in the United States and we expect more cases of person-to-person spread among close contacts, Dr. Messonnier said. With the C.D.C. already running through its allocations for emergency response funds, the Department of Health and Human Services has formally informed Congress that it may transfer up to $136 million to help combat the spread of coronavirus, according to a person with knowledge of the notification. Of the maximum $136 million that the department may transfer, up to $75 million would go to the disease centers, up to $52 million to the departments Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and up to $8 million to the departments Office of Global Affairs. It was unclear where that money would be transferred from. The State Department plans to repatriate more people from Wuhan, and the C.D.C. has sent four teams to military locations where their flights will land, Dr. Messonnier said. She said she did not know yet how many passengers would be returning. French man found dead in Cancun apartment stabbed to death reveal authorities Cancun, Q.R. A man who was found deceased in his Cancun apartment Saturday was stabbed to death, say authorities. The head of the State Attorney Generals Office Oscar Montes de Oca Rosales, reported their findings in a press conference, explaining that the victim, 65-year-old Regis Nicolau from Montpelier, France, was found dead in his apartment. He added that the death is not being treated as an accident, noting there were traces of violence and that they are now seeking those responsible. Although the death was initially reported as a home accident, de Oca Rosales confirmed it was a homicide with two lines of investigation, one of theft and the other of a passionate affair. According to information from the Prosecutors Office, first investigations revealed the body had at least 37 injuries. The body was identified by the victims friend who is the French Honorary Consul in Cancun. The French Ambassador to Mexico clarifies that the Honorary Consul of Cancun is unrelated to the victim, says Carole Simonnet, a press attache of the French Embassy in Mexico City. The body of Nicolau was discovered Saturday morning in his Villas Playa Blanca apartment in Region 85 of Cancun. A useful way to think about statements by public figures is to imagine them as bets being placed. Sometimes they are expressions of sincerely held beliefs, but even then we are talking about some fairly canny people deciding to say a specific thing at a specific time. A public statement is, in essence, a prediction that the winds are blowing in a particular direction, and that there are gains to be made if you turn your sail in the right direction. We should worry, then, that significant figures in this country are making strong bets on the racist far right. Mark Latham is the most obvious, having joined with Pauline Hanson, and making noises about creating a far-right super party. Many readers will laugh at Latham. But Tony Abbott was prime minister just five years ago. Tony Abbott and Viktor Orban. Credit:AAP, Bloomberg Abbott, at 62, is relatively young: more than a decade younger than Donald Trump, who hopes to serve until 2025. He seems determined to stay in public life. So it is significant that he travelled to a conference in Hungary late last year to praise Viktor Orban, that country's President. Pulling into the Carnivore grounds on Saturday night to an uplifted and inspired group of concertgoers and reggae lovers cutting across generations was the perfect way to kick off the weekend and start February, the month of love with a bang! Kenya's reggae crooner, Lavosti is quick to meet us up. He just left the stage and we are so bummed for missing his set. With the music breather, the crowd springs to its feet once more, singing and dancing from the moment the music begins as we anticipate the headliners. There is something about this great energy, from the crowd, that makes for a superb atmosphere and without a doubt the most memorable evening. While the threat of rain existed, the showers of blessing were not holding anyone back from attending this historical moment. UB40 with Ali Campbell and Astro brought the people of Nairobi exactly what they neededsome celebration of the real labour of love! "UB40's number one fan is in the building," beamed the celebrated media personality host, Jeff Koinange. "Mr. President, we are going back 40 years in time. Nairobi, are you ready?" An outstanding evening of excellence and effortless perfection awaited us once the band decked on the dark stage, full of energy and ready to kick-start the show. The band which includes a brilliant horn section covering every inch of the stage are first to take the stage with Ali Campbell and Astro greeting the crowds. The lights come on and the show, the party kicks off and the crowd is once again on their feet. The band finds its connection with the full voice sing-along audience, encouraging singing, clapping and dancing. Those who came to hear the bands most recognized songs got what they wanted. For the younger generation, the sense of satisfaction from the music is overwhelming. Astro's mic issues rectified, the emotions and beautiful harmonies, coupled with the hit after hit delivery proves a point. 40 years on and they still got it. Ali Campbell's quick switches from singing on the mic to taking the background and rocking his guitar is quite incredible. He leaves Castro bouncing up-front and strutting about from one edge of the stage to the other. One of the highlights of the night was when the band honoured the legendary Eric Donaldson with "Cherry Oh Baby." Ali's vocals on the magnificent Fijian Sunset" love song remains etched in our minds. Hits like "Bring Me Your Cup," "Red Red Wine" and "The Way You Do the Things You Do"remain some of the best sing-along from concertgoers we have seen in a long time. Their stage exit is abrupt. There was no goodbye - only this statement from Astro:"Nairobi you have been beautiful. Thank you." The crowd continues to thunder,"Red-Red-Wine!" They make a return on stage to a thunderous applause and take the party tempo a notch higher with their classic, "Kingston Town." "Until we meet again Nairobi, peace!" Astro waves as he exits the stage, followed by Ali, who had stayed on a few seconds playing his guitar. The remaining band, with the horn section now pulling forward, maintain the tempo with the crowd hailing them up! DJ D-Lite is ready to take us to the after-party and we are super irie! Former lawmaker Chhabil Patel was Monday granted regular bail by the Gujarat High Court nearly a year after his arrest in connection with the murder of his political rival and former BJP MLA Jayanti Bhanushali. The court of Justice Vipul Pancholi ordered Patel's release on regular bail on a personal bond of Rs 10,000 and a surety of the same amount. The court granted him bail on the condition that he will not act in a manner that could influence the case, will surrender his passport to the lower court and will not leave India without prior permission, among others. Patel was arrested in March last year from Ahmedabad airport upon his arrival from USA where he fled via Muscat a few days before Bhanushali's murder. The CID-Crime, which investigated the case, said Patel had admitted to playing a key role in the conspiracy to kill Bhanushali. His son Siddharth, two shooters and two caretakers of Patel's farmhouse in Kutch district were also arrested in the case. Bhanushali, a former BJP MLA and former vice-president of Gujarat unit of the BJP, was shot dead in a moving train near Samakhiyali station of Kutch district on January 8 last year. Both Bhanushali and Patel had represented Abdasa seat in Kutch district as legislators earlier, and police claimed the murder was a fallout of the political rivalry between the two. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Widespread flooding, power outages and bridge washouts have shut down large portions of British Columbia, leaving tens of thousands of Canadians crying for help and hundreds of visitors at Sasquatch Mountain Resort trapped. Around 500 people were staying at Sasquatch Mountain Resort in Fraser Valley when a weekend landslide wiped out the only connecting road down the mountain. As drone footage showed, immense damage from heavy flooding rendered the Hemlock Valley Road pass unusable. To retrieve visitors, the Ministry of Transportation has been forced to fly residents to safety via helicopters, according to Global News. Around 200 people have been relocated by helicopter thus far, resort spokesperson Shelby Lim said. However, those helicopter saves have come with a price: $150 per person. "There are people up here with medical conditions and ... important medical appointments, and to charge them $150 to get off the mountain?" Jim Briar, a volunteer firefighter from the local area, told Global News. "I understand it's no slam against anybody, but I'm wondering what the provincial emergency program is doing, or if they are doing anything, to accommodate these problems." Heavy machinery has been hard at work repairing roadways to the Sasquatch Mountain Resort in British Columbia while hundreds remain stranded. (Drive BC via Storyful) Briar added that the resort was stocked with plenty of food and the return of electricity, after dealing with power outages for over 36 hours, relieved worried residents. The resort's cafeteria and pub continued serving food to the guests, and individuals were still charged for the meals. According the resort, power was restored shortly before 3 p.m, local time, on Sunday. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP Lim said once power was restored, people were able to return to their heated cabins safely, where they can cook their own meals. Along with providing rides to safety, Lim added that the helicopters have also arrived stocked with food, supplies and propane for generators. Story continues "If anybody is running out of anything, we're here to help and assist. We've got lots of food up here, the helicopter companies are able to bring in more fuel," Lim said. "Anybody who lives on the mountain, if they need medicine, diapers, dog food, anything, we can get back to them and help them." Authorities expect road repair efforts to take at least five days. In the 9:30 a.m. update on Monday morning, the resort said they are still waiting on official word from the Ministry of Transportation. "If road evacuation does not occur, we will continue to run a helicopter shuttle through Librico Helicopters for $150 per person," the resort said on Facebook. "If you are on hill and interested, please visit Guest Services to sign up, the drop off is at the Chilliwack airport." "The road is not open, however, we are currently waiting on an update from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure regarding a temporary evacuation lane," the resort said in its statement. "If it is safe to do so, the Ministry of Transportation will escort guests down the road this afternoon with a certified escort/pilot vehicle. Please do not attempt to leave the mountain on your own as you will not be permitted down." Kent Mayor Sylvia Pranger declared a state of emergency for the municipality on Friday and said about 40 homes had to be evacuated north of Harrison Hot Springs when Rockwell Drive washed away. REMINDER - Rockwell Drive - CLOSED due to a washout between Dogwood lane and Rockwell Lane. Assessment in progress, detour not available. Next update February 3 at 9 AM. #HarrisonHotSprings For more information: https://t.co/SkYU3ysNI8 pic.twitter.com/osFhqkbq2b Drive BC (@DriveBC) February 3, 2020 Elsewhere in British Columbia, a local state of emergency was declared in the Cowichan Valley Regional District due to the heavy flooding. The Cowichan Valley Regional District is located on the southern part of Vancouver Island. According to the Vancouver Sun, over 50 people were evacuated in the area after major roadways were closed. A portion of the Trans-Canada Highway was shut down, further pushing the need for evacuations. The east coast of Vancouver Island was under a flood watch throughout the weekend, and the state of emergency led to widespread closures, including Vancouver Island University's Cowichan campus. "All classes and examinations are cancelled, and services are suspended. All employees and students are asked not to travel to the Cowichan campus today," the university announced on Saturday. "The next update will be on Sunday, February 2 at 6:30 pm for classes on Monday, February 3. Please do not start to travel to VIU's Cowichan campus until you receive this update." Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. Press Release 3 February 2020 Senior executives across the hotel industry united during Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) to end the stigma of addiction with Shatterproof. Advertisements Shatterproof, a national nonprofit dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in the United States, hosted a reception on January 28th to honor Mark Woodworth, the third recipient of the Shatterproof Hospitality Hero Award. Woodworth has been an integral voice on the issue of addiction, uniting hospitality executives to take an active role in this cause. More than 50 hospitality companies raised over $510k to sponsor this event, and support Shatterproof and its founder and CEO, Gary Mendell, a former hotelier (Chairman of HEI Hotels & Resorts), whose son Brian lost his life to addiction in 2011. The hospitality industry accounts for more than 16.5 million employees in the United States and is impacted by addiction at two times the rate of other fields. Shatterproof is supporting employers with tools and resources that can lead to better health outcomes, reduce stigma, and reduce workplace costs. Employers represented at ALIS were connected to some of those low or no-cost programs. "I continue to be inspired by the incredible support of the hotel industry," said Gary Mendell. "It is clear by their actions that these leaders of the hospitality world embody the industry's resolute support of ending the stigma of addiction." Mendell regularly attended the ALIS conference in his 25-year-long career in the hospitality industry. After losing his son Brian to addiction, Mendell founded Shatterproof to spare others from the tragedy his family suffered. Since 2016, the hospitality industry has raised more than $3.3 million for Shatterproof at events at ALIS. "It was my privilege to receive this award, but more importantly, to help raise awareness for Shatterproof and the lifesaving work they are doing," says Mark Woodworth. "Our industry is disproportionately impacted by substance use disorder and it is important that we work with Shatterproof as leaders in the hospitality industry and as leaders in our communities." The 2020 Host Committee for the Shatterproof Hospitality Heroes Reception included: Robert Alter (President, Seaview Investors), Geoff Ballotti (CEO, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts), Mike Barnello (President & CEO, LaSalle Hotel Properties), James Burba (CEO, Burba Hotel Network), Thomas Corcoran (President & CEO, TCOR Hotel Partners), Ted Darnall (CEO, HEI Hotels + Resorts Lodging & Technical Services Company), Joel Eisemann (Chief Development Officer, Intercontinental Hotels), Clark Hanrattie (Partner & CFO, HEI Hotels & Resorts), Kevin Kearney (VP, Upscale Development, USA, Canada, & The Caribbean, IHG), Merrick Kleeman (Managing Partner, Wheelock Street Capital), Daniel Lesser (President & CEO, LW Hospitality Advisors LLC), Gary Mendell (founder & CEO, Shatterproof, Chairman, HEI Hotels & Resorts), William Reynolds (Senior Managing Director, Marcus Hotels & Resorts), Anthony Rutledge (CEO & Managing Partner, HEI Hotels & Resorts), Stacy Silver (President, Silver Hospitality Group), Paul Whetsell (CEO, CapStar Hotel Company), and Mark Woodworth (Senior Managing Director, CBRE Hotels). For more information regarding the reception, as well as a complete list of sponsors, please visit our https://www.shatterproof.org/alis Khalistan terrorist Happy PhD killed due to illicit affair with married Muslim woman in Lahore India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 03: The killing of top Khalistan terrorist Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD could have been due to an illicit affair and not a financial dispute over a drug deal as had been reported earlier. The Intelligence agencies in India are trying to gather more information about how the chief of the Khalistan Liberation Force was killed. At first, it was said that he may have been killed by a local gang near Lahore due to a financial dispute. However, now reports suggest that he was having an illicit affair with a married Muslim woman. He was warned by the husband of the lady, but Singh did not pay heed. This may have led to his killing the Indian agencies say. His parents had requested that his body be returned. However, Singh was cremated in Pakistan in the presence of a superintendent rank police officer and the station house officer of the Dera Chahal station. The cremation took place at the Babu Sabu Chowk cremation grounds. While the parents of the slain terrorist had urged that his body be returned, officials had indicated that it would not happen. Pakistan unlikely to return Khalistan terrorist Happy PhDs body Top sources tell OneIndia the body was not returned owing to the fact that Singh was living under a fake identity at the Nankana Sahib in Punjab, Pakistan. The Punjab police had got nine red corner notices issued against him. He was killed by a local gang over a financial dispute that stemmed out of a drug deal, sources said. The source said that he was shot by a local gang near the Dera Chahal Gurudwara near Lahore. NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 Harmeet alias Happy PhD took over as the chief of the Khalistan Liberation Force in 2014 after the outfit's boss Harminder Mintoo was arrested by the Punjab Police from Thailand. Mintoo had managed to escape from jail, but he was arrested again. He died of a cardiac arrest in 2018. Singh, who was killed was living in Pakistan for the past 20 years under the patronage of the ISI. Singh was accused of radicalising the youth in Punjab. He would raise funds for the terrorist group and was a key player in the narcotics world. While the Iranian government has admitted that a unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards fired on the plane, it did so only after three days of stonewalling. And even then, President Hassan Rouhani insisted that the truth had been concealed from him and other members of the elected government by the air defense unit of the Revolutionary Guard Corps. In an interview with Ukrainian media, President Zelensky claimed that the exchange captured on the tape made clear that Iranian authorities knew almost immediately that a missile had brought down the plane, though the air traffic controller is the only government worker heard on the audio tape. He did not provide any evidence that the controller quickly shared that information with government officials. Mr. Zelensky did not directly contradict the Iranian governments claim that it had been kept in the dark, but he noted that even the military which knew what had happened continued to issue false statements. Those included a claim that the crash had been caused by mechanical problems. That, he said, showed a broad effort to suppress the truth in those first three days. We understood that the Iranians we were not sure exactly who but they wanted to defend themselves in such an unlawful way, by pushing information that it was a technical flaw, Mr. Zelensky said. The recording begins a few minutes after Ukrainian Flight 752 took off from Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran on Jan. 8. Bazaar Corporate Radar | Feb 22, 2021, 12:00 AM IST Bazaar Corporate Radar Bazaar Corporate Radar is your window into the minds of top CEOs, Boardrooms, global economists, fund managers and sector analysts. If it?s making news, you?ll find it on Bazaar Corporate Radar. Police officers work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the Streatham, south London (AP) Justice secretary Robert Buckland has announced the government will introduce emergency legislation to stop terrorists being automatically released from prison halfway through their sentences. It comes after the terror attack in Streatham, south London, on Sunday. Sudesh Amman, who was released from prison just 11 days earlier, knifed a man and a woman before he was shot dead by police. The victims injuries are not life-threatening. Speaking in the Commons on Monday evening, Mr Buckland said the government would be introducing the emergency bill to neutralise the threat of terrorists coming out of prison. This will be in addition to its planned counter-terrorism bill, which was announced in the wake of the London Bridge attack in November last year. Here is everything you need to know about the emergency legislation announced by Mr Buckland. What are the key points? No terrorist offender would be released automatically at the halfway point of their sentence without check or review Any release before the end of a sentence would be dependent on a risk assessment The earliest point at which offenders would be considered for release is two-thirds through the sentence No terrorist offender would be released before the end of their custodial term unless the parole board agrees they are no longer a risk to the public The legislation would apply to serving as well as future prisoners When will it be introduced? Mr Buckland didnt give a date. He only said as soon as possible. What processes does it have to go through? A bill has to get through 11 parliamentary hoops in order to gain royal assent and become law. Given the governments large majority and the fact the bill will be popular with large segments of the public, it is likely to pass quickly. What was Amman jailed for? In December 2018, he was sentenced to three years and four months for possessing and distributing terrorist documents. He was freed on 23 January. Before him, London Bridge attacker Usman Khan was sentenced to 16 years in 2012 over a plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange. Story continues He was released in 2018, before he fatally stabbed Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt at Fishmongers Hall on 29 November last year. Usman Khan stabbed Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt at Fishmongers Hall in London (West Midlands Police via AP) What is in the counter-terrorism bill? Announced on 21 January, the Home Office said it will include plans for tougher sentences, an end to early releases and increased monitoring of terror offenders. The bill, which the government said would become law by 21 March at the latest, would force the most dangerous offenders who receive extended sentences to serve the whole period behind bars. Anyone convicted of serious offences, such as preparing acts of terrorism, would also have to spend a minimum of 14 years in prison. Other aspects include doubling the number of specialist counter-terrorism officers and increasing the number of hostel places to monitor convicted terrorists once they are released. Why wasnt the early release legislation introduced earlier? Thats what mayor of London Sadiq Khan was asking on Monday morning. Mr Khan said he was angry at the lack of progress made by the government in its pledge to change anti-terror laws in the wake of the London Bridge attack. Mr Buckland said on Monday: Yesterdays appalling incident makes the case plainly for immediate action. What has Boris Johnson had to say about it? At a press conference on Monday, the prime minister said early release has come to the end of its useful life. He said: Weve invested massively in CT [counter-terrorism] and de-radicalisation. The sad thing is, it seems to be [that] mentally and emotionally for these men and its almost always men its a very tough nut to crack. De-radicalising people is a very difficult thing to do. It just seems to be a psychological barrier that people find hard to get back over. Thats why I stress the importance of the custodial option and thats why Ive come to the end of my patience with the idea of automatic early release. I hope people will understand why we are doing that. This is a liberal country, a tolerant country, but I think the idea for automatic early release for people who obviously continue to pose a threat to the public has come to the end of its useful life. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Fine Gael has promised to allocate 2bn of carbon taxes towards the insulation of old homes as ministers appealed to voters to judge the party on its record in government. The climate change commitments came as Paschal Donohoe launched a blistering attack on Sinn Fein policies, insisting they are anti-EU and will destroy jobs. In the lead-up to the final days of campaigning before voting, Fine Gael have announced that if returned to power they will commit to a new widespread retrofitting scheme for homes. This would involve ring-fencing some 2bn of the proposed 6bn in carbon taxes for schemes. Climate Minister Richard Bruton described how the scheme would apply to whole communities as opposed to individual applicants and would support insulating social and private homes. Targetting group schemes and aggregating services and works would reduce overall costs, Mr Bruton explained. A pilot project is underway in the Midlands. Fine Gael says home owners could pay the costs for works as they save money through utility bills down the line. Fine Gaels new plan will replace the current ad-hoc retrofitting model and, instead, group homes together, develop easy pay-back models and put smart finance in place, explained Mr Bruton. The party, under its climate action plan, says that some 600,000 homes would be fitted with heat pump systems while 500,000 would be insulated under retrofitting schemes. Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have committed to increasing carbon taxes to 80 a tonne by 2030, while Sinn Fein has not made any promises about hiking up the levy. Amid concerns that some carbon-heavy industries will be shut resulting in job losses, Fine Gael has agreed to a 'just transition' programme, mainly targetting the Midlands. This will involve 200m for a home upgrade fund, for council houses, former Bord na Mona estates, and private homes while another 50m will go towards retraining and community projects. Climate changes activists today mounted a protest outside Fine Gael's HQ in Dublin, claiming that the government party has been greenwashing environment issues for years. Spraying green dye outside the Fine Gael's offices, Extinction Rebellion criticised the party for being inactive. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has shot down the idea of his party and Sinn Fein working in power together after the election, warning of substantial differences between the two. He argued that some 15 new taxes under Sinn Fein would be introduced, and while the other party is offering a "mantra of change", it would do such harm to the country, he warned. Sinn Fein differs from Fine Gael on corporate tax, support SMEs and how to create jobs, he said. But the differences also transcend the minutiae of policies, he said, referencing Sinn Fein's criticism of the special criminal court and of the EU. This is about values towards Europe, values towards our economy and values towards the institutions of our State, added Mr Donohoe. He also said, with five days of campaigning left before polling day, that many voters have still to make up their mind. Mr Donohoe urged voters to judge Fine Gael on its record: We are not looking for a pass. We are not looking for people to forget, we are asking people to judge us on our record. The outgoing chief executive of Britain's largest supermarket Dave Lewis will stay on until October this year. Tesco boss Lewis was initially due to be replaced this summer by Walgreens Boots Alliance's chief commercial officer Ken Murphy. However, Mr Murphy is required to fulfil a non-compete agreement as part of his contract with the retail giant. Consequently, Mr Lewis' tenure has been extended to 1 October. Lewis took over running of Tesco in 2014. Since then, he has helped turn around their fortunes and in the last full financial year, their profitability was nearly 1.7billion Tesco said: 'To facilitate a smooth and seamless handover, Dave Lewis has agreed to extend his tenure as group chief executive until 30 September 2020.' Previously, Tesco chairman John Allan said last October: 'We have appointed Ken Murphy to succeed Dave as group CEO of Tesco next summer.' Companies typically put non-compete agreements into contracts to avoid rivals poaching their best talent. Most non-competes last around 12 months from serving notice. Sources close to Tesco insisted Mr Murphy's start date had never been confirmed. The new boss, who will take home a basic salary of 1.35 million, was appointed after a 'thorough' recruitment process - although the board of Tesco decided against informing shareholders that the process had taken place until its completion. Ken Murphy is currently Walgreens Boots Alliance's chief commercial officer Irish-born Ken Murphy has worked for Boots or its parent company for fifteen years since the pharmacy retailer was merged with Alliance UniChem, where he was a managing director. An accountant by training, he was formerly the chief operating officer for Boots and the managing director of Walgreen Boots Alliance's Health and Beauty Brands division. The Harvard Business School graduate does not have a major profile in the retail sector despite his significant position. Ken Odeluga, City Index's chief market analyst, said Murphy was 'clearly suited by dint of experience and seniority,' but is 'nevertheless a relative unknown among major investors.' Lewis took over running of Tesco in 2014, soon after the supermarket admitted overstating its profits by 250million. The company lost over 6billion in pre-tax profits the year he took over, one of the highest losses in corporate history. Tesco celebrated its 100th birthday last year as the country's most dominant supermaket But since then, he has helped turn around their fortunes and in the last full financial year, their profitability was nearly 1.7billion. Tesco continued to retain its position as the UK's most dominant supermarket when it celebrated its 100th birthday last year, with 26 per cent of grocery store sales in September coming from them. It recently recorded its fifth consecutive year of Christmas revenue growth, although it was a meagre 0.1 per cent. Tesco blamed the minimal growth on 'subdued' consumer spending. Nonetheless, Tesco did experience its largest ever day of UK food sales in its existence, with its Finest range gammon selling out and strong trade in prosecco and turkey. Competition from Aldi and Lidl has hurt the supermarket's sales though, while the cyberhack of foreign exchange firm Travelex by the Sodonobiki gang has negatively affected its Tesco Bank division. Shares in Tesco have risen 1.8 per cent to 251.4p today. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A series of lectures and interactive exhibits, including a keynote talk by acclaimed author Rebecca Makkai and showings of the award-winning play Angels in America by Purdue Theatre, are set for February and March, highlighting the history of AIDS in the United States. The campus events, organized by Purdues Medical Humanities Collective, are: * Purdue Theatres presentation of Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches, from Feb. 21-23, 27-29 and March 1. Richard Stockton Rand, a member of the collective, will direct the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play written by Tony Kushner. * Reading and Q&A at 7:30 p.m. March 3 in Stewart Centers Fowler Hall by Makkai on her novel The Great Believers. Set against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, the book won the 2019 L.D. and LaVerne Harrell Clark Fiction Prize, was on the short list for the National Book Award, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in fiction. Makkai's talk and visit to campus is being presented and organized by Purdue's Creative Writing Program. * "An Angels in America exhibition in the Patti and Rusty Rueff Galleries West Gallery, from Feb. 10-28, weaving the art and history of HIV/AIDS and AIDS activism with Kushners play. A section of the AIDS Memorial Quilt also will be there. A reception is planned for 5:30 p.m. Feb. 27. Purdue Theatre and the Rueff Galleries are in the Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Design, Art and Performance in Pao Hall. * The dance performance Volledig: Emptied of Shame, Full of Life on Feb. 10 in Rueff Galleries. Chicago-based dancer and choreographer Rob Welcher created the work, collaborating for a year with dancers, musicians and visual artists impacted by the AIDS crisis. A reception begins at 5 p.m., with the performance following at 6 p.m. in Pao Halls Rueff East Gallery. Welchers production premiered in Chicago on International AIDS Day, Nov. 29, 2018. * Books and Coffee discussion on The Great Believers at 4-5 p.m. Feb. 27. in Stewart Center, rooms 302/306. Presenting will be Brian Leung, professor and director of the Creative Writing Program in the Department of English as part of an annual series organized by the department to explore contemporary print culture. All events are free and open to the public. While the medical community has helped us in making great strides in treating the symptoms of those suffering from the AIDS virus, someone globally dies from AIDS every 41 seconds every day, said Rand, professor of visual and performing arts and coordinator of Undergraduate Theatre. The primary goal of these event sponsored by Purdues Medical Humanities Collective is to reach those who normally wouldnt think they have been touched by AIDS. Forty years after the first reported case, HIV and AIDS are still pressing issues in America. This year, we want to look back at what has happened and what is happening now, said Richard Johnson-Sheehan, Purdue English professor and chair of the collective. The series of events are an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in the HIV and AIDS community, particularly in social and cultural aspects, said Wendy Kline, the Dema G. Seelye Chair in the History of Medicine at Purdue and director of the Medical Humanities Certificate Program. This years events represent medical humanities at its best interdisciplinary, collaborative and creative approaches to understanding the social and cultural impact of this epidemic. The series is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts Medical Humanities program. Supporting sponsors include the Purdue College of Liberal Arts, Purdue LGBTQ Center, Department of English, Department of History, the Creative Writing Program, Medical Humanities Collective, Rueff School of Design, Art and Performance, and Indiana University School of Medicine. The Medical Humanities Collective is an outgrowth of the Cancer Culture and Community program, a partnership between CLA, the Oncological Sciences Center and Discovery Park that ended in 2017. Since transitioning to CLA, the collective has broadened its focus beyond cancer to explore different illnesses at the intersection of arts, culture and medicine. Last fall, the collective joined the Indiana University School of Medicine-West Lafayette in co-sponsoring a film festival that focused on the history of AIDS and the effects still present in American culture resulting from the AIDS epidemic. Films shown will be Nothing Without Us: The Women Who Will End AIDS; The Transformation: Reconciling Identity After HIV Diagnosis; Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (No Regrets); This is Not an AIDS Advertisement; Zero Patience; Asmaa; Wilheminas War: Fighting AIDS and HIV in the South; and The Lazarus Effect. Writers: Phillip Fiorini, pfiorini@purdue.edu, 765-430-6189 Jackie Le, le60@purdue.edu Media contact: Joe Paul, 765-494-9541, paul102@purdue.edu Sources: Richard Rand, richrand@purdue.edu Rick Johnson-Sheehan, rjohnso@purdue.edu Wendy Kline, 765-496-2518, wkline@purdue.edu M1 Drogheda Chamber Skillnet and the National Recruitment Federation Skillnet, supported by the Drogheda and District Chamber and National Recruitment Federation, are delighted to present the Commuter Jobs Expo which will run in the City North Hotel on the 13th February 2020 from 2-8pm. The event is part of the #livelocalworklocal campaign aimed at highlighting opportunities in the wider Drogheda area that can help workers gain a better life work balance. According to Census 2016, the region has one of the highest rates of commuters and also has the longest commute in Ireland with a number of commuters travelling for well over three hours per day. Attendees at the Commuter Jobs Expo will benefit from a local jobs showcase, demonstrating the breadth of regional companies with vacancies. There will also be talks on the benefits of working closer to home (the quality of regional jobs available, better work/life balance, emerging clusters and opportunities). Individuals will be able to meet with multiple companies and recruitment agencies in one location. And there will also be a career Clinic where people can have brief one on one session with experts in CV writing, interview skills, career pathways and career progression, remote working and well-being in the workplace. Breanndan Casey, Secretary of Drogheda & District Chamber of Commerce said "A key focus for the chamber is to encourage some of the 10,000 highly-skilled commuters back to the North East. This will help local companies to successfully recruit people with the right skills and will help businesses further develop in the North East and along the M1 Corridor. 'There are so many benefits to living and working locally, including saving time and money and having a more positive impact on the environment. 'Current Commuters are spending up to 20 hours per week commuting - it will be more productive for people and companies to work locally. We are also conducting an online Commuter survey on www.M1Skillnet.ie to assess the needs and skills of commuters. " To book your free ticket visit www.M1skillnet.ie or if you're interested in taking part or exhibiting at the event, please contact Linda Ennis, 085 1459679 M1 Drogheda Chamber Skillnet was established to support companies across the North East Region by offering them access to subsidised training in a local setting. The focus of the M1 Drogheda Chamber Skillnet is to communicate with businesses along the M1 Corridor, to listen to their training needs and current and future skill shortages, and to support them by organising training courses which are impactful, relevant and which deliver results. Actor Dhanush, who is currently shooting for Mari Selvarajs upcoming Tamil film Karnan, will team up with director Karthick Naren for a yet-untitled project which is currently dubbed D 43. The announcement was made on Sunday. To be bankrolled by Satyajothi Films, the film will mark the maiden collaboration of Dhanush and Karthick Naren, best known for helming Dhruvangal 16. D 43 will have music by GV Prakash Kumar. The makers have confirmed that it will hit the screens on October 23. Last seen on screen in Tamil action comedy Pataas, Dhanush has an excellent line up this year. Having recently wrapped up shooting for Karthik Subbarajs yet-untitled gangster film, he also has Aanand L Rais Atrangi Re with Akshay Kumar and Sara Ali Khan in his kitty. In Subbarajs film, currently dubbed D 40, Dhanush plays a gangster. Recently, pictures of Dhanush with handlebar mustache from the sets of the film went viral on social media. It is rumoured that Dhanush will be seen in this look in the flashback portion of the movie. The project, which marks the maiden collaboration of Dhanush and Karthik, has been predominantly shot in London apart from a few other places in the UK. Also read: Neha Kakkar, Aditya Narayan fly to Goa, he says they had a blast. See pic In November, the team returned to India after shooting in London non-stop for 64 days. Producer Sashikanth said its the longest schedule hes ever worked on in any film. The film features Aishwarya Lekshmi as the leading lady. Games of Thrones and Braveheart fame actor James Cosmo also plays a pivotal role. Dhanush also has a film with director Ramkumar of Ratasan fame in his kitty. If everything goes as planned, this yet-untitled project will also go on the floors later this year. Meanwhile, Karthick Naren currently awaits the release of his upcoming Tamil action-thriller Mafia, starring Arun Vijay, Prasanna and Priya Bhavani Shankar in crucial roles. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop The last cohort of Australian nurses helping out at Whakatane Hospital after the Whakaari/White Island eruption has headed back home. In total, 11 nurses (10 from Australia and one from New Zealand - Southland) offered their services to help their Whakatane nursing colleagues following the Whakaari/White Island eruption on Monday 9 December. The last group of four Australian nurses worked their final shifts at the hospital just prior to the weekend. There has been praise on both sides, from the departing nurses for the way Whakatane staff handled the initial incident and also welcomed them, and from Whakatane Hospital staff for the attitude, skills and hard work of the Australian nurses. Natalie Hincksman is an Advanced Care Nurse who manages and coordinates the MedSTAR Aeromedical Retrieval Service in South Australia. Natalie co-ordinates the retrieval of critical care patients across hospitals in South Australia. I sent a team to New Zealand to retrieve one of the patients from the eruption back to Melbourne, says Natalie. The thing that I got back from my team when they did that retrieval was the care that that patient had received was phenomenal. I dont think that our team (in Australia) understood the scale..this hospital got such a huge number of patients. Its remarkable, the staff here managed so well, added Natalie, who has a 20-year background in intensive care nursing. Natalie says she volunteered in order to help her nursing colleagues recover. Ive worked and supported nurses whove dealt with major incidents before, but nothing quite as big as whats happened here, she said. I also understand how important it is for nurses to recover from a major incident. I thought that some of the skills I have would help in an environment like this, where nurses were maybe dealing with some post traumatic issues. Its not coming in and taking over, its working alongside nurses, supporting them and making them feel valued. Emergency Nurse Practitioner Deanne Brooks says she worked at a country hospital, Geraldton Hospital, which served a similar population to Whakatane back home in Western Australia. Weve all got the same background and came here with the common goal to support these nurses. We can empathise with what theyve been through. Knowing what the Whakatane Hospital nurses went through, they should be exceptionally proud of how they dealt with, and managed, such a catastrophic event with absolute dignity. It was important for me to come to back up and support our New Zealand colleagues. Your lads are fighting our bush fires, I cant help there but I can help here. Royal Darwin Hospital Trauma Clinical Nurse Consultant Trista Barbarino said she was more than happy to answer the call to help her Whakatane healthcare colleagues. New Zealand at the moment is sending firefighters to help us, so the least we can do is return the favour. Theres a lot going on in our country, but a lot went on here so I think its really important that we can help each other out. I feel quite strongly about that. We were just sent here as senior support, to fit in and not need training, to work in their department and just be here an extra set of hands. The team is amazing, theyve been so welcoming I feel like Im at home here. I feel like they went through a lot and its hard for us to understand what they went through. There were a number of reasons behind Launceston General Hospital nurse Lesley Pyecrofts decision to volunteer. Australian nurses Natalie Hincksman, left, Trista Barbaroni, Lesley Pyecroft and Deanne Brooks have been working at Whakatane Hospital following the Whakaari/White Island eruption. Firstly because I know the area very well and take pride in knowing a fair bit about the Maori culture and how family orientated they are...they look after one another and are very community orientated. When the request came to assist the staff at the hospital I knew that they really needed some assistance and I was more than willing to give that knowing what they had been exposed to that day White Island erupted. Lesley says the town's hospitality had been amazing and the community had been very welcoming. Whakatane Hospital Coordinator David van Dijk thanked the nurses, and those who came before them, for all that they had done. I want to say a heartfelt thank you on behalf of everyone here, says David. They have been so supportive of our staff and have brought with them a wealth of knowledge and experience. We are extremely grateful for their support and everything theyve done. They fitted into the teams seamlessly and have been a real pleasure to work alongside. ANNAPOLIS (Feb. 3, 2020)Kratom, a substance that users told lawmakers they take as a pain and addiction treatment, would see more stringent regulation in Maryland under legislation making its way through the General Assembly. Some government agencies advise against using the substance, calling it dangerouswhile opponents of the bill are advocating for safety standards instead. Originating in southeast Asian countries, including Thailand and Indonesia, kratom is an herbal substance that comes from evergreen trees and has similar effects as opioids. House bill 283 would categorize kratom as among the most dangerous controlled substances in Maryland, a list that includes heroin, LSD, ecstasy and a hallucinogen called peyote. Proponents of the bill argue kratom's similarity to opioids can lead to further abuse and addiction, while opponents say the substance, when regulated properly, can help people alleviate pain, and help those with opioid addictions overcome withdrawal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report in April naming kratom as a possible cause of death in 91 drug overdoses across 11 states between July 2016 and December 2017. Kratom, often times spiked or used with opioids, was the only substance found in seven of those 91, according to the CDC report. The FDA in a 2019 advisory has said that kratom, which "affects the same opioid brain receptors as morphine, appears to have properties that expose users to the risks of addiction, abuse, and dependence." But advocates for the substance told state lawmakers that it is safe, effective for treating pain and not addictive unless it has been mixed with another drug or processed improperly. "Some enterprising vendor is spiking kratom to enhance sales, because kratom doesn't give you a high," Senior Fellow on Public Policy for the American Kratom Association Mac Haddow told lawmakers. "Kratom doesn't give you a high. If it gives you a high, it's an adulterated product, and if it's adulterated you put your life at risk." Opioid-related deaths have been a nationwide issue, particularly in Maryland. The first nine months of 2019 show a decline in opioid-related deaths in the state. If this trend holds, last year would be the first in a decade to see a decrease in opioid-related deaths, according to the Maryland Opioid Operational Command Center. Kratom is banned in six states and four cities in the United States. The American Kratom Association advocates for the Kratom Consumer Protection Act, which requires proper labeling from kratom vendors to certify product pureness. It has been passed in four statesUtah, Georgia, Arizona and Oregonwithout much opposition, and is being considered in 21 other states this year. Haddow is pushing for Maryland to join them. "There's no guarantee people don't get bad kratom because of the internet," said Haddow, who said he uses kratom for his arthritis. "(The Kratom Consumer Protection Act) puts a stop to the bad actors in this industry." Maryland Poison Center Medical Director Josh King told Capital News Service it would be tough to regulate kratom without it going through clinical trials. King said he doesn't recommend clinical trials due to concerns of abuse and the reported opium-like effects from kratom. "Something that is natural isn't always safe," King said. "This is a good example of that." Delegate Ken Kerr, D-Frederick, said he wanted to introduce the bill after hearing how a Frederick County citizen's family was torn apart from abuse of the drug. "It has the dependency potential, the overdose potential and it's a dangerous subject that deserves some attention," Kerr told Capital News Service. The Judicial Proceeding Committee held a hearing Jan. 22 for the identical Senate version of the legislation, Senate bill 147. Introduced by Sen. Ronald Young, D-Frederick, the bill drew testimony from dozens of people. Many of the speakers are part of a Facebook support group, where they exchange safe practices for consumption and ways to spread awareness. John Shorter, an Annapolis native and information technology employee at the Naval Academy, testified at the hearing that he started using kratom in 2016 to wean off his opioid addiction after suffering from severe anxiety and depression. "I wouldn't be here right now without the use of kratom," Shorter said. He said kratom is a better alternative than waiting a week for mental health counseling. Frederick Phelan III, a 34-year-old Middletown, Maryland, resident and student at an online career school called Penn Foster, said kratom helped him stop drinking. "My family told me I was gonna die (from alcoholism)," Phelan, who usually takes three daily doses, told Capital News Service. "Now, I feel like I'm on the right path." After hearing the "educational, informative and excellent" testimonies from last week, a staff member for Young said he worked with the American Kratom Association and the Judicial Proceedings Committee to add amendments to the bill on Friday. The amendments used language from Haddow and the American Kratom Association that would require users to be 21 and older, and added guidelines to make sure the product was unadulterated, according to Young's office. The full Senate is expected to take up the measure on Monday. Illinois and Louisiana have both similar passed laws banning the sale to minors younger than 18. Kerr told the Capital News Service he wants to move forward with his version of the bill as draftedwhich would add kratom to the list of Schedule I substancesfor Tuesday's scheduled hearing, and has six co-sponsorsfour Democrats and two Republicans. Sean Nicholson, the director of development for a recovery group based in Frederick, Maryland, called the Phoenix Foundation, counseled Kerr on introducing the bill. A former opioid addict himself, Nicholson said there's not enough information on the benefits of kratom to regulate it. Nicholson is working with Kerr on a project that would build a recovery high school in Frederick called the Phoenix Academy, and leads structured living houses for addicts to provide sober living environments. He said it's here where he sees the similar effects it has to opioids. "From my perspective, using kratom as a detox for getting off opioids really has no positive results," said Nicholson. "It's absolutely not the missing link." As a manager of a residential center for addicts, Nicholson said having someone who is experiencing similar side effects like opioids can produce unwanted distractions. He said effects of kratom that he has seen include constantly nodding off and fading out of conversations, itching and scratching, and becoming more talkative and energized. "I do have a question whether they're truly in recovery as they continue to be dependent on an addictive substance," Kerr told Capital News Service. While Kerr is going forward with his bill, he said more research is necessary. "We need to do something about it," said Kerr. "We can't let it continue to be an unregulated substance." Police in Uttar Pradesh has arrested 108 members of the Popular Front of India in the last four days for their alleged involvement in protests against the anti-citizenship law, a senior official said on Monday. The arrests are in addition to the 25 made earlier, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi told reporters. "This is just the beginning. We will get to the roots of the organisation. A probe is also going on about their financial dealings. We are in touch with central agencies and are sharing information with them," he said, adding that Uttar Pradesh was the first state to take this kind of action against the organisation. Giving details, acting Director General of Police (DGP) Hitesh Chandra Awasthi said 14 people were arrested in Lucknow, 21 in Meerut, 20 in Varanasi, 16 in Bahraich, three in Sitapur, nine in Ghaziabad, six in Muzaffarnagar, seven in Shamli, four in Bijnore, five in Kanpur and one each in Gonda, Hapur and Jaunpur. Asked whether the state police has any information about the PFI's financial transactions from the (ED), he said, "We are collecting evidence." He added that they were continuously interacting with the ED and other agencies but declined to comment further. In December 2019, Uttar Pradesh Police sought a ban on the PFI, suspecting the organisation's complicity in the statewide violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The ban was sought after PFI's Uttar Pradesh head Wasim and 16 other activists were arrested for allegedly masterminding the violence in Lucknow during anti-CAA protests. The was formed in 2006 in Kerala as a successor to the National Democratic Front (NDF). Security agencies have alleged its leaders have been groomed in the SIMI ideology. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will intensify its campaign by holding public meetings in all 70 Assembly constituencies in the last phase of the election campaigning for Delhi polls scheduled to be held on February 8. Addressing the media on Monday, Party's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, "500 spokespersons of our different frontal organisations will hold public meetings during the next three days on all 70 Assembly constituencies. The campaign will start tomorrow." The party leader also added that the party might release its manifesto on Tuesday. Singh also said the party will approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) against the remarks made by the BJP leaders during the campaigning for Assembly elections. "We will take the matter to Election Commission of India," said Singh. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress are the three main contenders in the Assembly elections. AAP had won 67 seats in the Assembly elections in 2015 while BJP had only managed to bag 3 seats. The counting of votes will take place on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ogoja, Nigeria For most children, their birthday is a time of celebration. But that was not the case for Mirabel when she turned 10. For Mirabel, a Cameroonian refugee living in Nigeria, turning 10 marked the start of gruelling daily torture having her breasts ironed with hot stones by her mother. Every morning, a neighbour from the refugee community where she lives in Ogoja, in Nigerias southeastern Cross River State, holds her legs firmly in place while her mother takes a burning hot pestle straight from the fire and presses it against her daughters chest in an attempt to flatten her breasts. The procedure can be repeated for months, or even years, and is intended to either stop young girls developing breasts or to flatten them once they have. It feels like they are placing real fire on my breasts, Mirabel says. I have been in pain since the first day. Gender-based violence Her mother, Angela, says the pain and discomfort her daughter is enduring worries her less than the reports she has heard of teenage girls being sexually harassed or exploited by men. She is determined to focus her efforts on making her daughter less desirable to men. I just dont want her to become a target of boys around her, says Angela. Im aware that many boys here like to chase after little girls. Although many of the families Al Jazeera spoke to mentioned the vulnerability of young girls growing up as refugees as one of the reasons for their decision to iron their daughters breasts, the practice has been happening in Cameroon for generations. The origin of the practice is unclear, but about a quarter of women in Cameroon have undergone breast ironing, according to research by Gender Empowerment and Development (GeED), a non-governmental organisation based in Yaounde, Cameroon, which found that in nearly 60 percent of cases, the procedure is carried out by mothers. The United Nations has described breast ironing as one of the most under-reported crimes associated with gender-based violence. It is thought to affect 3.8 million women globally. No girl is safe here Like many other refugees in Cross River State, Mirabel and Angela fled the southwestern Cameroonian town of Akwaya for Nigeria after fighting broke out between government forces and English-speaking separatists who complain that they have been marginalised in the majority French-speaking country. The conflict has forced some 500,000 people from their homes and created a humanitarian crisis in the region. According to the latest figures from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), Nigeria currently hosts more than 50,000 refugees from Cameroon, with 70 percent of these in Cross River State. Roughly half the refugees live in one of four refugee settlements, while the rest live in host communities. Angela and her daughter arrived in Ogoja in February 2018, joining thousands of other refugees taking shelter in the Adagom and Okende host communities where women and girls have reported being sexually harassed by members of the host communities as well as by other refugees. These days, you cannot step out of the house without meeting a man who is demanding sex or inviting you to his home, says Queen, a 17-year-old girl who fled the southwestern Cameroonian border town of Mamfe with her parents for Adagom. No girl is safe here. More than 12 Cameroonian girls living in settlements in Adagom and Okende told Al Jazeera that they are regularly sexually harassed by men. I needed money to buy sanitary pads, so I went to ask a man [in the community] for help but he started touching me as soon as I walked up to him, says Lydia, a 16-year-old girl who lives in the Adagom refugee settlement. I ran away as he tried to drag me to him. Worried about the safety of their 13-year-old daughter, Helen and her husband made the decision to iron her breasts after she reported that a man whose home she cleans regularly touched her inappropriately. The harassment she faced made our decision [to iron her breasts] easier, explains Helen, who fled Akwaya and lives in the Okende host community with her family. All we did was for her own good. But, Salome Gambo, a senior protection specialist at the Caprecon Development and Peace Initiative, which is based in Abuja but works on child protection in refugee camps across northeast Nigeria, says: This practice just ends up harming children and putting them at risk of severe complications. Families should rather channel their efforts towards educating their daughters on sex issues. Survival sex The refugee families fears for their daughters are not unfounded. Female refugees and displaced people in Nigeria are at high risk of sexual harassment and exploitation. The UN has said it is aware of a high level of survival sex women turning to prostitution out of desperation in camps housing Cameroonian refugees in Cross River State. UNHCR spokesman William Spindler said: For women, the lack of work combined with the over-stretched reception facilities, creates a higher risk of sexual and gender-based violence, particularly from survival sex. So far, only a limited number of such cases have been recorded, mainly in the Amana community of Cross River state. However, UNHCR is concerned that many more incidents go unreported or are referred only to community elders. But even in their home country, Cameroonian girls are at risk of early marriage and pregnancy. According to UNICEF, in the period between 2008 and 2014, 13 percent of Cameroonian children were married by the time they are 15 and 38 percent by the time they were 18. According to the Cameroon Medical Council, 25 percent of pregnancies occur in school-age girls, and 20 percent of pregnant girls do not return to school. Many Cameroonian families may fear that living as refugees adds an element of danger for their daughters. But for others, breast ironing is a matter of societal expectation. It felt like I was the only one left out, says Pamela, whose two closest friends had ironed their daughters breasts. I just had to do it like the others did. But whether it takes place in Cameroon or refugee communities elsewhere, activists have been warning of the consequences for the victims physical and psychological health. Girls who undergo the procedure risk issues like breast cancer, cysts and an inability to breastfeed, not to mention the physical and psychological scars associated with the custom, said Gambo, who has counselled a number of victims of the practice. Its time families put an end to such abuse. Tess Richey was sexually assaulted and brutally strangled to death by a man whom shed just met, prosecutors will argue over the next few weeks at a downtown Toronto courthouse. Kalen Schlatter, 23, is facing a charge of first-degree murder in the case. He has pleaded not guilty. The 22-year-old aspiring flight attendant was found dead in a stairwell near where she was last seen alive on Church St. on Nov. 25, 2017. The jury is expected to hear evidence from the people who last saw Richey alive and undercover officers who spoke to Schlatter after his arrest while posing as his cellmates. The Crown alleges Schlatter told the officers he was upset because Richey refused to have sex with him. The Toronto police were sharply criticized for failing to investigate Richeys disappearance properly. This took place amid concerns that missing-persons cases linked to the Gay Village were not being taken seriously. Her case was among those which prompted the police board to commission a sweeping review of how Toronto police handle missing-persons investigations. The Star will update this story as the trial progresses. It is set to last six to eight weeks. Here is what has happened so far: Jan 30: The trial began with the Crowns opening address to the jury. Prosecutor Beverley Richards gave a detailed account of the evidence the jury is expected to hear, which includes surveillance video the Crown said will show Schlatter and Richey walking towards the stairwell where her body was found, and Schlatter walking away alone 45 minutes later. Richeys body was found four days later. The Crown said Schlatters semen was found on the outside of Richeys pants. The trial also heard from police witnesses who took the jury through photos of the various locations around Church Street, including the stairwell. Jan 31: Rachel Richey, Tess Richeys older sister, gave emotional testimony about the last time she saw her sister alive Nov. 24, 2017 and the frantic search that began the next day. Their mother, Christine Hermeston, drove down from North Bay to help in the search. Four days later, Hermeston and her friend were searching the area around Church Street where Richey was last seen alive. Hermestons friend Ann Brazeau testified, through tears: I just saw her lying there and I went into complete shock. Horror. Disbelief. I couldnt process or make sense of what I was seeing . I was terrified. The trial also heard from Kabous Abadi, a hot dog vendor who said two women and a man came by his stand on Church Street in the early hours of Nov. 25, 2017. The man paid. He recognized the women when police came by with photos. Feb 3: Uber driver Marlon Allamby testified that he responded to a request for an UberPool from Tess Richeys account at 4:02 a.m. on Nov. 25, 2017, on Church Street. She never showed up. The jury also heard more testimony about the discovery of Tess Richeys body in the external stairwell of a house under renovation at 582 Church St. around 3 p.m. on Nov. 28, 2017. Const. Robert Chevalier, a neighbourhood police officer based in the Church-Wellesley neighbourhood, said he joined the investigation after seeing a flyer about Richey at the 519 Community Centre that morning. He said missing people in the area were a concern, and noted that at the time serial killer Bruce McArthur had not yet been caught. Chevalier said he met Richeys mother and friend in the afternoon. They asked him to check out the address of a nearby house. Shortly after he got there, he heard a scream. He went into the alleyway and saw the stairwell, obscured from the main street by a gravel pile. He saw a dead body in the stairwell, with a pink handbag next to her. Court ended at around 2:30 p.m. because a juror injured herself in a fall over the lunch break. The rest of Chevaliers testimony was postponed to the next day. Feb 4: In one of the most difficult moments of the trial so far, the jury was shown photographs of Richeys body as it was found at the bottom of a stairwell leading down to the basement door of a house under renovation on Church Street. Richeys family left the courtroom while the photographs were shown in court. The trial also heard from Ryley Simard who had gone out drinking and dancing with Richey at the Crews and Tangos bar on Church Street the night she was killed. Simard, who was one of the last people to see her friend alive, testified that she and Richey were asked to leave the bar at around 2 a.m., both very drunk. They walked along Church Street, stopped at a hot dog stand, and then stopped outside at a house on Dundonald Street where Richey had a conversation with a woman. While the hot dog vendor testified Schlatter was with the two women at the hot dog stand, Simard did not mention it in her testimony. She did testify that she kissed Schlatter goodbye on the lips before she went home around 4 a.m., leaving Richey and Schlatter in the Church Street area. Feb. 5: On the night Kalen Schlatter was arrested, Feb. 4, 2018, he was put in the police station holding cells with two undercover officers posing as two men arrested for possessing stolen property. One of the undercover officers began his testimony Wednesday from behind a screen meant to conceal his identity from the public. He is known as Undercover Officer 1. Schlatter told the officers hed been arrested for Richeys murder and claimed theyd met at the Crews and Tangos bar where they kissed and danced, the officer testified. He said that after her friend went home, he led Richey into the alley and then stairwell to hook up but was pissed off when she refused to have sex with him. He claimed she wanted to stay in the stairwell and he asked her if he should stay. She said no and he left her there alive, the officer said Schlatter told him. Mr. Schlatter said he was drunk and something could have happened, but he doesnt remember and he doesnt think hes capable of doing it, the officer recalled. Court ended at 1 p.m., with the officers examination-in-chief set to continue the next day. Feb. 6: The testimony of the undercover officer concluded just after 11 a.m. The jury was then dismissed for the day for reasons of ensuring a fair trial through no fault of counsel for the defence or counsel for the Crown. Superior Court Justice Michael Dambrot apologized to the jury for the inconvenience. The cross-examination of the officer by the defence is expected to start Friday morning. Feb 7: One of Schlatters defence lawyers, Lydia Riva, argued the undercover officers memory and notes of the conversation with Schlatter in the cells was unreliable, cannot be trusted and that he omitted key context. The conversation was videotaped, but not audio-recorded. Riva suggested there were important discrepancies between the memories of the two undercover officers. The second officer has not yet testified. She also suggested that Schlatter bragged about his sexual exploits with women, because he is bisexual and was afraid of how he might be treated in jail if that were known. Feb 10: For the morning, the jury watched hours of soundless video clips of Schlatter in a small holding cell, with an undercover officer in a cell on either side. He can be seen speaking, though it is impossible to know what he is saying. The jury has heard that the police did not get a judicial authorization for an audio recording of the conversation between Schlatter and two undercover officers. But the jury has not heard why. Feb 11: One of the undercover officers handlers, who supervised the undercover operation, testified that there was an officer protection kit in the cell with the first undercover officer. The device allowed the handlers to listen to the conversation solely for officer safety, which in this case meant possible medical issues or distress, he said. He said he did not listen to the content of the conversation, only for any indication or signal of a problem from the officers. He said he did not take notes of the conversation as that would not be allowed. The jury also heard from the second undercover officer, who gave a much less detailed account of the conversation than the first. He corroborated some of the account given by the other officer but defence lawyer Lydia Riva pointed out some differences and omissions. The second officer could not recall if Schlatter said he was pissed off or upset that he could not have sex with Tess Richey. Riva also seized on the differences in words. The second officer said Schlatter said he was acting emotional when shown photos of Richeys body by the police, while the first said he said he pretended to be emotional. Feb 12: The jury began viewing surveillance videos seized from the Crews and Tangos bar showing the movements of both Schlatter and Richey from the night of Nov 24, 2017. The jury also saw the security video that the Crown says shows Richey and Schlatter walking towards the stairwell where Richeys body was later found, and Schlatter walking out alone 45 minutes later. Feb 13, 14 and 17: The trial did not sit. Feb. 17 was Family Day and court was closed. Feb 18: The jury continued watching security videos from Crews and Tangos. They watched Richey and Simard dancing under strobe lights in the crowded bar. The two women occasionally crossed paths with Schlatter, who was also at the bar, but they dont appear to notice each other at all. Feb: 19: In the morning, the pathologist who conducted the autopsy of Richeys body testified. Dr. Kona Williams concluded Richey had been strangled to death, possibly with a soft cloth ligature, a forearm pressed against her neck or in a chokehold. The time of Richeys death is consistent with when she is last seen alive on the security videos with Schlatter, around 4 a.m. on Nov. 25, 2017 but Williams could not pinpoint an exact time and said it could have been later. In the afternoon, the jury resumed watching security footage. They saw Richey and Simard leave Crews and Tangos at around 2:18 a.m. and linger on the sidewalk for some minutes before they started walking north on Church St. Schlatter is also standing on the sidewalk outside the bar. Simard goes up to Schlatter and they speak briefly the Crown has said this was Schlatter offering a light for her cigarette but Simard did not recall the interaction when she testified. Schlatter could also be seen slowly moving north on Church St., the same direction as Richey and Simard. Feb 20: The jury saw the last security footage of Richey alive. At about 4:15 a.m. on Nov. 25, 2017, Schlatter and Richey walked hand-in-hand into the alley off Church Street where her body was found days later at the bottom of a stairwell leading to the basement of a house under renovation. Schlatter leaves the alley alone about 45 minutes later. The detective who reviewed the footage from cameras all around the area, including motion-activated cameras with a view of the fence at the back of the house, said he didnt see Richey leave or anyone else go in or out of the area for the next two hours. Feb 21: During cross-examination the defence drew the jurys attention to another man seen in a pink hat in the videos. The defence has suggested they will argue it is possible another person was responsible for killing Richey after getting to the alley and stairwell by climbing over a fence at the back. Feb. 24: Cross-examination on the video evidence ended and the jury heard testimony from a police officer who executed a search warrant on Schlatters home. Photos of Schlatters bedroom, which showed board games and video games, were used by undercover officers to find common ground with Schlatter while they posed as recently arrested men in holding cells next to Schlatter. The jury has heard Schlatter opened up after one of the undercover officers mentioned the card game Magic: The Gathering. Feb 25: The Crown introduced several text message conversations taken from Schlatters phone after it was seized by police upon his arrest on Feb. 4, 2018. The messages included flirtatious and sexual conversations with women in the days and months after Richey was last seen alive. The jury has heard two undercover officers testify that Schlatter boasted extensively about his sexual exploits with women. The defence has suggested he was bragging out of fear of what would happen to him in jail if it were known he is bisexual. In one text, from 9:46 p.m. on Nov 26, 2017 almost two days after Schlatter and Richey were captured on video walking into the alley he told one woman: This weekend has been the worst for me and Ive been so stressed out. Feb 26: The trial did not sit because the judge had to deal with an emergency. Feb 27: Undercover Officer 1 was recalled and further questioned by the defence. Using the faint audio from the booking room video, the defence suggested the officer was the one who prompted conversation with Schlatter. The officer said it was Schlatter who prompted the conversation and said he could not make out what was being said between him and Schlatter in the background audio. The jury also heard evidence from a toxicologist about the amount of alcohol Tess Richey had in her system at the time of her death at most 206 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. A forensic biologist testified about the DNA evidence obtained from Richeys clothes. Semen on her pants and saliva on her bra were found to match Schlatters DNA. Feb 28: The testimony of the forensic biologist concluded and court broke around 11 a.m. Mar. 2: The trial did not sit. Mar. 3: In testimony that at times appeared straight out of The Wire, a combative life-long criminal and self-professed liar who once shared a jail cell with Schlatter testified that Schlatter confessed to strangling Tess Richey with a scarf and ejaculating on her body after she refused to have sex with him. Schlatter said he was too worked up to stop, the jailhouse informant who can only be described as E.S., told the jury. While E.S. said he was only testifying for the dead girl and her family and that he was not receiving any consideration from the Crown for his own pending charges, the defence suggested he had manufactured the confession in order to help himself in the future. Mar. 4: E.S., who became increasingly hostile and insulting towards Schlatters defence lawyer during cross-examination, concluded his testimony. The jury then heard evidence about Schlatters cellphone records. Mar. 5: The jury heard from a correctional officer at the Toronto South Detention Centre, who testified about the period of time E.S. and Schlatter were in custody together. The jury also heard from Det. Ted Lioumanis, the officer-in-charge of the case. He said that on Dec. 10, 2017, the police released images of a man from an ATM security video. Kalen Schlatter called in to the police station and said he was the person in the photos. However, when at the station he did not admit to being the person in the photos. Police obtained his DNA off a water bottle Schlatter had drunk from and discarded. Mar. 6: Lioumanis concluded his testimony and the jury then heard from Det. Sgt. Graham Gibson who testified about how police came to arrest Schlatter. Police had been working on getting a judicial authorization to record the undercover operation in the cells, however it was not completed when Schlatter was arrested. Gibson said the decision to arrest Schlatter was a matter of public safety. It was a stranger-on-stranger homicide, he said. I couldnt guarantee eyes on him all the time. He also said he did not want to arrest Schlatter at his home because of the potential for a volatile and dangerous situation. Schlatter was arrested on Feb. 4, 2018 after watching the Superbowl at a movie theatre with his family. The Crown closed their case at the end of Gibsons testimony. Mar. 9: Kalen Schlatter testified in his defence. Mar. 10: Schlatter was cross-examined. Mar. 11: Trial did not sit. Mar. 12: The defence called to the stand a man they claim was responsible for Richeys murder. Mar. 13: The man was cross-examined by the Crown. The defence closed its case. Mar. 16: The jury is given the option of whether they wish to continue the trial, as the COVID-19 pandemic shuts down all other trials. They decide to proceed. The defence makes closing arguments. Mar. 17: The Crown made closing arguments. Mar. 18 and 19: The jury did not sit. The lawyers and the judge discussed the legal instructions that would be given to the jury. Mar. 20: The judge charged the jury. Deliberations began at 4 p.m. and the jury ended their day at 7 p.m. Mar. 21: The jury deliberated from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mar. 22: The jury deliberated from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mar. 23: The jury returned with a verdict at shortly before 6 p.m. They found Schlatter guilty of first-degree murder. He will face a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. With files from the Canadian Press Blue Oyster Cult released Agents Of Fortune in 1976 and, while a bit more commercial than their earlier releases, it proved to be their breakthrough album gaining platinum status and unleashing (Dont Fear) The Reaper on prime time radio. In celebrating its 40th anniversary, the band performed the album in its entirety on 18th April 2016 at Red Studios in Hollywood even being joined by founding member Albert Bouchard on some tracks. The DVD of the performance, alongside a remastered version of the album and interviews, is to be released on 6th March 2020. On the same day a remastered version of BOCs thirteenth studio album, Heaven Forbid, is to be released. Included in this version is In Thee (live at Millbrook). Currently hard at work on new material for a studio album that will be released in 2020, BOCs Eric Bloom told MetalTalk the band is in the middle of creating new songs and recording them in between tour dates and, as they evolve in rehearsals and soundchecks, we hope to drop a song or two into our live shows soon. Everyone is involved in the writing and arrangement of the new material and were all excited about the prospect of a new BOC album. BOC will tour the UK in October 2020, including several shows with Deep Purple. THE BLACK CROWES The Black Crowes have today announced the European dates for their Shake Your Money Maker tour. The 1990 debut release will be played in its entirety, plus all the hits too. The five time platinum album featured the hits Hard to Handle and She Talks to Angels. Dates are on their website. Pre-sale available from Wednesday and tickets on sale Friday. TESTAMENT. Bay Area thrash metal giants TESTAMENT have announced their thirteenth studio album, Titans Of Creation, which will be released on April 3rd via Nuclear Blast. Chuck Billy told MetalTalk It has been months since the final mixing of Titans Of Creationand we are eager for fans to hear it. We feel that we put a lot into this record and at the end of the day it is a TESTAMENT record that stands on its own. We are very proud of Titans Of Creation. Night Of The Witch uses old school lyrics about witches chanting in the moonlight and casting spells. The beauty of this song is that I worked in Erics vocals into the chorus. I wanted to incorporate him as he does DRAGONLORD and this song was a perfect match. It is a heavy song and a great way to introduce everyone to Titans Of Creation. Check out lead track Night Of The Witch: Collateral Collateral released their new single Merry Go Round remixed by Romesh Dodangoda on Friday 31st January. Collateral are quite busy this year including tours with Jared James Nichols, Phil X & The Drills, Skid Row and H.E.A.T. NAKED SIX NAKED SIX release their debut album Lost Art Of Conversation on 6th March. It is a briskly-bubbling stew, with hints of Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, bits of Nirvana and slivers of Queens of the Stone Age and Seb Byford (vocals/guitar), Tom Witts (drums/percussion) and Callum Witts (bass/keyboards) have produced an album we are a little bit excited about. We formed this band in a boarding school on the foggy, misty North Yorkshire moors, frontman Seb Byford told MetalTalk, and that special space and air around us inspired the quest for creativity and explorative thought. Weve always looked for things that were heavy but also had a dimension, that took a risk. SEVEN SISTERS February is a busy month for Seven Sisters as they team up with Haunt for eleven dates in Germany, Spain, France and finishing up at Brofest in Newcastle, UK. ANKARA, Turkey Turkey hit targets in northern Syria, responding to shelling by Syrian government forces that killed at least six Turkish military personnel, the Turkish president said Monday. A Syrian war monitor said 13 Syrian troops were also killed. Also, Syrian activists said airstrikes in the countrys northern, rebel-held region killed at least nine civilians Monday. The exchange between Ankara and Damascus came hours after a large Turkish military convoy entered the northwestern province of Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in Syria. It is likely to further increase tensions between the two neighboring countries, as such direct clashes have been rare, and could also cause friction between Moscow and Ankara, which have sought to coordinate their actions in Syria. Earlier, Turkeys National Defense Ministry said the Turkish forces were sent to Idlib as reinforcements and were attacked there despite prior notification of their coordinates to the local authorities. It said Turkish forces responded to the attack, destroying targets. Four Turkish soldiers died at the scene while another soldier and a Turkish civilian member of the military personnel died later in hospital. Seven Turkish troops were wounded. Speaking to reporters before departing for a visit to Ukraine, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkish artillery hit some 46 targets in Syria. Erdogan said Turkish warplanes were also involved and claimed that there were between 30 and 35 casualties on the Syrian side but offered no evidence. Those who test Turkeys determination with such vile attacks will understand their mistake, Erdogan said. He said Russia was told that Ankara would not stand for any situation where we are prevented from responding to Syrian assaults. It is not possible for us to remain silent when our soldiers are being martyred, Erdogan said. The deaths were one of the highest single-day tolls for Turkish troops in Syria Ankara has lost scores of military personnel in the Syrian war. The escalation comes amid a Syrian government offensive into the countrys last rebel stronghold, located in Idlib and parts of the nearby Aleppo region. Turkish troops are deployed in some of those rebel-held areas of Syria to monitor an earlier cease-fire that was agreed to but that has since collapsed. Turkeys Defense Minister Hulusi Akar immediately traveled to the Turkey-Syria border to assure the troops. Our people should know that the necessary has been done and will continue to be done, he said upon arrival. Erdogans top aide called on Russia to rein in Syrian President Bashar Assads forces. If Russia is unable to control the Assad regime from targeting us, we will not hesitate to take actions against any threat, just as we did today in Idlib, Erdogans communications director Fahrettin Altun wrote on Twitter. The exchange occurred near the Syrian flashpoint town of Saraqeb, according to the the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group. It added that Turkish troops shelled Syrian army positions in three provinces, killing eight soldiers in Idlib, three in Latakia province and two in the Hama region. However, Syrias state news agency SANA said government forces captured two new villages on the way to Saraqeb. It added that as Syrian troops were chasing insurgents, four Turkish soldiers were killed and nine wounded triggering a Turkish retaliation but it claimed there were no casualties among Syrian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry said Turkey had failed to notify the Russian military about troop movements overnight in Idlib and that the Turkish troops got hit by Syrian fire that was directed at terrorists a reference to al-Qaida-linked militants west of Saraqeb. The Russian military, which controls the airspace over Idlib province, said the Turkish aircraft never entered Syrias airspace during Mondays attack. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian military remains in constant contact with Turkish counterparts in Syria. Relations between Turkey and Syria have deteriorated sharply since Syrias civil war began in 2011. Syria accuses Turkey of undermining its security by allowing thousands of foreign fighters to come battle the Syrian army. Idlib province is currently dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants. With Russian backing, the Syria government has been on the offensive since December to capture and reopen a strategic highway held by the rebels since 2012. The offensive ignored a cease-fire deal brokered late last year between Russia and Turkey. The deal has since collapsed. Syrian government forces captured the key Idlib town of Maaret al-Numan from the rebels last Wednesday, and have now set their sights on Saraqeb. The strategic highway passes through both towns. Opposition activists did not say who was behind the airstrikes that killed nine civilians in rebel-held parts of northern Syria. The nine were on a minibus carrying people fleeing the violence near the village of Kfar Naha in Aleppo province, according to the Observatory and Baladi news, an activist collective. Four children, three women and two men were killed, according to paramedics. The World Health Organization said Monday that at least 53 health facilities had suspended services in northwestern Syria since the beginning of the year because of the violence and threats of attacks. It added that on average, the WHO and its partners reach 800,000 people in northwest Syria every month but the situation on the ground is changing by the hour. The province of Idlib is home to some 3 million people, many of them displaced from other parts of Syria in earlier bouts of violence. The United Nations has estimated that about 390,000 Syrians have been displaced there over the past two months 315,000 in December and 75,000 in January. Turkey already hosts 3.5 million Syrian refugees, and the current wave of violence in Idlib has raised concerns of a new surge in displaced civilians fleeing toward the Turkish border. ___ Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut, and Vladimir Isachenkov and Daria Litvinova in Moscow contributed to this report. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered an FIR in the Elgar Parishad or Bhima Koregaon case and charged 11 people, including nine currently in jail, under provisions of the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the IPC, days after it was handed over the matter in Maharashtra by the Centre. Pune: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered an FIR in the Elgaar Parishad case and charged 11 people, including nine currently in jail, under provisions of the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the IPC, days after it was handed over the matter in Maharashtra by the Centre. While the Pune Police had applied IPC section 124A (sedition) in the case during the investigation, the NIA FIR does not have this charge, said advocate Siddharth Patil, representing some of the accused. Similarly, IPC sections like 121 (waging or attempting to war or abetting waging war against the Government of India) 121A (conspiracy to commit offences punishable under section 121) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) were missing from the NIA's FIR. Violence erupted in the vicinity of a war memorial in Bhima Koregaon near Pune on 1 January, 2018, allegedly after provocative speeches were made at the Elgar Parishad conclave a day earlier in Pune's Shanirwada locality. The Pune Police claimed the conclave was backed by outlawed Maoist groups and arrested activists Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj, and Varavara Rao for their alleged links with Naxals. On 24 January, the Centre transferred the case, registered at the Vishrambaug police station, from the Pune police to the NIA, a central agency. As per the NIA's FIR, which was part of the agency's application in a special Pune court seeking transfer of seized data, court records and proceedings, 11 people have been charged under IPC Sections 153 A (promoting enmity between groups), 505 (1)(b) (with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public), 117 (abetting commission of offence by the public or by more than ten persons) among others. They have also been charged under Sections 13 (unlawful activities), 16 (terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy), 18B (recruiting of any person or persons for terrorist act) 20 (being a member of a terrorist gang or organization) and 39 (offence relating to support given to terrorist organisation) of the UAPA. The 11 include the nine arrested by the Pune Police, while the two other names in the NIA FIR are activists Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde. As per the NIA FIR, the list of accused comprises 11 who have been named as well as "others". A senior Pune Police official said more sections and names of accused could be added by the NIA once all the case papers of the probe are given to the federal agency. The Pune Police had filed two charge sheets in the case. Earlier on Monday, the prosecution and the defence sought more time from a Pune court to file their response on the NIA's application seeking transfer of the Elgaar Parishad case to a special NIA court in Mumbai. ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Interfaith leaders gathered on Monday in Abu Dhabi to mark one year since Pope Francis historic trip to the Arabian Peninsula, a visit that saw leading Muslim clerics gather alongside the pope to promote co-existence. The United Arab Emirates has worked to promote itself over the past year as a beacon of religious tolerance, despite its hard limits on political speech. The majority of the countrys population are not Emirati Muslim citizens, but foreigners, millions of whom are Christian and Hindu. Abu Dhabi hosted Mondays meeting to showcase its continued efforts in promoting interfaith dialogue as it prepares to break ground this year on a compound that will house a mosque, church and synagogue side by side. The Abrahamic House of Fraternity project is due to be completed in 2022. In the neighbouring emirate of Dubai, an unmarked villa has already been turned into a synagogue. The UAE and Saudi Arabia, along with other Gulf states, have been expanding their outreach to Christian groups, like evangelicals, and Jewish organizations. The effort coincides with a broader alignment of political interests and ties emerging between Gulf Arab states and Israel, which share a common foe in Iran. A U.S. rabbi, a representative of the Catholic church and a trained sheikh from Egypts Al-Azhar, the revered 1,000-year-old seat of Sunni Islamic learning, attended Mondays briefing where they discussed ongoing interfaith efforts. Senior Rabbi at the Washington Hebrew Congregation, Bruce Lustig, insisted his participation on this visit was apolitical. We are here as a forum for peace for the whole human family, so I am delighted when there are greater ties with the state of Israel, he told The Associated Press. I am delighted when theres opportunities to bring justice and peace to so many people who have so many injustices in the world. Israels treatment of Palestinians and the sanctity of one of Islams holiest sites in Jerusalem remain obstacles to full normalization. Like most of the Arab world, the UAE does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Pope Francis trip last year marked the first ever papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula. He ended his trip with a mass for 180,000 Christians, capping a visit that emphasized the presence of minority Christians in the region and a greater understanding with Islam. During his trip, Francis also participated in a conference on interreligious dialogue and signed a human fraternity document to promote coexistence and confront extremism with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb. Just before he departed for Abu Dhabi last year, the pope appealed for an end to Yemens humanitarian crisis, saying the cries of these children and their parents rise up to God. The UAE is a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war with Yemens Iran-aligned rebels. The conflict has driven Yemen to the brink of famine and caused the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. New Delhi, Feb 3 : The aggregate deposits of Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) have increased by Rs 3.28 lakh crore in the first six months of the current financial year from Rs 128.83 lakh crore to Rs 132.11 lakh crore in April-September period, parliament was told on Monday. The year-on-year growth of aggregate deposits of SCBs in the month of March in 2017, 2018 and 2019 was 10.1 per cent, 6.1 per cent and 9.2 per cent, respectively, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. He said the Government has taken a number of steps to improve bank deposits including under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, where 37.95 crore accounts have been opened under the scheme, mobilising bank deposits amounting to Rs 1.13 lakh crore as on January 22, 2020. In Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, Rs 9.19 lakh crore have been transferred directly into the accounts of beneficiaries, promoting account-based transactions and accumulation of savings and interest thereon as deposits in banks. On the network of 'Bank Mitras' for branchless banking in rural areas, he said that over 1.26 lakh Bank Mitras have been deployed, improving mobilisation of deposits from rural areas. Under the expansion of branch network, the domestic branch network of SCBs has increased by 23,730 in the last five financial years, enabling better mobilisation of deposits. Seven Payments Banks with 671 branches are now operational under this new bank licence category introduced in November 2014, mobilising bank deposits of Rs 883 crore, as on March 2019. Ten Small Finance Banks with 2,469 branches are now operational under this new bank licence category introduced in November 2014, mobilising bank deposits of Rs 55,686 crore, as on March 2019. France to deploy 600 additional troops in West Africa French President Emmanuel Macron recently met with the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and Mauritania to discuss security issues at a summit in Pau, France. France announced Sunday plans to deploy an additional 600 troops in West Africa. In a statement, French Defense Minister Florence Parly said most of the reinforcements would be deployed on the borders between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. "TO INCREASE PRESSURE AGAINST DAESH" "The president has taken the decision to increase the number of troops deployed in the Sahel-Saharan strip to about 5,100 soldiers, an increase of 600 soldiers," she said. "The reinforcements should allow us to increase the pressure against the ISS [Deash in the Greater Sahara] terrorist organization acting on behalf of Daesh.0 We will leave no space for those who want to destabilize the Sahel." Parly said Chad was expected to soon deploy an additional battalion to the G5 Sahel joint force in the border region. France currently maintains a 4,500-strong military force throughout West and Central Africa. MLAs of the Congress and the Goa Forward Party rushed to the Well of the Legislative Assembly on Monday on the first day of the Budget session opposing a motion moved by the ruling BJP congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing the Citizenship Amendment Act. The ruckus started when BJP MLA Atanasio Monserratte moved the motion congratulating the PM and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. MLAs of Congress and the GFP led by the Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat demanded that Speaker Rajesh Patnekar disallow the motion, saying a notice had been submitted by them seeking a discussion on the new citizenship law and the proposed country-wide National Register of Citizens (NRC). As the Speaker allowed Monserratte to speak, MLAs of the Opposition parties stood up and rushed to the Well. "This is a murder of democracy. The government is trying to wind up the issue by moving the congratulatory motion," said GFP MLA Vijai Sardesai. Amid din the speaker adjourned the proceedings till 2.30 pm. After the House re-assembled, the opposition MLAs staged a walkout on the issue. In the House of 40, the ruling BJP has 27 MLAs of its own. The party-led government enjoys support of two Independent MLAs and an NCP legislator. Among the rest 10 MLAs, five are from the Congress, three from the Goa Forward Party, one from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and another an Independent. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Suddesh Amman, left, and Usman Khan, right, were both wearing fake suicide vests when carrying out their attacks in Streatham and on London Bridge respectively. (PA/Met Police) The Streatham attack was the second lone Islamist-related terror attack in London in the past three months. Sudesh Amman, 20, was shot dead by police on Streatham High Road after stabbing three people in what police have called a terrorist incident. It follows a similar attack in November when five people were stabbed, two fatally, near London Bridge. The two incidents are notable because both attackers had fake explosives strapped to their bodies. Experts told Yahoo News UK the attacks could be examples of suicide by cop, in which terrorists deliberately behave in a threatening manner to force police officers to shoot them dead. Dr Steve Hewitt, a senior lecturer at Birmingham University and expert on lone wolf terror attacks, says the idea of suicide by cop is an interesting one as London has now seen at least three Islamist attacks with fake suicide vests including the previous London Bridge terror attack in June 2017. The killers responsible for the 2017 attack all wore the vests, and their tactics seem to have influenced the later incidents. Islam does not condone suicide, so the method is one way for Islamist attackers such as Sudesh Amman to seek martyrdom. Police officers stand guard near the scene after a stabbing incident in Streatham, London. (AP) "Its use seems to be growing but it is far from a universal practice, Dr Hewitt says. It also speaks to the way that terrorists learn from the example of other terrorists. Dr Hewitt says the suicide by cop theory seems to make sense regarding why Islamic extremists carry out attacks in such a way, pointing out that, in contrast, most far-right lone actor attacks (Norway, Christchurch, the US, Quebec City, Darren Osborne in the UK) don't involve the death of the perpetrator. He said there could be two other possible reasons for the use of the method, one being that it increases the fear factor and general panic among the public during an attack and "terrorists are obviously looking to generate fear". Armed police surround a truck parked across lanes of traffic on London Bridg, following the incident in November. (AP) It also potentially discourages bystanders from intervening out of fear that the suicide vest is real, so it could provide attackers with extra time to carry out attacks . Story continues Dr Hewitt added: "Although in practice that does not seem to be the case so far." Raffaello Pantucci, a senior associate fellow at RUSI, an independent think-tank on international defence and security, said attackers using fake devices is a very common phenomenon. "They know they're going to die, he said. But they also want to inspire fear in the people you're attacking. If you look back at the Woolwich terror attack [in which soldier Lee Rigby was killed], when the police arrived, they charged armed officers with knives and a broken gun the idea of using cops to die is not new. Streatham terror attack: How it happened. (PA) The killers responsible for the London Bridge terror attack in June 2017 all wore the vests and their tactics seem to have influenced later incidents. (AP) He also says that for terrorists it is a guaranteed death, and gives them the ability to attack more people because onlookers would be afraid to attack. "There are materials that from Isis that say this is a good idea, Pantucci said. "We can see people who are copycatting each other. They see that this is what people [terrorists] are now doing. They seem to be emulating each other." Thousands of terrorists might have been airlifted out of Kabul: Trump slams Biden Never in history has withdrawal from war been handled so badly: Trump Pan-Islamic body OIC rejects Donald Trump's Mideast plan International pti-PTI Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Feb 03: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Monday rejected US President Donald Trump's plan for the Middle East, calling on its 57 member states not to help implement it. The pan-Islamic body, which represents more than 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide, "rejects this US-Israeli plan, as it does not meet the minimum aspirations and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and contradicts the terms of reference of the peace process," it said in a statement. It called on "all member states not (to) deal with this plan or cooperate with the US Administration efforts to enforce it in any way or form". [February 03, 2020] Black Hat USA Launches 2020 Call for Papers & Registration SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Black Hat , the worlds leading producer of information security events, today announces registration and call for papers (CFP) for Black Hat USA 2020. Returning to Las Vegas, Black Hat will span six days and feature the very latest in information security research, development, and trends. The event will kick off with four days of hands-on Trainings, followed by two days of research-based Briefings, a Business Hall housing todays leading solution providers, an array of special events, and more. Call for Papers (CFP) is Now Open: Black Hat is accepting research submissions for the Black Hat Briefings, the foundation of its renowned event program. Briefings cover the latest research across todays most pressing information security topics including network security, could and platform security, malware, mobile devices, cryptography, and more. Potential speakers may submit for Briefings that are 25 or 50 minutes in length. The deadline for submissions is April 6, 2020, but early submissions are encouraged. For more information on Call for Papers, visit: blackhat.com/us-20/call-for-papers.html NEW Tracks: Black Hat has updated its track titles to better reflect the major trends and technologies impacting information security. Two new tracks, Defense and AI, ML & Data Science, have been added to the program. In addition, former track names have been upgraded to encompass a wider range of subject matter. There will be a new Cyber-Physical Systems track, which includes research of self-driving vehicles, drones, industrial control systems, and avionics; a new AppSec track, which will host research focused on SDL and Web AppSec; and more. To learn more about the new tracks and to view the full track list, visit: blackhat.com/us-20/tracks.html Registration for Black Hat USA Trainings Now Open: Black Hat will offer its largest Trainings lineup to date, with deeply technical, hands-on courses led by the information security industrys top trainers and professionals. Course will span topics such as cloud security, social engineering, pentesting, and more. For more information on the lineup, visit: blackhat.com/us-20/training/schedule/index.html Arsenal Call for Tools Opens March 9: Arsenal will soon start accepting submissions from the open source community for the chance to showcase their latest and greatest tools. To learn more and to submit your tool before April 27, visit: blackhat.com/us-20/arsenal-overview.html Black Hat USA will take place August 1-6, 2020 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Early registration prices are available through May 22. To register as an attendee, visit: blackhat.com/us-20/registration.html To register as credentialed media, visit: blackhat.com/us-20/media-registration.html Top partners and sponsors of Black Hat USA 2020 include: Titanium: Carbon Black, Crowdstrike, KnowBe4, Qualys, SentinelOne; Diamond: AT&T Cybersecurity, Blackberry Cylance, Cisco, Darktrace, FireEye, Forcepoint, Palo Alto Networks, Proofpoint, Inc., Rapid7, Tenable; Platinum Plus: Cofense, Confluera, Cybereason, Digital Guardian, ExtraHop Networks, Fortinet, Juniper Networks, McAfee, Mimecast, NETSCOUT Systems, Optiv Security, Recorded Future, ReliaQuest, RSA, SecurityScorecard, Splunk, Synopsys, Trend Micro. For more information on the Business Hall and sponsorship opportunities, visit: blackhat.com/us-20/sponsors.html Future Black Hat Dates and Events Black Hat Asia 2020 , Singapore, March 31-April 3 , Singapore, March 31-April 3 Black Hat USA 2020 , Las Vegas, NV, August 1-6 , Las Vegas, NV, August 1-6 Black Hat Europe 2020, London, November 9-12 About Black Hat For more than 20 years, Black Hat has provided attendees with the very latest in information security research, development, and trends. These high-profile global events and trainings are driven by the needs of the security community, striving to bring together the best minds in the industry. Black Hat inspires professionals at all career levels, encouraging growth and collaboration among academia, world-class researchers, and leaders in the public and private sectors. Black Hat Briefings and Trainings are held annually in the United States, Europe and Asia. More information is available at: blackhat.com . Black Hat is brought to you by Informa Tech. About Informa Tech Informa Tech is a market leading provider of integrated research, media, training and events to the global Technology community. We're an international business of more than 600 colleagues, operating in more than 20 markets. Our aim is to inspire the Technology community to design, build and run a better digital world through research, media, training and event brands that inform, educate and connect. Over 7,000 professionals subscribe to our research, with 225,000 delegates attending our events and over 18,000 students participating in our training programmes each year, and nearly 4 million people visiting our digital communities each month. Learn more about Informa Tech . Media Contact: Heather Donner Black Hat PR [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Tourists and travelers can now go to Mt. Apo and nearby attractions as the Bansalan-Cotobato Road in Davao del Sur has just been concreted. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced the completion of the roads concreting project. Stretching to a total of 1.2 kilometer of local road in Barangay Eman, Bansalan, the Bansalan-Cotobato Road has been paved to give tourists and local residents better access to Bansalans different tourist spots. The town of Bansalan located in the foothills of the countrys tallest mountain, Mt. Apo, is also home to picturesque Balutakay Waterfalls, and an organic farm called Lao Integrated Farm. DPWH Region XI Director Allan Borromeo said that the road project costing P28.5-million involves the concreting of 6.70 meter-wide, 2-lane road with drainage structures, cross drains, slope protection, metal guardrails and pavement-leveled studs along the access road to ensure road safety and prolong the service life. With this new access road, we expect further growth of tourism in Bansalan that will provide more livelihood opportunities to the locals, Borromeo said. The newly-paved road will also link Davao-Cotabato Road and Bansalan-Cotabato Road to the local roads of Bansalan consequently improving the lives of the people around the area. Also read: The post Mt. Apo Jump-Off Point Now Has Better Access Road appeared first on Carmudi Philippines. BATLOW, Australia Most of the fires Michael Blenkins has put out since becoming a volunteer firefighter in the 1980s required little more than rushing to a nearby farm and hosing down ankle-high flames. In and out in maybe an hour, then back to work as a teacher. When he persuaded his eldest son, Edmund, to join the rural fire brigade at 16, he thought less about danger than camaraderie. But in Australia, climate change and the huge fires it fuels have obliterated the old normal. Instead of the usual three or four days a year, the Blenkinses have been fighting fires around their mountain town, Batlow, on and off for a month. They have repeatedly put in 12-hour days. And the danger has been immense: On Jan. 4, they nearly died in a firestorm. There were flames kicking up everywhere, Mr. Blenkins, a formal man with an even manner, said one recent day, a dress shirt peeking out from under his firefighter gear. It was like the Titanic we thought we were prepared to handle it, and we werent. TEHRAN, Iran, Feb.3 Trend: Iran and Syria have signed a MoU, according to which, Iranian private sector will rebuild 30,000 apartments in different cities of Syria, Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development of Iran Mahmoud Mahmoudzadeh said, Trend reports via IRNA. A MoU was signed between Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development and Syria's Ministry of Public Works and Housing," Mahmoudzadeh said at the inauguration of the first international construction exhibition in Tehran. He said that three state companies are due to make coordination for executive work for reconstruction of Syria's buildings, transportation, roads and other development projects. Iran's public sector will make no investments in the project, said Mahmoudzadeh. Padraig Brady, owner of the renowned Esker-Hill pedigree Limousin herd based in Ballinalee, Co. Longford, has had some significant success in recent days as he sold a homebred heifer to French breeders Julien and Sandra Souvignet. The heifer Esker-Hill Patricia Et' is an embryo daughter of Sympa and the noted Newtown Harriet Et (Wilodge Cerberus X Dauphin). French breeders Julien and Sandra Souvignet saw their new acquisition as a young calf while they were judging the North East clubs Herd competition in June of last year. Having been very impressed by the then four-month-old calf, they set about purchasing her and now at 11-months-old this outstanding heifer has taken up residence in France. Esker-Hill Limousin posted of the sale: Delighted to announce Esker-Hill Patricia, sired by Sympa has been sold privately at 11 months old and will join the French herd of Julien Sandra Souvignet. We wish them the very best of luck and success with their purchase.Thanks to MD Workman for the transport. The Irish Limousin Cattle society congratulated the Longford breeder on the sale. The Irish Limousin Cattle Society would like to wish Julien and Sandra the very best with Esker-Hill Patricia Et. Congratulations to Padraig and we wish you continued success with the Esker-Hill herd. Also read: Longford Leader Farming - All you need to know about the new calf investment scheme Former Karnataka Minister D Manjunath died at a private hospital here on Monday after prolonged illness, family sources said. He was 93. Belonging to the Dalit community, Manjunath who joined the Janata Party in 1977, had served in different capacities including as Chairperson of Legislative Council and Minister in various governments. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and his predecessor H D Kumaraswamy condoled the death of Manjunath. Yediyurappa said Manjunath was a humble and gentle politician. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The suspect authorities say fled into a North Trenton home Saturday evening following a shooting, leading to a seven-hour standoff with police, has been charged with multiple crimes. Shawn J. Moore, 41, surrendered shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday after police tactical teams fired tear gas into the home on Middle Rose Street, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri and Trenton police said Sunday. Hes charged with aggravated assault, hindering apprehension, obstructing the administration of the law and three firearm possession crimes, including one for possessing a weapon as a convicted felon, Onori and Trenton police said. The prosecutor and Trenton police spokesman Capt. Stephen Varn on Sunday provided an update account of the incident. They said investigators, after interviewing witnesses, found that three males were on Middle Rose Street at about 4 p.m. when a shot was fired following an argument. Two males fled the one-block street, while Moore fled inside the home. Its unclear if Moore has a connection to the home. His last listed address was on Riverside Avenue in the city. Responding Trenton police officers saw a side window in the home open, but it was quickly shut when officers drove by. Shortly before midnight, after getting off a NJ Transit bus, people walk on Brunswick Avenue near the intersection of Middle Rose Street, after a man surrendered to police after 7-hour standoff.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Med For the next seven hours, numerous Trenton police, joined by the county prosecutors office, the Mercer Countys joint tactical team, and the Mercer County Sheriffs Office, worked to get the man - believed to be armed - out of the home. While they did that, other officers evacuated several residents on the block. Varn said the Mercer sheriffs new armored tactical vehicle - a $310,000 purchase that did not thrill some county residents - was a game changer. Officers used the vehicle as a rolling blockade, allowing officers to go door to door to bring residents, including children, to safety. The vehicle was absolutely instrumental in police being able to provide protection to the citizens, and provide cover for the officers for the evacuation of neighbors, Varn said. Some residents were temporarily sheltered at the police command post, and later on an NJ Transit bus police arranged to park nearby. It rained during some of the time residents were out of their homes. Signal 22, a volunteer corps that provides food and drink during large emergencies in the city, fed police and evacuees, Varn said. Meanwhile, officers worked to get the suspect out of the home, including repeated, loud verbal calls for him to come out of the house. Despite the incident occurring, the outcome was a success, with no injuries in reported in the initial shooting, or during the standoff, and all residents protected, Varn said. Police recovered Moores clothing he allegedly wore before fleeing into the home, as well as a gun magazine hidden in a wall of the home. The gun he allegedly had has not been located, Varn said. The Trenton Fire Department and Trenton EMS were also on scene for the duration of the standoff. Police at the scene early on Feb. 2, 2020 after a suspected gunman surrendered to police after 7-hour standoff.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Med Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. The Fianna Fail leader has told students at Presentation Secondary School Tralee that he would be willing to reduce the voting age to 16. Micheal Martin visited the school this morning ahead of a planned canvass of the Kerry town. A KIND-HEARTED brother-and-sister duo performed at a big fundraiser in London, after they recorded a charity CD to support a suicide prevention charity. Tyrone McGuane, 18, of the Lee Estate and his youngster sister Madison, recorded a track just before Christmas to raise money for Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention, which provides regular patrols of the banks of the Shannon to support those in distress. And on the night Britain formally left the European Union, the pair took to the stage at Frostys Pub in Kenton, North London to play at a concert aimed at raising money for Stamp out Suicide, a British charity which provides a 24-hour helpline for people experiencing distress. Tyrone and Madison travelled early on Friday morning with their mum Marion, their Dad Aidan, and their brother Adam, and performed the song at a packed Irish pub. Taking up the story, Marion said: We were invited over by Liz Monaghan, who owns a pub called Frostys Bar. She spotted Tyrone and Madisons video. Shes involved in a mental health charity called Stamp out Suicide. Speaking to the Limerick Leader from London, Tyrone, who is a first-year student at Mary Immaculate College, said: I was shocked at first, but flattered they reached out to ask us to come over. London is a big place, especially in terms of music. Im genuinely thrilled to be here. Its hoped some of the money raised from the concert night will be diverted to Treaty Suicide Prevention, which Marion volunteers for. Since Tyrone released the CD just before Christmas, almost 350 of them have been sold. Its been brilliant. Ive been getting a very positive reaction. Weve nearly sold out all the CDs, and in general, the feedback has been very positive. People are saying its a nice message, he said of the inspiring ballad. The CD remains available to buy from a number of venues across Limerick, including the Gate Bar in Clare Street, the post office in Mary Street, Paddy McMahons butchers, Bakehouse 22 in Nicholas Street and Resolve Counselling in Thomondgate. Every cent raised from the CD will support the charity. Latka 100 "It's an honor that ScaleX is being recognized as a leader on Latka's Top 100. Nathan has done an amazing job building a true private SaaS community, and financial database." Chad Burmeister, CEO, ScaleX.ai ScaleX.ai's AI for Sales solution has delivered peace-of-mind to sales teams who don't have the luxury of sales or business development representatives (SDRs or BDRs) across the nation. Out of 3,500 SaaS companies in 2019, ScaleX ranked in Latka 100's Top 5% in annual growth rates. AI for Sales continues to be an important transformation in sales and ScaleX leads from the front. SalesHacker recently reported that the fully loaded cost of a Sales Development Representative is $150,000/year so when ScaleX Virtual Business Development Representatives cost a fraction of that to deliver 5-10X more sales activity, it's no wonder why they are in the top 5% of SaaS growth companies in 2019. Chad Burmeister, CEO of ScaleX said, "It's an honor that ScaleX is being recognized as a leader on Latka's Top 100. Nathan has done an amazing job building a true private SaaS community, and financial database. In 2020, ScaleX will continue to focus on the three things that matter - grow, grow, grow." Burmeister adds, "ScaleX value proposition is simple - by focusing on the only two things that matter in sales - frequency and competency, we help our customers grow faster and sell more by enabling them to drive more, and better, sales activities." Nathan Latka stated, "It's not surprising to me that ScaleX is in the Top 5%. They focus on a real problem facing founders and CEOs in tech start-ups. And they solve the problem really well. I anticipate seeing them on the Latka 100 for years to come." Learn more about ScaleX.ai here: https://www.scalex.ai/solutions. About ScaleX.ai - ScaleX.ai delivers personalization at scale, powered by artificial intelligence (TM). Whether you are looking to bring 10X more productivity to your internal sales team, or partner with a company that consistently delivers 25 or more meetings per month per BDR, ScaleX has a solution. To learn more about ScaleX.ai, watch the YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-DiV2ceDM4 The Philippines banned the entry of all non-citizens from China after two cases were confirmed there, including the only death outside China. The US, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia have imposed similar restrictions despite criticism from China and WHO's guidance that such measures were unnecessary. Speaking to a news conference in Manila on Monday, government officials confirmed the ban extends all non-citizens from China. The officials also said they are attempting to limit the spread of the disease in the country. "A huge amount of effort is currently being implemented to identify possible people who may transmit the disease. As you know, there is contact tracing of the persons who were found to be positive." said Dr Celia Carlos, Director of Philippines Research Institute for Tropical Medicine. She added that subject to health inspections, people would be "quarantined if necessary". Bahri Logistics, one of five business units of logistics and transportation leader Bahri, showcased its portfolio of technology-driven logistics and rail freight solutions at the recently concluded The Railway Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The forum was organised by the Saudi Railways Company (SAR) in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport, under the patronage of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, from January 28-29. Saudi Minister of Transport, Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, inaugurated the two-day event in the presence of key ministers and dignitaries. Bahris participation in the forum came as part of its ongoing initiatives aimed at contributing to the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 to transform the kingdom into a unique regional and global logistics hub and international transportation gateway to three continents, namely Asia, Europe, and Africa. Abdullah Aldubaikhi, CEO of Bahri, delivered a keynote address as part of a panel titled Logistics Railway Benefits at the forum. The industry veteran highlighted the significance of developing an integrated transportation network and a sustainable logistics system to enable the kingdom to seize future opportunities in both domestic and international trade and commerce. He also shed light on Bahris role in building a robust logistics and transportation sector in Saudi Arabia. Aldubaikhi commended the Saudi governments numerous achievements towards realising its vision to become a leading logistics and transportation hub, including the establishment of a strong railway infrastructure connecting the centre, north and east of the country and simplified customs clearance procedures, among others. Aldubaikhi said: Saudi Arabias railway sector has been experiencing rapid growth in the past few years on the back of increased investment in infrastructure and a steady rise in passenger and freight volumes. The countrys keen focus on capitalising on its strategic geographic advantage to emerge as a global hub of logistics and transportation as envisaged in Saudi Vision 2030 will catalyze the further development of the sector and promises many exciting investment and commercial opportunities for local and foreign investors. With its unmatched total logistics capabilities and strong partnership with Saudi Railway Company, Bahri is competitively positioned to seize these opportunities and remain at the forefront of the Kingdoms ambitious transformation, he added. Bahri has partnered with Saudi Railway Company (SAR) to provide global logistics support, including customs clearance and consultancy services. The total logistics solutions provider has been offering transportation and shipping services for all types of cargo as well as an electronic system to track all shipments from the country of origin to the final destination since 2017. TradeArabia News Service TICKERS: PRYM Source: Bob Moriarty for Streetwise Reports (2/3/20) Bob Moriarty of 321gold discusses the path he would like the company to take as it plans to bring a historical gold and silver mine into production. Prime Mining Corp. (PRYM:TSX.V) has picked up an existing gold mine in Sinaloa, Mexico with a production history going to the 18th Century. Guadalupe de los Reyes is estimated to have produced 500,000 to 600,000 ounces of gold and 40 million ounces of silver. Prime is buying the project for $6 million and a 1% NSR. The 6300 square km property comes with a 43-101 resource of 535,000 ounces of gold and over 10 million ounces of silver. To date only 40% of the project has been explored. When I talked to management at Prime they told me of their plans for going into production on a small scale within two years at a low capital expense. I'm hoping they change their minds. Their plan calls for a low cost heap leach with production of somewhere in the 60,000 to 70,000 ounce per year range. The project was bought from Vista Gold who spent in excess of $20 million on exploration. It lies in a nest of half a dozen other similar mines in the area including Minera Alamos, First Majestic, McEwen Mining and Chesapeake. Mining companies love heap leach systems because they are cheap to set up and mine. While the recovery leaves something to be desired, the low capex can turn a low-grade mine, well, into a gold mine. But heap leach is suitable only for low-grade ore. Some of the material Prime is reporting is out of the range for a heap leach. Here's why. In their presentation Prime talks about "potential" to optimize gold recovery to over 76% and silver to over 24%. In their recent press release they give numbers for surface samples. One of the best, from Zapote Central showed 30 meters of 3.93 g/t gold and 40.1 g/t Ag. If you assume (and notice that the word makes an ass out of U and me) they manage to accomplish their potential to optimize gold and silver recovery. If you take 24% of 3.93 and 76% of 40.1 grams of silver, by their own numbers they are leaving 0.935 g/t Au and 30.48 g/t Ag on the heap leach pad due to the inefficiency of heap leach pads. That's $65 rock and anyone in Mexico would love to start off with metal values that high. In short, heap leach pads are cheap but when you have higher grade ore as Prime seems to be finding, you lose a lot of money by not building a mill. Heap leach pads are great for $50 rock. I've seen mines that had all in costs of under $8 a ton. But when you start off with $222 a ton rock, it pretty much demands you build a mill even if it costs more. There is another even more practical reason for changing the plan that management is now contemplating. Their current business plan calls for production of 60,00070,000 ounces of gold a year by 2022. But in this market investors just don't give a damn or a cent for anyone producing under the magic number of 100,000 ounces a year. It's like selling diamonds. A 1.00 carat stone is worth 2550% more than a 0.98 carat stone even if you can't possibly see any difference. Investors demand 100,000 ounces a year. You either give it to them or you pay a giant premium for not delivering what the market wants to see. If it were me, I would make the priority to increase the resource by 50100% and build a mill with much better recovery rates than the 76% for gold and 24% for silver. This market demands a certain business model and from what I was told, management I think is going down the wrong path. They should either do it right or not do it at all. They bought the project at a great price. They have cash in the bank and are releasing a current up to date 43-101 shortly. At today's price of the shares, the company is only getting $30 an ounce for resources in USD. Their peers who surround them are doing a lot better than that. This is a new deal only put together in the last six months. Management is just now getting their feet on the ground. But their silver resource alone would justify the entire market cap. They have money and times are improving for the junior sector. Prime is an advertiser. I have bought shares in their coming out private placement so naturally I am biased. Please do your own due diligence. Prime Mining PRYM-V $0.43 (Feb 04, 2020) PRMNF-OTCQB 59.1 million shares Prime Mining Website. Bob Moriarty founded 321gold.com, with his late wife, Barbara Moriarty, more than 16 years ago. They later added 321energy.com to cover oil, natural gas, gasoline, coal, solar, wind and nuclear energy. Both sites feature articles, editorial opinions, pricing figures and updates on current events affecting both sectors. Previously, Moriarty was a Marine F-4B and O-1 pilot with more than 832 missions in Vietnam. He holds 14 international aviation records. [NLINSERT] Disclosure: 1) Bob Moriarty: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: Prime Mining. My company has a financial relationship with the following companies mentioned in this article: Prime Mining is an advertiser on 321 Gold. I determined which companies would be included in this article based on my research and understanding of the sector. 2) The following companies mentioned are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. 3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The author is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. The author was not paid by Streetwise Reports for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. 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The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. VERMILLION, S.D. -- Rick Wang didn't set out to develop a treatment for methamphetamine overdoses. He's a chemist by training, not a physician. But meth is a thorny problem, and if a solution could be found at a South Dakota college, it'd require input from experts in more than one field. Wang and his team have been developing a nanoparticle "metal-organic super-container," which, on a molecular level, is able to sequester other small molecules. In this case, Wang engineered microscopic "super-containers" to target neurotransmitters -- chemicals in the brain. "I like to tell people to think of this as the molecular version of cups," said Wang, an associate professor of chemistry at the University of South Dakota. "They can hold other small molecules. Hold, and remove, sequester." Wang has been studying this type of molecule, which he says has many potential applications, for about nine years. His nanoparticles also show promise in remediating environmental pollutants through much the same principle as they could work in the body. The "metal" in Wang's metal-organic supercontainers, if you're wondering, are ions of cobalt, copper, nickel and zinc. The metal-organic supercontainers (or MOSC, for short) are a part of a newly emerged field of medicine called nanomedicine, which uses nanotechnology for the treatment of diseases. Nanomedicine is perhaps best-known as a new front in cancer treatment, though it has a variety of potential applications. When meth is used, the brain releases dopamine, serotonin, glutamate and monoamines, which are responsible for the "high." These neurotransmitters, which exist naturally in the brain, are released excessively when meth is used -- quantities that are far too large, potentially causing brain damage. "We need to have a right amount of the molecules, in the right places," Wang said. "What happens is, in a situation where you overdose with meth, in particular, that causes abnormal activity. In fact, there's a cascade of huge, gigantic amounts, release of neurotransmitters. Which, temporarily, gives you this feeling of high, but in medium-term, long-term, that causes damage, neurotoxicity." Wang's nanoparticle "cups" could grab onto the excess neurotransmitters and, hopefully, mitigate the problem. Meth is a powerful stimulant. Users suffering an overdose can face an array of problems: cardiovascular issues, including heart attacks, strokes, chest pain, arrhythmia, overly fast or slow heartbeat or cardiac arrest, and/or high or low blood pressure; difficult breathing; agitation; unusual mood swings; hallucinations; psychosis; paranoia; seizures; and hyperthermia (overheating). Though meth is responsible for fewer deaths than opioid drugs, patients suffering such overdoses are known for their sometimes-frantic behavior, and users can develop long-term problems with their physical and psychological health. An overdose on meth, Wang said, isn't as simple as an opioid overdose. "A meth overdose involves more complicated physiological processes," he said. Currently there is no single treatment for meth overdose. Narcan (noloxone) has been used for years to reverse overdoses of heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone and related drugs, which can be fatal; its efficacy is well-known. But there is no such antidote in the case of meth, though researchers are trying. Wang's research on nanoparticles was, in its earlier days, not thought of as any kind of treatment for meth overdose. But, by chance, it caught the attention of Lisa McFadden, an assistant professor and researcher of basic biomedical sciences at USD. "He was talking with another researcher and I just happened to be there, and he was saying, 'Oh, it binds to all these different transmitters,'" McFadden said. "(And I thought), 'Wow, those are the transmitters released by meth. It would be fabulous if we could try to target that, so we could potentially reduce some of the toxic effects of the drug itself.'" So Wang and McFadden, and their small teams of graduate and post-doctoral students, began a collaboration through USD's Center for Brain and Behavior Research, which is part of the medical school. The nanoparticle treatment itself is nowhere near the clinical trials phase; in fact, it'll be a while before the researchers are entirely certain of how their treatment could be applied in a practical setting. "We have a bit of a long road to get there, but, I thought that it would be used for an overdose specifically," McFadden said. "Because it would be very fast-acting." They still haven't settled on a catchier name for the substance than metal-organic supercontainers, "which seems like a very long word," McFadden said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. New Delhi: An incident of firing took place near gate number five of Jamia Millia Islamia University here on Sunday (February 2) night. A statement issued by Jamia Coordination Committee said that the the firing was done by two unidentified persons and were on a red colour scooty. No injuries have been reported in the incident so far. One of the miscreants was wearing a red jacket, the statement added. "Firing has taken place at Gate No.5 of Jamia Millia Islamia right now by two unidentified persons. As per report, one of them was wearing a red jacket and driving a red scooty having vehicle no. 1532 or 1534," the statement said. Live TV Asim Mohammed Khan, former Congress MLA from Okhla, said the incident occurred around 11.30 pm. "We heard the gunshot. That is when we stepped out to see and the two men left on a scooty," a student said. "We have taken down the vehicle number and called police," he added. This is the third firing incident in the Jamia Nagar area in a week. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has registered an FIR under Section 307/34 and Section 27 of the Arms Act in connection with the incident. On January 30, a minor fired at anti-CAA protesters marching towards the Rajghat, injuring a student. Two days later, a 25-year-old fired two rounds in air in Shaheen Bagh in Jamia Nagar. No one was hurt in the incident. The incident on Sunday night triggered panic in the area. A police vehicle had reached the spot after the incident but was chased away by angry students. Hundreds of students and locals gathered outside the university. Many raised slogans against the Delhi Police. They also staged a dharna outside the Jamia Nagar police station. : The three-member inquiry commission, set up to go into the circumstances leading to the encounter killing of the four accused in the gang-rape and murder of a veterinarian in Telangana, held its first sitting here on Monday. The Special Investigation Team probing the case called on the commission headed by former Supreme Court judge V S Sirpurkar, official sources told PTI. They, however, did not elaborate on what transpired in the sitting. The commission was appointed by the Supreme Court in December last year to go into the circumstances that led to the December 6 encounter deaths which evoked praise but also sparked concerns over extra-judicial killings. The panel, which included former Bombay High Court judge Rekha Sondur Baldota and former CBI director D R Karthikeyan, has been directed by the apex court to submit its report in six months from the first day of hearing. A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde had on December 12 stayed the proceedings pending in the Telangana High Court and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over the encounter and sought a SIT report into it. It had passed orders on petitions alleging that the pre-dawn encounter was a fake and seeking an independent investigation against the police officers involved. The four accused were arrested on November 29 two days after they allegedly kidnapped the veterinarian, killed her after raping and then burning the body at Chattanpalli near here. They were killed in police firing on December 6 at Chattanpalli when they were taken to the scene of crime as part of investigation. The Cyberabad police had said its personnel resorted to retaliatory firing after two of the accused opened fire at them after snatching their weapons. Also, the accused attacked the personnel with sticks and stones, resulting in injuries to two policemen, they had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Yoga is the cheapest medicine for your health- VP tells youth The Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu called for waging a war against the growing incidence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and urged the younger generation to shun sedentary lifestyle and undertake regular physical exercise to stay healthy. Addressing the gathering after participating in the Yoga Camp organized by the Patanjali Yogpeeth of Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev in Hubbali, he emphasized the need to transform movements such as the Fit India and yoga into peoples movements and make India a healthy and happy nation. With about 60 per cent of Indias population below the age of 35 years, Naidu said that India was poised to realize a huge demographic dividend. However, the need of the hour is for the youth to be healthy in a holistic manner, he added. Yoga is the cheapest medicine for your health, he told the youth. Pointing out that the economic burden of non-communicable diseases in terms of lost productivity and expenses for treatment, among others, in India has been projected to amount to 6.2 trillion dollars during the period of 2012-2030, he said that Yoga practice would have a beneficial effect on people, especially at a time when sharp rise in lifestyle diseases is being witnessed. NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Hydrogel Dressing Market in Europe 2020-2024 The analyst has been monitoring the global hydrogel dressing market in Europe and it is poised to grow by USD 35.17 mn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 6% during the forecast period. Our reports on global hydrogel dressing market in Europe provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05843281/?utm_source=PRN The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current Europe market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by strong prevalence of pressure ulcers. In addition, advances in on-demand dissolvable hydrogel dressings is anticipated to boost the growth of the global hydrogel dressing market in Europe as well. Market Segmentation The global hydrogel dressing market in Europe is segmented as below: Product Amorphous Hydrogel Dressings Impregnated Hydrogel Dressings Hydrogel Sheet Dressings Geographic segmentation Germany UK France Rest of Europe Key Trends for global hydrogel dressing market in Europe growth This study identifies advances in on-demand dissolvable hydrogel dressings as the prime reasons driving the global hydrogel dressing market in Europe growth during the next few years. Prominent vendors in global hydrogel dressing market in Europe We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the global hydrogel dressing market in Europe, including some of the vendors such as 3M Co., B. Braun Melsungen AG, Cardinal Health Inc., Coloplast Group, ConvaTec Group Plc, Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corp., Lohmann & Rauscher GmbH & Co. KG, McKesson Corp., Medline Industries Inc. and Smith & Nephew Plc. The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key icipants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05843281/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Hamilton is headed to the big screen, but its not what you think. Instead of a traditional big-budget movie adaptation with realistic sets and lavishly produced musical numbers, Disneys movie version of Lin-Manuel Mirandas Broadway smash will basically be the stage show captured on film. In other words, itll be like being in the room where it happens. We are thrilled for fans of the show, and new audiences across the world, to experience what it was like on stage -- and in the audience -- when we shot this in the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in June of 2016. We wanted to give everyone the same seat, which is what this film can provide, said director Thomas Kail in a release. Disney calls the film a leap forward in the art of live capture, a medium that combines the best elements of live theater and film. Im so proud of what Tommy Kail has been able to capture in this filmed version of Hamilton-- a live theatrical experience that feels just as immediate in your local movie theater, added Miranda in the release. At least it wont be Cats or have Russell Crowe butchering classic showtunes, am I right? Along with Miranda, the original Broadway cast will appear in the film including Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs, Phillipa Soo, Jonathan Groff, Renee Elise Goldsberry... and Peggy. Dont throw away your shot to see the movie when its released on Oct. 15, 2021. But if youre still looking for a Hollywoodized version of a Lin-Manuel Miranda musical, In The Heights comes out on June 26. More Life + Culture stories: Rapper Roddy Ricch comes to Cleveland while atop Billboard charts Earth Fare closing all locations Dear Annie: Infertile couple should consider adoption as an alternative Most effective Super Bowl 2020 ads Cleveland connections in Super Bowl 2020 ads J. Lo pole dances, Shakira shakes during fiery Super Bowl halftime show Was J. Los Super Bowl pole-dance revenge for Oscar snub? How was Fox Sports Super Bowl 2020 coverage? Jay-Z, Beyonce sit during Super Bowl LIV national anthem Why Trump may not be a fan of J. Los Super Bowl halftime show MSNBC, Fox News react differently to Trump congratulating Kansas on Super Bowl win Chiefs heiress Gracie Hunt becomes star during Super Bowl LIV Fish fry guide: We want your 2020 Northeast Ohio event details 13 inexpensive wines to consider sipping in February (photos) WARSAW (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron visits Poland on Monday and Tuesday in an effort to reset frosty relations at a time when the departure of Britain from the European Union is reshaping political alliances in the bloc. Arriving in Warsaw days after Brexit, Macron is signaling the importance of one of the EUs biggest members, despite a relationship marked by clashes over issues ranging from climate change policy and NATO to Polands adherence to the rule of law. In an attempt to strengthen ties, he will propose new investment plans and try to build nuclear and military partnerships, French and Polish officials said. Perhaps we wont be best friends right away but we can gradually rebuild working relations, an official close to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told Reuters. Relations between Poland and France soured after Polands Law and Justice (PiS) government scrapped a $3.4 billion helicopter deal with Airbus in 2016, which France thought was largely agreed. Since then, France and Poland have been on the opposite sides of many arguments. This is a very important visit, groundbreaking in a way. We were criticized by France, and also we did not spare criticism against France ... But there is a chance we will leave this period behind us, Polands Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz told state press agency PAP. Macron, a fervent European integrationist, has decried nationalist governments like Polands and criticized, along with the EU executive, efforts by PiS to put Polish courts and media under more government control. The visit itself shows that these issues are not an obstacle in developing bilateral cooperation, PAP quoted Czaputowicz as saying. He added that during Macrons visit Poland and France will agree a strategic cooperation plan for the 2020-2024 period. Both countries want to keep generous funding for their agricultural sectors in the EU budget, but Paris wants more action on migration and the climate, while Warsaw rejects EU policies on both matters. Macron may however be keen to explore new alliances in Europe amid tensions with Germany over his ambitious reform plans. Paris is looking for another partner to work on the future of Europe. Berlin is not delivering, said Michal Baranowski, director the German Marshall Fund in Warsaw, a think-tank. Three more people in Northern California have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus, health officials said Sunday, bringing the states total confirmed cases of the respiratory illness to six. The latest patients diagnosed with the virus were a husband and wife in San Benito County and a woman in Santa Clara County. All are being monitored closely while isolated at home and none were sick enough to be hospitalized. In San Benito County, the husband recently traveled to Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, but the wife did not meaning the virus was transmitted from one person to the other, officials said. Both patients are 57 years old and neither has left home since the husband returned. Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, San Benito Countys health officer, said in a statement that local officials continue to monitor the situation closely to safeguard the health of local residents and limit the spread of this virus. In Santa Clara County, the latest patient is a woman who is not from the United States but came to the country on Jan. 23 to visit family. Her illness is not related to the first case in the county, a man. But both patients had recently traveled from Wuhan, officials said. After the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Sunday that a second patient in Santa Clara County tested positive for the virus, county officials were working to identify anyone she may have had contact with, said Dr. Sara Cody, the countys health officer. The woman left home only twice since she arrived in the United States, both times to seek medical care. Her family members are also not leaving home and are being supplied with food and other items by county health officials. Cody said the second case of the illness was not unexpected because of Santa Clara Countys large population and travel habits, and she thinks more cases are likely to come in the county. She told reporters that spread between close contacts does not increase the risk to the public at large. Cody stressed that both patients became ill after coming from China and both took steps to isolate themselves upon arriving in the U.S. Thats why I dont think that these two cases change the risk to the general public, Cody said. What would be significant is if we had a case without a history of travel to an area where we know the virus is circulating or without a known close contact. County health officials encouraged the public to continue with regular activities while maintaining good hygiene practices. People who are healthy should not be barred from any activities because of their race, country of origin or recent travel, officials said. Those who experience symptoms such as a cough, sore throat or fever should stay home, practice proper cough etiquette and hand hygiene, and limit their contact with other people, health officials said. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. In Southern California, Los Angeles and Orange counties each had one confirmed case of the virus as of Sunday. Massachusetts, Arizona and Washington state each have one patient as well. Illinois has two patients, including the first person in the nation affected by human-to-human transmission. The new coronavirus has sickened 17,205 people in China and about 150 people in two dozen other countries, including the United States. The virus has killed 361 people in China and one person in the Philippines. San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Alejandro Serrano and the Associated Press contributed to this report. J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris As part of the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB)s strong belief in the importance of caring for parents and respecting the elderly, the bank is continuing its support to Al Manar for Parents Care. NBB and the society aim to provide health, social and psychological care for the elderly, in co-ordination with the concerned bodies, and to develop appropriate rehabilitation programmes for the elderly to maximise the use of their abilities and potential. As part of the Banks Donations and Contributions Programme, Mr Hussain Al Hussaini, Chief Executive-Treasury, Capital Markets and Wealth Management of NBB handed over the cheque to Ms Maha Ebrahim, Director of Al Manar for Parents Care. Medical workers in Hong Kong boycott their jobs on February 3 and demanded authorities to close the city's border with coronavirus-hit China in order to contain the spread. While hundreds left their jobs, the frontline staff has also threatened to file a lawsuit in the upcoming days. At least 15 cases have been confirmed in Hong Kong of the novel virus as the death toll in China increased to 361 with 17, 205 confirmed cases. The recent action by non-essential medical officials comes as Hong Kong's pro-Beijing leader resists sealing its border with China completely. According to the city authorities, ceasing borders would not only mean going against the orders of the World Health Organisation but it would also be discriminatory as well as economically damaging. However, some Hong Kong borders with China have been closed with arrivals reduced to nearly half. Read - Group Evacuated From China To France Test Negative For Coronavirus Mistrust with the mainland after SARS outbreak Despite the precautionary moves by the authorities, the anger has mounted on people who reportedly maintain a historical mistrust with China after the 2003-SARS outbreak which the mainland government tried to cover up and the virus killed at least 300 Hong Kongers. Several thousand members of the newly formed medical union voted on February 1 to strike against the government with the first batch of 'non-essential' workers going on a strike on Monday. Read - 'No Case Of Coronavirus Found In Tamil Nadu Yet', Says Health Secretary Beela Rajesh However, the medical officials have also warned the authorities with the strike of frontline workers including doctors and nurses on February 4 if their demands are not met. The staff reportedly gathered outside the hospitals across the city and handed white ribbons to colleagues who encouraged them to join the strike. According to an international agency, Winnie Yu, chairwoman of the 9,000 member Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, told reporters that if authorities do not permit 'full border closure', it would result in a decrease in manpower, protective equipment, or isolation to tackle the coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, the talks between the union and the government halted on February 2, when Hong Kong city leader Carrie Lam refused to attend the meetings in person. Read - Red Cross Slammed For Not Distributing Medical Supplies To Wuhan Amidst Coronavirus Crisis Read - Centre Sets Up Task Force To Monitor Coronavirus Issue: MoS Home Reddy Romania's Chief of Defense Staff, Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu, and Secretary of State for Defense policy, Planning and Foreign relations Simona Cojocaru met on Monday with French ambassador in Bucharest, Michele Ramis, and General Thierry Carlier - International Development Director in the French Defense Ministry's Directorate General of Armaments. According to a release of the Defense Ministry, "special emphasis was placed during the talks on strengthening the Romania - France Strategic Partnership on the defense dimension, with focus on the military-technical field, in order to exploit the cooperation opportunities opened in the context of the unfolding endowment programs".The sides also agreed on the importance of continuing the political-military dialogue on topics of common interest on the NATO and EU agenda, with a view to harmonizing national positions.Also included on the agenda of the meeting was bilateral cooperation on the allied strengthened presence on NATO's eastern flank and industrial cooperation in projects carried out under the aegis of the Common Security and Defense Policy. AGERPRES By Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS, Feb 3 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pitched two models for his country's trade ties with the European Union after Brexit: a deal based on the EU's accord with Canada, or the basic terms the bloc has with Australia. Johnson used the two countries as examples of EU trade partners which do not adhere to the bloc's rules, something he has vowed Britain will not do from Jan. 1 2021 when the current 11-month no-change Brexit transition period ends. The EU's trade deal with Canada entered force in 2017, eight years after talks began, but the EU does not yet have an agreement with Australia. Below is an explanation of how the EU trades with both countries. CANADA Goods: The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada sets out the removal of tariffs on 99% of all goods types, some over a period of up to seven years. However, it limits volumes of some exports into the EU of pork, beef and frozen lobsters, reflecting Europe's traditionally protective stance to its farming sector, along with dog or cat food and track suits, ski suits and swimwear. Services: CETA offers far less freedom than banks and other firms based in Britain currently have to do business in the EU. Canadian financial firms need licences to operate in the bloc and must comply with EU regulations. Both sides must treat each others sectors equally, but a "prudential carve-out" also allows for measures to limit access. There are some restrictions for other service industries too. CETA seeks to allow temporary stays or permit each other's nationals to provide cultural and audio-visual services for between 90 days and three years. About half of the CETA text, which stretches to 1,598 pages, is devoted to "reservations". For example, the Canadian province of Manitoba requires funeral firms to have a licence while the EU says only German residents can open a pharmacy in Germany. Story continues There is some mutual recognition of professional qualifications. Customs, rules and standards: Brussels and Ottawa agreed to smooth customs procedures and try to release goods quickly, but both sides will still carry out import checks, notably of all live animals, 15% of fish products and 10% of animal products traded. CETA seeks to strengthen cooperation on rules and standards but does not include the level of alignment in state aid, the environment and taxation that the EU wants from Britain. Both sides should seek to avoid anti-competitive behaviour but there are no shared antitrust rules. CETA has little to say on taxation. Canada and the EU agreed to notify each other every two years on new or continued subsidies. The EU made demands on labour and environmental standards, including commitments of the Paris climate change accord. Both sides can still put in place tariffs to counter what they see as dumping or unfair subsidies. In the case of disputes, CETA envisages first mediation and then resort to a CETA Joint Committee, made up of members from each side. CETA makes no mention of the EU Court of Justice. Johnson has said Britain will not be subject to ECJ oversight. AUSTRALIA Australia is currently negotiating a free trade deal with the EU to improve its market access, but for now largely trades with the EU on World Trade Organization terms. This means it faces some high tariffs on goods it exports to the bloc including its wine. Australia is not bound by any EU rules but its farmers can send fixed quantities of cheddar and cheese for processing at reduced tariffs, of "high quality beef" at a 20% tariff, as well as grain-fed beef and lamb and goat meat at zero tariffs. Australia shares some of these quotas with other countries and they are filled on a 'first-come' basis. (Additional reporting by Andy Bruce; Editing by William Schomberg and Giles Elgood) SAN BRUNO (BCN) A man was robbed of his briefcase Saturday night in the parking lot of Tanforan Mall in San Bruno, police said. The victim notified police of the incident shortly after 9 p.m., telling them that he was putting the briefcase in the trunk of his vehicle when a man grabbed it and fled to an awaiting car. The victim tried to recover the briefcase, but backed off when a second robber pointed a handgun at him, police said. The suspects were described as 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10 males with slender builds, wearing all black clothing. The getaway vehicle is described as a dark-colored, small four-door, sporty sedan, possibly a Honda, according to police. Anyone with any information is urged to contact the San Bruno Police Department at (650) 616-7100 or sbpdtipline@sanbruno.ca.gov. Information can be left anonymously. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. The Kaduna State Police Command has advised schools, worship centers, markets, motor parks and other public places to resume checks on luggage at their entrance points. The advice followed the arrest of a suspected suicide bomber, Nathaniel Samuel, at Living Faith Church Sabon Tasha, Kaduna on Sunday. The suspect was intercepted while the Church service was in session with some suspected Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) contained in a bag. The Command Public Relations officer, Yakubu Sabo, in a press statement, said the measure was necessary to prevent any security breach. He said the Commissioner of Police, Umar Muri, had directed all police officers to intensify surveillance and to liaise with stakeholders within their respective jurisdictions to ensure collective vigilance. He assured the people of adequate security, through proactive measures adopted by the Command, recently. (NAN) Sweeping win at BAFTA sets '1917' up for potential Oscar glory 1917 which was up for 9 awards at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), won 7 out of its 9 nominations on Sunday, at the Royal Albert Hall, London. The sweep at the BAFTA comes just a week ahead of the Academy Awards, to be held on February 9 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The World War I movie by Sam Mendes has received 10 Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture. Mendes won the Best Director trophy at the BAFTAs, while the film scooped up the coveted Best Film as well as the trophies for cinematography, production design, sound and special visual effects. Rebel Wilson presents the Director Award, but not before she says a few words herself #EEBAFTAs #BAFTAs pic.twitter.com/2MCvyn62vR BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 3, 2020 1917 follows two British soldiers on a perilous mission across no man's land and is set in the period just before the end of World War I. The movie, hailed as a groundbreaking piece of cinema, for its technical brilliance and innovative one-shot-take, has already won the Golden Globe for Best Drama along with a host of other awards. Sam Mendes is the first British winner of the Best Director BAFTA since Danny Boyle won in 2009 for Slumdog Millionaire. Joaquin Phoenix won the Best Actor award for his widely acclaimed performance in Joker. Renee Zellweger claimed the Best Actress award for her portrayal of Judy Garland in Judy. The ceremony was hosted by TV chat show presenter Graham Norton and the event was graced by the royal couple, Prince William, in his 10th year as BAFTA president, and Kate Middleton. Film producer Kathleen Kennedy presented with the final award of the night, the BAFTA Fellowship #EEBAFTAs #BAFTAs pic.twitter.com/EgDIDCc9Bs BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 3, 2020 Prince William presented the Academy Fellowship, BAFTAs highest accolade, to American Kathleen Kennedy, the boss of Lucasfilm. Lucasfilm is the producer of some of the biggest-grossing movies such as the Star Wars sequels, Jurassic Park, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and the Back to the Future trilogy. TORONTO, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Magna Terra Minerals Inc. (the Company or Magna Terra) (TSX-V: MTT) is pleased to announce the filing and mailing of its information circular dated January 27, 2020 (the Circular) in relation to the annual and special meeting (the Meeting) of Magna Terra shareholders (the Shareholders) scheduled to take place in Toronto on February 27, 2020 at 10:00 am. In addition to the required annual approvals the Company is required to obtain from its Shareholders, Magna Terra will also be soliciting the approval of its Shareholders in connection with, notably, a share consolidation on the basis of one (1) new share of Magna Terra for every seven (7) common shares of Magna Terra presently issued and outstanding (the Share Consolidation) and the acquisition by Magna Terra of all of the issued and outstanding common shares of 2647102 Ontario Inc. (ExploreCo) from Anaconda Mining Inc. (Anaconda)(the Acquisition) (see news releases dated October 15 and December 3, 2019). As previously disclosed by the Company, ExploreCo owns a 100% interest in the Cape Spencer Project situated in New Brunswick and the Great Northern and Viking Projects situated in Newfoundland and Labrador (the ExploreCo Assets). The Acquisition constitutes a Reverse Take-Over and Non-Arms Length transaction within the meaning of the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange) as (i) Anaconda will become a Control Person (within the meaning of the policies of the Exchange) of Magna Terra following the closing of the Acquisition and (ii) Mr. Lew Lawrick and Mr. Michael Byron, respectively President & Chief Executive Officer and Directors of the Company, are also Directors of Anaconda. The Acquisition is therefore subject to Magna Terra obtaining the approval of its disinterested Shareholders at the Meeting. The closing of the Acquisition is also subject to, notably, the following conditions: (i) Magna Terra obtaining Shareholder approval at the Meeting for the Share Consolidation and (ii) the execution of an investor rights agreement between Magna Terra and Anaconda. For more information on the Meeting, the Share Consolidation, the Acquisition and ExploreCo Assets, please consult the Circular which is available under the Companys SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. UPDATE ON MAGNA TERRA FINANCING As previously disclosed (see the Companys news release dated December 3, 2019), concurrently with the Acquisition, Magna Terra will complete, on a post-Share Consolidation basis, a non-brokered private placement of subscription receipts (the Subscription Receipt Offering). The minimum proceeds of the Subscription Receipt Offering have been increased to $3.1 million and the maximum proceeds remain at $3.5 million. The Subscription Receipt Offering will be comprised on a combination of (i) flow-through common share subscription receipts (the FT Subscription Receipts) that qualify as flow-through shares for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) at a price of $0.25 per FT Share Subscription Receipt (minimum proceeds of $1.3 million and maximum proceeds of $1.7 million) and (ii) unit subscription receipts of the Company (the Unit Subscription Receipts) at a price of $0.20 per Unit Subscription Receipt (gross proceeds of $1.8 million). Upon satisfaction of the Escrow Release Conditions (as defined below), each FT Subscription Receipt shall be exchangeable for one flow-through common share of the Company. Each Unit Subscription Receipt shall be exchangeable for one unit of the Company (a Unit) comprised of one common share of the Company and one-half of one share purchase warrant (each whole warrant being a Warrant), each Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.30 per share for a period of 24 months following the closing. The Warrants will also be subject to an accelerated expiry provision whereby should the common shares of the Company trade on the Exchange at a price of $0.50 or more for a period of 10 consecutive trading days, the Warrants will expire 30 days following the receipt of a written notice to that effect from the Company. The Subscription Receipt Offering is anticipated to close on or before March 31, 2020. The funds received from the Subscription Receipts Offering will be held in escrow (the Escrowed Funds) by an escrow agent pending completion of the Acquisition. Release of the Escrowed Funds will be conditional upon satisfaction of the following conditions (together, the Escrow Release Conditions): (i) Magna Terra shareholders approval of the Share Consolidation; (ii) Magna Terra disinterested shareholders approval of the Acquisition and Reverse-Take Over; (iii) the closing of the Subscription Receipt Offering for minimum proceeds of $3.1 million; (iv) the closing of the Acquisition; and (v) the receipt of all required regulatory approvals including, without limitation, the approval of the Exchange for the Acquisition, Reverse- Take-Over and the Subscription Receipt Offering. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON EXPLORECO Anaconda incorporated ExploreCo on September 10, 2018 as a wholly owned subsidiary to focus on early-stage gold exploration projects within Atlantic Canada. ExploreCo holds all the property and contractual interests in the ExploreCo Assets. The Great Northern and Viking projects comprise two (2) separate claim blocks (9,775 hectares) that are located 3 kilometres north and 15 kilometres south of the community of Jacksons Arm, Newfoundland & Labrador, respectively. The Great Northern project is comprised of four (4) mineral exploration licences that collectively encompass 167 mineral claims covering approximately 4,175 hectares. Two (2) mineral exploration licences are held 100% by ExploreCo. Two (2) other licences, are held 100% by ExploreCo under terms of an option agreement with Metals Creek Resources Corp. The Viking project is comprised of three (3) mineral exploration licences totalling 224 claims covering 5,600 hectares. The Cape Spencer project is an exploration stage project that has a history of past-production and the potential for near-term resource growth and discovery. The Cape Spencer project is located 15 kilometres southeast of Saint John, New Brunswick, comprising 104 mineral exploration claims covering 2,365 hectares of land acquired via staking and through an option agreement. For the purposes of the Reverse Take-Over, the Cape Spencer and Great Northern projects are considered to be the material properties of ExploreCo, and of Magna Terra following the completion of the Acquisition (hereinafter, New Magna Terra). Furthermore, the Cape Spencer Project is considered as the Qualifying Property within the meaning of the policies of the Exchange. Additional information on the Cape Spencer Project and the Great Northern Project, as required under Form 3D1 of the Exchange, is available in the Circular. The following table sets forth selected historical financial information from the carve-out financial statements representing the assets and related operations of the Cape Spencer Project and the Great Northern Project, including the Viking and Rattling Brook Projects, collectively referred to as Atlantic Canada ExploreCo. The carve-out statement of comprehensive loss for the nine month periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 and the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 reflect all expenses directly attributable to Atlantic Canada ExploreCo and an allocation of Anacondas expenses that were common to both Atlantic Canada ExploreCo and Anaconda. The allocation was calculated on a pro-rata basis to Atlantic Canada ExploreCo based on the proportion of the carrying values of Atlantic Canada ExploreCos exploration and evaluation assets to Anacondas exploration and evaluation assets and property, mill and equipment. All assets and liabilities directly attributable to Atlantic Canada ExploreCo were presented in the carve-out statement of financial position. Such information is derived from the Carve-Out Financial Statements of Atlantic Canada ExploreCo and should be read in conjunction with such financial statements attached to the Circular as Schedule G. Financial Results Nine months ended September 30, 2019 ($) Nine months ended September 30, 2018 ($) Year ended December 31, 2018 ($) Year ended December 31, 2017 ($) Revenue Net loss and comprehensive loss (246,247) (186,926) (269,582) (208,175) Cash flows from operating activities (201,384) (164,278) (212,000) (187,051) Cash flows from investing activities (166,898) (126,211) (288,355) (184,252) As at September 30, 2019 ($) December 31, 2018 ($) December 31, 2017 ($) January 1, 2017 ($) Current assets 82,547 2,486 - 13,268 Total assets 2,343,111 2,115,209 1,296,101 1,220,339 Current liabilities 13,000 19,057 - 101,722 Non-current liabilities 350,000 350,000 314,000 314,000 Shareholders equity 1,980,111 1,746,152 982,101 879,617 INFORMATION ON NEW MAGNA TERRA Upon completion of the Reverse Take-Over, ExploreCo will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of New Magna Terra, which will have two (2) wholly-owned subsidiaries, being ExploreCo and Atala Resources Corporation. New Magna Terra will continue the current businesses of the Company and ExploreCo. The primary objectives of New Magna Terra will be to conduct exploration activities on ExploreCos Cape Spencer and Great Northern projects (see the Circular for the recommend exploration programs on both projects). At the closing of the Reverse Take-over, assuming a Subscription Receipt Offering for minimum proceeds of $3.1 million and maximum proceeds of $3.5 million, there will be a minimum of 39,187,020 and a maximum of 40,787,020 New Magna Terra common shares (New Magna Terra Shares) issued and outstanding after the closing of the Subscription Receipt Offering, of which: (i) the current shareholders of the Company will hold an aggregate of 12.49 million New Magna Terra Shares (31.88% for the minimum Private Placement and 30.63% for the maximum Private Placement), (ii) Anaconda will hold 12.49 million New Magna Terra Shares (31.88% for the minimum Private Placement and 30.63% for the maximum Private Placement), and (iii) new investors will hold a minimum of 14.2 million New Magna Terra Shares (36.24%) and maximum of 15.8 million shares (38.74%). New Magna Terra will use the net proceeds from the Subscription Receipt Offering for working capital purposes and to carry out the exploration programs as recommended in the Cape Spencer Report and the Great Northern Report. The Company believes that New Magna Terras working capital available to fund ongoing operations upon completion of the Subscription Receipt Offering and Reverse Take-Over will be sufficient to meet New Magna Terras obligations, as currently contemplated, for a minimum of 18 months. In connection with the Subscription Receipt Offering, New Magna Terra may pay finders fees equal to 6% of the gross proceeds and issue up to 948,000 non-transferable warrants (the Broker Warrants) to various registered dealers or finders, representing up to 6% of New Magna Terra Shares, sold through such registered dealers or finders in the Subscription Receipt Offering. Each Broker Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one (1) New Magna Terra Share at a price of $0.30 per share for a period of twenty-four (24) months from the closing date of the Reverse Take-Over. For more information on the Subscription Receipt Offering, the pro forma share capital of New Magna Terra, the available funds and principal use of such funds by New Magna Terra following the closing of the Subscription Receipt Offering and the Reverse Take-Over, please consult the Circular. If the Reverse Take-over is successfully completed, it is expected that the Board of Directors of New Magna Terra will be comprised of Lewis Lawrick, Michael J. Byron, Richard L. Bedell Jr., Denis Hall and Dennis Logan, all of which are currently directors of the Company. It is expected that the officers of New Magna Terra will be the same as those of the Company, namely, Lewis Lawrick, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Errol Farr, Chief Financial Officer. Please consult the Circular for additional information on each proposed director and officer of New Magna Terra. About Magna Terra Magna Terra Minerals Inc. is a precious metals focused exploration company, headquartered in Toronto, Canada. With the closing of the ExploreCo Acquisition, Magna Terra will have 2 district-scale, advanced gold exploration projects in the world class mining jurisdictions of New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. The Company maintains a significant exploration portfolio in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina which includes its precious metals discovery on its Luna Roja Project, as well as an extensive portfolio of district scale drill ready projects available for option or joint venture. Completion of the transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSX Venture Exchange acceptance and disinterested shareholder approval by the shareholders of Magna Terra. The transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular dated January 27, 2020, any information released or received with respect to the transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of Magna Terra should be considered highly speculative. The TSX Venture Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information Some statements in this release may contain forward-looking information. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words may, will, should, continue, expect, anticipate, estimate, believe, intend, plan or project or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Companys ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, failure by the parties to complete the Acquisition, the possibility that future exploration results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, changes in world gold markets or markets for other commodities, and other risks disclosed in the Circular and the Companys public disclosure record on file with the relevant securities regulatory authorities. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement. In 2020, the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will enter the stage of intensification, and the talks will most likely be held over a certain document. Alongside that, the public will receive less information, taking into consideration the fact that the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs cautioned the sides about the need to keep confidentiality of the negotiations. This is what analyst Angela Elibegova told reporters today. According to her, the recent meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan and the Joint Statement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs showed that the sides have finally entered the stage of talks, and the Armenian side recorded the agenda and schedule. The analyst added that, based on the text of the statement issued after the recent meeting, Armenia confirmed that there was an agreement between the sides in 2019 to conduct humanitarian actions as well, and Armenia expressed willingness to continue the actions this year, but there are doubts about the effectiveness of those actions. As far as the results of the meeting are concerned, Azerbaijan confirmed its position based on the principles of the Helsinki Final Act, and Armenia added the point about the need for involvement of the elected representatives of Karabakh. Baku is preparing for a scenario when there will be an attempt to engage Karabakh in the talks, and evidence of this is the attempt to raise the status of the so-called Azerbaijani community of Karabakh, she explained. Based on Angela Elibegovas predictions, Baku will also continue to take advantage of the domestic political situation in Armenia to advance its propaganda. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 20:22:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Monday marks the first working day in most parts of China after the State Council, China's cabinet, extended the seven-day Spring Festival holiday to Feb. 2 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. In Beijing, although the municipal government suggested company employees work from home until Feb. 9 to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, most civil servants, employees of enterprises related to disease control and prevention, the city's operation such as water and electricity supplies, as well as residents' basic needs, had already returned to work on Monday. A total of 115,000 employees with Beijing's sanitation sector, power, gas and heating supply departments returned to work on Monday, according to Han Li, deputy head of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Management. The commission required all the sectors to increase the frequency of disinfection of public contact facilities, equipment and appliances, and employees to measure their body temperatures every day. "Those who will provide door-to-door services have to wear masks, and disinfect their uniforms, gloves and bottom of their shoes afterward," Han said. On Monday morning, only a few stores opened in Wangfujing, the main business street in downtown Beijing. "The first thing we did today was disinfect the whole store," said a staff member with a store that opened around 11 a.m. In Shanghai, staffs with the department of housing management in Putuo District were busy counting the number of households who have returned to Shanghai from other places after the Chinese New Year holiday. "A tenant was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus earlier," said Yang Minjuan, staff with the department, "so we need to keep a closer look of tenants in our area." "According to the statistics we collected earlier, most people will return to Shanghai on Feb. 5 or Feb. 6, we will collect their information of whether they were in Wuhan, and how they traveled back to Shanghai. Meanwhile, we will disinfect the hallway and take out the garbage more often to provide a safer environment in the compounds," said Yang. Zhou Xiao, the manager of the Dahuahucheng store of Freshhema, a supermarket and online food retailer, is among those who sacrificed his holiday to guarantee food and daily necessities for local residents. Measuring body temperature, washing hands with hand sanitizer, and putting on a mask and gloves, Zhou started his day early in the morning. He almost did not rest at all throughout the Spring Festival holiday. "The need for fresh vegetables are extremely high during this period. Sometimes we have to restock seven or eight times a day," said Zhou. "At the same time, we have been conducting video or phone interviews to hire more deliverymen for our store." At the Shanghai production base of Shanghai Xuerong Biotechnology Co. Ltd., one of the biggest fresh mushroom suppliers in the country, all 360 workers were back to the production line. All the works at the seven production bases in different parts of the country had resumed work as of Jan. 27, said Chen Xin, chief operating officer of the company. Over 1,000 tonnes of fresh mushrooms can be supplied to customers across the country every day, Chen added. Except for the delaying of resumption of works of enterprises, the opening of the new semester of schools in most parts of China has been postponed as well to reduce people gathering and block the spread of the coronavirus epidemic. The overall confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection on the Chinese mainland had reached 17,205 by the end of Sunday, with 361 deaths, according to the China National Health Commission. The facility will contain a conventional and an Islamic tranche and can be upsized to US$600 million. The facility will support the future financing needs of DAEs business. Firoz Tarapore, chief executive officer of DAE said: We are very pleased to enter into this agreement with Emirates Islamic and Emirates NBD Capital, and to deepen our relationship with Emirates NBD as we continue to diversify our pool of liquidity. We thank both Emirates Islamic and Emirates NBD Capital for their trust in our organization and look forward to a continuing, long term relationship. Salah Amin, chief executive officer of Emirates Islamic commented, We are committed to support the growth and development of prominent local companies like DAE. The funding demonstrates our unique capability to be the leading provider of Islamic banking solutions to corporations and individuals alike. Fahad Al Qassim, chief executive officer of Emirates NBD Capital commented: Emirates NBD Capital as the global investment bank for Emirates NBD Group is pleased to support DAE in achieving its long-term objectives." Ahmed Al Qassim, senior executive vice president, Group Head of Corporate & Institutional Banking for ENBD said: This facility will be yet another transaction led by ENBD post conclusion of the US$600 million RCF for DAE in FY2018. DAE remains our key relationship and this transaction demonstrates ENBDs continued support towards addressing DAEs financial requirements. UPDATE: The victim was identified late Monday night, Feb. 3, 2020, as Miriam Barron. A 79-year-old was found dead inside a house in Willingboro on Sunday following a fire, authorities said. Firefighters located the person after entering the home to battle the fire on Medley Lane around 5 p.m,, WIlingboro police said in a statement. The victim has not been identified, pending family notification. Neighbors told 6abc.com that a woman who lives in the house died in the blaze. One firefighter was treated at an area hospital for a minor knee injury. The fire remains under investigation, though it is not considered suspicious. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. (Natural News) Controversial Muslim Rep. Ilhan Omar, the Minnesota Democrat who has been accused of being anti-Semitic, is also a major hypocrite when it comes to her description of pro-life Christians. Back in May, according to Lifesite News, Omar gave a speech on the House floor in which she slammed pro-life Christians for attempting to impose their views on all of America. Last year, Omar took to the House floor to denounce legislation aimed at protecting the unborn, claiming that such laws are horrifying attacks against the reproductive rights of women. Religious fundamentalists are currently trying to manipulate the State laws in order to impose their beliefs on an entire society, all with complete disregard for voices and the rights of American women, she said May 22. This, from a pro-abortion advocate who, through her position as a legislator, is pushing her views on the rest of the country. The recent efforts like those in Alabama and Georgia are only the latest in a long history of efforts to criminalize women for simply existing and to punish us when we dont conform to their attempts to control us, Omar said. This isnt about religious morality or conviction, because we have seen time and time again those who talk about their faith and want to push policies because of their faith are the ones who simply are caught with the hypocrisy of not living it out in their personal lives, she added. As Lifesite News notes, its not just religious people and Christians who advocate for the unborn, number one. Over the years, support for abortion especially far Left Democrats demands for abortion up to and even shortly after birth has dramatically declined (though there are still far too much). And how come its always pro-abortion Democrats who fail to see the irony of their political position on this issue? Criticizing anyone who supports pro-life legislation is, in every sense, advocating for the opposition position. Women have had reproductive rights but what about the rights of the unborn children? In her speech, Omar couldnt even be honest. She claimed pro-life laws are dangerous because history has proven that when abortion is criminalized, the number of abortions do not simply go down. The number of deaths and injuries to women increase. Not true, Lifesite News reports, citing evidence: Even abortion activists and liberal news outlets acknowledge that pro-life laws do save lives from abortion, and few women died from illegal abortions leading up to Roe v. Wade. The Washington Post fact checker recently confirmed what pro-life advocates have been saying for years about back alley abortions: Few women died from abortions in the decade prior to Roe, and a rise in the use of antibiotics appears to be the biggest factor in the drop in maternal deaths, not legalized abortions. Omar concluded her speech by appealing to all American women, saying they should support reproductive rights the most misleading phrase Democrats have ever used. (Related: Planned Parenthood could face federal charges for trafficking baby body parts.) Abortion isnt reproduction, its ending life. Men and women reproduce when they actually have babies. And in fact, women already have reproductive rights they can choose to have children or they dont have to. But getting pregnant then killing that baby via abortion is not a reproductive right, its an abortion right big difference. But of course, the Left changed the language when it came to this issue because the word abortion struck such passionate chords with people, especially women. Women are strongly pro-life, including those who have had abortions. Many now lead the pro-life movement in the hopes of sparing other women and unborn babies from the pain and loss that they experienced, Lifesite News added. When a society legalizes the targeted killing of its own offspring, then that society has lost all of its moral footing and, in fact, is in decline. Sources include: LifeNews.com NaturalNews.com BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.3 Trend: The World Bank offers support to Uzbekistan through 23 projects totaling $4.1 billion, and also through a comprehensive program of analytical and advisory services, representative of World Bank told Trend. These activities contribute to the countrys economic growth, through the implementation of market-oriented reforms, and improvements in agriculture and water resources management, energy, transport, healthcare, education, social protection, water supply and sanitation services, and urban and rural development. The bank said that over the last 24 months, Uzbekistan has taken significant steps in transforming its economy. Following an initial wave of reforms to liberalize its currency and lift trade and regulatory barriers, reforms in recent months have focused on measures to further decrease regulatory and tax burdens, overhaul visa and registration requirements for foreign citizens visiting Uzbekistan and reduce the states footprint in the economy. Simultaneously, reforms have also focused on strengthening human capital, reforming the labor market, and enhancing social safety nets. The following are the most important World Bank projects in Uzbekistan in 2019: Ferghana Valley Enterprise Development Project Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across Uzbekistans Ferghana Valley benefited from a new rural enterprise development project approved by the World Banks executive directors. The project was supported by a $200 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development on March 21, 2019. The Government of Uzbekistan has recognized the need to reform its economy and find new drivers of economic growth and is placing emphasis on accelerating private sector development to create jobs and increase income levels. In 2017, around 78 percent of all employed individuals worked in small enterprises and more than 27 percent of all employment was in the agriculture sector. The MSME sector plays a significant role in Uzbek economy, representing close to 50 percent of the national GDP. The project supported the delivery of technical and financial services to MSMEs across three regions of Ferghana Valley - Andijan, Ferghana and Namangan. The project also provided technical support to groups of enterprises in rural areas for strengthening linkages in supply chains and facilitating greater market access to urban areas across Ferghana Valley, other economic clusters in other parts of Uzbekistan and Central Asia. The project targeted rural entrepreneurs in high potential sectors such as agriculture, food processing, handicraft, rural services, tourism, and small manufacturing. The expected development results include an increase in business activity, higher rates of employment (particularly among youth and women), an increase in access to financial and advisory services for MSMEs, as well as improved supply chain linkages in targeted areas. Support to Public Financial Management and State-Owned Enterprises Reforms to Benefit Uzbekistans Citizens and Economy A project approved by the World Banks Board of Executive Directors advances Uzbekistans transition into a market-oriented economy by creating more economic opportunities and better jobs for its citizens. The $33 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) on May 24, 2019 supported the Institutional Capacity Building Project. The project implemented by the Government of Uzbekistan as a critical part of its comprehensive economic reform agenda is supported by the World Bank Group. As part of the Governments public finance management the project strengthened budgeting capacity, investment management, treasury systems, accounting practices, internal controls, and audit functions. The project also focused on creating capacity and tools for the effective management and oversight of state-owned enterprises, the development of a pipeline of public-private partnerships (PPPs) and the updating and drafting of relevant laws and regulations, as well as preparing privatization and PPP transactions. Finally, the project supported the activities of the Economic Council, created under the President of Uzbekistan in January 2019 for the high-level coordination of the Governments economic reforms. Uzbekistan Institutional Capacity Building Project The World Banks Board of Executive Directors approved a project that helped to increase access to and improve the quality of early childhood education in Uzbekistan on May 29, 2019. The $73.8 million Promoting Early Childhood Development Project is financed through a $59.5 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) and grants from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the Global Partnership for Results-Based Approaches (GPRBA) in the amount of $14.3 million. Despite high levels of public investment in preschool education in Uzbekistan, only about 29 percent of children aged 3 to 7 were enrolled in preschools in 2017 an extremely low percentage compared to other countries. Teaching conditions in preschools across the country are not optimal, with high student-teacher ratios and the majority of preschool teachers holding only a secondary vocational education degree. Moreover, there is no system in place to assess the quality of preschool education an important measure for evaluating whether small children are being adequately prepared to enter primary schools. Public preschools also lack the necessary infrastructure, equipment and furniture required to create safe and comfortable conditions conducive to learning and for promoting childrens development. To address these issues, the Promoting Early Childhood Development Project financed a number of activities to improve the quality of preschool education, including improving access to good quality early learning environments, promoting partnerships with the private sector and enabling the systematic measurement of education quality for informed policy making, strategic planning and monitoring. The project anticipates that by the end of its completion in 2024, about 40 percent of children aged 3 to 7 will be enrolled in preschool educational facilities, and that more than 1 million children will be attending preschools equipped with improved learning environments, including modern child-friendly and age-appropriate equipment and furniture, teaching and learning materials, toys, recreation zones, computers and better-trained teachers. The project also supported development and implementation of alternative models of early childhood education, including remote learning that will increase access to preschool education for children living in rural and underserved areas. This approach helped disadvantage children and contribute to addressing the current inequalities of opportunities in the system. The project was expected to stimulate public-private partnership development through a social impact bond - an innovative financing mechanism - that ties financial returns and payments to rigorously measured results. Under this scheme, 140 private preschools located in urban areas of Uzbekistan will deliver appropriate educational services so that the Government can concentrate funds in rural areas. Sustaining Market Reforms in Uzbekistan - Development Policy Operation Uzbekistans ongoing economic transformation and market reforms, aimed at increasing jobs and prosperity for all its citizens, received further support through a $500 million Development Policy Operation (DPO), approved on June 14, 2019 by the World Banks Board of Executive Directors. The DPO helped sustain Uzbekistans economic reforms to reorient the economy towards greater private sector-led growth and job creation. Guided by the Government of Uzbekistans 2017-2021 Development Strategy, the DPO supports the authorities in implementing reforms in two critical areas: increasing the role of markets and the private sector in the economy and strengthening social inclusion. According to the World Banks "Listening to Citizens of Uzbekistan" survey involving over 4,000 households across the country, 95 percent of survey participants were optimistic about the future of the country. This Development Policy Operation, which builds on a first DPO from June 2018, supported the Government of Uzbekistan in deepening and sustaining the reforms that started in 2017. The goal was to support the Governments efforts to increase trade and investment, strengthen financial sector efficiency, and implement key institutional changes that are critical to the countrys economic transition. The DPO also aimed to help the Government ensure greater social inclusion during the transition, through reforms that increase formal jobs in the economy, strengthen skills, improve social safety nets, and increase the voice and participation of citizens in the budgeting process. Strengthening the Social Protection System Project The World Banks Board of Directors approved a loan to Uzbekistan in the amount of $50 million to reduce unemployment and strengthen the system of social benefits in the country on July 1, 2019. Loan funds were provided from the resources of the International Development Association, which is a part of the WB structure. In particular, it aimed at creating a single registry for citizens who need social benefits. The bank noted that it helped to ensure that social protection programs cover low-income and socially vulnerable groups of people who are adversely affected by rising prices for essential goods and utilities. Profile courses for staff training and new jobs in the private sector were created as well. A specialized labor information system of the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations of Uzbekistan developed and put into operation. Prosperous Villages Project The World Banks Board of Executive Directors approved a $100 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) for the Prosperous Villages Project in Uzbekistan on November 14, 2019. The project improved the quality of basic infrastructure, including schools, roads and internet service, with village residents deciding collectively which priorities will receive funding. The representative noted that participating rural communities may select small-scale rehabilitation or construction projects of facilities including kindergartens, schools, health clinics, tertiary roads, street lighting, bus terminals and stops, and even antennas for wireless internet. They can also make improvements to water supply and sanitation or solid waste management among others. Approximately 300 villages in Andijan, Ferghana, Namangan, Jizzakh, and Syrdarya regions of Uzbekistan will receive funding for community-level projects. In each of these villages, community members will collectively decide on the types of projects based on village priorities and resources. Advertisement Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman was freed from jail after serving just half his sentence even though he 'still held extremist views' - after Boris Johnson vowed to bring in stronger anti-terror measures following the last terror attack in the capital. The 20-year-old extremist was shot dead by officers in Streatham, South London - a mile from his bail hostel - on Sunday afternoon at about 2pm after he went on a horrific rampage, stabbing two people. Amman had been jailed for three years and four months in December 2018, when he pleaded guilty to 13 counts including possessing bomb-making manuals and knife-fighting guides, but he was automatically released just days ago, halfway through his sentence, despite fears he still held extremist views. Police had kept Amman, who was released on licence and subject to a curfew, under active surveillance. A source said concerns about his behaviour while in prison included language that implied he still held 'extremist views'. In the Queen's Speech before Christmas, Boris Johnson immediately promised changes including tougher surveillance and 14-year sentences for all serious terror offences, however: The Parole Board confirmed it did not reassess Amman to ascertain if he was a danger before his release Amman had displayed several 'risk indicators', including lack of remorse and allegiance to an extremist group It was 'obvious' to the Henry Jackson society that he was 'one of the most high-risk extremists around' In December Mr Johnson had promised a review of license conditions for 74 terrorists released from jail early Mr Johnson, whose government is under pressure to answer how yesterday's terror attack was allowed to happen just weeks after he promised tighter controls, has now said the Government is preparing to take action to end the automatic early release of prisoners currently in jail for terrorist offences. On January 21 the government vowed to introduce new anti-terror measures in the 'first 100 days' of its administration to carry out the Prime Minister's pledge on tougher sentences, overhaul the terrorist licensing regime, double the number of specialist counter-terror probation officers and introduce polygraph testing. The Conservative election victory in December would suggest a deadline of March 21 to implement these. Now former Met Police chief superintendent Dal Babu is calling for a public inquiry into why Amman was let out of prison just months after Usman Khan - who had himself been convicted of a terrorism offence in 2012 - carried out his attack on London Bridge last year. Armed police shoot dead extremist Sudesh Amman, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, after he grabbed a knife from a shop and stabbed a man and a woman in a brutal high-street rampage in Streatham, South London, at about 2pm yesterday Sudesh Amman, 20, from Harrow in North West London, had previously fantasised about carrying out a terror attack with a blade or with acid while riding a moped and had been jailed in December 2018 - before being released just days ago Forensics on Streatham High Road, where terrorist Sudesh Amman stabbed shoppers on Sunday before being shot by police The Prime Minister, whose government is under pressure to answer how yesterday's terror attack was allowed to happen just weeks after he promised tighter controls, has now said the Government is preparing to take action to end the automatic early release of prisoners currently in jail for terrorist offences What Boris's government promised but so far NOTHING is in place In the Queen's Speech before Christmas, following his December election win, Boris Johnson pledged to end the early release of of dangerous terrorists and introduce minimum 14 year jail terms. Last year two people were killed by convicted terrorist Usman Khan, 28, at Fishmongers' Hall after he attended a prisoner rehabilitation event. He had been released on licence in December 2018. 'If you are convicted of a serious terrorist offence, there should be a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 years - and some should never be released,' the Prime Minster said then. 'Further, for all terrorism and extremist offences the sentence announced by the judge must be the time actually served - these criminals must serve every day of their sentence, with no exceptions.' Mr Johnson has now said the Government has 'moved quickly' to introduce measures to strengthen the UK's response to terrorism. Last month details of The Counter Terrorism (Sentencing and Release) Bill were released. They included forcing dangerous terrorists who receive extended determinate sentences to serve the whole time behind bars, and scrapping early release from jail for those classed as dangerous and handed extended determinate sentences. Terrorists deemed not to be a risk would have to serve two-thirds of their sentence before the Parole Board could consider them for release, as part of the bill. The required legislation has yet to be passed by MPs as politicians concentrated on getting Brexit done. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was 'angry' this morning at the 'lack of progress', saying the Streatham attack on Sunday was 'clearly foreseeable'. He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'One of the things we were promised in November when we had the two fatalities is that the Government would learn the lessons and make sure they would change the policies they brought in a few years ago... 'But for an inch this way or that way, but for the brilliance of the medics and the speed of the police, there would have been two fatalities and many more. 'And that's one of the reasons why I'm not just frustrated but I'm angry at the changes made in the past and the lack of progress in making the changes we were promised in November.' Advertisement He said they had been told at the time there would be a 'comprehensive risk assessment' on terror criminals being released, but 'fundamental failures' have now led to a situation where someone 'who's clearly very dangerous has been released on the 50 per cent rule and within days they've gone out and tried to kill people'. The right-leaning Henry Jackson Society identified Amman as an extremist close to automatic early release in a newspaper report in December, warning that he was still too dangerous to be freed. A spokesperson today told MailOnline Amman would have been one of the 'top five' considered by British security forces and 'one of the most dangerous offenders' in the country. Boris Johnson today said: 'We are bringing forward legislation to stop the system of automatic early release. The difficulty is how to apply retrospectively to the cohort of people who currently qualify,' he said. 'It is time to take action to ensure, irrespective of the law we are bringing in, people in the current stream don't qualify automatically for early release.' Mr Johnson had pledged to end the early release of of dangerous terrorists and introduce minimum 14 year jail terms - having first made the commitment in the wake of November's deadly London Bridge attack - shortly after his election win. But the required legislation has yet to be passed by MPs as politicians concentrated on getting Brexit done. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was 'angry' this morning at the 'lack of progress', saying the Streatham attack on Sunday was 'clearly foreseeable'. Mr Khan warned that prisons are now 'warehouses' for radicalisation where offenders are learning from a 'university of crime' rather than being rehabilitated. He called on the Government to give jails resources and support to 'properly punish and reform' those convicted of a serious offence as well as handing judges the power to pass sentences which would keep dangerous terrorists behind bars. At present most offenders handed an immediate jail term are typically released halfway through their sentence on licence under rules introduced in 2005. Mr Khan said ministers and officials needed to 'recognise' assurances must be sought that criminals no longer pose a risk to the public when they are released from jail. Referring to Amman, he said: 'The reality is this was a man convicted of a terror-related offence, this was a man released very recently on January 23 who police and the authorities knew was a potential danger. 'And my concern is this was an attack that was both predictable and preventable.' As of the end of September, there were 224 terrorists behind bars in Great Britain with most thought to be holding Islamist-extremist views. Streatham terrorist kept a notebook saying his goal was to 'die as a martyr' Sudesh Amman kept a notebook in which he wrote that his 'goals in life' were: 'Die as a shuhada', which means martyr, and 'go to jannah', which translates as paradise Sudesh Amman kept a notebook with his four 'life goals' including being a martyr and going to paradise. Amman's notes were revealed when he was jailed for 13 terror offences at the Old Bailey, 14 months before his terror rampage in Streatham. He kept a notebook in which he wrote that his 'goals in life' were: 'Die as a shuhada', which means martyr, and 'go to jannah', which translates as paradise. Aged 18 at the time of his sentencing in December 2018, Amman had smiled and waved at the public gallery as he was jailed for three years and four months. Amman is believed to have been back on the streets for just a few weeks before the stabbing attack - fulfilling one of his so-called life goals of dying a martyr. His stash of manuals on bomb-making, knife-fighting and close combat included the titles Bloody Brazilian Knife Fighting and How To Make A Bomb In Your Kitchen. Amman posted Al Qaeda propaganda on a family WhatsApp group, exposing siblings as young as 11 to graphic material, and had shared bomb-making literature via Skype chat. He had told his girlfriend of his wish to carry out acid attacks and that he preferred the idea of a knife attack over using bombs. Advertisement The 'vast majority', 77% (173), were branded as holding Islamist-extremist views, according to Home Office data. A further 17% were categorised as holding far right-wing ideologies Jonathan Hall QC, Independent Review of Terrorism Legislation, said the Government could be preparing emergency legislation along the lines of post-9/11 laws, which could include civil measures to detain individuals who have not committed a crime. In December the Henry Jackson Society warned that up to 180 convicted Islamist terrorists had been released from jail early over the past two decades, with court records showing 187 of the 264 jailed before 2015 had been eligible for early release. Their report named Amman as one of three who was up for release. A spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Amman had a lot of risk indicators: lack of remorse at sentencing, evidence of encryption, relatively young age, allegience to extremist group, ie ISIS. 'Every extremist risk indicator you could possibly have. It was obvious to us that he was one of the most high-risk extremists around. 'Looking at the level of how closely he was monitored he would have been in the top five considered by security services in the UK. 'That level of detail is phenomenally expensive. There is no way he wasn't one of the most dangerous offenders in the UK.' Ian Acheson, who led an independent review of Islamist extremism in prisons, probation and youth justice in 2016, said the risk-management system was 'broken', telling the BBC's Today programme he was 'concerned' about the prison service's ability to manage terrorist offenders. He said: 'I am still unconvinced that the prison service itself has the aptitude or the attitude to assertively manage terrorist offenders... We may need to accept that there are certain people who are so dangerous they must be kept in prison indefinitely.' Amman's mother Haleema Khan, 41, is said to be 'disgusted' and 'very upset' with her 20-year-old son's knife rampage and rejects his fanatical Islamic extremist beliefs, a source close to the family said. Amman lived with Mrs Khan and his five younger brothers in Harrow, North West London, before he was jailed for terror offences at the Old Bailey in December 2018. Mrs Khan, who has since moved to the Bedfordshire market town of Dunstable, is now trying to get her son's body from police 'as soon as possible' to bury him. Pictured is Amman as a teenager. His mother Haleema Khan, 41, is said to be 'disgusted' and 'very upset' with her 20-year-old son's knife rampage and rejects his fanatical Islamic extremist beliefs, a source close to the family said Forensics on Streatham High Road today where jihadi terrorist Sudesh Amman stabbed shoppers on Sunday afternoon Police seal off a bail hostel last night on Leigham Court Road in Streatham, around a mile from the scene of yesterday's attack Police load items into a car in Streatham overnight as they search a bail hostel. The extremist had been jailed for three years and four months in December 2018, when he pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing terrorist documents Some of the items, which include electronics and handwritten notes, seized from the terrorist's hostel in Streatham overnight A family source told MailOnline today: 'Haleema is disgusted by what he has done and his beliefs, but she is a mother and has lost a son so she is very upset and sad. TIMELINE: TERROR CRIMINALS ATTACK AFTER BEING RELEASED February 2012: Usman Khan is sentenced for planning to set up a terrorist camp in Pakistan 2018: Khan, 28, is released from prison on license with an electronic tag December 2018: Sudesh Amman is sentenced to three years and four months for sharing bomb-making manuals with relatives - one of 13 counts November 2019: Khan attended an event at Fishmonger's Hall organised by Learning Together, a Cambridge University programme that helps rehabilitate inmates and ex-offenders and murdered Saskia Jones, 23, and Jack Merritt, 25 December 2019: Boris Johnson promises to bring in changes to the justice system, including 14-year minimum sentences for serious terror offences and a government review of license conditions The Henry Jackson society report Amman as one of three convicted terrorists who may soon be released January 2020: Amman is believed to have been automatically released from prison without undergoing a Parole Board assessment February 2, 2010: Amman stabs two people and is shot dead by police in Streatham High Road Advertisement 'But they are relieved that he wasn't able to kill anyone. It has hit them very hard, but now they are trying to get his body from the police as soon as possible and bury him. 'This is done as quickly as one can for Muslims as is custom and prayers for him will begin shortly.' Metropolitan Police officers were seen overnight combing through a bail hostel in Streatham, where Amman is believed to have lived following his automatic early release from prison. Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command said they were searching two residential addresses - one in South London and the other nearly 40 miles away in the Hertfordshire market town of Bishop's Stortford. No arrests have been made. The Ministry of Justice had said that the most serious offenders had sentences that required parole board approval for release. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a review in December into the licence conditions of 74 terrorists who had been let out of jail early, following the London Bridge atrocity by convicted terrorist Usman Khan on November 29 A Whitehall source claimed Amman was released despite concerns because the law didn't give them the power to keep him in jail. Residents at the bail hostel where he was believed to have been staying claim he had previously tried to take his life and had been asking for medication. Speaking after Amman was named as the attacker, Henry Jackson Society fellow Dr Paul Stott said: 'We need an immediate moratorium on the release of terrorist prisoners, whilst the government reviews each individual case.' Yesterday, while being under active police surveillance and 'very stringent licencing conditions', he launched a horrific knife rampage in Streatham, leaving one man in a life-threatening condition, though he later recovered. Police outside the bail hostel in Streatham overnight where Amman is thought to have stayed after his early prison release In the rush to get to the scene yesterday, this police car crashed into a driveway on a residential street a mile away What was Sudesh Amman jailed for? Sudesh Amman was jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018. Wearing a black prayer cap and long black tunic, Amman smirked when he was told that he was facing a sentence of just three years and four months. The Islamic State fanatic kept a notebook in which he wrote that his 'goals in life' were: 'Die as a shuhada', which means martyr, and 'go to jannah', which translates as paradise. The Old Bailey heard he told his girlfriend to kill her parents and tried to radicalise his younger brothers. He also sent Isis recruitment material and shared an Al Qaeda magazine to a family WhatsApp group that included his three younger brothers aged between 11 and 15, telling one of them he wanted to 'blow myself up'. Advertisement Wearing a fake suicide vest, Amman stole a 10-inch, 3.99 blade from a convenience store and stabbed the man, in his 40s, in the stomach before knifing a female cyclist, in her 50s, in the back as he ran down the street. Armed police were on the scene within minutes, having been following him because they suspected he was going to launch a terrorist attack imminently. After he failed to stop, Amman was shot dead outside a Boots chemist. In the rush to get there, one police car crashed into a driveway on a residential street a mile away. Officers are thought to have called for back-up in a panic after seeing Amman steal the knife before launching his attack, reportedly yelling 'Allahu Akbar'. Another woman received minor injuries in the attack, believed to have been caused by flying glass following a police gunshot. Overall, 353 terror criminals and suspects have been released from prison between June 2012 and June 2019, of which 245 were convicted of offences. Police, security services and probation teams are examining the files of around 200 known extremists with some reportedly facing bans from large towns and cities. Photos from the scene in Streatham yesterday show a lifeless body face down on the pavement with what have been described as 'silver canisters' strapped to his chest, while a large knife is lying beside him Police load the body of Amman into a private ambulance yesterday evening after he was shot dead in Streatham Police look at Amman lying face down on Streatham High Road at about 2pm yesterday (left) then officers back off (right) Police were filmed standing behind an unmarked police car and pointing their guns towards Amman in Streatham yesterday About 70 of the cases relate to convicted terrorists freed on licence before the end of their sentences. At least 20 jihadists are said to be back in London where they committed the terror offences that put them in prison, reported the Sun. ISIS fanatic Amman was jailed for more than three years in December 2018. Police car crashes into driveway on route to Streatham attack A police car responding to the Streatham attack smashed into a wall a mile away Armed police were on the scene in Streatham, south London within minutes as Sudesh Amman launched his horrific knife rampage. Officers had been following Amman because they suspected he was going to launch a terrorist attack imminently. However, in the rush to get to the scene, one armed response vehicle crashed into a driveway on a residential street a mile from the scene. The front of the car was severely damaged in the collision. Officers are thought to have called for back-up in a panic after seeing Amman steal the knife before launching his attack, reportedly yelling 'Allahu Akbar'. Advertisement The then-18-year-old fantasised about carrying out a terror attack with a blade or with acid while riding a moped and also shared Al Qaeda propaganda on a WhatsApp group used by his family. When he was sentenced, he couldn't stop laughing, grinning and waving to his mother and brother in the public gallery with no sign of remorse. Police found notebooks belonging to the North West London College student when he was arrested, where he jotted down how to make explosives and wrote about how he wanted to be a martyr. Amman asked his girlfriend to kill her parents because they were 'kuffar', showed her beheading videos and also shared how he was planning a terrorist attack in Queensbury, northwest London, during Skype chats. His stash of manuals on bomb-making, knife fighting and close combat included the titles Bloody Brazilian Knife Fighting and How to Make A Bomb In Your Kitchen. Amman posted a link to a pdf copy of the 'Inspire' magazine focusing on the idea of the 'Lone Jihad' in a family WhatsApp group in January this year, exposing children as young as 11 to extremist material. The document contained an article about 'the successful pressure cooker bomb' and provided detailed instructions on how to maximise casualties through the use of IEDs. After he was jailed, Alexis Boon, head of the Met Police counter-terrorism command, said: 'His fascination with dying in the name of terrorism was clear in a notepad we recovered from his home.' At the time of his trial, prosecutor Kelly Brocklehurst said: 'The defendant had discussed with his family, friends and girlfriend his strong and often extreme views on jihad, the kuffar, and his desire to carry out a terrorist attack. Police inspect the suspect (left) after he was shot and lying face down on the pavement (right) wearing a fake suicide vest Officers raced to the scene outside a supermarket in Streatham at around 2pm on Sunday following reports of gunfir 'Much of his fascination with conducting an attack was focused on using a knife but reference was also made to committing acid attacks on mopeds. 'The Crown contends that the defendant's interest in Islamic extremism and Daesh in particular is more than a mere immature fascination with the taboo and with graphic violence. Boris Johnson announces 'fundamental changes' to the justice system after Streatham attack Boris Johnson has promised there will be 'fundamental changes' to the system for dealing with convicted terrorists after Sunday's attack by a newly-released prisoner. Mr Johnson's comments echo those made after London's last terror attack when two people were killed by convicted terrorist Usman Khan at Fishmongers' Hall in December. Khan, 28, had been attending a prisoner rehabilitation event after being released on licence in December 2018. 'If you are convicted of a serious terrorist offence, there should be a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 years - and some should never be released,' the Prime Minster said then. Speaking after Sunday's attack, Mr Johnson said: 'An investigation is taking place at pace to establish the full facts of what happened, and the Government will provide all necessary support to the police and security services as this work goes on. 'Following the awful events at Fishmonger's Hall in December, we have moved quickly to introduce a package of measures to strengthen every element of our response to terrorism - including longer prison sentences and more money for the police. 'Tomorrow, we will announce further plans for fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences.' Advertisement 'He is clearly someone with sincerely held and concerning ideological beliefs which motivate him to collect and disseminate such material. 'For example, he is seen telling his girlfriend in online chat how he has declared a pledge to Islamic State and wishes to purge society and carry out acid attacks. 'Elsewhere he is seen telling her he prefers the idea of a knife attack over use of bombs.' After being jailed for his offences, he was automatically released just a few days ago, after serving half of his sentence, despite authorities being concerned that he still held extremist views. A Whitehall source said this evening: 'He was under surveillance, that is what allowed police to do their job so quickly. 'It could have been much worse than it was. 'There had been concerns when he was in prison but there were no powers for any authority to keep him behind bars. 'There was nothing that could be done to keep him behind bars under existing laws, hence why he was under surveillance and strict licencing conditions. 'He had served half of his sentence, which was more than three years, so had to be released despite concerns over his conduct. 'The public will look at this case and say why was this individual not kept behind bars and the Prime Minister shares that view. 'This shines a light on something that clearly needs addressing.' The source added that the 'very stringent' licencing conditions included a curfew. In one video, police toting machine guns and masked undercover officers are seen approaching Amman's body before rapidly moving away from the area Scotland Yard declared the broad daylight carnage as a terror-related incident around an hour after first reports from the scene Boris Johnson has said he will announce plans on Monday for 'fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences' following the terror-related incident in south London. In a statement, the Prime Minister said: 'My thoughts are with the injured victims and their loved ones following today's horrific attack in Streatham. 'I want to pay tribute to the speed and bravery of the police who responded and confronted the attacker - preventing further injuries and violence - and all of the emergency services who came to the aid of others. 'An investigation is taking place at pace to establish the full facts of what happened, and the Government will provide all necessary support to the police and security services as this work goes on. 'Following the awful events at Fishmonger's Hall in December, we have moved quickly to introduce a package of measures to strengthen every element of our response to terrorism - including longer prison sentences and more money for the police. 'Tomorrow, we will announce further plans for fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences.' David Chawner, 31, a stand-up comedian who witnessed the attack, told ITV's Good Morning Britain of the attack: 'I was speaking to an armed police officer and he seemed distressed at how long the paramedics took.' Asked about how Amman was a known threat, he added: 'It makes me angry, it makes me frustrated like I think so many people are, but I think just the mundanity of it the regularity of it the fact that it was just a normal street on a Sunday 'There were people still riding bikes really annoyed (saying) 'can I just get through'? Normal life goes on. 'I've become immune to this because I was actually caught up in the London Bridge attacks recently as well. I was on the Bridge when it happened because I work around there - I was doing some filming around there.' The jihadis who slipped through the net: How Streatham knifeman Sudesh Amman is latest terrorist to carry out an attack while on British authorities' radar Sudesh Amman was able to stab people in Streatham despite close monitoring He was released from jail in January under 'very stringent' licencing conditions Second convicted terrorist to carry out a knife attack in Britain within ten weeks London Bridge and Manchester attackers were also known to security services The convicted terrorist who went on a knife rampage in south London yesterday is the latest in a growing list of Islamists to strike while on the radar of security services. Sudesh Amman was able to stab two people on Streatham high street despite being under close surveillance by MI5 and anti-terror police following his release from jail. He was freed just a few days ago under 'very stringent' licencing conditions, meaning armed police who were tracking him arrived on the scene in moments. But officers were unable to prevent him from knifing one man in the stomach and a female cyclist in the back before he was eventually shot dead outside Boots chemist. Amman, 20, becomes the second convicted terrorist to carry out a knife attack in Britain within ten weeks, following a similar rampage by London Bridge attacker Usman Khan. Sunday's terror attack by Sudesh Amman (left) was the second knife rampage by a convicted terrorist to take place in ten weeks, following the atrocity committed by Usman Khan (right) Armed police shoot dead extremist Sudesh Amman, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, after he grabbed a knife from a shop and stabbed a man and a woman in a brutal high-street rampage in Streatham, South London, at about 2pm yesterday Usman Khan, 28, killed two people at Fishmongers' Hall in 2019 Khan, 28, was shot dead by police on London Bridge in November after killing two people at a nearby rehabilitation conference while out on licence for terror offences. The son of a taxi driver, he got an indeterminate jail term in 2012 after admitting preparing terrorist acts, including the plot and starting a terror training camp in Pakistan. In 2013 the Court of Appeal changed that to a 16-year fixed sentence which meant Khan had to serve only half. While on licence in November, he stabbed Cambridge graduates Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, to death while wearing a fake suicide vest at Fishmonger's Hall. In the aftermath of Khan's attack, it was claimed Khan had reformed and become a model prisoner while in prison, which helped him win permission to travel unescorted from his Stafford bedsit to London. But Khan was moved to a Category A prison after he was involved in incidents of violence and threats to endanger staff. Khan was released from HMP Woodhill in Buckinghamshire in December 2018. Just over two months ago, on November 29, convicted terrorist Usman Khan (pictured) killed two Cambridge graduates before he was fatally shot on London Bridge Khuram Butt, 27, ringleader of 2017 London Bridge attack that killed eight people The ringleader of the 2017 London Bridge attack that killed eight people, Butt had been the subject of a two-year investigation by security services. However the chief coroner, in a report into the atrocity, said police and MI5 did not recognise the threat he posed. Mark Lucraft QC said this was despite Butt's association with Islamic State fanatic Anjem Choudary and an appearance in the documentary The Jihadi Next Door. The probe was twice suspended due to pressure on resources and the authorities did not pass on tip-offs about his extremism, including one from a family member. There was also a two-month delay in translating a request from the Italian authorities for information about his fellow attacker Youssef Zaghba. An Old Bailey inquest heard that Butt, who was an MI5 subject of interest (SIO), had looked at extremist material online in the months and years before the attack, including propaganda for so-called Islamic State, violent images and sermons from extremist preachers. Bereaved families said MI5 and counter-terror police should review their assumptions about the weight placed on an SIO's so-called mindset material. Mr Lucraft said there is no evidence investigators are not capable of making those judgments properly after police and security services pointed out that many SIOs possess such material. Like Usman Khan and the 2017 London Bridge attackers Khuram Butt (pictured), Rachid Redouane and Yousef Zaghba, Amman went on a knife rampage wearing a fake suicide vest Butt is pictured on the left appearing in 'The Jihadis Next Door' which aired on January 20, 2016 Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba (shown left to right) killed eight people before they themselves were shot dead Khalid Masood, 52, who killed five people in 2017 Westminster attack Masood killed five people and injured more than 50 after he mounted the pavement in his car outside the Houses of Parliament and went on a knife rampage. The 52-year-old Briton was probed by MI5 from as early as 2004, with concerns high enough that he was classified as a threat to national security. However the file on him was closed in 2012 as it was deemed that he was not considered a serious threat. Masood, a violent criminal who picked up a string of convictions during his time living in Kent and Sussex, is believed to have converted to Islam while he was serving two prison sentences between 2000 and 2004. After emerging from prison, he went to Saudi Arabia to teach English in trip a thought to have been inspired by his new-found spirituality. When he returned from Saudi around 2009, he moved to Luton, a city in which a number of extremists and Islamic radicals were operating. Theresa May would later tell the House of Commons that 52-year-old Masood was considered a 'peripheral' figure at the time. Salman Abedi, Manchester Arena bomber who killed 22 in 2017 Abedi, the jidahi terrorist who detonated a suicide vest at Manchester Arena in 2017 and killed 22 people, was also known to British security services. But was not deemed a high risk, despite five community leaders reporting him for extremist views. A report found a series of failures on behalf of security services, including how he had visited a category A extremist inmate in prison. Counter-terror police were also alerted to Abedi frequently travelling to Libya from 2014 onwards but he was not made the subject of travel restrictions or monitoring. Abedi's case was flagged for review, but was not re-examined before he slaughtered parents and children at the Ariana Grande concert The Abedi family, originally from Libya, fled during the Gaddafi dictatorship with the father returning to fight with opposition forces when the uprising began in 2011. Both brothers travelled to Libya in April 2017, then Salman returned alone before carrying out the suicide attack in Manchester. He detonated his device at the end of the concert, with 353 people, including 175 children, around him in the foyer of the venue. As well as the 22 dead, 16 people suffered serious injuries including paralysis, loss of limbs, internal injuries, and serious facial injuries involving complicated plastic surgery. Abedi, the jidahi terrorist who detonated a suicide vest at Manchester Arena in 2017 and killed 22 people, was also known to British security services Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi (left) and London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt (right) were both known to MI5 but were not actively being investigated at the time of their attacks Ahmed Hassan, 18, whose homemade bomb failed to explode at Parsons Green Tube station in 2017 The 18-year-old Iraqi asylum-seeker left a homemade bomb on a District line commuter train in 2017 which partially exploded after the train arrived at Parsons Green station. He claimed during an asylum interview that he had been trained to kill by ISIS against his will and spent several hours a day in a mosque under their command, receiving religious education. After those comments, he was brought to the attention of MI5 on February 2 2016 during a discussion with Counter-Terrorism Policing, but he was never made a subject of interest. Instead he was referred to the Channel mentoring scheme - part of the Prevent de-radicalisaton programme - in February 2016. It was not until June 2016 that he was made an 'active' Channel case and nine formal meetings were then held of the joint agency Channel panel at which his case was discussed. However, Hassan was never assigned a mentor, for a six-month period in 2017 there were no panel meetings, and at the time of the attack, the panel was considering closing his case. Ahmed Hassan (pictured in a mugshot, left, and on the day of his attack, right) was sentenced to life in prison Darren Osborne, 48, killed one in 2017 Finsbury Park mosque attack Darren Osborne (pictured) drove a vehicle into a group of people gathered near a mosque in Finsbury Park Darren Osborne, from Cardiff, drove a vehicle into a group of people gathered near a mosque in Finsbury Park in north London on June 19, 2017, killing Makram Ali. He was said to have had an extensive criminal history dating back to 1984, including 33 convictions for 102 offences ranging from offences against the person to drugs and theft. He had not been investigated by MI5 or Counter-Terrorism Police before launching his attack and was 'not known to be a member of, or have links to, any extremist right-wing groups.' Osborne first appeared a court in his home town of Weston Super Mare aged 15 in 1984. Before the terror attack, he was last in court in 2014. He had planned to drive into crowds attending a pro-Palestinian march inLondon in June last year, and he claimed he hoped to kill Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and London mayor Sadiq Khan. But road closures meant he couldn't get near the march and, after driving around London looking for Muslim targets, he drove at a group of people outside the Muslim Welfare House in Finsbury Park. Sudesh Amman, 20, stabbed two people in Streatham in 2020 Amman was a convicted terrorist under police surveillance having recently been freed from prison when he went on a knife rampage in Streatham. The 20-year-old bearded Islamic fanatic, who was on licence and known for having a fascination with knives, dived into a local convenience store to steal a 3.99 blade before embarking on a bloody stabbing spree. Wearing a fake suicide vest, he targeted pedestrians at random on the Sunday afternoon, stabbing one man in the stomach, before knifing a female cyclist in the back just after 2pm in Streatham, South London. Armed police who had been following him closely, were on the scene within minutes, chasing him down the high street shouting 'stop' before opening fire, shooting him dead outside a Boots chemist. He was jailed in December 2018 for three years and had served only half his more than three year sentence for the possession and distribution of extremist material. Whitehall sources said he had been very recently released 'despite concerns over his conduct' because the law did not give them the power to keep him locked up. He was let out at the end of January on 'very stringent' licencing conditions included a curfew, it is understood. Today, the Prime Minister is expected to come forward with new plans to further crack down on terrorist offenders. Knifeman who believed in rape, beheadings and killing non-believers: How Streatham attacker Sudesh Amman, 20, was jailed for having bomb-making manuals, planned an atrocity over Skype, and urged his girlfriend to kill her own parents When he was jailed for 13 terror offences, Sudesh Amman couldn't stop laughing. The teenage extremist with a fascination for knives refused to stand for the judge at the Old Bailey and spent his sentencing hearing in December 2018 smiling and waving to his mother and brother in the public gallery. Wearing a black prayer cap and long black tunic, Amman smirked when he was told that he was facing a sentence of just three years and four months. The then 18-year-old Islamic State fanatic kept a notebook in which he wrote that his 'goals in life' were: 'Die as a shuhada', which means martyr, and 'go to jannah', which translates as paradise. The Old Bailey heard the maths and science student at North West London College told his girlfriend to kill her parents and tried to radicalise his younger brothers. He also sent Isis recruitment material and shared an Al Qaeda magazine to a family WhatsApp group that included his three younger brothers aged between 11 and 15, telling one of them he wanted to 'blow myself up'. ISIS fan Sudesh Amman, 18, was sentenced at the Old Bailey after he pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing terrorist documents Amman was said to obsessed with knives and had bought a combat knife and airgun in readiness for a terror attack. He had downloaded a number of manuals showing how to kill people, including one called Bloody Brazilian Knife-Fighting Techniques. The 79-page manual included instructions on inflicting damage to the body with knives and how to target the vital organs in order to inflict 'quick loss of consciousness and death'. Another manual called Close Combat was a 113-page US Marine Corps training manual which included instructions and photographs on how to use a combat knife to target the neck, groin and heart. Chillingly, he asked if he could have a knife delivered to his girlfriend's address and told her he considered Islamic State to be the best thing to happen to Islam. He sent her beheading videos, advising her: 'If you can't make a bomb because family, friends or spies are watching or suspecting you, take a knife, molotov, sound bombs or a car at night and attack the tourists (crusaders), police and soldiers of taghut (enemies of Islam), or western embassies in every country you are in this planet.' He told the girl he was thinking of conducting a terrorist attack in Queensbury, near his home in north-west London, and had conducted reconnaissance. Photos from the scene show a lifeless body, thought to be that of Sudesh Amman, face down on the pavement with what have been described as 'silver canisters' strapped to his chest with a large knife is lying beside him Armed police shot Amman dead after his horrific knife rampage in Streatham this afternoon Paramedics treat a victim of the horrific Streatham terrorist attack that took place on Sunday Kelly Brocklehurst, prosecuting, said: 'Much of his fascination with conducting an attack was focused on using a knife but reference was also made to committing acid attacks on mopeds.' Amman was arrested by armed police in a street in Harrow after posting an image to an encrypted forum of a knife along with two firearms on an Isis flag and the Arabic words: 'Armed and ready, April 3.' The date was said to be a reference to a letter posted to mosques by a Right-wing activist declaring the date 'Punish a Muslim Day'. When police searched the home where Amman lived with his mother and five younger brothers they found an airgun, a combat knife and a notebook with bomb-making instructions. Police then looked at Amman's computer and realised he had been discussing extreme views on jihad. File photograph issued by the Metropolitan Police of a BB gun found in the home of Amman, who was sentenced to three years and four months in jail in December 2018 after he pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing terrorist documents File photograph of a combat knife found in the home of Sudesh Amman, who was jailed for more than three years in 2018 Photographs posted to his family WhatsApp group showed his brothers in their bedroom posing with an Isis flag and BB guns. In a discussion about school with his 15-year-old brother, Amman said he would 'rather blow myself up' and wanted to 'know how to make bombs'. He expressed the belief that Yazidi women a group Isis committed genocide against in Iraq are slaves and therefore the Koran 'makes it permissible to rape them'. Amman later admitted possessing documents containing terrorist information and seven of disseminating terrorist publications. Commander Alexis Boon, head of Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command, said Amman had a 'fierce interest in violence and martyrdom'. A former neighbour, Savita Khimani, 51, said Amman's mother still believed he was wrongly accused even after he was convicted. Mrs Khimani, whose son Jignesh went to school with the jihadi, said: 'He was a normal boy at school. There were no red flags at all. Sudesh had no social media whatsoever.' Police will AGAIN feel utterly let down by the judiciary: PHILIP FLOWER says there is a wider problem of maintaining the moral of officers charged with keeping the public safe from these maniacs Boris Johnson has promised to put an end to soft sentencing and the early release of convicted terrorists but I fear yesterday's bloody events on the streets of south London show the hollowness of politicians' words over the decades. At first glance, this looks alarmingly like a repeat of the London Bridge attack last year. Then, the perpetrator, Usman Khan, 28, had been released halfway through a 16-year sentence. Mr Johnson insisted lessons had been learned, and would be acted upon. However, the record of recent years speaks differently. Politicians promise to take the fight to the judiciary, but they tend to retire hurt in the face of a confected clamour about human rights. At first glance, yesterday's bloody events on the streets of south London look alarmingly like a repeat of the London Bridge attack last year, writes PHILIP FLOWER. Pictured: Passers-by tackle the London Bridge killer, who was on a tag As many as 40 of the 264 fanatics convicted of Islamist-inspired terrorism between 1998 and 2015 had their sentences reduced on appeal. At least seven have been jailed again since their release or had to return to prison for breaking licence conditions, including some caught spreading hate online or trying to travel to join Islamic State. After his release, Khan went on to kill two Cambridge graduates last year. Then, the perpetrator, Usman Khan, 28, (pictured) had been released halfway through a 16-year sentence. Yesterday's attacker seems also to have been a convicted terrorist who had been released, and was under close surveillance from the plain-clothes armed police who shot him when he launched his deranged assault. A S a retired senior police officer involved in containing terrorist and other threats during a 40-year career, I want to tell you of the intense frustrations that will be felt today across British policing. They will feel utterly let down by the judicial system. When I was a constable, I could arrest and process a suspect in an hour, maximum. Today, it takes a day or more. The police are mired in bureaucracy, while the judicial system has become an institutional cloud-cuckoo land. As a society, we have to decide how to deal with terrorist suspects. It takes around 32 police officers to maintain around-the-clock surveillance of a single terror suspect. Then, the perpetrator, Usman Khan, 28, (pictured) had been released halfway through a 16-year sentence It is insane to attempt to maintain this level of supervision of the thousands of individuals known to be of interest to the security services and counter-terrorism police. It seems as though the Streatham perpetrator was being watched by armed police, yet still he managed to stab shoppers. I am proud and relieved that we are not a totalitarian society, but at what cost do these liberties come? If we are to release convicted terrorists from jail early, then we would have to recruit thousands and thousands more police to oversee them, which of course will never happen because there is not enough money and we would find that level of intrusion unacceptable in a free society. There is a wider problem of maintaining the morale of the officers charged with keeping the public safe from fanatics. Bluntly, how would you feel if you were told to keep track of known terrorists who have been released from prison to satisfy the politically correct assumptions of our justice system? I remember a few years ago arriving at work when my junior officers seemed dispirited. I asked them what was wrong. They explained that the night before they had arrested a robbery suspect. He was 14, a refugee from Somalia, and entirely unconcerned by the consequences of his crime. He said he had grown up with an AK-47 in his hand and was not remotely scared of anything the Metropolitan Police could throw at him. I worry about this point more than any other. The police of course have to respect the law and the courts, and accommodate individuals from other countries and cultures. But the police and security services are fighting this domestic and global terrorism threat with one hand behind their backs. Or to put it another way, they are going on to the pitch in their cricket whites while the opposition is firing automatic rifles around their ears. There is another factor here. When I retired from the Metropolitan Police a few years ago, I told the Commissioner that what I feared most in my retirement was the prospect of murderous attacks from lone-wolf terrorists. With their fake suicide vests, terrorists like the one yesterday in Streatham (pictured) and Usman Khan on London Bridge seem to be asking to be shot dead, writes PHILIP FLOWER Yesterday's attack seems likely to have been at root what we in law enforcement tend to refer to as 'suicide by cop'. With their fake suicide vests, terrorists like the one yesterday in Streatham and Usman Khan on London Bridge seem to be asking to be shot dead. This is a relatively new and difficult policing challenge. In my day, counter-terrorism tended to mean the threat from the IRA, plus some relatively minor aggravation from animal rights extremists. But those people wanted to fight for their causes, not necessarily die for them as a weird, self-sacrificial, futile gesture. The lone wolf is different. In counter-terrorism, intelligence is always the first line of defence. This could come from informants, colleagues, worried family members, and banks monitoring financial transactions. The lone wolf generally eschews any of these social interactions, so is much harder to track down. Too often, he (and it's almost always a male) will be a low-achiever whose mental health has been compromised by drug use. He probably does not have a job, but is paid state benefits that enable him to sit alone at home, endlessly scouring poisonous material on the internet. He probably doesn't have a girlfriend and may well be estranged from his family. He is fundamentally disconnected from society and any social group. When I talk to former colleagues still serving in the police, they say they worry more about the scores of home-grown would-be mass-murderers sitting in their bedsits scouring the internet than any direct threat from IS forces in Syria or Iraq. The challenge for us is how to engage with these people and take them out of the grip of their blind hatred. And to ensure that, if we have identified them and found them guilty, they are never released on the streets to maim and kill, as has tragically happened on too many occasions. Philip Flower is a former chief superintendent with the Metropolitan Police 'I saw this man running towards me... I could hear three or four shots... He fell to the floor': Witnesses tell of horrifying moment suspect was gunned down by police after 'terror attack' stabbing rampage in south London Shocked witnesses have shared their horror after being caught up in the terror attack in south London this afternoon. Scotland Yard confirmed at least three people were injured in the attack on High Road in Streatham at around 2pm and have been taken to hospital. Armed police shot dead the attacker, who appeared to have been wearing a fake suicide vest, after he stabbed three people. Now, witnesses at the scene have revealed how they saw the shocking rampage unfold. A woman reacts near to the scene where the knife rampage took place in Streatham, south London this afternoon The woman and other shocked locals shortly after the terrifying incident took place today Nardos Mulugeta, 52, a mechanical engineer who lives in Streatham, said he heard gunshots before seeing one victim lying in the street. He said: 'I heard a shot and then there was a 20-second gap. Then there were three or four shots together. 'I went over and I saw the first victim, a male victim on the ground, near the White Lion Pub, and people were helping him. 'Then five minutes later a woman came over and said I've been stabbed too in the back. And then people starting helping her. 'I saw one body laying down further away. He was face-down between Argos and Iceland. It's really scary.' David Chawner, who looked after one victim, said: 'I was going to the cinema. I saw what I thought was just a shop lifting. 'I saw someone run down the street, bump into someone and then they fell to the ground, got up again, and then somebody shouted and then I heard what I thought was a car backfiring. Officers raced to the scene outside a supermarket on High Road in Streatham at around 2pm today following reports of gunfire Scotland Yard declared the broad daylight carnage as a terror-related incident around an hour after first reports from the scene Armed police have shot dead a suspected terrorist feared to be wearing a suicide vest after he grabbed a knife from a shop and stabbed a man and a woman during a brutal high-street rampage in south London 'I didn't assume it was a gunshot until I saw what later turned out to be two officers pointing guns at an assailant on the road. It was only then that I saw someone on the other side of the road was down and I went over to him and unfortunately the poor bloke was not lucid. 'And because I was going to the cinema I always carry a blanket with me. It's a stupid thing but I always get really cold in the cinema. So I took that out my bag and gave it to them to compress the wound. 'At this point in time my only concern was the poor person that I had seen on the street who was bleeding out in a pool of their blood. 'Anybody in that situation would see someone in dire need of medical attention your prime objective is to make sure that person is ok. Photos from the scene show a lifeless body face down on the pavement with what have been described as 'silver canisters' strapped to his chest with a large knife is lying beside him 'I witnessed a lot of blood, a lot of gore but it would be wrong for me to go into more details.' A 19-year-old student from Streatham, who did not want to be named, said: 'I was crossing the road when I saw a man with a machete and silver canisters on his chest being chased by what I assume was an undercover police officer, as they were in civilian clothing. 'The man was then shot. I think I heard three gun shots but I can't quite remember. 'After that, I ran into the library to get to safety. 'From the library, I saw a load of ambulances and armed police officers arrive on the scene.' Richard Mustonen-Smith, 59, a response pastor for Ascension Trust, has lived in the area all his life and said: 'I'm shocked it's happened in Streatham. I've been here all my life. We're always getting accidents down here but not this. 'My grandson was in the Odeon and they got told to go out the back because there was a bomb. They got them to go out of the back of the cinema. They were there to watch a film. 'When it's a member of your family so close to you you don't expect it. You're always worried about your family being on the streets but this is even worse. 'I heard two people got stabbed and apparently one man was shouting Allahu Akbar but people thought he was just a crazy man, so he got away. Apparently he had two rucksacks.' Laura, 31, who was watching a film at the time of the attack, said: 'A police officer in the street said there had been an incident and showed me an alternative route back onto the high street where it was safe.' Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party and councillor for the St Leonard's ward on Lambeth Council, said: 'There's absolute shock and disbelief from residents that are around. There was an immediate sense of panic and fear when it happened. 'My partner was just down at the traffic lights and a woman ran up and said 'there's been a shooting' and another broke down next to her and said she feared for her daughter's life. 'There is that initial sense of fear and worry when this happens. But when you see the emergency services respond, you suddenly feel reassured. 'The police called it a terrorist incident very quickly and very early on.' 'Madam, a terrorist has been shot dead ... they've got a possible IED vest - which is a bomb': How the horror unfolded on quiet Sunday afternoon on leafy suburban London high street It was around 2pm on an otherwise ordinary Sunday afternoon when the Streatham attacker began his bloody rampage. In the Life Cafe, diners enjoying lunch were oblivious to the terror until a police officer burst in. He shouted: 'We've got to evacuate. There's been a terrorist incident... If you want to stay safe, you'll listen to me.' Witnesses said the terror began when the attacker, later revealed to be 20-year-old Sudesh Amman, walked into the Low Price hardware store before choosing his deadly weapon, said to be a 3.99 kitchen knife Asked by a waitress if they could have half-an-hour to finish their meals, his response was clear: 'Madam, a terrorist has been shot dead just down there. 'They've got a possible IED vest on them, which is a bomb. If you want to stay open for half-an-hour and you want to put people's lives in danger, be my guest.' Outside the horror was clear to see. The terrorist had been shot dead outside a Boots chemists after a team of undercover officers brandishing handguns swooped. Filmed by a bystander from a passing bus, shocking footage shows the men in jeans, trainers and hoodies pointing their firearms at the attacker's convulsing body. In the Life Cafe, diners enjoying lunch were oblivious to the terror until a police officer burst in. Asked by a waitress if they could have half-an-hour to finish their meals, his response was clear: 'Madam, a terrorist has been shot dead just down there' One of the officers kicks away a knife on the pavement before backing off. A third officer skids on to the scene on a blue motorbike while another ushers onlookers away from the scene shouting: 'Get away.' As the bus drives on, it passes two victims lying on the pavement. Two innocent bystanders, a man and a woman, had been stabbed in broad daylight in front of dozens of horrified onlookers on one of south London's busiest shopping streets. Next to one victim, a pushchair was abandoned on the pavement as members of the public desperately tried to give first aid. It was around 2pm on an otherwise ordinary Sunday afternoon when the Streatham attacker began his bloody rampage. The Life Cafe is pictured above A horrified witness is pictured above at the attack scene in Streatham. Witnesses told how the attacker was felled by up to four gun shots which made shoppers flee Firearms team crashes on the way to the scene: Officers stand by the crumpled wreck of unmarked police BMW after it hit wall in Streatham Common yesterday Fearing an explosion from the attacker's 'suicide vest', dozens of shoppers had been ordered to take shelter behind the closed shutters of Boots and a WHSmith store. Families in a nearby Odeon cinema were interrupted mid-way through their films and evacuated by police. Witnesses said the terror began when the attacker, later revealed to be 20-year-old Sudesh Amman, walked into the Low Price hardware store before choosing his deadly weapon, said to be a 3.99 kitchen knife. Shopkeeper Jagmon Singh watched Amman, dressed in a grey tracksuit and a black and grey top, pluck the knife off the shelf and unpeel the packaging. Maybe believing him to be a shoplifter, he tried to wrestle it off him. 'The shopkeeper tried to get the knife from him but he got away and stabbed a woman on a bicycle,' said a nurse who saw the horror. 'The knife was really big.' The female victim, said to be in her 40s, was stabbed along with a man outside the neighbouring White Lion pub. Witnesses said the terror began when the attacker, later revealed to be 20-year-old Sudesh Amman, walked into the Low Price hardware store before choosing his deadly weapon, said to be a 3.99 kitchen knife As the attacker lay 'convulsing and twitching' on the floor, officers cautiously approached and kicked his knife away The terrorist had been shot dead outside a Boots chemists after a team of undercover officers brandishing handguns swooped. The terrorist is pictured wearing a fake suicide vest, left, and brandishing a knife, right Mechanical engineer Nardos Mulugeta, 52, saw the injured man outside the pub and said police arrived almost immediately. 'I saw a guy lying down in front of the pub with stab wounds across his stomach,' he told the Daily Mail. 'About ten minutes later, a woman came in and said she had also been stabbed. I had ran over because I was smoking further down the road and heard a shot. 'At first I thought it might have been a car backfiring. Then I heard three or four further shots. People were running so I went to investigate. That's when I saw a guy on the floor next to the pub. He had very bad injuries to his stomach. 'He was going pale. People were saying 'Stay with us' and talking to him. Then another woman came and knelt at the Low Price Store. 'She said, 'He stabbed me in the back'. Two people started helping her. A policeman came and asked if any other people had been stabbed.' Comedian David Chawner, 31, was on his way to the Odeon when he saw two police officers in plain clothes pointing firearms at the attacker outside Boots, around 300ft from the Low Price Store. Fearing an explosion from the attacker's 'suicide vest', dozens of shoppers had been ordered to take shelter behind the closed shutters of Boots and a WHSmith store. Police are pictured above patrolling near the scene 'I ran to the other side of the road where I saw a white, possibly European victim on the ground, bleeding from the lower abdomen,' he said. 'I tried to compress the bleeding. I ran off as instructed to flag down the ambulance.' Shockingly, Mr Chawner said it took more than 30 minutes for paramedics to arrive. 'I'm shaking. I'm still in shock,' he added. Witnesses told how the attacker was felled by up to four gun shots which made shoppers flee. Daniel Gough said he ran with them, adding: 'There was panic, people were yelling. A young girl running alongside me kept asking 'Is this what I'm meant to do?' She was very distressed. After a few minutes, I went back and saw a policeman and he yelled, telling everyone to get back. 'His gun was pointing in the direction of a man on the floor. Suddenly, more police appeared. There were [officers] everywhere.' As the attacker lay 'convulsing and twitching' on the floor, officers cautiously approached and kicked his knife away. To their horror, they saw a suspected suicide vest strapped to his stomach. Video shows the officers quickly retreating before evacuating nearby buildings. Richard Mustonen-Smith, 59, a pastor at the Ascension Trust, said: 'My grandson was in the Odeon and they got told to go out the back because there was a bomb. 'When it's your family, you don't expect it. You're always worried about your family being on the streets but this is even worse.' Witnesses told how the attacker was felled by up to four gun shots which made shoppers flee. Forensic officers are pictured on Streatham High Road last night Retired accountant John Woods, 64, was in a Wetherspoon's pub when people ran inside following the sound of gunfire. 'I went outside and it was obvious they were undercover police,' he said. 'There were a number of men armed but wearing normal clothes. From when I heard the shots and walked to the door, the police were already there. They must have been following him. There were black cars stopped.' Dozens of emergency vehicles raced to the area and an air ambulance landed on nearby Tooting Bec Common. Last night forensic officers were combing the scene. Many residents who had been evacuated were told it would be hours before they could go home. The London Ambulance Service said the first paramedics arrived at the scene four minutes after being called just before 2pm. The 1st regional winter school on the migrants health was opened on Monday in Rabat by chief of mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Ana Fonseca, Finland ambassador Pekka Hyvonen and Director of National School of Public Health (ENSP), Abdelmounim Belalia. The five-day event will look into several issues related to the sexual, reproductive and mental health of migrants. It also seeks to enhance health cooperation between countries facing migration scourge and protect migrants health during their perilous journey to Europe. The encounter is part of IOM-Morocco Mission program titled: Promoting the health and protection of vulnerable migrants transiting Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Yemen. For IOM chief in Morocco Ana Fonseca, the gathering aims to address the migrants health issues and ensure their access to basic health services in transit or host countries. The ambassador of Finland to Morocco Pekka Hyvonen praised IOM initiative which is supported by his country with a view to provide healthcare to migrants, while ENSP director said this project is part of a cooperation agreement signed last year between IOM and Moroccos national school of public health. Moroccos human rights based policy has been commended worldwide. The country has regularized the situation of over 50,000 migrants, in two campaigns, providing them protection and assistance as well as access to health care and education services, including professional and vocational training. In 2013, Morocco introduced a National Immigration and Asylum Policy (PNIA). The policy enables refugees to access essential services, such as education, health care, and employment. The North African Kingdom is also a destination for sub-Saharan African migrants, who either remain in the country or use it as a gateway to Europe. A 2019 study showed that around 700,000 sub-Saharan African migrants live in Morocco. Canary Islands, 2 February 2020 (SPS) - The governing body of the Grand Canary Island, Cabildo Insular, approved a motion against the decision of Morocco to include the waters of Western Sahara in its maritime space in violation of the international law, calling on the Spanish government to react firmly. The motion, proposed by the parties Nueva Canarias, Podemos and the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), with 18 votes in favor, expressed the total rejection of Moroccos decision, an occupying force in Western Sahara, to extend its maritime space in the Canaries and Western Saharas waters, infringing thereby the legitimate rights of the Canary Islands, said the Spanish media El Diario. The motion supports the Canaries government in defending its interests, requiring that the Spanish government reacts firmly in this situation. It also intends to refer the matter to the European Security Council and the European Commission to demand from Morocco a total respect of the international law, added the source. Morocco included, on 22 January 2020, the waters of Western Sahara in its maritime space by passing two bills. Podemos denounced Rabats expansionist policies in the Sahrawi territorial waters, while urging the Spanish government in collaboration with the Canaries government to undertake actions to stop this Moroccan scheme. (SPS) 062/SPS/APS The suspension of cross-border trade between Vietnam and China due to the novel coronavirus scare has left hundreds of tons of Vietnamese crops stuck at local farms and border gates. Most of the border gates between Vietnam and China in the northern province of Lang Son have halted imports and exports of goods until February 9, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) said last Thursday. Meanwhile, China has suspended imports of Vietnamese goods via the Lao Cai International Border Gate in the namesake northern Vietnamese province from January 30 to an unknown date, according to VNA. At the same time, many agricultural trading centers in Jiangnan and Guangxi, China, have also ceased operations until February 8, according to the agricultural product processing and market development department under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Trailer trucks carrying fruits and vegetables get stuck at the Tan Thanh border gate in the northern province of Lang Son. Photo: B. Ngoc / Tuoi Tre According to Nguyen Quoc Toan, head of the department, about 6,000 metric tons of dragon fruit, or 30-40 percent of the provincial output, has remained unsold in the southern province of Long An after a Chinese enterprise canceled a number of purchase orders due to the impact of the novel coronavirus epidemic. The Plant Protection Department under Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has reported that 267 trucks carrying Vietnamese dragon fruits have stuck at the border gates in Lang Son and Lao Cai since Friday. Likewise, farmers in Tay Son District, located in the south-central province of Binh Dinh, have been worried about hundreds of tons of unbought watermelon, mainly grown for export to China. Customers buy watermelons on sale by the sidewalk of a street in the south-central province of Binh Dinh. Photo: Thai Thinh / Tuoi Tre The farmers now have to sell the overstocked watermelon to consumers at makeshift selling points across the province for VND6,000 (US$0.26) per kilogram, compared to the VND8,000 ($0.35) per kg normally offered by wholesalers, according to Nguyen Van Thanh, a watermelon grower in Binh Nghi Commune in Tay Son. Thanh told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that his family pays VND18 million ($777.82) a year to rent 1.5 hectares of land in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, which borders Binh Dinh, to plant watermelon. If I cannot sell 35 metric tons of the unsold watermelon, I will have no choice but to accept the current offer of VND1,000 [$0.043] per kg from wholesalers, Thanh said. A farmer sits by a pile of watermelons from his harvest in the south-central province of Binh Dinh. Photo: Thai Thinh / Tuoi Tre The rock bottom price will undoubtedly result in big losses for local farmers like Thanh. More than 100 households in Binh Nghi earn their living from growing watermelon, according to the communes chairman Do Van Dinh. The novel coronavirus, a new strain of the coronavirus family that caused SARS and MERS, first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. It has since killed 361 people in mainland China and one outside the country, while infecting 17,386 others globally, an overwhelming majority of whom are in China. Customers buy watermelons on sale by the sidewalk of a street in the south-central province of Binh Dinh. Photo: Thai Thinh / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Iran starts 10-day celebrations for anniversary of victory of 1979 Islamic Revolution EditorLi Jiayao Time2020-02-03 09:41:21 Soldiers shout slogans during a ceremony marking the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 at Khomeini's mausoleum in the suburb of Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 1, 2020. Iran on Saturday started 10-day Fajr (Dawn) celebrations for the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The first day of the celebrations on Feb. 1 marks the return of Sayyid Ruhollah Khomeini, the late leader of the Islamic Revolution, to Iran from exile. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua) TEHRAN, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Saturday started 10-day Fajr (Dawn) celebrations for the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The first day of the celebrations on Feb. 1 marks the return of Sayyid Ruhollah Khomeini, the late leader of the Islamic Revolution, to Iran from exile. Earlier in the day, the incumbent supreme leader of Iran Ali Khamenei, in the company of the senior Iranian civil and military officials, paid tribute to Khomeini's mausoleum in the suburbs of the capital Tehran, the state TV reported. The Islamic Revolution in Iran resulted in the overthrow of the U.S.-backed Shah regime on Feb. 11, 1979. For the past decades, the Iranian governments have launched major civil projects during the annual 10-day Fajr celebrations. A notable project to be launched this year is to send the Zafar (Victory) satellite to space by the indigenous Simorgh rocket. Swarms of desert locust have already penetrated a number of countries in eastern Africa, southwest Asia and the area around the Red Sea due to favourable climate conditions Intensified environmental observations are being carried out along Egypt's borders to prevent swarms of crop-eating desert locusts, which have spread in some African regions recently, from getting closer to the country's agricultural land. Causing an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods, massive desert locust swarms have already penetrated a number of countries in eastern Africa, southwest Asia and the area around the Red Sea due to climate conditions that attract these pests and double their potential to proliferate. Egypt has taken precautionary measures to deal with the desert locusts, which spread at the beginning of the year owing to the rainy season and the increase in the green areas, agriculture ministry spokesman Mohamed El-Qarsh told Ahram Online. The fast-growing insects, which feed on substantial quantities of agricultural crops, are not prevalent in Egypt like they are in other regions due to a ministerial plan to keep them away from the country's borders, the spokesman added. The ministry's plan is centralised at Egypt's frontiers where there are 55 observatory points to observe any potential incoming swarms," El-Qarsh explained. Small groups of locusts have been spotted and exterminated, he stressed, noting that the ministry is also monitoring all meteorological reports and is ready to take any necessary procedures. The Egyptian Red Sea governorate announced that it managed to eliminate a bevy of desert locust that had been sighted earlier, stressing that "the situation is currently under control." The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said the situation is particularly worrisome in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya, where the most dangerous migratory pests are damaging food crops and forage. Large swarms pose a major threat to food security and rural livelihoods, as just a single square kilometre-wide swarm can contain up to 80 million adult locusts with the capacity to consume the same amount of food in one day as 35,000 people. The ravenous eaters, which have the ability to travel 150 km, could spill over into more countries as a result of the forecast rainy conditions that are favourable to breeding, the FAO said. Search Keywords: Short link: Latest News MFAA calls submissions for 2022 Excellence Awards The association also reveals a new award Playing it safe? Here are 50 of most consistent suburbs to invest in Hotspotting founder claims investors should look into stable markets, not booming ones The dumping of five candidates from Australias 2019 federal election for offensive social media posts served as a reminder of the damage that a poorly managed social media profile can do to a persons career. An ill-timed comment, a thoughtless response, an opinion that you might change or an action you may come to regret later cant be erased in a digital era, and so your social media profile can haunt and derail your career. Adults are often quick to advise their children to be careful about what they post on social media but are they applying the same standard to their actions? In a face-to-face context, when we meet someone for the first time, we very quickly make an assessment as to whether we like them, trust them, want to work with them or want to do business with them. Research highlights that we have somewhere between seven and 15 seconds to make a first impression face-to-face. This is based on what is known as thin slicing. Professor Frank Bernieri of Oregon State University found that we assess people relatively quickly without a lot of data. This assessment is made on a raft of factors. It might be a glance, their handshake, what they wear, their demeanour, whether they maintain eye contact and how they smile. As much of our lives now play out on social media, the same holds true, albeit in a different way. A statement or comment that only takes a few seconds to post will be attached to your reputation forever. While that action might not represent your whole perspective on an issue, it will shape how people see you and how they assess your character and reputation. One you, one brand In an article for Fast Company, Tom Peters wrote, All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You. In a digital world, there is no separation between a personal brand and your professional brand. What you post in your personal life on a private Facebook or Instagram page will impact how you are seen professionally. Your reputation is one of your most important career assets, so it pays to treat it as such. You might invest in building up your educational qualifications and your leadership skills, yet not consider how to develop and maintain a social media profile that enhances your career. To do that effectively goes beyond just taking care of what you say and do online. Its important to know your values and what you stand for so you actively take charge of your online reputation and make sure it aligns with what you want to be known for. When you own your reputation, you actively seek to understand how others see you and how you see yourself. This includes identifying where there are gaps between your desired and actual reputation and then setting about consciously constructing a positively and sustainably developed reputation that works for you in the long term. Maintaining a positive and progressive reputation requires work daily and it isnt something you can take for granted. Think long-term With the rapid changes happening in the workforce now and into the future, a persons career can go in many different directions. For example, those entering the workforce now are likely to have at least 17 different employers and five different careers during their lifetime. Consequently, this heightens the importance of taking a long-term view of your reputation. In an era where you can never be entirely sure where your career will land, you dont want to find your ambitions thwarted by something you did many years ago when you werent paying close attention to your reputation. Your reputation is a vital ingredient in having a long-term, successful and sustainable career, and so it pays dividends to treat it carefully. Michelle Gibbings is the founder of Change Meridian and works with leaders and teams to help them get fit for the future of work. She is also the author of Step Up: How to Build Your Influence at Work and Career Leap: How to Reinvent and Liberate your Career. For more information, visit michellegibbings.com. A Polish national who beat his uncle to death with his bare knuckles in a brutal drunken brawl over missing cash and a bottle of vodka has been sentenced to four years in jail. Mr Justice Colton told 38-year-old Marek Marcin Sinko that ironically it was him who arranged for his uncle Eugeniusz to move to Northern Ireland, but it appeared theirs was "a toxic and volatile relationship", described by the family as "living on the edge that was a big problem for our family". "This," added the Antrim Crown Court judge, "was the context in which the fatal assault took place which has resulted in the untimely, unnecessary and unjustified death of your uncle". Mr Justice Colton said he had no doubt the death had a significant impact on a remorseful Sinko, however, his "assault was prolonged" and "on no account could this be seen as a fight between equals... nor was it a case where death was caused by a single punch". "He was no physical match for you and you suffered no injuries during this assault other than to your own knuckles," the judge also told Sinko, adding: "You showed a callous indifference to the fate of your uncle when you left him outside when the assault was over". Previously accused of murdering his 63-year-old uncle on October 22, 2017, at the isolated Co Antrim home they shared at Townhill Road, Rasharkin, the charge was withdrawn when he pleaded guilty to his manslaughter, by an unlawful act, and not by way of diminished responsibility because of his alcoholism. Sinko will serve four years in custody, followed by four years on parole. Last week prosecution QC David McDowell told the Antrim court, sitting in Belfast, that after the fist fight with his uncle, Sinko cleaned up the blood splattered kitchen before making himself some soup and then going to bed, only to find him dead the following morning. Having alerted police he then phoned a work-mate, telling him: "I think I've killed him". Police later found the victim's partly clothed body laying on a pathway at the rear of their cottage. The court heard the victim died from injuries to his brain, but also suffered five fractured ribs, two fractured vertebrae and 14 separate groups of bruising and abrasions. Mr McDowell said Eugeniusz was subjected to a prolonged and severe assault, and while the injuries to his face were consistent to repeated punching, it could not be proven if they were also caused by kicking, although the rib fractures and bruising to both sides of the chest were consistent with kicking or stamping with a shod foot. The court also heard that the uncle and nephew had a history of physical violence between them, often occurring after both had been drinking large quantities of alcohol, which often was the case. During interview Sinko described what had been "a brutal fight" between them, although he initially claimed he'd hit him only once. He also described knocking his uncle to the ground, before challenging him to get up, only to knock him down again. Mr McDowell said Sinko claimed he left his uncle outside washing his face by a tap, before cleaning up the blood in the kitchen and having a bowl of soup and then going to bed. The court heard Sinko had not realised the seriousness of his uncle's injuries until he found him dead outside the next morning. Defence QC Richard Greene said a remorseful Sinko had always accepted the enormity of what he had done in killing an uncle, something which he bitterly regrets and did not intend to do. Mr Greene said Sinko had been looking after his uncle, but given their mutual problem with alcohol, both uncle and nephew should never have been allowed to live together, resulting as it did in Eugeniusz's death. The court heard Eugeniusz's death was described by his son as having the most traumatic affect on the family not only in the loss of a father, but also a cousin. Mr Greene said what occurred happened because two people, who both had problems with drinking, were living together in a toxic mix which led to violence between the pair. Mr Green claimed there may have been things said and done by the victim which led to what happened. Scots are split down the middle over whether to break up the UK, according to a poll today. The threat to the union has been underlined by research showing voters north of the border are divided 50-50 on the issue of independence. The Survation poll, which discounts undecideds, is the latest to show the result of a referendum - which Nicola Sturgeon has been demanding - would be too close to call. Last week a YouGov survey found 51 per cent would support independence - the first time the firm has recorded a majority in favour since 2015. But the field work for that was carried out after the Survation poll released today. The First Minister has demanded a new ballot immediately saying circumstances have been changed by Brexit. But the PM has flatly dismissed the idea, insisting the 2014 referendum - which the separatists lost convincingly - was a once-in-a-generation decision. The Survation poll, which discounts undecideds, is the latest to show the result of an independence referendum would be too close to call The Survation research was conducted between January 20 and 22. The headline figures echo the findings of the YouGov poll, conducted between January 22 and 27. The previous survey found 42 per cent thought the move would make Scotland worse off economically, against 35 per cent who believed it would be better off. Last August a poll by Lord Ashcroft found Scots backed independence by 52 per cent to 48 per cent, again excluding those who did not voice a preference. Last week MSPs passed a motion by 64 votes to 54, calling on the UK Government to 'reach an agreement with the Scottish Government on such a referendum taking place on a date and in a manner determined by the Scottish Parliament'. Ms Sturgeon has been demanding a referendum in the second half of this year. :: Survation questioned 1,019 Scottish adults (aged over 16) between January 20 and 22. Harpreet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: With Punjab turning into a huge consumer base and transit point for drugs from Afghanistan and Pakistan, the government has sent an SOS to the Centre to introduce a stricter law in the wake of seizure of 1,294-kg of heroin between March 2017 and January 2020. Punjab has argued that punishment for possession of drugs is much less stringent in India as compared to the West and encourages its smuggling. The Government has written to the Union to amend the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act to make punishment for small seizures of heroin more stringent, said an official. The present legal limit to hold 250gm should be brought down to 25gm by amending the NDPS Act, he added. The bulk of the cases registered in the state are of intermediate quantity of recovery of heroin-less than 250 grams-in which the accused gets bail and continues with drug trafficking, say officials. As per the present provisions of the NDPS Act, a person can be imprisoned for 6 months for recovery of less than 5gm of heroin and fined Rs 10,000. The offence is, however, bailable. For bigger seizures, one can be imprisoned for up to 20 years with fines up to Rs 2 lakh. In 2019, 1802 (57.01%) cases were registered against 2689 persons for holding intermediate quantity between 5gm to less than 250 gm of heroin. Of these cases pertaining to small quantity (up to 5 grams) constituted 34.45% of cases (1089) involving 1,413 persons. Just 8.45% of cases involved 250gm and above for which 504 persons were arrested in 270 cases. Officials say, smugglers take advantage of the fact that trafficking of intermediate quantity protects them from potential long imprisonment. They supply heroin mostly between 5 to 250 grams through multiple peddlers to circumvent the law. The persons arrested are repeat offenders. An amended act would help nail them, they add. Supporting the plea for limiting commercial quantity to 25 gm, Narcotics officers cite US laws where arrest with 25 gm of heroin earns a 30-year in prison and up to 1 million dollar fine. In New South Wales, Australia a 3gm seizure means 15-year imprisonment while Cyprus slams a life term. How I Found South Sudans Historical House In Juba "The 1947 Juba Conference building is an ordinary house, a stone house which looks like a class room. Around the (colonial) time of the conference it was a club for government executive officers." By Victor Lugala Eureka! Finally, I found it! It was by sheer chance or serendipity which is socially engineered into the DNA of journalists who dare. As I was about to wind up my evening walk after crossing the Khor-Bou bridge at Al-Sabah Children's Hospital, and it was already dusk, I decided to get 'lost', if only to discover something new. A wiry middle aged man with an amputated right hand was collecting trash and burning. Should I ask him? I debated for seconds as I slowed down my steps. "Salaam," I saluted. He responded like someone ready to help. "Do you know the building where the historic 1947 conference was held?" Quickly he pointed with his right hand southwards in the direction of the Equatoria Tower. "They say it is there, at the corner. An MP lives there," said the man whose name is John Chol. He had worked for the Nile River Transport as a driver of one of the passenger motor boats plying the river from Juba to Kosti Port. He worked there from 1975 - 1983, when he joined the SPLA as a freedom fighter. Part of his left hand was blown by a grenade during the war. Lucky man. He has a story for another day. He showed me his house - one of those 1920s relics - as he obliged to escort me to the edifice I have been yearning to see. Kong. Kong. Kong. Chol knocked on the iron-gate. "This is the historic house," he said without attaching much importance to the historical aspect of it all. A petite teenage girl appeared. Alla! I recognised her. She sells tea near the Tower. "De yau beit takin?" I asked the girl if that was their house. She nodded in the affirmative combined with the click of the tongue, communication akin to South Sudanese. Soon we were welcomed in and ushered to sit on light-blue plastic chairs. I apologized for the intrusion at dusk. They were happy to receive visitors. They knew Chol. There was an MP wearing a skull cap and a tallish well built elder, the occupant of the house. The 2 gentlemen (I withhold names) who warmly welcomed me to their compound spoke like curators of the historic building which held South Sudan's first ever mini-referendum on self-determination in 1947. When the 2 gentlemen occupied the house in 2010 they said it had no roof, so they fixed it. They say there are plans by government to reclaim the historic building and turn it into a museum. I hope so. I'll hate it if some money-minded fellows later privatise it. We shouldn't allow our history to be erased as we see. Chol was in a hurry to leave. I told him to wait a little bit because we came together. Good man, he obliged, I didn't want his wife to start looking for him. The 1947 Juba Conference building is an ordinary house, a stone house which looks like a class room. Around the (colonial) time of the conference it was a club for government executive officers. The 1947 Juba Conference was dominated by illiterate tribal chiefs. Uncle Clement Mboro was the only educated person. If, I say if, not when government turns the house into a museum, why not name it Uncle Clement Mboro Museum? Any South Sudanese musicologists out there? Chad Daybell married Lori Vallow days after the death of his first wife Tammy (pictured together). Asked about the quick marriage three weeks later, Chad reportedly claimed that Tammy had helped him find new love from beyond the grave Chad Daybell, the doomsday writer who married 'cult' mom Lori Vallow days after being widowed, claimed that his late first wife helped him find new love from beyond the grave. Chad and Lori are currently at the center of a multi-state investigation into the whereabouts of her missing children, Joshua 'JJ' Vallow and Tylee Ryan, as well as the deaths of their previous spouses. The case continues to baffle investigators and captivate the country as each piece of new information appears to add to the pile of questions surrounding the curious couple. One of the latest insights came from a woman who met Lori and Chad just after they tied the knot in early November - two months after Lori's children disappeared from Rexburg, Idaho. Jeani Martin says the couple turned up unannounced at her home in Princeville, Hawaii, on November 7 and asked to rent a bedroom from her. Martin spent a few hours with the loved-up pair before agreeing to look over their rental application. As she was searching online to find more information about them, she came across something that struck her as deeply alarming: an obituary for Chad's previous wife Tammy Daybell. She then sent Chad a lighthearted text expressing her condolences, and his reply was chilling. 'I woke up that morning and she had been dead for a couple hours but she had a peaceful look on her face at her burial. I felt her tell me she was happy and helping our family on the other side of the veil,' he wrote in a text thread Martin provided to FOX10. 'She helped me reconnect with Lori so quickly and it helped my children move forward.' Chad and Lori are currently at the center of a multi-state investigation into the whereabouts of her missing children JJ and Tylee, as well as the deaths of their previous spouses Jeani Martin (pictured), who met Lori and Chad soon after they died the knot, recalled the interaction in a new interview. She said the couple turned up unannounced at her home in Princeville, Hawaii, on November 7 and asked to rent a bedroom from her Martin agreed to look at their rental application before finding an obituary for Tammy online. When she texted Chad asking about his late wife, he sent the message above Chad had been married to Tammy, the mother of his five children, for 29 years before she died unexpectedly on October 19. The 49-year-old's cause of death was initially ruled as natural after Chad declined an autopsy, but the case was reopened in December amid the search for Lori's children, who have not been seen since September. About two weeks after Tammy was buried, Chad and Lori took a trip to Hawaii, where they tied the knot. A few days after the wedding, they turned up at Martin's door looking for a room to rent. Tammy Daybell (pictured) was found dead at the home she shared with Chad in Salem, Idaho, on October 19 Martin recounted her brief interaction with the couple in an interview with FOX10, revealing how the memory has left her unsettled for months. She said Lori and Chad came to her home one afternoon and said that a 'sign from God' had brought them there. Though she wasn't ready to rent the home out at the time, Martin invited them in and they visited for a few hours. 'They were just like two teenagers that had just been set free and they were just giddy,' she recalled. Chad sent over his rental application the same day, in which he wrote: 'I'm an author looking for a peaceful place to write. I own a house on the mainland and am looking for a rental for myself and my new wife who lives here on Kauai..." His new wife, Lori, was listed as the emergency contact. Martin then began looking into Chad's background, at which point she stumbled upon an obituary for his wife that was dated less than three weeks prior to the couple's visit. 'I kept checking and checking the year. He was just at my house, a happy camper with this Lori less than three weeks after his perfectly healthy wife Tammy passed in her sleep. And here he was jumping for joy two weeks later. This information started taking my breath away. By the time she messaged Chad inquiring about the situation, he had already withdrawn his rental application. She never spoke to Chad again. Then three months later his name came back on her radar when news broke that Lori and Chad had been found in Hawaii amid the sprawling search for JJ and Tylee - the children they'd barely mentioned when Martin spoke to them. Martin said she provided her account to FBI investigators on January 27 - but no one has followed up with her since. Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, seven, and Tylee Ryan, 17, were last seen in Idaho in September Timeline of Joshua and Tylee's disappearance July 11: Lori Vallow's husband, Charles Vallow, is killed by her brother, Alex Cox, in Arizona August: The last time Joshua's grandparents, Kay and Larry Woodcock, said they saw the boy via FaceTime August: Lori moved children Joshua and Tylee to Rexburg, Idaho September 23: The last time Joshua was seen at his school in Idaho October 19: Chad Daybell's wife, Tammy Daybell, dies at their Idaho home October 25: A friend of Tylee receives a text from her phone Early November: Lori and Chad get married November 26: Out-of-state relatives ask Idaho police to perform a welfare check on Joshua. Lori and Chad claim he is in Arizona with a family friend. Police also learn Tylee has not been seen since September, either November 27: Police execute a search warrant at Lori and Chad's home, discovering the couple have fled the city December 11: Tammy Daybell's body is exhumed from the Utah cemetery December 12: Lori's brother, Alex Cox, believed to have died in Arizona December 21: Police issue a press release about JJ and Tylee, revealing they believe their disappearance is linked to Tammy's death December 24: Lori and Chad issue a statement through an attorney saying they love their son and daughter and look forward to addressing 'allegations once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor' December 30: Police accuse Lori and Chad of lying to investigators and say they believe the couple know where the kids are or what happened to them January 26: Lori and Chad are seen for the first time in months as police serve two search warrants in Kaua'i January 30: Lori misses court deadline to produce the children to authorities Advertisement Lori and Chad were named as persons of interest in her children's disappearance in mid-December. Police began searching for the children in late November after performing a welfare check ordered by concerned relatives who said they hadn't spoken to JJ, who is autistic, in months. When officers returned the following day, they found that Lori and Chad had fled from the home. Authorities tracked the pair down in Princeville and served Lori with a court order requiring her to physically produce the children to authorities in Idaho by January 30. Lori failed to meet the deadline, and police are now expected to charge her with contempt of court and seek her extradition from Hawaii. Authorities say the couple have repeatedly lied to and refused to cooperate with investigators, who believe the mother knows where the children are or what happened to them. The case captured national attention with the revelations that police were also investigating a string of deaths surrounding Lori and Chad, who family members say are members of a dangerous doomsday cult. The first death is that of Lori's fourth husband and JJ's adoptive father Charles Vallow, who was shot dead by her brother Alex Cox in Arizona on July 10. Charles and Lori had gotten into an argument when the father came to pick up JJ at the mother's home in Chandler. Police initially determined that Cox acted in self defense while intervening in an argument between Charles and Lori. But the case was reopened amid the multi-state search for JJ and Tylee, who had moved to Idaho with their mother a month after the shooting. The second mysterious death was Tammy Daybell, who was found dead at the couple's home in Salem, Idaho, on October 19. Tammy's body was exhumed on December 11 and the autopsy results have not yet been released. On December 12, Lori's brother, Alex Cox, was found dead in Gilbert, Arizona. The 51-year-old's death is now under investigation as police wait for an autopsy to determine the cause. Lori's estranged husband Charles Vallow (pictured together) was shot dead by her brother, Alex Cox, in July As police worked to untangle the troubling mystery, Lori and Chad were sunning themselves in Princeville, Hawaii, where they've reportedly been renting a home since mid-December. Authorities say they had known for some time that the couple were in Hawaii, where Lori lived with Charles a few years back. Their whereabouts became public on Sunday when officers served them with search warrants for their car and the townhome. A reporter for the East Idaho News, who had received a tip about the search warrants the day before, approached the couple in the parking lot after the police confrontation. Lori and Chad stayed silent and kept walking as the reporter, Nate Eaton, repeatedly asked them where the children are and if they are alive. The mother only spoke once after the reporter said that people eastern Idaho and across the country are praying for JJ and Tylee. 'That's great,' she replied. Chad kept his mouth shut throughout the entire exchange, merely grimacing when the reporter mentioned Tammy. No charges have been filed against Lori or Chad and no warrants have been issued for the arrests. The pair are believed to have met in 2017 after Lori began reading Chad's books, which are focused on doomsday and near-death experiences. The best of the Warren Commission critics [include] . . . Fred Newcomb, Perry Adams . . .Rolling Stone CENTERVILLE, Mass. Written in 1974, Murder From Within: Lyndon Johnsons Plot Against President Kennedy explores what actually happened to President Kennedy, the consequences of his murder, and what action Americans can take to protect their institutions from further internal assault. Authors Fred T. Newcomb and Perry Adams uncover the plot to remove President Kennedy from power and reveal the subsequent cover up. Murder From Within is the only book that solves the crime of the century by identifying names and producing irrefutable evidence. The book presents visual evidence as well as seven years worth of research to present the inescapable truth behind this timeless subject. Murder From Within reveals in detail how a small high level group within Kennedys own Cabinet betrayed him and killed him to benefit an ambitious Vice President determined to become President regardless of the consequences. A quote from The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allen Poe illustrates how the evidence discovered in Murder From Within was hidden in plain sight: That which is most simple and obvious is the hardest to fathom. Tyler Newcomb, son of the now deceased Fred T. Newcomb, worked with his sister Valerie Woods to publish Murder From Within in memory of their father and his dedication to finding the truth behind the assassination of the 35th president of the United States. Tyler worked as his fathers investigative partner throughout his time researching the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Fred T. Newcomb was able to see his published work three months before his passing. The book has received raving reviews from Rolling Stone and from five-term Arizona Senator, Barry Goldwater. The best of the Warren Commission critics [include] . . . Fred Newcomb, Perry Adams . . .Rolling Stone . . . the book . . . seems to be very concise, detailed and well documented.Barry Goldwater, five-term senator from Arizona Readers will be astonished by the overwhelming evidence presented in Murder From Within. This mysterious and timeless subject is addressed as we celebrate Presidents Day in February. Murder From Within: Lyndon Johnsons Plot Against President Kennedy By Fred T. Newcomb and Perry Adams ISBN: 9781463422424 (softcover); 9781463420666 (hardcover); 9781463422455 (eBook) Available at the Author House Online Bookstore, Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the author Fred Newcomb, now deceased, was an award-winning self-employed advertising art director with expertise in photography and graphics. He had just completed his now famous study about how the notorious Oswald backyard photos were faked when he teamed up with coauthor Perry Adams. Perry Adams, now deceased, political scientist and editor of Probe, an investigative newspaper based in Santa Barbara California, was looking for a solid story about the Kennedy assassination. Perry graduated as a Librarian and his knowledge and ability to look up facts was indispensable in piecing the book together with its extensive footnotes. Tyler Newcomb was a witness to his father researching and writing Murder From Within. Newcomb wrote the foreword as well as provided updates to the book. He worked with his sister Valerie Woods to publish the book as a gift to their father and his partner. For more information, please visit: https://www.murderfromwithin.com/ General Inquiries: LAVIDGE Phoenix Meghan Bowman 480-998-2600 x 584 mbowman@lavidge.com Company Presentation Perth, Feb 3, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Blackham Resources Limited ( ASX:BLK ) ( FRA:NZ3 ) ( OTCMKTS:BKHRF ) is pleased to provide attached a presentation on its operations and activities.Blackham has also prepared video presentations, providing a brief overview of the Company's operations that can be viewed at the following links:Corporate Update Video PresentationHighlights Video PresentationTo view the presentation, please visit:About Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd Wiluna Mining Corporation (ASX:WMC) (OTCMKTS:WMXCF) is a Perth based, ASX listed gold mining company that controls over 1,600 square kilometres of the Yilgarn Craton in the Northern Goldfields of WA. The Yilgarn Craton has a historic and current gold endowment of over 380 million ounces, making it one of most prolific gold regions in the world. The Company owns 100% of the Wiluna Gold Operation which has a defined resource of 8.04M oz at 1.67 g/t au. In May 2019, a new highly skilled management team took control of the Company with a clear plan to leverage the Wiluna Gold Operation's multi-million-ounce potential. Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, celebrated its resumption services to Erbil in Iraq as its flight GF233 landed in Erbil International Airport at 1630 on February 2. Upon arrival, a celebratory event was held at the airport which saw the attendance of Gulf Airs chief operations officer Captain Suhail Ismaeel and the airlines country manager in Iraq, Isa Shah, along with various dignitaries, a number of local media, travel industry representatives and airport officials. At the inaugural event in Erbil International Airport, Captain Ismaeel said: Were happy to return to Erbil and operate direct flights to and from this Iraqi city." He also added: With three weekly direct flights between Bahrain and Erbil supplemented with great connectivity through our hub, this destination promises to be a key route within our growing network. Gulf Airs flights to Erbil will further strengthen the airlines existing Iraqi routes of Baghdad and Najaf. - TradeArabia News Service Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Recently, I attended a worship service in a small rural church in North Carolina with a segment of our countrys citizens, who, by the standards of many today, would be deemed as rednecks, uneducated buffoons, bigots, and deplorables. Because of their support for President Trump and other alleged faults, they would unquestionably be thrown into that same broader category of people CNNs Don Lemon, Rick Wilson, Wajahat Ali laughed to scorn on Lemons television show. But let me describe to you what contrasts these people from the elitists who think of them as a joke. They may not have several degrees behind their names. They might not know where Ukraine is located on a map. Still, they possess a depth of wisdom that makes the elitists look shallow and foolish. Generally, they discern well between the truth and a lie, good and evil. They trust every word of the Bible to be fully inspired by God - the definitive source for measuring every truth claim. They take the Bible literally, wherever its clear it should be taken literally. They believe its principles are sufficient for providing direction in the great questions of life, ethics and morality, personal and corporate. They reject man-made utopian visions of the world. They believe Jesus is the Savior there are no more Messiahs, whether perceived in men or systems of government. Yet they are earnest patriots and law-abiding citizens. They participate in their government. They love the flag and would die for their country, even though they know it's currently on a trajectory that marginalizes them and could result in its national implosion. They believe God made humanity in the dual fixed sexes of male and female, and their gender roles are quite different, equal in importance and complimentary. Although they struggle in some of the same ways all families struggle, they are committed to the preservation of traditional family life. They believe a husband and wife (one man and one woman), who in marriage love and cherish each other for a lifetime and rear their children in eternal verities, is what constitutes Gods plan for the home. They believe children, whether born or unborn, are Gods greatest gift. They believe in heaven and hell and know that unless one seeks the forgiveness of their personal sins by faith in Christ alone; unless one is born of the Spirit of God, and changed from within to obey God and love his ways; one cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Their rock-solid confidence in these assertions are borne not only out of their faith in the clear teachings the Holy Scriptures, but also their own experience, which includes the witness of assurance Gods Spirit gives to their own spirits. Their faith is not merely a leap in the dark or a subjective feeling, but is based in the vast preponderance of the evidence that Christs claims to be the Son of God are authentic. They long for God to be as gracious and merciful to others, as he has been to them. They earnestly pray for those who despise what is acceptable and good, but justifiably discriminate accordingly. They are determined not to hate anyone, not even their enemies. Nevertheless, they do derive a modicum of pleasure in knowing God is a God of judgment and will, in his way and time, make every wrong right, ultimately cleansing the earth of those who persist in dishonoring his holy name and order. They garner strength in the promise that at the Day of Judgment, righteousness will be exalted, wickedness forever put down, and the faithful abundantly rewarded. There is so much more about these people worthy of admiration and not ridicule. As ambassadors for Christ, they are the salt that preserves and saves from corruption, and the light that leads out of the darkest dungeons of moral degeneracy to liberty. They represent a value system, which at one time was pervasive in America, until the elitists persuaded much of the country to abandon it. Hows that working out? Its a disaster. They are that band of brothers whom the apostle Paul said God called unto himself, saying: Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. (I Corinthians 1:26-29). I love these people. Furthermore, Im proud to be named among them. They are Christians. They are, more specifically, conservative evangelicals. They reside not solely in rural areas, but urban and metropolitan areas too. In fact, they are everywhere because God has chosen them as his own people, and strategically positioned them for his redemptive purposes. They are not without feet of clay. Thats why they claim a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, they possess something far more significant than any form of worldly affirmation and acceptance. They have a personal relationship with God that characteristically bends them toward virtue that empowers them to live out the incomparable creed of their Master to love God supremely, to love their neighbor as themselves, and to do the good unto others that they would have done unto them (Mark 12:30-31; Matthew 7:12). They speak to God in prayer regularly, and he communes with them. Moreover, for those with eyes willing to see it, God reveals himself through them, over and again. These people, too often belittled, sometimes disparaged as the underlings of society are nothing to be laughed at or scoffed. As the Scriptures say, Wisdom is justified by her children (Matthew 11:19). Rev. Mark H. Creech is executive director of the Raleigh-based Christian Action League of North Carolina Inc. [February 03, 2020] New Everlaw Deposition Solution Improves Taking and Using Testimony OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Everlaw has announced the release of a new Depositions solution, enhancing its industry-leading Storybuilder technology to help lawyers successfully prepare for, take, and use deposition testimony throughout a case. Expanding the powerful capabilities of Everlaw Storybuilder, which has enabled legal teams to build evidentiary narratives since 2015, the new Depositions tool applies Everlaw's leading edge technology to bring deposition testimony into the 21st century. By using Storybuilder and its powerful new deposition capabilities, lawyers will for the first time have an all-in-one, online solution at their fingertips anywhere and at any time. Storybuilder Depositions provides the ability to: Efficiently prepare depositions: Create outlines with questions; add or swap out exhibits, etc. depositions: Create outlines with questions; add or swap out exhibits, etc. Communicate in real-time : Securely orchestrate live depositions with colleagues and introduce evidence : Securely orchestrate live depositions with colleagues and introduce evidence Summarize and search : Immediately record critical testimony from the deposition and search across all transcripts for testimony to be used at future depositions or court presentations : Immediately record critical testimony from the deposition and search across all transcripts for testimony to be used at future depositions or court presentations Import <>transcripts: Upload the official transcript, linking exhibit numbers to key documents Conduct post-deposition workflows: Annotate and create follow-up tasks for trial "Most of our partners aren't involved in doing day to day document review anymore. So when they want to use these products, they're trying to figure out how do I prepare for a deposition? How do I prepare for a trial or an arbitration? Everlaw Storybuilder allows us to take data that's in the system and compile it for use for witness outlines or for trial prep." -Donald McCann, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP In 2019 alone, litigators created more than three thousand Storybuilder case outlines and accessed them almost fifty thousand times during trial prep. Depositions makes Everlaw Storybuilder even more powerful for legal teams. To further expand access to Storybuilder, Everlaw is also announcing a new beta program that will provide access to Storybuilder as a stand-alone case prep tool. Registration is available at storybuilder.everlaw.com . About Everlaw Everlaw blends cutting-edge technology with modern design to help law firms, corporations, and government entities solve the toughest problems in the legal industry. Everlaw is used by eight of the top ten class-action law firms, corporate counsels, and all 50 U.S. state attorneys general. Its cloud-based litigation platform features drag-and-drop uploading, flexible productions, blink-speed search, automatic predictions based on machine learning, and robust real-time collaboration so legal practitioners can focus on what they do best. Based in Oakland, California, Everlaw is supported by investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Menlo Ventures. Learn more at https://www.everlaw.com . Media Contact Anastasiya Levin Public Relations, Everlaw [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-everlaw-deposition-solution-improves-taking-and-using-testimony-300997172.html SOURCE Everlaw [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Dr. Bharti & Dr. Kortesis Cartessa Aesthetics has announced two new additions to their Medical Advisory Board. Plastic Surgeons Dr. Bill Kortesis and Dr. Gaurav Bharti will assume an advisory role with the rapidly growing aesthetic company. The addition of Kortesis and Bharti rounds out the scientific expertise and aesthetic business acumen available to Cartessa Aesthetics as they fulfill their mission to bring providers best-in-class aesthetic technologies and support. Dr. Kortesis and Dr. Bharti are board certified plastic surgeons and co-owners and partners of HKB Cosmetic Surgery in Charlotte, North Carolina. Their practice is one of the most sought after across the globe performing over three thousand procedures a year - and both physicians have won numerous awards, have contributed to research and held leadership roles across local and national medical associations. When asked about why both surgeons joined the advisory board, their motivation was rooted in Cartessas unique business approach and future potential. Cartessa's mission of sourcing innovative health technology to future-proof the aesthetic space aligns perfectly with my vision and I look forward to pushing the needle even further. shared Dr. Kortesis. Dr. Bharti adds what Cartessa is doing is refreshing. Dr. Kortesis and I are trying to pave the way and be part of something special. Every patient, every practice is unique and Cartessa can be nimble, responsive and can deliver the state-of-the-art products to become #1 in the device space for aesthetics. Cartessa Founder and CEO Gabe Lubin shares these sentiments; We are proud to have Dr. Bharti and Dr. Kortesis join our medical advisory board. They are passionate about improving clinical efficacy and patient experience and we are excited to collaborate with them to make this possible with new technologies and techniques in 2020 and beyond. Dr. Bharti and Dr. Kortesis will join renowned dermatologists, laser specialists and plastic surgeons on Cartessa Aesthetics Medical Advisory Board. Most recently, Dr. Emil Tanghetti and Dr. Minni Saluja joined the board led by chair Dr. Nazanin Saedi. -- About Cartessa Aesthetics Cartessa Aesthetics, LLC sources leading aesthetic medical devices for distribution to dermatologists, plastic surgeons, cosmetic physicians and medical spas. Cartessa selects the most cutting-edge technologies that offer clinically proven efficacy, patient safety, and the best possible investment for patients and professionals. Products within Cartessas portfolio are FDA-cleared. For more information visit: http://www.cartessaaesthetics.com Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE A $7.6 billion budget plan that would raise teacher pay and fund statewide road repairs is headed to the full House, despite criticism from some legislators that rapid spending growth could put the state in a future bind. The budget bill would use tax dollars generated by an oil drilling boom in southeastern New Mexico and from other revenue sources to increase state spending by $529 million or 7.5% over current levels. It passed the House appropriations committee on a party-line 11-5 vote, with Democrats voting in favor and Republicans in opposition. Backers said the proposed spending bill would responsibly fund programs that faced budget cuts during a recent economic downturn, while still keeping roughly $2 billion in cash reserves in case projected revenue collections do not materialize. Its clear we need to fulfill citizen need, said Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, D-Gallup, chairwoman of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee. She also expressed disappointment with the GOP opposition to the bill, saying, I think its a little disingenuous to say, Oh, my gosh, weve bloated the budget.' But Republican lawmakers say the states recent budget problems which led to spending cuts and depleted state reserves show the need for more restraint. I dont want to put us in a position of giving a green light to programs only to have to come back and cut them, said Rep. Cathrynn Brown, R-Carlsbad. I dont think thats a good approach. Specifically, the spending plan calls for a 5% pay raise for teachers, a 4% raise for other education employees and a 3% bump for state workers. For teachers, the raise would be the second in two years. Lawmakers last year approved 6% salary increases for educators and an increase in starting teacher pay to $41,000 a year. A teacher making that minimum amount would receive a $2,050 raise under the budget proposal. Lundstrom said the pay increases for teachers are needed to fix problems recruiting and retaining teachers around the state. Meanwhile, the budget bill also contains several hefty one-time expenditures, including $255 million for road projects around the state and $76 million as part of a plan to shore up New Mexicos retirement system for police officers, judges and other public employees. It would also set aside $300 million from the states current budget surplus for a proposed new early childhood endowment fund, a top initiative of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration. However, another of the governors top legislative priorities a new College Opportunity Scholarship program, aimed at covering tuition for all New Mexicans who meet eligibility standards would not be funded under the bill approved Monday. Instead, the House committees plan features roughly $35 million in additional state spending on targeted aid for higher education students. That includes $16 million for need-based financial aid and $10 million for an existing college affordability fund. There is still a ways to go before the budget is finalized, and were going to keep working to get where we need to be, said Nora Meyers Sackett, a spokeswoman for the governor. We appreciate that the House provided for certain of our early childhood education priorities and feel more is needed in other areas, of course, and we look forward to continuing that conversation. Both the first-term Democratic governor and a key legislative interim committee released spending plans before the current 30-day session began. The budget bill endorsed Monday represents a compromise of sorts between the two plans in several areas, including funding for early childhood programs. Specifically, the current version of the bill would appropriate $208.3 million to the fledgling Early Childhood Education and Care Department less than requested by the Lujan Grisham administration but more than what the Legislative Finance Committee initially proposed. The budget bill could be voted on by the full House as soon as Tuesday. If approved there, it will advance to the Senate, where additional changes would likely be made. Both chambers must agree on a spending plan to send the bill to Lujan Grishams desk before the legislative session ends Feb. 20. MARCIA FOLETTO/AFP/Getty Images Chevron and Brazil's state oil company plan to sell their 100 percent ownership stake of a key deepwater field offshore of South America's largest country as they both seek to sell assets to cut costs. The deepwater Papa Terra oil field in Brazil's Campos Basin came online in 2013 and now produces oil and gas through two offshore platforms. Brazil's Petrobras owns 62.5 percent of the project and Chevron holds the remain 37.5 percent. New Delhi, Feb 3 : Delhi goes to poll on Saturday and with just three days of campaigning remaining, BJP unleashed its top brass, including firebrand Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, who has raked up the delectable issue of Biryani. Adityanath has alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party is serving Biryani to the Shaheen Bagh protesters, who have been in a sit-in for around 50 days now, demonstrating against the citizenship law. Campaigning in Delhi, since February 1, Adityanath has raised the Biryani issue everyday. On Monday, he was in Vikaspuri, when he said: "Pakistani Minister is praising (Delhi Chief Minister Arvind) Kejriwal because he knows only Kejriwal can feed Biryani in Shaheen Bagh." Speaking to IANS, a protester in Shaheen Bagh, Zulqarnain, said: "We only know three types of Biryani -- Hyderabadi, Moradabadi and Kolkata Biryani. "But BJP wants to make Election Biryani which is not good for people like Adityanath as it may cause indigestion." Kejriwal too, has slammed his Uttar Pradesh counterpart: "The fate of hospitals in UP is known to everyone and specially in Gorakhpur first the UP CM should look after his own state." The Congress also slammed Adityanath and said: "It was Narendra Modi who went to Pakistan to eat Biryani with Nawaz Sharif." "And its an irony that the BJP is making this protest a communal issue where as the governance should be the main issue and Congress can only lead Delhi on the path of development," said Sandeep Dikshit, former Congress MP. No fewer than 60 Nigerians presently in Wuhan, the Chinese city hit by the novel coronavirus have reached out to the federal government to evacuate them. This was made known by Zhou Pingjian, Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, while addressing a press conference in Abuja on Monday. There might be 40,000 or 50,000 Chinese nationals in Nigeria, and that most of them are in Lagos, Pingjian added. The virus has killed 362 people in China as of Monday, according to reports. Meanwhile, Lai Mohammed, minister of information, had said last week that the 16 Nigerians in Wuhan have not indicated interest to return home. Read Also: Nigeria Can Tackle Coronavirus: Health Minister Pingjian said the Chinese government are taking relevant steps to contain the virus and keep residents safe. We give the health of the Chinese citizens and foreign nationals including our Nigerian friends equal treatment, he said. Nigeria has taken measures more than as required in emergencies and that is commendable. And there is no Chinese national in Nigeria that is affected by the virus. Rapper and self-described 'marked man' Tekashi 6ix9ine still has months to go before his anticipated release from prison, but he already is said to be making plans for the future, with his personal security topping his priorities list. Tekashi, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, has served 14 months of his two-year sentence, which he received after pleading guilty to federal racketeering, drug and weapons charges, and testifying against fellow gang members. He could regain his freedom as early as August 2020, after which Hernandez plans to move out of Brooklyn, where he was born and raised, and relocate to another state, as TMZ first reported on Monday. Tekashi 6ix9ine, born Daniel Hernandez, reportedly wants to move out of New York City after his release from prison later this year (pictured in court in October 2018) Hernandez already has served 14 months of his two-year sentence, which he received after pleading guilty to federal racketeering, drug and weapons charges. He was given a lighter sentence after testifying against fellow gang members The gossip site claimed, citing unnamed sources, that it is the rapper intends to outfit his new home with 'Fort Knox-like security' and hire a team of bodyguards to protect him from anyone seeking to retaliate against him for cooperating with prosecutors. Hernandez is reportedly interested in security guards with law enforcement or military backgrounds, and no prior gang affiliations. It might prove a tall order for the artist and Instagram star to find people willing to protect him, after some of his former bodyguards have publicly said that no amount of money is worth risking their lives. Under the conditions of his sentence, the US Probation and Pretrial Services System will have to approve Hernandez's living arrangements and monitor his movements post-release. The rapper is said to be eager to return to the studio and resume making music as part of his existing $10million record deal, but he will not be performing live anytime soon due to safety concerns. Despite repeatedly expressing fear that someone may try to kill him for informing on Bloods gang members, Hernandez has rejected the idea of entering the federal witness protection program, where he would have been given a new identity. He helped convict Bloods gang members Aljermiah Mack (right) and Anthony Ellison (left), reducing his sentence from what could have been decades behind bars The rapper is not interested in entering the witness protection program and intends to resume making music as part of his $10million record deal Two weeks ago, a federal judge rejected Hernandez's plea to serve the remainder of his sentence at home after he argued that he was a target inside the prison. The 23-year-old is locked up at a secret facility but his lawyer argued he should at least be moved to a community correctional facility because the Nine Trey Gangster Bloods street gang has a presence at his current jail. Judge Paul A. Engelmayer said the sentence was meant to 'reflect the seriousness of his crimes,' even as he praised the rapper's cooperation as 'game'-changing' and 'brave.' Before offering prosecutors information that led to the convictions of gang members Aljermiah Mack and Anthony Ellison, Hernandez faced a minimum of 37 years in prison. Hernandez's role in convicting the Bloods members was 'not only substantial, it was extraordinary,' Assistant US Attorney Michael Longyear told the Associated Press. 'He was truthful. He was forthcoming. He was an open book.' Longyear noted that Hernandez's testimony helped authorities identify and convict other gang members, putting his life in danger. 'Forever, in the government's view, he will have to look over his shoulder,' Longyear said. Arlene Foster has told MLAs that she disagrees with Michelle O'Neill on Northern Ireland's constitutional future but they share "common ground" in wanting to improve health, education and employment here. Mrs Foster was speaking during her first question time as First Minister in the Assembly, which passed without any friction. TUV leader Jim Allister asked her if Sinn Fein was committed to making Northern Ireland work or if it was just using Stormont as a "stepping stone" to Irish unity. Mrs Foster said that she and the Deputy First Minister shared different views on "where we would like to see Northern Ireland in 10 years' time", but they could work together on health, education, employment and infrastructure. "It is important that we focus on what unites the people of Northern Ireland. They want to see a functioning Executive and one which delivers for all its people," she said. During the 45-minute session, Mrs Foster revealed that the Treasury wasn't offering any additional money for Troubles pensions and that funding would come from Northern Ireland's block grant. She said that the Executive would be raising the matter with the Government. Mrs Foster called on the institutions linked to historical institutional child abuse to "step forward" in terms of providing financial redress to victims. The first compensation payments will be made this spring with recommendations ranging from 7,500 to 100,000 following a public inquiry chaired by the late Sir Anthony Hart. This process took too long, yet I am also pleased for the victims of this terrible abuse that we have got to this point. Arlene Foster Mrs Foster said she wanted to pay tribute to campaigners who had fought for justice for victims. "This has been a long and a difficult journey, and it was their commitment that got us to this point today," she said. "This process took too long, yet I am also pleased for the victims of this terrible abuse that we have got to this point." Mrs Foster was then pressed by Sinn Fein MLA Linda Dillon over concerns among victims about where the money to compensate them will come from. "I want to reassure those victims that the money will have to be found, because we have given a commitment that we will follow through on this report and the many recommendations that were put in place, and we intend to do that," she said. "We will engage not only with the Westminster Government but also with the many institutions that have been involved throughout the years on this issue. "I think it is incumbent upon those institutions to step forward as well, not only in a moral way but indeed in terms of the financial redress as well, and that is something we will be continuing to take up." During her first question time, DUP Economy Minster Diane Dodds was asked about proposals to close the RHI scheme, which will be replaced with a new subsidy initiative. The DUP minister pledged that her officials would not repeat the mistakes of the 'cash for ash' scandal in the new scheme. She said that Northern Ireland wasn't performing as well as it should in renewable heat production. Mrs Dodds said that her department had commissioned two reviews relating to the RHI scheme. She expected them to be published fairly soon. She said that closing down the scheme involved "complexities" and that officials would engage with RHI claimants in a fair and compassionate way. The department had offered a "voluntary buyout" option for claimants with 96 applications received but no offers yet made. Sinn Fein MLA Caral Ni Chuilin asked DUP Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots about post-Brexit subsidy payments to farmers. He pledged that he would make an announcement soon. The UK Government has guaranteed payments for this year. The immediate past governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha has claimed that Senator Hope Uzodinma remained convinced that his emergence as the states new governor was founded on clear illegitimacy. He said Governor Uzodinma was now engaging in lying, by making unfounded claims, to interest his very few supporters in the state. The new Imo State governor had in Abuja last Friday spoke to State House correspondents on matters relating to the Supreme Court judgment. He also made claims of paying outstanding salaries owed workers in the state, restoration of pipe borne water and electricity in the state. But Ihedioha debunked his claim in a statement by his spokesman, Chibuike Onyeukwu at the weekend. The former governor said that Uzodinma was only trying to gain legitimacy by falsehood. Firstly, we bear no grudge over his statement that the Supreme Court cannot review its January 14, 2020 judgment. That is the extent he knows, in order to sustain the illegitimacy of his government. Truth remains that he is quite convinced that his position is founded on clear illegitimacy. Hence, he is not expected to say anything different from what he feels will interest his very few supporters. Uzodinma by claiming that time for election petition has elapsed was playing to the gallery. He engaged in a failed ambush of the Supreme Court. The court knows that Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha has a very good case as shown in all the glaring facts of the matter and so does not require his lame opinion. On the claim that he paid all outstanding salaries of Imo workers, the statement maintained that it is on record that Ihedioha restored the salaries of the entire workers in the service from 70 per cent to 100 per cent as well as pensions and they were paid as and when due to Imo workers until the Supreme Court judgment. Senator Uzodimma also claimed that no governor had visited State Secretariat, Owerri. This is the height of mockery of the collective workforce in the state. It is well known that Rt. Hon. Ihedioha visited state secretariat on the 2nd of July, 2019. During that visit, he addressed very happy and ethusiastic workers who genuinely threw their support behind his administration. Uzodinmas claim that he restored water and electricity supply to the secretariat is another barefaced falsehood. It is on record that the Rebuild Imo Administration ensured that electricity as well as pipe borne water were restored after 8 years at the Secretariat on the 13th of September, 2019, following the express directive by Ihedioha to the Ministry of Public Utilities and the Imo State Power and Rural Electrification Agency I-POREA, one of the agencies created by Ihedioha administration. The reactivation and reticulation of water in the state was later achieved, leading to clean pipe-borne water running again in parts of Owerri city for the first time since 2011. Imo people can testify to these facts, the statement read in part. BAY CITY, MI - A Bay County pilot is on a mission to make sure ice fishermen stay safe on Saginaw Bay, especially during this unusually warm winter season. Martin Szeliga of Pinconning is known in ice-fishing circles and on social media as the Airborne Angler. Szeliga flies over the bay in a small aircraft to give anglers a birds-eye view of the ice. Szeliga runs a Facebook page and where he shares the results and photos from his ice flights. He also maintains a Youtube channel where he posts videos of his flights so that fishermen can take a virtual flight to get a look at the ice. Szeliga has been ice fishing for approximately five years, but aviation has been a life-long love of his. In the Marine Corps, he got the chance to learn how to fly on the side at a base that had a flying club for members to learn as civilians in their free time. He got an idea while flying above the Saginaw Bay a few years ago. I thought, I see the ice when I go flying, I put two and two together and took some pictures one day and they were pretty popular, he said. "So then I thought, I have to fly anyways so I might as well fly around the Bay. Since the Saginaw Bay covers a large area, Szeliga says that his work helps anglers by providing an extra tool when they get the fishing bug from hearing that others are having good luck on the ice. The Bay is 1,100 square miles. So you might hear, The ice is good or Im getting fish, the ice isnt a universal sheet," he said. "Theres wind breaking it, theres currents, so I think when you take a look at where it is, at least my pictures can give you an idea of where a major crack is. Szeliga cautions those who view his pictures that they are only one tool available out of many for ice fishermen and that they should never rely entirely on his photos to gauge ice safety. My pictures cannot tell you ever if youre going to fall in. Ever," he said. The Airborne Angler recommends that people take as many precautions as possible to ensure that they stay safe on the ice. I want to remind them that I have no idea how thick the ice is. Its a good beginning tool to see whats going on out there, it does not substitute a spud bar in front of the next step youre going to take," he said. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources on Jan. 30 warned anglers that the ice on Saginaw Bay was unsafe due to warmer than usual weather. With warm weather persisting over the state throughout the start of 2020, Szeliga has stayed busy this season. This has been a really demanding season. Normally, I can get by with one or two flights and its locked up," he said. His Airborne Angler pages have remained busy, with Szeliga scheduling flights as often as he can as the weather, his work schedule, and aircraft availability allows. Related: DNR says ice conditions on Saginaw Bay are not safe The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution last Tuesday which demands the prompt release of imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and warns that his threatened extradition from Britain to the US, for lawful publishing activities, sets a dangerous precedent for all journalists. PACE is the parliamentary wing of the Council of Europe, an international assembly with 47 nation-members that was established in 1949. The organisation, which oversees the work of the European Court of Human Rights, states that its role is to serve as Europes guardian of human rights and democracy. The references to the Assange case are contained in a resolution titled Threats to media freedom and journalists security in Europe. It documents a rise in the number of journalists jailed, assaulted and murdered in Europe and internationally, including the killing of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia after she exposed official corruption in 2017. The resolution bluntly declares that Threats on media freedom and the safety of journalists have become so numerous, repeated and serious that they are jeopardising not only citizens right to be properly informed but also the stability and smooth functioning of our democratic societies. Significantly, the draft report, prepared by British Labour peer Lord Foulkes, did not contain any mention of the WikiLeaks founder. This was in line with the support of all of the official political parties in Britain, including Labour, for the jailing of Assange and the attempt to silence him for exposing war crimes. Less than a month out from British court hearings aimed at rubber-stamping Assanges dispatch to the US, however, other members of PACE recognised that the resolution would not have any credibility if it failed to mention Europes most famous imprisoned journalist and publisher. Members of the European United LeftNordic Green Left, comprised of a number of self-styled left parties throughout the continent, moved two amendments, both of which were adopted. Their intervention followed lobbying by Assanges father, John Shipton, and other prominent supporters of the WikiLeaks founder. The first amendment called on all European governments to defend the freedom of media and security of journalists, namely in the case of Julian Assange as his possible extradition to the USA would set a precedent and threaten journalists freedoms in all member states. The second stated that they should consider that the detention and criminal prosecution of Mr Julian Assange sets a dangerous precedent for journalists, and join the recommendation of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment who declared, on 1 November 2019, that Mr Assanges extradition to the United States must be barred and that he must be promptly released. The amendments were passed under conditions where Assanges status as a political prisoner is undeniable. He is being held in the maximum-security Belmarsh Prison, a facility designed to hold murderers and terrorists, despite not having been convicted of any crime. All of Assanges legal and democratic rights, including to access documents crucial to preparing his defence and to confer freely with his lawyers, have been trampled on by a British judiciary determined to dispatch him to his American persecutors. The lawlessness of the operation against Assange has been underscored by revelations, contained in official court filings, that the US does not consider him entitled to the First Amendment protections of the American constitution, which uphold free speech and freedom of the press. It has also been reported that if he is extradited, Assange will be held in the US under Special Administrative Measuresdraconian regulations, usually applied in terrorism cases, that prevent a prisoner from communicating with virtually anyone. The nakedly anti-democratic character of Assanges persecution has placed erstwhile supporters of the campaign against him on the back foot. Foulkes stated that he and his colleagues dont want to see Julian Assange extradited to the United States to spend centuries in prison. The Labour peer, however, exposed himself as a supporter of past efforts to frame Assange on bogus sexual misconduct allegations in Sweden. He told the Guardian: I was in favour of him being sent back to Sweden when there were allegations against him to face, but as far as the US is concerned I think there would be deep concerns if he were to be sent there. This positiontaken by the majority of Labour MPsamounted to backdoor support for the US attempt to destroy Assange. The Swedish allegations were used by Britain, acting in collaboration with the US and Swedish governments, to deprive Assange of his liberty, embroil him in legal proceedings and to blacken his name. The attempt to smear Assange as a sex criminal, however, is increasingly untenable in the wake of the collapse of the Swedish investigation late last year. In the course of almost a decade, the investigation was dropped three times and never progressed beyond the preliminary stage. Prosecutors did not come close to issuing any criminal charges. UN Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer has documented fifty aspects of the Swedish government which appeared to violate Assanges rights to due process and the presumption of innocence. That PACE has felt compelled to explicitly condemn the persecution of Assange reflects a growing groundswell of support for the WikiLeaks founder in the lead-up to the first British extradition hearings on February 24. The body, however, does not have any binding powers over its member-states. Its recommendations and statements can, and have been, ignored at will, with no consequences. PACE oversees the European Court of Human Rights, which may be the final court of appeal for Assange, if all levels of the British judiciary rubber-stamp his extradition, as they have signalled they will do. Even that body, however, has no powers of coercion over any European state. The US and its allies, including Britain, have made clear that they are willing to flout international and domestic laws in their pursuit of Assange, as they did when launching the illegal 2003 invasion of Iraq, which was formally condemned by United Nations bodies. Defenders of democratic rights will not condemn PACEs resolution. The record, however, demonstrates that Assanges freedom will not be secured through the deliberations of courts, parliaments or European assemblies. What is required is the development of a mass political movement, fighting to block his extradition, as part of the struggle against the growing trend to authoritarianism and in defence of all democratic rights. Farmers have until the end of the month to respond to research looking at the ways livestock auction marts contribute to the agricultural sector. The study was commissioned in November last year to highlight the social benefits of markets to rural communities around the UK. The Princes Countryside Fund has teamed up with the University of Exeter to undertake the project. The views of auctioneers, livestock owners and any other stakeholders who use auction marts are needed. Claire Saunders, Director of the Princes Countryside Fund said: We have commissioned this research following our work with the Livestock Auctioneers Association. We understand that auction marts are often at the heart of their agricultural communities, however, we are aware of the difficulties that many of these businesses are facing. We hope that this research will offer practical recommendations to help them prepare for the future and ensure their long term survival. Professor Michael Winter OBE, of the University of Exeter added: We are anxious to hear from all those with a stake and interest in the future of livestock market in the UK, to help us identify examples of good practice as markets adapt to changing demands and circumstances. Evidence should be submitted to the Princes Countryside Fund by 28 February 2020. It comes at a time when many livestock marts struggle to keep their doors open to farmers, with recent closures including Shaftesbury Cattle Market and Cowbridge Mart. Despite numerous setbacks for local rural communities, industry bodies have frequently highlighted the importance of them. For example, the 'use your mart' campaign was launched earlier this year urging farmers to 'take back control' and demand transparency in pricing by selling through livestock marts. Four Melbourne international students have been jailed after they were found guilty of attempting to import 12.5 kilograms of cocaine into Melbourne hidden inside machinery parts. Three men from Colombia and an Italian man were on Monday collectively sentenced to serve more than 26 years in jail after the drugs were discovered by the Australian Border Force in 2018. The airconditioning part in which Border Force officers found cocaine. Credit:AFP Officers intercepted a suspicious consignment in February of that year and found more than five kilograms of cocaine inside an airconditioning unit part imported from Panama to Melbourne. They then found another consignment that had arrived from Chile. Hidden inside a torque pulley wheel, investigators found about 7.5 kilograms of cocaine. OTTAWA COUNTY, MI A cluster of sick raccoons has prompted police in Grand Haven to issue an alert for dog owners regarding canine distemper. Officers with the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety have responded to reports of five sick raccoons in the past few weeks, according to a news release sent by the department. Its believed they were infected with canine distemper, a disease that can infect dogs as well as cats with a feline version. Vaccinations are available to prevent distemper in pets. Because raccoons are nocturnal, those seen during daytime hours could be ill, especially if they appear disoriented and show no fear of humans, according to a fact sheet shared by the department. Greg Hochstetler, a wildlife technician with the Muskegon State Game Area, said his office which provides service to Muskegon, Ottawa and other West Michigan counties commonly receives calls about raccoons sick with distemper. Because the disease can be transferred to dogs and other wildlife, Hochstetler said its important to avoid sick animals and to contact law enforcement if one is hanging around. He advised calling local law enforcement or for a conservation officer, at 800-292-7800, who can euthanize the sick animal. If a dead raccoon is found, Hochstetler suggested either burying the animal, or putting it in a bag and into the trash so that it can be landfilled. He said its important to not leave the carcass where other animals can get to it and risk infection. The Grand Haven Department of Public Safety provided these pieces of advice: Do not approach a sick animal, even if it seems docile or tame. Keep your dog on a leash during walks. Dont leave dog food outside or feed wildlife. Take down bird feeders that seem to attract raccoons. If you have a sick raccoon in your yard, keep pets inside and call police. Make sure your pets are vaccinated. Distemper cannot be transferred to humans, but it is highly contagious to some other animals. Symptoms of distemper in raccoons include wandering outside during daylight, slow movement or stumbling, lack of fear of humans, appearing to be blind or confused, and suffering from mucous discharge around eyes and nose, coughing, vomiting and tremors. Infected animals can become aggressive if cornered. The disease is transferred through aerosol droplets through sneezing, direct contact and possibly contact with contaminated objects. Its also believed distemper can be transferred through contact with feces or urine of an infected animal, according to the Grand Haven fact sheet. Distemper is usually fatal, and if not, can cause lasting neurological impairments. Also on MLive: Burlington store coming soon to Muskegon area Beer, chili, and, yes, real snow, at Muskegons annual SnowFest Family Farm & Home opening 2nd store in Muskegon County English Lithuanian Vilnius, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Medicinos Bankas UAB, registration number 112027077, office address: Pamenkalnio g. 40, Vilnius, Lithuania. Having completed the supervisory review and evaluation process (SREP) of Medicinos Bankas UAB, the Bank of Lithuania established additional capital requirement (P2R) of 1.8 per cent calculated for additional risks covered by the Pillar II. Previous capital requirement was 2.2 per cent. Due to the additional capital requirement, the bank will have to meet the following minimum requirements of own funds: - Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital requirement: 6.3 per cent; - Total SREP capital requirement: 9.8 per cent; - The required total capital (taking into account all reserve requirements): 13.3 per cent. Medicinos Bankas is, furthermore, recommended to ensure the Pillar II Guidance (P2G) capital of 1 per cent, which must be included in the capital planning and risk management systems of the bank. As of 1 January 2020, the Bank of Lithuania requires Medicinos Bankas UAB to meet the 6 per cent minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities on the consolidated level. Read Aloud Day is coming! We are partnering with the Y Literacy Volunteers this year to put together the 29th annual Read Aloud Day Feb. 12, with a snow date of Feb. 13, at elementary schools around the region. A huge thank you to the Draper Foundation Fund, a fund of the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation for sponsoring the program. The program also would not be possible without the over 400 volunteers who will be reading to more than 7,500 students in grades pre-k through 6. After attending a short orientation and reviewing the book, a student will escort the reader to the classroom for their Read Aloud experience. Each grade level will read the same book that was selected by a group of Library Media Specialists back in December. The books will be donated to the classroom library for the students to enjoy. Throughout the 29 years of this program, the Northwest CT Chamber Education Foundation, with support from the program sponsors, has donated more than 10,500 books to classroom libraries around the region. This year, 28 schools will participate in Read Aloud Day. Participating schools include: Barkhamsted, Colebrook, Cornwall, Falls Village (Kellogg), Goshen, Hartland, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield (Center & Intermediate), Morris, New Hartford (Ann Antolini, Bakerville, New Hartford Elementary), Norfolk (Botelle), North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington (Forbes, Southwest, St. John Paul the Great Academy, Torringford, Vogel-Wetmore), Thomaston, Warren, Winsted (Batcheller, Pearson, St. Anthony). Read Aloud is a partnership of the Northwest Connecticut Chamber Education Foundation and Y Literacy Volunteers of Northwest Connecticut, sponsored by the Draper Foundation Fund, a fund of the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation. Check out our website at www.nwctchamberofcommerce.org for more Chamber happenings. *This institution is an equal opportunity provider* Three policemen and an advocate were booked after they filed cross complaints following a traffic dispute, an official said on Monday. The incident happened during a helmet checking drive under Madan Mahal police station limits in Jabalpur, he said. "Lawyer Sandeep Saini filed an FIR against Inspector Sandeep Ayachi, woman constable Meenakshi Shukla and constable Hemraj on Sunday night. WPC Shukla filed a case against Saini as well," the Madan Mahal police station official said. "Saini was riding a motorcycle without a registration number. He was not wearing a helmet either. During the check, his motorcycle went over the foot of a woman constable. There was an argument between the police and the lawyer. Saini has claimed the inspector misbehaved with him when he went to file a complaint at Madan Mahal police station," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Researchers at Warsaw University, Griffith University and Macquarie University have put their heads together to update the Heisenberg limit, a operational consequence of the uncertainty principle. Credit: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay; free for commercial use One of the cornerstones of quantum theory is a fundamental limit to the precision with which we can know certain pairs of physical quantities, such as position and momentum. For quantum theoretical treatments, this uncertainty principle is couched in terms of the Heisenberg limit, which allows for physical quantities that do not have a corresponding observable in the formulation of quantum mechanics, such as time and energy, or the phase observed in interferometric measurements. It sets a fundamental limit on measurement accuracy in terms of the resources used. Now, a collaboration of researchers in Poland and Australia have proven that the Heisenberg limit as it is commonly stated is not operationally meaningful, and differs from the correct limit by a factor of . "The Heisenberg limit can be regarded as a refined variant of the Heisenberg uncertainty relation adapted for the purposes of quantum estimation theory and quantum metrology," explains Wojciech Gorecki, the lead author of the Physics Review Letters paper recounting this research, alongside Rafa Demkowicz-Dobrzanski, Howard Wiseman and Dominic Berry. Quantum metrology exploits quantum effects such as entanglement for high-resolution, high-sensitivity measurements, and as Gorecki points out, the Heisenberg limit commonly crops up in this field when dealing with states comprising multiple potentially entangled probes. "Here, the Heisenberg limit indicates a qualitative sensitivity improvement over measurement schemes that do not make use of entanglement." The Heisenberg uncertainty principle dates back to Heisenberg's work in Copenhagen in 1927, and although radical when it first surfaced, it is now well entrenched in literature and research based on quantum theory. Equally as entrenched, however, is the assumption that boundaries derived from a strand of quantum information theoryquantum Fisher informationcan be taken as the actual limits. From mathematically interesting to operationally meaningful To understand how Gorecki and colleagues arrived at the corrected Heisenberg limit, consider a probe measuring a system to determine some relevant physical quantity. The value of the quantity is not known before the measurement is taken, and this is formulated by assigning some sort of probability distribution to its value. The Heisenberg limit that has been used so far was based on a "frequentist" approach, whereby only repeatable random events are understood as having probabilities, a definition that excludes hypotheses and fixed but unknown values. As a result, when applying this approach to fixed but unknown physical quantities, the assumption was made that the measurement need only work properly on an infinitesimally small neighborhood of the exact value of the measured quantity. This assumption turned out to be insufficient To redefine the limit, Gorecki and his colleagues adopted a Bayesian approach, which accepts the notion of probabilities representing the uncertainty in any event or hypothesis and attributes a given probability distribution known as the prior, which describes the physical quantity in question. "The Bayesian approach that we follow in this review was often treated as an interesting but somehow artificial approach, as it required a somehow arbitrary choice of the prior," says Gorecki. In their report, however, the researchers were able to demonstrate the general relevance of this approach. When the value of the parameter is assumed to be fixedthe "non-random parameter estimation"the path the Bayesian approach generally follows can lead to the previously defined Heisenberg limit. However, Grecki and colleagues refined the model to incorporate the fact that as the parameter's value is not known before it is measured, the measurements must work over a fixed region, giving that region a flat prior. This way, no generality is lost by adopting the Bayesian approach. They were also able to exclude some unphysical prior functions like the Dirac delta function, which might lead to arbitrarily high precision. Previous work had also arrived at the additional factor of in the Heisenberg limit, but were limited by the assumed Gaussian prior distribution and did not allow for adaptive approaches that achieve a higher-precision result via measured values feeding into future measurements. Having demonstrated the need for an arbitrary but finite prior, Gorecki and colleagues were then able to get around a number of other challenges in the way of their final generally applicable result. Other work and future impact The Heisenberg limit relates to noiseless systems, which are rare. As a result, the simplicity of using quantum Fisher information to derive the bounds in the standard "frequentist" approach overrode the lack of justification for recklessly taking this bound as the actual limitmost measurements never got close to the limit, anyway. "Our work is not a harsh criticism of the frequentist approachit is still a very powerful mathematical tool that we often use ourselves," Grecki points out. "However, one should be aware of its limitations." As well as their fundamental impact in quantum theory, these results may also affect some areas of practical metrology. In frequency estimation models for estimating atomic frequency transitions and in magnetometry of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond (among other studies), the system is probed for a certain length of time rather than by a certain number of photons. "In these setups, it is not unimaginable that the noise in such systems may be low enough, or may be effectively removed by application of quantum error correction-inspired protocols, that the actual precision scaling with the total interrogation time may at sufficiently long (but not too long) times manifest the true Heisenberg limit," says Grecki. With the current interest in quantum error correction-inspired metrological protocols that allow estimation with Heisenberg limit scaling, the results reported here may prove particularly timely. Explore further Research team challenges the limits of famous quantum principle 2020 Science X Network SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) San Francisco police and Sheriff's deputies arrested one man Sunday night after shots were fired at a bar at Third and King Streets in China Basin near the Caltrain station, police said. Police said police got the report about 7 p.m. of shots fired at the Polo Grounds Pub and Grill in the 700 block of Third Street. The suspect with the firearm fled in a maroon SUV, drove onto northbound Fourth Street, colliding with a gray sedan headed south on Fourth. Occupants of that car were not injured, police said. The maroon SUV then ran into a light pole. Its driver, the alleged gunman, then led police of deputies on a short foot chase to Bluxome Street, where he was taken into custody. A firearm was recovered, police said. According to NBC Bay Area, the man had been kicked out of the bar "but returned minutes later, pushed his way back in and opened fire." The suspect, whose name was not released Sunday night, was then taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries suffered in the collision with the pole. No one was injured in the initial gunfire, police said. ALSO: San Francisco 49ers fans cheer, despair watching Super Bowl 54 Although an arrest was made, police still ask anyone with information regarding this incident to call the SFPD 24 hour Tip line at (415) 575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. The decision by TD Bank officials to keep the Mason Square branch open, even for only two days a week, is a victory for the voice of the people. Faced with closure of their only full-service bank, residents in the Springfield neighborhood enlisted elected officials and expressed their own concerns in ways that persuaded bank executives to reach a compromise. The Mason Square branch will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Mondays and Fridays. While not a complete reversal, this decision does give neighborhood residents access to a full-service branch. Many of these citizens use public transportation, making it difficult to reach other TD Bank branches that were even a couple of miles away. Bank executives deserve some credit for this decision. Even a two-day opening shows a respect for the banks promise to serve its loyal customers - a pledge that would have been ignored by closing the branch entirely. City and state elected officials, and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, merit some credit as well, for responding in time to convince TD Bank to change its mind. Most of all, Mason Square residents should feel good that their voices were heard - as they should have been heard. This is a vibrant, important part of Springfield should not be neglected, underappreciated or left without vital services. Democracy requires the voices of all citizens be heard. What Mason Square residents were saying was reasonable and made total sense. Two days a week is a compromise, but at least it gives these people the chance to do their banking with the same access theyd had, and that loyal customers of the bank deserve. Vietnam is pursuing an ambitious plan to become a global agricultural powerhouse by 2030, according to Government Resolution 53/NQ-CP. The resolution stipulates that Viet Nam must aim to rank among the worlds top 15 most developed agricultural countries and a global hub for agricultural logistics and processing. In order to realise these goals, a number of strategic objectives must be fulfilled, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong. Firstly, Viet Nam must restructure its agriculture sector with nationwide planning to establish input material producing regions and consumption markets. High-producing regions with skilled labour forces and developed infrastructure and logistics networks should be earmarked for investment to serve as growth drivers for surrounding localities. The countrys agro-processing sector must start filtering out products with low add-value and seek ways to add more value to existing products. Secondly, the business environment must continue to improve to help facilitate investment, especially in the countrys agriculture, forestry and aquaculture sectors. The country must also build a long-term development strategy to fully exploit areas where it enjoys significant advantages such as vegetable farming, aquaculture and wood processing to attract more investment. Meanwhile, administrative reforms must target unnecessary business requirements and conditions and build legal frameworks to help localities unleash their potential. For instances, farmland could be rented from farmers and merged to allow greater economies of scale and higher degree of product specialisation. Thirdly, the country must seek to improve its products to compete by supporting the formation of large enterprises specialised in agriculture, forestry and aquaculture. Measures must also be taken to help farmers sell their products directly to domestic consumers. Additional investment must go into the development of national brands, especially for products that have been widely-recognised in the international markets such as tra fish, shrimp, coffee, pepper and ginseng. The country must also look to adopt advanced technology to add more value to its products, improve safety and enforce product origin regulations. Lastly, Viet Nam will need significant investment in human resources to spearhead the growth in its agricultural sector. A new generation of workers who can use technological advances will play a key role in connecting producers to consumers to achieve greater market efficiency. Meanwhile, the Government must seek ways to encourage the private sector to invest in production, especially in research and development. A national database to oversee production, logistics and processing activities is also listed as a top priority for agriculture agencies. Viet Nam must focus on improving national standards to govern agriculture activities and product quality. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, demand for agricultural products had been on the rise on a global scale and was forecast to continue to rise. Viet Nam is well-poised to take advantage as a signatory to trade deals such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement. VNS More big guys pour money into Vietnam's agriculture Seventeen large investment projects in the agriculture sector with total investment capital of VND20 trillion became operational in 2019. It took a major Indian co-operative bank to implode for the government to realise the pressing need to hike the deposit insurance cover for customers. The crisis at the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative bank last year had shaken the trust of customers in countrys smaller banks. Some of the PMC depositors are still fighting to get their money back. On Saturday, announcing the budget, finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman said the deposit insurance cover will be hiked to Rs 5 lakh per customer from Rs one lakh earlier. This scheme is provided by provided by Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), which accepts a premium from banks to offer the cover. In the event of a bank collapse, the DICGC compensates the customers providing the agreed amount. The Rs 5 lakh cover announced in the budget is good to restore the trust in the industry, said Jaikishan Parmar, analyst at Angel Broking. Good news for co-operative banks. A higher insurance cover is a big relief for customers, especially depositors of co-operative banks, which are lightly regulated by the central bank when compared with bigger commercial banks. There are varying views about the quantum of deposit cover required for Indian banks. An SBI research report, in October last year, called for a minimum Rs 2 lakh deposit insurance cover for term depositors and Rs one lakh for savings bank depositors and a separate threshold for senior citizens. The deposit insurance guarantee scheme was set up in 1961 to ensure depositors are guaranteed at least some amount in the event of a bank collapse. This amount was enhanced to Rs one lakh only in 1993 from Rs 30,000. The DICGC enhanced the cover to Rs 1 lakh per depositor in May 1993 for deposits of Commercial Banks, RRBs, Local Area Banks (LABs) and Co-operative Banks and rest of the deposit amount is forfeited in the rare event of a bank failure. The numbers At the end of FY19, the number of registered insured banks stood at 2098, comprising 157 commercial banks and 1941 cooperative banks. In 2017, the government introduced The Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance (FRDI) Bill in the Parliament but withdrew it in 2018 due to the bail-in clause and mass protesst across the country. The FRDI bill contemplated a mechanism of deposit insurance up to a specified limit (at least Rs 1 lakh) for not only banks but also for the NBFCs, insurance companies, pension funds, stock exchanges, and depositories. What should be the ideal threshold level for the deposit cover? As the SBI analysis shows, in terms of the number of accounts, 61 percent of the total accounts are less than Rs one lakh, around 70 percent are less than Rs 2 lakh, and 98.2 percent are less than Rs 15 lakh. This means small depositors are adequately covered in terms of insurance cover. The problem, however, is that in terms of quantum of deposits, percentage of deposits less than Rs 1 lakh is only 7.8 percent of the deposit base. This means while majority in number may get their money back, the remaining is set to lose a big chunk of their savings. About 20.4 percent of the deposits are contributed by customers having deposits of more than Rs 15 lakh but less than Rs 1 crore with average deposit of Rs 35 lakh. For them, Rs 5 lakh cover is not enough, but better than what it was before. Will the hike hurt banks cost? Unlikely. Only if the government opts for a risk-based premium, some banks will have to pay more towards DICGC. But, according to reports, government has indicated its aversion to implement a risk-based, differential premium to banks since it will create a perception of weak bank vs strong bank in the industry. Customers will then avoid weak banks, which will create lack of level playing field in the industry. But since reports suggest that government is keen to continue with a flat premium for all banks, this problem doesnt arise. According to analysts, the premium paid by banks can go up by a few paise with the increased deposit cover, which will not be a major cost-impact for lenders. A Deputy Information Minister, Pius Hadzide, has assured that government will take the issues raised in the Airbus bribery scandal seriously regarding bribery allegations under the previous government. In an interview with Citi News, Mr. Hadzide said: government takes a very serious view of the revelations that have come from the courts in the United Kingdom. He also said the government was counting on the Office of the Special prosecutor to establish the individuals who have been singled out. especially government official 1, who, documents indicate, was the fulcrum around which these create, loot and share scheme evolved, the Deputy Minister added. Ghana has been cited as one of five countries in which global aerospace group, Airbus SE, allegedly bribed or promised payments to senior officials in exchange for business favours between 2009 and 2015, according to the UK's Serious Fraud Office. In addition to Ghana, the company allegedly paid bribes to officials in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Taiwan within the same period. The UK's Serious Fraud Office, however, in its statement of fact did not name the individual Ghanaian officials because investigations were still ongoing. President Nana Akufo-Addo has since referred the Airbus bribery scandal to the Office of the Special Prosecutor for investigations. These investigations are expected to be conducted in collaboration with the United Kingdom authorities, according to a statement from the presidency. Response from NDC The National Democratic Congress (NDC), which was in power during the period the bribes were allegedly paid, denied the suggestions of corruption amid speculation from the public. The party in a statement signed by former Attorney General, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, argued that media reports on the matter did not accurately capture the approved judgement of the case in the UK. The reports alleging that Airbus SE paid bribes during the administration of President John Evans Atta Mills and John Dramani Mahama are false, misleading and do not reflect the Approved Judgment. Indeed, the Approved Judgment of the Crown Court of Southwark approving the DPA between Airbus and the UK Serious Fraud Office does not allege that any payment was made by Airbus to any Ghanaian Government official, the statement said. Payments in Ghana In the case of Ghana, the court found that the company's bribe was to land the contract of purchase of a military transport aircraft. Between 1 July 2011 and 1 June 2015 Airbus SE failed to prevent persons associated with Airbus SE from bribing others concerned with the purchase of military transport aircraft by the Government of Ghana, where the said bribery was intended to obtain or retain business or advantage in the conduct of business for Airbus SE, the court's statement of offence noted. The documents indicated that one of the unnamed Ghanaian officials was a key decision-maker in respect of Government of Ghana aircraft orders. A number of Airbus employees made or promised success-based commission payments of approximately 5 million to one of the Ghanaians implicated in the acts of corruption. Key actors in scandal The judgement noted the existence of a Government Official 1 described as a high ranking and elected. There was also an Intermediary 5 who is noted as British national and close relative of Government Official 1. There is a Company D which is a corporate vehicle for Intermediary 5, Intermediary 6 who is a British national and associate of Intermediary 5, Intermediary 7 who is also a British national and associate of Intermediary 5 and Intermediary 8 which is a Spanish company and front for Intermediary 5. ----citinewsrppm A ticket purchased for the Vatican Museums automatically grants access into the Sistine Chapel Whats included in a ticket to the Vatican Museum? A ticket purchased for the Vatican Museums automatically grants access into the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelosis painted on the ceiling. However, tickets to the Vatican Museum can come with so much more, including audio guides, breakfast, lunch and happy hour. These options are accompanied with fluctuating ticket prices.No tickets can be purchased solely for the Sistine Chapel. Entry into the chapel can only be accessed through the museum. Also read: What to see in the Vatican Museums How to purchase a ticket How to skip the line How much do tickets cost? Open tour of the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel Open tour with an audio guide Tickets can be bought in person or online. All tickets bought in person are cheaper than tickets bought online. However, this option requires standing in line and risking the possibility of not gaining entrance into the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel.In order to skip the line, tickets must be purchased in advance. This option requires online booking. Tickets can be bought directly on the Vatican Museums official website . Sometimes the official Vatican Museum website will sell out of tickets. If this occurs, tickets can be purchased on other websites: www.getyourguide.com www.tiqets.com , and www.viator.com to name a few.Costs depend on whats included.Full ticket: 17.00Reduced ticket: 8.00Full ticket: 24.00Reduced ticket: 15.00 Reduced ticket with a child-friendly audio guide: 13.00 Early entry open tour with breakfast Full ticket, includes audio guide: 70.00 Reduced ticket: 61.00 This ticket will grant visitors access to the Museum, before it opens to the public, at 7.15 am. Breakfast starts at 7.30 am. Early entry exclusive guided tour with breakfast Full ticket: 63.00Reduced ticket: 54.00 Guide service: 270,00 Entry to the Museum starts at 7.15 am with breakfast served at 7.30 am. Be mindful that there are only 10 spots available. Open tour with breakfast Full ticket: 38.00Reduced ticket: 29.00 Optional audio guide: 7.00 At 8.15 am, the doors will open and breakfast will be served. Open tour with lunch Full ticket: 39.50 Reduced ticket: 30.50 Reduced ticket with a childrens menu: 20.00 There are four lunches throughout the day: the first lunch at 11.00 am, followed by a second lunch at 12.00 pm, then 1.00 pm, and the last lunch is served at 2.00 pm. Night tour with happy hour Who is eligible for a reduced ticket? Full ticket: 34.00 Reduced ticket: 25.00Reduced tickets are available for every event, but only for specific demographics.between the ages of 6 to 18 years andup to 25 years of age are qualified for discounted ticket prices. However, students must present a student identification card on the day of the visit, for this discount to be applied.(wo)men can enter at a reduced price, but they must present the proper, valid documents. Retired or current employees of the Holy See and/or the Vatican City State are eligible for discounted tickets, after presenting valid identification documents. Discounts can be extended to one other companion only. Discounted tickets are not available for seniors of any age. Is it possible to enter for free? Similar to reduced tickets, only certain people can enter the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel for free.Allcan enter the museum without a ticket or reservation. Museum directors can enter the museum for free, however a ticket and reservation are required. Only certain journalists and academics can gain free access. Some people with disabilities and those accompanying them can be allowed in without a cost. All entries are free on the last Sunday of each month. However, if the last Sunday of the month coincides with Easter Sunday, 29 June Saints Peter and Paul, Christmas Day and 26 December Feast of Saint Stephen; the Vatican Museum will be closed. What is there to see? In the sixteenth century, Pope Julius II began what has now become a collection of over 70,000 artworks housed in the Vatican Museum. In the 54 galleries scattered throughout the Museum, about 20,000 pieces of art are displayed, a mere fraction of the true size of this collection. However, this portion showcases the masterpieces of artists like Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci and Raphael. Check out our full guide to the Vatican Museums here The Edo State Government says it has given directives to the Police and State Security Service to arrest the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole. for allegedly violating rally orders. The Deputy Governor of the state, Philip Shuaibu, said this in Abuja on Monday while speaking with journalists shortly after the meeting of the APC Governors Forum Steering Committee on Good Governance. Mr Shuaibu expressed Edo governments readiness to submit its petition to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, and the Director of SSS, Yusuf Binchi on the rally. I am in Abuja to meet with the IG. I have a petition to the IG and the Director of DSS (SSS) to the effect that Mr Oshiomhole be arrested by the police and DSS (SSS) for the breakdown of law and order, that he has consistently perpetrated in Edo state. READ ALSO: We banned rallies, the IG in a letter also suspended rallies. Oshiomhole disobeyed the orders of the state government. He disobeyed the orders of the IG and feels that he is above the law. For us, we have officially come now to drop our petition with the IG, to the effect that Oshiomhole is not above the law; he should be arrested for violating the state governments order, Mr Shuaibu said. He said nobody violated Mr Oshiomholes orders when he was a governor. So, for us, when Oshiomhole continually disobeys the law, when opposition party chairmen do the same, he becomes a reference point, he said. That is why I am here on behalf of the state government, to submit a petition to the IG to the effect that Oshiomhole be arrested and prosecuted for breaching the peace of Edo, he said. When contacted, Simon Ebegbulem, the Chief Press Secretary to Mr Oshiomhole, declined comment. (NAN) The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.s fourth CEO, Melissa Missy Hughes, said Monday her first four months have been spent developing a new direction for the states top economic development agency. The shift in direction, which Hughes and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers have said entails a greater focus on small businesses and rural communities, rather than on controversial deals like the one for the massive Foxconn project, is reflective of Hughes as a departure from previous leaders of the embattled WEDC since its 2011 creation. In a Monday interview with the Wisconsin State Journal, Hughes gave credit to her predecessor Mark Hogan, who she said established many of the departments processes and procedures, many of which were in response to annual audits from the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau. He did a terrific job setting the stage for me, Hughes said, adding that part of that entailed assuring the public that the department, which came under criticism for being influenced by political considerations during former Gov. Scott Walkers administration, is operating independently. Its really critical that decisions that are made through WEDC are not political, Hughes said. Ive actually learned that really well from the staff that were not making political decisions, that were very cautious to be making the best decisions for Wisconsin and to avoid worrying about how something is going to look, but rather making the right decision to start with. WEDCs first CEO, Paul Jadin, who left the job amid reports of problems at the agency and behind-the-scenes disagreements with Walker, and at the time served as chairman of the agencys board of directors, said he knows firsthand about political influence in the departments early years. I think WEDC was intended to be apolitical, and I think its slowly but surely getting there, and I think Gov. Evers can be a major factor in realizing its objectives, Jadin, who became head of Dane Countys regional economic development agency in 2012, said Monday. Jadin said he has had more conversations with Hughes in her first four months than he can recall with Hogan in all of the former secretarys four years. He added its apparent the organization has shifted toward entrepreneurial innovation and start-up projects and away from the big deals, the Foxconn-type deals. Jadins replacement, Marshfield Clinics retired executive director Reed Hall, departed the agency in 2015 amid reports of mishandled loans and discontent among employees. He was replaced by retired banking executive Hogan, one of Walkers longtime political supporters, who resigned last September. A 2018 law passed by Republicans and signed by Walker prevented Evers from making a WEDC appointment until September. The full Senate has not yet voted on Hughes appointment. Her confirmation is still working its way through the committee process, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said in an email. Were continuing to have discussions as a caucus as to who to put on the floor this spring. Hughes joined La Farge-based Organic Valley in 2003 as chief mission officer and general counsel. The cooperative of organic livestock, dairy and vegetable farmers was created in 1988. It includes more than 2,000 family farms and has annual sales exceeding $1 billion. Hughes said she plans to use that experience to help launch Evers recently announced Office of Rural Prosperity within WEDC, which could open up access to financial incentives for the states small businesses and rural communities. Its definitely never meant to be us versus them, rural versus urban, Hughes said. If any part of the state is weak, so goes the rest of the state. Evers also has called on WEDC to create a committee on entrepreneurship and innovation. Successful economic development isnt just about job numbers, Evers spokeswoman Melissa Baldauff said in an email. That was definitely something missing from WEDC and we are excited to see even more of a focus on small-business owners and entrepreneurs. Foxconn update Hughes said communication continues with Foxconn Technology Group regarding the states contract with the company for a $10 billion, 20-million-square-foot campus in southeast Wisconsin and 13,000 jobs over 15 years. However, in December, Evers administration told the Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer the company was no longer eligible for the $3 billion in state tax credits pledged to the company in the 2017 agreement championed by Walker. Officials have argued that multiple updates to the companys plans including downsizing from a manufacturing facility making TV screens to a facility that would manufacture small screens for tablets or phones have resulted in a vastly different project. The current project, the current construction thats happening at Foxconn is different than what the contract was negotiated for and entered into, Hughes said. As Foxconns business plans are evolving were standing ready to work with them on an amendment to their process so that the contract and the project are aligned. Hughes declined to comment in any more detail on the status of the project. State officials have been vague on specifics when it comes to what a new contract could look like, but Evers said its possible the amount in tax incentives could be amended. Officials have said they cannot unilaterally change the contract without Foxconns participation. In a Monday statement, the company said discussions with the state are ongoing. Foxconn will continue to comply with the reporting requirements as prescribed in the agreement for employees hired and capital expenditures during the 2019 reporting year, the company said. Foxconn is required to provide WEDC with an update on its progress and how many jobs have been created by April 1 to determine whether the company qualifies for state tax credits. Id just as soon not guess about where thats going to be and well hear on April 1 where thats at, if not before, Hughes said. The company, which fell 82 jobs short of the minimum required to claim state tax credits in 2018, has said it intends to have its manufacturing facility up and running by the end of 2020. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Omnitype Weve long viewed 24 hours from sample to answer as a milestone that will encourage the last remaining Solid Organ Typing labs that have a rapid turnaround time for non-cadaveric samples to switch to routinely typing all non-cadaveric samples at high resolution by NGS. Global molecular diagnostics company Omixon, headquartered in Budapest with US offices in Cambridge, MA, announce that OmniType, the 11-locus, single tube multiplex successor to Holotype HLA is available through an Early Access Program (EAP) from today. OmniType is a best-in-class product featuring locus-multiplexing and short library preparation, for HLA genotyping from sample to answer in less than 24 hours. OmniType paves the way for a better laboratory workflow, reducing time and costs associated with the HLA testing. Efi Melista, Head of Product. Access for early adopters will be through the worldwide EAP with the first evaluators already receiving their kits in January for immediate testing. The requirements for OmniType were driven by collating customer feedback, and during the vendor collaborations to find the best technology. Omixon has been recruiting labs to join the EAP since it was first announced at the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI) in Pittsburgh, PA, September 2019. Over a dozen labs have already signed up to participate in the EAP and only a limited number of opportunities to be involved remain. OmniType is available worldwide, to existing customers, and potential customers, appropriately resourced to evaluate the technology. The OmniType EAP is expected to last approximately six months, and the data collected by Omixon and by individual participating labs will be published at future ASHI or EFI Annual Meetings. Weve long viewed 24 hours from sample to answer as a milestone that will encourage the last remaining Solid Organ Typing labs that have a rapid turnaround time for non-cadaveric samples to switch to routinely typing all non-cadaveric samples at high resolution by NGS says Dr Peter Meintjes, CEO at Omixon. This removes all doubt that a single NGS technology can afford labs the opportunity to abandon legacy technologies like SSP, SSO, SBT and even qPCR for all routine typings except those from deceased donors. Omixon expects OmniType to outperform current NGS-based HLA typing tests on all relevant metrics in clinical labs, i.e. speed, throughput, reliability and accuracy. Users can now benefit from the fastest LR-PCR amplification (2 hours, 15 minutes) of all 11 HLA loci in a single tube and a rapid and simple library preparation workflow that enables DNA samples to be ready for sequencing in about 6 hours. Our number one priority for developing a multiplexed clinical diagnostic has been the genotyping accuracy, but importantly the market has also driven us to improve the speed and reliability. We are delighted by the quality of OmniType says Dr. Gergely Tolgyesi, Technical Lead of Assay R&D. OmniType is the start of Omixons innovative molecular diagnostics pipeline with more announcements expected throughout 2020 on new product launches and future EAPs. Labs interested in participation in the Early Access Program for OmniType may email product@omixon.com for more information and acceptance into the program. Contacts at Omixon Peter Meintjes, PhD Chief Executive Officer peter.meintjes@omixon.com +1 203 947 2772 Nora Nagy, MBA Head of Market Development and Marketing nora.nagy@omixon.com +36 30 633 3050 About Omixon Omixon is a global molecular diagnostics company, headquartered in Budapest, Hungary, with US offices in Cambridge, MA that commercializes disruptive technologies for clinical and research laboratories. Omixons flagship product, Holotype HLA, is the worlds leading NGS-based HLA genotyping product that delivers the most accurate high-resolution HLA genotyping available, and is used in more than 50 hospitals worldwide. Omixons research software, HLA Explore analyzes data from any sequencing technology and determines HLA genotypes from Whole Exome/Genome Sequencing experiments. Omixon maintains an active grant-funded research program with a product pipeline focused on pre- and post-transplantation, and HLA genotyping applications beyond transplantation. For more information, visit omixon.com Beijing/IBNS: China on Monday said China and Pakistan are "iron-clad friends" appreciating Pakistan's decision of not evacuating its citizens from coronavirus-stricken Hubei and the city of Wuhan even as Pakistan continues to draw flak from its people for the decision Reports said, till Sunday night 361 people died from Coronavirus infection and more than 17000 people were infected. These numbers are likely to increase in the coming weeks. In a daily online briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying said, "Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi highly commend and firmly support China's efforts to fight against the nCoV." Chunying said the Pakistani government has appreciated Chinese assistance to Pakistani citizens and expressed full confidence in the capabilities of the Chinese system in controlling the outbreak and eliminating the disease. Several Pakistani students posted videos expressing anger and frustration over Pakistan's stand to show solidarity with disease-hit China and comparing their situation with Indian students who were evacuated from Wuhan over the weekend. The majority of the cases including deaths are from Hubei. Hundreds of Pakistani students are studying medicine in Wuhan, which is currently under lockdown amid Coronavirus scare. India evacuated over 600 stranded people from Wuhan in the last two days. Wuhan is the epicenter of the disease that has claimed over 300 lives in China so far. Not paying heed to the anger and frustration of its citizens,last week Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi communicated Pakistan's decision tol not evacuate its citizens from China to state councilor and foreign minister, Wang Yi . However, China has interpreted the Pakistan government's decision as that of its people and said they "are standing firmly with their Chinese brethren". "China and Pakistan are iron-clad friends that share a good tradition of mutual assistance. As China fights the outbreak, Pakistan has stood firmly with us, maintaining flights and pooling medical supplies all over the country to help China. We are deeply grateful and touched by such trust and confidence. China will continue to work in close communication and coordination with Pakistan to safeguard the health of Pakistanis in China," she added. "Like Pakistan, many other countries have also expressed full confidence in China. We thank them. We have the confidence and the capability to win the fight against the outbreak as soon as possible and safeguard the life and health of their citizens in China," Chunying said. Contrary to the claims of Chinese and Pakistani governments, Pakistans Ambassador to China Naghmana Hashmi was quoted by Pakistani media as saying on Sunday that Pakistani students should remain in the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan as Pakistani medical facilities are not advanced enough to treat a patient diagnosed with coronavirus. Regarding S.F. police union boss calls out chief: Step up (Bay Area, Jan. 29): Phil Matiers article about San Francisco police union leader Tony Montoya highlights the problems people have with the police. Yes, they have a difficult, dangerous job, and I understand their need to be supported by their city. However, I feel Montoya is behaving like a bully in the case of Jamaica Hampton, whose case District Attorney Chesa Boudin has rightly withdrawn. Lets look at the facts. Hampton is accused of attacking police officers. Hampton is one person and more than one police officer was at the scene. Who has the power? Hampton attacked the police with an empty bottle. The police responded with guns. Who has the power? No police officers appear to have been injured in the incident. Hampton has spent the past two months in the hospital, and one of his legs has been amputated. Who suffered in the incident? To my mind, Hampton has paid enough for his alleged crime. His life will never be the same. Can we say the same about those police officers? I dont think so. These are the kinds of incidents that sully the relationship between police and the communities they serve. Kathy Bradley, San Francisco In need of solutions I see that SB50 was once again rejected by the California state Senate. I speak to all who oppose the bill. Have any of you got an alternative to that bill? Here are some possible alternatives that dont change existing communities: Enact legislation prohibiting companies from hiring any new employee unless she/he can prove one years prior residency where they live or sign a document asserting she/he did not replace a tenant who was evicted. Provide for new subdivisions offshore, either floating or supported by landfill. With the Pacific Ocean in close proximity, this solution could last for centuries. Enact legislation making felonious any claim that there is a housing problem. The people who do so are just trying to make a lot of money. Of course, speculation would be unnecessary if any groups or individuals submitted an alternate plan. Well, were still waiting. If counties and cities have the authority to deal with the problem, theyre just not using it. Finally, the next time you ride or walk along Fifth Avenue in New York City, remember it was once a long string of impressive mansions. Jim Gabbard, San Francisco Teflon president More than likely, President Trump will survive the impeachment trial and continue in office. Will he continue to reign supreme as Emperor Donald or has this whole Washington soap opera helped him reconsider his ways, perhaps to consider that hes actually not the chosen one, as he once called himself? Or, will Trump become known by Republican lawmakers and his base as the new Teflon president, a term originally applied to former President Ronald Reagan because nothing negative ever stuck to him? We will get the answer soon. Piers Lahey, Daly City Problems with Boudin Regarding S.F. police union in an escalating battle with D.A. (Page One, Jan. 28): Is it possible that District Attorney Chesa Boudins withdrawing Jamaica Hamptons criminal charges is the seed which will grow into a recall election? Cal Tilden, San Francisco Benefits of opioids I certainly recognize the tragic consequences of drug companies and kickbacks to an electronic health record company in promoting opioid marketing, but what constantly seems to be forgotten in all the recent reporting is the irreplaceable benefit of these opioid drugs for those suffering from extreme pain. As an older individual slowly recovering from a severe triple fracture and postsurgical pain, the poppy-derived painkiller oxycodone has made life worth living. Elli Cohen, San Francisco No faith in the system I have lost all faith and trust in our members of Congress that they will ever reconcile their differences or even uphold their oaths of office. I lost all faith and trust in our judicial system that it can ever create a fair trial or even deliver an impartial verdict. Ive lost all faith and trust in the rule of law, in the governments ability to hold itself accountable to it and that law and authority can somehow make us free. Ive lost all hope in the next election and every election thereafter. That it will ever resolve the fundamental problems of government. That it will even reflect the will of the electorate. Today, Ive hit rock bottom. Ive lost all hope that faith and trust can ever be built again and that justice is even possible in the end. (The verdict doesnt matter. Acquittal or no acquittal, the lament would have been the same.) The Vishwa Hindu Parishad Monday slammed the TMC government in West Bengal for allegedly being "mute spectators" and not taking action against the culprits involved in vandalism during the mass wedding organised by the outfit in Malda district. The attack appears to have taken place due to complicity and anti-Hindu attitude of the ruling party, VHP national assistant secretary Achchutanand Kar said at a press confrenece at Malda. The VHP has filed an FIR and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits, he said, adding "Otherwise we will be forced to hold a state-wide protest to expose them and save our tribal brethren". "Despite having due permission from the authorities and hundred plus policeman being present at the venue, the mass wedding ceremony was attacked by the henchmen of Jharkhand Dishom party with bows, arrows and sharp weapons injuring the participants and destroying valuables belongs to the poor couples. The police of the state government stood as mute spectators, which raises many questions," Kar said. Tension gripped Aatmail area in Malda district of West Bengal on Sunday after activists of Jharkhand Disom Party blocked NH-34 protesting against a mass wedding organised by VHP. The two sides clashed and pelted stones at each other, officials said. A policeman was also injured after he was hit by an arrow, an official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The transnational passenger train between Hanoi and China. Photo courtesy of Vietnam News Agency. A passenger train route from Hanoi to China's Guangxi and Beijing will soon cease operation to prevent the spread of nCoV. Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong said Monday the Chinese government has approved Vietnam's request to stop the international train service between the countries amid the fast-spreading, fatal epidemic. Trains will only transport those who have booked tickets in advance for the next couple days, before halting operations. Hanoi Passenger Transport Company reported selling 36 tickets, with services to depart Gia Lam Station for Nanning, capital of Guangxi Province, on Monday evening. The company has stopped all ticketing services until further notice. The passenger train service operates one trip a day from capital Hanoi, through Bac Giang and Bac Ninh Provinces, stopping at Dong Dang Station in Lang Son Province, from where Chinese trains take over en route to Nanning. Two services a week depart for Beijing West station in China on Tuesday and Friday, with return journeys commencing on Thursday and Sunday. The route includes stops at Pingxiang, Chongzuo, Nanning, and Zhengzhou in China. To counteract the nCoV epidemic, the railway industry has employed disinfectant spray at Dong Dang, Lao Cai and Gia Lam stations, while increasing supervision of incoming passengers. Passengers and international train staff from China must have their temperatures checked when passing through Dong Dang before continuing their journey. The death toll from the epidemic has reached 361 in China and one in the Phillipines. Over 17,000 have been infected, of whom more than 500 have recovered. Aside from mainland China and Vietnam, the virus has spread to Hong Kong, Macao, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, the U.S., South Korea, France, Germany, Canada, the UAE, Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, India, the Philippines, the U.K., Russia, Finland, Nepal, Sweden, and Spain. Vietnam's government declared the novel coronavirus an epidemic Saturday. The country confirmed the eighth infection case on Monday, the same day it discharged the first person infected with the virus from hospital after she was pronounced healthy and test results all came back negative. As of Monday, Vietnam has reported 236 suspected cases with symptoms like high fever and coughing, including some who had visited infected areas in China. Of these, 163 have tested negative for the virus and 73 are in quarantine pending test results. The Vietnamese government has deployed various measures to combat the virus, including halting all flights to coronavirus-hit areas in China, suspending visas for visitors from those regions, quarantining Chinese workers returning to Vietnam after the Lunar New Year holiday and suspending spring festivities, while temporarily closing schools. When SARS was vanquished in July 2003 after spreading for nine months, only 8098 cases had been confirmed. MERS has been circulating since 2012, but there have been only about 2500 known cases. Loading The biggest uncertainty now, experts said, is how many people around the world will die. SARS killed about 10% of those who got it, and MERS now kills about 1 of 3. The 1918 "Spanish flu" killed only about 2.5 per cent of its victims but because it infected so many people and medical care was much cruder then, 20 to 50 million died. By contrast, the highly transmissible H1N1 "swine flu" pandemic of 2009 killed about 285,000, fewer than seasonal flu normally does, and had a relatively low fatality rate, estimated at .02 per cent. The mortality rate for known cases of the Wuhan coronavirus has been running about 2 per cent, although that is likely to drop as more tests are done and more mild cases are found. Loading It is "increasingly unlikely that the virus can be contained," said Dr Thomas Frieden, a former director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention who now runs Resolve to Save Lives, a non-profit devoted to fighting epidemics. "It is therefore likely that it will spread, as flu and other organisms do, but we still don't know how far, wide or deadly it will be." In the early days of the 2009 flu pandemic, "they were talking about Armageddon in Mexico," Fauci said. (That virus first emerged in pig-farming areas in Mexico's Veracruz state.) "But it turned out to not be that severe." An accurate estimate of the virus' lethality will not be possible until certain kinds of studies can be done: blood tests to see how many people have antibodies, household studies to learn how often it infects family members, and genetic sequencing to determine whether some strains are more dangerous than others. Closing borders to highly infectious pathogens never succeeds completely, experts said, because all frontiers are somewhat porous. Nonetheless, closings and rigorous screening may slow the spread, which will buy time for the development of drug treatments and vaccines. Other important unknowns include who is most at risk, whether coughing or contaminated surfaces are more likely to transmit the virus, how fast the virus can mutate and whether it will fade out when the weather warms. The effects of a pandemic would probably be harsher in some countries than in others. While the US and other wealthy countries may be able to detect and quarantine the first carriers, countries with fragile healthcare systems will not. The virus has already reached Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines and rural Russia. "This looks far more like H1N1's spread than SARS, and I am increasingly alarmed," said Dr Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "Even 1 per cent mortality would mean 10,000 deaths in each million people." Passengers from China Southern Airlines flight CZ319 arrive at Perth International Airport on Sunday. Credit:Getty Images Other experts were more cautious. Dr Michael Ryan, head of emergency responses for the World Health Organisation, said in an interview with STAT News on Saturday that there was "evidence to suggest this virus can still be contained" and that the world needed to "keep trying". Dr Ian Lipkin, a virus-hunter at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health who is in China advising its Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said that although the virus was clearly being transmitted through casual contact, labs were still behind in processing samples. But life in China has radically changed in the last two weeks. Streets are deserted, public events are canceled, and citizens are wearing masks and washing their hands, Lipkin said. All of that may have slowed down what lab testing indicated was exponential growth in the infection. Loading It's unclear exactly how accurate tests done in overwhelmed Chinese laboratories are. On the one hand, Chinese state media have reported test kit shortages and processing bottlenecks, which could produce an undercount. But Lipkin said he knew of one lab running 5000 samples a day, which might produce some false-positive results, inflating the count. "You can't possibly do quality control at that rate," he said. Anecdotal reports from China, and one published study from Germany, indicate that some people infected with the Wuhan coronavirus can pass it on before they show symptoms. That may make border-screening much harder, scientists said. Department of Home Affairs staff prepare for evacuees from Wuhan to arrive for quarantine. Epidemiological modeling released on Friday by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control estimated that 75 per cent of infected people reaching Europe from China would still be in the incubation periods upon arrival, and therefore not detected by airport screening, which looks for fevers, coughs and breathing difficulties. But if thermal cameras miss victims who are beyond incubation and actively infecting others, the real number of missed carriers may be higher than 75 per cent. Still, asymptomatic carriers "are not normally major drivers of epidemics," Fauci said. Most people get ill from someone they know to be sick a family member, a co-worker or a patient, for example. The virus' most vulnerable target is Africa, many experts said. More than 1 million expatriate Chinese work there, mostly on mining, drilling or engineering projects. Also, many Africans work and study in China and other countries where the virus has been found. If anyone on the continent has the virus now, "I'm not sure the diagnostic systems are in place to detect it," said Dr Daniel Bausch, head of scientific programs for the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, who is consulting with the WHO on the outbreak. Medical workers in protective suits move a coronavirus patient into an isolation ward at the Second People's Hospital in Fuyang in central China's Anhui Province. Credit:Chinatopix/AP South Africa and Senegal could probably diagnose it, he said. Nigeria and some other countries have asked the WHO for the genetic materials and training they need to perform diagnostic tests, but that will take time. At least four African countries have suspect cases quarantined, according to an article published by The South China Morning Post. They have sent samples to France, Germany, India and South Africa for testing. At the moment, it seems unlikely that the virus will spread widely in countries with vigorous, alert public health systems, said Dr William Schaffner, a preventive medicine specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre. "Every doctor in the US has this top of mind," he said. "Any patient with fever or respiratory problems will get two questions. 'Have you been to China? Have you had contact with anyone who has?' If the answer is yes, they'll be put in isolation right away." Assuming the virus spreads globally, tourism to and trade with countries besides China may be affected and the urgency to find ways to halt the virus and prevent deaths will grow. It is possible that the Wuhan coronavirus will fade out as weather warms in China. Many viruses, like flu, measles and norovirus, thrive in cold, dry air. The SARS outbreak began in winter, and MERS transmission also peaks then, though that may be related to transmission in newborn camels. Four mild coronaviruses cause about a quarter of the nation's common colds, which also peak in winter. But even if an outbreak fades in June, there could be a second wave in the northern fall, as has occurred in every major flu pandemic, including those that began in 1918 and 2009. By that time, some remedies might be on hand, although they will need rigorous testing and perhaps political pressure to make them available and affordable. In China, several antiviral drugs are being prescribed. A common combination is pills containing lopinavir and ritonavir with infusions of interferon, a signaling protein that wakes up the immune system. In the US, the combination is sold as Kaletra by AbbVie for HIV therapy, and it is relatively expensive. In India, a dozen generic makers produce the drugs at rock-bottom prices for use against HIV in Africa, and their products are WHO-approved. Another option may be an experimental drug, remdesivir, on which the patent is held by Gilead. The drug has not yet been approved for use against any disease. Nonetheless, there is some evidence that it works against coronaviruses, and Gilead has donated doses to China. Several US companies are working on a vaccine, using various combinations of their own funds, taxpayer money and foundation grants. Although modern gene-chemistry techniques have made it possible to build vaccine candidates within just days, medical ethics require that they then be carefully tested on animals and small numbers of healthy humans for safety and effectiveness. That aspect of the process cannot be sped up, because dangerous side effects may take time to appear and because human immune systems need time to produce the antibodies that show whether a vaccine is working. Whether or not what is being tried in China will be acceptable elsewhere will depend on how rigorously Chinese doctors run their clinical trials. "In God we trust," Schaffner said. "All others must provide data." Airlines are suspending flights to China in the wake of the new coronavirus outbreak. Here is the latest on their plans (in alphabetical order): AIR CANADA Air Canada said on Jan. 28 it was cancelling select flights to China. AIR FRANCE Air France said on Jan. 30 it had suspended all scheduled flights to and from mainland China until Feb. 9. AIR INDIA Air India said it was cancelling its Mumbai-Delhi-Shanghai flight from Jan. 31 to Feb. 14. AIR NEW ZEALAND Air New Zealand said on Feb. 1 it would suspend its Auckland-Shanghai service from Feb. 9 to March 29 due to travel restrictions affecting crew and a decline in forward bookings. AIR SEOUL South Korean budget carrier Air Seoul said on Jan. 28 it had suspended all flights to China. AIR TANZANIA Tanzanias state-owned carrier said it would postpone its maiden flights to China. It had planned to begin charter flights to China in February. AMERICAN AIRLINES American Airlines said it would cancel flights to Beijing and Shanghai starting Jan. 31, and run through March 27, though it would continue to fly to Hong Kong. BRITISH AIRWAYS BA said on Jan. 30 it had cancelled all flights to mainland China for a month. CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS Hong Kongs Cathay Pacific said it would progressively reduce capacity to and from mainland China by 50% or more from Jan. 30 to the end of March. DELTA AIR LINES Delta Air Lines accelerated earlier announced suspensions: the last China-bound flights were due to leave on Feb. 1, and the last returning flights from China were due to leave China on Feb. 2. EGYPTAIR Egypts flag carrier said on Jan. 30 it would suspend all flights to and from China starting Feb. 1. EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES El Al Israel Airlines said on Jan. 30 it was suspending flights to Beijing until March 25. Israels Health Ministry said it would not allow flights from China to land at its airports. ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES The African carrier on Jan. 30 denied reports it had suspended all flights to China. The airlines statement contradicted its passenger call centre, which told Reuters earlier in the day that flights to China had been suspended. ETIHAD AIRWAYS Abu Dhabis Etihad Airways said passenger flights between Beijing and Nagoya, in Japan, had been temporarily suspended due to low travel demand. FINNAIR Finlands Finnair said on Jan. 31 it was cancelling all flights to mainland China between Feb. 6 and Feb. 29 and to Guangzhou between Feb. 5 and March 29. HAINAN AIRLINES Chinas Hainan Airlines has suspended its flights between Budapest, Hungary, and Chongqing from Feb. 7 until March 27, Budapest Airport said on its Faceook page. KENYA AIRWAYS Kenya Airways said on Jan. 31 it had suspended all flights to China until further notice. LION AIR Indonesias Lion Air Group said on Jan. 29 it would suspend all flights to China from February. LOT POLISH AIRLINES Polish carrier LOT said it had decided to temporarily suspend its flights to Beijing until Feb. 9. LUFTHANSA Germanys Lufthansa said on Jan. 29 it was suspending Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines flights to and from China until Feb. 9. The airline continues to fly to Hong Kong, but it will stop taking bookings for flights to mainland China until the end of February. OMAN AIR National Carrier Oman Air suspended flights to China on Feb. 2. PHILIPPINES AIRLINES Philippine Airlines said it would cut the number of flights between Manila and China by more than 50%. It said it would continue to serve Filipinos and Chinese nationals returning from the Lunar New Year holidays. QANTAS AIRWAYS Australias Qantas said on Feb. 1 it was suspending direct flights to mainland China. The Australian national carriers direct flights from Sydney to Beijing and Sydney to Shanghai will be halted from Feb. 9 until March 29. QATAR AIRWAYS Qatar Airways said on Feb. 1 it would suspend flights to mainland China from Feb. 3 until further notice. ROYAL AIR MAROC Moroccan airline Royal Air Maroc (RAM) has temporarily suspended its direct flights to China, the company said on Jan. 30. RAM had on Jan. 16 launched a direct air route with three flights weekly between its Casablanca hub and Beijing. RUSSIA All Russian airlines, with the exception of national airline Aeroflot, will stop flying to China, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said on Jan. 31. Moscow Sheremetyevo airport later said small Russian airline Ikar would also continue its flights between Moscow and China. Four Chinese airlines - China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Air China, China Eastern will keep flying to Moscow. All planes arriving from China will be sent to a separate terminal in the Sheremetyevo airport, it said. RWANDAIR Rwandan carrier RwandAir has halted flights to and from China until further notice, the airline said on Jan. 31. The decision will be reviewed later in February, it said. SAS Nordic airline SAS said on Jan. 30 it had decided to suspend all flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing from Jan. 31 until Feb. 9. SAS offers 12 regular weekly connections from and to Shanghai and Beijing. SAUDIA The state airline of Saudi Arabia suspended flights to China on Feb. 2. SCOOT Singapore airline Scoot said it was suspending all flights between Singapore and China from Feb. 8, media reported. SHANGHAI AIRLINES Shanghai Airlines said on Jan. 31 it would suspend its Chengdu-Budapest flight between Feb. 4 and March 28 and its Xian-Budapest flight between Feb. 6 and March 26 according to a statement on the website of the Budapest Airport operator. The airlines Shanghai-Budapest flight is unaffected. SINGAPORE AIRLINES Singapore Airlines Ltd said on Jan. 31 it would reduce capacity on some of its routes to mainland China in February. The cuts include flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xiamen and Chongqing, some of which are flown by regional arm SilkAir. Its budget carrier Scoot is also cutting back on flights to China. TURKISH AIRLINES Turkeys flag carrier said on Jan. 30 it would decrease frequency on scheduled flights to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Xian between Feb. 5 and Feb. 29. TURKMENISTAN AIRLINES Turkmenistan Airlines, the Central Asian nations state carrier, said on Feb. 1 it had suspended flights to and from Beijing. UNITED AIRLINES Chicago-based United announced cancellations, saying its last flights out of mainland China would be Feb. 5, running through March 28. United had previously suspended 24 U.S. flights to Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai between Feb. 1 and Feb. 8 because of a significant drop in demand. UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC UPS has cancelled 22 China flights, as a result of the Wuhan quarantines and normal manufacturing closures due to the Lunar New Year holiday, UPS Chief Executive David Abney said on Jan. 30. He did not specify how many flights cancellations were due to the virus. VIETJET Vietnams Vietjet will suspend all flights to and from China from Feb. 1, the company said on Jan. 31. VIETNAM AIRLINES Vietnam Airlines will suspend its flights to destinations in China next week over coronavirus concerns, the company said Jan 31. VIRGIN ATLANTIC Virgin Atlantic said on Jan. 30 it would suspend its daily operations to Shanghai for two weeks from Feb. 2. It cited declining demand for flights and the safety of its customers and staff. A Minnesota woman is being reunited with her long-lost pooch three years after the dog disappeared from her Iowa yard - and it's all thanks to a Florida brewery's adopt-a-dog promotional labels. Monica Mathis, of St. Paul, Minnesota, is due to see her dog, Hazel, in the flesh for the first time in three years, after spotting the missing pet in a social media promotion in late January, she told KTSP. The now six-year-old terrier mix had disappeared of her leash from Mathis' yard while they were living in Iowa back in 2017. Minnesota woman Monica Mathis said she spotted her missing dog, Hazel (second from right), in a social media video created by a Florida brewery, as part of a fundraising and awareness stunt for a local animal shelter Mathis said Hazel (pictured) had disappeared from her yard while she was still living in Iowa in 2017. She searched for the dog to no avail, then wound up moving to Minnesota with her family Monica Mathis (left) said she saw Hazel (right) while scrolling through Facebook on January 24 Mathis' searching around and calling shelters in Iowa proved to be fruitless. When she got a new job, she and her children relocated to Minnesota, where she now lives. But, on January 24, Mathis saw Hazel again during a chance viewing of a marketing video on social media, which had been created for Florida's Motorworks Brewing. The brewery, based in Bradenton, Florida, had created a special edition 'Adoptable Dog Cruiser Kolsch 4-Pack,' which featured a variety of available shelter dogs and details about them on the cans' labels. The promotional stunt was part of the brewery's campaign to draw attention to and raise money for Florida's Manatee County Animal Shelter. While scrolling through Facebook, Mathis said she came across the marketing video and noticed that one of the dogs on the cans looked familiar. 'I really thought she was gone, I never thought Id see her again,' Mathis told Fox 13. 'I had a doubt, I was like "Oh my gosh, it looks like her, but is it really her?"' It's unclear how the now six-year-old Hazel managed to make the trip from Iowa to Florida, where she ended up at the Manatee County Animal Shelter When at the shelter, Hazel (pictured) was called Day Day. That was the name that appeared on the beer can with her photo, which Mathis saw Mathis had to provide the animal shelter with photos and other proof of ownership to reclaim the dog before she could be adopted by someone else Hazel's Motorworks Brewing can label is seen during the January 30 episode of Ellen She then contacted the Manatee shelter to claim Hazel. To confirm her rightful ownership of the dog, the shelter made her send 'everything I could find - all the pictures so I could stop an adoption process from happening because I could've lost her again,' she told KTSP. 'We saw photos and vet records. This dog was such an important part of her family that she had everything to prove she was her owner,' Manatee County Animal Services outreach and events specialist Hans Wohlgefahrt told Fox 13. Mathis said that she lost the dog's microchip information during her move from Iowa to Minnesota and was unable to update her contact information on it. Without having that new contact info, Wohlgefahrt said that they weren't able to trace Hazel back to Mathis. 'Its a great reminder to people when they do these things to go into their profile and make sure all their contact information is up to date,' Wohlgefahrt said. Mathis said that she has 'no idea' how Hazel traveled nearly 1,400 miles to get from Iowa to Florida, but that she 'was amazed, I was crying. An emotional wreck,' after finally finding the dog again. Hazel is expected to be reunited with Mathis and her family before the dog's seventh birthday. The nonprofit Friends of Manatee County Animal Services will be covering the transportation costs from Florida to Minnesota. The Bharatiya Janata Party's top leadership is unhappy with party Member of Parliament (MP) Anantkumar Hegde's swipe at Mahatma Gandhi and he may be forced to apologise, according to reports. Hegde, a former Union minister, reportedly claimed at an event in Bangaluru that the entire freedom movement was staged with the consent and support of the British, and the independence movement led by Gandhi was a "drama". He also wondered why the Father of the Nation was called 'Mahatma' (a great soul). A senior BJP leader said the Karnataka leader's comments were "condemnable" and the party leadership is upset with him. "The party has conveyed its displeasure to him and asked him to take remedial measure. Any insult to Mahatma Gandhi is unacceptable," the leader said. The party leader said the Lok Sabha MP is a "disciplined" member of the party and will do what he has been asked to. Hegde, who has been known to make controversial remarks and put the party is a tough spot, had earlier last year claimed that former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was made the state's CM again in November despite lacking majority only to 'protect' Rs 40,000 crore central funds under the CM's control from being 'misused'. The comment had come days after Fadnavis had resigned, barely 80 hours after taking oath for the second time as the chief minister, and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray took over as the new chief minister. (With inputs from PTI) Secondary students across County Wicklow will be hoping their entrepreneurial ingenuity will help them secure a spot in the grand final of the Local Enterprise Offices' Student Enterprise Programme. As an ambassador for the programme - not to mention a former participant - Wicklow-man and Leinster and Ireland rugby star Josh Van Der Flier was on hand to launch the Student Enterprise Programme. Also present was the Minister for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen, and the Head of Enterprise at LEO Wicklow, Vibeke Delahunt. Over 1,000 students from 16 secondary schools in Wicklow are taking part in this year's Programme in the hope of making the national finals in Croke Park on May 1. The programme sees students from first year to sixth year set up and run their own business and find out what it's really like to be an entrepreneur by taking part in this 8 month long enterprise education learning programme. The programme runs from September to May, and students get to do everything a real life entrepreneur would do, from coming up with the business idea to marketing, sales and preparing a business plan. At the end of the programme in May, one student business from each region will compete at the national final in Dublin for the 'Student Enterprise of the Year' award. Wicklow has a strong track record in the programme and local students have brought home national titles in the Intermediate and Senior categories in recent years. Cillian Scott, a pupil of Colaiste Chill Mhantain in Wicklow town, was the national winner of the Intermediate category in 2017, while Luke Byrne, from Colaiste Craobh Abhann in Kilcoole, developed a simple silicone band called Headphone Helpers and took the Senior title in the national competition in 2016. Josh Van Der Flier, said: 'Having a good grasp of business will stand by you at any age and in any profession and that's why the Student Enterprise Programme is such a great initiative by the Local Enterprise Offices. I know from having been involved myself at school how great it is to learn how to create that idea, make it happen and then make sales from scratch. 'I certainly didn't win any awards for my business, but it gave me a great knowledge of how a business works at an early age and the thousands of students who take part will always have that,' he said. Ms Delahunt said that the aim of the Student Enterprise Programme is to 'instil that little bit of entrepreneurship in every student' that takes part. 'The Local Enterprise Offices work closely with the schools to help spark their ideas but also ground them in what will help them make sales. These skills are invaluable and to see the amazing ideas, year on year, many of which have become viable businesses, is inspirational not only to their fellow students but to anyone involved in business and entrepreneurship,' she said. This year's programme will see two new pilot competitions across the junior, intermediate and senior categories. The first, the 'My Entrepreneurial Journey' pilot, will be run in the junior and intermediate cycle and is open to any students involved in the wider competition. It requires them to map out the life of a successful entrepreneur and what it takes to be your own boss. In the senior category there is a new 'Most Creative Business Idea' section. Under the theme 'Go Green: Be Sustainable', students can push their most innovative ideas, without having to produce a product or service and it is open to all senior students taking part in the wider competition. "Public pension plans owe a duty of care and trust to millions of public sector workers and retirees, and are committed to prudently exercising their rights as shareholders," said Hank Kim, executive director and chief counsel for NCPERS. "We believe the SEC is tipping the scales much too far in the favor of corporations with this pair of proposals. If implemented, these amendments would have a seriously negative impact on state and local governmental pension plans, and we urge the commission to reconsider." NCPERS identified the following as key concerns under the proposed changes to Rule 14a-8, which covers how shareholders that own a certain amount of a company's securities may submit proposals for inclusion in proxy materials. Eligibility requirements: NCPERS voiced concern about the SEC's proposal to tighten the current requirement that a shareholder must own $2,000 worth of stock for a single year in order to submit proxy proposals. The SEC's plan to replace this threshold with a tiered approach "does not strike the right balance between allowing shareholders to engage with a company and burdening the company." One Proposal Limit: The SEC plan to limit the number of proposals submitted by a shareholder or representative to one per proxy statement for each company could adversely impact shareholders that rely on a representative to assist with management of funds, ensure compliance, and submit proposals on their behalf. Resubmissions: NCPERS said further restrictions on resubmissions are unwarranted. "Current limits already prohibit resubmission of proposals that are not gaining traction with shareholders and fail to increase the level of shareholder support on subsequent submissions," NCPERS said. NCPERS said the second proposed rule, on proxy voting advice, should be withdrawn to avoid a detrimental effect on state and local governmental pensions' access to timely, independent corporate governance research. The proposed rule would add duplicative steps regarding disclosure of conflicts of interest, and would interfere with the independence of proxy voting advice by allowing corporations to review and suggest edits to reports before they are delivered to clients, NCPERS noted. About NCPERS The National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS) is the largest trade association for public sector pension funds, representing more than 500 funds throughout the United States and Canada. It is a unique non-profit network of public trustees, administrators, public officials and investment professionals who collectively manage more than $4 trillion in pension assets. Founded in 1941, NCPERS is the principal trade association working to promote and protect pensions by focusing on advocacy, research and education including e-learning for the benefit of public sector pension stakeholders. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005628/en/ Credit Suisse also spied on Greenpeace: newspaper Switzerland's national flag flies below a logo of Swiss bank Credit Suisse in Zurich ZURICH (Reuters) - Credit Suisse , which has faced a scandal related to spying on senior executives, also conducted espionage against Greenpeace, Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung reported. Then-Chief Operating Officer Pierre-Oliver Bouee ordered his head of security to infiltrate the environmental group after Greenpeace disrupted the bank's annual shareholder meeting in 2017, the paper said in an article published on Sunday. Credit Suisse, which has been criticized by Greenpeace for investing in fossil fuels, gained access to emails, tipping the bank off to demonstrations planned against it, the report said. A spokesman for Credit Suisse declined to comment on security matters. Greenpeace said it was following up the report and had no comment yet. Bouee was dismissed in December over the surveillance of former executive board members Iqbal Khan and Peter Goerke. Switzerland's market supervisor FINMA is investigating the issue. Credit Suisse has said CEO Tidjane Thiam was unaware of the surveillance, and that Bouee had acted alone. The affair has triggered a power struggle between Thiam and chairman Urs Rohner, with one expected to leave the bank soon, SonntagsZeitung reported. A board meeting is due to be held this week. The bank has rejected a Bloomberg report that Rohner is drawing up a list of potential successors to Thiam. Greenpeace gatecrashed Credit Suisse's AGM in 2017 to protest against its dealings related to the Dakota Access Pipeline in North America. Credit Suisse says it has committed to halting the financing of new coal-fired power plants and reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of ships it finances. (Reporting by John Revill and John O'Donnell; Editing by Peter Graff) Nuveen Closed-End Fund Online Resources Nuveen announced today that its closed-end fund information and all other closed-end fund product updates can be found on its enhanced closed-end fund resource page on the Nuveen.com website. As previously announced on March 29, 2019, Nuveen has discontinued the practice of announcing routine closed end fund distributions via press release. Shareholders can access regular distribution information on the closed-end fund resource page on the first business day of each month. Nuveen continues its commitment to sharing timely and accurate information regarding closed-end funds with investors. Our enhanced resource page wil streamline the communication and information sharing process by consolidating all important distribution and fund update information in one place. To ensure that our shareholders have access to the latest information, a subscribe function can be activated by clicking here. While Nuveen will continue to issue press releases for certain closed-end fund product actions, regular monthly and quarterly distribution information are no longer disseminated via press release. For more general closed-end fund information and education, please visit Nuveen's closed-end fund website. About Nuveen Nuveen, the investment manager of TIAA, offers a comprehensive range of outcome-focused investment solutions designed to secure the long-term financial goals of institutional and individual investors. Nuveen has $1.1 trillion in assets under management as of 31 December 2019 and operations in 24 countries. Its investment specialists offer deep expertise across a comprehensive range of traditional and alternative investments through a wide array of vehicles and customized strategies. For more information, please visit www.nuveen.com. Nuveen Securities, LLC, member FINRA and SIPC. The information contained on the Nuveen website is not a part of this press release. EPS-1078599CR-O0220 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005747/en/ ITC, which is known to not only bounce back stronger from adverse situations but also take on the might of large multinationals, is once again being put to test. It is not only the slower growth for the December quarter (Q3) that indicates near-term pressure for the company; there are headwinds that cloud ITCs medium-term prospects as well. Investor concerns are not without reason, considering the cigarette business accounted for 84.7 per cent of ITCs consolidated earnings before interest and tax (Ebit) in 2018-19. In Q3, too, the company posted a mere 5.7 per cent ... Armenian News - NEWS.am presented a daily digest of a top news as of 03.02.2020: The investigation into the death of Armenian soldier in Artsakh continues. The relatives of the soldier, who died on January 30, were carrying the dead body of soldier Vahram Avagyan in a coffin on Sunday to Yerevan demanding to find and punish the perpetrators. They believe Avagyan was murdered, while, Armenian IC said the soldier had shot himself with gun attached to him. He was pronounced dead at the military hospital. The clashes occurred Sunday between the police officers and the relatives. According to Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan, who had met the soldiers, there have been three people arrested over the case and one of them is the son of ex-MP Arakel Movsisyan. Meanwhile, it became known that the man, 62, died of a heart attack during yesterdays protest, in Armavir Province, Haytagh village resident told Armenian News - NEWS.am. PACE monitors have expressed their concern Friday by the high level of tension between State institutions in Armenia. According to PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Armenia, Andrej Sircelj and Kimmo Kiljunen, they are worried about the long-term damage these tensions could inflict on the judiciary as a whole, in which trust is already very low. So far, the Government and the Parliament have respected legal procedures to resolve the situation, they said adding they will closely monitor that the Armenian authorities continue to act in this way. According to them, they highlighted the need for political players to refrain from actions and statements that could be perceived as exerting pressure on the judiciary. Thus, these tensions should not overshadow the need for reforms in Armenia, whether it be those in preparation or those that have already been launched in many areas of interest for the Council of Europe, they concluded. Meanwhile, Sweden has notified on January 31 the General Secretariat of the European Council and the EU Council about the completion of its internal procedures necessary for the ratification of the Armenia-EU deal, Anna Naghdalyan wrote on her Facebook. A total of 360 people were killed from the Chinese coronavirus 2019-nCoV, while the number of infected reaches 17,000. And the first death has been recorded outside China in Philippines. Meanwhile, the first analysis for the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV was carried out Monday in Armenia using reagents received last night from Russia. The patient returned from China with high fever, however, the results of all the tests were negative. Armenian MFA spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan, in her turn, wrote about the Armenian citizen Susanna Aghajanyan who had expressed the desire to be evacuated from China to Kazakhstan. Thus, she moved to Kazakhstan through cooperation with the countrys MFA. Armenian Embassy is constantly in contact with the Armenian citizen and is taking actions to bring her back to Armenia as soon as possible, Naghdalyan note. By the way, Armenian FM Zohrab Mnatsakanyan also commented on the situation and expressed solidarity with China in tackling coronavirus outbreak. Actor Andy Serkis received the BAFTA for Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema at London's Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night. Organizers previously noted Serkis pioneered the evolving art of performance capture and widened the parameters of what it means to be an actor in the 21st century. Serkis, who has Armenian roots, is well known for his roles in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker films, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Black Panther, etc. Omans fisheries sector is expected to receive RO640 million ($1.6 billion) worth of private sector-led investments as part of its next phase of growth, said a report. Malaysian-based Permandu Associates, a private firm tapped by the Omani government to support the modernisation of the traditional fisheries sector in the sultanate, noted that the countrys shift to a private sector-led growth model has brightened prospects for the future of this industry, added the Oman Daily Observer report. A landmark Fisheries Lab supported by Permandu Associates in 2017, as part of Omans National Programme for Enhancing Economic Diversification (Tanfeedh), has paved the way for the transformation of the sultanates fisheries sector, it said. The Lab focused on three key objectives: harnessing Omans natural biomass potential in the Sea of Oman, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean; developing high-value aquaculture projects in collaboration with the private sector; and driving investment in a thriving processing and exports sector focused on value addition to raw produce. As a result of the Lab, more than 20 projects worth RO640 million in investment are in various stages of implementation. It includes the worlds largest shrimp farm in Barr al Hikmah, the report said quoting Permandu Associates. Swarms of locusts have destroyed large areas of farmland and are threatening food security in East Africa. Kenya is reporting its worst locust outbreak in 70 years. Billions of the insects have already destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of plant life across the country. Record locust outbreaks have also been reported in Ethiopia and Somalia. The insects have also attacked parts of Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, or FAO, is calling it East Africas worst desert locust invasion in 25 years. In Somalia, the government declared a national emergency because of locusts. It said the outbreak was presenting a major threat to the already weakened food security situation. Airplanes have been releasing chemical pesticides to control the locust population. But officials have said they have limited money and equipment to fight the insects in affected areas. UN officials have said they are worried that the swarms could spread to Uganda and South Sudan. They estimate that $76 million is needed now to widen efforts aimed at preventing further spread across East Africa. The desert locusts which grow to be about as long as a persons finger - produce young very quickly. They fly in large groups in search of food. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, an East African group, reports that locust swarms can contain up to 150 million locusts per square kilometer. It noted that the swarms migrate with the wind and can cover 100 to 150 kilometers in a day. An average swarm could destroy the same number of food crops in a day as could feed 2,500 people, the group added. UN officials have warned that if the extreme outbreaks are not controlled, the number of locusts could grow 500 times by June. Last December, Somalia suffered a locust outbreak that destroyed about 100,000 hectares of farmland. Government officials have warned that a second invasion will be even more destructive. The current outbreaks followed one of the wettest years on record in East Africa. Heavy rainfall and warmer temperatures help the locust population grow. Officials from the FAO say that even before the locust invasions, about 11 million people were experiencing food insecurity in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. Therefore, we need to make all possible efforts to avoid such a deterioration, said FAO official Dominique Burgeon. He spoke to a Reuters news agency reporter after visiting two affected areas in Kenya. In Somalia, conflict and instability issues have made pesticide spraying operations difficult, the FAO noted in December. In northern Kenya, five planes were releasing chemicals to fight the outbreak, The Associated Press reported. Marcus Dunn is a pilot and the director of Farmland Aviation, a company which uses airplanes to drop pesticides and fertilizer on farmland. He told The AP the five planes should be enough to look over this part of northern Kenya for now. However, he said if the locust problem increases in other parts of the country, we are going to need some more assistance, because we just dont know how big this problem is going to be. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, Reuters and VOA News. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story swarm n. a large group of things, usually insects, moving together outbreak n. a sudden or violent increase in activity; a rise in disease infection rates pesticide n. a chemical used to kill insects migrate v. to move from place to place deterioration n. the process of becoming progressively worse instability n. a lack of security None of the 11 confirmed cases of 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the United States have occurred in Pennsylvania and the threat to Pennsylvanians remains low, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported on Monday. The state, however, says in a news release that it is still preparing in the event that the virus, which is the source of an outbreak in China, eventually touches the Keystone State. Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvanias secretary of health, says in a statement that officials are in constant communication with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and are ready to respond in the case that someone in Pennsylvania tests positive for coronavirus. Gov. Tom Wolfs administration, in an effort to combat misinformation, is stressing that Asian American/Pacific Islander individuals are at no higher of a risk of carrying the coronavirus than any other individual. The efforts are appreciated by those in the Asian American/Pacific Islander community, according to Mohan Seshadri, executive director of the Governors Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs. Too often, national security and public health crises have led to the demonization of particular groups of people, and we are committed to ensuring that that does not happen here, Seshadri says. "Our thoughts and prayers are with our fellow Americans and those in China fighting the virus, as well as with our Chinese American community members worried for their families. Levine reminds residents that they are much more likely to become sick with a cold or the flu than to be diagnosed with coronavirus. More than 45,000 diagnosed cases of flu and 33 deaths have been recorded since October in Pennsylvania alone. The novel coronavirus was first detected in December in China. The majority of the cases have occurred there, but have also spread to other countries, most of them associated with travel. Symptoms can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. The symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure. Reported illnesses have ranged from people with little to no symptoms to people being severely ill and dying, the news release from the state says. The release provides the following guidance: If you have traveled to China in the last 14 days, or come into direct contact with someone who has, and feel sick with fever, cough, or have difficulty breathing, you should seek medical care right away. Before you go to a doctors office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms. For information and updates related to novel coronavirus, visit the Department of Health website at www.health.pa.gov or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. By Ido Vock Located between the Caribbean Sea and the north Atlantic Ocean east of Puerto Rico, the British Virgin Islands is a UK overseas territory that is known for its status as an offshore financial services centre. Job opportunities The territory is nominally home to more than 400,000 companies, collectively worth $1.5tn. It relies on expats to help staff the banks, trust and insurance companies, funds and accompanying law firms which keep the economy moving. Most of these businesses are based in the capital, Road Town, on Tortola, the territorys largest island, with a population of 24,045. Recent years have proved challenging, however: though last years Hurricane Dorian left the islands relatively unscathed, in 2017 they were hit by hurricanes Irma and Maria, which damaged 80 per cent of the territorys housing stock. Meanwhile, British and European efforts to increase the transparency of offshore territories have prompted the UK to step up financial regulation. However the UK government has extended the deadline for overseas territories to introduce public registers of company ownership from 2020 to 2023. The territory's capital, Road Town, on the island of Tortola, has a population of 24,045 Low-tax regime Residents of the British Virgin Islands pay no tax on income, capital gains or inheritance, though stamp duty on property purchases by foreigners is 12 per cent. Knight Frank is marketing a seven-bedroom estate on Tortola with sea views for $5.5m. Foreigners buying property in the BVI pay stamp duty of 12 per cent Ocean life The Caribbean climate allows year-round sea swimming, and the territorys 60 islands collectively offer every watersport going. Highlights include snorkelling off Virgin Gordas Baths beach and sailing around the reefs of Anegada, while the annual BVI Spring Regatta, held each March, is one of the largest such events in the Caribbean. Virgin Gordas Baths beach is a popular spot for snorkelling Soggy dollars and cocktails Jost Van Dyke (permanent population 300) is known as the territorys party island. Among its draws is the Soggy Dollar Bar, so named because traditionally it is reached by mooring offshore, swimming inland and paying with dripping cash. The island is a favoured spot to enjoy the British Virgin Islands signature Painkiller cocktail, a mix of dark rum, cream of coconut, pineapple and orange juice, topped with grated Grenadian nutmeg. The BVIs signature Painkiller cocktail is served at Soggy Dollar Bar, on the island of Jost Van Dyke Island hopping Residents who tire of exploring the local archipelagos and coves, whether by ferry or sail, have their pick of the Caribbean for weekend getaways. There are direct flights to destinations such as Saint Kitts (45 minutes), Puerto Ricos capital San Juan (45 minutes) and Antigua (90 minutes). The resort of Saint Kitts can be reached in just 45 minutes by plane Photographs: Getty Images; Dreamstime; Rainbow Visions; Alamy Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., left, and wife Gayle Conelly Manchin arrive for a State Dinner with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and President Donald Trump at the White House, in Washington on Sept. 20, 2019. (Patrick Semansky/AP Photo) Democratic Senator Proposes Censuring, Not Impeaching, Trump Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) suggested on the Senate floor to censurenot impeachPresident Donald Trump, saying that to convict and remove the president at this time is not a realistic option. Removing this president at this time would not only further divide our deeply divided nation, but would also poison our already-toxic political atmosphere, Manchin argued. At the same time, Manchin also condemned last weeks vote against calling additional witnesses in the impeachment trial and suggested that the upper chamber of Congress will be judged harshly by future generations. The senator, elected in 2010, has been viewed by some as a potential Democratic vote to acquit Trump, as West Virginia overwhelmingly voted in favor of Trump in 2016. Manchin also voted to send Trumps pick, Brett Kavanaugh, to the Supreme Court in 2018. Explaining that he sees no path to reach the 67-vote supermajority needed to convict the president, Manching suggested another alternative to impeachment. Manchin, however, said he believes there would be bipartisan support to censure President Trump for his actions and censuring him would allow this body to unite across party lines. A censure, according to Manchin, would allow a bipartisan statement condemning his unacceptable behavior in the strongest terms, he said, adding: We must put behind us the distrust and bitterness caused by this sorry episode. When senators convene to make a final vote on impeachment on Wednesday, Manchin said he has still not decided on how to vote. I am truly struggling with this decision, he said, arguing that removing a president is the most consequential decision I or and U.S. senator will ever face after weighing arguments from both Trumps legal team and House managers. But he said that Trump violated his oath by asking a foreign government to intervene in what he said was tantamount to election interference. Whats more, Trump also defied lawful subpoenas from the House of Representatives, Manchin remarked. House Democrats voted to impeach Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, alleging Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine to investigate a political rival. Trump has denied the allegations and his legal counsel argued in the impeachment trial that even if Trump abused his power, as Democrats have alleged, it would not be an impeachable offense. The House violated every principle of due process and fundamental fairness in the way the [impeachment] hearings were conducted, said Trump legal counsel Patrick Philbin on the floor of the Senate on Monday. Its significant because: Denying the president the ability to be present through counsel, to cross-examine witnesses, and present evidence fundamentally skewed the proceedings in the House. Trump will most likely be acquitted on Wednesday in the GOP-controlled Senate, as about 20 Republicans would have to join Democrats to convict him. Freshman Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.), who won a hotly contested election, also has not signaled how he would vote. Aside from Manchin, there has been speculation that Jones and freshman Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) will acquit Trump in a bipartisan vote. As he steps out of his car on the rooftop parking at Irish Examiner headquarters, with dusk falling, Leo Varadkar stops to observe the landscape of Cork City. He takes a minute to gather himself. He appears tired and troubled. Munster was an unhappy hunting ground for Fine Gael in the 2016 election, losing 15 seats, and General Election 2020 has not gone to plan for his party. Handed a strong cup of coffee by his aide, the Taoiseach finally approaches us to say his hellos. Shy and reserved, it is an awkward enough interaction as we greet each other, despite having known each other since 2007. Once the formalities are out of the way, the Fine Gael leader and I sit down in an expansive office away from prying eyes and ears and begin the interview he has come to give. He cannot but admit the campaign has been very difficult for him and his party. I would say that, certainly, we feel that the first week of the campaign was very difficult, he concedes. It was very much a focus on all the many real problems that the country has, like health and housing, but lots of other ones. Bertie Ahern actually said it to me, he said, you know, dont pay too much attention to opinion polls, because when the election is called, public opinion resets. And it can reset in your favour. It can reset against you. As it happened, public opinion reset against us at the start of this campaign or just before it. I think that probably would have happened anyway, even if the election had been called in November. He admits the best time for Fine Gael to have had the election was back before October 2018, when he and his party were polling well ahead of Fianna Fail. I think the best time for Fine Gael in terms of calling the general election would have been a long time ago, 2018, he says. The nature of politics, particularly when youre a new Taoiseach and youre part of a new Government, is you have a honeymoon period and youre doing well in the polls. Mr Varadkar makes it clear that when he called the election last month, it was a time not fully of his choosing. But I decided early on that wasnt going to be the reason why the Dail would end, he says. And I feel that I put the country first by making sure that we didnt head into an election until we had a Brexit withdrawal agreement over the line and also the Northern Ireland institutions up and running. Would a summer election have been nicer? Of course it would. That is not what politics should be about. Translating that negative mood toward his party to local matters, I ask him about Colm Burkes chances of winning a seat in Cork North Central in the wake of former minister Dara Murphys resignation, first revealed by the Irish Examiner. He says while he thinks Mr Burke will win a seat, it would be unjust if he lost out as a result of the Murphy controversy. Im confident that we will take a seat in Cork North Central, he says. You know, wed over 20% of the vote in the by-election. Yeah, thats not that long ago. And thats more than a quota. But I do think the controversy around Dara Murphy has made things more difficult for Colm and also for Lorraine ONeill [Fine Gaels other candidate in the constituency]. And I think thats really, really unfair in many ways, because theres actually nobody who is more diligent, hard-working, head-down that Colm Burke. He really is a grafter. Asked about Mr Burkes poor election track record, Mr Varadkar says: I think this time might be his time. But it would be a real shame, I think, if somebody who is a total grafter and so committed to, you know, the everyday work of politics, to individual queries, to local issues, you know, was the one who ended up being damaged because of somebody elses actions. That would be a real shame. It would be unjust actually. But all the promises being made by Mr Varadkar, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, and Tanaiste Simon Coveney are undermined by the failure to deliver many of them on time. Just reference the National Childrens Hospital, broadband, and locally the M20 motorway, the event centre in Cork, and Dunkettle interchange upgrade. Such delays have annoyed the hell out of people. Leo Varadkar was given a Brigids cross by Gillian Murphy while canvassing in Kinsale on St. Brigids Day. Picture. John Allen Its annoyed everyone, including me, and Dunkettle is going ahead and works are under way at the moment and well go to tender and that job will be done, says Mr Varadkar. It needs to be done. Its absolutely frustrating for everyone, and not just in Cork, but in the Department of Transport as well, and in Transport Infrastructure Ireland, that the tender came in at such a high cost. The decision was made by TII; the right thing to do was to re-tender it. Itll come in at a lower cost and we can go ahead with it. He pays tribute to Mr Coveney for making sure the event centre was saved. I have to really compliment the Tanaiste for grabbing the event centre project by the scruff of its neck and saving it and coming to me, to Eoghan Murphy, to Paschal, to say that this has to happen, says Mr Varadkar. Cork needs this done and it will be transformative for the city. We took the decision to provide additional money; we took the decision to move it, essentially from arts to urban development. Now we just need to get through the planning. I put it to him that one minister told me recently that the best work he and Mr Coveney ever did was convincing everyone that they get on. With a smile, he replies: We actually do get on. We always did. You know, were a similar age, we are of a like mind on almost all kind of political issues, in terms of policy party issues. Weve been in Government together since 2011. Like, the only time that our relationship would have been a little bit strained was obviously in the run-up to the leadership change and maybe the first couple of weeks after. Thats to be expected. Does he regret not appointing Mr Coveney as his Tanaiste at the outset? His answer is intriguing. I dont, because I gave Frances [Fitzgerald] my word. She was the sitting Tanaiste. She said that she would support me. It wasnt a trade-off as such, but when the sitting [Tanaiste] backs you... I gave her my word that I would reappoint her. He goes on to say that the relationship is better given he is from Dublin and Coveney is from Cork. Leo Varadkar and Christoper OSullivan, Cork County Mayor and Fianna Fail candidate whose paths crossed while canvassing with Senator Tim Lombard in Kinsale on Saturday listen to the concerns of a constituent. Picture. John Allen But, notwithstanding the very unfair way in which Frances Fitzgerald was removed from office which Ill never forgive Micheal Martin for, quite frankly, because it was terrible what was done to her I think it has worked out well for the Government of the country. Its better to have, I think, Taoiseach and Tanaiste coming from different parts of the country. And I think that he has really shone in his role on Brexit and in Northern Ireland. I conclude by asking what his biggest regret has been since becoming Taoiseach. He pauses and is unable to answer. Time is called and he is off again. A man with troubles on his shoulders. [February 03, 2020] eperi and Netskope: Strong Alliance Between Two Cloud Security Leaders Cloud services are being adopted at a significant rate, with recent statistics showing that 85% of enterprise internet traffic flows to and from cloud services. Therefore, the high need of an all-embracing cloud security solution, looking at access and behavioral user interaction as well as securing all data elements in the cloud to comply to regulatory demands, data Residency Issues, Personal C-Level Liability and simply to stay in control of the data. As such eperi, an expert for Cloud Data Protection Gateway (CDPG) and Netskope, a Gartner (News - Alert) MQ 'leader' supplier of cloud access security broker (CASB) and next generation secure web gateways (NG-SWG) have announced their partnership today. The Netskope security cloud's intimate and contextual understanding of cloud infrastructure and services, along with a data-centric viewpoint, enables organizations to apply effective security controls for the safe use of the cloud and web. The partnership enables both parties to offer a complete portfolio for a secure cloud usage, building upon Netskope's security cloud and adding the ability to further encrypt or tokenize critical data to ensure no cloud provider is able to get access to the unencrypted data - at any point of time. This enables customers to stay in control of their critical data and meets the most stringent of regulatory requirements. The Gartner analysis further proves the advantages for CDPGs and CASBs to build strong alliances: "This mitigates inappropriate access to data that could lead to a breach and helps meet data residency and compliance requirements for data privacy and protection". Elmar Eperiesi-Beck, CEO and founder of eperi mentioned: "We are incredibly happy with the partnership with Netskope. Our offerings complement each other perfectly. Customers get the comprehensive access protection of a CASB and the next generation Secure Web Gateway (News - Alert) with the additiona security of an innovative cloud data protection gateway for securing critical data. Enterprises get back their freedom of using whichever cloud application they want and still stay compliant." Billy Bond, Netskope Vice-President of Business Development, explained, "Customers need to ensure that their data is securely and appropriately stored and shared in the cloud. Our partnership with eperi, and our complementary technologies, furthers our ability to deliver more substantive security value to enterprises whose perimeters continue dissolving as data moves into the cloud." eperi and Netskope secure your most valuable asset - your data A quick overview of the benefits of the partnership: Data and user behavior are protected for multiple cloud services such as Salesforce and Microsoft (News - Alert) Office 365 Govern cloud, web and data use for on-premises, mobile, and remote users Netskope CASB evaluates which clouds are used and allows or denies traffic eperi CDPG adds an additional layer of allowance, as critical data are not readable by cloud provider or attackers whilst preserving the important cloud functionality Customers benefit from one joint solution for all their cloud security needs from a single provider About eperi eperi is a leading player in the IT Security sector, with more than 15 years of experience in the field of data encryption for cloud applications. eperi was recently names "TOP 10 cybersecurity company" from Forbes and was awarded as 'Best Cloud Security" from TechXLR8. eperi is headquartered in the Greater Frankfurt area, in Germany and holds several global patents for its innovative technology, providing unrivaled data protection for databases, applications, and file storages. eperi's solutions deliver data-centric security such as field level encryption, tokenization and unstructured data encryption when using cloud services, web applications and private apps from anywhere, on any device. eperi works together with some of the world's largest and well-known organizations in the finance, healthcare, and industrial sectors to empower them with GDPR compliance, solve data residency problems, and fulfill legal requirements. It also enables its customers to take full advantage of the Cloud without having to worry about data security, compliance, and liability irrespective of the cloud application they use. More information on www.eperi.com About Netskope The Netskope security cloud provides unrivaled visibility and real-time data and threat protection when accessing cloud services, websites, and private apps from anywhere, on any device. Only Netskope understands the cloud and delivers data-centric security from one of the world's largest and fastest security networks, empowering the largest organizations in the world with the right balance of protection and speed they need to enable business velocity and secure their digital transformation journey. Reimagine your perimeter with Netskope View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005383/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] New Covid curbs in UP: Government and private employees to work at 50 per cent capacity Night curfew in Andhra Pradesh: Know timings, guidelines, rules; What is allowed, what is not allowed Andhra techie stranded in Wuhan, who is due to wed this month, appeals for help India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Fe 03: Annem Jyothi, a young software engineer from Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool city, who was left stranded in China's Wuhan amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak has been appealing to government to help her get back to India. Jyothi, who was due to be evacuated in the first batch of Indians flown out by Air India last week, was left behind on suspicion of the infection. However, the 20-year-old claimed that she was only running a fever, and has no symptoms of the virus. Due to be married on February 18, Jyothi has pleaded the Government of India to consider flying her out of Wuhan - the epicentre of the deadly Coronavirus. Coronavirus: Viral video shows Indians evacuated from Wuhan, dancing at Quarantine Center in Manesar She also said that she is ready to undergo medical tests to prove she is not infected while her family has also pleaded to the central government to rescue her. Sir only two engineers are not brought back to India 1)ms. annem jyothi 2)mr stya Sai. Please consider them and bring back baack from Wuhan to India https://t.co/apwpqX7Kv0 k. Amarnath Reddy (@kAmarnathReddy1) February 1, 2020 It is also learned that one of her colleagues Satya Sai Krishna, who is also from Andhra Pradesh, was also denied permission to board the flights. In the social media message that has gone viral, Jyothi said, "My colleagues and I were supposed to take the first flight out of Wuhan to go home. But two of us had high body temperatures... we were stopped from taking the first flight. We were told you can take the next one. But in the afternoon we got a phone call and were told you can't even take the second flight because you have fever. The Chinese (authorities) haven't confirmed or denied we have the virus, but we are ready to prove we are healthy.'' NEWS AT 3 PM, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 Kerala confirms 3rd case of coronavirus; Union Health Ministry issues fresh travel advisory "Our body temperature is normal now. I am very healthy, please take me back to India," she pleaded in the message. The coronavirus outbreak, which has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO), has claimed over 360 lives in China. The Reverend Dr David Latimer delivered the Bloody Sunday annual lecture in Derry over the weekend during which he said people from the unionist community are "still in denial" about the events of Bloody Sunday. It took place in the North West Disability Centre as part of a programme of events to mark the 48th anniversary of that fateful day in Derrys history. Rev Latimer of the First Derry Presbyterian Church is one of Derry's most well-known clergymen who has just retired after 32 years service. He came to prominence in the last decade through his friendship with Sinn Fein politician and former IRA man Martin McGuinness. In attendance on Friday night were some Bloody Sunday families, Ballymurphy families and McGurks Bar families who have stood in solidarity with each other over the years. Event Chair Paul McFadden said the choice of Rev Latimer had been described as bizarre in some quarters and it would prove to be either the worst, or best, casting imaginable. During the event Rev Latimer described how his unlikely friendship with McGuinness drew harsh criticism from members of his own congregation with many leaving in protest. Embracing Sinn Fein leaders at the partys ard fheis in 2011 and reading a eulogy at McGuinnesss funeral attracted further criticism, particularly from within the ranks of the Orange Order. Addressing the events of Bloody Sunday, he said at the time there were those in his own community who believed the British army could do no wrong, and today people in the unionist community are still in denial, and they cant accept the army opened fire, even those in my own church. His friendship with McGuinness began following an attack on his church when he appeared on Radio Foyle to highlight the issue and appealed for help from a man with authority. When pressed to say who he was referring to, he said Martin McGuinness, and walked out of the studio. Sinn Fein contacted him immediately afterwards and a meeting was arranged. Scones were baked, butter was donated from the former Tower Hotel and Martin McGuinness made tea on arrival. We talked, and when I look back it was a beautiful moment in my life, Rev Latimer recalled. Here I was with a former IRA leader and me still with a British army uniform (he was an army chaplain). You couldnt make it up, but we talked like two people from the same street. We just clicked, I never thought we would go on this journey together. Mr McFadden remarked that when news broke the Reverend mustve got some s***. In response he said: I still have resistance in my church but you have to ride the waves. After questioning whether the unlikely friendship was damaging his church, he was reassured when an older member of the congregation said, if you hadnt reach out it would be closed. He noted that some of those professing to be evangelical have been strongest in their opposition - I wonder what book they are reading, he added. Myself and Martin got to know each other, like each other, love each other. Love is reaching out and my life has been better for meeting Martin. The death of Mr McGuinness had a profound effect on him. Ive been a clergyman for 38 years and I cant remember any time there has been a greater impact on me than when I was on the intensive care ward with Martin. His voice was weak. We were two men holding hands, cheeks touching and engaged in a conversation that was ordained by God. Im not one for halos and auras but there was something in that room around Martins face and head that astounded me and delighted me. I felt as if I was on the threshold of heaven. At some point in the future I will bump into him again. The VGMA record of the year award winner has penned what social media commentators call, an emotional letter to the late Kofi Boakye Yiadom aka Kofi B. The highlife extraordinaire was reported to have passed over the weekend. This was a shocker to lovers of highlife music because he was never known to be sick until his demise. The 3Music Best Rap Performer of the year nominee took to his Facebook page to write a rather touching letter to the late musician. Teephlow who just released the first single from his album dubbed PHLOWDUCATION II, expressed his disappointment how people suddenly become fans after the death of a musician or popular person. He posted: "Dear Bra Kofi, I bring you greetings from our beloved Ghana. Bra Kofi, you are trending ooo. TV stations are blazing your music videos back to back, radio stations have you locked down. Even 100% gospel radio station has been playing your songs since. How sad! I said, you should have been here to see this sudden love. From tweets and Facebook post and your photos on IG. Everybody today is a fan of Kofi B. You are called the Highlife legend today, when they dont even nominate you in that category. Today while news break interludes are Bantama Kofi Boakye song, drive shows has Afia Donkoh locked down since you got called by our father up there. The question remains, must we leave before we get this kind of love! I have had my face soaked in tears watching how you have suddenly become so relevant to our music industry. The most scary thing is everyone seem to be a fan now, downloading and streaming your music. I pray that Allah in His infinite wisdom, grant you His heavens. May you rest well BANTAMA KOFI BOAKYE YIADOM. Your Lil Brother TeePhlow Dont Love us more when we are no more. Love us love now. #ScaryReality" The rapper is said to be domiciled in the states, working on his album. HASTINGS, N.Y. -- When someone called 911 to say their house was on fire Sunday night, an Oswego County 911 call taker told the person to get out. E-911 dispatchers were able to get enough information to send firefighters from nine departments to the house fire on Bradford Road in Hastings and help the occupant get out safely after he called at 10:15 p.m. Central Square, Brewerton, Caughdenoy, Constantia, Hastings, Mexico, Palermo, Parish and West Monroe volunteer firefighters, as well as the Oswego County Fire Coordinators Office and Menter Ambulance responded to the scene. Firefighters were told the fire was at or near 175 Bradford Road, 911 dispatchers said. The house on fire was two stories and in the Central Square fire district, according to 911. There were no reports of injuries. Check back for updates. Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Tom Cruise dazzled in a new preview for Top Gun: Maverick, the long-awaited sequel to his 1986 action film Top Gun, released on Super Bowl Sunday. Cruise reprises his role as Maverick in the sequel, which is directed by Joseph Kosinski, as he's seen navigating through tight airspace amid a montage of voice-overs. The premise of the film sees Cruise's Maverick training Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw (Miles Teller), whose father was late pilot Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw, portrayed in the first movie by Anthony Edwards. Salute: Tom Cruise dazzled in a new preview for Top Gun: Maverick, the long-awaited sequel to 1986's action film Top Gun, released on Super Bowl Sunday Among the voice-overs from cast members include Teller's character saying, 'My dad believed in you ... I'm not going to make the same mistake.' Other voices are heard saying, 'You know what happens if you go though with this,' while another says, 'I have everything I need to have you court martialed and dishonorably discharged.' Another voice is heard declaring, 'The end is inevitable Maverick,' and another is heard saying, 'What are you gonna do?' The cacophony of voices are underscored by the sound of deep breathing of Cruise's character while flying in the cockpit. Apprentice: The premise of the film sees Cruise's Maverick training Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw (Miles Teller), whose father was late pilot Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw, portrayed in the first movie by Anthony Edwards Irony: Among the voice-overs from cast members include Teller's character saying, 'My dad believed in you ... I'm not going to make the same mistake' The original featured Val Kilmer, Kelly McGillis and Anthony Edwards, with Tim Robbins and Meg Ryan in the extended cast. Kilmer returns for the sequel to the 1980s hit, which also features an ensemble cast including Teller, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, and Glen Powell. Teller, speaking with USA Today Thursday ahead of the release of the Super Bowl trailer, called the film 'a true sequel it takes place in the present day. 'Its where Maverick would be 30 some odd years later and he comes back as our instructor,' he said. 'Hes training us as a special detachment.' Lonely road: Cruise reprises his role as Maverick in the sequel to the 1986 hit Comeback: Teller said of Cruise's rekindled role, 'Its where Maverick would be 30 some odd years later and he comes back as our instructor' The actor opened up about the training regimen he underwent to go toe-to-toe with Cruise in the aviation-geared movie. 'In the first one Tom was the only guy who could stand being in the jet for a little bit because of the G-force,' he said. 'None of those guys really did training for it.' Teller said pilots in the film 'were put through the ringer by Tom' in preparing for the film. Ride into the danger zone: Maverick is seen navigating through dangerous terrain Endurance: Cruise penned a special training regimen for performers for the physical film Long time in the making: The film is set to arrive in theaters some 34 years after the original 'For this, Tom came up with a very specific training schedule for us so we had three months worth of flying lessons, just so that we could be able to film in these jets, because youre experiencing 71/2 Gs, and thats like 1,600 lbs of pressure or something. You are whipping around in that thing.' Top Gun: Maverick is slated to arrive in theaters June 26, 2020. Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Ho Minh Tuan (L) speaks at a banquet marking the 74th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day (Photo: VNA) Tuan said bilateral relations have been growing in various areas over the past seven decades. A large number of Vietnamese citizens are living and working in the Czech Republic. About 200,000 Vietnamese people could speak Czech language. In the recent five years, visits by the two countries leaders have been maintained, notably those made by President Truong Tan Sang in 2015, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan in 2017 and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in April 2019. Czech President Milos Zeman also visited Vietnam in 2017, not to mention the regular exchange of visits at ministerial and provincial officials. However, economic and trade ties have not met expectations, with two-way trade nearing 1.2 billion USD last year, nearly 1 billion USD of which was Vietnams exports to the country. The European country invested in about 35 projects worth 100 million USD in Vietnam. As the two countries are preparing for the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties, they are determined to lift economic, trade, tourism, national defence-education ties to a greater height. On the political front, both sides will continue facilitating visits by leaders and hope for a visit by the Czech Prime Minister to Vietnam this year. Ambassador Tuan said if realized, the visit is expected to bolster bilateral ties in various areas, particularly in economy. Leaders of the parliament of the Czech Republic and several ministers also plan to visit Vietnam this year. On Vietnams part, the ministers of culture, transport, national defence, public security and local leaders will also pay visits to the European country. Tuan informed that the seventh meeting of the Vietnam Czech Republic Inter-Governmental Economic Commission will be held in Prague this year, during which they will decide on specific projects to boost economic links. The two sides will also hold forums and seminars to call for investment and promote trade and tourism ties. In culture, the Vietnamese side will organise the Vietnam Culture Week and send art troupes to perform in localities in the Czech Republic. Also this year, Vietnams Bamboo Airways is scheduled to launch a direct air route linking Hanoi and Prague at the end of the first quarter or in the beginning of the second quarter, contributing to stepping up collaboration in trade, investment and tourism. Leaders of the Czech Republic localities pledged to offer funding to Vietnamese residents living there and work with the Vietnamese embassy to hold Vietnam Day events to introduce Vietnamese culture to international friends./. Former Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan has stated that he is ready to return to Armenia and publicly answer all the questions of the investigative body regarding the criminal case on March 1, 2008. In particular, his respective statement says that if the Armenian authorities are interested in solving the March 1 case, he expects a positive response. Kostanyan added that if during this public discussion the Armenian law enforcement agencies succeed in presenting more or less reasonable evidence or justification to substantiate and confirm the charges filed against him, he is ready to bear criminal responsibility in the fullest degree of law. Within the framework of the "March 1 [2008] case" Gevorg Kostanyan has become an accused on charges of abuse of power, goad to official fraud, goad to conceal a serious crime, and goad to falsify evidence in a criminal case on a serious crime. New York, Feb 3 : Despite tremendous advances in treatment of congenital heart disease (CHD), a new global study shows that the chances for a child to survive a CHD diagnosis is significantly less in low-income countries. The research revealed that nearly 12 million people are currently living with CHD globally, 18.7 per cent more than in 1990. The findings, published in The Lancet, is drawn from the first comprehensive study of congenital heart disease across 195 countries, prepared using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD). "Previous congenital heart estimates came from few data sources, were geographically narrow and did not evaluate CHD throughout the life course," said the study authors from Children's National Hospital in the US. This is the first time the GBD study data was used along with all available data sources and previous publications - making it the most comprehensive study on the congenital heart disease burden to date. The study found a 34.5 per cent decline in deaths from congenital disease between 1990 to 2017. Nearly 70 per cent of deaths caused by CHD in 2017 (180,624) were in infants less than one year old. Most CHD deaths occurred in countries within the low and low-middle socio-demographic index (SDI) quintiles. Mortality rates get lower as a country's Socio-demographic Index (SDI) rises, the study said. According to the researchers, birth prevalence of CHD was not related to a country's socio-demographic status, but overall prevalence was much lower in the poorest countries of the world. This is because children in these countries do not have access to life saving surgical services, they added. "In high income countries like the United States, we diagnose some heart conditions prenatally during the 20-week ultrasound," said Gerard Martin from Children's National Hospital who contributed to the study. "For children born in middle- and low-income countries, these data draw stark attention to what we as cardiologists already knew from our own work in these countries -- the lack of diagnostic and treatment tools leads to lower survival rates for children born with CHD," said researcher Craig Sable. "The UN has prioritised reduction of premature deaths from heart disease, but to meet the target of 'ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age,' health policy makers will need to develop specific accountability measures that address barriers and improve access to care and treatment," the authors wrote. A 45-year-old man, accused in several cases of robbery and murder, was found killed in a car at Shantinagar area at nearby Bantwal, according to police. It is suspected that he was kidnapped by members of a rival gang who fled from the spot soon after committing the murder. The deceased has been identified as C M Muhthasim, alias Don Tasleem, a native of Kasaragod in Kerala. He was wanted in many criminal cases. His body, which bore injury marks on the neck and other parts, was found in the car on Sunday. Tasleem had been released on bail from the Kalaburagi prison on January 31 and was returning to his native place when unidentified assailants kidnapped him. He was imprisoned after his arrest in a jewellery robbery case registered at a police station here. Police suspect that the rival gang may have waylaid him soon after his release from prison and took him to Bantwal. The locals, who grew suspicious about the car that had been parked at the spot, informed police and found the body. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Body of a tour guide was found only two days after a prominent monarch butterfly activist was found dead in Mexico. Raul Hernandez was reported missing by his family on January 27 after he left home in the town of San Pedro Libertad, the state prosecutor said in a statement. This comes as threats and murders of environment and human rights activists are on a rise. Police are investigating the murder According to local authorities, Hernandez was found beaten and with a head injury possibly caused by a sharp object. The police are said to be investigating the murder, as reported by a leading international news daily. The tour guide was found in the early hours of Saturday in the Ocampo Municipality about 8 km from the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve where he worked. Read: Monarch Butterfly Activist Found Dead In Mexico Read: Funeral Of Monarch Butterfly Activist In Mexico The incident comes only two days after Homero Gomez Gonzalez was found dead in a well in the state of Michoacan, where the butterfly reserve is located. Gonzalez was found dead only two weeks after he vanished. His death has sparked throughout the North American country. Gonzalez, who fought to defend the monarch butterflys wintering grounds from illegal logging, managed the El Rosario butterfly sanctuary located inside the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. Homero Gomez Gonzalez spent years trying to protect the monarch butterfly from loggers and criminal groups in Michoacan. His body was just discovered in a well. pic.twitter.com/HYeXSYGcU6 Laura Martini (@miblogestublog) January 30, 2020 Read: Butterfly On A Bomb Range: Endangered Species Act At Work Read: Butterfly On A Bomb Range: Endangered Species Act At Work The threadbare clothes of the mourners and the few candles and simple floral arrangements at Gomez Gonzalez' funeral underlined the tough background of the struggle being played out in the butterflies' winter grounds, where they shelter in the tall pine and fir forests. The Michoacan Human Right Commission has urged authorities to investigate if his death was connected to the butterfly reserve, international media reported. Gonzalez was probably hurting the business interest of people illegally logging in the area said Mayta Cardone, an official at the reserve. But an official at the National Commission of Natural Protected Area told international media that his organisation did not believe that his death was related to his conservation efforts. The impeachment saga is drawing to a close. The Senate is prepared to acquit without hearing from witnesses, after Lamar Alexander, a swing vote, came out against calling them late last week. In his statement, Alexander expressed the correct view on the underlying matter one we have been urging Republicans to publicly adopt since impeachment first got off the ground. The Tennessee Republican said that it has been amply established that Donald Trump used a hold on defense aid to pressure the Ukrainians to undertake the investigations that he wanted, and that this was, as he mildly put it, inappropriate. But this misconduct, he argued, doesnt rise to the level of the high crimes and misdemeanors required to remove a president from office. If the Senate were to do so anyway, it would further envenom the nations partisan divide. Besides, there is a national election looming where the public itself can decide whether Trump should stay in office or not. Since we already know the core of what happened, Alexander explained, there was no need to hear from additional witnesses in the Senate trial. (On this theory of the case, the Senate is in effect acting like an appellate court, rendering a judgment on a threshold question of law, rather than a trial court sifting through the facts.) In the wake of Alexanders statement, other Senate Republicans endorsed his line of analysis, which, it must be noted, is superior to the defense mounted by the White House legal team over the last two weeks. Because the president refused to acknowledge what he did, his team implausibly denied there was a quid pro quo and argued that one hadnt been proven since there were no first-hand witnesses. Obviously, this position was at odds with the defense teams insistence that no further witnesses be called. It also raised the natural question why, if people with firsthand knowledge had exculpatory information, the White House wasnt eager to let them come forward. Story continues Additionally, the White House maintained that a president cant be impeached unless hes guilty of a criminal violation. This is an erroneous interpretation of the Constitution, although it is true that past presidential impeachments have involved violations of the law and that such violations provide a bright line thats missing if the charge is only abuse of power. Alan Dershowitz argued this position most aggressively for the presidents defense, and made it even worse by briefly seeming before walking it back to argue that anything a president does to advance his reelection is properly motivated. As for the House managers, they were at their strongest making the case that the president had done what they alleged, and their weakest arguing that he should be removed for it. They tried to inflate the gravity of Trumps offense by repeatedly calling it election interference. At the end of the day, though, what the Trump team sought was not an investigation of Joe or Hunter Biden, but a statement by the Ukrainians that theyd look into Burisma, the Ukrainian company on whose board Hunter Biden sat. The firm has a shady past and has been investigated before. Trump should have steered clear of anything involving his potential opponent, but its not obvious that a new Burisma probe would have had any effect on 2020 (the vulnerability for Biden is Hunters payments, which are already on the record) and, of course, the announcement of an investigation never happened. They said that Trumps seeking this Ukrainian interference was in keeping with his welcoming of Russian meddling, implying that Trump had been found guilty of colluding with the Russians in 2016, rather than exonerated. (Part of the complaint here is that Trump made use of material that emerged via Russian hacking. Then again, so did Bernie Sanders in his fight with the DNC.) They alleged that the brief delay in aid to Ukraine somehow endangered our national security, a risible claim given that the Ukrainians got the aid and that Trump has provided Ukraine lethal assistance that President Obama never did. They accused the president of obstruction of justice for asserting privileges invoked by other presidents and not producing documents and witnesses on the Houses accelerated timeline, a charge that White House lawyer Patrick Philbin effectively dismantled. Finally, they insisted that a trial without witnesses wouldnt be fair, despite making no real effort to secure the new witnesses during their own rushed impeachment inquiry. As for the Senate trial being a cover up, as Democrats now insist it is, there is nothing stopping the House or the Senate, for that matter from seeking testimony from John Bolton and others outside the confines of the trial. This would be entirely reasonable congressional oversight (despite the White House arguing otherwise) and there is still a public interest in knowing as much as possible about this matter, even if Trump isnt going to be removed. If nothing else, the last two weeks have been a forum for extensive discussion about the respective powers of the two elected branches of government. We are sympathetic to the view that the executive branch has too much power. If Congress seeks to remedy this imbalance by impeaching and removing presidents, though, it will be sorely disappointed, since the two-thirds requirement for a Senate conviction is an almost insuperable obstacle to removal (as both House Republicans and House Democrats have experienced the last 20 years). It would be better if Congress undertook a more systematic effort to take back prerogatives it has ceded to the executive branch and the courts. But we arent optimistic on this score, since the same Democrats who claim to be sticklers about congressional power on the Ukraine matter wont say a discouraging word about Elizabeth Warrens and Bernie Sanderss promised adventures in unilateral rule as president. At the end of the day, Nancy Pelosi impeached knowing that the Senate wouldnt convict, and so here we are with nine months to go until voters get to make their judgment: not just about Ukraine, but about the last four years and Trumps eventual opponent. More from National Review Premium ready-meal brand Charlie Bighams has unveiled its first-ever range of ready-to-bake puddings, called Proper Puds. Available exclusively in Waitrose from 5 February, the five-strong range features much-loved classics, such as sticky toffee pudding and chocolate fondant, with an rsp of 5.50 per item. Each serves between two to four people and is sold in the brands wooden trays. The full line-up comprises: Charlie Bighams Sticky Toffee Pudding Classic sticky toffee pudding with a toffee caramel sauce (436g) Charlie Bighams Chocolate Fondant Melt-in-the-middle chocolate fondant, topped with dark Belgian chocolate shards (392g) Charlie Bighams Bread & Butter Pudding Slices of sweet brioche in a vanilla custard, scattered with sherry-soaked raisins and cinnamon sugar (362g) Charlie Bighams Sticky Ginger Pudding Stem ginger sponge pudding, covered in a sticky ginger sauce (426g) Charlie Bighams Cherry Bakewell Pudding Almond and Madagascan vanilla frangipane with a sweet cherry compote, sprinkled with flaked almonds (490g). They take 15-20 minutes in the oven and feature ingredients that Charlie Bighams described as being found in a discerning bakers pantry. After receiving hundreds of customer requests for puddings, we realised the scale of consumer appetite for traditional sweet dishes, which not everyone has the time or skills to make just as they should be, said founder Charlie Bigham. This is the first time the Bighams brand has ventured away from the premium ready meals category in almost 25 years, and this is our way of giving shoppers what they need to round off a tasty meal. The launch will be supported by in-store POS, PR and social activity from February onwards. A Proper Puds version of Charlie Bighams current advertising campaign, Only Delicious Will Do, has been developed by creative partners, Creature. Brand revenue grew by 18% in 2019, according to Charlie Bighams, which opened a purpose-built bakery at its London kitchen in October. It also launched a quartet of full pastry pies that month, having previously only offered pastry-topped ones. A Boeing 747 with 130 passengers on board made an emergency landing at Madrid's Barajas Airport on Monday evening due to damage caused to its landing gear during take-off. The Air Canada flight AC837 heading for Toronto took off from Barajas just before 3pm. After it was discovered that pieces of damaged wheel had got inside one of the engines, the plane circled an area southeast of Madrid at low height in order to release some of its fuel before making an emergency landing at around 7.05pm. Emergency services and Cruz Roja members were ready at the scene to assist if necessary. The incident came just hours after Barajas Airport was closed for more than an hour on Monday morning after a drone was detected flying in the area. ST. LOUIS, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation has donated $40 million to-date to food banks around the world as part of Enterprise's Fill Your Tank program, one of the largest donations aimed at fighting hunger. The Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation has donated $40 million to-date to food banks around the world as part Enterprises Fill Your Tank program. Launched in late 2016, the Fill Your Tank program is a companywide initiative that was created to celebrate Enterprise's 60th anniversary by providing a total of $60 million to address food insecurity around the globe. Over a six-year period, the Foundation is distributing $10 million each year to food banks and charities throughout North America and Europe, as well as local food banks and pantries in North American communities served by Enterprise. The latest distribution marks the program's fourth year of giving. "With nearly 8,000 neighborhood and airport branch offices worldwide, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is committed to promoting long-term growth and prosperity in the communities we serve all of which face some level of food insecurity," said Carolyn Kindle Betz, President, Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation. "But often, hunger is an issue that doesn't get the attention it deserves. We are proud to be addressing hunger and making a difference in the communities where our employees live and work." Globally, one in nine people don't have enough food to be healthy and lead an active life, according to the World Food Programme. And in the U.S. alone, 37 million people face hunger, including more than 11 million children and over 5 million seniors, according to Feeding America. During the first four years of the program, $40 million was distributed as follows: $10 million to Feeding America , the largest U.S. domestic hunger-relief and food rescue charity. These funds help fight hunger among seniors and children. to Feeding America , the largest U.S. domestic hunger-relief and food rescue charity. These funds help fight hunger among seniors and children. $6 million to Food Banks Canada to support operations and infrastructure in food banks across Canada . to Food Banks Canada to support operations and infrastructure in food banks across . $4 million to The Global FoodBanking Network to expand the work of food banks around the world, especially food banks in the U.K., Ireland , France , Germany and Spain on behalf of company-owned operations in these countries. to The Global FoodBanking Network to expand the work of food banks around the world, especially food banks in the U.K., , , and on behalf of company-owned operations in these countries. $20 million to local food banks and pantries in North American communities served by Enterprise. Program Impact Since its inception, the Fill Your Tank program has offered funding to help create, implement and maintain programs that help mitigate the critical effects of food insecurity. Examples of how funds were used in 2019 include: 1.9 million meals were served to 78,696 seniors in local communities as part of Feeding America's senior hunger strategy. Over $80,000 was dispersed to Food Banks Alberta to build additional capacity in the food network and support 90+ member food banks in Canada . was dispersed to Food Banks Alberta to build additional capacity in the food network and support 90+ member food banks in . 75,000 was donated to help fund Click&Don in France an IT solution that addresses inefficiencies and inequality in the distribution of food throughout the Federation in France and make the solution fully operational. Click&Don allows growers, manufacturers, retailers and larger regional food banks to report surplus food that smaller food banks can then claim and distribute. The solution was used by 80 food banks in the French Federation of Food Banks network. an IT solution that addresses inefficiencies and inequality in the distribution of food throughout the Federation in and make the solution fully operational. Click&Don allows growers, manufacturers, retailers and larger regional food banks to report surplus food that smaller food banks can then claim and distribute. The solution was used by 80 food banks in the French Federation of Food Banks network. 20,000 was donated to support the establishment of two new community food banks in the towns of Cabra and Tallaght in Ireland , where there has been an increase in students experiencing malnutrition. , where there has been an increase in students experiencing malnutrition. 75,000 was used to supply three local food banks in Spain with isothermal vehicles to increase the number of individuals served and improve the quantity of food distributed. "The Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation's annual donation reflects an ongoing commitment that not only delivers food, it also delivers hope and the ability to improve and sustain programs that reflect the complex, diverse needs of food-insecure populations," said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO, Feeding America. For more information about the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation's Fill Your Tank program or other global philanthropic initiatives, visit www.enterpriseholdings.com/en/corporate-social-responsibility/philanthropic-initiatives.html. SOURCE Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation Allahabad HC sets aside detention order against man booked under NSA for FB post on Babri Masjid Oral sex with minor not 'aggravated sexual assault' under POCSO: Allahabad HC reduces jail term of man UP law student who accused Chinmayanand of rape granted bail by Allahabad HC India oi-Madhuri Adnal Allahabad, Feb 03: The Allahabad High Court on Monday, 3 February, granted bail to former Union Minister and BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand, who has been accused of rape by a law student. The student has alleged she was raped and physically exploited for over a year by Chinmayanand. Chinmayanand, who was sent to judicial custody after his arrest, was booked under section 376C of the IPC, which is usually applied in cases where a person abuses his position to "induce or seduce" a woman under his charge to have "sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape" This is a lesser charge than section 376, under which a rape convict faces a maximum punishment of life imprisonment. The punishment under section 376C is between five and 10 years in jail Acid attack on minor rape victim in UP's Hapur NEWS AT 3 PM, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 He was also booked under sections 354 D (stalking), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code The woman had claimed that the police were trying to weaken the case against the ruling party politician The High Court on Monday expressed satisfaction with the progress report submitted by the special investigation team probing the case. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, February 3, 2020, 14:56 [IST] French officials condemn Guernsey fishing ban triggered by Brexit by Alastair Jamieson & Alice Tidey February 03,2020 | Source: euronews In what appears to be the first international skirmish since Brexit, French politicians have condemned a temporary ban on foreign fishing boats in waters off Guernsey triggered by Britains departure from the European Union. Access to waters off the Channel Island for French trawlers was granted by a 1964 treaty that expired automatically alongside Brexit on Friday night. Guernsey had agreed to let French boats continue fishing there during the 11-month transition period for Brexit trade and customs negotiations. But authorities on the island have decided to implement a case-by-case permit scheme that French authorities say is a de facto ban on their boats. Although relatively inconsequential in economic terms, fishing is an emotive industry viewed as symbolic of national sovereignty and self-sufficiency. Perhaps in many ways, fisheries is the acid test of Brexit," Brexiteer Nigel Farage said last week. The issue is a particularly acute issue in the Channel Islands, which lie a few miles off the coast of Normandy. As 'crown dependencies' they have a historic allegiance to the British monarchy and their citizens are British but are not part of the United Kingdom, nor the EU. The Bailiwick of Guernsey administers fishing in waters off Guernsey, Alderney and Sark. British waters account for as much as 30% of the turnover of French fishermen. euronews 2020 Theme(s): Others. It really feels like it has normalized quite a bit, said Kris Krane, president and co-founder of 4Front Ventures, which owns the dispensary. I would expect that at this point, this is just kind of the new normal. This month we celebrated the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, marking 47 years since the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that women in the U.S. have a constitutional right to abortion. But today, abortion access is facing its greatest threats in decades. President Trump just became the first president ever to attend the anti-abortion March for Life, a visceral reminder of his administrations non-stop attacks on reproductive health and rights. Meanwhile, in states nationwide, lawmakers have dramatically escalated their efforts to eliminate abortion, moving from passing incremental restrictions designed to make access more difficult toward outright, total abortion bans. And in March, the Supreme Court will hear a case that could ultimately create even more barriers to abortion care, push access further out of reach, and set the stage for Roe v. Wade to be overturned entirely. The current situation for abortion access in New Mexico is similarly dire. For years, anti-abortion extremist groups in New Mexico, such as 40 Days for Life, have gone to great sometimes violent lengths to shame, pressure and punish New Mexico women for having an abortion. They have poured funds from their multimillion dollar budgets into 24-hour vigils outside of abortion clinics that harass women for their decisions. Theyve also tried to create a hostile policy environment for New Mexico women seeking abortion by keeping a restrictive abortion law in place and thwarting efforts to expand access. All of these harmful acts are designed to control womens bodies and, ultimately, their lives. Abortion access remains severely limited across New Mexico. Our state has had several abortion clinics close in recent years; we had 11 in 2014, but that declined to just seven by 2017. Last year, the New Mexico Legislature failed to repeal an extreme abortion ban first passed in the late 1960s, all because certain senators refused to listen to women specifically their own community members. This old and outdated statute, which would require any person seeking an abortion to beg permission from a board of strangers, is not enforced today. But with the Supreme Court of the United States poised to potentially act against Roe v. Wade this spring, we are quickly running out of time before this archaic law may become newly relevant. With a handful of anti-abortion lawmakers continuing to block efforts to protect abortion in New Mexico, its clear that we can no longer solely rely on the Legislature to do the right thing. Thats why local activists and advocates are lifting up the voices of the overwhelming majority of New Mexicans who support abortion access. At ProgressNow New Mexico, were launching a campaign to both celebrate legislators who show courage and moral clarity by supporting abortion rights in our state, and ensure that lawmakers who seek to exert power over womens health care decisions are held accountable. We are more effective when we use our collective voice to publicly proclaim our support for abortion access for all, and we will continue this fight until we secure the right to control our own bodies. New Mexicans deserve better than to have their health care, their bodies and their lives controlled and restricted by anti-abortion extremists and by lawmakers who fail to stand up to them. Its time for New Mexicans to rise up, make our voices heard, and keep fighting until we guarantee access to safe and legal abortion for everyone in our state. The grief-stricken mother of three children killed by an alleged drunk driver says she forgives the driver who allegedly struck them and she can feel her 'angels' telling her they are OK. Leila Abdallah's daughters Angelina, 13, and Sienna, 9, and her son Antony, 12, were killed when an out-of-control ute struck them as they walked together on a footpath at Oatlands, in Sydney's west, on Saturday night. The children's 11-year-old cousin Veronique Sakr was also killed, while three other kids were taken to hospital with injuries. A brave Mrs Abdallah returned to the scene of the horror incident on Monday where she held hands and prayed a rosary with loved ones, before reading the condolence letters on hundreds of bouquets of flowers left at the scene. Incredibly, she then offered forgiveness to the driver who was allegedly three times over the blood alcohol limit when the accident happened. 'The guy (driver)...Right now I can't hate him. I don't want to see him, but I don't hate him,' she said. Distraught mother Leila Abdallah returned to the scene of the horror crash which killed three of her kids to pray the rosary with loved ones 'I think in my heart to forgive him, but I want the court to be fair....I'm not going to hate him, because that's not who we are,'. In the same spot where a day earlier her husband Danny told stories of his three children and insisted they are now 'in a better place', Mrs Abdallah said she could feel them hugging her. 'Danny and myself were blessed to have six kids. We loved our kids so much I can feel them hugging me right now, ' she said. 'We tried to teach them to pray the rosary, to read their bible, to believe their faith, to be good people in life and to show God's face through them. 'I asked God to bring us all together as a community to pray together, but I didn't ask him to take my kids. 'To be honest with you, I am sad, I am heartbroken, but I am at peace because I know my kids are in a better place. My kids are angels and I know right now they are with us. Mrs Abdallah, pictured in grey cardigan, held hands with friends on Monday morning as she prayed for her three children at the spot where they were killed on Saturday night Mrs Abdallah was supported by dozens of relatives and friends as she visited the crash scene and read through the condolence cards left for her three kids and their cousin who was also killed '(But) I am still waiting for them to come home. My daughter was in surgery today and the first thing when I opened my eyes this morning I was waiting for Antony, Angelina and Sienna to run in and see her it feels very unreal.' A constant stream of mourners have been visiting the site since early Sunday morning, with an incredible makeshift memorial now stretching almost 100 metres along Bettington Road, where the crash occurred. A shrine set up for the Abdallah children Angelina, 13, Sienna, 9, and Antony, 12, and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, Mrs Abdallah, in grey cardigan, told mourners gathered at the crash scene: 'I am sad, I am heartbroken, but I am at peace because I know my kids are in a better place' Danny and Leila Abdallah with their six children. Angelina, 13, and Sienna, 9, Antony, 12, were killed on Saturday night Danny Abdallah said he let his children walk a short distance to the local shop to get an ice cream, and never imagined something so horrific could happen to them Police have charged builder Samuel William Davidson, 29, with 20 offences including four counts of manslaughter and drink driving. He faced Parramatta Local Court on Sunday where the magistrate was told Davidson allegedly recorded a blood alcohol reading three times the legal limit. He was refused bail and will face court again on April 2. Pioneer in Zero Energy Buildings Research Receives ASHRAE's Highest Honor Feb. 3, 2020 The impact of NREL Principal Engineer Paul Torcellinis research can be seen in hundreds of commercial buildings worldwide. After three decades of dedication to energy-efficient buildings research, Torcellini has earned the distinction of ASHRAE Fellow. Paul Torcellini. Photo by Werner Slocum, NREL ASHRAE, the premier professional society dedicated to advancing sustainability of the built environment, honored Torcellini at the organizations 2020 winter conference in Orlando, Florida. The membership grade recognizes professionals who have attained distinction and made substantial contributions to the industry. Torcellini has been a leader within NRELs Commercial Buildings Research Group since 1994, and he joins Sheila Hayter as the laboratorys second researcher to earn the designation. Honoring a Career of Zero Energy Buildings Research Torcellini was honored for his distinguished career leading zero energy buildings research. He has authored or co-authored more than 50 papers and articles related to energy efficiency and zero energy commercial buildings and has received two ASHRAE Technology Awards for energy-efficient buildings work. He was instrumental in creating the design-build process used to achieve the Zero Energy Building status for NREL's Research Support Facility. Torcellini points out energy-efficient features of the nation's first zero energy Habitat for Humanity home, built in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, in 2005. Photo by Jack Dempsey, NREL Torcellini chaired a multiorganizational committee that developed the Advanced Energy Design Guides for K12 schools and grocery stores, and he is now leading the committee to create the Design Guide for multifamily housing. He describes his work on the Guides as one of his favorite projects. I like the Guides because they bring together lots of knowledge from industry, integrate lab research, and package it in a way that people can achieve substantial results. Leading Decades of Progress During his career, Torcellini has contributed to a breakneck pace of progress in the study and practice of zero energy buildings. This is seen in the progress beyond baseline in the Guides themselves: We started with 30% better than code in early 2000s, and then 50% better, then zero energy, he said. We can empower design teams out there showing them how to do it and at a cost that people are willing to pay. Progress is also enacted in state codes: California has a statewide goal for 50% of new major renovations of state buildings to be zero net energy by 2025. A national Architecture 2030 initiative calls for zero energy building as a standard voluntary practice by 2030, and some engineering firms now devote their entire practices to designing zero energy buildings. Torcellini sees his work as supporting the efforts of industry, where the lab stops and you let the private sector take off. Our group can't design every building in the U.S., but we can empower design teams out there showing them how to do it and at a cost that people are willing to pay. Putting Zero Energy into Practice Torcellini also puts research into practice at his family home, a zero energy house on a 78-acre Connecticut farm, featuring organically raised chickens, turkeys, pigs, and lambs. His home tied for first place in the Overall Winner category of the 2015 Connecticut Zero Energy Challenge, and it won a 2016 Housing Innovation Award from the U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home program. Torcellini's zero energy house is the center of his family's sustainable lifestyle. Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL A New Paradigm for Buildings Torcellini sees a bigger context for his research contributing to design guides and stretch building codes: helping buildings become energy producers. Forty percent of the nation's energy goes into buildings," he said. "Since buildings represent the bulk of consumption, the grid is designed around how we use buildings and when we want that power. If we're going to turn this ship around, we need to know how to change buildings from consumers to producers. Buildings do not have to be a net drain, but can contribute positively to the environment. One of NRELs Most Passionate Researchers Torcellini was honored as an ASHRAE Fellow on February 1, 2020. Photo credit: ASHRAE After decades of research, ASHRAEs recognition of Torcellinis work doesnt come as too much of a surprise to NREL leadership. Throughout his 25-year tenure at NREL, Paul has contributed greatly to the commercial buildings industry through his scientific research on energy efficiency technologies that are becoming standard features in single-family and multifamily homes, schools, and commercial buildings, said Johney Green, NREL associate laboratory director for mechanical and thermal engineering sciences. Paul is very deserving of this prestigious distinction, and it is an honor for ASHRAE to recognize one of NRELs most passionate researchers. Heavy rain downpours forecast for this weekend are raising hopes that some of the state's most persistent fire risks along the south coast will be dramatically downgraded. The Bureau of Meteorology NSW on Monday said it is expecting increased rainfall in northern NSW on Wednesday moving south towards the main firegrounds. The downpours are expected to be the heaviest in recent months. Rain may bring some relief for firefighters, but it may also present dangers including tree falls and landslips. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Abrar Shabren said there was a possibility that at least 30 millimetres of continuous rainfall in a 24-hour period would fall on the south coast this weekend. He said this would be enough to potentially extinguish the ongoing fires in that region. "Looking at our current forecast, we are looking at rainfall to be higher than 30 millimetres, particularly on the coastal fringe," he said. By Trend OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will hold its 19th Winter Meeting at the Hofburg Congress Centre in Vienna on Feb. 20-21, 2020, Trend reports referring to the OSCE PA website. The upcoming parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan scheduled for Feb. 9 will also be discussed at the meeting, according to the report. Nearly 300 parliamentarians are foreseen to attend, as well as high-level representatives of governments, international organizations and the OSCE. The opening session will feature keynote addresses by the President of the Austrian National Council Wolfgang Sobotka, OSCE PA President George Tsereteli and the OSCE Albanian Chairmanship. Members will discuss issues such as how to efficiently leverage the tools and mechanisms of the OSCE to resolve protracted conflicts; the security implications of climate change; and multilateral human rights co-operation. The closing joint session of all three general committees will include a special debate on combating anti-Semitism, discrimination and intolerance in the OSCE region. The session will also feature reports by leaders of recent election observation missions to Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan to be followed by discussions. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz SYRACUSE, N.Y. A landlord from Dubai claims the city of Syracuse tore down a house he owns here with little notice and little reason. Now, that landlord is suing Syracuses codes director and neighborhood commissioner, accusing them of an unconstitutional seizure of his property. Mark King, regional sales executive with Distinguished Programs. Distinguished Programs, a national insurance program manager, today officially announces the promotion of longtime employee Mark King. With more than 25 years in the insurance industry, King brings considerable expertise in the property casualty sales space to his new role as regional sales executive with Distinguished Programs. Mark has an impressive track record in the industry, making him a valuable member of our team and a well-versed resource for the agents and brokers with whom he works. That depth of experience and understanding of the market gives Mark the ability to best assist clients and even mentor fellow colleagues, noted Kurt Meister, senior vice president of business development at Distinguished Programs. In his new role, King will work with clients throughout Southern California to choose proper insurance programs for clients across the full range of products and services available through Distinguished Programs. Prior to his joining Distinguished Programs in 2006, King served as director of commercial accounts at Wausau Insurance Company in Seattle for nine years. While there, he was responsible for the development, growth and profit of the broker distribution network throughout Washington, Alaska, Oregon and Idaho. King attended Portland State University where he earned his bachelors degree in social science. He is currently based in Bellvue, Wash. About Distinguished Programs Distinguished Programs is a leading national insurance Program Manager providing specialized insurance programs to brokers and agents with specific expertise in Real Estate, Community Associations, Cultural & Historic Properties and Hospitality & Restaurants. Property and liability products are distributed through a national network of agents and brokers. Serving the same core markets and partnering with the most stable and reputable carriers, Distinguished Programs high limit umbrella programs remain the clear choice in its areas of specialty for superior coverage, competitive pricing, and attentive service. Through thoughtful innovation, stemming back to 1987, Distinguished Programs fosters growth and opportunities for its brokers, carriers, and employees. http://www.distinguished.com. Turkish Defence Ministry has said that four soldiers were killed while nine others were injured in the shelling by Syrian government forces in Idlib region. The Anadolu news agency quoted the Ministry as saying in a statement that the soldiers -- who were sent as reinforcements to the region for the purpose of preventing conflicts in Idlib de-escalation zone -- were attacked by the regime forces, although their locations were previously coordinated. The developments come after it was reported that the large military convoy consisting of tanks, armoured cars have crossed over into Syrian territory. The Turkish Defence Ministry said one of the injured soldiers was in critical condition. According to Sputnik, Turkish President Recep Taiyyap Erdogan had accused the Syrian government forces of violating Russia-Turkey deal on demilitarized zone in Idlib. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Bloomberg) -- Turkey tried to keep a deadly clash with Syrian forces from drawing in regional powerbroker Russia as it ordered retaliatory strikes. Seven Turkish soldiers and one civilian were killed, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said. The attack occurred early Monday in the northwestern province of Idlib, the last major opposition bastion in Syria, where government forces backed by the Russian air force are trying to vanquish onetime al-Qaeda affiliates and Turkey-backed rebels. Those who are testing Turkeys determination with this kind of treacherous attack will realize theyve committed a big mistake, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Ankara before departing for Ukraine. We cant remain silent as our soldiers are martyred, we will continue to make them pay. Turkish warplanes and artillery units killed more than 75 Syrian soldiers and allied government forces, Akar said during a visit to the Syrian border as Turkey canceled Mondays joint patrols with Russia in northeastern Syria. At the same time, though, Erdogan urged Russia to stay out of the fray, and not try to halt the Turkish operation, saying its target was the Syrian regime. Russian and Turkish militaries are in constant contact, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. Russia remains concerned about the continued activity of terrorist groups in this Syrian region. The fighting in Idlib is testing the marriage of convenience between Turkey and Russia in Syria, where the two powers have carved up spheres of influence. Still, both sides see greater value in maintaining cooperation as the big regional actors rather than abandoning it. Turkish troops came under fire in Idlib at 1:13am on Monday even though Turkey notified the related Russian officials about their deployment at 4:13pm and 10:27pm on Sunday, Akar said. Turkish-Russian relations are going through a serious test, Murat Yesiltas, security policy director of the Ankara-based SETA think tank, which advises Erdogans government, told NTV on Monday. But Erdogan still attaches great importance to relations with Russia. Story continues Erdogan Warns Russia Risks Split With Turkey on Syria Attack The Kremlin on Friday expressed concern about terrorists in Idlib attacking the Syrian army and the Russian base, while avoiding any direct criticism of Turkey. The Russian Foreign Ministry also limited itself to saying Russia is fulfilling its obligations, even when Erdogan directly criticized Moscow of failing to uphold promises to maintain the cease-fire in Idlib. Even so, rifts between Turkey and Russia have been opening, both in Syria and in Libya, where they support opposing sides. Before departing for Kyiv, Erdogan repeated that he doesnt recognize Russias illegal 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Turkey sent reinforcements to Idlib as the advance of Syrian troops threatened to cut off some Turkish military outposts stationed on the perimeters of Idlib under a cease-fire monitoring mission negotiated with Russia and Iran. The showdown there has unleashed an exodus of about 1 million people fleeing the fighting toward Turkey, which already shelters the largest number of Syrian refugees in the world, Erdogan said in Ukraine. If the international community does not stand with Turkey against instances of aggression like this one, it will be faced with yet another refugee crisis along our borders, Erdogans Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said on Twitter. Over the weekend, Turkey-backed troops took control of three villages in western and northwestern Syria, according to a U.K.-based group that monitors Syria through activists on the ground. After violent clashes in Al-Bab in Aleppo with Syrian regime forces, Turkish troops captured several soldiers and damaged some of their machinery, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement. Erdogan said Friday that supporters of the Syrian regime aim to prolong the crisis and that his country will not hesitate to do whatever is necessary to provide security and stability, including the use of military power. (Updates with casualties in second paragraph, remarks from Erdogans spokesman in third paragraph from the end) --With assistance from Tony Halpin and Ilya Arkhipov. To contact the reporters on this story: Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara at shacaoglu@bloomberg.net;Firat Kozok in Ankara at fkozok@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Onur Ant at oant@bloomberg.net, Amy Teibel, Tony Halpin For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Delhi Police have registered an attempt to murder case against unknown persons after the alleged incident of firing outside the Jamia Millia Islamia University late on Sunday night, officials said on Monday. They, however, said no empty bullet shells were found at the site and that they are scanning CCTV cameras in the neighbourhood to verify the allegations of firing. We have registered a case under sections 307 (attempt to murder) along with 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and 27 (punishment for using arms) of the arms act against unknown persons on the complaint of one Yusuf Khan, who claimed to be an eyewitness of the firing incident, said Kumar Gyanesh, additional deputy commissioner of police (southeast). Khan, a resident of Abul Fazal Enclave near Jamia Nagar, said in his complaint that he was returning home with his wife after dinner when the firing took place. We had reached near Gate No 7 of Jamia University where one road is blocked because of protests against CAA and NCR. The opposite carriageway is used for movements of vehicles from both sides. It was around 11.30pm when two boys came on a scooter from Jamias side, Khan said in his complaint. The pillion rider stood on the vehicle and fired one shot in the air. They sped away towards Holy Family Hospital side with the shooter brandishing his gun. I can identify the person who fired the bullet, he said. According to the police, many people including students were present outside the university when the alleged firing took place, triggering panic among them. They assembled outside the police station and raised anti-police slogans after the incident. By midnight, more than 500 people had gathered there and began demanding immediate police action by saying there had been an attempt to kill them in the firing. Many students took to social media to post information about the alleged firing and videos of their gathering. Officials said as soon as the incident was brought to the notice of senior officers, the station house officer of the Jamia Nagar police station was sent to the spot to verify it and speak with agitated people. In a video shared on social media, the officer is seen assuring the angry crowd that he has made elaborate security arrangements and he will remain with them throughout the night to ensure their safety and security. The SHO along with his team members searched the area but no empty bullet shells were found. As many people had assembled at the police station and alleged that the attackers tried to kill them, we registered an FIR on the complaint of Khan, an official said. Arshaan Afaq, an undergraduate law student, was also present at the spot when two people in a moving vehicle opened fire. The first shot was fired near Gate No 5. And we heard another noise when it crossed Gate No 1. No casualties were reported, Afaq said. Nehal, a Jamia student and member of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC), said that the students remained gathered outside the Jamia Campus till Monday morning. It happened only a day after the firing incident was reported in Shaheen Bagh. Attacks on protesters have become a new normal now. Police should take strong action in the matter, she said. Some students, who were present outside the university, said that one of the suspects was wearing a red jacket and their scooters colour was also red. They also claimed to have seen the last four numbers of the scooters registration plate. ACP Gyanesh said they have received only Khans complaint, who only saw one bullet being fired in the air and could not see the scooters registration number. We have urged other witnesses to come forward and give their statement/complaint. The CCTV cameras are being scanned to ascertain if any firing had happened. And if has happened, we will analyse the video footage to establish the identity of the suspects, he added. The Sundays alleged firing incident took place a day after a 23-year-old milk supplier from east Delhis Dallupura village fired two bullets in the air less than 150 metres from the Shaheen Bagh protest site where hundreds of women, men and children have been demonstrating against Citizenship (Amendment) Act for more than 50 days. Two days before that, a 17-year-old boy had opened fire and injured a postgraduate student of Jamia University in Jamia Nagar area. Both the shooters were caught by the police after the firing. YEREVAN. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with President Charles Michel of the European Council, the Prime Minister's Office reported. They discussed Armenia-EU relations. Accordingly, the parties expressed readiness to further develop Armenia-EU cooperation, including trade and economic ties. The agenda of ongoing democratic reforms in Armenia was at the heart of the discussion. The President of the European Council emphasized the importance of the path of reforms chosen by Armenia. Pashinyan and Michel also exchanged views on their expectations from the Eastern Partnership Summit in Brussels in June. The telephone conversation was on the initiative of the Armenian side. Twitter is not just a medium to share your thoughts but it can also be a medium of saving lives, the Mumbai Police proved the same by saving the life of a 39-year-old who was about to end his life and asked Mumbai police about the punishment one gets for committing suicide. The resident of Goregaon in Mumbai, Nilesh Bedekar tweeted the cops informing them about his intention to commit suicide and said, "Mumbai Police I am thinking of committing suicide. I just wanted to know what would be the punishment for that. I tried Wikipedia and Google but didn't get anything so asking you." @MumbaiPolice I am thinking of committing suicide. I just wanted to know what would be the punishment for that. I tried Wikipedia and Google but didn't get anything so asking you. Nilesh Bedekar (@bedekarnilesh) February 2, 2020 Sensing the seriousness of the matter, Mumbai police immediately responded to Nilesh asking his contact details and proceeded with proper counselling of the depressed man. Mumbai police wrote, '' Hello Nilesh, Problems are part and parcel of life. Opting for extreme step isn't the solution. We request you to allow Vanrai police personnel to intervene and provide you with necessary assistance.'' Hello Nilesh, Problems are part and parcel of life. Opting for extreme step isn't solution. We request you to allow vanrai police personnel to intervene & provide you with necessary assistance. Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) February 2, 2020 Minutes after Mumbai police's tweet, several Twitterians responded to Nilesh asking him not to take the severe step. Along with proper counselling, the Mumbai police also did a medical test of Nilesh and after ensuring his mental stability he was sent home. Nilesh later thanked the Mumbai police for saving his life and apologised for his action. He said, ''I am really sorry but had lost control of my own self yesterday. Thanks a million for helping me. I would also love to thank Inspector Mr Shaikh from the Vanrai Police Station. He is really a great person and a gem in Mumbai Police Force I would say. Thanks again.'' @MumbaiPolice I am really sorry but had lost control of my own self yesterday. Thanks a million for helping me. I would also love to thank Inspector Mr. Shaikh from the Vanrai Police Station. He is really a great person and a gem in Mumbai Police Force I would say. Thanks again. Nilesh Bedekar (@bedekarnilesh) February 3, 2020 The prompt action of Mumbai police received a lot of praise which helped save the mans life. When spoiled with too many choices, we often tend to get lost in confusion while making decisions. However, when what youre looking for is hard-to-find, you treat each option with extra care and mostly value the one you end up choosing. That is exactly what online dating comprises of for the LGBTQ+ community. In comparison to straight people, the number of homosexuals looking for love digitally is way less. However, dating apps are saviours in disguise for the LGBTQ+ community. In order to meet people, they used to depend on bars, clubs or simply wait for someone to set them up. Thanks to the invention of these apps, they can finally be on the lookout for someone to date without having to guess peoples orientation before hitting on them. Twitter In fact, according to a survey carried out by Clue, a female-health app and Kinsey University, twice as many LGBTQ+ people use these apps in comparison to their heterosexual counterparts. The platform for them to finally be themselves without the fear of hitting on a homophobic straight person is doing wonders for the community. According to data collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, LGBTQ+ people were at maximum risk when it came to such situations. For instance, hitting on someone in a bar which turns violent. The same cannot be said for straight people. These apps are providing them with a sense of safety and is also helping them to connect with other people from the community. Unsplash The dark side. The people of the community have been subjected to hate crimes over and over again. The decriminalisation of Section 377 which made homosexuality illegal was a huge leap towards progress of humankind. However, there is still a long way to go when it comes to people, especially heterosexual people, understanding that homosexuality is no longer a concept they can nullify or simply have a problem co-existing with. With the help of online dating apps, LGBTQ+ people have the freedom to not engage with someone who could be homophobic and peacefully find a partner within the community. However, like every coin has two sides, the dating scene for LGBTQ+ people also comes with a dark side. Unfortunately, discrimination isnt just a heterosexual thing and ironically, people who fight for equal rights also have a flawed idea about certain concepts. Twitter Indiatimes spoke to a member of the community, *Arnav Das and discovered the other side. Racism is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of problems within the LGBTQ+ community and online dating. Another one is fem-phobia; Gays have a problem with other gays who have feminine tendencies. They believe that being feminine is a stereotype and a lot of us get rejected by so-called macho gay men on the basis of how we choose to behave. For a community that is constantly at war with the rest of the world in order to be completely free, I believe this is a huge setback. Even though ones sexual orientation isnt a choice, there are a lot of people who are either confused about their own or simply curious about how the other team plays. Sometimes, this turns out to be a risky involvement for the one who is a 100% sure of his/her sexuality because sometimes the curious one decides to sway back to the straight path. *Arnav added, Of course, that is a huge risk. You can get your heart broken if the other person decides or realises that this isnt for them. However, I personally believe that since you were already aware of the whole dynamics of their situation, you cant really blame them if it goes down the drain. That is a risk you were willing to take and the thing with risks is that the outcome isnt really in your hand. Then there are concepts that are no different than what the straight community also participates in. Not wanting to commit, ghosting or simply using people for sex happens on the other side too. However, *Arnav believes that due to the fact that people from the community have been deprived of such connections, there is a sense of desperation within them. Everything is always made keeping straight people in mind and finally, there are these apps that are selectively paying attention to us. There are going to be people whove never had a chance at the dating game due to several reasons and now they finally have a platform. I dont blame them if they express some desperation. In the end, we are all human beings." *Name changed to protect the privacy of the individual. San Francisco Exparel for Oral Surgery Many of our San Francisco clients are concerned about post-operative pain management. Oral Surgery San Francisco, a professional team of oral surgeons in San Francisco headed up by Dr. Alex Rabinovich, is proud to announce a new post on the availability of Exparel for pain management after oral surgery, including dental implants and wisdom teeth extraction. Exparel provides a non-opioid alternative for patients, and Dr. Rabinovich offers no obligation consultations for clients who have oral surgery needs. The consultation can include a discussion of the best post-operative pain management options. "Many of our San Francisco clients are concerned about post-operative pain management," commented Dr. Rabinovich. "Exparel provides a non-opioid alternative for oral surgery, including the common wisdom teeth extractions and dental implant surgeries that we do here in our Bay Area office." To review the latest post, please visit https://www.oralsurgery-sf.com/2020/01/exparel/. The post explains that Exparel is an exciting new treatment option for post-surgical pain, and were excited to offer it to our oral surgery patients here in San Francisco.The medication is injected around the treated area during the surgery when patient is either still asleep or already numbed up if it is a procedure under local anesthesia. It significantly reduces postoperative pain for about 5 days following the surgery. Persons interested in exploring wisdom teeth extraction options in San Francisco are encouraged to visit the informational page at https://www.oralsurgery-sf.com/wisdom-teeth/. Many San Francisco residents are on the younger side and may have neglected to have had their wisdom teeth removed. Leaving the teeth in, however, is not generally a good option as it may cause damage. The best course of option is to reach out to Dr. Rabinovich for a consultation. The consultation can include a discussion of post-operative pain management options. Persons interested in dental implants should visit the company's sister compan, San Francisco Dental Implants, at https://www.sfdentalimplants.com/. There, they can get online information about dental implants and reach out for a consultation. In that scenario, the conversation can also include a discussion of potential pain management options including the use of Exparel. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTS LEARN THE BENEFITS OF POSTOPERATIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT Here is the background for this release. No one likes pain, and the fear of pain prevents many people from reaching out for necessary oral surgery procedures such as wisdom teeth extraction or dental implants. Another fear is the fear of opioids, giving the problems many people have with this class of pain management drug. For these reasons, Oral Surgery San Francisco is proud to announce a new post on the use of Exparel as a non-opioid pain management option. ABOUT ORAL SURGERY SAN FRANCISCO Oral Surgery San Francisco (http://www.oralsurgery-sf.com/) is located in the Financial District of the City. Under the direction of Dr. Alex Rabinovich, a Board Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon specializing in the field of oral surgery. This additional training, along with his years of experience, sets Alex Rabinovich MD DDS apart from the growing number of general dentists offering oral surgery and other dental procedures. Procedures include wisdom teeth extraction, Orthognathic or jaw surgery, sleep apnea mouth appliances, and dental implants. Dr. Rabinovich can be available as an emergency oral surgeon in San Francisco also. Oral Surgery San Francisco serves all neighborhoods in the city of San Francisco, including Pacific Heights, Russian Hill, and Noe Valley. Contact: Media Relations Tel. (415) 817-9991 NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images One person was killed and five injured just before 1:30 a.m. Monday in a shooting on a Greyhound bus traveling from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area, officials said. The suspected shooter was a passenger on the bus and is in police custody, according to the California Highway Patrol. The bus with about three dozen passengers was traveling on Interstate 5 over the Grapevine near Lebec in Kern County, north of Los Angeles and south of Bakersfield. Merger and acquisition activity surrounding data-center facilities is starting to resemble the Oklahoma Land Rush, and private-equity firms are taking most of the action. New research from Synergy Research Group saw more than 100 deals in 2019, a 50% growth over 2018, and private-equity companies accounted for 80% of them. M&A activity broke the 100 transaction mark for the first time in 2019, and that comes despite a 45% decline in public company activity, such as the massive Digital Reality Trust purchase of Interxion. At the same time, the size of the deals dropped in 2019, with fewer worth $1 billion or more vs. 2018, and the average deal value fell 24% vs. 2018. Since 2015, there have been approximately 350 data-center deals, both public and private, with a total value of $75 billion, according to Synergy. Over this period, private equity buyers have accounted for 57% of the deal volume. Deals were roughly a 50-50 split until 2018 when public company purchases began to trail off. Anecdotally, Ive heard one reason for the decline in big deals is there are no more big purchases to be had, at least in the US. DRT/Interxion is an exception, and Interxion is a foreign company. Other big deals, like Equinix purchasing Verizons data centers for $3.6 billion in 2017 or AT&T selling its data centers to private equity company Brookfield in 2019. There just isnt much left to sell. The question becomes is this necessarily a good thing? Private equity firms have something of a well-earned bad reputation for buying up companies, sucking all the profit out of them and discarding the empty husk. But John Dinsdale, chief analyst for Synergy, said not to worry, that the private equity firms grabbing data centers are looking to grow them. This is a heavily infrastructure-oriented business where what you can take out is pretty directly related to what you put in. A lot of these equity investors are looking to build something rather than quickly flipping the assets, he said via e-mail. He added In these types of business there isnt that much manpower, HQ or overhead there to be stripped out. Which is true. Data centers are pretty low-staffed. It was a national news item several years ago that Apples $1 billion data center in rural North Carolina would only create 50 jobs. Thats true for most data centers. At least one big player, Digital Realty Trust, was formed in 2004 after private-equity firm GI Partners bought out 21 data centers from a bankruptcy. DRT has grown to 214 centers in the U.S. and Europe. So in this case, a private equity firm buying out your data center provider might prove to be a good thing. A comprehensive global programme of the Microsoft designed to support startups as they build and scale their companies would collaborate with the Assam government to back the startup ecosystem in the state. A team of the Microsoft for Startups met officials of the state industries and commerce department here on Monday, an official release said. The tech giant also submitted a proposal to the department for facilitating its knowhow on advanced technological system, cloud computing and artificial intelligence to the startup incubates for national and international exposure, it said. Microsoft would also conduct reach-out programmes to encourage the entrepreneur community of the State. The company, in association with the Assam government, would also organise a Startup Summit among all stakeholders in Guwahati, in April. The Microsoft team also visited the state-owned marquee incubation centre, 'the Nest', and was highly impressed by the infrastructure set up at Ambari. Industry department's Commissioner and Secretary K K Dwivedi said the state government would provide all-out support to make the endeavours of Microsoft fruitful. He pointed out that these programmes would highly benefit in creating employment and entrepreneurship among the people of Assam. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 23-year-old Bethlehem-area man was charged Monday morning with attempted homicide after he stabbed a woman on Sunday night on the grounds of a behavioral health home in Bethlehem, city police report. Qadir Azim Minney-Gratz was arraigned before District Judge Nicholas Englesson and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail, court records said. The victim is expected to survive her wounds, police Capt. Benjamin Hackett said. Police were called just after 8:30 p.m. to 2025 Stefko Blvd., which hosts Salisbury House. Minney-Gratz and the victim were receiving care at the facility, Hackett said. It is not clear if they had any sort of relationship beyond their affiliation with the home, Hackett said. The victim told police she was smoking a cigarette outside when Minney-Gratz stabbed her several times in the back, court documents state. When she tried to protect herself, she was stabbed several times in her arms, records indicate. She was taken to St. Lukes University Hospital for treatment of multiple stab wounds, including a punctured lung, documents state. The captain wouldnt say if a weapon were recovered, but court records indicate police found a brown, wood-handled knife. Hackett declined to speak to motive. Minney-Gratz told police he stabbed the victim with the knife because he intended to kill her, court records state. The investigation is continuing. Minney-Gratz is also charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault while attempting to cause serious bodily injury, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person, records show. His preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled 9:15 a.m. Feb. 10 in Englessons court in Bethlehem. Court papers did not list an attorney for Minney-Gratz. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Cotonou, Benin (PANA) - Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working for humanism and peace in Africa and Europe will on Tuesday meet in Cotonou for a symposium on transcultural relations, according to official sources in the Beninese capital / -- With plastic waste regarded as the severest environmental concern, Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), a leader in the household insecticide (HI) category in India, has joined hands with Home Insect Control Association (HICA), an industry body to give impetus to the country's home Insecticides sector, for an initiative that promotes safe disposal of plastic derived from HI products like liquid vapourisers, aerosols, among others. The initiative was inaugurated by Sunil Kataria CEO - India & SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products Limited and Jayant Deshpande, Secretary & Director, Home Insect Control Association (HICA), by unveiling a Goodknight branded drop-box at Godrej One campus in Vikhroli, Mumbai. As per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) estimates, there is 26,000 tonnes of plastic generated everyday in India of which 40% remains uncollected. Keeping in mind the threat posed by plastic waste from HI products like liquid vapourisers, aerosols, among others, the Ministry of Agriculture and Central Insecticide Board has been promoting safe disposal of such products and their packaging. In line with this focus, HICA is partnering with corporates who are members of the association to strategically implement ways of collecting used liquid vapouriser containers or aerosol bottles for safe disposal. A prominent member of HICA, team GCPL will deploy plastic waste collection boxes across its other units, offices and factories to make it a movement. Commenting on the initiative, Sunil Kataria CEO - India & SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products Limited, said, "At GCPL, it is our constant endeavour to minimise the environmental impact and ensure all are products are safe. As market leaders in the household insecticide category, we want to facilitate consumer awareness regarding proper disposal of plastic waste arising from HI products. Through our partnership with HICA for this initiative, GCPL's aim is to inspire a movement amongst our employees, associated parties and consumers to bring about a behavioural change towards safe disposal of aerosols and liquid vapourisers." Speaking about the movement, Jayant Deshpande, Secretary & Director, Home Insect Control Association (HICA), stated, "Through this initiative undertaken by HICA and its members, the objective is to shape the right behaviour and encourage the citizens to bring and deposit the empty PET containers, aerosol or even plastic containers into collection box for proper disposal. HICA believes our partnership with GCPL for this initiative will encourage other HICA member to take next step. We are also evaluating approaching select malls in important urban centres for continuing such plastic/container collection activity so as to fight for effective management of plastic waste." The collection boxes branded under 'Goodknight' will encourage GCPL employees, visitors, and the general public to safely dispose used liquid vapourisers and aerosols. The collected plastic containers and other home insecticide packaging will be collected by HICA for safe disposal with the help of third-party experts. HICA's initiative has been supported by GCPL in the right earnest as it undertakes to spread awareness on managing plastic waste better and care for the environment. About Godrej Consumer Products Ltd: Godrej Consumer Products is a leading emerging markets company. As part of the 122-year young Godrej Group, we are fortunate to have a proud legacy built on the strong values of trust, integrity and respect for others. At the same time, we are growing fast and have exciting, ambitious aspirations. Today, our Group enjoys the patronage of 1.15 billion consumers globally, across different businesses. In line with our 3 by 3 approach to international expansion at Godrej Consumer Products, we are building a presence in 3 emerging markets (Asia, Africa, Latin America) across 3 categories (home care, personal wash, hair care). We rank among the largest household insecticide and hair care players in emerging markets. In household insecticides, we are the leader in India, the second largest player in Indonesia and are expanding our footprint in Africa. We are the leader in serving the hair care needs of women of African descent, the number one player in hair colour in India and Sub-Saharan Africa, and among the leading players in Latin America. We rank number two in soaps in India and are the number one player in air fresheners and wet tissues in Indonesia. But for us, it is very important that besides our strong financial performance and innovative, much-loved products, we remain a good company. Approximately 23 per cent of the promoter holding in our Group is held in trusts that invest in the environment, health and education. We are also bringing together our passion and purpose to make a difference through our 'Good & Green' approach to create a more inclusive and greener India. At the heart of all of this, is our talented team. We take much pride in fostering an inspiring workplace, with an agile and high performance culture. We are also deeply committed to recognising and valuing diversity across our teams. About Home Insect Control Association (HICA) Home Insect Control Association (HICA) is a premier organization established 1991 to give impetus to the domestic Home Insecticides sector, to facilitate the members of the Association for the overall safety of the environment and to educate the public about the healthy and proper use of the home insecticides for a pest free life, and to introduce self-regulation and governance by the member industry. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1085195/Sunil_Kataria. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) T his is the moment a waitress asked if police officers could delay the cafe evacuation during the Streatham terror attack because her customers had just started eating. Footage shared on social media shows the officer enter the cafe and order everyone to evacuate immediately owing to a terrorist incident. But a womans voice can be heard responding: Just give us half an hour, people are just starting to eat." The exchange began with the officer shouting: Sorry guys, you're going to have to close, we have got to evacuate, I'm afraid. Everyone's going to have to go, I'm afraid. "There's been a terrorist incident down there. We are closing everything down. You guys want to stay safe you will listen to me." When the waitress made the request, the officer replied: "Madam, a terrorist has been shot dead just down there." They've got a possible IED vest on them, which is a bomb. If you want to stay open for half-an-hour and you want to put people's lives in danger, be my guest. "Please listen to me and please make your way out of the shop, turning that way and making your way out of the area." Police officers guard a cordon, set up on Streatham High Road following the suspected terrorist attack / AFP via Getty Images Two people were stabbed in the attack on Streatham High Road on Sunday afternoon which police believe to be Islamist-related. The perpetrator was shot dead by police within minutes of beginning his violent assault. He has been named as Sudesh Amman, 20, a convicted terrorist who had recently been released from prison. Sudesh Amman was a convicted terror offender (Metropolitan Police) / Met Police Amman was under active police surveillance at the time of the attack in which three people were injured. The victims were taken by ambulance to south London hospitals. One man, in his 40s, is no longer considered to be in a life-threatening condition following treatment, police said. A woman, in her 50s, who had non-life threatening injuries has been discharged from hospital. Police said a second woman in her 20s, who received minor injuries believed to have been caused by glass following the discharge of a police firearm, continues to receive treatment. A device found strapped to the body of the suspect was a hoax, the Metropolitan Police added in a statement. Man shot dead by police in Streatham attack was convicted terrorist They said: The situation has been contained and officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command are now leading an investigation into the incident. The incident was quickly declared as a terrorist incident and we believe it to be Islamist-related. One witness described seeing the man apparently carrying a weapon with silver canisters on his chest being shot in front of a Boots store. Another said members of the public came to the aid of victims, with one saying she had been stabbed. Children should know that it is all right to find reading difficult, according to Lupita Nyongo. The Oscar-winning actress said she believes that not everyone needs to love reading, but that also does not mean they should dismiss its worth. Nyongo, who has recently published her first childrens book, also said that storytelling is still important in the modern world as it teaches youngsters empathy. The star, who was raised in Kenya, spoke to a group of students in London on Monday as part of the National Literacy Trusts Words For Work: Women In Leadership programme, which is run in partnership with Lancome. Speaking to the PA news agency, Nyongo said: I think its OK to find reading difficult, but that doesnt mean you dismiss it. It is a privilege to be able to read, she suggested, adding that literacy programmes are important because they help give youngsters that opportunity and ability. Its a privilege and a power to be able to read, she said. Nyongo, who took home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 12 Years A Slave, described how she found reading challenging as a child, saying: I wasnt a reader as a child, I didnt enjoy it. I liked being read to as a child, and I loved storytelling. But reading, the task of reading was kind of tedious to me. She added: I learned better through experiential learning. But because of that high regard, I did do it. Lupita Nyongo meets London students (Doug Peters/PA) Nyongo, who said she enjoyed reading Roald Dahl books as a child, suggested that stories help to breed empathy. Stories are like a bonfire that we all come around and gain comfort in. And they are a way for us to engage with people other than ourselves, to put ourselves in another persons shoes, they are a sure way of doing that. The actresss debut book, Sulwe, is a picture book about a five-year-old girl living in Kenya, who feels uncomfortable about being darker than anyone in her family, and in her class at school, until she takes a journey in the night sky that changes her life. Nyongo said that one of the reasons she wrote the book was to embrace and celebrate beauty and dark complexion, and provide that for kids at an age before the world has dictated their value to them. She also said she wanted to give people like me a book with characters that look like them, and to give people that dont look like me a chance to experience and appreciate and relate to the humanity of people that look like me. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) The Libyan ministry of foreign affairs of the Government of National Accord (GNA) on Sunday announced it was coordinating with senior Algerian officials to evacuate Libyan students residing in the Chinese city of Wuhan, epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least 360 people in China Cruise lines will ban passengers and crew who have recently travelled to China as fears grow over the deadly coronavirus that has killed hundreds of victims. A global cruising industry body said today that its members worldwide will deny boarding to anyone who has visited China in the last two weeks. In a statement, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said its members were taking extra precautions to prevent an outbreak of the virus on board cruise ships, where infections can spread rapidly. The announcement comes after a cruise ship carrying 7,000 passengers was quarantined in Italy while tests were carried out on two people on board. Those on the Costa Smeralda were quarantined in port city of Civitavecchia, near Rome, after a woman fell ill on Thursday. Passengers were later allowed to leave when it was discovered the husband and wife did not have the coronavirus. Passengers on the Costa Smeralda cruise ship (pictured) as it sat docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia following a health alert due to a Chinese couple who were tested for coronavirus Stranded tourists disembarking from the Costa Smeralda cruise ship on Friday after the vessel was quarantined following two passengers showing symptoms of new coronavirus A day later however, Italian authorities confirmed the country's first cases of the virus after two Chinese tourists tested posted positive for the illness. It was discovered the couple had visited Verona, Parma and Rome before they were quarantined in the Paltino hotel in Rome. The cruise companies were also carrying out careful screening of passengers and crew before boarding, and changing itineraries where necessary, CLIA said. CLIA's Hamburg office said: 'CLIA Members have suspended crew movements from mainland China and will deny boarding to any individual, whether guest or crew, who has travelled from or through mainland China within the previous 14 days.' The industry body added that cruise ships were well equipped to deal with health emergencies. CLIA represents some of the world's largest and best-known cruise lines, including TUI, AIDA, MSC, Costa, Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruises. The Costa Smeralda cruise ship docked in the Civitavecchia port on Thursday. It was later revealed that the two Chinese passengers tested for the virus were negative A bus leaving the harbour where the Costa Smeralda cruise ship is docked in Civitavecchia on Thursday as thousands of stranded tourists were free to leave 'The cruise industry is one of the most well-equipped and experienced when it comes to managing and monitoring health conditions of passengers and crew,' the statement said. All ships are fitted with medical facilities and have medical professionals 'available around the clock', it added. The SARS-like virus that first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan last month has infected more than 17,000 people and killed over 360 so far. It has spread to more than 24 countries, including Australia, Germany and Japan. In a sign of growing anxiety, more than 6,000 tourists were temporarily confined to their cruise ship at an Italian port last week after two Chinese passengers fell ill. They later tested negative for the coronavirus. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down an Arizona law last week that would have criminalized the delivery of other people's early ballots. In its decision, the 11-judge panel mentioned the 15th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution 19 times, reaching back 150 years to halt what's perceived as modern-day voter suppression. The lasting power of the 15th Amendment, which awarded African Americans the right to vote, resonates today in courtrooms across America. But Civil War scholars and voting rights advocates warn that the amendment should serve as a cautionary tale: Challenges to voting rights today, from photo ID requirements to registration restrictions in some states, echo those that have plagued the 15th Amendment for more than a century. On Monday, America celebrates the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment. This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, that won women the right to vote, and the 55th anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which cemented voting rights for Black citizens all in a presidential election year. Its a remarkable accomplishment given that slavery was such a dominant institution before the Civil War, Columbia University history professor and author Eric Foner said of the 15th Amendment. But the history of the 15th Amendment also shows rights can never be taken for granted: Things can be achieved and things can be taken away. Alabama residents stand in line outside the U.S. Supreme Court to attend oral arguments as the high court considered Shelby County v. Holder on Feb. 27, 2013. The 15th Amendment was the last of three Constitutional amendments passed in the wake of the Civil War. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery and the 14th Amendment granted African Americans citizenship and equal treatment under the law. Abraham Lincolns Republican Party knew they needed to enshrine voting rights in law and, after much debate in Congress, drafted the 15th Amendment, declaring that the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Story continues Its passage touched off widespread celebrations. According to Foners book, "The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution," African Americans called the amendment the nations second birth and a greater revolution than that of 1776. Seven thousand Blacks squeezed down Broadway in New York City for a celebratory march and in Baltimore, some 10,000 people took part in a massive parade of Black army regiments, militia companies, trade unions and other groups, according to the book. African Americans many of them newly freed slaves put their newfound freedom to use, voting in scores of Black candidates. During Reconstruction, 16 Black men served in Congress and 2,000 Black men served in elected local, state and federal positions, Foner said. There was tremendous optimism and hope and there was voting, said historian Yohuru Williams of St. Thomas University in Minneapolis. Clearly, the amendment has impact. But its short-lived. The amendments main flaw was that it didnt guarantee citizens the right to vote it only said that states couldnt bar voting on the basis of race or color, Williams said. Starting around 1900, states found workarounds to the law, enacting poll tax laws and literacy tests as means of restricting the Black vote. Also, intimidation and violence from groups like the Ku Klux Klan greatly diminished Black voting. From 1901 to 1928, no Black members served in Congress. Women's rights advocates Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony also attacked the measure, complaining that the 15th Amendment didn't include women's rights. It wouldn't be until 1920 and the 19th Amendment that those rights would be ratified. It would take the blood and effort of the Civil Rights Era of the 1950s and '60s to affix voting rights for Blacks via the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Williams said. That act more definitively prohibited racial discrimination in voting and gave teeth to the 15th Amendment. The fatal defect of the 15th Amendment was enforcement, he said. You needed a second Civil War Reconstruction the Civil Rights Era to make those amendments real. The lack of a national voting right continues plaguing Americans today, said Allan Lichtman, an American University history professor and author of "The Embattled Vote in America: From the Founding to the Present." Recent voting initiatives, such as stricter photo ID requirements, poll closures and early voting cutbacks have disproportionately impacted minority communities, Lichtman said. Backers of the laws say they're created to prevent voter fraud and other irregularities. Since 2010, 24 states have put in place new voting restrictions, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law. "The debates over the 15th Amendment are incredibly relevant today in the new wave of these restrictive measures," Lichtman said. "We need a constitutional right to vote. We need to join virtually every other democracy and do that." Ali Lozano, voting rights outreach coordinator at the Texas Civil Rights Project, said she's continually fighting against intrusion into the 15th Amendment and 1965 Voting Rights Act in Texas, from voter purge lists to racial gerrymandering to voter intimidation at the polls. The voter suppression initiatives she encounters are usually aimed at minority communities, she said. "I consider it an aspirational law," Lozano said of the 15th Amendment. "People need to be aware there's a difference between passage and implementation. There's a question about how these policies are implemented and are they doing what they're intended to do?" Jill Savitt, president and chief executive of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, said the 15th Amendment's significance is "enormous," given all the blood that was shed to adopt that amendment. But it should be remembered in the context of all the recent challenges to voting rights. "The spirit of the 15th Amendment, on its 150th anniversary, is choking," she said. "It's not being lived up to in law or in spirit." The 15th Amendment's legacy is one of remarkable accomplishment, Foner said. Just five years after the end of slavery, America allowed former slaves to participate in its democracy a singular feat among countries that abolished slavery, he said. But voting rights have been assailed ever since, Foner said. "It's a very checkered history," he said. "American history is not just greater and greater freedom for everyone. Sometimes, it goes backward." Jervis is the Austin-based national correspondent for USA TODAY. Follow him on Twitter: @MrRJervis. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Black voting rights, 15th Amendment still challenged after 150 years Hyderabad: The medical kits for testing of coronavirus are ready in the laboratory in Gandhi Hospital and health minister Etala Rajender has inspected the hospital premises on Monday. The health minister checked the virology laboratory and also wore the full protection gear which is going to be used by the microbiologists and also the doctors who are going to be involved in treating these cases. The health minister stated that they had sufficient stock and were also looking forward to procuring more of it in order to ensure that there is enough in case of an emergency. There is no positive case in Telangana till now but we are prepared for any emergency stated Mr Rajender. PRISTINA -- Kosovo's parliament has voted to support a new government under Albin Kurti following four months of coalition talks between the Balkan country's two main parties. A total of 66 lawmakers in the 120-seat parliament approved the new government on February 3, a day after his leftist-nationalist Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) party and the center-right Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) signed a coalition deal. Ten deputies abstained and none voted against. Opposition lawmakers left the chamber shortly before the vote. Later in the day, Vjosa Osmani of the LDK was elected the new speaker of parliament as part of the power-sharing agreement with Vetevendosje . Vetevendosje topped the October 6 snap general elections but fell short of a majority. The party received 29 seats in parliament and LDK one fewer. Addressing lawmakers before the vote, Kurti said his proposed cabinet included five women. He also said his government would strive to cut unneeded expenses and save public funds. We will have 15 ministries, not 21 like there were before. We will have 33 deputy ministers and not more than 80 like we had before. So, fewer expenses on posts and privileges in order to spend more in development projects, he said. The early elections were triggered by Prime Minister Ramush Haradinajs resignation in July after prosecutors at a Netherlands-based international court summoned him for questioning over his wartime role as a commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army. The election campaign was dominated by issues of corruption, high unemployment, and a possible deal with Serbia, which continues to consider its former province part of its territory. Kosovos independence, declared in 2008, has been recognized by about 100 countries, including the United States. [February 02, 2020] GetSwift Acquires Majority Stake in European Information and Communications Technology Firm Logo d.o.o. GetSwift Limited (ASX: GSW) ('GetSwift' or the 'Company'), a leading provider of SaaS (News - Alert) logistics technology, announced it has acquired a majority stake in Logo d.o.o. ('Logo'), an Information and Communications technology firm, creating a combined company with over 200 staff. With the acquisition of Logo, GetSwift can offer clients a suite of complementary services in areas including data centers, communications infrastructure, and Infosec, among others. The combined company's offerings of both SaaS logistics and technical services will position it uniquely as a one-stop shop, enabling GetSwift to work with larger enterprise clients and accelerate its global expansion. Concurrent with the transaction, GetSwift CEO Bane Hunter has, at the request of Logo's shareholders, become Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Logo while GetSwift Chief Operating Officer Robert Bardunias has become Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Logo. GetSwift and Logo offer complemntary services to customers. The two companies currently serve some common clients and partners that include multinational firms operating across diverse industries. Logo was founded in 1990, and has built a track record of leading technical services to a range of enterprise and government clients. Logo's specialties include network and communication systems, data centers, telecommunications infrastructure, Infosec and infrastructure safety systems, along with building automation systems. Under the terms of the transaction, GetSwift's acquisition consideration for a majority stake in the share capital of Logo is EUR 5.5 million in cash. GetSwift will fund the cash consideration from cash from its balance sheet. The transaction is not subject to any financing condition. Dentons acted as legal advisor to GetSwift on this transaction. About GetSwift Limited Technology to Optimise Global Delivery Logistics GetSwift is a worldwide leader in delivery management automation. From enterprise to hyper-local, businesses across dozens of industries around the globe depend on our SaaS platform to bring visibility, accountability, efficiency and savings to their supply chain and "Last Mile (News - Alert)" operations. GetSwift is headquartered in New York City and is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX:GSW). For further background, please visit GetSwift.co. GetSwift is an emerging growth company and is subject to a variety of risks. The Company is not yet profitable, and there can be no assurance that it will achieve profitability. The Company's business and a variety of investment considerations are discussed in more detail in the Company's filings with the Australia Securities Exchange (ASX). Investors are encouraged to review the more complete information contained in such filings. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200202005030/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 17:14:45|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close TEHRAN, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian foreign ministry said on Monday that U.S. president's recent Middle East peace plan, also known as the Deal of the Century, pays no heed to the Palestinians' rights. "The Deal of the Century is one of the shameful proposals and initiatives by the United States," Abbas Mousavi, the ministry spokesman, said at his weekly press conference. The U.S. plan is "an imposed peace and sale of the Palestinian territory," Mousavi added. "Iran will side with the Palestinians in liberating al-Quds (Jerusalem)," he noted. On Jan. 29, U.S. President Donald Trump revealed his long-awaited Middle East peace plan, which promises to keep Jerusalem as Israel's undivided capital, proposes an independent Palestinian state and recognizes Israeli sovereignty over West Bank settlements. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 19:30:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RAMALLAH, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday threatened to cut off security coordination with Israel and the United States should they press ahead with the U.S. Middle East peace plan, also known as the Deal of the Century. Abbas issued the warning during the opening of the Palestinian cabinet meeting he chaired in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The security channel is the only connection Palestine has maintained with the U.S. government for now, while the relationship with Israel is now based on commercial exchange and security coordination, he noted. Abbas revealed that he will present a counter-proposal during his address to the UN Security Council next week. Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his long-awaited Middle East peace plan at the White House in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Categorically rejecting Trump's plan, the Palestinian leadership said they were not consulted on the plan which is not based on international resolutions. ABC/Lou RoccoA teen who garnered national attention after refusing to cut his dreadlocks to follow his school's dress code will now walk the Oscars red carpet with actress Gabrielle Union. Deandre Arnold, a senior in Mont Belvieu, Texas, said school officials told him he couldn't return or walk at graduation until he cut his long dreadlocks. Arnold, his family members and activists attended a school board meeting in January to protest the haircut request. Arnold remains suspended. In support to the graduating teen, Dwyane Wade and Union, who's one of the producers of the Oscar-nominated short film Hair Love, invited Arnold to the 2020 Academy Awards after hearing his story. Matthew A. Cherry, Hair Love's writer and co-director, also announced via Twitter that Arnold and his family will be flown out to Los Angeles for Oscars night with Wade and Union taking care of their lodging and car service. In a video, Cherry, Union and Wade addressed Arnold and delivered the news of his Oscars invite. "When we heard about this amazing story of a young black father with long, beautiful locks just trying to figure out how to do his daughter's hair, we knew that we had to support any way we could," Union said, drawing parallels between Arnold's story and Hair Love, which tells the story of a father who learns how to do his daughters hair for the first time. Union went on, "The same way as when we heard about your story and you just wanting to wear your hair the way you want at school, and all the scrutiny you face and how unwavering you have been in standing up for yourself." The Oscars airs Sunday, February 9 on ABC. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Romacorp, Inc., the parent company of Tony Roma's welcomes its 37th restaurant to open in Spain and 21st restaurant in Madrid with its newest location at Plaza Republica de Ecuador. Romacorp, Inc., the parent company of Tony Roma's welcomes its 37th restaurant to open in Spain and 21st restaurant in Madrid with its newest location at Plaza Republica de Ecuador. Led by partner, Beer & Food, this multi-brand company took control as the master franchisee in 2018 and has created tremendous growth throughout the country. "We are proud to help grow the Tony Roma's brand, offering outstanding dining experiences in Spain and beyond," said Beer & Food CEO Sergio Rivas. "Whether you are a first-time guest or a lifelong fan, Tony Roma's has a unique way of drawing people in from around the world with its quality food, excellent service and relaxed environment that keeps guests coming back again." The brand-new restaurant is located at Plaza Republica de Ecuador and is 261 square meters. It is surrounded by both businesses and bustling residential areas, making it a hotspot for travelers, families and anyone looking to enjoy great food and refreshing drinks. This Tony Roma's location seats up to 119 people throughout an expansive main dining room, a bar complete with multiple TVs, and an outdoor patio area. "We're proud to call Madrid home to more than 20 restaurants," said President and CEO, John Brisco of Romacorp, Inc. "Tony Roma's has been a guest favorite in Spain for more than two decades, and we are proud to work with such a dedicated team, as they continue to bring the Tony Roma's brand experience and our World-Famous Baby Back Ribs to new fans throughout the country." The grand opening welcomes guests to enjoy a rib tasting to sample their World-Famous Baby Back Ribs, a recipe and technique that has been perfected for more than 48 years. The menu will include favorites like juicy Filet Medallions, Grilled Shrimp Scampi Pasta and the World-Famous Onion Loaf. Guests can also enjoy the full-service bar to try signature cocktails like the Tony Roma's Romarita as well as other liquor, beer, wine and non-alcoholic drinks. The new restaurant will be open every day beginning at 1:00 p.m. and offers lunch and dinner. Closing hours vary by the day. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Restaurant industry news and trends. Subscribe 2022 Restaurant News Resource WASHINGTON -- When the impeachment process was first raised at the 1787 convention in Philadelphia, it led to a furious argument among the delegates. "One of the most hotly debated clauses in the Constitution deals with the removal of federal government officials," writes Scott Bomboy, the editor in chief of the National Constitution Center. "But what did the founders who crafted that language think about the process and its overall intention? "The need for the ultimate check, and in particular the removal of the president, in a system of checks and balances was brought up early at the 1787 convention in Philadelphia," he tells us. "Constitutional heavyweights such as James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, James Wilson and Gouverneur Morris debated the impeachment clause at the convention, and Alexander Hamilton argued for it in The Federalist after the convention," Bomboy writes. President Donald Trump, and his White House allies insist he has done nothing wrong. But the White House produced texts of phone conversations Trump had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump asked Zelensky that "I would like you to do us a favor." The favor Trump sought from Zelensky was to have his government investigate how one of his rivals in this year's election -- former Vice President Joe Biden -- may have helped his son, Hunter, land a high-paying job on the board of Burisma, one of Ukraine's largest private gas companies. Hanging in the balance of Trump's request was multimillion dollars in U.S. defense aid that the president had reportedly withheld, pending his requested investigation. But Trump's lawyers have countered such arguments, saying, "The president cannot be removed from office because House Democrats deliberately misconstrue one of his commonly used phrases." "That transcript of the call to [Zelensky]," Trump's lawyers said, shows that the president was speaking about issues of burden-sharing among European nations as well as corruption -- two foreign policy issues that not only were in his purview as commander in chief but reflected his 'longstanding concerns' about foreign aid," the Washington Post said. "As for the obstruction of Congress charge, the president's legal team called it frivolous and dangerous" because Trump, as president, had the right to argue that he was merely defending his executive privileges, the Post reported. "Accepting that unprecedented approach [from the Democrats] would fundamentally damage the separation of powers by making the House itself the sole judge of its authority," White House lawyers argued in their brief. That, in some ways, echoes concerns expressed in the debate over including the impeachment clause at the 1787 convention. Bomboy's analysis points out that "Gouverneur Morris and Charles Pinckney were also both concerned about impeaching a president. Morris feared that a president would feel beholden to the branch of government that could impeach him, leading the president to become 'a tool of a faction.'" But Bomboy also points out, "They were in the minority. James Madison saw the impeachment clause as 'indispensable ... for defending the community [against] the incapacity, negligence or perfidy of the chief magistrate.' "Elbridge Gerry stated that impeachment was needed as a check against the abuse of presidential power. 'A good magistrate will not fear [impeachments]. A bad one ought to be kept in fear of them,' he argued. "George Mason then refuted Morris' argument that only the president's assistants should face the impeachment process. 'No point is of more importance than that the right of impeachment should be continued. Shall any man be above Justice?' he asked. ... "Eventually, Morris changed his mind 'on the issue of executive impeachment, and eight of the 10 delegations' approved the impeachment clause's addition to the draft Constitution," Bomboy writes. "Into August and September 1787, the process became more defined. The Supreme Court was removed as a possible trial venue; a two-thirds vote requirement was required for conviction in the Senate; and George Mason added the words 'high crimes and misdemeanors.'" Yet questions remain about the founding fathers' final work on impeachment, the center's Keith Whittington says in a followup essay. "But what might fall into the category of 'other high crimes and misdemeanors' was still quite unclear." Donald Lambro has been covering Washington politics for more than 50 years as a reporter, editor and commentator. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 S Guru Srikanth By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: The Kisan Rail announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget 2020 will be a boon to the farmers of Andhra Pradesh, especially those cultivating horticulture crops, said Horticulture Commissioner Chiranjeevi Chowdary. Speaking to TNIE, he said a huge variety of horticulture crops including banana, mango, sweet lime, vegetables including tomato are cultivated in the State to a large extent and are exported to other States, especially the Northern States like Delhi. Most importantly, it will help in the reduction of post-harvest residue and contain post-harvest losses since the perishable commodities would be transported in climate-controlled containers. Andhra Pradesh produces around 138 types of vegetables and fruits and most of them are exported to other States and other countries. The new initiative of the Centre is sure to help the State and encourage more farmers to go for horticulture corps. The Farmers Producer Organisations (FPO) being encouraged in the State would prove to be of great help in facilitating the bulk export of horticulture produce to different States using the Kisan Rail scheme. According to Chowdary, the Department of Horticulture of Andhra Pradesh had signed an MoU with Desi Fruits Venture (DVF) and Concor (Container Corporation of India) under FPO-PPP, which is a tripartite agreement. On January 30, the first train shipment of bananas procured by DVF from FPOs in Anantapur district was dispatched in 43 refrigerator containers from Tadipatri. A total of 890 metric tonnes of Bananas were sent to Mumbai port for exporting the same to Iran and other Middle Eastern countries. The shipment should have reached the port by now. The train shipments will be dispatched twice a week till the end of the banana season, which is expected to be around April 15, Horticulture commissioner said. He said the department is also requesting the Indian Railways to attach 2-3 containers in Express Trains to transport horticulture produce from Rayalaseema districts to Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata on a regular basis. The Chief General Manager - South Central Region at Concor, D Satyanarayan, at the time of the first train shipment of bananas from Anantapur district, had said trains will help farmers in a big way in connecting with exporters. Hollywood leading man Johnny Depp disappeared from the red carpets about two years ago, a victim of #MeToo hysteria, based on an op-ed from his ex-wife, Amber Heard, alleging that he was a woman-abuser. According to the Guardian, his career was over. Just one problem: The allegations now look as though they aren't even true. According to a tape, turns out Depp was the one being abused, not the other way around. Here's Megan Fox from PJ Media, describing what the story is now: A leaked audio conversation between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard is blowing up Hollywood. The audio reveals Heard confessing to committing physical violence against Depp. After BuzzFeed published photos of Heard with bruises and accusations of abuse against Depp, his life fell apart. Depp was implicated in the #MeToo movement and branded as a wife-abuser. He was dropped from "Pirates of the Caribbean" in 2018 and many speculate it was because of the allegations. Depp was pretty easy to accuse, given his chaotic life. He'd gotten into fights. He'd had problems with drugs. So the accusations were taken as #MeToo Gospel and from there, Depp's career went downhill. Heard even loudly donated half her 2016-2017 $7 million divorce settlement to the American Civil Liberties Union, all in the name of preventing violence against women. For a year or so, Depp has quietly been trying to recover his good name. Here's the narrative layout as it happened from Wikipedia: In early 2019, Depp sued Heard for US$50 million for defamation over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in December 2018, which "depended on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her,"[155][156] despite it not mentioning Depp or any of the alleged incidences of violence perpetrated by him.[149] Heard has asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuitwhich Depp filed in Virginiaso that the case could be tried in California, where some of the incidents took place and most of the witnesses reside.[157][158] As part of the suit, Depp submitted documents claiming that Heard had in fact physically abused him during the marriage rather than the other way around, a claim which Heard denies.[158] In early 2020 Depp released audio recordings that implied Heard had admitted to hitting Depp and throwing things at him. Both parties admitted on the recordings to fights that "got physical", and that Heard started some of these fights.[159] The tape obtained by the Daily Mail reveals that Heard was the one continuously assaulting Depp, complete with classic rationalizations from a typical abuser as her stated self-justification: The two debate the degree to which Heard injured Depp. At one point, Heard tells Depp she was hitting him: "Babe, you're not punched ... I don't know what the motion of my actual hand was, but you're fine. I did not hurt you, I did not punch you, I was hitting you." At another point, Depp can be heard saying, "I do not want to leave you. I do not want a divorce, I do not want you out of my life. I just want peace. If things get physical, we have to separate." Heard replied she couldn't promise that she would "be perfect, I can't promise you I won't get physical again." "God, I (expletive) sometimes get so mad I lose it," she added. "I can (expletive) promise you I can do everything to change." Memo to Amber: You don't hit anyone, ever. Forget the punch thing. It turns out that Depp was the one being abused, not Heard. Heard admitted to incident after incident of abuse with Depp trying to get away from her. Much more from the hideous encounters and rationalizations of abuse can be heard on the Daily Mail's nonshareable tape, here. It's a textbook case of the problems with rushes to judgment. Up until now, the left has been selling the "believe women" line, dragging all sorts of unpowerful people into oblivion, and even a presumably untouchable leading movie star as well. Depp's Wikipedia page said that up until his downfall, he had been the third highest grossing movie star of all time. According to this report cited by the Guardian, 40% of domestic violence victims are men and their calls for help are usually ignored by the cops. In Depp's case, he could do nothing about Heard's attacks except to quietly try to exonerate himself, now with the release of this tape. One hopes that this case, as high profile as it is, might prove to be a watershed for the cause of believing evidence, as writer Megan Fox says, rather than believing women. At a minimum, Depp has been unfairly taken down by one-sided accusations from someone with a self-interest in hiding her own role, which is now being revealed as quite possibly to be that of an abuser. Is there justice for Johnny, as the twitterati are tweeting? One hopes the tide will turn. Image credit: Pexels public domain FEBRUARY 3, 2020 Throughout February, UTSA will celebrate Black History Month with speeches, discussions and film screenings that honor African American heritage; thoughtfully remember the civil rights leaders who paved the way for racial equality; and encourage diversity and inclusion in the present and future. Roadrunners are invited to join student organizations, colleges and departments at all events. Black History Month Kickoff Monday, Feb. 3, 11 a.m. Student Union, Window Lounge, Main Campus The event will include tabling and a mobile library as a prelude to the 2020 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lecture. 2020 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture: Peniel E. Joseph Monday, Feb. 3, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Student Union, Denman Room (SU 2.01.28), Main Campus Peniel E. Joseph, founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the University of Texas at Austin, will give , founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the University of Texas at Austin, will give UTSAs 2020 Dr. Martin Luther Jr. Lecture related to his 2019 book, The Sword and The Shield, about the lives of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X and how they transformed the aesthetics of American democracy. Joseph has appeared on programs such as PBS NewsHour, MSNBCs Morning Joe and The Colbert Report. Explore UTSA Libraries' resources and archival collections for Black History Month. Speaker: Dante D. Bryant Wednesday, Feb. 5, 3:30 p.m. H-E-B Student Union, Bexar Room (HSU 1.102), Main Campus University of North Carolina at Charlotte social work professor Dante D. Bryant will explore the historical dehumanization of African American bodies and its impact on current health care outcomes. His research focuses on racial institutional inequity and black and white body politics in the United States. In this speech Bryant will discuss the socialized nature of vulnerability, particularly in regard to medicine. Film screening: Walk on the River: A Black History of the Alamo City Monday, Feb. 10, 13 p.m. Main Building (MB 1.120), Main Campus This film documents both the history and the contributions that African Americans have made to the fabric of San Antonio from emancipation to the present. Walk on the River chronicles the path of freed blacks establishing communities, churches and schools in the 1800s to thriving black-owned businesses that flourished during the Jim Crow era. UTSA's NAACP chapter events Get to Know NAACP: Monday, Feb. 10, 7 p.m., Location to be announced NAACP Black Business Expo: Tuesday, Feb. 11, 7 p.m., Location to be announced Silent Library: Wednesday, Feb. 12, 10:30 a.m. in Sombrilla Plaza The UTSA chapter of the NAACP encourages the public to learn more about the organization and its duty to ensure political, educational, social and economic equality for all citizens. Follow @UTSA_NAACP on Twitter for announcements on the locations of these events. Speaker: Shomari Wills Wednesday, Feb. 12, 5 p.m. Igo Library, 13330 Kyle Seale Parkway, San Antonio Shomari Wills will discuss his 2018 book, Black Fortunes, which captures the little-known stories of the first six African Americans who escaped slavery and became millionaire entrepreneurs. Sponsored by UTSAs African American Studies Program, author and former CNN and ABC journalistwill discuss his 2018 book, Black Fortunes, which captures the little-known stories of the first six African Americans who escaped slavery and became millionaire entrepreneurs. Discussion: Raising an African American Male Thursday, Feb. 13, noon to 2 p.m. Main Building (MB 2.01.06), Main Campus This panel discussion focuses on the struggles parents face raising young black boys in American society. Panelists for the event include African American Network creator Laura Thompson and Tracei Hervey. Discussion: Integrating African American Studies in Texas High Schools Tuesday, Feb. 18, 5:30 p.m. John Peace Library, Assembly Room (JPL 4.04.22), Main Campus This panel discussion focuses on the recently passed legislation for African American curriculum in Texas public schools. Panelists for the event include UTSA professor Ann Marie Ryan, UTSA lecturer Mario Marcel Salas, Texas A&MSan Antonio professor Lawrence Scott, and attorney and Texas NAACP President Gary Bledsoe. Black History Worship Experience Friday, Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m. Student Union, Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24), Main Campus Worship alongside Voices in Praise, a student organization dedicated to enriching the UTSA community through gospel music. Film screening: I Am Not Your Negro Tuesday, Feb. 25 47 p.m. John Peace Library, Assembly Room (JPL 4.04.22), Main Campus This Academy Awardnominated documentary explores race in the U.S. from the civil rights era to the present-day #BlackLivesMatter movement. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, the film uses an unpublished manuscript by American author and activist James Baldwin and a flood of rich archival material to look critically at the history of racism in the country. The screening will be followed by a faculty-led discussion. Discussion: Celebrating Activism Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2 p.m. Student Union, Retama Auditorium (SU 2.02.02), Main Campus This panel discussion is sponsored by UTSA African American Studies. Speaker: Bree Newsome Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2 p.m. Student Union, Denman Room (SU 2.01.28), Main Campus Bree Newsome is an artist, musician, producer, writer, consultant, activist and NAACP Image Award winner who drew national attention in 2015 when she climbed the flagpole in front of South Carolinas capitol and lowered the Confederate battle flag in the aftermath of the Charleston church shooting. Movie premiere: Walk on the River 2.0: The African Influence in San Antonio Saturday, Feb. 29, 69 p.m. Buena Vista Theater (BVB 1.326), Downtown Campus This follow-up to the original Walk on the River documentary focuses on the presence and influence that people of African descent had in the San Antonio area before and during enslavement, including African Americans who fought in the Battle of the Alamo. A Q&A session with the director and producer of the film will be held after the films showing. PM Modi to inaugurate 11 new medical colleges in Tamil Nadu on Jan 12 In first visit to Northeast after anti-CAA protests, Modi to address rally in Assam on Feb 7 India pti-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Feb 03: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Bodo-dominated Kokrajhar town of Assam on February 7. This will be the prime minister's first visit to the Northeast since it witnessed several anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in which three people were killed. Prime Minister Modi will visit Assam on February 7 and address a rally in Kokrajhar, a government official said. The visit comes a week after the central government signed a peace pact with several Bodo militant groups and a student body. The signing of the Bodo agreement led to surrender of over 1,500 militants of the major insurgent group National Democratic Front of Boroland. A summit meeting between Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, scheduled to be held in Guwahati in December, was also cancelled due to the anti-CAA protests. Modi was also invited for the inauguration of the recently-concluded 'Khelo India' games in Guwahati but he did not attend it. Imperial Valley News Center Criminal Defendant to Serve Additional Prison Time for Lying on Pre-Sentencing Financial Disclosure Form Miami, Florida - A currently imprisoned Florida businessman was sentenced to an additional 20 months in prison today for willfully omitting assets from a pre-sentencing financial disclosure form he provided to the Justice Department, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman and of the Justice Departments Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez for the Middle District of Florida. According to documents filed with the court, Casey Padula, 51, formerly of Port Charlotte, Florida, made the false statements on a financial disclosure statement he was required to submit to the government after pleading guilty to tax and bank fraud. On July 17, 2017, in the prior prosecution, Padula was sentenced to 57 months in prison on one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to commit bank fraud. Padula admitted he used offshore entities and accounts to commit the tax fraud and carried out the bank fraud by conducting a fraudulent short-sale transaction designed to reduce or eliminate his $1.5 million mortgage. As part of his plea agreement, Padula was required to provide a full and accurate financial disclosure statement to the government. Instead, Padula submitted a false financial disclosure statement in which he omitted numerous assets, including a boat valued at almost $340,000, at least $80,000 in cash, and a $90,000 Mercedes he had recently purchased for his daughter. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Chapa Lopez thanked special agents of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant Chief Todd Ellinwood of the Tax Division, who is prosecuting the case. The president noted that thanks to intelligence services, Ukraine got hold of intercepted communications between the Iranian air traffic control tower and a pilot of an Iranian passenger jet. The Iranian side initially knew about the downing of a Ukrainian plane near Tehran on January 8, which is evidenced by a recording of intercepted radio communications of a Tehran Airport ATC tower, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said. "The release of a new record of communications between the Tehran ATC dispatcher and the pilot of the Iranian airline, who saw the missile launch and hit the UIA flight, proves that the Iranian side knew from the very beginning that the plane had been hit by a missile, they'd already known this at the time it was downed," the head of state said in an interview with TSN.Tyzhden Sunday night. The president added that "thanks to the intelligence services, we got a recording of communications between the Iranian dispatcher and the pilot of the Iranian plane." Read alsoPS752 downing: Ukraine releases intercepted tower communications proving Iran was aware of missile launch all along Zelensky noted that Ukraine had rejected all along the version of the Iranian side that the incident was a result of a technical error was rejected by Ukraine. "We knew this couldn't be the case. I talked about this, maybe not so openly. But, when we came to see parents and relatives of all victims, I said there had been no crew error, that we know this for sure. We knew then this was a new jet and one of our best crews. We understood that the Iranians we don't know who exactly sought to unlawfully defend themselves in such a way to push in the media space the information that this had been a technical error. But we already had evidence that this couldn't be the case," the president added. Zelensky said that on the night following the tragedy, a group of 45 Ukrainian experts was deployed in Iran. "We were struck that on the first day they had no access anywhere. They couldn't find many parts of the plane wreckage there was no cockpit, no seats. And in such cases, by the seats it's often possible to establish whether there was an explosion, since particles, parts of the device get stuck in soft tissue. It could have been a missile or something that could have penetrated the plane. The commission told us that there is a problem with the parts of the plane wreckage ... We immediately received all this information from our experts," the president said. At the same time, Zelensky noted that Ukrainian experts had no access to the air traffic control room or any records. Read alsoUkraine wants to know "who gave the order" to shoot down PS752 in Iran Prystaiko As UNIAN reported earlier, Kyiv-bound UIA flight PS752 crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport in the early hours of January 8. It was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members on board. Two passengers and the crew members were Ukrainians. There were also 82 citizens of Iran, 63 citizens of Canada, 10 citizens of Sweden, four citizens of Afghanistan, three citizens of Germany and the United Kingdom each. There were no survivors. On January 11, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani officially admitted that the Ukrainian airliner had been shot down by accident as a result of a "human error" and that those responsible would be held accountable. Activist Urvashi Chudawala who identifies as Kris was on Monday booked for sedition by the Mumbai Police for allegedly raising 'anti-national' slogans in support of JNU student Sharjeel Imam at an LGBTQ event, the Mumbai Pride, held at the Azad Maidan on 1 February, an officer said. Activist Urvashi Chudawala who self-identifies as Kris was booked for sedition on Monday by the Mumbai Police for allegedly raising "anti-national" slogans in support of JNU student Sharjeel Imam at an LGBTQ event, the Mumbai Pride, held at the Azad Maidan on 1 February, an officer said. Besides Kris, 50 others were also booked under sections 124 (A) (sedition), 153 (B) (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 505 (statement conducing to public mischief) and 34 (Common Intention) of the Indian penal code, said Pranay Ashok, Deputy Commissioner of Police. "We have registered an FIR against Chudawala (Kris) and 50 others. We will call them to (Azad Maidan) police station for further investigation," he said. The case was registered by the Azad Maidan police after a video purportedly of Kris raising the slogans went viral after an event on 1 February. A police official said Kris was at the forefront in raising the slogan "Sharjeel Tere Sapno ko Hum Manzil Tak Pahuchaege (Sharjeel, We will realise your dreams)". A complaint in this regard was lodged by former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya on 2 February, he said. Tweeting the video of the activist raising the slogans at the event, Somaiya had warned of staging a protest if the police failed to register the case against Kris and others. Imam was arrested from Bihar's Jehanabad on January 28 for allegedly making inflammatory speeches at the Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi and in Aligarh. Imam, a PhD student at the Jawaharlal Nehru University's Centre for Historical Studies, was booked in sedition cases lodged across several states for alleged "inflammatory" speeches made during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. With inputs from PTI Producer and President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy and Daisy Ridley participate in the press conference for "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker", 2019. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney) Kathleen Kennedy has no doubt that a future Star Wars film will be directed by a female filmmaker. Speaking to BBC News ahead of the Baftas last night, the President of Lucasfilm was asked whether the film franchise could get a female director soon, to which she definitively replied: Oh absolutely, without question. Kennedy was at the awards show to receive a Bafta Fellowship, the highest accolade bestowed by the British Academy, presented to her by Bafta president Prince William and Star Wars actors Daisy Ridley and John Boyega at the end of the main event. BBC reporter Colin Paterson put Kennedy on the spot ahead of the awards ceremony, asking the producer of all the recent Star Wars films, When do you think well get a female director of a Star Wars film? All of the eleven live action Star Wars films to date have been directed by men, but Kennedy explained the series was working with a number of female directors on the Disney+ spin-off shows. Read more: When Kenobi is set Weve already got [female directors], Kennedy explained to Paterson. Were doing Mandalorian, and weve got two or three fantastic women working with Star Wars, and we just brought in Deborah Chow, whos doing the Obi-Wan [Kenobi] series. Were cultivating a lot of great talent. HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 16: Director Deborah Chow attends the premiere of Disney's "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" on December 16, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Ethan Miller/FilmMagic) Chow directed Chapter 3: The Sin and Chapter 7: The Reckoning of the Disney+ series which stars Pedro Pascal, and was recently announced as the sole director of the upcoming Ewan McGregor series. Bryce Dallas Howard directed Chapter 4: Sanctuary of The Mandalorian. Kennedy has spoken in the past about her intention to hire a female filmmaker for Star Wars, teasing her plan for an internal incubation process at the studio. We want to make sure that when we bring a female director in to do Star Wars, theyre set up for success, Kennedy told Variety in 2016. Theyre gigantic films, and you cant come into them with essentially no experience. We want to really start to focus in on people we would love to work with and see what kinds of things theyre doing to progress up that ladder now, and then pull them in when the time is right. Story continues Read more: Possible plots for Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+ Victoria Mahoney made Star Wars history with 2019s The Rise of Skywalker. She was the films second unit director, making her the first black female filmmaker to direct any Star Wars. HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 16: Filmmaker and actress Victoria Mahoney attends the premiere of Disney's "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" on December 16, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Ethan Miller/FilmMagic) Diversity was a hot topic at the Baftas due to a lack of non-white acting nominees and all-male directing category. The Duke of Cambridge addressed the issues around diversity before presenting Kathleen Kennedy with the Bafta Fellowship. He praised the "exceptional film-making" that had been highlighted during the ceremony, and reflected on his 10 years as Bafta president, joking that he did not know if he should be "proud or slightly alarmed" at how many of the winners "have portrayed members of my own family". Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in cinemas now. PORTAGE, MI -- Portage Public Schools said there is no confirmed case of coronavirus in the district after an email sent to parents Sunday night sparked confusion. The district first reported to parents in an email sent Sunday, Feb. 2, that school officials were aware of one case involving coronavirus, but later said in a social media post that the case referred to in the email was that of someone who traveled to an affected area overseas. In the original email, shared online by parents, the district said the communication intended to provide parents with information should anyone in our school community be exposed to the coronavirus, including one case that we are aware of. In comments responding to the social media post, many parents asked whether they should allow their children to attend school and complained the districts email was confusing. Portage Public Schools later posted on Facebook that the case mentioned in the original email referred to someone who traveled to China, and that there was no confirmed case in Portage of the 2019 novel coronavirus, which was recently named a global health emergency. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused, the district said. To clarify, there is no confirmed case of coronavirus in Portage Public Schools. The "case" referred to is that of someone having traveled to China. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. Posted by Portage Public Schools on Sunday, February 2, 2020 The new strand of a coronavirus caused a deadly outbreak beginning in Wuhan, China. The United States reported the first confirmed instance of person-to-person spread of this virus on Thursday, Jan. 30, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. There are six confirmed cases in the country as of Monday, according to the CDC. In the email sent to Portage parents, the district said they are working with health officials and will follow the direction of authorities, including the use of a 14-day quarantine for anyone who may have been exposed. Any student exposed to the virus will not attend school, the district said. The district asked for anyone who has traveled to affected areas to contact the administration. In the email, Portage school officials also said the district is already taking precautions because of flu season and advised students and their families to take precautions against spreading illnesses. By working together, staying informed and being diligent we can all do our part to get through this flu season and keep everyone as healthy as possible, the email read. Also on MLive: Last possible coronavirus case in Michigan ruled negative Stanford doctor talks coronavirus, everything you need to know New potential Michigan coronavirus case being investigated, officials say Stanley B. Caplen, 84, of Blue Bell, former owner-operator of one of the nations largest food service supply and equipment companies, died Thursday, Jan. 23, of pancreatic cancer at his home. Born in South Philadelphia and raised in Oak Lane, he was the son of Harry A. and Gertrude S. Caplen. He joined the family business after graduating from Central High School. In 1929, Harry Caplen founded National Products Co. on North Second Street in Old City. The firm, which sold food service equipment to restaurants, hotels, and club bars, grew to encompass most of a city block. In its heyday in the 1970s and 80s, the firm employed more than 100 workers. In 1995, it had $12.6 million in sales, according to Dun & Bradstreet. My grandfather was a pioneer and one of the hardest workers I ever met, said Larry Caplen, Stanley Caplens son and the founders grandson. Stanley followed that tradition until 1996, when the company closed. Mr. Caplen joined the company in the early 1950s, and learned the business from the ground up, working his way from salesman to vice president to president. For many years, he was the firms top salesman. He was loved by all his clients, his son said. He just had the gift of gab and the intelligence of knowing what they needed and wanted. Operating in Southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey, and Delaware, Mr. Caplen sold equipment and food service supplies to the Four Seasons Hotel, the Warwick, the Bellevue-Stratfords Hunt Room, and the Kite and Key Room at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel. He furnished kitchen equipment for Old Original Bookbinders, Le Bec-Fin, City Tavern, the Union League, the Locust Club, the Vesper Club, and the William Penn Inn in Gwynedd. Other clients were the Flyers, the Eagles, the University of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson University, Campbell Soup Co., and Aramark. Mr. Caplen made many friends through his work, and, wanting to show his appreciation for their patronage, supported numerous charities, his family said in a statement. In the 1970s, he donated an entire kitchen to the Golden Slipper, a Bala Cynwyd nonprofit organization, for a camp in the Poconos. In 1996, beset by an intra-family feud over Harry Caplens estate, mounting debts, tax liens, and an inability to obtain a large-enough line of credit to meet its obligations, National Products shut down, The Inquirer reported at the time. Mr. Caplen was an honorary life member of Equity Lodge No. 591 and a 32nd-degree Mason. He loved boating at the New Jersey Shore, attending Eagles and Flyers games with his children, and spending time with his grandchildren. In addition to his son, he is survived by Barbara Geiger Caplen, his wife of 57 years; a son, Neil; a daughter, Jill Schecter; six grandchildren; and a sister. Services were Sunday, Jan. 26. TEL AVIV - The Palestinians won't stop their opposition to the Trump Plan until the US and Israel withdraw it, said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, confirming his intention to also give up security cooperation with the Jewish state. "There's no opportunity in such a plan," Abbas said, speaking at a government meeting in Ramallah, cited by Wafa news agency. "And no one can accept it for a population of 13 million. What opportunity can be found in something that offers us only 11% of our land," he said. "Israel must assume its full responsibilities as an occupying power," he said. "We won't stop until they withdraw the plan and accept negotiations based on international legitimacy". In West Bank there are 463,000 Israelis. 'Increased by 150,000 in 10 years' says settlers' council A total of 463,901 Israelis were residing in the West Bank at the end of 2019, an increase of 151,263 compared to the same time in 2009, said the Judea-Samaria Council, the organisation that represents Israeli settlers registered in about 150 settlements in that region. Last year that population grew by 3.4%, and about 200,000 Israelis live in the four largest settlements: Modiin Illit, Beitar Illit, Maale Adumim and Ariel. The Israeli population residing in the West Bank is demographically quite young, with only 48% of residents over age 18, while in Israel the national average is 71%. "We are marching towards the goal of one million inhabitants in Judea-Samaria and in the Jordan Valley," said David Alhyani, president of the Judea-Samaria Council. He said the current size of the population in those settlements reinforces the demand that Israeli sovereignty now be extended over them. Vietnamese citizens in China, ground zero of a now-global coronavirus outbreak, will be brought home through certain land borders and airports, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Sunday. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would collaborate with China to return Vietnamese citizens through five land borders in the northern Lang Son, Lao Cai, Quang Ninh, Dien Bien and Ha Giang Provinces, as well as Van Don Airport in Quang Ninh Province and other central and southern airports (excluding international). Returnees would be quarantined for 14 days, the maximum incubation period, with those suspected to be infected with the novel coronavirus (nCoV) to undergo testing and treatment. Food, accommodation and other equipment would be covered by the Ministry of National Defense. Around 1,400 Vietnamese workers from six central provinces and localities from Thanh Hoa to Thua Thien-Hue returning from China and other areas affected by the outbreak would also be quarantined for 14 days in military units, Nguyen Si Hoi, deputy commander of Military Region 4 which covers north central Vietnam area, said on Sunday. "Those who exhibit pneumonia symptoms will be treated in hospitals, while the healthy would be taken to military units for quarantine to see whether they're infected with nCoV," said Hoi, adding hospitals, medical personnel and equipment are on standby to fight possible infections. It is not yet confirmed exactly when they would be returned however. Businesses in Vietnam will also temporarily stop receiving Chinese workers who returned to China for the Lunar New Year holiday, said the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs. Those already back in Vietnam must be quarantined in their homes and workplaces and monitored for 14 days. The Department of Employment, Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and management boards of local industrial complexes will temporarily stop issuing work permits to foreign workers from areas affected by the outbreak. Vietnam's government declared the novel coronavirus epidemic on Saturday. The country has reported 236 suspected cases with symptoms like high fever and coughing, including some who had visited infected areas in China as of Monday. Of these, 163 have tested negative for the virus and 73 are in quarantine pending test results. Eight people in the country have been infected with the virus, including one who recovered and was discharged from hospital on Monday. The death toll from the epidemic has reached 362 people in China and one in the Philippines. Over 17,400 have been infected while more than 500 have recovered. Newark Collegiate Academy students celebrating college success with Dr. Jennifer Winward of Winward Academy The accomplishments of NCA graduates now include college acceptances that read like those of the nation's best private high schools: Ivy League acceptances and full scholarships to Notre Dame, Duke, Georgetown, and others. Ryan Hill, CEO of KIPP New Jersey, predicted in 2007 that Newark would be the first major American city to prove all kids could achieve. With recent results from KIPPs Newark Collegiate Academy (NCA), Hills prediction has been realized. NCA serves students in Newark, New Jersey, one of the most socio-economically challenged areas in the country. In 2017, a member of the KIPP New Jersey Board, whose son improved 9 points on the ACT using Winward Academy, approached its founder, Dr. Jennifer Winward, about providing her platform to NCA to help boost the students academic performance. Winward worked closely with NCA teachers to craft a seminar program to focus on improvement for an upcoming ACT. Results were unprecedented: English scores rose by 5.2 points, math by 2.9, reading by 5.1, and science by 4.0. These improvements changed college trajectories, allowing NCA students to apply to colleges they previously considered out of reach. In the class of 2018, Elijah L. achieved the unprecedented with a score of 30, placing him in the 95% percentile. In the class of 2019, Rae R. became the first student to earn a 31, and in the upcoming class of 2020, Fatima A. became the first to earn a 32 with a 33 superscore, placing her in the 99th percentile in the country. Michael N. raised his ACT score 10 points and earned a full-ride college scholarship. Michael shared, When I got my acceptance letter and full scholarship, it was the first time my little brother told me he wanted to be just like me. The accomplishments of NCA graduates now include college acceptances that read like those of the nation's best private high schools: Ivy League acceptances and full scholarships to Notre Dame, Duke, Georgetown, and others. As important, the culture of NCA has been transformed to one that celebrates academic growth and success. Winward Academy broke us out of the status quo and elevated our students ACT performance by 33 percentile points. The dynamic at our school has completely shifted. Winward Academy is our unicorn, shared Ilyan Nunez, Director of College Placement, KIPP New Jersey. NCA students are young people who work hard and care about their families and futures. Collectively, they have shown naysayers that despite long-held and problematic stereotypes, low-income urban youth when afforded the same opportunities as their peers from higher earning families will walk in their excellence. For more information about Winward Academys efforts to support charter and public schools, please contact William Avery at 858.764.2591 or william@winwardacademy.com. About Winward Academy Test success, college success, and life success they all begin at Winward Academy, a research-based, student-centered learning platform for the ACT, SAT, math class, and college applications. Winward Academy applies a scientific approach to customize learning for each student, enabling growth for students of all levels and learning styles. Winward Academy is a team of passionate adolescent learning researchers committed to thoughtfully developing curriculum that improves learning, retention, and test performance building confidence for life. Winward Academy curriculum is used by students at home, by teachers in the classroom, and by charities in after-school and summer programs. For more information on Winward Academy, see winwardacademy.com or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. About KIPP New Jersey KIPP New Jersey schools are part of the nationally recognized Knowledge Is Power Program non-profit network of college-preparatory, public charter schools educating elementary, middle, and high school students. In 2002, KIPP New Jersey first opened its doors in Newarks South Ward as a single class of 80 fifth graders and has since grown to teach over 6,290 students in grades K-12 in Newark and Camden. 90% of KIPP New Jersey students currently qualify for free or reduced meals. KIPP New Jersey alumni earn college degrees at more than 3 times the national average for students from low-income families. By offering highly effective educators with strong bonds to families, more time in school learning, services that support a variety of student needs, and a culture focused on achievement, our students are on the path to and through college. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Digital transformation empowers consumers to be more informed and independent, and equips insurers with the tools to develop new tailored products and services and refine existing ones, said the latest sigma report published by Swiss Re. This is leading to the development of new data-driven business models, which will affect the entire insurance value chain, said the report titled Data-driven insurance: ready for the next frontier? True leverage will come from partnerships with key data suppliers. Insurers increasingly will operate in an environment where they have continuous access to different data sources including from connected objects (such as connected cars, homes or wearables) and platform providers. They also will gain behavioral insights from consumer and environmental data, the report indicated. This will see the evolution of new-data driven business models taking insurers beyond their existing value chain, sigma continued. The availability of internet-enabled devices and universal connectivity has changed consumer behaviors and expectations, particularly among younger generations, said the report, explaining that customers now expect rapid access to information, transparency and more personalized products. Although consumer-supplier touchpoints will become predominantly digital, human interaction will continue to play a role, said the report, which explained that consumer feedback and analysis will help insurers identify where in-person engagement is most effective. Digital and Targeted Human Touch With the growing granularity of insights into customer behaviors, the report said, the role of insurance is evolving from indemnification of losses to a broader consultative service on risk prevention and mitigation covering both private and commercial clients changing needs over time. The sigma report cited the example of changes in an individuals life circumstances such as marriage, a new home or job, signaled by digital data sources. In response, insurers can direct personalized guidance to the client on predictive and prescriptive next-step risk mitigation actions, it continued. The direct relationship with customers will evolve as new touchpoints and channels become normalized, and back-office processes like marketing/sales, underwriting and claims administration are increasingly automated. Insurers will be able to target human engagement to circumstances where consumers expect an empathetic response, such as a health crisis or death in the family, the report said. The personal touch in sensitive areas will bring a human face to insurance. Emerging Markets Lead the Way At this point, insurers in emerging markets lead the way in optimizing the potential offered by digitalization because the starting point is digital rather than analogue in many of these markets, the report added. [Emerging market insurers] are partnering with established digital platforms and ecosystems to combine features typically offered by standalone incumbent firms into a one-stop-shop service, said sigma. Insurers bring underwriting expertise, while platforms and ecosystems offer access to customers through their ability to target specific segments and mine user behavior, as well as offer multiple touchpoints to capture user attention. Successful Insurers Successful insurers in the long term will be those that leverage insights from their investments and partnerships in data and analytics, while developing risk protection products aligned with evolving regulations, sigma said. Regulation will play an important role in supporting the integration of new technology and data into insurance business across different jurisdictions, the report noted. In monetizing the potential of digitalization, insurers will need to manage local data protection and privacy requirements. Source: Swiss Re/sigma Topics Carriers InsurTech Swiss Re Data Driven The Canadian Dollar (CAD) remained under pressure against the US Dollar (USD), and risk-sensitive Australian Dollar (AUD) and New Zealand Dollar (NZD). However, the Loonie was able to rise against the Pound (GBP) and Euro (EUR) amid Brexit tensions. Canadian Dollar sentiment slumped after oil prices were dragged down thanks to the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus, which could lead to deeper output cuts from OPEC. While the prospect of deeper cuts from OPEC and its allies offered some support, lower fuel demand in China sent prices lower. The worlds biggest importer of crude oil, Sinopec Corp told facilities to cut throughput this month by 12%, the steepest cut in over a decade. Commenting on the effects of travel restrictions and the extension of the Lunar New Year in China, ING analyst, Warren Patterson noted: Clearly travel restrictions and the extended shutdown of large parts of the Chinese industrial sector have weighed on oil demand and this is reflected in the weakness that we are seeing in ICE Brent time spreads. Meanwhile, the Markit manufacturing PMI revealed that subdued conditions in the Canadian manufacturing sector persisted at the start of the year. While conditions improved only slightly, the latest data suggests there will be a solid rebound in confidence in the year ahead, and business optimism rose to the highest level since last July. Commenting on todays data release, IHS Markits Economics Associate Director, Tim Moore noted: Canada's manufacturing sector continued to experience subdued business conditions at the start of 2020, with production volumes rising only marginally amid subdued customer demand. Incoming new work did return to growth in January, but falling export sales constrained the overall rebound in order books. At the same time, manufacturers reported a drop in employment numbers for the first time since April 2019 and input buying was cut back at the fastest pace for just over four years. Meanwhile, Brexit tensions came back into focus as Friday saw the UK leave the European Union and both sides clashed over a post-Brexit trade deal on Monday. The British Prime Minister heightened tensions after stating there was no need for the UK to follow EU rules, and in a speech today he stated: There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment or anything similar, any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules. Boris Johnson has called for a Canada-style trade agreement with the EU, and threatened to walk away if a deal could not be struck. The clash between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Michel Barnier weighed on Sterling sentiment, leaving the CAD/GBP exchange rate up almost 1.4% at 0.5793. Meanwhile, the CAD/EUR exchange rate traded around 0.6834, and commenting on the increase in tensions, chief market analyst at Markets.com, Neil Wilson said: The way the two sides have come out, traders are starting to consider no-deal risks again. No deal is not the base case by any means but the EU and UK look in very different places right now at the start of talks. Its going to be a very long and rocky road to get there and the shape of the deal will hinge on some important concessions on both sides. The British government has come out swinging over the weekend with plenty of fighting talk, but theyre up against a tough opponent. Canadian Dollar Outlook: Will CAD Slide Further? Looking ahead, the Canadian Dollar (CAD) will continue to remain under pressure if oil prices slump further thanks to the Wuhan coronavirus. If there is a China-led slowdown in oil consumption and demand in 2020, it is likely to leave the oil-sensitive Loonie under pressure at the start of the week. Added to this, at the end of the week, the Canadian Dollar could edge lower following the release of labour market statistics. If data reveals that the Canadian unemployment rate rose higher than expected, Loonie sentiment will slump. The law-and-literature movement claims to have introduced a valuable pedagogical innovation into legal study: instructing students in techniques of literary analysis for the purpose of interpreting laws and in the reciprocal use of legal analysis for the purpose of interpreting literary texts. The results, according to advocates, are not only conceptual breakthroughs in both law and literature but also more sensitive and humane lawyers. Whatever the truth of this last claim, there can be no doubt that the movement is a success: law-and-literature is an accepted subject in law journals and in leading law schools. Indeed, one indication of the movements strength is the fact that its most distinguished critic, Richard A. Posner, paradoxically ends up expressing qualified support for the movement in a recent study in which he systematically refutes the writings of its leading legal scholars and cooperating literary critics. Critiquing the movements assumption that lawyers can offer special insights into literature that deals with legal matters, Posner points out that writers of literature use the law loosely to convey a particular idea or as a metaphor for the workings of the society envisioned in their fiction. Legal questions per se, about which a lawyer might instruct readers, are seldom at issue in literature. This is why practitioners of law-and-literature end up discussing the law itself far less than one might suppose. Movement leader James White, for example, in his discussion of arguments in the Iliad, barely touches on law, and then so generally as to render himself vulnerable to Posners devastating remark that any argument can be analogized to a legal dispute. Similarly, the notion that literary criticism can be helpful in interpreting law is problematic. Posner argues that literary criticism in general aims at exploring richness and variety of meaning in texts, whereas legal interpretation aims at discovering a single meaning. A literary approach can thus only confuse the task of interpreting the law, especially if one adopts current fashions like deconstruction, which holds that all texts are inherently uninterpretable. Nevertheless, Posner writes that law-and-literature is a field with promise. Why? Perhaps, recognizing the success of a movement that, in the past, has singled him out for abuse, he is attempting to appease his detractors, paying obeisance to the movements institutional success by declaring that it deserves a place in legal research while leaving it to others to draw the conclusion from his cogent analysis that it is an entirely factitious undertaking, deserving of no intellectual respect whatsoever. As a result, his work stands both as a rebuttal of law-and-literature and as a tribute to the power it has come to exercise in academic circles. 1. The primary purpose of the passage is to (A) assess the law-and-literature movement by examining the position of one of its most prominent critics (B) assert that a mutually beneficial relationship exists between the study of law and the study of literature (C) provide examples of the law-and-literature movement in practice by discussing the work of its proponents (D) dismiss a prominent critics recent study of the law-and-literature movement (E) describe the role played by literary scholars in providing a broader context for legal issues 2. Posners stated position with regard to the law-and-literature movement is most analogous to which one of the following? (A) a musician who is trained in the classics but frequently plays modern music while performing on stage (B) a partisan who transfers allegiance to a new political party that demonstrates more promise but has fewer documented accomplishments (C) a sports fan who wholeheartedly supports the team most likely to win rather than his or her personal favorite (D) an ideologue who remains committed to his or her own view of a subject in spite of compelling evidence to the contrary (E) a salesperson who describes the faults in a fashionable product while conceding that it may have some value 3. The passage suggests that Posner regards legal practitioners as using an approach to interpreting law that (A) eschews discovery of multiple meanings (B) employs techniques like deconstruction (C) interprets laws in light of varying community standards (D) is informed by the positions of literary critics (E) de-emphasizes the social relevance of the legal tradition 4. The Passage suggests that Posner might find legal training useful in the interpretation of a literary text in which (A) a legal dispute symbolizes the relationship between two characters (B) an oppressive law is used to symbolize an oppressive culture (C) one of the key issues involves the answer to a legal question (D) a legal controversy is used to represent a moral conflict (E) the working of the legal system suggests something about the political character of a society 5. The author uses the word success in line 11 to refer to the law-and-literature movements (A) positive effect on the sensitivity of lawyers (B) widespread acceptance by law schools and law journals (C) ability to offer fresh insights into literary texts (D) ability to encourage innovative approaches in two disciplines (E) response to recent criticism in law journals 6. According to the passage, Posner argues that legal analysis is not generally useful in interpreting literature because (A) use of the law in literature is generally of a quite different nature than use of the law in legal practice (B) law is rarely used to convey important ideas in literature (C) lawyers do not have enough literary training to analyze literature competently (D) legal interpretations of literature tend to focus on legal issues to the exclusion of other important elements (E) legal interpretations are only relevant to contemporary literature 7. According to Posner, the primary difficulty in using literary criticism to interpret law is that (A) the goals of the two disciplines are incompatible (B) there are few advocates for the law-and-literature movement in the literary profession (C) the task of interpreting law is too complex for the techniques of literary criticism (D) the interpretation of law relies heavily on legal precedent (E) legal scholars are reluctant to adopt the practice in the classroom 1.(A) assess the law-and-literature movement by examining the position of one of its most prominent critics(B) assert that a mutually beneficial relationship exists between the study of law and the study of literature(C) provide examples of the law-and-literature movement in practice by discussing the work of its proponents(D) dismiss a prominent critics recent study of the law-and-literature movement(E) describe the role played by literary scholars in providing a broader context for legal issues2.(A) a musician who is trained in the classics but frequently plays modern music while performing on stage(B) a partisan who transfers allegiance to a new political party that demonstrates more promise but has fewer documented accomplishments(C) a sports fan who wholeheartedly supports the team most likely to win rather than his or her personal favorite(D) an ideologue who remains committed to his or her own view of a subject in spite of compelling evidence to the contrary(E) a salesperson who describes the faults in a fashionable product while conceding that it may have some value3.(A) eschews discovery of multiple meanings(B) employs techniques like deconstruction(C) interprets laws in light of varying community standards(D) is informed by the positions of literary critics(E) de-emphasizes the social relevance of the legal tradition4.(A) a legal dispute symbolizes the relationship between two characters(B) an oppressive law is used to symbolize an oppressive culture(C) one of the key issues involves the answer to a legal question(D) a legal controversy is used to represent a moral conflict(E) the working of the legal system suggests something about the political character of a society5.(A) positive effect on the sensitivity of lawyers(B) widespread acceptance by law schools and law journals(C) ability to offer fresh insights into literary texts(D) ability to encourage innovative approaches in two disciplines(E) response to recent criticism in law journals6.(A) use of the law in literature is generally of a quite different nature than use of the law in legal practice(B) law is rarely used to convey important ideas in literature(C) lawyers do not have enough literary training to analyze literature competently(D) legal interpretations of literature tend to focus on legal issues to the exclusion of other important elements(E) legal interpretations are only relevant to contemporary literature7.(A) the goals of the two disciplines are incompatible(B) there are few advocates for the law-and-literature movement in the literary profession(C) the task of interpreting law is too complex for the techniques of literary criticism(D) the interpretation of law relies heavily on legal precedent(E) legal scholars are reluctant to adopt the practice in the classroom Verona Murphy who has confirmed she will run as an independent candidate Verona Murphy has announced that she is running as an Independent candidate in the General Election. Ms Murphy said having reflected on her by-election campaign and subsequent de-selection from the Fine Gael ticket she feels the time is right to run for Dail Eireann as an Independent. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is set to announce a date for the General Election this week, with political pundits suggesting February 7 or St Valentine's Day as the likeliest dates. Ms Murphy came third in the by-election, having been in second place behind Malcolm Byrne by virtue of a strong 9,543 first preference vote - before being leapfrogged by Wexford Mayor George Lawlor - following a massive transfer to him from Sinn Fein's Johnny Mythen. She said: 'My time with Fine Gael is over, I have moved on, I am now an Independent candidate. My brief experience with Fine Gael thought me a lot. I am now satisfied that life as an independent is the appropriate forum for me. It allows me to highlight without fear the issues which affect the people of County Wexford. After all politics is not about the politician it's about the people they represent.' The Ramsgrange woman said all of the main parties are limiting free speech. 'I have learned this first-hand. An independent politician is free to highlight any issues that affect the people of Wexford without fear. Wexford needs is a strong independent voice. I believe I have the skill set to do that job.' Ms Murphy is campaigning on the following issues: 'Obtaining Tier 1 Status for Rosslare Europort, improved mental health facilities for Wexford, improved services and policies to alleviate the Dublin/rural divide, a third level facility for Wexford and improve affordable housing supply.' When asked is she will be highlighting security issues for the country over the coming weeks, the President of the Irish Road Haulage Association said: 'I will always where I feel it necessary and appropriate highlight security issues.' Ms Murphy said her much commented falling out with Taoiseach Leo Varadar and Fine Gael is in the past. 'That campaign is over now. I am very resilient, and I am looking forward to the future.' She addressed the Fine Gael party at a meeting in Enniscorthy on Monday night last week at which she thanked the party for giving her an opportunity. Ms Murphy shot to national prominence becoming the most high profile candidate in the by-election when she made comments about immigrants, including that there was a possibility children as young as three had been infiltrated by Isis and that some migrants may need to be deprogrammed. Ms Murphy said the New Ross Standard accurately reported her comments. 'The comments were not intended to be racist, the people of Wexford know I am not racist. I have also dealt with this issue in my interviews before Christmas, I do not intend to comment any further.' She said her legal team is considering taking legal action against some media organisations for allegedly misreporting comments first reported in this newspaper. 'County Wexford needs strong voices in Dail Eireann. I am that strong voice, I want to be elected for my ability not my gender.' Ms Murphy is funding her campaign through loans and from personal resources. 'Should people like to make a contribution they can do so in line with the SIPO rules.' Ms Murphy said she is running to win and not to restore her reputation, which she claims was the subject of a character assassination attempt in some media outlets during the end of her campaign in November. 'I will work to represent the people of Wexford who are being left behind by Dublin centric policies. The Government has failed rural Ireland, mental health services in Wexford, Wexford farmers, fishermen, Rosslare Europort, job creation in Wexford. As a businesswoman, a three-time President of the IRHA and as an EU appointed advocate for women in transport I stand on my record I always stand by my comments, I may apologise for the language used, however the issued raised in those comments stand.' As safety researchers and epidemiologists have pointed out in recent days, riding in a car or catching the flu presents more danger to Americans than this coronavirus. Yet the unknowns surrounding a fast-spreading and sometimes deadly new illness understandably inflame worries. Approaches to risky driving and flu bugs are already baked into our thinking and policymaking (you did get a flu shot, right?). By contrast the coronavirus confronts us with an unfamiliar and potentially lethal challenge, and obvious but as yet unanswered questions. Will it mutate as it spreads? How far will it reach and how deadly will it be? No one can say with assurance yet. Six months after he was abducted from his home in Kaduna by unknown assailants, a social media critic, popular for his frequent denunciation of Governor Umar Ganduje of Kano State and his policie, has not been found. Abubakar Idris, who is better known as Dadiyata, has been missing since August 2, 2019 when unidentified men seized him from his residence in Barnawa neighbourhood of Kaduna State. According to the account given by the police, Mr Idris was returning home at about 1 a.m. when some armed men, breached his houses security, and took him away in his BMW car. Till date, he and the vehicle have not been found, six months on. Mr Idris, 34, a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State, was initially suspected to have been arrested by agents of the dreadful State Security Service (SSS). For what was first considered an illegal detention, Haneefa, Mr Idris wife, sued the SSS Kaduna command, the Commissioner of Police and the state government, seeking the unconditional release of her husband and payment of the sum of 50 million in damages. But both the SSS and police denied arresting Mr Idris. Concerns, especially from his family, have therefore deepened on what might have been Mr Idris fate since no security outfit has claimed to know his whereabouts. His captors have also not demanded a ransom, six months after. Regardless, some Nigerians still believe Mr Idris was taken away in connection with his views, and the government would have something to do with his disappearance. A distraught Mrs Idris, when contacted on Sunday, said the matter is still in court. She said the police has not reached out to her in a long time. Kaduna police spokesperson, Yakubu Sabo, on Monday said investigation was still on. He added that all traces to Mr Idris have been met with obstacles. We are still investigating. At times we use technical means to ascertain his location. This will mean using his phone number, which has been dormant for long, for the technical experts to know his whereabouts, he said. No database of missing persons Due to lack of national database of its citizens, tracing missing persons in Nigeria is at best daunting task. Efforts of nongovernmental organisations are, however, giving a glimpse of how rife forced disappearance is in the country. In the northeast alone, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said during a decade of conflict in the area, nearly 22,000 Nigerians 60 per cent of whom were minors have been reported missing, the highest number of missing persons registered with the ICRC in any country. The group also says only 367 cases have been solved since it received its first cases in 2013, underscoring the immense challenges that come with finding missing people and reconnecting them with their families in Nigeria. Every parents worst nightmare is not knowing where their child is. This is the tragic reality for thousands of Nigerian parents, leaving them with the anguish of a constant search. People have the right to know the fate of their loved ones, and more needs to be done to prevent families from being separated in the first place, Peter Maurer, the ICRC president, said. Also, in July 2019, Enough is Enough Nigeria, a governance and public accountability advocacy coalition, launched an online tracking of missing persons. Within three months of its launch, the group had recorded 111 entries, of which 69 were still missing, 35 were found alive and seven were found dead. Since inception, Alice Eze, spokesperson of the group, said 136 entries of missing people have been received. 86 of them are still missing while 39 were found alive and the remaining 11 were found dead. Burma Myanmar Govt Asks Tour Operators to Suspend Travel Services for Chinese Visitors Chinese tourists wear masks as a preventive measure against the coronavirus at the U Pain Bridge in Mandalay on Jan. 30, 2020. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy YANGONMyanmars Ministry of Hotels and Tourism (MOHT) has asked travel companies and tour operators to temporarily stop providing services to Chinese travelers planning to visit Myanmar, amid growing concern over the coronavirus outbreak. A deputy director of the ministry, U Aung Aye Han, told The Irrawaddy, We warned them [travel companies] to stop offering all tourism-related services to prospective Chinese visitors to the country until the outbreak subsides. On Feb. 1, Myanmar suspended visa-on-arrival privileges for Chinese visitors to prevent the spread of coronavirus to the country. U Aung Aye Han said, Despite the suspension of visas-on-arrival, e-visas are still available [to Chinese tourists]. They can still enter by applying for an e-visa. So, we are concerned about it. We also warned them not to provide services to those who could possibly enter on an e-visa, he said. On Monday, the MOHT held a meeting with representatives of a dozen travel companies from Yangon, Mandalay and Naypyitaw that cater mainly to Chinese tourists. They need to cooperate with us on preventing the spread of coronavirus, U Aung Aye Han said. We hope that as the number of visitors from virus-infected areas declines, the risk of infection in our country will be reduced, he said. Myanmar announced in October 2018 that visitors from mainland China qualified for visas on arrival. Since then, the number of mainland Chinese visitors to Myanmar has increased significantly. From January to October 2019, the number was 593,658more than double the figure for the same period in 2018according to the MOHT, making Chinese tourists the top foreign travelers to Myanmar. According to the Hotel and Tourism Federation, more than 20 percent of Chinese bookings have been canceled since the outbreak began. U Myo Yee, the president of the Union of Myanmar Travel Associations Mandalay Zone, told The Irrawaddy that suspending visas-on-arrival alone would not stop Chinese tourists from visiting Myanmar. He had noticed that some flights continued regular services back and forth between China and Mandalay, he said. The move [asking tour operators to suspend services] will significantly reduce the number of Chinese tourists. As far as I know, we have been checking all the Chinese tourists very carefully at airports. Hopefully, these actions will reduce the risk of infection. Myanmars second commercial hub, Mandalay is one of the major destinations for Chinese visitors to Myanmar. On the other hand, Myanmars tourism sector has taken a serious hit since the outbreak began, he said. On Friday, Presidents Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay said Myanmar had no plan to close the border with China or ban Chinese visitors to Myanmar. However, Myanmar officials are conducting temperature screenings at airports and border gates. China and Myanmar share a 2,227-kilometer-long border. There are a total of 14 checkpoints in Kachin and Shan states and Kokang, Wa and Mongla regions. China announced the first case of coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province on Dec. 31. So far, the virus has killed 361 people in China. The number of infections has increased to 2,829 while the number of suspected cases has topped 20,000, Chinas National Health Commission said. The World Health Organization last week declared the outbreak of coronavirus to be a global health emergency. The Myanmar government evacuated 59 students stranded in locked-down Wuhan to Mandalay on a charter flight on Sunday morning. Last Friday, Myanmar turned back a China Southern Airlines flight from Guangzhou with almost everyone on board after one of the passengers was found to have flu symptoms similar to the coronavirus. As of Sunday afternoon, Myanmar was monitoring five suspected cases of coronavirus, according to the countrys Health Ministry. The latest was a 29-year-old Chinese man in the countrys capital Naypyitaw, who was hospitalized with a high body temperature, cough and runny nose after returning from Guangzhou on Jan. 31. He was referred to the capitals General Hospital, where he is being observed in an isolation ward. Respiratory swabs were collected from the man and sent to a lab. As of Sunday, Myanmar had yet to report any confirmed coronavirus infections inside the country. You may also like these stories: Chinese Visitor to Myanmar Tests Negative for Coronavirus, Released After Four Days of Quarantine Myanmar Evacuates 59 Students From Virus-Hit Wuhan, China China to Supply 1.2 Trillion Yuan to Money Markets Amid Virus Spread YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio has issued a statement over the situation surrounding the Constitutional Court of Armenia, emphasizing the principle of voluntary early retirement of the judges. He urged to de-escalate the situation and resolve the situation in an atmosphere of restraint and mutual respect. ARMENPRESS reports the statement of Gianni Buquicchio runs as follows, "Following my statement of 29 October 2019, I remain preoccupied about the open conflict involving the Constitutional Court of Armenia. I share the concerns of the rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in this respect. I would like to recall the recommendations made in the opinion of the Venice Commission adopted in October 2019 that any early retirement scheme at the Constitutional Court has to remain truly voluntary, exclude any undue political or personal pressure on the judges concerned and must be designed not to influence the outcome of pending cases. Recent public statements and acts do not meet these criteria and will not be conducive to deescalating the situation. Democratic culture and maturity require institutional restraint, good faith and mutual respect between State institutions. I call again on all sides to exercise restraint and to de-escalate this worrying situation in order to ensure the normal operation of the constitution of Armenia." Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan He's never been afraid to poke fun at himself on Studio 10. And Joe Hildebrand had his co-stars in stitches as on Monday he recalled the embarrassing time he was recognised by a fan while visiting a sperm clinic. Joe revealed he was at the clinic to pick up a 'take-home test kit' to ensure his medical procedure had been successful. Cringe! Joe Hildebrand had his Studio 10 co-stars in stitches as on Monday he recalled the embarrassing time he was recognised by a fan while visiting a sperm clinic 'The woman named Marla.... she hands over the stuff,' he recalled. '[She said], 'Oh, by the way, I'm a big fan of the show,' Panelist Sarah Harris jokingly interjected: 'She thought he was Sam Mac. She asked 'Are you the funny one from Seven?'' 'Don't complain to me about privacy!' The rest of the panel began laughing hysterically as Joe poked fun at his bad luck The rest of the panel began laughing hysterically as Joe continued: 'When you have someone saying, 'Hi, how are you?' While you're holding an actual sperm jar in your hand...' Pointing down the camera, the funnyman added: 'Don't complain to me about your privacy!' It comes after Joe revealed that he'd undergone a vasectomy, three months after welcoming his youngest daughter Maybellene. 'V stands for vasectomy': The father-of-three underwent a vasectomy in December Taking to Instagram in December last year, the father-of-three shared a photo of himself in hospital after undergoing the procedure. Dressed in a gown and lying in a hospital bed, the media commentator held up a peace sign. 'The V stands for 'Vasectomy',' he captioned the post. Joe and his wife Tara share three children, son Henry, five, and two daughters, Bonnie, two, and four-month-old Maybellene. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday issued a warning to the Democratic Party to rally behind the partys eventual presidential nominee or risk damaging their chances to defeat President Trump. Ocasio-Cortez, who endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary, claimed that reports that her party is conspiring to deny the Vermont independent the nomination are overblown, but warned Democrats against using super delegate or other kind of subversive policies to deny anybody the nomination. Its incredibly divisive to do so, and very demoralizing, which is a direct threat in November, Ocasio-Cortez said in an interview with Time magazine. The moment you start playing games trying to deny whoever is the nominee, we really start to get into dangerous territory in terms of defeating Trump. The high-profile progressive freshman from New York, who has been campaigning for Sanders in Iowa leading up to Mondays caucuses, said that she hopes the party will unite behind the eventual nominee, even if it is not Sanders. Bernie has said this, I absolutely believe this: whoever gets the nomination, we have to rally behind them, no matter who it is, Ocasio-Cortez said. And I would hope that everybody would do so if Bernie is the nominee as well. Ocasio-Cortez previously said last year that it would not be pragmatic for Democrats to choose former vice president Joe Biden as the nominee, arguing that picking the perfect and logically fitting candidate will not inspire turnout. You can be radical and you can be respectful, she said. Also on Sunday, former Secretary of State John Kerry was reportedly overheard discussing the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party and floating launching his own presidential bid in order to stop that eventuality. Kerry later forcefully denied reports that he was considering a 2020 bid. Monday marks the countrys first caucuses in Iowa, where Sanders currently leads his 2020 rivals. Biden is polling in second place and former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg trails them in third place, according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls. More from National Review Amsterdam, NL, February 3, 2020 - Individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) because of family history or genetic predisposition who engaged in six months of aerobic exercise training improved their brain glucose metabolism and higher-order thinking abilities (e.g., planning and mental flexibility) called executive function; these improvements occurred in conjunction with increased cardiorespiratory fitness. The results of this study are published in a special issue of Brain Plasticity devoted to Exercise and Cognition. Drugs currently available to treat AD have limited therapeutic capacity. At a time when both the human and monetary costs of the disease are projected to rise dramatically in the coming decades, there is a critical need to provide individuals with readily-deployable strategies that can decrease the likelihood of acquiring the disease or slow its progression. Researchers therefore investigated whether exercise training in asymptomatic individuals harboring risk for AD improves markers associated with AD. "This study is a significant step toward developing an exercise prescription that protects the brain against AD, even among people who were previously sedentary," explained lead investigator Ozioma C. Okonkwo, PhD, of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. The study investigated 23 cognitively normal, relatively young older adults with a family history or genetic risk for AD. All patients had a sedentary lifestyle. They underwent a battery of assessments, including cardiorespiratory fitness testing, measurement of daily physical activity, brain glucose metabolism imaging (a measure of neuronal health), and cognitive function tests. Half of the participants were randomly assigned to receive information about maintaining an active lifestyle but no further intervention. The other half participated in a moderate intensity treadmill training program with a personal trainer, three times per week for 26 weeks. Compared to the participants maintaining their usual level of physical activity, individuals assigned to the active training program improved their cardiorespiratory fitness, spent less time sedentary after the training program ended, and performed better on cognitive tests of executive functioning (but not episodic memory). Executive function, an aspect of cognition that is known to decline with the progression of AD, comprises the mental processes enabling individuals to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. The participants' improved cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with increased brain glucose metabolism in the posterior cingulate cortex, an area of the brain linked to AD. "This research shows that a lifestyle behavior - regular aerobic exercise - can potentially enhance brain and cognitive functions that are particularly sensitive to the disease. The findings are especially relevant to individuals who are at a higher risk due to family history or genetic predisposition," noted Dr. Okonkwo. The lead author on the study, Max Gaitan, MEd, of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, remarked that "an important next step would be to conduct a larger, more definitive, study. If these findings are replicated, they would have a tremendous impact on quality of later life, providing individuals with more years of independent living, active engagement with loved ones, and building memories." ### The techie states that she does not have any symptoms of coronavirus. PTI photo Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh): A software engineer from Andhra Pradesh, who was allegedly not allowed to board the two special Air India flights that brought back many Indians from the coronavirus-hit Wuhan as she was running high body temperature, is now seeking help for her early evacuation. Annem Jyothi, a software engineer from Kurnool claims that she was not allowed to board the two special Air India flights from Wuhan, because of high body temperature. She recorded a video message narrating her experience and said, "I was asked not to board the first flight as there was an evacuation of Indian people from China. I was assured that I can get into the next flight but I was not allowed to board the next flight as well because of the high body temperature." The techie also stated that she does not have any symptoms of coronavirus and should be brought back home. "From the entire batch, two people including me, are stuck here. Chinese authorities have not proved that we are affected by the virus. We are not having any symptoms of coronavirus and now our body temperature is also normal. We request to state and the central government to take us back home," Jyothi added. Pramila Devi, Jyothi's mother also urged the government to bring her daughter back from China "My daughter is safe now, she is not affected by any fever or virus, we urge the government to get her back home. Due to an atmosphere of tension and stress, she had a high body temperature but now she is fine." Jyothi's wedding is also scheduled for February 18. She was among the 58 employees of TLC who were stuck in Wuhan following the outbreak of the virus. "The Government must get her back as she is fine and fit now, due to the news she was panicking and got a high body temperature", her fiance told reporters. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian national who has been evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan and taken to Kazakhstan will remain quarantined for 14 days in a hospital in Nur-Sultan, according to the official statement issued by the Kazakh government. As Kazakhstan was preparing to airlift its stranded citizens out of Wuhan on February 2, Armenia asked for assistance to take one of its citizens on the flight amid the deadly outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China. After checking the state of health, the arrivals were placed in 14-day quarantine in a specially designated anti-infection building at the multidisciplinary hospital of the capital, located 7 km from the city, the Kazakh government said in a statement after the emergency flight arrived in Nur-Sultan. Relatives of the arrived citizens are notified and familiarized with the regulations of the quarantine period. Updates will be provided as soon as they become available. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan Journalists called on Sri Lankas government to take meaningful action to investigate journalist killings and disappearances on the annual Black January commemoration on January 28. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Sri Lankan affiliate, the Free Media Movement urge the government in Sri Lanka to end a dark history of impunity for crimes against journalists in the country. Among the key demands, journalists at the Lipton Circus event called on the new Gotabaya Rajapaksa government to end impunity and secure justice for outstanding unsolved cases of media personnel who have died, disappeared or been injured whilst pursuing their profession. The commemoration was organized jointly by IFJ affiliates, the Federation of Media Employers Trade Union (FMETU), the Free Media Movement (FMM) and Sri Lanka Working Journalist Association (SLWJA) with the Sri Lanka Muslim Forum, the Sri Lanka Young Journalists Association and the Tamil Media Alliance. Between 2005 and 2015, under the presidency of Gotabayas brother, long-time leader Mahinda Rajapaksa dozens of journalists were reported killed, abducted and tortured and at least 60 fled the country out of fear with most still currently living in exile. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, who was defence minister during his brothers rule, led a unit accused of assassinating former Sunday Leader newspaper editor Lasantha Wickrematunge. Gotabaya has denied all the charges. Following the dark period, Maithripala Sirisena led the country from 2015 to 2019, vowing to reopen investigations into killed journalists as part of his campaigns. But his promises failed to transpire. While court cases ensued, not a single conviction has been achieved. Since Gotabaya Rajapaksas election in November 2019, journalists and media rights organizations are concerned at an escalation in crimes against journalists in the relatively short period since . The IFJ joins its affiliates in calling on Sri Lankas government to respect the media, its right to report and its absolute right to safety. The advocacy groups said the event was aimed to exert pressure for action on crimes against journalists in Sri Lanka. The FMM said: Free Media Movement reiterates that it is the responsibility of the government to maintain an environment in which journalists can engage in their activities free of violence. The IFJ said: We commend media workers and their representative groups for maintaining their solidarity and voice on these critical issues on impunity for crimes against media for the future stability and safety of media in Sri Lanka. The Supreme Court's nine-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde, on Monday began hearing the Sabarimala temple matter and other related cases, involving entry of women into the temple. Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta told the Apex Court that the issues can be framed in the chambers itself. He stated that there is no need to frame the questions and other issues if relevant, in an open court. After hearing Mehta's submissions, CJI Bobde observed that there are questions that arose in Sabarimala, and also there are questions that are there in other cases such as Muslim women's demand to enter mosques, and the FGM in Dawoodi Bohras and whether Parsi women married to non-Parsis lose religion. Earlier, CJI Bobde had said that the court will examine the matter and hear the scope of judicial review on the point of religious faith and women's rights. He had fixed a 10-day period for concluding the hearing on the petition seeking women's entry into Sabarimala temple, mosques, and Parsi Agiyari. The Apex Court had on January 13 said that it will only hear the questions referred to in the review order passed by it in November last year in the Sabarimala temple case, which allowed women and girls of all age groups to visit the shrine in Kerala. The top court had in November last year, observed that the entry of women into places of worship is not just limited to the Sabarimala temple but also includes issues like allowing Muslim and Parsi women to enter religious practice. The court is hearing a clutch of petitions seeking reconsideration of its September 2018 judgment that lifted the bar on menstruating women from worshipping in the Sabarimala temple. The apex court in a landmark 4:1 ruling had set aside decades-old restrictions on the entry of women of menstruating age inside the temple. The verdict had sparked a series of protests across Kerala, which eventually led to the filing of several petitions seeking review of the top court's order challenging the authority of the court to intervene in a belief of the people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Representative image Officials from 137 countries and jurisdiction met earlier last week to thrash out a consensus on the appropriate way to tax multinational enterprises. The group dispersed with the hope of closing a multilateral deal by December-end. Taxation of digital giants such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft pose particular challenges to tax officials as they are able to shift their profits to lower tax jurisdictions. Organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the meeting agreed to continue working on the nexus (where tax should be paid) and profit allocation (what portion of profit should be taxed) rules. Governments agreed that the new regime will apply to not just digital service companies but also those selling directly to consumers. Mining, oil or other B2B companies are probably going to be exempted from such rules. Earlier in January, France and the United States called an uneasy truce over French taxation of American digital companies. Over the last few years, consensus has emerged that such companies whose business spans the globe, often without a concomitant physical presence can be taxed in such jurisdictions where they have significant and sustained businesses. The US with its large pool of such digital giants stands to lose the most and hence has been advocating 'safe harbour' provisions, which allow its companies to opt-in to such a regime. That position, however, has not found favour with the other members. "It is more urgent than ever that countries address the tax challenges arising from digitalisation of the economy, and the only effective way to do that is to continue advancing toward a consensus-based multilateral solution to overhaul the international tax system," said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria. Consensus in taxation of digital companies is essential as a failure of this process will heighten the risk of countries acting unilaterally. This consensus building is part of a wider G20 effort at improving certainty and stability on the international taxation front. Tennessee police are investigating the death of a 48-year-old man who was found dead on Sunday inside a donation bin near a Walmart in a town about 50 miles northeast of Nashville. Clarksville police responded to a report of a man who appeared trapped in a clothing and shoe donation bin near the Walmart supercenter on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard. When first responders arrived, they saw the lower extremities of a man protruding from the donation bin, the police told KTLO-TV. The mans body was extricated from the bin and he was pronounced dead at the scene, police say. The Clarksville Police Department in Tennessee released this photo of the donation bin where a 48-year-old man's body was found The clothing and shoe donation bin is located near a Walmart supercenter in Clarksville Foul play is not suspected. The victim's identity has not been released. DailyMail.com has reached out to the Clarksville Police Department for comment on the case. Injured Rohit Sharma ruled out of remainder of New Zealand series Hitman Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the ODI and Test series against New Zealand after sustaining a calf injury. Rohit injured himself during the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand on Sunday and had to retire hurt while batting on 60. India went on to win the match and complete a 5-0 whitewash. NEWS : Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI and the Test series against New Zealand. Mayank Agarwal has been named as his replacement in the ODI squad. #NZvIND #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/AUMeCSNfWQ BCCI (@BCCI) February 4, 2020 He underwent an MRI scan in Hamilton on Monday. The opening batsman has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI and test series and will be referred to the National Cricket Academy for further management of his injury, the BCCI said in a statement. Mayank Agarwal, who made his ODI debut against the West Indies in December last year, was named as Rohit's replacement in the ODI squad, while Shubman Gill replaces him in the Test squad. India are already without Shikhar Dhawan for the ODI series and Hardik Pandya for the Test series. Meanwhile, skipper Virat Kohli has confirmed a debut for Prithvi Shaw in the first ODI against New Zealand. Shaw came into the side as a replacement for Shikhar Dhawan. The three-match ODI series against New Zealand starts on Wednesday, February 5 with the two-match Test series scheduled to begin on February 21. CLEVELAND, Ohio A Summit County man was sentenced Monday to nearly three years in federal prison for mailing a threatening letter to the Akron Municipal Court and putting his own blood on the paper. Shawn Marshall, 39, of Akron wrote the letter to the court while serving a 16-year prison sentence for rape and kidnapping at the maximum-security Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville. Marshall wrote in the letter delivered April 18, 2016 that After I get out shortly, I look forward to strapping a bomb to my body and walking into your municipal courthouse and being Americas first suicide bomber. The letter was signed, a servant of ISIS, according to prosecutors. Marshal put a drop of his own blood following the word ISIS. He pleaded guilty in September to mailing threatening communications. He also faces similar charges in U.S. District Court in Columbus and is accused of sending threats to the Ohio Supreme Court and a judge in Butler County. The U.S. Probation Office recommended Marshall serve a sentence of between 30-37 months for the northern Ohio case. Marshalls attorney Lawrence Delino asked for a lower sentence, arguing the probation office calculated a higher range because it factored in the other case. He said his client, who suffers from a myriad of mental health issues, was not getting the help he needed in Lucasville. That changed when he was transferred to a prison in Warren County, Delino said. Marshall apologized and said he had no intention of carrying out what he wrote in the letters. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Riedl said Marshall should receive a five-year prison sentence, the maximum allowed by federal law. He said the situation in Lucasville was of Marshalls own making, as he was in solitary confinement after a series of infractions, including attacking other inmates, throwing feces and sharpening a broom handle. U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. said he felt a 35-month sentence was appropriate. The judge also ordered Marshall to undergo mental-health treatment and a sex-offender evaluation. Marshall admitted to mailing multiple threatening letters in 2016 and federal authorities recovered three of them, Riedl said. He included semen in the letter to the Ohio Supreme Court, threatening to rape and kill the female justices there, according to prosecutors. In the letter to Butler County Common Pleas Court Judge Keith Spaeth, he wrote, In the name of Allah, I am going to hunt you down and cut your f---ing head off, the indictment from southern Ohio states. Marshall was serving a prison sentence for raping a Summit County social worker in 2003 when she went to an apartment to discuss a case plan with the mother of Marshalls child. He has been in federal custody since October 2018. If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Mondays crime and courts comments section. Barely one week after farmers from villages in Oja Odan, Yewa North Local Government area of Ogun State protested the killing of one of ... Barely one week after farmers from villages in Oja Odan, Yewa North Local Government area of Ogun State protested the killing of one of them by suspected killer herdsmen, another farmer has allegedly been hacked to death at nearby Fagboun village, Yewa South Local Government Area of the state.It was learnt that the deceased, who is simply identified as Araba, was killed on his farm at about 4 p.m. on Friday.The Ogun State Police Command has since confirmed the incident.It was learnt that some herdsmen, who recently invaded the community, took their cattle to Arabas farm for grazing.He was said to have resisted them and they reportedly hacked him to death.Yewa North and Yewa South are two local governments in Ogun West area of the state, sharing boundaries with each.Because of their proximity to Benin Republic, residents of the two local governments have been lamenting the influx of Fulani herdsmen into their areas.The village head, Simeon Fagboun told newsmen that, We didnt see the herdsmen who perpetrated that evil act. We have informed the police, in fact, the Area Commander was also aware.The police took the corpse to Ilaro. But we have taken the corpse from the police because if they are allowed to take the corpse to the mortuary, it will cost the family another expenses before they can take it back. And we have buried the corpse same day.The Ogun State Police Spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the police were yet to identify the killers.He said, The police have begun an investigation to know the killers; the Commissioner of Police has directed the homicide section to commence a full scale investigation into the matter and bring the perpetrators to book. The British Academy film awards are one of the final stops on the road to the Oscars. Here is a look at who had a good night and who had a bad night ahead of the Academy Awards. Good night: 1917 Sir Sam Mendess war epic swept the ceremony, picking up seven of the nine awards it was nominated for, including best film, outstanding British film and best director. Parasite The Korean film was named best film not in the English language and also picked up the original screenplay prize, beating Booksmart, Knives Out, Marriage Story and Once Upon A TimesIn Hollywood. Brad Pitt Video of the Day Expand Close Brad Pitt (Ian West/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brad Pitt (Ian West/PA) He did not attend the ceremony but won the prize for best supporting actor, enlisting his Once Upon A TimeIn Hollywood co-star Margot Robbie to deliver some of the trademark one liners he has been doling out through awards season. Reading his speech, she said: Hey Britain, heard you just became single, welcome to the club. Wishing you the best with the divorce settlement. She added: He says he is going to name this Harry because he is really excited about bringing it back to the States with him. His words not mine. Rebel Wilson Expand Close Rebel Wilson (Ian West/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Rebel Wilson (Ian West/PA) The Cats star had the audience in fits of laughter as she jokingly mourned the failure of the ill-fated adaptation of the hit musical. She said the black half of the dress she was wearing was from the funeral I went to for the feature film Cats. She added: Cats, strangely not nominated for any awards. Im not sure if anyone here is across the controversy, but this year there has been a distinct lack of nominations for felines, she added. Even in this best director Cat-egory, no felines have been nominated. Bad night: The Irishman Martin Scorseses gangster saga was nominated for 10 awards but walked away empty handed. This includes snubs for the director, the films screenplay, and supporting actors Joe Pesci and Al Pacino. Once Upon A TimeIn Hollywood Quentin Tarantinos love letter to the film industry was also nominated for 10 awards but left with just one, the prize for Pitt. Netflix The lack of prizes for The Irishman meant a lack of statues for the streaming service. It went into the ceremony as the distributor to beat, with 23 nominations, but left with just two. Marriage Storys Laura Dern won the best supporting actress prize and Klaus won the animated film prize. Ukraine says Iran 'knew from start' missile downed plane Kiev, Feb 3 (AFP) Feb 03, 2020 Kiev on Monday accused Tehran of knowing from the start that an Iranian missile had downed a Ukrainian airliner last month, after leaked recordings emerged from Iranian air traffic control. The recordings, aired on Ukraine's 1+1 TV channel on Sunday, feature a conversation between an air traffic controller and the pilot of another plane at the time the Ukrainian airliner was hit on January 8, killing all 176 people on board. The pilot can be heard describing "the light of a missile" on its route and then an explosion. Iran initially denied Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) Boeing 737 had been brought down by one of its missiles. It later admitted that two missiles were fired at the plane by air defences on high alert, hours after Iranian armed forces fired ballistic missiles at US troops stationed in Iraq. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after the release of the recording that it "proves that the Iranian side knew from the start that our plane was hit by a missile. "Everything is audible there," Zelensky told 1+1. "Everything is recorded." - 'It's the light of a missile' - The audio clip features the pilot of an Aseman Airlines flight from Iran's southern city of Shiraz to Tehran communicating with air traffic control in the Iranian capital. "There is a series of lights on our route, like a missile. Is there something?" the pilot is heard asking. "What is the light like?" the controller asks. "It's the light of a missile," the pilot replies. The control tower then tries unsuccessfully to contact the Ukrainian airliner. After a few minutes the pilot says: "There was an explosion. We saw a very bright light here." It was unclear how the channel obtained the recording, but officials denied it had come from the Ukrainian authorities. "This is a journalistic investigation. You need to ask them where they got this recording," Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's Security and Defence Council, told AFP. UIA president Yevgeniy Dykhne said it was important "not to create another sensation" around the catastrophe, but to join efforts "to ensure thorough and complete investigation" of the crash. The downing of the airliner came in the days following the US assassination of a top Iranina commander, Qasem Soleimani, near Baghdad's airport. Iran responded with a barrage of missiles at two US bases in Iraq, in what was seen as an attempt to prevent a spiral of escalation. But hours later, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard unit mistakenly shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet, in what Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called a "human error". dg-ant-osh/jj Im always happy to learn of new, quicker ways that improve a time-tested recipe so long as its quality isnt compromised. Case in point: Risotto alla Milanese, the classic northern Italian rice dish. It is traditionally made with medium-grain rice and cooked slowly, with a little onion, wine and small additions of chicken or beef stock and with almost constant stirring to coax the starches out of the grains and transform them into creamy bliss. Ive always made risotto this way. I find it a meditative process and it forces me to pay close attention to what Im cooking. But 25 minutes of undivided attention to cook rice is not something Im willing to do unless its a special occasion. Now, Im happy to report, risotto can be a frequent dish at the dinner table. Whats changed? An article in Milk Street magazine (September/October 2018) revealed a revolutionary way of making risotto. Christopher Kimball, Milk Streets founder, traveled to Milan to learn from chefs in two different restaurants how they make risotto. Heres what they do: The rice type is as important as ever: medium grain. In Milan many cooks prefer carnaroli, but arborio works just fine. There are two main types of starches in rice: amylose and amylopectin. Medium grain rice is high in amylopectin. The grains have a soft outer layer, so they release starch during cooking and the rice cooks up creamy. Long grain rice (think Uncle Bens) is high in amylose. This starch stays put and the grains cook up separate. In the new risotto, vegetable broth subs for meat stock for a cleaner, simpler flavor. Onion isnt cooked with the risotto because its flavor can detract from other ingredients, and wine for acidity can be added at the beginning or end of cooking, depending on your preference. The main change, and its a biggie, is in the addition of the broth. All of it is added, and all at once. The cooking time is still the same as in the time-tested traditional method, 25 minutes. But theres none of the constant motion and doting. You can attend to other chores while the risotto bubbles away, just as the chefs in Milan do. Heres how to make the new saffron-flavored Risotto alla Milanese. Buon Appetito! Risotto alla Milanese Makes 4 servings For acidity, I like to add the wine at the beginning of cooking. The recipe in Milk Street says to add white balsamic vinegar at the end. I find it too harsh and intrusive. If you want to add acid at the end, do what one of the Italian chefs does, stir in a teaspoon or two of sherry vinegar. Be sure to use real saffron, and loosely measure the 1 teaspoon of threads. Or just use a big pinch. Vegetable Broth You can make the broth a few hours ahead so its ready when you want to make the risotto. For flavor reasons, I dont recommend making it way ahead and refrigerating it. 1 cup diced (1/4-inch) carrot 1 cup diced (1/4-inch) celery 1 cup diced (1/4-inch) yellow onion 5 cups water 1. Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan (3- to 4-quart), and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and partially cover the pan. Cook at a brisk simmer for 20 minutes. 2. Set a strainer over a medium bowl and pour in the contents of the saucepan. Drain well. Youll have about 4 cups of broth. Saffron Risotto Vegetable broth (see recipe above) 1 teaspoon (or a really big pinch) saffron threads, in a heatproof cup 4 to 6 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces 1 cup (7 ounces) arborio or carnaroli rice 1/4 cup dry white wine (I use French or Italian dry white vermouth) 1/2 cup (about 1 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan cheese Salt to taste (start with 1/2 teaspoon) 1. Put the broth into a medium saucepan (2-quart is fine), and set it over medium heat to bring to the simmer. Remove 1/2 cup of the broth, and pour it over the saffron. Let stand until needed. 2. Put 2 tablespoons of butter into a large (4-quart) saucepan and set the pan over medium-high heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the edges of the grains turn translucent, about 1 to 2 minutes. Watch carefully. You dont want the rice to brown. 3. Add the wine and stir constantly until evaporated, less than 1 minute. Immediately pour in all of the remaining heated broth (about 3 cups). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook 8 to 10 minutes at a brisk simmer, stirring often and with vigor, until the rice is almost tender but still firm at the core. The risotto will be quite soupy. Theres no hovering over the rice. Youre just keeping it in motion in the stock as the rice releases its starch. Adjust the heat as necessary to keep the liquid at a healthy simmer. 4. Add the saffron with its broth and continue cooking, stirring often, until the rice is al dente and no longer soupy, about 5 minutes. At this point the rice will have united into a beautiful creamy mass. Taste carefully to make sure the texture pleases you. Cook a minute or so longer if you want. 5. Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the remaining 2 to 4 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. The risotto must be very creamy. Two tablespoons butter may do it. Taste again and add more salt if needed. Serve immediately in heated bowls. Greg Patent is a James Beard Award-winning cookbook author for Baking in America, a food journalist, blogger and radio co-host for The Food Guys on Montana Public Radio. Please visit his blog, www.thebakingwizard.com, and follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 W ith the US presidential election happening in November, campaigning is already well under way and both the Republicans and Democrats are eyeing up which states they will need to win. Iowa is one that both Donald Trump and rivals such as Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg and Michael Bloomberg will want to get a hold of in order to secure the keys to the White House. The midwestern state - which borders Illinois to the east, Minnesota to the north, Nebraska to the east and Missouri to the south - has been seen as a barometer for the result in previous years. Iowans voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, but shifted their allegiance to Mr Trump in 2016. Democrats like Elizabeth Warren will be hoping to win the support of Iowa Democrats in order to run against President Trump / Getty Images Why is Iowa so important in US presidential elections? As part of the midwest group of states, Iowa is seen as a litmus test for the mood of rural voters in the country. A large proportion of the residents live outside of cities, and it is around 95 per cent white. It does not hold much of a sway on the outcome of the election however, as it only has six votes out of 538 votes in the electoral college. Iowa is also one of the first states to declare which candidate they support in the Democratic Primaries. This can set the stage for an outsider to gain momentum - like Barack Obama in 2008 - or end their campaign before it gets off the ground. Is it still considered a swing state? Iowa is a swing state, as it has the potential to change from supporting Mr Trump to supporting the Democrats. It has changed its support three times since the turn of the millennium, having supported George W. Bush in 2004. But Iowa saw the largest swing to the Republican party out of the six states that turned red, an some strategists in the Democratic party think it might be wise to focus resources elsewhere. Mr Trump clearly sees value in the region, as he was campaigning there in February among the Democratic caucuses. Barack Obama won the support of Iowa in both 2008 and 2012 / PA Archive/PA Images How has Iowa voted in the past? Iowa has changed hands many times in past elections. In 2016 it voted for Donald Trump, after supporting Barack Obama in both 2012 and 2008. Before that it supported Republican George W. Bush in 2004, after backing unsuccessful Democrat candidate Al Gore in 2000. Democrat Bill Clinton was supported by a majority of Iowans for both his terms in the 1992 and 1996 elections. Michael Dukakis was chosen by Iowa in 1988, but he was defeated by George H. W. Bush overall. In 1980 and 1984, Iowa supported Republican president Ronald Reagan. How does the Iowa caucus work? The Iowa caucus is the way that members of the Democratic Party select who they want to run as their candidate in the General Election. Registered Democrats gather in locations across the state and debate and discuss the candidates before voting on who they support. In a windowless room next to a Salvation Army centre in rural Iowa, dozens of people are chanting: "We have nothing to lose but our chains! It is our duty to fight for our freedom! It is our duty to win!" Mostly in their early 20s, they join hands in front of a sign saying, "The revolution will not be televised". Then they fan out across the state's cornfields, trying to convince Iowans that "democratic socialism" can save America. These men and women are part of Bernie Sanders's volunteer army and it is unprecedented. They have arrived by plane, car and bus from across the US. In January, they knocked at 500,000 Iowan homes. According to campaign data, they made seven million phone calls in the state. Through the 'Bern' app they have collected an ocean of granular data. Mr Sanders (78) is no longer the surprise package he was in 2016, with his plans for Europe-style healthcare and free college fees. But his supporters grow ever more fervent. Four years ago, he lost Iowa by a whisker to Hillary Clinton. His supporters are determined the revolution will not be quashed again. "A lot of my friends supported Bernie in 2016 but didn't register to vote in time. No one's making that mistake again," said Michael Sayman (22), a volunteer from San Francisco. "My parents immigrated from South America, started a restaurant and lost it in the recession. We were evicted. It's because of that, the recession, that a lot of my generation have a different view of what should happen next in America. That's why we support Bernie." For most of the week, Mr Sanders has been unable to join them. As a juror in Donald Trump's impeachment trial he cut an increasingly frustrated figure, fidgeting in his seat. At the height of the trial he shuffled out of the Senate chamber for a call. On a stage 1,500km away in Iowa City, documentary maker Michael Moore, one of his celebrity campaigners, answered. "Is that... Bernard from Brooklyn?" asked Moore. As Mr Sanders's voice crackled through a speaker, the crowd went temporarily insane. "I'm sorry I can't be with you," Mr Sanders whispered, his voice heavy with cold. "But, as you know, we are impeaching the president." It was hard to hear him over screams. Mr Sanders finally appeared, in front of 3,000 people, at a concert with rock band Vampire Weekend on Friday. Rival Joe Biden visited 20 cities across Iowa in the final days, suffering awkward moments. After a climate change row, one voter accused the former vice-president of "pushing and poking" him. Pete Buttigieg, the third-placed candidate, held up to five events a day. It takes only a short time to realise that Mr Buttigieg (38) is the smartest person in the room. He never misspeaks. No policy question throws him because he knows all the answers, and can probably deliver them in Norwegian if asked. His crowds do not go wild and are often more cerebral and moderate. Regardless of who wins, and who becomes the Democrat nominee, they will have a hard time convincing Republicans in Iowa to vote for them in November. In 2016, Mr Trump beat Ms Clinton by 10 points. On Thursday, the Democrat contest was overshadowed as Mr Trump arrived for a rally, far bigger than any Democrat has managed. "I wouldn't vote for a single one of the Democrats," said Tonya Schwenn (49), an aluminium worker in a Trump hat. "They're way too overboard. The socialism aspect doesn't work for me. These Democrats are all a little bit scary, and Bernie's the scariest." ( Daily Telegraph, London) Beijing on Monday accused the United States of spreading fear over a coronavirus outbreak by pulling nationals out and restricting travel instead of offering significant aid. The United States was the first nation to begin evacuations, issued a travel warning against going to China, and from Sunday barred entry to foreigners recently in China. Washington has "unceasingly manufactured and spread panic", Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters, noting that the World Health Organization (WHO) had advised against trade and travel curbs. "It is precisely developed countries like the United States with strong epidemic prevention capabilities and facilities that have taken the lead in imposing excessive restrictions contrary to WHO recommendations," she added, saying countries should make reasonable, calm and science-based judgements. In China, 361 people have died with more than 17,000 infected from the virus, which originated in the central city of Wuhan. At least another 171 cases have been reported in more than two dozen other countries and regions, from the United States to Japan. Conducting her daily news briefing via the WeChat app rather than in person, Hua also chided the United States for lack of help. "So far, the U.S. government has yet to provide any substantial assistance to China," she said. That contrasted with President Donald Trump's weekend comments that U.S. officials had offered "tremendous help." However, his national security adviser Robert O'Brien told an interviewer China had not yet accepted U.S. offers of aid. Tensions over the coronavirus come after the two world's largest economies have only just started to patch up relations from an 18-month trade war. Trump said over the weekend the United States had "shut down" the coronavirus threat. "We can't have thousands of people coming in who may have this problem," he told broadcaster Fox. Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam have also announced restrictions on travel from China, while numerous nations have been evacuating citizens. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Press Release February 3, 2020 IMEE: LATE TRAVEL BAN ONLY HALF THE FIGHT VS. NOVEL CORONAVIRUS Senator Imee Marcos said the government must move on from a belated travel ban and think up more comprehensive measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country. Government directives must now cover social interaction beyond the country's points of entry because infected persons may have already slipped in before the travel ban was imposed, Marcos explained. Marcos issued the statement after the government's inter-agency task force officially announced a ban on the entry of all nationals who have been to China and its special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau, except Filipinos and permanent resident visa holders who will instead undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine. "Walang OA pagdating sa kalusugan at sa mismong buhay ng tao. Ang mga dating pwedeng pagpilian na gawin dapat ay mahigpit nang ipatupad ngayon," Marcos said. Among the stronger precautionary measures that could be taken, Marcos proposed to extend random temperature checks by nurses or trained personnel at the entrances of court offices, conference venues, and even meeting rooms; to install dispensers of antiseptic hand sanitizers not just in toilets but also along hallways and other strategic places; and to require the use of face masks by frontline, public desk, service, and utility personnel. Marcos added that government must assess events daily, even hourly, and determine if compulsory leaves of absence may have to be imposed in schools, health care centers and other places especially where children and the elderly converge, since they are considered most vulnerable to the virus. Sketchy government advisories before the travel ban have led airlines, universities, call centers and other offices to resort to their own restrictions, Marcos said. The government must also start assessing the economic impact of the ongoing epidemic on trade and tourism in the country and take necessary action to minimize its effects, Marcos, who is the chair of the Senate economic affairs committee, added. Amid fear and uncertainty over the true extent of the viral epidemic, various countries have imposed bans on travel to and from China, disregarding the World Health Organization's praise for China's aggressive efforts to stem the spread of the 2109-nCoV virus and a caveat that travel and trade restrictions were not necessary. Marcos noted that Singapore was able to gain headway in its fight against the virus by imposing a travel ban January 23, one week before the WHO declared the 2019-nCoV outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Washington (AFP) - Democratic prosecutors declaring "no one is above the law" went head to head with White House lawyers as closing arguments wrapped up at President Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial, setting the stage for his likely acquittal on Wednesday. "You can't trust this president to do the right thing," chief House prosecutor Adam Schiff said in an emotional speech on the Senate floor on Monday at the end of the two-week trial. "Truth matters little to him," the California lawmaker told the 100 members of the Senate who will decide Trump's fate. "What's right matters even less and decency matters not at all. "He will not change and you know it," Schiff said of the former New York real estate tycoon turned politician. "Now do impartial justice and convict him." White House lawyers flatly rejected the arguments that Trump -- just the third president in US history to be impeached by the House of Representatives -- should be removed from office by the Senate for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. "The president has done nothing wrong," White House counsel Pat Cipollone said, calling the impeachment by the Democratic-led House "purely partisan and political." "We put our faith in the Senate," he said. "End the era of impeachment once and for all," Cipollone said, arguing that the American people -- not the Senate -- should decide whether Trump remains in office. Jay Sekulow, another of Trump's lawyers, said the House impeachment was "reckless" and urged the Senate to acquit. "The bottom line is that the president's opponents don't like the president and they don't like his policies," Sekulow said. - 'Cheat' - The Senate is to vote at 4:00 pm (2100 GMT) on Wednesday and the Republican president is all but certain of being acquitted. Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate to 47 for the Democrats, but a two-thirds majority, or 67 senators, is needed to remove a president from office. Story continues Trump is scheduled to deliver his nationally televised "State of the Union" speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday and has voiced no plans to delay until after the Senate vote. The House of Representatives impeached Trump on December 18 for withholding $391 million in military aid to Ukraine to demand that Kiev open an investigation into his potential November election rival, Democrat Joe Biden. Schiff urged senators to find "courage to stand up" to the president. "When the president tries to coerce an ally to try to help him cheat in our elections and covers it up we must say enough," he said. "He has compromised our elections and he will do so again." Colorado lawmaker Jason Crow, another House prosecutor, said impeachment was an "extraordinary remedy." "It is in the Constitution for a reason," he said. "In America, nobody is above the law, even those elected president of the United States." Crow told the senators their votes would echo through history. "What you decide on these articles will have lasting implications for the future of the presidency, not only for this president, but for all future presidents," he said. - Iowa caucuses - With the focus shifting to the final vote, all eyes will be on whether any Democrats facing potential tough re-election battles in November will vote to acquit the president. Democratic Senator Doug Jones, for example, is facing what is shaping up to be a tough re-election fight in Alabama, a state which voted overwhelmingly for Trump in 2016. West Virginia's Joe Manchin, a Democratic senator in a heavily Republican state, said he was "struggling" with how to vote on impeachment but he believed there would be bipartisan support for a censure motion of the president if one was offered. Final arguments in the trial came as voters held caucuses in Iowa to begin the process of choosing a Democratic candidate to face Trump in November. Former vice president Biden is among the front-runners in Iowa along with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, whose campaigning in the Midwestern state has been hamstrung by the requirement that they remain in Washington for the impeachment trial. As the Democratic prosecutors addressed the somber Senate chamber, Trump lashed out on Twitter. "I hope Republicans & the American people realize that the totally partisan Impeachment Hoax is exactly that, a Hoax," he said. Final arguments were held on Monday after Democrats failed last week in a bid to introduce new witnesses and documents into the trial. Only two Republicans -- Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine -- joined Democrats as the motion to introduce witnesses was defeated 51-49. Democrats had been eager to hear from Trump's former national security advisor John Bolton and other key administration figures caught up in the scandal. Bolton reportedly says in an upcoming book that Trump told him military aid to Ukraine was tied to Kiev's investigating Biden -- corroborating the central accusation against the president. Today, as many organizations struggle to deliver the intelligent, relevant experiences that their customers and employees expect, our Professional Services team has been a proven, trusted partner. - Coveo CEO and Chairman Louis Tetu Coveo, the Experience Intelligence Platform leader, has been recognized as one of the Best-of-the-Best in Professional Services by SPI Research, the leading technology research services firm. Competing against 513 organizations, Coveo Professional Services scored in the top 5 percent in leadership, client relationships, human capital alignment, service execution, and finance and operations. I am very proud of our Professional Services team. This designation demonstrates our commitment to our customers and partners success, Chairman and CEO Louis Tetu said. Today, as many organizations struggle to deliver the intelligent, relevant experiences that their customers and employees expect, our Professional Services team has been a proven, trusted partner, now validated by this recognition and praise from multiple Fortune 500 customers. SPI Researchs extensive annual survey draws on a database of over 6,000 PS organizations to provide in-depth analysis of PS metrics and performance. This year, SPIs PS Maturity Benchmark revealed top performers grew both revenues and new jobs while also excelling in customer satisfaction and employee engagement. The Coveo Experience Intelligence Platform stitches data and context, and uses AI to tailor every interaction along digital journeys, making websites, commerce, contact centers, intranets, and digital properties and apps relevant, unified, and valuable. The Coveo Professional Services team plays a key role in helping clients and partners implement the Coveo platform to maximize business results, like increasing revenues, driving up customer satisfaction, and lowering operational overhead. And when the Coveo team works in concert with its systems integrator partners, the Professional Services team provides architectural direction and governance to ensure such joint projects run like clockwork. Coveo Vice President, Professional Services, Alain Bouchard commented: Our approach is simple: make our clients and partners the heroes. Enabling digital transformation at companies is a massive undertaking and we work with our clients every step of the way. This recognition is a huge honor. It validates our philosophy and reflects the success that our clients have achieved. About Coveo Coveo enables enterprises to thrive in the experience age, through delivering unique experiences that are relevant, unified, and valuable. The Coveo Experience Intelligence Platform uses AI, intelligent search and recommendation technologies to personalize millions of digital experiences for customers, partners, and employees, for many of the worlds most admired digital experience leaders. Coveo delivers solutions for Commerce, Service and the Workplace built on the Coveo Experience Intelligence Platform, with Coveo-accredited partners, and through Alliances with Salesforce, ServiceNow, Sitecore and more. Learn more at coveo.com. Five persons were killed and one was injured after their car fell into a well in Maharashtra's Sangli district in the wee hours of Monday, police said. The victims were on their way to attend the funeral of a relative, a police official said. The car driver apparently lost control over the wheels following which the vehicle fell into a well located on a roadside near Parekar Wadi village in Atpadi tehsil, he said. "Five people were killed in the mishap and one person sustained injuries," he said. The injured person was taken to a nearby hospital, he said, adding that the bodies were sent for postmortem. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a breaking news development, several incriminating documents have been recovered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) during the raid on Sahana Group chairman Sudhakar Reddy's residence and office in connection with the alleged money laundering investigation against gangster Iqbal Mirchi. The documents reveal details of monetary transactions between Sudhakar Reddy and several politicians including those belonging to the Congress. The politicians include a former Haryana minister and some ex-ministers belonging to Maharashtra Congress who were allegedly part of the financial dealings with Shetty. According to the ED investigations, Sudhakar Shetty had reportedly spent several crores during the marriage of a relative of a former Haryana chief minister. Apart from this, another big transaction which is being probed is about a land deal between Shetty and a senior politician in Mumbai's Juhu area. ED officials have unravelled details which show that Shetty gave his helicopters to the leaders for free in lieu of the alleged transactions and benefits. Shetty has already been grilled by the ED sleuths over the alleged financial transactions but his answers have not been satisfactory. ED officials plan to question Shetty about the dealing with the politicals leaders yet again. During the raid on Shetty's residence and office on Thursday (January 30, 2020), the ED recovered several bank account statements, documents related to his companies, pen drives and computer hard disks. The raid also unearthed details related to more than 20 shell companies being run by Shetty. These companies are reported to be linked to the underworld, say ED officials. The ED had on January 27, 2020, arrested non-banking financial company Dewan Housing Finance Ltd (DHFL) chairman and managing director Kapil Wadhawan for his alleged role in the money laundering case related to Iqbal Mirchi. The arrest was made as the ED is investigating a company Sunblink Real Estate, linked to Iqbal Mirchi, which received a loan of Rs 2186 crore from Kapil Wadhawan's DHFL. Iqbal Mirchi died on August 14, 2013, in London. A lodger who lived with the corpse of his landlady for a month after striking her over the head with a Cadburys' Creme Egg mug has been jailed for more than 12 years. Kristian Smith, 43, hit 52-year-old Antoinette Donnegan's over the head with the mug before using clothing against her bedroom door in Battersea, southwest London, to mask the smell of her body. Smith, who also used Ms Donnegan's credit cards and pawned her jewellery, later told his girlfriend he was 'going down to the fires with old Lucifer' in a string of 'manipulative and deceitful' texts after the attack. Ms Donnegan, who had suffered from health complaints and had recently suffered a break-down in relationships with her family, was left 'intimidated' by Smith who started bringing other women back as he lived at her residence for free. Kristian Smith (pictured), 43, hit his landlady over the head with a coffee mug at her property in Battersea, southwest London. He was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to twelve and a half years On February 1 last year Smith struck Ms Donnegan over the head with the mug and then stamped on her body, fracturing seven ribs. Smith used the landlady's benefits to buy drugs and stayed in the house until March 7 when her body was finally discovered. He sent a text message to his girlfriend Caroline French saying he had 'done something really bad.' Smith added: 'I've got a few weeks left. Don't wanna go down to the fires with old Lucifer without you sending me off.' Officers found Ms Donnegan's body lying on the bed at her property in Battersea with shards of the cup in her hair and her trousers around her ankles. A jury convicted Smith of manslaughter but cleared him of murder. He earlier admitted fraud and preventing a lawful burial. The left boot mark of Smith's Ecco trainers were found up and down her chest during a post-examination as well as a swelling to the back of her head. Prosecutor Louis Mably QC said earlier: 'The medical evidence suggests she was beaten up severely which led her to collapse and die. 'He was her lodger, he concealed what he had done, he stole her money and he took her telephone and her jewellery. 'He did in fact hit Ms Donnegan over the head with that cup causing the head injuries. 'There was a broken cup in her body, and pieces were in her hair and her bra. Antoinette Donnegan (pictured), 52, was hit by Kristian Smith at her property in Battersea 'He was the only person who had access to her flat and her clothing had been propped up against the door. 'He made use of Ms Donnegan's items of value after she had died. He obviously knew when her benefits came because he was out by the cash point two minutes before it came in. 'He stole the card and stole her jewellery. He stole her phone and that shows his attitude towards her.' Judge Philip Katz QC, sentencing, told the killer on Monday: 'Antoinette Donnegan came form a large and loving family which included her sister Marie, who gave impressive and dignified evidence. 'Marie described her as very jolly, full of life from her early childhood. 'That happy childhood was blighted by abuse and she Antoinette was introduced to heroin by her first boyfriend. She became addicted to heroin and cocaine. Despite all of this she functioned well. 'Her kind neighbour and even the employees at the pharmacy who managed her methadone prescription spoke of her warmly and not as being any kind of nuisance. She had severe osteoporosis. 'She was vulnerable. She met her death at your hands almost certainly on the night of February last year. Due to arguments you had to leave your previous girlfriend's flat. 'Leading to her death she was intimidated by you. Your willingness to get your hands on her money was clear from what you did, including stealing her mother's rosary beads, which were of great sentimental value to her, was despicable. 'Her scalp injuries [from the mug] bled quickly and profusely. 'The head injuries probably led to unconsciousness creating the pathway to her death. 'Having assaulted her to the head you must have been aware that she was injured, bleeding and in need of help. 'Her osteoporosis created a high risk of further bone injury. 'On your own account, you walked away. 'Her body was found by the police face down and with a ligature around her neck which was possibly a device to assist self-injection. 'Your utter callousness in leaving her is highly revealing in your attitude towards her and is an aggravating feature of the offence. She was smaller than you and she was no match for you physically. 'I reject your assertion that she actually stabbed you with a needle. 'Your manipulative and deceitful messages to your girlfriend refer to other aspects of your health but were obviously just a ploy for sympathy.' The judge said that Smith might have acted in self-defence but that this only offered the 'faintest trace' of mitigation. Smith, of no fixed address, admitted fraud and preventing a lawful burial but denied murder and was convicted of manslaughter. He bowed his head and scowled as he was sentenced to twelve and a half years today. Detective Chief Inspector John Massey, the officer in the case, said: 'This is a tragic case in which Antoinette's generosity in allowing Kristian Smith to stay in her flat has been abused in the worst way possible. 'Antoinette was a vulnerable individual who was battling addiction herself. 'We will never know what instigated Smith's brutal attack on Antoinette. But, what we do know, is that he then carried on with his life as if nothing had happened. He stole her bank card and withdrew money, presumably to buy drugs. Despite knowing she was dead, Smith did not tell anyone and simply blocked up the bedroom door to conceal any smell. 'The injuries on Antoinette's body were numerous and it was clear that Smith did not kill her in self-defence. I am glad the jury has seen through his lies and he now faces a long period in jail.' CANBERRA, Australia Whats to blame for scores of wildfires devastating Australias southeast? Theres an increasingly bitter face-off between those who say arson and those who fault climate change. Each side has powerful backers and their weapons of choice are often fabrications and part-truths that have spread in time with the fires in recent weeks. Humans burning fossil fuels and humans with criminal intent who torch a combustible landscape both factor into this unprecedented crisis. But just how to accurately apportion the blame has become a big political issue. The debate is made hotter by many including some Australian lawmakers who argue against deeper cuts to carbon gas emissions. Firefighters blame lightning strikes for most of the major blazes in New South Wales and Victoria states, and many scientists say climate change is the main reason for fires that have claimed at least 33 lives since September, destroyed more than 3,000 homes and razed more than 26.2 million acres. Still, the arson side often cites repeatedly on social media a debunked statistic that says more than 180 suspected arsonists have been arrested. Truly Disgusting that people would do this! God Bless Australia, President Trumps son Donald Trump Jr. tweeted. More than 180 alleged arsonists have been arrested since the start of the bushfire season. Although its been discredited by AAP FactCheck, the fact-checking division of news agency Australian Associated Press, the statistic has been repeated thousands of times online. AAP FactCheck links the statistic to a statement by police in New South Wales the worst fire-affected state that said legal action had been taken against 183 people since November for bushfire-related offenses. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. These included only 24 people charged over deliberately lit bushfires. Legal action which includes cautions had also been taken against 100 other people for conduct that could be described as being careless during a fire ban. The statement did not detail the offenses alleged against the remaining 59 suspects. Climate change is the main reason for the current extraordinarily destructive fire season, according to Janet Stanley, a director of Australias National Center for Research in Bushfire and Arson. The conditions that make a fire very big and dangerous and spread quickly are now a great deal worse, so its much harder to put out the fire once it occurs than it was in the past, she said. But some lawmakers in Prime Minister Scott Morrisons conservative Liberal Party publicly dispute any link between climate change and the fires. Rod McGuirk is an Associated Press writer. SPARTANBURG, S.C., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Advance America, one of the country's leading consumer lenders, announced it will now operate under a new corporate identity, Purpose Financial, Inc. This change reflects the company's evolution, becoming a family of brands offering a suite of consumer credit products that enhance financial inclusion and stability. "The name Purpose Financial embodies our company's transformation as we work to provide consumers with financial solutions that put them in a better place than they were the day before," said Jim Ovenden, president and CEO of Purpose Financial. "As Purpose Financial, we will be able to better fulfill this mission for our customers and communities, while continuing to diversify, build toward and advocate for a more dynamic credit market that fully reflects consumers' financial needs and expectations." Since 1997, Advance America has been a pioneer in the consumer credit and financial services market, with more than 5,000 employees in 1,800 storefronts and offices across 28 states. In recent years, the company has added to its portfolio of products and services, offering a variety of innovative, regulated and transparent small-dollar credit options in its centers and online. Operating under its new corporate name, Purpose Financial, the company will continue to grow its family of brands, while remaining a leader in the competitive, rapidly shifting consumer financial services market. Purpose Financial will build on Advance America's legacy as a customer-centric, community-based lender with an enhanced omni-channel experience designed to meet consumers' ever-evolving credit needs. The company's brands include Advance America and a number of regional brands, as well as opportunities for additional brands and services in the future. Under this new structure, employees in the company's corporate offices, including its Spartanburg headquarters, will be employed by Purpose Financial; employees serving consumers in Advance America centers will continue to work for Advance America, now a subsidiary of the new company. Advance America will continue to be our consumer-facing brand. For more information about Purpose Financial, please visit HavePurpose.com. About Purpose Financial: Purpose Financial, Inc. is an innovative consumer financial services company that offers a diverse suite of credit products, promotes financial inclusion and stability, and meets consumers wherever they are helping them to achieve their version of financial stability in the moment and in the future. Through its brands, the company is committed to delivering an omni-channel, customer-centric experience both in-store and online. Purpose Financial brands include Advance America, the country's leading state-licensed, non-bank consumer lender, operating more than 1,800 storefronts in 28 states. SOURCE Purpose Financial A man wanted in connection with a murder last month at his Metairie apartment complex is in custody. Keith Johnson, 37, was arrested in Georgia and extradited back to Jefferson Parish on Friday. He was booked with second-degree murder, obstruction of justice and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, according to a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office arrest report. Johnson is accused in the Jan. 18 shooting death of Albert Bourgeois, 37, of Meraux. Johnson is the second suspect arrested in the homicide investigation. Woman booked as accessory to murder in Metairie homicide: JPSO A woman has been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting at a Metairie apartment complex Saturday night, according to the Jefferson Paris Sheriff's Office detectives arrested Daronica Lumar, 28, shortly after the shooting and booked her with being an accessory after the fact to second-degree murder. Authorities haven't released any details about the investigation, including how Johnson, Lumar and Bourgeois allegedly knew one another. But Johnson and Lumar lived together at the Flowergate Apartments, the apartment complex at 3400 Kent Ave. where the shooting occurred, court records said. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The Sheriff's Office received a call reporting the shooting about 11:15 p.m. A deputy dispatched to the gated complex found Bourgeois lying on the ground with several gunshot wounds to his body. He died at the scene. Deputies took Lumar into custody at the apartment complex based on information from witnesses, but Johnson apparently fled the state. He was taken into custody last week in Jonesboro, Georgia, about 20 miles south of Atlanta. Johnson was being held Monday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in lieu of posting $700,000 bail on the charges related to the homicide. But he was being held without bail for a probation violation. He was sentenced to two years of probation after pleading guilty to aggravated battery in Orleans Parish in April 2019. An Australian mum has been praised for sharing the reality of motherhood with a photograph of her breastfeeding on the ground in the middle of Target. For Sarah Mills, the dreaded 'back to school shop' was not an event she looked forward to but with her two oldest kids Hendrix, 10, and Monroe, seven, heading back to their classes, it had to be done. The 33-year-old from Mid North Coast, New South Wales Australia, said she has suffered with anxiety for most of her life and knows that if an attack is creeping up on her, she will need to take a moment to sit still and breathe. The blogger explained that during a trip to Target to get school supplies, she became overwhelmed after her two older kids were fighting, and her youngest Morrison, three, was being a 'typical three-nager'. An Australian mum has been praised for sharing the reality of motherhood with a photograph of her breastfeeding on the ground in the middle of Target (pictured) The blogger explained that during a trip to Target to get school supplies, she became overwhelmed after her two older kids were fighting, and her youngest Morrison, three, was being a 'typical three-nager' 'I'd had a really tough couple of days, and I was completely overwhelmed. The kids needed school supplies and as much as I needed to just be in bed, I had no choice but to take all three out for the dreaded back to school shop,' Sarah said. 'We'd been to several shops, the kids kept changing their minds about what they want, the fighting was non-stop, the toddler was being a typical 'threenager' and my heart started racing. 'I thought to myself "here we go". Over the years I have learnt to recognise when a massive anxiety attack is about to hit.' As Sarah's anxiety began rearing its ugly head, the mum needed a moment to recuperate so she sat in the middle of the children's shoe aisle at Target to take a breath. After Morrison became hungry, Sarah breastfed her son on the floor in the aisle of the department store - and her daughter decided to snap a photograph 'I needed a moment. I knew all three children weren't about to stop what they were doing and put everything back so mama could go and ground herself,' Sarah said. 'So, in the middle of Target, I sat on the floor. I am too deep into single parenting to care about what others might think and only do what is 'socially acceptable' 'I sat and breathed through the techniques I've learnt over the years of battling anxiety.' After Morrison became hungry, Sarah breastfed her son on the floor in the aisle of the department store - and her daughter decided to snap a photograph. 'Sometimes, no matter where we are, we just need to stop, forget what others are thinking and do whatever it takes to get us through that moment,' she said 'Morrison came to sit with me asking for a drink, relieved he'd be sitting still for a minute I happily obliged,' Sarah said. 'Monroe amused herself looking at sandals and Hendrix sat trying on a pair of shoes he wanted. So, I sat, I counted, I took some breaths and I centred myself. 'I had a woman look at me in disgust, I don't know if it's because I was on the ground, because I was breastfeeding in public, or because I was feeding a giant toddler. But in that moment, nothing could bother me. For my own sanity I needed that moment.' Sarah said that after 15 minutes she was able to get up and carry on with the shopping trip, despite feeling a little 'rattled'. 'Sometimes, no matter where we are, we just need to stop, forget what others are thinking and do whatever it takes to get us through that moment,' she said. The powerful photograph has racked up hundreds of likes, shares and comments on Facebook from other parents from around the world who have praised Sarah for being so real, honest and raw 'You're not alone. Not all of us are okay 100 per cent of the time. It's okay to not always keep it together, it's okay to need a moment, it's okay to cry, and it's okay to sit down before you reach the point where you can't breathe. 'You're not broken. You're human. It's okay to feel.' The powerful photograph has racked up hundreds of likes, shares and comments on Facebook from other parents from around the world who have praised Sarah for being so real, honest and raw. And although the mum said she has received some hateful comments online, most of the feedback has been positive and Sarah has received many messages from other mum's who said they can relate. 'My post resonated with a lot of women who have said it was so real and that they had gone through similar experiences,' she said. 'Some of the comments said I was just looking for attention by having my breasts out and things like that. 'Later stage breastfeeding is still frowned upon unfortunately, and I've gotten lots of negative comments when I've breastfed in public. It's the most natural thing in the entire universe. It's nasty that a lot of women are subjected to negativity because of it.' Sarah's blog can be found here. 'Jihadists' kill 18 civilians in Burkina Faso Ouagadougou, Feb 3 (AFP) Feb 03, 2020 Suspected jihadists have killed 18 civilians in an attack in northern Burkina Faso, the governor of Sahel region said. "The defence and security forces brought back the body of the nurse to give it to her family in Yalgo and secure the area to allow the burial of other victims," Colonel Salfo Kabore said on Sunday. Several similar attacks were carried out a week ago in the country's north, with one on January 25 leaving 39 civilians dead in the neighbouring province of Soum, northwest of Seno. A security source told AFP that during the massacre, which took place in Lamdamol village in Seno province Saturday, "the attackers, heavily armed and on motorbikes, literally executed the local inhabitants". A local health official, speaking from the town of Dori in the north, said the chief nurse at the nearby village of Lamdamol was among the victims. "There is panic in the village and the surrounding area," the official added, saying local people were fleeing the area towards the centre-north of the country. Another security source said that the attack had come as a reprisal after jihadists had told local people to leave the area a few days earlier. The security forces worked day and night to make the zone safe, "but it is difficult to be everywhere at once", said the source. Burkina Faso borders Mali to the northwest and Niger to the east, both countries that are struggling to contain a wave of lethal jihadist attacks. Burkina Faso security forces, under-equipped and poorly trained, have not been able to counter the deadly raids in their territory, despite the help of foreign soldiers, notably French troops. According to UN figures, the jihadist attacks in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso killed 4,000 people in 2019 and caused an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, forcing 600,000 to flee their homes. Four armed miscreants on Monday looted Rs 13.38 lakh from a gas agency owner in Bihar's Jehanabad district, a senior police officer said. Gagan Bhushan Prasad, the owner of the gas agency, had alighted from his car near a bank, when the miscreants arrived on a motorcycle, ambushed him and decamped with his bag of cash, Superintendent of Police Manish Kumar said. Sources said the criminals fired shots in the air before fleeing towards Jehanabad town. Kumar said an investigation has been launched into the incident and police are trying to identify the criminals from the available CCTV footages. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkish aircraft did not enter Syrian airspace to carry out airstrikes on the positions of Syrian government forces, the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Sides in Syria (part of the Russian Defense Ministry) said. "Turkish Air Force aircraft did not violate Syrias borders, no airstrikes on the positions of Syrian troops have been recorded," TASS cited the statement as saying. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier at a press conference in Ankara that F-16 fighters from the Turkish Air Force and artillery crews had carried strikes on 40 targets in Idlib in response to an attack on the Turkish positions, which had killed four troops. According to Erdogan, the retaliatory attack killed 30-35 Syrians. However, the Turkish president did not specify if they were military servicemen. Bentham Science is pleased to announce a partnership with Freie University Berlin for a 'Read and Publish' Agreement. The partnership allows the library patrons to access Bentham Science journals and gives researchers from the university an opportunity to publish their research under an Open Access license at discounted rates. Freie University Berlin is a leading research institution in Germany. It is one of the German universities successful in all three funding lines in the federal and state Excellence Initiative, thereby receiving additional funding for its institutional future development strategy. Bentham Science is a science, technology, and medical (STM) publisher, providing academic researchers and industrial professionals with the latest information in diverse fields of science and technology. Bentham Science currently publishes more than 100 journals in both electronic and printed formats. Our journals cover various disciplines in pharmaceutical research and development, medical subspecialties, engineering, technology, and social sciences. The journals are indexed in recognized indexing services, such as Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition, MEDLINE/Index Medicus, PubMed, Scopus, Chemical Abstracts, and EMBASE. ### Britain and the European Union on Monday set out their red lines for post-Brexit trade talks, offering conflicting visions of their future relationship that raise the prospect of clashes to come. Three days after Britain took a historic step to leave the EU, Prime Minister Boris set out a plan for his country to become a global champion of free trade. He said he wanted a wide-ranging trade agreement with Brussels, Britain's largest trading partner but warned that breaking free from the EU's rules and regulations was the priority. "I see no need to bind ourselves to an agreement with the EU," Johnson said in a speech in London. "We will restore full sovereign control over our borders and immigration, competition and subsidy rules, procurement and data protection." In Brussels, EU negotiator Michel Barnier formally offered a deep future relationship but only as long as Britain makes guarantees to trade fairly. The negotiations are not due to begin until March but fears about the rocky road ahead sent the pound falling by 1.5 percent against the dollar in Monday trading. Britain and the EU have left themselves just 11 months to negotiate an agreement to replace almost four decades of economic and political integration, before a post-Brexit transition ends on December 31. If they cannot, trade relations will be administered according to the rules of the World Trade Organization, with tariffs and increased barriers that could cripple seamless EU-UK supply chains. - 'Level playing field' - Brussels has repeatedly warned Britain that the depth of future trade ties depends on how closely London adheres to EU standards -- what is known as maintaining the level playing field. Barnier said securing access to Britain's fishing waters and fair trade would be his priority in the talks to come, with a special focus on denying Britain "unfair competitive advantages". "We are ready to offer a highly ambitious trade deal as the central pillar of this partnership, including zero tariffs," he told a news conference. "We must now agree on specific and effective guarantees to ensure a level-playing-field over the long term," he said. "That means a mechanism to uphold the high standards we have on social, environmental, climate, tax and state aid matters today and in their future developments." - No need to accept rules - But in a speech at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, which chronicles Britain's past as a maritime superpower, Johnson said Britain was leaving the EU to "go out into the world". He railed against protectionism as a brake to global economic growth, and promised Britain would not "undermine" EU standards such as on protections for workers, the environment or consumers. But he argued: "There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment, or anything similar, any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules." Britain has asked for the EU's trade deal with Canada to be used as a model, which Europeans consider acceptable on tariffs and quotas, but too weak on provisions to guarantee fair trade. Johnson said the alternative would be to match the EU's current ties with far-away Australia, which includes tariffs, quotas and some basic cooperation on product safety but is not a formal trade deal. "I have no doubt that in either case the UK will prosper," he said. However, critics say an Australia-type deal is similar to reaching no deal at all. "Going for an Australia model is totally absurd if you look at how tightly intertwined the value and production chains are," Bernd Lange, an influential MEP who chairs the European Parliament's trade committee, told AFP. - Chess game - Johnson, a polarising figure accused of glossing over the complexity of leaving the EU, is in a rush to seal a deal and deliver the "independence" promised by Brexiteers. He has an option to extend the post-Brexit transition period beyond December 31, but says he will not. Now it is formally out of the EU, Britain is hoping to negotiate a new trade deal not just with Brussels but also the United States, Japan and other countries. Johnson admitted it would be a "great multi-dimensional game of chess", and is sending his foreign minister, Dominic Raab to Australia, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia in the coming two weeks. Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to restore full sovereign controls over a number of areas as Britain and the EU begin to ponder their post-Brexit future EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier insisted on the need for effective guarantees to ensure a level playing field for businesses over the long term Eleven cases of the coronavirus have been reported in the U.S., with the first death from the illness outside of China confirmed in the Philippines, public health officials said. The outbreak of the respiratory infection, named 2019-nCoV, began in Wuhan, China. More than 14,500 people have been diagnosed with the virus globally, and 305 people have died from the infection, the World Health Organization said in its most recent situation report. Only around 150 people have tested positive for the disease outside of China. The first death has been reported outside of China, in the Philippines, the report said. The patient was a close contact of the first patient confirmed in the Philippines. Five states have reported coronavirus diagnoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Monday, six people were reported to have the virus in California, and two patients were diagnosed in Illinois, both states departments of public health said. Single cases were confirmed in Arizona, Massachusetts and Washington, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. More than 165 people who tested negative for the virus continue to be monitored. Eighty-two patients are awaiting test results, according to the CDC. The first person diagnosed with the coronavirus in Massachusetts was identified Saturday as a student of UMass Boston. The man sought medical attention last week after returning to Boston Logan International Airport from Wuhan. The Boston resident, who is in his 20s, has been quarantined in his off-campus home since Wednesday. He is being monitored by public health nurses over the phone and is doing quite well, according to Dr. Jennifer Lo, medical director at the Boston Public Health Commission. The risk of the coronavirus to the UMass Boston community as well as Massachusetts and New England is low, public health officials have said. Bostons Logan International Airport is one of 20 airports in the U.S. that will have enhanced risk assessments for passengers arriving from China, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Passengers are expected to fill out a questionnaire about their travel, and CDC staff will take travelers temperatures with a non-contact thermometer. Measures to prevent the spread of the virus include avoiding close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections, frequent hand-washing, avoiding unprotected contact with farm or wild animals and covering coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, public health officials said. If people report symptoms indicating a respiratory illness either during or after travel, they are encouraged to seek medical attention and share their travel history with their health care provider, according to WHO. The illness falls into a large family of viruses found in humans as well as animals, including camels, cattle, cats and bats. The virus rarely transmits from animals to humans, but once it does, it can spread from person to person through respiratory droplets generated when a person, for example, coughs or sneezes," WHO says on its website. The viruses can cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, according to WHO. As with other respiratory illnesses, infection with 2019-nCoV can cause mild symptoms including a runny nose, sore throat, cough, and fever, WHOs website states. It can be more severe for some persons and can lead to pneumonia or breathing difficulties. More rarely, the disease can be fatal. Related Content: Mexicans celebrated the day of the Candelaria virgin on Sunday, carrying small figures of baby Jesus to church where they received the priest's blessing for the rest of the year. The festivity has its origins in Europe, where an apparition of the virgin in the Spanish Canary Island town of Tenerife led to the celebration every 2nd of February, was later on brought to the Americas and is celebrated in Mexico to this day. On Sunday, hundreds of devotees carried their baby Jesus figures dressed in elaborate outfits. Francisco Alcantara celebrated his 71st birthday by bringing a 110-year-old baby Jesus made of wood that he inherited from his wife's family. Alcantara and his wife come year after year, and they say they feel very blessed having their baby Jesus with them. "He is a representation of Christ," he said holding on the baby Jesus dressed in white. "We are respectful of our beliefs, that's how our parents, our ancestors taught us, so I love my baby (Jesus)." Lourdes Martinez has dressed her Jesus figurine as the archangel of love and asked for her marriage to be blessed. Last year, she dressed her baby Jesus as a doctor. "Each year we have a purpose. For example, there was a year when he (referring to her husband) was very sick. He had five surgeries in one year. And that year, we dressed him (Jesus) up as a baby doctor," she said. Where to go and what to do in Doha To watch a great city being built right before your eyes is a rare experience. The apartment complexes, malls and stadia being built at breakneck speed in Doha cant be dismissed as construction boom; theres a method to the madness. Sand dunes have made way for skyscrapers and art galleries promoting cutting edge work have mushroomed all over the city. Downtown Doha is home to some of the coolest restaurants and cafes and the postal code to aspire to. The ever so sophisticated Mandarin Oriental has opened its doors in this neighbourhood just a few months ago and is already become a venue of choice not just for travellers such as myself but local Qataris too who host weddings and engagements here. The Mandarin stands just a few hundred meters away from Souk Waqif, the old standing market of Doha. Further down from the souk is Corniche, the seven km-long promenade where, on weekends, the entire city seems to descend. Weekends in Doha are Thursday and Friday, though select offices do follow the Saturday-Sunday weekend. With Qatar Airways flying multiple times from various Indian cities to Doha, the Qatari capital makes for a convenient weekend getaway. Flights from Mumbai and New Delhi land at convenient timings at Dohas swanky Hamad International Airport giving you the entire day to explore the city. What to see and do in Doha Theres much to see and do in Doha but with just a weekend in hand, it helps to have a shortlist ready. Of course, you could throw out this list altogether and go shopping Doha has a thriving luxury goods market at any of Dohas exclusive shopping malls. Alternatively you could... 1. Shop at Souq Waqif Souq Wqaif Loosely translated as standing market, Souq Waqif gets its name from the fact that the waters of the sea would come all the way into this low-lying neighbourhood making it impossible for the traders to sit down and sell their wares. As a result all business was conducted while standing, giving Souq Waqif its name. The restored souq doesnt, of course, get flooded anymore and neither are the traders on their feet. Souq Waqif is a maze of a market that sells practically everything youd need from everyday household goods to fabrics and spices to artefacts and fridge magnets. A part of the souq is dedicated to birds and animals, specifically falcons, with entire stores selling only falcon accessories and feed. Souq Waqif has a thriving dinner and shisha scene that will keep you occupied the entire weekend. Do note that alcohol isnt available nor permitted. Story continues 2. Walk along Corniche View from Corniche, Doha The seven-km promenade is the equivalent of Chennais Marina Beach and Mumbais Marine Drive and offers unrestricted views of Dohas skyline. Since the street is one of the main thoroughfares in the city, expect traffic along Corniche during peak hours. Even so, walking along this promenade on a winter evening is easily one of the most relaxing things youd do on your trip. The seven-km stretch has interesting restaurants and open-air gymnasiums for public use. This is also the point from where you can rent a dhow (traditional Qatari boats) for a joyride into the bay. 3. Learn about Qatari history at the National Museum of Qatar Qatar National Museum The high-tech National Museum of Qatar can easily take anywhere between half a day and a full day to cover, depending on your interest in history and the countrys culture. Designed by the French architect, Jean Nouvel, the museum building is in the shape of a desert rose. Within it is narrated the story of the evolution of Qatar starting from (and this is true) pre-historic times. Section after section is immaculately curated and contains artworks, artefacts, murals, replicas as well as videos, pictures and photos as well as immersive experiences that reflect various aspects of Qatari history and culture. At its very heart is the restored palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani the son of the founder of modern Qatar. The building used to be the home of the ruling Al Thani family and also the seat of the government. 4. Visit the Museum of Islamic Art Museum of Islamic Art Designed by the legendary architect, the late IM Pei, the Museum of Islamic Art is built on a specially created island. It was Peis idea to have the museum on a standalone island so that no upcoming buildings would ever obstruct the view. So, as you look out from certain points of the Corniche, the Museum of Islamic Art seems almost as if floating on water. The museum itself boasts of an impressive collection of Islamic patterns, textiles, jewellery and calligraphy among other items collected across three continents with some artefacts going back to the seventh century. The Museum of Islamic Art also features rotating and pop-up exhibits all year round so do look up the website for the schedule. 5. Go dune bashing Should you find yourself short on time, dump the rest of the things on this list and head out into the desert. The dunes are steep and high, making your ride a memorable one. There are several operators who organise dune-bashing expeditions and provide pick-up from and drop to your hotel. Most operators advertise it as a four-hour trip the duration is inclusive of the time taken from the hotel to the dunes and back. The actual desert safari doesnt last for more than an hour. Where to eat in Doha Ambar in Mandarin Oriental, Doha Know that alcohol is banned in most restaurants in Doha so dont expect a nightlife like, say Dubai. Alcohol sale is restricted mostly to bars of large hotels, which makes drinking in Doha a very exclusive activity. Ambar in Mandarin Oriental is one such bar that offers a sophisticated ambience but also a progressive menu. Named after the glow of the setting sun Ambar is the kind of place youll see yourself winding down after a long days meetings, nursing your poison as you strike a conversation with your fellow drinker. Also inside Mandarin Oriental is Izu, the Mediterranean restaurant that has been inspired the eponymous chefs travels around France, England, Spain, and the Middle East. Izu has three seating areas with the mezzanine level featuring an exclusive alcohol menu. Parisa in Souq Waqif Walk down to Souq Waqif for a plethora of dining options. Al Adhamiyah Iraqi Restaurant is a budget restaurant serving Iraqi breakfast and some mean kebabs. For an authentic fine dining experience, Parisa is Souq Waqifs most popular option. The brightly coloured, mirrored interiors of Parisa serve as a great setting for its Middle Eastern fare thats as grammable as the restaurant itself. Farzi Cafe, Doha The thriving expat community in Doha has contributed to the diversity in the citys culinary landscape. Al Mourjan at Corniche is a great place to not just try out Lebanese food but also enjoy views of the citys skyline that the restaurant offers thanks to its unique location. And if youre feeling homesick, head inland towards Al Makhriya Street where stands Delhi boy Zorawar Kalras Farzi Cafe. Finally, there is Idam, the innovative restaurant located inside the Museum of Islamic Art. The French chef Alain Ducasse first Middle Eastern outing offers contemporary French Mediterranean cuisine designed with a distinct Arabic twist. Idams setting only rivals its food the Philippe Starck-designed decor overlooks Dohas skyline offering spectacular sunset views. Where to stay in Doha: You could, of course, check into an Airbnb but youd be remiss to ignore the luxury hotels scene in one of the worlds richest cities. Conveniently, Mandarin Oriental is located in the heart of Msheireb Downtown Doha and within walking distance of some of the citys top attractions such as Souq Waqif, Museum of Islamic Art and the National Museum of Qatar. Also not very far is the sprawling promenade, Corniche. The Mandarin Orientals architecture blends contemporary design with Qatari heritage. With 249 rooms, suites and serviced apartments, nine distinct culinary experiences and a beautifully appointed spa, Mandarin Oriental is where Middle Eastern charm meets Mandarin Orientals trademark hospitality. Truth is theres more to Doha than tall buildings, supersized malls and posh hotels. I couldnt put my finger on it for the longest time till I casually asked a young Ugandan guest relations manager to guesstimate how many nationalities may have made Doha their home. At the airport alone there are people from more than 90 countries, she replied without having to squint her eyes or to look heavenwards to come up with the answer. I imagine its this motley crowd that arrived on Dohas shores for better prospects thats making the Qatari capital a thriving metropolis even in the face of the economic blockade that over a dozen countries have imposed upon Qatar. Almost all of us stayed back (through the crisis), an expat whos been in Doha for nearly 20 years told me on another occasion. At first we thought wed spend ten years or so here and then go back home. Now Doha is home. Were in this for good, blockade or not. (Seen in the picture above is a portion of the College of Islamic Studies at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Doha. The two spires point to Mecca, the holiest of the pilgrimage sites for Muslims around the world.) Dr Nazim Zaidi, former Chief Election Commissioner of India; Stuti Kacker, former Chairperson, National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR); Zohra Chatterji, former Secretary, Ministry of Textiles; and Navtej Sarna, former Indias Ambassador to the US, have been appointed as new members of the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA), the independent and autonomous self-regulatory body for member news channels of the News Broadcasters Association (NBA). They replace Nitin Desai, Dr SY Quraishi, Leela Ponappa and Vijayalakshmi Chhabra, whose terms at the NBSA have ended. This was announced by Rajat Sharma, President, NBA, in a press release issued. The Chairperson of NBSA is Justice AK Sikri, former Supreme Court judge, who was appointed in May 2019. He succeeded Justice (Retd) RV Raveendran, who completed his term in May 2019. Dr Nasim Zaidi, IAS from 1976 batch of the UP cadre, served as the 20th Chief Election Commissioner of India from 2015 to 2017, after earlier working as Election Commissioner from 2012 to 2015. During his career spanning several years, he has served in increasingly responsible positions in the state of Uttar Pradesh and Government of India (GOI). As a constitutional authority, he brought about several institutional reforms at ECI, including introduction of digital technology in several areas such as inclusive voter registration, election monitoring and 100 per cent use of VVPAT with EVMs. Stuti Narain Kacker is an IAS officer from the 1978 batch of the UP cadre. In 36 years of service, she held progressively responsible positions in the State and Centre. She became Secretary to Government of India, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. As Secretary, she established the Department of Disability Affairs, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, GOI and superannuated on December 31, 2014. Thereafter, she was Chairperson, National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), a statutory body of GOI, under the Ministry of Women and Child, Government of India, from September 17, 2015 for three years. She is currently Chancellor, Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Meerut, UP. Zohra Chatterji is an IAS officer from the 1979 batch of the UP cadre. In July 2014, she retired as Secretary, Ministry of Textiles in the Government of India. She has held several important positions in her home state, including Secretary and Director Industries, Labour Commissioner, Secretary & DG Tourism, Secretary & Project Director Basic Education. Her last assignment in UP was Principal Secretary, IT & Industries. Navtej Sarna was Indias Ambassador to the United States till December 2018. He also served as Indias High Commissioner to the UK, Ambassador to the State of Israel and Secretary at the Ministry of External Affairs. He has the distinction of being Indias longest serving foreign office spokesperson, having held that post for six years. He is also an established author of fiction and non-fiction works. Oscar and Bafta nominee Joaquin Phoenix has made a plea for people to go vegan as he led an animal equality protest in central London. The Hollywood A-lister used his pulling power to gather a group of activists for a protest where he dropped a 390-square foot banner from Tower Bridge which declared: Factory farming destroys our planet. Go vegan. WASHINGTON Closing arguments Monday in President Donald Trumps impeachment trial were directed more toward history than to sway the outcome, one final chance to influence public opinion and set the record ahead of his expected acquittal in the Republican-led Senate. The House Democratic prosecutors drew on the Founding Fathers and common sense to urge senators and Americans to see that Trumps actions are not isolated but a pattern of behavior that, left unchecked, will allow him to cheat in the 2020 election. Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff implored those few Republican senators who have acknowledged Trumps wrongdoing in the Ukraine matter to prevent a runaway presidency and stand up to say enough. For a man like Donald J. Trump, they gave you a remedy and meant for you to use it. They gave you an oath, and they meant for you to observe it, Schiff said. We have proven Donald Trump guilty. Now do impartial justice and convict him. The presidents defense countered the Democrats have been out to impeach Trump since the start of his presidency, nothing short of an effort to undo the 2016 election and to try to shape the next one, as early primary voting begins Monday in Iowa. Leave it to the voters to choose, said White House counsel Pat Cipollone. He called for an end to the partisan era of impeachment. All thats left, as the Senate prepares to acquit Trump on charges that he abused power and obstructed Congress, is for Americans to decide now and in the November election, as the third presidential impeachment trial in the nations history comes to a close. Most senators acknowledge the House Democratic managers have essentially proven their case. Trump was impeached in December on two charges: that he abused his power like no other president in history when he pushed Ukraine to investigate rival Democrats, and he then obstructed Congress by instructing aides to defy House subpoenas. But key Republicans have decided the presidents actions toward Ukraine do not rise to the level of impeachable offense that warrants the dramatic political upheaval of conviction and removal from office. His acquittal in Wednesdays vote is all but assured. GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska called the presidents actions shameful and wrong, but in a powerful speech late Monday she also derided the highly partisan process. I cannot vote to convict, she said. Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Marco Rubio of Florida and Rob Portman of Ohio are among those who acknowledged the inappropriateness of Trumps actions, but said they would not vote to hear more testimony or to convict. What message does that send? asked Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., a House prosecutor. He warned senators that for Trump, the past is prologue. He urged the Senate to realize its failure to convict will allow the presidents misconduct to stand. The Senate proceedings are set against a sweeping political backstop, as voters in Iowa on Monday are choosing presidential Democratic primary candidates and Trump is poised to deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday in his own victory lap before Congress. It is unclear if any Republican or Democratic senators sworn to do impartial justice will break from party lines. One centrist Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin, W-Va., said he was heavily weighing the vote ahead. He suggested censure may be a bipartisan alternative. The House Democrats unveiled a striking case centered on Trumps personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, running an alternative foreign policy that drew alarm at the highest levels. As part of the scheme, Trump held up $391 million in U.S. aid from Ukraine, a fragile ally battling Russia, for his personal political gain, they argued. The money was eventually released after Congress intervened. As Chief Justice John Roberts presided, the House managers opened with a plea from Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., a freshman and former Army Ranger: We cannot and should not leave our common sense at the door. One by one, the Democrats drew on their life experiences to remind senators, and Americans, of the simple difference between right and wrong in the case against Trump. Rep. Val Demings, a former police chief, argued that the president is not behaving like someone who is innocent. She warned that if senators do not convict, Trump will try to cheat again ahead of 2020. You will send a terrible message to the nation that one can get away with abuse of power, cheating and spreading of false narratives, she told them. Before Trumps celebrity defense mounted its closing argument, the president himself already registered his views on Twitter, where he decried the whole thing as he often does as a hoax. Kenneth Starr, the former prosecutor whose investigation led to Bill Clintons impeachment, complained about the inadequacy of the House prosecutors fast track case. Trump attorney Jay Sekulow showed political clips of Democrats calling for impeachment with many lawmakers of color, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a top Republican foil to argue this was the first totally partisan presidential impeachment in our nations history, and it should be our last. One key Trump lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, who was forced to walk back a sweeping defense of presidential power in last weeks arguments, did not appear. Trump wanted acquittal secured before he arrives at the Capitol for the State of the Union address Tuesday, but that will not happen. Senators carrying the power of their votes to the history books wanted additional time to make their own arguments, in public speeches from the floor of the Senate. Those began Monday afternoon and were expected to continue until Wednesdays vote. The trial unfolded over nearly two weeks and reached a decisive moment last Friday when senators voted against calling witnesses and documents. Key Republicans said they had heard enough. It becomes the first impeachment trial in the nations more than 200-year history without any witnesses. Even new revelations from John Bolton, the former White House national security adviser, whose forthcoming book discloses his firsthand account of Trump ordering the investigations, did not impress upon senators the need for more testimony. Bolton said he would appear if he received a subpoena, but GOP senators said the House should have issued the summons and the Senate did not want to prolong the proceedings. Prosecutors relied on a 28,000-page report compiled over three months of proceedings in the Democratic-controlled House, including public and private testimony from 17 witnesses, among them current and former ambassadors and national security officials with close proximity to the Ukraine dealings. The case stems from Trumps July 25 call with Ukraine that he maintains was perfect. A government whistleblower alarmed by the call filed a complaint that sparked the inquiry. __ Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Matthew Daly, Laurie Kellman and Padmananda Rama contributed to the story. Guwahati: Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma here on Sunday said that no coronavirus case has so far been reported in Assam. He however admitted that they are alert and taking all precautionary steps. The clarification of the health minister came in the wake of a youth shifted to isolation ward of Guwahati Medical College Hospital. Informing that a youth from Morigaon who works in Kerala landed at the Guwahati airport with symptoms of coronavirus, sources in Guwahati Medical College Hospital said that youth was shifted to isolation ward and his blood sample has been collected for confirmation of virus. The medical team attending the patient said that they are not sure about the coronavirus but on the basis of symptoms, he has been isolated. Assam health minister said that there was no need to panic about. The Centre has issued a protocol for us to follow and we have already started it. Surveillance of air passengers is under way at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, the minister said. Minister of state for health and family welfare Pijush Hazarika admitted that a patient with suspected infection of coronavirus has been admitted to the GMCH as precautionary measures. The patient who was returning from Kerala was having a very high fever. The doctors are examining and monitoring his health. However, he may not be infected by coronavirus, rather he could have small pox or dengue, the minister of state for health and family welfare told reporters. He said that doctors would be monitoring the health of patient till Monday and only after that they would be able to clarify whether the patient is infected with coronavirus. 71 French members of Parliament will today start examining the controverisial pension reform bill in an ad-hoc commission. The opposition submitted 22,000 amendments. The 71 members of Parliament of this special commission have just two weeks to examine the 70 articles of the two pension reform bills which have fueled strikes and protests in France since 5 December 2019. The bills will then be subjected to discussions in Parliament on 17 February. The opposition party, La France Insoumise, which submitted 19,000 amendments admits that its move is in an obstructive one. The opposition MPs deplored that they were only given six days to look into what they consider to be a particularly complex bill and go through a study-impact document of 1,029 pages. The MPs received the bills on Thursday 24 January 2020 and had six days to submit their amendments, on Thursday 30 January at the latest. But MPs from the ruling La Republique en Marche party said they are "proud" to support the pension reform bill. And Prime minister Edouard Philippe announced that he doesn't fear the opposition's determination to counter this bill at all costs. Vote of no confidence Three left leaning opposition parties said that they would be ready to call for a vote of no confidence against the government if the parliamentary discussions appear to lead nowhere. The Socialist party said that they hope the French people will show "how fed up they are" in the municipal elections due at the end of March. "And the government will then have to give up". The extreme right Rassemblement National led by Marine Le Pen said they might join in the vote of no confidence. An issue which is posing problem and sparking debates among the left leaning parties. The government is intent on having the pension reforms approved before August. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is undergoing treatment for a stomach infection, officials of Delhis Sir Ganga Ram Hospital where she is admitted said on Monday. She was rushed to the hospital on Sunday evening after complaints of stomach pain and vomiting. Mrs Sonia Gandhi was admitted to the hospital at 7 pm yesterday and underwent some routine tests. She had come in with complaints of stomach pain and vomiting. She has been found to have a stomach infection and is being treated for the same, said Dr DS Rana, chairman, the board of management of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. She is doing fine, he said. The 73-year-old had been accompanied to the hospital on Sunday by her son and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and daughter party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Hold the front page. For the breaking news from the new frontier that appeared between Europe and the UK on the Cavan/Fermanagh border on Brexit night was that few people seemed bothered about partition's latest parting of the ways. Hundreds of people may have attended parties or wakes in Britain, but in Belcoo in Fermanagh and Blacklion in Cavan, 11pm on Friday passed with a distinct absence of upbeat celebrations or downbeat farewells. And at the witching hour the streets were deserted. The only other thing missing was the tumbleweed. Even the hardy band of protesters had gone. Ninety minutes earlier a couple of dozen of them gathered on the stone bridge that separates the two villages, the two counties and the two countries to hold one of six demonstrations along the border. Some of the others attracted national media attention. Not so the Blacklion/Belcoo protest. Leitrim guest house owner JJ O'Hara, who is one of the leaders of the Border Communities Against Brexit lobby group (BCAB), conceded that fears of a hard border had receded. But he added that there were still concerns about the future, particularly over what the 11-month period of transition will bring. He said: "We are very worried about what a new trade deal - if one is ever agreed - will mean to people along the border. I think it will be impossible to get things sorted in just 11 months and we could be left in limbo. "So our campaign is far from over. We will be keeping up the pressure on the administrators on this island, in England and in Europe. We have support from people right across the border region - unionists and nationalists." Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Parties and protests to mark Brexit in Northern Ireland [Photos] Close Jim Wells joins Pro-Brexit members of the public gather at the front gates of Parliament Buildings, Stormont in Belfast for a Brexit Celebration event. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press E Jim Wells joins Pro-Brexit members of the public gather at the front gates of Parliament Buildings, Stormont in Belfast tonight for a Brexit Celebration event. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press E Pro-Brexit activists celebrate at Stormont as the UK leaves the EU. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press E Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 31st January 2020 - Pro-Brexit members of the public gather at the front gates of Parliament Buildings, Stormont in Belfast tonight for a Brexit Celebration event. The United Kingdom is on the final countdown to leave Europe, more than three years after the nation voted for Brexit. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press E Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 31st January 2020 - Pro-Brexit members of the public gather at the front gates of Parliament Buildings, Stormont in Belfast tonight for a Brexit Celebration event. The United Kingdom is on the final countdown to leave Europe, more than three years after the nation voted for Brexit. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press E Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 31st January 2020 - Pro-Brexit members of the public gather at the front gates of Parliament Buildings, Stormont in Belfast tonight for a Brexit Celebration event. The United Kingdom is on the final countdown to leave Europe, more than three years after the nation voted for Brexit. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press E Members of Border Communities Against Brexit arrive with their new poster at Stormont in Belfast, ahead of the UK leaving the European Union at 11pm on Friday. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday January 31, 2020. See PA story POLITICS Brexit Ireland. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA Sinn Fein activists calling for a border poll, stage a demonstration outside Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast, ahead of the UK leaving the European Union at 11pm on Friday. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday January 31, 2020. See PA story POLITICS Brexit Ireland. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA Sinn Fein activists calling for a border poll, stage a demonstration outside Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast, ahead of the UK leaving the European Union at 11pm on Friday. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday January 31, 2020. See PA story POLITICS Brexit Ireland. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA Sinn Fein activists calling for a border poll, stage a demonstration outside Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast, Picture date: Friday January 31, 2020. PA Sinn Fein activists calling for a border poll, stage a demonstration outside Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast, ahead of the UK leaving the European Union at 11pm on Friday. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday January 31, 2020. See PA story POLITICS Brexit Ireland. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA Pro-Brexit supporters in Parliament Square, London, as the UK prepares to leave the European Union, ending 47 years of close and sometimes uncomfortable ties to Brussels. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday January 31, 2020. See PA story POLITICS Brexit. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA Protesters from the campaign group Border Communities Against Brexit take part in a demonstration in Carrickcarnon on the Irish border, ahead of the UK leaving the European Union at 11pm on Friday. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday January 31, 2020. See PA story POLITICS Brexit. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire PA A countdown clock is projected onto 10 Downing Street, ahead of the UK leaving the European Union at 11pm, ending 47 years of close and sometimes uncomfortable ties to Brussels. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday January 31, 2020. See PA story POLITICS Brexit. Photo credit should read: Aaron Chown/PA Wire PA Protesters from the campaign group Border Communities Against Brexit take part in a demonstration in Carrickcarnon on the Irish border, ahead of the UK leaving the European Union at 11pm on Friday. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday January 31, 2020. See PA story POLITICS Brexit. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire PA Declan Fearon from the campaign group Border Communities Against Brexit during a demonstration in Carrickcarnon on the Irish border, ahead of the UK leaving the European Union at 11pm on Friday. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday January 31, 2020. See PA story POLITICS Brexit. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire PA Damien McGinnity from the campaign group Border Communities Against Brexit during a demonstration in Carrickcarnon on the Irish border, ahead of the UK leaving the European Union at 11pm on Friday. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday January 31, 2020. See PA story POLITICS Brexit. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire PA A count down clock is projected onto 10 Downing Street, when, at 11pm, the UK will leave the European Union after 47 years. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday January 31, 2020. See PA story POLITICS Brexit. Photo credit should read: Aaron Chown/PA Wire PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jim Wells joins Pro-Brexit members of the public gather at the front gates of Parliament Buildings, Stormont in Belfast for a Brexit Celebration event. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. For me Brexit night was a tale of two villages and travelling in and out of the EU in the space of a couple of hundred yards. I had gone south for a long-arranged birthday celebration in a restaurant in Blacklion, the village that, ironically, my father's family left to move north during another political upheaval in the 1920s. But I was staying in a hotel in Belcoo, where I saw what local people insisted was a rare night-time spectacle - PSNI officers. Two of them stood in a doorway not far from the bridge and a 4x4 police vehicle arrived soon afterwards. On the bridge itself a Garda car stopped just feet short of the border demonstration and the solitary officer inside watched the protesters, who watched him wondering which police force would do what if something untoward happened right on the frontier. Which it didn't. By 11pm there wasn't a police officer in sight and there wasn't a soul on the streets as Brexit became a reality. The pubs in Blacklion and Belcoo weren't busy either. The joke was that people were at home watching Arlene Foster on RTE's Late Late Show. Inside McNean's restaurant Brexit was barely on the menu for conversations, though some Northern Irish customers jokingly enquired if they might need passports to get back across the border. Award-winning chef and owner Neven Maguire had said that a hard border would be a disaster for him because so many of his staff and his suppliers as well as his customers were from north of the border. The restaurant has put Blacklion on the map but the village doesn't exactly have the air of a boom town. The number of shutdown shops and pubs is depressingly striking. On Saturday morning Belcoo and Blacklion woke to the new post-Brexit dawn, questioning what all the fuss had been on the TV the night before. One man in Belcoo put it all into perspective. "I was in bed by 10.30," he said. "I'm proud to say I slept through Brexit." Sir, Anyone would think from letters in your paper over the past two weeks that same-sex "marriage" is a benign eccentricity which won't affect the average person.Massachusetts has been cited for weeks as an example. However, it doesn't take a lot of research to realize that what has happened there since same-sex marriage was introduced is truly frightening. Our citizens deserve to be forewarned because once inserted in our Constitution there will be no going back and future generations will surely ask why this information was kept hidden. Up until now in the debate on same sex marriage this aspect has been sadly neglected. The Yes side certainly don't want this information brought into the public debate and the "No" side are trying so hard not to offend anyone that they have scarcely mentioned it. The details of what children are taught in schools are not suitable to be included here but can be found by logging on to WWW.MassResistance.org. But what happened in the courts in Massachusetts should be warning enough for people to think again if considering the charitable thing to do is to vote Yes. In 2007 a federal judge ruled that because of "gay marriage" in Massachusetts, parents have no rights regarding the teaching of homosexual relationships in schools. The previous year the Parkers and Wirthlins had filed a federal civil rights lawsuit to force the schools to notify parents and allow them to opt out their elementary-school children when homosexual-related subjects were taught. The federal judge dismissed the case. The appeals judges later upheld the first judge's ruling that because same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts, the school actually had a duty to normalize homosexual relationships to children; and schools have no obligation to notify parents or let them opt out their children. Acceptance of homosexuality had become a matter of good citizenship! Think about this: If same-sex marriage is "legal" in Ireland then you will be breaking the law if you object to any teaching around homosexuality. Parents' complaints will be ignored or met with hostility. In Massachusetts, School libraries have radically changed from elementary school to high school, now they have expanding shelves of books to normalize homosexual behaviour and "lifestyle" in the minds of kids, some of them quite explicit and even pornographic. In the UK similar things have been happening since gay marriage was legalised there. For example Andrew McClintock was forced to resign as a magistrate in Sheffield because he didn't believe placing children with same-sex couples was in their best interests. He lost his discrimination case at an employment appeal tribunal. Guardian Unlimited 22 October 2007, see http://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/oct/22/religion as at 16 April 2015 Before voting ask yourself the question "Is that what you want for future generations of Irish children and citizens"? Wherever marriage is redefined, people are punished for their sincere beliefs about marriage. You've been forewarned. Sincerely, Denis O'Connor. Garrane, Tralee. A Eagarthoir, Equality for all should mean exactly what it says and the 'all' in question should include children. However, we must not confuse equality with tolerance! We can accept and respect all our citizens equally without altering the status of the family as per Bunreacht na hEireann. That and all its associated implications would spell disaster for our future generations. Le meas, B.Caball, Cnoc Maoile, Tra Li. Sir, So we are heading into the final week of this mind boggling event. For the first time, at least in my experience, all of the main political parties are of one voice. 'Vote Yes', they cry and the religious leaders cry, 'vote No'. There must be a lot of very confused people out there. Should they vote Yes as their political leaders are telling them or vote No as their religious leaders are telling them. Eamon deValera must be turning in his grave at the decision of a Yes vote from Fianna Fail. Then you have the ridiculous referendum on allowing 21 year olds to become President of Ireland. However, on mature reflection would it really matter as the position is, in all honesty, a rubber stamp position and at 21 they would stand a better chance of staying awake during all of the pompous receptions they would have to attend. So having considered long and hard I have come to the following conclusion. A Yes vote to me is a vote for love and happiness and I am all for this so I will vote Yes. And President at the age of 21 could make for interesting candidates in the next presidential election so I will be voting Yes for this too. That's it, decision made, perhaps we can get back to the serious matter of running the country. Sincerely, Michael O'Meara, Faha, Killarney. Sir, A substantial portion of the public have raised legitimate concerns regarding the impact of a 'Yes' vote on the welfare of children, a primary concern stemming from the possible legalisation of surrogacy in the future. This apprehensiveness has been compounded by certain ill-informed beliefs surrounding Article 41 of the Constitution, which pledges to protect the constitution and authority of the family, implicitly guarding the right of a family to procreate. Certain commentators have argued that if the referendum is passed, the banning of surrogacy would be deemed unconstitutional as it would prevent gay men from procreating by the only means open to them. However, Mr Justice Kevin Cross, Independent Chair of the Referendum Commission, has publicly rejected this theory and assured the public that the hands of the Courts are most certainly not tied in cases of surrogacy. In the definitive words of Justice Cross, "There is no right of access to surrogacy. There is, spoken of, a right of a married couple to procreate but that right does not and has never been defined to include a right of access to artificial means such as surrogacy." The 'No' campaign has also argued that the legalisation of same-sex marriage would prevent certain agencies, as well as the courts, from giving preference to heterosexual married couples as opposed to same-sex civil partners in cases of adoption and assisted reproduction. This argument is equally unfounded and legally inaccurate. Parts 3 and 5 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015, regarding one's entitlement to a child born through surrogacy or assisted reproduction, apply equally to couples who are married, in a civil partnership or in a co-habiting relationship. It follows that under the current law, same sex couples in a civil partnership and heterosexual married couples are given equal entitlement to children born as a result of assisted reproduction. In the adoption process, it is the birth mother who decides which applicant couple is most eligible to parent her child. As it stands, there is no law barring the birth mother from discriminating on the basis of sex. If the mother is not present to make this decision, the adoption agency steps into the shoes of the mother. The agency may give preference to a married heterosexual couple if it is of the belief that doing so would safeguard the best interests of the child. However, the decision is ultimately predicated on the best interests of the child, rather than the sex of the couple, demonstrating that adoption policies in Ireland would not be altered by the legalisation of same sex marriage. I could finish my letter my quoting studies which have consistently shown that children tend to live happy and healthy lives having been raised by same sex parents, however I do not wish to find fault with personal beliefs. My hope is that the people of Kerry will not make their decision on May 22 based on red herrings and distorted legal opinions put forward by certain factions of the 'No' campaign. Sincerely, Aoife O'Connor Third year law and Irish student Greenmount, Dingle. sIR, Proponents of a 'Yes' vote in the Marriage Referendum on May 22 rightly argue that excluding LGBT individuals from equal access to civil marriage will have a negative impact on the mental health and well-being of children and teenagers in Ireland - the national and international evidence from reliable research certainly demonstrates that discrimination gravely hurts LGBT young people. As a middle-aged lesbian, originally from Dalton's Ave, Killarney, I recall my own 'coming out' some 35 years ago. Killarney was quite a different town then where church and state cast long shadows into every corner of our lives. A very religious person myself, I found it extremely difficult to reconcile my Catholicism with the growing realization that I was different, that my very existence was repugnant to the church in whose eyes I was unnatural, full of sin, an evil abomination. I was 22 years old when I came out to my parents - I always shared everything with them and couldn't imagine lying to them. Like myself, they had little or no understanding of homosexuality, they feared it, they feared for my future. However, after the initial shock and horror had abated they each wrote a letter to me; I still have them. Both of them gave me good advice - to keep my mind open, to take my time, to enjoy my studies in UCC. But, whatever their misgivings, they both reassured me that they loved and cherished me: "I myself will hope and pray and continue my famous Novena (ha ha). You say you are happy and that is what counts. Don't worry about Dad and myself worrying about you, it's your life to choose so continue being happy." (Maudie McCarthy, February 1982) "You are our daughter and we love you and always will no matter what." (Christy McCarthy February 1982) True to their word and as the years went by, they loved me, supported me, welcomed my girlfriends, respected our families. My three sisters and brother and their families in turn, were also and still are, my staunchest supporters. My beloved parents died many years ago; I honour their bravery, their generosity of spirit, their willingness to see beyond the narrow, mean vision and ideological straitjacket that dominated our lives in the Killarney of yesteryear. For my parents and family; love of me conquered all their fears. I tell their story now because I know that they would want it told so that other daughters, sons, parents, grandparents in Killarney, Ireland and around the world might live freer, safer, more cherished lives. Sincerely, Dr Joan McCarthy MA PHD, Windmill Road, Cork City. Sir, The proposed amendment to the Constitution seeks to give two different types of sexual relations (female and female, male and male) the same status as male-female marriage as we know it. It is surely common sense to say that this is wrong. There is a distinction. The distinction between opposite and same-sex couples was recognized by the Oireachtas as recently as 2010 in the Civil Partnership Act. This gives wide-ranging rights to same sex couples. The 2010 Act was enabled by the Equality article of the Constitution which allows the Oireachtas to enact different laws for different situations. It is not inequality to accept the reality of difference. We totally disagree that the proposals will not affect children. If passed, the amendment will inevitably allow the 'commissioning' of children. We applaud the work of single parents and their contribution to society. At the same time, we believe that mothers and fathers matter to children. It takes the two sexes to create them, and where possible, to nurture them. We accept and respect same-sex couples, but say that their relationship is different to marriage. Their ability to care, nurture and educate a child must be limited by the best interest of a child. The simple reality is that same-sex couples cannot supply a child with both a mother and a father. This proposal will deprive children of a mother or a father and imposes an inequality between children. The best interest of all children should be paramount to voters. We respectfully suggest, therefore, that voters reflect on the matter. We suggest that the following questions may be helpful: 1. Do you agree that, whenever possible, a child should have both a female and a male nurturer, bringing different strengths, values and outlooks to the rearing of a child? 2. Do you believe that the family as we know it will be changed if same sex couples have their relationship recognized as a "marriage"? 3. Do you believe the relationship between a man and a woman is the same as the relationship between two men or two women? 4. Do you believe it is correct to insert into our Constitution a redefinition of marriage that will inevitably result in a child being deprived of either a mother or a father? The institution of marriage and family as they are, have worked well in the main for society. Voting No will preserve this valuable institution. Sincerely, Mary Fitzgibbon, Ann Keeling, Robert Pierse, Ian O'Shea, Mothers and Fathers Matter (Kerry). Letters should be sent to: The Editor, The Kerryman, Denny St, Tralee. Email: dmalone@kerryman.ie. Please include a contact phone number for verification purposes. Letters may be edited. It is editorial policy not to publish anonymous letters. Monica Mahaffey, a spokeswoman for the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, said she couldnt comment on details of the case. But she said: Our agency will review Suffolk Countys casework and will issue any recommendations for improvement or corrective actions based upon our findings. We will also review the countys investigation into the handling of this case. The records of calls to the abuse hotline were previously reported by The Daily News. Justyna Zubko-Valva, the boys mother, is a correction officer at Rikers Island. A few days after she buried her third grader in a white tuxedo, she spoke from her home in Valley Stream, N.Y., rifling through the piles of papers documenting her years of pleas for help. I can stand in front of God and say I honestly tried everything, she said tearfully. Tommy is not alive anymore, and there are so many people who are responsible for his death. In the tidy brick housing complex where the couple lived before splitting up in 2015, residents said they had often awoke to the flashing lights of a police car responding to a dispute at No. 25. They had been married since 2004. No one was helping her, said Shagufta Naz, who lives across the courtyard. He was in the police, so everybody was scared to help her. Between them, Officer Valva and Officer Zubko-Valva made more than 20 calls to 911 from 2015 to 2019, according to information provided by the Nassau County Police Department. In one call, Officer Zubko-Valva alleged that her children were being sexually abused. The allegation was investigated and determined to be unsubstantiated, said Detective Lt. Richard S. LeBrun, a spokesman for the department. In a call on Dec. 30, 2015, Officer Zubko-Valva told the police that her children had not eaten that day in her husbands care. Lieutenant LeBrun wrote in an email, When police arrived they observed the father and children arriving home. Father Had McDonalds bag filled with food in his hands, the email said. Officers determined the claims were unfounded. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat held an interaction here on Monday with over 100 'pracharaks' (workers) drawn from the Congress-ruled states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Bhagwat will hold talks with the pracharaks of RSS Madhya Kshetra for a couple of days following which they will be handed district-wise plans to reach out to youths, a Sangh functionary said. After two days, he will review the work and roadmap of RSS affiliates, including the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, its students' wing, at the Saraswati Shishu Mandir's Sharda Vihar, where the meeting is underway. Bhagwat will hold meetings for four days with the pracharaks and functionaries of different Sangh-affiliated organisations, he added. A similar meeting of RSS pracharaks of Madhya Kshetra was held here five years ago, a source said. The Sangh's programme is being seen as an effort to quell the dissent among people against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and ramp up support for the new law. The law seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non- Muslim refugees coming from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan after facing religious persecution there. Protests have been going on in several parts of the country against the new law. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders speaks to supporters and volunteers at a campaign field office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, February 2, 2020. Mike Segar | Reuters Iowa's Democratic presidential caucuses Monday are a step toward narrowing the far-flung field of candidates, and investors could start getting worried if polls prove correct and Bernie Sanders emerges as the winner. Iowa is just the first ballot, but a win by the Vermont senator could give him more momentum, and that certainly could get the market's attention. Analysts do not expect a sell-off just based on an Iowa win for Sanders, but if he begins to look like the nominee in more races, volatility could increase. New Hampshire's primary is the following week, and Sanders won there in 2016. "I think the market really has run up for a lot of reasons, but they clearly have been pricing in a Trump re-election," said Lori Calvasina, chief U.S.equity strategist at RBC. "The betting markets are sending a positive signal on Sanders right now. The big sort of shift in trend is Bernie." Still, strategists say the left-leaning candidate would have a hard time beating President Donald Trump if he were the party nominee, but the fear is there's now some level of risk that he could. Sanders is viewed as negative for the stock market, and he is in favor of significantly raising taxes on individuals and companies. Long shot no more Sanders had once been seen as a long shot, but he is now leading former Vice President Joseph Biden in Iowa polls by an average 24.2% to 20.2%, according to RealClearPolitics.com. Sanders is also leading Biden by a wider average 9.5 percentage points in polls in his neighboring state of New Hampshire. "Anybody who has won two of the first three, they've all gone on" to be the nominee, said Daniel Clifton, head of policy research at Strategas. Read more: Voters largely favor capitalism over socialism amid Sanders' rise Biden is leading in the third and fourth states scheduled to hold votes. He leads by 5.7 percentage points on average in Nevada polls ahead of its Democratic presidential caucuses Feb. 22, and is ahead in the Feb. 29 vote in South Carolina, where RealClearPolitics.com puts him up by an average 17 percentage points. A much anticipated final poll by the Des Moines Register in Iowa was not released over the weekend, due to a potential error. "Iowa has picked the last four Democratic nominees. The early states, which are often disregarded as not important, create momentum for winners and really start to hurt the losers," Clifton said. This year, there is an early "Super Tuesday" of primaries on March 3 in more than a dozen states, including Texas, North Carolina and California, a key state where Sanders now has a large lead. Those states hold 42% of the delegates, but Clifton said Iowa can be pivotal and provide important early momentum for candidates. He said the next pre-caucus poll on Saturday by the Des Moines Register will be important. "This is why the volatility is around February, and not March. Super Tuesday has many investors making that bet," he said. "They're betting on March. You want to make your bet around February because there's a lack of realization that Bernie could win the nomination, and he's going to get a fresh bout of momentum if he wins those first states." Super Tuesday options There has been trading in weekly options betting that the market this week would see elevated volatility in the S&P 500 around the caucuses. There's also been a trade around Super Tuesday March 3, but the scare over the rapidly spreading coronavirus has brought its own hedging. "There was a volatility premium built into next Wednesday. People would much rather buy options that incorporate the election-related events. Weekly options go out three months. March 6 options were listed about a month ago. That has Super Tuesday in it," said Patrick Kernan, CEO of Cardinal Capital, which trades S&P options. "Those options were significantly more expensive, puts and calls, relative to the options that expired right before it at the end of February." Health-care stocks have also been hit in part because of the potential rise of Sanders. Calvasina said normally with a health scare, those stocks should be doing well, but they have been trading lower, particularly managed care. The S&P health-care sector was one of last week's worst performers, down 3.3%. "That's been his signature issue I think people really identify him with the health-care policy," said Calvasina. "There's no virus-related reason that health-care stocks should be down this week, these large-cap, policy sensitive names." Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are the most progressive and both favor "Medicare for All." Both also would ban fracking, or the shale drilling that has taken the U.S. from a major importer of oil to an exporter and the biggest producer in the world. "Their policies are clearly not pro-market. Regardless of what the odds might be in the general election, they have a puncher's chance," said Ed Keon, chief market strategist at QMA. Biden wants to preserve and expand upon Obamacare, with a private insurance option. He has also supported fracking, which is important to voters in key states such as Pennsylvania and Texas. The coronavirus has dominated this past week's trading, and bond strategists say the sharp decline in yields has been the direct result of fears the virus will slow the world economy. But they also say investors could get increasingly nervous about the Democratic primaries and there are some investors using bonds as a safety play against election-related volatility. "It's a reason not to push rates higher. It's a reason you're willing to be neutral," said Jon Hill, BMO senior rate strategist. The Bloomberg factor In the Iowa polls, Warren is fourth with 15.6%, behind former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, at 16.4%, according to RealClearPolitics.com. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is averaging 8.6% in Iowa's polls. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is not in the early state races, and only shows up in time for Super Tuesday. Some strategists see Bloomberg siphoning off Biden supporters, helping Sanders, and he could become more high-profile nationally after his big Superbowl ad buy Sunday. "Bloomberg has set up for Bernie winning and Biden crashing. If that scenario takes place, then it would be him and Bernie Sanders one on one in the back end of the states. It's never been done. It wouldn't be easy. He's getting 7% of the vote right now," Clifton said. "But he's the only one increasing in the polls." Cornerstone Macro's Andy Laperriere said even though Sanders looks to be in the lead in Iowa, the situation is fluid and it's hard to tell what the outcome will be. "What looks like is happening is the progressive vote is coalescing around Sanders and feeling like he's got at least as good a chance as anybody else," said Laperriere, who heads U.S. policy at Cornerstone. Laperriere said an analysis on FiveThirtyEight politics shows a win in Iowa could give a big boost to either candidate but would push Biden closer to being the nominee. The analysis shows Biden doubling his odds to 80%, while the odds for Sanders would get a boost to 61% on an Iowa win. (Natural News) The Teacher was right: What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. This observation by King Solomon rings true and loudly in 2019 America. Arguably the most intense and divisive year in the abortion wars, 2019 reminds us all of the dangers of forgetting our history, which one political party seems committed to repeat. (Article by Seth Gruber republished from LifeSiteNews.com) Kicking off 2019 with New Yorks Reproductive Health Act, New York Democrats renewed their resolve to repeat the judicial tyranny of their partys history by treating some human beings as an inferior class of non-persons. This 2019 Act is disturbingly reminiscent of the 1857 Dred Scott vs. Sandford ruling, which denied personhood to African American Dred Scott. Seven Democrats on the Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott, while temporarily residing in American territory that declared African American men free persons, was not truly a person after returning to Missouri with his slave-owner, a Captain John Emerson. The court declared that Scott was the property of Emersons wife (Emerson having already passed), and as a non-citizen with no rights of personhood, Scott could be treated as any other form of property owned by Emersons wife, Eliza Sandford. Summarizing the case, Chief Justice Roger [racist] Taney, wrote: A black man has no rights a white man is bound to respect. What has been will be again. In January of 2019, New Yorks Reproductive Health Act, declared that while unborn human beings may have certain personhood rights in other territories of America, New Yorks unborn children have no rights of personhood and can be treated as property through the moment of birth. Denying the personhood of the unborn in the most extreme way, New York legislators even declared that murderers of pregnant women will only be charged with one count of homicide. Channeling the historical discrimination of his party, New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo sent the same message as Taney did so long ago: An unborn human has no rights a born human is bound to respect. Since then, Illinois, Rhode Island, and Vermont have passed similar, radical legislation. Shortly after the New York Reproductive Health Act passed, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam went on WTOP radio to publicly defend Virginia Delegate Kathy Trans bill that would legalize abortion to point of birth. Likely realizing that there is no meaningful difference between a full-term baby about to be born and that same baby just after birth, Northam went a step further by saying that mothers and physicians should be able to have conversations about whether born babies should be left to die or not. In response to Northams clinically cool demeanor describing infanticide, Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse brought the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (BAASPA) for a vote in the Senate. The bill would have done three simple things: Require that babies born-alive during a failed abortion-attempt be immediately transferred to a hospital. Require that the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child is applied to babies born-alive during a failed abortion as would be granted to any other child born at the same gestational age. Require that any violation of these rules be reported by a health practitioner or employee of a hospital, physicians office, or abortion clinic. An abortionist who violates these rules and kills an infant born-alive will be punished for intentionally killing a human being. Lastly, the mother of a child born-alive may not be prosecuted. Each of these requirements is very important, because while the 2002 Born-Alive Infants Protection Act (which gained unanimous consent from Republican and Democrat senators) specifies that babies who survive abortions and are born are to be recognized as human beings with human rights, the bill did not define what types of care, if any, are to be rendered. Nor did it specify what punishments would be levied against physicians who failed to act to save the life of an abortion-survivor. Tragically and predictably, Senate Democrats took their cue from racist Democrats in the early 20th century who routinely filibustered every Republican effort to enact an antilynching law. Ideological consistency can be a dangerous thing. According to the reasoning of Democrats of that day, if blacks were truly not persons, then lynching them theyd claim would be no more morally problematic than killing an animal, as many racists described African Americans. Today we see the same ideology leading to the dehumanization and slaughter of the unborn. Both African Americans and unborn human persons have died on the altar of an evil ideology. And so, what has been done will be done again. In February of 2019, the United States Senate voted in majority favor (53-44) of the BAASPA. However, the bill didnt gain the 60 votes necessary to overcome the filibuster initiated by Democrat senators. Additionally, only 3 Democrat Senators crossed the aisle to vote for protecting newborns from abortionists. And all of the Democratic Senators running for President voted against the BAASPA! It seems filibustering bills that would prevent discrimination and violence against actual innocent human persons (while simultaneously denying that theyre persons) is a Democratic party trademark. As of December 2019, Senate Democrats have blocked a vote on the BAASPA over 80 times. By refusing to pass the BAASPA, Senate Democrats are enabling abortionists to kill born-alive infants that they failed to kill in the womb. But this pales in comparison to Senate Democrats support of abortion-on-demand, which takes the lives of nearly one-million babies every year in America. Lefts purging of apostates When abortion is treated as sacrosanct, politics becomes liturgy: a spiritual practice engaged in for the purpose of praising and protecting that which is sacred. Therefore, anyone who questions the Lefts political liturgy is an apostate and must be purged and exchanged for those sufficiently woke to the escalating political threat posed by those pro-lifers. In order to protect their liturgical purity, Planned Parenthood fired their new president, Dr. Leana Wen in July 2019. Buzzfeed News, who broke the story, reported that there were internal concerns over her [Wens] management style and a perceived shift away from the groups political work (emphasis own). A source familiar with the matter said that her removal was accelerated by the intensifying battle over abortion rights, saying that she was not the right leader in this climate. Wen herself confirmed all this in her Twitter statement saying, I believe that the best way to protect abortion care is to be clear that it is not a political issue but a health care one (emphasis own). Denying abortions political centrality to the leftist liturgy is tantamount to a Catholic priest denying the centrality of the eucharist to Catholic liturgy. Such an action would oust you from the Catholic Church. And Wen was quickly ousted. A movement based on the belief that human value is found in your wanted-ness, its unsurprising that Planned Parenthood, the political war hawk of the pro-choice movement, will quickly abort its own, whose apostasy renders them unwanted. Wen was quickly replaced by Alexis McGill Johnson, a lifelong political activist, and more of the Cecile Richards mold than Wen ever was. This is noteworthy because Planned Parenthood is publicly dropping its healthcare organizational facade and fully embracing its identity as a political machine. Ironically, removing this healthcare mask will likely further damage their reputation and cause more Americans to distance themselves from the organization. Americans are not interested in supporting a political hackery of a machine focused on enshrining abortion rights through the day of birth. According to a 2019 Gallup Poll, only 25% of Americans believe abortion should be legal under any circumstances (the de facto position of Planned Parenthood). In fact, a 2007 Gallup Poll found that 72% of Americans think late-term abortions should be illegal, a procedure euphemistically described by the abortion juggernaut as reproductive health care. California chemical abortions Not to be outdone by East Coast radicals in New York, California Governor, Gavin Newsom moved to establish himself in the abortion hall of fame books by signing SB24, a move that makes pro-abortion, former Governor, Jerry Brown look pro-life. In fact, Brown vetoed the bill in 2018. Introduced under the guise of combatting abortion access problems, this bill will force California 4-year state universities (Cal State and UC) to provide the RU-486 abortion pill to students through university health centers. According to the bills sponsor, Connie Leyva, Students shouldnt have to travel off campus or miss class or work responsibilities in order to receive care that can easily be provided at a student health center. Ignoring for the moment that slaughtering unborn children is not care, Leyva blatantly ignores the fact that former Governor Jerry Brown rightly pointed out that the average distance to abortion providers in campus communities varies from five to seven miles, not an unreasonable distance. Despite easily accessible resources such as this Youtube video, many pro-choice advocates dont know or care how the abortion pill kills a baby. An RU-486 chemical abortion is offered through 10 weeks gestation. A pregnant woman first takes Mifepristone, which blocks the hormone progesterone, without which the lining of the uterus breaks down, cutting off blood and nourishment to the baby, who is starved to death. One or two days later, she takes misoprostol, forcing her uterus to have contractions, in order to dispel her dead baby in the toilet. Not only does the abortion pill kill a human being, but it also poses threats to the health and life of the women taking it. While the combatting abortion access problem is clearly a guise for Newsom and the bills defenders, it is a guise they must maintain, because the reality is too ghoulish for even the most ardent pro-choice advocates. According to the FDA, risk & effects include: Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, heavy bleeding, even maternal death. They further report that 24 women have died taking RU-486, average bleeding lasts 9-16 days and 8% of women will endure bleeding more than 30 days. It gets worse. According to a 2000 Oxford University Press study, the average failure rate of a medication abortion is eight percent. Live Action News points out that an eight percent failure rate means that about one in every 12 chemical abortion attempts will be unsuccessful, which means women will need to be subjected to a surgical abortion, which, of course, also has its own risks. Left undiagnosed and untreated, the eight percent of women whose babies were not properly dispelled will be walking around with a dead baby in their uterus, thus susceptible to sepsis and death. As such, the FDA has requirements for prescribers of the abortion pill, including that providers must also be able to provide any necessary surgical intervention and must be able to ensure that women have access to medical facilities for emergency care. Because university health centers are not equipped with surgical abortion instruments or staff qualified or licensed to perform surgical abortions, Newsom will endanger the health and lives of young women who show up to their health centers bleeding and in immense pain, only to be turned away or pointed toward Planned Parenthood. All this under the mantle of healthcare. Naturally, neither Newsom, Leyva or any of the other bills supporters, addressed these concerns. Ignoring reality and its consequences in favor of ideology is nothing new for the abortion juggernaut. In fact, in June of 2018, Cecile Richards, then President of Planned Parenthood, wrote an LA Times opinion editorial in which she claimed that non-invasive medication abortion is safe by all measures safer than Tylenol and Viagra, even. Heres a perfect example of the linguistic gymnastics that are required by abortion advocates who call a medication safe when its success is gauged on whether its target was murdered. The first legislation of its kind, SB24 will turn 4-year California state universities into abortion clinics, a far cry from the purpose for which the academy was designed. In a failed sleight of hand, the abortion industry and their cronies have shown their hand and it clearly has nothing to do with real choice. Failing to provide any type of funding for nurseries or daycares on college campuses and fully willing to endanger the actual health and lives of college-aged women in their pursuit of expanding abortion, it is clear that the only choice Newsom is interested in pushing is abortion. Most concerning of all, however, is Californias reputation as a political bellwether in the abortion wars. The moral decay that starts in the Golden State rarely stays in state. Abortion: destroyer of bi-partisan, national unity An unprecedented and tragic year for unborn babies and human equality, 2019 serves as a lesson that there can be no bi-partisan or national unity when one political party publicly commits itself to the slaughter of unborn children through the day of birth, even refusing to condemn infanticide and ensure better protections for infants who survive abortions. However, this is not the first time our two-party system has been divided over who is a person. There is nothing new under the sun. Woefully ignorant to reality, todays Democratic Party seems to have forgotten that the last time they fought against human equality it led to a war that they lost. This is because, invited or not, reality has an annoying tendency of reasserting itself in our lives. It was self-evidently true that African-Americans were human persons with the same human dignity as everyone else. It is similarly self-evidently true that unborn human beings conceived by human parents are little persons who also share the same dignity. We can either respond to that self-evident reality by aligning our beliefs, lives, and policies correctly, or we can stick our head in the ground and insist that 2 + 2 = 5. But in the end, reality will win out. Either historically describing the Democratic party during slavery, or prophesying the nature of that same party today, George Orwell, speaking through his character Winston said: In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it. It was inevitable that they should make that claim sooner or later: the logic of their position demanded it. Not merely the validity of experience, but the very existence of external reality, was tacitly denied by their philosophy. The heresy of heresies was common sense. In other words, when you base your entire ideology on fantasy, your ideas, foolish though they may be, will merely be a reflection of your ideology. When your worldview leads you to label common sense observations, such as blacks and babies are persons, as heresy, you know youre on the wrong road. And as C.S. Lewis aptly pointed out, the true progressive is the one who, realizing he is on the wrong road, makes an about-turn and walks back to the right road. Will the abortion juggernaut and its strategic arm, the Democratic party, learn from the mistakes of history and prove their progressiveness by walking back to the right road? I desperately hope and pray so. But Im not holding my breath. Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com and Depopulation.news. A pledge from Mayor John Tory to fund $6 million in youth violence prevention and intervention programs this year could make a world of difference in communities across the city, youth workers, academics and advocates say. Its a breath of fresh air, youth worker Abdulkadir Nur said of the mayors announcement Monday. Its good to see the city invest in communities again. The new money should have a dramatic impact for kids who need positive alternatives to violent crime, he said, adding that stable funding has helped him work with the teens at the Jane Finch Community and Family Centre. I see a lot of youths who dont know about the opportunities around them, they fall into a pit of despair crime and we can give them hope. While $6 million is a small increase to the citys $13.53-billion operating budget, which has yet to be approved for 2020, those funds can make a huge difference in individual communities that are struggling with youth violence, community workers like Nur say. Torys announcement, made at a North York community centre on Monday amid ongoing criticism over the lack of city spending on community-based programs, represents a significant shift in how the city plans to spend its own money to solve the problem of rising gun violence although even more funding is needed, those involved say. Half the money will be spent on 14 additional youth hubs this year, Tory said. That and funds already in the 2020 budget would see 20 new spaces within existing libraries and community centres funded this year doubling the number of safe, dedicated, city-run sites where young people can get homework help, a snack, mentorship or just hang out. By the numbers How the $6 million in spending will be used to tackle youth violence $2.1million For community youth violence prevention grants $1.8 million For 8 new youth hubs in Toronto Public Library branches $1.2 million For 6 new youth hubs in community centres $635,000 To fund the Regent Park social development plan $100,000 For a Sunnybrook Hospital pilot called Breaking the Cycle of Violence with Empathy $100,000 To expand the citys crisis response grants Another $2.1 million will go to grants of up to $200,000 per year for three years for 10 to 15 community organizations already working to prevent youth violence. The new money will help stop gun violence in these neighbourhoods and help young people to get involved in ... results-driven projects that we know are already making a difference, Tory told reporters at Falstaff Community Centre, near Jane Street and Highway 401. If you can get one young person in here whose life you turn around and keep them away from gangs, violence and drugs, then that is a victory for us. Tory said he expects criticism from the worst of the armchair commentators who rant and rave about social spending, but said he has no doubt the money will make Toronto safer. He also stressed he is pushing for investments in police, and for the federal government to make it harder for people accused of gun crimes to get bail. The mayor said hell continue to make those points during a trip to Ottawa this week. The citys existing youth hubs have proven to be wildly popular with youth. As part of their 2020 budget submissions, the Toronto Public Library reported that library program attendance had increased 32.6 per cent in the past decade, largely due to the new hubs. The first word out of Bill Sinclairs mouth when he heard Torys announcement was: Wow. Sinclair, who runs St. Stephens Community House, said stable grant money can be the difference between hiring staff part-time or full-time, or between a program being seasonal or year-round. It might actually encourage talented youth leaders to devote some time to this kind of work, he said. Three years funding is very important so that people who have knowledge and skill and caring in the community can commit to work on this issue for three years and build those trusting relationships that are essential. After Coun. Josh Matlow proposed a plan to double the number of city-run youth hubs which are modelled on St. Stephens successful after-school programs during the 2018 election, city staff drew up a plan of how that could be possible. The plan was presented to council during the 2019 budget process but Tory rejected the idea, calling it a tough budget year, and it failed to find funding without his support. Falstaff Community Centre, where Tory made his announcement Monday, was one proposed location for a new youth hub. That community centre is near where 16-year-old Hanad Abdullahi was gunned down last summer. This was not the first shooting that happened at Falstaff, and this probably wont be the last, a family friend told the Star at the time. On Monday, Matlow called Torys pledge a significant investment in the lives of Toronto children. Youth spaces are proven to provide opportunities to our most vulnerable youth. They can make communities safer and they change lives, he said. There is no better way to decrease youth violence than providing options for our youth. If approved by council, the funds would more than double the new spending already proposed for youth violence prevention in the 2020 budget, according to numbers city staff provided in a budget briefing note to council members. Torys announcement followed the shooting deaths of three young men in the downtown Fort York neighbourhood over the weekend. All of them were aged 21 and under. Two other men were injured. In a statement Saturday, Tory called the incident completely unacceptable and promised action this week. The shooting was just the latest in the escalating number of injuries and deaths that has taken a major toll on the citys youth. During a violent summer in 2018, council approved a more than $50-million plan to tackle gun violence. But the city has so far failed to fund most of the community-based initiatives, a gap of $26.2 million. The entire plan relied on funding from the provincial and federal governments, requests which were largely rejected. Although Tory says he has continued to keep up the pressure on those governments, the money has not materialized and council has not covered the gap. Since the anti-gun violence plan was approved but not properly funded, 53 people aged 13 to 29 the target of the citys programs to address violence have been killed in Toronto, not including homicides believed to be domestic. On average, thats about one death every 11 days. Last year saw more people killed or injured by shootings than any other year in police data dating back 15 years, including the so-called Year of the Gun in 2005. At the same time, funding requests for the Toronto police budget, like the one for $4.5 million to run a 13-week intelligence project, have been granted by all three levels of government. The police budget has ballooned over $1 billion with nearly $8.5 million for new officers in the 2020 budget. City staff and others have been trying to get council and other levels of government to fund proven community-based solutions that researchers and community workers say are the best hope of tackling the citys gun violence problem in the long-term, calling increased enforcement a Band-Aid solution. Studies of the roots of youth violence, notably collected and analyzed in a 2008 report to the Ontario government, have highlighted the need to address systemic problems of racism, poverty and other issues that have led to a dearth of equitable opportunities for young people in some parts of the city a lack of education, recreational options, safe spaces and job opportunities. Irvin Waller, the author of Science and Secrets of Ending Violent Crime and a professor emeritus at the University of Ottawa, said that Mondays announcement is long overdue good news. But, he said, it is a very small step in the right direction, particularly compared to money spent reacting to violence, particularly on policing. Two of the announced initiatives may lead to short-term reductions in violence, Waller said, pointing to a Sunnybrook Hospital pilot called Breaking the Cycle of Violence with Empathy. We know that intervening at critical moments in these high-violence, young mens lives can make a turn-around, Waller said. He also highlighted the money for community grants, saying that if the money is going to agencies where street workers are able to do outreach to high-risk individuals, then it will be good news. I just wish that it was much bigger amounts of money, he said. Longer-term, Waller said, Toronto needs a more serious strategic plan that has a stated vision for crime reduction, such as a 50 per cent reduction in gun-related homicides. Just throwing out some encouraging ideas is not enough for me, he said. There needs to be a serious plan about how to make a serious reduction. On Monday, Tory pledged that the $6 million, if approved, would be spent this year and said programs would not have to wait for the money to be phased in. Torys office said the mayors budget chief Coun. Gary Crawford will propose using money from the overachieving municipal land transfer tax to fund the new investments while still putting additional funds from those tax revenues into a rainy day reserve fund, as per council policy. That motion will be made Tuesday at budget committee. Council will approve a final budget on Feb. 19. With the mayor championing it, the proposal is likely to pass easily at council. Here is how Tory proposes to distribute $6 million: $2.1 million for community youth violence prevention grants, up to $200,000 per year, per established organization for three years. The funding would be spread across 10 to 15 organizations serving young people aged 10-29. $1.8 million for eight new youth hubs located in Toronto Public Library branches providing safe, dedicated spaces for youth people to get homework help, have a snack, participate in programs and hang out. $1.2 million for six new youth hubs in community centres, which operate in a similar way. $635,000 to fund the Regent Park social development plan proposed by city staff but not yet included in the 2020 budget. The plan developed with the community is focused on increasing safety and spurring economic and other opportunities. $100,000 for a Sunnybrook Hospital pilot called Breaking the Cycle of Violence with Empathy, which is meant to connect patients involved in community violence with interventions and other support services. $100,000 to expand the citys crisis response grants to help communities rebuild after violence. With files from Wendy Gillis and Gilbert Ngabo David Rider is the Stars City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering city hall and municipal politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider Read more about: Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on Monday stood behind his defense of a Lebanon County woman who has cervical and ovarian cancer and was sentenced to at least 10 months in prison for a $109 shoplifting offense. The District Attorneys Office said the punishment was calculated based on this offense plus her prior record, but Fetterman believes it too harsh. This isnt a case where theyre going to have to wheel her out in a gurney dressed like Hannibal Lecter. Shes a convicted shoplifter, Fetterman said Monday. I dont know why its in anyones best interest to deny her the opportunity to consult with her oncologist. Ashley Via Menser, 36, was sentenced for the 2018 shoplifting offense on Jan. 22, the same day she was scheduled to meet with her doctor to discuss treatment options, according to PA Post, an online news organization. Mensers sentence reflected her current offense and criminal record as well as her history of drug abuse, District Attorney Pier Hess Graf said in a letter obtained by Harrisburgs ABC27. In an interview with The Inquirer on Monday, Fetterman said he had no interest in getting in a shoving match with the District Attorneys Office, but felt compelled to speak out because he thinks it is wrong for petty theft and a history of drug abuse to interfere with anyones ability to talk with their doctors. Were not running her for mayor, Fetterman said. I just want her to get visited by her oncologist. In response to the PA Post story, Fetterman took to Twitter on Friday to voice his disappointment with the sentence. He offered to pay the $109 to the Weis grocery store where Menser shoplifted and even posted a picture of a check. Hess Graf defended the courts sentence. Our lieutenant governor found it appropriate to criticize the court and the victim [Weis]; he went so far as to offer a personally delivered check for the underlying amount to the victim to absolve the defendant of the crime. He failed to mention in any of his tweets, however, the extensive prior record of the defendant, her drug abuse, or the fact that her sentencing ranges as set forth by the legislature call for jail time, she wrote. In any sentencing, courts depend on a pre-set sentencing range that is determined by the defendants current charge and prior record. Mensers sentencing range called for between six and 16 months of jail time, Hess Graf wrote. Mensers criminal record includes 13 theft convictions, welfare fraud, and endangering the welfare of children, according to the letter. The letter also points to Mensers history of drug abuse. The sentence was appropriate in light of the sentencing range before the court, Hess Graf told The Inquirer. Fetterman, who is chair of the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons and has pushed for clemency for people serving excessive sentences, said he has seen many cases where drug use contributed to petty crime. He urged the district attorney and the courts to err on the side of mercy. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- As flu season carries on, Spectrum Health wants patients to stay home. The health network is encouraging people with flu systems to use its telemedicine system, Spectrum Health Now, instead of going in-person to the doctors office or emergency room. You dont want to spread the disease, thats big. Thats why every year flu is such a big deal, because it spreads so easily, said Elizabeth Suing, a physicians assistant and the provider lead for Spectrum Health Now. We want patients to stay at home, stay where they are. Suing said the flu can make people feel like a bus hit you. So on top of not spreading the disease, using virtual visits allows patients to be more comfortable. The virtual visits are for patients with low acuity concerns. Anyone in the state can use Spectrum Health Now, unless the patient is under the age of 3. And the individual does not have to be a regular Spectrum Health patient. Other health systems and insurance companies also feature virtual visit offerings. Flu is one of those low acuity problems and its one they see most often this time of year, Suing said. Spectrum Health Now has treated 4,481 flu-symptom patients so far this season, according to Spectrums tracking. Thats an increase of 34-percent over the same time period last flu season. Throughout this flu season, which is defined by the Center for Disease Control as October through May, hospitals across Michigan have enacted visitor restrictions in an attempt to curb the spread of the illness. The use of virtual visits, for any concern, has increased over the last few years as patients become more familiar with the technology. When I started with this back in 2015, we werent very busy at all. Now we have seen a huge increase, Suing said. We definitely have gone from having days where we saw no one to now, just over Christmas, we saw our max high is 136 in a day. About 60 percent of virtual visits this flu season have been for flu-related symptoms, according to Beth Cranson, a spokeswoman for Spectrum Health. According to a survey of Spectrum Health virtual visit users, the telemedicine system has kept 2,196 flu patients out of the emergency department. People looking to use Spectrum Health Now can make an appointment by phone, through the Spectrum Health Now app or through the Spectrum Health patient portal. More From MLive: 3 little piglets abandoned at a Michigan park have found their forever home Marijuana shop in limbo due to school proximity, another gets initial OK MichMash: Big ticket issues to watch for in 2020 The oft repeated mantra of buy low, sell high makes perfect sense, but the execution of said instruction is a lot harder than it suggests. We humans are naturally inclined to latch on to a winning horse, rather than back those languishing behind. However, as anyone with knowledge of the investing game will tell you, going against the grain is often the way to maximize returns. In the ever-changing marketplace, some stocks have fallen on hard times for a variety of reasons like disappointing earnings, removal of a CEO and macro trends, all of which can impact investors confidence in a companys ability to deliver. But often, the cycle will turn, and a recovery will occur, so long as the fundamentals remain strong enough. With these thoughts as a starting point, we used TipRanks Stock Screener to find 3 tickers the Street thinks are about to execute a turnaround in 2020 after falling on hard times over the last year. Lets take a closer look at what we uncovered. Schlumberger Limited (SLB) A big player in oilfield services, Schlumberger has endured a roller coaster 12 months, gaining and losing its share price intermittently. Ultimately, though, over the last year, SLB stock has lost 24%, the bulk of which it recently shed in January. Companies in the oil industry are heavily subjected to the impact of macrotrends. The energy sector was recently affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus in China. The virus has restricted peoples movement, which in turn causes a decrease in the amount of fuel purchased. This, naturally, exerts downward pressure on energy stocks. Schulmbergers recent earnings report was a mixed affair, too. Despite reporting Q4 revenue that exceeded expectations, the company posted a $10.1 billion loss in 2019. Driven mostly by land market weaknesses, North American revenues fell 10% year-over-year to $10.8 billion. SLB's Q4 revenue dropped quarter-over-quarter by 4%, too. Nevertheless, following a recent meeting with the companys CEO, RBCs Kurt Hallead came away impressed. The analyst believes the company has a compelling case for margin improvement and free cash flow generation. Acceleration in global energy expenditures, rebound in high-margin offshore drilling activity and a greater-than-expected increase in international exploration, completion and production activity are potential catalysts according to Hallead. Story continues Additionally, Hallead highlights SLBs commitment to the dividend (the company pays a $2 annual dividend with a yield of 5.97% - more than double the average of S&P 500 companies). The analyst concluded, We continue to see SLB as a through-cycle core holding for large cap energy investors. Given our outlook for an improving international market dynamic, we believe SLB is fundamentally well positioned to outperform during 2020. Taking all of this into consideration, Hallead reiterated an Outperform on the energy giant. At his $40 price target, a 19% twelve-month gain could be in the cards. (To watch Halleads track record, click here) And what about the rest of the Street? It sees SLB drilling for more gains, too. 9 Buys and 2 Holds add up to a Strong Buy consensus rating. The average price target outstrips Halleads and comes in at $43.55, implying upside potential of 31% over the coming months. (See Schlumberger stock analysis on TipRanks) Halliburton Company (HAL) Staying in the same (oil) field, we drill deeper into one of the worlds largest oil field service companies, Halliburton. Closely mirroring Schlumbergers performance, over the last 12 months, HALs share price has lost 30%. The downtrend stretches back three years now, a period in which HAL stock has declined by over 60%. According to RBCs Hallead (who covers HAL, too), 2020 will see a reverse of the trend. Like SLB, Halliburton has been affected by recent macrotrends and similarly, the companys latest earnings report exhibited a decline in North American revenues. The outlook confirms business in the region wont get any stronger in 2020, but drilling activity will continue to rise in the international markets and should positively impact Halliburton's earnings. Hallead thinks so, too. The analyst argues that increased activity, pricing power and HAL's ability to compete for high margin services should lead to international margin expansion in 2020. The highest growth is expected in the Asia-Pacific region followed by Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, Middle East and Latin America. All of these will lead to similar margin progression as 2019. The analyst said, We are increasing our 2020E/21E EPS to $1.29/$1.63 from $1.17/ $1.47. The primary driver is adjustments to C&P (completion and production) revenue and margin progression. We continue to see HAL as a through-cycle core holding for large-cap energy investors given improving international markets and a better than group average return profile. So, whats the bottom line? Hallead sided with the bulls, keeping his Outperform rating as is. He also bumped up the price target from $23 to $25, representing potential gains of 16% in the year ahead. The Street agrees. HALs Strong Buy consensus rating breaks down into 8 Buys and 2 Holds. Should the average price target of $27.33 be met over the next 12 months, investors stand to take home gains in the shape of 26%. (See Halliburton stock analysis on TipRanks) Occidental Petroleum (OXY) Lastly, we come across another big player in the energy sector. Occidental Petroleum is valued at $36 billion, with its exploration and drilling operations spanning from the US to the Middle East to Colombia. The company also engages in petrochemical manufacturing in the US, Canada, and Chile. The past 12 months also havent been kind to OXY. In fact, OXYs share price over the last year exhibits the worst performance of all three - a downturn in the shape of 40%. The nadir was reached in December, when the share price hit $37.25, the lowest it has been since 2005. The market has been unforgiving to OXY due to the companys high debt load; investors were unhappy in 2019 following the massive outlay of $57 billion to outbid Chevron for the purchase of Anadarko Petroleum. Dont be alarmed, though, says Morgan Stanleys Devin McDermott, as the pullback presents opportunity. Furthermore, investors should take comfort in the companys handsome dividend. McDermott said, We believe the dividend, which offers a best-in-class 7% yield, is safe with room for long-term growth under most scenarios. While efforts to reduce leverage have made significant progress in de-risking the business, Occidental still trades at 2 times the free cash flow yield of U.S. integrated and large-cap E&P peers From here, execution on synergy targets, recently provided guidance through 2022, and planned debt reduction via asset sales will be key to compressing the dividend back toward pre-deal levels of 5%. To this end, McDermott upgraded Occidental Petroleum from Equal Weight to Overweight. The upgrade comes with a new $59 price target, too. The updated figure implies upside potential of a hefty 49%. (To watch McDermotts track record, click here) Away from the oil field and out on the Street, the outlook is mixed. 4 Buys and 7 Holds amount to a Moderate Buy consensus rating. With an average price target of $49.78, though, the bulls have the upper hand as the figure implies potential upside of 24%. (See Occidental stock analysis on TipRanks) Four Turkish military servicemen have been killed and nine others wounded by shelling in Syrias idlib province, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense said in a statement. According to Turkeys NTV television, Turkish troops were shelled by the Syrian army near the inhabited community of Saraqib. Turkish forces retaliated immediately, destroying targets in the Idlib region, the ministry said, without elaborating on how its military struck back. Country star Chris Stapleton is coming to the Boston area for a summer show. He will perform at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts on Aug. 1. Tickets for the show will go on sale Feb. 4 at 10 a.m. through Live Nation, at livenation.com. Stapleton debuted as a solo artist in 2015 with his release Traveller, which went to number one on the U.S. album charts. He has gone on to win multiple CMA awards and a Grammy for Best Country Album. The show will feature opening sets from Elle King and Kendell Marvell. Shop for concert tickets here: StubHub, SeatGeek, Ticketmaster. ST. PAUL Regional elected officials, agricultural groups and biofuel supporters on Tuesday, Jan. 28, applauded a U.S. court of appeals decision vacating a trio of small refinery waivers issued to oil and gas refineries. The reactions come after the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals late last week struck down three small refinery exemptions issued to oil and gas refineries in Wyoming, Utah and Oklahoma, saying they were improperly issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA "exceeded its statutory authority" in greenlighting extended exemptions for the oil and gas refineries, Judge Mary Beck Briscoe wrote in the court's opinion . Beginning in 2005, the agency has been required to steadily boost the amount of renewable fuels mixed with petroleum in the U.S. And refineries that produced less than 75,000 each day were given six years to adapt to the new rule. After 2011, small refineries were expected to comply with the new standard unless they received a waiver because they could prove the adjustment would cause "disproportionate economic hardship." Beginning in 2016, the EPA began issuing more exemptions for oil and gas refineries. And concerned about the decision making behind the scenes as well as the impact the exceptions were having on biofuel producers, the Renewable Fuels Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Farmers Union and the American Coalition for Ethanol challenged the EPA in 2018. ADVERTISEMENT The court's decision to vacate the three exemptions is a positive step, Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish said. And it comes at a time when farmers and those working in the biofuels industry are facing significant challenges. "The rate at which small refinery exemptions have been granted by the Trump administration EPA has been harmful to family farmers, as theyve lost billions of gallons of demand for ethanol," Wertish said in a news release. "Homegrown biofuel markets not only support farmers income but provide savings to consumers at the pump and burn cleaner than petroleum gasoline." A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers last year called on the Trump administration to stop issuing the exemptions. And in October, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem wrote to President Donald Trump earlier raising concerns about the growing number of waivers under the Renewable Fuel Standard. Born out of those concerns about federal policy was Minnesota's Biofuels Council, a group tasked with assessing growth opportunities in the industry and advising the administration on potential policy changes. The council met for the first time a day prior. "I think we're strategizing and looking at things like E-15 as a broader more stable market rather than relying on the whims of the EPA in granting waivers," Walz told reporters on Tuesday. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., in a news release Tuesday said she supported the court's decision and hoped it would influence decisionmaking at the federal agency. "I hope that this court decision will lead to the review of other waivers that may have been improperly granted in the same way," Smith said. "More broadly, I still hope that going forward the EPA will stop abusing the waiver system." AppHarvest, a Morehead, Kentucky-based agtech company, closed an $11m corporate funding round. Investors included ValueAct Capital, Equilibrium, Revolutions Rise of the Rest Seed Fund and Blake Griffin Enterprises. Led by Founder and CEO Jonathan Webb, AppHarvest develops large-scale hi tech greenhouses growing non-GMO, chemical-free tomatoes vegetables to be distributed to the top 25 U.S. grocers. AppHarvest, a Benefit Corporation, plans to create 285 full-time permanent jobs along with the 100 construction jobs already created. The company intends to use the funds to expands operations to support indoor farms across Central Appalachia. Its first project a 2.76m-square-foot facility in Morehead, Kentucky is under construction and will begin operations later this year. FinSMEs 03/02/2020 A baby died from a 'catalogue on injuries' after being violently attacked by her father, a court heard. Daniel Ashurst, 33, is accused of murdering his 14-month-old daughter Hollie Ashurst after repeatedly shaking her. Ashurst denies allegations and says injuries were caused by a fall. Hollie also suffered an array of internal and external injuries, including a broken ankle, bleeding to her spine and bleeding and swelling to her brain. Police were called by medical staff at around 2pm on 28 February last year after she was rushed from their home in Shevington, Wigan, to hospital. Daniel Ashurst, 33, is accused of murdering his 14-month-old daughter Hollie Ashurst (pictured) after allegedly repeatedly shaking her She'd sustained severe head injuries and died the following day after suffering a cardiac arrest. Opening the case at Manchester Crown Court, Guy Gozem QC, prosecuting, said that Hollie's injuries were 'deliberately inflicted' by her father. He described how on the evening before Hollie was allegedly attacked, the defendant had argued with Hollie's mother Leanne Thompson. They hadn't 'settled things between them before going to bed' and Leanne slept in the spare bedroom before Ashurst drove her to her new job at a beauty salon the following morning. Ashurst, who'd been left alone with Hollie, first took her to an Asda supermarket in Ashton where they had some breakfast in the cafe before he took her to a Max Spielman concession to have some photographs taken of her. Daniel Ashurst, pictured left with his daughter Hollie (also pictured right). Hollie suffered an array of internal and external injuries, including a broken ankle, bleeding to her spine and bleeding and swelling to her brain But later that day, around 1.30pm, Ashurst raced with Hollie from their home to the Standish Medical Practice. When he got there, 'he was holding Hollie's limp body in his arms,' said Mr Gozem. 'He told the receptionist that the baby was not breathing.' Dr Joanne Hall, who worked at the surgery, asked Ashurst what had happened and he said that Hollie had 'fallen down the stairs'. He'd then put her in his car and intended to take her to hospital but during the journey he realised she'd stopped breathing and decided to stop at the surgery instead, the court heard. Dr Hall examined Hollie but 'couldn't find a pulse' and she appeared 'completely unresponsive'. Flowers left on Fleming Court in the Shevington area of Wigan after police launched the murder investigation last March She attempted to resuscitate Hollie and told Ashurst that she thought his daughter 'had gone' - prompting him to reply: 'It was only a few stairs'. Paramedics were called to the surgery and one noticed blood coming from Hollie's nostrils and Ashurst told them Hollie had 'fallen down just two steps' and bumped her head. They managed to revive Hollie and she was rushed to Wigan Infirmary but her condition was so serious she was later transferred to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. She never recovered and died the following day and examinations showed she'd suffered extensive injuries. They included 'multiple areas' of bruising and abrasions to her neck and head, including bruising to her jaw and nose, said Mr Gozem. Opening the case at Manchester Crown Court (pictured), Guy Gozem QC, prosecuting, said that Hollie's injuries were 'deliberately inflicted' by her father She had bruising to her scalp and ears and injuries 'potentially conforming to human bite marks' on her hands. There was also bruising to her chest and she'd suffered a fractured ankle and bleeding to her brain and spinal cord. In addition, she had extensive retinal haemorrhaging, consistent with 'abusive head trauma', and swelling of the brain. Mr Gozem said: 'This catalogue of injuries, we say, that they were not the result of an accident - or series of accidents, but rather than they were deliberately inflicted upon Hollie, including by shaking her.' The court heard that a pathologist concluded Hollie died as a result of non-accidental injuries involving 'excessive acceleration and deceleration' of her head and multiple impacts to her head and face. There was also evidence she'd sustained two previous head injuries before sustaining the 'ultimately fatal head injury'. Ashurst, who denies a charge of murder and a charge of manslaughter, was arrested at hospital but refused to comment when interviewed by police. But the court heard how, in his defence statement, he claims that Hollie's injuries were caused by her falling off her bed, him accidentally dropping her and having to brake hard at a red light while she was in his car - causing her to fall from her car seat. Mr Gozem said the alleged accidents were a 'recent invention' because Ashurst's original account of her falling down the stairs 'gets nowhere near to providing an explanation' for her injuries. The court heard that on the day before Hollie was allegedly attacked he'd attended a mental health appointment where he explained that his medication for anxiety and depression had recently been changed by his GP. Records showed, Mr Gozem added, that he had 'expressed concerns about his ability to cope with Hollie' once his partner had gone back to work. The court also heard that he's been troubled my money issues and and had tested positive for cocaine use. The trial is expected to last three to four weeks. Chennai, Feb 3 : Electric vehicle maker Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions Ltd on Monday said it has signed an agreement Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd to offer fully charged batteries on swappable basis for its battery operated vehicles through the latter's petrol bunks. In a statement issued here, Kinetic Green said a two minute battery swap will be deployed by the two companies for three wheelers with the support of Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IITM). The solution has already been implemented on a fleet of Kinetic Green E3W at Kochi and Lucknow, the statement added. The partners will now expand the alliance to cover many more cities across the country over next few months. This model is designed to address some of the critical concerns and deterrents faced by the drivers for owning and operating electric three-wheelers. Due to separation of battery from the EV, initial EV cost is halved and brought below price of ICE counterparts. The alliance facilitates a convenient battery network as BPCL can leverage its existing 12,000 gas stations to erect the battery swapping stations, making it very convenient for passengers to access them. "Kinetic Green is extremely happy to partner with BPCL to bring this ground-breaking innovative solution for its customers of 'EV with Swappable Battery Technology'," Sulajja Firodia Motwani, Founder and CEO, Kinetic Energy said. Kinetic Green and BPCL have developed the solution in association with IITM. Airo is built from the ground up for Mac. The interface is very easy to navigate, and early tests indicate its detection capabilities are very good. This is a new product, however, and some features that come standard in other suites are not yet a part of this one. There are a number of options for antivirus on the Mac, but few are exclusively focused on macOS. Thats what inspired AiroAV to release its first antivirus solution for the Mac desktop in early 2019. With offices in San Diego and Tel Aviv, Airo aims to be the primary choice for Mac users looking to deal with and prevent Mac-specific malware. So far Airo is doing very well, though the only testing house to look at Airo is AV-Test. In December 2019, AV-Test gave Airo a 100 percent rating based on its detection of widespread and prevalent malware test, which had 145 samples. IDG Airos primary dashboard. Thats a great result considering Airo rolled out its first release less than a year ago. AV-Test also ran Airo up against more than 71,000 samples of legitimate software to see if any were flagged as malware, and none were. Since Airo is focused on the Mac its native engine doesnt detect Windows malware. However, to prevent Airo-protected Macs from becoming carriers of Windows viruses, Airo uses the Bitdefender scanning engine. Bitdefenders capabilities are used to protect against Windows malware only, and do not supplement or replace Airos own engine for Mac malware. We did some quick spot checks to see how Airo handled malware from the Objective See database. In our tests, Airo had no trouble identifying and quarantining the samples we tried. The only concern we had is that in two cases Airo failed to notify us it was taking action against malicious files. It quarantined the files without issue, but the program never notified us about what it was doing. We asked the company about these failed notifications, and a representative said this is a known issue when testing Airos detection capabilities. In other words, users shouldnt expect to see this behavior in everyday situations, according to the company. The software Airo doesnt sit on the dock. Instead, it drops down from the upper right of the status menu bar. This is a good approach for apps that are continually activemany VPNs use this approach, for example. If you dont like the drop-down menu there is an option to open Airo as a window for the current session. IDG An example of an Airo malware detection alert. At the top of the primary window is a button for a quick scan (pictured above). Below that is the last time you ran a scan, and the last time the app was updated. Towards the bottom of the panel are icons for Threats (Airos history section), Settings, and Account. Diving into the Settings section there are options for scanning files in real time, blocking adware, scareware, and suspicious files, and cloud protection. The latter is not activated by default, which is a nice touch since cloud protection often requires sharing metadata from files on your computer. You can also turn on an option under Settings > Scanning options to scan USB drives and other devices when theyre connected to your Mac. This section also has an option to skip certain file types, if you need that. Most people shouldnt, but creative types such as photo and video editors may appreciate it since skipping large files that are unlikely to be compromised can cut down on scan times. Airo also offers browser extensions for Chrome and Safari. The extensions have protection against malware, adware, scareware, spyware, and suspicious files. Noticeably, theres no phishing protection, and in every instance we visited a phishing site Airo did not do anything to prevent us from handing over personal information. Thats not great, but the company says it plans to add anti-phishing capabilities in the coming months. Pricing IDG An Airo threat report. Airo has a sliding scale for pricing depending on how many Macs you want to protect. For a single device, it costs $50 for a year. Three Macs will set you back $70 per year, and five is set at $90 per year. Thats not bad at all. Many mainstream suites charge $100 per year to cover 10 devices with their deluxe suite. Thats promotional pricing, however, and the cost goes up after your initial payment period. Conclusion Overall, the Airo app is good. Its easy to understand, and the scan button is readily available. Its also easy to access options for a full scan or to scan a specific folder. Scheduling is not yet available within the app. The company says this was deliberate, but after consumer feedback it plans to add scheduling in the future. Wed also like to see the ability to drag-and-drop files for scanning. Airo has big plans for securing Apple devices. The company is working on a version of its antivirus for iOS, and it wants to bring more features to the MacOS version such as parental controls and VPNs. As for the pricing, Airo doesnt yet have anything deluxe about it compared to other suites, but those features are coming. In the meantime, you can rest well in the knowledge youre supporting a good antivirus suite that is all about the Mac. At least one agriculture processing unit will be set up in every district to boost farmers' income in the state, Cooperatives Registrar Neeraj K Pawan said. In a meeting of managing directors of all central cooperative banks on Monday, Pawan said that proposals will be invited from all village level cooperative societies by March 2020 and the process of disbursing loans will be started as per the state government's policy. He said that in order to increase farmers' income through agro-processing industries, the state government has set up a fund of Rs 500 crore. Applications for setting up of agricultural processing unit has to be sent to the Agricultural Marketing Board. The registrar said that crop loans should be increased by 25 per cent in the kharif season starting from April 1, 2020 compared to the last season. He also said that crop loan of Rs 8,244 crore has been disbursed to farmers in the year 2019-20. The loans to the remaining eligible farmers should be disbursed by March 31, 2020. He also gave instructions to set targets for crop loan disbursement for the year 2020-21. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, G Kishan Reddy on Monday, while referring to the last night's firing incident near Jamia Milia Islamia University, said that those who do such things should be punished. "These things should not happen. Those who carry arms and do such things should be punished. The government will take strict action," he said while speaking to reporters here. The Delhi Police has registered an FIR in connection with the firing incident that took place near Jamia Millia Islamia University on Sunday night. A statement was made by an eyewitness in the FIR saying, "On Sunday, at around 11:30 pm, at gate number 7, two people in a two-wheeler were approaching towards the Jamia University. The person on the pillion seat stood up and shot a bullet. They later escaped towards Holy Family Hospital." The firing incident was reported near gate number 5 at the university following which people including some students of the varsity gathered outside the Jamia Nagar police station. Reddy also said that keeping in view the situation in the country regarding coronavirus, a task force has been constituted. "A task force has been constituted over coronavirus keeping in view the situation in India. The first meeting is to be held today," he said. Earlier in the day, Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja on Monday said that the third case of coronavirus tested positive in Kerala. "Today one more case has tested positive from Kasaragod. The patient is under treatment in Kanjangad District Hospital in Kasaragod. The patient's' condition is stable. The student had returned from Wuhan," Shailaja said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Teams of students from seven universities throughout the U.S. today begin a month-long collegiate competition in which they will run virtual insurance agencies in a computer-simulated environment. The competition, called Selective Agency Management Collegiate Competition, is being sponsored and managed by Selective Insurance Company of America, a Branchville, N.J.-headquartered insurance company of Selective Insurance Group Inc. Todays risk management and insurance students are tomorrows insurance industry leaders, so helping students get acquainted with careers in our industry and on the path to success is something that we at Selective feel is our responsibility to see through, said Chuck Musilli, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Selective Insurance, in a company press release. Each school is assigned an independent insurance agent mentor located near each school and a company representative from Selective to guide and advise them as they navigate the challenges of the competition. The teams will consult with their mentors and compete against each other in weekly exercises using high-level learning objectives. Each team is comprised of between four and six students who are in their third year or higher of college studies and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher. This provides the agents opportunities to build new or strengthen existing relationships and to have a pipeline of candidates for future opportunities within their agency, Robert Redden, vice president of Agency Development at Selective Insurance, told Insurance Journal. Im hoping to take away valuable lessons to learn by making decisions on the simulator in order to better myself and expand my knowledge in the real-world regarding management. Lauren Coats, risk management insurance and finance and banking major at Appalachian State University. This competition allows us the opportunity to communicate with fellow students and industry professionals about the sides of insurance we cannot understand until we are in our careers. This gives us a chance to familiarize ourselves before we begin our first jobs. Bailey Siner, risk management insurance major and employee benefits minor at Appalachian State University. I am looking forward to learning more about the relationship between the many moving parts of the total operation of an insurance agency. Devon Goolsby, senior risk management insurance and marketing major at Appalachian State University. The goal of the competition is to encourage risk management and insurance students to build industry knowledge and experience, as well as gain insights into key processes and decisions that are commonplace in the insurance industry. The first-place team will present their winning strategy to Selectives leadership team. Many of our agency mentors have also graduated from the programs at the universities that they are partnered with, Redden said. This provides additional knowledge on career paths that are available to the students, and they are able to learn about the industry from real-life examples. Jeffrey H. Haney, president and partner of ECM Solutions and a mentor in the Selective competition, says that being there to support [students], answer questions, and push them to make sure they have looked at all angles or options is his strategy for helping the students he is mentoring grow and succeed. Haney is serving as an agency mentor for Appalachian State University in the competition for the third year. Last year, the competition was a joint initiative of InVEST and the Big I Diversity Task Force and is now being sponsored and managed by Selective. For the third year, PriSim will be running its computerized business simulation for the competition. The Brokerage Challenge course simulates the workings and dynamics of independent insurance agencies competing in a marketplace for profit and market share, according to David Semb, partner at PriSim Business War Games Inc. The competition throws the students into the deep end of the pool in running an agency business. The course is designed to catalyze the students understanding of the insurance industry, particularly agency operations. In between the four competitive rounds of the simulation, video-lectures on strategy, finance and financial ratios are recorded and posted for the students to view and learn from prior to the next round. Semb says one advantage to the simulation approach is that students are better prepared to apply the lessons learned, and to improve their performance, when they enter the workplace and make real-world business decisions. The simulation allows students to make key decisions regarding hiring, producer compensation, where to invest, carrier representation, sourcing of customers, niches, etc. Since the four weeks represent a four-year time period, they see both the short-term and long-term effects of such decisions, Redden explained. As decisions are made, students are able to see how these decisions impact the agency overall, he said. Haney added that the simulation technology works well because it replicates how decisions made in one part of the agency can affect other areas of the agency. The students quickly learn that a single decision has ripple effects through a business, he said. Trevor Smith, a senior risk management insurance major at Illinois State University and the universitys team captain for the competition, said it is his first time competing in the competition, and he is hoping to gain knowledge of the insurance industry that can translate into the real world. Through the mentor opportunities within the competition, we are able to bounce ideas off of professionals within the field that have taken time out of their work schedule to educate us about insurance and how it can work, he said. For the past two summers, Smith served as a Property & Casualty Sales intern at Arthur J. Gallagher in Rolling Meadows, Ill. His internship led to his receiving a full-time position as an associate producer within the Public/Non-Profit Sector beginning in August 2020. I love the fact that as a commercial insurance broker, it is my duty to help put peoples lives back together, he said when asked what he loves about the industry. When there is something that goes wrong and my clients business suffers a significant casualty, I am the person they call to help make things whole again. Joining Selective for the launch of the competition at Illinois State University was George Daly, president of Personal Lines with The Horton Group, to provide insights to students attending the kick-off. From my coursework, I knew that the relationship between the insurance carrier and agency is so important to ensure that the best product for the client is chosen, said Erika Sreenan, a senior risk management insurance major at Illinois State University. Learning more about the relationship that Selective Insurance has with The Horton Group was eye-opening in how that happens in reality. Devon Goolsby, a senior risk management insurance and marketing major at Appalachian State University, was a part of the competition last year and is participating again this year. She said the competition gives students an idea of how fully encompassing the insurance industry is and how many opportunities there are to grow, even just within the agency side of the business. Something I love about the industry is the fact that the entire industry is rooted in providing financial needs for people who are facing a time of loss, she said. I find it admirable to be in an industry preparing to support those they have chosen to insure. Bailey Siner, a risk management insurance major with an employee benefits minor at Appalachian State University, said it is her first time participating in the competition, which she hopes will provide valuable insight as she plans her career in insurance post-graduation. I am hoping to leave this experience with the hands-on intellect of the inside decisions of an insurance agency to carry with me into my future internship and career, she said. Lauren Coats, a risk management insurance and finance and banking major at Appalachian State University, also hopes the competition will assist her in a future insurance career. This competition, I believe, will provide a better understanding of insurance agencies and also valuable business management skills, she said. Im excited and grateful in order to be a part of this competition not only for the experience, but also for the relationships and connections I will make. While Dalton Adams, a risk management insurance major with an employee benefits minor at Appalachian State University, also hopes to gain understanding of what it takes to run an agency, he said he has two goals in mind for the competition. I hope to 1. win the simulation and 2. to gain insight into what operations and decisions an agency takes on to help myself understand an agency as a future producer, he said. Haney said that although this is a competition, and everyone wants to win, his advice for students is to take time to value the experience and learn as much as they can from the journey. This experience will help you the rest of your working life, he said when asked to share his advice for the students. Good luck to all. The academic institutions participating in Selectives Collegiate Competition include: Appalachian State University, Howard University, Indiana State University, Illinois State University, Middle Tennessee State University, Temple University and University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Topics Agencies Market Education Illinois Universities Risk Management NEW YORK, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Sasol Limited (Sasol or the Company) (NYSE: SSL). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980. The investigation concerns whether Sasol and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here for information about joining the class action] On January 14, 2020, Sasol issued a press release confirming that on January 13, 2020, the Company experienced an explosion and fire at its LCCP low-density polyethylene (LDPE) unit of its Lake Charles chemicals project in Louisiana. Sasol stated that [t]he unit was in the final stages of commissioning and startup when the incident occurred and has been shut down and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident, the extent of the damage and resulting impact on the LDPE units [beneficial operation] schedule. On this news, Sasols American depositary receipt price fell $1.70 per share, or 7.84%, over the following two trading days, closing at $19.99 per share on January 15, 2020. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com. At the end of the day, the key conclusion, we believe the only conclusion based on the evidence and based on the articles of impeachment themselves and the Constitution, is that you must vote to acquit the president, Cipollone said. At the end of the day, this is an effort to overturn the results of one election and to try to interfere in the coming election that begins today in Iowa. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Target will celebrate the grand opening of its new Staten Island small-format store in Port Richmond on Sunday, April 5. The company is beginning its search for 150 team members to staff the new store at at 1520 Forest Ave. -- located in 46,000 square feet recently vacated by Staples and PetSmart. The new location will be Targets first small-format store on Staten Island, and will offer residents a curated assortment of kids products, home goods, healthy grocery options and more. Targets small-format store assortments are tailored to meet the needs of local shoppers in communities and neighborhoods where a traditional-sized Target store may not fit. Nationwide, Target is reaching new guests by opening small-format stores in urban areas, dense suburban neighborhoods and near college campuses. The Staten Island Forest Avenue store will be the 17th small-format Target store in the New York City area. HIRING EVENT Store hiring events will take place Tuesday, Feb. 4, through Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Staten Island Central Target, at 2873 Richmond Ave., New Springville. Store leaders will conduct interviews with applicants and discuss Targets dynamic, team-oriented culture. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply at Target.com/careers ahead of the job fairs. We look forward to adding 150 new jobs to the local community as we prepare for the opening of our Staten Island Forest Ave. small-format store this spring, said Daryl Garcia-Hallam, store director, Target. Were excited to bring an easy and inspiring shopping experience to additional guests in Staten Island. In addition to market-competitive wages, Target also offers various education benefits, such as tuition and GED reimbursement, to support team members continued learning. FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and TWITTER The Berejiklian governments flagship metro rail project under Sydney Harbour and the central city will cost up to $16.8 billion to complete, more than $4 billion above what has been budgeted, a secret government document shows. The rail line from Chatswood to the central city, and onto Sydenham in the south and Bankstown in the west, is critical to government plans to expand the rail network to handle surging commuter demand. The government originally budgeted the rail line to cost $11.5 billion to $12.5 billion. But an internal review by Sydney Metro, the states operating agency delivering the railway, has forecast it will cost $16.8 billion to finish by 2024 due to blowouts across many parts of the City and Southwest project. Transport Minister Andrew Constance, left, and Premier Gladys Berejiklian inspect one of the station sites last year. Credit:James Brickwood The highly confidential budget review, completed about 18 months ago, shows the biggest projected cost overruns are for new trains and systems; excavating tunnels and sites for underground stations, such as at Martin Place and Barangaroo; and extensive work at Central and Sydenham stations. Surprise medical bill legislation opens door to medicare for all By Rachel Alexander It sounds good, eliminating surprise medical bills that patients sometimes receive from hospitals and providers when their services arent covered by insurance. This happens sometimes when patients go to a hospital or emergency room and receive services from a doctor who is out of network. But what if its the government stepping in to stop the surprise bills? Government usually messes things up when it gets involved. And even worse, this would open the door to Medicare for All. This is government price controls or rate-setting. One doctor fully admits Medicare for All is the way to fix surprise medical billing. Left-wing billionaire John Arnold, who established the Laura and John Arnold Foundation to support left-wing causes, is pushing this congressional fix. Several conservative groups oppose the legislation, including FreedomWorks and Club for Growth.The Taxpayers Protection Alliance and the National Taxpayers Union are spending money on ads opposing the bill. Big insurance companies favor the bill. Doctors oppose it too. Nearly 900 doctors and smaller practices said the proposal could have devastating unintended consequences on physicians. In a strongly worded letter to leaders in Congress, they warn that the heavy-handed solution would severely impact small practices by eliminating what few incentives remain for insurers to negotiate fairly with us, therefore driving further consolidation within health care, and triggering ensuing cost increases. If this consolidation happens, health care costs could increase by as much as 30 percent. It would allow insurers to shift more costs over to patients by using higher deductibles and other cost-sharing measures. CEO William Thorwarth of the American College of Radiology points out that the bill does not prevent insurers from simply keeping any monetary savings to themselves, rather than passing them along to patients. The Federation of American Hospitals says the bill takes two steps forward and three steps back. According to Beau Rothschild, former outreach director for the Committee on House Administration, doctors and patients are the victims of surprise medical billing. The insurance companies purposely draw narrow coverage plans and do everything they can to not pay out claims. Additionally, patients are given very confusing contracts about coverage that the insurers purposely make very difficult to get reimbursed for care out of coverage. He says patients shouldn't have to become experts in coverage in order to figure out what will be paid. Doctors are victims because they get blamed for insurances deliberately confusing language. The legislation is offered by one of the most left-leaning members of the Senate, Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Other co-sponsors include Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.). Rep. Kevin Brady (Texas), the top Republican on the Ways and Means Committee, and Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, released a competing bill favored by doctors and hospitals. It would ban surprise medical bills, but would let a neutral third party in an independent dispute resolution process determine how much the insurer should pay the doctor if an agreement cant be made. Some of the conservative groups suppose this alternative legislation, as does the American College of Radiology. Out of the Middle, a coalition of physicians, says the independent dispute resolution process is working in New York where it has been implemented. According to the New York State Department of Financial Services, IDR has successfully saved consumers $400 million and reduced out-of-network billing 34 percent. Surprise medical bills are a problem. A study published in the journal Health Affairs found that anesthesiologists, pathologists, radiologists and assistant surgeons at in-network hospitals billed out of network in about 10% of cases. Another study found that over 1 in 5 patients who went to in-network emergency departments were treated by out-of-network emergency physicians. Unfortunately, the media is not reporting the full picture. Articles like this dont bother to mention that health care costs for consumers will increase if this type of legislation is passed. That patient who was forced to file bankruptcy due to a surprise medical bill? Now theyll merely have to file bankruptcy due to costs being increased in other areas. The article explains how Washington state just passed a law ending surprise medical billing. Even if Congress doesnt pass legislation, some individual states are implementing it. The bill is likely to make it to President Trump. With bipartisan support, there is a real concern that it will make it into law. Rachel Alexander and her brother Andrew are co-Editors of Intellectual Conservative. She has been published in the American Spectator, Townhall.com, Fox News, NewsMax, Accuracy in Media, The Americano, ParcBench, Enter Stage Right and other publications.mericano, ParcBench, Enter Stage Right and other publications. Home Epifaniy says the Russian Orthodox Church is doing everything to prevent other churches from recognizing the independent status of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) Epifaniy (Epiphanius) has said the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is recognized by a few more local Orthodox churches despite pressure from the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). Speaking at a press conference after a prayer service on the occasion of the first anniversary of his intronization as head of the OCU, he said that last year, after the decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the OCU was also recognized by two more local Orthodox churches the Greek Orthodox Church and the Alexandrian Patriarchate. "We are convinced that next year we will also receive recognition from several other local Orthodox churches. But what are we seeing? We're seeing that the Russian Federation, represented by the Russian Orthodox Church, is doing everything to prevent other churches from recognizing our autocephalous status," he said, according to an UNIAN correspondent. Read alsoEpifaniy: About 600 parishes of Moscow-aligned church convert to new Ukrainian Orthodox church RFE/RL According to Epifaniy, the Russian church put a lot of pressure on the Greek Orthodox Church. "Despite this pressure, next year several churches will join in, recognizing our autocephalous status," he said, but stopped short of specifying the churches. As UNIAN reported earlier, the Unification Council of members of the Ukrainian Orthodox churches in Kyiv on December 15, 2018, elected Metropolitan of Pereyaslavsky and Bila Tserkva from the then Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate Epifaniy (also known as Epiphanius I) as head of the new local Orthodox Church in Ukraine. On January 6, 2019, Epifaniy, as Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, received from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in Istanbul the tomos of autocephaly (independence) of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epifaniy was inaugurated as Primate of the newly created Orthodox Church of Ukraine at Kyiv's Saint Sophia Cathedral on February 3. A major telecommunications fault last month left hundreds of Mahurangi residents without service for nearly 24 hours, and many businesses out of pocket. Cellphone coverage, internet and eftpos went down at 4.30pm on Friday, February 9, when a digger working on the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway project severed a fibre internet cable. Full service wasnt restored for nearly 24 hours, bringing trading to a halt as weekend visitors and festival goers flooded the area on one of the busiest days of the year. Chorus reports that within minutes of detecting the outage, it contacted rural fibre repair subcontractor Visionstream. Chorus communications manager Steve Pettigrew says his records show that the technician from Visionstream was delayed in getting to Puhoi because of traffic and didnt arrive until 7pm. He says by 4am on Saturday it was decided that specialist equipment was needed. Work to restore services started at 10am and was completed by 3.30pm. However, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and motorway construction company NX2 tell a different story. NZTA senior manager project delivery Andrew Thackwray says NX2 attempted to inform Chorus of the damage six minutes after it happened but received no response. An NX2 project engineer then attempted to contact Visionstream and despite calling three times, as well as sending text messages and photos, got no reply. At 8.30am on Saturday, an NX2 site supervisor on the Warkworth end of the motorway informed the NX2 project engineer that a Visionstream subcontractor had been searching for the site of the damage from 9pm until 4am on the wrong end of the motorway. Chorus said that the fibre outage on January 9 and 10 affected 17 businesses and 834 residential customers, but internet provider Rodney Broadband director Darrel McNab says, in reality, the numbers were far higher. Rodney Broadband had at least 300 business customers affected and that figure would likely be dwarfed by other major providers such as Spark and Vodafone. Among the businesses affected was Plume Cafe in Matakana, which had to let customers leave without paying. Owner Farida Cooper said if customers didnt have cash or a credit card the cafe just let them go because it couldnt process eftpos payments. The Point Wells Store was unable to take payment for around 300 transactions. Store manager Rebecca Lane said she provided customers with receipts with details for bank transfers and relied on their honesty to make the payment later. Mr McNab says he and other providers have contracts with Chorus to have faults restored within three hours and the near 24-hour delay wasnt good enough. The NX2 motorway works will continue for another two years. My concern is that Chorus and its contractors do not have the resources and mechanisms in place to adequately fix future disruptions. In the face of a competitor saying theyre going to open not only a new hospital but also a significant number of outpatient centers, I would imagine they would not only want to take a step back to look at whats needed, but also how do they respond and how do they position themselves, she said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. You wouldnt think that GOP President Donald Trump and socialist democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders would have a lot in common. But they do. Theyve both got the Washington, D.C., establishment at the barricades trying to stop them. Sanders is surging in the Democratic presidential polls. Its to the point where top Democrats are talking openly about how theyd stop Sanders should he be on track to become the partys standard bearer against Trump in November. Heres just the most recent example: Democrats are talking about a rules change that would allow the so-called superdelegates, unpledged party honchos and elected officials, to vote on the first ballot at the partys nominating convention this summer. There will be 764 superdelegates at the convention. A switch would be quite a turnaround, as the party in 2018 voted to bar the superdelegates from voting on the first ballot. That move that was pushed by Sanders and his supporters, rightly stung by the party machinations on Hillary Clintons behalf in the 2016 primary against Sanders. But now it appears the party wants a bulwark in place just in case Sanders is on top when the convention begins on July 13. Its only the latest slap at Sanders. The Democrats had earlier named former Democratic Rep. Barney Frank, a longtime Sanders antagonist and Clinton supporter, as co-chair of the convention Rules Committee. Also serving on the committee: John Podesta, chairman of Hillarys 2016 campaign, as well as a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton and counselor to President Barack Obama. The swamp muck doesnt get much deeper than that. And theres more. Hillary Clinton last week spoke about having the urge to run against Trump again. In an earlier magazine interview, Clinton skewered Sanders, continuing to blame him for her 2016 loss to Trump. Meanwhile, former Secretary of State John Kerry, beaten by GOP President George W. Bush in 2004, over the weekend was reportedly overheard on a phone conversation mulling over another run, because of the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party down whole. Kerry, who backs former Vice President Joe Biden in the race, vehemently denied that he was running, even dropping an F-bomb into the denial. If only hed shown the same fire against Bush. Obama himself has said that he would step in personally should Sanders be on track for the nomination. If Sanders isnt the nominee, his people are either going to stay home, vote third party or, gasp, vote for Trump. Because Trumps anti-swamp message has to now be resonating in Democratic ranks. Dems who cant see the parallels simply dont want to look. Tangential to this, the Dems changed their debate rules, so now Mike Bloomberg, who first ran for mayor of New York as a Republican, can get on stage. Because thats what the Democratic race needs: Another old, white, male one-percenter. Not a great look for the party of inclusion. Either way, establishment Dems clearly arent feeling the Bern. They want no part of the revolution or power to the people. As for Trump, the Dem takedown of the president has been chugging along for more than three years now. And Trump is still president. The Dems cry that they needed more witnesses at the Senate impeachment trial, but theyve been putting their various anti-Trump cases together literally since the day Trump was elected. If they had the goods, wed have seen it by now, including wavering Senate Republicans. Heres the best that the Dems can do: Delay the final Senate vote until after the State of the Union address on Tuesday, so that Trump will still have it hanging over his head. And Speaker Nancy Pelosi can crow all she wants about impeachment being forever, but the Dems have cheapened the remedy to the point that nobody cares about an impeached president. They didnt care that Bill Clinton was an impeached president either, in case Pelosi forgot. This is what passes for Democratic victory these days. In this screengrab taken from a Senate Television webcast, House manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks during impeachment proceedings against U.S. President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol on February 3, 2020 in Washington, DC. Senate TV | Getty Images WASHINGTON As the Iowa caucuses officially kicked off the 2020 presidential election Monday, November's ballot was foremost on the minds of the president's lawyers and the House impeachment managers as they delivered closing arguments in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. "The president's personal interest is now clear: to cheat in the next election," said Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., one of the Democratic managers making the case for the removal of the president. Lead House manager Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., asked senators to vote on Trump's guilt or innocence, "knowing that, if left in office, [Trump will] continue to seek foreign interference in the next election." Yet the president's defense lawyers also zeroed in on this November's election, arguing that voters, and not senators, should be the ones to decide whether Trump stays in office or not. "We put our faith in the Senate because we know that you will put your faith in the American people," White House counsel said Pat Cipollone in his closing arguments. "You will leave this choice to them where it belongs," he said. "We believe that they should choose the president." With the Republican-majority Senate poised to acquit the president in a vote Wednesday afternoon, Monday's closing arguments offered Democrats an opportunity to leave the viewing public with two final thoughts: Firstly, that Trump's actions were craven and corrupt, and second, that Trump still presents a clear danger to both national security and the integrity of the 2020 presidential election. Here are the top moments of Monday's closing arguments: Crow's impeachment muse: Dumbledore Throughout the trial, the House managers buttressed their arguments with weighty, high-minded references to the Constitution, the founding fathers, and a slew of other historical and political icons. In his closing statement, Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., invoked a much different authority: Dumbledore, the patriarchal wizard of the "Harry Potter" fantasy novel series. "Many of us in this room are parents. We all try to teach our kids the important lessons of life. One of these lessons is that you won't always be the strongest, you won't always be the fastest, and you won't always win," Crow said. "There are a lot of things outside our control, but my wife and I have tried to teach our kids that what we can always control are our choices." He added: "It's in that spirit that, hanging in my son's room, is a quote from Harry Potter. The quote is from Professor Dumbledore, who said, 'It is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities.'" Defense downplays Trump, focuses on Dems According to Trump's personal lawyer, Jay Sekulow, internal and external objections to Trump's pressure campaign on Ukraine were not objections to crimes, but merely "policy disputes" with career bureaucrats and Democrats. "Elections have consequences. We all know that," Sekulow said. "If you do not like the policies of a particular administration or a particular candidate, you are free and welcome to vote for another candidate. But the answer is elections, not impeachment." Cipollone took the point a step further. "At the end of the day, this is an effort to overturn the results of one election and to try to interfere in the coming election that begins today in Iowa," he said. "There is only one answer to that, and the answer is to reject those articles of impeachment. To have confidence in the American people, and to have confidence in the result of the upcoming election, and to have confidence and respect for the last election and not throw it out," he added. "And to leave the choice of the president to the American people." Schiff: 'The sun will rise again' But Schiff's lofty closing argument was the part of Monday's proceedings that are most likely to be replayed in the coming months. The president and his lawyers, Schiff argued, have retreated to their "final defense. He's guilty as sin, but can't we just let the voters decide? He's guilty as sin, but why not let the voters clean up this mess?" "Can we be confident that he will not continue to try to cheat in that very election? No you can't. You can't trust this president to do the right thing, not for one minute. Not for one election. Not for the sake of our country. He will not change, and you know it." The nation's founders, Schiff said, "gave you a remedy, and they meant for you to use it. They gave you an oath, and they meant for you to observe it." He added: "It may be midnight in Washington, but the sun will rise again. I put my faith and my optimism in the founders. You should, too." The House voted to impeach Trump in December on two articles, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, both stemming from Trump's handling of the U.S. relationship with Ukraine. Trump has denied wrongdoing. Next steps Bing Maps A teenager was hospitalized after he was shot during a drug deal gone wrong Sunday night on the North Side, according to San Antonio police. Police responded to the 6800 block of UTSA Boulevard around 8:30 p.m. for a shooting in progress. There, they found a 14-year-old male suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, police said. Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations. By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 02/02/2020 ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. star Meka Jones has revealed the ex-girlfriend Michael Watson "emotionally cheated" on is the person who nominated him to be on the show's tenth season and he continued to have a relationship with her after he married Meka.During Wednesday night's : Unfiltered episode, Meka watched back a Season 10 clip of Michael admitting to his new wife's family after the wedding he had emotionally cheated on a woman before.When asked about Michael's personal disclosure, Meka said on Unfiltered, "I think for me, it just makes me proceed with caution.""Because I have been cheated on, so when I hear somebody has cheated, I automatically think to put my guard up just because whether it's emotional or not, it's all still cheating," Meka shared."So I think for me, I'm just a little more guarded than I would have been."Unfiltered host Jamie Otis asked how the topic of emotional cheating came up within the first 24 hours of Meka and Michael being married."You know obviously the question comes up of, 'Why did you do this [show]?' [Michael] said, 'Oh, well my ex nominated me.' And I'm like, 'Okayyy,'" Meka revealed."What?!" Jamie exclaimed in disbelief."[I thought], 'You're in a situation where she's filling out a questionnaire for you to be married at first sight? So what is the nature of that relationship? So that I know for myself,'" Meka recalled.Meka said that topic organically transitioned into how Michael had emotionally cheated on a woman in the past."We talked about trust issues and it was a deep conversation about past relationships and what our marriage would look like," Meka said.'s Season 10 brides Mindy Shiben and Jessica Studer joined Meka on Unfiltered and offered their thoughts on the subject."I guess I would want more details," Jessica noted. "But to me, I mean, I would feel like that is cheating too."But Jessica said good for Michael for "being transparent" and "open and honest" with Meka about it."To me, it's really kind of ballsy that he brought that up during the [in-laws] brunch," Mindy added of Michael."I mean, I'd say so too," Jamie pointed out.Mindy then asked Meka what all the women were probably thinking -- was Michael's ex-girlfriend still in his life at the time of the wedding?!"They told me they have a pretty good relationship," Meka shared in reply."Ohh, that's something I would want to know," Mindy said, as all of the women reacted strongly to the news and spoke at once.Jessica therefore asked Meka for some clarification."It was the ex that he had cheated on? The ex that had then signed him up for the show? Jessica questioned."Yeah," Meka responded."Or like emotionally cheated?" Jessica asked."Mhmm, Meka replied.Mindy didn't like what she was hearing, suggesting she wouldn't want to be in Meka's shoes."If he's still close to [his ex], that's like leaving himself open for more emotional cheating," Mindy noted."Yeah, that's what I'm thinking!" Jessica said."He kind of needs to push that somewhere else and focus on his marriage," Mindy insisted."[That should] come to an end," Jamie agreed, as Meka laughed.Meka and Michael's marriage has been struggling on Season 10 of , which premiered on January 1. Things fell apart shortly after their wedding, which was a dream come true for both spouses.Meka alleged Michael had attempted to put a time limit on consummating their marriage while flying to their honeymoon in Panama."I'm pissed because on the plane, we had a conversation and Michael literally gave me an ultimatum and said if we don't have sex on our honeymoon then he won't want to be in this marriage," Meka told the cameras.Meka later confronted Michael and accused him of being a different person -- one who's not patient or authentic -- when camera's weren't rolling.Michael didn't confirm or deny what he had said to Meka on the plane, but he argued he was just trying to gauge Meka's expectations for intimacy while laying his out there in a direct manner in order to avoid future confusion or problems.The pair didn't reach a resolution, and so their tense conversation resulted in the partners sleeping in different hotel rooms during the first night of their honeymoon.In the latest episode of , Pastor Calvin Roberson advised Meka and Michael to continue working on their marriage and getting to know each other better as friends first.Both spouses agreed to give it a try, but they stopped wearing their wedding rings and Meka admittedly remained very uncomfortable around her new husband.'s currently-airing season also stars Jessica's husband Austin Hurd and Mindy's husband Zach Justice as well as Taylor Dunklin and Brandon Reid and Katie Conrad and Derek Sherman Interested in more news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group A family of five asylum seekers have spoken of the warm welcome they've received in their new home in Ballinamore, Co Leitrim, describing it as "perfect". The family, originally from Pakistan, had been living in Saudi Arabia for 17 years and came to Ireland late last year. They first arrived in Dublin and spent time living in direct provision in the Riverside Park Hotel in Macroom, Co Cork, before their move to Ballinamore last week. "What we like about here is we can understand the people, they speak very fast in Cork," said Syed Haider Abbas with a laugh. Mr Abbas, his wife Samreen and their three children said they feel like "we will be happy here". The children, aged six, 12 and 15, were able to start school within a week of arriving at the Rock Quarter complex. "We were just down the town trying to arrange a uniform, but the principal told us they can wear their normal clothes until they get proper uniforms it's been very welcoming. "It's quiet here, there is a lot less traffic. It's perfect," Mr Abbas told the Irish Independent. Speaking outside their new home, the family had just come back from the library where they borrowed books for the children. Ms Abbas, holding a new pressure cooker, said their new apartment was "very nice". Each of the fully furnished apartments has a balcony overlooking the Co Leitrim town. A copy of the High Court injunction which ordered named locals to stop protesting at the complex is posted next to the entrance gate to the own-door apartments. But Mr Abbas says they have experienced nothing but kindness: "No, no, everyone has been very nice. We like it." BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Eldar Janashvili - Trend: About 70 percent of employed women in Azerbaijan live in rural areas, Head of the Programs and Projects Department of the country's Agency for Agro Credit and Development Leyli Aghayeva said at the first seminar of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) cooperation program with Azerbaijan, dedicated to increasing the role of women employed in the country's agricultural sector, Trend reports. This factor, Aghayeva noted, shows that the project to increase the role of women employed in the agricultural sector will cover a significant part of all women employed in Azerbaijan. "The agricultural sector in Azerbaijan is one of the priority sectors of the economy, about 40 percent of the Azerbaijani total population is involved in this sector," Aghayeva said. Leyli Aghayeva said that the project is aimed at increasing the competitiveness of women in the country's agricultural sector and in this direction, the agency, together with Agro Procurement and Supply Company, will facilitate the provision of technical assistance to female farmers. At the end of her speech, Leyli Aghayeva spoke about a joint program with the FAO, as part of which, various projects in the field of potato growing, sheep breeding and in other areas have been completed since 2015. The first seminar of the FAO cooperation program with Azerbaijan, dedicated to increasing the number of women employed in the Azerbaijani agricultural sector, is held in Baku on Feb. 3. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @eldarjanashvili The government of Eritrea has described a US ban on immigrant visas for its citizens as unacceptable. Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed said the government saw the ban as a political move that would hurt the countrys relations with the United States. He however ruled out the expulsion of the US ambassador over the move. Nigeria which is also in the US ban-list, created a committee to address the issues. Nigeria remains committed to maintaining productive relations with the United States and other international allies especially on matters of global security, a Nigerian presidential statement said. As of February 21, citizens of Eritrea, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan and Nigeria will no longer be eligible for immigrant visas to the US, the White House announced on Friday afternoon. Citizens from Sudan and Tanzania will also not be eligible to enter a lottery program to apply for immigrant visas. US officials said the countries failed to meet security and information-sharing standards, which necessitated the new restrictions. The Trump administrations decision has been widely decried by advocacy and rights groups as an extension of an earlier so-called Muslim ban, under which citizens of several Muslim-majority countries were barred from entering the country. This is homicide #17 so far in 2020 compared to only 9 at this time last year. Man stabbed to death Sunday night in Kansas City KANSAS CITY, Mo. - One man was stabbed to death Sunday night in east Kansas City. Police said it happened about 8:10 p.m. at 4910 E. 31st Street. There was no information available about what led to the incident. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Urban core update as our blog community notices sirens blaring round around the loop and across the metro . . . Read more:Checkit: Here's some business news in the Missoula area: Missoula Countys average annual wages have increased while the countys poverty rate has decreased relative to Montanas statewide averages, according to data recently compiled by the Montana Department of Revenue. For the first time, the average hourly wage exceeded $20 per hour, reaching $20.35. That's according to a new report from the Missoula Economic Partnership. This is exactly what weve been working toward in Missoula by increasing the number of high-paying jobs that can be filled by people in our community we know folks expect us to keep creating pathways for people to improve their circumstances until we reach the top of Montanas list for wages and the bottom of the list for poverty, said Grant Kier, Missoula Economic Partnership president and CEO. In 2016, average wages in Missoula County were 95.1% of Montanas state average. That number has climbed to 97.5% in 2020. Of the seven urban centers in the state, Missoula experienced the second-highest rate of wage growth over the past five years, up 14.5% from 2016, when the average hourly wage in Missoula County was $17.78. The Montana Department of Commerces Big Sky Trust Fund job creation grant program awards grants to companies creating jobs at or above the average hourly wage. In order to access the full grant award, companies in Missoula must pay the equivalent of $20.35 hourly, which equals an annual full-time wage of $42,328. Missoula County serves as the applicant and fiscal sponsor of Missoula businesses accessing the program. Were encouraged to see these numbers, which demonstrate that programs like the Big Sky Trust Fund job creation grants are moving the needle in the right direction, said Josh Slotnick, Missoula County Commission chair. We look forward to supporting more businesses that create opportunities for Missoula County residents to prosper. Missoula Mayor John Engen said he attributes Missoulas wage growth, in part, to collaborative efforts in the community to encourage high-wage job creation. When we founded the Missoula Economic Partnership a decade ago, we wanted, quite simply, more folks to make a living wage, Engen said. So we set about helping businesses with similar goals grow and prosper and were seeing the results of that intentionality. We dont create good jobs, but we foster an environment where businesspeople who do want to be. And we have much more work to do. Gov. Steve Bullock announced last week that almost $1.4 million in job-creation grant funds will be available to support growing businesses to train new workers and create up to 221 jobs. Montana businesses are the backbone of a strong economy for our state and job opportunities for Montana workers, Bullock said. Investing in the future of Montana means investing in the future of Montana businesses, and thats exactly what these funds will do. A total of $1,255,000 will be awarded through the Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund (BSTF) Job Creation Program at the Montana Department of Commerce. Additionally, four businesses will receive a total of $130,900 in Workforce Training Grant funding to train new workers. These competitive reimbursement programs help to support long-term, sustainable business growth. Missoula County will receive up to $135,000 on behalf of Montana Health Solutions Inc. doing business as Consumer Direct Management Solutions, to support creating an estimated 18 jobs. Grant funds will be used to purchase equipment, software and furniture, and for wage reimbursement. The company will also receive up to $90,000 in Workforce Training Grant funding to train the new workers. Consumer Direct Management Solutions, which facilitates self-directed home health and personal care, is expanding its presence in the national marketplace. Missoula County will receive up to $45,000 on behalf of Bedrock Sandals LLC to support creating an estimated six jobs. Grant funds will be used to purchase equipment, software, furniture, lease rate reduction and for wage reimbursement. Bedrock Sandals designs outdoor footwear. Local and tribal governments may apply for BSTF funding on behalf of businesses for the creation of good-paying jobs. Businesses may apply directly for WTG funding. Funds are provided once the jobs have been created at the qualifying wage and eligible expenses have been incurred. The next funding application deadline is March 11, 2020. Find more information about the Big Sky Trust Fund at BSTF.MT.GOV and the Workforce Training Grant at WTG.MT.GOV. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Albany, N.Y. Environmental advocates are warning that proposed state regulations could still allow stores to give out plastic bags at checkout, even after New Yorks statewide ban on the bags goes into effect. The ban begins March 1. Starting that day, any entity that is required to collect state sales taxes will be barred from giving out single-use plastic bags to customers at checkout. Advocates are concerned that the DECs proposed regulations implementing the ban would allow bags 10 mils and thicker, according to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. A mil is equivalent to one-thousandth of an inch. Most of the existing bags used by stores at checkout are not anywhere close to 10 mils thick, according to the Times Union in Albany. And for the most part, bags that thick arent manufactured anywhere. But some fear bag makers would start producing them and selling them to stores if they're allowed under the ban, the Times Union said. Allowing the thicker bags would be a "monumental mistake," said Judith Enck, a former regional official for the Environmental Protection Agency during the Obama administration. Over 60 advocacy groups sent a letter to the DEC outlining their concerns on Friday and held a press conference on the issue. All of us are thrilled that New York state has moved forward with what is being considered as one of the strongest plastic bag bans in the country, said Liz Moran, environmental policy director for the New York State Public Interest Research Group, according to the D&C. Which is why it is so critical that these regulations get it right. The DEC said bags that are thicker than 10 mils are expensive to produce and not likely to be given away by stores for free at checkout, according to the D&C. Any insinuation that through these regulations the state is attempting to undermine the integrity of the law banning plastic bags is patently false, the DEC said, according to the New York Daily News. New York state remains steadfastly committed to ensuring the effective implementation of this law and ending the scourge of single-use plastic bags. The ban already includes a number of exemptions. Bags for things like produce, raw meat and fish, bulk items and more will still be available after March 1. The DEC is still finalizing the regulations implementing the bag ban, the D&C said. The agency is taking comments on the rules until today at plasticbags@dec.ny.gov. Include Comments on Proposed Part 351 in the subject line if you want to comment. More on New Yorks plastic bag ban Dog poop, tiny trash cans, more: Questions answered on NYs plastic bag ban Youll soon pay for paper bags at Tops, Wegmans, more as NY plastic bag ban nears New York plastic bag ban start date, whos affected, bags you can still get NY plastic bag ban nears: How to clean your reusable bags so they dont get gross NY says Wegmans, others must allow old plastic bags in stores for reuse Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Major crackdown: UP Police arrests 108 PFI members in 4 days, reveals link to anti-CAA protests India oi-Madhuri Adnal Lucknow, Feb 03: Police in Uttar Pradesh has arrested 108 members of the Popular Front of India in the last four days for their alleged involvement in protests against the anti-citizenship law, a senior official said on Monday. Out of the 108, four PFI members have been arrested from Muzaffarnagar in the state, while the others were held from different parts of Uttar Pradesh. The arrests are in addition to the 25 made earlier, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi told reporters. He noted that the PFI was established on November 22, 2006, after the imposition of the ban on SIMI. Money laundering probe: PFI seeks more time from ED NEWS AT 3 PM, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 "This is just the beginning. We will get to the roots of the organisation. A probe is also going on about their financial dealings. We are in touch with central agencies and are sharing information with them," he said. Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) report had indicated a massive PFI hand in inciting violence by Muslim mobs all across Uttar Pradesh. It had also revealed several transactions to 73 bank accounts worth Rs 120 crores. Children in critical need of medical care were evacuated Monday from Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa, in what the United Nations hopes will be the first of many mercy flights. Seven young patients and their families had gathered at Sanaa airport, closed to commercial flights since 2016, clutching their transport documents for the trip to Amman. "This is the first of what we hope and believe will be many flights," said UN Resident Coordinator for Yemen Lise Grande. "It's a very important day, it's a day of hope. It shows that everyone wants the people who need help to get that help," she told reporters. "The key is to have many flights, bigger planes, so that the people who need aid can get to the places where they will receive it." Yemen's internationally recognised government, backed by a Saudi-led military coalition, has been fighting Iran-backed Huthi rebels since 2014 when they seized control of the capital. In November, the coalition -- which controls Yemen's airspace -- said patients needing medical care would be allowed to fly out of Sanaa. The move was among confidence-building measures aimed at ending the five-year war that has killed thousands of people and displaced millions in what the UN has termed the world's worst humanitarian crisis. One of the children waiting for the evacuation flight, Abdullah Abed, is suffering from kidney failure and needs an organ transplant, his father told AFP. "We are overjoyed," Abed Ali Murshid said. "Today is the start of the air bridge that we have been waiting for two years." "Severe diseases in Yemen are many, and people need to travel. The United Nations must operate the air bridge regularly, send abroad patients suffering from diseases, open Sanaa airport, and end the blockade of Yemen," he said. The Huthis on Sunday criticised the evacuation plan as inadequate for the needs of thousands of sick people in urgent need of medical care. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A series of traffic incidents has caused delays for the Monday-morning peak in Brisbanes south and north. A truck breakdown on the Gateway Motorway northbound at Eight Mile Plains, blocking the left lane above Logan Road, had pushed congestion back beyond Compton Road by 7.20am. Congestion northbound on the Pacific Motorway at Rochedale. Credit:Department of Transport and Main Roads TransLink advised commuters travelling on services inbound along and from the motorway at Runcorn to expect major delays. A tow truck arrived to begin moving the truck after 8am. On the Pacific Motorway, a crash in the northbound right lane near exit 26 at Loganholme had traffic stretched back to exit 28. A Warkworth educator with a passion to equip students with vital technological skills for the future has teamed up with the Mens Shed to turn his vision into reality. Mike Izzard is the inventor of the Tinker Cart a mobile, powered workstation featuring a range of equipment to develop students abilities in STEAM subjects science technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Tinker Carts vary but can typically include a 3D printer, 3D scanner, a laptop, Wifi connection, computer-controlled cutting tool, a solar panel and a digital projector. In addition, the carts store a variety of materials (such as wood, metal and paper), electrical devices (such as motors, switches and lightbulbs) and tools (such as soldering irons and glue guns) to assemble projects. Mike says the carts can be wheeled into any classroom, and projects using the carts can be developed to meet curriculum goals. Materials used in one project can be recycled for use in another project. Mike got the idea for the Tinker Carts while teaching at Tokyo International School in Japan. Im very interested in the direction education is taking and am truly concerned that my grandchildren need to be properly prepared to face a very different world, he says. Mike set up the company Super Humanics and has built four versions of the carts over the last three years for use in Tokyo classrooms. He says the carts proved a hit with students, and teachers value them for the creativity, independence and collaborative behaviours they foster. One Year 8 class succeeded in building a driveable solar-powered car from scrap material and old office desks, which was proudly displayed during Tokyo Design Week. Mike returned to New Zealand last September and settled in Warkworth. Super Humanics has joined forces with the Warkworth Mens Shed in a non-profit venture known as The Tinkercart Project. Its anticipated Mens Shed volunteers will construct the cart shells, while Super Humanics plans to work alongside schools, sponsors and suppliers to design and equip the carts and develop a database of projects. Mike already has strong interest from Hobsonville Point Primary School and as Mahurangi schools return from their summer break, Mike will be contacting them to gauge their interest. He anticipates most interest will come from primary and intermediate schools since they often lack the specialist facilities a Tinker Cart can provide. There is so much that can be done with a little adventure and forward thinking, he says. As well as sequencing the whole genome of coronavirus 2019-nCoV, the Institut Pasteur continued to work on the samples taken from the first confirmed cases. The quality of these initial samples enabled rapid cell-culture isolation of the new virus. The Institut Pasteur's scientists now have access to the virus responsible for the infection. The isolation of the virus paves the way for new diagnostic, therapeutic and prophylactic approaches. With the whole viral genome of coronavirus 2019-nCoV having recently been sequenced at the Institut Pasteur, the isolation of strains of coronavirus 2019-nCoV detected in France has now been successfully finalized, in a very short space of time, using the samples taken from the first confirmed French cases. Coronavirus 2019-nCoV, responsible for the cases of pneumonia that emerged in China (see the Institut Pasteur's fact sheet on the Wuhan coronavirus - page in French), differs from two other viruses that are well known for causing respiratory outbreaks in recent years: the SARS-CoV virus, responsible for the SARS outbreak in 2003, and MERS-CoV, responsible for an outbreak that has been under way since 2012 in the Middle East. The Institut Pasteur was actively involved in tackling these previous outbreaks, which yielded valuable lessons for the current situation. "For both SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, cells known as Vero E6 were identified to culture the two coronaviruses," explains Sylvie van der Werf, Director of the National Reference Center (CNR) for Respiratory Viruses at the Institut Pasteur. "In January 2020, we brought them out of our collection, which is kept under strictly controlled conditions, so that we would be ready as soon as we detected a positive sample for coronavirus 2019-nCoV." Extremely rapid growth of the virus in culture The Institut Pasteur was therefore well prepared, and on Friday January 24, 2020, the very day that the first cases were confirmed, it began the process of culturing the samples that had tested positive for the virus on Vero E6 cells. Using detection methods, we had observed a high viral load in the samples taken from the patients in hospital in Paris. This enabled us to identify which samples should be cultured first." Sylvie Behillil, Deputy Director of the CNR at the Institut Pasteur The viruses continued to be cultured over the weekend of January 25-26, 2020. By the morning of Monday January 27, the culture had already grown! "We didn't think that it would grow so quickly," continues Sylvie Behillil. The rapid growth of the culture may be explained by "the high viral load in the samples," but also by "the quality of the samples," adds Vincent Enouf, Deputy Director of the CNR at the Institut Pasteur. "We could see the cells becoming damaged and then grouping together, which can indicate that they have been infected. But we did not observe this cytopathic effect for all the inoculated samples; that reassured us that we had managed to isolate the strains, and this was then confirmed by additional analyses." Virus 2019-nCoV now available for research Now that the Institut Pasteur's scientists have access to coronavirus 2019-nCoV, they can set out to improve scientific knowledge about the virus. Research will focus on four main areas. Serology. Analyzing antigen-antibody reactions based on the antibodies found in patients' blood serum, and developing an effective serology test to screen for the infection among the population. NB: This is not a rapid diagnostic test for hospital use; it is a test to identify seroconversion in the population. Analyzing antigen-antibody reactions based on the antibodies found in patients' blood serum, and developing an effective serology test to screen for the infection among the population. NB: This is not a rapid diagnostic test for hospital use; it is a test to identify seroconversion in the population. Development of specific treatments . Testing known antiviral molecules that act on the replication cycle of some viruses to assess their therapeutic or even prophylactic potential, and looking for antibodies that may have therapeutic applications. . Testing known antiviral molecules that act on the replication cycle of some viruses to assess their therapeutic or even prophylactic potential, and looking for antibodies that may have therapeutic applications. Vaccination. Based on the virus, developing vaccine approaches that have already been explored for other viruses - Ebola, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV -, with the aim of proposing a vaccine candidate. Based on the virus, developing vaccine approaches that have already been explored for other viruses - Ebola, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV -, with the aim of proposing a vaccine candidate. Viral pathogenesis. Understanding how the virus works, how it replicates and interacts with the cell and the host organism, to gain a clearer picture of its pathogenic nature and identify biomarkers for infection or new targets for the development of treatments. The National Reference Center (CNR) for Respiratory Viruses at the Institut Pasteur in Paris is one of WHO's reference laboratories for coronavirus 2019-nCoV. A total of eight people from the CNR and two from the P2M sequencing platform have been working on the virus this week and will continue to monitor the outbreak in France. In response to the announcement of the first cases and the declaration of the outbreak by the Chinese authorities, the Institut Pasteur has set up a task force for the novel coronavirus. The isolation of coronavirus 2019-nCoV clears a vital hurdle for research, which has now begun. The Institut Pasteur immediately set up a task force to mobilize its experts with the aim of developing diagnostic, prevention and treatment tools as quickly as possible to tackle the novel coronavirus. Several Institut Pasteur teams are represented on the task force, which will focus its research on various scientific areas: I want to talk to you about primers, okay dont yawn. I am going to tell you how it can make a difference in your day- to- day life. Let me tell you a story I bought an older, smaller home about six years ago. It was built in the 80s, and the owner had not done one thing to update it in all those years. Anyone else going through that? Well, Mr. Y (we will call him that) was a smoker, 91, and to say that the house smelled like smoke, would be a huge understatement. Mr. Y and I agreed on a price, and he moved. I had the house remodeled. I stripped all the flooring, and removed all the texture from the ceiling. I primed and painted every wall. Everything was done except the kitchen. I didnt know what I wanted to do, so instead of making a mistake I thought I would live in it for a while to really see what I wanted to do. But there was a problem. Whenever I would leave for a couple of days, I could smell Mr. Ys cigarette smoke as soon as I came in the back door. Well for the life of me I couldnt find out where it was coming from. One day I was putting up pots and pans and trying to figure out how to get all my pans into this small setup of a kitchen, and my nose came in close contact with the cabinet door. BINGO! There was the smell. It made sense that the smoke was infused in the cabinets. I still was contemplating kitchen design, so I didnt know if I was going to replace cabinets, painting existing ones, or strip and refinish. And thats where the primer came in. Zinsser Odor Killing Primer. It will kill existing odors, including those from pets, tobacco, and fire. Its great for wood sub-floors, cabinets and walls. It applies white (kind of translucent) and then dries clear. It dries in 45 minutes, and it has very little odor. Its water-based, so it cleans up with soap and water. But this is the best part. It sticks to shiny surfaces. I didnt have to sand my cabinets. I made sure they were clean, but that was it. I just primed the cabinet door and didnt worry about the cabinet box. It sealed in the smell and Mr. Y and his history of smoking was finally gone. Zinsser makes other special primers. Mold Killing Primer will kill existing mold, mildew, and odor causing bacteria. So if you have an area that constantly has light mildew, like the bathroom, you can just paint over it and seal it off. If you have a bath or kitchen cabinet that had a leak, mildew shows up because its hard to dry it out. Seal it off with Mold Killing Primer, and that will be the end of it. OK, I am also assuming you also have taken care of the leak, so you have no more mildew. If you havent sent me an email recently and you have a question about a product that you want me to put on my radar, shoot it to me. I have two trips planed, and I want to find something just for you. I am also going to do interviews while I am at the shows. I will have them on the website. Now to the email Question: I have a stucco wall connecting to my stucco house at and a 90-degree angle. Due to the movement of the Houston ground, a gap has developed between the house and the wall. What is the best product to repair the gap? I believe I saw a recent article on Rockite, would that be a solution or is there something what stays more flexible? The gap is about 1 cm. Answer: Rockite is not flexible so its not the right product. I recommend that you use Slab made by Sascho. Its flexible, and it will span the small gap. That way if the house moves with different temperatures, the gap will not open up again. If you cant find it call me. If you cannot find the products mentioned her, call 210-341-1573, go to www. happyhandyman.com or email happyhandyman2@yahoo.com. Indian mining giant Adani donated $200,000 to the Liberal and National parties in the month after it secured federal approval for its controversial Carmichael coal mine. Adani Mining and its subsidiary Carmichael Rail Network donated $247,300 to the Coalition during the 2018-19 financial year, data released by the Australian Electoral Commission on Monday revealed. The coal export facility at Abbot Point. On April 5, $12,500 was donated to the Liberal Party; that was four days before then-Environment Minister Melissa Price signed off on the groundwater management plans for Adani's central Queensland mine. Another $100,000 was donated to both parties in the month after Ms Price gave final federal approvals to the mine. Shareholders in the nation's biggest winemaker, Treasury Wine Estates, could have been forgiven for feeling a strange sense of deja vu last week. The maker of Penfolds, Rawson's Retreat and America's Beringer wines shocked the market with an after-hours earnings downgrade and dire first-half result for its US business. It had all the hallmarks of 2013 when the company, currently valued at $9 billion, was caught in a "channel stuffing" scandal in its Americas business that ultimately forced it to destroy thousands of bottles of wine. Treasury Wine Estates boss Mike Clarke got more jeers than cheers on his second last analyst call as the chief executive of the wine giant. Credit: Treasury has been quick to assure the market that its 2020 woes were due to much different reasons this time it was due to the impact of a slew of top executive departures in the US and a glut of cheap wine flooding the market from competitors. The dire result was bad news for outgoing boss Mike Clarke who became the new broom CEO in 2013 amid the crisis. Just months after staring down his critics, his career at Treasury is now bookended with problems in America. Can you recognize Freedom Square in a new Fast&Furious trailer? - GeorgianJournal NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. - A British Columbia police officer who worked tirelessly to create a positive, caring and fair-minded version of policing was shot from behind in the very uniform he attempted to redefine, says his wife. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/2/2020 (706 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Abbotsford Police Chief Mike Serr speaks to reporters outside B.C. Supreme Court after Oscar Arfmann was sentenced for the first-degree murder of Cnst. John Davidson, in New Westminster, B.C., on Monday February 3, 2020. The man who killed Davidson in November 2017 was sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility until 2042. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. - A British Columbia police officer who worked tirelessly to create a positive, caring and fair-minded version of policing was shot from behind in the very uniform he attempted to redefine, says his wife. Abbotsford Police Const. John Davidson was remembered on Monday by his distraught family at a sentencing hearing where Oscar Arfmann learned he will serve life in prison for first-degree murder. Denise Davidson said her husband didn't hesitate to put his life in danger, completely alone, as he did in November 2017, when he was the first to respond to a shots-fired call outside a business complex. "With no intention of ever shooting first, he still stepped out to try and bring peaceful resolution to what he knew was a very dangerous situation," she told a B.C. Supreme Court judge through tears. "I will love him for that for the rest of my life and hate Oscar Arfmann." The trial heard that Arfmann, 68, took a loaded rifle from his stolen Mustang and shot twice at a truck in the busy complex just before noon on Nov. 6, 2017. No one was injured and police were called. Arfmann left the complex briefly before returning and backing into a parking spot so he could face the entrance. Within seconds of Davidson's arrival, Arfmann shot him once in the back and once at close range into the head, the court heard. The conviction of first-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence of 25 years before parole can be considered, and Justice Carol Ross said Arfmann's two years of time served will be accounted for. Davidson's wife and their three adult children delivered emotional victim impact statements, describing how their lives have been shattered by the loss of an "incredible human being" and loving husband, father and friend. Denise Davidson said when she met her future husband when they were in their early 20s, they instantly felt they had known each other forever. They had a family while Davidson worked for the Northumbria police in northern England. In 2006, the family moved halfway across the world to pursue a healthier, more enriched life. Davidson said she was sure she was the "happiest person she knew." On the day of her husband's death, she was at work dreaming about an upcoming trip to New Zealand when she was brought into a meeting room where sombre police officers delivered the news. "Then my world fell apart," she recalled. "I spent the first two weeks unable to breathe normally ironically not unlike when I first met John and he took my breath away." To this day, she said the first thing she sees when she wakes up is her husband falling face-first to the ground. She desperately hopes that he didn't remain conscious long enough to know he had been shot, and to know that he was wrong to believe that wearing a uniform would not make him a "bad guy to a random stranger," she said. A couple months before his death, she asked her husband whether he was worried about the level of firearm ownership in Abbotsford. He replied with great confidence that no one would ever shoot a cop in the city, she told the court. "I'm glad he lived his life feeling that way, but he was wrong about that too," she said. Davidson said she has thought about ending her life. She has tried counselling but has concluded that feeling horrible every day is something she must get used to, she said. "I have no vision for the future because life without John is unfathomable," she said. She and her children all described the pain of grieving in public. The media coverage of the case has brought her family support but has also made them the subject of some people's morbid fascination, Davidson said. Her son, Drew Davidson, also said he has contemplated killing himself. Arfmann's decision to plead not guilty put his family through a terrible trial that should never have taken place, he said. "On the first day of court, I watched myself watch my father's killer waltz into the courtroom with a look of complete indifference and remorselessness on his face," he said. A psychiatrist told the trial Arfmann had psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia at the time of the murder but was capable of understanding his actions, although he denied killing the officer even after the conviction. His lawyer, Martin Peters, has said it was open to the court to find Arfmann not criminally responsible because of mental disorder. Instead, Peters said Arfmann directed him to tell the judge that he wanted to be sentenced for first-degree murder. Peters told the court on Monday there was nothing he could say to mitigate the seriousness of the offence and "frankly very little that I could say positively about Mr. Arfmann at this stage." Arfmann delivered a rambling, difficult-to-follow statement from the prisoner's box in which he said he feels like a victim himself. Peters explained outside court that Arfmann believes he was "just driving along" when his car was rammed by multiple police vehicles. Arfmann thinks he had a scratch on his face and was injected with something during his hospitalization, Peters said. In reality, he was shot twice in the face during a takedown after Davidson's killing and one of the bullets is still lodged close to his aorta at the back of his spine, Peters said. Abbotsford Police Chief Mike Serr said outside court that Davidson's death will remain with the department forever. "It's a part of our history and we will honour John as we move forward." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2020. New York For the better part of a decade, the name Hiram Monserrate has been shorthand for the darkest side of New York politics. In 2009, Monserrate, then a state senator, was convicted of domestic assault, and soon after he was expelled from office. In 2012, he pleaded guilty to misusing hundreds of thousands of dollars in public money and was sentenced to two years in prison. And yet, 10 years after becoming the first person in nearly a century to be kicked out of the state Legislature, he may be poised for a political comeback. Monserrate, a Queens Democrat who is also a former City Council member, raised more than $68,000 from November to January, according to state filings, for an expected run against Assemblyman Jeffrion L. Aubry. Aubry, who represents a district in north central Queens, raised about $8,000 in the same period. This is not the first time Monserrate, 52, has tried to make a comeback. But it is his most high-profile bid since the #MeToo movement forced the world to confront the way powerful men treated women, and since progressive Democrats in Albany promised to clean up its politics. "I am so appalled and so angry at even the possibility," said Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas, a Democrat who represents a neighboring district in Queens and who sponsored a package of anti-sexual harassment laws last year. "We elected so many young progressive women to fight for us. The last thing we need is to take a huge step backward." Yet even Monserrate's most fervent opponents concede it would be unwise to dismiss his chances. Such an assessment stems, in part, from circumstances: a potentially vulnerable incumbent, a district with changing demographics and Monserrate's reputation as an effective retail politician. He has already proven his resiliency: In 2018, he was elected as a district leader for the Queens Democratic Party, an unpaid position that gives him access to highly engaged voters. Even among New York's many disgraced politicians, Monserrate stands out. A month after being elected to the state Senate in 2008, he was accused of slashing his partner at the time, Karla Giraldo, with a broken drinking glass. Surveillance video showed Monserrate dragging Giraldo down a hallway and out of the building where they had been fighting. He then drove her to a hospital 30 minutes away, despite there being another one within blocks. There, she received 20 stitches. Although Giraldo told doctors Monserrate had attacked her, she later testified in his defense, claiming the cuts were accidental. A judge found Monserrate guilty of misdemeanor assault for dragging Giraldo; Monserrate escaped a felony conviction for slicing her face. Still, the judge said, "He did indeed cause injury to Karla Giraldo without a reasonable doubt." Soon after, the Senate voted 53-8 to expel Monserrate. His legal troubles did not end there. In 2010, fresh off two failed bids to regain elected office, Monserrate was indicted by federal prosecutors who accused him of steering more than $300,000 in city funds to a nonprofit group he controlled while serving on the City Council. He had used about a third of the money to support his first run for the state Senate, prosecutors said. Monserrate pleaded guilty in 2012. Yet to the astonishment of many people, his record has not stopped him from trying to reenter politics, or, more recently, from enjoying some success. He suffered decisive losses in campaigns for state Senate and Assembly in 2010, and he was defeated in 2016 in an earlier bid for district leader in Queens. In 2017, he lost a bid for City Council by 11 percentage points. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The next year, Monserrate ran for district leader again and won. As Monserrate prepares for a potential Assembly campaign, he has been using the platform to raise his profile. He attended a recent event hosted by a progressive activism group in Queens that had invited all of the county's district leaders. At another event, Fernando Cabrera, a Democratic City Council member from the Bronx, and at least one other district leader were photographed with Monserrate and a "Hiram 2020" sign. In January, Monserrate visited a senior center in Corona, in the district where he would run, and handed out cookies to dozens of older guests. He denied that he was actively campaigning, saying in an interview that he was there in his "capacity as district leader." He said that he would formally decide whether to run within a few weeks. Monserrate's lasting popularity with some voters is especially striking given his rejection by the state's most powerful Democrats, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio. Asked about Monserrate's potential 2020 campaign, de Blasio called him a "vampire." Monserrate dismissed the high-profile criticisms. "I'm glad that they don't live in the district and they can't vote," he said. "People in government are not really in tune and believe that their reactionary voice, the reactionary voice of condemnation, should rule the day." Monserrate's supporters pointed to the demographics of the district, which includes East Elmhurst and Corona and has a growing Hispanic population. Monserrate, who is Hispanic, leads an influential Democratic club there; Aubry is black. Further fueling Monserrate's support is a history of distrust toward the local political establishment, and deep cynicism about political and legal processes, some people said. Virginia Ramos Rios, an activist who served as campaign manager for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018, said that when she was courting support for Ocasio-Cortez, some voters called Monserrate the only politician they trusted. "Especially with the Spanish-speaking, they'd be like, 'Whenever I've had an issue, the only elected official I've ever had actually do something and help me was Hiram Monserrate,'" Ramos Rios said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The NYPD is asking the publics assistance in locating a 63-year-old man from Mariners Harbor. Yanik Meyerovich, 63, was last seen leaving his home on the 2000 block of Forest Avenue on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, according to police. Meyerovich is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds, police said. He has brown eyes, brown hair and a beard. The NYPD provided a photo of Meyerovich. Anyone with information in regard to this missing person is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. by Sara Guaglione , February 3, 2020 Tribune Publishing CEO Tim Knight is stepping down, just a few weeks after the company offered voluntary buyouts to employees and New York-based hedge fund Alden Global Capital became its largest stockholder. Tribune Publishing, the parent company of newspapers Chicago Tribune, the New York Daily News and The Baltimore Sun, among others, has appointed its Chief Financial Officer, Terry Jimenez, to become CEO and president. Knight will leave at the end of February. Mike Lavey, Chief Accounting Officer, was named interim CFO, according to multiple reports. Philip Franklin, chairman of the board, has been appointed non-executive chairman of the board, succeeding David Dreier, who is leaving the role, but will remain on the board. "These changes are a natural transition as Tribune Publishing works to reduce its corporate and back-office costs and streamline its real estate footprint," Dreier stated. Knight joined Tribune Publishing as president in 2017; he was named CEO in January 2019 after Justin Dearborn stepped down. In November, Alden acquired a 32% stake in Tribune Publishing, buying out former chairman Michael Ferro, for about $118 million. Tribune Publishing offered voluntary buyouts to employees with eight or more years at the company a few weeks ago, likely a move to avoid sweeping, cost-cutting layoffs. It is the second round of buyouts and layoffs in two years, according to Chicago-based media columnist Robert Feder. Soon after Alden's purchase, two staffers at the Chicago Tribune called for new owners in an op-ed published in The New York Times. They cited the firm's history of gutting local newspapers. Aldens strategy of acquiring struggling local newsrooms and stripping them of assets has built the personal wealth of the hedge-funds investors," they wrote. "But Alden has imposed draconian staff cuts that decimated The Denver Post and other once-proud newspapers that have been vital to their communities and to American democracy. The staffers called for a civic-minded local owner or group of owners to save the newspaper. Tribune Publishing reported revenue of $236 million in its third-quarter last year, down from $255.8 million in the year prior. Digital revenue grew 49.9%, and its digital-only subscribers increased 38%. A PIB photo. KOLKATA (PTI): The Indian Army and its Bangladesh counterpart will hold a two-week-long joint military exercise in Meghalaya from February 3, a Defence official said here. The exercise, termed 'Sampriti-IX', to be held at Umroi till February 16, will stress particularly on counter-terrorist operations, the official said. The exercise is part of the ongoing Indo-Bangladesh defence cooperation. This will be the ninth edition of the joint endeavour hosted alternately between the two countries. During the joint exercise, a command post exercise (CPX) and a field training exercise (FTX) will be conducted, the official said. For the CPX and the FTX, a scenario where both countries are working together in a counter-terrorism environment will be simulated under the UN Charter. The FTX curriculum is progressively planned where the participants will get familiar with each others organisational structure and tactical drills. Subsequently, a joint tactical exercise will be conducted during which battle drills of both the armies will be practised. The training will culminate with a final validation exercise in which troops of both armies will jointly practice a counter-terrorist operation in a controlled and simulated environment, the official said. In addition to understanding each other at tactical level, greater cultural understanding will be emphasized to strengthen military trust and cooperation between the two nations, the official added. A Co Antrim man has died after suffering a head injury following a fall on his family farm. David Gardner (44) from the Holestone Road in Doagh passed away on Friday after the accident. The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland confirmed that it is making preliminary enquiries into the circumstances around the father-of-two's death. Mr Gardner is survived by his wife Louise, daughters Naomi (9) and Emily (7), and the wider family circle. His funeral will take place on Wednesday at 11am in Kilbride Presbyterian Church, Doagh, followed by interment at Six Mile Cemetery in Antrim. The former member of Holestone Young Farmers Club was affectionately known by his wide circle of friends as "the legendary David Gardner". A statement released by his family said he was a "loving husband, father, son and brother". "David was devoted to his two daughters Naomi and Emily," the family stated. "He was a former pupil of Ballyclare High School and student of Greenmount College. "David was a former employee of United Dairies and a well known member of the Co Antrim farming community. "Over the past few days it has become evident how much he meant to so many people and the family have been bowled over by the kind words of support from the wider community around Holestone." Holestone Young Farmers Club said they were saddened to hear of Mr Gardner's passing and added that their thoughts and prayers are with his family. Meanwhile, his old rugby club, Ballyclare RFC, paid tribute to its former player by observing a minute silence prior to their home win against Ards RFC on Saturday. A spokesperson for Ballyclare RFC said: "The president, committee and members of Ballyclare RFC were shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of former team-mate and friend of many at the club, David Gardner. RIP Davy." Local DUP councillor Jeannie Archibald said his former rugby club and farming club are two communities that have been affected by Mr Gardner's death. "David had two daughters as well so my thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and his two daughters," she continued. "It's awful, especially with somebody carrying out their job. You never expect anyone not to come home from their job." UUP councillor Vera McWilliam added that her thoughts and prayers are with the Gardner family at this time. It was requested that donations in lieu of flowers be given to Air Ambulance Northern Ireland via Fleming and Cuthbert Funeral Directors, Ballyclare. Edward Bullock died in 2015, but those who say they were sexually abused decades ago by the former Warren County sheriff are still awaiting their day in court. Their wait may now be only a matter of weeks. A trio of lawsuits filed between 2013 and 2016 say that Bullocks alleged transgressions were no secret but that officials turned a blind eye, essentially enabling the abuse of more boys in the governments care at youth facilities and juvenile detention. Attorneys for both sides have told lehighvalleylive.com that a civil trial is tentatively scheduled for April. "It's been a long road through discovery. The county continues to deny the abuse, and even if the abuse was proven they deny damages from it, said Brad Russo, who represents the three plaintiffs. He said it is yet to be determined if all three lawsuits will go to trial at the same time. Were ready to go for April pending formal scheduling, Warren County counsel Joe Bell said. The case will likely be heard in Somerset County. Neither attorney could say more because the cases are under seal. lehighvalleylive.com file photo Bullock, who died in November 2015 at age 86, was Warren Countys sheriff from 1982 to 1991. In that position, he controlled security at the courthouse in Belvidere and oversaw prisoner transfers, including for juvenile cases. Within weeks of winning his fourth term in 1991, Bullock abruptly resigned. "I'm just completely stressed," he told an Express-Times reporter, days after plainclothes New Jersey State Police detectives visited his office. It was revealed the following year that Bullock, then 63, was the subject of a state police sting in which he reportedly tried to curry sexual favors from a trooper posing as a sexually abused 17-year-old boy. That April, Bullock pleaded guilty to official misconduct and was imprisoned for nine months. Unsubstantiated complaints against Bullock filed with the prosecutor's office went back to 1986. Former Warren County Sheriff Edward Bullock pleaded guilty to official misconduct in April 1992. He served nine months in jail.lehighvalleylive.com file photo The first lawsuit, filed in 2013, claims the victim, identified only as W.M., was a 10-year-old boy who was repeatedly abused and raped at least once in 1987 and '88, including while being transported by the employee to a county-run youth shelter in Oxford Township. The second suit, filed in 2015, has much of the same claims. That victim, identified as C.C., was 14 and 15 years old and under the county's care during four alleged assaults by the sheriff, the lawsuit says. The alleged assaults include Bullock giving the boy back rubs in his office, and fondling the teen during a transport to the county youth shelter. A third lawsuit was filed in 2016, just a couple months after Bullock died, claims a young boy in custody, identified as R.M., was "targeted and repeatedly abused" between 1987 and 1989, including "literally dozens of times" while being transported between county facilities. It also says that the boy was abused at Bullocks Lopatcong Township home and at the home of Bullocks friend, identified only as R.C. Ex-Warren County sheriff Edward Bullock appears in state Superior Court in Flemington on July 21, 2015, for the start of his trial on charges he sexually assaulted on a boy in the 1980s.Sue Beyer | lehighvalleylive.com file photo The civil cases were put on hold as a criminal trial unfolded in the summer of 2015. One of the accusers faced Bullock in the courtroom, testifying about the abuse by the sheriff during a transport in 1988. Prosecutors dug up old log books and got testimony from former officers and a dispatcher that proved Bullock, alone, had picked up the accuser from Hackettstown police. Some jurors believed the accusations, but without physical evidence of the actual rape led to a 6-6 deadlock. The case was declared a mistrial. Bullock died a few months later before a new criminal trial could be scheduled. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The Centre will release all due GST compensation to states in two instalments, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said in Lok Sabha on Monday. The reply came after MPs from Telangana and Odisha complained during Question Hour that their states were not getting the share of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST). "All due GST compensation will be given to states in two instalments," Thakur, union minister of state for finance, said. Also Read: What can GST Council do to augment tax collection; these are the key trends to watch out for The minister said GST (Compensation to States) Act, 2017 provides for compensation to States/UTs (UT with legislature only) on account of revenue loss due to implementation of GST on a bi-monthly basis. Accordingly, he said, the states have been paid GST compensation on a bi-monthly basis with effect from July, 2017. Thakur said the GST Compensation has been released till September, 2019 and the next bi-monthly GST Compensation is due for October-November, 2019. Also Read: 'Centre engineered crisis': Modi govt delays payment of GST dues to 5 non-BJP states The minister said a total of Rs 2,10,969.49 crore has been released as GST compensation to states so far including UTs of Delhi and Puducherry after implementation of GST with effect from July 1, 2017. Period for which compensation has been released: July, 2017March 2018 - Rs 48,785.35 crore; April 2018 March 2019 - Rs 81,141.14 crore; AprilMay 2019 - Rs 17,789 crore; June July 2019 - Rs 27,956 crore; Aug Sept 2019 - Rs 35,298 crore. Also Read: GST return: Now taxpayers can file GSTR-3B returns in staggered manner LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger (left) presents Brand Orbit founder Edward Beckett and Sharon Bailey Beckett, managing partner, with official scroll for 50 years of PR/marketing contributions The keys to our [52-year] success are about developing trustworthy relationships with staff and clients and staying current with the digital age by leveraging new and emerging technologies and trends. Brand Orbit, one of the longest and most successful boutique PR and marketing agencies in Southern California, has been officially recognized for its more than 50 years of achievements by the County of Los Angeles with an official scroll presented by Supervisor Kathryn Barger. In a colorful ceremony at the Altadena Community Center, the county cited the firms staying power in a typically volatile industry (52 years), its 42 years of job creation in the county and its award-winning campaigns for a wide variety of regional and national clients. Present for the honors were Brand Orbits founder, Edward Beckett, and its president, Sharon Bailey Beckett, who said the keys to our success are about developing trustworthy relationships with staff and clients and staying current with the digital age by leveraging new and emerging technologies and trends. For an ad agency to last 52 years is an anomaly, according to Beckett, a managing partner and member of the Pasadena Angels investment group. Citing statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and other studies, she said about two out of every three businesses with employees last two years. And professional service firms like Brand Orbit have about a 30 percent chance to celebrate their 10th birthday. A major reason for this industry fluctuation is based on the agencies ability to manage client and employee retention, she added. We currently employ seven on-site staff and eight remote or virtual staff, an employment balance that allows us to keep payrolls more manageable as client demands ebb and flow for a broad range of services. Weve been successful by evolving with the economy, surviving the savings and loan debacle, the Internet Bubble and most recently the Great Recession. Partly because China has ramped up its military arsenal and fleet in recent years, as well as built up outposts in the South China Sea, the Trump administration has called it a strategic competitor, including in the 2017 National Security Strategy paper and the 2018 National Defense Strategy. Washington has also said that Beijing is a revisionist power. China, in turn, released a defense white paper last summer that described the United States as having adopted unilateral policies and provoked and intensified competition among major countries. With the temperature seeming to rise on both sides, how can a conflict, or something like a new cold war, between China and the United States be avoided? Precisely by looking at the actual Cold War. In the early years of that protracted standoff, American and Soviet aircrafts didnt hesitate to fire at one another. There were three crises over the status of divided Berlin, in 1948, 1958 and 1961. The Cuban missile crisis brought the two superpowers to the brink of nuclear war in October 1962. And yet outright conflict was averted, thanks to a few modest agreements and well-established hotlines for emergency communication. Even bitter enemies can build trust, and with imperfect tools, when they measure the stakes of a full-on clash. In 1972, Washington and Moscow signed the Agreement on the Prevention of Incidents on and Over the High Seas vowing, among other things, to use clear communication signals, avoid embarrassing or endangering even ships under their surveillance and exercise the greatest caution and prudence in approaching vessels on the high seas. The accord didnt prevent two Soviet ships from bumping into two American ships in Soviet territorial waters in February 1988, but that was an outlier incident, and the agreement does seem to have drastically reduced the overall risk of dangerous encounters. Within two years of its entry into force, according to a 2012 paper by Raul (Pete) Pedrozo, then a law professor at the United States Naval War College, the number of incidents per year had dropped from 100 to 40. If the Soviet Union and the United States managed to avoid a major conflict during the Cold War, then some degree of confidence seems in order today about the far less confrontational relations between China and the United States. Unlike the military rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, which was global, any military competition between the United States and China is confined to the western Pacific. America thinks that China wants to drive it out of the region; China believes America wants to block its legitimate ambition to develop a blue-water navy and hopes instead to confine Chinas influence to the eastern coast of continental Asia. Homebuyers are searching for less expensive purchases and are willing to move area to buy a home. A new analysis from Zillow has found that Las Vegas is getting the most home listing searches from out of the area of all the 50 largest US metros, followed by Jacksonville, FL, and San Antonio, TX. Meanwhile, those homebuyers who live in St. Louis, MO, are most likely to search for local homes, followed by Detroit, MI, and Jacksonville, FL. Husband paraded his wife's severed head to appalled onlookers in Uttar Pradesh A husband has been filmed parading his wife's severed head through the streets after decapitating her in India. The graphic footage shows 30-year-old Akhilesh Rawat carrying the bloodied head of his wife Rajani, 26, following a shocking attack in the village of Bahadurpur, Uttar Pradesh, in the country's north. Video shows Rawat waving to crowds as he wanders past screaming onlookers. A grotesque video shows a husband parading his wife's severed head to appalled crowds after decapitating her in a bloody act of violence (left and right) He walked for several hundred yards before he was apprehended by police, when he bizarrely broke into song, singing the national anthem and patriotic chants. The vile incident took place on Saturday morning and the 30-year-old was arrested near Jahgirabad police station. Police superintendent Arvind Chaturvedi said the accused had been arrested and a case of dowry death filed against him on the complaint of the victim's father. He walked for approximately one kilometre before he was apprehended by police. The vile incident took place on Saturday morning It is believed that the couple had married around two years ago. Last year, Rajani gave birth to the couple's first child, a girl, but the baby tragically died a few days later due to illness, said a police official. 'The victim was living at her parent's house after her daughter's death and Akhilesh managed to bring her home four days ago,' the superintendent added. On Saturday morning, the couple reportedly had a row which turned violent, during which Akhilesh allegedly attacked his wife with a sharp-edged weapon. Police said: 'On Saturday afternoon, the man had a fight with his wife. He dragged her out of his house and beheaded her. 'Then, he began walking towards the police station with his wife's severed head.' 'We have recovered the weapon from the accused's home,' police confirmed. 'A case has been registered against the accused. We are interrogating him to know as to how and why he killed his wife.' The woman's head is placed in a bag by authorities. India reports the highest total number of dowry deaths with 8,391 such deaths reported in 2010, meaning there are 1.4 deaths per 100,000 women India reports the highest total number of dowry deaths with 8,391 such deaths reported in 2010, meaning there are 1.4 deaths per 100,000 women. Female dowry deaths account for 40 to 50 per cent of all female homicides recorded annually in India. Dowry deaths are when women are murdered or driven to suicide by continuous harassment and torture by their husbands and in-laws over a dispute about their dowry. Gardai have conducted another arrest as part of an ongoing investigation into 'ghost brokers' professional fraudsters selling forged or invalid insurance to unsuspecting motorists. More than 600 insurance policies are now in the process of being cancelled under the Garda operation, codenamed PUCA. The ghost brokers offer low premiums to potential customers, often by providing false information to insurance companies, and earning a commission on each sale. When insurance companies uncover false information, sometimes involving stolen credit cards, the insurance is cancelled, leaving the drivers uninsured and at a financial loss. Garda HQ said that as part of their ongoing investigation into so-called 'ghost brokers' in the car insurance industry they arrested a 44-year-old man in west Dublin on Sunday. The man was held at Lucan Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. Gardai believe the scam artists are preying on the naivety and inexperience of people who are not familiar with the insurance system in Ireland and that foreign nationals, in particular, are being targeted. Gardai have advised motorists with any concerns about their insurance not to drive their vehicle and to contact their insurance company directly in order to verify if their policy is valid. In addition, people can check the bona fides of their insurance broker at the Insurance Brokers section of the Central Bank website, centralbank.ie Gardai say that more than 600 motor insurance policies are being cancelled by insurers resulting from fraudulently obtained motor insurance policies through ghost brokering activities. Brokers Ireland, which represents 1,250 brokers, has warned customers to double-check the authenticity of any person or company selling or administering insurance policies. Last November, Cathie Shannon, director of general insurance at Brokers Ireland told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform that there could be catastrophic consequences for uninsured motorists after using the services of one of these ghost brokers. "If you purchase car insurance from a fraudster you will be driving without insurance, which is a criminal offence, she said. She advised people to be very careful purchasing insurance through social media sites and to check any insurance documentation. Aviva has previously said that it was dealing with up to 1,500 policies that have been taken out fraudulently. The insurer believes that up to 10,000 policies nationally have been taken out by ghost brokers. These fake brokers forge policy documents and sell them to people, while pretending to work for, or on behalf of, a legitimate insurance company. In other cases they purchase a genuine policy from a legitimate insurance company, but they change important information about you, such as your age, driving experience, no claims history, etc. in order to bring the price of the policy down. They then sell the policy to you and charge a commission for doing so. Hearing a case filed by Japanese firm Daiichi Sankyo, the Supreme Court on Monday asked former Fortis promoters Malvinder and Shivinder Singh to submit a plan to refund Rs 1,175 crore each by February 24. Malvinder, through his lawyer senior advocate Dushyant Dave, told court he need more time to pay the amount. To which, the court asked him to issue notices to all those who owe money to RHC group. The bench, headed by Justice Deepak Gupta, also granted two sessions of four hours each for Malvinder and Shivinder Singh to visit their lawyer's office and do the meetings. The Singh brothers are lodged in Tihar jail under judicial custody. The bench also said they don't want to punish people if there is a scope for recovery and that every opportunity should be provided for recovery. In the last hearing, the apex Court had held Malvinder and Shivinder Singh guilty of contempt of court for violating its order to not divert their stakes in Fortis Healthcare. Also Read: Malvinder, Shivinder Singh diverted public money to settle personal liabilities: EOW In March 2019, the Japanese firm had filed a contempt plea against the Singh brothers for disposing of their assets in violation of the court order. Daiichi Sankyo had alleged that the execution of the arbitrary award of Rs 3,500 crore was in jeopardy as the promoters disposed their controlling stakes in Fortis Group. Daiichi Sankyo is locked in a legal battle to enforce a Rs 3,500 crore arbitration award against Singh Brothers, accusing them of concealing information after they sold Ranbaxy in 2008. The apex court also asked Daiichi and Fortis Healthcare to reply to Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) plea on allowing Malaysia's IHH Healthcare Bhd open offer to take over the hospital chain. The court will hear the case on March 16. Also Read: Daiichi case: Supreme Court holds Singh brothers guilty of contempt of court for violating order Last month, market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had filed special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court to allow IHH Healthcare to proceed with an open offer for Fortis Healthcare, arguing that the Malaysian operator had completed the transaction before a court's decision freezing deal in December 2018. The court's December 2018 decision came after Japanese drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo argued that certain transaction between Fortis Healthcare and IHH Healthcare violated the court's directions. It also alleged that the change in control of the hospital chain had been orchestrated by Singh brothers. The Singh brothers sold Ranbaxy to Daiichi Sankyo in 2008 for Rs 10,000 crore. In 2013, Daiichi paid $500 as felony charges in the US for selling adulterated medicines, following which it filed an arbitration case against the Singh brothers. By Chitranjan Kumar Lao Cai International Border Gate. The coronavirus epidemic had not yet had significant impacts on the import and export activities between Viet Nam and China. - Photo baogiaothong.vn Currently, the epidemic had not yet had a significant impact on import and export activities between Viet Nam and China, the department said. However, there was signs that sales of some agricultural products in China had started to slow due to the development of the epidemic. In addition, ongoing strict disease prevention measures also made transportation of goods much more difficult. The department learned that border gates in Pingxiang, Guangxi which bordered Viet Nams Lang Son Province would close until February 8, except for Friendship Pass which would open on February 3, as an effort to prevent the epidemic from spreading. The department said traffic as well as cross-border transportation of goods between Viet Nam and China might be affected. The department urged Vietnamese firms, especially those exporting agricultural products to China, to prepare for their partners in China not being able to receive goods. Firms should change delivery methods or seek other markets for their products. Firms must also regularly discuss with their partners in China to remain updated of any changes to the epidemic, the department said. The ministry would keep providing updates on the epidemic and its impacts on import-export activities. Viet Nam exported goods worth US$41.41 billion in 2019, around 20 per cent of which came from agro-fishery products. China was the largest market for Viet Nams agricultural products. Home videos of the life Hamed Esmaeilion shared with his wife and daughter flashed before those gathered to honour them, like the memories he holds of them now that they're gone. Parisa Eghbalian and the couple's nine-year-old daughter, Reera Esmaeilion, were laid to rest this past week north of Toronto. On Sunday, more than 1,500 people turned out at a memorial in Vaughan, Ont. to remember them, as the one-month anniversary of the Iran plane disaster approaches. The mother and daughter pair were among 57 Canadians whose lives were cut short when Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752 was shot down by the Iranian military on Jan. 8, killing all 176 on board. After days of pressure, Iran eventually admitted responsibility for the tragedy that took place hours after Iran fired missiles at Iraqi bases where U.S. troops were stationed in retaliation for the American drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. "Dear Parisa, dear Reera, I'm speaking to you from darkness. Forgive me," Esmaeilion said in Persian amid video clips of happier times, the family dancing in their home, Reera's smile lighting up the room. "Darkness has embraced me. I'm at the bottom of the ocean," he continued. WATCH: Hamed Esmaeilion speaks about his nine-year-old daughter, Reera The one light in that darkness, said Esmaeilion, was help from Canada as he worked to bring the remains of his loved ones back from Iran to lay them to rest. "I'm going to thank the Canadian government for their support when I was in Iran and trying to repatriate my loved ones to Canada," he said. Yanjun Li/CBC 'Like a nightmare' Friends, family and even strangers were among the hundreds who turned out to honour the mother and daughter. Bahram Esfandiari met Eghbalian and Esmaeilion in dental school in Iran and had been friends with them for the last 25 years. "We were like family here, we settled here together, build our new life in our new country," he told CBC News. Story continues Chris Glover/CBC Eghbalian worked as a dentist in Guelph, Ont. She was beloved by her team. She was "deeply kind, caring and wonderful person," the Dawson Dental Centres said on Facebook. Her husband described his wife as a "wonderful woman," a perfectionist whom he learned from every day, and a role model for their daughter. Eghbalian was bright, funny, smart, spoke English, French and Persian fluently. Her teachers said she could have been anything she wanted, Esfandiari said. Yanjun Li/CBC To think that they're now gone is "like a nightmare," he said. "We still wish someone would wake us up." "Even now, more than three weeks [later], every moment I remember them. It just breaks my heart over and and over again. The void here, nothing can fill it," said Esfandiari. Yanjun Li/CBC For Esmaeilion, the darkness endures. "Dear Parisa, dear Reera, maybe, maybe, maybe there could come a light shining onto my black heart," he said. "And that will be nothing but the surrender of the black box, the revelation of all the secrets of this mysterious flight and justice." From left, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), left, former Vice President Joe Biden, second from left, and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, right, listen as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) makes a point during the Democratic presidential primary debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020. Read more If a Democrat wins the White House in November, what happens to our taxes? Short answer: The only leading candidate who might succeed in passing a wealth tax is former Vice President Joe Biden, depending on the makeup of Congress. And the stock market wont like his nomination. Current top tax rates are 40.2% for labor income (our paychecks) and 23.8% on investment income (our portfolios). Bidens proposed wealth tax is slightly less than other Dem candidates a top marginal rate of 51.8% on labor and 43.4% on investment income. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren would raise wealth taxes to 53% on labor income and 58.2% on investments, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders proposed raising wealth rates to a whopping 69.2% on labor income and 55.8% on investment income. Here are the details of each proposal, courtesy of the Penn Wharton Budget Model, which provides economic analysis of the fiscal impact of public policy, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Start with Sanders tax rates the highest. Sanders targets high-net-worth households. His wealth tax would apply graduated rates up to 8% on those with net worth over $32 million, while the estate tax would lower the exemption to $3.5 million ($7 million for married couples). His tax plan would hurt GDP growth as well, Penn Wharton said. The Sanders wealth tax would raise between $2.8 trillion and $3.3 trillion over 10 years, about $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion less than the Sanders campaign estimates, the Penn Wharton folks conclude. The Sanders estate tax would raise an additional $267 billion over 10 years, increasing the percentage of decedents affected by the estate tax to about 0.5% in 2030. Now, Warren. Warren proposed a wealth tax equal to 2% of net worth above $50 million and 6% of net worth above $1 billion, which her campaign estimates would raise $3.75 trillion over 10 years. Her proposal would raise about $2.7 trillion over fiscal years 2021 to 2030, according to Penn Wharton Read the analysis on its website: https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu. Finally, Biden. His plan focuses on taxing capital gains and corporate income. Penn Wharton analyzed nine provisions of the Biden tax plan, projecting it would raise between $2.3 trillion and $2.6 trillion over 10 years. Thats roughly $600 billion to $900 billion less than the Biden campaign estimates. Bidens tax increases fall mostly on the top 0.1% of high-income Americans on average, taxpayers in that group would see annual taxes increase by more than $1 million and their after-tax incomes would fall by 14%, Penn Wharton said. Odds of passage are low Will any tax get passed after 2020? Michael Gillen, head of tax advisory group at Duane Morris, sees three scenarios: Republican president with a Republican or Democratic majority in the Senate. Under this scenario, Gillen said, its unlikely Congress would pass any meaningful tax changes, whether favorable or unfavorable to taxpayers. Democratic president, Republican majority in the Senate. Should a Democrat succeed in ousting Trump, any tax plan championed by a Democratic president would be limited by the most moderate members of the House. In the event Republicans retain control of the Senate, a tax package would require bipartisan support to pass, which would be doubtful. Democratic president, Democratic majority in the Senate. I would almost guarantee a tax increase. An increase to the ordinary tax rate from 37% to the pre-2017 rate of 39.6% would be most politically palatable. While we saw rates of 50% as recently as 1986, the maximum rate has stayed below 40% for the past 30 years. I dont see 52% in our near future. However, the tax increase that would raise the most revenue, and which I suspect is most likely to pass, would be the capital gains rate nearly doubling the tax from 20% to 39.6%. I think a great number of Democratic voters would support an increased tax on capital gains. By contrast, increases to payroll tax rates are pie-in-the-sky dreams. Payroll taxes are paid across all levels of income, so I find it hard to believe that Sanders flat 11.5% new tax will be assessed against workers earning $30,000 and $1 million, Gillen said. What could happen with payroll taxes is a more significant lifting of the cap on Social Security taxes. Currently, the employee and employer each pay 6.2%, for a total of 12.4%, of wages, up to a maximum wage limit of $137,700. I could see an increase in the payroll tax by removing this limit or dramatically increasing it, Gillen said. Post-election If Trump wins re-election in 2020, we still dont see a high probability of him enacting another Trump 2.0 tax cut," said Anthony Roth, chief investment officer at Wilmington Trust. If Biden is nominated, however, the stock market may fall in the short term. Its widely felt that Warren and Sanders cant beat Trump, and thus the stock markets would rise on their nomination. If any Democrat wins, all the progressive candidates want to move up the capital gains tax to the ordinary income tax rate. If we get a Democrat president, they will be able to do this only if they have a majority in the Senate and House, which is unlikely, Roth said. If Biden wins the nomination, the stock markets will react more negatively than Sanders or Warren. Because, in total, what Sanders and Warren want to do with taxes is more draconian than Bidens plans. Biden has said he would rescind tax cuts that Trump brought forth; that would lead to marginally higher tax rates on individuals and meaningful higher rates on corporations, Roth said. Warren and Sanders have much less probability of beating Trump. The moderate middle of the electorate doesnt want to see taxes go up. So if Warren or Sanders are the nominee, well see the middle of the electorate respond negatively or sit out the election, and the stock market will likely rally, he said. If youre interested in learning more, Isdaner & Associates in Bala Cynwyd will host a Thursday, Feb. 6 event thats open to the public. Isdaner accounts will host the discussion from 8:30 am-10 am at the Marriott Courtyard on City Avenue on taxes, the Democratic candidates and other tax strategies. To attend, register via this link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seminar-2020-a-clear-focus-on-new-tax-legislation-the-election-tickets-89082954515. Wisconsin Connections Academy now enrolling for 2020-21 school year Were excited to support new and returning students in discovering what works best for them to thrive in school, and well be here every step of the way to help them reach their unique goals. Wisconsin Connections Academy (WCA), one of Wisconsins first full-time, tuition-free online schools, is now accepting students for the upcoming 2020-21 school year. From now until April 30, parents statewide can register their child in any grade, now including four-year-old kindergarten (4K). Wisconsin Connections Academy operates through the Appleton Area School District so families living outside of this school district are encouraged to complete an Open Enrollment Application via the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Wisconsin Connections Academy is an online public school serving 4K-12 students with the continuous support of experienced teachers and educational resources to ensure a flexible, standards-aligned curriculum tailored to their individual learning preferences. Wisconsin Connections Academy encourages its 500 students to take an independent initiative in learning with guidance from teachers to stay on track and meet the same state standards as traditional school counterparts. My daughter Franki started at Wisconsin Connections Academy in 10th grade in order to pursue her singing career in a flexible, supportive environment, said Kathy Satchek, a Wisconsin Connections Academy parent of 3 years. Since starting at WCA, Franki has been able to audition for American Idol, sing at Green Bay Packers games, and produce multiple songs about mental health based on her experiences being bullied. She has also been invited to perform at school assemblies across the country and talk to students about her success and the importance of having a positive and kind character. Families interested in learning more about Wisconsin Connections Academy are invited to attend information sessions to see how WCA can meet their unique needs, connect with school staff and meet local families pursuing a 4K-12 online education for their child. Parents can also participate in parent-led online meetings to speak directly with currently enrolled families. For a full list of Wisconsin Connections Academy events, visit our events page. Every year, were seeing Wisconsin Connections Academy students benefit academically, socially and personally from learning in their own environment, said Michelle Mueller, Wisconsin Connections Academy Principal. Were excited to support new and returning students in discovering what works best for them to thrive in school, and well be here every step of the way to help them reach their unique goals. The open enrollment period runs from February 3 to April 30, 2020. Learn more at http://www.WisconsinConnectionsAcademy.com/Enroll or call 920-993-7076. About Wisconsin Connections Academy Wisconsin Connections Academy (WCA) is a tuition-free 4K12 public online school that students attend from home. The institution brings public education and top educational resources directly to your familys dooranywhere in Wisconsin. With high-quality teachers, Wisconsin Connections Academy helps each student maximize their potential and meet the highest performance standards through a uniquely individualized learning program. For more information, call 920-993-7076 or visit our events page. Blood samples of four suspected coronavirus patients were sent to Jaipur's SMS Medical College for testing on Monday. Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rohit Kumar Singh said six people, one each from Jaipur, Sikar and Ajmer, and three from Jhalawar had approached the Health Department for screening. Four of them showed symptoms of coronavirus, he said, adding that they had been admitted to hospitals. The officer further said the Heath Department had screened 4,495 passengers at the Jaipur airport for coronavirus so far. The microbiology department lab at the SMS Medical College has so far tested six samples, all of them negative for the coronavirus infection. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the recent Budget speech by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, a total of Rs 810.23 crore was allocated for the purchase of two new aircraft for Special Extra Section Flight (SESF) operations. This provision is on top of an estimated Rs 4,741.85 crore allocated by the government over the past two years -- 2018/19 and 2019/20. The two aircraft (Boeing 777-300ER), which would replace the nearly 25-year-old Boeing 747 used by Air India to ferry President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are likely to be inducted by July. These aircraft will go with Air India One sign. Air India One (also referred to as AI-1 or AIC001) is the call sign of any aircraft with the President or Prime Minister of India on board. The aircraft are reportedly part of Air India's 2006 order of 68 aircraft given to US-based aircraft maker Boeing. Once they are inducted, these aircraft will be reportedly used exclusively for the travel of VVIPs unlike now when the Boeing 747s are used for more than just 'VVIP travel'. Thus far, the national carrier has denied sharing the cost of these aircraft but a back-of-the-envelope calculation show they are going to cost about $1.18 billion (over Rs 8,458 crore at the current exchange rate) to the exchequer. Also read: Air India sale: Debt burden on buyer to be Rs 23,286 crore How? There are four key components of these special aircraft: the engines, cabin configuration, missile defence system, and the aircraft themselves. While the deal for the aircraft was reportedly struck in 2006, it's unlikely that the prices negotiated at that time will be applicable on the deliveries scheduled this year. As per Boeing, the current list price of Boeing 777-300ER (ER stands for extended range) is $375.5 million. The list price of this aircraft has gone up substantially since the 2006 deal. For instance, between 2014 and 2020, the list price has moved up $55.3 million apiece. Of course, these are "rack-rates" and the actual price will be different -- depending on the negotiations between Boeing and Air India (or in this case, the government of India). The second big element of the aircraft is the missile defence system - Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCAM) and Self-Protection Suites (SPS) - which is expected to cost $190 million, as per some reports that appeared last year when the deal for these systems were signed between US and India. Also read: Air India sale: Deal terms look 'sweet' but is govt misleading buyers? The advanced system will make the aircraft of Indian VVIPs as safe as Air Force One (Boeing 747-200B) used by US President Donald Trump. It's because of these missile defence system that the aircraft will be operated by IAF (Indian Air Force) as they only have the capabilities to operate such systems. Air India has been training IAF pilots to operate the long-haul aircraft since the national carrier has pilots with type-rated training to fly Boeing 777. Air India has been operating them for several years now; the first such aircraft was inducted in its fleet way back in 2007. Also Read: Air India sale: Here are the main conditions set by Modi govt In his reply in the Lok Sabha, the former junior aviation minister Jayant Sinha had said that the cost of cabin reconfiguration was estimated at $132 million in 2018 for both the aircraft as against the initial estimates of $180 million. The last cost component is engines. Since it's a twin-engine plane, four GE90-115BL engines have to be bought. However, it's highly likely that the government will keep some spare engines to minimise downtime during overhaul and maintenance. The total cost of these engines is expected to be $110 million (at 2011 prices) -- if not more. The government has allocated Rs 5,552.08 crore for these aircraft so far, which essentially means it will have to earmark over Rs 2,900 crore more in the years to come. As Boeing, which is customising the aircraft at its Dallas facility, gets ready for delivery by the middle of the year, it's time to know how much they are going to set us back by. Also Read: Govt to sell 100% stake in Air India; issues bid document Meeting at request of Palestinian leadership comes after Arab League rejects US presidents proposal. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has said it rejects US President Donald Trump s recently unveiled Middle East plan. The 57-member body, which held a summit on Monday to discuss the plan in Saudi Arabias Jeddah, said in a statement that it calls on all member states not to engage with this plan or to cooperate with the US administration in implementing it in any form. Requested by the Palestinian leadership, the meeting of the body came two days after the Arab League rejected Trumps so-called deal of the century, saying: It does not meet the minimum rights and aspirations of Palestinian people. Addressing a pro-Israel audience at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his side, Trump on Tuesday described his long-delayed plan for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a win-win solution for both sides. The US president said his proposed deal would ensure the establishment of a two-state solution, promising Palestinians a state of their own with a new capital in Abu Dis, a suburb just outside Jerusalem. Trump also said Jerusalem would be the undivided capital of Israel. The Palestinians want both occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank to be part of a future state. /news/2019/05/oic-190531055450527.html Palestinian leaders, who were absent during the announcement and had rejected the proposal even before its release, denounced the plan as a new Balfour Declaration that heavily favoured Israel and would deny them a viable independent state. The OIC said in a statement on Twitter on Sunday that its open-ended executive committee meeting at the level of foreign ministers would discuss the organisations position after the US administration announced its peace plan. With member states from four continents, the OIC is the second-largest intergovernmental organisation in the world after the United Nations, with a collective population reaching more than 1.8 billion. The majority of its member states are Muslim-majority countries, while others have significant Muslim populations, including several African and South American countries. While the 22 members of the Arab League are also part of the OIC, the organisation has several significant non-Arab member states, including Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. It also has five observer members, including Russia and Thailand. Iran barred Meanwhile, Iran on Monday accused its regional rival Saudi Arabia of blocking its officials from attending the OIC meeting. 200128173439574 The government of Saudi Arabia has prevented the participation of the Iranian delegation in the meeting to examine the deal of the century plan at the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Fars news agency quoted Abbas Mousavi, spokesman for Irans foreign ministry, as saying. Mousavi said Iran one of the countries to strongly condemn Trumps plan had filed a complaint with the OIC and accused its regional rival of misusing its position as the host for the organisations headquarters. There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials. Following the unveiling of Trumps plan, the Saudi foreign ministry expressed appreciation for Trumps efforts and support for direct peace negotiations under Washingtons auspices, while state media reported that King Salman had called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to reassure him of Riyadhs unwavering commitment to the Palestinian cause. The announcement of Trumps plan drew mixed responses from Arab states. Observers said the reaction was indicative of the division among Arab countries and their inability to prioritise the Palestinian peoples plight over domestic economic agendas and political calculations in relation to the Trump administration. New Delhi, Feb 3 : The Congress has hit out at BJP member of Parliament Anant Kumar Hegde for his comments on Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said that the BJP should be named as Nathuram Godse Party. Shergill said: "Mahatma Gandhi does not need a certificate from cadre of Britishers' "Chamchas & Spies". High time the BJP is renamed as "Nathuram Godse Party." Former Union Minister Hegde had attacked Mahatma Gandhi while addressing an event in Bengaluru, and termed the freedom movement as drama, questioning how such people could be called Mahatma. The MP from Uttara Kannada has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Hegde alleged that "the freedom movement was staged with consent and support of the British." "It was not a genuine fight but was an adjustment freedom struggle," said Hegde at the event. Reacting to Hegde's comments, Congress member of Parliament from Karnataka B.K. Hariprasad said that these are "Godse ki Aulad". "In Parliament they say something but the real face of the BJP is what Hegde said. This is bigotry by the BJP and double facet. The BJP should take action if they believe in Gandhiji," said Hariprasad. Ukraine says Iran 'knew from start' missile downed plane Kiev, Feb 3 (AFP) Feb 03, 2020 Kiev on Monday accused Tehran of knowing from the start that an Iranian missile had downed a Ukrainian airliner last month, after leaked recordings emerged from Iranian air traffic control. The recordings, aired on Ukraine's 1+1 TV channel on Sunday, feature a conversation between an air traffic controller and the pilot of another plane at the time the Ukrainian airliner was hit on January 8, killing all 176 people on board. The pilot can be heard describing "the light of a missile" on its route and then an explosion. Iran initially denied Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 had been brought down by one of its missiles. It later admitted that two missiles were fired at the plane by air defences on high alert, hours after Iranian armed forces fired ballistic missiles at US troops stationed in Iraq. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after the release of the recording that it "proves that the Iranian side knew from the start that our plane was hit by a missile. "Everything is audible there," Zelensky told 1+1. "Everything is recorded." The audio clip features the pilot of an Aseman Airlines flight from Iran's southern city of Shiraz to Tehran communicating with air traffic control in the Iranian capital. "There is a series of lights on our route, like a missile. Is there something?" the pilot is heard asking. "What is the light like?" the controller asks. "It's the light of a missile," the pilot replies. The control tower then tries to contact the Ukrainian airliner, but unsuccessfully. After a few minutes the pilot says: "There was an explosion. We saw a very bright light here." It was unclear how the channel obtained the recording, though officials denied it had come from the Ukrainian authorities. "This is a journalistic investigation. You need to ask them where they got this recording," Oleksiy Danilov, the head of Ukraine's Security and Defence Council, told AFP. dg-ant-osh/mm/jj Nguyen Ha was in a hurry. He came to know through social media that there were some free mask distribution sites, and was desperate to get some. The 64-year-old resident of Hanois Long Bien District has failed to get any in shops or pharmacies following mounting fears over the contagious new coronavirus that had already killed several hundred people in China. The death toll from the epidemic had reached 362: 361 people in China and one in the Phillipines. More than 17,000 have been infected. Vietnam confirmed Monday that a 29-year-old worker returning from Wuhan is the nation's eighth patient infected with the new pneumonia causing coronavirus. Other patients include two Chinese nationals and a hotel receptionist in Nha Trang who received them. Ha asked his daughter to take him on their motorbike all the way to Ba Trieu Street, several kilometers away. However when they arrived there, the free masks had already run out. Father and daughter rushed to Thai Ha Street next. He was disappointed at being given just one, instead of the three that had been reported on social media. Ha tried to convince the distributors to give him one more."I heard that this pneumonia has become an epidemic so I am very worried. I asked to buy more but people here refused. I went to several pharmacies but the price was too high in some places while others had no stock," he said. Like Ha, Nguyen Manh of Cau Giay District also visited a free mark distribution site. He explained that he has two young children, two and four years old, and asked for two additional masks. The person handing out the free masks advised him to go to Phuong Mai Street if he wanted to buy more, and Manh proceeded to go there in a hurry. On Thai Ha Street, 54-year-old Hoang Thi Hong Tham, a resident of Nguyen Thi Dinh Street, went to collect the free masks carrying a business registration certificate with a list of 20 employees. She had no chance to show it, however. She was told no free mask would be given to people not present to collect it in person. "I heard that they were giving out masks for free, so I came. If they sell in bulk, I will still buy," Tham said, disappointed. Tran Xuan Chien, a guard at a store giving out free masks, said hed been working constantly from early morning to late afternoon. "Everyone who comes wonders why they only get one mask, or why we don't sell the whole box. Everyone asks for more. We also want to distribute more but the stock is running out. So we must spare some for others who keep coming." On the evening of January 30th, when many people did not know about the free mask distribution, he was giving out three masks to each person. But the very next day, the number of people increased and he could only hand out one per person. Nguyen Thi Thao, 34, who runs three beauty shops, was one of the people who chose to give out masks for free. She said that by 4 p.m. on January 31, they had handed out 7,000 masks. They had run out of stock in two of her shops even after she managed to get an additional 1,000 from her friends. "I decided to do this knowing that the epidemic was causing a lot of anxiety and prices had increased in many places. I am also doing it so that people become more aware of protecting their health," she said. Thao had to pay four different prices in different places, ranging from VND50,000-70,000 ($2.2-$3) to VND150,000 ($6.5) and even VND350,000 ($15) for a box of 50 medical, four-layered masks. She contacted mask makers, hoping she could buy some more. "If possible, I will distribute more tomorrow, otherwise I have to stop after today," she said. Hoang Hoa, 38, was eager to return home to her apartment on My Dinh Street after learning that the complexs management was distributing masks for free. She had rushed out to work in the morning. However, by the time she got back, they had run out. Do Tuan Minh, a member of the apartment complex management board, said that with 1,500 residents, "the number of people coming in and out is too big, and there are not enough masks." He said the board planned to procure more masks for free distribution in the coming days. Khong Minh Tuan, deputy director of Hanoi Center for Preventive Medicine, said the city was preparing to procure 15-20 million face masks for free distribution. But he also admitted that there was a scarcity of masks in the market and would prioritize giving free masks to students in the coming week. However, it was not clear for how long authorities or private individuals/businesses would be able to give out the single-use masks. Meanwhile, local reports say that masks can now be bought online in bulk. LAS VEGAS, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program a business intensive program that awards students with a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Concrete Industry Management is pleased to announce the following list of items that have been donated for their annual auction at World of Concrete. The auction is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 5 in the Las Vegas Convention Center. The silent auction will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. PST in the North Hall Room N263 and the live auction begins at 1 p.m. PST next door in North Hall Room N262. The Concrete Industry Management World of Concrete 2020 auction is scheduled for Wednesday, February 5 in the Las Vegas Convention Center. "Thanks to the tremendous response from the industry, we anticipate having the best CIM auction ever," said Ben Robuck, CIM Auction Chairman. "The National Steering Committee (NSC) is pleased by the overwhelming support by the concrete industry with their contributions to the CIM program. Bidders will have many opportunities to support the CIM program while simultaneously purchasing equipment and products they will need for their day-to-day operations - this is win-win for everyone!" "In addition to the below big-ticket items, we are pleased to have cement donations from industry leaders like CEMEX, LaFargeHolcim, Argos Cement, St. Marys Cement, Inc., Roanoke Cement Company, GCC, Martin Marietta and many, many, more," said CIM Marketing Committee Chairman Brian Gallagher. Mack Trucks, Inc. and McNeilus mixer truck Once again, the signature item for the 2020 CIM auction at World of Concrete is a 2019 Mack Granite Boost-A Load mixer equipped with a McNeilus FLEX Controls Bridgemaster mixer. This item is valued at $215,000. Somero Enterprises, Inc. S-485 laser screed Somero Enterprises, Inc. has donated an S-485 laser screed machine for the annual auction at World of Concrete. This item is valued at $98,200. Mahindra Automotive North America Off-Road Vehicle Mahindra Automotive North America has donated a 2020 ROXOR off-road vehicle that is outfitted for both commercial and work-related jobs. This item is valued at $16,599. Shumaker Industries Load and Go Truck Wash System Shumaker Industries has donated a Load and Go Ready Mix Truck Wash system which uses targeted high-pressure water to remove concrete and cement dust from mixer truck as they leave a batch plant. This item is valued at $80,000. Silo Pros Binwhip Robotic Cleaning System For the 2020 CIM Auction at World of Concrete, Silo Pros has donated two days of pneumatic Binwhip Robotic cleaning system services used to clear silos, bins and hoppers. This item is valued at $12,000. TopCon Positioning Systems TopCon has donated a Topcon Hiper VR base/rover with Data Collector Software and includes a Hiper VR base/rover with Data Collector and Software. This item is valued at $18,500. Volvo Construction Equipment New 2016 ECR25D Compact Excavator Volvo Construction Equipment has donated a new 2016 Volvo ECR25D compact excavator, serial # 4554. This item is valued at $39,000. For the entire list of auction items, visit our website. Once again, in addition to on-site bidding, internet bidding will be available on the Ritchie Bros. website. All items are available for bid whether in attendance at the show or not. Bidding can begin on the 100+ items in the silent auction immediately and continue bidding on any mobile device straight through the event. The live auction items will only be available for bidding during the event itself but can be bid on either in person or on-line. Auction participation instructions are available on the CIM website at http://concretedegree.com/auction/. www.concretedegree.com For more information, contact: Brian Gallagher, CIM Marketing Committee Chair [email protected] SOURCE Concrete Industry Management Arjun Singh (centre), former Trinamool Congress leader who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (source: ANI) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Arjun Singh on February 3 said that the shooters who opened fire at protesters near Jamia Millia Islamia University and Shaheen Bagh are "misguided". "Jaise Muslim logon ko vipaksh ke logon ne protection de karke Shaheen Bagh mein baithaya hai, Jamia mein ghatna ghati, jiska CAA se matlab nahi. Humare kum umar ke bachhe bharamit ho karke goli chalaye hain (The Opposition is protecting Muslims at Shaheen Bagh and have made them sit there. The (firing) incident at Jamia had nothing to do with CAA. Some of our juvenile youth were misguided and fired)," Singh said, according to news agency ANI. #EXCLUSIVE | TIMES NOW's Swati Joshi confronts BJP MP @ArjunsinghWB after he calls Jamia gun violence 'choti si baat'. Listen in. pic.twitter.com/WNYmSncV1y TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) February 3, 2020 Speaking to news channel Times Now after that, Singh defended his statement and alleged that the incident where a shooter at fired in the air near Shaheen Bagh is "being blown out of proportion" but the killing of a Hindu Mahasabha leader in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow is not being covered. The leader of Vishwa Hindu Mahasabha, Ranjeet Bachchan, was shot dead in the UP capital on February 2 while he was out on a morning walk. "Is secularism only for Hindus? There are people talking about dividing the nation," Singh said. When asked about the controversial remark, 'Desh ke gaddaron ko... goli maaro saalon ko', Singh said that chanting the slogan is justified. The Election Commission had on January 30 imposed a 72-hour ban on Minister of State (MoS) for Finance Anurag Thakur after he had egged on a crowd at a rally to raise an incendiary slogan -- "shoot the traitors". "Those who are traitors of this nation should get the right punishment, there is nothing wrong in this," Singh told the news channel. Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief and North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari spoke to Hindustan Times about the partys election campaign , ongoing protests at Shaheen Bagh, inflammatory slogans and statements by his party MPs, and the BJPs prospects of returning to power after 21 years. The BJP began its campaign with development, talking about unauthorised colonies; but now the partys campaign is focused on Shaheen Bagh. Your opponents say that the BJP doesnt have any real issues to talk about and is trying to polarise. Your comment. They are trying to divert peoples attention from the issue by saying that we dont have any real issues. Development is our main agenda in this election. We are talking about Ayushman Bharat for free medical care and PM Awas Yojana to provide housing to people. But they [opponents] are stalling these citizen-centric welfare schemes as they fear the credit will go to Modi ji. Non-implementation of these two schemes will be the main reason for the Aam Aadmi Partys (AAP) defeat in Delhi. Also Watch | Man brandishes gun at Delhis Shaheen Bagh anti-CAA protest site In all his public meetings, Amit Shah ji talks about development first. But Delhis safety is a big issue. The fact that a group of 1,000-1,500 people can come and set buses on fire has scared residents. And the state government is supporting those who are behind the violence and giving them cheques worth Rs 5 lakh. We didnt make Shaheen Bagh an issue. Our issue is to make Delhi Shanti Bagh. They started the campaign to make Delhi Shaheen Bagh. Today, a large number of Shaheen Bagh residents are opposing it [the protest]. They are feeling ashamed of what has become of the area because of the AAP and few Congress leaders. Your MPs Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma were barred from campaigning for inflammatory comments and slogans. There have been three incidents of firing in Shaheen Bagh and Jamia after the shoot traitors slogan; Verma called CM Arvind Kejriwal a terrorist and made the rape and kill comment about protesters at Shaheen Bagh. Do you agree with what your party MPs said? The BJP never supports any kind of violence. We believe the law of the land is sufficient to punish traitors. Anurag ji didnt say goli maro... the kind of slogans that are being chanted at Shaheen Bagh such as PM ko goli maro, HM ko goli maro, Jinnah wali Azadi. They [the MPs] got excited because of it. But we (BJP) dont support their statements. Why has the party not taken action against them? The Election Commission has already punished them. But I want to say the EC should take into consideration slogans being shouted at Shaheen Bagh....and leaders like Amantullah Khan, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Shashi Tharoor are making speeches there. I want to request EC that action should be taken against them as well. The Shaheen Bagh protest has been going on for over 50 days now. Why is there no attempt by the Centre to have a dialogue with the protesters? Is it the Centres failure that it has not been able to get the road cleared, and there have been three firing incidents in less than a weeks time in the city despite the Delhi Police being under its direct control? It is not the Centres failure. This shows that the Centre is concerned about citizens as there are women and children who are sitting at the front of the protest. They know that Modi government is concerned about them and their safety. There are women sitting with their small kids in the front row, else it would have been cleared in two hours. Arvind Kejriwal is the chief minister of Delhi. People are sitting on a protest and have been blocking the entire area for 50 days, but he has not visited the area. Should he not make an appeal to the people? But he says they are with Shaheen Bagh. This means he wants to make Delhi Shaheen Bagh. As far as talking to protesters is concerned, Ravi Shankar Prasad ji said yesterday that people can talk to the government. We are open for talks, but no one is coming forward. BJP talks about sabka saath, sabka vikas. It is for first time since 1993 that the BJP has not fielded any Muslim candidate in the Delhi election . Why? They (Muslim candidates) dont help us win, even when we give them tickets. We have a minister from the Muslim community [at the Centre]. We have to bring them (Muslim leaders) through Rajya Sabha and legislative councils [in states]. We have given them tickets so many times, but they dont help us win. Your 48-page Sankalp Patra is silent on subsidies on water and electricity one of the key poll issues this time. What is BJPs stand on it as several of your senior leaders have spoken against it? The government is a continuous process. We have clearly said that whatever schemes the government has started will continue and we will not stop them. We have promised to give atta [wheat flour] for 2 per kg, scooter and bicycle for girls, and financial assistance to them. We are of the view that freebies or subsidies should be given to economically weaker sections. The BJPs manifesto has several promises for women empowerment, so why has the party has the least number of women candidates fielded by all major political parties? We have given tickets to women. There could be a few seats less this time. We support 33% reservation for women, but it is yet to happen. While selecting candidates, we have looked at winnability. We will keep this in mind next time. Multiplicity of authority is one of the major reasons for slow pace of development in Delhi. In the manifesto, the BJP has proposed to constitute 8-9 boards and commissions for development works. Will it not just add to the existing problem? No, it will solve the problem as work can be done in a more focused way. Now that our government has started the process to give ownership rights to residents of unauthorised colonies, we have decided that we will constitute Colonies Vikas Board for development work here. The board will help in better implementation of projects. How many seats are you hoping to get this time? We will get 50-plus seats. There is a huge difference [in public mood] since Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has started campaigning here. The Shaheen Bagh protest has exposed them (AAP). People know that they are supporting those who had set buses on fire. This has changed the whole scenario. WASHINGTON Nearly two decades after the fall of the World Trade Center and the attack on the Pentagon, American troops continue to wage war in Iraq, Afghanistan and lesser-known corners of the globe. President Trump almost opened another front last month when he approved the killing of Irans most powerful general. We took one of the worlds deadliest terrorists off the battlefield for good, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said recently, justifying the drone strike on Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani. In other words, in the war on terror, the Iranian leader was fair game. Last week, Democrats and some Republicans in the House voted to repeal one of two longstanding war authorizations that have helped justify all manner of American military action abroad. It was a challenge not only to President Trumps ability to take military action against Iran, but also to the thinking in Washington that has sustained the war-fighting since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. For more than 18 years, the war on terrorism the forever war or endless war, as many call it has been used as the basis for an ever-expanding range of military actions: an invasion of Iraq that, by one count, has left nearly 300,000 dead; airstrikes in Afghanistan that have sometimes unintentionally killed scores at wedding parties as well as Qaeda leaders; and now the Suleimani drone strike. Mr. Trump said the general, who had helped arm anti-American militias in the Iraq war, had been plotting new imminent and sinister attacks. (Bloomberg) -- Iowa Senator Joni Ernst warned Sunday that Republicans could immediately push to impeach Joe Biden over his work in Ukraine as vice president if he win the White House. I think this door of impeachable whatever has been opened, Ernst said in an interview with Bloomberg News. Joe Biden should be very careful what hes asking for because, you know, we can have a situation where if it should ever be President Biden, that immediately, people, right the day after he would be elected would be saying, Well, were going to impeach him. The grounds for impeachment, the first-term Republican said, would be for being assigned to take on Ukrainian corruption yet turning a blind eye to Burisma because his son was on the board making over a million dollars a year. President Barack Obama sent Biden to Ukraine on his behalf to fight corruption, including leading the push from the U.S. and western European powers to remove prosecutor general Viktor Shokin from office. When Shokin was fired in 2016, no congressional Republicans expressed concern about the move. Eventually, though, Shokin began to argue that he was fired because he was investigating Burisma and Biden wanted to protect his son, Hunter, who was on the companys board. The claim has been debunked. Biden told a Sinclair news reporter in Iowa that her words reinforced his argument that Trumps interest in Ukraine was meant to damage his candidacy. Doesnt that make the case Im making that from the very beginning that this was all about not wanting to run against me? he said. Earlier this week, Ernst tied the Senates impeachment trial of President Donald Trump to Bidens chances in Mondays Iowa Democratic caucus, suggesting that the trial could hurt his case with caucus goers. Im really interested to see how this discussion today informs and influences the Iowa caucus voters, those Democratic caucus goers. Will they be supporting Vice President Biden at this point? Not certain at that, she said. Biden has been sure to mention Ernsts comments during every stump speech hes made this week, drawing applause as he suggests that Ernst had spilled the beans about Republicans real intention in raising the Burisma issue to damage Bidens candidacy. You can ruin Donald Trumps night by caucusing with me and ruin Joni Ernsts night as well, hes told Iowa crowds this week. Biden communications director Kate Bedingfield responded to Ernsts latest comments by again encouraging Iowans to caucus for Biden. Iowans have the chance tomorrow to say the words that Donald Trump and Joni Ernst fear most: Im here to caucus for Joe Biden, she said. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The impeachment trial of US President Donald Trump entered its 12th day on Monday, following a Senate vote that rejected calling new witnesses, and all but assures an acquittal for the president. The House managers and Trumps defence team presented their closing arguments, which were followed by a Senate hearing in which legislators were given the chance to say why they are voting for convicting or acquitting the president. The final vote is scheduled for Wednesday. House managers, who act as prosecutors, had faced an uphill battle from the start, with a two-thirds Senate vote needed to remove Trump from office. Republicans have 53 seats in the 100-member chamber. Democrats had hoped that new witnesses and evidence particularly in light of reported revelations in an unpublished book by former National Security Advisor John Bolton might have changed the dynamic in the partisan proceedings. During the 12th day of the trial, here are all the latest updates as of Monday, February 3: Impeachment trial of President Donald Trump has adjourned After closing arguments by both House managers and the presidents defence team, the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump has adjourned. The Senate will now hold a regular session to hear speeches from senators, who will explain why they are voting to acquit or convict Trump. House managers conclude closing arguments In scathing final statements, lead House manager Adam Schiff condemned what he described as partisan protection of the president and legislators who are willing to turn a blind eye to misdeeds as long as it is a president of ones own party. That is a trend most dangerous for our country, said Schiff. Schiff, addressing senators who plan to acquit the president, said: Your name will be tied to his with a cord of steel for all history. You are decent. [Trump] is not who you are, he said. Schiff references Dept. of Justice filing Lead House manager Adam Schiff, during his closing statements, referenced a department of Justice filing that came shortly after the Senate voted on Friday not to allow more evidence in the proceedings. The filing revealed that the department had withheld from Congress two dozen emails that detail the presidents decision and justifications for withholding military aid from Ukraine. The Trump administration has them. It is not turning them over. It does not want the Senate to know until its too late, said Schiff. House manager Jeffries: All is not lost Despite what is expected to be an all-but-certain acquittal of the president, House manager Hakeem Jeffries urged senators that it was not too late to vote to convict the president. All is not lost, even at this later hourThe senate can still do the right thing, said Jeffries. In this image from video, House impeachment manager Representative Adam Schiff speaks during closing arguments in the impeachment trial of Trump [Senate TV/AP Photo] House manager Garcia: We all know that he will do it again House manager Sylvia Garcia, in her closing arguments on Monday, said the president will meddle in elections again if not removed from office. We all know that he will do it again, said Garcia. We must stop him from further harming our democracy, we must stop him from further betraying his oath. We simply cannot give our children a democracy if their president is above the law, she said. This president must be removed. House manager Lofgren resumes closing arguments House manager Zoe Lofgren has resumed closing arguments in support of convicting the president. Trumps defence team concludes closing arguments President Donald Trumps defence team has concluded their closing arguments, again recasting the trial as an attempt to undermine US democracy while calling for the end to endless investigations. Were sitting here on the day the election season begins in Iowa. It is wrong, said lead lawyer Pat Cipollone, and there is only one answer to that, the answer is reject these articles of impeachment. He called on senators to end the era of impeachment once and for all. Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow calls trial f irst totally partisan presidential impeachment in our nations history Trump defence lawyer Jay Sekulow, in his closing arguments on Monday, called the trial the first totally partisan presidential impeachment in our nations history. This is exactly and precisely what the founders feared, said Sekulow, after playing a montage of Democratic legislators calling for Trumps impeachment throughout his presidency. Trump lawyer Cipollone urges senators to acquit Trump The lead lawyer of the presidents defence team, Pat Cipollone, said Democrats were trying to overturn the the results of the 2016 election and urged senators to acquit Donald Trump. At the end of the day, this is an effort to overturn the results of one election and to try to interfere in the coming election that begins today in Iowa, Cipollone said during the defences closing arguments. In this image from video, White House counsel Pat Cipollone speaks during closing arguments in the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump [Senate TV/AP Photo] Trump legal defence begins closing arguments The lead lawyer on the presidents defence team, Pat Cipollone, said the Defences closing arguments would be brief. Schiff urges senators to convict Trump In his closing arguments on Monday, lead House manager Adam Schiff made a final appeal for senators to convict the president on both articles of impeachment abuse of power and obstruction of Congress passed by the House of Representatives in December. Today, we urge you in the face of overwhelming evidence of the presidents guilt and knowing that if left in office, he will continue to seek foreign interference in the next election to vote to convict on both articles of impeachment and to remove from office Donald J. Trump, the 45th president of the United States, Schiff said. "We urge youin the face of overwhelming evidence of the Presidents guilt, and knowing that if left in office he will continue to seek foreign interference in his next electionto vote to convict on both Articles of Impeachment, and to remove from office Donald J. Trump." pic.twitter.com/mEulkLLpAv House Intelligence Committee (@HouseIntel) February 3, 2020 House manager Jeffries says courage of public officials who came forward mattered House manager Hakeem Jeffries spoke directly to Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman and to the other public servants who came forward and told the truth in the face of vicious smears, intimidation and White House efforts to silence you. Your courage mattered, Jeffries said during the House managers closing arguments. You did the right thing. You did your duty. Jeffries added that we will remain vigilant in the House. Trump tweets about Impeachment Hoax on more subdued day of proceedings President Donald Trump resumed his derision of the impeachment trial taking place in the Senate on Monday. I hope Republicans & the American people realize that the totally partisan Impeachment Hoax is exacty [sic] that, a Hoax, Trump tweeted, while Democratic House managers gave closing arguments in the impeachment trial. I hope Republicans & the American people realize that the totally partisan Impeachment Hoax is exacty that, a Hoax. Read the Transcripts, listen to what the President & Foreign Minister of Ukraine said (No Pressure). Nothing will ever satisfy the Do Nothing, Radical Left Dems! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2020 Senators will vote on whether to convict or acquit the president on Wednesday. With the Senate voting 51-49 to block any new evidence in the trial, it is considered extremely unlikely that a needed supermajority of 67 senators will vote to convict the president. Democratic Senator Jones still undecided on vote Democratic Senator Doug Jones, speaking to reporters on Monday, said he has not yet decided on if he will vote to convict the president. Jones said he wants to hear the arguments and some conversations from colleagues before he makes up his mind. House manager Crow: Your duty demands that you convict President Trump House manager Jason Crow began the closing arguments on Monday. Crow told Senators: Your duty demands that you convict President Trump. Day 12 of impeachment trial begins House managers and Trumps defence team will give closing arguments for up to four hours. Top Democratic presidential candidates on Capitol Hill on day of Iowa Caucus Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar will all be in Washington, DC, for at least part of the day before the Iowa caucus begins on Monday night. Im starting my day heading to the Senate floor for the impeachment trial. I have a job to doa constitutional duty. And I think Iowans understand that experience matters. Being in the arena matters. Fighting for the truth matters, Klobuchar said on Twitter. I'm starting my day heading to the Senate floor for the impeachment trial. I have a job to doa constitutional duty. And I think Iowans understand that experience matters. Being in the arena matters. Fighting for the truth matters. Those are the qualities we want in a President. Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) February 3, 2020 What happens next? The House managers and Trumps defence on Monday will present up to four hours of closing arguments. The trial will then be recessed and the Senate will hold a regular session to hear speeches from senators, who will explain why they are voting to acquit or convict Trump. Chief Justice John Roberts will not be present for this session. On Tuesday, speeches by senators will continue. That night, Trump is scheduled to deliver his annual State of the Union address to both chambers of the US Congress at 9pm local time (02:00 GMT). On Wednesday, the trial will resume with a final vote expected on the acquittal or conviction of President Trump by 4pm (21:00 GMT). A super majority, 67 senators, would need to vote in favour of convicting the president which is considered extremely unlikely. What happened on Friday? After a day of debate, the Senate voted 51-49 to block allowing more evidence from being introduced in the trial. Two Republicans, Senators Susan Collins and Mitt Romney, broke from party ranks and voted to be able to subpoena new witnesses and documents. During the debate that preceded the vote, Democratic House managers argued that new evidence had emerged since the House concluded their inquiry. That, coupled with the White Houses categorical denial to participate in the investigation, required that new evidence be introduced, they said. Trumps defence team, meanwhile, argued that allowing new evidence would tie up the Senate for weeks and blamed the House Democrats for rushing their investigation. Lawyers for Trump, in light of a revelation recounted in former National Security Advisor John Boltons unpublished book, also argued that even if the president had tied aid to Ukraine to politically motivated investigations, it would not constitute an impeachable offence. Read more about what happened on Friday here. Who are the House Managers? Seven House managers have presented the case for removing the president from office over 12 days of the trial. Who is on the presidents defence team? Read more about the key players who have shaped the trial here. Catholic Community Services also is hosting VITA sites in Sierra Vista and Tombstone. Some sites offer VITA Valet service, allowing taxpayers to drop off their documents and return for their completed tax returns. Last year, the local VITA sites helped nearly 17,000 taxpayers, resulting in refunds totaling more than $26 million and saving an estimated $4.2 million in tax-prep fees, the United Way said. Liz Thomey, program director at Catholic Community Services, said about 20% of low-income taxpayers annually still fail to claim the federal earned income credit, or EIC. For the 2019 tax year, the EIC is available to single taxpayers with annual income starting at $15,570 and up to $50,162 with three or more children, and to married joint filers with income between $21,370 and up to $55,952 with three or more children. Generally, people are taking advantage of tax credits, however, when filing on their own, they sometimes dont understand the rules and may make mistakes that could be avoided, Thomey said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.3 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 22 times, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on Feb. 3, Trend reports. The Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Sam Wood and his wife, Snezana Markoski, first met on The Bachelor in 2015. And five years since being introduced on reality TV, the 39-year-old personal trainer and his Macedonian bride are more in love than ever. Speaking to New Idea on Monday, Sam said that 'meeting Snez was weirdly fate', adding that they were 'meant to be' together. 'We were meant to be': Five years since falling in love on The Bachelor, Sam Wood (right) and his wife, Snezana Markoski (left), are more in love than ever 'We're so well-suited, and when we met, we desperately wanted to grow a family,' Sam said. 'We balance each other, and now our life is all about our girls, and that brings us closer together still.' The Woods share two children together, Willow, two, and Charlie, six months. Snezana also has a 14-year-old daughter, Eve, from a previous relationship. Fate: Speaking to New Idea on Monday, Sam said that 'meeting Snez was weirdly fate', adding that they were 'meant to be' together. Pictured with his baby daughter, Charlie 'I love being a dad. I always thought I would and it's even exceeded the really high expectations I had,' Sam added. The former Bachelor's heartwarming admission didn't end there, as he continued to praise the women in his life. 'My girls are my life, and I'm very lucky', he said. Keeping it simple: Despite meeting on TV, Sam revealed that he and Snezana prefer a low-key lifestyle and don't like 'all the fluff' that comes with fame Despite meeting on TV, Sam revealed that he and Snezana prefer a low-key lifestyle and don't like 'all the fluff' that comes with fame. The couple tied the knot in Byron Bay in December 2018, and recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary. They returned to The Bachelor franchise last year to offer advice to Matt Agnew as he tried to whittle down his contestants. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. The first patients arrived Monday at a 1,000-bed hospital built in 10 days as part of Chinas sweeping efforts to fight a new coronavirus that is causing global alarm, Associated Press reported. The construction of Huoshenshan Hospital started on January 23. The construction crews worked around the clock in Wuhan, the central city where the coronavirus outbreak was first detected in December. Some 50 million people are barred from leaving Wuhan and surrounding cities. The Huoshenshan Hospital was built by a 7,000-member crew of carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other specialists. About half of the two-story, 60,000-square meter (600,000-square foot) building is isolation wards. It has 30 intensive care units. SPRINGFIELD An Illinois lawmaker is proposing an additional 10 percent sales tax on what she calls assault weapons but an advocate says her novel definition of the term would mean nearly all firearms would be hit with the tax. A firearm sale in Illinois already includes federal taxes, state sales taxes, and local taxes. Chicagos assesses a $25 per gun fee thats long-faced a legal challenge. The mother of a Rutgers University student who was struck and killed by a train after leaving a fraternity party in 2017 has filed a wrongful death suit against the university, the police department, and the fraternity. Claudia Patterson, the mother of freshman Kenneth Patterson, filed suit in Superior Court of Middlesex County in Dec. 2019, saying that Theta Delta Chi, the fraternity that threw the party, was under disciplinary action, and Rutgers should have known they were serving alcohol anyway. A university spokesperson declined to comment on the pending litigation, but said Rutgers cooperated with the Amtrak Police Department during the investigation. The University was deeply saddened by the death of Kenneth Patterson and offered our condolences to his family and counseling services to our students affected by this tragic loss, Neal Buccino said in a statement sent to NJ Advance Media. Patterson, a native of Rockaway, was killed the night of Theta Delta Chis TDXmas party on Dec. 9, 2017, the suit says. He was drunk when he left the Huntington Street frat house, and was later struck and killed by an Amtrak train trying to walk back to his dorm room, a friend told the Daily Record. Theta Delta Chi was under sanctions not to hold any parties or fraternity related events at the time, the suit says, but its not clear why. The fraternity did not return NJ Advance Medias request for comment. The fraternity acted with complete disregard for the safety of others in giving alcohol to underage students, the suit says. It also alleges that Rutgers failed in their duty to oversee fraternity events on campus. In addition to the lawsuit, the Patterson family has launched the Justice for KJP initiative on social media, looking for more information on what happened between the time Kenneth Patterson left the party and his death. We still have no answers but you have great friends who celebrate your beautiful, vibrant life with us. I miss you every day and hope one day we find out the real story, Claudia Patterson wrote on the second anniversary of his death. Kenny - today would have been your 20th birthday!! Happy Birthday sweetheart!! I miss you so much every day and am... Posted by Justice For Kenny Patterson on Monday, March 18, 2019 Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieKausch. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Michelle Ballantyne is a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the South of Scotland I am standing to be the next leader of the Scottish Conservatives because I want to finish what Ruth Davidson started. As our most successful post-devolution leader, Ruth took us from being the third party in the Scottish Parliament to being the official opposition. Now I want to lead us into Government. For the last 10 years the SNP have played constitutional games rather than get down to the serious business of governing. Ordinary people dont care about flags or marches. They care about their community, about having good schools and compassionate healthcare. The SNPs obsession with independence has meant that those essential public services that people depend and rely upon are broken: Children are leaving school without being able to read, write or count with Scotland recording its worst ever results in the PISA international comparison of education systems. The length that young people are waiting for mental health treatment is the worst on record. Capped university places are squeezing out young and talented Scots. The NHS faces a staffing crisis, with 4,000 nursing vacancies and 500 vacant consulting posts which is placing an intolerable burden on NHS staff. We are in the grips of a drugs deaths crisis, with Scotland having more drug-related deaths than any other EU country and even higher than the US. With crime so high our streets arent as safe as they used to be. Our local councils are starved of the funding they need to provide basic services Our train network is unreliable with commuters facing delays, cancellations and uncomfortable journeys whilst paying through the nose for it. The SNP have vandalised Scotlands public services 0 and they are getting away with it. As John McLaren, economist at Scottish Trends website, pointed out: There is a lack of being held to account over policy decisions, in other words too little scrutiny and proper evaluation of the actions of the Scottish government. In 2016 we said that would hold the SNP Government to account and be a more effective and robust opposition. But the SNPs constitutional obsession has become our own constitutional obsession. As a group in the Scottish Parliament we have had our successes. But is there more that we can do to hold the SNP to account? Yes! Before we can think of being in Government, we need to up our game as an opposition. With a Health Service in crisis, not to mention the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital fiasco, Jeane Freeman, the Nationalists Health Secretary, should be out of a job for her incompetence. Yet still she remains. Scottish Conservatives should be holding Humza Yousafs feet to the fire on rising crime, unsafe streets, and a deteriorating police service. The crisis of confidence in policing should be his full time focus, yet we find him spending his time marching for independence on the streets of Glasgow while police officers are using buckets to collect rainwater leaking through the roofs of their stations. Whilst the Scottish Conservatives should be dissecting the SNPs economic case for independence, I cannot help but feel that Kevin Hague, in his spare time, has done more on Twitter to successfully take on the arguments of the nationalist movement than any of the opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament. And now the Scottish Conservatives are offering to pass a nationalist budget. This is not how an effective opposition behaves. We must do more to hold this woeful Government to account. We need to be less timid and more confident in ourselves. If elected leader I will redouble our efforts in leading our fight back against the SNP. If the Scottish Conservatives are to stand any serious chance of ending the SNP decade of failure and forming the next Scottish Government then we must start addressing the concerns of working people across the country: good schools; compassionate healthcare; safe streets; reliable transport; and lower taxes. These are the every day priorities of working people and they are my priorities too. Under my leadership the Scottish Conservatives will stand up for the people and communities most let down by the SNP and Labour. As the latter continues its slide into political irrelevance, working people need and deserve a credible alternative to the Nationalists. This is why the party I lead will reach out to voters in every community, in every part of Scotland, including those people that Scottish Labour took for granted and have continued to lose to the SNP. In the last general election we went backwards. Our vote share fell and we lost half of our seats. It was devastating to see us lose such hard-working and talented colleagues. The progress we have made as a party was nearly all undone. Telling ourselves its not as bad a result as was predicted is not good enough. Serious lessons need to be learned. There is no room for complacency, change is needed. I offer that change. So, to the membership of the Scottish Conservatives who are now empowered to make the choice of next Party leader, I say: Come with me for a fairer Scotland. A Scotland that delivers aspirational education, a fairer justice system, compassionate healthcare, lower taxes, safer streets, reliable transport, and a society where you benefit from the hard work you put in to it and which looks after you in return. Come and join me for a united Scotland and a better future. Lok Sabha on Monday witnessed protests by opposition members, mostly from the Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazagham, against the amended Citizenship Act, with Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury saying the government cannot silence people's "boli" (voice) with "goli". IMAGE: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party, calling them 'fake Hindus'. Photograph: PTI Photo Chowdhury was apparently referring to Union minister Anurag Thakur's controversial "shoot the traitors" remarks made at a recent rally. Speaker Om Birla and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi asked protesting members, who had trooped into the Well as soon as the Question Hour began at 11 am, to raise their issues during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address. With opposition members carrying placards and raising slogans against the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Population Register and National Register of Citizens, the Speaker adjourned the House after a little over 10 minutes following the Question Hour. He emphasised that it was for lunch. Some Congress members were heard raising slogans, seeking "azaadi" (freedom) from the CAA, NPR and NRC. Throughout their protests, Birla kept appealing to opposition members to return to their seats to raise their issues. "You can raise and discuss all issues that you want during the debate on the President's address. You will get enough opportunity. You were elected by people through democratic process and it is my responsibility to give you opportunities to raise issues concerning people," he said. When he allowed Chowdhury to speak during the Zero Hour, the Congress leader hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party and alleged that anti-CAA protesters were fired upon and killed, an apparent reference to death of these agitators in some states, including UP, in alleged police firing. People are protesting to protect the Constitution and are carrying national flags, he said, alleging that some protesters were killed "mercilessly". "You are fake Hindus," he said in an attack on the BJP, adding that if its members were "asli (genuine) Hindus", then they would have behaved differently. Joshi told opposition members that they can raise their issues during the discussion on the motion of thanks to the President's address. Despite the protests, at least nine questions were taken up during the Question Hour, the first in the current Budget session. Some opposition members displayed placards saying 'Save India', 'Save Democracy' and 'Save Constitution'. As the protests continued, the Speaker reminded agitating members that floor leaders had assured him that the Question Hour will be allowed to be conducted smoothly. "If you want to strengthen the Constitution, discuss issues in Lok Sabha," Birla said. The United States and India on Sunday celebrated the 70th anniversary of the prestigious Fulbright exchange program which has awarded scholarships to over 11,000 Indians and Americans so far. US Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce who had flown in from Washington to attend the gala event in New Delhi, said, the Fulbright program, created by Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946, was designed to increase mutual understanding among the people of the United States and the people of other countries. It has now grown into the premier US international educational exchange program in the world. "When Senator J. William Fulbright introduced the legislation establishing this program, he said it was about leadership, learning, and empathy between countries," Royce said. "Tonight's celebration is a testament to the importance and longevity of Senator Fulbright's vision." The binational United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) was among the earliest of the Fulbright Commissions or foundations. On February 2, 1950, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and US Ambassador to India Loy Henderson signed a bilateral agreement to implement and administer a country Fulbright Program on behalf of the partner governments. Since its inception, USIEF has awarded approximately 11,128 Fulbright Fellowships to Indians and Americans. On July 4, 2008, the United States and India signed a historic new Fulbright agreement that made India a full partner in the governance and funding of the Fulbright Program. Following the new agreement, the Fulbright-Nehru Program has tripled in size. India now has the largest US Fulbright scholar program, which provides approximately 75 grants to US scholars to research and teach in India each academic year. For more than 70 years, Fulbright has provided opportunities to some 390,000 American and international scholars and students. At the celebrations organised by the USIEF, the American envoy to India, Kenneth I. Juster said, "The US-India relationship is growing rapidly. As I have said many times, I believe that the foundation of our partnership is our people-to-people ties. The Fulbright-Nehru program is a perfect example of the impact that our peoples have when they learn from each other and work together." Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla who also attended the event. While commending the program for facilitating mutual understanding, he spoke of historic bilateral ties and shared values of the US and India. Pakistani students are apparently putting up videos on social media seeking help to be evacuated from coronavirus-hit Wuhan. The deadly outbreak has killed about 361 people so far and has affected more than 14, 000 people. Reacting to one such video and re-sharing it, Adnan Sami took dig at Imran Khan-led Pakistan government. Muslims will spend their whole life proving their loyalty to India blah blah blah!! What benefit are the Pak Muslims enjoying apart from being treated like dispensable scum by their own government? This is shameful!," he wrote in a Tweet. The video that he shared has a man claiming to be a Pakistani talking about the bus sent by Indian embassy to transport Indian students from a Wuhan University to the airport. He adds that students from Bangladesh will also be evacuated from China. Muslims will spend their whole life proving their loyalty to India blah blah blah!! What benefit are the Pak Muslims enjoying apart from being treated like dispensable scum by their own government? This is shameful! pic.twitter.com/QSwnuGack9 Adnan Sami (@AdnanSamiLive) February 1, 2020 "And we Pakistanis are stuck here whose government says aap waha pe jio, maro, zinda raho, aap infected hote ho, ho jao bhale, hum aapko na evacuate karenge, na facilitate karenge (you live or die there, if you get infected let it be, we will neither evacuate you nor facilitate you). Shame on you Pakistan government, learn something from them. Learn how they care for their people). On Jan 30, Pakistan government had decided to not evacuate students from Wuhan to show "solidarity" with its ally. Four Pakistani nationals have contracted the disease there. Sami had shared another video in which a student claiming to be a Pakistani, requests Pakistan army to evacuate them from China as the Pakistan government has refused to help them. He captioned it, Tragically Shameful #HumanityFirst. Meanwhile, India has evacuated 647 Indians and seven Maldivian citizens from Wuhan city. [February 03, 2020] Ohio Virtual Academy Ready to Help Families Enroll for the 2020-2021 School Year Although its early in the calendar year, Ohio Virtual Academy (OHVA), an accredited, full-time online public school, is ready to welcome students in K through 12 to enroll for the 2020-2021 school year. OHVA gives your student a personalized learning experience designed to assist those who seek alternative pathways to education. With over eighteen years as a trusted education program, OHVA is tuition-free to all students who reside in Ohio. Authorized by the Ohio Council of Community Schools, and delivered entirely online, OHVA combines online instruction, rigorous curriculum and the support of state-licensed teachers. In addition to working towards their high school diplomas, OHVA students can participate in the Destinations Career Program, which allows them to discover exciting options for their future in career fields like Business and Information Technology. <> Students can also earn college credits through partnerships with local colleges and universities and prepare to take industry-recognized certification exams upon graduation. "With college costs spiraling out of control nationwide, it's good to get an idea of what you want to do before you get there. Our career program lets students try new things and get a sense for the options they have, while still in high school, helping Ohio students take charge of their own future," says Head of School Dr. Kris Stewart. Overall, OHVA offers challenging academic curriculum focused on college preparation. Students take a full course load in the core subjects of math, science, English language arts, history, art and music. Electives include world languages, as well as high school honors courses. OHVA also offers student clubs, in-person field trips, and social gatherings to foster a sense of school community. Virtual classes are taught by Ohio-licensed teachers who provide instruction during live online class sessions, and are available to students via phone, email and one-to-one meetings. Students choose online school for a variety of reasons including advanced learning, a bullying-free environment, and the ability to support extracurricular pursuits or medical needs. OHVA's online platform gives students the opportunity to pursue their academic goals in a supportive environment and at an appropriate pace for their learning style. OHVA is now accepting enrollments for the 2020-2021 school year. Families are encouraged to attend an online or in-person information session hosted by the school. More information on OHVA, how to enroll, and a schedule of upcoming events can be found at ohva.k12.com. About Ohio Virtual Academy Ohio Virtual Academy (OHVA) is an accredited, full-time online public charter school authorized by the Ohio Council of Community Schools (OCCS) that serves students in grades K through 12. As part of the Ohio public school system, OHVA is tuition-free, giving parents and families the choice to access the engaging curriculum and tools provided by K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN), the nation's leading provider of proprietary K-12 curriculum and online education programs. For more information about OHVA, visit ohva.k12.com and follow on Facebook. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005004/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 14:27:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TIANJIN, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Xi Wang, a 29-year-old craftsman, hangs up a self-designed New Year picture depicting two cheerful kids and an adorable mouse on the wall of his room to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Rat. As the youngest inheritor of Yangliuqing Woodblock Printing in north China's Tianjin Municipality, Xi was busy making mouse-themed artworks at the beginning of this year. New Year pictures, or nianhua in Chinese, are a type of traditional painting that people, particularly in the countryside, hang on their doors, windows or walls to ward off evil spirits and express good wishes for the Chinese Lunar New Year. Yangliuqing Woodblock Printing is one of the most prestigious forms of New Year decorations in China, which flourished in Tianjin and the surrounding areas during a period between the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). As a local raised in Tianjin, Xi has been a fan of this art form since his childhood. "Back then, every family would put up woodblock paintings on the walls. Their beautiful colors and vivid figures impressed me a lot when I was a kid," Xi recalled. Only when he grew up did he gradually come to know the splendid culture and history behind Yangliuqing Woodblock Printing, a national intangible cultural heritage featuring abundant themes inspired by literature, folk legends and myths. He has devoted himself to engraving wood since he became an apprentice of woodblock printing in 2014. Engraving wood is never an easy job. Xi pastes the outline of the design onto a piece of pear wood and carves the whole ink-line image out of the wood board, which may take one or even two months for him to complete. The lines of kids' arms and legs and the details on their faces including eyes are the most challenging parts to carve, as these thin lines should be smooth and graceful enough to show the figures' vivid and artistic expressions. Good tools are always essential to create an excellent woodblock. On Xi's workbench are placed a dozen carving chisels and woodcut knives, all of which he made by hand. Prime wood is selected to make the hilt, while high-strength steel is the best choice to be ground into various types of carving knives. "As I get more and more familiar with these tools, they seem to become part of my fingers," Xi said. The master whom Xi follows is Wang Wenda, who has been engaged in woodblock carving for over 50 years. "My teacher often reminds me to maintain a peaceful mind, without which there will be no steadiness or accuracy in craftsmanship," Xi said. New Year pictures are one of the most influential cultural forms of traditional Chinese folk art. However, the artwork has been losing ground since the 1980s when the Chinese people had more options to furnish their houses than ever before. Some experts and veteran New Year picture masters also ascribed its decline to a shortage of young qualified successors like Xi, which made it hard to pass down the unique, traditional art to the younger generation. "Maybe this job seems tedious to others. But for me, only through repeated work can I better understand the meaning of Yangliuqing Woodblock Printing and master the techniques," Xi said. "It seems that I am carving the woodblock, but in fact, I am carving out my life and purifying my soul in this fast-changing world." CLEVELAND, Ohio It looks like its going to be an up-and-down week with temperatures in Northeast Ohio. It starts with a mild day Monday. Look for mostly cloudy conditions and calm winds, and highs could exceed 50 degrees in both Cleveland and Akron. Showers could arrive late Monday night, with chances of rain at about 10 p.m., then becoming likely by early Tuesday morning. That sets up a damp Tuesday, with showers expected throughout the day and highs in the upper 40s in Cleveland and low 50s in Akron. Colder temps arrive by Tuesday night, dropping into the upper 20s, which is expected to change the rain into snow. Dont expect much accumulation, however, with forecasts calling for less than a half-inch. Wednesday will be a brisk day ... highs will be in the low 30s with mostly cloudy skies. Snow is expected Wednesday night and lows will be in the upper 20s. The snow will continue into Thursday before changing to rain as temperatures climb back into the upper 40s. By Thursday night snow could return with temps back in the upper 20s. Things will dry out Friday, but skies will remain cloudy with a highs in the low 30s. Its looking to stay pretty chilly through the weekend ... highs will be in the upper 30s and there are chances of snow Friday and Saturday. The sun could finally break through on Sunday with highs in the upper 30s. Sunrise: 7:37 a.m. Sunset: 5:45 p.m. Franklin Graham says cancellation of UK evangelistic events is 'spiritual warfare' Franklin Graham has asked for prayer as he remains determined to see through his planned UK tour despite multiple venues backing out. The Liverpool ACC, Glasgow SEC and ICC Wales have all pulled out of hosting evangelistic events as part of Graham's eight-city UK tour, due to take place over the summer. The Newcastle Arena has come under pressure to cancel his scheduled event at the venue on June 3. Graham is the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham and a vocal supporter of Donald Trump. He has also repeatedly defended heterosexual marriage. Despite the setbacks, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, of which Graham is the CEO, said that the tour was going ahead as planned. And in a letter to supporters, Graham asked Christians to pray "that God will keep the doors open" to preach the Gospel in the UK. "For the last two years we have been preparing to go to the United Kingdom and take the Gospel to eight different cities starting in Scotland, going down to Wales, and finishing up in London," he said. "As we move closer to these events in late May and June, we are experiencing opposition from LGBTQ activists who want to stop this Gospel work. "This small but vocal minority is pressuring venues to back out of our contracts because I have said that God defines homosexuality as sin. Several venues have already told us that they are cancelling. "Much prayer and effort has been put into this, and hundreds of churches across the U.K. are partnering in this tour. This is spiritual warfare. The enemy does not want the Gospel proclaimed." He went on to say that he believed this to be a "defining moment" for the Church in the UK. "You and I have been called for such a moment as this," he said. "Please join me in praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ there, that God will remove obstacles to this Gospel work, and that He will prepare the hearts of people across the nation to hear and respond to His message this spring." A friend indeed is a friend in need. Pakistan firmly stands with China at this critical moment of an epidemic outbreak. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said the Pakistani side highly appreciates and firmly supports China's efforts to combat the epidemic and expresses gratitude to China for providing help to Pakistani citizens in China. The Pakistani side strongly believes that China can give full play to its unique institutional advantages to overcome the epidemic, Khan said, adding that Pakistan is willing to mobilize all the country's medical supplies and reserves to assist China, and will firmly stand alongside the brotherly Chinese people. Meanwhile, China is struggling to contain the viral outbreak centered in Wuhan where medical supplies are increasingly under stress, the Pakistani government has sent its first consignment of aid to China to facilitate the Chinese government's fight against the novel coronavirus. The Pakistani government has allocated 300,000 medical masks, 800 hazmat suits and 6,800 pairs of gloves from the stocks of public hospitals around the nation and transported the aid to China. The medical supplies from Pakistan arrived in China this past Saturday. The Spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also made a comment about aid received from Pakistan. "To help China fight against #nCoV, Russia, Pakistan, ROK, Belarus, France, Germany, Malaysia and UNICEF, as well as many others are all providing assistance and support to China. Thanks to you all! A friend in need is a friend indeed, tweeted the spokesperson. This move by Pakistan although not enough to solve all needs still demonstrates the Pakistani state's unswerving solidarity with their brethren in China. The people of Pakistan are also standing with the Chinese nation. For example, a 29 year old Pakistani teacher by the name of Muhammad Usman Janjua at Changsha Medical College is voluntarily on ground-zero in Wuhan, helping out with the medical emergency situation. Usman graduated from Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine with a bachelor's degree in 2012, and a master's degree in medicine at Central South University in Changsha. After graduation, he became a foreign teacher at Changsha Medical College. During the four years since his return to his hometown, he has always been unable to forget China and Changsha, he said that China has provided him with good opportunities for education and employment and helped him to realize his dreams. Fortunately, the novel coronavirus is not as dangerous as its fatality rate is around 2% while SARS had a higher fatality rate of 10%. In time, measures made it possible for the city to isolate itself from other parts of the country and world. China has overcome SARS in the past and accumulated some relevant experiences. Based on its previous experience, China handled the situation appropriately and addressed the issue in time. China reacted maturely and with full responsibility and shared all information with the international community in a very transparent and timely manner. It is time for the international community to extend a cooperative hand toward China in overcoming this epidemic. The most important aspect will be to develop a vaccine. The developed world having rich experience of developing vaccines may come forward voluntarily. China is a major contributor to the global economy. Any harm to the Chinese economy may result in direct harm to the global economy, especially the developing world may suffer more in case of any negative impact on the Chinese economy. Natural disasters are beyond human control and can happen to any country or any nation at any time. It can be in the form of Earthquakes, Floods, Volcanoes, Tsunamis, Fire, or epidemics. Such disasters may be addressed collectively and the whole world must join hands with China to overcome this disaster. Some individuals or nations may exploit this situation for political or economic purposes, which must be condemned and avoided. The opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to People's Daily Online. Zamir Ahmed Awan is a senior fellow with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and a sinologist at the National University of Sciences and Technology in Pakistan. E-mail: [email protected] The Odisha government on Monday issued toll free numbers for people who are returning from countries with a high number of Coronavirus cases even as one more person from Odisha studying in China was admitted to hospital for suspected novel Coronavirus infection. Director of public health, Dr Ajit Mohanty said people of the state who have returned from countries like China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Singapore are advised to contact the numbers to report about any signs of the infection. The call centre will direct them to experts in their area. The phone numbers are- 0674-2390455, 9439994857, 9439991221 and 9437040564. Officials said a 29-year-old postgraduate student from Cuttack district studying in an university of Wuhan recently returned from China showing symptoms of cold and cough. Emergency Officer of SCB Medical College and Hospital, Dr Bhubanananda Maharana said the student has been kept in an isolation ward. Another person from the Kandhamal district who was studying MBBS in China too has been kept in an isolation ward of the medical college and hospital. Their blood samples have been for sent for testing to NIV, Pune and the results are expected to be back in the next few days. Both the patients are completely stable and are being given symptomatic treatment. If the reports are negative they will be discharged as per their condition and if its positive they will be given prescribed treatment, he said. Congress leader BK Hariprasad on Monday condemned BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde's remark on Mahatma Gandhi and termed him as "son" of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of the freedom fighter. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Congress leader BK Hariprasad on Monday condemned BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde's remark on Mahatma Gandhi and termed him as "son" of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of the freedom fighter. "Only sons of Nathuram Godse can make such comments on Mahatma Gandhi," Hariprasad said. Hegde had attacked Mahatma Gandhi by calling the freedom struggle led by him a "drama" and also questioned as to how "such people" come to be called 'Mahatma' in India. "None of these so-called leaders were beaten up by the cops even once. Their independence movement was one big drama. It was staged by these leaders with the approval of the British. It was not a genuine fight. It was an adjustment freedom struggle," he had said. The Trinamool Congress also lent its support to Congress as its leader Saugata Roy said people like Anant Hegde cause shame to the nation. "We are a supporter of Gandhi and they (BJP) are Nathuram Godse supporters. People of this country should see how BJP MPs are as they insult father of the nation," he added. BJP leaders too found it difficult to defend Hegde on the controversial remarks. Senior leader Jagdambika pal was cautious in his defence and said, "The whole world knows about Gandhi and it may be his personal opinion." Whereas senior BJP leaders avoid commenting on Hegde, Union Minister Ashwani Choubey said that Hegde should not have made the comment and added that Gandhi is a well-respected figure in the nation. Another BJP MP from Haryana Sanjay Bhatia also tried to shy away from making a direct comment and instead said," Congress did not implement what Gandhi preached. It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi who implemented Gandhi's teachings in letter and spirit." Paris Live opens with an update on the escalation of the conflict in Syria, where Turkey said it carried out an attack against Syrian positions in Idlib province, reportedly in retaliation for the killing of 6 Turkish soldiers by regime artillery. Then we turn to French President Emmanuel Macron's two-day visit to Poland, hosted by his counterpart Andrzej Duda, and other members of government. Macron's office said the trip is aimed opening up new areas of cooperation and stressing the need to protect European democratic values. But the two EU member states still have a lot of meaty issues they disagree on. Post-Brexit trade is also on the agenda today, with Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the EU's Michel Barnier laying out their opening positions. Top officials in France and the European Union are insisting that any trade deal with Britain will hinge upon equal access to fishing waters. We also hear from the Freight and Transport Association (FTA) in Belfast, Northern Ireland on how road haulage could be affected by Brexit trade deals. And we hear about the uncertainty of Brexit as experienced by British expats in the southwestern town of Eymet, in Dordogne. Journalists walked out of a Downing Street briefing on Boris Johnsons Brexit plans after the prime ministers director of communications tried to restrict it to selected publications and broadcasters. Among those boycotting the briefing were the BBCs political editor Laura Kuenssberg and ITVs Robert Peston. Labour accused the prime minister of adopting the tactics of US president Donald Trump, who regularly excludes reporters who he regards as hostile. An invitation sent out by No 10 offered a technical background briefing on the PMs plans to negotiate a Canadian-style free trade agreement with the EU by the end of the year. But when political correspondents from various outlets arrived inside No 10, they were asked their names and told to stand in two groups on opposite sides of the entrance hall. Director of communications Lee Cain then invited those on one side to enter and told those on the other to leave. Asked to explain why Downing Street was denying access to some publications including The Independent he replied: We are welcome to brief whoever we want whenever we want. All of the correspondents refused to take part in the event on those terms and left No 10. Cain refused to say how much taxpayers money was being spent on the planned selective briefing, which was expected to involve civil service experts including chief negotiator David Frost explaining details of the UK stance in the upcoming talks. Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Show all 20 1 /20 Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Britain votes to leave the European Union - 23 June 2016 A referendum is held on Britain's membership of the European Union. Fifty-two per cent of the country votes in favour of leaving AFP via Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? David Cameron resigns - 24 June 2016 David Cameron resigns on the morning of the result after leading the campaign for Britain to remain in the EU Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Theresa May takes the reins - 13 July 2016 Theresa May becomes leader of the Conservative party and prime minister, winning the leadership contest unopposed after Andrea Leadsom drops out Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? High Court rules parliament must vote on Brexit - November 2016 - 3 November 2016 The High Court rules that parliament must vote on triggering Article 50, which would begin the Brexit process Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Article 50 triggered - 28 March 2017 The prime minister triggers Article 50 after parliament endorses the result of the referendum Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May calls snap election - 18 April 2018 Seeking a mandate for her Brexit plan, May goes to the country Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May loses majority as Labour makes surprise gain - 8 June 2017 After a disastrous campaign, Theresa May loses her majority in the commons and turns to the DUP for support. Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party makes gains after being predicted to lose heavily AFP/Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Negotiations begin - 19 June 2017 David Davis and Michel Barnier, chief negotiators for the UK and EU respectively, hold a press conference on the first day of Brexit negotiations. Soon after the beginning of negotiations, it becomes clear that the issue of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic will prove a major sticking point AFP/Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? MPs vote that withdrawal deal must be ratified by parliament - 13 December 2017 The government suffers a defeat in parliament over the EU withdrawal agreement, guaranteeing that MPs are given a 'meaningful vote' on the deal Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary - 11 July 2018 Following a summit at Chequers where the prime minister claimed to have gained cabinet support for her deal, Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary along with David Davis, the Brexit secretary Reuters Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Draft withdrawal agreement - 15 November 2018 The draft withdrawal agreement settles Britain's divorce bill, secures the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and vice versa and includes a political declaration commiting both parties to frictionless trade in goods and cooperation on security matters. The deal also includes the backstop, which is anathema to many brexiteers and Dominic Raab and Esther McVey resign from the cabinet in protest Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? May resigns - 24 May 2019 After several failed attempts to pass her withdrawal agreement through the commons, Theresa May resigns Reuters Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson takes over - 24 July 2019 Boris Johnson is elected leader of the Conservative party in a landslide victory. He later heads to Buckingham Palace where the Queen invites him to form a government Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Parliament prorogued - 28 August 2019 Boris Johnson prorogues parliament for five weeks in the lead up to the UK's agreed departure date of 31 October. Stephen Morgan MP Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Prorogation ruled unlawful - 24 September 2019 The High Court rules that Johnson's prorogation of parliament is 'unlawful' after a legal challenge brought by businesswoman Gina Miller Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson agrees deal with Varadkar - October Following a summit in Merseyside, Johnson agrees a compromise to the backstop with Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar - making the withdrawal agreement more palatable to Brexiteers Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Final Say march demands second referendum - 19 October 2019 As parliament passes the Letwin amendment requiring the prime minister to request a further delay to Brexit, protesters take to the streets in the final show of force for a Final Say referendum Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Johnson wins 80 seat majority - 12 December 2019 The Conservatives win the December election in a landslide, granting Boris Johnson a large majority to pass through his brexit deal and pursue his domestic agenda Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? Withdrawal deal passes parliament - 20 December 2019 The withdrawal agreement passes through the commons with a majority of 124 Getty Brexit timeline: How did we get here? EU parliament backs UK withdrawal deal - 29 January 2020 Members of the European parliament overwhelmingly back the ratification of Britain's departure, clearing the way for Brexit two days later on 31 January. Following the vote, members join hands and sing Auld Lang Syne AFP/Getty Shadow culture, media and sport secretary Tracy Brabin said: Press freedom is a cornerstone of our democracy and journalists must be able to hold the government to account. It is concerning that Boris Johnson seems to be resorting to tactics imported from Donald Trump to hide from scrutiny. The future trade agreement with the European Union is an issue of great public importance and interest. Those gaining access to such important information should not be cherry-picked by No 10. It is not uncommon for politicians and their political special advisers to brief particular publications or journalists about their plans. But it has long been the convention that briefings from politically neutral civil servants are conducted on a strictly non-partisan basis, with publications of all shades of opinion represented to ensure that readers and viewers are kept informed. Concerns about No 10s attempt to exclude selected publications from the briefing were raised in the House of Commons by Labour Brexit spokesman Paul Blomfield, who told MPs: If the government is serious about bringing people together, we need reassurance that they will conduct the next stage of negotiations in an open and accountable way, and not by banning journalists from their briefings. We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Ava Risk Group Limited (ASX:AVA). Do Insider Transactions Matter? It's quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information. We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own companys stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'. Check out our latest analysis for Ava Risk Group Ava Risk Group Insider Transactions Over The Last Year While no particular insider transaction stood out, we can still look at the overall trading. In the last twelve months Ava Risk Group insiders were buying shares, but not selling. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! ASX:AVA Recent Insider Trading, February 2nd 2020 Ava Risk Group is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. Ava Risk Group Insiders Bought Stock Recently Over the last three months, we've seen a bit of insider buying at Ava Risk Group. Non-Executive Director Michael McGeever bought AU$37k worth of shares in that time. It's great to see that insiders are only buying, not selling. However, in this case the amount invested recently is quite small. Story continues Does Ava Risk Group Boast High Insider Ownership? Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. From our data, it seems that Ava Risk Group insiders own 12% of the company, worth about AU$4.0m. However, it's possible that insiders might have an indirect interest through a more complex structure. Overall, this level of ownership isn't that impressive, but it's certainly better than nothing! So What Does This Data Suggest About Ava Risk Group Insiders? We note a that there has been a bit of insider buying recently (but no selling). That said, the purchases were not large. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. While we have no worries about the insider transactions, we'd be more comfortable if they owned more Ava Risk Group stock. Along with insider transactions, I recommend checking if Ava Risk Group is growing revenue. This free chart of historic revenue and earnings should make that easy. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. What just happened? There are numerous leakers in the tech industry who reveal products ahead of time, but they do this through legal means, such as company sources. Continually hacking a firm to steal pre-release info will get you into trouble, as one California man who revealed the Nintendo Switch before its launch has found out. The Department of Justice writes that in 2016, 21-year-old Ryan Hernandez and an associate phished a Nintendo employee, grabbing their company credentials to steal files from the gaming giant. The stolen information, including pre-release information on the Nintendo Switch, was leaked online. In October 2017, an FBI investigation identified Hernandez, and agents tracked him down to his parents California residence. He promised to stop hacking and confirmed that he understood the consequences if any future hacking. But it seems Hernandez went back on his word. From at least June 2018 to June 2019, he hacked into various Nintendo servers to steal more files related to the companys games and consoles. The DoJ writes that he boasted about his exploits using online platforms, including Twitter and Discord. He also had his own chat forum called Ryans Underground Hangout, where he chatted with others about the confidential information he had stolen and shared vulnerabilities in Nintendos network. When the FBI raided Hernandezs home in June 2019, they discovered thousands of confidential Nintendo files. They also found a folder called Bad Stuff on a drive, which contained over one thousand videos and images of child pornography. Hernandez has agreed to pay $259,323 in restitution to Nintendo and will be required to register as a sex offender following his conviction. Under the terms of his plea agreement, prosecutors and defense attorneys recommend three years in prison, but that will be up to a judge to decide. The DoJ points out that the maximum sentence for computer fraud is five years, and twenty years for possession of child pornography. Hernandez will be sentenced in April 2020. In other Switch news, Nintendo has confirmed there won't be a Pro version of the console released this year. London mayor Sadiq Khan has expressed anger at Boris Johnson's government over its failure to prevent a "foreseeable and preventable" terror attack in Streatham. Police killed 20-year-old Isis supporter Sudesh Amman after he mounted a knife attack on passersby in south London on Sunday. It emerged that he was being monitored by undercover police after recently being released from prison, where he had served a sentence for terror offences. In the wake of the attack, the prime minister said he will announce plans later on Monday for "fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences". But he came under criticism from Mr Khan, who said the government had failed in its pledge to change anti-terror laws since the incident in London Bridge in November, where two people were killed by convicted terrorist Usman Khan, who had been released from prison on licence. Recommended Streatham terror attacker was being monitored by undercover officers The London mayor told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "What makes me angry is we were speaking probably three months ago about the London Bridge attack. In my view, both these attacks were both foreseeable and preventable. "These were men convicted of terrorist related offences and I have been frustrated for some time about changes to the law in 2012 which took away from judges the power they used to have to give a sentence to protect the public - an indeterminate sentence - and to make sure people weren't released unless we knew they were no longer a danger." Mr Khan added: "I'm angry because some of the reassurances we were given by the government in November haven't been realised." Asked if indeterminate sentences should be brought back, he said judges needed the power to give such sentences but also prisons needed better resources to prevent prisoners from being radicalised. Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Show all 22 1 /22 Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police officers on Streatham High Road. The Metropolitan Police warned people to stay away from the Streatham area boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings The man was shot dead by police after two stabbed in 'Islamist-related' terror attack in London boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Sudesh Amman, the attacker, has been named as a convicted terror offender who was released from prison days ago Metropolitan Police/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road Isis supporter Amman was just 18 when he was jailed in December 2018 after police found a stash of bomb-making manuals and other propaganda. Now 20, he had declared his own wish to carry out a terror attack and stockpiled a combat knife, air gun and black flag at his family home in London PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings He was being monitored by undercover police and being followed as part of a proactive counterterrorism operation when he started the rampage in Streatham AP Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Amman was able to stab two people before being shot dead by armed officers outside a busy row of shops Gabriel Video/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A woman reacts as police officers interview people near to the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings An armed police officer on Streatham High Road Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said Amman was wearing a fake suicide ves Gully/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers work outside of a Boots store AFP via Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers at the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police forensic officer works at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police officer on the scene Dave Chawner/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers are seen near the site Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers on the scene outside an Iceland supermarket Andy Bullemor/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police are seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A policeman secures the site of the incident EPA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Megan Tobeck Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Michael Owens Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers at the scene PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A Police officer is seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Former head of UK counter-terrorism policing Sir Mark Rowley said there was a case for giving terrorists indeterminate prison sentences but also said there should also be given rehabilitation and de-radicalisation support so they can change their ways. "If someone is clearly driven by an ideology and they believe that slaughtering other people is a sort of God-given purpose, then I can see a case for that," said Sir Mark. "As long as we put alongside it the rehabilitation and de-radicalisation programmes to give someone the opportunity to change their ways and be released. "I don't think there should be a lock-up-and-throw-away-the key - we need to be as equally aggressive about trying to help people turn their lives around as we are determined to protect the public." Two people were stabbed during the attack in Streatham on Sunday afternoon, including a man in his 40s whose condition is no longer considered life threatening, according to police. A woman in her 50s has now been discharged from hospital. Another woman in her 20s, who received minor injuries believed to have been caused by glass, continues to receive treatment. Scotland Yard said armed officers were following the suspect on foot as part of a "proactive counter-terrorism surveillance operation" on Streatham High Road. A device found strapped to the body of the suspect was a hoax. The prime minister paid tribute to the victims and the emergency services, saying an investigation was ongoing into the Streatham attack. Speaking on Sunday night, Mr Johnson said: "Following the awful events at Fishmongers Hall [in London Bridge], we have moved quickly to introduce a package of measures to strengthen every element of our response to terrorism including longer prison sentences and more money for the police. Tomorrow, we will announce further plans for fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences. S udesh Amman, the man shot dead after two people were stabbed in Streatham , had been fascinated with carrying out a terror atrocity using a knife, a court had previously been warned. Ammans fantasies had been revealed at the Old Bailey when he was sentenced to three years and four months for possessing and distributing terrorist documents a little over a year ago. It is understood he was freed in the past six weeks , and ahead of formal identification is the 20-year-old is the man police say they are confident stabbed two people in south London on Sunday. Then aged 18, Amman had smiled and waved at the public gallery as he was jailed. His stash of manuals on bomb-making, knife-fighting and close combat included the titles Bloody Brazilian Knife Fighting and How To Make A Bomb In Your Kitchen, the Old Bailey was told. Police are confident that Sudesh Amman is the man behind the terror attack in Streatham () / Met Police Police found a notepad in the North West London College students home, in which the phrase life goals had been scrawled. Top of the list, above family activities, was dying a martyr and going to Jannah the afterlife, Alexis Boon, then head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, said after he was jailed. He said Amman had a fierce interest in violence and martyrdom and that he was fascinated with dying in the name of terrorism, and added that the case was a reminder of the need to be vigilant to signs of radicalisation and report it. Amman, who had then lived with his family in Harrow, north-west London, posted al Qaida propaganda on a family WhatsApp group, exposing siblings as young as 11 to graphic material, and had shared bomb-making literature via Skype chat. Police found a notepad in the Sudesh Amman's home in which the phrase life goals had been scrawled (Met Police ) / Met Police He had told his girlfriend of his wish to carry out acid attacks and that he preferred the idea of a knife attack over using bombs. Scotland Yard said armed officers were following the suspect on foot as part of a "proactive counter-terrorism surveillance operation" on Streatham High Road. Three victims were taken by ambulance to south London hospitals. Foresenics officers at the scene (Nigel Howard) / NIGEL HOWARD One man, in his 40s, is no longer considered to be in a life-threatening condition following treatment, police said. A woman, in her 50s, who had non-life threatening injuries has been discharged from hospital. Police said a second woman in her 20s, who received minor injuries believed to have been caused by glass following the discharge of a police firearm, continues to receive treatment. The aftermath / PA Neighbours in Harrow told of their shock at what happened on Sunday. Mechanical engineering apprentice Jignesh Khomani, 20, said he was saddened by the attack, and described Amman as a pretty average guy. He said: There were no signs of anything [like this]. He was just normal really. Streatham terror attack - In pictures 1 /28 Streatham terror attack - In pictures Police are dealing with an incident in Streatham Andy Bullemor Police officers conduct a search of a bail hostel in south London AFP via Getty Images A woman reacts near to the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police Getty Images Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police cordon off a property in Streatham PA Forensic officers outside a property on Leigham Court Road, Streatham PA Police activity at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police officers look under a bus as they work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the Streatham area of south London AP Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police officer on Streatham High Road PA Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Police officers guard a cordon on Streatham High Road, at the junction of Prentis Road AFP via Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police secure the area in Streatham AP Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard I just did not expect anything like this would happen. He did not seem like a character who would do something like that. A teenager, who said she knew him from the local neighbourhood but did not want to give her name, said Amman used to talk about being a terrorist but she and others thought he was joking. He used to say I have got a grenade in my pocket, if you take one step closer to me I am going to set it off, she said. A combat knife previously found in the home of Sudesh Amman, who was sentenced to three years and four months in prison / PA We thought he was joking. He did used to say I am going to bomb you and I an going to be a terrorist but we were kids and thought he was joking but he kept on saying it. Prosecutor Kelly Brocklehurst told the court at his sentencing that police were alerted by a Dutch blogger who identified extremist material in a Telegram chat in April 2018. There was a photo of a knife and two firearms on a Shahada flag bearing Arabic words which mean armed and ready. An air gun, a black flag and a combat knife were seized from his home when he was arrested in May that year. Mr Brocklehurst said: The defendant had discussed with his family, friends and girlfriend his strong and often extreme views on jihad, the kuffar, and his desire to carry out a terrorist attack. Much of his fascination with conducting an attack was focused on using a knife but reference was also made to committing acid attacks on mopeds. The prosecutor said Ammans interest in Islamic extremism and IS in particular was more than a mere immature fascination with the taboo and with graphic violence. He added: He is clearly someone with sincerely held and concerning ideological beliefs. Man shot dead by police in Streatham attack was convicted terrorist Amman had entered guilty pleas to six charges of possession and seven of disseminating terrorism documents. He denied three charges, which were ordered to lie on court file. The science and maths student had previous convictions for possession of an offensive weapon and cannabis. He was aged just 17 when he began collecting terrorist material in 2017. Judge Mark Lucraft QC said Amman had a very concerning series of offences. ROCKVILLE, Md., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Angelini Pharma Inc. U.S., an international healthcare company headquartered in Maryland, is tackling the epidemic of healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) with their new line of infection prevention products. HAIs continue to cause preventable complications and poor patient outcomes. HAIs cause more patient deaths every year than breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer. With Angelini's new portfolio, designed to be used across the care continuum, they are addressing the "why" behind the issue and providing solutions. "One of the key reasons for the difficulty to prevent HAIs is compliance," says President and General Manager, Philippe Befferal." We identified an unmet need -- products must be better tolerated, easily accessible, and more convenient for staff to use. We have products that people will want to use, making it easier to comply with disinfection protocols." Hand disinfection is the #1 way to prevent HAIs. Aniosgel, their hospital strength hand sanitizer, addresses the reason why healthcare providers only wash their hands 50% of the time. Providers cite hand sanitizers dry, crack, and irritate their skin, causing handwashing avoidance. Aniosgel offers a solution, providing anti-irritant ingredients formulated with 3 natural moisturizers. Staff now have a powerfully effective hand sanitizer that is gentle on their skin. You don't have to sacrifice one need for the other. Angelini's Alcavis Bleach Wipes are individual premoistened wipes that are easily portable and reachable to disinfect bed rails, I.V. poles, walkers, and wheelchairs, etc. as well as blood spills. They are powerful enough to eradicate C. difficile, S. aureus, S. enterica, P. aeruginosa, TB & HIV: Viral, MRSA and VRE. The blech wipes are CDC & OSHA compliant. "Our focus is to deliver high quality products, relevant education, and simple solutions to the medical community for one purpose only saving patient lives," says Befferal. For more information or to provide these products in your facility, contact Customer Service at [email protected]. About Angelini Pharma Inc. Established 100-years ago, Angelini Pharmaceuticals has grown to become an international leader in saving patient lives. Two decades ago, American-based Angelini Pharma Inc. was created in Maryland. As a dominant leader in dialysis infection control, they have broadened their portfolio to combat the crisis of healthcare-acquired infections. To learn more, visit Angelini's new website, www.angelini-us.com. SOURCE Angelini Pharma Inc. Virtually disapproving the filing of a case against two journalists on a complaint by former DGP T P Senkumar, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday told the state assembly that a report has been sought from the police on the issue. Referring to mention of Senkumar's name by a Congress member in the House, Vijayan said the government has sought a report from the police chief Loknath Behera. "We cannot turn our state into a place where a case is registered for asking questions," he said. Police here had on Sunday registered the case against 'Kalapremi' reporter Kadavil Rasheed and 'Asianet News' senior coordinating editor P G Suresh Kumar, on the basis of a complaint filed by Senkumar alleging conspiracy against him. During a press meet addressed by him on January 16 here, Senkumar had become agitated when Rasheed raised a question on action taken by him when he was the DGP over alleged corruption by Sree Narayana Dharama Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam chief Vellappally Natesan. Asking Rasheed to identify himself, Senkumar had said, "... Are you a journalist? Leave this place. I am addressing journalists here." Suddenly a group of supporters of Senkumar, who were inside the press conference hall went up to Rasheed and asked him to move out of the room and started shoving him. Following this, Rasheed petitioned the police to register a case against Senkumar. However, Senkumar filed a counter-complaint, accusing Rasheed and Suresh Kumar of hatching a criminal conspiracy against him. Rasheed was additionally implicated with a charge of trying to manhandle Senkumar. Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) had earlier demanded an apology from the former state DGP for insulting the senior journalist. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Australian Competition and Commission (ACCC) and Google are preparing for mediation in a Federal Court case that centres on the collection and use of location data by the Android operating system. The two parties appeared this morning for a short case management hearing in Sydney before Justice Thawley. The parties will head to mediation in the week commencing 3 August. This is a common practice for proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia, an ACCC spokesperson told Computerworld. The case has also been listed for trial on the issue of liability for a period of five days, beginning 9 November. The ACCC cannot provide any further comment as the case is currently before the court, the spokesperson said. The ACCC in October began court proceedings against Google, alleging that the company was misleading Australian consumers about key privacy settings in Android. A chief complaint of the ACCC is that Google doesnt make it obvious that a Google Account on an Android handset will in some circumstances continue to collect location data even if Location History is disabled. Another Web App Activity setting also must be switched off, the ACCC said. The commission also claims that Google misleads consumers about how their location data will be used. Google has formally rejected the ACCCs allegations, saying that the commission has cherry picked claims by ignoring the context for the relevant Android settings. Last year in a court filing first reported by Computerworld the company formally set out its view that the ACCCs case relies upon a limited, and therefore artificial and incorrect, account of the way in which Users were provided with information relating to Google's collection, storage and use of their Personal Data. The ACCC case follows in the wake of its wide-ranging Digital Platforms Inquiry, which focused heavily on the market power of Google and Facebook. ACCC chair Rod Sims revealed in December that the commission had five active investigations under way as a result of the inquiry. The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to Centre and all the State governments on a petition against the continued deaths of children who fall into borewells and the negligence shown by authorities to prevent such tragedies. A Bench of Justice Arun Mishra and Justice MR Shah sought response from the Central and State governments, Union Territories and the NDRF on the PIL filed by advocate GS Mani. The plea said authorities remain negligent about safety measures concerning borewells despite Supreme Court directions in 2010. The advocate cited several news reports of borewell deaths in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra over the years after the court issued directions. Citing the failure of the government at the State and Central levels to comply with the Supreme Court 2010 guidelines to prevent bore well/tube well deaths, the plea said that such deaths have been reported across the country. The plea was filed in October 2019 in the wake of the death of two-year-old Sujith Wilson, who got trapped in an abandoned borewell near Tiruchi in Tamil Nadu. Not only Tamil Nadu State authorities failed to take any steps to prevent the death of small children who fall into abandoned or open bore wells and tube wells, but they have failed to implement or comply with the directions issued by the Supreme Court in this regard, the petition stated. "After the 2010 Supreme Court judgement was passed, there have been several incidents clearly evincing the total failure of the government to do their part to prevent the death of innocent children from falls into such wells," the petition states. Immediate, necessary action and punishment be ordered against erring government officials for non-compliance with these precautionary measures, it demanded. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A damning report by The New York Times details accusations of misogyny, bullying and harassment within the culture of lingerie company and fashion show juggernaut Victorias Secret. Several accusations of inappropriate conduct toward models, including supermodel Bella Hadid, were made against Ed Razek, who recently stepped down as president and chief marketing officer of Victorias Secret parent company L Brands. The allegations include bullying, lewd comments and sexual harassment. Leslie Wexner, founder and chief executive of L Brands, was alerted to Razeks behaviour, the report says. But some women who came forward lost their Victorias Secret modelling jobs as a result. USA Today has reached out to representatives for L Brands for comment. The report comes amid turmoil for the brand: The annual Victorias Secret Fashion Show was cancelled in November after the company announced in May it was going to re-think the show. In a statement sent to the associates at the time and obtained by USA Today, Wexner said the show would be going in a different direction. Fashion is a business of change. We must evolve and change to grow. With that in mind, we have decided to re-think the traditional Victorias Secret Fashion Show, the statement read. Going forward we dont believe network television is the right fit. The show in recent years had been buffeted by bad publicity, bad reviews and bad numbers. The 2018 shows audience of 3.27 million viewers was the smallest since it became a holiday season TV event in 2001, with Nielsen saying the show has lost more than half its television audience in two years. The Times report also includes accusations that Razek made inappropriate comments to supermodel Bella Hadid at a 2018 fashion show fitting. Citing three people present and a fourth who was later told about it, the report said Razek sat on a couch, watching while Hadid was being fitted for underwear to make sure the look would be appropriate for television. Forget the panties, he said, according to the report. He also made a lewd comment about Hadid having perfect breasts. USA Today has reached out to Hadids representative for comment. Three people also told The Times that Razek touched another models crotch through her underwear at the same fitting. In November, Hadid opened up about lacking confidence while modelling lingerie for Victorias Secret, a relationship that dissolved after she joined Rihannas Savage X Fenty lingerie brand. Rihannas amazing. For me, that was the first time on a runway that I felt really sexy, Hadid said. When I first did Fenty, I was doing other lingerie shows and I never felt powerful on a runway, like, in underwear. The younger sister of supermodel sister Gigi Hadid modelled in Victoria Secrets fashion show three times, most recently in November 2018, where she donned multiple looks. The difference? With Rihannas show, she was like, Walk whatever way you want to walk, Hadid said. Ask The Advocate: What to do if you get trapped in this downtown parking garage PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-03 18:01:03 BONDUELLE A French SCA (Partnership Limited by Shares) with a capital of 56 942 095 Euros Head Office: La Woestyne 59173 Renescure, France Registered under number: 447 250 044 (Dunkerque Commercial and Companies Register) First Half Year 2019-2020 Revenue (July 1 December 31, 2019) A dynamic second quarter, driven by the Non Europe zone Return to growth in North America for the fresh operating segment The Bonduelle Group's revenue for the first half of financial year 2019-2020 stands at 1,442.3 million, an increase of +2.5% on reported figures and +0.6% on a like for like basis*. Currency effects contributed +1.9% to the published growth of this first half year, reflecting the strengthening of the US and Canadian dollars and the Russian rouble. No change in the group's scope of consolidation occurred over the period. Revenue for Q2 posted an increase of +4.6% based on reported figures and +2.4% on a like for like basis*. Activity by Geographic Region Total Consolidated Revenue (in millions) 1st HY 2019-2020 1st HY 2018-2019 Variation Reported figures Variation Like for like basis* 2nd Quarter 2019-2020 2nd Quarter 2018-2019 Variation Reported figures Variation Like for like basis* Europe Zone 640.4 642.3 -0.3% -0.3% 322.6 327.2 -1.4% -1.3% Non-Europe Zone 801.9 764.4 +4.9% +1.2% 435.4 397.4 +9.6% +5.4% Total 1,442.3 1,406.6 +2.5% +0.6% 758.- 724.5 +4.6% +2.4% Activity by Operating Segments Total Consolidated Revenue (in millions) 1st HY 2019-2020 1st HY 2018-2019 Variation Reported figures Variation Like for like basis* 2nd Quarter 2019-2020 2nd Quarter 2018-2019 Variation Reported figures Variation Like for like basis* Canned 559.2 533.3 +4.9% +3.5% 314.2 302.4 +3.9% +2.2% Frozen 340.3 322.5 +5.5% +3.1% 186.5 176.9 +5.4% +2.9% Fresh processed 542.8 550.8 -1.5% -3.8% 257.3 245.2 +4.9% +2.2% Total 1,442.3 1,406.6 +2.5% +0.6% 758.- 724.5 +4.6% +2.4% Europe Zone The growth of revenue for the Europe Zone, representing 44.4% of the business activity over the first half of this financial year, posted a global evolution of -0.3% both on reported figures and like for like basis*, changes for the 2nd quarter were -1.4% and -1.3% respectively. The downturn in business in Q2 was mainly due to the decline in the private label activity, high basis of comparison in the canned operating segment, markets for delicatessen and fresh salads remaining difficult in France and the residual effect of the loss of a German client in this latter activity. The bagged salad in Italy and frozen activities in Europe continued to grow, while the canned Cassegrain brand in France recorded record growth. Non-Europe Zone The revenue of the Non-Europe Zone, representing 55.6% of the revenue of the group, was up by +4.9% on reported figures and +1.2% on a like for like basis*, changes for the 2nd quarter were +9.6% and +5.4% respectively. The group recorded growth over the latter period in the 3 operating segments - canned, frozen, fresh prepared and ready-to-use - and in the various geographic marketing areas, in particular in Eurasia (Russia and peripheral countries) thanks to the success of the Bonduelle-branded canned innovations (corn, peas and olives). In North America, the acquisition of the packaging plant in Lebanon enabled the frozen food business to return to growth, with the canned food business, essentially in Canada, being driven by co-packing markets (subcontracting of national brands). The fresh business segment (bagged salads and salad bowls) returned to solid growth in Q2 by conquering new markets and extending the range with existing clients, despite a health alert that affected the sales activity of the various market players for certain product range. Other significant information Health alert in Northern America A health alert relating to contamination with the bacteria E. coli of products containing romaine lettuce was issued in November 2019 by the American and Canadian authorities. This alert led, for the various market players, to the temporary cessation of the sale of certain products and generated supply disruptions in stores. The additional costs linked to this alert are estimated at 3.5 million of US dollars and will impact the group's accounts as non-recurring items as of December 31, 2019. Outlooks The evolution of the activity for the 1st HY, below the group's initial expectations in Europe, the impact of the summer and autumn 2019 crops, coupled with the health alert in the United States will limit the outlook for revenue and current operating profitability for the group in 2019-2020 to the lower end of the range communicated in October 2019. * at constant currency exchange rate and scope of consolidation basis. The revenue in foreign currency over the given period are translated into the rate of exchange for the comparable period. The impact of business acquisitions (or gain of control) and divestments is restated as follows: For businesses acquired (or gain of control) during the current period, revenue generated since the acquisition date is excluded from the organic growth calculation; For businesses acquired (or gain of control) during the prior fiscal year, revenue generated during the current period up until the first anniversary date of the acquisition is excluded; For businesses divested (or loss of control) during the prior fiscal year, revenue generated in the comparative period of the prior fiscal year until the divestment date is excluded; For businesses divested (or loss of control) during the current fiscal year, revenue generated in the period commencing 12 months before the divestment date up to the end of the comparative period of the prior fiscal year is excluded. Alternative performance indicators : the group presents in its financial notices performance indicators not defined by accounting standards. The main performance indicators are detailed in the financial reports available on www.bonduelle.com. Next financial events: - 2019-2020 1st Half Year Results: March 6, 2020 (prior to stock exchange trading session) - 2019-2020 3rd Quarter FY Revenue: May 4, 2020 (after stock exchange trading session) About Bonduelle Bonduelle, a family business, was established in 1853. Its mission is to be the world reference in "well-living" through plant-based food. Prioritizing innovation and long-term vision, the group is diversifying its operations and geographical presence. Its vegetables, grown over almost 120,000 hectares all over the world, are sold in 100 countries under various brand names and through various distribution channels and technologies. An expert in agro-industry with 56 industrial sites or owned agricultural production sites, Bonduelle produces quality products by selecting the best crop areas close to its customers. Bonduelle is listed on Euronext compartment A Euronext indices: CAC MID & SMALL - CAC FOOD PRODUCERS - CAC ALL SHARES Bonduelle is part of the Gaia non-financial performance index and employee shareholder index (I.A.S.) Code ISIN : FR0000063935 - Code Reuters : BOND.PA - Code Bloomberg : BON FP Find out about the groups current events and news on Twitter @Bonduelle_Group, and its financial news on @BonduelleCFO Attachment Fearne Cotton has called for an end to the 'evil stepmother' stereotypes in children's books. The presenter, 38, who enjoys a close relationship with her own stepchildren, insisted it is time for better representation of stepparents in children's fiction, saying her own experience of being a stepmother had been 'purely positive'. 'Blended families are common place but the representation of step parents (especially mums, it never seems to be the step father) in kids fiction needs to change to suit the times,' she tweeted on Saturday. The post was met with support from some followers, however others claimed she was being 'overly sensitive' to the issue. Fearne is married to musician Jesse Wood, 43, and stepmother to his children Arthur, 17, and Lola, 14, whom he shares with first wife Tilly. Fearne and Jesse, son of the Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood, have two children together: Rex, six, and Honey, four. Fearne Cotton has called for an end to the 'evil stepmother' stereotypes in children's books. Pictured, with husband Jesse Wood and their children Rex and Honey in London last year The TV presenter, 38, who enjoys a close relationship with her own stepchildren, insisted it is time for better representation of stepparents in children's fiction, saying her own experience of being a stepmother had been 'purely positive'. Pictured, the tweets making her case The couple spend time together as a family-of-six and Fearne is vocal in her love and support of Arthur and Lola on social media. Taking to Twitter, Fearne explained an author had visited her son Rex's school and had read from a book featuring an 'evil' stepmother. She wrote: 'An author visited my sons school this week to read a new novel where once again the step mother featured as an evil character. 'Isn't it about time we represented step parents in children's fiction in a more positive way. I've been a step mum for 9 years now. It's been a purely positive experience for all involved. 'Blended families are common place but the representation of step parents (especially mums, it never seems to be the step father) in kids fiction needs to change to suit the times.' Fearne is married to musician Jesse Wood, 43, and stepmother to his children Arthur, 17, and Lola, 14, whom he shares with first wife Tilly. Pictured, Fearne and Jesse are pictured together at the Tusk Conservation Awards in Leicester Square in November last year The couple and their children spend time together as a family-of-six and Fearne is vocal in her love and support of Arthur and Lola on social media, pictured Followers were quick to agree with Fearne, and even encouraged her to write her own book. One replied: 'Couldn't agree more. I've always called my "stepdad" Dad. I have never thought of him as "step" & I think that's because I'm consciously fighting back against the stereotype & negative connotations instilled in us from such childhood stories. I think you have found an idea!' Another tweeted: 'Blended families are wonderful things. More people to be loved by is always a bonus!' A third posted: 'It is so frustrating that the majority of children's fiction choose to represent step parents like this. It couldn't be further from the truth, it's another battle in itself to break down the misconceptions.' The post was met with support from some followers, however others claimed she was being 'overly sensitive' to the issue 'Fearne I've been a stepmum to 3 kids for 9 years, and my husband has been a stepdad to my son. My husband has been a major father figure for him and I have such a strong bond with his 3 kids. My stepdaughter was my maid of honour at our wedding. Blended families can rock!' But some slammed the former radio host for being overly sensitive and said 'fiction is just fiction'. On tweeted: 'Oh dry up, it's a novel it's fiction!! All adopted boys aren't wizards either you know!?' Another agreed: 'No- it's a child's story. It's fiction.' 'Key word 'fiction' it's only a book,' a third added. 'Do you really worry what your step child might do after reading it? You both determine that relationship. Not a book.' Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has lashed out again at its estranged ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the break-up of ties and not honouring the promise made over equal sharing of the chief ministership. Thackeray, while asserting that the three-party alliance in the state cannot be called immoral, said that he did not ask for the moon and stars, but for the share in power to accomplish the promise done to his father, late Bal Thackeray. Thackeray, in his first of the three-part interview to party mouthpiece Saamana after becoming the chief minister, said that the BJP was responsible for the change in the power equation in Maharashtra. In the first part, published on Monday, Thackeray said the three-party alliance (with Nationalist Congress Party and Congress) cannot be called deviation from the ideology of the Hindutva and also reminded the BJP that it has joined hands with several parties with different ideologies at state and national level. They (BJP) did not keep their promise made to us before the Lok Sabha elections last year. Shiv Sena had decided to go solo in Lok Sabha elections, but the BJP leadership approached us for the alliance and we honoured their request. I even went for filing of nomination of Narendrabhai (Modi) and Amitbhai (Shah) to Ahmedabad and Varanasi. I did this for Hindutva and even campaigned for the alliance. What did we expect in turn? Did I ask for the moon and stars? I only expected the promise given to us be honoured. I had promised my father that I would install a Shiv Sainik in the chair of the chief minister and I had decided to go to any extend to fulfill it. Had they honoured the promise, I would not have been in the chair, some another Shiv Sainik would have occupied it, he said. Shiv Sena joined hands with NCP and Congress to form the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government in November last year after ending its three-decade-old alliance with the BJP. The Sena had demanded equal sharing of the chief minister post for two-and-a half years between, a demand which was refused by the BJP. When asked about BJP allegation that Thackeray has compromised with the Hindutva agenda and gave up the principles, the Maharashtra chief minister questioned if the formers alliance with Nitish Kumar, Mehbooba Mufti and Mayawati was a compromise. Have I converted to some other religion? One should not be under the impression that theirs is the final word (on Hindutva). Has it been written there in the Constitution that what they (BJP) say is Hindutva? They talk about our ideology, but let me ask, how many ideologies have come together in NDA government at the Centre? Does your ideology match with that of Nitish Kumar and Ram Vilas Paswan? Did it match with Mehbooba Mufti, Chandrababu Naidu and Mamata Banerjee when they were in power with the BJP? he said. Thackeray also lashed out at the BJPs alliance with Mehbooba Muftis Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to form a government in Jammu and Kashmir in 2014. They joined hands with the separatists and the government was formed after talks with terrorists, he said. Thackeray said that the Maharashtra BJP leaders have no right to criticise him for forging an alliance with Congress and NCP for power as the latter had inducted key leaders from these parties for political gain. Many Congress, NCP leaders were inducted in BJP and were made MPs and MLAs. Was that based on the ideology? The leaders who had attacked Modi, were given entry into BJP and latter Modi went and campaigned for them. What type of morality is this? We do not need to learn ethics from them, he said. HEDA kicks, As staff protest There are indications that the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, may be shielding the embattled acting Director-General of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research (FIIRO), Chima Igwe, who has been embroiled in Ph.D. certificate scandal in the Institute. Igwe has been in the storm of certificate scandal over the years in a claim to have obtained a doctorate (Ph.D) from the Universite dAbomey-Calavi, Benin Republic, but cannot present any certificate to prove he has the qualification he claimed. FIIRO records show that Igwe received accelerated promotion on basis of the Ph.D. qualification. Invariably, Igwe received promotion faster than most of his colleagues who are directors in the Institute but, did not possess Ph.D. However, Igwes Ph.D. became controversial when he was made acting Director-General in May 2019 after the exit of the former DG. The FIIRO Governing Board had on several instances directed Igwe to present his Ph.D certificate which he claimed, but he couldnt; raising suspicion of false claim. However, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), conducted investigation into the matter; and after long delay, cleared Igwe. It was gathered that the ICPC in the report on findings of its investigation, acknowledged that Igwe actually obtained a Ph.D Certificate. However, a media investigation found that the ICPC finding was wrong. The university was said to have disclosed that Igwe is yet to complete his studies for the Ph.D certificate. ALSO READ: FIIRO strategic to Nigerias economic diversification Borofice The ICPC was also later found not to have got clarification from the university before confirming Igwes Ph.D status. The Commission, thereafter, said it had resumed the investigation. This Reporter had towards the end of 2019 visited Igwes office at FIIRO on two occasions but couldnt meet him. Later a journalist in Lagos in a telephone conversation with this Reporter claimed to be the media consultant to the embattled FIIRO acting DG. He said the Minister of Science and Technology had ordered Igwe not to speak to the media, with the assurance that the minister will handle the matter from Abuja. The self-claimed media consultant in his explanation, said that it is ethnic conflict that is going on in FIIRO. In his view, other directors in the institute are fighting Igwe and do not want him to be promoted because he is an Igbo man. However, he couldnt explain why it is difficult for the acting DG to present the Ph.D certificate he claimed. The Ministers protection of Igwe appears to become visible when FIIRO workers went on protest, demanding the acting DG presents the certificate he claimed to have obtained. Delegation was sent the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Abuja, to intervene. Members of the delegation held meeting with the protesting FIIRO workers, urging them to stop the protests of the false certificate claim of the acting Director-General, Chima Igwe. It was gathered that the delegates from Abuja included the Directors of Human Resources, Director of Legal Services, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Science and Technology on Technical Matters and the Senior Special Adviser to the Minister of State. The officials were said to have insisted that Igwe cannot be suspended until the conclusion of investigation into his claimed of doctorate degree. However, the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), led by Lanre Suraji, had petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari, demanding the sack of Igwe for false centrifuge claim. The workers were gathered to have resolved to resist intimidation by the Minister, maintaining that the protest will continue. FIIRO workers had on Thursday, January 16, 2020, commenced protest led by officials of the Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI). The Chairman of SSAUTHRIAI, Togunde Mumeen, was gathered to have insisted that the protests would not be stopped until the ministry does the right thing. HEDA, had in the petition by the Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, requested FIIRO board to sack Igwe. HEDA had protested: We follow up the investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC); but we are surprised to discover that the ICPC appears to have abandoned the investigation. HEDA argued that, The allegations levelled against the acting director-general, Mr. Igwe, is such that is within the definition of serious misconduct as defined in the Federal Government Civil Service Rules in Rule 030401, which defines serious misconduct as a specific act of very serious wrongdoing and improper behaviour, which is inimical to the image of the service and which can be investigated and if proved, may lead to dismissal. PV: 0 Some San Francisco International Airport passengers said they waited hours to get through immigration after stringent new travel restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak took effect and as more cases were confirmed in California. Kavita Kajla, a 29-year-old who lives in San Mateo, arrived at SFO on Monday from India. She was weary from the long journey, and then it took nearly three hours to get off the plane and through customs, she said. I dont know why, she said as she waited for a ride in the airports international terminal. First I thought because of the processes because the virus. ... But the process was the same. Edmund Lee, a 50-year-old who traveled to San Francisco from Singapore, waited slightly over an hour to clear customs Monday morning. He said a friend, by contrast, waited five hours on Sunday night. One hour is quite normal, but two hours, five hours is uh..., Lee said. On Friday, the White House declared the coronavirus a public health emergency and barred entry of most foreign travelers who had recently been in China. The entry restrictions dont apply to permanent residents, close family members of citizens or green card holders, airline or sea crew members, diplomats, and anyone traveling for virus prevention or treatment, law enforcement, or national security. A mandatory two-week quarantine for U.S. citizens returning from Hubei province, at the center of the outbreak, is also in effect. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been screening international arriving SFO passengers who had been in Wuhan, the hard-hit city in Hubei province, but is now screening a broader group, SFO spokesman Doug Yakel said in an email. If youre arriving from China to the U.S., screening includes filling out a questionnaire about travel and any symptoms and a CDC staff will take your temperature with a handheld thermometer that doesnt touch the skin, CDCs website said. A receptionist at a medical clinic outside security at SFOs International Terminal said Monday that if anyone was sick, they would remain in the customs area and not go to the clinic. Major airlines have announced they are canceling flights to China because of reduced demand and concern about flight crews and other employees. United will have its last flight from SFO to mainland China on Tuesday; its flights will not resume until the end of March. Air China will stop its single daily nonstop between Beijing and SFO from Friday through the end of March. Despite other reports on Twitter of long waits especially on Sunday several travelers Monday said they they cleared customs fairly quickly, after 10 to 20 minutes. This is normal, Huy Nguyen of San Jose said after getting through in about 10 minutes and hanging around another half hour to collect his luggage. What was not normal though expected in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak was officials asking if he had traveled to China. They asked if we visited China, I said no, and thats it, he said. Even so, Nguyen, who flew in from Vietnam, wore a face mask as a precautionary measure. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Everyone wears it in Korea, he said of where he transferred flights. Everyone wears it in Vietnam. During fiscal year 2019, an average of more than 14,000 people traveled to the U.S. from China each day, via both direct and indirect flights, the Presidents proclamation said. Students who are still waiting for visas or visa holders in China for business or work might now have trouble getting in, according to Stuart Anderson, Executive Director of the National Foundation for American Policy, although he hadnt heard of large numbers of similar cases. UC Berkeley had two visiting researchers from China whose programs expired, and the university is working on extending their appointments so that their return can be delayed, spokeswoman Janet Gilmore said in a statement. There are approximately 45 others in a similar situation and if requested the university will try to extend their appointments on a case by case basis and waive associated fees, she said. Students from China account for 40% of international students at UC Berkeley. The university does not have data on how many students are from Wuhan. But a community-wide memo last week said the university is supporting Chinese students who may have family in the Wuhan area and advised individuals who recently returned to monitor their health. UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University suspended study abroad programs before the spring semester began. SF State also suspended employee travel to China, a spokesman said. The Chinese government canceled February exams that students need to enter schools and universities overseas, which could mean U.S. enrollment takes a hit, Bloomberg reported. Staff writer Carolyn Said contributed to this report. Mallory Moench and Alejandro Serrano are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com alejandro.serrano@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mallorymoench @serrano_alej Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 21:13:20|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong speaks at a grand rally in Hanoi, Vietnam, Feb. 3, 2020. A grand rally to celebrate the 90th founding anniversary of the CPV was held here on Monday. (VNA/Handout via Xinhua) HANOI, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- A grand rally to celebrate the 90th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) was held here on Monday. Delivering a speech at the event, General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong said the history of Vietnam's revolution demonstrated that the right, clear-sighted leadership of the party has been the key factor leading to the country's great achievements and victories. Over the past 35 years of reform, Vietnam has transferred from a poor country with outdated socio-economic infrastructure to a developing middle-income country with its people enjoying better living conditions, Trong said. He noted that 2020 is the last year of the term of the 12th CPV National Party Congress, the anniversary year of several important political events, and the year Vietnam assumes ASEAN's annual rotating chair and takes on the role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. The domestic and international context poses both opportunities and challenges for Vietnam, requiring the whole party and army and the entire people to make great efforts to complete the assigned tasks, Trong said. He said the focus in 2020 is to realize socio-economic development plans, enhance macroeconomic stability, strengthen the implementation of strategic breakthroughs, restructure the economy in accordance with the innovation of the growth model, ensure social security and welfare as well as expand external relations. The rally was attended by current and former senior leaders of the CPV and the country as well as representatives of international organizations in Vietnam. Ways to make an ever-popular New Year's resolution a reality Getting started on a healthy program can be easy with some professional help. As it turns out, the federally-mandated braking system being installed on New Jersey Transit trains isnt $300 million, as announced in August. It will be more in the $500 million neighborhood. As it also turns out, meeting the Dec. 31 deadline for starting up Positive Train Control now seems increasingly unlikely, which would be a disaster for the commuters in this state. Not only would NJ Transit face heavy fines for being in violation of federal law, it could be banned from operating on Amtrak routes along the Northeast Corridor. And as it turns out, NJ Transit has allowed the contractor for this braking system to miss multiple deadlines and hasnt clawed back the $9 million it is owed, because it has adopted an assess-but-dont-collect strategy that it thinks will get slow vendors to move faster. That doesnt sound like NJT is holding the contractors feet to the fire, as CEO Kevin Corbett had promised in October. Those are just three forehead-smacking discoveries from our state auditor, who studied the agencys recent operations (from July 2016 to last Oct. 31) and published his findings Thursday. Your first reaction is probably predictable: Somehow, these developments dont mesh well with that pledge of transparency that Gov. Murphy routinely flings at trusting taxpayers like paint buckets of happy talk. Your second reaction is probably something that sounds like Loretta Weinberg: The soaring cost of the Positive Train Control program, the clear lack of adequate oversight on that contract, and the fact that we may very well be the only railroad in the region to fail to meet the federal deadline is a devastating indictment of where we are, the Senate Majority Leader said. Weinberg also noted how the audit screams for the need to get the new Board of Directors seated before its next meeting on Feb. 12th. Updated with statements from the governor and Sweeney- Inexcusable train delays, bad bridges, big spending. #NJTransit gets bad review from state. https://t.co/ApBQASubXg Larry Higgs (@CommutingLarry) January 30, 2020 Someone has to ask management why they werent forthcoming about 8 change orders in the PTC contract and the exploding costs they created. Someone has to find out whether there are more setbacks on the horizon, and whether their riders will get hammered again like they did in 2018. Someone has to ask whether that theyre doing to refute the auditors prediction that NJTs goal to reach the PTC implementation deadline is debatable. Someone will have to demand monthly public PTC updates, just like they have at LIRR and Metro North. These are questions advocates routinely ask. They just dont get answers. These new board members, however, will not settle for the same Q-and-non-A format. How is NJ Transit really doing? We asked an expert, and shes dismayed. - https://t.co/GiEyRfLVJW https://t.co/Jh2dymFgYT Loretta Weinberg (@SenatorLorettaW) January 6, 2020 The Senate leader believes this is a break-glass moment. She is even willing to rattle Corbetts cage: Maybe it is time for the governor to be looking at a new management team, said Weinberg, mindful that Andy Byford, the CEO of MTA, will soon be on the market. I dont see the sense of urgency that there should be. We have 900,000 people affected by what happens at NJ Transit. The management team appointed by this governor is two years into it. Now I have to hope a new board will help them recognize the urgency. NJ Transit already was in everyones doghouse, and this PTC matter isnt going to help. The governors reaction will be telling. He hasnt delivered dramatic funding increases for NJ Transit in his first two budgets. He still siphons hundreds of millions from the capital budget to pay for operations, and the overall 2-percent net increase he gave operations last year compelled the Legislature to add another $50 million. So with another budget looming, NJT riders arent exactly expecting The Transit Governor to bring it anymore. This could be his last chance to dazzle them. Its too bad that it comes in the wake of yet another crisis on his watch. is this a joke?? @njtransit has the nerve to brag about PTC "progress" while their accounts are spitting out cancellations every 20 minutes. look at the timestamps! this is insane. @CommutingLarry @GovMurphy @brian4NY #njtransit pic.twitter.com/kW0EOOUvXu niktato (@nikography) August 14, 2018 Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Contrary to reports, Saudi Arabia has said that it did not invite Syrias Permanent Representative to UN to a ceremony at his private home reports Al-Arabiya. The Saudi representative to the United Nations, Abdallah Yahya al-Mouallimi, explained reports in the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan about an invitation to Ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari, Syrias Permanent Representative to the United Nations, to a ceremony at his private home. Mouallimi told Al-Arabiya on Friday: I wish this report had been correct. We would be happy for Syria to return to the Arab ranks and act as a country that plays its role and carries out its duties within the framework of the Arab ranks and give up its current attitudes towards its people. The Saudi delegate said: If that were true, we would have been the first to welcome Syria and Ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari. But this news is not true at all. He added: What happened is that, the following day, there was a forum in the General Assembly attended by all countries and dozens of permanent delegates. At the end of the forum, we invited the attendees to a reception held in honor of Dr. Fahd al-Mubarak, so that delegates could get to know him personally. There was no special invitation or invitation to dinner or in any special context. Ambassador al-Jaafari saw fit to attend this reception, and we welcomed him as we welcomed dozens of other ambassadors. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. (Natural News) In a major announcement, the Spectrum of the Seas cruise line, which is Asias largest, has indicated that it will soon be switching its home port from Shanghai, China, to Taiwan due to the escalating coronavirus crisis. The Taiwanese news outlet LTN says that Spectrum of the Seas no longer wants to port in China because it knows that potential customers will be leery about booking a cruise that goes anywhere near the coronavirus-stricken communist country where its currently based. The switch will reportedly occur in mid-February, with an official announcement soon on the way. Meanwhile, the company is offering price discounts to customers who already booked future cruises that, at the time, were supposed to have departed from Shanghai. The Chinese brand of Royal Caribbean, Spectrum of the Seas had previously been proud to call Shanghai its home. But as the number of coronavirus cases continues to grow, the company has decided to withdraw from China completely and instead dock in Taiwan, Asias second-largest cruise market. The Innovation Travel Agency, which represents Royal Caribbean, confirmed that Spectrum of the Seas is, in fact, moving its home operations to Taiwan in the next few weeks, and could stay there as late as April, depending on the severity of this epidemic, which could turn pandemic. According to Innovation Travel Agency Chairman Li Qiyue, Spectrum of the Seas had originally planned to come to Taiwan eventually. But the coronavirus crisis sped up the decision, just as it did for multiple other cruise ship operators that have likewise decided to leave China for safer ports. The consensus seems to be that coronavirus is completely out of control in China, but that the few reported cases of it in Taiwan are manageable and soon-to-be no longer an issue. Each lost cruise costs a cruise line up to $4 million in lost revenue, says expert Such decisions are having to be made because each lost cruise voyage, according to James Hardiman, the managing director of equity research for Wedbush Securities, translates as up to $4 million in lost revenue for a cruise line. In addition to Royal Caribbean modifying its Spectrum of the Seas voyages, Carnival has also canceled four of its scheduled trips in the region of China. I think with every passing day it is becoming a its creating a materially negative impact on the earnings at some of these cruise companies, Hardiman is quoted as saying. If the spread of coronavirus doesnt subside in the very near future, he further warns, then all cruise lines that operate in Asia are going to have to be extra conservative in terms of how they guide 2020. Its not just cruise lines: Airlines are also suffering due to coronavirus The travel industry at large is taking a massive hit from the coronavirus crisis, with United Airlines, British Airways, and Finnair all deciding to suspend some of their normal flights in and out of China. Others are offering full refunds to travelers who already booked now-canceled trips. It remains to be seen what the full impact of coronavirus will be on the travel industry. Though its not an apples-to-apples comparison, the 2003 SARS crisis cost the global economy more than $40 billion and that was at a time when companies had much less exposure to the Asian market. In todays world, in other words and considering the fact that coronavirus is shaping up to be far worse than SARS the impact could be substantially larger. back then, you know, early 2000s, most of these companies, whether its the cruise names or the online travel names that we follow, neither of them had anywhere near the exposure that they have today with respect to China and broader Asia, warns Hardiman. I think that the impact is going to be widespread. To keep up with the latest coronavirus news, visit Outbreak.news. Sources for this article include: News.LTN.com.tw Finance.Yahoo.com NaturalNews.com The Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP), the Communist Party of China (CPC), and the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) have sent congratulatory messages to the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee. The Communist Party of Vietnam marks its 90th founding anniversary on February 3. First Secretary of the CommunistParty of Cuba's Central Committee Raul Castro Ruz, and Chairman ofthe Workers Party of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) KimJong-un extended congratulations to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong. In its congratulatory message, the LPRP CentralCommittee described the birth of the CPV on February 3, 1930, as an importanthistorical turning point in Vietnams revolution. Over the past nine decades, the CPV hasorganised and led all victories of the Vietnamese revolution in the fight fornational independence and freedom, the building of the first socialist countryin Southeast Asia in 1945 and the complete liberation and reunification of countryin 1975. The CPV later initiated the Doi Moi (renewal)process and continued to make great and comprehensive accomplishments innational defence and development along the socialist orientation, according tothe LPRP. The LPRP and Lao people highly appreciate andcongratulate the CPV and the Vietnamese people on these accomplishments. We firmly believe that under the clear-sightedand sound leadership of the CPV headed by Party General Secretary and PresidentNguyen Phu Trong, the heroic Vietnamese people will reap new achievements andimplement successfully the Resolution adopted at the 12th National Congress ofthe CPV, for the target of wealthy people, strong country and a democratic,equal and civilized society, looking towards the 13th National Party Congress,the message read. The LPRP said the Lao Party, State and people committhemselves to do their utmost to preserve and develop the traditionalfriendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnamand Laos for mutual benefits as well as for peace, friendship, cooperation anddevelopment in the region and the world. Meanwhile, the Chinese partys Central Committeesaid in its congratulatory message that over the past 90 years, the CPV has ledthe Vietnamese people to complete successfully the cause of national liberationand reunification, and promote the building of socialism with new achievements. We believe that under the firm leadership of theCPV Central Committee headed by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, theVietnamese Party and people will constantly strengthen the leadership of theParty and the socialist regime, promote comprehensively and synchronously thecause of renovation, and proceed to the organisation of the 13th Party NationalCongress with special achievements, said the message. The Communist Party of China affirmed that it alwaysattaches great importance to the development of friendly cooperative relationswith the CPV and is willing to partner with the CPV to intensify strategicexchanges, boost political trust, and share theoretical and practicalexperiences in Party building and national governance, while learning from eachother and providing mutual support in exploring each countrys unique path tosocialism, as well as jointly developing the China-Vietnam relations in ahealthy and stable manner. Inits congratulatory message, the CPP Central Committee praised the hugeachievements that the Vietnamese Party, State and people have achieved duringthe national socio-economic development process, improving peoples livingstandards and enhancing the nations position and role in the internationalarena. The CPP highly values the solidarity, traditional friendship and comprehensivecooperation between the two Parties, States and peoples, the message said, reiteratingthe partys resolve to consolidate the Cambodia-Vietnam relations under themotto of good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation,long-term sustainability. The CPP believed that under the leadership of the CPV, Vietnam will gaingreater achievements in realising the resolution adopted at the 12th National Congress of the CPV. Meanwhile, First Secretary ofthe Communist Party of Cuba's Central Committee Raul Castro Ruz,reiterated the commitment to the fraternal bond with the CPV and thesocialist Vietnam in his messageof congratulations to Party General Secretary and President Trong. He said the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Vietnam-Cubadiplomatic relations in 2020 is an important event, which is a vividillustration of the long-standing friendship and solidarity between the twocountries. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Workers Party of Korea (WPK) and the State AffairsCommission of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-un stressedthat the CPVs establishment helped the Vietnamese people gain victory in thefight for national liberation and reunification and in the cause of socialism building. We rejoice at the great accomplishments that the CPV have been attaining inbuilding a prosperous and civilized socialist country in accordance with thewish of President Ho Chi Minh the CPV founder, he wrote. He expressed his belief that the traditional friendship and cooperation betweenthe CPV and the WPK will be unceasingly consolidated in a joint struggle toprotect and complete the socialism building./. VNA Angola, IN (46703) Today Variably cloudy with snow showers. High near 20F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 30%.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 6F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph, becoming E and decreasing to less than 5 mph. By Pius Okaneme SIR, The imposing of travel ban on Nigeria by the Trump administration will not discriminate who his supporters are. Most families may now wound up being separated from their loved ones in America as a result of his policy. The subtle disguise by the Trump administration for the travel ban is that America is adopting the policy for national security purposes. We have to rise from the backward notion that America or any other Western country cares about the interest of the black nations. The underlying principle guiding any of their government policies is self-interest. They can come under the guise of humanitarianism or other social advancement programs. Reality is that if there is nothing for them to gain from engaging in your country, they will show about face irrespective of the calamity you may be going through. I wish our politicians will learn from this insult to our collective image. Nigeria could seize this opportunity to re-direct its misguided priorities. We could focus on making the country more attractive to the citizens so that there should be no need for the mass exodus to foreign countries that have indicated that our presence on their soil constitutes a nuisance. But you can bet that our politicians have no shame. They will look for another fertile ground in a foreign country to bury the loot from our treasury. We should seek to find out who our true heroes are. We are not babies that will be dancing with excitement because an impostor is shining sweet platitudes before our eyes. We should not be sulking either because America wants to bully us to submit to their nationalistic dictates. We should retreat and show resilience. We should be proud that our country is rich enough that with proper management of our resources, America will pay any price to be our ally. It is sad that our present leadership does not engender hope. There seems to be no political suaveness or diplomatic ingenuity to showcase our country as an equal participant on the global discourse. The presidency is running around in a ring of mundane inanities. The political structure seems to be in shambles. The people must wake to the call of our destiny. It only took a single leaked audio to reveal that Amber Heard has been abusing Johnny Depp for years. That one substantial evidence proves that there is a domestic violence going on for some time now, and Depp's supporters are yelling justice for him. Daily Mail obtained the audio and found out that it was recorded way back in 2015 when Heard and Depp talked about their failing marriage and problems. In the leaked clip, the former couple discussed some arguments, and Amber eventually revealed that she hit Depp and threw pots and pans at him during one of those quarrels -- which proved Depp's previous statements. "It's not true. It's not true. I'm not the one who throws pots and whatever the f***ing else at me," Depp said in the background after Heard claimed that he took her for granted. It took her a few seconds before she realized that she did hit him, then Heard took the chance to explain what she did. The actress denied that she was not punching him and only wanted to hit him. "I don't know what the motion of my actual hand was, but you're fine, I did not hurt you, I did not punch you, I was hitting you," Amber said on the audio. Legal Battle Ongoing The audio came in public after the two filed legal documents for domestic violence against each other. Depp filed a $50 million lawsuit and claimed that his ex-partner damaged his reputation after she published an article in The Washington Post. Though the 33-year-old actress did not mention his name on the said op-ed, Depp knew that she was referring to him, which caused him to suffer financial losses. The Associated Press also reported that Depp lost his career because of that, including his role on the award-winning film franchise "Pirates of the Carribean." Since the publication of the legal documents, Heard also made her move and provided "evidence" to support her domestic violence's statements in her court filings. She included photos of her bruises on her face and scars on her arms and claimed that Depp caused all of them. The actor denied the aforementioned abuse and said that it was Heard who abused him numerous times during their marriage. #JusticeForJohnnyDepp As soon as the leaked audio recording reached the internet, fans expressed their support for the actor and sent him messages through tweets using the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp. One fan wrote: "Johnny Depp is one of the most versatile, unique, and talented actors of all time. He is an inspiration and a hero. What was done to him by his ex-wife and the media is UNFORGIVABLE! He deserves respect, peace, support, and justice!" "If you loved Johnny Depp when you were growing up and enjoyed all his movies, fight for him so he can get his roles back and let his abuser Amber Heard be punished. #JusticeForJohnnyDepp," another one wrote. Even some big names in Hollywood expressed their anger toward Heard and support for the actor. TV producer Jesse Zook Mann said that Johnny Depp's case is not an isolated one, most especially the stories about men getting abused are far too common nowadays. "No matter your gender you deserve to be safe from abuse be it emotional or physical," he went on. In addition, actor Dash Kennedy Williams said that the audio will prove what really happened, and he is sure that the evidence will promise victory for Depp. Newspaper business cheers the 5% cut in customs duty on newsprint after 10% duty was imposed last year. Newsprint consumption in India is pegged at 2.5 million tonnes per annum while domestic manufacturing capacity is at 1 million tonnes. Paper imports in India increased by 30% in terms of volume from April to September 2019 and subsequently the Government of India had imposed 10% customs duty. After the urging of industry bodies such as Indian Newspaper Society, the Budget 2020 has offered some relief to print media players. Girish Agarwal, Promoter Director, DB Corp. said, We are grateful to the Honble Finance Minister for proposing a reduction in the customs duty on the import of newsprint to 5% from the present 10%. The Print Industry has been seeking a withdrawal of this duty that was introduced in the last budget, considering the lack of domestic capacity to fulfil the Industrys demand and thereby making imports imperative. Nonetheless, this 50% reduction is a positive move as it will ease the burden on newsprint costs, which is a key cost component for the Print Industry. In an otherwise challenging business environment, this reduction will prove helpful and may be channelized into increasing content and strengthening editorial credibility that will ultimately benefit the readers. We are extremely encouraged and appreciate the Governments efforts in engaging with the Industry and being responsive to suggestions." Karan Darda, Executive Director, Lokmat Media Group said, We welcome the proposed reduction in custom duty on import of newsprint and light-weight coated paper. In recent years, newspaper industry has been facing many headwinds and the environment has overall been very challenging. 10% customs duty was introduced last year and that added to the burden. The reduction in customs duty would ease the burden and help the industry in this critical juncture. Hormusji Cama, Director, Bombay Samachar, Past President, INS & Former Chairman ABC, MRUC and RSCI said, "It is dissapointing to know that duty is still 5 percent. We expected it to be removed altogether because Indian mills cannot produce the quality required to run on high speed presses. Also, they cannot meet the demand. They, at most, claim to produce one million tonnes annually whereas the consumption is two and a half million tonnes. All the paper produced locally is bought anyway so they need no protection. DD Purkayastha, MD, ABP Pvt. Ltd. said, "It is a welcome step to help the newspaper industry which is passing through a difficult time." Also Read: Budget 2020: It feels like a bit of a missed opportunity - Ashish Bhasin Budget should stress on implementation of National Centre of AI: Prasad Shejale Israel and the U.S. have been discussing a deal that would see the U.S. recognize Moroccan sovereignty in the occupied Western Sahara and Morocco take steps to normalize relations with Israel, according to Israeli and U.S. sources. Why it matters: This would be a major diplomatic achievement for Morocco's king, Mohammed VI, and a boost for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who would get a high-profile public visit to Morocco in perilous political times. It could also advance the Trump administration's aim of bringing Israel and Arab states closer together. But it would be a highly controversial step that runs counter to the international consensus. The big picture: Western Sahara is a sparsely populated disputed territory, formerly controlled by Spain but claimed by Morocco despite international opposition and fierce resistance from the indigenous population. A violent insurgency ended in 1991 after 16 years, but the matter remains unresolved. The backstory: Contacts between Netanyahu and the Moroccans started getting more serious after a secret meeting with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2018. That meeting was the result of a back channel established between Bourita and Netanyahus national security adviser, Meir Ben-Shabbat, with the help of businessman Yariv Elbaz. Elbaz, a Moroccan Jew, is one of the main food retailers in Morocco and a close associate of Jared Kushner. In May 2019, Elbaz met with Kushner in Morocco and took him and the entire White House peace team for a visit at the old Jewish cemetery in Casablanca. The back channel was established behind the back of Mossad director Yossi Cohen, who is in charge of Israels secret diplomacy in the Arab world. Cohen was furious when it was discovered, but Netanyahu told Ben-Shabbat to push ahead anyway. According to Israeli sources, Ben-Shabbat wanted to use Israels close relations with the Trump administration to reach a breakthrough with Morocco. He approached Trump administration officials and proposed the U.S. support the Moroccan position on a sensitive national security issue the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara. The proposal for a trilateral deal was also conveyed to the Moroccans, Israeli officials said. Netanyahu tried to push the deal ahead of Israel's April 2019 election, but it was shelved when details of Ben-Shabbat's visit to Morocco leaked to the Arab press. As Hotel Schools evolve and the industry progresses, the question is whether hospitality employers should look to Hotel Schools, business schools or liberal arts programs for new hires. I contend, that Hotel Schools are the place for all employers to look to hire new graduates. Here is why: I. Hotel Schools have evolved: Today the curriculum of most hotel schools mirror that of top business schools. Like business schools, we teach accounting, finance, statistics, marketing, and operations. Unlike, business schools, however, we emphasize business school courses that have been marginalized in general programs like Human Resource Management and our law course focuses on employment law, labor law, and premises liability topics that are vital to the industry, but not to all businesses and therefore are barely covered in traditional business programs. In addition, we offer specific courses so that students get to e know the industry real estate, hotel operations, food operations, and facilities management are just a few of such courses. Finally, hospitality is a theme found in all our courses thus, are marketers only teach services, our operations management faculty look at supply chain of hotel goods, our real estate faculty teach hotels not industrial. II. We teach a service culture. Hotel School students are taught from day one that their career will be to serve their guests, their employees, their employers, and their other stakeholders. In fact, most business school graduates go into services e.g. banking, accounting, sales, marketing, law, but they are often not even aware that serving others is what their jobs are all about. We have experienced business school students actively reject the contention that their careers are service driven. Hotel School students get it! They do not reject service they embrace it! III. Content and context matter. The world has changed! The theory of college used to be that we would teach critical thinking and communication through basic academic disciplines and our students would then use those skills to learn a business and to perform in their careers. The business world moves too fast for long training of people who have no idea of how business works. New graduates will be expected to apply technology and data to make decisions firms look for new ideas from these graduates who must understand the content and context. Hotel School students are taught critical thinking by examining issues that affect our industry. They have developed the technological and data analysis skills necessary to add to the company day one and to continue to grow into their careers. IV. Hotel School graduates have transferable skills: Every industry has its own language and own set of issues and concerns. Hotel School students understand the industry. They are comfortable with franchising v management contracts v licensing agreements. Rev par rolls of their tongues and they know that ADR is average daily rate and alternative dispute resolution. They understand real estate and finance. They also know how many rooms a room attendant can clean in shift and why a union contract affects that. Hotel School students who enter the hotel business are ready to go their first day. Hotel School students who do enter other industries understand that there are a number of idiosyncratic aspects of the field that they have entered and are prepared to learn their new business like they learned hospitality. V. Our students are bright, driven, have a service culture, have high EQ's and, we believe are really well educated. A nother week in Hollywood, and more bad news surrounding the coronavirus outbreak. Movies are being pushed back, cinemas around the world are closing and one of the biggest events in the international film calendar is under threat. Its not all doom and gloom though. There are still projects going into development and new trailers to get excited about. These are the film stories you might have missed this week. Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson are off on a Jungle Cruise Disney release Jungle Cruise trailer The long-awaited trailer for Disneys Jungle Cruise was unveiled this week, taking viewers on a journey down the Amazon. Its shaping up to be a good old-fashioned family adventure, starring an intrepid Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson in a jaunty little captains hat. The pair are on the hunt for a mythical tree with healing powers in the film, which is directed by The Shallows filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra. Its sure to be a crowd-pleaser, and its nice to see the studio producing an original movie after a raft of remakes and sequels even if it is based on a ride from its own theme park. The film arrives on July 24. Peter Rabbit 2 delayed Peter Rabbit 2 - Trailer The sequel to the critically panned Peter Rabbit is the second major film to be pushed back due to coronavirus fears, after No Time To Die. The animation will now be released four months later than originally intended, moving from March 27 to August 7. The original film took 265m worldwide, including 20m in China alone. With virtually every single Chinese cinema shut for the foreseeable future following the outbreak, as well as theatre closures in France and Italy, its sadly no surprise that the studio is holding off the release. Given the critical panning and public backlash the first film got, though, the delay might not be bad news after all. A modern-day Dracula is on the way Count us in: Bela Lugosi as Dracula in 1931 While Tom Cruises disappointing take on The Mummy seemed to have stopped Universals monsterverse in its tracks, the recent success of The Invisible Man looks to have put things straight again. Now, the studio has announced more plans to revisit the series, with a modern-day take on classic villain Dracula in the works. The Invitation director Karyn Kusama will helm the new film, which is being produced by Blumhouse and written by Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay. Further details have yet to be revealed, but watch this space. Cannes could get the can Critical adoration: Director Bong Joon-ho won the Palme d'Or for Parasite in 2019 / AFP via Getty Images Another blow for the film industry, as the president of the Cannes Film Festival has warned that the event will not take place unless conditions surrounding the coronavirus improve. In an interview with France's Le Figaro newspaper, Pierre Lescure said he remains reasonably optimistic but admitted that the festival may have to be postponed given the current global outlook. It could also be catastrophic for organisers, as Lescure conceded that Cannes is not insured against cancellation. The prestigious awards are due to take place from May 12. Fingers crossed. Remembering a Hollywood legend Max von Sydow - In pictures 1 /24 Max von Sydow - In pictures Game of Thrones HBO Max von Sydow in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) The Exocist (1973) Allstar Max von Sydow in Flash Gordon (1980) Catherine Brelet and Max von Sydow attend the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square Dave Benett The Seventh Seal (1956) Hawaii (1967) The Exocist (1973) Escape to Victory (1981) Never Say Never Again (1983) Rex Features Hour of the Wolf (1986) Pelle The Conqueror (1989) The Greatest Story Ever Told (1995) The Tudors Heidi (2005) Nuremberg The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) Max von Sydow poses as he arrives for the screening of the film "The BFG" at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in 2016 AFP via Getty Images SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A one-alarm fire Sunday afternoon at a homeless encampment near the intersection of Trumbull and Mission Streets in the Excelsior neighborhood was contained quickly with no injuries, the San Francisco Fire Department reported. The fire, beneath an overpass, was reported shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday, It did not threaten any buildings, firefighters said, but it wasn't certain any residents were displaced. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. How we vote: Navigating the Iowa caucuses as a voter with disabilities originally appeared on abcnews.go.com As a local advocate for Americans living with disabilities, Emmanuel Smith does not mince words when it comes to the upcoming caucus. "I think it's important for people to understand it's not eight people in a one-room schoolhouse and cornfield somewhere. These are packed, packed, packed gymnasiums, government buildings, really anywhere that we can find to pack people in. And it's two hours of that and it's loud and it's frustrating and people are confused," Smith, who has brittle bone disease, suffers from chronic pain and uses a wheelchair, told ABC News. PHOTO: Emmanuel Smith, an advocate for Americans living with disabilities in Des Moines, Iowa, says caucuses can be discouraging for people with disabilities and even those who work evenings shifts. (ABC News) Smith added that there are concerns about people with all kinds of physical, mental and emotional disabilities being disillusioned and discouraged by the caucus process. Unlike a primary where voters cast traditional ballots from home or in a booth, the Iowa caucuses require voters to show up in person, talk with their neighbors and wait to be counted. Everyone in favor of one candidate moves to one corner -- those who like someone else -- stand across the room. There is debate and regrouping through multiple stages. It can take hours. "When you have chronic pain and fatigue, that's not particularly fun. And I'm worried most about all the people who don't caucus because of barriers like that." Smith said that last year it took over an hour to get to the caucus site from work because of limited transportation --- a physically exhausting endeavor by the end of the night. To Smith, the caucus system, as designed today, is disenfranchising too many of their neighbors. Unless Iowa and its residents are committed to making it easier for everyone to participate, he said, the state should not continue to have the highly coveted role of voting first. PHOTO: Emmanuel Smith, an advocate for Americans living with disabilities in Des Moines, Iowa, says caucuses can be discouraging for people with disabilities and even those who work evenings shifts. (ABC News) "If it's true that most Iowans value our first-in-the nation status over inclusion, then we don't deserve to be first anyway," Smith told ABC News during an interview in downtown Des Moines earlier this month. Story continues In 2016, there were more than 16 million voters with disabilities participating in the general election. Over 300,000 people with disabilities live in Iowa alone. After the 2016 elections, Democratic National Committee leaders were receptive to concerns that the Iowa caucuses posed unique barriers. In fact, the national party discouraged other states from holding caucuses, though two of the first three states to vote this year -- Iowa and Nevada -- still have them. However, any changes to the traditional caucus system in Iowa, such as possible mail-in or remote voting, could make voting day look more like a regular primary and that has ramifications for the entire calendar. New Hampshire, for instance, which currently votes second, is dictated by state law to host the first true primary in the nation. The Iowa Democratic Party has made changes to bring in more voters. Voters can now bypass check-in lines on caucus night through a pre-registration process, request accommodations and attend caucuses at more convenient sites. "Expanding participation has been at the heart of all of these changes and we will continue to work to increase accessibility on caucus night," Iowa Democratic Party Communications Director Mandy McClure told ABC News in a statement. "A lot of the caucus locations last time were NOT accessible," Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, president of RespectAbility.org told ABC News in a statement. "The Democratic Party is working to resolve this for this election, as are the democratic campaigns to make themselves accessible as last time there were so many problems." Nyle DiMarco, a past winner of Americas Next Top Model who is deaf, has helped the Democratic Party get out the word to make sure accessibility needs are met. PHOTO: Tucker Cassidy, second from right, a quadriplegic in Waterloo, Iowa, says disabled people in Iowa are really excited about the possibility of a virtual caucus. (ABC News) Smith, who plans to caucus for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, went through that process of requesting a nontraditional, satellite caucus location as the new rules allow and will host a caucus this year in the small lounge in their own building. Residents in buildings on the block can gather at the site on Monday. After tough experiences caucusing in the past, Smith also pointed out that in addition to people with disabilities, those who work evening shifts or public-facing jobs may also be discouraged with the caucus process. Karen Kedrowski, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University, told ABC News, "There's been a fair amount of criticism about Iowa being the first in the nation. It's a small state -- 3 million people. It is not as diverse as other parts of the country." However, she argued that participation among registered party members remains high and Iowans take their role of being the first contest in every presidential cycle seriously. "As I observe and talk to Iowans, they don't think about who is going to be the best president for what I want. They're asking the question about who is the best president for the United States? You know, who is the best person who can shake things up?" she said. Last year, the national Democratic Party Committee halted plans in Iowa to launch an innovative "virtual caucus" that would have allowed people to participate remotely. "Disabled people in Iowa were really, really, really, really excited about the virtual caucus," Tucker Cassidy told ABC News at his home in Waterloo, Iowa. PHOTO: Tucker Cassidy, a quadriplegic in Waterloo, Iowa, says disabled people in Iowa are really excited about the possibility of a virtual caucus. (ABC News) He said it would have been a "fantastic" way for people with a variety of disabilities -- from autism to other sensory sensitivities and physical challenges -- to take part. While in college 15 years ago, Cassidy was accidentally shot in the neck by a friend when the two were looking at an antique handgun. The bullet hit an artery and caused a major spinal cord injury. Now, a quadriplegic, he requires at-home care, extensive nursing and support to get around town. By the middle of January, he had attended dozens of campaign events and was still largely undecided on which Democratic candidate he planned to support. Cassidy was quick to defend the caucuses during his interview with ABC News. He said that for people with disabilities, the larger-scale neighborhood meetings can be especially valuable. It forces interaction between community members who may not otherwise cross paths. He felt it was important last cycle that he was seen and heard at his caucus. Cassidy listed what makes the caucuses special: the public debate, discussion and collaboration over which potential nominees to support. "The nuts and bolts of it ... being grassroots ... trying to convince somebody that your candidate is a great candidate," he said. However, he pointed out that there are logistical issues that people with physical disabilities face when considering attending any event, including a party caucus. "When you're a disabled person, you're going to have to worry about if you're going to get home in time for your home health aid to be able to put you to bed." "[At a caucus] you worry, 'am I going to be able to find a spot? When we do realignment, am I going to be in everybody's way? Will I be able to move? If I raise my hand, will people be able to tell? Is my vote going to get counted?'" he added. Twenty minutes of cooling with running water is the best initial treatment for a childs burn, according to a study which may lead to new clinical first aid recommendations for mild to moderate burns. According to the study, published in the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine, cool running water can reduce the odds of needing a skin graft, accelerate healing, and lessen the chance that a young burn victim requires admission to the hospital. The study assessed nearly 2,500 children with a median age of two years undergoing treatment for burns at a hospital in Australia. According to the researchers, including those from the University of Queensland in Australia, the patients were treated mostly for mild to moderate scalds, liquid or steam burns, on or near their arms or legs. If a child is burned, the first course of treatment should be 20 minutes of cool running water, said Bronwyn R. Griffin, study co-author from the University of Queensland in Australia. Cool running water is most effective immediately after a burn occurs, but evidence suggests it remains beneficial for up to three hours following an injury, Griffin said. According to the study, children who received adequate first aid involving 20 minutes or more of cooling with running water had the odds of skin grafting reduced by more than 40 per cent. It said treating burns with any amount of cool running water was associated with reduced odds of hospital admission by nearly 36 per cent, and lowered the odds of requiring operation by about 42 percent. The scientists also found that healing among patients who did not require grafting was faster with the administration of any cool running water, which also reduced the risk of tissue scarring. Burns which were cooled with running water fared better than those that received no first aid, or alternatives like aloe gels, compresses, toothpaste, butter, or egg whites, the study noted. Whether you are a parent or paramedic, administering 20 minutes of cool running water to a childs burn is highly recommended. This is the most effective way to lessen the severity of tissue damage from all thermal burns, Griffin said. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road, south London by Sudesh Amman (Aaron Chown/PA) We are faced again with the mystery of a young man who thinks he is doing God's work by stabbing strangers in the street. Sudesh Amman was motivated by a theology which says that these people are infidels worthy only of death. He could not have known the religious sentiments of the strangers, but he presumed to. He tried to kill strangers because he wanted to be a martyr, that is, he wanted to die. So, perhaps we are to understand his actions by the logic of suicide. He believed that, when he died, he would go to paradise to be rewarded for his actions. There was not a lot of logic to this, but then he was only 20 years old. I have over the years spoken to many people who, at that age, were active terrorists. Some of them regret what they did. Some of them continue to defend it. There is a difference here between republican and loyalist traditions of murdering. What you find among loyalists of the type who regret the past is that they are still integrated into the loyalist community; they are not viewed as having disgraced it by their apostasy. They say things like: "We were caught up in it"; "We were young"; "We were led astray." They point to the fact that some of the most respected people in the society of their day endorsed loyalist violence. William Craig, a former Minister of Home Affairs at Stormont, had inspected ranks of Tartan gangs at Vanguard rallies and told huge crowds that a time would come when they would have to "shoot to kill" and "liquidate the enemy". So, there was a strand of society which thought loyalist paramilitaries were necessary, who made allowance for those who murdered strangers in back streets. They said that the hands of the police were tied and that somebody had to do something. On the republican side, you hear a different argument. They say: "The war came to us"; "We defended our people". They still honour those who did the killing. And they did most of the killing. And where people stand outside that tradition of reverence for the killers they alienate themselves from their own republican former comrades. They are reviled. Republicanism does a better job of preserving respect for killers than loyalism does. I think the fact that we have adapted as a society to make space for former killers is something we deserve credit for. On RTE's The Late Late Show on Friday Arlene Foster, the First Minister, spoke of her association with Martin McGuinness. She said that "Martin" (as she called him) had spoken in tribute of a man who had been present at the shooting of her father, a man who had killed many times. She acknowledged that this man had only been 17 at the time. She spoke also of her own experience of being on a school bus that was bombed and she made the experience human and memorable. She had taken the window seat and been spared the worst of the blast, because she liked to have a snooze on the bus. She also acknowledged that it was probably not the intention of the bomber to kill children, but that he had expected his bomb to go off and kill the driver before the children boarded. In Arlene's account, we hear the recognition that even the bomber of a school bus is not necessarily as evil as you would imagine him to have been. And a future serial killer who had been present at the shooting of her father had been "only 17" at the time. Had circumstances been a little different, that boy killer might have ended up at the Executive table with Arlene, as other past killers did. Martin McGuinness was almost certainly a murderer himself. At least many of those who sat with him in the Executive believed that he was and that, as a commander in the IRA, he had had personal responsibility for far more murders than he actually carried out in person. I think the fact that we have adapted as a society to make space for former killers is something we deserve credit for. We understand better than most that, deluded and vicious as Sudesh Amman was on Sunday afternoon in Streatham, had he survived and grown to maturity he might have been of some value to others. A loyalist acquaintance of mine recently met up with an old friend from east Belfast. They had, as teenagers, gone rioting together on the Newtownards Road, stoning Catholics. Catching up on old times, my acquaintance asked the other man why he had taken a different path in life from his friends and why he had not joined the paramilitaries when he had seemed so keen. The story was this: a neighbour had seen him at the riot and, when he had gone home that night, his father was waiting for him. His father had walloped him as soon as he came through the front door and told him that if he ever again heard he had been rioting he would break his back. That wouldn't pass for practical parenting these days, but it did the job. The man was more afraid of his father than he was of the state or of the IRA. Every day in Northern Ireland, journalists, social workers, politicians, police officers and others are interacting with men and women who were active paramilitaries 20, 30, 40, or 50 years ago. The police know more about those former paramilitaries than most of the rest of us do. They say they believe they know the name of the killer of Lyra McKee. When Arlene Foster names the man who "was present" at the shooting of her father, she is presumably repeating what the police told her. And this is also a common thing here: that relatives have a name for the killer of a loved one, though that killer may never have been charged. People in London and Dublin don't really get their heads round the extent to which we have integrated the killers into our society. They have no expectation that, in the future, some who sent jihadis out with knives might be sitting on councils, might be ministers in government, might be solicitors and school teachers and community workers, more adept at filling in an application form for funding than at wiring a bomb. Ours got very good at that. One can only hope that those people will look back with honest regret for what they did, as many of our own former paramilitaries do, and as some, regrettably, particularly the Sinn Fein leadership, doggedly refuse to. The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI), in collaboration with the Japan External Trade Organization in Dubai (Jetro Dubai), today (February 3) organised the Sharjah Japan Business Forum, with a view to exploring investment opportunities between the business communities of both countries. The event was aimed at opening new horizons of partnership and developing long-standing economic, trade and cultural relations between Sharjah and Japan, said a statement. Held at the SCCI headquarters, the event was attended by Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, chairman of SCCI, Waleed AbdelRahman BuKhatir, second vice chairman of SCCI, a number of board of directors, Mohammad Ahmed Amin Al-Awadi, SCCIs director-general, Masami Ando, managing director of Jetro Dubai, Abdul Aziz Shattaf, SCCIs assistant general director, members services sector and director of Sharjah Exports Development Center, Elie Jamil Armaly, director of Business Development at Shurooq, officials from Sharjah authorities and departments, and a crowd of private sector representatives from Sharjah and Japan. In this respect, the SCCI stressed the importance of the bilateral relations between Sharjah and Japan, expressing its readiness to provide all aspects of support to the private sector, establish business partnerships with the Japanese business community in various investment fields, streamline trade exchange and the entry of the local products with the highest international standards into the Japanese markets. While welcoming the Japanese delegation, Abdul Aziz Shattaf, expressed his hope that the meeting will yield a new positive step towards strengthening economic cooperation and developing relations between the two business communities at various levels. The bilateral relations between the UAE and Japan are witnessing a remarkable development including all areas of economic and technological cooperation. This is reflected in the volume of non-oil trade exchange during the past ten years, which amounted to $13 billion. while the value of Japanese investments in the UAE amounted to $14.3 billion with a presence of 10 thousand companies, agencies, especially in the technology, renewable energy, transportation, and health care domains, Shattaf elaborated. He pointed out that the relationships between the two friendly countries have also witnessed an accelerated growth, boosted by the signing of 24 agreements and memorandum of understanding in many fields. This made the UAE one of Japan's largest trading partners worldwide. Shattaf added: The SCCI, as the first representative of Sharjahs business community, is keen on reinforcing cooperation ties between the Emirati and Japanese business community for the benefit of the economy of the two friendly countries. I call on Japanese businessmen and companies to explore the opportunities available for investment in Sharjah and learn closely about the qualities of Sharjahs investment environment, such as the state-of-the-art infrastructure and modern and flexible legislation and laws that safeguard economic capital and investment, in addition to vital location as a global commercial hub with easy access to all regional and global markets, he added. Thanks to the wise directives of HH Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the Emirate has managed to become a prominent beacon in the global economic arena and a competitive destination for investors from all over the world, in view of its reliance on the policy of diversifying the economy and preparing for the fourth industrial revolution and the era of artificial intelligence, Shattaf concluded. For his part, Masami Ando underlined the importance of Sharjah as an investment destination for Japanese companies as a business incubator, pointing to the need to push bilateral relations to more growth and prosperity. This would help enhance exploring more investment opportunities available in various sectors, serve the business community, and bolster the aspirations of the private sector on each side on the commercial and investment levels. Ando thanked and appreciated the SCCIs efforts in organising this forum and the facilities provided to Japanese businessmen and their companies in Sharjah, inviting Emirati businessmen and investors to visit Japan to learn closely about the most important business opportunities in all sectors. The director of business development at Shurooq shed light on the unique features of the investment environment in the Emirate of Sharjah, and the opportunities available in various economic sectors, highlighting avenues to develop the business of Japanese companies in the local market which is seeing annual growth rates in many vital sectors. This provides promising investment opportunities in the emirate, especially in tourism and recreation, transportation and supply services, health care, environment, education, and light industries, in addition to the most important development projects that is underway, and the incentives and facilities provided by the emirate to the capitals wishing to invest in it. A number of Japanese companies highlighted the privileges they provide in the food, lighting, decoration and packaging industries sectors, expressing their aspirations to expand their investments in the Emirate of Sharjah to take advantage of the supportive environment, distinct infrastructure, and the distinguished geographical location which makes it easy for those companies to penetrate other Gulf markets. The forum rounded off by holding bilateral business meetings between businessmen of the two parties, which focused on discussing partnerships, cooperation and mutual coordination, and discussing available investment opportunities. The Japanese delegation also toured the University City of Sharjah, in which they were briefed on the academic and public facilities and future projects. The delegation visited also the Sharjah Airport International Free Zone Authority (Saif Zone), where they learned about the advantages and services provided to investors, the most important of which is 100 per cent business ownership, transfer of capital and profits without currency restrictions, and a full tax exemption. They were also briefed on the warehouses and offices provided by Saif Zone, along with competitive prices and the provision of equipment, workers and shipping services around the clock, which made it the best destination for investment in the Middle East region, it stated. TradeArabia News Service EU top diplomat holds talks in Iran 'to de-escalate tensions' Tehran, Feb 3 (AFP) Feb 03, 2020 Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell on Monday held talks in the Iranian capital on a mission aimed at lowering tensions over the Islamic republic's nuclear programme. Borrell's trip, his first to Iran since taking office, follows a spike in tensions between arch foes Washington and Tehran after the January 3 assassination in Baghdad of a top Iranian general in a US drone strike. Borrell's visit opened with a meeting with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. According to a ministry statement, the two men discussed "the situation in the Persian Gulf and the need to reduce regional tensions" and the 2015 deal on Iran's nuclear programme. The deal between Tehran and a group of world powers has been crumbling since US President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018, and Washington has since stepped up sanctions and a campaign of "maximum pressure" against Iran. Tehran has gradually stepped back from its own commitments under the deal, while military tensions with the US brought the two countries to the brink of full-blown confrontation last month. Borrell's mission aims "to de-escalate tensions and seek opportunities for political solutions to the current crisis," said the office of the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy. The trip will allow Borrell "to convey the EU's strong commitment to preserve" the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and to discuss cooperation between the EU and Iran, it said. Zarif and Borrell also touched on Trump's controversial peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and developments in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, the foreign ministry said. The European diplomat later met President Hassan Rouhani and is set to meet parliament speaker Ali Larijani. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi told a news conference that Tehran hoped Borrell's visit would help the European Union "understand" its situation and prompt the bloc to "show goodwill by taking serious measures". - Accusations, denials - Borrell said on January 24 that he had consulted the countries still in the deal -- which also include Russia and China -- and that all are determined to save the accord. A joint commission that oversees the deal and comprises representatives of all the countries involved will meet in February, he said, without giving a precise date. Washington accuses Tehran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which Iran has always denied. The deal struck in Vienna between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, the United States and Russia -- plus Germany, offered Tehran a partial reprieve from crippling international sanctions. In exchange, Iran agreed to drastically reduce its nuclear activities and to submit to a tailor-made inspection regime by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The US withdrawal from the deal and its reimposition of biting sanctions deprived Iran of anticipated economic benefits. The renewed US sanctions have almost entirely isolated Iran from the international financial system, driven away oil buyers and plunged the country into a severe recession. Since May 2019, Iran has progressively scaled back commitments under the agreement in response to the US sanctions and Europe's inability to circumvent them. Iran is now producing uranium enriched beyond the 3.67 percent set by the agreement, and no longer adheres to the limit of 300 kilogrammes (660 pounds) imposed on its enriched uranium stocks. It has also resumed research and development that was restricted under the deal. Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has used Union home minister Amit Shahs understand the chronology comment to hit out at Union minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur. Anurag Thakur was campaigning in Delhis Rithala on January 27 when, in a widely shared video, he was allegedly heard prompting the crowd, saying desh ke gaddaron ko... (traitors of the country...), to which the crowd responded with goli maaron (shoot them...). Thakur had screamed out the first part of the slogan exhorting the audience to finish it as the crowd was waiting for a meeting by Amit Shah. The Congress Rajya Sabha member said in Indore on Sunday that its a new chronology. Union home minister Amit Shah gave us a chronology that first Citizenship Amendment Act will be brought, then NPR (National Population Register) and later NRC (National Civil Register) will be introduced, Singh said, according to news agency ANI. We are now finding out about another chronology. A central minister says shoot and then one of his men comes and shoots, the police stand. Did you understand this chronology? This was a serious statement but the Election Commission didnt hand him any punishment. Did you understand this chronology? Singh asked. The Congress leader was referring to the 17-year-old who fired at a group protesting the citizenship act outside Jamia Millia Islamia university in south Delhi on January 30 and injured a postgraduate student. The shot was fired even as a group of policemen, many of them in anti-riot gear, stood and watched for several moments before one of them restrained him. Witnesses said he had shouted aao aaj azaadi dilata hoon (come, I will give you freedom) and raised religious slogans before pulling the trigger. And, Amit Shah had made his chronology statement at an event last year before Parliament had cleared the citizenship law. Aap chronology samajh lijiye (Please understand the chronology), the Union home minister had said. Pehle CAB ayega, pair NRC asyega, aur sirf Bengal ke liye nahi... saare desh ke liye ayega (First the Citizenship Amendment Bill will come, then NRC will follow. And not just for Bengal but for the entire country... infiltration is a problem across the country), he had said. To be sure, the Election Commission had imposed a 72-hour campaigning ban on Anurag Thakur on a charge that he had raised provocative slogans at the Delhi election meeting. Anurag Thakur, the Bharatiya Janata Partys star campaigner for the February 8 elections in Delhi, was taken off the partys list after the poll bodys orders but the BJP had insisted that he was allowed to campaign. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 Trend: Nobel Oil Services has been awarded its first drilling related contract in the Republic of Kazakhstan with Eureka Oleum. Within the framework of the contract, Nobel Oil Services will undertake Drilling Project Management in one of Eureka Oleums oil fields. The contract involves supervision of drilling of deviated oil well to the depth of 3,100 meters. The contract with Eureka Oleum is a great opportunity to deliver such a demanded expertise in the country. Nobel Oil Services has proved itself as a provider of integrated services to the Oil & Gas industry in the Caspian region. Taking a contract in the Republic of Kazakhstan is a part of Group strategy to transform the company into an international business, Chief Drilling Officer of Nobel Oil Services Samir Mollayev said. This is also among Groups first steps in managing Drilling Projects in Kazakhstan, in which company has all the required expertise to extend their portfolio, he added. Nobel Oil Services is a diversified group of companies specialized in oil and gas industry. Companies operating within Nobel Oil Services provide drilling, construction and project management as well as equipment maintenance, procurement and enhanced oil recovery services, successfully expanding their activities in these fields. Iran has cut off co-operation with Ukraine following the leaking of air traffic recordings that suggest Tehran immediately knew that a missile had shot down a passenger jet. We will no longer provide documents to the Ukrainians, Hassan Rezaeifar, head of the Iranian investigation team told the Mehr News Agency on Monday. Iran had previously maintained that neither its president nor supreme leader knew of the missile and that its military bosses had kept them in the dark for days afterwards. On Sunday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said the new evidence suggested the opposite was true. The recording details conversations between the control tower in Tehran and an Iranian pilot, in which they discuss an incoming aircraft. It seems to suggest the pilot saw an outgoing missile hit the Boeing 737 as the plane made its way from Tehran to Kiev. All 176 on board were killed. Thats surely a flash from a missile, the pilot says. Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran Show all 18 1 /18 Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran People stand near the wreckage after a Ukrainian plane carrying 176 passengers crashed near Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran ISNA/AFP via Getty Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran People and rescue teams are pictured amid bodies and debris All 176 people on board a Ukrainian passenger plane were killed when it crashed shortly after taking off, Iranian state media reported ISNA/AFP via Getty Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran One of the engines State news agency IRNA said 167 passengers and nine crew members were on board the aircraft operated by Ukraine International Airlines Iran Press via Reuters Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran Rescue teams work at the scene AFP via Getty Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran Passengers' belongings West Asia News Agency via Reuters Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran Members of the International Red Crescent collect bodies of victims EPA Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran Rescue teams work amidst debris AFP via Getty Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran A relative of a victim reacts at Boryspil International Airport, outside Kiev Reuters Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran AP Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran ISNA/AFP via Getty Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran AP Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran Part of the wreckage Iran Press via Reuters Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran West Asia News Agency via Reuters Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran AP Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran AP Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran AP Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran Officials inspect the wreckage EPA Iran plane crash: Ukraine Boeing 737 comes down near Tehran AP Its not heading towards Tehran, is it? air traffic control responds. Maybe. Oh, no, it was flying from the city, the pilot replies. Mr Zelesnky said: Everything is audible. The pilot says he thinks he saw a missile, and he says it in Persian and English. Really, it proves the Iranian side knew from the very start that our plane was downed by a missile. Iran has not disputed the authenticity of the recordings, which had been shared with the Ukrainian investigative team before being leaked by Ukrainian TV channel TCN. The incident happened at a time when Tehran was on high alert and expecting a retaliatory strike from US military, after the US killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad. It is unclear why civil aviation authorities did not shut down airspace after the Ukrainian plane was downed. For three days, Iranian authorities denied that its forces had fired an anti-aircraft missile, then admitted the strike and blamed human error. Soldiers carry a coffin containing the remains of one of the 11 Ukrainian victims (Reuters) (VIA REUTERS) Mr Zelenskys own position has evolved from one of studied neutrality to growing frustration with the Tehran-led investigation. Iranian specialists have so far been unable to provide data from the black boxes. Our specialists should be able to take the black boxes if they cannot provide a full decryption, Mr Zelensky said. The Ukrainian president said the $80,000 (60,000) mooted compensation award to families of the dead was inadequate, and that he would push to increase the amounts. It seems unlikely the latest developments will help achieve that. PHILIPSBURG:--- Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) Sint Maarten is pleased to announce receipt of a grant award from the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Caribisch Gebied (PBCCG) to conduct a bio-inventory of all locally found vascular plants. The research is led by botanist Franklin Axelrod, PhD, of Puerto Rico University, who has vast botanical experience throughout the Antilles, having identified and catalogued many specimens from Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, St. Eustatius and Saba. His publications include A Systematic Vademecum to the Vascular Plants of Sint Eustatius and A Systematic Vademecum to the Vascular Plants of Puerto Rico. There have not been any vascular plant studies conducted on Sint Maarten since the major hurricanes Luis (1995) and Irma (2017). Dr. Axelrod will collect, identify and document which plants are currently present on the island and which can no longer found (compared to previous publications and research findings). The ultimate goal is to catalog his findings and publish a field guide for a varied audience, including botanists and ecologists. This research will also facilitate lobbying for the protection and conservation of species and future policy planning. EPIC is providing Dr. Axelrod with logistical support to ensure that his time in Sint Maarten is most efficiently utilized. His work will be completed via multiple visits over the course of approximately two years, ensuring plant samples include all seasons and various stages of development, such as flowering and seeding. While contributing to his research and resulting book is a great source of pride for EPIC, the organization will have the added benefit of receiving a specimen of each plant species collected. EPIC would like to express its sincere appreciation to the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds for its ongoing support of environmental education and preservation efforts. EPIC is wholly dependent on monies received through fundraising, donations and grants in order to operate. Without this grant, we could not support the important work of Dr. Axelrod, said Board President, Amy Trione. The Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds was founded by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands in 1940, supporting over 170 projects on a yearly basis. Its goal is to support activities in the area of history, literature, visual arts, music, dance, theater, art and culture education, monume - Toyota Motor Corporation has announced plans to introduce cars with accelerator suppression function features - The system would therefore deliberately ignore the accelerator pedal if the system determines that it is not needed - The move became necessary following an increasing spate of accidents in Japan especially among elderly people Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Toyota Motor Corporation has announced plans to introduce safety emergency systems to reduce road accidents. The company revealed that on Monday, February 3, 2020, that it intends to address the challenge of accidents caused by a mix-up of accelerators and brakes in cars. YEN.com.gh understands that the company has introduced a system to that would ignore the accelerator if it is determined that the driver unintentionally stepped on it. Source: dreamstime.com Source: UGC READ ALSO: Fresh reports show how billions of dollars are bringing African startups to life The technology, described as accelerator suppression function will be present in new cars manufactured in Japan in the summer. The mechanism has become necessary because of the increasing rate of traffic accidents in Japan. Per a report by venturebeat.com, elderly drivers often mistake the accelerator for the brake, leading to accidents. Available statistics show that 15% of fatal accidents on Japanese roads in the year 2018 were caused by drivers who are 75 years or older. The government, it has been gathered, actively encourages elderly drivers to hand over their licenses. In other news, a passenger on a Kenyan Airways flight who arrived in Nairobi on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, is reported to be the first case of the coronavirus in East Africa. Per a report by qz.com, the affected person is currently being quarantined at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi. Information available to YEN.com.gh shows that a 34-year-old student arrived on a flight from Beijing to Ivory Coast and is being regarded as a potential Kenyan case of the virus. At the moment, it is estimated that about 4,600 students from Africa are currently staying in the Hubei province, whose capital city, Wuhan, has become the ground zero for the spread of the deadly virus. France24.com reports that there are no verified cases of infections in Africa to date but trade relations with China as well as overstretched healthcare systems have led to increased concerns. On Thursday, January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global emergency as the virus spreads. READ ALSO: Basics on how to buy a car and pay in installment Enjoyed reading our story? Download YEN's news app on Google Playstore now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! How convenient is it to use the new GHC 200 note at the market? | #Yencomgh Want to be featured on YEN.com.gh? Send us a message on our Facebook page or on Instagram with your stories, photos or videos Source: YEN.com.gh Today, green business is good business. It's good for the local environment. It's also great for companies. Crown Uniform and Linen, a best-in-class uniform, linen, and commercial laundry service at https://crownuniform.com/, is proud to announce an information upgrade to its page on ecofriendly or green commercial laundry issues. The company works hard to be an excellent community citizen and, within the constraints of technology, business, and the law, to excel at minimizing the eco-footprint of its operations. The new information page is part of an exciting website launch for 2020. "Today, green business is good business. It's good for the local environment. It's also great for companies. More customers are interested in minimizing their eco-footprint yet also minimizing costs," explained Plato Spilios, Co-President at Crown. "Our updated page on sustainability is a page to bookmark as we keep the community informed of our long-term commitment to being as green and ecofriendly as possible." Business leaders can review the newly updated page for Crown Uniform and Linen at https://crownuniform.com/sustainability/. Public demand for sustainable business practices is on the rise. Companies looking to 'go green' can find water conservation an excellent place to start. An eco-friendly linen service in Massachusetts can help a business reduce the impact on local water use. Persons who are specifically interested in the company's "linen service" business line can also visit https://crownuniform.com/linen-service/. That updated page has basic information and can be used to request a no obligation quote. ECOFRIENDLY LINEN SERVICE IN MASSACHUSETTS HELPS LOCAL BUSINESS 'GO GREEN' IN 2020 Here is the background on this release. A movement towards sustainable business practices could continue to escalate in the first years of a new decade. Leaders in the uniform, linen, and commercial laundry industry may be ready to evaluate their impact on local natural resources. A new trend in 'green' business practices may continue to gain attention in 2020. Customers actively seeking eco-friendly services could focus on companies moving towards more sustainable business habits. Environmentally conscious corporate leaders can find water conservation an excellent area to make a positive change. Choosing an eco-friendly linen service to handle restaurant or hotel needs could help lower the impact on local natural resources. For these reasons, Crown Uniform and Linen has announced an update to the sustainability page. ABOUT CROWN UNIFORM AND LINEN SERVICE Crown Uniform and Linen Service is an eco-friendly / green, family-owned, best-in-class commercial linen service serving Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, and Connecticut. Whether a customer is looking for the best linen service in Boston or Cambridge, Springfield or Worcester, Hartford CT or Nashua NH, Providence RI or Portland ME, or a top-rated uniform service for restaurants or food processing, medical offices or healthcare, hospitals or hotels or other commercial laundry service needs such as manufacturing or education, they should visit the website at https://crownuniform.com/. Crown's commercial laundry service lets business owners focus on their business. The company even offers logo mats and mat rental services throughout New England. On its large campus in the middle of America, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is trying to keep the fast-spreading coronavirus away from its students. The school has one of the highest percentages of Chinese students among U.S. universities. It has closed study programs in China for the spring and banned students from traveling to the country for school-related purposes. It has told teachers to follow federal travel advisories that warned against going to China. We want to take all of the precautions we can sowe keep our community healthy, said Robin Kaler. She is associate chancellor for public affairs at the University of Illinois, 217 kilometers south of Chicago. The first human-to-human transmission of the disease in the United States was confirmed in Illinois. More than 350,000 Chinese students are studying at universities and colleges in America. Also, about 10,000 American students attend school in China. Many of the Chinese students in the U.S. have traveled to China in recent weeks, which makes it possible that the virus might spread at universities. Colleges and universities are very much on the front line of those because of our role as global institutions, said Sarah Van Orman. She is chief health officer at the University of Southern California (USC). In the American capital of Washington, D.C., public health officials say the risk of catching the virus remains low. Doctors, however, continue to see patients who are worried that their infection might be the coronavirus. The administration of President Donald Trump declared a national public health emergency on Friday. In medical centers and hospitals, doctors are preparing emergency systems and studying protocols in case the virus does begin to spread. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Sunday that 11 cases of the Wuhan coronavirus had been confirmed in the U.S. They were in California, Washington state, Illinois, Massachusetts and Arizona. Officials expect that number to rise. Several possible coronavirus cases are being investigated in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Last week, the State Department advised Americans not to travel to China, where the number of deaths is in the hundreds. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause disease in people and animals. They are responsible for sicknesses like the common cold and more serious diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Though much is unknown about the Wuhan coronavirus, health officials have advised that signs of the disease usually appear within two to 14 days. The signs can include high temperature, coughing and trouble breathing Im Susan Shand. The Reuters News Agency reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story campus n. the area around a university, college or school precaution n. something that is done to prevent possible harm or trouble from happening in the future chancellor n. the head of some U.S. universities transmission n. the act or process by which something is spread or passed from one person or thing to another role n. the part something or someone plays protocol n. a system of rules that explain the correct conduct and procedures to be followed in formal situations respiratory adj. of or relating to breathing or the organs of the body that are used in breathing syndrome n. a disease or disorder that involves a particular group of signs and symptoms A trial is scheduled to begin for a man arrested in Ontario and charged in the 2014 death of his four-year-old daughter in Alberta. The Calgary Courts Centre in Calgary, Alta., Monday, March 11, 2019. Oluwatosin Oluwafemi was arrested in December 2015 and flown back to Calgary to face a charge of second-degree murder. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh The New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade has said the Iriah- American community are in mourning after the death of Mary Higgins Clark. The award winning suspense novelist and 2011 Parade Grand Marshal has died at age 92. Mary Higgins Clark's father was Luke Higgins from Corrigeenroe, Boyle, Co Roscommon who emigrated to New York in approx 1915. Mary was no overnight success; the writer was 43 when she had her first hit, the 1975 novel Where Are the Children? Since then the New York Times bestselling author has written more than 50 books, from mysteries and historical novels to short stories, children books and a memoir. In a statement from Hillary Berine, Chair of the New York City St. Patrick's Day Foundation and Chief Administrator of the St Patrick's Day Parade and originally from Oatlands, Boyle, Co Roscommon said: "The Irish community in America mourns the loss of the Grand Marshal of the 250th St. Patrick's Day Parade, Mary Higgins Clark. Her contributions to literary culture cannot be understated, in addition to her dedication to the Irish-American community. We grieve as one, today. While we know that she is no longer with us, we have faith that her legacy will carry on far beyond her 92 years on this earth. We extend our thoughts and prayers to her children, and all who were near and dear to her as they cope with this tragic loss." "Mary Higgins Clark was one of the most gracious ladies I've ever had the pleasure to know. We will miss her!" Beirne added. "Mary Higgins Clark has been a staple in the Irish-American community for the last nine decades and has made a tremendous impact on American and Irish culture. We will forever remember her for her literary excellence, but also for her dedication to the faith and pride in our heritage. An author's words transcend generations, and we are confident that they will continue to intrigue readers and inspire those of the Irish-American community for years to come. All Irish-Americans mourn her loss today," said Sean Lane, Chairman of Board of Directors of the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade. The 2020 Parade is on Tuesday March 17, starting at 11 am. As usual, It begins at 44th Street, then proceeds to 79th street on 5th Ave. in Manhattan. The broadcast is webcast live via the internet through the Parades web site at NYCStPatricksParade.Org and WNBC Channel Four web site at www.wnbc.com Also read: Leitrim Rose will definitely make TV appearance Gentle Dental, a full service dental provider with nearly 155 affiliated locations in eight states, has more than doubled the size of its location in Renton, WA. Located at 17220 140th Ave. SE, Suite C, Renton, WA 98058, this is one of 29 locations in Washington state. The Fairwood Gentle Dental office celebrated the New Year with the opening of its newly expanded office. The completely renovated office incorporated six new operatories and added state of the art digital technology. As part of Gentle Dentals powerful network, patients will continue to have access to a wide range of general dentistry and specialty dental services, bringing patients one-step closer to a healthier and more beautiful smile. The local community will continue to receive consistent high-quality treatments from a carefully selected staff of dental professionals. The Gentle Dental Fairwood team of dental providers and staff members, would like to extend a special invitation to the public to stop in and see the expanded facility during business hours. Gentle Dental Fairwood is staffed by the same friendly experienced members. General Dentists include Dr. Charles Hu, Dr. Oveys Hedayati and Dr. Constatine Granatosky. Working along-side our General Dentists is a team of dental Specialists who include; Dr. David Kang, Endodontist, Dr. Sirisha Munimadugu, Periodontist, Dr. Patrick Wang, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon and Dr. Tripti Pawar, Orthodontist. Supporting our dentists and Specialists is a team of assistants, hygienists and an administrative support team running the front office so dentists and hygienists can focus on providing quality patient care. The Gentle Dental Fairwood location accepts most insurance plans, offers easy financing, and has an in-house dental plan available to patients without current dental insurance. Gentle Dental is committed to providing every patient with flexible options, respect, compassion, and open communication regarding treatment and costs. To book a dental appointment, simply call (425) 271-4000 or visit the offices web page at: http://www.gentledentalfairwood.com About Gentle Dental Gentle Dental is one of the brands of dental offices supported by InterDent Services Corporation, a dental services organization headquartered in Vancouver, WA. For over 30 years, Gentle Dental has delivered high-quality care with a personal touch. With more than 155 affiliated practices located across Arizona, California, Hawaii, Kansas, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon and Washington, Gentle Dental offers comprehensive care in general, cosmetic and specialty dentistry. Each location offers the leading edge of treatment options in the industry and is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and technology. Visit http://www.interdent.com/gentle-dental/ to learn more. About InterDent Service Corporation InterDent Service Corporation provides comprehensive administrative support services to 175 affiliated dental practices employing more than 450 dentists in the following eight states: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Kansas, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington. InterDents branded divisions include Gentle Dental, Dedicated Dental, Capitol Dental, Smile Keepers and Blue Oak. The network of practices delivers comprehensive dentistry to over one million patients annually. InterDent is seeking new affiliation opportunities with dental groups or practices. If you have or know of a practice that is interested in affiliating with one of the nations leading dental service organizations, call (888) 416-5525 or visit http://www.interdent.com. OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir welcomes a decision by the authorities in Ukraines Russian-controlled Crimea region to expunge the criminal record of RFE/RL contributor Mykola Semena, insisting that the Crimean journalist shouldnt have been persecuted in the first place for expressing his views. Semena, who had been convicted of separatism on the peninsula, last week received documents from a court in Crimeas capital, Simferopol, confirming that his suspended sentence had been lifted and his criminal record expunged. I am glad that Mykola Semena is finally free, Desir said in a statement on February 3, expressing hope that the move means he will now be able to resume his journalistic work unhindered, and travel freely. Semena, who has contributed to the Crimea Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, was arrested by Crimeas Russia-imposed authorities in 2016 and charged with acting against the "territorial integrity of the Russian Federation." In 2017, a court convicted Semena, handed him a 2 1/2-year suspended sentence, and banned him from public activity for 3 years. Another court in Crimea upheld his conviction three months later, but a court in Simferopol on January 14 this year ruled to prematurely terminate the probation period and expunge his criminal record. Semena says the accusation against him was politically motivated and that Russian authorities based their case on an inaccurate translation of one of his stories from Ukrainian into Russian. The United States, the European Union, and international media watchdogs all condemned the trial and verdict. Semenas case reminds us of the harsh conditions in which journalists work when covering the conflict in and around Ukraine, Desir said. It is paramount to ensure safe working conditions for the journalists, the OSCE representative added. Russia seized Crimea in 2014 after Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych abandoned office amid a popular pro-democracy uprising. Companies around the world have warned that a coronavirus outbreak in China could disrupt supply chains or hurt bottom lines as factories and shops shut and airlines suspend flights. FINANCIAL IMPACT: * Apple gave a wider-than-usual revenue outlook range for the March quarter to factor in uncertainty. Apple, which has suppliers in Wuhan, the central Chinese city at the heart of the outbreak, said the reopening of some suppliers factories outside Wuhan had been moved to Feb. 10 from the end of January. * Baidu postponed the announcement of its fourth-quarter results. * Electrolux said the epidemic could have a material impact if its Chinese suppliers were further affected and that it was implementing contingency plans. * H&M said store closures in China about 45 hurt sales in January. The company said it sources a lot from China but its flexible supply chain had limited disruptions. * Hyundai Motor said it planned to halt South Korean production of a sport utility vehicle to cope with a supply disruption. * Jaguar and Land Rover parent Tata Motors expects the outbreak to hamper production in China and hit profits. * Levi Strauss shut about half its stores in China and said it will take a near-term hit. * LG Display said it had not closed any factories in China but warned the outbreak increased uncertainty for suppliers. * McDonalds, which closed several hundred of its roughly 3,300 outlets in China, said the overall impact on profits would be fairly small if the virus stayed contained in China. * Remy Cointreau warned that a potential impact from the outbreak would be significant because of its big exposure to China. * Royal Caribbean Cruises, which canceled three trips of its China-based cruise liner, trimmed its 2020 earnings forecast, adding it would take a further hit if travel restrictions continued until the end of February. * Samsung Electronics extended a holiday closure for some factories in line with Chinese government guidance but declined to comment on the impact. * Samsung affiliate and battery maker Samsung SDI , which counts Volvo among its customers, warned of a hit to its March-quarter earnings. * SK Hynix, which has a chip plant in the eastern Chinese city of Wuxi, said the outbreak had not disrupted production but that could change if the situation was prolonged. * Starbucks, which closed more than half its roughly 4,300 stores in China, delayed a planned update to its 2020 forecast and said it expects a material but temporary hit. * Tesla warned a 1-1.5 week delay in the ramping up of production of its Shanghai-built Model 3 cars could slightly hurt March-quarter profit after China ordered a shutdown of the factory. Tesla is also evaluating whether the supply chain for cars built in its California plant will be affected. STORE/FACTORY CLOSURES: * Apple said on Saturday it would shut all of its official stores and corporate offices in mainland China until Feb. 9. * Alphabets Google temporarily shut all offices in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. * Deere & Co closed facilities in China until it determines it appropriate to reopen them. * Fast Retailing closed about 100 Uniqlo stores in Hubei. * Haidilao shut its restaurants and IKEA closed its stores in China. * Honda plans to extend the closure period for its three car plants in Wuhan, which it operates with Dongfeng Group , until Feb. 13. * Swatch closed five stores in Wuhan, Yum China closed some KFC and Pizza Hut stores in the city, Luckin Coffee closed its cafes and AB Inbev suspended production at its brewery. * Toyota Motor shut factories in China through Feb. 9. * Walt Disney shut its resorts and theme parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong. AIRLINE CANCELLATIONS: For airlines suspending flights to China, please click on HOTELS, BOOKING PLATFORMS, AGENCIES: * Hyatt and Shangri-La said they will allow travelers from China to cancel hotel bookings for free through Feb. 29. * InterContinental Hotels said it would allow customers to cancel for free reservations made for China for specific dates. . * Ctrip, Chinas largest online booking platform, said more than 300,000 hotels on its platform had agreed to refunds on bookings between Jan. 22 and Feb. 8. * Fliggy, Alibabas booking site, offered similar refunds, as did several Chinese and European tour operators. (Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Sayantani Ghosh and Josephine Mason; Editing by Aditya Soni, Timothy Heritage, Diane Craft, Daniel Wallis and Andrew Heavens) Topics COVID-19 China Aviation Recently, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund sponsored a one-week capacity building workshop in Dubai, United Arab Emirate. The Head of the Department of Research & Development, Salisu Bakare, spoke to the Business & Economy Editor, Bassey Udo, and the Head, Investigations Desk, Mojeed Alabi in Abuja on the benefits of the trip to Nigerian universities. Excerpts: PT: Last month, TETFUND sponsored Directors of Research of public universities to Dubai in the United Arab Emirate for a one-week capacity building workshop. Critics say the trip was in defiance of an existing public directive against foreign training by government agencies. What advantages were there that could not have been derived here in Nigeria? Bakare: There is no research capacity in the country. Our national budget is so low on research that less than 0.002 per cent of the countrys gross domestic product is spent on research. That is a shame. All the examples given on countries are making progress are about those living by research. They are the ones we go learn these trainings from. Also, the training facilities suitable for such purposes in Nigeria are non-existent. So, we have to go where we can see where the research process is available. Again, the concept of the Directors of Research & Development in Nigerian universities is new. An ad hoc committee was set up to deepen research and development. It was supported by the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), which is co-chairing the committee headed by Professor Placid Njoku, now the deputy governor of Imo State. The committee was given the responsibility of identifying what TETFUND should do to deepen research and development in the country. Our investment in research and development in Nigeria is near zero. Our worry is that we have many universities whose major responsibility is to carry out research. Yet, they do not have directors of research. The research they carry out is only for publication, and not for development. Majority of the research findings, if not all, end up in shelves, thereby, contributing nothing to Nigerias economic development. The Asian Tigers, namely China, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, and South Korea emerged from nowhere. But, because of knowledge gained from research, they innovate, patent and commercialise. Recently, we were in Israel as part of this assignment. What we found out was that Israel is the hub of innovation. They make more money from only research (about 50 or more times than Nigeria makes from the export of crude oil), not to talk of the products that come out of research. Israel takes pleasure in embracing failure. They are not afraid to fail. They have a special budget for failure as part of research. So, the question we asked was why is this not happening in Nigeria? Why do we have all these universities in Nigeria that cant even pay salaries from their own internally generated revenue? This is because what they make is nothing. How can we continue this way and expect to develop as a country? We went to the University of Cambridge. The office of General Electric, the manufacturers have an office in the university campus. Microsoft is in Cambridge. This is where they do all their researches and development of patents. Look at the amount of money they spend on research. When people talk about Google, Facebook or WhatsApp. These are innovative ideas from undergraduate research works in the universities. As a result of their innovations, they are bringing so much money back into their economy. But, in Nigeria we have distanced ourselves from all that. Yes, we have educational institutions in Nigeria, but nothing is happening there. So, the National Universities Commission needs to ensure that we have research centres or units in every university and empowered to coordinate and deliver researches. The centres must ensure that the research is not for research sake, but problem-solving research for national development. Therefore, that ad hoc committee had zonal meetings with all directors of research across the country in Abuja, Kano, Enugu and Lagos and came to a consensus. As a result of that, we realised that even Directors of Research do not even understand what Research and Development means. Its not even about the issue of capacity. They dont even understand what it is. The meetings came up with mountain of problems and challenges. The report of the community is so voluminous. It is being released in parts. Arising from those meetings was the need to really have a training for the directors of research of Nigerian universities to enable them understand really what is research and development; understand the link between research and development and industries, and in particular innovation. The other point was for them to understand their roles and what they were expected to do to contribute their quota to national development. There is going to be a paradigm shift in the national development agenda. TETFUND is moving away from the investment in the university buildings to content development. There are different types of research like institution-based research and applied research. We are also going to establish Centres of Excellence across the country TETFUND, together with the NESG and the NUC, is going to create a platform for university- industry linkages. Its actually a complete turnaround. Unfortunately, the system from within does not even understand or have capacity to give or absorb the training. As a pre-requisite for this, we have gone to the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States. Their annual budget for research is $500 billion. We had a meeting with them along with the NUC. We also had a meeting with a similar agency in Brazil called SAPESCO, a research institute. They have just sent TETFUND an MOU for professional research. Advertisements Based on the agreement, we are expecting that Nigeria is going to have not less than 5,000 fellowships for Nigerian academics that will interact and have a joint research and fellowships with the Brazilian government. TETFUND is currently studying the document. We have also had a meeting with the German agency on research and development. We have now realised that university systems are universal. One cannot cut off from the world and say it is on its own. Even the ranking of the universities we are talking about, the Nigerian universities are ranked low. When we went to the National Science Foundation in the U.S. and they showed Nigeria in the research community, South Africa was ahead of Nigeria. We protested. How come Nigeria has all these linkages with South Africa, yet we are down there. One cannot see Nigeria in the knowledge community map. Their explanation was that, yes Nigeria may be doing her research, but the country is on her own. Nobody sees her on the global knowledge community map. What that means is that whatever research we do in Nigeria is only inside Abuja, Ibadan and Lagos. We are having another cooperation agreement with Finland, which has one of the best education systems in the world. There is another such cooperation with Kenya. So far in Nigeria, we have only N85 billion NRF Research Grant. TETFUND is trying to increase the amount next year. Most of these MoUs we are signing are meant to build capacity for our university lecturers for national research and development, research and entrepreneurship training, higher education management, leadership capacity building. The Finish MoU is about research for solving problems. For instance, the farmersherders clash that is killing people in Nigeria, how many cattle do we have in Nigeria? Not more than 18 million. But, Brazil has over 340 million. Yet, we cannot hear that any cow has gone to eat up some other persons tomato. If we look at the population of Brazil itself its over 200 million, with over 340 million cattle, yet there is no clash. They have also improved their breed that produce more milk. And Nigeria with only 200 million cannot solve the problem. Brazil is saturating Europe with their meat. Exeter corn beef is made in Brazil. In San Paolo alone, six out of 10 oranges in the world come from there. These are all products of research. But, we realized that anywhere we went, there was need to build and deepen capacity of even those who are not involved in research. PT: Why was this training organised abroad? Bakare: First, we started locally here before we brought one Professor Abraham Akampe from the U.S. who is a Nigerian. But, in the U.S., he has 11 patents. He also works for the NSF and a consultant for NASA. He offered to give this sensitisation pro bono. Because he is professor in the U.S who has been involved in research for a long time, he has all the contacts necessary to do all the trainings. A professor should not be poor because of the money he makes from all these research and innovations. READ ALSO: We were to have gone to the U.S. for the training. But, if we were to go to the U.S., the process of getting visas now is not easy. The alternative was to bring those Americans to Nigeria. But, its one thing to just talk, but another thing to go and see and brainstorm. To my surprise, when we were in Dubai, some of the participants confessed in private that they have never seen a training as important as that. I was shocked. PT: So how many participants were in Dubai? Bakare: We had one from each of the public universities, about 78 of them. We asked them to submit two names. But, only one was finally chosen. Even those that did not have a research office, TETFUND forced them to appoint someone even on a temporary basis. The committee had said that TETFUND and NUC should collaborate and come up with operational guidelines for the appointment of the Directors of Research. We are looking for the list to be submitted to the Board to look at it. PT: Information we got was that about 230 people attended the training, with TETFUND officials more than the participants from the universities? Bakare: Its not true. TETFUND has a duty to administer the training. In each of three thematic sessions, we did not have more than seven staff from TETFUND. Where we did the training, the accommodation of the hotel cannot take 230. PT: What were the themes in focus at the training? Bakare: From the three themes, we had four presentations. There was so much to give. For instance, the presentation on Blue Economy, which is about water, if one looks at Nigeria, which is surrounded by water, yet we do not have water to drink and we are dealing with drought. Yet, we have all these professors in the universities who should look at their areas of research and try to apply it to solve the problem of water in the country. PT: There are institutions that depend virtually on grants from TETFUND. Yet, some of these agencies disappear without trace? Bakare: Talking about value for money and alignment to government policy, which is a multifaceted instrument. TETFUND is a product of policy. There are certain intrinsic requirements for the delivery of its mandate. One of those peculiar mandates is to ensure that whatever money is spent is properly monitored and reported. That is in its workflow. There is actually a department for monitoring and evaluation. There is an administrative process for dealing with those issues. The process of checking is so rigorous that there can never be a rebuttal to a decision. The receiving institution also has a responsibility to be accountable about the money they receive. On TETFUNDs side, we have a duty to ensure that the money that has been given is for the purpose for which it was meant within the mandate of the Fund. Where is discovered, even if it is two years after, that the work was not done, there is always a recourse. There are some institutions that have lost their annual intervention because of that. PT: But, was the programme holding outside the country not contravening government directive on such trainings? Bakare: The issue of cutting cost of governance is in line with what TEFUND is doing. We would not want to put people who are not prepared to go and head the directorate of research. Where can one learn a skill one does not have? It is from the people who have it. One cannot learn a new skill from a man who is also struggling to learn the same skill. In one of the training processes, participants were taken to an experimental arm in Dubai to see how farming in the desert is done. These people were taken from Nigerian universities. TETFUND staff who were in Dubai went to see how research interventions are managed. PT: How soon are we expecting the investments in these trips to begin to bear fruits? Bakare: What I will say is that its not the day you cut down a try that the leaves dry up. TETFUND has a plan. The ad hoc committee I spoke about earlier has worked out a programme. The interim report has just been submitted. The board in their next sitting will consider the recommendations in that report. What we are doing now is the advocacy; watering the ground and making sure that the people that will carry out this duty are prepared to do so. And those that will do the monitoring are equally strengthened to monitor. One cannot monitor what one does not know. As we know the research culture in Nigeria is very low. But, now that the paradigm is shifting, the country needs to prepare. The additional advantages are obvious the country is building linkages, partnerships and creating opportunities for expansion of knowledge to take Nigeria back into the research map of the world. All the MoUs TETFUND has signed are being discussed at a level where sister agencies are getting interested in collaborating and end the era of working in silos. It will take a while for the fruits to yield. Change is the most difficult part of progress to manage. We must carefully prepare in managing the change. TETFUND has a letter on the need for the training. We wrote to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. In 2015 when the initial circular on foreign training was sent out, we found that TETFUND was sponsoring staff of public universities to all over the world for the PhDs, Masters degrees, in areas of study that were not available locally. When that law (circular) was passed, we saw that it would impinge on the impact and the expected outcome of the academic staff training and development programme and all other capacity building programmes. The university system is not in Nigeria. Knowledge is global. TETFUNDs scholars would have been affected if that directive was carried out to the letter . So, the management and the Board of the Fund sought an exemption of the Secretary of the Government of the federation. By IANS JAIPUR: Visiting Shanghai on their honeymoon trip did cost dear to a newly married couple who are now spending their time in Ajmer situated JLN Hospital in an isolation ward after being quarantined as suspected patients for the Novel Coronavirus. Their samples have been sent to SMS Jaipur hospital for further diagnosis and their family members have been asked to stay cautious. The newly married couple from Kishangarh (Ajmer) went to Shanghai on January 25 on a honeymoon trip, however, returned back on January 27 after receiving information about the Coronavirus. Chief Medical and Health Officer (Ajmer) Dr K.K. Soni said: "They have been kept under observation till the time their report comes which is expected in next 24 hours. The patients are around 27 years old." Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Rohit Kumar Singh said that till Sunday, 3,933 passengers from 27 international flights have been screened at Jaipur international airport. Singh is taking constant review meetings to take stock of the situation. The passengers coming from Wuhan shall be admitted in the ESIC hospital in Alwar. V.K. Mathur, ESI Director, also inspected the hospital to check the arrangements. The outcome of General Election 2016 offers students a unique insight into the workings of every kind of government since the foundation of the Irish state. They may witness the formation of a traditional two or three party coalition, or a coalition government of one large party supported by a number of small parties and Independent TDs (as in 1948). Its possible that either Fine Gael or Fianna Fianna Fail could form a minority government with the support of some Independents (as happened in 1961). Most of all, students will observe the art of compromise. The different parties each offered the electorate a range of policies they promised to implement if they formed or could influence the new government. So, if any kind of government is to be formed over the next few weeks, the parties that participate will have to settle for fewer of their policies than they promised the electorate. Parties will have to change or adapt some of their policies (promises). Much political posturing and grandstanding is underway, with so-called red line issues dominating the news agenda. Its almost like a game of poker, each side waiting for the other to blink first. The electorate made a decision and to abide by that decision, the parties must compromise after a lot of tough talking. One thing is for sure: the electorate will not thank the party or parties if another general election is called in a few months. Ceann Comhairle The first item on the agenda when the 32nd Dail convenes on Thursday next is the election of a Ceann Comhairle, the chairperson who will keep order in the Dail chamber, and generally ensure that all TDs get to speak on issues of their choice. Traditionally, the main government party appointed one of their own TDs to the position of Ceann Comhairle. This has long been a controversial issue, as a Ceann Comhairle appointed in this way, was always accused (rightly or wrongly) of favouring the government side. This time the Ceann Comhairle will be elected by all 158 TDs by secret ballot and using the proportional representation (PR) system of election. Students will see the PR system working in microcosm. Constitution Many students will wonder why some government ministers, who lost their Dail seats at the general election, continue in their roles and will do so until a new government is formed. Curiosity about this anomaly allows teachers to introduce Articles in the constitution relating to the Oireachtas and the role of the President. Finally, this weeks In.Tuition deals with some key terms association with elections. Later on In.Tuition will take students the through the process of government formation. The deadly coronavirus outbreak threatens to put a significant dent in Western Australia's finances amid a plunge in the iron ore market, but Premier Mark McGowan has reassured the state that the budget and economy can withstand the anticipated shock. In a press conference late on Monday, Mr McGowan said he had been meeting with mining, tourism and education industry groups who had urged him to maintain a strong relationship with China. Health Minister Roger Cook, Premier Mark McGowan and Treasurer Ben Wyatt brief journalists on the risks posed by coronavirus to the WA economy. Credit:Nathan Hondros The Premier also warned against discrimination against WA's Chinese community. "We will get through this issue and we need to work together as a government and economically," he said. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Mumbai, Feb 3 : Actress Richa Chadha, who is known for expressing strong opinions on politics, says that as an actor she chooses films that interest her, and not necessarily projects that are in sync with her political ideology. "My politics does not reflect in the choices of films I do, not always. A film is a fictional work. In future, what if I play a Naxalite? I may not agree with the violence that that ideology holds but that does not mean I will say 'no' to the film as an actor. I am a performing artist and not every single performance is a reflection of my political belief," Richa told IANS. Citing an example of one of her earlier films, Richa added: "Look at 'Gangs Of Wasseypur'. It is the story of the coal mafia underworld. I played Nagma Khatoon, who kills her son. As Richa, do I support Nagma's decision to kill her son and take revenge? Of course not!" She continued: "It is a luxury to get the right balance of character in a film, where my politics meets the politics of the character." Richa is among actresses who participated in a non-violent protest against the JNU student attack and CAA, along with Taapsee Pannu, Huma Qureshi, Konkona Sen Sharma, Swara Bhaskar and Dia Mirza. On social media, too, she openly expresses her opinion on current affairs and social issues that bothers society at large. She prefers not to use cinema as a tool of protest all the time. "Filmmakers are trying to make films. Actors work as performing artistes. Not every single film has to be a piece of political opinion. We have other platforms to explore that," she concluded. (Arundhuti Banerjee can be contacted at arundhuti.b@ians.in) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text BEIJING - The first patients arrived Monday at a 1,000-bed hospital built in 10 days as part of Chinas sweeping efforts to fight a new virus that is causing global alarm. Huoshenshan Hospital and a second 1,500-bed facility due to open this week were built by construction crews who are working around the clock in Wuhan, the central city where the outbreak was first detected in December. Some 50 million people are barred from leaving Wuhan and surrounding cities. The Wuhan treatment centres mark the second time Chinese leaders have responded to a new disease by building specialized hospitals almost overnight. As severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, spread in 2003, a facility in Beijing for patients with that viral disease was constructed in a week. The first patients arrived at Huoshenshan Hospital at 10 a.m. on Monday, according to state media. They gave no details of the patients identities or conditions. The ruling Communist Partys military wing, the Peoples Liberation Army, sent 1,400 doctors, nurses and other personnel to staff the Wuhan hospital, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The government said earlier that some have experience fighting SARS and other outbreaks. The state newspaper Beijing Daily applauded construction workers and suppliers who cut short their Lunar New Year holiday. It hailed the rapid construction as a political triumph, despite complaints leaders in Wuhan endangered the public by failing to respond fast enough to reports of a dangerous new disease. Todays Chinese people are more deeply aware: where I stand is my China, the newspaper said. When this national sense of ownership is awakened, our mentality in the face of disasters becomes more mature. Authorities have cut most road, rail and air access to Wuhan and surrounding cities, isolating some 50 million people, in efforts to contain the viral outbreak that has sickened more than 17,000 people and killed more than 360. Before this weeks addition of 2,500 new beds, Wuhan had 6,754 in hospitals designated for virus patients, according to the website TMTpost.com. It said authorities were considering assigning another 2,183 beds to virus cases at the citys other hospitals. The Huoshenshan Hospital was built by a 7,000-member crew of carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other specialists, according to Xinhua. About half of the two-story, 60,000-square meter (600,000-square foot) building is isolation wards, according to the government newspaper Yangtze Daily. It has 30 intensive care units. The name Huoshenshan means God of Fire Mountain. The second hospital, Leishenshan, means God of Thunder Mountain. Newspapers published day-by-day accounts of crews clearing a riverside plot, laying the foundation, installing sewage and electrical equipment and assembling prefabricated rooms that were shipped to the site. Photos in state media showed workers in winter clothing, safety helmets and the surgical-style masks worn by millions of Chinese in an attempt to avoid contracting the virus. Trucks were shown arriving in the middle of the night carrying rolls of insulation and other materials. Doctors can talk with outside experts over a video system that links them to Beijings PLA General Hospital, according to the Yangtze Daily. It said the system was installed in less than 12 hours by a 20-member commando team from Wuhan Telecom Ltd. The building has specialized ventilation systems and double-sided cabinets that connect patient rooms to hallways and allow hospital staff to deliver supplies without entering the rooms. It is equipped with infrared scanners to warn if any employees show signs of the diseases distinctive fever, the website Economy Net reported, citing the company that provided the technology. A Chinese company donated medical robots to deliver medicines and carry test samples, according to the Shanghai newspaper The Paper. In other cities, the government has designated hospitals to handle cases of the new virus. In Beijing, the Xiaotangshan Hospital built in 2003 for SARS is being renovated by construction workers. The government has yet to say whether it might be used for patients with the new disease. The grandparents of a three-year-old girl found dead in a hot car in Victoria have spoken out about her tragic death which occurred just days before her fourth birthday. Emily Lever's body was found in a vehicle parked on The Boulevard at Morwell, in the Latrobe Valley area of Gippsland in south-east Victoria, on Friday when temperatures in the town reached 42C. Emergency crews discovered her inside the car about 8.30pm, although it is unclear how long she had been there. She was pronounced dead at the scene after desperate attempts to revive her were unsuccessful. Emily Lever, three, was found dead in Morwell, in Gippsland, on Friday, when temperatures in the town had reached 42C Her paternal grandparents Karen and Leslie Spark revealed the family was planning to celebrate Emily's birthday on Wednesday - but will now have to organise her funeral instead. 'It is a tragic accident. The worst is to come,' Mr Spark told the Herald Sun, as he remembered his granddaughter as a 'beautiful little girl'. Mrs Spark added: 'It doesnt feel real... [Emily] had so much life in her. She was a chatterbox. She was a loving, sweet, happy girl. 'I don't know what we are going to do on Wednesday on her birthday.' Emergency services discovered her inside the car outside The Boulevard (pictured) in Morwell around 8.30pm Homicide Squad detectives are investigating the young girl's death, but the exact circumstances, including whether it is suspicious, are yet to be determined. The temperature at the Latrobe Regional Airport - a 10-minute drive away from Morwell - was reported to have hit 34.4C at 8.30pm, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. No charges have been laid. According to the publication, Emily's parents, Monica and Shaun Lever, had recently separated. Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Mr and Mrs Lever in anyway played a part in the the tragedy. In a separate tragedy, Chloe-Ann (left) and Darcey Conley (right) died in November after being found in a hot car outside their mother's home south of Brisbane Mrs Spark said her son Shaun had an 'amazing' relationship with his three daughters and has been left distraught over Emily's death. The young girl was the middle child of her family, leaving behind her five-year-old sister Alice, and 18-month-old sister Jaina. The tragedy comes after the NRMA revealed more than 130 children had been rescued from being stuck inside vehicles since the start of this year alone. Five-year-old Natasha Gorjup (pictured) from Newcastle, died in December after she was pulled from a hot car unconscious on a 38C day About 150 were rescued in December, 156 in November and 172 in October, with the majority of cases involving children under the age of two. NSW Ambulance services also revealed there has been a 30 per cent spike in call-outs, over the last year. 'In most circumstances it's a simple accident but the consequences can be catastrophic,' NSW Ambulance inspector Carolyn Parish said. In December, a five-year-old girl died in hospital after she was found in a hot car unconscious on a 38C day. Aloiz Gorjup pulled his daughter Natasha from the car outside his home in Port Stephens, north of Newcastle in late November. He called paramedics before she was airlifted to hospital where she later died in what police said was a tragic accident. The tragedy came just days after two girls, aged one and two, died after being left in a car for hours in hot conditions outside their mother's home south of Brisbane. Chloe-Ann and her older sister, Darcey, two, died after being cooped up in their mother's black Mazda station wagon outside her home in Waterford West in Brisbane's southern outskirts on November 23. Their mother Kerri-Ann Conley, 27, was charged with the girls' alleged murder, under a new definition which includes reckless indifference to human life. NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said most cases are accidental and that most of the time parents themselves need help. 'Most cases are people inadvertently locking children in a car but there are still far too many cases of parents where children have been simply forgotten,' he said. 'On the 49C day we had a couple of weeks ago, inside the car within a few minutes it could reach 80C - which is cooking temperatures. That's no place for a child or pet.' The Allahabad High Court on Monday granted bail to former BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand in the alleged rape case of a law student. He was arrested in September last year after the 23-year-old woman accused him of sexual harassment and blackmail. The woman was a student of the Chinmayanand-controlled SS Law College in Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh. Chinmayanand is facing charges under Sections 376C (sexual intercourse by a person or persons taking advantage of their official position), 354 D (stalking), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The case is being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed on the directions of the Supreme Court. The case came to light after the woman posted a video on August 23 last year on social media alleging that a senior leader of the saint community was harassing and threatening to kill her. The law student went missing a day later, after which her father lodged a complaint, accusing Chinmayanand of harassing his daughter. Chinmayanand was expelled from the BJP after his arrest. The SIT had, on November 6, submitted chargesheet in the case. In a parallel case, the woman was charged with trying to extort money from Chinmayanad. The Allahabad High Court granted her bail in that case in December last year. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: Iran will launch Zafar (Victory) satellite into space by the end of this week (the week ends in Iran on the 5th day), Iranian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammad Javad Azari Jahrami wrote on his Twitter page. Zafar satellite will be launched via Simorgh missile and will be located 530 kilometers from Earth, Jahrami added, Trend reports. The minister has recently said that less than two million euros were spent on the production of Zafar 1 and Zafar 2 satellites. The average life of the satellite is two years and a half, said the official. Iran's Zafar satellite weighs 113 kilograms. The purpose of launching the satellite is to renew the maps covering the changes in Iran's oil reserves, agriculture, forests and lakes. Film Review: The Rhythm Section: As Far From James Bond as You Can Get R | 1h 49min | Action, Drama, Mystery | 31 January 2020 (USA) The Rhythm Section is the next step in the ongoing deconstruction and general grunge-ification of the debonair, Roger Moore-type James Bond spy movie. The first wave of this grunging-up began with the Jason Bourne franchise. In the same way that Alien updated spaceship stories by smearing grime and print marks on the previously shiny equipment, making keyboards grubby and such, so also did Jason Bourne nitty-grit-ify the tuxedo-wearing Bond-ness of the spy genre. It exchanged sleek, Walther PPK handguns and suave, witty quips for vicious, Krav Maga-based street fighting. Which, in turn, cross-pollinated by blowing back on the current Bond incarnationsDaniel Craigs grittier, grungier Bond should really be named Jason Bond. The Rhythm Section: A Revenge Tale Blake Lively plays Stephanie Patrick, a summa cum laude-level Oxford student, whose life was hit by a hurricane in the form of a transatlantic-flight plane crash that killed her entire family. The resultant PTSD of that trauma is a virulent downward spiral, dead-ending in her becoming a heroin-addicted prostitute. Which is perhaps a bit much. Oxford? Junkie prostitute? OK whatever. Could happen. Three years later, an investigative journalist named Proctor (Raza Jaffrey) hunts her down, revealing that the tragedy was actually caused by a bomb and not mechanical failure. Which lights a fire of vengeance under her that could double as a death wish: When asked later by her mentor about her life (and the danger to it), she replies, What about it? Raza Jaffrey stars in The Rhythm Section. (Paramount Pictures) Once Stephanie realizes that she can trust Proctor, she succumbs to immediate overzealous-revenge desire and blows her cover by not being able to bring herself to pull the trigger on bombmaker Reza (Tawfeek Barhom), which then gets Proctor killed. So now (like Jennifer Garner in Peppermint, among others) follows the ubiquitous training in martial arts and weaponry montage. Discovering among Proctors belongings a photo of Scotland with geographic coordinates, Stephanie takes a bus to the Scottish Highlands. We dont at first understand what shes up to. Once she gets there, Iain Boyd, a former MI6 agent (Jude Law), makes her do special operations military things, like shoot guns, observe her rhythm section for balance and calm (Think of your heart as the drums, your breathing as the bass), and swim in a freezing Scottish loch. Jude Law as an ex-MI6 agent in The Rhythm Section. (Paramount Pictures) By the way, this superfan of Braveheart (myself) had a bit of a problem when Stephanie gets off the bus from England and the soundtrack strikes up the actual theme music from Braveheart (or rather, a close facsimile). Do not mess with Braveheart, thank you very much. Jude Law and Blake Lively star in The Rhythm Section. (Paramount Pictures) Anyway, in addition to securing spy training for herself, Stephanie also finds financial benefactors in Suleman and Alia Kaif (Nasser Memarzia and Amira Ghazalla)the parents of the man targeted in the plane bombing. Blake Lively and Nasser Memarzia star in The Rhythm Section. (Paramount Pictures) And so, after a scant few months of training, its off to Tangiers to pursue her revenge plans, all gung-ho to start mixing it up with professional terrorists. There she meets an ex-CIA mercenary (Sterling K. Brown) who knows how she can get to U-17, the terrorist behind the bombing. Sterling K. Brown and Blake Lively star in The Rhythm Section. (Paramount Pictures) Order Versus Chaos Sosince everything in modern culture and marketing caters to our addictions in order to sell more productthe ante must constantly be upped. Where were currently at in terms of escalation is like Marty McFly in Back to the Future when he turns every volume dial in Doc Browns lab up to 10, plugs in his guitar, stands in front of the Shrek-sized amplifier, hits a power chordand blows himself through a wall. But the Jason Bourne franchise already maxed out the spy genre adrenaline rush. So how do you turn that up a notch? Well, actually, The Rhythm Section is not the first rerouting of the Bond spy genre locomotive onto new tracks. That was the recent Red Sparrow, about the young, physically attractive Russian spies trained to be honey traps. The Rhythm Section hitches its caboose to that narrative. From the sleek, highly trained operative played by Jennifer Lawrence to Blake Livelys no-makeup-wearing, bruised, strung-out, psychologically fragile, junkie prostitute. Thats how you grit-ify and deglam another notch downward. So what does it amount to? The Rhythm Section has less in common with Atomic Blonde (although it features a female assassin) than it does with Adam Sandlers recent Uncut Gemsnamely, barely manageable chaos. Stephanies trained a couple of months (which makes her an uncut gem of sorts), and now shes going to take on pros? She has miles of heart but rudimentary (at best) hand-to-hand, gunfighting, and combat driving skills. What does that bring to the table, this state of being a neophyte in the spy-and-special-operations arena? She cant yet impose her will, so its all ragged, seat-of-the-pants mayhem-survival; she could die at any moment, which raises the stakes in a certain way. It makes it all the more raw and dangerous. And therefore stressful. Like I said about Uncut Gems, with its portrayal of a hapless character negotiating a minefield full of nonstop explosionsdo you really want that stress? Theres something comforting in watching Jason Bourne prevail over the chaos, and not just surviving it by sheer luck. So thats a preference. I prefer highly skilled Jason Bournes chaos management over no-skills Stephanie Patricks chaos survival, employing nonstop, wince-worthy close calls. I like to relish the karmic retribution meted out by a master of behind-whupping. But thats just me. Has She Come a Long Way? It occurs to me that Blake Livelys cinematic stock in trade is getting herself severely harmed. The gross and gratuitous Savages was hard to watch, and while the lovely Lively in a peach-colored bikini is eminently watchable, she spent the majority of The Shallows (about sharks) dealing with lots of bodily harm and wincing and groaning. The Rhythm Section is no different, even borrowing heavily from the horror genre at one point. Blake Lively stars in The Rhythm Section. (Paramount Pictures) This upgraded take on the spy genre substitutes raw emotional pain, hollow-eyed-but-twitchy inner vacantness, personal stakes, vulnerability to extreme wounding, and bruisingly realistic mayhem for the following type of ancient, James Bondian, arched-brow nonsense: Live And Let Die (1973) (007 unzips Miss Carusos dress with the magnet in his watch): Miss Caruso: Such a delicate touch. Bond: Sheer magnetism, darling. As the old Virginia Slims cigarette ads used to say, Youve come a long way, baby, and from a feminist POV, thats progress. And I agree that Bond, such as he was, had to go. But I personally exited The Rhythm Section feeling harmed in my soul, and like Marty McFlyblown through a wall. Blake Lively stars in The Rhythm Section. (Paramount Pictures) The Rhythm Section Director: Reed Morano Starring: Blake Lively, Jude Law, Sterling K. Brown, Geoff Bell, Raza Jaffrey, Tawfeek Barhom, Nasser Memarzia Rating: R Running time: 1 hour, 49 minutes Release Date: Jan. 31, 2020 Rated: 2.5 stars out of 5 David was the strongest, smartest and most reliable man anyone knew. His dedication to his family and career were unparalleled. He loved to fish, work on cars, take trips to Talladega and spend time with his grandkids. He often reminisced of his younger days with his Central High friends and playing his trumpet in the band with his best friend Wayne. He passed no judgment and treated everyone as an equal. He was a dedicated husband, an amazing father, and a steadfast brother who was looked up to more as a father figure. He was a leader amongst his peers and a true friend to all and will be greatly missed. He was the second born son out of nine children. He was born in Bismarck, Missouri, on May 13, 1955. He was fondly referred to as Dave at work. He worked with Lockheed Martin since 1976 and continued to do so up until his death. He always spoke fondly of his career and took pride in the contribution he made to the aerospace industry. Three sisters are accused of running an illegal retail operation in which they recruited Bay Area thieves to snatch goods worth thousands of dollars so they could sell them in makeshift backyard stores in Oakland. Jessenia, Jessica and Norma Rodriguez ages 24, 27 and 33, respectively were arrested in December in what authorities called Operation Pinch a Grinch. The three were arraigned in Alameda County on felony charges of organized retail theft, directing organized retail theft and receiving stolen property, according to Hayward police. Investigators discovered the crime ring last summer when they tried to crack down on fencing due to a wave of grab-and-run thefts at Southland Mall, police said. The sisters allegedly stored, advertised and sold the goods at two Oakland residences. One had a backyard store concealed by tarp walls and stocked with clothing racks, shelves of toys, and tables of shoes, police said. The illegal store sold items at huge discounts, and families shopped for goods at the home. Police said the sisters recruited groups of thieves and requested specific merchandise, which their accomplices stole from stores in Hayward and across the Bay Area. The thieves quickly exchanged the goods typically worth $5,000 to $10,000 for cash from the sisters at the residences. The women were arrested when officers served search warrants in Oakland. A search of their homes allegedly turned up $300,000 in stolen goods, which was reclaimed by representatives from 18 retail stores. Murder charge in Berkeley hit-and-run Alameda County prosecutors charged the suspect in a fatal Berkeley hit-and-run with murder and identified the homeless victim, officials said. Oakland resident Alexander McGee, 29, is accused of killing Bernadette Youngbear, 58, by running her over in his car on Jan. 20 while fleeing a police officer who saw him assault his girlfriend, according to court documents. Youngbears identity had not previously been released because the coroners office had been unable to reach her family members. McGee also faces charges of evading an officer and causing death, leaving the scene of an accident, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and corporal injury to relationship partner. He was previously convicted of residential burglary and domestic violence, court documents show. McGee was arrested Wednesday at a West Oakland residence and booked into Santa Rita Jail, where he remains with no bail. The hit-and-run occurred at the corner of University Avenue and Sixth Street. A Berkeley police officer in the area saw a man in the drivers seat of a gray sedan punching a woman in the head as she screamed no and stop, according to the court document. With police in pursuit, the fleeing car drove up onto the sidewalk on University Avenue where it struck Youngbear and dragged her, court records show. The driver fled onto Interstate 80, and the police cruiser turned around to help the victim, who was pronounced dead, according to court documents. On Jan. 24, police located the woman who had been attacked in the suspect car. She said McGee was her boyfriend and threatened her after the hit-and-run, telling her not to talk to police or he would kill her. Police reported that she had a cut on her eye and a bald spot where her hair had been ripped out. Santa Rosa police release shooting video A Santa Rosa police officer who fired three rounds at a man suspected of carrying a rifle it turned out to be an umbrella has returned to duty while an investigation into the incident continues, officials said Friday. Officer Stephen Darden was the first to respond on Dec. 7 to the area of Guerneville and Fulton roads after at least two people made 911 calls about a man pointing what appeared to be a gun. Police Chief Rainer Navarro said Friday that Darden closed a road and demanded the man, identified as 24-year-old Joshua Oceguera, show his hands. Navarro said Oceguera faced Darden in a bladed stance when he heard the commands to stop and instead pointed a long, black object at the officer. At that point, Darden opened fire with his service rifle, missing the man three times. Darden told dispatchers he anticipated return fire and took cover behind his patrol vehicle when Oceguera opened his object to reveal it was an umbrella. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Its an umbrella, Darden said. Shots fired on my end. No injuries. Oceguera was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of criminal threats, brandishing and assault. He was later released with moderate supervision, Navarro said. New clues in killing of Santa Cruz tech CEO The Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office released new video footage showing a person of interest in the October kidnapping and slaying of a 50-year-old tech executive. Tushar Atre was kidnapped from his home in Pleasure Point around 3 a.m. Oct. 1, according to the Sheriffs Office. His body was found hours later at another property he owned on Soquel San Jose Road. Officials released security footage Wednesday that shows a person riding a bicycle in the street in front of Atres home around midnight, roughly three hours before his kidnapping, said Ashley Keehn, a spokeswoman for the department. The bicyclist slows, stops and appears to observe the home for a few seconds before riding away, the video shows. The individual seen in the video is a person of interest, Keehn said. Someone out there knows something about this case, Sheriff Jim Hart said in a video released by the department. We hope that the video and the information were releasing today jogs their memory, so we can hold these criminals responsible for these terrible crimes and also give some closure to the Atre family. Investigators said Atre was taken from his home in a white BMW sport utility vehicle that was stolen from the home. A video previously released by investigators shows three people one with a bag and another with a rifle walking up to the house shortly before the kidnapping. The reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible has been raised by $50,000 to $200,000. Atre was the founder of AtreNet, a web design company that specializes in creating sites for corporate clients. Anna Bauman and Alejandro Serrano are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: anna.bauman@sfchronicle.com, alejandro.serrano@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @abauman2, @serrano_alej Hyderabad, Feb 3 : Suspected coronavirus cases from both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will now be tested in Hyderabad with the health authorities setting up the necessary facilty at the government-run Gandhi Hospital here. Telangana Health Minister Etela Rajender on Monday inaugurated the facility at Gandhi Hospital's Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) lab. He said samples from the suspected cases in both the Telugu states will be examined in the hi-tech lab for which the Centre has provided rapid diagnostic kits. He said the test kits can be used to conduct tests on swab samples of 30 people in a day. With the settings up of this facility, the authorities will be able to save the time in sending the samples to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. The Health Minister said that the test result will now be available in 10 hours. Currently, it is taking two days to send the samples to Pune and get the report. So far, 20 people with suspected coronavirus symptoms approached Fever Hospital. Their blood and swab samples were sent to NIV, Pune. Rajender said none of samples were tested positive. The authorities are awaiting results of eight other samples. Almost all these people had returned from China and they voluntarily approached the hospital, where 40-bed isolation ward is kept ready for patients with suspected coronavirus symptoms. A similar isolation was has been set up at Gandhi Hospital. Officials said some additional beds were arranged at Chest Hospital as a precautionary measure. All teaching hospitals in Telangana will be added to the list of hospitals providing symptomatic to patients of suspected coronavirus. The health authorities have urged frequent flyers with a travel history to China and other countries where coronavirus cases are being reported, to voluntarily get themselves admitted to designated hospitals in Hyderabad. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Michael Mad Mike Hoare, considered the worlds most famous mercenary, has died at the age of 100. His family said in a statement that he died in his sleep at a care facility in Durban, South Africa, on Sunday. Mr Hoare rose to fame commanding a unit of mercenary troops in the Congo during the 1960s. But he was jailed for three years for hijacking a jet following a failed coup attempt in the Seychelles in 1981. Mike Hoare in the Congo in 1964/65 (Jean Kestergat/PA) His son, Chris, described his father as an officer and a gentleman with a bit of pirate thrown in. He added: Mike Hoare lived by the philosophy that you get more out of life by living dangerously, so it is all the more remarkable that he lived more than 100 years. Most people who met Mike described him as a legend, and as an officer and a gentleman; only a few realised there was a bit of pirate thrown in. Known as Mad Mike, he was short and dapper, impossibly charming, unaccountably enigmatic, always polite, strangely proper, absolutely sane, good natured, a brilliant leader and an absolute legend. Mr Hoare was born in 1919 in India to Irish parents, and was educated in England. After serving in the British Army during the Second World War and reaching the rank of major, Mr Hoare qualified as a chartered accountant and emigrated to South Africa in 1948. Mike Hoare with his biography, written by his son Chris Hoare (Roy Reed/PA) In 1961 he commanded a unit of mercenary troops in Katanga. Then in 1964-5 he led a unit of 300 mercenaries which became known as the Wild Geese in the Congo to suppress a Communist-inspired uprising, becoming a household name in many parts of the world. He was given the nickname Mad Mike after East German radio regularly described him as that mad bloodhound Hoare. The 1978 film The Wild Geese starred Richard Burton as Colonel Allen Faulkner, a character based heavily on Mr Hoare. In 1981 Mr Hoare led a failed coup attempt in the Seychelles, and served nearly three years in South African jails for air piracy. He lived in France for 20 years before returning to South Africa in 2009 and leaves five children Chris, Tim, Gerry, Mikey and Simon. A division bench of the Calcutta high court on Monday took suo moto cognizance of the incident in which two sisters were allegedly tied up, dragged and beaten in South Dinajpur district in north Bengal and directed the state legal aid services to submit a report immediately. Two of the five accused were also arrested, police said on Monday. Rabisankar Chattopadhyay, the high court advocate, who mentioned the matter before the division bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B Nair Radhakrishnan and Justice Arijit Banerjee, said, Citing media reports we mentioned before the bench how two women were tortured for protesting against building a village road on private land. We appealed before the court to take suo motu cognizance. The bench has directed the member secretary of state legal aid services to submit a report before the court immediately. Meanwhile, the district magistrate of South Dinajpur, Nikhil Nirmal has sought a report from the sub-divisional officer of Gangarampur in this regard on Monday. I have sought a report from the SDO, Gangarampur by Wednesday to know what administrative measures they have taken. I am yet to receive any direction from the Calcutta HC. If any direction comes from the court, we will definitely act on it, Nirmal said. One of the victims, Smriti Kana Das, 29, lodged a complaint with the police on Sunday identifying five persons. Police arrested two accused Tapan Sil and Gobinda Sarkar on Monday. Two persons have been arrested. We are looking for the other three, said Debarshi Dutta, superintendent of police of the district. The prime accused, TMC panchayat leader Amal Sarkar, who was suspended by the party after a video of the incident emerged on Sunday, is yet to be arrested. Sarkar could not be contacted despite repeated attempts Hindustan Times had reported on Monday that two sisters, who protested against building a village road on private land, were allegedly tied up, dragged and beaten up by a Trinamool Congress-led panchayat leader and his aides in South Dinajpur districts Gangarampur. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON NCP president Sharad Pawar on Monday asked the state government, in which his party is also a constituent, to chalk out employment generation and career guidance programmes targetting Scheduled Caste (SC) youths. Addressing a meeting organised by the Social Justice department, Pawar underlined the need for launching such comprehensive programme. NCP MLA and Social Justice Minister Dhananjay Munde said at least three lakh student will be given employment- oriented training under the Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Centre (BARTI). "A special cell will be set up in Mantralaya (state secretariat) for addressing grievances of the hearing-impaired people. Similarly, a centralised canteen will also be set up for social justice department on the lines of the tribal welfare ministry," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Decrease Font Size Font Size Increase Font Size Article body Two Auburn University researchers are part of a team that has launched a study on the viability of several species that dwell in the estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico and have experienced a steep population decline in recent years. The work, which seeks to strengthen the creatures resilience to damaging environmental factors, could play a large role in ensuring their future sustainability. Latif Kalin, professor of hydrology in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, and Di Tian, assistant professor in Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences in the College of Agriculture, are working on the $2.8 million study, Building Resilience for Oysters, Blue Crabs and Spotted Seatrout to Environmental Trends and Variability. The project is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, or NOAA, as part of its NOAA RESTORE program, which awarded approximately $15.6 million to research teams that are studying trends in living coastal and marine resources and the processes driving them in the Gulf of Mexico region. Oysters, blue crabs and spotted seatrout populations in the Gulf of Mexico have suffered substantial declines, Kalin said. Unfortunately, the relationship between their population trends and the environmental factors are not well understood. Through this project, we hope to disentangle this relationship and provide an end-to-end perspective from climate to watershed, to coastal hydrodynamic, to estuarine ecosystem and populations to services and economics. This project will facilitate cooperative ecosystem management to build the resilience of oyster, blue crab and spotted seatrout to environmental change. The results of the research, a partnership with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program and other stakeholders, will feed into resource management and restoration planning decisions as well as efforts toward holistic ecosystem management of Mobile Bay. More broadly, the projects research and outreach components will support widespread management efforts to increase coastal resource resilience to environmental trends and variability, Kalin said. Tian said the importance of this work cannot be overstated. With respect to the solution, we will create a next-generation numerical model to assess and predict these impacts, he said. This information will help resource managers in the Mobile Bay area and beyond to make evidence-based decisions and best management strategies for estuarine ecosystem restorations under the current and future climate. Lead researcher John Lehrter, a senior marine scientist at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and an associate professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of South Alabama, said he hopes the project leads to a better understanding of the way environmental variability and trendsboth short-term factors such as flood and drought, and directional changes including global warming, sea-level rise and ocean acidificationwill affect these important estuarine species. Lehrter said the study will impact the environment and the economy. Many estuarine fish and shellfish populations are imperiled or in decline due to the rapid changes that have occurred in estuaries, he said. For example, in 2019, the natural oyster fishery in Alabama was not opened due to a lack of oysters. This was the first time ever that the fishery was not opened. We expect that our research will identify some solutions to minimize disturbances to estuaries and to rebuild the populations of important species. In addition to Kalin, Tian and Lehrter, the team includes eight researchers representing the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Mississippi State University and North Carolina State University. (Written by Teri Greene) A Delhi-Mumbai flight of IndiGo received a bomb threat just after boarding of passengers was completed at the Delhi airport on Sunday evening but it turned out to be a hoax, sources said. The aircraft was thoroughly checked and no bomb was found, a source said on Monday. "A call was received around 5.45 pm on Sunday just after the passengers boarded the Delhi-Mumbai flight. All the passengers were then deplaned and the plane was checked. There was no bomb on the plane. The call was a hoax," the source said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dozens of foreigners who may have been exposed to the potentially deadly coronavirus are set to be secretly held in isolation at a hotel near the centre of Sydney, a source close to the operation has revealed. Staff involved in the Australian Government's quarantine operation on Christmas Island claim security guards from Serco - the company that deploys staff at the immigration detention - have been sent to a Sydney hotel to oversee the operation. The source told Daily Mail Australia four Chinese nationals had been held in rooms in isolation at the hotel - which cannot be identified for legal reasons - and that number was predicted to rise to 80 by the end of the week. 'Anyone who came in contact with or travelled through the contaminated areas could be held,' the source said. Operation quarantine: Foreigners who may have been exposed to the potentially deadly coronavirus are set to be secretly held in isolation at a hotel in Sydney, sources reveal. Pictured: Airline staff heading back to Sydney Airport. Daily Mail Australia does not suggest these people were held in isolation Hotel management confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that security company Serco has booked 'several rooms' at the hotel, which is popular with airline staff, but denied claims foreigners were already being quarantined inside them If any of those held in isolation show signs of coronavirus, they will be taken to hospital. The revelations come as 243 of the approximately 600 Australians stranded in the coronavirus epicentre of Wuhan, in Hubei province, left on a specially-chartered Qantas flight to be taken to Christmas Island for two weeks of quarantine. The virus has infected more than 17,000 people - including 12 in Australia - and has been declared a global health emergency. The plane will land at the Learmonth RAAF base in Western Australia just before 5pm AEST, where they will be met by military with military planes to fly them to Christmas Island for two weeks in quarantine. Hotel management confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that Serco has booked 'several rooms' at the hotel, which is popular with airline staff, but denied claims foreigners were already being quarantined inside them. 'They have hired some rooms, but as far as we're aware, there is no quarantine situation taking place. In fact, we're certain the rooms are empty aside from the staff at the moment. 'They are here. There are some staff that have been here, but there isn't anybody here who is in quarantine.' Those in isolation who show signs of coronavirus will be taken to hospital. Daily Mail Australia does not suggest the photographed people are being held in isolation A man wears a mask outside the Sydney hotel on Monday after reports that the hotel was being used to quarantine victims of the coronavirus. Daily Mail Australia does not suggest the photographed people are being held in isolation The establishment of the hotel isolation unit is part of a wider plan by Australian authorities to stop the spread of the infection, including the introduction of a two-week travel ban from China - the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. On Monday, Sydney Ground Transport shuttle buses arrived constantly at the hotel, ferrying staff from Scoot Airlines back to Sydney Airport. A driver for the company said he had an appointment to pick up airline staff at midday - and said all drivers had been told to wear face masks during the trips. 'We've been told to report anything we see,' he said. About 12 uniformed hostesses and two men were ushered out of the building by hotel staff and straight on to the shuttle bus. Their luggage was loaded into the back of the bus quickly. Some of the airline staff also wore protective face masks for the trip. One of the hostess's said they had been staying in the hotel but were about to board a return flight back to Singapore. 'We're actually just leaving,' she said. 'We've been here a while, but we're flying to Singapore today.' When Daily Mail Australia asked whether they were being monitored for coronavirus inside the hotel, another air hostess interrupted to say they could not comment. Within an hour, the same shuttle bus company arrived to do another trip, confirming there were more staff waiting in the building. A flight attendant from Virgin Australia later told Daily Mail Australia said it was 'quite scary' to think quarantine was taking place at the hotel. 'I hope not. I'm just here because the normal hotel I stay in before a flight was full. That's quite a scary thought though so I hope there is nobody with it [coronavirus] in there,' he said. Hotel guests who were not affiliated with the supposed quarantine quickly sprinted from the confines of the building to waiting cars wearing full face masks. One woman said she was doing it for her safety, not because she had been exposed to the virus. Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Home of Affairs for comment. The quick actions of two Coleraine residents prevented a fire spreading in their home, police said. The Lodge Road home was attacked at around 1.30am on Monday. It's thought two males were inside at the time. An object was thrown through the living room window setting the living room was on fire. Damage was caused to furniture and the living room floor. "However, further damage was prevented by the quick actions of the occupants," Detective Inspector Peter McKenna said. "We are extremely fortunate no one was injured in what was a reckless act. "We are working to establish a motive for the attack, and would appeal to anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area around 1.35am, including any cars being driven in a suspicious manner, to contact CID in Coleraine on 101, quoting reference 90 of 03/02/20. "Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime." Eight people suspected with coronavirus have been admitted in hospitals in Cuttack out of which five samples were found negative. Director, Health and Technical, Dr CBK Mohanty, said, "Eight persons suspected with coronavirus have been admitted in hospitals out of which five samples were found negative. A medical student of Kandhamal was sent to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack and was found negative." "One married woman and a medical student of China have been admitted to the isolation ward of SCB Medical College in Cuttack. Her husband has also been kept in observation," Mohanty said. In Maharashtra, a total of 8,878 people coming from affected countries of coronavirus were screened at Mumbai International Airport till recently. 104 of them belonged to Maharashtra among which 21 had symptoms similar to coronavirus. Samples of 18 out of 21 have been tested negative till now while the results of the remaining three are awaited. 15 out of 21 have also been discharged from the hospital. In Karnataka, as per the statement by the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services State Surveillance Unit, 51 travellers from coronavirus affected countries have been identified and 46 are under home isolation. Four passengers have left India and one is admitted to a selected isolation hospital. Till date, 44 samples have been sent to the Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune for testing out of which results of 29 samples came as negative. 104 Arayogya Sahavavani (call centre) has reserved two seats for receiving calls and guidance. Till today, 312 calls has been received. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Islam Alloush, who was a spokesman for Jaish al-Islam, has been arrested and charged with war crimes, torture, and the forced disappearance of activists report Al-Modon. Islam Alloush, one of the most prominent figures in Jaish al-Islam, which long controlled eastern Ghouta, has fallen into the trap of French authorities after traveling there to complete his higher studies. French authorities arrested Majdi Naameh, also known as Islam Alloush, last Wednesday in the French city of Marseilles, where he had traveled after receiving a scholarship as a student in the Erasmus program. Majdi Naameh was born in 1988, and had been a captain in the Syrian regime army. He defected after the Syrian revolution and became a senior officer in Jaish al-Islam and an official spokesman, along with its leader Zahran Alloushthe founder of the group, who was killed in an airstrike in 2015. After that, Islam Alloush became the most prominent figure in the organization, until his resignation from his leadership position in 2016. Islam was arrested by the French authorities after being charged on several counts by the Central Office for Combatting Crimes against Humanity, Genocides and War Crimes in Paris. He was charged with war crimes, torture, and the forced disappearance of activists in eastern Ghouta and Douma, as well as suspected involvement in the recruitment of Syrian children to fight in the group. He was also suspected of involvement in the kidnapping of several Syrian activists: Razan Zaitouneh, Samira al-Khalil, Nazim al-Hamadi and Wael Hamada. The four were kidnapped from their offices in Ghouta, where they were documenting the humanitarian violations by armed groups in the area. Nothing is known about their fate. Islam was also charged with being involved in disappearing, torturing and killing two French citizens, namely: Mazen al-Dabbagh and Patrick al-Dabbagh. Majdi Naamehs arrest came after the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the French League for Human Rights (LDH) on Jun. 26, 2019, filed a complaint against Jaish al-Islam for the crimes committed between 2013 and 2018 against civilians and activists in eastern Ghouta and Douma. The case was appended by documents and testimonies from 20 victims or their families, including families of the Douma Four. How did Islam Alloush reach Europe? After Majdy resigned from his position in the Jaish al-Islam in 2016or following his dismissal after he became a burden to the armed group due to the interview with Israeli Isabel Tsurkov, in which he did not rule out a peace deal with Israel, Majdy tried to reinvent himself as a researcher. He studied at a Turkish university, and his name appeared in many conferences and seminars as a researcher in Syrian and Islamic affairs, before he traveled to France on a scholarship. Naameh entered Europe last year, and stayed for nearly six months, according to an interview conducted with the New York Times in an article on Turkeys embrace of Syrian and Arab opposition voices: Arab Exiles Sound Off Freely in Istanbul Even as Turkey Muffles Its Own Critics Naameh said that he returned to Istanbul out of personal fear of eating pork by mistake, as well as Europes cold weather. He mentioned that he planned to complete his doctorate in Turkey. But apparently his plans changed, as he returned to France with an Erasmus grant, amid censure from Syrians that European universities had closed their doors to them while receiving the likes of Islam Alloush. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Kosovo: Prime minister to ask Serbia to pay war reparations Kurti also announces criminal complaints against Belgrade (ANSAmed) - PRISTINA, FEBRUARY 3 - Kosovo's prime minister elect, Albin Kurti of the Self Determination movement (VV), presented his programme in parliament on Monday along with the composition of his new government. He announced, among other things, that he plans to ask Serbia to assume its responsibilities for war crimes committed during the conflict at the end of the 1990s, with corresponding reparations for war damages. He said criminal complaints for genocide will be filed against Serbia and a special institute will be created to manage the process. Kurti, who is known for his hard and radical positions on Serbia, said he is ready to dialogue with Belgrade but it must take place with broad political consensus. The prime minister elect also announced the introduction of a mandatory three-month military draft and a law to take away illegally purchased properties. He said his government will focus on reforms to support economic development, job creation, justice and the fight against corruption. Kurti then presented his new government, which contains 15 ministers, two of whom are from Srpska Lista (Serb List), the largest party of the Serbian minority closely tied to Belgrade. The government will have two deputy prime ministers and 33 deputy ministers. The new foreign minister will be Glauk Konjufca from Kurti's Self Determination movement. To take on the role, Konjufca had to resign from his position as president of parliament. That post will now be taken up by a member of the Democratic League of Kosovo, a condition that was placed by the party's leader, Isa Mustafa, as part of a coalition agreement. (ANSAmed). The latest virus infection case is being quarantined at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City The latest case, a Vietnamese American, is being quarantined at the Hospital for Tropical Disease in Ho Chi Minh City. The patient, who transited through Wuhan on January 15 on his way from the US to Viet Nam, was having a fever, coughing, and suffering shortness of breath, the health ministry said in a report. Tests showed that he sustained damage to his lungs, with his throat sample collected on January 31 and returning positive now. H. left the U.S. on January 14 and arrived in Wuhan on January 15. He stayed in the city for two hours. He landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on January 16. The Wuhan novel Coronavirus has claimed at 305 people, including one in the Philippines, and sickened 14,556, the ministry said on Sunday morning. In Viet Nam, the confirmed patients include two Chinese and three French tourists. NANJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The city of Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, has announced measures including financial support and tax cuts to help small and medium-sized firms affected by the coronavirus epidemic. Banking institutions are required to step up financial support for small and micro enterprises to guarantee bank loans, according to the circular released late Sunday by the city government. The outstanding balance of loans to small and micro companies in 2020 shall be no less than that of the same period in 2019, and the companies' financing costs shall be no more than last year's levels, the circular said. Companies that do not lay off employees can get a refund of 50 percent of the actual unemployment insurance premiums they paid last year. For those facing temporary production and operation difficulties, insurance premiums can be deferred up to six months, it said. Small and medium-sized enterprises affected by the epidemic outbreak can also have their housing rent exempted or reduced. Chinese health authorities said the total confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection on the Chinese mainland had reached 17,205 by the end of Sunday, with 361 deaths reported. Many Chinese cities have implemented traffic restrictions and work delays following the Spring Festival holiday to contain the spread. The People's Bank of China has said it will increase financial support including lower lending rates for companies affected by the epidemic. Charlotte Lawson, a fourth-year student at the University of Virginia, on the campus in Charlottesville, Va., Jan. 13, 2020. The United States has been inconsistent when it comes to deciding what 18- to 21-year-olds like Lawson are too young, or just old enough, to do. Like many others, Lawson pointed out that the drinking age is higher than the age to join the armed services. (Julia Rendleman/The New York Times) Headquartered in London, with a North/South America-focused team in Los Angeles and New York City and an APAC-focused team in Singapore, Big Sync is the largest global music buyer of its kind, sourcing music for household brands like Johnnie Walker, Samsung, Amazon, Dove, Knorr, Magnum and AXE. Songtradr, the largest music licensing platform in the world, acquired Big Sync Music in early 2019 enabling the company to provide a powerful, data powered music solution for brands and creative agencies worldwide. Big Sync's new operations will be headed up by three recently appointed Country Managers; Michael Szumowski for Australia/New Zealand (Sydney); Pedro Anacker for Germany (Hamburg) and Nicolas Farcy for France (Paris). Songtradr founder and CEO, Paul Wiltshire said: "As brands produce more, highly targeted, data-driven content to engage with consumers on multiple platforms, music is playing an increasingly important role. Expanding into Australia, France and Germany will enable us to help brands, agencies and content creators meet their music needs from a cultural, creative and commercial perspective as well as opening up new opportunities for rights owners to reach new audiences." For more information on Big Sync Music, please visit www.bigsync.com. Follow Big Sync on Twitter. For more information about Songtradr, please visit: www.songtradr.com. Follow Songtradr on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. About Big Sync Music Big Sync Music is the world's leading full service, creative music supervision agency working with brands and advertising agencies. With operations in London, New York, Los Angeles, Stockholm, Singapore, Sydney, Paris and Hamburg, the company has worked on thousands of projects for clients such as critically acclaimed and award-winning global campaigns from Magnum, Samsung, AXE, Dove, Ponds, Lipton, Marmite and Knorr. About Songtradr Songtradr is the largest music licensing marketplace in the world, with over 500,000 artists and catalogs from 190+ countries leveraging machine learning and deep data to power music discovery. Songtradr connects artists to film, TV, brands and other media in a worldwide marketplace for music licensing. Music creators monetize their music through licensing to all forms of media, including distribution to all major streaming platforms. Using Songtradr's proprietary technologies, music supervisors, brands, filmmakers and other creatives, can easily license music from a vast community of artists, bands, record labels and publishers. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1085217/Songtradr_Paul_Wiltshire.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1085218/Big_Sync_Music_Logo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1085219/Songtradr_Logo.jpg FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR TO REQUEST INTERVIEWS CONTACT: Vicky Brown, APB PR +44 7879 055172 [email protected] SOURCE Big Sync Music; Songtradr Related Links http://www.bigsync.com Rebuffed by the courts in its previous efforts to gut Medicaid, the Trump administration teed up a new, far-reaching attack on the program that could affect the health of millions of low-income Americans. Officially unveiled Thursday under the Orwellian label "Healthy Adult Opportunity," the new rules would encourage states to cut benefits and narrow eligibility for residents who qualify under the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion provision. Although the administration asserted that the rules would give states "new levels of flexibility" in running their Medicaid programs, in fact they would lock them into annual caps for Medicaid that could not be exceeded. In essence, the rules are tantamount to block granting Medicaid _ that is, setting a concrete budget _ which destroys flexibility. As my colleague Noam Levey reports, Medicaid and the related Children's Health Insurance Program cover more than 70 million low-income Americans. The program's $600-billion cost is split between the federal government and states. Analysis: California blocks a hospital merger amid concerns about religious limits on care The spread of religious restrictions on healthcare has increasingly become an issue as Catholic hospitals enter into affiliations with nonsectarian institutions or others that don't share their doctrinal rules. Medicaid expansion, which broadened the program to childless low-income adults, has been a target of conservatives and Republicans since the ACA was enacted in 2010. It came under attack again Thursday by Medicaid administrator Seema Verma, who asserted at a news conference announcing the proposed changes that the expansion has forced states to place disabled beneficiaries on waiting lists for enrollment. That claim has been debunked by experts. Whether many states will take up the administration's offer to remake their Medicaid programs is unclear, in part because the legality of some of the new provisions is uncertain. Medicaid's financing structure is set by federal law, and Verma and her boss, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, offered no explanation for "how HHS can make a fundamental change to Medicaid's financing structure," Nicholas Bagley of the University of Michigan Law School observed on Twitter. "That's going to be a big legal problem for any state rash enough to move ahead with one of these proposals," Bagley wrote. The administration's latest initiative drew immediate fire from Democrats and Medicaid patient advocates. "Today's announcement is the cruelest step yet by the Trump administration to slash American healthcare and dismantle basic safety net programs," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). Republican efforts in Congress to convert Medicaid to a block-grant program failed, Wyden observed, "due to an outcry from families across the country over the consequences for children, seniors, individuals with disabilities and the millions of working families who rely on the program for essential health coverage." Commentary: 2018 was the year of California vs. Trump. 2019 will be even more challenging Californians could be forgiven for thinking the Trump administration has targeted the state for especially harsh treatment. But some conflicts between Trumps retrograde policies and Californias progressive environmental rules and tolerance of immigrants probably were preordained. The administration's announcement Thursday bristled with misrepresentations of Medicaid and its benefits. "To many of us, Medicaid is remote," Verma stated. "Most of us are healthy, working, and insured, so it seems unlikely to affect our lives directly ... . Tragedy and bad luck can strike anyone, at any time. When it does people need something to fall back on." In fact, Medicaid plays a much more important role in American lives. As I've reported, the program pays for roughly half of all births in the United States (more than 60% across the South, which remains a nest of anti-expansionism). It covers 62% of all nursing home residents, and is the largest single source of payment for mental health services. One-third of all children in the U.S. are enrolled in Medicaid. With 70 million enrollees, the program is the largest single source of medical coverage in the nation _ hardly "remote." That hasn't stopped the Trump administration from relentlessly trying to gut Medicaid. Its approval of work requirement for the program in Arkansas and Kentucky was blocked by a federal judge in Washington, prompting other states that were seeking similar approvals to back off. The administration contends that changing Medicaid rules is a critical need because the program is so costly, but that's a threadbare rationale. Commentary: Billionaires and millionaires against food stamps Our billionaire and millionaire overlords and their minions are literally taking food out of a lot of hungry people's mouths. The new Medicaid rules would allow states to impose work requirements or premiums on Medicaid recipients, even though work rules have been overturned in the federal courts. Enrollees could be suspended if they fail to pay required premiums after a grace period, a condition HHS called "consistent with promoting the objectives of the Medicaid program." Bagley called that "a particularly galling bit of double-speak," since throwing enrollees out of Medicaid can hardly be judged "consistent" with a program aimed at signing people up for coverage. States could radically redesign their Medicaid programs, for example to cover only sufferers from specific conditions _ "such as individuals with severe mental illness, individuals needing treatment for substance use disorder, or individuals with HIV/AIDS," the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in a letter to state Medicaid directors dated Thursday. States could also reduce the list of drugs available to Medicaid enrollees, even though current rules require access to any drug licensed by the Food and Drug Administration. Commentary: The GOP's nightmare scenario is playing out in its Obamacare lawsuit The 2020 election is shaping up to be yet another referendum on health care, thanks to a long-shot lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act that has somehow stayed alive in the courts. States could also impose asset tests on applicants even though asset tests _ judgments of whether assets such as an applicant's home equity or car ownership should make him or her ineligible _ are not part of Medicaid expansion rules. And they could eliminate retroactive eligibility, a provision that allows doctors or hospitals to enroll patients on the spot if they appear with a medical emergency and haven't enrolled even though they're eligible. The major change proposed by the administration involves block granting the program. The proposal would allow states to run Medicaid under an "aggregate" cap determined by previous yearly spending, or a per capita limit based on population growth. With the first option, if states' spending is lower than the cap, they would be able to pocket some of the savings, though there would be restrictions on how they could spend the bounty. To capture the savings, they would have to spend at least 80% of the cap on Medicaid. Under current law, the federal government pays a set percentage of all state Medicaid spending. The match varies by state based on per capita income, with poorer states receiving a larger match. Mississippi, for example, receives more than 75%, California 61.5%. For the Medicaid expansion population, the federal government match is 90% for this year and all future years. Under those conditions, Medicaid funding can rise or fall with need, responding to unforeseen shocks. As health insurance expert David Anderson of Duke University observed last years, the shocks could be "a major storm like Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, they can be mass unemployment like 2008-2009, they can be a new technology like hep(atitis)-C cures or they can be a new disease like Zika ... . Block grants are not designed to respond to negative shocks." Commentary: Five myths about federal debt Several myths are muddling the discussion of the burgeoning federal debt The administration told state Medicaid directors that their block grant budgets could be updated "due to unforeseen circumstances out of the state's control, such as a public health crisis or major economic event." But the procedure for doing so appears to be burdensome: States would have to submit new data subject to validation in Washington by multiple federal agencies, and renegotiate the cap. Those conditions might well delay a state's ability to respond to a crisis. That sounds like exactly what the administration is aiming for. The less that Medicaid can play a role in American healthcare, the easier it will be for Verma to assert that it's "remote" from people's lives. But that's hardly a goal worth pursuing. Michael Hiltzik is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A blaze aboard an oil tanker last week off the United Arab Emirates sheikhdom of Sharjah killed at least four people, an Indian diplomat said Monday. Vipul, the Indian consul general in Dubai who goes by one name, told The Associated Press that Emirati authorities would conduct a DNA test to see if two of the dead were the two Indian sailors missing since the blaze on Wednesday. Two others Indians were also killed, he said. The fire started on the vessel, earlier identified as the Zoya 1, as the ships crew of 12 Indians and 44 others worked to prepare the ship to be scrapped in India, Vipul said. The cause of the blaze remains unknown. Emirati officials did not immediately acknowledge the deaths and the missing sailors. The state-run WAM news agency had described the tanker as unloaded and had said its crew had been rescued last week. The blaze broke out some 34 kilometres (21 miles) off the coast of Sharjah. Mariners on the Zoya 1 reportedly had been stuck on the vessel for a year, unpaid, trying to come ashore amid a legal dispute over the vessel. They finally were repatriated in June 2018, but the ship remained off the coast of the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Victims of IRA violence in the Republic of Ireland have said they must not be forgotten. Their plea comes after regulations for a pension scheme to look after those severely injured in the Troubles were published. Victims' campaigners pointed out that people injured in the Irish Republic, and who are Irish citizens, are not included. Dubliner Edward O'Neill, who was seriously injured in the Dublin bombing in 1974, is angry that there is no equivalent pension for victims in the Republic. Asked if the Dublin Government should set up a similar scheme, Mr O'Neill said: "Without a shadow of a doubt. "I'm not looking for sympathy, but I'm looking for proper help and acknowledgement." Mr O'Neill (50) and his brother Billy were caught up in the explosion, which also killed their father Edward. He still suffers from the injuries he sustained in the 1974 bombing. Thirty three people died and 300 were injured when UVF terrorists detonated a series of bombs in Dublin and Monaghan. "We've been forgotten. Absolutely," he added. "Those bombings originated in Northern Ireland. That's indisputable. "We don't mind where the money's coming from, but money from either government would be an acknowledgement of what happened to us." David Kelly, whose father Patrick was the only member of the Irish Defence Forces to die during the Troubles, said his family should not be treated as 'invisible'. Private Patrick Kelly was part of an Irish Army and Garda patrol at Ballinamore near the Fermanagh border when he was shot dead by the IRA along with a trainee Garda, Gary Sheehan, in December 1983. "There are people in the south of Ireland still living with the consequences of the Troubles through no fault of their own," Mr Kelly said. "We have been bereaved, physically and psychologically damaged. Yes, the conflict was in the north, but people like me, whose father was from the south, killed in the south, but as part of the wider conflict, should be taken seriously." He added: "On the back of this we will now look at putting pressure on both the Irish and British Governments to treat victims in the south of Ireland the same." Very fine people, meet very powerful ban. Remember the criticism that President Donald J. Trump earned over his assertion that there were very fine people among the white supremacists who marched at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. The 2017 gathering culminated with the death of Heather Heyer, who was struck and killed when an enraged rally attendee plowed a car through a crowd of counter-protesters. Trumps phrase wasnt just poor a word choice. It revealed a fundamental truth about the Trumpian mindset. The objective of the marchers to stoke anger and hate toward the immigrants and, more specifically, the black and brown people who threaten to replace whites aligns with his own. He couldnt denounce the march or its aims, because he stood for the same sentiments, albeit without the menace of street violence. Trump unveiled a new plank of his nativist policy platform while attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in mid-January. He announced that hed severely restrict the migration to North America of people from a new list of countries, to join those that hed targeted two years ago, primarily nations where the people were Muslim. The president asserted that this new step would enhance what he termed a very powerful ban. The countries have been revealed: Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, Eritrea, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus. Several of the choices have been labeled extremely irrational by global experts. They question the seeming lack of even a basic understanding of recent history within several of the countries, along with their current relationship with the U.S. Belarus leads that list. Unlike the others, it hasnt experienced terrorism. Nigeria troubles thoughtful people as well. The nation aids the U.S. in fighting terrorism. Remember Boko Haram, the organization that horrifyingly kidnapped dozens of schoolgirls? Most recently, the Islamist group there has executed Christian leaders. Those terrors wont be stopped by instituting harsh bans, bans that very likely could harm the people fleeing or those in government power intent on driving these forces out of their country. Additionally, many naturalized and legal permanent U.S. residents from Nigeria work here as professionals, having arrived initially as college students. Opponents will have to fight back against Trump before a final list emerges, officially decreed by executive order or written into policy that civil servants must enact. After Trump tried his first immigration ban, activists fought back in courts and in demonstrations, and Chad, Iraq and Sudan were dropped from the ban list. It took three go-rounds with the courts, but Trump has been able to restrict the travel of people from the primarily Muslim nations of Iran, Syria, Yemen, Libya and Somalia. North Korea and Venezuela are also on the list. The rationale Trump has offered for his travel bans is national security. Yes, there are dangerous places around the world, including some on the list. Some nations are more effective and cooperative than others when vetting migrants for travel. But effectiveness and good judgment are never the drivers when Trump lays down the law, especially on migration. What Trump values above all else is the show of power. He needs to look like a strong leader, and his favorite way of doing that is to inflict suffering and hardship on others. Labeling the entire populations of other nations dangerous is critical not because it serves some objective of U.S. national security in some cases, it does the opposite but rather because it makes Donald Trump look decisive and hard. But there is a growing national security threat on which Trump is decidedly soft: domestic right-wing terror. Trump was relatively silent about the hordes of armed-to-the-hilt gun activists who descended upon Richmond, Va., on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. In the days before, three men considered to be white supremacists by the FBI were arrested on federal gun charges. They were believed to be planning to instigate a race war by shooting civilians and police officers, hoping to touch off a violent reaction by the gun advocates gathered for the rally. Prosecutors believe the men belong to The Base, whose name is an English translation of the far more familiar name al Qaida. The Base feeds on hatred of Jews and fear of immigrants, albeit apparently only nonwhite ones. One of the arrested men is Canadian, and the federal charges also allege that the others were illegally harboring him. See? When not driven wayward by presidential whim, federal authorities can sort those migrants who are intent upon causing the U.S. harm and mayhem. Readers can reach Mary Sanchez at msanchezcolumn@gmail.com and follow her on Twitter @msanchezcolumn Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Brisbane fashion designer Katie Anne Castel killed her husband by throwing a knife into his heart during an argument over him coming home late. The knife lodged in Jarred Castel's chest, piercing his heart, five days before Christmas in 2017. He pulled it out, but the four-centimetre wound proved fatal. Katie Anne Castel was jailed for nine years after her husband was killed in 2017. Credit:ninevms Castel was given a nine-year jail term following her 2019 trial, but appealed the sentence in Queensland's Court of Appeal on Monday, saying it is excessive. An FIR was registered on Monday against former Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh Governor Aziz Qureshi, among others, in connection with a candle march organised against the amended Citizenship Act and Register of Citizens (NRC) on February 2 in Lucknow. According to the FIR registered in Gomti Nagar police station today, the march had been organised without taking permission from the administration. In the FIR, the complainant has alleged that the protesters were unable to produce any written permission for carrying out the march. Qureshi has been named as one of the leaders of the march in the FIR. Earlier on January 30, Qureshi had said that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is "communal". Qureshi, who came to Lucknow to support women protesting against CAA and NRC at the historic Clock Tower here, had said: "Why is this law being brought? This (CAA) is communal. This country does not need anything on the basis of religion. People here need employment. People here need justice against injustice." The newly enacted law is facing stiff opposition across the country with some states including Kerala, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Punjab refusing to implement the law there. The CAA grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Terror offenders will be jailed indefinitely under plans being considered in a government review launched over the Streatham attack. The proposals will apply to convicts of all levels of seriousness, a Downing Street source said, including those convicted of low-level propaganda offences like the crime previously committed by Sudesh Amman. Im sure there are people who would view this as controversial, a No 10 source said. But we are in a position where in the space of a few months, we have people leaving prison and in a very short period of time trying to murder members of the public. That cant be sustainable. The government also announced emergency legislation to prevent the automatic release of terrorist prisoners, and ensure those already in jail undergo risk assessments before being freed. Officials would not confirm how many inmates would be affected by the plans, which fly in the face of warnings by the Parole Board and other official agencies about rampant terrorist networking and radicalisation inside British prisons. Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Show all 22 1 /22 Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police officers on Streatham High Road. The Metropolitan Police warned people to stay away from the Streatham area boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings The man was shot dead by police after two stabbed in 'Islamist-related' terror attack in London boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Sudesh Amman, the attacker, has been named as a convicted terror offender who was released from prison days ago Metropolitan Police/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road Isis supporter Amman was just 18 when he was jailed in December 2018 after police found a stash of bomb-making manuals and other propaganda. Now 20, he had declared his own wish to carry out a terror attack and stockpiled a combat knife, air gun and black flag at his family home in London PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings He was being monitored by undercover police and being followed as part of a proactive counterterrorism operation when he started the rampage in Streatham AP Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Amman was able to stab two people before being shot dead by armed officers outside a busy row of shops Gabriel Video/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A woman reacts as police officers interview people near to the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings An armed police officer on Streatham High Road Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said Amman was wearing a fake suicide ves Gully/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers work outside of a Boots store AFP via Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers at the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police forensic officer works at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police officer on the scene Dave Chawner/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers are seen near the site Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers on the scene outside an Iceland supermarket Andy Bullemor/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police are seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A policeman secures the site of the incident EPA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Megan Tobeck Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Michael Owens Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers at the scene PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A Police officer is seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters The Streatham stabbing was the third terror attack in just over two months to be carried out by a convicted terrorist in Britain, following the assaults at Fishmongers Hall in London and inside HMP Whitemoor. Ammans mother said he had become more religious since being jailed in December 2018, and that she believed he had been radicalised further while in HMP Belmarsh. Just days before the attack, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation said jail provides a perfectly receptive and captive audience for recruitment. Jonathan Hall QC told an event in parliament: That doesnt mean that prison is not the right remedy, but its consequences must be addressed, including, as the HMP Whitemoor attack shows, recognising that terrorism offending does not stop at the prison door and there is no automatic job done when a terrorist is behind bars. Last month, The Independent revealed that up to 800 inmates have been flagged for extremism concerns almost four times the number of terrorist prisoners and officers felt too stretched to spot radicalisation. Mondays proposals were the latest in a series of pushes by the Conservative government to end early release for extremists, including a suite of plans announced two weeks ago and new laws that came into effect last April. Robert Buckland told MPs the Parole Board would risk assess terror convicts who will become eligible for release at the two-thirds point of their sentence, rather than half way. The underlying principle has to be that offenders will no longer be released early automatically and that any release before the end of their sentence will be dependent on risk assessment by the Parole Board, the justice secretary added. We will ensure that the functions of the Parole Board are strengthened to deal even more effectively with the specific risk that terrorists pose to public safety. Sadiq Khan warns Streatham attack was 'preventable' Mr Buckland said emergency legislation would apply retrospectively to terrorist prisoners given standard determinate sentences like Ammans. Downing Street said there would also be a full review of the maximum prison sentences for terror offences, including looking at whether terrorist offenders of all levels of seriousness should be held in jail indefinitely until the Parole Board assesses they are no longer a threat to the public. But the Parole Board itself has warned of the risks of keeping extremists in prison for longer. Responding to sentencing changes in early 2018, the body raised concern about radicalisation in prisons and said: There are concerns that increasing the penalties for less serious offenders will result in them becoming more likely to commit terrorist acts when they are released. Recommended Longer terror sentences would not have stopped the Streatham attack The former head of counterterror police warned on Monday that more dangerous people are now being released from British prisons than returning from Syria. Sir Mark Rowley said prisons needed to get a grip on rehabilitation, amid calls for a review of existing deradicalisation programmes and an increased focus on Islamic theology. Amman, who had previous convictions for cannabis and offensive weapons possession, was initially arrested for planning terror attacks in May 2018, after writing online that he was armed and ready and pledging allegiance to Isis. But he was charged with the lesser offences of collecting and disseminating terrorist material after consultation with prosecutors, and handed a determinate sentence of three years and four months that saw him automatically released a week ago. The 20-year-old was placed under surveillance by police after leaving prison on 23 January. He was being followed by undercover officers who had trailed him from his probation hostel when he grabbed a knife from a shop, removed it from its packaging, and started stabbing passers-by in Streatham on Sunday. Scotland Yard said Amman was shot dead by police within a minute of beginning his attack, which was claimed by Isis in a generic statement on Monday morning. Both stabbing victims survived. Recommended Terrorist prisoners free to network and radicalise inmates in UK jails Labour accused the government of leaving communities less safe after years of cuts to police, prisons and probation services. Sir Bob Neill, the Conservative chair of the Justice Committee, asked what deradicalisation measures Amman had been subject to in prison. He called on the government to consider again those remaining aspects of the Acheson review regarding to a much more assertive management of these particularly complex and dangerous prisoners within the system from the start of their sentence. Human rights campaign group Liberty accused the government of making knee-jerk responses to the attacks. The governments response to recent terror attacks is a cause of increasing concern for our civil liberties, said advocacy director Clare Collier. Continuing to introduce measures without review or evidence is dangerous and will create more problems than it solves. Its clear the UKs counterterror system is in chaos and desperately needs proper scrutiny and review. Members of the Senior Citizens Association of Nagaland (SCAN), a newly-formed civil society organisation, met recently to discuss issues which they believe would 'invariably impact' the Naga society. Amid nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, many senior citizens in Nagaland recently slammed the state government for supporting the legislation. Members of the Senior Citizens Association of Nagaland (SCAN), a newly-formed civil society organisation, met recently to discuss issues which they believe would invariably impact the Naga society. The meeting emphasised on the threat posed by Citizenship Amendment Act and the Pan Naga Hoho, a 'common platform' proposed by the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) faction for the 'cultural and emotional integration of Nagas'. The present Naga leaders feel secure in their false belief that the CAA is not applicable to the state of Nagaland our member representatives of both Houses of Parliament disgracefully voted in favour of CAA, just so to remain in power and gain budgetary favour of the BJP government at the Centre, individually or collectively, said SCAN president and retired IAS officer Khekiye K Sema, calling upon Nagas to see the larger picture. The Citizenship Amendment Act is a step closer towards fulfilling BJPs intention of making India a Hindu Rashtra. The BJP government may tolerate the existing Christian minority in India now, but has already started a war against conversion of other faiths to Christianity, added Sema. On the Inner Line Permit (ILP), Sema said, There is no denying that the ILP could play a major role in restricting non-locals from entering Nagaland. However, the present mechanism of the ILP is nothing but a poor joke. Those who are responsible for issuing permits only end up earning some pocket money through it." The retired IAS officer stressed that Nagaland needs to show solidarity with Assam in the agitation against CAA. Some Nagas are violating norms by bringing labourers from outside under the ILP, and once the work is done, let them continue to stay in the state for years. They also get their ILP renewed without a question being raised. Many of them are already enrolled in the electoral roll with voting rights as Indian citizens. The majority of these labourers come to Nagaland from Assam. So, when Assam is in trouble and rightly agitated against the CAA, the same issue will impact Nagaland. We need to stand with Assam on this issue, he added. On the issue of the proposed Pan Naga Hoho (PNH) by NSCN-IM, SCAN is apprehensive that the Nagas of Nagaland will be reduced to a minority in their own land with this establishment. Sema noted, "The PNH will be a statutory body created through an Act of Parliament, supposedly for cultural and emotional integration. This body will comprise of all Nagas from Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and present-day Nagaland. But there is no clarity on the membership criteria of this House. Like the present Naga Hoho, this establishment will make the Nagas of Nagaland a minority in their own land, said Sema. Our Naga brothers in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh will have their Regional Autonomous Council independently exercising their authority within their respective area without any scope of interference by any Nagas from elsewhere. By virtue of their being members of PNH, they can dictate terms within the state of Nagaland. The Nagas of Nagaland will not accept such nonsense, he remarked. The senior citizens' forum also mentioned that NSCN (IM) is pressing hard to have the PNH established in and around Hebron with 1000 acres land earmarked for its construction. The Nagas of Nagaland did not sustain a movement for the past 73 years only to finally fail to salvage sovereignty or integration, and at the fag-end even lose territory that is already ours, read the statement by SCAN President KK Sema and General Secretary Medoselhou Keretsu. Three months since the supposed conclusion of the Naga peace talks between the Centre and National Socialist Council of Nagaland, Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) last year, uncertainty looms over the future of Nagas with little progress on the Naga political issue. The government had imposed a deadline to strike a deal with the IM faction - Nagaland Governor RN Ravi had announced in July 2019 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi desired to conclude the talks within three months. However, the two sides are still working to reach an agreement, and are currently engaged in negotiations. Vietnam confirmed an additional three cases of the new coronavirus, the health ministry said, bringing the countrys total to eight cases, Trend with reference to Reuters reports. The latest confirmed case were in the same flight from Wuhan, China, to Vietnam and had close contact with three previous patients detected on Jan. 30 The cases are currently limited to four provinces out of 63 in Vietnam. On Saturday, Vietnam declared a public health emergency over the coronavirus epidemic and said it would halt all flights to and from mainland China. The government advised its citizens to limit large gatherings. Trade and exchanges with China are discouraged during this time. NEW YORK, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greystone , a long-time healthcare facility owner and operator, today announced the acquisition of a 13-facility portfolio comprised of 12 skilled nursing facilities and one supportive living community across Illinois and Missouri. The Rosewood portfolio of properties was acquired from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for an undisclosed amount. The 1,662-bed portfolio includes the following facilities, rebranded and managed by Greystone Healthcare Management-Midwest LLC, an affiliate of Greystone Healthcare Management Corp., which manages over 30 health and rehab facilities in Florida: Rosewood Care Center of Alton, IL (Madison County) now named Riverside Rehab & Healthcare; Rosewood Care Center of East Peoria, IL (Tazewell County) now named Lakeside Rehab & Healthcare; Rosewood Care Center of Edwardsville, IL (Madison County) now named Care Center at Center Grove; Rosewood Care Center of Elgin, IL (Kane County) now named Fox River Rehab & Healthcare; Rosewood Care Center of Inverness, IL (Cook County) now named Inverness Health & Rehab; Rosewood Care Center of Joliet, IL (Will County) now named Lakeshore Rehab & Healthcare; Rosewood Care Center of Moline, IL (Rock Island County) now named Centennial Rehab & Healthcare; Rosewood Care Center of Northbrook, IL (Cook County) now named Lake Cook Rehab & Healthcare; Rosewood Care Center of Peoria, IL (Peoria Cunty) now named University Rehab at Northmoor; Rosewood Care Center of Rockford, IL (Winnebago County) now named Carriage Rehab & Healthcare; Rosewood Care Center of St. Charles, IL (Kane County) now named Dunham Rehab & Healthcare; Rosewood Care Center of St. Louis, MO (St. Louis County) now named Crest View Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center; and Foxes Grove Supportive Living of Wood River, IL (Madison County), which will retain its existing name. Greystone has decades of experience in the skilled nursing industry, and our priority has always been the quality of care we provide to residents, said Stephanie Handelson, CEO, Greystone Healthcare Management. We believe we bring the best combination of expertise and operational oversight to the market. Greystone is excited to be expanding its footprint as a high-quality care provider to both Illinois and Missouri. To support the expansion, Vince McGowen has joined Greystone Healthcare Management as Senior Vice President of Operations, Midwest. Mr. McGowen comes to Greystone with over 25 years of healthcare sector expertise, much of that experience based in the Midwest. About Greystone Healthcare Management Corp. and Greystone Healthcare Management-Midwest LLC Greystone Healthcare Management Corp., an affiliate of newly formed Greystone Healthcare Management-Midwest LLC, headquartered in Tampa, FL, manages a healthcare network comprised of over 30 skilled nursing and assisted living communities, outpatient rehabilitation, home health and private duty agencies. Greystone is committed to providing only the highest quality customer service and person-centered patient care. For more information visit www.greystonehealth.com . Police forensics officers at the scene in Streatham High Road, south London, after a man was shot dead by armed officers (Victoria Jones/PA) Streatham attacker Sudesh Amman had been fascinated with carrying out a terror atrocity using a knife, the Old Bailey heard when he was sentenced a little over a year ago. Then aged 18, he had smiled and waved at the public gallery as he was jailed for three years and four months. Amman is believed to have been back on the streets for just a few weeks before Sundays stabbing attack fulfilling one of his so-called life goals of dying a martyr. The supporter of so-called Islamic State (IS) had pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing terrorist documents and was sentenced in December 2018. Expand Close Sudesh Amman (Metropolitan Police/PA) PA Media / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sudesh Amman (Metropolitan Police/PA) His stash of manuals on bomb-making, knife-fighting and close combat included the titles Bloody Brazilian Knife Fighting and How To Make A Bomb In Your Kitchen. Police found a notepad in the North West London College students home, in which the phrase life goals had been scrawled. Top of the list, above family activities, was dying a martyr and going to Jannah the afterlife, Alexis Boon, then head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, said after he was jailed. He said Amman had a fierce interest in violence and martyrdom and was fascinated with dying in the name of terrorism, and added the case was a reminder of the need to be vigilant to signs of radicalisation and report it. Amman, who had then lived with his family in Harrow, north-west London, posted al Qaida propaganda on a family WhatsApp group, exposing siblings as young as 11 to graphic material, and had shared bomb-making literature via Skype chat. He had told his girlfriend of his wish to carry out acid attacks and that he preferred the idea of a knife attack over using bombs. He is clearly someone with sincerely held and concerning ideological beliefsProsecutor Kelly Brocklehurst on Sudesh Amman Neighbours in Harrow told of their shock at what happened on Sunday. Mechanical engineering apprentice Jignesh Khomani, 20, said he was saddened by the attack, and described Amman as a pretty average guy. He told the PA news agency: There were no signs of anything (like this). He was just normal really. I just did not expect anything like this would happen. He did not seem like a character who would do something like that. A teenager, who said she knew him from the local neighbourhood but did not want to give her name, said Amman used to talk about being a terrorist but she and others thought he was joking. He used to say I have got a grenade in my pocket, if you take one step closer to me I am going to set it off, she said. We thought he was joking. He did used to say I am going to bomb you and I am going to be a terrorist but we were kids and thought he was joking but he kept on saying it. Prosecutor Kelly Brocklehurst told the court at his sentencing that police were alerted by a Dutch blogger who identified extremist material in a Telegram chat in April 2018. There was a photo of a knife and two firearms on a Shahada flag bearing Arabic words which mean armed and ready. An air gun, a black flag and a combat knife were seized from his home when he was arrested in May that year. The defendant had discussed with his family, friends and girlfriend his strong and often extreme views on jihad, the kuffar, and his desire to carry out a terrorist attack, Mr Brocklehurst said. Much of his fascination with conducting an attack was focused on using a knife but reference was also made to committing acid attacks on mopeds. The prosecutor said Ammans interest in Islamic extremism and IS in particular was more than a mere immature fascination with the taboo and with graphic violence. He added: He is clearly someone with sincerely held and concerning ideological beliefs. Amman had entered guilty pleas to six charges of possession and seven of disseminating terrorism documents. Expand Close A police forensics officer at the scene in Streatham High Road, south London, after a man was shot dead by armed officers (Victoria Jones/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A police forensics officer at the scene in Streatham High Road, south London, after a man was shot dead by armed officers (Victoria Jones/PA) He denied three charges, which were ordered to lie on court file. The science and maths student had previous convictions for possession of an offensive weapon and cannabis. He was aged just 17 when he began collecting terrorist material in 2017. Judge Mark Lucraft QC said Amman had a very concerning series of offences. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MTFWP) Director Martha Williams recently issued the departments decision on the environmental impact statement (EIS) that moves wild bison restoration planning forward in Montana. It was an ill-advised decision marinated in collusion with the environmental community and is viewed by prairie landowners as just another lets stuff buffalo down their throats campaign. The directors decision begs this question from landowners: What part of hell no do you not understand? The underpinning for the MTFWP decision is a bit suspect in that it seems to trample on Montana law that requires bison outside the greater Yellowstone area to be managed and contained as domestic livestock. Unless the legislature acts to declare bison a wildlife species statewide, which is highly unlikely, it appears MTFWPs plan can only proceed under the management guidelines established for domestic livestock that include marking the animals, disease monitoring, containment, etc. As one would expect, MTFWPs decision has engendered new apprehensions in prairie country: It establishes MTFWP as the lead agency for bison restoration in Montana and installs a collaborative process with wild bison proponents like the American Prairie Reserve (APR), the Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge and U.S. Department of the Interior. It will enable bison advocates of every stripe to submit restoration proposals for MTFWP to consider and the number of proposals will likely be overwhelming. It green lights the CMR Refuge to fulfill its pledge to cooperate with the State of Montana should a decision be made to restore bison as a wildlife species in eastern Montana. Director Williams decision to go forward with bison restoration and kick the can down the road to the next governor is simply wrong. It creates a hostile environment that will result in a boundless battle of wills and endless litigation. Its a whack-a-mole scenario landowners have experienced before and its time for the bison restoration concept to be sent to the dust bin of history. One should not be surprised to see renewed rural efforts to expand bison ordinances, negative bison easements, county bison resolutions and legislative innovations that address landowner concerns. Locked gates during hunting season and block management withdrawals will also be on the table. Coming soon will be a significant challenge to the entire suite of bison restoration concepts that are currently in process in Montana. Stay tuned. Ron Poertner of Winifred is a University of Montana graduate with a degree in wildlife biology and served for six years on the Bureau of Land Management's Resource Advisory Council in Lewistown. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 (Natural News) Research has established that bees understand the concept of zero and are capable of doing basic math. Now, a recent research conducted by scientists from the RMIT University in Australia suggests that bees are also capable of being trained to connect symbols to numbers in order to receive food. This experiment used a carrot and stick reward system to train the bees. If they learned the correct route through a maze by connecting a symbol to a number, they got a sugary treat. If not, they received a bitter one. This study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, aimed to determine if bees could understand numbers when they are represented symbolically. Two groups of bees were trained using a Y-shaped maze. For the first group, there was a symbol at the entrance of the maze, which was represented by either number 2 or number 3. When the bees came to the fork in the Y, there were signs placed above their two possible routes. The signs contained shapes, two on one side and three on the other. The bees had to choose the route marked by the right number of shapes, and if they did, they were rewarded with nectar. If they failed, they received bitter quinine. The scientists remarked that after taking several sips of quinine, which is a bitter compound commonly used in tonic water, the bees began learning to take the correct path. The second group of bees were trained in the opposite approach, matching the number of shapes at the entrance of the maze to a symbol at the fork. It produced similar results. Adrian Dyer, associate professor at RMIT, said that while humans were the only living species to develop systems and symbols to represent numbers, people arent the only ones who can grasp this concept. His teams study on the tiny brains of bees has proved this. We take it for granted once weve learned our numbers as children, but being able to recognize what 4 represents actually requires a sophisticated level of cognitive ability, said Dyer. Studies have shown primates and birds can also learn to link symbols with numbers, but this is the first time weve seen this in insects. He added that if bees have the capacity to learn something as complex as a human-made symbolic language, then that revelation opens up exciting new possibilities for communicating between different species, much in the same way that a person may teach their pet a set of commands that correspond to an action. (Related: Trained bees successfully locate landmines in Croatia.) Bee brains are smarter than you think Pigeons, parrots and chimpanzees, among other animals, are known to be capable of learning that symbols can represent numbers. This study shows for the first time that this ability is not restricted to vertebrate species. However, the study has some limitations. For example, the bees were able to grasp their specific training, but could not work out what to do when tested to reverse the association, suggesting that number processing and understanding of symbols is a different process in bee brains. Further research is required to find out how tiny bee brains process information given to them. According to Dyer, learning this can open the path to bio-inspired solutions for better processing systems. Our results show honeybees are not at the same level as the animals that have been able to learn symbols as numbers and perform complex tasks, said Dyer. But the results have implications for what we know about learning, reversing tasks and how the brain creates connections and associations between concepts. Discovering how such complex numerical skills can be grasped by miniature brains will help us understand how mathematical and cultural thinking evolved in humans, and possibly, other animals. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk RoyalSocietyPublishing.org ScienceDaily.com SpiceJet on Monday said it is offering "hundreds" of "free" tickets, where the base fare will be waived but taxes and other surcharges have to be paid, to select people who want to fly to Delhi to vote in the upcoming assembly elections on February 8. The budget carrier clarified that the participants, who will be selected by the airline's internal panel after their online registration, will have to bear all applicable taxes, surcharges, levies and any other additional costs incurred on the air tickets. In this "SpiceDemocracy" initiative, the airline stated that if the departure to Delhi and return from the city is on February 8, it will refund the entire base fare on both tickets. Alternatively, flyers will be offered a one-way ticket, with the base fare waived off, if they plan to fly on February 7 and return on February 8 or fly on February 8 and return on February 9. The online registration for this initiative will remain open from January 31 to February 5. The shortlisted participants will be informed on February 6, and will be provided a link to book tickets where the base fare is waived. The airline stated that the shortlisted participants are required to fly to Delhi on February 7 or February 8 to vote in the Delhi assembly elections and upload a selfie on their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter profiles with their inked finger, along with #SpiceDemocracy. Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet said, "Voting is a big part of democracy and unfortunately a lot of our working population who live away from their homes is unable to exercise this right." "Now, SpiceJet gives voters of Delhi, an opportunity like never before to fly home to cast their vote. We will fly you home from anywhere in India and your tickets will be on us. We hope that with SpiceDemocracy, SpiceJet will help build a stronger and even more vibrant Indian democracy, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A debate on the Future Funding of higher education in Ireland with general election candidates from Kildare North and Meath East will take place in Maynooth University tomorrow, Tuesday, February 4 (12.30pm-1.00pm) The event, at Rye Hall, North Campus, Maynooth University, will include Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan (Kildare North), Fianna Fail TD Thomas Byrne (Meath East), Green Party Cllr Vincent P. Martin (Kildare North), Green Party candidate Sean McCabe (Meath East) and People Before Profit candidate Paul Mahon (Kildare North). The event, organised by both Maynooth University and Maynooth Students Union, will hear that State funding per student to third level institutions is now 40% less than it was ten years ago and that Ireland is losing ground against international competitors. SEE ALSO: Emergency services attend two car collision at Watchhouse Cross They argue the crisis in funding is compromising the quality of the higher education system and the student experience, which is directly impacting over 13,000 students currently enrolled at Maynooth University. To make up the funding shortfall, the representative bodies are proposing a two-part solution for the next three years until a longer-term funding model is agreed by the political system. SEE ALSO: more Kildare stories Part one involves a commitment from the next government to increase core exchequer funding to third-level by at least 100 million per year over each of the next three years. Part two recommends using at least an additional 200m per year from the National Training Fund (NTF). The National Training Fund (NTF) is funded through a levy on employer revenues. That levy has been increased in recent years and will have a surplus of 1 billion by the end of 2020, growing to 1.5 billion by 2022. Commenting on the situation, Professor Philip Nolan, President of Maynooth University, said: If we delay the implementation of the Cassells Report further, there is a real risk that the quality of our higher education system, already showing signs of strain as represented by a fall in international rankings, will be seriously damaged. If we allow that to happen, it could take years, even decades, to recover the lost ground. Katie Deegan, President of Maynooth Students Union said: Students across the country are feeling the effects of the lack of higher education funding. The struggle of coping with the rising cost of attending third-level education is amounting to an increase in student homelessness, rising debt, and mental health and well-being issues. Students in Ireland are the countrys future workforce and they deserve adequate investment to enable them to succeed. Meanwhile, Shaz Oye, President of Trinity Graduate Students Union, has called for political action on the rights of Doctoral (PhD) Candidates. She said that PhD candidates often find themselves working over 40 hours per week without any of the rights or security that legislation currently provides for employees. Higher education is regarded as a cornerstone of the Irish economy. Key stakeholders in it are our PhD candidates. They are the mainstay at the heart of Irish research, yet successive governments have failed to recognise their significance, and continue to undervalue their expertise, skills, and academic standing. Oye said: In Ireland PhD candidates are classified as students, and not as workers, which leaves them in an extremely vulnerable position, both financially, and with regard to their welfare. The pay of a PhD candidate is out of line with living and working costs in Ireland. Those who are lucky enough to be funded earn just over 7 per hour well below the minimum wage. Irish universities and the government continue to benefit from easy access to cheap labour. She believes that a continuation of the current situation will see Ireland lag behind in an increasingly competitive global market: By failing to support PhD candidates, and provide adequate funding for higher education our government is endangering Irish research, and threatening the growth of our economy. She called on general election candidates to clarify their position on the rights of PhD candidates, demonstrate their support for increased funding for higher education, and guarantee that it will be enshrined in the new Programme for Government. You don't work in China. Your customers aren't in China. So, the Coronavirus isn't affecting your business. Or, so we'd like to think. But, Coronavirus seems to be making everything it touches sick--including small businesses. As of this morning, Coronavirus has killed 362 people, including one in the Philippines, and sickened 17,000. It sounds terrifying, which it is. But, nothing in comparison to the regular flu, which killed (according to the CDC) over 62,000 people in the 2018-2019 flu season. Coronavirus is an unknown instead of a cyclical disease, and for those it infects, it has a higher mortality rate. It's no laughing matter. But, it's also not something that affects only Chinese people, which some places are not figuring out. Others have reported rudeness towards Chinese looking people, which hopefully won't grow into violence. There's nothing about your race or ethnicity that makes you susceptible to the virus. What makes you susceptible is being around someone else who has had it. The US is now preventing foreign nationals from entering the country if they've been to China in the past 14 days, and citizens who visited Hubei province must be quarantined. Other countries are imposing their restrictions. Airlines are cutting flights. Embassies are bringing their people home. All of these restrictions trickle down and can affect your business. Have you had employees on vacation or traveling for business? Even if they weren't headed to Hubei province, airplanes and airports are filled with people going and coming from all four quarters of the earth--especially if you fly through a major hub. Do use product from China? Do you manufacture a product there? Do you use remote workers there? If you look at your supply chains, you may find you have far more contact with affected areas than you thought you did. And even if you don't have contact, the global reaction, designed to contain the virus, may trickle down to your business in ways you haven't thought about. What if an employee could have been exposed? A recent 11th circuit court ruling held that possible exposure to Ebola didn't merit protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Employment attorney Jon Hyman explains that the court found no protection for someone who was healthy and voluntarily traveled to an affected area. Presumably, the same would apply to someone who was traveling in China. They aren't protected under ADA, but, Hyman also points out, you're ridiculous if you react that way. "Just because this Court says that you can fire an employee in these circumstances doesn't mean that you should." Can an employee refuse to travel to an affected area? At the moment, it's hard to get to Wuhan, with commercial airplanes not traveling there like they used to, but if you had business reasons to go, can you force an employee to go and fire them if they refuse? Employment Attorney Dan Schwartz looked into court cases to see what courts did in the past. The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that you are required to provide a "safe workplace." It doesn't matter if that's the cubicle where your employee usually sits or a site for which he travels for business. This, of course, is based on state law and your state may vary, but it's an ethical principle. If the CDC and the US Government says you shouldn't go, you shouldn't force an employee to go. Unless your mission is to cure disease or something similar, wait until the experts have the situation under control. Don't discriminate against anyone Ted Dimitry, a commercial property/casualty insurance broker specializing in the oil and gas industry for 23 years, has joined Higginbothams Houston office as its energy and marine practice leader. Dimitry brings experience managing staffs of more than 15 employees producing, marketing and servicing energy and marine accounts at large insurance agencies with Houston branches. Dimitry will steer the growth of Higginbothams booming energy and marine practice in Houston. He was most recently first vice president at Alliant Insurance Services Inc., Energy & Marine Group. Higginbotham is the largest independent insurance and financial service firm based in Texas. It has more than 20 industry practice groups that cater to companies with specialized risks. Fort Worth-based Higginbothams Houston office is located in the energy corridor. Source: Higginbotham Topics Agencies The Boris Johnson government said on Monday it is working on measures to toughen laws to ensure that convicted terrorists are not eligible for early release after Sundays terror attack by the recently freed terrorist Sudesh Amman of Sri Lanka origin. Amman, 20, was the second terrorist who carried out the attack in south London after being released in recent months. Usman Khan similarly stabbed two people before being shot dead on London Bridge on November 29. Both wore hoax explosive devices. Haleema Faraz Khan, mother of Amman, said on Monday that she visited him in a hostel last week, and called him a nice, polite boy who wanted to study biomedical science but became radicalised after watching Islamic material online, according to Sky News. Amman was released last week from jail after being convicted in 2018 of terror offences. He was said to be fascinated with the idea of becoming a martyr. He stabbed two people in Streatham, south London, before being shot by police who were following his movements. As questions were raised about Ammans early release and measures to rehabilitate convicted terrorists, the government said fundamental changes would be made to the system that allowed early release of such prisoners. Johnson said: The question that everybody has about the individual concerned is what was he (Amman) doing out on automatic release and also why was there no system of scrutiny, no parole system to check whether he was really a suitable candidate for automatic early release. That is a very complex legal system. We do think its time to tackle action to ensure that people, irrespective of the powers we are bringing in, people in the current system do not qualify automatically for early release, people convicted of terrorist act offences. Johnson admitted that there were few instances of successfully re-educating and rehabilitating people who succumb to Islamism. According to the Crown prosecution Service, Sudesh Mamoor Faraz Amman was 17 years of age at the time of committing his earliest offences and was living at home with his mother and younger siblings. He came to the attention of police in April 2018 when officers were made aware of an online posting containing extremist material. Further enquiries showed that the user of the account was Sudesh Anman and the decision was taken to arrest him. Analysis of his electronic media and communications disclosed that he had downloaded or otherwise caused to be created various documents concerned with making explosives, carrying out terrorist attacks and weaponry. It became clear that he had discussed with his family, friends and girlfriend his strong and often extreme views on jihad, the kuffar, and his desire to carry out a terrorist attack. Much of his fascination with conducting an attack was focused on using a knife but reference was also made to committing acid attacks on mopeds. He was charged in May 2018, he pleaded guilty in November 2018 and was sentenced to 3 years and 4 months in jail in December 2018. In sentencing remarks in December 2018, Judge Mark Lucraft noted that Amman was living in Harrow with his mother and five younger brothers. He was studying science and maths at the North West London College. The judge cited examples of Ammans efforts to promote radical ideology to his brothers through a family WhatsApp group: In messages with your siblings you can be seen to be promoting an extremist ideology. This is not in my view an immature fascination with graphic violence or with a taboo subject but the acts of someone with, for whatever reason or motivation, an ideological belief. From the sloth to the veiled chameleon, some of Earths slowest creatures will be on exhibit at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia beginning Saturday, February 15. The exhibition, Survival of the Slowest, will explore some animals that use their disadvantages to help the survive, and even thrive, in a world where large, strong and fast animals are commonly at the top of the food chain. The featured animals have evolved adaptations over millions of years to avoid becoming someone elses lunch. A dozen of them will be housed in natural-looking habitats that allow viewing up close and at length. They will include Linnaeuss two-toed sloth, African pygmy hedgehog, veiled chameleon, green iguana, green basilisk, ball python and more. Sloths, for example, grow algae on their fur which helps conceal them in the leafy forest. And being nocturnal helps sloths avoid their main predator, the harpy eagle, a daytime predator. As climate change and species extinction continue to alter our world, these amazing animals serve to reminds us of natures wonder and how much more we need to learn, said Academy President and CEO Scott Cooper. Its more important than ever to connect people with nature and to inspire everyone to care for it. An animal keeper will be stationed in the exhibit to answer visitor questions, feed the animals and sometimes to remove an animal from its enclosure so visitors can have an even closer look. Survival of the Slowest will be on view through September 20 at the Academy, which is the second U.S. showing. The first was the Brooklyn Childrens Museum in New York. The exhibition is produced by Little Rays Nature Centres in Ottawa, in collaboration with the Canadian Museum of Nature. Little Rays is the largest exotic animal rescue organization in Canada and most of the animals in the exhibit are rescues. Founded in 1812, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is a leading natural history museum dedicated to advancing research, education and public engagement in biodiversity and environmental science. Hours are 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. For more information, visit the Academy website. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com. While Vietcombank leads state-owned banks in terms of profit, there are three candidates for the No 1 position among private banks. Sixteen commercial banks have made public their 2019 finance reports so far. Four state-owned banks, or the big four, including Vietcombank, Agribank, VietinBank and BIDV, lead the banking system in profit. Vietcombank is the most profitable bank among the big four. It reported profit of $1 billion, while its index on capitalization value, staffs average income and bad debt ratio are the best in the banking system. Meanwhile, Techcombank, MBBank and VP Bank are the best known private banks. In 2007-2011, Techcombank led private banks in terms of CAGR with 56.1 percent, while the figures were 44.1 percent for MBBank and 35.8 percent for VPBank. Analysts commented that one of the most important factors that helped Techcombank gain an impressive growth rate in that period was the daring decision on spending VND20 billion, or 1/5 of the banks chartered capital at that time, to implement a plan on modernizing technology and using Temenos core banking system in 2011. While Vietcombank leads state-owned banks in terms of profit, there are three candidates for the No 1 position among private banks. The decision to spend big money at the time when Internet Banking and Mobile Banking were still unfamiliar conceptd in Vietnam, helped Techcombank compete with the big four, which had powerful financial capability. The heavy investment in technology helped Techcombank lead the banking system in terms of revenue from services. Forty percent of total revenue of the bank came from services, while the figure was just 10 percent for other banks. In 2012-2015, Techcombank fell from the No 1 position because of bad rumors and considerable changes in the leadership. Meanwhile, due to expansion of its operation scale, network development, investment in new technologies and reorganised business divisions, MBBank jumped into the first position among private banks. The new business fields that MBBank joined in that period, including insurance and consumer credit, also began bringing positive effects. However, the positioning of private banks continues to see big changes. In 2016-2018, the market witnessed fierce competition among Techcombank, MBBank and VP Bank for the No 1 position. As Techcombank and VP Bank still have not published theor 2019 finance reports, MBBank is temporarily considered the most profitable bank with profit of over VND10 trillion, an increase of 30 percent. However, analysts said VP Bank is an interesting unknown. In late December 2019, the bank stated that it had completed the purchase of all special bonds from VAMC and its bad debt had fallen from 5.73 percent by Q3 2018 to Q3 2019. Thanh Lich With new barrier, real estate credit expected to flow more slowly With Circular 22, which took effect on January 1, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has laid a new block to restrict capital flow to the property sector. She brought her Hot Girl Summer mentality to the Super Bowl LIV in Miami, Florida last weekend. And Meg Thee Stallion seemed to keep things hot and heavy as she made things Instagram official with G-Eazy after the pair swapped a few kisses on social media. G-Eazy who's real name is Gerald Earl Gillum took things one step further when he shared a shot of Megan's leggy ensemble to his own page with a slew of hearts to follow. Just friends? Meg Thee Stallion seemed to keep things hot and heavy as she made things Instagram official with G-Eazy after the pair swapped a few kisses on social media The 30-year-old rapper dressed up in a black button-up with white polka dots and paired his classy shirt with black slacks. Earlier in the day, he showed off his stylish ensemble when he took to the field at Hard Rock Stadium before the big game began. The pair were laying down together on a couch in the middle of a party when he pulled her in close for a kiss. Strong support: G-Eazy who's real name is Gerald Earl Gillum took things one step further when he shared a shot of Megan's leggy ensemble to his own page with hearts to follow Cuddled up: The pair were laying down together on a couch in the middle of a party when he pulled her in close for a kiss Her ample assets were on display in a vibrant jumpsuit with a high neckline and barely-there shorts. Meg who's real name is Megan Jovon Ruth Pete flashed a killer smile while he kissed her cheek. G-Eazy made an appearance on Meg's Instagram stories while taking shots with a group of friends. Cheers: G-Eazy made an appearance on Meg's Instagram stories while taking shots with a group of friends Love is in the air: Meg who's real name is Megan Jovon Ruth Pete flashed a killer smile while he kissed her cheek Fan status: Earlier in the day, he showed off his stylish ensemble when he took to the field at Hard Rock Stadium before the big game began While G-Eazy seemed to have the time of his life this weekend on South Beach, his ex Halsey begged for a troll to stop calling out his name during one of her concerts in Miami. A rude concert-goer tried to ruffle her up by shouting out G-Eazy's name while she performed at BUDX Miami by Budweiser party on Saturday. 'If you say G-Eazy one more f***ing time, I will kick you out this building,' she warned. 'I will kick your f***ing a**, test me. I will kick your a** out the f**king club.' Halsey who's real name is Ashley Nicolette Frangipane dated the rapper on-and-off for two years before the pair finally went their separate ways at the end of 2018. Iran says it will no longer share with Ukraine information about Boeing crash Hassan Rezaifar, director of disaster investigations at the Iranian civil aviation organization, said that Tehran will no longer share materials with Ukraine on the Ukrainian International Airlines (UIA) plane crash because of the publication of an audio recording of negotiations between the dispatcher and the pilot of the Iranian aircraft, TSN reports, citing Iran's Mehr News Agency. "This file was among the materials provided to a group of experts who are investigating the disaster. (Publication of the sound file) by the Ukrainian side suggests that we will not transfer any materials to them anymore," Rezaifar said. On Sunday, the TSN Tyzhden (Week) program aired an audio recording of negotiations between Tehran's airport control room and the co-pilot of the Iran Aseman Airlines company. In the recording, the pilot of the Iranian liner saw a rocket launch and an explosion. As reported, Ukraine International Airlines' (UIA) Boeing 737-800 performing flight PS752 from Tehran to Kyiv crashed in the vicinity of Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport in the early hours of January 8, shortly after takeoff. None of the 167 passengers and nine crewmembers aboard survived the crash. The casualties included 11 citizens of Ukraine, including nine crewmembers, 82 Iranian citizens, 63 Canadians, ten Swedish citizens, four citizens of Afghanistan, three Germans, and three citizens of the UK. It may not be the gold standard, but it will have to do. Those disappointed in the shelving of the Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom poll due to a technical error can look to CBS News for an updated look at how things could go down in Mondays caucuses in Iowa. And things looks pretty steady at the top. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders are tied at 25 percent for the first choice among likely caucusgoers, according to the CBS News poll released Sunday. Advertisement Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg is in third place with 21 percent while Sen. Elizabeth Warren came in fourth with 16 percent, according to the poll. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is in a distant fifth place with 5 percent. All other candidates are under 5 percent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although Biden and Sanders are tied, the former vice president has an advantage because hes the second choice candidate for many who support candidates who may not end up receiving the minimum of 15 percent support to be considered viable. Another advantage for Biden is that he has support across the state. CBS warns though that Bidens supporters are not really that excited about backing the former vice president so they could very well decide to throw their support to someone else at the last minute. In contrast, Sanders voters are very enthusiastic, which could translate into a strong turnout for the senator. Plus, if Warren falls below the 15-percent threshold in some caucuses, it is likely her supporters would throw their support to Sanders. Advertisement Advertisement Separately, a new poll from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal shows most of the top Democratic presidential contenders beat or at least tie Trump in a hypothetical general election matchup. Biden comes out the strongest, winning 50 percent to 44 percent. Sanders is close behind49 percent to 45 percentfollowed by Warren48 percent to 45 percentand Buttigieg46 percent to 45 percent. The poll has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. When only 11 battleground states are considered, Bidens lead over Trump narrows to five points while Sanders advantage drops to 3 points. Warren and Buttigieg, in contrast, are one point behind Trump when only the battleground states are taken into account. Ex-mayor of Gyumri, deputy of the Prosperous Armenia faction of the National Assembly of Armenia Vardan Ghukasyan will be interviewed within the scope of the criminal case instituted on the basis of the report filed by TUMO Center for Creative Technologies. This is what Prosecutor of Shirak Province Karen Gabrielyan told reporters today. One of the specified cases has been instituted based on the report filed by the administration of TUMO Center for Creative Technologies that challenges the fact that there are territories and constructions that the specified mayor had unlawfully alienated to other persons in the past. A criminal case has been instituted for misuse of official position and commission of official fraud, the regional prosecutor said. The prosecutor informed that Vardan Ghukasyan hasnt been interviewed yet. Were planning on summoning him to an interview. I have prima facie seen violations, and this is why we have instituted a criminal case. However, well give the final evaluation when we have the conclusion of the expert examination. After that, well decide whether charges will be brought against people or not. SACRAMENTO As his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination made their final pitches to Iowa voters on Monday, Mike Bloomberg was 1,700 miles away at a midtown Sacramento coffee shop. The early-morning meet-and-greet was the first stop on the former New York mayors latest campaign swing through California, a linchpin in his strategy to skip the early voting states in favor of amassing support in the biggest, most delegate-rich primaries. And no prize is bigger than California 494 delegates awarded through a complex mix of statewide and district-level results that could ultimately benefit multiple top-performing candidates. Bloombergs schedule Monday also included planned stops in Fresno, Compton (Los Angeles County), Seal Beach (Orange County) and Riverside. In brief remarks to several dozen curious onlookers and a handful of hardcore fans, Bloomberg skipped policy issues almost entirely and instead emphasized his path to victory. I am running to defeat Donald Trump, but also to put the united back in the United States. We are not together, and we have to be, Bloomberg said. If youre going to unite the country, maybe it would be nice to unite everybody in the country, he said. Bloomberg, 77, didnt enter the race until November, and is blanketing the airwaves with ads and has set up state operations across the country to make up for his late start. He has already spent more than $200 million of his $54 billion fortune on the campaign, drawing some criticism from opponents that he is trying to buy the nomination. His California campaign has opened 20 offices and hired 300 staffers, and is sending mail with messages targeted to seven regions, said Crystal Strait, his political director for the state. A strong performance here is critical for Bloomberg, who was introduced Monday morning by state Treasurer Fiona Ma, a recent endorser. California is one of 14 states set to vote on Super Tuesday, March 3, when Bloomberg hopes to reshape whatever momentum other candidates have established in the early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. Super Tuesday is our first real showing with voters, Strait said. In California, we have to create our own narrative. So far Bloomberg is the choice of about 4% of Californias Democratic primary voters, according to an average of polls by RealClearPolitics.com good enough for fifth, and well short of the 15% threshold to win delegates. Some of those supporters showed up to his Sacramento event to meet Bloomberg, including Lexis Allen, an 82-year-old attorney and lifelong Republican who said she switched her party registration two weeks ago to vote for Bloomberg in the Democratic primary. Although she voted for Trump in 2016, Allen said she could not vote for him again because he has no concept of what it is to be president. She said she did not like the rest of the Democratic field, but was drawn to Bloombergs accomplishments in three terms as New York mayor. Most attendees, however, seemed to be feeling out their choices in an unsettled field. Stevante Clark, the 27-year-old brother of Stephon Clark, who was killed by Sacramento police in 2018, came to find out whether Bloomberg had a criminal justice plan. He took pictures with the candidate and was wooed by the campaign before leaving, still undecided and waiting for a plan that is good for the community. Malia Yang, 54, a retired graphic designer, said she was torn between several options, but wanted to know more about Bloomberg after matching closely with him in an online quiz of candidates positions. She said she would probably choose the candidate who came across as most charismatic and trustworthy: I dont want to vote for a candidate who seems old, she said. Reflecting later on the event, however, she said that while she liked what Bloomberg is saying, she had decided she would cast her primary vote for someone younger either Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, age 70, or Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, age 59. Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff It was my final day in Zicatela and I wanted to make the most of it. So, despite an aversion to tours, I signed up for an evening trip to the bioluminescent Manialtepec lagoon. For 350 pesos (about $17), along with five other travelers I was chauffeured to the lagoon, where we were introduced to our captain and his crew, a father and his grade-school-age son. They wrestled the small skiff through a tangle of overlapping lines, pulling it to the narrow dock. The water was glassy, and the air, at nearly 8 p.m., was balmy and motionless. I was buzzed from my after-dinner mezcal and the rush of easy adventure. Id been warned that the moon, one day shy of full, might drown out the bioluminescence. But when the captain instructed us to dip our hands over the side, we left comet-like trails through the warm, black, brackish water as thousands of tiny aquatic organisms defended themselves with light. When we stopped, I lifted my dress over my head and threw myself overboard, my arms and legs turning the water blue and gray as the water became alive. On to Zipolite: Welcome, naughty friends The next day, I shared a taxi with German backpackers, dropping them in the little hippie town of Mazunte before continuing to Casa Sol Zipolite, a boutique hotel by the founders of Mexico Citys Red Tree House, a favorite from my childless days. (It, like Casa Sol, doesnt allow kids.) Id been a fan of the couple behind the hotel, Craig and Jorge, for years, so when the pair bought a former nudist resort on this remote stretch of Oaxacan coast, I was curious. Zipolite is known for its openly nude beach, one of the few in Mexico, and the week I arrived was a particularly amusing moment for a first visit. A convention of swingers mostly older Americans had descended on the tiny pueblo. The hotel next door had a sign out front, Welcome, naughty friends, which became a running joke among the guys at Casa Sol. Every night, Ernesto, Craigs and Jorges right-hand man and the soul of Casa Sol, hosts a happy hour for guests, who gather for margaritas and conversation. During my stay, the place which often has reservations a year in advance was uncharacteristically quiet. It was just me and two couples. After drinks, I tagged along with one of them, Renee and Matt, from Vancouver. Around my age, theyd offered to help me find my way from Casa Sols cliffside perch in the dark. I took Ernestos advice and hopped a cab to Mazuntes Pizzeria. The area around Zipolite is overrun with Italian restaurants, so in the spirit of If you cant beat em, join em, I found a seat at an outdoor table beside a blazing pizza oven and beneath string lights. The place seemed to be run almost entirely by kids, including a teenage girl who manned the kitchen, rolling dough with an empty Corona bottle and baking beautifully charred, Neapolitan-style pizza. A boy who looked no older than 14 was the pizzerias lone server and covered the tables like a seasoned professional. Oh dear god, it is almost Valentine's again. It really feels like this should be one of those cursed occurrences that come around once every few years, like a blood moon, or Hale-Bopp. But no, we have to drag ourselves through this anxiety-producing nightmare every single year from the age of 13 onwards. Little wonder that St Valentine was sliced and diced for inflicting this up on us all. This is a premium article Premium articles will soon be available only to Independent.ie subscribers. And not just that, but his feast-day has the temerity to occur right after Christmas - the biggest drain on both finances and human emotions in the country. Surely that tinsel-clad money pit gave us all enough opportunity to talk about love? There's an entire film about the topic, it's called Love, Actually, and it isn't set around Valentine's Day, it's set around Christmas, because that is the true festival of love. There is a film about St Valentine's Day, it's called Valentine's Day and it is tedious, much like the day itself. Even Hollywood can't make this mess seem special. Of course the reason I don't especially like this day is because I am bad at love. I am bad at romance, and the demonstrations of love that come with it. I am bad at performative love, bad at celebrating love, bad at showing how I feel. I'm OK at the physical act of love, I give myself a solid six out of 10 for that; if it was a club sport, I would win the county but would be unlikely to take the provincial title. Anyone who thinks they deserve a national title needs to clam down. Part of my failures at emotional love can probably be put down to the rusty chains of masculinity and the paradoxical notion that men are meant to never show emotion, except on this one day when we really ought to let our hearts run free. You would think that as someone who writes, I should be well able to craft a sonnet, or at least scribble a few lines of genuine meaning in a card, but no, I descend into a sweaty mess when it comes to expressing love. Anger, that's no problem - I am remarkably fluid when it comes to picking up arguments where they left off, such as our 18-year war of attrition over whether or not pots and pans should go in the dishwasher (it's DISHwasher, not POTwasher). But you bottle up those kinder, warmer emotions for most of the year so when it comes to letting them loose on this one day, it can be hard to locate them. In cards I invariably scribble 'love always' and a few Xs and Os. Although in my defence, she isn't much better, signing one card with LOL one year, leading me to believe that she, like David Cameron in his texts to Rebekah Brooks, thought it was shorthand for 'lots of love'. I do try to pick a card that carries a message with meaning, or at least I try to pick one from the small selection in my local supermarket. There's love and then there's having to go to a different shop for a card. I do have a life beyond annual card hunts. Then there is the flowers. Not hand-delivered fancy ones; I prefer to go for the small bouquet you pick up at the end of the aisle whilst doing the weekly shop, only for them to get crushed by a bag of spuds or 50-roll pack of toilet paper. Except, romance is important - actual romance, AKA a demonstration that you value the person, that you see them, that they are cherished. You don't need to project their face onto the Taj Mahal, or whisk them away to Machu Picchu to renew vows. In our case it will most likely entail a trip to that little jewellery shop she likes, so that she can return the gift I got her for Christmas. Perhaps I will go all out and throw another few quid on top of it so we can get her something that doesn't look like it came from a cracker. After all, I can afford to spend a bit as my fastidious dishwasher usage means it won't need to be replaced until the next time Hale-Bopp swings by. Saurabh Bharadwaj election result 2020 live news and latest updates online - Read about Saurabh Bharadwaj AAP candidate who is fighting Delhi assembly (Vidhan Sabha) election from Greater Kailash seat and many more at Firstpost.com. A suave face of the Aam Aadmi Party, Saurabh Bharadwaj will contest from the Greater Kailash Assembly constituency for the third time in a row. A former software engineer, he shot to fame a few years back when he conducted a live demonstration of hacking an Electronic Voting Machine in the Delhi Assembly in May 2017. According to party colleague Atishi, Bharadwaj was chosen to lead the demonstration due to his expertise in microchips and coding and his vast overseas experience in the software development sector. However, his attempt to prove the allegations of hacking were categorically rejected by the Election Commission. After winning his seat for the first time in 2013, he was made the minister of food and supply, transport, environment and General Administration Department. However, his only stint as a Cabinet minister ended just 49 days later after Arvind Kejriwal resigned in February 2014. In the 2015 polls, he defeated his nearest BJP rival by a margin of over 14,000 votes. He was not made a minister in the current Kejriwal Cabinet but remained a key figure in the party. When we came back to power the second time, we had 67 MLAs. Bhardwaj wasnt brought back to the Cabinet because there were more MLAs who had more experience, Atishi had told News18 in 2017. Nevertheless, he was made the chief spokesperson of the Delhi unit of the AAP in 2017, a role in which he continues to remain in the limelight. Bharadwaj, who was brought up in Chirag, a locality in Greater Kailash, is well known for maintaining non-corrupt image and has worked for the development of the area. Recently, he was in the news for having organised a tea party in his constituency to collect funds for his election campaign. Benue-born former National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Abraham Amuta, has reportedly rejected an offer for freedom by the Boko Haram terrorists. Instead, he reportedly told negotiators who went to the Sambisa Forest to secure his release to go back home, saying he had renounced his Christian faith and is now a member of Boko Haram, Daily Trust reports. Abraham Amuta in his NYSC uniform Amuta was observing the one-year mandatory service in Borno State when he was abducted on 10 April, 2019 on Gwoza-Maiduguri road. He was heading to Chibok to deliver humanitarian assistance. He was travelling alongside a 58-year-old man, Moses Oyeleke of Living Faith Church in Maiduguri and few others, including a schoolgirl, Ndagiliya Ibrahim Umar. Pastor Oyeleke was released in November 2019. According to the newspaper, negotiation for the release of Amuta and the other captives continued until yesterday when the process collapsed at the last hour following the ex-corps members decision to remain with his captors. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. All bids for selecting a design for the memorial dedicated to the March 1 unrest victims have been turned down by city officials, Yerevan Mayor Hayk Maruyans spokesperson Hakob Karapetyan said on social media. He said theyve announced a new tender which will accept bids until February 24. The Yerevan City Hall had announced in November 2019 the open tender for the planned memorial honoring the victims of the 2008 post-election unrest. Hovsep Kubatyan, Head of the Information and PR Department of City Hall, said they are planning to have a bronze bas-relief type memorial, which will be installed in the Childrens Park in downtown Yerevan near Republic Square. The memorial will be named In Memory of the 2008 March 1 Victims. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan HOUSTON, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mexico Pacific Limited (MPL), a Pacific Coast LNG project based in Mexico, announced today that its Board of Directors has named Douglas Shanda as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. "We are delighted to welcome Doug to the MPL team," said Page Maxson, Chairman of MPL. "Doug brings extensive LNG project development, construction and operations experience from senior leadership positions at some of the most prestigious North and South American LNG companies. His depth of experience and proven leadership capabilities will further accelerate MPL's trajectory through FID into the construction and commencement of operations." "MPL is on track to become the leading Pacific Coast provider of North American LNG," said Mr. Shanda. "With major permitting completed for 12 mtpa, the project offers substantial cost advantages, as it benefits from existing pipeline access to abundant and low cost natural gas supply and lower shipping costs to South America and Asia due to its West Coast location. I look forward to working in Houston with the talented MPL team as we prepare to take FID and commence construction." "Doug's excellent track record and world-class LNG expertise is invaluable and will serve us well as we finalize our off-take discussions and FEED award, positioning us for FID," said Mr. Mark McComiskey, partner at AVAIO Capital. Mr. Shanda has been professionally involved in the LNG, power, chemical, petrochemical and refining industries for more than 25 years. Most recently, Mr. Shanda served as Senior Vice President of Operations at Cheniere Energy, the largest LNG producer in North America. He successfully managed the LNG development from concept to operations, and was responsible for the overall management of the Sabine Pass Liquefaction Terminal in Louisiana and Corpus Christi Liquefaction Terminal in Texas and the pipeline assets, which included production, marine, maintenance, technical services, EHS, security and administration. Prior to joining Cheniere, he served as the Senior Project Engineer, Technical Manager and Plant Manager for the PERU LNG liquefaction plant in Melchorita, Peru. Mr. Shanda has a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University. About Mexico Pacific Limited LLC MPL is a North American Pacific coast LNG project with substantial cost and logistical advantages achieved by connecting the prolific Permian gas basin in the United States to Asian markets. MPL's facility will be constructed by a world-class EPC contractor using proven equipment supplied by Baker Hughes. MPL will build its 12 mtpa facility on a 1,100-acre site it owns in Puerto Libertad in Sonora, Mexico, roughly 125 miles south of the Arizona border. MPL is backed by AVAIO Capital. More information can be found at www.mexicopacificlimited.com. About AVAIO Capital AVAIO Capital is a build-to-core infrastructure investment firm led by professionals from investment, development, engineering, construction, and operating backgrounds. In aggregate, the team has completed more than $4 billion of equity transactions and over $50 billion of infrastructure development and construction projects across the water, transportation, digital and energy sectors. AVAIO's makes equity investments in the creation and redevelopment of infrastructure assets throughout North America and Europe. More information can be found at www.avaiocapital.com. Media Contact: Sydney Isaacs [email protected] 713-999-5104 SOURCE Mexico Pacific Limited Related Links http://www.mexicopacificlimited.com Top Flight Angel, the winner of the 2017 Yonkers Trot, is ready to return to the races this week and his connections hope he will be continuing his ascent to the million-dollar level. Top Flight Angel, a six-year-old horse, has won 14 of his 65 career races and $902,820 for breeder/owner Alan Hainsworth, a New Yorker who races under the name Legendary Standardbred Farm. Hainsworth has a special bond with the horse because he owns Top Flight Angels sire, the 2012 Yonkers Trot winner Archangel, and dam, Top Photo. Its fantastic, Hainsworth said. Hes grown up into a beautiful horse, so perfectly gaited, and hes very easy to drive. Hes got a lot of brains. I want to race him until he makes a million dollars, then well see where we are with him. Hes been a great horse. Top Flight Angel is beginning his fourth season in the barn of trainer Julie Miller. He battled sickness last year, which limited him to three victories. Although, after a nearly two-month respite, he won a qualifier last Friday at the Meadowlands Racetrack in 1:54.2 and has been entered to race this weekend. We gave him a lot of TLC and time to get over (his illness), Miller said. I thought that was a pretty decent qualifier the other day up there at the Meadowlands. Hes always been a pleasure to be around. Hes a beautiful horse and he loves his job. Youre not supposed to fall in love with them, but he would definitely be on my list of favourites. When he goes on the track, you know that no matter what, hes going to give it his all. Winning the Yonkers Trot with Archangel provided Hainsworth with a great memory. Capturing the Trotting Triple Crown leg a second time with Top Flight Angel might even have topped the first. Winning it once is like a miracle, and then to win it twice with the father and son and same owner, that was big, Hainsworth said. To win it twice, there are hardly any words. If I ever got there again, I would probably be crying. I havent given that thought up, either. Eleven days after Top Flight Angel won the Yonkers Trot, he rolled into Batavia Downs for a division of the New York Sire Stakes. He won in 1:54.3, which equalled the track record that had been set five years earlier by his father, Archangel. That was another unbelievable night, Hainsworth said. I was impressed with how he got around all those tracks in New York, Miller said. You could send him anywhere and I knew he could handle those half-mile tracks and handle that grind. He was just that class of horse. Top Flight Angel, who finished second in the 2018 Breeders Crown Open Trot and was runner-up in the Harry Harvey Invitational the same year, will likely spend a good amount of time this season competing at the Meadowlands and Yonkers Raceway. Hopefully he can make a couple hundred thousand this year, Hainsworth said. Id like to get him to the million-dollar mark, Miller said. Thats always a nice accomplishment for any horse to make it to that point. If Top Flight Angel reaches that level, he would join his father in the million-dollar club (Archangel banked $1.14 million) and become his fathers second offspring to surpass the barrier (joining Guardian Angel AS). And while Hainsworth will be watching Top Flight Angel, he will also be keeping tabs on Archangel-sired newcomers heading to the races later this season. Hainsworths own Angel Nation, purchased under the name Stable Genius for $60,000 at the 2018 Standardbred Horse Sale, is among them. He did not race last year as a two-year-old. Hes a beautifully-gaited horse, thats what is so nice about him, and he looks terrific, Hainsworth said. Its exciting to have the stallion and watch these owners that have their new Archangel babies come on board. I spend quite a lot of time in Canada (where Archangel stands) watching these new ones come up. I get a big kick out of it. Thats pretty exciting to me. (USTA) A 19-year-old man arrested following a series of incidents in the Western Bay of Plenty last week, is yet to enter a plea on firearms charges. He appeared in Tauranga District Court today charged with unlawful possession of a pistol. Name suppression is continued for the defendant. The accused was arrested alongside a 23-year-old man last week. The two men were arrested following a series of incidents involving firearms and damage to property in Western Bay of Plenty," says Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner. "Police are speaking to a number of witnesses in relation to these events. Both men will reappear in court on February 13. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Two people have been sentenced to probation for animal cruelty for mistreating five dogs, including one which died, found underweight and dehydrated at a New Brighton home in 2018. Caseim Brown, 47, of Brooklyn, owned the five animals, all pit-bull mixes, said officials. Authorities said the dogs were injured and deprived of sustenance between July 25 and Aug. 30, 2018, at a Stanley Avenue residence. The pooches were in the backyard. Browns co-defendant, Latisha Jenkins, 39, lived in the home. A necropsy determined the dog that died was emaciated as a result of inadequate nutrition, a criminal complaint said. The animal also had several ulcers on its paw pads and multiple healed fractures, said the complaint. The other dogs also were found to be injured and underweight due to inadequate nutrition, the complaint said. They were also dehydrated and afflicted with pressure sores. In a rambling written statement to police, Brown said he left the dogs in Jenkins care. End of July had to move dogs were healthy. I had to beg her, told her Id pay the dogs were in the house on Stanley Ave. Orig I told them to put them out on good weather days. I was there Aug. 5. Gave them baths, fed them, they looked stressed. They all looked good to me, is how the statement is recorded on the complaint. In a separate criminal complaint, Jenkins told cops Brown was her baby father. She said she agreed to keep the dogs after Brown was evicted from his apartment. Jenkins said Brown had a strict feeding schedule once a day in the morning for the dogs and she adhered to it, said the complaint. The dogs were kept in separate cages, the complaint said. Both defendants were arrested and charged with a felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals and misdemeanor counts of torturing and injuring animals. Brown and Jenkins each pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge in December in state Supreme Court, St. George. They were sentenced last week Brown to three years probation; Jenkins to two years probation. In addition, Brown must perform 75 hours community service, and is subject to a lifetime non-possess order for companion animals, and a judgment order for the cost of care incurred by the ASPCA. He also must register with the Animal Abuse registry through the Department of Health. Jenkins, likewise must perform 75 hours community service. She is also subject to a lifetime non-possess order for companion animals and must register with the Animal Abuse registry. Richard Kopacz, Browns lawyer, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Mark Geisser, Jenkins attorney, declined comment. Assistant District Attorney Jane Grinberg prosecuted the case. Scientists are considered important for the development of the country. His discoveries give a new direction to the country as well as the world. Today we are going to tell you about a scientist from India who has worked with scientists considered as the father of the Indian space program, such as Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan and President of India APJ Abdul Kalam, but later I was considered the 'traitor' of the country. However, after four years, the scientist got justice and was acquitted of all the charges leveled against him. We are talking about Nambi Narayanan, who has been awarded India's third highest civilian award 'Padma Bhushan' only last year. Born on 12 December 1941 in Tamil Nadu, Nambi was very fast from childhood to read and write. He joined ISRO only after doing engineering. However, in 1969, he went to Princeton University in the US to study rocket technology. After a year of this, he returned to India and started working in ISRO. The biggest earthquake occurred in the life of Nambi Narayanan in 1994, when he was arrested on charges of espionage. He was accused of selling intelligence documents related to the cryogenic engine to two intelligence officers from Maldives. Several other cases were filed against him, including violation of Government of India confidential law and corruption. After this, he started being considered as the 'traitor' of the country. According to media reports, the investigating officer used to torture Nambi during the interrogation. Used to beat them and tied them to a bed after beating. They were not allowed to sit for many hours. However, during this time, Nambi kept calling all the allegations against him false and calling himself innocent, but the police was not ready to accept them. Nambi Narayanan also had to spend 48 days in jail. It is said that during this time whenever the crowd used to take them for hearing, the crowd present there used to shout and call them 'traitors' and 'spies'. Though the CBI later investigated the case and gave him a clean chit in the year 1996 and closed the case, but despite this, the Kerala government once again took the matter to the Supreme Court. However, in 1998, the court turned down the government's appeal and acquitted him of all charges. Nambi Narayanan later sued the Kerala government for falsely implicating him, following which the court ordered the Kerala government to pay compensation to Narayanan. He was given Rs 50 lakh as compensation. However, the Kerala government says that it will illegally give one crore and 30 lakh rupees as compensation for the arrest and harassment of Nambi Narayanan. Nambi Narayanan is currently 78 years old, but it remains a mystery even today why such a conspiracy was hatched against him and five others, why he was implicated. Also Read: India Emerging as a Top Market for Short Video Platforms Fan asked Shahrukh "how much it costs to rent a room in Mannat?" Top Campaigns on VMate that stole the show in 2019 Likee collaborated with 'I Am Desi World' to promote the new music video By Rasana Gasimova Azerbaijan's Agency for the Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry have signed a protocol of cooperation. The document was signed as part of the 12th meeting of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine held in Kyiv on January 31, SMEs Development Agency media reported. The document signed by Chairman of SMEs Agency Orkhan Mammadov and President of the House Gennady Chizhikov reflects issues related to the exchange of information and experience, as well as organization of joint events. Addressing the meeting, Orkhan Mammadov emphasized the great potential of both countries in the field of small and medium-sized enterprises. He also noted the important role of various events in expanding relations between SMEs. He informed the participants about the state support provided to the development of the SMEs sector and the Agency's activities in this direction. The Agency also proposed to identify areas of cooperation in the field of SMEs, create an Azerbaijan-Ukrainian business council, establish active ties between business associations, to study Ukraines experience in cooperation between the public-private sector, as well as create joint ventures. Note that the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Ukraine increased by 15.5 year year-on-year in 2019 and the two countries are taking measures to expand and diversify the bilateral trade ties. In December 2019, the countries held the Azerbaijan-Ukraine business forum aimed to further develop economic and trade relations. Over 90 companies from Ukraine and more than 100 companies from Azerbaijan participated in the forum. As part of the forum, a protocol of intent was signed between the city of Ganja and the city of Odessa and an Agreement on trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation between the city of Guba and the city of Truskavets. An agreement on cooperation between the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the State Regulatory Service of Ukraine in the field of the regulation of conditions of doing business was also signed. Azerbaijan Trade House was opened in 2018 in Kyiv and Ukrainian Trade House was opened in Baku in December 2019. Companies with Ukrainian capital successfully operate in industry, construction, trade, agriculture, transport, services and other areas of Azerbaijani economy. The two countries have potential for cooperation in various sectors of economy, including transport, ICT, tourism and other areas. Hoy dimos inicio al taller del programa #HakuWinay/#NoaJayatai, el cual desarrolla capacidades productivas y de emprendimientos rurales en familias usuarias, a fin de brindarles acceso a los mercados locales y, con ello, generar nuevos ingresos de manera autonoma y sostenida. pic.twitter.com/Ql5Wuc26E6 Wake up, make breakfast, get the kids to school, drive to work, break into the chief financial officer's inbox and steal the entire company's employee tax records. Maybe later you'll grab a bagel from across the street. For "red teams" or offensive security researchers it's just another day at work. These offensive security teams are made up of skilled hackers who are authorized to find vulnerabilities in a company's systems, networks and their employees. By hacking a company from within, the company can better understand where it needs to shore up its defenses to help prevent a real future hacker. But social engineering, where hackers manipulate their targets, can have serious consequences on the target. Although red team engagements are authorized and are legal, the ethics of certain attacks and efforts can go unconsidered. Newly released research looks at the ethics involved in offensive security engagements. Is it ethically acceptable to send phishing emails, bribe a receptionist or plant compromising documents on a person's computer if it means preventing a breach down the line? The findings showed that security professionals, like red teamers and incident responders, were more likely to find it ethically acceptable to conduct certain kinds of hacking activities on other people than they are with having those activities run against themselves. The research a survey of more than 500 people working in both security and non-security positions, presented for the first time at ShmooCon 2020 in Washington, DC this week found that non-security professionals, such as employees working in legal, human resources or at the reception desk, are nine-times more likely to object to receiving a phishing email as part of a red team engagement than a security professional, such as a red teamer or incident response. It is hoped the findings will help start a discussion about the effects of a red team's engagement on a company's morale during an internal penetration test, and help companies to help understand the limits of a red team's rules of engagement. Story continues "When red teamers are forced to confront the fact that their targets are just like themselves, their attitude about what it's OK to do to another person about testing security on other people changes dramatically after they confront the fact that it could happen to them," said Tarah Wheeler, a cybersecurity policy fellow at New America and co-author of the research. The survey asked about a range of potential tactics in offensive security testing, such as phishing, bribery, threats and impersonation. The respondents were randomly assigned one of two surveys containing all the same questions, except one asked if it was acceptable to conduct the activity and the other asked if it was acceptable if it happened to them. The findings showed security professionals would object as much as four-times if certain tactics were used against them, such as phishing emails and planting compromising documents. "Humans are bad at being objective," said Wheeler. The findings come at a time where red teams are increasingly making headlines for their activities as part of engagements. Just this week, two offensive security researchers at Coalfire had charges dropped against them for breaking into an Iowa courthouse as part of a red team engagement. The researchers were tasked and authorized by Iowa's judicial arm to find vulnerabilities in its buildings and computer networks in an effort to improve its security. But the local sheriff caught the pair and objected to their activities, despite presenting a "get out of jail free" letter detailing the authorized engagement. The case gave a rare glimpse into the world of security penetration testing and red teaming, even if the arrests were universally panned by the security community. The survey also found that security professionals in different parts of the world were more averse to certain activities than others. Security professionals in Central and South America, for example, object more to planting compromising documents whereas those in the Middle East and Africa object more to bribes and threats. The authors of the research said that the takeaways are not that red teams should avoid certain offensive security practices but to be aware of the impact they can have on the targets, often which include their corporate colleagues. "When you're setting up a red team and scoping your targets, consider the impact on your co-workers and clients," said Roy Iversen, director of security engineering and operations at Fortalice Solutions, who also co-authored the research. Iversen said the findings may also help companies decide if they want an outside red team to carry out an engagement to minimize any internal conflict between a company's internal red team and the wider staff. The researchers plan to expand their work over the next year to improve their overall survey count and to better understand the demographics of their respondents to help refine the findings. "It's an ongoing project," said Wheeler. Cajun crawfish boils are no longer just a southern thing. The seafood restaurants are popping up around the country, including in central Pennsylvania where in the coming weeks a second one will land on the East Shore. Captain Krab Cajun Seafood & Boil is moving into the former Isaacs Restaurant at 421 Friendship Road in Swatara Township at the TecPort Business Center. A few miles away in Susquehanna Township a similar concept, Red Crab - Juicy Seafood, is taking shape at the former Empire Asian Bistro along Union Deposit Road. The Cajun boil trend has been catching fire across the country as several chains such as The Angry Crab have sprouted up with build-your-own Cajun seafood boils. Some call the cuisine Viet-Cajun, although there is usually nothing Vietnamese or Asian about it. The trend stems from the Gulf Coast where Southeast Asian immigrants settled in the 1970s and worked as crabbers and shrimpers. Later generations opened crawfish boil restaurants. Captain Krab partner Kevin Zheng said they hope to open later this month. Construction is underway to convert the once bird-themed deli into a nautical atmosphere with wood paneling, coastal lights and boat wheels. RELATED: Captain Krab is part of a larger restaurant group that operates similar style restaurants in other states. Zheng, who left the area about 10 years ago, was one of the original owners of Hibachi Grill & Buffet in Lower Paxton Township, and is joined by partner Kevin Yang in the latest venture. Their restaurant will serve a variety of seafood options such as blue crab, mussels, clams and lobster tail sold by the pound and steamed with sauces in plastic bags. Diners sit around family style and eat the seafood, usually served with corn on the cob and potatoes. Zheng said what sets the individual Cajun boil establishments apart are the buttery sauces in flavors from mild to hot. Their restaurant will be open daily for dinner only. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Elizabeth Warren addresses the crowd at a campaign event at Iowa State Universitys Memorial Union on Sunday in Ames, Iowa. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Locked in Washington for almost all of last week, Elizabeth Warren waited for an opening in the impeachment schedule long enough for a flight back to Iowa. When it didnt come as the days dragged on and the trial devolved, she tried making the most of her time off the trail. The public side of the effort was evident to anyone paying attention in Ames or Waterloo. She called into a tele-townhall for Iowans, dispatched surrogates like Julian Castro and congresswomen Ayanna Pressley, Deb Haaland, and Katie Porter across the state, and amped up her ad spending online. Whenever the senate schedule allowed her, she got to work behind-the-scenes, too. She worked the phones, aiming to win over any remaining undecided Iowan influencers in the final days she swayed former state party chair Sue Dvorsky, a former Kamala Harris backer, for example, but failed to convince Polk County party chair Sean Bagniewski, who told her he was remaining neutral. And she maintained contact with her former rivals in the race whove dropped out, including her senate colleagues Harris, Cory Booker, and Kirsten Gillibrand. It was all something. But though fellow senators Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar were frustrated, too, it was still obvious to Warrens allies and opponents alike that her imperative to get back to the states voters before Mondays caucuses was as urgent as anyones. Though shed lost ground in recent months, Warren was still in the races top tier ahead of Klobuchar but behind Sanders, whose momentum didnt seem to be going anywhere. Her finely tuned field organization gave her reason for some hope as the state shifted to turnout mode and undecided voters made their final picks, most often between her and Sanders or her and Pete Buttigieg. Warren organizers had even set up a table right outside the front door of a Buttigieg town hall at Simpson College in suburban Indianola on Tuesday, aiming to pick up undecided Iowans, and her in-state allies were happily surprised when she won the mock caucus held at Drake University in Des Moines, given Sanders dominance among young voters. But Warren likely couldnt afford any kind of disappointing finish in Iowa, and Buttigieg and Joe Biden had both been blanketing the state while the senators were back east. Plus, Sanders was now being treated like the front-runner. Even a third-place result on Monday might make her road ahead impossible, depending on the margin and the candidates ahead of her. So would all the organization and the flurry of work from afar be enough, without the candidate on the ground herself? The week away offered no good answers, and Warren raced to Iowa for a last-second rescue mission on Friday night. She popped into a Des Moines brewery across the street from where her husband Bruce Mann and top surrogates had just finished rallying backers late in the evening. Buttigieg was well on his way to hitting 50 in-person Iowa events in the home-stretch, and Sanders was poised to draw thousands of Iowans at closing-stretch concert rallies with Bon Iver and Vampire Weekend. It was clear that Warren would have to turn her final weekend in the state into a sprint. Sen. Elizabeth Warren arrives for a campaign rally in the Mississippi Ballroom at the RiverCenter on Saturday in Iowa City, Iowa. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images With Warren finally on the ground, she shifted into an explicit pitch that she was the best candidate to unite Democrats. Her team started peppering her events with placards that spelled it out: UNITE THE PARTY. The goal was to appeal to as many undecided Iowans as possible, but also to fire up her dedicated backers with a message they could all rally behind, no matter whether they supported Hillary Clinton or Sanders in 2016 (while the shadow of that fight loomed yet again). In Indianola on Sunday, Warren thanked all the other candidates whod run, casting her net for potential supporters as wide as possible. Aiming to maximize her presence in the areas where she was likely to pick up the most delegates liberal suburbs and big cities, mostly she also for the first time abandoned the famous hours-long post-event photo lines that have long dominated her time on the trail, instead only taking pictures with families whod brought small children, and promising that her golden retriever, Bailey, would stay for selfies with anyone who wanted them. Saving that time, she gathered some of the biggest crowds of her entire Iowa campaign 700 in Cedar Rapids, soon followed by 900 in Iowa City on Saturday, then 500 in Ames on Sunday. In Indianola, with little time to plan her return, her team booked just a small room in the Simpson College campus center. But even hours before the events planned start time, it was clear theyd need a bigger space. The fire marshal stopped letting Iowans in early, leaving even a few of Warrens top campaign lieutenants out of the main room, as voters massed in the buildings lobby. The campaign considered moving the speech to a bigger space, but ultimately decided to let Warren address the overflow crowd, and then the original room. The final crowd totaled 1,100, far more than either Sanders or Buttigieg had drawn in the same building earlier in the week. People applaud while listening to Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren during a campaign event at Iowa State Universitys Memorial Union on Saturday in Ames, Iowa. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Amid all the evidence that her final tear through the state was at least sparking Iowans interest as the weekend ripped along, Warrens mild annoyance with having been kept away leaked further into the open. Sanders had rallied over 3,000 fans with Vampire Weekend on Saturday, and Buttigieg would address over 2,000 in Des Moines on Sunday. You may have heard Ive been caught in Washington for a while now, she told her Cedar Rapids crowd on Saturday. The next afternoon, in Indianola, she offered an update: Ive been in Washington for ugh feels like years. She never took the next step and asked what could have been, if only she could have been there a little more. Soon after, her campaign confirmed an expected, but nonetheless frustrating, schedule update: Warren would have to fly back to Washington on Sunday night for more impeachment proceedings. Shed return by caucus night. Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/03/2020 -- Advance Market Analytics released a new market study on Global Harmonic Damper Market with 100+ market data Tables, Pie Chat, Graphs & Figures spread through Pages and easy to understand detailed analysis. At present, the market is developing its presence. The Research report presents a complete assessment of the Market and contains a future trend, current growth factors, attentive opinions, facts, and industry validated market data. The research study provides estimates for Global Harmonic Damper Forecast till 2025*. Some are the key players taken under coverage for this study are Damper Dudes (United States), Ross Performance Parts (Australia), K1 Technologies (United States), Robert Bosch (Germany), Schaeffler Group (Germany), Dayco (United States), KLM Performance (United States), Honda (Japan), ATI Performance Products Inc. (United States), ZF Friedrichshafen (Germany), S C Parts Group Ltd (United Kingdom), Limora Oldtimer (Germany), Keco Auto Industries (India), Flocon Industries (India), Amtech Power Ltd. (India), Ningbo Maisheng Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (China) and CME Auto Co., Ltd. (China). A harmonic damper is also known as a crankshaft pulley, harmonic balancer, crankshaft damper, torsional damper or vibration damper. It plays a significant role to ensure the longevity of engines and crankshafts and it is the most important part of an external component of the engine. These dampers are exclusively designed for high rpm performance engine based on OEMs. The various types of harmonic dampers are fitted based on internal combustion load. The harmonic damper is manufactured with an outer mass vulcanized to an inner hub. The global harmonic dampers market is increasing owing to the rising sales of diesel vehicles. Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/67144-global-harmonic-damper-market-1 Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report: 1) What all companies are currently profiled in the report? Following are list of players that are currently profiled in the report Damper Dudes (United States), Ross Performance Parts (Australia), K1 Technologies (United States), Robert Bosch (Germany), Schaeffler Group (Germany), Dayco (United States), KLM Performance (United States), Honda (Japan), ATI Performance Products Inc. (United States), ZF Friedrichshafen (Germany), S C Parts Group Ltd (United Kingdom), Limora Oldtimer (Germany), Keco Auto Industries (India), Flocon Industries (India), Amtech Power Ltd. (India), Ningbo Maisheng Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (China) and CME Auto Co., Ltd. (China). ** List of companies mentioned may vary in the final report subject to Name Change / Merger etc. 2) Can we add or profiled new company as per our need? Yes, we can add or profile new company as per client need in the report. Final confirmation to be provided by research team depending upon the difficulty of survey. ** Data availability will be confirmed by research in case of privately held company. Upto 3 players can be added at no added cost. 3) Can we get more level of segmentation to meet our market intelligence objective? Yes it can be provided, however ETA would vary and final confirmation would be given only after checking data in data repository. 4) Can inclusion of additional Segmentation / Market breakdown is possible? Yes, inclusion of additional segmentation / Market breakdown is possible subject to data availability and difficulty of survey. However a detailed requirement needs to be shared with our research before giving final confirmation to client. ** Depending upon the requirement the deliverable time and quote will vary. Enquire for customization in Report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/67144-global-harmonic-damper-market-1 Market Drivers - Increasing Demand from Commercial Vehicle - High Performance Harmonic Dampers are Increases the Life of Diesel Engine Market Trend - Harmonic Damper is Trending Due to Growing Sales of Vehicles Globally Restraints - Availability of Substitute Product Such as Harmonic Stabilizer and Fluid Damper Opportunities - Rising Production of Racing Cars in Forecast Period To comprehend Global Harmonic Damper market dynamics in the world mainly, the worldwide Harmonic Damper market is analyzed across major global regions. AMA also provides customized specific regional and country-level reports for the following areas. - North America: United States, Canada, and Mexico. - South & Central America: Argentina, Chile, and Brazil. - Middle East & Africa: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Egypt and South Africa. - Europe: UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Russia. - Asia-Pacific: India, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia. Get Reasonable Discount on This Premium Report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/request-discount/67144-global-harmonic-damper-market-1 Try a limited scope research document specific to Country or Regional matching your objective. GET FULL COPY OF United States Global Harmonic Damper market study @ --------- USD 2000 And, Europe Global Harmonic Damper market study @ --------- USD 2500 Major Highlights of TOC: Chapter One: Market Overview Chapter Two: Executive Summary ---------- Free of Cost Chapter Three: Market Dynamics ------ USD400 Market Drivers, Market Challenges, Market Trends, Restraints & Opportunities Chapter Four: Market Factor Analysis ------ USD400 Supply/Value Chain, Porters Five Forces, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent & Trademark Analysis, Bargain Power Chapter Five: Global Harmonic Damper, by Market Segmentation and Geography (value, volume**) (2013-2018) ------ USD1400 Global Harmonic Damper By Type: Elastomer Damper, Viscous Damper, Friction-style Damper Sales Channel : Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Aftermarket Material Type :Nodular Iron, Steel, Aluminum, Other Global Harmonic Damper Region North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Nordic, Others) Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, Australia, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Middle East & Africa, Others) Chapter Six: Global Harmonic Damper - Manufacturers/Players Analysis ------ USD1200 Competitive Landscape, Comparative Market Share Analysis (2017-2018), Peer Group Analysis (2018), BCG Matrix, Company Profile, Product/Service Offering Matrix Chapter Seven: Global Harmonic Damper, by Market Segmentation and Region (value, volume**) (2019-2024) ------ USD1400 ------ Sections same as Chapter Five ------ Chapter Eight: Company profiles / Competitive Landscape [12 Players] ------ USD1250 Chapter Nine: Methodology/Research Approach, Data Source, Disclaimer ** If applicable Actual Numbers & In-Depth Analysis, Business opportunities, Market Size Estimation Available in Full Report. AMA also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research according to clientele objectives. Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report like North America, Europe or Asia. About Advance Market Analytics Advance Market Analytics is Global leaders of Market Research Industry provides the quantified B2B research to Fortune 500 companies on high growth emerging opportunities which will impact more than 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Our Analyst is tracking high growth study with detailed statistical and in-depth analysis of market trends & dynamics that provide a complete overview of the industry. We follow an extensive research methodology coupled with critical insights related industry factors and market forces to generate the best value for our clients. We Provides reliable primary and secondary data sources, our analysts and consultants derive informative and usable data suited for our clients business needs. The research study enable clients to meet varied market objectives a from global footprint expansion to supply chain optimization and from competitor profiling to M&As. Contact Us: Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager) AMA Research & Media LLP Unit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJ New Jersey USA 08837 Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218 sales@advancemarketanalytics.com Final details are in place to allow U.S. exporters to resume beef shipments to China, U.S. officials said on Monday, allowing companies to prepare for their first shipments in 14 years. After concluding talks with Beijing, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said U.S. producers must track the birthplace of cattle born in the United States that are destined for export to China. In another rule, U.S. beef shipments to China must come from cattle less than 30 months of age, according to the USDA. The meat should not contain the growth promotant ractopamine, found in the drug Optaflexx, made by the Eli Lilly and Co unit Elanco. China banned U.S. beef in 2003 after a U.S. scare over mad cow disease. Previous attempts by Washington to reopen the worlds fastest-growing beef market have fizzled out, but the quick progress in finalizing terms for shipments has raised hopes of U.S. farmers. Washington and Beijing finalized details on export protocols ahead of a deadline, set under a broader trade deal last month, for shipments to begin by mid-July. Chinas beef imports increased to $2.5 billion last year from $275 million in 2012, according to the USDA. Animal-lovers are clamoring to volunteer at a sanctuary that is seeking people to cuddle with its pigs and feed them cookies to help get them ready for adoption. The Cotton Branch Farm Sanctuary in Leesville, South Carolina, took to Facebook on January 23 to post a help-wanted ad looking for 'piggy cuddlers' to spend some quality time with its rescue swine. 'Do you want to help make a huge difference in the lives of the pigs of Cotton Branch?' the flyer asks. 'Come help socialize our adoptable residents so they can move into our adoption program with ease!' Too cute! The Cotton Branch Farm Sanctuary in Leesville, South Carolina, is looking for 'piggy cuddlers' to help socialize its rescue pigs Bonding: Josh Carpenter-Costner (pictured), the president of Cotton Branch Farm Sanctuary, said the farm's volunteers spend about an hour with the pigs three times a week The animal sanctuary explained that sitting with the pigs, scratching their bellies, and even just talking to them will help them get ready for their forever homes. The volunteer cuddlers must be 18 years or older or between the ages of 16 and 18 and accompanied by a parent or guardian. The farm serves as a safe place for abandoned, abused, neglected, and elderly farm animals, and a little over a year ago, it rescued 550 pigs from a hoarding situation in Kentucky. Josh Carpenter-Costner, the president of Cotton Branch Farm Sanctuary, told WLTX that the farm's volunteers spend about an hour with the pigs three times a week. Calling all volunteers: The farm posted the help-wanted ad on Facebook on January 23 Easy job: The animal sanctuary explained that sitting with the pigs, scratching their bellies, and even just talking to them will help them get ready for their forever homes Happy ending: A little over a year ago, the sanctuary rescued 550 pigs from a hoarding situation in Kentucky. So far, 400 of those pigs have been adopted 'Within a month they are generally totally ready to be adopted,' he said. 'Theyre rolling over for belly rubs, theyre pursuing you for attention when you go in and thats when we can move them out of the socialization area and move two others in who need socializing.' So far, 400 out of the 550 rescue pigs have been adopted, according to WLTX. Carpenter-Costner explained the pigs 'make good indoor, outdoor pets,' noting that 'they are much quicker to house train than a dog.' 'As long you have about a quarter acre space, a good size yard for them to enjoy and dont mind rooting theyre fine,' he added. The Cotton Branch Farm Sanctuary has had an overwhelmingly positive response to its post with people from all over the country signing up to socialize its remaining pigs. More to love: Carpenter-Costner (pictured with the farm's executive director Evan Costner) explained that the pigs 'make good indoor, outdoor pets' Success: Volunteer spots have already filled up through March, and the Cotton Branch Farm Sanctuary announced on Facebook on Sunday that it has added new spots in April 'I just love pigs, they are sweet precious animals. I live in Des Plains Illinois. I would love to take a trip to your sanctuary and cuddle these cuties. God Bless you for saving them and the other animals,' one Facebook user commented 'I honestly would take vacation time to snuggle!' another added. 'This would be a dream come true. Too bad I live so far away,' someone else wrote. 'I hope your piggies get the best cuddlers!!!' Volunteer spots have already filled up through March, and the Cotton Branch Farm Sanctuary announced on Facebook on Sunday that it has added new spots in April. 'This past week has been incredible and we are so thankful so many want to volunteer with us!' the farm wrote. 'Just today, we are seeing such a difference in our unsocialized pigs after our first full day of Cuddlers! Your contribution means so much to them and us!' Victims of contaminated blood in Northern Ireland are still not being treated equally to those in the rest of the UK, campaigners alleged (Factor 8 Campaign/PA). Victims of contaminated blood in Northern Ireland are still not being treated equally to those in the rest of the UK, campaigners alleged. Those who will benefit from a special scheme announced last month were diagnosed with Hepatitis C or HIV after receiving NHS-supplied infected blood. The Department of Health said it can give a firm assurance that the 1 million allocated will be spent in full on support for victims of contaminated blood. Families and Friends of Haemphilia NI has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for swift intervention. In a statement it said: This decision is affecting those in a vulnerable community in the most deprived area of the UK who are already suffering not just from the medical decisions in the past but the physical and mental impact of the revelations of the current inquiry. Last month, the group met finance minister Conor Murphy, who told them he was releasing 1 million to Stormonts health department. Part of the money is being quickly released as an interim measure to provide help while part of it will be held until more work can be done on how best to spend it. The support organisation said: Naturally we were pleased that this was a step in the right direction towards parity with England. Astonishingly, the Department of Health then announced a vague but different scheme. The money allocated by the Executive as part of the in-year budgetary monitoring process was intended to address an imbalance in support offered in other UK regions. Thousands of patients across the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s. Around 2,400 people died. In April last year, at the outset of a state inquiry into the scandal, the Government announced an uplift in the level of financial support offered to those impacted during the time-frame of the inquiry. However, that move only affected victims in England, with the devolved regions handed responsibility for making their own decisions on support. In Northern Ireland, the issue was one of many put on the long finger as a result of the powersharing impasse. A commitment to resolve the issue was made in the deal that restored powersharing earlier this month. The 1 million announced last month was to fund interim payments for Northern Ireland beneficiaries of the Infected Blood Payment Scheme ranging between 4,000 and 8,000 per person, depending on individual circumstances. A statement from the Health Department said a large proportion of the money will fund the interim payments announced by Minister Robin Swann on January 27. The remainder will be allocated before the end of the financial year. The Department has been reviewing the Northern Ireland support scheme, with a view to ensuring arrangements best meet the needs of victims here. Some further work in relation to this review is required ahead of the rest of the 1 million being allocated. The financial year has under two months left, so this work will clearly be concluded promptly. Wider UK-wide discussions are continuing on greater parity of support right across the different UK support schemes. While the additional 1 million is very welcome, a non-recurrent allocation of temporary funding towards the end of the financial year is not by itself sufficient to resolve all the issues sustainably. The minister will be meeting shortly with groups representing victims to update them. By Trend Czech Republic ready to discuss mutual investments with Azerbaijan, Foreign Minister of Czech Republic Tomas Petricek said in an interview with Trend. "In line with relevant legislation, the Czech Republic provides various incentives such as tax relief for up to 10 years to foreign investors, especially those who create jobs in regions with a higher level of unemployment i.e., not in Prague where the level of unemployment is currently below 2 percent. According to the recent amendments to the Investment Incentives Act, projects focused on regions other than Prague will receive preferential treatment. This applies particularly to technology centres which can obtain grants for creating jobs, training and retraining new employees. Prospective foreign investors in the Czech Republic are advised and supported by the CzechInvest agency, established by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Investment in both directions is obviously a topic we are ready to discuss at the Joint Commission in 2020 [on Economic, Technical-Scientific and Cultural Cooperation]," he said. As for the prospects for creating joint ventures between the two countries in various spheres, Petricek said Czech Republi sees such potential in a variety of economic sectors, including energy, automotive industry, transport infrastructure and agriculture. "As for the latter sector, one which has great potential in Azerbaijan with its fertile land, our Embassy in Baku brought a trade mission led by the Czech Deputy Minister of Agriculture Pavel Vesely to Azerbaijan in April 2019, allowing for the establishment of contacts between companies from both countries," said the foreign minister. Petricek pointed out that while the CzechTrade agency established by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, with its office in Baku, does a great job in establishing links between Czech and Azerbaijani private businesses, doing business with enterprises owned, or co-owned to a significant degree, by the Azerbaijani state is a matter of interest for the Czech-Azerbaijani Joint Commission on Economic, Technical-Scientific and Cultural Cooperation. "Both of its previous co-chairs moved to other positions within the Czech and Azerbaijani state service late in 2019, and we hope new ones will be appointed by both sides very soon so this important Commission can soon meet in Prague for another round of a strategic debate on the future of our relations. Based on our positive experience, we will continue to seek participation in projects aimed at modernisation of the Azerbaijani economy," he said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Sixty percent of Ghanaians agree that corruption has reduced in Ghana under the administration of President Akufo-Addo despite a dropped in the scores from 45 to 40 between 2012 and 2017 by the latest Corruption Perception Index scores released by Transparency International (TI), according to a Deputy Minister for Information Pius Enam Hadzide. "The empirical data shows that 60 percent of Ghanaians believe that corruption has reduced under Akufo-Addo's government" he spoke on Asempa FM's Ekosii-Sen during a telephone conversation monitored by Kwabena Danso-Dapaah. "...Some time ago getting a passport and a driving license was tough because people demanded money from you, but now we have paperless systems and that shows you are experiencing an improvement in corruption," he added. Ghana dropped in the scores from 45 to 40 between 2012 and 2017 but began to score improvement in 2018 albeit marginal. The Index put together by Transparency International ranks countries annually by their perceived levels of corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys. Ghana scored 41 out of a possible clean score of 100 in the CPI 2019 and ranked 80 out of 180 countries/territories included in this years index. This years score of 41 shows that Ghanas score remained the same compared to its CPI 2018 score (41). This many have labelled as not good and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) released a statement in which they said that these ratings indicate that President Akufo-Addo has proven to be the biggest enabler and promoter of corruption since his assumption of office. However, Mr. Hadzide says CPI scores are just based on perception but the real empirical data shows that the government has done well with the fight against corruption and has been commended by the public Source: Kwabena Danso Dapaah Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Editor's Note: Information provided by the Guam International Airport Authority has changed several times and as of 11:12 a.m. on Feb. 4, the number of passengers who entered Guam from China, via flights from Korea and Japan was 36. Other information had been given to local media on Monday evening. Guam government agencies allowed the entry of 36 passengers coming in from China, via flights from Korea and Japan on Sunday and early Monday morning before the United States ban on the entry of foreign nationals who visited the novel coronavirus-stricken China in the last 14 days went into effect. Out of an abundance of caution, on Sunday, the Department of Public Health and Social Services collaborated with Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency and the A.B. Won Pat International Airport to provide enhanced screening and monitoring of the last group of passengers arriving from China before the institution of the ban, Public Health stated Monday. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Sixteen passengers arrived via Japan and Korea on Sunday while 20 passengers transited through the two countries to Guam earl Monday morning before the ban took effect, said Guam International Airport Authority Executive Manager, Tom Ada. None of the passengers showed signs or symptoms of respiratory illness, the department added in a news release. There have been cases, however, in which patients who carry the virus dont show symptoms of the illness, according to the World Health Organization, which added these are rare. Death in the Philippines The WHO office in the Philippines confirmed that one of two confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the country has died. The 44-year-old fatality was a man from Wuhan, China, who experienced fever, cough and sore throat before being admitted in Manilas San Lazaro Hospital, WHO stated. There are two dozen more suspected cases in the Philippines. The 44-year-old died on Feb. 1 and was reported to be the first novel coronavirus fatality outside of China. No cases on Guam No cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, have been reported in Guam or the Mariana Islands to date, Guam's Public Health stated. DPHSS, along with emergency management stakeholders, is actively preparing for its potential arrival, Public Health added. In January, on average, Guam saw one or two dozen visitors arrive from China every day. A total of 584 tourists from mainland China arrived on Guam in December 2019, out of 157,408 total visitor arrivals for that month, Guam Visitors Bureau data show. China is the eighth-highest source of tourists for Guam. President Donald Trumps 14-day travel ban on all visitors from China took effect at 8 a.m. Feb. 3 Guam time. As a result of the ban, all passengers who originated travel from China are being diverted to one of seven U.S. airports: OHare in Chicago, John F. Kennedy in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Honolulu, and Atlanta. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week confirmed the first instance of person-to-person spread in the U.S. mainland involving an infected person who hadn't been to Wuhan. Previously, all confirmed U.S. cases had been associated with travel to Wuhan, where an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by this novel coronavirus has been ongoing since December 2019, CDC stated. The infected person in the United States who didn't travel to China shared a household with a patient diagnosed with 2019-nCoV. CDC guideline For the general public, CDC stated, "no additional precautions are recommended at this time beyond the simple daily precautions that everyone should always take." "It is currently flu and respiratory disease season, and CDC recommends getting vaccinated, taking everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs, and taking flu antivirals if prescribed." It is likely there will be more cases of 2019-nCoV reported in the U.S. in the coming days and weeks, including more person-to-person spread, CDC added. Guam efforts Guam's Public Health continues to follow guidelines from the CDC as it prepares its response, updating any plans or procedures as CDC guidelines change, the department stated. Public Health Director Linda Unpingco-DeNorcey and her team will meet with clinic administrators and managers to give presentations on protocol in place. Medical providers are also being provided with a flowchart to identify and assess patients suspected to have 2019-nCoV infections; and the islands medical surge capacity will also be discussed. The plan with our clinics is to mobilize resources, share up-to-date information with our health care partners, discuss sharing resources and equipment, and ensure we have seamless procedures to safeguard our island community from the novel coronavirus, Unpingco-DeNorcey said in a press release. Samsung's upcoming lineup of new products have been at the center of various leaks, but this time, the Korean tech giant was to blame. On Monday, Samsung accidentally leaked details of its upcoming smart speaker, the Galaxy Home Mini in a post uploaded to its South Korean website that has since been deleted. According to the press release, the speaker will be released in South Korea on February 12 and will cost $83. In a release captured and translated by Android Police, Samsung described various details of the company's next smart speaker installment. The Galaxy Home Mini (rendered above) will likely be released next week during major press event by Samsung 'Galaxy Home Mini' can freely control various devices through voice commands through Bixby. Two microphones are built in to support speech recognition over long distances,' stated the release. 'Galaxy Home Mini' allows you to make, receive and send messages with just your voice without connecting your smartphone. When connected with an external sensor, it detects emergency situations such as fire, smoke and leaks and provides notifications quickly. It also tells you if your appliance is working or when it needs to be replaced. Samsung also says that its Galaxy Home Mini will be equipped with 5W speakers, and 360-degree surround sound. While the device has been kept somewhat under wraps for now, it will likely be revealed at a major event from the tech giant next week. In that event, Samsung is expected to release its next flagship phone, the Galaxy S20 and S20 Plus. Samsung's Galaxy S20 Plus was leaked in images well in advance of the device's actual unveiling and has been one of many Samsung-related leaks According to leaks from XDA Developers the S20 Plus - which is the larger version of Samsung's flagship phones that are slated to be released in February - will definitively have a high-end 120 HZ display which had previously only been rumored. The 120 HZ display will offer a high refresh rate but will only work with the phone's standard resolution as opposed to the WQHD - quad high - setting that clocks in at 1440p as opposed to 1080p. Additionally, XDA says that the phone will come with a traditional headphone jack and as well as an in-display 'ultrasonic' fingerprint scanner. The latter feature marks a significant confirmation as Samsung has attempted to include in-display fingerprint-reading technology in the past to notably mixed results. Australias property and real estate leaders will become Big Issue vendors this week, selling the street magazine as part of The Big Issues annual CEO Selling event. CEO Selling is part of International Vendor Week, an annual celebration of 9,000 street paper vendors in 35 countries around the world. CEOs and leaders from REA, Landcom, Stockland, PEXA, Cbus Property and many more will take to the street from Monday 3 February to show their support for vendors experiencing homelessness, disadvantage and marginalisation. In Australia, more than 800 vendors sell The Big Issue each year. Vendors purchase copies of the magazine for $4.50 and sell them for $9. Alongside CEO Selling, The Big Issue is also celebrating more than 13 million copies sold of the magazine since starting in 1996. Guest sellers are available for interview, photos and footage. See the full list here. Amid an investigation that found Texas Southern University didnt consistently apply its admissions policy, the board of regents has a scheduled a special meeting Tuesday evening to discuss the termination of school President Austin Lane. The planned discussion, disclosed on the meeting agenda as notice of termination of the university president, marks the first time TSUs board has acknowledged Lanes firing is a possibility since it announced on Jan. 10 that he had been placed on paid administrative leave. It is the responsibility of the governing body to take appropriate action to protect the institution, regent Marc Carter wrote in an email to the Chronicle. Our students deserve excellence at every level without exception. Carters comments were the first by a regent in support of the boards actions involving Lane. His email added that there have been events that have occurred at the university which have resulted in criminal investigations, internal audits and external third party audits. Investigations and audits into admission improprieties were cited in a statement the regents released a week after placing Lane on leave they initially gave no explanation but the statement did little to clear up the murkiness because it didnt link Lane to the issue beyond noting he had been interviewed about it on two occasions. It did not elaborate on the improprieties. Letters newly obtained by the Chronicle show that improprieties uncovered so far involved the TSU Thurgood Marshall School of Law and an assistant dean of admissions who failed to follow rules and procedures required for transparency and for fair consideration of all applicants. That dean was fired, according to the letters. On HoustonChronicle.com: TSU regents say president placed on leave amid probe into admissions improprieties The confusion about the matter was only heightened Monday when two regents Ron Price and Marilyn Rose said they were unaware that a discussion of Lanes termination was on the agenda. Price, who abstained from a 7-1 vote to place Lane on leave, was previously vocal about his disappointment and frustration with the decision. Wow, I think I need to call back to Texas, said Price, who was out of state when he learned of agenda item. Rose said she wasnt privy to the notice on the boards agenda, but had no additional comment. On Tuesday, she told the Chronicle that she did in fact know the item about Lane's possible termination was on the agenda Carter, a trial lawyer, said the agenda item was sent to every regent just like every other agenda item. Regent chairman Hasan Mack did not respond to Chronicle inquiries about the confusion and possibility Lane could be fired at the meeting, and Lane declined to comment because of board instructions he not speak to the media. The boards Jan. 17 statement said that TSUs chief internal auditor is investigating alleged improprieties in the admissions process and interviewed Lane and his executive team. The statement said that regents invited Lane to meet with them at two special called meetings. It added that Lane, TSUs 12th president, was interviewed a second time by the auditor and TSUs special board employment counsel. On HoustonChronicle.com: TSU board member speaks out against regents decision to place president on leave The statement did not say whether Lane was involved and did not elaborate on the improprieties. It emphasized that local law enforcement is also investigating. TSU hasnt released a copy of its review. The letters obtained by the Chronicle include one from TSUs law school dean to an American Bar Association accreditation manager; and an exchange between the TSU presidents office and a top officer of the association that accredits degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. None of the letters implicate Lane in any wrongdoing. The two from TSU acknowledge admissions improprieties and the firing associated with them. Law school Dean Joan Bullock informed the ABA of certain admissions irregularities and the institutions response to them in a Nov. 25 letter. As a consequence of my oversight, I terminated the assistant dean of admissions, Bullock wrote Barry Currier, the ABAs managing director of accreditation and legal education. I had no trust or confidence in his ability to lead and manage the office because of his failure to follow all the rules and procedures required for transparency and for fair consideration of all applicants in compliance with ABA (standards). On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas Southern president's assistant fired on same day regents put Austin Lane on leave Bullock wrote that she asked the universitys office of internal audit to review the law schools admission processes to ensure compliance with university standards of admission practices and procedures and the adoption of best practices. The vice president of the accrediting body, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), wrote Lane on Dec. 18, expressing concerns about the admissions allegations. A news article about the admissions improprieties and the board of regents announcement in November have raised questions about (TSUs) ongoing compliance with the principles of accreditation and standard admissions policies, wrote Stephanie L. Kirschmann. The association requested TSU provide a report explaining and documenting its compliance. Kenneth Huewitt, who was named TSUs interim president in January, responded to the accrediting associations request in January, detailing the universitys findings. Huewitts letter says the law schools assistant dean did not consistently apply the schools admissions policy to all applicants, and as a result, was terminated. The regents have since requested its audit office review admissions processes at all levels. That review, ongoing, is slated to be completed by Feb. 28, he wrote. On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas Southern University renowned debate coach emeritus looks back on a century at his birthday The administration of the university is committed to adherence to professional ethics in all its admissions processes and to compliance with all relevant standards of SACSCOC and the ABA, Heuwitt wrote. He added that the law school has hired an experienced law school admissions consultant to help develop best practices for admissions, and that upon the completion of the audit offices investigation, it will take further measures to ensure the integrity of all its admissions processes. The fired assistant dean could not be reached for comment. Lanes assistant, Wendell Williams, was also fired, just minutes after the regents took action against Lane. A letter previously obtained by the Houston Chronicle shows that a state agency recently concluded yet another investigation of TSUs admissions process and found no problems. The investigation, prompted by a complaint, was closed in July 2019. The complainant alleged that Texas Southern University tried to increase enrollment by encouraging staff to admit all students, irrespective of whether the student met the university's admission requirements, wrote Mark Poehl, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Boards director of internal audit and compliance. We worked with (the TSU) office of internal audit and assurance. Their confidential report found no wrongdoing regarding the university's admission practices during the fall 2017 and fall 2018 semesters. It is unclear whether the complaints are related to the allegations that TSU is investigating internally. The Coordinating Board has not provided the Chronicle a copy of its findings. brittany.britto@chron.com Editors note: This story has been updated to include updated comments by TSU board member Marilyn Rose. (Alliance News) - Pennant International Group PLC on Monday predicted a drop in annual earnings and revenue and said that it has secured two new training contracts. The AIM-listed supplier of training and support solutions said revenue for 2019 is predicted to total GBP20 million, down from GBP21.1 million in 2018. Underlying earnings before interest, tax and amortisation is forecast at around GBP1.6 million, down from GBP3.3 million. Pennant also said that it will take a property impairment charge of GBP800,000 and a further GBP700,000 expense relating to an ongoing cost cutting exercise in 2019. The ongoing business restructuring is expected to realise gross annualised savings of over GBP1 million for the company. "With a contracted order book of GBP33 million scheduled for delivery over the next three years, together with a sizeable pipeline of single-source opportunities, the board remains confident of future prospects and of building and delivering long-term shareholder value," Pennant said. The Cheltenham, England-based company also said that it has been awarded training contracts in Australia and the Middle East. Pennant Australasia Pty Ltd, the company's Australian unit, has been awarded a contract for the supply of training aids and associated services for aviation technician training for the Australian Defence Force at a new training facility in Nowra, Australia. The contract is to be delivered over 2020 and 2021. No financial terms of the contract were disclosed. In addition, Pennant received a GBP1.5 million order to supply training aids to the Middle East. The order includes two new training solutions, including a 'crew escape trainer'. Revenue from the contract will be recognised in 2020. Pennant shares were trading 2.0% lower at 83.30 pence each in London on Monday afternoon. By Tapan Panchal; tapanpanchal@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. UTC announces the new Elliott Davis Scholarship in Business, which will add scholarship funds to the Gary W. Rollins College of Business. Through the generous support of Elliott Davis, we are able to create this scholarship, which will give more students an opportunity to fund their business education in Chattanooga, said UTC Chancellor Steve Angle. Elliott Davis is a strong supporter of our University and, with this partnership, they continue to make a difference in the lives of our students. The Elliott Davis Scholarship in Business was launched at a reception on campus. Guests included UTC Chancellor Steve Angle, Elliott Davis CEO Rick Davis, Dean of UTCs Rollins College of Business Robert Dooley, and other leaders from the university, UC foundation and Elliott Davis in Chattanooga. Elliott Davis is committed to supporting the work of UTC and celebrating what this institution has meant to Chattanooga, and to our firm, said Rick Davis, CEO of Elliott Davis. We believe that good business is about more than just doing business in Chattanooga; its about supporting the organizations who make this community a great place to live and work. UTCs role in workforce development has been integral to the growth of our firm, and this scholarship is created in recognition of their work. The first round of scholarships will be awarded for the fall 2020 semester. The Rollins College of Business benefits from our partnership with Elliott Davis in Chattanooga through their participation in our mentoring and internship programs, said business school dean, Dr. Robert Dooley. This scholarship adds to their support and increases their impact on our business students and the future workforce of Chattanooga. For more information on applying for the Elliott Davis Scholarship in Business at the Gary W. Rollins College of Business at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, please visit https://www.utc.edu/college-business/resources/scholarships/general-cob-scholarships.php Eight years ago, the TaxPayers Alliance reported that in the last year, five times more Labour people were appointed to public bodies than Tories. It currently reports that almost half of avowedly political appointees last year owed their allegiance to Labour Party, compared to less than a third for the Conservatives. Despite the selection of some Party members or supporters to fill important posts, over time, the Conservatives have punched beneath their weight when it comes to public appointments. One of the reasons seems to be that Tories simply dont apply in the same number as Labour supporters. To help remedy this, each week we put up links to some of the main public appointments vacancies, so that qualified Conservatives can be aware of the opportunities presented. Northern Ireland Office Lead Non-Executive Director The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is seeking to appoint a Lead Non-Executive Director to its Management Board. In addition to his/her responsibilities as a Board Member, the role of the Lead Non-Executive Director is to chair the Departments Audit and Risk Committee. The successful candidate will be expected to take up the position in May 2020. Non-Executive Directors provide a key role in the strategic and operational leadership of the Northern Ireland Office. They complement the balance of skills and experience of Government Ministers and officials by bringing independent advice, support, constructive challenge and a fresh external perspective to help shape a departments work. Time: Approx. 20 days per annum. Remuneration: 12,500 per annum plus expenses. Closes: 03 February Migration Advisory Committee Chair The Chair of the MAC is appointed by the Home Secretary to oversee the operation of the Committee. The Chair has overall accountability for the MACs work and is responsible for overseeing the operation and output of the Committee, in collaboration with the Home Office Secretariat. To date, the MAC has operated hands-on in its analysis and interaction with the Secretariat. The Chair is responsible for establishing effective working relationships within the Committee, across the Secretariat and with government departments. Time: Two days per week. Remuneration: 40,000 per annum. Closes: 17 February Office for Budget Responsibility Chair Robert Chote will be stepping down as Chair of the BRC later this year, after 10 years in post. We are seeking a successor with deep expertise in economic and fiscal analysis who can lead the BRC and provide intellectual leadership to the OBRs staff. This is a high profile and influential role, requiring outstanding communication skills and integrity. Candidates must command broad respect for their objectivity in dealing with issues of political sensitivity. Appointments to the BRC are for a five-year term. There is the possibility of reappointment at the end of the term and members can serve a maximum of two terms. This post can be undertaken on either a part or full-time basis. Time: Full- or part-time. Remuneration: 158,762 per annum (FTE). Closes: 17 February Treasure Valuation Committee Chair The Treasure Valuation Committee provides independent advice to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, on the fair market value of declared Treasure finds from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which museums wish to acquire. Its membership comprises experts on the range of antiquities submitted for valuation, on museums and their collections, and on the law relating to antiquities. In addition, the membership includes an individual drawn from those who represent the interests of finders. Time: Two days per month (likely). Remuneration: Travel and subsistence. Closes: 24 February Environment Agency Board Member The Secretary of State, working closely with the Chair of the Environment Agency, is seeking to appoint four new members to the Board of the Environment Agency to boost resilience and replace outgoing members. The Secretary of State wants to attract high-calibre and forward-thinking applicants from diverse backgrounds. Applicants will need to demonstrate they are able to carry out a full range of non-executive responsibilities and have relevant skills, knowledge and expertise. Board members have the opportunity to shape the strategic vision of the Environment Agency and think in different ways putting net zero, climate adaptation and innovative finance at the heart of its ambitions. Time: Four days per month. Remuneration: 350 per diem, reasonable expenses. Closes: 25 February Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership Chair The Tees Valley Combined Authority and Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) are looking to recruit a new LEP Chair and new LEP members from the private sector to deliver our ambitious economic plans. The Combined Authority and LEP strive to ensure an equal and diverse membership, and through this latest round of appointments, have committed to achieve 50% female representation on the LEP board in 2020. Due to the current LEP Chair coming to the end of his term, we are looking to appoint a new LEP Chair who has a strong private sector background, experience of building effective organisations and has the motivation to fully commit to and represent the LEP on a local and national scale. Time: 6-8 days per month. Remuneration: Travel and subsistence expenses. Closes: 29 February Solent Local Enterprise Partnership Chair The Solent LEP is seeking to recruit a Chair who is an influential local leader and who can bring energy and passion to act as a champion for the areas economic success. The Chair requires sufficient standing to be able to convene the local business community and public sector stakeholders, while having the insight to oversee the development of an economic strategy and the relationship skills to work effectively with government. We want you to have a voice, make a difference and give something back to the region. The Chair must come from the private sector (Individuals can only be classed as private sector if their organisations do not appear on the Public Sector Classifications guide which can be viewed on the Office for National Statistics website). Time: Minimum one day per week on average. Remuneration: Reasonable expenses. Closes: 29 February School Teachers Review Body Chair As Chair of the STRB, you will be responsible for providing strategic leadership and direction to the STRB in fulfilling its functions as a public body; and for delivering high quality recommendations in response to the matters that have been referred to the STRB by the Secretary of State. You will do this by leading the work of the STRB in a way that deals comprehensively with the matters that have been referred to it; where necessary challenging existing assumptions; making effective use of the skills and expertise of the other members of the STRB; and providing effective challenge to the evidence and representations that are submitted to the STRB by the wide range of consultees Time: Approx. 30 days per annum. Remuneration: 350 per diem. Closes: 01 March Childrens Commissioners Office Advisory Board Member The Office of the Childrens Commissioner is a dynamic and creative place to work. It is a small organisation, but it has a loud voice and is highly respected. The Childrens Commissioners Advisory Board exists to provide advice and challenge to the Childrens Commissioner in the exercise of her statutory functions. The Commissioner is now inviting applications from exceptional individuals, with a wide breadth of experience, to join this Board, which meets quarterly in London. Candidates need not have previous experience of working with children but should demonstrate an interest in policy issues affecting children, particularly the most vulnerable, and be interested in the role of the Commissioner and able to offer a different perspective on her work. Time: 3-4 meetings per year. Remuneration: Reasonable expenses. Closes: 03 March The meal is always free, but the donation jar on the table next to the napkins and rows of cups filled with lemonade, water and white and chocolate milk was stuffed with green bills on Wednesday night. Scouts BSA Troop 70 & 7070 from Portage United Methodist Church volunteered as servers. The meal was prepared by B&B Hitching Post Restaurant & Catering in Portage and transported the nine miles up Highway CX to Endeavor in the back of Linda Kruegers Jeep Grand Cherokee. By the time she arrived at the school, shortly before 4:30 p.m., some people had already began to filter into the gymnasium. By 5 p.m., the tables, lined with place mats, were about three-quarters full. They want the parking spaces. They come early and then they sit and they talk, said Kathy Thiemke, who helped fetch the Styrofoam cups, napkins, paper plates and plastic utensils from storage at Moundville United Methodist Church, a few miles to the southeast on Highway O. They dont have to sign up. They dont have to pay anything, Thiemke said. Its just a community thing. Sometimes we have less people. Sometimes we have more. It just varies with weather and what people are doing. House impeachment managers and President Trumps defense team delivered their closing arguments on Monday with an eye toward history, but with little hope of changing any senators mind. The arguments came on the same day that caucusgoers in Iowa will gather to narrow the Democratic field, and lawyers on both sides tried to appeal to 2020 voters in their arguments. The formal vote on whether to acquit Mr. Trump will take place on Wednesday. Here are the key takeaways from the closing arguments. With a focus on history, House managers make their final arguments. Invoking former President Abraham Lincoln, and the founding fathers Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, House impeachment managers delivered closing arguments written for the history books, and in some cases attempted to shame senators for not removing Mr. Trump from office. But all is not lost, even at this late hour. The Senate can still do the right thing, one of the House impeachment managers, Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York, said on Monday. America is watching. The world is watching. The eyes of history are watching. The Senate can still do the right thing. While the debate continues about the actual age of the Jamia shooter, the truth is that he could be 10 years older and will still be treated with greater kindness than young Kashmiri boys who shouted slogans and were charged illegally under the Public Safety Act and shipped off to Uttar Pradesh to be imprisoned alongside adults after the abrogation of Article 370, or a little girl with a Muslim name in that Bidar school which is being investigated right now. On 3 February, police turned up at Shaheen Primary and High School in Bidar for the fourth time to question students about a school play that criticised the Citizenship Amendment Act. According to The News Minute, of the seven children questioned today only one had even taken part in the play. Last week the headmistress of the primary section (a Muslim woman) and the mother of a child who participated in the play (also a Muslim woman) were charged with sedition. As the police are trying to break down primary school children through interrogation for evidence of their seditious nature, the mother is in jail based on a complaint by an ABVP member. Roughly at the same time, BJP MP Arjun Singh defended the gunmen who opened fire on students in Jamia and protestors in Shaheen Bagh. In the first of these incidents, an armed man succeeded in shooting a student while the police were witnesses. Singh said, Our young children, who have been misguided, are resorting to firing in confusion. Singhs moral callipers reminded me of an incident where an acquaintance of mine was found in bed with her boyfriend by her boyfriends mother. The mother reportedly ranted to her, Why is a 26-year-old woman like you sleeping with my young son? The son was 24, in case you were wondering. Similarly, a blinded-by-love Mr Singh said [of the shooters], Humare kam umar ke bachche bharamit ho karke goli chalaye hain. The key phrase here is humare bachche our children. Those we love are forever young and in need of protection. It is not accidental that terms of endearment are often infantilising, baby. One might have philosophical debates about what responsibility a child has when violating the law or whether young children should participate in political activism. The law as it exists usually has some rough guidelines about how a juvenile may be treated by the police and the media. Which is why the speed with which the news agency ANI produced a marksheet for the Jamia shooter has led to much bitter mockery and suspicion. Writer Krish Ashok even shared his forensic analysis of what The Telegraph called the purported marksheet that took the youth from the somewhat unforgiving glare of the public when he was assumed to be 20 to the relative chatrachaya of his being 17. So much so that when the second shooting took place, the black comedy online involved asking where the shooters marksheet was to prove he was a foetus. But as Arjun Singh demonstrates, if you bear the markers of some kinds of privilege you will always be a child ready to be forgiven. The markers could be of fame and wealth as in the case of Salman Khan, that of caste and religion as in the case of the Jamia shooter and his fellow armed defenders of the status quo and the oldest one, of gender (boys will be boys). You are forever a fluffy bunny who knows not what he does. Our playgrounds have a tradition of kachcha nimbu (green lemon) or the equivalent local phrase. Older children gesture over the heads of young players and say kachcha nimbu so that everyone understands the rules dont apply to the littler ones. Its the social compact that smoothly ensures feelings arent hurt and so there is less crying. If you are an upper-caste Hindu man, the country has entered into a social compact for you. You are a kachcha nimbu forever protected by secret head-nods of understanding. And as in the case of my acquaintance surprised during sex, the perception of age usually works unfavourably if you are not an upper-caste Hindu man. The two year advantage had turned her into a cougar/vampire/Mrs Robinson in the eyes of her boyfriends mother. Writer and activist Monique Morris has written about the age compression that black girls face in America. Black girls are treated as adults, as hypersexual and predatory, Morris wrote in her 2016 book, Pushout: The Criminalisation of Black Girls. As Slate reported in corroborating research, Black girls are seen as older and less innocent than their white peers starting as young as age five. The phenomenon of viewing black students as miniature adults means they are likely to be punished harshly within the school system, and their cases are likelier to be passed along to the juvenile justice system rather than to be handled within the school. The result of adultification is that black minors who may make a tiny mistake are likely to be handled by the law like a dangerous criminal. While the debate continues about the actual age of the Jamia shooter, the truth is that he could be 10 years older and will still be treated with greater kindness than young Kashmiri boys who shouted slogans and were charged illegally under the Public Safety Act and shipped off to Uttar Pradesh to be imprisoned alongside adults after the abrogation of Article 370, or a little girl with a Muslim name in that Bidar school which is being investigated right now. Margaret Atwood once wrote, Little girls are cute and small only to adults. To one another, they are not cute. They are life-sized. I would add that they are cute and small to adults only if they are hamare bachche, not tumhare bachche. The visionary leadership of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been hailed by Kenya. In a letter to Ghana, Kenya recounts the important milestones achieved by the country in the area of education. The Double Track as introduced by the Education Ministry to take care of the increased numbers of students enjoying the flagship Free SHS policy, is not only being praised but being copied as well by Kenya. In a letter written to Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh and signed by Prof. George A. O. Magoha, CBS, the Kenyan Education Ministry is applauding the robust reforms Ghana under President Akufo-Addo has embarked upon which are responsible for the successes being chalked in the sector. Kenya is requesting the Education Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh to send officers from his ministry to spend some ten days in Kenya with the view to conceptualizing and designing the Double Track system for Kenya. "I applaud you for the robust reforms that your country has embarked on and the success stories that are emerging. It is in this regard that I am writing to you to request for government to government technical support in conceptualising and designing a Double Track System that will enable Kenya achieve 100% transition for two cohorts of learners who will transition to secondary school in 2023" part of the letter reads. This development gives credence to the fact that the Double Track system is a good interventional product that sought to solve an interim challenge. Some political party leaders have sought to run down Double Track for obvious reasons. Once again, when a country has a visionary leader, the introduction of a policy or system that is seen to be a masterclass leads to his peers in other jurisdictions copying same. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/03/2020 -- This intelligence report provides a comprehensive analysis of the "Global AI in Banking Market. This includes Investigation of past progress, ongoing market scenarios, and future prospects. Data True to market on the products, strategies and market share of leading companies of this particular market are mentioned. It's a 360-degree overview of the global market's competitive landscape. The report further predicts the size and valuation of the global market during the forecast period.Some of the key players profiled in the study are Google Inc. (United States), Microsoft Corporation (United States), Intel (United States), NVidia Corporation (United States), AWS (United States), IBM (United States), SAP (Germany), Cognizant (United States), Oracle (United States), Salesforce (United States), Accenture (Ireland), IPsoft Inc. (United States) and Micro Strategy Incorporated (United States). AI in banking refers to the process of operating banking operations by highly automatic techniques. Banking industries especially implementing artificial intelligence to offer personalized banking, customer support services, enhance security and back-end process and others. According to a study conducted by CMR and NASSCOM, 74% top Indian IT decision makers support the need for artificial intelligence in the BFSI sector. Further, emphasizing on technological advancement such as Chatbot enables banking solutions and process automation expected to drive the AI in the banking market. Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @ : https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/72720-global-ai-in-banking-market Market Drivers - Rising Demand of Customized IT Solutions in Banking Sector - Integration of AI and Autonomous Operational Processes Market Trend - Increasing Adoption of Chatbot Enabled Banking Applications Restraints - High Initial Capital Investment Opportunities - Emphasizing on Intelligent Applications for Banking Operations - Growing Demand of Process Automation Challenges - Continuously Changing Technical Landscape - Maintaining Authenticity and Privacy of the Data Each segment and sub-segment is analyzed in the research report. The competitive landscape of the market has been elaborated by studying a number of factors such as the best manufacturers, prices and revenues. Global AI in Banking Market is accessible to readers in a logical, wise format. Driving and restraining factors are listed in this study report to help you understand the positive and negative aspects in front of your business. This study mainly helps understand which market segments or Region or Country they should focus in coming years to channelize their efforts and investments to maximize growth and profitability. The report presents the market competitive landscape and a consistent in depth analysis of the major vendor/key players in the market. Furthermore, the years considered for the study are as follows: Historical year 2013-2017 Base year 2018 Forecast period** 2019 to 2025 [** unless otherwise stated] **Moreover, it will also include the opportunities available in micro markets for stakeholders to invest, detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product services of key players. Enquire for customization in Report @: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/72720-global-ai-in-banking-market The titled segments and Market Data Break Down are illuminated below: Application (Back Office/Operation, Customer Service, Compliance & Security, Others), Service (Professional Service, Managed Service), Technology (Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Computer Vision), Solution (Chatbot Customer Behavior Analytics, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Data Analytics & Visualization, Fraud Detection, Others), End User (Public Sector Bank, Government Bank, Others) Top Players in the Market are: Google Inc. (United States), Microsoft Corporation (United States), Intel (United States), NVidia Corporation (United States), AWS (United States), IBM (United States), SAP (Germany), Cognizant (United States), Oracle (United States), Salesforce (United States), Accenture (Ireland), IPsoft Inc. (United States) and Micro Strategy Incorporated (United States). Region Included are: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Oceania, South America, Middle East & Africa Country Level Break-Up: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Russia, France, Poland, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia and New Zealand etc. Objectives of the Study - To Define, Describe, and Segment The Global AI in Banking Market On The Basis Of Type, Function, Application, And Region. - To provide detailed information regarding the major factors influencing the market growth (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and industry-specific challenges) - To estimate the size of the Global AI in Banking Market in terms of value. - To study the individual growth trends of the providers of Global AI in Banking Market, their future expansions, and analyze their contributions to the market - To strategically analyze micro-markets with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and contribution to the total market, covered by Global AI in Banking Market and various regions. - To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, mergers & acquisitions, and new product launches, in Global AI in Banking Market. - To strategically profile key market players and comprehensively analyze their market position and core competencies Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/72720-global-ai-in-banking-market Strategic Points Covered in Table of Content of Global AI in Banking Market: Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Global AI in Banking market Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary the basic information of the Global AI in Banking Market. Chapter 3: Displaying the Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges of the Global AI in Banking Chapter 4: Presenting the Global AI in Banking Market Factor Analysis Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis. Chapter 5: Displaying the by Type, End User and Region 2013-2018 Chapter 6: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Global AI in Banking market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile Chapter 7: To evaluate the market by segments, by countries and by manufacturers with revenue share and sales by key countries in these various regions. Chapter 8& 9: Displaying the Appendix, Methodology and Data Source Buy the Latest Detailed Report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/buy-now?format=1&report=72720 Key questions answered - Who are the Leading key players and what are their Key Business plans in the Global AI in Banking market? - What are the key concerns of the five forces analysis of the Global AI in Banking market? - What are different prospects and threats faced by the dealers in the Global AI in Banking market? - What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors? Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia. Senator Amy Klobuchar is the first woman elected to represent the State of Minnesota in the United States Senate. Amy is married to John Bessler, a native of Mankato, who attended Loyola High School and the University of Minnesota. Amy and John have a daughter, Abigail, who is currently in college. Authorities are looking for a St. Charles Parish Sheriff's patrol unit they say was stolen Monday morning. The stolen vehicle is believed to have caused a crash in Metairie involving another police cruiser before heading to New Orleans. UPDATE: Stolen police cruiser found in New Orleans; accused thief still on the loose The stolen police vehicle is a 2015 Ford Explorer, unit 298, according to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office. It is white with St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office decals and the number "298" on the sides. The license plate number is Louisiana public plate 240872. The police cruiser was last seen in New Orleans. If you see the stolen vehicle, authorities said you should call 911. +4 Police looking for man who led 3-parish chase in stolen St. Charles patrol car Authorities have recovered a stolen St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office patrol vehicle that led law enforcement officers on a three-parish cha Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The vehicle was stolen around 5 a.m. Monday on Airline Highway in St. Rose, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Deputies were investigating a suspicious person at a business, when they say someone stole their patrol vehicle. St. Charles Parish did not release any details about the person believed to have stolen the vehicle. Authorities then pursued the stolen vehicle from St. Charles Parish into Jefferson Parish and then Orleans Parish. During the pursuit, a St. Charles police cruiser was involved in a 2-vehicle crash around 6:20 a.m. on Airline Highway near David Drive in Metairie. One person was injured in the crash, according to Louisiana State Police. The injuries are not believed to be serious. The US Department of Justice is digging into how hedge funds tap into research and set up their bets. Burma Myanmar Suspends Visas-on-Arrival for Chinese Travelers Over Coronavirus Yangon International Airport on Jan. 31. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy YANGONMyanmars Ministry of Foreign Affairs has suspended visas-on-arrival for Chinese travelers to Myanmar as of Saturday, following the World Health Organization (WHO)s declaration on Thursday that the outbreak of a novel coronavirus has become a global health emergency. Citing the alarming rate of virus transmission and public health concerns, the ministry said it has decided to temporarily stop issuing visas-on-arrival for Chinese travelers. For the time being, it is difficult to set a timeframe [for the suspension]. Well take action based on the magnitude of the virus transmission, WHO statements and responses from other countries, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs U Aung Kyaw Zan told The Irrawaddy. On Oct. 1, 2018, the Myanmar government launched a one-year pilot project granting visa exemptions to travelers from Japan, South Korea, Macau and Hong Kong and granting visas-on-arrival for Chinese travelers in order to promote tourism. Since then, Chinese arrivals to Myanmar have increased significantly, topping the list of foreign travelers to Myanmar. In October 2019, the Myanmar government extended the visa-on-arrival program for Chinese travelers for one more year. According to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, Myanmar received nearly 750,000 Chinese travelers in 2019, an increase of more than 400,000 from 2018. On Friday, a Chinese man who was suspected of being infected with coronavirus arrived in Yangon on a China Southern Airlines flight from Guangzhou. He was then taken to the Wabagi Infectious Disease Hospital in northern Yangon for further observation. A culture sample from his nasopharyngeal swab was sent to Thailand for a lab test but no infection was found and he was discharged from the hospital on Monday. Two Myanmar citizens, who arrived on the same flight as the Chinese man and were sent to the same hospital, were also discharged. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko You may also like these stories: Wuhan Flights to Myanmar Stopped Amid Coronavirus Outbreak Suspected Chinese Coronavirus Patient in Stable Condition: Myanmar Hospital The job of any leader is to get to know people and thats how Im going to start, Goldberg said. Thats the way to accomplish the greatest success for everyone and assure the success of as many kids as possible. BEIJING - The Latest on the outbreak of a new virus from China (all times local): 10:15 p.m. The United Arab Emirates, home to long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad Airways, is suspending flights to mainland China outside of Beijing. The countrys state-run WAM news agency made the announcement Monday. It said the flight suspension would begin Wednesday. Those flying from Beijing will be subject to a six-to-eight hour comprehensive medical screening at the airport to ensure the safety of passengers before boarding. The UAE has five confirmed cases of the new virus, all from Chinese tourists to the Arabian Peninsula nation. The UAE has held off on the flight ban as it hopes Chinese tourism and investment will boost its sagging economy. ___ 10 p.m. A person who was a passenger on a Japanese-operated cruise ship has tested positive for a new virus after leaving the ship in Hong Kong on Jan. 25. The ship returned to Yokohama carrying 3,000 passengers and crew members after making port calls in Vietnam, Taiwan and Okinawa. A team of quarantine officials and medical staff boarded the ship on Monday night and began medical checks of everyone on board, a health ministry official said on condition of anonymity, citing department rules. He said some people on the ship have developed coughs, fevers and other symptoms, though they were not yet linked to the virus. The passengers and crew members may be quarantined on the ship if the captain agrees to do so, the official said. ___ 7 p.m. Chinese scientists say they have more evidence that the new virus that recently emerged in China likely originated in bats. In two papers published Monday in the journal Nature, scientists report that genome sequences from several patients in Wuhan show the virus is closely related to the viruses that cause Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. In one study, Shi Zhen-Li and colleagues at the Wuhan Institute of Virology reported that genome sequences from seven patients were 96% identical to a bat coronavirus. SARS is also believed to originate in bats, although it jumped to civet cats before infecting people in the 2002-2003 international outbreak. Although scientists suspect the latest virus outbreak in China began at a seafood market in Wuhan where wild animals were on sale and in contact with people, the animal source has not yet been pinpointed. In essence, its a version of SARS that spreads more easily but causes less damage, said Ian Jones, a professor of virology at the University of Reading who was not connected to the two studies. The virus also uses the same receptor, the door used to get into human cells, which explains transmission and why it causes pneumonia, he said in a statement. ___ 6:45 p.m. A cruise ship industry group says its members will ban anyone, including guests or crew, who has travelled from or through mainland China in the previous 14 days, the maximum incubation period for a new virus that originated in China. The Cruise Lines International Association, which says it represents more than 50 cruise lines and is the worlds largest cruise industry trade association, said its members have suspended all crew movements from mainland China. Last week, a scare over a woman with flu-like symptoms led Italian authorities to keep 6,000 passengers and 1,000 crew members on a cruise ship docked north of Rome. The Costa Crociere cruise line said the woman and her partner, who had no symptoms, were put into isolation Wednesday. The passengers were allowed to disembark on Thursday after tests for the new virus came back negative. The number of people infected by the virus globally has topped 17,000. It has killed more than 360 people, all but one in China. ___ 6:15 p.m. The head of the World Health Organization says its working with Google to ensure that searches about the new virus from China turn up information from the United Nations health agency first, part of efforts to fight rumours and misinformation about the outbreak. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the opening of WHOs executive board meeting on Monday that social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Tencent and TikTok have also taken steps to limit the spread of misinformation about the virus and outbreak that first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late December and has now spread to 23 other countries. The number of people infected by the virus globally has topped 17,000. It has killed more than 360 people, all but one in China. ___ 5:55 p.m. Russias Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin says the country may start deporting foreigners infected with the new coronavirus. Mishustin said at a Cabinet meeting Monday that it is one of the measures outlined in a government-approved plan of action for preventing the virus from spreading in Russia. On Friday, Russia reported its first two confirmed cases of coronavirus two Chinese nationals were hospitalized in two different regions of Siberia. It wasnt immediately clear from Mishustins statement whether they would be deported. Like other countries, Russia has halted most of its air and train traffic with China, shut down its land border with China and Mongolia and temporarily stopped issuing work visas to Chinese citizens. On Monday, authorities announced Russia was suspending the last operating train that connects Moscow and Beijing and all trains between Russia and North Korea. Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova also said that several Russian planes would fly to China on Monday to evacuate Russian citizens. Golikova said there are currently around 130 Russian nationals in Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak. ___ 5:35 p.m. Hong Kongs leader Carrie Lam announced the city will shut almost all land and sea border control points to the mainland from midnight to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus from China. Lam said in a briefing Monday that only two border checkpoints at Shenzhen Bay and the bridge to Macau and Zhuhai will remain open. Lam denied that the move was due to pressure from medical workers who threatened a five-day strike to demand the government shut all borders to the mainland. Public broadcaster RTHK reports that some went on strike Monday and more threatened to walk out on Tuesday if their demands were not met. Lam said the border closures had absolutely nothing to do with the strike and was instead simply a measure to stem the spread of the virus which has infected 15 people in Hong Kong. Lam urged Hong Kong residents to stand united in combating the outbreak. ___ 5:30 p.m. The Czech Republic has plans to suspend all flights to and from China in an effort to prevent the new coronavirus from spreading. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis says the ban will take effect on Sunday. The lag gives 100 Czechs in China a chance to return home. About 620,000 Chinese tourists visited the Czech Republic last year. The first direct flight connection between Prague and China was established in 2015. Three Chinese airlines operate flights to Prague from Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu and Sian (Xian). ___ 5:15 p.m. Dubais long-haul carrier Emirates says it will continue flying to mainland China amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, but will fly smaller aircraft on many routes. The airline said Monday it would swap out its double-decker Airbus A380 for a Boeing 777 on several routes to Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. The decision comes after Western and Arab airlines stopped flying to China over the outbreak. The UAE has pushed for more Chinese tourists and investment amid an economic slowdown. The United Arab Emirates also instituted a new rule Monday that any school staff or student returning to the country from China needed to spend 14 days at home before returning to class. ___ 4:45 p.m. The Shanghai Composite index has lost nearly 8% as Chinese regulators moved to stabilize markets jolted by a virus that has spread to more than 20 countries, slamming regional tourism and threatening global growth. The outbreak of the virus in China has prompted governments around the world to step up surveillance and quarantine requirements as airlines cancel hundreds of flights. Millions of Chinese remained in lock-down as the number of people infected by the virus topped 17,000 as of Sunday night. It has killed more than 360 people, all but one in China. The Shanghai benchmark dropped almost 9% after markets opened on Monday after a week-long Lunar New Year holiday that was extended by three days. It was its worst day since August 2015, despite the central banks effort to put billions of dollars of extra cash into the markets through short-term securities purchases. Many analysts have dropped their forecasts for China, the worlds second-largest economy, to near 5% from earlier forecasts of 6% economic growth for the year. ___ 2:15 p.m. Aviation authorities say that two flights carrying dozens of Pakistani students, Chinese and other passengers landed in Pakistan days after Islamabad suspended all flights with Beijing amid the outbreak of a new virus there. The passengers on Monday were permitted to leave the airport after their medical examinations. Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Abdul Sattar Khokhar says the ban on flights to and from China ended Sunday night and that the government health department had made special arrangements for screening incoming passengers. Last weeks ban on flights with China affected 22 weekly flights. So far, Pakistan has no plans to evacuate some 30,000 nationals, including students, living in China. Authorities say that so far four Pakistani students in China have been diagnosed with the new virus and their conditions are listed as stable. About 500 Pakistani students were in Wuhan the site of the outbreak at the time it surfaced. ___ 10:40 a.m. South Koreas defence ministry says about 800 South Korean soldiers have been placed under quarantine as a precaution against a new coronavirus from China. Ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyunsoo told reporters Monday that the soldiers either recently visited China, Hong Kong or Macau, or contacted people who visited those countries. She says 450 of them are quarantined at their military bases and the remaining 350 at their homes. South Korea has so far reported 15 cases of the new coronavirus, but none of them is affiliated with the countrys 600,000-strong military. Retirement requirements get the Trump treatment By Dr. Robert Owens After they stop working people soon learn they must pay taxes: Social Security and Medicare they thought they were paying for with every paycheck all their working life. Along with these revelations comes the realization that Social Security isnt enough to live on. Thats were 401Ks and IRAs come in handy. But not everyone was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to participate in such plans. Most people work for small businesses and until lately small businesses were prohibited from offering their employees such opportunities to save for the future. Then came Trump. While President Donald Trump leads the way in trying to make life better for American workers CNBCs Jim Cramer noted, Trillions of dollars in wealth has been created through retirement accounts and Democratic presidential candidates do not seem particularly concerned about Americans retirement savings accounts. Clara Del Villar of Newsmax puts it this way, The Democratic debates have failed to raise senior issues to any prominence. The Corporations Once Known as the Mainstream Media consistently portray seniors as self-serving grifters who are not concerned about much more than their Social Security checks. That same media presents those checks as some sort of welfare payment. Seniors have paid through forced investment their entire working life for those social security checks. It is in no way their fault that the black hole of federal spending turned social security into a Ponzi scheme. With little fanfare in January 2020 President Trump signed into law the new SECURE ACT (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement). This new law offers some of the most important and useful tools for retirement in years. For one thing small business employers who were not allowed to provide 401Ks to their employees can now offer them participation through multiple employer plans. This is an example of how a slight change in regulations in one place can have a massive impact on the whole economy as this one change has the potential to add as much as one trillion dollars to the market over the next five years. Here are some of the main provisions in the SECURE act that have the ability to impact your future. 1. The Minimum Distribution age for IRAs and 401Ks has been increased. You no longer must face mandatory withdrawal of your funds at age 70 1/2. You can wait until 72. Thats more time to grow your savings by staying invested in tax advantaged vehicles. 2. Retirees or those who continue work into their 60s and early 70s can now contribute into their IRA until age 72. People who are lacking in retirement savings have additional funding flexibility for a few more years. 3. You now have an additional opportunity to execute a Roth IRA conversion. Unlike traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs are tax-free at withdrawal, which is a sensible plan if one expects higher tax rates in the future. 4. Employees will soon have the option to select guaranteed lifetime income products or annuities in their retirement plans. Employers will be exempt from lawsuits (called safe harbor) if the insurer does not pay future claims. 5. The SECURE Act eliminated the stretch provision for IRA or 401K beneficiaries. Previously, a traditional IRA beneficiary had a lifetime to stretch the tax advantaged benefits of a bequeathed fund. Now that time frame to distribute the entire inherited retirement account has been reduced to 10 years after the death of the owner. Special exemptions still exist for the surviving spouse and minor children. Other provisions include: 1. Provide a maximum tax credit of $500 per year to employers who create a 401(k) or SIMPLE IRA plan with automatic enrollment. 2. Enable businesses to sign up part-time employees who work either 1,000 hours throughout the year or have three consecutive years with 500 hours of service. 3. Encourage plan sponsors to include annuities as an option in workplace plans by reducing their liability if the insurer cannot meet its financial obligations. 4. Permit penalty-free withdrawals of $5,000 from 401(k) accounts to defray the costs of having or adopting a child. In America today people age 65 and older are twice as likely to be working compared with 1985. According to recently released data from the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the percentage of retirement-age Americans in the labor force has doubled since 1985, from its all-time low of 10 percent in January of that year to 20 percent in February 2019. Americans continue to work longer and harder than ever before. And President Trump continues to work to help them provide for their own future. Not just with Social Security, which is meant to be supplemental at best, but with expanded individualized and privatized investment opportunities. Dr. Robert Owens teaches History, Political Science, Global Studies, and Religion. He is the Historian of the Future @ http://drrobertowens.com 2020 Contact Dr. Owens drrobertowens@hotmail.com Follow Dr. Robert Owens on Facebook or Twitter @ Drrobertowens or visit Dr. Owens Amazon Page / Edited by Dr. Rosalie Owens Home By PTI NEW DELHI: The Centre will release all due GST compensation to states in two instalments, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said in Lok Sabha on Monday. The reply came after MPs from Telangana and Odisha complained during Question Hour that their states were not getting the share of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST). "All due GST compensation will be given to states in two instalments," Thakur, union minister of state for finance, said. The minister said GST (Compensation to States) Act, 2017 provides for compensation to States/UTs (UT with legislature only) on account of revenue loss due to implementation of GST on a bi-monthly basis. Accordingly, he said, the states have been paid GST compensation on a bi-monthly basis with effect from July, 2017. Thakur said the GST Compensation has been released till September 2019 and the next bi-monthly GST Compensation is due for October-November, 2019. The minister said a total of Rs 2,10,969.49 crore has been released as GST compensation to states so far including UTs of Delhi and Puducherry after implementation of GST with effect from July 1, 2017. Period for which compensation has been released: July, 2017March 2018 - Rs 48,785.35 crore; April 2018March 2019 - Rs 81,141.14 crore; AprilMay 2019 - Rs 17,789 crore; June July 2019 - Rs 27,956 crore; AugSept 2019 - Rs 35,298 crore. A woman who was injured during the Streatham terror attack was a teacher at a south London primary school, it is understood. The Archdiocese of Southwark has confirmed one of its female employees was among the injured during the knife rampage on Sunday afternoon. The woman, one of three people injured during Sudesh Amman's attack, is understood to work at St Bede's Catholic Infant and Nursery school. A source at Archdiocese said to the Guardian: "We can confirm that an employee was injured, but we are not going to say anymore. "We are looking to protect her. She is recovering and is doing OK but it is very early days." Forensic officers examine the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police / Getty Images John Wilson, the Archbishop of Southwark, added: "We will continue to stand together as a community. We will not allow this event, terrible though it is, to divide us. "We are from different countries and religious beliefs but we are united in our common humanity and our shared desire for a peaceful coexistence where every person is respected and can live in safety." It comes as the Government is set to introduce emergency legislation to prevent the automatic release of terrorist offenders from prison. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland told MPs in the Commons: Yesterdays appalling incident makes the case plainly for immediate action. We cannot have the situation, as we saw tragically in yesterdays case, where an offender a known risk to innocent members of the public is released early by automatic process of law without any oversight by the Parole Board. We will be doing everything we can to protect the public, that is our primary duty. We will, therefore, introduce emergency legislation to ensure an end to terrorist offenders getting released automatically having served half of their sentence with no check or review. Amman, a convicted terrorist, knifed a female cyclist in the back before slashing a man in the stomach outside the White Lion pub in front of horrified families and shoppers at around 2pm on Sunday. Amman was shot and killed by police () / Met Police The cyclist, a woman in her 50s, suffered non-life threatening injuries and was discharged from hospital. The man, in his 30s, is no longer considered to be in a life-threatening condition after treatment, police said. A second woman, in her 20s, who suffered minor injuries believed to have been caused by glass following the discharge of a police firearm, continues to receive treatment. Two homes have been raided by anti-terror police after Streatham attack Amman, 20, was quickly shot by armed police who were monitoring him because he was still feared to be dangerous after recently being released from Belmarsh prison halfway through a sentence for terror offences. He was jailed in 2018 for 40 months for 13 offences involving the possession and distribution of terrorist material after an Old Bailey hearing which heard evidence about his fascination with knives and desire to carry out an attack. On Monday, Amman's mother described him as a "nice, polite boy" who was radicalised while in a high-security jail and by viewing extremist material online. Haleema Faraz Khan told Sky News that her son, who had wanted to study biomedical science, had seemed normal when she visited him on Thursday. She also spoke to him hours before he staged the attack, when he called to ask her to make some mutton biryani. His mother told the broadcaster: He became more religious inside prison, thats where I think he became radicalised. He was watching and listening to things online which brainwashed him. Emergency services at the scene of the terror attack / PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the Government will crack down on the early release of terrorist prisoners. We are bringing forward legislation to stop the system of automatic early release. The difficulty is how to apply retrospectively to the cohort of people who currently qualify, he said. It is time to take action to ensure, irrespective of the law we are bringing in, people in the current stream dont qualify automatically for early release. Police in Streatham / AP The atrocity follows the attack at Fishmongers Hall in the City of London in November, when another convicted terrorist, Usman Khan, murdered two people despite being on probation. Seven Stills Brewery & Distillery has been on a rapid growth spurt since its 2016 founding. The San Francisco company, which brews craft beer and also distills that beer into whiskey, has already opened four different taprooms in the city two of which are large production facilities and a Nob Hill hotel bar. But now the brewery-distillery is downsizing. After being accused of violating state liquor laws by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the company will see some of its licenses temporarily suspended. As a result, it is temporarily closing one of its taprooms while permanently closing another taproom and its original brew house. (Seven Stills partnership with the Stanford Court Hotel ended quietly in mid-2019.) Why? The alleged violations mostly have to do with an obscure set of rules known as tied-house laws, some as seemingly harmless as sending a tweet about where Seven Stills beer is sold. The situation magnifies a collision between early-20th century law and 21st century brewery culture. Tied-house laws were created in the aftermath of Prohibitions 1933 repeal. They are meant to prevent any alcoholic beverage producer from exerting too much influence over a retailer, restaurant or bar customer. The name has even more historic roots: In England, a tied house refers to a pub that is obligated to buy at least some of its beer from a particular brewery. These laws prevent monopolistic and anti-competitive behavior, whereby manufacturers could promote one or multiple retailers over others, thus creating an atmosphere of unfair competition in the marketplace, explained John Carr, public information officer of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). In an extreme case, a tied-house violation could be a brewery paying a bar to keep its beer on tap. But tied-house laws also apply to actions that might look benign to an outsider. For example, producers are forbidden from providing advertising or promotion to a retailer, since that is considered to have value. In a scenario that 1933 lawmakers might not have been able to imagine, its illegal for breweries to post anything about bars, restaurants or liquor stores on social media. Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle If a brewery were to post on Instagram, Come taste our beer at Whole Foods tonight! it would be breaking the law. (A notable exception to tied-house laws is the allowance for breweries to provide coasters emblazoned with their logo to bars.) ABC field agents enforce these laws. In 2014, Revolution Wines in Sacramento was put on a one-year probation, and its license threatened, after it re-tweeted a tweet about a wine tasting at a local grocery store. It had violated tied-house laws, the ABC said, by giving free advertising to the store. Now, the ABC has filed a 68-count accusation against Seven Stills, including for many violations of tied-house laws. The alleged violations vary. In one case, Seven Stills CEO Tim Obert posted on social media about a beer that would be available at a specific store. The ABC also cited Seven Stills for non-tied-house violations, including the free goods law, which prohibits licensees from giving away alcohol for free. According to the ABC, Seven Stills offered a free beer to anyone who signed up for an email list, among other examples. We didnt know that a lot of the stuff we were doing was against the law, said Obert, who co-founded the company with Clint Potter. Each violation could carry a $10,000 fine, but Seven Stills instead agreed to accept a penalty the ABCs version of a plea bargain. The agreement calls for a 90-day suspension of Seven Stills LLCs license, which covers the Bayview brewery and its taprooms on 24th Street in the Mission and in the Outer Sunset. Given the expense of operating the 24th Street spot which opened last summer, taking over the space formerly occupied by Almanac Beer Co. Obert and Potter decided to close it permanently. It has been closed already for a few weeks. They will keep producing beer and spirits at the Bayview brew house until the suspension begins, after which theyll shut it down permanently too. The Mission Bay facility is under a different license; it will remain open and become the companys main production facility. The 90-day suspension will likely begin in the first week of March, though the exact date is still undetermined. Until then Obert said theyre trying to produce as much beer and whiskey as possible, to keep the Mission Bay taproom stocked during the license suspension. No employees have been fired, said Obert, though a few have quit. He and Potter have found other roles in the company for those who worked at the shuttered locations. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle It might sound absurd to cite a brewery for a social media post, but Tom McCormick, executive director of the California Craft Brewers Association, said that tied-house laws are an important protection for small breweries. They are kind of like a mini anti-trust umbrella that really creates by their very nature an equal playing field for large breweries and small breweries and everyone in between, McCormick said. Obviously, if retailers required breweries to provide financial kickbacks to carry their beers, the little guys like Seven Stills could never compete with the Budweisers of the world. But that logic can be extended to social media promotions. What if a retailer said, OK, if you want a tap handle I want you to sit at our bar every Friday night posting about our establishment? McCormick posed. AB InBev would say, Sure, well send someone down. But can a tiny brewery afford to do that? McCormicks organization has vigorously defended tied-house laws in the state. I would venture to say that the craft brewing industry would not exist if we did not have tied-house laws, he said. Theres no way that these little tiny breweries back in the 80s would have been able to gain traction against the dominant breweries. As for Obert, he hoped that his example would help spread awareness of tied-house laws among other alcohol producers. He suspected that many of his peers did not understand how perilous an innocent-seeming social media post could be. Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob What attracted me to this brand was having the opportunity to work outside, instead of sitting behind a desk every day," said Barnes. Monster Tree Service, the nations first and fastest-growing tree service franchise, is expanding into Colorado. Recently featured by SUCCESS magazine, Thrive Global, and Franchise Times, the Monster Tree Service franchise continues to build on its rapid three-year franchise system growth. Business entrepreneur Mike Barnes has purchased the rights to a Monster Tree Service Territory in Southwest Denver, covering Denver, Littleton, Lakewood and surrounding areas. Barnes is pursuing his dream of owning and running his own business after a successful 26-year career in the financial industry. Barnes has a well-rounded business background with experience in operations, finance and project management. Im thrilled to be starting this new chapter in my career with Monster Tree Service, said Barnes. What attracted me to this brand was having the opportunity to work outside, instead of sitting behind a desk every day. All the skills Ive developed over my career translates well to this business model, and the corporate team provided excellent training so I could hit the ground running. Josh Skolnick, CEO and Founder of Monster Tree Service, is confident that Barnes will be a tremendous asset to the Monster Tree Service franchise. Mike is a perfect fit for the Monster Tree Service brand, says Skolnick. He has an incredible work ethic, an unparalleled drive to succeed and a keen understanding of business. We are very glad to have him on our team. I cant wait to see his growth in the coming years. Monster Tree Service is the only franchise tree company capitalizing on the under-served $17 billion tree service industry. Monster Tree Service has achieved consistent year-over-year, 5 percent growth since 2009, resulting in a $10+ million business. Because its a high-upside opportunity, and a recession-proof business, Monster Tree Service expects to achieve $100 million in sales by 2021. I grew up in the Denver area, so Im used to the snow, but I didnt know how it would affect my business through the winter months, said Barnes. However, if its not snowing, were working. Once the snow stops falling, the crew is back at work. Were also excited to offer the community our wide array of services, including tree pruning, tree removal, emergency services, stump grinding, shrub pruning and more. For more information about Monster Tree Service, please visit http://www.whymonster.com/. For more information about Monster Tree Service franchise opportunities, please visit http://www.monsterfranchising.com/. To learn more about CEO Josh Skolnicks vision for Monster Tree Service, please visit https://www.monsterfranchising.com/vision-story. ### About Monster Tree Service Founded in 2008 in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, by Founder and CEO Josh Skolnick, Monster Tree Service is the nations first and fastest-growing franchise brand serving the $21 billion tree care industry. Over the past decade, Skolnick has aggressively built Monster Tree Service into a thriving national franchise system, working day and night to build the company into a multi-million-dollar business with more than 62 franchise partners and 166 territories sold in 28 states. With dozens of fantastic franchise partners doing great work in their respective communities, Monster Tree Service expects to exceed $35 million in systemwide revenue in 2019. Each Monster Tree Service franchised outlet offers full-scale tree pruning and removal services, including tree pruning and trimming, tree removal, stump grinding, shrub maintenance, emergency services, plant health care, and various secondary services. Monster Tree Service franchise owners possess high levels of business acumen and business-building skills that bring a rare level of professionalism to the tree care industry. Fully invested in this industry - both personally and professionally - Monster Tree Service owners provide wonderful opportunities to other professionals who have a shared vision of continuing to legitimize the tree care industry as a skilled trade. These industry professionals will have the tools, training, and respect to excel in providing unparalleled service to their clients and Make the World a More Beautiful Place, One Tree at a Time. Monster Tree Service is committed to educating all customers on the natural conditions, diseases and infestations that impact the health of their plants/trees and treating all issues with an environmentally friendly, Do Not Harm approach. Its all part of the Monster Tree Service vision to partner with homeowners across the country to make their trees healthy, strong, and vital. For more information about Monster Tree Service, please visit https://www.whymonster.com/. TUCSON, Ariz., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has reached 17,489, with 362 deaths, as of the morning of Feb 3, according to the interactive map provided by Johns Hopkins CSSE (Center for Systems Science and Engineering). But Jane Orient, M.D., executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), asks: "Would China have locked down more than 17 cities for only 362 deaths?" China is complaining that the growing U.S. travel ban is unnecessary, citing the World Health Organization. But another city, Wenzhou, which is nearly 600 miles from Wuhan, has been quarantined. Only one designated person within each family household will be allowed to go outdoors, once every two days, to shop for basic necessities. Hong Kong-based Initium Media reported on Jan 26 that all 14 cremation chambers in one large funeral home are operating 24 hours a day, seven days per week, rather than four hours per day, five days per week, as before the outbreak. News in China is heavily censored, Dr. Orient pointed out. A Jan 28 directive issued by China's Ministry of Public Security ordered all police departments throughout the country to make "wartime preparations." In addition to enforcing quarantine orders and helping to speed the distribution of medical supplies, police were charged with "maintaining social stability" by "severely" punishing any public or online reporting about the spread of the epidemic. A Twitter post read: "The [Wuhan] city government and Hubei Provincial Civil Affairs Ministry have dispatched vehicles, staff, and protective gear to each funeral house [in Wuhan]." The post went on to offer "free cremation for the corpses of coronavirus victims" who died on January 26 or later. The reason the city was deploying these new resources, it said, was "to improve the capacity of transporting and dealing with corpses." The post obviously didn't please the censors, writes Steven Mosher. An hour later the above sentences were deleted from the text. Reportedly, he stated, crematorium workers in the city of Wuhan claim that bodies are being sent from hospitals without being added to the official record. Dr. Orient asks, "Did censorship impede early response?" The first wave of cases must have occurred in December or earlier because 41 cases admitted to hospital in Wuhan had a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of 2010-nCoV by Jan 2. But Wuhan was not placed under quarantine until 5 million people had left to celebrate the New Year, carrying the virus all across China. Dr. Orient notes that before the 1918 influenza epidemic, a solo, horse-and-buggy physician in Kansas, Dr. Loring Miner, made the correct diagnosis of an unusually lethal outbreak of influenza and did all he could to sound the alarm. The U.S. Public Health Service ignored him, writes John M. Barry in his 2004 book, The Great Influenza: the Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History. Might social media have stopped that epidemic in its tracks? Although timely information is critical to allow people to protect themselves, some in the U.S. apparently favor imitating China's Great Firewall, the most sophisticated internet censorship operation in the world, suggests Dr. Orient. According to ABC News, Facebook, Twitter, and Google are taking steps to "stop the spread of coronavirus conspiracy theories." Facebook's head of health Kang-Xing Jin stated in a blogpost that it has "a third-party team of fact-checkers reviewing content related to the virus," so that Facebook can limit the spread of what it deems false information. The dominant internet service providers are also suppressing any information they deem to be "anti-vaccination," such as reports of adverse effects. AAPS has filed a lawsuit against Rep. Adam Schiff for abuse of government power to pressure these corporations to hinder dissemination of material he believes inappropriate. "For citizens to trust public health authorities, they need to have confidence that they are receiving accurate, complete, timely information," Dr. Orient stated. "Censorship destroys trust. The proper response to error is to refute it in an open discussion." The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) is a national organization representing physicians in all specialties since 1943. SOURCE Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) Related Links http://www.aapsonline.org By suspending travel on e-visas from China, India govt will now have the discretion of deciding whom to grant visas to. Paramedical staff screen Indians after they arrive at New Delhi airport from Chinas coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan on Sunday. India airlifted the second batch of 323 Indians on Sunday from Wuhan. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: With a second person having a travel history from China testing positive for the coronavirus in Kerala, India in a major step aimed at preventing the spread of the deadly virus in the country from visiting Chinese or any other foreign nationals from China on Sunday temporarily suspended travel on e-visas with immediate effect from China, making it clear that only those with a compelling reason to visit India may apply from the Indian missions in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou. In other developments, 323 Indians were evacuated by Air India in the second evacuation flight from Wuhan along with seven Maldivian nationals on Sunday. The health ministry said: The second positive case of a novel coronavirus patient has been reported in Kerala. The patient has a travel history from China. The patient has tested positive for novel coronavirus and is in isolation in the hospital. The patient is stable and is being closely monitored. It is understood that by suspending travel on e-visas from China, the Indian government will now have the discretion of deciding whom to grant visas to, as there will be a manual interface now at an Indian diplomatic mission if a foreign applicant from China wants to apply for a visa to visit India. In the case of e-visas granted online, such an exercise of discretion would not have been possible which is why the Indian government took this decision, observers point out. Due to certain current developments, travel to India on e-visas stands temporarily suspended with immediate effect. This applies to holders of Chinese passports and applicants of other nationalities residing in the Peoples Republic of China. Holders of already issued e-visas may note that these are no longer valid. All those who have a compelling reason to visit India may contact the Indian embassy in Beijing or Indian consulates in Shanghai or Guangzhou, and the Indian Visa Application Centres in these cities, the Indian embassy in Beijing tweeted. External affairs minister S. Jaishankar tweeted: Seven Maldivians brought back with 323 Indians from Wuhan on the second Air India flight today. #NeighbourhoodFirst at work again. India now has very close ties with the Maldives, which is now led by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. By Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China has been more transparent about the coronavirus than it has been in previous crises but Beijing has not yet accepted a U.S. By Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China has been more transparent about the coronavirus than it has been in previous crises but Beijing has not yet accepted a U.S. offer of help to contain the epidemic, White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien said on Sunday. "So far the Chinese have been more transparent certainly than in past crises and we appreciate that," O'Brien said in an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation." However, Beijing has still not responded to U.S. offers of help from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health professionals to help contain the fast-moving, flu-like virus that has killed more than 300 people in China. "We have not heard back yet from the Chinese on those offers but we are prepared to continue to cooperate with them," O'Brien said. "We've got tremendous expertise. This is a worldwide concern. We want to help our Chinese colleagues if we can and we've made the offer and we'll see if they accept the offer." While they have not been invited into China, CDC officials are in neighboring Kazakhstan to help guard against spread of the virus, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday during a visit there. "Youve got a long border with China which is where this disease has emanated from," Pompeo said in an interview with a Kazakh journalist. "And weve got our people from the Center for Disease Control right here on the ground, helping Kazakhstan deal with this so that you dont have an enormous outbreak." China's National Health Commission said on Sunday the coronavirus has killed 304 people in China and infections jumped to 14,380 as of Saturday. At least 171 cases have been reported in more than two dozen other countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Britain. So far, eight cases of the fast-spreading virus have been confirmed in the United States, health officials said. The Pentagon is providing housing for people arriving from overseas who might need to be quarantined. Concerns about the virus spurred the United States to declare a public health emergency and bar entry to foreign nationals who have recently visited China. The latest U.S. patient, in Massachusetts, recently returned from Hubei province in central China, the CDC said. The coronavirus is believed to have originated in a market that traded illegally in wildlife in Hubei's provincial capital, Wuhan. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Tom Brown) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. The police authorities have also recommended to the government that he may be dismissed from service. They were travelling in a Hyundai i20 car along the highway connecting J&Ks twin capitals Srinagar and Jammu and were reportedly on their way to Chandigarh. SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir legislator and leader of regional Awami Itehad Party (AIP) Sheikh Abdur Rashid is likely to be questioned soon by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as Syed Naveed Mushtaq, a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militant outfit, has reportedly told it that he was in touch with him for some time. The NIA also raided the home of one Javed Ahmed in Jaggarpora village of frontier Kupwara district and seized some documents, a laptop, mobile phone, two pen drives and five bank passbooks, the police sources said. Syed Mushtaq alias Naveed Babu, a former special police officer, was arrested by the J&K police along with his accomplice Asif Ahmed Rather and a local lawyer, Irfan Shafi Mir, in southern Kulgam district on January 11. Also arrested with them is Davinder Singh who was posted as deputy superintendent of police at the anti-hijacking squad at the Srinagar International Airport, but has since been placed under suspension. The police authorities have also recommended to the government that he may be dismissed from service. They were travelling in a Hyundai i20 car along the highway connecting J&Ks twin capitals Srinagar and Jammu and were reportedly on their way to Chandigarh. Rajya Sabha proceedings were on Monday adjourned for the second time till 2 pm after unrelenting opposition members sought a debate on the issue of NPR and the amended citizenship law. As soon as the Upper House reassembled at noon, members of the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) were up on their feet demanding an immediate discussion on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh said he cannot allow discussion on issues on which the chairman has already given a ruling on adjournment notices given by Opposition parties. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "I have a fundamental issue. We run the House based on rules. There is Rule 267 for discussion. Why there is such a rule in the book if it is not allowed." The Chair did not yield to members' demand and began to take the Question Hour, but Opposition members were on the aisle while TMC members trooped into the Well protesting against CAA, NRC and NPR. Azad insisted that the discussion should be allowed because people are being allegedly killed in BJP-ruled states across the country. As there was no order in the House, the Chair was forced to adjourn till 2 pm. Earlier, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu disallowed notices given by several opposition members to discuss the issue and then adjourned proceedings till noon after MPs belonging to the Congress, TMC, Left and BSP rose to raise the issue. Naidu said members will get enough opportunity to raise the issue during discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament. The President's address had specific mention of the amended citizenship law and it can be discussed during the debate on the Motion of Thanks, he said. However, Satish Chandra Mishra of the BSP, Derek O'Brien of the TMC, T K Rangarajan of the CPM and other opposition members rose to speak on it. Naidu cut them short, saying he has already given a ruling on adjournment notices and cannot allow them to speak now. As other opposition members joined them, Naidu adjourned proceedings. Naidu said he had received notices from leaders such as Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma of Congress, TMC leader O'Brien, Binoy Viswam of the CPI and others under Rule 267 seeking setting aside of the business of the day to take up discussion on issues related to NPR and Citizenship Amendment Act. Also, call attention notice has been received from Subramanian Swamy on related issue. He, however, said members could raise the issue during the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address. When the House met for the day at 11 am, Naidu read out an obituary reference on the passing away of Sultan of Oman Qaboos Bin Said Al Said and also on the death of 29 people and animals in Australia's bushfires. Members stood in silence as a mark of respect to departed souls. Naidu also mentioned sitting member M C Mary Kom being awarded the Padma Vibhushan, saying she is the first woman spokesperson of the country to be decorated with the award. He also mentioned the award being conferred on former members Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, George Fernandes and Manohar Parrikar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BLOOMINGTON A 17-year-old male is in stable condition at a Bloomington hospital after a shooting incident Saturday night. Police said at approximately 7:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center's emergency room for a person shot. The victim was shot in the forearm, police said, during a disagreement in an empty parking lot in the 2600 block of Danbury Drive. There have been no arrests made and there were no other injuries reported. Bloomington detectives are still investigating the incident. Anyone with information should call BPD Detective Steve Moreland at 309-434-2359 or Smoreland@cityblm.org. If you wish to remain anonymous, please call McLean County Crime Stoppers at (309) 828-1111. If your call leads to the arrest and indictment of suspect(s) you may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Contact Kevin Barlow at (309) 820-3238. Follow him on Twitter: @pg_barlow Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Madison County Sheriffs Office is asking for the publics assistance in locating a missing man. Jesse Gene Perroni, 25, was last seen Jan. 31 around 10:30 p.m. at a gas station on Whitesburg Drive in Huntsville. He has not been seen since and has not shown up for either of his jobs. Perroni is driving a 2001 white Pontiac Grand Prix with a dent near the front headlight. The tag number is unknown since the vehicle is not registered to him. He is described as a white male, 5 feet, 7 inches tall and 165 pounds with brown eyes. Anyone with information is asked to contact Inv. Andrews at krandrews@madisoncountyal.gov or 256-533-8866. PUNE A special Uapa court on Monday granted time till February 6 to the state prosecution and defence lawyers to file their say on the application filed by the NIA to transfer the Elgar Parishad case to the NIA court in Mumbai. The Pune Police, as well as the accused in the Elgar Parishad case, have sought time from the Pune special court to file a response to the application filed by National Investigation Agency (NIA), seeking a transfer of the case papers. The application, submitted by NIA last week, has not yet been served to the defence lawyers of the nine accused, nor the Pune police, according to a statement in court on Monday. The NIA has sought the intervention of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (Uapa) court, of additional sessions Judge SR Navander, to have the the case transferred to a special NIA court in Mumbai. I need more time to file a say in the matter. I cannot file a say without the instructions of my IO (investigating officer). The investigating officer has gone to the DGs (director general) office and is awaiting further instructions, said Pune district government pleader, Ujwala Pawar, who is representing the Pune Police. The NIA lawyer at the proceeedings in Pune, who refused to reveal his name, said, My question is very limited. Please send it (the case) to special NIA court. One of the defence lawyers, advocate Gaurav Jachak said, We have not received a copy of the NIA application. We were told that applications are being sent to the accused directly in jail, but that has not happened either. We learned about this on Saturday (last week), when we visited the accused in jail, that they have not been provided with the copies, said advocate Bikram Kumar, another defence lawyer. The NIA have registered an FIR under Sections 153(a), 505(a)(b), 117 and 34 of Indian Penal Code along with Sections13, 16, 18, 18b, 20, 39 of UAPA against Shoma Sen, Sudhir Dhawale, Mahesh Raut, Rona WIlson, Surendra Gadling, VV Rao, Sudha Bhardwaj, Gautam Navlakha, Arun Ferriera, Vernon Gonsalves and Anand Teltumbde. The offence occurred in Pune, Maharashtra and the NIA special court, Mumbai, has the territorial jurisdiction under NIa Act, 2009 to conduct the trial of scheduled offences investigated by NIA, reads a part of the application. The Pune Police, meanwhile, handed over another hard disk prepared by the forensic science laboratory (FSL) to the accused. This is the fifth such hard disk to be submitted to the accused, all of whom are all lodged in the Yerawada Central Jail for the past two years. On Jan. 16, the New Mexico Supreme Court issued its decision in Mendoza v. Isleta Resort and Casino, holding that a tribe does not waive its sovereign immunity to workers compensation claims merely by committing in a tribal gaming compact1 to establish a workers compensation program. Tribal employers that negotiate gaming compacts will find this case of interest. Plaintiffs Claim The plaintiff worked as a porter for Isleta Casino, owned and operated by the Isleta Pueblo. After injuring her knee at work, she filed an accident form with the casino. The Pueblos insurance administrator sent the plaintiff a letter, denying her claim as untimely. The plaintiff responded by filing a claim with the New Mexico Workers Compensation Administration (WCA). The insurance administrator took the position that the WCA had no jurisdiction over this claim due to the tribal sovereign immunity. The WCA nonetheless submitted the plaintiffs claim to mediation. Based on the mediators findings, the WCAs Director concluded that the Pueblo waived its sovereign immunity by entering a gaming compact (the Compact) with the State of New Mexico to operate the Casino that included a requirement that the Casino implement a workers compensation program with recourse for denied claimants before tribal adjudicators. The Director then concluded that the WCA could exercise jurisdiction and the claim was compensable. The Casino and insurance administrator disagreed and moved to dismiss the claim, arguing that tribal sovereign immunity deprived the WCA of subject matter jurisdiction. The Pueblo alone, they argued, had jurisdiction over the claim. The plaintiff responded that because neither the Pueblo nor the Casino had actually implemented tribal workers compensation, the state system had to fill the gap. The WCA agreed with the Casino and insurance administrator, and, notwithstanding the position previously taken by the WCAs Director, dismissed the plaintiffs claim. The plaintiff appealed to the New Mexico Court of Appeals, which reversed the dismissal, holding that the insurance administrator was not immune to suit and that, even if the tribal entities had immunity, the insurance administrator and the insurer were not. Further holding that the Pueblo was not an indispensable party in the proceeding, the Court of Appeals determined the WCA could hear the plaintiffs claim. The Casino, insurance administrator, and insurer sought and obtained state supreme court review. The New Mexico Supreme Court Decision In an exhaustive 29-page decision, the New Mexico Supreme Court reversed the Court of Appeals in favor of the Casino and associated parties. First, the Court disagreed with the plaintiffs position that the Compact itself created a private right of action. The Court held that she had no such right as she was not a party to the Compact. The Court also held that the Pueblos sovereign immunity barred the plaintiffs claim regardless of whether she had a right of action under either the Compact or New Mexico workers compensation law. The New Mexico Supreme Court rejected the plaintiffs suggestion that the Pueblos commitment in the Compact to implement a workers compensation program had waived sovereign immunity. The Pueblos commitment, satisfied or not, did not permit the WCA to adjudicate workers compensation claims or apply state law. Having concluded that the Pueblo and its Casino were immune to suit, the Court considered whether the plaintiff could maintain her claim against their non-tribal insurer. It decided she could not, because the Pueblo was an indispensable party to the litigation. Resolution of the plaintiffs claim would affect the Pueblos resources, and the insurer would not necessarily always share its identical interests. Although indispensable, the Pueblo could not be joined given its immunity to suit. Consequently, the plaintiff could not pursue her claim. Although this left her without a remedy, the Court decided that tribal sovereignty took precedence. Suggestions for Tribal Employers The Courts holding is certainly a win for tribal employers hoping to protect their sovereignty against aggressive state workers compensation agencies. But the Court paused to caution parties, such as an insurer, against adopting a presumption that a tribes involvement in a case will always necessitate dismissal. The Court also suggested that the state attorney general might sue under the terms of the Compact to enforce the Pueblos commitment to provide workers compensation. Tribal employers should accordingly review the decision and take certain steps to help safeguard their sovereign immunity in similar circumstances: More Chinese Cities Under Quarantine; Wenzhou Allows Only 1 Person per Household Outdoors As the coronavirus spreads further in China, more cities are scrambling to contain the virus by restricting peoples movements. In the past few weeks, the viral pneumonia has quickly spread from Wuhan City, Hubei Province, where the disease first broke out, to all of China and more than 20 countries and regions. Official figures report more than ten thousand confirmed cases, but Wuhan residents say that the true scale of the outbreak is far worse than what authorities described. Zhejiang Province About 560 miles away from Wuhan, the city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province, located on the countrys southeastern coast, has begun issuing travel restrictions. The city, which has 8.29 million residents according to the latest official statistics, shut down its public transportation system on Feb. 1. The following day, the city government published two new regulations. The first rule requires that only one person within each family household can go outdoors to shop for basic necessities. In addition, that designated person can only go out once every two days. No other travel is allowed except to get medical treatment; do tasks related to disease control; and for people who work in important sectors related to peoples livelihood. That rule, which took effect at midnight Feb. 1, runs to midnight Feb. 8. The second regulation shut 46 of the citys 55 highway entrances as of 10 a.m. Feb. 2. People wishing to use the highway can only use the nine permitted entrances. Other cities in Zhejiang also published similar travel bans, such as Yiwu and Wenling, on the same day. Yiwu also banned people without a local hukou, or household registration, from entering the city. Hubei Province In the epicenter of Wuhan and other cities in Hubei Province, roads have been closed and checkpoints set up to prevent vehicles from traveling. For example, the Huanggang City government announced on Jan. 30 that no vehicles can use the roads, except those for outbreak prevention and control, medical rescue, basic needs, and emergency rescue. In Wuhan, scores have died from the virus. On Feb. 1, Chinese dissident Han Lianchao posted an official notice from the Chinese Funeral Association, which was originally published on an internal news bulletin earlier that day. The notice asked for other funeral homes around the country to donate supplies to funeral homes in Wuhan, such as body bags, goggles, protective suits, and disinfectants. Hong Kong-based Initium Media reported on Jan. 26 all 14 cremation chambers in the Hankou funeral home are operating 24 hours a day, seven days per week. Before the outbreak, the business operated its cremation chambers for four hours per day, five days per week, the report said. On Feb. 2, Wuhan health authorities released a notice explaining that each district government will arrange all diagnosed coronavirus patients; patients suspected of contracting the coronavirus; patients who have a fever; and the close contacts of coronavirus patients to be quarantined inside hospitals and hotels, where they will receive treatment. The addition of facilities that were not previously designated to treat coronavirus patients indicates that the outbreak has become more severe. On social media, family members of the quarantined patients said that conditions inside the facilities are poor, with many not receiving proper treatment. Chinese independent magazine Caijing also reported on Jan. 31 that coronavirus patients in Wuhan are having difficulty receiving treatment due to all hospitals being at capacity. The report quoted a doctor who has treated patients in a Wuhan hospital since Jan. 21: Our hospital beds are fully occupied by patients, medical staff have to work day and night, and many of us have infected each other with the virus. He said there are 10 doctors and 20 nurses working in his department. By Jan. 29, seven of them were diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. Furthermore, 61 medical staff from the hospital were diagnosed by Jan. 27. The doctor said they lack human resources and medical supplies. Because of the limited hospital beds, most of the patients cannot be treated at the hospital. And although the medical staff believe the patients to be infected with the coronavirus, they cannot fully diagnose them. Our hospital has 600 beds for coronavirus patients [The city government] only allows each department to use diagnosis kits to detect three to five patients every day In other words, most of our 600 patients can only be designated as possible cases, the doctor explained. The doctor said that only when one of the hospitalized patients have died and a bed has been freed up, can they arrange for a patient in very severe condition to be treated in the hospital. RTE is to make a last-minute decision on whether Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald is to be included in the final live televised debate of the General Election campaign. The broadcaster originally planned to host a debate on Prime Time tomorrow featuring only Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin. Sinn Fein has repeatedly said its party leader should also be permitted to take part. Following an increase in support for Sinn Fein across a number of opinion polls, RTE has issued a statement saying it will listen to suggestions on its coverage from all political parties. Criteria In the statement, the station said: "At the outset of the election RTE set out its approach to leaders' debates based on empirical data. That has not changed. Expand Close Micheal Martin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Micheal Martin "Throughout the campaign RTE has considered representations made by those contesting the election regarding our coverage and leaders' debates. We will continue to give consideration to any representation made." Sinn Fein has put in a formal request to RTE asking that Ms McDonald be included in the final election debate. The party said the criteria for choosing the format of the debate was out of date in light of recent opinion polls. RTE told Sinn Fein that the station's election coverage steering group will review its request when it meets. Mr Varadkar and Mr Martin have said they have no objection to Ms McDonald being included in the debate. Expand Close Taoiseach Leo Varadkar / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Taoiseach Leo Varadkar An RTE spokesperson said: "A representative of RTE met with Sinn Fein today and the broadcaster will respond to the issues raised in due course." The Labour Party has also written to RTE insisting that the last televised debate of the campaign should include all party leaders. Meanwhile, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are locked in an election battle to hold the centre ground in Irish politics as support for Sinn Fein grows. Both parties have been caught off guard by the shock rise in support for Sinn Fein as the general election campaign enters its final week. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe insisted he was "not giving up or giving in on the centre" but said he would have to "fight" to ensure it holds. "We have to continue to change the political centre to make sure it works for more people," he told the Herald. Meanwhile, senior figures in Fine Gael were warning the party needs to significantly change its strategy to focus on Sinn Fein's policies rather than dismissing it as not being a normal party in the run-up to election day. However, there is a division of opinion in the party as other senior ministers believe attacking Sinn Fein drives voters toward Fianna Fail. "A number of people have told the Taoiseach every time you take on the Shinners it plays into Martin's hands," a senior Fine Gael source said. Fianna Fail will this week tell voters supporting it is the only way to keep Sinn Fein out of government. "We will tell voters that if they vote for Mary Lou they could be putting Marxists like Ruth Coppinger and Richard Boyd Barrett in government," a senior party source said. Fine Gael campaign sources yesterday said they believed Mr Martin was beginning to "unravel" after his interview with Brian Dobson on RTE last Friday. The party intends targeting Mr Martin over his staff wrongly signing an election pledge on rent freezes and also highlighting typos in Fianna Fail's election manifesto, among other lines of attack. Meanwhile, Mr Martin sparked anger in Fine Gael when he claimed party members could not "feel for working-class people" because of their "privileged background". "Fine Gael have a huge sense of entitlement and they believe that they have a divine right to rule," he told the Sunday Independent. Health Minister Simon Harris accused Mr Martin of attempting to "sow division", while Fine Gael TD Noel Rock attested that he was raised by a single mother in Ballymun. The Taoiseach said it was "really unfortunate" that Mr Martin was seeking to "inject class politics into Irish politics". BY: Victoria Kissiedu, with additional files from bbc.com Category: General News Moscow is learning how to apply a range of oppressive and coercive tactics to minorities it perceives as hostile or of questionable loyalty Open source The human rights situation in Russian-occupied Crimea is acute and merits a hearing as a stand-alone issue. But what happens in Crimea has the significance that goes beyond the plight of the two million people who live there. In Crimea, Moscow is learning how to apply a range of oppressive and coercive tactics to minorities it perceives as hostile or of questionable loyalty. These insights could be applied elsewhere in Russia, which is home to considerable non-Russian minority populations. How the US government reacts to the ongoing abuses in Crimea will undoubtedly factor into Moscows calculus on comparable situations in the future. The picture in Crimea is grim. It is no exaggeration to say that the peninsula is becoming a police state. Crimea, once the pearl of the Black Sea and a prime vacation destination, is cut off from the rest of the world. The media is controlled by the government. Independent media sources are forbidden and have been blocked and barred from the peninsula. Ukrainian journalists and photographers are not allowed to visit Crimea, and freelance journalists residing in Crimea have been charged with involvement in terrorism for simply reporting stories. According to Human Rights Watch, the free press that acts as a lifeline between Crimea and the rest of the world is in grave danger. Taras Ibragimov, one of Crimeas few independent journalists, was recently banned from entering the peninsula on bogus charges that he was a threat to state security. He has been banned from entering for 34 years. His crime? He told the world about the occupying authorities widespread and violent abuse of minorities in Crimea. The good news is that the US government worked quickly to stand up an excellent independent source of online information that is flourishing. Within three months of Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea, RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service launched Crimea.Realities, a website dedicated to developments on the peninsula published in Russian, Ukrainian, and Crimean Tatar. It is the top-ranked news source on Crimea, with approximately 2.4 million visits per month in 2019. Religious freedom is also a serious concern. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is forbidden in Crimea, and Crimean Tatars are routinely interrogated after Friday prayers. Another area of concern is education and language rights. Education programs and textbooks have been rewritten to emphasize that Crimea had always been part of Russia and has in fact been rightfully returned. In addition, education has been Russified; classes held in Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar have been dropped. Military preparation classes have become obligatory for students. The occupying authorities have used political persecutions to establish fear and force those who disagree with annexation to flee. Since 2014, approximately 50,000 people, including more than 25,000 Crimean Tatars, have fled Crimea. The situation is getting worse. According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, the number of politically motivated arrests has increased nine-fold from 2017 to 2019. One hundred Crimean political prisoners are currently being held in Russian prisons and have not been released or exchanged since 2014. The FSB (Russian security service) is doing its best to stamp out dissent. Up to 200,000 people have been approached, intimidated or interrogated by FSB officials during the past six years of occupation, according to local activists. Russia uses various intimidation tactics to create a climate of fear and to signal that resistance is futile. Tactics include breaking into the homes of Crimean Tatar activists brandishing automatic weapons between 4 am and 6 am to terrorize sleeping families. Russia has effectively turned Crimea into a Russian military base. The Soviet Unions bases on the peninsula have been restored, and anti-aircraft missile systems now line Crimeas perimeter. Additionally, the Russian government may have placed nuclear weapons in Crimea. In 2018, independent Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer concluded that Russia had placed nuclear weapons in Crimea because of the presence of nuclear-capable delivery systems, although Moscow will not confirm or deny the presence of nuclear weapons. Perhaps most troubling are reports that the state is using its security services to encourage ordinary people to spy on their neighbors and families. Activists say the security services are working with schoolteachers, students, civil servants, and other administrative platforms to encourage people to report any suspect misbehavior including private comments. These reports are used as a basis for arrests and false charges. The FSB is also monitoring social media for pro-Ukrainian sentiment. Russia has taken steps to prevent the West from observing Crimeas slide toward a police state. No international monitoring of human rights has taken place in Crimea since 2014. The United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe have a mandate to monitor human rights in Ukraine and Crimea, but the Kremlin has successfully blocked them, sometimes at gunpoint, from entering the peninsula. Some may dismiss the fate of Crimeas two million residents as a specialist issue. However, what happens in Crimea may not stay in Crimea. Moscow is using Crimea to test and refine coercive and repressive approaches toward minorities it views as questionable or hostile. These authoritarian tactics could be enacted elsewhere. This means the fate of the Crimean peninsula is not a boutique issue, but one of vital importance to anyone who cares about human rights in Russia and beyond. COLUMBUS, Ohio A high-ranking Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives now has a clearer path to re-election after his Democratic opponent was disqualified from the ballot. The Athens County Board of Elections on Friday voted unanimously to disqualify Katie ONeill, a Democrat, determining she didnt meet residency requirements, according to staff at the county elections board. That means State Rep. Jay Edwards, a Nelsonvillle Republican, will run unopposed in November, unless someone files to run as an Independent. Some may view this as me not having an opponent, but I beg to differ, Edwards said. I have a much larger opponent every day as I go to Columbus to be a voice for Appalachia." Edwards, first elected in 2016, is a member of House Speaker Larry Householders leadership team. Hes also a prodigious fundraiser, thanks in part to his ties with organized labor. On Friday, he reported raising about $219,100 during the most recent campaign finance period, second among House members to only Householder himself. Having no major opponent would allow him to share more of his campaign funds with GOP candidates in more competitive districts across the state. The Athens County elections board previously was deadlocked, voting 2-2 whether to allow ONeill to make the ballot, with Republican and Democratic board members split along party lines. That would have left Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, to cast a tie-breaking vote. But the board received new information and decided to hold a second residency hearing on Friday. Penny Brooks, deputy director at the Athens County Board of Elections, didnt immediately have more details on what the new information was. ONeills name will still appear on the ballot, since the candidate-filing deadline for the March 17 primary election has passed. But the elections board will provide a disclaimer in mailed absentee ballots and in polling places that votes for her will not be counted, according to Brooks. The case began after a local resident filed a protest, presenting evidence that Brooks didnt move to the district until after the Nov. 3, 2019 cut-off date, according to the Athens News. Ohio law requires legislative candidates to live in their district for a year before the election. ONeill is a 2013 graduate of Ohio University who got her masters degree and law degree at the Vermont Law School, according to the News. Edwards represents Ohios 94th House District, which includes Athens, Meigs, Washington and Vinton counties. The seat used to be Democratic-leaning, but has shifted Republican in recent years. An earlier version of this story gave an incorrect name for Vermont Law School. Read other recent Ohio state news Ohio Republican legislative candidates enter 2020 with strong cash lead over Democrats DeWine administration releases updated Lake Erie phosphorus reduction plan Ohio health officials stand ready as they await coronavirus testing results Ohio lawmakers pursuing pension oversight bills In letter to Republican leaders, Ohio GOP chair defends DeWine decision to accept refugees This happened due to the leak of audio recordings of investigation in the Ukrainian media Hassan Rezaifar, the director of Accident Investigation Department at the Civil Aviation Organization of Iran, said that Tehran will no longer transmit to Ukraine the data from the investigation into the crash of Boeing 737 near Tehran. France24 reported that, referring to Hassan's comment on the Mehr news agency. The official explained that such measures were taken due to the publication of secret data in the Ukrainian media, namely audio recordings involved in the investigation. "The technical group for investigating the crash of the Ukrainian airline, which is strange, published a secret audio file from the communications of the pilot of the plane, which was flying at the same time as the Ukrainian plane," he said. The announcement followed a leaked record of an exchange of information between an Iranian air traffic controller and an Iranian pilot. She confirmed that the Iranian authorities immediately realized that the rocket shot down the Ukrainian liner, but refuted this version for several days. The authenticity of the published entries was confirmed by President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky. Soon, Hassan Rezaifar himself admitted this. As we reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Iran offered $80,000 of compensation to the families of Ukrainians who deceased in the PS752 crash. However, Ukraine finds this sum insufficient and it will strive for its increase. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Made Anthony Iswara (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 11:57 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2062394ac 1 Business Garuda-Indonesia,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,Wuhan-coronavirus,China,flight,lion-air-group Free National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia will temporarily halt flights to and from China starting Feb. 5 to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in Indonesia. The policy will see the cancelation of flights to and from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Zhengzhou and Xian in China, while flights to and from Hong Kong will be allowed under close supervision of Garuda Indonesia and local authorities. "The policy is also part of Garuda Indonesia's commitment and full support of the government's efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Indonesia," said Garuda Indonesia president director Irfan Setiaputra, adding that passengers could reroute or reschedule their flights to or from China. Garuda Indonesia operates 30 flights to China every week. The cancelation decision was made after the government declared on Sunday that it would ban all travel to and from China to prevent the spread of the deadly pneumonia-like virus. Read also: Indonesia closes doors to travelers from China As of Monday morning, the 2019-nCoV virus has killed 360 people and infected more than 16,400 across China and reached 24 nations, Agence France-Presse reported. The G7 countries Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States have all confirmed cases of the virus. Indonesia has found no cases of the infection on its soil. Lion Air Group has already stopped all its flights to China as the government on Sunday barred entry to visitors who have been in China for 14 days over concerns about the coronavirus. "Garuda Indonesia will continue to monitor the situation and will take necessary measures, including providing the latest information related to the continuation of flight operations," Irfan said. The solution to the issue of acid attacks in India goes beyond restricting the sale of acid as championed by Deepika Padukone and the Chhapaak team's #WontBuyWontSell campaign and judicial reforms, to challenging social norms that foster misogyny and violence directed at women. In Meghna Gulzars Chhapaak, based on the life of activist Laxmi Agarwal, Deepika Padukone played an acid attack survivor. Prior to the films release, Padukone and the Chhapaak team launched an awareness campaign around the issue of acid attacks in India. Acid attacks are not an uncommon occurrence in India, but there is little public discourse on the issue, and research and data availability is poor. In fact, acid attacks werent even recognised as a separate offence until as recently as 2013, when the Criminal Amendment Act of 2013 was passed. Padukones campaign #WontBuyWontSell is a welcome change, and her star power means the issue could finally get the public attention it deserves. And Padukone partly succeeds in this endeavour, by highlighting one major aspect of the problem: the open sale of acid in the country despite Supreme Court regulations that restrict its sale. In a recent video launched as part of the campaign, Padukone sent undercover actors to various markets to attempt to purchase acid without furnishing any documentation. She watched in horror as hidden cameras captured shopkeepers unquestioningly selling acid, with some expounding on how it can burn through flesh, and a couple of them even joking about its possible use on humans. Padukone says in the video, The biggest reason why acid is thrown, is acid itself If it [acid] wasnt sold, it wouldnt be thrown. This is essentially the reasoning behind the videos call to action: dont buy acid, dont sell acid, and if you see any such sale going on that violates the Supreme Court guidelines, alert the authorities. This narrative, however, tells only half the story, because it doesnt focus on the perpetrators of the crime at all. A 2009 report submitted by the Law Commission of India to the Supreme Court, for its consideration in Laxmi Agarwals PIL on acid attack violence, noted: Though [an] acid attack is a crime which can be committed against any man or woman, it has a specific gender dimension in India. Most of the reported acid attacks have been on women, particularly young women, for spurning suitors, rejecting proposals of marriage, denying dowry etc. The attacker cannot bear the fact that he has been rejected and seeks to destroy the body of the woman who has dared to stand up to him. In a 2017 article, Can Understanding Phenomenology and Human Capabilities Help Us Address Acid Violence?, published in the South Asia Journal of South Asian Studies, academicians Dr Bipasha Barua and Aisha Siddika argued that acid attacks against women are rooted in patriarchal systems, and are a form of gender-based violence against women. They wrote, Acid violence is categorised as a form of GBV (gender-based violence) because gendered roles and hierarchies within families and society not only motivate perpetrators to commit the crime, but also provide them with a sense of impunity Women and girls are disproportionately represented among the victims of acid violence. Patriarchal ideas contribute to a culture in which acid attacks on women are rampant, says Dr Mousami Singh, associate professor at the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at King Georges Medical University in Lucknow. Dr Singh and her colleagues at KGMU conducted an analytical study of the data from 52 cases of acid attack victims who were admitted to the hospital for treatment between 2012 and 2017 under a government scheme. Their study, Acid attack on women: A new face of gender-based violence in India, was published in 2017. They found that 65 percent of the victims were under the age of 30, and about 42.3 percent of the attackers in these cases were unrequited lovers. Other motives included dowry demands and marital disputes. In their paper, Dr Singh et al noted that women are usually considered second-class citizens in a male-dominated society that is influenced by cultural and social norms which reward men for being aggressive, powerful, and controlling. An earlier study conducted by Mamta Patel, professor and HOD Criminology and Forensic Science, at Dr HSG University Sagar, drew the same conclusion. Patels 2014 paper, A Desire to Disfigure: Acid Attack in India, analysed newspaper reports of 58 acid attack cases reported between 2009 to 2013, and found that there were four broad reasons for acid attacks: cultural, societal, situational, and personal. Cultural reasons included gender inequalities, misogyny and a culture of revenge; societal reasons stemmed from a history of punishment towards women, impunity of perpetrators, and social permissiveness; situational reasons were governed by factors such as geographic situation, the emotional state of individuals, and peer association; and personal reasons start from interpersonal feelings like male shame, powerlessness, and poor anger management skills. Most of the perpetrators in cases of acid attacks against young women are jilted men. Dr Mousamis Singhs 2017 paper notes that womens rejection of mens advances and proposals hurts their ego. This is what happened with Laxmi Agarwal, the activist and acid attack survivor who inspired the film Chhapaak she was attacked by Naeem Khan in 2005 after she rejected his proposal. Another shocking case was that of Haseena Hussains, who was attacked by her ex-employer Joseph Rodrigues in April 1999 after she rejected his marriage proposal and quit working for him. Shortly after she resigned from her job, he turned up at her new office and threw a jug of acid on her. Alox Dixit, activist and co-founder of Chhanv Foundation, notes that revenge is one motive in such cases, but so is a need to re-establish control. Jilted men often throw acid on women so they cannot get married to anyone else. I have seen cases in which men have sent marriage proposals to their victims after attacking them with acid, says Dixit. In cases such as that of college student Susithra in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu in 2019, women are attacked with acid by partners who suspect them of being unfaithful, or even just of being friendly with other men. Dixit notes that crimes motivated by jealousy and possessiveness indicate deep-rooted misogyny, because many men think of women as property, and when they start feeling like theyve lost control over the women they desire, they try to destroy them. Then there are the cases of women being attacked with acid by their husbands and in-laws over marital disputes, including dowry disputes. While dowry-related disputes are fairly common, conflicts with in-laws over other issues have also motivated acid attackers. Shaheen Malik, director of Human Rights Law Networks (HRLN) Campaign Against Acid Attacks, has worked with survivors of over 250 acid attack cases in the last few years. She described a case in which a woman was forced to drink acid by her husband and in-laws because they felt she had become too outspoken, and another in which a man threw acid on his pregnant wifes genitals to induce an abortion, because he feared she would give birth to yet another daughter. She notes that the choice of an acid attack in such cases is merely the culmination of a long series of abusive behaviours that women have to put up with in their marital homes. The fault lies with social conditioning, which prevents women from speaking up or seeking help in such situations. Malik notes, No matter how modern we think we are as a society, the ground reality is that married women are always told that they must tolerate their husbands misbehaviour and in-laws mistreatment. We are the ones who teach girls to constantly adjust and tolerate, often from childhood. This prevents women from seeking and getting help until it is too late. Another troubling trend is of men carrying out acid attacks on women who have done well academically, professionally or financially. In 2006, three men threw acid on Gul Naaz, a middle-aged mother of three in Jammu. Their reason? They did not approve of her opening a beauty parlour to earn a livelihood after her husband was gravely injured in a traffic accident. Similarly, in 2013, an unemployed man in Mumbai carried out a fatal acid attack on his neighbour Preethi because he was jealous of her having secured a job as a nurse in the Navy. A star student in Agra reportedly dropped out of school in 2016 after being threatened with an acid attack by goons who had previously sexually harassed her. Alok Dixit blames traditional gender roles and gender inequality for this mentality, saying, Many people dont believe that women should progress. When a woman chooses to study, work, dress well, and go out of the house, these people cant handle it. Woman these days are challenging patriarchal norms and are going beyond their traditional roles but peoples attitudes have to change as well. Dixit cites the example of a woman whose husband threw acid on her because he was unhappy with the office culture at her workplace, which allowed interactions among colleagues. Tragically, instances like this are used by some to hold women back, rather than prompting a rethink of how gender equality can be achieved. Dixit says that families of some acid attack survivors regret allowing them to pursue opportunities for academic or professional success in the first place; in the aftermath of acid attacks he has heard family elders of victims say that it would have been better if they hadnt educated their daughter at all. Although sexist beliefs and misogyny are deep-rooted attitudes which develop over a period of time, perpetrators choice of attacking with acid is a deliberate one. Unlike other forms of gender-based violence, acid attacks have a distinct element of planning and intentionality. The 2009 report prepared by the Law Commission of India notes, Perpetrators of the crime act cruelly and deliberately. Acid violence is a premeditated act as the perpetrator of the crime carries out the attack by first obtaining the acid, carrying it on [his person] and then stalking the victim before executing the act. This cruel and deliberate intent is also seen in how womens faces are targeted in an acid attack. The reason for this, too, stems from patriarchy, because in patriarchal systems a womans value depends on her beauty, and her face is central to her attractiveness. Dixit notes: The targeting of the womans face in an acid attack shows that the perpetrators know that in a patriarchal society like ours, an acid attack survivor will suffer immensely. Shaheen Malik agrees, and points out that if the intention of acid attack perpetrators was to simply harm their victim, they would not universally target her face. She says, From a young age, boys learn that a womans face is central to her identity. They know that disfiguring her will reduce her value and rob her of her identity. And to a large extent, they are successful. Dr Singh describes acid attack survivors in the immediate aftermath of the crime, when they come to the hospital for treatment, as being totally silent, seeming very depressed, and being in shock. She says, Acid is so destructive that plastic surgery cannot restore the face after an attack. All that the doctors can do is make the face operate in a functional manner, by say fixing the nose so the person can breathe, mending the mouth so she can eat, and so on. Unfortunately, cosmetic improvement is impossible, and the survivors can never get their original face back. The solution goes beyond restricting the sale of acid as championed by #WontBuyWontSell and judicial reforms, to challenging social norms that foster misogyny and violence directed at women. As part of HRLNs Campaign Against Acid Attacks, Malik has been conducting programmes on the issue of acid attacks in schools and colleges, and her workshops include consent training along with first aid and medical information. She says she teaches men how to handle rejection in a healthy manner, by showing them that it isnt the end of the world. This, she feels, is necessary for long-term change. Ritu Saini, an acid attack survivor from Haryana, says that the lack of social acceptance is another major contributing factor in the suffering of acid attack victims. She says, Perpetrators of acid attacks target the face because they dont want their victim to have a normal life, to go out of the house, to show her face to anyone. But the attacker only does half the work. The rest of it is done by society, which stigmatises survivors instead of supporting and accepting them. After the attack, our face changes and we struggle with our identity, but we are the same person. But society alienates us. Eradicating this stigma and fostering acceptance is key to enable survivors to lead more normal lives, sans fear and shame. Tanvi is a writer and researcher from Kolkata. Follow her on Instagram. American Petroleum Institute (API) President and CEO Mike Sommers today (1/29) applauded the signing of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement (USMCA) at the White House. Mexico has already ratified the agreement, and Canada's Parliament is expected to act in the coming months. "USMCA is a win-win for American workers and energy consumers," API President and CEO Mike Sommers said. "North American energy markets are deeply integrated and interconnected, and the free flow of energy products and investments in natural gas and oil across our borders is critical to sustaining American energy leadership and economic growth. This agreement will ensure the U.S. can continue its role as the world's energy leader while delivering affordable and reliable energy to Americans and enabling environmental progress. The fact that the administration and members of both parties came together to get this done sends an important signal to our trading partners and provides certainty for American supply chains that support millions of U.S. jobs." U.S. trade with Canada and Mexico supports 12 million U.S. jobs, according to the Business Roundtable, and totaled nearly $1.3 trillion in 2017. Mexico is the No. 1 market for U.S. exports of gasoline, fuel oil and total refined products. Canada is the No. 1 market for U.S. exports of crude oil and fuel blending components. These exports represent viable markets for U.S. products, spurring more production and economic benefits here at home. API joined more than 200 companies and associations representing agriculture, manufacturing, labor, energy and small businesses in the USMCA Coalition, which has advocated for the agreement's approval in Congress. The coalition's broad membership helps illustrate the wide, positive impact of free trade across the U.S. economy. API represents all segments of America's oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 600 members produce, process, and distribute most of the nation's energy. The industry supports 10.9 million U.S. jobs and is backed by a growing grassroots movement of more than 47 million Americans. API was formed in 1919 as a standards-setting organization. In its first 100 years, API has developed more than 700 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency and sustainability. Hardik Patel sighs when he thinks back to the winter of 2018. That spring, the young doctor had arrived in Toronto from Mumbai, full of hope and eager to find work. After knocking on doors, making phone calls and sending his resume to dozens of companies in the medical field, he was beginning to get discouraged. His money enough, hed figured, to last a year was beginning to run out. I started to give up. People kept saying, You need Canadian experience. Companies want a local candidate. I understand that. Sometimes I didnt even hear anything back at all. Not even a no. So for about a month, I was so discouraged that I didnt even apply to anything, said Patel, 31. While he hadnt expected to walk right into a top job, it was still a rude awakening for a man who had worked as a medical adviser for Bristol-Myers Squibb, a U.S.-based pharmaceutical giant, and had spent nine months at a hospital seeing up to 150 patients a day. I knew I could do that work here. And I knew Canada needs doctors. Eventually, he found work with a medical startup, after completing a part-time course at the University of Toronto on the Canadian health-care system, as well as some seminars with ACCES Employment, an employment agency for new Canadians. Today, hes come full circle, working as a medical adviser for the Canadian operations of a pharmaceutical company. He knows hes one of the lucky ones. Just 24 per cent of the 300,000 or so immigrants Canada welcomes each year find work in their field, according to Statistics Canada. I know some people who have just decided to go back home to India, and I understand why, Patel said. The saddest part of his story is that Toronto desperately needs to hang on to skilled workers like Patel. The city is growing at a breakneck pace and already there are too few people to fill jobs in information technology, the skilled trades and health care. Experts warn that without government, industry and schools working together, those skills gaps could grow even bigger over the next decade, exacerbated by retiring baby boomers, Torontos high cost of living and lingering bias against blue-collar work. In 2019, there were 5.6 million people living in Torontos census metropolitan area (CMA), with 3.5 million people working, according to Statistics Canada. By 2031, according to a projection from the Ontario Ministry of Labour, there will be roughly 7.4 million people living in the Toronto CMA, with 3.7 million people working. Within five years, 20,000 nurses and 8,000 family doctors will be needed in Ontario, according to the province. In the construction world, more than 90,000 people will be retiring from the skilled trades in this city over the next decade, according to the Toronto Construction Association. We are at a turning point as the city seeks to make sure the growth is sustainable, Jan De Silva, president and CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade, told the Star. Its up to this generation to make sure that this isnt just a moment, its momentum. The construction industry handily illustrates how rapidly Torontos workforce is evolving. The next 10 years will be filled with change, some of it driven by advancing technology, some simply by how densely packed the city will have become, said John Mollenhauer, president and CEO of the Toronto Construction Association. Change is not something the construction world has dealt with particularly gracefully, Mollenhauer admitted. Now, it will have no choice. The industry has remained relatively unchanged for over 100 years. But we are entering a new era. Everything will change, and quickly, Mollenhauer said. One example? Simply managing a building site. By default, its becoming just-in-time delivery. Density is so high that you cant just store all your materials for the whole project on-site, Mollenhauer said. That means more need for people with logistical planning skills. New technology is creating the need for new, tech-focused jobs. As one example, Mollenhauer pointed to what is now a cumbersome, time-consuming and sometimes dangerous process overseeing the welding on highrise buildings. If youre building a tower 70 storeys in the air, its hard to get people up there to watch the welding process and oversee it. But soon, there will be drone operators. That drone could not only get up there and inspect it in real time, but it could X-ray to gauge whether the weld was done correctly, and sign off on the approval, Mollenhauer said. And it turns out virtual reality isnt just for gaming. Rather than just looking at a two-dimensional blueprint on a table, everyone from architects and project managers will be able to take a virtual tour of a building before its built. Theres another big change coming in the construction industry a generational one. Over the next decade, tens of thousands of people in the skilled trades in the GTA will retire, Mollenhauer said. That means plenty of room for new electricians, plumbers, stonemasons and other skilled tradespeople. These are workers who are already in high demand as it is, said Mollenhauer, who admits to being baffled by the lack of interest in the trades. Retail is another area where nothing is standing still. And yet again, new technology is largely the driver. As the shift to online retail continues, there will be more of a demand for all sorts of technological skills, especially digital marketing. IT people, designers, database managers, marketing people those will all be vital positions, according to Karl Littler, vice-president of the Retail Council of Canada. All those online sales will need to be sorted at warehouses before being shipped to your door. So even if there may be fewer bricks-and-mortar stores with fewer sales staff, other jobs are being created. There will be more people needed at distribution centres and in delivery, and fewer people stocking shelves at stores, Littler said. Even in bricks-and-mortar stores, the nature of work will continue to evolve over the next decade, Littler argues. The days of just pointing a customer to the snowblower or T-shirt aisle are swiftly coming to an end. Building a relationship with that customer, whether its having a database of all their previous purchases or bringing them in to see a personal shopper who understands their likes and dislikes, is the wave of the future. Given the shift away from manufacturing and towards technology jobs plus the citys rapid expansion how will Toronto find the workers it needs? Clues can be found by looking at other areas that have experienced a dramatic shift. North Carolina, for instance. Back in the late 1990s, the states once-thriving tobacco industry was in free fall, as smoking fell out of favour. Farmhands, managers and people who worked in tobacco processing lost their jobs by the thousands. Among the final blows was a series of successful lawsuits against cigarette manufacturers. At the same time, the states burgeoning biotech industry driven by the so-called Research Triangle, home to Duke University, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina was also having a major problem: dozens of new startups couldnt find enough workers. They were really struggling to find people with the skills they needed, said Sarah Doyle, director of policy and research at Ryerson Universitys Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. High-tech employers looking for workers, laid-off workers looking for jobs. Once, it would have been an unbridgeable gap. But in North Carolinas case, colleges, companies and governments came up with a six-week intensive course designed to give those tobacco workers the basic skills to work in the biotech startups. It worked. It worked because it was all the stakeholders. Workers said what they needed. Employers said what kind of skills they needed people to have. Colleges helped design the courses, and governments asked, What can we do to help? said Doyle, who is leading a Brookfield Institute study on the nature of work in Canada in 2030. (A report based on Brookfields yearlong study will be released in mid-March.) Making sure people coming into the workforce have the right skills and training to fill the available jobs is crucial. The skills gap is a matter for governments, companies and schools to solve together, agreed Sunil Johal, director of business growth services for the city of Toronto. Universities and colleges cant just focus on their own programs in isolation. Theres a significant role for post-secondary institutions. Theyre graduating teachers or lawyers, and there might not be jobs for them to move into. Thats a challenge, Johal said. The idea, however, of going to school for six weeks or even four years and having all the skills and education you need for the rest of your career is fading into history, said Jonathan Lister, LinkedIns manager for Canada. If there is one theme that will continue to gain momentum in Torontos job market and elsewhere over the next decade, Lister said, it is change, whether in the world of IT, retail, health care or construction. Agility is going to be really important. The key for employees is to get good at learning, Lister said. The idea of lifelong learning is becoming a prerequisite. Sometimes, that will mean taking the odd night course. Sometimes, it will mean learning and growing on the job, Lister predicts. Having on-the-job learning will be a competitive advantage for employers when it comes to attracting talent, Lister said. If training and education is one way to close the skills gaps, immigration is another, argues the Board of Trades De Silva. As Hardik Patel discovered when he arrived from Mumbai, many of the doctors, engineers and IT professionals we need are already in this city, driving taxis, delivering food or working other jobs that dont use their full array of skills. It is such a waste of talent, DeSilva said. We need more immigration and we need to make sure those skills are being applied. Part of the problem is that when immigrants arrive in Canada, theres a reluctance and sometimes outright refusal to recognize their professional credentials and experience. Going back to school to get that degree from scratch is out of reach for many, in terms of both time and money. De Silvas solution? A six-month set of refresher courses, followed by a co-op placement. You cant ask people to do a four-year degree, De Silva said. For Patel, that makes complete sense both for newcomers arriving here, and for companies looking to hire. I understand they want to make sure someone can do the job. So, allow people to do a one-year internship to prove that they can. Give them minimum wage. They get Canadian experience, the company gets a spot filled, said Patel, who has settled into life here. Hes grateful for the opportunity to use the skills and knowledge he acquired in India. Now, Canada feels like home. I hope other people get the chance, too. One Toronto. Two possible futures. Ten years to get it right. Toronto has never been bigger, bolder and more successful or faced so many serious problems. To attract talent and grow sustainably, we need to address the citys transportation, affordability and infrastructure needs. If we ignore these threats, the inner city buckles. Its time to start thinking about solutions. Read more about: The writers of satirical royal soap The Windsors have revealed they predicted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's exit from the royal family long before it was announced. The Channel 4 show, which is the brainchild of Star Stories creators Bert Tyler-Moore and George Jeffrie, is a parody of the British royal family and is loosely based on real-life events. But the creators say they wrote their 'Megxit' storyline almost a year before the royal couple announced their decision to become financially independent, splitting their time between the UK and Canada. 'I think we started writing our Megxit storyline in spring 2019.' Co-creator George Jeffrie told the Sunday Times Culture. 'Although we thought they'd go to the US, not Canada.' The writers of satirical royal soap The Windsors have revealed they predicted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's exit from the royal family long before it was announced Co-creator Bert Tyler-Moore says he predicted there would be a 'clash' with 'self-'empowered and modern' Meghan who also wanted to 'live in a fairytale castle'. 'There was always going to be a clash with this contradictory self-empowered modern woman who wants to speak about issues, but also wants to marry a prince and live in a fairytale castle, joining this ridiculously outdated institution,' he added. But the creators of the show did go on to admit there were some things they couldn't predict. They revealed they were forced to quickly rewrite scenes following Prince Andrew's 'car crash' BBC interview which addressed his relationship with the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. The show Channel 4 show, which stars Richard Goulding as Prince Harry and Kathryn Drysdale as Meghan Markle (pictured), is a parody of the British royal family loosely based on real-life events 'Prince Andrew was a bit tricky,' Tyler-Moore said. 'The Epstein stuff had been bubbling for ages, so a lot of it's in the script, but the Newsnight interview went out before our final week's filming.' 'We had to do some hasty new scenes.' The Windsors will return to our screens next month, and will likely offend some die-hard monarchists with its controversial portrayal of the royal family. The show, which stars Richard Goulding as Prince Harry and Kathryn Drysdale as Meghan Markle, has had some controversial storylines in previous episodes. S treatham attacker Sudesh Amman once told a friend that when I grow up I am going to be a terrorist it was revealed as Boris Johnson prepared to unveil sweeping new plans to keep dangerous extremists behind bars. The 20-year-old Islamist, who was released from a terrorist sentence only a week ago, injured several people as he attacked shoppers with a 10-inch knife before being shot dead by armed police in south London yesterday. His attack was the second in just over two months carried out by a freed terrorist, following the double killing by Usman Khan at Fishmongers Hall on London Bridge late last year and today led to a clamour of calls for an overhaul of sentencing to keep dangerous extremists in prison for longer. Those calling for action included the former Met counter-terrorism chief Sir Mark Rowley. Streatham attacker Sudesh Amman () / Met Police About 260 convicted terrorists have either already been released in recent months or are due to be freed. But Sir Mark urged ministers to see whether the law could be changed retrospectively to enable those still deemed dangerous to be kept in prison. He added that terrorists freed from prison in this country were a bigger danger to the public than returning jihadis from Syria. Armed police crowd round a man shot in Streatham It emerged today that Ammans extremist views began in childhood as former friends in Harrow where he grew up described how he had changed from being an average quiet guy to an aspiring jihadi. One female friend recalled conversations with Amman when they were younger: He kept on saying. I am going to bomb you. "He said I have got a grenade in my pocket and if you take one step closer to me I am going to set it off. We thought he was joking but he kept on saying it. He said, when I grow up I am going to be a terrorist. A list of life goals found in the home of Sudesh Amman (Met Police ) / Met Police London Mayor Sadiq Khan also called for the reintroduction of indeterminate sentences for terrorist offenders, although a former senior prosecutor, Nazir Afzal, claimed the problems lay in the lack of de-radicalisation within prisons and that without this longer sentences would merely delay, not prevent, attacks. At the same time, Sara Khan, the head of the governments Commission for Countering Extremism, joined the debate in an article for the Standard, in which she called on the government to urgently introduce a new strategy for tackling the hateful extremism within society which is fuelling terrorism. But much of the focus today remained on yesterdays attacker Sudesh Amman. Streatham terror attack - In pictures 1 /28 Streatham terror attack - In pictures Police are dealing with an incident in Streatham Andy Bullemor Police officers conduct a search of a bail hostel in south London AFP via Getty Images A woman reacts near to the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police Getty Images Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police cordon off a property in Streatham PA Forensic officers outside a property on Leigham Court Road, Streatham PA Police activity at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police officers look under a bus as they work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the Streatham area of south London AP Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police officer on Streatham High Road PA Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Police officers guard a cordon on Streatham High Road, at the junction of Prentis Road AFP via Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police secure the area in Streatham AP Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard He was jailed in 2018 for 40 months for 13 offences involving the possession and distribution of terrorist material after an Old Bailey hearing which heard evidence about his fascination with knives and desire to carry out an attack. The court was also told how he had written in a notebook that his goals in life were to die as a shuhada [martyr] and go to Jannah [paradise], as well as how he supported the rape of Yazidi women because they were slaves. He had also sent messages describing his hatred for non-believers, his preference for using a knife to carry at an attack rather than a bomb, and the option of using acid as part of what police described as his fierce interest in violence. He was released a week ago after serving half his sentence under automatic early release provisions, which the government has already vowed to scrap, and subjected to armed police monitoring because he was still feared to be dangerous. Police at the scene of the Streatham attack / PA That was still not enough to prevent him carrying out yesterdays attack with a large knife, even though the instant police response which led to Amman being shot dead, meant he was stopped before he could carry out any murders or inflict more injuries. One former neighbour in Harrow said: He was a nice lad but got in with the wrong crowd. He had been in a bit of trouble for selling weed. He then started wearing the robes and being religious. I used to like him, he was pretty friendly. He was highly intelligent but maybe easily led. The family recently moved and we thought that was because he was coming out of prison. Forensic officers in Streatham / Jeremy Selwyn Neighbours said the Amman family had moved out last month from the house in Harrow, a quiet street of semi-detached homes a short walk away from Park High School. Jignesh Khimani, 20, a neighbour who went to school wih him, said: He was a normal boy at school, kept himself to himself, was a quiet lad, there were no red flags. Mr Khimanis mother Savita Kimani claimed the family had been in denial about Amman: The mother still believed the son had been wrongly accused and had not done anything. Meanwhile, as police continued their investigations into yesterdays attack by searching homes in south London and Bishops Stortford in Hertfordshire, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was responding by promising fundamental legal changes to toughen sentencing of terrorist offenders. The former Met Assistant Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, who led national counter-terrorism policing until 2018, said those changes should include retrospective legislation to keep dangerous extremists due for release in prison for longer. If someone is clearly driven by an ideology and they believe that slaughtering other people is a god given purpose I can see a case for that, he said, adding that any such reform should be accompanied by de-radicalisation programmes to give terrorists the opportunity to change their ways and be released. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley / PA Sir Mark added that he had previously warned MPs that there will be more dangerous people on the streets of the UK in the next few years coming out of prison after terrorist convictions than returning from Syria. Sadly that seems to be what is happening at the moment. One of the challenges for the Prime Minister and his team is how much he can look back and amend the rules for people already serving sentences. I know thats legally very, very difficult but otherwise police and security services are going to have many, many more cases where theyre prioritising armed surveillance and thats not the best way to protect the public. A combat knife found in the home of Sudesh Amman / PA When Amman, then 18, was sentenced for possessing and disseminating terrorist material in December 2018, the Old Bailey heard that he had a fascination with knives and wrote about his desire to die as a martyr. The former science and maths student at North West London College had been arrested that May after being unmasked by a Dutch counter extremist blogger. As well as sharing Islamic State propaganda in a family WhatsApp group called La Familia, Amman had stored items including an airgun, combat knife and notebook the address in Harrow, and scrawled homemade bomb recipes in a purple notebook. He also had been collecting bomb making manuals, and told his girlfriend over Skype that he was planning a terrorist attack in Queensbury, northwest London. One of the jihadi documents he shared was titled Bloody Brazilian Knife Fightin Techniques, which contained detailed instructions on inflicting damage to the human body with various knives and improvised weapons. The attack yesterday follows the murders carried out in December at Fishmongers Hall on London Bridge by another terrorist convict. Usman Khan, 28, who had been released halfway through a 16 year sentence for his involvement in an extremist group that plotted to bomb the London Stock Exchange, knifed two people to death at a prison rehabilitation conference. Choi Dae-zip, center, president of Korean Medical Association reads a statement in response to the government's recent measure on coronavirus epidemic at the association's headquarters in Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of Korean Medical Association By Kim Se-jeong The government's plan to ban the entry of foreigners who've been to Hubei Province, China, the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak, will be ineffective, according to medical experts, Monday. They called for an outright entry ban on all people coming from China "The government's measure is ineffective because the Chinese government has already banned people in Hubei from traveling outside. Rule No.1 in quarantine is to stop physical contact with those infected," Park Jong-hyuk, the spokesman for the Korean Medical Association (KMA), told The Korea Times, Monday. Later that day, the KMA released a statement with the same message. The ban is going into effect today at all airports and ports. Foreign nationals who visited Hubei Province after Jan. 20 will be denied entry; while Koreans will be allowed to go home after giving all appropriate contact information to the authorities and being instructed to observe a quarantine for 14 days the incubation period for the virus. Park, a medical doctor, added that the fact the virus has spread to other parts of China also proves the government's measure is inadequate. "Already, the number of confirmed cases is increasing in many parts of China. As far as I know, 40 percent of the coronavirus patients are outside Hubei Province. Again, we will lose the golden time to save the lives of people in Korea with the current measures." Twice-convicted murderer Robert Fisher was awarded the Purple Heart by President Lyndon B. Johnson for his service with the U.S. Marines during the Vietnam War. This photo was used as an exhibit in Fisher's appeal to the Pa. Supreme Court, contending that his first-degree murder conviction and death sentence should be overturned. Read more It was Norristown, 1980, and Robert Fisher was nervous. After returning home from combat in Vietnam, the 33-year-old turned to narcotics he later told doctors they eased the symptoms of the PTSD he carried back from the jungle along with a Purple Heart for his service in the Marines. But he graduated from client to associate, acting as a willing enforcer to a midlevel heroin dealer in Montgomery Countys largest borough, according to investigators. Police believed he had killed for his boss, Nathaniel Bootee Coleman, allegedly silencing a federal informant named Nigel Anderson. And he was prepared to kill again to keep that a secret. Fisher shot Linda Rowden, his ex-girlfriend, twice in the head at point-blank range as she drove down busy Dekalb Street on July 10, 1980, police said. At the time, Rowden, 26, was cooperating with county detectives investigating Andersons death. After seven years on the run, Fisher was captured and put in front of a jury. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. He successfully appealed, won a new trial and again was convicted and sentenced to death. Another appeal was successful and won him a new sentencing hearing, but a jury put him on death row for a third time. Last month, after a 17-year appeal in federal court, Fishers sentence and conviction were again overturned. Now, prosecutors in Montgomery County are poised to try him for the fourth time for the same, nearly 40-year-old crime. The decades-old case poses a particular challenge. Some of the witnesses from the earlier trials are dead, and in their place, lawyers for both sides will have to rely on transcripts of their previous testimony. Thats a handicap for the prosecution and defense alike because it deprives the lawyers of the opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses or challenge their credibility in front of a jury. Witnesses who are available to take the stand face the obstacle of fading memories. And Fisher, at 73, may cut a more sympathetic figure than he did when he was first brought into the courtroom in 1988 as a decorated veteran turned violent drug-gang enforcer. Fishers appeals were all won on legal findings of errors by lawyers and trial judges, mistakes that the appellate courts ruled compromised the verdict of his guilt and his sentence. Experts in capital punishment such as Jules Epstein, a professor at Temple Universitys Beasley School of Law, say thats not uncommon in death-penalty cases. Death-penalty litigation is the brain surgery of criminal law," Epstein said. "Sadly, we dont always have the right people handling the cases, so very often there are problems that cause a return decades after trial. So in the end, jurors with 21st-century sensibilities will have to decide whether the earlier jurors got it wrong three times. This time, though, prosecutors are not pursuing the death penalty. The federal judge who ordered the retrial ruled that prosecutors erred while arguing for that punishment in Fishers third sentencing, in 1997. Its a moot point now anyway: Pennsylvania has a moratorium on the death penalty, signed by Gov. Tom Wolf in 2015. First Assistant District Attorney Ed McCann Jr., who is handling Fishers fourth trial, said he is confident in the case, which he called a brutal killing with clear indication of intent. A veteran prosecutor who worked for years in the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office, McCann said the evidence against Fisher was compelling. I think the case is strong, in terms of evidence of guilt, he said. Multiple witnesses say that he did it, he talked to somebody after, one of his girlfriends, and admits it, and then he goes on the run for about seven years. McCann is also hoping for an outcome that finally brings closure to Rowdens family, who he said has been deeply upset by the news of the coming retrial. Thats probably the toughest part of dealing with these issues that come back all these years later, McCann said. Those are really hard conversations to have, for people who maybe havent thought about the court process for a really long time. And in this case, its after almost 40 years, which is a pretty terrible thing to have to tell somebody, and a pretty terrible thing for them to endure. Carrie Allman, the chief of homicide trials for the Montgomery County Public Defenders Office who is handling Fishers defense, said trying a case with such a complicated history could be difficult. The unavailability of some witnesses, in particular, she said, poses a significant handicap to both sides. Like McCann, she said shes aiming for a just conclusion to the case after so many years. Its been three times now, Allman said. And thats a lot of time and resources. It might benefit everyone if we could find a resolution thats fair and does not continue to take up the time and energy of the court system. The coverage on this live blog has ended but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus, visit the live blog from CNBC's US team. All times below in Beijing time. 9:00 pm: China says it has 'unblocked' channels of communication with Taiwan over coronavirus China told the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday that channels of communication with Taiwan had been "unblocked," with Beijing sharing full information on the coronavirus with authorities across the Strait. Taiwan, which is not a WHO member due to China's objections, has 10 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. China considers self-governing Taiwan a wayward province to be brought under its control. 7:40 pm: Coronavirus control reportedly identified as China's most important task Chinese President Xi Jinping has recognized coronavirus control as the most important task facing the world's second-largest economy, Reuters reported Monday, citing state media. China's National Health Commission confirmed on Monday that there have been 17,205 cases of the coronavirus in the country, with 361 deaths. Market participants also continue to closely monitor the potential economic fallout of the virus, with mainland Chinese markets plunging on their return from the extended Lunar New Year holiday on Monday. (See 3:15 p.m. update). 6:40 pm: WHO chief says travel restrictions are unnecessary amid coronavirus outbreak The World Health Organization's (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has reaffirmed the health agency's view that there is no need to impose restrictions that "unnecessarily" interfere with international travel and trade. He told the WHO's executive board on Monday that "global collectiveness is a weakness" as the coronavirus continues to spread "but it is also our greatest strength." Tedros said there have been 151 coronavirus cases in 23 countries outside of China. 5:50 pm: Hong Kong closes majority of border crossings with mainland China Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced Monday that the city would suspend 10 out of a possible 13 border crossings with mainland China in an effort to curb the fast-spreading coronavirus. Thousands of medical workers in Hong Kong went on strike starting Monday to compel the city's government to accede to a demand for a complete shutdown of its borders with mainland China to keep out the spread of the virus. (See 12 p.m. update). Lam said Monday that the medical worker strike was putting patients at risk, describing the move as "extremely mean." The city's chief executive has previously said a complete border shutdown with mainland China would be "discriminatory." 5:40 pm: G-7 health ministers to hold meeting to discuss coronavirus on Monday Italy's health ministry has confirmed health ministers from the Group of Seven (G-7) will discuss the coronavirus outbreak in a teleconference call at 10 p.m. Beijing time (2 p.m. London time) on Monday. The G-7 group comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. It comes shortly after China's National Health Commission reported 361 people in the country had died as a result of the virus. 4:45 pm: Russia says foreign nationals found with coronavirus may be deported Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said Monday that foreign nationals found to be infected with the coronavirus may be deported, according to the Interfax news agency. His comments come after the first two cases of the deadly pneumonia-like virus were reported in Russia last week. Moscow has suspended direct passenger trains to China, as well as direct flights. 3:30 pm: China says some countries have overreacted to virus outbreak China's foreign ministry on Monday said some countries, especially the U.S., have overreacted to the coronavirus outbreak, according to Reuters. The U.S., in particular, has spread fear instead of offering significant assistance, the Chinese foreign ministry said. It was the first country to impose a travel ban on Chinese travelers, it said. U.S. President Donald Trump last week signed an order for the U.S. to deny entry to any foreign nationals who have traveled in China within the past two weeks. "All it has done could only create and spread fear, which is a bad example," ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, according to Reuters. The ministry added that it is unreasonable to prevent people from entering borders. Several other countries have also placed travel restrictions on Chinese nationals, or those with travel history in China. 3:15 pm: Chinese stocks dive by the close Mainland Chinese markets plunged on their return from the extended Lunar New Year holiday, and maintained steep declines by the close. The Shanghai composite fell 7.72% while the Shenzhen component dropped 8.45%. The Shenzhen composite dived 8.41%. Earlier, they fell by as much as nearly 9%. The onshore Chinese yuan touched a low of 7.0223 against the greenback, last trading at 7.0141 while its offshore counterpart was at 7.0132 per dollar. 2:30 pm: Russia to start evacuating citizens from Wuhan Russia plans to start evacuating its citizens from Wuhan on Monday. There are more than 600 Russians in the Chinese city, according to a Reuters report citing Russia's deputy prime minister. Russia, which reported two coronavirus cases last week, has suspended direct passenger trains to China, as well as direct flights. 1:30 pm: Coronavirus deaths in mainland China overtake SARS The number of deaths in mainland China has now surpassed that of SARS. Officials said earlier that the current coronavirus outbreak had killed 361 people through the end of Sunday. According to the World Health Organization, the first case of novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China was reported Dec. 31.That number is greater than the 349 deaths during the SARS epidemic which lasted from 2002 to 2003. 12:50 pm: China says mask production capacity doubled, virus impact on economy 'temporary' China's production capacity of face masks has doubled as of Sunday night, said Lian Weiliang, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, at a briefing in Beijing Monday morning. After the threat of the virus passes, the government will purchase the excess masks, Lian said, noting businesses' concerns about overproduction. Meanwhile, the inventory of vegetables in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, has returned to "normal levels," according to Wang Bingnan, a vice minister of the Ministry of Commerce, at the same briefing. Lian added that the impact of the virus on the economy, especially consumption, is increasing, but the overall impact to the economy is "temporary." 12:00 pm: Thousands of healthcare workers in Hong Kong go on strike Thousands of medical workers in Hong Kong went on strike starting Monday to compel the city's government to accede to a demand for a complete shutdown of its borders with mainland China to keep out the spread of the virus. Around 2,400 employees took part in a strike on Monday, according to a Reuters report. If the government does not respond by 6:00 p.m HK/SIN, all staff including more than 6,000 workers in essential services would go on a full strike from Tuesday, according to a report by the South China Morning Post. 11:10 am: Huawei resumes production Chinese tech giant Huawei said Monday it has resumed production of goods, including consumer devices and other telecoms equipment. The move was in line with a government directive that allows certain critical industries to remain in operation, amid the government's decision to extend a shutdown in more than half of China's provinces and regions in a bid to control the outbreak. 10:40 am: Vietnam confirms three new cases Vietnam confirmed three new coronavirus cases, according to Reuters citing the country's ministry of health. That brings its total to eight cases. The country had declared a public health emergency on Saturday and suspended all flights to and from mainland China. 9:50 am: US reports two more cases Two more cases a couple were confirmed in San Benito in California late on Sunday. The husband recently traveled to Wuhan, while the wife did not. That made the total number of cases in the U.S. at 11. 9:32 am: Mainland Chinese stocks plunge almost 9% Mainland Chinese markets plunged on their return from the extended Lunar New Year holiday. The Shenzhen component dived 8.69%, and the Shenzhen composite plunged 8.65% in early trading. The Shanghai composite tumbled more than 8%. Both the onshore and offshore yuan weakened past the 7 level against the dollar on Monday morning, a key psychological level. The People's Bank of China, however, announced Sunday that it will inject 1.2 trillion yuan ($174 billion) worth of liquidity into the markets via open market reverse repo operations. That will make the total liquidity in the banking system around 900 billion yuan more as compared to a year ago, it added. The China Securities Regulatory Commission told the state-owned People's Daily on Sunday, however, that it believed the outbreak's impact on markets would be short lived. To support firms, it said it would call on corporate bond investors to extend the debt maturity dates, and consider launching hedging tools for the A-share market to ease market panic. 8:45 am: More Chinese provinces or regions extend shutdown As of Monday morning, at least 24 provinces, municipalities and other regions in China have told businesses not to resume work before Feb. 10 at the earliest. That's according to publicly available statements from the governments. Last year, those parts of China accounted for more than 80% of national GDP, and 90% of exports, according to CNBC calculations of data accessed through Wind Information. Beijing: encouraged companies to have employees work from home until Feb. 10. Hubei: businesses are not to reopen until at least Feb. 14. However, officials said Friday that Hubei would further extend the holiday to an "appropriate extent," according to state-owned newspaper People's Daily. Tianjin: Businesses and schools are not to reopen until further notice. Anhui, Chongqing, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hunan, Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanghai, Shanxi, Suzhou, Xi'an, Yunnan, Zhejiang: work is to resume no earlier than midnight on Feb. 9. 8:10 am: China markets set to reopen on Monday Investors are bracing for the reopening of mainland Chinese markets at 9:30 a.m. after the extended holiday, with expectations they will take a battering amid the virus outbreak. The People's Bank of China, however, announced Sunday that it will inject 1.2 trillion yuan ($173 billion) worth of liquidity into the markets via open market reverse repo operations. Meanwhile, other Asia markets tumbled at Monday's open, with Japan, Australia and South Korea all dropping more than 1%. 7:50 am: China confirms 57 additional deaths and 2,829 new cases China's National Health Commission said there were an additional 57 deaths and 2,829 new confirmed cases, as of the end of Sunday. That brings the country's total to 361 deaths and 17,205 confirmed cases, the government said. 6:54 am: China's Hubei province confirms additional 56 deaths and 2,103 new cases The Hubei Provincial Health Committee confirmed 2,103 new cases and an additional 56 deaths in the province through the end of Feb. 2. It said that brings total confirmed cases in the region to 11,177 as the death toll rises to 350 deaths in the province. Wuhan, China is the capital city of Hubei province and the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. All times below in U.S. eastern standard time. 5 pm: California county reports ninth US case of coronavirus The ninth U.S. case of coronavirus was confirmed in Santa Clara County on Sunday. It's the second case in the San Francisco Bay area. The case is in a woman who was recently in Wuhan, China, and visited the U.S. to see family on Jan. 23, according to the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. 3 pm: Russian Railways halts passenger trains to China Russian Railways said on Sunday that it would temporarily suspend passenger trains to China from midnight until further notice, including rail services along the Moscow-Beijing route. 2 pm: China finishes building new hospital in 10 days Oregon schools and employers could not ban braids, locs or natural hair under a proposal that has widespread support from state lawmakers. State law protects people from discrimination based on race. House Bill 4107, crafted after a similar measure passed in California, would make it clear that racial discrimination includes treating people differently because of a hairstyle historically associated with race. The measure would prohibit employers and places that serve the public from enforcing policies on hair that mostly affect people of color. It would also require schools to adopt anti-discrimination measures that cover race and hairstyles in order to participate in interscholastic activities. The protections would ensure students, workers and consumers can go to schools, jobs and public spaces without being harassed or discriminated against because of their hair, said Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Clackamas. The bill would also block businesses from not accepting cash. The anti-discrimination measures have widespread support among House and Senate Democrats. Three Republicans have also signed on as sponsors. Oregon is one of 20 states considering anti-discrimination laws centered on hairstyles, according to an analysis by legislative staff. Washington lawmakers introduced a similar bill in January. Congress may also protect hairstyles from discrimination in federal laws. The nationwide push comes after California lawmakers adopted anti-discrimination provisions that cover hairstyles in 2019. U.S. military branches, including the Army and Navy, have also changed their rules in recent years to allow more natural hairstyles often worn by African American women. Youre not relaxing standards, youre simply shifting away from a Euro-centric standard of beauty, Bynum said. Bynum said three different groups separately approached her last year to talk about addressing discriminatory policies in workplaces or schools that banned hairstyles primarily worn by people of color. At the time, Bynum was the only African American member of the House. She said she wasnt sure the issue could be addressed during the short, five-week legislative session, but the framework from the California bill made the proposal possible. Several people testified Monday during a House Judiciary committee meeting and more than a dozen people submitted written testimony in support of the bill. We shouldnt have to assimilate our hair to fit in to our own country, wrote Shante Moore and Christine Bynum, representing the Black Student Union at LaSalle Catholic College Preparatory, a high school in Milwaukie. If people experience discrimination because of their hair type, texture or style, such as braids or natural hair, the new law would give state civil rights investigators the responsibility to investigate the complaint. One of the goals of my office is to make sure that we call (discrimination) out, we address it and we make this state more inclusive for everyone, Bynum said. -- Molly Young myoung@oregonian.com Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Erin Kimmerle, a forensic anthropologist who worked to account for dozens of children buried at a notorious Florida reform school, will receive the 2020 Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The award honors scientists, engineers or organizations whose actions have exemplified scientific freedom and responsibility in challenging circumstances, sometimes at risk to their professional or physical safety. Despite pushback from those unwilling to reckon with the school's past, Kimmerle led a four-year excavation during which she and her team discovered the remains of dozens of boys in unmarked graves. Her work has begun the process of justice and closure for the victims' families and brought an overlooked case of wrongdoing to a global audience. "Erin Kimmerle discovered the unmarked graves of boys who were consigned to cruel incarceration and whose families had no idea what had happened to them," said Jessica Wyndham, director of the Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program at AAAS. "Her exemplary research that revealed an alarming history of abuses demonstrates how scientists can apply their expertise in the service of justice and human rights." From 1900 to 2011, the state of Florida operated the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in the Panhandle town of Marianna. Some of the children institutionalized there were sent by courts after committing serious crimes. Others were sent as punishment for minor infractions, such as incorrigibility, truancy or shoplifting. Most of the boys were black and came from families with few resources with which to fight their sentences. From 2012 to 2016, Kimmerle, who directs the Florida Institute for Forensic Anthropology and Applied Science at University of South Florida, led an investigation into the first 60 years of the school's operation. In the project's early stages, after Rick Scott, then governor of Florida, and the state's legislature authorized a year-long dig at the site, Sid Riley, the publisher of Marianna's Jackson County Times, expressed his disapproval of the decision, echoing the position of many local residents. "The bad publicity which will ensue during the year or more of time which will be involved will seriously hamper our local tourism development programs, as well as economic development efforts for our county," Riley said in an Aug. 2013 story in The Ledger, a newspaper based in Lakeland, Fla. "Please do not allow them to engage in this greed motivated waste of money." Likewise, Marianna's police chief wrote to a state attorney about the possibility of preventing the dig under a state statute that forbids the "destruction, mutilation, defacement, injury or removal" of a gravesite. Kimmerle used ground penetrating radar, historical imagery analysis and traditional excavation techniques to exhume the remains of 51 boys -- previously listed as "missing" -- from unmarked graves. Her research, including skeletal analysis of human remains, ethnographic interviews and examination of archival documentation, shows that the children at the school suffered beatings, forced labor, sexual abuse and malnutrition. Collaborating with a multidisciplinary team of more than 65 volunteers from 12 law enforcement agencies and universities, Kimmerle was able to positively identify eight of the bodies using DNA. Those identified were returned to their families, and in 2017, Scott signed into law a bill providing $1.2 million for reburials and memorials. The remains of fourteen additional boys were presumptively identified using demography and the location and date of burials. Survivors of the school's abuse are still seeking restitution. In 2017, both the Florida Senate and House of Representatives passed resolutions acknowledging the state's role in the injustices. In the House resolution, representatives apologized to the victims and expressed their "commitment to ensuring that children who have been placed in the State of Florida's care are protected from abuse and violations of fundamental human decency." The findings of Kimmerle's research received coverage from hundreds of global news outlets. Kimmerle also established a publicly available digital archive at the University of South Florida that includes audio and visual recordings, transcripts of oral history interviews, maps and photographs related to the project, and she is working on a book on the topic. "Dr. Kimmerle's research at the Dozier School site led to the unlocking of a tragic history in our state," wrote former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida in a letter to AAAS. "Dr. Kimmerle's expertise in forensic anthropology and her dedication to applying her profession provided a voice for human rights." ### The AAAS Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award was established in 1980. Achievements that the award recognizes include acting to protect the public's health, safety or welfare; focusing public attention on important issues related to scientific research, education and public policy; and establishing important new precedents in carrying out the social responsibilities of scientists or in defending the professional freedom of scientists and engineers. The award consists of a $5,000 prize and a commemorative plaque. Kimmerle will receive the prize during the 186th AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle, Wash., on Feb. 16, 2020. Could Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) be an attractive dividend share to own for the long haul? Investors are often drawn to strong companies with the idea of reinvesting the dividends. Yet sometimes, investors buy a stock for its dividend and lose money because the share price falls by more than they earned in dividend payments. A slim 2.1% yield is hard to get excited about, but the long payment history is respectable. At the right price, or with strong growth opportunities, Eli Lilly could have potential. During the year, the company also conducted a buyback equivalent to around 3.9% of its market capitalisation. Before you buy any stock for its dividend however, you should always remember Warren Buffett's two rules: 1) Don't lose money, and 2) Remember rule #1. We'll run through some checks below to help with this. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on Eli Lilly! NYSE:LLY Historical Dividend Yield, February 3rd 2020 Payout ratios Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. As a result, we should always investigate whether a company can afford its dividend, measured as a percentage of a company's net income after tax. Looking at the data, we can see that 52% of Eli Lilly's profits were paid out as dividends in the last 12 months. A payout ratio above 50% generally implies a business is reaching maturity, although it is still possible to reinvest in the business or increase the dividend over time. Consider getting our latest analysis on Eli Lilly's financial position here. Dividend Volatility From the perspective of an income investor who wants to earn dividends for many years, there is not much point buying a stock if its dividend is regularly cut or is not reliable. Eli Lilly has been paying dividends for a long time, but for the purpose of this analysis, we only examine the past 10 years of payments. During this period the dividend has been stable, which could imply the business could have relatively consistent earnings power. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was US$1.96 in 2010, compared to US$2.96 last year. Dividends per share have grown at approximately 4.2% per year over this time. Story continues Dividends have grown relatively slowly, which is not great, but some investors may value the relative consistency of the dividend. Dividend Growth Potential While dividend payments have been relatively reliable, it would also be nice if earnings per share (EPS) were growing, as this is essential to maintaining the dividend's purchasing power over the long term. It's good to see Eli Lilly has been growing its earnings per share at 17% a year over the past five years. Eli Lilly's earnings per share have grown rapidly in recent years, although more than half of its profits are being paid out as dividends, which makes us wonder if the company has a limited number of reinvestment opportunities in its business. Conclusion When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. Eli Lilly's payout ratio is within an average range for most market participants. We like that it has been delivering solid improvement in its earnings per share, and relatively consistent dividend payments. Eli Lilly fits all of our criteria, and we think there are a lot of positives to it from a dividend perspective. Earnings growth generally bodes well for the future value of company dividend payments. See if the 11 Eli Lilly analysts we track are forecasting continued growth with our free report on analyst estimates for the company. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of dividend stocks with a yield above 3%. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. A Myanmarese drug dealer has been detained under the National Security Act (NSA) in Manipur's Thoubal district, police said on Monday. The drug dealer, Kyaw Kyaw Naing, was detained under the NSA after he got bail from a court on January 28. Thoubal District Magistrate, N Bandana Devi, in a statement, said that based on a police report, the activities of the Myanmarese national was found to be "prejudicial to the security of the state and maintenance of public order". So the NSA was slapped as "an alternative preventive measure" against the 33-year-old man. Special Judge (ND & PS) on January 28 had ordered that Naing be "released on bail on his furnishing a personal bond of Rs 1,00,000 only with two sureties of Rs 1,00,000 each. The court had also directed the Thoubal Police Station to return the passport so that he could "apply for extension of visa" to enable him to stay in Manipur till the disposal of the case. Naing was arrested by the police from the gate of Imphal International Airport in August last year for his alleged involvement in supplying drugs in Manipur. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Migrating Ovations growing base of operations to the significantly larger Chrysler East in Midtown also underscores our commitment to be closer to key clients, more centrally located for our employees, advisors and travel supplier partners, and within easy reach of major transportation options. Ovation Travel Group, one of the largest independently owned travel management and luxury leisure travel companies headquartered in the US, today announced it has moved its headquarters to Chrysler East (42nd Street and Third Avenue) in Midtown Manhattan to better accommodate the companys continued growth, which is on track to increase substantially over the next ten years. The new offices at 666 Third Avenue conceptualized and planned by New Yorks award-winning Design Republic to be evocative of Ovations brand, people and culture provide enjoyable and innovative spaces to conduct business and entertain its clients. As we wrapped up Ovation Travel Groups 35th year in business, we celebrated that auspicious occasion with the best possible gift we could provide to our valued clients and exceptionally talented team of staff and Independent Advisors (IAs): a new, easily-accessible state-of-the-art headquarters in one of New York Citys most iconic office complexes, stated Paul Metselaar, CEO and Chairman of Ovation Travel Group. Migrating Ovations growing base of operations to the significantly larger Chrysler East in Midtown Manhattan also underscores our commitment to be closer to key clients, more centrally located for our employees, advisors and travel supplier partners, and within easy reach of major transportation options. After 20 years at its former location at 71 Fifth Avenue, Ovation began searching for a new home. After stumbling upon Chrysler East, we figured there wouldnt be a better place than to be in a historic area of New York City, and the fact that it is adjacent to the iconic Chrysler Building was very attractive to us, noted Sunil Mahtani, Executive Vice President of Ovation Travel Group. Here weve built out a space for our people, enabling them to be more efficient and do their work at the highest levels possible. Collaborating with Design Republic The task of planning the 40,000 square feet of raw space with exposed columns was figuring out what we would do with it. The key was to find the right design team to help us. After interviewing many architects, we finally decided on Design Republic. Their presentation was excellent, the team that presented was great and we just found that connection with them because thats what we represent as a company, explained Mahtani, adding, Ovation Travel Group is all about connections. Its connections to our brand. Its connections to our people. Its connections to our culture. Its connecting our clients to their clients. And its connecting our travelers to destinations and places theyve never been to. For Design Republic, it was imperative that the success of any design be founded in Ovations identity, who they are today and who they will be going forward, explained Neil Tucker, AIA and Partner with Design Republic. When exploring what that identity is, one theme became clear: connections. Connections to people, places, clients, colleagues and cultures. It was natural to our design process that we follow and celebrate these connections Ovation makes every day, along with interpretations of what we all love about the experience of a journey in this case, a journey that aligns with the teams workflow, promotes connection and celebrates collaboration. Ovation Travel Group Headquarters Innovative Design Design Republics blueprint for Ovations new headquarters found its inspirations from the classic European city plan, with established neighborhoods of focused work arranged around an all-important communal town center, which flows from the headquarters east side reception through to an exterior terrace accessible from the southwest cafe. Clients, Independent Advisors (IAs), staff and visitors alike will arrive within Ovations elevator lobby, which provides subtle hints to the history of the Chrysler Building Annex, originally designed by Reinhard, Hofmeister & Walquist Architects and later modernized by renowned architect Phillip Johnson. Upon arrival, visitors will walk out onto the original terrazzo floor, discovered during interior demolition and now restored, will view an exposed original steel column just beyond the twin glass reception doors and will see the original concrete encased beams and girders, which make up the structural deck above. These hints of the buildings history are balanced against crisp new lines, the warmth of wood and metal, bold color and the tastefully positioned Ovation Travel Group logo hovering over a white marble backdrop, wrote Tucker in a letter to Ovations team. A playful moment to be enjoyed will be a split-flap arrivals board the same type of which graces so many train stations around the world centered within reception and click-clacking customized greetings to valued guests and clients. Moving from reception through a jetway with custom artwork representing a global skyline and with intimate meeting nooks, the visitor will encounter training and vendor rooms and Ovations European-style cafe, with views towards the recognizable 42nd Street Chrysler Glass Pyramids below and the Chrysler Building itself rising to the north. The cafe will be a crossroads for all of Ovation; its leadership, staff, suppliers and clients alike. Based on the initial response from our leadership, employees and IAs, our collaboration with Design Republic really hit it out of the park, added Metselaar. Throughout our new headquarters, we have created a spacious environment that is at once both classic in design and modern with an industrial avant-garde feel. This balance is enabling us to bridge any conceivable gap between the needs of our longtime veteran advisors and staff with those who are just launching their careers in travel with us. Ovations luxury leisure travel division is inviting independent advisors to learn how to qualify for its program by visiting OvationTravel.com/Become-an-Independent. About Ovation Ovation Travel Group, whose flagship brand, Lawyers Travel, began operations over 35 years ago, is one of the largest independently owned travel companies headquartered in the US. Ovation is a $1.4 billion travel company with travel consultants in more than 30 locations throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. Ovation is the largest affiliate of BCD Travel and utilizes BCDs global network to fulfill its clients travel programs across the globe. With over 700 employees and over 200 independent travel advisors, Ovation provides business travel services, bespoke luxury travel experiences and meeting and special events planning for over 700 professional organizations and over 200,000 travelers. For more information, please visit https://www.ovationtravel.com. Even though AAP is popular among the Purvanchali voters, the latest surge of the BJP has had the top leadership worried Right after the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, CSDS conducted a survey in Delhi. Of the 56 percent that had voted for the BJP, the survey found, 24 percent preferred AAP for the state elections of 2020. A significant chunk of that would be the Purvanchali vote, which can determine the outcome of around 25 seats in the 70-constituency Assembly. Until last week, AAP seemed like it would sail past the halfway mark of 35. The party is still comfortably ahead, but the BJP is closing the gap, partly due to communal politics, and partly because of the infusion of cadres on the ground. It has had an impact on the critical Purvanchali voters residents of Delhi but with roots in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand that consists of around 25 to 30 percent of Delhi's 1.43 crore voters. Rajeev Kumar, with his roots in Bihar, said he would have voted for AAP had it not been for Shaheen Bagh. "Arvind Kejriwal has done remarkable work," said the Uber driver belonging to the Laxmi Nagar constituency. "Nobody can deny that. But what is happening at Shaheen Bagh is not right. And only the BJP is opposing that." For over a month-and-a-half, Muslim women at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh have staged a peaceful sit-in, protesting Narendra Modi and Amit Shah's policies of the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens, which, critics say are religiously discriminatory and could spell doom for Indian Muslims. Ahead of the Assembly election, though, the BJP has made the protests its sole campaign pitch. Leaders like Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur and Yogi Adityanath have incited violence against the protesters, calling them traitors who should be shot dead. Days after that call, a 17-year old fired shots at protesting students in Jamia Millia Islamia, where one student was injured. Praveen Kumar, an autorickshaw driver from Uttar Pradesh, who will be voting in Delhi's Mustafabad, said the youngster did the right thing. "He was the lone Hindu who went among them and fired shots. Whether CAA or NRC is good or bad, it will affect Hindus and Muslims both," he said, "Why are only Muslims protesting? Hindus need to unite. If AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan can meet Shaheen Bagh protestors, why can't BJP leaders chant the slogans they want to chant?" Kejriwal has tried to stay away from the debate as much as possible. He knows he cannot win without the ideologically-agnostic Modi voters voting for him. By not being out there during CAA and NRC agitations, he hoped not to make the Modi voter uncomfortable. He has focussed on governance, education, electricity and health. The BJP, on the other hand, by flaring up communal passions, is expecting those who voted for the BJP at the Centre to stay with the party at the state as well. The communal hatred perpetuated during the CAA-NRC discourse has been vicious in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as well. The Purvanchali vote, with roots in those states, will not remain immune from it. However, the ones resisting the BJP's ploy still seem to outnumber those falling for it. Most of the Purvanchali voters belong to the working class that has benefitted greatly from Kejriwal's welfare politics. Coming from Uttar Pradesh, Ashok Mishra, an Uber driver who owns his car, said he might support Modi as prime minister, but the state election should be fought on local issues. "I earn around Rs 20,000 or so a month by driving an Uber," he said, adding that he managed to get the car because of a Central government scheme. "My monthly instalment is Rs 12,000. I have to run a household in the remaining amount. After Kejriwal subsidised electricity and water, I started saving Rs 2,000 per month, which was a huge relief. Delhi mein toh Kejriwal hi chahiye." "Modi for prime minister and Kejriwal for chief minister" is the narrative largely emerging from the National Capital so far. It comes through more prominently among the Purvanchali voters. Understanding its importance, perhaps, the BJP had appointed Manoj Tiwari as its head in Delhi. But he has had no impact. Historically, this vote base used to be with the Congress under Shiela Dixit. The Congress had a prominent Purvanchali leader in Mahabal Mishra as well. His son, Vinay, is contesting on an AAP ticket from Dwarka. In the last two elections, the Purvanchali voters completely shifted towards AAP. When the party won 67 out of 70 seats in Delhi in 2015, 13 of those MLAs were from Purvanchal. That representation has also helped AAP cement its stamp within the community, helping them resist the religious polarisation. To keep that constituency intact, in September 2019, Kejriwal made further overtures by making special arrangements for Chhat Puja, and increasing the ghats for it. Delhi government schools have also introduced Maithili as an optional language. Vijay Kumar, associated with the New Ashok Nagar Chhat Puja Seva Samiti in the constituency of Trilokpuri, is an AAP supporter because the party and their current candidate, Rohit Mehraulia, have been warm towards them. "Our organisation focuses on the betterment of ghats where the Chhat Puja happens, we also look after the Kawariyas when they come to Delhi for a week," he said. "We are happy with AAP. They look like they care about us." In the same constituency, Alka Gupta, a homemaker, and her husband, Badrinath Gupta, an e-rickshaw driver, said they like Modi, but hope Kejriwal would be re-elected. "He has subsidised travel, electricity and made a nice Mohalla clinic," said Alka, "He even developed schools. What would any working class citizen want? Adityanath should focus on getting more jobs in Uttar Pradesh, so that the people over there do not come and live in Delhi." Even though AAP is popular among the Purvanchali voters, the latest surge of the BJP has had the top leadership worried. The BJP will be hoping the momentum continues until election day 8 February, while AAP is expecting that momentum to be insufficient to carry the BJP over the line. Regardless of that, the number of BJP voters coming to AAP is definitely not 24 percent anymore. The domestic violence prosecutor for Montanas largest city says changes to the states probation and parole system are coming at a cost to victims. Deputy Billings City Attorney Ben Halverson told the Criminal Justice Oversight Council recently about several cases he is prosecuting against men on probation for nonviolent offenses. That includes one case in which a man whose probation was being supervised for a drug offense assaulted his girlfriend late last year, leading to a charge in Billings Municipal Court. The woman told investigators he had a history of assaulting her, including when she was pregnant, Halverson said. Last week, he strangled his new girlfriend, Halverson said. In another case, a man serving probation for a fourth DUI was arrested after he left a voicemail for his girlfriend threatening to kill her, Halverson said. His blood alcohol content was measured at 0.341 when he was arrested. The legal limit is 0.08. Halverson said the girlfriend was begging her boyfriend's probation officer to intervene when his drinking continued after he returned from an inpatient alcohol addiction treatment program called WATCh. Billings isn't seeing a financial savings from keeping nonviolent offenders out of jail, "because they are being violent to their intimate partners, Halverson said in a phone call after the meeting. The oversight council that met Wednesday is tasked with tracking the progress of a series of criminal justice reforms passed by the 2017 Montana Legislature. The reforms were in part designed to divert nonviolent offenders from jails and prisons, reduce crowding and cut costs. The measures largely passed with comfortable margins and broad bipartisan support. Since then, prosecutors and law enforcement have been vocal in their criticisms of the reform rollout. In response, corrections officials and other reform proponents often say the measures need more time for gains to be realized. Halverson told the oversight body he believes there are spillover effects when probationers abuse their partners. The cost to the system is its hard to calculate, but I think its being overlooked, he said, arguing such situations can increase the burden on child protective services, domestic violence shelters, public defenders and prosecutors. Carolynn Bright, a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections, declined to comment on Halversons presentation, saying she was not familiar with the specific cases he was referencing. Its important members of the public know the DOC's probation and parole officers are extremely dedicated and work diligently to perform their duties to protect Montana citizens, she said, in a statement. Sen. Nate McConnell, D-Missoula, said in a phone call Thursday that he also couldnt comment on the cases Halverson referenced because he was unfamiliar with them. He said it was true that some people reoffend, especially when struggling with addiction or mental health issues. But, he said, with the proper training and adherence to the new tools being used by probation and parole officers to determine responses to violations, we will continue to improve the process. McConnell said it would have been difficult to foresee all negative consequences of a major overhaul like the criminal justice reforms. Having said that, the Department of Corrections has been moving as best they know how to not only protect the public safety, but also reduce jail crowding and growing corrections costs, McConnell said. Sen. Jen Gross, D-Billings, sits on the Law and Justice Interim Committee and attended the oversight council meeting Wednesday. She called Halversons presentation compelling. Gross said the reforms were a tough balancing act but that lawmakers needed to give extra consideration to the problem of domestic violence. When it comes to domestic violence, though, intimate partner violence, were just dealing with a little bit different mindset and attitude, and we need to be careful about some of the reforms when we are talking about domestic violence, she said. Gross said its too soon to know what legislative changes she might support, if any. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Police Ombudsman is investigating a complaint from the family of murdered journalist Lyra McKee. It comes as police admitted they know the identity of her killer, but don't have the evidence to put the matter before the courts. The 29-year-old was shot dead in April 2019 while observing a riot in the Creggan estate in Londonderry. The complaint from her family relates to aspects of the policing operation in the city on the night of her death, the BBC has reported. It relates to the decision of the PSNI to search a house in Creggan on April 18. Nothing was found during the search and while it was ongoing, rioting broke out during which Ms McKee was shot. The New IRA admitted responsibility. The DUP's Mervyn Storey said the the Ombudsman review should not detract from the actions of terrorists on the night of the murder. "The office of the Police Ombudsman should be afforded space to come to its own conclusion," he said. In a statement, the McKee family said: "Whilst we hold Lyra's killer and their associates completely responsible for her murder, we have asked the Police Ombudsman to investigate the aspects of the policing operation on April 18 2019. "The Police Ombudsman investigation is completely separate to the ongoing murder investigation. We consider this a very personal family matter and have no further comment." PSNI Detective Chief Superintendent Raymond Murray acknowledged the complaint but defended police actions. Expand Close Lyra McKee PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lyra McKee "The ombudsman will conduct their investigation and it will come to its own conclusion," he said. "What I will say is that the officers acted in good faith with the information at the time. That is all we can do." Separately, SDLP MLA and Policing Board member Dolores Kelly accused the PSNI of failing the people of Northern Ireland. She criticised the PSNI for not catching dissident republican killers involved in the high profile murders of Lyra McKee and 43-year-old Jim Donegan, who was shot outside a school in west Belfast in December 2018 as he waited to pick up his son. "I think the biggest test in terms of adequacy of the police response lies in the conviction of the people responsible and to date, unfortunately, in both cases, no one has yet been brought before the courts, either directly charged with the murder or assisting those responsible. "I think not only will people be disappointed but they will be angry that that no one has been charged." Detective Chief Superintendent Murray defended the police response to the murders. "Those investigations are very far from over and so I do feel in all honesty that these remarks potentially are premature," he said. "These investigations still have quite a considerable way to travel. Dissident republican murders are extremely difficult. I will go so far as to say we operate in one of the most challenging investigative environments in Europe." He said police knew the identity of Lyra McKee's killer but given the difficulties in gathering evidence they were not in a position to put it before the courts. "We certainly believe that we do know who pulled the trigger and who murdered Lyra McKee on that horrendous night in Creggan. "I think it would be a failure of policing if we did not do everything in our power to bring people before the courts. We have to find the evidence. We have to try to get the evidence. It is incredibly difficult." When asked if he was convinced that someone will be brought before the courts and charged with the murder, he said: "Those are not undertakings I give families. I don't think it is fair. "I think it raises expectations unnecessarily. What I will say is I am convinced my officers will do everything we reasonably can to bring people to the courts. " In a statement, Mr Storey said the police need more powers to disrupt those who intend to kill and destruct. "Above all, we must continue to give primary and unconditional support, as well as all necessary resources to the investigating officers of the PSNI tasked with bringing those responsible for this abhorrent crime to justice," he said. The Police Ombudsman has been approached for comment. LOOKING for the perfect romantic getaway for you and your loved one on Valentine's weekend? Well, look no further. Here are the top seven destinations in Ireland for you to celebrate the special occasion. THE ROSE HOTEL, TRALEE Valentines Packages 14th-15th February, choose one or two night stays Call Rose Hotel today to book 066 7199100 or book online www.therosehotel.com For all the best offers, click here. FLEET STREET HOTEL, TEMPLEBAR, DUBLIN This Valentines weekend, stay in Templebar's Fleet Street Hotel, in the heart of Dublin city. With its superb location, newly refurbished rooms and free wifi, you can now avail of amazing one or two night Valentines weekend packages. Stay for one night and enjoy strawberries and prosecco in your room on arrival, dinner for 2, an overnight stay in our elegance rooms and breakfast in bed, all for the remarkable price of 299. Or double your pleasure and extend your stay to 2 nights with all of the above to make this Valentines truly exceptional for 499. No deposit is necessary and free cancellation terms apply. For more information www.fleethoteltemplebar.com THE GRAFTON HOTEL, DUBLIN Enjoy an unbeatable romantic getaway for you and that special someone at The Grafton Hotel this Valentine's Weekend! For the special rate of only 199, treat yourselves to a luxurious overnight stay in one of our fantastic Executive Rooms, a Three-Course Dinner for Two from our Valentine's Set Menu in Bartley's Restaurant, a bottle of Prosecco in your room, and delicious romantic cocktails upon arrival. And to top it off, we'll even include a full breakfast buffet in the morning! Make sure to book now to avoid disappointment! Available from February 13th - 16th, subject to room availability. This deal is bookable online at https://bookings.the-grafton-hotel.com/bookings/specials/valentines-weekend-at-the-grafton, or by emailing marketing@the-grafton-hotel.com with your requested date. The Grafton Hotel is a brand new hotel project in the heart of Dublin City Centre, located at 31/32 Stephen Street Lower, Dublin 2. TRINITY TOWNHOUSE HOTEL WELCOME TO TRINITY TOWNHOUSE HOTEL Rich in character, Trinity Townhouse Hotel is one of the finest examples of Georgian-period accommodation available in the center of Dublin and is comprised of 3 beautifully restored original Georgian houses. The Townhouse is a splendid craft of Georgian elegance and contemporary style & comfort, with only 31 bedrooms - all newly refurbished and offering all modern amenities. All rooms are individually styled, blending beautifully the ambiance of the Georgian period with all the contemporary comfort. Situated in the heart of Dublin's business district & cultural quarter near Trinity College, this elegant property offers luxury en-suite accommodation in an authentic Georgian townhouse. The beautiful rooms, dedicated team and delicious food will ensure you have the most relaxing, enjoyable time in Dublin city. With prices starting at only 140 Euro, this is your unbeatable Dublin experience. For special rates and more details, please visit www.trinitytownhousehotel.com GREENISLE HOTEL, DUBLIN Make it a fun weekend away this Valentines, Shake Rattle n Roll with Elvis and the Nevada State Band performed by Irelands award winning top Tribute Act Liam Murphy in the Green isle Hotel, see the great offer still available Show Only 9.00pm Dinner & Show 7.00pm Dinner, Show Bed & Full Irish Breakfast 85.00 per person sharing Guests can also enjoy the Swimming Pool, Jacuzzi, Free, Fitness Centre & Parking For more information you can contact 01 412 3708/03 or email events@greenislehotel. com WATERFORD MARINA HOTEL Brief Description: 22 years with the best location in the city Waterford Marina Hotel, Canada Street- situated on the banks of the River Suir in the heart of the City 3 star Hotel with 81 Classic Bedrooms Complimentary onsite parking and wifi Waterfront Bar & Bistro overlooking the River Suir Offer: Dinner Bed & Breakfast served with a Glass of Kir Royale, box of Cadbury Milktray and Late Checkout until 1pm Contact Details: Phone 051 856600 reservations@ waterfordmarinahotel.com www.waterfordmarinahotel.com CENTRAL HOTEL, DONEGAL 'All you need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt' Treat yourself and your loved one to a relaxing stay this Valentines weekend in Central Hotel, Donegal. Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $344 million for misrepresenting the risks of vaginal-mesh implants to consumers in California, the first state to bring its claim against the company to trial after thousands of U.S. women sued and some products were recalled. Lawyers for California Attorney General Xavier Becerra proved J&J and its Ethicon unit deceptively marketed their pelvic mesh products for years to doctors and consumers without fully disclosing the risks of the devices, misleading users in violation of state consumer-protection laws, San Diego Superior Court Judge Eddie Sturgeon concluded in his ruling Thursday. The company had faced more than 100,000 lawsuits over the products, which were intended to bolster sagging organs or treat incontinence in women. Many of those cases have been settled. Becerra had sought a fine of as much as $800 million, even though J&J resolved similar claims by 41 other states for $117 million. J&J officials vowed to appeal the finding of the California judge, who heard the trial last year without a jury. Ethicon responsibly communicated the risks and benefits of its transvaginal mesh products to doctors and patients, and the decision disregards the companys full compliance with federal law governing medical-device communications, Mindy Tinsley, an Ethicon spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement. California was the first of the states that sued J&J to get its case to trial. Officials in Washington agreed to a $10 million settlement last year on the eve of trial. J&J withdrew some of its vaginal-mesh lines from the market in 2012 after facing complaints by thousands of women that the products threaded into place through incisions in the vagina eroded over time, causing pain and injuries. Surround-Sound Marketing J&J was accused by California of wrongfully engaging in a surround-sound marketing campaign to both patients and doctors that trampled state law, according to court filings. The company still faces lawsuits filed by the attorneys general of Oregon, West Virginia, Kentucky and Mississippi. Marketing efforts included thousands of sales calls in which J&J officials misled doctors about the devices risks at meetings in their offices or at dinner, the filings show. J&J also made false or misleading statements about the safety of vaginal-mesh products in magazine ads, on the internet and in brochures, the state alleged. Sturgeon arrived at his damage award by imposing a penalty of $1,250 for each of the 153,351 violations of the states unfair competition law and 121,844 violations of false advertising statutes. The fine represents less than 1% of J&Js $70.4 billion total net worth and is not unconstitutionally excessive or disproportionate, the judge said in his ruling. Side Effects Known During closing arguments in the California case, Deputy Attorney General Jinsook Ohta told the judge that the evidence showed J&J officials aggressively marketed mesh even though they knew it could have long-term and devastating side effects, and that they were aware of the problems before the product went on the U.S. market in 1998. They knew then that these products had life-threatening complications, Ohta told Sturgeon. This case turns on the fact that the defendants concealed and misrepresented facts to California women and California doctors. Ohta played videos of a woman who testified, I feel like damaged goods and that her husband blamed her mesh failure operation for the death of our sex life. Defense attorney William Gage told the judge J&J and Ethicon didnt mislead consumers or physicians about the risks, and noted the state didnt produce testimony from any doctor who said he was duped. He said the state relied on language in mesh safety labels and random comments by sales reps to make its case. Gage said its laughable to argue doctors base their treatment decisions on warnings printed on a devices packaging. Reasonable surgeons practice evidence-based medicine, J&Js lawyer said. A physicians treatment is based on clinical experience, medical literature, conversations with other doctors and medical conferences, he said. The case is People of the State of California v. Johnson & Johnson, No. 37-2016-00017229-CU-MC-CTL, Superior Court of the State of California (San Diego). Related: Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics California Legislation Former Union minister and controversial Bharatiya Janata Party MP Anantkumar Hegde has once again stoked a row by calling the freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi a "drama". Adding insult to injury, he also questioned how "such people" came to be called 'Mahatma' in India. However, this is not the first time a leader from the ruling party has insulted the Father of the Nation. Here are other instances when BJP leaders took a swipe at Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Amit Shah To buttress his point that Mahatma Gandhi wanted to dissolve the Congress party immediately after Independence, Amit Shah, then the Bharatiya Janata Party chief, in June 2017 described Gandhi as a "chatur baniya" (cunning baniya), a reference to the shrewdness of the mercantile caste into which he was born. "People of various ideologies and thinking associated themselves with Congress to gain independence. The Congress didnt have any ideology or set of principles and it was only used as a special purpose vehicle to secure freedom. And therefore, Mahatma Gandhi, with a lot of foresight -- bahut chatur baniya tha woh -- he knew what was going to happen in future. He had said immediately after the Independence that Congress should be dissolved," Shah said. Pragya Thakur BJP's Lok Sabha MP form Bhopal and Malegaon blast accused, Pragya Singh Thakur, has repeatedly called Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse a "patriot". In the midst of the Lok Sabha election last year Singh said Godse was a deshbhakt (patriot), and he will remain so. However, following outrage, she later apologised and said, "I respect Mahatma Gandhi, his contribution to the country cannot be forgotten. If my statement has hurt anyone, I apologise for it. My intention was not to hurt anyone," before adding the familiar line:" I was misquoted." Reacting to Pragya's remarks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that he will never forgive her with his heart. This, however, did not stop the Bhopal MP to laud her 'idol' again. During the winter session of Parliament last year, Pragya once again praised Godse on the floor of the House. The BJP as a punishment axed her from a consultative committee on defence and barred her from attending its parliamentary party meeting. Sambit Patra BJP's national spokesperson Sambit Patra in December 2019 called Prime Minister Narendra Modi Father of the Nation (desh ka baap), the title given to Mahatma Gandhi, on a news channel show. The Congress was quick to demand that Modi apologise to the country for Patra's remark. Anil Vij Haryana minister Anil Vij courted controversy with his remark that Mahatma Gandhi's image did not help Khadi and caused devaluation of the currency, sparking widespread outrage with even his party the BJP condemning his statement following which he withdrew them. Vij also took objection over the popular Hindi song Sabarmati ke Sant, saying it portrayed an inaccurate picture of India's freedom struggle and claimed that its lyrics were an 'insult' to many martyrs whose contributions it ignored. Anil Saumitra BJP's former Madhya Pradesh spokesperson Anil Saumitra had called Mahatma Gandhi the "father of the nation of Pakistan". In a Facebook post, Saumitra wrote: "Mahatma Gandhi was the father of the nation but of Pakistan. India has had crores of sons like him, some worthy, some unworthy." The BJP later suspended Saumitra from its primary membership for his remark. Kamakhya Prasad Tasa BJP's Rajya Sabha member from Assam, Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, had likened Mahatma Gandhi and India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to "garbage". "The Congress has pushed the Nehru-Gandhi garbage into the minds of people over the years and there is now no space for any other theory," the then Lok Sabha member from Jorhat said at a public rally. A day after New York Citys health authorities said that a woman was hospitalized with the citys first suspected case of the new coronavirus, the authorities on Sunday announced that two more patients also might have the virus. Samples from all three patients must first be tested at a laboratory in Atlanta that is run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine whether any of the patients do in fact have the new coronavirus. The turnaround time for receiving the results is usually at least 36 hours, but often longer. Local health departments are not yet able to test for the new illness themselves. But based on a number of factors the type of symptoms; the patients recent travel in China; and the exclusion of influenza and some other common illnesses through testing the New York City health authorities are taking quite seriously the possibility that these patients may have the virus. An annual week long initiative championing British beef and the farmers who produce it will return again in late April. Ladies in Beef a group of more than 150 female beef farmers from across the UK will be spearheading the Great British Beef Week from 23 April to 30. The group was formed to help drive awareness of the quality of British beef to consumers using a country-wide network of female beef producers. Ladies in Beef co-founder Jilly Greed said: All of our LIBs are British beef farmers and proud of it! Ten years on, the importance of promotion has never been more critical. We are asking the whole supply chain to really get behind Great British Beef Week this year to fly the flag and champion our home-produced product. Ms Greed, who is a fourth-generation farmer from Devons Exe Valley, said British livestock is produced to some of the highest welfare standards in the world. Here, our suckler beef herds are vital for landscape management, in order to maintain the critical carbon sink for damaging greenhouse gases. Great British Beef Week gives us a tremendous opportunity to bang the drum for our wonderful beef farmers, she explained. This year will be the 10th anniversary of the annual campaign and RABI is again the farming charity partner. Its estimated that Great British Beef Week has already helped generate 90,000 for RABI since the charity first became involved in the campaign. This years fundraising target is 10,000 in order to break through the 100,000 mark. Ladies in Beef co-founder and NFU President Minette Batters believes beef farmers must engage with consumers to communicate key messages on quality and farm assurance. She said: Ladies in Beef is entirely a voluntary organisation. Very soon after formation we quickly discovered how we could help influence consumer trust in our product, where the public could relate to nurturing, cooking and caring for the family alongside raising livestock to high production standards. Its such an achievement to reach a 10th anniversary as well as raise thousands of pounds for the vital work of RABI. Washington, D.C., Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Curators from the Smithsonians National Museum of American History are traveling to a variety of campaign events, including the Feb. 3 Iowa caucus and the Feb. 11 New Hampshire primary to collect materials and memorabilia reflecting the electoral process. In addition to Iowa and New Hampshire, political history curators Lisa Kathleen Graddy, Jon Grinspan and Claire Jerry will collect from the Democratic and Republican national conventions this summer to augment the national collection, as well as from debates, rallies, protests and digital campaign activities. By actively collecting new materials at the primaries and the party conventions every four years, the museum documents the political campaign process and can share the spirit and complexity of the presidential campaigns with the American public, both now and in the future, said Anthea M. Hartig, the Elizabeth MacMillan Director of the museum. The museums Political Campaign collection of more than 100,000 objects is the largest of its kind, containing artifacts dating as far back as the inauguration of President George Washington. The collection includes items related to presidential history and political campaigning, as well as the history of the White House and first ladies; civil rights, womens suffrage and reform movements; the World War II home front; and labor history. These objects represent a celebration of democracy and how people and parties express their identity and their campaigns, Jerry said. Whether its handmade or mass-generated, each object represents history in the making by showing how candidates communicate with the public and how the public in turn communicates with the candidates. The broader political history collection includes some of the countrys most important national treasures, including the small portable desk on which the future President Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, the top hat President Abraham Lincoln wore the night he was assassinated and items from the 2016 presidential election. The museum will open an exhibition on the power of campaign rhetoric and language in July 2020 prior to the party conventions. The display will share the value and role of political or campaign words and language; encouraging visitors to look beyond the sound bites. It will feature historical images and an array of words in a super-graphic as well as a podium from the 1976 presidential debate, a speech timer from the 2012 convention and campaign material from 1896, 1964 and 1992. Words themselves will be considered objects. The ongoing collecting is an initiative to acquire materials that capture the atmosphere and the democratic spirit of the primaries and conventions. It allows researchers and visitors to observe and compare how each election season brings new trends, strategies and methods of communication to the political forefront. A large selection of objects collected in the past is on view in American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith, an exhibition that examines the bold experiment to create a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Through incomparable collections, rigorous research and dynamic public outreach, the National Museum of American History explores the infinite richness and complexity of American history. It helps people understand the past in order to make sense of the present and shape a more humane future. The museum is located on Constitution Avenue N.W., between 12th and 14th streets, and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free. For more information, visit http://americanhistory.si.edu. For Smithsonian information, the public may call (202) 633-1000. On social, the museum can be found on Facebook at @americanhistory, and on Twitter and Instagram at @amhistorymuseum. # # # There are a number of processes which have to be followed and some legislative changes would also be required for the listing of LIC, Kumar said. New Delhi: Listing of insurance behemoth Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) may be done in the second half of the next financial year, Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar said on Sunday. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Budget 2020-21 on Saturday proposed to sell a part of government stake in LIC through an initial public offer next fiscal. There are a number of processes which have to be followed and some legislative changes would also be required for the listing of LIC, Kumar said. "We will follow the extant procedure for listing and for other things including the legislative changes it requires in consultation with the Ministry of Law and that process we already started ... listing in the second half of FY21 seems logical," he said. Listing of LIC will help bring in greater transparency, public participation and also deepen the equity market, he told PTI in an interaction. Asked about the quantum of dilution, Kumar said, it could be 10 percent but no decision has been taken so far. Later speaking to media, the finance minister assuaged concerns of policyholders of any breach of sovereign guarantee as ownership stays with the government. "We have only said an IPO (initial public offer). We have not given complete ownership to somebody," she said. The government aims to garner Rs 90,000 crore from the listing of LIC and stake dilution in IDBI Bank in the next fiscal out of total disinvestment target of Rs 2.10 lakh crore. The government currently owns 100 percent in LIC, while it holds around 46.5 percent stake in IDBI Bank. "Listing of companies on stock exchanges disciplines a company and provides access to financial markets and unlocks its value. It also gives opportunity for retail investors to participate in the wealth so created. The government now proposes to sell a part of its holding in LIC by way of IPO," the finance minister had said in her Budget speech. Market participants are quite bullish about LIC and said it could be "IPO of the decade" akin to the Saudi Aramco listing. The 60-year-old state-owned firm, LIC, is the country's largest insurer, controlling more than 70 percent of the market share. The insurer has a market share of 76.28 percent in number of policies and 71 percent in first-year premiums. LIC has many subsidiaries including IDBI Bank. It acquired controlling stake in IDBI Bank last year. Some elderly and disabled people would qualify for new property tax exemptions set out in a resolution currently being considered by the Cayuga County Legislature. The resolution sets an income scale for property tax exemptions beginning at incomes up to $29,000 and capping at $37,399 for people 65 years old or older and to "certain persons with disabilities and limited incomes," according to a draft of the proposed law. The law would "increase the maximum income eligibility levels," according to the draft. During its January meeting, the Legislature scheduled a public hearing for Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. in the Legislature Chambers, on the sixth floor of the county office building at 160 Genesee St., to hear comments on the proposed tax exemptions. Elane Daly, D-Auburn, said those qualifying for the exemption would have to own the home being assessed. The resolution was unanimously passed by the Ways and Means Committee during its Jan. 21 meeting. Daly, a member of the committee, said the resolution was brought forward to update provisions in the Real Property Tax Law which she said had been adjusted "a couple of times" over the years. A draft of the resolution from the committee's January meeting agenda repeals six local laws, from 1982 to 2007, and extends the range of incomes for senior citizens and certain disabled people to get the exemptions. The resolution lays out the exempt percentage of assessed home value on the basis of the following incomes: Up to $29,000 = 50% Up to $29,999 = 45% Up to $30,999 = 40% Up to $31,999 = 35% Up to $32,899 = 30% Up to $33,799 = 25% Up to $34,699 = 20% Up to $35,599 = 15% Up to $36,499 = 10% Up to $37,399 = 5% Staff writer Mary Catalfamo can be reached at (315) 282-2244 or mary.catalfamo@lee.net. Find her on Twitter @mrycatalfamo. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.3 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Czech Republic ready to discuss mutual investments with Azerbaijan, Foreign Minister of Czech Republic Tomas Petricek said in an interview with Trend. "In line with relevant legislation, the Czech Republic provides various incentives such as tax relief for up to 10 years to foreign investors, especially those who create jobs in regions with a higher level of unemployment i.e., not in Prague where the level of unemployment is currently below 2 percent. According to the recent amendments to the Investment Incentives Act, projects focused on regions other than Prague will receive preferential treatment. This applies particularly to technology centres which can obtain grants for creating jobs, training and retraining new employees. Prospective foreign investors in the Czech Republic are advised and supported by the CzechInvest agency, established by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Investment in both directions is obviously a topic we are ready to discuss at the Joint Commission in 2020 [on Economic, Technical-Scientific and Cultural Cooperation]," he said. As for the prospects for creating joint ventures between the two countries in various spheres, Petricek said Czech Republi sees such potential in a variety of economic sectors, including energy, automotive industry, transport infrastructure and agriculture. "As for the latter sector, one which has great potential in Azerbaijan with its fertile land, our Embassy in Baku brought a trade mission led by the Czech Deputy Minister of Agriculture Pavel Vesely to Azerbaijan in April 2019, allowing for the establishment of contacts between companies from both countries," said the foreign minister. Petricek pointed out that while the CzechTrade agency established by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, with its office in Baku, does a great job in establishing links between Czech and Azerbaijani private businesses, doing business with enterprises owned, or co-owned to a significant degree, by the Azerbaijani state is a matter of interest for the Czech-Azerbaijani Joint Commission on Economic, Technical-Scientific and Cultural Cooperation. "Both of its previous co-chairs moved to other positions within the Czech and Azerbaijani state service late in 2019, and we hope new ones will be appointed by both sides very soon so this important Commission can soon meet in Prague for another round of a strategic debate on the future of our relations. Based on our positive experience, we will continue to seek participation in projects aimed at modernisation of the Azerbaijani economy," he said. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Advertisement Milla Jovovich welcomed her third daughter with husband Paul WS Anderson on Sunday. And on Monday the Fifth Element actress shared seven photos of the little girl she named Osian (pronounced O-shin) along with a long caption. The 44-year-old star from the Ukraine began the message with some clarification. She said her announcement is 'old news' because her daughter Ever Gabo, 12, was first to 'spill the beans' without her consent the day before. But now that the word is out there, the former model wanted to make a proper introduction. Number three is here: Milla Jovovich welcomed her third daughter with husband Paul WS Anderson on Sunday. And on Monday the Fifth Element actress shared seven photos of the little girl she named Osian (pronounced O-shin) along with a long caption First look: In the photo shared by Ever, Milla is beaming as she poses with Osian as well as her husband and her first two children The new images are very intimate with the family welcomed little Osian in the hospital. In one image Osian is all by herself in her onesie and cap. And in another, mother Milla is holding the child close to her chest while she breastfeeds. There is also a shot of Ever, with blue hair, holding Osian, and also little Dashiel, aged four, has a turn. Then dad is seen holding his third child in his arms while in the room that has drawn curtains and plenty of chairs. In the photo shared by Ever, Milla is beaming as she poses with Osian as well as her husband and her first two children. Sweet words: The 44-year-old star from the Ukraine began the message with some clarification. She said her announcement is 'old news' because her daughter Ever Gabo, 12, was first to 'spill the beans' without her consent the day before. But now that the word is out there, the former model wanted to make a proper introduction Ever first wrote: 'Welcoming Baby! Welcome to the world my new sister Osian (pronounced O-shun like the body of water)! We love you!!!' Milla's Instagram began, 'Hey Everyone!!! So without my knowledge @evergaboanderson spilled the beans on the new baby yesterday which makes this old news but...' The Married... with Children guest star then went on to say, 'Yesterday 02/02/2020 at 8:56am Osian Lark Elliot Jovovich-Anderson was born! On mom duty: 'Osian is a welsh boys name and its pronounced O-shin. Now I know the name is long, but the family couldnt agree on her middle name,' said the star With her eldest daughter: Ever and Osian laying down. Milla also said of her new arrival's name: 'Ever and my mom wanted Lark, @dashielanderson and I wanted Elliot. Then my husband Paul chimes in with another vote for Lark, so Smushy and I were out numbered! At least she has many to choose from later in life if she wants to drop a few' 'Osian is a welsh boys name and its pronounced O-shin,' explained the Two Moon Junction star. 'Now I know the name is long, but the family couldnt agree on her middle name. Ever and my mom wanted Lark, @dashielanderson and I wanted Elliot. 'Then my husband Paul chimes in with another vote for Lark, so Smushy and I were out numbered! At least she has many to choose from later in life if she wants to drop a few.' Then Milla talked about the 'beauty' of her third bundle of joy. Now Dashiel has a turn with Osian: 'She's so beautiful! Her hair is lighter than the other girls was and shes very strong,' said the Resident Evil actress. 'Her little hands get in the way and theyre hard to control and shes already lifting her head up to see whats going on!' she added With daddy: Paul held the swaddled child tight as he looked down. 'Shes our miracle baby and were all so grateful to have her and completely obsessed with her!! I will obviously post more pics later, but we are all exhausted because the last few nights have been crazy!' said Milla in her caption 'She's so beautiful! Her hair is lighter than the other girls was and shes very strong,' said the Resident Evil actress. 'Her little hands get in the way and theyre hard to control and shes already lifting her head up to see whats going on! 'Shes our miracle baby and were all so grateful to have her and completely obsessed with her!! I will obviously post more pics later, but we are all exhausted because the last few nights have been crazy! 'I send you all so much love from the cloud Im flying on!!! Xoxo m.' A very early look at little Osian: 'I send you all so much love from the cloud Im flying on!!! Xoxo m,' said the Hellboy actress So many details: Jovovich was generous with her images as she even showed off Osian's little feet with the name tag The day before she shared a selfie where she was heading to the hospital. She had on a pink headband and red lipstick. On her way: Here Milla is seen getting ready to head to the hospital with her family Jovovich wrote in the caption: 'Due date is tomorrow so getting ready to go to the hospital at anytime now!! 'Its funny because I thought having our 3rd would be a piece of cake, but Im actually really nervous, now that I know what to expect! 'Anyway, hopefully the next post I make will be a picture of our newest little girlie girl! Wish me luck everyone!!' She announced the pregnancy in August with a mirror selfie of her baby bump in a stunning black dress. In her announcement, the Dazed And Confused star opened up about the fears she had surrounding her pregnancy after undergoing an emergency abortion. Two years earlier, Milla had been forced to have an emergency abortion after going into preterm labor. The actress wrote: 'Knocked up again. After I found out I was pregnant 13 weeks ago, I had a mixture of feelings ranging between complete joy and utter terror. 'Because of my age and losing the last pregnancy I didnt want to get attached to this potential baby too quickly,' she said. 'That was obviously not fun and the last few months have been my family and I living on pins and needles waiting for a slew of different test results to come in and spending most of our time in doctors offices.' She added: 'Thank goodness were in the clear AND we found out that weve been blessed with another girl! 'Anyway, wish me and my baby luck! I send you all a lot of love and Ill keep you posted on my progression!' Jovovich and Anderson, 54, met when he directed her in the 2002 film Resident Evil. They wed in 2009. Their next movie together is Monster Hunter which will be released in September. So far along: Last week the No Good Deed star showed off her large baby bump with her husband in the background PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NW Natural Water Company, LLC (NW Natural Water), a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest Natural Holding Company (NYSE:NWN) (NW Natural Holdings), has completed the acquisition of Suncadias water and wastewater utilities in Washington state, with approval by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission and in close cooperation with the seller and other stakeholders. Located in Cle Elum, Washington, Suncadia is a popular and fast-growing resort community that attracts visitors year-round from Seattle, Tacoma and the greater Pacific Northwest. Currently, the Suncadia utilities serve 2,800 connections. Were thrilled that the Suncadia water and wastewater utilities are joining the NW Natural family, said David H. Anderson, NW Natural Holdings president and CEO. Suncadia is a Washington State gem, and were excited to support the communitys growth. We plan to continue our 160-year legacy of providing safe, reliable, and affordable utility services as we expand further in Washington. NW Natural Water is an ideal partner for Suncadia. Were confident their commitment to serving the Pacific Northwest and its communities will benefit our property owners, said Roger Beck, managing director of Suncadia Resort. Suncadia water and wastewater utilities are NW Natural Waters ninth water acquisition, and its second in the wastewater segment. A Texas-based acquisition along with a few utilities in Idaho are currently pending. When current pending acquisitions are complete, NW Natural Water will serve approximately 62,000 people through approximately 25,000 connections. The company continues to seek additional investment opportunities in the water and wastewater utility sector. ABOUT NW NATURAL HOLDINGS Northwest Natural Holding Company, (NYSE: NWN) (NW Natural Holdings), is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and through its subsidiaries has been doing business for more than 160 years in the Pacific Northwest. It owns NW Natural Gas Company (NW Natural), NW Natural Water Company (NW Natural Water), and other business interests and activities. NW Natural is a local distribution company that currently provides natural gas service to approximately 2.5 million people in more than 140 communities through more than 750,000 meters in Oregon and Southwest Washington with one of the most modern pipeline systems in the nation. NW Natural consistently leads the industry with high J.D. Power & Associates customer satisfaction scores. NW Natural Holdings subsidiaries own and operate 35 Bcf of underground gas storage capacity with NW Natural operating 20 Bcf in Oregon. NW Natural Water currently provides water distribution service to communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. When current outstanding transactions close, NW Natural Water expects to serve approximately 62,000 people through approximately 25,000 connections in the Pacific Northwest and Texas. Learn more about our water business at nwnaturalwater.com. Additional information is available at nwnaturalholdings.com. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This report, and other presentations made by NW Natural Holdings from time to time, may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "seeks," "believes," "estimates," "expects" and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the following: plans, objectives, goals, strategies, assumptions, estimates, expectations, expenses, future events, investments, reliability, customer and business growth, customer rates or rate recovery, the water utility strategy and the related pending water acquisitions, acquisition integration, the likelihood, timing, and success associated with any transaction, financial results, accretion or financial projections, strategic fit, revenues and earnings, performance, timing or effects of future regulatory proceedings or future regulatory approvals, and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Our actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. We caution you therefore against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. They are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future performance. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are discussed by reference to the factors described in Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors," and Part II, Item 7 and Item 7A "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market Risk" in NW Natural Holdings most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as updated by subsequent filed reports, and in Part I, Items 2 and 3 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk," and Part II, Item 1A, "Risk Factors," in such company's quarterly reports filed thereafter. All forward-looking statements made in this report and all subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral and whether made by or on behalf of NW Natural Holdings, are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law. New factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for the company to predict all such factors, nor can it assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. ISTANBUL - The Turkish army is continuing to bomb enemy targets ''in the framework of legitimate defense'' after artillery raids by the Syrian regime in Idlib that caused at least six Turkish victims, the Turkish defense ministry said Monday, confirming statements by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In the violent artillery exchanges, at least five soldiers and a member of the Turkish civilian personnel died under the cannon shots of Syrian regime forces, according to a death toll provided by the Turkish army. In the nearly immediate Turkish response, at least 30-35 Syrian soldiers died, according to a statement released by Erdogan. After the death of the Turkish soldiers, joint patrols by Turkish and Russian forces scheduled Monday in the area of Kobane were annulled, according to Turkish media reports. Erdogan warned Russia not to oppose Turkish military retaliation. ''I want to tell Russian authorities that you are not our target but the regime'' is. ''Don't oppose'' the retaliation, said the Turkish president. American nuclear aircraft carriers are expensive to operate. Its not just the food and other supplies for the 5,600 people on board, or all the spare parts and fuel for the aircraft. A major expense is the periodic upgrades and refurbishments. For example, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) will complete its mid-life refurbishment and refueling early next year. This RCOH (Refueling and Complex Overhaul) took over three years and cost $3.2 billion. The RCOH requires that the ship be partially dismantled so that the spent nuclear fuel can be replaced. This takes a little longer than your usual DPIA (Dry-docking Planned Incremental Availabilities) and usually costs a billion dollars or more. The Roosevelt RCOH was so expensive because the four screws (underwater propellers that move the ship) were replaced, as was much of the island (that tall structure on the side of the flight deck). There were upgrades to living quarters, electronics, and the usual replacement of worn out electrical and mechanical components. The ship is repainted inside and out and returning sailors feel like they are entering a new ship, not one that has already seen over two decades of hard use. The Roosevelt entered service in 1986, and has averaged some 500 aircraft take offs a month since then. In practical terms, the average is closer to 900 a month (about 30 a day) when deployed, because the carrier spends nearly half its time in port or going through periodic overhauls. During intense combat operations there can be nearly a hundred catapult launches a day. The carrier has four steam powered catapults. There is a lot of shipyard maintenance involved with CVNs, enough to keep these carriers unavailable for over 20 percent of their career. Over its fifty years of service, each Nimitz class carrier has 17 planned trips back to the ship yard. There are twelve Planned Incremental Availability (or PIA) operations in which new gear is installed, worn or damaged stuff is replaced, and any heavy duty work needed is completed. Duration of a PIA varies with the amount of work to be done but it can take several months or a year or more. Even more lengthy are the four DPIA operations, which are more extensive PIAs that include putting the ship into dry dock. These efforts can last a year or two. Then there is the one RCOH. The cost of all these visits to the shipyard cost more than the initial construction of the carrier. That cost is one reason the U.S. Navy disbanded one of its ten Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) last year, leaving only nine of them for the eleven aircraft carriers in service. CSGs contain 7,500 people, 75 warplanes and four surface warships, a nuclear sub, and several supply ships. When a carrier is out-of-action, the CSG really has nothing to do. Disbanding one is a money saving measure because nuclear powered aircraft (CVN) carriers spend so much of their time out-of-service having maintenance done. Thus only 8-9 CSGs are needed at any one time. A carrier strike force is actually a complex organization. There is the CVN and its crew, and the CAW (Carrier Air Wing), which includes all the aircraft, pilots, and support personnel. The CAWs do not stay with the same CVN but move around. When a CVN goes in for maintenance its CAW will move ashore and then to another carrier (usually one coming out of dry dock). Also part of a SCG are the escort ships (usually a destroyer squadron of 2-4 destroyers, cruisers, or frigates) and one or two SSNs (nuclear attack subs). There are also one or two supply ships (carrying spare parts and maintenance personnel for all ships, as well as fuel for the escort ships). Until a few years ago, the U.S. had twelve carriers but new ones are not being built quickly enough to replace the older ones that must retire (because of old age). Soon there will only be nine CVNs and there will be cost cutting pressure to disband another SCG. The Russian occupying administrations have been increasing pressure on residents of the temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Residents of the occupied territories in Donbas are not paid their wages until they agree to obtain "passports" of internationally unrecognized "Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics" ("DPR" and "LPR"). "The Russian occupying administrations are increasing pressure on residents of the temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions who don't intend to renounce Ukrainian citizenship. In particular, some CEOs don't pay wages or impose wage cuts on workers who have not obtained the so-called 'republican passports.' At the same time, the occupying administrations claim locals could enjoy streamlined Russian naturalization if they have the so-called 'DPR/LPR passports'," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation reported with reference to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Read alsoAbout 200,000 Donbas residents obtain Russian citizenship in 2019 Russian media In addition, it has been established that members of the Russian occupying forces from the local population are entitled to fast track Russian naturalization, as well as a discount on required fees. JACKSON, Miss. Another state inmate death has been reported in Mississippi, at Wilkinson County Correctional Facility, officials said in a news release. Jesus Garcia, 39, was found lying in his cell on Saturday. He was unresponsive. Medical personnel were called and began life-saving measures, according to the release by Management and Training Corp. Garcia was pronounced dead at 12:52 p.m. The cause and manner of his death are under investigation. There were no obvious signs of assault, prison officials said. Garcia was serving a 20-year sentence for capital rape from a DeSoto County case. Jesus Garcia is the 15th inmate to die in Mississippi since Dec. 29 and the fifth in little more than a week. 'Quickly as possible': First prison reform legislation filed as Mississippi deaths pile up He is the 15th inmate to die since Dec. 29 and the fifth in little more than a week. On Thursday, Nora Ducksworth died at the Marshall County Correctional Facility. Initial indications were his death was the result of natural causes, but it remains under investigation. Jermaine Tyler, 38, died Jan. 25, also at the Marshall County Correctional Facility, with "no initial signs of foul play," according to Management and Training Corp, the company that runs the facility. A day later, 26-year-old Joshua Norman was found hanging in a one-man cell at Parchman. Jay-Z attorney: Mississippi Parchman inmate tried to hang himself in cell And on Jan. 28, Limarion Reaves, 28, was talking to a relative on a facility phone when he collapsed at the Kemper-Neshoba Regional Correctional Facility in DeKalb. Last week, Mississippi lawmakers began introducing legislation that could help address some of the deadly problems in the state's prison system, which has been rocked by violence in recent weeks and long-deteriorated living conditions. "We need to get started as quickly as possible," newly named House Corrections Chairman Kevin Horan, I-Grenada, told committee members in their first meeting Wednesday. Horan told the committee to be ready to move quickly through legislation in the coming weeks. Story continues In addition, a group of sheriffs visited the Capitol on Wednesday to advocate moving more medium-security prisoners to regional jails to take pressure off state facilities. They said the plan could save the state $22.5 million a year, because it costs about $14 more a day to house each inmate in a state-run facility compared with a county-managed one. Story continues below photo gallery. Other recent inmate deaths include: Dec. 29 Terrandance Dobbins, 40, was killed in what the state department of corrections called a "major disturbance" at South Mississippi Correctional Institution. Jan. 1 Walter Gates, 25, died of multiple stab wounds at Parchman. Jan. 2 Gregory Emary, 26, was killed in a fight at the Chickasaw County Regional Facility. Jan. 2 Roosevelt Holliman, 32, was stabbed to death in a "gang fight" at Parchman, according to the coroner. Jan. 3 Denorris Howell, 36, died at Parchman of neck injuries after an altercation with his cellmate. Jan. 8 A.D. Mills, a 42-year-old Parchman inmate, died of "natural causes" at a hospital in Clarksdale. Jan. 18 Gabriel Carmen, 31, was found hanging in his cell at Parchman. Jan. 21 Timothy Hudspeth, 35, died at Parchman of what appeared to be blunt-force injuries after an altercation with other inmates. Jan. 21 James Talley, 36, died at Parchman of what appeared to be blunt-force injuries after an altercation with other inmates. Jan. 22 Thomas Lee, 49, was found dead in his cell at Parchman. The state department of corrections has called his death "an apparent suicide." This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi prison deaths: 15th inmate dies, cause under investigation Three people have been attacked and killed in Gabon following unfounded rumours that school children were being abducted on their way to school. Kindergarten, primary and secondary schools in Gabon resumed classes today after being closed for a week following unfounded rumours of abductions. This, amid calls for schools to reopen by the Parents-Teachers Federation and the Teachers' trade union. The fake news spread over the last two weeks after one unrelated abduction case was reported, involving a 3-year-old in the northern city of Bitam, near the border with Cameroon. Police suspect the abduction was due to a family feud. Three people died in the capital Libreville as a result of fake news spreading rapidly over social media. Two alleged abductors died by an angry mob - one victim was burnt in his car, while the other was beaten to death. A third person died during protests and subsequent riots against the police. The government vowed to reinforce security across Gabon and to increase patrols on the routes taken by school children. The authorities also promised to set up a security force for schools. A morbidly obese woman who eats up to 10,000 calories a day, has revealed she's marrying the man who encourages her weight gain. Jessica Wilson, 26, from West Chester, Pennsylvania, who currently weighs 450lbs aspires to tip scales at 600lbs. She met Eric Buddenhagen, 34, while searching online for someone to become her 'feeder'. He was interested in finding a 'larger woman that he could overfeed'. The pair met for their first date in August 2019 and ate pizza, watched movies and played video games together as Jessica revealed to him that she wants to pile on a further 140lbs to reach her 'goal weight' of 600lbs. Jessica Wilson, 26, from West Chester, Pennsylvania, who currently weighs 450lbs is set to marry her 'feeder' fiance Eric Buddenhagen, 34, (pictured left) Jessica (pictured) revealed she's encouraged by Eric to eat up to 10,000 calories a day, as she works towards her goal of weighing 600lbs Just one month later the happy couple were having regular 'stuffing' days, in which Jessica consumes up to 10,000 calories with Eric's encouragement. The customer service manager who weighs 190lbs, proposed in December by hiding a ring in an ice-cream sundae. The couple are now hoping to achieve Jessica's goal weight and get married this year to continue their feeding journey together. Jessica said: 'We met on a website that is for people in the feeder community. 'I was initially looking for a feeder and someone who loves bigger women, but I never expected to find a fiance. 'It was really love at first sight and initially we were more interested in getting to know each other than we were in me gaining weight. We didn't start our feeder and feedee relationship until roughly one month later. 'On a normal day I eat 5,000 calories, but on a "stuffing" day, which we do twice a week, I can eat up to 10,000 calories. Jessica (pictured) met Eric in an online feeder community, he was in interested in finding a 'larger woman that he could overfeed' Jessica said on a 'stuffing day' Eric takes her to a buffet and orders different foods to see her stomach swell. Pictured: Treats such as cheesecake, donuts and soda, which Jessica will consume to take in 10,000 calories 'On a stuffing day Eric will take me to a buffet and will order me different foods throughout the day to see my stomach swell - and whilst I'm eating he'll rub my belly and give me words of encouragement. 'We have completely different bodies - Eric is 6ft 1in and 190lbs, meanwhile I'm 5ft 5in and 450lbs - but he finds my belly sexy. 'Our goal is for me to reach 600lbs and we are hoping that, alongside getting married this year, that weight will be reached.' Despite being obese, Jessica claims that she is in fact 'healthy' and takes measures to ensure she is not putting herself at risk. 'I have been told I'm fat and unhealthy my entire life from friends and strangers. 'But every doctor I've ever visited is shocked about how healthy I truly am - no health issues at all. Jessica (pictured) claims medical professional have told her that her blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar are all well within healthy ranges The 26-year-old (pictured) said she walks everyday and eats lots of fruits, vegetables and takes multivitamins JESSICA'S 'NORMAL DAY' DIET BREAKFAST - Coffee, fruit and two bagels LUNCH - Large pizza, chicken wings DINNER - Large pasta dish SNACKS - Fruit juice, soda, energy drinks, chocolate, chips Advertisement JESSICA'S 'STUFFING DAY' DIET 'STUFFING DAY' DIET: BREAKFAST - Coffee, fruit, two bagels LUNCH - All you can eat lunch buffet DINNER - Two large pizzas, eight chicken wings, stuffed cheese bread SNACKS - Brownie, soda, chips, fries Advertisement 'Blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar all well within healthy ranges - I just happen to be fat. 'It does aggravate me that people always associate fat with unhealthy because that is not always the case. 'I walk every day, I eat lots of fruits and veg and I take multi vitamins,' she said. Alongside having set days to show their love for the feeder community, Jessica revealed that they include food in their everyday relationship and even monumental events. She continued: 'I have a culinary arts degree so I absolutely love to cook and spend a lot of time in the kitchen making amazing meals for us both. Jessica (pictured) who has a culinary arts degree, revealed that she loves to cook and spends a lot of time in the kitchen cooking The couple (pictured) enjoy incorporating food into their sex life, Jessica said having her engagement ring hidden inside an ice cream sundae was a special way to secure their love 'We also like to incorporate food into our sex life from time to time, as it includes a new level of intimacy and something we both love into that part of our life. 'But most recently, the main way we have used our love for being feeder and feedee is when Eric proposed to me in December. 'I was about to eat an ice-cream sundae when I saw this beautiful engagement ring hidden inside. 'It was a really special way for us to secure our love for each other as well as the community that we met each other in.' H2O Hospitality, Japans number one vacation rental management company announced it has successfully raised US$7 million in Series B funding from Samsung Ventures, Stonebridge Ventures, IMM Investment, and Shinhan Capital. The funding arrives as H2O reached a milestone of 5,000 managed rooms, only 2 years since the launch of the service in Japan. The fundraise brings H2Os total funding to US$18 million. Were pleased to be part of the fastest growing hospitality company in Japan, said Eric Kim from Samsung Ventures. H2O has already proven product market fit within Japan, and we expect them to continue to thrive as they expand outside of major cities. Caption: H2O Hospitality, Japans No.1 vacation rental management company, successfully raised US$7 million in VC funding, increasing their total investment funding to US$18 million. H2O Stay, vacation rental brand by H2O Hospitality, recently opened their newly developed hotel near Universal Studio Japan. H2Os new influx of capital will be used to support the companys fast-growing working capital needs on the back of their strong growth every quarter. Since 3Q2018, H2Os revenue has been doubling every quarter. H2O manages accommodation facilities without any on-site human resources by automating all the operational flows through the property management system (PMS) H2O developed that links and manages calendars between the guests, rooms, and housekeepers. This allows significant decrease in fixed cost of the operational expenses, increasing the yield of the facility. In June 2018, Japan implemented the Housing and Accommodation Business Act, which legalized vacation rental management, in order to supplement the hotel-centered accommodation business and mitigate the extreme shortage of accommodation facilities due to the sharply rising number of visitors. This has led many monthly mansion owners to convert their buildings into vacation rental facilities, and H2O benefitted the most as H2O, on average, made 300% additional profit for the building owners after vacation rental conversion compared to what they were making through monthly rent. Since its launch in December 2017 in Tokyo, H2O increased its inventory to 5,000 rooms and has been selling its rooms through 25 different global and local OTAs which are all directly connected with their PMS. H2Os average ADR in 2019 was around $160 with average occupancy rate of 87%. Founder and CEO John Lee attributes H2Os success to laser-sharp focus on maintaining the highest standards of quality while using technology to minimize the traditional fixed costs that lowered the yield of hotel real estate. We found that the way hotels have been managing the real estate hasnt changed over centuries and figured it was very inefficient. I named our company H2O, which is a shortened version of Hospitality 2.0, to show people that we are aiming to develop 2nd generation of operational method for hospitality facilities that can be and should be managed without on-site human resources, Lee explained. ABOUT H2O H2O Hospitality is an online/off-line integrated hospitality management group established in 2015, which launched its 'Wahome' service in Korea, and in 2017 acquired online/off-line accommodation management companies in Japan to advance into the Japanese market. We're sorry, the page you requested does not exist. Visit LCBO.com T he Mayor of London has warned that prisons are "warehouses" for radicalisation where offenders are learning from a "university of crime" rather than being rehabilitated. It comes after police shot dead a man after three people were injured during a knife attack in Streatham, south London, on Sunday. Sadiq Khan called on the Government to give jails resources and support to "properly punish and reform" those convicted of a serious offence. He also urged for judges to be handed the power to pass sentences which would keep dangerous terrorists behind bars. Streatham terror attack - In pictures 1 /28 Streatham terror attack - In pictures Police are dealing with an incident in Streatham Andy Bullemor Police officers conduct a search of a bail hostel in south London AFP via Getty Images A woman reacts near to the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police Getty Images Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police cordon off a property in Streatham PA Forensic officers outside a property on Leigham Court Road, Streatham PA Police activity at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police officers look under a bus as they work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the Streatham area of south London AP Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police officer on Streatham High Road PA Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Police officers guard a cordon on Streatham High Road, at the junction of Prentis Road AFP via Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police secure the area in Streatham AP Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Police are confident the suspect was Sudesh Amman, who was jailed in 2018 for "Islamist-related terrorism offences" but released half way through serving his three-year sentence. At present most offenders handed an immediate jail term are typically released halfway through their sentence on licence under rules introduced in 2005. Mr Khan said ministers and officials needed to "recognise" assurances must be sought that criminals no longer pose a risk to the public when they are released from jail. Recalling the terror attack last month by two inmates wearing fake suicide belts at maximum security jail HMP Whitemoor, Mr Khan said: "Prisons are warehouses where people are radicalised more or learn more things from a university of crime rather than being rehabilitated and punished." London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said prisons are a "warehouse" for radicalisation / REUTERS His comments came as Streatham attacker Amman's mother Haleema Faraz Khan claimed he was radicalised while in a high-security jail and by viewing extremist material online. Mr Khan said he was "angry" that there had been two attacks in London by convicted terrorists, adding: "I'm concerned whether the Government understands what needs to happen for us to be safe." Referring to Amman, he said: "The reality is this was a man convicted of a terror-related offence, this was a man released very recently on January 23 who police and the authorities knew was a potential danger. "And my concern is this was an attack that was both predictable and preventable." As of the end of September, there were 224 terrorists behind bars in Great Britain with most thought to be holding Islamist-extremist views. Forensics on the scene in Streatham / AP The "vast majority", 77 per cent (173), were branded as holding Islamist-extremist views, according to Home Office data. A further 17 per cent were categorised as holding far right-wing ideologies. It is not known how many have been released in the last six months or how many are due to be released imminently. There have been long-held concerns about inmates harbouring or spreading extremist tendencies behind bars. It prompted a government taskforce to be set up in 2017 to fight the "poisonous and repugnant" radicalisation that ministers warned was taking place in prisons. The counter-extremism unit intended to regularly consult with some 100 academic and government experts to tackle the problem. Tactics included training for prison governors and staff, efforts to root out and remove any extremist literature found and separating the most dangerous extremists from other inmates. The MoJ insists there is no evidence of large-scale radicalisation in prisons but there were considerable risks behind bars where terrorists and vulnerable people mix. In the wake of the London Bridge terror attack in November the Government said it launched an urgent review of currently serving prisoners at risk of radicalisation as well as convicted offenders who have since been released from jail. Police, security services and probation teams started examining the files of around 200 known extremists, including inmates approaching release. Since the September 11 2001 terror attack, 3,769 people were arrested for terrorist-related activity and 525 were convicted under terror laws, according to the latest figures. Sentences are typically less than four years. Listen to today's episode of The Leader: Amit Shah alleged that the AAP government protected those who raised anti-national slogans at Jawaharlal Nehru University. New Delhi: BJP leader Amit Shah on Monday claimed former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had promised citizenship to minorities from Pakistan but the Congress is now protesting the amended citizenship law because it is "afraid of its vote bank in Shaheen Bagh". Addressing an election rally in support of the BJP candidate from Rajinder Nagar, RP Singh, he said the 8 February polls were no longer for electing assembly members and a chief minister, but were a contest between two ideologies. "On one hand, there are people who stand with Shaheen Bagh and on the other hand, there are people who enter Pakistan and avenge the death of our soldiers," he said. In his rallies, Shah has been raising the issue of a sit-in by anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh since 15 December, asking people to vote for the BJP to show their disapproval for the stir. On the issue of CAA, he said, "Former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Azad, they all promised to give citizenship to Pakistani minorities whenever they come to India." "But, when I brought in a bill to give citizenship to them, the Congress reneged on its promise and is now protesting the CAA because they are afraid of their vote bank in Shaheen Bagh," he said. "In Shaheen Bagh, the protesters are raising the slogans of 'Jinnah wali azadi'... which freedom are you taking about? India attained Independence in 1947. Now, no one can divide it," Shah said. The home minister alleged that the AAP government protected those who raised anti-national slogans at Jawaharlal Nehru University. On Sharjeel Imam's "cut-off-Assam-from-India" remark, Shah said for 12 days, he had been asking Kejriwal if he would give sanction to prosecute the JNU student, but "he hasn't uttered a word". The BJP leader said the Kejriwal government promised to install 15 lakh CCTVs, but only 1.5 lakh could be installed, and that too with the help of the Centre's grant. "Kejriwal promised to deploy commandos in buses (for safety of women). But in reality, he made AAP workers wear commando uniform," he alleged. "He said the Yamuna will be cleaned. I challenged Kejriwal to take a dip in the river at 8 am on Tuesday," he said. Shah also accused the AAP chief of stonewalling the implementation of 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme in the national capital and delaying the work to regularise the unauthorised colonies. Democratic presidential candidates are trying to make a last appeal to those in Iowa struggling to make a final decision about who to back for the partys presidential nomination. Speaking to several hundred supporters in Cedar Rapids on Sunday, Senator Bernie Sanders declared we are the campaign of energy and excitement and said we are in a position to win tomorrow night. Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, talked up his newcomer status, telling a rally in Coralville that when Democrats have won the White House in the past, we have done it with someone who is new in national politics. What will happen in November begins tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/v0GeazyV6y Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) February 3, 2020 But former Vice President Joe Biden, emphasising his decades of Washington experience, told voters there was no time for on-the-job training. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren pressed her supporters to fight back if they ever lose hope. The Iowa caucus is the effective starting gun for actual voters to get involved in the process that will determine Donald Trumps opponent in Novembers presidential election. (PA Graphics) The Democratic race is unusually large and jumbled heading into Mondays caucus. Four candidates were locked in a fight for victory in Iowa; others were in position to pull off surprisingly strong finishes. This is going to go right down to the last second, said Symone Sanders, a senior adviser to Mr Bidens campaign. Polls show Mr Biden in a close race in Iowa with Mr Sanders, Ms Warren and Mr Buttigieg. Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang (Eileen Meslar/AP) Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang are also competing aggressively in the state. Story continues Democrats deep disdain for Mr Trump has put many in the party on edge about the decision. A series of external forces has also heightened the sense of unpredictability in Iowa, including Mr Trumps impeachment trial in the Senate, which marooned Ms Warren, Mr Sanders and Ms Klobuchar in Washington for much of the past week. Many campaigns were looking to a final weekend poll to provide some measure of clarity. But late Saturday night, CNN and The Des Moines Register opted not to release the survey because of worries the results may have been compromised. New caucus rules have also left the campaigns working in overdrive to set expectations before the contest. Supporters of Amy Klobuchar (John Locher/AP) For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party will release three sets of results: who voters align with at the start of the night; who they pick after voters supporting nonviable candidates get to make a second choice; and the number of state delegate equivalents each candidate gets. The new rules were mandated by the Democratic National Committee as part of a package of changes sought by Mr Sanders following his loss to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential primaries. The revisions were designed to make the caucus system more transparent and to make sure that even the lowest-performing candidates get credit for all the votes they receive. But party officials in Iowa and at the DNC have privately expressed concerns in recent weeks that not just Mr Sanders but multiple campaigns will spin the results in their favour, potentially creating chaos on caucus night. Mr Bidens campaign appeared to be trying to lower Iowa expectations, cautioning against reading too much into Mondays results. Mr Biden is hoping to sustain enough enthusiasm and money coming out of Iowa to make it to more diverse states where he hopes to draw strong support from black voters. His campaign is particularly focused on South Carolina, the fourth state on the primary schedule. We view Iowa as the beginning, not the end, Symone Sanders, a Biden senior adviser, said at a Bloomberg News breakfast. It would be a gross mistake on the part of reporters, voters or anyone else to view whatever happens on Monday we think its going to be close, but view whatever happens as the end and not give credence and space for New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden embrace at a campaign stop (Andrew Harnik/AP) Mr Sanders, Ms Warren and Ms Klobuchar fanned out across the state, trying to make up ground after missing most of the last two weeks of campaigning due to the Senate impeachment trial. In a conference room in Cedar Rapids, Ms Klobuchar appealed to caucus-goers by asking them to think about the voters who will not be caucusing moderate Republicans, voters who swung from Barack Obama to Mr Trump and voters who stayed home in 2016. Theyre watching all of this right now, Ms Klobuchar said. We have people who want to come with us. And we need a candidate who is going to bring them with us instead of shutting them out. Ms Klobuchar retold her joke about slowly winning over former Cedar Rapids Mayor Kay Halloran, who once told Ms Klobuchar that she was 78% with you. We dont have time for that! Ms Klobuchar said. She got to 100% and so can you. Nyakim Gatwech is a Sudanese-born fashion model known primarily for her melanin-rich skin, which has earned her the nickname Queen of Dark. As a refugee growing up in camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, Nyakim Gatwech was never ashamed of her super dark skin and her South Sudanese heritage, but when her family immigrated to the United States when she was 13-years-old, her different appearance made her the target of bullies. Some of the kids at her school in Buffalo, New York, could be very mean, and having never had to deal with racism before, she was confused. Some middle-schoolers were afraid to her, while others made fun of her dark skin tone, and she would come home crying unable to explain to her parents what was going on. Things improved when she moved to St. Cloud, Minnesota for high school, and became with other Sudanese and Somali kids, but she never really felt like she belonged. Even today, some of the things people say about her skin make her feel uncomfortable, but she has learned to take them in stride and educate instead of complaining. Photos: Nyakim Gatwech/Instagram Some people ask Nyakim if her dark skin is the result of some medical condition, or if she can just shower the black away. One Uber driver once asked her if she would bleach her skin for $10,000, which really shocked her. It was her response to this question, which she posted on Instagram a couple of years back, that got her a lot of attention online. Why on earth would I bleach this beautiful melanin God [blessed] me withyou wont believe the kind of questions I get and the kind of looks I get for having this skin, Nyakim Gatwech wrote. Her post got over 10,000 likes and got her interviews with Yahoo!, Teen Vogue and Huffington Post. She has been using the spotlight to give kids and teenagers the representation that she lacked as a young girl Nyakim started her modelling career by mistake, when she was 17-years-old. Her tutor, who was a design student, asked her to model a dress she designed for a student fashion show, and she loved it. Since then, she has been doing modelling gigs both in Minnesota, as well as New York City and Los Angeles. View this post on Instagram What good LA A post shared by Nyakim Gatwech (@queennyakimofficial) on Feb 19, 2019 at 1:25pm PST The 26-year-old African-born model has become a vocal advocate for self-acceptance, speaking out against discrimination based on skin color both at event and through her Instagram, where she is followed by over half a million people. The negative reactions or comments dont affect me as much nowsome of them I laugh at. But there are some that go deep and bring me down for a little bit, Gatwech said in an interview. Some people say I get followers because people feel bad for me, not because Im actually beautiful. They say Im the dumbest person ever. But there are millions more people who think Im beautiful and give me positive feedback. View this post on Instagram BlackQueensMagic #thatglowthough A post shared by Nyakim Gatwech (@queennyakimofficial) on May 25, 2018 at 11:31am PDT Nyakim Gatwech joins fellow melanin goddess Khoudia Diop in using the modelling platform to promote body-positivity and combat racism. About 20 passengers of France's evacuation flight from virus-stricken Wuhan in China have displayed symptoms of infection with coronavirus and are currently under medical supervision in the very plane they arrived, Minister of Health Agnes Buzyn said. The plane carrying around 250 passengers from the epicentre of coronavirus outbreak was the second such flight organised by France. It landed in southern France's Istres-Le Tube Air Base, where they are currently undergoing a medical examination. "About 20 people who showed symptoms have stayed on the tarmac," Buzyn told reporters at a briefing on the matter on Sunday. All the evacuees will be quarantined in nearby locations for the coming 14 days, the minister added. The novel coronavirus was first detected in China's Wuhan in late December and has since spread to more than 20 countries. The Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday announced a public health emergency of international concern to prompt all nations to take precautionary measures. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rare earths producer Lynas Corp has secured the coveted major project status from the federal government for a $500 million processing plant in Western Australia that will ensure it retains its licence to operate in Malaysia. The status means the company will get support during the approvals process and bodes well for the project, which also got the WA government equivalent in December. Lynas chief executive Amanda Lacaze. Credit: Supplied Lynas chief executive Amanda Lacaze said the formal support recognised the importance of the plant to Australias critical minerals aspirations, as well as to jobs and investment in regional WA. "Lynas will be making a significant investment in Kalgoorlie and the governments assistance with coordinating and facilitating approvals will be very helpful as the project progresses," she said. Srinagar, Feb 3 : The NIA and Jammu and Kashmir Police carried out searches at residences of Over Ground Worker (OGW) of militants Farooq Ahmed Thokar and active Hizbul militant Omar Dhobi in Shopian of South Kashmir on Monday, sources said. Searches were also being carried out in Tral in Pulwama district at ancestral house of suspended Deputy SP Davinder Singh, sources said. The J&K police has denied reports by sections of media that searches were carried out at an IPS officers residence in Shopian. "News reports on NIA searches at IPS officer's residence in Shopian is fake," SSP Shopian Sandeep Chaudhary told IANS. On Sunday, the National Investigation Agency and the state police carried out fresh raids on locations of DSP Devinder Singh, Hizb terrorists Naveed Babu and Rafi Ahmad and a law school dropout Irfan Ahmad. On Saturday a 20-member NIA team arrived in Kashmir to collect more facts about Davinder Singh who was arrested by J&K police while transporting three people including two Hibzul Mujahideen militants, Naveed Babu and Rafi Ahmed, and Irfan Amad to Jammu on January 11. The team led by a DIG rank officer went to Anantnag and held a meeting with the police officials, sources said. NIA officials are currently interrogating Singh in Jammu after the agency got his transit remand. Last week the DG NIA, Y.C. Modi, reviewed investigations into the case that has shaken the security establishment. After initial investigations by J&K police the case was handed to the NIA. According to sources Babu, Ahmed and Mir had planned a travel to Pakistan after reaching Jammu. After Singh's arrest, J&K police conducted multiple raids at his residences in Srinagar. Singh was posted with the anti-hijacking wing of J&K police in Srinagar, and was part of the security staff that received a group of foreign ambassadors who visited Kashmir last month, including the US envoy. Communities efforts to ban the use of facial recognition 'Nobodys really minding the store; Facial recognition being used in secret The risk of false positives and how the technology works (TNS) When Northampton Police Chief Jody Kasper joined the force as a patrol officer in 1998, the department was still using ink fingerprinting for criminals. It was a messy, smudgy and archaic process.Since then, technology has evolved. Police now use digital fingerprinting, a quicker, less burdensome technology. A similar evolution happened with police photography, as officers went from using polaroid to digital cameras.Another technology, considered far more controversial, is causing many communities to consider its ramifications: facial recognition, a piece of unregulated software that can scan faces captured by cameras and match them with people. Some in law enforcement, as well as public officials, civil liberties advocates and even those working in the business of artificial intelligence, fear the use of the software can lead to misidentifications. Facial recognition software continues to improve, but risks remain.Its a whole new world, said Kasper, who expressed concerns with the accuracy of the software. Weve seen a lot of technology in our field develop over time. Im sure thats what will happen with this too.The use of facial recognition software is being debated in communities across the country, including in Massachusetts, where some local officials have taken regulating the technology upon themselves.San Francisco banned the technology in May 2019, becoming the first city in the country to do so. Somerville followed suit in June, and similar ordinances have been passed in Brookline, Northampton and, most recently, Cambridge. The Springfield City Council is set to vote on a facial recognition moratorium in February.Critics of the software have argued it violates individuals civil liberties. And, they point out, there is a high risk of misidentification, especially in identifying people of color, elderly individuals and women, according to research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and federal studies.Municipal officials passing facial recognition bans also argue local legislation is needed as federal and state legislation is lacking and government agencies are able to use the software with no oversight.Theres literally nothing stopping law enforcement from tracking someone who goes to a protest, who goes to a mosque or a church, said Somerville City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen, who introduced his citys ban. Its just a black box.A bill being considered by the Massachusetts Senate and backed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts would place a moratorium on the technology and other forms of biometric surveillance, including the analysis of a persons gait and eyes, until officials are able to appropriately regulate the software.One of the main reasons advocates support the moratorium is because federal or state legislation restricting the use of biometric surveillance does not exist, according to Democratic State Sen. Cynthia Creem, who represents Massachusetts First Middlesex and Norfolk and introduced the bill to the state Senate.Right now, theres no legislation, Creem told MassLive. Theres no regulating what pictures are being used, how theyre used.Dozens of people, including officials from the office of Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins, the Boston Teachers Union and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, testified in support of a statewide moratorium on the governments use of the technology at a legislative hearing in October.Among those who spoke at the hearing was Brennan White, CEO of Cortex, a Boston-based company that creates artificial intelligence platforms for social media marketing and that uses facial recognition technology regularly.While the software has the potential to be used positively, according to White, it is also incredibly powerful and can be easily misused. Unbridled use of the technology can potentially set up an infrastructure that could be abused by future dictators, he said.In the wrong hands, this could lead to a dystopian-type society," the CEO said.Debate on biometric surveillance is happening at the federal level as well.U.S. congressional members of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Democrats and Republican alike, criticized the software in May of last year, The Washington Post reported. Lawmakers brought up similar concerns about how biometric surveillance remains unregulated, how the technology can be faulty and how it potentially violates Americans personal privacy.The era of this use and capability is moving quicker than people have caught onto those issues, Creem said. Theres a lot more talk about it.To make the public more aware of the alleged dangers of facial recognition, the ACLU of Massachusetts kicked off a campaign in June called Press Pause on Face Surveillance.Officials at the organization say state government agencies, including the Registry of Motor Vehicles and Massachusetts State Police, have used the technology in secret for more than 10 years without any oversight, accountability, legislative authorization from any independent actor, according to Kade Crockford, director of the Technology for Liberty Program at the ACLU of Massachusetts.The group sued the Massachusetts Department of Transportation after the agency did not respond to two public records requests in early 2019 regarding the departments use of facial surveillance technology, according to the ACLU. MassDOT has allegedly used its database of state-issued ID photographs for facial recognition since 2006, according to the lawsuit.In response to a request for comment about the departments use of facial recognition and the ACLUs lawsuit, a MassDOT spokesperson said in a statement to MassLive that the RMV captures images as part of the process of issuing driving licenses. The images are then run against other images in the agencys system to prevent identity fraud.The accessing of RMV images by law enforcement is permitted under the Driver's Privacy Protection Act of 1994, the spokesperson added.A Washington Post report also revealed that investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Immigration and Customs Enforcement used states Department of Motor Vehicle databases for facial recognition and scanned through hundreds of millions of peoples photographs without their knowledge or consent. The majority of the images were of state residents, most of whom have never been charged with a crime.Crockford said the unregulated use of biometric surveillance is part of a trend, where the technology is moving much, much faster than the law.We believe that the appropriate response to protect the public and to protect civil rights in Massachusetts is to press pause, she said.The application of the technology by governments, as well as the subsequent bans of the software, is occurring not only in Massachusetts but nationwide, Crockford said.Communities in California, beyond San Francisco, are considering their own bans. State officials in Michigan are also looking to restrict law enforcements use of the technology, as the ACLU of Michigan investigates the statewide scope of facial recognition activities, according to a press release. The New York ACLU branch is trying to prevent face surveillance in public schools as well, Crockford said.We here in Massachusetts are fighting this bi-coastal battle that the technology doesnt get ahead of our rights, Crockford said.Northamptons police chief, as well as others in law enforcement, are also wary of the software and want to press pause on its use.Kasper recently visited China, where she noticed several surveillance cameras set up in public locations. According to the ACLU, Chinas government uses the technology to control and oppress religious minorities and political dissidents.The New York Times reported Beijing has invested billions of dollars in the software and in other methods of surveillance. With its thriving technology industry and millions of cameras monitoring the public, the country aims to create a strong national surveillance system, according to the Timess report.The police chief called Chinas use of facial recognition creepy.That may be the concern there: an authoritarian government," she said.Kasper, along with several advocates for facial recognition bans, still see utility in the technology once it becomes more evolved. There are a number of different applications for the software people have not considered, she said, whether that be putting a name to an unidentified dead body or catching a robber whose face was captured on camera.However, the odds of Kaspers department using the technology in the next several years are low, the chief added.Well kind of see where we are at in three years, she said.Springfield City Councilor Orlando Ramos compared restricting the use of facial recognition software to trying to legislate flying cars: Officials cant regulate the technology until they know how it works.The councilor, who introduced his citys temporary ban on facial recognition, said he can see how the software can be used as an effective tool for law enforcement in their investigations only if facial recognition evolves to become more accurate. However, software of that caliber doesnt exist yet, according to him.Its not worth potentially putting people at risk with technology thats not effective, he said.For the towns and cities in Massachusetts that have passed or introduced their own moratoriums and bans on facial recognition technology, the concerns have remained largely the same.Local officials point to the softwares biases and inaccuracies; they think its use by government agencies without the publics permission is an abuse of personal privacies and civil liberties, and municipal legislators believe the softwares application in municipalities opens those communities up to lawsuits from people targeted by the technology.Ramos said introducing Springfields ban boiled down to three reasons, the first being the potential for litigation.We want to protect the taxpayer, the councilor said. The other two motivations included protecting the public from unnecessary government surveillance and preventing the mistreatment of marginalized communities.Its more than an inconvenience, Ramos said. Its a danger for people of color.The city councilor said widespread public support is another reason banning the technology is worthwhile. The ACLU of Massachusetts polled more than 500 adults in Massachusetts and found nearly eight in 10 support a moratorium on government use of facial recognition technology, according to the June poll.Where public officials differ is on how long they want their bans to last.While Northamptons moratorium on the municipal use of facial recognition will last three years and Springfields proposed ban would remain in effect for five years, Brookline, Cambridge and Somerville have all banned the technology indefinitely.One of the purposes of Ramoss ordinance is to allow police to come back to the table in the future with more accurate facial recognition technology that they want to use as an investigative tool under limited circumstances. The city councilor said he wants to be supportive of police but smart about the technology and its applications.Its not our intention to hinder police in any way, he said.Ben Ewen-Campen, who spearheaded Somervilles legislation, said the decision to do so was straightforward and that his ordinance, a two-page document, passed unanimously.There was a general sense that there was really, really widespread support of this, he said. I think everyone understood in the absence of regulation, in the absence of transparency, this goes way too far.Ewen-Campen does not think there is any situation where facial recognition technologys use at the municipal level would be acceptable, even if the software were to work perfectly without misidentifications, he said.I personally cant imagine a situation where a local police department should have that sort of power, the city councilor said.Lawmakers would be in a different position if government agencies came to the public years ago to ask for permission to use facial recognition under specified circumstances, instead of allegedly using it behind closed doors, according to Ewen-Campen.It shouldnt be a surveil-first, ask-questions-later policy, the city councilor said. I think the burden of proof should be on the people who want to use the really powerful surveillance technology.From catching bad guys to identifying victims; how facial recognition can helpBrookline Police Sgt. Casey Hatchett, a member of the towns Town Meeting, spoke against the towns ban of facial recognition technology in late 2019. She argued enacting the legislation was too hasty and wanted limited exemptions for law enforcement, noting, though, that Brookline police had not purchased or deployed the technology and was not looking to do so.There was not enough time before Town Meeting to fully consider the effects of this ban -- not enough time to fully grasp the potential uses of this technology today -- and in the future, not enough time to inform ourselves and the public about the differences between facial surveillance and facial recognition, and not enough time to fully consider some of the acceptable uses of this technology, she said at the meeting, according to prepared comments.Those acceptable uses, Hatchett told MassLive, could potentially include identifying a person with Alzheimers who may be lost and not able to remember their own name, locating missing children, preventing terrorist threats and even exonerating an individual wrongfully convicted of a crime.She pointed to a case in November, shortly before she spoke against the ban, in which a man was out running in Brookline, suffered a heart attack, went unconscious and was taken to the hospital, where he remained unidentified for multiple days.He eventually recovered, but there were days where his family and friends were concerned about his whereabouts, according to Hatchett.We had no way to contact their family, Brookline Police Lt. Paul Campbell said. This ban prevents us from running the persons face in a database, contacting their family and identifying the man.Brooklines Town Meeting voted two years ago to form a committee to look at the challenges and benefits of surveillance technology and military-type equipment as they related to the particular realities of Brookline, according to Hatchetts prepared comments.A lot of our work was to review this technology, Hatchett said, adding that a member of the committee circumvented the process of studying the software by introducing the outright ban of the technology. It was premature.The sergeant said she is aware of the facial recognition softwares inaccuracies, especially with women and minorities, and that is why she was in favor of a temporary moratorium that would enable officials to implement checks and balances on the technology so government agencies could use it in appropriate circumstances.Were police, but were also members of the community. I dont want a false positive. I dont want a wrongful arrest, Campbell added. I dont want something thats going to be inaccurate, and I think most police officers would say the same thing.Hatchet argued before Brooklines Town Meeting in favor of a limited exception" that would allow law enforcement to use facial recognition with oversight from the towns Select Board and require reporting of any use of the software. Law enforcement has applied the software solely to assist in cases, she said, but Brookline police would never use it conduct widespread facial surveillance, as China does.There is an enormous difference between facial surveillance and the use of facial recognition technology one is China, and one is using appropriate tools to conduct case specific investigations and community caretaking activities, the sergeant said, according to her prepared remarks. We are not China.Brookline police have outsourced images of potential criminals in limited cases to attempt to match them to other agencys databases, including the Department of State Polices Commonwealth Fusion Centers, a criminal intelligence center that shares information between federal agencies and state and local governments.There was a series of residential burglaries multiple years ago, and video captured an image of the suspect. Brookline police sent that image to the fusion center. Hatchett said she believes the suspect was caught in the process of another break-in, though.Hatchett said one misconception about the software is that it is used by law enforcement in a vacuum, where a match is made after an image of a face is run in a database and someone is then directly arrested.Investigations arent like that. Theyre multi-layered, Hatchett said. It wouldnt be enough to suffice in court.She and Northamptons police chief both said facial recognition is used solely as a tool that helps in investigations, not as a piece of evidence to provide probable cause for an arrest.Campbell added that facial recognition gives law enforcement a list of possible suspects once an image of a person is run in a database. It also shows by how many percentage points each of those suspects matches the image.It gives you information. It gives you a direction to go on, the lieutenant said. I think a lot of people who are opposed to facial recognition, they think that it just gives you one picture and thats your guy.Others, though, see problems with facial recognition being used in the shadows.Crockford at the ACLU of Massachusetts said that because facial recognition technology has been used in secret, the only reason the public knows anything about its use is because the ACLU has filed hundreds of public records requests across the state to learn how, if at all, the software is applied at the municipal and state level.The group discovered local police departments were largely not using the technology but that state agencies, like the RMV and state police, had been using it without the publics knowledge for 13 years.Nobodys really minding the store, she said.MassDOT initially used the software to determine whether people were applying for state IDs and drivers licenses under fake names, according to Crockford. But the ACLU also found that the RMV sent a memo to law enforcement in October 2006 alerting state police that the agency had the technology and could run images of criminal suspects for the department to try and find matches.The department confirmed it uses facial recognition through a software that analyzes existing photographs provided to state police. Personnel are trained on how to incorporate facial recognition information into their investigation in accordance with state police policy.The RMV, with the help of Massachusetts State Police, has implemented an amazing Facial Recognition System that allows a digital image -- such as a license photo -- to be compared against the 9.5 million images in the RMV database to identify potential matches, the memo said, according to the ACLUs lawsuit. State Police and RMV staff have been using this tool since May 2006 and have successfully identified many individuals who have fraudulently applied for multiple licenses or IDs.State police also use facial recognition technology in criminal investigations to help identify unknown suspects, according to David Procopio, spokesman for the department. Any potential identifications made with the software are then confirmed or rejected through other investigative methods.As with any investigative tool, we only use facial recognition software for legitimate, clearly-defined law enforcement purposes, he said in a statement.The ACLU also found through its public record requests to dozens of police departments in Massachusetts that a Cambridge-based surveillance company had been trying to get the Plymouth Police Department to deploy the companys technologies in the town.Hundreds of pages of emails showed that CEO Jacob Sniff of Suspect Technologies, a start-up backed by billionaire Mark Cuban, had worked to get Plymouth Police Chief Michael Botieri to install the companys software on nearly 20 surveillance cameras in the town and then send recorded videos of people in the community to the company so it could better its technologys algorithms, Crockford said.Sniff also proposed the department give the company images of people wanted by Plymouth police so that any time one of those individuals were to walk by the camera, the department would get an alert, according to Crockford.More or less, the facial application will integrate and use existing cameras to scan everyones face who enters a lobby, and compare to a local list of people that have open warrants (usually 5-10% of any town), Sniff said in one of his emails, according to the ACLU. It will have different categories of warrants and the officers will take different actions, based on the different categories. We will send any visual alerts back to the dispatchers/officers in the lobby to review and decide whether to take action on.Suspect Technologies also acknowledged in its emails that the companys software only works around 30% of the time, according to the ACLU.The police department did not go through with the proposals, the ACLU said.Sniff did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.Crockford said cases like Plymouths are disturbing and underscore the vulnerabilities of municipalities, who do not know much about biometric surveillance and have legitimate fears over serious crimes, to marketing efforts by companies that offer facial recognition technologies.Absent a statewide moratorium, we see a real potential for local government officials being exploited, frankly, Crockford said.Facial recognition technology is a type of image recognition that falls under the larger category of machine learning, or artificial intelligence, where computers analyze and try to classify large data sets.A computer will be presented with millions of images and ideally be able to identify what is in each picture without the help of a human. Facial recognition is one step more specific: The software aims to look at human faces and assign those faces each an identity, according to Brennan White, head of Cortex, a marketing company that works every day with facial recognition technology.Facial recognition is based on a confidence system, where the software runs an image of a person in a database with a large number of photographs of people and then says by how many percentage points the initial image matches the others.Up until recently, computers could replicate photos, could replicate videos, but they couldnt understand them," White said. The nature of machine learning is not that some human has to teach a computer what a dog is.White, who testified in favor of the statewide moratorium on the software at the October legislative hearing, considers himself bullish about the technology in the long term but wants to press pause on its state and municipal use until the public becomes more educated on the topic, he said.Its great that we want to rush into the next best thing, but we want to make sure were not harming anything, White said. The average person needs to level up their understanding of this before we knee jerk one way or the other.A recent study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology found when using facial recognition technology there are higher rates of false positives for Asian and African Americans than for Caucasians, ranging from factors of 10 to 100. NIST reported higher rates of false positives for black women more specifically.MIT researcher Joy Buolamwini, the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League at the university, found similar results in her work. Buolamwini, who also testified in favor of the moratorium, ran more than 1,200 faces through recognition programs offered by Face++, IBM and Microsoft and found the technologies frequently misidentified women of color.In the worst case, the failure rate on darker female faces is over one in three, for a task with a 50 percent chance of being correct, she said in her study, the Gender Shades project.The ACLU also tested Amazon Rekognition, a facial recognition technology unveiled by the company in 2016, to try and identify 188 New England athletes. The test misidentified 28 of them and matched the players to mugshots in the arrest photo database.Amazon claimed the ACLU misused the technology to make headlines and said the software can have positive applications.As weve said many times in the past, when used with the recommended 99% confidence threshold and as one part of a human-driven decision, facial recognition technology can be used for a long list of beneficial purposes, from assisting in the identification of criminals to helping find missing children to inhibiting human trafficking, an Amazon Web Services said in a statement. "We continue to advocate for federal legislation of facial recognition technology to ensure responsible use, and weve shared our specific suggestions for this both privately with policymakers and on our blog.Problems with misidentifications can sometimes be attributed to a small data set or poor image quality, according to White. Worries over inaccuracies in the facial recognition technology are well-founded, though, he added.The CEO compared the software to DNA analysis. When technology that analyzed DNA first started to develop, officials were initially wowed by it, but they later came to find the software was not always accurate.Turns out people were wrongfully convicted by DNA before, White said. The worry is the same for facial recognition.Cortex has worked with companies as high-profile as Toyota, using facial recognition technology to discover what company-made images and videos audience members prefer the most. Compared to law enforcements use of the software, White said, there are no major drawbacks. The only negative consequence of the technology not working correctly is financial. The stakes are dramatically lower," according to him.If we fail and were wrong, he said, nobody dies, nobody goes to jail, theres no high-intensity gunfight.White said he could still see benefits to government agencies using the technology once its accuracy improves, though.It sounds scary, he said. I think this is one of the things that could easily be polarized. Theres the obvious side, We need to make ourselves more secure here, and then theres the side, We need to protect our privacy. NASA's TESS mission was designed to identify exoplanets, but that's no reason not to use its data to better understand stars as well. In order to study planets, you have to look at stars , so you may as well analyze what you see. Astrophysicists are doing just that with the data gathered by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). That spacecraft has spent a year and a half staring at bright, nearby stars, looking for the blips in brightness that can reveal alien worlds. But these dips can also represent different types of stellar hiccups, which means that TESS data is also a treasure trove for scientists studying how stars work. "Really, TESS has been secretly all along a stellar activity and stellar variability mission," James Davenport, an astronomer at the University of Washington, said last month during the 235th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, held in Honolulu. Related: World's largest solar telescope produces never-before-seen image of our star TESS data takes the form of light curves, lines that each track the brightness of a star over time. An extremely quiet star with no transiting planets would look like a more-or-less flat line the more active the star or the more transiting planets that periodically block its light, the more jagged the light curve. "There's so many cool, wiggly things here," Davenport said of a collection of light curves from the first year of TESS observations . Some of those cool, wiggly things are individual stars. A host of stellar features can cause light curves to act up. Flares are unpredictable bursts that cause spikes in a star's light curve. Stars rotate, so when a dark sunspot develops , it drifts across the face of the star as seen by TESS, causing the light curve to periodically dip. That rhythm lets scientists calculate how quickly the star is spinning, and perhaps its age. Other light curves represent pairs of stars that twirl around each other. If that dance happens at a convenient angle compared to TESS's orientation, making it an eclipsing binary, the spacecraft can measure the difference in total light as it sees first two stars, then one, then both again. That said, these dances look inconveniently similar to the TESS mission's other type of target, exoplanets. "There are so many eclipsing binaries , and I know this is particularly the bane of the other half of the TESS mission," Davenport said. "These things tend to show up as looking like really big planets, but they're amazing." For both rotating stars and eclipsing binaries, TESS's surveying work could help scientists find a whole lot more of these types of stellar spectacles. But astrophysicists turning to TESS data are limited by the same mission constraint that lets the spacecraft study so many different stars: Every four weeks or so, the spacecraft pivots, studying a new stretch of the sky. Such a pattern means that TESS can't really identify something like our sun, which takes 25 days to rotate , as an object of astrophysical interest. The slow-paced objects it can study are those conveniently located where TESS's imagery bands overlap, at the poles. Here, the spacecraft can study stars for months on end, potentially illuminating even more languid stars. "I think TESS is arguably as impactful for stars as it is for exoplanets," Davenport said. "TESS is going to change what we know about nearby bright stars in our galaxy." Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook . In a new study, a team of researchers from the University of Minnesota and the University of North Carolina has analyzed the potential receptor usage by the novel 2019-nCoV coronavirus, based on the rich knowledge about SARS-CoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and the recently released sequence of the new virus. The recent emergence of 2019-nCoV puts the world on alert, said senior author Dr. Fang Li from the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Minnesota and colleagues. 2019-nCoV is reminiscent of the SARS-CoV outbreak in 2002-2003. Our decade-long structural studies have shown how SARS-CoV interacts with animal and human hosts in order to infect them. The mechanics of infection by 2019-nCoV appear to be similar. Dr. Li and co-authors used the knowledge they gleaned from multiple strains of SARS-CoV isolated from different hosts in different years and angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptors from different animal species to model predictions for the new coronavirus. Both viruses use ACE2 to gain entry into the cell, but it serves normally as a regulator for heart function. Our structural analyses confidently predict that 2019-nCoV uses ACE2 as its host receptor, the researchers said. That and several other structural details of the new virus are consistent with the ability of the new coronavirus to infect humans and with some capability to transmit among humans. Alarmingly, our data predict that a single mutation at a specific spot in the genome could significantly enhance 2019-nCoVs ability to bind with human ACE2. For this reason, 2019-nCoV evolution in patients should be closely monitored for the emergence of novel mutations at the 501 position in its genome, and to a lesser extent, the 494 position, in order to predict the possibility of a more serious outbreak than has been seen so far. The findings were published in the Journal of Virology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. _____ Yushun Wan et al. Receptor recognition by novel coronavirus from Wuhan: An analysis based on decade-long structural studies of SARS. Journal of Virology, published online January 29, 2020; doi: 10.1128/JVI.00127-20 The logo of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) sits outside its headquarters in Vienna By Alex Lawler and Dmitry Zhdannikov LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC and its allies are considering cutting their oil output by a further 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) due to the impact on oil demand from the coronavirus, three OPEC+ sources and a industry source familiar with the discussions said. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, known as OPEC+, are considering holding a ministerial meeting on Feb. 14-15, one of the OPEC+ sources said, earlier than a current schedule for a meeting in March. Oil has fallen $10 a barrel this year to $56, lower than the level many OPEC countries need to balance their budgets. The coronavirus outbreak in China could cut oil demand by more than 250,000 bpd in the first quarter, analysts and traders say. OPEC member Iran said on Monday the spread of the virus had hit oil demand and called for an effort to stabilize prices, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported. "The oil market is under pressure and prices have dropped to under $60 a barrel and efforts must be made to balance it," Iran's oil minister, Bijan Zanganeh, said. The Wall Street Journal reported that another option being considered is a temporary cut of 1 million bpd by the Saudis to support the market. Reuters was not able to verify the report. Russia on Friday said it was ready to bring forward the OPEC+ meetings to February. The country is the biggest non-OPEC producer working with OPEC so its approval is key. An OPEC and non-OPEC panel called the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) has scheduled a meeting for Feb. 4-5 in Vienna to assess the impact of the virus on demand, other OPEC+ sources said. The technical panel is likely to make a recommendation on any further action to support the market, the sources said. OPEC+ has been reducing oil supply to support prices, agreeing in December to cut output by 1.7 million bpd until the end of March. Its next meeting is scheduled for March 5-6. Story continues The partners are also discussing extending the duration of the cuts and separate OPEC sources said last week the group wanted to prolong the curbs until at least June. Saudi Arabia's economy, the largest in the Arab world, remains dominated by hydrocarbon revenue despite plans to diversify. The kingdom needs prices of around $80 to balance its state budget. (Additonal reporting by Olesya Astakhova; editing by Edmund Blair and Jason Neely) WEST VINCENT-The last time an Owen J. Roberts School District school was named a National Blue Ribbon School, the year was 2003. So, on Friday, when the district celebrated the 2019-20 recognition of West Vincent Elementary School, the excitement was palpable. Teachers, staff, board members, administrators and public officials all beamed with pride. But perhaps none were more excited than the nearly 600 students who attend the school. Filling the school gym with a sea of blue shirts, they danced, they applauded, and they directed their full attention to the speakers who, one after another, took the podium before the schools stage. At the end of the program, when Principal Edward Smith showed a video about the school featuring every grade, the entire student body clapped gleefully along to the music. The ceremony itself was not only a tribute to the national award, which is given to less than one-half of one percent of schools each year, Smith said, but it was also a celebration of the joy of teaching and learning fostered at West Vincent. It ended with teachers, wearing blue leis and white shirts, lining up in the center row and dancing, to the delight of the students. That dance was led by the OJR Wildcat mascot, accompanied by Smith. The event featured a number of speakers, including state Sen. Katie Muth, state Reps. Danielle Friel Otten and Tim Hennessey, along with Amber Little Turner, a representative from US Sen. Pat Toomeys office. Smith kicked off the ceremony with a speech that drew comparisons between the school and the Super Bowl. I have a Super Bowl team here, he told the students seated on the floor of the gym. He acknowledged the work of the school board, administration, support staff, parents, teachers and students in bringing about the National Blue Ribbon award. Among the most important team members are all the adults in this building. They all work together as a team, Smith said. Turner then took the podium, reading a congratulatory letter from Toomey. She was followed by Friel Otten, who led the students in a round of applause and read a citation from the State House of Representatives. The citation noted that West Vincent was one of only 362 public and private schools in the nation, and one of only 18 in Pennsylvania, to be recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in 2019-20. Muth also presented a citation and got the students to stand up and dance. Keep up the good work, she told them. She was followed by Hennessey, who had words of gratitude for the children. Thank you for making us look good in the eyes of the nation, Hennessey said. Among the last to speak was Ken Swart, former principal of East Coventry Elementary School. Swart was at the helm when that school was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2003. I know how hard it is to be a Blue Ribbon School, Swart told the students. Its been a long time since weve gotten another, and you got it for us. The final speakers were three sixth grade students who spoke with pride about their school, classmates and teachers. Im very honored to be part of one of the few schools in the country to be a Blue Ribbon School, said student Gus Smith. To me, the teachers Ive been assigned to are more like friends. While most who spoke had messages for the students, administrators and staff, OJR Superintendent Susan Lloyd directed her comments toward the legislators in the room. My hope is that you will leave here today with a deeper commitment to public education and that you are compelled to create schools like West Vincent all across Pennsylvania, Lloyd said. HONG KONG (Reuters) - The risk of further contraction in the Hong Kong economy, which was buffeted by anti-government protests last year, has increased due to the coronavirus epidemic, Financial Secretary Paul Chan on Sunday. 'As it (the economy) enters 2020, it has not shaken off the risk of continued decline, but has encountered the threat of a new coronavirus pneumonia epidemic, which will definitely cause a double blow to the economy,' Chan said in a blog post HONG KONG (Reuters) - The risk of further contraction in the Hong Kong economy, which was buffeted by anti-government protests last year, has increased due to the coronavirus epidemic, Financial Secretary Paul Chan on Sunday. "As it (the economy) enters 2020, it has not shaken off the risk of continued decline, but has encountered the threat of a new coronavirus pneumonia epidemic, which will definitely cause a double blow to the economy," Chan said in a blog post. "It is estimated that the epidemic situation will greatly increase the risk of continued economic contraction this year, and this will also affect the reduction of government revenue and increase in expenditure." Hong Kong sank into recession for the first time in a decade in the third quarter as political protests plunged the city into its worst crisis since it reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Chan said catering, retail, tourism and consumer sectors, which have been hit in the last six months, would "fall into a deeper winter,". The government will continue to monitor closely to ensure the financial stability of Hong Kong, he added. A total of 304 people have died in China, the country's National Health Commission said on Sunday. Infections in China jumped to 14,380 as of Saturday. Authorities have announced 15 confirmed infections in Hong Kong but no deaths. (Reporting by Sumeet Chatterjee; additional reporting by Jessie Pang; Editing by Angus MacSwan) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. A US man has been hospitalised after a woman allegedly bit off part of his tongue while they were kissing. Youlette Wedgeworth, 52, told the man not to put his tongue in her mouth during the otherwise consensual embrace, according to Detroit authorities. But when he did it anyway she allegedly bit him, officials added. Police arrived at the scene where they found the victim bleeding from his mouth and missing a one-inch piece of his tongue, Macomb County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. "I believe this is the first case of this nature in my 27 years in the prosecutor's office," chief attorney Eric Smith told local news site WXYZ. Officers were able to find the missing chunk of the man's tongue in his bedroom, Macomb officials said. He was rushed to a local hospital and Wedgeworth was taken into custody. There have been no updates on the man's condition. Libreville, Gabon (PANA) - The Gabonese government, employers and trade union organisations are meeting in Libreville on Monday to try to reconcile their concerns on the draft new Labour Code Policy think-tank, IMANI has asked government to shelve UNI-PASS International Agency (CUPIA) of Korea Customs Services and its local partner, Ghana Link Network Services Limited, contracted to implement National Single Window in collaboration with Customs for trade facilitation, until its promoters have demonstrated value above existing systems. It cautioned that by the nature of its antecedents, the potential of UNI-PASS implementation to severely disrupt trade and revenue flow is certain. In a position paper titled 'Why government must reconsider its decision on the controversial UNI-PASS customs and ports technology', IMANI said it took two years for Ghana Community Network System (GCNet) and West Blue Consulting, the two companies operating the single window system, to integrate and work cohesively. It said the Ghana Integrated Cargo Clearance System (GICCS), the Ghana Customs Management System (GCMS) on GCNet platform and the Pre-Arrival Assessment Reporting System (PAARS), the Customs House Agents Management System (CHAMS), the Joint Inspection Management Information System (JIMIS) and the Risk Management System (RMS) on the West Blue Platform, which currently exists, are not different from what UNI-PASS has been contracted to do. The GCNet contract ends in 2023 while the West Blue contract expires in 2020. This means that there are still three and one more years, respectively, for them to operate the single window system. In view of this, IMANI wanted to know if government was going to abrogate these contracts and at what cost. If government does not intend to abrogate these contracts, IMANI asked how all three companies will operate on the single window platform and the implication for trade facilitation. The policy think-tank wants to know what the transition will look like and what consequences it will have for trade facilitation and revenue mobilisation. According to IMANI, termination of the UNI-PASS contract by the government, either voluntarily or through material breaches occasioned by it, attracts graduated fees of between $93 million in the first year to $12 million in the 10th year. Given that the UNIPASS/Ghana Link Network Services single window contract was awarded for $40 million for ten years, aren't these termination clauses draconian? it questioned. According to the contract, the processing fee for the UNI-PASS system will be 0.75% of Free on Board (FOB), compared to the existing combined fees of GCNet (0.40% of FOB) and West Blue (0.28% of CIF), which sums up to 0.68%. However, as government receives 35% out of GCNet's 0.40% fee, in real terms, GCNet receives 0.26%. This means the total cost to government under the existing system is 0.54% for both GCNet's 0.26% plus West Blue's 0.28% while UNI-PASS' fee will be 0.75%. The policy think-tank noted that the Ministry of Trade has not published revenue projections from implementing UNI-PASS to justify the signing of the UNI-PASS agreement. It wants the Ministry of Trade to share such a report and in addition to the results of the feasibility studies purportedly conducted on the ports in 2015 by CUPIA of Korea Customs Services and Ghana Link Network Services. What components of the system are developed by CUPIA's Ghanaian partners, Ghana Link and SML? Will UNIPASS deliver valuation services? Which country references can CUPIA provide for these components? There are set standards and methodologies for implementing IT systems of this scale. Can South Korea's CUPIA provide evidence on the methodology used for South Korea and other reference countries and why Ghana's approach has been different? What are CUPIA/UNIPASS' reference countries for Mixed Goods, Headload, Personal Effects, etc, IMANI asked. citinewsroom Turkey hit targets in northern Syria, responding to shelling by Syrian government forces that killed at least four Turkish soldiers, the Turkish president said Monday. The exchange, which came hours after a large Turkish military convoy entered the northwestern province of Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in Syria, is likely to further increase tensions between the two neighbouring countries as such direct clashes have been rare. Earlier, Turkey's National Defence Ministry said the Turkish forces were sent to Idlib as reinforcement and were attacked there despite prior notification of their coordinates to the local authorities. It said Turkish forces responded to the attack, destroying targets. Along with four killed, nine Turkish troops were wounded. Speaking to reporters before departing for a visit to Ukraine, Erdogan said Turkish warplanes and artillery were involved in the response and claimed that there were between 30 and 35 casualties on the Syrian side but offered no evidence. "Those who test Turkey's determination with such vile attacks will understand their mistake," Erdogan said. Erdogan suggested Turkey would not accept Russian intervention in the tension with Syria, saying authorities in Moscow were told: "let there be no situation where we are prevented." "It is not possible for us to remain silent when our soldiers are being martyred," Erdogan said. The exchange occurred near the Syrian flashpoint town of Saraqeb, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group. Toyota City, Japan, Feb 3, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Toyota Motor Corporation and Panasonic Corporation announced today that they have decided to establish Prime Planet Energy & Solutions, Inc., a joint venture specializing in automotive prismatic batteries. This decision comes just over a year since the two companies announced on January 22, 2019 that they had concluded a business integration contract and a joint-venture contract toward the establishment of a new company. Toyota and Panasonic have also decided on the outline of the joint venture.Batteries--as solutions for providing energy for automobiles and various other forms of mobility, and as solutions for various kinds of environmental issues--are expected to fulfill a central role in society going forward--a role that supports people's lives.The joint venture announced by Toyota and Panasonic will develop highly competitive, cost-effective batteries that are safe and feature excellent quality and performance (in terms of capacity, output, durability, etc.), enabling use with peace of mind by all customers. Furthermore, the joint venture will supply batteries not only to Toyota but also, broadly and stably, to all customers.The joint venture's name embraces Toyota's and Panasonic's strong determination to provide their customers--while working in unison with many friends to keep our irreplaceable earth abundant and clean--broad-ranging, added-value solutions including and beyond the supply of energy in the form of batteries.About Toyota Motor CorporationToyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is the global mobility company that introduced the Prius hybrid-electric car in 1997 and the first mass-produced fuel cell sedan, Mirai, in 2014. Headquartered in Toyota City, Japan, Toyota has been making cars since 1937. Today, Toyota proudly employs 370,000 employees in communities around the world. Together, they build around 10 million vehicles per year in 29 countries, from mainstream cars and premium vehicles to mini-vehicles and commercial trucks, and sell them in more than 170 countries under the brands Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino. For more information, please visit www.toyota-global.com.Source: Toyota Motor CorporationCopyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. These U.S. troops (below) were among some 13,000 Americans sent to Russia's Far North and Eastern Siberia in 1918 to fight both against -- and alongside -- Russians in one of history's strangest conflicts. U.S. troops (left) parade in front of allied Russian White Army fighters. A U.S. soldier pauses for a photograph while loading supplies onto a ship bound for Russia in 1918. After the revolutionist leader Vladimir Lenin and his Bolsheviks seized power in Russia in 1917 with the promise of "Peace, Land, and Bread," the country formally withdrew from World War I. Once Russian guns fell silent, Germany and its allies were able to redeploy hundreds of thousands of soldiers from their Eastern Front and hurl them at the exhausted Allied forces in France and Belgium. British Prime Minister David Lloyd George expressed fear that the onslaught could mean "disaster" for the Allies. Britain and France began plotting to "reconstitute the fighting front in the East," possibly by linking up with a contingent of battle-hardened Czechoslovak soldiers stranded inside revolutionary Russia, and overturning Russias Bolshevik Revolution by force. Meanwhile, military supplies worth millions of dollars that the United States had shipped into Russia lay unused and at risk of being captured by German forces. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, under pressure from Britain and France, agreed to send U.S. troops as part of an expeditionary force to Russia in the summer of 1918. He said he was "sweating blood" over the decision. U.S. soldiers land in Russia's Arkhangelsk in September 1918. Their ship was painted in "dazzle camouflage" designed to make it hard for enemy submarine crews to estimate the ship's direction and speed. Wilson's stated aim for the U.S. troops was to guard supplies and assist the stranded Czechoslovak forces, who were increasingly in danger as the civil war raged across the country following the Russian revolution. Wilson apparently opposed further military intervention, believing U.S. entanglement in the conflict would only "add to the present sad confusion in Russia rather than cure it." An allied military camp, with Murmansk harbor in background. U.S. soldiers shop in a Russian market. Most of the troops sent to northern Russia were from Michigan. The U.S. military command thought Michiganders would be better able to cope with Russia's brutal winter weather than troops from warmer states. A U.S. soldier scans the Russian forest for Bolshevik fighters. Wilson was reluctant to wade into a civil war between the Bolshevik militia and Russia's White Army -- a motley grouping of fighters opposed to Lenin's revolution. Nevertheless, U.S. troops were almost immediately thrust into battle by the British officers who commanded them. This image contains sensitive content which some people may find offensive or disturbing. Click to reveal This image contains sensitive content which some people may find offensive or disturbing - Click to reveal A Bolshevik shot dead after attempting a late-night raid on a U.S. outpost in Russia's Far North. Much of the materiel the U.S. soldiers were sent to guard had already been looted before they arrived in Russia. This slain Bolshevik fighter was equipped with a modern U.S. Remington rifle and "plentiful" ammunition. The flag-draped coffin of a U.S. soldier being lowered into the soil of Russia's Far North. Americans in snow camouflage, which one soldier described as recalling "to my mind accounts of the Ku Klux Klan." A U.S. captain raises a sword captured from a Bolshevik fighter. This image contains sensitive content which some people may find offensive or disturbing. Click to reveal This image contains sensitive content which some people may find offensive or disturbing - Click to reveal A young Bolshevik fighter who was killed while attempting to flank U.S. positions in Russia's Far North. U.S. soldiers and their allies in northern Russia, November 1918. The Americans fought under British command as part of a multinational expeditionary force. French troops were sent to Russia after years of combat in the trenches of the Western Front during World War I. French fighters at a machine-gun nest. One U.S. soldier recalled, "it is a comfortable feeling to look out and see these cool Verdun veterans." One American was less enthusiastic about his Canadian comrades in arms (pictured) and recalled that after a battle some had passed among the Bolshevik dead "like ghoulish things, stripping bodies of everything valuable...with astounding glee, like schoolboys on a hilarious holiday.... They were generous-hearted, hardy, whole-souled murderers." Captured Bolsheviks. Some communist fighters carried out savage revenge on captured Americans. One U.S. soldier who barely escaped alive after a forest battle reported that the Bolsheviks were castrating the wounded. The body of one U.S. soldier who killed himself with his revolver before the Bolsheviks reached him was later unearthed "hacked almost beyond recognition." The U.S. contingent also fought alongside Russians who opposed the Bolsheviks, like this gun crew that was part of the so-called White movement. A U.S. soldier looks across to the Bolshevik-held village of Shenkursk in the distance. The Americans' position was captured by the Bolsheviks two weeks after this photo was taken. A U.S. outpost in the wilderness of Russia's Far North. In November 1918, U.S. forces who'd been fired upon from the village of Upper Tulgas drove the villagers out of the settlement and burned it to the ground. A sergeant later wrote, "My heart ached to have the women fall down and kiss my hand and beg me not to do it...but orders is orders." Bolshevik prisoners are fed rice by a U.S. soldier in January 1919. A Russian peasant "exhausted from starvation" rests on the steps of the U.S. headquarters in Arkhangelsk. A Russian man at a market in Russia's Far North. One U.S. soldier described the locals he met as "quite hospitable and very honest -- no petty thieving is done, but they would sell their soul for a drink of rum." Locals line up for food aid from the American Red Cross in Arkhangelsk. A shop that sold furs in Arkhangelsk was popular among Allied troops. Americans in a reindeer "taxi" -- a common form of transport. U.S. military engineers at a field camp in Russia. By 1919, World War I was over and the Bolshevik Red Army was becoming an increasingly formidable fighting force. Fresh American graves in Russia. In 1919, a U.S. commander said to his superiors: "The morale of any force depends a great deal on the rank and file knowing for what they are fighting...the men have gone through hardships and fighting cheerfully, but will soon begin to say among themselves, 'Why are we here?' It is my business to answer that question, and I cannot." Officers of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Arkhangelsk in 1919. As the tide turned in the civil war, the Red Army's command was determined to drive foreign troops out of Russia -- accelerating a Bolshevik campaign of terror as they advanced. A grain store set ablaze by Bolshevik fighters. U.S. troops retreated to this settlement north of Arkhangelsk in June 1919 to await evacuation. After months of a nightmarish existence in the Russian wilderness, one U.S. soldier arriving at the settlement was stunned to see "civilized girls for the first time" with "regular dresses and silk stockings." A farewell dance for U.S. troops in Arkhangelsk. One U.S. soldier remarked about the Russian girls: "They dance the same as we do at home," but they "refused flatly to dance with men who were drunk." Russian "war brides" who would soon leave their homeland for a new life in the United States with their soldier husbands. U.S. soldiers await the ships that would carry them home in the summer of 1919. Some historians think Lenin held back from a final, bloody assault on the Allies because of the damage it would do to the reputation of Russia's new government, which was then hoping to win international recognition. U.S. troops line up for inspection before leaving Russia in June 1919. By September 1919, all Americans had left the port. The Arctic campaign had cost the lives of between 210 and 244 U.S. soldiers, many to disease and accidents. U.S. Troops marching in Khabarovsk. The mission for the U.S. contingent sent to Russia's Far East -- partly to guard supplies and protect the Trans-Siberian Railway -- had been even more vague and shifting than their compatriots in the Far North. They were pulled out of Russia by April 1920. Nearly 200 Americans died during the Siberian expedition. Some areas have more resources than others, so do your best to work with what you have. I learned about the zero waste movement in 2014, after discovering Bea Johnson's inspiring book at the library. It was eye-opening and revelatory, and sparked a desire to eradicate as much single-use packaging from my life as I could. That was easier said than done. As I followed the steps she recommended, I met numerous roadblocks. It turns out that small-town Ontario isn't nearly as progressive as San Francisco when it comes to allowing reusable containers in grocery stores. Who knew? That's when I wished I still lived in the city. According to my Google searches and Johnson's app, my previous home in downtown Toronto would've given me access to numerous bulk and health food stores that allowed reusable containers, but unfortunately I was no longer there to take advantage of them. This was a depressing realization. It took awhile, but eventually I realized that my location gave me one key advantage over city-dwellers direct access to farmers. I now lived in farm country, after all, at the epicenter of food production, which meant that I could go directly to producers to get ingredients that are not only package-free (or minimally packaged), but also the freshest and most delicious. So I did, and the results have been rewarding. There are still trade-offs. I can get most of the fruits, vegetables, milk, and meat that we eat without plastic, but there are far fewer prepared foods, bakery items, cheese, soap and household cleaners, and condiments than I would be able to get in the city. Celia Ristow, founder of the Litterless blog, put it well when she told Civil Eats that zero waste should be viewed as more of an ideal than a hard-and-fast rule: "It's so geographically dependent on whats in your area some areas have more resources, some dont so I think its about doing your best to leverage the resources you do have." It is refreshing to see that fact acknowledged. Geographic limitations are real, and so often the best-known zero waste advocates and Instagrammers are urban dwellers, who have access to dozens, if not hundreds, of stores and restaurants that are willing to work with them. You don't hear as often about people in the boonies who are talking directly to farmers and storeowners in hopes of circumventing the usual packaging practices. What I've come to realize over the years is that no place is perfect. There are pros and cons to urban living and to rural living, and it's impossible to find a place that meets all the ideal criteria. But that doesn't mean we should stop trying. The food scene in my small town has changed drastically in six years, and far more reusable and refillable options are available now than ever before. We have new and expanded CSA programs, a local food co-op that allows for online ordering and home delivery, numerous locations for dropping off milk bottles, a growing summer farmers' market, and large pick-your-own fruit farm. I tell people (and remind myself) to chip away at what you can. Each week will look different. One might include milk in glass bottles, while the following does not. Maybe the farmers' market and CSA shares are only seasonal, and you have to buy supermarket produce for six months out of the year. Perhaps you can stock up on cleaning liquids in glass jars when you visit the city once in a while. It doesn't have to be perfect; in fact, as the saying goes, "Perfection is the enemy of progress." Do what you can, based on what's around you, and don't give up. Ukraine and Turkey implement more than 50 joint projects in the military-technical field, one of the most successful areas of joint cooperation. The military-technical field is a prime example of strategic partnership in action... Currently, more than 50 joint projects are at various stages of implementation. One of the most important projects concerns the purchase of combat UAVs from Turkey and the supply of Ukrainian engines made by SE Ivchenko-Progres for the production of Turkish UAVs Akinci," Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Turkey Andrii Sybiha said in an interview with Ukrinform. He noted that cooperation with Turkey in the military-technical field was not only about the sale of products but had already reached the level of design and joint production. "Our cooperation helps to strengthen the defense capacity of our countries. These projects help Ukraine to reduce the mortality rate among our soldiers and strengthen the army," Sibiga stressed. According to him, there are also prospects for strengthening bilateral cooperation in the field of aviation. As reported, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a visit to Ukraine on February 3. A meeting of the Ukraine-Turkey High Level Strategic Council will be held within the framework of the visit. ol Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said assuming the top post was never his dream or ambition, but when he realised that the promise made to his father could not be fulfilled by staying with the BJP, he decided to accept the bigger responsibility. In an interview to Sanjay Raut, the executive editor of Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Thackeray said 'Hindutva' to him means honouring the word given by him. Asked if he was an 'accidental chief minister', the Shiv Sena president said, "May be. On aligning with ideologically different parties like the NCP and Congress, Thackeray said such tie-ups were made earlier also, and asserted that the interest of the state and country was not bigger than any ideology. "I was not new to political power as I have seen my father (late Sena supremo Bal Thackeray) wield it since my childhood. What came unexpected was the chair of power (CM's post)," he said. Thackeray said he had decided that he will go to any extent to fulfil the promise made to his father about making a Shiv Sainik chief minister of the state. "My becoming chief minister is the first step towards fulfilling the promise made to my father," the 59-year-old Shiv Sena president said. The Shiv Sena snapped ties with its pre-poll ally BJP last year over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post in the state. Thackeray earlier claimed that a 50:50 formula was "agreed upon" between himself, the then BJP president Amit Shah and then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis ahead of the last year's Lok Sabha polls. In the interview to Raut on Monday, Thackeray said the Shiv Sena chief never accepted the post of power and he also never wished for it. "When I realised that I can't achieve the promise made to my father by staying with the BJP,I had no option but to accept the bigger responsibility," he said. Asked if he had shocked people by accepting the post of chief minister of an unlikely coalition, Thackeray said "political shocks are of many kinds". "Promises made are supposed to be fulfilled. There is sadness and anger of breaking a promise and then I had no option. I don't know if the BJP has recovered from the shock. What big did I ask... moon or stars? I just reminded them about what was agreed upon before the Lok Sabha elections," he said. On what changed his earlier stand of going alone in the elections, Thackeray said, "When (the then BJP president) Amit Shah paid a visit to me, I felt what is the harm in starting all over again. Thackeray said he went to Gandhinagar and Varanasi when Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi filed their respective nominations for the Lok Sabha polls last year. "I got sandwiched between the elder (Modi) and younger brother (referring to BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis). Making a promise and honouring the word given is Hindutva for me," he said. Asked about aligning with parties of different ideologies, Thackeray said it had happened before and cited the example of the previous BJP-led governments at the Centre. "Are the ideologies of BJP and (Lok Janshakti Party leader) Ram Vilas Paswan, (JD(U) president) Nitish Kumar, (Trinamool Congress chief) MamataBanerjee and (TDP head) Chandrababu Naidu same?" he asked. "In Kashmir, there was an alliance with the PDP and talks were held with separatists. The interest of the state and country is not bigger than ideology," he said. On criticism from the BJP that he compromised on the Shiv Sena's ideology, Thackeray said, "You want to break other parties and induct their prominent leaders. Is the laundry with you only? What's wrong if we align with parties?" Asked what his mother Meena Thackeray's response on his becoming the chief minister would have been if she was alive, he said, she would have felt 'Oh God, whether he will be able to manage'. "But whatever I do, I do it genuinely," he added. On being compared to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Thackeray said, "I speak more." To a query on him contesting the election, Thackeray, who is not a member of either the state Legislative Assembly or Council, said, "In next two-three months, I will take a decision on contesting polls. I will never run away from my responsibilities." Hinting that he may take the Legislative Council route, the chief minister said, "For (getting elected to) Assembly, somebody will have to resign. I will take the decision without hurting anyone." Asked about his experience after becoming the chief minister, Thackeray said he took little time in understanding the "official Marathi language". The chief minister also said his government would work towards resolving the dispute of "Karnataka Occupied Maharashtra". "Maharashtra wants the Marathi-speaking areas on the border adjoining Karnataka to be merged with it (Maharashtra). The matter is in court. But instead of being neutral, the Centre is supporting the Karnataka government," he alleged. News Wellton, Arizona - Need help preparing for the Citizenship exam? On Thursday, February 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th, the Wellton Library will host citizenship practice sessions at 1:00 p.m. Review test subjects, learn interview tips, and more! Classes are conducted primarily in Spanish. There is no charge to attend. The Wellton Library is located at 28790 San Jose Avenue in Wellton. For more information, call (928) 785-9575. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Gael Branchereau (Agence France-Presse) Stockholm, Sweden Mon, February 3, 2020 16:05 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20624a3df 2 Environment Greta-Thunberg,climate-activists,climate,climate-crisis,Africa,uganda,South-Africa,Kenya,Vanessa-Nakate Free After a racism debate in Davos on the invisibility of African climate activists, Greta Thunberg held a press conference Friday with fellow eco warriors from Kenya, Uganda and South Africa to stress the importance of their voices. Vanessa Nakate of Uganda was at the heart of a viral debate at the World Economic Forum in Davos after she was cropped out of a news agency photo of young activists, including Thunberg, taken after a press conference. A 23-year-old graduate in business administration, Nakate was the only black person and only African in the photo shoot. She accused the Associated Press of racism in cropping her out. The agency said the photographer had modified the photo for composition purposes and later apologized, calling it a "terrible mistake". Nakate said she did "not want to talk about" the incident, other than to say that "it was quite a frustrating moment". "This is the time for the world to listen to the activists from Africa and to pay attention to their stories... This is an opportunity for media to actually do some justice to the climate issues in Africa," Nakate told reporters via video link from Kampala. She was joined on separate screens by Ayakha Melithafa and Ndoni Mcunu of South Africa and Makenna Muigai of Kenya, who spent an hour answering questions from journalists gathered at Greenpeace Sweden's offices. 'We are the most impacted' So far, Africa is relatively blameless when it comes to climate change. The continent is home to 17 percent of the world's population and more than a quarter of its nations, but only accounts for about five percent of the greenhouse gas emissions pushing the planet toward runaway warming. "Yet we are the most impacted" by climate change, said Mcunu, a PhD student at Johannesburg's Witwatersrand University. "Almost 20 million people have fled the continent due to these changes" and major droughts have caused "almost 52 million people to become food insecure," she added. Mcunu said Africans have begun to adapt, using "indigenous knowledge systems" incorporating "the knowledge that we have as Africans into the international research science and climate data awareness". But, she stressed, "how is it that we're not being spotlighted in these stories, that's the main challenge we have as a continent." Billions of locusts are swarming through East Africa, the result of extreme weather swings which could prove catastrophic for a region still reeling from drought and deadly floods. If unchecked, the infestation could become a plague that will devastate crops and pastures in a region which is already one of the poorest and most vulnerable in the world. 'Food and water scarcity' Many Africans "are unaware as to why this is happening, due to not being educated and properly prepared for the consequences," said Makenna Muigai. "I urge African leaders and world leaders to take into consideration that all of us will be affected by climate change. No one should be left behind," she added. "The biggest risk that African countries face would be food scarcity and water scarcity, as a result of climate change," added Nakate. To combat these threats, activists' voices need to be heard. "The biggest threat to action is the fact that those who are trying as hard as possible to speak up are not being given the amplification, they're not able to tell their stories," Nakate said. "If we continue the silencing of planet activists from different parts of Africa, it will be so hard for them to get their message across to our government leaders." Thunberg meanwhile criticized the media for focusing so much of its attention on her, insisting "the African perspective is always so under-reported". "If I say something it gets turned into a headline, that is not the case for the others. The media frames us differently... the amount of coverage they give us," the Swedish teenager said. WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In this book Mike McLeod, who is America's most experienced lawyer in Agriculture and Derivatives Law, takes us through the numerous financial scandals that have happened since the attacks on America on Sept. 11, 2001. As referenced in his website www.mcleodaglaw.com, this latest scandal was especially grievous to McLeod for two reasons. First, as a young General Counsel and Staff Director of the Senate Agriculture Committee, he drafted the law that created the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in 1974. Second, he lost a large amount of his life savings when OptionSellers went down in the second week of November 2018. If this matter had been under the jurisdiction of the SEC, someone would already be in jail. OptionSellers had exploited a loophole that made them subject to CFTC jurisdiction by only selling naked options of physical commodities, and not on stocks. As for INT FCStone, the publically traded company that cleared all of these trades, it is even worse. In 2013 the CFTC ordered this company to pay a fine of $1.5 million and absorb $127 million in losses. Currently, this company has a market capitalization of more that $700 million. After the OptionSellers meltdown of November 2018, there was no fine, and INT FCstone was allowed to go after innocent investors for its losses. Amazingly there is no indication that the CFTC has even made an effort to quantity the losses of innocent investors. The only thing we have seen is a effort to cover it up. McLeod's forthcoming book covers these issues in more detail. SOURCE Michael R. McLeod Related Links http://www.mcleodaglaw.com The political parties have, however belatedly, published their election manifestos. Instead of sharing them with voters as soon as the election was called, they all held back their full packages of pledges. That allowed for tactical tweaks on issues that arose unexpectedly, such as pensions. In politics, there can often be a late-mover advantage. Having made that point, let's focus today on the manifestos of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, as one of those parties will lead the next government, provided the 33rd Dail produces a government (the chances of another election in 2020 are not negligible). Taxation and the role of the State are the central political issues in well-established democracies. They are the foundation on which issues such as housing and health rest. Should people keep more of their money and make their own life choices, on retirement saving, for instance, to pick just one topical issue; or should governments raise more taxes so that the State can do more? Expand Close Vying for votes: Micheal Martin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Vying for votes: Micheal Martin There has been a shift toward the second option across the Western world in recent years. Concerns about the inefficiencies of inherently bureaucratic states have waned, while worries about the weaknesses of capitalism have waxed. Political discourse in Ireland reflects this wider trend, which has accelerated a shift back to auction politics since the end of the austerity years (it should be said that auction politics is not unique to Ireland, of course). Both of the big parties, and all others for that matter, are prioritising spending increases over tax cuts. Fianna Fail's manifesto says that if the party is elected it will devote four times more to spending increases than to tax cuts. Fine Gael has pledged even more towards spending, with additional commitments of 13.6bn over five years compared with 3bn for tax cuts (in 2021 alone, the party has pledged as much additional spending as it has in tax cuts in the entire 2021-2025 period). With all of the smaller parties to the left of the big parties, the likely composition of the next Dail points to the next government heavily prioritising spending increases over tax cuts. Expand Close Vying for votes: Leo Varadkar / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Vying for votes: Leo Varadkar That conclusion is reinforced by some other factors. Private sector pay growth is now strong and accelerating. That should mitigate, to some extent at least, pressure for tax cuts. Another factor favouring more spending is that so much political and media discussion is focused on solving society's ills with more government action. In politics, it is often better to do ineffectual or even counter-productive things than to be accused of doing nothing or too little. With so many spending pressures, not all of the (modest) tax cuts the big two parties are promising may materialise. They certainly won't materialise if the economy doesn't continue to grow strongly - Fine Gael's manifesto forecasts include a large and steady increase in the number of jobs, 1,000 every 10 days, for the next five years. Everyone hopes that such a rosy scenario unfolds. But it is not at all certain. If the tide of boom goes out, an ugly vista will be revealed. As discussed in some depth in last week's column, the next government will inherit a mountain of debt. This won't present a problem if everything carries on as it has in recent years. But if the economy slows and/or international conditions deteriorate, it will, and the many promises made in the election campaign to date will look less affordable. It cannot be stressed enough that everything that has been pledged by the parties to date is predicated on strong economic growth continuing over the term of the 33rd Dail. Expand Close Vying for votes: Eamon Ryan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Vying for votes: Eamon Ryan Predictably, if perhaps understandably given the nature of electoral politics everywhere, neither of the manifestos says much about how the parties would deal with a major reversal in the State's fiscal fortunes. There is certainly no indication of what the parties would do if they were to face a choice between reversing recent spending increases and hiking taxes further. Hopefully it won't come to that. And there is reason to believe that a return to austerity can be avoided. One is that the economy remains competitive and growth has not been fuelled by credit. That means that the next downturn should be a more 'normal' recession rather than a crash. Another reason is that some lessons have been learnt, if not as many as one might have hoped for. If the current Government had been truly prudent, the public finances would have been put back in the black sooner than they were. For one of the fastest- growing economies in the developed world since 2013 to have only just balanced its books is not anyone's definition of fiscal prudence. But it would go too far to say that no lessons have been learnt, as more than a few observers have said in reaction to the blizzard of promises the parties are making. The Budget for 2020 was genuinely prudent. Even though an election was imminent, the Government rightly based it on no-deal Brexit scenario. More generally, the rate at which total government spending has gone up over the past half-decade has been far below the crazy years from 2000 until the crash. This, to a great extent, reflects new constraints, particularly at European level. The vast array of new budgetary rules on governments in the euro area may be imperfect, but they are more meaningful than the toothless ones that were in place for the first decade of the single currency's existence. Overseeing these rules are a new national budgetary watchdog and the more watchful eyes of the technocrats in Brussels. These changes show that lessons have been learnt. Have they been enough? We will know that for sure only when the next downturn comes. URE take action against radio interference Spain's national amateur radio society URE has announced the creation of a Working Group to fight the danger posed to our hobby by radio interference from devices such as electric vehicle charging systems A translation of the URE announcement says: URE, the Spanish amateur radio association member of IARU, collaborates with the Electromagnetic Compatibility Committee (EMC, Committee C7) of IARU R1. In view of the danger posed to our hobby by the progressive increase in the level of radio noise we are attending, and since in the near future another major will be added - the installation and commissioning of induction electric vehicle charging systems ; WPT (Wireless Power Transmission) -, URE, following the IARU line of work, currently reinforces the Interference / EMC Vocalia team with the creation of a working group. This working group is formed by URE partners with competencies in EMC and RFI matters, such as Carles EA3WS, Salvador EA5Y and Fernando EA5GVZ, who will collaborate in the Vocalia providing technical and regulatory information, as well as measures to combat effectively RFI in our own amateur radio stations. Likewise, a section dedicated to EMC / RFI has been created on the URE website in which said content will be published. You can visit the EMC section of our website at this link: https://www.ure.es/emc/ Source URE in Google English https://tinyurl.com/SpainURE SEOUL, Feb 2 (Reuters) - South Korea will bar entry by foreigners who have visited Hubei Province, the epicentre of a new coronavirus outbreak in China, South Korea's prime minister said on Sunday, according to Yonhap news agency. The entry ban will go into effect on Tuesday, Yonhap reported, citing Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun. On Sunday, South Korea reported three new confirmed cases of the infection, bringing the total to 15 cases in the country. (Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Lincoln Feast.) In the Union Budget, the government hasnt included the (AGR) dues, which the Supreme Court has ordered telecom service providers to pay, in its revenues for 2019-20 and 2020-21. While upholding the AGR definition of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), SC had in October 2019 asked telcos to pay up past dues estimated at Rs 1.47 trillion within three months. The industry plea, seeking a modification of the order to get more time for paying up the dues, is yet to be heard in the top court. The AGR dues have not been factored in by the government in its Union Budget as the matter is sub-judice, said economic affairs secretary Atanu Chakraborty on the sidelines of the post-Budget-Ficci event on Monday. He said the AGR dues have not been accounted for either in the current financial year or the next. We want to be on the conservative side while budgeting our revenues, he added. In the latest Budget, the government has estimated a revenue of Rs 1.33 trillion from telecom services in 2020-21. This is around Rs 74,000 crore more than the Rs 58,989 crore it expects to earn in the present financial year. The government hasnt specified the avenues from which Rs 1.33 trillion can be realised in the telecom sector. It is either an ambitious target or the government would look for alternative resources, said analysts. Besides AGR dues, spectrum auction across bands, scheduled for this year, would yield revenues. However, the financially stressed telecom companies are unlikely to bid aggressively in the auction. Even after the SC deadline for paying up the AGR dues expired on January 23, the DoT did not take any coercive action against the defaulters as their appeals seeking relaxation in payment timelines is pending in the apex court. The figure of Rs 1.33 trillion under the telecom head in the Budget raised apprehensions among telecom operators that they may have to pay a substantial portion of the AGR dues over 50 per cent of Rs 1.47 trillion in the next fiscal year. According to Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) estimates, telcos have to pay around Rs 16,000 to Rs 17,000 crore as licence fee and spectrum usage charge (SUC) this year. Even after assuming that revenues will grow sharply due to increase in tariffs and redefinition of AGR, they say it cannot be more than Rs 30,000 crore for FY21. But with a moratorium of two years on payment of deferred spectrum for FY21, which is Rs 25,000 crore, this money will not be available. Also with negative response on 5G, COAI expects the government to get Rs 25,000 crore upfront for fresh spectrum auction next year. Nicole Neily was in college when the 9/11 terrorist attacks happened. She remembers sending an email to one of her professors, saying she assumed that class would be canceled the next day. She swiftly received a reply to the contrary: class would take place as usual, and if she were not present, her grade would reflect that. Contrast that with whats going on today, Neily said. After the 2016 election, midterms were canceled, safe spaces, the cry-insour students are not resilient. There are horrible things that happen in the world, but an election is not one of them. A peaceful transfer of power in a democratic nation is not the kind of thing that you need to melt down over. As universities feed into this safety-ism, the troubling phenomenon on college campuses has in just a few years morphed into something dangerous thats bound to have effects off-campus soon, if not already. Free speech simply cant exist in some of these climates, so in 2018, Neily joined the fight to defend it as president of the organization Speech First, so those concerned could help affect change along with students. Theres strength in numbers, Neily said. Nicole Neily, president of Speech First, in Washington on Jan. 26, 2020. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) The College Secret Police Neily had worked in the advocacy and think tank world for a decade before she started looking into the college campus hysteriaand at first, she really did think it was just hysteria. The more I dug into it, and talking to reporters, I realized its not only not made up, its a lot worse, Neily said. It horrified me. Neily is on the phone or texting with students every day about what theyre experiencing, and she hears about the phenomenon of chilling. Chilling refers to regulations that dont ban speech, but are too broad or vague, causing people to self-censor for fear of violating the law. For example, while student handbooks may say that unwelcome or offensive speech is prohibited, students dont know what qualifies as such until theyve been reported. She puts the issues into two categories, the seen and unseen. The seen issues are the visible and hotly contested issues such as designated free-speech zones and hefty fees that student groups have to pay when they invite an unpopular speaker. Neily says the unseen issues are the much bigger ones. The fact that students are just not talking about so many issues on campus, because theyre scared, she said. I learned about these policies [that create] bias response teams. That horrified me. I mean, its ripped from East Germany, where students are encouraged to report on each other. Schools have portals on a website where you can report your fellow classmates speech, she said. You can do so anonymously. You could also make a false report. I could really jam up somebody who I dislikeon the basis of speech alone. The besmirched party may ultimately be deemed not guilty by a university panel, but by then, theyve already been dragged through a whole disciplinary hearing process. This also sends a message to other students that if you voice an opinion others dislike, you will suffer similar consequences. And frankly, the kinds of issues that get reported are political issues, and theyre religious issues, and those are the very issues that we, as a society, that students need to be debating. Not shutting people up, not scaring people into silence, she said. A Dangerous Path Neily realized quickly that there wasnt much that one person could do. As an alum, she could opt not to give the $200 her alma mater asked of her, although the school likely wouldnt even notice. But if there were hundreds or thousands like her, the school would need to take these issues seriously. That was the genesis of Speech First. The organization sues universities with regulations that violate free speech, and it has the added benefit of letting students remain anonymous. Even if you know youre in the right, most students dont want to be the one to have their name attached to a lengthy, controversial lawsuit against the school you still want a degree from. And then theres the peer pressure and ostracism. Even if students know that theres a problem there, theyre scared to speak out, and accordingly, schools can get away with murder, Neily said. I think thats unacceptable. Neilys interest in defending civil liberties began early. Her paternal grandparents, Japanese-American citizens born in California, met when they were both in the Manzanar War Relocation Center during World War II. In college, she joined a student branch of the ACLU and would pass out know your rights cards to students whod been drinking; it was common for campus police to keep an eye on them, and they didnt know their rights. Her first job in Washington was at the Cato Institute, and before joining Speech First, she was the president and publisher for a branch of Watchdog.org. What is most baffling to her about these campus issues is that students are the ones requesting these censorship policies. If students want to give governments, in schools, this broad authority over their lives to pick winners and losers, youre always assuming that the school will pick your side, Neily said. A government that is big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take it all away. And it has. And it did that to my family. For students to be requesting to cede their authority, to give schools power to do things over them is mind-blowing, she said. Speech First members arent just students. Many are concerned citizens, such as alumni, parents with kids in college, grandparents, college professors, and administrators. People paying attention have realized these issues wont stay contained on campuses. Students who head to universities determined to express their opinions, listen, and debate, wont stay that way for long, Neily says. In some places, she said, theyll get four years of being told to keep your head down, keep your mouth shut, recite the talking points, dont think for yourself, dont challenge the status quo, or else face punishmentnot just from the administration but also on social media, being called out by peers. You do that for four years and I think it starts to become second nature, she said. Everyonethose doing the censoring and those being censoredultimately loses. Not only are you learning these dangerous ideas that speech is violence, that we should shut up and censor viewpoints we disagree with, but then also youve stopped learning to push back, to challenge others, to think for [yourself]. I think those are horrible behaviorshorrible things to teach our studentsbecause they get out, they need to go into the workforce, they need to go exist in a community, they need to go to meetings at their childrens school, she said. And if your default setting is, I dont like what youre saying, I think youre hateful and calling somebody a name. Thats not how civil society works. Thats a really dangerous path to take. School is where you learn to coexist with others, and, right now, students are learning that they shouldnt. Theyre not just reporting on each other, but also on professors, if they dont like a book assigned or a topic taught in class. Neily has also heard from administrators who feel their hands are tied as they go through social justice training workshops. That is really dangerous, frankly, for the country, she said. Thats why Speech First is doing the work it does. With the stories Neily has collected, the organization has sued four schools and recently scored a victory. Court Cases The University of Michigan was the first of four universities against which Speech First has filed lawsuits. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images) Speech First has filed lawsuits against the University of Texas, the University of Illinois, the University of Michigan, and, recently, Iowa State University. The University of Michigan case was the first in which the organization challenged the schools student code of conduct, which had overly broad regulations that could stifle free speech, and its bias response teams. After the lawsuit was filed, the school quietly revised its student handbook, and a district court deemed the case was over and that the bias response teams didnt pose harm, so Speech First appealed. In September, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the district courts decision, and the lawsuit was reinstated. Thats exciting, Neily said. Because the higher up it goes, this now controls all of the schools that are within that [6th Circuit] jurisdiction. The University of Texas and the University of Illinois also had their versions of a bias response team, along with other regulations, such as needing school permission to hand out fliers for an election. One included a rule where if you were to send rude correspondence, you could be subject to discipline up to and including expulsion. Funny enough, the University of Texas is my husbands alma mater and the University of Illinois mine. So our kids are basically not going to be legacies anywhere, Neily said. Her daughters are 4 and 6, so theyre not off to college yet, but the prospect of their education has Neily very personally invested in the fight. Another benefit of being organized is that the group can handle the lengthy appeals process. Cases can drag on, and students often graduate before any decision, and courts drop the case because the harm has gone away. And that stinks, because for very serious issues like chilling, a university is never going to admit Were chilling. There are certain viewpoints we dont want on campus. So theyre going to fight it and appeal it, Neily said. The courts are very slow. And so even if a student is right, their cases might be thrown out. But with Speech First, if even one of their members is still a student at the school, the case can continue. My cases can take 10 years, Neily said. I can have the longevity to get a case to Supreme Court, whereas an individual challenging their school might not. There are also issues that students contact her about that they cant sue for. Neily often hears from students who experience prejudice from professors because of differing political views. Since its hard to prove that a professor gave a bad grade because a students politics differ from the professors, she will offer advice instead on how the student can appeal these individual issues, or, in some cases, publicize them. Not everybody wants to sue their school some students just want their student group to be able to exist, she said. So what are the best ways to get students a happy outcome? Speech First will also begin to request internal documents and communication around free speech through the Freedom of Information Act, targeting universities that have had incidents in recent years. We want to see, how do you talk about these issues internally? Do you actually care about the First Amendment or do you care about the PR aspect? That should be interesting, she said. A popular Nollywood actress and producer, Ada Karl, has undergone a major fibroid surgery in Lagos and is currently recuperating. She was diagnosed with Fibroids recently. In recent times, the movie producer cum TV host has not been very active on social media and Instagram in particular. She has also deleted all of her social media posts. Karl was also trolled endlessly on social media by faceless accounts and some of her colleagues, thus prompting her to resolve to stay off social media for her sanity. According to sources speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on the development, she sunk into depression over her inability to conceive two years after wedlock. The trolling was too much. Imagine opening your Instagram account only to see hate messages in your inbox or faceless accounts dropping horrible messages on your posts. She just had to take a break from social media for now, they said. The actress, wedded her Caucasian lover, Karl Fredrik Skarsgard, in 2018. READ ALSO: Though she recently returned from the U.S., after a four-month stay, she opted to be operated upon in Nigeria. Karl has been an active player in Nollywood for over a decade. She has produced over 50 movies and worked with the likes of Pete Edochie, Desmond Elliot, Nora Roberts, Mercy Johnson, Patience Ozokwor (Mama G), Oge Okoye, Tonto Dikeh and Juliet Ibrahim. Some of her movies like Irreplaceable and Secret Pain have been featured on Africa-Magic. Kennys Diva and How to be a Player were also produced by her. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to question former Jammu and Kashmir idependent MLA Engineer Rashid for links with Hizbul Mujahideen commander Syed Naveed who was arrested along with suspended J and K deputy superintendent of police Davinder Singh last month, officials said on Monday. Rashid is now under judicial custody in Delhis Tihar jail after his arrest in August last year in connection with a terror funding case. His name figured during the interrogation of Syed Naveed, officials said. On Monday, the NIA raided the ancestral house of Davinder Singh in Tral as part of its probe following his arrest last month along with three terrorists. Officials said that NIA team remained there for an hour. ALSO WATCH | On The Record: Davinder Singhs arrest and how it changes how Afzal is viewed Another NIA team raided the house of a government employee at Jaggerpora village in Kupwara and another house in the same district. Sources said NIA teams also raided the houses of two Hizbul Mujahideen militants in Shopian district. Over the past few days, the NIA has also raided several other places in north Kashmirs Kupwara and South Kashmirs Shopian and Pulwama districts after the arrest of Singh, Syed Naveed and and two others arrested in this case. On Sunday the NIA had also carried several raids in south Kashmir. Officials privy to investigations said that raids were carried after NIA arrested some people on the insistence of Syed Naveed. The house of sarpanch Tariq Mir in Shopian in South Kashmir was also raided by the NIA. Though locals claimed that Mir is affiliated with the BJP, party spokesman Altaf Thakur denied it. The name of the sarpanch had also figured during the investigation. On January 23, a special NIA court in Jammu had granted 15-day custody of Davinder Singh, Syed Naveed, Irfan Shafi Mir, Rafi Ahmad Rather and Syed Irfan Ahmad to the investigating agency. State laws that regulate e-cigarette sales and usage may lower their use in states where those laws have been implemented, according to a new observational study from the University of Iowa published this week by the journal JAMA Network Open. E-cigarette use and vaping are popular among Americans, despite ongoing controversy about their public health effects. States first started passing laws to address e-cigarette use in 2010; by 2016, most states, territories, and the District of Columbia had some kind of regulation in place. In the observational study, a research team led by Wei Bao, assistant professor of epidemiology in the University of Iowa College of Public Health, estimated the potential impact of five laws on e-cigarettes use by adults in the United States. Some of those five laws are implemented in many states, such as prohibitions of self-service displays of e-cigarettes at retail outlets, which was in force in 26 states. Others, such as age limitations or a tax, were in force in just a few states. -- People were 14% less likely to use e-cigarettes in states where laws prohibited their sale to persons under age 21. This is also the law that is in force in the fewest number of states-;only California, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia have implemented age restrictions. However, a new rule from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration now makes it illegal to sell e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 21 in the U.S. --People were 11% less likely to use e-cigarettes in states in which the devices and their refills were taxed, laws that have been implemented in seven states. --People were 10% less likely to use e-cigarettes in states where they are prohibited for use in indoor areas of private workplaces, restaurants, and bars. Ten states have this law in place. --People were 10% less likely to use e-cigarettes in states where laws required retailers be licensed to sell them. This law is in place in 15 states. Not every law was as successful, though. Regulations prohibiting self-service retail displays of e-cigarettes was not significantly associated with e-cigarette use. This is also the most commonly implemented law regarding e-cigarettes, in place in 26 states. Bao cautions that the survey is observational and the data does not establish a definite cause-and-effect relationship between laws and reduced usage. He says that the magnitude of associations between state laws and e-cigarette use was modest. However, because state laws are applied to the general population, the population-wide health effects of exposure to those state laws would be substantial. He also says that the findings are generally consistent with the finding of previous studies for state laws regarding conventional cigarettes and conventional cigarette use. Indiana Wesleyan: A history of innovative education, a future of global impact For 100 years, Indiana Wesleyan Universitys mission has been to change the world by developing students in character, scholarship, and leadership. IWU started as a brick-and-mortar college in Marion, Indiana, but today we are made up of three units: the residential campus in Marion, Indiana; Wesley Seminary; and IWUNational & Global, where we serve over 8,000 non-residential students. In 1985, we recognized that adult students often felt locked out of higher education, so IWU took a bold step of faith and launched a new learning model that would meet their needs. Today, our flexible online and onsite programs have helped tens of thousands of students earn their degrees while balancing their careers, families, and lives. Our graduates are not only adept professionalsmany of them are also spiritual leaders and upstanding citizens who are valuable contributors within their communities. Our founders also believed in helping students carry their faith into their vocations, so they resolved to keep Christ at the center of the university and pursue second-to-none academic excellence. A century later, we have become a thriving university with a global impact, and we are looking forward to the next 100 years. Our promise we make to the people that come after us is that we will hold on to the things that define who we are as a Christ-centered institution, President David Wright said. We see the phenomenal things God does through this community and the faculty, the mentoring and discipleship. Here at IWUNational & Global, were passionate about helping students find programs that fit their lives and help them meet their goals. We offer more than 90 programs designed specifically to fit within a busy schedule no need to pause your life to earn your degree. Our programs reach from associate-level education to doctoral programs and even certificates. Join a diverse student body. Study under highly-qualified professors with real-world experience. Benefit from individualized attention in small class sizes. Learn to integrate your faith into your coursework and career. Learn more at indwes.edu. Pakistan on Monday resumed flights from coronavirus-hit China after two planes from the country landed at the airport in Islamabad. Pakistan had suspended flights from China till February 2 after the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak of the novel virus as a global health emergency. The death toll in the coronavirus epidemic soared to 361 with 57 deaths on Sunday alone while the number of confirmed cases climbed to 17,205. According to the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCCA), two flights of China Southern Airlines CZ 6007and CZ 5241 - from Urumqi city of China landed at Islamabad International Airport. The flights were allowed a day after Pakistan said it has received special medical kits from China to detect the coronavirus cases. Officials said a Qatar Airlines flight also came from Doha, bringing at least 40 Pakistani students from China who had travelled to Qatar due to suspension of direct flights to Pakistan. Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza who was at the airport to see the arrival and mandatory checks on the passengers confirmed the development. At Islamabad airport this morning - received passengers from China along with HE Chinese Ambassador in Pakistan. We supervised implementation of Airport SOPs' and I interviewed passengers, Mirza tweeted. Following all international protocols ensuring their health & safety as well as that of all Pakistanis. A responsible Pakistan means being emotional when needed but rational and practical in decision making as well. We support the Chinese Govt efforts to overcome CNV (coronavirus), he said. So far, no case of the virus has been found in Pakistan. While India, the US, Sri Lanka and many other countries evacuated their nationals from Wuhan, Pakistan has declined pleas by its stranded citizens in the city to airlift them. Pakistan's Ambassador to China Naghmana Hashmi on Sunday said that Pakistani students should not be evacuated from Wuhan as medical facilities back home do not meet the standards required to treat a patient diagnosed with coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) What is the coronavirus? A coronavirus is a type of virus which can cause illness in animals and people. Viruses break into cells inside their host and use them to reproduce itself and disrupt the body's normal functions. Coronaviruses are named after the Latin word 'corona', which means crown, because they are encased by a spiked shell which resembles a royal crown. The coronavirus from Wuhan is one which has never been seen before this outbreak. It has been named SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. The name stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2. Experts say the bug, which has killed around one in 50 patients since the outbreak began in December, is a 'sister' of the SARS illness which hit China in 2002, so has been named after it. The disease that the virus causes has been named COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019. Dr Helena Maier, from the Pirbright Institute, said: 'Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that infect a wide range of different species including humans, cattle, pigs, chickens, dogs, cats and wild animals. 'Until this new coronavirus was identified, there were only six different coronaviruses known to infect humans. Four of these cause a mild common cold-type illness, but since 2002 there has been the emergence of two new coronaviruses that can infect humans and result in more severe disease (Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronaviruses). 'Coronaviruses are known to be able to occasionally jump from one species to another and that is what happened in the case of SARS, MERS and the new coronavirus. The animal origin of the new coronavirus is not yet known.' The first human cases were publicly reported from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where approximately 11million people live, after medics first started publicly reporting infections on December 31. By January 8, 59 suspected cases had been reported and seven people were in critical condition. Tests were developed for the new virus and recorded cases started to surge. The first person died that week and, by January 16, two were dead and 41 cases were confirmed. The next day, scientists predicted that 1,700 people had become infected, possibly up to 7,000. Where does the virus come from? According to scientists, the virus almost certainly came from bats. Coronaviruses in general tend to originate in animals the similar SARS and MERS viruses are believed to have originated in civet cats and camels, respectively. The first cases of COVID-19 came from people visiting or working in a live animal market in Wuhan, which has since been closed down for investigation. Although the market is officially a seafood market, other dead and living animals were being sold there, including wolf cubs, salamanders, snakes, peacocks, porcupines and camel meat. A study by the Wuhan Institute of Virology, published in February 2020 in the scientific journal Nature, found that the genetic make-up virus samples found in patients in China is 96 per cent identical to a coronavirus they found in bats. However, there were not many bats at the market so scientists say it was likely there was an animal which acted as a middle-man, contracting it from a bat before then transmitting it to a human. It has not yet been confirmed what type of animal this was. Dr Michael Skinner, a virologist at Imperial College London, was not involved with the research but said: 'The discovery definitely places the origin of nCoV in bats in China. 'We still do not know whether another species served as an intermediate host to amplify the virus, and possibly even to bring it to the market, nor what species that host might have been.' So far the fatalities are quite low. Why are health experts so worried about it? Experts say the international community is concerned about the virus because so little is known about it and it appears to be spreading quickly. It is similar to SARS, which infected 8,000 people and killed nearly 800 in an outbreak in Asia in 2003, in that it is a type of coronavirus which infects humans' lungs. It is less deadly than SARS, however, which killed around one in 10 people, compared to approximately one in 50 for COVID-19. Another reason for concern is that nobody has any immunity to the virus because they've never encountered it before. This means it may be able to cause more damage than viruses we come across often, like the flu or common cold. Speaking at a briefing in January, Oxford University professor, Dr Peter Horby, said: 'Novel viruses can spread much faster through the population than viruses which circulate all the time because we have no immunity to them. 'Most seasonal flu viruses have a case fatality rate of less than one in 1,000 people. Here we're talking about a virus where we don't understand fully the severity spectrum but it's possible the case fatality rate could be as high as two per cent.' If the death rate is truly two per cent, that means two out of every 100 patients who get it will die. 'My feeling is it's lower,' Dr Horby added. 'We're probably missing this iceberg of milder cases. But that's the current circumstance we're in. 'Two per cent case fatality rate is comparable to the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918 so it is a significant concern globally.' How does the virus spread? The illness can spread between people just through coughs and sneezes, making it an extremely contagious infection. And it may also spread even before someone has symptoms. It is believed to travel in the saliva and even through water in the eyes, therefore close contact, kissing, and sharing cutlery or utensils are all risky. It can also live on surfaces, such as plastic and steel, for up to 72 hours, meaning people can catch it by touching contaminated surfaces. Originally, people were thought to be catching it from a live animal market in Wuhan city. But cases soon began to emerge in people who had never been there, which forced medics to realise it was spreading from person to person. What does the virus do to you? What are the symptoms? Once someone has caught the COVID-19 virus it may take between two and 14 days, or even longer, for them to show any symptoms but they may still be contagious during this time. If and when they do become ill, typical signs include a runny nose, a cough, sore throat and a fever (high temperature). The vast majority of patients will recover from these without any issues, and many will need no medical help at all. In a small group of patients, who seem mainly to be the elderly or those with long-term illnesses, it can lead to pneumonia. Pneumonia is an infection in which the insides of the lungs swell up and fill with fluid. It makes it increasingly difficult to breathe and, if left untreated, can be fatal and suffocate people. Figures are showing that young children do not seem to be particularly badly affected by the virus, which they say is peculiar considering their susceptibility to flu, but it is not clear why. What have genetic tests revealed about the virus? Scientists in China have recorded the genetic sequences of around 19 strains of the virus and released them to experts working around the world. This allows others to study them, develop tests and potentially look into treating the illness they cause. Examinations have revealed the coronavirus did not change much changing is known as mutating much during the early stages of its spread. However, the director-general of China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Gao Fu, said the virus was mutating and adapting as it spread through people. This means efforts to study the virus and to potentially control it may be made extra difficult because the virus might look different every time scientists analyse it. More study may be able to reveal whether the virus first infected a small number of people then change and spread from them, or whether there were various versions of the virus coming from animals which have developed separately. How dangerous is the virus? The virus has a death rate of around two per cent. This is a similar death rate to the Spanish Flu outbreak which, in 1918, went on to kill around 50million people. Experts have been conflicted since the beginning of the outbreak about whether the true number of people who are infected is significantly higher than the official numbers of recorded cases. Some people are expected to have such mild symptoms that they never even realise they are ill unless they're tested, so only the more serious cases get discovered, making the death toll seem higher than it really is. However, an investigation into government surveillance in China said it had found no reason to believe this was true. Dr Bruce Aylward, a World Health Organization official who went on a mission to China, said there was no evidence that figures were only showing the tip of the iceberg, and said recording appeared to be accurate, Stat News reported. Can the virus be cured? The COVID-19 virus cannot be cured and it is proving difficult to contain. Antibiotics do not work against viruses, so they are out of the question. Antiviral drugs can work, but the process of understanding a virus then developing and producing drugs to treat it would take years and huge amounts of money. No vaccine exists for the coronavirus yet and it's not likely one will be developed in time to be of any use in this outbreak, for similar reasons to the above. The National Institutes of Health in the US, and Baylor University in Waco, Texas, say they are working on a vaccine based on what they know about coronaviruses in general, using information from the SARS outbreak. But this may take a year or more to develop, according to Pharmaceutical Technology. Currently, governments and health authorities are working to contain the virus and to care for patients who are sick and stop them infecting other people. People who catch the illness are being quarantined in hospitals, where their symptoms can be treated and they will be away from the uninfected public. And airports around the world are putting in place screening measures such as having doctors on-site, taking people's temperatures to check for fevers and using thermal screening to spot those who might be ill (infection causes a raised temperature). However, it can take weeks for symptoms to appear, so there is only a small likelihood that patients will be spotted up in an airport. Is this outbreak an epidemic or a pandemic? The outbreak was declared a pandemic on March 11. A pandemic is defined by the World Health Organization as the 'worldwide spread of a new disease'. Previously, the UN agency said most cases outside of Hubei had been 'spillover' from the epicentre, so the disease wasn't actually spreading actively around the world. TASHKENT -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has hailed the wonderful, rapidly growing partnership between the United States and Uzbekistan, which he said deserves praise for its progress on human rights issues. Pompeo made the comments on February 3 after talks with Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov in Uzbekistans capital, Tashkent, the last leg of his tour to Eastern Europe and Central Asia. During his visit, he also met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev, whom he thanked for his "leadership in forging the strategic partnership between the U.S. and Uzbekistan." "I commend Uzbekistan for its reform efforts aimed at a more free and open society with a more accountable government," he tweeted. Mirziyoev has taken steps to bolster the country's struggling economy and to implement reforms since coming to power in 2016. Still, rights watchdogs have expressed concerns about conditions in Uzbekistan, where rights abuses had been widespread under his predecessor, Islam Karimov, who had ruled Central Asia's most populous country with an iron fist since before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Freedom House, for instance, ranked Uzbekistan "not free" in its Freedom On The Net 2018 assessment and said the Internet environment there remained "repressive." Speaking alongside Kamilov, Pompeo said Uzbekistan is expanding space for civil society, addressing forced labor issues, and loosening restrictions on the media, just to name a few. The state secretary also called for further progress in these areas and others, especially in aggressively investigating and prosecuting human trafficking. Kamilov said his country will continue to coordinate its activities regarding the situation in neighboring Afghanistan, as well as looking to grow ties in other areas. Pompeo and Kamilov also took part in a meeting with their counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The agenda of the talks included regional security, regional cooperation, and the situation in Afghanistan, according to the Uzbek Foreign Ministry. The so-called C5+1 forum was established in November 2015 to address common security and environmental challenges, improve regional trade flows, and enhance prospects for U.S. trade and investment with the region. Pompeo arrived from Kazakhstan where he met with President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev and his predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbaev. He also met with Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Minsk on February 1 and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on January 31. He began his trip in Britain on January 29 and had meetings with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Prime Minister Boris Johnson. THE UL Hospitals Group has reassured the public that its 60-bed block will be open and ready for use before the end of the year, as units for the modular build landed at University Hospital Limerick this Monday. It has stated that a planning application for the 96-bed block is likely to be submitted later this year. There is no estimated time of delivery for this 25m project. Announcing the landing of the units, the UL Hospitals Group said that it is finalising details for a recruitment campaign to take on 140 whole-time equivalent staff for the surge in bed capacity at UHL. Government opposition have raised concerns over the opening of the 19.5m project, saying that staff need to be recruited before the state-of-the-art modular units are ready for use. The remainder of the units are prefabricate offsite, located just a few miles from UHL, awaiting delivery. Installed by a mobile crane, all units are expected to be erected on site this month, a spokesperson said. The ward block will provide an additional 60 beds for the hospital, all single patient rooms with ensuites. The additional single rooms will help to improve patient comfort, safety, privacy and dignity and assist with the management of infection control in the hospital. Commenting this Monday, Colette Cowan, CEO, UL Hospitals Group, said: Work is progressing well on the 60-Bed Block for UHL another milestone was reached this Monday with the arrival of the modular units on site. We expect the beds will be available for patients before the end of this year after all the equipment has been installed and tested and all the staff recruited and trained. This project will help considerably in reducing the long wait times experienced by too many of our patients, especially in our Emergency Department." Prof Cowan added that more capacity is required in the Mid-West It is important that we continue to progress the 96-bed Block which is included in the national development plan. A full design team has now been appointed for this project and a feasibility study is underway. We expect that a planning application will be lodged with Limerick City and County Council later this year." T he former partner of the Streatham attacker has said she lives in fear and feels like she is reliving the nightmare of their relationship. The woman, who spoke to ITV News on condition of anonymity, said she felt trapped during her one-year relationship with Sudesh Amman While together, Islamic State supporter Amman, urged his then girlfriend to kill her disbeliever parents and told her that any Muslim not supporting IS were apostates. Amman was jailed in December 2018 for possessing and distributing terrorist documents but was freed from prison less than a fortnight ago. Streatham terror attack - In pictures 1 /28 Streatham terror attack - In pictures Police are dealing with an incident in Streatham Andy Bullemor Police officers conduct a search of a bail hostel in south London AFP via Getty Images A woman reacts near to the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police Getty Images Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police cordon off a property in Streatham PA Forensic officers outside a property on Leigham Court Road, Streatham PA Police activity at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police officers look under a bus as they work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the Streatham area of south London AP Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police officer on Streatham High Road PA Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Police officers guard a cordon on Streatham High Road, at the junction of Prentis Road AFP via Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police secure the area in Streatham AP Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard The woman, who is in her early 20s, said she was unaware that Amman had been released, adding: I havent heard from him for a long time, I dont know what happened to him in prison. Reflecting on their relationship, she said: He never hurt me physically, but emotionally and psychologically he did. I felt trapped. I tried to deal with it by myself, but it affected me tremendously. He seemed OK at first, but it quickly became apparent that things werent right. Amman urged the woman to kill her disbeliever parents and told her that any Muslim not supporting IS were apostates. The woman said she was left shaking, traumatised, horrified when she heard he had been killed by police after attacking passers-by in Streatham High Road, south London, on Sunday. I just want to move on and have a normal life and I felt like I was starting to, but now it feels like Im reliving it all, reliving the nightmare, she said. Describing her anger following their relationship, she said: Even though it was a long time ago I still feel like Im having to look over my shoulder. Police remain at the scene as the government grapple with what to do next / PA I just live in fear it shouldnt be like this. But its given me some closure that I dont feel trapped in a situation anymore. Its really opened my eyes you think you know a person, but you dont. People should be careful. I feel hugely betrayed this was someone I trusted, and now Ive got to live with this the rest of my life. She said she did not agree with the increasingly radical views he expressed during their relationship. Houses like this one in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, were raided in the aftermath of Sunday's attack / PA I didnt believe in his ideology, I didnt condone it, I didnt agree with it and I never will, but I couldnt stop it, she said. The authorities really need to focus on rehabilitation. Offenders like this, with that sort of ideology, if theyre not rehabilitated properly before theyre released, or the penalties are increased, then this will just happen again. My tears and heart are with the innocent people affected. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has announced the Government's plans to introduce emergency legislation intended to prevent terrorist offenders from being granted automatic release halfway through their prison sentence. Robert Buckland puts forward the governments plans to prevent terrorists being released from prison without review / Sky News MPs debated the matter in the House of Commons on Monday evening but, if passed, the emergency law would mean no terrorist could be released until the Parole Board is satisfied they no longer pose a risk to the public. MP Buckland said: "Yesterdays appalling incident makes the case plainly for immediate action. We cannot have the situation, as we saw tragically in yesterdays case, where an offender a known risk to innocent members of the public is released early by automatic process of law without any oversight by the Parole Board." He added: "The underlying principle has to be that offenders will no longer be released early automatically and that any release before the end of their sentence will be dependent on risk assessment by the Parole Board. Sadiq Khan: Streatham attack was preventable The earliest point at which the offenders will now be considered for release will be once they have served two-thirds of their sentence and, crucially, we will introduce a requirement that no terrorist offender will be released before the end of their full custodial term unless the Parole Board agrees. "We face a threat from an ideology that takes no heed for others and we must use every tool we can to make sure that that threat is neutralised. The Government have faced criticism over cuts to the criminal justice system, in particular, rehabilitation and deradicalisation programmes. Labour's Richard Burgon said the cuts had "left communities less safe". The attack on Sunday follows the London Bridge attack which took place just over two months ago in which two people died at the hands of released terrorist offender Usman Khan. Victims Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones were Cambridge University students working at the time for an offenders rehabilitation programme when they were stabbed to death. Clare Collier, an advocacy director for campaign group Liberty, said: The Governments response to recent terror attacks is a cause of increasing concern for our civil liberties. From last months knee-jerk lie detector proposal, to todays threat to break the law by changing peoples sentences retrospectively, continuing to introduce measures without review or evidence is dangerous and will create more problems than it solves. The Treasury fights back. How it plans to drive radical reform and become the Governments internal think tank It was bad news for Sajid Javid when the Prime Minister pledged to keep him as Chancellor. Not nearly as bad for him, you may counter, as if Johnson hadnt. But you take the point. There is tension if not between the two men then at least between some in their camps. (Dominic Cummings has been known to be just a little sharp about Javid.) The Prime Ministers commitment, made less than a month before the general election, succeeded in its purpose namely, to shut down speculation that Javid would be replaced at the Treasury, if Johnson won big, by the coming man of the Government: his deputy, Rishi Sunak. A view from the Treasury is that this choppy water has smoothed out. It is keen to stress that the working relationship between two men is not only excellent, but a partnership on which much of the Governments work is built. And it has examples to hand. But even more significantly, it portrays the Treasury not as a cowed department, bamboozled by the voters endorsement of Brexit and dominated by a resurgent Downing Street, but as the continuing powerhouse of government. One insider tells ConservativeHome that the department will become nothing less than the Governments internal think tank. Lets start with what should be uncontentious. Sources claim that Javid won the internal debate over tax and spending with the aid of Isaac Levido who stressed to Political Cabinet, pre-election, that the Tories could not simply mimic Labour, and display a Nick-Timothy era tolerance of public spending growth. They needed to frame an electoral choice. And so to pre-election new fiscal rules (the Tory manifesto lists two of them) and a post-poll squeeze on current spending and the slaughter of sacred cows. There is a new Cabinet public spending domestic delivery committee; the Treasury has been empowered to go through departmental spending line by line, to ensure that spending plans are in line with Johnsons priorities; it and Number Ten are in 100 per cent agreement. But whats to stop the departmental Sir Humphreys from simply presenting the same old projects under brand new headings linking them to the delivery of 50,000 more nurses; 20,000 more police; an Australian-style points-based immigration system; net zero emissions by 2050 and investment in science? We have the numbers, the Treasury counters. Which raises the question of how the effectiveness of all this extra cash will be monitored. It is at this point that the conversation begins to get interesting from a political point of view at least. The inside view from the department is that there are three main reasons why the manifesto avoided public service reform. First, the exigencies of Brexit gave Ministers little time to plan. Second, the Conservatives didnt plan for having so big a majority. Third, Johnson was determined not to risk a 2017-style document. But the Treasury has not given up on seeking to drive reform even if that means Javid stepping on other Cabinet Ministers toes. Consider its drive to take ownership of the Governments skills programme. Late last week, it was reported that the Chancellor will make them a central theme of his March Budget. And his support for HS2 has been heavily briefed (to the irritation of some in Downing Street). The skills pitch contained a spoor (talking of we have the numbers). Treasury officials have been collating research on the drivers of regional disparities. It is against this background that our sources wish to turn the department into the Governments internal think tank must be seen. To the Treasury, it has a history of departmental predominance; the numbers, and a tradition of driving radical reform when it wants to. Which is does at least under this Chancellor. According to the pro-building Sun, he sees eye to eye with Downing Street on planning reform. But there is more. The department has a long interest in seeking to free up the demand side of childcare. Sources speak sympathetically of Liz Trusss quest to ease up on the ratio of childminders to children. It failed, ConHome pointed out. To which we got the response: but she was right. Then there is the police. Does anyone really believe that policing in Scotland is worse now that it has a single force rather than eight?, this site was told. Maybe not. However, merging forces in England and Wales would raise big questions, some structural (such as the future of police commissioners). There are others. The manifesto doesnt mention such reforms at all. Indeed, it promises to enhance the Green Belt. This would not be easy to square with building on bits of it. Furthermore, pressure from Tory MPs has a way of frightening change off: consider the fate of fracking. And to turn from the external to the internal: were the Treasury to work as the Governments think tank presumably with more SpAd experts working to that brief what would become of Number Tens Policy Unit? It waxes and wanes depending partly on the strength of the Prime Minister, and partly on that of its own leadership and in both contexts it is currently in the ascendant. Johnson has his near-landslide size majority, and the Unit is vigorously led. Munira Mirza was a co-author of the manifesto and is a Downing Street force second only to Cummings when it comes to intellectual drive and policy formation, at any rate. The growth of Downing Street Ten as a driving force since the Blair era provides a context in which to see the Treasurys ambitions. The Theresa May-Philip Hammond relationship went sour almost from the start. David Cameron and George Osborne got on famously well; Tony Blair and Gordon Brown famously badly. Looking back to the pre-Blair era takes us to John Major and Ken Clarke. Weak Prime Minister, strong Chancellor: not the template here. Johnsons majority positions him to be more like Margaret Thatcher, during her post-1983 landslide, when it comes to his relationship with his Chancellor. She was dominant. And at that point, the Exchange Rate Mechanism was not even a speck in Nigel Lawsons eye. However, Javid is not really comparable to the man who became one of the most formidable of Britains post-war Chancellors. Lawson was never a leadership contender. Javid stood against Johnson and lost, though he ended up running a creditable campaign. If Javid is identified with any cause as Lawson was with tax reform it is with infrastructure spending. He pushed for 100 billion more of it when seconding Stephen Crabbs Conservative leadership campaign in 2016. Now he is getting his way. But Number Ten is much more weaponised a creature than in Majors Day. Whether it is signed up to the wider ambitions of some in the Treasury remains to be seen. BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde's swipe at Mahatma Gandhi has irked the top party leadership and he may be forced to apologise, party sources said on Monday. A senior BJP leader said the Karnataka leader's comments were "condemnable" and the party leadership is upset with him. "The party has conveyed its displeasure to him and asked him to take remedial measure. Any insult to Mahatma Gandhi is unacceptable," he said. Hegde, a former Union minister, reportedly claimed at an event in Bangaluru that the entire freedom movement was staged with the consent and support of the British, and the independence movement led by Gandhi was a "drama". He also wondered why the Father of the Nation was called 'Mahatma' (a great soul). The party leader said the Lok Sabha MP is a "disciplined" member of the party and will do what he has been asked to. Hegde, known for hardline Hindutva leanings, has a history of making controversial remarks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israeli officials on Sunday (local time) denied media reports claiming that a pipeline that carries natural gas from the country to Egypt has been attacked and damaged in northern Sinai by unknown gunmen. "At the moment, the natural gas is flowing from Israel through the pipeline and reaching Egypt," Times of Israel quoted the office of Israel's energy minister, Yuval Steinitz, as saying in a statement. "The ministry looked into the reported explosion, such as it was, in coordination with all relevant authorities," the statement read without explicitly ruling out an explosion. This comes after media reports said the attack against Egypt-Israel pipeline took place in Egypt's Bir Al-Abd, located in the northern Sinai area. The Times of Israel quoted another statement from Israel's Leviathan gas field, which supplies the gas to the pipeline, as saying: "There has not been any damage to the EMG pipeline connecting Israel and Egypt. The flow of gas from Leviathan to Egypt is continuing as normal." According to the Times of Israel, the development comes weeks after Israel started pumping natural gas to Egypt from two massive offshore fields. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pope Francis has turned a spectacular 19th century palace next to the Vatican into a shelter for the homeless. The Palazzo Migliori was set to be turned into a luxury hotel after it became vacant last year and could have charged top rates with its prime location just off St Peter's Square. But on the Pope's orders, it has opened its doors to the homeless as a place where they can 'sleep, eat and learn' and has been dubbed 'A Palace for the Poor'. The palace was blessed by the Pope on Friday, just ahead of World Day of the Poor. The Palazzo Migliori was set to be turned into a luxury hotel after it became vacant last year and could have charged top rates with its prime location just off St Peter's Square It has been dubbed 'A Palace for the Poor' after Pope Francis ordered it to become a shelter for the homeless. Some of its new residents are pictured here enjoying a meal Pope Francis blessed the new homeless shelter on Friday. He is pictured here holding mass for World Day for Consecrated Life on Saturday at St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican The palace had previously been the headquarters of the Calasanziane religious order, which provides help and care for single mothers, but they moved to new premises last year after occupying the building for 70 years. The four-storey palace was first acquired by the Church in the 1930s and still carries the name of the Roman family who built it in the 1800s. The palace's new residents are settling in well and are full of praise for their new home. Around 50 homeless men and women now occupy its 16 dormitories. Around 50 homeless men and women now live in the palace which is run by volunteers Volunteers are seen handing out food during a meal time at the Palazzo Migliori in Rome 'This place feels more like home. I have my own bed, room and bathroom,' Mario Brezza, 53, told NBC News. 'It's so different from the dormitories I have tried until now, where sometimes you feel like an animal in a crowded stable.' Mr Brezza, who had his leg amputated because of a 'serious circulatory disease' lives on a 230 monthly disability allowance. Sharon Christner, 23, is one of the volunteers working at the shelter. She travelled from Pennsylvania as part of a research project on homelessness and social issues. 'Even if they wanted to use it for charity, a lot of people would have rented this place out, make a lot of money and give it to the poor,' Ms Christner said. Pope Francis personally ordered the spectacular palace to be turned into a homeless shelter The Palazzo Migliori was set to be turned into a luxury hotel after it became vacant last year and could have charged top rates with its prime location just off St Peter's Square 'But what is special about this place is that it's not about maximizing dollar signs, but giving people a really beautiful place to be, with the idea that beauty heals.' Carlo Santoro, a member of the Sant'Egidio Community, a lay catholic association in charge of many charitable projects linked to the Vatican, including Palazzo Migliori, said the place was a 'real paradox.' 'It is a beautiful palace next to St. Peter's Square and Basilica, and yet it's home to those who until recently did not have a house to go to,' he added. In 2016, Pope Francis held a special mass just for homeless people in which he criticised the world's treatment of the poorest in society. He said: 'It is ominous that we are growing used to this rejection. 'We should be worried when our consciences are anaesthetised and we no longer see the brother or sister suffering at our side, or notice the grave problems in the world, which become a mere refrain familiar from the headlines on the evening news.' Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Rome on Monday for a two-day visit which started with a meeting with Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. Orban was welcomed by a military honour guard before his meeting with Conte. Orban is also scheduled to address the audience at the ultra-right National Conservatism Conference in Rome on Tuesday. (Image credits-AP) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 18:27:56|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close WINDHOEK, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Namibia is looking to acquire Hepatitis E vaccine from China in a bid to curb the continuous increase of new infections across the country, an official said here Monday. Bernard Haufiku, Namibia's Hepatitis E response team leader, also former health minister, said that his team is looking to introduce the vaccine as a pilot project. "It is a targeted pilot intervention to confirm the effectiveness of the vaccine in our setting. The vaccine was tested in China where it is manufactured and currently in use," Haufiku said. He added that the vaccine would be launched in the hardest-hit informal settlements in Windhoek, the epicentre of the outbreak. Over the past two years, Namibia has been grappling with a Hepatitis E outbreak in its informal settlements. According to Haufiku, 7,142 cases of infections were reported by Jan. 12. Namibia experienced the first Hepatitis E outbreak in 1983 in Rundu, the capital of its northern Kavango-East region. The decision was made out of the needs to fight against the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), the three exchanges explained in their individual announcements on February 2, and the halt is indefinite, until the further notice, they added. The three exchanges, all under the regulation of the China Stocks Regulatory Commission, earlier on January 27 announced to resume trading on February 3 instead of January 31 in response to Beijings extension of the Chinese New Year holiday to February 2 from the original January 30 due to the outbreak of the 2019-nCoV. DCE, headquartered in Dalian, Northeast Chinas Liaoning province, has launched a series of contracts including steelmaking raw materials such as iron ore, SHFE, headquartered in Shanghai, East China, has mainly been for the trading of metals and finished steel products such as hot-rolled coil, rebar, and stainless steel, and ZCE in Zhengzhou, Central Chinas Henan province, is mainly for agricultural commodities such as cotton and wheat. As part of the battling against the virus, A large number of Chinese enterprises other than governing organizations and entities serving crucial functions such as power houses have delayed the office return date to February 9-10 on the requests of their local governments. By the end of February 1, China had 14,380 confirmed 2019-nCoV cases, 304 deaths, 328 cures, and 19,544 suspected cases, as against 291 confirmed cases and 54 suspected cases by the end of January 20, the first date of the official update by Chinas National Health Commission. Written by Hongmei Li, li.hongmei@mysteel.com TOKYO - Concern about the spreading coronavirus outbreak in China and its impact on this years Tokyo Olympics reached Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday. Abe was asked about the virus by an opposition lawmaker but he brushed aside worries. We will respond appropriately, Abe said, speaking in Japanese, while closely co-operating with the World Health Organization and other international organizations so that we can proceed with the preparations without letting it affect the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Japan has not reported any fatalities from the outbreak, while China has reported more than 300 deaths from the virus and more than 17,000 cases. The Olympics open July 24. Tokyo organizers and the International Olympic Committee have said there are no plans to cancel or postpone the Olympics. Tokyo Governor Yurkio Koike has urged vigilance said there will be regrets if there isnt a maximum effort made. Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto said Tokyo organizers and representatives from local municipalities would meet next week to discuss measures against the virus. The modern Olympics, dating from 1896, have been called off during wartime and faced boycotts in 1980 and 1984. They have evolved in the last few decades into a multi-billion dollar event with massive investments from television and sponsors. About 11,000 athletes will attend the Olympics. Many of them still need to qualify and could face qualifying events cancelled or postponed if the virus continues to spread outside China. ___ More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Kremlin says talks between President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can be arranged if "necessary" after Turkish forces killed dozens of Russian-backed Syrian government troops. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made his comments on February 3, hours after Erdogan told journalists in Istanbul that Moscow shouldn't get involved in the situation, which saw Turkish forces shell Syrian troops as they in turn were firing on rebel forces in their last stronghold near Idlib. The Turkish president said initial reports showed 30-35 Syrians were "neutralized," while Turkish authorities said six soldiers from Turkey died in the "intensive shelling" by Syrian rebels that ignited the response. "There haven't been any high-level talks yet, but there should be no doubt at all that if the presidents consider it necessary, such talks can be coordinated very quickly," Peskov said, adding that Russia was concerned over "the ongoing activities of terrorist groups in Idlib." Turkey and Russia, which support opposing sides in Syria's conflict, have agreed to work toward de-escalating the fighting in Idlib and creating a demilitarized zone. Earlier, in January, Erdogan said Turkey was losing patience with the military assault in Idlib and accused Russia of "not honoring" agreements aimed at stemming the violence there. Russian officials said they were not notified by Ankara about the attack in advance, a claim Erdogan's Justice and Development Party contradicted before the president left Turkey for an official visit to Ukraine. "I want to especially tell the Russian authorities that our interlocuter here is not you but the [Syrian] regime, and do not stand in our way," Erdogan told reporters before leaving. Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax ALBANY On Monday, Mayor Kathy Sheehan endorsed Michael Bloomberg's run for president. You can be forgiven for indifference. When the 2020 presidential campaign is over and done, an endorsement from the mayor of Albany won't be a noteworthy factor. Most endorsements don't do much to sway voters. And perhaps it's not especially surprising that Sheehan and other mayors, including Schenectady's Gary McCarthy, have endorsed Bloomberg's candidacy. He was, after all, also a mayor and, by many measures, a good one. Want more from Chris Churchill? Sign up for his weekly newsletter. Crime was declining before Bloomberg took office, but it continued downward during his 2002-to-2013 tenure, making New York one of the safest big cities in the country. New York became a cleaner, glitzier and more efficient place under Bloomberg, too. If we view New York as a tourist or occasional visitor would, then, yes, Bloomberg's time in office certainly seems successful. But was he so good for everyday New Yorkers, poor and working-class residents especially? That's arguable. Bloomberg's legacy is complicated and perhaps not one most Democrats would celebrate. Of course, you'll remember that he wanted to ban big sodas. He also declared war on sodium, fat, sugar, smoking and even alcohol. If you had a habit, you can bet the wannabe king in City Hall wanted to take it away. "In Bloombergville," the late, great Christopher Hitchens wrote, "the citizen is treated like a backward child." Are Americans looking for a tyrannical scold in the White House? I kind of doubt it. But Bloomberg's tyranny wasn't limited to others' habits. He exuded the kind of elitism you might expect from a billionaire. He sought to fingerprint residents of public housing and embraced stop-and-frisk policing, which he defended long after a federal judge in 2013 declared it unconstitutional. He claimed to care about the climate while traveling around in his big SUV and private jets. He used his money to overturn the law limiting mayors to two terms while he was in office, then wanted to reverse the change for future mayors. He also openly talked about making New York a haven for the very rich. More Information Contact columnist Chris Churchill at cchurchill@timesunion.com or 518-454-5442. See More Collapse "You know, the yelling and screaming about the rich we want rich from around this country to move here," Bloomberg said in 2009. "We love the rich people." In 2013, he said, If we could get every billionaire around the world to move here, it would be a godsend." It is certainly true that cities need rich people to boost the tax base in ways that improve schools and services. Many American cities are struggling because they became repositories for the poor. But as Nathan Robinson noted in the magazine Current Affairs, Bloomberg never seemed to care that making the city a playground for the wealthy would not be a "godsend" for the vast majority of New Yorkers who are not, you know, billionaires. His policies exacerbated income inequality, and many New Yorkers suffered as a result. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "The consequences of Bloombergs approach were exactly what you would expect: homelessness rates exploded and median rent is now more than $38,000 a year in a place where the median income is $50,000," Robinson wrote. "Bloombergs solution to the homelessness crisis was for the city to buy the homeless one-way bus tickets out of town." Bloomberg, 77, a former Republican who became a Democrat just two years ago, has spent the early days of his campaign apologizing for much of what he did as mayor stop-and-frisk, especially and he now claims to care deeply about income inequality. Sheehan, in a video posted on Twitter by Spectrum News, said Bloomberg "is working to do the most good for the most people." But his record as mayor is what it is. For good and bad, he'll have to defend it. I don't think Bloomberg can win. He offers administrative competence an appealing contrast to President Trump's chaos, certainly but he's a candidate of the technocratic elite who generates little grassroots passion. At the moment, Bloomberg seems content to run a high-spending campaign that consists of TV ads, but, as befits his elitism, little contact with ordinary voters. Here's the biggest problem: Democrats don't win without enthusiasm from poor and working-class voters, and it's difficult to see Bloomberg gaining steam with either. If Bloomberg's campaign becomes a noteworthy force, it will likely be as a moderate alternative to Bernie Sanders and what a choice that would be. The Billionaire vs. Bernie, the elitist against the populist, Wall Street versus the class warrior, management versus working stiffs. Sanders, 78, was also a mayor, albeit of a much smaller city, and his eight years leading Burlington, Vt., likewise leaves a record worth examining. Most notably, Sanders is credited with opening and preserving the city's spectacular lakefront, now enjoyed by rich and poor alike. No matter what you might otherwise think of Sanders, that's a legacy worth celebrating. cchurchill@timesunion.com 518-454-5442 @chris_churchill PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-03 22:14:37 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 526 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 CALGARY, AB and SAN ANTONIO, TX / ACCESSWIRE / February 3, 2020 / Emerald Bay Energy Inc. (TSXV:EBY)(OTC:EMBYF) (the "Company" or "Emerald Bay") today announced that its Board of Directors has called for a special meeting of the Company's shareholders proposed to be held on February 28, 2020 (the "Special Meeting"), to consider: (i) a special resolution to approve the consolidation of the issued and outstanding Common Shares of the Corporation on a "1 new for 15 old" basis (the "Consolidation"); and (ii) a special resolution to approve changing the Corporation's name to "Nexera Energy Inc." (the "Name Change").The record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Special Meeting is January 24, 2020 (the "Record Date"). As of the Record Date, there were 354,103,367 Common Shares issued and outstanding. If the proposed Consolidation is approved by the shareholders, there would be, post-Consolidation, approximately 23,606,891 Common Shares issued and outstanding.The Board of Directors believes that the Consolidation could lead to increased interest by a wider audience of potential investors resulting in a more efficient market for the Common Shares. Subject to the acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange, the Consolidation requires approval by special resolution, being a majority of not less than 66 2/3% of the votes cast by the shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Special Meeting.The Name Change is being proposed in order to better reflect the future business and operations of the Corporation. Subject to the acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange, the Name Change requires approval by special resolution, being a majority of not less than 66 2/3% of the votes cast by the shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Special Meeting.The information circular containing the details of the matters to be acted upon at the Special Meeting is expected to be mailed to shareholders on or about February 3, 2020.The meeting will be held at #3, 4015 - 1 Street SE, Calgary, Alberta, at 1:00 p.m., on Friday, February 28, 2020.About Emerald BayEmerald Bay Energy Inc. (TSX Venture: EBY, OTC: EMBYF) is an energy company with oil producing properties in Southwest Texas as well as non-operated oil and natural gas interests in Central Alberta, Canada. EBY is the operator of the Wooden Horse and Nash Creek Projects in Guadalupe, Texas, where the Company currently owns a 50.00% working interest those projects. Additionally, the Company owns and operates various working interests in the HugoCellR, Cotulla, and MarPat partnerships. The Company also owns 75% of Production Resources Inc., a South Texas oil company.For all upcoming news releases, articles, comments and questions, to stay updated and speak with management about Emerald Bay Energy. Please JOIN our Investor Information Group at:For further information, please contact:Emerald Bay President, Shelby D. Beattie, or CFO, Mike Rice, by telephone at (403) 262-6000Email: info@ ebyinc.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: Emerald Bay Energy Inc. Vegas Car Accident Lawyer, Rodney Okano Awards Scholarship Were proud to help hard working students thrive in school and if we can lift even a portion of the financial burden from their shoulders, were happy to do so. The Law Office of Rodney K. Okano is proud to announce the newest recipient of their distinguished Working Student Scholarship, Ms. Latasha Davis. The Law Office of Rodney K. Okano has been committed to not only helping accident victims attain compensation for their injuries, but also helping to support the community by emphasizing the value of education. The Working Student Scholarship has had the primary job of aiding students who are able to maintain a B average while also working to support themselves. Awarding such students the scholarship award of $1000, The Law Office of Rodney K. Okano is proud to assist some of the most dedicated and deserving students enrolled in college. For 2019, applicants were asked to challenge the education system and examine it by defining a flaw in the system and suggesting one change that would help students find a balance between maintaining their high grades as well as employment. Its purpose is also to find the value in certain aspects of our current system that should be emphasized and bolstered. This years recipient, Latasha Davis of Las Vegas, Nevada, holds a Bachelors Degree and is currently an elementary school teacher who is dedicated to continuing her education with an emphasis in science and engineering. Ms. Davis submitted an impressive essay highlighting the value the arts, such as drawing, painting and music, have upon our youth. She has witnessed the positive influence that the arts have had on her students and herself, and her essay was matched with an impressive grade point average. Founder Rodney Okano states, Were proud to help hard working students thrive in school and if we can lift even a portion of the financial burden from their shoulders, were happy to do so. The Law Office of Rodney K. Okano would like to thank each and every applicant for the scholarship this year and hopes to be able to provide the same funding for students in the future. So long as able, Mr. Okano intends to continue efforts to support the community. Since opening The Law Office of Rodney K. Okano in 2004, Rodney K. Okano has been dedicated to providing honest, fair representation for the everyday person in the areas of personal injury and bankruptcy. In the future, he will continue to assist both students and accident victims attain financial balance. Vegas Car Accident Lawyers 6069 S Fort Apache Rd #100, Las Vegas, NV 89148 USA 702-566-3600 inquiry@attorneyokano.com Rodney K. Okano Aerial view of bushfires burning south of Canberra, Australia, on 31 January 2020. Photo: Getty Images By Will Ziebell 1 February 2020 MELBOURNE (Reuters) Soaring temperatures and strong winds stoked unpredictable bushfires near Australias capital city on Saturday, closing a major highway and prompting warnings for some residents that it was too late to evacuate. Skies along the Monaro Highway in the Australian Capital Territory turned orange-red as an uncontrolled blaze ballooned to more than 35,000 hectares (74,000 acres) in size. The issue we have with the fire activity is that the fire itself is generating its own weather pattern and that, combined with the wind direction, is what is driving that intensity in the fire, ACT Emergency Services Agency Commissioner Georgeina Whelan said in a televised briefing in Canberra. Aerial images reveal fire threats near Australias capital, Canberra, 1 February 2020. Video: NSW Rural Fire Service / Reuters The territory, home to the countrys capital, Canberra, declared a state of emergency on Friday in anticipation of the severely hot and windy conditions that are expected to last through the weekend. It is the areas first declared emergency since 2003 when four people were killed and almost 500 homes destroyed in wildfires. A second major uncontrolled fire was burning slightly further south in the Snowy Monaro region of New South Wales state, the same alpine area where an air tanker crashed on Jan. 22 killing three American firefighters. Temperatures were forecast to top 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in several parts of both NSW and the ACT on Saturday, prompting widespread warnings for people to be alert to the potential fire danger. [more] Australias capital braces as hot, windy conditions fuel bushfires Wellington: New Zealand's opposition party has ruled out a post-election deal with the party of Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, setting the stage for a close contest at the polls this year as both major parties may struggle to form a government. Peters, a seasoned politician and leader of New Zealand First party, has often played the role of kingmaker in the country's proportional representation electoral system. New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister, and kingmaker, Winston Peters. Credit:Getty Images He sided with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's Labour Party in the 2017 polls allowing her to unexpectedly form a centre-left coalition government with NZ First and the Green Party. Ardern has announced elections will be on September 19, and kicked off a lengthy election campaign last week with promises of massive infrastructure spending. Columbus is booming. This fact is hard to miss as you drive towards itconstruction is everywhere and cranes dot the skyline as more and more companies move in to chase a growing talent pool. Much of that talent has graduated from Ohio State and chosen to stay in a city that offers a high standard of living without bigger cities corresponding costs. A young, diverse workforce and an influx of investment bring the need for coffee companies to keep that momentum caffeinated. Luckily for residents and visitors alike, Columbus now boasts a flourishing coffee scene, featuring local stalwarts evolving with the times and young upstarts trying to save the world. The city is not only home to a panoply of cafes and roasteries, it even has its own organized coffee tour, the Columbus Coffee Experience. Visit any four of the 18 locations, and you earn a free t-shirt; complete the set and you get a travel mug for your (probably by now over-caffeinated) troubles. So after first stopping at the Columbus Convention Center to gaze in awe at the oddly lifelike visage of Arnold Schwarzenegger, here are six of the best coffee shops around Columbus to consider visiting. Fox in the Snow Cafe Since its inception in 2014as a reaction to the lack of pastry options in ColumbusFox in the Snow has garnered not only regional but national acclaim for its inventive baked goods and coffee menu. Prospective customers line up out the door most weekends. Started by two Blue Bottle Coffee alums and serving coffee supplied exclusively by Tandem Coffee Roasters from Portland, Maine, Fox in the Snow now has three locations across Columbus. The flagship bakery and cafe in Italian Village lies within a renovated garage, which benefits from large factory-like windows that flood the space with sunshine. Light wood furniture and a myriad of house plants help to further enhance the airy, woodland glade feel. Fox in the Snow maintains a no-Wi-Fi-no-outlet policy, which does away with laptop campers and lets the cafes relaxed atmosphere thrive unimpeded. Impressively, the crew at Fox in the Snows Italian Village location handles the almost constant flow of customers using only a two-group La Marzocco Linea PB and a host of Hario V60 brewers. Pastries, which usually sell out rapidly, range from cinnamon rolls and sticky buns to brownies and galettes. Fox in the Snow has multiple locations around Columbus. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram One Line Coffee Just one of a number of cafes running the length of the Short North neighborhoods High Street, One Line opened in 2009 and has since expanded to a second location across from the Statehouse downtown. Founded by a father and son team, One Line began as a way to find out more about the supply chain behind the coffee they sold. With an emphasis on sourcing as well as brewing, One Line boasts a large selection of single-origin options roasted on a Loring Kestrel at their facility in nearby Heath, Ohio. The original cafe in the Short North features exposed brick walls, hardwood floors, and an impressive array of bar seating along three sides. The focal point of the cafe is a circular bar in the center of the space, with a three-group La Marzocco Strada EP, Mazzer grinders, and a custom pour-over station to allow customers a full view of the coffee-making process, no matter their choice of brew. Public cuppings take place on the weekends as part of One Lines commitment to transparency and education, and sourcing information adorns the walls to further inform those interested in learning more about specific coffees. One Line Coffee has multiple locations in Columbus. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook Twitter , and Instagram Mission Coffee Company Tucked away just off High Street in the Short North, Mission Coffee Company gives the impression of a well-kept secret, a hideaway coffee spot that only the savvy locals know. Of course, such a thing is almost impossible in 2019, but Mission holds onto that feeling with an atmospheric cafe space featuring the requisite exposed brick walls and reclaimed wood accents. Industrial elements like a garage door and granite bar top are softened by the lighting and comfortable seating, especially the back corner which features a number of low-slung sofas surrounded by Mission merch. Mission started roasting its own coffee in 2014 after starting out as a multi-roaster cafe, with a separate facility that also incorporates an education program located near Fox in the Snow in Italian Village. At their cafe, a La Marzocco Strada is assisted by Mahlknig and Mazzer grinders, offering a range of classic espresso-based drinks, complemented by more experimental fare such as a seasonal cascara cider. Pour-overs, batch brew, cold brew on tap, and tea from Chicago-based Spirit Tea round out the drink menu, while pastries are provided by local bakery Mmelo. Staufs Coffee Roasters When it comes to coffee in Columbus, Staufs is undoubtedly a trailblazer, having been in business for over 30 years. With seven locations spread across the city, Staufs has something for everyonefrom the neighborhood hangout vibes of its original shop in Grandview Heights to the pared-back industrial minimalism of its cafe within the Idea Foundry makers space in Franklinton. Staufs newest site, inside a renovated church close to Ohio States sprawling campus, feels very much made for the student population of Columbus. The vaulted ceiling, stained glass windows, and upcycled pews pay homage to its past, while its size and a plethora of two-top tables make it an ideal study location. Unlike most other Staufs locations, this one doesnt boast its own shop roaster, although it more than makes up for it with the latest in coffee brewing tech, most notably a Slayer Steam LP three-group espresso machine and Marco SP9 automated pour-over brewer. Staufs claims no fewer than five of the 18 stops on the Columbus Coffee Trail which, combined with the two newest locations, means that no matter where in the city you find yourself, youre never far from a cup of Staufs coffee. Staufs Coffee Roasters has multiple locations around Columbus. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook Twitter , and Instagram Brioso Coffee Another of Columbus specialty pioneers, Brioso Coffee was founded in 2001 by Staufs alum Jeff Davis. 18 years later, with a second cafe also housing the companys roasting operation open a few blocks away (and the original location about to move across the street), Brioso is not sitting still. The cafe-roastery features exposed brick walls, wood floors, and a 15-kilo Giesen roaster that supplies both locations as well as an ever-evolving list of wholesale accounts across the region. A brick wall separates the roasting and education side of the space from the bar area, which hosts a matte black Synesso Hydra and Mahlkonig PEAK grinders for espresso, Hario V60s for pour-overs as well as batch-brewed drip coffee and cold brew on tap. On the other side of the wall sits the roaster alongside space for cupping and education as well as seating for customers who would like to observe the roasting operation in full swing. Brioso Coffee has multiple locations around Columbus. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram The Roosevelt Coffeehouse A newer entrant to the Columbus coffee scene, among non-profit Roosevelt Coffeehouses mottos is Good coffee for good. Catchy, and also a succinct summary of its mission: all profits go to various social causes around the world, from fighting hunger and human trafficking to providing access to clean water. The Roosevelt, in partnership with its sister roasting company Roosevelt Coffee Roasters, aims to do all this by sourcing, roasting, and serving the best coffees possible to the people of Columbus. Having previously been a multi-roaster cafe, Roosevelt started roasting their own last year from their second location within The Gravity Project, a retail-office-living space across the river in Franklinton. The original cafe, opposite Brioso on Long Street, is sprawling, high-ceilinged, and spacious, boasting enormous street-facing windows and a series of connected rooms and event spaces. The bar, along with all the tables, is made from recovered bowling alley lanes, and features a Modbar espresso machine and Hario V60 pour-over setup, supported by Mahlkonig EK43 and PEAK grinders. Roosevelts coffee menu is complemented by doughnuts, bagels, and cake pops, all supplied by local and like-minded businesses. The Roosevelt Coffeehouse has multiple locations around Columbus. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook Twitter , and Instagram Fionn Pooler is a journalist based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the publisher of The Pourover. Read more Fionn Pooler on Sprudge. Fires in NSW have burnt almost 5.5 million hectares since July, leaving a mounting damage bill for removal of dangerous trees along hundreds of kilometres of major roads and the deployment of almost 100 generators and satellite phones to restore basic services. The NSW Rural Fire Service said more than 60 fires were still burning as of Monday, with 2000 personnel still out in the field trying to contain at least 20 of them. The 5.45 million hectares tally so far included fire perimeters stretching 26,612 kilometres - or more than twice the distance between Sydney and Los Angeles. A fallen tree on the Kings Highway linking Canberra to the NSW coast. The road that was closed for more than a month because of the bushfires. Credit:Kate Geraghty Nationally, the tally is about 12.2 million hectares, excluding the Northern Territory with its regular savanna burning. Trent Penman, a bushfire behaviour researcher at Melbourne University, said a paucity of accurate fire maps from earlier eras makes it difficult to say if any fire season had burnt more of Australia. "It's certainly a significant and rare event," Professor Penman said. "Never before has there been such an important time for the National Party to continue the representation we've done for 100 years," Mr McCormack said. In a message to regional voters, Mr McCormack said: "We have your back whether it's drought ... whether it's building new dam infrastructure. We have your back whether it's dealing with the bushfires and everything else that is regional Australia." The new deputy leader of the Nationals, David Littleproud. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer Mr McCormack said Queensland senator Matt Canavan, Mr Joyce's strongest supporter, would not return to Cabinet, after he quit on Monday night to support Mr Joyce. "Matt Canavan has resigned his commission as resources minister and I wish him all the best," he said. He will now have to find two new cabinet ministers to fill Senator Canavan's and Senator McKenzie's spots, with speculation Keith Pitt and Darren Chester will be elevated. Loading He said a decision not to reveal the final vote count was part of the party's tradition. "The first time I stood for the leadership after Barnaby Joyce resigned in February 2018, George Christensen stood. I dont know the result still of that ballot," he said. "National Party votes were never revealed. The whip knows and that's been a convention of the National Party, a party, I might say that's been going for 100 years of secret ballots." Mr Joyce congratulated Mr McCormack on his re-election but defended his actions. Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce arrives for the leadership ballot. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen "It is appropriate that if an issue needs resolving as to contentions held, there is a procedure to resolve it as is noted in our parliamentary system. That process has been followed and the issue is finalised. This was made as brief as possible prior to the first sitting of parliament for the year," Mr Joyce said. "I support the vote of the room and will strive for the re-election of a Morrison-McCormack government as this is definitely the better outcome for Australia and especially of regional people. "Now my first attentions go back to where they were before this week - New England, drought, fires and now the threat of coronavirus." Mr Littleproud, who supported Mr McCormack, declared: "The shenanigans are over, it's time to get back to looking after those people that are facing drought, that have faced up to the fires. It's time for us to focus on them, not us." Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minster Scott Morrison said the Coalition would remain "strong" even if Mr Joyce won the ballot. I don't expect him to [challenge again]. I've been endorsed as leader. Nationals leader Michael McCormack on Barnaby Joyce Before entering the meeting, Mr Joyce promised to overhaul the Coalition agreement should he win, warning he would muscle up to Mr Morrison by reminding him he had more political and leadership experience. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday morning following a church service to mark the first sitting day of parliament for the year, Mr Morrison said Liberals and Nationals had always been able to work together and he did not expect that to change. Concurs repetat pentru selectarea unei companii sociologice, care sa efectueze un studiu tematic "Barometrul opiniei publice in domeniul schimbarilor climatice" Is Laurentian Bank of Canada (TSE:LB) a good dividend stock? How can we tell? Dividend paying companies with growing earnings can be highly rewarding in the long term. If you are hoping to live on the income from dividends, it's important to be a lot more stringent with your investments than the average punter. With Laurentian Bank of Canada yielding 6.2% and having paid a dividend for over 10 years, many investors likely find the company quite interesting. It would not be a surprise to discover that many investors buy it for the dividends. When buying stocks for their dividends, you should always run through the checks below, to see if the dividend looks sustainable. Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis TSX:LB Historical Dividend Yield, February 3rd 2020 Payout ratios Dividends are usually paid out of company earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. So we need to form a view on if a company's dividend is sustainable, relative to its net profit after tax. In the last year, Laurentian Bank of Canada paid out 69% of its profit as dividends. This is a healthy payout ratio, and while it does limit the amount of earnings that can be reinvested in the business, there is also some room to lift the payout ratio over time. Remember, you can always get a snapshot of Laurentian Bank of Canada's latest financial position, by checking our visualisation of its financial health. Dividend Volatility From the perspective of an income investor who wants to earn dividends for many years, there is not much point buying a stock if its dividend is regularly cut or is not reliable. For the purpose of this article, we only scrutinise the last decade of Laurentian Bank of Canada's dividend payments. During this period the dividend has been stable, which could imply the business could have relatively consistent earnings power. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was CA$1.36 in 2010, compared to CA$2.68 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 7.0% a year over that time. Story continues Businesses that can grow their dividends at a decent rate and maintain a stable payout can generate substantial wealth for shareholders over the long term. Dividend Growth Potential While dividend payments have been relatively reliable, it would also be nice if earnings per share (EPS) were growing, as this is essential to maintaining the dividend's purchasing power over the long term. It's not great to see that Laurentian Bank of Canada's have fallen at approximately 3.5% over the past five years. If earnings continue to decline, the dividend may come under pressure. Every investor should make an assessment of whether the company is taking steps to stabilise the situation. Conclusion When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. Laurentian Bank of Canada's payout ratio is within normal bounds. Moreover, earnings have been shrinking. While the dividends have been fairly steady, we'd wonder for how much longer this will be sustainable if earnings continue to decline. While we're not hugely bearish on it, overall we think there are potentially better dividend stocks than Laurentian Bank of Canada out there. Given that earnings are not growing, the dividend does not look nearly so attractive. See if the 10 analysts are forecasting a turnaround in our free collection of analyst estimates here. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of dividend stocks yielding above 3%. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. (Kitco News) - Gold investments in the form of ETFs have reached a new record in 2019 on the back of rising gold prices, and this trend signals an increase in interest from investors in both the institutional and retail level, this according to Juan Carlos Artigas, director of investment research at the World Gold Council. Many investors, institutional and retail investors are buying gold through gold-backed ETFs. Gold-backed ETFs last year reached record highs in terms of the amount of gold held. So, its no longer just a U.S. or North American phenomenon. Now, actually, European-listed ETFs hold almost as much as North American ones, Artigas told Kitco News. Central banks have turned from net sellers of gold into net buyers over the last ten years, and a lot of this has to do with governments changing appetite for risk, Artigas said. Central banks also cite safety and diversification in reasons why they invest in gold, and in some sense, gold is an asset that can protect their reserves over the long term, he said. Retail demand for physical gold saw a decline in 2019 while investment demand for gold ETFs rose. Consumer demand was generally softer but was offset by strong inflows in ETFs, Artigas said. He added that gold has multi-faceted investment purposes that sometimes may conflict with one another, as in the case of 2019 when gold prices rose. One of the really interesting aspects about gold is the dual nature that co-exists. You have a consumer side that is linked to jewelry, technology, but theres also the investment side, and oftentimes, these two parts of gold are not necessarily moving in the same direction. Oftentimes, they may go in opposite directions, he said. Srinagar: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) as part of a probe into tainted Jammu and Kashmir police officer Davinder Singhs alleged links with separatist militants on Sunday conducted raids at multiple locations in the Union Territorys Shopian district. The official sources here said that NIA sleuths were fanned out in the militancy-infested district at dawn to raid various places including private houses and offices. They have reportedly seized incriminating material including some documents which may help the agency in its investigation into the sensational case, the sources said. The raids took place a day after a 20-member NIA team arrived in Kashmir to collect more evidence against Singh who was arrested along with Syed Naveed Mus-htaq alias Naveed Babu, one of the most wanted Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants, and his accomplice Asif Ahmed Rather in Kashmirs Kulgam district on January 11. Singh who was posted as DSP at the Anti-Hijacking Squad at the Srinagar airport but has since been placed under suspension and the police authorities have also recommended to the government that he may be dismissed from service and the militant duo were travelling in a Hyundai i20 car along the highway connecting J&Ks twin capitals Srinagar and Jammu and were reportedly on their way to Chandigarh. The police had also arrested Irfan Shafi Mir, a lawyer by profession who was accused by it as being an over-ground worker of militants. Subsequently, Naveed Babus brother Syed Irfan Ahmed was also arrested from Punjab. The investigations done by the J&K police had reportedly revealed that Singh had accompanied militants or helped them in relocating to various parts of country on different occasions in lieu of money and other considerations. However, the Centre later asked the NIA to probe the case. The sources said that a team of the NIA led by a DIG rank officer went to Anantnag on Saturday and held a meeting with the senior police officials there. The places which were raided by the NIA sleuths included the homes of Naveed Babu, Asif and Irfan Mir and also those of a Hizb militant Adil Pala and Khursheed Sheikh, a local resident who allegedly helped Naveed Babu in stealing four service rifles from a security picket at a FCI store in Budgam. By Abdul Kerimkhanov Kyrgyz and German foreign ministers have discussed environmental issues as part of the Green Central Asia initiative, which is to be implemented in line with the new EU strategy in Central Asia. The meeting was held during Chingiz Aidarbekovs visit to Berlin, according to the information published on the ministrys official website. The sides discussed implementation of agreements achieved during the official visit of Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov to Germany in 2019. The talks also focused on regional cooperation issues. The sides further underlined the importance of implementation of joint projects in the framework of the German initiative in the field of green economy. Aidarbekov invited Maas to participate in the first economic forum EU - Central Asia, which will be held in summer 2020 in Kyrgyzstan. In the end, the Ministers praised the development of Kyrgyz-German cooperation. Kyrgyz FM will participate in the conference on the new initiative of the Foreign Ministry of Germany "Green Central Asia" of the new EU strategy on Central Asia. Foreign Ministers of Germany, Central Asian countries and Afghanistan will attend the conference. Aidarbekov plans to hold a number of talks on Kyrgyz-German cooperation. Diplomatic relations between Germany and Kyrgyzstan were established on 3 February 1992. The German Embassy in Kyrgyzstan was opened in September 1992, and the Kyrgyz Embassy in Germany - in January 1995. The volume of mutual trade of Kyrgyzstan and Germany amounted to $52.92 million, or 1.2 percent of the Kyrgyz total volume of trade in January-August 2018. Germanys principal exports to Kyrgyzstan are motor vehicles, machinery and chemical products (pharmaceuticals and cosmetics). Kyrgyzstans main exports to Germany are agricultural products. The volume of direct foreign investment from Germany to Kyrgyzstan totaled to $8.13 million in January-June 2018. The main part of direct investment from Germany was in manufacturing industry - $7.2 million, in trade - $576,300, in agriculture - $297,200. As many as 152 Kyrgyz-German joint ventures operate in Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyz-German companies operate in various sectors of the economy such as trade, industry, tourism, energy, services, and others. Germany after the U.S. and Japan is one of the largest donors in Kyrgyzstan, providing bilateral support. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan has deliberately set himself on a collision course with chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan ever since the distinguished historian Irfan Habib rebuked him at the Indian History Congress. But the issues he has raised should be considered on their merits. They concern the right of the head of a state in a parliamentary system to be informed of the affairs of the state by the head of the elected government. Article 167 of the Indian constitution says: It shall be the duty of the chief minister of each state (a) to communicate to the governor of the state all decisions of the council of ministers relating to the administration of the affairs of the state and proposals for legislation; (b) to furnish such information relating to the administration of the affairs of the state and proposals for legislation as the governor may call for; and (c) if the governor so requires, to submit for the consideration of the council of ministers any matter on which a decision has been taken by a minister but which has not been considered by the council. It is an exact replica of Article 78 which defines the Prime Ministers duties towards the President. They codify the conventions that govern the relations between the Queen and her prime minister in the UK. Beneath those conventions lie a political culture which demands discretion, decency and rectitude. The present controversy is a repeat, in a worse form, of that which developed in 1987 between president Zail Singh and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi (from whose cabinet A.M. Khan resigned). The Presidents right to know became enmeshed in a wider plot and remained unresolved until Singh demitted his office as President. Relations between Zail Singh and Rajiv Gandhi soured first; the issue of the formers right to know arose later. In A.M. Khan though it is hard to keep track of the political parties he joined and left the BJP found one of its few Muslim poster boys. His appointment as governor of a state ruled by a party opposed to the BJP was itself wrong. He was sent to make things difficult for the Kerala government, a pattern followed in all states ruled by non-BJP parties. Distrust grew as a consequence of Rajiv Gandhis arrogance and ineptitude, and Zail Singhs ambition and passion for intrigue. Amendments to the postal bill provided a flashpoint. Singh argued that it violated the right to privacy and that he would not give his assent if the bill was passed. Neither did his successor. He leaked to the press, as some governors do; a vice not confined to BJP appointees. A.M. Khan detected a window of opportunity in the Kerala governments opposition to the notorious Citizenship Amendment Act. On Jan 20, it was reported that a top source within the governors office said that it has sought a report from the chief secretary for not informing him about the states move to approach the apex court against the CAA. On Jan 13, the Left Democratic Front government had moved the Supreme Court challenging the CAA and had sought to declare it ultra vires the constitution. Attacking Vijayan, governor Khan had earlier said rulers were to be respected and that the whims of an individual or a political party could not influence public affairs and government business. Kerala was the first state to pass a resolution in its Assembly against the CAA. If Zail Singh leaked to the press, A.M. Khan talks in gross impropriety. Even if the chief minister was wrong, the proper course was for the governor to write to him in confidence, in remonstrance. Singh was at the end of his political career. Khan fancies he is at the beginning of a new chapter in his career whose contents would be written by his mentor Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Khan is out to please him. But the three clauses of Article 167 do not support him. The first merely requires the chief minister to communicate to the governor decisions of the council of ministers and proposals for legislation. On the one hand, Khan challenges the validity of the Kerala Assemblys resolution to say it is no legislation. On the other, he demands its notification to him as if it was a proposal for legislation, which it is not. It is an expression of opinion. The next clause requires the chief minister to furnish to the governor such information as he requires on the points the clause mentions, namely administration of the affairs of the state and proposals for legislation. The state governments decision to challenge the CAA in the supreme court which sent Khan hopping mad falls into neither category. A petition in the apex court is not a matter that affects centre-state relations either. They are filed a dime a dozen. The governor has made himself ridiculous by his conduct. He could do worse if he does not stop now. By arrangement with Dawn Cork South-West is a geographically vast constituency. It stretches from near Carrigaline to Beara and includes Bandon, Kinsale and Skibbereen. This, in itself, presents severe challenges to many of the parties simply covering the constituency can cause a headache but it means that issues can vary broadly. In some of the more remote parts of the constituency, issues such as the National Broadband Plan are of the utmost concern, while tourism, fishing and agriculture are all pressing in other areas. So, too, are roads and housing, while the healthcare conversation has grown in the last few months in the context of the Bantry Hospital row. In terms of personnel, the biggest change to the ticket is the absence of Jim Daly. Within 18 months of being elected in 2016, he was appointed to the role of Minister of State for Older People and Mental Health and could have been seen as one of the party's safest bets for re-election. However, in September, he confirmed that he would not run again and it has blown things wide open in Cork South-West. It left Fine Gael with some soul-searching to do. It has opted for two candidates; one from the east and one from the west of the constituency. In the east, it is Senator Tim Lombard, a close confidante of Simon Coveney, who is on the ticket. Even if Daly had run again, Lombard was a likely contender here. In the west, it is Cllr Karen Coakley who has been selected, though not without some controversy. More than 500 party members signed a petition to add former councillor Noel O'Donovan to the ticket. Mr O'Donovan left politics in 2016 to become a guard but such was the fervour of the campaign that Fine Gael HQ had to intervene to tell members that they would not be adding a third candidate to the ticket. It was not the ideal preparation for the party but they can still expect to secure one seat most likely Mr Lombard. In terms of safe bets, it looks like Michael Collins is as safe as they come. The Independent candidate shocked many in 2016 by snapping up 15.6% of first preferences and his groundwork since should see him secure this time out too. He has put in the time when it comes to healthcare locally, including organising bus trips to take patients to Belfast for cataract operations. All signs point to Collins topping the poll. From here, it could be two Fianna Fail candidates scrapping with each other for the final seat. Margaret Murphy O'Mahony was the only Fianna Fail candidate in 2016 and she was backed to the hilt: 19.6% of first preferences fell her way. Margaret Murphy O'Mahony She was the first woman ever elected in Cork South-West but she faces a strong challenge from within the party this time in Christopher O'Sullivan, the Mayor of Cork County. From Clonakilty, he is popular and visible, due to his current role, and is the son of former TD Christy O'Sullivan. Local sources give Mr O'Sullivan the edge here. Among the other runners are Social Democrats candidate, Holly Cairns, who made headlines when she won her council seat by just a single vote. She has made waves since, though, and might be best placed to do well outside of the aforementioned runners. Sinn Fein has Paul Hayes in the hunt, but the Courtmacsherry man will do well to replicate the 8.5% of vote picked up by Rachel McCarthy in 2016, and Independent Alan Coleman, a former Fianna Fail mayor of the county, is also likely to pose a challenge to the established parties. A late addition to the ticket is Bernie Connolly for the Green Party. A long-time coordinator for the Cork Environmental Forum, she is well-known in West Cork and might soak up transfers well. As it stands, the indications are that Cork South-West is shaping up to be one each from Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, with Michael Collins (Independent) a safe bet. From Damisi Ojo, Akure The Ondo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has postponed the party Primary elections earlier scheduled to hold on Monday and Tuesday indefinitely. The Party in a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Mr. Alex Kalejaiye sited logistic challenges as the reason for the postponement without stating the new date. Read Also: 10 for governor in Ondo APC A statement from the partys spokesman, Alex Kalejaiye said The State Secretariat of Ondo State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) regrets to announce the postponement of its primaries for councillorship and chairmanship aspirants, earlier scheduled for Monday and Tuesday 4th February, 2020. The alteration is not unconnected with logistic challenge. Party leaders are expected today to decide on a fresh date. The statement appealed for the understanding of all stakeholders, particularly the aspirants on its platform. Activists blame unidentified armed groups for attacks against those who take part in demonstrations. Baghdad, Iraq Evan al-Jaf was walking to her aunts house in the Jadriya neighbourhood of Baghdad last month with three friends when she realised that a group of men had followed them from Tahrir Square, the citys main anti-government protest site. The 19-year-old, a volunteer field medic at the square and a first-year law student, said the men suddenly grabbed and blindfolded her, before taking her to an unknown location. They came for me, she told Al Jazeera, adding that her friends were not targeted. They told me they were from the anti-terrorist forces, but Im sure they were Hashd al-Shabi, she said, referring to the umbrella of Iran-backed militias also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF). Al-Jaf, who has leukaemia, said she was tortured by four men. They beat me up until I started throwing up blood, and electrocuted me, she said, pulling her shirt up to reveal burn marks on her back. They tied my left hand to my right leg and my right hand to my left leg. They wrote on a whiteboard things that they wanted to film me saying that werent true, such as Tahrir Square is an immoral lawless place where rape is rampant,' she said. I didnt want to read it out, but they put a gun to my head. They saw that Im a Christian and accused me of being an agent for the Kurdish intelligence. Al-Jaf says she was electrocuted and beaten while in detention [Linah Alsaafin/Al Jazeera] After two days in captivity, al-Jaf was released overnight on an expressway in the rural district of Taji, north of Baghdad. I was back at Tahrir Square four hours later, and went straight to a doctor I know at one of the medical tents, crying. I told him everything, she said. I saw one of the men who kidnapped me the following day. He was wearing olive fatigues and sunglasses, and nodded at me, she added. Unrestrained militias Activists have blamed unidentified armed groups, that are not part of the government security forces but are affiliated with the PMF, for attacks against anti-government protesters. In December, the UN said in a report in that groups referred to as militia, unknown third parties, armed entities, outlaws and spoilers are responsible for the deliberate killings and abductions of demonstrators. These acts contribute to a climate of anger and fear, it added. The PMF was formed in 2014 after a call from Iraqs most influential Shia leader, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, to take on the ISIL (ISIS) after it had conquered more than a third of Iraqi territory. In 2016, most of the PMF militias were incorporated into the states security apparatus, but critics say that some militias operate independently of the government. The militias have also become a powerful force in Iraqi politics, with strong representation in the Iraqi Parliament. Wathiq al-Freiji, one of the protest organisers in Baghdad, told Al Jazeera that Iraq has a security problem mainly because of unrestrained militias. Weapons should be under the control of and limited to the government, he said. These militias are tied to political parties and are not merely associated with but control the government. Iraq has a security problem mainly because of unrestrained militias, according to protest organiser Wathiq al-Freiji [Courtesy of Wathiq al-Freiji] They enjoy important roles in the security, intelligence, interior and defence branches, the 37-year-old said. We are in no doubt that the crackdown on protesters is a systematic, organised joint process by these militias and political blocs who both want to safeguard their interests. According to the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR), there are currently 64 missing activists who have been kidnapped by unknown groups since anti-government demonstrations began on October 1. Dr Ali al-Bayati, who works with IHCHR, said that the Iraqi government has a responsibility to expose the perpetrators and those responsible for the kidnappings in the security forces area of control. Iraq is part of the agreement to protect people from enforced disappearance since 2009, so it has to adhere to the terms of the agreement and conduct professional and judicial investigations on the issue and hold the perpetrators accountable, he said. Otherwise, failure to act will open the door for international bodies and UN committees to intervene. Electrocution and beatings Protesters have accused various security forces, some who are under the umbrella of the interior ministry, and others not linked to government ministries, of using heavy-handed tactics against them, such as arrest and torture, since protests began. Yaser al-Jaber, a 23-year-old field medic at Tahrir Square, was alone when he was arrested on November 6 while walking near the Central Bank of Iraq building in Baghdad. Yaser al-Jaber says he was detained and tortured at the old Muthanna airport prison [Linah Alsaafin/Al Jazeera] I spent 78 days in detention at the old Muthanna airport prison in west Baghdad, he told Al Jazeera. According to al-Jaber, he was tortured by members of the joint military-police Baghdad Operations Command (BOC). They would beat me up trying to get me to confess if I set fire to a building, for example, or burned tyres, or if I set up roadblocks, he said. They accused me of attacking their officers. They would tie wires around my hands, legs and genitals and give me electricity shots. Al Jazeera contacted the BOC for comment but did not receive a response prior to publication. Government crackdown A protester suffers from tear gas inhalation at Baghdads Tahrir Square [Emma Francis/Al Jazeera] Protesters and rights groups have also accused government security forces of resorting to violence, including firing live ammunition, tear gas and rubber bullets in an attempt to break up demonstrators. On Monday, Iraqi state TV announced that the death toll since the protests began had reached 556, including 13 members of the security forces. The IHCHR put the number as slightly lower at 536. We consider blocking the roads our constitutional right and a form of pressure to get our demands answered, whereas the riot police see it as vandalism, al-Freiji, the protest organiser, said. A government committee found in October that security forces used excessive force to quell protests. Malda/New Delhi, Feb 3 : The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has lashed out at the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government for alleged police inaction as 'henchmen' allegedly attacked a mass wedding ceremony of tribals at the Bengal-Jharkhand border. The ceremony was arranged by the saffron outfit. A mass marriage of 133 tribal couples in a village near Malda district of West Bengal was "attacked by the henchmen of Jharkhand Disom party with bows, arrows and sharp weapons injuring the participants and destroying valuables," claims the VHP. It added, the Bengal police which was present at the spot remained "mute spectators". Malda in Bengal to close to the border of Jharkhand. Later, addressing a press conference, Bengal VHP's Achchutanand said that "We are running thousands of Sewa Karya (service projects) in the field of health, education, women empowerment, skill & village development for the welfare of our tribal brethren." VHP claims that they had due permission from the authorities and more than 100 policemen were present at the venue. Taking a sharp jibe at the Bengal government, the saffron outfit issued a statement that said, "It seems the complicity & anti-Hindu attitude of the ruling political party (of West Bengal). The role of Christian missionaries and communists in this act of vandalism and provocation also needs to be investigated." While an FIR has been lodged, the VHP has warned of state-wide protests if the Bengal government fails to arrest the culprits immediately. San Francisco, Feb 3 : Tesla CEO Elon Musk who is a staunch critic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has now hired the technology, turning AI into a subordinate that "reports directly" to him daily. Musk, who has crossed swords with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and former Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma over the role of AI, is finally giving the technology some space, like in his startup Neuralink which is creating a brain-machine interface. Tagging Lex Fridman, popular host of the Artificial Intelligence podcast on YouTube, Musk tweeted: "At Tesla, using AI to solve self-driving isn't just icing on the cake, it the cake" @lexfridman "Join AI at Tesla! It reports directly to me & we meet/email/text almost every day. My actions, not just words, show how critically I view (benign) AI," the Tesla CEO added. For him, AI can only do 'benign' tasks and those jobs too are being evaluated critically by him. Tesla is using advanced AI for vision and planning, supported by efficient use of inference hardware to achieve a general solution to full self-driving. The company is building silicon chips that power its full self-driving software from the ground up, taking every small architectural and micro-architectural improvement into account while pushing hard to squeeze maximum silicon performance-per-watt. The company is applying cutting-edge research to train deep neural networks on problems ranging from perception to control. "Our per-camera networks analyze raw images to perform semantic segmentation, object detection and monocular depth estimation. Our birds-eye-view networks take video from all cameras to output the road layout, static infrastructure and 3D objects directly in the top-down view," says Tesla. "Our networks learn from the most complicated and diverse scenarios in the world, iteratively sourced from our fleet of nearly 1 million vehicles in real time. A full build of Autopilot neural networks involves 48 networks that take 70,000 GPU hours to train. Together, they output 1,000 distinct tensors (predictions) at each timestep," the electric carmaker added. The company is also developing core algorithms that drive the car by creating a high-fidelity representation of the world and planning trajectories in that space. During a recent presentation about Neuralink's brain-machine interface technology, he said: "Even in a benign AI scenario, we will be left behind. "Hopefully, it is a benign scenario. But I think with a high-bandwidth brain-machine interface we can actually go along for the ride. And we can effectively have the option of merging with AI," Musk told the gathering. Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Won-tae speaks to reporters before boarding a chartered evacuation flight to Wuhan at Incheon International Airport, Thursday. / Yonhap By Jun Ji-hye Hanjin Group Chairman and Korean Air CEO Cho Won-tae faced criticism for being onboard a chartered flight arranged by the government to bring back Korean citizens from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan, according to industry officials Monday. Critics called Cho's decision to be on the flight an "overaction" designed to improve his image ahead of an important general meeting of shareholders, as he apparently had no particular role on the aircraft that carried out the evacuation mission. The government sent two charters Korean Air planes to Wuhan, one each on Thursday and Friday, completing the mission to bring home about 700 nationals from the epicenter of the deadly illness. Cho boarded the first flight. After the second flight arrived in Seoul, Saturday, Jeong Da-woon, a police official who works in the Korean consulate in Wuhan, wrote on his WeChat Moment, claiming the chartered flights were prepared after relevant officials had gone through a lot of trouble, but "Cho was onboard the flight with two secretaries, adding a spoon to a dinner table that had already been prepared by others. Cho didn't even get off the plane." WeChat Moment is similar to Facebook Timeline. Jeong also told media outlets that there weren't enough seats in business class, which had been reserved for evacuees who were sick, because Cho and other high-ranking officials were occupying them. Regarding the issue, Korean Air said Cho made preparations on the plane to receive the evacuees, noting that he was not accompanied by secretaries. "Cho and Korean Air employees were in charge of in-flight work, while foreign ministry officials dealt with the evacuees," a Korean Air official said. "The company accepted sacrifices when flying the chartered planes. Jeong went too far when saying Cho just added a spoon." When announcing Cho's decision to board the plane, the national flag carrier said Cho decided to do so "to take the initiative and set an example as the head of the operator of the charted planes." The company also said Cho's decision was to express gratitude to about 30 crew members who volunteered to work on the flight to support the government-led effort in the emergency situation. But the decision faced skepticism in online communities, with some commentators saying the decision seemed "just a show" aimed at improving negative images about him amid an escalating feud within Hanjin Group's owner family over management control ahead of the shareholders meeting in March. Later on Monday, Jeong offered an apology to Cho for posting controversial message, saying, "I didn't expect articles about my messages to be published. Korean nationals could return home safely thanks to Korean Air." The Westin Houston Medical Center features all the trappings of a contemporary luxury hotel: midcentury modern furniture, exposed steel I-beams and a rooftop terrace with a resort-style pool overlooking Rice University and the Museum District. But the modern vibe of Houstons newest hotel belies its location in one of the oldest office towers in the Texas Medical Center. The historic Medical Towers, one of the first glass-and-steel podium-style office buildings in Houston, has been given a second life as a 273-room Westin hotel in the heart of the medical district. The new hotel, at 1709 Dryden, opened last month. People are enthralled by the story of a historic building, more than some new skyscraper, said William Franks, a consultant who worked with Houston-based Pearl Hospitality on the project. And this building tells a great story. We thought it deserved another life. Pearl Hospitalitys redevelopment of the Medical Towers into the Westin stands out in a city with a penchant for tearing down its historic buildings. Houston over the years has lost many iconic buildings, including the 1949 Shamrock Hotel, the 1952 Prudential Building and the 1905 Nicholas Clayton Building at Incarnate Word Academy. Were just so excited in the preservation community about the new Westin, said Minnette Boesel, chairwoman of the Houston Archeological and Historical Commission, which oversees 7,500 historic properties in the city. Its thrilling to see how well theyve retained the historic character of it. On HoustonChronicle.com: Westin hotel planned for midcentury modern landmark in Med Center The Medical Towers was built in 1956 to meet the burgeoning demand for medical office and retail space in the nascent Texas Medical Center following World War II. The 18-story building -- estimated at the time to cost $4 million, or $37.5 million in todays dollars -- drew 175 doctors from downtown Houston and helped propel the medical district into the largest of its kind in the world. It was also an architecturally significant building for Houston. The Medical Towers introduced a more modern, International Style of architecture to the city, which at the time was dominated by traditional masonry, Spanish- and art deco-style buildings. The Medical Towers designed in 1954 by Houston architect Golemon & Rolfe and Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning Gordon Bunshaft of Chicago-based Skidmore Owings & Merrill features a glass-and-steel facade accented by turquoise metal panels and flanked by tan brick walls. The building was modeled after the United Nations Secretariat Building and the Lever House in New York both glass-and-steel, podium-style buildings that emphasized clean, minimalistic lines over classic, ornate designs. The building, which has won several architectural awards as a prime example of Modern architecture in Houston, is registered as a historic landmark through the City of Houston, The Texas Historic Commission and the National Park Service. The Chronicle in a September 1956 article about the towers opening called it a building of striking appearance. (The Medical Towers) was really quite extraordinary for its time, Boesel, the preservationist, said. The tower on top of a pedestal, it was a groundbreaking type of development. Revival plan Pearl acquired the Medical Towers in 2014 with plans to redevelop the aging office building into a luxury hotel with events space and street-level restaurants to serve the Texas Medical Center, which employs 100,000 workers and draws more than 15 million visitors a year. The tower was showing it age. Lane markers in the parking garage had faded, the elevators were slow and creaky and the first-floor lobby was shabby and dark. The building was half vacant. It looked like a really old medical office building, said Michael Coburn, the chairman of Baylor College of Medicines urology department, which was housed in the building between 2010 and 2013. It was a little cramped and pretty basic, but it was functional. On HoustonChronicle.com: Looped In: Why there are so few old buildings in Houston, Part I Pearl wasnt fazed by the age of the Medical Towers and its historic designation, which limited the scope of redevelopment. The developer, which has a track record of preserving historic landmarks across Texas, most recently redeveloped the historic 1910 SF Carter Building into the JW Marriott Houston Downtown, which opened in 2014. The buildings bones were solid, and the location in the heart of the Medical Center was unparalleled, Archit Sanghvi, Pearls vice president of operations, said of the Medical Towers. I thought we found a diamond in the rough, Franks said. A lot of people would have been apprehensive. If youre not used to historic preservation, you have this fear that it drives costs up. In Houston, its often easier to just buy a lot or a building and tear it down. Inside, outside Instead of taking a wrecking ball to the Medical Towers, Pearl decided to restore the building and preserve its historic significance. The developer replaced the buildings electric, mechanical, plumbing systems, installed a touchscreen elevator system and replaced the blue mosaic tile in the lobby with white glass mosaic tile. It saved the towers original iron windows, terrazzo floors and elevator doors and restored the buildings brick and metal facade. Pearl, which declined to share the cost of the renovations, worked with BRR Architects, interior architect Baskervill, design consultant MBCM Inc., project engineer Collaborative Engineering Group, structural engineer Henderson Rogers and general contractor Texas HRE Construction. There were some design challenges the team had to overcome. The building had high windows that, because of its historic designation, couldnt be retrofitted with more contemporary floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Designers placed a mix of regular- and countertop-height tables and chairs in the guest rooms to accommodate the higher windows. The small lobby and lack of a large event space was another challenge. The team built a 20,000-square-foot pavilion atop the four-story garage to serve as the hotels amenity deck. The pavilion features a lobby, resort-style pool, 10,000-square-feet of ballroom and meeting spaces, a restaurant and bar; a cafe, lounges and two outdoor terraces. Historic preservation requirements stipulated that this large addition couldnt be seen from the street, so Franks and his team used tall red sticks and spotters on the ground to figure out the pavilions height and footprint. In the end, the extra work was worth it, he said. It was a lot of luck, perseverance and patience, he said. But if we had designed it from the ground up, I dont think we could have designed it better. Medical ties Developers envision the 273-room hotel will cater to medical business travelers, tourists interested in the Museum District, visiting Rice University lecturers and long-term patients at the Medical Center. Pearl redeveloped the ground floor of the Medical Towers into fast-casual restaurants, such as Chipotle, MOD Pizza and Salata, with patio seating to cater to medical workers and patients in nearby hospitals. Coburn, the Baylor urologist who used to work in the Medical Towers, toured the new hotel last month, curious to see how his former academic office had been reimagined. The doctor said was pleased to see the historic building preserved and repurposed into a hotel that continues to serve the medical district. I thought they did a remarkable job redesigning the space, Coburn said. I was impressed to see the original facade of the building remain essentially unchanged, and the interior be completely reconstructed into this modern and contemporary hotel. paul.takahashi@chron.com twitter.com/paultakahashi During one of the MOM projects in Grundy, a patient told me he had planned to be at the clinic the year before to get treatment for a painful tooth but was unable to find transportation. So, during the prior year, he visited the ED every 30 to 45 days for antibiotics and pain medication. As a result of that delay in getting care, he had six teeth extracted. All the dental pain, medications, risk to his overall health and expense could have been avoided had he been able to access basic dental services. Along with many other health advocates, I strongly encourage the General Assembly to support budget amendments proposed in the current legislative session to include dental coverage for adults enrolled in Medicaid. And, lest some think otherwise, this is not about having pearly white, orthodontically perfect teeth. The dental coverage health advocates are seeking simply allows someone to speak, eat and smile normally, and be free of oral infections; something that many of us take for granted every day. This is an opportunity to improve the overall health of our commonwealth; reduce costly ED visits for dental conditions; lower opioid usage; and improve chronic disease outcomes resulting in substantial cost savings for the commonwealth. I hope that opportunity is realized. Streatham attacker Sudesh Amman was followed by armed police for 40 minutes before he launched his horrific knife rampage on Sunday - and was then shot dead 60 seconds later. A surveillance operation was tracking Amman, 20, following his early release from from jail on January 23. Amman had spent just over a year in prison after being arrested for 13 terror offences, including owning a bomb making manual. However, despite being followed by armed police, the terrorist was able to get his hands on a 10-inch knife with a white handle, which he stole from a shop, and attack two people on Streatham High Road before being shot dead by police. Authorities are now refusing to explain why Amman was able to get his hands on the blade - despite being trailed by officers - or give any more details on the surveillance operation. The Metropolitan Police also said the fake suicide vest Amman was wearing was missed by officers monitoring him because it was hidden under his clothes. Sudesh Amman, 20, from Harrow, fantasised about carrying out a terror attack with a blade or with acid while riding a moped and had been jailed in 2018 - before being released a few days ago Armed police shot dead extremist Amman after he grabbed a knife from a shop and stabbed a man and a woman in a brutal high-street rampage in Streatham, South London, yesterday Amman lays dead on the pavement on Streatham High Road after being shot dead by undercover police officers They confirmed that he had been in a shop on Streatham High Road for 60 seconds before grabbing a knife and sprinting outside. He then attacked two people, stabbing a man in his 40s in the stomach and a woman in his 50s in the back, before being shot dead by the officers trailing him around a minute after starting his attack. The Met said in a statement on Monday night: 'The time from him entering the shop to beginning his attack outside was approximately 60 seconds. Police officers responded, fatally shooting him within approximately 60 seconds of him beginning to attack people.' 'An operation was launched which included armed surveillance officers. Revealing details of this surveillance operation could undermine police tactics used to investigate terrorists and other criminals across the UK, so it is right that we do not expand on this further at this time. 'We are confident that this is an isolated incident that has been contained. 'Detectives from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command continue to carry out fast-time enquiries into the circumstances of the attack. We have identified around 50 witnesses from whom we are gathering statements, and we have recovered and are trawling hours of CCTV footage.' Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman is pictured as a young boy while holding a vacuum cleaner in his living room Police officers inspect the Sudesh Amman, 19, lying face down on Streatham High Road at around 2pm on Sunday (left) and officers suddenly backing off (right) The statement added: 'Armed officers, who were part of a proactive counter-terrorism surveillance operation relating to the attacker, were following him as he left an address in the Streatham area at shortly after 13:20hrs. 'He then made his way on foot and was observed entering a shop on Streatham High Road shortly before 14:00hrs. 'From initial witness statements we understand that he stole a knife and ran from the shop as he was pursued by a member of staff. 'As he ran from the shop, he removed packaging from the knife, and once outside attacked two members of public. 'The time from him entering the shop to beginning his attack outside was approximately 60 seconds. Police officers responded, fatally shooting him within approximately 60 seconds of him beginning to attack people.' Amman, 20, was shot dead just days after he was released from prison on January 23. He had been jailed for three years and four months in December 2018, when he pleaded guilty to 13 counts including possessing bomb-making manuals and knife-fighting guides. Amman - wearing a hoax explosive vest (circle left) - was shot dead by undercover officers on Streatham High Road just after 2pm yesterday after snatching a blade (circle right) from a shop and slashing a man in his 40s and a woman in her 50s However, he was automatically released halfway through his sentence, despite fears he still held extremist views. It is now understood that counter-terrorism bosses decided Amman needed round-the-clock watching by officers, and shortly after this decision surveillance squads were ordered to arm themselves after he was assessed to be even more dangerous than originally thought, sources told the Guardian. The news comes as Amman's ex-girlfriend revealed how she lived in constant fear of him, even after they split, because he had urged her to behead her own parents. Long before the 20-year-old terrorist's stabbing spree through Streatham, south London, yesterday, he made clear his rampant radicalism to his one-time partner. She said he would fantasise about slaughtering non-believers with knives and had carefully plotted how to execute such an attack. But she ended her hellish one-year relationship which cut 'emotional and psychological' scars after he told her to kill her family. The horrified ex-girlfriend continued life 'looking over her shoulder' - and she has been forced to relive her 'nightmare' following Amman's blade rampage. The woman, who has asked not to be named, told MailOnline: 'What Sudesh did was horrible and disgusting. I don't want anything to do with him or what he has done. Sudesh Amman kept a notebook in which he wrote that his 'goals in life' were: 'Die as a shuhada', which means martyr, and 'go to jannah', which translates as paradise Amman is pictured as a boy, shirtless and pulling a face while playing on the pavement (left), and eating food (right) 'I have tried to move on with my life after what he did the first time. This has affected me really badly. 'But now after I heard what he did I am angry. I just want to live a normal life. I never really knew him. 'You never really know someone. Now I just want to be able to walk down the street in peace.' The ex-girlfriend relived a conversation with Amman, in which he schemed the best way to kill civilians without drawing the attention of the security forces. According to the Sun, she said he 'preferred knives' and told her: 'If you can't make a bomb because family, friends or spies are watching or suspecting you, take a knife, molotov, sound bombs or a car at night and attack the tourists (crusaders), police and soldiers of taghut, or western embassies in every country you are in this planet.' The ex-girlfriend said she felt 'trapped' in her year-long romance with Amman, which started well but soon became clear that 'something was not quite right'. Mrs Khan said Amman - who is pictured as a youngster in this photograph - was watching fundamentalist paraphernalia online and it led to his arrest Mrs Khan also issued this picture of her son Amman posing with a BlackBerry mobile phone In an interview with ITV News, she said: 'He never hurt me physically, but emotionally and psychologically he did. I felt trapped. I tried to deal with it by myself, but it affected me tremendously. 'He seemed OK at first, but it quickly became apparent that things weren't right.' She went on: 'Even though it was a long time ago I still feel like I'm having to look over my shoulder' 'I just live in fear it shouldn't' be like this. But it's given me some closure that I don't feel trapped in a situation anymore' 'It's really opened my eyes you think you know a person, but you don't. People should be careful. I feel hugely betrayed this was someone I trusted, and now I've got to live with this the rest of my life. 'I haven't heard from him for a long time, I don't know what happened to him in prison' 'I didn't believe in his ideology, I didn't condone it, I didn't agree with it and I never will, but I couldn't stop it.' 'The authorities really need to focus on rehabilitation. Offenders like this, with that sort of ideology, if they're not rehabilitated properly before they're released, or the penalties are increased then this will just happen again' 'My tears and heart are with the innocent people affected.' Meanwhile, the terrorist's mother revealed how Amman asked for his favourite mutton biryani meal just hours before he was shot dead by police in London. Haleema Khan, 41, of Dunstable, Bedfordshire, learned about both yesterday's attack in Streatham and her son's death from TV news, having spoken to him on the phone earlier in the day when he asked for the meal. It comes as Mrs Khan revealed three pictures of Amman as a boy - shirtless and pulling a face while playing on the pavement; posing with a neck chain while eating with a fork; and holding a vacuum cleaner. She described her son as a 'lovely boy' as she fought back tears today while telling MailOnline how she felt he was radicalised at HMP Belmarsh in Thamesmead, South East London. The top-security jail has been home to a number of high-profile extremist prisoners, including Lee Rigby killers Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale. Mrs Khan said Amman had also developed extreme views after looking at Islamist material online. She is now trying to get her son's body from police as soon as possible to bury him. Amman lived with Mrs Khan and his five younger brothers in Harrow, North West London, before he was jailed for terror offences at the Old Bailey in December 2018. A family source said Mrs Khan was 'disgusted' by yesterday's attack, although neighbours said she had been convinced of her son's innocence even after he was convicted. Mrs Khan told MailOnline today: 'He wasn't even a very devoted Muslim. He got radicalised while he was in Belmarsh Prison (in Thamesmead, South East London). 'He got into all this (supporting terrorism) on the internet, but when he went to prison something happened to him.' She said she saw him twice last week in a bail hostel in Streatham, South London, and last on Thursday where he was staying at following his release. Fighting back tears, Mrs Khan said she had taken him food and that he had not mentioned anything about carrying out a terrorist attack. Emergency laws blocking the early release of terrorists from prison will be brought in following yesterday's brutal attack in London, the government announced today. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland announced plans for new legislation that would stop extremists from being freed from prison until they had served their full sentence unless they had been assessed and cleared by the Parole Board. A No 10 source said the legislation would be introduced this week ahead of a package of measures expected later this year that could include a beefed-up role for the Parole Board. Crucially ministers want plans for the law to apply to those already in prison for terror crimes, as well as those jailed in future. Karan Johar Reveals How Farah Khan's Spooky Encounter Scared The Daylight Out Of Him During Kuch Kuch Hota Hai Shoot In wake of firing near the university, the Jamia Millia Islamia has beefed up security in and around its premises, varsity's public relations officer Ahmad Azeem said on Monday. "We have taken several steps to tighten security inside the university campus. We have given more equipment to our security personnel and set up more CCTV cameras. I appeal to protesting students to take precautions," Azeem told ANI. In the third incident of firing in the Jamia Nagar area, a scooter-borne man fired a shot in the air near Jamia University's gate number 5 on Sunday around 11.30 pm. The gunman was riding pillion and the two then escaped towards the Holy Family Hospital.The Delhi Police have registered an FIR in the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fresh clues about those involved in Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking ring have been revealed in the legal battle to unseal documents from accuser Virginia Giuffre's defamation case against alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell, DailyMail.com can disclose. The revelations came as attorneys for Maxwell and Giuffre laid out a plan on how to notify the individuals named in documents and give them a chance to object to their identities being made public, in New York federal court filings last Thursday. A day later, a sealed document was added to the case. On the whole, the two sides have agreed on how to inform the individuals, called 'non-parties' to the case, with a formatted letter and a 14-day window to respond to the court. The non-parties are those 'whose privacy, reputational or other interests may be implicated by the unsealing of the Sealed Materials'. A judge ruled to keep under seal documents in Virginia Giuffre's defamation case against Jeffrey Epstein's alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell. The individuals mentioned in the documents are called 'non-parties' and there are four general categories that the so-far unnamed individuals fall into The 2015 civil lawsuit was filed by Giuffre after Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend and consort who allegedly recruited underage girls for the financier, publicly denounced her as a liar for her allegations that she was forced into sexual servitude and pimped out to other powerful men including Prince Andrew There are four general categories that the so-far unnamed individuals fall into. Some have been identified as 'allegedly engaging in sexual acts' with Giuffre or other victims, or facilitating abuse. The 2015 civil suit was filed by Giuffre after Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend and consort who allegedly recruited underage girls for the financier, publicly denounced her as a liar for her allegations that she was forced into sexual servitude and pimped out to other powerful men including Prince Andrew. The Duke of York has denied those claims and Maxwell has also denied her involvement. Others have provided discovery fact-finding by lawyers while preparing a case 'based upon the representation or understanding that the discovery would be subject to the Protective Order previously issued in this action'. Non-parties also fall into the categories of those whose 'intimate, sexual or private conduct is described in the Sealed Materials' and finally, those 'who are alleged to have been victimized'. Each member of the list, which will be sealed, is to be assigned a unique pseudonym like 'Doe #1'. Giuffre and Maxwell have 'identified to the best of their ability' addresses or contact information for each one or his lawyers. It is unclear how many 'John Does' make up the list but Judge Preska has ordered that the individuals be notified in batches of five. Maxwell and Giuffre have agreed to exclude four categories of non-parties from the list reporters, authors and those involved in the literary world; police and investigators; attorneys and medical professionals. The court stepped in to approve the list of non-parties because Maxwell and Giuffre 'did not agree on one or more Non-Parties to be included in the list'. Attorney Sigrid McCawley, representing Giuffre, told the court that her client believes Epstein's house staff and employees should not be entitled to notice from the court 'because their names and associations with Epstein are public and well-known'. None of the employees 'were victims of Epstein's sexual abuse and have not been accused of participating in that abuse'. Giuffre also sees no need to exclude 'any non-parties discussed in materials that have already been unsealed..' Maxwell and Giuffre laid out a plan on how to notify the individuals named in sealed documents and give them a chance to object to their identities being made public, a federal court filing revealed In an email, Maxwell and Prince Andrew discussed Giuffre despite denials from Andrew that he had never met the then-teenager and that a photo of them together was a fake. Virginia Roberts says this photograph shows her with Prince Andrew at Ghislaine Maxwell's flat (she is pictured in the background) in west London in early 2001 McCawley states it would be a 'great burden' on the court to notify those 'whose names have already been widely publicized and reported on who are not victims of Epstein's sexual abuse and who have not been accused of participating in that abuse.' However Maxwell has argued that 'individuals falling into that category should be notified each time their name appears in a document that could potentially be unsealed and allowed to raise an objection'. The Duke of York has denied Giuffre's claims and Maxwell has also denied her involvement. Epstein and Prince Andrew are spotted in 2011 McCawley writes that Maxwell's goal is 'an attempt to delay and complicate the unsealing process to ensure that no further misconduct becomes available to the public'. The attorney tells the judge in a letter that although both sides had mostly agreed on the protocol for contacting non-parties, 'we have come to an impasse on a few key issues'. Maxwell has excluded two motions - that were previously decided upon by the last judge in the case - from the unsealing process, according to McCawley. In the first document, Giuffre had accused Ghislaine Maxwell of failing to disclose the existence of an email account. The second motion sought to prevent Maxwell from using parts of a deposition transcript that Giuffre had intended to use if the defamation case had gone to trial. Instead the case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum in 2017. It is not clear who gave the deposition and what it contained. McCawley writes that Maxwell refuses to include these documents because they contain 'an abundance of critical information relating to the issues in this case that Defendant does not want made public'. Ty Gee, an attorney for Maxwell's Colorado-based firm, provided the court with a proposed letter to send to the non-parties. The letter reads: 'This case involves allegations of sexual abuse and sexual trafficking of minors. Some documents submitted to the Court were filed under seal. You are receiving this Notice because your name appears in one or more sealed court documents in this case' The letter goes on to alert the individual that although currently their names are in documents under seal, 'that document may be unsealed in the future, which means it will be publicly available'. It goes on to provide two options for the non-parties on how to respond. They can 'do nothing', as the letter states, which means that their name would be at risk of being released into the public domain without their input if the court decides. Attorney Sigrid McCawley, representing Giuffre, told the court that her client believes Epstein's house staff and employees should not be entitled to notice from the court 'because their names and associations with Epstein are public and well-known' Alternatively, the individual can ask, within 14 days of getting the letter, to see excerpts of the documents including their name. They are forbidden to share with anyone other than their lawyer. Any individuals who filed objections will not be identified in the court filing. Within 14 days of getting the excerpts, they have an opportunity to object to unsealing the documents, in a 'succinct' manner and 'shall state the reasons for the objection'. Following any individuals' objections, Maxwell and Giuffre then have an opportunity to respond. Maxwell, Giuffre and any objecting individual can then request a court hearing after receiving a response to their objection. Only once this process is complete, the Court will set 'the time and date it will decide in open court the objections lodged as to each set of motions'. It is then up to the court to decide whether the sealed items will remain under seal, be unsealed in a redacted form, or be released in its entirety. Then the process will begin again with the next set of motions. Judge Loretta Preska, presiding over the case, has previously stated that 'there is a great deal of public intrigue surrounding the unsealing of the documents at issue here'. Epstein, 66, killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in August while facing federal sex trafficking charges. Epstein had previously been convicted by a Florida state court in 2008 for soliciting sex from a minor in a sweetheart deal given by federal prosecutors, despite dozens of underage girls accusing him of molestation. Last month, lawyers for Maxwell filed a letter to the court highlighting the risks that hasty unsealing of the documents may cause. They claimed that the British socialite's personal emails had been hacked and damaging information, including the names of individuals linked to Epstein's sex trafficking case, were at risk of being publicly released. Judge Loretta Preska, presiding over the case, has previously stated that 'there is a great deal of public intrigue surrounding the unsealing of the documents at issue here' Attorney Ty Gee referred to details that were released in error in the 2,000 pages that were made public in August by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. 'Despite the Second Circuit's best efforts, it made serious mistakes. For example, it redacted a non-party's name in one location but not another; so the media immediately gained access to that name,' Gee wrote. 'As another example, it redacted Ms. Maxwell's email address (which linked to her own domain name) in one location but not another; shortly afterward hackers breached the host computer.' The email security breach means that 58-year-old Maxwell's emails could be sold or leaked to the public and potentially reveal more details about individuals connected to Epstein. The Daily Telegraph reported that Maxwell used a secret mail server, and not a major service like Google, which can keep emails out of the hands of authorities, but which increased the risk of them being hacked. Maxwell retreated from public life several years ago and had been living quietly in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts at the home of tech CEO, Scott Borgerson, DailyMail.com revealed in August. Her current whereabouts are unknown with Giuffre's attorneys admitting at court last week that they have no idea where she is. Maxwell and others are being investigated by the FBI as part of the Epstein case, Reuters reported in December, citing law enforcement sources. A southeast Alabama teen is charged with rape in the sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl. The Lee County Sheriffs Office on July 30, 2019 launched an investigation into the sexual assault of the girl, which happened in the Beauregard community. Jeremiah Terrell Wagner, 18, was developed as a suspect, authorities said Monday. A search warrant was obtained for Wagners DNA and submitted to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for analysis and comparison with evidence obtained from the victim. Investigators received that analysis report and it confirmed Wagners DNA was a match. Authorities have charged Wagner with first-degree rape, second-degree marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. Authorities have not said whether Wagner knew the victim. He was booked into the Lee County Jail on bonds totaling $102,000. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Lee County Sheriffs office at 334-749-5651 or Lee County Crime Stoppers at 888-522-7847. Syracuse, NY -- Eldest sibling Jazzmin Elmore, 28, is accused of being the ringleader in an Eastwood double murder. Her brother, Treamon, 26, is accused of being the shooter. And the siblings teen brother, Brendell, who was 13 at the time, also originally faced a murder charge. Prosecutors say he was with Treamon when they broke into a Lynwood Avenue residence in June 2018 and killed Luis Sepulveda, 21, and Christopher McLaurin, 28, during a robbery. The victims were shot execution-style in the head, prosecutors have said. But Brendell is now believed to be a key witness to the prosecutions case against the elder Elmores, a defense lawyer revealed Monday. The youngest sibling faces up to life in prison, if convicted of murder, just like his older brother and sister. But Brendell Elmore cooperated with authorities in building their grand jury case against Jazzmin and Treamon, defense lawyer Ben Coffin said in court Monday. And Brendell will likely have to take the witness stand during trial to say what he did before the grand jury. Jazzmin Elmore was implicated as the ringleader in a detailed indictment that accused her of providing the murder weapons, organizing the robbery, then disposing of the guns afterward. Treamon is facing life in prison without parole if convicted of being the gunman. Brendell Elmores case has remained up in the air as prosecutors focused on his older siblings. If his murder charge his lowered in exchange for cooperation, hed likely be sent to Family Court instead of facing adult prison. Jazzmin and Treamon Elmore are scheduled for trial next month. Its never been made public why the two victims were targeted. Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what's on the radar of our editors for the morning of Feb. 3. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/2/2020 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. David Suzuki and his wife Tara Cullis go through a rehearsal for their play What You Wouldn't Do For Love with Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes in Vancouver B.C, Thursday, January, 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what's on the radar of our editors for the morning of Feb. 3. What we are watching in Canada ... OTTAWA The federal government says Canadian evacuees from the Chinese province at the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak will be quarantined for two weeks upon their arrival at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario. It made the announcement Sunday night but it didn't provide a timeline for when they'll arrive from the locked-down city of Wuhan, saying it's still awaiting final approval from Chinese authorities. Global Affairs says the returning individuals both passengers and flight crew will undergo a thorough health screening before boarding, during the flight and upon arrival at the military base. Until now, the federal government hadn't said whether Canadians who eventually arrive from China would be quarantined. The number of Canadians who want to flee the Chinese province afflicted by the virus climbed to 325 on Sunday. Global Affairs says government officials and military personnel are currently en route to Hanoi, Vietnam, and in the process of obtaining visas from the Chinese government to enter Wuhan. It says the government has chartered a plane to land in Hanoi and then head to Wuhan, where airspace is currently closed, once it gets approval from the Chinese government. But there's no word yet on when that will happen. --- Also this ... GUYSBOROUGH, N.S An inquiry investigating why a mentally ill Afghanistan war veteran fatally shot three members of this family before killing himself enters its second week of hearings today. Lionel Desmond, a 33-year-old former infantryman from rural Nova Scotia, killed his mother, wife and 10-year-old daughter before turning a military-style rifle on himself in January 2017. The retired corporal, had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after two particularly violent tours in Afghanistan in 2007. The inquiry in Guysborough, N.S., is expected to hear today from two doctors who spoke with Desmond only days before the killings in nearby Upper Big Tracadie. Last week, lawyer Stewart Hayne said Desmond first met with Dr. Justin Clark, who noted Desmond was not in distress and did not have any suicidal or homicidal thoughts when he showed up at St. Martha's Regional Hospital in Antigonish, N.S. --- ICYMI (in case you missed it) ... VANCOUVER One of Canada's best-known broadcasters and environmentalists is making his theatrical debut this week during the Push International Performing Arts Festival in B.C.'s Lower Mainland. David Suzuki will take to the stage alongside his wife and fellow activist Tara Cullis in "What You Won't Do For Love," created in collaboration with the Toronto-based Why Not Theatre. The show explores the question of whether people can love the planet the way they love each other. The 83-year-old Suzuki says decisions about how to mitigate climate change often hinge on economic fears, rather than humans' interconnectedness with nature. But in order to deal with the environmental crisis seriously, he says people must learn to love the world that keeps us alive and healthy. --- What we are watching in the U.S. ... DES MOINES, Iowa On the eve of the Iowa caucuses, Democratic presidential candidates hustled across the state trying to fire up voters and make a last appeal to those struggling to make a final decision about their choice in the crowded field. Speaking to supporters in Cedar Rapids Sunday, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders declared "we are the campaign of energy and excitement" and said "we are in a position to win tomorrow night." Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, talked up his newcomer status, telling a rally that when Democrats have won the White House in the past, "we have done it with someone who is new in national politics." But former Vice-President Joe Biden, emphasizing his decades of Washington experience, told voters there's no time for "on-the-job training." And Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren pressed her supporters to "fight back" if they ever lose hope. Underlying the bold pronouncements, campaigns and voters acknowledged a palpable sense of unpredictability and anxiety as Democrats begin selecting which candidate to send on to a November face-off with President Donald Trump. --- What we are watching in the rest of the world ... BEIJING The Shanghai Composite index has lost nearly eight per cent as Chinese regulators moved to stabilize markets jolted by a virus that has spread to more than 20 countries, slamming regional tourism and threatening global growth. The outbreak of the virus in China has prompted governments around the world to step up surveillance and quarantine requirements as airlines cancel hundreds of flights. Millions of Chinese remained in lock-down as the number of people infected by the virus topped 17,000 as of Sunday night. It has killed more than 360 people, all but one in China. The Shanghai benchmark dropped almost nine per cent after markets opened on Monday after a week-long Lunar New Year holiday that was extended by three days. It was its worst day since August 2015, despite the central bank's effort to put billions of dollars of extra cash into the markets through short-term securities purchases. Many analysts have dropped their forecasts for China, the world's second-largest economy, to near five per cent from earlier forecasts of six per cent economic growth for the year. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Feb. 3, 2020. At the heart of coalition missions in the theatre of operations, it is essential for the forces to distinguish between friendly and enemy targets in order to avoid friendly fire incidents. South Korea's Defense Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA) has awarded a contract to LIG Nex1 who is Thales local partner for the supply of IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) systems to replace Mode 4 with Mode 5 for enhancement capability. Short range TSA 1412 interrogators will be produced by local partners based on license production supported by Thales and will be Mode 5 compliant and certified to the latest NATO standard, which will soon be mandatory on coalition operations. The mid-range TSA 2522 interrogators will be upgraded. Thales IFF systems will be integrated by LIG Nex1 who has been selected by DAPA, South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration, to supply TSA 1412 IFF (identification Friend or Foe) interrogators for integration with man-portable missile systems and TSA 2522 for air defence vehicles. For this contract, Thales has teamed with a South Korean partner, LIG Nex1 and will transfer production to local SMEs. This is the third major order for the TSA 1412, which is the most compact Mode 5 IFF interrogator on the market and has also been sold to the United States and Japan as well as several European countries including the United Kingdom and Sweden. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005030/en/ Thales - IFF in action Thales Thales and South Korean partner LIG Nex1 were selected after a request for proposals to support the country's air defence capabilities. The key success factor was Thales's capacity to work with South Korean industry, and in particular with smaller partner companies that will produce the equipment locally. IFF systems identify friendly platforms in the theatre of operations to prevent incidents of friendly fire and contribute to air traffic surveillance. The TSA 1412 is part of Thales's BlueGate family of IFF systems. This short-range/very short-range interrogator is the most lightweight on the market (less than 2 kg) and is ideally suited to man-portable weapon systems and short range air defence systems (SHORADS). It will be integrated with South Korea's K-SAM, Biho-hybrid, TPS-830K and KP-SAM defence systems. The TSA 1412 implements Mode 5 certification, which is mandatory for NATO-led coalition forces from 2020. Certification was awarded by AIMS1, the United States body that guarantees interoperability of US and NATO systems. Thales is a world leader in the IFF market and offers a complete range of systems designed to meet the full spectrum of current and future IFF requirements for the armed forces. More than 20,000 Thales IFF systems are in service on more than 100 types of air, land and naval platforms in 70 countries. Thales's IFF solutions have also been selected by South Korea for Land, Air and Naval forces. "This latest contract award is a strong endorsement of our partnership with LIG Nex1 and the benefits of technical and commercial cooperation with local industry, and in particular with the South Korean SMEs that will produce our systems, which will support the South Korean defence industry's moves to scale up production of high-end products.Sandy Gillio, Thales Country Director in South Korea. 1 AIMS: Air Traffic Radar Control Beacon System Identification Friend or Foe MKXIIA System. AIMS is directed by the US Department of Defense and provides an independent office for the certification of IFF systems that is recognised around the world. About Thales Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global technology leader shaping the world of tomorrow today. The Group provides solutions, services and products to customers in the aeronautics, space, transport, digital identity and security, and defence markets. With 80,000 employees in 68 countries, Thales generated sales of 19 billion in 2018 (on a pro forma basis including Gemalto). Thales is investing in particular in digital innovations connectivity, Big Data, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity technologies that support businesses, organisations and governments in their decisive moments. PLEASE VISIT Thales Group Market page Download HD photos @Thalesgroup View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005030/en/ Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said on the Senate floor Wednesday that Congress should censure President Trump over his actions in Ukraine. What he's saying: "I see no path to the 67 votes required to impeach. ... However, I do believe a bipartisan majority of this body would vote to censure President Trump for his actions in this manner. Censure would allow this body to unite across party lines and as an equal branch of government to formally denounce the president's actions and hold him accountable." Why it matters: Manchin, a moderate Democrat from a red state, says he's undecided on whether to acquit Trump. While censure holds no tangible punishment, it's a symbolic measure that formally condemns an official's behavior. Andrew Jackson is the only president to be censured by the Senate. A number of Republican senators have said that while they do not believe Trump should be removed from office, they believe his actions toward Ukraine were inappropriate. Between the lines, via Axios' Alayna Treene: The issue with a censure vote is that most Senate Republicans don't think it's viable and argue that the impeachment process is too far along. A censure resolution was originally seen as a way to give more moderate senators an out allowing them to formally disapprove of Trumps behavior without voting to convict him. But as moderate senators from both parties were forced to make a tough call on the witness vote last Friday, the benefits of a censure vote for these senators declined immensely. Worth noting: For Manchin, who may be one of the few Democrats to vote to acquit Trump, proposing a censure as an alternative could give him the latitude to say he still disapproved of the president's behavior and sought another remedy. Read Manchin's resolution. Go deeper: Trump impeachment trial recap, day 11: Closing arguments conclude A BuzzFeed senior reporter who accused Zero Hedge of 'doxing' a Chinese scientist has reportedly left a disturbing internet footprint rife with pedophilia and rape jokes... oh, and doxing the owners of a restaurant. Ryan Broderick, a boy-band aficionado who runs a personal tumblr blog, wrote in a Friday BuzzFeed article that Zero Hedge "has released the personal information of a scientist from Wuhan, China, falsely accusing them of creating the coronavirus as a bioweapon, in a plot it said is the real-life version of the video game Resident Evil." (for what really happened read our response here). After his 'hit piece' was published - which included factual mistakes, no outreach to Zero Hedge, and an intentional 'doxing' of Zero Hedge (by their standards), the @zerohedge Twitter account was permanently suspended for violating their 'abuse and harassment' policy. Shortly thereafter, Broderick updated his article, writing "Zero Hedge's Twitter account was suspended Friday, following the publication of the scientist's name." Yet, while Zero Hedge republished publicly available, professional contact information for the Wuhan scientist - Broderick openly 'doxed' the owners of Amy's Baking Company in 2013, tweeting a link to the private contact information of the husband and wife owners who made headlines for a controversial episode of Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares." The information included their home address, phone numbers, email addresses, and a 'dossier' covering the couple's marriage and financial history. Do the right thing, @vijaya. This is nonsensical. Indefensible. Ali (@ali) February 2, 2020 Somehow Broderick avoided a permanent Twitter suspension for 'targeted harassment.' Perhaps even more disturbing, however, are several posts uncovered on "Ryan Broderick's Cool Time Fun Blog," along with questionable tweets and other writings as documented by internet sleuths in the wake of our Twitter suspension. They include pedophilia, rape jokes, and more. Maybe the first tweet isnt a joke. Hes hashtagging sexy boys on Tumblrhttps://t.co/17pgwLRTIl https://t.co/JJ6iISekOi The Malchemist (@realDougStew) February 2, 2020 Ah here we go. A lot of rape humor on this one. Buzzfeed doesnt vet anyone. You just email them and you get a byline. https://t.co/me7bi6pxhj pic.twitter.com/T837wgT6DI The Malchemist (@realDougStew) February 2, 2020 From his now defunct website, student loans for beer money. Any wonder why he was targeting Zero Hedge? pic.twitter.com/xVC8VKljRi The Malchemist (@realDougStew) February 2, 2020 Hey @BuzzFeed, whats up with your pro-doxing Hitler fan Ryan? pic.twitter.com/lNAf8eNmMu The Malchemist (@realDougStew) February 2, 2020 One post reads "I want to be an erotic children's photographer. I want to be the Andy Warhol of erotic children's photography," followed by the hashtag #It's not porn though A hebephile is, according to Google, an adult who has a strong and persistent sexual interest in pubescent-aged individuals, generally aged 1114. This is a @BuzzFeed reporter. https://t.co/lcbd9o0Jw8 CJ Pearson (@thecjpearson) February 2, 2020 More insight into Broderick's predilections can be found here, here, here, here and here. The man who got zerohedge banned. 8/29/2012 pic.twitter.com/vPaW8vCxa1 Ed #FreeZeroHedge (@DowdEdward) February 2, 2020 Does any of this matter? Of course not, and we are confident that Twitter will find all these outlandish public statements, doxes and tweets to be in perfectly good humor, confirming once again that when it comes to enforcing its Terms of Service, some have always been more equal than others. I do believe a bipartisan majority of this body would vote to censure President Trump for his action in this matter. Censure would allow this body to unite across party lines, Manchin said in a speech on the Senate floor. His behavior cannot go unchecked by the Senate and censure would allow a bipartisan statement condemning his unacceptable behavior in the strongest terms. Indian nationals were among the over 1,400 fighters of a blacklisted faction of the Islamic State terror group who surrendered to Afghan authorities last year, according to a UN report. The UN Security Council's 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee in May last year blacklisted Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan (ISIL-K), which is also known as ISIL's South Asia Branch, ISIL Khorasan, Islamic State's Khorasan Province and South Asian Chapter of ISIL. The 25th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIL (Da'esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities said Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters were able to inflict "severe damage" on the ISIL-K, displacing it from large areas of the Nangarhar province. "More than 1,400 people surrendered to the Afghan authorities, including dependants of ISIL-K fighters. Most males were Afghan nationals, but there were also foreign nationals from Azerbaijan, Canada, France, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan," the January 2020 report said, without giving a breakup of their numbers. The impact on ISIL-K numbers may be significant. The group is "now assessed to have approximately 2,500 fighters in Afghanistan, with about 2,100 of them concentrated in the Kunar province", it said. "There is a covert ISIL-K presence of up to 25 persons in Faryab province, led by former Taliban member Qari Salahuddin," the report said. The ISIL-K is a branch of the militant Islamist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), active in Afghanistan and Pakistan. According to the UN report, ISIL-K continues recruitment via the Internet. It also conducts propaganda activities in madrasas and universities in Afghanistan, including in Kabul. "Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan suffered severe losses and was largely expelled from its Afghan heartland of Nangarhar Province in November 2019, but it has proved resilient in the past and is still assessed to pose a serious threat," it said. The report said ISIL-K has established informal contact with other terrorist groups, including Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and Lashkar-eIslam. Beyond the ISIL core conflict zone, threats from Al-Qaida and ISIL affiliates persist globally, especially in Afghanistan and its "immediate neighbourhood" as well as in parts of Africa and South-East Asia, it said. Afghanistan continues to be the conflict zone of greatest concern to the UN member states outside the ISIL core area and suffers by some measures the heaviest toll from terrorism of any country in the world. "Al-Qaida and foreign terrorist fighters aligned with it, under the protection and influence of the Taliban, pose a long-term global threat," the report said. Al-Qaida remains resilient and increasingly threatening despite the confirmation last September of the death at an unspecified earlier date of its leadership figure Hamza Usama Muhammad Bin Laden, the report said. It said Al-Qaida is "concerned" about the current focus of the Taliban leadership on peace talks. "Al-Qaida representatives undertook shuttle diplomacy, persuading various factions of the Taliban and field commanders not to support negotiations with the Government of Afghanistan and promising to increase financial support," the report said. "If a peace agreement is reached, Al-Qaida intends to develop a new narrative to justify continuing the armed conflict in Afghanistan. "Relations with the Taliban continue to be close and mutually beneficial, with Al-Qaida supplying resources and training in exchange for protection," it said, adding that this is evidenced by the operation in the Musa Qal'ah district of Helmand province in September in which some members of Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent were killed. The report said there are an estimated 400 to 600 Al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan, mainly in the provinces of Khost, Kunar, Nuristan, Paktiya and Zabul. The Monitoring Team noted that not all foreign terrorist fighters have been included in the available databases and watch lists. Some Al-Qaida and ISIL fighters, facilitators and new recruits may not have any adverse record or be listed and they, therefore, will not be detected or deterred from travelling during the screening process. Separately, some Member States assert that in many instances they learned that their nationals had travelled to join the ISIL or Al-Qaida affiliates long after these citizens had left their territory, been arrested or died in combat. In such instances, it is challenging to implement the travel restrictions. The Monitoring Team recommended that the UN member states intensify and accelerate the timely exchange of relevant operational information regarding actions, movements and patterns of movements of terrorists to include foreign militants who are not listed on the ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Deputy Minister for Information, Pious Enam Hadzide, has explained that the government will investigate thoroughly the issue of corruption that involved some former government officials between the year 2009 and 2015 According to him, the government has taken notice of the ruling that went on in the U.K and that though they have referred the matter to the Special Prosecutor, they will see to it that the matter is thoroughly investigated and perpetrators brought before the law. "This is a matter that has brought the name of Ghana into disrepute," he said. "Akufo-Addo remains committed to fighting corruption at all levels and this is no exception," he added. A London High Court found Airbus guilty and imposed a fine of more than three billion pounds (3bn) as penalties. Airbus was charged with five counts of failing to prevent bribery, having used a network of secret agents to pay large-scale backhanders to officials in foreign countries to land high-value contracts. Prez Charges Martin Amidu Following news of the Crown Court at Southwark in the United Kingdom's judgment on 31st January, 2020, between the Director of the Serious Fraud Office and Airbus SE, in which the European multinational aerospace corporation was fined $3.9 billion for the payment of bribes to secure deals in five countries, including Ghana, the Office of the President charged the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, to with immediate effect delve into the bottom of the Airbus bribery scandal and investigate the complicity of any public official, "past or present" who may have been involved in the saga. " . . President Akufo-Addo has taken notice of the judgment and its implications, and has referred it to the Office of Special Prosecutor to collaborate with its UK counterparts to conduct a prompt inquiry to determine the complicity or otherwise of any Ghanaian government official, past or present, involved in the said scandal, and to take the necessary legal action against any such official, as required by Ghanaian law," a statement signed by Communications Director at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin read. Watch Video Below Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Akihiko Iwatani, chief representative of Haseko Corporation in Hanoi, believes that Vietnam is the most attractive market in ASEAN for Japanese investors in particular and foreign investors in general. Iwatani noted that apartments in the large cities of Hanoi and HCM are the choice of many investors. The investors who follow a long-term development strategy and prefer safe investments focus on office and hotel projects. According to Iwatani, foreign investors are having difficulties in Indonesia, while the Singaporean market is too small and Malaysian market is stable. Meanwhile, Vietnam, with nearly 100 million population, stable economic development and rapid urbanization, has high demand for accommodations. Phan Huu Thang, former director of the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA), noted that all five real estate segments, including housing, office, industrial zone, shopping center and hotel and resorts, in Vietnam are very attractive to foreign investors. Thang added that current conditions are favorable for investors to pour money into Vietnam, citing high and stable economic growth, strong FDI, rapid development of enterprises and the increase in number of tourists. Thang added that current conditions are favorable for investors to pour money into Vietnam, citing high and stable economic growth, strong FDI, rapid development of enterprises and the increase in number of tourists. Asked about the nationalities of foreign investors, Thang said South Korea and Japan have the highest numbers of investors in Vietnam. There are also investors from Singapore and Hong Kong. He also noted that many foreign investment funds have shown interest in Vietnam, pouring large amounts of money into real estate projects in recent years. Than Thanh Vu, head of the organizing board of VINA-M&A 2020, an international forum on real estate investments, to be organized in late March, noted that there are more concerned investors this year. We have invited large private corporations which have investment activities in Vietnam and investors from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, UAE, Australia, the US and EU, he said. The capitalization value of the enterprises exceeds $500 billion." Luu Thi Thanh Mau, CEO of Phuc Khang Group, a large real estate firm of Vietnam, said M&A deals are necessary to create a market with high transparency and plentiful capital. Mau believes that the opportunities for Vietnamese realtors to call for foreign investment are great, especially realtors with large clean land banks and transparent legal status. It is easier to raise funds for projects which have approval from appropriate agencies. Saigon Securities Incorporated (SSI) reported that VND178.732 trillion worth of bonds were issued in the first 10 months of 2019, and real estate firms were the biggest issuers. Thanh Mai Resort real estate market to prosper as tourism develops Vietnam received 13 million foreign travelers in 2018 and the figure increased by 10.8 percent in the first 9 months of 2019. Despite offering up to $24 an hour, the U.S. Census Bureau is struggling to hire enough temporary workers to complete this years once-a-decade count. The bureau says it is halfway to its recruiting goal in Wisconsin but still needs nearly 25,000 more people to apply. In Dane County, which has the lowest jobless rate in the state, the problem is far worse, with only 29% of the needed applications in hand as of Friday. Midwest regional director Marilyn Sanders said she had expected to have at least 70% of the needed applications by now, but the bureau is advertising job opportunities and working with local government and community leaders to get the word out. Im very optimistic that as we get the word out we will get more applicants in the pool, Sanders said. The bureau has not said how many people it ultimately hopes to hire. The number depends on the response rate the number of households that go online or mail back a paper form answering basic questions about the people living there. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Bodo-dominated Kokrajhar town of Assam on February 7, a government official said. It will be considered as the first visit of Prime Minister Modi since the state has been witnessing anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests. The visit comes days after the government signed a tripartite agreement with representatives of all factions of the banned Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi. The signing of the Bodo agreement led to the surrender of over 1,500 militants of the major insurgent group NDFB. The Bodo groups have been demanding a separate state of Bodoland for the last 50 years. The movement has resulted in extensive violence and loss of hundreds of lives over the years. A summit meeting, which was scheduled to take place from December 15 to 17, 2019, between Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, was cancelled due to the anti-CAA protests. Protests broke out in different parts of the country, including Assam against CAA which grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists, and Christians facing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.People of Assam have been demanding the central government to take back the CAA. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Newser) After Mike Pompeo berated NPR journalist Mary Louise Kelly last month in an expletive-filled rant for turning a discussion about Iran to Ukraine and ex-US Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, the State Department took an apparent retaliatory step against one of Kelly's colleagues: Michele Kelemen was barred from the press pool accompanying Pompeo on a trip to the UK, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. Now, the secretary of state is defending that move, his thoughts revealed in what Kelemen calls an "interesting exchange" between himself and Kazakhstan's Radio Azattyq. "I always bring a big press contingent, but we ask for certain sets of behaviors, and that's simply telling the truth and being honest," Pompeo said, per Axios. "And when they'll do that, they get to participate, and if they don't, it's just not appropriatefrankly, it's not fair to the rest of the journalists ... participating alongside them." story continues below When the interviewer followed up with "But what kind of message will it send?," Pompeo threw out a descriptor that's been used by his boss in the past. "It's a perfect message," he replied. "It's a perfect message about press freedoms. They're free to ask questions. ... It's wide open in America. I love it. I hope the rest of the world will follow our press freedoms and the great things we do in the United States." Pompeo also denied his dealings with Kelly were a big deal: "I didn't have a confrontational interview with an NPR reporter any more than I have confrontational interviews all the time." (More on the Kelly-Pompeo dust-up, as well as Kelly's take on journalism's role in dealing with political figures.) Singapore, Feb 3 (ANI): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is one of the more colour political personalities in Southeast Asia. Mahathir, a medical doctor, was active in since his university days but first entered parliament at the age of 39 in 1964 with the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). He lost his seat in the next elections but regained his place in parliament in 1974. He rose quickly through the ranks becoming deputy Prime Minister in 1976 and then Prime Minister in 1981. In the early days, he was a fierce critic of Singapore's leader Lee Kuan Yew calling him "arrogant" and Lee's party "anti-Malay". Lee was far from the only foreign leader he annoyed. He also gained a reputation for being an outspoken critic of the West and had his run-ins with various countries including Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. He led a boycott of British goods which became known as the known as the "Buy British Last" campaign and was critical of the foreign policy of the United States particularly during the presidency of George W. Bush. Despite this, the US continued to be Malaysia's largest foreign investor at that time. In the Middle East, he was supportive of the Palestinians and critical of Israel. Some people even accused him of being antisemitic However, Malaysians love his directness and willingness to take on the "big boys". He retired from after 22 years as Prime Minister in 2003 at the age of 78. He was however not one to ride quietly into the sunset. He was constantly courting controversy by commenting about government policies and decisions. Most just dismissed them as mutterings of an old man who had nothing better to do, assuming that his political days were over. However, as the public uproar over perceived mismanagement by the government of Prime Minister Razak Najib came to a head, Malaysians sought a leader and saviour who could unite the divided opposition. If the opposition remained split, they would not stand a chance against the well-oiled machinery of the ruling coalition, the Barisan Nasional (BN) who had at that point been in power for 61 years. The rest, they say is history. When he won the 2018 general elections as head of Pakatan Harapan, the opposition alliance, he became the oldest Prime Minister and head of government in the He turns 95 in July this year. Although, a little more mellow than the fiery politician of the 70s and 80s, he certainly has not shied away speaking his mind and stroking controversy. Knowing Mahathir, no one in Southeast Asia was surprised that he came out strongly against Prime Minister Modi's decision to scrap the special status for Indian-controlled Kashmir and Jammu, and also against New Delhi's new citizenship law which he perceived as anti-Muslim. Naturally, the Indian government didn't take kindly to such statements. Not long after, just about two weeks ago, Reuters reported that India, the largest purchaser of edible oils in the world, has restricted the imports of refined palm oil. Reuters sources added that traders were asked informally to stop importing all kinds of palm oil from Malaysia, saying that this was in retaliation of Mahathir's criticisms of India. Some call it a "trade war". New Delhi, however, denies targeting Malaysia with any palm oil restrictions. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal was quoted as saying that if any curbs were to be imposed, it would apply to all countries uniformly. India has been Malaysia's largest buyer of its palm oil for the past five years and bought 4.4 million tonnes in 2019. Malaysia is the world's second-largest producer and exporter of palm oil after Indonesia. Any curbs by India will impact Malaysia severely. Palm oil which contributed USD11 billion or 3.8 per cent to Malaysia's GDP, is its most important agricultural product. Bilateral trade between the countries was worth USD17.2 billion in the last fiscal year with India exporting USD6.4 billion and importing USD10.8 billion. India is the seventh biggest market for all Malaysian exports, and Malaysia's tenth largest trading partner. The main imports from Malaysia are petroleum and petroleum products, palm oil, wood and wood products, and television and computer monitors. The main Indian exports to Malaysia are light and medium oils and preparations, frozen, boneless bovine meat, aluminium products and copper cathodes. Malaysian Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok, in charge of palm oil, has indicated that the Malaysian government is looking for dialogue and "engagement" to resolve their differences with India. She also inferred that Malaysia sees this as a trade issue and not a political one. With New Delhi keen to reduce the trade deficit with Malaysia, Reuters reported that the negotiated solution appears to involve MSM Malaysia, a subsidiary of government-linked palm oil plantation firm FGV Holdings Berhardbuying 130,000 tonnes of raw sugar from India worth almost USD50 million in the current quarter. It had bought 88,000 tonnes for the whole of 2019. Malaysia with an economy of USD 358.6 billion, is 13 per cent the size of India's. They are still struggling from the financial troubles caused by the previous administration. The budget deficit was raised to 3.8 per cent in 2018 and set to remain relatively high at 3.4 per cent in 2019 in order to service various commitments. Government debt is over USD 1 trillion. Public sector projects have been scaled back or delayed. Relations between Malaysia and India have been friendly in the past. PM Modi was one of the first foreign leaders to congratulate PM Mahathir when he ascended to power for the second time. Malaysia is seen as an important country in India's "Look East" policy and seven per cent of the Malaysian population or 2.2 million people are indigenous Indians. It is unlikely Malaysia was seeking to upset the Indian intentionally. It has more to lose than gain. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MILAN - Scores of Italians and Poles were under quarantine Monday after being repatriated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where a fast-spreading virus has emerged. Meanwhile in Croatia, tourists from Taiwan were reportedly wearing not from China signs due to discrimination against Asian tourists. European nations have been running flights to bring back citizens living and working in the central Chinese city, while working to contain the virus at home. An Italian military aircraft carrying the Italians landed Monday morning at a military airport near Rome, and from there all 56 people, including six children, were being transferred to a military base. They will remain in quarantine there for 14 days. Italian media reported they were all in good health. If any show symptoms, they will be transferred to the Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases in Rome, where two Chinese tourists with confirmed cases of the virus are being treated. Another Italian citizen, a 17-year-old student who had a fever, was not permitted on board the evacuation flight. Test results were expected Tuesday, but at the moment the patients condition was not worrying, Stefano Verrecchia, head of Italys crisis unit, told SkyTG 24. Over 17,000 people have been infected with the virus in China and 361 have died. Another person died in the Philippines and 20 other nations have reported cases. Europe has 25 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus so far: Germany has 10; France six; Russia, Italy and the U.K have two each and Finland, Sweden and Spain have one each. A French-chartered airliner carried 300 evacuees back from China, including citizens of France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Czech Republic and some African nations. French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said 36 people exhibited potential symptoms of the virus. Sixteen of them were sent home to other European countries, while the other 20 stayed in France and are being tested. In Poland, a hospital official said all 30 Poles under quarantine show no signs of infection. The group, also including children, was evacuated from Wuhan and, via France, arriving Sunday night at a military hospital in Wroclaw. The head of the Polish military hospital, Wojciech Tanski, said Monday that following examination they were all admitted for quarantine two weeks. In Croatia, tourists from Taiwan were seen with signs reading not from China because they said that people fearful of the virus are shunning Asian tourists. They told local media they began wearing the signs after people in Croatia had run away from them. The photos were taken in the streets of Sibenik, a popular tourist destination on Croatias Adriatic coast. In neighbouring Montenegro, some 800 workers from China who have been constructing a main highway to link the south and east of the tiny Balkan state have been told not to return to Montenegro after celebrating the Chinese New Year because of the virus. Also, all Montenegrin operators have indefinitely cancelled tourist tours from China. The Czech Republic, meanwhile, banned all flights to and from China in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading. About 620,000 Chinese tourists visited the Czech Republic last year, with the capital of Prague a popular destination. Turkey also decided to suspend all flights from China beginning Wednesday until end of month, according to its health minister. Minister Fahrettin Koca also said that travellers arriving from Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and Malaysia will be screened with thermal cameras upon arrival in Turkey. None of the 61 people who were evacuated from Hubei province over the weekend has tested positive, Koca said. The Vatican, meanwhile, has sent some hundreds of thousands of masks aimed to help limit the spread of virus to the Chinese provinces of Hubei, Zhejiang and Fujian, the Vatican press office said Monday. ___ Monika Scislowska in Warsaw and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey contributed to this report. Follow APs full coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak A married paedophile who sexually abused a family friend's eight-year-old daughter in Queensland is set to walk free despite community backlash. Rogelio Acosta Ruiz, who is originally from the Philippines, walked into the girl's house in Mackay in 2017 while she was home alone. The 35-year-old predator father then performed a sex act on the girl and told her to 'think of it like a lollipop'. It wasn't until the girl's father overheard her talking about the attack to friends that the incident was reported and Ruiz was brought before the courts in 2019. Ruiz pleaded guilty to charges including rape, indecent treatment of a child under 12 and procuring a child under 12 to commit an indecent act. He was jailed for three years last November to be suspended after 12 months, but is due for release back into the community after spending nine months in custody. Rogelio Acosta Ruiz (pictured) is due for release from jail after orally raping an eight-year-old girl in Mackay in 2017 The lawyer for the victim's family Katherine Cora said the community wanted to keep Ruiz behind bars as the girl - who is now aged 12 - struggles with trauma following Ruiz's assault. 'It's definitely a life sentence for her and her family, and we're doing the best we can to support her,' Ms Cora told The Daily Mercury. Ruiz's 12-month suspended sentence sparked community outrage, with many citizens believing the convicted rapist's charge was too lenient. A petition to the Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath to appeal Ruiz's sentence was written in November, and will be considered in the Queensland Court of Appeal this week. Ms Cora said the family and the Mackay community are concerned with Ruiz's impending release. 'Him going back to the community as a reportable offender comes with obligations, but the community has a right to know,' she said. Ruiz was born in the Philippines but holds Australian citizenship. Ms Cora is campaigning to have his Australian citizenship removed and have the case become a benchmark for convicted immigrants in Australia. 'We are reaching out to Peter Dutton and the immigration minister to consider revoking citizenship of convicted offenders,' Ms Cora said. U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One with First Lady Melania Trump at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland en route to West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., January 31, 2020. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas Reuters The Senate heard closing arguments in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial on Monday. The proceedings came after the upper chamber voted to block new firsthand witnesses from coming to testify against the president. House impeachment managers, who act as prosecutors in Trump's trial, argued the Senate has a constitutional obligation to hear any relevant information pertaining to Trump's alleged misconduct. The president's defense team said the Senate didn't need to hear from any more witnesses while simultaneously claiming House prosecutors hadn't allowed for enough witnesses. Scroll down to watch the trial and follow Insider's live coverage. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. President Donald Trump's impeachment trial is expected to come to an end this week as prosecutors and defense lawyers begin closing arguments. The arguments started at 11 a.m. ET on Monday and lasted for roughly four hours. Senators now have until Wednesday to make their final statements on the trial. At 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the Republican-led Senate will vote on the two articles of impeachment against Trump. The chamber is widely expected to acquit the president, and last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called Trump to get his permission to push the final vote to this week. Monday's proceedings came after the Senate blocked a motion to call new witnesses to testify in Trump's trial. Democrats had zeroed in on four witnesses they wanted to hear testimony from: John Bolton, the former national security adviser; Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff; Robert Blair, an aide to Mulvaney; and Michael Duffey, an official in the Office of Management and Budget. Bolton, in particular, claims of have firsthand knowledge of Trump's efforts to strongarm Ukraine into delivering politically motivated investigations targeting the president's rivals while withholding a $391 million military aid package and a White House meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky desperately sought and still has not gotten. Story continues Mulvaney is the head of the Office of Management and Budget, which took on a lead role in carrying out Trump's order to freeze Ukraine's aid. Emails and other documents also indicate that Mulvaney was in the loop on Trump's decision to withhold Ukraine's military aid from the start. Blair has direct knowledge of Mulvaney's involvement in the Ukraine pressure campaign. And Duffey officially ordered the freeze in Ukraine's aid 91 minutes after Trump's phone call with Zelensky on July 25. House impeachment managers, who act as prosecutors in Trump's trial, argued the Senate has a constitutional obligation to hear any relevant information pertaining to Trump's alleged misconduct. The president's defense team, meanwhile, said the Senate didn't need to hear from any more witnesses while simultaneously claiming House prosecutors hadn't allowed for enough witnesses. Watch the trial below: Scroll down to follow Insider's live coverage of the trial: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin calls for the Senate to censure Trump in lieu of voting to convict of acquit Joe Manchin Evan Vucci/AP Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia called on Monday for the Senate to censure President Donald Trump for his conduct toward Ukraine. Manchin, a Democratic senator who represents a deep-red state, is widely viewed as a swing vote in the upper chamber and is known to be friendly with the president. Manchin's motion is unlikely to gain traction because of how divided Democrats and Republicans are on removing Trump. Democratic senators have largely come out in favor of convicting him and ousting him, while Republican senators maintain that he did nothing wrong, despite the hours of witness testimony, documents, and Trump's own statements in which he admitted to soliciting foreign interference in the upcoming election for his personal benefit. But Manchin's motion may squeeze some Republican senators who have been critical of Trump but reluctant to condemn him outright into a corner. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Lisa Murkowski, for instance, both acknowledged that the president acted inappropriately. Both announced that they will not vote to convict Trump, however. Other Republican senators have also voiced their disapproval of the president, and it's possible Manchin's move could put them on the spot. Those senators are: Mitt Romney of Utah Susan Collins of Maine Rob Portman of Ohio Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania Joni Ernst of Iowa Ben Sasse of Nebraska Chuck Grassley of Iowa Lead House manager Adam Schiff closes his remarks with a plea for Republicans to stand up to Trump: 'If you find the courage to stand up to him ... your place will be among the Davids who took on Goliath' adam schiff Getty Images Schiff admitted as he wrapped up his closing remarks that House managers knew it would be difficult to convince two-thirds of the Senate to vote to convict and remove Trump from office. "And yet, the alternative is a runaway presidency and a nation whose elections are open to the highest bidder," he said. Schiff added that while he hoped the Democratic Party would never have a president like Trump, if it did, Schiff would want the party to "impeach him and Democrats would lead the way." He concluded: "History will not be kind to Donald Trump. If you find that the House has proved its case and still vote to acquit, your name will be tied to his with a cord of steel and for all of history. But if you find the courage to stand up to him ... your place will be among the Davids who took on Goliath." Lead House manager Adam Schiff delivers a scathing monologue of Trump's repeated efforts to solicit and benefit from foreign help in elections U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he departs for travel to Florida from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S. January 31, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis Reuters In response to the Trump defense team's argument that the Senate should let the voters decide whether to hold Trump accountable in the November 2020 election, Schiff said the following: "Can we be confident that he will not continue to try to cheat in that very election? Can we be confident that Americans and not foreign powers will get to decide and that the president will shun any further foreign interference in our democratic affairs? And the short, plain, sad, incontestable answer is no, you can't. You can't trust this president to do the right thing. Not for one minute, not for one election, not for the sake of our country. You just can't. He will not change and you know it." Schiff went on to lay out how Trump called for the Russian government to recover former Secretary of State and then Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's 33,000 deleted emails during an infamous July 2016 press conference. According to the former special counsel Robert Mueller's indictment of 12 Russian military intelligence officers, Russian operatives made their first attempt to hack the Clinton campaign that same day. Mueller's final report about Russia's interference in the 2016 election also found that the Trump campaign enthusiastically welcomed Russia's efforts and sought to benefit from them. Meanwhile, Schiff said, "when [Trump] was investigated, he did everything he could do obstruct justice." And the day after Mueller testified to Congress about his findings in the Russia probe, "Donald Trump was back on the phone and once again seeking foreign help with his election," Schiff said, referring to Trump's July 25 phone call with Zelensky. "Only this time he had the fulll powers of the presidency at his disposal. This time he could use coercion," Schiff added. "This time he could withhold aid from a nation whose soldiers were dying every week. This time, he believed he could do whatever he wanted under Article 2. And this time, when he was caught, he could make sure that the Justice Department would never investigate the matter. And it didn't." Lead House manager Adam Schiff: If abuse of power isn't impeachable, Trump could 'offer Alaska to the Russians' or 'let Jared Kushner run the country' Donald Trump Jared Kushner Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Schiff ripped Trump's defense team, particularly the Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, for arguing that abuse of power is not an impeachable offense because it isn't a statutory crime. (Fact check: There was no such thing as a statutory crime at the time the Constitution was drafted.) "If abuse of power is not impeachable ... then a whole range of utterly unacceptable conduct in a president would now be beyond reach," Schiff said. "Trump could offer Alaska to the Russians in exchange for support in the next election, or decide to move to Mar-a-Lago permanently and let Jared Kushner run the country, delegating to him the decision of whether to go to war," he continued. "Because those things are not necessarily criminal, this argument would allow that he could not be impeached for such abuses of power. Of course this would be absurd. More than absurd, it would be dangerous." Schiff then highlighted Dershowitz's claim that if Trump does something to help his re-election and believes it's in the public interest, it's not impeachable behavior. "Under this theory, as long as the president believed his re-election was in the public interest, he could do anything and no quid pro quo was too corrupt," Schiff said. "This was such an extreme view that even the president's other lawyers had to run away from it." Lead House manager Adam Schiff: Trump used 'his own obstruction as a sword and a shield' FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Wildwood, New Jersey, U.S. January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis Reuters After detailing how the president withheld nearly $400 million in military aid from Ukraine and a coveted White House meeting for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Schiff tore into Trump for engaging in an "unprecedented" effort to "cover up" his alleged misconduct. Schiff went on to accuse Trump of using "his own obstruction as a sword and a shield" as he fought all subpoenas and issued a sweeping order for witnesses not to cooperate with the House's impeachment inquiry. 'How did we get here?' adam schiff YouTube/CSPAN Lead House impeachment manager Adam Schiff took center stage as the prosecution began wrapping up its closing remarks. He detailed how just last week, the Justice Department informed a federal court that it would not turn over documents directly related to Trump's decision to withhold aid from Ukraine. "The Trump administration has them, it is not turning them over, and it does not want the Senate to know until it is too late," he said. "In a replay of the duplicity that we saw during the trial when the president's lawyers argued here that the House must go to court, and argued in court that the House must come here they were at it again, telling the court in a midnight filing that it would not turn over relevant documents even as they argued here that they were not covering up the president's misdeeds." "Midnight in Washington," Schiff continued. "All too tragic a metaphor for where the country finds itself at the conclusion of the only the third impeachment in history and the first impeachment trial without witnesses or documents, the first such trial, or non-trial, in impeachment history." "How did we get here?" Schiff said. House manager Sylvia Garcia drills down on how Trump engaged in the 'ABCs of impeachable behavior' sylvia garcia Screenshot via C-SPAN 2/Senate TV Garcia highlighted the three ABCs that Trump has been accused of: Abusing his power Betraying the country Corrupting elections Garcia also noted that senators from both sides of the aisle agree the president acted inappropriately, and that the question now is whether his behavior warrants removal from office. In addition to the vast majority of the Democratic caucus, two Republican senators Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska acknowledge that Trump did something wrong. Alexander has indicated he will vote to acquit Trump because he doesn't think Trump's actions rose to the level of impeachable offenses. Murkowski has also made up her mind on how she will vote but she's declined to publicly discuss it. Trump defense attorney Patrick Philbin contradicts the DOJ's position on whether the courts should intervene in disputes between Trump and Congress Patrick Philbin YouTube/C-SPAN Philbin on Monday slammed House Democrats for moving too quickly to impeach Trump without first waiting for courts to rule on congressional subpoenas. But Philbin's argument directly contradicts what the Justice Department has argued as it seeks to stop former White House counsel Don McGahn from testifying before the House about Trump's alleged obstruction of justice. Specifically, the DOJ says that the dispute over McGahn's testimony is a political one that appeals courts should stay out of. Deputy White House counsel Michael Purpura rehashes a few 'core facts' that are not based in facts michael purpura Senate TV This isn't the first time Purpura has put these "facts" out to prove Trump's impeachment and removal from office is unwarranted. Despite saying on Monday that he would not "repeat" the arguments that "we've already put forth," Purpura proceeded to do just that. Here's a rundown of what Purpura said: The July 25 call transcript shows that the president did not condition either security assistance or a meeting on anything. Fact check: The "transcript" Purpura referred to is a rough summary the White House released. The summary shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky telling Trump Ukraine is ready for more military aid. Trump replied: "I would like you to do us a favor, though," and immediately asked Zelensky to pursue investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, as well as conspiracy theories about Ukrainian election interference. Zelensky and other Ukrainians have repeatedly said there was no quid pro quo or pressure on them to launch investigations. Fact check: It's true that Zelensky said he didn't feel pressured and that there was "no blackmail." But context matters, especially in a geopolitical relationship like this one, where there's a clear imbalance of power. As Insider's John Haltiwanger reported last year, Ukraine is still reliant on US military assistance as it fends off Russian aggression. By acknowledging feeling pressured, Zelensky would risk angering Trump. "Whether the hold, the security assistance hold, continued or not, Ukrainians understood that that's something the president wanted and they still wanted important things from the president," the State Department official David Holmes testified. "So I think that continues to this day. I think they're being very careful. They still need us now going forward." Zelensky and "the highest levels of the Ukrainian government" did not know the security assistance was paused until the end of August, over a month after the July 25 call. Fact check: Laura Cooper, a Russia and Ukraine expert at the Pentagon, revealed in public testimony last year that the State Department emailed a member of her staff on July 25 the day of the Trump-Zelensky phone call saying Ukrainian embassy officials and the House Foreign Affairs Committee were asking about US military aid. In other words, Ukraine seemed aware of the freeze at the time Trump spoke with Zelensky. Not a single witness testified that Trump himself said there was "any linkage" between military aid and political investigations. Fact check: Former national security adviser John Bolton, whom the Senate has refused to call as a witness despite his willingness to testify, writes in his upcoming book that Trump personally told him last year that he would withhold Ukraine's security assistance until Zelensky gave in to his demands for investigations. Gordon Sondland, the US's ambassador to the European Union, testified that Trump engaged in a quid pro quo that involved conditioning military aid and a White House meeting on Ukraine launching the investigations he wanted. Sondland also told Holmes Trump only cares about "the big stuff" as it relates to Ukraine. When Holmes noted that Ukraine is at war with Russia, Sondland said "the big stuff" is more about the Bidens. And Sondland raised the request for investigations at a July 10 meeting with Ukrainian officials after they asked when Zelensky could expect a White House meeting with Trump. Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, publicly acknowledged that Trump withheld the security assistance in part because the president wanted Ukraine to investigate the debunked conspiracy theory about Ukrainian election interference. Mulvaney later walked his statement back. Security assistance was released on September 11 and a Trump-Zelensky meeting happened on September 25, without Ukraine announcing any investigations. Fact check: The president released the aid only after Politico publicly reported, on August 28, that he had frozen it, and after Congress and the public learned about a whistleblower's complaint against Trump. The September 25 presidential meeting Purpura referred to was a brief meeting on the sidelines of the UN. Zelensky himself said at the pull-aside that he was keen on meeting Trump at the White House. The president has not yet granted that request. Trump has been a better friend and stronger supporter of Ukraine than his predecessor. Fact check: Republican lawmakers have repeatedly pointed to Trump's sale of javelins to Ukraine as a sign of his strong support for the country's fight against Russian aggression on its eastern border. However, as Haltiwanger wrote, under the rules of the sale, the Javelin missiles have to be stored in western Ukraine, which is far from the frontlines of the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine against pro-Russia separatists. Trump defense lawyer and former Whitewater independent counsel Ken Starr argues that impeachment should not take the place of voting at the ballot box Ken Starr YouTube/C-SPAN Starr's key defense of the president throughout the impeachment trial has centered on his belief that the House moved too swiftly to impeach Trump. Fact check: This statement is intriguing coming from Starr, given that his leadership of the Whitewater investigation quickly ballooned into a sprawling probe that included lurid details of President Bill Clinton's sex life. Starr's wide-ranging inquiry led to accusations that he used the Whitewater investigation to poke around every corner of the Clinton administration, resulting in Starr's push to have Clinton impeached for lying about his sex life. Trump, meanwhile, is accused of abusing his power by trying to force a foreign power to interfere in an upcoming presidential election, and of subsequently stonewalling any congressional investigation into the matter. Trump defense lawyer and White House counsel Pat Cipollone: 'The only conclusion based on the evidence and based on the articles of impeachment themselves and based on the Constitution is that you must vote to acquit the president' Pat Cipollone Screenshot via C-SPAN Cipollone added that Trump's impeachment was an "effort to overturn" the results of the 2016 impeachment and to "interfere" in the 2020 election. Fact check: Cipollone and Trump's other defense attorneys have repeatedly equated impeachment with an attempt to overthrow a legitimately elected president. But the Constitution confers upon the House of Representatives the "sole power to impeach" the president for treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors. It's also remarkable that Cipollone and Trump's lawyers have cast the impeachment inquiry as a Democratic attempt to intervene in the upcoming election, given that Trump's own efforts to solicit foreign interference in the race for his own political benefit are at the center of his impeachment. Lead House manager Adam Schiff pays tribute to the late congressman Elijah Cummings before Senate breaks for recess Elijah Cummings AP Photo/Patrick Semansky Schiff, a representative from California and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, was the last impeachment manager to speak before the Senate broke for lunch. As he ended his remarks, Schiff invoked the late congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland and what Cummings said last year when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi formally announced an impeachment inquiry into Trump's actions. Here's what Cummings, whom Schiff described as a "dear friend and former colleague in the House" said at the time: "As elected representatives of the American people, we speak not only for those who are here with us now but for generations yet unborn. Our voices today are messages to a future we may never see. When the history books are written about this tumultuous era, I want them to show that I was among those in the House of Representatives who stood up to lawlessness and tyranny." Lead House manager Adam Schiff says members of his staff 'have been made to endure some of the most vicious, false attacks to the point where they feel their lives have been put at risk' adam schiff Screenshot via CSPAN/Senate TV Schiff took some time on Monday to express gratitude for staff members involved in the impeachment inquiry. He added that those staffers "have committed their lives to this effort because they, like the managers and the American people, believe that a president free of accountability is a danger to the beating heart of our democracy." Schiff also said that "some of those staff, including some singled out in this chamber, have been made to endure some of the most vicious, false attacks to the point where they feel their lives have been put at risk." He continued: "The attacks on them degrade our institution and all who serve in it. You've asked me why I've hired certain of my staff and I will tell you: because they are brilliant, hard-working, patriotic, and the best people for the job. And they deserve better than the attacks they have been forced to suffer." Trump chimes in on the 'Impeachment Hoax' as House prosecutors make their case against him FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump makes a speech to evangelical supporters in Miami, Florida, U.S., January 3, 2020. REUTERS/Eva Marie Uzcategui/File Photo Reuters Here's what Trump tweeted: "I hope Republicans & the American people realize that the totally partisan Impeachment Hoax is exacty that, a Hoax. Read the Transcripts, listen to what the President & Foreign Minister of Ukraine said ('No Pressure'). Nothing will ever satisfy the Do Nothing, Radical Left Dems!" Fact check: "Read the Transcripts." The White House has not released a transcript of the July 25 phone call between Trump and Zelensky. But a rough summary of the call shows Trump repeatedly asking Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, over the latter's employment on the board of the Ukrainian natural-gas company Burisma Holdings. Trump also asked Zelensky to look into a bogus conspiracy theory suggesting Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election. Trump made the requests right after Zelensky told him Ukraine was ready to purchase more lethal weapons from the US. Trump replied, "I would like you do us a favor, though," immediately after. Ukraine said there was "No Pressure." It's true that Zelensky said he didn't feel pressured and that there was "no blackmail." But context matters, especially in a geopolitical relationship like this one, where there's a clear imbalance of power. As Insider's John Haltiwanger reported last year, Ukraine is still reliant on US military assistance as it fends off Russian aggression. By acknowledging feeling pressured, Zelensky would risk angering Trump. "Whether the hold, the security assistance hold, continued or not, Ukrainians understood that that's something the president wanted and they still wanted important things from the president," David Holmes, a State Department official and key impeachment witness, testified last year. "So I think that continues to this day. I think they're being very careful. They still need us now going forward." House manager Val Demings reminds the Senate that Trump didn't have any legitimate reason for withholding Ukraine's aid and 'all relevant agencies were opposed to the freeze' Rep. Val Demings Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images None of the 17 witnesses who testified in the impeachment inquiry were given any reason for why the Trump administration abruptly decided to freeze Ukraine's aid. Every other agency in the executive branch was opposed to the freeze and there were multiple attempts to convince Trump to release the aid. He finally released it on September 11, after Politico publicly reported on the freeze and Congress and the public began learning of his efforts to force Ukraine to cave to his political demands. House manager Val Demings outlines how Trump 'successfully hijacked the tools of our government to serve his corrupt, personal interests' Trump Giuliani REUTERS/Carlo Allegri Demings zeroed in on a period of time in late May of last year, during which she said Trump "successfully hijacked the tools of our government to serve his corrupt, personal interests." She went on to cite testimony from Fiona Hill, the White House's former senior director for Russian and Eurasian affairs, who said that it was around this time she realized Trump's "domestic political errand" was overshadowing US national security and foreign policy goals. Indeed, by that point last year, Giuliani was making headlines as he advocated for Ukraine to pursue the two investigations Trump wanted. He told The New York Times on May 9 that he planned to travel to Ukraine to push for the inquiries, which he said would be "very, very helpful to my client." When he was asked whether his actions could be viewed as soliciting foreign interference in the 2020 election, Giuliani replied, "We're not meddling in an election, we're meddling in an investigation, which we have a right to do." House manager Val Demings highlights Trump's conspiratorial belief that Ukraine 'tried to take me down' in 2016 Trump Zelensky AP Photo/Evan Vucci In many ways, Trump's own tendency to subscribe to conspiracy theories is what landed him in the middle of an impeachment trial that will go down in history as the biggest stain on his presidency. The US intelligence community determined with high confidence in early 2017 that the Russian government carried out an elaborate and multi-faceted campaign to intervene in the 2016 US election to propel Trump to the presidency. But the president and many of his allies, like his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, believe Ukraine meddled in the race to undermine Trump and benefit Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic Party. There is no evidence to support this theory. It's true that there were some Ukrainian officials who voiced their disapproval of Trump's candidacy during the 2016 campaign. But as Fiona Hill, the White House's former senior director for Russian and Eurasian affairs, testified to Congress last year, there were many foreign officials in different countries who made disparaging remarks about Trump's candidacy while he was running. Those comments, however, are distinct from Russia's campaign, which Hill characterized as a "top-down" effort ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin and which involved Russia's security services like its military intelligence unit in a government sanctioned effort to swing the election in Trump's favor. Still, Trump believes Ukraine not only interfered in the election a conspiracy theory started by Putin himself but that it continues to protect the Democratic Party by hiding a purportedly incriminating "server" belonging to the Democratic National Committee from the FBI. Witnesses in the impeachment inquiry have testified that it's likely Trump's flawed belief that Ukraine "tried to take me down" is at the crux of his unwillingness to grant Zelensky a White House meeting and to freeze Ukraine's security assistance until the country gave him the investigations he wanted. House prosecutors hammer Trump for leveraging 'the powers of the presidency and the full weight of the US government' to pressure Ukraine and trying to 'block evidence and muzzle witnesses' when he 'got caught' jason crow Screenshot via C-SPAN House impeachment manager Jason Crow acknowledged that impeachment is an "extraordinary remedy" and "a tool only to be used in rare instances of grave misconduct." Trump's actions, Crow said, meet that threshold. The House of Representatives impeached Trump in December for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. House impeachment manager Val Demings highlighted the crux of those two articles of impeachment in her remarks after Crow's concluded "The president and his agents wielded the powers of the presidency and the full weight of the US government to increase pressure on Ukraine's president to coerce him to announce two sham investigations that would smear his potential election opponent and raise his political standing," Demings said. She added that Trump's pressure campaign was "on the verge of succeeding" until "the president got caught and the scheme was exposed." Trump then "ordered a massive cover-up, unprecedented in American history," Demings said. "He tried to conceal the facts from Congress using every tool and legal window dressing he could to block evidence and muzzle witnesses. He tried to prevent the public from learning how he placed himself above country." House impeachment manager Jason Crow quotes former Massachusetts Sen. David Webster's moving 'Seventh of March' speech in a last-ditch appeal to the GOP-led Senate mitch mcconnell Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Crow, a Democratic representative from Colorado, began the House's closing arguments by recalling Webster's speech, in which he urged northern and southern states to come to a compromise before the Civil War. "It is fortunate that there is a Senate of the United States," Crow began, quoting Webster. "A body not yet moved from its propriety, not lost to a just sense of its dignity, and its own high responsibilities, an a body to which the country looks with confidence, for wise, moderate, patriotic, and healing counsels." The Republican-controlled Senate faced sharp backlash after it voted against calling new witnesses a measure that the US public overwhelmingly supports in Trump's impeachment trial. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also drew criticism for openly acknowledging that he was working hand-in-hand with Trump's defense team ahead of the trial, despite senators' pledge to be impartial jurors in an impeachment trial. With Friday's vote to block witnesses, Trump's impeachment became the first in US history in which the Senate did not hear any witness testimony. A huge week in Washington politics U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis Reuters The Iowa caucuses, which officially kick off the 2020 primary season, are on Monday evening. The four Democratic senators who are in the running for the party's nomination Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Michael Bennet of Colorado will have the chance to leave the chamber after closing arguments to head to Iowa. On Tuesday night, Trump will deliver the State of the Union to Congress. On Wednesday, the Senate will vote on whether to convict Trump and remove him from office. Two-thirds of the chamber, or 67 senators, need to vote to convict the president to trigger his removal, which is highly unlikely. And on Friday, New Hampshire will host the eighth Democratic primary debate, which is shortly before the state's primary. Read the original article on Business Insider Greensboro, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/03/2020 -- As the premier provider of water filtration systems in Greensboro, NC, Go Green Plumbing Plumbing, Heating, and Air is familiar with the several advantages of a whole house water filter but knows that North Carolina homeowners may have some questions when it comes to their processes. In essence, reverse osmosis produces water of phenomenal purity by separating chemicals, pesticides, and dissolved solids from the home's water. A reverse osmosis filtration system ensures that every drop of water that flows through the home's plumbing is treated by something called a reverse osmosis membrane. This unit makes sure the water entering the house is free of hardness, salts, chemicals, and total dissolved solids (TDS), as well as a host of contaminants like mercury, sodium, and lead that pose health risks in significant quantities. 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About Go Green Plumbing, Heating and Air Go Green Plumbing, Heating and Air is proud to serve both residential and commercial entities in the Greensboro, North Carolina, area for nearly two decades. The company offers state-of-the-art plumbing services that range from a simple drain cleaning to a complete water heater replacement and everything in between. To learn more about Go Green Plumbing, Heating and Air and all of the services they offer, please visit https://www.gogreenplumb.com/. Turkey said today its military hit dozens of Syrian government targets in retaliation for the deaths of five Turkish soldiers killed by regime shelling. Russia and Turkey are on opposing sides in the fighting in Idlib and, though they work together elsewhere in Syria, the recent fighting threatens to test ties between Ankara and Moscow. President Tayyip Erdogan said Russian officials had been told they should 'stand aside' in the conflict around Idlib, in northwest Syria. Last night Turkey sent a large military convoy into Syria to try and secure its southern border and prevent refugees flooding into the country. A Syrian government assault on the province, aided by Russian airstrikes, has seen more civilians displaced in recent weeks. Since April around 390,000 people - mainly women and children - have been pushed to the Turkish border by ferocious fighting and aerial bombardment. The Syrian Observatory, a war monitor based in Britain, said 13 members of the Syrian government forces had been killed in Turkish shelling. Plumes of smoke billowing above the Syrian village of al-Nayrab, about nine miles southeast of the city of Idlib during bombardment by Syrian government forces and its Russian allies A Turkish military convoy of tanks and armoured vehicles passing through the Syrian town of Dana, east of the Turkish-Syrian border in Idlib province yesterday However a Syrian state TV correspondent said there had been no casualties among its government forces. Erdogan accused Russia of violating a 2017 agreement to reduce fighting in the region, and charge that Russia denies. He claimed initial indications showed 30 to 35 Syrians were killed in the recent operations that included use of F-16 fighter jets and responded to what Turkey called intense shelling of its troops in Idlib, the last big rebel stronghold after nearly nine years of war in Syria. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces, backed by Russian air power, have made large advances in Idlib, prompting Turkey to warn it may launch a military operation there unless the fighting is halted. 'We are determined to continue our operations for the security of our country, people and our brothers in Idlib. 'Those who question our determination will soon understand they made a mistake,' Erdogan said in Istanbul before flying to Kiev. Speaking later in the Ukrainian capital, he said developments in Idlib had become 'unmanageable'. Turkish military vehicles driving in a convoy headed for the south of Idlib province as they pass by the town of Atareb in the western countryside of Aleppo today Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar (left) arriving at the command coordination centre near the Syrian border in Hatay to meet the troops today Ankara and Moscow conduct joint patrols in northeastern Syria and it is not clear whether or how such cooperation would be affected by any strains in ties over Idlib. Closer military ties between NATO member Turkey and Russia have meanwhile alarmed Washington and other Western allies. Turkey has in recent days sent military vehicles, trucks and other reinforcements to the region in a challenge to Damascus and its Russian backers. Rebels fighting to oust Assad, some of whom have been backed by Turkey, have also launched counter-attacks against the territorial gains by Assad's forces. A Turkish security official said the shelling that killed the Turkish soldiers was in the area of Saraqeb, a town nine miles east of Idlib city that lies at the junction of two main roads which Damascus wants to gain full control of. Turkey's defence ministry said reinforcements had been on the move around Idlib. They were meant to prevent clashes in Idlib but were hit by Syrian shelling, it said, adding that a civilian member of its forces was also killed. Turkish-backed Syrian fighters manning an anti-aircraft gun mounted on the back of a truck in the town of Saraqeb, in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on Saturday The Russian defence ministry said the Turkish units came under fire from Syrian government forces after moving without notifying Russia, though Turkey said it had coordinated its military movements with Moscow. Though Erdogan said fighter jets were involved in Turkey's response, the Russian defence ministry said Turkish planes had not violated Syria's border and no air strikes on Syrian troops had been recorded. A spokesman said the Kremlin remained concerned about militant groups around Seraqeb where Turkish forces were hit. The fighting in Idlib has displaced hundreds of thousands civilians. The civil defence in rebel-held territory said at least nine Syrian civilians, including four children, were killed on Monday in a Russian air strike on a van carrying displaced people near the city of Aleppo, northeast of Saraqeb. Turkey, which already hosts 3.6 million refugees from Syria, fears a new wave of migrants from Idlib. In Kiev, Erdogan said there were close to one million people in Idlib marching towards Turkish borders as a result of a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive. Now Open 3 February 2020 SureStay Hotel Group has celebrated the launch of the first SureStay Hotel in Laos, with a glittering rooftop party to mark the grand opening of SureStay Hotel by Best Western Vientiane. Hosted recently at Tipsy Elephant, the hotel's dramatic top floor venue, this glamorous occasion was attended by senior company executives, the hotel's esteemed owners, government dignitaries, local partners and members of the media. The guest of honor was Mr. Bounma Phetsavong, Director General of the Tourism Management Department, which is part of the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture & Tourism. In an exquisite setting overlooking the Vientiane skyline and Mekong River, attendees were treated to drinks and snacks, music and a lucky draw. A hotel tour allowed the local travel trade and media to learn all about the new property, Ms. Somphayboun Phothisane, the hotel's owner, Mr. Phonsak Sayarath, Managing Director and Mr. Putthithorn Ongsirikul, the Hotel Manager, were on hand to address the valued guests. Located in the heart of the Lao capital, only 15 minutes' drive from Wattay International Airport, SureStay Hotel by Best Western Vientiane introduces excellent hospitality and international standards of service to the city's premium economy hotel sector. The hotel comprises 68 rooms and suites, a restaurant, Sure Spa and top floor fitness center, plus services for corporate travelers, including computer stations in the lobby. SureStay Hotel by Best Western Vientiane become the latest in a series of SureStay hotels in Asia, following SureStay Plus by Best Western Sukhumvit 2 in Bangkok, Thailand, SureStay Plus by Best Western Shin-Osaka in Japan, and SureStay Plus by Best Western AC LUXE Angeles City in The Philippines. SureStay Plus by Best Western Cebu City is also scheduled to open its doors in the 2nd quarter of 2020. The Allahabad High Court on Monday granted bail to former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand, accused of sexually abusing a law student. Chinmayanand, whose trust runs the Shahjahanpur law college where the woman studied, was arrested on September 20 under section 376-C of the IPC, a charge short of rape. It is applied when someone in authority takes advantage of his official position and induces or seduces a woman to have sex with him. In a parallel case, the woman was charged with trying to extort money from the BJP leader, whom she had accused of rape. The high court granted her bail in that case in December. Maker Village to tie up with AICTE on entrepreneurship, innovation Kochi, Feb 3 (UNI) India's largest electronic hardware incubator and ESDM facility, Maker Village is planning to associate itself with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) by launching pioneering schemes that promote entrepreneurship and innovation. The incubator facility aims to sign a pact on the project with Delhi-based AICTE, which functions as a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development. Ahead of it, AICTE Vice-Chairman Prof M P Poonia visited the facility at Kalamassery, 20 km north of here, and held talks with top officials of the facility that has around 75 startups developing state-of-the-art hardware electronic products in divergent areas. The lawyer of the second president of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, Hovhannes Khudoyan, has no doubt that the Court of Appeal will satisfy the complaint of the prosecutors office. As reported eariler, the prosecutor's office filed an appeal against the decision of the court of first instance to provide protection of the materials of the case on the events of March 1, 2008. The prosecutor's office considers that publishing and even acquainting the lawyers could harm the interests of others. Today, the court rejected the petition of the lawyers to recuse the judge. Speaking about the message voiced during the court session, exactly how the investigator formulated the collected materials, Khudoyan noted that the investigator wrote that all the data substantiating the guilt were collected. According to him, the actions of the investigator and the prosecutor deepen suspicions that important materials were not transferred to the defense. As he noted, since they so persistently do not provide materials, an opinion is created that they do not want to publish something. A mother drunkenly tried to seduce a man after downing duty-free vodka on a holiday flight as her young daughter sat nearby, a court heard. Louise Whyte, 38, was taking the seven-year-old on their first holiday abroad when she made advances to the fellow passenger. Leaving her daughter sobbing in their original seats, she moved to the mans row on the plane. She then pulled down her trousers and underwear and offered to perform a sex act on him, the court was told. Louise Whyte leaving Minshull Street crown court, Manchester, where she received a suspended sentence for sexually assaulting a man during a TUI flight to Turkey The victim, who had been travelling with his 11-year-old son on the TUI flight from Manchester to Dalaman in Turkey, pushed her back into the seat and alerted staff by pressing a call bell. Whyte and her daughter were put on the next flight back to the UK after the plane landed. It emerged she became severely intoxicated after mixing the vodka with diazepam and codeine tablets which she had been taking for a knee injury, the court was told. The victim, who cannot be named, was said to have suffered a great deal of embarrassment and his holiday was spoiled by the assault. Appearing at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court yesterday, Whyte admitted sexual assault. She was ordered to sign the sex offender register for seven years. She was also sentenced to six months jail suspended for a year and to abide by an 8pm to 6am curfew. The court heard how before boarding the plane to Dalaman in Turkey, she took diazepam and codeine which she had been prescribed for pain-relief for an injury. Once onboard, she downed vodka 'unaware' of the effects the booze would have combined with the medication The incident occurred on May 27 last year after Whyte booked the holiday with her daughter after splitting with her partner. She began drinking in the airport terminal ahead of the 8pm flight and befriended the man when she saw him with his son, the court was told. Charlotte Crangle, prosecuting, said: She had lost her mobile phone in the customs area and he helped her to find it. He thought at that point that she appeared a little tipsy or under the influence of prescription drugs. They then went to a cafe with both of their children and had one or two drinks. Before boarding the plane itself she commented she didnt buy any alcohol, but he told her she could have his duty-free vodka in his bag. He kept it in his bag for the first part [of the journey] and she was initially seated a few rows in front of him. His son and her daughter had spoken to each other in the airport but once in the air and at cruising altitude he was aware of the defendant coming over towards his seat. Whyte was taking her daughter on holiday alone for the first time when she befriended a man at Manchester Airport. Whyte was sat with her daughter a few rows in front of the man. Once in the air, she got out of her seat and went over to talk to him. She later offered to perform a sex act She was talking to him and being over-friendly and somewhat loud. The man suggested his son go and keep Whytes daughter company, and Whyte then sat next to him and asked him for the vodka, Miss Crangle said. She added: He warned her not to and tried to tell her to calm down, and was warning her not to get so drunk when she had a daughter to look after. He did keep trying to hide the vodka from her but when it was ultimately confiscated half to two thirds had gone. [Whyte] did go to her daughter but was seen and heard to be shouting to her telling her to go to sleep using inappropriate language and swearing. The little girl was clearly upset. Miss Crangle said Whyte, of Bury, then made her advances and the man had to tell her to stop several times. When spoken to by crew, Whyte didnt appear to know where she was staying or how to get there and the decision was taken to retain her and her daughter on board for journey back, the barrister added. Whyte from Bury, pleaded guilty to entering an aircraft when drunk and sexual assault on a male. She was sentenced to a six-month custodial term, suspended for 12 months, a six month curfew and 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days. She was also ordered to sign the sex offenders registers for seven years The second flight arrived back in Manchester before 6am the next day and was met by police. When interviewed by police, Whyte, a single mother after splitting from her daughters father 18 months earlier, said she had one or two drinks in the terminal prior to boarding, then drank vodka from the mans bottle but could remember nothing else. Defending, Peter Horgan said she was embarrassed, ashamed and apologetic. He said: She has never been in trouble before and has led a wholly law-abiding life. She didnt knowingly get herself into the state and describes her actions as disgusting and repellent. Sentencing, Judge Sophie McKone told Whyte: Once you were on that plane you effectively became out of control. So concerned were the crew and captain that as the plane landed they wouldnt let you off the plane, quite rightly they didnt think you would be able to care for your child. You failed remarkably in your responsibility to your daughter. Burma Myanmar State Counselor Urges Yangon Govt to Be Transparent Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during a meeting with the Yangon regional cabinet on Saturday. / Phyo Min Thein / Facebook YANGONMyanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has urged the Yangon government, which has faced public criticism of late over its spending, to be transparent in its work. During her two-day sojourn in Yangon last week, the State Counselor met with regional cabinet members led by Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein on Saturday. The meeting followed a recent grilling of the Yangon government by lawmakers over spending irregularities in fiscal 2017-18. Their questions were prompted by the most recent report by the regional auditor-general, which revealed that the governments irregular spending and mismanagement had cost the region millions of kyats, leading to public criticism of the governments handling of public funds. In 2018, the Yangon government was also bombarded with questions from lawmakers about its opaque expenditures in FY2016-17. The Irrawaddy has learned that during the meeting, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi raised transparency issues with the regional cabinet members. You have to be mindful of the peoples daily lives, and explain [to people] whatever you do, she said, according to a source who was present at the meeting. Dont ever think that we can just let it go because they [the people] wont understand what we are doing even if we attempt to explain, she warned. According to the source, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi didnt point to a particular incident when raising the transparency issue. However, it is likely she had in mind the Yangon governments silenceor at least the weakness of its responsein the wake of the criticism over its spending. The regional government did not respond to lawmakers questions about its spending in FY2016-17. Some cabinet members appeared before the parliament last week to defend the spending detailed in the 2017-18 auditor-generals report, but rather than provide proper explanations they mostly attacked the auditor-general, saying the report had caused misunderstanding of the regional government. Saturdays meeting was also joined by some Union ministers. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi urged Union and regional ministers to cooperate for the sake of Yangons development. You may also like these stories: Yangon Launches Free Ferry Service to Remote Andaman Sea Island President Orders Yangon Govt to Follow Law in Eleven Media Case China has taken steps to limit short-selling activities as the country's financial markets prepare to reopen on Monday amid an outbreak of a new coronavirus, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The sources said China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) had issued a verbal directive to brokerages including Citic Securities Co. and China International Capital Corp. to bar their clients from selling borrowed stocks on February 3. It was not clear if the suspension -- which was first reported on Sunday by Chinese media outlet 21st Century Business ... By Kyes Stevens, a poet and advocate Alabama is not alone in its crisis of human recognition, human acknowledgement, human compassion. We are in a persistent state of chaos to determine the systems and structures to define and fit and fix humanness. So many issues to cast our attention on: hunger, healthcare, education, arts, employment, prisonsplaces where the divide set by haves and have-nots determines all possibility for any human. This human never had to work hard to survive, to put clothes on her back, to eat. This human was filled with angst and unrest as a young person and made legally bad decisions. This human was arrested. This human plead guilty because I did it and that is what the lawyer told me to do. I was a kid and not capable of understanding the implications of my actions. Nor was I able to understand what could have been if I did not come from a firmly middle class white family who could pay for the lawyer and get me a slap on the wrist. I understand now. For over 18 years Ive worked inside prisonsa poet, an administrator, some might suggest an educational agitator fighting for access and equity, for possibility. In every human there is such extraordinary potential and capacity for being present on the planet. Which child gets books to build imagination? Who gets the opportunities in K-12 to invest in that imagination? Who gets to put into action what they dream? Who gets to do this while they are wondering where their food will come from? Who gets to sleep in a car? Who do we actually allow and encourage to be and become? Real chances are rooted in a fundamental understanding of humannessneeds, flaws, the pain, the joys. Real chances know all humans have fear eating at them, self-doubt clawing at head and heart, and that even when buried deep inside trauma and racism and classism and exclusion, hope can remain. Real chances are based in knowing that no human is the same. We can superficially acknowledge this, and flip the hand across the air, and then invest time and resources in the one structure to fix. That is going to fail. We need to fix the us. Not the them. If we honestly and critically examine the us, we must see all systems in this country are built on and perpetuate exclusion and othering and in many cases active destruction of humans and cultures. There is no way for a human to thrive in these systems without external supports. Those supports are not available to all. How we speak, the language we use, is a support. To make someone feel small by language, well-intentioned or not, works against change. So often, people and communities of faith use the least of these to situate involvement in prisons or re-entry. Ive worked with thousands of people inside, some are now outside working as agents of change to lift people up. Some work paycheck to paycheck struggling. Some battle addiction. Some are dead. There is nothing least about these humans. The implication is that their life is less, their heart is less, their soul and feelings are less. What does it do to a human to always be molded and manipulated by the language of others? The term inmate diminishes the human. The term guard diminishes the human. An opportunity exists to understand how everyday language inherently diminishes humans. The language of hierarchy and dominance dooms us from being able to step into real conversations and movements toward change. We cant even see how our basic communication creates distance and hierarchy. I dont think most people give it nano-second of thought. It empowers humans to point the finger at somebody, somethingto create and solidify the other. If you are able, hold your hand up and point at something (and if you cannot, try and imagine it). Even better if you can do this in front of a mirror. Notice the physical structure and presentation of your hand. Now, hold out your hand like you are going to help someone get up from the floor, or shake a hand. The physical presentation mirrors intent. Open your hand. It is related to opening your heart and head. Try harder to say, how can I help, rather than saying, you are doing this wrong. How can I help requires personal action and investment. The prison system is mired in problems. We all know this. All the systems leading up to prisons are broken too, horrifically broken. Those are the pathways to prison. How do build pathways for humans to thrive? One thing learned over all these years inside/outside, the dynamics and power structures we create out here are also manifested inside. It is our culture that creates the place. It is us. All the cruelties seen on the outside, they are inside. All the kindness and compassion, they exist in both places. We become what we invest in. This is what I see: the ADOC feels under attack and scrutinized, misunderstood and misrepresented. Advocacy organizations do not believe the ADOC is actively working to make real, life-changing shifts in the culture quickly enough and that people are suffering from willful intent to create that suffering. Humans are dying. The ADOC feels like they are working to address acknowledged problems. They are fighting against factors to shift the culture of corrections that does not easily accept change. That culture is not the only one hesitant to change. We dont. Everything firmly situated in fear. Truth resides in all the places. It is made and built by the histories of usit is every trauma and pain and hurt and action that picks away at ourselves, or the love and compassion and support that helps us build our best self. If we take away the battle for whose truth wins, maybe we can get to meaningful actions toward change and support of all the humans in this state. All of them. Australia swashbuckling batsman David Warner on Monday shared a video in which her daughter lost her calm and smashed the bat on the ground while batting. The five-year-old, Ivy Mae Warner, was heard saying "don't spin the ball' in a video posted by David on Instagram. Ivy was seen waiting for the ball, and once she misses the delivery, she can be seen hurling the bat with anger on the field. Taking to Instagram Warner captioned the video, "It's fair to say Ivy needs to listen and control her emotions. What would dad know #toofunny @candywarner1." Earlier in November last year, Ivy said: "I am like Virat Kohli" while playing with her father at their home. On the work front, Warner last played against India in the three-match ODI series. The opener amassed 146 runs in the series including a century in the first game. Australia will next tour South Africa to play three T20Is, followed by as many ODIs. The first T20I will be played at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on February 21. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 2020: A YEAR OF STRUGGLE In addition to the union-busting Ensuring Integrity Bill, there are a number of other bills that the government plans to ram through Parliament in the coming months. A number these bills are centred on cutting payments to social security recipients. As is the case with the Ensuring Integrity Bill, the titles are misnomers. Most of these bills have previously been presented to Parliament in 2017 or 2018. Photo: Denis Doherty Social Security Recipients Targeted The Payment Integrity Bill 2019 raises the maximum liquid assets test waiting period from thirteen weeks to twenty-six weeks so as to increase self-reliance. The length of the waiting period increases by one week for every $500 held above the $5,500 threshold for single people with no children, or $1,000 for couples and people with children above a threshold of $11,000. It applies to applicants for the Youth Allowance, Austudy, Newstart Allowance, JobSeeker Payment, and the Sickness Allowance. The estimated saving is a relatively paltry $104.8 million over four years, but the impact on applicants for benefits could be considerable. These measures apply to people who have passed the assets and income tests. It is a callous built-in delay for up to six months before payment of benefits commences. Liquid assets are defined as any funds readily available to you or your partner. This includes money your employer owes you! If an age pensioner goes overseas, their pension supplement will be reduced to the basic amount after six weeks temporary absence from Australia, or immediately for permanent departures. The pension supplement was introduced to compensate for the introduction of the GST. The bill also introduces more stringent residency rules to qualify for the age pension that are expected to save $32.3 million over four years. Again, a seemingly petty measure, but one that attacks the vulnerable, in particular, migrants visiting their family overseas. The expected total savings are $291.5 million over four years. Peanuts compared with the $160 billion or more estimated spend on the military over the same period. Drug testing The Drug Testing Trial Bill 2019 is to establish a two-year drug mandatory testing trial in three regions for 5,000 new recipients of the Newstart Allowance and Youth Allowance. The trial will operate in three locations: Canterbury Bankstown in New South Wales, Logan in Queensland and Mandurah in Western Australia all working class suburbs. Jobseekers who test positive to a drug test will have their payments placed on income management to limit their ability to use their payments to further fund their drug use. In effect if they are desperate, they will find other ways. In this way, eighty per cent of a jobseekers normal payment will be quarantined to pay bills and purchase goods, and the remaining twenty per cent will be paid into their regular bank account, accessible as cash to pay for discretionary items. Jobseekers who test positive will also be subject to a second drug test within twenty-five working days and may also be subject to further subsequent tests. Refusal to take a test will result in cancellation of payments. Jobseekers who test positive to more than one drug test during the trial will be referred to a Services Australia contracted medical professional with experience in drug and alcohol treatment. This is critically important. This is about getting those people who need support services the services that they require. They will assess the jobseekers particular circumstances and identify the appropriate treatment and support options, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Ben Morton said in his Second Reading speech. The Ministers promise of services sounds great, but the legislation fails to provide adequate resources for the professional services that they might require. These include rehabilitation programs, housing and jobs. The drug testing stigmatises the unemployed, suggesting the unemployed are druggies and it is their fault they are unemployed a new variation of the dole bludger The government has no plans for job creation even though the ratio of job vacancies to unemployed is around one to five using Australian Bureau of Statistics data. In total there is a reserve army of more than 1.9 million unemployed and underemployed people seeking work. Expansion of Cashless Debit Card The Income Management to Cashless Debit Card Transition Bill 2019 will see approximately 23,000 welfare recipients in the Northern Territory and Cape York region transition from the BasicsCard to the cashless debit card (CDC). Currently, these participants hold a BasicsCard, a card that restricts where its recipients can purchase goods and these stores are not always the cheapest. In comparison, the CDC works everywhere except when individuals try to purchase alcohol, gambling products and some gift cards, and to withdraw cash. The bill extends of the length of the CDC trials in other communities, removes the existing cap on the number of CDC trial participants and expands its use in the Cape York area and the Northern Territory. There is no evidence of the benefits of income management that the government claims. On the contrary, several studies have found the opposite. The Menzies School of Health Research on the birth weight of Indigenous babies found that that the Aboriginal birth cohort affected by the 13 month roll-out of Income Management resulted in an average reduction in birth weight of 100 grams and a thirty percent increase in the likelihood of being born with low birth weight (i.e. below 2,500 grams). The magnitude of this effect is comparable to what has been reported from other international studies of births to women exposed to famines or extreme weather events such as cyclones. The government started its rollout of the CDC with some of the most disadvantaged communities. The trials are the precursor to a far-reaching program of income management being rolled out to all social security recipients. Apart from its punitive income management scheme, the government still stubbornly refuses to increase the Newstart Allowance. At $40 a day it condemns recipients to a life of poverty and misery while removing any semblance of dignity. It stigmatises thousands of people through no fault of their own. Big brother No. 1 The Identity-Matching Services Bill 2019 follows from discussions at a COAG meeting between federal, state and territory governments. The bill provides for the exchange of identity information in order to operate the technical systems that will facilitate the identity-matching services envisaged by an intergovernmental agreement. It authorises the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA) to develop and operate identity-matching facilities for the automatic sharing of biometric facial images and other identity information between government agencies, and in some cases, private organisations. The Department of Home Affairs brings together Australias federal law enforcement, national and transport security, criminal justice, emergency management, multicultural affairs, settlement services and immigration and border-related functions. Automated facial recognition technology (AFRT) is being used with CCTV, passports and for other forms of identification. The increasing use of biometric systems raise serious concerns about privacy and data security. It can be used to do much more than collect information on a persons physical characteristics. In the wrong hands, e.g. an insurance company, it could have damaging effects. Police and intelligence agencies, for example, could use it to identify participants in political actions and monitor the activities of individuals in different contexts all without the persons knowledge or consent. Such a system is open to hacking and other security breaches. The bill helps to establish a framework for the automated sharing of biometric data particularly facial images between federal, state and territory government agencies (and in some cases, local government and private sector organisations). The Mygov.au website links JobSearch, Centrelink, Child Support, Department of Health Applications Portal, the Australian Taxation Office, Department of Veterans Affairs, HousingVic Online Services, and Medicare. Another bill to amend the Passports Act expands the circumstances in which the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade may disclose information and allows the Minister to arrange for the use of computer programs to make decisions. This bill will provide a clear legal basis for ensuring that the Foreign Minister is able to direct the automation of the sharing of passport data for the purposes of national security, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs David Coleman told Parliament. It would also give the Foreign Minister the power to arrange for the automation of data-sharing with Commonwealth, state and territory agencies. Privacy is shrinking bit by bit with centralisation of data, in particular new sophisticated facial and other recognition techniques. All of this is compounded by reports of security breaches, hacking and leakages. Big brother No. 2 There is another insidious bill that resurrects the concept of an identity card. This bill is not from the Coalition but One Nations Pauline Hanson. The Photographic Identification and Fraud Prevention Bill 2019 if passed would see the addition of photos on Medicare Cards. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) Ports giant Enrique Razon, Jr. bought a 25 percent stake in embattled Manila Water, the utility firm announced Monday. The Ayala-led company said Razon, through his firm Prime Metroline Holdings Inc., has agreed to infuse 10.7 billion in Manila Water, which currently supplies customers in the east zone of Metro Manila. The transaction will be carried out through Razon's new unit, to be called Trident Water. Manila Water's parent firm Ayala Corporation will keep a 38.6 percent stake, the listed firm said in a statement. Speculations of a "white knight" buyout swirled late last week as Manila Water sought for a trading suspension until 10 a.m. Monday. The company then announced that it plans to raise around 9 billion in additional capital by offering 900 million common shares at 10 apiece. In a disclosure on Monday, Manila Water said Razon's holding firm acquired 820 million shares at 13 apiece. Manila Water said it will use the fresh funding from Razon "to improve the water and wastewater distribution system" in its service areas. The deal came amid negotiations between Metro Manila concessionaires for a new supply deal with the national government. President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the cancellation of contract extensions granted by former Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that authorized Manila Water and its counterpart Pangilinan-led Maynilad's supply deals until 2037. Duterte pointed out that lopsided provisions allowed the private players to charge losses they incur to the state. READ: 'Onerous' water deals cost gov't 10.8 billion, DOJ says The cancellation left Manila Water's fate beyond 2022 uncertain, after Duterte pointed out "onerous" provisions in its existing supply deal. The President has repeatedly ranted against these concession agreements in a series of public speeches since December, which pushed Manila Water's stock price to plummet. READ: Manila Water, MPIC stocks plunge amid uncertain deal with gov't A new deal is being drafted by the Department of Justice, together with the Department of Finance and with regional lender Asian Development Bank. Malacanang has threatened a government takeover if the two water firms do not cooperate with them on the pending deals. Razon, the fourth-richest in the country according to Forbes, has made a fortune out of operating the container yard at the Port of Manila through his company International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI). He has ventured into the water business with his bid to develop Wawa Dam in Rizal. The 20-billion project has been approved in November 2019, which should be able to add about 80 million liters of water per day to Metro Manila and nearby provinces by 2021. READ: Maynilad says banks have stopped lending money amid cloudy water supply deal "The entry of Prime, which is led by businessman Enrique Razon Jr., as a strategic investor to Manila Water is expected to bolster Manila Waters ability to provide reliable, efficient and sustainable water and wastewater services in the east zone and at the same time pursue growth initiatives both domestically and globally," Manila Water said in a disclosure. Ayala President Fernando Zobel de Ayala said in a separate statement that Manila Water can leverage Razon's global expertise to help the utility firm penetrate more foreign markets. ICTSI and Ayala Corporation shares traded lower following the news, down 1.54 percent and 1.45 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, Manila Water stocks are far from recovering its December 2, 2019 level at 18.98 prior to the President's tirades against the company. Shares at the Ayala-owned utility firm ended at 12.76 each after Monday's session. By SA Commercial Prop News Massmart, which owns brands such as Dion-Wired, Makro and Game Stores, is forecasting another big loss of over R1.2 billion Massmart, which owns brands such as Dion-Wired, Makro and Game Stores, is forecasting another big loss of over R1.2 billion as it battled tough trading conditions in the second half. Last week, the group published a trading update for the period ending 29 December 2019, warning of the staggering full-year loss due to tough trading conditions in South Africa. The company expects to report headline loss of between R1.13 billion and R1.22 billion for the year, down from headline earnings of R901.2 million in 2018 (as much as 236% lower). Headline losses per share are expected between 522 cents and 563 cents, down from HEPS of 416.5 cents before. Trading profit for the full year, before the impact of IFRS 16, is expected to be 73.0% to 83.0% lower than the prior-year trading profit of R2,068.9 million. Including the impact of IFRS 16, trading profit is expected to be 40% to 50% lower. The net loss, it said, is projected at between R1.2 billion and R1.4 billion. Massmart said that the second half of 2019 was characterised by tough trading conditions, which included load shedding and consumers under pressure due to the creeping economy. Economic growth contracted in Q3 2019, whilst Q4 2019 offered little relief, it said. In addition to the material impact of trading disruptions and customer inconvenience caused by aggressive load-shedding in early December, consumers continued to prioritise spending on non-durables over spending on durable goods, it said. During the course of H2 2019, food sales increased by 3.3%, liquor sales increased by 0.4% while general merchandise sales the groups biggest and largest margin category decreased by 2.6%. Home improvement sales increased by 1.9%. The group said it delivered a very strong Black Friday sales performance unfortunately, this did not carry-over into the festive period, as sales growth in Q4 2019 was 0.5% as compared to the same period in 2018. Massdiscounters which includes Dion Wired and Game saw total sales for the 52 weeks of R19.8 billion, up only 0.3% up on last year. This was most notably impacted by lower consumer spending on durable goods, the group said, with comparable stores sales contracting by 2.1%. Durable goods include appliances, tools, electronics and similar products. Overall sales growth for H2 2019 was 0.9% (down from 5.5% in H1 2019) with comparable stores sales contracting by 0.3%. Dion Wired and reorganisation At the start of January, Massmart said that it was in talks with unions about store closures and jobs cuts. This includes a plan is to shutter the 23-store Dion-Wired chain and 11 Masscash wholesale outlets impacting around 1,440 employees. While the group describes these as potential closures, it has said that the intention is to close the brand in the country. The closures are dependent on the outcome of the retrenchment process and consultations with unions. DionWired sales have come under pressure as low consumer confidence has affected sales of high price-ticket electronic items. Declining customer traffic into major shopping malls where some larger Dion Wired stores are based, has also impacted sales. Following a review of its retail and wholesale routes to market, and the associated rationalisation of the group, Massmart said it is now also overhauling its current operating model. As of 1 February 2020, the group said that it will be consolidating its four divisions Masscash, Masswarehouse, Massbuild, and Massdiscounters into just two units. The Communist world, including China, is known for its ingrained psyche of secrecy. The Chinese Communists, however, have the added characteristic of mass-scale research and experiments on anything or everything artificial. Which can substitute cats and dogs, just as much as men or women, and can create artificial intelligence to replace human intelligence. Undoubtedly, though a futuristic/fertile idea, it comes with the tag of the Han Chinese being carnivorous, with a penchant for eating and gulping anything which moves. This, however, isnt about any (non-vegetarian or vegetarian) food habits, or otherwise, of any nation, nationality or ethnic group. Yet the question comes to mind. How much and how far should homo sapiens go to consume the flesh of a (non-human) dead body? And, what possible long-term damage can the consumed dead body of animals inflict on the blood composition and system of human beings? Does it fundamentally make man strong in the short, and weak in the long, run? Does it have anything to do with a carnivore like Genghis Khans perilous existence, in later life after having consumed excessive cooked dead bodies of animals, as meat, throughout his reign? That said, if the present Chinese-origin coronavirus, which has already impacted the whole world, doesnt abate soon, critical questions will be raised about Chinas overall intentions. Is this virus as simple as its being made out to be by Beijing? Since Chinese PM Li Keqiang initiated economic, political and diplomatic damage control measures to curb the adverse impact on Chinas overall image, is China on a treacherous path? China will definitely abhor the prospect of its status diminishing at a time of such high-octane global projects as the Belt and Road Initiative, among others. Beijings Communist czars may soon face closer scrutiny by its people, who might challenge their iron grip on the State. It may also pose an existential internal threat to its superpower dreams, with a presence in every continent, landlocked states, (remote) empty islands, glittering city states with gambling dens and tax-free banking systems. All these are now under threat from a toxic virus wave. Beyond this grandiose scheme, however, is hidden the Chinese building of a chemical and biological warfare capability. Its the secrecy and silence of the Chinese which the world finds inscrutable. The Chinese continue to nurse a grudge deep inside something akin to Germany after the 1919 Paris Peace Conference following the First World War against all those foreign enemy states of the 19th-20th century imperial era, Japan included. Tokyo, as perceived even today, did Beijing in. Thus, when Japan and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding in July 1999 on the destruction of abandoned chemical weapons in China, followed by a report of the Japanese ministry of foreign affairs, December 1999, that Japanese troops abandoned approximately 700,000 chemical munitions in China during their retreat at the end of the Second World War, Beijing certainly couldnt be taking kindly to it. Any serious tracker of the contours of Chinese history and the collective psyche of present-day Communist rulers would understand what awaits future Chinese moves. In the case of broader (potentially devastating) chemical and biological warfare, however, the world woke up with its first serious act when the Biological & Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) began work in 1972, followed by the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and operations of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in 2005. In this background, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1540 by consensus, calling upon member states to report on steps taken to control materials and technologies that could be used for nuclear and biological weapons (NBW). Here, it would be important to remember that India played a very positive role on the issue. Thus, although official public information on the type and quantity of Indias chemical weapon stockpile is limited, yet India met its deadline for destroying 45 per cent of its Category 1 stocks and was reported to have completed destruction of 80 per cent of its total stocks. [CBW Convention Bulletin, No. 66 (December 2004), Page 8.] The exemplary act by India apart, the future of man doesnt look bright as too many adverse reports are emerging from all corners. Bertrand Russells 1961 book Has man a future? appears so relevant! A nuclear war resulting in unmitigated calamity! Is China doing a CBW to establish herself in a peaceful graveyard? There exist today several global hotspots which are under close scrutiny of a concerned UN and its members on weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and chemical and biological weapons/warfare (CBW), especially the latter. The world, however, seems more interested in poor, resource-rich Third World states. In the process, a giant like China appears to be escaping the worlds scrutiny as it is operating below the radar. That China is hugely into CBWs and WMDs goes without saying. Today, however, Chinese laboratories faced a big blow owing to the coronavirus leakage. This may well be a prelude, if uncorrected, to a catastrophic Chinese venture as it has certainly awakened the world to the reality that is China today. In fact, it appears that the coronavirus could well be compared to the slow poisoning of humans through a chemical weapons system, in contrast to the Salisbury incident of March 4, 2018 in which Russia allegedly used a toxic chemical (acetylcholinesterase inhibitor) in which was present a nerve agent. Though Russian ambassador Alexander Shulgin had then described the alleged Russian involvement as unfounded and absolutely unacceptable, it didnt take away any of the dangers of CBWs. Chinas position today, in comparison to Russia, is totally different. The declining populace of 130 million Russians are no match for Chinas upswinging economy of 1.4 billion people. Plus, the physical presence of hordes of Chinese, as tourists, technicians or telecommunications operators, along with its standard or sub-standard manufactured goods, definitely constitute a grave threat to our planet. Yet much of the world, like India, refuses to acknowledge the imminent danger it lies in. Its time to keep off China physically, materially, financially, technically as well as commercially. Or else, as after the epic Mahabharata battle, we may again face the peace of the graveyard British savers exposed to China's stock market are set for a rocky ride as the spread of the deadly coronavirus rattles financial markets around the world. On the first day of trading in Shanghai and Shenzhen after the extended public holiday over the Lunar New Year, 275billion was wiped off the value of China's listed companies. The CSI 300 index, which tracks the performance of China's biggest listed companies, ended the day down 7.9 per cent in its worst session since 2015. On the first day of trading in Shanghai and Shenzhen after the extended public holiday over the Lunar New Year, 275bn was wiped off the value of China's listed companies Hundreds of companies fell by 10 per cent, hitting the limit the Chinese authorities allow before trading is suspended. Stocks were routed despite China's central bank pumping 131billion into the financial system in an attempt to cushion the blow. The Lunar New Year holiday was originally scheduled to end last Friday but was extended by three days to give authorities more time to deal with the crisis. Analysts warned of further volatility in the coming days and weeks, depending on how the crisis develops. That means British savers with money exposed to China face a rollercoaster ride. Li-Gang Liu, chief China economist at Citi, said: 'It is unlikely the economy will experience a quick rebound once the outbreak is under control.' Oil price slumps on virus fears Oil prices slumped as worries grew that the coronavirus outbreak will hit demand in China. Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell by 2 per cent yesterday to $55.58 but it has fallen by around 20 per cent over the past month. The increasing restrictions on flights and internal travel have made traders worried that far less oil will be used in China than expected and will lead to a build-up in supply, which could push prices even lower. Oil producers are thought to be planning cuts at meetings today and tomorrow. A prolonged fall in oil prices means petrol will become cheaper for British drivers although it takes weeks to filter through to the forecourt. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, added: 'The longer it takes to contain the virus, the more harm is likely to be done to China's economy, the world's second biggest, and trade-flows in and out of the country.' Millions of Britons indirectly own shares in Chinese companies through Asia-focused funds held in their pensions, ISAs or investment accounts. For several years they have been hoping to benefit from the superior growth prospects offered by China's expanding middle class, continued investment in infrastructure and growing focus on cutting-edge technology. But these savers are braced for further volatility as Chinese officials consider cutting the country's 2020 economic growth forecast from its current level of around 6pc. Ping An Insurance Group, one of the largest companies listed in China, saw its shares tumble by 6.9 per cent. UK funds such as Aberdeen New Dawn Investment Trust and the Baillie Gifford China Fund hold large stakes in the firm. And shares in the enormous Industrial And Commercial Bank Of China, which is owned by funds such as the Fidelity China Focus Fund and the Templeton China Fund, slid 5.3 per cent. Investors fear the coronavirus outbreak, which has led to emergency quarantines being imposed in the city of Wuhan and neighbouring towns, will weigh on China's economic growth. US chains in China, including Apple, McDonald's and Starbucks, have even temporarily shut stores. Major airlines have cancelled all flights to the country. Analysts at JP Morgan have axed their expectations for China's economic growth in the first quarter of this year from 6.3 per cent to 4.9 per cent. Experts are now worried that the fallout from coronavirus could send ripples across the wider global economy. Goldman Sachs' chief economist Jan Hatzius said: 'The near-term impact is quite large. 'What happens to 2020 as a whole really depends on how quickly the episode is brought under control.' Delhi Police have begun an investigation into the alleged firing incident outside the Jamia Millia Islamia University in south Delhi on Sunday night, the third such incident in four days at an anti-citizenship act protest site in the Capital. Eyewitnesses said two men came on a scooter from Okhla and moved towards Jullena and opened fire outside Gate No 5 and then Gate number 1. No one was injured in the shooting. A 23-year-old man was arrested on Saturday after he fired two rounds in the air at the Shaheen Bagh, which has emerged as the heart of protests against the amended citizenship law. Before that, a 17-year-old boy was arrested after he fired and injured a student who was at the anti-CAA protest site in Jamia University. In both these cases, the shooters are alleged to have been shouted right-wing Hindu supremacists slogans when shooting. The shootings came in quick succession after Union minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur was allegedly heard prompting the crowd during an election rally, saying desh ke gaddaron ko... (traitors of the country...), to which the crowd responded with goli maaron (shoot them...). Union home minister had issued a strong statement condemning the incidents on Twitter. The Delhi Police report to the Union home ministry. Shah said in a tweet that he had spoken to Delhi Police commissioner after the juvenile fired at students in Jamia area and said the guilty will not be spared. The Election Commission on Sunday removed south-east Delhi deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Chinmoy Biswal from his post, citing the ongoing situation after the two shooting earlier in the week. A longside scrunchies, the Spice Girls and Brad and Jen, we thought wed seen the last of the French manicure. Guess again. Because just like scrunchies, the Spice Girls and Brad and Jen, the retro beauty trend you thought youd committed to your high school memory box is hot once again. Thankfully, the 2020-approved French tips bear little resemblance to the angular acrylics of the past. Weve seen a rise in clients requesting alternative French tips in the salon, says Tina Michael, founder of Shoreditch Nails the capitals mecca for modern manicures. We dont often see many classic French styles any more, but we get requests for rainbow tips or brightly coloured tips a lot. The most popular styles currently on offer include a fluoro-French manicure, with tips trimmed with a fine line of neon polish which works particularly well on short nails and gold foil half dips, otherwise known as a deep French, which involves gilding the tips with a thicker band of colour. Shoreditch Nails A new trend were seeing a lot in the salon is confetti tips, which are different coloured dots layered on the tip of the nail, adds Michael. This is a super fun manicure style and definitely very different to the classic French. Over at Townhouses luxury nail salon in Fitzrovia, the classic style is also experiencing a comeback. The French manicure is a true classic and will never go out of style, says founder Juanita Huber-Millet. The Frenchie, as we call it, is one of the most popular designs at Townhouse and lends itself perfectly to all nail shapes. The salons lookbook showcases a simple design she describes as super-wearable that looks so chic in the typical colour combo of white and pink. But the brands Instagram feed implies that customers are more inclined to opt for the unusual. Tonal Frenchie at Townhouse For a modern fashionable take on this classic, try bolder colour combos such as a daring red tip or stylish tonal colour theme, Huber-Millet suggests. One such tonal French includes a selection of soft pastels such as powdery lilac, refreshing mint and periwinkle, with each on a different finger. Glitter-coated tips are also among the most liked. For something more unexpected, try the French Line a clean and minimalist yet striking approach involving a fine line traced along a bare nail just below the tip. Red tip french mani Or try underlining white tips with another stripe in a contrasting colour. A second line, drawn at the centre and shaped to mimic the curve of your tip, is another easy yet effective update. A simple dot positioned in the centre at the end of the nail is also a must-try. Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty EXETER, New HampshireJoe Bidens campaign may be holding on for dear life in Iowa. But they say theres no backup plan on the books to course correct for the New Hampshire primary if he limps out of the Monday caucus. In interviews with campaign officials, endorsers, and surrogates here, the former vice presidents braintrust insists that their state operation is acting in total isolation from what is happening in Iowa, even though some privately concede they may need to right a damaged ship. What we're focused on in New Hampshire is putting in the hard work on the ground to be successful on February 11, not what happens in Iowa, a Biden official in New Hampshire told The Daily Beast. The prospect that Biden may need a campaign tweak, if not a total resuscitation, in New Hampshire has become more pronounced in recent days, as hes watched Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) surge to the lead in some Iowa polls. While he certainly could still pull out a win, the possibility exists that the former vice president finishes far back from the lead, which would make a stronger showing a week later more vital. That could be tricky, as he will be going up against two rivals from neighboring states, Sanders of Vermont and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. But there is some history for New Hampshire primary voters giving surprise wins to candidates needing an electoral boost. And there is ample precedent for Granite Staters fondness for exhibiting independent streaks when it comes to voting. Vice President Joe Biden Was Once Lifeguard Joe Biden In 2000, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) stunned George W. Bush by 18 percentage points, dampening the latters hopes of a quick nomination fight. In 2008, Hillary Clinton finished third in the Iowa caucuses after having been the prohibitive frontrunner for much of the preceding months. And in the week before New Hampshire voted, it seemed like then-Sen. Barack Obama would end up sweeping the first two states. But Clinton pulled out a surprise win, steadied her candidacy, and ended up prolonging the Democratic nomination fight for months. Story continues Biden could find himself needing a similar bit of political defibrillation. Whether he can get it is less clear. While the campaign has not officially lowered expectations in New Hampshire, the geographic advantages that Sanders and Warren enjoy are still high on the minds of his top allies. Im one who still believes New Hampshire has two contests underway, said Jim Demers, a prominent Democrat in the state who recently endorsed Biden after previously supporting Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). The battle between the neighbors, and the battle amongst the rest of the field. Indeed, even for his biggest boosters, a scenario where Biden may not beat out Sanders or Warren is not unimaginable. People will be looking to see which one of the neighbors wins, Demers said. Though the expectation remains that New Hampshire will be a tough road for the former VP, his team is optimistic that they can get enough of a bounce from the state to propel him toward friendlier terrain: Nevada and South Carolina; and parts of the Super Tuesday map, too. I dont think theres any ground game strategy that hinges on him winning or taking second place in Iowa, said Demers. Those sentiments were picked up in conversations with other top party loyalists attached to Biden here. Cash-Strapped Biden Campaign Gets Super PAC Boost At a canvas kickoff event at the Rockingham County Democrats office on an overcast Saturday afternoon in Exeter, a half-dozen Biden supporters shared anecdotes about local voters who have remained largely undecided but have started coming around to Biden, particularly as Trumps impeachment trial in the Senate progressed along partisan lines. The former vice president has made an electability argument against the president central to his campaign since its onset in April. We dont want him out of fear, but confidence, one voter said simply. Former Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, one of Bidens most influential surrogates in the state, told supporters inside a small officefilled with just a handful of campaign pamphlets, some red and blue balloons, and a life-size cardboard cutout of the candidate in a blue suitthat perhaps his biggest appeal in New Hampshire is his personal connection to voters who place a premium on retail politics. Find those people who are just kind of thinking about it, Shea-Porter instructed the six Biden canvassers to tell on-the-fence voters. And tell them youve got good news. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Shea-Porter stressed that people know Biden, and they trust him. Theyve seen him in and out of the state for years. He has crossover appeal, she said. When pressed about the possibility that he doesnt meet or exceed expectations in Iowa, she acknowledged that the subsequent states would become more significant while stressing that the nomination fight will likely be prolonged. Whatever it is in Iowa, it counts, it matters, but its not necessarily meaning anything for us, she said. Its a really big country. As much as we matter, and we do, obviously theres going to be other states that have a lot more delegates. I dont think you can draw any conclusion from Iowa and New Hampshire, she said. While New Hampshire residents tend to be independentboth ideologically and in their voting decisionsother Democrats here and in Iowa contend that the early election narrative for the former vice president relies on an acceptable showing. Look no further than four years ago for a blueprint. While Clinton narrowly beat Sanders in the Iowa caucus in 2016, her presumed frontrunner status was thrown into question after being trounced by the Vermont senator in New Hampshire a week later. If the results are equally close in Iowa, where multiple candidates are currently within striking distance of each other, Biden could face a similar type of threat here, where Sanders leads in averages by nearly 10 points. It would be far less shocking than Hillary and Bernie, said Sean Bagniewski, the chairman of Iowas Polk County Democrats, who is unaffiliated with any campaign. I think he needs to be in the top three though. One former Clinton campaign official who watched the closer-than-expected Iowa scenario play out ahead of the New Hampshire pummeling in 2016 said its going to be hard either way for Biden. Its a fine needle to thread, the official said when asked about recalibrating here if Iowa isnt a success. They should have been really clear all along that the first two states arent make or break for them. Biden, by his own initial admission, has said he does not believe he needs to win New Hampshire, though he later said he thought he would. And with just days before the Feb. 11 primary, officials here are adamant that they are taking the state seriously, pointing to 55 staffers on the ground and 12 offices, comparable to some of his closest rivals. When the Iowa caucus was just a week out, the former vice president spent two days in New Hampshire. And when hes been gone, a powerful slate of surrogates have worked the ground on his behalf. Popular former Gov. John Lynch recently wrapped up a five day, 10-county Live Free Vote Joe tour, while former Secretary of State John Kerry, who won the 2004 Democratic presidential primary, also spoke here recently, generating a humble crowed. Still, Dante Scala, a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire, warned that all the prep work in the world may be for naught if Iowa ends up going poorly. I could see why they would say were not going to tweak anything, but I would say, if Biden does poorly in Iowa, they might as well chock up New Hampshire as a lost cause, he said. No amount of tweaking would change much if Bidens the negative story coming out of Iowa. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Why Mehbooba Mufti will be the last in line to be freed Signs of political activity in J&K as politicos are released in a phased manner CAA stir: Journalist detained, abused by UP cops, released with apology for confusion 4 politicians in J&K released from preventive custody India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Srinagar, Feb 03: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has released four politicians from preventive custody in the MLA hostel, which has been temporarily converted into a subsidiary jail, officials said here. The three of the released politicians belong to the National Conference and one is from the PDP, they said. The four have been sent to their homes and asked to remain confined within their residence for the time being, they said. The leaders released are: Abdul Majeed Bhat Larni, Ghulam Nabi Bhat and Dr Mohammed Shafi (all National Conference) and Mohammed Yusuf Bhat of the PDP. They were detained along with several other politicians, leaders, activists and traders after the abrogation of Article 370 of the constitution on August 5 last year. Davinder Singh case: NIA raids multiple places in south Kashmir Among other prominent politicians who have been detained since the Article 370 move are NC leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and JK People's Conference leader Sajjad Gani Lone. NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 They have still not been released. While senior Abdullah has been kept at his Gupkar house, his son and NC vice president Omar Abdullah has been detained at Hari Niwas. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who was lodged at Chesmashahi Huts, has been shifted to a government building in the heart of Srinagar. The senior Abdullah was slapped with the stringent Public Safety Act on September 17 which was renewed for a period of three months on December 16. A man shot dead by police after stabbing two people in south London in an Islamist related attack has been named as the convicted terror offender Sudesh Amman. Scotland Yard confirmed the suspect killed was Amman, who had only been released around a week ago after serving half of a three year four month sentence for terror offences. He was under active police surveillance at the time of the attack on Streatham High Road and had been given strict licence terms. Armed officers were following the suspect on foot when he began attacking. Amman was jailed in 2018 aged 18 while a student at North West London College. Sudesh Amman convicted terror offender (Metropolitan Police) / Met Police He admitted 13 terror offences for disseminating terrorist material and collecting information useful for terror attacks. It was revealed during a hearing at the Old Bailey that Amman was an Isis supporter who wanted to carry out his own terror attack as well as encouraging his girlfriend to behead her own parents. The court heard how he had stockpiled a combat knife, air gun and black flag at his family home in north west London. Prosecutor Kelly Brockhurst had described Amman's fascination with using a knife in a future attack adding that, "reference was also made to committing acid attacks on mopeds". Streatham terror attack - In pictures 1 /28 Streatham terror attack - In pictures Police are dealing with an incident in Streatham Andy Bullemor Police officers conduct a search of a bail hostel in south London AFP via Getty Images A woman reacts near to the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police Getty Images Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police cordon off a property in Streatham PA Forensic officers outside a property on Leigham Court Road, Streatham PA Police activity at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police officers look under a bus as they work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the Streatham area of south London AP Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police officer on Streatham High Road PA Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Police officers guard a cordon on Streatham High Road, at the junction of Prentis Road AFP via Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police secure the area in Streatham AP Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Footage taken in the immediate aftermath of the incident showed plainclothes officers pointing their guns at a man on the ground. Moments before, witnesses said the man had been going on a knife rampage. The officers did not approach the man shot on the ground and waited for the Met's armed unit to arrive. Once on the scene, they cautiously approached the suspect's body but then began backing away quickly asking members of the public to move back. Streatham terror attack: what we know so far Later it was revealed, the man had been wearing a fake bomb device and had a knife. Reports suggest Amman entered a shop and started stabbing people. It appears he then left the shop and stabbed a woman. Witnesses reported hearing three gun shots and seeing a man lying on the ground outside a Boots pharmacy, as armed police approached and shouted at those nearby to move back. Two women and a man were injured in Sunday's attack. The man in his 40s was said to be in life-threatening condition in hospital however, he is now in a stable condition. A third person, a woman in her 50s, was wounded by glass that smashed from the impact of a bullet deployed by the armed officer and is still being treated. Whitehall sources have told journalists the attacker was released despite concerns that he still held extremist views. Streatham High Road remains closed while forensic officers investigate the scene (NIGEL HOWARD ) / Nigel Howard Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government would announce further plans for "fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences" on Monday. Forensic officers are spending the night filming and photographing the crime scene. Residents who were taking refuge inside the Odeon cinema were allowed back into their properties around 10pm. Harley Davidson Inc (HOG) recently fell to a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) after the company missed earnings. Let's take a look at the report and what else happened afterward in this Bear of the Day article. Description Harley-Davidson, Inc. manufactures and sells custom, cruiser, and touring motorcycles. The company was founded in 1903 and is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Recent Earnings Sometimes the estimates that are availbe are not complete. In the case of HOG, the Zacks data is a little light. I see the Wall Street consensus for the more recent quarter at $0.22 and the company reporting $0.20. That is a miss of two cents as revenues fell 8.4% on an annual basis to $874M and below the $928M estimate. Estimate Movements Since the miss, the Zacks Consensus Estiamte has been falling. The number for the current quarter was at $1.00 90 days ago, but is now just $0.66. The full year number is more important to the Zacks Rank and that has slipped as well. The 2020 fiscal number moved from $3.47 to $3.09 and the fiscal year for 2021 has dropped to $3.31 from $3.55 60 days ago. This is the primary reason the Zacks Rank has fallen to the lowest level. Since The Earnings Report The other day I see that KeyBanc Capital Markets upgraded HOG to Sector Weight from Underweight. They believe that sentiment may have bottomed. They went on to mention that the guidance offered by management still seems a little aggressive which is keeping the risk / reward in unfavorable territory. That all said, investors like to see an upgrade in a stock like this and hopefully it will be a sign of good things to come. Chart Harley-Davidson, Inc. Price and Consensus Harley-Davidson, Inc. Price and Consensus Harley-Davidson, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Harley-Davidson, Inc. Quote Today's Best Stocks from Zacks Would you like to see the updated picks from our best market-beating strategies? From 2017 through 2019, while the S&P 500 gained and impressive +53.6%, five of our strategies returned +65.8%, +97.1%, +118.0%, +175.7% and even +186.7%. Story continues This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. From 2000 2019, while the S&P averaged +6.0% per year, our top strategies averaged up to +54.7% per year. See their latest picks free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Harley-Davidson, Inc. (HOG) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research When the Tennessee Walking Horse industry was publicly exposed for enjoying a sadistic method of soring horses about six or seven years ago, I stumbled onto the story and was horrified the way trainers got into its Hall of Fame was to torture the most beautiful animals into doing a grotesque dance called The Big Lick. The more I got into the depravity the worse I found and, while public sentiment has finally caused Congress to strengthen the 1970 Horse Protection Act, the fact Tennessees Republican senators and members of Congress were in it up to their eyeballs was a very bitter dose of political reality I had never believed was possible. The truth is that Lamar Alexander and Mitch McConnell, the huff-and-bluff buffoon from Kentucky, have accepted thousands and thousands of dollars in Dirty Lick donations and Tennessees other Senator, the despicable Marsha Blackburn, has lined her coffers with so much dirty lick money her hopes of ever getting into heaven are heavily suspect. In November President Trump signed The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, which Tennessee Republicans had opposed for years, but members of Congress like Chattanoogas Chuck Fleischmann and Jaspers Scott DesJarlais will be long remembered for knowingly accepting dirty contributions for their votes. Alexander, who will turn 80 this year, has announced he will not seek re-election and, as much as I dislike and regret his deep involvement in the Dirty Lick, I found myself in welcome agreement with his stance in the impeachment efforts against President Donald Trump. From the beginning I have felt the whole effort was an exercise in nonsense, and little more than frantic theater by the Democratic Party. Even the leftist media is ruefully admitting the Dems have little of substance to offer the American people in the November election. Everything that Pelosi, Nadler, Schiff and the hapless candidates in Iowa seem to try comes across like a carnival sideshow and, with such a broad void in leadership, I honestly believe the GOP will retake control of the House. When the Senate voted 51-49 against allowing witnesses in the impeachment on Friday, it all but assured Trump would be acquitted on Wednesday. Before the vote over witnesses, the sad state of American politics had predicted that of 100 of the smartest minds in America, all but four were totally controlled by their party. No matter their individual beliefs, their character, their principles party politics alone controls each like a Frankenstein robot - 48 Republicans, 48 Democrats. A good example is the animal abuse bill over 300 in Congress were co-sponsors of an animal abuse bill as if in todays society we would even need one and not one of eight Tennessee Republican admitted they support it or, worse, taking money for years to oppose it? Alexander was one of the four unknowns, the four swing votes. That he would side with the Republican Party was a given, a yawn, but on Saturday when he explained his vote, what was maybe Alexanders most delightful moment in his waning years was that he seemingly pushed party politics aside, his voice rising over the prescribed and groomed 96 Senators whose rubber-stamp mentality rob our nation every day of its greatness, and became the voice of reason that both the Republicans and Democrats I know pray will return to our Republic. Can you name one American patriot who has enjoyed this impeachment farce? Can you point to one positive instance that was borne from the arrogance on both sides? America wants, deserves and relishes a change not only in Washington but in every troubled big city under Gods domain. Trump is hardly the answer nor the image, but as his critics have lashed out every hour on the hour, a casual study of his worst detractors quickly affirms the preference of him over them. HERE IS WHAT LAMAR ALEXANDER SAID ON TOWNHALL.COM Throughout the impeachment trial, all eyes have been on four senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) who are considered "toss-up" voters. It's hard to gauge exactly how they plan to vote, especially when those votes are along party lines. On Friday night, Murkowski and Alexander all voted along with their Republican colleagues to block new witnesses, something the House Impeachment Managers have pushed from the start. Both Collins and Romney sided with Democrats. According to Alexander, the House impeachment team proved President Donald Trump withheld more than $300 million in military aid to Ukraine as a means of forcing Ukrainian officials to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, for corruption. Alexander believes Trump's actions were "inappropriate," but they certainly aren't impeachable, USA Today reported. I think it was a mistake ... I think he shouldn't have done it, Alexander explained. abuse of power is such a vague term. It doesn't mean anything. Even though Alexander said the House Democrats proved that correlation between the investigation and the military aid being withheld, he believes President Trump deserves to be acquitted. He took an issue with the articles of impeachment that came from the House simply because it was a partisan effort, something that draws a stark contrast to the impeachments of Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. "I was reminded during the arguments of how the founders, James Madison particularly, felt there should never ever be a wholly partisan impeachment, Alexander told USA Today. In his mind, Trump's conduct didn't meet the high crimes and misdemeanors clause to remove him from office. We're pretty accustomed in our everyday life to being able to distinguish between things that are inappropriate and things that deserve capital punishment, the Tennessee senator explained. When you don't give capital punishment to somebody who left the scene of an accident, you disapprove of what they did. You may penalize them in the next election, but you don't throw them out of office, and tell the American people they can't vote for him in the election that's already underway. The three things that sealed Alexander's decision: the articles of impeachment being partisan; the bar for impeachment being lowered; and how close we are to the 2020 election. Coming to the decision is something Alexander said was "gradual" and happened over the course of the arguments throughout the week. He tried to look at the evidence and be impartial, just like a judge or juror is supposed to be. And he knows his vote the deciding vote in whether or not to call for additional witnesses will go down in history. "I hope what they'll remember is I listened to carefully, insisted that we heard the case, and did what I thought was right," he explained. Although he received numerous calls and emails from those on both sides of the aisle, he said he never heard from the White House or felt pressured by members of his party. "He knows better than to try to tell me how to vote," Alexander said of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, someone he's known for 50 years. At the end of the day, the Tennessee senator said he looked at the evidence as an impartial juror and came to his decision. "There wasn't any way I could, you know, maneuver my way through that, so the only way I could do it was just listen and make decisions," he said. "And what I decided was, you did it. You shouldn't have done it. But under the Constitution, the people should decide when the President does something that's simply inappropriate. That's for the voters." * * * This weekend I was proud of Lamar Alexander. royexum@aol.com GRAND RAPIDS, MI A former employee of the Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoos Immigration Assistance Program was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court to two years and nine months in prison for defrauding clients who were attempting to go through the process of becoming U.S. citizens. A former immigrant herself, Monica Karina Mazei, who also went by the name of Karina Puig, pleaded guilty in October 2019 to a charge of wire fraud for admittedly embezzling money from clients on numerous occasions between 2015 and 2019, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office. Mazei helped clients and their relatives apply for visas, work permits, permanent resident status, citizenship and other relief, the release states. She collected fees from certain clients and promised to process their petitions (but instead) embezzled their money and did not send in their paperwork. In some cases she would request cash from clients and pocket it, the release states. In other cases, she would deceive clients by requesting blank checks or money orders. She would then make a copy of the check and write U.S. Department of Homeland Security" in the payee line and give it to the client as proof of payment. However, on the actual check she would write her own name and deposit it into a personal account. Mazei was given an opportunity to live the American dream, U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge said in a prepared statement, but she cashed in on the dreams of others to line her own pockets. Mazei, who immigrated from Ecuador in 1999 according to the U.S. Attorneys Office, concealed her scheme from her employer by not opening files from the clients she was defrauding. Officials with the Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo, in a statement issued Thursday, Aug. 22, following Mazeis federal indictment, said they fired the worker in March when they first learned of the potential fraud. This past March when diocesan officials discovered evidence of potential fraudulent activity, we dismissed the employee and immediately alerted local law enforcement and began distributing notice of this to outlets that reach potential affected parties. Additionally, we alerted the public through our April 18 news release so we could heighten awareness to those individuals who may have been negatively impacted," the statement read. The diocese offered an additional statement Feb. 3 following Mazeis sentencing. The Diocese of Kalamazoo has a long-standing commitment to assist immigrants seeking a legal pathway to citizenship through its Immigration Assistance Program," the statement read, in part. "We are devastated that our clients were defrauded by an individual misrepresenting the ministry during their time of employment. "The IAP office continues to work with those individuals who were impacted and stands ready to assist all victims of fraud in this matter. We are grateful for the diligence of law enforcement as well as the U.S. Attorney Generals Office in bringing the legal matter to a resolution. In addition to sentencing Mazei to prison, U.S. District Chief Judge Robert Jonker, on Feb. 3, ordered her to pay $58,998 in restitution to her identifiable victims. Also on MLive: Former Kalamazoo diocese worker defrauded immigrants she pledged to help Former owner of large Southwest Michigan farm to stand trial; wife files motion to have plea accepted Michigan woman convicted of husbands killing, released after appeal, featured on 48 Hours Boris Johnson today brutally slapped down Michel Barnier after the EU negotiator demanded Britain signs up to EU rules to get a trade deal. The PM insisted there is no need to tie the UK to Brussels regulations, or vice versa, as he condemned growing protectionism around the world. Arguing that he wants to be a champion of free trade now Brexit has happened, Mr Johnson dismissed claims that Britain will undercut social and environmental standards - saying it was often ahead of the bloc. The defiant stance - in a 30-minute speech in which the premier notably declined to use the word 'Brexit' - came minutes after Mr Barnier warned that Britain will only get a 'best in class' trade deal if it bows to demands on a 'level playing field' and access to fishing waters. He said the bloc was ready to strike an 'ambitious' package with the UK, including zero tariffs and quotas and covering the crucial services sector. But he insisted that would be 'conditional' on Britain committing to keep the current social and environmental standards - as well as letting the European fishing fleet in. The two sides are on a collision course again, with Mr Johnson vowing he will never accept Brussels regulations as the price for a trade deal. Boris Johnson (pictured in Greenwich today) called for a zero-tariff, zero-quota arrangement - but dismissed demands from the EU to align with their rules to get the package EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the bloc is ready to strike an 'ambitious' package with the UK, including zero tariffs and quotas and covering the crucial services sector The two sides are on a collision course again, with Mr Johnson vowing he will never accept Brussels regulations as the price for a trade deal The PM signalled a tough approach in a keynote speech urging European leaders to honour their pledge to give the UK a Canada-style package. But Mr Johnson warned that the EU must not demand alignment with its rules - making clear if it does he will simply walk away from the table. Canada or Australia? The two options in post-Brexit trade talks CANADA The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the EU was signed in October 2016. It meant 98 per cent of goods traded are exempt from tariffs - although there are still regulatory barriers and the system is being phased in. Companies in based in both jurisdictions can compete for public contracts. There are protections for products from specific geographical locations, such as Parma ham. But there is little coverage of services, aside from respecting intellectual property. AUSTRALIA The EU and Australia do not have a formal trade deal - although one is being negotiated. Instead the two interact based on World Trade Organisation terms. That means tariffs apply on many goods, with ad hoc agreements in specific areas. Advertisement The clash comes on the first working day after Brexit finally happened on Friday night, sets the stage for months of brutal haggling over the shape of the future relationship. In another pressure tactic, there are claims that Mr Barnier has also agreed to Spain's call to get a veto over whether Gibraltar should be covered by the arrangements - something that Britain has insisted will not be agreed. Irish PM Leo Varadkar has also been turning up the rhetoric, after branding the UK a 'small country' and gloating that the EU has a stronger hand in the talks. At a press conference in Brussels, Mr Barnier spelled out the EU's stance as skirmishing gets under way. He said a 'best in class' trade deal could include zero tariffs and zero quotas on goods, and cover the services sector. 'We are ready to offer all this, even though we know there will be strong competition between the UK, our immediate neighbour, and the EU in the future,' he said. 'Competition is normal, competition is normal. But because of our geographical proximity and economic interdependence, our draft mandate also makes clear, that this exceptional offer is conditional on at least two things. 'First, we need to make sure that competition is and remains open and fair. We have already agreed with PMB that our future partnership will prevent, and I quite 'unfair competitive advantages'. 'We must now agree on specific and effective guarantees to ensure a level playing field over the long term. 'That means a mechanism to uphold the high standards we have on social, environmental, climate, tax and state aid matters today and in their future developments. Leo Varadkar, the Irish Taoiseach, yesterday insisted the extra protections were needed as the UK is geographically closer to the EU than Canada and does a much larger volume of trade Mr Johnson, speaking in the Painted Hall at Greenwich Royal Naval College, warned that the EU must not demand alignment with its rules - making clear if it does he will simply walk away from the table 'Second, out free trade agreement must include an agreement on fisheries. This agreement should provide for continued reciprocal access to markets and waters with stable quota shares. 'If we can agree on this, as well as robust agreements towards a level playing field, and the necessary enforcement mechanism, we will achieve a very ambitious free and fair trade agreement.' PM slams 'American-bashers' peddling 'mumbo-jumbo' about food standards Boris Johnson today slammed 'mumbo-jumbo' fears about US food standards and NHS interference - as he insisted Britain will be the superhero of free trade. The PM shrugged off 'hysteria' over issues like chlorinated chicken, joking that he thought Americans looked 'pretty well nourished'. He said Britain's approach would be based on 'science', although he stressed that other countries will have to accept that the UK will not slash standards or compromise animal welfare. The comments came as Mr Johnson delivered a keynote speech pledging to make the country a beacon for free trade now it has left the EU. Hailing Britain's proud history of pushing for more competition, he said it would emerge with 'cape flowing' to fight those who were 'letting the air out of the tyres' of the global economy. Advertisement However, Mr Johnson argued no other country which has a trade deal with the EU has been forced to sign up to such obligations. In a speech to business leaders and ambassadors in Greenwich, he said: 'There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment or anything similar, any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules. 'The UK will maintain the highest standards in these areas better, in many respects, than those of the EU without the compulsion of a treaty and it is vital to stress this now.' He said: 'We have often been told that we must choose between full access to the EU market, along with accepting its rules and courts on the Norway model, or an ambitious free trade agreement, which opens up markets and avoids the full panoply of EU regulation, on the example of Canada. We have made our choice: we want a free trade agreement, similar to Canada's.' In the 'very unlikely event' that talks do not succeed, Mr Johnson said in his speech he will seek a much looser arrangement. 'The choice is emphatically not 'deal or no deal'. The question is whether we agree a trading relationship with the EU comparable to Canada's or more like Australia's,' he insisted. 'In either case, I have no doubt that Britain will prosper.' Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said any suggestion the UK will have to follow EU rules and laws after 2021 'just ain't happening' Mr Johnson added that 'our new relationship with our closest neighbours will range far beyond trade'. 'We will seek a pragmatic agreement on security, protecting our citizens without trespassing on the autonomy of our respective legal systems,' he will announce. Nissan 'could ABANDON the EU and expand operations in the UK' after Brexit Nissan could abandon the EU and expand its operations in the UK to get a competitive advantage after Brexit, it was claimed today. The Japanese company has reportedly drawn up plans to 'double down' on its presence in Britain if tariffs are introduced across the Channel next year. The move is designed to capitalise on higher costs of other car manufacturers - with suggestions Nissan could end up selling four times as many vehicles in the UK as a result. According to the Financial Times, the scenario - one of a number of options being considered - would see plants in Barcelona and France closed down. Instead, production in Sunderland would be ramped up. Advertisement Mr Varadkar yesterday insisted the extra protections were needed as the UK is geographically closer to the EU than Canada and does a much larger volume of trade. He told the BBC's Andrew Marr show yesterday: 'You're geographically part of the European continent, we share seas, we share airspace and our economies are very integrated. 'One thing that we feel very strongly in the European Union is that if we're going to have tariff-free, quota-free trade with the UK... then that needs to come with a level playing field. We would have very strong views on fair competition and state aid.' But Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said any suggestion the UK will have to follow EU rules and laws after 2021 'just ain't happening'. He told Marr that staying tied to EU regulations 'obviously defeats the point of Brexit'. Mr Johnson has vowed to negotiate a trade deal with the EU by the end of this year so there is no need to extend the transition period beyond December. Some EU figures have questioned whether the fast-track timetable is realistic, but former European Council president Donald Tusk yesterday said he believed it would be possible. He told Marr: 'One year is enough to finalise our negotiations.' The key flashpoints: From seabass to City bankers... By John Stevens, deputy political editor for the Daily Mail EU STANDARDS What the EU wants: Brussels has said it is ready to offer a 'highly ambitious' trade deal with zero tariffs and zero quotas but with strings attached. It says the UK must agree to maintain EU standards on workers' rights, environmental protections and state aid so British businesses do not have a competitive advantage over those on the continent. What the UK wants: Boris Johnson insisted yesterday there was 'no need' for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules and regulations. He made the argument that Brussels has not imposed similar obligations on other countries it has struck trade deals with. At the weekend, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said a commitment to stick to the EU's way of doing things 'obviously defeats the point of Brexit'. FISHING RIGHTS EU: Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, insists that allowing European trawlers into UK waters is 'inextricably linked' to securing a trade deal. France and other maritime nations want a 25-year settlement based on the current quota system to 'avoid economic dislocation' for continental fishermen who currently land 43 per cent of the fish caught here. UK: The Prime Minister has said he is ready to consider an agreement on fisheries but warned it 'must reflect the fact that the UK will be an independent coastal state from the end of this year, controlling our own waters'. He has proposed annual negotiations to ensure 'British fishing grounds are first and foremost for British boats'. GIBRALTAR EU: Brussels has backed Spain's territorial claim to Gibraltar by handing Madrid a veto over whether it is included in a Brexit trade deal. The centuries-old dispute over the Rock has been an issue throughout Brexit talks, with Spain provoking a row last year by insisting it be referred to as a 'colony' in EU legislation. UK: Mr Johnson said yesterday: 'The UK will be negotiating on behalf of the entire UK family and that certainly includes Gibraltar and the sovereignty of Gibraltar remains, as everybody knows, indivisible.' The 1713 Treaty of Utrecht gave the peninsula to Britain in perpetuity. In 1967 and 2002 its people voted against Spanish sovereignty. ROLE FOR EU JUDGES EU: Brussels wants the European Court of Justice to be given a legal role in disputes between the EU and UK over the agreement. Mr Barnier also warned yesterday the UK would automatically be kicked out of joint law enforcement programmes if it pulled out of the European Convention on Human Rights. UK: Mr Johnson said yesterday an agreement could not include 'any jurisdiction for the European Court of Justice over the UK's laws'. He warned that a deal 'must respect the sovereignty of both parties and the autonomy of our legal orders'. FINANCIAL SERVICES EU: The EU is refusing to negotiate on whether firms based in the City of London will be allowed to continue to serve clients on the continent. It plans to retain the unilateral right to decide whether British firms can keep trading, which could be withdrawn with as little as 30 days' notice. UK: Ministers accept that banks in the City of London will not get an unqualified right to trade in the EU, but want the notice period lengthened. They insist the deal should 'provide a predictable, transparent and business-friendly environment'. Advertisement Give Brussels fishing rights for 25 years? Codswallop! Britain to reject EU demands for deal that would allow foreign trawlers access to our waters until 2045 Britain is to reject EU demands for a deal on fishing that would give foreign trawlers access to our waters for 25 years. Instead, France and other European nations will have to request access annually, with quotas negotiated each year. The UK has some of the richest fishing grounds in the world, but British vessels land less than a third 32 per cent of the total catch. EU boats take 43 per cent, while the Norwegians catch 21 per cent. At the end of the transition period in December, the country will leave the EU's Common Fisheries Policy, which dictates how much British trawlers can catch and where. Fishermen complain they do not get a fair share of what is caught in UK waters. The Fisheries Bill going through Parliament will end the automatic right of EU vessels to fish in British waters, with access to fisheries set to be a matter for the UK to negotiate. Ministers see Norway as a model. It holds annual negotiations with the EU on access to waters, management of shared stocks and exchanges of quota rights. The political declaration on future relations agreed by Boris Johnson and EU leaders last year states fishing rights must be ratified by July. Home Just In House wants govt to take all properties of Nepal Childrens Organisation under own control Kathmandu, February 3 A committee in the House of Representatives has directed the government to take all properties of the Nepal Childrens Organisation under its control. The Women and Social Committee in Parliament has also told the government to protect all children currently kept under the organisation. A meeting of the panel held today said the government should ensure that it has effective systems at provincial and local levels to protect the orphaned children. The Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens should utilise the properties of the organisation for this purpose, according to the meetings decision. Meanwhile, the committee also directed the government to identify the organisations involved in trade in the guise of altruism. The government has been told to maintain transparency in the activities of the NGOs involved in child protection, and make sure that they would not violate childrens rights at any cost. Vodafone-Ukraine, the second largest Ukrainian mobile operator, places eurobonds for $500 million at 6.2% per annum, a source in the banking circles has told Interfax-Ukraine. According to him, the demand for the operator's bonds amounted to about $3 billion. "The funds raised will be used to repay the bridge loan in the amount of $464 million and corporate goals," the source said. As reported, Vodafone-Ukraine plans to attract up to $500 million of external financing for development. The operator planned to place eurobonds for a period of five years with a two-year option. The road show was held in London, New York, and Boston. Last year NEQSOL Holding through Telco Solutions and Investments LLC, controlled by Bakcell, signed an agreement with PJSC MTS on the purchase of its telecommunications business in Ukraine. The transaction for the purchase of Vodafone-Ukraine was closed at the end of December 2019 with raising funds from J.P. Morgan and RBI, the price was $734 million, including deferred payment of about $84 million. In April 2019, PrJSC VF-Ukraine issued eurobonds in the amount of EUR90 million with a coupon yield of 9.2% per annum. The operator planned to use the proceeds from their placement mainly for the acquisition of LTE licenses and partially for the construction of the network. Hyderabad: All the elections done with, TRS legislators and Coun-cil members who aspired for nominated posts are eagerly awaiting Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to make appointments. Just before the recently concluded elections to urban local bodies, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao had announced that MLAs and MLCs would be given the nominated posts. To accommodate them as chairpersons of government-owned corporations, the government had brou-ght out the TS Payment of Salaries and Pension and Removal of Disqualific-ations (Amendment) Ordi-nance, 2019 (Ordinance 7 of 2019) to exempt the posts from the office of profit rule. After the amendment, the Chief Minister appointed MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy as the chairman of the Rythu Samanvaya Samiti. At a recent press briefing after the Cabinet meeting, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao announced that he would nominate chairpersons to 28 corporations including the Rythu Samanvaya Samiti. With the legal hurdles to their appointment cleared and the completion of all elections, including those to gram panchayats, zilla and mandal parishads panchayat raj bodies and municipalities and municipal corporations, the MLAs and MLCs are looking at the Chief Minister. Some MLAs and MLCs are already lobbying for the nominated posts with party working president K.T. Rama Rao. Sources close to the Chief Ministers Office revealed that Mr Chandrasekhar Rao had changed his earlier idea of appointing senior leaders as chairpersons and decided to accommodate those who were not taken in the Cabinet and those who merged with the ruling party from the Congress. Twelve MLAs of the Congress had joined the TRS after the Assembly elections of December 2018. Of them, Ms Sabitha Indra Reddy got a berth in the Cabinet and the others are waiting for some plum posts. They are not happy with the delay. Sources said that the Chief Minister had promised some posts to Congress MLAs including G. Venkataramana Reddy, Sudhir Reddy, Ch Lingaiah, Rohit Reddy, Haripriya Nayak, V. Venkateswara Rao and Athram Sakku when they joined the party. Sources said that TRS MLAs Bajireddy Gover-dhan, Padma Devender Reddy, Aroori Ramesh, K.P. Vivekananda Goud, Bigala Ganesh Gupta and Rekha Nayak could get the nominated posts. (Bloomberg) -- Want to receive this post in your inbox every day? Sign up for the Balance of Power newsletter, and follow Bloomberg Politics on Twitter and Facebook for more. Britain ended its bad-tempered 47-year marriage to the EU. U.S. President Donald Trump won a major victory in his Senate impeachment trial and is now poised for acquittal. And the spread of a deadly virus has the world on edge.Dig into these and other topics with the latest edition of Weekend Reads. Trump Protected by Republicans Adopting Defense Teams LogicRepublican senators protected Trump and each other from confronting fresh evidence in the presidents impeachment trial by adopting arguments from his lawyers about why the proceedings had run their course. Steven T. Dennis explains why. Democrats Vow Trump Probes to Go On After Impeachment Trial EndsTrumps scrutiny by Congress wont end with his expected acquittal in the Senate. As Billy House reports, House Democrats have a list of inquiries they plan to pursue when the impeachment saga is over. Asias Governments Struggle to Crack Down on Virus RumorsMounting anxiety surrounding the coronavirus epidemic has governments scrambling to tamp down on social media falsehoods that may fuel fear and lead to a breakdown in security or spread of dubious health information. Philip J. Heijmans, Anisah Shukry and Siraphob Thanthong-Knight take a closer look. Mistrust Hampers Hong Kongs Battle to Hold Back China VirusHong Kong was always going to face a huge challenge holding back a disease outbreak raging in mainland China. As Alfred Liu, Shelly Banjo and Annie Lee report, deep mistrust built up over seven months of protests is making that task even harder. Democrats Rally to 2020 Candidates on Surge of Anti-Trump EnergyNew data shows that the surge of Democratic activism around the country in 2020 has already eclipsed the record level of the midterm elections two years ago and is still growing. Joshua Green and Tyler Pager take a closer look, with the partys nominating process set to kick off Monday in Iowa. Story continues What It's Like When a Wildfire Sweeps Through Your Home (With You Inside)Max Atkins had known Australias wildfires were headed toward his property on Australias southeastern coast. But, as David Stringer reports, the 84-year-old was unprepared for the speed with which they arrived. The Crisis That Shattered India's Economic DreamsWish Town was once a sought-after destination for Indias aspiring middle classes seeking a slice of the good days promised by an ambitious Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Now, its a symbol of lost hope, Vrishti Beniwal, Rahul Satija, Dhwani Pandya and Anirban Nag report. Click here for a list of winners and losers from Modis budget, announced today. Its the Kochs vs. the Mercers in the Rights Big Tech BrawlConservative Republicans and their backers think libertarian groups and right-wing nonprofits are shielding tech companies from regulation. Naomi Nix and Joe Light look at the divide. And finally Bargain flights between Hong Kong and New York have emerged with the coronaviruss spread as long as travelers are willing to stop in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. As Angus Whitley and Janet Paskin report, flying with China Southern Airlines to John F. Kennedy International on May 20 costs only $193. The trip includes 6 hours and 35 minutes in Wuhan. To contact the author of this story: Kathleen Hunter in London at khunter9@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Karl Maier at kmaier2@bloomberg.net For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. China on Monday opened a 1,000-bed hospital built in record nine days in Wuhan city, the epicentre of the coronavirus, and started clinical trials for a drug to treat the virulent virus as the death toll in the outbreak soared to 361, with 17,238 confirmed cases. A noted Chinese health expert Zhong Nanshan said that based on the fresh evidence, the novel coronavirus which is spreading rapidly in China and the world may reach its peak in the next 10 to 14 days, contrary to earlier estimates of climaxing sooner. This means that the cases would drastically increase in the next two weeks before slowing down. The death toll in China's coronavirus epidemic soared to 361 with 57 deaths on Sunday while the number of confirmed cases climbed to 17,238, Chinese health officials announced on Monday. Among Sunday's deaths, 56 were reported from Hubei Province, the epicentre of the virus outbreak, and one from southwest China's Chongqing, the commission said. The Philippines already reported the first overseas death of the virus while 148 cases have been reported from abroad. India has reported three cases of the coronavirus, all of them in Keralites who returned from Wuhan. China opened a 1,000-bed makeshift hospital in Wuhan built in record nine days to exclusively treat the coronavirus patients. On Wednesday, another 1,300 bed makeshift hospital will be opened adjacent to it. Together, they will open up 2,300 bed hospitals exclusively to treat the coronavirus patients. The new facility will ease the shortage of beds in the city resulting from an increasing number of patients infected with the virus, official media reported. Medical personnel from the People's Liberation Army will take over the new Huoshenshan Hospital. Official media publicised the construction of the hospitals in tearing hurry as major strength of the ruling Communist Party of China's ability to deal with such epidemics. Also, China has begun clinical trials to test a drug to treat the patients of the coronavirus which till now has no cure. Currently, patients are being treated with a combination of antivirals and other measures, as scientists race to find a vaccine. Some reports said drugs to treat HIV too was being tried to treat the patients. The experimental antiviral drug, Remdesivir to be tested in field trials is developed by US-based Gilead Sciences, is aimed at treating infectious diseases such Ebola and SARS, South China Morning Post reported. It was given to the first US patient last week a 35-year-old man whose condition appeared to improve within a day, it said. China's National Health Commission on Monday said the drug trials were being carried out at multiple hospitals in the central city of Wuhan. Some 270 patients will take part in the study, the Post quoted China's thepaper.cn as saying. Zhong Nanshan, also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said current research has shown the virus originated from bats, but whether there are more intermediate carriers between bats and humans requires further investigation. Although there is no effective cure yet, there are at least seven drugs targeting the virus' genetic material going through various stages of clinical trials, he told the official Xinhua Agency. A vaccine is also in the works, though it requires more time to reach clinical application. "We have learned from the successful therapy of SARS and established a set of effective treatment plans," he said. "And with the help of various life-support measures we have ensured the recovery success rate of patients," he said. The average incubation period of the virus is around five days, with fever being the most common symptom of the virus, he said. China on Monday said it "urgently needs" protective medical equipment. "What China urgently needs at present are medical masks, protective suits, and safety goggles," the foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a press briefing. The novel coronavirus epidemic has triggered a sharp increase in demand for masks for citizens and protective clothing for medical workers. Companies have been mobilised to run at full capacity to produce these high-demand materials. Meanwhile, China accused the US on Monday of spreading "panic" in its response to the deadly coronavirus, including imposing a ban on Chinese travellers. It follows the US decision to declare a public health emergency and deny entry to foreign nationals who had visited China in the past two weeks. The World Health Organisation said it was partnering with Google to prevent the spread of misinformation about the new coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 18:19:54|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close CAPE TOWN, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged on Monday to use South Africa's chairmanship of the African Union (AU) to promote the economic empowerment of African women. At the end of the week, Ramaphosa will travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an AU summit at which South Africa will assume chairmanship of the continental organization for the next year. "We plan to use this great responsibility, among other things, to promote the economic empowerment of the women of Africa," Ramaphosa said in his weekly address. With the African Continental Free Trade Area coming into operation this year, Africa has an opportunity to ensure that women and women-owned businesses be able to meaningfully benefit from what will be the world's largest common market for goods and services, the president said. "There has never been a better time to do so," he added. Just as there can be no real gender equality without economic emancipation for women, so too there can be no sustainable economic growth for any country unless women are full and equal participants, said Ramaphosa. South Africa's chairmanship of the AU coincides with the end of the African Women's Decade and the 25th anniversary of the landmark World Conference on Women, where United Nations member countries adopted the far-reaching Beijing Platform for Action toward greater equality and opportunity for women. This is an opportunity for African countries to gauge the progress they have made to protect the fundamental freedoms of women, Ramaphosa said. "It is also an opportunity to measure just how far we have come and what more needs to be done to broaden the economic participation of women," he added. Ramaphosa stressed the need to acknowledge, for example, that the principle of equal pay for equal work is still not consistently applied. Women's participation in certain industries, especially in science and engineering-related fields, is still far lower than that of men, according to Ramaphosa. Women still carry the highest burden for child care and "unpaid work" in the home and still occupy lower paid and lower skilled jobs, he said. Despite employment equity legislation, there are fewer women than men in senior management roles, especially in business, the president said. "We want to use our term as AU chair to improve women's representation in economic and political decision-making processes in their home countries, in the AU, in the UN and in other multilateral organizations," said Ramaphosa. He called for policy and regulatory harmonization across AU member countries that promote women's participation in the labor force but also in creating pathways to self-employment for women. Importantly, this is a struggle that women themselves are leading, in different areas and in different ways, Ramaphosa said. Eradicating gender-based violence, advancing affirmative action policies, supporting working mothers through the provision of affordable childcare, parental leave and flexible working hours, and making public spaces safer for women are all necessary if women are to participate meaningfully in economic activity, said Ramaphosa. There can be no greater achievement than giving African women greater control over their lives and the ability to make decisions to advance greater economic security and personal empowerment, the president said. "By unleashing the economic potential of women, we are unleashing the potential of our economies to grow and benefit all," he added. BRIDGEPORT The Beardsley Zoos own season-predicting prairie dog did not see his shadow Sunday morning when he emerged from his burrow, agreeing with Pennsylvanias Punxsutawney Phil that 2020 will see an early spring. Beardsley Bart is a very early riser and when he came out this morning, he confirmed that he did not see his shadow, said Zoo Director Gregg Dancho. But every year, Beardsley Bart says that spring is coming eventually, and he has always been 100 percent correct. Midland resident Kimberly Megoran has worked with a variety of people through Love Street Live, a music and art collaborative she founded about a decade ago. Traveling to Michigan music festivals, as well as hosting private sessions, Megoran has used her love for music and art to help others express themselves. Whether it's sitting in a circle making music or a group of people creating one painting, or perhaps both at the same time - it's Love Street Live. And now, the latest endeavor for Megoran is working with children. Over the past weekend, she and a few other Love Street Live members completed the Children's Grief Center's annual facilitator training. "What happens with the music and the art and the healing that comes from that - it creates such a camaraderie, especially with children," Megoran said. "And we find that after the artwork is created you have that memory -- there's just so much healing that comes from it." The Children's Grief Center of the Great Lakes Bay Region is a nonprofit organization that creates safe, healing environments for children and teens and their families who are grieving the loss of a loved one. It does this by offering peer support grief groups in Midland, Bay City and Saginaw and on-site school peer grief support groups, all at no cost to the participants. Executive director and founder of the Children's Grief Center Camille Gerace Nitschky said the training is mandatory for anyone who plans to volunteer at the center and work with kids. "We don't want anybody necessarily working with our kids unless they know how to talk to them," she said. "There's a lot of things that people say that's just not appropriate." So, in order to use art and music in a healing way with children, Megoran enrolled in the training with a handful of other people. The training started a few weeks ago but due to inclement weather, it was finished this past Saturday, Feb. 1. Over the course of the two-day training, the volunteers learned how to appropriately interact with children who are grieving by watching educational videos, doing activities and creating their own journey boards of grief. Of course, with Megoran and other LSL members in attendance, they also did some collaborative painting and music. Megoran said she's been learning how to use music in a new way that will be beneficial to grieving children. "Their own process (of healing) is really what we want to facilitate, without putting in our own ideas," she said. "So, there's going to be a fine balance with Love Street Live in creating the right environment musically The key is really to create a palette for them to be able to express their own grief." Gerace Nitschky said that the training also offers the volunteers a place to tell their own stories of grief and connect with others, just like the kids do in group. Megoran said she's been able to understand more about her own grieving process and work through devastations in her own life during the training. In addition, Megoran said she would like to auction more artwork created by Love Street Live to raise money for the Children's Grief Center. The grief center is located at 4702 James Savage Road in Midland. To contact the nonprofit organization and learn more about its services, call 989-495-9335 or email admin@childrensgriefglbr.org. To learn more about Love Street Live, visit http://www.kimberlymegoran.com/love-st-live/ North Korea could be suffering coronavirus infections despite closing its borders and banning all foreigners. North Korean Health Ministry official Song In-bom told state TV, "No one should let their guard down simply because there has been no outbreak of new coronavirus in this country yet." State media are calling attention to coronavirus every day, reporting on quarantine efforts in Wuhan and around the world. "Health officials are stepping up sanitation and prevention efforts," the official Rodong Sinmun reported on Sunday. "They are trying to screen people with a fever or those who cough, and isolate them in a timely manner." This suggests that there are at least some patients with suspected coronavirus. "It's possible that the regime is covering up the spread of coronavirus for its own security, or that it is unable to make accurate diagnoses due to its poor medical system," said Cho Han-bum at the Korea Institute for National Unification. It is unclear whether health authorities have coronavirus reagents for diagnosis or any technology for virus testing. India: A boost shot for the Blue Economy by V Sajeev Kumar February 03,2020 | Source: The Hindu Business Line Amid slowing growth in the marine fisheries sector, the Budget initiatives are expected to to boost fish production and reinvigorate the countrys fisheries economy. The sector is presently faced with problems of excess fishing capacity, low catch per unit effort, wide income disparities among the sectors of the fishing community and resultant socio economic conflict. The stagnant sea production warrants the need for expanding the aquaculture sector to meet the requirements of the growing population, A Ramachandran, Vice Chancellor, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos) told BusinessLine. With over exploitation of resources and excess fishing pressure in the coastal waters, he said, the target of increasing fish production from the present 140 lakh tonnes to 200 lakh tonnes by 2022 is possible only with concerted efforts in the aquaculture sector. Both State governments and the private sector have a role to play in grabbing the opportunity for aquaculture expansion by identifying the appropriate species for different regions. Production can be increased by both area expansion and productive use of the current 172,000 hectares of ponds. India stands second in fish production in the world, with a total production of 13.7 mt in 2018-19, of which 65 per cent was from the inland sector, said Ramachandran. The Budget allocation will also help overcome the weakness in the supply chain. The main constraint in fish utilisation in India is the lack of proper cold chain transport network connecting the landing centres to the processing, marketing and consumption centres, he added. P Shinoj, senior scientist at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, said cage farming, seaweed mari-culture and other associated segments can be looked at to bring a quantum jump in production. On the setting up of 500 fish farmers producer organisations, he said the FPO's in the agricultural sector has been set up with a view to instil professionalism in primary production. While extending the model to fisheries sector, it is important to address several vulnerabilities that the existing FPO's are grappling with, particularly in terms of leadership, managerial competency, technological and financial support, he added. Even though the country has strong R&D network focussed on fisheries and aquaculture, there is a huge vacuum in the realm of taking promising technologies from lab to land, developing skills and business incubation. The Sagar Mitra initiative is expected to bridge this gap, Shinoj said. According to Charles George, State president of the Kerala Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedi (TUCI), the involvement of coastal communities is vital for achieving the goals of Blue Economy and the government should address the concern of over 90 lakh fish-workers before moving ahead. Today, more focus has been given to culture fishery than capture fishery. Equal importance should be given to inland as well as coastal fishing by extending adequate financial support, procurement facilities and attractive price for the produce, he said, adding that instead of looking at products alone, fish producers should also be taken care of. Creating school environments that promote high expectations for students with disabilities can be a difficult task for school and district leadersespecially if those leaders dont have strong special education backgrounds. Three states, including Delaware, will use new federal grants to help prepare better-trained educators to tackle the work. The state already offers a special education director credential, but it does not specify what knowledge or skills individuals must have to qualityand only 42 percent of the states special education directors have the credential, said Beth Mineo, the director of the University of Delawares Center for Disabilities Studies. To close that gap in skills and preparation among administrators, the Delaware Department of Education and the University of Delaware will launch the Special Education Administrative Leadership (SEAL) program this summer using a five-year, $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. There is no guarantee that even when someone holds the credential currently, that theyre going to have the array of knowledge and skills that we know to be really critical in this role, Mineo said. Leadership is critical for setting the tone, making sure that everybody is functioning not just within the law, but reflecting evidence-based practices. As part of the training, selected applicants will conduct research on an actual special education challenge that exists in their school or district, attend retreats that expose them to a range of special education topics, and participate in internships that immerse them in school, district, and state-level work on special education issues. The participants will learn how staff members, such as speech language pathologists and occupational therapists, support students with disabilities and the needs of particular student populations, such as children who have hearing loss, vision impairment, and autism. The 18-month curriculum will also include school leadership training from the University of Delaware Academy for School Leadership. The college is currently accepting applications. The first cohort will begin in August. We want to influence people at all levels of the system, Mineo said. Were not just targeting people at the pinnacle ... but people who see themselves as being able to be influential. That could be a special educator who wants to develop their leadership skills or a principal or assistant principal who feels like they need a more complete grasp of special education law and practices to meet the needs of students with individualized education programs. The program will train 55 educators around the state in four cohorts. The U.S. Department of Education awarded similar grants to develop statewide leadership programs and networks to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. Related Reading The Important Role Principals Play in Special Education Help for Principals Who Want to Support Special Education Teachers and Students Does Special Education Work for Students With Learning Disabilities? Survey Offers Front-Line View Into Special Education KALAMAZOO, MI -- Four candidates will be in Kalamazoo this week to interview with the Kalamazoo Public Schools Board of Education for the opportunity to be the new leader of the district. KPS board members will interview four people chosen to continue in the superintendent search Wednesday, Feb. 5, and Thursday, Feb. 6, at the districts administration building, 1220 Howard St. Darrin Slade, assistant superintendent of school leadership at Kansas City Public Schools in Kansas City, Missouri, will interview at 6:20 p.m. Wednesday. Rita Raichoudhuri, executive director of early college and career education at Chicago Public Schools in Chicago, will be interviewed beginning at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday. Fabby Williams, learning area superintendent and school support officer for Guilford County Schools in Greensboro, North Carolina, is scheduled to interview at 6:20 p.m. Thursday. Efe Agbamu, assistant superintendent of schools at St. Paul Public Schools in St. Paul, Minnesota, will interview at 7:45 p.m. Thursday. The search for a new superintendent began in May after longtime district leader Michael Rice was chosen as Michigans new state superintendent. The district chose Gary Start, deputy superintendent of business and finance, to serve as interim superintendent while the board conducted a search with help from the Michigan Association of School Boards. The four candidates selected for interviews this week were chosen from a pool of six candidates after short, prerecorded video interviews with each were played for the board and community alike on Tuesday, Jan. 28. Slade has worked in his current role since 2018. He said in his video interview that his skills match the current challenges at KPS, and spoke of his accomplishments at turning around schools while working in Washington D.C. In his current role, Slade oversees 16 schools of about 7,000 students. Prior to that, he worked as a principal in the District of Columbia Public Schools for about 16 years. Slade holds a doctorate degree in educational leadership, an executive masters in leadership from Georgetown University, a masters degree in teaching from John Hopkins University and a bachelors degree in political science. Board member Ken Greschak voted against bringing Slade back for a second interview. Slade is also a finalist in the superintendent search at Grand Rapids Public Schools, according to Greg Sieszputowski, director of leadership development and executive search services for MASB. Raichoudhuri said during her interview that Kalamazoos school culture was attractive to her because the right organization nurtures and empowers" but is also not afraid to shine a bright light on all the dark spots" that the district needs to improve. She has worked in her current role with Chicago Public Schools since 2017. Prior to that, she worked as the principal at a Chicago high school for about four years. She holds a doctorate degree in urban education leadership from the University of Chicago, a masters degree in education and a bachelors degree in environmental science. The board said she had a positive energy and was well-spoken. Williams said the Kalamazoo Promise gives students something to work toward and that the districts diversity is also its strength. He said he has had success working at every level in education, and holds himself accountable to ensure the success of all of his students. Williams holds a doctorate degree in educational leadership and two additional educational specialist degrees. He earned two masters degrees in both administration and supervision and school guidance counseling, and a bachelors degree in social work. Prior to beginning as the North Carolina school districts superintendent in 2017, Williams worked about five years as a high school principal in North Carolina, one year as principal in Illinois, one year as interim principal in Chicago and two years as a principal in North Carolina. He also worked as a guidance counselor and special education teacher. The board liked his experience helping to bring equitable access to Advanced Placement courses to all students, his success at raising graduation rates and something he said about wanting to move his family to Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo Board of Education President Patti Sholler-Barber said she was concerned that Williams has held nine jobs since 2003. The board also expressed concern about Williams professional relationship with district teachers, referencing a disagreement with teachers while working in Illinois about nine years ago. Williams fired a number of teachers while working as interim principal in 2011 at Austin Polytechnical Academy, which is part of Chicago Public Schools. The action sparked student protests and walk-outs, according to an article by The New York Times published May 19, 2011. Agbamu said in her video that the Kalamazoo Promise totally aligns with her values and beliefs. Agbamu has 30 years working in education, according to her resume. She noted a proven ability to work in unison with students, teachers and community members. She holds a doctorate degree in educational leadership and masters and bachelors degrees from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. Shes worked as the assistant superintendent at St. Paul Public Schools in St. Paul, Minnesota since 2012. Prior to that, she was an executive director and high school principal in the district. The board praised Agbamus resume and prior experience, but wanted to know more specifics on how she would fit in Kalamazoo. Board member Jason Morris said Agbamu was well-credentialed and brings a wealth of experience. The candidates full resumes, with some personal information redacted, are available online. Inquiries about the superintendent search should be directed to Greg Sieszputowski, director of leadership development and executive search services at MASB, by calling 517-327-9224 or emailing gregs@masb.org. Also on MLive: Kalamazoo superintendent search narrows to four candidates Values of collaboration, responsiveness sought in Kalamazoos next superintendent Board emphasizes public participation in search for new superintendent at Kalamazoo Public Schools Ravi Shankar By Sometime in 1343, Kipchak khan Janibeg, chief of the Golden Horde, found himself in an unhappy situation in Crimea. The formidable general from China had laid siege to the port city of Caffa, from where he was forced to retreat leaving about 15,000 of his Mongol warriors dead. In 1345, he returned, only to face a greater enemy - the plague. It had arrived in Crimea along the Silk Road, carried by rodents hidden in the grain bags of merchant caravans. The plague swiftly swept through the Mongol army, whose soldiers died in the agony of putrid fever. Janibeg realised that there was a way to defeat the defiant Caffans after all. He strapped the corpses of dead soldiers on his catapults and flung them inside the city walls. Soon, plague raged through the city, which capitulated in a matter of months. Those who fled Crimea took the Black Death, as the bubonic plague was called, with them to Europe, Asia Minor and beyond. It took around 200 million lives, nearly 60 percent of Europes population and about half of Chinas population. In short, epidemics travel. Which is the reason why half the world is terrified of the invasion of 2019-nCoV as the coronavirus, which originated from China, has been christened. Infected travellers from China are being quarantined even as cases are mounting in the US, the UK, Asia, Europe, Australia and now India. Last week, over 100 deaths were reported in the secretive Communist-controlled country; however, Neil Ferguson, a disease modeller at Imperial College, London, estimated that 4,000 patients had contracted the virus. Another model predicted that by February 4, the number of infected people in Wuhan will be greater than 250,000; or between 164,602 and 351,396. What do we know of this new arrival? Almost nothing. Is it curable? The only fix for now is just common cold medicine. Like Janibeg did seven centuries ago, was it biowarfare gone awry? Reports speak of a secret Chinese facility near Wuhan experimenting with germ experiments. Is climate change causing mutating viruses and unfamiliar pathogens to infect millions of people? Most certainly. Can large migrations of displaced refugees fleeing warzones to live in refugee camps bring local strains which can interact with other viruses to form lethally morphed pathogens? Check. Unlike existing deterrents against nuclear warfare, there are few safeguards against mutating viral epidemics, which were previously treatable. A bioweapon in the hands of a terrorist could be a greater nightmare than a dirty bomb. Security experts are concerned about terrorist capability to re-engineer contagious viruses and release them into public utility systems: researchers recently conducted Exercise Mataika, the simulation of a smallpox bio-terror attack in Fiji, and realised that it could not be diagnosed since the disease is no longer familiar to modern doctors. FEAR MUTANT ATTACKS Coronaviruses are not new medical actors. They were behind both the SARS epidemic of 2002-03, which infected 8,098 people across the world and caused 774 casualties and the MERS contagion in 2012, which infected 2,494 and killed 858 as of November 2019. The current Chinese viruss R0, or basic reproduction number, is scariest part of the pandemic. R0 is the number health organisations such as WHO use to estimate the escalation of any new disease. R0, pronounced R-nought, refers to the average number of people who will catch the virus from a single infected person, in a previously unaffected population. For example, if the R0 of a disease is 5, then five people will be infected by every single infected person. One data model predicts an R0 of 3.6-4.0 for CoV - which means that if 75 per cent of the patients are not treated and quarantined, the pandemic will continue to spread unabated. Compare this with the SARS estimate of 1.1- 4.2 to calculate the deadliness of the new coronavirus. Going by the statistics, it appears that the new coronavirus strain is more infectious but less severe in terms of mortality rate than the SARS. SARS and the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) show some common flu-like symptoms, but the former prevalently affected upper respiratory tract, while nCoV is affecting the lungs and causing breathing issues. However, the most important difference is in the incubation period - the time delay between exposure and the appearance of the first symptom - which ranges from one-14 days for nCoV, while it was two-seven days for SARS, says Dr Vijay Dutta, Consultant, Internal Medicine for Respiratory Diseases, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, New Delhi. Since the virus was initially traced to a busy seafood market in Wuhan, an apocalypse theorist quoted Nostradamus quatrains as a prediction of the virus attack: The great plague of the maritime city, Will not cease until there be avenged the death, Of the just blood, condemned for a price without crime, Of the great lady outraged by pretence. Nostradamus or not, the worrisome aspect of CoV is that it could just be a augury of a deadly contagion. WHO scientists had predicted an unknown and lethal new illness they titled Disease X with the power to create a potential global epidemic that could wipe out millions. Each year WHO draws up a list of such ominous diseases; this year it is Disease X accompanied by Ebola, SARS, and Zika. The doomsday scenario, which bio-scientists and researchers paint, is of a pathogen which has no known cause or treatment. Moreover, in the present scenario of antibiotic-resistant diseases and mutating viruses, WHO says that Disease X could be a mutation of a previously common sickness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the US estimates that at least 23,000 people die every year from germs which have developed resistance to antibiotics. Antimicrobial resistance, associated with inappropriate prescribing and antibiotic overuse, is a serious threat to global public health, according to WHO. According to CDC data, around 23,000 people die every year after developing resistance to antibiotics. Apart from the human cost, the adverse economic impact on epidemic-affected nations could be crippling. A UN report predicted in 2017 that Zika outbreaks would cost Latin America and the Caribbean up to $18 billion. It required $5 billion in emergency funds to control the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014. Ebola, SARS, CoV and their siblings could be the beginning of the greatest challenge science is likely to face. A report prepared by a panel, which included former WHO director-general Gro Harlem Brundtland and the Red Cross among others, surmised that the swift penetration of a viral respiratory disease in the world population could kill up to 80 million people and wipe out 5 percent of the worlds economy. Such an epidemic could cause India to lose Rs 3.8 lakh crore or roughly twice the national agriculture budget in 2019-20. VIRUSES SEEK WARMTH Climate change campaigners like Greta Thunberg have attracted major attention - both positive and negative - as global warming brings dangerous ecological change. The earths surface is heating up. Glaciers and polar ice caps are melting or retreating. Sea waters are becoming acidic. Sea and river levels are rising. Weather patterns are changing, causing powerful changes in animal and bird migrations and earth fertility. All these phenomena encourage epidemics both new and renewed. Scientists studying Siberian polar cap conditions discovered the DNA of a 30,000-year old giant virus frozen in the permafrost. French research scientist Chantal Abergel, who studies polar conditions, has warned that ocean sediments and permafrost are very good preservers of microbes and viruses because they are cold, anoxic and in the dark. With glaciers disappearing rapidly, who knows how many other giant viruses lie locked in ancient sleep to be awakened by the man-made thaw? Genetic evidence of the Spanish influenza outbreak in 1918, which killed 50 million people worldwide, and the smallpox virus considered extinct, have been found in graves in Alaska and Siberia. Should a virus like those emerge today, it could travel around the globe in less than 36 hours - the time it takes for a person to travel around the world in an airplane. Warming temperatures have caused the rising graph in disease vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks which carry agents of Zika, yellow fever, and dengue in places which were previously inhospitable to them. Research by Stanford biologist Erin Mordecai and her colleagues found that warmer temperatures increase the transmission of vector-borne diseases only up to an optimum temperature. For the Anopheles mosquito, which dispenses malaria, the most conducive temperature is 25 degrees Celsius. Zikas is 29 degrees Celsius. Natural disasters such as floods and drought caused by rising temperatures and sea levels lead to epidemics like cholera. In the aftermath of the Kerala floods in September 2018, there was an outbreak of leptospirosis or rat fever across the state. Unusually heavy rains could produce a friendly environment for Ebola-carrying bats to flourish. With climate change causing drought and altered agricultural environments, African villagers are consuming bushmeat, such as bats suspected to be a CoV host. Almost 50 per cent of Ebola outbreaks have been directly linked to bushmeat consumption, according to Earth Institute, Columbia University. Rodent populations tend to multiply when drought forces predatory birds and animals to migrate in search of food, resulting in hantavirus pandemics. Medical scientists are concerned about shifting weather patterns in warm and rain-fed areas leading to the intermingling of different viruses inside mosquitoes to give birth to a hitherto unknown and untreatable pathogen, says Jonathan Day, PhD, professor of medical entomology at the University of Florida. He has predicted that once a weather phenomenon occurs to change the natural habitat of a mosquito, it would inevitably find new hosts to feed on, which could be carrying viruses themselves. PATHOGENS HAVE GOOD HOSTS As the world population of around 7.3 billion is expected to bloat to around 10 billion by 2050, according to UN estimates, the pressure on finding new places to live and more foodstuffs to consume will only increase. This will result in more urbanisation, migration and the conversion of pristine habitats to agricultural land: all causes for viral outbreaks. Forests get chopped down and large predators are either killed or migrate, thus vacating their turf to small animals like mice, rats and creatures that host killer pathogens. More international travel and interaction could also spread the viruses and face masks are of little help since they dont cover the mouth and nose completely. The Asian longhorn tick, which carries and transmits a deadly virus, was discovered in New Jersey. Between 2004 and 2016, nine new mosquito- and tick-borne germs were discovered or introduced into the US. CDC has included outbreaks of Zika, West Nile, Lyme, and chikungunya among a growing list of diseases caused by mosquitoes, ticks and fleas. The WHO has tracked 1,483 epidemics between 2011 and 2018 in 172 countries, including SARS, Ebola, Zika and the Nipah virus, detecting and mapping man-made and previously unknown viruses in the past half century. Animals and birds cause 60 percent of diseases today. Migrating birds are known to be the age-old carriers of influenza viruses in humans. To combat viral Armageddon, where and what are the means? Victor Dzau, president of the National Academy of Medicine, who is part of an internationally reputed group of 15 public health experts who prepared a new, independent report for WHOs Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, has cautioned that the world is unprepared for a viral pandemic of global proportions. He warned that bird flu and swine flu can morph into unique murderous viruses. Contagions are a national security threat and only action from the top can anticipate, prevent and contain the next epidemic. The report said that pandemic preparedness must be an integral part of national security strategy. It stressed the need for more government spending on simulation exercises, vaccine research, and rapid communication systems. Simple solutions do exist today: basic quarantine and sanitation can stop the viruses from spreading. But given mans propensity to treat Nature as his slave while exploiting and treating its resources with greed and contempt, it will come as no surprise when she fights back. The nightmare is just beginning. THE WORLDS DEADLIEST PANDEMICS Some of the most brutal killers in human history HIV/AIDS (2005-2012) Death toll: 36 mn First discovered in Congo in 1976, HIV/AIDS has killed more than 36 million people since 1981. Currently, between 31 and 35 million people are living with HIV, of which a vast majority live in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 5 per cent of the populationroughly 21 millionare infected. Of late, awareness and new treatments have made HIV manageable. Flu (1968) Death toll: 1 mn The category 2 Flu pandemic, also referred to as the Hong Kong Flu, was caused by the H3N2 strain of the Influenza A virus, a genetic offshoot of the H2N2 subtype. The first case was reported on July 13, 1968, in Hong Kong and in just 17 days, outbreaks of the virus were reported in Singapore and Vietnam. Within three months, it spread to the Philippines, India, Australia, Europe, and the US. Asian Flu (1956-1958) Death toll: 2 mn The outbreak of Influenza A of the H2N2 subtype originated in China in 1956 and lasted till 1958. In these two years, the flu travelled from the Chinese province of Guizhou to Singapore, Hong Kong, and the US. Flu (1918) Death toll: 20-50 mn Between 1918 and 1920, a deadly influenza tore across the globe. Of the 500 million people infected, up to 25 million deaths were reported in the first 25 weeks alone. The pandemic struck down healthy young adults, while leaving children and those with weaker immune systems still alive. Sixth Cholera Pandemic (1910-1911) Death toll: 800,000+ Like its five previous incarnations, the Sixth Cholera Pandemic originated in India, before spreading to the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe and Russia. The pandemic was also the source of the last American outbreak of cholera (19101911). American health authorities quickly isolated the infected, and only 11 deaths occurred in the US. Flu (1889-1890) Death toll: 1 mn Originally called the Asiatic Flu or Russian Flu, this strain was thought to be an outbreak of the Influenza A virus subtype H2N2, though recent discoveries have instead found the cause to be the Influenza A virus subtype H3N8. The first cases were observed in May 1889 in three separate and distant locations, Bukhara in Central Asia (Turkestan), Athabasca in northwestern Canada, and Greenland. It was the first true epidemic in the era of bacteriology and much was learned from it. Third Cholera Pandemic (18521860) Death toll: 1 mn Considered the most deadly of the seven cholera pandemics, the third major outbreak of cholera in the 19th century lasted from 1852 to 1860. It spread from Indias Ganges River Delta before tearing through Asia, Europe, North America and Africa and ending the lives of over a million people. The Black Death (1346-1353) Death toll: 75-200 mn An outbreak of the bubonic plague ravaged Europe, Africa, and Asia. Said to have originated in Asia, the plague most likely jumped continents via the fleas living on the rats that lived aboard merchant ships. Plague of Justinian (541-542) Death toll: 25 mn It affected the Byzantine Empire and Mediterranean port cities, in its year-long reign of terror, wiping out perhaps half the population of Europe. Regarded as the first recorded incident of the bubonic plague, the Plague of Justinian left its mark on the world, killing up to a quarter of the population of the Eastern Mediterranean and devastating the city of Constantinople. Source: MPHOnline.org Viruses Explained Viruses are simply packets of nucleic acid, either DNA or RNA, surrounded by a protein shell and sometimes fatty materials called lipids. They are tiny, ranging in size from about 20 to 400 nanometres in diameter. Billions can fit on the head of a pin. Some are rod shaped; others are round and 20 sided; and yet others have fanciful forms, with multisided heads and cylindrical tails. Outside a living cell, a virus is a dormant particle, lacking the raw materials for reproduction. Only when it enters a host cell does it go into action, hijacking the cells metabolic machinery to produce copies of itself that may burst out of infected cells or simply bud off a cell membrane. For example, if you get the flu, your body will be riddled with some hundred trillion viruses in just a few daysmore than 10,000 times the number of people on Earth. Viruses cause a number of diseases in eukaryotes. In humans, smallpox, the common cold, chickenpox, influenza, shingles, herpes, polio, rabies, Ebola, hanta fever, and AIDS are examples of viral diseases. Even some types of cancerthough definitely not allhave been linked to viruses. Transmission Viruses spread from person to person mainly in droplets that fly out when you cough or sneeze. These tiny drops from a sick person move through the air and land on the mouths or noses of others nearby. Germs are also passed along when you touch mucus droplets from someone else on a surface like a desk and then touch your own eyes, mouth, or nose before you get a chance to wash your hands. Viruses like the flu can live 24 hours or longer on plastic and metal surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and cups. New Pathogens In November 2019, the findings of a team from Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences under the lead of University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna identified a total of 43 bacteriophages in samples of human bodily fluids, particularly in blood samples. The discovery of such phages in the human body is especially significant because they can pass antibiotic resistance genes on to bacteria. The fact that viruses like the deadly Ebola and Marburg viruses, as well as the distantly related viruses that cause measles and rabies, are only found in a limited number of species suggests that those viruses are relatively newafter all, those organisms came along somewhat recently in evolutionary time. Many of these "new" viruses likely originated in insects many million years ago and at some point in evolution developed the ability to infect other speciesprobably as insects interacted with or fed from them. Sources: National Center for Biotechnology Information, US National Library of Medicine; webmd.com; University of California Berkeley; Scientific American Monday, February 3rd, 2020 (12:55 pm) - Score 1,753 Global Wireless Solutions has published the results of their latest extensive national study into mobile network (4G etc.) performance across 36 cities, which is one of the few to name O2 as the overall most reliable network (followed by EE, Vodafone and Three UK). But its not just a question of mobile broadband speed. GWS states that they conducted a total of 936,249 data and voice task tests in order to evaluate mobile network performance across the United Kingdom. The tests were conducted using the GWS OneMeasure App running on iPhone devices, Rohde & Schwarzs Freerider SW using Samsung Galaxy devices, and the GWS Mobistat data evaluation and reporting platform. In addition, GWS worked with Jigsaw Research an international strategic insights agency to conduct a series of in-depth qualitative focus group sessions with UK smartphone owners aged 18+ across the UK. The company also teamed-up with YouGov to conduct some broader quantitative consumer polling (i.e. total sample size was 2,117 adults, of which 1,913 had a Smartphone). Most of this was done in late January 2020. Overall the GWS Reliability OneScore results reveal that O2 is the best operator for 18 out of the 36 cities. The second most reliable network was EE, which scored most reliable in 14 locations. We should caveat that almost every other study that weve seen tends to show EE as coming top or fighting over the top spot with Vodafone, while Three UK and O2 tend to languish behind. Key Findings * The sweet spot of network speed is between 4-6 seconds as nearly 8 out of 10 deem this to be an acceptable time to wait to complete mobile based activities such as loading news and other websites. Using this metric as a benchmark, GWS engineering level test data across the UK highlights that typically operators are reaching this speed 96% of the time. * 56% of consumers report that they usually encounter problems with their mobile network and websites or apps failing to load impacts almost 30%. Meanwhile 21% reported poor voice quality, while 19% said calls sometimes dont connect and 19% noted that calls had dropped mid-call. * 41% now consider network reliability to be more important than speed, compared to just 1% who say that speed is more important to them than reliability. * 44% said that calls always connecting when they dial was extremely important to them, calls dropping infrequently is considered extremely important by 37%, while voice call quality was listed as extremely important by 38% of consumers. * Interestingly voice call related concerns are 2 to 3 times more important to consumers than data speed concerns; speeds for uploads and downloads are considered extremely important by only 15% and 24% respectively. * When asked to select one area for improvement by network operators, 28% reported the desire for increased network coverage, as opposed to just 8% who wanted to see faster data speeds. * When selecting a new plan, 54% of people said that network coverage would be an important factor in their decision more than double the amount of people who would consider network speed (26%). Otherwise Liverpool wins most reliable city for mobile network performance, with Leeds ranked the worst. Sadly this is difficult to judge since GWS has not provided a detailed breakdown of the results for each city. Dr. Paul Carter, CEO of GWS, said: The need for speed is an ongoing conversation in the industry and seems to be the de facto benchmark when measuring network success. But that model is broken while the advance of 5G brings with it exciting innovations that will undoubtedly change the way we use our phones, just like 4G did a few years ago, using your smart phone is not a race. Consumers are not just using their phones for speed hungry activities. They use their phones for a wide range of activities from calls and messaging to life administration tasks and shopping Speed and reliability need to co-exist and operators need to weave together a complex tapestry, otherwise known as the network, to ensure they are delivering on all fronts for consumers, not just speed. Leader of Opposition in the Bihar legislative assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Monday took a swipe at chief minister Nitish Kumar for going back on his partys stand not to have any truck with BJP outside the state, only to join it in Delhi and share stage with Union home minister Amit Shah to campaign for NDA candidates. Tejashwis RJD is contesting four of the 70 seats in Delhi in alliance with the Congress. The former deputy chief minister who also campaigned for RJD candidates along with Bihars Congress chief Madan Mohan Jha on Sunday, said that Nitish Kumar has displayed a sense of desperation to share stage with Shah and in doing so has broken all past records of uttering lies. In a statement, Tejashwi also attacked Kumar for branding Delhi as a city worse than any in Bihar and said that he was amazed at the brazen manner in which the chief minister has tried to tarnish the image of Delhi, which continues to be the favoured destination for crores of Biharis. Is this a ploy to please Shah? he asked, adding Kumar must answer why his 15-year good governance regime has not been able to check migration to destinations outside the state. Your political compulsion, plight and shrewdness were all evident on Sunday, despite your efforts to camouflage them with rhetoric. Tejashwi went on the hammer his point saying If you (Kumar) think that infrastructure, education and health care system of Delhi are worse than that in Bihar then there is little one can say about your perception and appreciation of things at the ground level. He charged Kumar, who heads the Janata Dal (United), with doing away the practice of issuing government report cards in the state and having the gumption to demand account from Opposition ruled state, which he alleged, amounted to defending the indefensible. The JD (U) is contesting two seats in Delhi. Without naming Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Kumar during his meetings in Burari and Sangam Vihar had said, Some people are more interested in publicity and advertisements and are in the habit of praising oneself. We dont do that ... Those who got the mandate to govern Delhi have done nothing. Recounting the Nitish Kumar governments alleged failure on several fronts, the RJD leader said that 500 children died of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in the state, besides thousands lost their lives due to heat wave and floods. The whole country watched the catastrophic water-logging in state capital on television, but instead of fighting for special category status and special package for Bihar, you are busy praising leaders who have pushed the country in turmoil to suit your end, he charged. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anil Kumar With 23 years of experience as a journalist with the Hindustan Times, Anil Kumar has been covering a wide variety of news and issues. He has interest in business and has covered political beats, especially the Congress and the JD(U). ...view detail Hollywood actress, Amber Heard has been heard in a new audio admitting to abusing her estranged husband, Johnny Depp. Recall the actress had claimed Johnny Depp physically assaulted her during their 18-month marriage. However, the new audio-tape provided to Dailymail, Heard admitted to abusing Depp. Read Also: [Graphic photo]: Amber Heard chopped off Johnny Depps finger during their marriage In a 2015 taped two-hour therapy session, Heard, 33, is heard talking to actor Depp, about their strained relationship. I dont know what the motion of my actual hand was, but youre fine, I did not hurt you, I did not punch you, I was hitting you, said Heard. I cant promise that it will all be perfect. I cant promise you I wont get physical again. God I f***ing sometimes I get so mad I lose it. Depp, in response, said: I love you and I want you to be my wife. And I wanna be a good husband. If I havent been, Ill do everything I can to find out how to be a good husband. The pair married in February 2015 but parted ways two years later when Heard alleged Depp threw a cellphone in her face at their Los Angeles home. Depp has since filed a defamation lawsuit against Heard and the suit says she hit, punched and kicked me. She also repeatedly and frequently threw objects into my body and head, including heavy bottles, soda cans, burning candles, television remote controls and paint thinner cans, which severely injured me. Bhopal, Feb 3 : The 21st edition of International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards will be held from March 27 to 29 in Indore. Bollywood superstar Salman Khan who was born in Indore made the announcement at a glittering press conference here on Monday. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath who joined Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez at the press conference said he had a 16-year long connection with the IIFA and was delighted to the state getting the very second opportunity to host the ceremony in India after Mumbai that hosted it last year. Rest of the award ceremonies of the academy have been held in major cities across the world like New York, Madrid, Singapore and Bangkok etc., all these years. IIFA 2020 will be held from March 27 to 29. After an event to be held on March 21 in Bhopal, the remaining event will be held at Indore. For the first time, Salman Khan will host the ceremony and Riteish Deshmukh will co-host the show. Katrina Kaif and Jacqueline Fernandez will perform on the award night. The Awards events will be attended by more than five thousand people from the film industry, including over 400 film artists. Nehru Stadium is the most likely venue for the event. The event management company Wizcraft has also seen the locations of Holkar Stadium and Daily College. Kamal Nath bought the first ticket for IIFA Awards. The focus remained on Salman during the press conference where he related several events connected with his childhood. He presented the chief minister an album containing his baby pictures. Political gamesmanship began even as the press conference was on to announce the event. Leader of the Opposition Gopal Bhargava accused the Kamal Nath government of wasting money. State Revenue Minister Govind Singh Rajput retaliated saying the event would add to the pride of Madhya Pradesh. Rajput said: "IIFA Awards are very prestigious awards and the ceremony has been hosted in India only once in 20 years and that was in Mumbai last year. With the efforts of the Chief Minister, this event will make Madhya Pradesh a talking point in the whole world. Gopal Bhargava should expand his horizon and look beyond politics. This is my suggestion." According to the information, the IIFA Awards ceremony will be broadcast in 90 countries. The expenditure involved on the event is expected to be Rs 30 crore. The first IIFA Awards ceremony was held in 2000 in London. Representative image Legitimately reducing tax liability is every taxpayers dream. Planning investments in tax saving schemes can be particularly useful in reducing taxable income. One of the ways to enjoy tax benefits is to claim deductions under Section 80C of Income Tax Act. Section 80C has come into effect from April 1, 2006 and allows an assesee to claim tax exemption on specific investments. As on date, the total amount of deduction that can be claimed under Section 80C stands at INR 1.5 lakh. As it is a substantial amount, planning your investments well can reduce your tax burden to a great extent. There is a large variety of investments that are exempted under various sub-sections of Section 80C. Deductions on investments under Section 80C of Income Tax Act Set out below is a snapshot of the various investments that can be made to claim tax benefits under Section 80C: Public Provident Fund: is one of the most popular savings schemes in India. PPF is a retirement focussed investment. It encourages individuals to start saving early into their careers and offers attractive tax benefits in return. The goal of PPF is to secure the future of individuals who do not have the benefit of an employee pension scheme. It is offered by all leading commercial banks in India as well as India Post. PPF requires a subscriber to invest a minimum of Rs.500 and a maximum of Rs.1.5 lakh towards a PPF account in a financial year. The interest for PPF is announced by the Government of India annually. The present rate of interest offered is 7.6% per annum (for FY 2017-18). The interest is compounded annually. The amount is credited to the PPF account at the end of every financial year. All deposits made by a subscriber towards a PPF account can be claimed as tax deductions under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act. Even the interest earned on the deposits made is also not taxable. Provident FundThis is usually in the form of an employee provident fund. The contributions for an employee provident fund are deducted from the monthly salary. The provident fund account receives contributions from both employers and employees. Any contributions made by the employees towards provident fund account enjoy the tax benefits under Section 80C. Any voluntary contributions made by the employees are also eligible for tax deductions under Section 80C of Income Tax Act. Equity Linked Savings SchemeELSS is a popular tax saving scheme. You can start investing with INR 500 only. There is no upper limit on the amount of money you can invest in ELSS. You have the option of choosing between two types of ELSS: dividend and growth. The average returns offered by ELSS are in the range of 15%-18%. It is the only pure equity investment that offers tax benefits up to INR 1.5 lakh in a financial year under Section 80C of Income Tax Act. Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme: Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme is a small savings scheme introduced by the Government of India as part of its BetiBachao- BetiPadhao initiative. The scheme exclusively for a girl child and is part of the National Saving Schemes of the Government of India. The account under the scheme should be opened in the name of the girl child. A minimum of INR 250 is required for the initial deposit, the minimum amount is INR 250. The maximum amount of deposit is capped at INR 1.5 lakh (per SSY account) per year. The deposits should be made in multiples of INR 100 subject to the annual cap. The interest received is compounded annually. Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme is an attractive option to save taxes. The amount at maturity and the interest earned on the deposited amount are eligible for the tax benefit available under Section 80 C of Income Tax Act. The deposits made to the account are also exempt from taxation under Section 80C of Income Tax Act, subject to a maximum of INR 1.5 lakhs. Repayment of housing loans: If you have availed a housing loan, you are eligible to claim tax deduction under Section 80C of Income Tax Act. The deduction is available for the principal amount of the loan. The interest to be paid on the housing loan does not enjoy tax benefits under Section 80C. Investment in infrastructure bonds:Infra bonds are a very popular investment option. These bonds are issued by various infrastructure companies. If you invest in these bonds, you are eligible to claim tax deductions up to INR 1.5 lakh under Section 80C of Income Tax Act. Investment in Unit Linked Insurance Plans (ULIPs):Unit Linked Insurance Plans are a popular investment option for insurance policies. They are also a great way to reduce tax burden as you can claim deduction under Section 80C of Income Tax Act for the investment. Payment of registration fees and stamp duty during purchase of house: When you buy a house, you are required to pay stamp duty for the transaction. You have to also pay registration fees to register your property details with the Sub-Registrar. Section 80C of Income Tax Act provides tax benefits for these charges as you can claim them as tax deductions. When should I Invest to Claim Deductions under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act? Planning for your tax deductions requires dedicated and consistent efforts. It is always advisable to start early and plan your investments for the year. This is particularly helpful as certain schemes also offer tax benefits on the interest amount. If you start your investments at the beginning of the financial year, you can claim the tax deduction under Section 80C for the interest earned for the entire year. Having said that, it is never advisable to invest blindly. Make a thorough assessment of your investment goals and pick schemes that are suited to your investment objectives. There are a number of sub-sections of Section 80C of Income Tax Act that offer tax deductions for investments in schemes like National Savings Schemes and LIC. You can also receive tax deductions for availing educational loans and medical insurance policies. As the old adage goes: the early bird catches the worm. Therefore, the right time to commence your investments for claiming the deduction is as early as you can identify the schemes you want to invest in. Deductions on Investments under sub-sections of Section 80C Here is a snapshot of the various deductions that can be claimed under the respective sub-sections of Section 80C: -Under Section 80CCD (2), deduction up to 10% of the salary amount can be claimed for the contribution by the employer to the National Pension Scheme account. -Under Section 80CCD (1B), an additional deduction of INR 50,000 can be claimed as a deduction for the contribution made to the National Pension Scheme -Under Section 80TTA(1), a deduction up to INR 10,000 can be claimed for the interest earned from the savings account. -Under Section 80TTB, senior citizens are eligible to claim a deduction of INR 50,000 for the interest earned on savings with post offices or banks -Under Section 80GG, if the assessee is not receiving any housing rent allowance from the employer and paying house rent, a tax deduction of INR 5000 per month, rent less than 10% of total income or 25% of the total income, whichever is lower can be claimed as a tax deduction. -Under Section 80E, you can claim a deduction on the interest paid on educational loans availed. This deduction can be claimed for a period of 8 years. -Under Section 80D, the tax deduction is available for premium payments made for insurance policies. The amount of deduction is capped at INR 25,000 for self, spouse, parents, and dependent children. In case the parents are above the age of 60 years, the amount of deduction of INR 50,000. -Under Section80DD, you can claim a tax deduction for the medical treatment of handicapped persons who are dependent. The amount of deduction is INR 75,000, where the disability is more than 40% but less than 80%. If the disability is more than 80%, the amount of deduction is capped at INR 1.25 lakh. It is also important to remember that only a maximum of INR 1.5 lakh can be claimed as tax deduction under Section 80C after taking into account all the investments made. FAQs Rajesh wants to invest in some tax saving schemes. Will the interest component earned be eligible for tax deduction under Section 80C? Interest is usually taxable at the hand of the investors. However, investments made to public provident fund and sukanya samriddhi yojana are exceptions where the interest component is also eligible for tax deductions under Section 80C. Neha wants to take a housing loan for carrying out extensive repairs in the house. Can she claim deduction under Section 80C? While Section 80C deduction is available for home loans, Neha will not be eligible to get the tax benefits as the loan is for renovations. Are members of Hindu Undivided Family eligible for the tax deduction benefits under Section 80D? Members of Hindu Undivided Family are eligible to claim tax benefits under Section 80D in case of premiums paid for mediclaim policies. The quantum of deduction stands at INR 25,000 at present where the members who are covered under the insurance policy are less than 60 years old. If the members are more than 60 years old, the quantum of the deduction is INR 50,000. Dependent children and spouses are covered under this benefit. Even financially independent parents are eligible if the premium is paid for health insurance policies covering them. Geetas mother has passed away. She is currently paying the insurance premium for a mediclaim policy that covers her father. Is she eligible to claim benefit under Section 80D of Income Tax Act? Yes, she is eligible to claim tax benefit in this case as well. In the case of a single parent, Section 80D deduction can be claimed as per the actual amount of premium paid. Therefore, the amount eligible for deduction will be the actual premium paid or INR 50,000 (or INR 25,000), whichever is lower. Raja pays the insurance premium for a mediclaim policy that insurers his parents. However, his mother is employed with a bank. Does this impact his eligibility to claim deduction under Section 80D? No, Raja is still eligible to claim the benefit of tax deduction under Section 80D, even though his mother is not financially dependent on him. Mr. Gupta is a senior citizen. What kind of tax saving schemes can he invest in to claim 80C deduction? One of the best options for Mr. Gupta is to invest in senior citizens saving scheme. He can get attractive returns on investments. The interest is computed on a quarterly basis. Investments in senior citizens saving scheme are eligible for a tax deduction of INR 1.5 lakh under Section 80C of Income Tax Act. Are five-year post office term deposit schemes eligible for deduction under Section 80C? Only the interest component that is earned from such investments is eligible for 80C deduction. The duration of such schemes can be between one to five years. NABARD offers rural bonds. Are these bonds eligible for deduction under Section 80C? NABARD rural bonds are eligible for 80C deduction. The maximum amount of tax deduction that can be claimed is capped at INR 1.5 lakh. Is the interest paid for availing a housing loan eligible for deduction under Section 80C? Only the principal amount of the housing loan can avail 80C deduction. The interest is fully taxable at the hand of the loan applicant. In case of employee provident fund, is the entire amount eligible for deduction under Section 80C? No, only the contribution by the employee can enjoy the 80C deduction. A similar benefit is not available for the amount contributed by the employer. What is the ideal time to start investments in order to avail 80C deduction? One should start investments as early as possible. However, it is advisable to not follow the crowd and invest blindly. The risk appetite and investment objectives are not the same for all individuals. This factor should be taken into account before deciding on the investments. I have submitted my claim for 80C deduction. How will I receive the money? The claims for deduction are submitted at the time of filing the IT returns. Once the department processes the returns, the amount that is claimed as deduction is refunded. What is the Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme? Can individual claim tax deductions under this scheme? Section 80CCG provides tax deductions for investments made in Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme for Financial Year 2018-19. This benefit is available to those assessees who are residents and have a total gross income less than INR 12 lakh. Further, the assessee must fulfill the eligibility criteria set out under the scheme. The investments should be made the investor as per the procedure specified in the scheme. The scheme sets out a minimum lock-in period of 3 years for investments from the date of acquisition. The amount of deduction is 50% of the amount invested in equity shares or INR 25,000 for three consecutive assessment years, whichever is lower. Birminghams Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United last week opened its new $86 million, 456,000-square-foot sales center in south metro Atlanta. The building includes a sales and distribution center, warehouse, fleet shop, administrative offices and meeting space and is one of the largest investments in a sales center in the U.S. Coca-Cola System. About 750 people work at the facility. John Sherman, president and CEO of Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United, said the center honors employees, customers and the communities the company serves. Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United is the parent company of Atlanta Coca-Cola. When we acquired the Atlanta territory in 2017, we made a commitment to being world class in the way we serve this market, our customers and our communities. After all, it is the home of the worldwide Coca-Cola System, Sherman said. The South Metro Sales Center will serve more than 10,000 customers throughout Atlanta and 15 counties in the metro Atlanta area. File image live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More IT major HCL Technologies on February 3 said it has entered into a pact with Sri Lanka's Board of Investment for setting up of a global delivery Centre in Colombo. Marking its presence within the region, HCL Technologies (HCL) aims at boosting employment, providing resources and skilling the local talent to serve its global clients, the company said in a regulatory filing. Collaborating with the BOI of Sri Lanka, HCL's local entity HCL Technologies Lanka (Private) Limited will implement its 'Work Integrated Education Program' to foster growth by actively cooperating with local Information and communications technology (ICT) and engineering institutions to develop and train the island's talent pool. Through this delivery center in Colombo, global clients will be provided with valuable services in the areas comprising of Applications & System Integration Services, Infrastructure Services and Digital Process Operations. "We are very happy with the progressive policies this country has and thus, we are fully prepared and committed to bring in new opportunities for the local workforce and creating ever-lasting partnerships within the region," said Corporate Vice President of HCL Technologies, Srimathi Shivashankar. A key part of HCL's business and development strategy in Sri Lanka will be to generate local employment and provide the right skilling programmes that will augment the growth of the knowledge services industry in the island, the filing said. Director General of the Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka, Champika Malalgoda said: "HCL Technologies has the resources that will enhance and empower our local IT talent to achieve the national goals set out for the sector. We are delighted with this opportunity and look forward to a longstanding partnership. Lewis Jacobs will put himself through a lot to get a photograph. As a set photographer based in New Mexico, Jacobs indeed has put himself through the ringer to get a fantastic photograph. Case in point. One of the most challenging times I remember being one summer in Downtown Albuquerque working on season one of Better Call Saul. It was 95 degrees out and I had to lay down on the asphalt to get a photo of Bob Odenkirk laying down getting arrested, he says. There I was with a wide angle lens with the police in the background. I was burning up from the asphalt and it was hot. That was a tough condition and we were able to get the shot done. It was a good shot. Jacobs grew up with a love for photography, as he and his father used to photograph for former Gov. Bill Richardson. We worked on a lot of his political campaign, Jacobs says. We worked a little with (Rep.) Deb Haaland, as well. Jacobs grew up in Santa Fe and both his parents had a foot in journalism. His father worked for the Albuquerque Journals North Bureau for about 15 years and his mother was publisher of the Eldorado Sun. I was definitely well acquainted with that world, he says with a laugh. I remember sitting down with my mom and we used to collate (the) paper together to create the Sun. She eventually sold it. His feet were in journalism thanks to his parents and Jacobs wanted to keep telling stories. At the University of New Mexico, he studied fine art under Patrick Nagatani and Adrienne Salinger. Of course, his news days werent over. I worked at the Daily Lobo, where I took photographs, he says. The year before I graduated, I went out to Burning Man and I met a lot of people from Los Angeles. They told me that I should start shooting for the film industry. Graduating in 2003, Lewis began his journey to becoming a set photographer. I started sending out resumes to smaller non-union productions and began to get a little bit of work, he says. I was hired on a show before it went union and began my work. There are two ways to get into the union as a film set photographer, namely get 30 days on a union show within a year or 100 days on a non-union production within three years. By this time, Jacobs was splitting his time working on projects both in New Mexico and Los Angeles. I was getting work in the union here and in LA, and this was the same time that the tax incentives started to take off in New Mexico, he says. I either wanted to go into this type of work or photojournalism documentary work. Over the course of his career, Jacobs has been on all types of sets both big and small. A few of the films hes worked on are Cliffs of Freedom, Keplers Dream, Gold and Just Getting Started. Some of his TV productions include Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, Preacher and Perpetual Grace, LTD. He says each production has its own journey and hes along for the ride. You always want to try and tell a story and show expression or emotion in the images, he says. The productions are highly structured and they know what they want out of a photographer. My job is to exceed their expectations while giving them what they want. Im lucky because I look for those subtle moments that will make a photograph memorable. Jacobs, who lives in Cochiti, recently got back from Pittsburgh working on a film called Lone Wolf. Its about the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing, he says. It was a fun production to photograph. Jacobs will endure the long days of shooting to get the best photo. No matter whether it includes rain, show, wind or mud. I really like the creative side to it and the more artistic the show, the better, he says. To be able to have creative license on projects is a game changer. In fact, Lewis called up Epix last year when Perpetual Grace, Ltd. began to shoot in northern New Mexico because he wanted to shoot the series. I let them know I was interested in it, he says. We finished in March and the series is so beautiful. It was cold up there in Espanola, Las Vegas and the road up to Puye Cliffs. Those elements made for some phenomenal photos. In the days and hours before tonights caucuses in Iowa, Joe Bidens campaign appears to be making a nuanced, but strategic, pivot. The former Vice Presidents team seems no longer to be running against Donald Trump or the rest of the Democratic field, but against one opponent in particular: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Democrats must rally around Biden, his campaign argues repeatedly. Its the only way to prevent Sanders from securing to the nomination and Trump winning a second term. We cannot nominate Bernie. If hes the nominee, its a disaster, said Rep. Tim Ryan, an Ohio Democrat who endorsed Biden after dropping out of the presidential race himself last year. Socialism is not popular and would sink us. On Sunday, former Secretary of State John Kerry, a top Biden surrogate, reportedly echoed the sentiment in a Des Moines hotel, where he was overheard lamenting the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party down whole. The Biden campaigns urgent new message comes amidst a flurry of recent polls showing Biden and Sanders in a dead heat, with Senators Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, nipping at their heels. If Sanders, along with his progressive agenda, which includes vast spending on new government programs, ends up prevailing, many mainstream Democrats are expected to panic and spend the next several weeks scrambling to build consensus around an alternative. Thats Bidens in. The Pete and Amy people will need somewhere to go, Ryan told TIME on Sunday evening, and Biden is the obvious choice. Ryan plans to spend his caucus near Council Bluffs pushing voters who support candidates that dont reach the 15% viability threshold to switch their allegiances to Biden. Joe Biden takes a photo with supporters at a Town Hall in Des Moines, Iowa on Feb. 2, 2020. | September Dawn Bottoms for TIME Bidens fresh campaign pitch seems to resonate among some of the former Vice Presidents supporters in Iowa this week. Medicare for All isnt free, said Dianne Miles, who attended Bidens event in Waukee, Iowa, on Thursday, referencing Sanders signature policy proposal. We cant go where Bernie wants us to be going. Its bad policy and bad politics. Story continues [Biden] wont take the country too far left or too far right, the 73-year-old retired teacher from Des Moines added. Some Biden backers say they were willing to compromise on specific parts of Bidens middle-of-the-pack agenda in exchange for winning against Trump. Even if I didnt like everything about him, hes electable, said Jewel McDonald, an artist and yoga-studio owner, after seeing Biden on Friday in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. The 69-year-old Fairfield, Iowa, resident has backed Biden since his 2008 run and settled on him as a uniter. He can bring us together, she said. A day later in Waterloo, Iowa, 75-year-old Terry McGrave echoed the pitch, unprompted. I dont know who else can beat Trump, said the retired machinist from Denver, Iowa. For months, the centerpiece of Bidens campaign pitch has been his perceived ability to defeat Trump. Bidens top advocates repeatedly cited polls showing that Biden could win a head-to-head race against Trump, and Bidens political ads underscored that message: the former Veep is the Democrats best shot to oust the President. While making that case, Biden largely refrained from taking on any of his Democratic rivals head on. The closest Biden came to dinging his opponents was to ask voters if they thought they were telling the truth about the price tag for big ideas like Medicare for All or tuition-free college. Iowans famously demand a measure of civility, known as Iowa Nice, from candidates who come through their state. That tone is expected to change this week as the race shifts toward the first-in-the-nation primary on February 11 in New Hampshire, where voters have a higher threshold for negativity and often goad candidates to criticize Democratic competitors. First, though, all eyes are on the Iowa caucus tonight. If Biden emerges as the top rival to Sanders in Iowa, his supporters will likely double down on the message that he is the consensus alternative to Sanders sweepingly liberal vision. And in that, Biden may find new interest from Democrats who report, in poll after poll, that their top priority is defeating Trump. (Photo : ALY SONG on Reuters) Malware Found on Coronavirus Email That Can Get Your Personal Information By Opening it (Photo : IBM X-Force Intelligence) Malware Found on Coronavirus Email That Can Get Your Personal Information By Opening it Last week, tech experts warned citizens all over the world to never open and download emails disguised as "Coronavirus emails" found on their accounts. According to them, these files hold suspicious malware that can steal the personal information from the user that will download the said email. [WARNING] Don't open this email amid coronavirus outbreak On Jan. 30, experts from IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence reported on what they found as "spam emails" that may affect anyone that will download the said file. As mentioned, hackers have been sending emails that explain the threat and danger involving the Coronavirus outbreak to victims on Japan, causing them to voluntarily downloading and opening the said file. Most of the emails were scaring Japanese citizens that another Coronavirus victim was found positive from their region which then, urges them to download and open an attached Microsoft Word that holds the said "infection prevention measures" that must be done immediately. Once you downloaded the said Coronavirus prevention email, the file will then pop an MS word that will show an unsupported word format and a message from Office 365 that instructs the viewer to enable the content just in case it was opened in protected view. The report said that after opening it, hackers would instantly upload malware on the computer or smartphone and have access to the user's accounts. Emotet malware spreads fake coronavirus information Investigations found out that famous malware called 'Emotet' was behind all these fake Coronavirus emails that have been circulating in Japan. "Emotet is a kind of malware that is originally designed as a banking Trojan aimed at stealing financial data," according to report. It was first reported in 2014 and had the same method of forcing users to open a specific file for them to steal financial information or any personal information that will then give them the ability to hijacked various accounts from the victim. "Previously, Japanese Emotet emails have been focused on corporate style payment notifications and invoices, following a similar strategy as emails targeting European victims. This new approach to delivering Emotet may be significantly more successful, due to the wide impact of the coronavirus and the fear of infection surrounding it," said the report. How to prevent being a victim of Emotet malware? Due to the spread of these hacking schemes, the government of Singapore already reminded its citizens never to download and only trust credible sources regarding information about the Coronavirus disease. "Users are reminded not to click on links or open attachments found in suspicious-looking emails or messages," said on their website. IBM also gave their recommendations for all gadget users around the world. Do not click or open links in emails directly, instead type in the main URL in your browser or search the brand/company via your preferred search engine. Ensure anti-virus software and associated files are up to date. Search for existing signs of the indicated IOCs in your environment. Block all URL and IP based IOCs at the firewall, IDS, web gateways, routers, or other perimeter-based devices, a course of action, resources, or applications to remediate this threat. Keep applications and operating systems running at the current released patch level. As of Sunday, Feb. 2, over 350 Chinese victims were already reported dead after being infected with the outbreak. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The wreckage of the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 at the scene of the crash in Shahedshahr, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran, in an undated file photo. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) Iran Not Sharing Evidence From Airline Crash With Ukraine After Audio Leak: Iran Official DUBAIIran is no longer sharing evidence from the investigation into the Ukraine airliner crash with Ukraine after audio from the investigation was leaked by Ukrainian media, the director in charge of accident investigations at Irans Civil Aviation Organization was quoted as saying on Monday. The audio file was part of the evidence that was given to Ukrainian experts as part of the joint investigative teams examination of the crash. The technical investigation team of the Ukrainian airline crash, in a strange move, published the secret audio file of the communications of a pilot of a plane that was flying at the same time as the Ukrainian plane, Hassan Rezaifar said, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency. This action by the Ukrainians led to us not sharing any more evidence with them. More Compensation for Citizens Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Kiev was not satisfied with the amount of compensation Iran had offered to families of Ukrainians killed in the downing of a plane near Tehran last month and would seek more money. Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky in a file photograph. (Charles Platiau/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) As for the Iranian side, they immediately offered us $80,000 for each family It is too small. We will press for a larger amount, Zelensky told Ukrainian 1+1 TV. The airliner was struck by a missile on Jan. 8 shortly after it left Tehran en route to Kiev. Iran admitted its forces had shot down the Ukraine International Airlines plane in error, after initially denying it had a role in the incident. All 176 people aboard, including 11 Ukrainians, were killed. By Babak Dehghanpisheh - The affected student arrived in the country on Thursday, January 30 - Blood samples from the student have been taken to Nairobi for analysis - Another passenger has been admitted at KNH after arriving from Beijing with coronavirus-like symptoms - Over 200 people have died in China from the virus with infections rising to 14,000 - Several countries like the USA, Indonesia and India are evacuating their citizens from China A passenger travelling from China to Kenya has been admitted to the Coast General Hospital shortly after arrival after exhibiting symptoms of deadly coronavirus. TUKO.co.ke gathered the traveller, who is a medical student in China, arrived in the country on Thursday, January 30. READ ALSO: Meneja katika shamba la DP Ruto Taita Taveta atiwa mbaroni Blood samples from the student have been taken to Nairobi for analysis. Photo: UGC. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Meneja katika shamba la DP Ruto Taita Taveta atiwa mbaroni According to Mombasa County Chief Officer Khadija Shikely, blood samples from the 24-year-old Kenyan have been drawn and taken to Nairobi for analysis as the patient remains quarantined. "She is a Kenyan citizen who hails from Mombasa and came in a week ago from China. She started feeling unwell while in China with complaints of chest pain and difficulties in breathing. She is currently isolated in a private room at Rehemtulla at Coast General," said Shikely. Another passenger, still from China, has also been hospitalised at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) after exhibiting coronavirus-like symptoms. READ ALSO: Moses Kuria forgives goons who ejected him from BBI rally in Kitui Over 200 people have died in China from the virus with infections rising to 14,000. Photo: UGC. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Nobody can stop reggae: Uhuru, Raila dance the night away to UB40 tunes The traveller arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) from Beijing aboard a China Southern Airline. This comes hardly a week after another student arriving from China was secluded at KNH after showing signs of the virus. The student was later pronounced virus free after tests. On Friday, January 31, Kenya Airways (KQ) suspended flight to Guangzhou in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus. Several countries, among them USA, Germany, Indonesia and India have been evacuating their nationals from China. Kenya, however, still has about 80 learners in China's Wuhan City. The virus has killed over 200 people in China with the infections rising to about 14,000. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. Crime of passion | Tuko TV | Tuko Investigates. Source: TUKO.co.ke Pain, fatigue and depression are common sequelae of a cancer diagnosis. The extent to which these occur together in prostate cancer survivors is unknown. We (i) investigated prevalence of the pain-fatigue-depression symptom cluster and (ii) identified factors associated with experiencing the symptom cluster among prostate cancer survivors. Men in Ireland diagnosed with prostate cancer 2-18 years previously were identified from population-based cancer registries and sent postal questionnaires. Cancer-related pain and fatigue were measured using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and depression using the DASS-21. Cut-offs to define 'caseness' were pain 25, fatigue 39 and depression 10. Associations between survivor-related factors, clinical variables and specific prostate cancer physical symptoms and the symptom cluster were assessed using multivariate logistic regression. A total of 3348 men participated (response rate = 54%). Twenty-four percent had clinically significant pain, 19.7% had clinically significant fatigue, and 14.4% had depression; 7.3% had all three symptoms. In multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with the symptom cluster were living in Northern Ireland, experiencing back pain at diagnosis and being affected by incontinence, loss of sexual desire, bowel problems, gynecomastia and hot flashes post-treatment. There was a strong association between the cluster and health-related quality of life. The pain-fatigue-depression symptom cluster is present in 1 in 13 prostate cancer survivors. Physical after-effects of prostate cancer treatment are associated with this cluster. More attention should be paid to identifying and supporting survivors who experience multiple symptoms; this may help health-related quality of life improve among the growing population of prostate cancer survivors. Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer. 2020 Jan 24 [Epub ahead of print] Manisha Baden, Liya Lu, Frances J Drummond, Anna Gavin, Linda Sharp Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Newcastle University, Level 5, Sir James Spence Institute, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle, NE1 4LP, UK., Cancer Research @ UCC, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland., Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, Queen's College Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland., Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Newcastle University, Level 5, Sir James Spence Institute, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle, NE1 4LP, UK. . PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31980895 Photos: Petfinder Looking to add a new companion to the family? There are heaps of lovable pups up for adoption at animal shelters in and around Fort Worth, so you won't have to search far to find the perfect fit. Hoodline used data from Petfinder to power this roundup of dogs available for adoption near you. Read on to meet some friendly, furry locals. (Details like pet availability, training, vaccinations and other features are based on data provided by Petfinder and may be subject to change; contact the shelter for the latest information.) Spot, chihuahua and Pomeranian mix Spot is a darling male chihuahua and Pomeranian mix being cared for at Saving Hope Animal Rescue Fund. Spot loves to socialize he's happy to keep company with cats, dogs and kids. No need to worry: He's already house-trained, neutered and vaccinated. Spot's current caretakers say: Apply to adopt Spot today at Petfinder. Spot is the sweetest little guy looking for his forever home! His marking are so unique and beautiful. He has the cutest, fluffiest tail that curls under and is constantly wagging. Bella, Australian shepherd and Shetland sheepdog mix Bella is an adorable female Australian shepherd and Shetland sheepdog mix being cared for at Harbored Souls Rescue. Bella gets along swimmingly with kids and other dogs. Her ideal forever home would be one with another dog to have as a playmate. She is already house-trained, microchipped, vaccinated and spayed. Get to know Bella: Apply to adopt Bella today at Petfinder. Meet Bella! Shes a two-year-old petite girl who is just a complete doll and very smart. She has a tad of puppy energy and loves her walks! So, walks are a must for this girl in order to keep her happy. She loves to cuddle on the couch with you while you give her some belly rubs. She is sure to steal your heart. Kiba, cane corso mix Kiba is a cheeky male cane corso mix staying at Saving Hope Animal Rescue Fund. Kiba is friendly as can be he gets along great with other dogs and cats. No need for concern: He is already house-trained, neutered and vaccinated. Here's what Kiba's friends at Saving Hope Animal Rescue Fund think of him: Read more about how to adopt Kiba on Petfinder. Story continues Meet Kiba! How handsome is he with those ears? Kiba is only two years young with a lot of love and affection to give, including wet kisses. Kiba has a lot of energy, and would love someone who is active or can take him to the dog park often to release some puppy energy. Scotty, Brittany spaniel Scotty is a winsome male Brittany spaniel dog currently housed at Brittany Rescue in Texas, Inc. Rest assured: Scotty is already neutered, house-trained, microchipped and vaccinated. About Scotty: Read more about how to adopt Scotty on Petfinder. Hello everyone, my name is Scotty. I hail from Central Texas. Im a really good boy just down on my luck. Im a really awesome Brittany. I have lived outside my whole life, but I know I can learn to live inside and will love time with the family. Im not a hunting kind of guy storms and gunfire scare me. Jerry, Brittany spaniel Jerry is a handsome male Brittany spaniel dog being kept at Brittany Rescue in Texas, Inc. Jerry is already neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and has mastered his house-training etiquette. Here's what Jerry has to say for himself: Read more about how to adopt Jerry on Petfinder. Heck, who I am kidding I want a forever home. Maggie, redbone coonhound Maggie is an endearing female redbone coonhound dog staying at Saving Hope Animal Rescue Fund. Maggie loves spending time with other dogs, and doesn't mind children. Have no fear: She's already house-trained, vaccinated and spayed. A bit more on Maggie: Read more about Maggie on Petfinder. Say hello to Maggie! She is a five-year-old redbone coonhound who loves nothing more than getting love from her people, or anyone who wants to give it to her! She loves going on walks, but also doesn't mind sitting on the couch all day to snuggle. If her nose takes her somewhere, there's no stopping her! She would love to find her forever family who will give her all the snuggles and head scratches she wants and deserves. Tallulah, foxhound mix Tallulah is a charming female foxhound mix staying at Saving Hope Animal Rescue Fund. Tallulah would prefer to be placed in a home free of other dogs. Don't worry: She has already mastered her house-training etiquette. She has had all of her shots and is spayed, too. Meet Tallulah: Read more about Tallulah on Petfinder. Hi, my name is Tallulah. I am looking for my forever home. I don't think that will be too hard, given that I'm a very good girl. I am housebroken, calm, trained and loyal. What else could you ask for? I have soulful, sweet eyes and am a great listener. I work hard to please my people, and can't wait to find myself a loving home. This story was created automatically using local animal shelter data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. International public services company Serco said it has been awarded a major new contract to deliver essential frontline hospitality services at both Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC) airports. Announcing the big win, Serco said the contract builds on its long term-partnership with Dubai Airports and will see the company deliver the services over a five-year period, operating until December 31, 2024. Harnessing the unique insights and research conducted by the companys in-house customer experience and service design agency, ExperienceLab, the contract will see over 1,000 employees deliver hospitality and passenger processing services across key passenger touchpoints within Dubai Airports facilities. As part of the contract, Serco will leverage cutting-edge technologies to ensure the dynamic deployment of staff, providing optimised rosters across the airports terminals and the provision of a continually trained and knowledgeable workforce. A British provider of public services with headquarters based in Hampshire, Serco operates in six sectors of public service provision: health, transport, justice, immigration, defence and citizens services. Serco pointed out that it had been providing world-class services to the aviation sector in the Middle East for over 70 years. It has also been supporting Dubai Airports with the maintenance of its large buildings and infrastructure portfolio, as well as providing a full range of Engineering and Estates Services for Terminal 1 and 2 and to other cargo and ancillary buildings at DXB. Commenting on big win, Serco Middle East CEO Phil Malem said, We are honoured to have been awarded this contract with one of our key clients in the region. We recognise that Dubai Airports plans to take service levels to even greater heights, and throughout the next five years we aim to jointly revolutionise the standards of customer service and hospitality in the region." "Our team has developed a solution that will enhance the standards of customer service through the deployment of an expertly trained workforce, with staff set to be supported by some exciting and effective technology," stated Malem. Our recommendations are based on the unique insights and research conducted by our in-house customer experience and service design agency, ExperienceLab. From day one, we will ensure that our customer service team has the mindset, training and support needed to create great experiences for all who visit Dubai Airports, he added. Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said: "Our ultimate objective is to be recognised as the operator of the worlds best airports for customer service." "This contract is part of a series of moves we have taken in recent years to enhance airport experience at DXB and DWC and wow our customers by delivering an amazing airport experience," he added.-TradeArabia News Service When Gov. Tom Wolf delivers his sixth budget address to the General Assembly on Tuesday, parts of it are expected to sound familiar to anyone who has tuned in to his budget speeches in the past. That became clear through a series of budget announcements held over the past two weeks that focused on unfinished items on his policy to-do list many of them retreads from past years. He confirmed that with reporters last week, saying some of the things hell be talking about are new but I think they are old themes basically trying to make Pennsylvania a better place." Wolf said he has no intention of calling for an increase in the states 3.07% personal income or 6% sales tax, which would be a non-starter with the GOP-controlled Legislature anyway. The governor will deliver his 2020-21 budget address to a joint session of the General Assembly around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in the chamber of the House of Representatives. Information on his budget proposal and the text of the speech will be posted on PennLive throughout the day on Tuesday. The budget address will also be carried live on PCN. Many anticipate the governor will propose only a modest increase in spending above this years $34 billion general fund budget that will remain within the states anticipated revenue growth. The states Independent Fiscal Office projected a 3% increase in revenue, or about $1.3 billion, for the next fiscal year in its latest mid-year budget report. Wolf will undoubtedly call for increased funding for public education and preschool. He has succeeded in driving up the amount of money for school districts and preschool programs every year since taking office in 2015, building on this being a signature accomplishment of his administration. In another education-related initiative, Wolf made it known last week he is asking for a $1 billion increase in the borrowing limit for the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Grants programs to fund lead and asbestos remediation in schools. In Philadelphia, asbestos has forced the closure of multiple school buildings over the past year. Some expect to hear him call for additional funding to support the State System of Higher Educations request for additional funding to aid in its restructuring efforts. Theres also rumblings in higher education circles about the possibility of the governor calling for some additional grant or scholarship aid directed to college students. Wolf will continue to press for a $12-an-hour minimum wage with a path to pushing that up to $15 by 2025. That also was the focus of a news conference last week, just a couple days before the Independent Regulatory Review Commission approved his request to expand eligibility for overtime pay beyond federal thresholds. The governor also will renew his call for lawmakers to support his $4.5 billion infrastructure improvement plan called Restore PA that he unveiled last year. He wants to borrow the money and pay it back through proceeds from a severance tax on natural gas drillers that draws ardent opposition from many Republicans. There also is speculation Wolf will issue a fresh call in support of Pennsylvanias participation in the northeastern states Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cap-and-trade program covering power plant emissions. RGGI requires electric power plants fueled by coal, oil or natural gas to buy a credit for every ton of carbon dioxide they emit. The credits are sold at quarterly auctions, giving energy generators the choice of either paying more for a shrinking supply of allowances, or taking other steps to reduce their emissions to so that they dont have buy as many in the first place. At Pennsylvanias current emissions rates, the program could generate as much as $300 million annually here. Wolf last summer signaled a willingness to use RGGI proceeds as an alternate way to fund his Restore PA program. But since the administration is still in the midst of drafting regulations for RGGI participation at present, its not clear that the state could count on that money in the 2020-21 budget year. Workforce development is another topic on Wolfs to-do list. Hell likely call for initiatives identified by a task force of business and labor union leaders and administration officials to help unemployed and under-employed Pennsylvanians overcome the barriers that keep them out of the workforce. Among that panels recommendations were increased access to high-quality child care and extending Unemployment Compensation benefits beyond the 26-week maximum to encourage jobless workers to enroll in job training programs. Wolf already announced his plan to ask for $40 million-plus to help improve services for the vulnerable, including children and the elderly, and expand direct care services to more people with disabilities who are on a waiting list. He also shared his PA Innovation plan that requests a $12.35 million funding increase to help make the state more competitive in attracting and retaining entrepreneurs and startup companies through various strategies that include partnering with higher education institutions. Franklin & Marshall College political scientist G. Terry Madonna said he anticipates Wolf will have a few new ideas in his budget but will offer them with this in mind. If it costs money or is politically divisive ideologically, hes not going to get it," Madonna said. Remember he still has to deal with Republicans who are in control of the General Assembly. But I dont think Wolf is going to back off the agenda that he has put out there either. Hes not going to surrender his governorship and lay down. Lawmakers, meanwhile, are hoping to see the governor address a few more issues of importance to them. Republicans will be looking for a budget that shows fiscal restraint and looks for ways to make government operate more efficiently and makes investments in areas that promote job growth. Democrats, beyond what their partys governor wants, hope to see some initiatives that focus on gun violence prevention programs. Some also are hoping the governor renews his request for a fee-for-service from municipalities that rely on the Pennsylvania State Police for providing day-to-day police protection. Among other areas where they hope to see increased investment is in public assistance, more staffing to manage environmental programs and enforcement, and a renewed call for charter school reform. The governors address kicks off budget season. It is followed by a vetting of the governors proposals in a series of House and Senate budget hearings that begin Feb. 18 and run over the course of three weeks. After that, legislative leaders and administration officials dive into serious negotiations to try to reach an agreement on a spending plan by the time the current fiscal year ends on June 30. Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy. Charles Thompson may be reached at cthompson@pennlive.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ChasThompson1 Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. DENVER, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MDC), parent company to the Richmond American Homes companies, recently announced changes to its leadership team at the regional homebuilding operations level. Jack Gallagher David Viger Jack Gallagher has been promoted to Regional President of Richmond American Homes, overseeing homebuilding operations in the Mid-Atlantic region and Florida. Mr. Gallagher joined the Company in 2004 and has held a variety of leadership roles across multiple markets, including Division President for the Mid-Atlantic region since 2015. Mr. Gallagher is a graduate of Duke University with undergraduate and graduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Management. David Viger, who has served as a Regional President for Richmond American Homes since 2015, will now oversee homebuilding operations in Arizona, Utah and Northern California. Mr. Viger joined the Company in 2004 and, prior to his promotion to Regional President, served as Division President for several different markets across the country. Mr. Viger earned his undergraduate degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and achieved the rank of Lieutenant before retiring from the U.S. Navy. Upon completion of his military service, he signed as an unrestricted free agent with the New York Jets and spent five years in the NFL. "I am excited to have David and Jack in our regional leadership positions. Given their long tenure at Richmond American Homes, I am confident in their leadership and management abilities, which will help us continue to drive growth and strong risk-adjusted returns for the Company," said President and Chief Operating Officer David Mandarich. About M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. Operating under the name Richmond American Homes, MDC's homebuilding subsidiaries have built more than 205,000 homes since 1977. Among the nation's largest homebuilders, MDC's subsidiary companies have operations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Virginia and Washington. Mortgage lending, plus insurance and title services are offered by the following MDC subsidiaries, respectively: HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation, American Home Insurance Agency, Inc. and American Home Title and Escrow Company. M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "MDC." For more information, visit MDCHoldings.com. SOURCE M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. Related Links http://MDCHoldings.com An Australian sheet brand is making waves online for changing the sleep quality of hundreds of customers. Ettitude was created by Chinese-Australian born Phoebe Yu and Los Angeles-based Kat Dey, and it was born out of a frustration with a lack of good quality, sustainable sheets at reasonable prices. 'When I was shopping for my new home in Melbourne, I spent hours hunting for the perfect sheets,' Phoebe told Gwyneth Paltrow's wellness website Goop. 'I was frustrated by the low quality and found the more sustainable options to be outrageously overpriced.' Sheet brand Ettitude was created by Chinese-Australian born Phoebe Yu and Los Angeles-based Kat Dey, and it's making waves with hundreds of customers online (sheets pictured) Actress and wellness website Goop owner Gwyneth Paltrow (pictured) is a fan, with one editor from her site saying she and her partner haven't needed melatonin since they used the sheets Following this, Phoebe decided to create her own bed linen, focusing on bedding that was 'as soft as silk, as sustainable as hemp, as breathable as linen, but at the price of cotton'. She eventually landed on bamboo lyocell fabric, which is a significantly more sustainable fabric that cotton and often known as 'vegan silk'. 'It took a few years and many fails until we finally created the perfect combination of softness and durability for this innovative material,' Phoebe said. But her hard work paid off, and now, producing one set of Ettitude bamboo lyocell sheets uses approximately 3,000 fewer gallons of water than a traditional cotton sheet set. Phoebe (pictured with Kat) said she came up with the idea for the sheets after she became frustrated with the lack of options on the market that weren't exorbitantly priced Ettitude fitted sheets on the website start from just $80. They boast hundreds of glowing reviews online with Gwyneth Paltrow and others from her wellness website Goop even being fans of the brand. One editor from the wellness site Goop said she and her partner 'haven't needed melatonin' since they started sleeping in the sheets, while others boast close to 1,000 five star reviews. Ettitude bamboo lyocell sheets uses approximately 3,000 fewer gallons of water than a traditional cotton sheet set (sheets pictured) 'I have to admit that I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to sheets,' one reviewer wrote. 'I've tried an awful lot over the years, with different thread count and different materials. 'Sometimes I chose my hotels based on their linen (sad I know). These sheets are amazing. They feel wonderful (the most important measure for me) and are fantastically cool.' Another fan of the sheets wrote: 'These have transformed my sleeping experience! 'I feel like I'm in a five star hotel every night and actually look forward to going to bed, which is definitely different for me given I'm an insomniac!' Others have said they are 'unbelievably soft', 'luxurious' and 'like a five-star hotel'. What are the benefits of sleeping on bamboo silk? * It's thermoregulating so it keeps you cool when it's hot and warm when it's cold. * It's antibacterial and so doesn't need to be washed as much. * It's hypoallergenic and said to help to calm allergies. * It's moisture-wicking meaning it's good for hot sleepers. * It's pre-shrunk so it won't shrink when you wash it. Advertisement Further benefits of Ettitude's sheets (pictured) include the fact that they are thermoregulating and moisture-wicking. This makes them perfectly suited to hot or sweaty sleepers Further benefits of Ettitude's sheets include the fact that they are thermoregulating and moisture-wicking. These make them perfectly suited to hot or sweaty sleepers during a long, hot summer. 'By far the most popular feedback we get is that sleeping on Ettitude sheets is like sleeping on a cloud,' Phoebe told Sporteluxe. 'Customers are often telling us that our bedding keeps them super comfortable and cool and that it's just an absolute pleasure to sleep in them every night. 'One of our favourite reviews even said our sheets make getting out of bed extremely difficult! For more information about Ettitude, please click here. New Delhi, Feb 3 : The Lok Sabha on Monday witnessed uproarious scenes with opposition, led by Congress, demanding "roll-back" of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reply over the issue in the backdrop of the violent protests against the law across the country. The ruckus began soon after the House assembled for the day. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury raised the issue but Speaker Om Birla disallowed him from speaking and started the Question Hour following which various lawmakers from different opposition parties came near the Speaker's podium and began sloganeering "save our democracy", "save our Constitution", "save our India", "Prime Minister, reply", "stop inflammatory speeches" and "roll-back CAA". The opposition also raised the statement made by Union Minister Anurag Thakur in which he had proposed to "shoot the traitors" following which the Election Commission restricted him for a certain period from campaigning in Delhi ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections in the city on February 8. Amid pandemonium, Birla continued the Question Hour. Interrupting during the proceedings, Birla requested opposition members to go to their seats and let the House function to save the Constitution. "You all floor leaders had decided unanimously not to disrupt House proceedings when important issues would be discussed. Please don't do that and go to your seats. You will be given opportunity to raise your issue during Zero Hour," Om Birla said. "You can save your Constitution by asking questions related to your area." The Speaker slammed the MPs, saying "you are not sent to Parliament for sloganeering. You should go to your seat and ask questions." Earlier, Congress MPs Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Kodikunnil Suresh and Gaurav Gogoi gave adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha to "reconsider" the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act which came into force on January 10 when the Ministry of Home Affairs made the announcement through a gazette notification -- almost a month after it was passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019 during the winter session -- which triggered widespread violent demonstrations across India. As per the law, migrants of six non-Muslim communities -- Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian -- who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 will be given citizenship. PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-03 14:30:40 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 927 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 3, 2020 / PowerBand Solutions Inc. (TSXV:PBX)(OTCQB:PWWBF)(Frankfurt:1ZVA) ("PowerBand", "PBX" or the "Company"), has engaged Toronto-based Phoenix Corporate Finance Inc. ("Phoenix") as its corporate finance advisory firm, to facilitate up to $250 million in credit facilities for the Canadian financing arm of PowerBand's cloud-based platform to revolutionize the buying, selling and leasing of cars, trucks and other vehicles.PowerBand has also engaged Phoenix to facilitate up to $10 million in non-dilutive operating capital for its newly created Canadian captive financing arm, which was announced January 15th, 2020.The agreement advances PowerBand's strategy to aggregate $1-billion in credit facilities and financing capacity, as it brings its cloud-based transaction platform to thousands of dealerships and consumers across Canada and North America.Once raised, the $250-million credit facility will be available for Canadian transactions using the PowerBand platform, which will eliminate unnecessary middlemen, benefitting consumers, dealers and other stakeholders in auto retail, leasing and auctioning. The Company is negotiating further lease lines for Canada and the United States with other institutions."Once fully implemented, the PowerBand cloud-based transaction platform will enable people to buy, sell, trade or lease vehicles with the same ease you now buy a product on Amazon, in effect uberizing the experience of acquiring a truck or car," said PowerBand CEO Kelly Jennings. "We believe the engagement of Phoenix, to raise a total of $260 million, is another milestone in our goal to raise $1-billion in credit facilities for leases and loans that will be approved through the PowerBand platform." PowerBand expanded its transaction platform by acquiring a majority share of MUSA Auto Finance, LLC ("MUSA") in July, 2019. Founded in 2016, MUSA's innovative transaction platform modernized the new and pre-owned vehicle leasing experience, providing dealers and consumers with the most advanced leasing options in the industry. The technology takes an application, calculates a lease, auto-decisions the application, provides an approval back to dealer partners and prefills a lease contract accurately. Approvals can occur in less than eight seconds. As a result of its proprietary technology, MUSA was awarded a contract by Tesla Motors to become a national leasing partner in 2018.About PowerBand Solutions Inc.PowerBand Solutions Inc. is a technology provider listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company's cloud-based platform is revolutionizing how we buy, sell, lease, and auction vehicles. With the recent receipt of its exporter license and its acquisition of MUSA Auto Finance, the Company is now well positioned to become a leader in the USD$10 billion cross-border used vehicle export market, the USD$100 billion used vehicle auction market, and the USD$120 billion vehicle leasing market in the U.S. and Canada.About Phoenix Corporate Finance Inc.Phoenix Corporate Finance Inc. is an independently owned, mid-market corporate finance firm which provides professional financing advisory and procurement services to smaller corporations and project developers based in Canada. Phoenix specializes in assisting companies to facilitate senior, subordinated and convertible debt financing from non-institutional sources of capital.For further information, please contact:Richard Goldman, VP Corporate DevelopmentP: 1-866-768-7653rgoldman@ powerbandsolutions.com FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTSThis news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding future plans and objectives of the Company, are forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. As a result, we cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize and the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by Canadian securities law.Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, unless an exemption from such registration is available.SOURCE: PowerBand Solutions Inc. The Union has introduced a new personal regime, in an attempt to bring down the tax burden for individual tax payers. However, the changes dont seem to be in favour of Non-resident Indians (NRIs) who arent paying taxes to date. Finance Minister in her recent Budget speech on February 1, proposed to tax Non-resident Indians (NRIs) who do not pay taxes in any foreign country. Yes, this statement made NRIs anxious. Especially those working in the Gulf region where countries don't tax their income. So, finance minister clarified that only Indian income of NRIs is proposed to be taxed under the new provision, and later Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) also put out a clarification saying that "the new provision is not intended to include in tax net those Indian citizens who are bonafide workers in other countries". Well, if youre thinking, what made the ministry to come up with such a change? The ministry said it was an anti-abuse provision amid growing instances of NRIs shifting their stay in low or no-tax jurisdiction to avoid tax payment in India. Heres what Sitharaman said in a press briefing on Sunday, An living in another country earns money there, which is not taxed there at all, but has some earnings through something in India and does not pay tax here either because he does not live here. What we are saying is this: for the income generated in India, pay a tax. If you have a property here that generates rental income, but because you live there, you carry this income there and pay tax neither there nor here. Have I got even a sovereign right to take that into my consideration or not? I am not taxing what you earn in Dubai, she added. Well, in view of this the CBDT chairperson Pramod Chandra Mody said that the move is "essentially an anti-abuse provision". "Some study showed that people are trying to stay in multiple countries for a period lesser than that would make them a resident," he said. And upon asking if these people are doing so to avoid paying taxes, he said it "appears" that tax evasion could be the reason. "Now, in such cases of Indian citizens who are resorting to this system we are putting a provision that if they are not resident of any tax jurisdiction then they will be treated to be a deemed resident of this country." "And by virtue of that, their taxable income or to say their entire global income, will be taxed here," Mody said. This means an NRI, who is not a resident of any country, will now be deemed an Indian resident and their income will be taxed here. Mody said India now has multilateral tax treaties with other countries where "we continuously exchange information and hence getting information on such people will not be that difficult". Whats more, tightening the residency provisions, the Union has also reduce the period of stay in India from 182 days to... To know more, listen to this podcast [February 03, 2020] Big Sync Music Global Expansion: Leading, Tech-Enabled Global Music Agency Expands Into Four New Markets Provides Industry-First, Data-Driven Music Solution for Brands LONDON and SANTA MONICA, California, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Songtradr, Inc wholly owned subsidiary, Big Sync Music, the world's leading, full service, creative music licensing agency, has launched its tech-enabled music services to brands, and other content creators, from TV and OTT networks, to the film and video gaming industries across Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany. Big Sync, with Unilever as its anchor client, is the first global music agency to enter these markets. Headquartered in London, with a North/South America-focused team in Los Angeles and New York City and an APAC-focused team in Singapore, Big Sync is the largest global music buyer of its kind, sourcing music for household brands like Johnnie Walker, Samsung, Amazon, Dove, Knorr, Magnum and AXE. Songtradr, the largest music licensing platform in the world, acquired Big Sync Music in early 2019 enabling the company to provide a powerful, data powered music solution for brands and creative agencies worldwide. Big Sync's new operations will be headed up by three recently appointed Country Managers; Michael Szumowski for Australia/New Zealand (Sydney); Pedro Anacker for Germany (Hamburg) and Nicolas Farcy for France (Paris). Songtradr founder and CEO, Paul Wiltshire said: "As brnds produce more, highly targeted, data-driven content to engage with consumers on multiple platforms, music is playing an increasingly important role. Expanding into Australia, France and Germany will enable us to help brands, agencies and content creators meet their music needs from a cultural, creative and commercial perspective as well as opening up new opportunities for rights owners to reach new audiences." For more information on Big Sync Music, please visit www.bigsync.com. Follow Big Sync on Twitter. For more information about Songtradr, please visit: www.songtradr.com. Follow Songtradr onFacebook, Twitter and Instagram. About Big Sync Music Big Sync Music is the world's leading full service, creative music supervision agency working with brands and advertising agencies. With operations in London, New York, Los Angeles, Stockholm, Singapore, Sydney, Paris and Hamburg, the company has worked on thousands of projects for clients such as critically acclaimed and award-winning global campaigns from Magnum, Samsung, AXE, Dove, Ponds, Lipton, Marmite and Knorr. About Songtradr Songtradr is the largest music licensing marketplace in the world, with over 500,000 artists and catalogs from 190+ countries leveraging machine learning and deep data to power music discovery. Songtradr connects artists to film, TV, brands and other media in a worldwide marketplace for music licensing. Music creators monetize their music through licensing to all forms of media, including distribution to all major streaming platforms. Using Songtradr's proprietary technologies, music supervisors, brands, filmmakers and other creatives, can easily license music from a vast community of artists, bands, record labels and publishers. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1085217/Songtradr_Paul_Wiltshire.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1085218/Big_Sync_Music_Logo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1085219/Songtradr_Logo.jpg FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR TO REQUEST INTERVIEWS PLEASE CONTACT: Vicky Brown, APB PR +44 7879 055172 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] With the victims consent, a plea deal was reached in a vicious attack that started with a discussion about President Donald Trump and ended with the victim unconscious and severely injured. Jonathan Geltz, of Kunkletown, pleaded guilty Monday to simple assault, reckless endangerment and driving with a suspended license, related to the events the night of Oct. 7, 2018, outside what was then the Best Western off Route 512 in Hanover Township, Northampton County. A charge of aggravated assault was dropped as part of the plea. Im very sorry for what happened that night. It definitely went too far, Geltz said. Geltz previously tried to plead guilty in the case, but President Judge Michael Koury rejected the plea, in part because the victim was not present. The victim was in court on Monday and said he agreed with the plea deal. Geltz has already served eight months in prison. I think we have to keep an eye on you for a period of time, Judge Paula Roscioli said. Roscioli sentenced Geltz to eight to 18 months in county prison, followed by two years of probation. She made Geltz eligible for immediate parole; he would be released for a detainer from Carbon County related to an unauthorized use of a motor vehicle case, defense attorney Bill Watkins said. The victim testified while he remembers some of what happened before the attack, he remembers nothing after Geltz punched him. Geltz previously testified that night he was at the bar inside the hotel with his girlfriend and her friend and that he was drinking coffee at the time. The victim in the case was hitting on the friend, and wouldnt take no for an answer, according to Geltz. The victim said he told a woman she looked like a Trump supporter, and thats when the two started arguing. Geltz testified when he told the man he should be thankful for Geltzs military service so the man could run his mouth, the man spit on Geltz and reportedly said, S--t on your service. Geltz served in the Army, and was deployed in Afghanistan for 9 months. On Monday, the victim denied making the comment, and said his uncle served in the military and he would not have made a comment like that. The victim testified the argument ended, and he was walking out of the hotel when Geltz called him a derogatory term for female genitalia. The two began arguing again, when Geltz punched him. Geltz and his attorney previously said Geltz was getting in his vehicle when the man grabbed Geltzs shoulder and tried to punch him, but Geltz hit the man instead. The victim denied that account, telling the judge, Its just not in me to fight. The man was unconscious and was lying on the ground when Geltz kept punching the victim, prosecutors said. The victim suffered a fractured eye socket and needed emergency surgery on his left eye, in addition to broken dentures and hemorrhaging due to being hit in the head. At the time of the attack, Geltz was on parole for attacking a man after a minor crash in 2017, court records show. In court Monday, Geltz said he has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. You have a history of violent behavior in the past, Roscioli said before sentencing him, adding the seriousness of the victims injuries got the attention of the court. The judge said Geltz needs to get some help, and ordered him to get treatment for PTSD and receive anger management counseling. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A passenger who arrived in Dublin Airport on a flight from Moscow on Saturday night is still believed to be under observation at the Mater Hospital while he undergoes screening to assess if he has coronavirus. It could be later today before the man, who is understood to have originally travelled from China, is diagnosed or given the all-clear. The National Public Health Emergency (NPHE) team has said it will not comment on unconfirmed cases of the virus but stressed that as of yesterday there were no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Ireland. It refused to confirm if there were any suspected cases or anyone undergoing assessment either. The Aeroflot flight landed in Dublin at around 9pm where it was met by medical personnel in hazmat suits who boarded the flight to speak to the man, who told them he had come from China via Moscow, it is reported. Other passengers have reportedly said their temperatures were checked before they were allowed to disembark, and they had to fill out forms and were told they may be contacted in a few days. The passengers were allowed off the plane at 11pm. It is understood the passenger who was taken away by ambulance was brought to an isolation room in the Mater Hospital which has been set up as part of the Irish response to the coronavirus outbreak. A Co Longford doctor, Laura Noonan, was on the flight and posted details of the incident on her Facebook page 'Laura's Russian Lifeline'. Dr Noonan had been in Russia to receive treatment for a rare illness she has, and said she had only been on the flight because she was so weak she had to travel home earlier than she had planned. She posted a photograph of the information sheet from the HSE and Health Protection Surveillance Centre which indicated to passengers that they had been on a flight from Moscow with a possible case of novel coronavirus. It advised to avoid contact with other people as much as possible that night. "If you become ill, especially with cough, sore throat, breathlessness or high temperature stay at home or in your hotel room and phone a doctor or 999 for advice, mentioning that you were on this flight. A public health doctor will contact you tomorrow," the advice sheet stated. Dr Noonan also posted photographs of a person in a hazmat suit on the plane, and an ambulance on the ground beside the plane. Yesterday she wrote that she had been feeling very unwell since arriving home and she was tempted to go to hospital as planned when she boarded the flight home with her husband. "But we couldn't. We are observing the self-enforced isolation in our home. We won't be seeing anyone or going anywhere until this case of suspected coronavirus is either confirmed or excluded," she wrote. The statement from the NPHE said Ireland had advanced plans in place as part of its preparations to deal with public health emergencies such as novel coronavirus. She's got one final season of Homeland to promote. And Claire Danes didn't disappoint as she hit the New York streets early morning Monday to promote the eighth and final season of the show - in which she plays lead character Carrie Matheson. Looking her business-like best in a check full-length skirt, with chic one-button grey coat on top, Claire carried an alligator-style handbag as she strode into CBS Studios. The 40-year-old has finished filming on her Showtime show, which she has starred on since 2011, winning two Emmys and two Golden Globes for her work. Out and about: Claire Danes says it's 'so hot' watching husband Hugh Dancy in Homeland... as she promotes final season of show in New York on Monday Talking to CBS on Monday she said it was hard to see the end of the show. 'It's a lot of feelings, it's been almost a decade of my life. I was barely married when we started. Now we have two kids who we've dragged all over the planet as we've filmed this thing. But it's been just a wonderful gig, it's been lifechanging.' Talking of family life, the 40-year-old actress' spouse Hugh Dancy will join her on screen. Though they didn't share any scenes together, Claire used to go in on her day off because she loves watching her husband work. 'My baby daddy!' she joked on Monday, referring to their two children, sons Cyrus, seven, and Rowan, 17 months. 'He plays not a great guy.' She said they did not share any scenes, adding: 'I think it's a real blessing, because I don't know if I would have been able to cope.' Family time: The 40-year-old actress' spouse Hugh Dancy will join her on screen She said in a previous interview of Dancy's casting: 'That was such a nice way to end the show. 'On my days off, I would go to his set. He's very good. I don't exactly forget that, but we don't talk about acting much, so it was a really nice reminder. '[Watching your partner do something they are really good at] is so hot.' Claire admitted she also loves the fact her husband is a 'big nerd'. 'A lot of feelings': Claire said the show has been 'almost a decade of my life' Stepping out: Claire strutted down the sidewalk on Monday morning She told Net-A-Porter's digital magazine Porter: 'Hugh's a big nerd, too. When we first started sorta-kinda-dating for real (ish), I had an ornament-making party for Christmas, and he helped organise it. 'Then he made an ornament of cowboy paper dolls, and I thought, 'and he crafts?' That was it. 'You have me for the rest of our lives.'... '[At Halloween] He papier-mached his own hat - I'm very proud of my husband.' While Claire has spent several years away from home working on Homeland, Hugh had long periods of time filming Hannibal in Toronto and she admitted it was 'tough' having a long-distance relationship and it isn't something she wants to repeat. She admitted: 'That was tough. That distance is corrosive, and I'm just bad at it. And I don't particularly want to get good at it. We learned along the way how essential it is for us to be physically together as often as possible.' The European Union and Britain clashed over a post-Brexit trade deal on Monday with Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisting he need not sign up to the blocs rules and Brussels warning of tariffs and quotas unless he did. Britain wants to negotiate a trade deal by the end of 2020, though EU leaders say the further Britain diverges from their rules the less access it will have to the EU market. Speaking just over two days since Brexit, Johnson cast Britain as the supercharged superman of free trade, and while it would not seek to undermine the bloc with a race to the bottom, he said there was no need to accept EU rules. There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment or anything similar, any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules, Johnson said. The choice for Britain, Johnson said, was between a deal like Canada has with the EU or a much more distant deal like Australia. He spoke in the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich, where grand 18th Century paintings celebrate Britains prosperity and naval power. The European Union wants an ambitious zero-tariffs and zero-quotas trade deal with Britain but this will be conditional on open and fair competition between the UK and the 27-nation bloc it quit last week, the EUs Brexit negotiator said. Barnier promises to defend EU interests Michel Barnier, unveiling the European Commissions mandate for talks with Britain on their future relationship, said there should be a level playing field over the long term on social, state aid and environmental standards. You cannot accuse us of a lack of ambition, he told a news conference in Brussels. First and foremost, we will defend the interests of the union, its citizens and its businesses. Well continue to prepare for a situation where no deal is being arrived at. We certainly dont want that to happen. Well work to avoid that, but if we cant manage a deal by the end of the year there will be a cliff-edge on many fronts. There will some areas where theyll be no other solution. Im thinking about trade and fisheries here, Barnier added. The more that the EU and Britain would have common standards, the higher the quality of access for Britain to the European single market, he said. Barnier said a free trade agreement must include a deal on fisheries that would give reciprocal assess to waters and conditions on these must be established by July 1, 2020. We are ready to offer all this even though we know that there will be strong competition between the UK, our immediate neighbour, and the EU in the future, he said. A 33-page draft mandate for negotiations released as Barnier spoke had one section in bold, and that read: The envisaged partnership must ensure open and fair competition, encompassing robust commitments to ensure a level playing field. The partnership should ensure common high standards in state aid, competition, state-owned enterprises, labour and environmental standards, and relevant tax matters, it said. The draft mandate also sees a role for the Court of Justice of the European Union, for example in the case of a dispute. Trade talks will begin in March. After criticising his predecessor Theresa Mays approach in negotiating a divorce deal with the EU, Johnson is striking a much tougher tone. At the moment, much of EU-Australia trade runs along basic World Trade Organization rules, though there are specific agreements for certain goods. Australia is in the process of negotiating a trade deal with the EU, however. The Farmington Regional Chamber of Commerce held a meeting last month to discuss increasing technology sector jobs in the region. Executive Director Candy Hente started the meeting by describing a technology conference she attended and what she learned there. A while back I attended the technology conference for the Missouri State Chamber of Commerce, she said. They hired a consultant and economist to analyze the state for our strengths and weaknesses ... "There were a lot of surprises in that research. But one of the major surprises that came out of that research is that Missouri is in the top 10 nationwide for technology sector jobs. It surprised the Missouri State Chamber. So, they are working with some marketing firms about how they can market us nationwide. They are saying that Missouri could be the next Silicon Valley of the United States. Hente continued the theme of Missouri being a high tech state by listing premier innovative companies throughout Missouri. Theres World Wide Technology in St. Louis, Cerner HealthCare near Kansas City, Brewer Science out of Rolla, Jack Henry out of Monett, she said. Jack Henry is the gold standard for banking software. At the conference they had presentations from Jack Henry and Brewer Science. I asked them why these companies were based in these smaller towns. They said that the people that invented the software lived there. According to Hente, local community leaders note that technology is the weakest sector in business in the area. That sends up a red flag when our state is in the top 10 nationwide for technology sector jobs, she said. We need a bigger part of that sector in St. Francois County. Brian McNamara is a Farmington attorney and a director of the chamber board who has assisted local businesses develop and grow in the area. He spoke about his vision to help foster technology expansion in the area. One of the things that we as a chamber can do is to help fulfill that vision and bring people and resources and ideas together, he said. Provide that platform where people that have expertise and technology can get together and know whats out there, interact and I would like to see form some sort of technology committee, where could have people interact on a regular basis and to say this is the resources we have in this area to a prospective business. What we want to do is bring you guys together and start a discussion and get your thoughts as to do we need a technology incubator in our community and if so, what do you think it would look like? Where would it be located? What do you think we need to do to attract that? What type of technology? McNamara noted that the purpose of the chamber is to make the area come together and improve the quality of the lives of the people and businesses. How do you get that vertical growth? he asked. How do you get that innovation? The only way that is going to come about is that if we get a lot of smart people thats where you guys come in and you know, other smart people, and we form a technology committee, we start having events, and start saying this is what we have as opposed to other towns and other chambers of commerce. "That when youre coming to businesses, and theyre saying theyre concerned about the ability to harness the technology, we can say we have some of the best minds in technology right here, the people on our committee. The attendees then shared ideas on the topics of where to locate a potential technology incubator building, what types of technology companies to attract to the area, whether to concentrate on specialization or look industry-wide. Other topics included how to collaborate with other businesses and what educational programs could be utilized locally. Mark Marberry is a reporter for the Farmington Press and Daily Journal. He can be reached at 573-518-3629, or at mmarberry@farmingtonpressonline.com Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. With the release in recent days of the Leaving Cert results, followed by the CAO point requirements for college, the limelight has inevitably been focused on the nation's straight-A super-achievers. But super-achievers come in many guises, and one Dubliner has journeyed from homelessness to a place on a coveted TCD course in the space of less than three years. Now aged 44, Liam Duggan had just received his Leaving Cert results back in 1988 when his life became horribly derailed, plunging him into a nightmare that sucked him to rock bottom and wouldn't let go. Now, as he looks forward to starting a degree in Business, Economic & Social Studies, Liam's recall of how his life fell to pieces remains both vivid and fractured. "I'd spent the summer working in London as a building labourer and a kitchen hand," he starts. He was offered a place at Thomond College, now the University of Limerick, and set off for a celebratory holiday to the Greek island of Paros where, he says, he became immersed in "drink culture". "Towards the end of the holiday I started to lose the plot. I lost my tickets and passport. I was having a breakdown," he recalls. With no money, he reached Athens as a stowaway on a ferry. By now he was in the horrors. He believed that the streets were laid out as a maze to confuse visitors, and that the Tourist Office was in on the ruse. He has no idea how he got back to the London flat where he'd spent the summer. "I was very dislocated and out of touch with reality, but I had this homing instinct - I knew I had to get back to my mam and dad," he reveals. The last of the Irish lads was vacating the flat and brought Liam home. His parents were shocked at the state of their son. "There was some paranoia, but mostly I was walking around La-La-Land with a smiley happy face," he recalls. His distressed parents begged him to get medical help and when he flatly refused, they had to take desperate, heartbreaking measures. "I was behaving very strangely. The guards came to the house with a straitjacket because I wouldn't walk into a hospital." He did, however, walk out of St John of God's psychiatric hospital as soon as he was moved out of the initial lock-up ward. "I escaped several times," he says. "The first time I went up to the first house I came to and rang the doorbell. I asked for a shirt and trousers because I was in my pyjamas. They invited me in for a cup of tea and next thing I was back in hospital." Liam initially refused to take medication for a condition by now diagnosed as full-blown psychosis. He relented, however, and settled down to a life of not-quite-normality. He married, had children and held down a job as a taxi driver for the next 20 years, all the time knowing it wasn't quite a real job. "The taxi was 20 years of occupational therapy," he says. "It was my dad's taxi. He'd drive it by day and I'd do a few hours at night, mainly taking my mates around. I'd make a tenner here and there, but it was more a way of keeping in with my friends and fitting back into society. "When you're released from an institution you're still under medication and you're insecure about your place, and you're trying to deal with the stigma of your illness." With his marriage long over and another relationship ending, Liam found himself homeless towards the end of 2011. "I have to re-skill and refocus," he resolved and in January 2012 Liam began studying with the National Learning Network which is dedicated to supporting people in difficult circumstances who'd like to enter or re-enter education. "The people were wonderful because they encouraged you. You realised you weren't going to rule the world with your new skill-set, but they opened doors," he says. Liam proved a star pupil on TCD's Trinity Access Programme (TAP) which he completed with flying colours. Early on in his new student life he kicked what he calls "drink culture, including smoking" and he reflects that mental clarity has been its own reward. He says: "If you want to get into TAP you have to show you're committed by already being in full-time education. I got into TAP with a good interview. The people have been so supportive. They put it beautifully in a nutshell when they accepted me, telling me: "First we cherry-picked you, now we're going to spoon-feed you. That blows away any self-doubt you might have." And Liam did not lose any sleep early this week wondering if he had amassed enough CAO points for his preferred course. He had received his zero level CAO offer last week based not on Leaving Cert points, but on his impressive performance on the TAP programme over the past year. It's a measure of a new-found confidence in his life that Liam has spent much of this summer at a desk in the Trinity College Library, reading up on the materials for his chosen course. "I'm getting a head-start on the head-start programme," he quips. "The people in TAP told me a while back that I had come up to the mark, but until you've written confirmation it's still a nervous wait. It's a lovely feeling to get that piece of paper in your hand. "My main areas of interest for the end degree are economics and sociology. The people at TAP have told me that I'm already half-a-year ahead of most others starting the course. "I'd like to investigate the economics of happiness," he adds. Map of Menindee Lakes and lower Darling River.Source. Credit: Adapted from Vertessy (2019) by First Class Communications Australia is enduring a horror bushfire season, made worse by a severe drought in the eastern states, and many Australians are lamenting the cruel and fickle hand of nature. A year ago, almost to the day, a disaster of another kind was unfolding at the Menindee Lakes and the Darling River in southwestern New South Wales. Millions of fish died over the summer, when low oxygen in drying pools suffocated the fish. In January 2020, these two disasters merged, with hundreds of thousands of fish dying in the Macleay River in northern New South Wales following an influx of bushfire ash that stripped the water of its oxygen. And worse is to come with reports of algal blooms developing in many parts of the Murray Darling Basin, which are likely to lead to further mass fish kills. The blame game Many commentators and politicians lay the blame for these disasters firmly with Australia's variable climate. "It's a kind of common, I don't know how deliberate, tactic of politicians to blame nature as a way of shifting responsibility away from themselves," says Professor Lesley Head, from the School of Geography at the University of Melbourne. But many researchers are pushing back against this narrative, citing the contribution of human-induced climate change to both drought and fire, and looking beyond that, to the complex social, political and economic factors that lead to 'natural' disasters. "With our landscape, which is characterized by high climatic variability, it becomes easier to call on certain cultural themes like Mackellar's poetry ('a land of droughts and flooding rains') or simplistic statements ('we've always had drought, we've always had bushfires'), without appreciating the fundamental shifts in the processes that are exacerbating the severity and frequency of extreme events," says Professor Sue Jackson, a geographer from the Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University. The Menindee fish deaths did, indeed, occur during a severe drought, but a report commissioned by the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) into this disaster concluded that the primary cause of the fish kills had a human cause: "excessive upstream diversion of water for irrigation." Our historical relationship with water Professors Head and Jackson were two of the authors on the AAS study, and they subsequently delved deeper into the history of the Darling River and have published a new open-access paper in the journal Geoforum describing how the river has been managed since European settlers arrived in the 19th century and the 'hydrosocial' changes that have led to where we are today. "It's very easy when there's not much water in the river channel to say, 'it's all because of drought,'" says Professor Head. "On top of the drought, there are many other things that have contributed to that lack of water. "And in the same way, with the bushfires no one is denying that there are natural processes involved, but there are also processes that have got social, economic and political drivers within them, over both the long and short term. Professor Jackson says the frequency and duration of these events are also having an impact. "An example could be the shorter window now available for controlled burning, or the very strong effect of water extraction upstream. Records do show that the Darling previously experienced dry periods, but these were not as frequent and did not last as long as they have recently. "The uneven effects of these socio-natural processes, which in the case of the lower Darling exacerbated the socio-economic vulnerability of the region, are of particular interest to us as geographers," she says. Valuing the river The researchers identified four historical periods that have transformed the Lower Darling River from the revered 'mother' of the Indigenous Barkandji people, to little more than a number (in gigaliters) on a spreadsheet used to balance supply across the whole of the Murray Darling Basin, Australia's largest river system. "What our politicians are saying today didn't come out of nowhere, these ideas didn't just appear. In fact, you can find threads of this in the late 19th century. Ideas of the river as a resource to facilitate agricultural development have underpinned Australian nation-building," says Professor Head. In the second half of the 19th century, the river first started being managed for navigable flows, so that wool and other commodities could be easily transported to the coast and the goldfields of Victoria. Then, over the 20th century, the extraction of water for irrigation took priority, with an ongoing battle between the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, to capture and carve up the flows of the Murray-Darling system. Intense water resource development (like dams, diversions, weirs) stimulated agricultural expansion in NSW and Victoria and included the massive expansion of storage in Menindee Lakes, which used to flood and dry naturally. Water stored at Menindee was seen as 'exchange water' that would allow for the continuous extraction of water from the Darling to guarantee South Australian supplies. The arrangement protected the economic interests of the Murray and Murrumbidgee irrigation districts by allowing them to expand. But it failed to account for dry conditions upstream and reduced inflows, as irrigation expanded along the upper Darling, diversions grew and the climate changed. "We've been driven by a concern for water as a quantity, and often for its quality, but not for the varied relationships that people have with water," says Professor Jackson. "For the Lower Darling it's been the concern of governments and economic interests to move water out of that area because it can be more profitably used in other places." Since the turn of the century, widespread acknowledgment of excessive water extraction prompted the government to put a price on water and set up a framework to ensure environmental flows. This was done while maximizing extractive use through a series of water saving measures like purchasing water entitlements, engineering works and reducing 'evaporative loss." The latter of these was the reason for a large drawdown of the water at Menindee which contributed to the fish kill of 2019. The river as 'mother' The Barkandji people's native title stretches over 400 kilometers of the Baaka (which was only named the Darling River by explorer Charles Sturt in 1829), including the Menindee Lakes. "The perspective that we've heard from Barkandji and other groups is much more conscious of the need to revere water's life-giving qualities within the places in which those communities are bound and the importance of fulfilling responsibilities to caring for the country," says Professor Jackson. There has recently been some recognition of the Indigenous connection to the river, with growing support to rename the Darling River to the Baaka-Darling. Barkandji traditional owners intend to create a "Baaka Commission' to oversee the river. Professor Head laments that in January last year, when the fish kills became a big story, Indigenous and other communities in the region had long-before run out of water and had been drinking donated bottled water for months. "But that wasn't enough to set off this outcry. It needed dead fish and white men crying." Explore further New Australia mass fish deaths in key river system More information: Sue Jackson et al. Australia's mass fish kills as a crisis of modern water: Understanding hydrosocial change in the Murray-Darling Basin, Geoforum (2020). Sue Jackson et al. Australia's mass fish kills as a crisis of modern water: Understanding hydrosocial change in the Murray-Darling Basin,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2019.12.020 Nguyen Thi Thu Trang (R) with a doctor at Thanh Hoa General Hospital in Thanh Hoa Province, central Vietnam, as she is discharged, February 3, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/To Ha. A Vietnamese woman has been discharged from hospital after doctors declared her free of the new coronavirus she was found infected with. Nguyen Thu Trang, 25, a native of Thanh Hoa Province in north central Vietnam, was released from the provincial general hospital Monday morning. "The patient has had no fever for six days in a row and her health is now in stable condition. Two latest tests for the novel coronavirus (nCoV) has showed negative result," said hospital director Nguyen Van Sy. Trang was one of four Vietnamese employees of Japan-based Nihon Plast Company found infected with the nCoV after returning from Wuhan City in China's Hubei Province where they'd been sent to train for two months. The fourth person was confirmed as Vietnam's eighth nCoV infection Monday morning. The four are among eight employees of the company sent to Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic. They returned to Vietnam on a Southern China Airlines flight (CZ8315) on January 17. While Trang has been discharged, the other three are still quarantined and undergoing treatment. Meanwhile, two Chinese nationals, Li Zichao, 28, and his father Li Ding, 66, confirmed as Vietnam's first cases of the nCoV infection on January 23, are recovering at the Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Not WHO recommended treatment After treatment, Zichao has repeatedly tested negative for nCoV since January 27. On Saturday, Ding also tested negative for the first time. Doctors at Cho Ray said if the next tests also turn out to be negative, it can be confirmed that both father and son have recovered fully. According to the hospital, Zichao, the son whose health was normal before he became infected, only took medicines for fever and did not receive any antibiotics during the treatment process. He has been sent to the hospital's rooftop every morning for sunlight and outdoor exercise. In the room he is quarantined for treatment, windows are opened to receive natural air and sunlight and ensure warm indoor temperature to weaken the virus. Doctors have asked him gargle every day with an antiseptic solution. "Foreign medical documents have not mentioned the methods we have applied, but we have depended on our own experiences and scientific evidence in taking care of patients on ventilators, we decided to let patients gargle to prevent the virus," said doctor Le Quoc Hung, dean of the tropical disease department at Cho Ray, who directly joined the team treating the two patients. Such treatment methods have not been applied or recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), he added. Hung also said there has been no official treatment regimen so far for nCoV infections and the general recommendation is supportive treatment. Treatment varies from place to place based on each patient's situation, he said. As for the father, Li Ding, doctors have had to run tests and keep track of his situation each day to make suitable adjustments because he has different ailments including diabetes, hypertension and coronary insufficiency, apart from an operation for lung cancer. Vietnam's government declared the novel coronavirus an epidemic on Saturday. The nCoV death toll has reached 362 361 in China and one in the Philippines. More than 17,300 have been infected and 486 have recovered. GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. The federal Bureau of Land Management withdrew land parcels from an upcoming Colorado oil and gas lease sale due to ongoing litigation, officials said. The agency removed about 14 square miles (36 square kilometers) from the sale scheduled for March 26, The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reports. The withdrawn land is located in Mesa, Jackson, Moffat and Rio Blanco counties. The agencys amended plan includes offering lease sales for about 48 square miles (124 square kilometers) in Jackson and Las Animas counties, the bureau said. The agency was forced to pull the land as a result of an injunction issued by a federal judge in Idaho in an ongoing wildlife management lawsuit. The litigation challenges amended greater sage-grouse management plans the agency adopted in northwest Colorado and in other states last year. The injunction handed down in October requires the agency to follow its 2015 management plan while the lawsuit remains active, preventing the bureau from offering the disputed areas to lease. The withdrawal was a decision by the land management bureau due to the ongoing suit, an agency spokeswoman said. Several oil and gas organizations, including the West Slope Colorado Oil and Gas Association, have moved to intervene in the case. A pair of California men have been charged with multiple felonies in an alleged $20 million workers compensation kickback scheme. Bradley Dean Groscost, 59, of Westminster, and Felix Koltsov, 57, of Beverly Hills, surrendered last week to the Orange County Central Justice Center after being charged with multiple felony counts of insurance fraud, money laundering, and unlawful referrals for allegedly conspiring to bill insurers in excess of $20 million as part of a kickback referral scheme, the California Department of Insurance said in a press release. From 2014 to 2017, Groscost reportedly operated five workers comp clinics in Southern California. Doing business as DSJ MGT, Inc. in Fountain Valley, Groscost reportedly controlled treatments, referrals, and medical and financial records at the clinics even though he was not licensed to practice medicine. The Department of Insurance said its investigators found that Groscost received roughly $2.1 million in kickbacks from Koltsov, owner of LFPS Inc. and Resource Pharmacy Inc., for patient referrals for urine drug screenings and compound cream prescriptions. The National Insurance Crime Bureau assisted in the investigation. Koltsovs companies reportedly billed workers comp insurance carriers more than $20 million for the claims. The investigation also revealed that Groscost allegedly failed to report employees to the Employment Development Department and paid them as independent contractors. He failed to report over $5.1 million in wages to EDD and as a result, avoided paying over $510,000 in taxes. As of July 5, 2019, Groscost owed EDD over $1.6 million in taxes, penalties, and interest, according to the Insurance Department. Koltsov surrendered to the court on Jan. 22 and posted bail of $500,000. Groscost surrendered to the court on Jan. 24 and remains in custody. His bail is set at $500,000. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Christine Oh of the Insurance Fraud Unit of the Orange County District Attorneys Office. Source: California Department of Insurance Leading Republicans took to the talk show circuit on February 2 to defend their expected acquittal of US President Donald Trump at his Senate trial next week -- despite offering sharp criticism of his role in the Ukraine scandal. The president was impeached in December 2019 for abuse of power over pressuring ally Kiev to announce investigations that would have helped him politically, including into Joe Biden, a leading challenger in this year's presidential ballot. A day ahead of the Iowa Democratic caucuses -- the official start of the election season -- key Republican senators including Lamar Alexander and Joni Ernst said Trump's behavior was troubling but not impeachable. "Hopefully he'll look at this and say, 'Okay, that was a mistake. I shouldn't have done that, shouldn't have done it that way," Alexander told NBC. The Tennessee senator suggested Trump had been naive in asking a foreign ally to look into Biden and his son Hunter's business dealings in Ukraine, which Republicans have claimed without evidence were corrupt. But he added: "The bottom line: it's not an excuse. He shouldn't have done it." Trump is all but assured of being acquitted at only the third impeachment trial of a US president, with Republicans holding 53 seats in the Senate to 47 for the Democrats. A two-thirds majority, or 67 senators, is needed to remove him from office. Ernst said it was "up to the American people" to decide on Trump's behaviour, adding that she would vote Wednesday to acquit the president, who is also accused of obstruction of Congress. "I think generally speaking, going after corruption is the right thing to do, but he did it in the wrong manner... I think that he could have done it in different channels," she told CNN. On January 31, just two Republicans -- Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine -- joined Democrats in voting to introduce witnesses, following the example of every other impeachment trial in US history. Alexander, who had been considered a possible swing vote on the issue, said however there was no need for more evidence and, with Washington awaiting the results of Monday's Iowa caucuses, it was better to let the American public decide who should be the next president. The first vote in the US primary process will be closely watched as a sign as to which of 11 Democratic candidates are gaining early momentum to challenge Trump in November's election. In the impeachment trial, Democrats failed to muster the four Republican votes needed to allow testimony from Trump's former national security advisor John Bolton, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and others. Democrats had been eager to hear from Bolton following reports that, in a forthcoming book, he says Trump told him military aid to Ukraine was tied to Kiev's investigating former vice president Biden. This is the crux of the charge against Trump, coming from someone close to him. "As upsetting as what's going on in the Senate is, the thing that I'm always reminding voters of -- especially in these closing days of the Iowa caucuses -- is that, yes, the Senate is the jury today but we are the jury tomorrow," Pete Buttigieg, who is running third in the Hawkeye State, told CNN. "And we get to send a message at the ballot box that cheating, lying, involving a foreign country in our own domestic politics, not to mention abuse of power more broadly and bad administration, that that's not okay, that we can do better." The Senate resumes as a court of impeachment on February 2 to hear final arguments, before voting on February 5 on the two articles of impeachment passed last month in the House. Adam Schiff, the leader of the House impeachment managers, told CBS Sunday that it was "pretty remarkable" that senators on both sides had acknowledged that Democrats had proved their case against the president. "But I'm not letting the senators off the hook. We're still going to go into the Senate this week and make the case why this president needs to be removed. It will be up to the senators to make that final judgment, and the senators will be held accountable for it." Four contenders for the Democratic nomination -- Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Michael Bennet -- were required to be present at the impeachment trial. January 3's Iowa vote is headed to a photo finish, with leftist Bernie Sanders holding a narrow polling lead over Biden. The latest in the "boy thinks he is a girl" story comes from New York. This is from CBS-2: A Westchester County high school student is fighting back against what he calls gender discrimination. Cruz Vernon, 17, has one simple wish before he graduates from Ossining High School next year: To compete in gymnastics at the state level. So he is going to the courts! The young man wants to compete with girls. We used to call that "unfair" rather than a "civil rights violation." The young man wants to reach out to other boys in a similar situation. We used to call that crazy or something worse than that. We don't know where this will end up. Perhaps in the Supreme Court? Perhaps the young man will become the new face of the "boy thinks he is a girl" movement. In the end, it confirms just how much damage we are doing to our culture. First, we are going to kill girls' sports. Yes, girls are talented, but that's when they compete with girls, not boys. It's biology and nothing more. Second, it confirms why I'm so happy with the Trump presidency. He is filling the Judiciary with exactly the kinds of judges who will reject stuff like this and send it to the legislatures. In the meantime, we are in a bad shape when boys think they are entitled to compete with girls. PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter. The Metropolitan Police said they had executed search warrants at two residential addresses in south London and Bishops Stortford. The raids came after two people were stabbed in Streatham at about 2pm on Sunday and a convicted terrorist, Sudesh Amman, was shot dead by police. Upcoming political events in the Bay Area: WEDNESDAY Impeachment protests: Rallies against the Senates impending acquittal of President Trump in his impeachment trial are planned in several Bay Area cities. Organized by RejectTheCoverup.org. Information on rally times and locations is here. FRIDAY Watch party: For the Democratic presidential candidates debate. $10. 6 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. Eyewitness Venezuela: A report from the World Anti-Imperialist Meeting held last month in Caracas, Venezuela, from Party for Socialism and Liberation presidential candidate Gloria La Riva. $3-$10. 7 p.m., 2969 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here. SATURDAY Rock the Primary: Performances by bands including the Basementals, the Robs, Matt Jaffe, Amalgamation, Splat! and Edens Lost. Nonprofit and political clubs will discuss issues, candidates and upcoming ballot initiatives. Free. 3-11:30 p.m., Ferment.Drink.Repeat Brewing Company, 2636 San Bruno Ave., San Francisco. More information is here. SUNDAY Race and 2020 elections: A daylong workshop on race and the 2020 elections, hosted by the Catalyst Project and Bay Resistance. Sliding scale donation. 9 a.m., Oakstop17 1721 Broadway, No. 201, Oakland. More information is here. CCSF: Rick Baum, Marcos Cruz and Harry Bernstein from City College of San Francisco discuss recent changes, how they particularly hurt people of color and whats being done to defend against them. 9:30 a.m. Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco, 1187 Franklin St., San Francisco. More information is here. Spanish for activists: A session on canvassing among the Latinx community, sponsored by Democracy Action. Intended for intermediate and advanced Spanish speakers. Bring a laptop and phone. Free. 10:30 a.m., 80 Liberty Ship Way, Suite 20, Sausalito. More information is here. MONDAY Climate politics: A meetup on climate politics to plan for the March 3 California primary and other elections. Speakers include Susan Bolle of Democracy Action Marin and Susan Morgan of Indivisible Marin. 6 p.m., Good Earth Natural Foods, 201 Flamingo Road, Mill Valley. More information is here. TUESDAY Socialist feminism: A reading group focused on Gloria Martins Socialist Feminism: The First Decade, recording the formation of theirst Marxist socialist feminist party, the Freedom Socialist Party. First of two sessions hosted by Freedom Socialist Party; second session is at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 12. $3-$5 donation. 7 p.m., New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk St., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 12 All the Presidents Women: Monique El-Faizy, co-author of new book on the history of President Trumps relationship with women, in conversation with California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis. Free. 6 p.m., Book Passage bookstore, Ferry Building, San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 13 Responsible conservatism: Political analyst William Kristol on whether American conservatism has a future. Free. 7 p.m., Cubberley Auditorium, 485 Lasuen Mall, Stanford University. More information is here. FEB. 15 Rep. Pramila Jayapal: Washington state congresswoman and Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair in conversation at the Commonwealth Club. $30 for nommembers, $10 for students. 1 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 16 Rep. Pramila Jayapal: Washington state congresswoman and Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair in conversation at Mannys. $15. 2 p.m., 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 19 Iran Reframed: A Talk by Narges Bajoghli, assistant professor of Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University and an anthropologist, filmmaker and writer. Free. 4 p.m., Room 587, Humanities Building, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco. More information is here. Watch party: For the Democratic presidential debate, hosted by TechEquity Collaborative. Free. 5 p.m., Starline Social Club, 2236 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. More information is here. Watch party: For the Democratic presidential debate. $10. 5 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 20 Primary ballot explainer: An overview and conversation of key housing and workforce and labor ballot measures on the March 3 primary ballot, hosted by TechEquity Collaborative. Free. Online, 344 Thomas L. Berkley Way, Oakland. More information is here. Disinformation and democracy: A forum on the threats to democratic elections from digital disinformation. Panelists include Irina Raicu, director of internet ethics at Markkula Center; Alex Stamos, former chief security officer at Facebook and director of the Stanford Internet Observatory; and Subramaniam Vincent, director of journalism and media ethics at Markkula Center. $10. 6 p.m., Computer History Museum, 1401 North Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View. More information is here. Polarization and the Constitution: Is the Constitution part of the problem in political polarization rather than the solution, and if it is, what can we do about it? A conversation with Paul Pierson, political science professor at UC Berkeley. Free. 6:30 p.m., Salesforce Tower, 415 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 22 Oscar Lopez Rivera: Puerto Rican independence activist, long imprisoned by the U.S. government for alleged connection to paramilitary actions, discusses his organizing activities as the island tries to recover from 2018 hurricanes. $15 in advance, $20 at the door. 5:30 p.m., La Pena Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. More information is here. FEB. 23 Dismantling racism: Screening of the documentary film When They See Us, followed by discussion groups focused on building bridges for the purpose of dismantling white supremacy and racism. Hosted by San Francisco Black and Jewish Unity Group. Free. 1 p.m., Calvary Presbyterian Church, 2515 Fillmore St., San Francisco. More information is here. Oscar Lopez Rivera: Puerto Rican independence activist, long imprisoned by the U.S. government for alleged connection to paramilitary actions, discusses his organizing activities as the island tries to recover from 2018 hurricanes. $20. 1 p.m., Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, 2868 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 25 Watch party: For the Democratic presidential debate. $10. 5 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. FEB. 26 W. Kamau Bell: Political comedian teams up with Mother Jones to talk about the 2020 election. $15. 7 p.m., Berkeley Repertory Theater, 2015 Addison St., Berkeley. More information is here. FEB. 27 E.J. Dionne Jr.: Washington Post columnist on how progressives and moderates can unite to win 2020 elections. $25 for non-Commonwealth Club members, $10 for students. Noon, 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. MARCH 1 Rep. Jackie Speier: Peninsula Democrat in conversation for KQED-FMs Live on Stage With Michael Krasny. $25. 5 p.m., Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, Hoytt Theater, 200 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael. More information is here. MARCH 3 Super Tuesday watch party: For primary returns from California and 13 other states. Free. 5 p.m., IGS Library, 109 Moses Hall, UC Berkeley. More information is here. MARCH 4 Gender issues and political identity: Rose McDermott, international relations professor at Brown University, discusses gender issues and leaders emotional manipulation of political identity. $5. 7 p.m., 518 Valencia St., San Francisco. More information is here. MARCH 5 Rahm Emanuel: Former Chicago mayor and Barack Obama adviser on how mayors run the world. $40 for non-Commonwealth Club members, $15 for students. 6:30 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. MARCH 17 American Jews and Israel: Former Knesset member Yossi Beilin, chairman of the Geneva Initiative, on the relationship between Israelis and American Jews today and where we go from here. Hosted by Center for Jewish Peoplehood. $18 in advance, $25 at the door. 7 p.m., Osher Marin JCCs Hoytt Theater, 200 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael. More information is here. To list an event, please email Politics Editor Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com. We're barely out of January and 2020 is already looking seriously dodgy. There I was feeling sorry for myself nursing a dose of man flu after a dumb dawn dip on Women's Little Christmas, and suddenly the world eclipses my petty purgatory by going to hell in a hand basket. Bad enough we're feeling the breakup collywobbles from Brexit and having barely sufficient bobs to tap and go a scone and coffee, when out of nowhere comes the coronavirus - and suddenly the globe has become a very small place as we grapple with a reality far more scary than the latest Netflix horror binge. A high-powered techie mate, whose pay cheque could probably tap and go him a Jag SUV every month, is sure a vaccine will soon be discovered, similar to halting the Ebola epidemic six years ago. "But its not the only badass contagion out there, you know," he said, with raised eyebrow. "What spreads faster than any virus, crosses borders in a wink, contaminates entire cities in a blink and leaves millions affected in its wake?" I wanted to reply Gangnam Style K-pop, but the guy doesn't really have a sense of humour. "Cybercrime, the world's biggest plague, and if it hasn't touched you yet, chances are it will soon," he whispered, like Clint Eastwood in 'Pale Rider'. A virus gone wild across the globe, this computer larceny is fast becoming more profitable than the global drugs trade. Hacker attacks occur every 39 seconds according to a study by the University of Maryland, often through back-door entry due to peoples' poor choice of password. I know somebody whose bank password is 4321 - seriously. As they say in Silicon Valley: "Passwords are like underwear: don't let people see it, change it often, and don't share it with strangers." But it's not just the money in our bank accounts these modern robber barons are after - information is the treasured oxygen of this electronic age. Everything we do from the supermarket to the shops to the pharmacy is the legal tender of these Roaring Twenties, a world where every heart flutter of our lives is mined, quarried and extracted to feed the voracious appetite of those monolithic media giants. In a click-bait universe where data can scale the highest wall and perforate the strongest safe, is it any wonder we can't tell the fake news from the false memes and propaganda porkies? It's surely a strange old world when that gadget in all our pockets enables us FaceTime with the rellies in Perth, buy a Picasso online or book a Virgin premium economy to the moon. But it's also the yoke that witnesses every shuffle and shimmy of our lives, painstakingly documenting every detail and particular, both public and private. "Cybercriminals are coming after everything you've got, from ATM cash to hospital records, every scrap of information has a price," warns my tech buddy. "It's cybergeddon out there, and nobody is prepared." Honestly, it's all too depressing to contemplate. Think I'll just crawl back under the duvet. Somebody wake me up on May 1. Dying for a ding-dong With only a few days to go, is there any chance of igniting a decent tiff, barney or bust-up out there on the hustings? It's been an election of such careful control and delicate presentation, the word 'yawnfest' seems the only apt description. I mean, in the miserable depths of winter, could these over-paid public servants not summon up some engaging theatre to entertain us - a bout of bad tempered bolshie belligerence to get Joe Duffy's hotline in meltdown? Where's the Charlie/Garret truculence, John Kelly's snarky put downs or those delicious Joe Higgins barbs? I'm with Mark Twain on the whole flat-footed circus: "Politicians and diapers should be changed regularly - and for the same reason." 'In the Middle Ages, when Muslims were around 15 per cent of the population of the world, they accounted, according to one estimate, for 90 per cent of scientific advancements.' 'And today, when Muslims are around 22 per cent of the population of the world, their share in scientific writings is less than 1 per cent!' point out Ziya Us Salam and M Aslam Parvaiz. IMAGE: Muslim children read the Koran at a madrasa in Mathura. Photograph: K K Arora/Reuters Today, Muslims across the world are divided on the basis of ethnicity, language, sect and so on but, at the risk of making a broad generalisation, one can say that, by and large, they share a common feature: And that is, a distinct absence of the scientific spirit and low levels of scientific achievement and awareness. This is true, generally speaking, of Muslims across the world, especially in South Asia, which is home to the largest concentration of Muslims in the world. The low level of interest in and awareness about science among Muslims generally is, in part, a result of their long-established educational system. Here the question arises: What sort of education and educational system are we talking about that is responsible for this malaise? If the fault lies with the secular education that is imparted in 'modern' schools, then one can ask why is it that people of other faiths who are also part of this educational system are advancing in science while Muslims are not? And if the fault lies in what is called the deeni or religious education that is imparted in madrasas, and if it be said that such education is inimical or indifferent to a scientific attitude, then one can ask how was it possible that for a long period, from the 7th to the 12th century, Muslim scientists who were products of this sort of education made great advances that laid the foundations of modern science? There have been periods in human history when only religious learning was considered as education. People thought that through religious education they could acquire what the needed in order to be educated for their well-being. Here we should remember that knowledge has two sources: the first is revealed knowledge based on divine revelation. The second is the Book of Nature -- the world around us, from which knowledge of nature can be drawn. In the beginning of human history, the only source of knowledge was divine revelation or wahi Ilahi. The teachings, including laws and rules, given by God were conveyed to humanity through prophets. This was then the only way for education and training. The Quran refers to this way of providing knowledge in several places. As the human population increased and the social structure became more complex, God arranged for new ways and methods for people to acquire knowledge. Thanks to the efforts of many thinkers, over time new disciplines or sciences came into being and their scope expanded. It is widely recognised that for a long period, till the 12th century, Muslims were in the forefront of scientific scholarship, discoveries and inventions. In this era, many of the greatest philosophers, mathematicians, doctors and historians were Muslims. An important contribution of these early Muslim scholars was the experimental method, which is integral to modern science. The great interest in knowledge and research that emerged with the rise of Islam is a significant phenomenon. This thirst for knowledge among the early Muslims was produced by the Quran and by the encouragement given to knowledge by the Prophet Muhammad. Practising the teachings of the Quran, these Muslims became experts in many sciences and made significant advances in them, which was a major reason for the widespread Muslim influence that prevailed at this time over a large part of the world. This continued till around the 12th century or so. But after this, Muslims slipped into the same sort of 'Dark Ages' that Europe slumbered in during the period of Muslim dominance, with the rise of superstition and anti-scientific attitudes. Increasingly, Muslims began treating knowledge of the world as useless. This was in sharp contrast to their attitude to science in their early history. It is something that even noted ulemma in India have also said more than once in the days gone by. For instance, well respected Deobandi intellectual, Ashraf Ali Thanwi, stated, that it is, in fact, a source of great pride for the religious madrasas not to impart any secular education at all. For if this is done, the religious character of these madrasas would inevitably be grievously harmed. Some say that madrasas should teach their students additional subjects that would help them earn a livelihood, but this is not the aim of the madrasa at all. The madrasa is actually meant for those who have gone mad with their concern for the hereafter. In contrast to this, an important aspect of the passion for knowledge among early Muslims was their holistic understanding of knowledge. Many of the top Muslim scientists of this time were not just experts in one or the other natural science but also in the religious sciences. Al-Kindi was a scholar of Islam and an expert in subjects like music and mathematics. In a study of key scientists from the 7th to the 15th century, Charles Gillespie made a list of 132 people, of whom 105 were from the Muslim world. Many of the others who were from Europe had studied science in institutions in Muslim Spain. This means that around 90 per cent of the top scientists of this time were from the Muslim world. How things have changed since then! In a survey done in 1981, it was found that among the top 25 countries as far as publication of scientific literature annually is concerned, not one was Muslim! In 1996, less than 1 per cent of the authors of scientific articles published in journals across the world were Muslims! In the Middle Ages, when Muslims were around 15 per cent of the population of the world, they accounted, according to one estimate, for 90 per cent of scientific advancements. And today, when Muslims are around 22 per cent of the population of the world, their share in scientific writings is less than 1 per cent! That is one measure of the level and extent of Muslim decline. There was a time when in Baghdad, on just one street, there were some 200 bookshops, with books on subjects ranging from the Quran to astronomy, biology, mathematics and chemistry. People had personal libraries in their homes, and lovers of knowledge would organise literary sessions. The Quran was studied in the light of new discoveries and sciences. But today, leave alone Muslim bookshops or personal collections, it is difficult to find books by Razi or Jabir bin Hayyam or al-Kindi even in the libraries of Muslim educational institutions! This story of Muslim decline in the field of scientific education is a dark chapter of human history. A community that made great contributions to science became a victim to blind imitation and hidebound traditionalism, because of which it fell behind in the field of science and technology. They stopped inventing useful things, and confined themselves to memorisation of the sacred verses without understanding their meaning or the spirit behind them. A principal factor that attracted many early Muslims to engage in research to study Nature was undoubtedly the Quran. At that time, the Quran was the Muslims's only focal point and they were blessed by being in the company of the Prophet, from whom they received guidance. But after the demise of the Prophet, the situation began to change. This transformation happened slowly and in different ways. The Caliphate was replaced by authoritarian monarchy. Muslims began fighting among themselves. In this period, hadiths of the Prophet began being collected. Different views emerged regarding their status and authenticity and chains of transmission. Jurisprudential disputes and sectarian differences led to severe conflicts. New lands came under Muslim rule and while some people accepted Islam truly, some others did so for some worldly interest and to curry favour with the new rulers. At this time, some minds among the peoples whom the Muslims had vanquished reflected on the causes of Muslim dominance and thought of ways to put an end to it. It did not take them long to understand that it was the Quran -- and only the Quran -- that had united those who believed in it and in whose light of guidance they had become experts in many fields of knowledge and a powerful military, economic, social, political and civilisational force. These opponents of Islam also understood that it was impossible to make any changes in the Quran. So, they adopted a different method. In a very organised way, using different means, they sought to try to shift the Muslims's attention away from the Quran onto other things and to divert their thinking, concerns, efforts and abilities to other issues. Excerpted from Madrasas In The Age Of Islamophobia by Ziya Us Salam and M Aslam Parvaiz, with the kind permission of the publishers, Sage Publications India Pvt Ltd. There's a reason why American politics is referred to as though it were a top-rated TV drama. 'The current season of America', as it's often known on Twitter, is as enthralling, compelling and unpredictable as it gets. Every day is a cliffhanger; every week a twist in the plot. As RTE's Washington correspondent, Caitriona Perry saw the antics unfold at close range; at one awkward point she even inadvertently became the story when she wandered into Donald Trump's eyeline. Perry was canny enough to write about her experiences, as well as the people who elected Trump to office, in 2017's In America: Tales From Trump Country. It was an absorbing read, and given its subject matter, how could it not? Much like its predecessor, The Tribe: The Inside Story of Irish Power and Influence in US Politics, sees Perry offer vivid dispatches from former strongholds of Irish-American politics: Queens in New York, Marshfield Hills in Massachusetts, and so on. Perry sets the scene, offering the reader a strong sense of place as she makes her way through some of the US's biggest Irish-American communities. Blessedly, she makes a distinction between what it means to be Irish and what it means to be Irish-American, even if many others can barely tell the difference. The book opens with Joe Crowley, a Democratic senator of 20 years' standing, ruminating in a local Queens diner as he ponders the loss of his seat, and his defeat by rising star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. It's a neat jumping-off point for the book's central thesis: where Irish immigrants spawned some of America's foremost political dynasties, like the Daleys in Chicago and the Kennedys in Massachusetts, the might of the Irish immigrants as a voting entity has faded down the years. Neighbourhoods that were once Irish immigrant 'ghettos' are now either gentrified, or home to an array of different ethnic groups. The Irish no longer vote as the immigrants they once were, for their own interests and issues; after successful assimilation, they are part of the 'general voter' population. Read More And yet the anachronistic idea that the Irish are a powerful political voting bloc still exists. This is an idea, touched on in Perry's debut, that she gets to fully flesh out here. There is a long-standing belief that Irish-Americans tend to vote Democrat, yet Perry's extensive research reveals that many of them are now more conservative than we might think. The conceit of the Irish as a powerful political entity still holds firm, no doubt aided by a number of Irish names in the upper echelons of US politics: Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, former press secretary Sean Spicer, as well as Obama's former speech writer, Cody Keenan; 22 of the 45 former presidents, Perry observes, have claimed Irish heritage. In one of a dozen journalistic coups, and an arguable high point of the book, Perry interviews former president Bill Clinton about his ancestry (in the interview, he refers to a glass bottle of soil and dirt from an old farmhouse in Fermanagh, where his ancestors hailed from). Here, he talks about his part in the Good Friday Agreement - something he deems a career highpoint - as well as the role of Irish America in his own presidential elections. Video of the Day Clinton is just one of several absorbing interviews: governor Martin O'Malley, Congressman Brendan Boyle, Joe Kennedy III and the aforementioned Mulvaney, Spicer and Keenan make up some of the interview subjects. Under Perry's guidance, their inputs amount to a forensic, rounded and authoritative discussion about the Irish, and the Irish-Americans, in the US. One thing is abundantly clear from the outset: Perry lives, breathes, eats and drinks American politics. The woman knows her stuff. Her enthusiasm and knowledge on the subject are writ on every page. She writes with authority, not to mention empathy. She gives voice to her subjects adding polemic or editorialising. She delivers a rounded discussion, and a clear-eyed and far-ranging investigation. Read More And yet. Perry is so fine and professional a reporter that the book occasionally suffers from the polished sheen of reportage. Though she is able to set the stage well for her encounters with the Irish-American glitterati, there is little room here for Perry's own analysis. Many of these names may mean little to the average non-fiction reader in Ireland, and some chapters, for that reason, are likely to drag. Perry's commitment to journalistic rigour means that some passages of prose feel flat and drained of atmosphere. Yet in the main, this is a mere quibble. There's eating, drinking and chewing in what Perry serves up. Perry is edging her way towards a more assured and conversational writing style. In the near future, it's very likely that a Caitriona Perry book will bring with it a sense of occasion: something that seizes, starts and blows open political discussions. The Tribe may seem, on the surface, like the sort of book that will only tickle political nerds, but there's certainly much more to it than just that. LONDON (AP) A man with a fake bomb strapped to his body stabbed two people in a "terrorism-related" attack on a London street well removed from the city's world-famous landmarks Sunday before he was shot to death by police, authorities said. One stabbing victim was hospitalized with life-threatening wounds and the other suffered less-serious injuries in the attack, which took place about 2 p.m. in the Streatham section, a combined residential and commercial neighborhood about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of central London, police said. Officers responded quickly to the stabbings because of a "proactive counterterrorism operation" that was underway, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy D'Orsi said without elaborating. Video from the scene appeared to show three undercover police officers in an unmarked car making a quick stop and emerging with weapons. Bell Reberio-Addy, a member of Parliament who represents Streatham, said the attacker had been under surveillance "for some time." D'Orsi said police believe the bloodshed was related to Islamic extremism. She gave no details. The drama far from central London marked a departure from recent terror attacks in the British capital that took place near landmarks such as London Bridge and the Houses of Parliament. D'Orsi said the device strapped to the assailant's body was quickly determined to be a hoax. A third person suffered minor injuries, apparently from flying glass. Investigators gave no immediate details on the attacker. But police declared the violence terrorism-related more quickly than they have in similar cases in the past, suggesting they may have had information about him. And the police mention of an active counterterrorism operation suggested he may have been under surveillance. D'Orsi said there was no "continuing danger" to the public, but the area remained cordoned off as the investigation continued. The usually busy area was deserted as the public heeded police requests to stay away. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in the aftermath that the government would introduce "fundamental changes" to the way people convicted of terrorism offenses are treated. He cited Sunday's attack and another at Fishmonger's Hall in December as reasons for the changes. The December attack was carried out by a man who had served time in prison for terrorism offenses. Johnson's reference to that case suggested something similar may have happened in this case. The attack caused chaos and panic on what had been a typical Sunday afternoon, with the streets filled wish shoppers. Karker Tahir said he was at work when he saw police chasing a man down Streatham High Road, the area's main shopping district. "They kept telling him, 'Stop! Stop!'' Tahir said. "But he didn't stop, and then I saw that they shot him three times. It was horrible seeing it. The man was on the floor and it looked like he had something, which police said may be a device. Police came to us and said, 'You have to leave the shop because he has a bomb in his bag.'" Images shared on social media showed a man lying on the sidewalk outside a pharmacy. Emergency medical vehicles quickly filled the street and helicopters hovered overhead. "The circumstances are being assessed,'' the Metropolitan Police tweeted. "The incident has been declared as terrorist-related." Stephen Roberts, a former deputy commissioner for the Metropolitan Police, said if the stabbings were carried out by a "self-starter" someone acting alone it means any city in the country is vulnerable to a similar sort of low-tech attack. The bloodshed took place a little over two months after two people were stabbed to death near London Bridge by a man who had recently been released from prison, where he was serving a 16-year sentence for plotting a terror attack. In November, British authorities lowered the national terror threat level to "substantial,'' meaning an attack is considered likely. That is the third-highest rung in a five-step system used by British authorities and marked the first time since August 2014 that the threat level had been so low. It was lowered because of the belief that the threat of British jihadis returning to the country from Syria had been reduced by events there, including the Islamic State group's loss of territory. London Mayor Sadiq Khan urged community resolve in the face of another attack. "Terrorists seek to divide us and to destroy our way of life,'' he said. "Here in London we will never let them succeed." Also Sunday, police in Belgium shot a woman who stabbed and wounded passersby in the city of Ghent, but prosecutors said there was no suspicion of terrorism or a link to what happened in London. By GREGORY KATZ and DANICA KIRKA, Associated Press By Rasana Gasimova The number of Azerbaijanis in Kazakhstan has increased tenfold, Deputy Chairman of Assembly of People of Kazakhstan (APK), Head of APK's Secretariat of the Executive Office of Kazakhstans President Zhanseit Tuimebayev said. Tuimebayev made the remark following the meeting at Azerbaijan's State Committee on Work with Diaspora, which was held within the two-day visit of delegation of Kazakhstan's Assembly of People to Baku held on January 30-February 1. The visit aimed to study the experience gained in working with the diaspora, interethnic relations between the relevant state bodies of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan and further strengthen further cooperation and business ties. Addressing the meeting, Chairman of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora Fuad Muradov noted the achievements of the both countrys leaders in the development of bilateral relations, which have a rich history and are developing dynamically every year. He also touched on the importance of bilateral relations within the framework of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States. Muradov informed the delegation about Azerbaijans successful diaspora policy, the large-scale projects and programs implemented in the country in recent years, as well as the goals outlined in the road map, emphasizing the importance of attracting Azerbaijanis living in Kazakhstan to new projects. He noted that currently more than 200,000 Azerbaijanis live in Kazakhstan, adding that it is important to improve work with the Azerbaijani community in the country. The parties exchanged views on the activities of Azerbaijani diaspora organizations in Kazakhstan, further strengthening of ties, and prospects for cooperation. Zhanseit Tuimebayev highly appreciated the work done in this direction. He emphasized friendly, fraternal relations between the peoples of the two countries. He also spoke about the activities of the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan, the conditions created for communities of different peoples, and noted the importance of strengthening intercommunal relations. The meeting was also attended by the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan Serzhan Abdykarimov and the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Kazakhstan Rashad Mammadov. Note that The Assembly of People of Kazakhstan is a consultative and advisory body under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan responsible for the coordination of activities for the development and strengthening of inter-ethnic relations. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A staunch member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dela Coffie has called on President Nana Akufo-Addo to fish out the culprits in the Airbus bribery scandal. According to him, the admission of Airbus to the crime is enough grounds for the President to launch full-scale investigations into the issue. ...the protagonists in the Deferred Prosecution Agreement have agreed to have committed the crime, and this has made it very easy for any country mentioned in the case to fish out the culprits involved, he wrote on his Facebook. Can the Akufo-Addo government follow the footsteps of Malaysia and Sri Lanka and seek for clarity and specifics from either the court or the UK SFO in order to unravel the true identity of those codenamed as government official 1, intermediary 5, 6 and 7?, he questioned. Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video She's a working mum of two with her own fashion boutique and a busy filming schedule. But Billie Faeirs told OK! magazine she is ready to add to her hectic life by welcoming a third baby into the family as she turns 30. She admitted: 'We always talk about baby number three. I'm throwing it out there it's going to happen.' Yummy mummy: Billie Faiers has revealed she is ready to welcome a third baby to her family after recently turning 30 The former TOWIE star is already mother to daughter Nelly, five, and son Arthur, two, and shares the highs and lows of parenting on ITVBe reality show Mummy Diaries. But since hitting the big three-oh, Billie says she feels more like a 'proper adult' and want to get a third baby in as soon as possible. Husband Greg Shepherd, 35, who Billie married in an extravagant ceremony in the Maldives last year, is apparently less thrilled at the prospect of triple trouble. She said: 'Greg is coming round to the idea too he said the other day, 'When we have another baby... Oh, my God, did I just say that?' Wedding belle: Billie and husband Greg Shepherd, 35, seen here on their wedding day in the exotic Maldives, already share two children daughter Nelly, five, and two-year-old son Arthur 'I don't know if it will be this year as I don't have enough time to fall pregnant! But maybe next year. We need to do it sooner rather than later as I don't want a huge gap. Arthur is going to be three in March so time is ticking!' The sister to model Sam Faiers continued: 'My twenties were the most life-changing, amazing years of my life. I feel very grateful. I married Greg, and we're lucky to have Nelly and Arthur.' Billie explained that she still had some maturing to do, but felt ready to take on the challenge of a third child. Bath babies: Billie told OK! magazine: 'I feel very grateful. I married Greg, and we're lucky to have Nelly and Arthur' The reality TV star celebrated entering her third decade last month with a bang, as her sister Sam surprised the star with a party at their mum's Suzanne Wells' house, which was festooned with balloons. Birthday girl Billie was delighted and further surprises were in store when her daughter Nelly popped out of a huge present box wrapped in gold paper. But the big surprise was when Sam and Suzie revealed they're taking her to NYC for a girls' getaway. Billie took to Instagram to show her 2.1million followers a snap of herself and sister Sam pouting cheekily in matching New York jumpers in the First Class lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5. 30 and flirty: Billie celebrated entering her thirties last month by being whisked away on a surprise trip to New York with sister Sam In what could be good news for property flippers in California, mortgage broker Barrett Financial Group has announced that it will be offering commercial hard-money loans in the state through its Hard Money Lenders California brand. While traditional lenders decide if a borrower is qualified based on their credit history or financial statements, a commercial hard-money loan is primarily based on the borrowers assets. This allows borrowers whose property projects don't necessarily meet the traditional guidelines of most banks and other lenders to receive funding from other private lenders. What makes Hard Money Lenders California unique is that we are a direct lender specializing in commercial hard-money loans, the company said in a statement. There are no fees upfront and we can get you the funding to start your project in an extremely short amount of time, unlike traditional banks and lenders. The company has been built on the foundation and mindset that just because an individual may have a poor credit score does not mean that they should be incapable of receiving lending or financing for any and all real estate or business purposes. All specialists employed with Barrett Financial Group are proficient in carrying this mentality out, in fast and efficient ways and provide customers with a plethora of knowledge on our loan programs. Flash A man has been shot dead by armed officers in south London in a terrorist-related incident, the Metropolitan Police confirmed Sunday. Two people were believed to be injured in stabbings on Streatham High Road. The scene has been "fully contained", according to the police. "The circumstances are being assessed; the incident has been declared as terrorist-related," the Metropolitan Police tweeted, "we can confirm that the man shot by police at around 2 p.m. today in Streatham High Road has been pronounced dead." "I was crossing the road when I saw a man with a machete and silver canisters on his chest being chased by what I assume was an undercover police officer -- as they were in civilian clothing," a witness was quoted by the Sky News as saying. Following the incident, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter:"Thank you to all emergency services responding to the incident in Streatham, which the police have now declared as terrorism-related. My thoughts are with the injured and all those affected." "Terrorists seek to divide us and to destroy our way of life -- here in London we will never let them succeed," Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in a statement. In a second case of suspected coronavirus in Odisha, a woman pursuing medical studies in China, has been admitted in a government hospital in Cuttack. The woman was admitted at SCB Medical college and hospital, Cuttack, on Sunday with fever, a symptom associated with novel coronavirus, officials said. Along with her husband, she had come to Odisha from Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak in the neighbouring country on January 19 to attend a marriage function. She was lodged in a separate ward of the hospital, an official said, adding her condition is stable. This is the second such case in the state after another medical student from Phulbani, who returned from China, was admitted in the same hospital on January 31. He had developed cold and cough after returning from from China on January 11. SCBMCH emergency officer Dr B N Maharana said, "The condition of the patient is stable. We have kept her in an isolated ward after she developed fever. Her husband is currently under surveillance. "As she came from Wuhan city, we are giving her priority," the officer said, adding that her swab and blood samples will be sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Pune for tests. Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET), Prof C B K Mohanty said, "A total of four swab and blood samples of five persons, including the medico from Phulbnai, have been sent to NIV, Pune and four have tested negative for nCoV. "We are waiting for the test reports of the medico," he said. The state government has set up a special ward with 74 beds, and an ICU at the SCB Medical College. "So far there has been no confirmed case of coronavirus in Odisha," Mohanty said. The state government has appealed to people to keep in home isolation, persons who have recently returned from China, Honk Kong, Thailand and Singapore. The Regional Medical Research Centre in Bhubaneswar on Monday imparted training to paramedical staff from across the state on how to collect swab and blood samples of persons with suspected nCoV. "Our priority is to train the paramedics as to how to keep themselves safe and collect samples from suspected persons. Each paramedical staff is being provided with a personal kit to protect themselves against coronavirus," said RMRC director Sanghamitra Pati. The state government has also issued advisory for proper screening of people coming from China and other such countries. The health department has issued four telephone numbers, 0674-2390466, 9439994857, 9439991221, 9437040564, and requested people to immediately inform the authorities if they come across any person who has recently returned from China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore. The health officials will conduct a thorough test of people returning from the four countries and take follow-up action without delay, an official release said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Political reporters staged a walk-out in Downing Street today in protest at attempts By Number 10 to prevent several news organisations from a Government Brexit briefing. Senior figures from the Daily Mail, Times, Sun, BBC and Sky were among those who refused to attend the event with David Frost, Boris Johnson's Europe advisor, in Westminster today. They had been invited to the technical non-political briefing by the civil servant, but organisations including the Mirror, Independent, PA Media and the Huffington Post had not. When senior political staff from those organisations learned of the briefing they came to Downing Street. But once inside they were separated from those with invitations and told to leave. When senior political staff from those organisations learned of the briefing they came to Downing Street. But once inside they were separated from those with invitations and told to leave. All the approved journalists then took the decision to walk out with them in solidarity, including the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg and ITV's Robert Peston. Mirror Political Editor Pippa Crerar, who was among those refused entry, tweeted: 'I felt deeply uncomfortable being left to stand on one side of the room while colleagues' names were read out one-by-one and they joined the group who were deemed ''acceptable'' by No 10. 'Sinister and sad.' A No 10 source said the briefing had been meant for a select group of reporters called the 'inner lobby' that has been operating since last summer, when Boris Johnson became Prime Minister. Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot will make a statement in Lok Sabha on the recent Supreme Court ruling that there is no fundamental right to claim reservation in promotion for SC/STs, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed the House on Monday. Amid demands by opposition to raise the issue in Lok Sabha, Singh said, "The recent SC ruling is a sensitive issue" and the social justice and empowerment minister will make a statement on the subject in the House. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met senior ministers this morning in his Parliament House office. Though such meetings are routine during Parliament sessions, Monday's meet assumes importance in the backdrop of the court ruling. There, however, was no official word on it. The Supreme Court has ruled that there is no fundamental right to claim reservation in promotion for SCs, STs and OBCs in government jobs. Our new designs, along with our integration of industry-leading touch components from 3M and Zytronic matched with 24/7 LG commercial monitors, have resulted in the best performing and most durable touch displays and multitouch tables in the world. Ideum capped 20 years in business with its most successful year ever in 2019. Known internationally for its award-winning digital interactive installations, the company produces multitouch tables and touch displays and fabricates custom exhibits. The firm sold a record amount of touch table hardware to hundreds of museums, educational institutions, and Fortune 500 companies in 22 countries around the world in 2019. Along with that milestone, Ideum completed a number of new and ground-breaking custom installations for museums and corporate clients across the nation. Ideum received a patent early in 2019 for its hardware manufacturing method. This new method is now used for most of Ideum's touch tables and touch displays. The firm also sold a record number of its largest Colossus and Pano multitouch tables, which contributed to its best year ever in hardware sales. "Our new designs, along with our integration of industry-leading touch components from 3M and Zytronic matched with 24/7 LG commercial monitors, have resulted in the best performing and most durable touch displays and multitouch tables in the world," noted Matt Gallegos, Ideum's Hardware Product Manager. In its 20th year, Ideum collaborated with the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C. to design and develop a compelling introduction to the Museum's unique collection. This is Ideum's fifth collaboration with a Smithsonian museum: the firm has also completed projects with the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Air and Space Museum, and the National Portrait Gallery. Closer to home, Ideum helped develop a series of interactive digital exhibits for the new Penguin Chill habitat at the Albuquerque BioPark. One of Ideum's largest exhibition installations to date, Penguin Chill had an immediate impact as visitation to the BioPark increased by 80% over the same period the year before. Additionally, the Albuquerque Journal recently reported that this exhibit has helped make the BioPark "the state's No. 1 most popular attraction." In one of the firm's most challenging projects ever, Ideum collaborated with national design firms IDEO and Second Story and architectural firm Gensler to design and build a first-of-its-kind, 20-foot custom touch table covered in white Italian marble. The table has three integrated 86" 4K Ultra HD touch displays, and 88 motion sensors and an LED lighting array react as visitors approach. This massive touch table clad in tens of thousands of dollars of marble weighs nearly 3 tons (5,500lbs) and was developed for a Fortune 500 client. Ideum was also involved in dozens of other creative projects in 2019. Here are just a few notable examples: In Tune with Nature - A projection-based interactive immersive room that explores cycles in nature. The exhibit was developed in conjunction with Cayton Children's Museum in Santa Monica, California. D-Day Interactive - A touch table-based exhibit on the history and impact of industrialist Andrew Higgins, whose landing craft was used extensively by the Allies in World War II. This exhibit was the second project Ideum designed and developed with the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. French Quarter Tours - A mobile and touch table-based interactive exhibit exploring the unique history and architecture of the French Quarter. This project was developed with The Historic New Orleans Collection. Western Design Room - A projection-based immersive room where visitors using a touch table design their own western wear as colorful design elements appear on the walls of the room. This project was developed with the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas. Deep Dive into the Brain - Not unlike the 1960s film Fantastic Voyage, the Deep Dive interactive allows visitors to use a custom control panel to travel inside the human brain through a massive immersive projection. This interactive was developed with design partners Intervoke and the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium. "I am so proud of our team and thankful for our wonderful clients and partners. It is really satisfying to have our 20th year be our best and most exciting year yet. As a self-funded design firm, it hasn't always been easy, but we've kept investing in ourselves and our community and because of that, we keep finding success and continue getting better at what we do," said Jim Spadaccini, Ideum's Creative Director and Founder. In 2020, Ideum will continue to grow, adding a new flex-space and meeting area to expand the company's facilities to 30,000 square feet. The company is also looking to add 10 new positions to keep up with the demand for its products and services. There are currently a half-dozen jobs posted on its website. To learn more about Ideum interactive projects and its unique hardware products, please visit: https://ideum.com Visit our Flickr album for high-resolution images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ideum/ About Ideum Ideum is a 20-year-old digital design firm based in Corrales, New Mexico. In addition to its established line of touch tables, the firm focuses on creating the next generation of visitor experiences that blend the physical and digital realms. Ideum has partnerships with 3M, Barco, Christie Digital, Crestron, LG, and others, allowing its creative digital projects to have direct access to leading-edge equipment and specialized hardware expertise. In addition, Ideum has a fabrication studio that allows it to create custom exhibits, bespoke furniture with embedded digital technologies, and other unique fabricated pieces. For more information, please visit http://www.ideum.com. Im doing so because that question Are we going to die today? still echoes inside my head. For most of us, on most days, the answer to that question is no. But in todays America, the answer could be yes at any time, in any place. I dont know when that day will come for me, but I do know that it came far too soon for Nick and Helena, and for Alyssa, Scott, Martin, Aaron, Jaime, Chris, Luke, Cara, Gina, Joaquin, Alaina, Meadow, Alex, Carmen and Peter on Feb. 14, 2018. And I know that between this day and my last, I have the opportunity and responsibility to tell my story because they cannot tell theirs. By Trend Negotiations between the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov and the Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of NATO in Europe Tod Walters are planned in Baku, supposedly on February 6-7, RIA Novosti was informed by a diplomatic source, Trend reports. "In upcoming week, presumably on February 6-7, negotiations are planned between the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, First Deputy Minister of Defense, General of the Army Valery Gerasimov and the Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of NATO in Europe, American General Tod Walters. Only parties know about the agenda. Baku is a traditional meeting place, said the source. Previous meeting in the Russia-NATO format took place in Baku on November 26. The United States has taken actions that create and spread fear following a coronavirus outbreak in China, instead of offering any significant assistance, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday. Beijing: The United States has taken actions that create and spread fear following a coronavirus outbreak in China, instead of offering any significant assistance, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday. The United States was the first nation to suggest partial withdrawal of its embassy staff, and the first to impose a ban on Chinese travellers, said ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying. All it has done could only create and spread fear, which is a bad example, Hua told an online news briefing, adding that China hoped countries would make judgements and responses that were reasonable, calm and based on science. The US began evacuating its citizens from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have first emerged late last year, on 28 January. The World Health Organization on 30 January declared the accelerating outbreak a global emergency. On the same day, the US State Department raised its travel advisory for China. It is precisely developed countries like the United States with strong epidemic prevention capabilities and facilities that have taken the lead in imposing excessive restrictions contrary to WHO recommendations, Hua said. Saturday: Pantomime Day arrived with great excitement for the Whirlwind Princess who couldn't wait to get down to St Michael's Theatre, New Ross for Cinderella. Such was the excitement that the previous days were marked by a seemingly endless mantra of 'Cinderella!', 'Cinderella', 'Cinderella' and trips to the shop or creche were punctuated by a disappointed, 'This isn't Cinderella'. So the big day arrived of course the Frozen dress had be worn and as we took to our seats at the front corner of the balcony she couldn't contain her excitement. I was a newbie to the pantomime scene, but it wasn't long before I started to enjoy all the jokes and the polished performances and high jinks. Across the county pantomime season has been underway for several weeks, providing quality social outings at an otherwise quiet and dark time of the year. The voluntary and community element of these productions, which involve hundreds of people and a huge amount of planning, is heartwarming to behold in all its glory. The first site to greet us was a large picture of the late Jimmy Furness who passed away last year and who contributed greatly to New Ross Pantomime Society down through the years. Included among the excellent cast were one of the wicked sisters, Marigold, played by Dame Terry Brennan, who has been dressing up in finery for 25 years entertaining audiences. The crowd participation was great and the Little Princess was dancing in the aisles for the final few songs and was enraptured by the Let It Go song. SUNDAY: With breakfast served to me in bed, followed by a cup of tea, and blue skies outside my window, Sunday morning was one of the most relaxing I've had in years. The children were on their best behaviour and having taken over the bed for half an hour they disappeared downstairs with The Good Woman and I caught up on some rest and relaxation. After a fry brunch I brought the children upstairs to jump on the mattress for a while before bringing The Little Fella downstairs for a break and to enable me to call a friend. The Good Woman was concerned about the Whirlwind Princess so having finished the call I went upstairs. There's a sinking feeling that engulfs a man at times and as I went to open the door only to find that it had been locked, that feeling washed over me. The Whirlwind Princess had locked herself into the bedroom and it was all my fault. Keeping my terrible lapse in parenting to myself I initially tried to get her to turn the key but as the seconds thudded by I knew I'd have to give myself up. 'Oh yes it is your fault' was the clamorous response of The Good Woman who proceeded to charge the door with her shoulder. As the cost of my mistake was totting up exponentially in my mind, I ran frantically about trying to calm the situation while coming up with a better idea than 'throw the feckin' key out the window and I'll get a ladder up to get it'. By a sublime piece of luck the key become dislodged and fell to the ground and The Whirlwind Princess pushed it through the finger thin space under the door. Suddenly the heavy feeling lifted as she emerged with a Cheshire proud grin into the hallway light. Phew! Later Sunday: As I made the tea and fetched the emergency biscuits, The Infinitely Patient Woman started making excited sounds about something on the radio. It was Leo Varadkar droning on about something. 'Listen! Listen!' she exclaimed and as I learnt what all the fuss was about I started seeing headlines the following day. Sadly someone 'coming out' is still major news in Ireland but then, when someone in such a public and important position as Mr Vardkar comes out it can only be a positive development for Irish society where gay people are afforded scant rights. The Little Fella was all legs on Sunday as his confidence starts to grow step by step towards walking. Monday: Charlie was the name of the day on Monday when former editor Geraldine Kennedy caused consternation in the Morning Ireland studios when she uttered the 'f' word as she appeared on the programme to give her take on the third part of RTE's Charlie Haughey drama. For a nation which uses expletives at every occasion, from breakfast to dinner, wedding to mass, it's somewhat baffling that Ms Kennedy was the first to claim the 'f' word accolade. The old politically correct walls of Irish society are crumbling at an alarming rate now, but then Charlie could claim a role in that, couldn't he. The new agreement also defines frameworks of cooperation humanitarian services and fundraising and supports relevant government strategies at a local and international level. The signing took place at an official ceremony held at the new Midfield Terminal Building in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports, Dr. Mohammed Ateeq Al Falahi, Secretary-General of ERC, and Bryan Thompson, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, and several officials, leaders and employees from ERC. Under the agreement, Abu Dhabi Airports will explore initiatives to support local community and international humanitarian projects supervised by the ERC. The Airports Company will also promote ERC within terminals at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan said: We take great pride in partnering with organizations such as The Emirates Red Crescent Authority (ERC), which under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in the Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the ERC, serves as a beacon of hope to people around the world through its effective and compassionate disaster response and humanitarian development efforts. As a major contributor to both the economic and social growth and development of Abu Dhabi, we are dedicated to continually enhancing our corporate social responsibility efforts through supporting various humanitarian and charitable initiatives. This agreement will play a pivotal role in further developing our status as a leading socially responsible institution, in line with our vision of becoming the worlds leading airports group. Dr. Mohammed Ateeq Al Falahi, Secretary-General of ERC, said: Abu Dhabi Airports is a key partner and supporter of the ERC as we strive to achieve our humanitarian and development goals at home and abroad. In line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ERC is committed to establishing and strengthening collaboration with national institutions, in order to better serve those under its care and enhance the reach and impact of its projects and programmes. The ERC continues to make great strides in developing mutually beneficial partnerships with national entities, enabling the substantial expansion of its humanitarian and disaster relief efforts around the world. Abu Dhabi Airports is a leading example of an organization that not only supports the countrys economic growth and prosperity but also contributes to humanitarian efforts around the world through its corporate social responsibility programmes. It also encourages residents to wash their hands and to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and to discard the tissue after use. If no tissue is available, the department recommends coughing or sneezing into the upper sleeve or elbow, not the hands. JUNEAU, Alaska - A Utah man beat his wife to death after she told him she wanted a divorce while on a family cruise to Alaska in 2017, according to a plea agreement filed in federal court Monday. The document states Kenneth Manzanares agrees to plead guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Kristy Manzanares. A change of plea hearing is scheduled for Friday. Kenneth Manzanares previously pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. According to the document, an adult daughter of the couple and an unidentified minor whom Kenneth Manzanares had told to leave the cabin where he and Kristy Manzanares were arguing tried to re-enter when they heard Kristy Manzanares scream. From a balcony, they saw Kenneth Manzanares on top of his wife, hitting her, and the adult daughter went for help, the document states. When Kristy Manzanares brothers and father arrived, they saw Kenneth Manzanares pull his wife toward the balcony, the document states. One of the brothers brought her back into the room. Ship security and medical personnel attempted to perform life-saving measures before she was pronounced dead, the document says. Kenneth Manzanares admitted to hitting his wife once with a closed fist, seeing blood and striking Kristy Manzanares another time, and stated he had no memory after that point, according to the document. An autopsy determined Kristy Manzanares was killed by blunt force trauma to her head and face, the document says. According to the document, on July 25, 2017, the couple began arguing about Kenneth Manzanares behaviour that evening. Kristy Manzanares said she wanted a divorce and told him to get off the ship when it stopped in Juneau, its next port of call, the document states. Extending support to JNU student Sharjeel Imam, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi on Monday said that the sedition case filed against Imam is "against the Constitution", and added that by the same yardstick UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath should be serving time in prison for his several objectionable comments over the years. "The sedition case filed against JNU student Sharjeel Imam was against the Constitution. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has made several objectionable comments over the years but never faced any action. He should be in jail for his remarks," said Azmi while speaking to media after attending a meeting with Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. "There is democracy in the country as granted by the Constitution pioneered by Babasaheb Ambedkar. Sharjeel had said something so you have taken action against him. This government can go to any extent to secure its interest. The condition of Muslims is really bad. The government has been unjust to Muslims and the downtrodden," he said. Cornering Adityanatah, the SP leader said, "No investigation was taken up against Yogi Adityanath but you will probe into Sharjeel's comments. This government is scared and disappointed." He added that there is a need to "free the government from their's (BJP) hands". Imam, who was booked for sedition for his provocative speeches, had stoked controversy with his "cut off Assam from India" remark and is currently in police remand. He has been slapped with charges of sedition and inciting enmity between communities under Sections 124A, 153A and 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Tamilla Mammadova Trend: Turkish business in Georgia does not face serious problems, said Osman Turan, head of the Association of Georgian and Turkish Businessmen after the meeting of the Investors Council in Georgia, Trend reports citing Georgian media. The meeting of the Investors Council, chaired by Prime Minister of Georgia Georgi Gahariya, was held on February 3, 2020. As reported, the meeting participants discussed the general business environment in the country, as well as issues related to investments in energy and infrastructure. Our Association attended the meeting for the first time, and I am very pleased with this, Osman Turan said. We had a delay in issuing permits for the construction of infrastructure, and the relevant structures announced that they would take the necessary measures. Overall, Turkish business in Georgia does not face serious problems, said Osman Turan. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356 The European Union and Britain clashed over a post-Brexit trade deal on Monday with Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisting he need not sign up to the bloc's rules and Brussels warning of tariffs and quotas unless he did. Britain wants to negotiate a trade deal by the end of 2020, though EU leaders say the further Britain diverges from their rules the less access it will have to the EU market. Speaking just over two days since Brexit, Johnson cast Britain as the "supercharged" superman of free trade, and while it would not seek to undermine the bloc with a race to the bottom, he said there was no need to accept EU rules. "There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment or anything similar, any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules," Johnson said. The choice for Britain, Johnson said, was between a deal like Canada has with the EU or a much more distant deal like Australia. He spoke in the Painted Hall at the Royal Naval College at Greenwich, where grand 18th Century paintings celebrate Britain's prosperity and naval power. AMBITIOUS DEAL The European Union wants an ambitious zero-tariffs and zero-quotas trade deal with Britain but this will be conditional on open and fair competition between the UK and the 27-nation bloc it quit last week, the EU's Brexit negotiator said. Michel Barnier, unveiling the European Commission's mandate for talks with Britain on their future relationship, said there should be a level playing field over the long term on social, state aid and environmental standards. "You cannot accuse us of a lack of ambition," he told a news conference in Brussels. "First and foremost, we will defend the interests of the union, its citizens and its businesses." "We'll continue to prepare for a situation where no deal is being arrived at. We certainly don't want that to happen. We'll work to avoid that, but if we can't manage a deal by the end of the year there will be a cliff-edge on many fronts. "There will some areas where theyll be no other solution. Im thinking about trade and fisheries here," Barnier added. The more that the EU and Britain have common standards, the higher the quality of access for Britain to the European single market, he said. Barnier said a free trade agreement must include a deal on fisheries that would give reciprocal assess to waters and conditions on these must be established by July 1, 2020. "We are ready to offer all this even though we know that there will be strong competition between the UK, our immediate neighbour, and the EU in the future," he said. A 33-page draft mandate for negotiations released as Barnier spoke had one section in bold, and that read: "the envisaged partnership must ensure open and fair competition, encompassing robust commitments to ensure a level playing field". The partnership should ensure "common high standards" in state aid, competition, state-owned enterprises, labour and environmental standards and "relevant tax matters", it said. The draft mandate also sees a role for the Court of Justice of the European Union, for example in the case of a dispute. Trade talks will begin in March. After criticising his predecessor Theresa May's approach in negotiating a divorce deal with the EU, Johnson is striking a much tougher tone. At the moment, much of EU-Australia trade runs along basic World Trade Organization rules, though there are specific agreements for certain goods. Australia is in the process of negotiating a trade deal with the EU, however. And so we squandered them, threw them into one conflict after another. Nearly two decades after 9/11, it was recorded that American personnel were committed to at least seven major combat zones around the globe. Seven! Did any of us know that at the time? Would many of us have cared? When President Donald Trump told a grieving war widow that her husband knew what he was getting into, wasnt he just voicing what we all felt? Its easy to see now how attractive privatization looked by the late 2020s. Recruitment was down. Suicide was up. It was even revealed that, thanks to our horrendous education and nutrition standards, 71 percent of all young Americans were unfit for military service. So why not get rid of that service altogether? Wed already begun privatizing as early as the 1980s when President Reagan Ronald announced, Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. And that philosophy only gained traction in the 1990s when President Bill Clinton declared, The era of big government is over. By nationalizing narcissism, should we have been surprised that all our major turn-of-the-century breakthroughs had absolutely nothing to do with current events? Some geriatric Gen Xrs like me still remember that during the oil wars of the early 2000s, when America, the world, was screaming for an alternative to petroleum, all we got was Steve Jobs crowing about watching The Office on our phones. In our rush to cut taxes and maximize profits, it seems inevitable, now, that after privatizing the Departments of Education, Agriculture and Corrections, the behemoth of Defense was next. This was especially clear after President Millers Two Birds argument. After all, no more soldiers meant no more veterans, which meant no more Department of Veterans Affairs. It all sounded so attractive, from both a financial and emotional point of view. Instead of feeling responsible for veterans, we could now outsource our guilt. We could finally have it all. That was the feeling barely a quarter-century ago. No more obligation, no more providing for the common defense. Now someone else could do all the suffering to keep us happy and safe, and all we had to do was pray, hug our children and participate in the economy. And we did. We shrunk our national duty down to the size of a bumper sticker reading, I support our troops or Freedom isnt Free. And look where it got us. And what can we do now? It seems almost un-American to say this, but there simply is no quick fix. There are short-term patches, no doubt, like giving our mercenaries what they want. We dont have a choice. If we dont pay our sell-swords ransom, they may do a lot worse than simply drop those swords; they may turn them on us. The president entrusted the task to Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, a Shiite and former telecommunications minister. In the first intervention, he promised to satisfy citizens' requests. Al-Sadr orders loyalists to demobilize. The majority of the population reject the choice as "part of the political game that destroyed Iraq". Baghdad (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Iraq has a new Prime Minister, after more than four months of street protests against corruption and economic crisis which have resulted in more than 500 deaths. Over the weekend, President Barham Salih appointed former telecommunications minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi to lead the government. His predecessor Adel Abdul Mahdi had resigned in November, but not even this had allayed popular discontent. Now the newly appointed prime minister Allawi - a Shiite, with studies in Lebanon and the United Kingdom behind him before entering politics in 2003, after the US invasion of Iraq - has a month to form a new executive, who will have to lead the Country to new elections. Ahead of his appointment, he expressed his support for the popular protests and assured that he wanted to satisfy their legitimate demands. In the early days of last week, President Saleh had imposed an ultimatum on Parliament, after which he would have decided himself the name to entrust the leadership of the executive. In recent months, several names and candidates have emerged, none of which have met with the protesters approval. In a video released on social media, the appointed Prime Minister addressed the Iraqis, inviting them to continue in the protest until their demands are met. "If it had not been for your sacrifice and your courage - Allawi stressed - there would have been no changes in the country". "I believe in you - he added - for this I ask you to continue in the protest". He concluded by promising to bring those who spilled their fellow citizens' blood to justice and to fight corruption across the board. Among the first reactions to the appointment of Allawi was that of radical Shiite radical Moqtada al-Sadr, who has invited his supporters to clear the streets and return to everyday life. He called for collaboration to ensure the reopening and normal operation of schools, offices and commercial activities. However, protesters have already rejected the president's choice with new demonstrations in Baghdad and in several southern Shiite-majority cities. Yesterday thousands of people gathered in Tahrir square, in the heart of the capital, a symbol of the protests, chanting slogans and songs including "Not to Allawi and the parties that support him". A group of people waved flags of the United Nations and the European Union calling for "support and protection for Iraqi protesters". "Allawi - they shouted - is a member of the political game that destroyed Iraq, he must leave." Shares of state-run oil marketing companies rose 0.58% to 2.74% after weakening crude oil prices in the international commodity market. Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) (up 2.74%), Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) (up 1.61%) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) (up 0.58%) advanced. Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 21.96 points or 0.06% at 39,757.49. In the commodities market, Brent crude for April 2020 settlement was down 38 cents at $56.24 a barrel. The contract fell 71 cents, or 1.24% to settle at $56.62 a barrel in the previous trading session. Lower crude oil prices could reduce under-recoveries of public sector oil marketing companies (PSU OMCs) on domestic sale of LPG and kerosene at controlled prices. The government has already freed pricing of petrol and diesel. Brent crude prices dragged its falling trend as break-out of coronavirus continues to haunt global investors. China is one of the largest importers of oil. The Chinese tourism industries and transportation industry have received a major hit due to widespread impact of the mysterious virus. Air routes and supply chains with China have been disrupted in a bid to control the contagious nature of the virus. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Advertisement By Paul Schaumburg, Graves County Schools Feb. 01, 2020 | GRAVES COUNTY / TRIGG COUNTY By Paul Schaumburg, Graves County Schools Feb. 01, 2020 | 05:58 PM | GRAVES COUNTY / TRIGG COUNTY FNB Bank has announced that they have donated over $77,000 back to Mayfield, Graves County and Trigg County Schools through their Spirit Debit Card Program in 2019. The most recent donation and check presentation was for the 4th quarter Spirit Debit Card Program totals. We are proud to offer our exclusive FNB Spirit Debit Card Program to our local schools, stated Brooke Wiles, FNB Marketing Director. Our customers have pride in knowing that they are making a difference in the lives of our youth by simply swiping their Spirit Debit Cards at the checkout. The donated funds allow the school systems the opportunity to do more for their students and staff, which is an invaluable asset to our community. The FNB Spirit Debit Card Rewards Program allows FNB and their customers the opportunity to give back to their local schools when they use their FNB debit card. FNB currently offers Spirit Debit Cards for Mayfield, Graves County, and Trigg County Schools. The Spirit Card works like a traditional debit card and for each signature-based transaction (not using your PIN), FNB donates $0.10 to the corresponding school. The tracking process is hassle free for the card holder, as FNB does all the tracking and submits the check to each school on a quarterly basis. The donated funds are utilized at the schools discretion. In 2018, FNB donated over $66,000 to their participating schools through the Spirit Debit Card Program. To learn more about the Spirit Debit Card Program, stop by any FNB Office, or visit www.GrowWithFNB.com. FNB Bank, founded in 1875, is one of the oldest banks in the state of Kentucky and ranks among the highest in the nation in the area of safety and soundness. The bank currently has nine locations: Mayfield Main, Mayfield Southside, Wingo, Lone Oak, Paducah, Murray North, Murray South, Cadiz Main, and Cadiz West. FNB is member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender. The start of a long-awaited corruption trial against Rosmah Mansor, the wife of the ex-Malaysian prime minister, was postponed for two days when she failed to show up on Monday and her attorney claimed she was suffering from a life-threatening illness. The former first lady, who is facing charges over allegations that she had sought a multimillion-dollar bribe in connection with a solar-hybrid power project in Sarawak state, was to appear before Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan for the opening of her trial. Instead, her attorneys were present without Rosmah. Apologizing on his clients behalf, defense lawyer Jagjit Singh handed a letter to the judge from a medical professional stating that Rosmah was suffering from chronic adrenal issues, which could lead to Addisonian crisis. The court did not release the name of the doctor, described as an orthopedic and trauma surgeon at a private medical center in the nations capital. Based on searches through Google, complications faced by my client can be life threatening, Jagjit said as he handed Zaini a document containing search results on the condition. The letter also stated that Rosmah, 68, suffered from severe neck pain and osteoarthritis in both knees. The physician advised her to rest for one to two weeks from the date of the letter, Feb. 2. Zaini responded that the request was wasting the courts time and he ordered Rosmah to appear on Wednesday. Can I suggest that your client comes in a wheelchair, he told the attorney. I understand she has to sit on a hard bench, which may not be good for her condition, so I will allow her to come in a wheelchair. The judge also said he would allow for short breaks during the trial as needed. These dates are very precious to me. If I were to know that this would happen, I would have scheduled other cases today. I am very sorry for your client, but I also cannot postpone this trial much longer. Lead deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram also questioned Rosmahs health issues, calling the defense request a last-minute attempt to stall the proceedings. I also have those, said Sri Ram, 76, in response to Rosmahs medical issues. The only thing Rosmah is suffering from is an overdose of publicity and wealth, he said, while suggesting the court cancel her bail. Rosmah is facing two counts of graft under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act for allegedly asking for 187.5 million ringgit ($45.56 million) and receiving 1.5 million ringgit ($364,500) for helping Jepak Holdings win a contract valued at 1.25 billion ringgit to supply hybrid solar systems to 369 schools in Sarawak. She posted 1 million ringgit ($243,000) bail when the charges were filed in November 2018. She also faces five charges for failure to declare income to Malaysia Income Tax Revenue Board and 12 money laundering charges. Former aide Rizal Mansor, who also was charged in the Jepak Holdings case, saw the complaint against him dismissed in January as court officials said he could be called as a prosecution witness. Loss of power Charges against Rosmah were filed after her husband, former Prime Minister Najib Razak, lost power in May 2018 when the upstart Pakatan Harapan defeated the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition in the general election. Najib is standing trial in two different courts on several of the 42 charges he faces linked to the beleaguered state development fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad and its subsidiary, SRC International. Malaysian and U.S. prosecutors allege that at least $4.56 billion (18.8 billion ringgit) was stolen from 1MDB and the subsidiary and diverted through acquisitions of real estate, artwork and luxury properties by Najib and his associates. Shortly after the government of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad took power, police raided Najib properties, seizing jewelry, handbags, cash and documents valued at $273 million (1.1 billion ringgit). The items included 117 million ringgit ($28.4 million) in cash in different currencies, luxury handbags, designer Swiss-made watches and 12,000 pieces of jewelry. Three men have been sentenced after pleading guilty to stealing more than 100,000 worth of farm machinery. The men stole agricultural kit across across North Wales, Cheshire, West Mercia and Dyfed Powys. Thefts between October 2017 and November 2018 included a mechanical digger, a tractor and hedge cutter, a quad bike, trailers and other farming equipment. Ricky Evans, 43, from Minera, Wrexham, described as the 'ringleader', received 3 years 3 months, Shane Jones, 30, from Brynteg, Wrexham, 2 years 4 months and John Price, 29, from Telford 2 years. They were sentenced at Caernarfon Crown Court on Friday 31 January. The court heard how the thefts had a 'severe financial effect' on the victims. Speaking after the sentencing, North Wales' Police DS Chris Jones said the region is a regular target for rural crime. Organised groups of criminals prey on the vulnerability and trust which exists in our communities, he said. They plan and travel extensively to commit these crimes, often to order, and move the stolen property across Britain and beyond. These sentences show that we will pursue such groups to recover stolen property, prosecute individuals and seize assets to help make North Wales the safest place in the UK. It comes as police officers in Scotland currently investigate the theft of two tractors worth around 110,000 from farms in Clydesdale. Agricultural vehicle and machinery theft is the most costly crime that farmers face, according to NFU Mutual. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 19:37:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close China has been endeavoring to ensure medical supplies and daily necessities as it battles the novel coronavirus epidemic. Medical manufacturers have taken immediate actions to ramp up production to meet increasing demand. With concerted efforts, the supply of daily necessities in Wuhan and the whole of Hubei Province as well as other places in China are also being secured. SHANGHAI/JINAN, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- China is making every effort to ensure the supply of medical and daily necessities for citizens as the country battles the novel coronavirus epidemic. The novel coronavirus epidemic has triggered a sharp increase in demand for masks for citizens and protective clothing for medical workers. Companies have been mobilized to run at full capacity to produce these high-demand materials. PRODUCTION AT FULL CAPACITY Since the novel coronavirus outbreak, residents have rushed to buy masks. However, shelves in physical stores are empty, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to buy masks online. Hospitals in the hardest-hit city of Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province are also in urgent need of medical materials. Medical material manufacturers have resumed production despite the shutdown period of the Spring Festival holiday to cope with the problem. A worker makes masks at Shanghai Dasheng Health Products Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in Shanghai, east China, on Jan. 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) In the city of Zaozhuang, east China's Shandong Province, over 300 workers from Kangli Medical volunteered to work during the holiday. "Orders have soared in the past two weeks, and we have ensured that our machines will run 24 hours a day," said Lyv Zuopin, the company's deputy general manager. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) decided on Jan. 29 to send special representatives to 15 companies that produce medical protective clothing. Kangli Medical, listed among the selected companies, can make a total of 1,200 protective clothing items a day. With the help of ministry officials, the company has been urgently allocating raw materials and purchasing equipment to expand production scale. Given the unexpectedly high demand, the mask and medical device manufacturers in Shanghai have also managed to resume and ramp up production. Workers count masks at Shanghai Yuanqin Purification Technology Co., Ltd. in Shanghai, east China, on Jan. 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Ding Ting) Shanghai Yuanqin Purification Technology Company, a protective mask manufacturer for Honeywell, has been in full production with 40,000 to 45,000 masks being made every day since last week. Liao Huolin, the company's president, said the factory had planned to suspend work on Jan. 17, but it urgently recalled its employees who had returned to their hometowns and also invited nearby villagers to assist in production after the novel coronavirus outbreak. Shanghai has recovered its mask production capacity with a daily output of over 1 million masks, the Shanghai municipal government said last week. According to the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, a total of 17 mask manufacturers in Shanghai are gradually resuming their production, and the daily production capacity can reach 4 million after the companies reach a full production scale. SUPPLIES SUSTAINED Detection reagents are also in urgent demand. The reagent manufacturers have also joined the coronavirus fight. Shanghai BioGerm Medical Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is one of the novel coronavirus detection reagent manufacturers approved by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the company's employees canceled their trips home for the holiday and returned to their posts. "It's not about the money. We are honored to work for our country at this moment," said Zhou Yan, the company's director of operations. With the high demand for detection reagents, employees from the sales department even took high-speed trains and planes to deliver goods in person to make sure the reagents could be delivered as soon as possible. A worker counts masks at Shanghai Yuanqin Purification Technology Co., Ltd. in Shanghai, east China, on Jan. 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Ding Ting) The preventive traffic restrictions taken by the authorities to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus have to some extent affected transportation of supplies entering the coronavirus-stricken area. The government, however, has pledged efforts to sustain the continuous supply of necessities to coronavirus-stricken areas, with the National Development and Reform Commission arranging daily transport of vegetables, cooking oil, rice and flour to Wuhan. Alibaba's Cainiao Logistics has also coordinated with courier firms to deliver 300,000 medical supply items to Wuhan from Beijing, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and other provincial-level regions such as Gansu, Sichuan, Hunan, Liaoning and Hainan. The medical supplies include the urgently-needed surgical masks, isolation gowns, protective gowns and goggles. SUPPLY OF DAILY NECESSITIES SECURED Farmers in the city of Shouguang, Shandong Province, China's major vegetable production base, are also making a contribution by providing vegetables for Wuhan. A farmer clears up vegetables at an agricultural products logistics park in Shouguang, east China's Shandong Province, Feb. 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Guo Xulei) Sang Xuemei, a farmer in Sangjiazhuang Village, got up at about 3:00 a.m., put on a headlamp and walked into the field. "Every family has bought headlamps to pick vegetables in the dark," she said. "We used to pick vegetables in the afternoon, but we changed the schedule to deliver the freshest vegetables to Wuhan." Two hours later, she sent 250 kg of freshly-picked cucumbers to the agricultural product examination center at the village's cooperative where cooperative members were busy loading the vegetables onto trucks heading for Wuhan after they were examined. "China is battling against the epidemic, and we as farmers should make sure that people can eat vegetables as normal," she added. On Jan. 28, Shandong donated 350 tonnes of vegetables to Wuhan and has been providing 600 tonnes of vegetables to Wuhan at par price daily since then. The winter season, Spring Festival holiday and preventive transport restrictions in different areas put in place to contain the epidemic affected logistics and resulted in price hikes of some commodities. However, market authorities have worked to crack down on abnormal price hikes by dealers who took advantage of the epidemic situation. With concerted efforts, the supply of daily necessities in Wuhan and the whole of Hubei Province as well as other places in China has been secured, said Lian Weiliang, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, at a press conference in Beijing, on Monday. Some problems, such as less varieties of leafy vegetables and delayed replenishment due to logistics, still exist and efforts are underway to solve these shortcomings, Lian said. A staff member arranges fruits at a supermarket in Qingshanhu District of Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, Jan. 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Hu Chenhuan) Liu Liansen, a resident in the city of Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, wore a mask and shopped at a local supermarket on Sunday. He bought some green onions, garlic, pork ribs and Chinese cabbage. "Several days ago, I was worried that there would not be enough supplies of daily necessities, so I rushed to the supermarket. But I was assured when I found that there are ample supplies of rice, cooking oil, vegetables and meat," he said. (Video reporters: Wu Feizuo, Li Ziheng, Wu Xia, Sun Qing, Guo Jingdan, Pan Xu. Video editor: Liu Yuting) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 01:05:23|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close SKOPJE, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- A 46-year-old police officer on duty was seriously injured when an unidentified person shot him on Sunday in the Town of Veles, 50 km south of Skopje, capital of North Macedonia. The incident happened in front of a church near the town's cemetery during a police raid against suspected robbers. The police officers were assaulted by four people, one of whom managed to take hold of the 46-year-old police officer's hand gun and fired at him five times. The injured policeman was immediately taken to a nearby health care facility, but was transferred to University Medical Center in Skopje later due to the seriousness of his injuries. The injured officer now is in stable condition, local media reported. Three of the four attackers have been detained by police, but the person responsible for the shooting is still on the run. The Ministry of Interior said that it is doing everything in its power to apprehend the suspect as soon as possible. HONG KONG Hong Kongs government said Monday that it would close more border checkpoints, as some medical workers went on strike to demand a complete ban on entries from mainland China to limit the outbreak of the new coronavirus. Carrie Lam, Hong Kongs top official, has faced increasing calls from hospital employees, the business community and even some pro-government lawmakers to further tighten border controls with mainland China, where the virus emerged in December. More than 2,500 medical workers in Hong Kong mostly those considered to be nonemergency personnel went on strike Monday morning to pressure the authorities to bar entries from mainland China. The number of strikers was expected to grow if the government did not relent. The medical workers, who are members of a newly formed union, said they were worried that hospitals would be overwhelmed by a surge of coronavirus cases, as mainland Chinese seek to use Hong Kongs health care system. Web Toolbar by Wibiya Web Toolbar by Wibiya Poetry is not dead. And its not just for stuffy intellectuals either. Poetry that children and people of all ages can read and enjoy is alive and well, thanks to Michael A. Lees new book of humorous poems titled Not Gonna Write Poems. This is a fun-to-read poetry book written by a physician turned poet, who is also a husband and father; so his rib-tickling poems address the lighter side of family issues like homework, sleepovers, the Boogey Monster, dads snoring, hiccups, and more. My purpose in writing this book is to make poetry enjoyable for all, explains Michael,I want children and their families to smile and laugh a lot when reading my book. Its whimsical style makes it great to read out loud. It was the late poet Shel Silverstein who inspired Michael to start writing poetry that everyone could relate to and appreciate. My family and I have always loved the poems/drawings of the famous poet/author Shel Silverstein, says Michael.We often read his poems to our daughter before putting her to bed. So thats how my poetry book began. But this isnt where the influence from Shel Silverstein ends because Michael (along with his daughter), also drew the illustrations for the book. My poetry book has many funny drawings, done by myself and my 10-year-old daughter, proudly adds Michael, that add to the humorous nature of the poems. Not Gonna Write Poems is a poetry book that is also in keeping with the spirit of National Poetry Month, celebrated every April throughout the schools and communities of the United States. National Poetry Month, which has grown to become the largest literary celebration in the world, was created by the Academy Of Poets in 1996. This is a month-long celebration which includes Poem In Your Pocket Day, poem sharing, open mic poetry readings, and creative writing workshops. And this is what Lees Not Gonna Write Poems is all about sharing the love of contemporary, relevant poetry and artwork that is not only relatable to the whole family but also enjoyable to read out loud. And to share poetry with one another and appreciate how poetry touches our lives is the focus of National Poetry Month. In fact, Not Gonna Write Poems may encourage your children to write poetry and draw pictures of their own! This is because reading and writing poems and drawing sketches is much more within the reach of the people who want to express themselves rather than the effort required to write a whole novel or paint a picture. And modern technology, like computer software and the internet, makes it even easier to create and share poetry and art. Even modern poets agree with this theory that poetry is experiencing a resurgence thanks to the internet. Rosemarie Dombroski, the inaugural poet laureate of Phoenix, explains the current interest in poetry this way: From Instagram to Twitter, slam poetry to poetry zines, poetry has risen from obscurity, and its making substantial contributions to the current of social activism within the art community and the community at large. The shorter length of poetry verses absolutely lends itself to the formats of Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Combine a short verse with a photo or simple artwork and you have a meme, the modern version of what Shel Silverstein accomplished using mechanical means. And as Michael A. Lee has proven, your poetry can be about anything - and it doesnt have to be somber, grim, or murkily written. In this excerpt from Not Gonna Write Poems Michael Lee writes poetry about something as simple as snoring, appropriately titled Ode to My Snore. Theres a sound so loud Coming out from my mouth, for which Im not proud. It only happens when Im deep in slumber. Why this foul noise emanates from me, I can only wonder. Blowing like a trumpet, It would disturb your tea with crumpets. It returns every night And puts my wifes rest in plight. To further understand why Michael Lees poetry is so appealing to its audience, it is important to look at a few of the poetic elements he incorporates into his poems for his readers to enjoy: The stanzas of Lees poetry are mainly four lines each, making them quatrains. These quatrains make it easy for these poems to be read to children out loud because they contain a complete thought, allowing for a pause where everyone can enjoy a good chuckle. The form or style of Lees poetry is generally descriptive, meaning he talks about the world around him. This is a world that his readers, including children, can identify with and laugh about. The real twist, however, is that when Lee writes an ode - it is about Dads snoring when odes are generally written about a serious subject and in an elevated style. The rhyming of Lees poetry is obvious and purposeful. While much of modern poetry does not necessarily rhyme, this is a book to be read aloud to children, so the rhyming adds to the quirkiness of the poetry, which makes it fun to read. Although poet Michael Lee rhymes many of his verses, he writes his poetry with an irregular meter. This is as opposed to writing with both an even meter and rhyming verses, which would have made the poems sing-song and monotonous much like nursery rhymes for very young children. However, the irregular meter, combined with the rhyming, is what makes Lees poems so pleasurable to read for children who are old enough to start appreciating modern poetry. Which makes Not Gonna Write Poems a great way to introduce poetry and art to your children, even if you have never had an appreciation for poetry yourself. This is because Not Gonna Write Poems is written by a parent with his child, so it is tailor-made for the family who wants to explore this literary genre without the intensity and obscurity of traditional or even experimental poetry that scares most people away from this type of literary work. Quite the opposite, Not Gonna Write Poems is a book of poetry that is all about seeing the humor of life around you. In this case, modern family life. And most importantly, if you are a parent who wants to introduce your child to poetry, Not Gonna Write Poems is the perfect place to start. You can find out more about Dr. Michael A. Lee's book of poetry entitled NOT GONNA WRITE POEMS on his website page, Mikeleethepoet.com. Mr. Alexander said the evidence against the president is so overwhelming that no further testimony is needed: If you have eight witnesses who say someone left the scene of an accident, why do you need nine? he asked Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press. Yet the retiring senator maintains that while Mr. Trumps actions were inappropriate, they do not merit impeachment. Thats a line a few GOP senators may embrace during the closing debate, even as the presidents most toadying supporters echo the claim that he did absolutely nothing wrong. DAMASCUS, Va. New murals are brightening the hallways at Rhea Valley Elementary and drawing the attention of young students with vivid colors and bold images. When I became principal here three years ago, I decided the walls needed to look more like a school full of cheer and energy, said Michael Colston, principal of the Damascus school. The murals are an invigorating space here at the school that demonstrate to our students that we value creativity. Lynn Compton, Rhea Valleys art teacher, put her skills to work designing and helping to paint a number of wall designs, some of which are sure head-turners for those entering the school. The large mural that you see when you enter the school represents a community effort. Teachers from every school in Washington County came together to help paint the design, said Colston. The mural features the school slogan, The Friendliest Little School on the Trail, and a colorful train that represents the Virginia Creeper Trail. When school started last year and the students saw the large mural for the first time, they were excited and said it was like they had a new school, said the principal, who is eager to tell the stories behind each mural. The murals have helped us have great pride in how our school looks. They help us to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. To honor National Reading Month, a One School, One Book mural showcases a book read to or by every student in the school each March. Another hallway design is the birthday tree mural, where the birthdays of students are listed each month. A mural that reads Be the I in Kind leaves a vacant place under the letter I for students to stand, reminding them what it feels like to be kind to others. This is our Acts of Kindness board that features our students, Colston said. Teachers send me photos of their students acts of kindness, and I display them on the board. It goes along with our theme of being humble and kind. A mural designed in the schools music room features the shadowy images of Kokopelli, a Native American spirit known for playing music. The teachers have commented that the murals really make the school look like an elementary school, said Compton. Our school is a very friendly school, and thats shown through our art and murals. And I believe the murals are becoming contagious in the school. Ive noticed other teachers have begun making their own murals in their classrooms. Even Barbara Clark, the cafeteria manager, wanted to be part of the art campaign by asking for a mural design that represents the farm-to-table theme in the school. The giant mural demands attention on the wall as she checks out the students in the lunch line each day. Carolyn R. Wilson is a freelance writer in Glade Spring, Virginia. Contact her at citydesk@bristolnews.com. The Senate will hear closing arguments in President Trump's impeachment trial Monday, and senators are expected to reject the impeachment articles, mostly along party lines, on Wednesday afternoon. The outcome of the impeachment trial was never in serious doubt it would take 67 senators to convict Trump, if all senators voted but Democrats narrowly lost a key vote Friday to subpoena former National Security Adviser John Bolton and other witnesses. More information tying Trump to the Ukraine pressure scheme he was impeached over continues to emerge, but a handful of key Republicans say they already believe Trump did what he's accused of, it just wasn't serious enough to remove him from office, especially in an election year. Other Republicans embraced a shockingly broad argument about what a president can legally do in office put forward, then partly rescinded, by Trump defense lawyer Alan Dershowitz. Historians and legal experts tell The Washington Post that Trump's acquittal will have serious long-term repercussions for the balance of power between Congress and the White House, lowering the bar for what future presidents can do. "The Republicans have embraced a theory that permits future abuses of power," historian Timothy Naftali, former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, told the Post. "The outcome of acquittal was predictable ... but I'm afraid that this process in the Senate is more enabling of an abusive president than expected." Nixon wasn't impeached, but he's the only president forced out of office due to the likelihood of conviction in an impeachment trial. "It is not hyperbolic to say that the Republican Party treats Donald Trump more like a king than a president," presidential historian Jon Meacham told the Post. "That was a central and consuming anxiety of the framers. It is a remarkable thing to watch the party of Lincoln and Eisenhower and Reagan and the Bushes become an instrument of Donald Trump's. That's a massive historical story." More stories from theweek.com Mitch McConnell's rare blunder John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi All the president's turncoats There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment, or anything similar, any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules. The UK will maintain the highest standards in these areas - better, in many respects, than those of the EU - without the compulsion of a treaty and it is vital to stress this now. The Cambridges appeared riled by jokes aimed at the Royal Family at the Baftas as witnesses described seeing Prince William chewing gum and Kate tapping her foot. They were seen awkwardly laughing during Sunday night's BAFTA ceremony after Margot Robbie joked about Megxit during an acceptance speech. Prince William, 37, and Kate Middleton, 38, were the guests of honour at the 73rd annual EE British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall and watched on as Brad Pitt, 56, was named best Supporting Actor for his role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Cracking up: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were seen awkwardly laughing on Sunday night after Margot Robbie quipped about Megxit during a BAFTA acceptance speech Prince William clutched his bow tie and appeared to laugh uncomfortably at the jokes mentioning his family Accepting an award on behalf of Brad Pitt, his co-star Margot Robbie read out a speech on his behalf, quipping: 'He says he is going to name this Harry because he is really excited about bringing it back to the States with him. His words not mine.' And later, Prince William spoke passionately about the importance of diversity in film before presenting the Fellowship award to Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy With the star absent from the London ceremony, his co-star Robbie read out a speech on his behalf, quipping: 'He says he is going to name this Harry because he is really excited about bringing it back to the States with him. His words not mine.' Last month, Harry relocated to Canada to join his wife and son Archie, weeks after the couple's shock announcement that they'd be quitting the Royal Family. Ahead of leaving the UK, Harry spoke of his 'great sadness' at leaving the Royal Family, but said he and Meghan had 'no other option' than to quit senior royal duties. By quitting their senior royal roles, they will sacrifice their HRH title. Prince Harry wasn't the only royal to come under fire during the prestigious ceremony, with actress Rebel Wilson shocking with a quip about Prince Andrew, who stepped back from royal duties last year amid his connection to Jeffrey Epstein. Presenting the Best Director award, Rebel referenced the Prince Andrew's controversy as she quipped: 'It is really great to be here at the Royal Andrew... uh, Royal Harry... no, sorry, Royal Phil- at this royal... palace place.' Under fire: Rebel took aim at Prince Andrew. The Duke Of York stepped down from royal duties in November following a disastrous Newsnight interview about his friendship with billionaire paedophile Epstein Dazzling: Kate , 38, wowed in a stunning floor length white and gold gown by Alexander McQueen as she walked the red carpet at the BAFTAs alongside husband Prince William, 37 The Duke Of York stepped down from royal duties in November following a disastrous Newsnight interview about his friendship with billionaire paedophile Epstein. Following the interview, he was accused of failing to show regret over his friendship with the disgraced financier, and empathy with his victims. Authorities in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Monday temporarily shut down the Pangsau Pass market, along the India-Myanmar border, in the wake of the growing Coronavirus threat. Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,080-km-long border with China, where the novel coronavirus (nCOV) outbreak has so far claimed over 300 lives. Myanmar-China boundary spans 2204 km. A district-level meeting in Nampong, chaired by sub divisional officer Ibom Tao, decided to "suspend all operations at the border haat" till March 21 to prevent the possible spread of the respiratory illness, an official said. Traders from Nampong area in the district, along with those from the neighbouring country, sell goods at Pangsau Pass border haat, which functions on the 10th, 20th and 30th of every month. The Pangsau Pass, cutting across the mountain ranges, connects Nampong with Kachin state of Myanmar. "All gaon burahs and panchayat interim committee members of Nampong and nearby Tikhak Rima Putok have been asked to create awareness among locals and restrict movement to the Myanmar side for the time being," the official said. The administration has also asked its counterpart in the neighbouring country to take similar measures, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Friday was Brexit Day in the United Kingdomthe last day the UK was a full member of the European Union. At 11pm London time, the UK entered an 11 month transition period that will lead to the full exit on December 31, 2020. On Wednesday the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to accept the UK withdrawal agreement, but a lot more negotiations are necessary before a true deal is made. Its hard to find up-to-date opinions on the internet about exactly what is now going to happen with the FMD in the UK because there are so many older articles that were made obsolete with the rapidly evolving events surrounding Brexit since the idea passed its national referendum in 2016 with a vote of 52% to 48%. People who wrote articles/essays just gave up trying to keep their postings up-to-date with all the twists and turns, so there is a lot of questionable information out there about where the plan is today. For example, an article in the Pharmaceutical Journal, A Royal Pharmaceutical Society Publication, dated one year ago on the day before the FMD was to take effect across the EUFebruary 9, 2019quoted the UK Medicines and Healthcare product Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as saying that if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, our legal obligations to adhere to the FMD will be removed. Certainly thats true, but my understanding was that the MHRA intended to continue following the FMD requirements voluntarilymuch like Switzerland and Norwayboth not members of the EUapparently intend to do. Norways National Medicines Verification System (NMVS) is currently operational. So is the UKs, since it was a member of the EU when the FMD went into effect last year, but whats going to happen next? Most articles have some dire warnings about what might happen if the UK leaves the EU without a deala, so-called, No-deal Brexit. So with the European Parliament voting to accept the UK exit proposal last week, does that mean there is a brexit deal? I assume so, but the deal is mostly just an agreement to negotiate everything necessary to make the exit graceful by another deadline: December 31, 2020. If negotiations are incomplete by that time, the exist will be without a dealapparently. The negotiating partners could extend the deadline if things arent progressing as fast as they wished, but the latest that extension would have to be agreed to is June, 2020. Thats to avoid any last minute surprise delays. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says there will not be any need for an extension. Is he right? Who knows, but look at the long unexpected chain of events that have occurred up to this point. I found the best answers on the UK NMVS website (see EMVS Post Brexit Information, which was posted just last Tuesday). SecureMed will continue to remain connected to the EU Hub and operate normally at least through the implementation period (through the end of this year). After that, what happens will depend on the UK/EU negotiations that will establish the Future Economic Partnership between the UK and EU which will progress during the Implementation Period. Thats exactly what I would expect. And since significant investments have been made, I expect they will come to an agreement to remain connected as a partner state, as opposed to a Member State. But if no overall deal is reached by the end of the year, I assume SecureMed will be disconnected from the European Medicines Verification System (EMVS)probably at 12:01AM January 1, 2021 GMT. The European Commission didnt waste much time removing the UK from the Expert Group Delegated act on safety features for medicinal products for human use. I monitor that group and I received an automated notification that the UK had been removed from that group at 11:39pm GMT on Friday. Thats 39 minutes after the hour of the UKs departure from the EU. I hope they work it out. Cant we all just get along? Dirk. 03.02.2020 LISTEN I know this is a very contentious issue; whether to leave Ghanaians in the Hubei Province of China, which has been hit by the novel coronavirus or to show them that we care. I will rather opt for us to show them that we care. That may seem a dangerous posture to assume in the midst of growing uncertainty around the world concerning the virus. As I write, the virus has taken more than 300 lives and the BBC world service (radio) reports that around 14,000 cases have been recorded in China. Also, 22 countries mainly in Asia, Europe, the United Arab Emirates and the US have recorded cases of the virus. All lives lost are in China except the Philippines which has recorded 1 death. Moreover, according to estimates by the University of Hong Kong, cases may be higher than official numbers indicate. The university is estimating about 75,000 cases in the epicenter of the outbreak, which is the city of Wuhan, alone. To depict the severity of the situation, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern. This, according to the WHO is to ensure that lower and middle-income countries, who have less rigid health systems are given extra support as they may not be that apt to spot a case. From the issues laid bare, I cannot fault anyone who will insist that Ghanaians who are caught up in this unfortunate incident in China must be left there. I just disagree. Listening to a Ghanaian student only named as Michael in the wee hours of Friday, 31st of January, on the BBCs News Day Programme it was clear that the anxiety which he exhibited and alluded to was not waning anytime soon. This was because, according to him even the Chinese nationals in Wuhan were panic buying. He had also reached the Ghanaian Embassy in China and they said that, they are not going to evacuate them. This, to him, meant that any hope of the about 400 Ghanaian students caught up in the epicenter of the virus had little hope of being flown out of the country like other states have done for their citizens. The US, UK and Japan have evacuated some of their citizens out of Wuhan. Australia, New Zealand, India, Canada, South Korea, Turkey and some EU countries have announced to evacuate their people in the coming days. In the anxious voice of Michael he said, even Egypt and Morocco are contemplating similar action but no Sub-Saharan nation seemed to be weighing the thought. Im in Ghana and I can attest to the reluctance of a Sub-Saharan nations priorities health-wise. If those who are in the country have to rant with blunt tongues for mere ambulances how much more those who are 7,397 miles away- the distance between Ghana and Wuhan? Genuinely, there are inadequate systems for us to tackle the virus if it enters the country on our blind side. But the virus, with all its deadly possessions can be controlled. It has been established that a carrier of the virus will exhibit symptoms within 14 days after contracting the virus. This shows that Ghanaians who are caught up at the epicenter of the virus and are known to be uninfected can be flown back into the country and quarantined for 14 days or more to ensure their safety. For their consistent stay in China is a threat to their lives. Hours Before I started writing this article, a discussion mostly favouring the idea that we in Ghana must protect ourselves first and disregard our brothers and sisters in China had ensued. To me that posture depicts outright callosity. Some say we dont have the money. I dont agree. We flew 3million dollars from this country to water fruitless pitches in Brazil in 2014. 3.2million cedis have been used to brand buses in this country. Presenting the 2020 budget in Parliament last year, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta allocated 10 to 20 million dollars to build a cathedral. Are human lives less important than a cathedral? The 39,500 cedis sent by government is needful, considering reports coming from China. But if we cannot fly Ghanaians, literally smelling death, out of China then the expected patriotism we need to lift ourselves out of the quagmire, which is very low, is been lowered further. Who will sacrifice for something that does not regard her or him? Not me! Kofi Boateng is a final year student of the Ghana Institute of Journalism. With an unwavering passion for his continent and country, he aims to use his words - in speech and writing- to fight for what is right. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko received a diplomatic note from Ambassador of the EU, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Matti Maasikas of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union. "Met EU Ambassador Matti Maasikas to discuss Brexit. Received EU diplomatic note. No geopolitical changes for Ukraine. EU and Ukraine will continue developing wide common agenda with London," Prystaiko posted on Twitter. Met EU Ambassador @MattiMaasikas to discuss #Brexit. Received EU diplomatic note. No geopolitical changes for UA. EU and Ukraine will continue developing wide common agenda with London. We also touched upon the progress of #Minsk process. pic.twitter.com/4Z2fpZM4RP Vadym Prystaiko (@VPrystaiko) February 3, 2020 The minister added that the parties also touched upon the progress of Minsk process. As reported, the UK stopped being a member of the European Union (EU) after 23:00 GMT on January 31, 2020. Earlier, British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons said in a video address that the United Kingdom will remain good friend and strong partner of Ukraine after the country leaves the European Union as a result of Brexit. The UK will be just as committed to Ukraines territorial integrity and to its sovereignty and will continue to work a lot to achieve strong economic growth, strong independent country, she noted. ish A winter storm that moved in the region Monday has dumped several inches of snow in areas of the Pikes Peak region, and created slick roadways. Many school districts canceled evening activities Monday, and have announced delayed starts on Tuesday. See the full list of closures, delays and cancellations here. By about 6 p.m., an inch of snow accumulated at the Air Force Academy while 3 inches of snow in Cascade was reported to the weather service. The overnight low will drop to near -5 degrees and up to 5 inches of snow is likely to accumulate overnight in Colorado Springs. Tuesday morning is likely to see more snow and cold temperatures, creating dangerous travel conditions across the region. Visit the Gazette's traffic map for updates on Colorado Springs-area road conditions. About 500 flights Monday have been canceled at Denver International Airport in anticipation of the storm, including a few bound for Colorado Springs Airport. Here are live updates on Monday's road and traffic conditions, snow totals and closures in the Pikes Peak region. 9:45 p.m. Woodland Park Re-2 is closed Tuesday. 9:15 p.m. Cheyenne Mountain Dist. 12, Fountain-Ft. Carson Dist. 8, and Harrison Dist. 2 are closed Tuesday. 9:00 p.m. District 49 is closed Tuesday. 8:35 p.m. A Commercial vehicle chain law is in effect on northbound Interstate 25 between exits 159 and 188 (Castle Pines), reports CDOT. Chains or alternative traction devices are required for all commercial vehicles, including buses and vans of 16+ capacity, said CDOT in a tweet Monday night. The National Weather Service in Pueblo is telling drivers to expect an icy morning commute on Tuesday. 8 PM Feb 3 Update: Radar & webcams across southern Colorado pretty much sums it up. Expect slick conditions through the AM commute! #cowx pic.twitter.com/OcOYj4747B NWS Pueblo (@NWSPueblo) February 4, 2020 7:45 p.m. Cripple Creek-Victor schools are closed Tuesday. 7:35 p.m. Canon City RE-1 schools are closed Tuesday. 7:30 p.m. The weather service reports snow-packed and icy conditions along the I-25 corridor from Walsenburg to Trinidad. 710 PM Update: Snow has spread into the southern I-25 corridor from Walsenburg to Trinidad. Take care if you must travel tonight. Consider postponing if you don't. For the latest road conditions visit https://t.co/QJCAoKzuin #cowx pic.twitter.com/9z0kO9HWjz NWS Pueblo (@NWSPueblo) February 4, 2020 7:25 p.m. The safety closure on Interstate 70 over Vail Pass has been lifted. 6:45 p.m. Colorado Springs police are asking drivers to avoid West Fillmore Street between Centennial Boulevard and Chestnut Street due to icy and slick conditions. @CSPDPIO Please avoid the Fillmore hill between Centennial and Chestnut due to icy and slick conditions. CSPD Communications (@CSPDComCenter) February 4, 2020 6:19 p.m. Interstate 70 is closed in both directions for safety reasons due to a major crash west of the Vail Pass summit. The closure is between mile marker 195 - Vail Pass - and 176 - Copper Mountain. 5:35 p.m. Fountain Police Department officers are on accident alert status. Drivers involved in a minor crash that does not involve excessive speed, drug or alcohol use and no one is injured, exchange information and file the incident online at colorado.gov within 72 hours of the crash. 3:35 p.m. The Colorado Springs Police Department is on accident alert status, meaning drivers involved in a minor crash that does not involve excessive speed, drug or alcohol use and no one is injured, exchange information and file the incident online at coloradosprings.gov/police-department within 72 hours of the crash. 3:25 p.m. School District 49 schools will have a 2-hour delay Tuesday morning. The rapid change in our weather is bringing freezing drizzle, along with plummeting temperatures to north and eastern El Paso County, creating hazardous driving conditions Monday afternoon, which will intensify Monday night. D49 will operate on a two-hour delay Tuesday, Feb. 4. pic.twitter.com/boeTewLuML School District 49 (@District49) February 3, 2020 2:50 p.m. Another crash on southbound Interstate 25 at North Academy Boulevard had the left and center lanes blocked. Both lanes reopened at 3:10 p.m. 1:45 p.m. A crash has closed southbound Interstate 25 at mile marker 170, three miles north of the Greenland exit, to Exit 174 - Tomah Road, according to Colorado Department of Transportation. Gazette reader Robert Corely, who is stuck in the traffic, said tow trucks removed one of the two semis from traffic at about 2:40 p.m. 1:30 p.m. Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind, Manitou Springs District 14, Colorado Springs District 11 and Colorado Springs Charter academy have already canceled afternoon and evening activities. The temperature measures 23 degrees at the airport, the city's official measuring site, at about 1:20 p.m., which creates a potential for icy roads by the time rush hour traffic starts. Meteorologists issued a winter storm advisory for much of the state Monday night through Tuesday morning. Freezing drizzle/light snow continues across El Paso, Pueblo, & Fremont Co., with slick roads being reported in the Springs to Monument areas, as well as around Canon City. Main roads have become slick this afternoon & will likely worsen. Please use caution this afternoon. #cowx pic.twitter.com/pSO8aMnopj NWS Pueblo (@NWSPueblo) February 3, 2020 Snow is expected to start falling in higher elevated areas, including Teller County, about 2 p.m. Up to 6 inches of snow and wind gusts around 45 mph are expected Monday evening. Up to 10 inches of snow is expected over the southern San Juan mountains and up to 8 inches of snow is expected over the western Mosquito and eastern La Garita mountains Monday evening. Wind chill values in these areas are expected to plummet to -25 degrees. Wolf Creek and Monarch mountain passes are likely to have snow-packed and icy roads through the night. Voters head to the polls in Iowa's Madison County in Truro, Iowa, on Nov. 6, 2018. (Steve Pope/Getty Images) Iowa Secretary of State Disputes Claim by Group About Voter Registration Eight Iowa counties have more registered voters than their total voting-age eligible populationsby nearly 19,000according to data revealed by Judicial Watch, a conservative nonprofit, but Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate disputed Judicial Watchs claim. Pate, a Republican, says the numbers claimed by Judicial Watch are patently false. Its unfortunate this organization continues to put out inaccurate data regarding voter registration, and its especially disconcerting they chose the day of the Iowa Caucus to do this, Pate said in a statement. My office has told this organization, and others who have made similar claims, that their data regarding Iowa is deeply flawed and their false claims erode voter confidence in elections. Dallas County had the most significant discrepancy of almost 15 percent more registered voters than physically and legally possible. Warren County had the smallest discrepancy of just 0.5 percent, according to Judicial Watch. The discrepancies arent necessarily evidence of voter fraud themselves. Sometimes, people remain on voter rolls even after theyve left the state or died, and over time, faulty records can accumulate. Yet states have an obligation to exert reasonable effort to clean up their voter rolls under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. Dirty voting rolls can mean dirty elections and Iowa needs to undertake a serious effort to address its voting rolls, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a Feb. 3 release. Even voter registration rates lower than 100 percent of the eligible population may indicate messy rolls since its unlikely every single eligible person has registered. Polk County, Iowas largest, has a registration rate of nearly 96 percent, which Judicial Watch called unusually high. Iowa is the first state to kick off the primary election process with its Democratic caucuses held on Feb. 3. The latest Emerson poll, held from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, showed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) leading with 28 percent. Former Vice President Joe Biden trailed him at 21 percent. The last Monmouth University poll, held from Jan. 23 to Jan. 27, had Biden at 23 percent with Sanders at 21 percent. Roll Cleanup Push At least 2.5 million extra voter registrations are on the rolls of 378 counties nationwide, according to Judicial Watch. Judicial Watch discovered the over-registrations by analyzing data released by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, an independent, bipartisan commission that was established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). The Election Assistance Commission develops guidance on how to meet HAVA requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and serving as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration. Four of the states with voter over-registrationsPennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, and Coloradoare also battleground states that will play a significant role in deciding this years presidential election. Multiple nonprofits, prominently Judicial Watch, have been filing lawsuits to force states into compliance with the National Voter Registration Act. Messy voter rolls can present an opportunity for voter fraud, but the risk also depends on the state laws. In Florida, for example, a person only needs to provide a name, address, and date of birth to receive a ballot by mail. In Iowa, the mail-in ballot request form also requires a drivers license number or a Voter PINa number on an ID card any voter can request. Judicial Watch reached three state-wide settlements in recent years with California, Ohio, and Kentucky to remove millions of ineligible voters from their rolls. Los Angeles County, in particular, agreed to remove as many as 1.5 million inactive registrations. San Diego County removed 500,000 inactive names from voter rolls but continues to have a voter registration rate of 117 percent, one of the highest over-registration rates in the country. Matthew Vadum contributed to this report. Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the response by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate. DUBLIN, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Worldwide Pesticides Competitive Analysis and Leadership Study 2018" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Over the last five years, suppliers have focused on new product developments and acquisitions. Bayer AG acquired Monsanto to become world's biggest agro-chemicals market leader. Also, FMC Corporation and DuPont announced the signing of a definitive agreement for FMC to acquire the portion of DuPont's crop protection business. The companies producing pesticides are exploring market opportunities with starkly different strategies. Worldwide Pesticides Competitive Analysis and Leadership Study 2018 offers a full competitive analysis from target markets to product mapping, from selling strategies to production capabilities. This report has examined and profiled the world's leading pesticides producers. The analyst built profiles of each competitor based on the following criteria: Company overview Company Description and Business Segments Corporation Statistics Pesticides business overview Pesticides Business Segments Key Differentiators and Strengths Products and product positioning Pesticides Product Line Overview Product Positioning in Market Segments Markets and market positioning Market Positioning in the Global Pesticides business Volume Breakdown by Market Segments Volume Breakdown by Region Production Global Manufacturing Operations Production Capacities Innovation and market leadership Marketing, sales and organizational capabilities Marketing and Sales Management Commitment and Track Record The resulting research report represents the most comprehensive strategic and tactical assessment of the pesticides producers and competitive landscape available. In terms of the total revenue generated by leading pesticides producers, Bayer AG ranks number one, followed by Syngenta AG, BASF, DowDupont, FMC Corporation, Nantong Jiangshan Agrochemical & Chemicals Limited Liability Co., Nippon Soda Co., Ltd., and Excel Crop Care Limited all of which are included in the report. The detailed analysis of each company offers a critical view into key strategic areas, including: Pesticides producer target markets Key differentiators, strengths, competitors, and other insights Designed for the composites and non-composites industry professionals, financial services firms, and users of pesticides, the Worldwide Pesticides Competitive Analysis and Leadership Study 2018 is the industry's comprehensive examination of the pesticides producers' competitive landscape. This unique report will provide you with valuable information, insights, and tools needed to identify new growth opportunities and operate your business successfully in this market. This report will save hundreds of hours of your own personal research time and will significantly benefit you in expanding your business in this market. In today's stringent economy, you need every advantage that you can find. The dynamics of the pesticides market extends beyond routine macro-economic elements of supply and demand. It is the relationship between buyer's needs and seller's capabilities as well as the macroeconomic forces at work that affect the market. It is how well and how efficiently the sellers meet the needs of the buyers that determine long-term success. In this competitive research study on the world's leading pesticides producers, the analyst thoroughly profiles the top five companies with detailed competitive assessments. The detailed analysis of each company offers a critical view into key strategic areas, including: Pesticides producer's target markets Key differentiators and strengths Product line overview, positioning, and mapping Market position in global pesticides business Revenue breakdown by market segment and region Global manufacturing operations Current production capacities Innovation and market leadership Marketing, sales, and organizational capabilities Management commitment and track record Financial strength Collected from a series of primary vendor interviews and secondary sources, the analyst also provides its own scorecard for determining which of these companies is better aligned with future market opportunities and which has the ability to gain additional market share. Using its proprietary research methodology, the analyst has developed a comparative analysis tool, the Leadership Quadrant, which identifies leaders and challengers in the pesticides market and rates each pesticides producer on two primary criteria as shown below: Alignment with market opportunity Ability to gain market share Ability to gain market share was analyzed using following parameters: Product portfolio Financial strength Asset position Execution skill Customer experience Alignment with market opportunity was analyzed using following parameters: Target growth markets New product development Corporate and functional strategy Presence within the industry In addition to the Leadership Quadrant, this comprehensive research report also offers for consumers of pesticides as well as the investment community content-rich comparative analyses detailing which producers have the production capacity, service capabilities and vision to deliver fully on its promises. Key Topics Covered 1. Leadership Analysis 1.1: Market Description 1.2: Scoring Criteria 1.3: Leadership Quadrant Analysis 1.3.1: Leaders (Top Right) 1.3.2: Challengers (Bottom Right) 1.3.3: Visionaries (Top Left) 1.3.4: Specialists/Niche Players (Lower Left) 2. Competitive Benchmarking 2.1: Product Portfolio Analysis 2.2: Financial Strength 2.3: Market Share Analysis 2.3.1: Market Share in Various Segments 2.3.2: Market Share in Various Regions 3. Syngenta AG Profile 3.1: Company Overview 3.1.1: Product Portfolio 3.1.2: Key Differentiators and Strengths 3.1.3: Key Competitors 3.2: Products and Product Positioning 3.2.1: Product Line Overview 3.2.2: Product Positioning by Crop Type Market Segments 3.3: Markets and Market Positioning 3.3.1: Revenue Breakdown by Region 3.3.2: Market Position in the Global Pesticides Business 3.3.3: Revenue Breakdown by Product Type 3.4: Production / Geographic footprint 3.5: Marketing and Sales 3.6: Strategic Initiatives 4. Bayer AG Profile 5. DowDuPont Inc. Profile 6. BASF Profile 7. FMC Corporation Profile 8. Nantong Jiangshan Agrochemical & Chemicals Limited Liability Co. Profile 9. Nippon Soda Co. Ltd. Profile 10. Excel Crop Care Limited Profile 11. Conclusions For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9gj1j7 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com Malawi's constitutional court judges on Monday began reading out the anxiously awaited ruling on whether to annul the controversial vote that saw President Peter Mutharika re-elected in last May's election. Whichever way the verdict goes, it is likely to stoke turmoil in the impoverished southern African country. The case has gripped the nation and kept Malawians glued to radio stations for hours on end listening to live broadcasts of witnesses presenting evidence of alleged vote rigging. Security was tightened with heavy military presence around the court. Judges were driven to court in a military armoured personnel carrier. An army helicopter occasionally hovered above the courthouse and the central business district as the verdict was read out. Sporadic protests have broken out across the country since Mutharika was declared the winner by a narrow margin in the May 21 presidential elections with 38.5 percent of the vote. Runner-up Lazarus Chakwera, who lost by just 159,000 votes, alleges he was robbed of victory. His Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the opposition United Transformation Movement (UTM) have petitioned the courts to annul the poll. It is the first time a presidential election has been challenged on legal grounds in Malawi since independence from Britain in 1964. "Credible, free and fair elections form a solid foundation for democracy," said judge chairman Healey Potani, in a preamble to the 500-long page judgment. "Those vested with the duty have a sacred duty to all people and need to discharge such a duty diligently" Protesters have been demanding the resignation of the electoral commission chief, and many demonstrations have turned violent. "There will be winners and losers and we are not sure how the losers will react," said Malawian politics professor Michael Jana. A number of schools and companies have closed for the week, fearing violence could erupt after the ruling is announced. 'Expecting change' Anticipation was high in the financial capital Blantyre, Malawi's second-largest city where the court is located. "I'm expecting change," said Chatonda Jembe, who works as an administrator. "Not necessarily change in leadership (but) change in attitude." Malawi President Peter Mutharika has repeatedly dismissed accusations of vote-rigging. By AMOS GUMULIRA (AFP/File) "The leadership on both sides of the political divide know they can no longer take people for granted." Anger flared last month after Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda claimed bribes had been offered to the five judges presiding over the case. Malawi's anti-graft body vowed to probe the allegations and arrested top banker Thom Mpinganjira last week. Judge Potani said the constitutional court "believes electoral disputes should never be taken lightly and must be treated as such mostly when involving presidential polls". Both Chakwera and UTM candidate Saulos Chilima -- who were in court on Monday -- have urged supporters to maintain peace and accept the court's decision, regardless of the outcome. "There is more that binds us than that which separates us," Chilima told reporters last week. "No matter which corner of this country we come from, we are a peace-loving people and we look out for each other." Chakwera called on his supporters to welcome the ruling with "open arms" as a base for "rebuilding our nation". 'Pivotal moment' Opposition leaders allege the election's tally sheets were tampered with, even claiming that polling station agents used correction fluid to alter some results. Mutharika has repeatedly dismissed their accusations and brushed off doubts about the official results. Protests have broken out in the Malawian capital Lilongwe following accusations that bribes were offered to the five judges on the case. By Amos GUMULIRA (AFP/File) "The government urges all political parties in the country and other stakeholders to respect the rule of law," said spokesman Mark Botomani. "Destruction of the country is counter-productive." If the judges rule in favour of the opposition, Mutharika's party is likely to appeal before the supreme court. Law professor Danwood Chirwa said that process was likely to be settled within two months. "If it takes longer than this there will be too much chaos," he said. In a joint statement, British, American and several European ambassadors referred Thursday to the verdict as a "pivotal moment" in Malawi's history. It echoes a historic decision by Kenya's judiciary to annul presidential election results over claims of widespread irregularities in 2017. Visit Winona has responded to the Squarespace Super Bowl commercial that featured Winona Ryder in Winona by showing the world the parts of Winona the production and the Welcome to Winona website missed. Now, people will be able to see photographs of Winona on an additional website, purchase another photo book and enter into a sweepstakes for a trip to the Minnesota city, the namesake and birthplace of Ryder. Visit Winona is certainly appreciative of the original website, along with the commercial and photo book. We felt so incredibly blessed to have (Winona Ryder) doing this about Winona, Cynthya Porter, Visit Winona marketing specialist, said. She said a campaign like this that will be seen nationally is a tourist organizations biggest dream come true. We are very grateful for this opportunity, Pat Mutter, executive director of Visit Winona, said. Winona Ryder is a beloved figure in Winona and we appreciate being part of her story. The beauty of this campaign is that everyone will have their own version of what true Winona is, and we are looking forward to sharing those with the world, too. Because of the small size of the Visit Winona organization, it was able to create a response to Squarespace campaign quickly. While Squarespace released its content on Tuesday, Visit Winona was ready with its by Thursday afternoon. The new website, named Welcome to the Rest of Winona, features photographs of places and events that the Welcome to Winona did not include, such as Sugar Loaf, Lake Winona and the numerous festivals that call the city their home. Porter acknowledged the photographs included on the original site were well done and artistic. The websites design is a replica of the original website Winona Ryder created with Squarespace, but the photos on the new site were taken by Visit Winona staff and other people who have posted their own photos of Winona on social media. As for the photo book that will be sold by Visit Winona, it certainly isnt a new idea, but instead one that has been considered over time. This was just the perfect opportunity, because the Welcome to Winona website mentioned selling one full of the photos that are on their website. The profits, Squarespace said, will go to the American Indian College Fund. There will only be a hundred copies sold, each one signed by Ryder. The profits from the Visit Winona photo book will go toward local initiatives. I think that this is a photo book that could have, really, a very long shelf life, but, also, I think it could have many future editions, Porter said. The photo book will begin to be printed in late February. About 200 copies are expected to be printed at the start, but high demand may lead to more. The sweepstakes, which will include airfare credit, lodging, food and passes for many opportunities throughout Winona, is posted on the Welcome to the Rest of Winona website. The winner will be chosen on Feb. 21. People across the nation already seem to be interested, Porter said, as more than 100 people had entered by Saturday evening since it was posted Thursday afternoon. With the passes including access to events that are spread throughout the year including the Frozen River Film Festival, Mid West Music Fest, Great River Shakespeare Festival, along with many others the winners will be able to choose what time they would like to visit based on what they are interested in. Even if someone is not going to possibly use all the things in there because of the timing of when they come, we just told the world about how amazing Winona is and all the different things that they could do if they wanted to, Porter said. She hopes everybody who visits Winona will take back to their home a little piece of Winona that feels personal and true to them. She said this may include a feeling of connection to the community, like stories of a favorite place in Winona. Visit www.welcometotherestofwinona.com to see photos, learn about the upcoming Visit Winona photo book and enter into the sweepstakes. To see the Squarespace commercial, along with other videos from Ryders visit, view more photos and read more about Squarespaces Winona photo book, visit www.welcometowinona.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Deputy of the My Step faction of the National Assembly of Armenia, Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly Ruben Rubinyan touched upon the statement by President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio today on his Facebook page. President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio issued a statement expressing his concern about the open conflict involving the Constitutional Court of Armenia. He recalled the recommendations made in the opinion of the Venice Commission that any early retirement scheme at the Constitutional Court has to remain truly voluntary and exclude any undue political and personal pressure on the judges concerned. He added that recent public statements and acts do not meet these criteria and will not be conducive to deescalating the situation. At the end of his statement, Mr. Buquicchio called again on all sides to exercise restraint and to de-escalate this worrying situation in order to ensure the normal operation of the constitution of Armenia. As in the case of the co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), I share Mr. Buquicchios concern about the tension of institutions in Armenia. I believe the tension and crisis caused as a result of the activities of Hrayr Tovmasyan must be resolved as soon as possible, and the spirit of the existing Constitution needs to be restored. I believe it is important that Mr. Buquicchio recalled that the early retirement scheme has to be voluntary. I believe some of the recent statements and actions, including those of the president and certain members of the Constitutional Court and representatives of the personnel of the Constitutional Court, as well as various types of oppositional politicians may be perceived as political and personal pressure on the members of the Constitutional Court who can benefit from the early retirement scheme, he wrote. Lucknow/Ghaziabad: The Uttar Pradesh police in last four days arrested 108 members of Popular Front of India (PFI) across 13 districts in the state, UPs additional chief secretary (Home), Awanish Awasthi, said on Monday. The figures also include nine persons arrested from Ghaziabad whose alleged involvement came to light during the December 20 rioting incidents in Muradnagar. Awasthi on Monday held a joint press briefing with officiating director general of police (DGP) Hitesh Chandra Awasthy. The organization (PFI) is mainly active in Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Bijnor, Lucknow, Barabanki, Gonda, Bahraich, Varanasi, Azamgarh, Ghaziabad and Sitapur, Awasthi said. He said that the probe so far into the anti-CAA,/NRC protests that turned violent had claimed 24 lives across the state and suggested that the PFI was allegedly behind the incidents. Police in December last year had arrested 25 PFI members, including state president, state treasurer, division Incharges of Bahraich, Barabanki and Varanasi, he said. Police formed district level special investigation teams (SITs) in all the districts where deaths took place during the violence. After investigations, police have arrested 108 PFI members from 13 districts, he said adding, these arrests were in addition to 25 persons nabbed in December. Officials privy to the SIT probes said most of the members were allegedly involved in inciting violence through objectionable literature, pamphlets etc while some were allegedly involved in arranging funds. In December, 2019 the UP police had suggested ban on the organisation and the state government in turn had sent the proposal to the Centre. According to UP police, Lucknow accounted for 14 arrests, Varanasi 20, Lucknow 14, Sitapur 3, Meerut 21, Ghaziabad 9, Shamli 7, Bijnor 4, Kanpur 5, Gonda, Jaunpur and Hapur one each while Bahraich and Muzaffarnagar accounted for 16 and 6 arrests, respectively. The PFI with its office listed on its website was contacted for their response over the developments in UP but they could not be reached despite repeated attempts. The officials of the Ghaziabad police said that nine persons were arrested mostly in connection with FIRs lodged at Muradnagar. Six persons were arrested during past one week while three were arrested earlier in December. The earlier three were arrested for spreading communally hatred messages through social media. The persons also accepted their involvement in the social media groups of the organisation while they also attended their rallies on different occassions. We suspect that the nine persons have direct or indirect links with PFI, said Neeraj Kumar Jadaun, superintendent of police (Rural), Ghaziabad. In Ghaziabad, the incidents during the protests had come to light at PSC Chowk (Kaila Bhatta), Loni and three locations in Muradnagar on December 20, 2019. The police had lodged several FIRs in this connection. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Art exhibitions of all sizes open this week, from the ginormous L.A. Art Show to the much smaller Gyre. The Academy celebrates Oscar nominees. A workshop showcases the "fifth flavor" -- umami. Donnie Darko screens. Radical Face sings. And two comedy shows take on love and dick pics. Love & Salt's first guest chef in a new dinner series is Nancy Silverton. (Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images for NYCWFF) MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3 - TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4 Love & Salt Guest Chef Series Love & Salt -- 317 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach The inaugural dinner in the series features Nancy Silverton, who mentored both chef Chris Feldmeier and chef de cuisine Tracey Harada. As an homage to the time they worked together, the meal features four courses of the chefs' favorite Mozza dishes, with several selections available for each course. Wine pairings extra. COST: $85 per person; MORE INFO MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3; 7 - 8:30 P.M. Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America Vroman's Bookstore -- 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena Candacy Taylor's new book is the first to explore the historical and residual impact of the Green Book, a travel guide for black motorists, published between 1936 and 1966. African Americans couldn't patronize most white-owned businesses, so the book listed safe hotels, restaurants and gas stations. Taylor discusses and signs the book at the event. COST: FREE; MORE INFO MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3; 8 - 10 P.M. Cut & Run Premiere and Benefit Largo at the Coronet -- 366 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Grove An evening of improv marks the debut of Ben Acker and Ben Blacker's Cut and Run, about a duo who steal kidneys from bad people for good causes. The event also benefits Children's Hospital L.A.'s Diabetes Center. Expected guests are Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), D'Arcy Carden (The Good Place), Thomas Lennon (Reno 911), Eugene Cordero (The Good Place), Ed Begley Jr. (St. Elsewhere; Arrested Development), Carlos Alazraqui (Reno 911), Oscar Montoya (Bless the Harts) and a few surprises. COST: $45; MORE INFO 'Gyre' is a new group exhibition at CSU Long Beach. It features one work, one week at a time, including 'Rockholes and Country Near the Olgas,' 2007. (Image courtesy of Gagosian, photo by Rob McKeever) TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4 - SATURDAY, MARCH 28 Gyre Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum at CSULB -- 1250 N. Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach This stripped-down art show consists of a series of eight one-week, one-work exhibitions. The work on view become the focal point, encouraging viewers to practice mindful engagement with the work. Curated from Kleefeld Contemporary's permanent collection and on loan, artists include John Baldessari, Keith Walsh and Phung Huynh. COST: FREE admission; MORE INFO TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4 Umami | Practical Usage at Home Japan House Los Angeles Salon (Level 5) -- 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood Explore umami, the "fifth flavor," long been considered integral to Japanese cuisine. This special tasting, demo and lecture event is guided by chef Ryohei Hayashi, founder of the Michelin-starred Tokyo restaurant Tenoshima. Participants will learn more about umami and how to incorporate it into your cooking. There are two 90-minute sessions, one at 1 p.m. and another at 6:30 p.m. COST: $30; MORE INFO The Academy celebrates its Oscar nominees all week long with a series of screenings and discussions. (Aaron Poole / A.M.P.A.S.) TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4 The Academy's Oscar Week Samuel Goldwyn Theater -- 8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills It's Oscar week, and the Academy holds public programs that champion this year's nominees: Documentary Short Subject and Documentary Feature (Tuesday); Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film (Wednesday); International Feature Film (Thursday); and Animated Features (Saturday). The Makeup and Hairstyling Symposium also takes place on Saturday. Each event features screenings of films or clips and panel discussions with nominated filmmakers. COST: $3 - $5; MORE INFO TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4; 4 - 8 P.M. Free Family Night Kidspace Children's Museum -- 480 N. Arroyo Blvd., Pasadena Families are invited to explore and experiment with the art of paper. Get ready to fold, tear and trim. A special presentation takes place at 6 p.m. Admission to the museum is free for everyone during these hours only. COST: FREE; MORE INFO TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4; 7 - 9:30 P.M. Donnie Darko W.M. Keck Lecture Hall at Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) -- 960 E. 3rd St., downtown L.A. FILM at LACMA hits the road during construction at the museum campus, teaming with SCI-Arc's Cinema Series to screen the theatrical cut of writer/director Richard Kelly's 2001 film, which propelled Jake Gyllenhaal into the spotlight. There's a post-screening conversation with actor James Duval and Kelly. COST: FREE, seats on a first-come, first-served basis; MORE INFO: Ballet West presents the classic romantic ballet 'Giselle' at the Saroya at CSUN for one night only. ( Beau Pearson) TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4; 8 - 10 P.M. Giselle Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts -- 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge Ballet West offers a classic production of the romantic ballet, which was first performed in Paris in 1841. The story is based on a German fable about a peasant girl who dies of a broken heart after discovering that her lover is promised to someone else. COST: $39 - $94; MORE INFO TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4; 8 - 9:30 P.M. Ezra Klein in Conversation with Shani O. Hilton Aratani Theatre -- 244 San Pedro St., downtown L.A. Now in its 10th season, Live Talks Los Angeles presents an evening with Klein, editor-at-large and cofounder of Vox, who discusses his new book, Why We're Polarized, with Shani O. Hilton, deputy managing editor of the Los Angeles Times. They'll talk about how identity politics has changed the way we look at the world and each other. COST: $20 - $53; MORE INFO Viktor Freso's 'The Birth of the Niemand' is just one of the art works on view and available at the LA Art Show. (Courtesy of the LA Art Show) WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5 - SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9 L.A. Art Show Los Angeles Convention Center -- 1201 S. Figueroa St., downtown L.A. The city's longest-running art fair celebrates its 25th year with more than 120 galleries from 20 countries. Programming includes DIVERSEartLA, a showcase of L.A'.s cultural diversity, with installations by MOLAA and Art Al Limite, and performances by Adriana Ramirez, PSJM Collective and Miss Art World. Fashion programming honors designer Sue Wong. The show donates 100% of the proceeds from the sale of patron tickets and 15% of the proceeds of opening night tickets to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. COST: $40 - $300; MORE INFO WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5; 8 - 9:30 P.M. Adam Davidson in Conversation with Adam McKay Dynasty Typewriter At The Hayworth -- 2511 Wilshire Blvd., Westlake Davidson is the creator of NPR's Planet Money podcast and a New Yorker staff writer. He'll talk about the current economy in a discussion with Academy Award winning writer/director/producer Adam McKay (The Big Short). Davidson posits that the middle class isn't dying -- and that the "21st century economic paradigm offers new ways of making money." COST: $20 - $53; MORE INFO WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5 - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6 Radical Face Troubadour -- 9081 N. Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood Ben Cooper (aka Radical Face) plays two nights to celebrate the release of his new single "Reveries" as well as the updated, deluxe version of the cult favorite Ghost (a double LP with a 10-page book of original artwork). Axel Flovent opens. Doors at 7 p.m. each night. COST: $30; MORE INFO THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6; 8 - 10 P.M. Unsolicited: Dick Pic Roast 2 Junior High --5656 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood Yep. You read that correctly. If you've ever been subjected to an unasked-for picture of someone's genitalia, this comedy show might be the cleanse you need. Eight comedians come together to roast real, unsolicited pics and take back their DMs. 18+. COST: $5; MORE INFO THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6; 8 - 9 P.M. Myth'd Connections: A Valentine's Variety Night The Second City Hollywood -- 6560 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood Take in a night of comedy, storytelling, music and surprises hosted by duo Pure & Weary. They'll dish on the best mythological love gossip (e.g., just how big is Sisyphus' boulder?). Note: Located on the second floor with stair access only. COST: $10; MORE INFO Independent Shakespeare Co. opens its festival, iambic lab 2020: Shakespearean Curios & Treasures, this week. (Grettel Cortes) THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6 - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 Iambic Lab 2020: Shakespearean Curious & Treasures ISC Studio in the Atwater Crossing Arts + Innovation Complex -- 3191 Casitas Ave., Suite 130, Atwater Village Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC), the folks behind the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, presents a series of new works and "classical curiosities" with readings, performances and discussions. The lab opens on Thursday with free excerpted readings from Solemn Mockeries, which tells the tale of William Henry Ireland, the greatest Shakespearean con-man ever. COST: Series ticket prices range from free to $40; MORE INFO Kevin Kwan attends the 22nd Annual Hollywood Film Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 4, 2018. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for HFA) THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6; 8 - 9:30 P.M. Kevin Kwan Irvine Barclay Theatre -- 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine Author Kevin Kwan's debut novel Crazy Rich Asians became a cultural phenomenon and made film history as the first romantic comedy from a major Hollywood studio to feature Asian lead actors. Listen to Kwan discuss creativity, the impact of his novels and diversity. COST: $48 - $110; MORE INFO THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6; 9 - 11 P.M. Office Relief: Benefit for Australia The Roxy -- 5656 Hollywood Blvd., West Hollywood This benefit for Australian wildfire relief doubles as a mini-reunion of The Office. Expected to appear are Rainn Wilson (Dwight), Jenna Fischer (Pam), Creed Bratton (Creed Bratton), Angela Kinsey (Angela) and Brian Baumgartner (Kevin) as well as actor Joel McHale. COST: $30; MORE INFO BSP supremo Mayawati on Monday said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) had made life more difficult for Muslims, as she appealed to the voters of Delhi not to get lured by the "enticing manifestos" of the Congress, BJP and AAP. Addressing a rally here, Mayawati said if her party won the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls, it would bring development on the lines of the BSP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, driven by the principle of "sarvajan hitaye, sarvajan sukhaye". After the CAA and NRC issues, "lives of Muslims have become more difficult", she said. "Also, beware of all the tricks of the trade that rival parties will use to lure you to vote for them," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said. Addressing a packed Talkatora stadium, she said "not much development and uplifting of lives" had happened for Dalits, tribals, people belonging to other backward classes, Muslims and other minorities in Delhi. "Due to casteism and the attitude to look down upon Dalits and others, the reservation in government jobs is being made practically ineffective. "The Congress, the longest ruling party at the Centre since Independence and in various states, and currently the BJP too think that Dalits and other backward people are inferior, so the reservation quota is not getting fulfilled. The situation is similar in Delhi too," Mayawati claimed. She said these big parties won elections using the "money of big capitalists" and therefore, "oppression and exploitation of Dalits and others continue even today". "If we win the election, our party will bring development in Delhi on the lines of the BSP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, driven by the principle of 'sarvajan hitaye, sarvajan sukhaye'. I also appeal to you not to get lured by the enticing manifestos of the Congress, BJP or AAP," the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo said. The 70-member Delhi Assembly will go to polls on February 8 and the results will be announced on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Your favourite cooking show could help you convince your child to eat healthier, according to a new study. Research published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behaviour showed that children who watched an episode of a kid-oriented cooking show that focused on healthy food were more than two times as likely to choose to eat a healthy snack compared to children who watched the same show about unhealthy foods, according to Science Daily. The findings from this study indicate cooking programs can be a promising tool for promoting positive changes in childrens food-related preferences, attitudes, and behaviours, assistant professor at Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands, Frans Folkvord, Ph.D., said in a press release. Folkvord who served as the studys lead author. After getting parental consent, researchers surveyed 125 children at five schools in the Netherlands to view 10 minutes of a Dutch cooking show. The public television program was geared toward children and as a reward, participating children ages 10-12 were offered a snack after viewing. CNN reported the programs saw contestants from Dutch schools battling it out by cooking their own dishes, tasting them and describing the ingredients they thought were used to make the meals when asked. Among the healthy options in the footage were vegetables like Brussels spouts and onions and fruits like tomatoes. Unhealthy options depicted included french fries and hamburgers. Participants were asked to rate how healthy or unhealthy they thought the meals were based on a 10-point scale. Zero meant the food was unhealthy and 10 was very healthy. Children who viewed the healthy segment were more likely to pick a healthy snack like an apple or cucumber slices compared to children who viewed the unhealthy segment. Children who saw the latter program, meanwhile, opted for chips or mini pretzels. That breaks down to 41 per cent of children choosing a healthy snack in the healthy condition, while only 20 per cent of children in the unhealthy condition chose healthy foods. Among the kid-friendly programming parents can use to help their kids make better eating choices, CNN lists Food Networks recently rebooted show Good Eats, which features Atlantas own Alton Brown. On the series, Brown dives into the history of food while using science to explain how cooking forms a meal. Often, puppets and sketches are employed to demonstrate cooking processes. Past episodes have focused on ancient grains like quinoa and vegetables including asparagus and cauliflower. If you promote healthy foods to children, it can be beneficial to improve their intake, Folkvord told CNN. For parents, its important that they promote healthy foods during day time by different methods, and one of the methods is these cooking programs. A program that has proven successful in curbing student substance abuse in Clear Creek schools is expanding into Friendswood this month. The nonprofit Bay Area Alliance for Youth and Families Coalition has been in Clear Creek ISD since 2003. The alliance is grant-funded, and (Clear Creek Independent School District) is our fiscal agent, BAAYFC coalition specialist Jennifer Lobaugh said. We have now received new funds to expand to Friendswood ISD. The Friendswood program will officially kick off at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 20 at the Friendswood Chamber of Commerce, 1100 S. Friendswood Drive. In that meeting, the main goal is let folks know who we are and what our goals are, Lobaugh said. Our main focus is to make good choices when it comes to drugs and alcohol. Its free to attend and lunch will be provided. It is open to all walks of the community, Lobaugh said. Anybody who is interested in coming out to help or find out what they can do. The program the alliance offers is more than teaching students to avoid drugs and alcohol. Learn more For more information on the Bay Area Alliance for Youth & Families, visit https://bit.ly/3b6bVWM, visit the group's Facebook page or call 281-284-0370. See More Collapse The whole goal is building a healthier community, said Stacy Guzzetta, Friendswood ISD executive director of student operations. Drug and alcohol awareness and substance abuse is their main focus, but the whole emphasis is to build healthier communities so kids can make good choices and keep them on a path to the life they want to live. The chance to work with the Bay Area Alliance was an opportunity FISD could not pass up. In the past we have done the DARE program and worked with the Friendswood Police Department, Guzzetta said. Currently, we dont have police officers to deliver that curriculum. Our (physical education) teachers do it. But to have a resource like this, where they have gone to the state and had the training and have the curriculum and can come in and support a particular initiative, thats where were leaner and dont have the staff. So, were real excited that we can have a group like this work with us. Vaping warnings and medicine take-backs The Bay Area Alliance has several tactics when it comes to preventing substance abuse. One involves making a home a safe environment. One example is medication take back, Lobaugh said. Thats an event we do twice per year with the (United States Drug Enforcement Agency), and the community can bring in their expired, unused or unneeded medications and have it safely disposed so that theyre not in the water system or in the trash, but it is taken out of the medicine cabinets where it is a dangling risk for use. Some parents say, But my kids are so young. But what about babysitters that come into the house? Lobaugh said medication take backs have proven effective. We have seen in CCISD that incidences of prescription drug abuse have gone done since we have been doing the medication takebacks, she said. Its a slow-moving needle, but it is moving. Since 2010, Bay Area Alliance medication takebacks have disposed of more than 23,700 pounds of prescription drugs. Formal presentations are also part of the coalitions approach. We do presentations on prevention priorities for underage drinking, underage tobacco use including vaping, prescription drug abuse and using marijuana, Lobaugh said. Those types of presentations are not limited to students. We do them for (parent teacher associations), civic organizations and church groups, too, Lobaugh said. One area that will see strong attention is vaping. There are a lot of kids who dont know about vaping because it is a newer phenomenon and we see they are interested and engaging when we are talking about it, Lobaugh said. So, they are actually learning about what it is and the dangers of it as opposed to just being told that it is wrong to do it. To that end, she continued, weve created the Bay Area Vaping Task Force, which is made up of people from CCISD and Friendswood ISD as well as other members from surrounding communities. Our first meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 4, and well put our heads together to try and figure out how we can tackle this problem. That meeting will be held at noon at the CCISD Learner Support Center, 2903 Falcon Pass, Houston. The group also plans offer activities that will take keep them away from drugs and alcohol, such as family picnics, family movie nights teen bowling nights where we can go out into the community and kids can get out of the house and have good, clean fun, Lobaugh said. John DeLapp is a freelance writer. He can be contacted at texdelapp@gmail.com. Armenian second president Robert Kocharyan's lawyers will attend the court tomorrow, the lawyer Hovhannes Khudoyan told reporters on Monday. When asked if there was an agreement between the lawyers on boycotting the meetings, Khudoyan noted they had already expressed their opinion about the behavior of the court. It is about the threat voiced by the representative of the injured party at one of the previous meetings and the reaction of Judge Anna Danibekyan to this. "We just want the court to respond appropriately," he said adding that the legal process has begun and the issue will be discussed tomorrow. The on Monday approached the against BJP leaders, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minster Yogi Adityanath and party MP Parvesh Sahib Singh, over their alleged objectionable remarks against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and demanded an FIR against them. Talking to reporters after meeting Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said the BJP does not have any issue to raise in the Delhi assembly election and alleged that the party is trying to defer the poll scheduled for February 8. Singh said that it is necessary to take strict action against the BJP leaders allegedly making objectionable statements. "We met CEC and raised the issue of statements of several BJP leaders. BJP MP Parvesh Verma called the chief minister a terrorist. We also demanded action against UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his Pakistan remark against the Delhi CM," he claimed. "An FIR should be registered against those leaders who are openly violating the rules of Model Code of Conduct as the BJP does not have any issue in this election," Singh said. The Rajya Sabha MP said that the CEC has assured the AAP delegation, which included party leader Pankaj Gupta, of strict action against BJP leaders on the party's complaint. "The BJP is trying to defer the upcoming by vitiating the atmosphere," the AAP Rajya MP alleged. The national capital goes to polls on February 8 and the results will be declared on February 11. Earlier in the day, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said Kejriwal had called himself an "anarchist" and there is not much of a "difference between an anarchist and a terrorist". His remarks come a few days after the issued a show cause notice to BJP MP Parvesh Verma for allegedly calling Kejriwal a "terrorist". Brett brings a wealth of experience in managing large, high growth companies," says Mr. Averill. LaserShip, an e-commerce parcel carrier servicing the Eastern and Midwest U.S., announced today the appointment of its new Chief Executive Officer, Brett Bissell. Mr. Bissell succeeds Blake Averill, who, as one of the Companys co-founders, was instrumental in shaping and growing the Company to be a leading regional e-commerce parcel carrier. Mr. Averill will continue to serve as a Board member. Mr. Bissell will be based in LaserShips Vienna, Virginia headquarters. Brett brings a wealth of experience in managing large, high growth companies, says Mr. Averill. Prior to joining LaserShip, Mr. Bissell was responsible for CEVAs multibillion-dollar Contract Logistics business, which included warehousing, manufacturing support, inbound/outbound distribution and e-commerce fulfillment. I am excited to hand the reins over to Brett, said Mr. Averill, as his experiences over the course of his accomplished career make him uniquely qualified to build on LaserShips market-leading position and navigate the Company through this next period of continued high growth. Added Tom Escott, LaserShips Chairman, We appreciate all of Blakes contributions to the business over the course of his thirty-three year tenure. Looking forward, we are excited for what the future holds with Brett as CEO. Mr. Bissell possesses a track record of developing world class operational processes that deliver excellence to customers. The e-commerce space is a dynamic one and, as we grow, our emphasis will be on continuing to innovate our offering to provide best-in-class services to support our shipper partners and their customers, he said. A key element in that endeavor, according to Mr. Bissell, is continuing to build a positive culture and great team environment that people want to join. In addition to a process-based and culture-centric approach, Mr. Bissell will bring extensive commercial experience to bear at LaserShip. He began his career with Toshiba Corporation as an engineer, and after stints with Motorola and Qualcomm, he joined Flex Corporation as General Manager in Nagoya Japan and then subsequently as Vice-President and Country Manager for Brazil operations for Flex, leading a period of significant growth and expansion. Mr. Bissell joined Ceva Logistics in 2011 as Executive Vice-President of Latin America and in 2014 was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Cevas Contract Logistics business line responsible for Cevas multibillion-dollar global operations. Mr. Bissell graduated from Union College with a degree in Electrical Engineering and earned a masters degree in Electrical Engineering, as well as his MBA, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). About LaserShip, Inc.: LaserShip is an e-commerce delivery company that provides last-mile solutions for shippers that desire reduced transit times and increased flexibility within their supply chain. Founded in 1986, LaserShip has evolved into the leading provider of same-day and next-day delivery services in the Eastern and Midwest U.S. for premier e-commerce and product supply businesses, including five of the largest retailers in the U.S. For more information, visit https://lasership.com. [February 03, 2020] Golden Leaf Holdings to Acquire Premier Extractor Tozmoz Acquisition Allows for Expanded Extraction Capabilities to Support Growth TORONTO, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. (CSE: GLH) (OTCQB: GLDFF) (Golden Leaf or the Company), a pioneering cannabis solutions company and dispensary operator built around the recognized brands of Chalice Farms, has signed a definitive agreement (Agreement) for its wholly-owned subsidiary, TZ Acquisition, Inc., an Oregon corporation (Buyer), to acquire Tozmoz, LLC, an Oregon limited liability company (Seller). Founded in 2015 as one of the first Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) licensed processors in Oregon, Tozmoz established itself as one of the premier cannabis extractors in the state. Tozmoz offers multiple extraction processes including CO2, hydrocarbon and ethanol, and both short path and wiped film distillation. Additionally, Tozmoz provides product manufacturing and formulation, as well as packaging services, providing clients OLCC-approved products ready for wholesale distribution and retail sale. We have been working with Tozmoz for years now and this acquisition fits squarely into our product-focused business strategy, said Jeff Yapp, Golden Leaf Holdings CEO. The core of this business is about the highest quality products on the market, like our Elysium Fields line of live resin cartridges and tinctures and our recently launched Chalice Farms RXO lines. This acquisition will allow us to take what weve been doing well, and continue to build and further expand our diverse portfolio of products. In our crawl, walk, run model of business development, we believe Tozmoz is at the run stage. Pursuant to the terms of the Asset Purchase Agreement, Golden Leaf purchased substantially all of the assets of Tozmoz, including the facility located in Clackamas, which serves as the headquarters for multiple extraction options as stated above, for consideration of US$2.8 million consisting of cash and advances totaling US$675,000, an earnout of up to US$400,000 and GLH stock (29,166,667 shares at US$.06 per share). GLH has previously made certain payments to Tozmoz so that only approximately US$227,000 of cash will be due at closing. The earnout of US$400,000 may be paid to Tozmoz quarterly beginning in July 2020, based upon 30% of up to US$1.2 million of third-party revenue generated from the assets acquired by GLH. Since its founding, Tozmoz generated revenue by toll-processing for clients including GLH. The attractive gross margins on the GLH business will now be earned by GLH. In addition Tozmoz will continue to serve, and is growing revenue from, third-party white-label processing. Tozmoz has contributed to GLH product development for the Companys tinctures and Elysium products. Their expertise will integrate with GLHs existing product research and development abilities. Co-Founders of Tozmoz Joel Klobas and Jerry Wallis, will continue providing services to GLH after the acquisition closes. Mr. Klobas will be employed by the Company as Vice President, Production and Mr. Wallis will assist the Vice President, Production and Senior Vice President Operations, as a consultant. Golden Leaf Holdings and Chalice Farms have become part of the fabric of the Oregon cannabis market, and we are excited to continue to innovate with them and provide the market with amazing new products, said Mr. Klobas. The formal closing of the acquisition is conditioned on the approval of the change of ownership of Seller by the OLCC, which is expected imminently. To be added to the distribution list please email [email protected] with GLH in the subject line. About Golden Leaf Holdings Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. is a Canadian company with operations in multiple jurisdictions including Oregon, Nevada and California, with cultivation, production and retail operations built around the recognized brands of Chalice Farms. Golden Leaf distributes its products through its branded Chalice Farms retail dispensaries, as well as through third-party dispensaries. Golden Leafs cannabis retail operations and products are designed with the customer in mind, focused on superlative in-store experience and quality products. Visit goldenleafholdings.com to learn more. Investor Relations: John Varghese Executive Chairman Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. 971-371-2685 [email protected] Media Relations: Anne Donohoe KCSA Strategic Communications [email protected] 212-896-1265 Disclaimer: This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Companys future business operations, the opinions or beliefs of management and future business goals. Generally, forward looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks include but are not limited to general business, economic and competitive uncertainties, regulatory risks, market risks, risks inherent in manufacturing and retail operations such as unforeseen costs and production shutdowns, difficulties in maintaining brand loyalty, and other risks of the cannabis industry. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. Forward-looking information is provided herein for the purpose of presenting information about managements current expectations relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purpose. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration or an exemption from registration. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Free Language Courses Offered at UW Seventeen nonformal world language and culture courses will be offered free this semester at the University of Wyoming. The World Language and Culture Program (WLCP) is offered to both the UW and Laramie communities. Classes in Arabic, Armenian, Bengali, Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tadjik/Dari, Uzbek and Vietnamese will begin Monday, Feb. 10, and end Friday, May 8. Classes will be offered throughout the day and early evening, generally once a week. The schedule can be found at www.uwyo.edu/wlcp/index.html or www.facebook.com/culturelanguageprogram/. Registration for free classes may be done by going here. For more information, email WLCP Coordinator Dilnoza Khasilova at dkhasilo@uwyo.edu. WLCP is a volunteer program that includes service learning and teaching with respect to world languages and cultures. WLCP learners explore basic language and culture in an informal setting. The WLCP was developed by Khasilova, a UW Ph.D candidate, in 2013 and supported by UW College of Education faculty member Amy Roberts. It was launched in 2014 with the help of UWs international community and graduate students. The students received internal grants to purchase curriculum materials and instructional technology, and to organize international students and faculty, visiting scholars and international community members as WLCP service instructors. The Associated Students of UW, the UW College of Education, the Global Engagement Office and the Department of Modern and Classical Languages collaborate with the WLCP, assisting with scheduling the classrooms, recruiting volunteers and supporting cultural events on campus to celebrate world languages and cultures. She announced she is engaged to her 'life partner' Dion Hamilton on Saturday. And Jourdan Dunn continued to show off her sparkling diamond ring as she arrived at the British Vogue and Tiffany & Co BAFTA bash at Annabel's in London. The model, 29, flaunted her sizzling frame in a figure-hugging structured black gown as she attended the star-studded fashion party on Sunday night. Wow! Jourdan Dunn continued to show off her sparkling diamond ring as she arrived at the British Vogue and Tiffany & Co BAFTA bash at Annabel's in London Jourdan's dress featured glitzy netted detailing down one of the sleeves as well as across the her chest, drawing the eye further to her dazzling engagement ring. Dazzling: A ring expert told MailOnline Jourdan's sparkler was a 2ct oval with a large halo and diamond band The star teamed her party frock with a pair of gem-encrusted heeled sandals, boosting her already statuesque frame even further. The mother-of-one swept her raven tresses up into a neat bun, while sporting a very glamorous coat of make-up including a deep red lip. Jourdan took to Instagram on Saturday to share a glimpse of her beautiful engagement ring. Posting a snap of her ring-clad hand being held by her husband-to-be, Jourdan wrote: 'Jourdan Dunn Hamilton ....... has a nice ring to it!' In the sweet post, Jourdan couldn't hide her delight as she covered her eyes with one hand while placing the other in her beau's. Glam: The model, 29, flaunted her sizzling frame in a figure-hugging structured black gown as she attended the star-studded fashion party on Sunday night Gorgeous: The British beauty ensured all eyes were on her in her elegant silk dress All eyes on her: Jourdan glided off into the night, keeping the celebrations going The new addition to her wedding finger could be perfectly seen, with Jourdan also sharing a closer look at the ring with another post on her Stories. Following Jourdan's post, Andrew Brown, WP Diamonds CEO, offered his expertise on her engagement ring to MailOnline. He said: 'The ring on Jourdan Dunn's engagement finger looks to be a 2ct oval with a large halo and diamond band. A nice colour clarity combination of G VS would retail for around 22,000.' Exciting: Jourdan took to Instagram on Saturday to share a glimpse of her beautiful engagement ring Jourdan has kept information about her other half secret, but hinted last month that they started dating in 2019 when she shared a picture of him during their holiday in Jamaica. The model's post in January sparked speculation that she had already married Dion, as she shared the holiday post of themselves alongside her beloved son Riley, nine. The accompanying caption was rather telling. She wrote: '2009 my son entered my life, 2019 my life partner entered my life. Stepping into 2020 with both by my side is priceless.' Stunning: Jourdan's dress featured glitzy netted detailing down one of the sleeves as well as across the her chest, drawing the eye further to her dazzling engagement ring While she pixelated her man's face, the trio had all co-ordinated their outfits for the occasion. Lots of other people noticed the wording as well and the congratulatory comments came flooding in. Model Toni Garrn, 27, seemed rather taken aback with the news and wrote: 'Life partner,' alongside a ring emoji, heart eyes and a laughing face. As well as this post, Jourdan shared lots of pictures from her night out, which saw her wearing a shell-shaped bra top and white high-waisted trousers. The trio appeared to be having a blast as they stood around a large fire and watched fireworks. Reserve Bank of India has released the admit card for the RBI Assistant 2020 Prelims exam on their official website www.rbi.org.in, on February 3, 2020. The online examination for the RBI Assistant 2020 preliminary round is scheduled to be held on February 14 & 15, 2020. The Reserve Bank of India has announced that there are 926 vacancies for the post of Assistant and thousands of candidates have applied online for the examination. All applicants who have applied for this exam can download their admit card, once the link has been published by RBI. AFP Step by step guide on how to download the admit card: Step 1: Visit the official website of RBI - www.rbi.org.in Step 2: Click on the link for the RBI Assistant Admit Card on the homepage of the website. Step 3: Start entering your roll number and password in the login box. Step 4: Submit the details Step 5: The admit card will appear on your screen. Download the admit card and take a print out for further reference. Documents required for RBI Assistant Prelims Exam: Candidates have to carry the given list of documents with them to the examination centre: Print out of the admit card Passport size photograph (for Admit Card) Photo identification proof Aadhar card with a photograph PAN Card Passport Permanent Driving License Voters Card Bank Passbook with a photograph. Photo identity proof issued by a Gazetted Officer on official letterhead. Photo identity proof issued by peoples representative on official letterhead. Valid recent identity card issued by a recognized college/university/ employee ID/Bar council Identity card with photograph. RBI Mains Admit Card 2020: The applicants who qualify the preliminary exam will be eligible to appear in the mains exam. RBI would be releasing the RBI Assistant Mains Admit Card 2020 after the result of Preliminary Exam has been announced. The admit card for both the exams will be released separately on the official website. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Assistant Exam 2020 has begun on February 14, 2020, and is also sets to continue till February 15 2020. Number of vacancies in RBI The RBI will hire for 926 vacancies through this Assistant recruitment drive. Reserve Bank of India exam stages: The RBI Assistant exam is a national exam that is organised in 2 stages which are prelims and final. Apart from this, the candidates will have to appear for the Language Proficiency Test (LPT). The LPT tests candidates' should grasp and should have a command over the regional language. The Prelims and Mains exam sections The aspirants appearing for the Prelims exam will be tested at 3 main sections- Reasoning, Numerical ability and English Language, whereas in the Final exam, the candidates who are progressed further will be tested on 5 different sections- Reasoning, Numerical Ability, English Language, Computer Knowledge and General Awareness. Both the prelims as well as the final exams will have negative marking. On every wrong answer, 1/4th of the weightage assigned will be deducted. However, no marks will be deducted for leaving any question. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Once you start to lose your hearing, you can't get it back. But what if you could prevent hearing loss by blocking in advance the effects of loud noises? That's a route a team of biologists at the University of Iowa and Washington University, St. Louis, say may be possible after the researchers identified a receptor that, when blocked, can prevent a common type of hearing loss. Receptors are part of a suite of molecules on nerve cells in the ear that bridge the passage of sound and auditory information from inner-ear hair cellsthe sound sensorsto the brain. The successful transmission of sound from hair cells to nerve cells, which occurs through a junction called a synapse, is integral to hearing in animals, including humans. The researchers identified that some receptors involved in the hair-cell-to-nerve-cell transmission lack a protein called GluA2, and it is these receptors that are responsible for synaptopathy, or hearing loss caused by irreparable damage to the synapses. The biologists employed a drug in mice that selectively blocked the GluA2-lacking receptors, and prevented the mice from experiencing synaptopathy when exposed to noise. The approach was like outfitting the mice with chemical earmuffs that prevented them from sustaining hearing damage by blocking the breakdown that occurs in some synapses between inner ear hair cells and nerve cells when loud noises occur. "It wasn't just putting earmuffs onthese earmuffs prevent the damage caused by loud sounds but don't muffle the sound," says Steven Green, professor in the Department of Biology and corresponding author on the study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The experiments in mice indicate there is the potential to inject a drug that would prevent hearing damage in people before they're exposed to damaging noise. Conceivably, soldiers who are expected to encounter loud sounds in their duties could take a hearing-protection drug before exposure to those sounds, yet still hear commands. To be fair, this is more conjecture than fact, although the U.S. Department of Defense helped fund the research. "Permanent hearing damage can be caused by noise levels that have been considered 'safe,' and people need to be careful about noise exposure because we can't yet repair synapses or regenerate hair cells," Green says. "Our chemical earmuffs are, currently, just an indication of the direction research can go, not yet a proven, safe means of protection in humans." In hearing, a chemical called glutamate is released from hair cells; this chemical transmits sound information at the synapse between inner-ear hair cells and nerve cells. However, loud sounds or even sustained moderate noisesuch as sound coming through earbudscause the hair cells to release a glut of glutamate, effectively gumming the synaptic transmission of sound to brain neurons. More specifically, it's the entry of calcium into the inner ear neurons through GluA2-lacking glutamate receptors that leads to synaptopathy. The researchers identified at the molecular-level receptors without GluA2, meaning those terminals that could cause hearing damage by allowing a flow of calcium. Even more, they then learned that if they blocked the receptors without GluA2, the GluA2-containing receptors picked up the slack, and hearing was maintained. In the mice experiments, they showed a drug called IEM-1460 could targetand blockthe receptors without GluA2. "What we found is if you block the GluA2-lacking receptors, a.k.a. calcium-permeable receptors, then you can prevent the damage, and the mouse can hear just fine because it still has the GluA2-containing receptors that can mediate synaptic transmission," Green says. "Now, we have a drug that doesn't prevent hearing, but does prevent hearing damage." "For a long time, it has been assumed that cochlear synapses are not permeable to calcium, because all of the synapses have the GluA2 subunit," adds Mark Rutherford, assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at Washington University and a co-author on the study. "We have found that cochlear synapses have both GluA2-lacking and GluA2-containing glutamate receptors, implying that some of them are indeed highly permeable to calcium. With high-resolution microscopy of cochlear synapses we have provided a mechanistic explanation for the protection of these synapses from noise exposure by the calcium-permeable glutamate receptor blocker IEM-1460." In this study, IEM-1460 was introduced directly into the cochlea through a surgical procedure. Green hopes to find other drugs that could prevent hearing damage and that could be administered noninvasively. Explore further Outer hair cells regulate ear's sensitivity to sound More information: Ning Hu el al., "Protection of cochlear synapses from noise-induced excitotoxic trauma by blockade of Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptors," PNAS (2020). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Ning Hu el al., "Protection of cochlear synapses from noise-induced excitotoxic trauma by blockade of Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptors,"(2020). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1914247117 It has been a while since we heard about the next generation OnePlus phones but out of the blue, the OnePlus 8 series phones are back in news. And this time, it's not in the form of leaks and rumours. The new OnePlus phones are coming soon and as usual, you can thank Amazon for it. The phones have been listed in one of the rules and regulations section of Amazon, which means it could be only a few weeks before Amazon starts hosting these phones on its website. One of the popular tipsters on Twitter, Mukul Sharma has shared a screenshot of a rules and regulations page for Amazon's affiliate where the OnePlus 8 series phones are listed. The listing shows a couple of smartphones listed from a few brands and OnePlus is sitting right on top. The listing mentions the OnePlus 7T series phones as well as the OnePlus 7 Pro but in addition, the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro have also been listed. Amazon has since then corrected the page but this might be an indicator of the next-gen OnePlus phones making it to the Indian market soon. OnePlus sells its products exclusively with Amazon in India and chances are that the company plans to launch the new phones as soon as possible this year. Chances are that OnePlus may be coming up with the OnePlus 8 series phones by March of 2020. However, what's surprising is that the list mentions only two OnePlus 8 series phones while the market has rumours suggesting three models in the OnePlus 8 series. The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro have were expected but the interesting one is the OnePlus 8 Lite and that's not present here. Does that mean the OnePlus 8 Lite was only a rumour and it will never come up? Chances are that OnePlus may launch the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro initially in India as these are the mainstream models for the company. Probably in the later half, OnePlus may come up with the OnePlus 8 Lite as its sub-Rs 30,000 offering. Unlike previous OnePlus devices, the OnePlus 8 Lite is expected to be based on the MediaTek Dimensity 1000 chipset and offer similar specifications as the OnePlus 7T. Members of the Students Federation of India (SFI) on Monday took out a rally in Jadavpur University campus in protest against the firing incidents near anti-CAA protest sites in New Delhi over the past one week. Around 200 students, holding flags of the SFI, the CPI(M)'s students' wing, chanted 'Azaadi' slogans during the rally. They held placards condemning the firing outside Jamia Millia Islamia on Sunday night, the one on anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh on Saturday and the firing on Jamia Millia students on Thursday. Earlier, on Saturday, the Left-wing students in JU had taken out a rally against the firing incident at Shaheen Bagh. "We are receiving threats from right-wing forces outside the campus but we are not scared. The protests will continue," SFI, JU unit Secretary Debraj Debnath said. The SFI also protested the killing of two persons during anti-CAA protests at Jalangi in Murshidabad district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Japan Quarantines Cruise Ship After Passenger Infected With Coronavirus Japans health ministry confirmed it quarantined a cruise ship that arrived in Yokohama on Monday night after a male passenger was found to have been infected with coronavirus, which has triggered quarantines around China and global health fears. The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said that dozens of quarantine officers are checking the health of around 2,500 passengers on the ship, Kyodo News reported. Princess Cruises, which is a subsidiary of Carnival Cruises, told Bloomberg that the passenger embarked on the Diamond Princess ship in Yokohama on Jan. 20 and disembarked on Jan. 25. The ship then continued its trip to take other passengers to Yokohama. On Saturday, that passenger tested positive for coronavirus. The firm said that 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew are on board the quarantined vessel. The delay will last 24 hours. The review of the arriving guests and crew, by Japanese health authorities, is standard practice after a guest tested positive for coronavirus and we are working closely with the local authorities to provide detailed records to facilitate their review, Princess said in the statement to the news outlet. Japan has so far confirmed 20 cases of the new virus, but most of the patients have recently been in Wuhan, the coronavirus-hit city where the virus is said to have originated. Last week, some 6,000 passengers were held on a cruise ship off the Italian coast after health authorities placed the ship under quarantine over coronavirus fears. A sick Chinese woman prompted the scare. Cruise officials have confirmed that Italian health officials diagnosed a passenger on board a ship docked in Civitavecchia, north of Rome, Italy with the common flu, according to a statement from Carnival Cruises and its Italy-based subsidiary Costa Cruises on Jan. 30. The Costa Smeralda cruise ship is docked in the Civitavecchia port 43 miles north of Rome, Italy, on Jan. 30, 2020. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images) The World Health Organization (WHO) last week declared a global public health emergency over the virus, which has prompted quarantines and lockdowns in Wuhan, China, earlier this month. There have been confirmed coronavirus cases in about 20 other countries, including Italy. Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party has not allowed American experts into the country, a U.S. health official said Monday. We have folks ready to go to China as soon as that offer is finalized. I understand that there still are negotiations in process on that. And really were waiting. As soon as we are allowed to go we will be there, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said Monday. Officials in the United States have confirmed 11 cases of the virus after three were confirmed in Northern California on Sunday night. Companies and organizations employing foreign workers have been asked to temporarily stop receiving Chinese employees hoping to return to Vietnam after the Lunar New Year holiday. A health quarantine staff monitors passengers arriving at Mong Cai border gate in Quang Ninh Province. Chinese employees have been barred from returning to Vietnam after Tet holiday due to the coronavirus outbreak The minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has demanded that the chairpersons of provinces and cities across the country as well as the leaders of the ministrys subordinate agencies take steps to prevent the spread of the epidemic, reported VietnamPlus. Companies that have already received Chinese or other foreign workers must report the names of these employees and quickly carry out isolation measures at their workplaces and houses in line with the Health Ministrys instructions. Also, the companies must monitor the health of these employees for two weeks from the date they arrived in Vietnam. The ministrys Department of Employment; provincial departments of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs; and the management boards of industrial, export-processing and economic zones have to temporarily suspend the issuance of new work permits to foreign workers from disease-hit areas. The Department of Employment must team up with local authorities to collect and update on a daily basis the medical information of foreign workers returning from disease-hit areas, especially Chinese, and promptly report any symptoms associated with the disease to the ministry. Besides this, the Department of Overseas Labor must keep track of the number of overseas Vietnamese workers in countries that have confirmed cases of coronavirus. It should ask firms to reschedule the departure of local workers to these countries. Overseas Vietnamese workers should proactively take preventive measures against the disease and strictly comply with the medical requirements of Vietnamese authorities and those of the countries in which they are working. In related news, the local aviation authoritys ban on flights between Vietnam and China due to the Wuhan coronavirus has left thousands of Chinese people working and travelling in Khanh Hoa Province unable to return to their country, according to VnExpress. The provincial government has sought solutions from the prime minister to repatriate the 5,300 Chinese stranded in the south-central province, Nguyen Dac Tai, vice chairman of Khanh Hoa, noted in a statement on February 2. Among them, 520 are Chinese investors and employees legally allowed to work in the province, and the remainder are Chinese tourists, Tai said. Earlier, on February 1, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam decided to revoke all permits for flights between Vietnam and China. The province last year welcomed 2.4 million Chinese tourists, accounting for 70% of its total number of international visitors. The provincial tourism authority stopped receiving Chinese visitors from January 28. SGT Chinese workers isolated in Ha Tinh over virus fears A group of Chinese workers have been isolated at a hotel in Ha Tinh Province when returning to work at the Formosa Ha Tinh Company after the Tet Holiday. The Supreme Court said it will frame legal questions to be adjudicated by a nine-judge bench on religious discrimination against women at various religious places, which have arisen out of the Sabarimala case New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday said it will frame legal questions to be adjudicated by a nine-judge bench on religious discrimination against women at various religious places, the larger concerns which have arisen during the Sabarimala temple case. The nine-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde said that it will inform the parties about the time frame and the questions framed in the matter on 6 February. The bench, also comprising justices R Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan, L Nageswara Rao, MM Shantanagoudar, SA Nazeer, R Subhash Reddy, BR Gavai and Surya Kant, said it will also deal with the issue whether a reference order can be made in review jurisdiction for a hearing by a larger bench. During the hearing, senior advocates Fali S Nariman, Kapil Sibal, Shyam Divan and Rakesh Dwivedi said in review jurisdiction, there cannot be any reference order on issues to be heard by a larger bench. The senior lawyers contended that in review jurisdiction, the scope is very limited and the court can only see whether the judgement under review has any error apparent or not. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, senior advocates K Parasaran and Ranjit Kumar, however, opposed the arguments and said the top court while exercising the review jurisdiction can refer a larger issue, which had arisen during the adjudication of the dispute, to a larger bench. The bench said it will deal with all the issues and frame the questions which needs to be adjudicated by the nine-judge bench. The bench made clear that it was not discussing the issue of entry of women of all age groups into Sabarimala temple in Kerala. It has been hearing several senior lawyers on the issue of framing of larger legal questions to be deliberated upon by it relating to discrimination against women in various religions. "The Sabarimala review case is not before us. We are not deciding Sabarimala. We are deciding the larger questions," the bench said when senior advocates Nariman, Sibal, Divan and Dwivedi opposed the hearing on the so-called larger issue relating to discrimination against women in various religions. A five-judge bench, by a majority of 3:2 on 14 November last year, had referred to a larger bench the issue of discrimination against women in religions such as denial of entry of Muslim women into mosques, the practice of female genital mutilation in Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community and denial of right to Parsi women who have married outside their religion. At the outset, Nariman said the question whether women of all age groups can be allowed entry into the Sabarimala temple has been already decided by the Supreme Court in 2018 and the subsequent review has also been dealt with and hence, this cannot be adjudicated afresh. The bench said it will also consider the objection of Nariman as one of the issues. Nariman said the apex court cannot club other issues with Sabarimala and it cannot frame questions in a review and bring in new issues. "Scope of review is very restricted. This will set a new precedent. How can you think about other issues in a review?" he said. To this, the CJI said, "No. We will not be deciding these issues. We will only interpret articles involved in these cases." Sibal, appearing for the All India Muslim Personal Board, said though Muslim women are allowed entry into the mosque, the issue of essential religious practice is broad enough to be decided by this court. The Article 25 and 26 (fundamental rights to religion) of the Constitution are part of the fundamental rights which are enforceable against state action, he said. "A lot of petitions have been filed saying Nikah Halala is bad. Somebody is saying polygamy is bad. How the bench will decide the issue," Sibal said. To this, the bench said, "That is why we have set up a nine-judge bench. That is why we are hearing you." The bench said it was only going to decide the interpretation of those articles which have been invoked in Sabarimala. The five-judge bench on November 14 last year had set out seven questions of law to be examined by the larger bench. They include the interplay between freedom of religion under articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, need to delineate the expression "constitutional morality", the extent to which courts can enquire into particular religious practices, meaning of sections of Hindus under Article 25 and whether "essential religious practices" of a denomination or section thereof are protected under Article 26. While the five-judge bench unanimously agreed to refer religious issues to a larger bench, it gave a 3:2 split verdict on petitions seeking review of the September 2018 decision, allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala shrine. A majority verdict by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices AM Khanwilkar and Indu Malhotra decided to keep the pleas seeking a review of its decision regarding entry of women into the shrine pending and said restrictions on women at religious places were not limited to Sabarimala alone and were prevalent in other religions also. The minority verdict by justices RF Nariman and DY Chandrachud gave a dissenting view by dismissing all the review pleas and directing compliance of its 28 September, 2018 decision. By a 4:1 majority verdict, the apex court had lifted the ban that prevented women and girls between the age of 10 and 50 years from entering the famous Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala and held that the centuries-old Hindu religious practice was illegal and unconstitutional. In a further twist to Amazon chief executive officer Jeff Bezos' phone controversy, brother of Jeff Bezos' girlfriend sued the Amazon chief executive officer for falsely claiming that the former provided intimate photographs of the couple to the National Enquirer. The American tabloid newspaper had published the reports of Bezos affair with Lauren Sanchez which caused an international controversy around the hacking of Amazon CEOs phone. According to a Bloomberg report, Michael Sanchez filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Bezos and Gavin de Becker, a security consultant working for the top executive. In the filing, Michael claimed that he didnt provide the photographs to the National Enquirer but had agreed to cooperate strategically to contain the backlash against his sister and Bezos. Recently, the United Nations experts have called for immediate investigations in Saudi Arabias possible involvement in hacking Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos phone. A report by The Guardian had suggested that Bezos mobile phone got hacked after receiving a WhatsApp message from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in 2018. Read: Mallika Sherawat Attends Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos' Party, Poses With Bill Gates Connection to leaked images, Khashoggi's murder The alleged involvement of Saudi Crown Prince and his inner circle in the hacking of The Washington Post owners phone has opened can of worms as the incident was followed by the revelation of Bezos extramarital affair and murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Posts columnist. In December, Saudi Arabia court convicted eight people in the killing of The Washington Post columnist but exonerated inner circle of MBS. Read: Jeff Bezos' Girlfriend Shared Their Personal Chats To Her Brother Who Leaked Them: Report Agnes Callamard, UN Special Rapporteur on summary executions and extrajudicial killings, and David Kaye, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, said in a joint statement that the information suggests the possible involvement of the Crown Prince in surveillance of Bezos. The experts opined that the allegations reinforce the reports of targeted surveillance of perceived opponents. These allegations are relevant as well to ongoing evaluation of claims about the Crown Prince's involvement in the 2018 murder of Saudi and Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, the duo said. Read: 'Phones, Not People Right?': Saudi Hacking Bezos Phone Brings Out Netizens' Dark Humour Read: Jeff Bezos Phone Hack Plan Took Off During Saudi Crown Prince's US Tour In 2018 It was 1881, and the president was dying a miserable death. James Garfield had been president for a few months when Charles Guiteau, a lawyer who had unsuccessfully sought a U.S. consular post, pushed toward him, revolver in hand. Two shots later, the president was mortally wounded July 2, but it would take him 79 agonizing days to die. Thanks to telegraphs, telephones and news wires, the nation followed along in what historian Richard Menke has called "America's first live media event." Daily bulletins from Garfield's attending physicians riveted the nation. Filled with details of the president's condition, from accounts of how well he had tolerated that day's "nutritive enemata" (made from beef bouillon, egg yolks, whiskey and opium and administered rectally) to his temperature, the reports bolstered the public's hopes long after doctors had given up theirs. "The president has passed a comfortable day and this evening appears better than for some days past," his doctors wrote Sept. 2. In reality, the president was in agony. His physicians, led by the presciently named Doctor Willard Bliss, had delved into his wound again and again with unwashed, ungloved fingers in a misguided attempt to find and remove the bullet. Sepsis and malnutrition had set in, and he was dying a grisly, death. But even as Garfield suffered, his physicians continued to issue optimistic bulletins. Worried an accurate account of his health would reach the president's ears via newspapers, the doctors released reports that were upbeat until the very end. Even the final bulletin, issued after Garfield's death on Sept. 19, played down the president's suffering. An autopsy revealed that his physicians had probed in the wrong place and had contributed to his death from sepsis. The bulletins that kept Americans up-to-date on their president's painful ordeal were digitized by the National Library of Medicine. They're part of a new release of more than 43,500 pages of historic manuscript collections, including records related to the National Commission on AIDS and the Civil War papers of Jonathan Letterman, a doctor who was known as the father of modern battlefield medicine. JACKSON, MI City staff initially recommended the Jackson City Council give initial approval to two medical marijuana dispensaries, but just one was approved at the Tuesday, Jan. 28 council meeting. In the hours before the meeting, city staff learned one of the shops might be within 1,000 feet of a school which is not allowed, per the citys ordinance. To be safe, the council only gave initial approval to New Generation Meds LLC at 118 N. Columbus St., which is just north of the Consumers Energy headquarters and train tracks near downtown Jackson. The project will cost between $1.5 million and $2 million, per city documents. Lume Cannabis Co. had applied for a medical marijuana license at 1512 N. West Ave. near Panda Express and Party City. It plans to invest $1 million to $1.5 million into the project. A new medical marijuana retailer, called Lume Cannabis Co., is in jeopardy for getting a city license, due to its proximity to a school. The school in question is South Central Michigan Virtual, 1060 Jackson Crossing. Students at the school can work from home or attend the center inside the Jackson Crossing mall and get one-on-one tutoring. SCMV is part of Jackson Public Schools. JPS takes no position on the potential marijuana license, Superintendent Jeff Beal said in a message. While there may not be 1,000 feet between the mall and the potential location, it looks like the school itself is further than 1,000 feet away, based on its location in the mall, Beal said. The council will decide how to move forward at a later date, Mayor Derek Dobies said. It could vote to extend the deadline for initial approval or reopen the application period as a whole, he said. Nine businesses applied for a medical marijuana retailer license, per city documents. City staff allowed five of the nine to submit for site plan approval and only the two passed all codes to make it to Tuesdays council meeting. The city will grant up to three medical marijuana retailer licenses, per its ordinance. Recreational marijuana business licenses will be considered at a later time, Dobies said. While New Generation Meds has passed the first phase, it still needs further city approval. The next review phase won't begin until April 24, per city documents. The city created a grading scale to decide which marijuana establishments would get a license. Businesses get points for providing offerings like exterior and interior video surveillance and allowing city police 24-hour viewing access, building vehicle charging stations, having solar panels, planting trees and shrubs, having decorative light poles, creating full-time local jobs, giving higher wages, using city contractors and providing employee health care. Related Jackson news: Recreational marijuana businesses could be coming to Jackson Jackson Countys first recreational marijuana shop opens 10 things to know about Jacksons new marijuana ordinance Map: See which city parcels are eligible for marijuana businesses More than 60 financial firms have moved some operations to Luxembourg to insulate themselves from the effects of Brexit, a industry group said last week. As EU lawmakers voted in Brussels to confirm Britain's departure from the bloc, public-private agency Luxembourg for Finance released its figures. According to the group, 60 firms "have publicly announced the relocation of activities to Luxembourg due to Brexit," and at least ten more will do so. "Since the Brexit referendum in 2016, Luxembourg has seen a spike in interest from firms planning for their future EU and cross-border activities," it said. "A further Brexit outcome has been that Luxembourg law is increasingly being chosen by international institutions active in financial markets." The City of London is by all measures the biggest financial centre in Europe, and is likely to remain powerful after the United Kingdom leaves the EU. But the City's ability to freely provide financial services within the remaining member states will depend on a future cross-Channel trade deal. This will be negotiated during an 11-month transition period after Brexit, and some firms are already looking to move some or all of their business. Landlocked low-tax Luxembourg, a Grand Duchy in the heart of Europe, has a reputation for financial services -- and discreet bankers. According to accountants KPMG, Luxembourg has welcomed 65 firms owing to Brexit, ahead of Ireland on 64 and the Netherlands and France on 30 each. These companies include banks and their departments, insurers and stock brokers shifting operations from the City toward continental locations. Luxembourg for Finance CEO Nicolas Mackel said the duchy would be "an EU hub for firms considering their post-Brexit plans." Five Henderson County farms on North Carolina agritourism tour Mike Stepp, holding the 2019 Apple Farmer of the Year Award, and family pose at the farm's apple stand on Main Street during the N.C. Apple Festival last year. [LIGHTNING FILE PHOTO] Although they won't be able to enjoy fresh apples, farmers from across the state will learn about one of Henderson County's most successful pick-your-own operations when they visit Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard next week. The farmers will visit another apple orchard with a successful roadside retail operation on U.S. 64 and three other farms in the county that welcome visitors during the annual Agritourism Farm Tour and Conference. Hosted by the North Carolina Agritourism Networking Association Inc., the agritourism conference will be held in Asheville this year. The agritourism network is made up of farmers who welcome visitors to their farms. The Farm Bus Tour on Monday, Feb. 10, makes its first stop at the Hillcrest orchard, where the Stepp family will share about their pick your own apples operation and other activities the farm offers to visitors. Three generations of the Stepp family work at the orchard and shed, hosting school groups, families who come year after year and tourists and selling apple cider donuts and other pastries from an on-site bakery. Other stops on the bus tour are Mountain Fresh Orchard, Mills River Creamery and Dairy, North River Farms and Hickory Nut Gap Farm. On Tuesday, Feb. 11, the conference continues at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Asheville. Speakers from Farm Bureau Federation and the state Department of Agriculture will focus on agritourism issues and trends. Several workshops will offer strategies and best practices for the agritourism industry. Lord Mandelson (pictured) warned Labour could be finished if it chooses the wrong leader this Spring Labour could be finished if it chooses the wrong leader this Spring, Lord Mandelson warned today. The former Cabinet minister swiped that left-winger Jeremy Corbyn had helped deliver a 'stonking' majority for the Tories last month. And the peer, a key figure in bringing Labour out of the wilderness and back to power in the 1990s, voiced fears that another defeat would raise serious questions about the party's 'future viability'. The warning came as the contests to succeed Mr Corbyn heats up, with four candidates vying to take the top job when the votes of activists are counted on April 4. Sir Keir Starmer and Rebecca Long-Bailey - seen as the 'continuity' hard-Left candidate - are the favourites. But backbencher Lisa Nandy and shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry are also pushing their cases. Lord Mandelson, who served in the Cabinet under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, has refused to back any particular candidate. But speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he complained that Boris Johnson has a 'stonking great Parliament majority' that had been secured 'courtesy not least of Jeremy Corbyn'. Asked what would happen to Labour if it chooses the wrong leader this time, Lord Mandelson said: 'There is every possibility that if the Labour Party makes the wrong choice of leader we will almost certainly be looking at electoral defeat again. That would be the fifth in a row. 'I think that there would therefore be serious question marks put over the future viability of the Labour Party. 'Fortunately we have alternative talented candidates for the party to choose from. I hope they do.' AUTHORITIES arrested on Monday, February 3, a female Thai national who tried to slip into the country over P28 million worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu. Pakjira Janwong, 27, was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in an operation conducted by the Naia Inter-agency Drug Interdiction Task Group. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency National Capital Region director Joel Plaza said Janwong arrived at the Naia Terminal 3 at 1:40 a.m. Monday via an AirAsia Zest Flight Z2 288 from Bangkok, Thailand. Seized from the compartment of her luggage were 4.125 kilograms of white crystalline substance. "The substance later tested positive for methamphetamine hydrochloride through a field test, Plaza said. The seized pieces of evidence were submitted to the PDEA Laboratory Service for qualitative and quantitative examination. The arrested Thai national will be criminally charged for violation of Republic Act 9165, otherwise known as "The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. (SunStar Philippines) There are a great many things you should know about Sarah Mary Chadwick. The New Zealand-born and Melbourne-based singer-songwriter, who has released a striking solo album almost annually in recent years, makes wrenching, confessional music. Initiates to her music are often taken aback, which she is bemused by. Nor does Chadwick believe that her albums, including Januarys Please Daddy, are personally cathartic. Sarah Mary Chadwick plays in Sydney this month and in Melbourne in March. Credit: What you need to know about Sarah Mary Chadwick is that the only transaction shes interested in is between herself and the music she cant stop making. Everything and everyone else and shes cheerful as she says this is welcome but essentially superfluous. People let lots of things get in the way of producing work and I dont really. Sarah Mary Chadwick Its impossible for me to approach it any other way. This has always been very much for me. I enjoy it, I get value out of it, and that can never be broken, says Chadwick, sitting in a Brunswick East cafe and keeping an eye out for her favourite neighbourhood dogs. Im just not that demanding of other people. I need to do it, but once you make a record your ownership of it is ended. Chadwick arrived in Melbourne in 2005, having grown up on a farm outside the town of Taumarunui, been expelled from high school in Hamilton, and become the vocalist for snarling alternative-rock quartet Batrider. She transitioned into a solo career, simultaneously spent years working in the macho environments of restaurant kitchens, and by her own estimation has worked with countless GPs, nine psychiatrists, two alcohol counsellors, and productively for the last five years an analyst. Other people dont have my tenacity, the 37-year-old Chadwick says. Lots of people that I know who were making music to a far better degree than I was dont do it anymore. People let lots of things get in the way of producing work and I dont really. Ive always been my own worst enemy and if I can keep myself in check nothing else bothers me. Please Daddy was recorded during a difficult personal period for Chadwick Im really good now, she adds and the record documents that period rather than despairing about it. The folk-rock backing, leavened with flute and muted brass, swells behind her unadorned voice, and a number of the songs have an echo of grand 1960s balladry. With this record I wanted to be Elvis-y, Leonard Cohen, says Chadwick, who plays a game with her best friend, housemate, and the albums drummer Tim Deane-Freeman where they take turns playing big songs to each other. He might lead with Bob Dylans Tangled Up in Blue, which she would reply to with Id Rather Go Blind by Etta James. For Chadwick, whos also a prolific artist, its just the latest turn in a career shes chipping away at. The second batch of Indian students were brought to India from Wuhan city, the epicentre of coronavirus, on Sunday on an Air India flight. However apart from 323 Indians, India rescued seven Maldives nationals too. This gesture did not go unnoticed and Maldivess Foreign Minister, Abdulla Rashid, took to Twitter to express his gratitude to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. AFP/Twitter The Maldives Foreign Minister mentioned that the seven Maldivian nationals will be housed in Delhi for some days. He wrote, 7 Maldivians in #Wuhan are on their way to Delhi on a special #AirIndia flight. Upon arrival they will be housed in Delhi for a period of quarantine. Deep gratitude to PM @narendramodi and EM @DrSJaishankar. Special thanks to Ambassadors. 7 Maldivians in #Wuhan are on their way to Delhi on a special #AirIndia flight. Upon arrival they will be housed in Delhi for a period of quarantine. Deep gratitude to PM @narendramodi and EM @DrSJaishankar. Special thanks to Ambassadors @VikramMisri @sunjaysudhir and their teams Abdulla Shahid (@abdulla_shahid) February 2, 2020 He called India's help as an action that reflects historic ties of kinship between the two countries and synergy between the Neighbourhood First and India First policy. Abdulla Shahid also thanked the Chinese authorities for their help; his tweet read, Grateful to @MFA_China, @AmbassadorZhang and local authorities in #Hubei for the assistance. A very special thanks to our Ambassador in China Ms Azeema and Ambassador in Delhi @aishamdidi and their team. Thank everyone at @MoFAmv for the hard work. Grateful to @MFA_China, @AmbassadorZhang and local authorities in #Hubei for the assistance. A very special thanks to our Ambassador in China Ms Azeema and Ambassador in Delhi @aishamdidi and their team. Thank everyone at @MoFAmv for the hard work. Abdulla Shahid (@abdulla_shahid) February 2, 2020 Meanwhile hundreds of Pakistani students and nationals are still stranded at ground zero and their government does not seem to be making any efforts to rescue them. Planes of Vietnamese airlines at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi (Photo: VNA) The national flag carrier said that it is resuming the routes between Vietnam and Taiwan as from February 2. It is conducting flights linking Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with Hong Kong as scheduled from February 2 through February 5. After that, Vietnam Airlines will suspend the Hanoi-Hong Kong route. The HCM City-Hong Kong route will be maintained after February 5, but the carrier will keep a close watch on the travel demand to adjust the flight frequency. Flights between Hanoi and Macau are also resumed on February 2 and will be halted from February 5. Meanwhile, Jetstar Pacific announced that it is operating flights between Hanoi and Hong Kong as planned through February 5 and maintain the Vietnam-Taiwan route. Vietjet Air said it suspended all flights to and from China as from February 1. However, all other international routes, including those to Hong Kong and Taiwan, are still operated as normal. Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan said as Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan havent been affected much by the nCoV epidemic, his ministry decided to allow airlines to conduct flights between Vietnam and the three Chinese territories. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, this agency has temporarily cancelled the licences granted to flights linking with China from 6am GMT (1pm Vietnam time) on February 1 until a new announcement is issued. However, to handle the large number of passengers stranded at many destinations in mainland China, Vietnamese airlines are permitted to conduct some flights to carry them home. All flights from Vietnam to China to repatriate passengers will be empty, and the returning flights will carry only Vietnamese passengers and must land at Van Don airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh. People on those flights will be isolated and have their health monitored for at least two weeks, the aviation authority noted. (Photo/SPIC) Zhang Qiuping, stepmother of Chen Bo, the employee of State Power Investment Corporation Limited(SPIC), is the director of the outpatient department of Wuhan Lung Hospital. Since the outbreak of the virus, she has never stepped away from her duties. Zhang has been working and living in the hospital for 10 daysstraight and seeing more than 300 patients a day. Since January 22, Zhang Qiuping has been on duty in the department, even throughout the Spring Festival Holiday. During the ten days, she ate in the hospital office and rested in the duty room, working shifts with several doctors and taking only a few hours off each day. During these ten days, because there were no additional clothes to change into, she had to find time to wash the only pieces of clothings she had, wearing them again after they dried. (Photo/SPIC) Every time I ask her about the situation through WeChat, she always tell me things are OK and that she is fine, said Chen Bo. However, when she saw Zhangs photos sent on the WeChat group, she nearly broke into tears, because in each of the photos she saw, Zhangs hands were eroded from repeated soaking disinfectant liquid. During the Spring Festival Holiday, Chen Bo stayed in Beijing instead of returning to Wuhan because of the epidemic. Now living in Beijing, she expects a phone call every day from her mother to personally tell her that she is fine. (Photo/SPIC) On the eve of the new year, back in Wuhan in Chens home, there was only one person, her father. Zhang called him assuring him that she was fine but could not come home to celebrate the Spring Festival because there was too much work at the hospital. She also told him to cook some dumplings for himself. The outpatient department where Zhang works is at the forefront of the fight against the epidemic, and a key hub that decides on measures regarding the separation of pneumonia patients and non-patients and makes the decisions for isolation protection and treatments. Zhang wears a mask and protective clothing every day, and insists on offering consultations and physician visits. (Photo/SPIC) Every day, she would see several hundred patients, sometimes up to three or four hundred patients. At the end of the day, her voice would turn hoarse because her job requires for her to be talking a lot in a noisy environment. She often has to explain situations to her patients over and over again. At present, her outpatient department is short in staff, and they have no time to make phone calls or even send WeChat messages. It is even harder for her to find the time to take a nap. Chen is very concerned about her mother, and asks her when she will come back home. Zhang replies with, Ill go back when the virus is under control, and you all take care of yourselves. After the conversation, she proceeds to continue with her work. Zhang has never faltered in the face of the epidemic and despite the shortage of staff, she said, Everyone works hard here, I have done nothing special. I am just performing my duty. Buckeye Partners and Power Resources International offer insight into Digital Transformations at the Edge MAYNARD, Mass. and ORLANDO, Fl., Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stratus Technologies, a global leader in simplified, protected, autonomous Edge Computing platforms, will showcase its advances and use cases in Edge Computing at the 24th annual ARC Industry Forum in Orlando, Florida from February 3-6. Stratus customer Buckeye Partners and partner Power Resources International will be featured speakers during the forum. Stratus will also conduct product demonstrations of the ztC Edge platform at booth #29. Stratus deep expertise in Edge Computing has led to our having lasting relationships within the industrial automation community where we are helping organizations reach their automation and modernization goals and achieve optimal business value, said Jason Anderson, Stratus VP, business line management. This years ARC Forum is a great opportunity to share insights on how companies, namely Buckeye Partners and Power Resources International, are driving maximum operational efficiency for their business operations all while limiting the risk of unplanned downtime. Sessions Featuring Edge Computing: February 5th, 2020: 10:30 AM 12:00 PM Stratus Senior Director, Industry Solutions, John Fryer will participate on the panel, IT/OT Convergence: A Foundation for Digital Transformation , alongside Buckeye Partners to explore how companies have successfully linked their OT systems to their IT systems. Stratus Senior Director, Industry Solutions, John Fryer will participate on the panel, , alongside Buckeye Partners to explore how companies have successfully linked their OT systems to their IT systems. 1:00 2:00 PM Buckeye Partners and Power Resources International come together for a Stratus-led workshop, Real Examples Edge Computings Role in Digital Transformation , to discuss their paths toward digital transformation and the risks of misalignment. Buckeye Partners and Power Resources International come together for a Stratus-led workshop, , to discuss their paths toward digital transformation and the risks of misalignment. 4:00 5:30 PM During the panel, Using Digital Transformation and the Industrial Edge to Reduce Unscheduled Downtime , Stratus, Power Resources International and Rockwell Automation end user, City of Lima will provide insight to OT and IT leaders into how industrial edge improvements can reduce unscheduled downtime. The edge is emerging as an entirely new ecosystem within the overall enterprise architecture, said Craig Resnick, VP, consulting, at ARC Advisory Group. This year, industry leaders attending ARC Orlando Forum, can learn how pioneering companies use Edge Computing to maximize the value and safety of their operations and achieve continuous availability. About Stratus Technologies Stratus takes the complexity out of unplanned downtime no matter the environment or industry. We enable global Fortune 500 companies and small-to-medium sized businesses in a wide range of industries, along with our growing partner and distributor network, to securely deliver information to applications at the Edge, cloud and data center so they can turn this data into actionable information all while minimizing their operational, financial and reputational risk. We bring operations and IT together to unlock the potential of digital transformation, enabling our customers to improve the quality of life for people and communities. Weve been protecting these business-critical environments for nearly 40 years. For more information, please visit www.stratus.com or follow on Twitter @StratusAlwaysOn and LinkedIn @StratusTechnologies . Press Contacts Michael Antonellis Michael.Antonellis@stratus.com +1 978 461-7075 The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work. The Big Idea: The tomatos path from wild plant to household staple is much more complex than researchers have long thought. For many years, scientists believed that humans domesticated the tomato in two major phases. First, native people in South America cultivated blueberry-sized wild tomatoes about 7,000 years ago to breed a plant with a cherry-sized fruit. Later, people in Mesoamerica bred this intermediate group further to form the large cultivated tomatoes that we eat today. But in a recent study, we show that the cherry-sized tomato likely originated in Ecuador around 80,000 years ago. No human groups were domesticating plants that long ago, so this implies that it started as a wild species, although people in Peru and Ecuador probably cultivated it later. We also found that two subgroups from this intermediate group spread northward to Central America and Mexico, possibly as weedy companions to other crops. As this happened, their fruit traits changed radically. They came to look more like wild plants, with smaller fruits than their South American counterparts and higher levels of citric acid and beta carotene. We were surprised to find that modern cultivated tomatoes seem most closely related to this wild-like tomato group, which is still found in Mexico, although farmers dont deliberately cultivate it. Why it matters: This research has direct implications for crop improvement. For example, some intermediate tomato groups have high levels of glucose, which makes the fruit sweeter. Breeders could use those plants to make cultivated tomatoes more attractive to consumers. We also saw signals that some varieties in this intermediate group had traits that promoted disease resistance and drought tolerance. Those plants could be used to breed hardier tomatoes. What still isnt known: We dont know how the intermediate group of tomatoes spread from South America to Central America and Mexico. Birds may have eaten the fruits and excreted the seeds elsewhere, or humans may have cultivated or traded them. Another question is why this intermediate group regressed and lost so many domestication traits once it spread north. Natural selection in new northern habitats may have actively favored tomatoes with more wild-like traits. It also could be that humans werent breeding these plants and selecting for domestication traits, such as large fruits, which may require plants to use more energy than they would put into fruiting naturally. How we do our work: We reconstruct tomato history by sequencing the genomes of wild, intermediate and domesticated tomato varieties. We also carry out population genomic analyses, in which we use models and statistics to deduce the changes that have occurred to tomatoes over time. This work involves writing a lot of computer codes to analyze large amounts of data and look at patterns of variation in DNA sequences. We also work with other scientists to grow tomato samples and record data on many traits, such as fruit size, sugar content, acid content and flavor compounds. What else is happening in the field: Feeding a growing human population will require improving crop yields and quality. To do this, scientists need to know more about plant genes that are involved in phenomena such as fruit development and flavor and disease resistance. For example, research led by Zachary Lippman at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York is using genome editing to manipulate traits that can help improve tomato yield. By tweaking genes native to two popular varieties of tomato plants, they have devised a rapid method to make the plants flower and produce ripe fruit more quickly. This means more plantings per growing season, which increases yield. It also means that the plant can be grown in latitudes more northerly than currently possible an important attribute as the Earths climate warms. Whats next for you: Our research provides an atlas of candidates for future tomato gene function studies. We now can identify which genes were important at each stage of domestication history, and discover what they do. We also can search for beneficial alleles, or variants of specific genes, that may have been lost or diminished as the tomato was domesticated. We want to find out whether some of those lost variants could be used to improve growth and desirable traits in cultivated tomatoes. [ Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversations newsletter. ] Hamid Razifard, Postdoctoral Researcher in Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Ana Caicedo, Associate Professor of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Franklin Graham's UK tour: LGBT activists pressure more venues to pull out Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment While several venues have canceled events planned for Franklin Graham in the United Kingdom, citing objections to his views on homosexuality, the evangelist is not calling off his eight-date tour of the country and has instead asked his supporters to pray that the doors remain open for the Gospel. Graham, the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, was booked to speak at the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport on June 14, but the event has been canceled, according to WalesOnline. Jayne Bryant, Assembly Member for Newport West, said Graham has a long record of preaching hate, prejudice and intolerance" and called for the event to be canceled due to her concerns and those raised by LGBTQ charity Pride Cymru. Earlier, Liverpool ACC and Glasgow SEC also pulled out of hosting events for Graham. So did Sheffield City Trust for a planned event at Sheffield Arena. Despite some cancellations, Graham, who leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said on Saturday that he's looking forward to preaching the Gospel across the UK in late May & June. "Hundreds of churches are praying & planning to be a part of these evangelistic outreaches. People everywhere are searching for something to fill the void in their lives. Jesus Christ is the answer. Earlier last week, Graham wrote to the U.K.s LGBTQ community, explaining his stand. It is said by some that I am coming to the UK to bring hateful speech to your community. This is just not true. I am coming to share the Gospel, which is the Good News that God loves the people of the UK, and that Jesus Christ came to this earth to save us from our sins, he wrote on his Facebook page. The rub, I think, comes in whether God defines homosexuality as sin. The answer is yes, he continued. But God goes even further than that, to say that we are all sinnersmyself included. The Bible says that every human being is guilty of sin and in need of forgiveness and cleansing. The penalty of sin is spiritual deathseparation from God for eternity. Thats why Jesus Christ came. He became sin for us. He didnt come to condemn the world, He came to save the world by giving His life on the Cross as a sacrifice for our sins. And if were willing to accept Him by faith and turn away from our sins, He will forgive us and give us new lifeeternal lifein Him. My message to all people is that they can be forgiven and they can have a right relationship with God. Thats Good News. That is the hope people on every continent around the world are searching for. In the UK as well as in the United States, we have religious freedom and freedom of speech. Im not coming to the UK to speak against anybody, Im coming to speak for everybody. The Gospel is inclusive. I'm not coming out of hate, I'm coming out of love. Graham concluded his message by inviting everyone in the LGBTQ community to come and hear for yourselves the Gospel messages that I will be bringing from Gods Word, the Bible. You are absolutely welcome. Graham also wrote a letter to his supporters earlier, urging prayers that God will keep the doors open for him to preach the Gospel in the U.K. For the last two years we have been preparing to go to the United Kingdom and take the Gospel to eight different cities starting in Scotland, going down to Wales, and finishing up in London, he wrote. As we move closer to these events in late May and June, we are experiencing opposition from LGBTQ activists who want to stop this Gospel work. This small but vocal minority is pressuring venues to back out of our contracts because I have said that God defines homosexuality as sin. Several venues have already told us that they are cancelling. He continued, Much prayer and effort has been put into this, and hundreds of churches across the U.K. are partnering in this tour. This is spiritual warfare. The enemy does not want the Gospel proclaimed. He went on to say that he believed this to be a defining moment for the Church in the U.K. You and I have been called for such a moment as this, he said. Please join me in praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ there, that God will remove obstacles to this Gospel work, and that He will prepare the hearts of people across the nation to hear and respond to His message this spring. Photo: Elvis Vasquez/Pexels Here's the most recent top news you may have missed in Miami. Miami-Dade leaders push for Super Bowl's return Leaders throughout Miami-Dade are already planning on how to get the largest sporting event to return to South Florida. Read the full story on CBS Miami. Police investigate shooting in northwest Miami Authorities said they received a shot spotter alert at approximately 6:03 p.m. in the area of NW 13th Avenue and NW 62nd Street. When police arrived, they found a man who had suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. Read the full story on CBS Miami. Rideshare passenger drop-off at airport temporarily relocated Miami International Airport officials are reminding passengers that they have relocated the drop-off location for all rideshare app passengers leaving town today Read the full story on CBS Miami. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has given reasons President Muhammadu Buhari-led government cant intervene in the ban on... The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has given reasons President Muhammadu Buhari-led government cant intervene in the ban on commercial motorcycles popularly known as Okada and tricycles in Lagos State.An outcry on Monday trailed the enforcement by the State government of embargo on Okada on February 1.The embargo caused a violent protest in Lagos which had riders throwing stones at buses at the Ijora area of the state.Some students were also seen stranded at bus stops alongside workers en route their respective schools and houses.But, Amaechi speaking on Channels TV Sunrise Daily, said the federal government under the jurisdiction is not allowed to tell state governments what to do.He disclosed that the implementation of transport policy is essentially a state affair.Amaechi further added that governor of Lagos state, Jide Sanwo-Olu has a problem of unemployment and increase in crime rate to solve.Amaechi said; Implementation of transport policy is essentially a state affair. You cannot tell a state whether they want Okada or tricycles or not. Thats not our responsibility.It is the responsibility of the state government to decide what to do.Amaechi, making reference to his time as a governor in Rivers state said the Lagos State government has a valid reason for enforcing the ban on Okada.As a former Governor, when I was in Rivers State, they were using motorcycles to rob and kidnap people; and the police could never get them because they were using cars; so I banned motorcycles and we had peace.The number of accidents was also high and the orthopedic hospital was full every day because of this.I dont know the reason why the Governor of Lagos state banned it; only Sanwo-Olu can disclose you but I am sure he made his decision based on the interests of a majority of Lagosians.Sanwo-Olu however has a problem to face, which is unemployment and an increase in crime. It doesnt matter whether the impeachment trial of President Trump is already over or it drags on for months. Two-thirds of the U.S. Senate is never going to find the president guilty of the House Democrats vague and bogus charges of abuse of power and obstructing Congress. Everyones always known thats how it will end, even the deranged Democrats. But Adam Schiff and his supporting cast still wasted several days of the countrys time in the Senate this past week declaring over and over that President Trump must be removed from office. Among other hysterical things, they charged Trump is a threat to our national security, an archenemy of the Constitution and a corrupt dictator who intends to steal the 2020 election. Democrats have proved for the last three years now that they can spot a new impeachable crime in every other presidential tweet or executive order. But as Jay Sekulow of the Trump defense team warned the Senate on Tuesday, in their rage to take down Trump, the House Democrats have made a serious mistake. By drastically lowering the bar of impeachment, he said, Democrats have put the constitutional framework of our republic in unimaginable danger. Sekulow also said he thought the impeachment of President Trump is not based on whether or not he exceeded his constitutional authority but is actually a political fight over deep policy concerns and deep policy differences. Theres nothing new about wide policy differences between Congress and the White House and between the White House and the State Department. One reason for that is because members of Congress and the employees of the State Department usually serve for 20 or 30 years while a president lasts eight years at most. When a new president comes into office with his new policies getting tough with the Soviets, expanding government health care, putting tougher economic sanctions on Iran he often meets resistance from veteran congressmen and career bureaucrats in the State Department who have their own long-held policy positions. We saw exactly that kind of White House-State Department tension on display during the House impeachment hearings into President Trumps Ukraine policy. The hard anti-corruption policy the president wanted to pursue in Ukraine was criticized, resisted or subverted by State Department officials who had been hired by previous presidents. Making policy is a complicated process for any president. Its like making sausage. Its messy, has lots of ingredients and not pretty to watch being made. Its the piece of sausage Obamas Iran policy, for example, or Trumps Ukraine policy that counts in the end. When my father had to make important decisions on national security and foreign policy matters he would have the National Security Council write up three different versions of what he could do. The NSC which is made up of the vice president, cabinet officials, military leaders and other top advisers and my father would discuss all three options. Then my father would make his decision and the policy would go forward. No one at the New York Times ever saw those other policy choices and the arguments that went on in those NSC meetings were never leaked to the media. If transcripts of those meetings had fallen into the hands of todays deranged Democrats, Adam Schiff would have impeached my father because he didnt accept one of the other two choices. Jay Sekulow was right to warn the Senate about the danger to our republic of lowering the bar of impeachment. If we start impeaching presidents just because we dont agree with their policies were never going to have another one who can get anything done. Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan, a political consultant, and the author of Lessons My Father Taught Me: The Strength, Integrity, and Faith of Ronald Reagan. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which recently passed both houses of Congress by overwhelming, bipartisan majorities, has been rightly hailed as one of President Donald Trump's most historic achievements and a big win for America's farmers, businesses and workers. Too little attention has been paid, however, to one of USMCA's most innovative and misunderstood features. The review and term extension provision, also known as the "sunset provision," is a first-of-its kind provision designed to ensure that, unlike NAFTA, USMCA won't become outdated, unbalanced and politically unpopular over time. Under the sunset provision, the agreement will terminate automatically in 16 years unless all three countries affirmatively agree to an extension in the interim. The parties will hold a joint review every six years to evaluate how the agreement is working and, hopefully, agree on needed updates and adjustments. If, after that process plays out, all parties agree to an extension, the term of the agreement will reset for another 16 years. If they cannot agree, USMCA will not disappear immediately, but a 10-year termination clock will start to tick. As the expiration date approaches, pressure will build on the parties to resolve their differences. When the administration first proposed the sunset provision, the free trade establishment was aghast. Former Speaker Paul Ryan warned that a deal with a sunset provision would get no Republican votes in Congress. The Wall Street Journal editorial page, which I respect and read every morning, said the provision would destroy business confidence in the agreement. The fact that USMCA passed with less than a handful of Republican dissenters and with the overwhelming support of every major business group is proof that the critics were wrong on the politics. I believe experience will prove them wrong on the substance as well. The goal of the sunset provision is not to encourage USMCA's early demise, but to ensure that the agreement will continue to serve America's interests over the long run in a highly competitive and always evolving global economy. Countries always find new and unexpected ways to give favored industries an unfair advantage. Therefore it is imperative that the United States retain leverage in any of our trading relationships to prevent unfair trade practices and market distortions and correct them when they occur. The sunset provision will give us just that. Because I come from the real estate industry, the sunset concept made a lot of sense to me. When you own a great property that you believe will appreciate in value over time, the preference is always to lease space for a shorter duration rather than enter into than a long-term, much less a permanent, arrangement. Why lock in today's market rates if you will be able to charge more in the future? Yet America's past trade agreements have been "forever deals." We've essentially sold permanent access to our market, usually on the cheap, and left ourselves with no leverage short of threatening to withdraw from the agreement to make needed adjustments. The USMCA approach is akin to the United States granting Mexico and Canada a 16-year lease for market access, with a fair market value readjustment clause that is triggered every six years. In the event that the parties disagree on the adjustment, the shortening duration gives the leverage to the stronger party, which, given the relative sizes of our economies, likely will always be the United States. Another virtue of the sunset provision is that it will force politicians to confront difficult issues and changing dynamics rather than kick the can down the road. For years, labor unions and industry groups voiced valid complaints about NAFTA. But in typical Washington fashion, the politicians were better at complaining about problems than they are at rolling up their sleeves and finding solutions. Until President Trump, no one was willing to spend the political capital required to correct NAFTA's many flaws. As a result, the agreement became for many a symbol of everything that is wrong with the global trading system. The sunset provision will prevent USMCA from meeting the same fate. In politics, people are always scared of what is different and new. It therefore is understandable why the sunset provision generated so much controversy. Over time, however, I believe the provision will come to be seen as one of the most valuable parts of USMCA and become a staple of American trade agreements for generations to come. Jared Kushner is a senior advisor to President Donald Trump. Top UP cop adopts daughter of hostage-taker killed by police, wants her to become IPS officer India oi-Madhuri Adnal Lucknow, Feb 03: A senior police officer of Uttar Pradesh has came up as a saviour for a one-year-old toddler. The top cop said on Monday that he will adopt the girl child, the daughter of the man who was shot dead by police last week after he held hostage 23 children and his wife hostage at his house at a village in Farrukhabad district of West UP. Reportedly, the mother of the child was thrashed by villagers after the incident, who later died at a hospital. However, the toddler is currently under treatment at a hospital in Farukkhabad and is being looked after by women constables. Wife of UP hostage-taker lynched by locals after cops rescued 23 children On Thursday, a murder accused, Subhash Batham who was out on bail, triggered panic among villagers by holding 23 children of the village along with his wife hostage at his own house. According to police, the accused who was out on bail had invited some children from the village on the pretext of celebrating his daughter's birthday at his home. Once the children were inside, he held hostage to all of them including his own wife and daughter at gunpoint. As per the police he died after police shot him after a 10-hour long standoff. On Monday, Mohit Aggarwal, a senior police officer from Kanpur said he would adopt Batham's one-year-old daughter, Gauri who became orphan in the incident. The officer said that he wanted the little girl to grow up and become an IPS officer. And he, therefore, will bear Gauri's educational and all other expenses till she becomes self-reliant. He also added that the toddler will be adopted and we will send to a good boarding school. And he will keep her under his own supervision. The UKs departure from the EU last Friday was a tame enough affair in the end. The 11-month transition period to the end of 2020 that now follows means that the impact of what is a momentous event will not be felt until next year and beyond. For 2020, nothing really changes, so those trading with the UK can carry on as before. It is still very unclear what Brexit will mean for the UK and by association economies like Ireland, with which it has a close economic and trading relationship. The negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and EU that are to take place this year will determine the true nature and impact of Brexit, especially in regard to trade. Markets seems relaxed about the outcome of these talks. The recent strength and stability of sterling, as well as the gains made by UK stocks in the past few months, point to expectations of a benign outcome to the negotiations, with little damage to the economy from Brexit. The EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan, on the other hand, is not so relaxed, warning last week that a crash-out Brexit was still a possibility at the end of December and that people need to wake up to that reality. He warned against complacency, saying it does not seem to be widely appreciated we are starting the most difficult part of the Brexit process. The view of the EU is that it will be virtually impossible to negotiate a full comprehensive trade deal with the UK in less than a year. The UK government, though, wants accelerated talks and has ruled out an extension to the transition period beyond the end of this year, saying a deal can be done within this timeframe. The EU and UK have very different views on what a trade deal will look like. The EU is insistent on a level playing field for trade, with close regulatory alignment and no regulatory dumping. The UK is clear that it will no longer be an EU rule taker and there will not be regulatory alignment, with its chancellor telling businesses to adjust to a future where Britain no longer adheres to EU rules and regulations. A Canadian-style free trade agreement has been mentioned as a possible compromise. Tariffs do not apply on most goods, but some tariffs and quotas have remained, most notably on agricultural products. Canada has access to only some parts of the EU Single Market in services. Most notably, financial services are not included, which would be a big drawback for the UK. Trade in goods between the EU and Canada is also still bound by Rules of Origin ie, a sufficient proportion of the product must originate in Canada to qualify for zero, or low, EU tariffs. Complying with these rules can be a major additional cost for firms and it could pose significant problems for the UK car industry in particular. Most Canadian products must also comply with EU regulations. In effect, the UK would be swapping fewer obligations and more autonomy for less market access. As a result, the UK could well find itself with more limited access to EU markets in 2021, with Irish and other EU countries access to the UK market also facing restrictions. While not a full hard Brexit, trading with the UK will become much more difficult and costly, with negative economic consequences. Oliver Mangan is chief economist at AIB By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 22 times, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on Feb. 3, Trend reports. The Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding regions. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz In Robert Altmans 1975 film Nashville, Ronee Blakley gives a moving performance as ingenue superstar Barbara Jean. Shes the darling of the local country-western scene and a national name in music at large, but shes not doing so well with the pressures of fame. When we join her as shes being carted off of a private plane, shes just survived an incident with a flaming baton thats left her badly burned. Shes tremulous and infirm, prone to the occasional nervous breakdown, and liable to mentally drift off during banter between songs at her concerts. By the end of the film, shell be a casualty of her own celebrity. While the character was explicitly modeled after Loretta Lynn, she fits into a lamentable showbiz archetype stretching back past Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland. This is the tradition into which real-life Nashvillian Taylor Swift sorts herself through the early scenes of Lana Wilsons new documentary Miss Americana. She frankly discusses the psychological impact that daily trolling by millions of online strangers can have on a person, going so far as to divulge that she struggled with an eating disorder when her personal health was at its worst. If she had fully succumbed to the gargantuan weights placed on her slender shoulders, she couldve been another young star lost to a tragically premature end. But thats only the first-half of her story. Miss Americana introduces us to a Taylor Swift reborn, if not quite as an artist, then definitely as a woman. Shes learned the importance of self-care, and speaks with the steady clarity of someone well-versed in the vocabulary of therapy. After spending most of her adult life compulsively working to please the ever-increasing number of people reliant on her, shes made peace with the fact that winning over everyone isnt possible. When a creep sexually assaulted her during a photo op, she stood up against him and took him to court, where he got a guilty verdict and she declined any payout to make a point. Were presented with a newly authentic Taylor, one willing to get opinionated and get real. Most significant of all is her stand as a political actor, both the culmination and most resounding expression of her rise to new levels of self-empowerment and -actualization. In the 2018 midterm elections, in spite of her PR teams protestations aired during a meeting Swift allowed Wilson to film, she spoke out against the blithely homophobic Tennessee senator Marsha Blackburn. Trump talks some weak-tea smack about Swifts music and Blackburn ends up winning the election anyway, but the real victory here is one womans a-woke-nening. The film charts a clear, satisfying, faintly heroic arc for its subject. And yet thats precisely what it all feels like: just the latest narrative in the long series of narratives that have made up the course of her career to date. Its a meticulously arranged hagiography, in a way damned by Swifts seal of approval. Some reviews out of the Sundance Film Festival (where Swift gladly appeared alongside Wilson to promote the film at its marquee premiere) anticipated a response like this as cynical, and while that may very well be the case, it deserves to be articulated nonetheless: If theres anything close studies of pop stars teach us, isnt it that we should move through all things with a maximum of skepticism and a minimum of credulity? Miss Americana submits itself as a more candid, levelheaded endeavor than such puff pieces as Katy Perry: Part of Me or Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. The image of the squeaky-clean girl-next-door type has been long since shed for gyration-heavy concert choreography and mildly spicier lyrics, but this is still Swift as we havent seen her before. She uses two words weve never heard her utter: in one soundbite delivered through the fourth wall to Wilsons lens, Swift says her newfound liberation feels so fucking awesome, and in another, she makes a vague mention of fascism in America. Thems fighting words, as theyd say around Swifts vocally repped home state of Tennessee, and yet theyre difficult to take at face value. As a colleague of mine smartly put it, The function of any authorized biography is to provide a tightly controlled space in which the revelation of new information about a public person can be frictionlessly inserted into their tightly controlled public persona. Every heretofore unseen part of Swift that she shows to us positions her at a flattering angle. She exposes her vulnerabilities to provide context for how strong shes been forced to become, and acknowledges her past of passivity to draw contrast with her present resistance. Theres nothing challenging, nothing daring, nothing penetrating about Wilsons approach to portraiture. It would come as a surprise if Swift did permit anything like that, considering how effortfully shes managed her brand up to this point. The whole Sisyphean endeavor of her working life since that fate-deciding encounter with Kanye on the VMA stage has been to get one step ahead of public opinion. Each fresh album cycle brings with it a fresh pivot, from the girl-squad leader whos so not about the drama (circa 1989) to the would-be villain embracing the role of the snake assigned to her by a faction of haters (circa Reputation). We know that she has a robust social life with an array of A-lister friends because she stages photos of everyone having fun at her annual 4th of July parties. We know that she and her boyfriends are very much in love because she posts photos of them giving piggyback rides or canoodling in front of artfully arranged piles of rocks. We see what she wants us to see. Whats always made Swift a compelling character in the ongoing epic yarn of our eras famous people is that though she may be savvy about marketing herself, that savviness has been evident in her chosen moves. The seams of her fabrications always show in a way that they dont for, say, Beyonce, who has withheld just about as much of herself from public consumption as Swift. Whereas the former Destinys Child star rose to the top by making being fabulous look easy (and why the fine detailing of her extreme lifestyle in the exemplary Homecoming landed with such an impact), Swift herself confesses to taking pride in trying hard. The You Need to Calm Down single release announced her as an official Hetero Ally to the LGBTQ community, and she populated the music video with such media-friendly personalities as Todrick Hall and the cast of the revived Queer Eye. Then, to make sure her message was really driven home, she dropped in a horde of caricatured hillbilly homophobe protesters to stamp their feet while she and her pals sunbathe, unbothered. Think of Im not mad, Im laughing actually as a belabored visual aesthetic. That same show-the-work ethic extends to her personal life (why arrange a weird little pile of stones near your makeout spot, or give your boyfriend a tank top proclaiming how much he loves you?) just as it extends to Wilsons film. Though the director has done excellent nonfiction work in the past, here she appears to have been subsumed as auteur by Swift herself. Even Swifts performance of twentysomething normalcy comes off as weirdly concerted, during the scene in which she invites her childhood bestie over for drinks and then treats herself to a middle-aged standard of white wine thinned with a hefty fistful of loose ice cubes. Miss Americana is by its very nature an ad for the best-selling product known as Taylor Swift, and even if it may be a convincing ad, the act of convincing remains its raison detre. A documentary about Taylor Swift would be a fascinating proposition on paper, a chance to peel back the layers of management and artifice and find something unmediated beneath it all. What we get instead is a beatific after-picture, a woman healed, conversant in the vernacular of your one friend whos always posting memes about growth to Pinterest. Wilsons film only engages with the criticisms of Swift made from a place of bad faith, about her having too many boyfriends and most markedly not her appropriative streak. Its softball filmmaking. Far be it from me to suggest that Taylor Swift is trying to trick us all into believing that she has an extraordinarily stressful life. That level of media scrutiny would be enough to drive any of us into a permanent turtle shell from the world, but if thats supposed to be what makes Swift a compelling figure, then shes no different from anyone else on her tier of notability. In this respect, the film actually short-changes Swift, sanding off the flaws that make her ongoing story worth investing in so that they might contrive a friendlier version of imperfection. Wilson airlifts her subject off of the Barbara Jean track and gently sets her down on the well-paved road to betterment, not far removed from the same juncture that Ariana Grande reached around the time of thank u, next. Funny thing about that: while Taylor Swift remains mum about the 2020 election, nothing stopped Grande from throwing her weight behind Bernie Sanders back in November. The post Taylor Swift and the Problem With Pop-Star "Documentaries" appeared first on InsideHook. CROWN POINT An attorney for four men charged with shooting at the owner of a Munster tobacco shop and smashing out windows said Friday video evidence in the case would show his clients were ambushed. John Cantrell appeared with three of the men Friday for an initial hearing. A Lake Criminal Court magistrate entered not guilty pleas on the men's behalf. Munadel Jebreen, 39, of Lansing; Abdal Hassouna, 30, of Oak Lawn; Rami Jabarin, 37, of Burbank, Illinois; and Frank Sabbah, 68, of Munster, are accused of driving to Munster Tobacco and Hookah in the 7900 block of Calumet Avenue on Dec. 23 to confront the owner about a woman. The woman, who is Jebreen's sister and Sabbah's daughter, had been dating the owner of the tobacco shop but had a recent falling out with him, the owner told police. The shop owner told investigators Jebreen told him on the phone that he was coming to the store and "you're gonna see," records state. Cantrell said Friday he was looking forward to receiving copies of surveillance video from the shop. He predicted the footage, which should include multiple angles, would exonerate his clients. Louisiana's biggest ports felt the sting of trade wars in 2019, as falling shipments of steel, petrochemicals and some other commodities weighed on their business results and offered a worrying counterpoint to the state's otherwise accelerating economy. +9 Photos: Port of New Orleans, an inside look Louisiana's biggest ports felt the sting of trade wars in 2019, as falling shipments of steel, petrochemicals and some other commodities weigh Bulk cargo volumes fell by 25% at the Port of New Orleans in the last six months of 2019, while the much larger Port of South Louisiana just upriver from New Orleans saw a 15% drop in total cargo volumes for 2019, according to recently released results from the ports' governing bodies. "You can't hide the numbers," said Paul Aucoin, the Port of South Louisiana's executive director. "It was a tough year." The two ports offer insights into the health of the broader economy because of the shipping industry's critical role in the region, and a slowdown suggests that even as Louisiana's economic growth has accelerated in recent months, with the state's gross domestic product growing faster than the U.S. average, parts of the economy are feeling pressure from President Donald Trump's tariffs. The two ports are the primary waypoint for shipments of corn and other agricultural products from the U.S. to foreign markets, and are also critical to the state's oil and petrochemical sector. Together, they account for an estimated 50,000 direct and indirect jobs in the six parishes where they operate and contribute hundreds of millions of dollars in state taxes, according to economic impact reports. While the Port of New Orleans saw increases in cruise traffic and a 10% jump in container shipping, a falloff in steel shipments and other tariff-affected business hurt its overall results. For the Port of South Louisiana, which covers a 54-mile stretch from Destrehan in St. Charles Parish to just past the Sunshine Bridge in St. James Parish, the tariffs have bitten even deeper. While Louisiana's ports pale in comparison to the massive container-based ports on the east and west coasts of the U.S., the local shipping industry remains a major player when it comes to bulk shipments the non-container cargo that includes corn, soybeans, crude oil and other items that have been directly or indirectly most affected by trade spats initiated by the Trump administration. Both also have multibillion-dollar expansion projects that require public and private backing, which they are trying to push through with the promise of thousands of additional jobs. The question now, according to Loren Scott, the former LSU economics professor who authored a 2015 Port of South Louisiana economic impact study, is whether recent trade skirmishes will be resolved with relatively little harm done, especially with the administration under pressure in this U.S. election year, or whether they will end up doing long-term damage that threatens the two ports' expansion plans. "It's like a rocket that's 5 feet off the ground," Scott said. "We're hoping it's going to be OK, but right now we really don't know which way it's going to go." Last month, the Trump administration expanded tariffs on raw steel and aluminum, which took effect in 2018, to include derivative products made from the metals. The tariff rates, of 25% for steel and 10% for aluminum, will take effect for the new range of products on Feb 8. Canada, Mexico and Australia are exempt from both, while Brazil and Argentina were left out of the steel tariff increases after Trump reversed a threat in December to include them in retaliation for devaluation of their currencies. Aucoin says he understands the president's motive for taking a hard line on some trade relationships, but he has been a consistent opponent of using the blunt instrument of tariffs. "It really doesn't work to put a lot of tariffs on because it causes more harm than good," he said. Though the tariffs may be aimed at protecting domestic industry, there is often collateral damage on the home front. "There's all kinds of ways that this is impacting the economy aside from the fact that it is creating so much uncertainty about what is going to be the next shoe that drops in the trade wars," said Scott. One direct casualty, he noted, was a proposed $1.25 billion petrochemical plant that was to be built near Convent in St. James Parish by Wanhua Chemical, a Chinese state-controlled firm. After years of negotiations, the company abruptly put the project on hold in August, citing "rising capital costs." "This was hit two ways," Scott said. "It was a steel-intensive project and Trump's steel tariffs were causing costs to go up. Also, the Chinese didn't want to give a gift like this to the U.S. while it was right in the middle of these trade negotiations." With some thawing of U.S.-China trade relations, Wanhua Chemical revived talks for a much smaller version of that plant on the West Bank opposite New Orleans. But local officials shot down the potential facility at a meeting in January. Steel is just one of hundreds of products affected by the tariffs, but it is a good example of the rippling effect they can have. The Port of New Orleans, which is the largest port of entry for U.S. steel and iron imports according to S&P Global, said break bulk cargo for the six months through December was down 25%, on top of a 13% drop the previous fiscal year, largely because of lower steel volume. Robert Landry, the port's chief commercial officer, said it was lower-profile trade skirmishes, not China, that had the most effect. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "Chinese tariffs was not the biggest issue. It was all the other trade issues with different countries like Brazil, Turkey, South Korea, that really contributed to the decline," Landry said. "It changed a lot of supply chains and people looked to source steel from different suppliers, including domestically, which I suppose was the point of the tariffs," he said. "But then steel prices went up and people said, 'Let's push this project off for a couple of months,'" because of uncertainty about what might come next in the trade talks. This has had a direct impact on port users like the Dupuy Group, a family-owned company that started as a coffee warehouse on Peters Street 84 years ago and has since moved into other areas, including metals. Allan Colley, Dupuy's president, said shipments of food products are increasing, but shipments of metals that fall under the tariffs are down big-time. "We handle a lot of food products, like coffee and tea, which are tariff-free, and we've seen that volume increase substantially. But the other side of it is that non-food volumes have fallen off dramatically," he said. "We were major warehousers of metals up until about 2018, and we've seen stocks fall off sharply." The biggest issue has been price swings, which make it hard for businesses to plan, according to metals trader Scott Goldin. Benchmark steel prices, for example, zoomed up above $1,000 a ton in the U.S. in late 2018, fell back sharply last year but in the last four months have headed sharply higher again. "The whole time its been happening, we've been doing our best to keep our prices as low as possible," said Goldin, who is chief financial officer of Goldin Metals, a trading house with distribution warehouses in Harvey. "But with prices fluctuating up and down, weve seen some customers' projects slow down." Aucoin said the steel price volatility has stalled the Port of South Louisiana's expansion plans. "We have 17 new industries that want to come in and build something for a total investment of $23 billion, but the price of steel went up because of the tariffs and that's put them off," he said. Even the Port of New Orleans' booming container business has been impacted. The port has been one of the fastest-growing container port handlers in the country, with an annual growth rate of more than 8% in the five years through 2018, according to S&P Global. In January, it reported that it handled a record number of containers last year, with volume up about 10% over the previous year at nearly 650,000 twenty-foot-equivalent units. But the drag on break bulk volume meant that revenue from the port's terminal operations, its largest business segment, was running about 6% below budget in the six months through December, at just above $21 million. That is not helpful when the port's leaders are pushing hard for investment in new equipment and facilities. The port has had to lobby hard to get tariff exemptions for two gantry cranes it is importing from China and which port officials say are needed to compete with rival ports like Houston and Savannah. The port's CEO, Brandy Christian, said the Chinese cranes would create 1,147 jobs and generate $3.6 million in tax revenue for Louisiana, according to an economic impact study. Now, even with a new U.S.-Canada-Mexico trade deal finally signed after more than a year of tinkering by Congress, and the initial "Phase I" deal with China signed by Trump in December, there is still considerable uncertainty about global trade. The Wuhan coronavirus also has the potential to slow trade as China has taken steps to lock down Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, while multinational companies, including iPhone maker Apple Inc., have closed stores and offices throughout the huge Asian country. Consumer spending has driven U.S. economic expansion for a decade and kept trade volume chugging along, said Derik Andreoli, a principal at trade forecaster Mercator International in Seattle. But the U.S. business confidence index, a generally reliable indicator of economic health, has been falling for more than a year, a worrying sign for trade. Scott echoed that worry. "We've seen investment spending by businesses slowing down to almost nothing because they're worried about the effect of tariffs on their supply chains," he said. This article has been updated to reflect the fact that Scott Goldin is chief financial officer of Goldin Metals. by Holly A. Case (Interviewer) and Tom J. W. Case (Hermit) The following is the continuation of an interview with Tom, a pilot who has largely withdrawn to a small piece of land in rural South Dakota. Interviewer: Have you ever experienced something annoying that got transformed by hermitude into something at least harmless if not good? Hermit: Right. Sure. I used to be annoyed by wind, now I like the thing. Used to prefer summer to winter, now that has reversed. Rain will ruin a hermit picnic as quickly as it will a regular persons, but usually with nice enough after effects. Perhaps my best example at the moment is what happened when I started sleeping with very minimal heat in winter, just above freezing. It was miserable at first, but I got used to it. The thing what amazed me most is that I lost weight (the opposite of what I was used to during winter) burning calories to keep warm, alongside consuming far less fuel for heating my living space. An apparent win-win. So obvious, but it never had crossed my mind. Interviewer: Whats so great about wind, and after-rain from the hermit point of view? And what does it mean to get used to almost freezing? Hermit: Only the obvious things. The wind cools and makes difficult the movement of flying insects in the warmer months, and is easily dealt with in winter by dressing appropriately. The rain, you know, rainbows, plants love it, etc.. And Ive so far kept my space just above freezing for the sake of the liquids. Tried dipping below once, determined I lose more liquids that way as they burst their containers, also destroyed my water filters on that one. There is likely a physiological process which allows one to get used to the cold, but I think it is as much a mental acclimatization. Easier to get used to the cold than the heat, in my experience. In the end, so long as your fingers still work, all is well. Interviewer: Regarding the elusiveness of hermits, if you could write a manual (or guide) for the non-hermit, what information would you include under the heading: Common Misconceptions Regarding Hermits and Hermitude? Hermit: That is just it, misconception. Understanding. Few of us, if any, really understand anything, and I would go so far as to say that not one person is fully understood even by their own inner self. Even science, as careful as it has become, is capable of developing noticeable cracks at the most inconvenient times. Ironically, it was probably my own desperation to understand, to be understood, what delivered me here to hermitude. It slowly became apparent that I do not understand, and also, more painfully, am not understood. I spent so much time and energy trying to be understood that I became little more than that thing, the thing which seeks to be understood. Seeking understanding is a fine enough endeavor, another prominent facet of our nature, but as one seeks to understand something they are also paradoxically failing to notice its state of being. Worse, when something is seeking to be understood, it is presenting little more than an opinion of itself and utterly failing to be. What we think we are changes, evolves, but what we really are remains constant. Opinion is a color covering an object or subject, it is not the object or subject itself. We are dangerously close to painting each others houses and cars in the night a color we see more fitting, while never knowing the story of the house or car. It does not matter the color of something, yet it is the most observable aspect. Sometimes I wonder how a blind person thinks. It must be fascinating. But I digress. When I was a child, on family trips our route would take us through the Rosebud Indian Reservation, and I remember nearly all of the houses being the same colorseafoam greenand to this day when I see that color I am whipped with that same feeling of misery one can freely experience on that reservation. A treeless landscape, barren, with cars on blocks and all manner of mixed breed, free range dogs, a skinny horse with its ribs all too visible, a lone indigenous man walking a miserable stretch of highway not within ten miles of any possible destination. All because of a color. I have no idea what the house itself, or the man himself looked like, and that is not fair. So, say you take the time to observe those things, their outward features. Now are they understood? Certainly not. So study their makeup, their structure, their personalities. How about now? No. Go deeper. Where did the trees come from to build the house, who cut them down and why, and who sawed them into boards and what are their stories? Who were the mans parents? How does he feel about things? Perhaps we are getting closer to understanding, but what led up to the soil, the climate, the ecosystem which encouraged those trees to grow where they did? What about the mans ancestors, how they lived and why, their environment and how it came to be? How was it deemed suitable for them? What about the origins and stories of those who ultimately displaced those indigenous people? Should we not, in fairness, seek to understand them as well so they are not merely seen as those with seafoam green stains on their smocks? On it goes, and there is always another turtle. The important bit is that while I was putting that down, I was completely gone, absent from the world which exists the same at this particular point in time regardless of my attempts to understand it. Perhaps more importantly, the whole of it has a hue of seafoam green upon it for my efforts. Why, though? Perhaps I should try to understand that, too. Oh, look! Another turtle! If one is not where they are, or at least conscious of everything being squarely where it is, they are nowhere. I have gone therenowheremany times, but not one person has asked to see the album of photos from those trips, nor have I exercised its binding for my own nostalgic amusement. If I did, it is certain I would be in as much in awe of what I looked like then (What was I thinking wearing that?) as most people are when they see photos of their parents from a time before their conception. It is likely that from all of this your readers will unwittingly apply a color to what has been said here; perhaps due to what was said, how well or poorly it was said, or what is, or is assumed to be, between the lines of it. Maybe it will be seen through the filter of their own mood, applied for reasons begging for their own understanding. To conceptualize is inevitable, but worthy of great care. Files placed in cabinets are not themselves the extent of the subjects they pertain to. There is no textbook hermit, but if a hermit does indeed seek to live in the world the way it iswithout coloring it, having it be colored, or even having color suggestedthe most likely path is one of solitude. In my case, though it is in its infancy, I see that path leading not toward giving up on the state of things, but toward a way of solving manmade problems by not creating them. I can only lament the invisibility of such an approach, but if it were not invisible so, too, would it have a color. Interviewer: The manual has proven rich terrain. Lets do another manual heading: Phrases and Behaviors to Avoid in the Presence of Hermits (Hermit Pet Peeves) Hermit: Alright. Phrases to avoid: Youve got something in your beard. I dont get out much. I forgot my hairdryer. Do you have one I might borrow? You should totally get a cat. Beans? Again? Oh, look at the time! If you have a question for Tom, you can send it to hcase@stanfordalumni.org (subject heading: Ask a Hermit). An Alaska industry group predicted a decrease in 2020 construction spending due to a lower number of earthquake repair projects. The Associated General Contractors of Alaska forecast a decline in construction spending this year of $500 million, or about 6.9%, The Alaska Journal of Commerce reported. The organizations annual spending forecast released Thursday was compiled by Alaska research firm McDowell Group. The projected loss is largely due to a dwindling number of repair projects stemming from the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck southern Alaska in November 2018, AGC Executive Director Alicia Siira said. The Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna school districts are still working on long-term rehabilitation of several schools damaged by the earthquake, but the majority of repairs to roads and private buildings have been completed, the report said. Last years forecast for $7.2 billion of construction spending attributed about $200 million in government spending to projects related to earthquake recovery, with additional spending related to private-sector repairs. While other sectors of the industry are expected to see mostly flat spending, there are some positive estimates, Siira said. Although the outlook is relatively flat, there are certainly some bright spots for construction. Overall, petroleum, oil and gas spending is still a bright spot; were seeing lots of activity up there. Mining is still going to be a big one, as well, she said. Oil industry spending is expected to reach $2.9 billion in capital investments, which is a nearly $200 million year-over-year increase, the report said. Mining companies are expected to spend about $170 million on capital projects this year, which would be about $100 million less than 2019, the report said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Construction Earthquake Jayanta Roy Chowdhury By Express News Service NEW DELHI: A day after her budget speech where she said Harappan script had been deciphered made her a target of Twitteratis, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in an interaction with journalists on Sunday, again reiterated that deciphering has happened. The guilds of Saraswati-Sindhu civilization & the Harappan seals are remarkable Words from the Indus Script-hieroglyphs have been deciphered, the FM had said, She went on imply that words found in the script include: Takara Kolimi (or) Tin smithery, Sreni or Guild, Sethi or wholesale merchant and Poddar or Assayer of metal into treasury. However, most historians hold that the Harappan script has yet to be deciphered. A prize of $ 10,000 offered as reward by an anonymous donor in 2004 through Steve Farmer, still remains unclaimed. Before that, comparative historian Farmer along with Michael Wizel, Harvards professor of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, had argued that the Harappan seals do not represent a written language. A research paper in the magazine Science by Rajesh Rao did claim that a statistical analysis of Indus Valley inscriptions shows it was a written script, but it could not come up with a deciphering of the language, say historians. The Harappan civilisation existed in a time period range of between 5,500 BC to 1,500 BC. Archaeologists have found thousands of short inscriptions, most of which have 4 to 5 symbols. The symbols have remained an enigma for most. There is a Right-wing historical prescription that Harappans had a link with Aryan civilisation and that Aryans are indigenous, said Prof Aditya Mukherjee, formerly of the Centre for Historical Studies, JNU. Entrepreneur Store According to Statista research, 12 percent of all U.S. commerce will be done online in 2020. That's to say, if you run a business or are thinking of launching one in 2020, you need a web presence. That may not be news to you. But do you know how to build a website and optimize it for an omnichannel marketing strategy? It's great to be the idea and relationships person behind your business but without any technical expertise, you may be forced to shell out huge sums on web developers. Or, you can do it yourself for a significantly smaller investment with GoDaddy Websites + Marketing. Screengrab from video taken with permission from the Twitter feed of @gullyyt of an armed police officer on Streatham High Road.d: Gully/PA Wire The man shot dead by police following a stabbing attack in south London was a convicted terrorist who had recently been released from prison. London Police said the suspect was yet to be formally identified but they are "confident" he is 20-year-old Sudesh Amman. It is understood that Amman, who was jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, had been freed in the past six weeks. Sam Armstrong, from the Henry Jackson Society, said Amman was thought to have been staying in a bail hostel in Tulse Hill. He said the society had warned in December that Amman was due for release within the next two months and should not be let out of prison. Amman, who at the time of his sentencing was 18 years old and had an address in Harrow, north-west London, had been jailed for three years and four months. Expand Close Police vehicles at the scene in Streatham High Road, south London after a man was shot dead by armed officers, with police declaring the incident as terrorist-related.: Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police vehicles at the scene in Streatham High Road, south London after a man was shot dead by armed officers, with police declaring the incident as terrorist-related.: Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire Two people were stabbed in the attack in Streatham on Sunday afternoon which police believe to be "Islamist-related". Scotland Yard said armed officers were following the suspect on foot as part of a "proactive counter-terrorism surveillance operation" on Streatham High Road. Three victims were taken by ambulance to south London hospitals. One man, in his 40s, is no longer considered to be in a life-threatening condition following treatment, police said. A woman, in her 50s, who had non-life threatening injuries has been discharged from hospital. Police said a second woman in her 20s, who received minor injuries believed to have been caused by glass following the discharge of a police firearm, continues to receive treatment. A device found strapped to the body of the suspect was a hoax, the Metropolitan Police added in a statement. It said: "The situation has been contained and officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command are now leading an investigation into the incident. "The incident was quickly declared as a terrorist incident and we believe it to be Islamist-related." One witness described seeing the man apparently carrying a weapon with "silver canisters on his chest" being shot in front of a Boots store. Another said members of the public came to the aid of victims, with one saying she had been stabbed. People took shelter in nearby shops as the incident unfolded on the busy south London high street. Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party and councillor for the St Leonard's ward on Lambeth Council, told the PA news agency: "There's absolute shock and disbelief from residents that are around. There was an immediate sense of panic and fear when it happened." He added: "The emergency services seemed to have reacted incredibly quickly, I mean so quickly that you wonder whether they had some advance warning about this because they were here in such great numbers so quickly." Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he will announce plans on Monday for "fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences" following the attack. He added: "Following the awful events at Fishmongers' Hall in December, we have moved quickly to introduce a package of measures to strengthen every element of our response to terrorism - including longer prison sentences and more money for the police." On Sunday evening, forensics officers could be seen near Superdrug and Boots examining the area for clues. Families could be heard asking police how they would be able to access their homes in light of the incident. Streatham High Road remains closed with cordons in place, police said. Stranded residents were being offered temporary accommodation inside the Odeon cinema in the cordon, with workers at Lambeth Council inside looking after those affected. Advertisement Susanna Reid today told of her frantic dash to the scene of the horrific Streatham terror attack after she spotted social media posts showing armed police outside her local Lidl. The 49-year-old told Good Morning Britain viewers today that she was shocked to discover the attack took place near to where she lives. Fanatic Sudesh Amman, 20, stabbed two people in south London yesterday after the convicted terrorist was released from prison early last week despite experts warning of the danger he posed due to his jailing for possessing and distributing terrorist documents. With the capital still reeling from the rampage this morning, Susanna told viewers today: 'This happened... right on my doorstep. Yesterday afternoon, I saw the police helicopter up in the air and then we realised something was happening, went on to social media and of course then discovered this was happening just a couple of minutes drive away from where I live.' The presenter took photographs at the scene, telling viewers today: 'This is the Odeon cinema, that's where we go to watch films and it happened literally just diagonally opposite the Odeon cinema' Reid dashed to the scene and took pictures of the aftermath of yesterday's terror attack in south London, sharing them today on Good Morning Britain as she told of her shock at the rampage. Officers are pictured outside Susanna's local Lidl The presenter took photographs at the scene, saying today: 'This is the Odeon cinema, that's where we go to watch films and it happened literally just diagonally opposite the Odeon cinema. 'This is outside the Lidl supermarket. People were gathered absolutely shocked to see, just at the back of Lidl supermarket in the car park, four heavily armed police officers in the wake of what had happened. 'People were shocked, stunned, frightened. There were local residents who couldn't get back into their homes, who didn't know what was going on, if the threat was still going on.' This was despite the Henry Jackson Society think tank warning two months ago that Amman was up for early release. Piers Morgan blasted the decision to release Amman early, saying the attack was 'no surprise', adding that we 'knew after the last time this happened' that there were thousands of jihadis on Britain's streets Susanna raced to the scene of the terror attack yesterday in Streatham, south London, and took pictures of the scene as emergency services shot Amman dead Also speaking on Good Morning Britain, Piers said: 'The jihadi last night, had he survived this attack, you can absolutely bet your life he'd have been let out at some stage again, it is utterly ridiculous. He added: 'He wanted to die a martyr killing people with knives - guess how he died, everybody, he died a martyr, trying to kill people with knives.' 'I mean literally short of walking around with a loudhailer saying ''I'm about to kill people with knives'' - it's utterly ridiculous isn't it? How many more of them are out there?' He said: 'Why are they released at all? If they're still considered a threat and theyre extremist jihadist... what are we doing releasing them?' Mr Morgan raged that we keep more than 70 prisoners locked up for life without tariff, saying that the 'monsters' that killed Lee Rigby 'will never come out of prison, because they did an act not dissimilar to this'. Michael Adebowale, 37, and Michael Adebolajo drove into Fusilier Rigby before hacking him to death near his barracks in Woolwich, South East London, in May 2013. Adebowale was given 45 years in jail for his part in the bloody attack; Adebolajo was given a whole-life term. Mr Morgan today said: 'What's the difference? What is the difference between what those killers did... Why is Lee Rigby's life considered to be worth more than the poor woman that was stabbed in the back on Streatham High Road? 'Lee Rigby was an incredibly brave man, he served his country, and his death was a outrage, but his killers will never come out of prison.' He said that what made yesterday's attack particularly extraordinary was that the reason he was shot dead by police so quickly was because he was under surveillance, as he was one of 'hundreds' being watched. Susanna said Amman was set free under the automatic release scheme after serving half his three-year four-month sentence, but was considered so much of a risk that police were following him. Armed police shoot dead extremist Sudesh Amman, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, after he grabbed a knife from a shop and stabbed a man and a woman in a brutal high-street rampage in Streatham, South London, at about 2pm yesterday Amman had been jailed for three years and four months in December 2018, when he pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing terrorist documents including bomb making manuals and knife fighting guides. But he was released automatically a few days ago, despite fears he still held extremist views, paving the way for him to launch his attack on Sunday. Ian Acheson, who led an independent review of Islamist extremism in prisons, probation and youth justice in 2016, said the risk-management system was 'broken'. He told the BBC's Today programme on Monday that he was 'concerned' about the prison service's ability to manage terrorist offenders. He added: 'Blame is a strong word - the prison service obviously cannot be blamed for lawfully releasing this man when they had to. 'I am more concerned about what happened when he was in custody. I am still unconvinced that the prison service itself has the aptitude or the attitude to assertively manage terrorist offenders.' Mr Acheson said that some people were so dangerous they might need to be kept in prison 'indefinitely'. He added: 'We are going to have to accept that we have to be much more sceptical and robust about dealing with the risk of harm. 'We may need to accept that there are certain people who are so dangerous they must be kept in prison indefinitely.' Moment police took out Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman and kicked away his bloodied 3.99 knife before one brave officer moved in to check if suicide vest is real By Tom Payne, Victoria Bischoff, Glen Keough and Alice Cachia for the Daily Mail These are the shocking scenes as a terrorist was shot dead outside a Boots chemists when a team of undercover officers with handguns swooped on him. Filmed by a bystander from a passing bus, footage shows the men in jeans, trainers and hoodies pointing their firearms at Sudesh Amman's convulsing body yesterday. One of the officers kicks away a knife on the pavement before backing off. A third officer skids on to the scene on a blue motorbike while another ushers onlookers away from the scene shouting: 'Get away.' As the bus drives on, it passes two victims lying on the pavement. Two innocent bystanders, a man and a woman, had been stabbed in broad daylight in front of dozens of horrified onlookers on one of South London's busiest shopping streets. Next to one victim, a pushchair was abandoned on the pavement in Streatham as members of the public desperately tried to give first aid. The terrorist had been shot dead outside a Boots after undercover officers with handguns swooped. The terrorist is pictured wearing a fake suicide vest, left, and his knife, right Fearing an explosion from the attacker's 'suicide vest', dozens of shoppers had been ordered to take shelter behind the closed shutters of Boots and a WHSmith store. In the Life Cafe, diners enjoying lunch were oblivious to the terror until a police officer burst in. He shouted: 'We've got to evacuate. There's been a terrorist incident... If you want to stay safe, you'll listen to me.' Asked by a waitress if they could have half-an-hour to finish their meals, his response was clear: 'Madam, a terrorist has been shot dead just down there. 'They've got a possible IED vest on them, which is a bomb. If you want to stay open for half-an-hour and you want to put people's lives in danger, be my guest.' A team of five anti-terror police stand behind shields while responding to the incident in Streatham, south London, yesterday where Amman stabbed two people A police officer stands in the road with a gun during the terrorist attack in London yesterday where Amman was shot dead by officers after stabbing two people A police officer next to a blue motorbike, with the terrorist's body seen on the floor (bottom) after police believed her was wearing an improvised explosive device vest Families in a nearby Odeon cinema were interrupted mid-way through their films and evacuated by police. Witnesses said the terror began when the attacker, later revealed to be 20-year-old Amman, walked into the Low Price hardware store before choosing his deadly weapon, said to be a 3.99 kitchen knife. Shopkeeper Jagmon Singh watched Amman, dressed in a grey tracksuit and a black and grey top, pluck the knife off the shelf and unpeel the packaging. Maybe believing him to be a shoplifter, he tried to wrestle it off him. 'The shopkeeper tried to get the knife from him but he got away and stabbed a woman on a bicycle,' said a nurse who saw the horror. 'The knife was really big.' The female victim, said to be in her 40s, was stabbed along with a man outside the neighbouring White Lion pub. In the Life Cafe, diners enjoying lunch were oblivious to the terror until a police officer burst in. Asked by a waitress if they could have half-an-hour to finish their meals, his response was clear: 'Madam, a terrorist has been shot dead just down there' Mechanical engineer Nardos Mulugeta, 52, saw the injured man outside the pub and said police arrived almost immediately. 'I saw a guy lying down in front of the pub with stab wounds across his stomach,' he told the Daily Mail. Sudesh Amman was shot dead by armed police in Streatham, South London 'About ten minutes later, a woman came in and said she had also been stabbed. I had ran over because I was smoking further down the road and heard a shot. 'At first I thought it might have been a car backfiring. Then I heard three or four further shots. People were running so I went to investigate. That's when I saw a guy on the floor next to the pub. He had very bad injuries to his stomach. 'He was going pale. People were saying 'Stay with us' and talking to him. Then another woman came and knelt at the Low Price Store. 'She said, 'He stabbed me in the back'. Two people started helping her. A policeman came and asked if any other people had been stabbed.' Comedian David Chawner, 31, was on his way to the Odeon when he saw two police officers in plain clothes pointing firearms at the attacker outside Boots, around 300ft from the Low Price Store. 'I ran to the other side of the road where I saw a white, possibly European victim on the ground, bleeding from the lower abdomen,' he said. 'I tried to compress the bleeding. I ran off as instructed to flag down the ambulance.' Shockingly, Mr Chawner said it took more than 30 minutes for paramedics to arrive. 'I'm shaking. I'm still in shock,' he added. Witnesses told how the attacker was felled by up to four gun shots which made shoppers flee. Police forensics on Streatham High Road this morning as investigations continue into yesterday's knife rampage through south London The scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road this morning where Amman was shot dead by police yesterday following his terrifying knife rampage Police at the scene in Streatham today, one day after Sudesh Amman was shot dead by officers responding to the horrific terror attack in south London It was around 2pm on an otherwise ordinary Sunday afternoon when the Streatham attacker began his bloody rampage. The Life Cafe is pictured above A horrified witness is pictured above at the attack scene in Streatham. Witnesses told how the attacker was felled by up to four gun shots which made shoppers flee Firearms team crashes on the way to the scene: Officers stand by the crumpled wreck of unmarked police BMW after it hit wall in Streatham Common yesterday Daniel Gough said he ran with them, adding: 'There was panic, people were yelling. A young girl running alongside me kept asking 'Is this what I'm meant to do?' What was Sudesh Amman jailed for? Sudesh Amman was jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018. Wearing a black prayer cap and long black tunic, Amman smirked when he was told that he was facing a sentence of just three years and four months. The Islamic State fanatic kept a notebook in which he wrote that his 'goals in life' were: 'Die as a shuhada', which means martyr, and 'go to jannah', which translates as paradise. The Old Bailey heard he told his girlfriend to kill her parents and tried to radicalise his younger brothers. He also sent Isis recruitment material and shared an Al Qaeda magazine to a family WhatsApp group that included his three younger brothers aged between 11 and 15, telling one of them he wanted to 'blow myself up'. Advertisement She was very distressed. After a few minutes, I went back and saw a policeman and he yelled, telling everyone to get back. 'His gun was pointing in the direction of a man on the floor. Suddenly, more police appeared. There were [officers] everywhere.' As the attacker lay 'convulsing and twitching' on the floor, officers cautiously approached and kicked his knife away. To their horror, they saw a suspected suicide vest strapped to his stomach. Video shows the officers quickly retreating before evacuating nearby buildings. Richard Mustonen-Smith, 59, a pastor at the Ascension Trust, said: 'My grandson was in the Odeon and they got told to go out the back because there was a bomb. 'When it's your family, you don't expect it. You're always worried about your family being on the streets but this is even worse.' Retired accountant John Woods, 64, was in a Wetherspoon's pub when people ran inside following the sound of gunfire. 'I went outside and it was obvious they were undercover police,' he said. 'There were a number of men armed but wearing normal clothes. From when I heard the shots and walked to the door, the police were already there. They must have been following him. There were black cars stopped.' Fearing an explosion from the attacker's 'suicide vest', dozens of shoppers had been ordered to take shelter behind the closed shutters of Boots and a WHSmith store. Police are pictured above patrolling near the scene Witnesses told how the attacker was felled by up to four gun shots which made shoppers flee. Forensic officers are pictured on Streatham High Road last night Dozens of emergency vehicles raced to the area and an air ambulance landed on nearby Tooting Bec Common. Last night forensic officers were combing the scene. Many residents who had been evacuated were told it would be hours before they could go home. The London Ambulance Service said the first paramedics arrived at the scene four minutes after being called just before 2pm. Streatham terrorist was in MI5's top five most dangerous jihadis: Outrage as its revealed Sudesh Amman was freed after serving only half his sentence - a month after PM vowed crackdown on releasing terrorists By Danyal Hussain and Henry Martin for MailOnline A think tank warned two months ago that terrorist Sudesh Amman was up for early release, before he was eventually freed last week and launched a bloody knife rampage in London yesterday. The 20-year-old extremist was shot dead by officers in Streatham, South London - a mile from his bail hostel - on Sunday afternoon at about 2pm after he went on a horrific rampage, stabbing two people. Amman had been jailed for three years and four months in December 2018, when he pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing terrorist documents including bomb making manuals and knife fighting guides. But he was released automatically just days ago, despite fears he still held extremist views, paving the way for his attack. The right-leaning Henry Jackson Society identified Amman as an extremist close to automatic early release in December, warning that he was still too dangerous to be freed. A spokesperson today told MailOnline Amman would have been one of the 'top five' considered by British security forces. Police seal off a bail hostel last night on Leigham Court Road in Streatham, around a mile from the scene of yesterday's attack Metropolitan Police officers were seen overnight combing through a bail hostel in Streatham, where Amman is believed to have lived following his automatic early release from prison. Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command said they were searching two residential addresses - one in South London and the other nearly 40 miles away in the Hertfordshire market town of Bishop's Stortford. No arrests have been made. Amman's terrifying attack has raised disturbing questions about the supervision of freed terrorists and whether they should face tougher sentences and more stringent monitoring. Boris Johnson is today expected to discuss plans to review automatic public release of terror prisoners. In December he had said 74 people jailed for terror offences and released early would have their licence conditions reviewed and serious terrorist offences should result in a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 year, with some never being released. He also promised longer prison sentences and more money for the police. Police load items into a car in Streatham overnight as they search a bail hostel. The extremist had been jailed for three years and four months in December 2018, when he pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing terrorist documents It came following Usman Khan's attack on London Bridge which saw two people stabbed to death. Following Khan's attack it was revealed that 353 terror criminals and suspects were released from prison between June 2012 and June 2019, of which 245 were convicted of offences. Police, security services and probation teams were examining the files of around 200 known extremists with some reportedly facing bans from large towns and cities. About 70 of the cases relate to convicted terrorists freed on licence before the end of their sentences. Head of Communications at the Henry Jackson Society Sam Armstrong told MailOnline today: 'Amman had a lot of risk indicators: lack of remorse at sentencing, evidence of encryption, relatively young age, allegience to extremist group, ie ISIS. 'Every extremist risk indicator you could possibly have. It was obvious to us that he was one of the most high-risk extremists around. Looking at the level of how closely he was monitored he would have been in the top five considered by security services in the UK. Some of the items, which include electronics and handwritten notes, seized from the terrorist's hostel in Streatham overnight 'That level of detail is phenomenally expensive. There is no way he wasn't one of the most dangerous offenders in the UK.' In December the think tank warned that up to 180 convicted Islamist terrorists had been released from jail early over the past two decades, with court records showing 187 of the 264 jailed before 2015 had been eligible for early release. The Henry Jackson society identified Amman, with research fellow Dr Paul Stott saying: 'Before considering releasing motivated individuals back into a community whose values they rejected, the authorities must be certain they do not prove a threat to the peace and good order of our society.' As many as 180 had been freed under license at the time of the report, with an additional seven still in prison - three of whom, including Amman, were due to be released within the next three months. An additional 33 had received life sentences and 38 more were given indeterminate and extended jail terms, meaning they would only be released after a parole board assessment. The Ministry of Justice had said that the most serious offenders had sentences that required parole board approval for release. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a review in December into the licence conditions of 74 terrorists who had been let out of jail early, following the London Bridge atrocity by convicted terrorist Usman Khan on November 29 The Henry Jackson Society has now revealed that it identified Amman in December as an extremist close to automatic early release, warning he was still too dangerous to be freed. The think tank included Amman as part of a 'new wave of released terrorists' in the wake of the London Bridge attack where Khan stabbed Cambridge University graduates Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones to death. A Whitehall source claimed he was released despite concerns because the law didn't give them the power to keep him in jail. Residents at the bail hostel where he was believed to have been staying claim he had previously tried to take his life and had been asking for medication. Speaking after Amman was named as the attacker, Henry Jackson Society fellow Dr Paul Stott said: 'We need an immediate moratorium on the release of terrorist prisoners, whilst the government reviews each individual case.' Yesterday, while being under active police surveillance and 'very stringent licencing conditions', he launched a horrific knife rampage in Streatham, leaving one man in a life-threatening condition, though he later recovered. Wearing a fake suicide vest, Amman stole a 10-inch, 3.99 blade from a convenience store and stabbed the man, in his 40s, in the stomach before knifing a female cyclist, in her 50s, in the back as he ran down the street. Armed police were on the scene within minutes, having been following him because they suspected he was going to launch a terrorist attack imminently. After he failed to stop, Amman was shot dead outside a Boots chemist. In the rush to get there, one police car crashed into a driveway on a residential street a mile away. Officers are thought to have called for back-up in a panic after seeing Amman steal the knife before launching his attack, reportedly yelling 'Allahu Akbar'. Another woman received minor injuries in the attack, believed to have been caused by flying glass following a police gunshot. Overall, 353 terror criminals and suspects have been released from prison between June 2012 and June 2019, of which 245 were convicted of offences. Police, security services and probation teams are examining the files of around 200 known extremists with some reportedly facing bans from large towns and cities. About 70 of the cases relate to convicted terrorists freed on licence before the end of their sentences. At least 20 jihadists are said to be back in London where they committed the terror offences that put them in prison, reported the Sun. ISIS fanatic Amman was jailed for more than three years in December 2018. The then-18-year-old fantasised about carrying out a terror attack with a blade or with acid while riding a moped and also shared Al Qaeda propaganda on a WhatsApp group used by his family. When he was sentenced, he couldn't stop laughing, grinning and waving to his mother and brother in the public gallery with no sign of remorse. Police found notebooks belonging to the North West London College student when he was arrested, where he jotted down how to make explosives and wrote about how he wanted to be a martyr. Amman asked his girlfriend to kill her parents because they were 'kuffar', showed her beheading videos and also shared how he was planning a terrorist attack in Queensbury, northwest London, during Skype chats. His stash of manuals on bomb making, knife fighting and close combat included the titles Bloody Brazilian Knife Fighting and How to Make A Bomb In Your Kitchen. Amman posted a link to a pdf copy of the 'Inspire' magazine focusing on the idea of the 'Lone Jihad' in a family WhatsApp group in January this year, exposing children as young as 11 to extremist material. The document contained an article about 'the successful pressure cooker bomb' and provided detailed instructions on how to maximise casualties through the use of IEDs. After he was jailed, Alexis Boon, head of the Met Police counter-terrorism command, said: 'His fascination with dying in the name of terrorism was clear in a notepad we recovered from his home.' At the time of his trial, prosecutor Kelly Brocklehurst said: 'The defendant had discussed with his family, friends and girlfriend his strong and often extreme views on jihad, the kuffar, and his desire to carry out a terrorist attack. Much of his fascination with conducting an attack was focused on using a knife but reference was also made to committing acid attacks on mopeds. 'The Crown contends that the defendant's interest in Islamic extremism and Daesh in particular is more than a mere immature fascination with the taboo and with graphic violence. He is clearly someone with sincerely held and concerning ideological beliefs which motivate him to collect and disseminate such material. For example, he is seen telling his girlfriend in online chat how he has declared a pledge to Islamic State and wishes to purge society and carry out acid attacks. Elsewhere he is seen telling her he prefers the idea of a knife attack over use of bombs.' After being jailed for his offences, he was automatically released just a few days ago, after serving half of his sentence, despite authorities being concerned that he still held extremist views. A Whitehall source said this evening: 'He was under surveillance, that is what allowed police to do their job so quickly. It could have been much worse than it was. There had been concerns when he was in prison but there were no powers for any authority to keep him behind bars. 'There was nothing that could be done to keep him behind bars under existing laws, hence why he was under surveillance and strict licencing conditions. He had served half of his sentence, which was more than three years, so had to be released despite concerns over his conduct. The public will look at this case and say why was this individual not kept behind bars and the Prime Minister shares that view. This shines a light on something that clearly needs addressing.' The source added that the 'very stringent' licencing conditions included a curfew. Boris Johnson has said he will announce plans on Monday for 'fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences' following the terror-related incident in south London. In a statement, the Prime Minister said: 'My thoughts are with the injured victims and their loved ones following today's horrific attack in Streatham. I want to pay tribute to the speed and bravery of the police who responded and confronted the attacker - preventing further injuries and violence - and all of the emergency services who came to the aid of others. An investigation is taking place at pace to establish the full facts of what happened, and the Government will provide all necessary support to the police and security services as this work goes on. 'Following the awful events at Fishmonger's Hall in December, we have moved quickly to introduce a package of measures to strengthen every element of our response to terrorism - including longer prison sentences and more money for the police. Tomorrow, we will announce further plans for fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences.' David Chawner, 31, a stand-up comedian who witnessed the attack, told Good Morning Britain of the attack: 'I was speaking to an armed police officer and he seemed distressed at how long the paramedics took.' Asked about how Amman was a known threat, he added: 'It makes me angry, it makes me frustrated like I think so many people are, but I think just the mundanity of it the regularity of it the fact that it was just a normal street on a Sunday. There were people still riding bikes really annoyed (saying) "can I just get through?" Normal life goes on. I've become immune to this because I was actually caught up in the London Bridge attacks recently as well. I was on the Bridge when it happened because I work around there - I was doing some filming around there.' A plan is in place to use $1.5 million from a 2000 settlement over General Electrics contamination of the Housatonic River to restore brook trout habitat, launch an environmental education program and pay for several other habitat restoration and land conservation projects. The plan, released by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is part of the fourth and final round of funding from the $7.75 million natural resource damages settlement with GE. Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, released since the 1930s by GEs former power transformer division in Pittsfield have been widespread in the river and its floodplain, and have been found both in water and soil as well as in aquatic and land animals. The manufacture of PCBs was banned in the U.S. in 1979. GE, which once employed 13,000 people on a 52-acre campus in Pittsfield, closed its power transformer division in 1990. The latest money from the settlement will fund projects finalized following a public review last April. They include a culvert replacement project designed to restore brook trout habitat in Churchill Brook in Pittsfield; an environmental education program focused on the Housatonic River watershed; a habitat restoration effort focused on ecologically significant calcareous wetlands in the watershed; and three land conservation projects. Details about the locations and characteristics of the proposed land acquisition projects will be released once the parcels are purchased, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a statement. The Housatonic River is central to the Berkshires, supporting water, wildlife and outdoor opportunities throughout the region, Tom Chapman, New England Field Office supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said in the statement. The goal of natural resource damage assessment and restoration is said to replace, restore or acquire the equivalent of the resources and recreational opportunities affected by contamination, at no cost to taxpayers. The process is separate from ongoing cleanup activities overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency costing millions of dollars, with much of it paid by GE. MassDEP and the Fish and Wildlife Service are the Massachusetts SubCouncil of the Housatonic River Natural Resource Trustees. The SubCouncil created the Massachusetts Housatonic River Watershed Restoration Program to allow local groups and citizens from the watershed to participate in the planning and implementation of compensatory restoration. Over the past decade, weve worked with communities across the watershed to invest more than $8 million into supporting a healthy and enjoyable river, from restoring habitat and protecting land to boosting recreation and environmental education, Chapman said. Ten restoration projects were funded as part of the Round 1 Restoration Plan / Supplemental Environmental Assessment released in October 2007; four habitat restoration projects were funded in Round 2 in June 2011; and six restoration projects funded as part of the two sub-rounds of Round 3 in May 2013. Six projects are being funded in Round 4. The cleanup of PCBs and other hazardous substances in Pittsfield and the Housatonic River has progressed under an October 2000 Consent Decree entered into by EPA, Massachusetts, Connecticut, the City of Pittsfield, General Electric and the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority, according to the EPA website. Cleanup was required for 20 contaminated areas outside the river, five groundwater management areas, and three river segments the upper -mile reach, the 1.5 mile reach, and rest of river. Cleanup is complete at all 20 contaminated areas outside the river, according to the EPA website, which details overall progress. According to the EPA, the Housatonic River flows approximately 150 miles from its headwaters on the East Branch in Hinsdale through Connecticut and into Long Island Sound. The EPA has said that its greatest concern in the area is the possibility of coming into direct contact or ingesting PCB contamination. Some facts about PCBs and the Housatonic River watershed from the EPA website: Defence Minister Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich on February 3 began an official visit to Russia at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Gen. Sergey Shoigu. Defence Minister Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich The seven-day trip aims to strengthen the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. It is also expected to foster strategic and long-lasting trust, defence ties and military technical cooperation in line with signed international agreements and treaties in a practical and effective manner for mutual benefit. On the occasion, the two ministers will review bilateral defence cooperation and activities during the Vietnam-Russia and Russia-Vietnam Year (2019-2020)./.VNA In 2019, thousands of African Americans made the trip back home to Ghana to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Africans to be enslaved in America. The Year of Return campaign made a great cultural and historical impact for both African Americans and Ghanaian alike. Now, just in time for Black History Month, one African American travel influencer is spear-heading efforts for black Americans to go Beyond the Return to travel back to Africa in 2020. A full-time entrepreneur raised in Harlem, N.Y., Rashad McCrorey is committed to leading the resurgence of African American travelers back to Africa. Through his travel brand, McCrorey organizes group trips to countries throughout Africa, including Egypt, Ghana, and Kenya, with trips to Nigeria, Rwanda and Togo to open this year. Some people want to visit Africa to escape the systematic oppression they face in America, said McCrorey. Some took DNA test and want to visit the country of their roots, while others want to vacation to have a good time. People have various reasons for returning to Africa and its 54 countries. Since 2017, McCrorey has serviced more than 100 clients, helping them reconnect with their roots. To learn more about traveling to Africa and booking a trip, visit http://www.ghcrossculture.com or http://www.egyptcrossculture.com . Follow McCrorey and his adventures on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/rashad_mccrorey . About Rashad McCrorey Rashad McCrorey is an entrepreneur, and nation builder. He specializes in entrepreneurship, human rights, self-care, and self empowerment. To learn more about Rashad and planning a trip to Africa, visit http://www.ghcrossculture.com or http://www.egyptcrossculture.com . Follow McCrorey and his adventures on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/rashad_mccrorey . Ukraine will be pushing for larger payouts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Iran offered to pay US$80,000 to the families of those killed in the crash of the Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) passenger jet near Tehran, but that offer was rejected. "They immediately offered US$80,000 to each victim's family, but we didn't agree to this. It seems to me this isn't enough. When a victim's widow says her husband had been feeding the family, while she has no job and still has to get her kid to a university, US$80,000 is not enough. Although, of course, human life can't be measured by any money, but we'll be pushing for larger payouts," Zelensky has told the TSN-Tyzhden TV weekly program. Zelensky added Ukraine would file a lawsuit with an international court. Read alsoIran invites Ukrainian experts to decode downed PS752 "black boxes," Zelensky says "In any case, there will be an international trial, in any case there will be compensation, part of compensation. From our state, we could give every family UAH 200,000 (US$8,000) at once. The second part of compensation will be paid by the UIA through insurance companies. However, the situation is complex, it's not easy for insurance companies to work with the Iranian side since Iran is under sanctions," the president said. However, according to the president, "a solution has already been found, documents have already been prepared for one family. All these documents are collected manually, everything will be paid over time." As UNIAN reported earlier, on the morning on January 8, a Ukrainian passenger jet operated by Ukraine International Airlines, flight PS752 Tehran-Kyiv crashed shortly after takeoff from the Tehran airport. All 167 passengers and nine crew on board died in the crash. The whole crew and two passengers were Ukrainian citizens. Read alsoPS752 downing: Ukraine releases intercepted tower communications proving Iran was aware of missile launch all along On the morning of January 11, Iran officially acknowledged that the Ukrainian passenger jet was downed by a missile. The official statement said that the tragedy had happened as a result of a "human error". The civilian plane was mistaken for a hostile object after it turned toward a military facility operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. People wear masks in the Mass Transit Railway in Hong Kong, China. (May James/Echoes Wire/Barcroft Media via Getty Images) Since the new coronavirus emerged little over a month ago, experts have wondered where it came from and how deadly it could be. The first human to have caught the virus is thought to have done so at a seafood and live animal market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, capital of Hubei province. Of the six coronavirus strains previously known to infect humans, the new one initially appeared most genetically similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), which killed 774 people during its 2004 outbreak. READ MORE: Coronavirus vaccine 'will not be available until mid-2020', pharma exec warns Scientists from Fudan University in Shanghai have since found it appears to be 89.1% genetically similar to a group of Sars-like coronaviruses. With Sars having started in bats, this suggests the nocturnal creatures may also be responsible for the new coronavirus, which has killed at least 361 people in China so far. Security staff check on the temperature of students entering a university n Manila, Philippines, as public fear over the new Ccronavirus grows. (Ezra Acayan/Getty Images) Authorities have confirmed 17,485 cases of the new coronavirus in mainland China alone, according to John Hopkins University. The Lancet journal has reported, however, that 75,000 people could have battled the infection just in Wuhan. Most of those who initially became ill worked at or visited the market, which was promptly shut. The Fudan scientists analysed one of the workers, a 41-year-old man who was admitted to hospital on 26 December after battling a fever, tight chest and cough for a week. A cluster of patients were first reported to the World Health Organziation on 31 December. A lung sample taken from the worker allowed the virus called 2019-nCoV to be genetically screened, revealing its similarity to Sars. The identification of multiple Sars-like-coronaviruses in bats led to the idea these animals act as the natural reservoir hosts of these viruses, the scientists wrote in the journal Nature. READ MORE: Coronavirus may have infected seven times more people than reported A team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan also analysed the viral DNA of five coronavirus patients. Story continues They found the new strain seems to share 79.5% of its genetics with Sars. Results, also published in Nature, further show the virus is 96% identical to a coronavirus that infects bats. These two scientific papers provide the formal evidence for what is already widely known, said Professor Ian Jones of the University of Reading. 2019-nCoV is a bat virus and Sars is the closest relative seen previously in people. In essence, its a version of Sars that spreads more easily but causes less damage. The virus also uses the same receptor, the door used to get into human cells, which explains transmission and why it causes pneumonia. Most encouragingly though, this indicates treatments and vaccines developed for Sars should work for the Wuhan virus. Scientists from Peking University in Beijing have previously traced 2019-nCoV to snakes, namely the Chinese krait and cobra. They compared the DNA of the virus to that of other pathogens from various places and species. Results suggested 2019-nCoV is a combination of a coronavirus found in bats and another coronavirus of unknown origin. The virus is thought to contain a mix of proteins that bind to cell receptors, allowing it to enter and trigger disease. The team found snakes that were likely the intermediate host between bats and humans, with the mix of proteins facilitating the species jump. The masked palm civet, a mammal native to the Indian subcontinent and south-east Asia, was an intermediate host for Sars between bats and humans. READ MORE: WHO declares coronavirus a 'global health emergency' Another coronavirus strain is Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers), which killed 858 during its 2012 outbreak. Mers is also thought to have originated in bats, with camels being the intermediate host. Not all experts are convinced by the role of snakes in 2019-nCoVs outbreak, however. Speaking when the Peking University results were released, Professor Paul Hunter of the University of East Anglia said: It is still not known with certainty and it may never be definitively proved. There are initial, although contested, reports the virus has already been detected in both bats and snakes, and the strains in both bats and snakes are similar to each other, and to the strains from human cases. There is still much more to find out about the virus and there is a real possibility the exact origin may not be found. The big question is no longer where it came from, but how and where it is spreading in human populations. Coronaviruses are RNA viruses, which means they mutate all the time, Yahoo UK reported. In simple terms, RNA is a precursor to the more well-known DNA. Exposure to live animals at the market likely enabled the virus to jump from its origin species into humans. A woman wears a face mask in Manila, Philippines. (Ezra Acayan/Getty Images) Like all coronaviruses, the new strain initially causes flu-like symptoms. China's National Health Commission confirmed the virus can spread person-to-person, via sneezing, coughing or shaking contaminated hands. In the most severe cases, victims are succumbing to pneumonia. This comes about when a respiratory infection causes the alveoli (air sacs) in the lungs to become inflamed and filled with fluid or pus, according to the American Lung Association. The lungs then struggle to draw in air, resulting in reduced oxygen in the bloodstream. Without treatment the end is inevitable, said the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres. Deaths occurs because of asphyxiation. Pneumonia is usually caused by bacteria, which tend to respond to antibiotics. When a virus is to blame, pneumonia may be treated via antiviral medication, according to the American Lung Association. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have warned there is no specific treatment for coronaviruses. Professor Peter Horby from the University of Oxford added there is no effective anti-viral at the moment, with treatment being supportive. A High Court in Jos on Monday sentenced two men, Dayabu Ahmad, 20, and Umar Aliyu, 21, to death by hanging for armed robbery. Justice S.P Gang found them guilty of criminal conspiracy and armed robbery. Delivering judgment, Mr Gang held that going by the findings of the court, the convicts armed themselves with dangerous weapons, blocked the Barkin Ladi/Mangu road and robbed commuters of their belongings. This sentence is mandatory, as the law states that any person convicted of armed robbery shall be punished with death by hanging. The sentence of this court upon you is that you, Dayabu Ahmad and Umar Aliyu, will be hanged until you are dead. May God have mercy on your soul, Mr Gang said. The judge also handed down three years imprisonment to the convicts for the offence of criminal conspiracy. News Agency of Nigeria reports that the convicts were arraigned on February 19, 2019. The police charged them with criminal conspiracy and armed robbery, contrary to Sections 6(b) and 1 (1&2) of the Fire Arms Act punishable with death upon conviction. Prosecution counsel told the court that the convicts on January 26, 2019 on the Barkin Ladi/Mangu Road armed with weapons and dispossessed travellers of their belongings. The convicts in their confessional statement to the police admitted to committing the crime, blamed the devil for their actions, adding that they were broke. The items stolen by the convicts include; 1kg of meat, a gallon of groundnut oil, a packet of Maggi cubes, watermelon and N100, 000 cash. Counsel to the accused, Thomas Ochigbo, said he will get a copy of the judgment, study it and look for possible grounds of appeal against the death sentence imposed on the convicts. (NAN) The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form Egypt will sign power linkage contracts with Saudi Arabia on 30 May, Chairperson of the board at the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) Sabah Mashali has said. This falls within the framework of President Abdel-Fattah El Sisi directives to turn Egypt into a regional energy hub, she said. Mashali made the remarks on Monday in an interview with a MENA correspondent in Kuwait on the fringe of a meeting of the Arab committee of female engineers. The Egyptian-Saudi power linkage project is one of the largest in the region, she pointed out, adding that the Egyptian electricity ministry also seeks to establish power linkage with Europe through Cyprus. Mashali also noted that the Egyptian-Sudanese power linkage started has pilot operations, adding that this would help Sudan make up for the power shortage it is experiencing. She added that developing the electricity sector under President El-Sisi's directions has qualified Egypt to become a regional energy hub. After Egypt had been suffering from a 3,000 to 6,000-megawatt shortage, it has managed to achieve a surplus amounting to roughly 40 percent, she said. She noted that Egypt's history of power linkage projects goes back about 22 years, referring to the power linkages with Jordan and Libya as one of the most successful of these kinds of projects in the Arab region. Regarding her recently being honoured by the Kuwait Society of Engineers, she said that President El-Sisi has opened the door for Egyptian women to work and innovate. "We are building an advanced state where there is no place for gender inequality. Proficiency is the only criteria for work assessment," she said, hailing the role played by Egyptian women in various domains. Search Keywords: Short link: By Trend The Armenian Foreign Ministry is making a fraudulent attempt to distort the international public opinion on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Peter M. Tase, strategic adviser on international affairs and public diplomacy to governments, universities and corporations in Europe and the Americas, told Trend. The fact that Armenian high ranking officials are recently issuing controversial statements is nothing new in their ill-intentioned strategy towards continuing with the occupation of sovereign territory of Azerbaijan and causing more harm to regional economic and tourism prospects in the Caucasus, Tase noted. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia is making a fraudulent attempt to distort the international public opinion by pretending that in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan there are elected officials, the US expert said. What we really have in occupied territories of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic of Azerbaijan, is simply an illegitimate autocratic puppet regime that is installed by Armenian government. Armenian government is making another futile attempt to show to international community and the OSCE that local-medieval rulers in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, are trustworthy elected officials, Tase added. The fundamental challenge is that Armenian government has committed crimes against humanity in sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, said the expert. The Armenian local authorities in occupied territories of Azerbaijan are not legitimate, are the authors of animosity and unlimited hostilities that are incongruent to principal democratic processes and to effective public policies, government transparency. The statements made by Minister Mnatsakanyan are a ruthless crime against the democratic principles of consolidated societies and reflect the stereotypes of Armenian government that are grossly harming the regional security matrix in the outskirts of Europe, Tase noted. Armenian leadership is not transparent and strives to maintain the current status-quo, said the expert, adding that it is time for Armenian troops to go home. Azerbaijan is keen, deeply committed, to solve this conflict by peaceful means and has made every effort to secure a full integrity of its sovereign territories under the framework of UN Security Council and the principals of international public law, Tase added. In turn, Nathalie Goulet, French senator and vice-chair of the Senates Foreign Affairs Committee, told Trend that the dissemination of such statements contrary to international law is a sign of a misunderstanding of history and a fraud. I believe that the OSCE Minsk Group should pay attention to the formulations used in this issue in order to avoid misunderstanding and mistrust, Goulet said. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding regions. Syracuse, N.Y. -- Smith Restaurant Supply, which has been selling housewares and restaurant supplies since its founding by Polish immigrant Hyman Smith 126 years ago, is moving from its longtime Syracuse home. Owner John Kuppermann, Smiths great-grandson, said the business will move to Empire Plaza at 3140 Erie Blvd. E. in DeWitt in late February or early March. The new location, which was formerly occupied by the Alfred Angelo Bridal store, is 3.5 miles east of the stores home at 500 Erie Blvd. E., where it has done business since 1946. In November, Kuppermann sold the stores longtime home to developer Matthew Paulus for $425,000. Paulus has announced plans to turn the building, which dates to the 1800s, into 37 apartments starting this summer. Kuppermann has been leasing the building back from Paulus while making plans to relocate his business. He put the property up for sale in 2014, saying technology had greatly reduced the amount of space he needs. Karen Cannata-LaRocca and Kristen Nave of Sutton Real Estate represented Smith Restaurant Supply in the lease at Empire Plaza. A view of the Smith Restaurant Supply building at the southeast corner of Erie Boulevard East and Townsend Street in Syracuse circa 1940s. Provided photo Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Have a question or news tip? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148 Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Chinas death toll from a new coronavirus jumped above 360 on Monday to surpass the number of fatalities of its SARS crisis two decades ago, with dozens of people dying in the epicentres quarantined ground-zero. The 57 confirmed new deaths was the single-biggest increase since the virus was detected late last year in the central city of Wuhan, where it is believed to have jumped from animals at a market into humans. The virus has since spread to more than 24 countries, despite many governments imposing unprecedented travel bans on people coming from China. The World Health Organization has declared the crisis a global health emergency, and the first foreign death from the virus was reported in the Philippines on Sunday. In China, all but one of the 57 new deaths were reported Monday in Wuhan and the rest of Hubei province, most of which has been under lockdown for almost two weeks to stop people leaving and transmitting the virus. The national death toll reached 361, exceeding the 349 mainland fatalities from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002-03. SARS, caused by a pathogen similar to the new coronavirus and also originated in China, killed 774 people -- with most of the other deaths in Hong Kong. - Economic woes - The virus is also having an increasingly heavy economic impact, shutting down businesses across China, curbing international travel and impacting production lines of major international brands. Stock markets in Shanghai and Shenzhen plunged by nearly nine percent on Monday morning as investors returned from a Lunar New Year holiday that had been extended to stop people travelling around China. In Wuhan, which has been transformed from a bustling industrial hub into a near-ghost town, residents have been living in deep fear of catching the virus. Its medical facilities have been overwhelmed, and the government has been racing to build two new hospitals in extraordinarily quick timeframes. The first of those, a 1,000-bed facility, was due to open on Monday, just 10 days after construction began. About 1,400 military medics will treat patients at the hospital, dubbed Fire God Mountain, according to state media. However with the death toll surging in Wuhan and elsewhere in Hubei province, it was not immediately clear what overall impact the hospitals would have on the virus spreading elsewhere. In a worrying signal about it already spreading in significant numbers to other parts of China, the eastern industrial city of Wenzhou was on Sunday placed under a similar lockdown to Wuhan. Roads in Wenzhou, 800 kilometres (500 miles) to the east, were closed and its nine million people were ordered to stay indoors. Only one resident per household in Wenzhou is allowed to go out every two days to buy necessities, authorities announced. - Travel curbs - The emergence of the virus coincided with the Lunar New Year, when hundreds of millions travel across the country in planes, trains and buses for family reunions. The holiday -- originally scheduled to end last Friday -- was extended by three days to give authorities more time to deal with the crisis. But some major cities -- including Shanghai -- extended the holiday again, and many schools and universities delayed the start of new terms. Road traffic on Sunday, when hundreds of millions of people would have been expected to return to their cities of work, was down 80 percent, the transport ministry said. The number of infections in China also jumped signficantly on Monday, passing 17,200. - Stopping the spread - The first person to die overseas from the virus was a 44-year-old man from Wuhan who travelled to the Philippines, the World Health Organization said. The G7 countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States -- have all confirmed cases of the virus. They will discuss a joint response, Germanys health minister Jens Spahn said on Sunday. The US, Australia, New Zealand and Israel have banned foreign nationals from visiting if they have been in China recently, and they have also warned their own citizens against travelling there. Mongolia, Russia and Nepal have closed their land borders. bur-rox/rma/kma/axn CHESTER Valerie Guglielmo has invented a tool she believes solves the bothersome issue of blow dryer attachments flying off hand-held hair dryers. Her invention, the SnozzlePro a short, heat-resistant silicone tube that fits over concentrator or diffuser attachments is meant for everyday users, as well as hair professionals, Guglielmo said. The Chester start-up founder said plastic hair dryer nozzles can get as hot as 450 degrees. You will burn the living daylight out of your hand when you go to remove that concentrator. It can fall off, shoot across the floor, and then you have to scramble to go find it, said Guglielmo, who arrived at the SnozzlePro idea a little more than three years ago. Shes determined in her mission: I will not rest until I put a Snozzle onto every nozzle. Guglielmo, whose SnozzlePro product is patent pending, is a first-time inventor. The 58-year-old will be vying to win the top prize on the new season of Everyday Edisons, a reality TV series similar to Shark Tank. The new, eight-episode series will be streaming live on Crackle Feb. 11, which is Thomas Edisons birthday as well as National Inventors Day, Guglielmo said. She will be one of 24 inventors invited to Charlotte, N.C., last November to compete. Over the course of five days, contestants were filmed interacting with a variety of experts in the field of product development. On the last day of filming, each pitched his or her product to a panel of judges. Only one inventor per episode is chosen as the winner the next Everyday Edison. Guglielmo was so wound up, she only slept four hours a night as she worked to perfect her product pitch. Her tools name is a coinage of silicone and nozzle. Guglielmos pitch includes jokingly telling people: SnozzlePro, for the professional snozzler. The inspiration came from an unsuccessful and frustrating online search for a heat-resistant hair dryer adapter that forms a seal tight enough to stay put. With a background in marketing, graphic design and public relations, Guglielmo thought a silicone attachment would provide the functionality she sought. [People] buy an attachment. Sometimes they get lucky and it works, and, when it doesnt work, it always had the same problem. It didnt fit their hair dryer and it popped off. The only way to keep it on is duct tape, a short-term fix, Guglielmo said. You cannot take it off, you cannot turn it, and the glue from the duct tape gets messy and its rather ugly youre stuck with it that way, she said. Some people have even told her they are forced to glue on their nozzle attachments. She enjoyed the competition: The whole experience for me was exciting, surreal and utterly life changing. It was the most nerve-wracking thing I ever did, she said. Her parents have run a successful company in Wallingford, M & R Fundraisers, since the 1980s. Thats where Guglielmo began to hone her business acumen. There is nobody more hard-working than my parents, she said. It took 31/2 years to go from concept to production after she secured a contract with a company in China. She wanted to use an American manufacturer, but found very few silicone makers willing to manufacture her relatively small first order for 3,000. Guglielmo recalled the moment in 2017 when she got the news her prototype was ready. Her husband, Joe, was there to share in the excitement. I was jumping around the house, screaming like a little girl. It was an ugly prototype, she admitted. But it works. Last February, her product took off after 10 months of demonstrating the adapter and offering it on her website. In less than three weeks, she was shipping SnozzlePro to customers in South Africa, Germany and London. Now, shes in negotiations with an Australian company interested in buying the device wholesale. Customers said the attachment can also solve the curly girls problem. Curtis Hutchinson, owner of Amici Style Salon in Virginia Beach, Va., attended North Haven High School with Guglielmo. They had connected recently on Facebook, but the inventor had no idea he owned a salon or was a hairstylist, she said. Hutchinson is a member of the America chapter of an international styling guild, which, he said, places him among the top one percent of hairstylists. We try to set the pace of where hair is going to go in the future. Guglielmo sent him an early version of her product. What hair stylist doesnt have that frustration from time to time? It hasnt come off my hair dryer since she stepped in with the first prototype, Hutchinson said. The businesswoman also asked stylists at Ulta Beauty in Old Saybrook to test the SnozzlePro. They were impressed, Guglielmo said. Hutchinson has the same problem as other people trying to straighten or dry their locks. That air director gets hot, so I would have to grab a towel, unscrew it, pull it off. He would hear the sound of attachments hitting the floor of his salon, knowing the tool would have to be cleaned, dried, and reaffixed before stylists could resume their task. Its a time drain, Guglielmo said. If youve got 30 minutes to dry your hair, and you pick up the diffuser and it pops off, this eliminates that hassle, explained Hutchinson, who outfitted six of his employees with the adapter. He expects to order more in order to sell them to his customers. Guglielmo is very pleased with her success. I love what Im doing. Its not about money. Its about having the freedom to be creative. I invented something completely original, she said. For information, visit snozzlepro.com or SnozzlePro on Facebook. Check out an instructional video on YouTube . Will Kansas City stick to climate pledge or bow to pressure from homebuilders? The City Council faces a decision on an energy-saving building code update that some homebuilders oppose. As Kansas City considers updating its building energy code, city officials are weighing the city's climate commitments against concerns from homebuilders. Adopting the latest international standards without revisions likely would increase costs for homebuilders but save energy and money for homeowners. Here's a great policy wonk update that deserves a glimpse given that it shows us the FLIMSY promises of politicos to environmentalists quickly cast aside when big money special interests express their discontent. Checkit: Police officers and forensic officer are seen near the site where a man was shot by armed officers in Streatham, south London, Britain, on Feb. 3, 2020. (Antonio Bronic/Reuters) ISIS Claims Responsibility for London Terror Attack That Left 3 Injured The ISIS terror group said it was responsible for a stabbing attack that left three injured in London over the weekend. The person who carried out the stabbings was a fighter of Islamic State, and carried out the attack in response to calls to attack the citizens of coalition countries, the terror groups news agency said in a statement. The Metropolitan Police said the suspect wasnt formally identified. However, given the circumstance of the incident, we are confident that he was Sudesh Amman, aged 20, police said in a statement. The suspect had been recently released from prison, where he had been serving a sentence for Islamist-related terrorism offences. Police shot the suspect dead at the scene of the crime on Streatham High Road around 2 p.m. local time. He had a device strapped to his body, but it turned out to be a hoax device, the statement said. Three people were rushed to nearby hospitals. One man, in his 40s, was initially considered to be in life-threatening condition but has improved. A woman in her 50s who suffered non-life threatening injuries was later discharged from the hospital. The third victim suffered minor injuries and was being treated. Ammans mother, Haleema Faraz Khan, told Sky News that she saw him three days prior to the attack. She said her son was a polite and lovely boy before he served time in prison. He became more religious inside prison; thats where I think he became radicalized. He was watching and listening to things online which brainwashed him, she said. Before he went to prison, he was not that religious. After he came out, he was really religious. Police officers and a forensic officer near the site where a man was shot by armed officers in Streatham, south London, Britain, on Feb. 2, 2020. (Simon Dawson/Reuters) Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said that there were at least 70 people convicted of terrorism offenses who were released, and he noted that another recent attack was carried out by someone released from prison despite being intent on killing innocent people. Something is clearly going serious wrongand the government have serious questions to answer, he said in a statement. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that releasing people early who are convicted of such offenses involves a number of problems, including rehabilitation. What was he doing out on automatic early release, and why was there no system of scrutiny, no parole system to check whether he was really a suitable candidate? Johnson told reporters, AFP reported. Looking at the problems we have with reeducating and reclaiming and rehabilitating people who succumb to Islamism, its very, very hard and very toughand it can happen that the instances of success are really very few. New laws were being pursued to cancel automatic early release from prison for people convicted of terrorism offenses, but it would be difficult to apply the cancelation to people already convicted, he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 23:16:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAPE TOWN, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The South African mining industry has great benefits for investors across the value chain, Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe said on Monday. Demands of the 4th Industrial Revolution present new growth opportunities for the mining industry, Mantashe said in his opening address at the 2020 Investing in Africa Mining Indaba in Cape Town, the world's largest mining investment conference. "The industry must position itself to take advantage of this reality," Mantashe told the delegates from across Africa and other parts of the world. The minister said his department granted 28 new mining rights in coal, iron ore and manganese in 2019. A potential of 4,800 jobs will be created from these and there will a capital expenditure worth about a billion rand (about 67 million U.S. dollars), he said. "We must work together to convert these rights into active projects that can deliver the much-needed revenue and jobs," Mantashe said. Since the beginning of 2019, some commodity prices showed marked improvement, thus helping several mining companies to improve their balance sheets and register healthy profits, said Mantahse. Average prices for most commodities are expected to remain relatively flat or have marginal growth in 2020 and beyond, according to the minister. "This will provide a better basis for most mining projects in the coming years," he said. The minister said structural constraints and recent power outages have contributed to a grim economic outlook for South Africa. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), South Africa's GDP growth prospects for 2020 will be just under 1 percent. The latest data released by Statistics South Africa show that mining production decreased by 3.1 percent year-on-year in November 2019. The largest contributors to the decline in production were platinum group metals (PGMs), coal, and iron ore. On the positive side, however, "non-metallic" minerals made significant positive contribution to production. Policy and regulatory certainty are key to attracting investments, Mantashe said. "To this end, we remain committed and continue to work with the investor community on improving our regulatory framework to provide such certainty," he said. The government, he said, has advanced with the separation of the upstream legislative provisions for oil and gas from traditional minerals. In December 2019, the government gazetted the draft Upstream Petroleum Development Bill for public comments. "Since then, we have been receiving positive comments on the Bill and this is a signal to us that we are on the right path," said Mantashe. Economic growth and sustainability are bolstered in an environment of a secure and reliable electricity supply, he said. To close the energy gap caused by deteriorating performance of electricity utility Eskom, the government is in the process of gazetting a revised Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act, which will enable self-generation of electricity and facilitate municipal generation options, according to the minister. Depending on the circumstances, the self-generation plant may only require registration and not licensing, Mantashe said. In December 2019, the government issued a Request for Information (RFI) - inviting responses from the market on innovative potential solutions to deliver power generation to the grid as expeditiously as possible. Mantashe said his department welcomes all inputs from the market so as to give the department a sense of possible immediate generation options available in the next three to 12 months to fill the short to medium term gap. BEIJING - The death toll in mainland China from the new type of virus has risen to 425, with the total number of cases now standing at 20,438, officials said Tuesday. The new figures come after the country opened a new hospital built in 10 days, infused cash into tumbling financial markets and further restricted peoples movement in hopes of containing the rapidly spreading virus and its escalating impact. Japanese officials were deciding whether to quarantine more than 3,000 people on a cruise ship that carried a passenger who tested positive for the virus. The latest figures are up from 361 deaths and 17,205 confirmed cases. Other countries are continuing evacuations and restricting the entry of Chinese or people who have recently travelled in the country. In the province at the epicenter of the outbreak, a specialized 1,000-bed hospital started treating patients and a second hospital with 1,500 beds is to open within days. Other countries continued evacuating citizens from hardest-hit Hubei province and restricted the entry of Chinese or people who recently travelled to the country. The World Health Organization said the number of cases will keep growing because tests are pending on thousands of suspected cases. Chinese President Xi Jinping, presiding over a special meeting of the countrys top Communist Party body for the second time since the crisis started, said we have launched a peoples war of prevention of the epidemic. He told the Politburo standing committee that the country must race against time to curb the spread of the virus and that those who neglect their duties will be punished, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Medical teams from the Peoples Liberation Army were arriving in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, to relieve overwhelmed health workers and to staff the new 1,000-bed hospital, located in the countryside far from the city centre. Its prefabricated wards are equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and ventilation systems. A second hospital with 1,500 beds is due to open within days. Chinas Shanghai Composite stock index plunged nearly 8% on the first day of trading after the Lunar New Year holiday, despite a central bank announcement that it was putting 1.2 trillion yuan ($173 billion) into the markets. We are fully confident in and capable of minimizing the epidemics impact on the economy, Lian Weiliang, deputy chief of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a news conference in Beijing. Hong Kongs leader, Carrie Lam, announced that the semi-autonomous territory will shut almost all but two land and sea border crossings with the mainland at midnight to stem the spread of the virus. Only the land checkpoints at Shenzhen Bay and the bridge to Macao and Zhuhai will remain open. More than 2,000 hospital workers went on strike earlier in the day, demanding a complete closure of the border, and their union has threatened a bigger walkout Tuesday. Hong Kong was hit hard by SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, in 2002-03, an illness from the same family of viruses as the current outbreak and which many believe was intensified by official Chinese secrecy and obfuscation. Chinese scientists said they have more evidence that it likely originated in bats. In a study published in the journal Nature, Shi Zhen-Li and colleagues at the Wuhan Institute of Virology reported that genome sequences from seven patients were 96% identical to a bat coronavirus. SARS is also believed to have originated in bats, although it jumped to civet cats before infecting people. Scientists suspect the latest outbreak began at a seafood market in Wuhan where wild animals were on sale and in contact with people. Meanwhile, Japanese health officials said a passenger on a Japanese-operated cruise ship tested positive for the virus after leaving the vessel in Hong Kong on Jan. 25. The Diamond Princess returned to Yokohama carrying more than 3,000 passengers and crew after making port calls in Vietnam, Taiwan and Okinawa. A team of quarantine officials and medical staff boarded the ship Monday and began medical checks of everyone on board, a health ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with department rules. The passengers and crew members may be quarantined on the ship if the captain agrees to do so, the official said. The ships captain said Hong Kongs health authorities notified the ship about the passengers infection on Saturday, six days after he got off the ship after not being caught on thermal screening, according to a recording of the announcement tweeted by a passenger. The patient is currently recovering and is in stable condition, and his travelling companions so far have not been infected, the captain said. I wish we were informed as soon as they found out, then I could have worn a mask or washed hands more carefully, the passenger said. I was in Hong Kong nine days ago and it seems to be too late now. South Korea, which has 15 confirmed cases, quarantined 800 soldiers who had recently visited China, Hong Kong or Macao or had contact with people who had, defence ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyunsoo said. The Philippines banned the entry of all non-citizens from China after two cases were confirmed there, including the only death outside China. The U.S., Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia have imposed similar restrictions despite criticism from China and WHOs guidance that such measures were unnecessary. About 150 cases have been reported in two dozen other countries. With no end to the outbreak in sight, authorities in Hubei and elsewhere extended the Lunar New Year holiday break, due to end this week, well into February to try to keep people at home and reduce the spread of the virus. All Hubei schools are postponing the start of the new semester until further notice. ___ Associated Press writers Bharatha Malawaraarachchi in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Maria Cheng in London, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Jamey Keaten in Geneva and Joe McDonald in Beijing and researchers Yu Bing in Beijing and Chen Si in Zhengzhou, China, contributed to this report. The veteran actor has been hospitalized in Delhi, while the actress has been discharged after her accident. Rishi Kapoor, who returned to India in September 2019 after a nine-month-long cancer treatment in the US, has been hospitalised in Delhi, presumably because of a relapse. A source close to the family reveals, Chintu ji was to attend a family function in Delhi when he suddenly had to be hospitalised, and he was accompanied by his wife Neetu Kapoor. On hearing about the deterioration of his fathers health, Rishis son Ranbir also flew to Delhi. Moreover, Ranbirs girlfriend Alia Bhatt is also said to be by the veteran actors side. The news of Rishis hospitalisation comes after his conspicuous absence at nephew Armaan Jains mehandi ceremony. It can be reacalled that Rishi fell seriously ill in October 2018 and went off to New York for treatment. The actor took the setback bravely, not willing to let the disease depress or defeat him. His older sister Ritu Nanda had bravely battled the same disease for nine years before succumbing to it last month. But Rishi will hopefully emerge a winner again. After all, only recently he announced another film a remake of the Hollywood film The Intern, starring him and Deepika Padukone. Meanwhile, actress Shabana Azmi was discharged from hospital after a very serious accident on January 18, when her car crashed into a truck on the Mumbai -Pune highway. The actress posted a picture of herself after emerging out from the hospital, and wrote with it: Thank you all for your prayers and wishes for my recovery. I am back home now. Thank you, Tina Ambani and Kokilaben Ambani hospital for the sterling care provided by the doctors team and the nursing staff. I am indebted and grateful. LONDON and CASTELLON, Spain, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cranemere Group, a holding company that partners with businesses for the long term, has formed The Engineered Stone Group to establish a leader in engineered stone bathroom products. This Group has acquired Acquabella, a leading European branded supplier of engineered stone shower trays and wall panels. Acquabella will operate under The Engineered Stone Group holding structure alongside Marmite, a leading producer of washbasins, shower trays and bathtubs made of engineered stone (or mineral composite), which The Cranemere Group previously acquired in 2016. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. By bringing together Acquabella's focus on high quality products and service with Marmite's design expertise and manufacturing capabilities, The Engineered Stone Group will be well positioned to better meet customer needs with greater resources, a broader product offering and financial strength. Acquabella and Marmite will continue to operate independently, while benefiting from the advantages the shared platform will provide. Brian McCluskie will continue as the Chief Executive Officer of both The Engineered Stone Group and Marmite. Acquabella Chief Executive Officer Juan Jose Benavent and the management teams of Acquabella and Marmite will remain in their roles. "The combined Group is a leader in both branded and private label products, with a comprehensive offering of shower trays, basins, bathtubs and wall panels, and serves all the major distribution channels across Europe," said Mr. McCluskie. "The Cranemere Group's long term horizon and resources will allow The Group to continue to invest in enhancing our capabilities to meet customers' needs, and build a global leader as engineered stone becomes an increasingly important material for high quality bathroom fixtures." "We are excited to join forces with Marmite as part of The Engineered Stone Group, and are confident that this partnership will benefit all of Acquabella's stakeholders," said Mr. Benavent. "We are well positioned for sustained growth and continue to be focused on meeting the needs of customers and retailers. The expanded product line and enhanced scale of the group provides additional resources and capabilities without changing what makes Acquabella unique." "The superior quality of engineered stone is driving a material replacement cycle. As this cycle develops, this Group is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of customers across Europe and the US," said Christopher Mahan, Chairman of the Engineered Stone Group. "Under Brian's leadership of the Group, and together with Juan Jose and the management teams of both companies, we see potential for many years to come." For more information about The Engineered Stone Group, visit www.engstone.com. About The Cranemere Group The Cranemere Group is a holding company focused on partnering with industry-leading operating teams in essential industries to build high-quality businesses for the long term. The Cranemere Group's shareholder group is composed predominantly of global families and a select group of institutions focused on the long term. The Cranemere Group provides patient capital, business building expertise, and global networks to support the growth of its companies and to create value for all its stakeholders. The Cranemere Group is headquartered in London and has offices in New York and Washington, D.C. About Acquabella Headquartered in Castellon, Spain with the vision of giving life to its customers' bathing environment, Acquabella is a leading European branded supplier of engineered stone shower trays, wall panels and basins. The company was recently recognized as "The Business of the Year" at the European Business Awards. About Marmite Founded in Sweden in 1973, Marmite is a leading designer and producer of private label engineered stone basins, bathtubs and shower trays. The company operates two manufacturing facilities in Poland, serving large customers across Europe and the US. Media Contact Jonathan Keehner and Julie Oakes Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher 212-355-4449 SOURCE Cranemere CROMWELL Town officials are joining with the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce and the WorkForce Alliance to hold a job fair for employees who lost their jobs when the Red Lion Inn abruptly closed last month. The job fair is scheduled to be held on from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 6 in the Arch Room at Town Hall. An estimated 50 employees lost their job when the hotel closed on Jan. 10. Just why it closed is the subject of some confusion. The state Department of Revenue Services said it ordered the building closed for non-payment of approximately $231,000 in fees, and sales and use taxes. However, the owners of the hotel placed copies of a typed statement on several doors of the hotel addressed to our valued customers saying they were closed for renovations. In either case, employees - some of whom have worked at the hotel for the better part of three decades - were let go. We were very disappointed in the closure of the Red Lion, Chamber President Larry McHugh said in announcing the job fair. For years, the hotel has served as the venue for the chambers monthly meetings. McHugh said the chamber is working with the WorkForce Alliance, the town, state Sen. Matt Lesser and Rep. Christie Carpino to organize the job fair. We are happy to be working with them to assist the displaced employees as they seek new employment, McHugh said. He wished the employees his best, and said, We look forward to being a resource for them during this difficult time. In a statement Friday, Carpino said, A sudden job loss can be devastating to a family. Multiple resources and new opportunities under one roof could make a giant impact for someone seeking employment. I'm ready to help in any way I can. The closure has a potential impact on Cromwells finances. Data supplied by Cromwells Assessor Shawna Baron places Red Lion and its owners, 100 Berlin Land, LLC, as the towns third highest taxpayer. We were aware they (the owners) were having some financial difficulties, Cromwell Town Manager Anthony J. Salvatore said. However, we were led to believe they were in the process of resolving those problems. Consequently, the closing came completely unexpected, he said. We have a number of concerns, Salvatore continued. First and foremost among them is concern for the employees. Then there are people who had reservations at the hotel. Salvatore said his office had a received a frantic telephone from a young lady asking if we had any formation because her wedding reception was going to be held there. Town officials said they have made repeated attempts to try to contact the owners, whose business is located in Ormand Beach, Fla. So far, however, those efforts have been without success, he said. The WorkForce Alliance provides services to dislocated workers in the South-Central Connecticut region, president and CEO Bill Villano said. Villano worked with the Chamber to bring in employers looking to hire at the fair. Fortunately, there are many hospitality employers that are eager to step in and consider former Red Lion workers for open positions. Their skills are in demand, Villano said. It's very disappointing to see what has happened to the Red Lion. Not only are they our third largest taxpayer, but more importantly they have been an integral part of our community for years, Mayor Enzo Faienza said. Im very happy as mayor to support this job forum. All I want is to see these individuals find work, he added. An FIR was registered under relevant sections of IPC including 124A (Sedition) at Azad Maidan Police Station on Monday in connection with the raising of slogans in support of Sharjeel Imam at 'Mumbai Pride Solidarity Gathering 2020' at Azad Maidan on February 1. Earlier today, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had said that action will be taken against Urvashi Churawala and others who had raised slogans in support of Sharjeel Imam during the Pride march. "The LGBTQ community was given permission to hold the pride march. But, Urvashi Churawala with some others entered the march and began raising slogans there. We will take action against Urvashi soon," Deshmukh said. Yesterday the Queer Azadi Mumbai (QAM) -- which conducted Mumbai Pride Solidarity Gathering 2020 -- has disassociated itself from the slogans raised in support of Sharjeel Imam during Saturday's pride march here at the Azad Maidan. "We completely dissociate ourselves from and strongly condemn the abrupt radical slogans in support of Sharjeel and/or any other slogans against the integrity of India at the gathering," said the QAM in a statement on Sunday. QAM said: "Neither our organisation nor the individuals who have signed the permissions were communicated with or kept informed of the intent and/or content of this sloganeering (in support of Imam)." Imam was booked for sedition for his provocative speech delivered during the students' protest at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on January 16 against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the Register of Citizens (NRC). Deshmukh had today called a meeting of Mumbai Police Commissioner, other senior officials of the police department, leaders of the Muslim community and representatives of the protesters who are staging demonstrations against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Mumbai Bagh. During the course of the meeting, the Maharashtra Home Minister urged the protesters to end the demonstration. "Our government has already assured that no action will be taken against anyone under CAA, NRC or NPR. Neither will anyone's citizenship be snatched under it," Deshmukh said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Credit: CC0 Public Domain Habitat loss, pesticide use and, surprisingly, artificial light are the three most serious threats endangering fireflies across the globe, raising the spectre of extinction for certain species and related impacts on biodiversity and ecotourism, according to a Tufts University-led team of biologists associated with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Fireflies belong to a widespread and economically important insect group, with more than 2,000 different species spread out across the globe. To better understand what threats are faced by fireflies, the team led by Sara Lewis, professor of biology at Tufts University, surveyed firefly experts around the world to size up the most prominent threats to survivial for their local species. Their perspective piece, published today in Bioscience, sounds a warning bell about the insects' future, highlighting specific threats and the vulnerability of different species across geographical regions. According to survey respondents, habitat loss is the most most critical threat to firefly survival in most geoographic regions, followed by light pollution and pesticide use. "Lots of wildlife species are declining because their habitat is shrinking," said Lewis "so it wasn't a huge surprise that habitat loss was considered the biggest threat. Some fireflies get hit especially hard when their habitat disappears because they need special conditions to complete their life cycle. For instance, one Malaysian firefly [Pteroptyx tener], famous for its synchronized flash displays, is a mangrove specialist." As reported in the article, previous work has revealed drastic declines in this species following conversion of their mangrove habitat to palm oil plantations and aquaculture farms. One surprising result that emerged from the survey was that, globally, light pollution was regarded as the second most serious threat to fireflies. Artificial light at night has grown exponentially during the last century. "In addition to disrupting natural biorhythmsincluding our ownlight pollution really messes up firefly mating rituals," explained Avalon Owens, Ph.D. candidate in biology at Tufts and a co-author on the study. Many fireflies rely on bioluminescence to find and attract their mates, and previous work has shown that too much artificial light can interfere with these courtship exchanges. Switching to energy efficient, overly bright LEDs is not helping. "Brighter isn't necessarily better," says Owens. Firefly experts viewed the widespread agricultural use of pesticides as another key threat to firefly survival. Most insecticide exposure occurs during larval stages, because juvenile fireflies spend up to two years living below ground or under water. Insecticides such as organophosphates and neonicotinoids are designed to kill pests, yet they also have off-target effects on beneficial insects. While more research is needed, the evidence shows that many commonly used insecticides are harmful to fireflies. A few studies have quantified firefly population declines, such as those seen in the tourist-attracting synchronous fireflies of Malaysia, and the glowworm Lampyris noctiluca in England. And numerous anecdotal reports suggest that many other firefly species across a wide range of habitats have also suffered recent declines. "However," Lewis points out, "we really need better long-term data about firefly population trendsthis is a place where citizen science efforts like Massachusetts Audubon's Firefly Watch project can really help." The researchers also highlight risk factors that allow them to predict which species will be most vulnerable when faced with threats like habitat loss or light pollution. For instance, females of the Appalachian blue ghost firefly [Phausis reticulata] are flightless. "So when their habitat disappears, they can't just pick up and move somewhere else," explains co-author J. Michael Reed, professor of biology at Tufts. Yet the researchers remain optimistic about fireflies' future. "Here in the U.S., we're fortunate to have some robust species like the Big Dipper fireflies [Photinus pyralis]," notes Lewis. "Those guys can survive pretty much anywhere- and they're beautiful, too." By illuminating these threats and evaluating the conservation status of firefly species around the world, researchers aim to preserve the magical lights of fireflies for future generations to enjoy. "Our goal is to make this knowledge available for land managers, policy makers, and firefly fans everywhere," says co-author Sonny Wong of the Malaysian Nature Society. "We want to keep fireflies lighting up our nights for a long, long time." Explore further Delaware firefly, Gulf Coast bee move toward endangered species protection More information: Lewis, S.M., Wong, C.H., Owens, A.C.S., Fallon, C., Jepsen, S., Thancharoen, A., Wu, C., De Cock, R., Novak, M., Lopez-Palafox, T., Khoo, V., and Reed, J.M. "A Global Perspective on Firefly Extinction Threats" Bioscience (3 February 2020); Journal information: BioScience Lewis, S.M., Wong, C.H., Owens, A.C.S., Fallon, C., Jepsen, S., Thancharoen, A., Wu, C., De Cock, R., Novak, M., Lopez-Palafox, T., Khoo, V., and Reed, J.M. "A Global Perspective on Firefly Extinction Threats"(3 February 2020); DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biz157 Negotiations between two healthcare networks for the sale of Christ Hospital and Hoboken University Medical Center have stalled, thrusting two of Hudson Countys six hospitals into an uncertain future. CarePoint Health, which owns and operates the two facilities, announced in October a tentative deal that would bring the hospitals into the RWJBarnabas Health network. But on Monday, the two companies acknowledged that negotiations have broken down, leading Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop to request Gov. Phil Murphys help in salvaging a deal for at least Christ Hospital. The owners of CarePoint Health have very recently rejected RWJBarnabas Healths fair and appropriate offer for the acquisition of Christ Hospital and Hoboken University Medical Center, RWJBarnabas said in a statement. Eric Bloom, a spokesman for CarePoint Health, confirmed that negotiations have stalled, but said the company is willing to return to the negotiating table, adding that hes glad to see Fulop and others getting involved. But in a letter sent Monday to Murphy, Fulop said the closure of Christ Hospital may be imminent. Should a closure occur, thousands of our residents may abruptly lose access to health care that has been available for generations," Fulop wrote in the letter. "Furthermore, more than 1,000 employees and their families face the prospect of losing employment. If there is no agreement, (closure) remains a possibility, Bloom added. Mayor Ravi Bhalla spoke with state Commissioner of Health Judith M. Persichilli on Monday afternoon to discuss the future of Hoboken University Medical Center. He was assured of the states continued attention to this critical issue, and is thankful that they plan to further engage all key stakeholders in the coming weeks, Hoboken spokesman Vijay Chaudhuri said. A spokeswoman from the Department of Health said a monitor is being appointed to Christ Hospital through an agreement with the New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority to provide daily oversight of its finances. Murphys office did not respond to a message seeking comment. CarePoint and RWJBarnabas, which spent years fighting for market share in Hudson County, announced in October that the latter would purchase both Christ Hospital and Hoboken University Medical Center, which have a combined 700 beds. Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop warned Gov. Phil Murphy that an impasse in the sale of Christ Hospital could lead to the closing of the facility. EJA Bayonne Medical Center, the third hospital in the CarePoint Health network, was not part of the deal. Instead, CarePoint said it was searching for a strategic partner to take over operations of the Bayonne hospital. But in November, the owner of Alaris Health, a chain of New Jersey-based nursing homes, purchased the land that both Bayonne Medical Center and Hoboken University Medical Center sit on, becoming the hospitals principal landlord. Avery Eisenreich, the Alaris owner, also has minority ownership stakes in both Christ Hospital and Hoboken University Medical Center, as well as the Christ Hospital property. CarePoint Healths owners alleged in a lawsuit filed the following month that the Eisenreich was interfering with efforts to sell Christ Hospital and Bayonne Medical Center. The lawsuit, which both parties declined to comment on at the time, asserted that Alaris actions endangered the sale of Christ Hospital and put it at risk of closure. A spokesman for Alaris did not return a message seeking comment on Monday. Despite the incredible distraction caused by this extraneous litigation, RWJBarnabas Health continued to negotiate in good faith with representatives from CarePoint, RWJBarnabas said in a statement. But a final deal hasnt materialized, leaving many stakeholders nervous about the future of both facilities. Ward D Councilman Michael Yun, who represents the Jersey City Heights, said the potential closure of the 376-bed Christ Hospital would be a devastating blow. Assemblyman Nicholas Chiaravalloti, whose district includes Bayonne, said his goal is to keep all three CarePoint hospitals open after they are sold. I think this is similar to the situation we are facing in Bayonne. It is really important when you consider the size of the county that we maintain all three CarePoint facilities. News of CarePoints decision to sell its hospitals came several months after a state investigation revealed that management companies within the for-profit healthcare network extracted $157 million from the three hospitals between 2013 and 2016, despite having no employees and few operating expenses. The bombshell report led to the eventual signing of three new laws that give added oversight to both the Department of Health and elected officials, and require hospitals to be more financially transparent. Jersey Journal staff writer Joshua Rosario contributed to this story. Cheech and Chong would be jealous. The Hudson County Sheriffs Office and the Department of Homeland Security seized a tractor trailer carrying 737 pounds of marijuana to a Kearny warehouse Friday, authorities said. Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari called it one of the biggest marijuana busts in Hudson County history. The street value of the marijuana is estimated at $1.5 million. Our detective bureau deserves all the credit for an excellent job," said Schillari. "Im proud to have them in my department serving and protecting the people of Hudson County. Two men, 31-year-old Usman Ahmed of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and 21-year-old Manjot Aujla of Poughkeepsie, New York, were arrested and charged with first-degree possession of marijuana and first-degree manufacturing and distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, Schillari said. Ahmed and Aujal were taken to Hudson County jail in Kearny. Under the new bail reform law, they were released and are awaiting their respective court dates. Usman Ahmed, left, of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and Manjot Aujla, of Poughkeepsie, New York, were charged with 737 pounds of marijuana. (HCSO photos)HCSO The story was updated on Feb. 4 to correct the spelling of the last name of one of the men arrested. The Uttar Pradesh Police have released CCTV footage of the suspected killers of Vishwa Hindu Mahasabha president Ranjeet Bachchan, who was shot dead in Lucknow's Hazratganj area. A reward of Rs 50,000 has also been announced by the police for providing information about the suspect. On Sunday, Bachchan was shot dead by bike-borne assailants while he was on a morning walk in Hazratganj area, police said. "Ranjeet was shot dead while he was on his morning walk. Unknown men attacked him," Dinesh Singh, DCP Central Lucknow said. Bachchan, a native of Gorakhpur, was associated with the Samajwadi Party in the past. A case has been registered and eight teams have been formed to investigate the matter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - They circled through the packed parking lots in vain, looking for empty spaces that simply did not exist. On nearby streets, some maneuvered their cars atop snow piles and ignored the "no parking" signs. And outside Sen. Elizabeth Warren's Saturday afternoon rally here, many drivers simply gave up - some pausing to take photos of her campaign bus on the Coe College campus before they were waved on by security for holding up traffic. The stop kicked off a day of frenzied campaigning here in which the Democratic senator from Massachusetts and the other top polling candidates - former vice president Joe Biden; former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. - made stops within hours of one another as they clamored for last-minute support ahead of Monday's Iowa caucuses. Cedar Rapids is the largest city in Linn County, one of the most reliably blue areas of the state. Its voters tend to be more diverse and liberal than in other parts of Iowa. So it's no surprise that the city is second only to Des Moines in the number of candidate visits so far this caucus season. According to the Des Moines Register's candidate tracker, the Democratic presidential hopefuls had visited Cedar Rapids 179 times as of Saturday - and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., visited Sunday. Several of the candidates - including Warren and Buttigieg - were making their second stop in Cedar Rapids in a little over a week, each drawing crowds that numbered in the many hundreds. First in town was Warren, whose liberty green and navy campaign bus caused a small traffic jam on Interstate 380 shortly after noon. Cars slowed down in adjacent lanes as drivers took pictures on their camera phones. At Coe College, Warren told a crowd of more than 700 that she's the candidate best positioned to unify Democrats to take on President Donald Trump. "We will, we must come together as a party and beat Donald Trump," she said, adding that the way to do so was to pick a candidate that "everyone can run with" and find areas of common ground. Less than an hour later, Biden's red, white and blue bus motored down the same road toward an event at a middle school about three miles from Warren's event where he and several surrogates, including former secretary of state John Kerry and Iowa Rep. Abby Finkenauer, pressed the issue of electability to the crowd of about 500. They pointed to polls showing Biden competitive with Trump in the battleground states and his appeal to working class voters. Biden, Kerry argued, is a "candidate with coattails" who can help elect other Democrats down the ticket. As Biden's bus left town about 5 p.m., headed north toward its next stop in Waterloo, it passed U.S. Cellular arena in downtown Cedar Rapids, where a line of hundreds of mostly young people snaked down the sidewalk ahead of a Sanders rally featuring the band Vampire Weekend. The crowd, which ultimately totaled more than 3,000 people, was touted by the Sanders campaign as the largest Iowa rally so far - a sign of the senator from Vermont's momentum heading into Monday's caucuses. A litany of speakers took the stage before Sanders, including the director Michael Moore and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., each touting Sanders's long record of challenging the political establishment. When he took the stage, Sanders, who narrowly defeated Hillary Clinton in Linn County four years ago, largely stuck to his stump speech. He argued that his campaign of political revolution is the only one that can excite people and drive up the turnout needed to defeat Trump, whom he called "the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country." "This is the campaign where the working class of America is going to stand up and say loud and clear, 'Enough is enough,' " Sanders declared. Around the same time, in a hotel across town, Buttigieg spoke to a group of about 600 people, presenting himself as a Washington outsider and a next-generation party leader who can unite Democrats, appeal to "future former Republicans," and bring a different perspective to the White House compared with Biden and Sanders. "In the last half century, every time my party has won the White House certain things have been true about our candidate. It's been somebody who is new to national politics, somebody calling us to our higher values. And it's been somebody who is opening the door to a new generation of leadership," Buttigieg said. "That's how we win when Democrats run for president." Harris County Sheriffs Office detectives are investigating the discovery of a possible human fetus at a construction site in north Harris County. The remains were discovered at the site in the 16300 block of the North Freeway near Spring, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. How the remains wound up at the site has yet to be determined. PITTSBURGH, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cohen & Company is pleased to announce its growth in the Pittsburgh market with its move to 525 William Penn Place, Suite 3010. The firm is taking approximately 12,000 square feet in its new office, a significant expansion from its former location in the Grant Building, which was 4,780 square feet. This new space marks Cohen & Company's third expansion since entering the Pittsburgh market in 2016. The move accommodates the rapid growth of the office, which began as a one-person startup and has expanded to a team of over 30 employees. "We are fortunate to have established great relationships in the Pittsburgh market, both in the technology sector as well as many other industries important to the region," says Randy Myeroff, Cohen & Company CEO. "Our success is due to our exceptional professionals who deliver superior service and expertise to our clients each and every day. Remaining true to this client-focused model will be critical to helping our clients succeed and driving our ability to grow." The firm's new space comes after nine months of renovating, redesigning and rebuilding the space from floor to ceiling. Supported by Bostwick Design Partnership and MBM Contracting, this new space pays homage to Pittsburgh's industrial past and embraces its current tech boom, while maintaining the presence of a professional services firm. The office includes three traditional conference rooms, three collaboration rooms and a flex space, which can be used as a kitchen area, lounge or training room, and standing desks to encourage a healthy working environment. "We incorporated feedback from our employees to create the type of environment they work best in and also tried to reflect the style of our clients, many of whom are in the tech ecosystem," said Jeff Kovacs, assurance partner and team lead for Cohen & Company's Pittsburgh office. "I'm very pleased with the result and excited for the collaboration, teamwork and energy our people will continue to build on in this new and exciting space." Bostwick Design Partnership, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, has worked with Cohen & Company numerous times, including on the design of its Cleveland, Detroit, Youngstown and Akron offices. Bostwick's presence in Pittsburgh presented a great opportunity to collaborate again on this new space. "Cohen & Company makes a point of letting each office form their own personality, and the creative design of the office reflects that personality," said Robert Bostwick, president and director of Design at Bostwick Design Partnership. "One of the more unique aspects of this new office is that instead of having the flex space at the back of the office, it is located in front of the house and is client facing." MBM Contracting is a Pittsburgh-based general contracting company that specializes in construction management and general contracting. They worked closely with Bostwick to complete the trendy new office space. "This new office has a very modern, sleek design with lots of bright colors and glass," said Bryan Brown, vice president of MBM Contracting. "This feels much more collaborative than a standard office space and will be attractive to potential employees and clients." The Pittsburgh office's comprehensive service offerings include tax, assurance and advisory services for numerous industries. Cohen & Company is currently hiring both new and experienced staff in Pittsburgh, cultivating existing relationships and working with universities nationwide to develop and attract talent. About Cohen & Company Ranked as the 5th fastest growing accounting firm in the country, Cohen & Company offers assurance, tax and advisory services to clients throughout the U.S. and worldwide. The firm serves a broad range of clients, from privately held companies and their owners; to public and private funds, advisors and fund service providers within the investment industry; to Fortune 1000 multinational enterprises. Cohen & Company was founded in 1977; has more than 650 associates in Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin; and has an international presence in the Cayman Islands and Ireland. Learn more at cohencpa.com. About MBM Contracting MBM Contracting Inc. is a family-owned general contracting company with 30 years of commercial construction experience in and around the Pittsburgh area. MBM also provides construction management, pre-construction, design build and self-perform construction services to the healthcare, restaurant, retail, corporate, higher education and light industrial industries. Our experienced team of construction professionals can assist with any commercial construction project including new construction or renovations. About Bostwick Design Partnership Bostwick Design Partnership provides exceptional client service through active listening, innovative solutions, and design excellence. For over 50 years, the firm has followed this approach to improve the way patients heal, students learn, employees work, and communities connect through architecture. SOURCE Cohen & Company Related Links http://www.cohencpa.com Mike Hoare, an Irish soldier of fortune who led white mercenary forces in civil wars in Congo in the 1960s and a ragtag band of commandos in a farcical aborted coup in the Seychelles in 1981, died on Sunday in Durban, South Africa. He was 100. His son Chris confirmed the death, in a nursing home. Mr. Hoare crossed seas on a sailboat and Africa (south to north) on a motorcycle. He searched for the fabled lost city of the Kalahari and retraced the steps of Victorian explorers to the sources of the Nile. He fought the Japanese in Burma in World War II, rescued hostages from rebel forces in Congo, found nuns and priests hacked to death in the bush and was imprisoned in South Africa for hijacking an airliner. The exploits of Mr. Hoare, who was called Mad Mike for his recklessness under fire, were recounted in books by him and others, in a film starring Richard Burton, and in sheaves of foreign correspondents dispatches, now faded yellow in old newspaper morgues with datelines from far-off places. Tiring of life as an explorer and safari guide, Mr. Hoare first hired out as a mercenary in 1960-61, leading a European force fighting for Moise Tshombe, whose Katanga province was trying to break away from the newly independent Republic of Congo. The first patients have arrived at a hospital in China built in just 10 days to deal with the new coronavirus. Huoshenshan Hospital has 1,000 beds and was constructed from scratch in under two weeks to help fight the spread of the virus. Chinese officials said on Monday the latest death toll from the coronavirus is 361, with 17,205 cases. An additional 2,829 cases were reported in the past 24 hours. Huoshenshan Hospital will treat patients at the centre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak. (AFP/Getty) The hospital was constructed in just 10 days. (AFP/Getty) Huoshenshan Hospital and a second facility with 1,500 beds that is due to open this week were built in Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus outbreak was first detected in December, by construction crews working around the clock. Most of the city's 11m people are barred from leaving the area. The Wuhan treatment centres mark the second time Chinese leaders have responded to a new disease by building specialised hospitals almost overnight. When severe acute respiratory syndrome, or Sars, spread in 2003, a facility in Beijing for patients with that viral disease was constructed in a week. Huoshenshan Hospitals first patients arrived on Monday, according to state media. READ MORE: 11 more British nationals evacuated from Wuhan set to arrive back in UK One of two patients in England with coronavirus is York University student Coronavirus: Inside the Wirral quarantine block as Brits arrive for two weeks The ruling Communist Party's military wing, the People's Liberation Army, sent 1,400 doctors, nurses and other personnel to staff the Wuhan hospital, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The government has said that some have experience fighting Sars and other outbreaks. Diggers started work on the hospital in late January. (Getty) Dozens of diggers at the start of the building work. (Getty) Authorities have cut most road, rail and air access to Wuhan and surrounding cities, isolating some 50m people. The Huoshenshan Hospital was built by a 7,000-member crew of carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other specialists, according to the Xinhua News Agency. Photos in state media showed workers in winter clothing, safety helmets and the surgical-style masks worn by millions of Chinese in an attempt to avoid contracting the virus. Story continues About half of the two-storey, 60,000-square-metre building is made up of isolation wards, according to the government newspaper Yangtze Daily. It has 30 intensive care units. The hospital is said to have been built by a 7,000-member crew of carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other specialists. (Getty) The Wuhan hospital has 1,000 beds. (Getty) Doctors can talk with outside experts over a video system that links them to Beijing's PLA General Hospital, according to Yangtze Daily. It said the system was installed in less than 12 hours by a 20-member "commando team" from Wuhan Telecom Ltd. The building has specialised ventilation systems and double-sided cabinets that connect patient rooms to hallways and allow hospital staff to deliver supplies without entering the rooms. The hospital received a donation of "medical robots" from a Chinese company for use in delivering medicines and carrying test samples, according to the Shanghai newspaper The Paper. UNDPs recent Human Development Report reinforces the fact that inequalities have huge and far-flung repercussions for individuals and nations. It revealed that only three percent of the children born in 2000 in low human development countries will ever receive higher education, compared to 55 percent from richer countries. Think of the state of those poorer countries in 20 years, where the vast majority of young people will be unskilled, untrained, and unlikely to live up to their potential. This will hinder the countrys prospects, influencing everything from its politics to its development. This is the domino effect of inequality, where the whisper of inequality in one area echoes loudly throughout the country, the region, and then the world. According to the report, Pakistan performs below the average for its region, being surpassed by countries such as India and Bangladesh in human development, gender development, and in human development adjusted for inequality. This speaks to huge inequalities in gender, education, health, and more. In fact, the richest 20 percent of the country has a level of human development similar to a country such as Egypt, while the poorest 20 percent is equivalent to Chad. Around twice as many of the poorest children under five die, and only half as many go to primary school compared to the richest. Far-reaching implications All of this has implications for opportunities, child-rearing knowledge, spread of disease, domestic violence, and even the amount of time parents can invest in their children. This can have huge effects on the development of children, who then grow up to be adults in the same situation as their parents. The domino effect continues, leading to an endless and brutal cycle. Some groups are especially vulnerable to the inequality trap, such as women, people with disabilities, the transgender community, and religious or ethnic minorities who can add systemic injustice and structural violence to an already long list of deprivations they must face every day. So, what does this inequality mean for society at large? Who do people turn to when they are unable to meet basic needs through their leaders and their government? In Pakistan, like numerous other countries, people often turn to corruption, drug use, violence, and crime. Inequality, unemployment and destitution also lead to resentments that often devolve into violence, unrest, and an us versus them mentality. In many ways, intra-provincial and ethnic conflicts in Pakistan are the result of the greater development in richer areas. Terrorism, too, is often a reflection of inequality. Disenfranchised youth, with little hope for a better future, can be lured into extremist ideologies. If things do not look hopeful in this world, then perhaps that can be changed in the next. 'Rural-push' Inequality creates rural-push factors, where people from rural areas move to the more developed cities in order to secure better opportunities. This puts pressure on Pakistans fast-growing cities, increasing the burden on their already stressed infrastructure. Inequality also forces labourers from rural communities to immigrate to other countries, mostly the Gulf States, for better opportunities. The remittances they send back create small pockets of wealth in Pakistan, further bolstering inequality. The brain drain resulting from Pakistans educated elite going abroad for better opportunitiesto become doctors, or to work in the software industryhugely lowers the countrys productivity. The consequences of this inequality spill over into the rest of the world, affecting global peace and prosperity, and often widening divides formed along socio-cultural fault lines. The effects of inequality in one country can cause an equal and opposite reaction in another. Rather than attempting to stop the domino effect, then, we must channel it for good. People who have had a decent education, healthcare, and opportunities, can provide the same to their children, setting off a virtuous domino effect of progress. Pakistans upcoming National Human Development Report on Inequality aims to lay the groundwork for exactly that, recommending policy changes that will improve the contexts of the countrys poorest and most vulnerable. We hope that a move towards inclusivity and equality can be the new catalyst for positive change throughout the world. Indonesian officials are offering a monetary reward to whoever manages to remove a motorcycle tyre from the neck of a 13-foot-long crocodile. The full-grown crocodile has reportedly been wearing the tire around its neck since 2016, but authorities in Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi, are worried that it may end up strangling the reptile, so they are turning to the public for help. In 2018, conservationist and animal whisperer Muhammad Panji tried to remove the tire, and later that year the local conservation office tried luring the 4-meter-long crocodile with food. Both attempts proved unsuccessful so Palu officials are now hoping that brave locals can do the impossible for an unspecified cash prize. A reward will be given to anyone who can release the hapless reptile, Central Sulawesi BKSDA chief Hasmuni Hasmar said, adding that he was not asking amateurs to hunt down and take on a potentially deadly crocodile, but rather people with a background in wildlife rescue. Were asking the general public not to get close to the crocodile or disturb its habitat, Hasmar clarified. The Antara news agency reported that the crocodile may be a Siamese crocodile, a species native to South-Eastern Asia, that happens to be critically endangered with around 1,000 specimens living in the wild. Youre probably wondering why authorities or local conservationists dont just shoot the crocodile with a tranquilizer gun and remove the motorcycle tyre while it is sedated. Well, UK newspaper The Telegraph reports that the risk of it swimming away before the drugs take effect is too high. So they basically need someone who can immobilize the reptile without tranquilizing it, and remove the tire. Its body is getting bigger and the tyre, which should be 14 inches, is stifling it, an Indonesian conservation board official warned last year. If the tyre is not removed immediately, it will strangle the crocodile because of its growing body. The tire is believed to have come from a mini scooter that had been thrown into the river, but the circumstances of how it got stuck around the crocodiles neck for so many years are unclear. So if youre interested in earning an unspecified sum of money and think you have some of the late Steve Irwins crocodile wrestling skills, head down to Palu, in Indonesia, and try freeing it of the rubber necklace its been wearing for years. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that the world has nearly 17,400 confirmed cases of the Novel Coronavirus. More than 99 percent of those cases were reported in China. Compare that to the number of people infected with influenza in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates the flu has sickened between 19,000,000 and 26,000,000 people since October 1. CDC officials also report that up to 25,000 people have died because of an infection during the four-month period. Officials note that, in an average year, the flu kills up to 56,000 people nationwide. As of Sunday, there were 360 deaths from the coronavirus, mostly in China. There are currently 11 confirmed cases in the United States, but no deaths from the virus. Experts are well prepared Last October, the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security held an exercise to help prepare health experts for what is happening today. It was called Event 201. Johns Hopkins University worked in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to organize the event. Event 201 brought together government experts, business leaders and representatives of non-governmental organizations. The purpose was to talk about how the world would react to a serious epidemic. Crystal R. Watson is a doctor and an Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She said the event was meant to help leaders prepare for what is happening now. The purpose of the exercise...was to raise issues of preparedness and response for those leaders so they could start working on making sure that we can develop medical countermeasures, drugs and vaccines, quickly in a severe outbreak, that we can respond and take care of the people who become sick. Life goes on in China and elsewhere News stories about the coronavirus note some of the steps governments and health officials have planned for many years. People flying to the United States from China now have to stop at one of seven airports. CDC workers are measuring the temperature of each passenger and looking for signs of breathing problems. Travelers who are coughing or have other symptoms may be taken to a hospital for more testing. One person who recently returned from China is Nick Caputo. He works for Sunrise International Education. He directs camps in China for students to learn about debate. Caputo was hoping to stay in China longer. But when the travel restrictions were announced, his company decided that he should return to the U.S. at once. He said, That way I would have time to go through a self-quarantine and make sure I wasnt infected before I ran my program here. Schedule change for university life in China Craig Blacklock teaches English at Wenzhou-Kean University in Wenzhou, China. He says the university has changed the beginning of its spring term from February 9 to March 1. He said the school also is helping its teachers and employees get much-needed supplies and food. Blacklock told VOA that people around Wenzhou are taking temperatures and following the advice of the government to reduce the spread of the virus. How to protect yourself and others While governments are taking steps to limit travel and reduce infections, Crystal Watson thinks there are things private citizens can do. The average person should also be just taking general measures to prevent infection with respiratory diseases. We are in the middle of cold and flu season as well and so - just good practices of covering your cough and sneeze, washing your hands very frequently, avoiding people who have a cough - and just trying to stay well in the midst of cold and flu season. Serious cases get the most attention at first With the novel coronavirus, one that did not affect people until now, doctors often pay more attention to the serious cases. We are still learning a lot about this new virus...one thing that happens early on in an outbreak, a novel outbreak like this is that you see theres a bias toward seeing the more severe cases and death. So were seeing those now. But as we go through and gather more...data, were going to find that there are many more mild cases that are not being now detected. So we anticipate that that fatality rate will decrease significantly as this continues to spread. The world is better prepared now Crystal Watson says that the world is better prepared now than it was over 15 years ago when faced with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, known as SARS. There are definitely very important steps that the world has taken over the last 10 years to get better prepared. We can always do more, but I think people are taking this very seriously and responding in the best way that we can. Im Jill Robbins. Jill Robbins reported on this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story epidemic n. a large number of cases of an infectious disease in a community symptom n. a sign of a disease or disorder quarantine n. a period of time in isolation from others to prevent the spread of infection practice n. the expected way of doing something novel adj. new and different from what has been known before bias n. to have a strong and often unfair influence on (someone or something) detect v. to discover or notice the presence of (something that is hidden or hard to see, hear or taste) anticipate v. to think of (something that will or might happen in the future) What do you think of the reaction to the coronavirus outbreak? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., may emerge this week at the top of the pack of Democratic challengers vying to unseat President Donald Trump. Polls showed the left-leaning senator leading a crowded field ahead of Monday night's Iowa caucuses. He is also among the front-runners in the subsequent primaries in New Hampshire and Nevada, buoyed by a base energized by his long-standing calls for radical reform. Sanders and some of his Democratic competitors are clear about what they want to change in the United States. They call for the building of a welfare state, funded in large part by new taxation on the ultrarich and Wall Street. In an age defined by widening social inequity and fatigue with the status quo, a younger generation has helped catapult his brand of "democratic socialism" into the mainstream. Sanders is particularly fond of the "Nordic model" - the social plans that exist in countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland, which deploy higher taxation to provide quality public services and keep inequality at rates lower than the United States. It's an analogy Sanders often invokes, not least to defuse the polemics from opponents to the right that he's akin to a Latin American demagogue-in-waiting. Across the Atlantic, at least one leading proponent of the Nordic model welcomed its embrace by U.S. politicians. "We feel that the Nordic Model is a success story," said Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin in an interview with The Washington Post last month on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Marin said she recognizes that "every country's situation is different, every country's political atmosphere is different," but that Finland's system could set an example for the United States nonetheless. "I feel that the American Dream can be achieved best in the Nordic countries, where every child no matter their background or the background of their families can become anything, because we have a very good education system," she said. "We have a good health-care and social welfare system that allows anybody to become anything. This is probably one of the reasons why Finland gets ranked the happiest country in the world." That's precisely the argument those on the American left are trying to make. Sanders has long hailed Finland's social policies. In 2008, before a standing-room-only crowd in the city hall of Burlington, Vt., Sanders welcomed the Finnish ambassador to his state and urged his compatriots to study "one of the best economic and social models in the world." "In Finland, a high-quality national health-care program exists which provides almost-free health care for all - and ends up costing about half as much per capita as our system," Sanders said at the time. "In Finland, when students become doctors and nurses, they leave school debt-free - because there are no costs in going to school. Is there something we can learn from that model?" In that same conversation, Sanders brushed aside the suggestion that Finland's small population - barely 1/60th of that of the United States - should complicate the picture. "As we acknowledge the difference, we should also acknowledge that we are all human beings with very much the same DNA, the same kind of intelligence and the same human needs," he said. Sanders' ascent in the past five years has spurred considerable debate over what lessons should be learned from the Nordic countries he celebrates. A cast of centrist and conservative critics note, first, that these Nordic countries are more capitalist than Sanders concedes, with generous pro-business policies and their own crop of billionaires; and, second, that the welfare states in Nordic countries are largely financed by extensive taxes on middle-class wages and consumption, not the wealth taxes both Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have pledged to levy on America's top 1 percent. Experts and commentators on the left point to the vastly stronger unions that exist in Nordic countries, which serve as the bedrock for these nations' societies. "The Nordic nations are capitalist social democracies, but the reason they are capitalist is that their Social Democratic parties created unprecedented levels of worker power, social welfare and income equality as far back as the 1930s, and had the power to maintain those levels to this very day," Harold Meyerson wrote in the American Prospect last year. Marin, who at 34 is the world's youngest female leader, is looking to the future. She said her government's "new task is to make the Nordic model part of an environmentally sustainable future," one where the struggle to fight climate change offers "a chance to create new jobs, new technologies, new opportunities for everyone in our country." Unsurprisingly, Marin expressed disappointment in Trump's seeming indifference to the urgency of climate action. "We don't have the luxury of time. We need ambitious targets and actions, and we need to implement the policies now," she said. As a social democrat, she's aware of the rising challenge on the right throughout Nordic nations, where nativist, far-right movements have gained traction in recent years. "Populist movements are trying to present simple answers to complex questions and a complex world," Marin said. That includes the thorny question of immigration, which Marin welcomes. "We have an aging population, and we need people to come to Finland, to work there and to raise their children and take part in making our society better," she said. Call it, perhaps, the Finnish Dream. _ _ _ Tharoor writes about foreign affairs for The Washington Post. He previously was a senior editor and correspondent at Time magazine, based first in Hong Kong and later in New York. When siblings Labinot and Mimoza Bytyqi fled the war in Kosovo in 1999, arriving as refugees on the West Coast of the U.S., they would have had no idea theyd go on to launch a technology company together. But as adults, the pair set up attacking the $6.7 billion telepresence and video communication category, which hasnt evolved much since the older business systems from Cisco and Polycom . By integrating their Solaborate device with Smart TVs, the entrepreneurs have come up with a drastically cheaper device and platform. Solaborate has now closed a $10 million Series A funding round from EPOS and Demant Group. EPOS is a newly established company under the healthcare tech company Demant Group in Denmark, which makes high-end audio solutions designed for enterprise and gaming. The funding will be used to accelerate the development of Solaborate's new product line of all-in-one HELLO devices and its cloud communication platform. After two successful Kickstarter campaigns, Solaborate will now work with EPOS to combine compute, microphones, speakers and Smart TVs with their technology to create products fully owned by and branded under EPOS. These will include Solaborates patented auto echo-cancellation delay. Labinot Bytyqi, founder and CEO said: We believe that privacy is a fundamental human right and thats why we engineered HELLO devices with video and audio built-in hack-proof privacy controls and end-to-end encryption for everyones protection and peace of mind. A HELLO device require only two cables -- HDMI and power -- and then turns any TV into a voice-controlled open cross-platform communication and collaboration device supporting video conferencing platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts Meet, Zoom, Skype, Cisco WebEx, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, BlueJeans, Fuze, Unify and several more. The partnership will focus on video collaboration to deliver integrated audio/video solutions to the platforms of EPOS current strategic partners, such as Microsoft. They are pushing at an open door. The video conferencing market is predicted to grow from an estimated $1.8 billion to more than $2.8 billion by 2022, according to some studies. (Natural News) Two days ago, a paper published in the Biorxiv.org journal presented findings that indicated the coronavirus appeared to be engineered with key structural proteins of HIV. The paper, entitled, Uncanny similarity of unique inserts in the 2019-nCoV spike protein to HIV-1 gp120 and Gag, concluded that the engineering of coronavirus with such gene sequences was unlikely to be fortuitous in nature, providing strong scientific support for the theory that the coronavirus is an engineered bioweapon that escaped laboratory containment in China. The coverage of this paper by Zero Hedge led to a firestorm of denials by governments, health authorities and the CIA-controlled media, not surprisingly. Any suggestion that the coronavirus was engineered as a bioweapon had to be immediately eliminated. The prevailing panic by the establishment sought to blame this outbreak on Mother Nature i.e. bats, snakes, seafood, etc. rather than the human beings who are playing around with deadly biological weapons that are designed to extinguish human life. Within hours, Twitter slapped down a permanent ban on Zero Hedge, making sure the independent publisher could no longer reach its Twitter audience. After all, the first casualty in any pandemic is the truth, and Jack Dorsey is not only an enabler of pedophiles and child rapists, hes also an authoritarian tyrant who wants to make sure the public is completely isolated from any non official reports about this pandemic. (Jack Dorsey has sided with communist China, in other words. Is anyone surprised?) Under the intense pressure, the authors of the original paper have now withdrawn the paper and intend to revise it. The publication that originally carried the paper now has a warning message stating, This article has been withdrawn. Click here for details. (See original source link here.) In addition, the publisher has posted a message warning that all the science papers it posts as preliminary reports that should not be regarded as conclusive, especially when the science establishment is panicked that its official narratives might be crumbling by the hour. No doubt the authors of this particular paper have been sufficiently threatened to revise their conclusions, and an update of their original paper will soon be posted that effectively denounces everything they stated in the original paper. The criminal wing of the science establishment strikes again, of course, and this tactic of threatening scientists with loss of funding, being blacklisted or even physically threatened and killed is not unusual at all. The CDC, NIH and even the EPA have long histories of threatening scientists with being harmed or killed if they dont fall in line with the prevailing lies of the establishment. In some cases, theyve even imprisoned scientists for fraud after those individuals refused to retract their papers. This has been especially common in research areas such as HIV / AIDS, pandemics and vaccines. Any scientist who finds fault with the establishment is destroyed, imprisoned or murdered. In fact, Ive interviewed one of the science victims of this, named Judy Mikovits, PhD. Watch my full interview here, but keep reading below first, because theres a lot more to this story that will shock you: pShuttle-SN sequence proves the coronavirus pandemic was definitely engineered in a lab Now, stunning new evidence has emerged that proves the coronavirus was definitely engineered in a laboratory and may have been deliberately injected into patients as part of a Chinese vaccine experiment gone wrong. As detailed by James Lyons-Weiler, PhD, founder of the Institute for Pure and Applied Knowledge and author of 57 peer-reviewed publications, an analysis of the gene sequence for the coronavirus finds a peculiar sequence called pShuttle-SN. This sequence is is the remnant of a genetic engineering sequence thats used to insert genes into viruses and bacteria. It provides irrefutable open source proof that the coronavirus now circulating in the wild was engineered in a laboratory. Every lab that has the gene sequence can see this for themselves. Its right out in the open, which is why we describe this revelation as open source. One thing we can say for certain is that this particular virus has a laboratory origin, states Lyons-Weiler in a bombshell interview with Del Bigtree of The Highwire (see video below, via Brighteon.com, since the video would be banned everywhere else). This genomic evidence does not, however, prove whether it was produced as a bioweapon or as a vaccine experiment. It could be either one, according to Lyons-Weiler: In fact, if you then take that sequence and compare it to other proteins, we find that its actually a SARS protein that was put into a coronavirus for the purpose of making the vaccine work better. Thats why this element is in there, to create a more reactogenic vaccine. Theres bombshell after bombshell in this interview, especially at the 27:59 and 33:57 marks. Watch it exclusively at Brighteon.com, given that this information is of course being banned everywhere else by the anti-human tech giants, all of which are now siding with communist China to cover up the truth: Brighteon.com/105ddb05-07ab-4ef8-8e08-e029dbe5e75c If it was a vaccine experiment gone wrong, then the world is in real trouble, warns analyst Why does it matter whether the origin was a Chinese vaccine experiment vs. a bioweapon? As previous research has revealed, when these SARS insertions into the coronavirus are introduced into animal as part of a vaccine, they create heightened fatalities when patients are exposed to other coronavirus strains. In effect, being vaccinated with this particular strain of coronavirus causes individuals to be more easily killed by the common cold and other non-pandemic coronavirus strains that are circulating in the wild. This is confirmed in the following science paper published in the PLoS ONE science journal: Immunization with SARS Coronavirus Vaccines Leads to Pulmonary Immunopathology on Challenge with the SARS Virus. This horrifying realization emerged when Chinese researchers were trying to make a SARS vaccine following the SARS outbreak from several years ago. They discovered that the SARS vaccine increased fatalities instead of saving people. Further study revealed that the SARS sequence being inserted into the coronavirus made the virus far more deadly, effectively transforming it into a bioweapon whether intended or not. Now, James Lyons-Weiler, PhD, has published a detailed article explaining the SARS insertion into the coronavirus and why this is proof that the coronavirus now circulating in the wild is of laboratory origin, not coming from bats and snakes. From his interview, above: Was it a vaccine that the Chinese government was experimenting with? If you use a SARS vaccine in ferrets, rats or monkeys, and then they get a secondary infection of a SARS virus, the elderly and immunocompromised end up dying. So what we may in fact be looking at is a hidden attempt by the Chinese to get a jump on this, the economics of vaccines its not working no matter who develops the vaccine, and thats why the last time there was a SARS vaccine, the vaccine developers could not get funding because the mice, the rats were dying. I can say with certainty its not just a wild type coronavirus that just happened to acquire this [SARS] element. Its laboratory acquired somehow. It has escaped from the laboratory or people have been vaccinated with it and thats why its in their bodies Theres a huge difference in the predicted health outcome for the world if this is a vaccination experiment in China versus just a laboratory escaped vaccine. In the vaccination experiment, youre not vaccinated against coronavirus with that vaccine, so if the Chinese tried to get a jump on the vaccine market by surreptitiously running clinical trials against the coronavirus, and made their elderly and immunocompromised more susceptible to death due to subsequent infection by any coronavirus with this protein thats in the vaccine, then the rest of the world has a serious humanitarian issue if it is a biological laboratory weapons escape, its going to be a nightmare, but if its a vaccine type that escaped because of an accidental injection into someone, its going to be worse than if they made their entire population susceptible to SARS with a vaccine program. In other words, if its an escaped vaccine strain that has now gone wild, the entire world is now vulnerable to the SARS-coronavirus gene insertion which was previously found to be killing lab animals, which is why the SARS vaccine program was halted (because it was too dangerous to test on humans). As Lyons-Weiler writes, IPAK researchers found a sequence similarity between a pShuttle-SN recombination vector sequence and INS1378. Heres a shot of the alignment and the DOT Plot. This sequence has a 92% match with the Spike protein from the SARS coronavirus: The process for achieving this was patented by Chinese researchers as shown in this patent link. Lyons-Weiler warns: The disease progression in of 2019-nCoV is consistent with those seen in animals and humans vaccinated against SARS and then challenged with re-infection. Thus, the hypothesis that 2019-nCoV is an experimental vaccine type must be seriously considered. He further concludes that this appears almost certain to be a vaccine experiment gone wrong: The available evidence most strongly supports that the 2019-NCoV virus is a vaccine strain of coronavirus either accidentally released from a laboratory accident, perhaps a laboratory researcher becoming infected with the virus while conducting animal experiments, or the Chinese were performing clinical studies of a Coronavirus vaccine in humans. If this is further confirmed, we may, in fact, be looking at a true vaccine holocaust where vaccine researchers are now subjecting the entire world to a deadly mistake that could theoretically cause a very large number of fatalities all in the quest for vaccine profits, of course. As Lyons-Weiler further warns: If the Chinese government has been conducting human trials against SARS. MERS, or other coronviruses using recombined viruses, they may have made their citizens far more susceptible to acute respiratory distress syndrome upon infection with 2019-nCoV coronavirus. The implications are clear: if China sensitized their population via a SARS vaccine, and this escaped from a lab, the rest of world has a serious humanitarian urgency to help China, but may not expect as serious an epidemic as might otherwise be expected. In the worst-case scenario, if the vaccination strain is more highly contagious and lethal, 2019-nCoV could become the worst example of vaccine-derived contagious disease in human history. Tech giants now working over time to cover it all up, censor all dissenting views, and reinforce communist Chinas official lies As expected, the evil tech giants are working overtime to squelch any dissenting views and protect the vaccine industry as well as the bioweapons industry. No blame can be allowed to fall on either one. Instead, Mother Nature must be blamed for all this. And that means the truth must be silenced a strategy that is, of course, routine for the vaccine industry. Every channel, voice or website now exploring any human origins of this coronavirus strain whether related to vaccines or bioweapons is being rapidly de-platformed and attacked. In some cases, websites are being sabotaged and taken offline, as happened with Natural News last week (we have since recovered, which is why you are able to read this). Yet the anti-human tech giants are unified in their efforts to silence all information that contradicts official lies, no matter how scientifically accurate that information may be. Watch this important video to learn more about Big Tech and how it ran a simulation complete with fake news censorship highlights to play out the exact scenario were all witnessing now: A global pandemic of human origin, infecting tens of thousands of people, accompanied by a government cover-up: Brighteon.com/b0b9cd83-d97e-4681-a3c5-71f2c0a6607a Stay informed. Read NaturalNews.com and watch new videos each hour at Brighteon.com. By Delana Isles A MESSAGE of unity, perseverance and commitment rang through the halls of the Parish Church of St Monica this past Sunday as law enforcement officers gathered for a special service. The service was hosted under the theme, United to make a difference in our community at the Leeward Highway, Providenciales location. It was attended by Governor Nigel Dakin, Deputy Governor Anya Williams, Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson, Opposition Leader Washington Misick, members of the Government, Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting and Deputy Commissioner of Police Rodney Adams along with force executives and officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. The service began with a march past by the Royal TCI Police Force marching band on the highway and into the church compound. Among those bringing remarks were the premier, the governor, the leader of the Opposition, commissioner of police, deputy commissioner of police and other high ranking members of the force. In her remarks, the premier spoke on how critical law enforcement is to the safety of society. "It is your job, which I know you know, your critical job of keeping a country in order and in line that we can have visitors making four and ten trips to Turks and Caicos, that speaks volumes even to law enforcement today. "Yes, we have beautiful beaches but if you werent doing your jobs, we wont be having these testimonies Hon. Cartwright Robinson reaffirmed the commitment of the Government to working with and providing the police with the necessary tools to keep the TCI beautiful by nature. She encouraged the officers to persevere even in times of difficulties. "You have to remember the bigger picture while serving under difficult circumstances. So, if you remember nothing Ive said, remember I speak from experience. "You have to learn to block out and serve I want to encourage each and every one of you that I will always support you, my Government will always support you, not just in resources, we will be your biggest defenders. "As a joint law enforcement body just as we see an attack on the police we must speak out because it may be the police today, so we must speak out because tomorrow it may be you immigration. "It may be a customs officer that someone wants to slap at the airport. We have to stand together and actually condemn bad behaviour, she appealed. In his remarks, the governor shed light on the work of the law enforcement agencies, commending them for the work they do and the difficulties they have to face every day to keep the territory safe for residents and visitors. There were stirring sermons, hymns, and words of encouragement both during the service and from those watching via Facebook Live Stream from the comfort of their homes. The service came as a new wave of crime across the Islands left two men dead in just the first few weeks of the new year, assaults on police officers and more home invasions. Press Release February 3, 2020 GORDON, OTHER SENATORS PRESS NGCP FOR CHINA HAND IN RUNNING THE CORPORATION Senator Richard J. Gordon probed on Chinese-owned State Grid Corporation's control over management of the country's lone power transmission during the hearing on the operations of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) on Monday. Gordon, together with Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, and other senators questioned the presence of Chinese nationals in the executive and managerial positions at the NGCP. He also asked why the primary signatories for the Luzon Substation Expansion Project contract in 2011 were Chinese and not Filipinos. In the copy of the contract presented by Gordon, it showed that a certain Wen Bo signed as the Technical Officer and Zhou Xiaoan as the Country Manager. NGCP President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Anthony Almeda who was then Chief Administrative Officer signed only as a witness. "Why is it only signed in the presence of Anthony Almeda? Foreigners ang pumipirma," Gordon said. Gordon grilled the NGCP on the use of the NARI Transmission Control Operational Platform system, a remote monitoring and control structure located in China, in running the grid. The system enables the Chinese engineers to troubleshoot, operate and control the NGCP's power transmission network. "Puwede nilang patayin ang grid natin from China, is that correct? I would be uncomfortable allowing a foreigner to have a connection here. The principal objective is to protect the country on a situation where we will be totally dependent or we do not have control," he said. Aside from exercising management functions and having control over the power grid, Gordon questioned the NGCP's refusal to allow the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) to conduct audit and inspection of the facility. "We still own this. We're just leasing this to them or letting them operate it until 2034. So, it is in the interest of the country to make sure that the original investment that we put in remains, is enhanced, is doing what it's supposed to do, and that the people would be able to do what is supposed to do because that is your charter. And because of that, hindi kayo dapat harangin. Never is there any provision that says we are abandoning our claim to the property and that we can always, like a good landlord, check on our properties," he pointed out. Gordon and other senators pointed out that Article XII Section 2 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states that all lands of the public domain, natural resources such as waters, oils, including all forces of potential energy are owned by the State. It says that "The exploration, development and utilization of natural resources shall be under the full control and supervision of the State." Thus, having the State Grid's control over NGCP can be a solid ground for terminating the concessionary agreement between NGCP and State Grid, as the senators explained. Urbana, IL -- Fundamental research in condensed matter physics has driven tremendous advances in modern electronic capabilities. Transistors, optical fiber, LEDs, magnetic storage media, plasma displays, semi-conductors, superconductors--the list of technologies born of fundamental research in condensed matter physics is staggering. Scientists working in this field continue to explore and discover surprising novel phenomena that hold promise for tomorrow's technological advances. An important line of inquiry in this field involves topology--a mathematical framework for describing surface states that remain stable even when the material is deformed by stretching or twisting. The inherent stability of topological surface states has implications for a range of applications in electronics and spintronics. Now, an international team of scientists has discovered an exotic new form of topological state in a large class of 3D semi-metallic crystals called Dirac semimetals. The researchers developed extensive mathematical machinery to bridge the gap between theoretical models with forms of "higher-order" topology (topology that manifests only at the boundary of a boundary) and the physical behavior of electrons in real materials. The team comprises scientists at Princeton University, including postdoctoral researcher Dr. Benjamin Wieder, Chemistry Professor Leslie Schoop, and Physics Professor Andrei Bernevig; at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Physics Professor Barry Bradlyn; at the Institute of Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, Physics Professor Zhijun Wang; at State University of New York at Stony Brook, Physics Professor Jennifer Cano (Cano is also affiliated with the Simons Foundation's Flatiron Institute); and at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Physics Professor Xi Dai. The team's results were published in the journal Nature Communications on January 31, 2020. Over the past decade, Dirac and Weyl fermions have been predicted and experimentally confirmed in a number of solid-state materials, most notably in crystalline tantalum arsenide (TaAs), the first-discovered topological Weyl fermion semimetal. Several researchers observed that TaAs exhibits 2D topological surface states known as "Fermi arcs." But similar phenomena observed in Dirac fermion semimetals have eluded understanding, until now. What is a Fermi arc? In the context of semimetals, it's a surface state behaving like one-half of a two-dimensional metal; the other half is found on a different surface. Bradlyn notes, "This is not something that's possible in a purely 2D system, and can only happen as a function of the topological nature of a crystal. In this work, we found that the Fermi arcs are confined to the 1D hinges in Dirac semimetals." In earlier work, Dai, Bernevig, and colleagues experimentally demonstrated that the 2D surfaces of Weyl semimetals must host Fermi arcs, regardless of the details of the surface, as a topological consequence of the Weyl points (fermions) present deep within the bulk of the crystal. This was first theoretically predicted by Vishwanath, et al. "Weyl semimetals have layers like onions," notes Dai. "It's remarkable that you can keep peeling the surface of TaAs, but the arcs are always there." Researchers have also observed arc-like surface states in Dirac semimetals, but attempts to develop a similar mathematical relationship between such surface states and Dirac fermions in the bulk of the material have been unsuccessful: it was clear the Dirac surface states arise from a different, unrelated mechanism, and it was concluded the Dirac surface states were not topologically protected. In the current study, the researchers were surprised to encounter Dirac fermions that appeared to exhibit topologically protected surface states, contradicting this conclusion. Working on models of Dirac semimetals derived from topological quadrupole insulators--higher-order topological systems recently discovered by Bernevig in collaboration with Illinois Physics Professor Taylor Hughes--they found that this new class of materials exhibits robust, conducting electronic states in 1D, or two fewer dimensions than the bulk 3D Dirac points. Initially confounded by the mechanism through which these "hinge" states appeared, the researchers worked to develop an extensive, exactly solvable model for the bound states of topological quadrupoles and Dirac semimetals. The researchers found that, in Dirac semimetals, Fermi arcs are generated by a different mechanism than the arcs in Weyl semimetals. "In addition to settling the decades-old problem of whether condensed matter Dirac fermions have topological surface states," Wieder notes, "we demonstrated that Dirac semimetals represent one of the first-solid state materials hosting signatures of topological quadrupoles." Bradlyn adds, "Unlike Weyl semimetals, whose surface states are cousins of the surfaces of topological insulators, we have shown that Dirac semimetals can host surface states that are cousins of the corner states of higher-order topological insulators." Bradlyn describes the team's methodology: "We took a three pronged approach to sort things out. First, we constructed some toy models for systems that we expected to have these properties, inspired by previous work on higher-order topological systems in 2D, and using group theory to enforce constraints in three dimensions. This was done primarily by Dr. Wieder, Prof. Cano, and myself. "Second, Dr. Wieder and I carried out a more abstract theoretical analysis of systems in two dimensions, deriving the conditions for which they are required to exhibit hinge states, even outside of toy models." "Third, we performed an analysis of known materials, combining Professor Leslie Schoop's chemistry intuition, our symmetry constraints, and ab initio calculations from Professor Zhijun Wang to show that our hinge arc states should be visible in real materials." When the dust settled, the team found that almost all condensed matter Dirac semimetals should in fact exhibit hinge states. "Our work provides a physically observable signature of the topological nature of Dirac fermions, which was previously ambiguous," notes Cano. Bradlyn adds, "It's clear that numerous previously studied Dirac semimetals actually do have topological boundary states, if one looks in the right place." Through first-principles calculations, the researchers theoretically demonstrated the existence of overlooked hinge states on the edges of known Dirac semimetals, including the prototypical material, cadmium arsenide (Cd3As2). Bernevig comments, "With an amazing team combining skills from theoretical physics, first-principles calculations, and chemistry, we were able to demonstrate the connection between higher-order topology in two dimensions and Dirac semimetals in three dimensions, for the first time." The team's findings have implications for the development of new technologies, including in spintronics, because the hinge states can be converted into edge states whose direction of propagation is tied to their spin, much like the edge states of a 2D topological insulator. Additionally, nanorods of higher-order topological semimetals could realize topological superconductivity on their surfaces when proximitized with conventional superconductors, potentially realizing multiple Majorana fermions, which have been proposed as ingredients for achieving fault-tolerant quantum computation. ### This work is funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and other public and private funding agencies. The conclusions presented are those of the researchers and not necessarily those of the funding agencies. Journal Nature Communications DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-14443-5 The scientific publication in Nature Communications volume 11, Article number: 627 (2020) can be found at this link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-14443-5 Palmdale, CA (93550) Today Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High 59F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Stronger winds in and below canyons and passes.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low around 30F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Stronger winds in and below canyons and passes. Xerox Names Nicole Torraco as Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy and M&A Officer Xerox Holdings Corporation (NYSE: XRX) announced today the appointment of Nicole Torraco as senior vice president and chief strategy and M&A officer. In this newly created role, she reports to John Visentin, vice chairman and CEO of Xerox, and serves as a corporate officer. "Nicole brings a rare combination of financial acumen and entrepreneurship, with an impressive record of identifying strategic opportunities that deliver value," said Visentin. "Xerox has built a strong M&A pipeline and has a disciplined approach to making acquisitions that allows us to accelerate growth while managing risk." Torraco joined Xerox in May 2018, and under her leadership, Xerox has closed several acquisitions including Vader Systems, Heritage Business Systems, Rabbit Office Automation and Arena Group. Prior to joining Xerox, she spent over a decade in the hedge fund industry, most recently at Onex Corp. and Babson Capital, and worked in both restructuring and M&A at Rothschild and Gleacher & Co. "Xerox is going through a rapid and unprecedented transformation. Our rigorous approach to M&A and focus on targeted growth opportunities allow us to deliver value for all our stakeholders," said Torraco. About Xerox Xerox Holdings Corporation (NYSE: XRX) makes every day work better. We are a workplace technology company building andintegrating software and hardware for enterprises large and small. As customers seek to manage information across digital and physical platforms, Xerox delivers a seamless, secure and sustainable experience. Whether inventing the copier, Ethernet, the laser printer or more, Xerox has long defined the modern work experience. Learn how that innovation continues at xerox.com. Note: To receive RSS news feeds, visit https://www.news.xerox.com. For open commentary, industry perspectives and views, visit http://twitter.com/xerox, http://www.facebook.com/XeroxCorp, https://www.instagram.com/xerox/, http://www.linkedin.com/company/xerox, http://www.youtube.com/XeroxCorp. Xerox is a trademark of Xerox in the United States and/or other countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005584/en/ Scientists find record warm water in Antarctica, pointing to cause behind troubling glacier melt Phys.org Risk of stranded assets from 2025, new oil report warns EU Observer Uber looks to radical financing to fund driverless cars FT. Car fleet investment trusts would establish autonomous vehicles as new asset class. Which pot strain works best for gambling? Vegas budtenders share their tips LA Times. News you can use! Mastercard chief says breaking up global payments system is stupid FT Brexit Is everything OK over there, Britain? Have you tried turning the UK off and on again? ISPs, financial orgs fall over in Freaky Friday of outages The Register #2019-nCoV China? Chinese history Mekong Review Syraqistan Duque weaker than ever after Colombias radical power shift Columbia Reports Chile Congress Passes Tax Bill to Fund Post-Riots Social Program. Bloomberg. About those post-riots: Protests never really went away in #Chile, but they're heating up again. https://t.co/Aatjngrm2h Nahia Sanzo (@nsanzo) February 3, 2020 Chilean Protest Murals Harvard Library Impeachment The final impeachment vote is near. Heres a look at the big week ahead CNN Democrats Dubious Impeachment Subtext of Treason Michael Tracey, RealClearPolitics Its crucial to emphasize that this is the first impeachment in American history where foreign policy has played a central role. As such, we now have codified by way of these impeachment articles a host of impossibly dangerous precedents, namely: 1) The U.S. is in a state of war with Russia, a nuclear armed power; 2) the sitting president committed treason on behalf of this country with which the U.S. is in a state of war; 3) the president lacks a democratic mandate to conduct foreign policy over the objections of unelected national security state bureaucrats. Is the reality of what was done here going to set in any time soon? You say unelected national security state bureaucrats like thats a bad thing! Schiff: Nothing Democrats could have done differently in impeachment probe The Hill Trump Transition 2020 Our Famously Free Press Dear Netflix: Please Label Propaganda Clearly, At Least Forbes (Furzy Mouse). From October, still germane. Realignment and Legitimacy Big Brother Is Watching You Watch Google Maps Hacks Simon Weckert. 99 second hand smartphones are transported in a handcart to generate virtual traffic jam in Google Maps. This is awesome. Hiding in plain sight: activists don camouflage to beat Met surveillance Guardian Imperial Collapse Watch Class Warfare Marcescence: Why Some Trees Keep Their Leaves in Winter Weather Underground Spider biologist denies suspicions of widespread data fraud in his animal personality research Science Why Is Everybody So Damn Angry? Who.What.Why (Re Silc). Antidote du jour (via): Bonus antidote: A cat walks near a Soviet-era Buran space shuttle at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, 2016. Photo by Kirill Kudryavtsev. https://t.co/CQP9Yk8FTe pic.twitter.com/KsbLRTg116 Bernie Beats Trump (@doctorow) February 2, 2020 Leveling up my cat game! See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.: Pune, Feb 3 : A Pune sessions court will hear the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) plea to transfer the Elgar Parishad-Bhima-Koregaon case papers on February 6. The development came after both the prosecution and defence lawyers sought more time to file their replies in the matter. On January 29, the NIA had moved the Pune court seeking transfer of the case to the special NIA court in Mumbai, and handing over of all the documents, files and evidences to the NIA by the Pune Police, which investigated the cases since the past two years. Since over a week, the NIA has been seeking handing over of the cases after the Centre transferred them to the NIA, and it has filed a fresh chargesheet in the Mumbai Court on January 27. However, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government is examining legal options before taking a final decision in the matter even as the Centre's move came for severe flak from the leaders of the ruling Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress alliance. Monday's development comes barely a day after the Maharashtra government extended the tenure of the Bhima Koregaon commission of enquiry by two months before it was scheduled to expire on February 8. The commission head, retired Chief Justice J.N. Patel of Calcutta High Court, had expressed displeasure over three months' pending salaries of its staff following which the state government swung into action. Having sealed the Bodo Accord in Assam, the Union government is keen to use the same template to resolve other thorny agitations in other areas, three officials with direct knowledge of the matter said on condition of anonymity. In an address in Assams Kokrajhar on February 7, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to indicate that his government is looking to resolving other issues such as the years-long armed conflict with Naga groups in the North-east or Gorkha demonstrators in northern Bengal using a road map similar to the successful negotiations with all four factions of the banned National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), one of the people cited above said. In order to convey this message, the PM is expected to visit Kokrajhar on February 7 and participate in the celebrations of the Bodo Accord, one of the officials said. The Bodo settlement does sketch out a road map on the governments thinking and how it wants to proceed with militants groups of the North-east. Security agencies and other arms of the government are engaging groups with the aim of bringing them to the negotiating table. There is multipronged effort to engage militant groups and those amenable to negotiations will have our ears, he added. Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted on February 1 that the Assam government had invited Modi for celebrations of the accord in Kokrajhar on February 7. The accord is expected to end a decades-long conflict for a separate homeland for the Bodos, the largest plains tribe in Assam. A second official indicated that the government is also working on signing peace deals with insurgent groups such as Manipurs United National Liberation (UNLF) Front the oldest Meitei group agitating for a separate independent socialist state and its armed outfit Manipur Peoples Army, a second person said. The UNLF, which has an estimated cadre strength of 3,000, is active in Jiribam in Manipur and the Cachar district of Assam. In addition, security agencies are also engaging with outfits such as the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), another Meitei militant organisation, the second official added. In Assam and neighbouring Nagaland, efforts are also on to convince United Liberation Front of Assam (Independence), the last remaining ULFA faction, to join the talks. Efforts are being made to convince them too, however, we cannot reveal the details, said a third senior official in the security establishment who did not want to be named. And, in Nagaland, with leaders such as Y Wangtin Naga breaking away from the Myanmar based NSCN (Khaplang) group and joining talks along with the NSCN (Reformation) the situation is much easier, he added. The government has decided that it will not engage the Myanmar based NSCN (Khaplang) faction. On the contrary, the centre believes that bettering ties with Myanmar is a more fruitful way of dealing with threats, he added. Last year, the Union government came close to sealing a peace accord with Naga groups. Often described as the old surviving insurgency of the world, the Naga insurgents had demanded a separate homeland for the Nagas loosely bound to the Constitution. Several factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland insurgent group are said to be on board with the Centres plan. The Naga insurgency began in the 1950s with sovereignty as a key demand. But over the years, the rebel outfits have given up on that demand seeking more autonomy and integration of Naga inhabited areas in Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. The Gorkha demand for a separate homeland called Gorkhaland -- has also raged on for several decades. It last flared up in 2017, when a months-long shutdown paralysed the Darjeeling hills in West Bengal. It is a great initiative, if all miltant organization come to the table. Those like Paresh Baruah - ULFA (Independence) have little leverage left. Their is a different. Kind of politics in Assam.. I hope, this is a new beginning, Major General Ajay Das (retd), who served many years in the Northeast, said. Proverbs 15:1 contains some of the greatest wisdom written in the Bible. It says, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." I write this in response to the article written about South Bend, Indiana worship leader Daniel Deitrich's hymn, written about his anger toward Evangelicals who have supported Donald Trump. More specifically, his objection and anger are aimed at "white evangelicals" referring to them as the "81%." On the one hand, the right to challenge and speak out for or against institutions, people groups, and the events of the day is one of the most foundational rights of being an American citizen and is the essence of the First Amendment to the Constitution. Agreement on the issues of the day should never be a condition to gather under the same roof of a church, denomination, or segment of religious America. Where I do draw a line is when an individual chooses to paint an entire segment of faith with the same brush or in a light that simply isn't true. And certainly, news agencies should be held to an even higher standard when printing accusations that have no factual basis. From the article: "The lyrics accuse Trump evangelicals of 'putting kids in cages, ripping mothers from their babies and weaponiz[ing] religion.'" This crosses the line between opinion or belief and what is factually true. On this point I do take issue, first with this set of false accusations, all having been debunked and proven as "fake news." Second, I am disappointed that the writer of the article did not challenge a single assertion. As believers, we are not going to agree on every issue or every candidate, and there is nothing wrong with that. The congregations I pastor are diverse culturally and politically, and I have only four charges I give each election season: pray, fast, register to vote, and vote your faith. That's a roof we can all worship under together as we lift up the name of Jesus and the message of salvation. But I do challenge the entire Body of Christ with this: there will be those who write articles like this, not to define the different parts of the Body of Christ, but to divide us. Let's agree to believe the best about each other, and not to assume or attach motives to another whose shoes we have not walked in and whose eyes we have not seen through. Let's allow love to guard our speech, our actions, and our response to those who see the world differently from how we do. Jentezen Franklin is the senior pastor of Free Chapel, a multicampus church. Each week his television program, Kingdom Connection, is broadcast on major networks all over the world. A New York Times bestselling author, Jentezen has written ten books including his most recent, Acres of Diamonds; Love Like You've Never Been Hurt, and the groundbreaking Fasting and Right People-Right Place-Right Plan. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE A report issued Monday by two civil rights groups concluded that state employees have had a pattern and practice of providing New Mexicans sensitive personal information including immigration status to federal employees with little to no questioning. Somos un Pueblo Unido and the American Civil Liberties Union of N ew Mexico say their report underscores the need for clear policies directing employees how to handle requests that would reveal someones physical or mental disabilities, immigration status, sexual orientation or other personal information. The groups are supporting legislation this session, House Bill 108 and Senate Bill 107, that would prohibit state employees from disclosing private information unless required by, for example, a court order. Somos and the ACLU also say that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration could direct state agencies to craft policies on the disclosure of personal information, even if legislation isnt enacted in this years 30-day session. New Mexicans should be able to access critical state services with full confidence their personal sensitive information will not be disclosed to outside agencies or individuals without strict criteria such as a court order, said Marcela Diaz, executive director of Somos, an immigrant and worker rights group. Gabriela Ibanez Guzman, staff attorney for Somos, said that its clear the Lujan Grisham administration wants to protect private information but that employees in the field sometimes struggle with what to disclose. The report by Somos and ACLU examined email messages and other communications between state departments and federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The groups found, for example, that the state Motor Vehicle Division released the sensitive personal information of more than 40 New Mexicans to ICE agents in the first seven months of 2019 without limitations. The MVD has since required that all such requests for information go to the general counsel of the Taxation and Revenue Department for review. The division will release driver information to ICE or law enforcement agencies only if theres a search warrant, subpoena or other court order. I am committed to ensuring that the Taxation and Revenue Department protects the sensitive personal information of New Mexicos drivers and taxpayers, Stephanie Schardin Clarke, the departments secretary, said Monday. While our department will continue to comply with valid law enforcement requests, we will not expose personal information through informal requests. The report comes after the Lujan Grisham administration rejected requests from an ICE official last summer for direct access to New Mexico worker and employer records. On Friday, President Donald Trump issued a sweeping proclamation blocking more people, overwhelmingly from Africa, from immigrating to the United States. His targets are nationals from Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, NigeriaAfricas most populous countryand Myanmar, where the Muslim minority is being targeted by genocide. Virtually anyone from these four countries will be banned from immigrating to the United States as of Feb. 21. Additionally, people from Sudan and Tanzania will no longer be eligible to immigrate to the United States through the diversity lottery, which annually grants green cards for up to 50,000 people from nations that send relatively few immigrants to the United States. The ban builds on the three versions of the Muslim ban promulgated by the president in 2017, which excluded millions of people from Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States either for immigration or travel purposes. Like the 2017 Muslim bans, the African ban will continue to tear families apartpermanently separating U.S. citizens from their children, spouses, and parentsand uses vague national security concerns as a fig leaf to demonize millions of people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The stated rationale for the African ban is national security. In the proclamation, the president states that five of the targeted countries fail to comply with certain information-sharing requirements. The proclamation justifies denying those from Sudan a chance in the diversity lottery because its passport technology is not sufficiently secure. In other words, all six targeted countries do not meet U.S. standards when it comes to vetting nationals for purposes of immigrating to the United States. On its face, that reasoning may seem acceptable. But as we learned with the Muslim ban, its worth looking beyond the words in the proclamation for context. In 2015, while a candidate on the campaign trail, Trump published a Statement on Preventing Muslim Immigration that called for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States. That statement remained on his campaign website until May 2017, several months into his presidency. Both as a candidate and as president, Trump condemned Muslims and never disavowed his hateful statements about Islam. Advertisement Advertisement Trumps racism against black Africans has been equally clear throughout his presidency. When discussing immigration from Africa and Haiti with a bipartisan group of senators, Trump asked why America would want immigrants from all these shithole countries and said that the U.S. should get more people from countries like Norway. When discussing the issuance of visas from Nigeria, the president said that once they had seen the United States, they would never go back to their huts in Africa. Advertisement When the president promulgates racist immigration policies under the guise of national security, where should we turn for redress? Our first instinct might be the courts. Indeed, when Trump issued the first iteration of the Muslim ban on Jan. 27, 2017, I was among the lawyers who rushed to court and helped to win a nationwide preliminary injunction against the ban the following day. Thereafter, nearly every federal court to consider the first, second, and third iterations of the Muslim ban struck it down. That is, until the U.S. Supreme Court ratified the third iteration of the Muslim ban in June 2018. In a 54 split decision, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in Hawaii v. Trump that the president has expansive authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens whenever he finds that their entry would be detrimental to the interests of the United States. The majority refused to look beyond the language of the presidents executive order for the clear animus motivating the Muslim ban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, calling attention to the stark parallels between the reasoning of the Muslim ban case and that of Korematsu v. United States, the notorious 1944 decision upholding the internment of Japanese Americans based on an ill-defined national-security threat where there was strong evidence that impermissible hostility and animus motivated the Governments policy. Advertisement Advertisement In drafting the African ban, the presidents lawyers were careful. They followed the blueprint set forth in Trump v. Hawaii, invoking the talisman of national security, and taking comfort in the likelihood that the presidents racist statements will not convince a majority on the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the ban. Together the African ban and Muslim ban collectively restrict immigration from the six newly targeted countries as well as all immigrants from Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and some from Venezuela. Notably, Norwegians are still welcome. Advertisement Advertisement As history teaches us, we cannot rely on the courts to fix xenophobic immigration policies. The Muslim and African bans should remind us how the courts have approved some of the ugliest decisions in Americas immigration history. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act became the first federal law preventing members from a specific nationality from immigrating to the United States and naturalizing. That legislation passed in response to concern about Chinese immigration in numbers approaching the character of an Oriental invasion that would pose a menace to our civilization. Subsequent legislation extended the ban on Chinese immigration for years, and in 1902 Chinese immigration was made illegal indefinitely. All efforts to challenge the discriminatory exclusion of Chinese immigrants before the U.S. Supreme Court failed. The Immigration Act of 1924 went further, effectively banning all immigration from Asia and severely restricting immigration from eastern and southern Europe. It wasnt until 1965, with the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act, that national origin quotas were abolished and U.S. immigration law lifted its discriminatory bans on those from Asia and eastern and southern Europe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The African ban is just the latest sign that the administration is using immigration policy to further a racial agenda. The administration has virtually closed the southern U.S. border to asylum-seekers, suspended a visa interview waiver program, hiked visa application fees, punished immigrants who receive certain public benefits, surveilled immigrants social media accounts, and denaturalized dozens of U.S. citizens. As history teaches us, we cannot rely on the courts to fix xenophobic immigration policies. Democrats in Congress have introduced the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN Act), which would repeal the Muslim ban, broaden the Immigration and Nationality Acts nondiscrimination clause to specifically prohibit religion-based discrimination, and limit executive authority to prevent the president from issuing future bans based on xenophobia. Describing the African ban as discrimination disguised as policy, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called for movement on the bill in the coming weeks, but the Republican-controlled Senate is sure to kill it. Several Democratic presidential candidates have also denounced the new ban. The election may be the only remaining hope to reverse the drive to wall off America from the rest of the world. New Delhi, Feb 3 : Ignited from the gates of Jamia Millia Islamia in southeast Delhi, and which have spread over more than twenty sites in the capital, the sit-in protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR) are getting grimmer and more tense by the day. The government appears to be clueless about how to end the agitation and has almost surrendered in the face of these protests. To keep the peace at these places, however, the government has deployed, round-the-clock, a major force of paramilitary and Delhi Police personnel to prevent any untoward incidents. With the government failing to negotiate with the protesters, some anti-social elements have been attempting to create trouble as diversionary tactics. One person was arrested last week for opening fire at protestors in Shaheen Bagh. Within days, another man was taken into custody for brandishing a pistol at the same location. In this connection, Union Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that the Modi government was ready to talk with the Shaheen Bagh protestors, but nothing further has happened in this direction. A senior BJP leader said in condition of anonymity that, hopefully, these talks to diffuse the protests would take place after the upcoming Delhi assembly elections get over. The continuous sit-in protests in the city are going on at Shaheen Bagh since the last 51 days, Khureji Khas, near Khureji petrol pump (23 days), Jaffrabad in Seelampur 20 days), Turkman Gate in old Delhi (17 days), Brijpuri Puliya, Musafabad (17 days), Kardampuri Chowk, opposite Yamuna Vihar (17 days), Inderlok Metro Station (16 days), Chand Bagh, near Gokulpuri Metro Station (16 days), Sri Ram Colony, Khajuri Khas (16 days), Sundernagri, in east Delhi (15 days), Afghani Chowk, Wazirabad (13 days), Gandhi Park, Hauz Rani in Malviya Nagar (12 days), Azad Market, Beri Wala Bagh (12 days), Nizamuddin, near Lodhi Hotel (9 days), Lal Bagh, Ashok Vihar (indefinite sit-in), Shahi Idgah, Sadar Bazaar (indefinite sit-in), Noor-e-Illahi, Ghonda Chowk, near Yamuna Vihar depot (indefinite sit-in), Patparganj Mandawali, near Joshi Colony (indefinite sit-in), Jama Masjid (33 days), and Bab-ul-uloom, Seelampur (22 days). All these places are in predominantly Muslim majority neighbourhoods that have been inspired by the sit-in at Shaheen Bagh, which has been ongoing since mid-December. At these locations, women, with their children, gather every day with posters and placards. For the majority of these women, this is their first time that are participating in a protest. Speaking to IANS, a few of these protesters said they intended to be on indefinite sit-in till the CAA is withdrawn. According to the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat President P. Navaid Hamid, there is huge anger among the protestors in Delhi about the CAA. The Act was passed in a hurry in Parliament without holding any discussions or public debate. Hamid said that the anti-CAA protests had now caught global attention and the protests are turning into a success. "Now the world is concerned about the youth of India. Since a few years, an environment of fear hasd developed among the minority community, and this is the reaction of the people that is being seen all over India," he added. Gautam Hari Singhania, Chairman and Managing Director, Raymond Ltd: In this Budget, the Government has provided stimulus to the economy in the form of liquidity and consumption related interventions in the backdrop of visibly slowing global economic growth, including India. It is very encouraging to note that the Budget clearly laid out the Governments roadmap to position the economy for future sustainable growth which will resonate well with both domestic and international stakeholders. We welcome setting up of the National Technical Textiles Mission with an estimated outlay of Rs 1,480 crore. While the overall outlay and incentives for Textile and Garmenting sector, which is one of the highest formal employment generation industry, could have been significantly more it is a well balanced budget addressing many challenges and opportunities across sectors to give fillip to economic revival. Abhishek Ganguly, Managing Director, Puma: India currently does not have the infrastructure, capability, skillset and technology to manufacture higher end footwear. Therefore, increasing customs duty of footwear from 25-35 per cent may not have a significant impact on imports. Presently, at the entry price, we anyway manufacture 30 per cent of our footwear in India, and we will continue to do so. The Government should proactively promote and enable footwear factories which can handle more technical manufacturing. This is a huge opportunity as India can definitely take share from China and Far East not only for domestic, but also international consumption. Rajesh Ramakrishnan, MD, Perfetti Van Melle: The income tax reduction could be seen as an indirect measure to increasing the purchasing power of the lower and middle income groups. The trickle down flow of the same into the FMCG sector is something to be hoped for. The Union Budget, however, leaves the entire sector wanting more in terms of revival of consumption. Mukesh Kalra, Founder & CEO, ETMoney: The Finance Ministers proposal to introduce new tax regime is a great step towards giving equal chance to every Indian in lower income segment to maximise their post tax incomes. In the old regime, an individual supporting a larger family and negligible savings was forced to pay higher tax, compared to an individual supporting a smaller family or one with no dependents. This created disparity when it came to effective taxation for the former group. In the new regime, the disparity ends and also frees up income in hands of individuals to give a boost to consumption. Mahendra Singhi, President, Cement Manufacturers Association & Managing Director and CEO, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd: The cement industry welcomes the Governments intent to push infrastructure development. The emphasis on highways and roads development is well placed. This captures the priorities of economic development and an aspirational India. We would hope that rural demand gets revived and it assists in job creation. We are actively engaged in dialogue with the Ministry of Commerce on the National Logistics Policy and would expect some of our considerations for upgradation and modernisation of rail infrastructure are particularly carried through. Thirdly, the Cement Industry has also been an active partner to the Government in the Swachh Bharat Mission. Reference and priority in this context being accorded to source segregation and processing should add to creating a more facilitating environment for the role expected of the Cement Industry in waste management given that Polluter to Pay principle has been outlined in the National Resource Efficiency Policy. Overall, good to see Budget 2020-21, which reiterates the priorities for economic development. We would look forward to these taking shape. The reaffirmation of commitment towards clean air, Climate Change mitigation efforts are most welcome. More policy interventions to revive real estate and housing would be welcome. Infrastructure development, new 100 airports and emphasis on road would go a long way to revive cement demand. Rajesh Uttamchandani, Director, Syska: We welcome the steps taken by the Government in the Union Budget towards boosting electronic manufacturing in the country. The electronic industry has huge potential both in terms of manufacturing in India and job creation and will provide a major impetus for growth. This will further enhance the exports of networked products. Another important step taken is the further push provided by the Government for its smart cities mission. It aims to create 100 cities with state-of-the-art infrastructure that includes intelligent lighting, Wi-Fi access points, leading to enhancement of the quality of life of every citizen while building efficient living spaces for future generations. As a company, Syska has been striving towards developing technology-driven, energy-efficient and affordable solutions that positively impact the lives of our customers. With India heading towards mass urbanisation, we are aligned towards promoting sustainability, enhancing social development and creating new employment opportunities through rapid digital innovations. Ullas Kamath, Joint Managing Director, Jyothy Labs: The Union Budget FY20-21 seems to be a sincere attempt in boosting the much needed demand scenario in both the rural and urban economy. The announcements related to revising individual tax structure, proposed 16-point action plan for agriculture and farmers welfare, coupled with the strategy to doubling farmers income by 2022, is the step in the right direction. We expect overall impact of the Budget will boost consumption and revive consumer sentiments. Sanjay Vakharia, CEO, Spykar Lifestyles: The FY20 Budget has delivered what best it possibly could. The industry had requested the Government to bring in measures that would grow demand and spur consumption. But beside a few changes to the personal income tax rates, not much is seen impacting the demand and consumption story. The big gun announcements that the industry was expecting to stimulate the economy were missing. The absence of feel-good measures has left the Budget falling short of expectations. Sanil Jain, Co-founder, CupShup: The start-up ecosystem in India is not more than a decade old and has come a long way to become the third largest in the world after USA and China. 2019 was a not what we can call a good economic growth year, but this Budget has definitely brought some relief to start-ups. The implementation of the Investment Advisory Cell will aid new start-ups. Deferring the Taxation on ESOPs is definitely a big win as it will go long way in acquiring and retaining quality talent. While on the other hand, decreasing direct tax to a historic low of 22 per cent will boost export opportunities and drive growth across various industries. County of Santa Clara Public Health Department reports second case of novel coronavirus Two cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in San Benito County, California. One man contracted the virus after traveling to Wuhan and was cleared after his return, developing symptoms after making it home. The virus spread to his wife soon after. County health representatives in Hollister have confirmed the pair is quarantined at home and say the community has nothing to fear. Early voting begins today Early voting for the Democratic presidential primary begins today in California, the same day as the Iowa caucus gets underway. With the California primary being moved up the state may play a larger role than ever in deciding the democratic candidate. The state's top election official expects a record presidential primary turnout. The last day to vote in the primary will be March 3rd. Fresno Super Bowl barbeque turns deadly A Super Bowl BBQ turned deadly, after police say a homeless man used some sort of weapon to shoot another man. It happened in Fresno when the homeless man approached a BBQ after noticing some 49ers merchandise. There was some kind of argument and police say the homeless man shot the other. The victim later died at the hospital. Adding to this investigation, police say the suspected shooter used some kind of device to shoot but said it was not a gun. 6 passengers were shot on a Greyhound bus in California, including 1 who was killed One person was killed and five others were wounded Monday morning after a shooting on a Greyhound bus, California Highway Patrol said. The bus, carrying about 40 passengers, was headed from Los Angeles to the San Francisco area. Shortly before 1:30 a.m., a gunman on the bus opened fire on Interstate 5, in the Grapevine area near Fort Tejon Road, CHP spokesman Steve Loftus said. The suspect is in custody, Loftus said. CHP said the suspect boarded the bus in Los Angeles, but are not yet certain where he is from originally. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus visit to Moscow had not been discussed in advance, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview on Rossiya-1 TV channel. "This was agreed just three days before the visit within 24 hours. This was the Israeli sides initiative and Putin was ready to back it, moreover that this coincided with declaring U.S. President Donald Trumps initiative on the Middle East," TASS cited him as saying. Peskov stressed that it was very important for Russian President Vladimir Putin to receive first-hand information from Netanyahu. Netanyahu paid a brief working visit to Moscow on January 30. Visitors look at an Emirates airline's Airbus A380 dislayed at the Dubai Airshow on November 9, 2015. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates is the latest country to announce suspension of flights to and from China with the exception of the capital Beijing in an effort to contain the new coronavirus, its state-run WAM news agency announced Monday. The suspension will come into effect on Feb. 5, the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said in a statement. "We continue to put our confidence in the Chinese government's efforts to control and contain the situation," the GCAA said, adding that all passengers traveling from Beijing International Airport will undergo a six to eight hour comprehensive medical screening at the airport before boarding. The announcement falls in line with a growing number of governments around the world cutting commercial transport routes to China as the death and infection count from the deadly new coronavirus mounts. The disease has killed more than 360 and sickened more than 17,000, the vast majority in China. Tweet1 Over the weekend, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Australia, Italy, Finland and Indonesia counted among several countries temporarily halting flights to the epidemic-stricken country, with some barring entry to Chinese citizens or foreign nationals who have visited China in recent weeks. The UAE has announced five confirmed cases of the respiratory infection in the past week, all of which trace back to Wuhan, China, the city of 11 million where the virus first appeared. The UAE is home to national carriers Emirates Airline and Etihad. The GCAA's statement noted that all flights to and from Wuhan from the UAE have been canceled since Jan. 23. Emirates Airline, based in Dubai, is the world's largest A380 operator and top-five largest airline in terms of passenger and freight ton kilometers flown. Its base, Dubai International Airport, was ranked the world's busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic last year. Major airlines temporarily suspending China routes include American Airlines, Delta, United Airlines, Air Canada, British Airways, KLM, Qatar Airways and Egypt Air. [February 03, 2020] CorMedix Approved to Sell $5.5 Million of NOL Tax Benefits Through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority Program BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J., Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CorMedix Inc. (NYSE American: CRMD), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapeutic products for the prevention and treatment of infectious and inflammatory disease, today announced that it has been approved by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) to transfer approximately $5.5 million of the total $6.0 million of its available tax benefits to an unrelated, profitable New Jersey corporation pursuant to the Companys application to participate in the New Jersey Technology Business Tax Certificate Transfer (NOL) program for State Fiscal Year 2019. The Company anticipates receiving approximately $5.2 million in cash proceeds from the sale of its NOLs during the first quarter of 2020. Closing is subject to NJEDAs typical closing conditions, which are in process. We are pleased to receive a significant allocation from this program for the second consecutive year, said Khoso Baluch, CorMedix President & CEO. The funding will help us make preparations for an anticipated commercial launch of Neutrolin in the U.S. market. The Company is planning for a potential approval of a new drug application for Neutrolin during the second half of 2020. The New Jersey Technology Business Tax Certificate Transfer (NOL) program enables qualified, unprofitable NJ-based technology or biotechnology companies with fewer than 225 U.S. employees (including parent company and all subsidiaries) to sell a percentage of net operating losses and research and development (R&D) tax credits to unrelated profitable corporations. NOLs and R&D tax credits may be sold for at least 80 percent of their value, up to a maximum lifetime benefit of $15 million per business. This allows qualifying technology and biotechnology companies with NOLs to turn their tax losses and credits into cash proceeds to fund growth and operations, including research and development or other allowable expenditures. CorMedix is one of 46 emerging companies to share in approximately $60 million of tax credit transfes approved by NJEDA in December 2019. About CorMedix CorMedix Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapeutic products for the prevention and treatment of infectious and inflammatory diseases. The Company is focused on developing its lead product Neutrolin, a novel, non-antibiotic antimicrobial solution designed to prevent costly and dangerous bloodstream infections associated with the use of central venous catheters. The Company completed a Phase 3 clinical trial of Neutrolin in patients undergoing hemodialysis for end-stage renal disease, which showed a 71% reduction in catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) relative to the heparin control arm (p=0.0006) with a good safety profile. CRBSIs cost the U.S. healthcare system approximately $6 billion annually and contribute significantly to increased morbidity and mortality. Neutrolin has Fast Track designation from FDA, which provides the potential for priority review of a marketing application, and Qualified Infectious Disease Product designation, which allows for 5 additional years of marketing exclusivity when approved for commercial distribution by FDA. Neutrolin is CE Marked and commercially distributed as a medical device in Europe and other territories. In parallel, CorMedix is leveraging its taurolidine technology to develop a pipeline of antimicrobial medical devices, with active programs in surgical sutures and meshes, and topical hydrogels. The Company is also working with top-tier researchers to develop taurolidine-based therapies for rare pediatric cancers. For more information, visit: www.cormedix.com . Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, regarding managements expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or CorMedixs prospects, future financial position, financing plans, future revenues and projected costs should be considered forward-looking. Readers are cautioned that actual results may differ materially from projections or estimates due to a variety of important factors, including: the information, costs and time needed to submit to the FDA a new drug application for Neutrolin in adult hemodialysis; risks related to the timing of and our ability to obtain FDA approval of the new drug application for Neutrolin; relying on preclinical results that may not be indicative of success in clinical trials and might not be replicated in any subsequent studies or trials; the risks and uncertainties associated with research for additional uses for taurolidine; the risks and uncertainties associated with CorMedixs ability to manage its limited cash resources and the impact on current, planned or future research, including the continued development of Neutrolin and research for additional uses for taurolidine; obtaining additional financing to support CorMedixs research and development and clinical activities and operations; and the ability to retain and hire necessary personnel to staff our operations appropriately. These and other risks are described in greater detail in CorMedixs filings with the SEC, copies of which are available free of charge at the SECs website at www.sec.gov or upon request from CorMedix. CorMedix may not actually achieve the goals or plans described in its forward-looking statements, and investors should not place undue reliance on these statements. CorMedix assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Investor Contact: Dan Ferry Managing Director LifeSci Advisors 617-535-7746 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., seized control of the news cycle this week for reasons very different from the Every Student Succeeds Act , simplifying how students apply for federal higher education loans , and similar issues hes known for in Washington. But if you look closely, you might see a parallel between his handling of the impeachment inquiry and his recent approach to education policy. The chairman of the Senate education committee revealed Thursday evening that although he agrees that President Donald Trump acted inappropriately with respect to his actions involving Ukraine, investigations involving former Vice President Joe Biden, and military aid, he does not favor calling witnesses to testify in the Senate about the matter. He said that rather than removing Trump for something that he does not believe meets the standard for such a move, the Senate should leave the matters to voters in the 2020 election. Our founding documents provide for duly elected presidents who serve with the consent of the governed, not at the pleasure of the United States Congress, Alexanders statement concludes. Let the people decide. So whats the connection to ESSA? One of the key issues Alexander had to consider as a key architect of ESSA was how to balance competing views about the standardized exams mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. Some conservatives thought such tests would be crucial for holding schools accountable for the federal aid money they received. And some liberals believed they forced schools to address inequities as well as low-performing students (many of them students of color) who might otherwise fall through the cracks. But others had truly soured on the tests. A sweeping federal education mandate didnt necessarily sit totally comfortably in certain conservative circles. And to others in the education community, such tests were flawed and were used to unfairly punish teachers and schools who in their view needed more support and resources instead. What to do? Alexander ultimately put his weight behind keeping the tests in the new law, but otherwise restricting the federal governments powers over to mandate or or incentivize how the tests could be used. It was a way to strike back against some of the Obama administrations moves, but it also represented what he said was middle ground. Heres part of a 2016 Senate speech from Alexander about ESSA that illustrates his approach to this issue pretty clearly: People who dont usually agree in the education world said we want to keep the tests. We want to keep the 17 federally required state-designed tests between grades three and 12 so we can know how our children are doing. And we want to report that to the parents and the students. But we want to move out of Washington and back to the classroom teachers, back to the local school boards, back to the communities, back to the governors, the responsibility for our children and our schools. Its not a stretch to see that just as Alexander tried to walk what he thought was a middle path when it came to federally required tests and ESSA, he acknowledged that the president should not have acted as he did, the impeachment trial should draw to a close and not overlap with the 2020 election any further. In both cases theres a let the people decide philosophy at the foundation of Alexanders stated opinion, expressed either figuratively or literally. Whether Alexanders approach to the impeachment trial represents a real compromise or middle path on his part, of course, depends on your point of view. Here are two responses from people with disparate opinions about K-12 education, one from Thomas B. Fordham President Michael Petrilli, and another from American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. Thank you Senator Alexander for showing us that it is still possible to find middle ground in a divided country. Yes, Trump did it, and it was wrong, but it did not rise to the level of removal. A perfectly reasonable and honest conclusion. Now get more GOP senators to say so! Michael Petrilli (@MichaelPetrilli) January 31, 2020 Really really sad night... the @gop elected officials were more afraid of Trump than of the loss of democracy... https://t.co/5YjdFUpLHh Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten) January 31, 2020 What remains to be seen is what if any impact Alexanders decision on impeachment witnesses has on any legislative ambitions he retains. Alexander, who is not seeking reelection this year, has harbored ambitions to revamp the Higher Education Act for several years, for example. While hes had certain success on narrow higher education issues like simplifying the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, and ensuring permanent funding for historically black colleges and universities, those changes fall well short of his aims. On the one hand, voting to hear from witnesses probably wouldnt have endeared him and any signature bills he might propose to other GOP senators in the majority, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky in particular. On the other hand, by moving to bring the impeachment trial to a swift conclusion, Alexander likely didnt make any hypothetical negotiations with House Democrats, who are in the majority, any easier. Would such Democrats want to make big news for cutting a sweeping deal with Alexander later this year concerning higher education, which promises to be a major issue for 2020 Democrats seeking the presidency? Could Alexander still negotiate compromises on smaller issues affecting things like college affordability and oversight before he retires? We reached out to Alexanders office multiple times to inquire what if any impact the senator thinks his decision about witnesses might have on his approach to the Higher Education Act and other education policy matters. Well update this piece if we get a comment from him. Photo: Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate education committee (J. Scott Applewhite/AP-File) Follow us on Twitter @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Politics K-12 reporters @EvieBlad @Daarel and @AndrewUjifusa . Delhi Police have registered a case after two unidentified persons allegedly opened fire outside Jamia Millia Islamia on Sunday night, police said. No one was injured in the attack. In a statement issued by the Jamia Coordination Committee, a group comprising students and alumni of the university formed to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, said the attackers were on a red motorcycle. One of the miscreants was wearing a red jacket, the statement said. A senior police official said a case of attempt to murder under relevant sections of the IPC and the Arms Act was registered in connection with the incident and an investigation is underway. This is the third firing incident in the Jamia Nagar area in a week. SEE: People protest outside Jamia Millia Islamia University following shooting On Thursday, a minor fired at anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters preparing to march from Jamia towards the Rajghat, injuring a student. Two days later, a 25-year-old fired two rounds in air at Shaheen Bagh, where a protest against the new citizenship law has been going on. No one was hurt in the incident. "Firing has taken place at Gate No 5 of Jamia Millia Islamia... by two unidentified persons. As per report, one of them was wearing a red jacket and driving a red scooty having vehicle no. 1532 or 1534," the statement said. Asim Mohammed Khan, a former Congress MLA from Okhla, said the incident occurred around 11.30 pm. "We heard the gunshot. That is when we stepped out to see and the two men left on a scooty," a student said. "We have taken down the vehicle number and called police," he added. The number of people infected in China by the coronavirus outbreak jumped on Wednesday to nearly 500, after Hong Kong reported its first death from the disease and millions more in China were ordered to stay indoors. The confirmed toll in mainland China rose to 490 after hardest-hit Hubei province reported 65 more people had died -- the biggest single-day tally since the first fatalities emerged last month. More than 20 countries have confirmed cases of the virus, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global health emergency, several governments to institute travel restrictions, and airlines to suspend flights to and from China. The WHO said Tuesday that the dramatic measures taken by China had provided a "window of opportunity" to halt transmission, while calling for more global solidarity to combat the virus. The novel coronavirus has continued to spread with Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand on Tuesday reporting new infections that were not imported from China. In a sign of growing concern about a spread to other densely-populated Chinese metropolitan areas, authorities in three cities in eastern Zhejiang province -- including one near Shanghai -- limited the number of people allowed to leave their homes. Three districts in Hangzhou -- including the area where the main office of Chinese tech giant Alibaba is based -- now allow only one person per household to go outside every two days to buy necessities, affecting some three million people. The city is only 175 kilometres (110 miles) southwest of the financial hub of Shanghai, which has reported more than 200 cases, including one death. Zhejiang has confirmed 829 cases -- the highest number outside the central province of Hubei, whose capital Wuhan is the epicentre of the outbreak. The disease is believed to have emerged in December in a Wuhan market that sold wild animals, and spread rapidly as people travelled for the Lunar New Year holiday in January. China has struggled to contain the virus despite enacting unprecedented measures, including virtually locking down more than 50 million people in Hubei. The WHO has said the outbreak does not yet constitute a "pandemic". The head of the organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, accused wealthy countries of falling short on their duties in sharing data, stating that: "Of the 176 cases reported outside China so far, WHO has received complete case report forms for only 38 percent." - Hong Kong's first death - The death of the 39-year-old man in Hong Kong came as the semi-autonomous city closed all but two land crossings with the Chinese mainland. Hong Kong media said the man had underlying health issues. He had visited Wuhan last month and his 72-year-old mother was also infected. The financial hub has been particularly on edge over the virus as it has revived memories of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002-03, which killed nearly 300 people in the city and 349 people in the mainland. Health officials noted that the mortality rate for the new coronavirus stood at 2.1 percent, with most victims either old or with underlying health problems. SARS killed nearly 10 percent of patients. - New foreign cases - Singapore confirmed the first four cases of people being infected locally, taking the total number of infections in the city-state to 24. In another example of growing global anxiety, Japan has quarantined a cruise ship carrying 3,711 people and was testing those onboard for the virus after a former passenger was diagnosed with the illness in Hong Kong. Macau, China's semi-autonomous gambling hub that is popular with mainland Chinese visitors, decided to temporarily close all of its casinos for at least two weeks. And the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Tuesday advised Britons to leave China, "if they can", to minimise their risk of exposure to the virus. The United States, meanwhile, acknowledged that the outbreak may delay Beijing's plans to purchase American goods under the terms of a deal meant to end the two countries' trade war. - Beijing admits 'shortcomings' - China's Communist leadership made a rare admission of fallibility earlier this week, acknowledging "shortcomings and difficulties exposed in the response to the epidemic". The elite Politburo Standing Committee called for improvements to the "national emergency management system" at the meeting, according to the official Xinhua news agency on Monday. The government also said it "urgently" needed medical equipment such as surgical masks, protective suits, and safety goggles as it battles the outbreak. Most of the deaths have been in Wuhan and the rest of surrounding Hubei province, which has largely been under lockdown for almost two weeks. A 1,000-bed field hospital in Wuhan built from scratch within two weeks to relieve overburdened medical facilities started receiving patients on Tuesday, with a second makeshift hospital due to open later this week. A cultural building, an exhibition centre and a gymnasium have also been converted into improvised clinics with 3,400 beds. State media reported that the city planned to convert an additional eight facilities into hospitals. burs-lth-rox/qan Hong Kong has closed all but two land crossings with the Chinese mainland to slow the spread of the virus Chart showing cumulative number of people infected by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus in China and other countries, territories or areas, based on data from national authorities A doctor speaks with a patient during an online consultation session at a hospital in Shenyang in China's northeastern Liaoning province Workers set up beds at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province Japan has quarantined a cruise ship carrying 3,711 people and was testing those on board for the new coronavirus WASHINGTON Rep. Jason Crow referenced a passage he wrote in his children's copies of the Constitution during his closing argument in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on Monday. At the conclusion of his presentation, the Colorado Democrat pulled out two books and explained how hed been carrying copies of his childrens Constitutions during the trial. He wrote an inscription for his children in the books and read it in a wavering voice on the Senate floor: Our founders recognized the failings of all people, so they designed a system to ensure that the ideas and principles contained in this document would always be greater than any one person. Its the idea that no one is above the law. But our system only works if people stand up and fight for it. Fighting for something important always comes at a cost. Someday you may be called upon to defend the principles and ideas embodied in our Constitution. May the memory and spirit of those who sacrificed for them in the past guide you and give you strength as you fight for them in the future. When Crow read the message, those in the gallery above the Senate floor could see the red-and-white-striped page and the message in ink he'd left. During his speech, Crow referred directly to the oaths that lawmakers and the president take to uphold and defend the Constitution. But senators also take a special oath for an impeachment trial, stating that they would do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws. Live impeachment updates: Schiff says Trump 'will not change' To me, an oath represents a firm commitment to life of service, a commitment to set aside your personal interest, your comfort and your ambition to serve the greater good a commitment to sacrifice, said Crow, a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. One reason the United States has thrived for nearly 250 years is that officials have taken oaths and meant them, Crow said. But he said the impeachment inquiry painted Trump as putting his personal interests above those of the country he swore to protect. Story continues Crow said one lesson he has for his two children is that they wont always be the fastest or strongest. But he quoted a message from the Professor Dumbledore character in the Harry Potter series that hangs in his sons room: It is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities. This trial will soon be over," Crow said. "But there will be many choices for all of us in the days ahead, the most pressing of which is how each of us will decide to fulfill our oath. More than our words, our choices will show the world who we really are. Sen. Joni Ernst: Iowa Republican says her comments on impeaching Joe Biden were 'taken out of context' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump impeachment trial: Jason Crow reads from children's Constitution Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, we are living in the United States of Propaganda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices A children's mental health charity backed by Kate Middleton is closing eight of its facilities due to financial pressures. The Duchess of Cambridge, 38, first became patron of The Art Room in Oxford in 2012. The charity, which uses art therapy to help boost children's confidence and self esteem, had since expanded to cover eight schools in Oxfordshire, London, and Edinburgh - and merged with another charity, Place2Be, in 2018. A spokesperson for Place2Be told FEMAIL: 'We carried out a business review of The Art Room service in 2019.' 'The conclusion is that unfortunately, in its current format, the service has limited accessibility and is not financially sustainable, particularly in an environment where school budgets are under pressure.' 'We are now developing a more accessible and financially-viable model for the Art Room, as a mobile service that would enable us to reach more children and young people in the future.' Kate Middleton-backed charity is closing due to financial pressures. Pictured, the Duchess of Cambridge helps Jaydn Proffitt, aged 7, with his painting during a visit to the Art Room facilities at Rose Hill Primary School in Oxford They went on to explain how The Art Room will continue to operate in its current format until the end of Spring Term 2020 - but at this point, the eight fixed Art Rooms will close. The spokesperson continued: 'In November 2019, we concluded a formal consultation with colleagues who are affected by these changes. We are supporting staff through this period.' 'Our teams are working with school staff to identify alternative support for children who have previously accessed our services, where required.' 'Place2Be remains totally committed to supporting and improving the emotional wellbeing of children, young people and their families and school communities across the UK.' In February 2012, the Duchess of Cambridge, a history of art graduate, put her love into practice on her first public engagement as royal patron of The Art Room. And she was so keen to get stuck in that she ended up with red paint on the sleeve of her wool jacquard dress-coat after taking part in a class. Kate arrived at Rose Hill Primary School during a visit to Oxford on February 21, 2012 in Oxford. The visit was in association with the charity Art Room who work with children to increase self-confidence and self-esteem The Duchess of Cambridge helped school children with their painting during a visit to the Art Room facilities at Rose Hill Primary School in Oxford Two years later, the mother-of-three officially opened The ICAP Art Room at Northolt High School in west London. During her visit, she was presented with a posy by Atoria Mason, 13, and Tim Garner, 14, and spent time meeting school teachers, governors and Art Room staff. When Kate first became a patron, Kensington Palace said the Duchess chose to link herself to the charity as it 'reflects her interest in the arts and her particular interest in using the creativity of art to enrich the lives of young people'. The Art Room offers art as therapy to children and young people aged five to 16 who are facing challenges in their lives. Many of the children are disengaged from mainstream education, disruptive or withdrawn and all have been identified as needing time away from their school. The charity's emphasis is on teaching life skills while encouraging children and young people to both relate and engage with each other. Kate (pictured) opened the ICAP Art Room at Northolt High School in Ealing, London on 14 February 2014 Barely a week old, these lovable lambs are already worth a small fortune. Thanks to their rarity and adorable looks they are in demand as pets. The Valais blacknose breed, seldom seen outside their native Switzerland and often called the worlds cutest sheep, are worth up to 10,000 each 40 times the value of an ordinary lamb. These three are the latest additions to the flock on a farm in north Devon, where the lambing season is in full swing. Thanks to their rarity and adorable looks they are in demand as pets. These three are the latest additions to the flock on a farm in north Devon In Switzerland, which banned exports six years ago, the sheep are reared for wool as well as meat. In the UK, where there are thought to be only a few thousand, they are kept as pets, for breeding and for showing. They typically sell for up to 7,000 but the most attractive rams can fetch 10,000. Chris Slee and Tom Hooper have been breeding Valais blacknose sheep at Halsbury Barton, near Bideford, since 2016, when they invested in some embryos from Scotland. Mr Hooper, a former City economist, said: Its a fairly straightforward case of supply and demand. These three are the latest additions to the flock on a farm in north Devon, where the lambing season is in full swing. In Switzerland, which banned exports six years ago, the sheep are reared for wool as well as meat The supply is limited as the Swiss have prevented further exports so the ones we have in the country, which would only be a few thousand, cannot be added to by imports and it is not a particularly quick process to add naturally to a flock by breeding. On the other side of the equation, theres a lot of demand they look great and are fairly docile so make ideal pets for those with a bit of land who want a pretty, but expensive, lawnmower. Mr Slee, whose family have farmed in north Devon for more than a century, added: The prices are a bit crazy but seem to be going up for the good quality stock. We got interested in them a few years ago after going to Holsworthy market and seeing sheep go through the ring for thousands of pounds. I couldnt believe it Holsworthy is a small town in north Devon and I have kept sheep my whole life and never seen anything like it. On my family farm we have about 400 commercial sheep and my sister and I breed and show Jacob sheep. But we are always being told by the Government to diversify, so Tom and I took a punt and bought some of these Valais. It has worked out well so far but lambing time can be a bit more stressful as these little lambs are worth 30 or 40 times the values of normal sheep. FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Police broke up a protest by about 100 environmental activists on Sunday at the site of the yet-to-be commissioned Datteln 4 coal-fired power plant in western Germany, but the protesters said they planned further demonstrations. FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Police broke up a protest by about 100 environmental activists on Sunday at the site of the yet-to-be commissioned Datteln 4 coal-fired power plant in western Germany, but the protesters said they planned further demonstrations. The Ende Gelaende movement behind the protest against carbon emissions from coal burning said its members had occupied the site for nine hours, blocking conveyor belts that will carry coal to the plant's boilers, before police cleared the site. The group said its protests would continue, however. In a statement, it likened them to the occupation of utility RWE's Hambach forest lignite mining and burning site last year, which led to a mining stoppage and made the facility a symbol of anti-coal protest. "We celebrate today's demonstration as a big success. And this was just the beginning. We will fight against Datteln 4 as we did against Hambach forest," said Daniel Hofinger, a spokesman for the group. Protesters wore orange overalls and face masks and held up banners saying "Exit Coal Now" and "Your 20-Year Profits instead of Our Future". Datteln 4, a modern hard coal plant that has cost operator utility Uniper 1.5 billion euros, was exempted from a national plan to exit from coal power by 2038 that was approved by Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet last month. Uniper argued successfully that it would make more sense to shut additional old coal capacity with high CO2 emissions to clear the way for its state-of-the art Datteln facility to operate into the 2030s, even if that would be well below a usual 40-year life span. Environmentalists have criticised the compromise, saying the government lacked ambition and allowed coal operators to get off lightly. (Reporting by Vera Eckert and Christian Kraemer; Editing by Frances Kerry and Helen Popper) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Alden, a secretive New York hedge fund with a reputation for dramatic cost-cutting, took a 32% stake in Tribune Publishing in November, mostly by acquiring the stake of former Chairman Michael Ferro. Two Alden representatives subsequently were added to the newspaper companys board, expanding it to eight members. As part of that agreement, Alden is restricted from increasing its stake in the company to more than 33% until June 30. A new rule could soon see branded school uniforms banned [Photo: Getty] Branded school uniforms could soon be banned under a new law. In news that is sure to please many cash-strapped parents, a bill will be introduced this week which could see schools prevented from specifying styles of uniform. If approved, schools will be told they can specify basic items, such as trousers and shirts, but not styles. This means parents will be able to buy cheaper supermarket kit instead of branded gear from a single suppliers. According to Sunday People parents pay an average 340 a year for branded secondary school uniforms and 255 for primary school gear. So the rule, proposed by Labour MP for Weaver Vale, Cheshire, Mike Amesbury, could save parents hundreds of pounds a year. Head teachers will be required to draw up a totally inclusive uniforms policy, Amesbury said. This issue has been brilliantly highlighted by the Sunday People. READ MORE: School introduces a dress code for parents at school gates Its been reported that almost one in six families say school uniform costs are to blame for them having to cut back on basic essentials such as food, a figure that has rocketed up from one in seven back in 2015. School-Home, a charity helping parents with the cost of uniforms said it has seen a spike in requests for subsidy. Last year we were spending the most on beds, bedding, furniture and other essential household items, CEO Jaine Stannard told Daily Mail. Now, we get the most requests for school uniform and shoes. The Department for Education also states that no school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling unable to apply to, or attend, a school of their choice, due to the cost of the uniform. It continues: The school uniform should be easily available for parents to purchase and schools should seek to select items that can be purchased cheaply, for example in a supermarket or other good value shop. Schools should keep compulsory branded items to a minimum and avoid specifying expensive items of uniform. Story continues The new rule could help parents struggling with the cost of branded uniforms [Photo: Getty] READ MORE: School removes a girl from class for having 'too short' trousers The cost of school uniform is clearly a topic which impacts many parents. Last year a single mum started a campaign to reduce the cost of school uniforms. Tired of struggling to afford branded school uniforms, Claire Rigby started a petition on Change.org, a platform which is used to put pressure on government to implement shifts in policy. She says that schools insistence on parents only buying uniform from approved sellers means shes spending upwards of 200 on clothing for a single child. Rather than wearing head-to-toe branded uniform, she suggested a simple badge to pin on should be deemed sufficient. School uniform has prompted many a conversation recently, with one school allowing male pupils to wear shorts after they protested wearing skirts. In a pioneering move, the Welsh government announced they would be making all school uniforms in Wales gender neutral, a change which came into effect from 1 September. As well as addressing the subject of uniform for transgender pupils the guidance from the Welsh government also provided advice for governing bodies and head teachers in how schools could try to make uniforms more affordable and accessible. Ways of keeping down the costs of uniforms could include stipulating basic items and colours but not styles, effectively meaning parents can buy items from various outlets. Schools will also have to consider whether there is a need for different uniforms for summer and winter, and whether school logos are absolutely necessary. Two people were shot late Saturday at an apartment complex on the North Side, according to San Antonio police. Officers responded to reports of a shooting on the 11700 block of Vance Jackson Road around 11:40 p.m. Police say they found a woman in her 20s shot to death in the living room and a male victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, still alive. Fears over coronavirus wiped more than $400billion off Chinese stocks today in the first trading session since the Lunar New Year break. Markets plunged by nearly nine per cent in their first session since January 23, since when the outbreak has spiralled into a global crisis which has killed 361 people. Chinese stocks can only fall by 10 per cent on one day and hundreds of companies hit that limit on Monday. Shanghai stocks ended down 7.72 per cent, their biggest drop in five years. Travel and tourism shares also plummeted after a series of governments and airlines imposed drastic restrictions to stop the spread of the virus. China's central bank has already injected 1.2 trillion yuan ($173.8billion) of liquidity in the markets in a bid to head off the panic. Fears over coronavirus wiped more than $400billion off Chinese stocks today in the first trading session since January 23 (pictured: an investor monitors stock prices in Beijing) The Lunar New Year holiday was originally scheduled to end last Friday but was extended by three days to give authorities more time to deal with the crisis. Workers in Hubei province - where the virus epicentre of Wuhan is located - are not scheduled to return to their jobs until after February 13. The death toll was only 17 when Chinese markets last traded on January 23, but has now risen to 361 including the first death outside China. Today the Shanghai Composite index shed nearly eight per cent of its value to hit a one-year low, according to Reuters calculations. The yuan began trade onshore at its weakest level this year, while iron, oil and copper traded in Shanghai all dropped by their daily limits. Beijing says it will help firms that produce vital goods resume work as soon as possible, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The number of deaths in China has now passed the total Chinese toll from the 2002-03 SARS outbreak, another virus that emerged from China and killed almost 800 people around the world. Wuhan and other cities remain in virtual lockdown with travel severely restricted, and China is facing mounting international isolation due to restrictions on flights. The World Health Organization last week declared the outbreak a public health emergency. A hospital built in just eight days to treat people with the virus in Wuhan will begin to take patients on Monday, state media said. The hospital called Huoshenshan, or 'fire-god mountain', will have 1,000 beds. More than 7,500 workers took part in the project, launched on January 25 and finished this weekend. A customer wearing a face mask talks with a clerk through the doors of a stock brokerage in Beijing today China is building a second hospital in Wuhan with 1,600 beds. Leishenshan, or 'thunder-god mountain', is scheduled to be completed on February 5. While countries have been trying to block the virus with travel bans, they have also been trying to get their stranded citizens out of locked-down Wuhan. The United States, which flew people out last week, planned 'a handful more flights', Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. Russia would start evacuating its citizens from Wuhan on Monday and it has also suspended direct passenger trains links with China. Australia evacuated 243 people, many of them children, from Wuhan on Monday and will quarantine them on a remote island in the Indian Ocean off its northwest coast. The country has also followed the United States in barring entry to all foreign nationals travelling from mainland China. The Group of Seven industrialised democracies are trying to find a common approach for dealing with the fast-spreading new coronavirus, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Sunday. The virus is thought to have emerged late last year in a Wuhan market illegally trading wildlife. It can cause pneumonia and spreads between people in droplets from coughs and sneezes. It has created alarm because it is spreading quickly and there are still important unknowns surrounding it, such as its death rate and whether it is able to spread before any symptoms show. Joe Biden. Photo: Al Drago/Getty Images If Joe Biden is the Democratic nominee for president and if he wins the general election in November, Republicans may try to impeach him on his first day in office, GOP senator Joni Ernst warned Sunday. I think this door of impeachable whatever has been opened, she told Bloomberg News. Joe Biden should be very careful what hes asking for because, you know, we can have a situation where if it should ever be President Biden, that immediately, people, right the day after he would be elected would be saying, Well, were going to impeach him. On what grounds would Biden be impeached? For being assigned to take on Ukrainian corruption yet turning a blind eye to Burisma because his son was on the board making over a million dollars a year, said Ernst. The Iowa senator also said this weekend that she plans to vote for President Trumps acquittal. Ernst is not the only senator preparing to turn their attention from Trumps abuse of power to Biden. Lindsey Graham on Sunday said the Senate Intelligence Committee will soon begin investigating the whistle-blower whose complaint led to the impeachment proceedings. Speaking on Fox News, Graham suggested that the whistle-blower and the former VP could be connected. If the whistle-blower is a former employeeassociate of Joe Biden, I think that would be important, Graham said. Biden said Ernsts comments show how scared the GOP is of him winning the Democratic nomination. They very much dont want to face me obviously, Biden told the Des Moines Register. Ive never seen a sitting president and his allies this frightened about who may be the nominee. In an email to the paper, a senior adviser to Ernst explained that she was laying out a hypothetical, not saying Biden should be impeached if hes elected. She said that because of how House Democrats have lowered the standards of impeachment, if Biden wins, there could be people calling for it, the spokesperson said. (Newser) An aspiring Chicago rapper who posted a video on YouTube of himself throwing thousands of dollars that he inherited from his mother to his fans has been sentenced to 99 years in prison for her 2012 murder-for-hire killing, the AP reports. Qawmane Wilson, 30, was sentenced Friday by a Cook County judge who also sentenced the convicted gunman, Eugene Spencer, to 100 years, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Both men were convicted last March of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and home invasion in the killing of Yolanda Holmes, who was a hairstylist in Chicagos Uptown neighborhood. Prosecutors said that Holmes doted on her son, an only child, lavishing him with fancy clothes, jewelry, and a Mustang, but that he wanted more. story continues below Wilson, then 23, sent Spencer to his mothers apartment to kill her in September 2012 so that Wilson could raid her bank accounts, prosecutors said. Records showed that Wilson withdrew nearly $70,000 from his mothers accounts in the months after her death and spent the money on flashy clothes and to customize the Mustang she had given him to have gull-wing doors added to the vehicle. Wilson also posted on YouTube a video of himself withdrawing thousands of dollars in cash from a bank and throwing those bills to a crowd of people that he said in the video were fans of his rap music. That video was played for the jury that convicted Wilson, who went by the name Young QC. Before the judge made his ruling, he spoke briefly: I just want to say, nobody loved my mother more than me, he said. She was all I had. Thats it. (Read more murder stories.) A novel salt-tolerant bacterium cultured from the Red Sea effectively removes nitrogen from salty wastewater, suggests research from Pascal Saikaly's team at KAUST. The bacterium could be used to treat sewage coming from toilets that use seawater for flushing in place of freshwater. Less than one percent of Earth's water is fresh and also accessible for human use. The world's population is expected to grow to about ten billion by 2050 and will continue to place increasing pressure on this already rare resource. Currently, toilet flushing accounts for about 30 percent of the world's total domestic water demand, with an average human flushing a whopping 50 liters per day. Using seawater to flush toilets could partially alleviate pressure on freshwater resources. "Seawater toilet flushing is already in practice in Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo," says KAUST research scientist Muhammad Ali. "More coastal cities are likely to follow suit to reduce their dependence on freshwater resources and energy-intensive desalination. But the high salt content in the wastewater from seawater toilet flushing limits the performance of conventional nitrogen-removing bacteria used in treatment processes because they have low salt tolerance." Muhammad Ali and Ph.D. candidate Dario Rangel Shaw, both in Pascal Saikaly's lab, conducted three years of tests to find whether the bacterium Candidatus Scalindua sp. AMX11, which they cultured from the Red Sea, could effectively remove nitrogen from salty wastewater. Nitrogen needs to be removed from wastewater due to its negative effects on the environment and human health. Currently, the most energy-efficient method to do this involves the use of granules containing two types of nitrogen-removing bacteria. But one of these, an anaerobic ammonium oxidation bacteria, or anammox bacteria for short, has a very low tolerance for and effectiveness in saltwater. KAUST's Candidatus Scalindua sp. AMX11 was around 90 percent effective in treating wastewater with a salinity of about 1.2 percent and demonstrated high nitrogen removal rates. The tests were on real seawater--unlike other studies that used artificial versions. "The findings demonstrate a proof of concept, and the next step is to demonstrate this technology in a microbial granular system containing Candidatus Scalindua sp. AMX11 bacteria and the other types of bacteria necessary for a full-scale wastewater treatment process," explains Saikaly. The team is also working with a Saudi fertilizer company to test its bioprocess for treating industrial wastewater. ### Iran proposed paying $80,000 each to the families of Ukrainian citizens killed in the shooting down of a Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) plane near Tehran on January 8, but the Ukrainian side has not agreed to that. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in a comment to the TSN.Tyzhden weekly news program on the 1+1 television channel on Sunday, February 2. "They [the Iranian side] offered $80,000 to each family of each victim, but we did not agree to that. It seems to me that this is not enough. When the wife of the deceased says that her husband was the only breadwinner, she does not have a job and their child has to enter the institute, then $80,000 is not enough. Of course, human life is not measured by any money, but we will press for higher payments," he said. Zelensky added that Ukraine would still file a lawsuit with an international court. "In any case, there will be an international court. In any case, there will be compensation, part of compensation. From our state, we paid as much as we could to every family UAH 200,000. The other part of compensation will come from UIA through insurance companies. The situation is difficult. It is not easy now for insurance companies to work with the Iranian side, as Iran is under sanctions. They have already found a way out, and documents have already been prepared for one family. All these documents are being collected manually, everything will be paid in some time," he said. He also expressed confidence that Ukraine would win the case in the courts. "Ukraine will definitely win. We will win everything," he said. A Ukraine International Airlines plane (Flight PS752) heading from Tehran to Kyiv crashed shortly after taking off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport at about 06:00 Tehran time (04:30 Kyiv time) on Wednesday, January 8. There were 176 people on board nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK). On January 11, Iran admitted that its military had accidentally shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps accepted full responsibility for the downing of the Ukrainian airliner. op This month marks the 10th anniversary of Rick Hess Straight Up, making it a propitious time to revisit some favorites from the past decade. For each of the Top 20 which run this month, Ive offered a quick reflection or thought as to why it remains a personal favorite. The first throwback in our countdown reminds me of how different the education landscape was when I launched this blog in 2010. See, a decade ago, as I was musing on the thoughts that would soon become The Cage-Busting Leader, the education landscape looked very different. For one thing, reformers still thought I was more provocative than unhelpful. For another, we were still a ways from sinking into the wagon-circling thats so prevalent on every side and in every camp today. That all explains how it was that I came to be asked to interview a couple of celebrated superintendents during the ceremony for the old Broad Prize for Urban School Districts. Now, onto number 20 , originally published on October 19, 2010. I was in New York this morning to moderate a panel preceding the Broad Prize announcement. I was given the chance to chat with the superintendents of two recent Broad Prize winners: New Yorks Joel Klein and Wanda Bamberg of Aldine, Texas. I was musing last night on what Id really like to talk about with these acclaimed district chiefs. A series of chats in recent weeks with supes and state chiefs in a number of locales have got me thinking that we often dont ask the right questions. Here are the 10 that I found myself most inclined to ask: Davis Guggenheim, director of Waiting for Superman, recently said weve cracked the code when it comes to educating low-income students and that we now know what we need to do and its only a question of will. Do you think thats true? If so, given that most urban districts still have thousands of low-performers, why havent you set matters straight? We hear a lot about the virtues of data-driven decisionmaking, but I know that Ive seen some really dumb decisions made with data. Whats the dumbest way youve seen data handled or misused, what lessons can we take from that, and what does it take to ensure that data is used smartly? We also hear a lot about best practices, but any number of ideas that are hotly contested todayincluding mega-high schools, social promotion, and forgiving disciplinary policieswere once deemed best practices. How can we tell the wheat from the chaff? How big a problem is the collective bargaining agreement, really? Whats a specific example of where youve sought to act and it has stopped you from doing what needs to be done? If the statutes, collective bargaining agreements, and associated policies governing staffing, evaluation, and pay went away tomorrow, what exactly would you do differently? Would your teams be up to the challenge? Given that were looking at a new era of flat or even declining per-pupil spending, how do you drive improvement without new dollars? Whats the toughest cost-cutting measure youve adopted on your watch and what was the toughest thing about making that happen? Whats the most inefficient, wasteful, or unproductive thing your district does? Why havent you yet zeroed this out? Whats the most important thing that your supporters and community backers get right? Whats the one thing they get most wrong or that itd be nice if they did better? Recently, theres been a bit of a media frenzy over the D.C. superintendency. What does the media get mostly right in covering schools and what do they get dismally wrong? Finally, in D.C., weve seen enormous attention to the question of whether former Chancellor Michelle Rhee was too abrasive and too willing to go it alone. Just how focused on consensus, buy-in, and collaboration do you think a district leader ought to be? Anyway, those were mineor at least the best I could do at the moment. Would love to hear reader thoughts on which of these arent all that interesting, how they might be asked better, or what else should be in there. Pulling up your Pinterest board, you're picking out wedding sermons and dresses, decor, bridal hairstyles and all. Have you thought about the venue? There are many beautiful destination wedding locations around the world. But a Bali wedding stands out. From the scenic beauty to culture, adventures and wedding venues, we've listed up reasons to make you wed in Bali. And the best part is, it's budget-friendly. See the reasons why you should have a Bali wedding below. You're on a lifetime of adventures With a Bali destination wedding, love takes you on a journey ride. Choose to say with yours on a sandy beach or the edgy cliff side with a view of the crashing waves. The mysterious lush jungle is another choice spot for nuptials. You can be the wanderlust couple in the wanderlust couple encased in the greenery of the rice paddy. For something more modern, snag up the Semara beach home in Canguu. A place where Bali beach weddings are made of. Visit the iconic terraces around eastern Bali or Ubud for an outdoorsy style wedding. Do you want a scenic backdrop? Get hitched at the four seasons of Jimbaran overlooking the turquoise bay. The most beautiful chapels welcome you If you're set to get married in Bali, you've signed up to experience the best locations. Bali wedding venues are well sought after like the Bulgan resort. It's the toast of all on the island of Bali. This is the dream of brides as the reflecting pool gives an illusion of the bride walking on water. The "Sky" is another Gorg venue, a part of Ayana that stands 15ft over the sea. The all-glass, see-through Tresna chapel is another place that gives a fairytale touch. And then the ultramodern architectural masterpiece named Infinity chapel is perfect for historical weddings. It floats 6ft about sea level. Tons of fun for family, friends, and guests While in Bali, the fun is endless. You can go surfing, kayaking, rafting, hiking volcanoes, or trekking waterfalls. This is for outdoor lovers. If you're the laid back type, Bali is big on yoga, so take time to reflect. You could also take a crash course in Indonesian cuisine or go for spa massage and relaxation. You're on the edge of paradise A destination wedding trip to Bali takes you to the edge of paradise. You'll never run short of the gorgeous state of the art hotels, amazing resorts, serene beaches, and restaurants. The culture is awe-inspiring with beautiful and warm people. There's also chic shopping centers, lush jungles, rolling mountains, and legendary rice paddies. Bali is a place of complete beauty. That's your spot to splurge or save on lodge Bali wedding costs can go as high or as low as you want it, especially on accommodation. Bali has it all. You and your guests can opt for plush resorts all the way. You may also go for smaller or low priced lodges that are as low as $75 per night. This often covers food and room with a relaxed surrounding. It's also in your discretion to mix low priced with uber-high accommodation depending on what you can afford. Experience the most blissful, romantic, and dramatic sunset Head off to Jimbaran Bay where you'll find fresh food and watch the sunset. Another place is the Bali Villa wedding venue, Alila Villa in Uluwatu. You can have your wedding perched right there over the cliff. This is about one of the most romantic vision to see. And it all depends on the time of year, you may be in luck to enjoy an afterglow. The surf villas in Uluwatu have the softest glow of sunset retiring over the sloping cliff. Stay pampered by the sources and vendors Pulling off a wedding on foreign soil can be stressful. It's not for the faint at heart. But Bali lifts the load off you and makes your planning effortless. With the wedding and tourism industry in Bali growing massively, there's always a Bali wedding planner ready for you. From your flowers to cake, decor and all, you get a custom and romantic wedding without stressing out. There's someone to pamper you through the whole planning process. Perfect honeymoon destination Once the wedding is over, there's no need jetting off to another country. Bali is a sweet honeymoon destination spot that fits every style and budget. Say your goodbyes and transfer to another resort or location. You could take a beach house or head to the villages for a serene getaway. Islands you can move to include the Nusa Peruda and Nusa Lembongan. Both of them are accessible by boat. Enjoy snorkeling, diving, surfing, boat cruises and a laid back relaxation on the beach. A Bali wedding is the perfect definition of fairytales. And if you need reasons to wed there, get inspired here. There are currently no documented cases of this disease in Ukraine; at that, the government is ready for any possible scenario, Oleksiy Honcharuk says There are enough infectiologists in Ukraine who know how to act in case of the infection and the spread of nCov, the infamous Chinese coronavirus. Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk said so on air of Ukraina TV channel on Sunday night as quoted by Ukrinform. "Even in case of the emergency of such disease, we understand how to act. We've got enough infectiologists - at least two well-equipped brigades in every region who know what to do. So I don't see any reasons to be worried", he said. According to him, there are currently no documented cases of this disease in Ukraine; at that, the government is ready for any possible scenario, Oleksiy Honcharuk says. "We've got all our services working in the maximum readiness mode. We control the situation on the border; we check the people who come to Ukraine from risky territories, we have their contacts. We inform that on the way they should act when detecting minimal symptoms and who they should report to so that they can be examined if necessary", the head of the government said. Retired PNC Bank executive Paul Clark and his wife, Jill, are in Iowa, crossing a big item off their bucket list: experiencing the Iowa caucuses, the first votes in the nation in the 2020 presidential race. Paul will regularly offer his insights to cleveland.com readers not as a commentator or a partisan, just as an observer representing cleveland.com who has always wanted to see this democratic process play out up close. DES MOINES, Iowa - I want to create a visual of what I experience at candidate events. I have watched Iowa caucus candidates on TV for decades and thought I had a sense of the happening in the room. I have learned this week that TV, or even live streaming, misses the real feel of the events. My impression is that the vibe or atmosphere in the room is a function of three attributes coming together: venue, crowd and candidate. Highest impact events have had at least two of these in abundance. But if two or more were negatives, the event did not go well for the candidate. If you were watching on TV, however, it might be difficult to discern the difference among the events. Venues range from small auditoriums on college campuses to classic multipurpose meeting rooms to party centers in half-empty retail malls to high school gyms. Crowds in Iowa generally are not as diverse as we would have in Cleveland. The African American community represents 3% of Iowa and 20% in Cleveland. But when there was a diverse crowd -r ace, gender, age, sexuality - there was a tangible energy in the room. Candidates are the biggest variable. I have only a tiny sample size of the physical toll campaigning in Iowa demands. No event is near the last one or the next. Food is a theory, and healthy food is a dream. But the Iowans I met are authentic, informed and experienced. You grasp that they easily figure out which candidate is sprinting, which is winded, which is gasping. Here are examples of what I mean by these three qualities coming together. I saw former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg twice and was able to compare two events. He gave the same remarks, almost verbatim, at each event, but the energy and feel were completely different. The first was in a party center in Marshalltown. The room was a negative: a big open room with pillars and poor acoustics. A crowd of 400 was diverse and the candidate was secure. I wrote earlier that the event had a high level of engagement with tangible energy. But the second event was the highest energy event I attended. It was held in the Lincoln High School gym in Des Moines. Bleachers and balconies made the venue feel three dimensional. A sound crew fine-tuned the audio. An audience of 1,500 was diverse in every way. You could sense the candidate fed the crowds energy into his own. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota holds an event at Franklin Junior High school gym in Beaverdale, Iowa. (Paul Clark) Similarly, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota held an event in the small Franklin Junior High school gym in Beaverdale. It was so packed that the room temperature seemed like 90-degrees with no air flow. Think your high school gym rallies! The crowd was age and gender diverse. And the candidate was the most enthusiastic I witnessed in seven events. Happy people left about 10:15 like they were leaving a great party. A high impact event. All the ingredients present. The flip side, having two qualities lacking, was former Vice President Joe Bidens event. He had a great Learning Center gym, but I wrote earlier that the crowd looked my age (66) and was not diverse. Then he read a speech and left. It was the least energetic event of seven. Other candidate events had two qualities in the plus column, and the energy and impact were somewhere between the other examples. I wanted to understand on this trip the tone and the vibe in the room. Is what takes place in a venue in Iowa what we experience in the media the next day? Thinking about those questions in terms of the relationship among venue, crowd and candidate helped me conclude that nothing beats being on the ground and being in the room. Think the difference between hearing a song on your streaming service versus hearing it from the front row at a live concert. Today is caucus day and Ill be attending a caucus in Des Moines, then off to the Media Filing Center. More to come. Read more: Putting the Iowa caucuses in context 281 miles, 14 and a half hours, 3 candidate events in Iowa Stranger in a strange land: The Iowa vibe before the caucuses Former Cleveland PNC Bank chief Paul Clark will join cleveland.com for Iowa caucus coverage Health care spending as a percent of GDP, 19802018. Data: OECD Health Statistics 2019. Graphic: Commonwealth Fund 30 January 2020 (Commonwealth Fund) The United States spends substantially more than any other wealthy nation on health care, yet it has a lower life expectancy and a higher suicide rate than its peer nations, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. The report, U.S. Health Care from a Global Perspective, 2019: Higher Spending, Worse Outcomes, compares the United States to 10 other high-income nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD): Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Commonwealth Fund researchers examined U.S. health care spending, outcomes, risk factors, and quality relative to these other countries. They also compared U.S. performance to the average of all 36 OECD member nations. Key findings Suicides in OECD nations, 2016. Data: OECD Health Statistics 2019. Graphic: Commonwealth Fund The U.S. has the highest suicide rate of any wealthy nation. Suicides account for 14 deaths per 100,000 people in the U.S. This is double the suicide rate of the United Kingdom. Potential factors that contribute to the high U.S. suicide rate include a high burden of mental illness, a lack of mental health screening, inadequate investment in social services, and the inability of many people to pay for mental health treatment. In recent years, Americans have experienced an uptick in deaths of despair, which include suicides and deaths related to substance use and drug overdoses. The U.S. spends more on health care than any other high-income country. In 2018, the U.S. spent 16.9 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health care almost double what the average OECD country spent. In contrast, New Zealand and Australia devoted only 9 percent of GDP to health care. U.S. health spending now totals more than $10,000 per person. Private insurance costs (premiums and employer-sponsored coverage) drive much of this spending in the U.S. The amount of public health care spending in the U.S., meanwhile, is similar to many other countries. Life Expectancy at Birth, 19802017. Data: OECD Health Statistics 2019. Graphic: Commonwealth Fund The U.S. has the lowest life expectancy. Despite spending more on health care, Americans have the lowest life expectancy 78.6 years, a full two years lower than the average for other wealthy nations. People in the U.S. die five years sooner, on average, than people in Switzerland, which has the highest life expectancy in the OECD. Americans visit the doctor less frequently but use expensive technologies and procedures more often. The average American has only four physician visits per year approximately half as many as the Dutch and Australians. But the highest rates of MRI scans and hip replacements for older adults are in the U.S. The U.S. does better than most other high-income nations when it comes to preventive measures such as flu vaccinations and breast cancer screenings. Sixty-eight percent of adults over age 65 in the U.S. had a flu vaccine in 2016, compared to 44 percent in other OECD countries. The U.S. also excels in providing breast cancer screening for women ages 50 to 69, with 80 percent getting appropriate screenings, compared to 61 percent in peer nations, on average. The U.S. fiveyear survival rate for breast cancer is highest among high-income countries more than five percentage points above the OECD average. However, the U.S. ranks last among the 11 countries on fiveyear survival for cervical cancer, possibly reflecting lower emphasis on screening for this disease. Obesity Rate, 2017. Data: OECD Health Statistics 2019. Graphic: Commonwealth Fund The U.S. has one of the highest rates of hospitalizations for preventable conditions and the highest rate of avoidable deaths. U.S. hospitalizations related to diabetes and hypertension, considered preventable with sufficient access to primary care, are approximately 50 percent higher than the OECD average. Only Germany has a higher rate of preventable hospitalizations for the two conditions. While preventable deaths overall have been falling in each of the 11 nations since 2000, the U.S. continues to have the highest rates of premature deaths from causes such as diabetes, hypertensive diseases, and certain cancers all considered preventable with timely access to primary care and good chronic disease management. Implications The authors recommend some steps to reverse these trends: Reduce health care costs. Lowering health care prices is likely to have the greatest impact on U.S. health spending. Other nations take steps to contain costs through budgeting practices and value-based pricing of medical technologies. Lowering health care prices is likely to have the greatest impact on U.S. health spending. Other nations take steps to contain costs through budgeting practices and value-based pricing of medical technologies. Invest in primary care. Making access to affordable care more readily available and strengthening primary care could make a big difference for the people who need the most care. Making access to affordable care more readily available and strengthening primary care could make a big difference for the people who need the most care. Promote incentives to use effective care and cut down on wasteful care. Recent studies suggest that as much as $935 billion in annual U.S. health care spending goes to ineffective care that provides minimal benefit. The U.S. can learn from other countries and assess what tests and treatments are truly necessary. Adults with multiple chronic conditions, 2016. Data: OECD Health Statistics 2019. Graphic: Graphic: Commonwealth Fund How We Conducted This Study The Commonwealth Fund researchers used data from the OECDs 2019 health statistics release, which tracks health system measures from 36 high-income countries. The 11 countries included in this comparison take part in the Commonwealth Funds annual International Health Policy Survey. New International Report on Health Care: U.S. Suicide Rate Highest Among Wealthy Nations Financial services firm KPMG recently hosted a seminar in Bahrain covering the overall tax and Zakat requirements for companies based in Bahrain with operations in Saudi Arabia. Direct taxation in Saudi Arabia remains a challenge for businesses that need to be compliant with corporate income tax, withholding tax, excise tax, VAT and Zakat. A unique aspect of the tax regime in Saudi Arabia is that the nature of taxation is dependent upon the nationality of the shareholder of the resident corporation. A resident corporation is subject to tax on the non-Saudi share while Zakat is assessed on the Saudi share. Around 50 representatives from Bahraini companies and subsidiaries with operations in Saudi Arabia and companies in the Eastern Province, with interests in Bahrain, attended the event at the Downtown Rotana Hotel. Philippe Norre, partner and head of Taxes and Corporate Services at KPMG in Bahrain, and Wadih Abounasr, head of Tax at KPMG in Saudi Arabia, were the keynote speakers. During their presentations and supported by KPMG professionals from both countries, they shed light on the latest industry development, General Authority of Zakat and Tax (GAZT) compliance requirements and the recommended approach by KPMG. KPMG is regionally connected and locally rooted and we are delighted to host our colleagues from Saudi Arabia to help businesses with operations in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia navigate the complexities of managing tax, said Norre. Tax can be turned into value opportunities across both markets when managed properly and in a dynamic way. Our KPMG regional connection between local specialists puts KPMG in a unique position to provide seamless advice to our clients wherever they are. Abounasr added: The tax scene has emerged further following Saudi Arabias expansion in tax treaty network over recent years. The has led to a wave of new regulations and procedures to streamline direct and in-direct taxes alike. This is in addition to GAZTs increasing emphasis on digitalization and automation in reporting VAT returns. All this means that companies need to stay on top of the industry developments and trends to ensure ongoing compliance and avoid penalties. TradeArabia News Service An error has occurred within file /articles.aspx Please report the error to support@bizcommunity.com and it will be fixed as soon as possible. By PTI NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader Amit Shah and his party's ally JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar launched an all-out attack on AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, saying some people are more interested in publicity than work. The two National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders were addressing an election rally together in northeast Delhi's Burari constituency that goes to polls on February 8 along with the other 69 assembly seats in the national capital. They also questioned the work done by the Kejriwal government in the last five years. Bihar Chief Minister Kumar and Union Home Minister Shah slammed Kejriwal for "insulting" the people of Bihar and Purvanchal by saying that a person from the state buys a ticket to Delhi for Rs 500 and returns after availing free treatment worth Rs 5 lakhs. Burari has a large population of Purvanchalis, who are people from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and they play an important role in any election in Delhi. The BJP is contesting the assembly polls in Delhi in alliance with the JD(U) and the Lok Janshakti Party. Shah asserted that Delhi belongs equally to the people of Bihar and Purvanchal as it belongs to the locals. The two leaders were canvassing for JD(U) candidate in Burari Shailendra Kumar. The home minister said if there is a competition to tell lies, Kejriwal will stand first. "He will leave Hitler behind in spreading lies and propaganda," Shah said. Questioning Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's claim of improving the education system in Delhi, Kumar asked how many schools did he build in the national capital in the last five years. Bihar being a poor state has done a phenomenal job in areas of education, electricity and health, and strengthening road and transport infrastructure, he added. "Some people are more interested in publicity and advertisements. Some people have the habit of praising oneself. We don't do that. Those who got the mandate to govern Delhi did nothing" Kumar said, without naming Kejriwal. The JD(U) chief said after taking over the reins of Bihar, his government built 22,000 primary schools, recruited 3000 to 4000 teachers and ensured that the dropout rates of students, especially girls, go down. In an apparent reference to the Anaj Mandi fire in north Delhi in December 2019 that killed 45 people, Kumar said Kejriwal should have worked on strengthening power infrastructure, the way the Bihar government has done. Majority of those killed in the fire were from Bihar. The JD (U) chief also welcomed the Centre's move to regularise unauthorised colonies in Delhi. In 2015, when Kumar was not a part of the NDA, he had backed Kejriwal in the assembly polls. However, he returned to the NDA fold in 2017. Kumar also congratulated the Modi government for a "positive and a farmer-friendly" budget. Earlier in the day, Kumar campaigned for party candidate S C L Gupta. Gupta is contesting the elections from the Sangam Vihar constituency in south Delhi. BJP president J P Nadda and LJP leader Chirag Paswan were also present at the public meeting. China which is dealing with deadly novel coronavirus outbreak said on Monday that it "urgently needs" medical masks to tackle contagion. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a press briefing that the country is in dire need of protective medical equipment to tackle the deadly virus. "What China urgently needs at present are medical masks, protective suits, and safety goggles," she said. Mounting fears owing to the coronavirus has impelled people to stock up on single-use surgical masks as the frontline healthcare workers at the centre of the outbreak have reported medical equipment shortfalls. China's factories at full capacity can only manufacture nearly 20 million medical masks a day, according to the (China's) Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Also Read: Coronavirus: Worried investors erase $420 billion from China's stock market Countries comprising Hungary, Japan, Kazakhstan and South Korea have donated medical supplies, said the foreign ministry. Meanwhile, Tian Yulong, chief engineer, MIIT said earlier on Monday that government authorities were ensuring measures to get masks from Japan, Europe and the US. He added that the demand and supply for masks have remained in "tight equilibrium" in China as factories returned to production after the Chinese New Year lull. He further stated that Chinese factories are now running at "between 60 and 70% capacity." Besides Hubei, the region of more than 50 million population which is at the centre of coronavirus outbreak, other provinces and cities across China have made it mandatory to wear masks in public. These regions comprise Guangdong (China's most populated province), Jiangxi, Liaoning and the city of Nanjing, with an overall population of over 300 million. Also Read: Coronavirus case in Kerala: State health minister confirms third case Coronavirus claimed more than 360 lives in China as on Monday with over 14,000 people already affected in the country. Meanwhile, Kerala health minister KK Shailaja has confirmed the third case of novel coronavirus in the state. The state government has announced high alert in Kerala. The first two cases were also detected from Kerala where the government has quarantined nearly 2,000 people and kept them under observation at different hospitals, homes and quarantine facilities. Kerala, which is thickly populated, has been on high alert as a large number of students from the state are studying in the University of Wuhan. Also Read: First case of coronavirus confirmed in India; student tested positive in Kerala Coronavirus has spread to nearly 25 countries so far, including India and the US. Meanwhile, the government brought back 323 more Indians and seven Maldivians by air from the Chinese city. The total number of evacuees is 654 so far. The central government also temporarily suspended e-visa facility for Chinese citizens travelling to India as well as foreigners dwelling in the neighbouring country. The government also issued a fresh travel advisory to Indian citizens saying anyone with travel history to China since January 15 can be quarantined. Also Read: Coronavirus update: India temporarily suspends e-visa facility for Chinese citizens, foreigners in china Also Read: Coronavirus in India: Second case of deadly virus confirmed in Kerala Also Read: Coronavirus: Govt issues new advisory, urges people to refrain from travel to China Also Read: Coronavirus outbreak: Second batch of 323 Indians evacuated from China's virus-hit Wuhan A bakery in a small Romanian village says it will continue to allow a pair of Sri Lankan employees to make bread at its shop in the face of protests from local residents fearing an influx of immigrants. Katalin Kollo, one of the bakery owners, said on February 3 that she would allow the workers to continue in their positions after initially apologizing to the local residents of Ditrau and pledging to move the two Sri Lankans to other sections of the company which did not involve direct contact with the dough or the final product. Despite possessing the proper paperwork, the bakery owners' hiring of the two Sri Lankans sparked outrage among the mainly ethnic Hungarian community of some 5,500, with a couple of thousand residents signing a petition calling for measures to stop what they called the immigrant inflow." At a town hall meeting over the weekend, the villagers complained about the bakery owners' treatment of local workers, who they said were forced to work long hours for low wages. Villagers accused the owner of choosing to bring in cheaper laborers from abroad rather than providing better conditions and higher pay for local workers. They also voiced fears that the two qualified Sri Lankan bakers were the start of a much larger influx of Asian migrants who would alter the local culture and religion. One of the two Sri Lankans is a Catholic, as are most of the villagers. Labor Minister Violeta Alexandru on February 2 told reporters she was deploying labor inspectors to clarify the situation of the two foreign laborers. Alexandru told Romanian media that she was surprised by the intolerant stance of the locals, "who forget that our fellow Romanians also work in large numbers abroad and deserve respect." Millions of Romanians work in European Union countries to help their families at home make ends meet. An estimated 1,000 residents of Ditrau have also left to find work abroad, mostly in Hungary. "We need to be balanced in assessing this situation," Alexandru said. Before Kollo reversed her decision and allowed the two Sri Lankans to continue to make bread, several Romanian companies offered to relocate the employees to their bakeries in other parts of the country. The coronavirus outbreak that began in Wuhan, the capital of Chinas central province of Hubei, has infected three Indians so far. At least 56 people were killed by the new coronavirus till Sunday pushing the death toll from the outbreak to 361, Chinese health authorities have said. The worst-hit Hubei province recorded more than 2100 cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases in the central Chinese province to over 16,600. More than 2800 new cases were reported nationwide and it now has at least 17,205 confirmed cases of the virus across the country. Infections have also been reported in more than two dozen other countries and territories, including Australia, Britain, France, Germany, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Russia, Spain, Thailand and the United States. Heres what we know is happening India: * India reported the third case of the fast-spreading coronavirus from north Keralas Kanhangad on Monday after the affected person returned from Wuhan last week. Kerala has been put on high alert. * The Centre has set up a task force to monitor the situation arising out of the novel coronavirus with representatives from the ministries of health, home, civil aviation and women and child development. * Out of the 198 samples tested for the novel coronavirus, 195 have tested negative. * Close to 100 people, with a history of travel to China, are under quarantine in different hospitals across India. * The Union health ministry on Monday updated its travel advisory, which was issued on Sunday, asking people to refrain from travelling to China and said travellers on return from the neighbouring country could be quarantined. * India also temporarily suspended e-visa facility for Chinese travellers and foreigners based in China in view of the outbreak, which has prompted the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare it as a global health emergency. * India completed the evacuation of its nationals stranded in Wuhan on Sunday with around 650 people brought back in two phases. * Six Indians down with fever and other flu-like symptoms, however, were not allowed board the second Air India flight on Sunday. * One of them, a woman from Andhra Pradesh, released a video asking the government to evacuate them. The young woman said she doesnt have the symptoms of the coronavirus anymore. * Among all the panic, a Chinese woman and Indian man got married in Madhya Pradeshs Mandsaur on Sunday. Zhihao Wang and Satyarth Mishra met while they were studying in Canada five years back. Zhihao said their courtship lasted for a few years before they decided to get married with the blessings of their parents. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has demanded demonstrable evidence from the Taliban that they can and will reduce violence before signing a deal that would lead to Afghanistan peace talks and a withdrawal of US troops from the country. Speaking at a news conference in neighbouring Uzbekistan, Mr Pompeo said a deal is close but that they have been close before and failed because the Taliban was unable to demonstrate seriousness. He said more work remains to be done so that peace talks can get started. Were working on a peace and reconciliation plan, putting the commas in the right place, getting the sentences right, he said. Great to meet with #Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Kamilov and discuss the growing strategic partnership between our countries, including Uzbekistans support of the Afghanistan peace process and the increasing spirit of cooperation within #CentralAsia. pic.twitter.com/Ifeh5fYLx0 Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) February 3, 2020 We got close once before to having an agreement: a piece of paper that we mutually executed and the Taliban were unable to demonstrate either their will or capacity or both to deliver on a reduction in violence. So, what we are demanding now is demonstrable evidence of their will and capacity to reduce violence, to take down the threat, so the inter-Afghan talks will have a less violent context, he said. Were hopeful we can achieve that but were not there yet, and work certainly remains. Mr Pompeos comments came just two days after US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul and told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani there has been no notable progress in talks with the Taliban. However, Mr Khalilzad said he was hopeful of reaching an understanding with them on a reduction of hostilities, without offering any time frame. Mr Khalilzad had been in Pakistan last week to rally support for getting an agreement with the Taliban to reduce their attacks, as a first step toward a peace agreement to end 18 years of war in neighbouring Afghanistan. Expand Close US secretary of state Mike Pompeo inserts an earphone in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp US secretary of state Mike Pompeo inserts an earphone in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (AP) Earlier, the Taliban said they offered Mr Khalilzad a 10-day cease-fire window in which to sign a peace agreement that would be followed by intra-Afghan negotiations. Mr Khalilzad was appointed by the White House in 2018 to find a negotiated end to Afghanistans war that would allow the United States to bring home its estimated 13,000 soldiers and end its longest military engagement. He has held multiple rounds of talks with the Taliban in the Mideastern state of Qatar where the militant group maintains a political office. Talks in recent weeks have focused on finding a way to reduce hostilities and bring both sides in the conflict to the negotiating table. Until now the Taliban have refused to talk to Mr Ghanis government. Mr Ghani has also been unable to agree on a negotiating team with Abdullah Abdullah who is currently his partner in Afghanistans so-called Unity Government. Today, I met with Pres @realdonaldtrump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. We followed up on various issues based on our previous discussions from our last meeting in Bagram. The Afghan government will continue these discussions with NSA Robert OBrien. pic.twitter.com/vJBlaVAgu6 Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) January 22, 2020 Mr Abdullah accuses the president of foiling efforts at peace by imposing new conditions on talks. Mr Ghani and Mr Abdullah were the leading contenders in last Septembers presidential polls. The voting was mired in controversy and is still without a final result. Santa Clara County, Calif. - The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department received confirmation this morning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of a second case of the novel (new) coronavirus. This second case is in an adult female. This Santa Clara County case is not related to the first case but they both had recently traveled to Wuhan, China. She is a visitor to this county and arrived on January 23 to visit the family. She has stayed home since she arrived, except for two times to seek outpatient medical care. She has been regularly monitored and was never sick enough to be hospitalized Family members have also been isolated, which means that they do not leave the house, even to buy groceries. The Public Health Department provides food and other necessary items. Since the investigation has just begun, further information about the individual will not be released at this time. I understand that people are concerned, but based on what we know today, the risk to the general public remains low, said Dr. Sara Cody, Health Officer, Santa Clara County. A second case is not unexpected. With our large population and the amount of travel to China for both personal and business reasons, we will likely see more cases, including close contacts to our cases. Because much is unknown about how the novel coronavirus spreads, current knowledge is largely based on what is known about similar coronavirus. Santa Clara County residents, students, workers, and visitors should continue to engage in their regular activities and practice good health hygiene since this is the height of the flu season. Healthy people should not be excluded from activities based on their race, country of origin, or recent travel. Anyone with respiratory symptoms, such as a cough, sore throat, or fever, should stay home, practice proper cough etiquette and hand hygiene, and limit their contact with other people. County of Santa Clara Public Health Department is working closely with the CDC, the California Public Health Department and other partners as the new coronavirus situation continues to change. DETROIT The Detroit Metropolitan Airport is one of 11 airports that will have enhanced security and receiving capabilities for passengers who have traveled to China during the coronavirus outbreak. Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf announced the decision on Sunday, which means all flights from China and all passengers who have traveled to China within the last 14 days could be rerouted to one of the 11 designated airports, including DTW. At these eleven airports, the United States has established enhanced screening procedures and the capacity to quarantine passengers, if needed. Additionally, U.S. citizens who have been in Hubei province within 14 days of their return will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine to ensure they are provided proper medical care and health screening. U.S. citizens who have been in other areas of mainland China within 14 days of their return will undergo proactive entry health screening and up to 14 days of self-quarantine with health monitoring to ensure they have not contracted the virus and do not pose a public health risk. Generally, foreign nationals, other than immediate family of U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and flight crew, who have traveled in China within 14 days of their arrival, will be denied entry into the United States, according to a news release. While the overall risk to the American public remains low, funneling all flights with passengers who have recently been in China is the most important and prudent step we can take at this time to decrease the strain on public health officials screening incoming travelers, Secretary Wolf said in a statement. These steps will also expedite the processing of U.S. citizens returning from China, and ensure resources are focused on the health and safety of the American people. At least 361 people have died from coronavirus in China, according to the nations health officials. Hundreds more have been sickened. The United States has had 11 confirmed cases, but none in Michigan. However, the CDC expects the number of infected Americans to rise, according to a news release. Despite that fact, the risk for Americans remains low, according to the DHS. We realize this could provide added stress and prolong travel times for some individuals, however public health and security experts agree these measures are necessary to contain the virus and protect the American people, Secretary Wolf continued in a statement. To minimize disruptions, CBP and air carriers are working to identify qualifying passengers before their scheduled flights. Once back in the U.S., its imperative that individuals honor self-quarantine directives to help protect the American public. DHS and the Transportation Security Administration have coordinated extensively with air carriers and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to designate the eleven U.S. airports at which CDC will seek to identify potentially ill persons. They include: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) Chicago OHare International Airport (ORD) San Francisco International Airport (SFO) Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) Los Angeles International Airport, (LAX) Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD) Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) The Associated Press Wildfires that threatened Australia's capital, Canberra, over the weekend have been brought under control as containment lines held and hot and windy conditions eased, prompting authorities to lift a state of emergency. While fire in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), home to the capital city, has spread to more than 55,000 hectares (1,36,000 acres), close to a quarter of the territory's entire landmass, the heat fuelling the danger is subsiding. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the threat was not yet over and that there may be weeks of firefighting ahead. "We may need to return to a state of emergency if the situation requires it," he said on Sunday. The ACT declared a state of emergency leading into the weekend, which gave authorities greater powers to order evacuations, close roads and take control of properties as fire threatened suburban areas. It was the first time an emergency was declared in Australia's capital since 2003 when fires destroyed almost 500 houses and led to four deaths. But containment lines supported by airdrops of fire retardant helped keep the blaze back over the weekend, even in the face of wild winds and elevated temperatures which only fell in the capital overnight on Saturday, according to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology. The dangerous conditions started to ease on Sunday, and there is favorable weather - and even rain - forecast for the rest of the week in the nation's capital. Australia's prolonged bushfire season has killed 33 people and an estimated 1 billion native animals since September. About 2,500 homes have been destroyed and more than 11.7 million hectares of tinder-dry bushland have been razed. The fire in the southern tip of the ACT also crossed into the state of New South Wales (NSW) and destroyed some homes, authorities said on Sunday. Seventy fires were burning across NSW late on Sunday afternoon, with 30 of those not contained. NSW Health issued a statement saying air quality would be poor in parts of the state, including Sydney, due to a combination of bushfire smoke and dust blowing in from drought-hit areas. Affected residents were urged to stay indoors and minimize physical activity, NSW Health said, adding those with chronic respiratory and cardiovascular conditions are particularly at risk. Parts of NSW were struck by thunderstorms late on Sunday which helped douse flames, although authorities said storms could also trigger new fires. "Widespread thunderstorms and lightning strikes today may produce new ignitions," the NSW Rural Fire Service said in a tweet. "Cooler conditions have seen reduced fire activity across most firegrounds today." Prayagraj, Feb 3 : After announcing that it would end 'forced conversions' by 2024, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has now identified 30 places in eight districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh where alleged religious conversions by Christian missionaries are taking place. Some of the identified districts include Sonebhadra, Mirzapur, Chandauli, Varanasi city, Varanasi rural, Prayagraj, Kaushambhi, Amethi and Jaunpur. The list was compiled on the basis of feedback received from VHP activists of these places. The VHP will now start a massive exercise to woo back the Hindus who have taken up Christianity. According to VHP leader, Ambrish Singh, "Checking religious conversion was one of the core issues that the VHP has been working on for the past several years and now after the way for construction of Ram temple has been cleared, we have turned focus on this issue." He said that VHP activists will now accompany saints to all such places where Hindus have embraced Christianity. Besides, massive public awareness programmes, including religious discourses, Ved Vidyalays (schools of ancient scriptures) and hospitals for the Hindus are also likely to be opened up by VHP cadres in the identified areas. Singh said: "These decisions were taken during a two-day meeting of 'Dharam Prasar' (religious propagation) of VHP held in the ongoing Magh Mela." VHP's working president Alok Kumar had said at the meeting that religious conversions were due to weakening of bond between Hindus and the Sanatan Dharma. "Every Hindu family should strictly follow religious traditions and not copy the west. On a birthday of a Hindu child, family members should visit a temple and perform puja instead of singing birthday song and cutting birthday cake." Meanwhile, the Bishop of Lucknow Diocese, Church of North India (CNI) Father Peter Baldev, said he had no idea of any religious conversions taking place anywhere in the country. "The CNI, Lucknow Diocese has not sent anyone to conduct any religious conversion as embracing a religion is one's personal choice. Attending a prayer meeting or preaching the Gospel does not amount to conversion," he stated. The ambitious entrepreneur with a passion for the preservation of artisanship talks about a path that is both rewarding and challenging At her well-lit and colourful studio/office in the heart of Cairo, Perihan Abou Zeid is having one meeting after the other with her co-workers. She is planning the details of the upcoming 2020 Spring/Summer collection of kaftans. It has been five years since the launch of the very first collection, which caught a lot of attention with its smart mix of the traditional and the modern. Over the past five years, Abou Zeid successfully re-introduced this originally Mamlouk-style outfit which would have been in centuries past been worn by men and women, with very different designs to make it a top-end outfit. So far it has been something that women would buy and wear for special occasions; still working on making a version that is more suitable for the purpose of everyday wear. I might do it for this spring/summer collection, she said. A graduate of the school of fine arts in Cairo, Abou Zeid pursued studies that allowed her to examine spaces where artisans keep or abandon their skilful work upon the ability to keep the business going and rewarding. I graduated in 2001 and I did several studies and took up several jobs that put me on a path where I saw challenged crafts being endangered up to the point where they were going almost extinct, Abou Zeid said. Abou Zeid also learned the skills and requirements of starting up a small business that could integrate artisans and allow for the traditional craft to develop enough so that it could have a new lease on life rather than going out of fashion. And with a particular passion for the world of textiles, Abou Zeid decided to bring the Mamlouk cording and kaftans to the wardrobe of modern women. Fashion designing might have been a fantasy that this young entrepreneur wished to play with. However, the original motivation for her scheme was to spare the Mamlouk cording from falling into total oblivion. I had met a master artisan in Old Cairo when I was doing some research and then I travelled and a few years later I realised that he passed away and that the business was closing down, Abou Zeid recalled. She decided to pick up this business, not just with the help and for the help of some of the younger artisans who had lost their mentor, but also with an eye on modernising this art to make it consumable in the second decade of the 2000s. Abou Zeid had already established THAAT (a social enterprise and innovative consultancy business), a training business that helps artisans modernise their work and provide education for men and women who wish to learn a craft. She had mostly worked on a range of sewing crafts mostly with women. Having gone through the research, working out the motifs and deciding on the textile and all, I felt I could do it; it was very exciting not just because I thought I was introducing a new line of fashion, but because I felt I was recreating a link between society and its heritage, Abou Zeid said. The business, which she labelled PAZ CAIRO (upon her initials and her city), was a success, not just in Cairo but also overseas. Abou Zeid is particularly proud that her work allowed for the introduction of the Egyptian kaftan, which is very different from the Moroccan kaftan. Abou Zeid argues that her success was essentially about the novelty of the idea that complemented but never imitated the work of others who were already out there reconnecting society to its very rich of crafts and designs. We really work very hard on our collections; every time it is the kaftan and the Mamlouk cording but every time there is something new being introduced, she said. One of the challenges that Abou Zeid has to worry about as she moves on with her successful start-up, she said, is the lack of copyrights in the business. Inevitably, it becomes very irritating when I work so hard on getting a design, work on developing the colours and the textiles and then I find that some of the stores decided to pick up my work and have it imitated, Abou Zeid said. Another challenge is for Abou Zeid to get the PAZCAIRO to reach out to more women. I know that the kind of work we put in every piece and the kind of material we use to produce quality items does not make our final product easily accessible to as many women as I would want. I also know that this is ultimately a high-end product, but still I wish I could make it affordable to more women, Abou Zeid said. I am currently working out the details of doing this without compromising on the essentials of the quality, she added. To attend to both challenges, Abou Zeid is committed to keep digging in the rich heritage. There is so much there to bring and to learn from, she said. The parallel work that she does with THAAT, where she works with people from diverse backgrounds, including refugees who bring their own cultural bit to the table, is keeping Abou Zeid inspired and upbeat. It is very rewarding to work with a group of over 100 women; to see them learn a craft and then to see them produce nice items and ultimately to see them rejoicing as their items are sold and they can make some money to bring to their families, Abou Zeid said. This is as rewarding as inspiring as it gets, really, she added. Search Keywords: Short link: Retired NRL great Tim Mannah has revealed the father who lost three of his children in a tragic car crash is his beloved older cousin. The former Parramatta Eels star said he was still trying to comprehend the loss of siblings Antony, 13, Angelina, 12 and Sienna Abdallah, nine, as well as their cousin, Veronique Sakr, 11. The four children were killed when Samuel William Davidson, 29, allegedly drunkenly plowed his car into them as they walked together on a footpath in Oatlands, in Sydney's west, on Saturday night. Mannah revealed on Monday night the siblings' father, Danny Abdallah, is his cousin. 'I have looked up to my cousin Danny since I was a kid,' he wrote in a touching tribute to the family. 'I've always admired his huge heart for others and especially his children.' Mannah said Mr Abdallah's wife, Leila, is an 'actual hero'. Retired Parramatta Eels legend Tim Mannah (pictured with his wife and children) revealed his cousin is the father who lost three kids in a tragic car crash Pictured: Antony Abdallah (left), 13, who was killed in the horror crash alongside his 11-year-old cousin Veronique Sakr (right) On Monday, she publicly forgave the driver who allegedly struck them and said she can feel her 'angels' telling her they are okay. 'The guy (driver)... Right now I can't hate him. I don't want to see him, but I don't hate him,' she said. 'I think in my heart to forgive him, but I want the court to be fair....I'm not going to hate him, because that's not who we are'. Daniel Abdallah (back right) and his wife Leila (back) lost three of their six children in the car accident on Saturday night. Antony (far left), 13, Angelina (far right), 12, and Sienna (front left), 9, were remembered by Mrs Abdallah as 'angels' on Monday Leila Abdallah, the mother of three children killed by an alleged drunk driver, bravely returned to the scene of the accident on Monday morning to pray the rosary Mannah said he had watched as Mrs Abdallah 'raised six kids with ease and grace.' 'Her life just revolves around them... and just like that, they've lost three children. 'I can't imagine what pain they must be feeling right now, but my admiration for them has gone to a new level. Mannah said the entire family 'live out their faith and it inspires everyone around them.' Mrs Abdallah told media she 'forgives' Davidson (pictured) for his actions 'I have looked up to my cousin Danny since I was a kid,' he wrote in a touching tribute to the family 'Antony, Angelina and Sienna may not have lived long lives on earth, but their impact will echo into eternity,' he said. Davidson, a builder, has been charged with 20 offences including four counts of manslaughter and drink driving. He faced Parramatta Local Court on Sunday where the magistrate was told Davidson allegedly recorded a blood alcohol reading three times the legal limit. He was refused bail and will face court again on April 2. OK. We give up. We'll vote. We'll vote whatever way you want. We'll do what you all tell us. Just please no more debates, no more panels, no more leaders' one-on-ones. If nothing else, it's cruelty to these people. For weeks now, they've been paraded around, poked and prodded, shouted at by moderators, their every utterance analysed. They've been asked the same questions repeatedly and every word and intonation then compared with the last time they were asked the same question in case it signals a shift in position. They've had to buy meat and flowers wherever they go, eat buns, drink tea, listen politely to every shouter they come across, and remain calm at all times. Worse again, they keep telling us, through gritted teeth, that the voters are very "engaged" this time out. "Engaged", in political speak, means, "I'm spending half an hour at doorways listening to people's every gripe and even then I don't know if I have a vote". Admit it, if it was you or me, we would have told someone to f**k off by now. We would definitely have told Ivan to f**k off. Do you think they dream at night about telling some random punter where to go? Do you think they imagine turning around to some lad who is never going to vote for them, but is haranguing them nonetheless, and saying: "You sir, are clearly an a***hole. Please do us all a favour and f**k right off." Adding to the leaders' stress is the fact that they are not just responsible for themselves, they're also responsible for every loose cannon in their party. Is there anything more stressful that being responsible for things over which you have no control. Expand Close Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald during a seven way leaders General Election debate at the Virgin Media Studios in Dublin, Ireland. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald during a seven way leaders General Election debate at the Virgin Media Studios in Dublin, Ireland. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire Read More So, for example, you think you're doing well, managing not to tell anyone to f**k off, and then, out of the blue, one of your people casually tells a journalist that you're autistic, she shows complete ignorance of autism, and then, in explaining herself, manages to bring in the N-word into it. You literally couldn't make it up. And you can't tell her to f**k off either. And that's just the politicians. The rest of us need to be put out of our misery as well. How many more times do we need to watch these people telling us the same stuff, bombarding us with the same figures? And they mightn't be quite picking the figures out of their backsides, but we know we can rely on none of it to ever happen. Because this is just the kind of thing you do in an election, isn't it? The only way they, and we, can get through this final week, is if we all agree, when the dust settles, that they will all go away for a long break, and the rest of us will not be bothered by politics for at least a month. The TV and the radio channels can play soothing music, and we will all sit in silence, eating ice-cream. To understand how some companies have lost their souls, consider what happened after US Bank stiffed a customer before Christmas. Marc Eugenio had deposited a $US1080 ($AU1612) pay-cheque into his account at US Bank. The bank put a hold on most of the sum, and he spent many hours in a branch office over two days, trying to get access to the money so he could buy presents for his 9-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son. When US Bank found out it had a generous employee, it fired her. Credit:Luke Sharrett On Christmas Eve, Eugenio found himself parked at a gas station in Clackamas, Oregon, a Portland suburb, both his fuel gauge and his bank balance on empty. A bank employee had told him that money would soon show up in his account perhaps a ruse to get him out of the branch office. For hours Eugenia then tried his debit card at the gas pump so he could buy a few litres and get home to his wife and children. Niti Aayog VC downplays impact of corporate tax cut on fiscal deficit, says it would be 'minor' LIC IPO listing to take place in 2nd half of 2021 India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 03: Listing of insurance behemoth Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) may be done in the second half of the next financial year, finance secretary Rajiv Kumar said on Sunday. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Budget 2020-21 on Saturday announced stake sale in LIC through an initial public offer in the next fiscal. There are a number of processes which have to be followed for the listing and some legislative changes would also be required for the listing of LIC, Kumar said. "We will follow the extant procedure for listing and for other things including the legislative changes it requires in consultation with the Ministry of Law and that process we already started ... listing in the second half of FY21 seems logical," he said. Budget 2020: Govt to sell part of its holding in LIC Listing of LIC will bring in greater transparency, public participation and also deepen the equity market, he told PTI in an interaction. Asked about the quantum of dilution, Kumar said, it could be 10 per cent but no decision has been taken so far. The government aims to garner Rs 90,000 crore from the listing of LIC and stake dilution in IDBI Bank in the next fiscal out of total disinvestment target of Rs 2.10 lakh crore. The government currently owns 100 per cent in LIC, while it holds around a 46.5 per cent stake in IDBI Bank. "Listing of companies on stock exchanges discipline a company and provides access to financial markets and unlocks its value. It also gives opportunity for retail investors to participate in the wealth so created. The government now proposes to sell a part of its holding in LIC by way of Initial Public Offer (IPO)," the Finance Minister had said in her Budget speech. Market participants are quite bullish about LIC and said it could be "IPO of the decade" akin to the Saudi Aramco listing. Declared: LIC Assistant Main Result 2019 The 60-year-old state-owned firm, LIC, is the country's largest insurer, controlling more than 70 per cent of the market share. The insurer has a market share of 76.28 per cent in number of policies and 71 per cent in first-year premiums. LIC has many subsidiaries including IDBI Bank. It acquired controlling stake in IDBI Bank last year. New Delhi, Feb 3 : Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for repeatedly calling Arvind Kejriwal a "terrorist", Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh on Monday challenged the saffron party to put the Delhi Chief Minister behind the bars if he is "anti-national". Speaking to the media here, Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP, said every other day, "a new BJP leader comes out and calls Kejriwal terrorist". "As the elections are approaching and the AAP is heading towards victory, the BJP leaders are making objectionable remarks," Singh said. He said a BJP MP called Kejriwal a "terrorist'', Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar called his Delhi counterpart "monkey", and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the AAP national convenor has "connection" with Pakistan. "Now, (Union Minister) Prakash Javedkar called him a terrorist. How can a Central Minister be allowed to use such a language? I challenge the BJP to put him (Kejriwal) behind the bars if he is a terrorist." "Kejriwal is making an innocent face and asking if he is a terrorist... you are a terrorist, there is plenty of proof for it. You yourself said you are an anarchist, there is not much of a difference between an anarchist and a terrorist," Javadekar said earlier on Monday, addressing the media here. Welcome to the Star-Tribunes Energy Journal, a play-by-play of the past week in Wyomings wild world of energy. Im your energy and natural resources reporter, Camille Erickson. Sign up for the newsletter here. A citizens group urged state regulators last week to address a ballooning list of legal and environmental concerns it has with one of the nation's largest coal companies. Powder River Basin Resource Council asked the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality in a letter to hold the new owner of the Antelope, Cordero Rojo and Spring Creek coal mines accountable to all state and federal laws. The company, Navajo Transitional Energy Company, recently assumed operation of the trio of Powder River Basin mines from their former bankrupt owner, Cloud Peak Energy. The Navajo Nation-based firm is a tribal entity, originally created under Navajo law to oversee a coal mine and plant on the Navajo Nation. The firm could therefore feasibly apply its sovereign immunity if charged with U.S. mining violations at its Wyoming and Montana mines, the group's letter reasoned. In other words, sovereign immunity could shield the company from state or federal jurisdiction, like the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, the Mineral Leasing Act or the National Environmental Policy Act, the group added. Last year, a case in the Federal Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in several ways affirmed NTECs ability to exercise tribal sovereign immunity. "NTECs assertion of sovereign immunity threatens royalty collection on the part of the government and the exercise of public participation opportunities, including legal appeal rights, associated with federal coal leasing and mining plan decisions made by the United States Department of Interior," the letter stated. NTEC has asserted again and again it intends to abide by all U.S. state and federal laws when operating the Antelope and Cordero Rojo mines in Wyoming, and the Spring Creek mine in Montana. And Wyoming regulators reaffirmed their commitment to ensure the mines are held in compliance with all environmental laws. A Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality spokesman said the company would be held accountable if any violation did occur, but none have been found. The coal operator has yet to obtain the leases or permits from the mines' previous owner, due in part to outstanding legal negotiations. Before a permit transfer can be initiated, a coal company must line up sufficient bonds for future cleanup liabilities related to the mines. For these three mines, reclamation obligations total over $400 million. NTEC is still working to obtain surety bonds and is also fulfilling financial liabilities left behind by the mines' former owners. "This type of setup with NTEC and Cloud Peak meets all our rules and regulations and they are fully bonded," said Keith Guille, a spokesman for Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. "If by chance, unfortunately, a mine were to close, the bonds are in place that they would be there to cover reclamation. They would be held responsible, and that goes for enforcement, too." But the owners' indefinite status as a contract miner has groups like the Powder River Basin Resource Council worried. Regardless of these ongoing efforts, NTEC has still been able to operate the mines as a contract miner in Wyoming. Cloud Peak Energy remains on the hook for any reclamation responsibilities until the permits transfer to the new owner. When a permit transfer is eventually triggered, the public will also have an opportunity to weigh in. "We do appreciate the concerns and interest that (the Powder River Basin Resource Council) and individuals have about these very important issues," Guille said. "We recognize that this could affect all of Wyoming and the citizens and the environment." In other news... COAL Navajo Transitional Energy Company, the new owner of three Powder River Basin coal mines, says it has established an agreement with the U.S. Interior Department to pay $10 million in overdue mineral production taxes back to the federal government in installments. U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney sponsored legislation Wednesday to advance research into alternative uses for coal, adding fuel to the states all-out campaign to buoy the ailing coal industry central to its economy. The Creating Opportunities and Leveraging Technologies for Coal Carbon, or COAL TeCC, Act would establish a program through the U.S. Department of Energy to accelerate commercial coal product development like carbon fiber, graphite and carbon foam to expand the minerals use beyond the electricity market. Two dozen people died in mining accidents in the U.S. last year, the lowest nationwide total ever recorded, according to the Department of Labor. Gov. Mark Gordon reaffirmed his belief that the fossil fuels Wyoming has long relied on still have a place in the global marketplace, even as greater economic shifts have diminished their standing worldwide and the state has begun the process of understanding an economy where coal is no longer king, Nick Reynolds reports. OIL & GAS Oil and gas firm Southland Royalty Company LLC filed for bankruptcy last week. The company has operations in Wyoming's Green River Basin and owes $1 million in severance taxes to the state, according to court documents. It cited market pressures and "depressing revenues generated by production activities" as reasons for needing to restructure (via Wall Street Journal). Bureau of Land Management sold thousands of acres of land in Park County in last year's final quarterly lease sale, despite protests from environmental groups. (via Powell Tribune) WIND & SOLAR A new utility-scale solar facility has been proposed for 400 acres of public land in Sweetwater County. If approved, the solar farm would convert sunlight into electricity and become the second commercial solar venture in Wyoming. Renewable energy sources could produce more electricity nationwide than coal and nuclear as soon as next year, according to the Energy Information Administration. WILDLIFE As part of a listening tour, Gov. Mark Gordon visited Rawlins, Pinedale, Kemmerer and Rock Springs on Saturday to listen to residents who may be affected by the implementation of the new executive order on migration corridors. Two environmental groups have given notice they intend to file a lawsuit to stop a proposed underground natural gas pipeline from Idaho to Wyoming the groups say will harm protected grizzly bears and other wildlife. Last week in numbers Friday oil prices: West Texas Intermediate (WTI) $52.14, Brent (ICE) $58.29 Friday natural gas: Henry Hub $1.91, Wyoming Pool $1.72, Opal $1.74 Baker Hughes rig count: U.S 790 (-4), Wyoming 23 (-0) Quote of the week There is no question that coal is a very important part of the states economy, so anything that can be done to use coal differently or more cleanly to keep coal as a marketable commodity is huge. And thats what these technologies over the past (43) years that the Department of Energy has been in existence do. Jason Begger, executive director of the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority Welcome to the Star-Tribunes Energy Journal, a play-by-play of the past week in Wyomings wild world of energy. Im your energy and natural resources reporter, Camille Erickson. Sign up for the newsletter here. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Nargiz Ismayilova Trend: The share of Google search engine in the Azerbaijani market increased by 0.06 percent in January 2020 compared to December 2019, Trend reports referring to the StatCounter's Global Stats report. Thus, Google remains the most popular search engine in Azerbaijan, which as of January 1, 2020, occupies 95.3 percent of the market. Statistical indicators of the Yandex RU on the Azerbaijans search engine market dropped by 0.03 percent. Its share was 2.73 percent in January. There was also a slight increase (by 0.06 percent) in the share of Yahoo search engine, which as of February 1, 2020, amounted to 0.67 percent. At the end of January 2020, the share of Yandex search engines in Azerbaijani market amounted to 0.5 percent, dropping by 0.02 percent. In January, the rest of the market was distributed among other search engines, including Mail.ru with 0.44 percent (0.03 percent more than in the previous month), and Bing with 0.28 percent. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsmailovaNargis US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has demanded demonstrable evidence from the Taliban that they can and will reduce violence before signing a deal that would lead to Afghanistan peace talks and a withdrawal of US troops from the country. Speaking at a news conference in neighbouring Uzbekistan, Mr Pompeo said a deal is close but that they have been close before and failed because the Taliban was unable to demonstrate seriousness. He said more work remains to be done so that peace talks can get started. Were working on a peace and reconciliation plan, putting the commas in the right place, getting the sentences right, he said. Great to meet with #Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Kamilov and discuss the growing strategic partnership between our countries, including Uzbekistans support of the Afghanistan peace process and the increasing spirit of cooperation within #CentralAsia. pic.twitter.com/Ifeh5fYLx0 Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) February 3, 2020 We got close once before to having an agreement: a piece of paper that we mutually executed and the Taliban were unable to demonstrate either their will or capacity or both to deliver on a reduction in violence. So, what we are demanding now is demonstrable evidence of their will and capacity to reduce violence, to take down the threat, so the inter-Afghan talks will have a less violent context, he said. Were hopeful we can achieve that but were not there yet, and work certainly remains. Mr Pompeos comments came just two days after US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul and told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani there has been no notable progress in talks with the Taliban. Story continues However, Mr Khalilzad said he was hopeful of reaching an understanding with them on a reduction of hostilities, without offering any time frame. Mr Khalilzad had been in Pakistan last week to rally support for getting an agreement with the Taliban to reduce their attacks, as a first step toward a peace agreement to end 18 years of war in neighbouring Afghanistan. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo inserts an earphone in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (AP) Earlier, the Taliban said they offered Mr Khalilzad a 10-day cease-fire window in which to sign a peace agreement that would be followed by intra-Afghan negotiations. Mr Khalilzad was appointed by the White House in 2018 to find a negotiated end to Afghanistans war that would allow the United States to bring home its estimated 13,000 soldiers and end its longest military engagement. He has held multiple rounds of talks with the Taliban in the Mideastern state of Qatar where the militant group maintains a political office. Talks in recent weeks have focused on finding a way to reduce hostilities and bring both sides in the conflict to the negotiating table. Until now the Taliban have refused to talk to Mr Ghanis government. Mr Ghani has also been unable to agree on a negotiating team with Abdullah Abdullah who is currently his partner in Afghanistans so-called Unity Government. Today, I met with Pres @realdonaldtrump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. We followed up on various issues based on our previous discussions from our last meeting in Bagram. The Afghan government will continue these discussions with NSA Robert OBrien. pic.twitter.com/vJBlaVAgu6 Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) January 22, 2020 Mr Abdullah accuses the president of foiling efforts at peace by imposing new conditions on talks. Mr Ghani and Mr Abdullah were the leading contenders in last Septembers presidential polls. The voting was mired in controversy and is still without a final result. New Delhi: Delhi State President of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) Devraj Bhadana joins the Aam Aadmi Party in the presence of AAP leader Sanjay Singh, in New Delhi on Feb 3, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh talks to the media after Delhi State President of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) Devraj Bhadana (L) joined AAP, in New Delhi on Feb 3, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: Delhi State President of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) Devraj Bhadana along with his supporters, joins the Aam Aadmi Party in the presence of AAP leader Sanjay Singh, in New Delhi on Feb 3, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, Feb 3 : Devraj Bhadana, the President of the Delhi unit of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), on Monday joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) along with his supporters. Welcoming him to the party, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said, "BMS is an RSS affiliate and an important part of the BJP." Singh said that BMS is BJP's labour organisation. The BMS has put a list of demands before the AAP and the party has promised to consider them after the Assembly election results are announced on February 11. "The policy of select and pick should be stopped in vacancies. Verification of Delhi Jal Borad (DJB) officials should be stopped. Promotion of all officials of all cadre should be initiated," the BMS demanded. Addressing the media, Badhana said that AAP is the only party which has cared for the labourers of Delhi. "The Congress and the BJP have looted the poor labourers. AAP is the first political party which raised the minimum wage to Rs 14,000. When I met (Arvind) Kejriwal and discussed our problems, he assured us that all our demands will be met. We want AAP to form the government in Delhi because we have witnessed the works done by Kejriwal." The 70-member Delhi Assembly will go to the polls on February 8, while the results will be declared on February 11. A former librarian who quit her job to care for her cancer-stricken sister has relived the harrowing moment the 27-year-old died in her arms. Kristen Larsen, from Queensland, complained of a nagging stomach ache six years ago before she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The women's health campaigner died on December 9, 2019, after countless surgeries, including having a hysterectomy and a large portion of her bowel removed. Kristen Larsen was diagnosed with the illness six years ago when a nagging stomach pain was deemed to be cancer. Her sister Elsa (pictured together) quit her job to be her full-time carer Kristen died on December 9, 2019 - six years after her diagnosis in London Her sister Elsa, 33, described the day she lost her sibling as 'unbearable'. 'On that last day, I just knew, so I called our circle of friends and our parents to the hospital and Kristen's chihuahuas Henry and Harriett came too,' she told Courier Mail. 'I was snuggled up in bed with her, it was pretty unbearable, hugging her and telling her she didn't have to suffer any more. You never think you'll have to hold your baby sister and watch her breathing slow down and stop.' The pair described themselves as best friends and moved together to Canada, and later London. A month after her sister died Ms Larsen took to Instagram to write a heartfelt post. She said there was emptiness where Kristen used to be, but she still sees her sister wherever she goes. Kristen dedicated her life fighting for awareness of the disease, including securing $20million for ovarian cancer research 'I struggle, but bit by bit, step by step, I and your loved ones will continue your Legacy, will continue Ovarshare, and to make a difference for women now and in the future with Ovarian Cancer,' Ms Larsen wrote. Kristen dedicated her life to raising awareness of the disease and helped secure a $20million for ovarian cancer research after an impassioned plea at Parliament House. She also began a podcast for Nova called Ovarshare, to premiere on February 4, about the experiences of women with the illness as well as medical professionals. Elsa, 33, said the day the former human resources worker died (pictured campaigning in America) was unbearable Days before her death Kristen recorded a podcast about how she was 'shocked' she was nearing the end She recorded an episode about her own journey 11 days before she died. 'I've had six years to prepare, six years knowing I had a deadly disease but I'm still shocked when they say I'm nearing the end. I soon realised that being grumpy or being sad or just sitting there thinking that you're already dead is no way to spend your final days,' she said in the episode. Her sister is continuing Kristen's advocacy and she believes treatment options currently available need to be improved. Kristen repeatedly put her hand up for clinical trials as extensive surgeries left her feeling 'gutted'. The release of Ovarshare coincides with Ovarian Awareness Month. Her sister is continuing Kristen's advocacy and she believes treatment options currently available aren't good enough Thousands of women with the most deadly form of breast cancer could be given hope by a breakthrough treatment which could make chemotherapy effective. Charities hailed the advances as hugely exciting and said they could help cancer patients with few other options. The drug already in trials as a leukaemia treatment attacks cancer cells that have become resistant to chemotherapy. This allows standard drugs to start working again, destroying the tumour. Scientists believe it could transform care for the 7,500 women a year diagnosed with triple negative breast tumours. Such cancers are more common in younger women, and are often aggressive, failing to respond to many of the main forms of treatment. In a new study, scientists have identified the role of a molecule called PIM1 in driving and controlling triple-negative breast cancers. The research found that in the majority of such cancers, the molecule has been hijacked and over-produced, helping cancer cells to survive, in the face of chemotherapy. Researchers said targeting PIM1 and inhibiting production could be key to successfully treating women who might otherwise have no hope. Scientists said the study, by Kings College London and The Institute of Cancer Research, London, could see trials starting on women with breast cancer within two years. Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: This is a hugely exciting advance for an important group of patients in desperate need of more treatment options. Triple negative breast cancer is often aggressive and more common in younger women, and chemotherapy drugs remain the only option for these women. While these work very well for some, if patients cancers become resistant there are few other options. A new targeted treatment for such patients would be a major breakthrough she said. Current trials of the drugs on patients with leukaemia suggest they are well-tolerated, giving grounds for optimism, she said. Triple-negative cancers lack the three receptors which are normally used to classify breast cancers: those for oestrogen, progesterone and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). This means they cannot be treated with targeted drugs commonly used to interfere with these receptors, such as tamoxifen and aromatase and Herceptin. As a result, patients have few treatment options typically chemotherapy in addition to surgery and radiotherapy. Professor Andrew Tutt, from the Institute of Cancer Research, said: Many triple negative breast cancers are very resistant to chemotherapy and are driven by genes that are very difficult to target with drugs. The findings, published in Nature Medicine, suggest that the drugs could strip triple-negative breast cancers of their defences so that they can be pushed over the cliff by other breast cancer treatments, he said. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] Some progressives dont want to join any party that would have him as a member. Photo: Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images Joe Rogan is one of Americas most influential dickheads. Over the course of a long career as a tedious comedian, mediocre game-show host, competent UFC commentator, and superlative simulator of smoked-out dorm-room bull sessions, Rogan has assembled a formidable following. His YouTube channel boasts more than 7.3 million subscribers, while his interview podcast attracts nearly 200 million downloads a month. Through his decade of work on The Joe Rogan Experience, he has established himself as a kind of Terry Gross for Americans who prefer muscle milk to lattes and purple haze to fresh air. His interviews cover a broad range of topics, from mixed martial arts and hallucinogenic mushrooms (subjects on which Rogan boasts hard-won expertise) to science and current affairs (subjects on which he doesnt). As a media personality who delivers long-form political discussions to millions of dedicated listeners a large percentage of whom do not seek out other political content Rogan has attained a rare form of influence. He has occasionally used this influence for progressive ends, as when he condemned president Trumps treatment of Central American migrants as a crime against humanity. But he has also used his platform to promote a wide variety of anti-PC demagogues, and broadcast his own bigoted sentiments about trans people and African-Americans. Thus, when Joe Rogan said last week that he would probably vote for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary, the Vermont senators campaign was (understandably) pleased to see itself validated on a program with transpartisan appeal and many progressives were (understandably) offended by the campaigns gleeful promotion of a bigots affirmation. In fact, several of Sanders own surrogates criticized his campaigns decision to promote Rogans endorsement without simultaneously acknowledging and denouncing the podcasters most hateful public statements. Sanders has framed his candidacy as a vessel for left-wing social movements of every stripe. Unequivocally advertising the support of a man who has disseminated transphobic views to an audience of millions undermines that pitch. For this reason, there is a strong argument that the Sanders campaigns decision to promote Rogans endorsement through official channels was both insensitive and counterproductive. But some progressives have condemned the campaigns posture toward Rogan in more expansive and, in my view, misguided terms. In their account, Rogan is not merely unfit to star in a Democratic campaign ad; he and his ilk are unfit to stand beneath the Democrats big tent. The (excellent) New Yorker writer and historian Jelani Cobb was among those voicing this sentiment, tweeting, People who are the core of the Democratic Party, ie black people, reasonably do not [want] to be in a coalition that includes Joe Rogan. And reasonably are suspicious of anyone who does. This is not an argument against Democrats triangulating on policy as a means of gaining support among unenlightened voters; it is an argument against gaining the support of such voters, period. Bernie Sanders has made no substantive concessions to Rogans brand of conservatism. The senators platform is emphatically pro-LBGT rights, and his campaign has made common cause with the Dream Defenders, Movement for Black Lives, and other racial justice organizations. His critics ostensible concern is that attempts to accommodate unenlightened white voters rhetorically by declining to treat Rogan as a pariah, and by emphasizing the universalist aspects of his agenda will serve as a prelude to substantive betrayals: Once you let the bigots into Blue America, theyll begin remaking it in their own image. This fear isnt baseless. For much of U.S. history, our nations two major parties were not polarized on questions of racial justice. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the alignment of (many) conservative voters with the GOP, and just about all Southern ones with the Democrats, left African-Americans without meaningful partisan representation. Lyndon Johnsons embrace of civil rights ultimately cost the Democratic Party a lot of votes by leading the Solid South to change its colors. But the Donkey Partys loss was, in many respects, black Americans gain: Without the support of southern segregationists, the Democrats became less electorally dominant but also more responsive to the needs of African-American communities. If the dividing lines in U.S. politics were redrawn once again and racially unenlightened white people suddenly split their votes evenly between the two major parties African-Americans might once again find themselves without a true political home. But in 2020, there is no risk of that happening. The parties are more polarized on race now than they have ever been, while the median white liberals views on racial issues are now more progressive than those of the median black Democrat. Today, the threat that the two-party system poses to African-Americans, LGBT individuals, and other marginalized groups is not that it will fail to divide their friends from their adversaries, but rather, that it will do so too completely. The emerging Democratic majority is a little bit bigoted. If Democrats lost the support of every voter like Joe Rogan which is to say, every American who espouses liberal views on some issues, but reactionary ones on others the GOP would govern just about the entire country. In a 2017 analysis of survey data, Vanderbilt University political scientist Larry Bartles found that 33 percent of Democratic voters agreed with the statement, discrimination against whites is as big a problem today as discrimination against blacks and other minorities; 39 percent felt that people who disrespect the American flag dont belong in this country; and some 55 percent insisted that speaking English is essential for being a true American. A 2017 Pew Research survey, meanwhile, found that 34 percent of Democratic voters believe that whether a person is a man or a woman is determined by sex at birth. The American electorate is more progressive than it has ever been. But voters with uniformly progressive issue preferences remain a small minority of the U.S. public. David Shor, director of political data science at Civis, recently illustrated this point (in the following chart, the phrase Employers should be able to refuse to cover birth control and other health services should read as Employers should not be able to refuse to cover birth control and other health services): Most Democrats disagree with liberal orthodoxy on at least one major issue (from https://t.co/eLRgJnUvKn ) pic.twitter.com/LiC5nPSedY (((David Shor))) (@davidshor) April 21, 2017 Note, that chart exclusively lists Democratic positions that boast majority support among the public as a whole. If one added less mainstream progressive stances to the list (such as, illegal border-crossing should be decriminalized), the percentage of Obama voters with uniformly progressive views would be much lower than 28 percent. Its clear then that the Democratic Party cannot govern without the backing of many voters who espouse some regressive views. In fact, it cant even dispense with the support of voters who hold outright bigoted ones in a 2016 Reuters/Ipsos poll, 25 percent of Hillary Clinton supporters said that whites were more hardworking than blacks. Democrats can appeal to mildly racist voters and advance racial justice at the same time. And yet, it is also clear that the Democratic Partys reliance on such voters has not prevented it from moving left on racial justice issues. Without the support of voters who believe that anti-black discrimination is no more prevalent than anti-white discrimination in the U.S., Barack Obama would have never occupied the Oval Office; with their support, his administration was able to take major police departments to task for systematically violating the civil rights of their black constituents. If Democrats forswore the support of all Americans who believe that gender is dictated by sex at birth, the Christian right would soon control every branch of government. With the support of a significant minority of such voters, the Democratic Party was able to win the White House in 2008 and 2012, and then use executive authority to extend various civil-rights protections to trans individuals. The reason why the Democrats dependence on anti-trans and anti-black voters has not stopped the party from moving left on gender and race is simple: Ordinary voters have very little influence on party platforms unless they are highly politically engaged, and/or, organized into interest groups. Progressives dont have much trouble discerning this fact when they gaze across the aisle. Every liberal knows that the Republican Party could not govern without the support of voters who oppose tax cuts for the rich (in fact, a majority of GOP voters oppose the partys trickle-down policies). And yet, few were surprised when the GOP chose to make such tax cuts their top priority upon taking power in 2017. The partys reactionary plutocrats are well-organized and highly-engaged; the Trumpen Proletariat is not. Likewise, Democrats with socially conservative (and/or racially problematic) views tend to be much less politically engaged and informed than the partys social liberals and the former dont have one iota of the organizational or institutional support that the latter command. Bernie Sanders is not going to change that fact by courting Joe Rogans fan base. Voters whose partisan preferences are contingent on what a UFC commentator says on a podcast are, almost by definition, low-information, low-engagement voters. More broadly, given the stability of Donald Trumps approval rating, and the depths of partisan polarization, it is simply not possible for any Democratic candidate to drastically realign American politics in 2020. No matter who the Democrats nominate, the demographic and ideological composition of their coalition is going to look much the same in 2021. Different Democratic candidates and messages could change things on the margins, and those marginal differences could well determine the general elections outcome. But if Sanders, or any other candidate, were to improve the Democrats performance among low-information, culturally conservative white voters by a few percentage points, that would have no meaningful impact on the partys platform, nor on the balance of power between ideological tendencies within Blue Americas coalition. To protect the marginalized, Democrats must gain ground with marginal GOP voters. By contrast, if the Democratic Party continues bleeding support among culturally conservative white voters, it will struggle to win the presidency in 2020, and to secure control of the Senate at any point in the foreseeable future. Although the American public is growing more diverse and liberal, the Senate and Electoral College battlegrounds both award disproportionate influence to white rural voters with culturally conservative leanings. And as racial identity has become more electorally salient and ticket-splitting, more uncommon the biases of Americas governing institutions have become a bigger problem for the Democratic Party. In 2018, the Democrats posted their best midterm performance since 1974 and still suffered a net-loss of two Senate seats. Had the same Democratic incumbents been on the ballot in a neutral presidential year, the partys losses would have been closer to double digits. Simply put: The Democrats increasing inability to win voters like Joe Rogan is a crisis for the party, and thus, for the marginalized groups who depend on it for protection against reactionary rule. If Democrats do not increase their support among the unwoke, they will not win control of the Senate; and if they do not win control of the Senate, they will not be able to enact laws or judicial appointments that roll back the GOPs war on voting rights, LGBT equality, or reproductive autonomy. For this reason, progressives should see Rogans endorsement of Sanders as an encouraging development. It is one small sign that Democrats can win over voters who espouse reactionary views without making any substantive concessions to their prejudices. If the price of increasing the Democratic Partys vote-share among culturally conservative whites is not compromising on policy but merely, accepting the praise of problematic podcast hosts, and putting a bit more rhetorical emphasis on class than on race or gender then anyone invested in social justice should want the party to pay up. Some may counter this assertion by positing an inevitable trade-off between trying to accommodate white swing voters through forms of rhetorical moderation and inspiring higher turnout rates among nonwhite constituencies. But this is misguided for a couple of reasons. One is that increasing non-white turnout rates by any realistic margin would be insufficient to solve the problem that the Senate poses. And the second is that there is very little evidence that appealing to white swing voters, and mobilizing nonwhite nonvoters, require antithetical messaging strategies. Last November, a New York Times Upshot survey of Electoral College battleground states found that nonvoters who lean Democratic were both much less white and less progressive, especially on issues of race and immigration than reliable Democratic voters. In their broad attitudes, these nonvoting Democrats were actually quite similar to non-college-educated swing voters: Both groups evinced more sympathy for the progressive movements position on health care than its stance on immigration. None of this is to say that Bernie Sanderss approach to politics is electorally optimal. Just about all of the reasons why it would be unwise for the Democratic Party to disavow the support of Americans like Joe Rogan double as reasons why, all else equal, it would be better for the Democratic nominee not to identify as a socialist. Sanderss ideological self-description does not have any direct policy consequences, but does create a potential barrier to building a bigger Democratic tent (although, for now, it does not appear to be an insurmountable one). My point is merely that Democrats do not have the luxury of refusing to be a party that would have Joe Rogan as a member. Unenlightened, low-information white voters are never going to set the terms of the Democratic agenda. But they could very well give Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell a new lease on power this November. Efforts to cajole such voters out of Red America without flattering their prejudices are not only compatible with securing justice for Americas marginalized, they are likely a precondition for doing so. People talk about... [1] MAN WAS JUST DRUNK. A false Facebook post of one Zaldy Maguigad Saturday, February 1, claimed that a Chinese national collapsed on a street in Ermita, Manila was a possible nCoV carrier. GMA News corrected the post, saying the man was just drunk. [2] MOCHA USON CONDEMNS FALSE NEWS. Youre not helping, tweeted Uson who flogged the false post. That drew the sharp retort Sunday, February 2, by social media influencer Ethel Booba, Expert. Charot! Uson, justly or not, is billed as queen of fake news. No evidence that... ... DOGS AND CATS can be infected by, or will transmit, 2019-nCoV. ... GOODS FROM CHINA would carry the virus; no way for now. Those are bits of useful data from the glut of information that has flowed in the wake of the threat of coronavirus. Gross joke A distasteful joke, which was promptly condemned, said that in an unnamed country, a slide presentation about 2019-nCoV urged people not to worry, the virus wont last long, its made in China. Not just a local problem Developments on the coronavirus crisis increasingly tell local government leaders that it is not just a local problem. It has a lot of implications on foreign policy, immigration, and the economy. That may be the reason the LGU chiefs acting on the problem have limited their involvement to implementing decisions already adopted by the national government. They may include steps on how the impact on the local economy and trade could be kept at a minimum. The lessons from the Sars epidemic in 2002-2003 may be useful. How to spin the news First, for a number of days, emphasis of government communicators was there was not a single confirmed case of corona virus yet, only patients under investigation. Then, last Thursday, January 30, two confirmed cases were found but only one case was publicly admitted. Then last Sunday, February 2, the shocking announcement: the first 2019-nCoV death outside China was reported by the Philippines. Story continues How do they spin that? Its a dubious distinction: to produce the first corona victim outside the place of origin of the virus. Government communicators say there is no death yet in the Philippines of anyone to whom the disease was transmitted. Thats supposed to comfort us that no one yet in the country got the disease from someone and died. Meaning, death by infection from a 2019-nCoV virus has still to happen here. Mabatids plan for seniors An ordinance proposed by Cebu City Councilor Nina Mabatid aims to help seniors get gainful work by requiring at least three percent of their work force. It will be a food-for-work program with tax incentives for establishments that will comply with it. The proposal will meet little opposition from the business community if it will be merely persuasive and not compulsory. Mabatid may look at models in the US and Europe where similar legislation is being experimented. Mabatids critics wont skip the chance to poke at the proposal as preparation for her rumored plan to run for higher office in 2022. ** Tell us about it. [paseares1@gmail.com] She's been a style icon for nearly 30 years. Jada Pinkett Smith stayed true to form as she debuted a stylish new pixie cut on Sunday. The 48-year-old wife of Will Smith shared a video of her new 'do for her 9.9 million Instagram followers. New 'do: Jada Pinkett Smith, 48, debuted a striking new blonde pixie cut on Instagram on Sunday Jada flashed her sultriest looks while decked out in an acid wash denim shirt and matching jeans. The Collateral star tilted her head to show off different angles. The blonde hair on top was swept toward her forehead in spiky layers, while the sides were closely buzzed to create a faux bowl cut. 'Keep the beauty. I'll take the beast,' she wrote. Double denim: Jada flashed her sultriest looks while decked out in an acid wash denim shirt and matching jeans Textured: The blonde hair on top was swept toward her forehead in spiky layers, while the sides were closely buzzed to create a faux bowl cut. The actress and talk show host also gave her hairstylist Neeko Abriol a shout-out in the caption. Jada previously dyed her hair platinum blonde earlier this month. At the time, she rocked a set of long curls that danced over her forehead. The ever-restless trendsetter then dyed her blonde tresses a vibrant shade of orange. She put the new hair on display during a panel at the 2020 National Association of Television Program Executives meeting in Miami. Curly head: Jada previously dyed her hair platinum blonde earlier this month Shaking it up: The ever-restless trendsetter then dyed her blonde tresses a vibrant shade of orange Like a boss: She put the new hair on display during a panel at the 2020 National Association of Television Program Executives meeting in Miami; pictured with Gloria Estefan (L) As of December, Jada was rocking her natural hair in tight cornrows with golden braids added in. But the Madagascar star most often rocks a short straight cut that's swept back. Jada's post came shortly after her Facebook Watch series Red Table Talk was renewed for three additional seasons. Fierce: As of December, Jada was rocking her natural hair in tight cornrows New hair, who dis? Later, she added long blonde braids to totally change up her look Keeping it close: But the Madagascar star most often rocks a short straight cut that's swept back The show also earned a spin-off series that will star Gloria Estefan. 'Im incredibly proud of Red Table Talk, and thrilled to build upon this franchise with my family and with Gloria, Emily and Lili,' she told Deadline on January 22. 'Red Table Talk has created a space to have open, honest and healing conversations around social and topical issues, and what's most powerful for me is hearing people's stories and engaging with our fans in such a tangible way on the Facebook Watch platform,' the actress continued. Christopher Darler A DEPUTY headteacher described as a "predator" and a "wolf in sheep's clothing" has been jailed for ten years after he raped a boy and possessed indecent images of children. Christopher Darler, who taught at Rawmarsh Community School, raped a 13-year-old boy, who was not a pupil at the school, in September. The 37-year-old former geography teacher, of Heyhouse Way, Sheffield, admitted two counts of rape at a previous hearing at Sheffield Crown Court and was jailed for ten years today (Monday). Judge Peter Kelson said: "You were a wolf in sheep's clothing and you used your sheep's clothing to full effect. "You were a predator and you took your fantasies into the real world." As well as the rape offences, which were committed in Barnsley, Darler admitted to meeting the boy following grooming, three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, one count of possession of a prohibited image of a child and one count of distributing indecent photographs of children. DC James Crossley, from South Yorkshire Polices internet sex offences team, said: "Darler was in a positon of trust and authority, while, at the same time, preying on a boy of similar age to the children he was trusted to be responsible for. "This was a fast-paced investigation and the outcome would not have been possible without the cooperation of the victim and his family, who have shown a great deal of bravery over the past few months. Although no children from the school where Darler taught were involved in his crimes, this was understandably a very worrying set of circumstances for parents and I commend the school for their continued support and proactive approach with this case. I hope the community can take reassurance from the fact this man is now exactly where he belongs and any threat he posed to children in South Yorkshire has been removed. A spokesperson for Rawmarsh Community School previously told the Advertiser that Darler had been suspended after he was arrested in October and no longer worked for the school. "It came as a great shock to us when we were informed Mr Darler had been arrested as part of a police investigation in October 2019 over non-school matters," said the spokesperson. "He was immediately suspended and is now no longer employed by the school. You are here: China China's environmental watchdog has issued a circular urging local authorities to step up supervision on medical and urban sewage disposal to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Designated medical institutions, quarantine areas and related research facilities which receive patients infected with the novel coronavirus or suspected of the virus infection should collect and treat the sewage and medical waste separately to ensure up-to-standard discharge, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. As for hospitals that do not have medical sewage treatment facilities, the ministry urged building temporary sewage treatment tanks with disinfection measures. The ministry banned discharging medical sewage without proper disinfection to avoid contamination. A total of 58.1% of Ukrainian citizens believe that the events in Ukraine are developing in the wrong direction, according to a survey published by the Center for Social Monitoring and the Oleksandr Yaremenko Ukrainian Institute for Social Research. When asked whether the events in Ukraine are going in the right or wrong direction, 39.3% said they were developing in the right direction, 58.1% said they were developing in the wrong direction, and 2.6% failed to answer. The study was conducted from January 24 to January 28, 2020. A total of 2,003 respondents aged 18 and over were interviewed in all regions of Ukraine, except Crimea and the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The poll's margin of error does not exceed 2.24% with a probability of 0.95. op Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) During the Senate Energy Committee hearing Monday, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) accidentally revealed that it has experienced cyber attacks "a hundred times." The senate inquiry was tackling the national security implications of the NGCP's operations and its refusal to go through a full audit when NGCP Chief Executive Officer Anthony Almeda unintentionally admitted that the corporation has been attacked "for weeks." On the cyber attack, for the past few weeks that were here, weve been attacked a hundred times. As we speak, its from the outside, he said. Almeda did not specify where the attacks were coming from, nor did he name a culprit of the security breach. Senators Richard Gordon and Sherwin Gatchalian then further emphasized the call for the grid corporation to undergo a full audit by the Department of Energy after hearing the incident of cyberspace attack from Almeda. That is the point here, Mr. Almeda. You are attacked or detected. These are the things that the government shouldknow. Unang-una, saan nanggagaling? Pangalawa, bakit? Gatchalian said. [Translation: That is the point here Mr. Almeda. You are attacked or detected. These are the things that the government should know. First, where is it coming from? Second, why?] Furthermore, Gordon warned to revoke the franchise of the NGCP citing that the Chief Technical Officer of the corporation is a Chinese national named Wen Bo. RELATED: Hontiveros: China 'in charge of the nuts and bolts' of PH power grid Gatchalian said the power grid company was granted a franchise with the basis that all executive officers are Filipinos. Having foreigners in executive positions is a ground for cancellation of the franchise, Gordon said. The NGCP was granted legislative franchise in 2008 to be the sole power transmission line in charge of supplying electricity all throughout the Philippines. Long queues dominated all major bus stops in Lagos state following the ban on motorcycles and tricycles as commuters struggled to get on board the few buses available. Some of the commuters who were stranded at bus stops early this morning condemned the policy, noting that it is the most insensitive and discriminatory government policy ever implemented in Lagos State. Other Lagosians also echoed the same sentiment. Gabriel, who was going from Ogba to Opebi, said he regretted voting for Governor Sanwo-Olu. He had been standing in the long, serpentine queue for nearly an hour. Before today, he would have gotten a tricycle some minutes after getting to the bus stop as early as he did. As I speak to you now, Ive been standing here for nearly an hour and I still cant believe it. Before now, I would be in my office by this time This governor is really disappointing a lot of people. I am particularly disappointed and wish I never voted for him. As the long queues continued to form and the buses became scarcer, the sun came out and made everything even worse. Impatient and tired of waiting under the sweltering sun for buses that might never come, some people resorted to trek to work. ALSO READ: Okada ban: Doherty faults LASG on wrong policy approach In the meantime, the Lagos State Government has faced major backlash from different quarters over the ban. One of those criticising the controversial policy move is the popular social commentator, Dr Joe Abah. Writing on Twitter, he said that it is not surprising that the Lagos decided to go with the least thought-out plan, as typical of most public policies in Nigeria. With the Lagos #OkadaBan, we appear, as usual, to have gone for the option that involved the least thought & planning from a public policy perspective. If you are introducing 65 buses & 14 new ferries from tomorrow, introduce them first and watch it work before announcing a ban. Lagosians should get ready for more of these unfortunate transportation realities of this unfortunate situation. The available buses will not be enough to transport everybody and as such, the queues will be longer at bus stops. People will get to work late and exhausted and productivity might be affected. PV: 0 Arrested JeM terrorist ferried terrorists in December too India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 03: Sameer Dar, the cousin of the February 2019 Pulwama suicide bomber Adil Dar, has told interrogators that he had dropped a batch of terrorists to the Valley in December last year, officials said, two days after the former was arrested while attempting to ferry Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists to Kashmir. Sameer was nabbed by police when he was trying to escape from Nagrota on Friday after Jaish terrorists opened fire on security forces. Hailing from Kakpora area of Pulwama district in South Kashmir, Sameer confessed he had been successful in ferrying JeM terrorists to the Kashmir Valley last year and dropped them to Pulwama, the officials said. Sameer claimed he was not aware of their whereabouts since but told the interrogators that they were carrying large ammunition including 'steel core bullets' -- which can pierce through a normal bullet-proof vehicle. 2 terrorists shot dead in encounters in Pulwama This has triggered an alarm bell within the security establishment especially Border Security Force (BSF), which guards the International Border with Pakistan, as the force has been maintaining in its inter-departmental meetings that there has been no infiltration from the border. NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 On February 14 last year, Sameer's cousin Adil blew himself in an explosive-laden car next to a CRPF bus killing 40 personnel. Sameer told his interrogators that infiltration from across the border has been continuing and the militants were fanning in various parts of the South Kashmir especially in Pulwama and Tral areas, the officials said. Sameer also told them that the terrorists were dropped at Kareemabad in South Kashmir. He also gave the details of the arms and ammunition being carried by the terrorists, indicating that the group also had M-4 carbine and ammunition of steel core bullets. The steel core bullet has the capability to pierce through a static bullet proof bunker used during counterterrorism operations, the officials said. The first assault with such bullet was noticed on the New Year eve in 2017 when JeM terrorists had carried out a suicide attack on a CRPF camp in Lethpora in South Kashmir. Five personnel of the paramilitary force were killed in the attack and one of them was hit by a bullet fatally even though he was using a static bullet-proof shield provided by the Army, officials said. A thorough inquiry into the attack showed that the bullet fired by the terrorist from the assault AK rifle was of steel core. The AK bullets used in the armoury have a lead core covered with mild steel which cannot penetrate a bullet proof shield but after December 31, 2017 encounter and subsequent findings, the rules of the proxy-war changed, the officials said. A detailed analysis of the previous suicide attacks was carried out. J&K: Associate of JeM terrorist arrested in Pulwama The analysis of the terror attack on district police lines of Pulwama in South Kashmir in August 2017 showed that 'steel core' bullets had been used by the terrorists in that encounter with security personnel, the officials said. Eight security personnel had lost their lives in the terror strike. The ammunition, according to the officials, was being modified from across the border with the help of Chinese technology of encasing the bullet with hard steel core. The officials said the terrorists carrying M-4 carbine used by the US-led allied forces in Afghanistan have been extensively trained by Pakistan's external snooping agency ISI and could be used for carrying out sniper attacks in Kashmir Valley. The weapons may have changed hands to Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group as they were fighting along with Talibans in Afghanistan. The weapons are also used by the special forces of Pakistan Army. Britain may have just left the European Union but the countrys Navy was the first to arrive for US-led war games over the next six months across Europe. The Royal Navy was busy on Monday offloading heavy military vehicles in the Belgian port of Antwerp. The vehicles will be involved in the Defender-Europe 2020 exercises, which will see the biggest deployment of US troops some 20,000 personnel to Europe in the last 25 years. In all, around 37,000 soldiers from 18 countries, not all of whom are members of the Nato military alliance, will be taking part. Heavy equipment and vehicles arrive from a British naval vessel taking part in US-led war games at the port of Antwerp (Virginia Mayo/AP) The war games are a test of the US militarys ability to pour thousands of troops and equipment into Europe alongside Nato allies and partners in times of crisis. Many of the exercises will be held in countries neighbouring Russia, such as Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The bulk of the forces are deploying in February, with the main exercises taking place in April and May. The manoeuvres wind up in August. Some of the exercises will involve air-dropping soldiers to pre-positioned equipment or erecting temporary bridges for river crossings in combat-like conditions. Deadly bacterial infections could be halved by giving personalised vaccines, scientists claim. Different strains of bacteria are found in across the world, and risk of infection will depend on where a person lives and their age. This means jabs could be modified to suit them. For example, there are more than 100 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, which can lead to pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis. Vaccines are currently based on a broad approach, but tailoring them to be more specific could improve them, new research suggests. It could also help combat the threat of antibiotic resistance, which is described by the World Health Organisation as one of the greatest threats facing humanity. Children currently have the pneumococcal (PCV) jab on the NHS when they are babies. But scientists say it could be improved (stock image) The study published in the journal Nature Microbiology analysed the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, which claims around 30,000 lives a year. S. pneumoniae is often found at the back of the nasal cavity, where it is normally harmless. But when it migrates to other parts of the body, it can cause serious bacterial infections such as pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis. Infants and the elderly are most at risk. Recommended jabs for all children by the age of 18 Vaccinations for various unpleasant and deadly diseases are given free on the NHS to children and teenagers. Here is a list of all the jabs someone should have by the age of 18 to make sure they and others across the country are protected: Eight weeks old 6-in-1 vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and hepatitis B. Pneumococcal (PCV) Rotavirus Meningitis B 12 weeks old Second doses of 6-in-1 and Rotavirus 16 weeks old Third dose of 6-in-1 Second doses of PCV and men. B One year old Hib/meningitis C Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) Third dose of PCV and meningitis B Two to eight years old Annual children's flu vaccine Three years, four months old Second dose of MMR 4-in-1 pre-school booster for diptheria, tetanus, polio and whooping cough 12-13 years old (girls) HPV (two doses within a year) 14 years old 3-in-1 teenage booster for diptheria, tetanus and polio MenACWY Source: NHS Choices Advertisement Known collectively as IPD (invasive pneumococcal disease), it was estimated to cause around 1.6million deaths a year worldwide before the introduction of widespread vaccination. There are around 100 S. pneumoniae type, called serotypes. Vaccines are able to protect against multiple strains, with the most complex PCV13 (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine) targeting 13. But like many bacteria, S. pneumoniae is difficult to target because infection can be caused by serotypes across the world. Therefore a vaccine may not work as effectively in one country as it does in another. The researchers measured how effective the vaccine would be against S. pneumoniae found in various locations - Massachusetts, USA and the Maela refugee camp in Thailand. They used a computer model to show that the complexity of S. pneumoniae genome means thousands of serotype combinations exist. In Maela, for example, the presence of 64 S. pneumoniae serotypes means around 100trillion vaccine designs are possible. It would take 19,000 years to simulate them all. Therefore, the researchers developed a method that made it feasible to identify the best-performing designs from the trillions of possibilities. The study showed rates of infant IPD in Maela could be reduced by omitting components from the PCV13 vaccine. In Massachusetts, a vaccine targeting 20 serotypes was found to be more effective than the current PCV13. It works by keeping some serotypes in circulation in the community, which stops stronger and more dangerous serotypes rising to take their place. Dr Nicholas Croucher, of the Medical Research Council Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Imperial College London, said: 'Our research shows that the best vaccine designs strongly depend on the bacterial strains present in the population, which vary considerably between countries. 'The best vaccine designs also depend on the age group being vaccinated. These ideas will be critical for applying lessons learned from introducing vaccines in high-income countries to combating the disease where the burden is highest.' Age also plays a role in vaccination success - trends in IPD can differ between infants and the elderly in the same country. In many places, older adults already receive an S. pneumoniae vaccine, which was designed before the infant vaccine. The study found adult disease rates could be reduced by almost 50 per cent by redesigning adult vaccines to complement those given to infants. Co author Professor Caroline Colijn, of Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, said the personalised vaccine approach will minimise antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance, in which common infections no longer respond to drugs, is fuelled by overuse and prescribing by GPs. Vaccinating humans and animals is an effective way of preventing infection, and thereby preventing the need for antibiotics. For example, if every child in the world received a vaccine to protect them from infection with S. pneumoniae, this would prevent an estimated 11million days of antibiotic use each year, according to the WHO. However, it could be optimised further; if vaccines were more personalised, people wouldn't be injected with strains they aren't likely to be infected by. This would limit the possibility of S. pneumoniae strains becoming resistant to common treatments. Professor Jukka Corander, of the University of Oslo, said: 'The approach we describe in this study will play an important role in accelerating future vaccine discovery and design to help reduce rates of disease.' A co-owner of Hanging Hills Brewery in Hartford is facing backlash after threatening tweets produced by him, through the official Hanging Hills Brewery Twitter account, were made public, according to Eyewitness news 3. Andy Ngo, the editor-at-large for The Post Millennial, a Conservative media organization based in Canada, tweeted out images of private messages sent to him from the account, which made reference to an alleged incident involving a milkshake during a Portland, Ore. protest, which Ngo was involved in. Eyeing opportunities in the wake of disruption expected from electric vehicles, oil major Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited on Monday launched 'e-drive initiative' an electric three-wheeler mobility model. Partnering with electric vehicle-maker Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions and IIT Madras for technology support, the public sector oil marketing giant brought on stream a supply of swappable lithium-ion batteries at its retail outlets in Kochi and Lucknow in the first phase for electric three-wheelers. According to the business model touted as unique, fleets of three-wheelers, also known as 'e-rickshaws,' are deployed in the two cities by Kinetic Green which also owns them and drivers pay rental for use of vehicles and a fee for energy provided by BPCL. There is, however, no maintenance cost. Chairman and managing director, BPCL, D Rajkumar said rising air pollution, increasing disposable incomes and rapid urbanisation would drive future mobility in India. "Electric vehicles would be having an increasing share of the urban transportation canvass in the years to come," he said adding: "We are happy to have collaborated with two strong partners, the IIT Madras for technological support and Kinetic Green as a mobility partner." The operations in Kochi and Lucknow were inaugurated through video conferencing from here and a giant screen beamed e-rickshaws lining up to change batteries at BPCL outlets and the process of swapping was over in a matter of few minutes, similar to the time taken for filling petrol or diesel. The three-wheelers are powered by two batteries and when the charge drains, it could be brought to the BPCL outlets where it would be replaced with fully charged ones. CEO, Kinetic Green, Sulajja Firodia Motwani said the electric vehicle with swappable battery technology reduced upfront the cost of vehicle by 50 per cent. "Customers never have to worry about battery charging and replacement." General Manager, BPCL, Rahul Tandon told reporters, "we are in active discussion with Kinetic to launch it in seven more cities in the next phase depending on licencing (for e- three wheelers)."The cost of two batteries, needed to run a single e- rickshaw is Rs 60,000 to Rs 65,000 and it is borne by the BPCL, he said answering a question. The usage fee for drivers is between Rs 350 and Rs 400 for a single swap of two batteries and the twin Li-ion batteries provide a range of 50-55 kms, he said. On investments for this venture, he said: "It is too early and too small at this stage but we have huge plans of going forward." Also, he said this was only a first initiative to be prepared for any change that may happen in the market. Motwani said the rollout at Lucknow and Kochi was on a pilot basis. A fleet of 20 vehicles each in Kochi and Lucknow is in place and it would be expanded to 100 later and the investment for a single e-rickshaw is about Rs one lakh sans battery. "This is a new concept and we are promoting it." In Kochi, while operations would only be at metro rail stations, at Lucknow it covers Metro and other urban areas as well, she told reporters. "We have a special agreement with Kochi Metro and they want to promote electric three-wheelers for connectivity." E- rickshaws normally charge Rs 10 for commuters and the model will also address the last mile connectivity issue for users of Metrorail, she said. Electric vehicles are expected to cause disruption in the present automobile and auto component ecosystem and in 2018 Indian Oil had partnered with Fortum India for electric vehicle-charging stations. Last year, the Central government notified the second phase of the FAME India scheme with a Rs 10,000-crore outlay to encourage electric and hybrid vehicles. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's strategy in dealing with the coronavirus scare so far seems to have worked well as has been its swift move to bring back stranded Indian students from Wuhan in China. However, a shortage of N95 masks seems to be emerging in India, as some pharmacy chains report. Health experts, referring to the three cases so far in Kerala, point out that there are reasons for India to stay cautious but not panic. According to an official of MedPlus, a leading Indian pharmacy chain with 1,800 outlets across seven states, "Currently, we are facing shortages for N95 masks from across regions as people are coming for bulk requirements - ranging from few hundred thousand to up to a lakh." Mostly, these are demands from corporates. He says, these masks are not usually stocked in great numbers because there is no huge requirement on a regular basis for N95 masks, which are priced anywhere between Rs 100 and Rs 200 per piece as against the more commonly used three layered masks that costs less than Rs 5 per piece. The N95, is usually sought only in times of an epidemic. Also Read: Coronavirus update: India temporarily suspends e-visa facility for Chinese citizens, foreigners in china Dilip Jose, managing director and CEO, Manipal Hospitals, pointing to the three cases in Kerala says, we should not be unduly alarmed. The focus, he feels, should be around preventing transmission and people being careful. He feels, the move by the Indian government to control access into India and screening people at airports, is helping. While caution is important, not everybody needs an N95 mask. As a hospital, he says, "we are prepared though so far we have no patients with coronavirus," he says. He adds that "we have an isolation ward ready in our hospital in Delhi and Bengaluru. Also, we are stocked up and prepared with masks and other materials required. Mock drills have also been performed to see how such patients are to be handled and treated. These are being done so as to be abundantly cautious," he says. Speaking to Business Today on the severity of the situation, Dr V Ramasubramanian, senior consultant, infectious diseases at Apollo Hospitals in Chennai, says, "This is like H1N1 except that it has a little higher mortality rate. If it is 0.02 to 0.04 per cent for H1N1, it is about 2.5 to 3 per cent in coronavirus. This is based on the number of cases identified and the deaths so far." As for masks, he says, there is no point in everybody wearing a mask. The focus should be on being aware of how this infection spreads, avoiding travel to China and parts of Far East, avoiding crowded places and following basic hygiene like washing hands and not touching the face, following cough etiquette. Masks, he says, are to be worn only by those suspected to have an infection and by healthcare workers and by those who are travelling or in close proximity of strangers whose health status one does not know. N95, he explains, filters or blocks almost 95 per cent of particles that are less than 0.3 microns. Also read: Kerala uses Nipah experience to effectively control Coronavirus spread Illinois State Police said that about 4 a.m. on June 24, 2018, Lejman was behind the wheel of a 2003 Lexus that was stopped in the westbound lanes of Interstate 90 at Beverly Road in Hoffman Estates. Thanks for joining todays PennLive live discussion. You can share your thoughts, opinions and comments in this pre-moderated discussion. Comments will begin appearing at noon, when the live chat begins. Please continue to follow the community rules and stay on topic. Smoking indoors at private businesses is still allowed in Pennsylvania, but one lawmaker and his supporters are hoping 2020 will be the year that changes. Nearly 150 businesses throughout Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon, Lancaster, and York counties still offer patrons the option to smoke. These businesses are granted exemptions by the state Department of Health under the Clean Indoor Air Act of 2008, which banned smoking in public places and workplaces. But exceptions were carved out for private social clubs and parts of casinos. Tobacco shops and bars where food makes up less than 20 percent of sales can also apply for exemptions. The exceptions are a reason Pennsylvania earned a "D" from the American Lung Association in its national report card, released last week, on states efforts to combat smoking and nicotine addiction. Overall, Pennsylvanias grades in the report were among the worst in the nation. "Tobacco use remains the No. 1 cause of preventable death and disease in the United States and Pennsylvania, said Sarah Lawver, director of advocacy for Pennsylvania and West Virginia. "Twenty-two thousand people died of smoke-related lung problems in Pennsylvania last year. Business owners who still offer patrons the option to smoke have varying views about legislative efforts to get rid of those exemptions. "If they do it, it has to be for everyone, said Angelo Karaginnis, who owns Zembies on North Second Street in Harrisburg. If a casino can offer smoking, and a night club can offer smoking, then why cant a bar, where we sell the minimal food requirement under the current law? Uber Eats helps a lot to make up that 20 percent as to-go food. If I cant offer smoking, but the guy across the street can offer smoking, and they dont sell food, Im going to lose a significant amount of my night business. Joseph Currie, Mechancisburg, Pa., plays pool at Bourbon St. Saloon in Harrisburg, Pa., Jan. 25, 2020. Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com The number of private businesses statewide that allow patrons to smoke at their establishments has decreased since the acts inception by more than 40 percent, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health data. When the smoking ban went into effect, there were 3,319 exemptions approved for bar, restaurant and casino owners. By the end of 2019, the number of exemptions had been reduced to 1,866. "Smoking has always been allowed at Pennsylvanias casinos, said Jeff Morris, vice president of public affairs and government relations for Penn National Gaming. "We strive to be a leader in this highly competitive business environment, and this is only obtainable when we can compete on a level playing field. Hollywood Casino has designated smoking and non-smoking areas, but no visible separation between the two, and the odor of smoke is widespread. "At Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, we provide a comfortable gaming experience for our smoking and non-smoking guests and expect to do the same at our category 4 facilities, Morris said. "We utilize state-of-the-art air filtration systems for indoor air comfort and cleaning at our properties, and we continuously assess technological advances in indoor air quality for incorporation into our systems. Allegheny County has 372 locations where smoking is allowed, the highest number of any county. In central Pennsylvania, York County has 42, Dauphin County has 39, Lancaster County has 36, Cumberland County has 20, and Lebanon County has 10. Western Pennsylvania lawmaker state Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, is pushing to remove exemptions to the Clean Indoor Air Act. Frankel plans to host a press conference Feb. 12 at the Hidden Harbor Bar in Pittsburgh with supporters. "Weve had a lengthy transition from the days where every bar and restaurant had ashtrays next to the salt shakers, Frankel told PennLive. My hope is that business owners have been able to use that time to adapt their business model because with or without the changes in the law, the publics expectations have changed. He continued: Ultimately, this is a workplace safety issue, and I cant compromise on that. Service workers should not be forced to trade years off of their lives for rent money. Thats not a fair condition for employment, just like its not a fair to ask employees to work in a building without a fire exit. There were 1,936 locations throughout the commonwealth in 2018 where smoking is still allowed indoors, according to the Pa. Alliance to Control Tobacco. Photo: Pa. Alliance to Control Tobacco The American Lung Association stands behind his efforts, Lawver said. The association said workers exposed to long periods of second-hand smoke are at risk of developing respiratory problems. The association would also like to see the Clean Indoor Air Act strengthened to include a ban on e-cigarettes, she said. "Comprehensive clean indoor legislation works, she said. "Its beneficial for all Pennsylvanians. Pennsylvania legislators have the power to make this change. The lung association is working to put the health of all Pennsylvanians first. We want to close our loopholes to truly make a difference and positively make an impact on the health of Pennsylvanians. Lawver said not allowing indoor smoking cleans the air of pollution by 90 percent. She added there are "no negative economic impacts on restaurant and bar sales. "Research in other states hasnt found any negative results either, she said. "People who like to go out and enjoy themselves also may not want to come home smelling like smoke. Statistically, it hasnt been shown to impact sales. Pennsylvania's Clean Indoor Air Act allows several exceptions to where smoking indoors can occur. Photo: Pa. Alliance to Control Tobacco Thats not true at all, said Ron Kamionka, who owns several Harrisburg bars. He said he decided to allow smoking at three of his bars when the act passed in 2008. "The ones where we didnt get smoking exemptions, revenue dropped by 60 percent, he said. "I definitely believe if you create a marketplace for people to make choices, their decision is on them, not up to an organization or state. If lawmakers vote favorably to remove all exemptions to the act, Kamionka said hed obviously comply with the law, but said he would consider it government overreach. "I think its an unnecessary step, he said. "My only question would be what is the next step? If they can get this legislation passed, its not going to stop there. What is their next goal? It wouldnt be the end all be all. It will then be youre not allowed to smoke in your house youll have to have an underground chamber. Joseph Currie, Mechancisburg, Pa., plays pool at Bourbon St. Saloon in Harrisburg, Pa., Jan. 25, 2020. Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. AFPTV Tokyo worshippers participate in the annual ice water purification ritual at the Teppozu Inari Shrine, an event to pray for good health in the new year. The participants warm up by stretching their bodies and jump into a pool of cold water with huge ice blocks in it. The New Year event has nearly 70 years' history in the community. "I pray for the coronavirus pandemic to end soon," says 74-year-old Yoshiko Shibata, the oldest participant. China on Monday accused the US of spreading "panic" through its actions like travel bans and evacuation of diplomats and said there was no "substantial help" from Washington to contain the virus that has killed 361 people and infected 17,205 others in the country. The deadly virus - first emerged in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province - has spread to 25 countries, including India, the US and the UK. Joining a growing list of nations to impose travel restrictions, the US has announced a 14-day travel ban on all visitors from China, regardless of their nationality. The US citizens arriving from China's virus-hit Hubei province will have to undergo a 14-day mandatory quarantine on arrival, while those travelling to other parts of China will face screening and monitoring. A CNN report said the mandatory quarantine is the first time the US has issued such an order in 50 years. "What the US has done could create and spread panic," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said addressing the first online media briefing. "The US government has not provided any substantive help to the Chinese side yet. On the contrary, it was the first to withdraw its consulate staff from Wuhan, the first to suggest the partial withdrawal of embassy staff, the first to announce a ban on entry by Chinese citizens after the WHO made it clear that it doesn't recommend or even opposes travel and trade restrictions against China," she said. The ministry has cancelled direct press conferences in view of the virus and started holding online briefings through Chinese social media messaging APP WeChat. Most of the international airlines including the Indian flight services to China have been cancelled in view of the deadly virus. Besides cancelling e-visa facility for Chinese, India's Health Ministry asked Indians to refrain from travelling to China. "In case of travel, on return from China they could be quarantined. Anyone with travel history in China since 15th January and from now on could be quarantined, it said. Reacting to measures taken by the US, Hua said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated while issuing declaration of the virus as a public health emergency of international concern that it is to help countries that have weaker health systems and are ill-prepared. WHO doesn't approve of and even reject travel and trade bans on China and stated repeatedly that China has taken a firm and strong actions, Hua said. "Acting with a high sense of responsibility to people's health, the Chinese government has taken the most comprehensive and strict prevention and control measures after the outbreak of the epidemic, many of which have far exceeded what International Health Regulations required," she said answering questions on US restrictions and comments by its officials. "There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade," she said. "Most countries appreciate and support China's efforts to fight against the novel coronavirus, and we understand and respect them when they adopt or enhance quarantine measures at border entry. But in the meantime, some countries, the US in particular, have inappropriately overreacted, which certainly runs counter to WHO advice," she said. She said acting with openness, transparency and a high sense of responsibility, China shared timely updates and relevant data with the international community including the US. "A friend in need is a friend indeed. Many countries have offered China support in various means. In sharp contrast, certain US officials' words and actions are neither factual nor appropriate. Just as the WHO recommended against travel restrictions, the US rushed to go in the opposite way. Certainly, not a gesture of goodwill," she said. "Adversity makes one stronger just as polishing makes jade finer. The Chinese nation is known for its perseverance and resilience," Hua said, adding that China will win the battle against the virus under the resolute leadership of the ruling Communist Party of China and the strong support from the international community. She also said China is assisting countries who wants to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan. "For countries wishing to evacuate their citizens out of Wuhan, we make arrangements and provide assistance to them following international customary practices and our epidemic control measures. Relevant countries have expressed thanks to us," she said. India has airlifted 654 people including seven Maldivian nationals. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has spoken of concerns about a knee-jerk decision in removing Nigerias military chiefs amid mounting insecurity, suggesting President Muhammadu Buhari whom he met Monday, may not have welcomed the call by the National Assembly. The House last week passed a rare motion demanding the termination of the services chiefs as various parts of the country, especially the north, face an unprecedented scale of deadly attacks by Boko Haram, bandits, and kidnappers. At the Senate, several lawmakers backed the call and urged Mr Buhari to take decisive actions to stem rampant killings of innocent and defenseless Nigerians. The leaders of the two chambers, Ahmad Lawan, and Mr Gbajabiamila, met with the president on Monday to communicate their decisions, Mr Lawan said. Asked whether the meeting discussed the removal of the chiefs of army, navy and airforce, Mr Lawan said they discussed everything that matters as far as the issue of security if this country is concern. He did not provide details of the talks. But the speaker gave more insight. Mr Gbajabiamila said there was the concern of a knee-jerk decision regarding the service chiefs, and also whether the prevalent security problems fall under their job description. Many of us identify that something drastic has to be done, theres also the school of thought that says since we are talking about banditry, kidnapping, and murders, what have the armed forces got to do with that, anywhere in the world? So the question then arises that if he changes the service chiefs, does that address the issues of kidnapping and banditry? The army, navy and air force are outfits set up to tackle external aggression. It is the police that is set up for internal security, such as we are all witnessing, he said. Thats talking about service chiefs, has the Inspector-General of Police met up with his responsibilities? The question is if we now narrow it that to the Inspector General to Police, many will argue that he has done a very good job and many will argue with you that hes hamstrung, straight-jacketed, theres very little he can do in the face of no equipment, no funding and we explained to Mr President that we have to increase funding, we have to recruit more. Read the full interview with state house journalists: Senate President, Ahmad Lawan We met with Mr. President over the security issues in the country and other matters of governance. The recent security challenges this country is facing requires that we work very closely. READ ALSO: We had the debates in the two chambers of the National Assembly last week and resolutions were taken and we have come to discuss with Mr. President on the way forward, what we feel about some of these security challenges and also to ask him what he thinks we should do. Even though in the Senate we have our adhoc committee who are to work and fashion out the specific measures we believe should be taken, but the interim, there is need for us as a government to ensure that we provide a way out to tackle the security challenges. In the intermediate and the long term, we should be able to come up with some strategies, the road map to ensure that we secure the lives and properties of Nigeria. Did the issue of the service chiefs sack come up in your discussion? We discussed everything that matters as far as the issue of security if this country is concern. We believe that it is imperative that we are able to provide those necessary equipment and welfare for the armed forces of this country and the police, to ensure that they are able to operate and performed efficiently and effectively. What was the presidents response? Mr. President was forthcoming, of course as the leader of this country he is more worried than anybody else but the situation. So we are on the same page that we should be able to do whatever it takes to ensure that the security agencies are able to perform better than they are doing now. Do you think changing the security chiefs will solve the insecurity problems? You see, in matters of security of course as leaders we are suppose to lead but when it concerns security every single citizen matters in this. So it is for all of us, citizens and leaders to ensure that we are playing our part as it is necessary. But I believe that how the time has come, we have reached a tipping point that everybody in Nigeria is concern about the security situation and therefore we are all prepared and that is why we have come to meet with Mr. President as leaders of National Assembly on behalf of our colleagues, to discuss the way forward. And of course I believe that citizens participation is critical and crucial. Technology is equally important, are you looking at that side? Definitely we are looking into technology but dont want to divulge everything discussed about security but I believe that the issue of technology is important. We need to minimize the casualties of our armed forces and therefore we need to apply technology and become more efficient. It is also critical that because we are dealing with human beings, you are asking the military, the police to go and fight insurgents, kidnappers and bandits, you also need to do something for their welfare. How do they live? where do they live? What is the condition of the schools for their children? And so in and so forth. So these are issues that are very important and could have very impact outcomes when we are able to do the right thing and we will do them. Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila Is the President as concerned as we are? Answer: probably more. Is the President looking to do something about it? Answer: yes. The question of security is uppermost in his mind and he opened up to us and you must understand that some communications are privileged, but suffice to say that the President is concerned and he intends to do something about our challenges. Advertisements Opinions are divided; the generality of the opinion is that the service chiefs should go, that was evident in our debates in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, but sometimes you dont want a knee-jerk reaction. Many of us identify that something drastic has to be done, theres also the school of thought that says since we are talking about banditry, kidnapping, and murders, what have the armed forces got to do with that, anywhere in the world? So the question then arises that if he changes the service chiefs, does that address the issues of kidnapping and banditry? The army, navy and air force are outfits set up to tackle external aggression. It is the police that is set up for internal security, such as we are all witnessing. L-R Sen. President Ahmed Lawan, President Muhammadu Buhari, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila in Aso Rock [Photo: Presidency Thats talking about service chiefs, has the Inspector-General of Police met up with his responsibilities? The question is if we now narrow it that to the Inspector General to Police, many will argue that he has done a very good job and many will argue with you that hes hamstrung, straight-jacketed, theres very little he can do in the face of no equipment, no funding and we explained to Mr President that we have to increase funding, we have to recruit more. We are talking, even just right now we have gone on to set up a committee that will periodically review the issue of security, maybe once a month or once in six weeks, which will involve the two arms of government and the party. Major progress was made in this discussion, which is a meeting that lasted over an hour and I believe Nigerians will begin to see traction, theyll begin to see changes. You can be sure that concrete steps were taken in that direction. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said that the government cannot support a notice to move resolution by opposition to recall state Governor Arif Mohammad Khan just because he expressed his opinion. Speaking in the state assembly, Vijayan said, "How can the government ask to recall a governor, just because he expressed his opinion? The government stand is clear, we can't support to move a resolution to recall governor because he expressed his opinion." However, Vijayan said that he "disagrees" with the opinions of Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). "Kerala Assembly has passed a resolution against CAA. Governor has expressed his opinion criticising the resolution moved by the assembly, which I strongly disagree with. Even Kerala Speaker has openly opposed his opinion," he said. Replying to opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala's allegation in the assembly that CPI(M) is showing double standards, Pinarayi said, "The opposition leader is trying to use the governor to sabotage the government. The opposition is trying to use it politically." Earlier today, Vijayan accused that the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) members for trying to sneak into peacefully conducted anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in the state and create problems. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) COLONIE While Brexit, or the United Kingdoms exit last week from the European Union trade alliance, has cast a pall of economic uncertainty over both Europe and the British Isles, Antony Phillipson sees potential and opportunities in the New World. We can now negotiate a Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. said Phillipson, the British consulate-general in New York and trade commissioner for the U.S. and Canada. In fact, British trade experts already have mapped out state-by-state profiles of the kind of commerce that occurs and which could grow amid a trans-Atlantic trade agreement. Phillipson spoke of those plans Monday during a visit with the Times Union editorial board. He was also meeting with groups such as the state Business Council, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and state Assembly. His visit came three days after the United Kingdom formally pulled out of the European Union, the coalition of 26 member states that share a common currency, the euro, and allow free cross-border travel. It was formed in 1993 with the goal of creating a united European trading bloc that could unify and compete with Asia, North America, and Latin America in world commerce. But British voters over the past few years turned against the concept amid an immigration backlash and the feeling they had lost control of their borders and sovereignty. Many economists have warned that separating from Continental Europe will present a number of pitfalls, but voters made it clear they wanted out and on Friday, the U.K. left the EU. The separation wasnt a hard exit as some had earlier feared, however, since the U.K. and EU trade commissioners now plan to work out their new cross-border trade rules over the next year. But in the meantime, Phillipson said they are looking for stronger ties with the U.S., which president Donald Trump has also called for. New York State in 2017, according to Phillipsons office, exported $4.2 billion of goods to the U.K. including metal products, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, soaps and toiletries. The state also exported $10.3 billion of services to the U.K. including management and financial services, and film distribution. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Overall, 54,000 U.S. companies traded with the U.K. in 2016. And the U.K. remains the largest foreign investor in the U.S. Some of the most promising areas for more trade, Phillipson believes, are in FinTech, or the harnessing of technology for use in financial transactions and services such as law or architecture. He would hope that an agreement, for example, could lead to a time when lawyers and architects could easily practice in both New York and Great Britain. Phillipson stressed that the U.K. hasnt cut ties with the EU as they plan to continue trading. In addition to the U.S. his country is also eyeing trade deals with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement between Canada and countries in Asia and the Pacific Rim. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU Ukraine exports almost 36.3 mln tonnes of grain since July 1 15:00, 03.02.20 1173 In particular, Ukraine exported 15.8 million tonnes of wheat. Anti-government demonstrators have rejected Iraq's new prime minister-designate following his nomination by rival government factions, compounding the challenges he will have to surmount in order to resolve months of civil unrest. Meanwhile, new divisions emerged among protesters and supporters of a maverick and often inscrutable Shiite cleric, who initially threw his weight behind the uprising but now is re-positioning himself toward the political establishment, after elites selected a candidate for prime minister that he endorsed. On February 2, Muqtada al-Sadr told his followers camped out among protesters in the capital and in the country's south to unblock roads and restore normalcy, angering protesters who felt al-Sadr had betrayed them and the reformist aims of their movement for political gain. February 1's selection of former Communications Minister Mohammed Allawi, 66, to replace outgoing Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi was the product of months of back-room talks between rival parties, ending a political stalemate. Hundreds of students voiced their rejection of Allawi at rallies in Baghdad's central plazas and in southern Iraq. Protesters hung portraits of Allawi marked with an "X" on bridges and tunnels around Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the four-month protest movement. "We don't want Allawi because he is a party member chosen by the parties," said Hadi Safir, a protester in Tahrir. "We want an independent nominee." Others were more diplomatic, saying they'll wait and see how Allawi delivers on promises to hold early elections. Iraqi officials said it was likely Allawi would face the same political realities that bedeviled his predecessor, who was often caught between rival political blocs Sairoon, headed by al-Sadr, and Fatah, headed by Hadi al-Ameri. "He is not known as being tough or outspoken, so some see him as an even more pacified version of Adil Abdul-Mahdi, and will just serve the will of the parties," said one Iraqi official. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters. But Allawi will have to cope with shifting sands of power in the Iraqi arena, with al-Sadr currently gaining the upper hand after showing his dominance over the Iraqi street. The cleric recently staged an anti-US rally that brought tens of thousands to the street. By asking his followers to return to Tahrir Square, al-Sadr gained an advantage in the negotiations for prime minister. "The groups we call pro-Iranian...are taking a backseat now as al-Sadr emerges as more active in shaping the new government," said Harith Hasan, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Centre. Following the US airstrike in Baghdad that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, Hasan said, "The conviction increased that (Iraq's) military apparatus and militias would be unable to put an end to the protest movement and at the same time secure a new deal for the new prime minister without that help of al-Sadr that strengthened his position." Student demonstrations were also held in the southern city of Basra rejecting Allawi's candidacy. Other protesters burned tires in the holy city of Najaf. "We did not choose this person; we demanded certain qualifications," said Ahmed Ali, a protester in Basra. "Mohammed Allawi is rejected by the people." Mass anti-government protests erupted on October 1 in Baghdad and the predominately Shiite south. They have decried rampant government corruption, poor services and lack of employment, and came with lofty goals: overthrow the political establishment, pass electoral reforms and hold snap elections. Security forces have killed at least 500 protesters since. Al-Sadr's followers returned to the demonstration camps on Friday after the cleric reversed his decision to stop supporting the protest movement. Upon returning, al-Sadr's followers consolidated control of strategic areas in Tahrir Square, including key bridges leading to the fortified Green Zone, the seat of government. Significantly, they also moved into a skeletal high-rise building nicknamed the "Turkish Restaurant", which offers a strategic lookout over the protests. Militiamen interviewed said they had come to clear the area of "trouble-makers" and drug-users. "We came here to clean this place up," said one militia member, standing guard outside the building. Many protesters said al-Sadr's followers had threatened them to toe the cleric's line or leave the square. "They will never mix with us," said protester Mariam Nael, 18. "We are here for our homeland, they are blindly following the tweet of one cleric. GREENWICH The campaign for former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg met with supporters on Saturday in Greenwich to discuss the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates work across the state. Dana Neuman, a Greenwich resident who organized the event, said Bloomberg is the best choice in the Democratic field to beat Donald Trump in November and to rebuild and unite America. Mike has a proven track record of success in business, government, and philanthropy, said Neuman. I know that hell make a phenomenal president. The campaigns Connecticut state director, Brett Broesder, also spoke with the volunteers about how the importance of this falls presidential election. Mike Bloomberg is definitely the right person to take on Donald Trump, and to win in November, said Broesder. Mike has taken on some of the toughest issues, and won whether its guns, climate change or public health and thats exactly what hell do as president. After Neuman and Broesder addressed the group, volunteers canvassed downtown Greenwich holding lawn signs and clipboards, signing up residents to get involved. Last week, Bloombergs campaign announced that it hired several in-state political veterans to run his Connecticut operation leading up to the states presidential primary on April 28. Brett Broesder, a newly elected member of the Milford Planning and Zoning board and a consultant for the 2018 campaigns of Ned Lamont, Susan Bysiewicz and Shawn Wooden, has joined Bloombergs campaign as state director. Other Bloomberg 2020 Connecticut hires include, Ruben Felipe, former aide to Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, as political director. Michelle Parente, who won a seat in November on the Milford Board of Aldermen, is operations director. Jordan Grice, who covered Bridgeport-area business news until last week for Hearst Connecticut Media, has joined the campaign as the communications director for Connecticut. The billionaire New York businessman built a financial news and information empire. Bloomberg is generally polling in fourth place among Democrats, behind former Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and ahead of South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg. "I am grateful for the education I received in my prosthodontics program," said Dr. Brackett. "It gave me the chance to pursue a rewarding and fulfilling career, so it seemed only natural to 'give back' to a profession that has treated me so well. I am honored to receive an award based on my service and support of our specialty." Dr. Brackett is a Fellow of the American College of Prosthodontists and a Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics. She has served in many leadership roles within the ACP, including as a Section President, Director of the Public Relations and Communications Division, Secretary, and ultimately serving as ACP President in 2016 as the third female president in the college's history. Dr. Brackett also served on the ACP Education Foundation Board for nine years and received the ACPEF Founders Society Award in 2013. About Prosthodontists A prosthodontist is a dental specialist who focuses on the restoration and replacement of missing teeth and other oral or facial issues. Prosthodontists specialize in helping patients with implants, dentures and veneers, all the way to full mouth and jaw reconstructions. About the ACP The American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) is the only ADA recognized organization for the specialty of prosthodontics. Founded in 1970, the ACP is dedicated to advancing the art and science of prosthodontics and promoting the specialty to the public and dental professionals. For more information, consumers can visit GoToAPro.org and dental professionals can visit Prosthodontics.org. Evan Summers [email protected] SOURCE American College of Prosthodontists Related Links GoToAPro.org I'Milky | Photo: I M./Yelp Nothing beats bubble tea and if you're in the mood to enjoy some in New York City, we've found a lineup of places that will fill the bill. Here are the newest places to check out the next time you're in the mood for some bubble tea. IMilky 992 Sixth Ave., Midtown Photo: I M./Yelp Taiwanese chain IMilky has opened its first U.S. location in Midtown. I'Milky aims "to produce natural and healthy drinks using non-artificial, chemical-free and 100%-natural ingredients," according to its Facebook page. Stop in for classic fruit and milk teas (non-dairy options are available), as well as brown sugar-laced milk tea with boba and brown-sugar coffee lattes. IMilky currently holds 4.5 stars out of 66 reviews on Yelp, indicating good reviews. Yelper Yinhsu L., who was one of the first users to visit the business on Jan. 23, wrote, "This is possibly one of my top three favorite bubble tea places around NYC!" Angela K. noted, "Delicious! Their boba is dare I say some of the best in the city." IMilky is open from 10:30 a.m.9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m.10 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m.10 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.9 p.m. on Sunday. Gong Cha 1600 Broadway, Theater District Photo: Hannah P./Yelp Since opening its first NYC location in Flushing in 2014, Gong Cha has expanded to nearly two dozen bubble tea shops around the city. This latest outpost offers Gong Cha's full line of teas and slushes, with add-ons like milk foam, aloe, tapioca pearls, coconut jelly and more. With a 4.5-star Yelp rating out six reviews, the new location has been getting positive attention. Yelper Annie L., who reviewed the business on Jan. 26, wrote, "Amazing bubble tea. Fantastic customer service. Cool decor." Gong Cha is open from 10:30 a.m.11 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday and 10:30 a.m.midnight Thursday-Saturday. Kung Fu Tea 2851 Broadway, Morningside Heights Photo: Kung Fu Tea/Yelp There's a new Kung Fu Tea in Morningside Heights, just steps from the Cathedral Parkway 110th Street station. In addition to bubble tea staples, check out the franchise's seasonal and signature creations, like its pumpkin oolong milk tea, Caribbean Breeze slush and Milk Strike tea with toppings like Oreos, pudding, nata jelly and more. Story continues Yelp users are excited about this new location, which currently holds 4.5 stars out of seven reviews on the site. Yelper Anna O., who reviewed the new bubble tea shop on Jan. 10, wrote, "Delicious! Thank you." YanYan Tea 135-03A Roosevelt Ave., Flushing Photo: Harris L./Yelp YanYan Tea is a tea house offering bubble tea and savory skewers. Stop by for classics like coconut jelly milk tea, taro and boba milk tea, mango green tea, matcha with red bean and more, or try one of the house specials, such as the sago and pomelo mango smoothie. The business also offers a selection of skewers with chicken gizzards, shrimp, fish balls and other proteins. YanYan Tea currently holds four stars out of 24 reviews on Yelp, indicating a good reception. Yelper Betty L., who reviewed YanYan Tea on Dec. 26, wrote, "I'll definitely be back!" YanYan Tea is open from 10:30 a.m.11 p.m. daily. Tan-Cha 5503 Eighth Ave., Borough Park Photo: Alex L./Yelp Southern California chain Tan-Cha has expanded to New York City with a new Brooklyn location, the first outside of its home state. The business specializes in tea drinks topped with cheese foam. Head over to this takeout-only shop to try signature items like the Royal Ceylon milk tea with tiramisu puff cream, the Uji Matcha with cheese foam and the Pu'er tea with matcha foam. Tan-Cha currently holds four stars out of 11 reviews on Yelp, indicating good reviews. Yelper Susan B., who reviewed Tan-Cha on Sept. 18, wrote, "If you want good, quality tea and milk tea, this is the place to grab and go!" Tan-Cha is open from 11 a.m.10 p.m. MondayThursday and 11 a.m.10:30 p.m. FridaySunday. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. SAN DIEGO, the United States, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States should enhance strategic coordination on their world views, and build a bilateral relationship based on coordination, cooperation and stability, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai said here Saturday. Speaking at the annual Forum on U.S.-China relations organized by the University of California, San Diego, Cui said that as the most important bilateral relationship in the world, the China-U.S. relationship is "at a critical juncture." "Today's world is experiencing complex and profound changes," Cui said, adding that "the international community has to make a choice between cooperation and confrontation, between multilateralism and unilateralism and between openness and seclusion, and in this process, the world view of each and every country has been put to test." Cui said that China has made an unwavering choice of working to build a community with a shared future for mankind. "We firmly believe that a sound and steady China-U.S. relationship is an integral and natural part of the blueprint of a community with a shared future for mankind. Our two countries can get things done if we go for cooperation," he said. The ambassador pointed out one essential subject for the Americans, which is whether China and the United States can accommodate each other's world views, and whether the world can and should become a community with a shared future. "Different world views on the part of America will bring about very divergent perspectives and conclusions about China," he said. "If we view the world as a community with a shared future, we will realize that China-U.S. relations are no zero-sum game, and there will be no 'Thucydides trap' to speak of," he said. "We will be free from the worries of 'decoupling' and trade war, and our economic complementarity will unlock enormous potential for cooperation," he said. "Our interactions in the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and other regions will not be dominated by competition," he said. "China's Belt and Road Initiative will not be described as a 'debt trap' or a 'geopolitical scheme' as some people did and are still doing. Rather, it is a useful platform of cooperation for countries to promote connectivity and develop together," he added. The ambassador said that both China and the United States are strong pillars of the existing international system, and that coordination and cooperation, not conflict or confrontation, are what the two countries should opt for. Noting that the two countries signed the China-U.S. phase-one economic and trade agreement two weeks ago, Cui said that it is "a strong testament" to the extensive and crucial common interests between the two sides. "Both countries stand to gain from cooperation and lose in confrontation. As long as our two sides follow the trend of the times and keep to the principles of mutual respect and equality, there will be no insurmountable difficulty or problem between us," he said. "Going forward, we hope to strengthen strategic communication with the United States, rebuild the strategic framework of bilateral relations, enhance strategic coordination on our world views, and build a bilateral relationship based on coordination, cooperation and stability, so that our relations will return to the right track of win-win cooperation," he added. A Birmingham police detective shot multiple times was released from the hospital Sunday, one week after he was injured when he responded to a robbery in Woodlawn. Narcotics Det. John Finke is now at home resting, said Birmingham FOP President Lt. Richard Haluska. Finkes release from the hospital was low-key because his family wanted him to get him home and comfortable. Hes recovering really well, Haluska said. The shooting happened at 9:22 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 26, while Hinke was working an extra job at the Woodlawn campus of Church of the Highlands. The officer, who was in uniform but not wearing a protective vest, spotted a robbery in progress of two people reportedly heading to church. He confronted the suspects and a shootout erupted. Authorities said roughly 20 rounds were fired. Finke was struck twice in the abdomen area. He was critically injured and rushed to UAB Hospitals Trauma Center where he underwent surgery. He has since undergone several surgeries. Haluska said Finke will continue his physical therapy on an outpatient basis. Finke has worked with the Birmingham Police Department since 2005 and has worked security at Church of the Highlands for eight years. Birmingham police filed robbery charges against the suspects in the holdup that led to the shooting. Christopher Leon Burke, 25, and Jahmari Leshaun Wright, 16, are charged with two counts each of first-degree robbery. Birmingham police obtained the warrants against the pair on Tuesday. Burke was driving a security company vehicle and in a security guard uniform when the pair was arrested. Additionally, the State Bureau of Investigation charged Wright, a Parker High school student, as an adult with attempted murder and into an unoccupied vehicle. Authorities have not released Wrights mugshot because of his age. Court records do not show any prior arrests for Burke or Wright. Authorities said Wright is believed to be the one who shot Finke with a gun that was provided by Burke. The Shanghai Composite lost nearly $370 billion from its market value and fell to a one-year low before easing slightly on Monday, per Reuters calculations. Driving the news: Investors are concerned about the global impact of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, AP notes. China's central bank announced earlier Monday it would "pump 1.2 trillion yuan (US$174 billion) into financial markets" in an attempt to ease volatility as trading reopened following the Lunar New Year holiday, the South China Morning Post reports. The big picture: The market eased slightly at lunchtime in central China, but stocks were still down by nearly 8%. Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout. Go deeper: What's happening with the coronavirus [February 03, 2020] TransparentBusiness Closes Second Round of Financing Through an Initial Private Offering, Overcoming Venture Capital Gender Bias NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TransparentBusiness , a company whose SaaS platform was designated by Citigroup as the Top People Management Solution , announced today that it has successfully completed its second round of financing, bringing the total amount raised to over $6 million. TransparentBusiness investors include current and former executives of Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, J.P. Morgan, Stifel, Bank of America, Barclays Global Investors, UBS, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Trust Company of the West, Deutsche Bank and Accenture. Telefonica, the second-largest Spanish company, invested in TransparentBusiness through Wayra; its venture capital fund and a global technological innovation hub. "In a world of continuous change, TransparentBusiness is not only transforming the way we work but also demonstrates that technology can respond, positively, to the challenges posed by the Future of Work by making the lives of people be easier," commented Paloma Castellano, director of Wayra in Madrid. Instead of seeking funding from VC funds, TransparentBusiness chose to raise funds from individual investors using new SEC Rule 506(c) which allows for "general solicitation and advertising" of the investment opportunity. " Only 2% of VC money goes to women ," said Silvina Moschini the founder, Chairwoman, and President of TransparentBusiness. "By offering our equity directly to individual investors, we've been able to overcome the VC gender bias." TransparentBusiness advertised its Private Offering in major publications, indicating that the investors in the current round have a chance for the ROI exceeding 90,000% "Practically every caller was very skeptical, as such returns do sound "too good to be true," shared Andrew Win , the Chief Investor Relations Officer of TransparentBusiness. "Fortunately, we were able to present to them a strong investment case of why TransparentBusiness may become one of the success stories of the IT sector." "Rule 506(c) allows for, essentially, Initial Private Offerings," stated Richard Devlin, the securities attorney of TransparentBusiness. "It's so new, we know of no company that has tried advertising on a significant scale. TransparentBusiness is the first company I know which advertised its Initial private offering in the Wall Street Journal, Investors' Business Daily, Bloomberg, and other major media. That allowed us to provide access to our pre-IPO stock to individual investors." "Our objective is to make TransparentBusiness synonymous with the category of Business Transparency, globally," added Silvina Moschini. "The initial round allowed us to build the momentum needed for faster expansion." TransparentBusiness entered into agreements with Google, Microsoft, SAP, Cisco, ADP, IDB, and Facebook . Legislators in 33 states have introduced bills that seek to make such transparency mandatory for government contractors and put the end on the current practice of contractors self-certifying their billable hours; the practice which results in billions of dollars of taxpayers' money being lost to overbilling each year . TransparentBusiness has released these short videos for prospective investors: Currently, TransparentBusiness is accepting applications from investors interested in acquiring equity in the company during the third round of financing. The third round is scheduled to start on May 1, 2020 at $2 per share, and is limited to FIVE MILLION shares, out of 100 million authorized shares. The priority will be given to applications from major investment funds as well as prominent financial and IT executives. For more information, contact Andrew Winn at [email protected] or (510) 332-1521. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/transparentbusiness-closes-second-round-of-financing-through-an-initial-private-offering-overcoming-venture-capital-gender-bias-300997588.html SOURCE TransparentBusiness In an interview to Sanjay Raut, the executive editor of Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Thackeray said 'Hindutva'' to him means honouring the word given by him. Mumbai: Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said assuming the top post was never his dream or ambition, but when he realised that the promise made to his father could not be fulfilled by staying with the BJP, he decided to accept the bigger responsibility. In an interview to Sanjay Raut, the executive editor of Shiv Sena mouthpiece ''Saamana'', Thackeray said ''Hindutva'' to him means honouring the word given by him. Asked if he was an''accidental chief minister'', the Shiv Sena president said, "May be." On aligning with ideologically different parties like the NCP and Congress, Thackeray said such tie-ups were made earlier also, and asserted that the interest of the state and country was bigger than any ideology. "I was not new to political power as I have seen my father (late Sena supremo Bal Thackeray) wield it since my childhood. What came unexpected was the chair of power (chief minister's post)," he said. Thackeray said he had decided that he will go to any extent to fulfil the promise made to his father about making a Shiv Sainik chief minister of the state. "My becoming chief minister is the first step towards fulfilling the promise made to my father," the 59-year-old Shiv Sena president said. The Shiv Sena snapped ties with its pre-poll ally BJP last year over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post in the state. Thackeray earlier claimed that a 50:50 formula was "agreed upon" between himself, the then BJP president Amit Shah and then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis ahead of the last year''s Lok Sabha polls. In the interview to Raut on Monday, Thackeray said the Shiv Sena chief never accepted the post of power and he also never wished for it. "When I realised that I can''t achieve the promise made to my father by staying with the BJP,I had no option but to accept the bigger responsibility," he said. Asked if he had shocked people by accepting the post of chief minister of an unlikely coalition, Thackeray said "political shocks are of many kinds". "Promises made are supposed to be fulfilled. There is sadness and anger of breaking a promise and then I had no option. I don't know if the BJP has recovered from the shock. What big did I ask...moon or stars? I just reminded them about what was agreed upon before the Lok Sabha elections," he said. On what changed his earlier stand of going alone in the elections, Thackeray said, "When (the then BJP president) Amit Shah paid a visit to me, I felt what is the harm in starting all over again." Thackeray said he went to Gandhinagar and Varanasi when Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi filed their respective nominations for the Lok Sabha polls last year. "I got sandwiched between the elder (Modi) and younger brother (referring to BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis). Making a promise and honoring the word given is Hindutva for me," he said. Asked about aligning with parties of different ideologies, Thackeray said it had happened before and cited the example of the previous BJP-led governments at the Centre. "Are the ideologies of BJP and (Lok Janshakti Party leader) Ram Vilas Paswan, (JD(U) president) Nitish Kumar, (Trinamool Congress chief) MamataBanerjee and (TDP head) Chandrababu Naidu same?" he asked. "In Kashmir, there was an alliance with the PDP and talks were held with separatists. The interest of the state and country is bigger than ideology," he said. On criticism from the BJP that he compromised on the Shiv Sena''s ideology, Thackeray said, "You want to break other parties and induct their prominent leaders. What's wrong if we align with parties." On being compared to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Thackeray said, "I speak more." To a query on him contesting the election, Thackeray, who is not a member of either the state Legislative Assembly or Council, said, "In next two-three months, I will take a decision on contesting polls. I will never run away from my responsibilities." Hinting that he may take the Legislative Council route, the chief minister said, "For (getting elected to) Assembly, somebody will have to resign. I will take the decision without hurting anyone." Asked about his experience after becoming the chief minister, Thackeray said he took little time in understanding the "official Marathi language". The chief minister also said his government would work towards resolving the dispute of "Karnataka Occupied Maharashtra". "Maharashtra wants the Marathi-speaking areas on the border adjoining Karnataka to be merged with it (Maharashtra). The matter is in court. But instead of being neutral, the Centre is supporting the Karnataka government," he alleged. A new church banner is one of a number of things that have taken place at Calistogas St. Lukes Episcopal Church since 2018, according to Charles Johnston, a member of the churchs governing body. The banner, which was presented at church on Jan. 26, was created by seamstress extraordinaire, Carolyn Cardozo. Banners, like flags, are symbolic to a group with common ties, said the Rev. William (Father Mac) McIlmoyl. In our case the colors symbolize the Holy Spirit shining upon us at St. Lukes carrying forth the dove of peace to the cross declaring our Christian faith. In addition to the banner being displayed in the sanctuary, it will accompany church members at various events held in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California. Johnston also said new signage for the church will be added to the church, at the corner of Berry and Myrtle streets in the next 30 days. The signage arrived in a custom plywood shipping box, measuring 4-feet by 5-feet and being sent from Nassau, New York. Other developments at the church in the past 18 months include: -The hiring of the Rev. William (Father Mac) McIlmoyl as Priest in Partnership; -Rededication and active call to worship of the church bell; -Landscaping along Berry Street; -Powerpoint and screen installation in the sanctuary, providing illustrative accompaniment to sermons; -New air conditioning and heating units in the sanctuary; -Alternative power generator for the church and Hands & Hearts Preschool. St. Lukes holds Sunday services at 10 a.m., followed by a coffee hour reception. All are welcome to attend. You may reach David Stoneberg at 967-6800 or editor@sthelenastar.com Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. said Monday it would remove election-related videos that are "manipulated or doctored" to mislead voters, in the latest effort to stem online misinformation. The Google-owned video service said it was taking the measures as part of an effort to be a "more reliable source" for news and to promote a "healthy political discourse." Leslie Miller, YouTube's vice president of government affairs and public policy, said in a blog post that the service's community standards will ban "content that has been technically manipulated or doctored in a way that misleads users ... and may pose a serious risk of egregious harm." The policy also bans content which aims to mislead people about voting or the census processes. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) The Bureau of Immigration said Monday it is coordinating with the Chinese embassy to bring home around 300 of its nationals who are in limbo after the Philippines announced a travel ban to China, Hong Kong, and Macau. BI refused entry to foreigners, including some 300 Chinese nationals, who arrived Sunday evening from Hong Kong and Macau at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). They were stranded at the airport terminals pending their return flights. "There are around 300 Chinese nationals who are stranded in NAIA because most of the airlines have canceled their flights already to and from the different parts of China," BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said in a media briefing. The plane carrying the foreign nationals arrived in the country hours after President Rodrigo Duterte expanded the coverage of the temporary travel ban amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV. The temporary ban now includes all foreign travelers coming directly from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau or who had been to those places within 14 days immediately preceding their arrival in the Philippines. Filipinos and holders of permanent resident visa will be allowed to enter the country from those places but will undergo 14 days of mandatory quarantine. Filipinos are also temporarily banned from traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau. The virus originated in China, where it has killed over 360 people. It has since spread to at least 27 countries and territories, with the first death outside China reported in the Philippines -- a Chinese man from Wuhan City who died Saturday in Manila. Sandoval said the Chinese government is working to repatriate its citizens as soon as possible. "They have pledged to send an aircraft to fetch their citizens who are stranded in the country. Maybe today or the next few days well find out the details of these flights that the Chinese embassy will be arranging," she said. Bureau of Immigration Port Operations Chief Grifton Medina said 33 of the stranded passengers boarded a flight to Hong Kong on Monday morning. Another flight, which is expected to carry 146 of the barred passengers, is expected to leave later in the day. Sandoval clarified the number of Chinese nationals to be repatriated also includes some already in the country but who have expressed their desire to go home. What happens when a privileged boy meets a boy whos selling newspapers at the age of nine? As it so happens, they make one of the biggest brands in the luxury car industry. Charles Stuart Rolls is born in 1877 in Londons affluent Berkeley Square. After school, Rolls studies mechanical engineering at Cambridge and by the time he leaves university, he is an accomplished motorist. Soon, Rolls sets up CS Rolls & Co. that imports motor cars from Belgium and France and sells them. Meanwhile, Henry Royce, who is from a humble background, takes every opportunity to learn and grow. Royce, who is keen in electrical engineering, lands a job at an electrical components company. By 1903, hes built his first petrol engine, the Royce 10hp motor car. Rolls hears about Royce from a friend and, after a meeting, agrees to sell as many motor cars as Royce can build under the brand Rolls-Royce. Eventually, Rolls partner, Claude Johnson, takes over the company and revives it. Johnson is often known as the hyphen in Rolls-Royce". Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) employees, who have opted for voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) scheme, will have to wait for next fiscal year (FY21) to get their dues. The reason for this delay is because the Union Budget 2020 has not made any provisions for disbursement towards the programme in FY20. Settlement worth Rs 37,268.42 crore on account of VRS, capital investment in BSNL and MTNL for 4G spectrum and grant for payment of GST has been budgeted for the next financial year, the Business Standard reported. Also Read: BSNL identifies assets worth Rs 20,160 crore for monetisation The government has set aside a provisioning of mere Rs 528 crore in the current fiscal for settlement towards implementation of the VRS. In October last year, the central government approved a Rs 69,000 crore revival package for BSNL and MTNL that included merging the two loss-making firms, monetising their assets and giving VRS to employees so that the combined entity turns profitable in two years. The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved a plan to combine MTNL, which provides services in Mumbai and New Delhi -- with BSNL that services the rest of the nation. Also Read: More than 92,000 employees of BSNL, MTNL opt for VRS scheme Chennai: DMK and its allies have kick-started a massive signature campaign in the State against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) from today. The campaign will be on till February 8 and signatures would be handed over to President Ram Nath Kovind. The campaign was started by DMK Chief MK Stalin from his Assembly constituency Kolathur. He also addressed a public rally at GKM Nagar. The amended citizenship law grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who came to India before December 31, 2014. Did the Chinese Coronavirus Start as a Bioweapon Program? | The China Report In this episode of The China Report, we speak with Casey Fleming, CEO of BlackOps Partners, about allegations that the Coronavirus spreading in China may have originated from a bioweapon program. We also discuss the Chinese regimes programs for asymmetrical hybrid warfare and its programs for waging an unrestricted war on the United States. 6.5k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) said that Republicans would impeach Joe Biden over Ukraine if he beats Trump in the 2020 election. Bloomberg News reported: I think this door of impeachable whatever has been opened, Ernst said in an interview with Bloomberg News. Joe Biden should be very careful what hes asking for because, you know, we can have a situation where if it should ever be President Biden, that immediately, people, right the day after he would be elected would be saying, Well, were going to impeach him.' The grounds for impeachment, the first-term Republican said, would be for being assigned to take on Ukrainian corruption yet turning a blind eye to Burisma because his son was on the board making over a million dollars a year. There are two problems with what Ernst is threatening. Republicans arent going to win back the House in 2020. It has gotten so dire for House Republicans on the fundraising front that GOP donors are already switching over to the presidential and Senate races. Secondly, impeaching Biden for Ukraine would be a huge mistake. The Ukraine conspiracy is bogus. Joe Biden and his son did nothing wrong. Joni Ernst is making dumb threats because she is on the verge of losing her seat. The Senate cant start an impeachment, so Ernest knows that Biden wont be impeached on day one. She is pathetically trying to stay in the Senate. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook Rapid City Council member Becky Drury is now saying she voted against a Wednesday resolution calling for the city to formally oppose gold-exploration drilling in the Rapid Creek watershed near Pactola Reservoir, even though she did not verbalize a "no" vote during the public meeting of the Legal and Finance Committee. The discrepancy in Drury's vote comes after media organizations, including the Journal, reported a 5-0 vote Wednesday by the Legal and Finance Committee to approve the resolution to oppose a drilling plan by F3 Gold, LLC. The agenda for Monday's Rapid City Common Council meeting was published Thursday, showing the Legal and Finance Committee voted to approve the resolution, but with a 4-1 vote. The agenda shows Drury voted against the resolution. Drury is the chairperson of the Legal and Finance Committee A review of audio and video of Wednesday's committee meeting was completed by the Journal. Drury voiced concerns about the resolution, but when the vote was called, she did not verbally vote no. "I thought it was clear by my comments that I was opposed to the resolution, and it was already a long meeting, so I was just trying to finish it up," Drury told the Journal on Friday. "I did not verbally say no when I made the vote call, and for that I apologize for the confusion." Following Wednesday's meeting, Drury said she was approached by the minutes clerk to clarify her "voting intention" on the resolution. "As I said, I thought it was clear by my comments but because I didn't verbalize a no vote, we wanted to make sure the minutes were accurate on my intent," Drury said. During Wednesday's Legal and Finance meeting, Drury spoke for approximately one minute and 45 seconds with her concerns about the resolution opposing exploratory drilling before calling for the vote. "I do think the city has a critical interest in the water, but I also think we have our pulse on it," Drury said at the meeting. "I don't want to set a precedent through the city. I know they have done resolutions in the past on other issues, but I don't want to have a precedent where we, every month, have a group come in and want a resolution on this and a resolution on that. I think that we are kind of pigeonholing ourselves, to an extent." City Attorney Joel Landeen said Friday that Drury's intent to vote no on the resolution is accurately reflected in the meeting's minutes. "The official minutes reflect the intent of the members," Landeen said. The city's communications director, Darrell Shoemaker, confirmed Drury spoke with the city's recording secretary immediately after Wednesday's meeting was adjourned. "Obviously, this an opportunity for us to visit with (members) to make sure they verbalize their intent, but again she expressed her opposition to the measure during the discussion," Shoemaker said. "She didn't verbalize it, but she indicated that her intent was a no vote on that measure." The city council will take up the proposed resolution at a 6:30 p.m. Monday meeting at City Hall. Contact Assistant Managing Editor Nathan Thompson at nathan.thompson@rapidcityjournal.com. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. In the first national study of its size, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Health, Department of Nursing, have found that male and female nurses are at higher risk of suicide than the general population. Results of the longitudinal study were published in the February 3, 2020 online edition of WORLDviews on Evidence Based-Nursing. "Using the 2005-2016 National Violent Death Reporting System dataset from the Centers for Disease Control, we found that male and female nurses are at a higher risk for suicide, confirming our previous studies," said senior author Judy Davidson, DNP, RN, research scientist at UC San Diego. "Female nurses have been at greater risk since 2005 and males since 2011. Unexpectedly, the data does not reflect a rise in suicide, but rather that nurse suicide has been unaddressed for years." The World Health Organization reports that one person dies every 40 seconds by suicide. It is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, occurring at a rate of 13 per 100,000 persons. While overall mortality rates are decreasing in the US, the suicide rate is rising. Davidson and colleagues found that female nurse suicide rates from 2005 to 2016 were significantly higher (10 per 100,000) than the general female population (7 per 100,000). Similarly, male nurses (33 per 100,000) were higher than the general male population (27 per 100,000) for the same period. "Opioids and benzodiazepines were the most commonly used method of suicide in females, indicating a need to further support nurses with pain management and mental health issues," said co-author Sidney Zisook, MD, professor of psychiatry, UC San Diego School of Medicine. "The use of firearms was most common in male nurses, and rising in female nurses. Given these results, suicide prevention programs are needed." UC San Diego has successfully tested a suicide prevention program called the Healer Education Assessment and Referral (HEAR) program. HEAR provides education about risk factors and proactive screening focused on identifying, supporting and referring clinicians for untreated depression and/or suicide risk. HEAR has been acclaimed as a best practice in suicide prevention by the American Medical Association. Also published in the same issue of WORLDviews on Evidence Based-Nursing is a paper describing the sustainability of the HEAR program. "To achieve success, suicide prevention programs for nurses should be anonymous and have a proactive screening process," said lead author Rachael Accardi, LMFT, HEAR therapist. "When a distressing event occurs in the hospital or clinic environment, an evaluation team should be deployed to access any psychologic needs. This is best achieved through tight organizational connections among the hospital's experience, risk management and HR teams, who can flag an event and then deploy confidential resources." Since 2009, more than 500 HEAR referrals have been made for clinicians to mental health professionals. Approximately 40 nurses per year, many in crisis, have communicated with counselors, often anonymously through the website and always confidentially by email, phone or in person. "It is time to take urgent action to protect our nursing workforce. The HEAR program is ready for replication at the national level to address this newly recognized risk among nurses," said Davidson, who co-chairs a task force for the American Nurses Association to address nurse suicide. "The HEAR program can be complemented with tested cognitive-based therapy resiliency skills building for maximum effect." ### Co-authors include Kelly Lee and James Proudfoot, UC San Diego; and Garni Terterian, University of San Diego. Turkey's President Erdogan is visiting Kyiv on Monday. Ukraine and Turkey have agreed on financial support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. "Today, an important agreement on military and financial cooperation has been reached, under which the Turkish partners will provide financial support to the Ukrainian army," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Kyiv on Monday, according to a UNIAN correspondent. Read alsoUkraine, Turkey to strengthen Navy cooperation A general agreement on cooperation in the defense sphere was signed earlier on Monday following negotiations between the two countries' delegations under the chairmanship of by Zelensky and Erdogan. Ramallah, Feb 3 : Palestine reiterated its rejection of the US Mideast peace deal, describing it as a "declaration of hostility" against the Palestinian people. "The plan poses a serious threat to the rules-based international order and the foundations of international law," according to a position paper issued by the Palestine Liberation Organization's Public Diplomacy and Policy Department on Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported. It said that the proposed plan grants Israel "immediate rewards of annexation," leaving Palestinians with no sovereignty at all. "The US plan presents a disconnected and inviable archipelago of Palestinian communities stripped of any sovereignty or viability, engulfed in Israel's belly and denied of any control over borders, airspace, territorial waters security or natural resources," said the statement. According to the paper, Palestine is ready to engage in "constructive and meaningful political effort on the basis of international law, relevant UN resolutions and the Arab peace initiative," and the Palestinian leadership is ready to work with the international community to achieve a real peace on this foundation. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 3, 2020) - Sixth Wave Innovations Inc. (OTC Pink: ATURF) (formerly Atom Energy Inc.) (the "Company") is pleased to announce the closing of its previously announced acquisition of 6th Wave Innovations Corp. ("6th Wave") (the "Merger Transaction") as well as the receipt of conditional approval to list its common shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE" or the "Exchange"). Subject to final approval, the Common Shares will commence trading on the CSE under the ticker symbol "SIXW" once a listing date is set by the Exchange. Information Concerning 6th Wave 6th Wave is a development stage nanotechnology company focused on extraction and detection of target substances at the molecular level using its patented technologies in the highly specialized field of molecularly imprinted polymers. 6th Wave is in the process of commercializing IXOS, a line of extraction polymers for the gold mining industry, and together with the Company, it has developed extraction polymers for the extraction of CBD, THC and other cannabinoids from cannabis extracts under the name AffinityTM. The Company is a reporting issuer under the laws of the Provinces of British Columbia and Alberta whose common shares ("Common Shares") were voluntarily de-listed from the NEX board of the TSX Venture Exchange on May 29, 2018. The Company received conditional approval to list the Common Shares on the CSE on January 23, 2020 and is in the process of filing the final documents with the CSE. Subject to final approval, the Common Shares will commence trading on the CSE under the ticker symbol "SIXW". A listing date has not yet been set by the exchange. Closing of Merger Transaction The Company, and a wholly-owned subsidiary, ("Merger Subco"), entered into an agreement and plan of merger with 6th Wave Innovations Corp. and Affinity Nanotechnology Inc., as security holders' representative ("Affinity Nano") on September 7, 2018, (as amended, the "Merger Agreement"). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Merger Subco merged with and into 6th Wave by way of a "triangular merger" pursuant to the laws of Delaware, and the issued and outstanding shares of Subsidiary were exchanged for securities in the Company and cash. As a result, 6th Wave became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, the Company issued 14,291,054 Common Shares and US$1.2 million to the former holders of 6th Wave securities, and issued 3,928,042 warrants to purchase Common Shares in exchange for outstanding 6th Wave warrants. The Company also issued 2,719,202 Common Shares and 1,777,778 warrants in connection with the settlement of US$1.39 million of outstanding 6th Wave debt owed to Affinity Nano, repaid US$1.1 million of debt owed to Affinity Nano and replaced the balance of 6th Wave debt owed to Affinity Nano with a US$1.0 million principal amount convertible promissory note (the "Affinity Loan"). Another US$318,000 of accumulated deferred salary was paid to management of 6th Wave. In connection with the closing of the Merger Transaction, 3,603,600 Common Shares were issued upon the automatic exchange of the Company's outstanding subscription receipts. The Company further reports that funds received in escrow pursuant to the Financing Package, as outlined in its press release of January 21, 2020, have been released to the Company as a result of the closing of the Merger Transaction. A total of 4,204,563 Common Shares have been issued pursuant to the escrow closing for gross proceeds of CAD$0.75 per Common Share, resulting in gross proceeds of CAD$3,153,422.25 being released from escrow to the Company. A total of 70,550,650 Common Shares are outstanding following completion of the Merger Transaction, including exchange of the subscription receipts and issuance Common Shares pursuant to the escrow closing. Story continues As part of the Merger Transaction, the board of directors of the Company was reconstituted to consist of Messrs. Jonathan Gluckman (formerly Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of 6th Wave), John Veltheer (formerly Chief Executive Officer of the Company), James McKenzie, Peter Manuel and Scot Robinson. Mr. Gluckman has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Veltheer has been appointed Chief Financial Officer and Mr. Sherman McGill, co-founder of 6th Wave, has been appointed Executive Vice President. Additional information regarding the business of the Company and the biographical details of management and the board of directors can be found in the Company's CSE Form 2A Listing Statement, which will be filed on SEDAR prior to the commencement of trading of the Common Shares on the CSE. Pursuant to the rules of the CSE and National Policy 46-201 - Escrow for Initial Public Offerings, all common shares, options, and warrants held by officers, directors, promoters and 10% shareholders will be deposited into escrow for a period of 36 months. In total, 17,859,810 common shares, 1,860,000 options, 6,043,224 warrants and the Affinity Loan will be subject to escrow with Computershare Trust Company of Canada as escrow agent prior to completion of the listing. Early Warning Reporting Prior to the closing of the Merger Transaction, Affinity Nano held no securities of the Company. As a result of the Merger Transaction, including the debt settlements, Affinity Nano holds 10,302,250 Common Shares, representing 14.6% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares of the Company, and warrants to acquire an additional 4,397,000 Common Shares. The Common Shares and warrants are held by Affinity Nano for investment purposes, and are subject to escrow as provided above. Affinity Nano may, from time to time, acquire additional shares, dispose of some or all of the existing or additional shares, or continue to hold the shares of the Company in the normal course of investment activities. Affinity Nano is an investment holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with head office located at PO Box 309, Ugland House George Town Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands KY1-1104. An early warning report pursuant to National Instrument 62-103 - The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues will be filed on SEDAR under the Company's issuer profile. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "John Veltheer" John Veltheer, CFO & Director For information, please contact the Company: Suite 830, 1100 Melville Street Vancouver, BC V6E 4A6 Phone: (604) 562-6915 E-mail: john@veltheer.com This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. Cautionary Notes This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" including statements regarding the expected listing of the Company on the Exchange. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future events or developments that the Company expects, are forward looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual events or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the Company failing to satisfy the Exchange listing conditions. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52053 The headquarters of Heritage Party today hosted a meeting with US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Lynne Tracy, reports Heritage Party. During the meeting, the parties discussed a broad range of major issues related to domestic and foreign politics and praised the deepening cooperation between the US and Armenia, the implementation of programs targeted at further development of democracy in Armenia and the US governments contribution to the peaceful and legal settlement of the Artsakh issue within the scope of the OSCE Minsk Group. They also underscored the importance of the balanced steps of the US and Armenia in regard to regional issues for the establishment and strengthening of democracy and mutual understanding. A 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a man at the engagement ceremony of her relative here, police said on Monday. The accused was identified as Raju (36), who had set up a food stall at the function on Sunday night, they said. The accused took the girl to a toilet and raped her, the police said. Not able to find her, the girl's parents started looking for her and found her in the toilet. They rushed her to J K Lon Hospital and lodged an FIR against an unknown person, they said. Several persons were questioned in connection of the incident. Raju was found acting suspicious and interrogated, following which he confessed to the crime and was arrested, they added. The girl is undergoing treatment at the hospital, the police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In less than a decade, Timmy Trumpet managed himself to successfully transform from the acclaimed Jazz musician to the realm of global dance music. Timmys progression has been seen in his ability to effortlessly mix in-key and his mastering in the art of improvisation. His rise to the top of the DJ world showed no signs of slowing down since his first song was out. Here is a list of best tracks of Timmy Trumpet. ALSO READ: Don Diablo's Best Tracks That All Electro-dance Music Fans Must Listen To Freaks The song Freaks is by Australian DJ, producer, and musician Timmy Trumpet. He was accompanied by New Zealand rapper Savage and was released on August 8. The track featured in a 2014 viral video recorded by Russell Bauer. In the video, Bauer can be seen playing the song on the trombone and his son accompanying him. Punjabi Timmy Trumpet and his unique style were back when this Punjabi song was released. The song was produced together with the great producer Dimatik, on Dharma Worldwide. Moreover, this was the first non-KSHMR release, and it received a lot of compliments. ALSO READ: DJ Snake's Best Tracks That All EDM Music Fans Must Listen To Al Pacino Timmy Trumpet and Krunks Al Pacino surely invites you to join the stage. The song is infectious and works perfectly for the bigger parties and festivals out there. EDM lovers can combine the sounds from these two heavy hitters and the result you will get is a tune that is out of this world. Mufasa Timmy Trumpet was, is and always will be one of the kings of bounce, while The Golden Army is probably the best orchestral EDM producer right now. Apart from this, his past career as a sound designer makes him a really versatile and effective producer too. With this track, you can definitely know that Timmy knows how to squeeze his DAW and plugins to their best. Toro Boasting the heavy and intense genre, the song Toro acclaimed major appreciation during its release. Titled as Toro, it features an explosive combination of nailing kicks and screeching synths to snapping bouncy bassline. It released on Heavyweight Records which launched in the year 2017. ALSO READ: Expensive Hollywood Movies With Stunning Examples Of CGI Effects ALSO READ: Calvin Harris' Best Tracks That All EDM Music Fans Must Listen To Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment. After acquiring from its previous distributor, MG Philippines, now under The Covenant Car Company Inc., has represented itself well in the local automotive market back in 2019 and their continuous progress shows that they are on the right track. Starting with sales, the MG brand welcomed 2020 after reaching a 5,085-unit sales output (or over 400 units per month)led by the MG ZS Crossover SUV, which generated over half of MG Philippines total vehicle sales in 2019. The sales figures came from a TCCCI, making them ranked within Top 10 automotive brands for 2019. It is also last when the latest official distributor of MG brought to local shores three more all-new vehicles in 2019, namely: RX5 SUV; MG 6 Fastback sedan; and the brands latest offering, the MG 5 sedan. Aside from growth in sales, they have also expanded in reach with the now 24 MG dealerships nationwide. These are: MG Alabang, MG Araneta-Cubao, MG BF Paranaque, MG Commonwealth, MG EDSA Centris, MG Makati, MG Marikina, MG Pasig, MG Shaw, MG Quezon Avenue, MG Batangas, MG Cabanatuan, MG Carmona, MG Dasmarinas, MG Lipa, MG Pampanga, MG. Sta. Rosa, MG Cebu-Mandaue, MG Bacolod, MG Iloilo, MG Tacloban, Mg Cagayan De Oro, MG Davao, and MG Zamboanga. The expansion of the MG Philippines nationwide dealership network will likewise continue in 2020, with a minimum of seven (7) new MG dealerships opening in key locations nationwide. MG Philippines main aftersales complements were promptly activated in 2019, and these will continue on in the year ahead, providing owners with a pleasant MG ownership experience. These include a 5-year or 100,000km warranty (whichever comes first), and one-year free periodic maintenance service (PMS) for worry-free assurance. Aside from these, MG owners can also download the My MG mobile app (Android, via Google Play) which allows them to easily schedule vehicle servicing appointments, make parts inquiries, and locate MG dealerships near them from the convenience of their smartphones. Story continues They can also use the app to book a visit from a Mobile Garage service caravan that provides MG owners with vehicle home service for major technical issues. MG HERO Services, on the other hand, provides 24/7 roadside support through the MG Philippines hotline (+632 5328 4664). MG Philippines is also ultimately thankful for the overwhelming support it has received from various local motoring media outfits, having received numerous recognitions in its first year. We at MG Philippines are thankful to our clients, our executive committee, dealer partners, media friends, our partners from SAIC Motor International, our bank partners, and the numerous agencies who worked with us, for making 2019 such a breakout year for the brand, Atty. Alberto Arcilla, President and CEO of MG Philippines, said. We are very grateful for each and every one of you; for the contributions you have made in making MG Philippines what it is today, and for your continued support of this British heritage brand. We have exciting things in store for 2020 and we eagerly enter this new year and decade with renewed anticipation and excitement, bolstered by all the positive indicators we received in the past year. Also read: The post MG PH Finishes 2019 Strong in Sales, Expansion appeared first on Carmudi Philippines. Many readers will have reacted to the global headlines of the last week about Billie Eilish and Kobe Bryant by asking 'Who?' Both are global names in online households - but relatively unknown to users of traditional media. Each type of household will react with amazement upon learning about each other's knowledge or ignorance. We increasingly live in a world of two types of media, traditional print or broadcast on one side with social media on the other - each has a diminishing overlap with the other. In the US, for instance, since 2018 social media has been used by adults more than newspapers as a news source. Most people have an awareness of the controlling reputations of traditional media magnates like William Randolph Hearst, Robert Maxwell or Rupert Murdoch. But who has control of social media? Much attention is focused on the activities of the owners of companies such as Facebook or Twitter - but what about the huge numbers who, in turn, use social media to attempt to influence public opinion in general and democratic elections, in particular? Who will be trying to influence your vote in the forthcoming General Election and how will they try to do it? Placing political advertisements is the most obvious type of media influence. It is reasonably transparent and can be regulated. But this is just the tip of the iceberg - the real action in modern campaigning is to try to persuade and form opinions in ways that are indirect and not often obvious. Traditional and new media are the target of many groups who specifically seek to influence public policy by ensuring the election of candidates who will implement measures that will further their aims. We call this activity 'lobbying'. The activity is well recognised and heavily regulated in more mature societies. Many can have blinkered views about the identity of lobbyists - usually imagining they are exclusively employed by large businesses and other groups who are assumed to be uncaring about the common good. Many good people can be blissfully and almost naively unaware of the scale, expenditure and influence efforts of organisations that promote 'good causes' - often classifying themselves as charities or Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). These unelected and unaccountable groups can have access to the highest levels of international agencies, such as the United Nations and the European Commission, often to the dismay of hard-won representatives of democratically elected national governments. Access by activists can even take the form of partnerships near the heart of government, often going completely unrecognised or regulated, despite being lobbyists. Significantly more vigilance is needed to regulate this reality. Taking environmental lobbying, as an obvious and topical example. Many voters, especially the young, hold deep and passionate views about the need to protect the environment from human activities. In many cases they may be unaware that their activism is based on carefully constructed narratives that have been drawn up and promoted by surprisingly large and well-organised international environmental NGOs. Organisations that spend millions annually trying to influence policy are assumed to be multinational industries and businesses. The cute panda logo is on the front of the World Wildlife Fund's annual international report; it details how over $300m was spent in 2019, while Greenpeace had a 2018 turnover in excess of 80m. Single-issue groups, such as Birdlife, spent over 20m the same year. Very large amounts of these funds are spent on activities that the organisations describe as public education, policy development or awareness raising - lobbying. Farmers trying to explain their case in Brussels or Washington need to remember the size and wealth of the opponents who have visited before them. Lobbying for environmental causes is big business, yet many environmental organisations are horrified to be described as 'lobbyists' despite their extensive attempts to influence public policy. They prefer to be called 'campaigners' or 'activists'. The dangers of well-meaning 'activists' has been long recognised. One of Cork's most famous orators, John Philpot Curran, said in 1790: "It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance." This is usually remembered as the political slogan, 'The price of freedom is eternal vigilance', however, the most important advice is often overlooked. Curran was warning against 'the active'. We need to extend that vigilance to those who seek to influence us - being especially vigilant about 'good causes'. We need to continue to confront attempts by activists to engage our hearts with emotions, rather than our heads with facts, by demanding the truth - the whole truth. We need to confront homelessness campaigners with the truth that rough-sleeping numbers and homeless figures in Ireland are falling, and with the whole truth that these are issues in every country and that we in Ireland are dealing with this very well compared to other countries. Dublin's 90 rough sleepers are rarely compared to London's 9,000. Ireland's 10,000 people in emergency accommodation are rarely compared to the UK's 320,000, which includes 127,000 children. We need to confront environmental campaigners with the truth that most recorded extinctions took place prior to 1900 and that the majority of these occurred on long-isolated islands. We need to confront activists with the reality that over 15pc of land on earth is already protected - compared to the 11pc that is used for agriculture. We need to continue to confront activists with the increasingly rare currency of boring facts and truth - especially the whole truth in the fullest context. There is hope. There is good news, at least in Ireland. This country is estimated to be one of a handful of countries in the world with high media literacy. Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Estonia and Ireland were ranked at the top the Media Literacy Index 2019. These countries are considered the best equipped to withstand the impact of fake news due to the quality of education, free media and high trust among people. This is not a reason to be complacent. In a world where news is increasingly infiltrated by misinformation from activists, it is becoming apparent that media literacy needs to be actively supported. Finland, the country with the highest media literacy score, has taught media literacy in primary and secondary school since 2016. These students learn skills that were once thought to be the sole preserve of newspapers - fact-checking, information evaluation, and critical thinking. The key is to sustain an awareness of the potential 'to become a prey to the active' - as Curran warned back in 1790. The online world is raw, unchecked and unedited information - most of it devoid of context, much of it comprising partial information and some of it is just wrong, through either ignorance or malice. We must not respond with cynicism by avoiding engagement with news. Critical thinking and vigorous questioning are the antidote. Critical thinking is a habit that needs daily practice. What better chance to do so than to develop skills during this General Election campaign? Ask lots of hard questions on doorsteps, ideally in a Cork accent, to honour John Philpot Curran. Just say, "Who told you that?" [February 03, 2020] Ares Management Corporation to Acquire Seven CLO Contracts Through a Managing Interest in Crestline Denali Capital Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) ("Ares") announced today that its subsidiary has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a managing interest in a restructured Crestline Denali Capital ("Crestline Denali") that will result in the addition of seven collateralized loan obligation funds ("CLOs") totaling $2.6 billion of assets under management to the Ares portfolio. Crestline Denali, a Chicago area-based firm specializing in the management of non-investment grade bank loans, will retain its equity interest in its CLOs. Ares' CLOs are managed by its Credit Group, which had $106 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2019. Ares believes that the all-cash transaction will further strengthen its leading global CLO franchise and increase its CLO assets under management by $2.6 billion without the assumption of any debt or headcount. The purchase price was not disclosed. "We believe the opportunity to become the manager of these CLOs is a compelling investment opportunity for us given our deep credit expertise and extensive CLO management capabilities," said Kipp deVeer, Partner and Head of the Ares Credit Group. "We have known the Crestline Denali team for many years and we share a similar approach and philosophy towards credit investing, which we believe has been critical in their successful management of their investors' capital." "This transaction will allow the capabilities, scale and experience of Ares to benefit all investors," said John Cochran, the Chief Operating Officer of Crestline Investors, Inc. and representative fr Crestline Denali. "As continued investors in these CLOs, we look forward to our future, collective success." The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020 and is subject to customary closing conditions. Berkshire Global Advisors served as financial advisor and Winston & Strawn LLP served as legal counsel to Crestline Denali. Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal counsel to Ares. About Ares Management Corporation Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager operating three integrated businesses across Credit, Private Equity and Real Estate. Ares Management's investment groups collaborate to deliver innovative investment solutions and consistent and attractive investment returns for fund investors throughout market cycles. Ares Management's global platform had $144 billion of assets under management as of September 30, 2019 with approximately 1,200 employees in over 20 offices in more than 10 countries. Please visit www.aresmgmt.com for additional information. About Crestline Denali Crestline Denali Capital L.P. (Crestline Denali) is a specialized asset management company located in Oak Brook, Illinois. Crestline Denali manages portfolios of leveraged commercial loans and related assets on behalf of investors. Founded in 2001 as Denali Capital LLC, Crestline Denali has approximately $2.6 billion in assets under management across seven collateralized loan obligation funds as of December 2019. Crestline Denali endeavors to provide its investors superior results by deploying a selective, issuer-orientated, fundamental credit strategy while seeking to build well diversified portfolios. Forward-Looking Statements Statements included herein may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which relate to future events or our future performance or financial condition. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, condition or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ares Management Corporation undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made herein. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005204/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Airman Mohammed Sameh Haitham, from St. Petersburg, Fla. One of the victims of the shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., on Dec. 6, 2019. (U.S. Navy via AP) Al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula Claims December Shooting at Florida Naval Base CAIROAn audio recording purporting to be from the Islamist terrorist group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed responsibility on Sunday for a fatal shooting in December at a U.S. naval base in Pensacola, Florida, but provided no evidence. We congratulate our Muslim nation and embrace the operation of the martyr hero, the daring knight Muhammad bin Saeed Al-Shamrani, said the audio, released by Al Qaedas Yemen branch. Three people were killed in the shooting. Reuters was unable to verify the authenticity of the recording. By Maha El Dahan and Omar Fahmy A shopkeeper tried to prevent Sudesh Amman from snatching the kitchen knife which he used to stab two strangers in the street, witnesses have said. The convicted terrorist, 20, had been released from a three-year prison sentence days earlier, and walked the short distance from a bail hostel to carry out the attack in Streatham High Road. He entered the Low Price Store and stole the ceramic-handled knife from near the till. Wearing a fake suicide vest, Amman knifed a female cyclist in the back before slashing a man in the stomach outside the White Lion pub in front of horrified families and shoppers about 2pm yesterday. Streatham attacker Sudesh Amman () / Met Police Within eight seconds, surveillance officers shot him dead outside Boots. Footage filmed from a passing bus shows undercover officers in jeans, trainers and hoodies pointing their firearms at Ammans body. One officer rushes forward to kick the knife away. Scotland Yard was today carrying out searches on two residential addresses, in south London and Bishops Stortford. Police say the most seriously injured victim is no longer in a critical condition. Witnesses told how the terror erupted on the busy shopping street. Shopkeeper Jagmon Singh watched Amman, dressed in a grey tracksuit and a black-and-grey top, pluck the knife off the shelf and remove the packaging. He tried to wrestle it away, believing the terrorist to be a shoplifter. His brother Kiranjeet Singh, 38, who owns the Low Price Store, said: My brother recognised him because he had come in the week before and didnt buy anything. "My brother said he grabbed a ceramic 10-inch kitchen knife that was hanging by the till. He walked in, took the knife, saw nobody was looking and ran out. He removed the packaging then stabbed the woman in the back. It was completely random then he started running. Streatham terror attack - In pictures 1 /28 Streatham terror attack - In pictures Police are dealing with an incident in Streatham Andy Bullemor Police officers conduct a search of a bail hostel in south London AFP via Getty Images A woman reacts near to the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police Getty Images Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police cordon off a property in Streatham PA Forensic officers outside a property on Leigham Court Road, Streatham PA Police activity at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police officers look under a bus as they work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the Streatham area of south London AP Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police officer on Streatham High Road PA Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Police officers guard a cordon on Streatham High Road, at the junction of Prentis Road AFP via Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police secure the area in Streatham AP Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Clare Henson-Bowen, 36, was with her two young children and her husband when she saw Amman attack the female cyclist. She said: A guy ran out of the hardware store with something in his hand and the shopkeeper shouting at him. "He looked like he had pushed a woman who was standing near the bike rack. It just looked like be ran past her. She was still on her feet as people were running towards her. "Not even 10 seconds later I heard the gunshots. Then there was stony silence followed by more people running to help. A nurse said: The shopkeeper tried to get the knife from him but he got away and stabbed a woman on a bicycle. The knife was really big. Police cordon in Streatham / PA Karker Tahir, who was working in a shop nearby, said he heard three gunshots and a man running, with screams behind him. He said: I saw this guy running on the pavement. And behind him there was two or three police officers undercover with guns. "They kept telling him stop, stop. And I then saw them shoot him three times. The police said, You have to leave the shop because he has a bomb on his back. "Police, after shooting him, went to check on him while he was alive and then they found something I believe there was a bomb or something and they stepped back and told everybody to step back. "We had to leave immediately because maybe the bomb goes off and could hurt everybody. Im still shocked. Justice Denedo, 44, who works in the City, said: I thought it must be gangs but then I could see this guy running towards me and I could see two men wearing balaclavas chasing behind him. "All of a sudden I could hear this guy screaming. I think it was the police officer. The guy they were chasing was saying something but it wasnt very audible. "He was screaming and the police officers were screaming at the same time. Then I heard two shots very close together. Pop pop, just like that. Forensic officers in Streatham / AFP via Getty Images "The guy stopped and then he turned around and I noticed he had a massive silver knife in his hands. It was a very big blade. Easily 10 inches. He was trying to move his hands. The police were screaming at him and yelling at people to step back. "They kept yelling step back. Then there were two more shots fired. Forensic officers examine the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police / Getty Images Witness Nardos Mulugeta, a 52-year-old mechanical engineer, said police tried to stem Ammans bleeding, adding: He had a big open wound on the right side of his stomach. Onlooker Dave Chawner tried to comfort one of the victims who had been stabbed and used a blanket from his bag to compress the wound. A huge swathe of the busy high street remained cordoned off as forensic officers carried out their investigations. A battle at Sitka in 1804 began the vast northwest territorys tilt into American hands A map is a catalog of queries and cluesnot only about location and distance but history. Maps of North America pose a question many an onlooker cannot answer: Why is Alaska part of the United States of America and not of Canadaor, for that matter, of Russia? The short answer is that the United States bought Alaska from Russia in 1867. But geography appears to confound the logic of that sale. The largest state lies only 55 miles across the Bering Strait from Russia and shares a 1,538-mile eastern border with Canada. In addition, Alaskas southernmost town, Ketchikan, is 608 miles north of Bellingham, Washington, the nearest city in the Lower 48. How did Alaskas 663,268 square miles wind up in the United States and not another country? The answer lies in the longstanding rivalry between Russian traders and Britains commercial stand-in, the Hudson Bay Company, over the riches offered by the fur trade, leading to a fierce and bloody battle prompting Russian explorer Alexander Baranov to claim what became Sitka, Alaska. On September 29, 1804, Katlian, war chief of the Sitkan Tlingit, was standing atop a rocky promontory near his village, on the shore of southeast Alaska. His vantage point offered a view of a harbor choked with hundreds of baidarka, the indigenous watercraft Europeans came to call kayaks. The Sitkan Tlingit, like the rest of their tribe, were a combative maritime people, animists whose shamans exerted strong influence and whose warriors fought masked as animals, their bodies painted red, white, and black. Like the Polynesians of the South Pacific, Tlingit sailed the open seas in highly decorated canoes, often more than 70 feet long. A hundred warriors, armed with clubs, daggers, spears, bows and arrows, could fit aboard. In raids along the Pacific Northwest coast, Tlingit marauders struck village upon village, enslaving those they did not kill and earning enmity that had perpetuated centuries of violence. However, Katlian was on the lookout not for other natives, but for Russiansin particular, Alexander Baranov. In 1741, Russia had claimed Alaska as a colony, sending explorers to probe the enormous region and hunters to bring back furs, among the most valuable commodities of the day. Fur trading companies like Golikov Shelikov eked out marginal profits amid fierce competition from other Russian businesses and the challenges of surviving in the Arctic and sub-Arctic wilderness with minimal support from Russias government. Russian colonists treated Tlingit and other native peoples cruelly, prompting retaliation. Russian trappers controlled the Aleutian Islands, the peninsula leading to them, and Kodiak, an island just off the mainland. That areas nativesAleuts, Alutiiqs, and Athabaskansallied with the Russians out of intimidation by the colonizers and desire for the economic advantages over rival tribes that the Russians provided. In 1799, Czar Alexander consolidated Russian fur companies in Alaska into a single entity, Russian American Company, which resembled the Hudsons Bay Company, a quasi-governmental presence in English-controlled Canada. Besides turning a profit, Russian American Company duties included keeping foreigners out of Alaskan waters and preventing the native population from trading with the Hudsons Bay Company and other international rivals. Russian American Company had enriched and elevated Alexander Baranov. In the 1780s a clerk at a store outside Moscow, Baranov caught fur-trading fever, spurring him to abandon his wife and daughter for Siberia. With borrowed money he bought guns to swap for the furs of animals trapped by the indigenous Chukchi, who lived along the Bering Sea and were a Russian variant on the Tlingit 55 miles east. Soon after Baranov arrived in Siberia, Chukchi bandits robbed him of his stake. In 1791, hounded by creditors, Baranov took a job no one else wanted as Golikov Shelikovs manager at Kodiak Island, on Alaskas south coast. En route, a storm destroyed his ship. Once at Kodiak, though, the frail-looking Baranov proved an indomitable whirlwind. He saw to the construction of a town he named for the island and to the building of the first sailing ship to have a keel laid on North Americas Pacific coast. He led fleets of baidarka against those of competitors, illegally deporting rival companies employees in chains, ostensibly for mistreating natives. Baranov also struck deals with the captains of American ships working the waters around Kodiak. His men would help the Yankees gather otter pelts that the Americans would sell in China, splitting the profits with Shelikov. The arrangement put Baranov in the black every year, pleasing his masters. But the south coasts sea otter population was dwindling. In 1795, seeking richer trapping grounds, Baranovdogged by the Hudsons Bay Companyexplored unclaimed southeast Alaska, 1,000 miles southeast of Kodiak and heretofore left to the warlike Tlingit. Baranov and his men found otters galore, but also Tlingit using British trade goods and carrying British muskets. To counter the Hudsons Bay Companys influence, Baranov decided to establish a settlement. He negotiated with Tlingit to buy a site off Sitka Sound, seven miles north of Sheen Atika, a village inhabited by the Kiks.adi Tlingit. Typical of its kind, Sheen Atika consisted of brightly painted longhouses and elaborately carved and decorated totem poles. Beyond Sheen Atika loomed the nearly impenetrable Tongass rain forest. After buying the land, located along historic sea routes, Baranov returned to Kodiak and began peppering the southeast Alaskan mainland with Russian outposts. In 1799, based on his reputation for efficiency and profits, the czar appointed Baranov governor general of the reorganized Russia America colony and general manager of the newly created Russian American Company. On July 7, 1799, Baranov returned to Sheen Atika with 100 Russians, 700 Aleuts, and 300 Athabaskans. He and his men set about building what he called Redoubt Saint Michael, named for a beloved pillar of Russian Orthodoxy. By winter the work force had erected a warehouse, a blacksmith shop, barracks, blockhouse, and living quarters for hunters. That spring Baranov sailed to Kodiak, leaving 25 Russians and 55 Aleuts. The Russian American Company was taking 75 percent of its otter pelts in and around Sitka Sound, but relations between the Russians and the Kiks.adiand the Tlingit in generalhad soured. Arrogant and demanding, Russians were taking Tlingit women as concubines and competing with Tlingit hunters for game. Other Tlingit clans were taunting the Kiks.adi for being slaves to the interlopers. During the winter of 1801, clans assembled on Admiralty Island, near what is now Juneau, to discuss the Russian problem. The parley included Hudsons Bay Company men, who offered firearms, powder, and ammunition. The Tlingit decided to eliminate Redoubt Saint Michael, which by 1802 was home to 29 Russians, 200 Aleuts, a few Alutiiq Kodiak women, and three Britons who had deserted from passing ships. In June 1802, reinforced by warriors from neighboring clans, chiefs Katlian and Skautlelt led a strike against Saint Michael. In the attack, Katlian grabbed a blacksmiths hammer; in his hands, its heft and mass made it more weapon than tool. Putting the settlement and an unfinished ship to the torch, the Tlingit looted the Russians cache of pelts and killed most inhabitants. Only three Russians and 20 Aleuts survived, to be rescued by a British sea captain who ransomed them at Kodiak for 10,000 rubles. The attack devastated Russian American Company revenues and so rocked the Pacific Rim that 2,800 miles to the south Hawaiian king and Russian trading partner Kamehameha proposed to send warriors to aid the Russians in retaking the settlement and punishing the raiders. Baranov rejected Kamehamehas offer. He meant to make recapture a Russian-American affair, and to re-establish the company in southeast Alaska. At Sheen Atika, Kiks.adi shaman Stoonook was riling fellow villagers. Stoonook described visions he had had of a vengeance-minded Russian coming for them all. His warnings persuaded the Kiks.adi to build a fort. War chief Katlian selected a site south of the village, adjoining the Indian River and bounded by tidelands so shallow that the structure would be secure even from naval cannon fire. Katlian also cached gunpowder a canoe trip away. Meant as a fallback in case Stoonooks vision came true, the fort consisted of a thick spruce palisadethe Tlingit hoped the green logs would deflect cannonballsenclosing 14 buildings. When the Kiks.adi had attacked Saint Michael in 1802, other Tlingit sent men. This time other clans held back, but Hudsons Bay Company men promised to supply weapons, and also to keep an eye out for Russians. For days, as Baranovs fleet crawled the southeast Alaskan shore, British and Tlingit scouts monitored the invaders until their 250 baidarka, carrying 150 Russians and 450 Aleut fighters, came into view from the promontory where Katlian had been keeping watch. His warriors painted their bodies white, blue, maroon, and black and donned their animal masksKatlian, with his war hammer, would fight in the guise of a raven. The Tlingit did not know that as Baranovs flotilla was paddling out of Pearl Strait into Sitka Sound, the Russian war sloop Neva appeared. Commanded by Yuri Lisyanksy, the 200-foot Neva was conducting Russias first global tour. Lisyanksy had paid a courtesy call at Kodiak just after Baranovs punitive force departed. Learning of the governors plan, Lisyansky made straight for Sheen Atika, catching Baranov as he was about to attack. The 43-man Neva had 14 cannon and three patrol vessels, dramatically enlarging Baranovs power. Emboldened, Baranov landed under a flag of truce at a deserted Sheen Atika; the villagers were withdrawing south to the palisaded fort. Baranov sent runners to Katlian at the fort with an offer to pay a second time for the land on which Redoubt Saint Michael had stood. Feigning interest, Katlian stalled while his people made it into the fort, meanwhile sending men for the powder cache. Neva crewmen noticed those movements and alerted Baranov, who deployed riflemen. As a canoe of Tlingit carrying the powder landed, a Russian round set off a blast that killed all hands. The next day Aleuts rowing lifeboats from the Neva towed the warship into the Indian River shallows, less than a mile from the Tlingit defenses. Under covering fire from the sloop, Baranov landed 150 men and four of the ships small cannons. The governor split his force, leading a column of Aleuts against the fort. The defenders loosed a musket barrage so intense the Aleuts ran for their baidarka. Baranov mustered Russian trappers to retrieve the abandoned cannons. Swinging his hammer like a mace, the raven-faced Katlian led a charge from the fort. The force he had positioned across the Indian River also attacked. The Tlingit pincer caught the enemy as if in a vise, with Russians using hunting knives and flintlocks to fight hand-to-hand against Tlingit daggers, spears, and clubs. The Tlingit were driving the Russians toward the waterline when Baranov fell with a chest wound. His companions, with 12 dead and 26 wounded, crouched among boulders around their leader. From the Neva, Lisyansky fired cannon rounds to scant effect, then dispatched a rescue squad to retrieve survivors. A doctor went to work treating the governors wounds. Only after dark were Russians able to slip ashore and retrieve their cannons. Through the night the Tlingit celebrated. Taunting the enemy with chants, the Indians dangled a headless, arrow-riddled Russian corpse from their palisade. Taking command, Lisyanksy had his little fleet bombard the Tlingit fort, again to no effect. Gangs went ashore to fell trees and fashion rafts on which to float cannon and cannoneers nearer the native redoubt. By early afternoon, Russian gunners still had not breached the fort walls. Lisyansky sent a man to demand surrender, triggering a roar of laughter. Katlian said the Russians should surrender. The bombardment resumed until nightfall. In darkness, the Tlingit discussed strategy. Powder was in short supply. Other clans would not help them. The Indians decided to withdraw north to the site of a long-dormant village and escape into the Tongass. At daylight, Lisyansky found Katlian seemingly willing to discuss terms. The Russian offered a truce, along with a hostage exchange and further talks. The chief dithered while elders prepared the Tlingit to march to Pearl Strait from which they would canoe to another island and then reach the forest. The day proceeded in a stutter of cannon fire and truce talks. Finally the clan proclaimed that its members would come out of the fort in the morning. That night the attackers heard a lengthy Tlingit song, followed by a drum roll and screams, from the fort. Lisyansky thought he was hearing the Tlingit agonize about surrendering. The morning of October 7 the Russians entered the palisade to encounter a scene from a slaughterhouse. Numbers of young children lying together murdered, lest their cries should have led to a discovery of the retreat, Lisyansky wrote. A rear guard of Tlingit warriors killed eight Aleut trappers at Jamestown Bay and another Aleut outside Sheen Akita. Considering the ominous shadows of the Tongass, the Russians declined further pursuit. Baranov had his Aleuts bury the infants en masse, sent off with an Orthodox priests prayers. He led his men back into Sheen Akita, renaming the village New Archangel, after the European Russian city of Archangelsk on the White Sea. The governor stood at the heart of the village as his men looted its remnants. Burn the damn place! Baranov roared. By dusk the long houses and totem poles were an inferno. To deny the Tlingit reuse of their blood-soaked fort, men from the Russian force dismantled the palisade and its contents, also laying a foundation for a government house, in time called Baranovs Castle, atop the promontory. Lest the Tlingit attack, the Neva stayed on until November, warding off the natives and reinforcing demands by Baranov that Hudsons Bay men leave southeast Alaska. Baranov surrounded New Archangel with a palisade incorporating three watchtowers mounting 32 cannon. The settlement soon was outdoing Kodiak at producing revenue from furs. Baranov built an observatory and the first school in North America to educate whites and natives together. The governors international stature grew when in 1806 he engineered the return to Japan of fishermen shipwrecked the year before after being blown off course. By 1805, Moscows newest outpost in North America had attracted visits from more than 200 exploratory expeditions representing Russia, Britain, France, Spain, and the United States. In 1808, Baranov moved the capital of Russian America from Kodiak to New Archangel. Russian dependence on grains prompted Baranov to mount expeditions southward. In 1812, at a northern coastal district of Spanish-ruled California, he founded Fort RossRoss is the anglophone corruption of Rossiya, or Russia)near what is now Jenner, California, as an entrepot for getting grain products to Russian America. In 1809, the czarist government transferred Asias Kurile Islands and the Kamchatka peninsula to Russian Americas jurisdiction, making the North Pacifics coasts a Russian holding, with Baranov its ruler and New Archangel its capital. Baranov instigated his own downfall by overreaching. In 1817, thinking to advance his hegemony, he sent a force to seize Kauai, Hawaii, from King Kamehameha. At Kauai, the Russians built three sets of fortifications, the largest called Fort Elisabeth, to prop up a local figurehead as king of Kauai. Kamehameha counterattacked, sending the invaders fleeing back to Alaska. The czar, who wanted friendship with Hawaii, jerked Baranov out of his post. In March 1819, the disgraced former governor general was sailing back to Russia when he died off Java. Baranov was Russian Americas last profit-minded civilian governor; his successors were military men disinclined to make money. Russian Alaska shrank when the government reassigned the Kuriles and California to other departments. In 1824, Russia allowed the Hudsons Bay Company to pursue the fur trade in southeast Alaska. Relations with the Tlingit simmered, sometimes boiling over. Losing a war over Crimea to England in 1854 and an 1858 Tlingit attack on Sitka stopped only by point-blank cannonades, the czarist government decided to sell its North American colony, offering it to the United State in 1859.When the American Civil War intervened, the czar briefly toyed with private investors from California before selling the gigantic region, in which Russia had never settled more than 400 people, to the United States for $7.2 million. The deal was consummated in 1867 on the watch of U.S. Secretary of State William Seward. The considerable price, wariness of imperial expansion, and tensions with the Tlingit led cynics to term the arrangement Sewards Folly; the Senate approved the purchase by only one vote. The change of ownership meant nothing to the Tlingit; as late as 1877 the tribe was besieging Sitka. Not until an 1880 gold rush at Juneau and a subsequent influx of Christian missionaries were the Americans able to pacify the tribe, whose doughty stand outside Sheen Atika helped bring about theirand their homelands incorporation into the United States of America rather than into Russia or Canada. Tension prevailed at Lehragaga town of Sangrur district on Monday amid opposition to Sikh preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwales three-day diwan (religious discourse) by certain Sikh organisations. The congregation, which began at Gidrani village near Lehragaga on Monday afternoon, ends on February 5. Sikh activists had assembled at a gurdwara of Kanakwal Bhanguan village nearby to protest the discourse. Heavy police force was deployed as a preventive measure. The government has given permission for the congregation and the police have been deployed to ensure the situation remains under control, said senior superintendent of police Sandeep Garg. Earlier, a video was shared on social media by Sikh activists threatening Dhadrianwale for speaking against the seminary Damdami Taksal. Harjinder Singh, the sarpanch of Gidrani village, said the villagers had been making arrangements for the three-day discourse for the past 20 days. I appeal to Sikh activists not to disturb the function because people want to listen to Dhadrianwale, he said. Eskom is seeking to recoup revenue of R27.3 billion for the 2019 financial year via its latest regulatory clearing account (RCA) application. The state-owned power utility is pushing to raise electricity prices by 10-15% next year, followed by increases of 50% over the next few years. The first session of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa)s public hearings were held in Cape Town today, where general manager for regulation Hasha Tlhotlhalemaje presented an overview of the power utilitys RCA application. This application deals with variances between what was assumed when Nersa made its decision on Eskoms revenue application in the 2018/19 financial year and what eventually materialized as per Eskoms audited financial statements as Eskom spent money in order to fulfil its mandate to provide electricity to South Africans, Tlhotlhalemaje said. Eskom has proposed that any balance agreed for the 2019 financial year be recovered as soon as possible, stating that to achieve the previous assumptions used to determine Eskoms allowed revenue it would need to lose around 6,000 employees and significantly cut coal costs. Unachievable cost reductions Achieving the amount that was assumed by Nersa would have meant Eskom decreasing coal costs by approximately 17% and ignoring its existing contractual obligations to coal suppliers, Tlhotlhalemaje said. Regarding the assumed cost of employee benefits, it was based on an assumption that Eskom would lose about 6,000 employees at a go, which did not materialize, irrespective of whether the assumption had any merit in the first place. Eskom argued for increased electricity tariffs to account for the discrepancy between Nersas approved allowance for the most recent financial year and its actual costs and sales deviation. It is worth noting that Eskoms application also includes variances that are in favour of the electricity consumer where initial revenue determination assumed higher costs for the year under review, Eskom said. These include maintenance, independent power producers, environmental levy, return on assets, research and development, demand response programmes and other primary energy (due to a misalignment in the Nersa decision). Eskom cannot be saved The DA has called on Nersa to reject Eskoms application for tariff hikes, stating that consumers simply cannot afford to pay the proposed tariff increases. Eskom is currently in the process of challenging the electricity tariff increases previously approved by NERSA for 2019 to 2022, and now wants consumers to pay 10-15% more for electricity, followed by tariff increases of 50% over the next few years, the DA said. The DA has long maintained that the ANC Government cannot continue to allow any form of bail-outs for a state-owned entity (SOE) that is no longer viable. With over R400 billion of debt, the ANC must accept that Eskom can no longer be saved and that the lunacy surrounding Eskom bailouts, in any form, needs to end now, it added. The DA said it was unconscionable that Eskom would ask citizens to pay even more for electricity in the midst of the load-shedding crisis. Now read: Government wants to create a new power utility separate to Eskom Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-02 19:33:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The Arab League (AL) rejected on Saturday the U.S. Middle East peace plan during an emergency meeting held in Cairo. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Arab foreign ministers attended the meeting. The AL said the plan violates the international law and the relevant UN resolutions. Abbas said Palestine will cut all relations with both Israel and the U.S., including security ties. by Thom Forbes @tforbes, January 31, 2020 After eight years of leading IBM through a rocky transition, CEO Ginni Rometty will step down from that role in April but will remain executive chairwoman until the end of 2020. Arvind Krishna, the companys senior vice president for cloud and cognitive software, will replace her. Krishna becomes the fourth Indian-born head of a prominent U.S. tech company, alongside Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Sundar Pichai of Google and Shantanu Narayen of Adobe. The company also named James Whitehurst, former chief executive of open source software company Red Hat, as president. Whitehursts elevation highlights the importance of last years $34 billion Red Hat acquisition -- a deal masterminded by Krishna -- in IBMs efforts to carve out a new strategy in a market increasingly dominated by giants such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google, Richard Waters writes for Financial Times. advertisement advertisement IBM Corp. investors are hoping that Krishna will bring the same relentless focus on the cloud that Satya Nadella brought to help turn around Microsoft Corp., writes Therese Poletti for MarketWatch. The news that Rometty was being replaced by Krishna helped fuel a 5% jump in IBMs stock in after-hours trading. This will be viewed as a long overdue, welcome change at the leadership level, said Wedbush Securities analyst Moshe Katri. IBM in the last few years has struggled with competitive positioning and losing relevance in a vastly changing tech landscape. During her eight years at the helm, the Big Blue completed 65 acquisitions, culminating in the $34 billion deal for Red Hat last year -- the biggest purchase in its 108-year history -- while selling some of its legacy businesses, writes Reuters Munsif Vengattil. Rometty "leaves on a recent high note, days after IBM reported its first revenue growth in six quarters, but shares have lost about a quarter in value since she took charge, and the turnaround she began remains a work in progress, Vengattil adds. Since becoming IBMs first female CEO in 2012, Rometty had bet the companys future on the market for hybrid cloud, which allows businesses to store data on both private and public cloud networks run by rivals such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Corp.s Azure. By then Big Blue, once the world leader in technology, had lagged behind competitors for years after largely missing the initial cloud revolution under her predecessor, Sam Palmisano. Having shed its personal computer business in 2005, IBM under Palmisano struggled to position itself as a seller of high-end services, like then-emerging data analytics and cloud computing, Bloombergs Olivia Carville writes. Rometty, who is 62, took over as IBM CEO in 2012 at a difficult time. IBM sales fell year-over-year in Ms. Romettys first 22 quarters in a row. After a brief three-quarter period of rising sales, they fell again for another six quarters. Sales rose in the latest quarter, writes Asa Fitch for The Wall Street Journal. A native of Chicago, Ms. Rometty rose up IBMs ranks as an executive in its fast-growing services division in the 1990s under CEO Lou Gerstner, who revived the company by shunning low-margin hardware sales and focusing on IT services and outsourcing. She made her mark under its next CEO, Sam Palmisano, by leading the integration of the consulting arm of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, which IBM bought for $3.5 billion for in 2002, Fitch adds. Krishna, 57, is one of IBMs top executives, having joined the company in 1990. Earlier in his time at the company Krishna worked on security software and information management, and he is a co-author of 15 patents, according to a biography on IBMs website, writes CNBCs Jordan Novet. Rometty described Krishna as a brilliant technologist who has played a significant role in developing our key technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud, quantum computing and blockchain as well as a superb operational leader, in the release announcing the transition. At the time the announcement was made, Ms. Rometty was addressing IBMs top 300 managers at an annual company leadership conference in downtown Manhattan. She told the assembled executives about the change and shared the stage with Mr. Krishna and Mr. Whitehurst. The three received a lengthy standing ovation, said an IBM manager who attended but was not authorized to speak about the private event, Steve Lohr reports for The New York Times. There are more than a few legacy pensioners out there who are no doubt cheering for an IBM turnaround, too. IBM said the transition was the culmination of a lengthy succession process that began more than a year ago, with Ms. Rometty collaborating closely with the rest of the IBM board, Lohr adds. Senior BJP leader and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday accused Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party of not implementing the central government's schemes in the national capital. Addressing an election rally in Moti Bagh, he also sought to allay fears over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), assuring the gathering that the legislation will not take away anyone's citizenship. Singh alleged that the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government did not do anything in the last five years. The AAP had promised to add 5,000 buses to the fleet of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), but instead the number has come down by 1,000, he claimed. The Union minister said the AAP dispensation did not implement central schemes in Delhi fearing that the popularity of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government will grow among Delhiites. Pension schemes and the Centre's flagship health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat Yojana, are some of those that the Kejriwal government did not allow to be implemented in Delhi. On the anti-CAA protests, Singh said the opposition parties have been spreading "lies" about amended citizenship law and the National Population Register (NPR). "The CAA will not take away anyone's citizenship. The opposition parties are spreading lies about the CAA. There should be no such politics over this. Some people are trying to write the history of the country with the ink of hatred," he said. The culture of India is such that it considers the entire world one family, he said. Delhi goes to polls on February 8. The results will be declared on February 11. New Delhi: Just two days after presenting the Budget for Financial Year 2020-21, the Central government on Monday (February 3, 2020) announced that it will release all due Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation to all the states in two instalments. Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur gave the reply in Lok Sabha on Monday after several MPs from Telangana and Odisha complained during Question Hour that their states were not getting the share of the GST and Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST). "All due GST compensation will be given to states in two instalments," Anurag Thakur replied. The minister said GST (Compensation to States) Act, 2017 provides for compensation to States/UTs (UT with legislature only) on account of revenue loss due to implementation of GST on a bi-monthly basis. Accordingly, he said, the states have been paid GST compensation on a bi-monthly basis with effect from July, 2017. Thakur said the GST Compensation has been released till September, 2019 and the next bi-monthly GST Compensation is due for October-November, 2019. The minister said a total of Rs 2,10,969.49 crore has been released as GST compensation to states so far including UTs of Delhi and Puducherry after implementation of GST with effect from July 1, 2017. Period for which compensation has been released: July, 2017March 2018 - Rs 48,785.35 crore; April 2018March 2019 - Rs 81,141.14 crore; AprilMay 2019 - Rs 17,789 crore; June July 2019 - Rs 27,956 crore; AugSept 2019 - Rs 35,298 crore. A nother model is about the enter the Love Island villa when Casa Amor opens its doors this evening (Monday, February 3). Priscilla Anyabu is no stranger to the world of celebrity thanks to her work, which has seen her feature in glamorous fashion shoots and Afrobeat music videos. A former Miss Face of Africa, Priscilla reckons her "likability" will get her far in the villa this year and she also shares a connection with ex-Casa Amor Islander Jourdan Raine. With the university graduate ready to set Love Island pulses racing, here's all you need to know about Priscilla Anyabu... Who is Priscilla Anyabu? Priscilla is a 25-year-old graduate from Brunel University who splits her time between working as a model and as a director of operations for emPawa Arica in the city, according to her LinkedIn. A former winner of Miss Face of Africa, Priscilla's work as a model has step in front of the camera for Avlon, Babyliss, Nubian Skin and Black Beauty & Hair magazine. The Londoner has also appeared in a number of music videos, including ones for Fuse ODG and Wretch 32. Battersea-based Priscilla rates herself a strong 8/10 with great eyes. "I think I look good," she says. "Ive got likability, its easy for me to meet and get on with new people." Describing herself as "outgoing, kind and stylish," Priscilla says her "personality and spirit" will help get her far this year. Priscilla also knows Jourdan Raine from Love Island 2019, who also entered the show as a Casa Amor Islander and made the move to the main villa last year. However, she admits she has a tendency to speak at the wrong times and says she will "do too much for people who wouldn't necessarily do the same back." Is Priscilla on Instagram? Of course she is. Alongside her many modelling shots are more candid photos of Priscilla letting her hair down with friends and family. She also likes to keep her followers entertained with a number of light-hearted TikTok videos. Priscilla also appears to enjoy a jet-set lifestyle, having visited Miami, California and the British Virgin Islands recently. What is Priscilla's type? Despite saying she doesn't have a type, Priscilla says she likes a "built physique, muscular, tall" man with a nice smile, good teeth and a "warming spirit" - whatever that means. Mind your Ps and Qs if you're going on a date with Priscilla as good manners prevail... that said, the Islanders who have taken her fancy this year are Mike Boateng, Nas Majeed and Luke Mabbott, while her celebrity crush is Justin Timberlake because "he's got better with age, like a fine wine." Not keen on dating apps or blind dates, the model hates "stinky attitudes, bad teeth and bad breath" - so hopefully the boys remember their Colgate in the villa. And first dates? Priscilla prefers something sporty so she can judge whether you are competitive enough. What has Priscilla said about the villa? "All is fair in love and war" - she says, although she will do her "bit" respectfully. "As long as no one is anyones girlfriend, I feel like theyre up for grabs," she says. "We all know what weve come to the villa for, I dont have loyalty to anyone when I first meet them." President Donald Trump has floated the idea of buying Greenland multiple times and it has often been a subject of debate. Many countries in the past, however, have purchased sovereign territory from other nations. The US especially has bought several territories from other nations. Here are some examples of nations buying sovereign territory from other nations. Land trades throughout history -Land trades that been going on since the medieval periods. Between 1097 and 1101 the Viscount of Bourges Odo Arpinus, reportedly sold Bourges and Dun to the King of France for 60,000 shillings. Bourges and Dun is now known to be central France. It is believed that the Viscount sold the land to either fund a Holy Crusade or because he had no children to pass it on to. King Alexander III bought the Firth of Clyde and Kintyre as well the Hebrides islands and the Isle of Man from King Magnus IV for 4,000 merks plus an annuity of 100 merks. The sale and transfer of land were agreed upon by the Treaty of Perth. The treaty was signed on July 2 in 1266. -The US bought Florida from Spain in 1819. The treaty was agreed upon in the Adams-Onis Treaty. Florida was bought for $5 million and in today's terms, it would mean that the US bought Florida for $101 million. Read: Shubman Gill Smashes Double Century Ahead Of New Zealand Test Series Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: New Zealand To Send Aircraft To Evacuate Nationals From Wuhan -Singapore became a property of Britain when Stamford Raffles signed a treaty with the Temenggong Abdur Rahman and the Sultan of Johor. The land was purchased for the British East India Company. According to reports, the British agreed to pay the Sultan an annuity of 5,000 Spanish dollars, while Temenggong was given a yearly payment of 3,000 Spanish dollars. -The Platte Purchase was when America negotiated and acquired land in the modern-day northwest corner of Missouri. The deal was made with a local Native American Tribe in 1836 for $7,500. -The Britishers bought Frederiksnagore which forms modern-day Serampore from Denmark in 1839 and immediately followed up this purchase with the acquisition of the town of Trasnquebar in 1845. The amount paid is equal to 125,000. -America purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million. The acquisition of Alaska paid off handsomely when large quantities of gold were discovered in 1896. Read: NZ Vs Ind: Aakash Chopra Tips Rohit Sharma To Open In New Zealand Tests Read: Former New Zealand PM And WTO Director-General Mike Moore Dies At 71 -Hard to believe but the US has once bought Phillippines from Spain. America gained the Philippines from Spain in 1898 in exchange for $20 million, which would be equivalent to $618 million in today's currency. -The most recent land acquisition was when the Republic of Kiribati purchased land on Vanua Levu from Fiji in 2014. The land was bought as a potential refuge from climate change in the event that the islands the Kiribati people currently live on submerges. Officials are reminding Merrimack Valley residents that Friday is the deadline to file a claim in the $143 million class action settlement stemming from 2018s natural gas explosions and fires. Lawyers encourage anyone impacted to file a claim, even if theyve already filed one through their insurance or Columbia Gas, the utility company blamed for the Sept. 13 disaster. The settlement is meant to pay for both major losses and minor inconveniences. It calls for six categories of lump sum payouts, ranging from up to $50 for a nominal disruption to up to $15,000 for a major disruption. Lawyers say a family of four could receive between $1,050 and $9,500, based on how severely they were impacted. Evacuation expenses, loss of gas service, heating expenses, lost wages, lost business income, property damage, and emotional distress are among the qualified expenses, according to the lawyers. The disaster killed one person, injured dozens of others and damaged or destroyed more than 100 buildings in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded it was caused by an overpressurized gas line during a routine pipeline replacement project. State officials also held the first of two public hearings this week as they launch their own investigation. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Massachusetts CROWN POINT A defendant in a murder-for-hire case who was freed on his own recognizance last year because the state didn't bring him to trial by a statutory deadline told a judge Friday he needed more time to hire a new attorney. Ronnie E. Major, 49, of Gary, was charged in 2016 in an alleged murder-for-hire plot that resulted in the homicide of 31-year-old Jocelyn Blair the morning of Dec. 19, 2010, inside the Charlie's Coney Island restaurant at 2490 Broadway in Gary. Major's previous attorney, Jamise Perkins, withdrew from the case late last year when she joined the Stracci Law Group, which represents one of Major's co-defendants. Perkins had to drop Major as a client to avoid a conflict. Major told Lake Criminal Court Judge Samuel Cappas on Friday he spoke with an attorney, but that lawyer would not be available to meet with Major until mid-February. Major said he wanted to cancel his trial, which has been set for the weeks of Feb. 3 and 10. Cappas granted his request and set a status hearing for Feb. 28. Parts of south-east Queensland are set to swelter with temperatures of about 40 degrees before a cool change is expected to bring rain. The heat comes as the weather bureau confirmed last month was the state's second-hottest January based on mean temperature, at 2.38 degrees above the average. The Bureau of Meterology says the heat would be between 4-10 degrees above the February average. Credit:Darren England/AAP Brisbane was tipped to hit 36 degrees on Monday, with Ipswich to reach 40 and residents of Gatton, in the Lockyer Valley, to sweat through a top of 41. A maximum of 38 degrees was expected for the southern Brisbane suburb of Oxley, while Beaudesert in the Scenic Rim would reach 39. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sonoro Metals Corp., (TSXV: SMO | OTCQB: SMOFF | FRA: 23SP), (Sonoro or the Company), announces that discussions regarding project debt finance and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts with China-based EPC companies continue to advance. Pursuant to ongoing discussions with four China-based EPC companies and potential equity investors, Sonoro is pleased to provide the following update and plans to move forward. As previously reported on July 23, 2019 and October 23, 2019, Sonoros Chairman, John Darch and Director of Finance, Neil Maedel travelled to Tianjin and Beijing, China for a series of meetings with EPC companies and potential equity investors, arranged and attended by Sonoros China representative, Dr. Wei Qian, the founder and managing director of New Tigers Technologies (NTT), based in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, Peoples Republic of China. Subsequently, one Memorandum of Understanding has been executed for project debt financing and EPC services for the development and operation of the Companys proposed Cerro Caliche Pilot Project. Three additional MOUs are currently under consideration and are expected to be executed in the coming month once all technical reviews are completed. Over the past decade, two of the four EPC companies have previously financed, and developed mining projects introduced by NTT. Messrs. Darch and Maedel are currently scheduled to travel to Beijing, China, along with Dr. Qian, for follow-up meetings with the EPC companies and potential equity investors during the week of February 16th. The purpose of these meetings is to finalize the details of the respective MOUs together with advancing details regarding the respective EPC companies site visits and project engineering, procurement, construction and debt finance proposals. However, due to the health concerns related to the novel coronavirus, the Chinese government has restricted travel within the country and companies employees are being encouraged to work from their respective residences. Consequently, should our planned trip to China be delayed, Dr. Wei will maintain an active dialogue with the Senior Executives and Project Directors-Managers of each EPC company until such time as the meetings can be rescheduled. John M Darch, Chairman of Sonoro, commented "Sonoro management and employees would like to emphasize our sympathy and solidarity with our friends, and the people of China during this difficult time." About Sonoro Metals Corp. Sonoro Metals Corp. is a publicly listed exploration and development company with a portfolio of exploration-stage precious metal properties in Sonora State, Mexico. The Company has highly experienced operational and management teams with proven track records for the discovery and development of natural resource deposits. On behalf of the Board of SONORO METALS CORP. Per: John Darch JOHN DARCH Chairman For further information, please contact: Sonoro Metals Corp. John Darch, Chairman Phone: (604) 632-1764 Email: info@sonorometals.com THIS PRESS RELEASE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL, OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY, NOR SHALL THERE BE ANY SALE OF SECURITIES OF THE COMPANY IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL PRIOR TO REGISTRATION OR QUALIFICATION UNDER THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY SUCH JURISDICTION. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. [February 03, 2020] Vilcek Foundation Honors Immigrants and Advocates with Prizes Totaling $600,000 NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Vilcek Foundation has announced the winners of the foundation's 2020 prizes, totaling $600,000. This year's prizes recognize the career achievements and creative promise of foreign-born innovators in the sciences, arts, and humanities. The Vilcek Prizes are an extension of the foundation's mission to raise awareness of immigrant contributions to the arts, culture, and scientific discoveries in the United States. This year's prizes comprise the Vilcek Prize in Literature, the Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Sciences, the Vilcek Prize for Excellence, and a total of six Creative Promise Prizes in science and literature. "As we enter the Vilcek Foundation's twentieth year of operation, it is humbling to reflect on how the Vilcek Prizes have enabled us to fulfill our mission across two decades," says Rick Kinsel, president of the Vilcek Foundation. "The growth and expansion of our prize program over time, and the ongoing success of our prizewinners, is a testament to the importance of our foundation's approach, which celebrates our nation's diversity and the value of immigrants' contributions to the United States." Kinsel noted, "This year's presentation of the Vilcek Prize for Excellence for the Administration of Justice recognizes leadership and public service in support of immigrants at a moment in time when advocacy upholding civil rights in the United States is most necessary." The 2020 Vilcek Prize in Literature is bestowed upon Edwidge Danticat. Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Danticat in her work surveys intersecting themes of national and cultural identity, immigration and diaspora, women's experiences, and Haitian American lives. She has written more than 15 books, including the memoir Brother, I'm Dying, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography in 2008; Krik? Krak!, a collection of short stories and a finalist for a 1995 National Book Award; as well as Breath, Eyes, Memory; The Farming of Bones; and The Dew Breaker. In 2009, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, and in 2018 she voiced the Creole audio resource of the ACLU's "We Have Rights" campaignwhich provides information to immigrants who face unexpected visits by ICE officials. The 2020 Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science is being awarded to Xiaowei Zhuang, the David B. Arnold Jr. Professor of Science and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator at Harvard University. Born in Jiangsu Province, China, Zhuang developed methods to directly observe individual molecules in cells at high resolution and at genomic scale. She invented STORM, a super-resolution imaging method that surpasses the diffraction limit of conventional light microscopy and enables light microscopy at molecular-scale resolution. Using STORM, Zhuang has unveiled novel structures in cells, such as a periodic membrane skeleton in neurons, which provides a platform for signal transduction and lends mechanical stability. Zhuang invented a single-cell transcriptome and genome imaging method, MERFISH, which allows thousands of genes to be simultaneously imaged and quantified in individual cells. MERFISH is a key tool in the Human Cell Atlas projectan international effort aimed at cataloguing cell types that constitute humans. The Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science includes a cash award of $100,000. The Vilcek Prize for Excellence is the newest addition to the Vilcek Foundation's prize program, inaugurated in 2019. The prize was developed with the intention to recognize persons whose career and personal achievements are aligned with the core values of the Vilcek Foundation. It may be awarded to immigrants whose professional work has had a profound impact on society and culture, or to individuals of any national origin who have devoted theirlife's work to supporting immigrants' rights in the United States. Candidates are chosen by Jan and Marica Vilcekcofounders, chairman and vice chairman of the Vilcek Foundation, and approved by the foundation's board. The 2020 Vilcek Prize for Excellence is being awarded to the Honorable Robert A. Katzmann. Judge Katzmann is the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Born to a father who fled Nazi Germany and a mother from an immigrant family, Judge Katzmann has long been aware of the role the courts play in the lives of immigrants, as well as the transformative effects of citizenship and legal status. Early in his judicial career he observed the widespread lack of competent representation for non-citizensespecially among those in need, and the adverse impact on their cases' outcomes. Judge Katzmann inspired the formation of a Study Group on Immigrant Representation, from which emanated several pathbreaking initiatives. In 2014, Judge Katzmann spearheaded the creation of the Immigrant Justice Corps; the Immigrant Justice Corps, a not-for-profit organization, is the United States' first fellowship program to train recent law school graduates to provide high-quality legal assistance to immigrants in need. The recipient of the Vilcek Prize for Excellence receives a commemorative award and an unrestricted cash prize of $100,000. In accepting the Vilcek Prize for Excellence, Judge Katzmann declined the cash prize. The Vilcek Foundation will honor Judge Katzmann's request to donate the prize money to a not-for-profit organization that provides direct services to immigrants in need in the United States. The Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise are awarded to young immigrant scientists and artists in the United States whose early career work represents a profound advance in their respective fields. Each Creative Promise Prizewinner receives a cash prize of $50,000. The three winners of the 2020 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Literature are Yaa Gyasi, Valeria Luiselli, and Jenny Xie. Yaa Gyasi is a novelist and the author of Homegoing, a novel exploring family ancestry, the impact of the transatlantic slave trade, and generational trauma. Homegoing has been lauded for its intimate portrayal of the experiences of persons in the Ghanaian and black diasporas. It won the National Book Critics Circle's John Leonard Prize for best first book and the American Book Award in 2017. Gyasi was born in Mampong, Ghana. Valeria Luiselli is the author of the award-winning novels Faces in the Crowd and The Story of My Teeth, and the essay collections Sidewalks and Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions. Her 2019 novel Lost Children Archive was longlisted for the Booker Prize and the Women's Prize for Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Simpson Literary Prize. Luiselli is a finalist for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Literature and the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship. Luiselli was born in Mexico City and grew up in South Korea, South Africa, and India. Jenny Xie is a poet and professor. Her writing explores perception and the boundaries of selfhood, and how those themes entangle with larger questions about power, language, and the unseen. Her chapbook Nowhere to Arrive won the 2016 Drinking Gourd Poetry Prize, and her debut collection, Eye Level, received the 2017 Walt Whitman Award of the Academy of American Poets, and was finalist for the National Book Award. Xie was born in Anhui, China. The 2020 Creative Promise Prizewinners in the Biomedical Sciences are Kivanc Birsoy, Viviana Gradinaru, and Martin Jonikas. Kivanc Birsoy, Chapman Perelman Assistant Professor at The Rockefeller University, has fashioned tools to probe the complex metabolism of cancer cells. Using a molecular tool called CRISPR, Birsoy demonstrated how mitochondriathe powerhouses of animal cellssupport tumor growth. He found that the synthesis of the amino acid aspartate rather than energy generation is key to mitochondria's ability to fuel tumors. His work has identified altered tumor metabolism as a potential therapeutic target in cancer. Birsoy was born in Izmir, Turkey. Viviana Gradinaru, Professor of Neuroscience and Biological Engineering at The California Institute of Technology, has developed advanced tools in optogeneticsan approach that uses light to control brain cellsto unearth deep insights into the brain. She has engineered vehicles for gene therapy thatin rodentscross the blood-brain barrier and deliver target genes to the brain. Gradinaru also developed a tissue-clearing technique called PARS-CLARITY to render the entire body of a rodent transparent for fine-scale visualization and mapping of circuits as well as gene expression analysis. Gradinaru was born in Vaslui, Romania. Martin Jonikas, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University, has used molecular biology to advance the single-celled green alga Chlamydomonas as a widely used model for photosynthesisa biochemical process at the heart of global food production. Jonikas and his colleagues have unraveled the molecular makeup, structure, and assembly of pyrenoidscellular compartments in photosynthetic organisms that can absorb carbon dioxide. This work could aid efforts to engineer pyrenoids into other speciespaving the way toward environment-friendly food production and helping to combat climate change. Jonikas was born in Paris, France. The recipients of the Vilcek Prizes in Literature, Biomedical Science, and the Creative Promise Prizes are selected by panels of experts identified by the foundation's staff. All of the prizewinners will be celebrated and presented with their awards at the Vilcek Foundation Prizes Gala in New York in April 2020. The Vilcek Foundation The Vilcek Foundation was established in 2000 by Jan and Marica Vilcek, immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia. The mission of the foundation, to honor immigrant contributions to the United States, and more broadly, to foster appreciation of the arts and sciences, was inspired by the couple's respective careers in biomedical science and art history. The foundation awards annual prizes to immigrant biomedical scientists and artists, sponsors cultural programs, and manages the Vilcek Foundation Art Collections. To learn more, please visit vilcek.org. Contact: Elizabeth Boylan The Vilcek Foundation 212-472-2500 or [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vilcek-foundation-honors-immigrants-and-advocates-with-prizes-totaling-600-000--300997108.html SOURCE The Vilcek Foundation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 03, 2020] Galecto Appoints Industry Leader Bertil Lindmark, MD, PhD, as Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lindmark brings broad R&D expertise, particularly in respiratory and inflammation Appointment reinforces Galectos ambition to be a global player following PharmAkea merger COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Galecto, Inc., a leading developer of novel treatments for fibrosis and cancer, today announces the appointment of the highly experienced industry leader Bertil Lindmark as Chief Medical Officer per February 1, 2020. Dr Lindmark, who joins from eTheRNA immunotherapies NV, a privately held Belgian mRNA immunotherapy company, has had an extensive and successful career in the pharmaceutical industry, building up broad clinical development and regulatory experience globally, and significant expertise in research and development in both large and small pharmaceutical organizations. We are very pleased to welcome Bertil to Galecto. His global background, deep scientific knowledge and leadership experience will further strengthen our ambitious targets as we progress GB0139 towards market and explore the potential of our exciting pipeline following the merger with PharmAkea, said Hans Schambye, CEO of Galecto. As Global VP Clinical Development for the Respiratory and Inflammation franchises at AstraZeneca, Bertil Lindmark led development of Symbicort, one of the worlds leading respiratory brands, and many other respiratory and gastro-intestinal products. From 2010, he headed Global R&D at Almirall involving 500 staff and the successful development and approval of several new drugs in the respiratory, gastro-intestinal, neuroscience and dermatological fields. In 2015 he joined ASLAN Pharmaceuticals in Singapore with a focus on cancer and atopic skin and lung diseases. Dr Lindmark holds specialties in internal medicine and gastroenterology, and obtained his PhD in molecular epidemiology from Lund University, Sweden. In 2019, he was appointed visiting Professor Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Institute of Medicine at Gothenburg University, Sweden. I look forward to joining Galecto at such an important point in the companys development, Bertil Lindmark said. Galecto has a very promising combination of small molecule drug candidates in its pipeline: two targeting the role of galectin-3 in inhibiting cells involved in fibrosis, and one that inhibits LOXL2, a key enzyme involved in the formation of the extracellular matrix during the fibrotic process. These differentiated molecules in clinical phase form a strong foundation on which we aim to build a future global operation. About Galecto Galecto is a clinical stage company with advanced programs in fibrosis and cancer, including an inhaled galectin-3 modulator currently in phase IIb for the potential treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Galecto has a broad pipeline of drug candidates targeting the role of galectin-3 in inhibiting cells involved in fibrosis, as well as small molecule programs that target LOXL2, a key enzyme involved in the formation of the extracellular matrix during the fibrotic process. The company is incorporated in the US and has its operating headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. Galecto is funded by Novo Holdings, OrbiMed, Ysios, HBM Healthcare Investments, Sunstone Capital, M Ventures, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Maverick Ventures, Seventure and SEED Capital. Further information can be found at www.galecto.com . For more information, contact: Galecto, Inc. Hans Schambye, CEO +45 26 3737 26 [email protected] LifeSci Advisors (investors & media) Hans Herklots +41 79 598 7149 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Bucharest, Feb 3 /Agerpres/ - The Social Democratic Party (PSD, in the opposition, ed. n.) will nominate a Prime Minister from outside the party should the censure motion will pass, on Monday said this party's Acting Chair Marcel Ciolacu. "I'm sorry that the President of Romania has pronounced a priori saying that he will submit the same nomination for PM, namely Mr. Orban (current PM, ed. n.). I had a very good discussion with my fellow colleagues in the Parliament and countrywide and it seems that we will have a non-PSD nomination for PM. And no, it is not Mr. Ambassador of Romania to the USA," Ciolacu specified at the Parliament. "I will never vote a PNL Gov't and will not recommend, as long as I am Acting leader of the PSD, to vote for Orban as Prime Minister. (...) Me, to vote for Orban? God forbid!" Ciolacu said when quizzed what will the PSD do if the PM nomination will not be accepted by President Iohannis. The censure motion tabled by the PSD, after the Gov't has taken responsibility on the draft law for the mayors' election in two rounds was on Monday presented in the Parliament.AGERPRES( PORTAGE, MI -- The organic grocery chain Earth Fare announced stores are closing nationwide. The specialty store based out of Asheville, North Carolina only has one Michigan location in Portage at 5070 S Westnedge Ave. All store locations will undergo inventory liquidation, according to a press release. The company will also start selling assets in whole or in parts. The store does not have a set closing date but anticipates sales through the end of February, according to a spokesperson for Earth Fare. The company encouraged shoppers to visit the locations while they are still open and take advantage of these savings before its too late." The liquidation will also include the sale of store fixtures, according to the release. The company announced the closure of its Indianapolis-area locations in Carmel, Noblesville, and Greenwood in December, according to reporting from the Indianapolis Star. Also on MLive: Flint fashion designers shoes to be showcased at New York Fashion Week As Michigan real estate values rebound, property tax revenues continue to lag 22 restaurants, bars and more that opened or closed in the Kalamazoo area this year Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Monday money being received from widening fiscal deficit is not being splurged, quite contrary to what had happened in the UPA regime. It is being spent on creating assets and improving logistics, connectivity, health sector in remote areas, she said at a FICCI event. I am going to tell you that when India had real tough economic situation, money was splurged by the government then in expectation that the economy would rise from the bottom that it had reached. These are all fresh in our minds, she said. Now, money is ... China has recovered 60 percent of its mask production capability, and is able to produce around 10 million pieces per day, said Huang Libin, spokesperson of the countrys Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) at a press conference on Feb. 2. (Photo/People's Daily Online) Cao Xuejun, a senior official with the MIIT, said at the press conference that the output of N95 masks, the kind which offer better protection against the spreading novel coronavirus stood at 600,000 pieces a day. China now has sufficient material for masks, Cao confirmed. According to the press conference, the tension on coronavirus prevention supplies will be relieved. By Feb. 1, the daily production of protective suits has reached 20,000 pieces, more than doubling what was possible a few days before on Jan. 28. Now, most of the suits are being sent to locations in Hubei, including Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, while the supply for other regions generally relies on their own inventories. It was confirmed that the production capability of full-automatic infrared detectors bounced back to 1,500 detectors per day, while production of portable ones stand at 15,000 sets per day. Besides, the production of disinfectants and medical alcohol is also gradually recovering. The country is now able to produce 1,579 tons of disinfectants, 140 tons of hand sanitizer and 407 tons of medical alcohol on a daily basis. It is reported that by Feb. 1, Chinese producers of medical supplies had already sent 136,000 protective suits, 134,000 N95 masks and 188,000 pairs of goggles to Hubei. In addition, some export-oriented manufacturers have allotted Euro-standard and Japan-standard protective suits to Hubei. Statistics from Chinas General Administration of Customs indicated that the country imported a total of 56 million masks between Jan. 24 to 30, and furthermore over 20 million were imported on Jan. 30 alone. In this way, tensions on coronavirus prevention supplies have been alleviated in the last few days, but there is still a gap between production and actual demand due to several reasons such as the labor shortage experienced during the Spring Festival holiday, said Huang. A doctor of Oriental medicine is going to nursing school to unite Eastern medicine and Western medicine. Five nursing students, who intend to work in Rio Rancho after their studies are complete, received scholarships at the Rio Rancho Sunrise Rotary Clubs 11th annual DeGroot-Akins Scholarship Gala on Jan. 25. Dr. Sarah Gorder is a doctor of Oriental medicine and is attending Central New Mexico Community College for her nursing associate degree. She then intends to go to the University of New Mexico for her bachelors of nursing. She wishes to bring her knowledge of Eastern medicine and Western medicine to Rio Rancho. I find, in order to really help patients and be the best doctor I can be, I wanted to learn more about Western medicine. So that was my purpose for going to nursing school and to eventually become a nurse practitioner, Gorder said. Rio Rancho Sunrise Rotary Club helped organize the first gala 11 years ago. With the help of the Schumann Foundation, this club has a focus on supporting the medical community in Rio Rancho, said Susan Fox, a member of the club and nurse of 48 years. According to the New Mexico Health Care Workforce Committee 2019 Annual Report, there are about 17,000 registered nurses practicing in New Mexico. The report assessed a national practitioner-to-population benchmark at 8.64 registered nurses per 1,000 people. According to the report, Sandoval County severely falls below this standard, with 6.1 registered nurses per 1,000 people. Fox said Rio Rancho Sunrise Rotary Club has a focus on nursing because of that shortage. We get in contact with the financial aid officers of the different nursing schools who are accredited by the national nursing agencies, Fox said. So we know students who are going to these schools are getting the best kind of nursing education to bring to Rio Rancho. Gorder received $10,000, ensuring her schooling is paid for in full this year, with money left over for following years. She received $5,000 from the Rotary club and $5,000 from the Schumann Foundation. It was life-changing for me to have that affirmation that what I want to do is important and the community of Rio Rancho supports that. They have welcomed me here to practice that new area of medicine, she said. Gorder has done clinical trials at Presbyterian Rust Medical Center and said the nurses are amazing with their level of knowledge and pride in their work. It was an incredible experience to work with them, she said. Gorder has raised her two daughters in Rio Rancho. My husband videotaped the gala, and when my youngest daughter saw the video, I was going up on stage, and she told me, Mom, I feel like a proud parent,' Gorder said. She said her daughters have watched her pursue education. For my daughters, they know that my pursuit in medicine is my purpose. It is to heal others with medicine, she said. I have spent many years in Oriental medicine school while they were little. Then going into nursing, they have seen it can be challenging to pursue your dreams and have a family; there is so much in life to juggle. There are days when you are tired and overwhelmed and you just keep going. Her oldest daughter is following her mother in the medical field, studying public health at UNM. Gorder has a message for all those considering nursing school. If you are considering nursing school but have an element of doubt, believe in yourself and do it anyway; take a chance, she said. If you believe in your heart that you have compassion and you believe that that is the direction that is best for you, then you should do whatever it takes to pursue it. Three weeks after Manitobas private defence lawyers called off plans for a temporary walkout, theyre expected to go ahead with a bail court strike to protest against legal-aid pay rates that havent been raised in 12 years. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/2/2020 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Three weeks after Manitobas private defence lawyers called off plans for a temporary walkout, theyre expected to go ahead with a bail court strike to protest against legal-aid pay rates that havent been raised in 12 years. Roughly 150 criminal defence lawyers are set to stop representing new and existing clients in bail courts across the province starting today. They havent announced an end date to the job action. The move means staff lawyers with Legal Aid Manitoba will likely be expected to conduct all bail hearings. "This is a last resort on our part, but we feel like we have no option because were not being taken seriously," said Gerri Wiebe, president of the Criminal Defence Lawyers Association of Manitoba. On Sunday, Legal Aid Manitoba spokesman Sam Raposo said Legal Aid hadnt received formal notice of the job action. Wiebe met with Justice Minister Cliff Cullen on Jan. 27, the same day the province released a long-awaited report on Legal Aid Manitoba. It listed 15 recommendations for change, including updating the tariff and raising private lawyers pay for legal aid cases. The defence lawyers association cancelled a bail court walkout in mid-January after the ministers office asked for a meeting, but Wiebe said her members want to see the government take immediate action to increase pay. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. A committee of private defence lawyers met last week and decided to put job action back on the table. Theyve been taking on legal aid cases for what they say is too little pay. Most people who are charged with a crime in Manitoba receive legal aid. Most of those cases are contracted out to private lawyers who bill Legal Aid Manitoba based on an $80 per hour tariff that is set by provincial legislation. The pay rate hasnt been changed or adjusted for cost of living since 2008. Staff lawyers who are employed by Legal Aid Manitoba, meanwhile, have received salary increases, as have provincial Crown attorneys. "The justice department has been pretty clear that they are in... the beginning of a process of consultation to make some changes to legal aid. Theres no time frame specified for that consultation process or for the changes to be made," Wiebe said. "And so we are looking for some interim action with respect to the tariff." Wiebe said private lawyers want an "immediate end" to Legal Aid Manitobas practice of diverting domestic violence cases to its own staff lawyers. The money-saving measure has been in place for more than a year. Before that, Legal Aid Manitoba did the same with charges involving breach-of-court orders. Private lawyers had some input on those practices when they were implemented. katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay As government ministers and CEOs from the world's biggest mining companies descend on Cape Town for the 2020 Investing in African Mining Indaba, one issue is likely to dominate the conference - where to unearth some money? Global investors are shifting away from heavy industry in favor of cleaner sectors, their money often destined for specialist ESG, or environmental, social, and governance, funds. That means mining companies face losing billions in financing, raising the cost of capital and jeopardizing projects. South Africa is an appropriate backdrop to discuss such a challenge; the continent's biggest coal producer is seeing funds dry up. Local lender Nedbank has stopped funding coal-related projects while rival FirstRand has cut greenfield thermal coal projects to less than 0.5% of its lending. But this is a worldwide trend. Norway's sovereign wealth fund has divested from all fossil fuels and Blackrock, the world's biggest asset manager, said earlier this month it would sell active holdings in companies generating more than 25% of revenues from thermal coal. As a result, companies are hunting for new sources of finance - including private equity and debt - and in Cape Town one of the key focuses this week will be making the mining industry more sustainable by, for example, running mines on renewable energy. BJP leader and former Maharashtra minister Babanrao Lonikar has called a woman tehsildar sitting on the stage a 'heroine' during his speech on a planned rally of farmers in Jalna district Jalna: BJP leader and former Maharashtra minister Babanrao Lonikar has called a woman tehsildar sitting on the stage a "heroine" during his speech on a planned rally of farmers in Jalna district. After his audio clip went viral on social media, the BJP leader on Sunday defended his remarks, saying "heroine" is not an abusive word, and that he wanted to convey a "leader who does good work" through the term. In the audio clip of the function held in Karhala village in Partur tehsil on Saturday, Lonikar can be heard saying, "If farmers want aid of Rs 25,000 from government, then we can plan the biggest rally in Marathwada here in Partur. We can involve 25,000 to 50,000 people in it. If Zilla Parisad and Panchayat Samiti members decide then we can have the biggest march in the state in Partur". "We can call (former chief minister) Devendra Fadnavis, (former ministers) Chandrakant Patil and Sudhir Mungantiwar. You tell who should be called...We can call a heroine for it. If not, then we have our tehsildar madam as heroine," he said. The tehsildar, who was present on the dais, immediately walked away after Lonikar's remarks. She could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts. When contacted on Sunday, Lonikar said through the word "heroine" he wanted to convey a "leader who does good work". "I have not insulted our tehsildar through my statement. The word heroine or hero is used for a leader who does good work. You can check a dictionary. This is not an abusive word and it does not have a negative meaning," he said, adding that 'We have planned to take out a rally over the issue of aid to farmers". However, the ruling NCP said Lonikar's "unacceptable" remarks amount to outraging the modesty of a woman. "Lonikar's comments against the woman tehsildar are completely unacceptable and it reflects the BJP's mentality. Instead of respecting the working women, the BJP leader is bringing shame to them by making comments on their looks," senior NCP leader and MLC Vidya Chavan said. "Making such remarks about a woman's looks amount to outraging her modesty," she added. The BJP blamed media for "twisting" Lonikar's statement. BJP spokesperson Shirish Boralkar said Lonikar was speaking about development of farmers. "His statement was presented in a twisted manner by the media," he added. Gold prices gained Rs 26 to Rs 40,817 per 10 gram in the Mumbai bullion market on rupee depreciation. The precious metal gained Rs 634, or 1.58 percent last week on concerns over the spread of coronavirus and slowdown in Chinas economy. The rate of 10 grams 22-carat gold in Mumbai was Rs 37,388 plus 3 percent GST, while 24-carat 10 gram was Rs 40,817 plus GST. The 18-carat gold quoted at Rs 30,613 plus GST in the retail market. According to Navneet Damani, Vice President, Motilal Oswal, gold prices consolidated in a narrow range hovering around the $1,580 zone as Chinas central bank injected liquidity into its markets to help support firms hit by the coronavirus epidemic, and a stronger dollar capped some gains for the bullion. Apart from coronavirus, some cases of bird flu have also disturbed the overall market sentiment. Market participants will also be keeping an eye on the manufacturing PMI numbers expected from major economies. The broader trend on Comex could be $1,560-1,595 and on the domestic front, prices could hover in the range of Rs 40,600-41,000, added Damani. China's Central Bank cut the reverse repo rates to infuse liquidity in the markets and support the economy. This proved negative for the precious metal as the risk premium dropped, said Abhishek Bansal, Chairman and MD, Abans Group. The gold/silver ratio currently stands at 88.27 to 1, which means the amount of silver required to buy one ounce of gold. Silver prices fell Rs 155 to Rs 46,240 per kg from its closing on January 31. In the futures market, gold rate touched an intraday high of Rs 41,050 and an intraday low of Rs 40,650 on MCX. For the February series, the yellow metal touched a low of Rs 36,098 and a high of Rs 41,297. Gold futures for delivery in February slipped Rs 498, or 1.21 percent on the MCX trading at Rs 40,750 per 10 gram in evening trade in a business turnover of 239 lots. Gold contracts for April delivery eased Rs 362, or 0.88 percent, at Rs 40,843 per 10 gram in a business turnover of 18,544 lots. The far month June contract was trading down by Rs 344, or 0.83 percent at Rs 41,016 per 10 gram with a business volume of 4,647 lots. The value of the February contract traded so far is Rs 35.92 crore and April contract saw the value of Rs 3,261.94 crore. Similarly, Gold Mini contract for March slipped Rs 356, or 0.87 percent at Rs 40,712 in a business turnover of 8,749 lots. Gold prices gave a gap down opening in the morning session. On an hourly chart, prices have given an upward sloping trendline breakdown which is a negative sign for prices. Moreover, RSI on the hourly chart is below 60 levels which indicate low momentum in prices, according to Axis Securities. The broking firms advised its client to sell April Gold around Rs 40,950-40,980 levels for a target of Rs 40,850 on an intraday basis. MCX Gold will be trading in a range for the session with support placed at Rs 40,725-40,650 whereas resistance is at Rs 41,015-41,140, according to Motilal Oswal. The brokerage firm said spot gold has key support at $1,570-1,565 whereas resistance is at $1,590-1,595. At 12:38 pm (GMT), spot gold was down $10.35 at $1,579.47 an ounce in London trading. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Most would agree that love is the supreme ethic in which we live by, but the two loudest voices on love have historically disagreed on the definition. The LBGTQ+ and the Evangelical Christian community have seemingly been at odds for as long as any of us can remember. Ironically, their biggest disagreement has been their biggest commonality - love. So as Christians, who without a doubt carry the burden and responsibility to love, how do we love the LBGTQ+ community with differing definitions of love. 1. BE CONSISTENT It was the religious folk, the religious elite, whom Jesus called hypocrites. It was the religious folk who would preach from the Scriptures and yet were more worried about Jewish tradition and rituals than caring for the people. Are we as Christians any different today? What we rightfully ask of those who have same-sex attraction, is to see a relationship with a perfect and loving God as more rewarding than their fleshly desires for same-sex relationships. The problem arises when we do not ask the same of our straight, Christian brothers and sisters. How often do we publicly comment or encourage our congregations to put aside their sinful desires for fornication, adultery, or lust? You see, the whole idea of putting aside desires that seem so natural, is one that recognizes that our sinful desires could never fill the void that Love does, Gods love. If there is any chance that others would understand this, it is in our consistency that this truth must be communicated. We cannot yell this truth at our homosexual neighbors as we whisper it to our brothers and sisters in the church. Now, I understand that there is a public platform that the issue of homosexuality has that makes a whisper of sound doctrine seem like a megaphone of hate. We should never compromise the Word of God for comfort in culture - that is counter to the Gospel itself; but we also must trust that wisdom (herself) shouts in the streets and lifts her voice in the square. (Proverbs 1:20) In an evangelical community that has scared us into believing that if we stop talking, then secular culture will win the hearts and minds of people - What would happen if we let God speak to the hearts and minds of people? What would happen if we focused on being consistent; living out what we have preached? Is it possible that God will make His words known to them, that they may turn to His reproof, and God pour out His Spirit on them? (Proverbs 1:23) As Christians, we must continue to remind ourselves how much we need to put aside our pride, our self-righteousness, and (most important in this context) our sexual immorality - citing our own relationship with God as more worthy than the desires of our flesh. If we believe His love is far greater than any love we could find on earth; then let us not be so self-centered that we think our human relationships outweigh the majesty of a personal and intimate relationship with God. 2. COMMUNICATE WHAT THEY ALREADY UNDERSTAND It is so like our God, that in His sovereignty the LBGTQ+ community would pick a flag, unbeknownst to them, that represents the grace of God - that represents His heart. His heart that wishes not to destroy and is grieved when He must. The rainbow, a symbol of His goodness and faithfulness; represents His heart to love, pursue, and to give life. God can use anything and everything for good and for His glory (Genesis 50:20); and in His sovereignty, He pursues this community by literally robing them in His faithfulness. How often do our opponents cite Gods love in attempt to correct our views? It often takes form as a question, i.e. Doesnt God love everyone? Or Wouldnt God want me to be happy? If a conversation about the love of God is one others are willing to have, then this is a prime opportunity for the sharing of the gospel. Too often when these questions are asked of us, we shallowly see it as just an opportunity to answer their question as opposed to their deepest spiritual need. What better opportunity to share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ? One of the most powerful and impactful things Ive seen in sharing the gospel with those who are hostile towards it, is sharing the words of Jesus. Many times, they are shocked to know that Jesus has many of the same qualms with religion that they do. Get them interested in the person of Christ and they will hear His words in a way they may have never heard them before - from His mouth as opposed from ours. It is the kindness of God that draws men to repentance (Romans 2:4), and we trust that He will affirm His goodness and faithfulness to them who suspect it already. 3. PURSUE THEM Most human relationships are founded on selfish motives. Motives that seek only to satisfy self and not to sacrifice. So how counter-cultural would it be to find them where they are and love them. Not so we could fill a seat in our local churches, but so that God could fill a void in their heart. That is the Great Commission! Not that we would merely fill churches but that God would fill us as He reconciles people to Himself. We must not see people as a means to an end, but as an end in themselves. That is how God see us - that is how God treated us. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). It was not that the people would lead to His joy, it was that the people in and of themselves were His joy. If we have the mind of Christ, then let us have the eyes of Christ that sees people as He sees them and a heart that pursues them as He pursues them. Be where they are. Go where they go. And love them beyond their definition. Boris Johnson today slammed 'mumbo-jumbo' fears about US food standards and NHS interference - as he insisted Britain will be the superhero of free trade. The PM shrugged off 'hysteria' over issues like chlorinated chicken, joking that he thought Americans looked 'pretty well nourished'. He said Britain's approach would be based on 'science', although he stressed that other countries will have to accept that the UK will not slash standards or compromise animal welfare. The comments came as Mr Johnson delivered a keynote speech pledging to make the country a beacon for free trade now it has left the EU. Hailing Britain's proud history of pushing for more competition, he said it would emerge with 'cape flowing' to fight those who were 'letting the air out of the tyres' of the global economy. Condemning anti-Americanism and 'conspiracy theories' that Donald Trump wants to take over the NHS, Mr Johnson told the audience in Greenwich: 'It goes without saying that the NHS is not on the table... 'We will not accept any diminution on food or animal welfare standards. 'But I must say to the America bashers, when doing free trade deals we will be guided by science, not mumbo-jumbo, because the potential is enormous.' Boris Johnson (pictured in Greenwich today) said the UK would be a champion for free trade now it has left the EU EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the bloc is ready to strike an 'ambitious' package with the UK, including zero tariffs and quotas and covering the crucial services sector Mr Johnson ridiculed anti-Americanism and 'conspiracy theories' that Donald Trump (pictured in Washington overnight) wants to take over the NHS The speech came as Michel Barnier warned that Britain will only get a 'best in class' trade deal if it bows to demands on a 'level playing field' and access to fishing waters. Nissan 'could ABANDON the EU and expand operations in the UK' after Brexit Nissan could abandon the EU and expand its operations in the UK to get a competitive advantage after Brexit, it was claimed today. The Japanese company has reportedly drawn up plans to 'double down' on its presence in Britain if tariffs are introduced across the Channel next year. The move is designed to capitalise on higher costs of other car manufacturers - with suggestions Nissan could end up selling four times as many vehicles in the UK as a result. According to the Financial Times, the scenario - one of a number of options being considered - would see plants in Barcelona and France closed down. Instead, production in Sunderland would be ramped up. Advertisement The EU's chief negotiator said the bloc is ready to strike an 'ambitious' package with the UK, including zero tariffs and quotas and covering the crucial services sector. But he insisted that would be 'conditional' on Britain committing to keep the current social and environmental standards - as well as letting the European fishing fleet in. In another pressure tactic, there are claims that Mr Barnier has also agreed to Spain's call to get a veto over whether Gibraltar should be covered by the arrangements - something that Britain has insisted will not be agreed. At a press conference in Brussels, Mr Barnier spelled out the EU's stance as skirmishing gets under way. He said a 'best in class' trade deal could include zero tariffs and zero quotas on goods, and cover the services sector. We are ready to offer all this, even though we know there will be strong competition between the UK, our immediate neighbour, and the EU in the future,' he said. Competition is normal, competition is normal. But because of our geographical proximity and economic interdependence, our draft mandate also makes clear, that this exceptional offer is conditional on at least two things. First, we need to make sure that competition is and remains open and fair. We have already agreed with PMB that our future partnership will prevent, and I quite unfair competitive advantages. We must now agree on specific and effective guarantees to ensure a level playing field over the long term. PM slaps down Michel Barnier over demand to obey EU rules Boris Johnson today brutally slapped down Michel Barnier after the EU negotiator demanded Britain signs up to EU rules to get a trade deal. The PM insisted there is no need to tie the UK to Brussels regulations, or vice versa, as he condemned growing protectionism around the world. Arguing that he wants to be a champion of free trade now Brexit has happened, Mr Johnson dismissed claims that Britain will undercut social and environmental standards - saying it was often ahead of the bloc. The defiant stance - in a 30-minute speech in which the premier notably declined to use the word 'Brexit' - came minutes after Mr Barnier warned that Britain will only get a 'best in class' trade deal if it bows to demands on a 'level playing field' and access to fishing waters. He said the bloc was ready to strike an 'ambitious' package with the UK, including zero tariffs and quotas and covering the crucial services sector. Advertisement That means a mechanism to uphold the high standards we have on social, environmental, climate, tax and state aid matters today and in their future developments. Second, out free trade agreement must include an agreement on fisheries. This agreement should provide for continued reciprocal access to markets and waters with stable quota shares. If we can agree on this, as well as robust agreements towards a level playing field, and the necessary enforcement mechanism, we will achieve a very ambitious free and fair trade agreement. However, Mr Johnson argued no other country which has a trade deal with the EU has been forced to sign up to such obligations. In a speech to business leaders and ambassadors in London, he said: 'There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment or anything similar, any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules. 'The UK will maintain the highest standards in these areas better, in many respects, than those of the EU without the compulsion of a treaty and it is vital to stress this now.' He said: 'We have often been told that we must choose between full access to the EU market, along with accepting its rules and courts on the Norway model, or an ambitious free trade agreement, which opens up markets and avoids the full panoply of EU regulation, on the example of Canada. We have made our choice: we want a free trade agreement, similar to Canada's.' The PM shrugged off 'hysteria' over issues like chlorinated chicken, joking that he thought Americans looked 'pretty well nourished' In the 'very unlikely event' that talks do not succeed, Mr Johnson will say in his speech he will seek a much looser arrangement. 'The choice is emphatically not 'deal or no deal'. Canada or Australia? The two options in poost-Brexit trade talks CANADA The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the EU was signed in October 2016. It meant 98 per cent of goods traded are exempt from tariffs - although there are still regulatory barriers and the system is being phased in. Companies in based in both jurisdictions can compete for public contracts. There are protections for products from specific geographical locations, such as Parma ham. But there is little coverage of services, aside from respecting intellectual property. AUSTRALIA The EU and Australia do not have a formal trade deal - although one is being negotiated. Instead the two interact based on World Trade Organisation terms. That means tariffs apply on many goods, with ad hoc agreements in specific areas. Advertisement The question is whether we agree a trading relationship with the EU comparable to Canada's or more like Australia's,' he will insist. 'In either case, I have no doubt that Britain will prosper.' Mr Johnson will say 'our new relationship with our closest neighbours will range far beyond trade'. 'We will seek a pragmatic agreement on security, protecting our citizens without trespassing on the autonomy of our respective legal systems,' he will announce. Mr Varadkar yesterday insisted the extra protections were needed as the UK is geographically closer to the EU than Canada and does a much larger volume of trade. He told the BBC's Andrew Marr show yesterday: 'You're geographically part of the European continent, we share seas, we share airspace and our economies are very integrated. 'One thing that we feel very strongly in the European Union is that if we're going to have tariff-free, quota-free trade with the UK... then that needs to come with a level playing field. We would have very strong views on fair competition and state aid.' But Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said any suggestion the UK will have to follow EU rules and laws after 2021 'just ain't happening'. He told Marr that staying tied to EU regulations 'obviously defeats the point of Brexit'. Mr Johnson has vowed to negotiate a trade deal with the EU by the end of this year so there is no need to extend the transition period beyond December. Some EU figures have questioned whether the fast-track timetable is realistic, but former European Council president Donald Tusk yesterday said he believed it would be possible. He told Marr: 'One year is enough to finalise our negotiations.' The Vietnamese stock market has been forecast to fall next week amid fears of coronavirus and a focus on pharmaceutical stocks. A VPS Securities Co office. Vietnamese shares will return to action on Monday amid concerns related to diseases and movements in neighbouring markets. Photo tinnhanhchungkhoan.vn Viet Nams benchmark VN-Index on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange returned to action on Thursday after the one-week Tet (Lunar New Year). However, market sentiment was dampened by fears of the potential breakout of the coronavirus. This also forced the Chinese market regulator to close the stock market until Monday. Fears about the disease triggered large-scale sell-offs on the Chinese and Vietnamese markets. The VN-Index fell a total of 5.53 per cent on Thursday and Friday the only two trading days of the post-Tet week to end at 936.62 points. The two-day decline also wiped out the entire growth the VN-Index during the three weeks prior to the national holiday. On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index dropped nearly 3.70 per cent in two days to end last week at 102.36 points. The sell-off on the Vietnamese market targeted many firms who depend fully or partly on trade and travel activities. Those companies included dairy producer Vinamilk (VNM), steel producer Hoa Phat (HPG), aviation firms Vietnam Airlines (HVN) and Vietjet (VJC), airport operator ACV (ACV) and PetroVietnam Gas (GAS). VNM, HVN and VJC plunged between 6.87 per cent and 7 per cent, while HPG and GAS lost 4.7 per cent and nearly 6 per cent. According to securities firms, the short-term outlook for the Vietnamese stock market was poor, and further declines were expected. The short-term and medium-term scenarios for the VN-Index were worsening, Bao Viet Securities Co (BVSC) said in a report. The VN-Index may drop to 936 points, the company forecast, adding the benchmark could fall to 910-920 points if market did not improve. BIDV Securities Co (BSC) said the movement of the Vietnamese stock market would depend on Chinese markets when they returned on Monday from the national break, but outlook was dim following reports of another bird flu breakout in China. The diseases would weigh on market sentiment this week until good news was delivered to balance and support the indices, the company said. Positive look There are some positive signals investors may take amid the bad news. Pharmaceutical stocks are rising as disease fears have boosted demand for healthcare products and services, thus lifting demand for shares. Some big gainers in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector were DHG Pharmaceutical JSC (DHG), Ha Tay Pharmaceutical JSC (DHT), Imexpharm Corporation (IPM) and Domesco Medical Import Export JSC (DMC), which rose between 6.4 per cent and 7.0 per cent on Friday. In addition, high January CPI an indicator showing the domestic purchasing power meant consumer firms would profit in the first quarter as demand for goods increased sharply in the first month of the year. VNS Oil Price Tanks as Coronavirus Weighs on Demand Outlook WASHINGTONAs the new coronavirus epidemic continues to spread across China, fears of reduced travel and a global economic slowdown sent oil prices plummeting over the past week. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell on Jan. 31, posting a fourth straight week of losses and its worst month since May 2019. In response to threats posed by the deadly virus, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decided to hold an emergency meeting. Both OPEC members and non-member countries including Russia will meet on Feb. 45 to gauge the impact of coronavirus on global oil demand, according to Reuters. WTI plunged more than 20 percent to $51.59 per barrel on Jan. 31 since it peaked at $65.65 in early January following tensions between the United States and Iran. Global travel restrictions imposed on Chinese travelers and suspension of flights to mainland China have raised questions about their potential impact on oil and jet fuel markets. The Trump administration declared on Jan. 31 a public health emergency in the United States. To contain the spread of the coronavirus, foreign travelers who visited China in the past two weeks would be denied entry to the United States, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared. In addition, U.S. citizens returning from Hubei Province, where the outbreak started, will be subject to 14 days of mandatory quarantine. Dozens of countries, including Japan and Singapore, have also imposed tougher restrictions on travelers from China. United, Delta, and American Airlines announced they would suspend flights between the United States and China in response to the growing outbreak. Similarly, major global airlines, including KLM and British Airways, have suspended or reduced services to or from mainland China. These measures are threatening oil markets, according to Phil Flynn, a senior energy analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago. Thats oil demand that isnt going to be there, but its even bigger than that, Flynn told Fox Business on Jan. 31. Its the factories that are shut down. Its the fear factor of people not traveling. Thats terrible for energy demand, he said. Consumer confidence would be hit hard as people are afraid to shop or go to restaurants and movie theaters, which he noted, are all bad news for oil prices. Oil Price Volatility OPEC earlier signaled it might further cut production if demand declines. Demand concerns, however, will likely counter worries around supply disruptions in Libya, driving oil price volatility in the coming weeks, analysts say. Early January, an escalating crisis in Libya crippled oil production, causing fears of a global supply crunch. The Libyan National Army, led by Gen. Khalifa Haftar, seized control of Libyas major oil ports and imposed a blockade on the countrys oil exports. The extent of the coronavirus outbreak in China will remain unknown for some time, according to Goldman Sachs, and this initial uncertainty could lead to large sell-offs in oil markets, as was the case with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003. Translating the estimated SARS demand impact into 2020 volumes points to a potential 260,000 barrels per day negative shock to global oil demand on average, Damien Courvalin, head of energy research at Goldman Sachs, stated in a report. Such a demand impactwithout an OPEC supply responsewould point to an only $3 per barrel impact on oil prices, although the initial high uncertainty could lead to a larger sell-off, he wrote. Chinese officials report thousands being infected in China and more than 300 dead. However, experts say the actual numbers are much higher. Mishandling Increases Market Panic Some voice frustration about the Chinese regimes initial handling of the crisis, which, they claim, has exacerbated the market panic. Chinas response to this has been extremely disappointing to many people, Gordon Chang, commentator and author of The Coming Collapse of China, told The Epoch Times. The government of China tried to cover it up. And when they couldnt cover it up anymore, it then became a cause of panic, he said. Right now, they are in a different environment because of social media, which is forcing them to become more candid more quickly. But their instinct is to cover up and hide because theyre so much more concerned about stability and about controlling the narrative than they are about solving the problem. According to a New York Times article, the Chinese regimes delayed handling of the disease allowed the virus to spread rapidly. At critical moments, officials chose to put secrecy and order ahead of openly confronting the growing crisis to avoid public alarm and political embarrassment, the article said. It took seven weeks for the government to lock down Wuhan City after the appearance of the first symptoms of the disease in early December, according to the newspaper. Senior Cybersecurity Advisor at the Department of Homeland Security Matthew Masterson, left, Deputy Assistant Director for Counterterrorism at the FBI Nikki Flores, second from left, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security Adam Hickey, second from right, and Vice Chair at the U.S. Election Assistance Commission Ben Hoveland, right, are sworn in to testify before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019, on election security. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Associated Press Outgoing NSA legal chief Glenn Gerstell said in an interview with The Washington Post that hacking threats from adversaries are an existential threat to the US on par with climate change. He described tech advancements as a mounting "tsunami" that US defense agencies might not be prepared for. Gerstell joins a chorus of security officials warning that the US must get ahead of cybersecurity threats. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Rapid advances in technology could shift the power dynamics between the US and its adversaries, and federal agencies will need to quickly adjust to growing cybersecurity threats, according to outgoing National Security Agency General Counsel Glenn Gerstell. Gerstell predicted mounting hacking threats against the US in an interview with The Washington Post published Monday, comparing the challenge to that posed by climate change. "The challenges presented by the digital revolution are of such a magnitude and coming at us with such a rapidity that there's a danger we will treat it conventionally and underestimate its significance," Gerstell said. US agencies and private companies have been the targets of a slew of sophisticated hacks originating from countries including Iran, China, Russia, and North Korea in recent years. Hackers have stolen sensitive information, compromised military networks, and held companies' infrastructure for ransom. According to Gerstell, the US government will need to consolidate and strengthen its cyber defenses in order to protect against future hacks. While Gerstell didn't recommend any specific measures, he said the NSA should be more transparent about its cybersecurity work going forward. An NSA spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gerstell joins a chorus of former administration officials warning of growing hacking threats. Kiersten Todt, a former cybersecurity advisor to the Obama administration, told Business Insider last month that countries like China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia could "look to attack our critical infrastructure on the homeland." Story continues Security experts have sought more transparency from the NSA for months. In January, the NSA reported a critical flaw in Microsoft's Windows 10 an unprecedented move for a government agency but did not disclose how it partners with private companies to identify security risks. The incident raised red flags for security watchdogs at the time. "These are clearly noteworthy shifts from regular practices and make this vulnerability worth paying attention to and also worth asking questions about," Tenable CEO Amit Yoran, who founded the Department of Homeland Security's Computer Emergency Readiness Team, told Business Insider in January. Read the original article on Business Insider While technology can be the biggest disruptor and driving factor for companies in every vertical, the common misconception is that it is too expensive for SMEs to adopt. That is ironic, because SMEs actually need more technology support to grow, sustain and make profits, more than established enterprises with deep pockets. One of the biggest advantages that digital transformation brought to enterprise is the ability to optimize costs, and leverage connectivity. Cost saving trends that AI, automation and IoT grant, could be the biggest support for a small company. Tools that digitization provides could help in much better customer connect, higher customer acquisition and even better retention. Clearly, embracing data analytics, automation and AI will bring the highest advantage and competitiveness to small enterprises. While there is investment involved, there are companies willing to support small companies every step of the technology journey, at bite size costs. SaaS is a good investment idea. Solutions that can help enhance small business productivity with optimized technology usage while securing the precious data, are a big help. Products and solutions like Dells Small Business Central are the support small businesses need, to go into the new decade technologically armed. Expert support that identifies the business need and provide the relevant solutions, will drive growth in the SME sectors technology adoption. Choosing the right solutions, or customizing solutions that meet the particular and unique requirements of the small enterprise, is the need of the day. Another trend for small businesses in 2020 will be the ever-present opportunities for innovation that can be a huge gamechanger. Flexible solutions, whether it is the big three technologies- AI, automation and IoT, or marketing focused tools like analytics, will boost their growth while keeping a cost on excessive spending. The biggest objective of a small organization to adopt technology is to save costs. Tools that focus on Data Protection, Remote Workforce, Customer Satisfaction, Marketing Automation and Content Optimization, are what will drive this strategy for SME in 2020. Each of these have a story wherein their criticality to the small company lies. Dells Small Business Central is an expert and very supportive resource for innovative ideas and insights that back and create practical solutions tailored to the unique challenges of managing and growing a small business. Here the buzzword is cost saving. Security threats, cyber risks and data breaches hit all enterprises hard, but they can be crippling for small enterprises. 2020 will see many of them investing in cyber security solutions. A lack of preparedness will need to be remedied- reports by Small Business Trends say that 58 percent of small businesses are not in a position to cope with data loss and theft. Added to security is the need for privacy. There is a growing need for compliances for the global regulations on data privacy- GDPR and soon, CCPA. Data storage, collation and privacy is a definite technology solution that SMEs will need in the coming year. Another very critical technology support that SMEs will need to adopt in 2020 is virtual work environments and remote workforce. Solutions that allow for almost all aspects of remote teams will be in high demand. They can help with a whole array of business processes- operations, payments, collaboration, planning and even customer facing team coordination. After the workforce, the customer is the biggest investment- marketing technologies that allow for much better content management, customer reach out by automated or AI tools- all could add huge dollars to bottom lines. Automated marketing tools help save resources cost while adding volume to the marketing exercise. They can help to provide customized campaigns of new launches; customer connect and ensure much higher customer satisfaction for the smaller firms- at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising. But at the base of all these capabilities is an efficient technology infrastructure, and office hardware and software. It would be unthinkable to go the lengths of modern technology and evaluate its utility to SMEs, without having sound hardware and software to establish them on. Certainly, SMEs need reliable, easy to work and cost-effective office hardware- laptops, desktops and even storage servers. Dell has a whole range of desktops that provide dependable performance at exceptional value to workers. Vostro Desktops for small businesses as well as OptiPlex Desktops that provide business-class security and reliability, assure security and reliable productivity for smaller teams, at affordable costs. Dells Inspiron has been an established brand for many years now, and many smaller companies swear by the productivity they provide. In addition, Wyse Thin Clients and Software that provide desktop computing, offer cloud computing, one the biggest technology products that add to savings, and provide secure, scalable enterprise computing. This could be the best for SMEs that are looking for secure growth, at very affordable costs. To add to the value these infrastructure products provide, SMEs need basic step up in smart technologies- virtualization hardware like Dell PowerEdge blade servers, secure storage solutions like Storage SC Series and to power this growth- PowerConnect 5500 Family Switches. Connectivity will be the most critical ask as SMEs grow, and more so in 2020, with much higher latency requirements to stay abreast of competition. Small companies will need much better connectivity to ensure seamless online platforms perform well, and customers face no downtime at all. Dell offers all sizes of clusters using low-latency, high-throughput, software defined, open networking technologies. They help small companies redefine the economics of the future ready network. While it is easy to identify technologies and tools that small enterprises should be adopting in this new year, what is most often left unsaid is their ability to use these at costs they can afford. What is also not usually highlighted is the basic hurdle that SMEs face- cost of skilled resources. So, this year will be defined by a huge upsurge in automated processes. It will not only help to optimize costs of manpower but also serve to make their business operations more agile, robust and of course- innovative. And, to help SMEs adopt new technologies and make them cost-efficient as well, Dell is offering a powerful reason to upgrade. The company has rolled out a new Budget offer , where business owners can avail 10% cashback, free ZOHO subscription, and more on upgrading to 10Gen Intel Core i7. By making this biggest investment, SMEs will be able to allow seamless work efficiency and capability. National Security Advisor John R. Bolton listens as President Donald J. Trump meets with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House on Thursday, July 18th, 2019 in Washington, DC. "You're on the president's side or you're not. It's simple," said Arthur Schwartz, a Republican consultant with close ties to the White House. The move by these donors to take on Bolton is the latest example of how Trump has command of those who fund the Republican Party. The financiers are signaling to their networks not to give to his committees following a report in The New York Times about claims Bolton made in a draft of the book , according to people with direct knowledge of the matter who declined to be named in order to speak freely about Bolton. Several of President Donald Trump 's most loyal donors and supporters are telling other conservative financiers to shun former national security advisor John Bolton's political action committee and super PAC as he prepares to publish a memoir that is reportedly critical of the administration. Bolton is a longtime pillar of the Republican foreign policy establishment. Known for his hawkish views on adversarial nations such as Iran and North Korea, Bolton served in the Reagan administration as well as the administrations of both President George H.W. Bush and President George W. Bush. Bolton runs a super PAC and a PAC that are currently backing five Republican lawmakers: Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Lee Zeldin of New York. All five candidates are up for reelection this year. The PACs were originally created in 2013 to support candidates who favor strong national security policies. Now Trump loyalists are trying to dismantle Bolton's influence by targeting his political action committees. "He's dead to everyone," said a longtime aide of a Trump megadonor. This person added that it's a "safe assumption" that Bolton's PACs will not survive with the effort being made against him. Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, reveled in the onslaught and predicted that Bolton will have no allies left in Washington by the end of the week. "Bolton is going to wake up Thursday, come to the sad realization that he's running out of usefulness to his newfound Democrat/media 'friends' and will be facing a very lonely end to his lackluster (could never get Senate confirmation) career," Trump Jr. said in a written message sent to CNBC through a representative. He was referring to how Bolton was a recess appointment to the role of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Tweet: A spokeswoman for Bolton did not return a request for comment, nor did representatives for the lawmakers backed by the Bolton committees. Shortly after leaving the White House in September, Bolton reopened both of his political operations. In the past, the organizations have relied on contributions from wealthy donors who are now staunch financial supporters of the president, including Richard Uihlein, the founder of shipping supply company Uline; Bernard Marcus, the co-founder of Home Depot; and real estate executive Geoff Palmer. Onetime major Trump backer Robert Mercer spent millions investing in Bolton's super PAC. While Mercer has signaled he may not get directly involved with Trump's reelection, his family nonprofit has still been spending millions on conservative causes that align with the president's agenda. None of these donors gave to Bolton's PAC or super PAC since he departed the administration, Federal Election Commission filings show. Both organizations combined raised just over $120,000 but have over $2 million on hand. Two of the biggest checks to the PAC came from Bolton and his wife, Gretchen, records show. Starting in 2014, the Bolton super PAC hired Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm that was accused of harvesting Facebook user data in the 2016 election, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Mercer and his daughter Rebekah helped fund the project, before the company announced they were closing in 2018. A draft of Bolton's book, "The Room Where It Happened," reportedly depicts a time when Trump told his former advisor to help with an alleged pressure campaign on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The president hoped, according to reports about Bolton's draft, that the national security advisor's effort would lead to an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden, one of his chief political rivals running for president. Trump has denied that the conversation ever took place and the National Security Council has said a review of the book shows that it "appears to contain significant amounts of classified information." The book is scheduled to be released in March, although the White House has threatened against publication. Bolton had said he'd be willing to testify during the Senate impeachment proceedings if he were to be subpoenaed. He reportedly defended the integrity of witnesses who testified during the House impeachment inquiry at a recent event in Austin, Texas. The Senate voted against calling witnesses for their impeachment trial on Friday. Several of the president's backers in the big-money donor world see Bolton's actions as helpful to Democrats. "Giving money to Bolton is no different than giving money to Schumer, Pelosi or Schiff," Schwartz, the Republican consultant, said, referring to Democratic lawmakers Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff, both of California. "You can't stand with the president and also stand with Bolton," he said. Schwartz contributed $50,000 in 2018 to America First Action, a super PAC pushing Trump's reelection effort. Dan Eberhart, who has given to a wide range of Republican causes, says he and allies are committed to shunning Bolton. "GOP donors are with the president," Eberhart said. "Ambassador Bolton might as well be a Democrat." Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 07:29:44|Editor: ZD Video Player Close CHICAGO, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Around 18,000 people crowded the streets in Chicago's Chinatown on Sunday afternoon to watch the annual Chinese New Year Parade, with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot as a special guest. The parade featured 68 units, including 13 floats, 28 marching groups, 9 marching bands as well as several lion and dragon dance teams. Several participants wore rat-style hats in celebration of the Spring Festival, which heralds in the Chinese Lunar New Year. The year 2020 is the Year of the Rat on the lunar calendar. Lauren White, a participant in the parade, told Xinhua it is cool wearing traditional Chinese clothes, watching vibrant lion and dragon dances in Chinatown during this special time. Speaking at the celebration ceremony, Lori Lightfoot firstly congratulated Chinese community on Chinese Lunar New Year, then thanked Chinese community for their contribution to the development of Chicago city. Chinese Consul General in Chicago Zhao Jian greeted the Chinese community in Chicago with happy Chinese Lunar New Year. He highly praised their efforts to promote Chinese culture and mutual understandings between communities. Chicago has been hosting annual celebrations of Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, for the last seven years. Apart from the parade on Sunday, other Chinese New Year-themed celebrations have been organized in Chicago over the past two weeks by the Chicago Cultural Center, the Chicago Symphony Center and the Chinese Fine Arts Society. The cannabis industrys management exodus is gaining steam. Since the beginning of January, at least five pot companies have announced the departures of their chief executive officers or a substantial chunk of their senior executive team. The exits have affected both Canadian and U.S. operators. Its not surprising to see executive turnover in a struggling industry, of course. The average 2019 stock decline of the five companies listed above was 63 per cent, similar to the sector as a whole, and many of them are facing a cash crunch amid mounting quarterly losses and wary capital markets. However, the management upheaval seems to only be exacerbating investor concerns. Since their announcements were made, Supremes stock is down about 23 per cent, Flowr has lost 7.6 per cent and Sundial has tumbled a whopping 53 per cent. As CIBC analyst John Zamparo said of Sundials departures: Such transitions rarely predict positive near-term performance. There will likely be more executive departures as the turmoil in the cannabis industry continues. I think theres definitely going to be more bumps in the road for 2020, said Korey Bauer, chief investment officer of Foothill Capital Management and portfolio manager of its Cannabis Growth Fund. Were going to have a few companies that are going to dominate and youre going to see everybody else just left behind. Reality check Its a tough time to be a cannabis company but the broader sector outlook isnt nearly as bad, according to a new report published by pot data firms Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics. The legal cannabis industry has always lived with a split between reality and perception, but never has the gap yawned as wide as it did in 2019, the report said. While stocks were tumbling, consumer spending jumped 46 per cent in 2019 to $14.9 billion. That number is expected to nearly triple to $42.7 billion by 2024, according to Arcview and BDS. While valuations of public cannabis stocks may indeed have gotten ahead of themselves in the wake of Canada making history in October 2018 by legitimizing legal cannabis on the world stage, the subsequent sell-off looks extreme from the mid-point of a two-year period in which a $10.2 billion 2018 market appears on track to more than double to $20.7 billion in 2020, the report said. 3 February 2020 JML FINANCE (LUXEMBOURG) SARL Julius Meinl Living agrees to acquire a second property in Belgrade Julius Meinl Living PLC, through its group companies, acquires prime real estate assets for development into serviced residences that the group will then operate itself ("Julius Meinl Living"). Julius Meinl Living PLC is fully owned by the Meinl family who, over the last 150 years, have demonstrated their expertise in Central and Eastern Europe in consumer goods, retail and real estate. The aparthotels will have a premium positioning and will operate under a brand that reflects the Meinl family heritage. As a first step towards fulfilling Julius Meinl Living's aim of opening at least 15 properties with a combined total of 2,000 guest rooms and apartments over the next three to six years, the group's first property is under development on Senovazne in Prague, in the Czech Republic, and will have 168 guest rooms and apartments. The main construction works commenced in July 2019 and are continuing according to plan. The property is targeted to open in Q3 of 2021. Cushman & Wakefield have appraised the net development value of the property as being 66 million as at December 2019. Julius Meinl Living has now additionally signed a binding forward purchase agreement in relation to a property on Bulevar vojvode Bojovi?a in Belgrade, Serbia. The location of the property is close to the heart of the Belgrade Old Town and is approximately 400 meters from the meeting point of the Danube and Sava rivers. The property is under development as part of a wider development called "K-District". It is intended that Julius Meinl Living's property will have a gross above-ground area of 8,824 m2 and that, once complete, it will have 129 guest rooms and apartments in addition to 96 underground parking spaces. In addition to Julius Meinl Living's aparthotel, the wider K-District development will, once complete, comprise 750 residential units and three office buildings, as well shops and restaurants at ground level. The development is being constructed in two phases. Construction of the first phase is currently at an advanced stage. Construction of Julius Meinl Living's property will take place as part of the second phase and is intended to commence in August 2020. The property is targeted to open in Q4 of 2021. The estimated cost of the property to Julius Meinl Living, taking into account the purchase cost and all other costs is expected to be approximately 26 million. For more information on the K-District, please see www.kdistrict.rs. In parallel with progressing negotiations in relation to already identified pipeline properties, Julius Meinl Living will continue to seek additional pipeline opportunities. In so doing, it will seek to minimize development risk, whilst focusing on the timely opening and ultimate potential of each property. Julius Meinl Living will also continue rapidly to progress work on the operating side of its business. Updates will be provided in due course on the design, branding and technology offer that are intended to make Julius Meinl Living properties "go to" destinations, and to make Julius Meinl Living the leading provider of serviced residences in Central Europe. ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: yG5tlsicY2aVnm5vlZiWbWiVZpxomGKZa2TKyZRwlsecmm5lnJdkZ8maZm9inm1m - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-61980-jmlfls-press-release-re-belgrade-030220.pdf This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. James Okwe Chibueze, Associate Professor, North-West University Here on Earth, we pay quite a lot of attention to the sun. It's visible to us, after all, and central to our lives. But it is only one of the billions of stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way. It's also quite small compared to other stars many are at least eight times more massive . These massive stars influence the structure, shape and chemical content of a galaxy. And when they have exhausted their hydrogen gas fuel and die, they do so in an explosive event called a supernova . This explosion is sometimes so strong that it triggers the formation of new stars out of materials in the dead star's surroundings. But there's an important gap in our knowledge: astronomers don't yet fully understand how those original massive stars themselves are initially formed. So far, observations have only yielded some pieces of the puzzle. This is because nearly all the known massive stars in our galaxy are located very far away from our solar system. They also form in close proximity to other massive stars, making it difficult to study the environment where they take shape. One theory, though, is that a rotating disc of gas and dust funnels materials into the growing star. Astronomers have recently found that the funnelling of matter into a forming star happens at different rates over time. Sometimes the forming star swallows up a huge amount of matter, resulting in a burst of activities in the massive star. This is called an accretion burst event. It is incredibly rare: only three such events have been observed, out of all the billions of massive stars in the Milky Way. This is why astronomers are so excited about a recent observation of the phenomenon. I was part of the team that recorded this observation. Now, our team and other astronomers will be able to develop and test theories to explain how high-mass stars gain their mass. A global collaboration After the first detection of an accretion burst , in 2016, astronomers from around the world agreed in 2017 to coordinate their efforts to observe more. Reported bursts have to be validated and followed up with more observations, and this takes a joint, global effort which led to the formation of the Maser Monitoring Organisation (M2O). A maser is the microwave (radio frequency) equivalent of laser. The word stands for "microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". Masers are observed using radio telescopes and most of them are observed at centimetre wavelength: they are very compact. A maser flare can be a sign of an extraordinary event such as the formation of a star. Since 2017 radio telescopes in Japan, Poland, Italy, China, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa ( HartRAO , in the country's Gauteng province) have been working together to detect a flare stimulated by a burst in the funnelling of materials into a massive star. In January 2019, astronomers at Ibaraki University in Japan noticed that one such massive protostar, G358-MM1, showed signs of new activity. The masers associated with the object brightened significantly over a short period of time. The theory is that masers brighten when excited by an accretion burst. Follow-up observations with the Australian Long Baseline Array revealed something astronomers are witnessing for the first time a blast of heat-wave coming from the source and travelling through the surroundings of the forming big star. Blasts can last for about two weeks to a few months. Burst of energy Blasts like this were not observed in the previous two accretion bursts in massive stars. This may imply that it's a different kind of accretion burst. There may even be a "zoo" of accretion burst types a whole range of different types which act in different ways that may depend on the mass and evolutionary stage of the young star. Although the burst activity has died down, the masers are still a lot brighter than they were before the burst. Astronomers are watching with interest to see whether a similar burst will occur again, and at what scale. This experience shows how valuable it is to have lots of eyes on the sky, from different corners of the globe. Collaboration is astronomy is crucial for new, important discoveries. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates and become part of the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Boston, Massachusetts, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HYCU, Inc., a pioneering enterprise software company specializing in data backup, recovery and monitoring for next-generation Enterprise Clouds, announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named HYCU as one of its 100 Coolest Cloud Companies of 2020. This annual list honors the premier cloud technology suppliers in five key categories: infrastructure, platforms and development, security, storage, and software. The CRN editorial team selects the 100 Coolest Cloud Computing Companies according to their originality and innovation in product development, the quality of their services and partner programs, and their success in helping their customers save money and maximize the impact of their cloud computing technology. In addition to honoring outstanding technology suppliers, the 100 Coolest Cloud Companies list also enables solution providers to identify the most advanced cloud technology players aiding them in selecting the companies that can best support their cloud service needs. HYCU, Inc. was founded with the belief there is a fundamentally different way in which companies need to handle their data protection and management in the emerging world of multi-cloud. With more than four clouds in use at most organizations worldwide, the need for solutions to backup, manage, protect and recover data has never been greater. With the introduction of HYCU Protege, HYCU has expanded its partner-focused offerings to include a single pane of glass solution to manage their entire multi-cloud data without having to give up the benefits of HYCUs purpose-built platform for on-premises and public clouds. "The IT channel relies on cloud services as the foundation for building modern, transformational solutions, said Bob Skelley, CEO, The Channel Company. CRNs annual list of 100 Coolest Cloud Companies seeks to honor the top cloud providers, whose mission and actions support innovation in cloud-based technologies. Our team congratulates these honorees and thanks them for their commitment to leading positive change in cloud technology." To be named one of the Coolest of the Cool by CRN once is an honor, but to be named again is exceptional, said Simon Taylor, CEO, HYCU, Inc. Its a testament to the work our team continues to do to help our partners and their customers deliver value in their multi-cloud data management infrastructure investments. Were excited at what 2020 will bring, and look forward to delivering solutions that increase our partners bottom line. The new 100 Coolest Cloud Companies list will be featured in the February 2020 issue of CRN and online at www.crn.com/cloud100. For information on HYCU and our global partner program, visit: https://www.hycu.com/partners/become-a-reseller/, follow @hycuinc and connect with us on LinkedIn. ### About HYCU HYCU makes it easy to thrive in a hyper-simple, multi-cloud world. The pioneering enterprise software company specializes in multi-cloud data backup, management, protection and recovery for on-premises and hyper-converged (HCI), Google Cloud and multi-cloud infrastructures. Headquartered in Boston, Mass., HYCU harnesses 25 years of sophisticated IT experience, insights from over one million users, and work with more than 25,000 customers, more than 10 ISVs and 350 employees to create a deep and unrivaled well of industry expertise. The result is unsurpassed alignment with industry leaders and a formidable competitive advantage in the multi-cloud space. HYCUs flagship products, a purpose-built backup and recovery solution for Nutanix, and a managed backup as a service for Google Cloud Platform, are acclaimed in the industry and features performance and value that are unmatched. About The Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook 2020 The Channel Company, LLC. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Attachment The Earth is Blue as an Orange claimed The Directing Award in the World Cinema Documentary section; it also features in the contest program of Berlinale 2020 Sundance Film Festival, a start of the awards season came to an end in the U.S. The list of winners is released on the website of the event. Ukrainian film about Donbas conflict The Earth is Blue as an Orange is among the laureates. Iryna Tsilyk's picture won The Directing Award in the World Cinema Documentary section. It also features in the contest program of Berlinale 2020. "The Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary was presented to: Iryna Tsilyk, for The Earth Is Blue as an Orange / Ukraine, Lithuania (Director: Iryna Tsilyk, Producers: Anna Kapustina, Giedre Zickyte) To cope with the daily trauma of living in a war zone, Anna and her children make a film together about their life among surreal surroundings", reads the report on the website. The Earth Is Blue As an Orange entered the contest program of the 70th Berlin IFF. The event is to be running from February 20 till March 1, 2020. This year, the Generation program includes 59 works in the contest; 29 world premieres and 11 debut films from 34 countries worldwide. The share of female film directors makes 58 percent. Life expectancy and health spending as a share of gross domestic product in the U.S. compared with the average of countries in the OECD, 1980-2018. Data: OECD.Stat / National Center for Health Statistics. Graphic: Harry Stevens / The Washington Post By Joel Achenbach 29 January 2020 (The Washington Post) The number of fatal drug overdoses declined for the first time in 28 years, and U.S. life expectancy at birth ticked upward for the first time since 2014, according to long-awaited numbers for 2018 published Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A decline in the death rate from cancer is the single largest driverof the small increase in life expectancy,the CDC reported. Five of the other nine leading causes of death also showed declines in death rates, including the top cause, heart disease, as well as unintentional injuries (which include overdoses), chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke and Alzheimers disease. Two more, diabetes and kidney disease, were essentially unchanged. Deaths from suicide and influenza and pneumonia increased. Despite the encouraging elements of the CDC mortality report, the broader pattern for American health remains sobering. Life expectancy improved by the tiniest of increments, from 78.6 to 78.7 years. That figure remains lower than the peak in U.S.life expectancy, at 78.9 years,in 2014. It is also identical to life expectancy in 2010, and it appears unlikely that U.S. longevity will show any significant improvement over the entire decade of the 2010s. The United States is continuing to fall behind similarly wealthy countries a phenomenon that experts refer to as the U.S. health disadvantage. Its good news that there was an increase in life expectancy. Thats what we want to see, but it doesnt really alter the long-term picture. We still have a very bleak situation at this point, said Steven H. Woolf, director emeritus of the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University. Woolf was the co-author of a report published in November in the JAMA, the American Medical Associations journal, that revealed a long-term increase in death rates in the United States for people in the prime of life from 25 to 44. That study was based on mortality data from 1959 to 2017, and showed that improvements in life expectancy and a lowering of death rates peaked in the 1970s, with more gradual increases after that. In 1998, the United States for the first time fell behind the average life expectancy in peer nations, Woolf said. [] Another new overview of American health, released early Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund, a health-care research organization based in New York, noted that the United States has a lower life expectancy than 10 peer nations Germany, Britain, Canada, Australia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland despite spending far more per capita on health care than any of them. The suicide rate, at 14 per 100,000 people, is twice that of Britain, the report said. [more] U.S. life expectancy ticks up as drug fatalities and cancer deaths drop Cases of salmonella food poisoning are a recurring phenomenon. Raw meat is a frequent source of infection. If the bread roll with pork tartare pictured here was contaminated with pathogens, eating it could lead to vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps. Credit: Fraunhofer IZI-BB Anyone can get salmonella poisoning, but babies, toddlers, the elderly and people with immunodeficiencies are particularly susceptible. For people with weakened immune systems, the gastrointestinal disease can lead to serious complications. So far it has taken several days to detect salmonella in food. A new rapid test being developed by Fraunhofer researchers will detect the germs in less than eight hours. Persistent diarrhea, vomiting, fever, stomach achethese are all symptoms of salmonella poisoning. When a person consumes infected animal-based food products such as eggs and egg-based products (e.g. mayonnaise), milk, poultry, seafood or raw meat, the bacteria get into their gastrointestinal system and trigger the typical symptoms. When it comes to detecting the presence of salmonella in animal products, traditional microbiological techniques can take up to four days. This is a major problem for food manufacturers, who cannot wait around this long for the results before shipping out their goods. This leads, time and again, to costly product recalls. Significantly faster detection methods are therefore required. Together with the German microbiology and food analysis laboratory SELEKTIS GmbH, a team of researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses IZI-BB in Potsdam is developing a rapid test that is capable of determining whether food is contaminated with salmonella in less than eight hours. The business promotion banks for the federal states of Brandenburg (Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg, ILB) and Berlin (Investitionsbank des Landes Berlin, IBB) are sponsoring the project with funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Enrichment process reduced to 4-6 hours The automated system for sample preparation and pathogen detection could look like this. Credit: Fraunhofer IZI-BB Until now enriching the bacteria has been very time-consuming. Enrichment involves cultivating and propagating microbes, which are available only in limited quantities, in a liquid culture medium overnight, so that there is a sufficiently high bacterial count for subsequent detection. This process lasts about 18 hours, with three further days needed for the selective enrichment and incubation of the salmonellae in additional liquid media, for the streaking of a bacterial culture on agar plates, and for the serological test. Now the project partners have managed to reduce the initial lengthy enrichment process from 18 hours to between four and six hours. This was achieved using an innovative technique to cultivate the salmonellae: "We did this by creating a rapid culture with growth conditions optimized for salmonellae. By means of an innovative, optimized enrichment method, we are able to increase the concentration of the bacteria to such an extent that we can detect them using molecular biological methods after only a few hours. To do this, the DNA of the salmonellae is amplified and automatically detected, something we achieve by extracting the DNA of the salmonellae and amplifying them by molecular biological means to such an extent that they can be detected after a further 30 minutes. For the rapid test, we design the molecules that specifically detect the DNA of the salmonellae," explains Dr. Harald Peter. What is crucial is to obtain as high a concentration as possible of salmonella DNA in a short timeframe for the sensitive detection. The researchers can use fluorescent dyes to label the replicated DNA and detect it using capture molecules. Automated system planned for sample preparation and pathogen detection Although molecular biological detection techniques are already used in laboratories, they are rarely employed in fully automated processesand up to now not in food diagnostics. For their project, Dr. Peter and his team plan to develop a system that automatically performs all procedures that are done manually, such as cultivation, enrichment, molecular biological replication and detection. In the future, all the components required will be integrated in a compact device40 x 40 centimeters in size. Using some special molecular biological techniques, the researchers at Fraunhofer IZI-BB can skip certain DNA purification steps, for example, thus significantly simplifying and speeding up the process. The German Food Hygiene Act (Lebensmittelhygiene-Verordnung) stipulates that a sample of 25 grams of meat must not contain a single salmonella bacterium. Consequently, the new rapid test has to be capable of detecting a single bacterium within six to eight hoursthat is, within an average working day. A further task is to distinguish the salmonellae from other microorganisms," says Dr. Peter, outlining the challenge. A big advantage is that the test can also be applied to other food pathogens. To do this, the capture molecules merely need to be adapted to other organisms using a computer and gene databases. Explore further Chemiluminescence probes for the rapid and sensitive detection of salmonella and listeria A Japanese warship has reportedly left for the Middle East in order to safeguard its oil tankers that may be subject to problems due to tensions between the United States and Iran. According to reports, the warship is called Takanami and departed from the major Japanese naval base located in Yokosuka with more than 100 crew members on board. In addition to this, it is said that the primary objective of the warship is to gather intelligence reports in the Gulf of Oman and ocean waters in close proximity to it. 'The oil tankers are the lifeline of Japanese people' According to reports, Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe stated that the waters where the country's oil tankers are located are something that supports the lives of numerous Japanese people. Shinzo Abe said the marine route is frequented by a lot of Japanese ships every year, adding that these ships carry 90 per cent of Japan's oil supply. According to reports, Japan's decision of sending its warship to areas of military tension between the United States and Iran will be highly sensitive for the country. It is because of its World Ward II constitution which restricts the country's military using force to only self-defence. Although, Abe expanded the role of the Japanese Military since he became Prime Minister in the year 2012. Read: Japan: Panel Advises Government To Release Contaminated Fukushima Water Into Sea Read: Japan Panel: Fukushima Water Release To Sea Is Best Option Japan faces criticism over plan to protect its commercial ships The Japanese government may ask its troops to provide protection to their commercial ships in any event that poses a threat to them. However, the plan by the Shinzo Abe-led government has faced a lot of criticism from a few groups. According to reports, a warship and almost 200 troops will join the country's P-3C aircraft that were in the same area from a base located in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. Even though Japan is an ally of the United States, Japanese soldiers are not a part of the US headed coalition that protects the Middle East marine routes as reports suggest that Japan wants to maintain a neutral stance in the matter between the US and Iran. According to reports, Japan, which also has friendly relations with Iran, wants to serve as a mediator between both the countries in order to restore a sense of regional stability. Read: UNMISSABLE: Japan Sumo Tournament Witnesses Underdog Winner & Many Tears; Crowd Shocked Read: Japan Asks Citizens To Avoid Non-essential Travel To China Amid Coronavirus Threat Siliguri (West Bengal) [India], Feb 3 (ANI): Amid the increasing coronavirus threat, the West Bengal state health department has started screening people entering into India through all the major entry/exit points along the Indo-Nepal border in Darjeeling district. Notice boards have been put up asking travellers who had recently visited Wuhan in China to report to the airport authorities, Bagdogra Airport Director Subramani P said. According to Darjeeling Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Pralay Acharya, the health department would "immediately" start surveillance at the three points to check people crossing the borders, while display boards would also be put up at those places. "We have an isolation ward at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH). Necessary arrangements have been made to have the infrastructure ready there. We are monitoring the situation," Dr Acharya said. Joshna Mandal, a healthcare worker posted at Panitanki Indo-Nepal border said that authorities are alerting the people coming in from Nepal about the coronavirus threat and its symptoms. "We are trying to make people aware who are basically coming from Nepal regarding the symptoms of coronavirus besides collecting the data of the travellers," Mandal said.The death toll from the newly-identified strain of the virus in China has gone up to 360, even at least 102 deaths were announced in Wuhan in Hubei province where the outbreak first began. In India, three cases have been confirmed of coronavirus infection, all in Kerala, who are being treated in isolation wards at different hospitals. The patients had a history of travelling to China. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ukraine and Turkey have signed an agreement on military and financial cooperation and a range of other bilateral documents. Following a meeting of Ukraine-Turkey High-Level Strategic Council, the sides signed an agreement on military and financial cooperation, a protocol of the implementation of financial aid and an agreement on mutual recognition of driving licenses, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported. The officials of Ukraine and Turkey also signed a memorandum of mutual understanding between the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of the Interior Ministry of Turkey for cooperation in the sphere of prevention of disasters and liquidation of their aftermath. In addition, the sides signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the talks on a free trade area between the Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Ministry of Ukraine and the Trade Ministry of Turkey. The heads of the countries' archival agencies also signed a cooperation agreement. DES MOINES, Iowa It was a fitting coda to a star-crossed campaign the scrapping late Saturday of the most highly-anticipated poll of Iowa caucus season. All last week, the Democratic presidential contest had been fixed in a state of suspended animation. Campaign strategists and reporters encamped at the Des Moines Marriott and around the white tablecloths at 801 Chophouse. Caucus tourists descended on Raygun for T-shirts and local parties prepared for an orderly caucus. Yet with three of the top five candidates Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar trapped in Washington for President Donald Trumps impeachment trial for most of last week, the run-up to the caucuses had already lost much of its punch. The stunning, last-minute cancellation of the Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom poll and its accompanying, hour-long CNN special deprived the political class of the 11th hour marker it was relying on to frame the final days of a campaign that is running unusually close. Absolutely shocking, said Sean Bagniewski, chairman of the Polk County Democrats. And it wasnt just the vanished poll he was talking about. The entire run-up to the caucuses has been almost dumbfoundingly strange. There was the campaigns comically large field, the surprising durability of Joe Biden and Sanders and the dizzying fall of several stars (Beto ORourke was still on Twitter on Saturday, talking about guns: Wake the fuck up America!). The hope surrounding the candidacies of several candidates of color faded into frustration. The late entrance of Michael Bloomberg and his bombardment of Super Tuesday states with television ads threatens to render the verdict of Iowa and the early voting states moot. Meanwhile, the partys 2016 nominee, Hillary Clinton, is on the sidelines, lobbing criticism at Sanders, a 2020 frontrunner. Iowans cheer Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Debate rules changed. Caucus rules changed. Even the one thing everyone believed they could count on John Delaney running and being overlooked went away when the former Maryland congressman on Friday ended the campaign he began in 2017, running for more than two years only to exit three days short of the caucus. It has been unseasonably warm in Des Moines. Story continues Some of this wouldnt be believable if it were in a movie, Bagniewski said. Impeachment taking senators away, debate rules changing, candidates dropping out, the gold standard poll breaking down at the last minute. All on top of the standard conspiracy mongering. He added, Were flying blind and no one really knows what to expect. Whether it is over by Super Tuesday or not until the Democratic National Convention in July, the 2020 primary will be remembered as one of the most disjointed exercises in presidential politics. Its totally weird, said Pete Giangreco, a senior adviser to Klobuchars campaign. The cancellation of the Registers poll, due to an apparent surveying mishap, was particularly cruel because of how acutely concerns about electability have shaped the campaign. The pollster, J. Ann Selzer, is a legend in Iowa. In a normal year, the poll can drive a candidates momentum in the final days of the race. But it was expected to factor especially large this year, when many caucus-goers remain undecided and are still searching for cues about which candidate might perform best in a general election against Trump. I dont know that I am surprised that something got screwed up, Laura Peters, a city planner, said as she left a Klobuchar rally shortly after news the poll would not be released. Im surprised a Selzer poll got screwed up. The result is that the candidates will make their closing arguments about electability without the benefit of Selzers late measurement. Or, because this is Iowa in 2020, the final hours before the caucuses will devolve into something other than the somber warnings about Trump and the messages that the candidates are laboring to deliver. On Saturday, a prankster in North Liberty asked Biden for advice winning back a woman who had left him. The reaction to the bad jokes, to the polls cancellation, to the size of the field and to everything else has been to grumble. And worry. After watching the impeachment trial, said Chris Adcock, chairwoman of Democratic Party in Page County in southwest Iowa, We know what were up against. Its really heavy, really heavy, she said. Oh, my God. It just sucks. Driving home from a gathering of Democrats late Saturday night, Adcock praised Selzer for pulling the poll which was apparently marred by an interviewer error but predicted Republicans would spin it to cast the caucus as illegitimate and untrustworthy. On Sunday, armies of campaign workers prepared to canvas neighborhoods across the state. But this, too, will not occur without external forces interfering. The Super Bowl is playing on the final full day of campaigning before the caucuses, and the Kansas City Chiefs have a substantial following here. Speaking to a large crowd inside a junior high school gymnasium in Des Moines on Saturday night, Klobuchar appealed to her supporters to volunteer in those precious two days we have left and make calls maybe not during the Super Bowl, but make calls. And in the sweltering room, she delivered a line about the stakes of the election that, in some other contexts, could seem entirely out of Democrats control. My profound advice is this, she said. Wed better not screw this up. Several of the directors, including Parasite director Bong Joon-ho, emerged from the period of 1980s civic turmoil that ended the military dictatorship. They were all members of the university cine-clubs that showed films banned under censorship laws, on campuses boiling over with pro-democracy fervour. Hence the taste for exploring off-limits parts of the national psyche. Also, well, its structural: South Korean used to require its movie theatres to show homegrown cinema for 147 days per year. The Guardian (UK) The last time Samira Imin had contact with her father was April of 2017. It was her fathers birthday. The two exchanged pictures and messages on the Chinese social messaging service WeChat. Weeks later, her father disappeared. He became one of over a million ethnic Uyghurs to be detained in so-called re-education camps in far western China. Today, the 27-year-old Imin is using social media to bring attention to her fathers case -- and the situation of others like him. The Uyghurs The Uyghurs are a Turkic ethnic group. Most Uyghurs are Muslim. The language they speak is related to Turkish and other Central Asian languages. About 12 million Uyghurs live in Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Since early 2017, rights groups and other experts estimate that over 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been detained in camps across the area. Chinas government has said Xinjiang faces a threat from Islamist militants and separatists. Officials have said they are seeking to end extremism and violence in the area through education. Former camp detainees have said they were forced to reject their way of life, religion and native language. They also describe abusive treatment and extremely poor conditions inside the camps. Samira Imins father, Iminjan Seydin, was a full-time professor of Chinese history at the Xinjiang Islamic Institute before his disappearance. The 54-year-old lived in Xinjiangs capital, Urumqi, with his family. Imin describes her father as a very liberal and advanced thinker. He is not someone who should be a target for re-education, she added. After more than two years in one of the camps, Imins father was sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of inciting extremism. He was punished for having published an Arabic language learning book back in 2014. Imin says her father received government permission before the books publication. Losing Contact The same year that her fathers book was published, Imin came to the United States. She studied biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. During most of her time as a student in the U.S., she kept in touch with her family mostly through WeChat. That became much more difficult, however, after 2017. Imin completed her studies in 2018. She told VOA she was heartbroken not to have her family there in Massachusetts to celebrate the event with her. By then, the Chinese government had taken away her parents passports, as it had done for thousands of other Uyghurs. After graduation, Imin began working as a medical professional at the teaching hospital of Harvard University. Life in Xinjiang Growing up in Urumqi, Imin was educated in the Chinese language. When she was young, Uyghur parents could choose whether to send their children to majority-Chinese or majority-Uyghur classrooms. Sending me to Chinese school instead of Uyghur...was my parents choice in the hope of making me well-rounded person in a society where Chinese population (was growing) exponentially, Imin told VOA. After Imin began attending college in eastern China, her father urged her to study medicine in the United States. Disappearance Iminjan Seydin spent his birthday in April 2017 doing required work in a rural part of Xinjiang. He was expected to return to his home and permanent workplace in Urumqi that summer. But in May, Chinese officials detained him. His detention came as part of an operation against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. Imin asked her family for answers. They just said, the rural work program had been extended for another three years. At first, she believed family members. She trusted them, and she trusted her country. I kept believing, she said, and then I was busy with my school. Months passed, and there was still no news from her father. She was no longer able to safely ask her mother or younger brother about her father because of security concerns. The Chinese government closely controls all internet use in Xinjiang. Uyghurs who have not been put in one of the camps still face government extreme surveillance. They have little contact with the outside world. Social media activism Internationally, Uyghur activists have been successful at using social media to speak up for their people. A series of videos on TikTok by an American teenager went viral last November. They condemned Chinas policy against the Uighurs. The videos, which were created to look like makeup lessons, have been played millions of times. TikTok, a Chinese-owned social network, temporarily blocked the teenagers account. Her account was later restored. Late last year, Samira Imin heard from a friend living in Beijing that her father had received a 15-year prison sentence. Since then, Imin has joined hundreds of other Uyghur activists in being outspoken online about their peoples situation in China. She talks with members of the media in hopes of pressuring Chinese officials to release her father. She said, I wasn't too active until I found out specifically about my father's case. Now, she says, I'm active on social media to ask for freedom and justice for my father. Im Jonathan Evans. And I'm Ashley Thompson. Asim Kashgarian reported this story for VOA News. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English, with additional materials. George Grow was the editor. ___________________________________________________________ Words in This Story graduation - n. the act of receiving a diploma or degree from a school, college, or university : the act of graduating surveillance - n.the act of carefully watching someone or something especially in order to prevent or detect a crime teenager - n. someone who is between 13 and 19 years old lesson - n. an activity that you do in order to learn something restore - v. to give back (someone or something that was lost or taken) : to return (someone or something) A performative art piece at the India Art Fair was interrupted after police arrived at the venue following a complaint that some paintings against CAA were being exhibited New Delhi: A performative art piece on the strength of Indian women at the India Art Fair was interrupted on Sunday after police arrived at the venue following a complaint that some paintings against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) were being exhibited. "We received a PCR call that some paintings depicting the CAA were being exhibited at the fair. A police team was sent to check it, but no such painting was exhibited, a senior police official said. Curated by artist Myna Mukherjee, the art at the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre booth featured paintings as well as songs including Faiz Ahmad Faiz's Hum Dekhenge, and poetry recitations talking about the love, beauty, tenderness and the strength of women across the country, Gargi Chandola, a participating artist told PTI. The artwork was not about any one particular protest or issue. It is about women of India. We had together created a space to celebrate women. It was purely in solidarity and celebration of the resilience and strength of the women in India. This was in no way political. We don't know what the problem was. The audience was very receptive. But, someone complained, Chandola said. Another participating artist Indranil Roy said the incident was very unfortunate, and alleged that the fair's organisers behaved unprofessionally. The India Art Fair management behaved very unprofessionally and made the matter out of proportion. Police did apologise for the misunderstanding and fair's management came charging on us without even trusting the artists works or the curator. That's very unfortunate. Without even knowing anything or the Urdu language which no one could read, everything was stopped, he said. The fair's organisers said that while they embrace the freedom of expression, ensuring safety and security of their visitors was paramount. They said exhibitors were expected to share "details of the all activities to take place at their booths during the course of the four day art event, which was not done for the performance in question. We were informed about an incident that occurred at the booth of the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre where a performance was ongoing. Our contract with the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, consistent with others, required them to share with us the details of all activities which were to take place at their booth over the course of four days of India Art Fair. We were not informed about the activities at the booth. In fact, post the incident, the fair director spoke with the Italian Ambassador in New Delhi who confirmed that they too had not informed of the activities taking place in their booth, the fair organisers said in a statement. They said they found out about the commotion only after the police arrived and then followed it up with the Italian Embassy Culture Centre. "The organisers of the India Art Fair only became aware of the activities when the police arrived. They informed us that they had received a complaint. In fact, post the incident, the fair's director spoke with the Italian Ambassador in New Delhi who confirmed that they too had not been informed of the activities taking place in their booth. "India Art Fair embraces freedom of expression and believes individuals have the right to express their opinions in their own way. Artists are conscience keepers of a society and we place their voice at the centre of our programme. This was demonstrated through the strong line-up of artists, art and programming throughout the Fair. As event organisers, ensuring the safety and security of all our visitors is paramount. Each year, the fair hosts a large number of visitors, including young children and the elderly, many of whom were onsite when the incident took place, they said. The coronavirus outbreak in China is already impacting demand for fuel as airlines are canceling thousands of flights to China and Chinese authorities are discouraging travel by air or road in and out of the most-affected regions and have imposed a lockdown on the 11-million-resident city where the virus was first detected. Demand for jet fuel, gasoline, and diesel is likely to be suppressed in the coming weeks, potentially prompting Chinese and other Asian refiners to cut refinery rates, analysts say. The slowdown in Chinas fuel consumption is also aggravated by an extended period of public holidays for office workers and multinational corporationsincluding Google, Apple, McDonalds, and IKEA, to name a fewsuspending operations or shutting down offices, stores, and restaurants. The weaker fuel demand in China is spilling over onto weakening refining margins for processing crude oil into jet fuel, gasoline, and diesel. Therefore, refiners in Chinaand elsewhere in Asiaare likely to slow down refinery run rates amid depressed demand and an oversupply of fuels, sources who trade, supply, or refine crude oil across Asia told Bloomberg. If refineries cut throughputs, a secondary victim of the virus outbreak could be crude oil demand in the worlds key oil demand growth driver, Asia. Fears of weaker demand have weighed on refinery margins, and continued weakness could see some refineries cut run-rates in China. If we were to see this, it would likely be the independent refiners who are first to cut, given their focus on the domestic market, ING strategists said on Friday. Related: Jim Cramer: Fossil Fuels Are Done China has significantly boosted its fuel export quotas for 2020, but those quotas were handed only to large state-owned enterprises, not to small independent refiners. The first hit comes to demand for refined products in China and across Asia, but a protracted health crisis with more travel restrictions could have a sizeable impact on Chinas economic growth, which has already been weakening due to the U.S.-China trade war. Weaker growth could spill over to the crude oil demand growth of Chinathe worlds largest crude oil importer and the main engine of oil demand growth in recent years. It may not be an exaggeration to say that when Chinas oil demand sneezes, the global oil market catches a cold. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that the outbreak is now a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, but stopped short of advising travel or trade restrictions. The Committee does not recommend any travel or trade restriction based on the current information available, the WHO Emergency Committee said on Thursday, prompting a mini relief rally in oil prices early on Friday. Yet, overall sentiment in the oil market was decisively bearish for a second consecutive week, despite a massive loss of crude oil supply from Libya. Analysts are still struggling to quantify the impact of the virus outbreak on the Chinese economy and on oil and fuel demand, and the unknowns are unlikely to clear up over the next few weeks. According to S&P Global Platts Analytics, oil demand could drop by 200,000 bpd over the next two to three months. This demand erosion would represent around 15 percent of the expected oil demand growth this year. But if the coronavirus turns out to be as deadly as the Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was in 2003, then crude oil demand loss could be in the region of 700,000-800,000 bpdmore than 50 percent of the oil demand growth estimate for this year, S&P Global Platts Analytics says. Related: Is Egypts Energy Hub Dream Falling Apart? As per IHS Markit estimates, the potential maximum economic impact of the coronavirus on Chinas economybased on a benchmark using the SARS economic impact in 2003could be a 1.1-percentage-point reduction in Chinese economic growth from the baseline IHS Markit forecast of 5.8 percent growth this year. Mainland Chinas impact on the world economy is also much larger now than during the SARS outbreak, meaning the slowdown in Chinese growth may be a significant drag on global growth, IHS Markit said this week. Until clearer indications of the virus impact on oil demand emerge, the market will continue to be weighed down by fears of sizeable demand destruction. This thing still in the process of rearing its ugly head and thats why oil is taking this so hard because this could really turn into an acute drop in demand at least for a time, John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC, told Reuters this week. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: We have nothing. We dont have that kind of money they are asking for. Those were the words of one of the nephews of couple Narine Maraj, 62, and Mattie Maraj, 52, who were kidnapped on Saturday evening after leaving their Madras, St Helena, home to tend to their animals at a family-owned farm in Piarco. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas appeared to hint on Monday that security ties with the United States and Israel were still intact, despite earlier announcing their severance in response to President Donald Trump's peace plan. On Saturday, Abbas had said he was cutting security ties with Israel and the US over the initiative, which was released last week and has been angrily rejected by Palestinians. A cut in security ties could jeopardise the relative calm in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. But on Monday, Abbas appeared to step back from that statement, implying he had not yet severed ties but still could. "If the Americans continue with this project, the boycott is there (as an option), a full boycott," he told a cabinet meeting. Israeli-Palestinian security coordination ranges from information sharing about militant cells in the West Bank to coordination between police forces. Palestinian forces have also received training from the United States and other Western countries. Abbas cut political relations with the Trump administration in December 2017 after the US controversially recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "There is one channel left and this channel should be cut off," Abbas added, seemingly referring to security coordination. He pledged that his government would continue to provide Palestinians with key services, including health and education. Abbas has made threats to cut security ties with Israel multiple times, without following through. Trump's plan proposes granting Israel full sovereignty over Jerusalem and large sections of the West Bank, which the Jewish state has occupied since 1967. In exchange, the Palestinians would rule the remaining parts of the West Bank, as well as the Gaza Strip. The plan, seen as overwhelmingly supportive of Israeli goals, has triggered protests in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as well as in other parts of the region. The Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, a pan-Islamic body that represents more than 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide, rejected the plan Monday, while the Arab League did the same at a meeting in Cairo over the weekend. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NAPLES, Fla., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The independent authority on Search vendors, topseos.com, has named their list of the one hundred best search engine optimization companies for the month of February 2020. The rankings highlight leading and top contending search engine optimization companies that assist businesses in the United States with improving their placement in search results. While there are thousands of competing SEO companies, the rankings highlight commendable and top performing SEO companies based on proprietary research. The rankings of the best SEO companies include: 1) DMA | Digital Marketing Agency 2) HigherVisibility 3) Spiralytics Agency 4) marketingagency.io 5) WebMarketingAgency.com 6) Boostability 7) Chile Media, LLC 8) OMG National 9) High Level Marketing LLC 10) City Ranked Media, Inc. Each of the companies featured in the produced rankings are placed through a meticulous evaluation process to determine which offer consistently exceptional SEO solutions. The evaluation process involves the use of five areas of evaluation for the purpose of benchmarking and comparing the different Search providers. The five areas of evaluation include on page optimization, off page optimization, needs analysis, keyword analysis, and reporting methods. Each month adjustments are made to the rankings based on the latest research conducted by the independent research team and to take into consideration new developments with leading and top contending SEO firms. To view the rankings of the best SEO companies visit: https://www.topseos.com/rankings-of-best-seo-companies About topseos.com topseos.com is an online provider of independent reviews and ratings. The ratings of the best search engine marketing companies are released monthly to assist businesses in connecting with search engine optimization companies which feature a history of effective solutions. Thousands of search engine marketing companies are put to the test while only the absolute best companies are highlighted in the ratings. This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com. SOURCE topseos.com Related Links https://www.topseos.com Workers in real estate, retail and finance are the most likely to receive a significant payrise in 2020, a study found. Australian employers in the three industries were the most likely to give workers a pay rise of more than ten per cent, according to human resources company Adecco Group. The survey looked at more than 3,000 employees and employers in Adecco's Australian candidate pool and found two thirds of all workers would ask for a pay rise, the Australian Financial Review reported. Australia's retail market has taken a dire turn as more than 170 stores are tipped to close this year but surprisingly employers said they were still hopeful of handing out pay rises. Workers in real estate, retail and finance are the most likely to receive a significant payrise in 2020 (stock image) Household names like Harris Scarfe, Bardot, Roger David, and Napoleon Perdis dropped like flies in the past year with dozens of stores closing resulting in heavy job losses. Experts claim that the could be the tip of the iceberg as consumers continue to turn more to online shopping over bricks and mortar stores. Employers willing to give workers a pay rise of more than ten per cent: Real estate Finance Construction and Trade Education Source: Adecco Group Australia Advertisement The Adecco Group's findings showed just 11 percent of retail employers said they would give retail workers a pay rise of more than 10 per cent, while the majority (89 per cent) would give raises of less than 10 per cent, if any raise at all. Last year only 57 per cent of workers felt confident to ask their boss for more money. But the survey also found only 37 per cent of employers were willing to give workers a pay rise of more than three per cent. Of those employers, the top three industries likely to see a pay rise of more than three per cent were healthcare, business services and real estate. But workers aren't as hopeful for a raise, with the number of employees expecting a pay bump dropping from 94 per cent last year to 77 per cent this year. Employees also aren't as optimistic about getting a big raise, with only half of those surveyed expecting more a than three per cent raise this year. Adecco Group Australia chief executive Rafael Moyano said low wage growth has become the new normal. Mr Moyano said Australians have not seen healthy wage growth year-by-year in a while. 'Wage growth has been stuck in low gear for the last half-decade, so it's unsurprising that more Australians are starting to feel like they need to proactively ask for that salary increase they believe their skills and experience are worth,' he said. Workers in the IT industry have the most confidence to ask their employers for a raise, followed by those in manufacturing, business services, real estate and mining. Ecommerce employees are the happiest with their current wage, followed by government workers and public servants. Despite the positive figures in regards to employers willing to give a raise, Mr Moyano said the low wage growth will not improve this year. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Although Budget 2020 has not be able to meet market expectations, but it is positive for some sectors of the market, especially sectors that are related to consumption, agriculture, cement, roads, highways and IT. Market participants were hoping for some stimulus support from the government to boost growth in Asias third-largest economy, which is likely to grow at 5 percent in FY20, its slowest pace in 11 years. The Union Budget has fallen short of expectations in terms of a fiscal stimulus to boost domestic consumer demand, no revision has been done for long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax and lastly, the government seems to have increased the tax burden on the rich (including non-resident Indians operating out of tax havens), suggest experts. Abolition of DDT or Dividend Distribution Tax is a positive move for large companies but it would still get taxed in the hands of recipients. Abolishing of dividend distribution tax (DDT) and taxing it in the hands of the recipient will result in higher tax outgo for many retail investors, Gaurav Dua, Sr VP, Head Capital Market & Investments, Sharekhan by BNP Paribas told Moneycontrol. Currently, the effective DDT rate stands at 20.35% (including surcharge and cess) this will substantially increase the tax outgo for retail investors in higher tax slab of 20% (and more) and accordingly taken negatively by the equity markets, he said. Dua further added that even the holding companies could be adversely impacted on the tax outgo for the dividends received from their subsidiaries or investee companies. Sectors that are likely to benefit the most from the Budget 2020 are electric manufacturing companies, footwear companies, companies operating in natural gas, water pumps, transport infrastructure, IT companies, Agri-related companies, companies under data science, analytics, and related fields. We have collated a list of stocks from various experts that are likely to benefit the most from the Budget 2020: Relaxo, Bata India, Bajaj Electricals, Whirlpool of India, Symphony, Blue Star: Due to the hike in customs duties on small appliances, footwear, food processing, fan and other items, domestic companies which will get a competitive edge. Apollo Hospital, Biocon, Ajanta Pharma, Dr Lal PathLab: The government provided Rs. 69,000 crore for the healthcare sector for FY2021 (including the Rs. 6,400 crores for Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana). The Budget also proposed to set up a Viability Gap funding window for setting up hospitals in the PPP mode. In the first phase, those Aspirational Districts will be covered, where presently there are no Ayushman Bharat empanelled hospitals. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd, GMR Infrastructure Ltd, Larsen & Toubro: National Infrastructure Pipeline receives Rs. 22,000 crore equity support for infrastructure financing. The outlay for MoRTH (Ministry of Road Transport & Highways) up by 10.6% at Rs. 91,823 crore; Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana outlay for FY2021 stands at Rs. 19,500 crore, up by 38.6% as against FY20RE. Accelerated development of highways including 2,500 km of access control highways, 9,000 km of economic corridors, 2,000 km of coastal and land port roads and 2,000 km of strategic highways. Work on the ChennaiBengaluru Expressway would also be started soon. Monetisation of twelve lots of highway bundles of over 6,000 km before 2024. Ratnamani Metals & Tubes: The Budget allocated Rs 22,000 crore for National Infrastructure Pipeline and provided 100% tax exemption on sovereign wealth funds' infrastructure investments. Dixon Technologies and Amber Enterprise: To provide incentive scheme to boost domestic electronic manufacturing and increased import duty on printed circuit boards (PCB) of mobile phones to 20 percent from 10 percent. ABB India, Siemens: Replacement of existing conventional electricity meters with prepaid smart ones in the next three years. Kaveri seeds, Insecticides (India), PI Industries, Aarti Industries The Budget allocated Rs. 2,83,000 crore for farm, irrigation and rural development and agri-credit target for FY21 set at Rs. 15 lakh crore. Also, to expand integrated farming systems in rain-fed areas are some of the provisions which could help the chemical and Fertiliser sector. TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Persistent Systems: IT sectors is known for giving rich dividends to its shareholders. TCS, Infosys Wipro, and Tech Mahindra usually return the hefty amount to the shareholders through a buyback and/or dividend. For instance, TCS has paid around Rs. 4200 crore as dividend distribution tax YTD in FY20E. With the abolition of DDT, this amount could also be paid to investors. This would be a benefit to cash-rich Midcap companies like Persistent Systems, Mphasis, etc. might choose to pay a higher dividend. It is also positive for large companies like Colgate Palmolive India, ITC, HUL, GSK Consumers and Nestle India. UltraTech, The Ramco Cements, JK Lakshmi Cement: Higher allocation to MoRTH (up by 10.6%), Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (up 8.6%), Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (up 38.6%) vis-a-vis FY20RE. Incentives for affordable housing continue with an extension of one year on the additional tax exemption of Rs. 1.5 lakh for individuals and tax holidays for developers. Affle India & Info Edge: Allocation for digital India: Rs. 6,000 crore to be allocated for the BharatNet programme in FY2021 to further enhance broadband connectivity in rural areas. The government announced to bring out a policy to enable the private sector to build data centre parks throughout the country. This step would increase the penetration of smartphones/ internet in smaller towns and rural areas. As one lakh gram panchayats will be connected to the optical fibre programme, it would help the internet and new media companies like Affle India and Info Edge to penetrate into rural and semi-urban markets. TCI Express, Mahindra Logistics, Container Corporation, Gateway Distriparks: National Logistics Policy to be released soon, clarifying the roles of the Central Government, State Government and key regulators. Single window e-logistics market to be set up. Railway Capital Outlay remained at an elevated level at Rs. 1.6 lakh crore with a focus on new lines construction (up 52.3% as against FY20RE) will benefit Container Corp, and Gateway Distriparks. Brokerage Firm: Reliance Securities: BoB, Canara Bank, PNB, Indian Bank: The Budget encouraged PSBs to raise funds via capital markets and build a system to check the health of scheduled commercial banks. I-T losses post-merger will be available for off-set for PSBs. ONGC & Oil India: A 6 percent rise in budgetary support for fuel subsidy in FY21 vs. FY20. No subsidy case for ONGC and OIL in FY20 - Budgetary support for cooking fuel (LPG/Kerosene) in the form of subsidy has increased by Rs23.4bn for FY21, while total subsidy for FY20 is upward revised to Rs385.7bn. Based on our calculations, FY21 cooking fuel subsidy is budgeted at crude price > US$68/bbl. It is unlikely that the crude prices will average at US$68/bbl in FY21, said the Reliance Securities report. It indicates that the government continues with reform agenda with no subsidy burden for ONGC, OIL and OMCs, it said. The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. " " Steel columns with the names of victims of lynchings fill a pavilion at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Equal Justice Initiative/Human Pictures It's the columns that get you, endless rust-colored steel columns hanging from a ceiling. Each represents a county in the U.S. where someone (or several someones) was lynched. The Wilcox County, Alabama, column shows four people lynched between 1893 and 1904. The Avery County, North Carolina, column shows one. Counties from all over the South are represented, as well as a few in the West and Midwest. It's all part of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, founded by the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). The organization represents indigent prisoners and defendants throughout the state of Alabama, many of whom are, or were, on death row. The EJI's executive director and founder is Bryan Stevenson, whose bestselling memoir "Just Mercy" was recently made into a movie. Stevenson led the creation of the memorial and its sister site, the Legacy Museum. Advertisement The stereotype of lynching is a group of white men stringing up a black man from a tree. In truth, people were also shot, forced to jump off bridges or dragged behind cars. Sometimes thousands watched the murder in a carnival atmosphere. Postcards of lynchings were sold to spectators and body parts of the victims were even sometimes distributed as souvenirs. The EJI documented more than 4,400 lynchings between 1877 and 1950, 800 more than had been previously believed. (Lynchings declined in the U.S. with the end of legal segregation and the rise of the civil rights movement.) Most victims were African American men but women, poor whites, Hispanics and Asians were sometimes lynched as well. While lynching had been practiced during slavery, it really got going during the Reconstruction era, after the abolition of slavery when African Americans started to make modest gains politically and economically. Lynchings were used to intimidate blacks and prevent them from asserting their rights. " " One of the plaques at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice showing the "crime" a man was lynched for. Kathryn Whitbourne And what "crimes" were the people who were lynched guilty of? The memorial lists several on a wall, each with its own plaque. "General Lee was lynched in Reevesville, South Carolina, in 1904 for knocking on a white woman's front door," reads one. "Anthony Crawford was lynched in Abbeville, South Carolina, in 1916 for rejecting a white merchant's bid for cottonseed," says another. Gabrielle Daniels, a program manager at the EJI, told an audience at the memorial last month that the idea for the museum developed out of reports the institute put out on slavery in 2013 and lynching in 2015. The memorial and museum were a chance to make those reports tangible. "We found that communities didn't have a strong understanding of that history of terror and what that meant, to have a tool of racial terror to enforce segregation and economic exploitation," she said. "And what we wanted to do was think about how does a lack of public memory around over 4,400 victims of racial terror and lynching what does that mean for us? What more have we lost other than just remembering someone's name? Have we lost a very important part of our context to piece together why we still need healing today?" Another way to heal? Collecting soil. Inside the memorial are hundreds of jars of soils from the sites of these lynchings that were collected by victims' families or community volunteers. In the park surrounding the memorial are duplicates of the steel columns waiting to be sent to the counties where the lynchings were carried out for community remembrance projects, provided the requesters have shown efforts to build community and address inequities. The Legacy Museum Just a mile away from the memorial is the Legacy Museum, also operated by the EJI. The museum attempts to draw a line connecting slavery, lynchings, segregation and today's mass incarceration of African Americans. Housed near the grounds of an old slave market (Montgomery was a big hub for the domestic slave trade), the museum uses first person accounts to talk about these issues, whether through re-enactments, letters, period posters and ads or videos. One of the most touching displays is a collection of newspaper advertisements placed by former slaves after Emancipation looking for relatives who had been sold away from them. A note mentions that most enslaved people never saw their loved ones again after they were sold. " " The exterior of the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, which attempts to connect slavery, lynchings, segregation and mass incarceration. The museum and the memorial both opened in 2018. Equal Justice Initiative/Human Pictures In the section devoted to mass incarceration are videos and letters from prisoners or former prisoners. "The first night I was here, I was jumped by four men," reads one letter to the EJI on display. "I was beaten and gang-raped several times during the night... I told the deputy and asked for a doctor. He just looked and me and said no, you don't need a doctor, you're getting just what you deserve." The museum prominently displays a quote from John Ehrlichman, domestic policy chief to President Nixon, who told a writer that the war on drugs was really just a political ploy to attack blacks and hippies, both of whom Nixon considered his enemies. "We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities ... Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did." "Sometimes you hear people say, 'Why do we still need to be talking about slavery? That happened a long time ago,'" said Daniels. "But you have inherited a history, a legacy, [and] a responsibility to consider what that legacy means today." Now That's Interesting Planning a visit? The Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice are both located in downtown Montgomery, Alabama. A combination ticket costs $10 for adults and $7 for students. You can see both museums in one day but you may want to pace yourself with an overnight visit. The museum and memorial are open daily except Tuesdays and major holidays. BOSTON, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BitSight , the Standard in Security Ratings, today announced that the company closed its fiscal year ending January 31st with more than 2,100 customers worldwide, demonstrating that the company's solutions for Security Performance Management, Third Party Risk Management, Critical National Infrastructure, and Cyber Insurance are helping organizations reduce risk, achieve better operational efficiency, safeguard their reputation, and securely scale their business. BitSight's solutions are based on the industry's broadest, most unique, and most credible collection of cybersecurity performance data, which surpassed 200 billion data points collected per day in FY 2020. BitSight set new usage milestones in FY 2020 as the company continues to provide the most efficient, productive and useful security ratings platform in the world. More than 25,000 users now leverage the BitSight platform to actively monitor over 150,000 organizations. The BitSight platform is a place where market participants exchange critical cyber risk information: users have generated more than 130,000 pieces of content on the platform, including more than 3,500 "self-published" security ratings, bolstering cyber information sharing among the platform's user ecosystem and adding greater context to aid risk decision-making. Notably, within the past year, customers have extended more than 5,500 invitations to third parties, alerting them to critical security issues within the BitSight platform and driving risk remediation. As enterprise customer growth accelerated in FY 2020, national governments became outspoken about their use of BitSight to reduce risk within their own countries, including Belgium and Israel. BitSight now counts more than 50 government agencies, including global financial regulators, national security agencies, and critical infrastructure regulators as customers. In FY 2020, BitSight brought to market more than 30 innovative, significant new capabilities across multiple use cases, including: Peer Analytics, a Security Performance Management (SPM) offering that provides security and risk leaders unprecedented visibility into the relative performance of their security programs against their peers and sector. (SPM) offering that provides security and risk leaders unprecedented visibility into the relative performance of their security programs against their peers and sector. Enterprise Analytics, an SPM solution that gives organizations insight into the impact of risk introduced at the organizational group level to identify the areas of highest risk concentration within their organizations. BitSight for Fourth-Party Risk Management , which provides deep, automated and continuous visibility into organizations' extended business ecosystem to help them more effectively manage fourth-party risk. , which provides deep, automated and continuous visibility into organizations' extended business ecosystem to help them more effectively manage fourth-party risk. ServiceNow certification of two solutions, BitSight for Vendor Risk Management and BitSight for Security Incident Response, available on the ServiceNow app store. Tier Recommender, a unique feature that leverages the insights of the activities and outcomes across BitSight's platform participants to provide recommendations to customers about vendor risk tiering. Rapid Ratings for Cyber Insurance , which deliver security performance information on small- and medium-sized insurance applicants in just seconds, enabling underwriters to quickly evaluate and price cyber risk for the SMB market. The company continues to drive industry discussion on critical cyber risk and security issues, threats and challenges. Highlights from FY 2020 include: A Forrester Consulting-commissioned study that correlates cybersecurity performance to commercial success, with many enterprises admitting they have lost business due to a real or perceived lack of security performance within their company. that correlates cybersecurity performance to commercial success, with many enterprises admitting they have lost business due to a real or perceived lack of security performance within their company. A joint report with the Center for Financial Professionals that revealed widespread shortcoming across the global financial sector in effectively monitoring, managing and reporting on third-party cyber risk management. that revealed widespread shortcoming across the global financial sector in effectively monitoring, managing and reporting on third-party cyber risk management. Widely regarded and media-cited threat research from the BitSight Labs team, including a multi-part series on the BlueKeep vulnerability detailing the volume of organizations and industries most exposed. detailing the volume of organizations and industries most exposed. The second annual BitSight EXCHANGE user conference , a unique two-day event that serves as a forum for security and risk professionals to explore, collaborate and share best practices to achieve desired digital transformation while minimizing cyber risk. BitSight also earned several prominent industry accolades in FY 2020, including ranking No. 246 on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list of the fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and energy technology companies in North America. CRN honored the company with a 2019 Tech Innovator Award, which recognizes the IT channel's most ground-breaking hardware, software and services. "Security ratings provide critical information to help all stakeholders in the global marketplace manage material cyber risk," said Stephen Harvey, CEO, BitSight, who was appointed to the position in January 2020. "BitSight is laser-focused on expanding our market leadership in the year ahead by bringing new product innovation and efficient workflow to help our customers measure and manage cyber risk. I'm excited for the future." About BitSight BitSight transforms how organizations manage cyber risk. The BitSight Security Ratings Platform applies sophisticated algorithms, producing daily security ratings that range from 250 to 900, to help organizations manage their own security performance; mitigate third party risk; underwrite cyber insurance policies; conduct financial diligence; and assess aggregate risk. With over 2,100 global customers and the largest ecosystem of users and information, BitSight is the Standard in Security Ratings. For more information, please visit www.bitsight.com , read our blog or follow @BitSight on Twitter. SOURCE BitSight Related Links http://www.bitsighttech.com Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Lakeland, FLA, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Qgiv, a leading provider of nonprofit fundraising technology, will kick off the first annual Qgiv Conference Sept. 20-22, 2020, at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando. The Qgiv Conference will provide nonprofit professionals an opportunity to network with individuals from a variety of fundraising backgrounds, earn CFRE credits, hear from industry leaders, and grow their fundraising programs with fresh insight from 26 unique sessions. After years of anticipation and planning, were proud to launch the first Qgiv Conference, said Qgiv CEO and Co-Founder Todd Baylis. Weve drawn upon client feedback, our partnerships with leading nonprofit solution providers, and knowledge of emerging fundraising trends to create a multi-day event that will give our clients and nonprofit friends additional tools and tactical lessons to successfully meet their fundraising goals. Registration for the Qgiv Conference will open March 2. Conference attendees will have their pick of diverse sessions to attend, which will all be led by expert speakers handpicked by Qgiv staff. All attendees will have the opportunity to schedule one-on-one meetings with Qgiv staff to receive personalized insight into the Qgiv platform and learn how they can optimize usage of their fundraising tools. Interactive workshops, thought-provoking panel discussions, and engaging fundraising best-practice sessions will give attendees the resources they need to build actionable plans they can take back to the nonprofits they represent. Weve taken feedback from nonprofit staff and consultants across the country and used it to create an event experience tailored to the needs of fundraising and nonprofit professionals, said Rachel Fredrick, Qgivs Event Manager. There will be sessions available for all types of fundraiserswhether youre a development coordinator or a database administrator. Weve created a schedule that will serve every member of a fundraising team. Speaking proposals will be accepted through Feb. 28. To suggest a session or speaker, click here. To learn more about the Qgiv Conference and to follow our countdown to registration opening, click here. About Qgiv: Qgiv, Inc. is a leading digital fundraising platform founded in 2007. From their headquarters in Lakeland, FL, they currently serve more than 3,500 nonprofit and faith-based organizations in the United States and Canada. Their no long-term contract pricing, unlimited access to tools and support, and integrations with leading CRM and email tools make it easy for nonprofits to experiment with new technology and grow their digital fundraising programs. Qgiv is committed to helping nonprofits raise more by anticipating and addressing their needs and challenges through customer-led development and close attention to industry best practices. To learn more about the Qgiv platform, visit www.qgiv.com. Attachment U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small had more money in her war chest than any congressional candidate in New Mexico heading into 2020. And that includes Democratic Senate candidate Ben Ray Lujan. The first-term Democrat had $2.3 million cash on hand at the end of 2019, easily outpacing her nearest potential Republican rival by $1.7 million in the 2nd Congressional District. Lujan who represents the 3rd Congressional District had more than $2 million at the end of the year for his bid for the Senate. Former CIA operative Valerie Plame, a Democrat, had the most cash on hand in the crowded 3rd Congressional District race with more than $586,000. Democratic U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland had the most cash on hand in the 1st Congressional District race with almost $264,000. Torres Small reported raising nearly $2.6 million in 2019 in filings with the Federal Election Commission. The deadline for the end of the year filing was Friday. This campaign is about serving the people of southern New Mexico, Torres Smalls campaign manager Helen Smith said. Xochitl Torres Small is delivering for New Mexico, and our strong grassroots support from across the district shows that New Mexicans know that. Roswell oil and gas executive Claire Chase was Torres Smalls nearest Republican competitor in the states southernmost congressional district. She reported raising nearly $780,000 since entering the race in the fall and had more than $588,000 cash on hand. Former State Rep. Yvette Herrell of Alamogordo reported raising almost $630,000 and had almost $464,000 cash on hand. Las Cruces businessman Chris Mathys had more than $200,000 cash on hand. Torres Small raised more than $648,000 during the final quarter of the year. She received almost $513,000 in individual donations and almost $137,000 in political action committee money. According to the FEC, she received more than $327,000 from contributions of $200 or less. Her campaign said she received 11,000 contributions of $100 or less during the last cycle, with the majority coming from New Mexicans. Chase again led the Republicans in the race during the final quarter. She raised more than $261,000 in the final three months of the year. But that represented a more than $240,000 drop from the previous quarter. She received more than $247,000 in individual contributions and $18,500 in PAC money. Chased received almost $8,200 in donations of $200 or less. We are honored by the outpouring of support from across New Mexico for Claires candidacy. Chases campaign manager Mike Berg said. It should surprise no one that New Mexicans are showing a clear preference for a conservative political outsider like Claire over a failed career politician like Yvette Herrell. Chases campaign said 60% of her contributions came from New Mexico residents. Herrells campaign reported raising more than $188,000 in net contributions during the quarter. More than $16,000 came from PAC funding. She has received almost $121,500 in donations of $200 or less. Yvette continues to demonstrate tremendous momentum in this race by raising nearly $200,000 and reporting over $460,000 cash on hand, in addition to landing endorsements from national conservative leaders like (Ohio) Rep. Jim Jordan and (former Arkansas) Gov. Mike Huckabee, campaign manager Dakotah Parshall said. Mathys reported $1,850 in individual donations. The majority of his campaign funding has come from personal loans. I am the only candidate that has not accepted contributions from out-of-state donors, he said. We are focused on a grassroots campaign with the goal of meeting every voter in every county in the district. The Daily Beast Scott Olson/GettyDonald Trump abruptly ended an interview with NPR on Tuesday after he was repeatedly called out on his baseless claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election.A video of the interview, published Wednesday morning, shows Trump becoming increasingly irritated as NPRs Steve Inskeep asks him why hes still pushing debunked conspiracy theories about his 2020 defeat.After Inskeep told the ex-president that his fraud claims have repeatedly been proven false, the reporter a GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip US President Donald Trump's "deal of the century" quickly created a sort of peace in the Middle East, but not the kind he had in mind. The US proposal, officially unveiled Jan. 28, immediately brought together rival Palestinian factions united in their utter rejection of the deal. That same day, representatives of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements participated, for the first time in years, in an emergency Palestinian leadership meeting in Ramallah. The Palestinian presidency invited the two movements to attend the meeting, ending at least temporarily a yearslong state of rupture between Hamas leaders and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The presidential initiative paved the way for resumption of long-stalled reconciliation dialogue. The last meeting between the Hamas leadership and Abbas was held in Qatar in October 2016 to discuss an end to division, forming a government of national unity and holding general elections. However, attempts to achieve unity since the meeting failed. Before the most recent meeting, Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, called Abbas on Jan. 28 and stressed the need for joint political and field work against the US and Israeli goals. Abbas was said to have appreciated the call. Haniyeh also has invited the Palestinian factions to schedule an urgent meeting in Cairo to confront the US peace plan. An official close to the Palestinian presidency told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the Hamas leaders who attended the Ramallah meeting called on Abbas to take serious steps toward ending the division by immediately scheduling another meeting with the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip. Abbas Zaki, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, told Al-Monitor that Abbas is forming a delegation of Palestinian factions to visit the Gaza Strip for the middle of this week. Zaki added that Hamas response to the emergency meeting in Ramallah showed how seriously the movement is taking the threat posed by the US peace proposal. Omar Abdul Razak, a former finance minister in the Gaza Strip, told Al-Monitor the meeting he attended in Ramallah was positive. He indicated that Abbas stressed the need to end division and overcome obstacles hindering an agreement with Hamas. Abdul Razak, a former Hamas leader, said Palestinians want Abbas to walk the talk when it comes to implementing Palestinian Central Council decisions issued in 2015 and 2018 to put an end to PA security coordination with Israel. He added that for any national dialogue to succeed, Palestinians in the West Bank expect wider public freedoms, trade union and partisan action and for political detainees to be released. Nasser al-Din al-Shaer, Haniyeh's former deputy prime minister, also attended the Ramallah meeting. He concurred with Abdul Razak and told Al-Monitor that Palestinians in the West Bank have concerns over public freedoms and division that need to be addressed before any talks are held about the US plan seen as an attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause. We heard new rhetoric and positive language during the meeting that brought us together with the president, and we believe this meeting will pave the way for an end to division, Shaer said. Palestinians usually don't expect much of meetings held among factions, due to the repeated failure of such events over the past 12 years. However, Abdel Sattar Qassem, a political science professor at An-Najah National University, told Al-Monitor that this time around, the Palestinian factions meeting in Gaza will be held under special circumstances not witnessed in years, featuring a strong common interest, and this gives Palestinians hope that it will lead to ending division. Qassem called on the Palestinian Authority (PA) and PLO factions to support the popular and armed resistance against Israel, as all options to settle the matter have failed and the US administration is biased toward Israel. Wissam Afifa, a political analyst and former editor of Hamas-affiliated news site Al-Resalah, told Al-Monitor that the failed negotiations with Israel, which the PA was relying on to establish a Palestinian state, pushed the PA to sit down with the Gaza Strip factions to try to end their division. Despite the cautious optimism about the results of the upcoming factions meeting in the Gaza Strip next week, Palestinians still expect tangible steps aimed at ending internal division to focus on confronting the US peace plan. For those who wonder whether the world really needs the election needle, we realize the actual results will emerge soon enough. But we also think that the millions of people who follow election night results online ought to have the context to understand them as well as experts do. Is it harder in Iowa? The Iowa caucuses pose a number of challenges for election night forecasting. First, Iowa is the first contest of the Democratic primary season. We think we have a pretty good idea of where each candidate should fare well, based on polling data and past elections. But Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have never faced off before; its hard to be absolutely sure who would have the edge in rural areas, for instance, until we start to see some votes. Certainly, were far less confident of who will win a given county in Iowa than we would be in a general election between Democrats and Republicans. Second, Iowa polls have often been inaccurate, and it is hard to know how changes in the race like a hypothetical election night surge from Amy Klobuchar might wind up upsetting our expectations. The large number of candidates adds volatility to our expectations. Third, the caucuses are complex and involve multiple stages of voting. It is hard to know how each of these stages will play out over all, or by precinct. Voters can make strategic decisions in a specific caucus site that we do not anticipate. A final complicating factor is that in 2020, the Iowa caucuses arent just in Iowa. There will be satellite caucuses in retirement communities, mosques and peoples homes, some as far away as Paris, Scotland and Tbilisi, Georgia. Without any prior voting history there, or knowledge of the demographics of who will attend, its hard for us to know what to expect from these locations. Nonetheless, we do have some things going for us: In general, the demographic divisions in the Democratic field are good news for the needle. Based on our polling, we have a decent idea of the likely geography of the Iowa caucuses: Bernie Sanders has an edge in many urban areas and college towns; Pete Buttigieg is relatively strong in rural areas; Elizabeth Warren does well in areas with more college graduates; and the Des Moines suburbs are a battleground. We expect to receive results by precinct, rather than by county; these more granular results will help us make sense of the data fairly quickly. Historically, there does not appear to be a big difference between the preference of voters when they show up to caucus and the actual state delegate equivalency results, based on entrance poll data. The complicated nature of the delegate math is easy for computers, but hard for humans. Even an expert in Iowas political geography might have a hard time translating first alignment votes to delegate totals for thousands of precincts in real time. Advantage, Needle. Can the needle be wrong? Yes, depending on what you mean by wrong. Once all of the votes have been counted, the needle will by definition match up perfectly with the final result. But before all votes have been counted, the needle may suggest that one candidate has a pretty good chance of winning, only to have someone else eventually win. A 65 percent chance of winning means losing quite often. Likely to happen does not mean certainly will happen. We dont quite think of this as wrong. (We know that some people do. This year, the needle will also describe probabilities with a simple phrase; it would describe the odds of someone with a 65 percent chance of winning as likelier than not.) HENDERSON, Nev., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dalrada Financial Corporation (OTC Pink: DFCO), is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of Prakat Solutions, Inc. in an all stock swap deal. The acquisition strengthens Dalrada's engineering & healthcare solutions providing enhanced real-time monitoring and customer experience platforms, along with opportunities to increase revenues through technology implementations. Prakat India provides the wide range of capabilities to support Dalrada customers by setting up dedicated call centers, automated service delivery offerings, and a new market potential for the company's products and services. "When we set out to build our renewed business model, we knew it needed a global footprint, and most importantly the right personnel to realize our vision. We are confident that Prakat's management team will continue to excel and complement our solutions," said Brian Bonar, CEO of Dalrada. Prakat is headquartered in Bangalore, India and maintains offices in Denver, Colorado and Irving, Texas. The team provides end to end product engineering services in a variety of fields including banking and financial services, telecom, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, legal, and IT infrastructure. An ISO 9001-certified company with a customer base that includes several Fortune 1000 clients, with service offerings in software engineering, mobile development, data analytics, artificial intelligence and data science, and accessibility engineering. The company has developed a sales strategy to target US-based opportunities for project-based and staff-augmentation solutions, and soon will be opening up an office in California to facilitate operations. With an established pipeline to tap into and the necessary support from Dalrada, Prakat will have a strong competitive advantage to offer unique and novel business solutions. "This is another revenue stream that we will capitalize on, providing end-to-end services for our products. It can be positioned as a package or a la carte, with tiers of skillsets and experience based on the customer need," continued Bonar. The deal is expected to be accretive to earnings for quarter ending March 31, 2020. About Dalrada Financial Dalrada Financial Corp. (OTC Pink: DFCO) solves real-world problems by producing innovation-focused and technologically-centered solutions on a global level. Delivering next-generation manufacturing, engineering, and healthcare products and services designed to propel growth, Dalrada is a team of industry experts and an organization built upon a strong foundation of financial capital. The company and its subsidiaries are positioned for stable long-term growth through intelligent market research, sound business acumen, and established operational infrastructure. For more information, please visit www.dalrada.com or call 1-858-283-1253. About Prakat Solutions Prakat is a technology solutions company specializing in test engineering, accessibility engineering, product engineering and application modernization. Prakat partners with clients to create a transparent, value-based relationship, leveraging the extensive experience of its team to provide innovative solutions in a wide range of technology domains that enable customers to successfully attain their business goals. The Prakat work culture is truly based on the belief, "we believe in what we do; we do what we love." Prakat is an ISO 9001-certified company with several Fortune 1000 customers. With its main engineering center in Bangalore, India, the company also has offices in Fort Worth and Denver. The Prakat team provides end-to-end product engineering services across various domains including banking and financial services, telecom, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, legal, and IT infrastructure. For more information, please visit www.prakat.com. Disclaimer Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding future revenues and sales projections, plans for future financing, the ability to meet operational milestones, marketing arrangements and plans, and shipments to and regulatory approvals in international markets. Such statements reflect management's current views, are based on certain assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results, events, or performance may differ materially from the above forward-looking statements due to a number of important factors, and will be dependent upon a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, our ability to obtain additional financing that will allow us to continue our current and future operations and whether demand for our products and services in domestic and international markets will continue to expand. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof or to reflect any change in the Company's expectations with regard to these forward-looking statements or the occurrence of unanticipated events. Factors that may impact the Company's success are more fully disclosed in the Company's most recent public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including its annual report on Form 10-K. SOURCE Dalrada Financial Corp. Related Links http://www.dalrada.com MOSCOW When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left the White House after the unveiling of President Trumps Mideast plan, which hugely favors Israel, he and his entourage could barely contain their glee as they boasted of realizing their dream of swiftly annexing large swaths of the West Bank. But by the time his plane had flown across the Atlantic Ocean, the mood had taken a downturn, with Netanyahus annexation plan suddenly in question and an embarrassing criminal trial casting a cloud over his re-election hopes. Netanyahus sojourn to Moscow, to bring home an Israeli backpacker jailed on drug charges that the prime minister had convinced Russia to pardon, capped a roller-coaster five-day journey during which he was also formally indicted on corruption charges. Its been quite a trip for Israels longest-serving prime minister, who has portrayed himself as a master statesman as he fights for his political survival ahead of March 2 elections. It began Jan. 26, with grand proclamations upon departure about the great mission he was on, and about making history with Trump. Last Monday, he beamed alongside Trump in the Oval Office, flaunting their friendship and lavishing praise upon the American president. On Tuesday, Netanyahu withdrew a request for immunity before parliament could reject it, triggering the official launch of his trial on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust stemming from three long-running corruption cases. He will now be the first sitting prime minister to face a criminal trial. Hours later, Trump announced a plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that overwhelmingly favors Israel and appeared to pave the way for immediate annexation of large swaths of the West Bank, including Israels many settlements and the Jordan Valley. Before an adoring audience of evangelical Christians and other supporters, he called Trump the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House, and compared the moments significance to that of the birth of Israel in 1948. But on Wednesday, the tide began to change. In a series of interviews, Trumps staunchly pro-Israel peace team appeared to tap the brakes on the race to annexation, putting greater emphasis on the prospects of Palestinian statehood that Netanyahu was trying to sidestep. U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, who days earlier had led Jewish prayer services aboard Netanyahus plane, said a U.S.-Israeli committee would need to be formed to insure that any move matches up with the administrations conceptual map. Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and the architect of the plan, said Israel should wait until after the March 2 elections before annexing territory. Those comments were likely to stoke fears among Netanyahus hard-line allies that the plan will only ever exist on paper. The Americans appear to be treading cautiously in hopes of gaining international and Arab support for the proposal, which the Palestinians have adamantly rejected. Aron Heller is an Associated Press writer. Irish health and medical technology firms signed deals worth millions of euro last week at Arab Health 2020 in Dubai, the biggest exhibition of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Their success is a reflection both of the growing demand for innovative healthcare expertise in the MENA region, and Ireland's strong position to supply it. Of the 14 Irish companies hosted on the Ireland pavilion at the exhibition, one - Fleming Medical, a leading innovator of healthcare devices and consumables - secured contracts valued at over $2.43m. Two other health companies, MyPatientSpace and MEG Support Tools, signed commercial agreements with a major hospital and a well-known healthcare service provider in the UAE. The scale of the opportunity in the region right now is enormous. As well as its own population of 580 million, MENA cities such as Dubai are established centres for high tech medical tourism. In the UAE alone, healthcare spending is predicted to reach $2.4bn by 2025 and $3.6bn by 2030. Ireland is well placed to capitalise on this opportunity. In the medical technologies, or medtech, sector Ireland already has an established reputation as a leading global player, with nine of the world's top 10 medtech companies based here. It's a sector that generates exports of 12.6bn annually and supports more than 40,000 jobs across a total of 350 Irish-owned medtech companies. Many of these companies have particular capabilities in relation to connected care, including mobile health solutions, telemedicine and personalised medicine, for which there is growing demand in the MENA region. According to the CSO, Irish exports to the Gulf, which include exports from multinationals based in Ireland, grew by 16pc from January to November of last year. Nearly half of these exports, worth over 640m, were healthcare related. Arab Health 2020 proved to be a key platform from which to forge ever closer links to local healthcare suppliers, and to showcase Ireland's world leading medtech solutions to the region. The deals agreed last week are all the more impressive when you consider that doing business successfully in the Middle East depends on building strong relationships, a process that takes time. Selling in the region requires a long-term commitment to build up trust. Participating in Arab Health 2020 was a clear way of demonstrating such commitment. Other Irish companies travelling were rewarded with valuable new distribution partnerships. The fact that Ireland already has strong healthcare links with the region helps inordinately. For example, the ambulances of the Dubai Ambulance Service are equipped with hardware and software from Irish company ACETECH. Their paramedics train following Irish guidelines and are accredited by Ireland's National Ambulance Service. The Irish companies attending this week's trade show undoubtedly benefited too from the established tradition of students from the Gulf region coming to Ireland to study medicine, before returning to work in the healthcare sector of their native countries. Many Enterprise Ireland client companies travelling to the region have found they are often pushing an open door on discovering that the person they are selling to qualified as a doctor from the Royal College of Surgeons, University College Dublin, University College Cork or the National University of Ireland Galway. The strength of those links was in evidence last year, when nearly 40 medical organisations from the Gulf travelled to attend Med in Ireland, Enterprise Ireland's major biannual showcase of Irish medtech. It helps too that wherever you go in the world, chances are you are within metres of Irish Medtech in action. That's because 25pc of the people in the world who have diabetes rely on injection devices that are made in Ireland. Three-quarters of global orthopaedic knee production comes out of Ireland. And a third of the world's contact lenses are made here. With Irish medtech exports already shipping to over 100 countries, and much more of them set to ship to MENA, the prognosis is clear; it's a sector that is in rude good health. Eamon Sikafi is Enterprise Ireland's senior market adviser, Lifesciences/Healthcare, for the MENA region. Personal finance doesnt come easily for most people. Finding a way to manage a budget, saving money, and invest in your future can be stressful. But, as it turns out, there may actually be a science to saving money that will make your financial goals a little easier to reach. Whats the Science to Saving Money? Many people find it difficult to save money because they feel like they are missing out on something, especially in the age of FOMO. Living in the present is in your genes, Brad Klontz, a certified financial planner and financial psychologist pointed out. Its why we were able to survive as a species. What youre asking yourself to do [when saving for the future] goes against your entire biology, he told CNBC. Instead of fearing youll miss out, visualize something you want really bad. For instance, if you would like to retire early, or you would like to take a vacation, or you want to be debt-free. Then, imagine how much happier youll be once you reach that goal versus the fleeting enjoyment youll get out of going to an event or spending the money on something else rather than saving. It sounds kind of crazy but this visualization is the science behind saving. If you want to save more efficiently, Sign up for Digit today. This app can help you automate your money goals. The Study Klontz conducted a study to see how emotions tie into saving money. According to his findings, people save 73% more if they are emotionally tied to the reason they are stashing money away. Because of something called the status quo bias, it goes against human nature to change and takes a significant amount of effort. If you can get clear about why you want to save, why it matters, who youre saving for, and execute while youre excited about it, it can have dramatic effects, Klontz stated. There is some good news though! You can adopt a positive mindset around saving and why you are saving to help you reach your financial goals. The most important thing is that you know what will make you happy in the long run. Vision Boards Since visualizing your goals and dreams can be beneficial in helping you reach them, vision boards have become more popular in recent years. Jackie Beck, who, along with her husband, has paid off $147,000 in debt, told CNBC a vision board helped her take a dream trip to Africa. For Beck, it was easiest to create her vision board digitally via Pinterest. I added pictures and kept thinking, when are we going to make it happen? she stated. If you see it regularly, you make it happen. Just one year after creating her board she and her husband were on their way to Kenya. Others may find it best to create a physical vision board to hang in their office, on the refrigerators, or on the mirror in your bathroom. The key is to put it somewhere you will see every day. When you have a visual reminder of your goals and dreams, youll be more likely to reach them, especially if it involves saving money. Its science! Read More Washington, Feb 3 : The US state of Iowa will on Monday hold Democratic and Republican caucuses, the first nomination contests for the 2020 presidential primary schedule. On the Republican side, President Donald Trump, as the incumbent, is expected to sail through the caucus night and turn much of the nation's attention to the Democratic events, reports Xinhua news agency. Democrats seeking the party's nomination to challenge Trump will vie for Iowa's 41 pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention, which will be held from July 13-16 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Though the delegates in Iowa account for only 2 per cent of the 1,991 national delegates, a candidate needs to win to be the Democratic nominee, a strong finish across the Hawkeye state's 99 counties which could inject a strong momentum into the person's campaign in a crowed race. "Iowa is a gatekeeper. It's a table setter. It historically has been an extremely important part of the presidential process," veteran US pollster John Zogby told a recent briefing in Washington. The Democratic caucuses are scheduled to begin at 1,678 precinct locations at 7 p.m. on Monday and will bring tens of thousands of Iowa's registered voters to people's homes, churches, public libraries, and school gyms. Unlike a traditional primary, in which voters cast ballots, caucuses require people to show up to their precinct and physically move into designated parts of a room to show their preference for a certain candidate, the step which is commonly called "the first alignment". At most precincts, a presidential contender needs at least 15 per cent of the support at that caucus site to be eligible to receive any delegates. If he or she does not meet the threshold, they get no delegates, and their supporters can re-sort and go to their second choice in the next and final alignment. For the first time, caucus-goers this year will write down who they are supporting so there will be paper backups, in case recounts are necessary. After the caucuses, the Iowa Democratic Party will report three numbers: the state-wide preference after the first alignment; the preference after the second alignment; and the final "State Delegate Equivalents (SDEs)", numbers used to determine how the state's national delegates are awarded to candidates. While the first two results will be useful for analyses, the candidate who earns the most SDEs will surely declare himself or herself the winner of the Iowa caucuses. Currently, there are 13 Democrats and three Republicans, including Trump, seeking the presidential nomination. So far, 17 Democrats and one Republican have dropped out of the race in this election cycle. According to the latest RealClearPolitics national Democratic primary polling average, former Vice President Joe Biden is leading the race with 27.2 per cent, followed by Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren with 23.5 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively. Sanders, meanwhile, is the frontrunner in the Iowa polling average, together with Biden, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, and Warren rounding out the top four. Michael Bloomberg, who made a relatively late entry into the Democratic primary, is skipping early-voting states, including Iowa. Trump won't be in Iowa on Monday either but he held a rally in Des Moines, the state's capital, days ago. The Republican Party is expected to nominate Trump for a second term during the August 24-27 national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Iowa caucuses will be followed by the New Hampshire presidential primary, slated for February 11. The 2020 US presidential election will take place on November 3. By Christopher Scragg Cronkite News WASHINGTON Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema broke her silence Friday, voting with other Democrats in a failed attempt to call more witnesses in President Donald Trumps impeachment trial, which now heads to a final vote next week. The 51-49 vote rejected efforts by Democrats to call witnesses like former National Security Adviser John Bolton, who they said could provide new evidence of Trump forcing political favors from Ukraine by withholding military aid for that country. But many Republicans appeared to be like Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, who said in a tweet this week, Ive heard enough. Its time to vote. Only two Republicans, Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine, joined Democrats to vote for more witnesses. It was one of the last procedural votes in the trial, clearing the way for debate and a final vote by the Senate next week on whether or not to remove Trump from office. Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, shown here in an April 2019 file photo, announced days ago that she would vote against Democrats move to call witnesses to testify at the impeachment trial. Photo by Alyssa Klink / Cronkite News Unlike a typical Senate debate, Fridays vote came as the senators were sitting as an impeachment court, which meant they were limited to announcing but not discussing their yea or nay votes during the session. Neither Sinema nor McSally responded to requests for comment Friday on their votes. But House impeachment managers had plenty to say during four hours of debate Friday on the need to call more witnesses something they have been pushing for since before the Senate trial began. Those calls grew louder this week when the New York Times published details from an upcoming book by Bolton, in which he reportedly claims that Trump explicitly said his pressure on Ukrainian officials was aimed at hurting former Vice President Joe Biden, a possible Trump challenger this fall. Bolton refused to testify to House committees investigating the president, but has since said he would testify if called by the Senate, said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and the lead manager of the Houses impeachment case in the Senate. Here you have the president saying John Bolton is not telling the truth lets put John Bolton under oath. Lets find out whos telling the truth, Schiff said Friday. A trial is supposed to be a quest for the truth. House impeachment managers repeatedly implored senators to make the right decision and call witnesses. But White House lawyers said the House has had plenty of opportunity to make its case during months of hearings and to present its case to the Senate this month. Over the past nine days, each side was allowed 24 hours to make its case, followed by 16 hours of questioning by senators and two hours of arguments for each side Friday. [ S.Res.483 Under our constitutional design, theyre supposed to investigate, youre to deliberate, said Jay Sekulow, Trumps attorney for the impeachment trial, told senators. What theyre asking you to do is now become the investigating agency. Sekulow said that if Bolton was called and cross-examined, it could open the door to reopening testimony from all the witnesses, potentially extending the trial for weeks. McSally said Wednesday that it is time to move on. After two weeks in the Senate, 13 witnesses and 28,000 pages of evidence, it is time for the Senate to vote and return its focus to the priorities of the American people, she tweeted I have heard enough. It is time to vote. Martha McSally (@SenMcSallyAZ) January 30, 2020 Fridays vote was followed by a series of last-ditch Democratic efforts to tack amendments on to the resolution outlining the final rules for impeachment. Each amendment which proposed a variety of ways to subpoena witnesses or documents was rejected on party-line votes During a brief visit to McSallys office Friday, the phones were ringing non-stop but the impeachment debate is not over yet. Senators recessed for the weekend but will be back Monday when the House managers and the White House counsel will each get another two hours to make a final argument. Then the floor will be opened to senators, who will be given 10 minutes each to speak from Monday through Wednesday with a break Tuesday night, when the president is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. The House made Trump just the third president in history to be impeached when it voted in December to approve two articles of impeachment related to the Ukrainian incident: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Articles are forwarded to the Senate, which holds a hearing to determine whether to remove the president from office. Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News and is published via a Creative Commons license . Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University Join the Conversation US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Uzbekistan late Sunday. Pompeo went immediately into a meeting with religious leaders to discuss religious freedom, shortly after his plane landed in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent. He planned to meet on Monday with Uzbek officials and hold security talks with the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian nations. Earlier on Sunday, Pompeo was in neighbouring Kazakhstan, where he pressed officials to be wary of Chinese investment and influence, urging the Central Asian nation and others to join calls demanding an end to China's repression of minorities. He was expected to make the same case in Uzbekistan. Russia not target in US army's massive Europe deployment: NATO Brussels, Feb 3 (AFP) Feb 03, 2020 NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg insisted Monday that a massive transfer of US and allied troops to Eastern Europe as part of a military exercise was not aimed at Russia. About 37,000 soldiers from 18 countries are to participate in the US-run manoeuvre dubbed Defender Europe 2020. This is "the largest deployment of US troops to Europe in more than 25 years," Stoltenberg told AFP. The exercise "shows the strong US commitment to NATO and to the freedom and security of Europe," he added. The exercise will take place in May and June, mainly in Germany, Poland and the Baltic States. The US will move 20,000 soldiers to Europe in the coming months. "Defender Europe is not directed against any particular country," Stoltenberg said. "This defensive exercise demonstrates the ability to rapidly move a large force from the United States to Europe to help protect other NATO Allies, if needed," he said. The exercise comes amid doubts over whether the US is still prepared to defend Europe. After his inauguration, US President Donald Trump initially described NATO as "obsolete". But after Germany and the other European members pledged higher defence spending, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to the alliance. NATO's sense of purpose took a boost after the annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia in 2014, fuelling fears among eastern NATO members. The alliance has since significantly strengthened its presence in Eastern Europe and built the capability for a rapid deployment of troops in the event of conflict. Stoltenberg underlined that NATO members Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia celebrated their 30th anniversary of independence this year, referring to the three Baltic states' split from the Soviet Union. Portions of "Defender Europe" were to be held in the three countries. "Russia has every right to feel safe within its borders, but so do our member states," said Stoltenberg. A NATO official said there was nothing to be read into the fact that the exercise was taking place during 75th anniversary celebrations in Moscow of Russia's victory over Nazi Germany on May 9th. "The exercise will take place from February to June," an official said. "This is the time when many military exercises are held each year." "We recognise the critical role played by the Soviet Union in the victory over Nazi Germany." Stoltenberg pointed out that the US had informed Russia and the other members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) about the exercise in accordance with the guidelines on such matters. Usually though these 1:10 th scale crawlers are a tad too large for the average person to lug around and play with, but it appears Kyosho has an interesting solution for the eager enthusiast. In the world of hobby-grade remote control cars, the RC Crawler Truck is perhaps the easiest and most popular form of RC that could get you into the hobby. Durable and pretty much enjoyable anywhere theres a mound of dirt or patch of land, a crawler is easily justifiable as far as toys go (provided you dont go overboard with hop-ups and upgrades). Kyosho is expanding its 1:24th scale Mini-Z Touring/Drift RC lineup to crawlers as well, and their first 2 models were revealed at the recently concluded International Toy Fair 2020 in Nuremberg, Germany. Appearing to have the intention of making a statement, the hot topic for this lineup is, of course, the new Suzuki Jimny (called Sierra in Japan) in scale form. The body itself consists of accurate detailing, with faithful replication of the contrasting matte black panels enclosing the gloss boxy shell of the JB74W Jimny. The Jimny shell is then mounted onto a ladder frame chassis and a multi-link/rigid axle suspension setup; A tried and tested formula in RC Crawler circles and coincidentally accurate in scale as the JB74W Jimny is also running on solid axles front and rear. Other key features include a licensed set of BF Goodrich tires, an optional gyro, as well as an optional LED kit for the front headlights. All electronics are be powered via 4 AAA batteries in the chassis and another 4 AAA batteries for the transmitter. The Suzuki Jimny will be available in either Kinetic Yellow or Jungle Green. The next model to join the Jimny is the ubiquitous Toyota N60 Hilux Surf/4Runner. While the Jimny sticks to an OEM factory look, the Hilux is obviously hopped up from the get-go with a highly lifted body and more aggressive wheel and tire setup. The body shell itself looks slightly beefed up from the normal Hilux Surf with a proper bull bar, spare tire mount, and overfenders to round up the rugged aesthetic. The N60 Hilux Surf will be available in a two-tone red/black canvass roof or in gray/black canvass roof. The Kyosho 1:24th scale Mini-Z line is popular in Japan for its replica touring cars and drift cars. These come complete with hop-up parts like new wheels and tires, so we can expect the aftermarket of these crawlers to be the same in the near future. Prices have yet to be announced, although we have seen a few pre-orders in some Diecast/Scale model groups going for about Php 18,500 (USD $360) for the kit that is due out in May 2020. ST. LOUIS, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) announced today the appointment of Chris Koster to Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel, effective February 19, 2020. Mr. Koster will oversee all legal functions for the company, reporting directly to Chairman, President and CEO Michael F. Neidorff. Mr. Koster joined Centene in 2017 as Senior Vice President, Corporate Services. Prior to joining Centene, Mr. Koster served as Missouri Attorney General for eight years. Before he was elected Attorney General, he served in the Missouri Senate for four years, and Prosecuting Attorney in Cass County for 10 years. "Chris has been an instrumental part of our senior team during a pivotal time of growth. His depth of experience in legal services both in the private and public sector will continue to be an asset to our company as we continue to grow and evolve," said Mr. Neidorff. Keith Williamson, former Secretary and General Counsel, has been appointed President of the Centene Charitable Foundation. Since joining Centene in 2006, Mr. Williamson has overseen all legal functions for the enterprise, aiding in the company's extensive growth and expansion. He is very active in the St. Louis community, including serving as chairman of the board of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, serving on the board of the St. Louis Art Museum, helping to found the KIPP charter school network and working with the Opportunity Trust, which seeks to improve the St. Louis public education system. "I thank Keith for his 13 years as General Counsel and look forward to his new role with the Foundation to help further our commitment to the communities we serve," said Mr. Neidorff. About Centene Centene Corporation, a Fortune 100 company, is a leading multi-national healthcare enterprise that is committed to helping people live healthier lives. The company takes a local approach with local brands and local teams - to provide fully integrated, high-quality, and cost-effective services to government-sponsored and commercial healthcare programs, focusing on under-insured and uninsured individuals. Centene offers affordable and high-quality products to nearly 1 in 15 Americans across all 50 U.S. states, including Medicaid and Medicare members (including Medicare Prescription Drug Plans) as well as individuals and families served by the Health Insurance Marketplace, the TRICARE program, and individuals in correctional facilities. The Company also serves several international markets, and contracts with other healthcare and commercial organizations to provide a variety of specialty services focused on treating the whole person. Centene focuses on long-term growth and the development of its people, systems and capabilities so that it can better serve its members, providers, local communities, and government partners. Centene uses its investor relations website to publish important information about the company, including information that may be deemed material to investors. Financial and other information about Centene is routinely posted and is accessible on Centene's investor relations website, http://www.centene.com/investors. Forward-Looking Statements All statements, other than statements of current or historical fact, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, forward-looking statements often use words such as "believe," "anticipate," "plan," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "seek," "target," "goal," "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "can," "continue" and other similar words or expressions (and the negative thereof). Centene (the Company, our, or we) intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe-harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and we are including this statement for purposes of complying with these safe-harbor provisions. In particular, these statements include, without limitation, statements about our future operating or financial performance, market opportunity, growth strategy, competition, expected activities in completed and future acquisitions, including statements about the impact of our recently completed acquisition (the WellCare Acquisition) of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (WellCare), other recent and future acquisitions, investments and the adequacy of our available cash resources. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on numerous assumptions and assessments made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, business strategies, operating environments, future developments and other factors we believe appropriate. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are subject to change because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future, including economic, regulatory, competitive and other factors that may cause our or our industry's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based on information available to us on the date hereof. Except as may be otherwise required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date hereof. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, as actual results may differ materially from projections, estimates, or other forward-looking statements due to a variety of important factors, variables and events including but not limited to: uncertainty as to our expected financial performance following completion of the WellCare Acquisition; the possibility that the expected synergies and value creation from the WellCare Acquisition will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period; the risk that unexpected costs will be incurred in connection with the integration of the WellCare Acquisition or that the integration of WellCare will be more difficult or time consuming than expected; unexpected costs, charges or expenses resulting from the WellCare acquisition; the inability to retain key personnel; disruption from the completion of the WellCare Acquisition, including potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships with customers, employees, suppliers or regulators, making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; the risk that, following the WellCare Acquisition, we may not be able to effectively manage our expanded operations; our ability to accurately predict and effectively manage health benefits and other operating expenses and reserves; competition; membership and revenue declines or unexpected trends; changes in healthcare practices, new technologies, and advances in medicine; increased healthcare costs; changes in economic, political or market conditions; changes in federal or state laws or regulations, including changes with respect to income tax reform or government healthcare programs as well as changes with respect to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, collectively referred to as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and any regulations enacted thereunder that may result from changing political conditions or judicial actions, including the ultimate outcome in "Texas v. United States of America" regarding the constitutionality of the ACA; rate cuts or other payment reductions or delays by governmental payors and other risks and uncertainties affecting our government businesses; our ability to adequately price products on the Health Insurance Marketplaces and other commercial and Medicare products; tax matters; disasters or major epidemics; the outcome of legal and regulatory proceedings; changes in expected contract start dates; provider, state, federal and other contract changes and timing of regulatory approval of contracts; the expiration, suspension, or termination of our contracts with federal or state governments (including but not limited to Medicaid, Medicare, TRICARE or other customers); the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of pending or future litigation or government investigations; challenges to our contract awards; cyber-attacks or other privacy or data security incidents; the possibility that the expected synergies and value creation from acquired businesses, including, without limitation, the WellCare Acquisition, will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period; the exertion of management's time and our resources, and other expenses incurred and business changes required in connection with complying with the undertakings in connection with any regulatory, governmental or third party consents or approvals for acquisitions; disruption caused by significant completed and pending acquisitions, including, among others, the WellCare Acquisition, making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; the risk that unexpected costs will be incurred in connection with the completion and/or integration of acquisition transactions; changes in expected closing dates, estimated purchase price and accretion for acquisitions; the risk that acquired businesses, including WellCare, will not be integrated successfully; the risk that we may not be able to effectively manage our operations as they have expanded as a result of the WellCare Acquisition; restrictions and limitations in connection with our indebtedness; our ability to maintain or achieve improvement in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Star ratings and maintain or achieve improvement in other quality scores in each case that can impact revenue and future growth; availability of debt and equity financing, on terms that are favorable to us; inflation;foreign currency fluctuations; and risks and uncertainties discussed in the reports that Centene has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This list of important factors is not intended to be exhaustive. We discuss certain of these matters more fully, as well as certain other factors that may affect our business operations, financial condition and results of operations, in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Due to these important factors and risks, we cannot give assurances with respect to our future performance, including without limitation our ability to maintain adequate premium levels or our ability to control our future medical and selling, general and administrative costs. SOURCE Centene Corporation Related Links http://www.centene.com FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. The Federal Communications Commission opened a window Monday for federally recognized tribes to apply for licenses that could help establish or expand internet access on their lands. Tribes had pushed to be first in line for mid-band spectrum licenses that largely are unassigned across the western United States and once were reserved for educational institutions. The 2.5 Ghz-band of spectrum channels of electromagnetic waves are seen as key to expanding 5G access. The FCC estimates that about one-third of people living on tribal lands dont have access to high-speed internet, but others say the figure is twice as high. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told tribes gathered in Washington last month for a broadband workshop that the licenses could be a game-changer, allowing tribes to consult online with specialists, work from home, job search, start online businesses or take classes online. Im not speculating when I saw that this spectrum could deliver major benefits to rural tribal communities, he said. The tribal priority window closes Aug. 3. Some organizations see limits to the licensing rules that they are challenging with the FCC. Land designated for Native Hawaiians is included in the push to expand internet access to rural, tribal areas. But, Native Hawaiians cant apply for the licenses because theyre not among the 574 federally recognized tribes. The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is asking the FCC to waive the eligibility requirement so it can apply on behalf of Native Hawaiians who live on homesteads across 318 square miles (823 square kilometers) on six islands. This trust relationship is uniquely similar to that of federally recognized tribes and, yet, not affording Native Hawaiians a similar opportunity for access to spectrum licenses creates an inequity that is contrary to the public interest, the department wrote to the FCC last month. Burt Lum, broadband strategist for the state of Hawaii, said the home lands have varying degrees of connectivity. Its technology enabling a community for self-determination, he said. One of the largest organizations representing tribes, the National Congress of American Indians, is asking the FCC to reconsider eligibility requirements, particularly when it comes to the definition of tribal land and the inclusion of rural. The organization said tribes that dont have reservations or that dont have contiguous parcels of trust land would be left out. The FCC defined rural tribal lands as being outside urbanized areas and with a population of less than 50,000 people. The National Congress of American Indians said that could exclude tribes with land near Seattle or Phoenix, for example. This trust relationship and responsibility applies equally to all federally recognized tribal nations, not just to certain sub-sets of tribal nations based on the location of tribal lands, the organization wrote to the FCC. Federally recognized tribes and tribally owned entities, including colleges and universities, are eligible to apply for the licenses under the tribal priority. Maps on the FCCs website show tribes what spectrum is available over their land. The FCC staff also has been traveling across the country meeting with tribes to explain how the licensing works. Mariel Triggs also has been reaching out to tribes and testing small networks on tribal lands. Triggs, chief executive of the nonprofit MuralNet, recently worked with the Havasupai Tribe deep in a gorge off the Grand Canyon to set up a community network. Im really excited to see what we can learn from the networks they build, she said. How can you do it differently? Any tribe that receives a license must prove it is putting the spectrum to use. Licensees wont be able to sell or transfer their licenses until they make the spectrum available to 80% of the population in the licenses coverage area within five years. The licenses can be leased. The spectrum remaining after the tribal window closes will be auctioned off for commercial use. The telecommunications company, Sprint, is among the largest users. (Newser) Jeff Bezos and girlfriend Lauren Sanchez made it red-carpet official last month, but February brings a new set of headlines tied to their union. It emerged late Sunday that Sanchez's brother, Michael Sanchez, on Friday sued the Amazon founder for defamation. He alleges that Bezos and his security consultant, Gavin de Becker, falsely told media outlets that he was the one who leaked Bezos' nude photos to the National Enquirer. Sanchez is seeking unspecified damages over those allegedly false statements, which he claims spurred an FBI raid at his house, caused professional problems for him, and damaged his relationship with family members. Sanchez does acknowledge in his suit that he had a role in publicizing the couple's relationship, but says it was part of an effort to "get ahead of the story," Bloomberg reports. story continues below When snaps of the couple taken in July 2018 caused questions to bubble up in the press, Sanchez claims he tried to seize control of the timing and direction of the story by striking a confidential $200,000 deal with American Media Inc. that, per a review of the contract by the Wall Street Journal, gave AMI "certain information, photographs, and text messages documenting [the] affair." Sanchez maintains he never supplied AMI with the graphic selfies. Bezos' lawyer simply said the allegations would be addressed in court. Lauren Sanchez was more loquacious via her lawyer: "Michael is my older brother. He secretly provided my most personal information to the National Enquirera deep and unforgivable betrayal. My family is hurting over this new baseless and untrue lawsuit, and we truly hope my brother finds peace." (Read more Jeff Bezos stories.) Advertisement This is the terrifying moment a FlyBe plane was rocked by high winds as it landed at Leeds Bradford Airport as forecasters hint that the UK faces -5C temperatures and snow as Storm Ciara is on the way. The aircraft struggled to make a smooth landing before finally touching down at an angle on the tarmac in West Yorkshire this afternoon. The Met Office has warned commuters in the north of England that they face an onslaught of showers and gusts as they head home from work this evening, with gusts of up to 80mph in western Scotland. Pictured: The plane's wings struggle to stay steady as it blown from one position to another (left and centre) before landing across the marks on the tarmac (right) And a wind chill will ensure that northern regions with recorded temperatures of 48F (9C) will feel closer to freezing. Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: 'Gusts of 70-80mph in north-west Scotland and 60mph in the rest of Scotland are expected on Monday night. Wintry showers will definitely definitely be seen on Monday and Tuesday on Scotland's hills. 'Widespread frost and -3C to -5C widely will be seen on Tuesday night, in a cloudier and quieter midweek. But much of the UK will have another wet and windy spell by the weekend, with a storm coming from the coast of North America. 'Whether we name the storm depends on how the system develops. But warnings could be issued for any part of the UK. There's certainly more windy weather on the cards as it looks rather unsettled through February, with the wettest and windiest weather in the North and West, and a short-lived few colder interludes.' Determined dog walkers in Tynemouth braved the blustery conditions on Longsands beach today as Britain is battered by ales and prepares for the potential arrival of Storm Ciara at the weekend Pictured: Dog walkers are pictured on Longsands beach today as wind fuels the waves off the coast of north-east England with gales forecast to reach up to 80mph Though the south will remain largely calm over the next couple of days, the west of Scotland will tomorrow night be battered by wind. Frost and fog will sweep Britain on Wednesday and heading into Thursday before conditions ease off in most of the country for Friday. But Storm Ciara could be named this weekend, with the Met Office faring that amber warnings will be in force with gusts of around 80mph. The south and west of Scotland will suffer the greatest gales, with 38ft waves predicted off the coast and even more gusts predicted throughout next week. The Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze said: 'February is more famous for snow than storms - but computer models show an Atlantic barrage is on the way this month. 'Stormy conditions are possible at the start and end of the week, and again in the following week, with no sign of widespread snow.' Dozens of inmates at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center say they have been tased, punched, bitten by dogs and isolated in unprovoked attacks by correction officers in retaliation to an earlier attack by inmates on a correction officer at the prison, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in Suffolk Superior Court. The inmates making the allegations against the correction officers say they had no connection at all to the Jan. 10 attack but still have endured attacks. Robert Silva-Prentice counted 10, maybe 12 correction officers who entered his cell at Souza-Baranowski last month. They beat him and took his legal paperwork, according to the complaint. Dwayne Moore alleged he was handcuffed and punched in the head by correction officers around Jan. 20. He said his legal paperwork and other belongings were confiscated. Lawmakers and prisoners rights advocates have interviewed at least 40 inmates who reported being attacked or not being allowed to call their lawyers. Now attorneys representing at least three inmates at Souza-Baranowski are asking a judge to intervene in the alleged retaliation campaign. This is totally unacceptable, said Victoria Kelleher, one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit. She said that for weeks inmates were not allowed to meet or speak with their attorneys. This is the very time when clients most need their lawyers. Kelleher, of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, discussed the allegations on Monday during a legislative briefing on Beacon Hill. Six inmates reported being bitten by dogs, said Elizabeth Matos, executive director of Prisoners Legal Services. Several more tried to commit suicide, though Matos said she did not know exactly how many. The prison on the Lancaster-Shirley lines was placed on lockdown after a Jan. 10 attack on a correction officer. Sources told MassLive that the group of inmates who surrounded the corrections officer were members of the Latin Kings gang. Three correction officers were injured, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union said. The union blamed the states criminal justice reform, which was passed in 2016, for the incident. The union did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. A Department of Correction spokeswoman some privileges were restricted and some inmates were moved as staff searched for weapons and other contraband. This process was necessary to prevent further violence, the spokeswoman said in a statement. Every effort was made to provide attorneys with reasonable access to their clients as soon as safety and security were restored. The spokeswoman said the department has not received the lawsuit and does not comment on pending litigation, but that the department will defend all actions and decisions necessary to maintain the safety of staff, inmates and visitors at the commonwealths only maximum-security prison. Operations at the prison are returning to normal following the Jan. 10 incident, the spokeswoman said. It is unclear when the lockdown ended, but general visits are expected to resume by the end of the week. The DOCs use of force policy states that force should never be used as a form of punishment. Correction officers are to be trained on de-escalation tactics. But officers are allowed to use reasonable force, which involves using physical power, a weapon, a chemical agent or other restraint devices while applying the least amount of force necessary, according to the policy. Use of reasonable force is allowed when its deemed necessary to prevent an inmate from escaping, harming oneself or another inmate, assaulting an officer and damaging property causing a disturbance. It is also allowed to move an inmate who has refused to comply with an order by a prison employee, to search an inmate who has refused a proper order and preserve the overall order and security of the institution," according to the policy. Attorneys argue they were barred from visiting their clients for more than two weeks after the incident and a section of the inmate population was still being denied certain visits with their attorneys as of Friday. The lawsuit states: "Since January 27, 2020, north side inmates have only been permitted non-contact visits with their attorneys. The non-contact visits do not adequately permit attorneys to communicate, review legal paperwork or prepare their clients cases. The lawsuit describes tactical teams that carried tasers, paintball guns, OC spray, bean bag guns, and inmates who were tased and struck by officers who were wearing plastic knuckles over their gloves. Sen. Jamie Eldridge, an Acton Democrat, spoke with correction officials after the Jan. 10 incident and again on Sunday. He and a handful of other lawmakers made an unannounced visit to the prison and interviewed 15 inmates, one on one. None of the inmates they interviewed was involved in the Jan. 10 incident, Eldridge said. He said the inmates shared disturbing stories about the tactical team. The frustration that I heard from inmates was, why are we being punished for something we were not involved in?" Eldridge said. "'Why does our property get taken our bibles, our family pictures, access to legal documents, when we had nothing to do with this incident?' Eldridge called on Gov. Charlie Baker and top correction officials to implement a different approach than the one he heard about from inmates. In the meantime, he added, lawmakers plan to continue visiting the facility. This is going to continue because the Legislature sent a very strong message that the status quo with our criminal justice system is unacceptable, Eldridge said. We need to fight for reform. Stocks to watch out for today on February 3: M&M, Maruti, PVR, Affle (India), Godrej Properties, JBM Auto, IDBI Bank among others are the top stocks to watch out for in Monday's trading session Blue Star Q3: The company reported a consolidated net profit (YoY) at Rs 20.24 crore during the quarter ended December 31, 2019 as against net loss of Rs 1.82 crore, recorded in a year-ago period. The company's total income from operations rose 11.9% (YoY) to Rs 1,242 crore in the October-December quarter of the current fiscal as compared to Rs 1,109.34 crore in the same period last financial year. Lumax Industries Q3: Company's PAT was down 8% YoY to Rs 56 crore. Revenue fell 14% YoY to Rs 1,214 crore. EBITDA including other income was up by 2% YoY to Rs 127 crore. Company's EBITDA Margins expanded by 170 bps to 10.5%. PVR: Company said CRISIL has upgraded its rating on the non-convertible debentures and long-term bank facilities to 'CRISIL AA/Stable' from 'CRISIL AA-/Stable. CRISIL has also withdrawn its ratings on the Rs 225 crore non-convertible debentures as these have been redeemed. The withdrawal is in-line with CRISIL's policy. Maharashtra Seamless: The company said Sanjiv Goyal has resigned as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and has been relieved from services on January 31, 2020. SML Isuzu: The automobile manufacturer reported a 11.5 per cent decline in total sales at 1,112 units in January. The company had sold 997 units in January 2019. Total sales (Cumulative Ten months till January 2020) fell 12 per cent to 9,127 units in 2019 as against 10,373 units in 2018. Apollo Microsystems: The company is participating in DEF EXPO 2020, India, going to be held at Vrindavan Yojna, Sector 15, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, from 5th February 2020 to 9th February 2020 organised by the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence. Q3 Earnings Today: Affle (India), Godrej Properties, Hawkins Cookers, Honeywell Automation, JBM Auto, Shriram Transport, Dr. Lal Pathlabs, Bayer CropScience, AstraZeneca Pharma, Century Plyboards, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals, Deepak Nitrite, Saksoft, Shalby, SRF, Ujjivan Financial Services, Tata Chemicals, Investment Trust Of India, Unichem Laboratories, Vishnu Chemicals, Welspun Corp among others will announce their Q3 earnings today. Basking sharks are not lone predators but instead travel to familiar feeding spots with their relatives to gorge on plankton together, a study has found. Researchers from the UK used DNA swabs to monitor the endangered species, which is the worlds second-largest shark and one of three that feed on plankton. It had previously been thought that basking sharks migrated in groups of unrelated individuals, seeking out new areas in which to feast. New sampling by the team, however, revealed that the sharks tend to travel as extended family parties along familiar feeding routes. Scroll down for video Basking sharks are not lone predators but instead travel to familiar feeding spots with their relatives to gorge on plankton together, a study has found WHAT ARE BASKING SHARKS? Basking sharks are found all across the world's temperate oceans. They feed on plankton using their giant mouths which filter the sea water. They can grow up to 33 feet (10 metres) in length and are thought to live for as long as 50 years. They are known to swim across oceans and dive to depths of up to 3281 feet. Basking sharks are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Advertisement The northern European shelf hosts a plankton bloom each year, drawing in basking sharks from across the Atlantic and perhaps even further beyond. Hundreds of basking sharks are known to gather each spring on the west coast of Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man. Marine scientist Lilian Lieber of the Queen's University Belfast and colleagues regularly swabbed the DNA of basking sharks across the globe to create genetic profiles that allowed them to identify individual sharks. In total, the team developed a register of more than 400 individual DNA profiles with the same sharks often being seen year-after-year at the same dates in the same areas. 'The biggest obstacle to understanding how this endangered species uses the oceans was lack of DNA samples collected routinely from aggregations,' said Dr Lieber. 'At the start of our study, the relatively few available samples were from stranded sharks taken years and hundreds of kilometres apart, making them useless for population analyses.' 'A breakthrough came when we discovered our techniques worked on skin mucus. We routinely swabbed aggregations of sharks quickly and with minimal disturbance, to obtain genetic profiles of individuals travelling together.' The regular sampling revealed that groups of basking sharks tended to consist of related individuals alongside revealing the existing of seasonal migration routes, such as an important on in the increasingly developed Irish Sea. Researchers from the University of Aberdeen studied the endangered species, which is the worlds second-largest shark and one of three that feed on plankton 'Perhaps relatives hang out together, which could facilitate learning migration routes and encourage other co-operative behaviours,' said paper author and ecologist Catherine Jones of the University of Aberdeen. 'This means theres more going on in basking shark aggregations than first appears, in that they dont fit the shark stereotype of a lonesome independent predator. 'Until this study, the perception was they moved into warmer waters from globally distributed localities, sniffing out a plankton meal as they got closer to feeding sites, collecting in aggregations of unrelated sharks,' added paper co-author Les Noble. This behaviour, he added, was akin to 'gourmets headed into town chancing on finding a good restaurant by smell.' 'Now we know basking sharks book in advance at known Michelin-starred venues and take the family along.' The researcher's findings also raise concerns about the basking sharks' declining population, with numbers expected to be below 10,000 individuals in north east Atlantic waters. The species is classified as being endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature's 'Red List'. Some of the more significant threats to basking shark populations are environmental change and fishing accidents,' Dr Jones said. 'Losing a group of kin together, such as occurs during accidental bycatch, erodes variation rapidly making these big, slowly reproducing fish less capable of evolving to cope with environmental change,' she added. 'That, and a tendency to utilise areas currently designated for development of marine renewable energy, may not produce a happy outcome unless we see intelligent management of marine environments.' The full findings of the study were published in the journal Scientific Reports. President Trump spoke at the White House Summit on Human Trafficking. Trump was Mondays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words: Twenty years ago, this nation took a historic step to protect the victims of this form of modern-day slavery here in the United States and all around the world. My administration is 100 percent committed to eradicating human trafficking from the Earth. We are also honored to have with us several extraordinary survivors of human trafficking. And I want to thank you all for being here. And youll come up when we sign, and its going to be my great honor to say hello and shake your hand. And your courage really inspires us all. I want to just let you know that. As the men and women in this room know, human trafficking is a problem everywhere a worldwide problem. Human trafficking is worse than ever before, and thats because of the Internet. Ive heard from Bill Barr, and Ive heard from others, that the Internet has caused lots of good things to happen and lots of really bad things. And this is probably the worst of the bad things. And its an incredible thing. An estimated 25 million people around the world today are being held captive, manipulated, and abused by human traffickers. In 2018 alone, the National Human Trafficking Hotline identified over 23,000 human trafficking victims in the United States. Sixty-five percent of these victims were women. More than one in five were children. Human traffickers prey on their most vulnerable citizens and people. Theyre vicious. Theyre violent. My administration is fighting these monsters, persecuting and prosecuting them, and locking them away for a very, very long time. Weve had a tremendous track record the best track record in a long time. We are dismantling the criminal organizations that make largescale human trafficking possible. In my first month in office, I instructed federal agencies to go out and just do what you have to do. All federal departments are doing what they do to identify and destroy these groups. And we are destroying a lot of them. Unfortunately, they come back very quickly in a different form. In 2018, the Department of Justice shut down the leading site for online sex trafficking. The DOJ prosecuted a number of violent crimes. That now is a record number. In the last three years, ICE has arrested over 5,000 human traffickers. And I want to thank ICE. They have been incredible. These are great, great people. (Applause.) Great. Great people. Theyre tough, theyre brave, and they love our country. Overseas, we have also seen historic prog- really, progress, incredible progress working with us and using our intelligence with them. When I took office, ISIS controlled over 20,000 square miles of territory and perpetrated some of the most heinous forms of human trafficking anywhere in the world. As you know, weve totally defeated the ISIS caliphate in Syria, in Iraq. And its 100 percent. We have thousands and thousands of prisoners ISIS prisoners. And its really been something thats been rather incredible. And we did that rather quickly, because when we came in, as an administration, it was all over. And we have 100 percent of the caliphate. Theyre bloodthirsty. Theyre horrible. The founder and leader, al-Baghdadi, who was trying to rebuild ISIS, is now dead. We got him and that was a big thing. (Applause.) That was a big thing, and not an easy thing. He was hiding and theyve been after him for 15 years, but we got him. My administration is putting unprecedented pressure on traffickers at home and abroad, and we are freeing innocent victims at every single turn. I was proud to be the first Commander-in-Chief to attend a meeting of the Presidents Interagency Task Force established by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. In November, I was also the first President to sign an executive order to establish a Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. (Applause.) Just signed it. And this has a very special focus on women and girls. Thats an incredible thing thats been happening, but we just signed it. Ive signed nine pieces of bipartisan legislation aimed specifically at combatting human trafficking domestically and around the globe. And in 2018, I signed legislation strengthening the Department of Homeland Securitys Blue Campaign, which unified the Departments fight against this crisis and increasing public awareness every single day. We have signed more legislation on human trafficking, by far, than any other administration has even thought about. We enacted bills. (Applause.) Thank you. And well do whats necessary. We will do exactly whats necessary. Theres nothing more horrible than this. We enacted bills to fight sex trafficking, increase support for survivors, and raise the standards by which we judge whether other countries are meeting their duty to fight human trafficking. And you have countries that talk and they talk. Theyre like politicians in Washington. (Laughter.) They keep talking; they do nothing about it. They do nothing about it. And we spend a lot of money on these other countries. And were not sending it, and we let them know,ver if theyre not going to be doing their job. They dont in some cases, probably want to do their job, and thats a pretty bad thing. We have authorized $430 million to fight sex and labor trafficking. And with the help of the State Department, I have held foreign governments accountable for failing to address human trafficking by imposing restrictions on foreign assistance and very powerful restrictions. (Applause.) Ive also prioritized increasing funding for anti-trafficking efforts in my 2021 budget, allocating $70 million towards enhanced prosecutions and at the Department of Justice. We are spending $123 million towards supporting state and local efforts. (Applause.) And this is all new funding, and these funds will directly benefit those on the frontlines who are tasked with bringing down the perpetrators of this terrible crime. So the kind of money were talking about now is far greater than what youve had in the past. And let them give the people that worked so hard in this administration credit because theyve wanted to do it more than the people in any other preceding administration. And you can read what you want, you can say what you want, but nobody has done more than what weve been doing on human trafficking. (Applause.) So today, on the last day of this years National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, I will take another very decisive action. In a few moments, I will sign an executive order targeting human trafficking and child exploitation all across our country. This order (applause). And this is a very big one: This order will build on an incredible work that and, really, the unbelievable work that so many of the people in this room have been doing, and all of the work that has been done and increasingly is being done. You wouldnt believe the level the level of enthusiasm that people working on this issue have. I wor- I have many issues: economic we have all different issues. I have never seen such enthusiasm for a single issue as I have for human trafficking. (Applause.) And I have to say, that starts with Bill Barr and Chris Wray, the FBI. It starts with all of the people in law enforcement. So important. And its something that people really do appreciate. So they collect and they coordinate. They share vital law enforcement and intelligence information with other places all over the world, and very, very important. And we have made a tremendous impact. The problem is its so massive. Its so many people. Its so many countries. But weve had a tremendous impact. It will be posted online along with a comprehensive list of government resources, all of the things that we do, and where to go to find out about whats happening. This order expands prevention education programs, promotes housing opportunities for survivors, and prioritizes the removal of child sexual abuse material from the Internet. (Applause.) And furthermore, it takes the vital step of designating a full-time position here at the White House dedicated solely to combating human trafficking, so people know how important it is. (Applause.) The United States government continues to work with the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, in consultation with industry, on a set, voluntary principle. We have a a set of voluntary principles to tackle online child sexual exploitation and abuse. And the level of detail, the kind of things that theyre putting in nobody has ever seen anything like this before. The people that are working on it do it with incredible heart and love, and they want something to happen. They dont want to be wasting time like people have been wasting for many years. Even people in this position, theyve been wasting time and not a lot of money, I have to tell you. They havent spent as you know, they havent been spending a lot of money. Were now spending a lot of money. We look forward to launching these principles in the coming months. We will not rest until weve stopped every last human trafficker and liberated every last survivor. (Applause.) So Im now pleased to introduce an incredible survivor, and the newest member of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human trafficking, Bella Hounakey. Hi, Bella. (Applause.) MS. HOUNAKEY: Good afternoon, my name is Bella Hounakey. Thank you, President Trump, Ms. Ivanka Trump, and the White House for organizing this important event. It is truly a great honor to be here to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. At age 13, I was brought into this country. I survived trafficking, along with 19 other girls. Afterwards, I was placed in foster care, but this negative experience in my past should not wholly define who I am today. (Applause.) Today, I am a college graduate. Today, I am an American citizen. (Applause.) And today, I stand before you as the newest member of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking. (Applause.) The Council is composed of survivor leaders who bring their experience and expertise to advise and provide recommendations to the Presidents Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking Persons. We represent a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences and were sincerely grateful to this administration for appointing our current (inaudible) members to support federal government efforts to prevent and improve trafficking programs and policies. We view the existence of this council as a victory for trafficking survivors in the federal government. This council is a model for survivor empowerment and survivor-centered approaches that other countries, states, and localities may learn from and adapt. This council shows in real and tangible ways how survivors can positively impact and inform anti-trafficking efforts at the highest levels of government. To truly be survivor-centered and informed means to not only prioritize survivors needs or wishes and service delivery, it must also include meaningful collaboration with survivors to inform the design and implementation of the very policies and programs that affect them. No survivors should ever be viewed by their trafficking or lived experiences alone. We acknowledge the great strides the federal government has made in the last 20 years to combat trafficking, as well as that of other stakeholders. We look forward to continuing to advise and collaborate with the task force to realize the goals of the TVPA, and we encourage all of you to view our 2020 annual report, which will be released this April. Thank you very much for the opportunity to be here today. And to end, I would like to share a statement and a quote from our councils chair, the Honorable Judge Lung, Robert: This is to the victims and survivors out there: Its never been your fault, no matter what. So let go of that toxic shame; it doesnt belong to you. You are never too old, too lost, or too broken to begin healing today. Hope is key, and even if it starts out as small as a mustard seed, nurture hope itll save you. And most importantly, you are not alone. Youre not alone. Youre not alone. Thank you and God bless America. (Applause.) THE VICE PRESIDENT: Incredible. (Applause.) Mr. President, Attorney General Barr, members of the council, Ivanka, Cabinet Secretaries, members of our diplomatic corps, including Ambassador Gingrich, distinguished members of Congress whove worked on this issue for so many years with such heart and compassion, members of the law enforcement community and faith leaders, and most especially, Bella and the courageous survivors who joined us here today: It is an honor to be with you on this historic day. (Applause.) As the President reflected, were here to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. As the President has made clear, from his heart, we have a President who knows human trafficking is not only an unconscionable evil, but an epidemic in the world today. And the United States of America will confront it as never before. (Applause.) Mr. President, as you said in your proclamation marking this past month, that human trafficking is an affront to humanity. And youve taken decisive action to bring human traffickers to justice, their victims to safety, and to help survivors walk the difficult road to recovery. Like no President before you, youve made it a priority to target transnational criminal organizations that have victimized thousands of innocent people on both sides of our borders. I know the President and I are grateful for the efforts of all of those gathered here today for your compassion, for shining light in the darkness, and bringing the justice and determination of the American people to this cause. But permit me to add one more voice of appreciation to a member of this administration who has probably articulated the Presidents message on this issue with more compassion and more determination than anyone else in the history of this moment. Would you join me in thanking Ivanka Trump one more time for her extraordinary leadership on human trafficking? (Applause.) Mr. President, the order youre about to sign will impact the federal response across our government and empower the agencies so well represented here to have even more tools to combat the scourge of human trafficking. It will improve the way law enforcement and federal agencies gather information. It will also make it easier for the American people to partner with this administration and with law enforcement in combatting human trafficking. It will empower faith-based organizations to provide victims and survivors with more compassionate care. And with more and more young people around America engaged in this issue, Mr. President, by your order today, you will give younger Americans, especially, the ability on the Internet to identify the signs of trafficking, what dangers to avoid, and how to break free if theyve been victimized. (Applause.) Our founding documents attest that we believe that every person is endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And today, with a compassionate determination of all of those gathered here, Mr. President, you again show the American peoples commitment to the justice and dignity and worth of every person, and we thank you for your leadership and compassion. (Applause.) THE PRESIDENT: So, Mike, thank you very much. And I just want to congratulate everybody in this room. What Id like to do is maybe ask some of our folks that are so involved to come up and the survivors to come up. We will sign and we will say hello to everybody. And again, its an honor to be with you today. Thank you very much. This is a big moment. Thank you. (The executive order is signed.) (Applause.) The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML. Microsoft's Edge last month posted its first ever double-digit browser share, while Google's Chrome slid for the third month straight. Mozilla's Firefox once again held steady, keeping its head above water. According to data published Sunday by California-based metrics company Net Applications, Edge's October share climbed by 1.4 percentage points, ending the month at 10.2%, the first time Microsoft's browser broke through that psychologically important barrier. The gain was the largest ever for Edge in a single month, almost double that of the previous record set in December 2019. The increase was so large that it immediately raised suspicions that it was a miscount by Net Applications rather than a reflection of reality. Bolstering that was an even greater boost to the share of Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE), the obsolete browser the Redmond, Wash. company has started to strip of some of its support. IE's share for October 5.6% was 1.7 points higher than the month prior, a jump so out of character as to be unbelievable. Edge's gain was understandable, at least. Microsoft relaunched that 2015 browser earlier this year when it recast Edge with the Google-dominated Chromium technology, the same that powers Chrome. Not only did Microsoft make Edge a Chrome copy, but it also expanded support to versions of Windows other than 10, as well as macOS and, more recently, Linux. Since January, Edge has slowly been adding share; 3.2 points since the Chromium-based Edge went final in the Stable channel. In the past 12 months, Edge has gained 4.1 percentage points, for an average of a third of a point per month. At that pace, Edge should sit at almost 11% by year's end and at 15% by December 2021. Of course, that assumes Edge can maintain growth, which in turn requires one or more rivals continues to give up share. The most likely loser? Chrome, mostly because of its titanic share but also because Edge is, well, Chrome wearing a different outfit. Microsoft's launch of Windows 10 20H2 the H2 signifying the year's second feature upgrade last month may assist Edge as it continues to climb: 20H2 includes Chromium Edge. That should accelerate the replacement of original Edge, the version introduced in mid-2015 that ran only on Windows 10, with the sounder Chromium browser. Chrome down for third consecutive month Chrome dumped seven-tenths of a percentage point in October, falling back to 69.3%. The decline was the third in as many months, an unusual run that's occurred only four times in the browser's 15 years. (The last time it happened before this was in September-December 2019.) Whenever Chrome suffers losses in two or more straight months, it's tempting to wonder whether the browser has peaked. Computerworld has tentatively pegged more than a couple such milestones before but been proven wrong each time. The browser could easily bounce back as it has before. Computerworld's latest forecast as always, based on Chrome's 12-month average stayed with growth, albeit pared significantly from 30 days ago. Chrome should return to 70% by March 2021 and reach 71% by September 2022. (The latter was three months later than last month's forecast, showing how present declines quickly impact future gains.) Edge remains Chrome's most dangerous competitor, primarily and this is Google's own doing to some degree because the former is the latter, what with both relying on Chromium. But Microsoft has cards to play here that Google cannot match; Microsoft will leverage its enterprise management reputation and expertise in an attempt to wean commercial customers from Google's browser. Microsoft's strategy, then, would be the opposite of Google's. The latter pushed Chrome to consumers until its share reached tipping point, and employees demanded the right to run the same browser they'd become familiar with at home. Microsoft would instead hope to win over business users in the expectation that they might want to run the same browser on home PCs, tablets or even phones. Firefox: Not dead yet! Firefox didn't move its share needle last month; it stayed at the same 7.2% mark it earned in September. That meant Firefox didn't gain any ground. It also meant it didn't lose any, probably its most important goal for now and the foreseeable future. Mozilla's browser also stuck to the bad news forecast of last month, although Computerworld's current prediction puts it under 6% in August 2021, two months later than last month's estimate. At its 12-month rate of decline, Firefox will dip below 5% in May 2022. Elsewhere in Net Applications' numbers, Apple's Safari slumped by two-tenths of a percentage point in October, sliding to 3.4%. Opera Software's Opera fell by a slightly-larger three-tenths of a point to end the month at an all-time low of seven-tenths of a point. Net Applications calculates share by detecting the agent strings of the browsers used to reach the websites of Net Applications' clients. The company counts visitor sessions to measure browser activity. Or it used to. At the same time it published October's share numbers, Net Applications announced that it's pulling the plug on the data source. "October 2020 is the last month of data," the firm said. "Why? An upcoming change in browsers will break our device detection technology and will cause inaccuracies for a long period of time." The change Net Applications cited would remove much of the agent string information used not only to compile analytics such as browser and operating system share, but also by advertisers and/or scammers to "fingerprint" individuals so that they can be more thoroughly tracked as they conduct their online lives. Computerworld has not yet decided whether to continue the "Top web browsers" series, and if so, which alternate data source might be used. Stay tuned. CORALVILLE, Iowa - Making last-minute pleas to an electorate that has remained widely undecided, the presidential candidates powered toward the end of a year-long Iowa caucuses campaign by focusing Sunday on vows of electability and Democratic Party unity even as they offered sharply different visions of what that meant. On the final full day of campaigning here before Monday night's precinct caucuses, crowds overflowed school gymnasiums and campaign offices across the state as the candidates kept a brisk pace to make their final appeals. But it was also a day marked by upheaval and signs of discomfort among top party officials over whether Iowa's vote will push the presidential race too far to the left. On Sunday, even as Joe Biden's campaign aides worked to play down expectations and allies sought to cast doubt on rival Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., an NBC News reporter overheard one of the former vice president's top surrogates, John Kerry, in a hotel lobby speculating over the idea that he would jump into the race. While the 2004 nominee later denied that he would run in 2020 - "I am absolutely not running for President," the former secretary of state wrote on Twitter - he did not directly deny the report that he had speculated about it, with NBC saying he cited as a motivating factor "the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party - down whole." It was, in some ways, a fitting cap to an unusual campaign in which Democrats, after the long campaign here, continue to grapple with which of their many options offers the best chance of defeating President Donald Trump. The top candidates offered conflicting views of how they would position the party to take on Trump. Biden and former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg forwarded a more centrist view, Sanders vowed to reshape the party in his liberal image, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., presented herself as a unity candidate residing in the middle of those two camps. As they made closing arguments to Iowa's voters, Biden and Buttigieg touted their ability to win voters in Republican-leaning districts as a sign that they would have broader appeal in the general election. Buttigieg underscored that by citing at one of his last events his favorite Beatles song: "Come Together." Sanders,whose brand of politics can border on uncompromising, made an overt appeal on Sunday to those who disagree with him and focused on the most unifying force coursing through the party: opposition to Trump. "No matter what your politics may be," he told a crowd in Cedar Rapids, "I think we all understand that that is not the kind of person who should remain in the White House." Strategists suggested that the other front-runners - Biden, Buttigieg and Warren - were chasing Sanders. A Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom poll that might have added some clarity with its planned Saturday night release was canceled after technical problems. Uncertainty and fear undergirded the campaign's final days. Some campaign aides worried that their candidate would be dealt a suffocating blow Monday night. Many voters and some candidates said they were fearful about the party's divisions at the very moment they hoped Democrats would be energized. "We better not screw this up," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said Saturday night. Democratic anxiety has increased as impeachment proceedings clouded the approach of the caucuses. Trump, who continued to hammer Democratic candidates Sunday on Twitter and in a pre-Super Bowl interview on Fox, is expected to be acquitted by the Senate on Wednesday after debate that begins Monday, further emboldening him with a message from Senate Republicans that they will stand behind him even if he requests political assistance from foreign governments. Impeachment has kept the senators who are running for president stuck in Washington for most of the past two weeks. Sanders, Warren and Klobuchar planned to return to the capital Sunday night, and hoped to make it back to Iowa on Monday night to address supporters. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., who has been campaigning in New Hampshire while most of his competitors were in Iowa, also planned to return to Washington late Sunday. With a last day of campaigning that was unseasonably warm and sunny, candidates spread out to try to mobilize core supporters and convert as many undecided voters as they could. Buttigieg was greeted by a crowd of more than 2,000 in Des Moines. Biden, who can sometimes struggle to fill a room, saw standing-room-only audiences. Warren's staff had planned for roughly 350 people in Indianola, but more than three times that showed up - with space so tight that her top campaign advisers were temporarily barred by the fire marshal from entering. Warren urged voters not to be afraid to vote for her and her agenda. After three years of the Trump presidency, she acknowledged, fear is prevalent among Democrats. "The danger is real," Warren said to the crowd. "Our democracy hangs in the balance. And at this moment, you will decide here in Iowa, what do we do? Do we pull back? Do we cower? Do we take the timid approach?" Warren said, drawing an implicit contrast between herself and more-moderate candidates in the race. "Or do we fight back?" Warren continued. "Me? I am in this to fight back. That's why I'm here. We fight back. Fighting back is an act of patriotism." Sanders skipped across the state, calling for sweeping change. The senator from Vermont framed Monday's caucuses as the start of the "most consequential election, at least in the modern history of America." He said his campaign was about beating Trump in November and "bringing fundamental reform to American society." Sanders stopped at campaign offices in three cities, giving abbreviated stump speeches to supporters preparing to canvass for him. It was a change of pace from the large rallies he has held in recent weeks, including a concert that drew an estimated 3,000 people Saturday night. He said the time had ended for simply expressing concerns about income inequality, health care and the environment. "Now is the time to end the complaining. Now is the time for action. Action is tomorrow night," Sanders said. Sanders's efforts to pressure Democrats to coalesce behind him have been made more complicated after some prominent supporters aggressively criticized some Democrats. In Cedar Rapids on Saturday night, liberal filmmaker Michael Moore, who introduced Sanders at events across Iowa in recent days, took sharp aim at the Democratic National Committee, accusing its leaders of conspiring against Sanders and trying to boost former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg by changing qualifications for future debates. "They did this because they are so nervous and worried about Bernie," Moore alleged. A Sanders campaign spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. DNC spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa said Moore's assertion was "totally false." She added, "This is a conspiracy theory." Buttigieg began the day on a stage where he was introduced by Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague, who had previously backed Sen. Cory Booker before the New Jersey Democrat dropped out of the race. He made a pointed reference to criticisms of Buttigieg's difficulty attracting nonwhite voters. "I don't know if you've noticed," Teague said. "But I'm black." Buttigieg has grown more animated and more emotive of late, and his crowds, generally politely supportive, have become more raucous. His campaign touted the 27 counties that voted for Barack Obama and Trump as evidence of his effort to reach more than just true-blue Democrats. He suggested that "a massive American majority" agrees on things such as gun background checks or dealing with climate change, and suggested he is the candidate best equipped to activate it. Two voters at the Coralville event told him they are Republicans voting for a Democrat for the first time. "I'm not trying to trick anybody into thinking I'm more conservative than I am," Buttigieg said Sunday, in a response to a different voter who asked how he plans to persuade Republicans. "I can't say that we will agree 100% of the time, but I promise we will navigate those differences with respect and that everyone will be heard." When a voter told Buttigieg she was planning to vote for a Democrat for the first time and wondered why she should vote for him over Biden, Buttigieg said he was offering "just a different approach." "Every single time my party has won the White House in the last 50 years, we have done it with a candidate who is new in national politics, who is opening a door to a new generation of leadership, and who either doesn't work in Washington or hasn't been there very long," he said. "That is how we win." Biden began the day courting voters in eastern Iowa, attempting to rally a crowd at a Catholic university by saying he was the candidate with not only the most widespread appeal but the one with the experience to unite a divided nation once in office. "We have to unite not only the Democratic Party," Biden told a standing-room-only crowd in Dubuque. "We have to unite the country. It's the only way we're going to be able to govern. We have to pull the country together, Democrats, independents, and Republicans. I refuse to accept the notion that we're at war with the Republican Party." That bipartisan appeal, though, was tested later in the day when Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, raised the prospect that Republicans could attempt to impeach Biden because of the work his son did in Ukraine while Biden was vice president. "I think this door of impeachable whatever has been opened," Ernst said in an interview with Bloomberg News. "Joe Biden should be very careful what he's asking for because, you know, we can have a situation where if it should ever be President Biden, that immediately, people, right the day after he would be elected would be saying, 'Well, we're going to impeach him.' " Earlier in the day, some of Biden's top advisers sought to play down any results in Iowa, arguing that the impact of a loss for him would be limited and suggesting voters consider the results of the first four states - not just the first. "We've never said that we were going to run away with it. We've always said that this would be a fight, this would be a close race," Symone Sanders, a senior adviser, said during a breakfast with reporters hosted by Bloomberg News. "We ain't shocked." Biden advisers also attempted a difficult task: casting the former vice president, who has led in most national polls throughout the race, as the underdog. "Since before vice president Biden got into this race - since before April 25 - people have been writing our campaign's obituary," Sanders said, adding that they remained confident. "Tuesday morning will be no different." Former senator Christopher Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat who has been campaigning with Biden, also sought to raise alarms about what a Sanders victory would mean to the party's 2020 chances. "Bernie describes himself as a socialist - certainly the president will have a field day with that argument," Dodd said. "Bernie would have a very difficult time winning the election in November as our national candidate." He said Sanders would be unable to campaign with many Democrats and would "pose a serious threat" to the House majority. "I hope no one is offended by that," Dodd said. "That's just the reality." - - - The Washington Post's Matt Viser contributed to this report. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said today that the Russian authorities are in full control of the Wuhan coronavirus situation in the country. "All necessary measures have been taken to prevent the spread of the infection in our country, a response team has been established and the situation is under control," he stressed. Mishustin noted that he had already signed a special national plan to fight the virus. The PM said that Russia may deport foreign citizens found to be infected with coronavirus. He also proposed postponing the Russian Investment Forum 2020 in the Black Sea city of Sochi, scheduled for Feb. 12-14. The Russian PM added that it was decided to send humanitarian aid to China to fight the infection. A decree was signed yesterday on including the novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV in the list of diseases posing a threat to Russian citizens. Russia's first two cases of the virus were reported last week and said the infected people were Chinese citizens who had been isolated. As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 360 people in China continues to spread around the world, Russia has stepped up measures to tackle the health risk, including closing most entry points along its 4,200-kilometer border. In a bid to contain the outbreak, Russia has also banned Chinese tour groups from coming to Russia and stopped issuing e-visas to Chinese citizens. Demand for face masks in Russia has risen thirteenfold over the past week. The state emergency response team was formed in Russia last week to prevent the novel coronavirus from spreading into the country. The new strain of the deadly Wuhan coronavirus 2019-nCoV was reportedly first detected in Wuhan in December 2019 and has since spread to more than 20 countries. The virus has already killed over 361 people in China and one person in the Philippines and infected about 17,205 others, prompting authorities from various countries to evacuate their nationals from virus-affected areas. Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the second year on a row. Two politicians in Sweden have nominated the teenage campaigner for the 2020 prize for her work to raise awareness of the climate crisis. Jens Holm and Hakan Svenneling, of Sweden's Left Party, said the 17-year-old 'has worked hard to make politicians open their eyes to the climate crisis'. They added Thunberg had also said her work in 'reducing our emissions and complying with the Paris Agreement is therefore also an act of making peace'. Thunberg was also nominated in 2019, but lost out last year to Ethiopia's prime minister, Abiy Ahmed. The 2015 landmark Paris climate deal asks both rich and poor countries to take action to curb the rise in global temperatures that is melting glaciers, raising sea levels and shifting rainfall patterns. Greta Thunberg taking her placard after her speech during first Anniversary Climate Strike in Lausanne, Switzerland, earlier this month Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg speaking to the crowd after an environmental Fridays for Future climate strike demonstration to protest a lack of climate awareness in Lausanne It requires governments to present national plans to reduce emissions to limit global temperature rise to well below 2C (3.6F). The Swedish activist has encouraged students to skip school to join protests demanding faster action on climate change, a movement that has spread beyond Sweden to other European nations and around the world. She founded the Fridays for Future movement that has inspired similar actions by other young people. Any national politician can nominate somebody for the Nobel Peace Prize, and three members of the Norwegian parliament nominated the teenager last year. In 2019, she was among four people named as the winners of a Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Nobel, and was named Time magazine's Person of the Year. The Norwegian Nobel Committee does not publicly comment on nominations, which for 2020 had to be submitted by February 1. Last week Thunberg announced she had applied to trademark her name and that of the international school strike movement she inspired. The move is meant to protect the movement from misuse for commercial purposes. Airports across the world are now in the midst of being decongested, expanded and modernised with an impressive bouquet of facilities designed to make them sleek and classy. The Middle East, Africa and Asia regions are seeing an unprecedented boom in airport construction and development as they inch towards bringing about a quantitative and qualitative transformation. In the UAE, the Arab worlds second biggest economy, the total investment in the sector is expected to exceed Dh1 trillion ($272.1 billion) within the next two decades. The ongoing airport developments in the UAE has been valued at over Dh85 billion ($23.1 billion). According to the Construction Intelligence Centre (CIC), airport-related construction projects in the Middle East and Africa are valued at $222.3 billion, with $92.8 billion in the execution stage. Saudi Arabia leads with projects valued at $58.6 billion, followed by the UAE with $57.9 billion. Assuming all projects proceed as planned, spending will reach $34.2 billion in 2021 and the highest value of project completions will be in 2022 at $52.5 billion. Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, director general of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCCA) and CEO of Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans), said as the aviation industry becomes increasingly advanced, the airports have become prime infrastructure requirement to every economy to grow. In the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf, especially in the UAE, it is a continuous exercise to improve the capacity of airports and equip them with the newest technologies for passenger facilitation. Key decision-makers of airports will be congregating at the 20th edition of the Airport Show at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) across four spacious halls from June 22 for three days with more than 375 companies from 94 countries participating. It will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group. The event is expected to draw over 8,500 attendees travelling to take a look at the latest aviation technologies on display from around the world. Daniyal Qureshi, group exhibition director of Reed Exhibitions Middle East, which organises Airport Show, said: Considering strong growth in air traffic, many airports are near, at, or even exceeding their design capacities, causing congestion, lower levels of service and frustrated passengers. Existing airport infrastructure cannot handle expected growth. The G20s Global Infrastructure Outlook estimated that the airport investment plans of 50 countries alone totalled $355 billion from 2018 to 2022, but their actual investment needs were more than $433 billion. For expanding airports like we have in the Middle East, traffic growth poses both an opportunity and a challenge. A report by Global Data says globally, airport construction projects have been valued at $737.3 billion. Of this, $212 billion is in the planning stage and Asia-Pacific accounts for the highest value with $241.4 billion, followed by the Middle East and Africa with projects valuing about $196.4 billion. According to IATA, about $1.2 to $1.5 trillion is expected to be spent on global airport infrastructure development up to 2030. Angela Gittens, director general of Airports Council International (ACI), whose members operate 1,960 airports in 176 countries, remarked: Existing airport infrastructure in many mature markets will not be able to handle the expected growth. Investment in airport infrastructure is critical to the global economy and connectivity." - TradeArabia News Service [February 03, 2020] Jackson Names Axel Andre Chief Financial Officer Jackson National Life Insurance Company (Jackson) today announced that Axel Andre has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Jackson. Andre most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of Individual Retirement at AIG. He will be based in the company's Lansing, Michigan office and will assume his new role effective Feb. 24, 2020. Andre joined AIG in 2013 and initially served as Chief Risk Officer for Individual Retirement, Group Retirement, and Institutional Markets. He was promoted to Chief Financial Officer of Individual Retirement at AIG in 2018, where he was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the finance and actuarial value chain for the Individual Retirement business, including hedging, performance measurement and reporting, financial reporting, and capital management. Prior to his time at AIG, Andre served in a variety of leadership roles on the Global Insurance Strategies team at Goldman Sachs. "I am delighted to welcome Axel to the Jackson team," said Michael Falcon, Chief Executive Officer, Jackson Holdings, LLC. "Axel has a proven track record as a strong leader as well as a fiduciary and risk management mindset that reflects our core Jackson values. His broad experience across products, markets and competitors is an outstanding complement to our already strong capabilities, as we continue to position ourselves for future growth." "I look forward to joining the Jackson team," Andre added. "I have always had a great appreciation for the team's consistent track record of success through the years and am excited to build upon that success as we continue to serve the needs of American retirees." Andre's arrival coincides with the announcement that current Jackson CFO, Chad Myers, will be moving into the newly created role of Vice Chair of Jackson Holdings, LLC. In this new role, Myers will have direct responsibility for the Jackson asset management and institutional product eams, while continuing to report to Michael Falcon. "This expansion of our leadership team and broadening of our capabilities are aligned to Jackson's future development, including through the development of new products and distribution," Falcon said. "Chad's leadership and financial stewardship are reflected in Jackson's strong business performance in his past nine years as CFO. I look forward to continuing to work with him through this transition and in his new role as Vice Chair, where he can bring his insight, skill and creativity to bear to further support our strategic initiatives and growth." About Jackson Jackson is a leading provider of retirement products for industry professionals and their clients. The company and its affiliates offer variable, fixed and fixed index annuities designed for tax-efficient growth and distribution of retirement income for retail customers, as well as products for institutional investors. Jackson is a proud founding member and co-chair of the Alliance for Lifetime Income, a nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization formed and supported by 24 of the nation's financial services organizations to create awareness and educate Americans about the importance of protected lifetime income. With $281.5 billion in IFRS assets*, the company prides itself on sound corporate risk management practices and strategic technology initiatives. Focused on thought leadership and education, Jackson provides industry insights and financial representative training on retirement planning and alternative investment strategies. The company is also dedicated to corporate philanthropy and supports nonprofits focused on strengthening families and creating economic opportunities in the communities where its employees live and work. For more information, visit www.jackson.com. *Jackson has $281.5 billion in total IFRS assets and $265.7 billion in IFRS policy liabilities set aside to pay primarily future policyowner benefits (as of June 30, 2019). International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is a principles-based set of international accounting standards for reporting financial information. IFRS is issued by the International Accounting Standards Board in an effort to increase global comparability of financial statements and results. IFRS is used by Jackson's parent company. Jackson is an indirect subsidiary of Prudential plc, an Asia-led portfolio of businesses focused on structural growth markets. The business helps individuals to de-risk their lives and deal with their biggest financial concerns through life and health insurance, and retirement and asset management solutions. Prudential plc has 20 million customers (as of June 30, 2019) and is listed on stock exchanges in London, Hong Kong, Singapore and New York. Prudential plc is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential Financial, Inc., a company whose principal place of business is in the United States of America. This press release may contain certain statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements which are other than statements of historical facts. However, as with any projection or forecast, forward-looking statements are inherently susceptible to a number of risks and uncertainties and actual results and events could differ materially from those currently being anticipated as reflected in such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that management's expectations, beliefs or projections will result or be achieved or accomplished. Any forward-looking statements reflect Jackson's views and assumptions as of the date of this press release and Jackson disclaims any obligation to update forward-looking information. PR3268 1/20 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005691/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 03, 2020] Macquarie Investment Management Announces Buildout of Emerging Markets Debt Team Macquarie Investment Management announces the completed expansion of its dedicated Emerging Markets Debt (EMD) team with the addition of Latin American Sovereign Analyst Bruno Rovai, who joined the firm late last year from Jefferies. In addition to Rovai, Macquarie has added four new hires to the team since December 2018 when Alex Kozhemiakin, Ph.D., CFA, joined the firm as head of emerging markets debt. Under Kozhemiakin's leadership, the expanded and integrated EMD team now counts nine investment professionals in the United States and Europe focusing exclusively on the asset class. "With more than $US3.5 trillion in market capitalization, EMD is replete with alpha opportunities that are in demand by our clients," said Kozhemiakin. "With our diverse and experienced team of top industry talent, we will continue to systematically exploit the asset class using our expanded resources and following our clear investment process based on rigorous research and trading discipline." Kozhemiakin and Cathy Elmore, who joined the firm a year ago as the senior sovereign analyst focusing on Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEEMEA), previously worked together at Standish Mellon Asset Management, where they served as the head and deputy head of EMD, respectively. Kozhemiakin has worked in the industry for more than 20 years, and Elmore for almost three decades. Valeria Cisnero, CFA, senior EM corporate debt analyst, joined the team last year from American Century Investments, where she worked as a senior analyst focusing on Lati American corporate debt. She has 15 years of relevant experience. Also, Yixi Yang joined the team as an EM corporate debt analyst from S&P Global Ratings. In addition to its new members, the team includes two senior EMD portfolio managers, Mansur Rasul and Gyula Toth, CFA, each with 17 years of industry experience; Sean Simmons, CFA, with 19 years of relevant experience, who serves as EMD trader; and Javier de la Vega, CFA, sovereign analyst focusing on Asian EMD. "EMD is a key structural priority of Macquarie's global fixed income strategy," said Brett Lewthwaite, chief investment officer and head of fixed income. "We are very excited to have completed the expansion of the dedicated EMD team. Bringing together diverse perspectives and experience, Alex's team is well positioned to identify opportunities for our clients across the entire spectrum of EMD, while leveraging our broader fixed income capabilities such as global macro and credit analysis." Macquarie Investment Management has $US130 billion in global fixed income assets under management, including more than $US1.7 billion in EMD assets, as of Dec. 31, 2019. The firm's global fixed income team includes more than 110 investment professionals located in the US, Europe, and Australia. For more information, visit https://www.macquarieim.com/investments/strategies/fixed-income/emerging-markets-debt-corporate. About Macquarie Investment Management Macquarie Investment Management is a global asset manager with offices in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. As active managers, we prioritize autonomy and accountability at the team level in pursuit of opportunities that matter for clients. Our conviction-based, long-term approach has led institutional and individual clients to entrust us to manage more than $US258.7 billion in assets as of Dec. 31, 2019. In the US, retail investors recognize our Delaware Funds by Macquarie family of funds as one of the longest standing mutual fund families, with more than 80 years in existence. Macquarie Investment Management is a division of Macquarie Asset Management, a global asset manager with more than $US412.1 billion in assets under management as of Dec. 31, 2019. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005618/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Poor governance at the school board level is costly, not just in terms of dollars and cents but in wasted opportunities and unhealthy educational environments for students and teachers. (Stuart Monk/Shutterstock) Many of Canadas School Boards Are Far Too Secretive Commentary When Calgary school trustee Lisa Davis announced her resignation from the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) on Jan. 27, the news hit like a bombshell. Unlike the typical bromides we usually see from politicians who step down, Davis said nothing about wanting to spend more time with her family or pursuing a new career path. Instead, she released a scathing statement in which she denounced a recent CBE motion that hamstrings my ability to serve as a trustee. The motion, passed at a late-night emergency board meeting on Jan. 26, requires that a CBE lawyer be present when trustees speak to a provincially appointed auditor tasked with reviewing CBE finances and governance. Needless to say, this motion was a transparent attempt to bully Davis into silence. First elected in 2017 on a platform promising education reform, Davis often chafed against restrictive CBE governance policies. For example, CBE trustees must get motions approved behind closed doors before bringing them forward for public debate in a formal board meeting. This made it nearly impossible for trustees like Davis to get motions on the floor unless they already had support from the majority of the board. There is no better way to entrench the status quo than to prevent open debate between public trustees. Sadly, CBE is not an isolated case of poor governance. Similar problems occur in other parts of the country. For example, Limestone District School Board, which encompasses the City of Kingston and the surrounding area, has found itself the centre of controversy, much of it regarding the censure of trustee Robin Hutcheon. What made this censure unusual was that the board never provided the public with the reason for its decision. In other words, the school trustees publicly censured one of their own members but kept the reason for doing so secret. It made about as much sense as a judge convicting someone of a crime but not telling anyone what the crime was. Judging by the angry crowds in the gallery during Limestones recent public meetings, the public was not impressed with the boards behaviour. Interestingly, Limestones former board chair recently went public with concerns about the school board. Paula Murray, who stepped down from the board in 2018, told Global News that Limestone operates under a culture of fear, where individual trustees are muzzled. She also acknowledged that far too many decisions were made behind closed doors. Meanwhile, in British Columbia, the Greater Victoria School District is refusing to release a report on the conduct of some of its trustees. According to Georgia Straight K-12 columnist Patti Bacchus, a group of principals and vice-principals recently accused some trustees of bullying and harassment. These are serious allegations that should be addressed publicly. However, even though the investigation is complete and the report has been written and tabled, the school board refuses to release it. Obviously, this raises questions about what is really going on behind the scenes. An unhealthy level of secrecy is one of the most consistent governance problems in school boards across Canada. School trustees make far too many decisions behind closed doors and this leads to poor decision-making. Its important to remember that just because an issue might be controversial, this doesnt make it confidential. There is no quicker way to lose the trust of taxpayers and parents than to hide important information from them. Far too many school boards act more like corporate boards than public decision-making bodies. Corporate boards regularly operate in secrecy and only the board chair is authorized to speak to the media about board matters. This is how public school boards typically conduct their affairs. Contrast this with municipal councils, where individual councillors regularly speak to the media and share their opinions with constituents. When school boards become accustomed to a cloak of secrecy, this exerts tremendous pressure on dissenting trustees. For the few trustees like Lisa Davis brave enough to buck this trend, the other trustees typically make their lives so miserable that they eventually quit in frustration. This is not healthy for our schools or for democracy. Finally, school boards must remember that they are created by provincial governments for a specific purpose. If school boards no longer fulfill that purpose, provinces can alter them, replace them, or even abolish them entirely. There are no constitutional protections for school boards. Depending on what the Alberta governments audit of CBE uncovers, Davis might not be the only Calgary trustee out of a job. Poor governance at the school board level is costly, not just in terms of dollars and cents, but in wasted opportunities and unhealthy educational environments for students and teachers. If trustees want to keep their jobs, they need to start improving their governance practices. Students, parents, and teachers deserve better. So do taxpayers. Michael Zwaagstra is a public high school teacher and author of A Sage on the Stage: Common Sense Reflections on Teaching and Learning. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. A couple in Rajasthans Ajmer, who returned from China on January 28, has been kept in isolation in a hospital after they complained of cold and cough as India mounted efforts to tackle the fast-moving coronavirus, which has killed hundreds in China. Their samples being sent to Jaipur. A team will be sent to screen their family too, a district health officer was quoted as saying by ANI. Three people, who were admitted to a government hospital in the state capital of Jaipur on Saturday, have tested negative for the novel coronavirus. All three have tested negative for coronavirus, the superintendent of SMS Hospital, Dr DS Meena, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. Indias second case of coronavirus was detected in Keralas Alapuzha on Sunday prompting authorities to put the state on high alert. The first coronavirus case was reported in Thrissur last Thursday. Both the patients are medical students from in Hubei provinces Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak. At least 56 people died of the novel coronavirus on Sunday pushing the death toll from the outbreak to 361, health authorities have said. The worst-hit Hubei province recorded more than 2100 cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases in the central Chinese province to over 16,600. More than 2800 new cases were reported nationwide. China now has at least 17,205 confirmed cases of the virus across the country. Description GIS 03 February, 2020: Preserving and remembering our history is essential to build our future. The Open-Air Museum is yet another emblematic historical site that safeguards the memories of slavery in Mauritius. Furthermore, the Intercontinental Slavery Museum, to be set up in Port-Louis, is another project geared towards remembering the sufferings, the resilience and struggle for freedom of our forefathers. This was the gist of the message of the Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister for Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, during his keynote address, on Saturday 1st February 2020, at the official ceremony commemorating the 185th anniversary of the Abolition of slavery, held at Le Morne Village. The Minister of Culture and Communication from the Republic of Senegal, Mr Abdoulaye Diop, was the Chief Guest of the Government. Prior to the official event, a Wreath laying ceremony at the International Slave Route Monument as well as the inauguration of the Open-Air Museum at Trou Chenille were held. In his address, Prime Minister Jugnauth highlighted that it is crucial to keep alive the painful memories of slaves who fought colonial oppression to gain back their freedom and dignity. He reflected on the inhuman conditions of slave trade wherein slaves were denigrated as mere objects of exploitation and emphasised on the need to remember their struggle for freedom and their contribution to the country's progress. The Government is keen to safeguard historical sites and tangible cultural heritage that allow us to probe into the country's past, he added. The safeguard of the history of Mauritius, he pointed out, remains Government's key priority, while adding that the Open-Air Museum at Trou Chenille and the Intercontinental Slavery Museum being constructed at ex-Labourdonnais Military Hospital, near Aapravasi Ghat, in Port Louis, are key symbolical sites that crystallise the struggles of Mauritius. He indicated that the Intercontinental Slavery Museum will, in its first phase, house exhibitions of various objects utilised by slaves while the second phase will consist of infrastructural works. Prime Minister Jugnauth also underscored the presence of the Senegalese Minister as a testimony to the strong ties that Mauritius and Senegal share, which are intrinsically woven in common historical and human linkages. Senegal and Mauritius, he highlighted, are connected in a common destiny marked by the greatest human tragedy of slavery. He indicated that some 100 slaves transited to the Island of Goree on their destination to Mauritius and that this historical and cultural connection is evidenced in our mother tongue which contains some Senegalese words. Speaking about the injustice inflicted to slaves, he assured that the Government is determined to create opportunities for the social integration and economic empowerment of their descendants. He recalled that in line with the aim of promoting equity and social justice, Government is committed to tackle absolute poverty, to champion inclusive development for all and uplift the quality of life of the population, in particular vulnerable facilities. On that score, he enumerated key measures geared towards these objectives namely: the introduction of the minimum salary, the elaboration of the Marshall plan to fight poverty, and the reform of the education sector which essentially seeks to provide equal and free access to primary, secondary and tertiary education. Also present on the occasion, the Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Avinash Teeluck, underpinned the contribution of our slave ancestors in the country's progress and the rich cultural heritage that have been transmitted to the people of Mauritius that forms part of the Mauritian Identity and cements harmony and unity in our society. Furthermore, he called that a similar twinning as the one between Le Morne Cultural Landscape and Robben Island Museum, should be made with the Island of Goree to make the three sites a cultural pilgrimage destination. This, he said, will herald another form of bonding between the countries that have shared memories of slavery and more importantly, will enable people to discover the tragic history of slavery. The Minister underlined that during this 185th commemoration of the Abolition of Slavery, it is important to remember the struggle and resistance of slaves against inhuman treatment, and the triumph of the principles of liberty, equality and dignity. It is recalled that the Open-Air Museum at Trou Chenille seeks to preserve the intangible cultural heritage of our ancestors by paying tribute to the hardship endured by our ancestors. The Minister indicated that Trou Chenille was the first village to be inhabited by freed slaves and is an emblematic symbol of resilience as they persevered to live in dignity despite the harsh conditions. The museum, for which Government earmarked a budget of Rs 4 M, is a replica of the way of living of these people and gives a glimpse of the different facets of their traditions. Senegal and Mauritius to overcome its dark past and recreate its future As for the Senegalese Minister, Mr Abdoulaye Diop, he highlighted the importance of remembering to ensure that the memories of sufferings of our forefathers linger throughout the generations to come, so that the young generation prizes their freedom, and realise how their ancestors have marked the history of their race and country by standing against injustice and oppression to pass on the heritage of freedom. Moreover, Mr Diop spoke about Senegal's own symbolical site, the Island of Goree, that serves as a stark reminder of the human exploitation during slave trade. Inscribed as an UNESCO's World Heritage Site, it exhibits Senegal's dark period of slavery and is a space for exchange and dialogue between cultures to promote a cultural Renaissance for Africa, he said. It will also enable international collaboration to advocate for human rights as well as enable the African diaspora to connect to their roots and strengthen their black identities, he added. Africa, he said, is the largest site where a wave of development and evolution has unfurled, and is more determined than ever to march towards prosperity and face any challenges that comes into its way. It is crucial for Senegal and Mauritius to overcome its dark past and recreate its future by turning to each other for cooperation in the spirit of fraternity. The Minister underlined that Mauritius has an exceptional history of resilience and struggle for freedom, as despite being ruled in succession by various colonisers, has managed to obtain its independence and rise as a strong nation. According to him, Mauritius stands as a model for the whole humanity, for having forged harmony, fraternity and solidarity in the midst of a multiracial and multicultural society. A key accuser in the rape trial of Harvey Weinstein faced a vigorous cross-examination about why she stayed in touch with the once-powerful film mogul after he allegedly raped her. Asked about warm emails she sent to Weinstein, the 34-year-old woman responded: I did it to protect myself. Defence lawyer Donna Rotunno, a known #MeToo sceptic, also grilled the woman about consensual sex with Weinstein that the accuser claimed only happened after a long negotiation. Even then, I wasnt happy to do it, she said. Lawyer Donna Rotunno cross-examined a key witness during Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault trial / REUTERS You manipulated Mr Weinstein every single time, isnt that correct? Ms Rotunno asked. The alleged victim responded: I felt there was an aspect to the way I felt I needed to protect myself that had an element of manipulation. At times during the cross-examination, she struggled to recall certain details and at one point asked for a break, saying: Im getting a little foggy. The witness returned to the stand after she told jurors last week that Weinstein trapped her in a New York hotel room in March 2013, and angrily ordered her to undress as he loomed over her, and then allegedly raped her. Harvey Weinstein arrives at New York Criminal Court in Manhattan / REUTERS She kept in touch because his ego was so fragile, she said under the previous questioning by a prosecutor. She added that it made me feel safe, worshipping him in this sense I wanted to be perceived as innocent and naive. A second alleged attack came eight months later at a Los Angeles hotel, where she worked as a hairdresser, after she told Weinstein that she was dating an actor, she said. You owe me one more time! she alleged that he screamed at her. She said she begged him not to take off her clothes but that he said, I dont have time for games, and he then allegedly ripped off her pants before raping her. The testimony comes at a pivotal moment in the New York trial of Weinstein, whose downfall energised the #MeToo movement. He is charged with the alleged 2013 rape and also allegedly sexually assaulting Mimi Haleyi, a former Project Runway production assistant, in 2006. A conviction could put him behind bars for the rest of his life. Weinstein, 67, has insisted that any sexual encounters were consensual. His lawyers aim to raise doubts about the rape accusers credibility by seizing on her complicated history with the former film producer. The complainant caused a stir on Friday when, asked by a prosecutor to describe Weinsteins body, she said that when she first saw him naked, she noticed extreme scarring and thought he had characteristics of both male and female genitalia. A leaked recording of an Iranian pilot telling air-traffic controllers he saw 'the light of a missile' and 'an explosion' over Tehran reveals that officials knew straight away that a Ukrainian passenger jet had been shot down. The Iranian government denied for days that the regime's Revolutionary Guard had downed the Boeing 737 on January 8 killing all 176 people on board and at first blamed it on a technical fault. But the recording of a Fokker 100 jet pilot describing the moment the plane was hit by a missile suggests the authorities knew immediately what had happened. A transcript of the recording, published last night by the Ukrainian 1+1 TV channel, reveals that the pilot for Iran's Aseman Airlines was flying from the southern city of Shiraz to the capital Tehran. An Iranian pilot told air-traffic controllers he saw 'the light of a missile' and 'an explosion' over Tehran as the Ukrainian passenger jet was shot down. Pictured is the moment the plane explodes after being hit by the missile Iran claimed for days after that a technical fault had brought the plane down and denied it had been shot down. Rescue workers are pictured searching the wreckage after the disaster He says in Farsi to the controller: 'A series of lights like ... yes, it is a missile, is there something?' The controller then asks: 'No, how many miles? Where?' The pilot responds that he saw the light by the Payam airport, near where the Guard's Tor M-1 anti-aircraft missile was launched from. The controller says nothing has been reported to them, but the pilot remains insistent. 'It is the light of a missile,' the pilot says. 'Don't you see anything anymore?' the controller asks. 'Dear engineer, it was an explosion. We saw a very big light there, I dont really know what it was,' the pilot responds. The controller then tries to contract the Ukrainian jetliner, but unsuccessfully. The authenticity of the recording was today confirmed by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Hassan Rezaeifar, the head of the Iranian investigation team in Tehran, also acknowledged its legitimacy and said it had now been handed over to Ukrainian officials. The Ukraine International Airlines jet came down near Tehran just hours after Iran had fired missiles at US bases in retaliation for the drone strike that killed its top general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. The authenticity of the recording was today confirmed by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy who says the recording shows Iranian officials knew immediately what happened Rescue workers search the scene of the crash in the aftermath of the disaster last month The Ukraine International Airlines jet came down near Tehran just hours after Iran had fired missiles at US bases in retaliation for the drone strike that killed its top general Qassem Soleimani (pictured) in Baghdad The cause of the crash was initially shrouded in mystery, with Iran insisting repeatedly that the plane had suffered a technical fault. When Western intelligence came down on the side of a missile strike, Tehran initially dismissed their allegations as 'psychological warfare' and a 'big lie'. But Iran finally abandoned its denials and admitted that the Revolutionary Guards had shot down the by mistake. Publicly accessible flight-tracking radar information suggests the Aseman Airlines aircraft, flight No. 3768, was close enough to Tehran to see the blast. Iranian officials would have immediately had access to the air-traffic control recordings and Zelenskiy told 1+1 that 'the recording, indeed, shows that the Iranian side knew from the start that our plane was shot down by a missile, they were aware of this at the moment of the shooting.' Ukraine's president repeated his demands to decode the plane's flight recorders in Kiev - something Iranian officials had promised last month but later backtracked on. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has since vowed to punish those responsible as he called the shoot-down of the Boeing 737 an 'unforgivable error' Ukrainian investigators were due to travel to Tehran today to participate in the decoding effort, but Zelenskiy insisted on bringing the so-called 'black boxes' back to Kiev. 'It is very important for us,' he said. Iranian authorities, however, condemned the publication of the recording as 'unprofessional,' saying it was part of a confidential report. 'This action by the Ukrainians makes us not want to give them any more evidence,' said Rezaifar, the head of the Iranian investigators, according to a report by the semiofficial Mehr news agency. Ukraine International Airways said in a statement the recording provided 'yet more proof that the UIA airplane was shot down with a missile, and there were no restrictions or warnings from dispatchers of any risk to flights of civilian aircraft in the vicinity of the airport.' A coffin of the one of the eleven Ukrainian victims of the passenger jet shot down by an Iranian missile is carried from a plane at Borispil international airport, Kiev, Ukraine, last month Part of a missile is seen at the crash site. An object, said to be the Ukrainian jetliner flying in sky at the moment of explosion, was also seen (right) The United States government on Sunday highlighted the reasons it imposed visa restrictions on Nigerians and nationals of five other countries. Other nations affected by the new visa regime are Eritrea, Myanmar, Tanzania, Sudan, and Kyrgyzstan. In the new arrangement announced on January 31, the US suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to Nigerian passport holders and it takes effect on February 21. In a full report of the visa restrictions titled: Proclamation on improving enhanced vetting capabilities and process posted in www.whitehouse.gov, the US government disclosed that Nigeria did not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics. The report read: Nigeria also presents a high risk, relative to other countries in the world, of terrorist travel to the United States. Nigeria is an important strategic partner in the global fight against terrorism, and the United States continues to engage with Nigeria on these and other issues. The Department of State has provided significant assistance to Nigeria as it modernises its border management capabilities, and the Government of Nigeria recognises the importance of improving its information sharing with the United States. Nevertheless, these investments have not yet resulted in sufficient improvements in Nigerias information sharing with the United States for border and immigration screening and vetting. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Prince William has revealed his anger at the lack of diversity among this years Bafta nominees. He announced from last nights awards stage a full and thorough review of the entire nomination process. The prince, who is president of the academy, raised his concerns after all 20 stars nominated for acting gongs were white and the shortlist for best director was all-male. Prince William, pictured arriving at the ceremony with Kate, announced from last nights awards stage a full and thorough review of the entire nomination process Best supporting actress nominee Florence Pugh stunned in a fuchsia princess gown which featured huge puffed sleeves and black ribbon detailing. British actress Jodie Turner-Smith, right, stood out in a bright yellow outfit with a plunging neckline Emilia Clarke is pictured left, while Scarlett Johansson is pictured right. Prince William is president of the academy Naomie Harris is pictured left, while Charlize Theron is pictured right. All 20 stars nominated for acting gongs were white and the shortlist for best director was all-male Renee Zellweger, who won for her performance as Judy Garland, posed in a strapless, pale pink dress with belted detail at the Baftas, left, while she is seen playing Judy Garland in the film, right He said last night at the Royal Albert Hall: Both here in the UK and many countries across the world we are lucky to have incredible film makers... Men and women from all backgrounds and ethnicities enriching our lives through film. Yet in 2020 and not for the first time in the last few years we find ourselves talking again about the need to do more to ensure diversity in the sector and in the awards process. That simply cannot be right in this day and age. Kate adhered to calls from Bafta bosses to help make this years ceremony carbon neutral by re-wearing an opulent cream and gold Alexander McQueen gown. She first wore it back in 2012 He also appeared to refer to productions such as The Crown when he added: I dont know whether I should be proud or slightly alarmed of the winners over the last decade who have portrayed members of my own family. The all-white nominations in the actor, actress, supporting actor and supporting actress categories come four years after Bafta chief executive Amanda Berry said she wanted the awards to be as diverse as they possibly can be. William attended the ceremony with the Duchess of Cambridge. Kate adhered to calls from Bafta bosses to help make this years ceremony carbon neutral by re-wearing an opulent cream and gold Alexander McQueen gown. She first wore it back in 2012 at a dinner hosted by the King and Queen of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. Best supporting actress nominee Florence Pugh stunned in a fuchsia princess gown which featured huge puffed sleeves and black ribbon detailing. Renee Zellweger, who won for her performance as Judy Garland, posed in a strapless, pale pink dress with belted detail, while Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke greeted fans in a beaded, black floor-length dress. British actress Jodie Turner-Smith stood out in a bright yellow outfit with a plunging neckline. And the winners are... Best Film 1917 Director Sam Mendes, 1917 Actor Joaquin Phoenix, Joker Actress Renee Zellweger, Judy Supporting Actor Brad Pitt, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Supporting Actress Laura Dern, Marriage Story Original Screenplay Parasite Adapted Screenplay Jojo Rabbit Rising Star Michael Ward, star of Blue Story Original Score Joker Costume Design: Little Women Animated Film: Klaus Best British Film: 1917 Advertisement Godfaller! Pacino's red carpet slip Are you OK? Al Pacino falls and guests help him While some investors are already well versed in financial metrics (hat tip), this article is for those who would like to learn about Return On Equity (ROE) and why it is important. We'll use ROE to examine Bestway Global Holding Inc. (HKG:3358), by way of a worked example. Bestway Global Holding has a ROE of 12%, based on the last twelve months. That means that for every HK$1 worth of shareholders' equity, it generated HK$0.12 in profit. View our latest analysis for Bestway Global Holding How Do You Calculate ROE? The formula for return on equity is: Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) Shareholders' Equity Or for Bestway Global Holding: 12% = US$52m US$441m (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2019.) Most readers would understand what net profit is, but its worth explaining the concept of shareholders equity. It is all earnings retained by the company, plus any capital paid in by shareholders. You can calculate shareholders' equity by subtracting the company's total liabilities from its total assets. What Does ROE Signify? ROE looks at the amount a company earns relative to the money it has kept within the business. The 'return' is the yearly profit. A higher profit will lead to a higher ROE. So, all else being equal, a high ROE is better than a low one. That means ROE can be used to compare two businesses. Does Bestway Global Holding Have A Good ROE? One simple way to determine if a company has a good return on equity is to compare it to the average for its industry. Importantly, this is far from a perfect measure, because companies differ significantly within the same industry classification. As is clear from the image below, Bestway Global Holding has a better ROE than the average (7.4%) in the Leisure industry. SEHK:3358 Past Revenue and Net Income, February 3rd 2020 That's what I like to see. We think a high ROE, alone, is usually enough to justify further research into a company. For example, I often check if insiders have been buying shares. Story continues Why You Should Consider Debt When Looking At ROE Companies usually need to invest money to grow their profits. The cash for investment can come from prior year profits (retained earnings), issuing new shares, or borrowing. In the case of the first and second options, the ROE will reflect this use of cash, for growth. In the latter case, the debt used for growth will improve returns, but won't affect the total equity. That will make the ROE look better than if no debt was used. Bestway Global Holding's Debt And Its 12% ROE While Bestway Global Holding does have some debt, with debt to equity of just 0.73, we wouldn't say debt is excessive. Its very respectable ROE, combined with only modest debt, suggests the business is in good shape. Judicious use of debt to improve returns can certainly be a good thing, although it does elevate risk slightly and reduce future optionality. The Bottom Line On ROE Return on equity is a useful indicator of the ability of a business to generate profits and return them to shareholders. In my book the highest quality companies have high return on equity, despite low debt. All else being equal, a higher ROE is better. Having said that, while ROE is a useful indicator of business quality, you'll have to look at a whole range of factors to determine the right price to buy a stock. Profit growth rates, versus the expectations reflected in the price of the stock, are a particularly important to consider. So you might want to take a peek at this data-rich interactive graph of forecasts for the company. Of course Bestway Global Holding may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have high ROE and low debt. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 05:44:37|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close LONDON, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The man shot dead by British police after he stabbed people in south London had been "recently released from prison" after serving time for terror offenses, local media reported Sunday. BBC reported that the alleged attacker was under active police surveillance at the time of the incident, which police believe to be "Islamist-related." The latest confirmation came hours after the man was killed by police in a "terror-related" incident where at least three people were injured, one of them being in a life-threatening condition. Metropolitan Police confirmed that armed police shot a male suspect on Streatham High Road at around 2 p.m. (1400GMT) as part of a "proactive counter-terrorism operation." Local media reports suggested that the man entered a shop and started stabbing people. Police said the man had a hoax device strapped to his body. Witnesses were quoted as saying they heard three gunshots and saw a man lying on the ground outside a Boots pharmacy, as armed police approached and shouted at those nearby to move back. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked the emergency services on his twitter account, saying that his thoughts are with the injured and all those affected. Johnson's government pledged earlier this year that terror offenders will face more time in jail and be monitored more closely as part of new laws being introduced in the post-Brexit era. Britain has been familiar with terror-related attacks over the past years. In November, two people were stabbed to death when a convicted terrorist launched a frenzied knife attack in central London. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3 2020 Our land, our life: Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas holds a placard showing maps of (from left) historical Palestine, the 1947 United Nations partition plan on Palestine, the 1948-1967 borders between the Palestinian territories and Israel and a current map of the Palestinian territories without Israeli-annexed areas and settlements at an Arab League emergency meeting in Cairo on Saturday. (AFP/Khaled Desouki) As Palestine begins drumming up support from the Muslim world against United States President Donald Trumps divisive Middle East peace plan, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) should issue a response to challenge the legitimacy of the US move, experts have said. Top diplomats from 57 OIC member states are to convene on Monday for an extraordinary ministerial meeting called by Palestine. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Int'l travellers who test COVID positive at the airport will not be allowed to go to their destinations Coronavirus: China-returned medical student admitted to Cuttack hospital India oi-PTI Bhubaneswar, Feb 03: In a second case of suspected coronavirus in Odisha, a woman pursuing medical studies in China, has been admitted in a government hospital in Cuttack. The woman was admitted at SCB Medical college and hospital, Cuttack, on Sunday with fever, a symptom associated with novel coronavirus, officials said. Along with her husband, she had come to Odisha from Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak in the neighbouring country on January 19 to attend a marriage function. Kerala confirms 3rd case of coronavirus; Union Health Ministry issues fresh travel advisory She was lodged in a separate ward of the hospital, an official said, adding her condition is stable. This is the second such case in the state after another medical student from Phulbani, who returned from China, was admitted in the same hospital on January 31. He had developed cold and cough after returning from from China on January 11. SCBMCH emergency officer Dr B N Maharana said, "The condition of the patient is stable. We have kept her in an isolated ward after she developed fever. Her husband is currently under surveillance. "As she came from Wuhan city, we are giving her priority," the officer said, adding that her swab and blood samples will be sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Pune for tests. Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET), Prof C B K Mohanty said, "A total of four swab and blood samples of five persons, including the medico from Phulbnai, have been sent to NIV, Pune and four have tested negative for nCoV. "We are waiting for the test reports of the medico," he said. The state government has set up a special ward with 74 beds, and an ICU at the SCB Medical College. "So far there has been no confirmed case of coronavirus in Odisha," Mohanty said. The state government has appealed to people to keep in home isolation, persons who have recently returned from China, Honk Kong, Thailand and Singapore. The Regional Medical Research Centre in Bhubaneswar on Monday imparted training to paramedical staff from across the state on how to collect swab and blood samples of persons with suspected nCoV. "Our priority is to train the paramedics as to how to keep themselves safe and collect samples from suspected persons. Each paramedical staff is being provided with a personal kit to protect themselves against coronavirus," said RMRC director Sanghamitra Pati. Coronavirus: Death toll rises to 361 in China The state government has also issued advisory for proper screening of people coming from China and other such countries. The health department has issued four telephone numbers, 0674-2390466, 9439994857, 9439991221, 9437040564, and requested people to immediately inform the authorities if they come across any person who has recently returned from China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore. The health officials will conduct a thorough test of people returning from the four countries and take follow-up action without delay, an official release said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, February 3, 2020, 16:41 [IST] Some Catholic colleges or universities have had LGBT support centers for years some even decades, Holtschneider said. The debates have expanded to include concerns of transgender Catholics, such as what names they can use on diplomas or which bathrooms they can use, as well as whether school staff can remain in their positions with full benefits if they marry someone of the same gender or transition to another gender. A testing facility for the detection of novel coronavirus was unveiled at a premier state-run institute on Sunday as over 800 people are under observation in homes and hospitals in Tamil Nadu Chennai: A testing facility for the detection of novel coronavirus was unveiled at a premier state-run institute on Sunday as over 800 people are under observation in homes and hospitals in Tamil Nadu. The testing facility was inaugurated at the King Institute of Preventive Medicine by state Health Minister C Vijayabaskar who said five blood samples have been received at the institute from the health authorities. Besides, four specimens had already been dispatched to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, for diagnosis, he said, adding the results will be available in 48 hours after the receipt of samples. "All of them (whose blood specimen have been collected) are clinically normal (does not exhibit symptom presently)," he said. After chairing a high-level meet on prevention, monitoring and precautionary measures for the China-origin infection, the minister said 799 people were under house quarantine in the state and the Directorate of Public Health was monitoring them. Of the 799, 646 had travelled to China and 153 to other countries close to it, he said. Besides, 12 people have been admitted to hospitals. So far, thermal screening had been done on 5,543 people at Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai and Coimbatore airports in the state and all of them were normal. Asserting that there was no positive case of the virus that has claimed over 300 lives in China, he said the state was assiduously following the Central government protocol for all aspects, including testing, prevention and monitoring for the virus. The Centre has said that blood samples of travellers from Wuhan, considered the epicentre of the virus, should be collected irrespective of whether they exhibited symptoms not, he said. For the observation purpose, 10 people have been admitted to isolation wards of Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and one each in Tiruchirappalli and Ramanathapuram districts so far, he said. Though all of them under observation were normal and did not show any symptom of the virus, they have been placed under watch considering factors like contact and travel history, he said. Residents of Phnom Penh said on Friday that they were concerned about the health of Cambodians stranded in China, on account of the viral epidemic, and wanted the government to evacuate them from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. More than 17,000 cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed across the world, with ever-increasing concerns over the health and economic impacts of the fast-spreading outbreak of viral pneumonia. While multiple countries have moved fast to evacuate their citizens from China, especially Hubei province, where Wuhan city is located, Prime Minister Hun Sen remained defiant that Cambodians will not be evacuated. He said that Cambodians, students, and diplomats, in China needed to show solidarity with the Chinese people and help them tackle the epidemic. However, Phnom Penh residents on Friday suggested that it was preferable to bring back citizens to ensure their safety. Standing at a bus stop along Russian Federation Boulevard, Lin, 22, said she would like for the government to bring back Cambodians stranded in China, saying it was better to observe their health in the Kingdom. Im sure that general people would not agree with what he [Hun Sen] said, meaning that they dont want them [Cambodians in China] to live in danger, said Lin, who did not want to reveal her full name for fear of reprisals. The Cambodian government has confirmed that 23 students were still in Wuhan, with around 80 other students returning to Cambodia during the Chinese New Year holiday. Hun Sen said last week that he would not close down air and sea routes with China, allowing Chinese nationals to exit and enter the country unrestricted. Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told VOA Khmer that the government will follow the recommendations of Prime Minister Hun Sen and that there were no plans to evacuate Cambodians from China. Am Sam Ath, monitoring manager at rights group Licadho, said last Thursday that Cambodians in China had a right to be safe and that the government should ensure they were not in danger. [If they think that its not safe over there, they can leave. Its the rights of each individual, he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 14:08:19|Editor: zyl Video Player Close ANKARA, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Four Turkish soldiers were killed, nine others injured in clashes with Syrian government in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, reported Turkish media NTV citing the country's defense ministry on Monday. Interfax-Ukraine to host press conference 'SETAM: Analysis of Company's Work for Five Years. Sale of Seized Property Online in Ukraine' On Tuesday, February 4, at 12.30, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a press conference entitled "SETAM: Analysis of Company's Work for Five Years. Sale of Seized Property Online in Ukraine" with the participation of SETAM state-owned enterprise Director General Viktor Vyshniov (8/5a Reitarska Street). Accreditation of journalists is obligatory by phone: (094) 823 9710 or at: http://bit.ly/38UhSnS. Three-term Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane and former Santa Rosa City Councilman and Mayor Chris Coursey are running in the March 3 primary election for the District 3 seat on the county's Board of Supervisors. At a forum last week in Santa Rosa, Coursey, a former journalist, said he is running for supervisor because he believes local governments can change society despite voter cynicism and apathy toward government. Zane, who has master's degrees in theology and family counseling, said she wants to be "the voice for the voiceless." District 3 includes most of Santa Rosa, the most visible location of the county's nearly 3,000 homeless people according to a 2019 point-in-time survey. The largest homeless encampment, 250 people along the Joe Rodota Trail in a county park located in west Santa Rosa, is outside of District 3, and it is one of two hot-button issues in the county leading up to the primary election. The Board of Supervisors in December approved spending $2 million for a 90-day emergency camp comprised of 60 mostly one-room portable shelters in the Juvenile Justice Center complex on Los Guilicos Road in east Santa Rosa for the most vulnerable Joe Rodota Trail campers who were ordered to vacate the trail by Jan. 31. Coursey said the Los Guilicos camp is a stop-gap effort that helps clear the trail, but is not a solution. "We need more creative solutions. The campers will end up somewhere in the community. Ninety days gets us past the March election and through the winter, but it helps only a small percentage of the homeless," Coursey said. Other county districts have to provide housing for the homeless, possibly safe parking in public spaces, he said. "Los Guilicos is nothing short of a miracle," Zane said. "It has hot showers, bathrooms and meals." The county, however needs more supportive housing and for the mentally ill and substance abuse homeless, she said. Coursey and Zane said they support the county's other controversial issue -- a 30-year extension of a quarter-cent sales tax for the operation and expansion of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit train system that is on the March 3 ballot. Zane said the train is "a game changer" for Sonoma and Marin counties and San Francisco that takes cars off congested U.S. Highway 101 and reduces vehicle emissions. Coursey, however, said SMART general manager Farhad Mansourian and the Board of Directors need more transparency regarding train ridership numbers and how decisions are made. SMART made a "last-minute" decision to put the tax extension measure on the ballot, hesaid. "SMART will need a tax subsidy for as long as it exists. Tell voters the truth why a tax extension is needed," Coursey said. In closing statements, Zane said her three terms on the Board of Supervisors have demonstrated her concern for vulnerable residents of the county and her collaboration with her staff and local, state and federal elected officials. "I will fight and work hard for you," Zane said. Coursey said he and Zane agree on broad policy issues but they have different approaches. "I collaborate for the best outcome and I don't care who gets the credit. I don't have all the answers, but it's a chance to learn," Coursey said. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Nepal: Mission river conservation February 03,2020 | Source: My Republica Without a paradigm shift in river conservation, the sustainable development of a nation that is striving to achieve a mid-income status by 2030 might become a far cry. Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to spare depicts the infamous status of our water bodies today. The picture of gurgling rivers that originate from the lofty mountains, reflecting the summer sun is perhaps becoming limited to our imagination. On World Wetlands day today, it has become more important now than ever to draw the attention of people and concerned stakeholders to our rivers, critical habitat for freshwater species. Despite the diverse values and the ecological services rivers provide to sustain life on earth, their conservation often remains a low priority. Global Scene WWFs Living Planet Report shows that the freshwater population declined by an average of 83 percent from 1970 to 2014. Meanwhile, another study by Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Germany, shows that freshwater megafauna populations declined by 88 percent worldwide from 1970 to 2012, with the highest declines in the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms (?99 percent and ?97 percent respectively). Although the scenario remains grim, there are some examples that ignite hope for our rivers. Over the years, countries like the US, Canada, Australia, and Ecuador have taken solid legislative measures for river conservation whereas countries like Columbia and New Zealand have provided legal entity status to Atrato River and Whanganui River, respectively. Similarly, the high court of Bangladesh also declared Turag River as a legal person or living entity in 2019, stating that killing a river was virtually collective suicide. Even in the neighboring state of Bhutan, a hydropower committee set by the cabinet has sanctioned a shift in hydropower development, suggesting that Bhutan go slow and smart on new hydropower projects and recommended that at least two river basins remain free of hydropower projects. Rivers in Nepal Rivers in Nepal face a range of threatsfrom pollution, intensive sand and gravel mining to haphazard roads and dam constructionnot to forget climate change that further aggravates the situation. Meanwhile, consumptive water use, solid waste deposits including municipal sewage, industrial effluents, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, haphazard riverbed sand and gravel mining practices continue to kill our rivers. Policy and institutional gaps are one of the most important causes of river health degradation in our country. Failure to change how we manage and regulate our water resources might make the mass fish kill incident of May 2018 in Andhikhola and the case of biologically dead rivers in Kathmandu, a sad reality elsewhere. Construction of dams continues to pose a serious threat to river ecology. After years of development failures and energy scarcity, the government of Nepal is celebrating this decade as a Hydropower Decade. To materialize this, the government has prepared a white paper on energy, water resources and irrigation sector that aims to develop 15,000 MW of electricity in ten years. Nepal currently produces about 1,117 MW of hydroelectricity which has relieved the outrageous 18 hours of a daily power outage. But, with the increase in power generation capacity, the government also needs to strategically plan hydropower development that prioritizes dams in carefully chosen sites, rather than the existing first-come-first-serve basis that only looks at individual projects. According to the Department of Electricity Development, 712 hydro projects with a capacity of 40,855 MW have either already received a generation license and survey license or are in the waiting. The possible fragmentation of rivers this scale of hydropower development could cause is scary. Although the development of the energy sector is necessary for Nepal, it appears that the repercussions of such development on the aquatic biodiversity and local communities dependent on these rivers have not been taken into serious consideration. Ray of Hope Despite the state of things, there are some upcoming plans and guidelines that cast a ray of hope for river conservation in Nepal. For instance, the recently developed Hydropower Environmental Impact Assessment Manual by the Ministry of Forests and Environment aims to help concerned stakeholders streamline, identify and manage better, the environmental and social risks that could arise from such development. The Department of Electricity Development is also preparing Guidelines for Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) Study in major river basins and its Integration into the Regulatory Framework. The guideline hopes to improve and strengthen CIA process and achieve more holistic and sustainable development of our river basins. Preparations are also underway at the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) to develop a River Basin Plan, Hydropower Master Plan, and Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment Plan for all the major river basins of Nepal all of which seek to promote sustainable development and management of water resources in each river basin with due consideration to social and environmental impacts. Furthermore, the National Planning Commission (NPC) and the Ministry of Forests and Environment are also preparing National River Basin Strategy and Action Plan to define the roles and responsibilities of the restructured Government organizations and promote smooth coordination at the river basin level. Way Forward Although preparations are being made, only the implementation of these plans will ensure the successful conservation of our rivers. While rivers fall under the purview of the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, it is focused primarily on using water for hydropower and irrigation. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Forests and Environment responsible for the protection of rivers is mainly focused on conserving forests and protected areas. While the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation protects rivers within Protected Areas (PA), there is no government institution in place to oversee river systems outside protected areas. This raises the question of who the custodian of these rivers is. Furthermore, assessing the health of the rivers to strategically identify rivers that need protection measures should become a top priority. Efforts also need to be made to determine and declare rivers with the highest conservation value as protected areas. Without a paradigm shift in river conservation, the sustainable development of a nation that is striving to achieve a mid-income status by 2030 might become a far cry. PITTSBURGH, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "I was looking for just a regular address book, and I couldn't find one," said an inventor from Arvada, Colo. "I was frustrated with trying to keep up with log-in info for websites. This inspired me to develop a special book to keep track of information for all of my accounts." She developed the PASSWORD ADDRESS BOOK to keep all account information in one convenient place for ease of access. The accessory eliminates the need to keep track of account information on sticky notes. It also saves the user from having to remember log-in information, as it is all logged for easy retrieval. The accessory ensures that the user does not forget important passwords. It makes it easier to log in to online accounts. Additionally, the invention does away with hassles and frustrations. The original design was submitted to the Denver sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 18-DPH-686, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com. SOURCE InventHelp Related Links http://www.inventhelp.com Mallard Creek Polymers Mallard Creek Polymers has been a supplier of styrene acrylic emulsion polymers to the elastomeric roof coatings market since 2013. To compliment this capability, we are pleased to announce the launch of Rovene 6120, an all-acrylic emulsion polymer for highly durable elastomeric roof coatings conforming to ASTM D 6083. MCP has just received third party validation that Rovene 6120 can be formulated to meet or exceed ASTM D6083, the Standard Specification for Liquid Applied Acrylic Coating Used in Roofing. The company is excited to discuss this new product and our latest styrene-acrylic dispersions with interested customers. For more information on Rovene 6120, contact the company. There are representatives attending the International Roofing Expo and World of Concrete 2020. The company continues to invest in R&D to create new water-based polymer products and technology for Building & Construction Selection Guide and Paints & Coatings Selection Guide markets based on pure acrylic emulsions, styrene acrylic polymers, and styrene butadiene latex. As integration of the 2018 acquisition of Ecronova Intellectual Property proceeds, the company continues to introduce new products which are APEO-free, exhibit ambient cure crosslinking and have unique film formation capability. The company has increased its R&D scientists by 20% in 2019 and is presently completing a capacity expansion project to support further growth. MCP invites interested customers to the website, http://www.MCPolymers.com, to learn about the many products available. To discuss options and project proposals for product customization, R&D and sales personnel are available for meetings at the WOC 2020 and IRE from February 4-6. For consultation in any potential applications visit MCPs website or contact a sales/marketing professional at 1-877-240-0171. About Mallard Creek Polymers, LLC (MCP): MCP is dedicated to meeting customer needs with a growing line of synthetic emulsion polymers and unparalleled customer focus. MCP offers a diverse line of water-based emulsions including styrene butadiene, pure acrylic, styrene acrylic, and other specialty latex products to both domestic and international customers from the MCP facility in Charlotte, North Carolina and from its network of collaborative manufacturing partners. MCP is a privately held specialty chemical company dedicated to innovation, quality, service, and sustainability with products for the adhesives, nonwovens, paint & coatings, graphic arts, printing & packaging, textiles, carpet, sealants, construction, oil services, and paper. For more information, visit the companys website at http://www.MCPolymers.com or by calling 1-877-240-0171. For Further Information please contact Robert S. Beyersdorf at Rob.beyersdorf@mcpolymers.com The new commander of Iran's Qods Force has told HAMAS and Islamic Jihad leaders that "The Islamic Republic is prepared to defeat President Donald Trumps latest proposal to solve the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Iranian agencies reported on Sunday February 2. "Iran is prepared to stand alongside the Palestinian nation and particularly resistance forces to confront the threats caused by the Deal of the Century," General Esmail Qaani has said in a phone conversation with Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Nakhale and HAMAS leader Ismail Haniyeh Saturday evening. Qaani replaced Qods Force's former commander Qassem Soleimani after he was killed in a U.S. drone attack in Baghdad in early January. Semi-official news agency ISNA says that the two Palestinian leaders welcomed Iran's stance against the Deal of the Century. However, Qaani did not elaborate on how Iran is going to confront Trump's initiative. Haniyeh and Nakhale met Qaani last month during their visit to Iran to take part in Soleimani's funeral. However, the Saturday night conversation over the phone was the first reported official contact with Palestinian leaders by a high-ranking Iranian military officer after the declaration of the Deal of the Century. President Trump who has been working during the past three years on a plan to end the Israel-Palestinian conflict, took part at a meeting at the White House also attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu on January 28 to introduce the new deal. Trump called the Deal of the Century "an excellent opportunity" and a "historical occasion" for the Palestinians and hoped that they would accept the deal and begin to establish their own independent country. However, the Islamic Republic does not recognize the state of Israel, insists that it is an illegitimate entity and says the deal is doomed to fail. Top officials harshly rejected Trumps deal from the beginning and tried to turn the issue into an all-Islamic rallying point against the United States. The Revolutionary Guard or IRGC has called it "a big satanic conspiracy" by the United States adding that it would be "ditched in the trash can of history." The statement issued by the IRGC on the occasion says Tehran is "prepared to play the necessary part in the region's new situation" and has called on all Islamic states and particularly their armed forces to "make a big decision and stand against the conspiracy of the Deal of the Century." According to the IRGC, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's idea of holding a referendum in the Palestinian territory" is the only practical solution to the problem of Palestine. Meanwhile, Chief of the Joint Staff of the Iranian armed forces Hassan Baqeri warned Islamic states against the consequences of their "silence against this oppressive deal." Iran's President Hassan Rouhani who had said one day after Trump announced the deal that it was "the most hated plan of the century," added during a visit to Khomeyni's tomb on Sunday that it is "a disgusting and shameful plot against all Muslims and freedom-lovers of the world." In another development, Khamenei's adviser for international affairs, Ali Akbar Velayati said on January 30 that "Trump's dream will end up in a nightmare." Elsewhere, during a meeting with Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan harshly criticized the new peace plan for the Middle east. Erdogan had said on Friday that "Jerusalem will never be given to a terrorist state. Jerusalem is Turkey's red line and Turkey will never come to terms with the Deal of the Century." He also told Mahmoud Abbas during a phone conversation on Friday that "Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain's silence was a treason against humanity." In spite of the remarks, Turkey maintains full diplomatic relations with Israel. In a reaction to the announcement of the Deal of the Century, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas severed all relations with Israel and the United States, while announcing that Israel must accept its responsibility as an occupier. Turkish TV, TRT, announced that "Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says all relations, including security ties, are being cut with both countries, as Arab League rejects Trump's 'deal of the century' plan." Abbas said on Saturday that he has notified U.S. and Israeli governments of his decision. Earlier, the Arab League rejected the Deal of the Century and while warning Israel against the consequences of the "unilateral plan," announced that it will not cooperate with the United States in implementing this plan. Meanwhile, former U.S. Diplomat Jason Greenblatt who has worked with Trump's adviser Jerad Kushner on the Deal of the Century said: "President Abbas is rejecting a plan that can bring about a brilliant future for Palestine." LIC IPO: Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) unions have reportedly decided to stage a series of protests against the government's decision to sell a part of its holding in the life insurer by initial public offering (IPO). Following finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman's announcement in her Budget 2020 speech, three major trade unions of LIC will demonstrate before all offices of the life insurance behemoth across the country. The unions will stage agitations on Monday during lunch break, followed by one-hour protest strike (walk-out) on Tuesday before lunchtime. Also Read: Once listed, LIC will be officially bigger than Reliance, TCS "We are totally against it (the offer for sale of equity shares by the Government via IPO). Why should LIC go for an IPO when it is a very profit-making organisation? On Government's investment of Rs 5 crore, LIC has given it a dividend of Rs 2,600 crore last year," S Rajkumar, General Secretary, Federation of LIC Class-I Officers' Associations told the Hindu BusinessLine. "Whenever the government wants funds, we provide the same for infrastructure development, social sector and housing. By listing LIC, it is killing the golden goose," he added. The joint forum of LIC's (three) major trade unions- Federation of LIC Class-I Officers' Associations, the National Federation of Insurance Field Workers of India and the All India Insurance Employees Association represents around 90% of the life insurer's total workforce. Also Read: LIC investments worth Rs 67,000 crore see downgrade; Reliance Capital, YES Bank top drags LIC had 2.85 lakh employees as of March-end 2019. Apart from the protests on February 3rd and 4th, the joint forum (of LIC's trade unions) will also consider a one-day strike, the report added. Also Read: LIC IPO: Govt to sell part of its holding in life insurance company, says Sitharaman A second worker has died of injuries from a Central Texas oil well blowout, the company said. Chesapeake Energy spokesman Gordon Pennoyer said the worker died Thursday evening at a hospital. Another worker was killed in Wednesdays blowout at a Chesapeake Energy well site near Deanville, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Austin. Two workers remained hospitalized Friday. No identities or conditions have been released, but Pennoyer said the four were employed by contractors who were replacing drilling hardware on the well. A blowout is an eruption of oil or gas from the wellhead that can erupt in flames if there is an ignition source, such as a spark. Chesapeake Energy is based in Oklahoma City. The cause of the blowout is under investigation. Related: Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Texas Workers' Compensation Energy Oil Gas National security adviser Robert O'Brien on Sunday said at this time "there's no reason for Americans to panic" about the Wuhan coronavirus, saying the threat is "low risk" in the United States. "Right now, there's no reason for Americans to panic. This is something that is a low risk, we think, in the US," he said during an interview on CBS' "Face The Nation," adding that the virus is a "top priority" for President Donald Trump and the administration is "taking steps to keep Americans safe." There are more than 16,000 confirmed cases of the virus globally, and more than 200 people have died. All but one of the deaths have been in mainland China. Eleven cases have been confirmed in the U.S. In comparison, the 2019-2020 flu season is projected to be one of the worst in a decade, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The flu virus has infected 19 million Americans across the country and killed at least 10,000 people this season alone. The White House on Thursday announced a coronavirus task force that "will lead the Administration's efforts to monitor, contain, and mitigate the spread of the virus." It is lead by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and includes members from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Homeland Security and others. On Saturday, the Pentagon announced that Defense Secretary Mark Esper approved a request to provide military housing for up to 1,000 people who may need to be quarantined upon arrival in the United States from overseas travel due to concerns about possible infection of the virus. Countries are now sending planes to evacuate their citizens from the infection zone, and imposing travel bans or restrictions on travelers from China. DHS announced it will begin enforcing travel restrictions set to go into effect Sunday evening in an effort to contain the virus outbreak. "These steps will also expedite the processing of U.S. citizens returning from China, and ensure resources are focused on the health and safety of the American people," DHS Acting Secretary Chad F. Wolf said in a statement. "We realize this could provide added stress and prolong travel times for some individuals, however public health and security experts agree these measures are necessary to contain the virus and protect the American people." Nearly 60 million people are under lockdown in Chinese cities as international researchers race to develop a vaccine and halt its spread. Breaks on both the WACS and SAT-3/WASC submarine cable systems last month have resulted in slow Internet connectivity for many South Africans. Both of these cable systems are deployed in the Atlantic Ocean and are used to connect a number of African countries including South Africa to Europe. The ship that has been tasked with fixing the cable began repairs on the broken WACS submarine cable last week. At the time, the Tertiary Education and Research Network of South Africa (TENET) estimated that the repairs on the first broken cable would be complete by 8 February 2020. Multiple breaks TENET said that the repair vessel Leon Thevenin is still at the site of the first WACS cable break and that repairs are estimated to be completed on 8 February. This might not mean the end of South Africas slow Internet issues, however, as there is still the SAT-3/WASC cable break to address as well as another break on the WACS near the United Kingdom. TENET said on Twitter that it was still awaiting confirmation regarding the estimated repair time for the second WACS cable break. WACS repairs: In earlier tweets we mentioned that there was another break in the UK on WACS Segment-4, TENET said. We are awaiting confirmation and further detail around the ETR for this segment. The Congo break ETR remains 08 February. This means that once the Congo break is repaired on 8 February, the WACS cable system may still be affected due to the break in the United Kingdom, and may only be fully operational again once this is repaired. WACS repairs: In earlier tweets we mentioned that there was another break in the UK on WACS Segment-4. We are awaiting confirmation and further detail around the ETR for this segment. The Congo break ETR remains 08 February. REN Alerts (@RENAlerts) February 3, 2020 Effect on Internet speeds MyBroadband previously asked various ISPs what effect the cable breaks had on their networks, and many said backup plans were executed to minimise potential downtime. CyberSmart, MWEB, Cool Ideas, Mind the Speed, and RSAWEB all said the break had minimal to no effect on their networks due to redundancies they have in place. WebAfrica said the breaks had initially had a major effect on their customers, but this has now been minimised as the ISP replaced the missing capacity with capacity from Seacom. Tests conducted by MyBroadband also found that MTN and Vodacom were virtually unaffected by the breaks, while Rain and Cell Cs international speeds were roughly half of its local speeds. Telkom suffered the worst of all mobile networks, with international speeds of only 5% of local speeds. Photos of the Leon Thevenin cable repair ship which is currently attending to the break on the WACS cable system are below. BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- As China makes its utmost efforts to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak, the U.S. side has recently released unfriendly comments and actions towards China, which are neither based on facts nor helpful at this particular time. Taking advantage of other people's difficulties is the last thing we need in state-to-state relations. The U.S. moves are certainly not a gesture of goodwill. The World Health Organization (WHO) commended China's timely and effective measures to control the outbreak and made it clear about its opposition to travel or trade restrictions against China. The United States has decided to act in the opposite way, as the U.S. Department of State on Jan. 31 raised its travel advisory for China to the highest level, the same as for Iraq and Afghanistan. In the meantime, the U.S. secretary of commerce said the outbreak would help to accelerate the return of jobs to the United States. Some other U.S. officials suggested that China is not cooperating with the U.S. side. The U.S. side regarded the challenges faced by China as opportunities for its own development. The U.S. moves highlight its meanness and irresponsibility. In fact, China is doing its best to prevent and control the epidemic, and has released information and shared data with the United States and the rest of the international community in a timely, transparent and responsible manner. The outbreak of the epidemic is unwilling to be seen by the whole world. In today's globe, many common challenges require countries to work together to respond. As the saying goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed. In sharp contrast with U.S. unfriendly moves, many countries have spoken positively of and supported China's efforts to battle the outbreak through various means. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry, several international organizations or countries, including the United Nations system, Belarus, and Japan have provided anti-epidemic materials. Although the U.S. side is trying to create panic, people can tell right from wrong and widely recognize that only when China is good can the world be good. China has the capacity, confidence and determination to win the final victory in fighting the outbreak, and it is hoped that the U.S. side refrains from making irresponsible decisions that cannot benefit the world and neither make itself great. With about six weeks to Togo's presidential election, there are hardly any signs of political campaign, as many Togolese remain unsure of the election fixed for February 22, 2020 being held. Checks by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) indicate that only President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe of the Union for the Republic (UNIR) Party, has declared interest in the election. The opposition parties appear not to be ready - unable to settle on a candidate. Gerry Komandega Taama, President of the New Togolese Commitment (NET) Party, recently announced in a press statement that he had pulled out of the race, saying, attempting the presidential adventure, under current conditions is very uncertain due to the lack of preparation of the other opposition parties Apostle Sodji Gabriel, Founder of The Favoured of God Church, another aspirant, reportedly, has 'thrown in the towel', diverting his bond (FCFA 20 million) to support the poor. He claimed the political atmosphere did not allow him to remain in the contest. The Togolese Alternative Bloc for Republican Innovation (BATIR) Party says it is backing the ruling UNIR. Dr Agbeyome Messan Gabriel Kodjo, a former Prime Minister, (2000 to 2002) and Founder of the Movements of Patriots for Democracy and Development (MPDD) appears to be President Gnassingbe's sole contender but he is more likely to chicken out soon. The January 08, 2020 deadline for filing of nomination for the presidential election, is past and indications are that, President Faure Gnassingbe would stand unopposed, for the fourth time, courtesy a contested constitutional amendment passed by the Togolese Assembly last May. In Lome, Togos capital, there is nothing to suggest that there is an impending election - virtually no discussions of the polls in the media. Two months ago, Catholic Bishops in Togo called for electoral reforms. This followed agitations by the opposition parties and Togolese in the diaspora, for President Faure Gnassingbe to step down. He has been in office since 2005 after his father, President Gnassingbe Eyadema died. Gnassignbe ruled Togo for 38 years. In 2017, the coalition of opposition parties in Togo rejected a government bill to restore two-term presidency, which allows President Faure Gnassingbe to contest for the presidency in 2020 and 2025. It also grants him immunity for acts committed during his tenure in office. The controversy over the bill, forced the opposition parties to boycott the 2018 Parliamentary elections. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Isabelle, Katarina and Rania each bring their respective global experience and expertise to the Council, to help shape Lex Mundi members solutions for in-house counsel, and to help further cross-border collaboration between our members and in-house counsel. Lex Mundi is pleased to welcome three new members to its Client Advisory Council: Isabelle Deschamps, General Counsel and Member of the Executive Committee, Akzo Nobel Katarina Nilsson, General Counsel, SCA; and Rania Rizk, SVP & General Counsel AMEA, PepsiCo. Comprised of senior in-house counsel from some of the worlds leading companies, the Lex Mundi Client Advisory Council provides strategic guidance to the organization on the requirements of multinational companies operating in todays demanding regulatory and business environment. By sharing their insights and experience, they enhance the ability of Lex Mundi member firms to better serve their clients and to meet the evolving needs of in-house counsel. These new members join an eminent group of existing Client Advisory Council and raise, for the first time, the composition of women members on the council to two-thirds: Donny Ching, Legal Director, Royal Dutch Shell plc. Francisco Hernandez-Castillo, formerly Corporate Vice President and General Counsel, Mexichem Dyann L. Kostello, Group Vice-President, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd.; Shuva Mandal, Group General Counsel, Tata Sons Limited; Nicola Verdicchio, Chief Legal Officer, Pirelli & C. S.p.A.; and Loretta Yuen, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Head of Group Legal & Regulatory Compliance, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited. Helena Samaha, President of Lex Mundi, comments, "Our Client Advisory Council is an extremely valuable resource for Lex Mundi and our member firms. Isabelle, Katarina and Rania each bring their respective global experience and expertise to the Council, to help shape Lex Mundi members solutions for in-house counsel, and to help further cross-border collaboration between our members and in-house counsel." Complete information on the members and activities of Lex Mundis Client Advisory Council can be found on the Lex Mundi web site at: https://www.lexmundi.com/lexmundi/Client_Advisory_Council.asp. About Lex Mundi Lex Mundi connects the worlds leading independent law firms with collaborative processes and smart technology to deliver lean solutions across borders, industries and markets. Our 160 member firms with 600 offices draw on deep relationships and cross-border opportunities to create an unparalleled pool of expertise, comprising more than 21,000 lawyers worldwide. Lex Mundi provides a unique service platform for delivering coordinated and tailored solutions for clients complex cross-border challenges. The selection criteria for Lex Mundi membership are rigorous and membership is reviewed on an onging basis. As a result, member firms share common values around continuous improvement and great client care, and they adhere to levels of legal excellence supported by ongoing training and knowledge sharing through Lex Mundi. Our member law firms are located throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Latin America, the Caribbean and North America. Through our non-profit affiliate, the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation, members also provide pro bono legal assistance to social entrepreneurs around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.lexmundi.com and http://www.lexmundiprobono.org. In the more than two years since Harvey Weinstein was exposed as a sexual predator, the #MeToo movement has wrought a revolution in corporate governance or so it would seem. Corporations have diversified their boards with experts on inclusion. Board members have attended harassment training sessions and updated codes of conduct. Procedures have been established for handling complaints that reach the board. A key tenet: No one who brings a credible allegation to the board should face retaliation. Then theres L Brands. As the holding company for Victorias Secret and Bath & Body Works, major brands with a heavily female clientele, L Brands should be especially sensitive to how allegations of gender discrimination and sexual misconduct are handled, said Charles M. Elson, director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. The scrutiny the company has undergone since public disclosure of the inexplicably close ties between the sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein and Leslie H. Wexner, L Brands chief executive, chairman and major shareholder, should only have heightened board concerns and sensitivities, he added. Last year, L Brands took what seemed like significant steps to address its lack of diverse views and persistent claims of board cronyism with Mr. Wexner. It added two prominent women as independent board members: Anne Sheehan, a longtime advocate of good corporate governance, and Sarah E. Nash, a former J.P. Morgan executive and the chief executive of Novagard Solutions. Already on board was Patricia S. Bellinger, who is chief of staff to Harvard Universitys president, Lawrence Bacow, and an expert on diversity and inclusion. "The lack of hospital rooms forced sick people to return home, which is extremely dangerous," Chinese epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan told CCTV. "So having additional (beds) available is a great improvement." China's Shanghai Composite stock index plunged nearly 8 per cent on the first day of trading after the Lunar New Year holiday, despite a central bank announcement that it was putting 1.2 trillion yuan ($258 billion) into the markets. "We are fully confident in and capable of minimising the epidemic's impact on economy," Lian Weiliang, deputy chief of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a news conference in Beijing. With the holiday ending, many companies required employees to work from home to minimise the risk of infection. Volkswagen said its 3,500 employees in Beijing would do so for two weeks. Xing Xuemei, the manager of Dohia, a bedding and household supplies store in the city of Zhengzhou, said it won't open until February 9. She said all the stores in her mall were closed except for a Carrefour supermarket. Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, announced that the semi-autonomous territory will shut almost all but two land and sea border crossings with the mainland from midnight to stem the spread of the virus. Only the land checkpoints at Shenzhen Bay and the bridge to Macao and Zhuhai will remain open. More than 2,000 hospital workers went on strike earlier in the day, demanding a complete closure of the border, and their union has threatened a bigger walkout on Tuesday. Hong Kong was hit hard by SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, in 2002-03, an illness from the same family of viruses as the current outbreak and which many believe was intensified by official Chinese secrecy and obfuscation. "In essence, it's a version of SARS that spreads more easily but causes less damage," Ian Jones, a professor of virology at the University of Reading, said about the new virus. Chinese scientists said they have more evidence that it likely originated in bats. In a study published in the journal Nature, Shi Zhen-Li and colleagues at the Wuhan Institute of Virology reported that genome sequences from seven patients were 96 per cent identical to a bat coronavirus. SARS is also believed to have originated in bats, although it jumped to civet cats before infecting people. Scientists suspect the latest outbreak began at a seafood market in Wuhan where wild animals were on sale and in contact with people. Health officials in Japan said a person who was a passenger on a Japanese-operated cruise ship tested positive for the virus after leaving the vessel in Hong Kong on January 25. The ship returned to Yokohama carrying more than 3,000 passengers and crew after making port calls in Vietnam, Taiwan and Okinawa. A team of quarantine officials and medical staff boarded the ship on Monday night and began medical checks of everyone on board, a health ministry official said on condition of anonymity, citing department rules. He said some people on the ship have coughs, fevers and other symptoms, though they were not yet linked to the virus. The passengers and crew members may be quarantined on the ship if the captain agrees to do so, the official said. South Korea, which has 15 confirmed cases, quarantined 800 soldiers who had recently visited China, Hong Kong or Macao or had contact with people who had, defence ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyunsoo said. Loading More than 300 Egyptians who were flown home from Wuhan on Sunday have been quarantined in a hotel for at least 14 days. The Philippines banned the entry of all non-citizens from China after two cases were confirmed there, including the only death outside China. The US, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia have imposed similar restrictions despite criticism from China and WHO's guidance that such measures were unnecessary. Japan rejected the entry of eight foreigners who had visited Hubei province within past 14 days, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said. About 150 cases have been reported in two dozen other countries. Vietnam's confirmed cases increased to eight, including a Vietnamese American man who had a two-hour layover in Wuhan on his way from the US to Ho Chi Minh City. At a daily briefing held via text message because of the virus, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying accused the US of overreacting, acting against WHO advice and "spreading fear." "The US government hasn't provided any substantial assistance to us, but it was the first to evacuate personnel from its consulate in Wuhan, the first to suggest partial withdrawal of its embassy staff, and the first to impose a travel ban on Chinese travellers," Hua said. The US said on Sunday that most non-Americans who recently were in China would be denied entry. The head of the World Health Organisation said on Monday in Geneva that it was working with Google to ensure that searches about the new virus turned up information from the UN health agency first, part of efforts to fight "rumours and misinformation" about the outbreak. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the opening of WHO's executive board meeting that social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Tencent and TikTok "have also taken steps to limit the spread of misinformation." Loading With no end to the outbreak in sight, authorities in Hubei and elsewhere extended the Lunar New Year holiday break, due to end this week, well into February to try to keep people at home and reduce the spread of the virus. All Hubei schools are postponing the start of the new semester until further notice. Chinese ambassador in Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan expressed worries over Chinese people being turned away by restaurants and taxis in the Indian Ocean island nation. : highly significant or important, especially for bringing about or marking the beginning of a new development or era _________ The word epochal has appeared in 49 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Nov. 13 in Cheeseburgers, Oil and Minimum Wage: Building a Museum of Capitalism by Jennifer Schuessler: Thirty years ago last week, the Berlin Wall came down, a surprise event that soon brought the rest of Soviet-style communism down with it. But a few days before the anniversary of that epochal moment, a crowd gathered in a Greenwich Village gallery to celebrate the opening of the latest iteration of the Museum of Capitalism, a roving exhibition dedicated to looking back on the system that triumphed in 1989 from some imagined future when it, too, has disappeared. The annual update of their sea level "report cards" by researchers at William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science adds evidence of an accelerating rate of sea-level rise at nearly all tidal stations along the U.S. coastline. The latest report cards were published on January 30th. The team's web-based report cards project sea level to the year 2050 based on an ongoing analysis of tide-gauge records for 32 localities along the U.S. coast from Maine to Alaska. The analysis now includes 51 years of water-level observations, from January 1969 through December 2019. The interactive charts are available online at http://www.vims.edu/sealevelreportcards. The project's founder, VIMS emeritus professor John Boon, says "the key message from the 2019 report cards is a clear trend toward acceleration in rates of sea-level rise at 25 of our 32 tide-gauge stations. Acceleration can be a game changer in terms of impacts and planning, so we really need to pay heed to these patterns." VIMS marine scientist Molly Mitchell says "seeing acceleration at so many of our stations suggests that--when we look at the multiple sea-level scenarios that NOAA puts out based on global models--we may be moving towards the higher projections." Mitchell has partnered with Boon to generate the last two annual report cards. "We have increasing evidence from the tide-gauge records that these higher sea-level curves need to be seriously considered in resilience-planning efforts," adds Mitchell. Previous work by Boon, Mitchell, and VIMS colleague Derek Loftis suggests the current acceleration in rates of sea-level rise began around 2013 or 2014, likely associated with ocean dynamics and ice-sheet loss. In 2019, rates of sea-level rise accelerated at all 21 of the report-card stations along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts, and at 7 of the 8 monitored stations along the U.S. West Coast excluding Alaska. All four stations monitored in Alaska show relative sea level falling at increasingly rapid rates (due to coastal mountain-building). "Although sea level has been rising very slowly along the West Coast," says Mitchell, "models have been predicting that it will start to rise faster. The report cards from the past three years support this idea." Scientists suggest that the speed-up is due to a shift in wind patterns associated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, an El Nino-like pattern of climate variability. Boon says the report cards add value by providing sea-level projections that are updated more frequently than those issued by NOAA or other agencies. Boon and colleagues also use a statistical approach that includes evidence for the recent acceleration in the rate of sea-level change at many U.S. tide-gauge stations, and stress their use of relative sea-level measurements--changes in water level relative to the land surface on which people live and work. The relative sea-level rise in Virginia and other East and Gulf coast areas is due to both rising water and sinking land. Notable 2019 findings VIMS' 2019 report cards show that sea level rose at 27 of the 32 monitored stations. Perhaps even more telling is that water levels at 25 of the 32 stations rose at a higher rate in 2019 than in 2018. The five stations where relative sea level fell were all on the U.S. West Coast, four of these in Alaska, where the continued rise of coastal mountains generates sharp decreases in sea level relative to land. The three highest rates of sea-level rise in 2019 occurred along the Gulf Coast at Grand Isle, Louisiana (7.93 millimeters per year) and at Rockport (6.95 mm/yr) and Galveston (6.41 mm/yr) Texas. Rockport also topped all 32 stations in its rate of acceleration, at 0.26 mm per year per year. If this continues, sea level here will be 0.82 meters (2.69 feet) higher in 2050 compared to 1992. Grand Isle and Galveston showed significant but much more moderate acceleration rates in 2019, at 0.05 mm/yr2 and 0.09 mm/yr2, respectively. The 2050 projections for sea-level rise at these sites is thus appreciably lower: 0.54 m (1.77 ft) at Grand Isle and 0.51 m (1.67 ft) at Galveston. Mitchell and Boon attribute the high rise rates and sharp contrast in acceleration among these Gulf Coast stations in part to their location within a sedimentary basin with a complex history of water and mineral extraction. Pumping of groundwater and oil can cause land subsidence, which contributes to relative sea-level rise. The 2019 report cards show an accelerating rate of sea-level rise at 27 of the 32 monitored stations. After Rockport, the highest rates of acceleration in 2019 were observed at Pensacola, FL and Wilmington, NC (0.22 mm/yr2); Cedar Key, FL (0.21 mm/yr2); Eastport, ME (0.20 mm/yr2); Naples, FL (0.19 mm/yr2); Boston, MA (0.17 mm/yr2); Portland, ME (0.17 mm/yr2); Charleston, SC (0.16 mm/yr2); and Port Isabel, TX (0.14 mm/yr2). Significant acceleration in rates of sea-level rise at these widely distributed localities hints at global drivers, with climate change the obvious suspect. NOAA recently reported that 2019 was the second warmest year in recorded history. Boon and Mitchell note that acceleration at these and other locations sharply increases their quadratic, "best-estimate" sea-level projections for 2050, despite in several cases a relatively low 2019 rise rate. For instance, Eastport, Maine had a rise rate of only 1.96 mm in 2019, but sea level there is projected to reach 0.52 m (1.71 feet) by 2050. That 2050 projection is higher than the 0.51-m projection for Norfolk, Virginia (1.67 ft), even though the latter's 2019 rise rate was 5.33 mm/yr, almost three times higher than in Eastport. The VIMS team stresses that sea level will also experience short-term variations in the future just as it does today. Thus, coastal residents and planners in Virginia and other areas likely to experience significant sea-level increases by 2050 must also account for storm surges and other transient forces raising sea level even higher than the projected mean rise value. The 95% confidence bands placed about the projected quadratic curve in VIMS' sea-level report cards are a further reminder that average sea level in any given month can deviate from the projected annual mean by as much as 20 centimeters (8 inches). The value of an annual, localized report card Because long-term changes in sea level are typically on the order of a few millimeters per year, researchers have traditionally felt little need to issue frequent forecasts of sea-level changes. Moreover, many sea-level projections are global in scope, with a forecast horizon of 2100--far enough off to allow for readily discernible linear change. An example is the United Nation's oft-reported prediction of 65 centimeters (2.1 feet) of absolute sea-level rise by the end of this century. The VIMS team has purposefully taken a more localized and timely approach, one designed to add maximum value for coastal residents, businesses, and governments. Says Boon, "Our report cards show what sea level has been doing recently, what's happening now at your locality. Numerous studies show that local rates of sea-level rise and acceleration differ substantially from the global rates published by the IPCC and NOAA--a key result because local rates of relative sea-level rise give a direct indication of the extent to which homes, buildings, and roads are at risk of flooding." The team's decision to use a subset of available tide-gauge data runs counter to the traditional approach taken by NOAA, the agency that operates the nation's official network of tidal stations. "NOAA should be commended for their care in ensuring the continuity, consistency, and availability of the nation's long-term tidal datasets," says Boon. "But at the same time, a longer record isn't always better, especially when there's evidence of recent non-linear changes in the rate of sea-level rise like we see along the U.S. East Coast." An earlier analysis by Boon showed that this acceleration began in 1987, at the center of a 36-year sliding window beginning in 1969--thus setting the start date for the VIMS report cards. This is decades after many U.S. tide-gauge stations began operation but within a span where many more stations now have complete or nearly complete records. Given recent evidence of ongoing warming, it makes sense in a nation-wide, comparative study of sea-level change to analyze only those observations made over the same period of time. Mitchell explains further, "If you cross a threshold in terms of something like sea-level rise, what came before--say a tide-gauge record that began in 1900--is biased in terms of seeing where you're going. We think ice sheets are melting faster today, and if that's true then the previous 90 years of data won't accurately predict the future." The difference between the linear rates used in NOAA's sea-level forecasts and the non-linear, accelerating rates used in VIMS' report cards can lead to sharply different forecasts of our sea-level future. Extending NOAA's linear sea-level projections to mid-century for the tide gauge in Norfolk, Virginia indicates that sea level here will be 0.3 meters (11.42 inches) higher by 2050, while the VIMS forecast--using a non-linear, accelerating rate--is 0.51 meters, or 20.1 inches. That extra 21 centimeters (8.6") of sea-level rise would have major implications for the low-lying region. ### Billionaire hedge fund manager David Tepper, who was bullish on the market just a few weeks ago, said the coronavirus outbreak has changed the environment around stocks. Tepper, in an interview with Jim Cramer for TheStreet, said investors should be cautious until more is known about the virus. "You have to be careful, because it may be a game changer. So you've just got to be cautious," Tepper said. Tepper had told CNBC two weeks ago that he thought the market would keep climbing, saying "I love riding a horse that's running." Now, the coronavirus has "certainly ruined the environment" for stocks that was in place a few weeks ago, Tepper told Cramer. By Deepak Chopra, MD The one thing in life that never changes is change, or so people say. But in reality we all experience a struggle between accepting change and resisting it, trying to make things different and yet feeling an anxious need to keep things the same. This struggle is what makes personal change so difficult. We cant make up our minds once and for all how we feel about changing. If change is so difficult, how can there be personal transformation, upon which the whole movement of human potential is based? It takes vision and commitment to believe that such a thing is even possible. Most people have mixed feelings about how their lives are going. Taking the bitter with the sweet is an old saying in English dating back to the 13th century, but it expresses a universal experience in every society. In the face of lifes mixed blessings there runs a contrary trend, however, based on a deep yearning for transformation. The yearning is expressed through visions of a heaven where eternal bliss is gained, in romantic literature where perfect love is found, and in imaginary utopias of every kind, including a lost Eden or Golden Age. Is this yearning for transformation mere wish fulfillment, like dreaming of what youd do if you won the lottery? If you are totally pragmatic, you abandon such fantasies so that you can productively direct your energies to becoming better off by inches and degrees. (Theres at least one bestseller promising how to get ten percent happier, for example, which sounds like opening a passbook savings accountbetter to get a small safe return than shoot for a higher but much riskier reward.) Even then, modest goals arent always achievable. We settle for half a loaf, or less, because common sense tells us to. But the real issue runs deeper. Transformation exists throughout Nature. Consider the total change of state when two invisible combustible gases, oxygen and hydrogen, combine to form a liquid, water, which is so non-combustible that it puts out fires. Two poisons, sodium and chlorine, combine to make salt, which is necessary for life. The essential nature of the two ingredients give no hint that they could be transformed so completely. But that is what transformation means, as opposed to gradual stepwise change. What would it mean to achieve personal transformation? Despite the stubborn way that people resist change, clinging to beliefs, fears, biases, and personal habits for no rational reason, we are transformative beings. This can be evidenced in everyday experience. When you have a thought, mental silence is transformed into a voice in your head. When you see an object, invisible electrical signals in your brain transform into color and shape. The sense of sight works by taking minuscule snapshots that individually have no motion, but your mind transforms these into the moving world, the same way that a movie is created out of a series of still frames projected in rapid sequence. In the presence of a sudden shock, the balanced state of your body at rest is transformed into the aroused state of fight or flight. The words I love you, if spoken by the right person at the right time, creates a total psychological transformation known as falling in love. None of these experiences happens through gradual or stepwise change. There is a sudden alteration by which one state turns into another completely different state. And as with water and salt, the first state gives no clue about what the new state will be like. Thats why someone falling in love for the first time often says in amazement, I never knew such a thing ever existed. Obviously, the setup of society is drastically tilted toward conformity, routine, and conventionality. There is pressure not to be different. But none of this alters the fact that we are surrounded by transformation in Nature. Moreover, our brains couldnt transform the raw signals received by the five senses into the image of a three-dimensional world without transforming them. The lesson here is to accept that transformation is always within reach and requires no special effort or struggle to achieve. But to access any kind of personal transformation, you cannot rely on either your ego or your brainboth ae designed to keep doing what they are used to doing. Both are conditioned by the past. The source of transformation lies elsewhere, in consciousness. What triggers transformation happens in consciousness; the intention to change registers in consciousness; and consciousness carries out the desired transformation. This isnt mysticism. Your intention to lift your arm is a conscious trigger for the bodymind to go into action. Without conscious intention, nothing can happen in the direction you desire. What people find hard to accept is that consciousness is present not just as a trigger; it governs and creates change. Ultimately the entire experience occurs only in consciousness. Thats why we refer to states of consciousness. Only consciousness can change the state you are in physically, mentally, or emotionally. Like a gas changing state into a liquid, the new state isnt a matter of a little more or a little less. A change of state is a transformation. In childhood most fairy tales are about transformation, like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast. These tales linger our entire lives because deep down we know that transformation is real. In adulthood, transformation becomes wishful thinking because we turn to the ego personality to affect change, yet it always fails in the end, because of the inner conflict I began with, in which change is desired and feared at the same time. The key is to journey to the source of transformation, which is achieved through meditation. Only when you learn to identify with the inner level of yourself that creates transformation effortlessly can you master your own transformation. In effect you stop trying to change and let consciousness do it for you. Discovering that this is possible brings fulfillment to our deep yearning to be transformed. DEEPAK CHOPRA MD, FACP, founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a modern-day health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. He is the author of over 89 books translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego and serves as a Senior Scientist with Gallup Organization. His 90th book, Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential, unlocks the secrets to moving beyond our present limitations to access a field of infinite possibilities. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century. Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Sunday urged the Federal Government to do all it can to prevent another civil war in the country. The Christian body says happenings in the country at the moment is not the dream of any well-meaning Nigerian. Samson Ayokunle, CAN President said this in a statement by the associations spokesman, Adebayo Oladeji. According to him, it is time to stop the unnecessary bloodletting as excuses from the federal government are no longer tenable. Read Also: If Nigeria Could Overcome Biafra War, It Would Overcome Boko Haram: Buhari Ayokunle added that terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and other criminals should be dealt with ruthlessly. According to him, CAN declared three days of prayer and fasting from January 31 to February 2 for the sake of Nigeria, especially Christians, following the incessant killings by terrorists. [February 03, 2020] Sentrium's VyOS Now Available in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace Microsoft Azure customers worldwide now gain access to VyOS to take advantage of the scalability, reliability, and agility of Azure to drive application development and shape business strategies BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sentrium announced the availability of VyOS in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace , an online store providing applications and services for use on Azure. VyOS customers can now take advantage of the productive and trusted Azure cloud platform, with streamlined deployment and management. VyOS is an open-source network operating system based on GNU/Linux that provides a unified management interface for all functions like traditional hardware routers. It runs on bare metal as well as major hypervisors and cloud platforms, so you can use the same OS everywhere and connect your on-premises networks with cloud sites without the limitations and costs of vendor-specific VPN solutions, or you can build inexpensive remote-access VPN for your remote workers. VyOS includes everything you would expect from a router: industry routing protocols (BGP, OSPF v2/v3, RIP) policy-based and multipath routing VPN and tunneling protocols (IPsec, VTI, L2TP, OpenVPN, Wireguard, GRE, IPIP, SIT, VXLAN, L2TPv3) stateful and zone-based firewall NAT high availability (VRRP, connection table synchronization) QoS and shaping NetFlow and sFlow traffic accounting Built-in SaltStack integration and official Ansible module allow automating configuration workflow. For custom automation solutions, an HTTP API is available. Yuriy Andamasov, Coordinator of VyOS Project, said, "This is a significant milestone for VyOS public cloud support to start a collaboration with Microsoft Azure platform. It is a fact that cloud services benefit our clients. Providing best-quality solutions with Azure allows us to help customers face the different challenges of their business". Sajan Parihar, Senior Director, Microsoft Azure Platform at Microsoft Corp, said, "We're pleased to welcome VyOS to the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, which gives our partners great exposure to cloud customers around the globe. Azure Marketplace offers world-class quality experiences from global trusted partners with solutions tested to work seamlessly with Azure." The Azure Marketplace is an online market for buying and selling cloud solutions certified to run on Azure. The Azure Marketplace helps connect companies seeking innovative, cloud-based solutions with partners who have developed solutions that are ready to use. Learn more about VyOS at its page in the Azure Marketplace. About VyOS VyOS is a fully open-source network OS that provides a wide range of features for any network, from a small business to an Internet service provider. It runs on commodity hardware from desktop router boards to large servers, as well as a virtual machine in all popular hypervisors and multiple cloud hosting platforms including VMware, KVM, Xen, Amazon EC2, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform and more. Its aim is to provide the reliability and user experience of traditional hardware routers, without getting tied to any specified hardware or software vendor. Unified command-line interface and HTTP API for all functions, built-in configuration versioning and archiving, and reversible image upgrades allow network admins to make configuration changes easily. VyOS project started in 2013 as a fork of Vyatta Core when the open-source Vyatta version was discontinued. For more information, press only: Nataliia Korobchenko PR manager https://sentrium.io , https://vyos.io e-mail: [email protected] phone: +8170-4292-5389 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A test kit contains biological samples suspected to be infected with the 2019-nCoV in Hanoi's National Hospital of Tropical Diseases. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy. The Health Ministry confirmed Monday that a 29-year-old worker returning from Wuhan is the nation's eighth patient infected with the new pneumonia causing coronavirus. The unnamed woman from the northern province of Vinh Phuc was a company employee who had returned from China's Wuhan City, the epicenter of the outbreak, a week before the Lunar New Year festival. She was one of eight people on a flight from Wuhan to Vietnam. Three of the passengers have already been quarantined and tested positive for the nCoV. They are being treated at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi and the Thanh Hoa General Hospital. The latest patient was in close proximity with infected people and thus had a high chance of being infected, the ministry said. The woman has been quarantined in the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi's Dong Anh District and is in stable condition. Biological samples have been sent to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology for further testing. The woman and seven other Vietnamese employees were employed by Japan-based Nihon Plast Company Limited and sent for work training in Wuhan City in Hubei Province two months ago. They returned to Vietnam on a Southern China Airlines flight (CZ8315) on January 17. They were picked up by the company car at Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport on January 17. After a company meeting in Thien Ke Commune, Binh Son District, Vinh Phuc Province, about 18 km from the airport, she returned home in her own car with another co-worker. Vietnam confirmed the seventh case of the nCoV infection on Sunday, who was a 73-year-old Vietnamese American visitor who transited in Wuhan for two hours before coming to stay at a hotel in Saigon's District 3. Other patients include two Chinese nationals and a hotel receptionist in Nha Trang who received them. Vietnam's government declared the novel coronavirus an epidemic on Saturday. The country has reported 236 suspected cases with symptoms like high fever and coughing, including some people who had visited infected areas in China, as of Monday. Of them, 163 have tested negative for the virus and 73 are in quarantine pending test results. The death toll from the epidemic had reached 362: 361 people in China and one in the Phillipines. More than 17,000 have been infected. NEWTOWN >> The Council Rock School Board on Jan. 6 announced that it has granted Superintendent Dr. Robert Fraser a temporary leave from his duties as administrative head of the school district. In the interim, the board has appointed assistant superintendent for teaching and learning Dr. Susan Elliott as substitute Superintendent. The Board looks forward to Dr. Fraser's return to the district... Having finished his Sunday sermon from Psalm 18 on God as a stronghold who delivers his people from their enemies, Enoch Adeboye then led them to a cemetery. It was an ironic yet appropriate choice. Wearing a bright green tuxedo, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Lagos, Nigeria, marched three miles yesterday holding a placard that declared: All Souls are Precious to God. Adeboye and his congregation, one of the largest in the world, answered the call issued by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for a three-day fast this past weekend, concluding in a prayer walk. Based on reports from its state chapters and local media, CAN estimates 5 million people marched in 28 of Nigerias 36 states on Sunday. Though we have protested before, this event took a new dimension, CAN president Samson Ayokunle told CT. With one voice, we said no to killings, no to security negligence, and no to the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. It is a wake-up call to the government. Image: Courtesy of RCCG Launched on January 29 to protest the beheading of Brethren pastor Lawan Andimi, the chairman of a regional CAN chapter in Adamawa state, by Boko Haram two weeks earlier, the prayer was also a protest at the Nigerian governments failure to stop the abductions and killings. Image: Courtesy of CAN Terrorist attacks, as well as clashes between mostly Muslim herdsmen and mostly Christian farmers, resulted in more than 100 deaths in January alone. Lord, have mercy on Nigeria, let there be peace and security, said Adeboye. God sees all things and knows where the terrorists are hiding. We pray that God send his light to Nigeria and expose the evildoers in the country. In the perspective of CAN, these reach into the upper levels of government. O Lord, in Jesus Name, expose all the government functionaries and security chiefs who have compromised and who are giving vital information to the terrorists, killer herdsmen, and kidnappers in the country, stated No. 11 in CANs 22-point prayer guide for the fast. All the suppliers of ammunition to the insurgents, we pray that you our God would expose, no matter how highly placed they may be. Image: Courtesy of CAN Adeboye previously had a reputation for refraining from such critical activity. Some politicians rejoiced that he took a stand, noting that Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is a member of his congregation. For [Adeboye] to stick his neck out, when the government respects him, will surely cause them to take notice, said Gideon Para-Mallam, the Jos-based Africa ambassador for the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. That heand otherswould say, We need to be a part of this, is significant. Para-Mallam, who recently testified about sub-Saharan Christian persecution at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, noted other high-profile church leaders joined the march, including: Obed Dashan, council vice president of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), one of Nigerias largest denominations which claims 8 million members; Benjamin Kwashi, a Jos-based Anglican archbishop and general secretary of GAFCON; and Soja Bewarang, chairman of the heads of church denominations in Plateau state. They had to come out, because they are seeing bloodshed become a daily occurrence, Ayokunle told CT. The greater participation is due to a greater frustration. Image: Courtesy of CAN CAN has frequently called out the government of President Muhammadu Buhariand has been accused by Buharis administration of politicizing the issue. John Ibenu, CAN chairman for the Middle Belt state of Kogi, home to many herder-farmer clashes, defended his organization. His state witnessed 27 deaths in January. When people are not performing the duties for which they are employed or appointed, they must give way for others to come in, he stated. CAN will not tolerate ineptitude and will not be silent because we must be the voice of the voiceless and down trodden. We are the moral custodian and conscience of the society. Image: Courtesy of CAN Day 1 of the three-day fast called on Nigerian Christians to confess and repent of their sins. Day 2 called on God to pour out his spirit for revival. Day 3 called for the prayer walk, asking God to fight their battles. Our very existence as Christians in our dear nation Nigeria has never been at stake as it is now, stated Stephen Baba, president of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), one of Nigerias largest denominations which claims 10 million members. Endorsing CANs call for fasting, he recalled the story of Esther. It is very clear that the spirit of Haman, whose avowed aim is the complete extermination of Christians, is viciously at work in this nation and the government. Image: Courtesy of CAN Apart from counter-terrorism, Nigeria is also attempting to reform captured militants. More than 2,000 Boko Haram members have repented and been released back into society, a move criticized by many. Nigerian Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, pushed President Buhari to resign. The president pushed back in an op-ed submitted to CT. We owe thanks to the Nigerian defense forcesbolstered by our partnership with the British and American militariesthat we are winning this struggle in the field, he wrote. But we may not, yet, be completely winning the battle for the truth. Buhari praised the faith of Andimi and committed himself to freeing the remaining 160 Chibok schoolgirls. But he emphasized that 90 percent of Boko Harams victims have been Muslim. These now failing terrorists have targeted the vulnerable, the religious, the non-religious, the young, and the old without discrimination, he wrote. Yet sadly, there is a tiny, if vocal, minority of so-called religious leadersboth Muslim and Christianwho appear more than prepared to take their bait and blame their opposite number. Image: Courtesy of CAN Ayokunle questioned Buharis figures. Who prepared this report for him? What statistics is he quoting from? asked the CAN president. He is playing politics with peoples lives. Nigeria is now the second-most violent country for persecuted Christians (Pakistan is No. 1), according to the 2020 World Watch List released last month by Open Doors. The list ranks Nigeria at No. 12 among the top 50 countries where its hardest to be a Christian. According to Open Doors, Nigeria led the world in Christian martyrdoms, with 1,350 confirmed, and in Christian abductions, with 224 confirmed, during the lists reporting period from November 2018 to October 2019. Image: Courtesy of CAN The death toll increased in January, with Ropvil Dalep, a university student executed by Boko Haram; seminarian Michael Nnadi, shot by bandits following an unfulfilled ransom demand; and Lutheran church pastor Denis Bagauri, killed by unknown gunmen. The latter prompted the Lutheran World Fellowship to send a letter to Buhari, cosigned by the World Council of Churches. If the clergy are targeted, ordinary community members are even more at risk, it stated, appealing also for the abducted Dapchi schoolgirl Leah Sharibu. We believe that the current situation in Nigeria requires resolute leadership on your part to end these atrocities, and to satisfy all Nigerians that your government genuinely has their interests at heart, through effective action and not only words. The risks for the future of Nigeria in the absence of such leadership and action are grave. Image: Courtesy of CAN Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) also issued a statement. CSW welcomes efforts being made both inside Nigeria and internationally to hold President Buhari and his administration to account for their failure, stated chief executive Mervyn Thomas, adding that the West African nation is close to failing. We encourage Christians around the world to join with CAN in praying and fasting for peace, justice, and lasting change. And for this, thousands of Nigerians in states across the nation rallied in prayer. They held signs proclaiming: Image: Courtesy of CAN Mr. President, Stop These Killings, Please Nigeria Belongs to Everyone, Wanton Killings Must Stop Nigeria is a Secular State, No Sacred Cows Shed No Blood, It Cries to God The Gospel of Christ Will Reign in Nigeria CAN trusts these prayers will be effective. Let us be expectant, because there shall be divine intervention in the affairs of our country in response to our heart-felt cry of faith to the Lord, stated Adebayo Oladeji, special assistant to Ayokunle, in a press release following the three-day fast. God, who forged Nigeria as one united entity, will arise and deliver her from the bondage of insecurity, in Jesus name. And in that name, the sign-carrying RCCG leader Adeboye symbolically marched back from the cemetery to his church. Every soul is precious to God whether a Christian or a Muslim, he said. Father, we declare no more death of the innocent, in Nigeria. Below are more photos of the CAN marches: Image: Courtesy of CAN Image: Courtesy of CAN Image: Courtesy of CAN FILE PHOTO: Street view after Wuhan government announced to ban non-essential vehicles in downtown area to contain coronavirus outbreak, on the second day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, in Wuhan By Lusha Zhang and Ryan Woo BEIJING (Reuters) - A 43-year-old native of Wuhan, a central Chinese city ravaged by a coronavirus outbreak, said he climbed up rusty pipes to the third-floor balcony of an apartment to gain entry into the home of a middle-aged couple. Lao Mao was no ordinary housebreaker - his mission was to feed two starving cats trapped in the home for 10 days. He found the animals under a sofa, barely alive. Lao Mao rang up their owners, who broke down and cried on the video call at the sight of their pets. Their owners had gone on what was originally a three-day trip to the north but had been unable to return, barred by travel curbs following the virus outbreak, which has claimed the lives of more than 360 people in China. They learned of Lao Mao, or "Old Cat" as his friends call him, from social media and messaged him, pleading for help for their cats. Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have first surfaced late last year, has been in a lockdown since Jan. 23, just as tens of millions of people across China started to leave for their Lunar New Year holidays. Wuhan's mayor told a recent news conference that 5 million people had left the city ahead of the festive season. Up to 50,000 pets had been left alone at home in Wuhan, Lao Mao estimated, based on the number of people who left the city in Hubei province. "The volunteers on our team, me included, have saved more than 1,000 pets since Jan. 25," said Lao Mao, declining to disclose his real name because he did not want his family to know he was out and about in the city. "My phone never stops ringing these days. I barely sleep." Without intervention, the pets will starve to death. Many owners, either in quarantine or stranded in other provinces and countries, have sought help from animal lovers like Lao Mao on social media. "My conservative estimate is that around 5,000 are still trapped, and they may die of starvation in the coming days," Lao Mao said. Story continues Animals in some parts of China were also caught up in spurious rumours that pets were exacerbating the virus's spread. The number of abandoned pets rose in the past week, according to several animal rights groups, while isolated reports of pets being killed circulated on the internet. Suichang, a small county in Zhejiang, the province second to Hubei with the most infections, on Friday ordered residents to keep their dogs at home. Dogs caught in public will be exterminated, county authorities said. Many in Beijing and Shanghai also rushed to buy face masks for their dogs in their mistaken belief that pets could catch the virus. "I'm worried about my dog being hated by the neighbourhood," said Beijinger Wang Fengyun, who has a poodle. "I haven't found any pet masks, so I've made one myself with a paper cup." (Reporting by Lusha Zhang and Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan) Montana government officials are looking into ways to crack down on under-the-table payments and other types of payroll fraud in the construction industry. The Task Force on Integrity in Wage Reporting and Employee Classification recently announced recommendations on "how to help reduce and eliminate unlawful misclassification and other types of fraud in the industry." According to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, the task force was created in April by an executive order from Gov. Steve Bullock "to coordinate state and industry resources to assist in identifying inappropriate employment relationships and ensuring proper tax withholdings, insurance contributions, and wage payments in the construction industry." Misclassification and unreported payments rob workers of their lawful protections to wages, unemployment insurance and workers compensation, said Lt. Governor Mike Cooney, task force chairman. This fraud burdens ratepayers by creating uninsured and underinsured claims and puts lawful businesses at a competitive disadvantage. This task force has worked together to protect Montanas workers, businesses and taxpayers. According to Cooney, payroll fraud includes paying workers under the table or misclassifying employees as independent contractors. Businesses that inadvertently or purposefully underpay workers go without paying their fair share of taxes, he noted. Cooney also said "that type of fraud deprives workers of earned wages, and burdens ratepayers in the workers compensation and unemployment systems by creating uninsured and underinsured claims." Construction is big business in Montana, according to statistics from the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. "In 2018, there were 28,600 payroll workers working for 6,400 employing construction-related businesses, each earning an average annual salary of $52,000," said Lauren Lewis, a public information officer with the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, in an email. "An additional 11,500 individuals registered with labor department as independent contractors within the construction industry." Lewis also noted that the total 2018 payroll wages in the industry were approximately $1.5 billion, with a Gross Domestic Product of approximately $2.9 billion. "Employment growth in Montanas construction industry is currently about 3%, faster than the economy as a whole," Lewis wrote. According to Lewis, some of the the recommendations include: a focus on education for construction hiring agents, establishing a web-based dashboard that allows for quick compliance verification searches, creating a tip line where workers of employers can report suspected abuse of Independent Contractor Exemption Certificates (ICEC), rule changes that allow inspectors to quickly determine compliance, changes to the ICEC renewal process that ensure the certificate holder provides additional documentation of their ongoing eligibility to hold a certificate, and increasing the penalties imposed for knowingly hiring an unregistered Independent Contractor (IC); one who has their license suspended, revoked or denied; hiring or allowing them to work outside the scope listed on their registration; or misclassifying an employee as an IC. Jack McBroom of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers told the Missoulian he doesn't think payroll fraud is good for the employee, the employer or state taxpayers. "I think employees would rather be paid the right wages and a decent wage," he said. "If they're being paid under the table, they're not paying into Social Security or getting their benefits paid by their employer." He said some workers who get paid in cash as independent contractors might not be aware they have to pay a self-employment tax. "If they're getting paid in cash they may not even be paying taxes, which is not fair to the state," McBroom said. "That takes away from school services and highways and an assortment of of other things that everyone benefits from." He said he doesn't think the practice of fraud is common, but people are becoming more aware of it. "That's why the governor made this task force," he said. "He wanted us to do more research and dig into it a little bit to see what we could brainstorm together." McBroom said a good idea is to educate the workforce and contractors and perhaps increase fines for those who are breaking the law. The task force is made up of representatives from organized labor, construction contractors, the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, and the Montana Department of Revenue. To view the Task Force on Wage Integrity and Misclassification in the Construction Industrys final report and recommendations, visit online at http://erd.dli.mt.gov/Portals/54/Documents/Integrity%20in%20Wage%20Reporting%20Task%20Force/WageTheftReport-Final.pdf?ver=2019-12-23-104821-813 or Google "integrity in wage reporting Montana" and click the first result. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 ASHEVILLE, N.C., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Earth Fare, the authentic specialty natural and organic grocery store and full-service supermarket, announced today that it will begin inventory liquidation sales at all of its stores. Pursuant to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN), all employees have been notified of the impending closure of the company's stores and corporate office. During this time, the Company will continue to pursue a sale of assets, in whole or in parts. "Earth Fare has been proud to serve the natural and organic grocery market, and the decision to begin the process of closing our stores was not entered into lightly. We'd like to thank our Team Members for their commitment and dedication to serving our customers, and our vendors and suppliers for their partnership," said Earth Fare. Over the course of the past few years, the Company has implemented numerous strategic initiatives aimed at growth and expansion and enhancing the customer experience. "While many of these initiatives improved the business, continued challenges in the retail industry impeded the company's progress as well as its ability to refinance its debt. As a result, Earth Fare is not in a financial position to continue to operate on a go-forward basis. As such, we have made the difficult, but necessary decision to commence inventory liquidation sales while we continue to engage in a process to find potential suitors for our stores," added Earth Fare. The inventory liquidation sales will feature a truly outstanding assortment of merchandise at very significant price reductions. We encourage shoppers to visit their nearby location now and take advantage of these savings before it's too late. Store fixtures are also available for sale as part of this process. About Earth Fare Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Earth Fare has long served the natural and organic grocery market. Their full-service philosophy incorporates the highest food Quality Standards in the industry with compelling value, friendly and knowledgeable service, and superior shopping experience. It's a philosophy that makes it easy to live a healthier lifestyle, every day. Media Contact: Jennifer E. Mercer Paladin for Earth Fare 818-802-5199 [email protected] SOURCE Earth Fare BRUSSELS (Alliance News) - Britain and the EU are due to outline competing visions on Monday of the trade deal they will seek to negotiate, following Britain's formal departure from the bloc. On Friday, Britain ended its 47-year membership of the EU. The two sides now have until the end of the year to agree on their future relationship. A transitional phase until then means that little changes in practice. EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier is due to present the European Commission's draft negotiating mandate at 11 am Brussels time. This must be approved by the bloc's 27 governments and the European Parliament before talks with London can begin. Brussels has stressed that British access to the EU market will depend on how fully it signs up to the bloc's rules on issues ranging from free movement of people to environmental and labour standards. Britain, meanwhile, insists that it has not left the bloc to remain shackled by its rules. "We want to have the best possible relationship with the United Kingdom. But it will never be as good as membership,"A commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday. In a speech on Monday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to lay out his vision of a trade deal similar to the one Brussels struck with Canada, while insisting that London will maintain high standards "without the compulsion of a treaty". EU officials warn that the end-of-year timeline is extremely ambitious. If this does not succeed, trade will be based on an existing framework of minimal rules, Johnson is to say - akin to a no-deal scenario. Copyright dpa Todays Republican Party stands for nothing save Donald Trump. Nothing. When the Senate on Friday voted, 51-49, against calling witnesses in the presidents impeachment trial, it confirmed, beyond all possible doubt, that the once-Grand Old Party, the party of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan, was now Trumps party, through and through. It's little more than a cult of personality, a group of sycophants who tremble in fear of a withering tweet from the dear leader. Which is exactly how King Donald wants it. The sham impeachment trial put on by Republicans will get Trump off the hook, but it won't exonerate him. Because everyone knows he's guilty. And those who don't have their heads buried in the sand also understand clearly that his Republican supporters in the Senate are guilty, too. Guilty of selling out the nation, and our Constitution. One might wish to suggest that these folks spend a few minutes familiarizing themselves with our nation's Constitution, working to understand the role of Congress and the fundamental importance it is supposed to play in our system of divided powers. They might also wish to read something written just nine years later -- George Washington's farewell address. In that document, published in September 1796, our nation's first president, who'd soon be leaving office, warns of undue factionalism and the effects of foreign influence. Wrote Washington: "The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension ... is itself a frightful despotism. ... The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction... turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty." Later, the man long called the father of our country wrote: "Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence ... the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government." Trump was charged with abusing the powers of his office to get a foreign nation to dig up, or manufacture, dirt on a political opponent, and with trying to cover up those efforts. And Senate Republicans act as though that was just fine. Shame on them all. Prominent saffron leader and president of the International Hindu Mahasabha Ranjit Bachchan was shot dead in the state capital on Sunday. According to the police sources here, Bachchan was sprayed with bullets by a motor cycle-borne assailant near a park in the Hazratganj area of the city while he was on a morning walk with his wife and cousin. Bachchan's cousin Aditya Srivastava was injured in the incident, said sources, adding that he was admitted to a hospital. The saffron leader, who hailed from Gorakhpur, the home town of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, was shot in the head and died on the spot. A hunt was launched to nab the culprits after Senior police officials reached the spot. Police said old enmity or dispute in the family could be the reason behind the killing. ''We are investigating the murder from different angles,'' said Lucknow police commissioner Sujit Kumar Pandey. Ranjit had three wives and had been having marital discord with one of them. His second wife, Kalindi, alleged that some ''anti-Hindu'' outfit could be behind the killing. Four police personnel, including the in-charge of a police outpost, were suspended on charges of laxity following the incident, police said. Bachchan's killing comes four months after another prominent saffron leader Kamlesh Tiwari was shot dead at his office in the state capital last year. The alleged killers were arrested later are are currently in jail. Morocco will put people airlifted from Chinas Wuhan into quarantine of 20 days amid the implementation of measures to avert the spread of the virus in the country where no case has been registered so far. The 167 people on board the RAM Dreamliner will be transferred to Hospital Sidi Said in Meknes and military hospital Mohammed V in Rabat. The two facilities have been prepared to host them for an observation period of 20 days to ensure their safety and that of their families. The passengers have been accompanied by a civilian and military medical team. King Mohammed VI has ordered the repatriation of the Moroccan nationals from Wuhan and the setting up of measures to prevent the spread of the virus in the country. Over 360 people have died in China where infections jumped to about 17,500. Outside China, a first death has been reported in the Philippines. At least another 171 cases have been reported in more than two dozen other countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Britain. The SAD on Monday hit out at the Punjab government for filing a fresh affidavit in the apex court that it had no objection to a separate gurdwara body in Haryana. The party described the move a conspiracy, aimed at "grabbing" the control of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). The SGPC manages Sikh shrines in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. In 2014, the Haryana Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee was notified for managing Sikh shrines in the state, prompting the then SAD-BJP government to oppose the move in the Supreme Court. "The Sikhs are opposed to the attempts at the balkanisation of their supreme elected religious institution. It is a deep-rooted conspiracy striking at the roots of the community's spiritual fountainheads by weakening, dissolving or grabbing the control of the SGPC," a release issued by the party here said. The Shiromani Akali Dal core committee, which is the highest decision-making body of the party, also passed a resolution against the state government affidavit. The party decided to submit a memorandum to Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore to draw his attention towards the affidavit, saying it was not only a "U-turn" on the earlier affidavit submitted by the state government but also "fraught with serious consequences". The party said it amounted to a "brazen interference" in the community's religious affairs. The SAD said the affidavit was "legally and constitutionally weird" as it was directly opposite to the state government's earlier affidavit, which had opposed a separate religious body in Haryana. The state government recently changed Punjab's stand before the Supreme Court, supporting Haryana's move of setting up a separate gurdwara body. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indonesian presidential spokesman Fadjroel Rachman said on Sunday, February 2, that 238 Indonesians had been safely evacuated from Wuhan to the Indonesian city of Batam. The evacuees were to be transported to Natuna following their arrival, according to Antara News. The Jakarta Post, quoting health officials, reported that the evacuees were to be quarantined under observation for at least 14 days. Chinese state media said 361 people had died as a result of the virus by Sunday, with a further 17,205 confirmed cases. Authorities in the Phillipines said they had recorded the first death from the virus outside of China on Sunday, according to the AP. Credit: MoFA Indonesia via Storyful In award acceptance speech, actor explains why people who benefit from racism should be ones to dismantle it. Actor Joaquin Phoenix has called out systemic racism in the film industry in a searing awards acceptance speech in London. As he won the award for Leading Actor on Sunday for his role in the film Joker at the Bafta Film Awards 2020, the 45-year-old received a round of applause at the Royal Albert Hall from an audience that included members of the British royal family. The event was already heavily criticised for lacking diversity in the nominations. As he accepted the award, for which all five nominees were white, Phoenix said he felt honoured. But I also feel conflicted, he said, sending the hall into a stunned silence. So many of my fellow actors that are deserving dont have that same privilege. I think we are sending a very clear message to people of colour that youre not welcome here. Thats the message we are sending to people who have contributed so much to our medium and our industry in ways that we have benefitted from. I dont think anybody wants a handout or preferential treatment, although thats what we give ourselves every year. All 20 nominees in the BAFTA awards acting categories were white. I think people just want to be acknowledged, appreciated and respected for their work, said Phoenix. This is not a self-righteous condemnation, because I am ashamed to say that I am part of the problem. I have not done everything in my power to ensure that the sets I work on are inclusive. But I think its more than just having sets that are multicultural. We have to really do the hard work to truly understand systemic racism. I think that it is the obligation of the people that have created and perpetuate and benefit from a system of oppression to be the ones who dismantle it so thats on us. Other film and music awards events, such as the Golden Globes, Oscars and Grammys, have also recently come under renewed criticism for failing to include ethnic minority artists and industry workers. A lack of female nominees in some categories has also drawn ire. i appreciate what mr phoenix said greatly cos white people speaking on behalf of the rest of us is effective but before you lot get too excited, i would also like to remind everyone people of colour, black people especially, have been saying this for literally decades. pic.twitter.com/fVhsfL4lZV Danielle DASH (@DanielleDASH) February 2, 2020 Lulu Wang, a writer and director who was at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday, tweeted after Phoenixs speech: An uncomfortable silence filled the hall for a long noticeable moment. Thank you Joaquin. David Schneider, a British actor, writer and director, said: Spot on from Joaquin Phoenix. Bafta members of which Im one need to take a long, hard look at ourselves. Sharmaine Lovegrove, a publisher, wrote on Twitter: I hope that everyone working in the European and British creative industry sectors takes a few moments to watch this when they get to their office, then look around & see so few POC & think about their demonstrative contribution to change for good. Others, however, said minorities have been making the same point as Phoenix for a while but have been disregarded. Later in the event, Prince William, the British Academys president, also spoke about diversity. We are lucky to have incredible filmmakers, actors, producers, directors and technicians men and women from all backgrounds and ethnicities enriching our lives through film, he said. Yet in 2020, and not for the first time in the last few years, we find ourselves talking again about the need to do more to ensure diversity in the sector and in the awards process that simply cannot be right in this day and age. The Russian government said on Monday it will not put in place more restrictive measures to combat the new virus that has killed more than 300 people. Speaking at a briefing on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova announced that an emergency situation or quarantine will not be enforced in Russia because there has not been any cases of human-to-human transmission in the country so far. Golikova also said Russia is working on its own vaccine. On Friday, the country reported its first two confirmed cases of coronavirus - two Chinese nationals, who were hospitalised in two different regions of Siberia. Like other countries, Russia has halted most of its air and train traffic with China, shut down its land border with China and Mongolia and temporarily stopped issuing work visas to Chinese citizens. A flight from Beijing carrying 31 passengers, including 4 Chinese citizens with a fever arrived in Irkutsk on Monday. Local television footage showed passengers being taken from the plane directly to the hospital. The latest figures from Chinese officials show there have been 361 deaths and 2,829 new cases over the last 24 hours, bringing the Chinese total to 17,205 cases. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has refused to ask a party MLA to apologise to the family of IRA murder victim Paul Quinn after an alleged slur that he was involved in criminality. Ms McDonald has also refused to support the existence of the special criminal court, despite criticism from other parties over Sinn Fein's opposition to it. Earlier today, the family of Paul Quinn, a young man brutally beaten to death in a shed in Monaghan in 2007, said they still had not received an apology from Sinn Fein over alleged comments about him. The North's finance minister Conor Murphy, a Sinn Fein MLA, has said that he has been given solid assurances the IRA were not responsible for Mr Quinn's death. But he also said the young man had been killed as a result of a criminal feud. Paul Quinn's family have repeatedly called for a retraction of this statement. His mother, Breege, has told RTE she had heard nothing from Ms McDonald or Sinn Fein on the matter. Ms McDonald, in her interview, told Mr Dobson that the only criminals were the people who took Mr Quinn's life. But she declined to say if Mr Murphy would apologise to the family or go to the police and only said the best thing was for him to speak to the Quinns. Ms McDonald also said that Mr Murphy had disputed making the original comments. The Sinn Fein leader, despite being pressed, also refused to back the special criminal court. The party wants a review of the court, which gardai and others say has been largely responsible in helping to lock up serious criminals and gang members from both Limerick and Dublin. Ms McDonald said: Everything that needs to be done to make communities safe needs to be done. She added that everything that the State had was failing to keep vast amounts of communities safe. Elsewhere, Ms McDonald faced questions about funding commitments in the Sinn Fein manifesto. Sinn Fein is proposing spending some 14bn over the next five years, above and beyond the 11bn in money set out by other parties. She said her plans were costed and deliverable. But one proposal is to collect an extra 107m from the vacant site levy by raising it from 7% to 15% over five years. However, Mr Dobson put it to her that the existing levy had only raised 882,000, as he asked how she could get that much in extra funding. Ms McDonald responded with: I'm not the costing unit of the department [of finance]. She also said that, if lands were released and the levy then was not collected, that those losses could be made up for through increased amounts of VAT from home construction. In the interview, Ms McDonald also said she expected Britain to pay for a transition period in the event of a United Ireland. Asked about what might replace the huge subvention payments which come from London for the North, she said: The British will have to take out their cheque book and put their hand in their pocket. The party leader was also quizzed about what whether Sinn Fein could end up back in opposition after the election, especially with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail refusing to share power with them. Ms McDonald said that she didn't want government just for the sake of it. Prior to joining Boston Market, Wyatt served as Operations Partner/Vice President of Operations for Panera Bread, where he was responsible for all aspects of operations, including retail, marketing, recruiting, catering, facilities and bakery at more than 40 cafes in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. Boston Market has named Eric Wyatt as Chief Executive Officer as the "rotisserie everything experts" sets forth on a new growth phase. He succeeds Frances Allen, Boston Market's CEO since 2018, who is departing for a new venture. Having served as the company's Chief Operating Officer, Wyatt will oversee a newly created "Office of CEO" that includes Chief Financial Officer Caryn Doyle and Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel Randy Miller. Under Allen's leadership, this C-suite team has been instrumental in implementing a multi-faceted transformation plan designed to ensure long-term sustainability, enhance brand relevance, accelerate innovation, improve guest satisfaction, increase overall profitability and create a clear growth plan to propel the company forward. "The significant progress Boston Market has achieved in a short period of time and in the face of very challenging market conditions would not have been possible without the commitment and efforts of our entire team; this company is in a very different place than it was in 2018," said Allen. "Most importantly, there is a robust game plan in place to take the brand forward. The foundation is here. The structure is here. The plan is here. And the people are here. There is a tremendous amount to feel proud of and excited about looking ahead. While the decision to take on this new opportunity was extraordinarily difficult, I am confident I am leaving the brand in outstanding hands." "The renewed energy and excitement now surrounding Boston Market is palpable from the restaurants to the support center," said Wyatt. "The fun has returned in multiple ways, from investments in our workforce to our fresh new marketing and messaging, to more contemporary recipes, to delivering an entirely new, more compelling experience for guests that has dramatically improved satisfaction levels. I am honored to take on the role as CEO and work collaboratively with this dynamic C-level team to build on our momentum and execute on our plans for moving forward." Prior to joining Boston Market, Wyatt served as Operations Partner/Vice President of Operations for Panera Bread, where he was responsible for all aspects of operations, including retail, marketing, recruiting, catering, facilities and bakery at more than 40 cafes in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. Before that he was Vice President, Store Operations Support for Bath & Body Works, where he oversaw multiple functions supporting more than 1,500 company operated stores. Earlier, he held several senior positions at Starbucks Coffee Company, most recently as Vice President, Global & Americas Operations. He also previously worked with Taco Bell Corporation and Mobil Oil Corporation. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Restaurant industry news and trends. Subscribe 2022 Restaurant News Resource VANCOUVEROn any given day, Paul Cottrells phone can light up with hundreds of notifications. Its the orcas calling. Southern resident killer whales are very chatty, he says. Cottrell is the marine mammal co-ordinator with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and hes also part of a project that is using artificial intelligence to track the whereabouts of endangered southern resident orcas. The Canadian government maintains a network of 18 underwater microphones surrounding Victoria and Vancouver, as well as the west coast of Vancouver Island. Every time an orca swims near one of those 18 hydrophones, as they are known, artificial intelligence technology developed by Google sends a notification telling researchers where the orcas are. Its like getting an email every five seconds. So you definitely know whats going on, Cottrell said. Whale researchers are especially interested in tracking the southern resident orcas, which have been in decline for more than a decade. Fewer than 30 of them are of breeding age, according to the Center for Whale Research, the organization responsible for conducting an annual census of the southern residents. The northern resident orcas, which spend less time in the busy Salish Sea, are faring much better. There are about 300 individuals in that population. The AI project springs from a partnership between Google, the Silicon Valley-based Rainforest Connection and Fisheries and Oceans Canada that began in the fall of 2018. A demo of the Rainforest Connection web interface running Google's orca detection model. Read more about our research: https://www.blog.google/technology/ai/protecting-orcas/ Cottrell and his team sent 1,800 hours of audio filled with everything from the whirring of motor boats, to the sound of rain pattering on the surface of the ocean, to the clicks and whistles of orcas to Julie Cattiaus bioacoustics team at Google. Using a software developed by Rainforest Connection, Cattiau and her team taught an algorithm originally developed to help American authorities identify humpback whales to identify orcas instead. Resident orcas are very talkative, said Cottrell, much more so than their mammal-hunting counterparts, the transient orcas. The transient orcas ply coastal waters silently, so as to remain undetected by their prey: seals and other whales. Resident orcas, by contrast, are fish-eaters and since they have no reason to hide their presence chatterboxes. That makes it easy for the algorithm to detect them. Whenever orcas enter the Salish Sea, Cottrells phone lights up. Researchers can pinpoint exactly where the whales are, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Its incredible its almost like they have no privacy, he said. For that reason, this information is not available publicly, lest over-enthusiastic whale lovers head out onto the water to try and catch a glimpse of the endangered animals. In Canada, boaters must stay at least 200 metres away from an orca. But researchers such as Cottrell will now know in real time where the orcas are without having to monitor the hydrophones themselves. That might be the difference between life and death if there is an oil spill or other disaster in the area. Authorities would be able to head out onto the water and turn the orcas away from the spill if necessary. I hope this never happens, but if there is an oil spill, its important we know where the animals are, he said. The information also allows authorities to alert vessel captains when there are orcas in shipping lanes or ferry routes. The southern resident orcas are facing extinction due to toxins in the water, noise pollution from ships and, most pressingly, a lack of Chinook, their preferred prey. Cottrell said the new technology will enable studies and conservation efforts researchers havent even thought of yet. Scientists now have data a lot of it and itll be a matter of thinking of ways to use it, said Cottrell. The algorithm may one day even be able to tell the difference between the calls of different pods of orcas. Pods of resident orcas have distinct calls they only use among themselves, as well as a shared dialect they use to communicate with those outside of their family group, said Deborah Giles, a conservation biologist with the University of Washington. Im not an acoustician at all, but I can tell the difference between the three (southern resident) pods, she said. Its very obvious who is speaking. Cottrell mused that if the software could identify individual whales, it would open even more doors for research and conservation. For instance, veterinarians might be able to keep tabs on certain sick and injured whales. The possibilities are endless, he said. Were just so happy with this collaboration. Were really jazzed. A few months before the current partnership began, a mother orca had carried her dead newborns body for two weeks before letting it sink to the ocean floor. The story struck a chord with many, highlighting the plight of the southern resident orcas who, according to researchers, are slowly starving to death. Then, another orca, a malnourished three-year-old southern resident, died despite a dramatic multinational rescue attempt. We read it and we got very upset about it, because its so sad, said Cattiau. Her team had been working with the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at the time on humpback whales in the Pacific Ocean, which have seen a remarkable recovery since whaling was outlawed in 1965. We thought, What about species that are endangered today and need urgent care from the authorities? So Cattiau arranged a meeting with Cottrell in Victoria in September 2018. She offered Googles bioacoustics technology to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, free of charge. They also partnered with Rainforest Connection, which has its origins in the anti-deforestation movement, detecting chainsaw noises in the Amazon rainforest and notifying authorities. Giles said the southern resident orcas need all the help they can get. In the past three years, a dozen southern resident orcas have died. Last week, researchers announced that a 42-year-old male, L41, had been missing for some time and was presumed dead. That means this unique population of whales, one of the most studied in the world, is nearly back to capture-era levels. In 1976, there were 68 whales in the southern resident population after dozens of orcas were captured for aquariums, according to the Centre for Whale Research. The population slowly grew back to 89 individuals by 2006. Today, there are 72 southern resident orcas left. Anyone who sees a whale in distress can call Fisheries and Oceans Canadas injured marine mammal hotline at 1-800-465-4336. Read more about: Sussex bans trawling following campaign backed by David Attenborough by LIAM GILLIVER February 03,2020 | Source: PBN Sussex has banned trawling, a method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats, following a campaign backed by British veteran broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. The Help Our Kelp campaign also received support from 2,500 other people to help save the underwater forest - which once stretched from Selsey to Shoreham - but has been damaged due to trawling and storms. Environmentalists say the year-round ban, enacted by Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, will help cut greenhouse gas emissions - as the underwater forest 'sucks up massive amounts of planet-warming carbon'. According to The Telegraph, Attenborough said: "This marine rewilding project, if approved, will ensure the Sussex seas remain healthy for generations to come, and could have far-reaching impact for other parts of the UK coast. Executive Director of the Blue Marine Foundation Charles Clover, who was in favor of the ban, added: "This is an initiative that tackles climate change and overfishing impacts all at once, the first of its kind in the UK. This is exactly what we need to be doing in marine habitats all over the world." 2020 Plant Based News LTD Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods. A farm in the US is looking for volunteers who can pet their pigs.Cotton Branch Farm Sanctuary in Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina homes 550 pigs after they were rescued nearly a year ago. Around 400 of the total pigs were adopted in the previous year, but the remaining 150 need socialising, international media reported. Help them socialise The sanctuary is now looking for piggy cuddlers who can help the animals socialise and prepare them for adoption. According to a Facebook post, the process involves scratching the pigs bellies, feeding them cookies or simply talking to them. Josh Carpenter-Costner, Sanctuary's president told international media that they have people who can come out and spend about an hours time with them, three times a week. It nearly takes a month for the pigs to be totally ready for adoption. Read: Scientists Mix Pig And Human Genes To Create Hybrid Skin To Help Burn Survivors Read: Scientists Create Monkey-pig Hybrid In China On the other hand, the San Francisco International Airport recently hired a five-year-old Juliana pig and her owner Tatyana Danilova as a part of their Wag Brigade programme. The pig named LiLou is a therapy animal which helps to make air travel less stressful, cheers up passengers and ease their travel anxiety. LiLou can be seen dressed in a pilot's cap and with toenails painted bright red. She reportedly poses for selfies and entertains departing passengers with a tune on her toy piano. In an interview with international media, Danilova said that people are very happy to get distracted from the travel, from their routines. She further added that LiLou usually gets passerby's attention after which they pause for a second and smile. LiLou lives with Danilova in downtown San Fransico apartment and feeds on organic vegetables and protein pellets. She even has her own bed and goes for daily walks around the neighbourhood. In a video posted by an international media outlet, LiLou can be seen playing a tune on her piano and using her hooves and snout. Read: Alexa Bliss Brags About Her Backside, Compares It With Her Pet Pig Read: Hilarious Video Shows Reporter Being Chased By Wild Pig On Live TV [February 03, 2020] International Pricing Index is NOT an Answer to Health Care Costs The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) has released the following statement on the proposed international pricing index: The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease opposes proposed "international pricing index" models to address drug pricing. While we support efforts that make quality care and treatments more accessible to the people who need them, we believe these goals can be achieved without compromising innovation or importing discriminatory pricing schemes from other nations. Quite simply, there are more effective ways to manage health care costs. Any appeal of proposals to lower drug costs by relying upon international pricing indices evaporates with a close look at the serious flaws and dangers posed. Price control schemes deployed in other nations rely upon discriminatory assumptions that consider people living with disabilities, older people, and people living with serious chronic conditions as having less value. These countries use a quality-djusted life year (QALY) in pricing schemes, the history of which the National Council on Disability recently "found sufficient evidence of QALYs being discriminatory (or potentially discriminatory) to warrant concern. . . "1 In drawing this conclusion, the National Council on Disability noted: The coverage denials and loss of access to care faced by people with disabilities in these countries illustrate what might happen if the United State made a similar choice. The United States has a strong history of protecting and supporting the rights of vulnerable and underserved populations and must reject undermining those efforts. There are better ways to address health care costs without harming patients or our ability to advance medical innovation. The recent news about higher cancer survival rates in the U.S. shows the way forward. Those improvements were achieved by a combination of lower smoking rates (prevention), early detection (awareness and access), and better treatments (innovation). Investing in health care opportunities that promote prevention of disease onset and progression, empower people through awareness and greater access to recommended, and coordinated care, and continued progress on innovative treatments is the solution. The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is an international coalition of hundreds of patient, provider, community, business and labor groups, and health policy experts, committed to raising awareness of the number one cause of death, disability and rising health care costs: chronic disease. 1Quality-Adjusted Life Years and the Devaluation of Life with Disability (2019), available online at https://ncd.gov/sites/default/files/NCD_Quality_Adjusted_Life_Report_508.pdf. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005478/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The city of Edinburgh canceled a Christian conference after complaints that Larry Stockstill, a preacher from Louisiana, would be the keynote speaker. According to Premier Christian News, Stockstill, a preacher, author and pastors' mentor who also runs the church planting network Surge Project, was supposed to speak at the Surge Conference in June 2020. The conference is meant to help churches learn ways to grow. Stockstills keynote address was titled The Purpose and Privilege of Pastoring. Edinburgh received complaints about Stockstill, who has described same-sex relationships as "offensive", "repulsive" and "deeply grievous." Stockstill preaches at Bethany Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The group heading the conference, Destiny Ministries and Destiny Church Glasgow will need to find another location for the conference if the group wants Stockstill to speak. In 2018, the Church of Scotland banned Destiny Ministries from using its buildings because of the groups fundamentalist doctrines. The cancellation comes after Franklin Graham was banned from the arena and conference center Liverpool ACC. ACC Liverpool said Grahams scheduled stop on his UK tour was making a divisive impact on the city. He was scheduled to speak on June 12. Graham, however, said in a statement, The Gospel is inclusive. I'm not coming out of hate, I'm coming out of love. It is said by some that I am coming to the UK to bring hateful speech to your community. This is just not true, Graham wrote. I am coming to share the Gospel, which is the Good News that God loves the people of the UK, and that Jesus Christ came to this earth to save us from our sins. In an opinion piece for Christian Today, blogger David Robertson wrote that he worried about the freedom of preachers to speak. The implications of this are profound, he wrote. If you are a church that actually believes the Bible and follows Jesus, the progressive mob will ensure that you are hounded out of any public premises. Photo courtesy: Andy Falconer/Unsplash Related: British Arena Boots Franklin Graham over 'Homophobic' Biblical Views Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner. For the first time since the war started, elections for branch members of the Arab Socialist Baath Party have started reports Al-Watan. For the first time since the war in Syria began, elections for the Arab Socialist Baath Party to select members for the branch offices in the provinces have begun, with the election continuing until the tenth of the month. The democratic process had been stopped over the past nine years, but is now returning according to criteria and conditions for selecting the chairmen and members of the branch. The Damascus Countryside governorate held its elections yesterday, in the presence of Baath Party Assistant Secretary-General Hilal al-Hilal. They also ended in Raqqa governorate, and begin today in Damascus and Quneitra, and then tomorrow in Aleppoand so on, daily, in each governorate. At the conference in the Damascus Countryside branch, Hilal conveyed the greetings of the partys Secretary-General, President Bashar al-Assad, and conveyed his keenness to implement democratic life at its best in the party and to provide space for the party apparatus to select its leadership and competent personalities. Hilal stressed the need for Baathists to live up to their responsibility and keep away from choosing neutral figures, who offered nothing to the country during the war and have now returned to take up positions. Hilal noted the sacrifices made by the people of Damascus Countryside to defend the capital and expel terrorists, saying it should be a site of appreciation and led by a leader capable of making an effort equal to these massive sacrifices. Aleppos party branch secretary, Fadel al-Najjar, said that the elections were being held for the first time since the war in Syria, with the last time being in preparation for the national conference in 2011. He said that the members of the conference would select 24 members, from them selecting a leadership of eight, including branch secretary, while the ninth seat would go to the government by virtue of his position. Najjar said that the criteria set by the leadership was precise, and took into account all the information a person must have to be appointed branch secretary in any province, whether in terms of party advancement or the duties he carried out at the governorate level, especially given that Syria is on the verge of reconstructionwith the reconstruction of ideas being more important than the reconstruction of materials. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. US Former Secretary of State John Kerry was overheard Sunday on the phone at a Des Moines, Iowa, hotel explaining what he would have to do to enter the presidential race amid "the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Partydown whole," NBC News reported. Sitting in the lobby restaurant of a hotel, Kerry was overheard by an NBC News analyst saying "maybe I'm f---ing deluding myself here" and explaining that to run, he'd have to step down from the board of Bank of America and give up his ability to make paid speeches. Kerry said donors like venture capitalist Doug Hickey would have to "raise a couple of million," adding that such donors "now have the reality of Bernie." Asked about the call later Sunday, Kerry said he was "absolutely not" contemplating joining the Democratic primary race for the US presidential election. Organisers set up the stage before South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa speech during the Investing in African Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town By Helen Reid and Tanisha Heiberg CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - As global investors shift away from heavy industry in favor of cleaner sectors, mining companies are losing billions in financing, raising the cost of capital and jeopardizing projects. Making the mining industry more sustainable by running mines on renewable energy, for example, will be a key focus at the annual Investing in African Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town this week, as companies hunt for new sources of capital including private equity, debt, offtake finance and royalty finance. Environmental, social & governance (ESG) concerns have driven money into specialized ESG funds which often exclude mining stocks among other 'dirty' assets. "You talk to anyone at the moment, they say there's no money," said Boris Kamstra, executive director of Alphamin Resources, which manages the Bisie tin project in Democratic Republic of Congo. The capital squeeze that started about two years ago has worsened recently, said Julian Treger, CEO of Anglo Pacific Group , a mining royalty and streaming company. The average cost of capital for early-stage mining projects rose by two percentage points over the past two years, he estimates. "Even for companies that have good projects it's very difficult for them to raise any money in these markets," said Caroline Donally, managing director at private equity firm Denham Capital, in Houston. "Previous investors who would provide equity appear to have withdrawn. A number of specialist funds have shut up shop, and generalists aren't investing in commodities anymore," said Donally, who will be attending Mining Indaba, the world's biggest mining investment conference, which takes place Feb. 3-6. Cannabis stocks and cryptocurrencies are among alternative assets that are luring retail investors away from miners. Mining-specific private equity funds raised $0.3 billion in 2019, a fifth of the amount raised in 2009, and just barely more than the $0.2 billion raised in 2014 during a global commodity crash, data from Preqin shows. Story continues (Graphic: Private equity fundraising for mining - https://tmsnrt.rs/2S2fSD3) COAL PROJECTS FLOUNDER Coal miners - especially those extracting thermal coal, burnt to produce electricity - are bearing the brunt of the sustainable investing trend. Norway's sovereign wealth fund divested from all fossil fuel last year, and the world's biggest asset manager Blackrock said on Jan. 14 it would sell active holdings in companies generating more than 25% of revenues from thermal coal. "If youre a small coal explorer, I dont think you stand much of a chance of raising any money at all," said Fred White, associate director at Medea Capital Partners in London. "Theres still a huge market and huge demand [for coal], but it's not getting financed by Western banks," he added. Local trading houses and lenders are stepping in instead. Thermal coal accounts for nearly 40% of the world's electricity generation and more than 40% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, according to the International Energy Agency. In Africa, where access to electricity is still a problem, coal-to-power projects could previously rely on support from development finance institutions. But even they are withdrawing under pressure. In November, the African Development Bank (AfDB) decided against funding a Kenya coal project that was halted by a local environmental tribunal in June. The continent's biggest coal producer, South Africa, is also seeing funding dry up. South Africa's Nedbank has stopped funding coal-related projects, while FirstRand cut greenfield thermal coal projects to less than 0.5% of its lending. (Reporting by Helen Reid and Tanisha Heiberg; Editing by Susan Fenton) New Delhi: The Kerala government on Monday declared the novel coronavirus epidemic as a state calamity after a third student tested positive for the infection in the state. Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja said the government has declared the epidemic as a state calamity, on the advise of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in order to take all necessary steps to ensure that the outbreak is effectively controlled. Shailaja said the decision was taken at a meeting of the apex committee of the State Disaster Management Authority chaired by Chief Secretary Tom Jose, hours after the third positive case in India was confirmed from Kerala. A medical bulletin issued by the government said the health status of all the three students, who tested positive for the virus, was satisfactory. Principal Health Secretary Rajan Khobragade said with the declaration of the situation in Kerala as a "calamity", the entire state machinery will gear up to face the situation and medical officers on leave would have to report for duty. Two students from Kerala, who studied in Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the epidemic, had earlier tested positive for the virus in Thrissur and Alappuzha. Till date, a total of 2,239 people, who travelled from the novel coronavirus-affected countries, including China, have been identified and placed under surveillance in Kerala, it said. Of them, as many as 2,155 are under home quarantine and 84 admitted to isolation wards in hospitals. The health department has identified 82 people who had come in contact with the three positive patients. As many as 40 are from Thrissur and rest from other districts. "Some of them are in isolation, others are in home quarantine," said Shailaja. Coming down on those who had failed to report to authorities after returning from the virus-hit country, where the epidemic has claimed over 360 lives so far, she said this was "dangerous". What they are doing by not reporting is very dangerous, she said. An alert has been issued that anyone who has returned from China has to get medical attention. There have been cases when such people have been skulking and this is in no way acceptable as the lives of all are precious, she said. Moreover it is from Kerala that the maximum number of students go to Wuhan and hence we have to go forward very cautiously as the density of population here is high and so we have decided to set 28 days as the quarantine period, added Shailaja. Special control rooms have been opened in all the 14 districts of the state. Khobragade said they have also requested the central government to cancel the annual training of district collectors at the training institute in Mussoorie. As coronavirus has been declared a state calamity, the health department will not wait for any positive results to come out and all districts will initiate action with the same seriousness. Shailaja said the health department has assigned 178 counsellors as part of its "psycho-social service" to talk to those under observation and to their families. "Till now around 372 people have been given counselling. Those who remain under observation and home quarantine are doing a great job to the society. We should be thankful to them. All the 2,239 persons under observation came to us directly, saying they came from China," she said. Earlier in the state assembly, Shailaja said as soon as the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning on the virus, the state began to take precautionary measures on a "war-footing". (With inputs from agencies) The shortlist for the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards have been announced and Kilkenny Arts Festival has been nominated in 7 different categories. Out of a total of 815 individual performances on stages, down lanes in small towns, on beaches, in deserted factories, the Theatre Award Judges selected two of Kilkenny Arts Festivals co-productions - Rough Magics Much Ado About Nothing and Asylum Productions The Big Chapel X, for 7 awards. Out of the 815 shows, the nominations represent only 16 of those. The Big Chapel X is based on Thomas Kilroys Booker-nominated novel The Big Chapel and is a fictionalised re-telling of the real events surrounding the internationally notorious Callan Schools Affair. The book was adapted by John Morton, Medb Lambert and Donal Gallagher. The radical adaptation saw the people of Callan retelling their own story, exploring the past to re-imagine the future, using the town of Callan as its stage. Supported by a team of professional theatre artists, The Big Chapel X was a large-scale, inclusive, participative, multi-disciplinary community engagement project with talks, workshops, events, podcasts and community gatherings, culminating in the large-scale promenade theatre production. The show was nominated for: Best Production; Best Ensemble; Best Lighting Design (Paul Keogan) and was nominated for the Judges Special Award - The Communities of Callan, Limerick and Mullingar For their support and involvement in the creation of theatre pieces that address painful local histories, via The Big Chapel X by Asylum Productions, Kilkenny Arts Festival and The Abbey Theatre; Bread Not Profits about the Limerick Soviet by Guna Nua; and The Valley of the Squinting Windows from the novel by Brinsley MacNamara. Rough Magic After 2018s Irish Times Theatre award-winning production of A Midsummer Nights Dream, Rough Magic returned to Kilkenny with a vivid contemporary staging of Shakespeare's celebrated screwball comedy Much Ado About Nothing, adapted by Nathan ODonnell and Ronan Phelan. The show was nominated for: Best Director (Ronan Phelan); Best supporting Actress (Clare Barrett as Leonata) and Best Movement (Philip Connaughton). Festival Director, Olga Barry said Kilkenny Arts Festival couldnt be more pleased to be associated with seven nominations for the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards. These nominations show the positive and crucial role our National Festivals can play in supporting the making of original, challenging and relevant theatre in a modern world. "Asylum Productions/The Big Chapel X production was an extraordinary experience for audiences, which was deeply rooted in a sense of place and of a community telling its own history, in their own unique way. Our regular partners, Rough Magic Theatre Company, made a riotous, hilarious and contemporary version of Shakespeares Much Ado about Nothing which celebrated the Irish accent and challenged us to consider the roles of gender and power through riveting drama. Were simply thrilled to see both productions recognised nationally for their work here at Kilkenny Arts Festival. IP Education Series (Previous posts: Intro, #1, #2, and #4 ) organised by Tosshan Ramgolam. Last year I launched the Brunel Law Schools IP Pro Bono Service. In this post, I will talk about the launch event, the pro bono service going forward, the student experience and impact of the project so far. This Kat is delighted to contribute to the #3 andLast year I launched the Brunel Law Schools IP Pro Bono Service. In this post, I will talk about the launch event, the pro bono service going forward, the student experience and impact of the project so far. The launch Event and IP Pro Bono Service Here is a summary video of the day! The launch was hosted at Brunel Law School in February 2019, titled: Maximising Innovation with Intellectual Property. It was aimed at and attended by creators, entrepaneurs, early start-ups with a focus on IP education as a tool to utilise the value of innovation. A great turn out for the launch event! Here is a video of the talk. The day was formed of two parts. The first part of the day consisted of talks. I introduced the different types of IP and how they are relevant to successful business. I highlighted the benefits of making informed decisions and mitigating risks but understanding IP, the need to conduct an IP Audit and develop a holistic IP Strategy. Video here! Margaret Briffa, Leading Intellectual Property Lawyer at Briffa , discussed the infamous story of the Trunki case, and the lessons learnt such as the importance of early involvement of IP in the innovation process. Nick Kounoupias, Chief Counsel Anti-Copying in Designs (ACID) talked about the impact of IP on the development of a product and the importance of having an IP strategy in place, particularly considering Design rights. Its a wonderful story, you can watch it here. Mandy Haberman, Inventor and Entrepreneur best known for the ground-breaking Haberman Feeder and Anywayup Cup, reflected on her experience of enforcing her intellectual property against a competitor giant who copied her invention, sharing valuable lessons. Lastly, Philip Naylor, Patent Attorney from Carpmaels & Ransford provided a more in depth understanding of patents and the patent application process. Video here. In second part of the day my IP students took Pro Bono meetings with over 20 London based businesses, supervised by Brunel Law Schools Pro Bono Co-ordinator, Anjali Kemwal and myself. In second part of the day my IP students took Pro Bono meetings with over 20 London based businesses, supervised by Brunel Law Schools Pro Bono Co-ordinator, Anjali Kemwal and myself. Before the meetings students had conducted research for their assigned businesses and after the meeting students provided IP Audits and Letters of Advice for their client, assisting them with issues around trade mark, design, copyright, patents, trade secret and contract. To prepare the students, I provided them with prompts for research, help with how to conduct a client interview, and of course several drafts of their letters of advice were needed (even with a template provided). One thing that worked well was that I created a Whatsapp group for the volunteering students, that was I only had to answer a question once! It also created a forum for them to help each other. The IP Pro Bono Service going forward Going forward we are continuing to offer IP Pro Bono in the form of IP Audits and IP Helpdesk in the second Semester for our Intellectual Property Law students (from Jan-June 2020). This will be more sustainable than coordinating all of the meetings on one day, particularly as we have already received growing interest from students and businesses. [For anyone who would like to recive free IP advice, feel free to email or sign up directly through the IP Pro Bono service by emailing probono@brunel.ac.uk] [For anyone who would like to recive free IP advice, feel free to email or sign up directly through the IP Pro Bono service by emailing probono@brunel.ac.uk] Feedback from Students The feedback from students was heart-warming to say the least! I will paste a few examples here: Happy Kat! Image: Miss Nixie The structure of the entire day was set up to perfection. I always knew where to be and who was speaking. The plethora of speakers was to such a high standard and the topics spoken were both engaging and interesting. The Client meeting was a particular highlight for myself. Gaining that experience of communicating with a client and conversing with them, gave me a real insight into professionalism. I particularly enjoyed producing the letter and thank you for your dedication with helping me produce a high quality letter. Once again, it was such a great event and something I will never forget during my university experience. I cannot thank you enough for providing this opportunity. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. It was a great event and I l, personally learned from it a lot and it gave a great insight to dealing with clients in practical life. The IP pro bono was a really great experience. Problem questions allow law students to apply law to fictitious individuals, but the IP pro bono event allowed us to interact with real clients and give advice regarding their IP concerns. Clients may use this information going forward in their business and being able to contribute in some way is a satisfying feeling. Impact and reflections Already the IP Pro Bono service has been recognised by Brunel University London in the form of a College Teaching Excellence Award in July 2019. Essentially, the IP Pro Bono service offers a chance for Brunel Law Students to gain experience working with real clients, whilst providing valuable assistance to businesses on their intellectual property; a win-win! In particular, some of the businesses reported that the information from the students helped them to gain more from their business, and in other situations avoid infringement and improve branding. The service is also provided in house to Brunel students who are studying subjects such as design, engineering, music and film. Overall, I would say that honestly it was a lot of work co-ordinating the students and businesses, but it was extremely rewarding. The students really enjoyed the experience and have something to add to their portfolio. The positive impact that the students had on their clients businesses gave the students a real sense of empowerment and achievement. Several of the students have gone on to study further with a few working towards becoming Trade Mark Attorneys. Paris: The health ministers of the Group of Seven countries will on Monday discuss a joint response to the coronavirus epidemic, France's health ministry told AFP. They will hold talks via a telephone conference at 1400 GMT, it said. Germany's Health Minister Jens Spahn said Sunday he had talked on the phone with his US counterpart and "we agreed that there should be a conference call, a discussion by G7 health ministers about this question with the aim of dealing with it together". Spahn added: "There is no point in each country deciding on measures alone". The G7 comprises rich nations Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. An outbreak of coronavirus, detected late last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has since spread to more than 24 countries. By Monday, the death toll had hit 362, with the first fatality outside of China reported in the Philippines at the weekend. More than 17,000 people across China have been infected, with scores of other cases reported in over 20 countries. Italian Health Minister Roberto Sperenza said Monday the outbreak must be tackled "on a global scale". "It is very important because each country for the moment is organising itself autonomously, while what we need is for the actions to be shared... by the international organisations," he said. Last Thursday, Italy announced the suspension of all flights to and from China as a precautionary measure. The United States has since Sunday banned foreign nationals from visiting if they have been in China recently, and has warned its citizens against travelling there. France was the first European country to register a case of coronavirus infection after the outbreak started. The irony of Meghan Markle being painted as a gold-digger as her estranged father tries to lay claim to whatever money she might have is lost on no one. Thomas Markle is doing the rounds again, convinced his daughter owes him. Remember, she lived with him between the ages of 11 and 18, and he claims to have paid for her education. Even if he did, isnt that what parents are supposed to do that, and not gossip about their children in paid-for interviews? The whole point of parenting is the unequivocal love bit, lavishing attention and love on them and forgoing things yourself to give them opportunity and choice. Youre not supposed to expect to get anything back. It's time Prince Andrew told his side of sordid Epstein scandal Money, power and privilege determine if youre ever really bothered by the pesky law. The most benign way of looking at the zero cooperation offered by Britains Prince Andrew to US authorities in their investigation into Jeffrey Epstein is that his lawyers or his people have kept the requests from him. The prince denies he hasnt responded to requests to answer questions about his alleged sexual encounter with Virginia Giuffre and his relationship with Epstein. A quick reminder of what he said in that infamous BBC interview he was willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency. He also said he would consider giving evidence under oath if push came to shove and the legal advice was to do so. Now that he knows theyd like to talk with him, why cant he just set up the meeting? It would be that simple. Video of the Day What about any sort of moral compass and helping the victims at the centre of this to get some form of justice? What about your word meaning something? What about even doing your family a favour and ending the embarrassing publicity for an already embattled monarchy? Is Prince Andrew so clueless and removed from whats unfolding around him that he really doesnt get how serious this is? Is he really that detached and uninterested? Maybe his testimony what he would actually say about what he saw and did would be worse than brazening out this megaphone war of words. Maybe it would appear even more incriminating than that disastrous interview he gave. Grammys have become so gaudy The Grammys a music awards ceremony or a place fashion goes to die? These days its a byword for tacky, tasteless and attention-grabbing. Chris Brown on the red carpet? Has everyone forgotten what he did to Rihannas face a few years ago? The rig-outs worn? Sorry, barely worn. The garish colours, the flesh on show, the gaudiness of plunging, slashed, split to the thigh, luminous and ripped outfits are painful to observe. I dont recognise most people in the most bizarre outfits, but I guess thats the point. How much further can they go? Were a single piece of underwear away from musicians turning up completely buckers. Let's see how many promises they keep Its the great giveaway. A once-in-a-lifetime chance to win everything. Dont be worrying about how its all being paid for. Well worry about that. Youll be better off, and thats all that matters. The political party manifestos are just like the conveyor belt of goodies going by on The Generation Game, but this time they arent cuddly toys or a Magimix. There goes a cut in USC; theres a hike in the entry point at which you start paying tax; I see a rent freeze; and wow, no property tax. Look, here comes a promise of free GP care for my kids. Theres even a Green politician holding up an anti-carbon prize (were looking at you, Saoirse McHugh). PJ Mara, the famed Fianna Fail press secretary, wasnt joking when he said at the start of the 2007 election: Its show time. Were the contestants in this reality TV mock-up. Its like weve clicked our heels and gone back to the height of the Celtic Tiger, when journalists struggled to find the bad news in those Budgets. Of course, were supposed to know better now. Were supposed to know politicians make promises they dont keep, that they say things they dont mean and do screeching U-turns when faced with difficult decisions. All of these promises are based on an 11bn war chest that we might have over the coming five years. In 2007, we thought wed have way more than we did in the following five years. The ESRI famously forecast growth for 2008. The think-tank admitted it made a bad mistake when it failed to predict the banking crisis. So, the 11bn of unallocated resources (bye-bye fiscal space, hello unallocated resources) might not be there. The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has previously taken issue with Department of Finance figures. There are other pressures that may reduce that figure an ageing population, a new public sector pay deal, a global recession or other unforeseen circumstances. Theres no guarantee of having 11bn to play with. So, how can the parties possibly claim everything is costed? How can they ask us to trust them that they will have the money? The best they can say is we might have the money. What if Brexit is worse than expected? What if its really bad? What if theres no trade deal? What will the parties sacrifice in their manifesto if thats the case? What will go first? Whats the trade-off? Its hard to nail down any party leaders on this. Telling you whats least important to them might potentially lose voters. The go-big-or-go-home manifesto is as cross-party as it gets. Theyre all at it. The only difference is that some held their poker face a little longer than others. Remember, were all willingly taking part in this political generation game. We roll the dice if we mark the ballot paper based on what jackpot is promised. Maybe its time we all grew up and stopped playing give-away games. With plastic waste regarded as the severest environmental concern, Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), a leader in the household insecticide (HI) category in India, has joined hands with Home Insect Control Association (HICA), an industry body to give impetus to the country's home insecticides sector, for an initiative that promotes safe disposal of plastic derived from HI products like liquid vapourisers, aerosols, among others. The initiative was inaugurated by Sunil Kataria CEO - India and SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products Limited and Jayant Deshpande, Secretary and Director, Home Insect Control Association (HICA), by unveiling a Goodknight branded drop-box at Godrej One campus in Vikhroli, Mumbai. As per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) estimates, there are 26,000 tonnes of plastic generated every day in India of which 40 per cent remains uncollected. Keeping in mind the threat posed by plastic waste from HI products like liquid vapourisers, aerosols, among others, the Ministry of Agriculture and Central Insecticide Board has been promoting safe disposal of such products and their packaging. In line with this focus, HICA is partnering with corporates who are members of the association to strategically implement ways of collecting used liquid vapouriser containers or aerosol bottles for safe disposal. A prominent member of HICA, team GCPL will deploy plastic waste collection boxes across its other units, offices and factories to make it a movement. "At GCPL, it is our constant endeavour to minimise the environmental impact and ensure all our products are safe. As market leaders in the household insecticide category, we want to facilitate consumer awareness regarding proper disposal of plastic waste arising from HI products, " said Sunil Kataria CEO - India and SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products Limited, commenting on the initiative. "Through our partnership with HICA for this initiative, GCPL's aim is to inspire a movement amongst our employees, associated parties and consumers to bring about a behavioural change towards safe disposal of aerosols and liquid vapourisers," he added. "Through this initiative undertaken by HICA and its members, the objective is to shape the right behaviour and encourage the citizens to bring and deposit the empty PET containers, aerosol or even plastic containers into collection box for proper disposal," said Jayant Deshpande, Secretary and Director, Home Insect Control Association (HICA). "HICA believes our partnership with GCPL for this initiative will encourage other HICA member to take next step. We are also evaluating approaching select malls in important urban centres for continuing such plastic/container collection activity so as to fight for effective management of plastic waste," said Deshpande. The collection boxes branded under 'Goodknight' will encourage GCPL employees, visitors, and the general public to safely dispose used liquid vapourisers and aerosols. The collected plastic containers and other home insecticide packaging will be collected by HICA for safe disposal with the help of third-party experts. HICA's initiative has been supported by GCPL in the right earnest as it undertakes to spread awareness on managing plastic waste better and care for the This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A child was killed in an accidental shooting in Madison County on Sunday afternoon, the authorities said. Emergency crews were called to the scene on Berrycreek Drive around 2:45 p.m. The child, whose name and age havent been released, died after being taken to a hospital. The shooting was accidental, said Madison County sheriffs office spokesman Brent Patterson in a message to AL.com. He declined to comment further on the case. Huntsville police spokesman Lt. Michael Johnson said HPD was also on the scene of the shooting, but he directed all questions to the sheriffs office, which is handling the investigation. AL.com has also requested information from the Madison County Coroners office. Further information wasnt immediately available. By Rasana Gasimova Azerbaijans State Customs Committee plans to further expand the application of the green corridor system in a bid to improve the infrastructure of customs checkpoints and accelerate trade operations in 2020, the committees chairman Safar Mehdiyev said in an article published in the local media. We plan to improve the infrastructure to accelerate trade operations. To this end, it is planned to further expand the application of the green corridor system, both for import and export operations, the article reads. He emphasized that in 2019, as many as 599 foreign trade participants applied to connect to the system, and 530 of them received the right to constantly use the green corridor system. Mehdiyev noted that the customs authorities will continue repair and construction work on the borders with Russia, Georgia and Iran in 2020. Last year, we began the construction of new customs checkpoints in both northern and southern directions. This work will be continued in 2020, he added. Note that in February 2019, the State Customs Committee introduced a short import declaration system, which significantly reduces the time for inspection and facilitates the import process. The committee also began using the electronic export management system. According to the amendments to Azerbaijans Customs Code of, introduced in line with President Ilham Aliyevs decree, dated November 30, 2016, in order to simplify the customs registration of goods and vehicles passing through customs border crossing points, green, blue, yellow and red systems can be used on the basis of a short import declaration. The granting of the right to use the green corridor pass system is aimed at creating more favorable conditions for participants of foreign trade operations who comply with the requirements of the law in export-import operations. It also contributes to the acceleration of goods turnover across the customs border, the implementation of more flexible and transparent customs control, the facilitation of international trade, having established relations between officials and businessmen in import-export operations on the basis of modern management principles. Green corridor constitutes immediate release of goods without examination based on the customs control and the risk assessment conducted in accordance with the short import declaration which is submitted in electronic form in advance. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Japan has deployed a warship to critical oil shipping lanes in the Middle East, and has authorized use of force for those ships, Reuters reported on Sunday. The decision to authorize force in order to protect ships in danger is a controversial one, according to Reuters, because Japans constitution forbids the use of military force in international disputes. But the situation is a dire one, with 90% of all of Japans oil coming from the Middle East. Thousands of Japanese ships ply those waters every year including vessels carrying nine tenths of our oil. It is Japans lifeline, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the crew of the destroyer Takanami prior to departure. The destroyer will head to the Gulf of Oman, and will patrol there as well as in the northern Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It will not, however, patrol the Strait of Hormuzthe worlds most critical and risky oil chokepoint in the world, after Iran repeatedly threatened to close the Strait and hijacked oil tankers in the Strait last year. Japan is acting to protect its oil interests in the region, but it is also being cautious. Japan has a fairly stable relationship with Iran and has strong ties to the United States and other allies who are also patrolling the area. Japan will not collaborate with these allies, nor does it seek to provoke Iran by its presence in the area. Japans oil tanker the Kokuka Courageous was attacked in June in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz. Japan condemned the attack on its tanker, but while the US blamed the incident on Iran, Japan stopped short of doing so. The Takanami will also be accompanied by two patrol planes. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The start of the caucus and primary season gets under way on Monday. Heres what you need to know. Amid an impeachment trial and escalating tensions between the United States and other countries, including in the Middle East, the US presidential election have officially kicked into high gear. Things will move even quicker after Monday, when the presidential primary season officially gets under way in Iowa. By mid-July, the Democrats will choose who will face barring any wildly unforeseen developments between now and then Republican President Donald Trump in the November 3 general election. The voters preference will be determined through a series of early primaries and caucuses held by both the Republican and Democratic parties in each of the 50 states. The Republican primaries that actually take place (seven states have already cancelled them) are largely irrelevant. Democrats, on the other hand, have 11 candidates to choose from. A sign directs voters towards a US Democratic presidential caucus site at Martin Luther King, Jr Elementary School in Seattle, Washington [File: David Ryder/Reuters] The US is unusual in allowing for these first-round votes, relying on primaries or caucuses to direct delegates who will choose their partys candidate. Presidential primaries only became a thing in the 1970s, and most states and several overseas US territories hold them, beginning with New Hampshire on February 11, 2020. Four states Iowa, Nevada, North Dakota and Wyoming will hold caucuses this year. What are caucuses? A handful of states hold caucuses instead of state-run official elections held at an official polling place, which is the case in primaries. Caucuses are small private gatherings in churches, schools, libraries or even members private homes where party members openly express their preference for one candidate over another. Critics of caucuses said they tend to exclude marginal voices and favour only the most engaged and informed voters. Proponents say it allows party members to engage with each other. But the number of states and US territories this year is far fewer than in years past. In 2016, 18 states and territories conducted caucuses. Sharon McNutt speaks to voters at a 2016 caucus site in Silver City, Iowa [File: Dave Weaver/AP Photo] In Iowa, there are more than 1,600 traditional precinct caucus sites and 87 satellite locations, including mosques and sites outside the state. What are primaries? A primary is a government-managed election with secret ballots, election officials and I Voted stickers. Citizens decide which party best represents their views and opt to help select that partys candidate for the general election. Some states primaries are open, in which case voters can decide even at the last minute which partys primary they will vote in although never both and some are closed, meaning that only voters who had registered with a specific party before election day can vote in that partys primary. Voters wait in line to cast their Super Tuesday ballots at a polling station located at the University Co-op in Austin, Texas in 2016 [File: Tamir Kalifa/AP Photo] New Hampshire has held the first presidential primary since 1920 and is bound by state law to continue doing so regardless of what other states do. Its primary this year will be held on February 11. Why are there both caucuses and primaries? Primaries are not required by the US Constitution. States and party leaders have developed the systems over time. They emerged out of the Progressive Era of the early 20th century when reformers became tired of corrupt party leaders picking political candidates for the wrong reasons. The idea was widely adopted for state and local races almost immediately, but only came into widespread use in presidential elections during the early 1970s when the Republican and Democratic parties changed the rules about how convention delegates are apportioned to the candidates. What are people voting for? Primary voters are not voting directly for a candidate even if, on paper, thats what seems to be happening. Instead, how they vote determines how each states delegates are divided up among the candidates during each partys nominating convention. The delegates are actually the ones who choose the nominee. A woman marks her ballot with her child looking on in the presidential primary at Bedford High School in Bedford, New Hampshire [File: Rick Wilking/Reuters] This year, the Democratic convention is in July in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Republican convention is in August in Charlotte, North Carolina. The primaries in most states are binding, meaning that most of the states delegates are obligated to vote for a particular candidate depending on the earlier vote tally. Why do primaries and caucuses matter? The obvious answer is that future US presidents are based on the outcomes of primaries and caucuses. There are, however, other reasons. First, they give voters a chance to hear from any number of different people, who all may have different ideas, before the field is narrowed to just two for the general election. Second, primaries can help mold a partys platform on the issues. If a candidate that championed climate change above all else during the primaries fared particularly well, the odds are greater that climate change will be near the top of that partys agenda. Lastly, primaries are a good proving ground for unconventional wisdom. In 1960, Democrats were convinced that southern voters would never vote for a Roman Catholic candidate. John F Kennedys win over Hubert Humphrey in the West Virginia primary proved otherwise, and party leader rallied behind the young man from Massachusetts. A former presidential candidate, Engr. Martin Onovo, who is also Head of Policy Positions, Movement for Fundamental Change, in this interview with NATIONAL DAILY, decries the poor indices of Nigerias economy and security which he said have been precipitating monumental crisis in the country. He advocates the need for better governance of the country. Would you agree with the Transparency International ranking Nigeria 146th of 180 country in its 2019 Corruption Perception Index? Yes. According to the celebrated labour and human rights activist, Barr. Femi Aborishade, APC government is deeper in the pit of corruption than any regime in the history of Nigeria. We agree with him. The facts and reports, including Transparency Internationals reports and United States Department of States reports confirm that this is the most corrupt government ever in Nigeria. The government is so corrupt that it chants anti-corruption slogans to deceive the simple minded. The anti-corruption war was deliberately designed to promote corruption by the membership of the ruling party and persecute members of opposition parties. All the positions, actions, inactions and results seen so far, confirm that this is the most corrupt government ever in Nigeria. You can remember the position of the National Chairman of the ruling party who said, once you join the APC, all your sins are forgiven. You can confirm how some opposition party members proclaimed as most corrupt by the ruling party were appointed ministers when they crossed over to the ruling party. You can see how clear allegations against leaders of the ruling party are corruptly ignored by the EFCC. We can see how the Auditor General of the Federation, the United States Government, leading ethical analysts and Transparency International have all confirmed increasing opacity and massive corruption in the government. We must not forget the FOREX scams, the oil subsidy scam, the NEMA contracts scam or the N18 billion Boundary Communities Development Agency contracts scam or the $25 billion (N8 Trillion) NNPC contracts scam, etc. Is the ranking of Nigeria as the 3rd terrorist country in the world not disputable? We think it is obvious that Nigeria is one of the most terrorized countries in the world. The ranking of the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) uses the number of fatalities caused by terrorists. The only way to dispute it will be to contradict the index or the numbers. If the GTI uses other indices like the number of soldiers killed by terrorists or the number of military bases over-run by terrorists or the number of IDPs resulting from terrorism, Nigeria may actually be the most terrorized country in the world. Are the southwest governors justified in establishing Amotekun? Yes! Most definitely!! They are justified. It is their constitutional responsibility to protect their people. They can proceed to establish the legal details as agreed with the Attorney General of Federation to prevent any friction with federal security agencies. We know that terrorism and violent crimes have reached unprecedented levels in many parts of Nigeria. Governors as constitutional Chief Security Officers of their states have the constitutional authority to take appropriate steps to protect life and property. ALSO READ: Oshiomhole leads Uzodinma to beg Buhari for fresh support at Supreme Court Is the federal government not right in declaring Amotekun illegal with reference to the constitution? The Attorney General of the Federation is reported to have said at his meeting with Southwest Governors, that the position of the federal government was misinterpreted. Can Nigerias rising debt profile and the associated burdens be justified? The rising debt burden cannot be justified. This Gen. Buhari government claims it has been borrowing since 2016 for infrastructural development but we have not seen any significant infrastructural development. We have not seen any new refinery or new power station. We have only seen more debt and increased recurrent waste. Currently, the country is in a debt trap and is accelerating to a debt crisis due to the reckless and unpatriotic borrowing by this cataclysmic Gen. Buhari regime. Is it rational for Emeka Ihedioha to return to the Supreme Court on the Imo Governorship Election judgement already concluded by the apex court? It is right to approach the Supreme Court for a review if a case is clearly perverse. His Excellency, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, should insist on a review by another Supreme Court panel that is selected strictly on seniority of judges that were not in the first panel. Would you consider federal governments release of repentant Boko Haram members a way of ending the security crisis in the North East Nigeria? No. That is dangerous and discriminatory. That is a way of promoting Boko Haram terrorism. People have been convicted in Nigeria for stealing N2,000. Hundreds of unarmed Shiites were killed in Nigeria for allegations of blocking of the convoy of the Chief of Army staff. IPOB members were killed for peaceful protests. Presently, Boko Haram has killed and kidnapped innocent citizens, destroyed infrastructure and properties, burnt Churches, killed thousands of Nigerian soldiers and over-run many military bases and, then, we release their fighters? These fighters can go back to re-join Boko Haram. Gen. Buhari must go, now! Was the Nigerian Senate right in admitting that the countrys security system has failed? The rubber-stamp Nigerian Senate was late in admitting that the countrys security has failed because it failed many years ago when the Gen. Buhari government negotiated and paid a C2 million Euro ransom to Boko Haram. Since then, Boko Haram resurged. What do you think are the flaws in the current security system? The flaws include lack of sincerity of purpose and corruption in all its dimensions. We saw how the Dr. Jonathan administration degraded Boko Haram early in 2015 and how Boko Haram resurged after Gen. Buhari took power, arranged negotiation with Boko Haram and paid a huge ransom of C2 million Euros to Boko Haram. We also know that our soldiers are de-motivated by the corruption, sectionalism and mediocrity in the military. How would you evaluate the government under President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress? We agree with the conclusion of Aisha Yesufu that the regime is Incompetent, Clueless and Inept. We add that it is also extremely corrupt. The results are obvious, insecurity is higher, poverty is worse and corruption is worse. And what should be done? Gen. Buhari must go. He must resign immediately or be impeached. The government is extremely corrupt and has failed catastrophically on all fronts. On the release of Boko Haram, does this imply sympathy for the terrorist group by President Buhari? It was reported that Gen. Buhari declared that, An attack on Boko Haram is attack on the North. The actions and inactions of the Gen. Buhari government suggest that he has sympathy for Boko Haram. His government paid a huge ransom to Boko Haram and released their captured commanders back to them. Also, many of their captured terrorists were released on the claim of repentance. If you look at the Mission Statement of Boko Haram and the Sharia Declaration of Gen. Buhari, they are very similar. According to Boko Haram, By Allah we will not stop fighting until every Nigerian abides by Sharia law. If you dont abide, we will kill you According to Gen. Buhari, I will continue to show openly and inside me the total commitment to the Sharia movement that is sweeping all over Nigeria. God-willing, we will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of the Sharia all over the country Senator Abaribe has asked Gen. Buhari to resign over the rising insecurity in Nigeria. What is your opinion? Senator Abaribe is a very brilliant, courageous and patriotic politician. He is right. We can remember that the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) first called on Gen. Buhari to resign some years ago. We insist that Gen. Buhari must resign or be impeached immediately to forestall further destruction of Nigeria. PV: 0 OPEC and its key ally in the OPEC+ coalition, Russia, are set to convene an extraordinary meeting of a joint technical committee on Tuesday or Wednesday this week, to discuss the continued decline in oil prices since the coronavirus outbreak in China, a source close to OPEC told AFP on Sunday. The OPEC+ group of producers are said to be considering deepening the cuts by another 500,000 bpd, due to depressed oil demand amid the virus outbreak, OPEC and industry sources told Reuters on Monday. Theres also growing speculation that OPEC may move up the meeting scheduled for March 5-6 to February. OPEC and its allies are now considering moving the meeting to February 14 and 15, three weeks earlier than initially planned, an OPEC source told Reuters today. Since the start of the virus outbreak last month, more than 360 people have died in mainland China so far, while oil prices have dropped by around 15 percent in two weeks. Early on Monday, oil prices were also depressed, weighed down by continued fears that the travel restrictions and the slowdown in Chinas economy will have taken a toll on oil demand not only in China, but also in wider Asia. Related: Oil Bankruptcies Are Reaching Worrying Levels Despite last weeks assurances from OPECs leader and largest producer, Saudi Arabia, that OPEC+ has the capability and flexibility needed to respond to any developments, and despite the United Arab Emirates (UAE) chiming in to downplay what it called a market over-reaction, OPEC is now facing a tough dilemma how to proceed with its price-fixing policies, considering that the market is so bearish on demand that it is totally ignoring a huge loss of supply from Libya. OPEC is inclined to extend the ongoing production cuts at least through June and could discuss deeper cuts if need be, OPEC sources told Reuters last week, as oil prices continued to slide on fears that the coronavirus outbreak will impact oil demand. Russia is ready to react and doesnt see any problem meeting with its OPEC allies earlier than planned, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday, noting that its too early to say how hard the virus is hitting oil demand. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: It's not often that mining companies hit a real sweet spot in the market, but that's what Kenmare Resources appears to have done. The company is just finishing a major investment programme at its Moma mineral sands project in Mozambique. When it completes it later this year production will have been boosted by 35 per cent, and margins and profits will be significantly improved. Analysts reckon that EBITDA, which rang in at $93million in 2018, will almost double to $170million. And shareholders are likely to get a piece of the action too the policy is to pay out a minimum of 20 per cent of the company's profit after tax, and a precedent has already been set. Kenmare Resources is just finishing a major investment programme at its Moma mineral sands project in Mozambique An interim dividend was paid in October 2019 that puts the company on a full year yield of about 3 per cent or 4 per cent. All told, Kenmare looks to be in pretty good shape. But how has this all come about? After all, isn't the titanium feedstock market supposed to be in trouble, and hasn't Kenmare had troubles of its own? To take the last point first, Kenmare did recapitalise back in 2016 after a mooted offer from the world's number one producer of zircon failed to materialise. At that time the company brought in Oman's sovereign wealth fund, alongside existing investors like M&G, to set its balance sheet on an even keel, and started to look towards the future as an independent and significant player in mineral sands. As it happened, that was about the time that a market which had been in the doldrums since 2012 began to turn. The supply-demand dynamic in mineral sands is an interesting one, and not always easy to get to grips with for the outside observer. Pricing is opaque, and is usually done via specific and often private off-take agreements. Nevertheless, it is relatively easy to get a feel for what's going on by talking to participants in the market. Overall, the general feeling is that recent upward pressure on pricing is likely to continue in the absence of new supply. 'Overall demand has continued to increase, but mines have fallen out of production,' says Michael Carvill, the long-standing chief executive of Kenmare. 'The market is already in undersupply, and looks like moving into significant undersupply soon, because it still doesn't pay to do greenfield mines.' 'But,' he adds and this is the crucial point 'it does pay for companies like us to do brownfields expansion.' So, whether by accident or design, Kenmare has found a sweet spot in the market. The ilmenite price isn't strong enough to support hundreds of millions and even billions of dollars of capital expenditure that would be required to get major new projects off the ground, but it is strong enough to support the investment in extra supply from existing operations like Moma, which can leverage off existing processing and export infrastructure. So far that analysis has been borne out by the fundamentals, and the investment in new capacity is nearing completion. The expectation is that Kenmare will be producing ilmenite at a net cost of between $50 and $60 per tonne from 2021, compared to $78 per tonne in the first half of 2019. Set against the current ilmenite sales price of above $200 per tonne, the company looks to be in a nice position. The expectation is that Kenmare will be producing ilmenite at a net cost of between $50 and $60 per tonne from 2021, compared to current ilmenite sales price of above $200 per tonne The expansion is being funded from cash generation and current cash resources, with additional downside protection provided by approximately $80million of undrawn debt facilities, so there's little likelihood of any recourse to shareholders even in the most bearish of scenarios. The company finished 2019 with net cash of $13.7million, and of course the cash keeps coming in from the existing operations. Kenmare is currently trading on an earnings multiple of around five or six, depending on the given day, but of course as the earnings increase exponentially one of two things will happen. Either the shares will be unmoved, in which case Carvill's promise to pay out a minimum of 20 per cent of profit after tax will end up generating a monster yield. Or else the shares will keep pace with earnings, and investors will be awarded with a nice bit of capital appreciation. It takes a steady hand on the tiller of course, to steer a company like this in as complex as an environment as Mozambique. But Carvill's been on the job since the late 1980s. If anyone can do it, he can. OTTAWA - U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to slap visa restrictions on six new countries could affect immigration flows to Canada, if history is any indication, as those caught up in the changes find new reasons to come here. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/2/2020 (706 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. President Donald Trump waves from the top of the steps of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Md., Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to slap visa restrictions on six new countries could affect immigration flows to Canada, if history is any indication. Past moves on immigration policy by his administration on Haiti and Iran saw asylum claims and student visa applications in Canada jump. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Susan Walsh OTTAWA - U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to slap visa restrictions on six new countries could affect immigration flows to Canada, if history is any indication, as those caught up in the changes find new reasons to come here. Past U.S. immigration policy moves on Haiti and Iran saw asylum claims and student visa applications for Canada jump, and now Trump is targeting Nigeria, Sudan and Eritrea, already among the largest sources of refugee claims lodged by people crossing irregularly into Canada from the U.S. Later this month, citizens of those and three other countries will be largely restricted from obtaining permanent residency in the U.S., though some will still be able to qualify for tourist and business visas. Past internal government analysis of the border crossers found many hold U.S. visas, sometimes obtaining them expressly to travel to Canada to claim refugee status. Now, with the door slamming shut on permanent residency in the U.S., more people could eye Canada, suggested Robert Falconer, an immigration researcher at the University of Calgary policy school. "One of the potentially negative impacts is that I think we will see a reversal in the decline of (refugee) claims, especially from Nigeria," he said. "You could see people who thought they might be able to obtain a green card in the United States instead shift their prospects to Canada." Not all may seek asylum. In 2017, Trump sharply restricted immigration from several countries, including Iran. The year before, 2,437 Iranians applied to Canada for a study permit. In the first 11 months of 2019, 13,277 people applied. With Nigeria's booming middle class, there could be a similar positive impact, said Falconer. "We're likely to see an increase in high-skilled individuals moving their prospects to Canada," he said. Still, Nigeria is currently the largest source country for border crossers, making up 14,621 of the 50,635 claims lodged between February 2017 and September 2019, the most recently available data. Those crossing between formal border points do so because of the Safe Third Country Agreement, a deal prohibiting people from requesting asylum at land border offices. Though people have always skirted the deal by crossing at unmarked border points, the problem began to escalate the year Trump took office. In 2016, the RCMP intercepted 2,464 people crossing irregularly into Canada. In 2017, 20,593 were stopped. The Liberal government has repeatedly said modernizing the agreement is a priority, but briefing notes for the federal immigration minister have suggested little real work is getting done. That's not surprising, said Sharry Aiken, an expert on immigration and refugee law at Queen's University. "In an election year, would Trump agree that the Safe Third Country Agreement should be modernized so that more refugees should stay in the United States at a time when Trump is doing his level best to ensure more refugees stay out of the United States?" "It's hard to imagine." When asked what impact, if any, Trump's new restrictions could have, a spokeswoman for Public Safety Minister Bill Blair did not directly answer the question. "While there are ebbs and flows in the number of monthly arrivals of irregular migrants, we remain prepared for these fluctuations," Mary-Liz Power said in an email. Canada was nearly caught off guard in the early days of Trump's hard line on immigration. A 2017 decision to signal the end of program giving Haitians a reprieve from deportation prompted thousands to seek asylum in Canada, with sometimes hundreds crossing in a single day. Among other things, the surge prompted the Liberals to launch multiple campaigns to thwart the crossings, including sending MPs to Haitian communities to warn against crossing the border irregularly to request asylum. Statistics suggest there was an effect. In 2017, 8,286 Haitians sought asylum in Canada, according to the Immigration and Refugee Board. In 2018, that number was 1,496. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2020. But I figured, why wait? I can do this myself. So, I did. Veteran voice-actor Steve Lawson was the featured talent in a commercial broadcast today during the Big Game. While not aired on the Fox Network which broadcast the Big Game, the commercial ran between the hours of 3:30-5:00 pm Pacific Time on Animal Planet, The Weather Channel, TV Land and WE TV on the Comcast Seattle/Eastside cable zone. Which means that the commercial technically did air during the Big Game. Just not on the network that carried the Big Game. According to Lawson, I could have waited patiently in my professional home studio, equipped with a Sennheiser 416 microphone, Apollo-Twin pre-amp (with Avalon VT-737sp Channel Strip), Adobe Audition, Source Connect, ISDN, ipDTL and phone patch capabilities to be hired by an ad agency or production company to voice a commercial that would air during the Big Game, but I figured, why wait? I can do this myself. So, I did. Lawsons wife Debbie whose voice also appears in the commercial said, I told him so many people are going to be pissed off at you. But he persisted! Lawson has voiced commercials, promos and corporate narrations for many of the worlds largest corporations, including CNN, Microsoft, Apple, US Bank, Nike, HBO/Cinemax and The Disney Channel in Asia among others. Lawson is represented by Access Talent in New York, AB2 Talent in Los Angeles, In Both Ears in Portland and Topo Swope in Seattle. See the commercial and hear Lawsons demos at stevelawsonvoice.com. The first US patient diagnosed with Wuhan coronavirus has been released from the Washington state hospital where he was being treated. The 35-year-old man, who lives in Snohomish County, Washington, said in a statement that he is getting better and looking forward to life returning to normal. The man, who has not been named, thanked his doctors, nurses and other staff at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Seattle, in the statement given to the AP by hospital officials Monday. The unidentified man fell sick after returning home from a visit to China and was admitted to the hospital on January 20. The first confirmed US patient with Wuhan coronavirus has left Washington state's Providence Regional Medical Center where he was being treated to recover at home in isolation While at the hospital, he was treated by a stethoscope-using robot that had a microphone that allowed him to communicate with doctors remotely, the HeraldNet reported. He was still at the hospital as of last Friday and is now in isolation at home, monitored by officials with the Snohomish Health District in coordination with the hospital. The hospital declined to provide information about when he was discharged or the process of his discharge from the hospital. 'I am at home and continuing to get better,' the man said. 'I ask that the media please respect my privacy and my desire not to be in the public eye.' The 35-year-old man was diagnosed with coronavirus on January 20 and transported to the hospital in a protective gurney like the one pictured here While in isolated at the hospital, the man was treated by a stethoscope-wielding robot (like the one picture) that had a microphone which enabled him to speak with doctors remotely The man added in the statement: 'I appreciate all of the concern expressed by members of the public, and I look forward to returning to my normal life.' The hospital has been coordinating with U.S., state and local health officials about the man's care. The man, who lives alone, arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on January 15 after having returned home from Wuhan. Authorities said that he started having symptoms on January 16 and the CDC confirmed he had coronavirus on January 20. While he was at he hospital, he was kept in a special isolated room that has a separate air filter and had been set up five years prior during the Ebola crisis, HeraldNet reported. In this photo released by the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, Indonesians who arrived from Wuhan, China, are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam, Indonesia Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. Indonesians evacuated from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of a deadly virus outbreak, were transported to a quarantine zone on a remote island at the edge of the South China Sea, shortly after landing on Batam, an island near Singapore on Sunday morning. (Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP) China's death toll from the coronavirus epidemic soared past 360 on Monday, with deepening global concern about the outbreak and governments closing their borders to people from China. The fresh toll came a day after China imposed a lockdown on a major city far from the epicentre and the first fatality outside the country was reported in the Philippines. Authorities in Hubei, the province at the epicentre of the outbreak, reported 56 new fatalities, with one reported in the southwestern megalopolis of Chongqing. That took the toll in China to 361, exceeding the 349 mainland fatalities from the 2002-3 SARS outbreak. Struggling to contain the virus, authorities took action in the eastern city of Wenzhou on Sunday, closing roads and confining people to their homes. Wenzhou is some 800 kilometres (500 miles) from Wuhan, the metropolis at the heart of the health emergency. Since emerging out of Wuhan late last year, the new coronavirus has infected more than 17,200 people across China and reached 24 nations. The G7 countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States -- have all confirmed cases of the virus. They will discuss a joint response, Germany's health minister Jens Spahn said on Sunday. In Thailand, which has 19 confirmed cases, doctors said Sunday an elderly Chinese patient treated with a cocktail of flu and HIV drugs had shown dramatic improvement and tested negative for the virus 48 hours later. Most of the infections overseas have been detected in people who travelled from Wuhan, an industrial hub of 11 million people, or surrounding areas of Hubei province. The man who died in the Philippines was a 44-year-old from Wuhan, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared the epidemic a global health emergency. China has embarked on unprecedented efforts to contain the virus, which is believed to have jumped to humans from a Wuhan animal market, and can be transmitted among people. (AFP) Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk! You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details. YEREVAN. The bomb alert on the roof of the Abovyan police building was false. The Information and Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) of the Republic of Armenia informed this. As reported earlier, on February 3, at 12:21pm, a 911 emergency hotline was reported that a bomb had been planted on the roof of the Abovyan city police building in Kotayk Province of Armenia. One firefighting squad, a special rescue squad, and one bomb squad have left for the scene. "It turned out that the alarm was false," the respective MES statement reads, in particular. "Nothing dangerous has been found." Scientists have discovered a new cannabis compound that could potentially be 30 times more powerful than THC, the most studied psychoactive compound in marijuana, according to CNN. Tetrahydrocannabiphorol, or THCP, was identified by Italian scientists during a process used to find the basic chemicals of a sample or molecule. The scientists published their discovery in the journal Scientific Reports. The compound works in the same way THC does when someone smokes marijuana. Like TCP, it latches on to cannabinoid receptors in the brain and interferes with their ability to communicate between neurons. However, THCP bounds 33 times stronger than THC does. Its currently unclear if that means THCP will deliver 30 times the high of THC. Scientists believe there could be a potential for health benefits with THCP. For now, CBD has primarily been the focus for studies on the health benefits on cannabis, but THCP has even stronger binding abilities and potency. Historically, many of our medicines have been derived by or inspired by natural products," Dr. Jane Ishmael, associate professor in Oregon State Universitys College of Pharmacy, told CNN. "By having new compounds that bind with very high affinity, that will give scientists a new probe into biological sciences. Scientists also discovered another previously unknown compound they named CBDP, which appears to be the cousin of CBD. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. READ MORE DigiCert announced two new PKI tools: IoT Device Manager and Enterprise PKI Manager. Unlike PKI applications of the past, both PKI managers use a container-based, cloud-agnostic implementation that ensures fast and flexible on-premises, cloud and hybrid PKI deployments. These new offerings are built on the DigiCert ONE platform. DigiCert ONE is a holistic approach to modernizing PKI management and sets a new standard for fast and flexible PKI deployments. Based on modern software design and engineering, DigiCert ONE delivers end-to-end centralized user and device certificate management for a variety of deployment models and PKI use cases. Mark Stevens, technical lead, British Telecom PKI and Cryptography, said, As early adopters of IoT Device Manager and Enterprise PKI Manager, we are looking forward to their ease of use and flexibility for our many initiatives, including our IoT and connected city solutions. PKI applications that weve used in the past have required weeks of long hours to deploy on-premises, but with DigiCert ONE, after configuring our Docker and network environment, we were up and running the PKI Managers in about 20 minutes. British Telecom is excited and looking forward to the benefit of DigiCert ONEs multiple functionalities and the scalability it will bring for our customers. IoT Device Manager allows device manufacturers to: provision and embed device identity at any stage of the device lifecycle, from the factory to device deployment on-premises, in the cloud or hybrid environments; simplify device identity, authentication, encryption and integrity with a single click; marry device data visualization with cryptographic, manufacturing and factory process data; and support standards-based interoperability with many third-party manufacturing and provisioning systems. Enterprise PKI Manager allows IT teams to: seamlessly and transparently deploy identity, authentication and access to large user populations quickly and with little to no end-user interaction; have flexibility in deployment models, supporting customer deployments in private or public cloud, air-gapped environments, or completely managed by DigiCert; customize certificates and tailor deployments to their infrastructure and needs; and manage out-of-the-box and create custom CA hierarchies. DigiCert CEO John Merrill, said, Todays release of the IoT Device Manager and Enterprise PKI Manager in DigiCert ONE meets customers where they want to be with fast, flexible and automated PKI deployment across global networks and within geographies of differing regulatory standards. Whether deploying to their own private or public clouds, or within air-gapped or on-premises networks to meet in-country compliance requirements, IoT Device Manager and Enterprise PKI Manager give customers the tools they need to integrate PKI services that secure their device connection points. Developed based on feedback from leading enterprises and IoT device manufacturers, DigiCert ONE meets practical organizational needs, enabling them to: integrate PKI services with established business processes and third-party vendors via a feature-rich REST API; facilitate a rapid rollout of PKI services in minutes instead of days, leveraging environment parity and container portability to set up private or public clouds or on-premises quickly; and reduce total cost of ownership and complexity with a modern scalable architecture and containerization strategies to provide a high availability PKI platform for their company. With a continuous deployment model, DigiCert will introduce additional PKI managers to DigiCert ONE, such as secure email, document signing, object signing, individual signing. From OS to application, DigiCert ONE users will benefit from regular updates that ensure they are always running the most up-to-date software with the latest functionality. In Out of Line and Offline, Pawan Dhall is interested in three main questions: How do things appear in retrospect more than 25 years into the queer movements of eastern India? Where or in what state are the people reached out to in the 1990s and later? What bearing do the activisms of the 1990s and early 2000s have on the lives of those individuals today? The Queer Bookshelf is your fortnightly date with books about queer lives and loves from India and elsewhere *** Being in Kolkata is an experience I treasure so much that I can hardly stop talking about it. The last time I visited was in November 2019, and the conversations I had there are still fresh in my memory. Apart from the street food, the cadences of Bengali banter, and my old habit of gushing at the simplest things with wonder and amazement, what made the trip extra special this time was learning about the queer rights movement in a part of India that I love to discover little by little. The credit for much of this goes to Pawan Dhall, co-founder of the Kolkata-based Varta Trust, who shared many anecdotes and insights from over two decades of work in activism, organising and research connected with gender and sexuality. I was moved by his ability to focus consistently on small and heartfelt efforts, rather than being obsessed about scale. This quality is also visible in his new book Out of Line and Offline: Queer Mobilizations in 90s Eastern India (2020) published by Seagull Books. What does the word queer mean in this context? Using a footnote, Dhall who identifies as a gay man clarifies, The term queer includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, hijra, kothi, intersex as well as people who may identify differently, or with no such political term at all, though their sense of gender, gender expression, sexual attraction, sexual behaviours or even sexual/romantic relationships are anything but heteronormative. This explanation is part of a long but useful footnote that encourages readers to avoid using these terms as fixed categories to sort people into. He writes, ...in the Indian context, using gender or sexual-identity terms with Western roots as blanket expressions can be problematic. For instance, transgender, trans women or trans men may not be easy translations for many expressions of and around gender variance in India. Any usage of these terms in this volume is therefore not without qualifications. Some of these words have gained greater currency over time but, as Dhall rightly indicates, they do not have universal resonance. He writes at length about hijra as a cultural and professional identity not to be conveniently translated as male-to-female transgender and hijras as a matrilineal community that is historically disadvantaged. What I like most about Out of Line and Offline is that it chronicles the work of people, groups and organisations who are doing important work but whose stories are not visible when the queer rights movement in India is usually talked about. This could be largely due to the fact that they are located away from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru which are usually considered to be the hubs of the queer movement and their main focus is not cis gay men, the most visible face of the queer community in the media. The fact that they work in languages other than English could be another factor. Some of the initiatives featured in Dhalls book are: Amitie Trust, a queer support group working in the Howrah and Hooghly districts of West Bengal; Bhawanis, a support group for MSM (a term referring to men who have sex with men) and transgender women in the Kalahandi district of Odisha; Prantik Bongaon, a support forum for transgender women in a town on the India-Bangladesh border; Santi Seva, a support group for hijras and transgender women in the Bhadrak district of Odisha; and Astitva Dakshin, a queer support group in Baruipur, south of Kolkata. He also mentions a queer womens support forum named Syrngiew in Shillong, and another another queer support group called Xukia in Guwahati. Dhall has been closely associated with many of these groups, and shares warm personal relationships with the people who have built them with their sweat and blood. He used to work with an organisation called Solidarity and Action Against The HIV Infection in India (SAATHII) from 2002 to 2014 but, more importantly, he is able to empathise with their journeys because he was involved in setting up Counsel Club, a queer support group that five gay and bisexual men, including him, founded in August 1993 in Kolkata. It continued till 2002. Two other queer individuals married men who chose to remain anonymous were also involved in the formation of the group. Counsel Club began to host its monthly meetings in September 1994. They were usually convened on a Sunday in the living room of one of the members. It felt like a safe space, and the group could also stock their books and magazines there. The early meetings did not have more than a dozen people attending. In a years time, the number grew to 20. By 1996, over 30 people were present at each meeting. They started meeting every fortnight instead of waiting for a whole month. Unfortunately, the landlord of this Counsel Club member was not happy with the situation. He grew fed up with the anti-social activities, so another place had to be found. Since the main purpose of the group was to befriend and counsel each other, the name Counsel Club caught on, writes Dhall. Before this, in 1991, he had already started publishing Pravartak, a queer-themed multilingual newsletter/journal. It was revived by Counsel Club as its house journal in 1993. Out of Line and Offline draws extensively on Dhalls work with Counsel Club and Pravartak. The publication included content in Bengali, Hindi and English, and was in existence until 2000. The blog of the Varta Trust now fulfills that function. Recalling memories from a pre-Internet era, Dhall writes, When the first lot of queer support groups such as Counsel Club moved towards organised mobilisation, one of their biggest challenges was to achieve large-scale outreach. Most of these groups were based in only a handful of urban centres. Beyond word of mouth, or striking lucky in cruising areas (frequented by men interested in men primarily for sexual pick-ups), and opportunities provided by a homosocial environment in familial, friendship and community networks, what worked best was if the groups post-bag numbers were mentioned in newspaper and magazine articles. Thanks to his passion for documentation, the Varta Trust is now in possession of approximately 2500 to 3000 of the letters written to Counsel Club as well as Pravartak. Most of these are in Bengali or English; some use Hindi and Gujarati as their medium of expression. The letters represent the feelings of writers across age groups from teenagers to individuals in their early 20s, to queer folx in their 40s and 50s. Given the legitimate concerns that arise around privacy, the book does not reproduce any of these letters but offers fleeting glimpses through Bishan Samaddars creative use of design elements that create the impression of time travel. The letters received by the Counsel Club formed a rich repository of not only the lives of lonely, isolated or confused queer individuals but also of a society struggling to come to terms with its desires, fears and aspirations, writes Dhall. These letter writers were not restricted to one particular social group. Though most of them came from middle class homes, they constituted a mix of college and university students, homemakers, lawyers, teachers, doctors, artists, journalists, and researchers. Since Counsel Club was run by gay and bisexual men, most of the letters were received from men, or, more accurately, persons assigned male at birth, he says. This was happening at a time when representation of queer identities in Indian popular culture was quite rare. It was not easy for queer folx to meet people like themselves or even see images of themselves in fictional narratives. The opportunity to write letters to someone who would read, hopefully understand what they were going through, and probably respond, was considered a blessing. The letters contained animated queries about access to sexual partners and spaces for having sex, to personal outpourings of loneliness, grief, oppression, unhappy marriages, sexual experiences and love stories...a microcosm of an India that was sexually active, liberal, inquisitive, orthodox and repressed, all at the same time. Dhall blends this archival research with in-depth interviews that bring us stories of queer folx associated with Counsel Club and Pravartak, and from allies who have been his peers in advocating for the rights of the community in various formal and informal spaces. Reading them in succession is a bit like watching a few engaging short films strung together. He is interested in three main questions, which guide his interviews with the people featured in the book. How do things appear in retrospect more than 25 years into the queer movements of eastern India? Where or in what state are the people reached out to in the 1990s and later? What bearing do the activisms of the 1990s and early 2000s have on the lives of those individuals today? These questions are not coming from an aloof monitoring and evaluation exercise designed by a researcher who has no personal stake in the subject of his research. Dhall is committed to placing himself in the narrative, acknowledging that his storytelling is tied to the peculiarities of how he views things. He admits to feeling defensive while hearing what some of the interviewees said, especially when they pointed out failures in the movement. However, the act of writing also helped him make peace with some of his feelings. This book is his story, as well as a broader story, and neither of the two aspects is compromised in the bargain. Writing has helped Dhall overcome many disappointments in his own life, and this includes heartbreak. I could relate to that, and I am sure that many who are reading this can. He remarks, Rejection in love would so easily be overcome by the next lot of letters from people writing in for information, support, friendship, or to find sexual and romantic partners. Reading their stories and getting engrossed in responding to them acted like a balm for a bruised heart. Those words express so succinctly what it means to be woven into a community where helping others heal is also a way of healing yourself. The reading down of Section 377 is a milestone, not the end of the journey as far as Dhall is concerned. He commends the Supreme Court of India for upholding constitutional morality over social morality in that verdict, but also draws attention to laws around sex work, vagrancy, decency and obscenity that still criminalise queer people. In addition to this, he highlights the discrimination that is coded into family, property, housing, insurance and labour laws. He does not condemn queer folx who choose to stay in the closet or step back into it for whatever reason but also invites us to question why marriage continues to occupy such a centrality in our imagination as a survival strategy or some kind of social security. Dhall concludes the book on a wistful note. When I flip through the files of letters received by Counsel Club, I too wonder where their authors are today somewhere in India, in a different country or just around the corner from where I live. Perhaps some of them never went anywhere but cannot be seen anymore because they have chosen to withdraw into the isolation they had emerged from, or into the security that social norms seem to offer. Or should one blame it on Facebook and our capitulation to its charms? If you are not on it, do you not exist? I was startled when I read this because I have been thinking of deleting my Facebook account. I fear losing contact with a large community of queer folx that I know primarily through this platform. Interacting with them has been a huge source of joy, solidarity, humour and hope. And I can say, with some amount of certainty, that being online is a nourishing choice for many who step out of line. Their physical surroundings might not allow the kind of freedom they are looking for, and the Internet offers to them a world of possibilities including friendship, self-acceptance, and a way out of their misery. Chintan Girish Modi is a writer-researcher working at the intersection of peace education, gender equality and queer rights. One person was killed and five others were wounded when gunfire erupted on an overnight Greyhound bus traveling from Los Angeles to San Francisco, CBS LA reported. The bus left Los Angeles at 11:45 p.m. Most of the passengers were asleep when they heard shouting and gunshots around 2 a.m. The passengers sought safety at the back of the bus. The bus driver immediately pulled over to the side of the freeway. Investigators said heroic passengers disarmed the gunman and started helping the wounded. He was later taken into custody by police. The suspect was identified as Anthony Devonte Williams, 33, of Capitol Heights, Maryland and charged with one count of first degree murder and five counts of attempted murder. California Highway Patrol Sgt. Brian Pennings told the Associated Press, "There's no indication that he knew anybody on there."The driver continued to the next exit and pulled into a Valero gas station in Lebec, which has been sealed off for the investigation. A 51-year-old woman from Colombia was killed. Five others were wounded and taken to hospitals, one of whom was airlifted. Two of the wounded are in critical condition. greyhound-bush-shooting-california.png Crews work the scene at a Valero gas station near Lebec, California, after a shooting on a Greyhound bus on February 3, 2020. CBS Los Angeles It was unclear if the gunman was targeting someone, or if the shooting was random. The gunman left the weapon on the bus, CBS affiliate KBAK-TV reported. "I've been on 25 years, I've never seen this happen," California Highway Patrol Sergeant Brian Penning said. The passengers were transferred to another Greyhound bus to resume their journey. Greyhound identified the bus as traveling on schedule 6848-1 and said in a statement, "We are gathering details and will assist the Kern County police in every way possible during their investigation." A woman working at a fast-food restaurant next door to the gas station told CBS LA she saw a mother and her children get off the bus and they looked "shocked and traumatized." Story continues Bernie Sanders: "We're going to be doing very, very well here in Iowa" Chaotic finish with no winner announced to Iowa caucuses Bernie Sanders' campaign press secretary on the Iowa polls DES MOINES, Iowa - In a packed arena here last week, President Donald Trump focused on home-state issues, mentioning farmers 47 times, touting recent trade deals and taking credit for Iowa's low unemployment rate. Trump won Iowa decisively in 2016, and while Democrats made gains two years later, the party's presidential candidates - after hundreds of rallies, town halls and parties over the past year - now face a decision: whether to bother coming back. "I worked so hard for this state. I worked so hard," Trump said as he opened his rally. He added, "We're going to win the great state of Iowa, and it's going to be a historic landslide. If we don't win, your farms are going to hell." Iowa has long been competitive, but Trump's nine-point victory and the state's demographic makeup place it at the heart of a central question facing Democrats: Can they win back rural, white and industrial voters, or is the party's future elsewhere? "How did Donald Trump win your state - a purple swing state - by almost 10 points?" Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang said at a Des Moines rally Saturday. "Why is it that this state has gone from blue or purple to red over the last number of years? That's a fundamental question, and the Democrats have not been addressing it." Some Democrats insist that Trump is vulnerable in Iowa, highlighting his flagging approval numbers and the 2018 midterm elections, when Democratic candidates performed well in areas that Trump had previously won. Former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg in particular has argued that he can capitalize on those areas. Iowa is home to more counties that flipped from Obama to Trump than any other state, and Buttigieg has boasted of touring 25 of those 31 counties. "The president is going to be in big trouble here," said Matt Sinovic, executive director of the liberal group Progress Iowa. "His approval numbers are down, and every other underlying factor is what points to that." But it's no accident that Trump chose to hold a rally in Iowa - before a capacity crowd at Drake University's Knapp Center - just days before the Democrats in this state began the process of choosing his opponent. Trump's strength in rural counties propelled his victory in Iowa, which saw the largest swing away from Democrats among the six states that flipped from President Barack Obama to Trump between 2012 and 2016. Some Democrats' complaints about Iowa's first-in-the-nation role reflect a broader concern that its demographic profile is out of step with an increasingly diverse Democratic Party that performs best in areas with a larger share of minority voters. More than 90% of the population in Iowa is white. Jim Messina, who served as Obama's 2012 campaign manager, said Trump and Republicans were "heavy favorites to win in the general election" in Iowa. While Democrats' chances in Iowa ultimately depend on which candidate they nominate, Messina said, the election is likely to be won or lost in other states. Iowa, he said, is "clearly below the midtier of Midwestern states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin." Iowa's recent drift is epitomized by Sen. Joni Ernst, a conservative Republican who won her seat after the 2014 retirement of Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin, a longtime liberal icon. Ernst caught fire that year with an ad declaring: "I grew up castrating hogs on an Iowa farm, so when I get to Washington, I'll know how to cut pork." But amid a Democratic surge in 2018, Democrats retook two of Iowa's four U.S. House seats, flipping a 3-1 Republican edge to a 3-1 Democratic advantage in the state's U.S. House delegation. But both senators and the governor are Republican, and it's not clear whether 2018 is a blip or a long-term trend. For now, Trump's approval rating is underwater in Iowa, with 53% of voters disapproving of his performance and 44% approving, according to a poll released in December by Morning Consult. A January poll released by the Des Moines Register in coordination with CNN and Mediacom found that 34% of Iowans said they would "definitely" vote to reelect Trump. Democrats say issues such as Trump's efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act have badly damaged his standing in the state. At his rally, Trump spent little time on health care, instead arguing that he has helped drive down the state's unemployment rate, which has been below 3% since October 2017, and touting his trade deals. He also cited a New York Times-Siena College poll that showed him beating his Democratic presidential rivals, whom he characterized as radical left-wingers. "They have me pitted against every one of the socialists, and we're winning by a lot," Trump said, exaggerating the narrow lead he holds against most Democrats in the poll, some of which fall within the margin of error. Trump took particular aim at Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who describes himself as a democratic socialist. "Under three years of my administration, net farm income has already gone up nearly 50% and will now be rising even faster," Trump told the crowd. "What are you going to do? You are going to vote for Bernie? You are going to vote for Bernie?" Still, Trump's trade war has clearly had a residual effect on the state's farmers. Ernst, speaking on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, said that while farmers were experiencing "hurt" during the trade war, they continue to support Trump. "What I heard from one farmer, she said, 'You know what? I'm tightening my belt. Things are tougher right now, but I know in the long run this is going to be better for my grandchildren,' " Ernst said. And Trump's support among the state's Republicans has remained strong. According to a Des Moines Register-CNN-Mediacom poll released in November, 85% of Republicans approve of Trump's job performance. The president's campaign dispatched more than 80 surrogates to Iowa ahead of the caucuses as a show of force aimed at shoring up that support. State Sen. Tom Greene, one of those Republican surrogates, predicted that the president will win easily in November. Trump "carried the 93 of 99 countries in Iowa and carried the state by 190,000 votes in 2016," he said. "I expect similar results in 2020." Kayleigh McEnany, a spokeswoman for Trump's campaign, said the surrogates would be speaking at the Republican caucuses, where Trump does not face serious competition, to get ready for the effort in November. "This is an opportunity to work out those ground-game muscles and make sure we have our ducks in a row," she said. "We're not ever going to take a state for granted." Aside from Florida and Ohio, Iowa is the only state that has flipped between parties three times since 2000. After going for Republican George W. Bush in 2004, it voted twice for Obama before turning to Trump. In 2016, Trump visited Iowa seven times in the final three months of the election compared with three for Democrat Hillary Clinton, an investment that appeared to pay off. Sinovic said this time would be different now that voters have seen how Trump handles bread-and-butter issues such as health care. "Americans and Iowans are furious about them trying to take away our health care," Sinovic said. "That has been the number one issue when it comes to these national elections these last couple years, and it's going to continue to be." HARTFORD Gov. Ned Lamont received a B- for his positions on cannabis policy, according to a new report released by a group advocating for legalization of the substance. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) recently released its 2020 Gubernatorial Scorecard, a scorecard that assigned grades from A through F to states governors based upon their comments and voting records in 2019 specific to matters on legalizing marijuana. In a press release about the report, NORML said that most legislative activity specific to marijuana policy takes place at the state level, and nobody has more influence than a governor. These 50 lawmakers play a key role in whether or not marijuana policy reform advances at the state level so it is vitally important that reformers are aware of where they stand on the issue, NORML said. NORML gave Lamont a B- for meeting with governors of neighboring states to discuss the possibility of taking a regional approach to the issue in 2020. Last week, Lamont told reporters that hes letting the legislature take the lead on the issue. Look the legislature is taking the lead on this, Lamont said last Thursday following an unrelated event. Lamont is in close contact with New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, which has already legalized it. It does seem to me crazy that Connecticuts going to be the small outlier giving that market over to the black market or sending people out of state, Lamont said, Overall, NORML gave 32 governors a passing grade of C or higher (22 Democrats, 10 Republicans. Thats an increase of five more getting a passing grade than on last years report card. Nine governors all Democrats received an A grade; 12 received a B, 11 received a C, 10 got a D, and eight all Republicans, got an F. The Connecticut chapter of NORML has been a constant presence at the state Capitol the past few years, holding rallies and flocking to myriad public hearings held on bills proposing recreational marijuana legalization. An example of a governor who is charting the right course, according to NORML, is Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat who NORML noted last year signed into a law a bill that regulates the production, use and retail sale of cannabis by adults. The Illinois law also facilitates the automatic expungement of low-level marijuana convictions, decriminalizes home cultivation by adults and legalizes personal cultivation for qualified patients. For that, NORML gave Pritzker an A+ on his report card. On the other end, there were some F grades picked up by Republican governors, such as Mike DeWine of Ohio. NORML said DeWines repeated assertion that it would be a mistake to legalize simply because other states are jumping on board is the reason he deserves a flunking grade. NORML said that the big takeaway is that while support among governors for marijuana policy reform continues to grow, this support is more partisan than ever before. No Republicans are on record in support of adult-use legalization and few are in favor of regulating medical cannabis access, NORML said. By contrast, a large percentage of Democrats are supportive of both issues. This partisan divide is not similarly reflected among the general public. Back in Connecticut, the three different bills to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis passed out of committee last year, but none of them received a vote in the House or the Senate. Proponents of recreational marijuana have repeatedly tried to push their cause over the past few years by referring to different polls that show the majority of the public is in favor of legalizing marijuana and that Connecticut is allowing other neighboring states that have legalized pot to rake in millions in tax revenue. But those arguments havent been successful in convincing moderate Democrat legislators and any single Republican legislator to jump over to the legalization side. Mumbai police launch hunt on group of people raising po-Sharjeel slogans at LGBTQ march India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Feb 03: The Police has launched a hunt for a group of people who raised slogans in favour of arrested Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Sharjeel Imam at an LGBTQ parade in Mumbai on Saturday. The controversial video which went viral on social media, shows a group of people raising the slogan of 'Sharjeel tere sapno ko manzil tak pahunchayenge' (We will make your dreams come true, Sharjeel) at the march-called the Mumbai Pride Solidarity Gathering 2020-which was organised at the Azad Maidan. Reacting to the controversy on Sunday, the Queer Azadi Mumbai (QAM), the organisers of the march, distanced themselves from the slogan, saying that these were raised by people not known to them. Sharjeel Imam feels India should be an Islamic State: Delhi Police sources Calling the slogan 'irresponsible and potentially detrimental,' the QAM added that it will cooperate with the legal processes that may be required by law enforcement systems in this regard. Earlier, Sharjeel's mobile phone and laptop along with some anti-CAA posters have been seized from his house in Bihar''s Jehanabad and rented flat in Vasant Kunj. NEWS AT 3 PM, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 Imam was arrested by the Delhi Police''s Crime Branch from Jehanabad in a sedition case and he is being questioned by police for his alleged inflammatory speeches in Aligarh and at the Jamia Millia Islamia University. Sharjeel, a former IIT-Bombay alumnus, the PhD scholar at the Jawaharlal Nehru University's Centre for Historical Studies has been booked for sedition and other charges in several states after videos of his alleged inflammatory speeches, made during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), were circulated on the social media. Anti-CAA stir: Sharjeel Imam arrested on sedition charges for inflammatory speeches at AMU An FIR was registered against Imam by the Delhi Police on January 25 under IPC sections 124A (sedition) and 153A (promoting or attempting to promote disharmony or feelings of enmity on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste or community or any other ground whatsoever) among others. A leak in the record of talks between Iranian dispatchers will affect Irans cooperation with Ukraine on the crash of the Boeing 737, said the head of the Iranian investigation team, Hassan Rezaeifar. According to him, this file was among the materials provided to a group of experts investigating the disaster, Mehr reported. The publication of the file by the Ukrainian side says that Iran will not transfer any materials to Ukraine anymore, TASS reported referring to Rezaeifar. As Rezaeifar noted it was a violation of international standards. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyz said Monday on air of the Ukrainian TV channe that the country has an important record of Iranian dispatchers. It allegedly proves that Tehran initially knew about the defeat of the Ukrainian aircraft by missiles. The transcript of this entry appeared on a number of Ukrainian resources. Budapest, Feb 3 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Feb, 2020 ) :Hungary defended a new national school curriculum on Monday after teachers' groups labelled it "ideological" and one association warned it would "poison public thinking". The Hungarian Teachers Association called for the curriculum -- which includes some anti-Semitic writers -- to be withdrawn immediately. Revamped compulsory reading lists include novelists like Jozsef Nyiro, who supported Hungary's pro-Nazi regime in 1944, but leave out the country's only Nobel literature prize-winner Imre Kertesz -- a Holocaust survivor. "The next generation needs a curriculum of European Hungarian values," said Miklos Kasler, minister in charge of education. The history material puts more emphasis on post-World War II deportations of Hungarians to gulags in the Soviet Union than on the deportations of Hungarian Jews to Nazi death camps during the war. In the civic studies section, the term "critical thinking" from previous versions has also been replaced by "self-reflective" thinking. The new national curriculum, which must be followed in certain school years from September, was unveiled on Friday but has since been blasted by education professionals. The head of the Association of Hungarian History Teachers called it "one-sided and ideological". "Since the system-change (from communism in 1990) no national curriculum has contained compulsory ideology to such a degree," Laszlo Miklosi told the HVG website. One former teacher wrote on the news site Azonnali.hu that the curriculum was a "nuclear bomb in the rightwing's culture war" led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban. In recent years, Orban allies in charge of theatres, museums, and other cultural institutions have favoured works by patriotic writers and artists. Pineapple Support, the adult industrys leading mental health resource, will host an eight-week adult performer "process group" in West Hollywood, Los Angeles. Beginning on Monday, February 3, the weekly support group will focus on performer well-being and be facilitated by sex therapist Dr. Amie Harwick. The group sessions will begin on Monday, February 3, at Noon PST. The eight-week course will run each Monday and begin at Noon PST each time. To reserve a place in the group, click here. The group will encourage sex workers to process any emotional struggles they may experience, as well as provide an opportunity to gain insight into their behaviors and feelings. Areas that may be processed include family relationships, traumatic incidents, grief issues, relapse triggers and stressful situations, among others. The group will be a safe and confidential space that will serve to allow clients to feel seen and supported by others with similar life experiences as well as providing support, empathy and referrals when needed, said Pineapple Support founder Leya Tanit. Im extremely thankful to Dr. Amie Harwick for leading this support group and I know the value she will bring to all the sex workers taking part. Pineapple Support was founded in 2018 by British performer Leya Tanit, in response to losses in the adult industry from depression and other mental illnesses. The organisation, which is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit in the United States and a registered charity in the UK, has so far connected over seven hundred adult performers to mental health services, including free and low-cost, therapy, counseling and emotional support. Coleman, a Dothan businessman, said his platform consists of four things: economic development, strong military, agriculture, and infrastructure. He spent much of his time addressing attacks from another candidate Jessica Taylor about a 2012 U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against his company, Coleman Worldwide Moving. Terri Hasdorff, a Montgomery native, said one of the greatest threats to the American way of life is the rise of socialism. It is incredible to me to think about how this is the absolute opposite of what makes America great, Hasdorff said. Im not going to stand for it. King chastised Congress for trying to remove Trump from office without a vote and pointed to his record passing the Stand Your Ground law. Im running for Congress because Im fed up, and if youre fed up, you can do something about it, King said. You can take a stand with me. Barry Moore told audience members to remember four things from his platform: freedom, finance, faith, and family. Mr. Biden advances on second preference in our hypothetical for two reasons. First, his support is geographically broad. He clears viability in 90 percent of precincts, allowing him to keep an overwhelming share of his support from first alignment. Mr. Sanders has somewhat narrower geographic support, and clears viability in 80 percent of precincts. He falls short in many vote-heavy suburban areas. Mr. Biden also benefits from the geographic distribution of the support of second-tier candidates. In the hypothetical, Amy Klobuchar falls short of viability nearly everywhere, and her support breaks to Mr. Biden. Elizabeth Warren, on the other hand, remains viable in precincts containing around half of the vote, denying Mr. Sanders his most obvious source of upside. Where viable, she does well on second alignment keeping her vote share intact over all. Worse still for Mr. Sanders, she remains viable in the more liberal areas where her backers are likeliest to prefer him as their second choice, like on college campuses. She falls short of viability in older, less educated and more conservative areas where her voters dont overwhelmingly back Mr. Sanders on second choice. State delegate equivalency Third, each precinct caucus selects delegates to county conventions, based on the results at final alignment. The results are translated into estimates of how many delegates each candidate will earn at the state convention, whats known as state delegate equivalents. The candidate with the most state delegate equivalents is traditionally the winner of the Iowa caucuses, and in 2020 The New York Times, along with most news media organizations, will again characterize the candidate with the most state delegate equivalents as the winner (though we will be reporting the results for all four measures described here). Its harder for there to be a big gap between the result of second alignment and the state delegate equivalency results. But not impossible. European member states have not yet deployed a dispute resolution mechanism for a nuclear deal that could restore sanctions against Tehran, said Iranian MFA spokesman Abbas Mousavi. Europe has not activated the trigger mechanism yet. They wanted to, but didnt after they heard Irans reasoning and arguments. Mr. Zarif wrote a 14-page letter to Mr. Borrell in which all of these reasons were explained. According to him, Zarif wrote a letter to Borrel about the arguments of European states regarding actions on a nuclear deal in the light of the intention to launch a dispute resolution mechanism. The trip of the head of EU diplomacy to Iran is an opportunity to share his arguments with the European side, Mousavi added. Irans MFA spokesman also touched on the upcoming joint nuclear deal commission, which is expected to take place in February. It was agreed to hold a joint commission in the near future, but the date and place (of its holding) has not yet been determined, Mousavi added. Germany, France and the UK have announced the launch of a dispute resolution mechanism for a nuclear deal with Iran due to Tehrans refusal to fulfill part of its obligations under the document. Europeans have been discussing the adoption of this measure, but decided to take this step only after Iran, as part of a phased reduction of its obligations under the Iranian deal. A dispute settlement mechanism is provided in case one of the parties to the nuclear deal considers that Iran is not fulfilling its obligations under it, as part of the UN Security Council resolution. If the dispute is still not resolved, the parties may declare its conditions are not fulfilled at a meeting of the joint commission and after a certain period of time notify the UN Security Council of a gross violation of the Iranian deal. The Security Council should vote on the extension of the regime for lifting sanctions against Tehran. All UN Security Council sanctions will be restored if it is not adopted after 30 days. The Department of Defense Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve will be presenting a Patriot Award to Jessica Tokar of the State of Michigan, Midland County Department of Health and Human Services on Feb. 7 at 1509 Washington St. This award was submitted by Sgt. Ashley Vandenmark, soldier with the Army Reserve. This award is presented to employers who go above and beyond in supporting our military. Salesforce Tower dominates our skyline. The vast transit center next door has opened not once but twice. Facebook leases a newly finished glass tower across the street while building crews finish an eye-catching residential high-rise less than two blocks away. But if you think San Franciscos Transbay district is pretty much done, think again. This is the year the final large development decisions will be made, involving land that was covered by freeway ramps for decades, and theyre crucial in terms of whether this 21st century neighborhood lives up to its potential. Weve already seen last months Planning Commission approval of an 800-foot Howard Street tower that will include housing and office space, plus a boutique hotel and a bridge that connects the building to the transit centers vast rooftop park. What lies ahead wont be as tall, but it involves the largest single chunk of land in the district: the now-closed block that most recently held the temporary Transbay Terminal. Filling in this final block will really tie everything together, said Joshua Switzky, a program manager with the citys Planning Department who wrote the district plan, which was approved in 2012. When everything is built, it will be the center of gravity for the residential neighborhood. The block now sits fenced off and quiet, dotted with palm trees behind a chain-link fence. The district plan envisions something more compelling splitting the block rimmed by Howard, Main, Folsom and Beale streets into three horizontal zones, with a park bookended by housing complexes. Along Folsom thered be roughly 250 units in mid-rise buildings for low-income residents. The block to the north is zoned to allow a residential tower as part of a complex that would hold both market-rate and affordable units. Plans for the block are now being reviewed by the citys Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure. What gets built will have a profound effect on the skyline for better or worse. The development team of Hines and Urban Pacific proposes a 47-story high-rise at Howard and Main streets, with a 16-story wing extending to Beale Street. The complex would hold upward of 700 units, as many as half of them reserved for low- and middle-income buyers. Its an unusually high amount that includes the affordable units required at the Howard Street tower approved last month, another project planned by the team. The proposed height of 550 feet wouldnt turn heads if it were set amid the cluster of high-rises framing the transit center. But the Main Street location is two short blocks from the Embarcadero, and the tower would be twice the height of anything between it and the bay. Long story short: As you near the city via the Bay Bridge or ferries, this tower would signal the new skyline almost as much as Salesforce Tower. Given the high-profile location, the newcomer should aim to be a memorable counterpoint to the glassy sameness of so many recent shafts behind it. And the initial design filed with the city in May is promising, with a steep sculpted rectangle wrapped in a deep grid of copper-toned metal. The top 50 feet facing the bay would notch back roughly 15 feet, a small gesture toward the citys edge. We see this as an important bridge between the glassiness of newer towers and the more masonry look of the Embarcadero and the older Financial District high-rises, said Strachan Forgan of SCB, the architecture firm leading the design team. We want depth and visual texture, and a more natural appearance. That said, the proposed tower is 50 feet higher than the zoning allows. Its bulkier, especially facing west, and no renderings from the all-important bay perspective have been released. The height isnt a problem. The bulkiness is ominous. Planners reviewing the project also need to ensure that the honeycomb-like metallic skin doesnt get scrapped because of construction budgets. Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle To see why all why this matters, check out the 46-story, 605-foot Park Tower at the corner of Beale and Howard streets across from the site. Its a blunt high-rise of vivid blue glass designed by Goettsch Partners of Chicago. Facebook is the sole office tenant, and employees began moving in late last year. Other than the angled crown that shields mechanical clutter on the roof, the big design gesture involves supersized terraces that are three stories tall: Theres a stack cut into the corners of the lower floors facing the transit centers rooftop park, and a stack that provides outdoor aeries for the upper floors facing east. Inside the newsroom Like the news articles that The Chronicle publishes, our columns seek to be thoroughly reported, using interviews and data to back up the writer's observations. But columns allow writers to offer readers their own perspective on the issues they're examining. John King's columns on urban design and architecture are drawn from his exploration of the Bay Area landscape as well as research into projects; interviews with planners, designers and residents; and on-site visits. Based in The Chronicle's newsroom, King gets his ideas from readers' observations as well as the buildings and spaces that catch his eye. See More Collapse Were talking force, not finesse. Goettsch is no stranger to high-rises: The firm also has offices in Shanghai and Abu Dhabi, producing sleek shafts with striking forms. If you want to build tall buildings, theres a global aspect to this job, Jim Goettsch, the firms founder, told me during a tour of Park Tower last year. Were like buffalo hunters we go where the buffaloes are. This comment captures what I like about the tower. It is what is, big and brash, with a muscular efficiency that evokes the Windy Citys architectural DNA. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Mostly, though, Park Tower is a tall carton filled with large floors of office space. Its also a two-dimensional letdown when viewed from the bay which raises the stakes for the tower proposed down the block. If successful, the newcomer will shine, with Park Tower as a backdrop. Otherwise it will squander a one-of-a-kind location. On a day-to-day basis, of course, the ground-level landscape is more important to Transbay residents and workers than the architecture above. Plenty is happening there, as well. Landscape architects with San Francisco Public Works will spend the next year working with neighbors to design the new park in the middle third of the block that for a decade was devoted to bus commuters. It wont have the lush drama of the transit centers rooftop park, but thats not the idea. The rooftop is a destination park and a botanical display, rather than a place for families to come and hang out, said Andrew Robinson, executive director the East Cut Community Benefit District, a group funded by area property owners. Wed love a small neighborhood space for people to gather. ... A kids play area will be critical. Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle Makes sense: 250 low-income apartments already front the site, and the tightly wound white Mira tower designed by Jeanne Gang will bring 392 market-rate and affordable condominiums across Main Street when it opens this spring. Add the 900 units planned to the north and south, and it will be hard to conceive that all these sites held on- and off-ramps before the Embarcadero Freeway was demolished in 1991. Housing for a variety of people at a variety of scales, with a park in the middle, will make people realize this is a holistic neighborhood, Switzky said. The neighborhood will also get extensive street improvements funded by fees that Transbay developers have paid as part of their project costs. Construction crews already are remaking Folsom Street with wider sidewalks. One of the citys first sets of two-way protected bicycle lanes will be added to Beale Street beginning this summer. Other pedestrian-friendly upgrades arent far behind. Assuming the economy stays strong, all of Transbay could be completed by 2025. Thats a hectic pace, but so far the results are pretty good which makes it even more crucial that the final pieces build on the momentum. John King is The San Francisco Chronicles urban design critic. Email: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron A Navy warship that was damaged in a deadly 2017 collision left a Mississippi shipyard on Monday morning after more than two years of repairs. The guided-missile destroyer Fitzgerald will undergo testing at sea to make sure it's capable of taking on new missions. Seven sailors were killed on June 17, 2017, when the Fitzgerald collided with a cargo ship off the coast of Japan. The destroyer's crew is credited with saving the vessel after that devastating accident. Now, Navy officials say the Fitz is marking "a significant step in her return to warfighting readiness." The ship has spent two years undergoing repairs at the Huntington Ingalls Industries-Ingalls Shipbuilding's Pascagoula shipyard. It will now carry out a series of demonstrations at sea that will test the ship's navigation, electrical, combat, communications and propulsions systems. Related: Navy Overhauls Ship Navigation Training After Deadly Collisions "The underway reflects nearly two years' worth of effort in restoring and modernizing one of the Navy's most capable warships after it was damaged during a collision in 2017 that claimed the lives of seven Sailors," a Naval Sea Systems Command news release states. Once the evaluations are done, the destroyer will head back to the shipyard for more training and crew certifications. The Fitzgerald is scheduled to return to the fleet in the spring. "We are excited to take the next step to get Fitzgerald back out to sea where the ship belongs," Cmdr. Scott Wilbur, Fitzgerald's commanding officer, said in a statement. "My crew is looking forward to moving onboard the ship and continuing our training to ensure we are ready to return to the fleet." The Fitzgerald was one of two destroyers damaged in separate fatal 2017 collisions in the Pacific. Ten sailors died when guided-missile destroyer John S. McCain collided with a civilian tanker near Singapore about two months after the Fitzgerald accident. That ship headed back to sea in October for testing after years' worth of repairs. The tragic accidents sparked a host of changes to the way the Navy trains personnel to operate on ships, as well as to sleep schedules and other policies. The accidents also led to fierce criticism after reports found Navy leaders had ignored a host of warning signs in the months and years leading up to the collisions. Vice Adm. Richard Brown, commander of Naval Surface Forces Pacific Fleet, is scheduled to testify before members of the House this week on the state of Navy readiness in the Pacific. -- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins. Read more: Before the Navy's Tragic Fitzgerald Collision, the Crew Faced These Big Problems 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #5 Posted on 2 February 2020 by John Hartz Story of the Week... Opinion of the Week... El Nino/La Nina Update... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... Scientists alarmed to discover warm water at "vital point" beneath Antarctica's "doomsday glacier" Scientists have found warm water beneath Antarctica's "doomsday glacier," a nickname used because it is one of Antarctica's fastest melting glaciers. While researchers have observed the recession of the Thwaites Glacier for a decade, this marks the first time they detected the presence of warm water found at a "vital point" beneath the glacier. A news release on the findings called it an alarming discovery. "The fact that such warm water was just now recorded by our team along a section of Thwaites grounding zone where we have known the glacier is melting suggests that it may be undergoing an unstoppable retreat that has huge implications for global sea-level rise," David Holland, director of New York University's Environmental Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and NYU Abu Dhabi's Center for Global Sea Level Change, which conducted the research, said in the news release. Scientists alarmed to discover warm water at "vital point" beneath Antarctica's "doomsday glacier" by Sophie Lewis, CBS News, Feb 1, 2020 Opinion of the Week... Now that climate change is irrefutable, denialists like Andrew Bolt insist it will be good for us Even as the fires roar at the gates of power, the Murdoch columnist and others argue climate change is overall, a good thing Flames literally surround the city in which the Australian prime minister announced resilience and adaptation will substitute for climate mitigation. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP There was a battered paper cartoon pasted to our office cupboard, sometime back in the year 2000. It depicted a landscape of power plants belching smoke, in the foreground of which was a billboard where an enthusiastic woman in a sunhat sipped a margarita through a straw. A speech bubble came from the womans lipsticked mouth: Global warming? she gushed. I cant wait! It was supposed to be a joke. Memory of that cartoon provoked an old, nihilistic laugh to echo in my throat at a confluence of climate events this week, 20 careless years later. Dear world, three months after they began, the Australian fires are not out. Today, ash is raining in our nations capital, orange flames stare over the mountains behind Canberra. Scientific consensus, affirmed by Australias exhausted fire chiefs, is that the fires are effects of the anthropogenic climate crisis. And yet even as the fires roar at the physical gates of power, on Sunday the conservative columnist Andrew Bolt, of the Murdoch press, published an insistence that climate change is overall, a good thing. The only thing missing from this new cartoon is the lipstick.T Now that climate change is irrefutable, denialists like Andrew Bolt insist it will be good for us, Opinion by Van Baham, Comment is Free, Guardian, Jan 30, 2020 El Nino/La Nina Update... A new study finds a possible link between Arctic warming and more frequent El Ninos in the Central Pacific. Dwindling Arctic Sea Ice May Affect Tropical Weather Patterns by Bob Berwyn, InsideClimate News, Jan 27, 2020 Toon of the Week... Hat tip to the Stop Climate Science Denial Facebook page. Coming Soon on SkS... Crowdfunding wrap-up (John Cook) (John Cook) Why is the Keeling curve so curvy? (John Cook) (John Cook) Skeptical Science New Research for Week #4, 2020 (Doug Bostrom) (Doug Bostrom) Community choice aggregation: A brief introduction (Bruce Lieberman) (Bruce Lieberman) What psychotherapy can do for the climate and biodiversity crises (Caroline Hickman) (Caroline Hickman) 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #6 (John Hartz) (John Hartz) 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #6 (John Hartz) Climate Feedback Claim Review... Studies do not support blogs claim that volcanic activity is causing melting of West Antarctic glaciers CLAIM: Volcanoes are melting west Antarctic glaciers, not global warming. SOURCE: Volcanoes Melting West Antarctic Glaciers, Not Global Warming by Robert W. Felix, Ice Age Now, Jan 9. 2020 VERDICT: KEY TAKEAWAY: This claim is not supported by the three studies cited in the article. The article misinterprets the implications of one study and explicitly rejects the conclusions of the other two. All three studies, which investigated geothermal conditions beneath portions of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and the past behavior of the ice, simply aimed to better understand how the ice sheet will respond to continued human-caused climate change. Studies do not support blogs claim that volcanic activity is causing melting of West Antarctic glaciers, Edited by Scott Johnson, Climate Feedback, Jan 20, 2020 SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Mixed opinions of concerned ministries Currently, the Ministry of Transport is seeking suggestions on orientation in airport construction investment, and will then submit it to the Prime Minister for further consideration. According to the project, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) plays the role of capital representative, and the State holds dominant shares upto 95.4% of charter capital. ACV will be responsible for the development and monitoring of investment of twenty-two airports, of which the management and operational responsibilities it will solely undertake. At the same time, it must invest in the Long Thanh International Airport, and only outsource unnecessary items and non-aviation service construction. The Ministry of Transport also said that according to the medium-term investment plan for 2025, ACV has not yet made investment plans for airports in Sa Pa, Lai Chau and Quang Tri. Therefore, the ministry proposes to call for outside investors for these three airports in the form of public-private partnership (PPP), or under build-operate-transfer (BOT) contracts, same as for Van Don airport. Private enterprises will have to compete fiercely to win slots for these three new airports if they want to invest and enter the aviation industry in Vietnam. However, only in this proposal of three airports has the Ministry of Transport been flexible, as ACV is still assigned to invest in twenty-three airports across the country. To prepare for investment in future airport projects, ACV has developed a plan and submitted it to the Commission for the Management of State Capital for Enterprises (CMSC) and the Ministry of Transport. In the report, ACV will invest the capital, renovate, upgrade and expand twenty-one existing airports and Na San airport by 2025 at a cost of about VND 71,300 bn. Accordingly, ACV accumulated cash flow from production and business activities in the period 2019-2025 will reach about VND 83,700 bn and current cash of around VND 24,200 bn will ensure a 40-45% reciprocal capital for borrowing for the Long Thanh airport project. In case ACV is assigned as investor of essential items for Long Thanh airport, cumulative cash flow for 2016-2020 will be VND 130,900 bn. However, this proposal of the Ministry of Transport is facing mixed opinions from concerned ministries and several agencies. The Ministry of Planning and Investment suggested that there is no limit on the list of airports that can call for outsourcing. Accordingly, the identification of an airport and port infrastructure works calling for outside investment should be based on the needs under the approved plan, as well as the ability to balance capital. The Ministry of Justice also sent a written request to the Ministry of Transport to answer the content referring to outsourcing of construction of airports, which would then necessitate that the Ministry of Transport overall assessment of the management capacity and effectiveness of ACV for the twenty-two airports mentioned above. Except for Long Thanh Airport, because it is being submitted to the National Assembly for comments, the basis for considering and deciding on investment criteria for airports must be reviewed. Monopoly must be avoided Commenting on the proposal of the Ministry of Transport for airport investment projects, Mr. Luong Hoai Nam, a member of Tourism Advisory Council, who has for many years been working in the aviation industry, said that if ACV maintains monopoly in the airport sector, the equitisation of this enterprise will be wrong. If not corrected, private and foreign shareholders at ACV will continue to enjoy super profits. This is an injustice to other potential investors and users of aviation services. With the Ministry of Transport already preparing to allocate twenty three airports to the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), any private enterprise that is interested in investing in airport infrastructure will have to compete fiercely with even better offers, if it aims to make any breakthrough in this aviation sector. Also according to Mr. Luong Hoai Nam, due to an inadequate equitization method, ACV has become a strange airport enterprise, different from other airport developers. At the same time, maintaining ACV monopoly in twenty-one existing airports, except Van Don airport and the Long Thanh airport super project, is not consistent with any world trend or development model of a private economy of the State. In fact, many countries in the world have no monopoly over airport projects, but have opened them to private investors so as to reduce the burden on the national budget. The trend of airport outsourcing began in the U.K. in the 1980s, and eventually was adopted by many countries across the world. In Russia, Moscow has three major international airports, but the state manages only one airport, while the other two are managed by private enterprises. Thailand Airport Group currently manages only six major airports out of a total thirty-eight civil airports. Similarly, in Australia, the State has sold off most or all of the major airports in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth, to private operators. According to Mr. Peter Kirsch, a transportation partner of Kaplan, Kirsch and Rockwell Law Company, in the United States after World War II, the principle behind airport operations is that the local government owns and operates them while the federal government provides the capital for construction and part maintenance costs. According to new calculations published by the International Airports Council, airports in the US need USD 128 bn for infrastructure spending in the next five years. To meet this huge demand, a number of US airports have begun to abandon the model of public ownership, and instead are turning to private investors to raise the much needed billions of dollars for upgrading and renovation of existing infrastructure while also for construction of new infrastructure, which is typically the public-private-partnership method. Luu Thuy Yuma News Yuma, Arizona - On Wednesday, at approximately 10:54 p.m., Yuma Police officers responded to a single vehicle collision in the 2800 block of E. 32nd Street. The initial investigation revealed a 52 year old female was operating a 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle riding westbound in the eastbound lanes. The motorcycle hit the median, causing her to lose control of the motorcycle. The rider was transported from the scene to Yuma Regional Medical Center with life threatening injuries and later flown to a Phoenix hospital. Alcohol appears to be a factor in this case. East 32nd Street was shut down in both directions for several hours from 2 1/2E to 3E while the YPD Traffic Unit investigated and processed the scene. The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with any information about this case to please call the Yuma Police Department at (928) 373-4700 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous. DUBAI, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Oman and the state airline of Saudi Arabia, Saudia, both suspended flights to China on Sunday in reaction to the coronavirus epidemic. China is facing mounting isolation from international travel curbs and flight suspensions as the death toll from the virus continues to rise. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytellie, Writing by Alexander Cornwell, Editing by Andrew Heavens) Ryanair is one of the biggest customers for the Boeing 737 MAX jet. So it's little surprise that the plane's grounding is impacting Europe's largest low cost airline. Now the firm says it may have to push back its long-term target of flying 200 million passengers per year by as much as two years, while it waits for new deliveries of the model. It's got 210 jets on order and hopes to have its first 55 of those flying by summer 2021 - a year later than planned. But Chief Executive Michael O'Leary suggested on Monday (February 3) that Boeing's delivery schedule could ultimately run two years late. The 737 MAX, Boeing's fastest-selling aircraft, was grounded in March after 346 people died in two crashes attributed to the plane's anti-stall software. Boeing now says it does not expect the MAX to return to service until mid-2020. Ryanair said the MAX delays had forced it to close a number of loss-making winter bases, leading to some crew redundancies in Spain, Germany and Sweden. The airline reported profit after tax of $97.6million for the three months to the end of December, with average fares up 9%. The update came weeks after Ryanair raised its profit forecast to between 1 and 1.17 billion dollars for its financial year to the end of March - thanks to a better than expected Christmas and New Year. WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Walton Family Foundation and the James Beard Foundation launched the "Three Sustainable Steps" campaign to encourage consumers to ask restaurants and retailers for sustainable seafood, communicate their preference for sustainability, and thank restaurants and retailers who have committed to these practices. Launched ahead of Valentine's Day, one of the most popular days for dining out, the campaign aims to remind consumers that simple steps can have a ripple effect through the global supply chain and make a positive impact on the ocean. "No matter where you live, seafood can be sourced sustainably," said Teresa Ish, Program Officer for the Oceans Initiative, Walton Family Foundation. "All over the world, we are working with fishermen to help them adopt sustainable practices so that we can protect species vulnerable to overfishing and preserve the habitats the ocean species need to thrive. Consumers demanding sustainable seafood, whether in a restaurant or in a grocery store, is an essential component to accelerating change in the marketplace." The Walton Family Foundation has invested in U.S. fisheries to support sustainability of west coast groundfish (aka rockfish), Gulf of Mexico snapper, Alaskan salmon, and pollock. Consumers can also look for MSC certification on packaging at the store; the blue fish logo indicates that a product is sustainably sourced. Chefs and restaurateurs are changemakers in the movement for sustainability. Through the Smart Catch program, the James Beard Foundation provides training and support for chefs nationwide to help them serve fish that is farmed or fished in environmentally-responsible ways. The program also includes suppliers that offer diverse, traceable, and sustainable products. To find Smart Catch restaurants in your community, visit: www.jamesbeard.org/smart-catch-committed-restaurant-page. "Hundreds of restaurants nationwide have made the commitment, through our Smart Catch program, to serve seafood from more sustainable sources," said Katherine Miller, Vice President of Impact, James Beard Foundation. "These chefs and culinary leaders are protecting our oceans, even in cities far from the coasts. Diners choosing to dine at these restaurants, and requesting sustainably sourced dishes every time they dine, will help grow this movement." Importing nearly two-thirds of the world's globally traded seafood products, the U.S., Japan, and Spain buy more than $3.66 billion a year in seafood exports from Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Indonesia. The Walton Family Foundation aims to encourage the industry to make investments of time, staffing and brainpower to work with fishers, governments, and scientists so they can sustain the fish populations that underpin their businesses. Today, 30 percent of the global seafood market is sustainable or on the path to sustainability. To learn more about the Walton Family Foundation's ocean conservation work, visit: www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/our-work/environment/oceans. To learn more about the James Beard Foundation's Smart Catch program, visit: www.jamesbeard.org/smart-catch. About the Walton Family Foundation The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. Three generations of the descendants of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and their spouses, work together to lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving K-12 education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. In 2018, the foundation awarded more than $595 million in grants in support of these initiatives. To learn more, visit waltonfamilyfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. About the James Beard Foundation The James Beard Foundation's mission is to promote good food for good. For more than 30 years, the James Beard Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has highlighted the centrality of food culture in our daily lives. Through the James Beard Awards, unique dining experiences at the James Beard House and around the country, scholarships, hands-on learning, and a variety of industry programs that educate and empower leaders in our community, the Foundation has built a platform for chefs and asserted the power of gastronomy to drive behavior, culture, and policy change around food. To that end, the Foundation has also created signature impact-oriented initiatives that include our Women's Leadership Programs, aimed at addressing the gender imbalance in the culinary industry; advocacy training through our Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change; and the James Beard Foundation Leadership Awards, which shine a spotlight on successful change makers. The organization is committed to giving chefs and their colleagues a voice and the tools they need to make the world more sustainable, equitable, and delicious for everyone. For more information, please visit jamesbeard.org and follow @beardfoundation on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook . SOURCE Walton Family Foundation Related Links http://waltonfamilyfoundation.org A man has told how his wife jumped from a first floor window of their Co Tyrone home to escape a bat-wielding man who was battering in their front door and threatening to kill her and her child. The 34-year-old Pakistani man, who was too fearful to be identified, said his 22-year-old Slovakian wife broke her pelvis after jumping from a bedroom window with the couple's three-year-old boy. The terrifying incident happened at St Patrick's Terrace in Omagh at 10.30pm on Saturday. Police described it as a hate crime. Expand Close The scene of the attack at St Patricks Terrace / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The scene of the attack at St Patricks Terrace The distraught father, who has been living in Omagh with his family for just over a year, said he has been left terrified. He said his wife, who suffered severe pelvic injuries, hid in an alleyway until he came to get her. "Last night I was at work and my wife rang me," he told the Belfast Telegraph yesterday. "She was crying and her voice was shaking. She said that there was a man banging on the door really hard, shouting for her to go home to her own country and threatening to kill her. Expand Close The scene of the attack at St Patricks Terrace / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The scene of the attack at St Patricks Terrace "I told her to call police, but she doesn't speak English very well so I called them while running out of work and home. "When I got there, there was a man with a bat at our front door. I shouted 'hello' loudly at him and he tried to hit me with the bat. "He was shouting racist abuse at me, telling me to go home and that he was going to kill me. "I had to pull a bin in front of me to protect myself. "During all this I didn't realise that my wife had jumped through the bedroom window because she was so terrified that he was going to get into the house to her. "She was scared that he would get in and kill both her and the baby. "She jumped from the first floor with our three-year-old son in her arms. She crashed through a plastic roof and landed on her feet. "The window is quite high and the baby is quite heavy. She broke her pelvis in the fall but she got up and ran and hid with the baby until I was able to come and get her." The man said his wife now needs surgery for the severe pelvic injuries. He said he has been left badly shaken and afraid to leave his family alone in their own home. "Yesterday we were taken to Altnagelvin Hospital and they told us she has a broken pelvis and she must go to Belfast for surgery," he added. "The baby has a sore ankle also and was shocked and terrified by the whole incident. "I am terrified. I can't leave my wife and baby alone in our own home, I work a night shift. "The baby is only three years old and is so scared. He told me that someone was coming in the door and that he and Mama had to escape. "It just makes me terribly sad. It should not be happening. We just want to live quiet, happy lives. We are not disturbing anyone. "I don't feel angry, I just feel scared. It's a terrible thing that we have to go through." Omagh Alliance councillor Stephen Donnelly urged anyone with information about the incident to contact police. "Within the Gallows Hill area there is shock at the brutality of this incident and there is anger right across Omagh as this kind of racially motivated violence is not reflective of the sort of society that Omagh is," he said. Police have charged a 50-year-old man with a total of eight offences. These include making threats to kill, grievous bodily harm with intent, possession of an offensive weapon, criminal damage and harassment. A police officer said he will take care of the one-year-old girl whose parents died during the rescue of 23 children taken hostage by her father and hoped she becomes an IPS officer like him. The girl's father Subhash Batham was shot dead early Friday as police rescued 23 children he had taken hostage at his home in Farrukhabad's Kasaria village. Her mother Ruby Katheriya was lynched by angry parents as she tried to escape from the house, police said. Kanpur Range Inspector General Mohit Agarwal, who was involved in the rescue operation, on Monday said he will take on all responsibilities for the child. I want her to become IPS officer like me. I am opening an account for her and will deposit money in it so that she does not have any problems with her studies," he told PTI over the phone from Kanpur. A present, the child is in Farrukhabad with a woman employee in the police department and she is taking great care of her, the Indian Police Service officer said. "After the of her parents' death a number of people from India and abroad are contacting us for adopting the girl, he said. However, without verification and the completion of legal formalities we will not hand her over to anyone, he added. Even if someone adopts her, I will personally monitor the upbringing of the girl and ensure that she does not have any problems in future," the senior officer said. "I want a couple from the police department to adopt her so that I can easily remain in touch with her," he said. No relative has so far come forward to claim custody of the child, apparently because the couple married against the wishes of their families. Subhash Batham had invited the children to his home on the pretext of celebrating his daughter's birthday. He then held them hostage in the basement for about eight hours before a police team barged in. He fired at policemen during the siege of the house, injuring eight of them and a local resident. Police found the girl in the house after gunning down her father. Batham, a murder accused, allegedly wanted police to withdraw cases against him. Police found two guns, ammunition and explosives stocked at the house. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) To tackle the challenge, the Indian Navy has asked other security agencies to follow protocol route for monitoring the vessels from the neighbouring country in the Indian waters. Kolkata: The movement of Bangladeshi vessels in the Sundarbans delta off the Bay of Bengal has remained a concern for the coastal security mechanism in the eastern parts of the country. To tackle the challenge, the Indian Navy has asked other security agencies to follow protocol route for monitoring the vessels from the neighbouring country in the Indian waters. We have been requesting all the agencies that they should follow the protocol route. That is the only the route we can actually monitor. You will not be able to know if any other route is followed. There is an issue of concern. I am sure the agencies concerned are putting in effort to tackle this, naval officer in charge (West Bengal) Commodore Suprobho K. De told this newspaper on Sunday on the movement of Bangladeshi vessels. He elaborated, It has to be a collective effort. The Navy is getting involved as it is the maritime riverine border. The Border Security Force is also there. But since the Navy is the overall in charge of the coastal security. mutual understanding is beneficial. On the security threat in the delta, Cmde De pointed out that the riverine boundary is very porus. He added, The chance of a boat coming through the sea and getting detected is higher than if it comes through creeks. There are so many places where people can make crossovers. So this has to be a joint effort by the police, marine, border security force and customs. It is our endeavour to interact with all the agencies. Commodore Suprobho K. De was speaking after flagging in Matla Abhiyaan, a five-day-long coastal security exercise by a 20-member navy team led by Captain Joydeep Chakraborty in two boats from Kolkata to Sundarban delta, at Man Of War Jetty in the river Hooghly in the city. Artificial light pollution is threatening the survival of fireflies by disrupting their mating displays - and very bright LED bulbs are making things worse. A team led by researchers from Tufts University in Boston spoke to firefly experts from around the world to assess the insects habitat and impacts on it. The biggest surprise the team found was that light pollution, particularly in areas with brighter LED bulbs, were disrupting mating encounters. They also found that habitat loss and pesticides were having an impact on the population number of fireflies around the world. Scroll down for video A female glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca) will shine for hours to attract her mate, yet brightening skies will dim her prospects Sara Lewis, professor of biology at Tufts University, and her team wanted to size up the most prominent threats to survival to create help predict future at risk species. Artificial light at night has grown exponentially during the last century, according to one of the study authors, Avalon Owens. 'In addition to disrupting natural biorhythms - including our own - light pollution really messes up firefly mating rituals,' explained Owens. Fireflies rely on bioluminescence to find and attract their mates, and previous work has shown that too much artificial light can interfere with this. For example, a female glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca) will shine for hours to attract her mate, yet brightening skies will dim her prospects. 'Switching to energy efficient, overly bright LEDs is not helping as brighter isn't necessarily better,' says Owens. Fireflies are one of the most widespread and economically important insect groups in the world with more than 2,000 different species. The team say longer term data is needed about firefly population trends to more accurately asses how bad the population decline is. However, using the information they already have, the team created a series of risk factors to predict which species of firefly will be the most vulnerable. For instance, females of the Appalachian blue ghost firefly, known as Phausis reticulata, are flightless so habitat loss is a particular risk factor. 'When their habitat disappears, they can't just pick up and move somewhere else,' said co-author J. Michael Reed, Professor of Biology at Tufts. The researchers remain optimistic about fireflies' future as there are so many different species around the world. Glowing firefly on a grass filed at night. Habitat destruction, pesticides and light pollution are all causing disruption to firefly populations 'Here in the US, we're fortunate to have some robust species like the Big Dipper fireflies, called Photinus pyralis,' notes Lewis. 'Those guys can survive pretty much anywhere- and they're beautiful, too.' The team also found the pesticide use from agriculture was a major threat, just behind light pollution and habitat loss. By illuminating these threats and evaluating the conservation status of firefly species around the world, researchers aim to preserve the magical lights of fireflies for future generations to enjoy. 'Our goal is to make this knowledge available for land managers, policy makers, and firefly fans everywhere,' says Sonny Wong of the Malaysian Nature Society. 'We want to keep fireflies lighting up our nights for a long, long time.' The research has been published in the journal BioScience. Yermak hopes Ukraine will come to next Normandy meeting with new package of agreements to hold local elections in Oct throughout the country, incl. in ORDLO Assistant to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Andriy Yermak, hopes that the Ukrainian side will come to the next meeting in the Normandy format with a new package of agreements that will allow holding local elections in October throughout Ukraine, including in the ORDLO. "In three months, the next meeting of the leaders in the Normandy format takes place. I hope that it will take place, and I really hope that Ukraine will come to this meeting with a new package of agreements. I hope that we will take the following steps to ensure that the local elections, will take place according to Ukrainian legislation all over Ukraine [including in the ORDLO] at the end of October," he said in an interview with the author of the YouTube channel "KRYM - critical thinking" Volodymyr Fedorin. Yermak noted that this may be called too optimistic scenario. "But they told me that it was unrealistic to return Sentsov. But the president did it. Do you remember how many years, how many world leaders, artists appealed, discussed it, but Zelensky did, he promised and did it," he said. Zelensky's assistant emphasized that elections under Ukrainian law cannot be held in those territories where illegal foreign armed groups are located, and if the Ukrainian government does not control the border. "I, like everyone, have many questions as for the provisions of the Minsk agreements, but this is the only document that has been agreed today, signed, and there is really a provision according to which the border is transferred after the election. President Zelensky said in Paris that we cannot agree with this, because it is contrary to Ukrainian law," he said. According to Yermak, that is why the Ukrainian side raises the question how to make the border be transferred to Ukraine's control before the election today. "Why are you against it? If today any guarantees are needed, let's talk. I have experience in various difficult negotiations. And there is a need to hear, even if the position of the other side is absolutely unpleasant to you today, but for some step forward you need to hear, understand this philosophy and try to do everything so that today, not surrendering our interests, to find a way out of this situation," he explained. A passenger who was tested for coronavirus after landing in Dublin Airport on a flight from Moscow has tested negative. The passenger was in isolation since landing on Saturday evening. They were tested at the National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL) in UCD and have tested negative for the disease. Medics in hazmat suits boarded the Aeroflot plane after it landed in Dublin late on Saturday night and removed the passenger in question. Other passengers were issued leaflets to tell them they had been "on a flight with a possible case of novel coronavirus" and were advised to "avoid contact with other people as much as possible". They were due to be contacted by a public health doctor on Sunday. They were also advised to stay at home or in their hotel room if they became ill and to phone a doctor or 999, mentioning that they had been on the flight. The Department of Health and the HSE declined to provide any information about the incident and the department said that as part of the response to the virus, it will not be providing information about the activation of protocols other than confirmed cases. It is understood that medics also boarded a flight which landed in Dublin on Monday after concerns about a passenger displaying flu-like symptoms emerged. Passengers were delayed disembarking Emirates flight EK161 from Dubai to Dublin. However, it is understood that the HSE cleared the passenger and deemed them not at risk. The HSE and Department of Health have declined to provide information about specific incidents but they have said there are no confirmed cases of the virus in Ireland. It also confirmed that new, quicker testing is available at the NVRL. The NVRL has acquired the ability to test for coronavirus. Previously, test samples were sent to the UK where the turnaround time was up to 48 hours. Now, with its own testing, the NVRL has an estimated testing time of 12-24 hours with same-day results available for samples that arrive before 10am. Concern about the virus continues to grow, with Italian media reporting that an elderly Irish tourist was tested for the virus having been taken ill on a cruise. They subsequently tested negative, though. The HSE and HPSC are continuing to recommend "regular hand- washing and good respiratory etiquette" as the best methods to prevent infection spread. "Currently the HSE is not advising use of facemasks for members of the general public," the FAQ said. Mazda Reports January 2020 US Sales IRVINE, Calif. (Feb. 3, 2020) Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today reported total January sales of 23,621 vehicles, an increase of 17.8 percent compared to January 2019. With 25 selling days in January, compared to 25 the year prior, the company posted an increase of 17.8 percent on a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis. Sales Highlights Sales of Mazdas crossovers, including the CX-3, CX-30, CX-5 and CX-9, increased 40.7 percent in January with 18,974 vehicles sold. The CX-9 saw its best January with 2,552 vehicles sold, an increase of 37.2 percent compared to January 2019. January sales of the CX-5 increased 21.2 percent compared to January 2019 with 12,908 vehicles sold. January sales of the CX-3 increased 18.0 percent with 1,146 vehicles sold. Sales of the all-new CX-30, which launched in November, totaled 2,368. Sales of the Mazda6 increased 8.4 percent with 1,755 vehicles sold. Sales of the MX-5 Miata increased 14.1 percent with 396 vehicles sold. CPO sales totaled 4,665 vehicles in January, an increase of 19.8 percent compared to January 2019. Mazda Motor de Mexico (MMdM) reported January sales of 4,784 vehicles, a decrease of 6.6 percent compared to January last year. Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through approximately 620 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. A second case of the novel coronavirus has been confirmed in Kerala, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday. The patient has been kept in isolation and is currently stable and being closely monitored. The patient has a travel history from China, the ministry said. On Thursday the first ever case of the virus was confirmed in Kerala's Thrissur. A girl student who returned from China's Wuhan, tested positive in Kerala. She was being kept in isolation in a hospital. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the Centre was making all possible efforts to deal with the coronavirus. At least 324 Indian nationals have been evacuated so far from China. The Union Health Ministry informed that since January 18, passengers are being screened for fever at the airport. They are also being given self declarations forms. Apart from China, passengers coming from Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand are also being screened, said the Health Ministry. According to the Health Ministry, at least 52,332 passengers from 326 flights at 21 airports have been screened for the virus till January 31. The ministry is also doing community surveillance of passengers in 26 states. 130 samples had been taken out of which 128 tested negative. Only two have been confirmed for being infected with the virus. The first case is stable and being closely monitored, said the health secretary. The ministry also informed that the evacuated persons are being kept at camps set up by the Army and ITBP. At least 104 people are kept in ITBP camp and 220 at the Manesar army camp. Their samples are being collected. The health secretary also said that a special Indian flight from China has departed carrying 321 Indians and seven Maldivian passengers also. The novel coronavirus outbreak was reported from Wuhan city of China. The disease has SARS-like symptoms of fever, cold, cough, body ache, pneumonia and shortness of breathing. Chinese health authorities on Sunday said it received reports of 2,590 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 45 deaths on Saturday from 31 provincial-level regions. The overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland had reached 14,380 by the end of Saturday, they said, noting that a total of 304 people had died of the disease so far. Meanwhile, India's first patient of coronavirus who is admitted in Kerala's Thrissur Medical College, is recovering and her condition is stable, said Kerala Health Ministrer K.K. Shailja. However, on the second confirmed case, she said that the state government was yet to receive a written intimation from the Centre. The Union Health Ministry's release had confirmed on Sunday that a second confirmed case has been reported in Kerala. Shailja said: "Presently 1,793 people are under observation in the state of which 59 samples have been sent for testing. Out of the 59 we got the results for 24, of which one is positive." "We have told health authorities in Delhi that the results should be speeded up. Even though our testing centre at Alappuzha is geared to do it, the health authorities in Delhi is not allowing us to do it," said Shailaja. "Our plea to all in Kerala is there should be full cooperation as all those who returned from China have to report to the authorities. This has to be done, as such people have a responsibility to themselves, their families and the society at large. If this does not happen, then it's not fair," said Shailaja. "It has also been decided that those people who are being evacuated from China will be kept in Delhi and all those would be allowed to return to their home states after the prescribed quarantine period. Our only objective is to contain the spread of the virus and for that everyone should cooperate," she said. A top medical professional from the Indian Medical Association said there are possibilities of a few more people currently under observation turning positive, but there is no need to panic. "The Kerala government is doing everything possible to see that this does not spread. It has been proved that coronavirus is less dangerous than even dengue fever, which Kerala witnessed in the past and hence just because a few more turn positive, no panic buttons need to be pressed," he said. She's spent most of January soaking up the sunshine, hitting Jamaica for her husband Mark Wright's family birthday celebrations before heading to Barbados. And Michelle Keegan star posted another blissful update from paradise on Sunday as she enjoyed the sunset in her luxury resort. Sharing a video on Instagram, Michelle filmed herself snacking on cheese croquettes while lounging in an animal print bikini. This is the life: Michelle Keegan star posted another blissful update from paradise on Sunday as she enjoyed the sunset in Barbados Showing off her golden tan and toned figure, Michelle looked on cloud nine as she gazed out at the sunset, snack in hand. 'Sunset and cheese croquettes! ...the dream only problem... no napkin and damn I wish I moved those lilos,' she captioned the video, referencing inflatables which blocked her view of the sunset. Michelle has been sharing plenty of updates from her travels. On Thursday the former Corrie star, 32, went make-up free as she posed for a radiant selfie. Evening snack: Sharing a video on Instagram, Michelle filmed herself snacking on cheese croquettes while lounging in an animal print bikini The media personality looked sensational as she scraped her tresses away from her face and into a bun with the help of a pale pink headscarf. Showcasing her tanned visage, the Our Girl actress ditched her typically neutral-toned make-up look as she let her skin breathe in the sun-soaked country. Michelle - who accessorised her appearance with a selection of gold jewellery - revealed she treated herself to her first set of lash extensions in years. The soap star captioned the image: 'This holiday Ive added extra glamour with @nouveaulashesuk SVS Lashes, instead of my everyday LVL Lash Lift. Sun-soaked: Michelle kept the good times rolling as she continued to document her trip, after sharing another Instagram on Thursday Sun-soaked: Michelle kept the good times rolling as she continued to document her trip, after sharing another Instagram on Thursday Fun in the sun: The 32-year-old actress' husband Mark Wright made sure he made the most of his holiday as he daringly jumped off a 35ft cliff 'Its my first time in YEARS of having lash extensions and Im loving them! What do you think? #NouveauLashes #MICHELLEKEEGANxLVL #SVSLashes #ad.' [sic] Earlier in the day, former TOWIE star Mark revealed he was at the iconic Rick's Cafe in the town of Negril and partaking in the venue's cliff diving. Mark shared a video of himself atop of the bar's 35ft cliff as he daringly jumped off it and into the crystal clear water below. And despite looking confident on the clip, the reality star admitted in the caption that he was nervous as he crudely confessed: 'Poo in my pants a bit'. Daring: The former TOWIE star, 33, took to Instagram to reveal he was at the iconic Rick's Cafe in the town of Negril and partaking in the venue's cliff diving Woah! Mark shared a video of himself atop of the bar's 35ft cliff as he daringly jumped off it and into the crystal clear water below Iconic: Rick's Cafe is a famous site where you can watch the skilled locals, as well as tourists, jump off different sized cliffs ranging from 8ft, 27ft and 35ft Rick's Cafe is a famous site where you can watch the skilled locals, as well as tourists, jump off different sized cliffs ranging from 8ft, 27ft and 35ft. Yet Mark was quick to steady his nerves after the dive as he quickly enjoyed a rum punch, revealing it was the last of the holiday as he was heading home later on Thursday, he gushed: 'Ah, what a trip, the taste of that!' It comes after Michelle and her husband Mark shared a glimpse of their romantic Jamaican break, as the Heart Radio DJ celebrated his 33rd birthday. The couple offered a rare insight into their relationship as they uploaded snaps onto Instagram on Sunday, which documented a boat ride and a peek at their five-star hotel. Phew: Yet Mark was quick to steady his nerves after the dive as he quickly enjoyed a rum punch, revealing it was the last of the holiday as he was heading home later on Thursday, he gushed: 'Ah, what a trip, the taste of that!' Sweet: It comes after Michelle and Mark shared a glimpse of their romantic Jamaican break, as the Heart Radio DJ celebrated his 33rd birthday In one snap, the pair were the picture of happiness as they soaked up the sun on a boat while giggling amongst themselves. Uploaded onto the birthday boy's platform, the hunk captioned the beaming image: 'Happiness summed up in 1 pic. Living, Laughing, Loving. 'Jamaica you made my birthday week so special. @sandals_uk #family #laughter #gifted #sandalssouthcoast #birthday.' [sic] Former soap star Michelle also treated fans to a glimpse at her break as she posed in a black bikini and sheer sarong while enjoying the view of the country's clear blue sea. Bikini babe: The actress shared a rare insight into their relationship as they uploaded snaps onto Instagram on Sunday Lucky for some! Former soap star Michelle treated fans to a glimpse at her break as she enjoyed the view of the country's clear blue sea The delighted thespian penned: 'As long as I have sun, sea and views like these im happy... oh and good food... and a cocktail, preferably a pina colada... @sandals_uk #ad.' Earlier this month, Michelle announced she is leaving BBC One drama Our Girl after four years. The actress played British army medic Georgie Lane on the show for three seasons but plans to leave in order to spend more time in her home country. The demanding filming schedule of the show has seen the Stockport-born star travel to South Africa, Nepal and Malaysia for several months of filming a year. The Wright Way: The pair were joined by their loved ones, including Mark's sisters Jess and Natalya, as well as his parents Carol and Mark Sr Nearest and dearest: The birthday boy and the Our Girl star packed on the PDA as they held hands during a family dinner Girls just wanna have fun! TV personality Jess, 34, displayed her sensational figure in a white two-piece as she rang in her sibling's birthday in style What a difference: The host was in his element as he sipped on a refreshing drink on a boat, before sharing another snap of himself back in chilly London Cheeky! In another photo, the shirtless star poked fun at dry January as he held up a selection of alcoholic beverages Moving on: Earlier this month, Michelle announced she is leaving BBC 1 drama Our Girl after four years (pictured) When speaking with The Sun about her decision the ex-Coronation street star said: 'Ive had the most incredible four years on the show and I want to thank the BBC for giving me such an amazing opportunity. 'Playing Georgie has been a life changing role for me. Ive loved every second of the adventure so it was a very hard decision to make not to return. 'I feel it is the right time to explore other exciting opportunities but Im so happy to be part of the new series coming soon so its not the end just yet.' The show producers are currently looking for another female to play the lead in the hit series, which starred former EastEnders actress Lacey Turner, 31, for its first run in 2014. Meanwhile, Michelle's husband star Mark left his dream presenting role in 'lonely' LA to be back with his gorgeous wife in February last year. The stunning couple met on a New Year's break in Dubai back in December 2012, with the pair tying the knot in an idyllic ceremony in May 2015. Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Boamah Otukonor has said all is set for their 'w)kpn' demonstration in Accra against the Electoral Commission. According to him, they are doing their final meeting today with the Police to conclude on their route and security. Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he explained that nothing will stop them from going on with their planned demonstration, adding that though they have met with the EC and its Eminent Advisory Committee, they are more convinced that majority of Ghanaians are still against the compilation of a new voters' register. He said though the EC has decided to meet with the various Technical teams of the Electoral Commission, it still does not change their resolute decision to fight the compilation of a new register. "The Electoral Commission should simply obey the will of the people and rescind its decision to compile a new register," he said. The demo dubbed w)kpn will see political parties like; the National Democratic Congress (NDC), All Peoples Congress (APC) and the Peoples National Convention (PNC) who say they are unconvinced by the ECs defense for the creation of a new register. "The reasons given are bizarre. As if that is not enough, the process to procure and compile this needless register has been shrouded in secrecy and characterized by deception, lack of transparency and dis-ingenuity, he added. The group does not understand why the government is supporting the needless expenditure when farmers, fishermen, teachers, nurses, contractors, drivers are crying, businesses are collapsing and the ordinary Ghanaian is barely getting by. The Electoral Commission (EC) has, however, stated that it is on course to compile a new credible biometric voters register and dispatch copies to all the constituencies by November 8. By its calendar, which has been shown to some senior journalists and editors as part of its engagement and consultation with key stakeholders, the EC estimates that the registration process, the exhibition of register and adjudication on challenges raised will all end by October 26, this year. The Chairperson of the EC, Mrs. Jean Mensa, who announced this at a media engagement last Saturday, said a lot of buffers allowing enough room to accommodate delays and contingencies had been built into the timelines to ensure that they were not missed. The EC will also make room for people challenging the identity of others on the register, a process known as objection adjudication and correction, which would take place between October 1 and 9, this year, while the authentication of the register by revising officers would take place between October 12 and 15, this year. Watch videos below Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Leman Zeynalova - Trend: The Armenian Foreign Ministry is making a fraudulent attempt to distort the international public opinion on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Peter M. Tase, strategic adviser on international affairs and public diplomacy to governments, universities and corporations in Europe and the Americas, told Trend. The fact that Armenian high ranking officials are recently issuing controversial statements is nothing new in their ill-intentioned strategy towards continuing with the occupation of sovereign territory of Azerbaijan and causing more harm to regional economic and tourism prospects in the Caucasus, Tase noted. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia is making a fraudulent attempt to distort the international public opinion by pretending that in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan there are elected officials, the US expert said. What we really have in occupied territories of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic of Azerbaijan, is simply an illegitimate autocratic puppet regime that is installed by Armenian government. Armenian government is making another futile attempt to show to international community and the OSCE that local-medieval rulers in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, are trustworthy elected officials, Tase added. The fundamental challenge is that Armenian government has committed crimes against humanity in sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, said the expert. The Armenian local authorities in occupied territories of Azerbaijan are not legitimate, are the authors of animosity and unlimited hostilities that are incongruent to principal democratic processes and to effective public policies, government transparency. The statements made by Minister Mnatsakanyan are a ruthless crime against the democratic principles of consolidated societies and reflect the stereotypes of Armenian government that are grossly harming the regional security matrix in the outskirts of Europe, Tase noted. Armenian leadership is not transparent and strives to maintain the current status-quo, said the expert, adding that it is time for Armenian troops to go home. Azerbaijan is keen, deeply committed, to solve this conflict by peaceful means and has made every effort to secure a full integrity of its sovereign territories under the framework of UN Security Council and the principals of international public law, Tase added. In turn, Nathalie Goulet, French senator and vice-chair of the Senates Foreign Affairs Committee, told Trend that the dissemination of such statements contrary to international law is a sign of a misunderstanding of history and a fraud. I believe that the OSCE Minsk Group should pay attention to the formulations used in this issue in order to avoid misunderstanding and mistrust, Goulet said. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. The Oregon Department of Transportation is moving ahead on required environmental work and further study of tolling along Interstates 5 and 205 in Portland. The first meeting of 2020 is 5:30 p.m. Monday, at the ODOT Region 1 headquarters, 123 N.W. Flanders St. The public is invited to attend. According to a recent release Mondays meeting agenda includes: Provide an overview of the National Environmental Policy Act process Provide an update on both the I-5 and I-205 tolling projects Explain how ODOT is starting to incorporate equity into the projects Go over the projects timelines and project milestones Describe the role of the Region 1 ACT related to tolling Provide an overview of the stakeholder and community engagement process Attendees will also get an overview of the I-5 Rose Quarter Project Cost-to-Complete Report. Prior to the meeting, ODOT will host an open house to give the public an opportunity to learn more about the proposed 2021-2024 Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan. The open house will take place 4:30-5:30 p.m. Monday at the same location. *** SUNSET HIGHWAY 8:54 a.m.: Crash on U.S. 26 westbound near the zoo exit is blocking the left lane. *** SOUTHEAST PORTLAND 8:20 a.m.: Crash on Southeast Belmont Street at 26th Avenue. *** VANCOUVER 8 a.m.: Crash on I-5 southbound near Mill Plain Boulevard is on the left shoulder. *** SHERIDAN 7:34 a.m.: A serious injury crash has closed OR 18 in both directions near its intersection with OR 22. Choose an alternate route. *** In Vancouver, the eastbound on-ramp from SR 14 from Evergreen Boulevard near milepost 3, will be closed 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Tuesday, Feb. 3-4 as maintenance crews remove brush and trees to improve sight distance and safety. Portland Bureau of Transportation crews finished work on a slide on West Burnside between Barnes Road and Skyline Boulevard, Jan. 31, 2020. Photo courtesy of PBOT In case you missed it, the Portland Bureau of Transportation finished up its cleaning and shoring up of the hillside that slid more than a week ago on West Burnside. The road was to be closed in both directions over the weekend for the work, but crews were able to finish early and open all lanes 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31. The Historic Columbia River Highway will close again Monday between Bridal Veil and Multnomah Falls as ODOT crews return for more slide clean up. Of special importance is a culvert that needs to be cleared of debris. The agency hopes to reopen the road later by Tuesday. Check back throughout the morning for the latest commuting updates and follow us on Twitter: @trafficportland Boeing installed a new CEO last month, and O'Leary said Boeing's new management team is not yet in a position to be able to talk to us about a new order. We understand that, but we have the offering and we expect to be at the head of the queue." A nationally accredited obstetrician faces 95 charges for posing as a midwife and criminal negligence in the death of a child, but her predominantly religious clientele avidly support her. Elizabeth Catlin, 54, of Penn Yan, New York, was released on a $15,000 bail after being arrested in her home in 2018 and pleaded not guilty to all 95 charges brought against her during the arraignment in Yates County Court on Tuesday. The investigation by the New York State police in conjunction with the New York Education Department and the District Attorneys Office alleged Catlin had been posing as a midwife for many years, exploiting women of the Mennonite community in Yates County. Still, women from the Mennonite community claimed Catlin did not exploit them in any way. There are three kinds of midwife licenses: CNMs, CMs, and CPMs. The latter is mostly used by midwives who attend births at home. CPMs are accepted in 34 states with another 12 pending, but the state of New York only recognizes only the first two. Catlin, who was trained at an Idaho-based midwifery college, only holds a CPM license and therefore allegedly violated New York state law by practicing midwifery without proper documentationsufficient grounds for officers to arrest her at her home on Nov. 14, 2018. But there was more: Among those 95 charges were 31 counts each of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, falsifying business records in the first degree, identity theft in the second degree, and one charge of unauthorized practice of the profession of midwifery, ABC reported. The identity theft charges relate to the allegation that Catlin used a physicians identity to perform lab tests for her clients. According to Yates County District Attorney Todd Casella, the many charges merely form a representative sample of what we had evidence of, adding, There couldve been over a thousand, Yahoo Lifestyle reported. Catlin had to refrain from assisting delivering babies by the end of 2018 and was forced to sell her house to cover court costs. Luckily, she found a job as a human research study coordinator focusing on Mennonites at the University of Rochester. She also set up a GoFundMe page to cover the legal fees. The most serious charge was that of criminally negligent homicide that led to the death of a newborn child in October 2018. Thats the most devastating, Catlin said, Yahoo reported. This charge relates to a baby boy that was born septic. Catlin rushed the mother to the hospital even before the delivery had started. Six hours after birth, the child died. What theyre trying to do, I guess, is make some kind of crazy example of this personfor what, Im not exactly sure, Vicki Hedley, president of the Midwives Alliance of North America, told Yahoo. The fact that she is being indicted for negligent homicide is way over the top since the baby died six hours after being in her care, she added. Homebirthing is a right that most women of the Mennonite communities in New York State practice. With Catlins retirement from the job, hundreds of Mennonite women in Yates County delivered their babies at home without any professional attendance in what midwifery advocates call the maternity-care desert of rural upstate New York. Efforts to change the state law called the Unified Midwifery Practice Act, which would allow CPMs to carry out their jobs, have been dragging on only sluggishly. My body, My choice only seems to go one way in New York State, Catlin remarked on her GoFundMe page, which has so far raised some $21,000. The case is scheduled to return for argument of motions on April 14. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You should upgrade or use an You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser Officials in Worcester plan to hire a professional fire service consultant to examine and analyze the Worcester Fire Departments administration, operations, training and deployment. In a letter to the Worcester City Council in preparation for this weeks council meeting, Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. referenced his early announcement that after the line-of-duty death of Fire Lt. Jason Menard, the city would conduct a formal review process to identify any necessary changes, enhancements and innovations with a goal of making firefighting in Worcester as safe as possible. Augustus first considered a task force but noted that fire chiefs nationwide who experienced similar tragedies recommended the hiring of a professional fire service consultant. The examination of the Worcester Fire Department will be a data-driven study looking at the department and comparing it to national standards and practices. The study will include a master plan, standards of cover, community risk assessment and a strategic plan. The master plan will assess our internal operations and staffing and provide a gap analysis of our current situation against national standards and best practices, Augustus wrote. The fire department saw two firefighters killed while fighting fires in 2019 and 2018. Menard died Nov. 13 while battling a blaze at 7 Stockholm St. in Worcester. Firefighter Christopher Roy died fighting a fire less than a year earlier on Dec. 9, 2018. The consultant will review the current deployment methods for the fire department. A strategic plan will provide the road map for the fire department to implement changes and improvements. Augustus said the process will be transparent with community hearings and reports. When the study is complete and the strategic plan is in place, the city will seek accreditation through the Center of Public Safety Excellence. Along with the fire department review, the city will also review the Division of Inspectional Services in order to ensure buildings in Worcester are safe and secure. The two departments work together to keep people and first responders safe, Augustus said. Both reviews will ensure that our Fire Department continues to provide the residents of Worcester superior emergency response services in a manner that meets or exceeds national standards and allows our firefighters the greatest margin of safety possible for decades to come, Augustus wrote. In his letter to Augustus, Worcester Fire Chief Michael J. Lavoie said the department responds to more than 30,000 calls for service annually. It was Lavoie who recommended hiring a consultant. Lavoie points out that Worcester is seeing unprecedented development and growth while maintaining an aging housing stock and providing affordable housing to some of the states most vulnerable populations. He noted that for decades, the main fire problem in Worcester involved wood-framed buildings made from natural materials. Homes and buildings are now filled with plastics and synthetic materials that create toxic fuel while burning. Todays fires burn far hotter and faster than the fires of decades past, Lavoie said. Even though the occurrence of fire is down, todays fires are more dangerous than ever. The Worcester Fire Department knows this reality all too well. While we have saved many lives and prevented millions of dollars in property loss over the last 20 years, it has come at a great cost to our department. Lavoie said given the tremendous losses the city has seen over the years; it is time for a detailed and thoughtful analysis of the fire department. Lavoie believes the fire department can achieve accreditation within five years. Congressman Jim McGovern said during an interview with editors and reporters at MassLives Worcester office that he thinks a closer look at the Worcester Fire Department is appropriate. I dont say that to blame. This isnt about blaming anybody, McGovern said. We need to figure out other things we can do better. Are there better approaches to some of these old buildings and old three-deckers? Are there things that we can do better? Whatever it is, I dont know what the answer is. But I think it is appropriate to move forward as we are to try to get to the bottom of this and to make recommendations. McGovern recalled the way federal funding helped fire departments in the aftermath of the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. fire, a Dec. 3, 1999, blaze that claimed the lives of six Worcester firefighters. Congress came together and passed bipartisan legislation to provide hundreds of millions of dollars to fire departments across the country to provide fire departments with better equipment and sometimes help with personnel, McGovern recalled. Some of this stuff is expensive, McGovern said. We all said we care about our first responders and I hope we all do. I certainly do. But Congress has to put its money where its mouth is and we have to a certain extent with regard to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program and it needs to be expanded because the need is so great and some of these fire departments are aging and their equipment is old and outdated and as we have seen in Worcester, this is a dangerous business. Firefighters put their lives on the line and sometimes do not make it out alive. McGovern called it a tragedy. To the extent we can avert that with better equipment, more resources or better planning, we ought to, he said. Related Content: MassLive reporter Melissa Hanson contributed to this report Nashville, TN, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ATLANTA, GA January 29th, 2020 ProTenn, a prestigious marketing firm based in Nashville, Tennessee attended the Southeastern Leadership Conference in Atlanta, GA on January 29th. The event took place at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center in Atlanta, GA. The ProTenn team and several of their most successful representatives attended the event along with 300 plus top representatives in the industry. The firm makes a frequent practice of attending conferences centered around training and development to facilitate growth for their employees. Growth and advancement paired with training and mentorship are core parts of the corporate culture that make up ProTenn, says David Houser, Co-Director of Operations at ProTenn. We feel that our employees are vital to our business and therefore we highly value investing in them by taking the time to develop and support them both personally and professionally. Meetings like the one we attended today are just one of many examples of how we implement these values consistently, adds Houser. The Southeastern Leadership Conference occurs every quarter in Atlanta, GA. ProTenn attends every conference in order to capitalize on the additional opportunities to learn and grow in the industry. The conference this quarter was made up of 8 speakers on topics ranging from goals and team development to training. This quarter, select team members at ProTenn were awarded the opportunity to attend a dinner at Terrapin Taproom in the Atlanta Battery, Home of the Atlanta Braves. Co-Director of Operations, Luis Santos mentioned, It was a great opportunity to not only network with some of the best in our industry and learn from others but also have some fun at the same time. The conference was a great opportunity for the representatives to see that area and facilitate growth as well. The firm is excited to attend the next conference next quarter. To learn more about ProTenn, please visit their website at https://www.pro-tenn.com/ To learn more about positions available at ProTenn: https://www.pro-tenn.com/index.html#careers PURCHASE, N.Y., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Central National Gottesman Inc. (CNG), a leading sales and marketing organization in the global pulp, paper, packaging, tissue, wood products and metal industries, announced today that its Spicers Canada division has acquired the assets and business of All Graphic Supplies, expanding its position in the distribution of wide format and digital equipment, supplies and ink. Privately owned and headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, All Graphic Supplies operates seven locations across Canada and the Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago), and since 1992 has served as a leading distributor of solutions that supply multiple printing segments, including sign graphics, textiles, digital label and industrial ultraviolet (UV). "The acquisition of All Graphic Supplies is another important step forward in diversifying the product categories in our North American Distribution business," said Andrew Wallach, CNG President and Chief Executive Officer. "We look forward to building on the strong foundation and success created by All Graphic Supplies in Canada and the Caribbean." Spicers Canada President Cory Turner added that the acquisition of All Graphic Supplies fits with his organization's strategy to leverage its significant distribution capabilities in new ways. "Acquiring All Graphic Supplies adds capabilities, experience and partnerships that are invaluable in meeting our company's market strategy," said Turner. "Extending product solutions both inside and outside of our core markets creates immediate opportunities that align well with our growth initiatives." All Graphic Supplies will operate as an independent division of Spicers Canada, working closely with Spicers' existing operations and distribution network in Canada. Spicers Canada is a leading distributor of quality commercial print and business papers, graphic solutions, industrial packaging supplies, wide format and specialty products. About CNG Central National Gottesman Inc. (CNG) is a $6.8 billion global sales and marketing organization in the pulp, paper, packaging, tissue, wood products and metal industries. Founded in 1886 and headquartered in Purchase, NY, CNG operates through established industry entities in its Distribution, Publishing Papers and international Central National divisions, building on more than 134 years of family ownership, market knowledge and adaptability to create value for clients around the world. To learn more, please visit www.cng-inc.com . SOURCE Central National Gottesman Inc. Related Links http://www.cng-inc.com A Sweet Home man was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving after a crash Wednesday night on Highway 34 near Tangent Drive, east of Interstate The role marks one of a handful of leading television roles Collette has held throughout her career. She was most recently nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in "Unbelievable" and had previously been nominated for two Golden Globes and two Emmys for her starring role in the Showtime series "United States of Tara," of which she won one of each. She was nominated for the Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role in "The Sixth Sense" and has also starred in recent films such as "Knives Out," "Velvet Buzzsaw," and "Hereditary." A woman had to be rescued while hiking near the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles on Sunday, according to Los Angeles fire officials. The woman fell down a 15 foot hill near the sign near the sign, with potential trauma injuries according to a statement released by the Los Angeles Fire Department. The 30-year-old woman was airlifted from Runyon Canyon Park to a nearby hospital. Recommended Massive redwood tree falls and kills hiker in California park The womans fall was one of four unrelated hiking accidents near the sign that day. In one case a man fell 75 feet over the side of a hill and had to be rescued using a two-line roper system. Two other hikers, a man and a woman, were rescued from the area. The man was airlifted out after suffering an injury to his lower body and the woman was hoisted from Bronson Canyon after also suffering an injury to her lower body. Hiking is a controversial topic in the neighbourhoods surrounding the Hollywood sign. A 2015 Hollywood Reporter article examined the growing tension between residents and the droves of hikers - empowered by the Internet and GPS to navigate the winding switchbacks of the Hollywood Hills - journeying to the sign. Some residents of the wealthy neighbourhoods surrounding the sign complained that the influx of tourists venturing to the sign had disrupted the idyllic ambiance theyd paid so much money to realise. Others reported instances of hikers taking nude photos near the scene or of injured hikers coming to their doors to ask for bandages. Some complained that hikers blocked their driveways and - in one instance - urinated in public on their property. Visiting the sign is largely unregulated. Today, hikers pass signs warning them that theyre entering mountain lion country, that their GPSs are wrong and that roads are closed to local traffic only. Harvard Chemistry Department chair Charles Lieber was charged this week with lying to the Defense Department about receiving funds from the Chinese government. Lieber allegedly took $1.5 million to open a research lab in China, as well as $200,000 monthly in cash and living expenses to conduct research for the Wuhan University of Technology. A pioneer in the field of nanowires infinitesimally small conductors of electricity with a wide range of potential uses Lieber is no small fry. For a person with his status and reputation the work for him [in China] was not important, and it was not necessary for him to do that for the money, a Case Western Reserve professor who had worked with him told the Wall Street Journal. Indeed, Lieber received more than $15 million in grants from the American government. So why did he accept funding from China? U.S. government agencies including the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health dole out more than $150 billion in research grants each year. University scientists rely on that money to fund their labs. Because grants can make or break a career, professors spend an inordinate amount of time navigating the funding labyrinth. A 2007 study found that researchers spend 42 percent of their time writing grant proposals and ensuring compliance with the conditions of the grants they receive. Stringent regulations on everything from affirmative action to animal welfare place a needless burden on scientists, reducing their productivity. Since any given proposal has a 20 percent chance of being approved, researchers devote 170 days to proposal-writing for every grant theyre awarded. In addition to the administrative burden, American funding programs push researchers toward low-risk, low-reward studies. Since papers are evaluated by the number of citations they generate, professors tend to focus on questions that guarantee a meaningful result, rather than taking risks on novel research that might fail. Though the latter is more likely to deliver high gains in the long run, delayed recognition of breakthrough research means that scientists in new fields may have to wait years before they see results, which reduces their ability to attract funding in the interim. A 2016 paper found that funding decisions which rely on traditional bibliometric indicators . . . may be biased against high risk/high gain novel research. As a result, American scientists tinker at the margins of existing research but rarely attempt breakthroughs. This partially explains the general slowdown of scientific progress over the past few decades. Story continues Enter China. In 2008, the Chinese Communist party (CCP) announced the Thousand Talents Plan (TTP), which was designed to recruit 2,000 high-quality foreign professionals within five to ten years. By 2017, the program had lured 7,000 foreigners more than triple its target. As part of a broad push to achieve global technological supremacy, China has committed 15 percent of its GDP equivalent to $2.1 trillion in 2019 to human-capital development. The TTP doesnt require grant applications or regulatory compliance, either. Faced with a choice between a Byzantine funding apparatus at home and instant cash from China, more than 3,000 university researchers have opted for the latter. In return for that money, the CCP requires its researchers to turn over intellectual property to which they have access, as well as to sign agreements preventing them from disclosing the results of work conducted under Chinese patronage. Some scientists have concluded that those stipulations are worthwhile. And in a perverse sense, it is true that the Chinese system provides a great deal of academic freedom: no applications, no progress reports, no environmental standards. In a few cases, TTP-linked academics have even opened shadow labs in China that conduct research identical to what they are doing domestically. The effect is a wholesale transfer of American intellectual capital and property to our largest geostrategic foe. The TTP encompasses not only university labs but also U.S. government facilities. Federal agencies have discovered that employees downloaded classified information before visiting China, and an American defense contractor testified to the Senate that more than 300 U.S. government researchers had accepted TTP money right under the governments nose. In November 2019, the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations issued a long-overdue report on the TTP. The report recommended stricter grant-compliance provisions, stronger cybersecurity, and increased scrutiny of research facilities by American law-enforcement agencies. While these measures would partially combat Chinese intellectual-property theft, lawmakers in Washington should also reflect on why Chinas money is so alluring to American scientists. Partially, its because theres a lot of it. While the White House has proposed cuts to the NSF and NIH budgets in recent years, the CCP has committed orders of magnitude more money to its recruitment programs. In addition to beefing up IP protections, Congress should allocate more funding to foundational research. But money alone wont solve the problem. As long as the federal grant-approval process remains sclerotic and risk-averse, American scientists will be unlikely to maintain their global preeminence. Federal agencies should roll back onerous regulations and give researchers more control over grant money and lab operations. By deemphasizing bibliometric criteria, they could also provide scientists more of the leeway necessary for scientific breakthroughs. Outside the public sector, tax incentives could increase the viability of novel research in private labs. The Chinese threat must be confronted head-on, but to truly neutralize it, America will also have to nurture its natural competitive advantage. More from National Review Roslund, the prosecutor, filed months of state motor vehicle records showing that before removing the ignition interlock device, it kept Coffay from driving nine times meaning on nine occasions, Coffay had a blood alcohol level of 0.025 or higher. That level is not legally drunk, but indicates that he had been drinking. On one occasion, at 3:20 a.m., the interlock device registered at 0.07, or the level that signifies impairment, according to prosecutors. Germany's flagship carrier Lufthansa on Monday said it was suspending all flights to and from mainland China for longer than initially announced, as the death toll from the novel coronavirus climbed past 360. The Lufthansa group last week said it was halting its China flights until February 9, including those run by subsidiaries Swiss and Austrian Airlines. In an updated statement, the group said it was now halting flights to and from Beijing and Shanghai until February 29. The destinations of Nanjing, Shenyang and Qingdao in eastern China will not be served until March 28, it added. "The safety of passengers and employees is a top priority," Lufthansa said, adding that the decision to prolong the suspension was made "after thoroughly evaluating all currently available information on the coronavirus". Flights to Hong Kong will take place as planned. Lufthansa and the two subsidiaries offer 54 weekly connections from Germany, Switzerland and Austria to mainland China, as well as 19 to Hong Kong. The novel coronavirus first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. It has so far infected more than 17,000 people and killed over 360, making it more deadly than the SARS crisis nearly two decades ago. The virus has since spread to more than 24 countries despite many governments imposing unprecedented travel bans on people coming from China. Dozens of global airlines have halted flight services with China to contain the outbreak, including British Airways and Air Canada. Explore further Airlines curb or cancel China flights 2020 AFP A wife murderer who was given permission to satisfy his 'sexual needs' while out on parole five years early admitted to killing a sex worker inside a Canada hotel room. Now, sex work advocates and politicians are demanding answers as to why a parole board allowed Eustachio Gallese to visit brothels and engage with sex workers knowing his violent history. Gallese, 51, turned himself into authorities on January 22 and admitted to slaying 22-year-old Marylene Levesque inside a Sainte-Foy district hotel room. Officers rushed to the scene and discovered Levesque had been stabbed and sustained defensive wounds from the horrifying attack. A motive has not yet been released. Gallese reportedly met Levesque while she worked at an erotic massage parlor that he frequented during his time on parole. But he was eventually banned from the premises after he became violent with other women and Levesque would later agree to meet Gallese at the hotel room. Eustachio Gallese (center) was convicted of killing his wife in 2006, but killed a young sex worker this month after he was given permission to satisfy his 'sexual needs' by a parole board Marylene Levesque (pictured) is the 22-year-old murder victim of Gallese, whom she met at a hotel room in Quebec, Canada He has since been charged with second-degree murder in Levesque's death and blame for Gallese's recent actions have shifted to the parole board, who released him to a halfway house five years before his scheduled parole. Gallese was convicted of conjugal violence in 1997 and assaulted his ex-wife, according to the Vancouver Sun. Seven years later, Gallese murdered his 32-year-old partner, Chantal Deschenes, by beating her with a hammer before fatally stabbing her with two knives on October 21, 2004. He then wrote a critical message directed towards Deschenes on their bedroom wall, before calling his brother to report the killing. Gallesen was convicted of killing Deschenes, who was a mother of two daughters, in 2006 and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years. The parole board in 2007 found that Gallese was a 'high risk' for re-offending violence, but in 2016 would lower his status to 'moderate' and finally 'low to moderate' last year. He was then granted supervised release on day parole at a halfway house in March 2019, which would carry on for another six months into September. Gallese (pictured) convicted of conjugal violence in 1997 and killing 32-year-old Chantal Deschenes with a hammer and knives According to the parole board's latest decision, Gallese brought up concerns about relationships with women that he discussed with his case workers. Gallese's intimate relationships were ultimate deemed inappropriate, but his case workers acknowledged that he had 'sexual needs'. 'Although you are still single and you say you arent ready to enter into a serious relationship with a woman, you are able to efficiently evaluate your needs and expectations towards women,' the statement says, according to VICE. 'During the hearing, your parole officer underlined a strategy that was developed with the goal that would allow you to meet women in order to meet your sexual needs,' it continued. 'The hearing allowed us to realize you managed, and this with the approval of your case-management team, relations with women that the board considers inappropriate.' Levesque (pictured) initially met Gallese at a erotic massage parlor, but he was later banned from the property after being violent with other women The Board said the strategy 'paradoxically constitutes a worrying and significant risk factor' and ordered a re-evaluation of the terms in six months. Levesque died two months shy of the re-evaluation date. Gallese was also expected to report all relations with women to officials. Since Levesque's death, Quebec Justice Minister Sonia LeBel has since demanded answers on how a violent offender like Gallese made parole. Quebec Justice Minister Sonia LeBe (pictured) has demanded answers as to why Gallese was given parole with his history of violence LeBel said she understands the 'principles of social re-insertion,' but the Parole Board's 'guiding principle is above and beyond all else the safety of the public,' Montreal Gazette reports. She also questioned whether members of the parole board are 'sufficiently equipped' at determining such cases. This echoes revelations from past parole board members who say changes within the federal government in 2017 resulted in the majority of board members being replaced with people who had no prior experience. 'If you don't have experienced board members and just new people, some mistakes can happen, some issues can happen,' David Blackburn, a former board member, told CTV News. Of the incident, Minister Bill Blair sent condolences to the family. 'In its September 2019 decision, the parole board explicitly opposed letting the accused visit massage parlours during his release,' a statement read. Sex work advocates don't believe the parole board adequately measured Gallese's risk of re-offence well enough. Sandra Wesley, an advocate who runs Stella, a non-profit by sex workers for sex workers, said the decision also did not question Gallese's entitlement to women's bodies and sex workers should have been aware of his re-intergration into the public. But the blame cannot be placed solely on the parole board, Wesley said. 'It is very obvious that criminalization of sex work facilitated the violence of this man,' she said. Wesley warns that if the stigma around sex work isn't solved, 'we know that Marylene (pictured) is not the last death. Theres going to be another one and another one. In Canada, selling sex is not a criminal offense, but in 2014 Bill- C-36 made advertising and purchasing sex illegal. The legal complexities surrounding sex work make reporting abuse and other violence difficult. Wesley said: 'Anyone who helps a sex worker work is committing an offence, so if they were to announce (abuse) to police, the outcome would be that the owners and receptionists (of parlours) would get arrested.' 'Clients would get arrested, so thats a loss of income for the sex worker. If this wasnt criminalized it would be easy to send (Gallese) back to jail sooner.' Wesley warns that if the stigma around sex work isn't solved, 'we know that Marylene is not the last death. Theres going to be another one and another one.' VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EXMceuticals Inc. ( CSE: EXM ) ( FSE: A2PAW2 ) (the Company or EXM), a producer of high-grade cannabis extracted ingredients for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, therapeutical and cosmetic industries, is pleased to announce it has appointed Prf. Dr. Eurico Castro Alves as a new member of its Advisory Board. The acceptance was made in the observance of the Regime governing the Exercise of Functions by Political Officeholders and Senior Public Officeholders in Portugal. Prf, Eurico was a former President of Portugals health regulator Infarmed, as well as the founder of WiseHS medical and Pharmaceutical consulting. WiseHS was the consultant company engaged in the process that led to the granting of the Cannabis R&D license for our laboratory. Prf. Euricos engagement will clearly assist the future development of EXMceuticals in Portugal, said Jonathan Summers, EXMs CEO. He and EXM share a common goal to establish Portugal as a centre for medical Cannabis healthcare and science. The next step is to have in operation, and licensed, a high-quality ingredients factory that will produce to medical standards and have many industrial applications. Prf. Dr Eurico Castro Alves graduated in Medicine from the Faculty of Medicine of Porto University with a specialty in General Surgery. He completed his General Surgery training at the Southern Illinois University Medical School and at the Cook County Hospital of Chicago in Illinois USA. He obtained the degree of Instructor in Advanced Trauma Life Support by the trauma committee of the State of Illinois. Dr Eurico was also the former chairman of the Infarmed board of directors, National Authority for Medicines and Health Products, IP, during which time SiNATS (National Health Technology Assessment System) and Farmed (Forum of Regulatory Agencies of Lusophone Space Countries) were created. He was a mentor of the European Group Against Counterfeit Medicines (WGEO) and was part of the Group of Heads of Medicines Agencies in the European Economic Area. EXM is excited to add another notable and illustrious individual to its Advisory Board. The Company also announces the resignation of Marc Bernier as Chief Strategy Officer. Mr. Bernier now moves on to a consultancy relationship with EXM and has been appointed to EXMs board of directors. Mr. Bernier was the original founder of EXM and his efforts were essential and pivotal in the early stages of the Company. EXM would like to thank Mr. Bernier for his ongoing work with EXM and his contributions to the Company over the last three years. In connection with his appointment to the board of directors, the Company has granted Mr. Bernier incentive stock options to purchase up to 1,500,000 common shares of the Company pursuant to the Companys Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan. The stock options are exercisable at a price of $2.00 per share for a period of 10 years from the date of grant. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF EXMCEUTICALS INC. Jonathan Summers, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer For further information contact: Investor Relations Email: investors@exmceuticals.com Media Enquiries: Email: media@exmceuticals.com Melanie Guillemette: +1 819 668 2734 FOR MORE UPDATES ON THE COMPANY Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/EXMceuticals Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exmceuticalsinc/ ABOUT EXMCEUTICALS EXM is targeting the wellness and medical applications of cannabis. EXMs activities are focused on the sustainable cultivation of cannabis and hemp, and the production of high-grade cannabis and hemp ingredients for the pharmaceutical, therapeutical, nutraceutical and cosmetic industries. The Company proposes to sell the produced ingredients to international markets. EXM is not a recreational cannabis company. EXM was recently granted the required authorizations and permits in Portugal for its existing laboratory and pilot refinery for cannabis research. EXM has previously completed research projects with its university partners, Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Universidade Lusofona as well as applying for P2020 research grants. Following receipt of these unique Portuguese cannabis authorizations and permits, EXM is proceeding with its planned R&D program, lab work and testing. In addition to this more scientific mandate, EXM is now projecting and building a significantly larger refining facility in Portugal which once complete and licensed will be used by EXM as its base for distribution of cannabis ingredients in the EU and North America. EXM has also submitted applications and undertaken negotiations with local governments and partners in Ethiopia, Malawi, Zambia, Eswatini and Burundi, in order to obtain licences to permit the cultivation of cannabis and hemp, as well as the processing, transformation and export of psychotropic and non-psychotropic cannabinoid ingredients. In Ethiopia, EXM is in its final stage of negotiation with the government for an agro-industrial park, of 4,000 hectares (9,880 acres) encompassing a free trade zone, for which EXM has already obtained land rights over 2,000 hectares (4,940 acres) in the Amhara region. CSE: EXM | FSE: A2PAW2 Neither the CSE nor the FSE has approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor the FSE accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain information contained herein may constitute forward-looking information under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as, will be, expected, proposes, intends or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results will occur. Forward-looking statements regarding the Companys business operations, including the cultivation of cannabis in Ethiopia and elsewhere, the extraction of cannabis ingredients and the exportation of the extracts, the results of testing at our facilities established for the European market, future laws and regulations governing the sale of our products in Europe and elsewhere, and the potential to generate sales, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of EXM to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. EXM will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. I was in Iraq in April 1991 when government security forces crushed the Shia uprising against Saddam Husseins regime, killing tens of thousands and burying their bodies in pits. I had been expelled from Iraq to Jordan at the start of the rebellion in March and then, to my surprise, allowed to return, because Saddam wanted to prove to the world that he was back in control. I was taken along with other journalists to see Grand Ayatollah al-Khoei, the vastly influential spiritual leader of the Shia in Iraq and elsewhere, who was being held in a nondescript house in Kufa in southern Iraq. He lay on a couch looking all his 92 years, surrounded by Iraqi security men who were hoping that he would condemn the rebellion. I asked him what he thought of it. For some minutes I thought he had not heard my question, but then, speaking in a low gasping voice, he said: What happened in Najaf and other cities is not allowed and was against God. His words were deliberately ambiguous, but I had no doubt that he was speaking of the hideous vengeance being exacted by military units loyal to Saddam, the killing of Shia men, women and children regardless of whether or not they had taken part in the uprising. US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Show all 35 1 /35 US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures This photo released by the Iraqi Prime Minister Press Office shows a burning vehicle at the Baghdad International Airport following an airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq, early Friday 3 January AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures The wreckage of the car in which general Soleimani was travelling when a targeted US airstrike struck outside Baghdad International Airport on 3 January Ahmad Al Mukhtar via Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Demonstrators burn the US and British flags during a protest in Tehran after general Soleimani was killed in a targeted airstrike by American forces Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A burning vehicle at the Baghdad International Airport following an airstrike. The Pentagon said Thursday that the US military has killed general Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, at the direction of Donald Trump AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Protesters burn Israeli and US flags as thousands of Iranians take to the streets to mourn the death of general Soleimani at the hands of America EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Supporters of Donald Trump pray at an 'Evangelicals for Trump' campaign event held on the day following the killing of general Soleimani. At the event, the president praised the "flawless strike that eliminated the terrorist ringleader" AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A huge procession of mourners gather in Baghdad for the funeral of general Soleimani on 4 January AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Thousands of Iranians take to the streets to mourn the death of Soleimani during an anti-US demonstration to condemn the killing of Soleimani, after Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iraqis perform a mourning prayer for slain major general Qasem Soleimani of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards at the Great Mosque of Kufa AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A billboard reading 'Death to America and Israel', installed by Iran-backed shiite armed groups at a street in Jadriyah district in Baghdad, Iraq EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A handout picture provided by the office of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him visiting the family of Soleiman KHAMENEI.IR/AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Thousands of Iranians take to the streets in Tehran EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Pakistani Shiite Muslims burn a mock of a US flag as they hold pictures of General Qasem Soleimani during a protest against the USA, outside the US Consulate in Lahore, Pakistan EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Jalal Feiruznia, looks to a portrait of Soleimani, as he receives condolences at the Iranian embassy, in Beirut, Lebanon AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures People make their way on the street while a screen on the wall of a cinema shows a portrait Soleimani in Tehran AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Aziz Asmar, one of two Syrian painters who completed a mural following the killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani poses next to his creation in the rebel-held Syrian town of Dana in the northwestern province of Idlib AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A demonstration in Tehran AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures An anti-US demonstration to condemn the killing of Soleimani, after Friday prayers in Tehran EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Mujtaba al-Husseini, the representative of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, delivers a speech in the holy shrine city of Najaf AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Pakistani Shiite Muslims burn a mock of a US and Israeli flags as they hold pictures of General Qasem Soleimani during a protest against the USA, outside the US Consulate in Lahore, Pakistan EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Protesters demonstrate in Tehran AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Pakistani Shi'ite Muslims hold pictures of General Qasem Soleimani during a protest against the USA, in Peshawar, Pakistan EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Protesters, holding a photograph of the leader of the People's Mujahedin of Iran Massoud Rajavi, outside Downing Street in London PA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Protesters burn a US flag in Tehran AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A Syrian man offers sweets to children to mark the killing AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranian worshippers attend a mourning prayer for Soleimani in Iran's capital Tehran AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Kashmiri Shiite Muslims shout anti American and anti Israel slogans during a protest AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranian worshipers chant slogans during Friday prayers Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A protest against the USA, in Islamabad, Pakistan EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranians burn a US flag in Tehran EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in Germany (NWRI) protest outside Iran's embassy in Berlin, Germany Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in Germany (NWRI) protest outside Iran's embassy in Berlin Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranian worshippers in Tehran AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Vehicles of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol a road in the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Kila near the border with Israel. Following morning's killing of Major General Qasem Soleimani, Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement called for the missile strike by Israel's closest ally, to be avenged AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranian women take to the streets in Tehran EPA The Shia had risen up against Saddam in the final days of his defeat in Kuwait by the US-led coalition. While they were not expecting full-scale foreign support, they did believe that the coalition would stop Saddam using his remaining tanks and helicopters against them. But the US conflated the Iraqi Shia with Iran, where the Shia are the overwhelming majority, and had decided that it was not in American interests to see the rebellion succeed. Coalition forces stood aside as Saddams tanks, with helicopters overhead, smashed their way into Shia cities like Karbala, Najaf and Basra, and then began their mass executions. Three decades later, the US and its allies are still making the same mistake, treating the millions of Shia in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Bahrain, Yemen and Afghanistan as if they were Iranian agents. Down the centuries, the Shia have been one of the most savagely persecuted religious minorities; they fear today that in the wake of the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, they are once again being demonised, as Donald Trump denounces all who oppose the US in the Middle East as Iranian proxies. Yousif al-Khoei, the grandson of the grand ayatollah and the head of the London-based Al-Khoei Foundation, told me that the confrontation between Iran and the US was already leading to the rise of anti-Shia sentiment. He receives many calls from non-political but very worried Shia who hear what they interpret as crude anti-Shia propaganda being spouted in Washington. The threat to demolish cultural sites in Iran was shocking to hear from a US president, said Khoei. Ordinary Shia express fear that this may mean attacking our holy places and institutions where faith and culture are intertwined. He told me how young Shia are angered by potential gross violation of the Shia faith by US threats to holy sites and shrines that have only recently been targeted by Isis. We are still recovering from the losses Isis inflicted on the Shia, he said. One of the most significant developments in the Middle East since 1945 has been the rise of the previously marginalised and impoverished Shia communities in many though not all of the regions countries, above all Lebanon and Iraq, the latter becoming the first Shia-ruled state in the Arab world since Saladin overthrew the Fatimid dynasty in Egypt in 1171. Yet American and British politicians too often treat the rise of the Shia as if this was purely the outcome of unjustifiable Iranian interference. Western leaders find it convenient to adopt the anti-Shia propaganda line pumped out by Sunni states like Saudi Arabia, which persecutes its own Shia minority, and Bahrain, which has an even more oppressed Shia majority. In both countries, Shia demanding civil rights are punished as terrorists and alleged proxies of Iran. Often, the Sunni authorities are convinced by their own propaganda: when the Bahraini government, backed by Saudi troops, crushed the Arab Spring protests on the island in 2011, Shia doctors in a nearby hospital were tortured to make them admit that they were receiving orders from Iran, though a high-level international investigation found no evidence of Iranian involvement in the protests. After the US and British invasion of Iraq in 2003, its military commanders were paranoid about alleged Iranian plots to foster resistance to the occupation. In fact, it needed no fostering, because neither Shia nor Sunni wanted Iraq to be occupied by a foreign military force. Old propaganda claims have resurfaced over the last week about Iran assisting the predominantly Saudi 9/11 bombers or enabling an IED campaign against British troops in southern Iraq, as if Iraq at that time was not knee-deep in discarded munitions. Such self-serving conspiracy theories, whether they are being peddled in Washington, London, Riyadh or Abu Dhabi, are counterproductive. They foster a sense of Shia solidarity that is to the benefit of Iran. We saw this over the last week, as anti-government protests in Iran in 2019 were replaced this year by crowds numbering millions jamming the streets of Iranian cities to mourn General Soleimani, that very same governments top military commander. At the heart of Shiism, more than in most religions, is martyrdom, and Soleimani is now being elevated in the eyes of Shia and not just in Iran to the status of a warrior martyr who died fighting for the faith. The triumphant Iraqi army commanders I saw in the wrecked Shia cities of Iraq in 1991 all tried to persuade me that the Iranians had been the driving force behind the rebellion. Much the same nonsense is being uttered today about an Iranian hand being behind anything the west and its allies do not like in the Middle East. When they claim to be targeting Iran, they are in practice targeting the Shia community as a whole a mistake for which both they and the Shia are likely to pay a high price. Note: An editing error initially rendered the date of the author's experience in Iraq as April 1999, not April 1991. This has been corrected. LONDON The British government proposed on Monday stopping the early release of hundreds of terrorism convicts after a succession of attacks by people let out halfway through their prison terms underscored long-festering problems with its anti-terrorist strategy. Under the governments extraordinary plan, about 220 people currently locked up on terrorist offenses in Britain would have their prison terms extended, said Robert Buckland, the justice secretary. Instead of automatically being released halfway into their sentences, as is customary for many offenders in Britain, terrorism convicts would be forced to serve at least two-thirds of their terms, he said. And even then, they would only be released with the agreement of a parole board. But it was not clear the governments proposal would withstand scrutiny in the courts, let alone solve a crisis that analysts said had more to do with a decade of austerity cuts to prison and probation services than with the length of sentences. Maharashtra minister Vijay Wadettiwar on Monday said he was "very positive" to the state government sanctioning permit rooms at resorts located near the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district in future for "boosting revenue and employment". Wadettiwar, who serves as the guardian minister of Chandrapur, also demanded a satellite survey of the "actual plantation" done under the erstwhile BJP government's ambitious mega drive to plant 33 crore saplings across the state. He also said a panel has been set up to look into various aspects of the existing liquor ban in the district. Chandrapur was declared a "dry" district by the previous BJP government. The new Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has yet to take a call on lifting the alcohol ban in the district. "I have sent a letterto the Ministry of and Forests seeking a satellite survey of the mega plantation drive conducted bythe erstwhile BJP government in Maharashtra," the minister told reporters. The mega plantation drive was conducted under then forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar who also hails from Chandrapur district. The senior Congress leader, whose party is a ruling constituent in the state government, furter said that foreigners who visit the TATR prefer to stay in Nagpur, around 155 kms from here, due to unavailability of liquor in Chandrapur. "It is a common practice in tourism areas across the world..It is not necessary that every tourist will need liquor,however, it is important to provide various facilities to the visitors. The government has plans to sanction the permit rooms near the TATR. I am very positive to sanction permitrooms at resorts located near the TATR," the MLA said. The TATR is Maharashtra's oldest and largest national park, where jungle safaris are conducted for tourists. Meanwhile, the minister said Chandrapur district collector has been directed to form a panel to look into advantages and disadvantages of the liquor ban. "The collector will form a panelcomprising two experts, social workers and other district officials to study the impact of the liquor ban on students, smuggling of liquor, sale of spurious alcohol etc.," he said, adding that a report is expected in one month which will be tabled before the state Cabinet. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A nti-terror police are continuing their investigation into how two people were stabbed in Streatham. Convicted terrorist Sudesh Amman is the man believed to have been shot by police as the attack and his background has revealed a man described in court as having a life goal to die a martyr. Here is what we know so far about the incident: The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - founded by Manhattan Project scientists who invented the nuclear bomb, with 13 Nobel laureates on its executive board - has just moved its Doomsday Clock to 100 seconds before midnight. This marks the most severe security threat in its history. The scientists are sounding the alarm not due to subjective fears caused by a mercurial and uninformed president with his finger on the nuclear trigger, but from a dispassionate assessment of terrifying realities. "Humanity continues to face two simultaneous existential dangers - nuclear war and climate change - that are compounded by . . . cyber-enabled information warfare, that undercuts society's ability to respond," reports the Bulletin. These dangers have become dire not simply because they are getting worse, but because "world leaders have allowed the international political infrastructure for managing them to erode". The threat posed by nuclear weapons has become more perilous because virtually the entire edifice of arms control is being dismantled. US President Donald Trump already deep-sixed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and the last remaining arms-control treaty - the New START Treaty that capped Russian and US nuclear arsenals - is on the verge of expiring. The White House is considering withdrawing from the Open Skies Treaty that allows the United States and Russia to observe each other's arsenals in monitored overflights. No substantive effort has been made to bring China into arms-control talks. Negotiations with North Korea have collapsed; its leader, Kim Jong-un, promises to unveil a new "strategic weapon". The United States and Russia are on the verge of launching another nuclear build-up, with the US planning to squander another $1.2trn (1trn) over the coming decades on the folly. Meanwhile, the climate emergency is visible in fires and droughts and floods across the world, from Australia to Missouri. Millions have already been displaced; the billions already spent are just the beginning. US governmental action on the climate emergency falls far short of even the most modest hopes for survival. Yet Trump has pulled the country out of the Paris climate accord, weakening its already limited progress. The Bulletin's warning got far too little attention. There was no 24-7 coverage or analysis. Few politicians bothered to respond. But don't be misled: this is the real deal, the true catastrophe. When history writes about the Trump administration, his tantrums and insults, his tweets and rallies, his ignorance and temper will no doubt be mentioned, but historians will surely focus on the lost years when this president didn't just ignore these existential threats, but actively exacerbated them. At the Bulletin's news conference, former California governor Jerry Brown, the executive chair of the group's governing board, noted: "Speaking of danger and destruction is never very easy, because if you speak the truth, people will not want to listen because it's too awful." But there are reasons for hope. Led by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, Democratic presidential candidates have called for reviving the arms-control process and returning to the Paris climate accord and the Iran nuclear agreement, rather than launching a new arms race. Politicians may still find there is a price to pay for failing to lead. But surely the Bulletin is right: we are a handful of seconds from catastrophe and the clock is ticking. ( The Washington Post) ISTANBUL Turkey said deadly clashes in Syrias northwest Idlib province on Monday killed at least eight Turkish soldiers and civilian contractors and scores of Syrian troops. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to continue military operations, risking further entanglement in the Syrian imbroglio. Turkish Defense Minister Huluski Akar said 76 regime members were neutralized, though the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the Syrian government forces death toll at 13. The Turkish soldiers were reinforcing a military outpost near the town of Saraqib, where Turkey is monitoring an all-but-defunct deconfliction zone in Idlib Ankara secured in a 2018 deal with Russia and Iran, Syrian President Bashar al-Assads backers. Turkey supports the Syrian opposition fighting Assad since 2011 in a war that has killed as many as a half-million people. Those who think they can test Turkeys resolve with these types of treacherous attacks will come to understand that they have made a great mistake, Erdogan said before departing for a previously scheduled trip to Ukraine. We are determined to continue the operations we have undertaken for the security of our nation, our people and our brothers in Idlib. There have been skirmishes between Syrian and Turkish troops at the 12 observation posts in Idlib before, but direct confrontation between the two militaries is rare. The fighting on Monday was the deadliest yet between the two sides and led members of the Turkish opposition to question whether Turkey is now at war with Syria. Last week, Erdogan had signaled a fight loomed, warning Turkey would not tolerate a new wave of refugees and would do whats necessary to protect its borders, accusing Assad of using displaced human beings to threaten Turkey. Turkey already hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees, making it the worlds largest host of displaced people. Longstanding animosity between Turkey and Syria is boiling over as Assad has intensified an offensive to retake Idlib, the rebels last bastion and home to some three million civilians, since November. The campaign, backed by Russian air power, has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, most of them rushing to the Turkish border, which is closed. Turkish fighter jets and howitzers were firing on dozens of Syrian government targets, Erdogan said. However, Turkey would require Russian acquiescence to use the airspace above Idlib, and Russia denied airstrikes were conducted. Russian officials also accused Turkey of failing to inform them of troop movements in advance. Russian warplanes continued to bombard Idlibs neighboring province of Aleppo on Monday, killing nine civilians, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Mondays escalation could harm an entente between Ankara and Moscow, which have agreed to a series of cease-fires in Idlib as well as in northeast Syria, which Turkey invaded in October to fight Syrian Kurdish militants. Erdogan has sharpened his rhetoric against Russia in recent days as fighting in Idlib threatens a full-blown humanitarian crisis, and some analysts believe Russia is siding with Damascus over Ankara while it pressures Turkey to finally make peace with Syria. A personal rapport between Erdogan and President Vladimir Putin has drawn Turkey into Russias orbit and Erdogans purchase of a $2 billion Russian anti-aircraft system has strained Ankaras ties with its NATO partners. Russia also supplies Turkey with much of its oil, gas and coal, and Putin was in Turkey just last month to inaugurate a new natural gas pipeline. The two leaders have also worked to hammer out a deal in Libya, where they again support opposing sides. "While developments in Idlib will strain Turkish-Russian relations they will likely survive the fallout, given the two capitals see economic and strategic interests aligning in other arenas, said Berkay Mandiraci, an analyst at the International Crisis Group. While Ankara has shown more military assertiveness recently, its actions are likely going to be constrained by Russias increased leverage in other conflict theaters where the two partners are mostly at odds with each other, including in Libya as well as Ankara's energy-related [and] economic interests," he told Al-Monitor. On Monday, Erdogan accused Russia of failing to meet its commitments but said that Turkey was focused on holding the Syrian government to account. To the Russian authorities: You are not our interlocutors here. Its entirely the regime and you should not block us. It is impossible for us to remain silent when our soldiers are being martyred, he said. If we dont get the result we want, I will speak with my counterpart to convey the gravity of the situation. Turkey also needs Russia to help keep the peace on the other side of the war-ravaged country. A joint patrol by Russian and Turkish troops in northeast Syria was canceled on Monday, according to news reports. Russia and Turkey are conducting the patrols to enforce a cease-fire with the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), a Syrian Kurdish militia that fought with the United States against the Islamic State until a Turkish incursion forced President Donald Trump to evacuate American troops. Russia stepped into the lurch created by the United States hasty withdrawal. Turkey attacked the YPG because of its ties with Kurdish insurgents within Turkey. Erdogan adviser Fahrettin Altun said Turkey would continue to respond to threats if Russia fails to control Assad. But he also took aim at Western allies, who were outraged by the military operation against the YPG, for failing to support Turkey in Syria. Turkeys presence in northern Syria is the only barrier against yet another humanitarian crisis, Altun wrote on Twitter. If the international community does not stand with Turkey against instances of aggression like this one, it will be faced with yet another refugee crisis along our borders. The Democratic field has gone from more than two dozen to just 11 candidates. Who will come out on top in Iowa? Des Moines, Iowa Since the day after the 2016 presidential election, Democrats have looked to 2020, hoping Donald Trump will be just a one-term president. At one point, there were more than two dozen candidates. Now there are just 11. After all the rallies, all the debates and many political moments, the voters in Iowa are set to kick off the start of the caucus and primary season in an election season that will take the United States all the way to November. I have been following the Democratic race closely, and have spent the last several days in Iowa. Bearing in mind this state is always capable of throwing up a surprise, here is how the candidates who are running may finish in the Iowa caucus on Monday night. Michael Bennet A senator from Colorado, Michael Bennet is a name unfamiliar to most voters in Iowa. Bennet is a moderate who believes in compromise, but many expect his lacklustre campaign to end in the days after Iowa. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Michael Bennet [File: Mary Altaffer/The Associated Press] Joe Biden Former Vice President Joe Biden has played up his ties to former President Barack Obama who was a surprise winner in Iowa 12 years ago. An early frontrunner Biden has seen his support dip in the past few weeks. But he still remains among the top-tier candidates in Iowa, according to recent polling. Democratic 2020 US presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden [File: Ivan Alvarado/Reuters] Popular with working-class voters, this is his third run for the White House. Expect Biden to finish in the top three. It is important to remember that Democrats have nominated three vice presidents to run since World War II. All three have lost. Pete Buttigieg Pete Buttigiegs experience in office may be only as a small-town mayor in South Bend, Indiana, but the youngest of all the candidates at the age of 38, he has talked about motivating a new generation of Democratic and American voters. Buttigieg has raised a heap of money and has been able to campaign across the state while Senators have been tied up with the impeachment trial in Washington, DC. US Democratic presidential candidate and mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg [File: Steve Marcus/Reuters] Anything outside of a top-four finish puts his campaign on life support and he would need a great result in the New Hampshire primary next week to survive. Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi Gabbard, a US representative from Hawaii, has had very little presence in Iowa. She opposes US military intervention abroad, but she has drawn criticism for meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. She is unlikely to come in the top seven, but many believe she may launch a third-party run which could take votes away from the eventual Democratic nominee. Democratic presidential candidate Representative Tulsi Gabbard [File: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters] Amy Klobuchar A senator from neighbouring Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar believes she can appeal to voters across the country by promoting her pragmatic Midwest values. Her poll numbers have slowly crept up over the past few weeks, giving supporters the chance to claim she has Klo-mentum. If she can finish fourth, it will be as good as a win for her campaign and would keep her in the race. Democratic 2020 US presidential candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar [File: Brenna Norman/Reuters] Deval Patrick A former Massachusetts governor, Deval Patrick has made next to no impact in Iowa or elsewhere for that matter. Many expect him to drop out on Tuesday. Former Massachusetts Governor and Democratic presidential candidate Deval Patrick [File: Carlo Allegri/Reuters] Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders is an independent senator from Vermont who describes himself as a Democratic socialist. He came in second behind Hillary Clinton in Iowa four years ago. It was, however, the closest margin the Iowa Democratic caucuses had ever seen. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders [File: Mike Segar/Reuters] Sanders has strong grassroots support and a good organisation. There are some Democrats who worry whether someone who wants to introduce universal healthcare, free college tuition and curtail the influence of billionaires can actually win a general election, but supporters insist this is an election about change and Sanders is the man to deliver. He will likely place in the top three. Tom Steyer Billionaire businessman Tom Steyer has the money to stay in the race long after more popular candidates drop out, but he will be lucky not to finish in the bottom three. Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer, founder of NextGen Climate Action [File: Stephen Lam/Reuters] Elizabeth Warren Senator Elizabeth Warren often talks about big structural change and income equality. Other campaigns admit the Massachusetts senator has built a formidable operation on the ground in Iowa and that could be the key to her doing better than many suspect. Other candidates in recent days have been nipping away at her support but she could be headed for a top-three finish. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren [File: Steve Marcus/Reuters] Andrew Yang Andrew Yang is a former tech executive who has talked about introducing a universal basic income. His support has not gone close to double figures. He likely will not finish last, but the best he can hope for is sixth place in Iowa. Democratic presidential candidate entrepreneur Andrew Yang [File: Sue Ogrocki/The Associated Press] Michael Bloomberg Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is skipping early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire, focusing his attention on Super Tuesday (March 3). Normally that would kill a campaign because it would struggle to raise funds. But the multi-billionaire is funding his own White House bid. Former New York City Mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg [File: Scott Morgan/Reuters] Bloomberg will reportedly be in California, a Super Tuesday state, on Monday instead. A thing you will often hear is: Iowa isnt first because its important, its important because its first. It gives the first real indication of how the voters are thinking, whose policies they support, who they believe can challenge Trump. A good performance here generates publicity, often brings more support and crucially, helps with fundraising. You do not have to win in Iowa to be a winner. But you can lose the White House here, too. Aphids, small sap-sucking insects, are virus carriers responsible for significant economic losses in many crops worldwide. Many aphids form symbiotic and mutualistic relationships with viruses, an aspect of plant disease that has not been well explored. Scientists based in Beijing, China, studied how one symbiotic virus, Acyrthosiphon pisum virus (APV), actually helps its host aphid adapt to new plants. APV is primarily located in the aphid's salivary glands and gut. When the aphid feeds on the plant, APV is transferred through the spit. Importantly, the survival rate of aphids on new plants increases if the aphid carries APV because the virus suppresses the plant's insect defense hormones. "We were surprised to know symbiotic viruses can function outside hosts, which is quite different from symbiotic bacteria in the gut," said plant pathologist Feng Cui. "This research provides us with the possibility of interrupting aphid-host plant alterations or influencing the dispersal of aphids through the manipulation of these symbiotic viruses." To learn more about this unique research into symbiotic viruses, read "A Symbiotic Virus Facilitates Aphid Adaptation to Host Plants by Suppressing Jasmonic Acid Responses" in the January issue of Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (MPMI). Explore further How do insects survive on a sugary diet? More information: Hong Lu et al, A Symbiotic Virus Facilitates Aphid Adaptation to Host Plants by Suppressing Jasmonic Acid Responses, Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (2019). Journal information: Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions Hong Lu et al, A Symbiotic Virus Facilitates Aphid Adaptation to Host Plants by Suppressing Jasmonic Acid Responses,(2019). DOI: 10.1094/MPMI-01-19-0016-R Provided by American Phytopathological Society New Delhi, Feb 3 : Not too long ago, India was the darling of the world with its rosy growth story. Then came the 2008 global meltdown and it all came crashing down. Thereafter a recovery seemed in sight with GDP growth at 8 per cent in 2018-19, but now it's down to 5 per cent in 2020-21. But then, as a new book says, there hasn't been a single decade since 1950 when the Indian economy hasn't lurched from one crisis to another. More importantly, how did China do it while India fell far, far behind? "Though few people realise it, the strategy that China has followed since the late 1970s -- and that India only partially followed till it almost gave it up in the 1970s -- was the same as that was first depicted by Alfred Marshall in his 'Principles of Economics' while attributing competitive efficiency to the emergence of what later came to be be called (in his honour) 'Marshallian industrial districts' -- a clustering of firms in a similar industry operating from a certain geographic area proximately located close to a city," T.C.A. Ranganathan and T.C.A. Srinivasa Raghavan wrote in "All the Wrong Turns" (Westland/pp349/Rs799). The co-location of several firms of the same industry allows a number of benefits, sometimes called benefits of agglomeration or externalities, the book says. What is forgotten in India-China comparisons is that China also focused on 'combo' development: cities/industries/commercial zones "together as an integrated issue. The 'foreigners', attracted by the amenities available in the newly well-planned cities, built their vast variety of factories in these government created and managed zones", the authors explain. The authors then present six essays, most of them some 60 pages long, on six critical areas: agriculture, manufacturing, international trade, banking, fiscal policy and institutions. The first four have been penned by Ranganathan, a career banker with close to four decades of experience who retired as Chairman of the Export Import Bank of India, and the remaining two by Srinivasa Raghavan, an economic journalist of some four decades standing. What then ails the Indian economy? Agriculture: It's not that agriculture and farmers do not get state support in other countries; they do but mostly it is in the nature of 'income support' (i.e. farmer-oriented or land-oriented income transfers), not 'production distorting support' (crop support schemes such as fertilisers, water, power pricing, subvented loans, MSP and procurement price announcements etc) practised by the Indian authorities. The debate on agrarian distress "requires to be made more holistic instead of being studied only under a 'partial equilibrium' framework with 'ceteris paribus' assumptions. Quick fixes and palliatives frequently announced by various 'fast thinking' members of the governing class will never be appropriate substitutes," the book says. Manufacturing: The focus of reform has to be where 'mis-signals' get generated. "A one-size-fits-all methodology will not work. Alongside, the uniquely Indian definition of what constitutes good governance will need to change. In a globalised world where we are likely to enter into regional and preferential trade arrangements, we will need to fall in line with the governance style of the rest of the world," the book points out. International Trade: The main challenge which India Inc. is seen to experience while engaging in international trade, looks remarkably similar to that experienced by the average citizen in day-to-day living. "Adequate well-paid jobs are not coming up because enough 'good companies' are not setting up operations in most parts of the country....There is thus a need for India to reflect and reorganise its thought processes and reflexes," the book says. Banking: Noting that it is often forgotten that Indian PSBs had no prior experience with either infrastructure lending or large project finance till the late Nineties, the book says that nowadays, increased network size and lumpy agglomerations are looking to be a more attractive solution to the PSB woes and that "interesting times" could lie ahead. "In sum, what emerges is that the other peer countries, without exception, followed a certain structural model. The Indian state believes otherwise and has taken the less travelled path. This has influenced the evolutionary path of the various sub-components, making the story of banking in India rather chequered if not interesting," the book says. Fiscal Policy: Income tax has been justified on the grounds that it helps the rich help the poor, "never mind that it is at gunpoint. The truth, alas, is different. But far from having any egalitarian outcome, it basically forces the productive parts of society to pay for the upkeep of those who contribute absolutely nothing to it. The state has replaced religious bodies (which received zakat, tithe, daan and so on) as the intermediary", the book says. Thanks to its economic policies, India -- instead of becoming a manufacturing economy where the mass of the people earn regular wages, salaries -- has become a service providing one. This in turn has meant a huge proliferation of self-employed individuals such as doctors, lawyers, architects, IT professionals and so on, the book says, urging that the tax rate be reduced to 5 and 10 per cent. "If the state must act an an intermediary, it can at least copy the religions which taxed at a fixed low rate. The short point is this: we must take politics and the accompanying moral imperative out of taxation," the book says. The Institutions: The time has now come for some original thinking by Indian economists. It has become necessary to move away from the one-size-fits-all economic theory. The starting point must be the abandonment of the postulate in which western economics is rooted, namely greed, the book says. "Every country needs to develop analytical frameworks which are best suited to its context....(this) is not going to develop overnight, but some Indian economists need to start thinking about these issues. To do so efficiently, they will have to learn Indian sociology, rather than assume that it is irrelevant because their discipline is value- neutral. It is not," the book concluded. (Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in) Photo: The Canadian Press Dirk Lemcke spent 8 1/2 years in a combat regiment with the United States military before he became a truck driver and a painter. He never expected to be homeless. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and a number of chronic health problems, Lemcke found himself out of work and spent four months on the streets of Calgary. "I've always been out to help people and being in the situation of having to receive help is a new thing for me. It's hard," says Lemcke. "I just want to pay my rent, eat and be a human being, to live in a decent place and not just some slum basement. "I just want to have a normal life." Lemcke, who is in his late 50s, now has a home. He's a resident in a southeast Calgary community of 15 self-contained tiny homes for military veterans. Each 37-square-metre unit about the size of a small motorhome comes with a kitchen and bathroom. There's a TV on a wall and a murphy bed to pull down at night. Each one is named after a Canadian soldier who died in service. They're run by The Mustard Seed street ministry, which partnered with Homes for Heroes, a group that supports military veterans returning to civilian life. The homes rent for $640 a month and vets can stay for about two years. The community opened in November and about a dozen of the homes are occupied so far. A second tiny-homes village for vets is to open in Edmonton later this year. Lemcke, who was born in California and grew up in Montreal, has been learning how to carve soapstone. Sitting in his new home, he proudly shows off two bears he has been working on with a hammer and chisel. He says he hopes to get a part-time job and move into his own apartment. His tiny home would then go to another veteran in need. Don McLeod, a retired warrant officer with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, is the tiny-home community's veteran peer support worker. Residents have access to counselling and McLeod helps them work their way to getting financial support from the government. Some have addiction and mental-health issues, McLeod says, but most just need direction. "These people are not touchy feely. I'm not going to give them a big hug and tell them everything's going to be fine. I'm going to say, 'You've got yourself into this mess. How are we going to make things better?'" In Parliament today: Bill to amend CVC and Delhi Police Special Act to be tabled today Jamia firing: Delhi police registers case, investigation underway India oi-Mousumi Dash New Delhi, Feb 03: The Delhi Police on Monday registered a case and have started an investigation in the Jamia Millia Islamia University in south Delhi firing case that took place on Sunday night. The cops have also confirmed that no bullet shells were found from the site of where the firing incident took place on Sunday night in Delhi. As per the news agency ANI tweet, the Delhi police have said that no bullet shells were found from the Jamia firing site. However, a case has been registered in this incident and investigation is underway. On Sunday night, bullets were fired at gate No. 5 of Jamia Millia Islamia University on Sunday night by two unidentified persons. But, no one was injured in the attack. As per a senior police official, the case was registered under sections of the IPC- they are charged with attempt to murder and the Arms Act. Jamia firing a result of hyper-nationalism says injured student NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 In a week, this is the third firing incident in the Jamia Nagar area in the national capital. On Saturday, a 25-year-old youth fired two rounds in air at Shaheen Bagh area in Delhi, where the anti- CAA protest has been going on since December last year. However, no one was injured in the incident. On Thursday, reportedly, a minor fired at anti-CAA protesters preparing to march from Jamia towards the Rajghat, injuring a student. Engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro on Monday said its joint venture with European defence major MBDA Missile Systems -- L&T MBDA Missile Systems (LTMMSL), has set up a missile integration facility in Tamil Nadu. "LTMMSL has set up the assembly, 'inert' integration (without explosives) and testing facility for missile sub-systems and missile weapon launch systems spread across an area of 16,000 sq meter in a special economic zone at Coimbatore," Larsen & Toubro (L&T) said in a regulatory filing. 'Inert' refers to systems integration process without explosive component of the missile systems being handled at the facility. Founded in 2017, LTMMSL has received a few export orders and the new facility shall start delivering weapon systems using test equipment such as missile launchers and airframe segments, including control actuation units, from calendar year 2020, the filing added. L&T owns 51 per cent stake in the JV, while the rest 49 per cent is owned by the European partner. "L&T MBDA Missile Systems has been working proactively to offer advanced missiles and missile systems to the Indian Armed Forces through domestic production. The creation of this new integration facility at Coimbatore is a first step in this direction. We are showcasing some of these next-gen offerings at the DEFEXP020 to be held at Lucknow," said J D Patil, Chairman L&T MBDA Missile Systems. Pasquale Di Bartolomeo, Vice Chairman and Member of the Board L&T MBDA Missile Systems, said: "With the technical and human capabilities offered by this site, India will be ideally placed to offer its armed forces and the export market the very latest generation of defence equipment technology. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) European researchers say they have created a process that can produce oxygen from moon dust. The process could provide a major source of oxygen for humans taking part in moon exploration activities in the future. Researchers from the European Space Agency, or ESA, carried out the experiments at a laboratory in the Netherlands. They reported their results in a study published in Planetary and Space Science. The team says ESAs experimental plant was able to successfully produce oxygen from simulated moon dust. The dust is part of a material known as regolith, a top layer of dirt and rock pieces that sit on the surface of the moon. Samples of regolith returned from the moon have confirmed that the material contains about 45 percent oxygen by weight. However, the oxygen is chemically locked in the form of minerals or glass, so it is not easily available for use. Having real samples of regolith from the moon made it possible for the researchers to create the simulated moon dust material used during testing. The oxygen extraction process is carried out using a method called molten salt electrolysis. This involves first placing the regolith in a metal container. Calcium chloride salt is added to the mixture, which is then heated to 950 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, the regolith remains solid. Next, an electrical current is passed through the material. The researchers say it is this step that results in oxygen being extracted from the regolith. The study reported that up to 96 percent of oxygen in the simulated moon dust was extracted during the experiments. ESAs long-term goal is to design an oxygen-producing pilot plant to operate full-time on the moon. The first technology demonstration of the system is expected to take place in the middle 2020s. Beth Lomax of the University of Glasgow was a lead researcher on the project. Being able to acquire oxygen from resources found on the Moon would obviously be hugely useful for future lunar settlers, both for breathing and in the local production of rocket fuel, she said in a statement. The researchers reported that as a bonus, the process also results in the production of usable metallic materials. ESA researcher Alexandre Meurisse said the finding that a number of metals are left behind was an important discovery. This is another useful line of research, to see what are the most useful alloys that could be produced from them - and what kind of applications could they be put to, he said in a statement. ESA and the U.S. space agency NASA are both working on plans to return human beings to the moon. NASA has set a goal for 2024, with the aim to keep humans on the moon for long periods. ESA officials say the latest experiments were part of expanded engineering development aimed at finding new ways for lunar materials to be used to support future human activities. Last August, NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida announced its own plans to develop a device that would melt lunar regolith to extract oxygen. The NASA plan would involve heating the regolith to more than 1,600 degrees Celsius and then flowing electricity through the material, the agency explained. The process would attempt to cause a chemical reaction to split the regolith into oxygen and metals. Kevin Grossman is a materials science expert at Kennedy Space Center. He said researchers will be carrying out experiments to test the technology with the goal of getting NASA, in his words, one step closer to an automated mass production of oxygen on the Moon. I'm Caty Weaver. And Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on information from the European Space Agency and the University of Glasgow and Planetary and Space Science. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. Quiz - Researchers Report Success Creating Oxygen from Moon Dust Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story simulated adj. something that looks and behaves like something real but which is not real extraction n. the act of taking something out acquire v. to get something lunar adj. of or relating to the moon bonus n. something extra that is given but which was not expected alloy n. a metal that is a mixture of two or more metals application n. a way something can be used in for a particular purpose automated adj. operated alone by equipment and not people GENEVA (Reuters) - Military officers from rival factions in Libya's conflict began U.N.-led talks in Geneva on Monday aimed at securing a ceasefire after 10 months of fighting on the outskirts of the capital, Tripoli. The so-called "Libyan Joint Military Commission" includes five senior officers from eastern commander Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) and five officers aligned with the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). Haftar has been waging an offensive since April to take control of Tripoli, where the GNA is based. The fighting has displaced more than 150,000 people and drawn increasing involvement by foreign powers. The military talks were taking place two weeks after an international summit in Berlin that was focussed on charting a path towards a political solution and enforcing a U.N. arms embargo that has been routinely violated. Haftar has received material support from countries including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, and Russia, according to U.N. experts and diplomats, while the government is backed militarily by Turkey. The LNA had delayed appointing representatives for the military talks, but appears to have come round to participating after Turkey supplied air defence systems that blunted the air advantage enjoyed by Haftar and his backers, diplomats said. Haftar's offensive, which upended a previous U.N. peace plan, deepened the gulf between loose alliances that have competed for power from western and eastern Libya since 2014. There was an escalation in fighting late last year, and a truce brokered by Russia and Turkey from Jan. 12 has been repeatedly violated. The United Nations says weapons and fighters have continued to enter Libya since the Berlin meeting, and groups loyal to Haftar have imposed a blockade on major oil ports and fields that has shut off most of Libya's oil production. The Geneva talks are aimed at trust building and working out a monitoring mechanism for a ceasefire, diplomats said. The Geneva talks are being moderated by U.N. Special Representative Ghassan Salame. (Reporting by Emma Farge and Ulf Laessing; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Peter Graff and Grant McCool) COLUMBUS, OhioMore than two dozen anti-drug task forces around Ohio have been awarded a total of $5 million in new state funding over the next two years, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday. The money, added by lawmakers to the current state budget, will go toward capturing high-level drug traffickers, raising awareness about drug abuse, and helping addicts get treatment, the governor said during a Statehouse news conference. In all, state spending on the task forces will rise from $8 million per year to $10.5 million per year. The grants include more than $145,000 to the Fairfield (County)-Athens Major Crimes Task Force to target meth and opioid drug traffickers and host a statewide conference on quick-response programs to treat drug overdoses. Two of the 27 grants are headed to Cuyahoga County task forces: $51,332 to the Westshore Enforcement Bureau to increase the number of students in its Young Leaders Network, and $90,000 to the Southeast Law Enforcement Task Force, according to a release. These grants will help local authorities continue this important work, as well as expand law enforcements role in preventing substance abuse through prevention, education, and proactive outreach, the governor said in a statement. DeWine said there may be additional drug task forces set up around Ohio, but hes not allowed to discuss those until they are made public. Read more Ohio politics stories: Anti-House Bill 6 group misses deadline to report campaign donors, spending details Path cleared for top GOP state lawmakers re-election after Democratic opponent disqualified Private school voucher supporters sue state over EdChoice delay Trumps State of the Union speech: Who are the guests from Ohio? What can Iowa caucuses tell us about Ohio? How the states are alike, different Once upon a time, Microsoft Office ruled the business world. By the late 90s and early 2000s, Microsofts office suite had brushed aside rivals such as WordPerfect Office and Lotus SmartSuite, and there was no competition on the horizon. Then in 2006 Google came along with Google Docs & Spreadsheets, a collaborative online word processing and spreadsheet duo that was combined with other business services to form the Google Apps suite, later rebranded as G Suite. Although Googles productivity suite didnt immediately take the business world by storm, over time it has gained both in features and in popularity, now boasting more than 5 million paying customers. Microsoft, meanwhile, has shifted its emphasis away from its traditional licensed Office software to Office 365, a subscription-based version thats treated more like a service, with frequent updates and new features. Office 365 is what weve focused on in this story. Nowadays, choosing an office suite isnt as simple as it once was. Were here to help. G Suite vs. Office 365: Whats the best productivity suite? G Suite and Office 365 have much in common. Both are subscription-based, charging businesses per-person fees every month, in varying tiers, depending on the capabilities their customers are looking for. Although G Suite is web-based, it has the capability to work offline as well. And while Office 365 is based on installed desktop software, it also provides (less powerful) web-based versions of its applications. Both suites work well with a range of devices. Because its web-based, G Suite works in most browsers on any operating system, and Google also offers apps for Android and iOS. Microsoft provides Office client apps for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, and its web-based apps work across browsers. The suites also offer the same basic core applications. Each has word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, email, calendar and contacts programs, along with videoconferencing, messaging and note-taking software. Each has cloud storage associated with it. But those individual applications are quite different from one suite to the other, as are the management tools for taking care of them in a business environment. And both suites offer scads of additional tools as well. So it can be exceedingly difficult to decide which suite is better for your business. Thats where this piece comes in. We offer a detailed look at every aspect of the office suites, from an application-by-application comparison to how well each suite handles collaboration, how well their apps integrate, their pricing and support and more. Our focus here is on how the suites work for businesses, rather than individual use. Pricing: G Suite and Office 365 subscriptions compared Follow the money is the hallowed refrain of investigators everywhere, and when youre starting to decide which office suite is better for you, its a good place to start as well. Individuals can use several of the online apps from both suites including Google Docs, Sheets and Slides as well as Microsoft Word Online, Excel Online and PowerPoint Online for free, but businesses should look to the paid G Suite and Office 365 subscriptions for necessary security and management features. Check out the following charts, first for G Suite, and then for Office 365, to compare plans and pricing. G Suite pricing options for business Google Suite comes in three versions: Basic, Business and Enterprise. Basic, at $6 per user per month, comes with the full suite of applications and 30GB of storage. (Nonprofits can use G Suite Basic free of charge.) At $12 per user per month, the Business plan includes all that, plus unlimited storage and archiving, enterprise search capabilities, additional administrative tools, and a low-code application environment. And Enterprise at $25 per user per month includes all of what the Business version offers, plus even more administrative controls. G Suite business plans Basic Business Enterprise Price $6/user/mo. $12/user/mo. $25/user/mo. Create documents, spreadsheets and presentations Yes Yes Yes Mobile versions1 of Docs, Sheets, Slides, Gmail Yes Yes Yes Email, custom domains, shared calendars, videoconferencing, team messaging Yes Yes Yes Drive file storage 30GB per user Unlimited (1TB per person if < 5 users); search across all company content in G Suite and Google Cloud Unlimited (1TB per person if < 5 users); search across all company content in G Suite and Google Cloud Additional business tools Forms, Sites, Keep, Currents Forms, Sites, Keep, Currents, App Maker Forms, Sites, Keep, Currents, App Maker Security and management tools Basic tools including mobile device management, SSO and security alerts Everything in Basic plus more powerful tools including archive and retention policies and eDiscovery Everything in Business plus more powerful tools including data loss prevention, hosted S/MIME for Gmail, and access control with security key enforcement For more detailed information, check out Googles page comparing pricing plans. And you can download an even more detailed comparison list here. Also note that some features available in higher-level G Suite plans are available for purchase as standalone services. Microsoft Office 365 pricing options for business Office 365 business subscriptions are more complicated and range from $5 per user per month for the most basic version, Office 365 Business Essentials, to $35 per user per month for Office 365 E5, the most feature-packed version for enterprises. The table below outlines what you get with each version. The three Business plans on the left are for small businesses with up to 300 employees; the four on the right are meant for larger organizations. (Scroll to see the rightmost columns.) Office 365 business plans Office 365 Business Essentials Office 365 Business Office 365 Business Premium Office 365 ProPlus Office 365 E1 Office 365 E3 Office 365 E5 Pricing $5/user/mo. $8.25/user/mo. $12.50/user/mo. $12/user/mo. $8/user/mo. $20/user/mo. $35/user/mo. User limit 300 300 300 Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Create documents, spreadsheets and presentations Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Desktop1 / mobile2 versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook No / Yes Yes / Yes Yes / Yes Yes / Yes No / Yes Yes / Yes Yes / Yes Exchange email hosting, custom domains, shared calendars Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business and SharePoint Yes No Yes Teams only Yes Yes Yes OneDrive file storage 1TB per user 1TB per user 1TB per user 1TB per user 1TB per user Unlimited Unlimited Additional business tools OneNote, Planner, Yammer, Delve, MyAnalytics (basic), more Access3, Publisher3, OneNote, more Access3, Publisher3, OneNote, Planner, Yammer, Delve, MyAnalytics (basic), more Access3, Publisher3, OneNote OneNote, Planner, Yammer, Delve, MyAnalytics (basic), Power Automate, more Access3, Publisher3, OneNote, Planner, Yammer, Delve, MyAnalytics (basic), Power Automate, more Access3, Publisher3, OneNote, Planner, Yammer, Delve, MyAnalytics (full), Power Automate, Power BI, more Security and management tools Basic tools including mobile device management, threat management, archiving, and auditing Basic tools (omits Exchange Online Protection) Basic tools Enterprise-level tools (omits Exchange Online Protection) Everything in Business Premium plus more powerful tools including retention policies Everything in E1 plus more powerful tools including data loss prevention and required 2-factor authentication Everything in E3 plus more powerful tools including advanced threat protection and eDiscovery Find out more about Microsofts small business and enterprise plans for Office 365. Microsoft also offers an array of Office 365 plans for educational, government, nonprofit and other institutions, as well as Microsoft 365 plans, which combine Office 365, Windows 10, and security management features. In addition, many Office apps and services are available on an a la carte basis. Some companies prefer to pay for a lower-level plan and then pay for one or two of these items as add-ons rather than paying for a higher-level comprehensive plan. G Suite vs. Office 365: App by app Every business has different needs, and yours may place greater value on certain apps than others. For some companies, word processing and email might be the most important apps in an office suite, while others might need a powerful spreadsheet program above everything else. To help, weve compared each major type of app in G Suite and Office 365 so you can zero in on the apps that are most important to your business and let their strengths and weaknesses guide your overall decision. Weve included only the highlights below; if you want more details about each app, weve linked to Computerworld articles that offer in-depth comparisons. Word processing: Google Docs vs. Microsoft Word Deciding on whether your business would be better off with Google Docs or Microsoft Word is fairly straightforward: Which is more important to your users: easy-to-use collaboration or the greatest range of document creation and editing features? For collaboration, Google Docs is better. For as fully featured a word processor as youll find anywhere, youll want Word. By saying Word has superior features, I dont mean a bunch of tools that your business may never use. I mean great capabilities that make your workflow easier and more productive. If youre creating a report, brochure, resume, or almost any other kind of document, Word offers an excellent set of pre-built templates so you can get writing fast, knowing that your document will have a solid, useful design. For example, Word has nearly 50 different report templates, while Google Docs only has five. Word also offers more chart types and styles for embedding into documents. IDG Microsoft Word has far more powerful features than Google Docs, including many pre-built templates from which to choose when creating a new document. (Click image to enlarge it.) But Google Docs outshines Word when it comes to live collaboration. Collaborating is seamless and has been built into it from the ground up, while in Word its more difficult to use, not as comprehensive and feels tacked-on rather than an integral part of the program. IDG When it comes to live collaboration, Google Docs outshines Microsoft Word by a wide margin. (Click image to enlarge it.) For non-live collaboration editing and marking up documents for review by others Word has always been the gold standard, but Google Docs has come a long way and now is nearly as good as Word. Words editing tools have slightly finer-grained controls, but apart from that, theyre about even. For a more in-depth comparison, head to Google Docs vs. Microsoft Word: Which works better for business? Spreadsheets: Google Sheets vs. Microsoft Excel Do users in your company mostly work alone on spreadsheets, or do they frequently collaborate with others? The answer to that will determine whether Excel or Google Sheets is better for your business. For those who primarily work by themselves, Excel is the clear winner. As with Word, its wide selection of templates offers an embarrassment of riches. For example, there are more than 60 templates just for different types of budgets. Whether its a business budget or a special-purpose budget, such as for a marketing event, youll likely find one that fits your needs and that can be easily edited. By contrast, Google Sheets has only three different budget templates. Excel also offers far more chart types than Google Sheets 17 in all including popular ones such as column, line, pie, bar and area; more complex ones such as radar, surface and histogram; and some that are known mainly to data professionals, like box & whisker. And many chart types have multiple subtypes for example, among the bar charts you'll find clustered bar, stacked bar, and son on, and each of those has two variations. Google Sheets has only seven main types of charts. Its also simpler to create charts with Excel than it is in Google Sheets. IDG Excel has far more sophisticated features than Google Sheets, including many more chart types. (Click image to enlarge it.) Google Sheets far outpaces Excel in real-time collaboration, though. As with Docs, collaboration is baked directly into Sheets. Not only does it have more powerful tools, but theyre naturally integrated and easy to access. The same holds true for editing and commenting on spreadsheets. IDG Google Sheets' collaboration tools are powerful and easy to use. (Click image to enlarge it.) For a more in-depth comparison, see Google Sheets vs. Microsoft Excel: Which works better for business? Presentations: Google Slides vs. Microsoft PowerPoint As with word processing and spreadsheet apps, whether Google Slides or PowerPoint is best for your business comes down to a single point: Do you prize collaboration or powerful features in a presentation program? If collaboration is king in your company, Google Slides is better. For every other reason, PowerPoint is. For example, PowerPoints QuickStarter feature makes quick work of starting a presentation. Choose the topic of your presentation, and QuickStarter walks you through creating an outline, starter slides, templates and themes. Google Slides has no equivalent. IDG PowerPoint has numerous features Google Slides cant match, including QuickStarter, which walks you through creating an outline, starter slides, templates and themes. (Click image to enlarge it.) Similarly, with PowerPoint, its easier to add graphics, transitions, animations and multimedia. It has more chart and table types as well. And it has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to giving the presentation itself, with innovative capabilities such as Rehearse Timings, which times how long you take on each individual slide as you rehearse a presentation. That way, you wont get bogged down on any individual slide, and you can practice giving each slide its just due. Google Slides has nothing like it. However, Google Slides rules when it comes to collaboration, with far outstrips the kludgy and awkward capabilities built into PowerPoint. And because Slides offers fewer capabilities than Excel, its slightly easier to create slides in it, because it doesnt pack as many features into the interface. IDG Slides isnt as powerful as Excel, but its interface is less cluttered and confusing. (Click image to enlarge it.) For a more in-depth comparison, see PowerPoint vs. Google Slides: Which works better for business? Email: Gmail vs. Microsoft Outlook If you prize simplicity, youll favor Gmail over Outlook. Gmail has a much cleaner and less cluttered interface than Outlooks default one, offering the best balance between ease of use and powerful features. However, Outlook has made some headway towards being more straightforward to use with a new simplified Ribbon you can turn on. IDG Gmail offers a streamlined interface and intuitive ways to accomplish your most important email tasks. (Click image to enlarge it.) Whether its creating, responding to or managing email, Gmail offers an intuitive interface with easy-to-use tools for getting your work done fast. Our favorites include an AI-driven option that suggests words and phrases as you type, a nudge feature for surfacing forgotten messages, and a handy snooze button for delaying incoming messages. When it comes to power features, however, Outlook rules. For example, Outlooks Focused Inbox lets you see and respond to the most important emails first, and its Clean Up feature does a great job of simplifying long email threads so theyre easier to follow. And because the contacts and calendar functions are part of Outlook itself, theyre well integrated with email. Gmail relies on the separate Google Contacts and Calendar apps, which can be a bit more cumbersome to navigate. IDG Even with a new, simplified Ribbon, Outlooks interface can be quite confusing to use. (Click image to enlarge it.) If your users want every bell and whistle possible, Outlook provides them all. For getting things done quickly, Gmail is a better choice. For a more in-depth comparison, see Outlook vs. Gmail: Which works better for business? The general election is three-quarters done and dusted. Not just in terms of the actual duration of the campaign - we are about 75pc through the 26 days on the hustings - but in the actual number of seats we can now confidently allocate. In every general election, there are a couple of freakish bolts from the blue. But we can say with confidence that around 120 seats are now pretty much nailed on. From Michael Healy-Rae in Kerry up to Pearse Doherty in Donegal across to Declan Breathnach in Louth and down to Brendan Howlin in Wexford, there are the best part of 120 politicians across the 39 constituencies who, though they'd never admit it, know deep down they're going to be in the next Dail. But that still leaves 25pc, or 40 of the seats, still to play for. Forty shades of grey. Forty individual battles to decide the formation of the next government. Here's what we know six days out from polling. Unless Fine Gael pulls off the biggest electoral comeback since polls began (yes, bigger than the late FF push in 2007), Fianna Fail is going to have the biggest number of seats. The Greens are going to have their best ever general election. Sinn Fein will do better than seemed remotely possible last summer, when the party nearly imploded in the local elections. Labour only has two, at a push three, bankers. Solidarity-People Before Profit has maybe one. The 40 seats still in the mix will dictate whether Fianna Fail can push towards 60 TDs; if Fine Gael can get to within seven or eight seats of FF and maybe stay in the mix for government formation; if Labour has a future in Irish politics; and if there really is a surge towards Sinn Fein. And that's where the 'Big Mo' - the phrase first used in a political context by George Bush 40 years ago - comes in. Which party, if any, will have momentum in this final week? Sinn Fein has had some of it, boosted by a decent campaign and good (though possibly inflated) poll figures. Fianna Fail and the Greens have been solid, if not spectacular. Fine Gael has resembled a team playing into a stiff wind, struggling to make any impact on the opposition and then conceding a couple of entirely avoidable own goals. Two weeks ago, I went through each of the 39 constituencies and came up with a prediction of 55 FF seats; 46 for FG; 17 for SF; 11 for the Greens; 8 for Labour; 2 for the Social Democrats; 2 for Solidarity/PBP; 1 for Aontu and 18 Independents. But the ground has shifted since then. The big mover is Sinn Fein. A fortnight ago I wasn't giving the party seats in Carlow-Kilkenny, Dublin West, Limerick City, Sligo-Leitrim and a second in Donegal. All now look likely. The party is well in the hunt for second seats in Louth and Dublin Mid-West, possibly even Cavan-Monaghan. Even outliers like Meath East are now genuine targets. It now looks set to equal, and possibly better, its 2016 tally of 23 which, given some high profile departures over the past four years, had seemed out of reach even a fortnight ago. What of the big two? At the start of the campaign it looked as if the two parties between them would garner 100-plus of the seats. The strength of Sinn Fein means that figure could be down to 95, possibly less. While there's still a week to change that, I'm more pessimistic about Fine Gael now than two weeks ago. At that point, I was giving Fine Gael two seats in Cavan-Monaghan, Clare, Dublin Bay South, Dun Laoghaire, Galway West, Laois-Offaly, Wicklow and Mayo. How safe are those seats now? Not very. Heather Humphreys will be first or second in Cavan-Monaghan but TP O'Reilly, though odds-on with the bookies, is not safe if FG is at 23pc nationally. In Clare, Joe Carey is under serious pressure to hold the party's second seat from Independent Michael McNamara. But Fine Gael is confident of doing that. I think they're probably right. Galway West is wide open with five from two Fianna Fail, two Fine Gael, two Independents, a Green, a Social Democrat and Sinn Fein all in with a shout of a seat. Anyone who can confidently predict the winners here other than Eamon O Cuiv and one FG is spoofing. But two for FG looks doubtful. As is the case in Dublin Bay South, where one of Eoghan Murphy and Kate O'Connell is under threat from Labour's Kevin Humphreys or Chris Andrews of SF. At the start of the campaign I thought FG's Jennifer Carroll MacNeill would edge out Richard Boyd Barrett in Dun Laoghaire but, with the latter shining in last Monday's leaders' debate and FG struggling in the polls, that now looks out of reach. There's skin and hair flying between the FG candidates in Mayo, however, the lack of a serious rival - both SF's Rose Conway-Walsh and the Greens' Saoirse McHugh look long shots - means they should hold the two there. Marcella Corcoran-Kennedy must be under threat from FF in Laois-Offaly and there's an outside chance Andrew Doyle in Wicklow could be caught by a Green wave in Wicklow. The party is confident of holding two seats in Carlow-Kilkenny. It could, but I wasn't convinced a fortnight ago; I'm even less so now. In Meath East, despite a strong ticket with ministers Regina Doherty and Helen McEntee, there is a real threat from Sinn Fein. Doherty was only 1,000 votes ahead of SF's Darren O'Rourke in 2016 - if the FG vote is down a couple of points nationally and SF's is up a couple, the maths suggest that seat could go. And the prospect of the party winning no seats in Sligo-Leitrim and Cork South-West cannot be ruled out. With the bounce of the ball in most of these constituencies, Fine Gael could hit the mid-40s seat wise. But unless the party's focus on the economy pays dividends in the coming week, 41/42 seats looks a more realistic tally. It could even be worse than that. Labour has also found the campaign tough going. Brendan Howlin is guaranteed in Wexford. Sean Sherlock (Cork East) and Alan Kelly (Tipperary) should be fine, as should Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal). After those four, it's a lot tighter. I think Aodhan O Riordain and Ged Nash will make it in Dublin Bay-North and Louth respectively. Mark Wall (Kildare South) and Kevin Humphreys (Dublin Bay South) are in there for the final seat. But the odds are against both Joan Burton in Dublin West and Jan O'Sullivan in Limerick City. What of the Greens? Climate change has barely featured in the national debate but that doesn't mean it isn't a priority in homes, particularly in urban areas. A fortnight back, I had the Greens in contention in 17 seats, winning 11. Of those 17, six are bankers - Dublin Bay-North, Dublin Bay-South, Dublin Fingal, Dublin Rathdown, Dublin South-West and Dun Laoghaire. Another three are very likely: Dublin West, Dublin South-Central and Dublin Central. But with the Greens struggling to get out of the shadow of FF, FG and SF nationally, their chances in the other eight constituencies (Carlow-Kilkenny, Limerick City, Waterford, Wicklow, Louth, Galway West, Clare and Mayo) though still very much alive, have perhaps receded a bit. But it is clear the Greens are going to have a very good election. As, it seems, are Fianna Fail. But how good? The bookies have the party at 53 seats (nine up from 2016, but two below where I had FF two weeks ago). That would see it as the biggest party but a long way off the 80 seats needed to form a government, even with the Greens and Labour factored in. Party strategists believe that if they can generate a bit of the aforementioned 'Big Mo' this weekend, the party can move towards 60 seats. Of the marginal constituencies, I'm still (tentatively in some cases) backing them to win three seats in Carlow-Kilkenny and two in each of Clare, Cork North-Central, Cork North-West, Donegal, Kildare North, Limerick City, Longford-Westmeath and Wicklow. Second seats in Sligo-Leitrim and Kerry are doable but more 50-50 territory or worse, as is a third in Kildare South. I think they might sneak a second seat in Dublin South-West with comeback 'kid' Charlie O'Connor. Elsewhere in Dublin, the party is on course to gain seats in Dublin Central, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin North-West and Dublin South-Central. Jim O'Callaghan should hold on in Dublin Bay South. On a good day for FF, Shay Brennan will edge out Shane Ross in Dublin Rathdown and a third seat could be even be on in Wexford (though probably not). If they win those last two, then the party will be at, or close to, 60 seats and with a good chance of forming a stable coalition government. But so much hangs on these last few days. Don't believe the polls - a good chunk of voters still haven't definitely made up their minds. The last few days of the campaign will put a definite colour on our 40 shades of grey, and, in turn, on the next government. A single mother with breast cancer who took six weeks off work for radiation treatment was told she will wait months to receive Centrelink payments. Megan Alymore, 44, from Manjimup in rural Western Australia, was diagnosed with breast cancer in November last year. Ms Alymore is about to undergo six weeks of gruelling radiation therapy two hours away in Bunbury while staying at a cancer centre. After finding out she wouldn't be able to work her day job as a medical receptionist for the next two months, Ms Alymore applied for sickness allowance with Centrelink. But the government agency told the struggling mother she won't see a cent for months. Megan Alymore (left), 44, from Manjimup in rural Western Australia, was forced to take six weeks off work to get radiation treatment for breast cancer, but Centrelink told her she'd be waiting more than eight weeks for payments 'They said eight weeks, don't be looking for a payment before eight weeks' time. And I said that's not really going to be help me out,' she told Nine News. Ms Alymore isn't able to use sick or annual leave as a previous lung surgery chewed into any paid time off she had left. 'I still have to pay my own rent at home and my own bills. I don't know how I'm meant to pay my rent. I've never been behind in my rent before. I don't even want to think about it,' she said. On average, it takes Centrelink 35 days to process sickness allowance claims, but around one in three claims take even longer. Ms Alymore's son-in-law was also forced to wait three months to be paid a Centrelink sickness allowance while being treated for testicular cancer. 'People are vulnerable in these situations. They have got enough to worry about and enough to stress about without having to fight Centrelink,' Ms Alymore said. Department of Services Australia General Manager Hank Jongen told Daily Mail Australia the agency 'sympathises with Ms Aylmore's situation.' 'We are doing all we can to ensure she receives appropriate support while she focuses on her treatment,' Mr Jongen said in a statement. 'We have a range of support services available for people who are experiencing challenging circumstances, including social work support. 'We can also prioritise claims for people experiencing financial hardship. Our staff help people facing difficult situations every day, and we do our best to consider everyone's circumstances.' Cheryl Duncanson is living her worst nightmare. She sits at home and looks at photos of her son, 40-year-old Paul Duncanson, who was run down and killed in Melbourne's west. Cheryl Duncanson with, inset, her son Paul. Ahmed Sharif, 28, has admitted the manslaughter of Mr Duncanson at Braybrook on December 9, 2017. Sharif's accomplices, 25-year-old Salah Abukar and Dawuud Abdi, 24, have been found guilty by a jury of affray and intentionally causing serious injury to Mr Duncanson's 44-year-old brother Sean. Spectrum of electronic states in a nanorod of cadmium arsenide (Cd 3 As 2 ), a Dirac semi-metal. The newly predicted 'hinge arc' surface states can be seen connecting the surface projections of the bulk and surface Dirac fermion states (dashed lines). Credit: Zhijun Wang, Institute of Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing Fundamental research in condensed matter physics has driven tremendous advances in modern electronic capabilities. Transistors, optical fiber, LEDs, magnetic storage media, plasma displays, semi-conductors, superconductorsthe list of technologies born of fundamental research in condensed matter physics is staggering. Scientists working in this field continue to explore and discover surprising novel phenomena that hold promise for tomorrow's technological advances. An important line of inquiry in this field involves topologya mathematical framework for describing surface states that remain stable even when the material is deformed by stretching or twisting. The inherent stability of topological surface states has implications for a range of applications in electronics and spintronics. Now, an international team of scientists has discovered an exotic new form of topological state in a large class of 3-D semi-metallic crystals called Dirac semimetals. The researchers developed extensive mathematical machinery to bridge the gap between theoretical models with forms of "higher-order" topology (topology that manifests only at the boundary of a boundary) and the physical behavior of electrons in real materials. The team comprises scientists at Princeton University, including postdoctoral researcher Dr. Benjamin Wieder, Chemistry Professor Leslie Schoop, and Physics Professor Andrei Bernevig; at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Physics Professor Barry Bradlyn; at the Institute of Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, Physics Professor Zhijun Wang; at State University of New York at Stony Brook, Physics Professor Jennifer Cano (Cano is also affiliated with the Simons Foundation's Flatiron Institute); and at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Physics Professor Xi Dai. The team's results were published in the journal Nature Communications on January 31, 2020. Over the past decade, Dirac and Weyl fermions have been predicted and experimentally confirmed in a number of solid-state materials, most notably in crystalline tantalum arsenide (TaAs), the first-discovered topological Weyl fermion semimetal. Several researchers observed that TaAs exhibits 2-D topological surface states known as "Fermi arcs." But similar phenomena observed in Dirac fermion semimetals have eluded understanding, until now. What is a Fermi arc? In the context of semimetals, it's a surface state behaving like one-half of a two-dimensional metal; the other half is found on a different surface. Bradlyn notes, "This is not something that's possible in a purely 2-D system, and can only happen as a function of the topological nature of a crystal. In this work, we found that the Fermi arcs are confined to the 1D hinges in Dirac semimetals." In earlier work, Dai, Bernevig, and colleagues experimentally demonstrated that the 2-D surfaces of Weyl semimetals must host Fermi arcs, regardless of the details of the surface, as a topological consequence of the Weyl points (fermions) present deep within the bulk of the crystal. This was first theoretically predicted by Vishwanath, et al. "Weyl semimetals have layers like onions," notes Dai. "It's remarkable that you can keep peeling the surface of TaAs, but the arcs are always there." Researchers have also observed arc-like surface states in Dirac semimetals, but attempts to develop a similar mathematical relationship between such surface states and Dirac fermions in the bulk of the material have been unsuccessful: it was clear the Dirac surface states arise from a different, unrelated mechanism, and it was concluded the Dirac surface states were not topologically protected. Professor Barry Bradlyn, Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Credit: University of Illinois Department of Physics In the current study, the researchers were surprised to encounter Dirac fermions that appeared to exhibit topologically protected surface states, contradicting this conclusion. Working on models of Dirac semimetals derived from topological quadrupole insulatorshigher-order topological systems recently discovered by Bernevig in collaboration with Illinois Physics Professor Taylor Hughesthey found that this new class of materials exhibits robust, conducting electronic states in 1D, or two fewer dimensions than the bulk 3-D Dirac points. Initially confounded by the mechanism through which these "hinge" states appeared, the researchers worked to develop an extensive, exactly solvable model for the bound states of topological quadrupoles and Dirac semimetals. The researchers found that, in Dirac semimetals, Fermi arcs are generated by a different mechanism than the arcs in Weyl semimetals. "In addition to settling the decades-old problem of whether condensed matter Dirac fermions have topological surface states," Wieder notes, "we demonstrated that Dirac semimetals represent one of the first-solid state materials hosting signatures of topological quadrupoles." Bradlyn adds, "Unlike Weyl semimetals, whose surface states are cousins of the surfaces of topological insulators, we have shown that Dirac semimetals can host surface states that are cousins of the corner states of higher-order topological insulators." Bradlyn describes the team's methodology: "We took a three pronged approach to sort things out. First, we constructed some toy models for systems that we expected to have these properties, inspired by previous work on higher-order topological systems in 2-D, and using group theory to enforce constraints in three dimensions. This was done primarily by Dr. Wieder, Prof. Cano, and myself. "Second, Dr. Wieder and I carried out a more abstract theoretical analysis of systems in two dimensions, deriving the conditions for which they are required to exhibit hinge states, even outside of toy models." "Third, we performed an analysis of known materials, combining Professor Leslie Schoop's chemistry intuition, our symmetry constraints, and ab initio calculations from Professor Zhijun Wang to show that our hinge arc states should be visible in real materials." When the dust settled, the team found that almost all condensed matter Dirac semimetals should in fact exhibit hinge states. "Our work provides a physically observable signature of the topological nature of Dirac fermions, which was previously ambiguous," notes Cano. Bradlyn adds, "It's clear that numerous previously studied Dirac semimetals actually do have topological boundary states, if one looks in the right place." Through first-principles calculations, the researchers theoretically demonstrated the existence of overlooked hinge states on the edges of known Dirac semimetals, including the prototypical material, cadmium arsenide (Cd 3 As 2 ). Bernevig comments, "With an amazing team combining skills from theoretical physics, first-principles calculations, and chemistry, we were able to demonstrate the connection between higher-order topology in two dimensions and Dirac semimetals in three dimensions, for the first time." The team's findings have implications for the development of new technologies, including in spintronics, because the hinge states can be converted into edge states whose direction of propagation is tied to their spin, much like the edge states of a 2-D topological insulator. Additionally, nanorods of higher-order topological semimetals could realize topological superconductivity on their surfaces when proximitized with conventional superconductors, potentially realizing multiple Majorana fermions, which have been proposed as ingredients for achieving fault-tolerant quantum computation. Explore further The quantum states on the surface of conducting materials can strongly interact with light More information: Benjamin J. Wieder et al, Strong and fragile topological Dirac semimetals with higher-order Fermi arcs, Nature Communications (2020). Journal information: Nature Communications Benjamin J. Wieder et al, Strong and fragile topological Dirac semimetals with higher-order Fermi arcs,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14443-5 Public library employees in Missouri could face a fine or jail time for providing age-inappropriate sexual material under a bill proposed by a state lawmaker. The bill, known as the Parental Oversight of Public Libraries Act, has drawn criticism by library and freedom-of-speech groups since it was introduced last month by State Representative Ben Baker, a Republican. The bill proposes that libraries create a parental review panel that would evaluate whether content provided by the library is age-inappropriate sexual material. The panels would be made up of five residents who are not library employees. Under the bill, libraries could lose state funding for failing to comply and a library employee who willfully neglects or refuses to perform any duty of the legislation could face a misdemeanor charge and, if convicted, be fined up to $500 and sentenced up to a year in jail. Items left on the pavement near the scene of a stabbing incident in Streatham High Road, London on Feb 2, 2020 (Image: AP via PTI) British police on February 2 shot dead a man in London wearing a "hoax device" and suspected of stabbing two people, leaving one of them with life-threatening injuries, in an "Islamist-related" terrorist incident. The Metropolitan Police said armed officers responded immediately "as part of a proactive counter terrorism operation" when they shot the attacker, who was declared dead at the scene -- a busy south London street packed with Sunday shoppers. An eye-witness described seeing a man "with a machete and silver canisters on his chest" fleeing from police before they opened fire. February 2's events in Streatham, a largely residential neighbourhood in the capital, came just over two months after a convicted terrorist on early release from prison was shot dead by police on London Bridge after he stabbed two people to death. The government responded by announcing longer sentences for terrorism offences, an end to early release and an increase in the counter-terrorism police budget in the coming financial year. The latest attack unfolded at around 2.00 pm local time (1400 GMT) on Streatham High Road, a busy thoroughfare lined with shops. The Met said a device was found strapped to the suspect's body and, after cordons were put in place, "it was quickly established that this was a hoax device". "The incident was quickly declared a terrorist incident and we believe it to be Islamist-related", police said. Three victims were taken to local hospitals, with one man's condition "life-threatening" and a woman described as receiving non-life threatening injuries. A second woman received minor injuries, believed to have been caused by glass following the discharge of the police firearm. Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked the emergency services for their response. "My thoughts are with the injured and all those affected," he said. London Mayor Sadiq Khan added: "Terrorists seek to divide us and to destroy our way of life -- here in London we will never let them succeed." AFP reporters at the scene said the high street was blocked off with police tape, with buses backed up outside the cordon, as uniformed police officers kept the public away. Helicopters circled overhead. One eye-witness, who asked not to be identified, told Britain's domestic Press Association news agency that he saw the dramatic events unfold. "I saw a man with a machete and silver canisters on his chest being chased by what I assume was an undercover police officer -- as they were in civilian clothing," he said. "The man was then shot. I think I heard three gun shots but I can't quite remember." The eye-witness said he then sheltered in a library as other passers-by ran into nearby stores. Unverified footage posted to social media purporting to capture some of the incident showed armed police officers surrounding a man lying on the ground on Streatham High Road. They then abruptly moved away, urging onlookers to move back, as other emergency vehicles arrived at the scene. Another eye-witness who gave first aid to one of the victims told LBC radio he heard what he thought was a car backfiring, then two, possibly three armed police officers. "I didn't realise at the time I would be swept up in a terrorist incident. I thought this was someone who had shoplifted or people larking around," he added. He used a blanket on one of the injured victims as a compress on their wounds, while first-aid equipment was brought from a nearby pharmacy, he said. Local Green Party councillor and national Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley, called the incident an "absolute aberration". He told AFP the area was "a very safe community with wonderful diversity". Former police tactical firearms advisor Andy Redhead said it was too early to speculate whether the dead man had been under surveillance. British police do not routinely carry firearms but armed units can make the decision themselves to use lethal force. "If they believe there's a threat to life... the only way to deal with that is to use firearms," he told LBC radio. Britain downgraded the country's terrorism threat level from "severe" to "substantial" -- warning a terrorist attack is "likely" rather than "highly likely -- in early November, its lowest rating in more than five years. There have since been two terror incidents in the capital. NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Flight Inspection (FI) market worldwide is projected to grow by US$1.5 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 4.2%. System, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 4.4%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$4.7 Billion by the year 2025, System will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798596/?utm_source=PRN - Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 3.2% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$54.2 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$43.7 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, System will reach a market size of US$271.4 Million by the close of the analysis period. As the world's second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 6.6% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$432.3 Million in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies. - Competitors identified in this market include, among others, Aerodata AG; Airfield Technology, Inc.; Bombardier, Inc.; Cobham PLC; Enav S.P.A.; Norwegian Special Mission AS; Radiola Aerospace Limited; SAAB AB; Safran; Textron Inc. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798596/?utm_source=PRN I. METHODOLOGY II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. MARKET OVERVIEW Global Competitor Market Shares Flight Inspection (FI) Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide (in %): 2019 & 2025 2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS 3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS 4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE Table 1: Flight Inspection (FI) Global Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 2: Flight Inspection (FI) Global Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 3: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Shift across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 4: System (Solution) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 5: System (Solution) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 6: System (Solution) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 7: Services (Solution) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 8: Services (Solution) Historic Market Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 9: Services (Solution) Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 10: Commercial Airports (End-Use) Global Market Estimates & Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 11: Commercial Airports (End-Use) Retrospective Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 12: Commercial Airports (End-Use) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 13: Defense Airports (End-Use) Demand Potential Worldwide in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 14: Defense Airports (End-Use) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 15: Defense Airports (End-Use) Share Breakdown Review by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 III. MARKET ANALYSIS GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS UNITED STATES Market Facts & Figures US Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share (in %) by Company: 2019 & 2025 Table 16: United States Flight Inspection (FI) Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Solution: 2018 to 2025 Table 17: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in the United States by Solution: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 18: United States Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 19: United States Flight Inspection (FI) Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 20: Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Demand Patterns in the United States by End-Use in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 21: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown in the United States by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CANADA Table 22: Canadian Flight Inspection (FI) Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Solution: 2018 to 2025 Table 23: Canadian Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Review by Solution in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 24: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Solution for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 25: Canadian Flight Inspection (FI) Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 26: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Canada: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use for 2009-2017 Table 27: Canadian Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 JAPAN Table 28: Japanese Market for Flight Inspection (FI): Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2018-2025 Table 29: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2009-2017 Table 30: Japanese Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 31: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Flight Inspection (FI) in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 32: Japanese Flight Inspection (FI) Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 33: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Shift in Japan by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CHINA Table 34: Chinese Flight Inspection (FI) Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2018-2025 Table 35: Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Million by Solution: 2009-2017 Table 36: Chinese Flight Inspection (FI) Market by Solution: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 37: Chinese Demand for Flight Inspection (FI) in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 38: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Review in China in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 39: Chinese Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 EUROPE Market Facts & Figures European Flight Inspection (FI) Market: Competitor Market Share Scenario (in %) for 2019 & 2025 Table 40: European Flight Inspection (FI) Market Demand Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 41: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Europe: A Historic Market Perspective in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 42: European Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Shift by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 43: European Flight Inspection (FI) Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Solution: 2018-2025 Table 44: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Europe in US$ Million by Solution: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 45: European Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 46: European Flight Inspection (FI) Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 47: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2009-2017 Table 48: European Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 FRANCE Table 49: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in France by Solution: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 50: French Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Solution: 2009-2017 Table 51: French Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 52: Flight Inspection (FI) Quantitative Demand Analysis in France in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 53: French Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Review in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 54: French Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and 2025 GERMANY Table 55: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2018-2025 Table 56: German Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Solution: 2009-2017 Table 57: German Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 58: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Germany: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 59: German Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 60: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Distribution in Germany by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ITALY Table 61: Italian Flight Inspection (FI) Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2018-2025 Table 62: Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Million by Solution: 2009-2017 Table 63: Italian Flight Inspection (FI) Market by Solution: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 64: Italian Demand for Flight Inspection (FI) in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 65: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Review in Italy in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 66: Italian Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 UNITED KINGDOM Table 67: United Kingdom Market for Flight Inspection (FI): Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2018-2025 Table 68: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in the United Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2009-2017 Table 69: United Kingdom Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 70: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Flight Inspection (FI) in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 71: United Kingdom Flight Inspection (FI) Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 72: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Shift in the United Kingdom by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SPAIN Table 73: Spanish Flight Inspection (FI) Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Solution: 2018 to 2025 Table 74: Spanish Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Review by Solution in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 75: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Spain: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Solution for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 76: Spanish Flight Inspection (FI) Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 77: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Spain: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use for 2009-2017 Table 78: Spanish Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 RUSSIA Table 79: Russian Flight Inspection (FI) Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Solution: 2018 to 2025 Table 80: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Russia by Solution: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 81: Russian Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 82: Russian Flight Inspection (FI) Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 83: Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Demand Patterns in Russia by End-Use in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 84: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown in Russia by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF EUROPE Table 85: Rest of Europe Flight Inspection (FI) Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Solution: 2018-2025 Table 86: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Million by Solution: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 87: Rest of Europe Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 88: Rest of Europe Flight Inspection (FI) Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 89: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Rest of Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2009-2017 Table 90: Rest of Europe Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ASIA-PACIFIC Table 91: Asia-Pacific Flight Inspection (FI) Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 92: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Asia-Pacific: Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 93: Asia-Pacific Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 94: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Asia-Pacific by Solution: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 95: Asia-Pacific Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Solution: 2009-2017 Table 96: Asia-Pacific Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 97: Flight Inspection (FI) Quantitative Demand Analysis in Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 98: Asia-Pacific Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Review in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 99: Asia-Pacific Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and 2025 AUSTRALIA Table 100: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Australia: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2018-2025 Table 101: Australian Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Solution: 2009-2017 Table 102: Australian Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 103: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Australia: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 104: Australian Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 105: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Distribution in Australia by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 INDIA Table 106: Indian Flight Inspection (FI) Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Solution: 2018 to 2025 Table 107: Indian Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Review by Solution in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 108: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in India: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Solution for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 109: Indian Flight Inspection (FI) Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 110: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in India: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use for 2009-2017 Table 111: Indian Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SOUTH KOREA Table 112: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2018-2025 Table 113: South Korean Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Solution: 2009-2017 Table 114: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 115: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 116: South Korean Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 117: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Distribution in South Korea by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC Table 118: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Flight Inspection (FI): Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2018-2025 Table 119: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2009-2017 Table 120: Rest of Asia-Pacific Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 121: Rest of Asia-Pacific Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Flight Inspection (FI) in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 122: Rest of Asia-Pacific Flight Inspection (FI) Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 123: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Shift in Rest of Asia-Pacific by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 LATIN AMERICA Table 124: Latin American Flight Inspection (FI) Market Trends by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018-2025 Table 125: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Latin America in US$ Million by Region/Country: A Historic Perspective for the Period 2009-2017 Table 126: Latin American Flight Inspection (FI) Market Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 127: Latin American Flight Inspection (FI) Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2018-2025 Table 128: Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Analysis in Latin America in US$ Million by Solution: 2009-2017 Table 129: Latin American Flight Inspection (FI) Market by Solution: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 130: Latin American Demand for Flight Inspection (FI) in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 131: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Review in Latin America in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 132: Latin American Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ARGENTINA Table 133: Argentinean Flight Inspection (FI) Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Solution: 2018-2025 Table 134: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Argentina in US$ Million by Solution: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 135: Argentinean Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 136: Argentinean Flight Inspection (FI) Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 137: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Argentina: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2009-2017 Table 138: Argentinean Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 BRAZIL Table 139: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Brazil by Solution: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 140: Brazilian Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Solution: 2009-2017 Table 141: Brazilian Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 142: Flight Inspection (FI) Quantitative Demand Analysis in Brazil in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 143: Brazilian Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Review in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 144: Brazilian Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by End-Use for 2009, 2019, and 2025 MEXICO Table 145: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Mexico: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2018-2025 Table 146: Mexican Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Solution: 2009-2017 Table 147: Mexican Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 148: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Mexico: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 149: Mexican Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 150: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Distribution in Mexico by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF LATIN AMERICA Table 151: Rest of Latin America Flight Inspection (FI) Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Solution: 2018 to 2025 Table 152: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Rest of Latin America by Solution: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 153: Rest of Latin America Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 154: Rest of Latin America Flight Inspection (FI) Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 155: Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Demand Patterns in Rest of Latin America by End-Use in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 156: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown in Rest of Latin America by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 MIDDLE EAST Table 157: The Middle East Flight Inspection (FI) Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 158: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in the Middle East by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 159: The Middle East Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 160: The Middle East Flight Inspection (FI) Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Solution: 2018 to 2025 Table 161: The Middle East Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market by Solution in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 162: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in the Middle East: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Solution for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 163: The Middle East Flight Inspection (FI) Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 164: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in the Middle East: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by End-Use for 2009-2017 Table 165: The Middle East Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 IRAN Table 166: Iranian Market for Flight Inspection (FI): Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2018-2025 Table 167: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Iran: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2009-2017 Table 168: Iranian Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 169: Iranian Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Flight Inspection (FI) in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 170: Iranian Flight Inspection (FI) Market in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 171: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Shift in Iran by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ISRAEL Table 172: Israeli Flight Inspection (FI) Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Solution: 2018-2025 Table 173: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Israel in US$ Million by Solution: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 174: Israeli Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 175: Israeli Flight Inspection (FI) Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018-2025 Table 176: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Israel: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2009-2017 Table 177: Israeli Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Analysis by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SAUDI ARABIA Table 178: Saudi Arabian Flight Inspection (FI) Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2018-2025 Table 179: Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Analysis in Saudi Arabia in US$ Million by Solution: 2009-2017 Table 180: Saudi Arabian Flight Inspection (FI) Market by Solution: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 181: Saudi Arabian Demand for Flight Inspection (FI) in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 182: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Review in Saudi Arabia in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 183: Saudi Arabian Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Table 184: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in the United Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2018-2025 Table 185: United Arab Emirates Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Solution: 2009-2017 Table 186: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Distribution in United Arab Emirates by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 187: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in the United Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 188: United Arab Emirates Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 189: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Distribution in United Arab Emirates by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF MIDDLE EAST Table 190: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Rest of Middle East: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Solution for the Period 2018-2025 Table 191: Rest of Middle East Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Solution: 2009-2017 Table 192: Rest of Middle East Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 193: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Rest of Middle East: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use for the Period 2018-2025 Table 194: Rest of Middle East Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by End-Use: 2009-2017 Table 195: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Distribution in Rest of Middle East by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 AFRICA Table 196: African Flight Inspection (FI) Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Solution: 2018 to 2025 Table 197: Flight Inspection (FI) Market in Africa by Solution: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 198: African Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown by Solution: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 199: African Flight Inspection (FI) Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by End-Use: 2018 to 2025 Table 200: Flight Inspection (FI) Historic Demand Patterns in Africa by End-Use in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 201: Flight Inspection (FI) Market Share Breakdown in Africa by End-Use: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 IV. COMPETITION AERODATA AG AIRFIELD TECHNOLOGY, INC. BOMBARDIER COBHAM PLC ENAV S.P.A. NORWEGIAN SPECIAL MISSION AS RADIOLA AEROSPACE LIMITED SAAB AB SAFRAN TEXTRON V. CURATED RESEARCH Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05798596/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com Japan has dispatched a warship to help safeguard the countrys oil supplies through the tense-but-vital waterways in the Middle East. The helicopter destroyer Takanami on February 2 left its port near Tokyo on an assignment to protect merchant ships and oil tankers passing through the Gulf of Oman, through which flows some 90 percent of Japan's oil. The destroyer and its 200-member crew will operate with two P-3C maritime patrol aircraft to guard ships heading for Japanese ports, officials said. The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said it is prepared to authorize force to protect ships in danger. The action remains controversial given Japan's war-renouncing constitution written after World War II that forbids the use of military force to settle international disputes. The mission will remain independent of other international deployments in the region, including one led by the United States and another by European nations. Japan and other U.S. allies are attempting to balance efforts to show support for U.S. President Donald Trump while looking to minimizing risks of getting drawn into a larger conflict with Iran as tensions flare between Tehran and Washington. In October, Japan announced it would not join a U.S.-led coalition to protect shipping in vital commerce lanes in the Middle East but would send its own vessels to ensure safe delivery of oil to Japan. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga at the time said Tokyo would still cooperate closely with Washington in efforts to protect oil tankers amid a series of attacks the West and Arab allies blamed on Iran. We won't join the United States, but will cooperate closely with them," Suga told a news conference. "Self-Defense Force assets will ensure the safety of vessels related to Japan." "Peace and stability in the Middle East is extremely important for the international society, including Japan." "After we studied comprehensively what measures can be most effective, we have decided to pursue our own measures separately." Several incidents in and around the Gulf, which sees around one-fifth of international oil shipments, raised tensions last year. Tehran denied any involvement in attacks on tankers. Trump accused Iran of carrying out June 13 attacks against two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, including a Japanese vessel. No one was hurt in the attack, but the ships suffered damages. Japan, which is heavily reliant on the import of oil products, has maintained relatively good relations with Tehran and expressed reluctance to join the U.S.-led force. With reporting by Reuters, Bloomberg, AP, and Asahi National Sickie Day: The first Monday in February is the most popular day of the year to pull a sickie, according to some surveys. Photo: Getty At least 8.6 million UK workers called in sick in 2019 because they found their jobs too painful, a new survey has found. A quarter of people said they had taken a sick day in the last year because of dissatisfaction with their jobs, according to research by IT company Insight, based on a Kantar survey of 1,250 working adults, done over a week in January this year. Respondents gave feeling overworked, poor systems and processes making it hard to get work done, and conflicts with workmates as reasons for pulling a sickie. Insight said the research highlighted serious issues within organisations' culture and called for more flexible working. However, 37% of employees said they had come into work in the past year despite feeling unwell. Many said this was because they could not afford unpaid sick leave or did not want to use up a paid sick day. Others said they did not want to feel judged by their boss or colleagues. Meanwhile, around 6.5 million workers said they would be happy to work from home when sick but their employers would not allow it. READ MORE: Workers took almost 52m sickies in 2019 costing the UK 5.6bn The typical worker's number of sick days fell to 5.9 in 2019, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development the lowest in the 19-year history of its annual survey of HR professionals. The first Monday in February is the most popular day of the year to pull a sickie, according to some surveys, with an estimated 215,000 doing so last year, leaving employers unsure whether workers are telling the truth or not. Employment law firm Elas predicted this years National Sickie Day will cost employers 34m ($44m) in absenteeism. However, in 2019, Elas said it had found other days with higher absence rates. It said the top 10 days for absence last year all fell on a Monday, with 16 September coming in top. The most common reasons given were stomach trouble (24%), cold, cough and flu (16%), and headache (7%). Story continues Separate research by commercial property agents Savoy Stewart found that the most common reason employees felt the need to lie about pulling a sickie was due to needing a mental health day (20%) highlighting the growing problem of poor mental health among UK workers. READ MORE: Poor mental health costs UK employers 45bn a year Some respondents said they did not feel that it would be accepted as a legitimate reason by their manager. Employers have a duty of care to their employees to look after their safety and wellbeing, and this includes their physical and mental health, Tom Neil, Acas senior adviser, told the BBC. For people to be able to be honest about how they feel at work, good work practices including having an inclusive culture and effective people management are key. SPRINGFIELD The Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced Monday upcoming dates for various area events, various applications and programs. Spring Turkey Applications: Permit applications for the third lottery for 2020 Illinois Spring Wild Turkey Season are due by Feb. 10. Hunters wishing to apply should visit the IDNR website for more information: dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/TurkeyHunting.aspx 2020 Licenses Available Beginning March 1: 2020 Illinois Hunting, Fishing and Sportsman Combination licenses will go on sale beginning March 1 at 8 a.m. and those 2020 licenses will be valid through March 31, 2021. Illinois 2019 licenses are valid through March 31, 2020. Licenses purchased prior to March 1, 2020, are 2019 licenses that will be valid only through March 31, 2020. Pere Marquette Bald Eagle Days: Enjoy watching bald eagles on the Illinois and Mississippi rivers near Pere Marquette State Park by participating in one of the parks popular Bald Eagle Days tours. The informative programs are conducted on select winter dates. The programs are free, but registration is required by calling 618-786-3323. For more information, visit bit.ly/2tYNYjH. Vandalia Statehouse Lincoln Celebration: The Vandalia Statehouse State Historic Site will celebrate Abraham Lincolns birthday with a special event Saturday, Feb. 8 from 2 to 4 p.m. Pam Brown, who will portray Mary Lincoln, will present the program, Taking Leave, starting at 2 p.m. Music will be provided by Mike Anderson The Dulcimer Guy. Anderson also will provide an informative session following Browns presentation. Refreshments will be available following the presentations. The Lincolns Birthday celebration is provided by the IDNR, Vandalia Historical Society, and the Old Capitol Foundation. The Vandalia Statehouse is the oldest surviving capitol building in Illinois. It is open to the public each Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is located at 315 W. Gallatin St., Vandalia, IL, 62471. For more information, call 618-283-1161. Cahokia Mounds Winter Lecture: The Angel Mounds of Indiana will be featured as part of the Winter Lecture Series at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site Sunday, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. The lecture, Architectural Alignments and Lunar Landscapes: Tracing the Construction of Angel Communities in Southwestern Indiana, will be given by Elizabeth Watts Malouchos, research scientist at Indiana Universitys Glenn Black Laboratory of Archaeology. The program is free and open to the public and will be held in the auditorium at the Cahokia Mounds Interpretive Center. Recent remote-sensing research at Angel and outlying sites suggests aligning residential and mound architecture to the movements of the moon was important for more than three centuries. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is located in Collinsville just off Interstates 55/70 (Exit 6) and Interstate 255 (Exit 24) on Collinsville Road. For more information, call 618-346-5160 or go to www.cahokiamounds.org. Camping Reservations: It is time to make 2020 reservations for campsites and shelters for many Illinois state parks and other IDNR sites. Reservations can be made online through the Reserve America website at www.reserveamerica.com. Hunter and Boating Safety Education Courses: Register now for Hunter Safety Education and Boating Safety Education courses from the IDNR. Spring classes are being scheduled. Check the IDNR website for class dates and locations: bit.ly/2S6FQWb. Earth Day in the Parks: Applications will be accepted through Feb. 28 for 2020 Earth Day in the Parks events from the IDNR in which students and their teachers conduct natural resources stewardship activities, such as planting native wildflowers and grasses, building bird nesting boxes and removing invasive exotic plants at participating Illinois state parks. Participants are selected through an application process. The application form is available at bit.ly/31bqxQ6. Conservation Achievement Scholarship Program: Applications are now being accepted by the Illinois Conservation Foundation (ICF) for the 2020 Conservation Achievement Scholarship program. The ICF annually awards scholarships to outstanding high school seniors in Illinois who demonstrate effective, voluntary, long-term dedication to the preservation, protection or enhancement of the states natural resources. Four scholarships of $2,000 each are available for the current school year. One of the scholarships is earmarked for a qualified applicant who is a dependent of a current employee of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Applicants must be an Illinois resident and a senior in an Illinois high school. Applications must be received by the ICF by March 1, 2020. Detailed instructions and the 2020 application form can be found on the ICF website at ilconservation.org. Contact the ICF at 217-785-2003 or dnr.icf@illinois.gov for more information or to make a donation to support the Conservation Achievement Scholarship program. Illinois Deer Classic: Visit with IDNR biologists, CPOs and permit/license staff at the 2020 Illinois Deer Classic at the Peoria Civic Center, March 27-29. For more info: illinoisdeerclassic.com Authorities in northwestern Brazil are searching for two men who held up an evangelical church during the middle of a mass. One them pointed a gun at a woman. The frightening scene was all caught on video Sunday night shortly after the gunman and and his accomplice interrupted the evening prayer service at the house of worship located in Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazonas. A congregant recorded the tense moment as the unidentified suspect wearing a red sweatshirt ordered the churchgoers to give up all of their personal belongings. A young boy could be seen approaching the congregants under orders of the gunman and filling a backpack with their possessions. Police in the northwestern Brazilian city of Manaus are looking for two men, including one (pictured) who was caught on video pointing a gun at a woman inside a church Sunday night Gunman (pictured in red shirt) instructs a boy (pictured right in dressed in a black t-shirt) to assist him by placing the parishioners' personal belonging inside a bag moments before the assailant and a male accomplice fled The gun-totting church thief then instructed the woman that was sitting next to him to walk over and sit next to the rest of the worshipers before he followed her. He then appears to look search through the bag before escaping the church. No arrests had been announced as of Monday afternoon. Authorities did not report any injuries during the church robbery. No shots were fired. The incident certainly brought back memories of the December church massacre in Sao Paulo when a mentally ill Euler Fernando Grandolpho, 49, executed four churchgoers and injured four more during in the middle of mass inside the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Conception. He then turned the gun and killed himself. European nationals who have suffered domestic abuse face being pushed onto the streets as Brexit is carried out, frontline service providers have warned. Women face substantial barriers to applying for the EU settlement scheme due to necessary documentation having been destroyed by abusive partners. EU nationals who are not accepted to the EU settlement scheme, which endeavours to establish the immigration status of citizens from the bloc legally residing in the UK post-Brexit, will be at risk of deportation as Britain withdraws from Europe. RonTech2000/iStock(LONDON) -- Dozens of people have been killed by rebel fighters in recent attacks on villages in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, an area ravaged by the world's second-largest Ebola outbreak. Militia wielding guns and knives raided several remote villages in the territory of Beni in North Kivu province last week, officials said. The recent attacks have been blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan-led rebel group that has long operated from Congolese soil in the mineral-rich borderlands with Uganda. The Congolese government provided a civilian death toll of 62 in the the minutes of Friday's cabinet meeting. However, a U.N. source told ABC News on Monday that the number of dead was up to 72 civilians and two Congolese soldiers. The discrepancy was likely due to the remote location of the attacks. The area is also the epicenter of the country's ongoing Ebola outbreak, which has infected 3,305 people and killed 2,127 of them since the start of the epidemic in August 2018. It's the second-deadliest, second-largest Ebola outbreak on record anywhere and has been declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization, the global health arm of the United Nations. The insecurity in the region has hindered the Ebola response, with health officials requiring armed escorts to enter some areas. Previous attacks by rebel fighters have temporarily halted response efforts altogether. It's unclear whether the latest attacks have impacted the Ebola response teams. ABC News has reached out to Congolese health officials for comment. According to Friday's cabinet meeting minutes, the Congolese army is "dismantling the networks of collaborators and other agents" based on information provided by captured ADF fighters. The Congolese armed forces launched operations targeting the ADF in Beni territory in late October. Since then, human rights groups say some 300 civilians have been killed in the area. The rebel group has been known to retaliate against civilians when under pressure from Congolese troops. Last week's attacks followed a period of relative calm in early January. Mathias Gillmann, a spokesperson for United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), said the mission "continues to support the Congolese army in its operations against the ADF -- through logistical support, medical evacuations, exchange of information, joint planning of operations, joint patrolling and securing of areas recently liberated." "Beyond military operations," Gillmann continued, "the fight against the ADF requires a comprehensive, joint strategy between the Government and MONUSCO, including at the political level, to counter the ADF and sustainably address insecurity in the Beni area." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, wants members of the National Democratic Congress [NDC] to bow their heads in shame for roping the country in such international embarrassment in the matter of the recent Airbus scandal. He has also called for stringent and properly laid-down laws to deal with corruption-related cases in the country. In a 31st January, 2020 judgement, between the Director of the Serious Fraud Office and Airbus SE, the UK's Crown Court at Southwark fined the European multinational aerospace corporation $3.9 billion for the payment of bribes to secure deals in five countries, including Ghana. A London High Court charged with five counts of failing to prevent bribery, having used a network of secret agents to pay large-scale backhanders to officials in foreign countries to land high-value contracts. Speaking on UTVs Adekye Nsroma newspaper discussion political segment, the Tema West Constituency MP believed it will be in order if President Akufo-Addo tasks the Attorney General, Miss Gloria Akuffo to sue the aircraft manufacturer, Airbus aside the on-going investigations to be conducted by the Special Prosecutor. . . I call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to commission the Attorney General to sue aircraft manufacturer, Airbus aside the on-going investigations conducted by the special prosecutor because the reports have it that they overpriced the airbus sold to us, he stated. Source: Elizabeth Semiheva Bedi/ peacefmonline.com / [email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video NAPLES - Increasing the diversification of fishing and favoring the development of new products and services in the sector, including tourism, are the objectives of the project ''Fishmednet'', launched in the past few days in Portovecchio, in Corsica, which involved France, Italy, Tunisia, Lebanon and Palestine. Funded with two million euros by the European Union, the project aims to diversify the fishing industry which is significantly shrinking, also due to the decrease of fauna after decades of indiscriminate fishing. Objectives include strengthening innovative processes and an increase in visibility for Mediterranean products on international markets that can bring higher revenues to entrepreneurs. The project launched in Sardinia involves 80 young fishermen of at least 30 small and medium-sized companies operating in the sector, investing in advantages for all coastal areas involved. The project lasts 36 months and for Italy involves Halieus, Legacoop's organization for the promotion of sustainable development. At the center of training will be traditional fishermen who will be able to learn methods to diversify fishing but also get to know colleagues of the other countries involved to create international networks. ''The blue economy - said Francesca Ottolenghi, director of Halieus - opens incredible opportunities for Mediterranean coastal communities that can only be acquired connecting people at a local level by using cooperation models like cooperatives and at an international level with business agreements''. Note: This is a Just a Taste review, which the Express-News does soon after a restaurant or bar opens to give our first impressions. Europa Restaurant & Bar, like its name implies, cooks the food of Greece, Italy, Germany, Spain, Bulgaria everyone is welcome at this table in the South Texas Medical Center. The newcomer opened in December in a corner of San Antonio already rich with international fare. No expense appears to have been spared in decking out Europas interior, a swanky modern space with clean lines, textured wall panels and plenty of glowing blue lights. While Europas ambitions appear grand, the restaurant faces the same challenge most places with multiple international allegiances face: Diplomacy is all about compromise, and concessions will be made. At Europa and other restaurants like it, that means plucking the low-hanging fruit from each countrys cuisine without adding anything new to our understanding of the place. On the menu: Europas expansive menu taps the culinary traditions of about a dozen countries across Europe, with mixed success. Greek Zucchini ($8) is little more than a battered and fried bar snack with a token side of tzatziki sauce to dip the crispy sticks in. Same goes for Sicilian Calamari ($12), a familiar tangle of breaded squid rings. Both were well prepared, but didnt feel like a passport stamp. On ExpressNews.com: Review: Conroys Bar & Grill gets a global buzz going France gets a favorable nod in Chicken Chasseur ($15.50), a savory heap of tender poultry slices dressed in a creamy white wine sauce studded with mushrooms. Theres nothing particularly Scandinavian about the Norwegian Cod ($15.50), but its still an enjoyable plate of delicate fish dressed with olives, capers, tomatoes and arugula. Europas bar makes a respectable French 75 ($7.75) and an entertaining carajillo ($9), a pour of Licor 43 ignited tableside and tipped into espresso. The EuropaRita ($9.50) was a version of an Italian-style margarita made with a splash of amaretto, but the results were far too sweet. Europa is most interesting when it shines a light on the Balkan Peninsula, and those dishes make the restaurant worth considering for a night out. Shopska Salad ($7.50) is a good place to start. Its a refreshing melange of tomato, red onion, cucumber and feta cheese mirroring the red, green and white of Bulgarias flag. Bulgarian Kebapche ($12) was also a delight, juicy and well-spiced ground pork and beef shaped into cylinders and grilled, served with a peppery smear of sauce on the plate. Location: 8811 Fredericksburg Road, 210-558-3323, europarestaurantandbar.com, Facebook: Europa Restaurant & Bar Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday Paul Stephen is a food and drink reporter and restaurant critic in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephen Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) San Miguel Corporation (SMC) said it has pushed back the opening of the Skyway Stage 3 to July for repair work after a major warehouse fire in Manila caused a portion of the toll road to collapse. In a statement, SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang said round-the-clock construction would be in effect for the next five months to catch up with the new target, which is later than the planned April 1 opening. "Rest assured, we will work 24/7 to endeavor to complete the entire project in five months. This is just a three-month delay from the original opening target," Ang said. "What pains us is that we missed the opportunity to help motorists sooner with the opening of this road network." The fire that consumed a warehouse of the San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Corporation along Tomas Claudio Street melted the foundation of a portion of the elevated expressway, which led to its collapse. The 37.4-billion Skyway Stage 3 is an 18.68-kilometer elevated road that would serve as an alternative to EDSA, the capital's busiest thoroughfare. The project, proposed by SMC's unit CITRA Central Expressway Corp., has been tagged as one of the priority infrastructure projects by the Duterte administration. Last week, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said the opening of the elevated toll road would be the key to decongesting EDSA by 20-30 percent later this year, and would also bring President Rodrigo Duterte's promise of a five-minute drive from Cubao to Makati to fruition. Villar said he expects about 100,000 cars plucked out of EDSA as motorists choose to pay a toll fee and use the Skyway for a faster and smoother trip across Metro Manila. READ: Skyway from Buendia to Balintawak may charge 5 per kilometer Villar The conglomerate said the warehouse that burned over the weekend was actually set to be relocated out of Pandacan, as SMC clears its properties there to make way for the Skyway ramp and a planned integrated transport and food terminal in the area. The oil depot of its sister firm Petron Corporation had been pulled out of Pandacan much earlier. SMC said its initial investigation showed that the fire likely eliminated from a nearby DMCI construction yard and spread to the plastics warehouse. D.M. Consunji Inc. refuted this claim on Tuesday, saying that the fire started outside their work area. Citing a report from the Bureau of Fire Protection, the property firm said the fire at the SMC plastics warehouse raged for 30 minutes before the construction yard itself was enguled in flames. Meanwhile, authorities said the metal works inside the warehouse may have caused the fire, while the raw materials used in making plastic pallets led to the thick, black smoke. Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer CenterPoint Energy, the Houston-based regulated utility, said Monday it will sell its infrastructure services business to Atlanta-based infrastructure company PowerTeam Services for $850 million in cash. CenterPoint will use the money from the sale of natural gas distribution and transmission pipeline contracting firms Miller Pipeline and Minnesota Limited to repay a portion of its outstanding debt. The sale also will streamline CenterPoint's operations so the company can focus on its core utility businesses. CenterPoint predicts that the contribution from utility earnings will increase to more than 80 percent over the next few years. Why does the city suspect the new coronavirus? The three patients all had recently been to China, the source of the outbreak. And each one had tested negative for influenza and other common illnesses. Still, the authorities have cautioned that the three may well turn out not to have the new virus. Most of the suspected cases around the country have not in the end been identified as involving the coronavirus. Health officials are telling New Yorkers not to be overly concerned Public health officials note that the ordinary flu has proved to be far more dangerous so far. Across the country, the C.D.C. says 68 children have died of the flu this year, and the agency estimates 10,000 adults have died. The coronavirus has not yet caused a single death in the United States, officials said. Of course, that could change if the coronavirus begins spreading here. In China, there were 17,205 confirmed infections as of Sunday, and 361 people have died. Among laboratory-confirmed cases, the illness has a fatality rate of about 2 percent, although thats expected to drop as more mild cases are discovered. For comparison: The 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic had a death rate estimated at .02 percent. At times, city officials have given different guidance than scientists at the C.D.C. At a news conference, Mayor Bill de Blasio said transmission of the new coronavirus required substantial contact with someone who already has it, adding that you dont get it from touching a surface. The C.D.C., however, has more cautious advice: Its currently unclear if a person can get 2019-nCoV by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or possibly their eyes. For now, only the C.D.C. can test for the new coronavirus Local health departments around the country do not yet have that capability. Since its a new test, there are set protocols in place where the C.D.C. first has to standardize the way it runs the analysis, Dr. Barbot explained. She said she hoped that within a week or two, New York City would be able to test for the coronavirus. Amazon founder and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos is once again embroiled in a controversy involving his family life with his brother-in-law filing a defamation lawsuit against him. Michael Sanchez, the brother of Bezos' girlfriend Lauren Sanchez, has alleged Bezos falsely accused him of leaking "graphic, nude photographs" of the couple to media. Sanchez has claimed following Bezos' allegations his house was searched by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sleuths. The relationship between Bezos and Lauren became public after The Enquirer, on January 9 last year, published several text messages between the couple. It also claimed to have access to their intimate pictures, which it didn't publish. Lauren's brother accused Bezos and his consultant Gavin de Becker of peddling "false narrative" that he betrayed his sister by leaking private chats and pictures. William Isaacson, Bezos' lawyer, has said his client (Bezos) will soon address the lawsuit in court. Terry Bird, Lauren Sanchez's lawyer, told The New York Times: "Michael is my older brother. He secretly provided my most personal information to 'The National Enquirer' - a deep and unforgivable betrayal. My family is hurting over this new baseless and untrue lawsuit, and we truly hope my brother finds peace." Also read: Aimed at Saudi prince? Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos posts Khashoggi's memorial service pic Last year in February, Bezos in a blog post had indicated that The Enquirer got info to do the story after his phone was hacked by Saudi Arabia. His consultant Becker linked the hack to The Washington Post's coverage of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. Khashoggi was killed in October 2018 -- five months after the alleged "hacking" of Bezos' phone. Months after the report, Jeff Bezos and former wife MacKenzie announced divorce and entered into a settlement in April 2019. The UK-based news daily The Guardian reported last month that Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos' mobile phone was reportedly "hacked" by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in 2018. The phone's security was compromised after he opened a malicious video file sent from the crown prince's number on his WhatsApp, it said. Citing anonymous sources in the know of an international probe into the matter, The Guardian reported the two (Bezos and Saudi Crown Prince) had exchanged friendly messages on WhatsApp. Palestinians denounce Israel-Sudan meeting as stab in the back that hurts efforts to oppose Trumps Middle East plan. Israel and Sudan have agreed to move towards forging normal relations for the first time, Israeli officials said on Monday, after the leaders of the two countries met in Uganda. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudans sovereign council, in Entebbe. It was agreed to start cooperation leading to normalisation of the relationship between the two countries, an Israeli statement said. We agreed to begin cooperation that will lead to normalisation of relations between the two countries, Netanyahu tweeted. History! However, in response to Al Jazeeras request for comment, Sudans Foreign Minister Asmaa Mohammed Abdullah said she had learned of the Monday meeting through media outlets and had no further information. Sudans information minister and government spokesman, Faisal Salih, also told Reuters news agency he had no information about the visit to Uganda and that the cabinet had not discussed it. Officials would wait for clarifications on Burhans return, Salih said in a later statement. A senior Palestinian official denounced Mondays meeting as a stab in the back of the Palestinian people. This was also a stark departure from the Arab peace initiative at a time when the administration of [US] President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu are trying to liquidate the Palestinian cause, Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said in a statement carried by official news agency WAFA. Normalising relations with Sudan, where Arab states gathered in 1967 to issue what became known as the Three Nos no recognition of Israel, no peace with Israel and no negotiations with Israel would allow Netanyahu to burnish his diplomatic credentials a month before the countrys March 2 election. Netanyahu believes that Sudan is moving in a new and positive direction, the Israeli statement said. Sudans leader, it added, is interested in helping his country go through a modernisation process by removing it from isolation and placing it on the world map. The Associated Press news agency quoted a Sudanese military official as saying the meeting was coordinated by the United Arab Emirates and also aimed at removing Sudan from the USs list of state sponsors of terrorism. In January 2016, Sudans former Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandoor had said normalising relations with Israel would be possible in exchange for the lifting of US sanctions on his country. Israel previously considered Sudan a security threat, due to Irans suspected use of the country as a conduit for overland smuggling of munitions to the occupied Gaza Strip. In 2009, regional sources said, Israeli aircraft bombed an arms convoy in Sudan. However, since Sudans longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir was removed from office last year, Khartoum has distanced itself from Iran and no longer poses such a threat, Israeli officials say. Returning to Africa Netanyahu arrived in Uganda on Monday, saying Israel is returning to Africa in a big way and urging the East African country to open an embassy in Jerusalem. Netanyahu, who was accompanied by his wife Sara, held a meeting with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and other officials. In a news conference, Netanyahu said Israel would open an embassy in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, if Museveni established one in Jerusalem. The Ugandan leader responded by saying his government was studying the matter. Most countries have their embassies in Tel Aviv because they view the final status of Jerusalem as something that should be negotiated between Israel and the Palestinian leadership. Trump broke with that consensus when he recognised Jerusalem as Israels capital and moved the US embassy there in 2018. The move infuriated the Palestinians, who cut off contacts with the US. Last week, Trump unveiled his long-awaited Middle East plan for Israel-Palestine, which heavily favours Israel and proposes that it keep all its illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in the 1967 war. The Palestinian Authority government wants East Jerusalem and the West Bank as part of their future state. The Trump plan would instead grant them limited autonomy over Gaza, chunks of the West Bank and some sparsely populated areas near the border with Egypt, with a capital on the eastern outskirts of Jerusalem. The Palestinian leadership has been seeking to build unified opposition to the plan among Arab nations, with the Arab League including Sudan rejecting it on Saturday. Palestinian political factions said Mondays meeting undermined those efforts, with Fatahs secretary-general Jibril Rjoub saying it contrasts with the stance of the brotherly Sudanese people who support the right of the Palestinian people to establish a free, sovereign state. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said normalising relations with Israel encourages the occupation to continue its crimes and aggressions against the Palestinians. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad called on the Sudanese people, their civil movements and their free revolutionaries to oppose any attempt to damage Sudans respected position. US Congress to pass no ban act President Donald Trump of the United States has come under serious criticism and pressure from home over the inclusion of Nigeria on visa ban. The US Congress has demanded the delisting of Nigeria from the visa ban countries. National Daily learned that the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, at the weekend berated President Trump over Nigerias inclusion with five other countries in the US travel ban list. Pelosi had complained that the Trump Administration expansion of the travel ban list is outrageous, threatens security, values and the rule of law in the US. She vowed they will never allow hatred or bigotry to define the US or destroy the countrys values. Speaker Pelosi, therefore, declared that the House will pass a no ban act against the immigrant visa ban to prohibit religious discrimination in Americas immigration system, as well as limit the Presidents ability to impose such restrictions, she said are biased and bigoted. Trump expanded his proclamation on suspension of immigrant visas for citizens of Nigeria, Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan and Tanzania. The restriction, however, applies to applicants seeking permanent residence in the U.S., not temporary residence. ALSO READ: US Nigerias visa suspension only on immigrant visas, not total restriction presidency But Speaker Pelosi in her statement declared: The Trump Administrations expansion of its outrageous, un-American travel ban threatens our security, our values and the rule of law. The sweeping rule, barring more than 350 million individuals from predominantly African nations from traveling to the United States, is discrimination disguised as policy. Americas strength has always been as a beacon of hope and opportunity for people around the world, whose dreams and aspirations have enriched our nation and made America more American. With this latest callous decision, the President has doubled down on his cruelty and further undermined our global leadership, our Constitution and our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants. In the Congress and in the Courts, House Democrats will continue to oppose the Administrations dangerous anti-immigrant agenda. In the coming weeks, the House Judiciary Committee will mark-up and bring to the Floor the NO BAN Act to prohibit religious discrimination in our immigration system and limit the Presidents ability to impose such biased and bigoted restrictions. We will never allow hatred or bigotry to define our nation or destroy our values. PV: 0 KIEV/DUBAIA leaked audio recording of an Iranian pilot talking to the control tower in Tehran shows that Iran knew immediately it had shot down a Ukrainian airliner last month, despite denying it for days, Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky said. On the recording, played on a Ukrainian television station late on Sunday, the pilot of another plane can be heard saying he saw the light of a missile in the sky before Ukrainian International Airways flight 752 crashed in an explosion. Tehran blamed the Ukrainian authorities for leaking what it described as confidential evidence, and said it would no longer share material with Ukraine from the investigation into the crash. All 176 people aboard the flight were killed when the plane crashed shortly after takeoff en route from Tehran to Kiev on Jan. 8. The leaked audio proves that the Iranian side knew from the start that our plane had been hit by a missile, Zelensky said in a television interview. He says that it seems to me that a missile is flying, he says it in both Persian and English, everything is fixed there, Zelensky said. After denying blame for three days, Iran acknowledged shooting the plane down, saying it had done so by mistake while under high alert, hours after it had fired at U.S. targets in retaliation for a U.S. strike that killed an Iranian general. Iran has said it worked as quickly as possible to determine what happened to the plane. The Iranian commander who first acknowledged the plane had been shot down said he informed the authorities on the day of the crash. Iran has faced pressure from Ukraine and other countries whose citizens were on board the flight to send evidence abroad for international investigations. The Iranian official in charge of accident investigations at Irans Civil Aviation Organization called it a strange move by Ukraine to release the confidential recording. This action by the Ukrainians led to us not sharing any more evidence with them, the official, Hassan Rezaifar said, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency. In the recording, a pilot for Aseman, an Iranian airline, can be heard radioing the control tower that he has seen what he believes is a missile. Is this an active area? Theres lights like a missile. Is there anything? the pilot says. Nothing has been reported to us. Whats the light like? the controller replies. The pilot says, Its the light of a missile. The control tower can be heard trying and failing to raise the Ukrainian airliner on the radio. The pilot of the Iranian plane then says he has seen an explosion. In a very big way, we saw it. I really dont know what it was. Ukraine International Airways said in a statement the recording provided yet more proof that the UIA airplane was shot down with a missile, and there were no restrictions or warnings from dispatchers of any risk to flights of civilian aircraft in the vicinity of the airport. Rezaifar, the Iranian aviation official, said in the Mehr report that the Ukraine investigation team, as well as all other foreigners involved in the investigation, have left Iran. By Natalia Zinets and Babak Dehghanpisheh Where is the map of Biafra? This is the question I have often asked the promoters and sympathizers of the Biafra cause, and up till this moment, their responses have been feeble, vague, evasive and suspicious, failing to provide specific drawing showing a clearly defined territorial area called Biafra. Why is the map of a potential sovereign state like the Republic of Biafra not being courageously and freely displayed like the way the flag is presented? Recurring sight of the Biafra flag raises consciousness of it. Once Biafra is mentioned, a mental picture of the flag pops, showing the rising sun along with the eleven rays symbolizing the provinces in Biafra. But where is the map? I am asking this question because of concerns being raised by neighbours sharing boundaries with the South East states to the South, specifically, the Niger Delta Region. The fears of the Niger Delta people stem from its minority status and experience in the first separatist agitation and subsequent declaration of the former Eastern Region of Nigeria as an independent state of Biafra. At the time, the present day, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers and Bayelsa states were part of the former Eastern Region while Delta and Edo states known as Midwest Region were captured by the Biafra forces and declared Republic of Benin, even though, in their hearts, the region was part of Biafra despite the prevailing plural identities. Indeed, this was the only reason why these states were sucked into the Biafra struggle without known prior consultation and consensus. However, to allay the fears of the minorities and reassure them that they were safe within the Biafra union, Late Lt-Col Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu then appointed Late Major-General Philip Effiong, a minority from the present day Akwa Ibom State, as second-in-command in the Biafra hierarchy. The geo-political setting of the country has since metamorphosed from the four-regional structure to six-geo-political grouping in consonant with ethnic, linguistics, cultural, historical, contiguous boundaries and affinity, leaving the Igbo in the South East geopolitical zone and, the minorities in the South-South or Niger Delta geopolitical area. The present day agitation for the sovereign state of Biafra, both the faction led by the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MOSSOB) and the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) and their leaders, have at different events, expressed that the South-South geo-political zone or Niger Delta region is part of Biafra. This position is stripped of respect for minorities and a demonstration of might in the quest for territorial expansion. How do you conscript an unwilling people from another region to be part of your conceived independent state without prior discussions and agreement on the form, organization and modality of administration? Even if this is an effect of hallucination, how then can you be trusted? It is this fear of domination and territorial ambition by the major ethnic groups that led to the setting up of the Willink Commission in 1957 to look into the fears of the minorities who were scared of the imbalance of the three-regional political structure, and this led to the creation of the fourth region, the Midwest in 1963. By the body language, the Biafra gladiators are provoking a reenactment reminiscent of the old political structure. Perhaps, the drivers of Biafra are still living in the past, unable to come to terms with reality that the Niger Delta is now a different geo-political area with its distinct political aspirations. Perhaps, they are being misled by the word, Biafra and, the symbol of the Biafra flag. The name, Biafra, has its origin from the Bight of Biafra, now Gulf of Guinea, a Portuguese name representing the West Coast from where waters flow into the Atlantic Ocean. Biafra, still conjures false sense of one region based on the old four-regional structure. The word, Biafra, no longer has geographical and historical relevance to the present South-East geopolitical area, but the South-South geo-political grouping. The rising sun on the Biafra flag with the eleven rays representing the eleven provinces of Biafra under the old Eastern Region, is also misleading. The Niger Delta region is no more part of the South-East geopolitical zone. The moment the old four-regional structure was dismantled and replaced with the six-geopolitical zones, the eleven provinces ceased to exist, and therefore can no longer be reflected on the Biafra flag, particularly when previous political affinities had also been terminated. Unfortunately, the continued use of the symbol on the flag creates false sense of one region in the minds of the protagonists of Biafra with the eleven provinces. It is time to recreate the map; otherwise, it is a scam. Under the current dispensation, each geopolitical zone has its distinct socio-economic and political aspirations, which are now at liberty to develop at their paces. This does not, however, exclude two or more geopolitical areas from forming an alliance in furtherance of their social, political and economic ambition, if they so wish, but this should be preceded and predicated upon a willful truce negotiated from a position of equality and respect for one another. Governance is easy if one has nothing to hide. The process becomes complex and difficult when there are hidden motives induced by entrenched interests and cover up. Why are the drivers of the sovereign state of Biafra not making the Biafra map public and visible? We see the flag, but where is the map? Or is this a strategy to smuggle the Niger-Delta region through the backdoor into the Biafra dream? As minorities, the South-South geo-political area also has a right to assert itself, particularly, in line with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as adopted on September 13, 2007 within the context of their dignity, culture and survival as a people. Besides, the United Nations Charter in Article 1 also recognizes the right of a people to self-determination for the realization of their cultural, economic, social and political dreams. It was on the basis of this that President Muhammadu Buhari, as a military Head of State in 1984, supported the aspirations and right of the Sahrawi people for self-determination and independence despite the opposition of the Moroccos government. Buharis position then was based on the resolutions of the African Union (AU) on Western Sahara at the time. The Niger Delta is no longer a kindergarten region. It has all the resources required to deliver on its responsibilities as an independent state, if it so desires in line with the wishes of the people. Thus, the scramble for the region by other regions for purposes of annexation is exercise in futility. If in the event that emerging development in the country makes separatist agitation inevitable in the future, the Niger Delta region is capable of governing itself as an independent sovereign state. It is the right of people to pursue their collective aspirations, particularly if they believe their common interest is being violated or endangered in a federation. The Biafra people have a right to pursue their dreams, but this should be done within the context of their territorial boundaries without any intention or ambition of annexing other regions or any part thereof as part of its geographical area. It is this element that makes the current agitation for the sovereign state of Biafra a scam. Most countries that have attained independence today started with a struggle for self-determination, a process aimed at controlling their socio-economic and political destiny. Once a decision is reached among a people to form a state, implicitly, there must be a delineated territory agreed as a sovereign boundary, and a government capable of meeting the needs of the people that could also interface with other countries. Once this is settled, the next natural thing to do is to draw up a map depicting the proposed independent territory, even before a flag and other paraphernalia are developed. This has been the trend in the struggle for self-determination. Apart from sensitization, the map and the flag are used as symbols of appeal to shape and drive sentiments and collective aspirations of the people. This same process was adopted by countries that had gained independence and those that are still in the trenches for independence. Thus, from Scotland to Catalonia, from Hong Kong to Siberia, from Tibet to Luhansk and from Crimea to Quebec, this is the pattern and trend. Biafra needs to review its strategies and restore confidence among neighbouring boundaries, otherwise, a case of territorial ambition and annexation are implied, a discernment that is capable of thwarting and rendering its efforts unfeasible. Michael Owhoko is a journalist, author and public relations consultant who has mostly worked in the banking, oil and gas, and media industries. He is the author of The Language of Oil and Gas; Career Frustration in the Workplace; Nigeria on the Precipice: Issues, Options, and Solutions; The Future of Nigeria; and Feminism: The Agony of Men. He is also the publisher of Media Issues, an online newspaper that can be found at www.mediaissuesng.com. In the Joint Forces Operation area, the militants violated the ceasefire in the Donbas 10 times; a Ukrainian soldier was wounded due to the shelling on Monday. The press center of the JFO headquarters on Facebook reported that. "During the current day, the armed forces of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire 10 times. Today, February 3, as a result of enemy shelling, one member of the Joint Forces was injured," reads the message. The enemy fired at Ukrainian positions, using Minsk-prohibited 120 mm and 82 mm caliber mortars, as well as anti-tank missile systems, grenade launchers of various systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms. In Donetsk region, the enemy carried out seven attacks on Ukrainian positions - near Pavlopil, Opytne, Avdiivka and Pisky. In addition, three enemy shelling took place in Luhansk region, next to Novotoshkivske and Orikhove. As we reported, the Joint Forces of Ukraine combat medic died as a result of shelling by Donbas militants. A London man has described how he used a blanket to help one of the Streatham terror attack victims as he passed the scene on his way to the cinema. Dave Chawner, a stand up comedian, was walking down Streatham High Road when he witnessed what he first believed was a shoplifting incident. He saw people being bundled over and ran over to see if he could assist, as he heard what he thought was a car back fire. He then found the injured man and tended to him, using his blanket to stem the blood from the man's wound. The incident, which took place on Sunday afternoon, saw police shoot dead a man who had gone on a stabbing spree. Officers are confident the suspect is convicted terrorist Sudesh Amman. Streatham terror attack - In pictures 1 /28 Streatham terror attack - In pictures Police are dealing with an incident in Streatham Andy Bullemor Police officers conduct a search of a bail hostel in south London AFP via Getty Images A woman reacts near to the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police Getty Images Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police cordon off a property in Streatham PA Forensic officers outside a property on Leigham Court Road, Streatham PA Police activity at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police officers look under a bus as they work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the Streatham area of south London AP Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police officer on Streatham High Road PA Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Police officers guard a cordon on Streatham High Road, at the junction of Prentis Road AFP via Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police secure the area in Streatham AP Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Describing how he helped, Mr Chawner told GMB: "Because I was on the way to the cinema, it's a stupid thing to do, but I was carrying a blanket." As blood poured from one of the victim's wounds, he told how he used his blanket to form a compress in a bid to stem the flow. "He was awake and alert but he was in such distress," he said. "This poor innocent bloke was bleeding on the pavement." Insisting he was not a hero, he said: "Everybody pitched in, everybody had their little job." Streatham attack suspect Sudesh Amman () / Met Police Mr Chawner said people were diverting buses and handing out water, adding: "Everybody banded together." He also spoke of his hope that the man he helped "makes it". The victim had initially been said to be life-threatening, though authorities have since said his condition has improved. Police investigate the scene of the attack / Nigel Howard Discussing the frequency of such attacks, he revealed he had also been near to the London Bridge terror attack last year, having been on the bridge as the violence unfolded. Asked about the assailant in the latest attack having been released for terror offences, to then go on to commit this violence, he said: "It makes me angry and it makes frustrated like I think so many people are." However, he said he did not want to use the incident to make political comments. Police are continuing to investigate the stabbing spreee. The chief suspect Amman, who police are confident was the attacker despite him having not been formally identified, had been convicted for distributing terrorist documents a little over a year ago. Scotland Yard said armed officers were following the suspect on foot as part of a "proactive counter-terrorism surveillance operation" on Streatham High Road, while homes in south London have been raided following the attack. Three victims were taken by ambulance to south London hospitals. One man, in his 40s, is no longer considered to be in a life-threatening condition following treatment, police said. A woman, in her 50s, who had non-life threatening injuries has been discharged from hospital. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Bodo-dominated Kokrajhar town of Assam on February 7. This will be the prime minister's first visit to the Northeast since it witnessed several anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in which three people were killed. Prime Minister Modi will visit Assam on February 7 and address a rally in Kokrajhar, a government official said. The visit comes a week after the central government signed a peace pact with several Bodo militant groups and a student body. The signing of the Bodo agreement led to surrender of over 1,500 militants of the major insurgent group Democratic Front of Boroland. A summit meeting between Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, scheduled to be held in Guwahati in December, was also cancelled due to the anti-CAA protests. Modi was also invited for the inauguration of the recently-concluded 'Khelo India' games in Guwahati but he did not attend it. Disha Patani Says 'What Relationship' When Questioned About Tiger Shroff, Opens Up About Working With Older Actors And Nepotism David Iben put it well when he said, 'Volatility is not a risk we care about. What we care about is avoiding the permanent loss of capital. It's only natural to consider a company's balance sheet when you examine how risky it is, since debt is often involved when a business collapses. Importantly, Bathurst Resources Limited (ASX:BRL) does carry debt. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt? When Is Debt A Problem? Debt and other liabilities become risky for a business when it cannot easily fulfill those obligations, either with free cash flow or by raising capital at an attractive price. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. However, a more frequent (but still costly) occurrence is where a company must issue shares at bargain-basement prices, permanently diluting shareholders, just to shore up its balance sheet. Of course, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together. View our latest analysis for Bathurst Resources How Much Debt Does Bathurst Resources Carry? You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that Bathurst Resources had NZ$19.6m of debt in June 2019, down from NZ$24.4m, one year before. But it also has NZ$20.0m in cash to offset that, meaning it has NZ$382.0k net cash. ASX:BRL Historical Debt, February 3rd 2020 A Look At Bathurst Resources's Liabilities According to the last reported balance sheet, Bathurst Resources had liabilities of NZ$23.7m due within 12 months, and liabilities of NZ$19.4m due beyond 12 months. On the other hand, it had cash of NZ$20.0m and NZ$4.02m worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities total NZ$19.1m more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables. Given Bathurst Resources has a market capitalization of NZ$194.8m, it's hard to believe these liabilities pose much threat. But there are sufficient liabilities that we would certainly recommend shareholders continue to monitor the balance sheet, going forward. While it does have liabilities worth noting, Bathurst Resources also has more cash than debt, so we're pretty confident it can manage its debt safely. Story continues It is well worth noting that Bathurst Resources's EBIT shot up like bamboo after rain, gaining 54% in the last twelve months. That'll make it easier to manage its debt. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Bathurst Resources can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you want to see what the professionals think, you might find this free report on analyst profit forecasts to be interesting. But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. While Bathurst Resources has net cash on its balance sheet, it's still worth taking a look at its ability to convert earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, to help us understand how quickly it is building (or eroding) that cash balance. Over the last two years, Bathurst Resources actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT. That sort of strong cash generation warms our hearts like a puppy in a bumblebee suit. Summing up While it is always sensible to look at a company's total liabilities, it is very reassuring that Bathurst Resources has NZ$382.0k in net cash. The cherry on top was that in converted 649% of that EBIT to free cash flow, bringing in NZ$19m. So is Bathurst Resources's debt a risk? It doesn't seem so to us. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Bathurst Resources (at least 1 which can't be ignored) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. Of course, if you're the type of investor who prefers buying stocks without the burden of debt, then don't hesitate to discover our exclusive list of net cash growth stocks, today. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Baby Monitors Market Overview Baby monitors are used to remotely monitor the movements of the baby, usually when the infant is far away or out of sight of the parent. Baby monitors simply the process of tracking the babys movement. With a rise in the shift towards the adoption of nuclear family system, this device comes in handy for single and working parents. This, in turn, is contributing to the ascension of the global advanced baby monitors market over the forecast period. Latest Free Sample PDF Available @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/6525 According to Market Research Future (MRFR) in their latest report, the global advanced baby monitors market is expected to upscale at a 9.2% CAGR through the forecast period of 2018-2025. Different factors contributing to this ascension include the introduction of advanced baby monitors, rapid urbanization, a mounting number of nuclear families, and elevating levels of disposable income. These advanced baby monitors now include video monitoring as well as the provision of healthcare-related support such as heartrate monitoring and body temperature monitoring. Because of these extensive features on advanced baby monitors, the market is witnessing fast-paced adoption of the product in urban areas. Furthermore, easier connectivity and portability of them are promoting higher usage and shift towards advanced baby monitors, driving the global market. Market Segmentation The global advanced baby monitors market is studied by Market Research Future (MRFR) for different types of products and the end-users of these advanced baby monitors. Different types of baby monitors included in the extensive study are stationary baby monitors and wearable baby monitors. At the beginning of the forecast period, the stationary baby monitors held 80% of the share in the global advanced baby monitors market. The demand and adoption of stationary baby monitors are anticipated to register a 9.09% CAGR and cross the revenue valuation of USD 1491.85 million by the end of 2025. On the other hand, the wearable baby monitors are also exhibiting a high level of demand, witnessing a 9.61% CAGR through the forecast period. Advanced baby monitors are highly used for home care and daycare. In the base year, around 87% of total baby monitors were used for home care and are anticipated to scale valuation of USD 1660.94 million by the end of the assessment period. The adoption of baby monitors for home care is likely to upscale at 9.39% by 2025. Detailed Regional Analysis The global advanced baby monitors market is regionally segmented into the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. The Americas are expected to yield the highest percentage of total revenue in the global advanced baby monitors market over the forecast period. The region also dominated the market at the beginning of the forecast period, accounting for 48% of the total share. Also, the presence of various market giants in the region is likely to push exponential growth to the regional market, upscaling it at 9.42% CAGR by 2025. Europe is expected to reach a market valuation of USD 603.38 million by the end of the review period, with a 9.31% CAGR through the forecast period. Fast-Paced growth in the e-commerce industry of the region is likely to drive the regional market for advanced baby monitors. Asia Pacific is projected to showcase the most accelerated growth rate during the assessment period and is likely to exhibit a 9.54% CAGR by 2025. Attributable factors include the fast-paced economic growth in India and China and a rising disposable income, along with proliferated growth in the literacy rate. Key Players The global advanced baby monitors market is highly influenced by the strategies undertaken by various market vendors. These market vendors include Angelcare (Canada), The First Years, Inc. (U.S.), Mayborn Group (U.K.), Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (South Korea), Lorex Technology Inc. (Canada), Summer Infant, Inc. (U.S.), MonDevices (U.S.), Snuza International (South Africa), Owlet Baby Care (U.S.), MOTOROLA HOME (U.S.), Graco Childrens Products, Inc. (U.S.), Safety 1st (U.S.), and Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands). Industry Update February 2019: BT recently announced the launch of Smart Baby Monitor, which is the UKs first voice-controlled smart baby monitor, which can be controlled using Alexa and Google Assistant. To view the full report, visit at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/advanced-baby-monitors-market-6525 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Contact: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com People Before Profit's Richard Boyd Barrett and Brid Smith in front of the James Connolly Memorial Statue at the launch of their Workers' Rights Charter (Photo: Micheal O Scannail) People Before Profit have dismissed as "not accurate" an actuarial review, which predicts a pensions timebomb in Ireland with a potential deficit of over 400bn. The review of Social Insurance Fund by accountants KPMG in 2015, said the number of over-66s will rise from 12pc of the population in 2015 to 17pc in 2035 and 23pc in 2055. It found there were 4.9 workers for every pensioner but this will fall to 2.9 workers per pensioner in 2035 and two workers per pensioner by 2055. The report said the social insurance fund could accumulate a potential deficit of up to 404bn by 2071. The last government's Pensions Roadmap draws heavily on this report. It said pensioner numbers would more than double over the next 40 years. The Central Statistics Office predicted that the number of people aged 65 or over will have risen from 629,800 four years ago to between 1.5 and 1.6 million by 2051. Despite this, People Before Profit TD, Brid Smith, said that the report doesn't take into account certain factors which could alleviate the financial burden attached to a pension age of 65. Ms Smith said that part of affording a growing number of pensions is employers paying appropriate PRSI. "Economists in SIPTU have done studies that disagree with that actuarial review," she said. "You can't just project ahead 20 or 30 or even 50 years to say that there will be this void in the ability to be able to pay the proper pensions without measuring the productivity of workers and the potential for more workers to come into the country or more economic growth, and that's exactly what the actuarial review does, it doesn't allow for those things. "There's an argument about that and it shouldn't be accepted automatically that there's a pension time bomb about to blow. There are arguments about this and the key thing is to get employers paying their fair share of PRSI so that there are funds there and very clearly the pension fund was raided to the tune of 17bn during the austerity years and that has caused what they see as a pension timebomb." Expand Close People Before Profit's Richard Boyd Barrett and Brid Smith in front of the James Connolly Memorial Statue at the launch of their Workers' Rights Charter (Photo: Micheal O Scannail) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp People Before Profit's Richard Boyd Barrett and Brid Smith in front of the James Connolly Memorial Statue at the launch of their Workers' Rights Charter (Photo: Micheal O Scannail) "We see it as pure daylight robbery on workersm," she continued. "It's not accurate to say there's a pension time bomb. There's obviously a challenge as people live longer, but it is not a time bomb and they cannot predict that without looking at a huge number of other factors." Ms Smith went on to belt out a verse of 'Where is our James Connolly' in front of his statue at her party's launch of their Workers' Rights Charter. "Connolly, who was a champion of workers' rights, equality and the fight for socialism and peace across his history," Ms Smith said, would be in agreement with their charter, which includes calls for a 15-an-hour living wage, equal pay for equal work, the right to retire at 65 and a 35-hour working week. Around the corner, a poster spanning the length of the SIPTU building in Dublin's city center showed a woman in a work uniform quoted saying, "I expected to retire and get my pension at 65. Instead the Government is forcing me on the Dole." Expand Close The SIPTU building in Dublin City Centre (Photo: Micheal O Scannail) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The SIPTU building in Dublin City Centre (Photo: Micheal O Scannail) Solidarity-People Before Profit leader Richard Boyd Barrett, was also at the launch. He echoed Ms Smith's rejection of the actuarial review. The Central Statistics Office has predicted life expectancy in Ireland will rise from 79 to almost 86 for men by 2051. It forecasts it will increase from 83 to 88 for women. Despite this, Mr Boyd Barrett said that Ireland has one of the youngest populations in Europe, and criticised Fianna Fail and Fine Gael for "having us working longer than any other worker in Europe." "We have one of the youngest populations anywhere in Europe and yet the plan of both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael is to have us working longer than any other worker in Europe before they are entitled to their pension," the Dun Laoghaire TD said. "That doesn't add up. Why given that we have a younger demographic than the rest of Europe are we going to have the highest pension entitlement age in Europe? "If there is a challenge in terms of pensions, surely that challenge is greater in the rest of Europe. Why is it that in Ireland it's being used as an excuse to have the highest pension entitlement age? "Really it's just a ruse and excuse to attack those workers' pension entitlement - pension entitlements, by the way, they paid for." Bhopal hospital fire: 4 infants killed even before parents could name them What caused the fire in Bhopal hospital that killed 4 infants? Digvijaya Singh on BJP MLA's call to break legs of Congressmen: I'll go to his house to recite Ramdhun Man sits in front of SpiceJet flight which was about to take off; damages chopper India oi-Mousumi Dash Bhopal, Feb 03: The intruder who entered the aircraft parking bay at Bhopal's Raja Bhoj Airport and allegedly damaged a helicopter has been arrested by the police after detained by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Reportedly, the intruder has been identified as Yogesh Tripathi, a 20-year-old youth, a resident of Bhopal. Who after damaging the nose cone of the helicopter, sat down in front of a SpiceJet plane that was preparing for take-off. According to the reports, the helicopter belongs to Radha Soami Satsang Beas that was parked at Bhopal's Raja Bhoj Airport. The youth was first detained by the CISF, and later handed over to the police. SpiceJet pilot suspended over runway incursion at Mumbai airport NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 The CISF Deputy Commandant Virendra Singh told PTI that the Udaipur-bound flight with 46 passengers on board got delayed by an hour. The intruder has been identified as Yogesh Tripathi, a resident of Bhopal. Singh also added, "The intruder was overpowered by CISF personnel within seconds when he ran towards the airport's apron before he could enter the runway." Terming the Budget 2020 proposal to tax NRIs in India as "draconian", maritime unions on Monday said they will call on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to express their concerns. Countries like Philippines and Ukraine compete with India for global share of seafarers, but they do not levy high income taxes on their seafaring citizens, leading maritime unions said. The Maritime Union of India (MUI) and National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) have initiated a strong protest campaign against the proposed change in the Income Tax Act after Budget 2020 proposed to tax Non Resident Indians (NRI) in India, who are not paying tax anywhere in the world, a joint statement from MUI and NUSI said. Also, with the period of stay in India being reduced from 181 to 120 days, people have to spend more time abroad more than 245 days compared to 183 days earlier, will get the NRI status as proposed in Budget 2020, it added. "It is a double whammy as Indian seafarers will have to pay income tax on the income generated from sailing aboard cargo ships across the globe for atleast 245 days in a year. "We have started collecting the protest letters signed by all members of NUSI and intend to submit them to both, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Shipping within few days. Our nationwide protest against this Draconian and frustrating tax proposal is going to escalate in various forms across the country in the days to come," said NUSI General Secretary, Abdulgani Serang. The statement said a joint delegation of MUI and NUSI is likely to meet Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman and Shipping Minister, Mansukh Mandavia to hand over the protest letters signed by Indian seafarers. MUI General Secretary, Amar Singh Thakur said, "such a tax proposal is going to retard the growth of Indian ship-manning sector as henceforth attracting young Indians to join merchant navy will be extremely difficult. Until now, merchant navy personnel enjoyed benefits similar to non-resident Indians and did not pay taxes in India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A newly released recording reportedly shows that Iranian officials knew a missile had brought down a Ukrainian passenger airplane last month. The plane crashed shortly after leaving Tehran, killing all 176 people on the jet. Sunday night, a Ukrainian television station broadcast what it said was a recording of an exchange between Iranian air traffic controllers and an Iranian pilot. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the authenticity of the recording. Iran reacted on Monday. The head of the Iranian team investigating the crash, Hassan Razaeifar, said he believed the recording was real. He admitted that the recording had been given to Ukrainian officials. But he condemned its release to the media, calling the act unprofessional. The Mehr news agency reported that Rezaeifar said the release made Iran not want to give the Ukrainians any more evidence. Irans civilian government denied for days after the January 8 crash that it knew who had shot down the aircraft. The aircraft was struck hours after Irans Revolutionary Guard launched ballistic missiles in an attack on Iraqi bases that housed United States forces. It was Irans reaction to an American drone aircraft killing a top Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad. Soleimani was the top general of the Guards Quds Force. The Associated Press notes that the Guard is answerable only to Irans top religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ukrainian TV publishes recording Ukrainian television channel Ukrainian 1+1 published a written version of the recording. It contains an exchange between an air-traffic controller and a pilot for Irans Aseman Airlines. His plane reportedly was flying near Tehran at the time of the attack. A series of lights likeyes, its a missile, is there something? the pilot calls out to the controller. No, how many miles? Where? the controller asks. The pilot then says, It is the light of a missile. He later says that he saw an explosion. It was an explosion. We saw a very big light there, I dont really know what it was, the pilot goes on to say. Publicly available radar information suggests that people on the Aseman Airlines flight were close enough to Tehran to see the explosion. For several days, civilian aviation officials in Iran said a missile did not bring down the plane. At the same time, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. officials said it appeared that the plane had been shot down. Ukraines president told the television station that, The recording, indeed, shows that the Iranian side knew from the start that our plane was shot down by a missile. Zelensky again asked Iran to send the planes flight recorders to Kyiv. Iranian officials promised to do so last month but have not yet done so. On Monday, Ukrainian investigators were to travel to Tehran to take part in the process of decoding the recorders, known as black boxes. Zelensky, however, wants the devices to be brought to Kyiv. It is very important for us, he said. Im Mario Ritter, Jr. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted this Associated Press story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story authenticity n. the quality of not being a reproduction or a copy channel n. a television or radio station mile n. a form of measurement equal to 1.6 kilometers decode v. to discover the meaning of information provided Leader of Opposition in Bihar Tejashwi Yadav on Monday hit out at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for sharing the stage with his "mahboob" (lover) Union Minister Amit Shah while campaigning for the coming assembly polls in Delhi. Kumar, the RJD leader said that Kumar "in his desperation to share the stage with Shah had broken all his past records of uttering lies" while addressing the campaign meetings in Delhi on Sunday. The JD(U) chief had shared the stage with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Sunday to stump for his party's nominees at Burari and Sangam Vihar constituencies where he claimed that Delhi government has not performed at all on any front. "Respected Nitish Kumar ji, you shared the stage with your 'mahboob' (lover) Amit Shah ji in Delhi for the assembly election. Your political compulsion, plight and shrewdness were all evident despite your efforts to hide them. "You broke all your past records of uttering lies in your sheer desperation to share the stage with Amit Shah in Delhi yesterday (Sunday). You were not ashamed at all in branding the national capital as a city worse than any in Bihar," Yadav said. Taking a swipe at Kumar's regime, he wondered why "crores of Biharis" are migrating despite the 15-years of "so-called sushashan raj" (good governance) of Nitish Kumar. "If you think that infrastructure, education and health care system of Delhi are worse than in Bihar then only God can fathom your mental state," he said. The RJD leader said the Bihar chief minister must have said in Delhi many factories and companies have been set up in Bihar and sought to know from Kumar how many youths have got employment in Bihar and how many sugar mills, rice mills and jute mills have been shut in the state. "You can't give an account of your 15 years of governance but you went to Delhi to seek accounts of opposition's governments ... This is called defending the indefensible," Tejashwi said. Kumar without naming Kejriwal had said at the meetings, "Some people are more interested in publicity and advertisements. Some people have the habit of praising oneself. We don't do that ... Those who got the mandate to govern Delhi did nothing". Recounting the Nitish Kumar government's alleged failure on several fronts, the RJD leader said that 500 children died of AES in the state, besides thousands lost their lives due to heat and countless in floods. The entire country saw the water-logging in Patna over TV, he said and reminded Kumar of the Muzaffarpur shelter home scandal in which 34 minor girls were physically assaulted under the protection and patronage of the state government. "Instead of demanding special category status, special package for Bihar, assistance for flood victims or fighting for the state's rightful demands, you are busy in branding as 'popular' and 'great leader' those who are out to change the Constitution and are trying to snatch citizenship from its own citizens," Tejashwi said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LOS ANGELES, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- FAM Brands announced today that it has acquired Wildfox, a contemporary women's apparel brand. The Los Angeles based apparel manufacturer has assumed design, production and manufacturing, to seamlessly continue the line of retro-inspired collections and accessories. They intend to partner with the existing Wildfox factory base to continue the business with as little disruption as possible. Wildfox, known for its contemporary women's and girl's collections, was founded in 2008 as an effortless, yet edgy California brand for the stylish set. Today, Wildfox continues to develop its lifestyle brand with sophisticated, yet fun pieces represented in their signature soft buttery fabrics. "Wildfox, synonymous with California style, caters to a wide range of contemporary Women's apparel and accessory categories. The brand shares our passion for creating high-quality clothing and exceptional customer experiences. Well known for vintage-inspired style and ultra-comfortable signature essentials, Wildfox provides a perfect base for even further category extensions. We are thrilled to welcome Wildfox into our portfolio of brands," FAM Brands CEO Frank Zarabi said. Wildfox has become a favorite line among A-list celebrities and international influencers and has grown to include a full range of tops, bottoms, dresses, intimates, outerwear, swimwear and sunglasses. This collection of vintage inspired looks is available in luxury department stores such as Bloomingdales and Nordstrom, specialty boutiques and top online accounts including Revolve and Shopbop. In addition, it has a broad international presence in top retailers such as Selfridges and Harrods, as well as top boutiques throughout Europe, Canada, Australia and Asia. FAM Brands is making a significant financial investment in the brand, coming not only from the initial acquisition but also from design expansion and infrastructure improvements. Mr. Zarabi went on to say, "I am excited to see the explosion of the brand when combining top design talent with strong financial backing." The newest acquisition broadens FAM Brands' distribution channels and extensive brand portfolio. Wildfox is now available online and in stores. About FAM Brands: Founded in 1985 by Frank Zarabi, the company offers a wide range of men's, women's and children's products including sportswear, outerwear, activewear, loungewear, swimwear, and fitness accessories. Producing 40 million units per year, their portfolio of proprietary and licensing brands includes Marika, Ellie, Three Dots, Eddie Bauer, Woolrich, Orvis, Jessica Simpson Active, Isaac Mizrahi Sport, Bally Total Fitness, Balance Collection, Cycle House Powered by Marika, Peace & Pearls, Tehama, Aerodynamics, and Zobha. FAM Brands not only provides cutting-edge products that enhance the lives of consumers, it delivers innovative design and high standards of safety in manufacturing. With a dedicated team who believe in promoting the highest quality of products and developing lasting customer relationships, the company is an industry trailblazer, making quality apparel stylish and accessible for everyone. For more information, visit www.fambrands.com SOURCE FAM Brands Related Links http://www.fambrands.com The New Zealand government is standing firm on its request for a fee from their citizens looking to leave Wuhan, as the coronavirus outbreak continues. The Australian government axed a proposed $1000 fee from those seeking refuge from the Chinese city, ahead of their uplift on Monday. But prime minister Jacinda Ardern defended her government's choice to charge its citizens $NZ500 ($483AUD) - as well as any Australians or Pacific Islanders - seeking a route to New Zealand. 'I think that's just a recognition that these are families and individuals who would otherwise be paying privately to be returned back,' she said. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has defended her decision to charge Kiwi citizens stuck in Wuhan for rescue amid the coronavirus outbreak 'It's certainly not anywhere near the cost ... it goes towards some partial recovery. 'I haven't had anyone raise it with me that it's an issue.' Around 80 New Zealanders have expressed an interest in the government-chartered Air New Zealand flight, with some Australians also involved in the Kiwi uplift. While Australians on board the Qantas flight are bound for remote Christmas Island, where they'll be quarantined for a fortnight, the New Zealand flight is headed to Auckland. Once on home soil, they'll be taken to Whangaparaoa, a stunning coastal navy training facility just 30 minutes north from the country's biggest city. People from around the world are being evacuated from China to escape the deadly coronavirus. Pictured: Indonesians arriving home from Wuhan being sprayed with an antiseptic before being taken to a quarantine zone While there have been more than 17,000 cases of the disease globally - and 12 in Australia - New Zealand has yet to see its first confirmed case. The Chinese consul general in Auckland, Ruan Ping, said he was 'very disappointed' that New Zealand had made a decision to bar travelers from China, as many other countries have done. Ardern said she was not worried about negative sentiment towards China from the ban. 'This is short term and temporary. We'll be reviewing every 48 hours,' she said. 'I do want to acknowledge the role the Chinese government has played in trying to contain transmission, it has been incredible. 'What we're trying to do is continue to support that containment.' [February 03, 2020] Harris Williams Advises Elliott Aviation, LLC on its Majority Recapitalization by Summit Park Harris Williams, a global investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, announces that it advised Elliott Aviation, LLC on its majority recapitalization by Summit Park. Elliott Aviation is a second-generation, family-owned business aviation company. The transaction was led by Doug Kinard, Chris Rogers, David Jones and Jon Behrendt of the Harris Williams Aerospace, Defense & Government Services (ADG) Group. "Under the leadership of the Elliott family and the senior management team, Elliott Aviation has become a world-class provider of comprehensive, customer-focused solutions for the business aviation industry," said Doug Kinard, a director at Harris Williams. "It has been a pleasure to work with the Elliott Aviation team on this transaction and we are excited to watch the continued sccess of the business in partnership with Summit Park." "This transaction further extends Harris Williams' track record of exceptional outcomes in both aviation services and the aerospace aftermarket. Heading into 2020, these are segments of the market where we are seeing significant activity and tremendous investor demand," said Chris Rogers, a managing director at Harris Williams. Elliott Aviation has been developing and delivering aviation solutions to their partners for over 80 years. As one of the longest-standing companies in aviation, the company offers a complete menu of high-quality products and services including aircraft sales (as Elliott Jets), avionics service and installations, aircraft maintenance, accessory repair and overhaul, and paint and interior. Serving the business aviation industry nationally and internationally, they have facilities in Moline, Illinois; Des Moines, Iowa and Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company is a member of the Pinnacle Air Network, National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA). Summit Park is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based private investment firm focused exclusively on the lower middle market. The firm invests across a range of industries, including business and consumer services, light manufacturing and value-added distribution in the Eastern half of the United States. The firm's capital can be used to facilitate a change in ownership, to support expansion and growth, to provide partial liquidity to existing owners, or to support an industry consolidation plan. Harris Williams, an investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, advocates for sellers and buyers of companies worldwide through critical milestones and provides thoughtful advice during the lives of their businesses. By collaborating as one firm across Industry Groups and geographies, the firm helps its clients achieve outcomes that support their objectives and strategically create value. Harris Williams is committed to execution excellence and to building enduring, valued relationships that are based on mutual trust. Harris Williams is a subsidiary of the PNC (News - Alert) Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). The Harris Williams ADG Group offers strategic advice to a global base of leading aerospace, defense and government services clients. For more information on the ADG Group and other recent transactions, visit the ADG Group's section of the Harris Williams website. Harris Williams LLC is a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is a private limited company incorporated under English law with its registered office at 5th Floor, 6 St. Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AE, UK, registered with the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales (registration number 07078852). Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH is registered in the commercial register of the local court of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, under HRB 107540. The registered address is Bockenheimer Landstrasse 33-35, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (email address: [email protected]). Geschaftsfuhrer/Directors: Jeffery H. Perkins, Paul Poggi. (VAT No. DE321666994). Harris Williams is a trade name under which Harris Williams LLC, Harris Williams & Co. Ltd and Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH conduct business. For media inquiries, please contact Katie Langemeier at +1 (804) 648-0072. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005655/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The teenage dissident republican killer of writer Lyra McKee has become a father. Sunday Life can reveal that the New IRA gunman's girlfriend gave birth to a healthy son in the past week. In a cruel twist of fate the baby was conceived in the same April 2019 week that he murdered 28-year-old Lyra with a bullet to the head during rioting in the Creggan area of Londonderry. Read More The radicalised young dissident and his partner, like him a member of the New IRA's political wing Saoradh, shared images of their son on social media. Among those offering congratulations were prominent paramilitaries in Derry. "The irony of that wee boy being conceived in the same week that his father murdered Lyra McKee isn't lost on the people of Creggan," a republican source told Sunday Life. "Hopefully being a daddy will make this wee lad wise up and knock all that dissident crap on the head." Lyra's killer, now aged 19, was recorded on mobile phone footage firing the shots that claimed the author's life. He was wearing distinctive tracksuit bottoms with a 'Team9' logo which identified him to neighbours. After the killing he moved across the border to Donegal on the orders of Derry New IRA chief Thomas Mellon, who feared the public outrage which followed the murder might cause the gunman to crack. The teen returned to the Creggan area last summer after his girlfriend went public with the news she was pregnant with their son, sharing the 12-week scan on social media. Expand Close The killer of Lyra McKee firing at police landrovers during rioting in Derry. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The killer of Lyra McKee firing at police landrovers during rioting in Derry. But rather than keeping his head down he was immediately pictured out and about with prominent New IRA members, including the man suspected of trying to blow up Bishop Street courthouse last year. Sources in Derry describe the young gunman as being "brainwashed" and in awe of dissident leaders like Mellon, who has a terror conviction and is on a 10-year MI5 watch-list. "You always hope that kids like him will eventually see sense, that there isn't a war on any longer, and there will be no return to the days of barricades and Brits on the streets," added a republican. "Mellon and the likes of him have filled this kid's head full of s***e and are using him, he will eventually realise that one day." In a remarkable act of generosity, the family of murdered Lyra reached out to the gunman, saying they wanted to meet him and would support him if he "accepted responsibility for his actions". But their offer of an olive branch has not been accepted, with the New IRA set to cause the journalist's relatives further pain when they take part in today's annual Bloody Sunday commemoration parade in Derry. Expand Close Friends of murdered journalist Lyra McKee defaced the walls of a dissident republican office in Londonderry with red paint. Cate McCurry/PA PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Friends of murdered journalist Lyra McKee defaced the walls of a dissident republican office in Londonderry with red paint. Cate McCurry/PA Dissident chief Mellon has boasted that the gang's political wing Saoradh will be attending, with Lyra's killer expected to be among its numbers. Kate Nash - whose brother William Nash was among 13 innocent civilians killed by paratroopers on Bloody Sunday - said organisers had no say in who could take part. She explained: "Nobody needs permission to attend. They know from previous years that there will be no military displays. We are a march for justice, they know that is not what we are about. Obviously everybody knows what our rules are." Belfast-born Lyra had been living with her partner Sara Canning in Derry for a year before she was shot dead. Her book 'Angels With Blue Faces' was published following her murder. cbarnes@sundaylife.co.uk By PTI NEW DELHI: Two unidentified persons opened fire outside Gate No.5 of Jamia Millia Islamia on Sunday night, the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) said. A statement issued by the committee, a group comprising students and alumni of the university formed to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, said the attackers were on a red scooty. No one was injured in the attack. One of the miscreants was wearing a red jacket, the statement said. Delhi: Students of Jamia Millia Islamia University and others gather outside Jamia Nagar Police station. An incident of firing near gate number 5 of the university, by two scootey-borne unidentified people, was reported earlier tonight. No injuries were reported in the incident. pic.twitter.com/XDlgqxmBQK ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2020 "Firing has taken place at Gate No.5 of Jamia Millia Islamia right now by two unidentified persons. As per report, one of them was wearing a red jacket and driving a red scooty having vehicle no.1532 or 1534," the statement said. Police said they were verifying the JCC's claims. Asim Mohammed Khan, former Congress MLA from Okhla, said the incident occurred around 11.30 pm. ALSO READ: Student injured after man shouting 'here's your freedom' fires at anti-CAA protesters outside Jamia "We heard the gunshot. That is when we stepped out to see and the two men left on a scooty," a student said. "We have taken down the vehicle number and called police," he added. The Delhi Police has also registered an FIR in connection with the firing incident. ACP Jagdish Yadav said, "Statements have been recorded. On their basis, FIR has been registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 307/34 and Section 27 of the Arms Act." He said that a team will go to the spot and collect the CCTV footage from gate number five and seven. "Further details which will come out will be included in the FIR. Action will be taken," the ACP said. A statement was made by an eyewitness in the FIR saying, "On Sunday, at around 11:30 pm, at gate number seven, two people in a two-wheeler were approaching towards the Jamia University. The person on the pillion seat stood up and shot a bullet. They later escaped towards Holy Family Hospital." The firing incident was reported near gate number five at the university following which people including some students of the varsity gathered outside the Jamia Nagar police station. They returned from the Jamia Nagar police station after their complaint was registered. #WATCH Delhi: People gather in protest outside Jamia Millia Islamia University following an incident of firing at gate no.5 of the university. 2 scooty-borne unidentified people had fired bullets at the spot. SHO (Station house officer) is present at the spot. Investigation is on pic.twitter.com/EKlxQPBVum ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2020 This is the third firing incident in the Jamia Nagar area in a week. On Thursday, a minor fired at anti-CAA protesters marching towards the Rajghat, injuring a student. Two days later, a 25-year-old fired two rounds in air in Shaheen Bagh in Jamia Nagar. No one was hurt in the incident. The incident on Sunday night triggered panic in the area. A police vehicle had reached the spot after the incident but was chased away by angry students. ALSO READ | EC shunts DCP Chinmoy Biswal after firing incidents at Jamia Nagar, Shaheen Bagh Hundreds of students and locals gathered outside the university. Many raised slogans against the Delhi Police. They also staged a dharna outside the Jamia Nagar police station. Shezad Ahmed, a JMI student and resident of Zakir Nagar, said they were not even allowed to protest peacefully. "We are not going to be deterred by such incidents. We will continue with our protest," he added. US, at least 17 countries to launch first-ever International Religious Freedom Alliance Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Government officials from the United States and several countries will convene in Washington, D.C., next week on the eve of the National Prayer Breakfast for the inaugural meeting of the new International Religious Freedom Alliance. U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback told reporters on Wednesday that the alliance is essentially like an "activist club" of countries that are serious about pushing religious freedom globally. The alliance was first announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last July and touted by President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly in September. It is said to be the first-ever alliance of nations devoted to confronting religious persecution around the world. The alliance comes at a time when most of the world's population lives in countries where religious freedom is limited in some way. "I have not seen this type of organization or push on a human right that I am aware of before," Brownback explained this week. "This is the first effort really to get a group of nations that will be the activist on a particular human right to try to champion and pursue that cause more aggressively." He stressed that there is strong support for religious freedom around the world even though there is much "encroachment" on it. "We will be looking at things we can work collectively on and [how] we can push for religious freedom efforts around the world," he said. "We are excited about the countries and their enthusiasm." According to Brownback, at least 17 countries so far have committed to the alliance. But he hopes that the number of countries represented at the Wednesday event will be in the "upper 20s." The former Kansas governor and U.S. senator could not yet disclose which countries will participate in the meeting. "We got a pretty high bar for joining it, honestly," Brownback detailed. "We want nations that respect religious freedom in their own country and are willing to push religious freedom in international venues. This is the activist club of countries." Brownback believes that the "right crew" is assembled and believes a difference will be made. "The United States pushes [religious freedom] but we need other allies to push it too," Brownback said. "The fortunate thing is that it isn't going to be just us. It is going to be a group of nations to push on this." While the International Religious Freedom Alliance will bridge like-minded nations on the issue, some global interfaith efforts have been formed by religious leaders to promote religious freedom globally. Brownback traveled to Rome for a Jan. 16 meeting of the Abrahamic Faiths Initiative, a coalition of Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders looking to reduce violence in the name of religion. "One of the key statements that that came out is this group committed to resolutely declare that religions must never incite war, hateful attitudes, hostility and extremism," he explained. "This was a statement from the Document on Human Fraternity that Pope Francis signed along with the President of Al-Azhar, the top Muslim university in the world. This group endorsed [the statement] and wants to put legs under these documents. It wants to get out and have a practical impact in places around the world where there is a conflict between the Abrahamic faiths." Through the Abrahamic Faiths Initiative, there will be trips to various countries to try to "reduce violence between Christians, Muslims and Jews," he added. The Balkans, Sudan and Nigeria are among other areas where theologians are calling for peace. "Unfortunately, much of the world looks at religion as the cause of wars," he said. "This group and the people they are working with see religion as an instrument of peace. They want to make it that way." Last September, plans were announced for the Abrahamic Family House, an interfaith complex that will house a church, synagogue and mosque in the United Arab Emirates. The idea is to promote religious harmony among the Abrahamic faiths. Israeli Ambassador to Korea Chaim Choshen, left, and German Ambassador to Korea Stephan Auer, second from left, join a candle-lighting ceremony with other guests to observe Holocaust Remembrance Day at Seoul Museum of History in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Jan. 29. The opening at the museum of a photo exhibition on Auschwitz also marked this year's commemoration. / Korea Times photo by Yi Whan-woo Visitors look at photos at the opening of a photo exhibition, titled "Auschwitz A Place On Earth," at Seoul Museum of History in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Jan. 29. / Korea Times photo by Yi Whan-woo A front gate of Yale Elementary School in Seoul, Monday, is closed for two days after it was discovered that several people infected with the coronavirus were reported to have visited a store run by parents with children attending the school. /Yonhap By Bakh Eun-ji A growing number of schools here are postponing the start of their spring semesters to prevent the possible spread of the new coronavirus among children, according to the Ministry of Education, Monday. The move comes amid growing concerns over the infectious disease epidemic that has so far hospitalized 15 people here. "Basically, the decision to postpone the reopening after vacation is made by school's principals, while the temporary closure of schools should come after prior consultation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The measure can currently be operated in regions involving the tracking of the contacts of confirmed patients, but it could also be applied to other regions if necessary," said Lee Sang-soo, a deputy general of the education course policy division during a press briefing at the Government Complex in Sejong. As of 9:00 a.m., 336 elementary, middle and high schools and kindergartens across the country were temporarily closed. Among them, nine schools and kindergartens were in Seoul, 189 were in Gyeoggi Province, and 138 in North Jeolla Province. In Seoul, only one kindergarten decided to postpone its reopening, while three elementary, two middle schools and three high schools decided to do so. Yale Elementary School in Seoul closed for two days from Monday as the 10th and 11th confirmed patients visited a store operated by the parents of children attending the school. An official of the Yale Elementary School said the regional health center quarantine officials visited the school Sunday to conduct disinfection of the whole school building, and it will decide whether it will extend the temporary closure of the school today. The parents have not been placed under quarantine measures nor are they being monitored by the health authorities yet. The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education said its regional education offices of Suwon and Bucheon ordered all schools in their jurisdiction to delay their reopening for a week as confirmed patients visited the regions before they were quarantined. In Suwon, 99 kindergartens were temporarily shut down while as were 77 in Bucheon and nine in Goyang. Gunsan, a city in North Jeolla Province, has a high number of schools closed temporarily 59 kindergartens, and 49 elementary, 21 middle and 16 high schools. The MOE said it will closely consult with the regional education offices to rearrange the academic calendar of the schools if they decided to delay their reopening for more than two weeks. If the schools put off reopening for the spring semester for more than three weeks, the education ministry will advise them to reduce the coming summer vacation which will start in July. The ministry said that it will likely advise universities to postpone their spring semester to prevent the possible spread of virus infections from Chinese students who are set to return to Korea this month. "The ministry will have an emergency meeting within this week with university officials to decide whether they will postpone reopening, which is set for March 2," Lee said. Manyana and Sussex Inlet communities on the New South Wales South Coastwhere the massive Currowan fire has ravaged more than 310,000 hectares of landfaced catastrophe on New Years Eve, but were narrowly spared by a change of wind. In nearby Lake Conjola, dozens of homes were destroyed and three people lost their lives. World Socialist Web Site reporters spoke to residents about the impact of the fires. Luke, who commutes daily from Wollongong to his job as a warehouse manager in Liverpool, south-western Sydney, had been staying in his familys caravan just south of Sussex Inlet when the fires hit. He said: Ive been coming down to Sussex all my life. In the 2001 and 1994 bushfires I got stuck down here, but I think this year was the worst weve ever seen. Theres just so many dead trees, leaves, grassyou name it. Theres no moisture at all. Luke praised the efforts of Rural Fire Service (RFS) volunteers: What can you say? Words cant explain what theyve done. Theyre putting their lives in jeopardy to help other peoples properties and to keep everyone safe. I think all the talk about the volunteers getting tax relief, or getting paid, is a gimme. It shouldnt even need to be discussed. Jane In Manyana, where bushfires forced many residents to evacuate, our reporters spoke to Jane, a former public servant who had recently been made redundant. Jane said the fires were the result of inaction on climate change for the last 30 or 40 years. The very wealthy dont want anything to change. Governments are beholden to the elite. Im really struggling to see how you change anything. You can do things on a little level, but I dont know how were going to actually bring about the tremendous change thats needed, within probably less than 10 years. I know Extinction Rebellion has tried to do things, but I think in lots of ways, theyre having an impact on the people that already knew what the problem was. The people youve got to attack are the people who control all the money in the world. Theyve got the money to fix it all. This is the fossil fuel industry, the banking industry, a massive structure high up above everything else thats controlling it all. The wealthy control these organisations, like the UN, and the World Economic Forum, thats on at the moment. This is the capitalist system isnt it? Infinite growth. They cant stop. Whats going to happen? Food shortages, all sorts of things. Thats if we dont have some sort of nuclear catastrophe before that. A fire-ravaged backyard at Lake Conjola Glendra was not on the South Coast during the fires, but was visiting Sussex Inlet from Bullaburra, just a few suburbs away from the massive Gospers Mountain blaze. She was concerned that the generosity of ordinary people was being exploited to minimise the impact of decades of cuts to firefighting services. Glendra said: The donations going to the firefighters, I think people are doing that with good intent, thinking of the poor volunteers who have been fighting fires since September, whove given up their jobs and are here fighting for peoples homes and safety, as well as for animals and the environment. The fact is, when you donate to the RFS, that is a government department, basically, which means that your donation is going to the Liberal government and could be used as them saying Oh arent we wonderful, weve put all this firefighting equipment in and all these helicopters. Well they should have been doing that to begin with. They shouldnt have cut the national parks funding by half either, and got rid of half the people that have been looking after the forests and the national parks for many, many years. They just put a broom through, get rid of all the people with the experience, and just keep a minimal staff and wonder why the place is burning. Northwest of Sydney, the Gospers Mountain fire has razed more than 512,000 hectares since it began in late October. On December 21, the fire reached the Blue Mountains town of Lithgow, where it destroyed dozens of homes. Boo Boo, 60, is a motor mechanic, who has lived in Lithgow his entire life. He was full of praise for the way local residents had come together to deal with the crisis. Boo said: The community is outstanding. It wasnt only the people I know who came to help me. Heaps of people have come to help me. It was humbling. The governments different. You have to struggle to get anything from them. Boo recalled one instance of help: On the day of the fire, when it wasnt burning so ferociously, I was trying to save what I had left. I had my thongs [flip flop sandals] on and ended up stepping on embers. I didnt realise, but I got burnt. After everything was out, a lady down the road brought me some savlon cream and cotton socks. She rubbed the cream in. Boo was moved to tears while relating a story about the Rural Fire Service (RFS): I was making a rocking horse, Chester, for my grandson, Hamish. Then, while the fires were on, one of the firies called me and said Sorry Boo, we tried to save your house, but its gone. But we got your rocking horse outwe put it on the lawn. Hopefully itll be right. The remains of Boos backyard in Lithgow They had kicked the door in to get the horse. They were thinking about my grandsons toy. These guys are putting their lives on the line. For me. And everyone else involved. Dennis and Karen, in the small community of Clarence, where ten homes were lost to fire on December 21, spoke about the recovery process. Dennis said: Some people need a lot of help. Some people dont know if they want to rebuild. Were working with a couple of elderly people and helping them to rebuild their house, and they are fired up. They want to start reliving life. Theyre going to be held up now with bureaucracy. There are rumours going around that some wont be allowed to rebuild. Its going to be slow. The council and the government have said they will clear the land and get rid of the old buildings. There is a lot of bureaucracy in that, and it may end up like another insulation disaster. Either that or the delays will be so significant that people will get sick of it and start clearing their own blocks. There is also a problem with asbestos. Im not sure whos got the staff or personnel to actually administer the process. Karen described many of those affected by the fires as battlerspeople who were doing the best to look after their families. A lot of them are not insured, or underinsured. If there is help out there, I would like to see that they receive it. Their whole life has been destroyed. Dennis added: You see some place, and see a whole pile of junk that has burnt down. But its their junk, and every piece of that junk actually means something to them. There was a dream involved in every piece of that stuff. Now they have to start the clean-up process. A lot of that wont happen. We still have properties around here that were badly affected by the 2013 fires that havent been cleaned up. Burnt-out remains of a home in Lake Conjola The really big issue is that people dont know how much its going to cost to rebuild, compared with what they are insured for. The latest codes have tripled the costs of a lot of components within houses. Windows are triple the cost of what they used to be. People may get their full insurance payout, but they wont be able to rebuild what they had. Karen was concerned about mental health issues. We have friends who you think would be able to easily process something like this, but they are having trouble. They are professionals, and their work is helping with mental anxiety, and even they are having trouble knowing where to start. Also in Clarence, a retired woman who preferred to remain anonymous, described the difficulty she was facing in trying to claim the paltry $1,000 rebate promised to fire affected residents. She said: I spent 55 minutes on the phone, and apparently Centrelink [the government agency responsible for distributing the rebate] hasnt updated my residency, despite the fact that, since my husband died, Ive had dealings with Centrelink many times [always at the same address]. I was told the payment may take 28 days to come through. If you are affected, you need the money now, not in 28 days. The issue for me is trees, she continued. The council said an arborist would come around and check the trees, and I havent seen one. The council and army will remove the trees impacting on the house, and nearby. I dont know how many my neighbour is cutting down, but its costing him $30,000. I havent got that. MIDDLETOWN City leaders will be asked to approve a larger expenditure to have a consultant produce a conceptual plan for the boathouse at Harbor Park during Monday nights Common Council meeting. Also on the agenda is a proposed resolution which would allow the formation of a U.S. Census count committee comprised of key Middletown stakeholders. The original boathouse measure sought $18,000 for the Planning, Conservation and Development department to finalize the concept design. The resolution was tabled at the councils Jan. 6 meeting. Councilors will be asked to consider a substitute proposal to allocate nearly 67 percent more money a total of $30,000. If approved, the additional $12,000 will be used to broaden the scope of the original plan, with an eye toward eventually developing the citys portion of the Connecticut Riverfront, according to Common Council Majority Leader Eugene Nocera. The Economic Development Committee took a long view of it, and realized there was a substantial amount of work to be done which didnt come out in the first meeting related to the concept drawing, he explained Thursday. Its a plan to help create a vision of what the future of the boathouse and the surrounding area will be, Nocera said. The city has been working for some time conceptualizing the best use of the land at Harbor Park and off River Road both prime real estate. The decommissioning of the water treatment plant, construction of the Francis T. Patnaude Inter-municipal Pumping Station nearby on East Main Street, as well as the demolition of the arcade parking lot on Court Street freed up a portion of the citys valuable waterfront property. Other towns, such as Cromwell and Portland, are also conceptualizing what theyd like to build near the Connecticut River. The boathouse is now used by members of Middletown High Schools crew club, as well as students attending area private schools. It could also serve crews competing in future regattas, Nocera said. Wesleyan University has said it isnt interested in collaborating with the city on enhancing the boathouse, however, Nocera said, hes hopeful that may change. Council members will also weigh in on an ordinance to create a complete count committee Monday. Earlier this month, Mayor Ben Florsheim joined Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who is spearheading statewide census efforts, and other area officials to propose the formation of a temporary board. It will be comprised of between 11 and 15 members of the public, he said Thursday. Already, representatives from Wesleyan University, Middlesex Health, the Community Health Center, Middletown Ministerial Alliance, Middlesex YMCA and other groups have reached out to the mayor, hoping to be involved. Its a litmus test for looking for people connected with groups or organizations, or the community, which are historically hard to count in the census, Florsheim explained. They interact for one reason or another with a lot of the general public from a specific demographic. The idea is to get as many counted, and as early as possible, before census takers go door to door or put flyers in mailboxes, the mayor added. Community leaders from different sectors of Middletowns population are positioned to reach out to people in large numbers, Florsheim said. Common Council meetings are held on the first Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 245 deKoven Drive. For information, visit cityofmiddletown.com. WASHINGTON -- USDAs Farm Service Agency encourages agricultural producers to enroll now in the Agriculture Risk Loss and Price Loss Coverage programs. March 15 is the enrollment deadline for the 2019 crop year. Although more than 200,000 producers have enrolled to date, FSA anticipates 1.5 million producers will enroll for ARC and PLC. By enrolling soon, producers can beat the rush as the deadline nears. FSA offices have multiple programs competing for the time and attention of our staff. Because of the importance and complexities of the ARC and PLC programs and to ensure we meet your program delivery expectations, please do not wait to start the enrollment process, FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce said. I cannot emphasize enough the need to begin the program election and enrollment process now. Please call your FSA county office and make an appointment soon to ensure your elections are made and contracts signed well ahead of the deadlines. ARC and PLC provide financial protections to farmers from substantial drops in crop prices or revenues and are vital economic safety nets for most American farms. The programs cover the following commodities: barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium and short grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat. Until March 15, producers who have not yet enrolled in ARC or PLC for 2019 can enroll for both 2019 and 2020 during the same visit to an FSA county office unless yield updates are requested. Additionally, farm owners have a one-time opportunity to update PLC payment yields that take effect beginning with crop year 2020. If the owner accompanies the producer to the office, the yield update and enrollments may be completed during the same office visit. For more information on ARC and PLC, download the program fact sheet or our 2014-2018 farm bills comparison fact sheet. Online ARC and PLC election decision tools are available at www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc. To enroll, contact your FSA county office for an appointment. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has barred an Iranian delegation from an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Jeddah on Monday where U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan will be discussed, the Iranian foreign ministry said. 'The government of Saudi Arabia has prevented the participation of the Iranian delegation in the meeting to examine the 'deal of the century' plan at the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation,' ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said, according to Fars news agency. DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has barred an Iranian delegation from an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Jeddah on Monday where U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan will be discussed, the Iranian foreign ministry said. "The government of Saudi Arabia has prevented the participation of the Iranian delegation in the meeting to examine the 'deal of the century' plan at the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation," ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said, according to Fars news agency. There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials. (Reporting By Babak Dehghanpisheh; Editing by Angus MacSwan) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. A British man left his 'boring' life working in a windowless office so he could live on a boat and sail around Canada, America and Mexico. Now Matt Parsons, 37, an I.T. engineer, saves over 1200 (2000CAD) per month in household bills as a result. Matt said he was inspired by a friend of his who had taken off on a boat to sail around Australia. Matt Parsons, 37, (pictured above) aboard his sailboat named Gudgeon, says he was inspired by a friend who had taken off on a boat to sail around Australia 'I was so bored and I was watching my friend in Tahiti eating coconut, swimming every day and letting his hair grow long. 'Meanwhile, I was in an office in a warehouse with no windows. Terrible life. 'Two years I sat at work in my cubicle looking at pictures of Phil swanning around the South Pacific Islands and I was like 'you b*****d.' But it wasn't just jealousy of his friend that motivated Matt to take drastic measures. As well as living his dream Matt has also slashed his bills considerably. 'I was so bored and I was watching my friend in Tahiti eating coconut, swimming every day and letting his hair grow long,' Parsons said A view from Matt Parsons' boat as he sails into the sunset on the Pacific Ocean Matt has been to Alaska, Canada, America and Mexico and is planning to sail to French Polynesia this year Matt swapped his windowless office for a 36-ft boat called Gudgeon His monthly outgoings before he moved onto the his 36-ft boat called Gudgeon, was 2500 Canadian dollars a month (1440) - when he paid rent, owned a car along with the other trappings of modern life. But now his monthly is bills are only 500 Canadian dollars (290), and that covers his food, diesel and moorings. He explains: 'I wanted to own the place where I lived, but property in Canada, much like England, is extremely expensive. And I had a really good job as well. 'But unless I wanted to live in the middle of nowhere like the suburbs or something and then spend half my life commuting in.' Matt was living in Victoria, B.C, Canada, where he had emigrated to from England in his mid-20s. The route travelled by Matt Parsons so far which has taken him from Canada to the Mexican coast Matt, (pictured) an I.T. engineer, saves over 1200 (2000CAD) per month in household bills as a result Before setting off on his adventures, Matt was living in Victoria, B.C, Canada, where he had emigrated to from England in his mid-20s Now his monthly is bills are only 500 Canadian dollars (290), and that covers his food, diesel and moorings. Matt Parsons life on the open seas means he encounters all sorts of creatures such as this puffer fish He was working in his windowless office and around age 30 he decided he'd had enough and looked for an alternative. He said: 'I like fishing so I bought a sailboat, the first one I looked at, which isn't actually a good idea. 'And so I taught myself how to sail, I'd never actually sailed before.' So Matt moved out of his rented property and moved into his new floating home that was moored in a dock where he began saving so he could live a completely nomadic life. Matt bought a 36-ft 1980 Hunter sailboat and named it Gudgeon, which cost him 15000 Canadian dollars (8500). Matt Parsons, then aged 30, pictured in his windowless office that he hated He explains: 'I was practicing reducing my outgoings because really the key is to live a nice life but live it as cheaply as possible. 'There's a lot of things you don't really need to spend money on.' After Matt saved up enough money he handed in his notice and set sail to Alaska. After exploring the remote and beautiful American state, he sailed back down the West Coast of Americas and is currently floating off the coast of Mexico. Matt explains the limitations of his adventurous life. 'It's pretty small in the boat, and so it's easy to get messy. After Matt saved up enough money he handed in his notice and set sail to Alaska I like fishing so I bought a sailboat, the first one I looked at, which isn't actually a good idea. 'And so I taught myself how to sail, I'd never actually sailed before,' Matt said After exploring the remote and beautiful American state of Alaska, he sailed back down the West Coast of Americas and is currently floating off the coast of Mexico Matt can be entirely self-sufficient on the boat, catching a fish from the sea and cooking it, and he can even make his own water from sea-water using desalination 'Sometimes you can be anchored and it's really windy and you can be rolling around in the waves and it can be rough inside the cabin. 'One of the greatest challenges is also one of the best things, because it makes you pay attention to the small things. Getting food, getting water, getting shelter, that kind of thing. It really puts you more in touch with nature. 'You pay attention to the patterns of the weather.' However Matt says the plus sides are obvious. 'Waking up in the morning and going wherever I want and being able to have a coffee without rushing. The sunsets are amazing and the sailing is great. 'There's also a huge community spirit, it's like living in a tiny village. It's mostly older people, but I'm seeing more and more younger people who want to escape the 9-5,' Matt said 'There's also a huge community spirit, it's like living in a tiny village. It's mostly older people, but I'm seeing more and more younger people who want to escape the 9-5,' Matt said Matt is planning his biggest adventure yet in a few months and will be leaving the shores of the Americas and to sail to the French Polynesian islands 'There's also a huge community spirit, it's like living in a tiny village. It's mostly older people, but I'm seeing more and more younger people who want to escape the 9-5.' Matt can be entirely self-sufficient on the boat, catching a fish from the sea and cooking it, and he can even make his own water from sea-water using desalination. Matt, who documents his travels on his website, is planning his biggest adventure yet in a few months and will be leaving the shores of the Americas and to sail to the French Polynesian islands. The trip will take him three or four weeks, exposed on the Pacific Ocean. Deirdre Hargey said she wanted to protect the "most vulnerable" in Northern Ireland. Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey has announced plans to extend mitigation measures for the so-called bedroom tax in Northern Ireland. Stormont officials said the extension had no end date, and would cost 23million a year. Around 38,000 homes in Northern Ireland faced potentially losing a quarter of their benefits if they were deemed to have a spare room at the end of March. Minister Hargey said: We have a responsibility to protect the poorest and most vulnerable in society. I am pleased to announce that today the Executive agreed to my recommendation, in line with New Decade, New Approach, for the urgent extension of the bedroom tax mitigation beyond March 2020. In the coming weeks I will introduce new legislation to extend this essential mitigation, which will continue to safeguard more than 38,000 of the most vulnerable households in our society from harsh Tory welfare cuts. The Social Size Sector Criteria - commonly known as the bedroom tax - was first introduced in the UK in 2013. Northern Ireland was thought to be particularly exposed to it as there is not the social housing available to allow people to downsize to a smaller property and therefore avoid getting penalised. The welfare mitigation scheme was one of a range of measures agreed by the Executive as part of the Fresh Start Agreement in 2015. The intervening years were to be used to find a local solution to the issue , however, the collapse of power-sharing prevented this. The New Decade, New Approach agreement includes a measures to allow housing associations to build more homes. It also pledged to extend the bedroom tax mitigation measures. The Cliff Edge Coalition - which represents a group of over 100 organisations campaigning on the potential impact of the end of the mitigation measures - welcomed the minister's move. It claimed households faced losing around 50 a month had the minister not acted. "We look forward to working with the Minister to develop and introduce strengthened measures to take account of new challenges such as Universal Credit, including the Two- Child Limit, as well as cuts to housing benefits in the private rented sector," said Kate McCauley from Housing Rights. The minister added: A society is judged on how we protect the most disadvantaged. I am a minister who will fight to protect those families living in poverty; low-income families, single-parent families, those with disabilities and children and young people. I am working hard to target resources towards those most in need. There are also other mitigations which need to be looked at as we review the mitigation measures we committed to in New Decade, New Approach. I will continue to work with stakeholders in moving forward with that important piece of work. Green Party leader Clare Bailey welcomed the move. "It will come as a relief for many people who have had the bedroom tax threat hanging over them for some time," she said. "The bedroom tax is a cruel Tory policy that has caused serious hardship to people in England and Wales and was set to hit Northern Ireland households even harder. "I want to see the bedroom tax scrapped altogether but at this time it's important to recognise the efforts of the sector in lobbying for the extension of these mitigations. "There are a number of other welfare mitigations due to come to an end at the end of March - I look forward to further action from the minister to address this." An investor looks at stock boards at a securities company in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Khoa. The VN-Index fell 8.48 points, or 0.91 percent to 928.14 points Monday, its lowest point since February 11 last year. This is the third consecutive session that Vietnams benchmark index has fallen since it reopened Thursday after a one-week Lunar New Year (Tet) break. It has lost a total of 6.39 percent since reopening. However, the markets losses slowed down Monday compared to respective drops of 3.22 percent and 2.39 percent on Thursday and Friday. Order-matched transactions continued to rise for the third session to VND4.35 trillion ($187.92 million), the liveliest session the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), on which the VN-Index is based, has seen in the past three months. 297 stocks fell while 58 rose. According to analysts, the VN-Indexs movement has mirrored negative sentiment in key Asian markets, which are seeing major selloffs as a result of the coronavirus epidemic. The VN30-Index for Vietnams 30 biggest market caps fell 0.7 percent, with 20 losing and seven gaining. Nearly half of the blue chips lost over 3 percent. ROS stocks of real estate developer FLC Faros returned to being the biggest losing stock on the exchange, falling 6.7 percent, its floor price, as it has done so for most sessions in the past month. It was followed by CTD of construction giant Coteccons, down 6.3 percent, and BVH of insurance giant Bao Viet, down 5.4 percent. POW of PetroVietnam Power and GAS of PetroVietnam Gas, two blue chips related to state-owned oil and gas group PetroVietnam, were also major losers, dropping 4.9 percent and 3.8 percent respectively. PLX of state-owned petroleum distributor Petrolimex also shed 3.8 percent. In the opposite direction, BID of BIDV and CTG of VietinBank, two of Vietnams three biggest state-owned lenders by assets, led gains with 3.9 percent and 3.1 percent respectively. Two private mid-sized banks, VPB of VPBank and STB of Sacombank were also among the few gainers. Outside the VN30, medical sector stocks have been one of the strongest gainers on the market. DHG shares of Hau Giang Pharmaceutical and IMP of Imexpharm Pharmaceutical, two of Vietnams leading pharma firms, rose 3.1 percent and 2.2 percent respectively. Both have registered gains in the past two sessions. On the UPCoM (Unlisted Public Companies Market), an exchange with lower disclosure requirements to accommodate trading of unlisted companies stocks, DNM of Danameco Medical JSC, DHT of Ha Tay Pharmaceutical, and CDP of Codupha Central Pharmaceutical all hit their ceiling prices on Monday. In particular, DVN of Vietnam Pharmaceutical rose 13.4 percent, and gained a total of 41 percent over the last three sessions. Hoang Huy, head of Equity Research at securities firm KIS Vietnam, said that investors have been pouring money into pharmaceutical stocks in the belief that this industry will benefit from the spreading Wuhan pneumonia virus epidemic. However, this impact is mainly psychological, because benefits for each business will be different and difficult to quantify in the short term, Huy said. In its latest report, Saigon Securities has also raised the short-term outlook for pharmaceutical stocks from "neutral" to "positive", but retained the sectors 2020 outlook at neutral, saying that they do not foresee the coronavirus outbreak having any substantial impact on the sector in the medium-term. Sarah Holland pictured with the quintuplet lambs (4 ewes and 1 ram) born on Declan Holland's farm in Blarney, Co. Cork. Described as a 1 in a million occurrence, the first time "lamber" gave birth unaided on Sunday morning. Pic Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision AN IRISH farm family was celebrating as three sister ewes delivered 11 lambs - one of whom gave birth to quintuplets. Declan Holland, who farms outside Blarney in Co Cork, said they were "absolutely delighted" with the new arrivals. The quintuplet lambs - four females and a male - were the undoubted stars of the show. But two of that ewe's sisters also delivered triplets over the past 48 hours. Neighbours, family and friends flocked to the Holland's Blarney farm to view the quintuplets. "It started around 7pm and they were finished - three sheep and eleven lambs - by 10am on Sunday. All done and all safe, thank God," Declan told VirginMedia News. "There were cups of tea all round to celebrate and everyone was over the moon. There were people calling then to have a look at them." "We are ecstatic to be honest - it has been years of careful breeding and hoping for the best." Chloe Holland said they had expected a busy lambing season but hadn't anticipated quintuplets. "We hadn't expected everything to go so well," Chloe said. "We had done a scan so we knew there were a good few lambs coming but we hadn't expected them all to be born naturally and without a problem." The family now plan to retain the four females for breeding within their Blarney flock which has been carefully developed over the past decade. "The ram lamb we might sell on when he is old enough." Western Australia has had a complicated relationship with its resources sector this past decade. When it was good there were more jetskis in the Swan River than jellyfish, but once construction eased off households were left reeling. This nauseating volatility has prompted years of calls for diversification of the economy, and now there is a growing sector promising a flourishing supply chain and highly skilled jobs. Luerssen will begin building its first OPV in Perth by March. Credit:Luerssen Australia. Speaking in Perth last week, the head of the German shipbuilder tasked with manufacturing Australia's next-generation $3.6 billion offshore patrol vessel (OPV) fleet said a thriving defence sector could offer WA the stability it craved. Provides Industry-First, Data-Driven Music Solution for Brands LONDON and SANTA MONICA, California, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Songtradr, Inc wholly owned subsidiary, Big Sync Music, the world's leading, full service, creative music licensing agency, has launched its tech-enabled music services to brands, and other content creators, from TV and OTT networks, to the film and video gaming industries across Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany. Big Sync, with Unilever as its anchor client, is the first global music agency to enter these markets. Headquartered in London, with a North/South America-focused team in Los Angeles and New York City and an APAC-focused team in Singapore, Big Sync is the largest global music buyer of its kind, sourcing music for household brands like Johnnie Walker, Samsung, Amazon, Dove, Knorr, Magnum and AXE. Songtradr, the largest music licensing platform in the world, acquired Big Sync Music in early 2019 enabling the company to provide a powerful, data powered music solution for brands and creative agencies worldwide. Big Sync's new operations will be headed up by three recently appointed Country Managers; Michael Szumowski for Australia/New Zealand (Sydney); Pedro Anacker for Germany (Hamburg) and Nicolas Farcy for France (Paris). Songtradr founder and CEO, Paul Wiltshire said: "As brands produce more, highly targeted, data-driven content to engage with consumers on multiple platforms, music is playing an increasingly important role. Expanding into Australia, France and Germany will enable us to help brands, agencies and content creators meet their music needs from a cultural, creative and commercial perspective as well as opening up new opportunities for rights owners to reach new audiences." For more information on Big Sync Music, please visit www.bigsync.com. Follow Big Sync on Twitter. For more information about Songtradr, please visit: www.songtradr.com. Follow Songtradr onFacebook, Twitter and Instagram. About Big Sync Music Big Sync Music is the world's leading full service, creative music supervision agency working with brands and advertising agencies. With operations in London, New York, Los Angeles, Stockholm, Singapore, Sydney, Paris and Hamburg, the company has worked on thousands of projects for clients such as critically acclaimed and award-winning global campaigns from Magnum, Samsung, AXE, Dove, Ponds, Lipton, Marmite and Knorr. About Songtradr Songtradr is the largest music licensing marketplace in the world, with over 500,000 artists and catalogs from 190+ countries leveraging machine learning and deep data to power music discovery. Songtradr connects artists to film, TV, brands and other media in a worldwide marketplace for music licensing. Music creators monetize their music through licensing to all forms of media, including distribution to all major streaming platforms. Using Songtradr's proprietary technologies, music supervisors, brands, filmmakers and other creatives, can easily license music from a vast community of artists, bands, record labels and publishers. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1085217/Songtradr_Paul_Wiltshire.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1085218/Big_Sync_Music_Logo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1085219/Songtradr_Logo.jpg FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR TO REQUEST INTERVIEWS PLEASE CONTACT: Vicky Brown, APB PR +44 7879 055172 vicky@apb-pr.co.uk After almost a month of public scrutiny, one of Prince Harry's close friends breaks his silence and defends the Duke of Sussex's decision to break free from the royal family. In ABC's special documentary "Royal Divide: Harry, Meghan, and the Crown," professional polo player Nacho Figueras opened up about being a witness to the sufferings that the 35-year-old Harry had to endure leading to their bombshell announcement to step down as "working royals." "I spoke to Harry a few days ago. He has suffered a lot from all of (the) things that have happened to him. He suffers a lot from people judging him," Figueras said. The 41-year-old polo player explained that Harry simply wants to live a normal life together with his wife and eight-month-old baby Archie. "As normal as his life is going to be, right? Because when you have a thousand paparazzi outside your house in Canada waiting to get one picture of your son, that's not very, very normal," Figueras continued. Figueras, who has been friends with Harry for more than a decade now, said that the Duke's decision is only a part of his move to protect his family. "He's being a father... a guy who is trying to protect his cub and his lioness from whatever it takes," he added. Harry's BFF continued to defend him by saying that the Sussex patriarch is only trying to protect his wife and son from press attacks, which Harry's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, suffered first leading to her tragic death. Figueras added that Princess Diana would surely be proud of the man that Harry has become -- an "incredible man" as what he would describe him. It is not the first time that Harry's polo-buddy defended him from public scrutiny. Back in October 2019, Figueras also expressed how he supports Harry's decision to seek privacy for his new little family. Figueras also defended the Sussex matriarch, who has been under intense judgments the minute she married Harry. "Then he found Meghan, who is an incredible girl. She gave up all of the things that she had to marry this man that she loves, which is great," Figuera said during an interview with The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He added that Meghan and Harry could even be treated as heroes as they are taking their time to help other people and make the world a better place. In the end, Figueras said that it is a shame that instead of loving, embracing, and cheering up the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the media and the people are attacking them. Earlier this year, Meghan and Harry had taken everybody by surprise when they announced their decision to step down as senior members of the royal family. They made it clear that they want to be financially independent in the hopes of living a private life while continuing to support Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. The couple added that they would be dividing their time between the United Kingdom and North America in raising baby Archie. Growing a beard is popular right now, so it would seem like a poor time to start a shaving supply company. "I'm totally OK with that," says Army veteran Andrew Weiss, founder of Battle Brothers Shaving Company. "It is the age of beard right now, but a lot of people still need to shave." Weiss wants potential customers -- especially vets -- to know he has a product that not only pays for itself in short order, it will help save a little face every day. Your grandpa might recognize it. Many younger men may have seen it only on TV. "Oh it's much better for your skin," he says, referring to his company's safety razors. "It's a much sharper blade -- and they're recyclable too." Weiss is passionate about shaving, and it shows. He founded Battle Brothers in 2017 with money he saved from his two deployments as a helicopter crew chief in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was during one of those deployments that he discovered a passion for shaving. Read: 7 Quality Veteran-Made Products That Aren't Coffee or T-Shirts He used to make fun of one of his senior sergeants while deployed to Iraq, watching him shave everyday with an antiquated-looking, double-edged razor. One day, that NCO challenged Weiss to give the "old school" razor a try. The "old school" Mark II Razor (Battle Brothers Shaving Company) The sergeant showed the then-23-year-old soldier how to make a thick lather, using a shaving brush. He then learned how to use the razor without slicing off parts of his face. The verdict was soon clear. "It was the best shave I ever had," Weiss recalls. "And now I just love everything behind it." Eventually, Weiss showed others and a new hobby was born. Everyone loved the new, old way of shaving. Even after leaving the Army in 2014, shaving was a way for him to connect with his military life. After a while, he was looking for something to do with his time and energy, not to mention the considerable money he'd saved during his deployments. Battle Brothers Shaving Company was the product of Weiss' passion for a close shave. "I thought to myself, 'I'm going to go out there and do this for real, to share the experience,'" he says. "That's where my heart and my passion comes from, is sharing the experience of a better way to shave." Battle Brothers razors are made from sturdy stainless steel and its brushes from durable synthetic fibers. But the former Black Hawk crew chief is most excited for his latest product, a Made-in-America razor crafted from the same aluminum as the Black Hawk itself. (Andrew Weiss) Some people might be thrown off by the cost of the razors, as his company's kits cost $99 -- complete with razor, brush and stand. But they also come with 100 replacement blades. Weiss says the investment is worth it. "I'm completely self-funded, and we make a quality product," he says. "I understand the initial investment, but it definitely pays for itself." In the future, he wants to tackle women's products, a market he says is completely underserved when it comes to a quality shave. "Companies that make shaving products for women tend to think tiny, fluffy and pink," he says. "Women should have quality products that work for them ... not just pink." -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. Want to Know More About Post-Military Careers? Be sure to get the latest news about post-military careers as well as critical info about veteran jobs and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox. The Gamasutra Job Board is the most diverse, active and established board of its kind for the video game industry! Here is just one of the many, many positions being advertised right now. Location: Vancouver, British Columbia One of the things we are most often lauded for and one of the things we are most proud of is the beauty of the world of The Long Dark. At Hinterland, we strive to create thoughtful places for players to lose themselves in. We want those places to feel real even when visual realism is not our goal, we want our players to feel the presence of previous inhabitants in those spaces even when those spaces are empty, and we want every single screenshot, animated gif, or video clip from our game to be an iconic, recognizable piece of art. We are seeking a talented, veteran Art Director to help us achieve these goals. In this role, you will lead a team of artists across multiple areas environment, characters, user-interface, visual effects, concept, etc. and unify their efforts behind a clear artistic vision, ensuring the result of their labours communicates a coherent visual sensibility that reinforces gameplay, strengthens narrative, and delights our players. You will work in lock-step with and under the guidance of the studio Creative Director, to execute on their high-level creative vision for the project, bringing your formidable talents as an artist, leader, communicator, and collaborator, to the task. As Art Director, you should have 10+ years of experience producing game art, and be a strong generalist with a specific hands-on expertise in a major area of art production. You should also have at least 3 years of experience as an art director or art lead, and have shipped a high-quality game in a role where you were responsible for guiding artists, critiquing their work, and mentoring them, within a cross-disciplinary leads team. You need to be able to work in collaboration with other discipline leads to support their goals, and to get support for the art teams needs. We are particularly interested in hearing from candidates that have worked at either mid- to large-sized triple-A studios or triple-I indies, especially if you have been involved with creating world-class experiences with an emphasis on beautiful and memorable worlds. Experience creating entirely new art styles from scratch is also something we value greatly, but we know not every great art director has had that opportunity and we appreciate the particular challenges of adaptation and evolution within an existing style as well. For this particular position, you will need to be comfortable working within an established art style, but also be able to creatively and prudently evolve that style over time. We want someone who is able to respect the foundational work that has been done before them, but also has the ability to bring that style forward as it is brought to new platforms and more powerful technologies. Proven expertise in carrying an art style over multiple product generations would be particularly useful for this role! While there is an existing style to work within, we feel there is great scope for creativity in finding the right ways to improve the entirety of our visual presentation so we are looking for an art director who relishes this particular type of creative challenge, and will not feel limited by it. You should also have extensive experience in providing paintovers of existing work to help communicate visual goals, and although we dont require that you have a deep sense of traditional storytelling, it is critical that you are a master of visual storytelling techniques and that you are confident using the cinematic language of colour, lighting, staging, etc. to strengthen the presentation of narrative and mood in our games. Please keep in mind that art directors at Hinterland carry a range of production, creative, and leadership responsibilities. You need to be comfortable interacting with developers of all disciplines, guiding and organizing the efforts of a team of artists across multiple areas, and working in collaboration with other leads to deliver on a backlog of major feature and content areas. As such, we need an art director who is committed to the planning process, is comfortable managing a team, and also isnt afraid to roll up their sleeves and help out with production tasks whenever necessary. This is a full-time, salaried position with benefits based out of our historic Gastown Vancouver location. We offer a mature, inclusive work environment with structured on-site time balanced with flexible work-from-home opportunities. We are open to relocating the ideal candidate but will give preference to local candidates whenever possible. Candidates who are legally permitted to work in Canada are preferred, but our first priority is hiring the best people we can find. We are a relatively small team and intend to stay that way, so everyone we hire needs to be exceptional. If working with other highly talented developers in a small-team environment sounds appealing, we want to hear from you! Interested? Apply now. About the Gamasutra Job Board Whether you're just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what's out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers. Gamasutra's Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A. Looking for a new job? Get started here. Are you a recruiter looking for talent? Post jobs here. Haiti - FLASH : Scholarships and internships 2020 in France, call for candidacies The candidacy campaign for Master 2 scholarships and internships for the French Government and its partners (Banque de Republique d'Haiti / Groupe d'Amitie Haiti-France, Sogebank Foundation) for the 2020/2021 academic year is open until June 5, 2020. General calendar for all scholarship applications : June 5, 2020 : Deadline for submitting application files (master 2, internships); June 8 to 26 : Analysis of the files by the Cooperation and Cultural Action Service of the French Embassy and preselection by a joint Franco-Haitian commission. The shortlisted candidates will then be invited to an oral interview. Applicants not invited to an oral interview may consider that their file has not been accepted; June 29 to July 3 : Oral interview of the preselected candidates; Week of July 6 : Communication of the results (the successful candidates will be directly contacted); End of August : Preparation for departure session with the manager of Espace Campus France. Master 2 scholarships : These scholarships are aimed at students of very good level wishing to follow a university education at the level of the 2nd year of master in a French public university. They will be given priority in the following sectors: Economy - Finance - Governance Sciences & Technologies - Engineering Sciences Environment - Biodiversity - Rural development Education Health (with the exception of medical specializations of a "clinical" nature) In addition to the scholarship application submitted to the French Embassy, applicants must submit their registration documents to universities via the Studies in France application, no later than March 6, 2020. Eligibility criteria : uUl> Be under 35 years of age on January 1 of the year of allocation; Be of Haitian nationality and reside in Haiti; Hold a university degree at least BAC + 4 or equivalent in the field of study concerned; Not having received a scholarship or internship from the Embassy of France in the previous three years. All, details and required documents : https://ht.ambafrance.org/Bourses-d-etudes-et-de-stages-en-France-2020-2021?fbclid=IwAR3OeT-PY5uF6FRc1E7fQlimCO-f9wEw_0s25iwJMWOavOfc-fo3WSwryvU#t2-Bourses-de-Master-2 IMPORTANT : You can submit a scholarship application without final admission from the university (but with documents attesting to your application to the training in question). You will be asked for final admission if your application is accepted. Internship grants : These are aimed at students, senior civil servants and executives from the private or voluntary sector, wishing to follow practical training in a French training center. They are awarded based on the skills of the candidates and the value of training for the development of Haiti. Criteria for eligibility for an internship grant : Be under 45 years of age on January 1 of the year of allocation; Not having benefited from a scholarship or internship from the Embassy of France in the previous three years; Adapting the training requested to the needs of the country; The professional qualities of the candidate; For civil servant candidates: the degree of involvement of their administration, both in terms of career prospects upon return and in terms of trainee follow-up. All the details and the required documents: https://ht.ambafrance.org/Bourses-d-etudes-et-de-stages-en-France-2020-2021?fbclid=IwAR3OeT-PY5uF6FRc1E7fQlimCO -f9wEw_0s25iwJMWOavOfc-fo3WSwryvU # t3-Grants-in-training IMPORTANT : All the requested documents (master 2 or internship) must be deposited at the French Embassy in Haiti (Service for Cooperation and Cultural Action) - 51, rue Capois, Champs de March, Port-au-Prince - Tel: 29 99 90 27, before the Incomplete files or files submitted after June 5, 2020 will be systematically rejected. HL/ HaitiLibre By PTI NEW DELHI: The TMC has moved amendments to the President's address delivered on Friday at the beginning of the budget session, raising questions on his "silence" on issues relating to CAA protests, economic slowdown and Kashmir clampdown. The move has opened the doors of discussion on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in Parliament, which has witnessed nationwide protests. President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday hailed the CAA as "historic" in his address to the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament, prompting protests by some opposition members. Trinamool Congress MP Derek O' Brien and Rajya Sabha chief whip Sukhendu Sekhar Ray have moved amendments on behalf of the party in Rajya Sabha pertaining to the "silence" of the president on the ongoing protest against the CAA and demanding that the speech include the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC), and the National Population Register (NPR). According to party sources, amendments will be moved in Lok Sabha as well. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has 22 MPs in Lok Sabha and 13 in Rajya Sabha. The party has moved six amendments to the president's address. ALSO READ: 'Goli maarna bandh karo' - Opposition members raise slogans against CAA in Lok Sabha The sources said the TMC's amendments say that at the end of the speech a "regret that the address fails to acknowledge the hardships and anxieties of people caused due to the passing of the CAA, and fails to allay the people's fear of a nationwide NRC and NPR" be added. Another sought the expression of regret that the speech did not take into account the "hardships of peaceful protesters, including students who were illegally detained, denied medical care, lathi-charged, fired at and subjected to other forms of torture". Among the other amendments moved include "absence of the mention of economic slowdown, drop of India's rank on the Global Press Freedom Index, EIU's Global Democracy Index and a low rank on the Global Hunger Index, failure to condemn hate speech and divisive statements made by ministers and MPs and silence over the six-month-long detention of political leaders, including sitting MP from Jammu and Kashmir and former chief ministers of the state". The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed in Lok Sabha on December 4 and a week later in Rajya Sabha. It seeks to grant Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan if they have fled their respective country due to religious persecution. Instead of glory, however, author Jeanine Cummins finds herself at the heart of a cultural maelstrom, accused by some of exploiting the tragedy of Mexican migrants in a US election year and of validating stereotypes such as those used by President Donald Trump to fuel his anti-immigration rhetoric. The book tells the story of a Mexican woman who owns a bookshop and flees on the notoriously dangerous cargo train known as "The Beast" that migrants ride to the north. She also survives the slaughter of almost her entire family by drug traffickers at a traditional birthday celebration. The book's publication has generated intense debate about cultural appropriation, the marginalization of Hispanic authors by US publishers, the dangers of spreading misrepresentations and the responsible limits of fiction. The firestorm took publisher Flatiron Books by surprise, and on Wednesday they canceled Cummins' planned tour of US book stores. "Based on specific threats to booksellers and the author, we believe there exists real peril to their safety," said publisher Bob Miller in a statement. 'Exploitative' Horror supremo King described the book as "marvelous" and author Don Winslow compared it to the Steinbeck classic "The Grapes of Wrath". It is already being adapted for Hollywood. But more than 120 writers, including Mexico's leading novelist Valeria Luiselli and chicana author Myriam Gurba, whose withering review sparked the debate, have signed a letter calling on Oprah not to feature "American Dirt" in her book club, which has historically been a gateway to massive sales. "This is not a letter calling for silencing, nor censoring," said the writers, who called the novel "exploitative." "But in a time of widespread misinformation, fearmongering, and white-supremacist propaganda related to immigration and to our border, in a time when adults and children are dying in US immigration cages, we believe that a novel blundering so badly in its depiction of marginalized, oppressed people should not be lifted up," the letter went on to say. Mexican actress Salma Hayek put out a selfie of herself with the book, unaware of the controversy erupting around it, then quickly apologized for promoting it. Photos that Cummins herself posted of a lobster luncheon for the book launch, featuring floral arrangements wreathed with barbed wire -- a nod to the book's cover -- did little to help. "Border chic," said Gurba on Twitter. "Cruel" and "insensitive," said the authors in their letter to Oprah. 'Ignorance and negligence' "This is a book that oversimplifies Mexico, uses bad Spanish, and in which the protagonist, a Mexican woman, does things that don't make any sense for a Mexican," said Ignacio Sanchez Prado, a professor of Latin American studies at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. An expert on Mexico, he told AFP he did not believe that only Mexicans can write about the Mexican experience but said that Cummins "did it badly." He also laid the most blame on the "editorial process," lashing out at Flatiron's "ignorance and negligence." The author of the book, who describes herself as white but also "Latinx" because she has a Puerto Rican grandmother, has not alluded to the controversy in her posts on social media but told The New York Times "there is a danger sometimes of going too far toward silencing people." "No one intends to censor Ms Cummins," said Daniel Olivas, author of a collection of poems about the US-Mexico border, and one of the signatories of the protest letter sent to Oprah. "But the promotion of this book as the 'Great American Novel' and 'a dazzling accomplishment' of John Steinbeck proportions is simply galling when so many brilliant Latinx writers are given a mere fraction of such attention and monetary compensation," he said. Flatiron did not respond to an AFP request for comment on the controversy and an interview with the author. The publishers said in a statement they were "proud" of the book, but Miller acknowledged that the controversy "has exposed deep inadequacies in how we at Flatiron Books address issues of representation." "We made serious mistakes in the way we rolled out this book," Miller admitted. "The concerns that have been raised, including the question of who gets to tell which stories, are valid ones in relation to literature and we welcome the conversation," his statement said. Prince William gave an emotional speech at the 2020 BAFTAs, calling for more diversity at the British Academy Film Awards. As president of the academy, Prince William delivered the speech when he presented the Fellowship award to film producer Kathleen Kennedy. Some royal fans called him a hypocrite after his call for more diversity as he never defended Meghan Markle when she was harassed by racist trolls. Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge | Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images Prince William shared his thoughts on the lack of diversity at the BAFTAs During the BAFTA ceremony, Prince William, who has served as BAFTA president for 10 years, delivered an impassioned speech that urged the industry to expand the diversity of the award nominees. Catherine and I are once again really delighted to join you this evening, he began, sharing, Tonight we celebrate another year of exceptional filmmaking and Im thrilled that all those involved have been recognized. Prince William continued: Both here in the U.K. and in many other countries across the world we are lucky to have incredible filmmakers, actors, producers, directors and technicians men and women from all backgrounds and ethnicities enriching our lives through film. Yet in 2020, and not for the first time in the last few years, we find ourselves talking again about the need to do more to ensure diversity in the sector and in the awards process that simply cannot be right in this day and age! Prince William explained the frustration around the issue and assured that more attention would be given to the matter. He explained: I know that both Pippa, Chair of BAFTA, and Amanda, BAFTA CEO, share that frustration and continue to work tirelessly to ensure that creative talent is discovered and supported. BAFTA takes this issue seriously, and following this years nominations have launched a full and thorough review of the entire Awards process to build on their existing work and ensure that opportunities are available to everyone. Joaquin Phoenix also addressed the lack of diversity During his acceptance speech for the best actor award for his role in Joker, Joaquin Phoenix spoke about the lack of diversity on the BAFTAs nominations list, noting: I feel conflicted because so many of my fellow actors that are deserving dont have that same privilege. I think we send a very clear message to people of color that youre not welcome here. I dont think anybody wants a handout or preferential treatment, people just want to be acknowledged, appreciated and respected for their work, the actor continued, adding, This is not a self-righteous condemnation. Im part of the problem. Phoenix added: We have to do the hard work to truly understand systemic racism. I think it is the obligation of the people that have created and perpetuate and benefit from a system of oppression to be the ones that dismantle it. Thats on us. Fans bring up Meghan Markle In response to Prince William s speech, some royal fans are calling him a hypocrite, with one person noting on Twitter: William said nothing when Meghan experienced racism. His words are empty once again, and hes a hypocrite. Another fan tweeted: William wants people to think he cares about the lack of diversity in the Bafta but, he doesnt even care that his brothers wife, Meghan is attacked daily by racist trolls on his own Kensington Palace Instagram and Twitter pages Another critic slammed William, tweeting: He wants to pick up the credit for something Harry exposed first. That is William for you, lives to undermine his younger brother and to mock them. This a salt added to wound so to speak. This is a mockery and disrespect for POC because we watched him did nothing for Meghan. LONDON (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth made her first official appearance since Prince Harry and Meghan's unexpected announcement last month that they would quit their royal duties and seek financial independence. The queen, who celebrates 68 years on the throne later this week, visited the Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Marham, eastern England, to watch demonstrations and meet trainees. It was the 93-year-old monarch's first official outing since her grandson Harry and his American wife Meghan shocked the House of Windsor by announcing they wished to step back from some royal duties and spend more time in Canada and the United States. Elizabeth ultimately decided that the couple would no longer be working members of Britains monarchy, no longer use their "Royal Highness" titles and be financially independent. Since her last public appearance, there has been renewed publicity over her second son Prince Andrew's links to the disgraced late U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein after Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said he had provided "zero assistance" to U.S. authorities. Visiting RAF Marham in her role as Honorary Air Commodore, Elizabeth wore a peach-coloured outfit and smiled as she shook hands with staff. The base, which employs over 3,600 people, opened in 1916 to defend the British county Norfolk from raids by German airships during the World War One. It is now the home of the F-35B Lightning fighter plane. Heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles and his eldest son Prince William both served as RAF pilots, while Prince Harry flew in the army air corps as part of his 10-year military career which ended in 2013. (Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft; editing by Guy Faulconbridge) (Natural News) Though the class of coronavirus is one of the most common the world over, the strain that originated from Wuhan, China, and is now spreading across the globe is confounding health researchers and experts. Case in point: A female student from Wuhan first tested negative after arriving in Canada, but later tested positive, making her the countrys fourth case as of this writing. The South China Morning Post reported that the woman, a university student in her 20s, recovered quickly, but noted that health officials are nonetheless scrambling still to get ahead of the quickly-moving infection. The paper noted: The female university student in her 20s arrived in Toronto on January 23 from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak. Initially asymptomatic, she reported to hospital the next day, where she initially tested negative. A second test at Canadas National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, confirmed the case as positive. It is clear that we are learning more and more about the coronavirus each day, and our testing procedures are evolving and getting more and more precise, Ontarios Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr David Williams said in a statement after a news conference in Toronto, the Post reported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. noted that although strains of coronavirus are common around the world, the current outbreak involves a novel (new) coronavirus first identified in Wuhan. Coronaviruses are named for the crown-like spikes on their surface. There are four main sub-groupings of coronaviruses, known as alpha, beta, gamma, and delta, the agency says in an explainer on its website. Human coronaviruses were first identified in the mid-1960s. The agency notes further that its common for people the world over to become infected by one of seven types of identified coronaviruses. But, the CDC added, Sometimes coronaviruses that infect animals can evolve and make people sick and become a new human coronavirus. Set to go global The SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus was one such virus that infected animals first and then evolved, spreading to humans. SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) virus identified in 2003. SARS-CoV is thought to be an animal virus from an as-yet-uncertain animal reservoir, perhaps bats, that spread to other animals (civet cats) and first infected humans in the Guangdong province of southern China in 2002, the World Health Organization reported on its website. The agency noted that SARS spread to 26 countries resulting in more than 8,000 cases fewer than the current coronavirus epidemic. Its not clear whether the virus linked to the current outbreak in Wuhan originated in animals, but researchers are continuing to study the cause. Meanwhile, as the South China Morning Post noted further, health experts have said theres no hard evidence that someone without any symptoms of the disease is actually infectious, though some health agencies have reported that. That said, there is still much that is unknown about the infection and how it truly is spread. Other viruses, like the influenza virus common to the United States, can be spread from person to person. That could be why the WHO has warned, according to Natural News founder Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, that the coronavirus is a pandemic set to go global. He writes: With an 8th coronavirus infection patient now confirmed in the United States, the coronavirus pandemic looks on track to break containment in multiple countries and become a global pandemic. Thats probably why today, the World Health Organization issued an urgent warning to the countries of the world, urging nations to be ready for a domestic outbreak of the coronavirus. This statement was issued by WHO official Geuden Galea, speaking to the Associated Press. Separately, the medical journal The Lancet warned, Independent self-sustaining outbreaks in major cities globally could become inevitable because of substantial exportation of presymptomatic cases and in the absence of large-scale public health interventions. Sources include: NaturalNews.com WHO.int SCMP.com Hong Kong on Tuesday reported its first death from the illness, a man who had traveled from the mainland city of Wuhan that has been the epicenter of the outbreak. The semi-autonomous territory shut almost all of its land and sea border crossings with the mainland at midnight after medical workers began a strike demanding the border be closed completely. More than 2,000 hospital workers went on strike Monday, and their union has threatened a bigger walkout Tuesday. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) Eliseo Rio, Jr., who led the government's search for a third telecommunications provider, has resigned as undersecretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). "I filed my resignation and awaiting acceptance of the President," Rio told CNN Philippines on Monday, explaining that his letter was sent to Malacanang last Friday, January 31. Rio, an engineer who is currently Undersecretary for Operations in the agency, served as acting secretary of the DICT and led the bidding process for the third slot as mobile communications provider in 2018 one of the campaign promises of President Rodrigo Duterte. Rio said he left his post due to some conflicting views with other officials in the agency. Among the points of contention were the millions of pesos in confidential funds lodged with the agency, and apparent friction with new appointees. "'Yung situation sa DICT, I cannot work with the undersecretaries at assistant secretaries eh. They are not involving me. Im supposed to be Undersecretary of Operations, but they are not involving me in decisions," Rio said in a phone interview. "'Yung operations and intelligence, very close 'yan so whatever intel, involved talaga ang operations. I might as well get out, sayang ang sweldo para sa akin." [Translation: Operations and intelligence work are very close, so whatever intel we get, operations must be involved. I might as well get out, the salary being given to me would be a waste.] DICT was created by a law signed by then President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III in May 2016 as the main agency that will craft and promote the national development agenda on telecommunications and information technology, taking the function away from the older Department of Transportation and Communications. RELATED: DICT Chief Salalima offered to resign, Duterte says Rio also questioned the need for a 400 million confidential fund for the agency in 2019 an amount which Secretary Gringo Honasan put in the DICT's budget when he was still a senator, he said. CNN Philippines has reached out to Honasan for comment. DICT also received 803 million in "confidential, intelligence and extraordinary expenses" under this year's national budget, data from the Department of Budget and Management showed. "I just said as far as I'm concerned, DICT does not need any confidential funds. Wala sa mandate namin to conduct surveillance and intelligence activities... I would rather have it given to the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) and the police," Rio said. Under his watch, Rio rolled out the competitive bidding process to break the duopoly of the Pangilinan-led Smart Telecommunications and the Ayala-owned Globe Telecom. Rio, a retired Army general, was reassigned as undersecretary in July 2019 when Honasan was appointed as DICT chief. Rio served as commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission from 2001 to 2002 and later on joined Globe subsidiary Bayan Telecommunications (BayanTel) as board member. On July 8, 2019, DICT officials turned over the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to businessman Dennis Uy's Mislatel Cosortium now called DITO Telecommunity as the third major player. DITO is set to roll out its services by July this year. READ: Honasan floats idea of PH gov't-run telco Rio said he's still reporting to work as he has not received word if the President has accepted his resignation. He added that he informed Honasan about his plan, saying that the DICT secretary "respects" his decision. "In effect, he (Honasan) is made to choose between me and 'yung kanyang (tao). I'll remove that burden from you," Rio said about why he left. Citing his age, Rio said it may be best to leave the agency to the younger and newer officials appointed by the President. Pending action on his resignation, Rio said he will continue working on projects like the free public wifi, common towers, and fiber optic cables to boost the telecommunications infrastructure in the Philippines. RELATED: PH telcos forge deal for 'lifetime' cellphone numbers India's diplomatic and commercial presence in Afghanistan, along with the US's rhetorical support to it, exacerbates Pakistani fears of encirclement, a Congressional report has said. The security establishment of Pakistan, which has long-running and ethnically-tinged dispute over their shared 1,600-mile border with Afghanistan, is fearful of strategic encirclement by India. As such Pakistan continues to view the Afghan Taliban as a relatively friendly and reliably anti-India element in Afghanistan, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) said in its latest report. The CRS is an independent research wing of the US Congress. It prepares periodic reports in issues of importance for lawmakers, helping them take informed decisions. It's reports are not considered the official view of the Congress. "India's diplomatic and commercial presence in Afghanistan-- and the US's rhetorical support for it -- exacerbates Pakistani fears of encirclement," the CRS said in its latest report. "Indian interest in Afghanistan stems largely from India's broader regional rivalry with Pakistan, which impedes Indian efforts to establish stronger and more direct commercial and political relations with Central Asia," the CRS said. India has been the largest regional contributor to Afghan reconstruction, but New Delhi has not shown an inclination to pursue a deeper defense relationship with Kabul, it added. According to the report -- slate 2018, the Trump administration has been seeking Islamabad's assistance in facilitating the US talks with the Taliban. One important action taken by Pakistan was the October 2018 release of Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who was captured in Karachi in a joint US- Pakistani operation in 2010. According to the report, Pakistan's security agencies maintain ties with Afghan insurgent groups, most notably the Haqqani network. Afghan leaders, along with the US military commanders, attribute much of the insurgency's power and longevity either directly or indirectly to Pakistani support. US President Donald Trump has accused Pakistan of "housing the very terrorists that we are fighting." US officials have long identified militant safe havens in Pakistan as a threat to security in Afghanistan, though some Pakistani officials dispute that charge and note the Taliban's increased territorial control within Afghanistan itself, the CRS said. "Pakistan may view a weak and destabilised Afghanistan as preferable to a strong, unified Afghan state (particularly one led by an ethnic Pashtun-dominated government in Kabul; Pakistan has a large and restive Pashtun minority)," the CRS said. "However, instability in Afghanistan could rebound to Pakistan's detriment; Pakistan has struggled with indigenous Islamist militants of its own. Afghanistan-Pakistan relations are further complicated by the presence of over a million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, as well a long-running and ethnically tinged dispute over their shared 1,600-mile border," the report said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 18:56 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20625124f 1 Business coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,animal-trading,imports,food,beverage,China Free Indonesia is set to temporarily stop live animals imports from China and is mulling the possibility of banning imports of other products, including food and beverages, as fears grow that the coronavirus could spread into the country through imports. Trade Minister Agus Suparmanto told reporters on Monday that the measure would be put in place as soon as Tuesday and would remain in place until the virus had been contained. We will obviously stop live animals imports from China and are still considering banning other products, said Agus in Jakarta after a ministerial meeting on the coronavirus. The government will only stop imports of products that could potentially spread the coronavirus, he said. The government, he added, would look to other countries to fulfill demand for imported products. China is Indonesias biggest trade partner. The Southeast Asian country imports garlic and fruit, among other food and beverages, from China. As of Monday, the coronavirus had killed 362, all but one in China, and had infected nearly 17,392 globally, surpassing infections caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the result of another strain of coronavirus that originated in China in 2003. The Indonesian government declared on Sunday that it would ban all travel to and from China to prevent the spread of the deadly and highly contagious coronavirus. The ban, which took effect at 12 a.m. on Monday, prevents visitors who have stayed in China for 14 days or more from visiting or transiting in Indonesia. The government will suspend visa-free and visa-on-arrival provisions for Chinese citizens. There are many things in life a person should worry about what to eat tonight or how to get that bill taken care of. But what if you were trapped at home while a highly infectious virus was spreading through your city of 11 million people? What thoughts would go through your head? I am a 26-year-old American living in Wuhan, China, with my wife and our newborn son. I came to China in November 2018 to be with my then-girlfriend and future wife, Li Ling. My initial reasons for coming to China were simple: Explore a new country, marry the woman I love, help her get her paperwork done so we can finally go back to America, and start a family. Well, things got complicated. Ling became pregnant with our first child, which made our schedule busier and delayed our ability to get meetings with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which we needed to get her a visa. Now, we're stuck in Wuhan while the coronavirus makes its way around the city, China and the world. According to Chinese officials, more than 300 people have died since December. The World Health Organization has dubbed it a global health emergency. Transportation brought to a halt Luckily, my son, Colm, was born safely in early January. However, this posed a predicament. The Chinese government started putting out more and more information about the spread of the disease through various news organizations, and our expatriate group on WeChat (a popular social media and messaging app in China) diligently posted articles as soon as we could get them. Since my wife delivered our son through a cesarean section, she has spent the past few weeks recovering, and it will still be quite a while before she's up to full strength and able to move around. New and unknown: Coronavirus might not be scarier than the flu, but what we dont know is what frightens us On Jan. 23, we heard that Wuhan is being locked down, and that the government is launching a mass quarantine. This means there is no transportation in or out of the city. Public transportation like the metro, buses and flights from the airport have all been shut down. We are essentially trapped. Story continues When the news about the lockdown initially hit, many of the foreigners here started stocking food ahead of time. We knew that most shops would have a rush of people trying to buy up everything they could to last for the next few weeks but I did not expect the shelves to be so bare. When I went out just days before the lockdown to buy some simple vegetables to go with my already-stocked dry and canned food, almost everything was sold out. People were carrying big carts of food home, full of whatever they could carry. Justin Steece with his newborn son, Colm, in Wuhan, China, in January 2020. Now, we sit and wait, unable to leave. The government is telling us to be calm and resolute during this time. The Chinese people I know and see have had mixed reactions. Most are fairly calm and not worried about contracting the coronavirus. A few are worried, and others are actively spreading false rumors to try to mislead people. I won't leave without my family The other expats and I are a little disappointed. The government apparently knew about this virus since early December but really underreacted and only alerted the world about the outbreak on Dec. 31. They just talked calmly and let everyone lead their lives, only reacting when things got out of hand. USA TODAY Editorial Board: Coronavirus offers reasons for concern but not for panic Other views: nCoV-2019 isnt novel, and we know what to do There are about 1,000 U.S. citizens in Wuhan, and Washington evacuated 195 Americans last week, but the process has been confusing. I first heard about the flight from the WeChat group, and I was told that Americans who do not work with the U.S. Consulate had to pay $1,000 per seat. Sadly, my wife and I were not able to get on this flight, not only because she is not an American citizen and is still recovering from her surgery, but also because they would not allow my son to board the flight. My son does not have any paperwork showing he is a U.S. citizen because of the city's lockdown. I won't leave Wuhan without my family or get evacuated to America without them because of some minor paperwork, and $3,000 is a lot to ask one family to pay to leave. At least one other flight is being planned, according to the State Department, but information about the flight is not clear. I am a little afraid, because I am the only one who can leave the house to get essential supplies every few days. I would be devastated if I were to get sick and spread the infection to Ling or Colm. This is not just what I worry about, but what many of the American expats here are worried about. We care about our country and are trying to help others while still helping our families. Justin Steece is an American working as an online English teacher in Wuhan, China. He is a former member of the Minnesota Army National Guard. You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Americans stranded in Wuhan, China: Coronavirus has city on lockdown A shooting on a Greyhound bus near Los Angeles early Monday left one person dead and five injured, the police said, adding that a suspect was in custody after the driver and passengers persuaded him to get off the bus. The police received a call about a gunman shooting on the bus, heading from Los Angeles to the Bay Area, at about 1:27 a.m., Sgt. Brian Pennings of the California Highway Patrol told reporters on Monday. He said that several dozen passengers were on the bus at the time, and that the driver immediately pulled to the shoulder of the highway, Interstate 5. The driver then persuaded the gunman to get off the bus, Sergeant Pennings said. The suspect voluntarily got off the bus, leaving his handgun behind, he said. The sergeant later said that the passengers and driver, together, were able to get the suspect off of the bus without the weapon. The Chinese government has given full operational control to a nearly finished field hospital to the Chinese army on Sunday. According to reports, the field hospital will treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly new viral epidemic that is quickly spreading across China and has claimed over 300 lives in China. Hospital operational from Monday The virus has infected a lot of people and this, in turn, has severely strained medical facilities. According to state media, 1,400 military medics will treat patients at the field hospital. The hospital is equipped with 1,000 beds and has been dubbed 'Fire God Mountain'. The field hospital will receive its first patients on Monday which is just 10 days after the construction began. The state media has also announced that many of the staff at the hospital who will be treating patients were directly involved in fighting against SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) which is a strain of coronavirus very similar to the deadly new coronavirus. Read: US Urges Kazakhstan To Mount Pressure On China Over Issue Of Uighur Muslims Read: Pakistan Acquires Testing Kits From China For Coronavirus Diagnosis There is another make-shift emergency medical facility that is under construction by the Chinese authorities. The second hospital has been dubbed 'Thunder God Mountain' and is expected to be operational by Thursday. According to reports, the hospital has approximately 1,600 beds, which is 300 more than the earlier expectation. Crisis worsens Multiple countries across the world have not only started evacuating it's citizens from the country but have also started applying travel restrictions for Chinese nationals and those coming from the country. Amidst the growing crisis, WHO has repeatedly stated that it stands by China for its efforts to tackle the crisis. Director-General of WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently stated, "Let me be clear: this declaration is not a vote of no confidence in China. On the contrary, WHO continues to have confidence in Chinas capacity to control the outbreak...To the people of China & to all of those around the world who have been affected by this outbreak, we want you to know that the stands with you." Read: More Europeans Flee China Virus As Plane Heads To France Read: China's Virus Death Toll Rises To 304 The logo of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) at the headquarters. OPEC and its allies could cut production by more than a million barrels a day at a rescheduled meeting this month, as policymakers work to arrest a double-digit collapse in the price of oil. "I think it is a 'go big or go home' moment for the organization," Helima Croft, global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, told CNBC Monday. "If you are going the route of an extraordinary meeting, you will have to come up with a substantial reduction in order to prevent the market from further tanking," she said, adding that OPEC may potentially cut production in the "1 million (barrel) plus range" this month. The Wall Street Journal also reported on Monday, citing OPEC officials, that kingpin Saudi Arabia was considering an option to cut by 1 million barrels a day to jolt markets. Representatives from OPEC are reportedly planning to meet on Tuesday and Wednesday in Vienna to discuss options to mitigate the impact of a loss of demand arising from the deadly coronavirus outbreak. Various scenarios are under active consideration. While Croft suggested OPEC could cut "potentially in the million plus range," other analysts have suggested a smaller cut may be more likely. "We're expecting production cuts to the tune of about 500,000 barrels per day," Yogi Dewan, CEO of Hassium Asset Management, told CNBC's "Capital Connection." "OPEC is looking at this very, very carefully, just thinking to themselves, we need to do something here just to help support oil prices," he added. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was trading at $51.51 a barrel on Monday, having fallen more than 15% since the start of the year. Brent crude traded at $56.26 a barrel, having fallen 13% in the same period. Brent is now at its lowest level since January 2019. Oil has struggled following the outbreak of a new coronavirus in China that was first reported in late December and has spread globally in recent weeks. China's National Health Commission said there have been 17,205 confirmed cases and 361 deaths in the country as of the end of Sunday. OPEC and its allies last year agreed to reduce supply by 1.7 million barrels per day until its next meeting in March 2020, but the group is now likely to reschedule its March 5-6 meeting for February, underscoring the severity of the situation and ongoing price declines. Reports say the energy alliance's Joint Technical Committee, a non-ministerial sub group that reviews the oil market, will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday in Vienna, while a full OPEC meeting is likely to follow next week. According to Reuters reports, Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak said he would be open to an earlier meeting, while Saudi Arabia's energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, said OPEC+ would step in to bolster prices if needed. OPEC President Mohamed Arkab has also said the meeting could be moved to February, according to the Algeria Press Service. New Delhi, Feb 3 : In a major effort to reach out to Delhi traders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated a considerable amount of his speech to list out the BJP-led NDA government's pro-trader initiatives, at a poll rally here on Monday. "For the first time, IBC legislation was passed to give entrepreneurs the path to a respectable exit from business. For the first time, bank accounts of every farming family in the country received direct help. For the first time, farmers, labourers, and small traders got pension facility," said Modi at the rally in Karkardooma packed with people. Striking a cordial note, Modi claimed the BJP has a very close relationship with the Delhi traders. "It has always been the BJP's endeavour to reduce the problems of traders and enable them to do their work freely," he said. Traders and businessmen who have been traditionally BJP supporters are believed to be unhappy with the party ever since the dual blow of demonetisation and hasty GST implementation. But on Monday, Modi tried to heal their wounds, saying his government has taken steps to ensure traders get easy loans at a fast pace and there is no dearth in cash flow. Elaborating his claim, Modi said, "Till now small scale industries with a turnover of up to Rs 1 crore had to be audited. Now that limit has been increased to Rs 5 crore." In an effort to win back their trust, Modi added, "This is an example of the government's trust in the entrepreneurs of the country, millions of traders and traders of Delhi." He also spoke at length on how indirect tax settlement scheme was started by his government to address the concerns of the traders. He also stressed how a similar scheme is now planned for direct taxes as well. Delhi will go to polls on February 8 when the BJP hopes to capture power in the capital after two decades. The results will be out on February 11. When I met Zoe Swinton and Zach Krisl at the Memorial Union building on the University of Iowa campus, they had the look of being wired to the last synapsethe kind of wide-eyed energy that disguises bone-deep fatigue. Theyd been moving at superhuman speed for months on behalf of the Bernie Sanders campaign, and on Sunday night, they found themselves 24 hours away from the first finish lineMonday nights caucuses. Rest could wait. When I reached out to the Sanders state campaign before my trip to Iowa City and asked for their foremost student warriors, these were the two names they gave me. Swinton and Krisl were the true believers, not content to be anywhere but the front lines, and now that the goal they had been fighting for was just a poor nights sleep away, they were running on pure adrenalineand that adrenaline was plenty to carry them through, no matter how badly they might need to crash. There are a few ways that people come to the politics of Bernie Sanders, and Zach Krisl, 20 years old and in his third year at Iowa, came the hard way. Sitting across from me on the third floor of the IMU building, hunched beneath a blue Sanders 2020 cap, he spoke of how he felt alienated from politics for much of his childhood. He comes from a long line of food industry workers, people who were working class at the best of times, and mired in poverty at the worst. As a child, Krisl saw his father get laid off from his job at a bakery, which plunged the family into financial distress. It got worse in 2012, when his mother suffered a brain aneurysm. They had to endure a period of homelessness after that, fighting a two-year batle to get her social security payments, and they eventually moved from their small town in South Dakota to Sioux City, Iowa. It was a different, more diverse world. Each day, Krisl found himself surrounded by people speaking Vietnamese, Somali, Lao, Spanish, and unlike South Dakota, he met LGBTQ people like himself. But the problems he saw among the communitiesthe poverty, the debtwere the same problems hed experienced his entire life. The first time he heard Sanders message, he had his eyes opened. All across the board, he said, these were just things that I didnt even realize were political issues. They were just things that were wrong with my everyday life. He wasnt old enough to caucus in 2016, but he became political anyway, volunteering for Sanders and other local politicians like J.D. Scholten, who took on the infamous Steve King in 2018. He also showed a facility with languages, learning Spanish, French, German, and more than a few others. (I say more than a few others because I never quite got to the bottom of his repertoire. When he told me that hed just switched majors to Japanese, I asked if that would be his fifth language, and both he and Zoe laughed at me. Name a language, he said to me, and when I picked Italian, he responded with a flurry of words that, as far as I could tell, was fluent Italian. I should have picked something much harder.) His academic success earned him scholarships to the University of Iowa, but after one year, his father became sick. Fearing that his family would get evicted, he quit school and began working at McDonalds, sometimes up to 70 hours per week. When the crisis passed, the school reinstated his scholarships, and he was able to return in 2019. That fall, he joined the Sanders movement in earnest in the fall. He had been canvassed by plenty of campaigns, but he found that many of them were sending surrogates to the university from out of stateFlorida, for whatever reason, seemed to be the source of many emissaries. The Sanders volunteers, though, were fellow students, fellow Iowans. For the first time, he felt he might have a place in politics, which had always seemed to him like the domain of old white men with money. For someone poor, with tattoos and pierced ears, the door appeared firmly closed. Now, he began to understand that poor people had something to offer. They were not ignorant, not apathetic, but the crushing weight of the system kept them from participating. With his own energy, he sought to reverse that inertia. He became a member of Hawks for Bernie, the Sanders student organization, and he was introduced to a field organizer for the main campaign. After explaining his life story, he and the organizer went out canvassing, and in that first day alone, he managed to convert five people. One of the goals coveted by many student activists is to be hired by the campaign as a paid interna job that brings with it health insurance and a living wage of at least $15/hr for 20 hours per week of work, no small sum for a working student. It can be a long, arduous process, and the standards are high. But when the field organizer watched Krisl at work, he realized very quickly what he had. You need to apply, he said. So Krisl became a paid intern, in charge of student worker outreach, clocking 20 paid hours per week for the campaign, and volunteering beyond that threshold. I cant donate, because I dont have that much money, he said, so I donate my time. In the fall semester, Krisls life read as something beyond chaos: He worked for the campaign, volunteered when he wasnt working, kept up his studies as a full-time undergrad, and worked three other jobs: Two kitchen jobs at campus, and one at a Middle Eastern restaurant in downtown Iowa City. The campaign is attentive to stress and burnout, Krisl told me, but he keeps pushing regardless. They want to make sure Im okay above everything else, he said, because this job is incredibly stressful. I feel like the weight of the future is on my shouldersbut then again, I also have Japanese class. As you might guess, considering these are two students ensconced with the Sanders campaign, the interplay between Krisl and Zoe Swinton was mostly a display of sincerity and solidarity. The one exception came in a quick bout of one-upsmanship about who was working harderor being ground to dust more quickly. I started volunteering again in August, Swinton said at one point, and when Krisl jabbed her about having started earlier, she turned on him. You stopped! You stopped! I was doing 17 semester hours! I was doing 22! I was doing 17 and working 20 hours a week. She nodded and smiled, having cornered him. Me too. Okay, he said. Fight me. Swinton, wearing a silver sweater and silver hoop earrings, showed some mercy and laughed. Twenty-two years old and in her final semester at Iowa, she has a pretty good trump card: She was the first student on campus last fall to take up the Bernie Sanders banner. Shes the president of Hawks for Bernie, a paid intern like Krisl, and has been with the campaign long enough that shes a shop steward and belongs to the campaign workers union. Her credit goes further: At age 16, she learned that a senator from Vermont was going to be speaking in the basement of the church where her father was a pastor. That was 2014, before I even realized Sanders had been in the state, and she made the fateful decision to go see what it was all about. Like Krisl, she felt like there was no place for her in politics, and her experience to that point had involved nothing more compelling than frustrating and fruitless arguments with adults on topics like whether Obama was a Muslim. Meanwhile, in her small town of Harlan, Iowa, she watched big agriculture companies like Monsanto deplete the landscape, helped along by climate change. Hopelessness and retreat seemed like the only logical response to the political situation. But that encounter with Sandersan accident, basicallychanged her mindset. I felt like I was a third-party observer in politics, she said, but when he was talking to me in the basement of my church, and talking about the universality of his policies, I realized that, okay, yeah, hes an old white guy, but hes talking about creating a space for everyone, and creating this access in terms of healthcare and education. And its the first time I actually felt welcome in that space, and that I considered politics as something I could be engaged in. And that I could be heard. And engage she did, volunteering for months leading up to the 2016 caucus. Her family moved to Des Moines, the state capital, and while her brother went to a magnate school in a affluent neighborhood, she went to a more diverse, poorer school where she saw people getting arrested every week. The stratification was too apparent to ignore, and it inspired her to work on an initiative with the public policy center when she came to the University of Iowa. (Like Krisl, shes an overachieverwhen I asked for her major in a text after our conversation, she wrote back: Ethics & Public Policy, Anthropology, Psychology. Thats along with holding leadership positions in five student organizations, some of which shes had to give up.) When Sanders opted to run again, volunteering was a no-brainer, and she quickly moved to the top of the school organization (when Sanders visited the campus for a speech, she had the honor of introducing him). Together, she and Krisl have spent the past months engaging with their fellow students and community members in any way they can. Theyll canvass on the quads when the weathers nice, theyll attend big events attempting to sway potential caucus-goers, or theyll just ask to join their fellow students at lunch in the dining halls. (Krisl told me his recruitments have even extended to the school chefs.) As the months went by, the Hawks for Bernie organization grew, and is now the most robust on campus by far. When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came as a surrogate for Bernie Sanders, they managed to turn out almost 1,000 students. A few days later, when Joe Biden himself came, he couldnt even attract 200. Swinton and Krisl routinely blow by the 20-hour mark in their campaign duties. When we spoke, both of them had already logged their 20 hours of the week, and this was Sunday night. And along with money and guidance, the campaign has provided them with extensive training. The biggest aspect of that is persuasionhow to convince others to join your side when they may not know anything about politics, or Bernie Sanders, or may have some very wrong ideas about the candidate. We talk a lot about the person themselves, Swinton said. Were not just going to throw policy at you. None of us are policy wonks. Were in it because these issues are impacting us too. Its always asking questions, figuring out what matters to them, telling a story about ourselves. Affirming that how they feel matters. And then showing that Bernie has a policy for what they care about, because he always does. We dont often have these important conversations, because its seen as whining, Krisl added. But so many of these issues are systemic, and people dont realize that. They dont want to complain because they dont want to seem like part of the problem, when in reality the problem has been there for decades and centuries. We affirm the things theyve always felt in secret, and make them comfortable enough to talk about it. You just have to get past the barrier of people not wanting to admit they have a problem. Weve been trained not to talk about it. The idealism of activists like Swinton and Krisl has been a boon to the campaign in Iowa, but its helped them, too. Krisl has suffered from anxiety and depression, and he told me that the idea of having conversations with people who disagreed with him, in public, would have been unthinkable even six months ago. Even telling a journalist like me about his background, and his familys struggles, would have been impossible. For both of them, being part of the campaign has given them a sense of confidence and identity, and when I asked if their activity would fall off a cliff when caucus night ended, they shook their heads emphaticallyKrisl will work on the Senate campaign to defeat the Republican incumbent Joni Ernst, and Swinton has arranged to take online classes in her final semester because she hopes to be deployed by the campaign to a new state when the battle for Iowa ends. Of course, nothing looms quite as large as Monday night. When I said the magic wordsI want to ask you about the caucusyou could almost see their pupils dilate. Krisl will translate for Spanish and French caucus-goers at his precinct, while Swinton will use all her persuasion skills as a Sanders ambassador. They, along with most Sanders campaign staff, have taken four levels of caucus training sessions. At the precinct I observed in 2016, the Sanders representatives seemed confused and timid, and managed through inaction to snatch a draw from the jaws of victory, so to speak, but this time around theyre doing everything in their power to be the best-prepared campaign. The caucus is a strange and messy affair. It begins with short speeches, unless the precinct captain opts to cancel them, at which point voters move to their preference groups. This year, everyone will fill out one side of a card with their first choice. Once the totals are counted, any group with less than 15% representation is declared non-viable, at which point they can move to a viable group. This realignment process is where things get dramatic and trickyarmies of surrogates descend on the non-viable and undecided voters, and where they choose to go for their second choice can have an enormous impact on the final result. A group that was previously winning can be forced to second place, and because the delegates from each precinct are aligned based on percentages of the whole, even a victory isnt necessarily a victory. In the precinct I observed in 2016, the Sanders camp started with about 70 more votes than the Clinton group, and ended with about 50 more, but the final delegate count was 4-4. The realignment process doesnt sit well with Swinton and Krisl. Theyve spent months in intimate conversations with voters, discussing issues and spreading the message with an authenticity that comes naturally because it represents their true outlook. At the caucuses, undecided voters will be surrounded by people shouting at them in large rooms, and the process has to happen fast. Theres nothing personal about it, Krisl said. You feel cheap. It actually gets to me too, said Swinton, who is now a veteran of two caucuses. Transactional is a good word for it, because I care a lot about Bernie and what he represents, and I want you to care too. I dont want you to come over just because hes viable, I want you to come over because you believe in it. So it sucks because its so rushed. Nevertheless, theyre ready to fight in the trenches. Theyve been schooled on caucus math, and the hard truths of the precinct wars. And theyve had to shorten their message in recent days anyway, because the overall goal has transformed from persuasion to mobilization. At this point, turnout is everything. In the last two weeks, the polls have told a story that is almost too good to believe. Sanders leads by seven points in the last two Iowa polls, and if you believe the sources online, he also led in the Des Moines Register poll that was canceled at the last minute on Saturday. The last question I had for Swinton and Krisl was something thats been bothering me, and most of the other Sanders supporters I know: How are you dealing with the hope? I refuse to process it, Swinton said. I really do. Especially because I watched Hillary win my precinct with a coin toss in 2016, and I felt so defeated. Having been so invested, I was hurt. To be invested six times more in this one, I dont want to be hurt again. But at the same time I want to win, so I will not process it until it happens. Krisl took a more positive stance. It feels so different from last time. Bernie is not unknown, and he has a reputation for fighting for the people that need it most. I think we can turn out enough people that we are going to make a real difference, not just now but in history. I read about how Alexander Hamilton was 21 at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and I think, it must be crazy to be part of that. And this is our shot to make a real difference, and I think we can do it. When I left them at the end of our hour-long conversation, Swinton was headed to a friends place to spend her night making packets for the next day. Krisl wasnt going anywherehe hadnt slept well in weeks because of the butterflies, and now his stomach felt like he was constantly plunging downward on a roller coaster. He would spend some time studying Japanese, and maybe later hed sleepbut probably not. Walking back across campus through the cold night, the lingering impression was their couragethe belief that spurred them on, their refusal to become cynical. Theyve exhausted themselves for the cause, and meeting them filled me with renewed energy (and no small amount of shame for everything I havent done). Swinton and Krisl are the best of their generationburdened with the weight of the world, but armed with a dream of revolution. The lawsuit, filed by three nonprofit organizations in 2016, asserts that the dime-per-page fee unlawfully exceeds the cost of running the system. The judiciarys Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts has used the money to pay for projects such as flat-screen TVs for jurors, to send notices to bankruptcy creditors and to fund a study by Mississippi for its own court system. Mumbai Police on Monday issued Section 149 of CrPC Notice to people who have been protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Register of Citizens (NRC) and Population Register (NPR) in Nagpada area here. Section 149 of the CrPC is used to prevent cognizable offences. The protest against CAA has been going on for more than a week now in the Nagpada area here. Protests erupted in various parts of the country against the CAA since Parliament gave its nod to the Bill in December last year. The CAA grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh if they entered India on or before December 31, 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Paddy McGuinness, Chris Harris and Freddie Flintoff are the current Top Gear line-up. (PA) Top Gear is set for a channel move from its current place on BBC Two to BBC One. It comes a year after the arrival of the new line-up which saw Paddy McGuinness and Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff take over the hosting duties, along with Chris Harris who was already an existing presenter on the programme. While the switch has not yet been finalised, Deadline reports that talks about the move took place in January and is expected to air on BBC One later in the year. The publication said talks about a new home for the show were held last month, following its strong performance among young and under-served audiences. Read more: Top Gear star Freddie Flintoff to open up about bulimia battle in BBC documentary The change will mark the first time the motoring show has aired on BBC One since its 2002 relaunch. Matt LeBlanc, Chris Harris, Rory Reid, The Stig and Aurora Mulligan at the Top Gear preview launch of series 25 in London, England. (KGC-143/STAR MAX/IPx) McGuinness and Flintoff began presenting the programme on its 27th series after Matt LeBlanc's departure from the show. He originally came aboard after Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson, and James May stepped down in 2015. He was joined by DJ Chris Evans who hosted for one series only. Rory Reid also left along with LeBlanc in 2019 having been a part of four series. Paddy McGuinness attends the "Top Gear" World TV Premiere at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on January 20, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage) McGuinness has recently divulged that he had to combat his fear of flying in order to land the presenting gig. The Phoenix Nights actor shared that he underwent therapy to help get over his aviophobia in order to keep up with the travelling demands of the job. The revelation came as he also shared that the show's producers don't reveal what stunts the presenters will be tackling until they arrive at the location so they don't back out. With additional reporting by PA. UW Extension Rangeland Specialist Recognized with Early Career Award Derek Scasta A rangeland specialist with University of Wyoming Extension has received an early career honor from the Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station (WAES). Assistant Professor Derek Scasta in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management was presented the Early Career Research Achievement Award last month. WAES is the research office within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UW. Scasta has an applied research program that is diverse in terms of subject matter because of the complexity of plant-herbivore interaction ecology and his desire to create useable science for stakeholders, says John Ritten, WAES interim director. Scasta served as a county extension agent with Texas A&M University for seven years before starting his career at UW in 2014. His research is focused in individual animal characteristics and stresses, herd-level management decisions, landscape features, disturbance and seasonality, and policies and public opinion. Scasta has published over 49 journal articles and 22 extension bulletins. His research has been cited more than 100 times annually in the last two years. Scasta also is the associate editor for Rangeland Ecology and Management, the journal of the Society for Range Management. LONDON (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs downgraded ExxonMobil to "sell" following disappointing fourth-quarter results, as the Wall Street bank forecasted the oil and gas company will meet only half of its targeted returns by 2025. Irving, Texas-based Exxon's results missed Wall Street's recently lowered estimates, with earnings sliding to $5.6 billion(4.27 billion pounds) from $6 billion a year ago as weak oil and gas prices, sliding refining and chemicals profit margins offset a sharp increase in oil and gas production. Exxon CEO Darren Woods described the margin weakness as "a short-term impact". But Goldman said its decision to downgrade Exxon from "neutral" stemmed from "lack of free cashflow limiting capital returns, and risk to long-term return on capital employed (ROCE)targets". Goldman said it saw "clear downside" to Exxon's target of reaching 15% ROCE by 2025, with its own modelling now showing 8% ROCE due to lower downstream margins, lower crude oil prices and risks to execution of projects. Goldman lowered Exxon's share price target from $72 to $59. Exxon shares closed at $62.1 on Friday. (Graphic: Exxon vs Shell 2019 - https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/7/8360/8341/Pasted%20Image.jpg) (Oil Majors' cashflow - https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/7/8362/8343/Pasted%20Image.jpg) (Reporting by Ron Bousso, editing by Ed Osmond) Representative brain glucose metabolism scan from a participant in the usual low level of physical activity group (left) and from a participant in the moderate intensity aerobic training group (right). Red indicates a greater degree of brain glucose metabolism. Credit: Brain Plasticity Individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) because of family history or genetic predisposition who engaged in six months of aerobic exercise training improved their brain glucose metabolism and higher-order thinking abilities (e.g., planning and mental flexibility) called executive function; these improvements occurred in conjunction with increased cardiorespiratory fitness. The results of this study are published in a special issue of Brain Plasticity devoted to Exercise and Cognition. Drugs currently available to treat AD have limited therapeutic capacity. At a time when both the human and monetary costs of the disease are projected to rise dramatically in the coming decades, there is a critical need to provide individuals with readily-deployable strategies that can decrease the likelihood of acquiring the disease or slow its progression. Researchers therefore investigated whether exercise training in asymptomatic individuals harboring risk for AD improves markers associated with AD. "This study is a significant step toward developing an exercise prescription that protects the brain against AD, even among people who were previously sedentary," explained lead investigator Ozioma C. Okonkwo, Ph.D., of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. The study investigated 23 cognitively normal, relatively young older adults with a family history or genetic risk for AD. All patients had a sedentary lifestyle. They underwent a battery of assessments, including cardiorespiratory fitness testing, measurement of daily physical activity, brain glucose metabolism imaging (a measure of neuronal health), and cognitive function tests. Half of the participants were randomly assigned to receive information about maintaining an active lifestyle but no further intervention. The other half participated in a moderate intensity treadmill training program with a personal trainer, three times per week for 26 weeks. Compared to the participants maintaining their usual level of physical activity, individuals assigned to the active training program improved their cardiorespiratory fitness, spent less time sedentary after the training program ended, and performed better on cognitive tests of executive functioning (but not episodic memory). Executive function, an aspect of cognition that is known to decline with the progression of AD, comprises the mental processes enabling individuals to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. The participants' improved cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with increased brain glucose metabolism in the posterior cingulate cortex, an area of the brain linked to AD. "This research shows that a lifestyle behaviorregular aerobic exercisecan potentially enhance brain and cognitive functions that are particularly sensitive to the disease. The findings are especially relevant to individuals who are at a higher risk due to family history or genetic predisposition," noted Dr. Okonkwo. The lead author on the study, Max Gaitan, MEd, of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, remarked that "an important next step would be to conduct a larger, more definitive, study. If these findings are replicated, they would have a tremendous impact on quality of later life, providing individuals with more years of independent living, active engagement with loved ones, and building memories." Explore further Regular exercise may slow decline in those at risk of Alzheimer's More information: Julian M. Gaitan et al, Brain Glucose Metabolism, Cognition, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Following Exercise Training in Adults at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease, Brain Plasticity (2019). Julian M. Gaitan et al, Brain Glucose Metabolism, Cognition, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Following Exercise Training in Adults at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease,(2019). DOI: 10.3233/BPL-190093 IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Renewable energy infrastructure now under development at the Western Energy Hub, in Millard County, Utah, can be integral in helping Los Angeles and California achieve their goals of 100% zero-carbon electricity, according to a white paper published by the Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP) at the University of California, Irvine. The paper builds on over a decade of research at APEP regarding the role of renewable hydrogen and related solutions as key enablers of a future economy served by 100% renewable and zero-carbon electricity. The paper is available at: APEP Western Energy Hub White Paper. As detailed in the paper, "Integrating Clean Energy Technologies with Existing Infrastructure," the Western Energy Hub, near Delta, Utah, sits atop the only known utility-scale "Gulf Coast"-style salt dome in the western U.S., capable of storing gases, including hydrogen and compressed air, that can be drawn upon efficiently and economically to meet variable power requirements. For example, power from renewable sources can be stored as hydrogen and later returned to the grid as electricity in a variety of ways, including as a carbon-free fuel for combined-cycle turbines such as those that will be installed at the adjacent Intermountain Power Project for startup in 2025. "A key challenge to heavy reliance on solar and wind power is that, absent any enabling technologies, these resources cannot be ramped up and down on demand to match load," says Dr. Jeffrey Reed, Chief Scientist, Renewable Fuels and Energy Storage, at APEP and a lead author on the paper. "Geological gas storage of the magnitude available at the Western Energy Hub is the only technically proven solution for addressing the daily and seasonal imbalances associated with intermittent renewable energy resources. Without such resources, maintaining a reliable supply of renewable power across days and seasons will not be possible." According to Reed, electricity from renewable sources can be used to power electrolyzers, which split water into oxygen and create hydrogen, the latter a carbon-free fuel that can be stored over long periods of time without loss of energy. Compressed air energy storage (CAES) is a powerful adjunct to bulk storage of hydrogen, whereby renewable energy can be used to compress air at high pressure to store power in the same salt formations at the Western Energy Hub as will be used to store hydrogen. Beyond its distinct geological attributes, the Western Energy Hub sits in a geographically strategic location, proximate to considerable, and growing, Wyoming wind power resources and directly upstream from Los Angeles, to which it is connected via a 2,400-MW, 500-kV direct-current transmission line. The Western Energy Hub is thus well positioned to facilitate California's planned move to carbon-free electricity sourcing over the next quarter century. Additionally, its adjacency to electric transmission, natural gas pipelines and highway routes positions it as a hub for moving green hydrogen to regional decarbonizing markets. Co-author Professor Jack Brouwer added that "The Western Energy Hub's unique mix of clean power generation and energy storage resources will be foundational to western U.S. markets' transition to green energy." About the Advanced Power & Energy Program at UCI: APEP addresses the broad utilization of energy resources and the emerging connection of electric power generation, infrastructure, transportation, water resources and the environment. It seeks to develop, promote and deploy increasingly efficient and environmentally sustainable power production and energy conversion worldwide, with a focus on the creation and sharing of new knowledge through fundamental and applied research, education and outreach. About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu . Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit news.uci.edu . Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists . Advanced Power & Energy Program www.apep.uci.edu Contact: William Gary 949-824-7302 Ext. 11131 [email protected] SOURCE University of California - Irvine Related Links http://www.apep.uci.edu France will deploy 600 more soldiers in the fight against Islamist militants in the Sahel region, French Defense Minister Florence Parly said. According to Parly, the reinforcements would mostly be sent to the area between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Another part would join the G5 Sahel forces. Forces will be placed under one umbrella and efforts focused on tackling the Islamic State group, Parly said. France already has around 4,500 combat troops in West Africa, where it launched a military intervention 7 years ago. There are 12,000 UN peacekeepers in Mali called MINUSMA. Early January, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted in the southwestern French city of Pau heads of state of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania, forming the G5 group. The nations agreed to a joint command structure Coalition for the Sahel to tackle the insurgency. The security crisis in the region started in 2012 when an alliance of separatist and Islamist militants took over northern Mali, triggering a French military intervention to oust them. A peace deal was signed in 2015 but was never completely implemented and new armed groups emerged and expanded to central Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Some are linked to al-Qaeda and others to the Islamic State (IS) group. They have taken advantage of porous borders to raise money through extortion, and weapons and people trafficking. A local court here on Monday awarded 16-month imprisonment to a man in a case of negligent and rash driving, in which four people were killed and five injured in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district. The court held Basharat Hussain, a resident of Gool tehsil in Ramban district, guilty of causing death due to negligence and rash driving. He has also been told to pay a fine of Rs 4,000, defaulting on which will attract an imprisonment of 15 days. On December 2, 2010, Police had received information through reliable sources that a Tata Sumo driven by the convict had met with an accident while coming from Mahore to Gool, resulting in the death of Abdul Latief, Shamim Begum, Abdul Hamid and Sajad Hussian. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NORWALK With a black eye and a small cut on his nose, Abraham Wagshol told a judge Monday that his son did not intend to harm him during an apparent attack with a 23-inch metal pipe this weekend in their apartment. Brandon Wagshol who had been on house arrest on charges of possession of illegal high-capacity gun magazines after police say he showed an interest in mass shootings was arrested Saturday when he allegedly beat his father during a dispute over playing his video games too loudly. I dont feel a threat from him, Abraham Wagshol told Judge William Wenzel during his sons arraignment Monday at state Superior Court in Norwalk. Hes never attacked me before. Wenzel ordered a full no-contact order and banned Brandon Wagshol from returning to his fathers apartment. Wagshol was sent back to jail in lieu of $500,000 bond on the new charges of second-degree assault, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief. Defense attorney Darnell Crosland argued against the order to stay away from the Bedford Avenue apartment, saying it was tantamount to making him homeless. Wenzel said all contact between the Wagshols would have to be done through Crosland. The order could be changed, however, when Brandon Wagshol appears Thursday in state Superior Court in Stamford, where his case has been transferred. Wagshol, 22, was arrested around 5 a.m. Saturday when police say neighbors reported loud commotion coming from the apartment. Crosland blamed the attack on the unintended side effects caused by a change in the dose of his medication. Last month, police were called when a concerned neighbor reported that Wagshol had been spotted leaving his home in a helmet, camouflage and boots. Wagshol had been confined to his fathers apartment after being released in August on a $250,000 bond for four counts of possession of illegal high-capacity gun magazine charges. Police said Wagshol showed an interest in mass shootings on social media and had access to an arsenal of weapons and military gear belonging to his father. Wagshol was arrested last year after the FBI received a tip from a family member who said he was trying to buy magazine clips, officials said. An investigation revealed that Wagshol had shown interest in mass shootings as early as sixth grade, according to a search warrant for his fathers apartment. At the residence, police found a .40 caliber handgun, a .22 caliber rifle, a rifle scope with a laser, four firearm optic sites, a firearm flashlight, body armor with a titanium plate, a full camouflage outfit, a ballistic helmet, tactical gloves, a camouflage bag, computers, and numerous .40 caliber, .22 caliber and .300 blackout rounds of ammunition, the search warrant said. Police said the guns were registered to Wagshols father, who was not charged. In his witness statement, Wagshol said he had no intention of committing a mass shooting and he purchased the magazines in New Hampshire to circumvent what I viewed as an unconstitutional restriction on the second amendment. Wagshol is next scheduled to appear for that case on Feb. 20 in Stamford. During the month, 2,5 billion cubic meters of gas were transported through the Gas Transmission System of Ukraine Open source In January 2020, the transit of natural gas from Russia to Europe through Ukraine amounted to 2,55 billion cubic meters, while transit services were paid at the rate of 5,52 billion cubic meters. It was reported by the Chairman of LLC Operator of Gas Transmission System of Ukraine Serhiy Makogon on his Facebook page. "The paid capacity is used at 46%," he said. As we reported earlier, Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities may interest Poland, Moldova, Romania and Hungary as Executive Director of Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine Serhiy Makohon informed about it on Facebook. We have significant infrastructure possibilities, which are not used fully now. For example, Ukrainian gas storages are the largest in Europe but currently, less than 50% is used. Our neighbors might be interested in our services on gas storage, particularly, Poland that announced the plans on the extension of its own gas storage. Moldova, Romania and Hungary also possess such need, Makohon wrote. He also underlined that the development of regional cooperation should become one of the priorities of the energy policy of Ukraine in the coming years. Grupo Halcon, a leading Spain-based ceramic tile producer, announces a growth plan including the investment of at least 40 million during the 2020-2022 period. The company will invest in two new, state-of-the-art production lines, increasing the group's operational footprint to sixteen lines, a new, large logistical center with covered storage space, and a new showroom. Almost 30 million is expected to be invested in this first year of the growth plan. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005776/en/ Francois Brendel, the CEO of Grupo Halcon, noted: "Since the acquisition by Falcon Private Holdings in 2018, we have invested in people, processes, and capabilities in order to further professionalize the business and establish the proper foundation for the acceleration of growth. These efforts have already translated to increased sales which support the investment plan we are announcing today. This investment will expand the product range to include a greater variety of sizes, larger and smaller, as well as cutting-edge designs and a variety of polished finishes. The plan will simultaneously enhance product quality and customer service in order to further strengthen the Group's value proposition. Finally, the new showroom will proudly display our on-trend designs from leading brands including Halcon Ceramicas and Emotion Ceramics. The group's shareholders are committed to further expansion and continue to seek additional growth opportunities. The announcement of this growth plan coincides with our exhibition of more than 200 new models at the Cevisama industry tradeshow in Valencia this week. Attendees will observe a broader range of sizes, designs, and finishes to meet growing demand. Grupo Halcon employs more than 600 people across four factories to generate approximately 150 million of revenue. A majority of sales stem from exports to over 100 countries while Spain remains our largest single market. The group's majority shareholder since 2018 is Falcon Private Holdings, the US-based private investment arm of Jamshid Keynejad and Barry Siadat. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005776/en/ Contacts: Francois Brendel Grupo Halcon +33 6 83 49 29 71 fbrendel@falconph.com It looks like one of Houstons most beloved chef/pitmaster is headed to The Woodlands with a new barbecue joint. Over the weekend Ronnie Killen, owner of Killens Barbecue in Pearland (as well as Killens Steakhouse, Killens Burgers and Killens TMX in Pearland and Killens STQ in Houston), posted on Facebook his intentions to open a new barbecue restaurant at 8800 Six Pines Dr. in Shenendoah. He also created a Facebook page for Killens Barbecue of The Woodlands with the statement Get ready for Woodlands bbq. The Huawei Mate X2 may ship with a stylus, and six cameras in Q3 2020. This information has been revealed by 91mobiles, who managed to get their hands on some info, and Huaweis certification documents. Huawei seems to have filed a patent with EUIPO for a device that may become the Mate X2. The device resembles the original Mate X quite a bit, though it comes with a stylus. That patent comes with some sketches as well, which shows the design of the device, while 91mobiles claims the device will launch in Q3 2020. That timeframe is more rumored than anything, so take it with a grain of salt. Advertisement The Huawei Mate X2 may include six cameras, and not-your-regular stylus The design of this device is somewhat similar to the original Mate X. This handset, however, comes with a completely different camera module. Youll notice two cameras on its back, and when the device is folded, those cameras are not covered. All around those camera a separate display will be included, it seems so those cameras will basically be included inside the display. This device folds outwards, just like the Mate X, and next to its camera setup, just like the original. By doing that, it allows you to use those cameras both when its folded and unfolded. Those two cameras are not the only ones included here, however. On the other side of the device, there are four vertically-aligned cameras. Those cameras are placed inside a display, so we have four separate display holes here. So, the Huawei Mate X2 may included six cameras overall. Advertisement Truth be said, thats a rather odd move, especially if this ends up being the final design of the Mate X2. Considering there are already two cameras on the back, these four on the front really dont seem to be necessary. It remains to be seen what Huawei is planning. Bezels will be quite thin on this device, if the provided sketches are to be believed. Whats interesting here, is that a stylus is pictured next to the device. That doesnt seem to be your regular, rubber stylus, though. This stylus features a really thin tip, that seems to offer some sort of advanced design. That suggests that Huawei may be looking to compete with Samsung in that regard. Advertisement The Huawei Mate X was announced way back in February last year. The device has been launched in China, but the US ban limited its release elsewhere. The Mate Xs will be announced for global markets at MWC 2020 Huawei is planning to announce the Mate Xs during MWC 2020, for the global market. That device was already announced in China, so we know exactly what to expect. The Mate Xs will basically be an improved version of the Mate X, and it will look almost the same. It will ship with the Kirin 990 processor, which is 5G-enabled. We hope you like numbers because we have more of them today all courtesy of the states latest population estimates from the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia. These may just look like numbers on a spreadsheet, but they really tell a story. OK, maybe not a story as riveting as Game of Thrones. There are no dragons here, but theres plenty of life and death and general upheaval. On Sunday, we said that both Roanoke and Roanoke County were gaining population slowly, but still gaining. We also said they were gaining population in different ways. Heres how: 1. Roanoke County is dying just like some counties in Southside and the far Southwest Virginia. Heres why we say that. There are only two ways that localities gain or lose population through people moving in or out, and through births outnumbering deaths or the other way around. Roanoke gained 2,316 mostly through births outnumbering deaths but also through more people moving in than out. Roanoke County gained 1,429 but that was entirely due to more people moving in than out. In fact, Roanoke County saw 2,828 more people move in than out. Its population growth was only about half that. Why? Because unlike the city, which saw a small baby boom, Roanoke County is having a death boom. During the past decade, the county has seen deaths exceed births by 1,399 a clear sign of an aging population. Now, death is a natural part of life but heres some useful context for Roanoke Countys figures. Only five other localities in the state have a bigger deaths/births imbalance and theyre not localities Roanoke County wants to emulate. Heres deaths Top 10 the number shows the number of deaths over births: 1. Henry County: 1,759 2. Tazewell County: 1,566 3. Danville: 1,556 4. Pittsylvania County: 1,551 5. Washington County: 1,474 6. Roanoke County: 1,399 7. Mecklenburg County: 1,347 8. Scott County: 1,170 9. Lancaster County: 1,072 10. Pulaski County: 1,053 If you want to really be grim, add Danville/Pittsylvania together and Henry/Martinsville together. Those two metro areas then become Virginias two death capitals. In the former, deaths exceed births by 3,107; in the latter, 2,643. The main difference between Roanoke County and those other death localities is that Roanoke County has enough people moving in to mask all the dying. Thats a good thing, of course. No public policy can prevent the inevitable, so we cant fault these counties for having residents who die. Whats happening is they dont have enough young adults getting busy, so to speak, to make up the difference largely because they dont have enough young adults, period. Thats because only four of these 10 counties Washington, Roanoke, Lancaster and Pulaski have more people moving in than out; most of them are seeing a double whammy of both an aging population dying off and living residents (often younger ones) moving away. And only one of those localities has enough people moving in that its still gaining population despite this large die-off: Roanoke County. Now, what we dont know yet: Who are these people moving in? If theyre older adults, that wont really change the trend. If its younger adults, then that might. Thats one reason why Roanoke County is so keen on its Reimagine 419 plan it would love to connect the Tangelwood Mall area to downtown Roanoke to attract more younger adults. Its also why Pulaski County would love to attract some spillover growth from Montgomery County it very much wants to turn around decades of population decline. Pulaski doesnt need to attract 1,053 new people to reverse death/birth ratio. It just needs 500 or so young adults assuming then that nature takes its course. That may not be as difficult as it sounds . . . 2. Some localities in Southwest Virginia are seeing more people move in than out. Every county or city west of Radford is losing population, and those population declines are most severe in the coal counties of far Southwest Virginia. But a few are seeing net in-migration; its just overwhelmed by deaths outnumbering births. The net gains are sometimes quite small a net in-migration of 65 in Wythe County, 47 in Carroll County and 15 in Washington County. Still, something is drawing people there. For localities looking to reverse demographic declines, even a small surplus in that column is an asset to build on. The west-of-Radford localities with the biggest in-migration rates are Pulaski (278) and, surprisingly, very rural Grayson County (555). Again, we dont know what ages these people are but its entirely possible that if Pulaski needs 500 or so young adults, it could be more than halfway there. 3. The problem in the coal counties is primarily an economic one. All the localities in far Southwest Virginia lost population. Buchanan Countys decline was the steepest at 11.6%; Nortons the slowest at 2%. In each one, out-migration accounted for the vast majority of that population decline. In Wise County, 79% of the countys population decline is due to people moving out. In Lee County, its 72%, in Dickenson County, 71%, in Buchanan County, just under 70%. In Norton, the figure is actually more than 100% its the only locality west of Radford where births exceeded deaths. The only other places in the state where we see such high rates of out-migration driving population declines are Hampton and Petersburg. Other places losing population are usually driven by deaths outnumbering both births and new residents moving in. We cant fully explain Hampton but Petersburg has a lot of the same economic problems that the coal counties do the decline of traditional employers. There are two ways to look at this. The optimistic way: If these communities could create a new economy, they wouldnt be hemorrhaging population at such historic rates. The pessimistic way: Even if nobody moved out, theyd still be losing population because deaths exceed births everywhere except Norton. The more realistic way: If fewer young adults moved out, some of these demographic problems would take care of themselves. In any case, it all comes back to the need to find a new economy to replace coal. Its in the coal counties that we see most clearly the devastating effects of out-migration. Theres another place in the state, though, where we see even more out-migration. Well look at that on Tuesday. Frauds involving Rs 1,13,374 crore were reported by banks and select financial institutions in the first half of the current financial year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told Parliament on Monday. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, the minister said the government in 2015 had issued 'Framework for timely detection, reporting, investigation relating to large value bank frauds' for public sector banks (PSBs) to deal with suspected frauds involving sums of money in excess of Rs 50 crore. It had also instituted wide-ranging structural and procedural reforms through the framework and other steps to check fraudulent banking practices. She said systematic and comprehensive checking, including legacy stock of PSBs' non-banking assets (NPAs), for frauds under the framework has been taken note of by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its Financial Stability Report in December 2019, where it has observed that this has helped unearth frauds perpetrated over a number of years. "This is reflected in the increased amount involved in frauds of Rs 1 lakh and above, reported by scheduled commercial banks and select financial institutions, from Rs 23,934 crore in the financial year 2016-17 to Rs 41,167 crore in 2017-18, Rs 71,543 crore in 2018-19, and Rs 1,13,374 crore in the first half of the current financial year," she said. The minister further said that while improved "detection" and "reporting" has increased the reported amount involved in recent years, the comprehensive steps taken to check bank frauds have resulted in the amount involved by year of occurrence of fraud showing a declining trend. She said amount involved in frauds that took place in the reporting year reduced sharply from Rs 38,548 crore in 2016-17 to Rs 16,084 crore in 2017-18, increased slightly to Rs 18,893 crore in 2018-19, and declined again to Rs 3,010 crore in the first half of the current financial year. Sitharaman said that primarily, as a result of transparent recognition of stressed assets as NPAs, gross NPAs of PSBs, as per RBI data on global operations, rose from Rs 2,79,016 crore as on March 31, 2015, to Rs 6,84,732 crore as on March 31, 2017, and Rs 8,95,601 crore as on March 31, 2018. She further said that as a result of the government's strategy of recognition, resolution, recapitalisation and reforms, gross NPAs of PSBs have since declined by Rs 1,68,305 crore to Rs 7,27,296 crore as on September 30, 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The new amendments aim to broaden the scope of terrorist entities to include hostile television channels involved in inciting violence and promoting terrorist activities The Egyptian parliaments Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee began on Monday morning discussing new amendments to the so-called terrorist entities law (law no.8/2015). The new amendments aim to widen the scope of entities labelled as terrorist or being involved in funding terrorist activities and operations. Article 1 of the 2015 law will be amended to place Muslim Brotherhood-linked television channels broadcasting from Turkey and Qatar on the list of terrorist entities. The list will also include radio stations and social media accounts involved in inciting violence and terrorism. The last period showed that a number of television channels were involved in inciting violence and promoting terrorist operations, and so these channels should be placed on the list of entities designated as terrorist, said the amendment, adding that this will include channels established by individuals, companies or institutions. The amendments also state that individuals labelled terrorists will be stripped of all forms of government subsidies, primarily food subsidies. These, once labelled terrorist, will also lose all kinds of public memberships, including those in professional syndicates, boards of companies, sporting clubs, and unions, said the draft law. In funding terms, the amendments state that all assets owned by terrorist entities will be frozen. The returns of these assets owned either directly or indirectly by a terrorist entity will be confiscated, said the draft law, indicating that these assets could be financial or economic resources such as oil or natural resources, as well as all forms of property, documents, legal tools, national or foreign currency, financial or commercial securities, tourist and banking cheques, documentary credit, and all returns or profits generated by all these assets or others." The amendments also state that entities publicly declared as terrorist will be banned from exercising any activities such as gathering money or holding meetings or having offices. All forms of promotion such as raising the slogans of terrorist activities will be also banned and incriminated, said the draft law. The amendments also state that individuals listed as terrorists will be stripped of passports and barred from assuming public posts or joining parliament. Search Keywords: Short link: A growing number of inventive startups has fed expectations that South Africa can be a hub for innovation in the industrial internet of things (IIoT). And while there has been progress and examples of the deployment of IIoT-related technology in the industrial sector in the country, there are roadblocks to more rapid growth, typically involving difficulty in making the business case for implementing new applications. IIoT is a subset of IoT that includes connecting devices and machinery in industrial sectors to monitoring, control and data analysis systems. It involves the merger of enterprise IT with operational technology, or OT the instrumentation of physical devices and processes. In South Africa, 2019 was to be the year that home-grown startups would lead innovation in the sector, according to Frost & Sullivans 2019 ICT trends for South Africa. Whether the actual number of IIoT deployments has lived up to expectations may be debatable, but there appears to be broad interest in field. Evidence for this could be seen by the turnout at the MTN IoT awards in October, according to Jeremy Potgieter, SADC (Southern African Development Community ) regional head at Eseye, which offers highly managed global IoT cellular services. IIoT applications target different sectors At the awards, the Discovery Vitality Drive Sensor, a telematics solution that collects data about drivers behaviour for insurance and safety purposes, won best commercial IoT solution, while Exxaros earlyROM Mining Production System took home the honours for most disruptive IoT solution. Overall winner, Informed Decisions offers applications such as SmartDraught for the beverage industry, ConnectedRestaurant, and appliance offerings that track that products arrive at their destination undamaged. Roger Hislop, Chair of the IoT Industry Council (IOTIC) and consulting executive at Reason IOT, who was one of the judges at the MTN IoT awards, highlighted an innovative solution from Nerospec that used IoT technologies to track weapons (location and when, where and how they were fired) and which was of particular interest to the law enforcement agencies and security companies. IIoT in South Africa is mostly serviced by established vendors or traditional software and hardware suppliers servicing the SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) space, said Ryno Goosen, Managing Director at Locstat, which serves IIoT needs for customers such as I&Js fishing fleet and Peninsula Beverages. He says that South African startups have recognised that there are opportunities to create products that focus on niche areas in the IIoT stack that other established vendors do not necessarily cover. Building on a new tech stack means that startups can solve problems more quickly, and provide better solutions to cope with the growth of data that IIoT leads to. Locstats approach is based in DataStax, a database with a hybrid cloud architecture. Legacy systems can tap IIoT For Goosen, the benefit for businesses is that they have more options and opportunities to leverage existing implementations by adding startup products to enhance and strengthen existing solutions. He cites examples such as DataProphet, which specialises in AI for manufacturing, with a particular foothold in the automotive manufacturing industry. In the agriculture field Aerobotics are providing innovative drone and analytical solutions for crop management where sensor-based systems would be prohibitively expensive, he says. Goosens own Locstat initiatives include innovating by driving AI into real-time analytics in the high-volume transaction and sensor data streaming markets. Part of the challenge for wider IIoT uptake is convincing businesses of what IIoT can offer and helping them understand the value of using data to make better decisions, and therefore allow the plant to run more efficiently and effectively, said Michael Powell of Age Technologies, a subsidiary of 4Sight Technologies Group. They see IIoT as a solution looking for a problem, he says. Age Technologies customers are mostly in the mining and manufacturing space. Powell explains that the traditional hierarchy of a control system, which is like a pyramid, has changed, so that now the different blocks can communicate directly up into a centralised database. You can put any intelligent device down and set it to communicate and send data and information about the status of the specific device into the cloud and then employ intelligent decision-making using algorithms to manage and run the plant more efficiently. IIoT for just-in-time manufacturing He says the innovations in IIoT draw on existing understanding of these plant processes, but then allow enterprise-level use of IIoT to enable, for example, just-in- time manufacturing through supplier stock control and management. Powell adds that there have been easy wins for IIoT in the metering space, with gas, water and electricity suppliers. However, companies need help to understand firstly the possible use cases and then how best to implement IIoT solutions. Powell says that the blurring of boundaries between IT and Operational Technology (OT) has created some confusion and uncertainty, because where in the past the major players in this industrial space were companies like Siemens, Schneider and ABB, they are now being joined by the likes of Microsoft and Huawei. Determining a business case is key IOTICs Hislop agreed, citing the example of an innovative IoT solution to manage rat infestations for pest control companies that did not move into deployment because the client was not able to put a compelling business case in place. He says this is a case in point of why innovation does not happen. Its often not the technology or the idea; its the difficulty of quantifying the advantage of the idea in a way that makes a compelling business case to get the budget approved, he said. In March last year, the IOT Industry Council (IOTIC) was constituted in Cape Town to represent the interests of the technology industry in South Africa designing, building and deploying solutions based on IoT technologies. Hislop explains that for them IoT is defined as devices not requiring mains power while talking over wireless networks to the cloud. IOTIC is lobbying government from the perspective that the high-tech manufacturing sector in SA could be accelerated by supporting IoT manufacture. Its a sector that doesnt need massive expenditure to start manufacturing, Hislop explains. Design and engineering are priced in rands, as are production and assembly. There are only electronic components that are priced in dollars. Therefore, it could be highly cost competitive against other markets, Hislop says. While IIoT uptake has been slower than anticipated, Hislop believes that 2020 will be the year that IoT takes off. South Africa is poised for innovation in this space if the composition of the IOTIC is anything to go by. Hislop explained that the membership profile breaks down into a U shape, typical of a developing market. Of about 36 paid members, just over 40 percent are small businesses with less than 20 people and just over 30 percent are large or very large companies, with 2,000 people or more. It is interesting because it shows that there are lots of innovative startups that are targeting IoT, alongside large enterprises looking at IoT as an adjacent market they can move into. There is a great deal of opportunity out there for people who are innovative. First published in the Sydney Morning Herald on February 5, 1993 When Thomas Keneally's first novel, The Place at Whitton, was published in 1964 and the young unknown was living in Homebush, a review by Max Harris asked: "And where is Homebush?". If place is as much a state of mind as of geography, Homebush right now is in the shadow of the Arnott's biscuit factory, and the fight which reaches its apogee at 5 pm today when acceptances of the Campbell offer finally close. A notable employer... Workers at Arnott's factory in Homebush on January 28, 1993. Credit:Michele Mossop Earlier in the week, Australia's best-known author had flown back from California straight into the eye of the Arnott's storm. Kerala health minister KK Shailaja told reporters that the government has declared the epidemic as a 'state calamity' to take all necessary steps to ensure the outbreak is effectively controlled Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Monday declared novel coronavirus epidemic as a "state calamity" with a third student testing positive for the infection in the state. State health minister KK Shailaja told reporters that the government has declared the epidemic as a "state calamity" to take all necessary steps to ensure the outbreak is effectively controlled. The decision was taken at the apex committee of the State Disaster Management Authority chaired by Chief Secretary Tom Jose, she said, hours after the third positive case in the country was confirmed from the state. A medical bulletin issued by the government said the health status of all the three students, who tested positive for the virus, was "satisfactory". Earlier, two students from the state who studied in Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the epidemic, had tested positive for the virus in Thrissur and Alappuzha. Till date, a total of 2,239 people, who travelled from the novel coronavirus affected countries, including China, have been identified and placed under surveillance in the state, it said. Of them, as many as 2,155 are under home quarantine and 84 have been admitted to isolation wards in hospitals. Shailaja said some people who have returned from China were evading the health department."What they are doing by not reporting is very dangerous", A change of mindset among Garda top brass is key if the force is to become a more community-focussed police service, better protecting areas ravaged by drugs and crime, write Security Correspondent Cormac OKeeffe Johnny Connolly has been around long enough not to give hostage to fortune. Asked will or can the massive restructuring planned for An Garda Siochana and policing actually bring about the necessary changes, he takes a moment, before saying: I think it can change. He was speaking to the Irish Examiner after publishing his latest detailed research, Building Community Resilience, commissioned by a network of four community policing fora spread across Dublin south west, inside and outside the Grand Canal. It surveyed the experiences of working-class communities, battered by drugs, gangs and disadvantage, and the inadequate response of the State, in terms of policing and youth intervention. It utilised a crime-mapping system, used previously in the Greentown project by researchers at University of Limerick, to provide a visual representation of criminal networks, their scale, associations and hierarchy. Along with research assistant Jane Mulcahy of University College Cork, Dr Connolly spoke to gardai and community activists on the ground. It was his first research report after being a member of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. Its report, published in September 2018, has been adopted by the Government and an implementation group is the process of endeavouring to make it a reality. Dr Connolly worked for 10 years as a criminologist within the Health Research Board, during which he produced a major research document, commissioned by the Department of Justice, on the illicit drugs market. Before that, he did numerous pieces of research on drugs and crime in Dublins north inner city. A number of sources said his input into the CFPI was instrumental in its recommendations in relation to community policing in particular. Making communities safe Central to this is the concept of community safety, with the prevention of harm and the rights of communities central to this reorientation of policing. Parallel with this is making the protection of the community not just the responsibility of policing but of a whole range of state services, including mental health as well as social, family, youth and drug services. This would include crisis intervention teams, comprising gardai and social workers, which, the concept goes, be operational around the clock. The Commission on the Future of Policing found that around 80% of law enforcement work is nothing to do with policing and crime its dealing with vulnerable people, mental health and addiction, Dr Connolly said. Common to both this report, and Community Resilience, is a focus on communities, particularly working class communities and the right they have to a proper policing response. People think of rights in this area to do with people accused of crimes, but communities also have rights. Communities have a right to be safe. Parents have a right to raise their kids in safety. These rights dont often enter the debate, but communities are entitled to community safety, he said. He said state agencies must be obliged to deliver on these rights for communities. Launching the Community Resilience report, Dublins top police officer, Assistant Commissioner Pat Leahy said: The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland called us out. It said neither your structures nor your behaviours reflect the view you have of yourselves as a community policing organisation. You know for me personally, that was a slap in the face. Regarding the new community-focused police service set out in the commissions report, the chief said: If senior [garda] management do not have a change of mindset and are not totally committed to it, it is not going to happen its as simple as that. Dr Connolly said the assistant commissioner gets it when it comes to local communities and policing. The commission report said An Garda Siochana have this idea of themselves as a community policing organisation, but we said the structures are not there, the way it is organised and the way community policing is valued it is not valued is not there. Essentially, the view they have of themselves does not reflect reality. He said the commissions view was that the vast majority of gardai in a division should be community focused. He said the organisation first had to accept this vision and then determine how it would do it. He said the divisional policing model which preceded the appointment of Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, but is now being actively driven by him was the biggest structural reform of the organisation since its foundation almost 100 years ago. He said this was the first and essential part of reform and that this would drive the cultural change that AC Leahy was flagging. The appointment of Drew Harris as Garda Commissioner appears to dovetail with the focus on the community, as the former PSNI chief has, from the outset, put the protection of people, particularly vulnerable people, at the heart of his policing philosophy. The Community Resilience report documented the impact of a relatively small number of criminals, many of them just children, have on local communities. Gardai at the scene where a man in his 20s was killed after being shot in the head outside a gym in Applewood Close in Swords Dublin. Picture: RollingNews.ie The research, similar to the Greentown project, refers to criminal networks rather than gangs, to reflect the loose structure involved, though it was combined, particularly in one of the two networks mapped, out with a controlling hierarchy of key players and local lieutenants. The networks provide status, power and access to money for many young people, some of them as young as 10, while others are ensnared by debts accumulated through drug use. These networks inflict terror on families of young people who owe money, or who have drugs seized from them by gardai. More insidious and corrosive, is the general fear and silence they impose on communities. The Community Resilience report called for a multi-agency response to those key leaders of the criminal networks and intensive intervention towards both local lieutenants and street dealers, as well as a rescue plan for those very young children at risk of being groomed into the networks. Young people being sucked into the drug trade do need a law enforcement response because of the serious harm being done and the potential of even greater harm being posed. That intervention needs to look at who is doing the grooming and how can we access those children and work with their families. On a side issue, Dr Connolly is heavily critical of the State working group set up to examine possible alternatives to the criminalisation of the possession of drugs for personal use. The group recommended keeping possession a criminal offence but recommended a health intervention for a first, and possibly second offence, and the use of an adult caution. The working group really underachieved and Im really disappointed that what it came to was an expansion of the adult caution scheme and diverting people, he said. Criminalisation further stigmatises and does not address availability or access. He said that after intervening with young people being groomed, communities and young people more generally must be helped. Then we need to look at how can we support communities, and build up their strength, and look at the young people, build up their agency and pro-social opportunities for them, so they are not lured through exploitation or intimidation into the trade. He added: We mapped out the scale of these networks and said this was manageable. We are challenging the narrative in the media that this is out of control. We are saying this isnt out of control. Yes, it is problematic, yes, it is serious, but it is manageable. Long haul Given all these developments in terms of the focus on communities and community policing, the restructuring of the organisation and the implementation of the Policing Commission does he think things can or will change? Thinking about it, he said: I think it can change. There does seem to be a real interest in a different approach. He noted the words of deputy general secretary of the Department of Justice, Oonagh McPhillips, at the launch of the report. She noted one of the findings, that the numbers involved in the criminal networks was relatively small and that the problem should be manageable. She said the research came on the back of the Policing Commission report, which she described as revolutionary in making policing and community safety a shared responsibility. She said the landmark Policing and Community Safety Bill would deliver a co-ordinated multi-agency approach to community safety, and that communities would be at the centre of identifying issues and solutions. The aim was to instill confidence in communities of state services and increase the sense of safety within communities. Responsibility would be placed across government and statutory agencies. She expected the bill to be brought to Government in the first quarter of 2020, after consultation was carried out comments made before the election was called, meaning the timeframe will be delayed somewhat. Dublins top police officer, Assistant Commissioner Pat Leahy, launched the Community Resilience report. Picture: Gareth Chaney Collins Dr Connolly said that Ms McPhillips was indicating that the response from across government was overwhelmingly positive. He added: I have to take her word for it and I do. There some seem to be a willingness to engage. He accepted there would be implications for work practices and trade unions in creating a 24/7 multi-agency service. It makes sense. They can see the logic and the evidence for it, but can they make it happen? He said that if he was a senior policy maker with the Department of Justice or An Garda Siochana the difficulties police have in accessing local communities should be a serious issue for the State. He said: There is a serious need to tackle it now, before it does become unmanageable. He said one part of this and it was a need identified also in the Policing Commission report is to actively recruit from working-class communities. The Policing Commission said: A significant weakness in the police service is diversity in socio-economic and geographical background. We visited lower income urban areas and border areas from which no young people apply to join the police. These areas have distinct policing challenges. It should be a high priority to recruit people who come from those communities and know them well. Dr Connolly said it would be of huge benefit to the organisation if they followed this advice. Parallel with this, he acknowledged that policing on the ground in communities hardest hit by criminal networks, the drugs trade and neglect, and interacting with young people there, requires a certain attitude and skills by the gardai. They will experience rough interactions, he said, but they need to treat the young people with respect the first time. They have to be extra professional and role models. They need to take that [rough talk] on the chin and be trained in conflict management. If you treat someone with respect, even if they treat you very derogatively or abusively, you break down divisions over time. They will see you in the area, talking to people. But he stressed, this is a long haul and requires deep commitment from the agencies. The gardai need to build up relations and, over time, the people there might talk to you about other things. The organisation is still in a good position: a lot of these communities are looking for more gardai and visibility in other countries they dont want the police around. They want gardai there. Three air stewardesses who helped passengers escape from a blazing plane are suing British Airways for over 100,000. Marie Dyos, Lynette Robinson and Suely Goncalves-McLoughlin say they were left mentally scarred after helping evacuate 170 passengers from a Boeing 777. One of the aircraft's engines had burst into flames at Las Vegas' McCarran Airport in September 2015. Scroll for video Marie Dyos (left), Lynette Robinson (centre) and Suely Goncalves-McLoughlin (right) say they were left mentally scarred after helping evacuate 170 passengers from a Boeing 777 One of the aircraft's engines had burst into flames at Las Vegas' McCarran Airport in September 2015 (pictured) The plane's left engine began flaming as the Gatwick-bound airliner accelerated for take off, forcing the pilot to brake and order an emergency evacuation. The three cabin crew helped passengers escape the jet as black smoke and fire billowed from its wing, staying onboard until the last had left, Mayor's and City of London Court heard. All the travellers survived the fire, but 20 were injured - mainly when exiting the plane by the escape chutes. The flight attendants have been left with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), their lawyers say, while Miss Goncalves-McLoughlin also damaged her vision in the accident. They are now suing British Airways Plc in court, with Ms Robinson and Miss Goncalves-McLoughlin claiming 40,000 each. Mrs Dyos is claiming 30,000. The three cabin crew (left, Mrs Dyos and right, Ms Robinson) helped passengers escape the jet as black smoke and fire billowed from its wing, staying onboard until the last had left, Mayor's and City of London Court heard Passengers evacuate after the engine of the British Airways jet burst into flames at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas in September 2015 Their lawyers allege negligence by the BA air crew in 'failing to follow the engine fire checklist,' leading to 97 gallons of fuel spilling on to the runway and allegedly feeding the fire. The captain was also at fault in delaying shutting down the still functioning right engine, it is claimed, which prolonged the evacuation because two key escape slides could not be used. British Airways denies all blame. Defence lawyers dispute that the crew failed to follow the engine fire checklist and also deny the pilot was to blame in ordering evacuation before shutting down the right engine. Martin Haukeland, who is representing the women, said they were forced to evacuate the passengers while two of the eight exits were unusable due to the captain's failure to shut down the right engine. He said in court documents: 'Throughout this time, the aircraft, at that time fully laden with fuel, was on fire with smoke and flames visible.' Lynette Robinson, 42, of Peacehaven, East Sussex, had opened a door on the right of the plane, but the escape chute was unusable due to the blast from the still-running right engine. Ms Robinson is now haunted by nightmares and flashbacks and remains 'anxious and hyper vigilant,' said the barrister, adding: 'she is undergoing further treatment and a final prognosis awaits this. 'The current view is that the prognosis is poor.' Miss Goncalves-McLoughlin, of St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, was injured when she likewise opened a door on the right of the plane to release the escape chute. Mr Haukeland said: 'When she looked out, her eyes were exposed to high velocity particles thrown up by the still running right-hand engine.' She then blocked the exit and redirected the passengers, but her cornea was damaged by the blast from the jet, causing permanent dryness to her eyes, he said. She also suffers from PTSD, is plagued by intrusive memories, and remains socially withdrawn and hyper-vigilant, he added. Mrs Dyos, of Horley, Surrey, has since continued to work for BA, but is struggling to cope with symptoms of her PTSD, the court heard. She is undergoing treatment for her anxiety, and although currently able to carry on, the future of her chosen career remains unclear. 'The prognosis - for her principal symptom of anxiety - is poor and she will probably be unable to continue in her current work as cabin crew,' Mr Haukeland said. On top of the psychological effects, Mrs Dyos suffers from lasting shoulder pain due to holding closed a cupboard door to create a gangway for the fleeing passengers, she says. 'My life has never been the same since then,' she told the court. 'I'm trying to get compensation for my injuries - and specially my psychiatric injuries.' The case reached court in a pre-trial clash as British Airways tried to block the women's claims from going ahead in the UK. BA's barrister Lucy Wyles pointed out all three have settled separate lawsuits brought against The Boeing Company and GE Aviation Systems LLC in the US. Pictured: The plane after the fire BA's barrister Lucy Wyles pointed out all three have settled separate lawsuits brought against The Boeing Company and GE Aviation Systems LLC in the US. In the US case - settled in 2016 - Miss Goncalves-McLoughlin received $45,000 (34,000), while Ms Robinson and Mrs Dyos each walked away with $35,000 (27,000). The barrister argued any future award in the UK courts would be an unfair 'double recovery' in view of the compensation already paid out. But Judge Stephen Hellman QC ruled against BA, giving the stewardesses the green light to claim damages from BA in the UK courts. Yet he decided they cannot rely on allegations based on engine defects causing the fire because those claims were directed at the US manufacturers. The three women have made clear they accept any UK award will have to give credit for their US settlement pay-outs, the court heard. Their barrister said they had accepted the US settlement on the understanding they could still sue BA in the English courts and receive full compensation for their psychiatric injuries. Ms Robinson told the court: 'I always had the intention of pursuing British Airways. 'I feel that the settlement was too little. At the time I was not aware that I would be experiencing ongoing symptoms that would be with me in every aspect of my life. 'I could not predict then what I am now feeling. Nobody could have gauged what my psychological injuries were and how they would deteriorate.' After two days of intense legal argument, Judge Hellman said he was 'persuaded' the case should be allowed to go forward for a full trial, although he gave BA permission to appeal his decision. He also ordered BA to pay 30,000 towards the three women's legal costs so far, adding: 'British Airways were trying to bring this claim to an end and failed to do that.' A spokesman for BA told MailOnline: 'The safety and welfare of our colleagues and customers is always our priority. 'As legal action is on-going, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.' Courier company Toll has shut down some of its services after a cyber security breach. Toll Group, which also provides transport and logistics services, said its IT teams were working closely with security experts. Toll Group. Credit:Pat Scala "As a precautionary measure, in response to a cyber security incident on Friday, Toll deliberately shut down a number of systems across multiple sites and business units," a spokesperson said. Toll has not said how many customers are affected. The company delivers 95 million items around the globe every year, including United States travel documents to Australians. Chinas death toll from the coronavirus epidemic soared past 360 on Monday, with deepening global concern about the outbreak and governments closing their borders to people from China. The fresh toll came a day after China imposed a lockdown on a major city far from the epicentre and the first fatality outside the country was reported in the Philippines. Authorities in Hubei, the province at the epicentre of the outbreak, reported 56 new fatalities, with one reported in the southwestern megalopolis of Chongqing. That took the toll in China to 361, exceeding the 349 mainland fatalities from the 2002-3 SARS outbreak. Struggling to contain the virus, authorities took action in the eastern city of Wenzhou on Sunday, closing roads and confining people to their homes.- Wenzhou is some 800 kilometres (500 miles) from Wuhan, the metropolis at the heart of the health emergency. Since emerging out of Wuhan late last year, the new coronavirus has infected more than 17,200 people across China and reached 24 nations. The G7 countries Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States have all confirmed cases of the virus. They will discuss a joint response, Germanys health minister Jens Spahn said on Sunday. In Thailand, which has 19 confirmed cases, doctors said Sunday an elderly Chinese patient treated with a cocktail of flu and HIV drugs had shown dramatic improvement and tested negative for the virus 48 hours later. Most of the infections overseas have been detected in people who travelled from Wuhan, an industrial hub of 11 million people, or surrounding areas of Hubei province. The man who died in the Philippines was a 44-year-old from Wuhan, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared the epidemic a global health emergency. China has embarked on unprecedented efforts to contain the virus, which is believed to have jumped to humans from a Wuhan animal market, and can be transmitted among people. Wenzhou lockdown Chinas efforts have included extraordinary quarantines in Wuhan and surrounding cities, with all transport out banned, effectively sealing off more than 50 million people. But 10 days after locking down Wuhan, authorities imposed similar draconian measures on Wenzhou, a coastal city of nine million people in Zhejiang province, part of the eastern industrial heartland that has powered Chinas economic rise over recent decades. Only one resident per household is allowed to go out every two days to buy necessities, and 46 highway toll stations have been closed, authorities announced. The city had previously closed public places such as cinemas and museums, and suspended public transport. Zhejiang has more than 660 confirmed infections, with several hundred of those in Wenzhou, according to the government. This is the highest tally for any province in China after ground-zero Hubei. Closing borders The United States, Australia, New Zealand and Israel have banned foreign nationals from visiting if they have been in China recently, and they have also warned their own citizens against travelling there. Mongolia, Russia and Nepal have closed their land borders. The number of countries reporting infections rose to 24 after Britain, Russia and Sweden confirmed their first cases this weekend. There were 2,829 new confirmed cases nationally on Monday, bringing the total infected to 17,205, health officials said. With hospitals in Wuhan overwhelmed, China will open a military-led field hospital Monday that was built in just 10 days to treat people stricken by the virus. And with the Chinese economy suffering, the central bank announced it would release 1.2 trillion yuan ($173 billion) on Monday to maintain liquidity in the banking system the day markets re-open after the long holiday break. Holiday ending The emergence of the virus coincided with the Lunar New Year, when hundreds of millions travel across the country in planes, trains and buses for family reunions. The holiday, which was scheduled to end on Friday, was extended by three days to give authorities more time to deal with the crisis. With many due back at work on Monday, people were starting to return on planes and trains over the weekend, with almost everyone wearing face masks. Customs authorities had ordered temperature checks at all exit-entry points in Beijing, according to state media. Returning travellers were being checked and registered at residential compounds, while fever checks were in place in subway stations, offices and cafes. One 22-year-old arriving at a Beijing train station from northeastern China said her family had urged her to delay her return. But I was worried it would affect my job, she said. Security guard Du Guiliang, 47, said he would be starting back at work in Beijing on Sunday, after returning from northeast Liaoning province. Many colleagues (from Hubei) couldnt come back. Now, those who work the day shift at our company have to do the night shift as well, he said. Many businesses were to remain closed for at least another week, however, while some major cities including Shanghai had also extended the holiday. SOURCE: AFP | PHOTO: AFP If you own shares in Canadian Western Bank (TSE:CWB) then it's worth thinking about how it contributes to the volatility of your portfolio, overall. In finance, Beta is a measure of volatility. Volatility is considered to be a measure of risk in modern finance theory. Investors may think of volatility as falling into two main categories. The first category is company specific volatility. This can be dealt with by limiting your exposure to any particular stock. The other type, which cannot be diversified away, is the volatility of the entire market. Every stock in the market is exposed to this volatility, which is linked to the fact that stocks prices are correlated in an efficient market. Some stocks are more sensitive to general market forces than others. Beta is a widely used metric to measure a stock's exposure to market risk (volatility). Before we go on, it's worth noting that Warren Buffett pointed out in his 2014 letter to shareholders that 'volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' Having said that, beta can still be rather useful. The first thing to understand about beta is that the beta of the overall market is one. A stock with a beta greater than one is more sensitive to broader market movements than a stock with a beta of less than one. See our latest analysis for Canadian Western Bank What CWB's beta value tells investors Looking at the last five years, Canadian Western Bank has a beta of 1.96. The fact that this is well above 1 indicates that its share price movements have shown sensitivity to overall market volatility. If this beta value holds true in the future, Canadian Western Bank shares are likely to rise more than the market when the market is going up, but fall faster when the market is going down. Many would argue that beta is useful in position sizing, but fundamental metrics such as revenue and earnings are more important overall. You can see Canadian Western Bank's revenue and earnings in the image below. Story continues TSX:CWB Income Statement, February 3rd 2020 Could CWB's size cause it to be more volatile? Canadian Western Bank is a fairly large company. It has a market capitalisation of CA$2.9b, which means it is probably on the radar of most investors. It takes deep pocketed investors to influence the share price of a large company, so it's a little unusual to see companies this size with high beta values. It may be that that this company is more heavily impacted by broader economic factors than most. What this means for you: Beta only tells us that the Canadian Western Bank share price is sensitive to broader market movements. This could indicate that it is a high growth company, or is heavily influenced by sentiment because it is speculative. Alternatively, it could have operating leverage in its business model. Ultimately, beta is an interesting metric, but there's plenty more to learn. This article aims to educate investors about beta values, but it's well worth looking at important company-specific fundamentals such as Canadian Western Banks financial health and performance track record. I urge you to continue your research by taking a look at the following: Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for CWBs future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for CWBs outlook. Past Track Record: Has CWB been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of CWB's historicals for more clarity. Other Interesting Stocks: It's worth checking to see how CWB measures up against other companies on valuation. You could start with this free list of prospective options. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Iran has now become a pariah. U.S.-sponsored sanctions have reduced the theocracy to near-bankruptcy. Most nations understand that if Iran kills Americans or openly starts up its nuclear program, the U.S. will inflict disproportional damage on its infrastructure a warning that at first baffled, then angered and now has humiliated Iran. The Allahabad high court on Monday transferred from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow the trial in the sexual abuse case against former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand while granting him bail with several conditions. "The trial court will take up the case on priority basis, preferably on day to day basis and trial will be concluded within one year," the court said while shifting the trial to the Lucknow district court based on the survivor's apprehension that Chinmayanad, being a powerful person in his home town Shahjahanpur where the trial is currently taking place, could tamper with evidence and influence the proceedings. Justice Rahul Chaturvedi issued the bail order on the plea filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party leader. The order directed Chinmayanand to file an undertaking stating that he shall not seek any adjournment on the date fixed for evidence when the witnesses are present in court. "In case of default of this condition, it shall be open for the trial court to treat it as abuse of liberty of bail and pass orders in accordance with law," the order said. Justice Chaturvedi also directed Senior Superintendent of Police, Lucknow to ensure the security and safety of the survivor, her family members and witnesses during the entire trial period by deputing an officer of the rank of Senior Sub Inspector and armed constables for their protection. "Chinmayanand alias Krishna Pal Singh be released on bail on his executing a personal bond and furnishing two heavy sureties each in the like amount to the satisfaction of the court concerned in case with some conditions," the court said. On November 16, the court had reserved its order after hearing the counsels from both sides. Chinmayanand, whose trust runs the Shahjahanpur law college where the woman studied, was arrested on September 20 under section 376-C of the Indian Penal Code, a charge short of rape. It is applied when someone in authority takes advantage of his official position to induce or seduce a woman to have sex with him. In a parallel case, the woman was charged with trying to extort money from Chinmayanand, whom she had accused of rape. The high court granted her bail on December 4. The Supreme Court had stepped in after the 23-year-old law student went missing for a few days in August last year after posting a video clip on social media, alleging sexual abuse. A special investigation team of Uttar Pradesh Police, formed on the directions of the apex court, arrested Chinmayanand about a month later. The SIT also arrested the student after a complaint that she and her friends had tried to extort Rs 5 crore from Chinmayanand, threatening to make public videos showing her giving massages to the former minister. "The applicant shall remain present in person before the trial court on date fixed for (1) opening of the case, (2) framing of charge and (3) recording of statement under section 313 (power to examine accused) of CrPC. "If in the opinion of the trial court absence of the applicants are deliberate or without sufficient cause, then it shall be open for the trial court to treat such default as abuse of liberty of bail and proceed against him in accordance with law," Monday's bail order of the HC said. "In case, the applicant misuses the liberty of bail during trial and in order to secure his presence proclamation under section 82 (person issued bail has absconded) of CrPC may be issued and if applicant fails to appear before the court on the date fixed in such proclamation, then the trial court shall initiate proceedings against him in accordance with law under section 174-A (non-appearance in court in response to proclamation) IPC," it said. [February 03, 2020] CognitiveScale Named a Finalist for 2020 SXSW Innovation Awards AUSTIN, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CognitiveScale , The Trusted AI Company, today announced that its Cortex Certifai product was selected as a finalist for the? 23r?d ?annual ?SXSW Innovation Awards, taking place Monday, March 16 at 6 p.m. CT at the Austin Convention Center (Ballroom D) during the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals (March 13-22, 2020). CognitiveScale is a finalist under the? ?AI & Machine Learning category for Cortex Certifai, the worlds first automated scanner for black-box AI models that detects and scores vulnerabilities in most types of machine learning and statistical models. The SXSW Innovation Awards recognize and celebrate the most exciting tech developments in the connected world. In advance of the Awards Ceremony, finalists will have the opportunity to exhibit their work at the Innovation Awards Finalist Showcase? Saturday, March 14 from noon to 6 p.m. CT, at the Austin Convention Center (Exhibit Hall 1). The Finalist Showcase offers SXSW Interactive, Music, Film, and Platinum badgeholders a first look at the most exciting tech developments, including achievements in AI and machine learning, health technology, robotics and hardware, wearable tech, and virtual and augmented reality, plus a chance to place their votes for the Peoples Choice Award. Registered media and official Finalist Judges will have exclusive access to the Showcase and finalist demos that morning, from 11 a.m. to noon CT. Of hundreds of applications submitted, CognitiveScales Cortex Certifai was one of 65 finalists selected across 13 categories by a panel of judges comprised of industry peers and experts. Each entry was graded on four criteria: creativity, form, function and overall experience. The Finalist Showcase provides an in-person experience for the judges to complete their second round of voting to determine the winner of all 13 categories. Categories include: AI & Machine Learning, Climate, Culture, & Social Impact, Health, Med, & BioTech, Innovation in Connecting People, Music & Audio Innovation, New Economy, Robotcs & Hardware, Smart Cities, Transportation, & Logistics, Speculative Design, Student Innovation, Visual Media Experience, Wearable Tech, and XR. The winners in each of the 13 categories, plus additional honors (Best of Show, Peoples Choice, the David Carr Prize, and the SXSW Hall of Fame) will be awarded at the 23rd annual SXSW Innovation Awards presented by ?Sprinklr ?Monday, March 16, 2020. Globally, governments and tech companies are calling for regulation of AI, but to effectively regulate the black box models, there has to be a standard for measuring the levels of bias, explainability and fairness within them, said Matt Sanchez, founder and CTO of CognitiveScale. Cortex Certifai empowers any enterprise with the first composite risk score for any black box decisioning model -- the AI Trust Index. We are extremely proud that the SXSW Innovation Awards have recognized Cortex Certifai for its ability to offer trust-as-a-service that will empower the AI and machine learning industries to continue to innovate. CognitiveScale Cortex Certifai is a first-to-market solution that enables trust-as-a-service on any cloud platform. The solution helps enterprises detect and manage risks in automated decisioning systems by answering pressing questions, such as: How did the AI system predict what it predicted? If a person got an unfavorable outcome from the models, what can they do to change that? Has the model been unfair to a particular group? How easily can the model be fooled? AI Trust Index, the first-ever composite risk score for black-box decision making models, is based on six dimensions: Effectiveness, fairness, explainability, robustness, data quality and compliance. The AI Trust Index gives executives, compliance staff and AI developers a common and universally understood language so that organizations are better equipped to meet the growing customer need for visibility and control of automated decisioning systems. SXSW is thrilled to honor this years most innovative projects and give each finalist the opportunity to showcase their inventions to all SXSW attendees through demos at the Finalist Showcase, said Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer, SXSW. For more information about the SXSW Innovation Awards and to view the complete list of 2020 finalists, visit ? www.sxsw.com/awards/innovation-awards/? . To learn more about CognitiveScales Cortex Certifai, please visit: https://info.cognitivescale.com/certifai-beta-list-trusted-ai . About CognitiveScale CognitiveScale is an enterprise AI software company with solutions that helps customers win with intelligent, transparent and trusted AI/ML powered digital systems. Our Cortex software and industry AI accelerators enable businesses to rapidly build, operate and evolve intelligent, transparent and trusted AI systems on any cloud. The company's award-winning software is being used by global leaders in banking, insurance, healthcare and digital commerce to increase user engagement, improve employee expertise and productivity, and protect brand and digital infrastructure from AI Business risks. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, CognitiveScale has offices in New York, London and Hyderabad, India, and is funded by Norwest Venture Partners, Intel Capital, IBM Watson, M12 (Microsoft) Ventures, Anthem and USAA. About SXSW SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film and music industries. An essential destination for global professionals, the event features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2020 will take place March 13-22, 2020. For more information, please visit sxsw.com?. To register for the event, please visit ? sxsw.com/attend? . SXSW 2020 is sponsored by White Claw, American Express and ?The Austin Chronicle?. Media Contacts Lacy Talton Blast PR on behalf of CognitiveScale [email protected] 252-467-5220 Brooke Bauguess Violet Kai Inc. on behalf of SXSW [email protected] 310-863-0278 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Chinmayanand, whose trust runs the Shahjahanpur law college where the woman studied, was arrested on September 20 under section 376-C of the IPC, a charge short of rape. Read more Here's more top news of the day: 1) Coronavirus Outbreak: Death Toll Mounts To 361 In China, Over 17,205 People Infected reuters The National Health Commission said that it received reports of 2,829 new confirmed cases of and 57 deaths on Sunday from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, reports Xinhua news agency. Read more 2) Matrimonial Site Shaadi.com Under Fire In UK Over Discrimination Against The SC Community unsplash/representational image One of India's leading matrimonial websites, Shaadi.com, is under fire in the UK for alleged discrimination against the Scheduled Caste community. Read more 3) SC Orders Delhi Government To Pay Working Graduates A Minimum Salary Of Rs 19,572 Per Month The Supreme Court has directed the Delhi government to pay a minimum salary of Rs 19,572 to graduates per month. The notification dated March 3, 2017, which stated that the minimum wage for graduates should be at least Rs 19,572, will be implemented in the state. Read more 4) 'Hum Dekhenge', Shaheen Bagh-Inspired Artwork Sends Visitors Into Frenzy, Police Disrupt Art Fair shethepeople A performative art piece celebrating the strength of Indian women at the India Art Fair was interrupted on Sunday after police arrived at the venue following a complaint that some paintings against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) were being exhibited. Read more 5) Third Shooting In Four Days Near Jamia, Police File FIR As Protesters Fear Real Threat bccl In a statement issued by the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC), a group comprising students and alumni of the university formed to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, said the attackers were on a red motorcycle. Read more Chief Moukondo Daniel Ngande Atia Azohnwi Moukondo Daniel Ngande, Mayor of the SDF-run Tiko Council has been enthroned and installed as the third class traditional ruler of Ebonji Village, Fako Division, South West Region Saturday, January 31, 2020. He was enthroned by kingmakers and his peers during a traditionally charged ceremony at his Tiko residence that was followed by an official installation by the Divisional Officer for Tiko Subdivision, Anuafor Cletus Asongwe. In his installation address, the representative of the Head of State in Tiko Subdivision called on the new Chief of Ebonji village to prioritise and development and security of the village. Chief Moukondo was praised for his development strides as Mayor of Tiko and was urged to transfer same spirit to his village which is relatively lacking in the very basics of development. On behalf of the chiefs, the President of the Fako Chiefs Conference, Chief Ndike Richard welcomed Chief Moukondo into the fold of royalty in the division. Chief Moukondo had been functioning as traditional ruler of Ebonji village since 2014 when he was approved as Chief of the village following the death of the former Chief. Moukondo became Mayor of Tiko on October 16, 2013 after the municipal elections of September 30, 2013. He was elected on the ticket of the opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF party. He apparently fell out of favour with the local leadership of the party in the build up to the February 9, 2020 municipal elections. The SDF District Chair refused to include his name on the list of candidates who will be running for the Municipal elections on the SDF ticket in Tiko. Moukondo however believes that given the achievements his Council has registered for the past six years, another SDF victory is possible come February 9, 2020. The people of Tiko are all agreed that Tiko, under Moukondo, departed from a history of underdevelopment and administrative nonchalance to a new era of administrative concern from the municipal authorities. Moukondo may well occupy himself with palace business after the imminent polls. It is not known if he will leave the SDF. US health authorities said Monday they were halting a trial in South Africa of an experimental HIV vaccine after it proved ineffective at preventing the infection. The study, named HVTN 702, began in 2016 and involved the only vaccine candidate ever shown to provide some protection against the virus that causes AIDS, in an earlier trial in Thailand in 2009. 'An HIV vaccine is essential to end the global pandemic, and we hoped this vaccine candidate would work,' said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases which sponsored the work. 'Regrettably, it does not.' The HVTN 702, which began in 2016, has been halted after scientists determined it was ineffective in preventing HIV infection. The vaccine used in the trial is pictured here A participant in the HVTN 702 vaccine trials is pictured here when it started in 2016. The vaccine was based on an earlier vaccine that had showed some success in 2009 The trial enrolled about 5,400 HIV-negative volunteers at 14 sites across South Africa, consisting of sexually active men and women aged 18 to 35 years old. They were randomly assigned to receive either the vaccine regimen or placebo injections, receiving six doses over 18 months. In order to ensure the safety of the participants, they were also provided access to prophylactics including oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a medication that when taken daily has been shown to be highly effective at preventing HIV infection. In an analysis, researchers examined the data from both groups after the participants had been involved in the study for more than 18 months -- the minimum time required for the vaccine regimen to stimulate an immune response. It found that 129 HIV infections occurred among the vaccine recipients, and 123 HIV infections occurred among the placebo recipients, and the trial was therefore called off. A health worker is shown here holding the experimental vaccine in South Africa in 2016 A medical cooler used to transport material used that inject trial participants with the vaccine 'Whilst this is a significant setback for the field, we need to continue the quest for a preventive vaccine,' said Linda-Gail Bekker, the trial's protocol lead and past president of the International AIDS Society. The experimental shot used in the HVTN 702 study was based on the only vaccine ever shown to offer even modest protection against HIV, which had been deemed 31 per cent effective in Thailand in 2009. The Thailand results were not high enough to be considered for real-world use, but gave scientists a starting point for the new vaccine attempt. They beefed up the shot and adapted it to the HIV subtype that's common in southern Africa. Several other trials are currently underway to find a vaccine. One is being carried out in sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa; another involves multiple sites in North America, South America and Europe. Another cutting-edge trial is investigating whether broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) can be effective in preventing infection. South Africa has one of the highest HIV rates in the world. According to UNAIDS, more than 20 per cent of the adult population ages 15-49 in South Africa are living with HIV, and 240,000 people acquired HIV in 2018. Lok Sabha proceedings on Monday begin amid uproar by opposition members who raised slogans over the firing incidents in the capital. Some of the opposition lawmakers invoked the shooting incidents that have happened in the capital and were heard shouting, "Goli maarna bandh karo; desh ko todna bandh karo" (Stop firing bullets, stop breaking the nation). The slogans were heard as soon as the day's proceeding in the Lok Sabha started. As part of the question hour, Shiv Sena Member of Parliament, Hemant T Godse, raised the first question over skill development upon which Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, replied with necessary provisions and steps taken on the issue. However, throughout the question and answer, the opposition members kept shouting to express their discontent over different issues. They also demanded an explanation from the Prime Minister and asked for his presence in the house. "Save the constitution, save the democracy", slogans were also raised by the opposition members. Taking note of it, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla said, "Constitution and democracy will be saved only when there will be a discussion in the parliament. I request all to take part in the discussions." Monday marks the third day of the budget session of parliament. On the first day, President Ram Nath Kovind had addressed a joint sitting of the house while on day two Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had presented the union budget. This session of parliament will conclude on February 11 while the second leg will be held from March 2 to April 3. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Feb. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coral Ridge Yacht Club is set to host replica Phoenician ship, Phoenicia for its first U.S. landing after a five-month voyage of over 6,000 miles. The voyage is part of the Phoenicians Before Columbus Expedition , designed with the help of the US-based Phoenician International Research Center, to show that Phoenician ships could have crossed the Atlantic over 2,000 years before Christopher Columbus discovered the American continent. The Phoenicia began its voyage from Carthage, Tunisia on September 28, 2019. After sailing from Carthage to Cadiz, Spain, Essaouira, Morocco and Tenerife in the Canary Islands, the ship left the Old World on November 23, 2019 and safely reached port in the Dominican Republic on December 31, 2019, having crossed the Atlantic Ocean using nothing but wind, current, sail and compass. The Phoenicia will make landfall on American shores Tuesday, February 4, 2020, docking at Coral Ridge Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale, Florida ( 2800 Yacht Club Boulevard ). Viewing of the landing is open to the public. To reserve a space, call Coral Ridge Yacht Club at 954-566-7886. We are honored to host the Phoenicia and its crew at Coral Ridge Yacht Club, and to be part of this exciting moment in history, said Commodore Pru Lewis. We are also excited to welcome the local community to our Club to view this magnificent ship. The Phoenicia is a traditionally-built replica of a Phoenician merchant vessel, based on a 600 BC design. British Adventurer and Expedition Leader, Philip Beale FRGS, captains the Phoenicia, sailing with a multi-national crew with representatives from the United States, Lebanon, Tunisia, United Kingdom, Norway, Holland, Brazil and Indonesia. Amongst the crew is filmmaker Yuri Sanada from Aventuras Producoes, Brazil. He is documenting life on board as well as the challenges the Phoenicians were likely to have faced. According to Greek geographer and historian, Strabo, the Phoenicians traded and settled along the East Atlantic coast, prompting Beales belief in the likelihood that the Phoenicians would have attempted to sail West in the hope of discovering more lands. Beale commissioned the building of the Phoenicia ship 12 years ago. It was traditionally built in Syria and its design was based on the wreckage of the Jules Vernes 7, discovered in the Mediterranean in the early 1990s. The Phoenicia is believed to be the only replica of its kind in the world. Having already circumnavigated Africa in the First Phoenician Ship expedition (2008-10), Beale was once again at the helm for the cross Atlantic challenge; reiterating his passion for the seafaring Phoenicians. The Expedition has been endorsed by the Ministries of Information and Tourism of the Republic of Lebanon and received support, expedition supplies and services from numerous organizations in the Republic of Tunisia, prior to the launch of the Expedition from Carthage, Tunisia in September 2019. The Expedition is part of the United Nations Environment Clean Seas Campaign , taking daily water samples to measure micro plastic levels and raising awareness about plastic pollution in the ocean. The journey across the Atlantic from Tenerife to the Dominican Republic took 39 days, a distance of some 3,700 miles. From the Dominican Republic to Florida, the journey of 1,000 miles will take 12 days. Once completed, the total voyage from Carthage, Tunisia to Florida will have covered over 6,000 miles, taking five months to complete. Related Links: Visit the Expedition Website Follow the Expedition on Facebook A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3ecfc248-c196-42b3-b780-6568503637eb Job Title: USEFM General Services Assistant Organisation: United States US Embassy, US Mission in Uganda Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda Salary: USD $42,149 Open to: U.S. Citizen Eligible Family Members (USEFMs) All Agencies Position Number: Kampala-2020-005 About US Embassy: The United States Embassy in Kampala, Uganda has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Uganda for over 30 years. Ambassador Deborah R. Malac currently heads the U.S Mission to Uganda. The Mission is composed of several offices and organizations all working under the auspices of the Embassy and at the direction of the Ambassador. Among the offices operating under the U.S Mission to Uganda are: Development (USAID) United States Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID) Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Peace Corps Job Summary: The USEFM General Services Assistant supports the Assistant General Services Officer (A/GSO) in all day-to-day operations of the Property/Supply and Housing sections. Reports directly to the A/GSO. Key Duties and Responsibilities: Responsible for the supervision of all warehouse activities, overseeing the full range of duties relating to expendable and non-expendable property management, assisting with the inventory reconciliation process, coordinating for property auctions, and facilitating the house make-ready process during the arrivals and departures of American officers. Assist the A/GSO in conducting regular spot checks for Property Management, Receiving process, NEPA tagging process, and expendables to ensure that inventory remains accurate at all times. Take a prominent role in annual reconciliation process. Advise on annual property purchases. Plan, coordinate, and supervise all residential make readies in conjunction with Property & Supply, Leasing and Facilities Maintenance staff. Work closely with the Facilities Manager in managing all make readies from start to completion to ensure cost effective, reliable, safe, and timely completion of make readies. Work closely with the Embassy Health and Safety Officer to ensure that there is a zero defect policy with compliance in the application of proper procedures for the treatment of vectors and the control and use of chemicals for removal of pests. Guide Housing staff in selecting appropriate residences for housing pool and works with the Housing Officer (GSO) in recommending residence assignments to the Inter-Agency Housing Board (IAHB). Ensures that houses are in compliance with size, lease, security, and safety regulations. Serves as a non-voting member of the IAHB and is responsible for note-taking and setting up agenda and logistics. Qualifications, Skills and Experience: NOTE: All applicants must address each selection criterion detailed below with specific and comprehensive information supporting each item. The applicants for the United States US Embassy USEFM General Services Assistant job opportunity should hold a University Degree in liberal arts, business administration or sciences At least three years of experience as a staff manager/supervisor is required. Must have a good working knowledge of Department of State or associated agency General Services and Facilities Maintenance regulations and procedures in general and detailed knowledge of those instructions and procedures which apply to the assigned tasks. Must be tactful, yet effective, in dealing with American personnel relative to inventories of household furnishings and equipment. Must have advanced typing and computer skills, in particular those dealing with spreadsheets and data organization. Must have the ability to learn complex USG database systems, such as WebPass and ILMS. Language: Level IV English speaking and writing ability is required. This may be tested. How to Apply: All those interested in working with the US mission in Kampala should send their applications online at the link below. Click Here Deadline: 6th February 2020 For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline Army scientists working with partners from industry and academia have developed an experimental treatment that protects animals from Sudan virus, which is closely related to Ebola. Their work is published online today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. There are six distinct species of ebolaviruses, which collectively pose a significant threat to the global community, particularly in areas of equatorial and West Africa. While Ebola virus was the causative agent of the 2013-2016 outbreak that developed into the largest epidemic in recorded history, Sudan virus also presents a significant health threat, according to the authors. One promising approach to treating ebolavirus infection involves the development of immunotherapies--drugs that boost the body's own immune system to fight infection. Scientists can design proteins, called antibodies, and combine them into "cocktails" to treat a particular type of infectious disease. Until now, however, there has been no such cocktail specific for Sudan virus. Led by John M. Dye, Ph.D. of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, the team produced a panel of monoclonal antibodies that are specifically designed to attach to the Sudan virus glycoprotein and block the virus from entering cells. They tested them in cell culture, and further evaluated the most promising candidates in a mouse model of Sudan virus infection. Based on the results of the rodent testing, the team then selected a mixture of two Sudan-specific monoclonal antibodies for assessment in rhesus macaques. This mixture, called RIID F6-H2, provided protection from Sudan virus in rhesus macaques when administered on days 4 and 6 post-infection. "We are excited to offer a potential treatment option against one of the most deadly human pathogens known," said Dye. "Being prepared by having countermeasures against emerging infectious diseases allows the global community to try to stay one step ahead, rather than play 'catch-up' against potential pandemic viruses." According to COL E. Darrin Cox, commander of USAMRIID, the work highlights the impact of USAMRIID research on warfighter health and public health. "In addition, the sheer number of collaborators is a testament to the importance of government, academic and commercial laboratories working together to advance medical countermeasure development," said Cox. Co-investigators on the study included Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Mapp Biopharmaceutical, Inc., Fraunhofer, BioFactura, and The Geneva Foundation. "Our team is extremely proud that this cocktail of antibodies is now being considered for advancement into phase 1 clinical studies," said Dr. Andrew Herbert of USAMRIID, the paper's first author. "We have the opportunity to make a real impact on global health." ### About the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases: For over 50 years, USAMRIID has provided leading edge medical capabilities to deter and defend against current and emerging biological threat agents. The Institute is the only laboratory in the Department of Defense equipped to safely study highly hazardous viruses requiring maximum containment at Biosafety Level 4. Research conducted at USAMRIID leads to medical solutions--vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, and training programs--that benefit both military personnel and civilians. Established in 1969, the Institute plays a key role as the lead military medical research laboratory for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's Joint Science and Technology Office for Chemical and Biological Defense. USAMRIID is a subordinate laboratory of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command. For more information, visit http://www.usamriid.army.mil. Funding: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Citation: Development of an antibody cocktail for treatment of Sudan virus infection. https://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1914985117 Authors: Andrew S. Herbert, Jeffery W. Froude, Ramon A. Ortiz, Ana I. Kuehne, Danielle E. Dorosky, Russell R. Bakken, Samantha E. Zak, Nicole M. Josleyn, Konstantin Musiychuk, R. Mark Jones, Brian Green, Stephen J. Streatfield, Anna Z. Wec, Natasha Bohorova, Ognian Bohorov, Do H. Kim, Michael H. Pauly, Jesus Velasco, Kevin J. Whaley, Spencer W. Stonier, Zachary A. Bornholdt, Kartik Chandran, Larry Zeitlin, Darryl Sampey, Vidadi Yusibov, and John M. Dye. She recently added her voice to ongoing rumours of a fallout in the ITV family, after speaking out against veteran presenter Phillip Schofield. But Amanda Holden, 48, put the drama to one side over the weekend, when she shared a shot of herself wearing a red swimsuit as she relaxed at a Hampshire spa. The Britain's Got Talent star looked sensational as she perched atop a hot tub in one image, before sharing another snap of herself with her leg resting against a wall. Breathtaking: Amanda Holden took to Instagram to a share a shot of herself wearing a flattering red swimsuit as she relaxed at Hampshire's Chewton Glen over the weekend Wearing her golden locks in relaxed ponytail, the TV personality shielded her eyes with a pair of oversized tinted sunglasses as she looked off into the distance. Amanda, who took the picture at Chewton Glen hotel and spa, captioned the image: #hottub time @chewtonglen #treehouse.' A day later, she showed off her agility as she returned to the image-sharing site to upload a snap of herself standing in a hallway with her leg resting high on a wall. Flex: On Monday, she showed off her agility as she returned to the image-sharing site to upload a snap of herself standing in a hallway with her leg resting high on a wall Captioning the eye-catching shot, she wrote: 'Leg on the wall #monday ; not sure its going to catch on ! @thisisheart #breakfast.' Her posts come days after she took another thinly-veiled swipe at nemesis Phillip Schofield amid ongoing feud rumours. Reports of a feud between This Morning's hosts resurfaced during last week's National Television Awards, when Phillip's interaction with Ruth Langsford on stage was dubbed 'frosty' by fans. Heart presenter Amanda showed her support for Ruth as she sent a public message of support to the star on Instagram. Chic: The star stepped out in style for her presenting gig at Heart Radio on Monday, wearing a blue dress over a brown sweater with knee-high boots as a camel coat Ruth, 59, shared a snap of herself with husband Eamonn Holmes, 60, posing at the NTAs with their award after This Morning won Best Live Magazine Show. She captioned the snap: 'Time to go home....one last pic with our tenth @officialntas award though!!' Amanda was quick to show her support for the pair, commenting: 'My faves' with heart emojis. Amanda previously said she believes Phillip sabotaged her chances of filling in on This Morning in 2018 while Holly hosted I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!. Swipe: Her outing comes days after she took another thinly-veiled swipe at nemesis Phillip Schofield amid ongoing feud rumours Reports have long been rife about troubles between the TV hosts, with the latest detail of the story claiming Amanda headed to the top by lobbying ITV executives over the animosity after Phil allegedly pushed for Rochelle Humes to take the job. Amanda first worked with Phillip when she stepped into Holly's shoes when the This Morning star took a year off the show to have her third baby four years ago in October 2014. A former daytime TV executive told the publication: 'Phillip actively campaigned for Rochelle, 30, to get the job despite Amanda being more experienced - and having been told privately shed got the gig.' An ITV spokesperson said: 'Presenter line ups on This Morning change regularly and final decisions on these line ups are made by producers and not the presenters. Cute couple: Ruth Langsford shared a snap of herself with husband Eamonn Holmes posing at the NTAs with their award after This Morning won Best Live Magazine Show Kind words: Heart presenter Amanda, 48, showed her support for Ruth as she sent a public message of support to the star on Instagram 'Phillip Schofield is a much loved broadcaster and part of the ITV family. He is a consummate professional and held in high regard at ITV. Amanda is also held in high regard as a judge on one of our biggest shows.' Last month, Phillip was accused of creating a 'toxic atmosphere' for his This Morning co-stars, with allegations of ongoing spats with Holly and stand-in hosts Ruth and her husband Eamonn. It is claimed eight different ITV presenters have broken their silence regarding Phillip's attitude, while Ruth is thought to have made a formal complaint to ITVs new head of daytime TV Emma Gormley. It followed an incident in April which saw Phillip interrupt Ruth while she was presenting a preview of Loose Women during This Morning. Feud: Amanda previously said she believes Phillip Schofield sabotaged her chances of filling in on This Morning in 2018 while Holly hosted I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! As This Morning scooped top prize in the Live Magazine Show category at the NTAs, Ruth, who was seated behind Phillip and Holly with her husband and co-presenter Eamonn Holmes, made her way to the stage at London's O2 Arena. And viewers couldn't help but point out the 'frosty' and 'awkward' interaction between the TV personalities, following reports that Ruth filed a formal complaint with ITV bosses in December about Phil. Acknowledging that the alleged feud is said to have been caused by Phil cutting off Ruth during a live segment handover, one viewer wrote on Twitter: 'Absolutely SCREAMING at Phillip thanking Eamonn and Ruth and FINALLY alerting them speak after ten years. HR department at ITV found rotting.' Happy family? Phillip was accused of creating a 'toxic atmosphere' for his This Morning co-stars, who he was seen posing with at the National Television Awards on Tuesday Stated another viewer: 'The most awkward chemistry on TV goes to This Morning. Got to love Ruth for clearly showing what she felt! No amount of Holly gushing about Phil could help the situation!' And after Phillip gestured for Ruth to make a speech after his, as he thanked her and Eamonn for doing a 'great job' hosting the show every Friday, the interaction only appeared to be all the more awkward to observant viewers. Even as the stars made their way backstage with their trophy, it appeared that Holly and Phillip and Ruth and Eamonn remained in their presenting pairs, rather than interact with each other as a group. An air strike in conflict-torn northwestern Syria on Monday killed nine civilians, including four children, a war monitor said. The attack, which struck a vehicle transporting displaced people, occurred in a region where Russian-backed government forces have been pushing to drive rebels and jihadists out of their last enclave. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said at least 20 people were also wounded in the strike. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After a glorious weekend with daily average temperatures nearly 20 degrees above the 30-year average, the start of the workweek turned cold as an arctic cold front swept through the area, plunging temperatures nearly 30 degrees below Sundays high of 64. The beginning of February was nearly identical to the start of February last year when warm weather started the month before a prolonged cold spell dominated. Last February also had nearly 11 inches of snow and much more in the rural areas a contributing factor, along with the cold weather, for the flooding disaster that took place in March. Over the weekend, Grand Island had a high of 54 degrees on Saturday and 64 degrees on Sunday before turning colder and windy with north northeast winds at 20 to 25 mph and gusts as high as 35 mph on Monday. On Tuesday there is a 50 percent chance of snow, mainly before noon, with a high near 26. Blustery winds will be from the north at 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch are possible. It will be cold Tuesday night with a low around 17, but winds will become light and variable after midnight. By Trend OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will hold its 19th Winter Meeting at the Hofburg Congress Centre in Vienna on Feb. 20-21, 2020, Trend reports referring to the OSCE PA website. The upcoming parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan scheduled for Feb. 9 will also be discussed at the meeting, according to the report. Nearly 300 parliamentarians are foreseen to attend, as well as high-level representatives of governments, international organizations and the OSCE. The opening session will feature keynote addresses by the President of the Austrian National Council Wolfgang Sobotka, OSCE PA President George Tsereteli and the OSCE Albanian Chairmanship. Members will discuss issues such as how to efficiently leverage the tools and mechanisms of the OSCE to resolve protracted conflicts; the security implications of climate change; and multilateral human rights co-operation. The closing joint session of all three general committees will include a special debate on combating anti-Semitism, discrimination and intolerance in the OSCE region. The session will also feature reports by leaders of recent election observation missions to Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan to be followed by discussions. A teenager who stabbed his mother's ex-boyfriend to death during a domestic row outside Edenderry in 2017 was trying to protect "the most important person in his life", a barrister has told the Central Criminal Court. Michael Bowman SC said his client Alexander Whelan "sprang to his mother's defence" having previously seen the deceased Bruno Rolandi assault his mother. He made a "split second decision" which counsel said has had tragic consequences for him and the Rolandi family. The court heard that Mr Rolandi was a violent heroin-user and that a former partner described him as an alcoholic. Alexander Whelan (19) had originally been charged with murdering Bruno Rolandi (56) at Green Road, Ballymoran, Edenderry, Co Offaly on November 19, 2017. Mr Whelan, with an address at Green Road, Lumville, Edenderry pleaded guilty when a charge of manslaughter was put to him at the Central Criminal Court in November last year. In victim impact statements read out by prosecution counsel Conor Devally SC on behalf of the deceased's family they said they "strongly disagree" with the description of Mr Rolandi, who they said was a "kind man" and a good father. They said they don't want revenge, but ask for "Irish justice to be done". Detective Sergeant Caroline Lyng told Mr Devally that Alexander lived with his mother Mary and his older brother Victor. His father died when he was two years old and his mother developed an "on and off" relationship with Mr Rolandi, an Italian national who lived in Ireland for many years. There was "tension" in the house, she said, and the two brothers put this down to Mr Rolandi being there. On the night in question Mr Rolandi became "petulant" during a row over a WiFi password and the accused, who was 17 at the time, saw Mr Rolandi "pawing" at his mother's breasts. He became upset and called Victor on the phone. The two boys and their mother went to the kitchen and talked about telling Mr Rolandi that he should no longer live with them but he came into the kitchen and there was a "kerfuffle" between Victor and the deceased. During the struggle Mr Rolandi, a "heavier and more able person," "laid hands" on Victor. Alexander then stabbed Mr Rolandi three times, the witness said. One wound went to a depth of 23 centimetres, damaged the heart and caused massive bleeding, leading to his death. The family immediately alerted the emergency services and Alexander "put his hands up". The account he gave to gardai, Det Sgt Lyng said, accorded with the evidence and with accounts given by his mother and brother. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the earliest opportunity and has no previous convictions, nor has he previously come to the attention of gardai. Despite being charged with the offence he "struggled on" to complete his leaving certificate and has since started working. Det Sgt Lyng agreed with Michael Bowman SC for the defence that Victor called 999 that night immediately after the stabbing. When emergency services arrived they found Alexander "in a panic" trying to stop the bleeding in a bid to "undo the damage". She agreed when Mr Bowman said: "He was in a state of shock, panic, shaking like a leaf." At one point he was seen on his hands and knees uncontrollably sobbing. Another witness at the scene said he overheard the boy's mother apologising for "putting him through this." Alexander replied: "This is not your fault. Please don't blame yourself. Promise me you won't blame yourself." Det Gda Lyng further agreed that the deceased weighed over 100 kilos (16-and-a-half stone) and was more than six feet tall. Alexander was five feet seven inches at the time and "of a slight build and physically immature for a boy his age." Detailing the history between Ms Whelan and the deceased, the witness agreed that in around 2009 Mr Rolandi did not have a place to live and Ms Whelan took him in. A relationship developed but Mr Rolandi could be violent. He was dependent on methadone and, unknown to Ms Whelan, he was also still a heroin user and was described by one former partner as an alcoholic. He did not work at any time during their relationship. There had been violent episodes, in particular during family holidays to Turkey in 2013 and 2017, during which the two brothers witnessed assaults on their mother. After the incident in August 2017 the relationship "petered out" and Mr Rolandi and Ms Whelan began living separate lives under the one roof. The Whelans asked him to leave a number of times and on one occasion he did but returned saying he had nowhere else to go. Although he had bought himself a mobile home "he never packed his bags. He didn't leave." On the night of the stabbing the witness agreed that Ms Whelan gave details of the row over the WiFi password and said that Alexander intervened and told Mr Rolandi he didn't want him in the house. He told him: "It's time to go get a job and go out on your own." Ms Whelan remembered Mr Rolandi "shaped up to him and said: "You're only a child. If I hit you I will hurt you."" Victor soon returned home and things "escalated" as the Whelans went to the kitchen to talk about removing Mr Rolandi from the house. Mr Rolandi came in and tried to grab Ms Whelan so Victor stood in front of his mother and pushed Mr Rolandi. There was "a lot of pushing and shoving and shouting" before Mr Rolandi got hold of Victor with one hand and raised the other fist "as if he was going to strike". Ms Whelan tried to put herself between the two men and then Alexander "decided to act". He took the knife from a cupboard in the kitchen and stabbed Mr Rolandi three times. Det Sgt Lyng agreed there was no attempt to clean the weapon or engage in any kind of cover up. Alexander and his family cooperated fully with gardai. She also agreed that Alexander was "the last person in the world you would expect to find in this situation." Mr Bowman handed a number of testimonials to Mr Justice Michael White including one from his school headmaster who said that in 34 years he "can't think of a student with a better temperament." He also pointed to psychological and probation reports which stated that the defendant is "not quick to anger" and does not act in violence or temper. A number of witnesses had described his mother as "the most important person in his life" and Mr Bowman said he felt "overwhelmed and sprang to his mother's defence". Having no memory of his father, Mr Bowman said his client took on a heightened sense of responsibility for his mother and brother's safety and well-being. He found himself in "extraordinary circumstances", counsel said, when confronted with a man who showed "scant regard" for his mother's well-being and was "physically assaulting his mother and brother". Counsel added: "He overreacted. He sprang to the defence of the most important person in his life, his mother." He made a "split second decision", Mr Bowman said, that has had tragic consequences for him and for Mr Rolandi's family. He asked the judge to take into account Mr Whelan's young age at the time of the offence and his good character and to consider a custodial sentence as an option of last resort. Mr Justice White said he would sentence Mr Whelan on March 2. New Delhi: The Centre questioned in the Delhi High Court the maintainability of a plea that is seeking to prevent Jammu and Kashmir's MPs from entering the Parliament. The centre alleges that they are continuing to hold their seats illegally even after the separation of the state. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, represented by central government standing counsel Anil Soni, stated that the petitioner who is a retired professor ought to have first made a representation to the authorities before approaching the high court. The petitioner stated that 10 MPs including senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and National Conference chairman Farooq Abdullah from J & K were continuing in their positions and enjoying all the benefits associated with the office at the expense of the state exchequer. Both sides were heard by Justice Brijesh Sethi who reserved his judgement in the matter. The petitioner, Professor Abdul Gani Bhat alleged that the 10 MPs, four in the Rajya Sabha and six in the Lok Sabha, from the erstwhile state are "illegally" continuing in their seats in the Parliament. It has sought directions to the central government not to allow those 10 MPs to enter the Parliament. He also alleged that the presence of the 10 MPs in the Parliament was "immoral, illegal and unconstitutional". The plea sought that those MPs should be stopped from enjoying the salary, benefits and other facilities granted to the MPs. The Parliament on August 5 last year had abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted a special status to the state. The parliament had reorganised it into two Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir. Protestors demonstrated outside Philadelphia School District headquarters on Jan. 30. They are unhappy over the district's handling of asbestos concerns that have so far closed seven schools and an early childhood center. The latest school to close is Hopkinson Elementary in Juniata. Read more Concerns over widespread damaged asbestos have closed another Philadelphia school. Hopkinson Elementary, a crowded Juniata K-8 that educates 850 students, will be closed at least Monday and Tuesday while air testing is completed in the building. It is the seventh school to close in the 2019-20 term. Crews had been working at Hopkinson, on L Street, addressing imminent hazards in multiple locations across the school, including the cafeteria. The school remained open, with key locations sealed off and workers completing remediation when children and staff were not in the building. But the situation escalated Friday, when officials of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers union shared with Hopkinson staff the extent of the damage at the school. During an earlier district walk-through, environmental staff had observed roughly 55 locations of damaged asbestos. Much of it was above ceiling tiles, with visible debris sitting on top of the tile. Then one teacher shared with PFT staff that over the summer, the district had replaced all the ceiling tiles and had not used abatement protocols, despite the widespread prevalence of asbestos. Dust was everywhere, the teacher said, and nearly every classroom was affected. That situation cannot be considered safe, said Jerry Roseman, the PFTs director of environmental health and safety. The degree of danger may be unclear. We dont know how much danger there is, but we know its not safe. The district agreed to the closure on Sunday night. Jerry Jordan, PFT president, said in a statement that no one should ever have to be forced to occupy a building that can quite literally poison them. It is unclear to us when the building will be safe for reoccupancy. Jordan called the tile replacement job potentially severe asbestos exposure and said it would require more than air sampling for the PFT to agree to a reopening. He exhorted the district to adequately plan, as well as notify the community throughout this process. READ MORE: Read more: "We need to do better than that: school board discusses asbestos crisis" As the district grapples with an unfolding asbestos crisis, it has struggled to keep school staffs and communities informed about the environmental hazards in their midst, earning widespread scorn for its missteps. Even as the school board expressed confidence in Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. last week, it took district officials to task. There are almost daily indicators that the system as we know it is flawed, board member Mallory Fix Lopez said. Its not OK that the community is simply left to trust the process." READ MORE: Read more: The PFT files legal action against Philly school district over the asbestos crisis The PFT is suing the district over its handling of the asbestos crisis. New Delhi: Miffed over the controversy created by its former Union minister and Uttara Kannada MP Anantkumar Hegde by his remarks against Mahatma Gandhi, the BJP, it was learnt, has issued a show-cause notice to him. The ruling party came under heavy criticism from the opposition over its MPs remarks. The opposition has demanded a clarification from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his party MPs remarks. Often in news for his controversial remarks, Hegde, sources said, could also be barred from attending the first parliamentary party meeting of the BJP of the budget session, scheduled on Tuesday. The party had taken a similar approach against its Bhopal MP Pragya Thakur during the last winter session for praising Mahatma Gandhis killer Nathuram Godse. Though the BJP leadership was earlier of the view that Hegde should tender an apology over his remarks but the party top brass, it was learnt, decided that it was not enough. The Congress on Monday launched a scathing attack on the central government over the comments of BJP Lok Sabha MP Ananthkumar Hegde on Mahatma Gandhi. The party demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi come to Parliament and clarify his position on BJP leaders objectionable remarks. Congress party spokesman Anand Sharma said, we can understand that why one after the other senior BJP leaders are insulting the memory of Mahatma Gandhi. They are disparaging the national movement, the freedom struggle because they are ideological descendents of those who were not only non-participants, but, actively opposed the freedom movement. He further added, Parliament is in session. We demand that the Prime Minister come to the House and make his position clear. As I have said, feeds that he is unhappy and angry, we are not concerned with that. In the very ideology, mindset, thinking and language of the BJP, there is violence. Asserting that the BJP MPs statement was condemnable, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the leaders of the saffron party could afford to call the freedom movement a drama as they never fought for the countrys independence. Such statements reveal their true mindset that they use Gandhi's name just for show and have no regard for him, he said. Most of Ukraine's grain exports last week headed to China, Spain, and Algeria. Ukrainian grain exports from sea ports totaled 1.14 million tonnes in the week of January 25 to February 1, almost the same volume the country exported a week earlier, preliminary data from APK-Inform consultancy showed on Monday. Wheat exports rose to 201,000 tonnes from 69,000 tonnes, while corn shipments fell to 931,000 tonnes from 1.05 million tonnes, the consultancy said, Successful Farming reported with reference to Reuters. Read alsoUkraine exports record high 15.6 mln tonnes of wheat since July 1 Most of Ukraine's grain exports last week headed to China, Spain, and Algeria. The consultancy said grain exports jumped to about 35.5 million tonnes so far during the 2019-20 July-June season, from 23.9 million tonnes in the same period in 2018-19. Event: Civil society and the Pan-African Parliament Join us for a side event at this year's Alternative Mining Indaba hosted in partnership with the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria The Centre for Human Rights and the Centre for Applied Legal Studies invite you to a side-event on Civil Society Engagement with the Pan-African Parliament as part of this year's Alternative Mining Indaba. The event will include reflections on the recently established Pan-African Parliament Civil Society Coalition. Speakers include Ms Corlet Letlojane from the Human Rights Institute of South Africa and the Coalition Steering Committee Chairperson, Ms Akhona Mehlo from CALS and Ms Vuyokazi Futshane from Oxfam South Africa. Read the full programme here. Iran will launch a satellite by the end of this week, a government minister said on Monday, as part of a fledging programme that the United States says is a cover for ballistic missile development. "We are not afraid of failure and we will not lose hope. With your prayers and trust in God, the Zafar satellite by the end of this week ... will be heading toward an orbit of 530 km from Earth," Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi tweeted. Search Keywords: Short link: STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island has seen a rash of robberies, attempted heists and bizarre incidents at banks in the last two weeks. Here is a look: Attempted bank robbery, unfounded bomb threat in Castleton Corners It started on Jan. 21, when an unknown perpetrator attempted to rob a Castleton Corners bank by making an unfounded bomb threat against the location, the NYPD said. Police responded to Santander Bank, located at 1850 Victory Blvd., just before 2 p.m. after a man with his face covered went through the banks drive-thru and sent a note through the pneumatic tubing system demanding money, according to an NYPD spokeswoman. There was no money passed or removed and the individual drove away. Click here for the full story. Don't Edit Police are looking for the public's help in identifying this red ford truck in connection with the Jan. 21 incident. Don't Edit Police probe robbery at Santander bank in Grasmere On Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Santander Bank at 1320 Hylan Blvd. in Grasmere, a man passed a note to a cashier demanding money, according to an NYPD spokesman. The man received an unknown amount of cash and fled the location in an unknown direction, the spokesman said. Click here for more details. Don't Edit Police seek this man for questioning in connection with the Hylan Boulevard robbery. Don't Edit Suspect flees with cash in Forest Avenue bank robbery; says NYPD Police are investigating a bank robbery on Forest Avenue in Port Richmond that occurred on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The incident was reported around 11:30 a.m. at the Northfield Bank at 1481 Forest Ave., according to police. A man entered the branch and passed a note demanding cash, according to an NYPD spokeswoman. Click here for the full story. Don't Edit Don't Edit Bizarre incident at bank in West Brighton On Thursday, Jan. 30, a man walked into the Northfield Bank branch at 519 Forest Ave. and shouted that this was a bank robbery, according to an NYPD spokeswoman. There was no note passed, no gun displayed and he quickly fled the scene. He did not get any money. Click here for the full story. Don't Edit 2nd incident minutes later The same day, just minutes later, a man walked into the Victory State Bank down the block and did the same thing. He posted a video of the incident to his social media page. Police have charged Augustin Nadreau, 25, in connection with both incidents. He faces charges of reckless endangerment, aggravated harassment, harassment and disorderly conduct. Click here for the story. Don't Edit Bank robbery on Clove Road in Sunnyside Around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, a man entered the Richmond County Savings Bank located at 1270 Clove Road in Sunnyside and passed a note demanding money, police said. The man then fled the location with an undetermined amount of cash. There have been no arrests. Click here for the story. Dozens of koalas have been found dead, starving and seriously injured at a tree-logging site in Australia. The marsupials were discovered at a blue gum plantation in the state of Victoria, which has only a handful of trees left after they were harvested in December. About 100 koalas are believed to have been killed by bulldozers, while others were injured or left to starve at the private site near Cape Bridgewater, according to animal protection group Animals Australia. The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), which is investigating the incident, said about 30 koalas were initially removed from the land on Friday after being checked over by wildlife carers. The remaining animals were given food and water to sustain them before 50 more were rescued on Sunday. Animals rescued during Australia fires Show all 25 1 /25 Animals rescued during Australia fires Animals rescued during Australia fires Wildlife rescuer Simon Adamczyk is seen with a koala rescued at a burning forest near Cape Borda on Kangaroo Island, southwest of Adelaide AAP Image/Reuters Animals rescued during Australia fires Rural Fire Service volunteer firefighter Pat Smith pouring water onto a possum's feet with burns from fires on the outskirts of the town of Tumbarumba in New South Wales Greenpeace Australia-Pacific/AFP Animals rescued during Australia fires Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education volunteer and carer Tracy Dodd holds a kangaroo with burnt feet pads after being rescued from bushfires in Australia's Blue Mountains area Reuters Animals rescued during Australia fires Grey-headed Flying Fox bats prepared for a feeding at the Uralla, Australia, home of Jackie Maisey, a volunteer with Northern Tableands Wildlife Carers. The bats are swaddled in flannel wraps similar to those being made by thousands of crafters worldwide who are using their sewing, knitting and crocheting skills to make items for wildlife injured in the Australian brush fires Jackie Maisey/AP Animals rescued during Australia fires Sara Tilling takes care of a young injured Kangaroo which she and her partner Gary Henderson are nursing back to health in Cobargo EPA Animals rescued during Australia fires Humane Society International Crisis Response Specialist, Kelly Donithan holds a baby Koala she just rescued on Kangaroo Island AFP via Getty Images Animals rescued during Australia fires Tracy Burgess holds a severely burnt brushtail possum Reuters Animals rescued during Australia fires Fire-impacted, orphaned pouch-rescued Eastern Grey Kangaroo joeys are seen at the property of WIRES Carers Kevin and Lorita Clapson in East Lynne, South of Sydney EPA Animals rescued during Australia fires A koala receives water from a cyclist during a severe heatwave that hit the region, in Adelaide Instagram/BIKEBUG2019 via Reuters Animals rescued during Australia fires An orphaned Flying-Fox is fed at the property of WIRES Mid-South Coast Bat Coordinator, Janet Jones, in Tuross Head EPA Animals rescued during Australia fires Humane Society International Crisis Response Specialist, Kelly Donithan checks an injured Koala she had just rescued on Kangaroo Island AFP via Getty Animals rescued during Australia fires A wallabie eating a carrot dropped by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife services over the bushfire affected areas along the South Coast for wallabies NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services Animals rescued during Australia fires A dehydrated and injured Koala receives treatment at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital AFP via Getty Animals rescued during Australia fires Gary Henderson holds the young injured kangaroo he and his partner are nursing back to health EPA Animals rescued during Australia fires A koala drinks water offered from a bottle by a firefighter during bushfires in Cudlee Creek, south Australia Oakbank Balhannah CFS via Reuters Animals rescued during Australia fires WIRES Mid South Coast wombat coordinator Tony De La Fosse with two orphaned pouch-rescued Wombats at his property in Malua Bay EPA Animals rescued during Australia fires Qantas, an orphaned Eastern Grey Kangaroo joey whose feet were burned in recent bushfires, is held by WIRES Carer Kevin Clapson at his property in East Lynne EPA Animals rescued during Australia fires Various completed animal pouches for animals affected by Australia bushfires hang on clothing racks in Regents Park, Queensland Kim Simeon via Reuters Animals rescued during Australia fires An orphaned pouch-rescued Eastern Grey Kangaroo joey hangs in a makeshift pouch at the property of WIRES EPA Animals rescued during Australia fires A rescued koala injured in a bushfire in Kangaroo Island, South Australia Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park/AP Animals rescued during Australia fires WIRES Mid-South Coast Bat Coordinator Janet Jones weighs a rescued Grey-Headed Flying-Fox at her home in Tuross Head EPA Animals rescued during Australia fires A weary kangaroo shelters on a patch of green grass surrounded by burnt bushland along the Princes Highway near in Milton Reuters Animals rescued during Australia fires Various animal wraps for bats affected by bushfires Simone Watts via Reuters Animals rescued during Australia fires A staff member moving a rescued koala to a temporary shelter at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney Taronga Zoo/AFP via Getty Animals rescued during Australia fires A kangaroo jumps in a field amidst smoke from a bushfire in Snowy Valley AFP via Getty Images A number of koalas unfortunately had to be put down at the site because of injuries or starvation, the department said. It warned the Conservation Regulator would act swiftly against those responsible if the cause of the incident is found to be deliberate human action. The deaths come after tens of thousands of koalas were killed in bushfires across the country. Local resident Helen Oakley was first to raise the alarm on Wednesday after spotting too many koalas in just one row of trees at the site. In a tearful video posted to Facebook, Ms Oakley claimed the logging company had bulldozed 140 acres down and just killed all of our koalas. She added: Theres koalas lying there dead. Mothers killed and their little babies. Australia should be ashamed of this. Friends of the Earth Australia claimed hundreds of koalas may have been killed or injured during logging activities in the past week. It added: People apparently witnessed the bulldozing of many dead koalas into slash piles. Animals Australia said there appeared to have been various breaches of legislation, including the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, which the group would help the authorities to pursue. By law, the companies that own these plantations must provide koala spotters to identify koalas in trees before logging commences, so that animals can be safely removed and relocated, it said. There is also a legal responsibility to ensure the welfare of koalas after logging has ceased. The Australian Forest Products Association said it would be launching its own investigation. Chief executive Ross Hampton said: It is unclear as yet who bulldozed the trees with the koalas apparently still in them, but it is absolutely certain that this was not a plantation or a forestry company. We support all those calling for the full force of the law to be applied to the perpetrator. New Delhi: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday (February 1) once again launched an attack on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over the issue of unemployment saying the government in Centre has failed to generate jobs. Taking to Twitter, Rahul Gandhi said, "Finance Minister, don't be afraid of my questions. I am asking it on behalf of youths, and replying them is your responsibility. The youth of the country needs jobs and your government has failed miserably in providing jobs." He also attached a new report in which Sitharaman said that she did not mention the numbers as Rahul Gandhi would have asked her about the number of jobs created. The Congress has slammed the Finance Minister as she did not mention the employment in her Union Budget 2020-21 speech in the Lok Sabha on Saturday. Soon after the Budget was presented in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi said there is nothing concrete in the Budget as the biggest problem in front of the country is unemployment and the government has not addressed that. "This is the mindset of the government -- all talk and nothing concrete. The biggest problem our youngsters are facing is unemployment and I didn`t see any strategic idea as how they will get jobs," Rahul Gandhi told reporters in Parliament. In more than two-hour long speech, many things were repetitive and redundant, he said and added, the government said it was simplifying the tax regime but made it more complex. A group of Brazilians stuck in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak has sent President Jair Bolsonaro a video pleading for help to return home. Reading from a letter dated January 30 in the sprawling eastern city of Wuhan, they told him they were willing to be quarantined when they get back. "As we write this letter, there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus or symptoms of infection," one of the group said in the video aired on Sunday. There is no official figure as to how many Brazilians are in Wuhan. It was estimated to be about 70, although some of those citizens came home before the city was effectively shut off. The government in Brasilia later said it would bring home the Brazilians still in Wuhan. "We will bring back all those Brazilians who are located in that region and express a wish to return to Brazil," a statement released by the Defense and Foreign Ministries said. It did not say how many Brazilians were in the region, or when the operation would start. But the logistics were to be handled by the Brazilian air force. Bolsonaro had said on Friday that in order to carry out such an operation, a law must be passed guaranteeing that such people would remain quarantined when they return. Brazil so far has no confirmed cases of coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) OTTAWA - The Liberal government insisted China let parents and other primary caregivers accompany their Canadian children after leaving Wuhan, the epicentre of an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, even if they are not citizens themselves. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/2/2020 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA - The Liberal government insisted China let parents and other primary caregivers accompany their Canadian children after leaving Wuhan, the epicentre of an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, even if they are not citizens themselves. "We insisted on the concept of family unity," Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Monday in Ottawa. Richard Fabic, his wife Yunfei Li and their daughter Chloe are seen in this undated handout photo. An Ontario father says he missed his 15-month-old daughter's first steps because she is stuck in the Chinese city at the centre of a new coronavirus outbreak. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Richard Fabic *MANDATORY CREDIT* A chartered plane will soon be in Hanoi, Vietnam, where it will wait to pick up Canadian citizens and some permanent residents accompanying their children from Wuhan, the city of 11 million people in the central Hubei province that is currently under quarantine in response to the outbreak. The federal government is awaiting final approval from the Chinese government to fly through the restricted airspace and land at the closed airport in Wuhan, but Champagne said other preparations are already well underway. "We will be in touch with Canadians in Wuhan later this afternoon to provide them all the necessary details," Champagne said. Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said 304 Canadians have asked for assistance to return home, but only 280 have Canadian passports. The numbers remain fluid and Canada has secured a second flight, as well as seats on other flights, should they be needed. Indeed, only a few hours after Hajdu's update, a Foreign Affairs official briefing the House of Commons health committee pegged the number seeking to leave China at 312. Canadas Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam, Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan and Minister of Health Patty Hajdu look on as Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne responds to a question during an update on the coronavirus situation on Monday, February 3, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld China is allowing only foreign nationals from all countries to board repatriation flights, but Champagne said Canada insisted that children be able to fly with their primary caregivers, even if they are permanent residents, and China agreed to let this happen. That will not apply to families where no minors are involved. Hajdu said China will not allow anyone who is showing symptoms of coronavirus to board a flight to leave the country, even if they are Canadian citizens, as part of that country's efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus. "I don't anticipate we will be able to get the Chinese to concede on that point," Hajdu said. Those who remain will be offered consular services from the rapid deployment team already on the ground in Wuhan. Passengers will be screened twice once by Chinese authorities and then again before they board and will be monitored during the flight for possible symptoms of the virus. If any fall ill, they will be transported to a health facility in British Columbia while the plane refuels. Otherwise, passengers will not be allowed to leave the plane until they arrive at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, where they will be held in isolation for 14 days. The Ontario base was chosen because it has the space to allow large numbers of people to be processed quickly, and a facility where people can be housed with dignity, Hajdu said. "I want to remind people that these are Canadians who have been through a very traumatic experience over the past couple of months and in many cases will have significant stressors," Hajdu said. The repatriated Canadians will be housed at the nearby Yukon Lodge until they are cleared to return home. "Part of the reason we're offering social support is they will also be isolated from one another," Hajdu said. "So if one person falls ill, that won't necessitate the start of an entire other quarantine for all of the passengers." Opposition MPs questioned Monday why it is taking so long for Canada to repatriate its citizens when other countries have already done so. In the House of Commons, deputy Conservative leader Leona Alleslev suggested the "hold up" is due to Canada's "disastrous" relations with China. Champagne flatly denied that and said China has been very co-operative in the effort to repatriate Canadians. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Officials with Foreign Affairs, Transport Canada and Public Safety later echoed that view and told the Commons health committee that they don't see how Canada could have acted any faster. Heather Jeffrey, assistant deputy minister for consular security and emergency management at Global Affairs Canada, noted that the number of Canadians asking to be evacuated has jumped from none to over 300 in a matter of days. Documentation and authorizations must be obtained for each one to enable passage through multiple check points within Hubei province, where unprecedented travel restrictions have been imposed in a bid to prevent spread of the virus. Whereas, other countries have consular missions in China's Hubei province, Jeffrey noted that Canada does not. "The plane is actually not the most complicated part. The most complicated part is getting Canadians from across this province to the place where we can help them directly," Jeffrey told the committee. "With a pandemic response of this nature, it's the first time we've had to assist such a large number of Canadians from within a quarantine zone." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2020. Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen has claimed responsibility for a fatal shooting in December at a U.S. naval base in Florida. The Islamist militant group offered no evidence on February 2 it was tied to the attack in which an aviation student from the Saudi Air Force killed three people inside a classroom and wounded two police officers before one of them killed him. Eight others were also hurt. "We congratulate our Muslim nation and embrace the operation of the martyr hero, the daring knight Muhammad bin Saeed al-Shamrani," said the audio, released by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks messages by militant groups, reported the claim. RFE/RL was unable to verify the authenticity of the recording. The 18-minute video indicated that Shamrani and AQAP were in communication, according to Rita Katz, director of SITE. The Justice Department declared that the attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola on December 6 was an act of terrorism. The U.S. military has since implemented new restrictions and controls on all foreign military students at U.S. bases. "All current and future students will be required to acknowledge their willingness to abide by these standards, committing to full compliance with all U.S. laws on- and off-duty as a condition of their enrollment," Garry Reid, the Pentagon's top intelligence official, said on January 17. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters Dassault Aviation, which is going to take part for the first time at DefExpo 2020, will display a scale 1 The DefExpo 2020 is going to be held in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow from February 5 to 8. "For this first appearance at the exhibition, Dassault Aviation will display on its booth, located Hall 3, a scale 1:10 Rafale mockup with the Indian colours to pay tribute to the induction of the aircraft in the Indian Air Force (IAF)," the defence manufacturer said in a release on Monday. The first IAF Rafale handover to the government was held in Dassault Aviation Merignac facility on October 8 last year under the high patronage of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of the Armed Forces of France Florence Parly. A mockup at scale 1:10 of Rafale M (Rafale naval variant) will also be as well displayed to present capabilities of this Rafale variant taking part in the tender of 57 aircraft to equip Indian Navy aircraft carriers. A scale 1:10 Mirage 2000 I/TI mockup will show the Mirage 2000, the legendary spearhead aircraft of the IAF upgraded with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). In complement of the fighter aircraft expertise, a space dedicated to the 'Make in India' achievements of Dassault Aviation, will display 3 major pieces of Rafale engine doors manufactured in the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) facility in Nagpur. The first Falcon 2000 cockpit front section coming out of the DRAL facility at MIHAN, Nagpur was revealed on the occasion of Aero India in Bangalore in February 2019 before being sent to Dassault Aviation's Falcon final assembly line in France. Chairman of Dassault Aviation Eric Trappier said Dassault Aviation is totally focused on supporting India in meeting the strategic and economic challenges of its inspiring vision for the future. "My decision to have Dassault Aviation to participate to DefExpo for the first time is the expression of our full dedication to contribute to India's outreach and our absolute conviction of the major role of India in the concert of nations, today and tomorrow" stated Trappier. Larger infrastructures are currently being developed and will allow the ramp-up of DRAL capabilities towards the taking-off of an entire line of Falcon 2000 fully manufactured and assembled in India, thus paving the way towards future manufacturing and assembly of Rafale aircraft in India. (ANI) The theme of the DefExpo 2020 is 'India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub'. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In brief: Dont have between $39,900 and $69,900 to buy one of Teslas Cybertrucks? Then you could always get a modded iPhone from Russias Caviar, which has a design inspired by the boxy vehicle. The Cyberphone, as its called, is essentially just an iPhone 11 Pro inside a titanium protective case. Caviar says that the design of the body is inspired by the geometry of Tesla's Cybertruck. At the same time, it is improved aesthetically. The Cyberphone features a screen cover that doubles as a kickstand, allowing it to be stood up vertically. While the cover might feel a little bulky in your pocket, it appears to offer plenty of protection for the device inside. Caviar has come up with plenty of unusual and expensive takes on popular devices in the past. There was its $4,300 iPhone X Tesla featuring an attached solar charger, $720 gold-plated AirPods, and a $24,000 jewelry-encrusted iPhone Xs. Its also produced a $3,000 Apple Watch that pays homage to Vladimir Putin, a $4,300 iPhone 5S engraved with Putin's face, and a $2,500 Nokia commemorating the Russian Presidents meeting with Donald Trump. As with Caviars other products, the Cyberphone isnt cheap. It starts at $5,990 for a 64GB iPhone 11 Pro and goes up to $13,590 for an iPhone 11 Pro Max. There are also Light versions that range from $4,260 to $11,860. Only 99 Cyberphones will be made, and at the time of writing, there are 23 units left. Airlines are suspending flights to China in the wake of the new coronavirus outbreak, Trend reports citing Reuters. Here is the latest on their plans (in alphabetical order): AIR CANADA Air Canada said on Jan. 28 it was cancelling select flights to China. AIR FRANCE Air France said on Jan. 30 it had suspended all scheduled flights to and from mainland China until Feb. 9. AIR INDIA Air India said it was cancelling its Mumbai-Delhi-Shanghai flight from Jan. 31 to Feb. 14. AIR NEW ZEALAND Air New Zealand said on Feb. 1 it would suspend its Auckland-Shanghai service from Feb. 9 to March 29 due to travel restrictions affecting crew and a decline in forward bookings. AIR SEOUL South Korean budget carrier Air Seoul said on Jan. 28 it had suspended all flights to China. AIR TANZANIA Tanzanias state-owned carrier said it would postpone its maiden flights to China. It had planned to begin charter flights to China in February. AMERICAN AIRLINES American Airlines said it would cancel flights to Beijing and Shanghai starting Jan. 31, and run through March 27, though it would continue to fly to Hong Kong. AUSTRIAN Austrian Airlines said it was suspending flights to China until the end of February. BRITISH AIRWAYS BA said on Jan. 30 it had cancelled all flights to mainland China for a month. CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS Hong Kongs Cathay Pacific said it would progressively reduce capacity to and from mainland China by 50% or more from Jan. 30 to the end of March. DELTA AIR LINES Delta Air Lines accelerated earlier announced suspensions: the last China-bound flights were due to leave on Feb. 1, and the last returning flights from China were due to leave China on Feb. 2. EGYPTAIR Egypts flag carrier said on Jan. 30 it would suspend all flights to and from China starting Feb. 1. EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES El Al Israel Airlines said on Jan. 30 it was suspending flights to Beijing until March 25. Israels Health Ministry said it would not allow flights from China to land at its airports. EMIRATES/ETIHAD The United Arab Emirates, a major international transit hub, on Monday suspended flights to and from China, except for Beijing. The UAE suspension, which state media said was until further notice, effects Dubais Emirates, one of the worlds biggest long-haul airlines, and Abu Dhabis Etihad Airways. ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES The African carrier on Jan. 30 denied reports it had suspended all flights to China. The airlines statement contradicted its passenger call centre, which told Reuters earlier in the day that flights to China had been suspended. FINNAIR Finlands Finnair said on Jan. 31 it was cancelling all flights to mainland China between Feb. 6 and Feb. 29 and to Guangzhou between Feb. 5 and March 29. HAINAN AIRLINES Chinas Hainan Airlines has suspended its flights between Budapest, Hungary, and Chongqing from Feb. 7 until March 27, Budapest Airport said on its Faceook page. IBERIA AIRLINES Spanish airline Iberia said on Jan.29 that it was temporarily suspending all flights to Shanghai, its only mainland Chinese destination. KENYA AIRWAYS Kenya Airways said on Jan. 31 it had suspended all flights to China until further notice. LION AIR Indonesias Lion Air Group said on Jan. 29 it would suspend all flights to China from February. LOT POLISH AIRLINES Polish carrier LOT said it had decided to temporarily suspend its flights to Beijing until Feb. 9. LUFTHANSA Germanys Lufthansa said on Jan. 29 it was suspending Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines flights to and from China until Feb. 9. The airline continues to fly to Hong Kong, but it will stop taking bookings for flights to mainland China until the end of February. It said on Feb. 3 it was extending until Feb. 28 its suspension of flights to Beijing and Shanghai. OMAN AIR National Carrier Oman Air suspended flights to China on Feb. 2. PAKISTAN Pakistan said on Feb. 3 it was resuming flights to and from China, three days after it suspended them. PHILIPPINES AIRLINES Philippine Airlines said it would cut the number of flights between Manila and China by more than 50%. It said it would continue to serve Filipinos and Chinese nationals returning from the Lunar New Year holidays. QANTAS AIRWAYS Australias Qantas said on Feb. 1 it was suspending direct flights to mainland China. The Australian national carriers direct flights from Sydney to Beijing and Sydney to Shanghai will be halted from Feb. 9 until March 29. QATAR AIRWAYS Qatar Airways said on Feb. 1 it would suspend flights to mainland China from Feb. 3 until further notice. ROYAL AIR MAROC Moroccan airline Royal Air Maroc (RAM) has temporarily suspended its direct flights to China, the company said on Jan. 30. RAM had on Jan. 16 launched a direct air route with three flights weekly between its Casablanca hub and Beijing. RUSSIA All Russian airlines, with the exception of national airline Aeroflot, will stop flying to China, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said on Jan. 31. Moscow Sheremetyevo airport later said small Russian airline Ikar would also continue its flights between Moscow and China. Four Chinese airlines - China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Air China, China Eastern will keep flying to Moscow. All planes arriving from China will be sent to a separate terminal in the Sheremetyevo airport, it said. RWANDAIR Rwandan carrier RwandAir has halted flights to and from China until further notice, the airline said on Jan. 31. The decision will be reviewed later in February, it said. SAS Nordic airline SAS said on Jan. 30 it had decided to suspend all flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing from Jan. 31 until Feb. 9. SAS offers 12 regular weekly connections from and to Shanghai and Beijing. SAUDIA The state airline of Saudi Arabia suspended flights to China on Feb. 2. SCOOT Singapore airline Scoot said it was suspending all flights between Singapore and China from Feb. 8, media reported. SHANGHAI AIRLINES Shanghai Airlines said on Jan. 31 it would suspend its Chengdu-Budapest flight between Feb. 4 and March 28 and its Xian-Budapest flight between Feb. 6 and March 26 according to a statement on the website of the Budapest Airport operator. The airlines Shanghai-Budapest flight is unaffected. SINGAPORE AIRLINES Singapore Airlines Ltd said on Jan. 31 it would reduce capacity on some of its routes to mainland China in February. The cuts include flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xiamen and Chongqing, some of which are flown by regional arm SilkAir. Its budget carrier Scoot is also cutting back on flights to China. TURKISH AIRLINES Turkeys flag carrier Turkish Airlines suspended all flights to China on Jan. 31. Turkeys Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said all flights from China would be suspended from Wednesday until the end of the month and that passengers on flights from Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia would be screened with thermal cameras. TURKMENISTAN AIRLINES Turkmenistan Airlines, the Central Asian nations state carrier, said on Feb. 1 it had suspended flights to and from Beijing. UNITED AIRLINES Chicago-based United announced cancellations, saying its last flights out of mainland China would be Feb. 5, running through March 28. United had previously suspended 24 U.S. flights to Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai between Feb. 1 and Feb. 8 because of a significant drop in demand. UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC UPS has cancelled 22 China flights, as a result of the Wuhan quarantines and normal manufacturing closures due to the Lunar New Year holiday, UPS Chief Executive David Abney said on Jan. 30. He did not specify how many flights cancellations were due to the virus. VIETJET Vietnams Vietjet will suspend all flights to and from China from Feb. 1, the company said on Jan. 31. VIETNAM AIRLINES Vietnam Airlines will suspend its flights to destinations in China next week over coronavirus concerns, the company said Jan 31. VIRGIN ATLANTIC Virgin Atlantic said on Jan. 30 it would suspend its daily operations to Shanghai for two weeks from Feb. 2. It cited declining demand for flights and the safety of its customers and staff. CLEVELAND, Ohio A former Cuyahoga County Jail inmate filed suit against county officials and the corrections officers he accused of assault and violations of his civil rights after they placed him in a restraint chair and strapped a spit mask to his face after he was beaten bloody. Joshua Castleberry, 23, filed his lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court in Cleveland. His injuries and what he said was a lack of medical care for hours after a Feb. 5, 2018 attack was the subject of a criminal investigation. Castleberry, who lives in Cleveland, said officer John Wilson attacked him after he complained about a stale bologna sandwich. He said Wilson bloodied his face and knocked out two of his teeth, with a third lodged in his nasal cavity. Officers put Castleberry in a restraint chair and put a spit mask on him even though he never spat at anyone. Doing so put Castleberry at risk of choking on his own blood, according to the lawsuit. Jail officials would not take Castleberry to the hospital until hours later. (You can read the full lawsuit here or at the bottom of this story.) The suit names several corrections officers and a nurse as defendants. It also names former jail Director Kenneth Mills and former Warden Eric Ivey and says the pair and others signed off on a culture and practice of violating inmates rights. Mills and Ivey authorized, approved, and encouraged officers to keep the spit mask on Castleberry and to prevent medical staff from treating him, according to the suit. Castleberry seeks an unnamed amount in damages. A county spokeswoman said officials will review the lawsuit once they are served. The lawsuit is one of several filed against the county over problems and allegations of civil rights violations by former inmates. They have largely come in the wake of a highly critical November 2018 U.S. Marshals Service report on the jail, where eight inmates died that year. Prosecutors, let by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, have charged several jail employees as part of an ongoing probe. Ivey pleaded guilty to obstructing an investigation into an inmates August 2018 fatal overdose and lying to investigators. He was sentenced to probation. Mills faces felony and misdemeanor charges and has pleaded not guilty. Wilson and Jason Jozwiak, who was the corporal for the floor on which Castleberry was held, for the Castleberry incident faced criminal charges. Jurors in September found Wilson not guilty of unlawful restraint but deadlocked on charges of felonious assault and interfering with civil rights. Prosecutors plan to re-try Wilson on those charges. The jury also acquitted Jozwiak of charges of falsification and interfering with civil rights. Prosecutors said Jozwiak made a conscious effort to deny Castleberry from getting medical treatment. Jozwiaks lawyer said that was not true and that Castleberry had access to medical care because of his client. No video of the altercation exists. Like other members of the jail controversial special response team, known as the Men in Black, Wilson wasnt wearing a body camera. The incident took place inside Castleberrys isolation cell with the door closed, out of view of surveillance cameras. However, surveillance video from the isolation room that was shown during Castleberrys testimony at trial showed Castleberry, blood soaking through the spit mask, shaking in the chair. A U.S. Army veteran, Castleberry was in the jail after his 2017 arrest on charges of domestic violence and assault on a police officer in connection with a fight with his brother. The lawsuit says Wilson lost his temper after Castleberry complained about the stale sandwich and told Castleberry to go to the back of the cell. Castleberry complied and put his hands up on the window. He told Wilson that all he wanted was a fresh sandwich like another inmate had received and said Wilson was on some bulls--t, the suit states. Wilson replied by saying we cant have this, pulled out his pepper foam can and sprayed Castleberry in the face. He then took Castleberry to the ground, cuffed Castleberrys hands and grabbed his hair to smash Castleberrys face into the concrete floor, the suit says. The officer punched Castleberry in the mouth, face and head and kneed him in the chest, the former inmate says. Officer Brandon Honacker sprayed Castleberry a second time with the foam. The two officers and others then forced Castleberry into a restraint chair and put a spit mask on him despite obvious signs that doing so would cause him to choke on his own blood, according to the lawsuit. Despite the injuries, nurse Kristina Cashin wrote in a report that Castleberry had no lacerations inside or outside of his mouth. She cleared him to be taken to an isolation room instead of treatment, according to the suit. When officer Barry Hickerson put Castleberry in the room, he questioned whether to remove the spit mask. Jozwiak responded, yeah, were leaving that mask on, according to the suit. Castleberry was afraid he was going to choke to death on his own blood while in isolation. He managed to free his right hand and remove the spit mask. Jozwiak then forced the spit mask back on, the suit states. Staff did not move Castleberry to the dispensary until 10:20 p.m., more than three hours after the attack. He went to the hospital about a half-hour later, according to the suit. The next day, during a meeting, then-jail Dr. Thomas Tallman asked to see video footage with Castleberry. Mills and Ivey both told the doctor that they watched footage and that officers did nothing wrong, according to the suit. The case is assigned to Senior U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent. Wilson testified at his trial that he sprayed Castleberry with pepper foam because the inmate was not following orders to face the wall during a search of his cell. Wilson said Castleberry punched him in the top of the head, that he tackled Castleberry and that the inmate resisted throughout the incident. Wilson also said he was diagnosed with a concussion but returned to work the next day. If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Mondays crime and courts comments section. Read more: No jail time for Cuyahoga County Jail associate warden Eric Ivey Ex-Cuyahoga County Jail director indicted on new charges that accuse him of making jail unsafe during string of inmate deaths Judge declares partial mistrial in case of Cuyahoga County jail guards accused of abusing inmate Former Cuyahoga County Jail inmate testifies that officer smashed his head into concrete while handcuffed Testimony could be key to trial of two Cuyahoga County jail guards due to lack of video of inmates beating Cuyahoga County jail guard under internal investigation for altercation that left inmate missing teeth The French fishermen who could sink Britain's post-Brexit ambitions February 03,2020 | Source: Reuters For the British government, a successful Brexit means re-asserting economic sovereignty and landing a trade deal with Europe. Trawler captain Stephane Fait and his fellow French fisherman could sink that plan. Based in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France's busiest fishing port and a major European processing center, Fait and his crew earn the bulk of their income from fish caught in British waters. In negotiations on a post-Brexit trade deal that get underway after Britain's Jan. 31 exit from the European Union, Britain will say EU vessels like Fait's Notre Dame de Boulogne trawler no longer have automatic access to British waters. But French fishermen won't accept that and they have leverage: pressuring Brussels via French President Emmanuel Macron to withhold the trade deal unless Britain lets EU trawlers fish its waters. "Macron mustn't give an inch to Britain," the captain said as his crew unloaded 2 tonnes of squid, red mullet and whiting this week. Fait, 50, said his livelihood was at risk and wants Macron to retaliate against any restrictions imposed by London with a ban on British-caught fish entering the EU. The fishing row shows how just one small industry - which plays a tiny economic role but has outsize political influence - can undo Britain's ambitions of landing a wider deal that preserves its access to European markets. British fishing grounds are among the richest in the North East Atlantic zone where most of the EU catch is hauled in. Current rules allow EU boats to fish as close as six nautical miles to Britain's coast, but once it leaves the bloc its exclusive economic zone will reach as far as 200 miles offshore. If no new accord is reached, Fait will not be allowed to fish beyond a line down the middle of the English Channel separating French and British territorial waters. It would be "very, very grave" if French boats were banned from British waters, French Farm Minister Didier Guillaume told Reuters. "There could be reprisal measures." Regaining control of Britain's waters was a totem for Brexit campaigners. British fishermen say too many concessions were made when Britain joined the European Economic Community in 1973. The EU Common Fisheries Policy determines how much of each fish can be caught and sets national quotas. Once Britain becomes an independent coastal state, it will operate its fish stocks independently. "A rebalancing is needed," a British official said. "We believe we should have a greater share of the fish in UK waters." However, a European diplomat said the objective was to "maintain the status quo" on access to British waters. The European Commission says there should be no free trade agreement without a fisheries accord. Another European diplomat said EU capitals would stand united on fisheries, as they did on the Irish border during negotiations on a withdrawal agreement. 2020 The New York Times Company Theme(s): Post Harvest Technology and Trade. Alex Ray Scott, 24, was thousands of miles from his home in Tulsa, Okla., on Thursday when he walked into a police precinct house in Manhattan. He had cuts on his hands and was carrying a drivers license and a stack of credit cards that were not his. I think I may have killed someone last night, he told detectives, according to court documents. At the same time, about two miles north, investigators were trying to figure out how Kenneth Savinski, a 64-year-old antiques dealer, wound up dead in his Upper East Side apartment strangled, with his throat slit. On Saturday, Mr. Scott was charged with killing Mr. Savinski, emptying the mans jewelry box, taking his cash and credit cards, and going on a shopping spree before walking into the Midtown North precinct house in Manhattan on Thursday. Image Kenneth Savinski. Credit... Matt Carasella/Patrick McMullan, via Getty Images Detectives say the two men had met Tuesday night and that Mr. Savinski brought the younger Mr. Scott home for what he believed would be a romantic liaison, the Manhattan district attorneys office said. CARROLL COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI)The Wabash & Erie Canal Park in Carroll County is taking the way we learn history to another level. "We're excited about bringing the history alive, said Canal Association President, Dan McCain. McCain along with many volunteers made the decision to build Irish Shanties. In laymen's term, they're cabins. "Well we have been told by many people over the years that we really need to have one of these buildings available for rent, said McCain. So it's an opportunity to now provide that for someone who wants to stay a day or two." With donated materials, volunteers have spent a year building these Irish Shanties. They offer three sizes of small, medium and large. "Hopefully we can bring that feeling back of what it was like to live in the 1850s, said McCain. McCain said this will not only be a great experience for families, it'll re-create history. "We have to think back to when the 1850s and 40s were when the Irish were around here that were building the canal, said McCain. And it was an important part of their lifestyle to have a place to stay." While families spend a few days at the park they have access to the 3500sqft museum full of local historical artifacts. "This museum takes you through a dozen galleries, said McCain. Each gallery moves you through time. Time represents before the canal was even conceived. All the way through construction, operation of the canal and finally its demise." McCain said he hopes people will take away a piece of history they'll never forget. "If you come to Canal Park you've got a lot of other things to do, said McCain. Including hiking, you can go on our ten-mile trail system. So there will be a lot of things for people to do. McCain said the Irish Shanties will be available for families to rent starting this summer. They are expected to rent out for around fifteen to forty dollars a night. The Wabash & Erie Canal Park offers a wide variety of things for tourists. For more information, click here. The former FGS building, Manvers A GLAZING firm has bought parts of a specialist contractor which closed suddenly last month with the loss of 200 Rotherham jobs. Alucraft Systems acquisition of Facade and Glazing Solutions includes its 3,000sq metre manufacturing facility at Manvers. The buyer said it planned to reopen the centre with an initial 19 staff and would expand as new work was secured. Alucraft commercial director John Foster described the move as a decisive and positive step for the firm. This sends a very strong message to the construction industry, he added. We have added a fantastic facility, which will increase our operational capacity, allowing us to deliver larger and more complex projects. It will also create additional employment opportunities in the area. The Facade and Glazing Solutions centre traded as Glassolutions before a 2018 buyout by French building materials company Saint-Gobain. Alucraft was founded in 1975 and has its headquarters in Dublin. NORRISTOWN An Upper Providence man who told detectives he has sick perversions is headed to jail after he admitted to possessing child pornography. John David Machita, 59, of the 200 block of Walnut Street, in the Mont Clare section of the township, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 111/2 to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possessing child pornography in connection with incidents that occurred between January 2018 and April 2019. Judge Thomas C. Branca, who accepted a plea agreement in the matter, ordered Machita to report to the jail in Lower Providence on Feb. 13 to begin serving the sentence. Machita is eligible for the jails work release program during his period of incarceration. Machita also must complete five years probation following parole, meaning he will be under court supervision for about seven years. As a result of his conviction, Machita will have to report his address to state police for 15 years in order to comply with Pennsylvanias Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act. The judge ordered Machita to surrender all of his electronic devices. Machita must undergo a psychosexual evaluation and comply with all recommendations for sexual offender treatment, the judge said. Machita is prohibited from having contact with minors. The case was investigated by Upper Providence Detective Eric J. Smith and Limerick Detective Ernie M. Morris. An investigation of Machita began when a woman notified Limerick police that she discovered inappropriate text messages and photos sent to her 14-year-old daughter by Machita, who knew the girls family. Machita allegedly sent the girl messages asking her to come to his home and model t-shirts for him, according to the criminal complaint filed by Morris and Smith. When detectives confronted Machita about the allegations, he permitted detectives to review his laptop computer. During that review, detectives uncovered a browser history that uncovered searches of terms related to child pornography, according to the arrest affidavit. When confronted about the searches, Machita allegedly told detectives, I didnt think looking at photos was illegal, according to the criminal complaint. Machita allegedly admitted to making sexually explicit comments to the 14-year-old Limerick girl, to viewing child pornography and to storing images of minor females on his laptop. Machita admitted that he was sexually obsessed with minor females between the ages of 14 and 18 years of age. He admitted that the sexual obsession led his curiosity to pursue communications with the victim, Morris and Smith alleged in court papers. He admitted that he has been alone for some time and has sick perversions.' A forensic examination of Machitas laptop uncovered 62 images of child pornography, according to the arrest affidavit. Other charges of corruption of a minor and harassment were dismissed against Machita as part of the plea agreement. Consumer released: The Consumer NZ Board is delighted to announce the appointment of Jon Duffy, Assistant Privacy Commissioner, as the new Chief Executive of Consumer NZ. Jon has had a long association with Consumer NZ, most recently as its chair. Today he said: I am relishing the chance to lead Consumer NZ and represent consumers as we continue to fight for better information and protection, and a fair deal for all New Zealanders. I see the big consumer issues of our time as sustainability, privacy and inequity. Deputy Chair Kate Tokeley said the Board had been through a robust recruitment process, using independent consultants to guide its thinking. We were extremely fortunate to have an outstanding field of candidates against whom Jon stood out as having the skills, experience, expertise and passion for consumer issues that most closely matched our requirements. Im a member of Consumer and use their website often when deciding on purchases. A great organisation. Jon Duffy has a great background, and I am sure will be a very good CEO. Im interested in the fact that he is the current Chair, and became CEO. That means the Board had to have a process to deal with the conflict of interest and have a fair process. It is possible to do so. Ive three times been on a board where the Chair has applied for the CEO job. Twice were unsuccessful applications, and once was successful. They are very challenging situations, but you can manage it with integrity. One challenge is what if the Chair is unsuccessful? Then the new CEO is reporting to them as Board Chair, which could be difficult. And if they are successful, do other candidates feel they had a fair chance? I think in the case of Jon Duffy, his suitability is very obvious, that he obviously got the job on merit. But it must have been challenging for the board in working through the issues. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New E-ZPass express lanes coming to a busy New Jersey Turnpike toll plaza could save some Staten Islanders valuable time during their daily commute. The New Jersey Turnpike Authority has awarded a $21.18 million contract to Joseph M. Sanzari Inc. of Hackensack to construct two express E-ZPass lanes in each direction at the toll plaza that serves Interchange 16E to the Lincoln Tunnel and 18E to I-80 and the George Washington Bridge, according to NJ.com. This toll plaza, well-known as one of the busiest on the New Jersey Turnpike, often results in a messy merge, with some drivers moving left toward the George Washington Bridge, while other vehicles keeping right toward the Lincoln Tunnel, including commuter buses entering the Exclusive Bus Lane (XBL) to the tunnel. It will ease the flow of traffic," Robert Fischer, Turnpike Authority chief engineer, told NJ.com. They have back-ups, on occasion, and this will improve operations. Fischer said that by adding the express lanes and modifying the entrance to the XBL, bus riders will experience quicker, smoother commutes, requiring less weaving in and out of traffic. Staten Island express buses that use the Lincoln Tunnel include the SIM8, SIM8x, SIM22, SIM23, SIM24, SIM25, SIM26 and SIM30. Demolition of some existing tollbooths and concrete traffic islands is expected to begin this spring, with construction of the new express lanes expected to be completed by October 2021. TESTING AUTONOMOUS TECH IN XBL In December 2019, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey approved an 18-month, $4.8 million demonstration program to test connected, autonomous vehicle technology in the Lincoln Tunnels XBL. Once fully deployed, the technology is projected to increase morning peak-hour bus capacity by 30%, allowing an additional 200 buses and 10,000 passengers during the morning peak. The XBL, a 2.5-mile contraflow lane connecting the New Jersey Turnpike and Route 3 to the Lincoln Tunnel and Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, handles 1,850 buses and 70,000 passengers from 6 to 10 a.m. each weekday. The demonstration program will take place in phases beginning this month, with approximately half of the 18-month window comprised of system design and integration on a fleet of test buses. The technology will then be tested on closed test tracks before being tested on the closed XBL during weekend morning hours, as to not interfere with weekday commutes. Following the completion of the demonstration program in 2021, the Port Authority will consider an official pilot program. One of this agencys top priorities is to explore emerging technologies that can enhance trans-Hudson commuting at a time when regional commuting growth has placed extreme strain on many of our legacy facilities, said Port Authority Vice Chairman Jeffrey Lynford. The autonomous technology does not replace bus drivers, instead providing driver assistance capabilities that allow operators to shorten the distance between buses, drive at higher speeds and reduce collisions. This upcoming demonstration program is a perfect example of seeking out 21st century technology to improve our capabilities, and gives us hope that the Exclusive Bus Lane will continue to be a critical mass transit facility for many years to come," Lynford added. (Photo : Pixabay) Apple Products There have been concerns that this could impact the production of various consumer goods with news of Coronavirus spreading around China and the world. Apple would be one of those possibly affected. Apple CEO Tim Cook tells its investors that their production might be impacted due to the use of suppliers from Wuhan. ALSO READ: Real-time and Interactive Coronavirus Online Map Now Available to Track Global Cases Why the decline? Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo confirmed Cook's statement, saying the coronavirus outbreak may hurt Apple's delivery forecasts for the first quarter of the year. Based on this, he has revised his shipping estimates for iPhones in Q1 2020 to 36-forty million units, which is a seemingly 10% decrease than before. Apple might not be alone in suffering from this situation. Kuo says that he has visible phone shipments inside the Chinese marketplace decline by 50 to 60% every year. ALSO READ: Apple CEO Tim Cook to Donate Funds to Fight Against Coronavirus The decline could be due to the Chinese New Year, where most companies take a break during the holiday. Some of the employees also worry about the coronavirus outbreak, which started in Wuhan. The incident has led to some corporations closing down temporarily. Unofficial sources said that Apple recently made an order to assemble around 80 million phones, including the "iPhone 9" or "iPhone SE 2." The move, alongside Tim Cook's statement, has led to analysts predicting that the rumored less costly iPhone model could be disrupted. All of Apple's corporate offices and contact centers in mainland China were closed since February 9 due to the coronavirus outbreak. Apple's decision was after the World Health Organization declaring Wuhan coronavirus, a global public health emergency. ALSO READ: Coronavirus Outbreak is Hurting Apple's China Operations More Than You Could Imagine Foxconn denies claim on production delays Apple's key iPhone manufacturing partner, Foxconn, denied that there will be any production delays and that this latest order will be filled on time. In a statement, Foxconn denied reports that it plans to reduce its workforce. Apple's electronics manufacturer underscored that they continue to recruit employees to support business and operations globally. Foxconn added it would continue to maintain a workforce of over one million employees worldwide. The company, being one of the largest private employers globally, is staffed with about 1.3 million people during peak production times. Foxconn underscored that it is investing in the automation of most of the manufacturing tasks associated with their operations, applying robotics engineering and other innovative production technologies to enable their employees to focus on essential elements in the manufacturing process. "The magnitude of our employee recruitment is expected to decrease in the years ahead, but we have no plans to reduce our workforce numbers now or anytime in the future," the company said. Smartphone prices are forecast to drop from an average selling price of US$297 in 2014 to US$241 by 2018, research group International Data Corp said. Falling prices will pressure smartphone manufacturers to become more creative in product design and sales as markets become more saturated. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A medical worker in a People's Liberation Army unit gives a thumbs-up upon her arrival at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Hubei province on Feb 2, 2020. [Photo by Chen Xiaodong/For China Daily] The People's Liberation Army has begun to use transport units to help to distribute necessities to markets and shops in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province and epicenter of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The PLA established a transport support team of 260 soliders and 130 trucks on Sunday, tasking it with assisting local logistic companies in Wuhan to transport daily necessities such as vegetables, according to a statement published by the military on Monday. The team dispatched 50 trucks on Sunday to send more than 200 metric tons of materials to major supermarkets across the city, the statement read. Due to the impact of the epidemic, there have been shortages in manpower and transport capacity in Wuhan's logistics businesses, forcing the city government to ask for help from the military. After receiving orders from the Central Military Commission, the PLA Hubei Provincial Command cooperated with a number of military units stationed in Hubei such as the PLA Air Force's parachute and aviation units and the PLA Ground Force's training base, selecting troops and trucks from these units. China Central Television on Monday quoted a duty manager in a Wuhan supermarket as saying the assistance from the military has mitigated the heavy burden on their transport capacity. The manager, Xiong Zhuang, said he wished to thank soldiers for their help and that Wuhan people felt more assured as they saw troops coming there. Party and State leaders pay homage to President Ho Chi Minh. (Photo: VGP) The delegation included Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc; National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan; former Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh; former State Presidents Tran Duc Luong and Nguyen Minh Triet; former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung; former NA Chairmen Nguyen Van An and Nguyen Sinh Hung; President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Tran Thanh Man; Politburo members and Party Central Committee Secretaries; and former Politburo members and former Party Central Committee Secretaries. They showed their endless gratitude for the great contributions of President Ho Chi Minh to the glorious revolutionary process of the Party and nation. They also commemorated martyrs at the memorial and expressed their remembrance for those who sacrificed their lives for the national liberation and unification, for the independence and freedom as well as peoples happiness. On the same day, delegations from the Ministries of National Defence, Public Security and Hanoi paid homage to President Ho Chi Minh and burned incense to commemorate heroic martyrs./. The Allahabad High Court on Monday transferred from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow the trial in the sexual abuse case against former Union minister while granting him bail with several conditions. "The trial court will take up the case on priority basis, preferably on day to day basis and trial will be concluded within one year," the court said while shifting the trial to the Lucknow district court based on the survivor's apprehension that Chinmayanad, being a powerful person in his home town Shahjahanpur where the trial is currently taking place, could tamper with evidence and influence the proceedings. Justice Rahul Chaturvedi issued the bail order on the plea filed by the BJP leader. The order directed Chinmayanand to file an undertaking stating that he shall not seek any adjournment on the date fixed for evidence when the witnesses are present in court. "In case of default of this condition, it shall be open for the trial court to treat it as abuse of liberty of bail and pass orders in accordance with law," the order said. Justice Chaturvedi also directed Senior Superintendent of Police, Lucknow to ensure the security and safety of the survivor, her family members and witnesses during the entire trial period by deputing an officer of the rank of Senior Sub Inspector and armed constables for their protection. "Chinmayanand alias Krishna Pal Singh be released on bail on his executing a personal bond and furnishing two heavy sureties each in the like amount to the satisfaction of the court concerned in case with some conditions," the court said. On November 16, the court had reserved its order after hearing the counsels from both sides. Chinmayanand, whose trust runs the Shahjahanpur law college where the woman studied, was arrested on September 20 under section 376-C of the IPC, a charge short of rape. It is applied when someone in authority takes advantage of his official position to "induce or seduce" a woman to have sex with him. In a parallel case, the woman was charged with trying to extort money from Chinmayanand, whom she had accused of rape. The high court granted her bail on December 4. The Supreme Court had stepped in after the 23-year-old law student went missing for a few days in August last year after posting a video clip on social media, alleging sexual abuse. A special investigation team of Uttar Pradesh Police, formed on the directions of the apex court, arrested Chinmayanand about a month later. The SIT also arrested the student after a complaint that she and her friends had tried to extort Rs 5 crore from Chinmayanand, threatening to make public videos showing her giving massages to the former minister. "The applicant shall remain present in person before the trial court on date fixed for (1) opening of the case, (2) framing of charge and (3) recording of statement under section 313 (power to examine accused) of CrPC. If in the opinion of the trial court absence of the applicants are deliberate or without sufficient cause, then it shall be open for the trial court to treat such default as abuse of liberty of bail and proceed against him in accordance with law," Monday's bail order of the HC said. "In case, the applicant misuses the liberty of bail during trial and in order to secure his presence proclamation under section 82 (person issued bail has absconded) of CrPC may be issued and if applicant fails to appear before the court on the date fixed in such proclamation, then the trial court shall initiate proceedings against him in accordance with law under section 174-A (non-appearance in court in response to proclamation) IPC," it said. The BJPs Ramkripal Yadav talked of the tukde-tukde gang and how they were spoiling the atmosphere. Speaker Om Birla tried to intervene, saying statements by MPs outside Parliament cannot be raised inside the House, and members should not set a wrong precedent. (Photo: ANI) New Delhi: Both Houses of Parliament saw a noisy start to the first full week of the Budget Session, with the Opposition protesting against the CAA and the proposed NRC, the shooting incidents at Shaheen Bagh, the attack on students at JNU and Jamia Millia Islamia and the inflammatory goli maaro speeches by BJP MPs during the Delhi election campaign. While the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the major part of the day and no business conducted in the House as the Opposition demanded a discussion on the CAA-NRC under Rule 267, which the Chair did not allow, the Lok Sabha saw a war of words between the treasury benches and the Opposition. A major uproar was seen in the Lok Sabha as Opposition members led by the Congress repeatedly disrupted the proceedings by standing in the Well and raising slogans like goli maarna band karo and sharam karo as and when minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur tried to reply to questions on his ministry during Question Hour. The Opposition also staged a walkout the moment BJP MP Parvesh Verma rose to initiate the debate on the motion of thanks on the Presidents address. Later, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that if the Election Commission does not find him fit enough to speak and bans him, why should the Opposition listen to him? Speaker Om Birla tried to intervene, saying statements by MPs outside Parliament cannot be raised inside the House, and members should not set a wrong precedent. The Opposition, however, did not relent and walked out. The BJPs Ramkripal Yadav talked of the tukde-tukde gang and how they were spoiling the atmosphere. He also talked about the possibility of a foreign hand in the conspiracy to break the nation. Mr Gogoi later took on the government for its policies and attitude towards protests and dissent. The ruling party is under the impression that just because they have won the election, democracy is over. They can pass any laws... For the first time a minister of the government (Anurag Thakur) is saying that men, women, students and the youth (who are protesting) should be shot dead ... There have been no arrests made on the JNU incident. The Delhi police has not been able to nab the culprits because their political masters are giving instructions, and people are shooting right in front of the police (referring to shotting incidents at Jamia and Shaheen Bagh), Mr Gogoi said. Who is pulling the trigger? The boy? Or the minister making inflammatory statements who should be booked under Section 153... Inflammatory statements are being made with regard to Mahatma Gandhi and (Nathuram) Godse. None of these can happen without the approval of their (BJP) top leader, Mr Gogoi added. The Assam Congress MP also criticised the Budget, saying: What is the point of this Budget if it cannot take India out of the lowest GDP, poverty and recession? Terming the Presidents speech a big disappointment, IUML MP P.K. Kunhalikutty said that it did not cover the important issues before the country. The mandate given to the BJP is to uphold the Constitution while slogans are being raised (by anti-CAA protesters and citizens) to save the Constitution. Our reputation in the international arena is falling, and globally we are seen as (an) intolerant (nation). The international media is writing against the government... The Prime Minister is talking about a New India which is full of hatred, and joblessness, he said. The MP also raised the inflammatory speeches by BJP MPs during the Delhi election campaign, saying: The BJP is trying to communalise the Delhi polls... Not a single BJP leader has condemned the goli maaro speech and they are encouraging people to shoot. Hollywood veteran Al Pacino says he would like to play Hamlet someday as it is one of those characters he hasn't dealt with yet. The 79-year-old actor said though he "always had an inkling" towards essaying the Shakespearean character, he might be too old to play the titular Prince of Denmark now. Asked on the red carpet of the 2020 Bafta Awards which roles he'd still like to play, Pacino said, "I've always had an inkling to play Hamlet. I don't know, that's a role I would like to play someday. "But the late great Richard Harris, the actor, he once said if you don't do 'Hamlet' when you're young, you'll never do it. And he was right." The actor lost his balance briefly at the red carpet after having tripped up as he ascended a small staircase. He didn't appear to be hurt and was promptly helped to his feet by the people around. Pacino was nominated for the best supporting actor Bafta for "The Irishman". The award was won by Brad Pitt for "Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Douglas Busvine BERLIN (Reuters) - Britain's decision on whether to allow Huawei to supply equipment for 5G mobile networks comes at a delicate time, with debate raging in European capitals over the security implications of reliance on Chinese technology. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel's preference for applying the same rules to all equipment vendors faces growing resistance from lawmakers in her own party, who back U.S. calls to ban Huawei outright. Even as Britain prepares to quit the European Union, the finishing touches are still being put on a bloc-wide framework to address risks in networks that will become faster and more ubiquitous in the 5G era. Europe's leading telecoms operators, who are all Huawei customers, are lobbying against an outright ban. At the same time, they are removing the Chinese company's gear from the "core" of their networks. The core routes traffic and manages data and is thus more sensitive than the peripheral radio network. Here's an explainer on the current state of play: GERMAN BACKLASH In Germany, lawmakers across party lines are challenging Merkel's pragmatism. They agree with the Donald Trump administration's arguments that Huawei can't be trusted because it is beholden to the Chinese government. Huawei denies this. Merkel has called for a time-out on the domestic debate ahead of a March EU summit, reinforcing a feedback loop that Brussels sources say has already slowed efforts to reach a bloc-wide consensus and delayed the 5G framework, dubbed the toolbox. Concerns expressed by Germany's powerful car industry that a Huawei ban could provoke trade retaliation from China - its largest export market - have influenced the thinking of Merkel and senior aides. WHAT'S AT STAKE? Operators Deutsche Telekom , Vodafone and Telefonica are all Huawei clients. They warn that replacing its kit could cost billions of euros, on top of heavy outlays for German 5G spectrum at auction last year. More broadly, Europe has emerged as a battleground in the technology 'Cold War' playing out between China and Washington. Huawei's European competitors, Ericsson and Nokia , would become a supplier duopoly should the Chinese company be shut out. Story continues Huawei leads the global telecoms equipment market with a 28% share, according to U.S. consultancy Dell'Oro. Nokia is second on 16% and Ericsson third with 13%. Its share is higher in Europe and it is banned in the United States. WHAT ABOUT THE TOOLBOX? The proposed toolbox, due out this week, will create a framework to analyze and address network security but it will go only as far as making recommendations because EU rules stipulate that security policy is a matter for national governments. There would be no up-front bans, but European Commissioner Thierry Breton, of France, has made it clear - in a coded message to Huawei - that the EU will assert its status as a sovereign space when it comes to telecoms networks. EU countries should assess the risk profile of suppliers on a national or EU level and apply restrictions to high-risk suppliers including necessary exclusions to effectively mitigate risks for key assets, the draft document says. THE FRENCH EXCEPTION In France, market leader Orange , which is partly state owned, does not use Huawei for its domestic network. It does, however, rely on Huawei in Spain and Poland. Rivals Bouygues Telecom and Altice Europe's SFR are both Huawei customers, which raises potential uncertainty as France prepares to sell 5G spectrum early this year. PRAGMATISTS AND SCEPTICS Across the EU, no government has yet imposed an outright ban on Huawei. Attitudes range from welcoming to sceptical, reflecting diverging risk perceptions and attitudes towards Washington and Beijing. At the friendly end of the spectrum, there has been scant debate in Spain about any risks that Huawei might pose. Hungary has welcomed Huawei, saying it sees no evidence to support U.S. claims about security risks. Among the sceptics, the Czech Republic's cyber-security watchdog has issued a warning to all critical network companies, identifying risks of equipment from Chinese vendors Huawei and the smaller ZTE. Elsewhere, the Netherlands and Italy have talked about retroactive mechanisms for removing Chinese equipment should it be found wanting. Poland might impose stricter security requirements on elements of the network core that route traffic and handle sensitive information. Taken as a whole, Europe appears to lack the appetite for outright bans, and any consensus reached on a standards-based toolbox would represent a big win for Huawei. That would not, however, eliminate the risk that it is kicked out of individual markets at a later stage. (Reporting by Douglas Busvine; Additional reporting by Foo Yun Chee, Elvira Pollina, Isla Binnie, Toby Sterling, Anna Koper, Jan Lopatka, Gergely Szakacs and Radu Marina; Editing by David Goodman) By Yi Whan-woo The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI) donated 8.8 million won ($7,300) to a choir of hearing-impaired children, the chamber said last week. The money was given to the Isori choir, part of a project run by the Paradise Welfare Foundation, at the foundation headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, Feb. 1. The project, through choir classes and music education, seeks to improve the singing ability of the children, who have cochlear implants or hearing aids, improve their speaking ability a major challenge for the hearing impaired and enhance their self-esteem and social skills. KGCCI President and CEO Barbara Zollmann joined the donation ceremony, along with representatives from the Paradise Welfare Foundation and the Isori choir. "On behalf of the numerous member companies that contributed to this donation, KGCCI hopes to deliver a message of encouragement to support these children who admirably learn something joyful they are usually deprived of singing," Zollmann said. She said several German companies in Korea that are "actively involved in various projects supporting underprivileged groups in Korean society" participated in the charity event. Paradise Welfare Foundation Chairwoman Choi Yoon-jung thanked the KGCCI for its "meaningful sponsorship" of the choir. "We hope that continuous interest will be given to hearing-impaired children to let them, beyond hearing and speaking, unfold their musical capacities which will spread a message of hope and encouragement to our society," Choi said. Bangladesh has temporarily suspended its visa-on-arrival services for Chinese nationals and asked the authorities not to recruit them for the ongoing projects after the coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 360 people and infected over 17,000 others in China spread to 25 countries. Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen during a media briefing on Sunday said the government has requested Chinese nationals in Bangladesh not to go on leave especially over the next month while the global health emergency is in place, the BD News reported. At the same time, we have requested the authorities not to recruit any Chinese national for the ongoing projects in Bangladesh, he was quoted as saying. He, however, said that the move does not bar Chinese nationals from applying for a Bangladeshi visa. This is a temporary measure. Chinese nationals can still apply for a visa but they must submit a medical certificate along with the application, he said. A number of countries have temporarily stopped issuing visas to Chinese nationals after the coronavirus outbreak. India on Sunday temporarily suspended e-visa facility for Chinese travellers and foreigners residing in China in view of the virulent coronavirus that has killed 361 people, infected 17,205 others and spread to 25 countries, including India, the US and the UK. Singapore has stopped issuing all types of visas to Chinese travellers, while Vietnam has halted tourist visas. Russia, a close Beijing ally, announced Saturday it would halt visa-free tourism for Chinese nationals and also stop issuing them work visas. It had already stopped issuing electronic visas to Chinese nationals. Similar visa restrictions have been imposed by the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the African nation of Mozambique. A total of 316 Bangladeshi citizens stranded in Chinas Wuhan, the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak, returned home on a special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines on February 1. Of them 10 were taken to two hospitals in Dhaka for observation. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the outbreak a global health emergency. At least four Turkish soldiers were killed and nine others were wounded in "intensive shelling" on Monday by Syrian government forces in northwestern Syria, Turkey' said. A Syrian war monitor said six Syrian troops were killed as well in the shelling. The exchange came hours after a large Turkish military convoy entered the province of Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in the country. It is also likely to increase tensions between the two neighboring countries as such direct clashes have been rare. Turkey's National Defense Ministry said the shelling in Idlib took place despite prior notification of the coordinates of the Turkish forces that were sent to the province as reinforcements. It said Turkish forces responded to the attack. The incident comes amid a Syrian government offensive into the last rebel-held territory, located in Idlib and parts of the nearby Aleppo region. Turkish troops are deployed in some of those areas to monitor an earlier cease-fire that has since collapsed. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group with activists around the country, said the exchange occurred near the town of Saraqeb, which Syrian troops have marching toward in recent days. Relations between Turkey and Syria have deteriorated sharply since Syria's civil war began in 2011. Syria accuses Turkey of undermining its security by allowing thousands of foreign fighters to come battle the Syrian army. Idlib province is currently dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants. Government forces captured the key town of Maaret al-Numan from the rebels last Wednesday, and have now set their sights on Sarqeb. A strategic highway that links Damascus with northern Syria passes through both towns and government forces aim to reopen it. The highway has been closed since 2012. The province of Idlib is home to some 3 million people, many of them displaced from other parts of Syria in earlier bouts of violence. The United Nations has estimated that about 390,000 Syrians have been displaced there over the past two months 315,000 in December and 75,000 in January. Turkey already hosts 3.5 million Syrian refugees, and the current wave of violence in Idlib has raised concerns of a new surge in displaced civilians fleeing toward the Turkish border. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [February 03, 2020] LoRa Alliance To Show LoRaWAN Connected Farm at World Ag Expo Demonstrations from across the Alliances ecosystem will show ease of use for IoT, leveraging LoRaWAN CertifiedCM devices to achieve resource conservation and cost savings for farmers FREMONT, Calif., Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The LoRa Alliance , the global association of companies backing the open LoRaWAN standard for the Internet of Things (IoT) low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs), today announced that it will host a LoRaWAN Connected Farm in booth NS6 during the World Ag Expo taking place Feb. 11-13 in Tulare, California. LoRaWAN is a LPWAN IoT networking technology that allows sensors to simply and easily connect to a network to capture valuable insights about water use, soil quality, livestock management and many other applications. Farmers are already using the technology to make smarter irrigation decisions, to better monitor crops and track livestock, to track farm equipment and farm and field conditions, and to monitor supply levels, etc. Water conservation is important across the United States, and agriculture consumes 80 percent of all water use in the country. LoRaWAN can be used to monitor and control usage, which has been demonstrated to reduce water consumption by up to 30 percent, while also reducing manual labor costs for irrigation checks, etc. Specific benefits of LoRaWAN for agricultural applications include that it doesnt require cellular connectivity to establish a network, meaning networks can be installed anywhere there is capability of transmitting over extremely long ranges in rural environments. Networks can be public or private, depending on the end-user needs. Compared to cellular data rates, LoRaWAN is extremely cost effective in sending messages from sensors that can be embedded anywhere, are battery powered and can last up to 10 years on a single battery. LoRaWAN technology has been proven to result in one-tenth the power usage, or in the case of battery-powered devices, 10x the battery life of competing machine to machine technologies. Because LoRaWAN leverages the unlicensed radio spectrum in the ISM band, it does not incur the operating expenses associated with having licensed wireless connectivity like cellular 4G or LTE for each end device in the network. Additionally, features such as TDoA geolocation capabilities allow operators to locate valuable assets in the field. LoRa Alliance members will be on-site with demonstrations across many parts of the LoRaWAN ecosystem, from evice manufacturers to transmission equipment providers to network operators and solution providers. Companies hosting demonstrations in the booth include IoT America, ITK, Kerlink, OrbiWise, Paige Wireless, Pessl, Sensoterra, Tektelic and WaterBit. ITK will showcase two different solutions. Firstly, Farmlife is a connected livestock solution with high added value for the management of cow farming. It provides 24-hour monitoring of animals to help farmers intervene at the best possible times. This helps anticipate risky situations by providing qualified indicators to monitor their evolution. It also optimizes the performance of animal batches by ensuring good behavior and health. Secondly, Vintel and Vintel Orchards are real-time field management decision support tools for managing vineyards and orchards suitable for all terroirs (microclimates and soil conditions). It acts as a daily plant-water stress indicator, as well as saves water and improves quality. will showcase two different solutions. Firstly, Farmlife is a connected livestock solution with high added value for the management of cow farming. It provides 24-hour monitoring of animals to help farmers intervene at the best possible times. This helps anticipate risky situations by providing qualified indicators to monitor their evolution. It also optimizes the performance of animal batches by ensuring good behavior and health. Secondly, Vintel and Vintel Orchards are real-time field management decision support tools for managing vineyards and orchards suitable for all terroirs (microclimates and soil conditions). It acts as a daily plant-water stress indicator, as well as saves water and improves quality. Kerlink and IoT America will jointly demonstrate a soil monitoring managed service that enables farmers to gather data to increase yields and specifically grow larger grapes in their vineyards. will jointly demonstrate a soil monitoring managed service that enables farmers to gather data to increase yields and specifically grow larger grapes in their vineyards. OrbiWise will be showcasing its OrbiWAN LNS solution as it is used by its partners in the smart-agriculture marketagroThings (Brazil), YEAP! (Americas) and vineyards in France. The solution serves multiple purposes such as irrigation, farm equipment monitoring, crop management, livestock tracking and health monitoring. will be showcasing its OrbiWAN LNS solution as it is used by its partners in the smart-agriculture marketagroThings (Brazil), YEAP! (Americas) and vineyards in France. The solution serves multiple purposes such as irrigation, farm equipment monitoring, crop management, livestock tracking and health monitoring. Paige Wireless will share the success of the first statewide public LoRaWAN network in the U.S. and its benefits for the connected farm. Along with providing the largest contiguous network in North America, Paige Wireless also offers its customers management platforms to easily and securely access the data from all connected devices. will share the success of the first statewide public LoRaWAN network in the U.S. and its benefits for the connected farm. Along with providing the largest contiguous network in North America, Paige Wireless also offers its customers management platforms to easily and securely access the data from all connected devices. METOS USA by Pessl Instruments offers a wide range of weather stations and data loggers that provide localized weather forecasts, irrigation monitoring, disease modeling, workforce planning and more. Pessl will introduce the newest members of its METOS family, LoRAIN, LoRATH and METOS, all of which leverage the LoRaWAN standard. offers a wide range of weather stations and data loggers that provide localized weather forecasts, irrigation monitoring, disease modeling, workforce planning and more. Pessl will introduce the newest members of its METOS family, LoRAIN, LoRATH and METOS, all of which leverage the LoRaWAN standard. Sensoterra will show its Single Depth wireless soil moisture sensor solutions, the new Multi-Depth sensor, new soil calibration curves and new reseller account management features. The patented Farm Tough wireless sensors can be installed in less than one minute, and provide actionable real-time data available on your phone, computer or via our API. Sensors measure at the active root zone, ensuring crops are optimally irrigated based on ground truth data. will show its Single Depth wireless soil moisture sensor solutions, the new Multi-Depth sensor, new soil calibration curves and new reseller account management features. The patented Farm Tough wireless sensors can be installed in less than one minute, and provide actionable real-time data available on your phone, computer or via our API. Sensors measure at the active root zone, ensuring crops are optimally irrigated based on ground truth data. Tektelic will show its full end-to-end Smart Agricultural solution, including the newly released Smart Agriculture Sensor and lineup of best-in-class KONA gateways. The Agriculture Sensor is the ideal solution for streamlining and simplifying the collection of key soil and environmental metrics. Guests to the booth will get a firsthand look at how one can enjoy increased crop yields and decreased operating expenses with the deployment of this versatile device. will show its full end-to-end Smart Agricultural solution, including the newly released Smart Agriculture Sensor and lineup of best-in-class KONA gateways. The Agriculture Sensor is the ideal solution for streamlining and simplifying the collection of key soil and environmental metrics. Guests to the booth will get a firsthand look at how one can enjoy increased crop yields and decreased operating expenses with the deployment of this versatile device. WaterBit WaterBit will demonstrate its precision irrigation solution, which includes sensors and valve automation. This allows growers to plan and execute irrigation remotely and automatically to maximize their crop yield and quality, all the while optimizing water efficiency and labor usage. The LoRa Alliance will exhibit in booth NS6 at the World Ag Expo Feb. 11-13, 2020 in Tulare, California. To schedule an appointment to tour the booth, please contact anne.vangemert@lora-alliance.com . Media interested in arranging an interview may reach out to lora-alliance@kiterocket.com to schedule. About LoRa Alliance The LoRa Alliance is an open, nonprofit association that has become one of the largest and fastest-growing alliances in the technology sector since its inception in 2015. Its members closely collaborate and share expertise to develop and promote the LoRaWAN standard, which is the de facto global standard for secure, carrier-grade IoT LPWAN connectivity. LoRaWAN has the technical flexibility to address a broad range of IoT applications, both static and mobile, and a robust LoRaWAN Certification program to guarantee that devices perform as specified. The LoRaWAN standard has been deployed by more than 120 major mobile network operators globally, and connectivity is available in more than 140 countries, with continual expansion. More information: lora-alliance.org LoRa Alliance, LoRaWAN, and LoRaWAN CertifiedCM are registered trademarks. MEDIA CONTACT: Kiterocket Eric Lawson, LoRa Alliance PR elawson@kiterocket.com [ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\LTE's Homepage ] The Simon Community Report VIII which was released this week, shows significant gaps between HAP rent limits and the actual rental prices in the Dundalk area. The report looks at the current state of Irelands rental market and its effects on the countrys most vulnerable people. This study tracks the gap between rising market rents and the Rent Supplement / Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) limits. The study was conducted over three consecutive days 1st, 2nd and 3rd of August 2017. Louth Sinn Fein TD Gerry Adams, expressed his concerns at the report which shows the significant difficulties faced by people trying to access housing supports through the HAP scheme in the Dundalk area. Deputy Adams said: 'The Simon Community tracked the number of available properties to rent within HAP limits in eleven areas including Dundalk. 'Only 34 properties were found to be available, which rings true to ongoing difficulties faced by constituents in the area battling to find homes . 'This is all within a rental market that has seen average increases of 18% in Louth. 'We also see a worrying trend impacting hugely on single persons. 'An average rent in Dundalk for a one bed property was found to be 13% higher than the HAP limits for single persons, and no available properties were found. 'It is time for this government to take an honest look at their failing housing strategy. 'This report and its findings raise an important question around the viability of HAP as a primary vehicle to deliver social housing.' Sundiata Cha-Jua is a professor of African American studies and history at the University of Illinois and a member of the North End Breakfast Club. His email is schajua@gmail.com. Once again, the Government of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) is calling on Alexander Kananyan and Mher Poghosyan (Poghosyan has joined Kananyan) to end their hunger strike, not put their health at risk and show active participation in the efforts to set up the commission. This is stated in the statement issued by the Government. The Government of the Republic of Artsakh, taking into consideration the importance of the issue, deems it necessary to inform the public about the steps that are being taken to reduce the potential negative impact on the environment during construction and exploitation of small hydroelectric stations and to implement the agreements that have been reached. It is within the scope of this that the Government, in a short period, set up an independent professional commission that will comprise specialists from the Ministry of Nature Protection and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Industrial Infrastructures, as well as the Public Services and Economic Competition Regulatory Commission (upon consent). The Government has also addressed its colleagues of the Republic of Armenia with the request to be engaged in the commission of experts in the fields of nature protection and hydro energy, and as a result, two independent experts of the Ministries of Environment and Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia will arrive in Artsakh today. A couple of days ago, the Government of Artsakh had addressed Alexander Kananyan, who has declared a hunger strike, with the request to nominate three members of the commission and is waiting for recommendations. Currently, construction is terminated, and as announced earlier, it will resume only after the professional commission gives a conclusion. Once again, the Government of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) is calling on Alexander Kananyan and Mher Poghosyan (Poghosyan has joined Kananyan) to end their hunger strike, not put their health at risk and show active participation in the efforts to set up the commission, as stated in the statement of the Government of the Republic of Artsakh. TEHRAN, Iran, Feb.3 Trend: Iran's mobile phone market is anticipating early customs release, while the process of customs registration has reduced the smuggling, said Head of the Cell Phone Sellers Union. Ebrahim Dorosti has discussed the latest situation at mobile phone market and import in an interview with Trend. "Start of mobile phones registration from June 2019 has limited the smuggling considerably; based on the regulation, each person can only bring one mobile phone to the country, and each passenger can register one mobile phone by presenting his or her passport to register," Dorosti said. "In recent years, the registration plan did not go on well, but finally it is implemented to prevent smuggling, so currently, any individual can pay customs fee for the mobile phone and register it at the custom system," the official added. "The number of companies importing mobile phones has increased from 18 to 100. "The price of 85 percent of mobile phones in the market are under $400, and they are imported according toIran's Forex Management Integrated System (NIMA), while the price of mobile phones that value more than $400 will be calculated based on free market rate," Dorosti said. "Sometimes events in the world affect the economy, but with regards to coronavirus outbreak, Iran's mobile phone sector has not been effected, since the businessmen imported the goods before the outbreak occurred," he noted. "There is currently recession in the mobile phone market, but we hope the market will improve in the new Iranian year [begins March 21, 2020]; however, the retailers ask the importers for shorter delivery process, so there would not be lack of various brands," he said. Iran has launched a long-awaited national scheme to curb the huge and growing market of smuggled mobile phones. With the implementation of Irans National Mobile Registry Scheme, all new mobile phones must be registered to be eligible for using Iranian SIM Cards. Forty-seven people who are the members of Popular Front of India (PFI) have been arrested in Meerut zone till now, said Meerut Zone's Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Prashant Kumar. Among those arrested from the Meerut Zone, 21 are from Meerut, Nine from Ghaziabad, Six from Muzaffarnagar and 10 from Shamli. He said that 75-80 more persons linked with PFI have been identified in the zone. "The Enforcement Directorate is inspecting the accounts. PFI network is also active in Shamli," said the official. As many as 108 linked to Popular Front of India (PFI) have been arrested in the last four days in Uttar Pradesh in addition to the 25 who were arrested earlier, officials said on Monday. "108 people have been arrested in the last 4 days, they are in addition to the 25 who were arrested earlier," said Awanish K Awasthi, Additional Chief Secretary, Uttar Pradesh Home Department. "More information is being gathered about the organisation, including information about their financial transactions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Chris Menahan The US Army Research Laboratory gave a $1,500,000 three-year grant to two associate professors to develop whats being called a fully automated luxury microaggression detector Alexa-like device to catch implicit bias in workplaces across America. From NorthEastern.edu, Could a smart device catch implicit bias in the workplace?: Despite the growing adoption of implicit bias training, some in the field of human resources have raised doubts about its effectiveness in improving diversity and inclusion within organizations. But what if a smart device, similar to the Amazon Alexa, could tell when your boss inadvertently left a female colleague out of an important decision, or made her feel that her perspective wasnt valued? This device doesnt yet exist, but Northeastern associate professors Christoph Riedl and Brooke Foucault Welles are preparing to embark on a three-year project that could yield such a gadget. The researchers will be studying from a social science perspective how teams communicate with each other as well as with smart devices while solving problems together. The vision that we have [for this project] is that you would have a device, maybe something like Amazon Alexa, that sits on the table and observes the human team members while they are working on a problem, and supports them in various ways, says Riedl, an associate professor who studies crowdsourcing, open innovation, and network science. One of the ways in which we think we can support that team is by ensuring equal inclusion of all team members. One step closer to a fully automated luxury microaggression detector, psychology professor Geoffrey Miller commented. Coming soon to your schools, workplaces, and public spaces. This is beyond parody. The pair have received a $1.5 million, three-year grant from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to study teams using a combination of social science theories, machine learning, and audio-visual and physiological sensors. [] You could imagine [a scenario] where maybe a manager at the end of a group deliberation gets a report that says person A was really dominating the conversation, says Welles. The smart device would alert the manager to the participants whose input might have been excluded, she says, with a reminder to follow up with that individual. As a woman, Welles says she knows all too well how it feels to be excluded in a professional setting. When youre having this experience, its really hard as the woman in the room to intervene and be like, youre not listening to me, or I said that and he repeated it and now suddenly we believe it,' she says. I really love the idea of building a system that both empowers women with evidence that this is happening so that we can feel validated and also helps us point out opportunities for intervention. Imagine getting a $1.5 million grant from the US Army Research Laboratory to create a mansplaining detector and thinking youre oppressed. There are some challenges that the researchers expect to face. For one, says Welles, its anyones guess how knowledge of the presence of such a device in a room will affect how its occupants interact with one another. Another unpredictability, she says, is how subjects will respond to any errors that the device makes. Indeed, its literally impossible to predict how men will feel having a microaggression detector spying on them at all times for crimes against wokeness! Brad Pitt poked fun at the UK leaving the European Union by mocking his own love life in an acceptance speech at the 2020 BAFTA Awards, which was read out by Margot Robbie. Brad won the BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his work on 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood', and whilst he wasn't physically at the awards ceremony in London on Sunday (02.02.20), his co-star Margot was on hand to read out his pre-prepared speech. In his speech, Brad mocked his love life - which saw him split from ex-wife Angelina Jolie in 2017 - as he welcomed the UK into the "singles club" following its recent exit from the EU. Speaking on behalf of Brad, Margot said: "Brad couldn't be here tonight due to family obligations, so he asked me to read his response for him. "He starts by saying, 'Hey Britain. Heard you just became single. Welcome to the club! Wishing you the best with the divorce settlement.' He then says, 'Thank you to the Academy for this extreme honour.' He says he's 'always been a bit intimidated over here given the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and the titans that have come before, so this is especially meaningful.' " And despite not being at the awards in person, Brad also managed to slip in a joke aimed at Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, after they recently announced they would be stepping down from royal duties. Brad's speech teased he would be calling his trophy Harry after the royal, because he will be "taking it back to America", amid the news that the couple will be moving to Canada. Margot continued: "He says that he is going to name this Harry because he is really excited about bringing it back to the states with him. His words, not mine!" Prince Harry's brother Prince William was in the audience along with his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and the pair laughed as cameras cut to their reaction following Brad's jokes. RACINE In Iowa, supporters are hitting the doors, getting out their last pitches for Democratic presidential candidates. Here in Racine, they are picking up the phones, calling Iowa residents and making their cases. Polls show U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in the lead in the days before the Iowa caucuses on Monday, the first primary of the 2020 election. Sanders volunteers want to keep it that way, while volunteers from other campaigns are looking to trim that lead this weekend. And as all eyes are on Iowa right now, some of the thousands of volunteers canvassing across the Hawkeye State are from another land: Racine. Last weekend, Racine County Supervisor Fabi Maldonado and Racine Unified School Board Member John Heckenlively, drove across the state to canvass around Dubuque for just a few hours, hoping to make a difference on Sanders behalf ahead of the caucuses. Whoever wins the nomination in Iowa they set the tone, Maldonado said. As of Jan. 6, more than $45 million had already been spent on political advertising in Iowa, according to reporting from the Des Moines Register. Only $46.3 million was spent ahead of the 2016 caucuses, and that was when both Republicans and Democrats had competitive elections. Wisconsinites, particularly its left-leaning activists, are paying extra attention this year as Democrats look to unseat President Donald Trump. Polling numbers Below are the rankings of the current polling percentages for the four leading Democratic Party candidate in the swing states of Iowa and Wisconsin, as compiled by RealClearPolitics.com. The Iowa ranking is listed first, followed by the Wisconsin ranking. Sanders: 23.8/20 Biden: 20.2/23 Buttigieg: 15.8/9.7 Warren: 14.6/17.3 The polls contributing to Iowa's rankings are dated from Jan. 20-27 and were conducted by Monmouth University, Iowa State University, Emerson Polling, USA Today and The New York Times/Siena College.The polls contributing to Wisconsin's rankings are dated from Oct. 13-Jan. 12 and were conducted by The New York Times/Siena College, FOX News and the Marquette Poll. Why does Iowa matter so much? In 1976, Carter was Jimmy Who? recalled Heckenlively. But he (Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter) won the Iowa caucus, and that established this guy as a national candidate. Carter was elected president in November of that year. In 2008, Heckenlively was in Des Moines when Barack Obama somewhat unexpectedly won the Democratic caucus. By Obama winning Iowa, which is a very white state, it showed that he did have popular support, Heckenlively said. That was a big factor in propelling Obama, in making him a national candidate. Data points and motivation The more phone numbers and emails and home addresses canvassers collect, the more the campaigns will be able to connect with such people directly. While Heckenlively and Maldonado were traversing the hills of Dubuque last weekend, they werent just wandering around. The Sanders campaign had given them specific addresses at which to knock on doors. During those conversations, they spoke from pre-written scripts intended to encourage Iowans to get out and caucus. You want to make sure that that person is going to go vote, Maldonado explained of his canvassing strategy. They need to be thinking: Do I need a ride? Do I need to leave work early? Iowa voters, Wisconsin voters Greta Neubauer, the Democrat who represents the City of Racine in the state Assembly, has helped organize the campaign of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., here in Wisconsin. She said that when shes talked to Iowans as she was set to do at a half-dozen college campuses this weekend while volunteering for Warren Neubauer said a lot of them have asked which Democrat has the best chance to win Wisconsin. What people in Iowa want to know is who can win the general election in Wisconsin, Neubauer said. That means a lot right now. Calling Iowans from Racine Like pretty much every other campaign, volunteers for Elizabeth Warren have predetermined scripts to follow. On Thursday evening, a half-dozen volunteers gathered at the Racine County Democratic Partys headquarters, 507 Sixth St., to make cold calls to Iowans, encouraging them to caucus for Warren on Monday. I think that this is very exciting if we can actually make a difference in the Iowa caucus, said Sue Smith of Caledonia, one of the volunteers Thursday night. As with Maldonado and Heckenlively in their door-knocking for Sanders, the Warren campaign uses pre-written scripts and guides to help volunteers maximize their efficiency while making cold calls. In some regards, its kind of terrifying because this is not my wheelhouse, this is not my comfort zone, Smith said of making the phone calls. But they give you a script. And the software that theyre using here is very easy to work with, because as they (the person on the other end) answer questions, then it gives you the next talking point to bring up. Smith isnt a fan of Trump. But her opinion of the president is also what has motivated her to volunteer for Warren. After Trump came from behind to defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016, Smith thought to herself: I have to get up off the couch and go do something, other than sit here and watch it go by and then complain that something happened that I didnt like. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BRYAN, Texas A third worker has died of injuries from a Central Texas oil well blowout, the company said Monday. Chesapeake Energy spokesman Gordon Pennoyer said in a statement the company is deeply saddened by the workers death. Pennoyer did not say when the worker died. The worker was injured in Wednesdays blowout at a Chesapeake Energy well site near Deanville, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Austin. One worker died at the scene while another three were airlifted on Wednesday to hospitals in Austin and Houston. A second worker died on Thursday. The condition of the other injured worker was not immediately known. No identities have been released, but Pennoyer said the four were employed by contractors who were replacing drilling hardware on the well. A blowout is an eruption of oil or gas from the wellhead that can erupt in flames if there is an ignition source, such as a spark. The cause of the incident remains under investigation, Pennoyer said. Chesapeake Energy is based in Oklahoma City. FILE PHOTO: The Panasonic booth is shown during the 2020 CES in Las Vegas By Makiko Yamazaki and Noel Randewich TOKYO/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Tesla Inc's stock surged 20% on Monday in its largest one-day gain since 2013, fueled by a quarterly profit at Panasonic's battery business with the U.S. car maker and an investor report predicting its shares would rise more than ten-fold by 2024. Shares of Tesla have rallied by over 30% since the car maker run by Chief Executive Elon Musk posted its second consecutive quarterly profit last Wednesday, which was viewed as a milestone for the company competing against established heavyweights including General Motors Co and BMW. The stock is up over 300% since early June, helped by Tesla's better-than-expected financial results and ramped up production at its new car factory in Shanghai. Monday's rise came after Panasonic Corp reported the first quarterly profit in its U.S. battery business with Tesla, which followed years of production troubles and delays. "We are catching up as Tesla is quickly expanding production," Panasonic Chief Financial Officer Hirokazu Umeda told an earnings briefing, referring to battery cell production. "Higher production volume is helping to push down materials costs and erase losses." (Graphic: Tesla in the fast lane - https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/7/8393/8374/Pasted%20Image.jpg) Musk last April said that battery production had become a constraint on output of Tesla's Model 3 sedans. Adding to jubilance around Tesla, investment management firm Ark Invest, in a note dated Jan. 31, said it expects the company's stock to hit $7,000 by 2024, compared to Monday's record high of $780. It based that prediction, which would put the company's market capitalization at $1.3 trillion, in part on Tesla launching a fleet of profitable "robotaxi" autonomous cars. Musk told investors last April that robotaxis with no human drivers would be available in some U.S. markets in 2020, a claim met with skepticism by experts who said the company's technology was nowhere near ready. Story continues Tesla is Wall Street's most shorted stock, and its recent rally has pummeled traders betting against it. Short sellers on Monday suffered paper losses of over $2.5 billion, bringing their losses in 2020 to more than $8 billion, according to S3 Partners, a financial analytics firm. Panasonic first invested in Tesla in 2010 and announced its partnership in building the U.S. firm's Gigafactory plant in Nevada in 2014 as part of its strategic shift from low-margin consumer electronics to automotive components. But as its $1.6 billion Gigafactory investment failed to produce solid returns, Panasonic has grown cautious about its battery business with Tesla. It chose not to build a new battery plant for Tesla in China, ceding its battery cell monogamy as Tesla entered into a partnership with South Korea's LG Chem Ltd and China's CATL. "We will focus on demand at Gigafactory for Model 3 and Model Y," Umeda said. Panasonic is turning to Toyota Motor Corp for battery partnership, setting up a joint venture for electric vehicle (EV) batteries in April. Panasonic said operating profit for the October-December quarter rose 3% to 100.4 billion yen ($915 million), beating analysts' estimates by 49%, thanks to the improvement at the Tesla battery business as well as cost cuts. It maintained its profit forecast for the year through March at 300 billion yen, above an average estimate of 295.14 billion yen by 20 analysts. (Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki in Tokyo and Noel Randewich in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Kevin Buckland and Neha Malara; Editing by Maju Samuel and Lisa Shumaker) Read what is in the news today: Politics -- Monday marks the 90th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3, 1930 - February 3, 2020). Society -- The tenth day of the lunar year, which falls on Monday this year, is believed to be a day dedicated to the God of Wealth in some Vietnamese belief when residents flock to buy gold products to wish for financial success for the whole year. -- Over 100 Vietnamese recently returning from China through Mong Cai International Border Gate in the northern province of Quang Ninh are quarantined at local hotels to monitor any symptom of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection. -- Vietnam has resumed flights between Vietnam and Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan since Sunday, hours after announcing a total ban on flights to and from China, to repatriate passengers at airports in Vietnam and the destinations. -- Vietnam is working closely with Facebook and Google to block and remove content that spreads false news about the 2019-nCoV epidemic, Information and Communications Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said in a directive. -- The body of Chinese national You Nianwu, 36, was found in a canal in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu, one kilometer from his in-laws house, on Sunday after the man had gone missing since the previous day. -- A car driver who fatally crashed into a GrabBike driver and seriously injured his passenger on early Thursday morning turned himself in on Sunday evening. He has tested positive for narcotics. -- Vietnams railway authorities are working with their Chinese counterparts to cease the operation of trains between the two countries in light of the 2019-nCoV epidemic. Business -- Vietnam is the second-biggest source of foreigners working in Japan, according to the latest statistics of Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Over 401,000 Vietnamese are now working in Japan, accounting for one-fourth of the Japanese foreign labor market. -- Vietnam invested US$3.97 million abroad in January, more than three times higher than the same month last year, according to the Foreign Investment Agency. World News -- A total of 17,205 cases of the novel coronavirus has been confirmed in mainland China as of 12:00 am Monday, with 361 dead and 475 recovered patients, national broadcaster CGTN quoted statistics from Chinas National Health Commission. The virus has spread to more than two dozen countries and territories outside of China, killing one Chinese national in the Philippines. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson waves as he arrives to attend a cabinet meeting held at the National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland, in Sunderland, Britain January 31, 2020. Paul Ellis/Pool via REUTERS British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the U.K. will walk away without a free-trade deal rather than agree to follow rules set by the 27-nation bloc. Just 60 hours after Britain left the EU, the first country ever to do so, Johnson is digging in his heels about future relations. In a speech to business leaders and international diplomats in London, Johnson plans to say we want a free trade agreement, but not at any cost. The choice is emphatically not deal or no-deal, Johnson plans to say, according to extracts released by his office. The question is whether we agree a trading relationship with the EU comparable to Canadas or more like Australias. Australian-style trade would mean a panoply of new tariffs and other barriers between the U.K. and the EU, its near neighbor and biggest trading partner. Across the Channel, chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier said the European Union will link any access to its market for British products directly to the access that EU boats will be given to U.K. waters. Barnier underscored the difficulties of the trade negotiations with Britain when he highlighted the small but emblematic fisheries industry, which was a key issue in the U.K.'s protracted Brexit divorce deal. Barnier told France Inter radio that there will be no trade deal with the British if there is no reciprocal access deal for our fishermen. Barnier said the two topics will be negotiated at the same time. In their divorce agreement, Britain and the EU agreed to strike an ambitious, broad, deep and flexible partnership, including a free trade deal and agreements for security and other areas. They gave themselves 11 months to do it. A post-Brexit transition period, in which relations stay essentially unchanged, runs until the end of 2020. For the rest of this year the U.K. will continue to follow EU rules, although it will no longer have a say in EU decision-making. Britain says it wants a Canada-style free trade agreement with the EU covering both goods and services. But it is adamant it wont agree to follow the EUs entire r ule book in return for unfettered trade, because it wants to be free to diverge in order to strike other new deals around the world. The bloc insists there can be no trade deal unless Britain agrees to a level playing field and does not undercut EU regulations, especially in areas of environmental protections, worker rights and health and safety standards. Johnson intends to double down on Britains tough stance. The prime minister chose to deliver his speech in the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich on the River Thames, a spot steeped in Britains past military glories. The vast hall, covered in paintings glorifying British achievement, is where Adm. Horatio Nelson lay in state after his death at the Battle of Trafalgar against the navies of France and Spain in 1805. There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment, or anything similar, any more than the EU should be obliged to accept U.K. rules, he will say. The U.K. will maintain the highest standards in these areas better, in many respects, than those of the EU - without the compulsion of a treaty. And it is vital to stress this now. Its a message aimed as much at a domestic audience as it is at the bloc, but EU leaders are unlikely to be impressed by what theyll see as British intransigence and wishful thinking. Formal trade talks wont start until next month, once they have been approved by the remaining 27 EU nations. EU leaders have repeatedly warned that the timetable is tight to strike any kind of deal. Free-trade agreements typically take years. The EU-Canada deal that the British government cites as a model took seven years to negotiate. If there is no deal by the end of 2020, and the U.K. refuses to extend the negotiating period, Britain faces an abrupt, disruptive economic break from the bloc with tariffs and other obstacles to trade imposed immediately between the U.K. and the EU. That prospect alarms many businesses, especially in sectors such as the auto industry, which depend on the easy flow of parts across borders. ___ Congress on Monday gave a suspension of business notice under Rule 267 in the Rajya Sabha over "prevailing situation in the country due to proposed NPR-NRC following the Citizenship Amendment Act". The notice was submitted by senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma. The Rajya Sabha Chairman is empowered to accept the notice under the said rule or dismiss it on his discretion. Protests have been going in several parts of the country over the Citizenship Amendment Act, Register of Citizens, and Population Register. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Doctors at the Nork Infection Clinic Hospital in Yerevan refused to conduct coronavirus diagnosis tests for citizens of Armenia who have returned from China, saying they need to have several symptoms at once and have grave health condition. This is what Gayane Aprunts, who returned from China three days ago, wrote on her Facebook page. Aprunts added that she and the other citizens of Armenia had passed all tests at the airports, but decided to undergo another checkup today. However, they found out that the coronavirus diagnosis tests are for those who have several symptoms at once and have grave health condition. They didnt receive any response today and will have to take a blood test tomorrow. Aprunts added that an X-ray or blood test cant diagnose coronavirus. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) London Mon, February 3, 2020 08:30 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20622b2d7 2 World London,attack,terrorism Free Sudesh Amman, the man shot dead by police in what officials described as a terrorism incident in south London, had been jailed for promoting violent Islamist material and had encouraged his girlfriend to behead her parents. Amman, 20, was named by British police as the attacker who stabbed two people before he was shot dead by armed officers who had been carrying out surveillance on him. In November 2018 he pleaded guilty to possession of terrorist documents and disseminating terrorist publications, and the following month he was sentenced to more than three years in prison. He was 17 and living at home with his mother and younger siblings when he first began committing terrorism offences, according to authorities. Police became aware of his activities in April 2018 and he was arrested by armed officers in a north London street a month later. When officers examined his computers and phone, they found he had downloaded material about making explosives and carrying out terrorist attacks, according to police. Messages showed that he had discussed with his family, friends and girlfriend his extreme views and desire to carry out an attack, often focused on using a knife, police said. In December 2017 Amman posted a picture of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed during a U.S. raid in Syria in October, and told his brother in a message that "the Islamic State is here to stay." He also described Yazidi women as slaves and said the Quran made it permissible to rape them, and in another message he encouraged his girlfriend to behead her parents. Police said he had shared an online al-Qaeda magazine with his family and while in a discussion about school with a sibling he wrote he would "rather blow myself up". Topics : London attack terrorism Distinguished Programs, a national insurance program manager, has promoted Greg Somers to regional sales executive. He is based out of Philadelphia, Penn. Somers brings more than 20 years of leadership and five years of business development experience to his new role. In his new role as regional sales executive, Somers will consult with retail agents and brokers to choose proper insurance program products for clients in the Mid-Atlantic region, ranging from states like Maryland and Delaware to New Jersey and West Virginia. Working with Somers, these agents and brokers will have access to the complete range of programs and services provided by Distinguished Programs. Prior to his work with Distinguished Programs, Somers served as a military officer in the U.S Coast Guard for more 20 years. Throughout his military career, he worked as military program manager and later as a commanding officer in Guam before joining Distinguished Programs in a business development role in 2014. Source: Distinguished Programs Doyin Okupe, an ex-aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, has backed President Muhammadu Buharis views on corruption in Nigeria but frowned at his approach in tackling the menace. Okupe noted that corruption was the reason for the recent defection of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP lawmakers to the All Progressives Congress, APC, following the Supreme Court judgment that sacked the PDP government in Imo State. Recall that the Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chiji Collins, alongside seven other members from the PDP, had defected to the APC. He also noted that what happened in Imo will likely happen in majority of the states of the federation, adding that churches and Mosques are not left out in the issue of corruption. The politician who shared his views on Facebook, said he was not surprised at the gale of defections of PDP lawmakers in Imo to the APC. He said, in truth, those defectors were never members of the PDP, adding that they were only politicians who contested and won their elections on the platform of the PDP. The ex-presidential aide pointed out that the reality of Nigerias political situation is that only very few real politicians remain in the political space. He said that people shop around for political platforms which will sell party tickets to them to be elected into political offices from where, as businessmen and women, according to him, they can do their trade and make huge returns. Okupe said, All parties in Nigeria without exception are actively engaged in this new business. It also involves all levels of competition. He also insisted that from presidential candidates to councilors, adding that it also involves the majority of the electorates, electoral and security officials, describing the situation as a national craze. Okupe, a former Special Assistant to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on Media and Publicity, described what happened in Imo as political corruption, adding such a situation will likely happen in the majority of the states of the federation. He said, It is endemic, it is pervasive and it is generally accepted across the board as normal, though, like the issue of policemen collecting tolls from commercial drivers, we all pretend it does not exist. Buhari was right on corruption, but wrong in the execution of the war against it. Transparency international was also right about our falling rating of corruption perception index. Those who accuse others of corruption in Nigeria, are themselves corruption personified. Those who pursue corrupt people are themselves corrupt. The citizens who clap when corrupt officials are nabbed are themselves embroiled in corrupt activities. They bribe their ways to get all things done. They also receive bribes before they can do anything for anybody. They collect huge sums of money before they can vote for any candidate. They care less often, about who wins. People or electorates in every state collect N6B N7B N10B from gubernatorial candidates before giving massive support and victory is to the highest bidder. We are all liars, pretenders, and hypocrites. We have accepted money as the common social denominator. Even our religious institutions are not spared. Church leaders received bribes to promote church workers or post pastors to lucrative churches. Mosques are not different. We are not at the end yet but very close to it. Our politics like every other facet of our collective social endeavors have been completely destroyed. We all need to come together on a nonpartisan, nonethnic and nonreligious basis. Humbly accept where we truly are, and collectively take a bold decision to draw the line, retrace our steps and rearrange the operating machinery of this country. Kenya did it a few years ago and they are better for it. Rwanda also did a similar thing and today its all a different story. How many more of our people need to continue in this perilous state because we are all deeply entrenched in activities that benefit us individually but collectively destroy our country, its manifest destiny and the future of its children. Okupe cried out that Nigeria is going down as a nation, adding that, although we have not hit the bottom yet, we are close. We can collectively avert the impending national catastrophe and calamity. However, he said that the problems facing the country cannot be solved, by scapegoating, hate, unforgiveness, clannishness, dishonesty, injustice, insincerity, unreasonable partisanship and lack of leadership commitment. The Nepali government said on Monday it is working to evacuate its citizens from China, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak that has reported 361 deaths. Speaking to reporters, Nepali Health Ministry spokesperson Mahdendra Shrestha said that Nepali citizens living in five different cities of the Chinese province of Hubei "have shown interest to come back" to the Himalayan country and that the procedure for their evacuation would require "three to four days". As many as 180 Nepalis, including 3 children have approached the country's embassy in Beijing, demanding their evacuation from the country, as per a list of names published by the embassy. The country is yet to finalise on places where those evacuated from China would be kept for a quarantine period of at least two weeks. Several countries, including India, have airlifted their citizens from China while more are planning the evacuation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) February 03 : Vidya Balan attended the 65th Amazon Filmfare Awards 2020 press conference in Mumbai on Saturday. The winners will receive the black lady on February 15 in Guwahati, Assam. The versatile actress inaugurated the prestigious Filmfare Awards 2020 by lighting the lamp. She then addressed the press conference. Vidya received Filmfare Award Best Actress award for her movie Paa. The Mission Mangal actress took to her Instagram handle and posted a couple of her pictures as she posed for the shutterbugs in her glamorous all-red ensemble by Ka-Sha. Her stunning desi outfit featured a twist. While it featured a long red kurta, the diva teamed it with a pair of matching red churidar. The dupatta was draped with a twistit was pleated in the style of a saree pallu, held tightly with a matching belt at the waist. Watch the video The diva styled her vibrant ensemble elegantly. What grabbed our attention was her chunky statement neckpiece. Take a cue from her to style traditional silver antique jewellery in style. For her glam quotient, Vidhya opted for smoky eyes, a hint of eyeliner, highlighted makeup, and matte red lips. She styled her hair off her face and into a neat bun. What could be better than a winter day filled with furry dogs and fluffy snow? All are invited to Bear Trap Meadow from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday for the 25th annual Canines for Charity Fun Day in honor of Pam Dunn. There is no charge to be a spectator or to race. The only requirement is that you leave your non-mushing dogs at home. Dunn, 70, died unexpectedly in July. She and her husband, Floyd, organized the annual races for 24 years, raising more than $400,000 for charities including the American Heart Association, Hospice, the Youth Crisis Center, The Arc and 4H. Her mountaintop Timbermist Tracks kennel rescued more than 100 Northern breed dogs over a 30-year period. We chatted with organizer Noreene Rodgers about the Saturday event. Tell us about the races. We will time a few, but mostly its just to get out and play together and remember Pam. There will be a variety of races. Theres a four-mile sled and skijor (person on skis is pulled by a dog), a one-mile sled and skijor, and a 100-yard dash for the little ones. There are two really fun races that weve wanted to do for a long time. In The Sled Dog Revenge, the dog sits on the sled and the musher pulls the sled for 100 yards. The dog has to stay on the sled, and trust me, theyd much rather be out in the snow. The one Im the most excited about is going to be hysterical. Its Pams Sourdough Race. You start in a sleeping bag laying down in the meadow, jump out, put on a pair of boots, harness and hook up three dogs, then mush around a mile course on the meadow. How will the day go? Onsite registration is 9 to 10 a.m., then a mushers meeting, then well get busy. Everyone who is participating will be invited to do a four-mile parade by Pams place, then come back for the races. The Sourdough Challenge will be the last event of the day. And spectators are welcome? Absolutely. Most people stand around because its hard to balance a chair in the snow. Be sure to wear warm clothes. Kids love to sled on the banks. Tell us about the post-race potluck. Well meet at 5 p.m. at the Agricultural Resource and Learning Center, 2011 Fairgrounds Road, in the Casper Room for a potluck to remember Pam. There will be a slide show of the races and some reminiscing with Andy Conser and Floyd Dunn about the past races. How did you get involved? Ive only been involved about 10 years. I was a friend of Pam through dog showing. She was so much fun. I looked at her one day and said, I want to be your friend. Tell us about your dogs. There are three huskies on my feet right now. Abba, Holly and Chamonix all girls. Abba is the youngest and shes 7. These race days are their favorite days. They love it. Theyll be at the starting line, just extremely excited to go. Theyll be screaming and hollering. Follow Sally Ann Shurmur on Twitter @wyosas Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Given the constraints that the Finance Minister was facing, the budget has been a significant balancing act between the need for growth and fiscal prudence, Dr Sangita Reddy, President, FICCI said, commenting on the Union Budget 2020-21. The government has done a commendable job and the various measures announced will strengthen India, individuals and industry. By invoking the deviation clause in FRBM Act and relaxing the fiscal deficit to 3.8 per cent in the current year and targeting 3.5 per cent in the next year, the government has underscored its resolve to support the economy at a time when it needs a fiscal boost. This was FICCI's key suggestion to the government and through this we expect more money will be left in the hands of the people that will spur consumption and industrial growth. Much of this money will go towards capital expenditure in infrastructure and agriculture sector - two areas that can have the maximum growth enhancing impact." The government could also consider front-loading the payments under PM-KISAN in the coming year as this could help boost consumption in the rural economy. Reiteration of the importance of wealth creators in the society in the budget speech is also encouraging and should help build a positive environment for businesses in the country. The presentation of the budget and the structure that was followed by the Finance Minister was both interesting and all encompassing. In line with the Prime Minister's vision of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas', the budget outlined a series of measures to enhance the ease of living for the people of our country and promote welfare of all sections of our society. The building blocks for growth of any economy are the social sectors such as healthcare, education and skill development. Each of these areas has got due attention with appropriate outlays in the budget and it is commendable that the government has kept its focus on the long-term goals and has not curtailed the resources allocated for the social sectors. While Rs 99,300 crore has been allotted for the education sector Rs 69,000 crore; Rs 12,300 crore and Rs 3,000 crore have been allocated for the Healthcare sector, Swacch Bharat program and Skills Development respectively. The several small steps taken to boost entrepreneurship and employment will meet the aspirations of the youth of our country. With an emphasis on the fisheries sector, the government will involve youth in fishery extension through Sagar Mitras and Fish Farmer Producer Organisations. Special skills and language training will be imparted for teachers, paramedics, nurses and care givers who could potentially work in other parts of the world. A further boost to apprenticeship program; involving young engineers, management graduates and economists from universities in infrastructure project preparation; and internship with Urban Local Bodies will help in engaging our youth gainfully and prepare them to contribute towards nation building. The budget also laid a lot of emphasis on development of the industrial and infrastructure sectors. There is a proposal to set up an Investment Clearance Cell to provide end to end facilitation and support to investors. There is a renewed focus to promote manufacturing of mobile phones, electronics, semi-conductor packaging, technical textiles and medical devices. By developing the domestic industry in these areas, we will be able to economise on imports of such items. For setting up of hospitals, especially in the aspirational districts of the country, a new viability gap funding model has been proposed that will support such projects on the PPP mode. Similarly, ECBs and FDI will be leveraged for the education sector in the country. Hon'ble Finance Minister has also announced that the government would examine the statutes that entail criminal liability for acts that are civil in nature. This point was strongly recommended by FICCI and will hugely improve investor confidence. Further, the focus on MSME financing with greater support for exports is also noteworthy. Likewise, by raising the annual turnover limit from Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore for mandatory audit will help ease the compliance burden on MSMEs. We have also noted that with a view to boost labour intensive sectors in MSME such as footwear and furniture, customs duties in these areas have been raised. The Finance Minister also laid a lot of emphasis on many futuristic areas. Recognising the new economy trends, the budget outlined plans for harnessing the potential and opportunities offered by artificial intelligence, Internet-of-Things (IoT), 3D printing, drones, DNA data storage, quantum computing, etc. A new policy that would enable private sector to set up Data Centre parks across the country is also on the anvil. Knowledge Translation Clusters would be set up across different technology sectors including new and emerging areas. Further, as mapping of India's genetic landscape is critical for next generation medicine, agriculture and for bio-diversity management, government has proposed to initiate two new national level Science Schemes, to create a comprehensive database. Plan have been outlined to develop five new smart cities in collaboration with States in PPP mode. On other the futuristic infrastructure projects, while the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway would be completed by 2023, Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway would also be started. Some of the other areas in the budget that attracted our attention include the plan for disinvestment, the public offer of LIC, restructuring and introduction of new personal income tax framework, clarification offered with regard concessional 15 per cent tax on power companies, extension of the incentive period for the affordable housing sector and exemption from tax on Sovereign Wealth Funds on investments in infrastructure sector. Many of these suggestions were part of FICCI's pre-budget recommendations and we are happy to see these included in the budget. Another highlight of the budget was the government's announcement to incentivise and support states that would adopt the three Model Acts that can help transform the agriculture sector. FICCI has for long been advocating such a model for engaging states to further reforms. Some of the areas which could have been considered by the Hon'ble Finance Minister are removal of long-term capital gains tax, measures for clearance of the real estate inventory, further improving the regulatory environment for industry and steps to reduce the cost of doing business in the country. Sectoral focus especially for information technology, new age businesses and tourism were expected and missing. While the steps announced are progressive and set aspirational targets, the real impact would be determined by the implementation on the ground. There has to be a laser like focus on execution. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This article was also published by Guardian US. As campaigning in Iowa enters the home stretch, the Democratic candidates for president are finally at the starting gate, and mixed horserace metaphors are everywhere. Over the weekend, it felt as if todays caucuses in the statewhich typically are an all-consuming story on their evewere themselves in a race for media attention, nosing out in front of Trumps impeachment, the coronavirus, the Super Bowl, and other big stories. We heard about candidates jockeyingfor an edge and over notions about electabilityand that the horse race has overtaken policy as a focus right now. And that was just in the New York Times. On Saturday, the handicappers in the political press waited for an update on the running: the final Des Moines Register poll of the cycle. (The poll, conducted by local pollster Ann Selzer, has traditionally been a useful guide to the result; ahead of its planned release, David Weigel, of the Washington Post, called it an event of nearly religious importance.) Then, a shock stumble: the poll was pulled at the last minute, after a respondent informed Pete Buttigiegs campaign that Buttigieg had not been offered to them as an option. The Register wrote in a note that while this appears to be isolated to one surveyor, that could not be confirmed with certainty; CNN, which was also involved with the poll, said it was scrapped out of an abundance of caution. Lis Smith, who speaks for Buttigiegs campaign, praised both outlets for their integrity, as did prominent journalists like Art Cullen, editor of Iowas Storm Lake Times. Still, the cancelation left a hole in CNNs schedule; it had planned to give the poll an hour of airtime. (As the data guru Nate Silver noted, planning to obsess over a single poll for so long is silly, for reasons that go far beyond unexpected technical problems.) CNN wasnt the only outlet to be inconvenienced. Sunday shows on other networks appeared to have been blindsided, too. ICYMI: Why did Matt Drudge turn on Donald Trump? Looking through the holes left by the poll, our obsession with the horserace was clear to see. The preponderance of such framing is a favorite punching bag for many media critics, who see it, variously, as trivial, unfair, and unreliable. Its defenders counter that knowing whos up and whos down is what elections are all about, and that this year, in particular, Democratic voters and candidates alike have been heavily preoccupied with the need to beat Donald Trump. (As the Times wrote on Saturday: A 2020 primary season that was initially seen as a contest of ideas, with liberal activists largely setting the agenda, has given way to the electability question.) This weekend, of all weekends, wasnt all the horserace talk justified? As ever, the problem, over the weekend, was one of proportionality. When it comes to campaign coverage, the press is not a passive actorcandidates and voters obsessing about electability isnt an open invitation for us to do the same, not least because we have a habit of warping their ideas of who can win and who cant. And the primary is not over: theres still an awfully long way to go until a winner is crowned. Its hardly like coverage of the race, to this point, has struck an appropriate balance between substance and handicapping. Some coverage of policy has been good, but more often, its been broad-strokes stuff, and preoccupied with positioning. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Even before Iowa, theres been ample indication that the framing errors that shaped coverage in 2016 are being repeated, despite insistence, in many media circles, that we should avoid them. On Friday, Dean Baquet, executive editor of the Times, went on The Daily, the papers flagship podcast, to address mistakes hes been accused of making in (and since) 2016, including bothsidesism, the Timess handling of stolen information, and, prominently, horserace errors; Michael Barbaro, the host, asked Baquet to evaluate specific examples of coverage from the last cycle. But the discussion dealt more with the Timess misreading of the fieldClinton was inevitable; Trump was impossiblethan with the deeper problems of the horserace model. (Last year, Todd Gitlin reflected, for CJR, on the inadequacy of our collective self-criticism. Ahead of 2020, he wrote, learning trivial lessons will not do.) This weekend alone, other specters of 2016 loomed large in coverage, too. In his Super Bowl interview (sic) with Sean Hannity, Trump sprayed insults about his Democratic rivals (sleepy Joe Biden; short Michael Bloomberg) that mainstream outlets eagerly amplified. (As Ive written before, Trumps insults are powerful rhetorical darts but the press tends to handle them carelessly.) Trump and Bloombergs dueling Super Bowl ads drove some coverage, too, proving again that paid publicity reliably begets free publicity. We even literally had a fresh round of Hillary v. Bernie coverage, fueled by recent sniping from Clinton, and by Rashida Tlaib, a Sanders surrogate, booing Clinton at a rally. Some of the Sunday shows took all this as fresh evidence that the Democrats are tearing themselves apart, which felt a bit contrived given that Clinton isnt running, and that those who are have mostly behaved cordially til now (with some notable exceptions). Genuinely divergent ideas arent dangerous; theyre what elections should be about. Try telling Sunday show pundits that. (Yesterday, on ABCs This Week, one of them called Sanders unelectable because hes a grumpy, angry person. The host, George Stephanopoulos, instantly pivoted to socialisms bad rep.) Last month, CJR and The Guardian spoke with journalists and media-watchers about these errors and others, and how we might avoid them. Those we canvassed disagreed as to the ills of horserace coverage, specifically: Ben Smith, the editor of BuzzFeed (who is headed to the Times) said it was dead; Chris Hayes, of MSNBC, called it fine. Smiths and Hayess respective audiences have different tastes, but Hayes added an important, universal caveat: the horserace, he said, is a thing to cover, its just that that is not all you cover. In Iowa and beyond, we should remember that. And we should ensure the other stuff we cover adds value, too. Below, more on Iowa: Other notable stories: ICYMI: The harassment of Felicia Sonmez, and the fake news chorus Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop. SHEFFIELD Police are seeking a suspect who fled an attempted motor vehicle stop Saturday morning and crashed in the area of Lime Kiln and Sheffield Egremont roads. The driver, identified by police as 29-year-old Andrew H. Ranft, got out of the crashed vehicle and fled on foot, according to a post on the departments Facebook page. Sheffield police, including a K-9 team, were joined by state police and officers from Egremont and Great Barrington but were unable to find the suspect. Ranft is described as being a 6 feet, 1 inch tall and was wearing a white jacket or hoodie, dark pants and work boots. He is wanted by police in Connecticut police for break-in Torrington. Sheffield Police Chief Eric Munson III told the Berkshire Eagle Ranft is not considered a safety threat. Those with information are asked to call 911. Syracuse, N.Y. After months of pop-up dinners and taste-testing, Salt City Market has chosen the eight winners of a contest with a big prize: a stall at Syracuses first downtown food hall. The chefs all live in and around Syracuse, but they will bring to downtown tastes of homes and family in faraway places like Burma, Jamaica and Vietnam. The market, currently under construction in what had been a troubled parking lot on South Salina Street across from the Hotel Syracuse, is being funded by the Allyn Foundation. We have such astonishing talent in our town. Salt City Market is about a lot of things cuisine, culture, establishing a crossroads for all of Syracuse but the magic of it all starts with these entrepreneurs, said Adam Sudmann, who is the market manager. He previously was the founder of My Lucky Tummy, a pop-up food court that featured cooking by immigrants and New Americans in Syracuse. Were thrilled to be a part of their journey as they build generational wealth for themselves and their families. And we cant wait to see what they do next. The market will include 10 food stalls. Eight of the vendors will be contest winners and two will be already established businesses, Sudmann said. Those two have not yet been chosen. The food hall is just a piece of the market. The owners of Salt City Coffee will have a coffee shop during the day that turns into a bar at night. There also will be a grocery store. The upper floors will have office space for the Allyn Foundation and other nonprofits, and mixed income apartments. The project will cost $22 million and is being funded by the Allyn Foundation, which created Syracuse Urban Partnership, a separate nonprofit to own the building and run the food hall. We embarked on this project knowing that our community has talented individuals who, given the opportunity, will seize the chance, said Meg OConnell, executive director of the foundation. We firmly believe that our city will continue to prosper if we work together to support and empower all our residents in accessing opportunities. The winners are: Dreamer Glen-Johnson, one of the new vendors at Salt City Market.Provided/Black Cub Productions Dreamer Glen-Johnson: American soul food. She runs Miss Prissys, a catering business, making food thats inspired by her grandmother. Glen-Johnson lives in Syracuse with her two children. Duyen Nguyen, one of the new vendors at Salt City Market.Provided/Black Cub Production Duyen Nguyen: cookies, cakes and sweets from Southeast Asia. Nguyen grew up in her moms bakery in Vietnam. She learned how to decorate cakes and work with traditional ingredients, like taro root. When she moved to the U.S. she went to school for a culinary management degree at Onondaga Community College while working at Roji Tea Lounge and Tous Les Jours. Fiona Day is one of the new vendors at Salt City Market.Provided/Black Cub Productions Fiona Day: sweet and savory pies. Day grew up baking with her four siblings in Syracuse. Her family always took pride in their pies. As she grew more confident as a baker, she experimented with sweet and savory ingredients. Day was born and raised in Syracuse. Gloria McCuban and Latoya Ricks are one of the new food vendors at Salt City Market.Provided/Black Cub Productions Latoya Ricks and her mother, Gloria McCuban: Jamaican food. Ricks came to the U.S. from Jamaica at 19. She went to school for math and science at Onondaga Community College and has certifications in phlebotomy and EEG use. Her grandmother and grandfather were celebrated cooks in Jamaica and she looks to follow them. McCuban came to the U.S. following Ricks, who is her oldest daughter. McCuban is a mother of nine with a degree in biblical studies. She teaches Sunday school and does catering. Hein San and his family will be one of the new food vendors at Salt City MarketProvided/Black Cub Productions The San family: Burmese cuisine. Myo and Thanda came to the U.S. from Myanmar with their daughter, Htet, and son, Hein. They lived in Idaho before coming to Syracuse, where they have been for eight years. The family has always cooked, but this will be their first business venture. They plan to make home-style Burmese food. Ngoc Huynh is one of the new food vendors for Salt City Market.Provided photo/Black Cub Productions Ngoc Huynh: Vietnamese cuisine. (Huynh is an Advance Media New York employee). Born in Vietnam, Ngoc and 50 of her relatives escaped by boat after the war. The Japanese rescued them at sea; she nearly died. After living in Japan, the families immigrated to Nebraska. Huynh graduated from Syracuse University. She learned her recipes cooking alongside grandmother, mother, aunts and family friends. Sarintha "Sara" Tong-Ngork is one of the new food vendors at Salt City Market.Provided photo/Black Cub Productions Sarinthra Tong-Ngork: Thai cuisine. Tong-Ngorks parents are from Thailand. She was born and raised in Syracuse and has spent 23 years working in the local food industry. Shes worked at restaurants including Lemon Grass, Bangkok Thai, Alfa Bar and Dining Room, and at The Century Club and Bellevue Country club. She plans to serve up traditional Thai street food at Salt City Market. Sleyrow Mason is one of the new food vendors at Salt City Market.Provided photo/Black Cub Productions Sleyrow Mason: Southern cuisine. Mason is currently a chef for the Hotel Syracuses Eleven Waters restaurant. He was born in Brooklyn but moved to Syracuse in 1992. He has a passion for Southern food, including St. Louis-style ribs with sage and apple chutney. Hes the oldest of seven children who spent hours learning to cook in his mothers kitchen. When his mother died, he turned to cooking to keep her memory alive. He graduated from a culinary program through the citys Johnson Vocational School in 2002. The marketed is expected to open in November. Seeing the outpouring of support from the greater Syracuse community every step of the way has been so encouraging, said Maarten Jacobs, director of community prosperity for the Allyn Foundation. Now the concrete is being poured, the steel will soon be erected, and with our eight entrepreneurs selected, they are on a path to opening up their own stall that will showcase their talents and the rich culture present here in Syracuse. Marnie Eisenstadt is a reporter who writes about people and public affairs in Central New York. Have an idea or question? Contact her anytime: email | twitter| Facebook | 315-470-2246 Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Weston Buhr, a field office organizer, works o this laptop with a volunteer at a Bernie Sanders field office on February 1, 2020 in Waterloo, Iowa. Mark Makela | Getty Images The big tech companies are facing a high-stakes test of their ability to protect their platforms from interference and root out bad actors as the U.S. presidential election formally kicks off with the Iowa caucuses Monday evening. Facebook, Google and Twitter said they are coordinating closely with the Democratic National Committee, which is dispatching cybersecurity staff to the caucuses for the first time to provide rapid response on the ground to any threats. The Iowa Democratic Party also has created a system for voters to submit fake information as they encounter it. "The most important thing is making sure that we have truth and accuracy coming out of such an important milestone in our nomination process," Nell Thomas, chief technology officer at the DNC, said in a statement to CNBC. Tech companies have recently ramped up their efforts to combat misinformation, especially for content related to the election. Twitter introduced a tool last week that allows users to more easily report false or misleading information about voting. Facebook's election-season war rooms are up and running. And YouTube said Monday that changes to its video recommendation system have led to a 70% decline in average watch time of misinformation and "borderline" content. "YouTube remains committed to maintaining the balance of openness and responsibility, before, during and after the 2020 U.S. election," Leslie Miller, YouTube's president of government and public policy, wrote in a blog post on Monday. But the platforms are navigating a volatile political climate that has not only pitted Republicans against Democrats, but also turned both parties against the tech industry itself. Republicans have accused the platforms of bias against conservatives. Democrats are skeptical of their sheer size and market power. Both sides have lambasted the companies for allowing political ads to include false information, forcing Twitter to attempt to ban them entirely. Most recently, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren proposed establishing criminal penalties for knowingly sharing false information about when and how to vote. She also called on the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to clearly label content from state-controlled organizations and let users know when they've been affected by disinformation campaigns. "The safety of our democracy is more important than shareholder dividends and CEO salaries, and we need tech companies to behave accordingly," Warren wrote on Medium. The major platforms have previously committed to removing false or misleading content about voting, even when it occurs in political ads. Facebook said it removed 45,000 misleading posts aimed at voter suppression during the 2018 midterm elections, almost all before they were reported by users or outside organizations. "The conversations that we hear from platforms is that they are trying hard to combat misinformation, but the speed at which the internet works makes it challenging," said Chris Lewis, chief executive of the think tank Public Knowledge. "I think there are a lot more lessons to be learned every time there is an election, so we can refine how we fight these things as a society." By Trevor Hunnicutt Feb 2 (Reuters) - A South Carolina caucus for African-American women will back Tom Steyer on Sunday, the group's chair said, an important endorsement for the billionaire U.S. presidential candidate in the first state to vote in which most Democrats are black. "This is a crucial election and black women need a candidate who's going to champion our policies" from housing to reproductive rights and entrepreneurship, Mattie Thomas, chair of the Black Women's Caucus of South Carolina, told Reuters. South Carolina, where two-thirds of the Democratic electorate is black, comes fourth, on Feb. 29, in the state-by-state process of picking a Democratic nominee to face Republican President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election. The first nominating contest is on Monday in Iowa. Public-opinion polling has shown former Vice President Joe Biden ahead by more than 20 percentage points in South Carolina, which he is counting on to cement his standing in a competitive race. But Steyer, who polls in single digits nationally, has hired more staff, appeared at more events and spent more money on advertisements in South Carolina than Biden. A January Fox News poll forecast Steyer placing second to Biden in the state with 15% of the vote, up from 4% in the autumn. Biden's highest-polling opponents nationally, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, have put more emphasis on the first two states to hold nominating contests, Iowa and New Hampshire. Thomas said the decision between Steyer and Biden was a bit of a "toss-up" but that the ex-businessman, "has his own record whereas Joe Biden is a part of the record" of the first black president, Barack Obama, whom he served as deputy. There are no longer any black candidates among the leaders in the Democratic field, after prominent candidates including Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris dropped out. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Dubuque, Iowa Editing by Peter Graff) Somalia has declared a national emergency as large swarms of locusts spread across east Africa. The country's Ministry of Agriculture said the insects, which consume large amounts of vegetation, posed "a major threat to Somalia's fragile food security situation". There are fears that the situation may not be brought under control before the harvest begins in April. The UN says the swarms are the largest in Somalia and Ethiopia in 25 years. Meanwhile, neighbouring Kenya has not seen a locust threat as severe in 70 years, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). However, Somalia is the first country in the region to declare an emergency over the infestation. Somalia's unstable security situation means that planes cannot be used to spray insecticide from the air. Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said Monday he is poised with a veto if the City Council votes to block the Police Department from using facial recognition technology. Sarno said the technology, which is not used in Springfield yet, could someday aid in the arrest of criminals and enhance public safety. Citing the recent abduction of an 11-year-old Springfield girl, Sarno said, Just think of how useful and timely this technology could have been. Police found the girl and arrested a suspect hours after an Amber Alert was issued. Councilors are considering a moratorium on facial recognition technology for at least the next five years, with some raising concerns that it could misidentify suspects in criminal cases. A final vote on the ban will be considered at the council meeting Monday at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. The council gave first-step approval in January. Public safety has always been my number one priority and always will be, Sarno said in a statement. Any tool that can be helpful to our war on crime, we certainly should take advantage of. I will continue to stand by Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood and our brave and dedicated women and men in blue. If the City Council does pass this ordinance, in the name of public safety, I will veto it. Council President Justin Hurst said he believes the moratorium legislation will pass, and that the council will have the votes to override a future veto, needing a two-thirds vote to override. The legislation serves to "protect the civil rights of the residents of this City, Hurst said. Sarno said he questions why the council would consider taking away sch a valuable option that can take and keep violent repeat offenders, such as murderers, rapists, gun toting drug dealers and gangbangers off our streets, out of our neighborhoods and bring justice to the affected families and/or proactively help deter and prevent crime from happening." Sarno said that when fingerprint and DNA technology came about, we all heard the same from critics. Councilor Orlando Ramos, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, said that considering the numerous studies that have proven this technology to be inaccurate, it would be irresponsible for any municipality to use this technology. Once this technology becomes more accurate, and while moratorium is in place, I encourage the mayor and the police commissioner to come to the table to discuss ways that we can implement a policy to allow for limited use of the technology, Ramos said. For example, I can see the benefits to using facial recognition to find missing persons. But for now, because of its inaccuracies, this technology will only cause more problems than solutions. Some councilors have said the technology can be inaccurate and likely to cast unwarranted suspicion on women and people of color. Hurst said the mayors potential veto signifies that he is willing to exacerbate the lack of trust that currently exist between the Community and our Police department, which is unfortunate and only serves to put our officers more at risk. "We all want our police department to have the latest technology at their disposal to help catch criminals and when the facial recognition technology is proven reliable, then the Council will lift the moratorium, Hurst said. Related Content: The Galaxy Home Mini Beta Program was announced back in August 2019. Since then it has gone under the radar, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Home that was announced back in 2018 during the Note 9 Keynote. Today however, a new leak points to the smaller Galaxy Home Mini being launched on February 12th, 2020. The Beta program, when launched in August 2019, showcased the product in the Korean Samsung Galaxy Home Mini webpage. While being limited only to Korea, the website allowed people to submit application to Samsung and, if selected, would receive the device before its launch for Beta testing. The product did make an appearance at CES 2020, where Samsungs CEO of consumer electronics division, Hyunsuk Kim hinted at a product launch for sometime in early 2020. The reasons for delay were explained to be that Samsung was designing the product as not just a Bixby speaker, but more as a control hub. Today, in a leak, Samsung put out an article (which has since been taken down) that the Galaxy Home Mini would be launched officially on February 12. The price mentioned in the post for a South Korean launch was 99,000 won (Approx. Rs. 5,926). This price tag would make it more expensive than a Google Nest Mini or the Amazon Alexa Echo smart speakers, both which have arguably better voice assistants. Source 1, 2 PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-03 15:01:01 HARVIA PLC PRESS RELEASE FEBRUARY 3, 2020 AT 4:00 P.M. EET Harvia will publish its Financial Statements Bulletin 2019, on Tuesday, 11 February 2020 at around 09:00 a.m. Finnish time. The stock exchange release and the presentation material in Finnish and English will be available at https://www.harvia.fi/en/investors/ . Analyst, investor and press briefing Harvia will hold a press conference for analysts, investors and media on the same day at 11:00 a.m. Finnish time, at Allas Sea Pool, Smart & Clean Showroom (address: Katajanokanlaituri 2a, Helsinki, Finland). The conference will be held in English. The conference will be hosted by Harvia's CEO Tapio Pajuharju and CFO Ari Vesterinen. The conference can be followed as a webcast, accessible at: https://harvia.videosync.fi/2019-q4-results A recording of the webcast will be available later at the company's website. HARVIA PLC For further information, please contact: CFO Ari Vesterinen, ari.vesterinen@harvia.fi , tel. +358 40 505 0440 Harvia is one of the leading companies operating in the sauna and spa market globally, as measured by revenue. Harvia's brands and product portfolio are well-known in the market and the company's comprehensive product portfolio strives to meet the needs of the international sauna and spa market of both private and professional customers. Harvia's revenue totaled EUR 61.9 million in 2018, its operating profit was EUR 9.4 million and adjusted operating profit EUR 10.9 million during the same period. The company employs some 400 professionals in Finland, China and Hong Kong, Romania, Austria, United States, Germany and Estonia. The company is headquartered in Muurame, Finland, adjacent to its largest sauna and sauna component manufacturing facility. Read more www.harvia.fi China on Monday welcomed iron brother Pakistans decision not to evacuate its nationals from coronavirus-stricken Hubei and the city of Wuhan, saying it was a sign of Islamabads confidence in Beijings ability to control the outbreak. Until Sunday midnight, coronavirus outbreak had killed 361 people and infected more than 17000. The numbers are set to surge in the weeks ahead. Majority of the cases including the deaths are from Hubei. ALSO WATCH | Second batch of Indians reach Delhi from Wuhan, undergo screening Several hundred Pakistani students are based in currently locked down Wuhan, majority of them studying medicine and many on Chinese government scholarships. Few among the stranded Pakistani students uploaded videos on social media, complaining about their situation, and comparing it with that of Indian students from their universities, who were evacuated from Wuhan by India over the weekend. The complaints havent changed the decision, which was mutually taken by Beijing and Islamabad. China and Pakistan are iron-clad friends that share a good tradition of mutual assistance. As China fights the outbreak, Pakistan has stood firmly with us, maintaining flights and pooling medical supplies all over the country to help China, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying said in an online press briefing. Indeed, as Pakistani Prime Minister and foreign minister noted, they highly commend and firmly support Chinas efforts to fight against the nCoV (novel Coronavirus). They also appreciate Chinas assistance for Pakistani citizens in China and express confidence in China winning this battle with the strength of its system. The Pakistani people are standing firmly with their Chinese brethren, Hua said. The Pakistan government had announced last week that it will not evacuate its citizens from Wuhan or Hubei The decision that Islamabad will not evacuate its citizens during a phone call between Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and state councilor and foreign minister, Wang Yi last week. Wang said that taking care of Pakistani citizens was a priority for Chinas government. We are deeply grateful and touched by such trust and confidence. China will continue to work in close communication and coordination with Pakistan to safeguard the health of Pakistanis in China, Hua said on Monday. Like Pakistan, many other countries have also expressed full confidence in China. We thank them. We have the confidence and the capability to win the fight against the outbreak as soon as possible and safeguard the life and health of their citizens in China, she added. Pakistans Ambassador to China Naghmana Hashmi was quoted by Pakistani media as saying on Sunday that Pakistani students should not be evacuated from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan as medical facilities in Pakistan do not meet the standards required to treat a patient diagnosed with coronavirus. The Chinese foreign ministry, meanwhile, lashed out at the US for, what it said, were unnecessary and excessive restrictions on China because of the outbreak. However, regrettably, it was precisely the US and some other developed countries with sound health systems and advanced public health capabilities that imposed unnecessary or even excessive restrictions on China, which clearly runs counter to WHO advice, Hua said. Hua accused Washington of causing panic in its response to the deadly coronavirus outbreak. Chinas criticism follows the US decision to declare a public health emergency and deny entry to foreign nationals who had visited China in the past two weeks. Hua added that the US actions could only create and spread fear instead of offering assistance. She said the US was the first country to impose a travel ban on Chinese travellers and the first to suggest a partial withdrawal of its embassy staff. As of February 2, 16 foreigners in China have been infected with the Coronavirus Among them, 2 have recovered and been discharged from hospital, and 14 are in quarantine and in stable conditions. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) Health officials in the Philippines said Monday that evidence is still inconclusive that a mix of antiviral drugs used to treat the flu and HIV would be effective in treating patients with the novel coronavirus. The improvement of one patient does not constitute evidence, said Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, the World Health Organizations representative in the Philippines. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III also doused enthusiasm over the treatment reported by doctors in Thailand, saying that it is possible that they may have treated a patient with the novel coronavirus who exhibited milder symptoms of the acute respiratory disease caused by the virus. There is no hard science to prove this anecdote or this theory. Its a theory. So lets wait, Duque said. Its hard to say. Its inconclusive. Its nothing. Doctors in Thailand said Monday that they have successfully treated a 71-year-old female patient from China using a combination of drugs used in HIV and flu treatments. The patient had previously been treated only with anti-HIV drugs. They said the womans condition improved rapidly in 48 hours and she also tested negative for the novel coronavirus within the same time period. Hospitals in Beijing have reported using the same drugs given to HIV and AIDS patients are part of treatment for the novel coronavirus, though it is unclear if they have been successful. A paper published on January 30 in the weekly medical journal The Lancet said 75 of 99 patients with the novel coronavirus were given a mix of antivirals oseltamivir, ganciclovir, lopinavir and ritonavir from three to 14 days. The paper added that 70 patients were also given antibiotic treatments. The paper reported that 31 of the patients had been discharged, while 11 died by January 25. It is unclear whether those who were discharged responded to the antiviral treatment. Health authorities in the Philippines are now looking at 80 patients who may have been infected with 2019-nCoV, including eight people who came in close contact with the Chinese couple who tested positive for the virus. A 44-year-old Chinese man, the partner of a 38-year-old Chinese woman who is the countrys first confirmed case of 2019-nCoV, succumbed to acute respiratory disease. He is also the first death due to the virus outside of China. The country has imposed a wider travel ban, expanding it to include all of mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. The updated policy also prompted some airlines to cancel flights between the Philippines and mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. The 2019-nCoV outbreak has killed 362 people and infected more than 17,300 globally, CNN reported Monday. The number of infected people has surpassed that of the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, but is significantly less lethal. 2019-nCoV's mortality rate stands between two and three percent. CNN Philippines Xave Gregorio and Ina Andolong contributed to this report. Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and three civilians sustained minor injuries after terrorists lobbed grenade upon the paramilitary force near the busy Mecca market in Lal Chowk area of Srinagar on Sunday afternoon. The grenade was lobbed by unidentified terrorists upon the CRPF's 171 Battalion around 12.45 p.m. "All injured have been evacuated and shifted to nearby hospital," the CRPF told IANS. Mecca market is a market of street vendors which mainly sell clothes. It was open on Sunday and there was a lot of activity. Lots of people visit the area on a Sunday. "The attack was an attempt to disrupt normal life and create scare among the people," a senior police officer said. Last month Jammu and Kashmir police had busted a Jaish-e-Mohammed module in Srinagar and arrested five operatives who were involved in multiple grenade attacks. A large cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered from them. New U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan met with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia right after presenting her credentials to Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili. "It was a very substantive conversation. I really enjoyed it. We covered number of topics, including security cooperation, our economic cooperation and opportunities to increase our economic ties," Degnan said. She further noted that during the meeting with PM Gakharia they "had a good discussion about the importance of education", including the program initiative for $7 million for a five-year education project in Georgia that USAID recently unveiled. During the meeting, Degnan and Gakharia also spoke of "the continuing democratisation of Georgia," Agenda.ge reported. Degnan said that she's looking forward to working with the Georgian government and the Georgian civil society. File image Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on February 3 said assuming the top post was never his dream or ambition, but when he realised that the promise made to his father could not be fulfilled by staying with the BJP, he decided to accept the bigger responsibility. In an interview to Sanjay Raut, the executive editor of Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Thackeray said 'Hindutva' to him means honouring the word given by him. Asked if he was an 'accidental chief minister', the Shiv Sena president said, "May be." On aligning with ideologically different parties like the NCP and Congress, Thackeray said such tie-ups were made earlier also, and asserted that the interest of the state and country was not bigger than any ideology. "I was not new to political power as I have seen my father (late Sena supremo Bal Thackeray) wield it since my childhood. What came unexpected was the chair of power (CM's post)," he said. Thackeray said he had decided that he will go to any extent to fulfil the promise made to his father about making a Shiv Sainik chief minister of the state. "My becoming chief minister is the first step towards fulfilling the promise made to my father," the 59-year-old Shiv Sena president said. The Shiv Sena snapped ties with its pre-poll ally BJP last year over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post in the state. Thackeray earlier claimed that a 50:50 formula was "agreed upon" between himself, the then BJP president Amit Shah and then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis ahead of the last year's Lok Sabha polls. In the interview to Raut on Monday, Thackeray said the Shiv Sena chief never accepted the post of power and he also never wished for it. "When I realised that I can't achieve the promise made to my father by staying with the BJP, I had no option but to accept the bigger responsibility," he said. Asked if he had shocked people by accepting the post of chief minister of an unlikely coalition, Thackeray said: "political shocks are of many kinds". "Promises made are supposed to be fulfilled. There is sadness and anger of breaking a promise and then I had no option. I don't know if the BJP has recovered from the shock. What big did I ask...moon or stars? I just reminded them about what was agreed upon before the Lok Sabha elections," he said. On what changed his earlier stand of going alone in the elections, Thackeray said, "When (the then BJP president) Amit Shah paid a visit to me, I felt what is the harm in starting all over again." Thackeray said he went to Gandhinagar and Varanasi when Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi filed their respective nominations for the Lok Sabha polls last year. "I got sandwiched between the elder (Modi) and younger brother (referring to BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis). Making a promise and honoring the word given is Hindutva for me," he said. Asked about aligning with parties of different ideologies, Thackeray said it had happened before and cited the example of the previous BJP-led governments at the Centre. "Are the ideologies of BJP and (Lok Janshakti Party leader) Ram Vilas Paswan, (JD(U) president) Nitish Kumar, (Trinamool Congress chief) Mamata Banerjee and (TDP head) Chandrababu Naidu same?" he asked. "In Kashmir, there was an alliance with the PDP and talks were held with separatists. The interest of the state and country is not bigger than ideology," he said. On criticism from the BJP that he compromised on the Shiv Sena's ideology, Thackeray said, "You want to break other parties and induct their prominent leaders. Is the laundry with you only? What's wrong if we align with parties." Asked what his mother Meena Thackeray's response on his becoming the chief minister would have been if she was alive, he said, she would have felt 'Oh God, whether he will be able to manage'. "But whatever I do, I do it genuinely," he added. On being compared to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Thackeray said, "I speak more." To a query on him contesting the election, Thackeray, who is not a member of either the state Legislative Assembly or Council, said, "In the next two-three months, I will take a decision on contesting polls. I will never run away from my responsibilities." Hinting that he may take the Legislative Council route, the chief minister said, "For (getting elected to) Assembly, somebody will have to resign. I will take the decision without hurting anyone." Asked about his experience after becoming the chief minister, Thackeray said he took little time in understanding the "official Marathi language". The chief minister also said his government would work towards resolving the dispute of "Karnataka Occupied Maharashtra". "Maharashtra wants the Marathi-speaking areas on the border adjoining Karnataka to be merged with it (Maharashtra). The matter is in court. But instead of being neutral, the Centre is supporting the Karnataka government," he alleged. Srinagar, Feb 3 : J&K Police have arrested four people linked to proscribed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed at Awantipora in south Kashmir. They have been identified as Mohd Amin, Mohd Rafiq and Fayaz Lone, residents of Pulwama, and Maqbool Dar, a resident of Awantipora. As per police records they were involved in assisting JeM terrorists operating in areas around Awantipora. They were providing logistic support and shelter to the terrorists, including JeM commander Qari Yasir and his other terror associates who were recently killed in an encounter at Awantipora. "Cases under relevant sections of law are registered at respective police stations and further investigation in the matter is in progress," a police statement said. Police is also investigating the role of four other persons for their involvement in supporting terror activities in the area and aiding terrorists in the area. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment This White House is certainly not the first to offer a proposal for resolving the nearly eight-decade conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. And, judging by the response so far, Trumps proposal will likely not be the one to resolve this issue that has vexed American officials, and much of the world, since the 1960s. To understand why a solution has been so elusive, its less essential to understand the specifics of the current plan on the table, than it is to understand those things that the Israelis and the Palestinians have long considered to be at stake. First, Israels chief concern is its own security, not only from conventional military attacks at the hands of its many hostile neighbors, but also from terrorist attacks at the hands of non-state actors like Hamas. A second, but just as central concern for both players in this conflict is the borders and nature of a Palestinian state. A third concern is the status of Jerusalem, specifically, whether it will be the undivided capital of Israel or divided between both parties. And finally, there is the question of whats known as the right to return, namely whether the estimated 4 million descendants of the Palestinian Arabs who fled what is now Israel in the aftermath of the 1947 Partition and subsequent wars should have the right to return, not only to the West Bank, but also to pre-1967 Israel. Obviously, the questions of where to place borders and who ought to be considered security threats are interrelated concerns. And, making the already Herculean task only more difficult are the Israeli settlements on the West Bank, Palestinian harboring of bad actors, and a history of (to put it mildly) hatred and distrust. The Trump administrations plan is formally known as Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People. It runs fifty pages and offers very specific proposals. First, it rejects the right of return, a concern essential to Israel because the potential influx of millions of Arabs threatens its identity as a Jewish state and homeland. This makes the proposal a non-starter for the Palestinians. Second, the plan would award virtually all of Jerusalem to Israel, while designating Abu Dis, a village bordering Jerusalem, as the capital of the Palestinian state. Third, the map in the plan details the contours of the Palestinian state, granting to the Palestinians about 70 percent of the West Bank, plus Gaza and parts of the Negev Desert. However, the current Israeli settlements would remain. Also, according to the plan, the Palestinians would not be permitted their own military, and would be forced to renounce violence and disband Hamas. In exchange for this step toward Israeli security, they would receive $50 billion in economic assistance over 10 years. How has Peace to Prosperity been received? Dr. Gerald McDermott, Anglican chair of Beeson Divinity School, told Christianity Today that it was a realistic opportunity for peace. He also noted the significant Arab support for the proposal, including UAE, Oman, Bahrain, and Egypt. Joel Rosenberg, co-founder of The Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem, told Christianity Today that the plan was generous to the Palestinians while giving the Israelis almost everything they wanted. But others, including Arab Christians, disagreed. Dr. Salim Munayer of Musalaha Ministries, which promotes reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians based on biblical principles, told CT that No Palestinian leader can accept this deal, because it doesnt meet our basic needs. Another Palestinian Evangelical, Daoud Kuttab, said that the plan sounded more like a surrender dictate than a peace plan. More importantly, the Palestinian Authoritys president Mahmoud Abbas called the plan a conspiracy and added We say a thousand times over: no, no, no. If this plan is conditioned on the Palestinians bringing Hamas in line, well, its difficult to imagine that happening. To paraphrase a former Canadian prime minister, if there was ever a place with too much history and too little geography, its this part of the Middle East. Thats why its difficult to imagine that this plan will succeed where others have failed. Still, it is possible that it can be a step, even if a very small one, in a better direction. And so, we continue to follow the dictate of Psalm 122, and Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. Originally posted at breakpoint.org By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The government on Sunday issued a new travel advisory asking the people to refrain from travelling to China and added that those returning from there could be quarantined in view of the Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak. In its advisory, the Health Ministry said anyone with a travel history of China since January 15 could be quarantined. The decision was taken at a high-level review meeting held by the Cabinet Secretary on the preparedness to deal with the health crisis. ALSO READ: Man having fever and cold quarantined in Tiruchy Government Hospital As on Sunday, 58,658 passengers from 445 flights were screened for nCoV symptom. A total of 142 symptomatic travellers were referred to isolation facilities, government sources said. So far, India has reported two positive cases of nCoV from Kerala. Earlier in the day, the Ministry of External Affairs suspended online visa facility for China with immediate effect. This applies to holders of Chinese passports and applicants of other nationalities residing in the Peoples Republic of China. Due to certain current developments, travel to India on e-visas stands temporarily suspended with immediate effect, the Indian Embassy in Beijing announced. Holders of already issued e-visas may note that these are no longer valid, it said. All those who have a compelling reason to visit India may contact the Embassy of India in Beijing or the Indian consulates in Shanghai or Guangzhou, as well as the Indian Visa Application Centres there, it said. Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Misri thanked the Chinese Foreign Ministry and local authorities in Hubei for their assistance in the evacuation. The 2nd Air India flight from Wuhan has just taken off for Delhi with 323 Indian citizens on board. 7 Maldives citizens are also being evacuated, the ambassador tweeted. Misri also congratulated two officers for their efforts in the evacuation process. ALSO READ: 10 new patients quarantined at home for Coronavirus test "A special word of appreciation for two of our officers who are on board the plane Deepak Padmakumar and M Balakrishnan they showed exemplary fortitude and a real spirit of public service by traveling to ground zero in Wuhan to coordinate airport arrangements. Kudos to both (sic), he said. An Air India flight carrying 323 Indians and seven Maldivians from Wuhan, the epicenter of Novel Coronavirus outbreak in China, landed at Delhi airport on Sunday morning. 7 Maldivians brought back with 323 Indians from Wuhan on the second @airindiain flight today. #NeighbourhoodFirst at work again, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted. Due to the outbreak, IndiGo has suspended all three flights between India and China. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 23:50:37|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian forces have almost besieged the city of Saraqeb in Idlib Province in northwestern Syria on Monday, approaching close to the key road in that area, a war monitor reported. The Syrian forces advanced northwest of the city of Saraqeb and are now only one kilometer from the main highway linking Latakia province with Aleppo province, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Latakia-Aleppo road connects with the Damascus Aleppo road north of Saraqeb, which is now almost besieged by the Syrian government forces, according to the Observatory. The main goal behind the Syrian military operation that has been dragging over the past few weeks is to secure the Damascus-Aleppo road. The progress toward Saraqeb comes days after the Syrian forces captured the city of Maarat al-Numan in the southern countryside of Idlib, which was the first big achievement toward securing the main Damascus-Aleppo highway. Opposition parties on February 3 are set to take on the government in Parliament on issues related to the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR) and proposed pan-India National Register of Citizens (NRC), reports suggest. The Indian National Congress, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees Trinamool Congress (TMC), Left parties, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), among others, have reportedly already submitted adjournment notices in the Rajya Sabha for demanding immediate discussion on CAA, NPR and NRC. The Congress and some other opposition parties are set to submit adjournment notices in the Lok Sabha too, according to a report by news agency PTI. Both the Houses are set to initiate the discussion on the 'motion of thanks' to the President's address starting January 3. The Budget session of Parliament started on January 31 with President Ram Nath Kovind's address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament. The Union Budget 2020-21 was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1. Opposition parties are demanding a discussion in both the Houses on the amended citizenship law, NPR and NRC, amid countrywide protests against them. The opposition has termed the CAA passed by Parliament as "unconstitutional" and have also challenged the amended law in the Supreme Court of India (SC). The matter will be heard by the top court later this month. The opposition parties have also urged chief ministers of those states which have opposed the CAA to not roll out the NPR exercise. (With inputs from PTI) Akash Tukarm Vidhate (24), a resident of Vidhate Vasti in Baner, was killed after a speeding Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal (PMPML) bus ran over him at Tilak road on Sunday. According to the police, Vidhate was speeding on a two-wheeler and was first hit by an autorickshaw. Then, as Vidhate couldnt control the speed of the motorcycle, he was mowed down by a PMPML bus coming from the opposite direction near Durvankur hotel in Tilak road. The Vishrambaug police have lodged a case related to rash and negligent driving in this regard. Eyewitnesses present at the spot rushed him to a nearby hospital, but he was proclaimed dead on arrival. Akash hailed from a family which was engaged in the milk business and he, too, helped them in the trade operations. He had come for some work in the central part of the city when the incident happened, police said. Tilak road has a number of bylanes and in 2018, there were three accidents reported under Vishrambaug police station area while fourteen accidents, including three fatal, were reported in the area in 2019. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: Seventy-eight percent of uranium exploration works in Iran is carried out through imagery captured by using helicopter, Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi said, Trend reports. The main purpose of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization is the discovery of uranium, Salehi added. However, along with uranium, the organization also discovers iron, copper and other rare mining materials. The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization added that huge mining materials were discovered by using helicopters, and negotiations on this issue were held with the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO). "There is no problem with uranium exploration and production in Iran, Salehi added. Only helicopters are imported for these operations. As for the construction of nuclear power plants, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said that the construction of such plants costs a lot of money. Thus, the construction of a 1,000 megawatt nuclear power plant requires approximately $5 billion. However, these plants run about 70-80 years. A 1,000-megawatt power plant needs 11 million barrels of fossil fuel worth $770 million a year whereas $30 million per year is spent on fuel, Salehi added. The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant operates in Iran's southern Bushehr province. The foundation of two more nuclear power plants was laid last Iranian year. Dublin, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Commercial Aviation Sustainability Forum 2020" conference has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This one-day industry forum brings together key industry constituents to share their perspectives on the challenges of sustainability and the measures available, now and in the future, to ensure that they remain responsible custodians of the environment. Event Highlights Hear major airlines discuss their sustainability policies and initiatives Find out where airframers and engines manufacturers are going with future technologies Discover how can governments and regulators can influence behaviour Learn about the future of sustainable fuels Understand how ESG metrics can affect investment and financing decisions Climate change and the environment now regularly make front-page news and have never had a higher level of public awareness. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria are increasingly relevant to companies, investors and financiers. Although the aviation industry has a strong track record of continuous improvement in fuel efficiency and emissions over many decades, it is more than ever in the cross-hairs of public opinion and faces growing existential threats that must be robustly addressed and overcome. Who Should Attend? Management and C-Suite decision-makers from airlines, lessors, banks, OEMs, MROs. Practitioners from legal, insurance, appraisal and industry advisory firms. All those who are passionate about environmental sustainability and want to learn how the aviation sector is responding to the challenges. Speakers Olivier Brochet: Aerospace & Defence Analyst, Credit Suisse Kim McClenaghan: Partner, PWC Marjan Riggi: Snr MD, Financial Institutions & Corporates, Kroll Richard Evans: Senior Consultant, Cirium Jim Morrison: VP Aircraft Evaluation, Avolon Rodrigo Silva e Souza: VP Marketing, Embraer Solene Flahaut: Head of Public Affairs & Environment, ATR Michael Winter: Senior Fellow Advanced Technology, Pratt & Whitney Caroline Day: VP Marketing - Strategy & Future Programmes, Rolls-Royce David Waddington: Marketing Director Leasing Markets, Airbus Hal Calamvokis: Director Aviation, Standard Chartered Bank Dick Forsberg: Head of Strategy, Avolon For more information about this conference visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/58ob53 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said the state budget session for 2020-21 will commence from February 7. The governor, in a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan on Monday, said he has summoned the House on February 7 at 2 pm, under Article 174 (1) of the Constitution. According to sources in the Trinamool Congress, West Bengal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee had on Sunday gone to the Raj Bhavan to discuss, among other issues, the upcoming budget session of the state assembly. "They discussed the governor's speech (to be read out by him on the opening day). There has been a lot of tension between the Raj Bhavan and the state government. Therefore, it would be wise if the speech is discussed beforehand," a senior TMC leader said. Chatterjee, along with the states's Finance Minister Amit Mitra, are likely to visit the Governor's House again on Monday evening, the TMC sources said. Dhankhar has been engaged in a face-off with the TMC government over a host of issues since assuming charge as the governor. Meanwhile, state secretariat sources said on Monday that state cabinet has decided to table the budget on February 10. The cabinet approved filling up of around 400 vacancies in different sections of the state transport department, Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Durgapur Municipal Corporation, they said. It also gave its nod in connection with the posting of teachers in their respective home districts, a decision which was announced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on January 28. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) No decision was made Monday on setting a trial date for a woman charged in the traffic death of a city police officer or whether the trial should be moved from Hamilton County. Criminal Court Judge Don Poole said another court date of Feb. 18 for Janet Hinds, 55. The trial date was not set as defense attorney Ben McGowan told Judge Poole that he had received new discovery and he needed time to go through it. On the motion for a change of venue, attorney McGowan cited the intensive media coverage of the event in Hamilton County, and the difficulty in finding impartial jurors in the county. He used social media comments and reactions as an example of the publicity the case has gotten locally. "The people in the immediate area are going to be the ones who are going to be following the situation and commenting on the story potentially," said attorney McGowan, "and some of those people strike me as folks who would easily become stealth jurors. And who would pretend, should they become stealth jurors, to be fair and impartial as to get on this jury to ensure that she rots in hell or get the death penalty or any of the other things they've said." District Attorney General Neal Pinkston argued to the contrary, saying that while it may seem like everyone has heard of the case, many people only have a passing knowledge of it. He also questioned whether social media was a good barometer of the general public's feelings on the case. After hearing both sides, Judge Poole made no ruling on the motion for a new venue, saying, "I did want to hear arguments today, and I have reviewed the documents and defense Mr. McGowan filed. The publicity has been great, there is no doubt about that." To end the motion hearing, Judge Pool reiterated the new court date, and then affirmed the court would attempt to set a trial date at that time. "We'll be back on the 18th to hear about discovery, and I can hear about additional arguments about that," said Judge Poole, "We will move to setting a trial date at that time." Ms. Hinds, the former Soddy Daisy postmaster, allegedly ran over and killed Officer Nicholas Galinger while he was inspecting an overflowing manhole on Hamill Road a year ago. The rookie officer was originally from Cincinnati. There was testimony earlier that Ms. Hinds had had drinks at a restaurant near Ringgold prior to heading home along Hamill Road. She was not taken into custody for several days and briefly went on the TBI's Most Wanted List. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Grand Rapids is stepping up its efforts to register voters and get absentee voters prepared ahead of the 2020 election days. With five weeks before Michigans March 10 presidential primary, the city is opening an election central office and announcing four community outreach events to increase voter participation. We are committed to offering more ways for residents to participate in elections, said City Clerk Joel Hondorp in a prepared statement. This is an important part of our strategic priority of engaged and connected community. Residents can register to vote, apply for an absentee ballot and drop off an absentee ballot between noon and 5 p.m. on weekdays at the second-floor election central office, located at 201 Market Ave. SW. The office will be open through Tuesday, March 10, excluding holidays. The same services are available at the city clerks second-floor office at City Hall, 300 Monroe Ave. NW, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. Validated parking is available in the parking ramp off Monroe and Ottawa avenues. City staff note that the election central office on Market Avenue is a convenient location on the edge of downtown, with access by public transit, bike and walking. There is free parking and a Dash North bus stop under the nearby U.S. 131 overpass. Voters will select a Democratic or Republican ballot before voting in the Tuesday, March 10 presidential primary. Prior to the election, the city will host four voter outreach events for registration and absentee ballot application. They include: Noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18 at Baxter Community Center, 935 Baxter St. SE. Noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19 at Hispanic Center of West Michigan, 1204 Grandville Ave. SW. Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 1 at election central, 201 Market Ave. SW. 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 7 at election central, 201 Market Ave. SW and the second-floor clerks office at City Hall, 300 Monroe Ave. NW. Residents who are age 18 or older are automatically registered to vote when they make a transaction with the Secretary of State. They may register to vote by mail up to 15 days before an election and or in person at the clerks office up until election day. Proof of residency is required. All registered voters can receive an absentee ballot without a reason. To receive a ballot, voters must fill out an application before every election. Voters can sign up to be a permanent absentee voter through the city clerks office. Primary elections for federal, state and county races are slated for Aug. 4. Judges and proposals could also be on the ballot. The presidential general election, which includes federal, state, county, judicial and school races, as well as proposals, is Nov. 3. To check your voter registration status, view a sample ballot or find your polling location, visit the states online voter registration center, here. Absentee voter applications are available on the city website, here. Read more: Full house at Grand Rapids basketball event leaves unruly crowd outside Clerks raise highlights Grand Rapids top appointed officials salary increases Has Grand Rapids city manager met high expectations? Most say yes WASHINGTON - Closing arguments Monday in President Donald Trumps impeachment trial were directed more toward history than to sway the outcome, one final chance to influence public opinion and set the record ahead of his expected acquittal in the Republican-led Senate. The House Democratic prosecutors drew on the Founding Fathers and common sense to urge senators and Americans to see that Trumps actions are not isolated but a pattern of behaviour that, left unchecked, will allow him to cheat in the 2020 election. Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff implored those few Republican senators who have acknowledged Trumps wrongdoing in the Ukraine matter to prevent a runaway presidency and stand up to say enough. For a man like Donald J. Trump, they gave you a remedy and meant for you to use it. They gave you an oath, and they meant for you to observe it, Schiff said. We have proven Donald Trump guilty. Now do impartial justice and convict him. The presidents defence countered the Democrats have been out to impeach Trump since the start of his presidency, nothing short of an effort to undo the 2016 election and to try to shape the next one, as early primary voting begins Monday in Iowa. Leave it to the voters to choose, said White House counsel Pat Cipollone. He called for an end to the partisan era of impeachment. All thats left, as the Senate prepares to acquit Trump on charges that he abused power and obstructed Congress, is for Americans to decide now and in the November election, as the third presidential impeachment trial in the nations history comes to a close. Most senators acknowledge the House Democratic managers have essentially proven their case. Trump was impeached in December on two charges: that he abused his power like no other president in history when he pushed Ukraine to investigate rival Democrats, and he then obstructed Congress by instructing aides to defy House subpoenas. But key Republicans have decided the presidents actions toward Ukraine do not rise to the level of impeachable offence that warrants the dramatic political upheaval of conviction and removal from office. His acquittal in Wednesdays vote is all but assured. GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska called the presidents actions shameful and wrong, but in a powerful speech late Monday she also derided the highly partisan process. I cannot vote to convict, she said. Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Marco Rubio of Florida and Rob Portman of Ohio are among those who acknowledged the inappropriateness of Trumps actions, but said they would not vote to hear more testimony or to convict. What message does that send? asked Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., a House prosecutor. He warned senators that for Trump, the past is prologue. He urged the Senate to realize its failure to convict will allow the presidents misconduct to stand. The Senate proceedings are set against a sweeping political backstop, as voters in Iowa on Monday are choosing presidential Democratic primary candidates and Trump is poised to deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday in his own victory lap before Congress. It is unclear if any Republican or Democratic senators sworn to do impartial justice will break from party lines. One centrist Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin, W-Va., said he was heavily weighing the vote ahead. He suggested censure may be a bipartisan alternative. The House Democrats unveiled a striking case centred on Trumps personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, running an alternative foreign policy that drew alarm at the highest levels. As part of the scheme, Trump held up $391 million in U.S. aid from Ukraine, a fragile ally battling Russia, for his personal political gain, they argued. The money was eventually released after Congress intervened. As Chief Justice John Roberts presided, the House managers opened with a plea from Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., a freshman and former Army Ranger: We cannot and should not leave our common sense at the door. One by one, the Democrats drew on their life experiences to remind senators, and Americans, of the simple difference between right and wrong in the case against Trump. Rep. Val Demings, a former police chief, argued that the president is not behaving like someone who is innocent. She warned that if senators do not convict, Trump will try to cheat again ahead of 2020. You will send a terrible message to the nation that one can get away with abuse of power, cheating and spreading of false narratives, she told them. Before Trumps celebrity defence mounted its closing argument, the president himself already registered his views on Twitter, where he decried the whole thing as he often does as a hoax. Kenneth Starr, the former prosecutor whose investigation led to Bill Clintons impeachment, complained about the inadequacy of the House prosecutors fast track case. Trump attorney Jay Sekulow showed political clips of Democrats calling for impeachment with many lawmakers of colour, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a top Republican foil to argue this was the first totally partisan presidential impeachment in our nations history, and it should be our last. One key Trump lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, who was forced to walk back a sweeping defence of presidential power in last weeks arguments, did not appear. Trump wanted acquittal secured before he arrives at the Capitol for the State of the Union address Tuesday, but that will not happen. Senators carrying the power of their votes to the history books wanted additional time to make their own arguments, in public speeches from the floor of the Senate. Those began Monday afternoon and were expected to continue until Wednesdays vote. The trial unfolded over nearly two weeks and reached a decisive moment last Friday when senators voted against calling witnesses and documents. Key Republicans said they had heard enough. It becomes the first impeachment trial in the nations more than 200-year history without any witnesses. Even new revelations from John Bolton, the former White House national security adviser, whose forthcoming book discloses his firsthand account of Trump ordering the investigations, did not impress upon senators the need for more testimony. Bolton said he would appear if he received a subpoena, but GOP senators said the House should have issued the summons and the Senate did not want to prolong the proceedings. Prosecutors relied on a 28,000-page report compiled over three months of proceedings in the Democratic-controlled House, including public and private testimony from 17 witnesses, among them current and former ambassadors and national security officials with close proximity to the Ukraine dealings. The case stems from Trumps July 25 call with Ukraine that he maintains was perfect. A government whistleblower alarmed by the call filed a complaint that sparked the inquiry. __ Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Matthew Daly, Laurie Kellman and Padmananda Rama contributed to the story. Hes the oldest candidate in the White House race, but Bernie Sanders has managed, yet again, to energise young voters with polls showing him running neck and neck with former US vice president Joe Biden in the Iowa caucuses. But the first test of the US presidential race is known for throwing up surprises. As the first vote in the 2020 Democratic race to challenge US President Donald Trump kicks off in the Midwestern state of Iowa Monday, Sanders has emerged as a candidate on the rise, with the 78-year-old Vermont senator tied with Biden, 77, in several polls. Biden and Sanders were tied at 25 percent as the first choice nominee, according to a CBS News poll conducted by YouGov released Sunday. Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, came in third with 21 percent while Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren ranked fourth with 16 percent. The results largely match other polls conducted in the key state. The two frontrunners represent two separate wings of the party: Sanders the progressive wing, and Biden the moderate establishment wing. Sanders had a double-digit lead with people under the age of 35 in some polls. Those voters formed the core base of his support in 2016 and they are still feeling the Bern this year. The self-proclaimed socialists supporters are being rallied by social media to attend the caucuses, whereas older voters, who are more likely to favour Biden, are less likely to turn up. Sanders also stands a good chance of winning the upcoming primary in New Hampshire, where, as the senator of a neighbouring state, the veteran politician is a local. Biden, a moderate with decades of Washington experience, is under pressure to put up a strong performance in Iowa, as centrist Democrats fret about how to deal with the rise of Sanders. 'Maybe we need a dangerous communist' At a Sanders campaign rally Sunday, supporters listened enthusiastically as the candidate went through his policy priorities and explained whats at stake in the 2020 elections. This might be the election that is the most consequential in modern American history. What we are talking about is the future of American democracy, he said. Sanders promised he would defeat Trump and unite people together around an agenda that works for all of us, not just the 1 percent. Josiah Sutton, a 22-year-old history student at Lincoln College, is helping the Sanders campaign in Iowa. He says a lot of young people in the service industry are backing the Vermont senator because he is addressing trade union issues. When asked for his response to critics who call Sanders a dangerous communist, Sutton replied, Maybe we need a dangerous communist. Weve been in a dangerous capitalist situation for too long. Story continues Tyler Birch, 26, a press operator from Columbus, Ohio, spends most of his days on the factory floor but hes taken time out to come to Iowa and canvas for Sanders. Breathless and passionate, he explained Sanderss revolutionary appeal: I believe that we need to build a working-class movement in America. I think we need to live up to the original precept that our country was set up on, which is a democracy for everybody by everybody not just special interests, lobbyists, big banks, pharma and the insurance companies. If that means hes for the working people of the US, for unions, for people like me and my family, and immigrants - we need to go from the bottom up and that is how we all rise. Not a system that creates wealth for just the 1 percent, where most income goes to them and not to us, the real people who work here. Were gonna take Iowa, were gonna take South Carolina, were gonna take the presidency, said Birch. At a Sanders field office in Des Moines, a sign reading IA loves Bernie adorns the wall. Volunteers mill around exchanging canvassing techniques to convince voters to caucus for Sanders. Cidney Macmillan, a 35-year-old business analyst from Iowa, is canvassing for Sanders. Hes been trying to convince people who are on the fence to come and support the candidate. Cidney supported Sanders in the last electoral cycle as well. This year more than others, theres a lot of progressive people. In my opinion, Bernie brought that out. Progressives seem to like Bernie, Warren and [Andrew] Yang. I feel Bernies the right guy, hes been on the right side of history for the last 30, 40 years. Hes been trying to break up the big corporations, trying to fight for nature. For me the most important thing is breaking up banks, corporations. Theres a lot of money in politics. A lot of that comes from big banks, oil companies, the finance sector, pharmaceuticals, they are able to lobby and get a lot of different things that help them out but dont benefit 95 percent of the population. Macmillan thinks it will even be possible to convince Trump supporters to convert to Sanders as he is an anti-establishment figure. Biden is the only one who can bring both sides back together A crowd of about a thousand people gathered to hear Joe Biden at a middle school in Des Moines on Sunday. The atmosphere felt flat before Biden appeared but picked up once he got on stage and flashed his smile. Biden appeared somewhat frail, compared to the younger candidates in the race, and used notes as a prompt for his speech. The next president is going to inherit a country divided and a world in disarray, Biden said, Theres no time for on-the-job training. Marshall Orsini, an attorney from West Des Moines, told FRANCE 24 that he will caucus for Biden on Monday evening. He said himself we need a president who can start from day one. I want a certain level of statesmanship in a president. I think hell be able to pull in both the disillusioned and disenfranchised and the other side as well, and I think Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are going to have a hard time doing that. Hes got a better chance of beating Trump. The former vice president has a way of looking right into the eyes of audience members. He took time to greet all of those jostling to shake his hand, staying true to his reputation for having a personal touch. James A. Benzoni, an immigration attorney who stayed on after Bidens speech to shake the candidates hand, explained why he is supporting him. The main reason, besides his experience, is because we are so divided right now and we need to deal with the racial divide. The election of Barack Obama brought racial prejudice back to the surface and right now Biden is the only one who can bring both sides back together. At the end of his rally, Biden told FRANCE 24, Im the best candidate because I know what we have to do. I can unite the country. The majority of Democratic voters FRANCE 24 spoke with said that if Biden ultimately gets the nomination they will back him against Trump. But Rafaela Perez, a 20-year-old Warren supporter who travelled from Kansas to see her candidate, told FRANCE 24 that she does not think young people will support Biden. He has some good points but I dont really think hes the Democrat of the day anymore," she explained. Perez then showed FRANCE 24 a video that has gone viral, which features a young man in a tie-dye T-shirt doing the "Running Man" dance and chanting, "Please dont make me vote for Joe Biden." The popularity of the video reflects a sentiment felt by many young Democrats in Iowa and across the United States. KYIV -- On a visit to Kyiv, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Turkeys support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, emphasizing that Ankara doesn't recognize Russias illegitimate takeover of Crimea. Erdogan was speaking at a news conference in the Ukrainian capital on February 3 following talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The Turkish leader said that Turkey will help build housing for nearly 500 families of Crimean Tatars who have relocated to other parts of Ukraine following the annexation of the Black Sea peninsula in March 2014. Rights groups and Western governments have denounced what they describe as a campaign of repression by the Russian-imposed authorities against Crimean Tatars -- an Turkic ethnic group -- and others who have spoken out against Moscow's military seizure and occupation of Crimea. Erdogan, who has been strengthening ties with Russia in recent years, has adamantly opposed Russia's moves in Crimea, particularly speaking up for the rights of the Crimean Tatars. Ukraine is also battling Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine which has claimed more than 13,000 lives since April 2014. Speaking alongside Erdogan, Zelenskiy said Kyiv counted on Ankara to help win the release of dozens of Ukrainians, particularly Crimean Tatars, being illegally held behind bars in Russia or Crimea. Zelenskiy also said a military-financial cooperation agreement was signed that foresees Ankara giving Kyiv $36 million to purchase military and dual-purpose goods from Turkey. Both sides also discussed possible natural-gas supplies to Ukraine via Turkey from the Caspian Sea. The two leaders, who last met in Ankara in August, also chaired the eighth meeting of the High-Level Strategic Council. The sides signed a number of intergovernmental documents, including a memorandum of understanding regarding negotiations on a free-trade area agreement, according to Zelenskiys office. Zelenskiy, a former comedian, swept to a landslide victory in an April 2019 presidential election on promises to root out entrenched corruption and improve Ukraine's struggling economy. Subscriber content preview SEATTLE Dunato's Marine Service, at 2309 N. Northlake Way, sold for almost $9.5 million, according to King County records. The seller was the Dunato family, which acquired the property in 1985 for $1.3 million. . . . A true-color image from the Terra satellite on Jan. 03, 2020. Credit: NASA NASA's Terra satellite saw yet another fire, known as the Orroral Valley Fire, break out in the Canberra region of Australia, specifically in and around the ?Namadgi National Park. In one week, these fires have consumed 62,988 hectares (155,646 acres) according to the Australian Capital Territory Emergency Services Agency as of Feb. 04, 2020 (2:30 am local Australian time). The Department of Defence in Australia has reported that a firefighting helicopter's landing lights created the heat needed to spark the new fire. Since the area is tinder-dry, any bit of heat can provide the ignition for a new blaze. Below is a sliding image showing the true- and false-color images of the fire on Feb. 03, 2020 taken by the Terra satellite using the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument. The dark red-brown color represents areas where the fires have burned the land. NASA/NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite also captured an image of the fires using their Day/Night band on the VIIRS ?(Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instrument. At night the fires can clearly be seen in this image from February 02, 2020. The fire line of the new blaze is extremely close to the city of Canberra, the capital of Australia. This area is under a State of Emergency until at least Sunday. Fire crews have, to date, been able to save all structures in the Australian Capital Territory. NASA's satellite instruments are often the first to detect wildfires burning in remote regions, and the locations of new fires are sent directly to land managers worldwide within hours of the satellite overpass. Together, NASA instruments detect actively burning fires, track the transport of smoke from fires, provide information for fire management, and map the extent of changes to ecosystems, based on the extent and severity of burn scars. NASA has a fleet of Earth-observing instruments, many of which contribute to our understanding of fire in the Earth system. Satellites in orbit around the poles provide observations of the entire planet several times per day, whereas satellites in a geostationary orbit provide coarse-resolution imagery of fires, smoke and clouds every five to 15 minutes. A false-color image from the Terra satellite of the Orroral Valley fire from Feb. 03, 2020. Credit: NASA A Suomi NPP image of the Orroral Valley fires near Canberra taken at night. Credit: NASA/NOAA Explore further Ferocious fires in Australia intensify The majority of Canadians still do not want to pay for Harry and Meghan's security as they are not representing the Queen. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex settled in British Columbia following their step down from their roles as senior royals last month. But seventy-seven per cent of Canadians believe the taxpayer does not have to pay for the couple's security because they are not in in the country as representatives of the monarch. Seventy-seven per cent of people believe the Canadian taxpayer does not have to pay for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex because they are not in Canada as representatives of the Queen It is thought that only 19 per cent of Canadians would not object to their country assuming a share of the security costs, according to the statistics by Nanos Research for CTV. Canadian authorities have indicated that discussions are underway about who would foot the bill now that Harry and Meghan have officially left the royal family. There has not yet been any official announcement. More than two-thirds of Canadians feel that the privacy of the couple, along with eight-month-old Archie, will be better respected in Canada than it was in Britain. But Harry and Meghan, who are now living in Victoria on Vancouver Island, are taking no chances. Last month they issued a legal warning to the media over photographs of the duchess out hiking with Archie and two dogs. Their lawyers claimed the images were taken without Meghan's consent, the BBC reported, and the couple were prepared to take legal action. However, Scotland Yard officers guarding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have recently said that they are treated 'like skivvies' and forced to do 'menial tasks' like picking up takeaways and groceries, it has been claimed. Highly-trained protection staff have also allegedly been seen buying food from an organic delicatessen, a favourite of Meghan's, and picking up coffees from fast food outlet Tim Hortons. The Duke and Duchess's security is estimated to cost taxpayers in Canada and the UK between 3million and 6million a year as staff work round the clock two weeks at a time. There has been no official announcement about the question of security for Prince Harry and Meghan, or who will cover the bill, now that they have officially left the royal family Canada is currently a parliamentary monarchy and Queen Elizabeth II is the reigning head of state. Only 32 per cent of those surveyed were strongly in favour of maintaining links with the royal family and their country's status as a constitutional monarchy. And instead 35 per cent would be more or less strongly in favour of abolishing links with the British monarchy. More than 1,000 Canadians submitted response to the survey that was conducted by telephone and online. Cracking up: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were seen awkwardly laughing on Sunday night after Margot Robbie quipped about Megxit during a BAFTA acceptance speech Last night the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were seen awkwardly laughing during the BAFTA ceremony when Margot Robbie joked about Megxit during an acceptance speech. William and Kate were the guests of honour at the 73rd annual EE British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall, London, and watched as Brad Pitt was named best Supporting Actor for his role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. But with the star absent from the ceremony, his co-star Margot read out a speech on his behalf. She said: '[Brad] says he is going to name this Harry because he is really excited about bringing it back to the States with him. 'His words not mine.' The camera immediately panned to the Duke and Duchess at the ceremony, who were seen laughing alongside the rest of the crowd from their seats. One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 Vietnam successfully fulfills role as President of UNSC in January Updated: 08:31 - 01/02/2020 A meeting was held in New York on Friday to review activities of the UN Security Council during January__Photo: VNA , , , Head of Vietnams mission to the UN Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy chaired a session on January 31 to review the UN Security Council (UNSC)s activities during January, the month Vietnam held the Presidency of the UNSC.The meeting was attended by more than 100 representatives from UN member countries and observers, including 23 ambassadors and head of missions.Taking the rotary presidency of the UNSC in the first month of the year marking the 75th anniversary of the UN Charter, Vietnam selected a priority theme as adhering to the UN Charter to maintain international peace and security. The initiative was meant to promote adherence to international law, the UN Charter and reiterate the importance of multilateral co-operation in international peace and security.The second initiative was the first-ever meeting at the UNSC on co-operation between the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The event provided an opportunity for the international community and the UNSC to get an insight into ASEANs role in the region and discuss ways to enhance collaboration between the UN and the regional bloc.Vietnam took the occasion to affirm that as Chair of ASEAN in 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UNSC, it will make efforts to promote co-operation between the two organizations, focusing on priority fields such as the peaceful settlement of disputes, preventive diplomacy, disarmament, maintenance of peace, anti-terrorism, maritime co-operation and maritime security. Also on the occasion, Vietnam proposed holding a high-level ASEAN-UN dialogue on sustainable development on the occasion of the ASEAN-UN Summit slated for October 2020 in Vietnam.The initiatives aside, Vietnam made timely reactions to arising issues that threatened international peace and security, responded to countries ideas and proposals, and creatively utilized the UNSCs rules and practices and promoted consensus so the council could make timely decisions.During the month under the presidency of Vietnam, the UNSC held 30 official activities, including two open debates, eight sessions to listen to reports and four sessions to approve resolutions.As UNSC president, Vietnam also held an international press conference and many press briefings on the councils work. The council adopted 13 decisions, including four resolutions and a decision on extending the mandate of UN missions, forces and mechanisms, one declaration of the UNSC President, five press statements and two press releases.At the session, many delegates said Vietnam performed its role as president of the UNSC well. They said Vietnam has built a reasonable agenda and handled complex issues in a flexible manner. Many recognized Vietnams efforts to regularly provide information on the councils work to non-member countries, non-governmental organizations and the media.Following Vietnam, Belgium will be the next president of the UNSC.- The Johnny Depp and Amber Heard scandal is still not over. What started as divorce has gotten worse than that. According to a report from the National Enquirer, the actor's longtime friend Angelina Jolie was not a fan of his then-fiancee Amber Heard, amid the promotion of Jolie and Depp's film "The Tourist." The 2014 article reported that the twice-divorced movie star was concerned about the then 27-year-old Heard and her motives for accepting the then-50-year-old's proposal. The report's original title said, "Angelina Jolie is giving romance advice to pal Johnny Depp, warning him he may be making a mistake marrying Amber Heard." According to an unidentified friend of Jolie who spoke to the publication, Jolie pleaded Depp to get a prenuptial agreement before marrying the "Aquaman" actress. "Angie is worried he is going through a midlife crisis and has become enchanted with the much-younger actress," the source claimed. What Happened Between Heard And Depp? Three years ago, Amber Heard filed for divorce from the actor. Since then, the two made headlines because Heard claims that Depp has abused her. According to Heard's legal team, her now ex-husband has been "physically and verbally abusive" to her, "which has included angry hostile, humiliating and threathening assaults" whenever Heard questioned his authority or disagreed with him. However, according to Depp's attorney, the actress is just attempting to "secure a financial resolution by alleging abuse." Depp has denied all allegations of abuse and in 2016, they reached a $7 million divorce settlement. In March 2019, Depp filed a $50 million defamation suit after Heard released an op-ed article on the Washington Post detailing her experiences as an alleged domestic violence victim. Depp alleged that Heard's claims have negatively impacted his career. He also pointed out that it was Heard who violently abused him. In April 2019, Heard filed a motion to dismiss Depp's lawsuit and detailed that the actor hit, choked and shoved her when they were together. "The only way for Amber Heard to sustain her hoax is to shift to new lies," said Depp's lawyers. Heard's lawyers claimed that Depp "publicly harass" their client and event attempted to gaslight the world by denying the abuse. Depp, on the other hand, said that his ex-wife just painted on the bruises on her body to make Depp look bad. #JusticeForJohnnyDepp The now-divorced pair is still in the middle of the defamation lawsuit. Just recently, new information comes to light after an audio from a 2015 taped therapy session revealed that Heard admitted she hit Depp. The Daily Mail obtained the recording, in which Amber can be heard opening up about her violent tantrums. "I'm sorry that I didn't, uh, hit you across the face in a proper slap, but I was hitting you. It was not punching you. Babe, you're not punched," Heard told her then-husband, attempting to downplay her outburst the previous evening. "I don't know what the motion of my actual hand was, but you're fine, I did not hurt you, I did not punch you. I was hitting you." On twitter, the #JusticeForJohnnyDepp trended worldwide, with fans wanting justice for the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor. One twitter user said, "Can you imagine that all this time Amber Heard has been running around being an actual human rights ambassador, all while there were actual audio tapes of her admitting to abuse and shamelessly gaslighting Johnny Depp? The nerve." The government will enter a fresh round of talks with the EU negotiating its future relationship with the bloc. (AP/Frank Augstein) Ever since the 2016 referendum, Brexit has been a never-ending story of key dates and deadlines. Now that the UK has left the EU, that is not going to change as we enter the transition period. This will see the government enter a fresh round of extensive talks with the EU, negotiating its future relationship including a trade deal with the bloc. Here are six of the key dates to look out for over the next 11 months: 26 February The EU is set to sign off its negotiating mandate. This will give the European Commission authorisation to launch talks with the UK. 3 March Negotiations, led by chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on the EU side and Boris Johnsons Brexit sherpa David Frost on the UK side, will commence. 30 June The final day the UK can seek an extension to the transition period. This can be up to two years, though Boris Johnson has insisted there will be no extension. 1 July The target date for a fisheries agreement. If one isnt in place, it raises the prospect of the EU being able to dictate fishing quotas in UK waters. Week beginning 26 November The deadline for a trade deal to be presented to the European Parliament for consideration. 31 December The transition period ends. If no trade deal is in place, the UK will trade with the EU on World Trade Organisation terms similar to what a no-deal Brexit would have entailed. It would mean UK goods being subject to EU tariffs, with major implications for UK business. Watch how years of utter Brexit chaos unfolded: India reported a third novel coronavirus case on Monday with another Keralite student from Wuhan university in China testing positive for the infection as the Left from government declared the epidemic as a "state calamity". Hours after the confirmation of the third coronavirus case from the state, where over 2,000 people are under watch at houses and hospitals, Health Minister K K Shailaja said on the advise of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan it has been decided to declare the epidemic as a "state calamity". The move was to take all necessary steps to ensure that the outbreak is effectively controlled, she told reporters on Monday night. Principal Health Secretary Rajan Khobragade said with the declaration of the situation in Kerala as a "calamity", the entire state machinery will gear up to face the situation and medical officers on leave would have to report for duty. The decision was taken at an apex committee meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority chaired by Chief Secretary Tom Jose. Earlier in the day, the Health Minister informed the state assembly that a medical student become the third person to contract the virus and is an isolation ward at Kanhangad district hospital in Kasaragod. Two students, including a woman medico, from the state who studied in Wuhan in China had tested positive for the virus in Thrissur and Alappuzha in the last few days. The health status of all three students, who tested positive for the virus is "satisfactory", Shailaja said. "Till date, 2,239 people, who travelled from Corona affected countries have been identified and placed under surveillance in the state, out of which 2155 are under home isolation and 84 have been admitted to isolation facilities," she said. The health department has identified 82 people who had come in contact with the three positive patients. As many as 40 are from Thrissur and rest from other districts. "Some of them are in isolation, others are in home quarantine," she said. Coming down on those who had failed to report to authorities after returning from the virus-hit China, where the epidemic has claimed over 360 lives so far, she said this was "dangerous". The Health Secretary said they have also requested the central government to cancel the annual training of district collectors at the training institute in Mussoorie. As the coronavirus has been declared a state calamity, the health department will not wait for any positive results to come out and all districts will initiate action with the same seriousness. Shailaja said the health department has assigned 178 counsellors as part of its "psycho-social service" to talk to those under observation and to their families. "Till now around 372 people have been given counselling. Those who remain under observation and home quarantine are doing a great job to the society. We should be thankful to them. All the 2,239 persons under observation came to us directly saying they came from China," minister said. Earlier in the assembly, she said that as soon as the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued warning on the virus, the state began to take precautionary measures on a "war- footing". There were a lot of Keralites working and studying in China due to which stringent precautionary measures have been taken to contain the spread of the virus in the event of an infected person reaching the state, she said. Airport and seaports were being continuously monitored and the passengers screened by health officials. A medical bulletin issued on Monday night said so far, samples of 140 people had been sent to the National Institute of Virology for testing, out of which results of 46 came as negative. While three are positive, the rest of the results are pending. Authorities have confirmed that the health condition of all symptomatic persons under isolation in hospitals was "stable", the bulletin said. Of the 2,239 people under observation, Malappuram district accounted for the maximum of 343, followed by Kozhikode (310), Ernakulam (297) and Kollam (201). Meanwhile, the parents of a fourth year Keralite student of Wuhan university, who returned to India on Saturday, has requested the state government to shift their daughter to Kerala from a camp in Delhi. Her father S Vijaykumar said he was anxious as his daughter was sharing a room with five people. They share a toilet, bathoroom and mess, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The plane spent hours flying in circles, burning off jet fuel, before the emergency landing could be attempted. An Air Canada Boeing 767 aircraft with 128 passengers on board has made a safe emergency landing at Madrid Airport. The Toronto-bound flight AC837 had departed from the Spanish capital in the early afternoon on Monday but had to request an emergency return after one of its two engines was damaged and a tire ruptured during takeoff. There was no immediate information on what had caused the malfunctioning, but the plane spent close to four hours flying in circles near Madrid to burn off fuel before making the emergency landing. Spains Defence Ministry earlier dispatched an F-18 fighter jet to evaluate the damage done to the landing gear. The passenger aircraft had departed from the Adolfo Suarez-Barajas international airport earlier in the day and was scheduled to land in Toronto at 3:40pm local time (20:40 GMT). In a statement emailed to The Associated Press, the airline said the plane experienced an engine issue shortly after take-off as well as a ruptured tire one of 10 on the Boeing 767-300. It added that the aircraft is designed to operate on one engine and our pilots are fully trained for this eventuality. Nonetheless, an emergency was declared in order to obtain landing priority, Air Canada said. Flying unusually low A spokeswoman with Spains airport operator, AENA, told the AP that the airline had requested a slot for an emergency landing some 30 minutes after takeoff. A spokesman for Enaire, Spains air navigation authority, said the planes landing gear did not fold up properly on taking off, and that a piece of it may have damaged part of one of the engines. Emergency services including firefighting trucks and ambulances were deployed at the Spanish capitals airport. Spains El Mundo newspapers website published audio it said featured the planes pilot explaining to the passengers the need to return to Madrid because a wheel had been damaged during the takeoff. Because we are a bit too heavy we have to get rid of fuel before being able to land, the voice can be heard saying in Spanish. Madrid residents posted videos online showing a plane flying unusually low over the Spanish capitals centre and suburbs. Guido Fioravantti, from New York, in a message to the AP, said his father was on the plane. The cabin is very calm and collected. Pilots train for this a lot, so no reason to panic. Its also more common than many people would think, Fioravantti said. It was the second incident of the day at Madrids international airport, the busiest in the country. Earlier on Monday, the airport closed for over an hour due to the reported sighting of drones in the vicinity. She's the new face of Mecca Bingo, but all bets were off as Katie McGlynn made a stylish appearance in London on Monday morning. The former Coronation Street star caught the eye in a faux-fur jacket and thick woolen roll-neck as she left her hotel and made her way towards a waiting cab. She added to her look with a pair of form-fitting leather trousers, while studded leather boots and a retro Baker Boy cap rounded things off. Coronation treat: She's the new face of Mecca Bingo, but all bets were off as Katie McGlynn made a stylish appearance in London on Monday morning With her suitcase in tow, the 26-year old appeared to be starting her journey back to Manchester after travelling south to watch close friend Lisa George perform in the current series of Dancing On Ice. Katie is on a high after winning Best Serial Drama Performance for her portrayal of cancer stricken Corrie character Sinead Tinker at the National Television Awards on January 28th. And her chance meeting with Friends star David Schwimmer was clearly still on her mind as she took to Instagram on Sunday evening. Fond memory: Clearly still buzzing after meeting Friends actor David Schwimmer at the National Television Awards, a star-struck Katie shared a snap of the pair on Sunday evening Looking good: The former Coronation Street star caught the eye in a faux-fur jacket and thick woolen roll-neck as she left her hotel and made her way towards a waiting cab Edgy: She added to her look with a pair of form-fitting leather trousers, while studded leather boots and a retro Baker Boy cap rounded things off Sharing a backstage snap of herself holding her award while standing alongside the American actor, she wrote: 'The one where she gets congratulated by @_schwim_ for winning an award...I honestly dont know what I was more excited about.' The former soap star previously revealed she was left 'starstruck' by the array of A-list guests at the ceremony, and admitted it has only spurred her desire to crack Hollywood. She told This Morning: 'I walked past David Schwimmer, and he said "congratulations". And I'm like "that's Ross from Friends!" And also Joanna Lumnley said congratulations too! In good company: The actress was joined by a male friend as she prepared to make the journey back to Manchester Success: Katie is on a high after winning Best Serial Drama Performance for her portrayal of cancer stricken Corrie character Sinead Tinker at the National Television Awards on January 28th Let's go: The actress was making her way home after travelling south to watch close friend Lisa George perform in the current series of Dancing On Ice 'My NTAs win hasn't sunk in, I was genuinely shocked. When I found out I was nominated, I was shocked, and then when I found out I was the only girl [in the category], it was so unexpected. I still can't get over it!' Joking about her lengthy acceptance speech, she confessed: 'I'd not prepared anything because I was so shocked. 'When you do big storyline, there's so many people to thank. That was sort of my only chance.' Representative Image The BJP in its last leg of campaigning for the February 8 Delhi polls, conducted a mega contact programme on February 2, with its top leaders, including chief JP Nadda and Amit Shah, visiting various assembly constituencies. Over one lakh party leaders and workers also participated in the programme that was conducted in all the 70 assembly constituencies of Delhi. On the day, Shah visited the Delhi Cantt constituency and met people there to seek support for BJP candidate Manish Singh, while Nadda visited Greater Kailash constituency to canvass for Shikha Rai. Union Minister and Delhi assembly election in-charge Prakash Javadekar, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari, and Union minister Harsh Vardhan were among the other BJP leaders who canvassed for party candidates. Shah, Nadda, and other senior party leaders will visit election offices of candidates in different constituencies to take stock of preparations for the polls, according to a Delhi BJP statement. "Shah will visit election offices in Timarpur, Adarsh Nagar, Shalimar Bagh and Rohini Assembly constituency candidates while Nadda will go to the Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi and Jangpura election offices." TRUMP PLANS TO VISIT THE TARHEEL STATE FRIDAY President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Charlotte on Feb. 7, 2020. Trump will visit the North Carolina Opportunity Now summit on Friday, with plans to speak at a fundraising committee dinner. Further information on the president's visit has not been disclosed to the public at this time. Trump previously hosted a 'Keep America Great' rally in Fayetteville in August. The announced visit comes among a, with closing arguments scheduled in his impeachment trial. STORY AND PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOS. https://wlos.com/news/nation-world/trump-plans-to-visit-the-tar-heel-state-on-friday A newborn baby girl has been left with a scar on her cheek after doctors accidentally cut her face during a caesarean delivery. Russian mother Darya Kadochnikova, 19, had initially planned a natural birth in a public hospital but she was told a C-section would be a safer option after her baby reportedly 'changed position' in the womb. The teenager was sedated with intravenous anaesthetic after the epidural didn't work for her because she could still feel the incision. A newborn baby girl (pictured), from Russia, has been left with a scar on her cheek after doctors accidentally cut her face during a caesarean birth Russian mother Darya Kadochnikova, 19, (pictured) opted for a C-section after her baby daughter reportedly 'changed position' in the womb When she woke up, Darya was 'shocked' to find a deep cut on her daughter's face. Pictures show the baby with a cut next to her nose, beneath her right eye. According to Russian media, the young mother was told by doctors her newborn girl 'shouldn't have moved too much' during the procedure. The mother was reportedly struck down with a high fever following the C-section. Despite currently taking antibiotics, she is reportedly breastfeeding her daughter. [February 03, 2020] F.N.B. Corporation Redefines Banking with Innovative, New Website Experience PITTSBURGH, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- F.N.B. Corporation (NYSE: FNB), parent company of First National Bank, recently launched a newly redesigned website (www.FNB-Online.com), with innovative capabilities and enhancements such as a state-of-the-art financial shopping experience, personalized consultation, a robust knowledge and education center and much more. The new website is the most recent component of FNB's ongoing Clicks-to-Bricks strategy, which is meant to provide customers with a consistent and convenient banking experience by integrating the mobile, online and in-branch channels into a seamless banking experience. The redesigned website, the "Clicks" portion of the strategy, is mobile optimized and combines ease of use with a modern online shopping experience to provide a powerful new way to research, shop and open financial service products online. The site is divided into three core areas Consumer Banking, Business Banking and a virtual Solutions Center that digitally mimics the in-branch Solutions Centers. Some of the new consumer features include: Filtering by product feature to help find the right solution to meet a specific need Shopping and opening accounts online with a simplified checkout process that bundles products in a shopping bag Browsing product information and watching product videos on the new digital Solutions Center Shopping for products based upon a customer's specific financial goals or life events, such as planning for retirement or purchasing a home Researching a wealth of financial topics and useful articles in the new Knowledge Center Scheduling an appointment to meet with an FNB representative in person or over the phone The new site also features expanded Insurance, Wealth Management, Private Banking, Investments and Brokerage sections to provide information to support customers' overall financial health. For businesses, many of the above features are also available within the "Business" tab on the new site. The website has been expanded to provide large and small businesses with the detailed product and service information needed to make informed decisions to better shape their companies' financial future. "FNB's new website is unlike any other bank website beause it incorporates elements of a traditional retail shopping experience, transforming how we bring products and services to our clients and prospective customers," said Vincent J. Delie, Jr., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of F.N.B. Corporation and First National Bank. "We developed the redesigned website platform to address our customers' evolving banking needs, while delivering a simplified and personalized experience." FNB's online and mobile banking channels utilize advanced artificial intelligence, quantitative modeling and analytics to present customers with customized recommendations and information. The Company continuously invests in its digital platforms, back office data hub and physical branch network to provide a more fully integrated customer experience. These investments demonstrate FNB's commitment to transparency, innovation and the financial well-being of its customers. To experience everything the new website has to offer, including a unique shopping feature, individualized content and demonstrations of how FNB's robust suite of products and services can meet your financial needs, visit www.FNB-Online.com. About F.N.B. Corporation F.N.B. Corporation (NYSE: FNB), headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a diversified financial services company operating in seven states and the District of Columbia. FNB's market coverage spans several major metropolitan areas including: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; Cleveland, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; and Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and the Piedmont Triad (Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point) in North Carolina. The Company has total assets of nearly $35 billion and approximately 370 banking offices throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. FNB provides a full range of commercial banking, consumer banking and wealth management solutions through its subsidiary network which is led by its largest affiliate, First National Bank of Pennsylvania, founded in 1864. Commercial banking solutions include corporate banking, small business banking, investment real estate financing, government banking, business credit, capital markets and lease financing. The consumer banking segment provides a full line of consumer banking products and services, including deposit products, mortgage lending, consumer lending and a complete suite of mobile and online banking services. FNB's wealth management services include asset management, private banking and insurance. The common stock of F.N.B. Corporation trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FNB" and is included in Standard & Poor's MidCap 400 Index with the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) Regional Banks Sub-Industry Index. Customers, shareholders and investors can learn more about this regional financial institution by visiting the F.N.B. Corporation website at www.fnbcorporation.com. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fnb-corporation-redefines-banking-with-innovative-new-website-experience-300997604.html SOURCE F.N.B. Corporation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange. Brendan McDermid | Reuters Stocks have whipsawed investors more in the past two weeks than they have since early October, and it's likely that type of volatile trading will continue. Even with Monday's rally, analysts were skeptical that the market would be able to recover its bullish composure. The Dow was up as much as 374 points, but a round of coronavirus-related headlines deflated its gains in late morning trading. In early afternoon trading, the Dow was more than 225 points off the high. "The market is a wild animal right now," said Julian Emanuel, head of equities and derivatives strategy at BTIG. "It could go up huge or it could go down huge, but the key is how do stocks react to the massive amount of incoming news over the next several days." Emanuel says he's sticking to a year-end target of has a target of 3,450, but he said it's possible stocks could dip to his downside target of 3,070 in a sell-off. Even before investors became aware of the coronavirus, Emanuel said he had expected the market to get more volatile, just because it had become so overbought. 1% moves In the past two weeks, the S&P 500 has had its first moves of more than 1%, both lower and higher, since early October. The Iowa caucuses Monday could also create more volatility, if progressive candidate Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders wins and then picks up momentum in other states. Sanders is leading in the polls in Iowa, and is also ahead in New Hampshire, which holds its primary next week. "The impeachment and the election have not been factors in the market so far. That could begin to change tonight," said Art Cashin, head of floor operations at UBS. "If the market begins to feel [Sanders] is going to make headway in the first three states, things could begin to change." It's too soon to say whether Sanders will get the Democratic nomination, but analysts say he would be a negative force for markets, based on his tax, health care and other policies. Analysts said it's likely President Donald Trump would beat Sanders, who is seen as far more negative for the market than more moderate, former Vice President Joseph Biden, who had previously been in the lead in Iowa. "Our presumption is if the moderates do better than expected versus the progressives that should be market positive," said Emanuel. "We are not so presumptions to know how the market is going to respond right now because you have this exogenous factorthe coronavirus." The Center for Disease Control reported an 11th confirmed U.S. case in California Monday, and there were news reports that it was preparing for "pandemic." That headline and an earlier report that Carnival confirmed one of its passengers tested positive in Hong Kong for coronavirus, rattled stocks. Goldman Sachs economists Monday said they expect coronavirus outbreak to reduce Chinese GDP growth in the first quarter of 2020 by 1.6 percentage points, and global growth could be impacted by 1 percentage point. Then growth is expected to rebound, and global growth would be hit by 0.1 or 0.2 percentage points for the year. "Nobody is going to be immune from a sharp drop in the Chinese economy," said Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer at Bleakley Advisory Group. It "is infecting the economy... at a time when things were fragile to begin with." Boockvar said the morning's rally was too strong a bounce back reaction, after Friday's sell-off. But Emanuel expects that type of see-saw market, with whippy action. "With all this incoming news, when the market becomes more volatile, as we believe it will become, you could get a day's worth of price action in 30 minutes, several times a day," said Emanuel. Just 5%? Scott really distinguished himself, not only for his competence in the position but also for his ability to lead, said Jim Bodony, who was Raffenspargers assistant chief and then succeeded him as fire chief. He led by example, and he had a calm demeanor that was well-suited for the job. Rated banks in Saudi Arabia should maintain stable financial risk profiles in 2020, however growth remains dependent on the dynamics of the oil market and is vulnerable to global economic and regional geopolitical trends. S&P Global Ratings in their report Banks in Emerging Markets: 15 Countries, Three Main Risks, notes that the lending growth in the kingdom will be mortgage-led and expects credit losses to stabilise in 2020 at about 70 bps. The report further suggests that the growth prospects remain linked to commodity prices and are susceptible to adverse changes in the global economic conditions. For Saudi Arabia, credit losses are set to stabilise, aided by the steadying economy and mortgage-led lending growth. The recovery of investment programmes and pick-up in GDP growth will likely stabilise the cost of risk for Saudi banks in 2020 at about 70 bps. Weak growth and muted investment activity in the Saudi private and public sectors have weighed on the contracting industry. Although most problematic exposures have been written off, we do not rule out some volatility in exposure quality. In addition, the outflow of expatriates continues to pressure the property, vehicle markets, and the retail sector. On the regulatory front, S&P Global Ratings continue to consider the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) a strong regulator with a good track record. We note, however, that SAMA has relaxed some regulatory requirements in 2019 related to mortgage lending due to government objectives to increase home ownership. Looking ahead, we think the governments expansionary budget will be sufficient to boost the GDP growth above 2 per cent in 2020-2021, although credit growth will remain moderate. The average long-term rating on banks in Saudi Arabia stood at 'BBB+' at September 30, 2019. This was in line with the outlooks on the banks, which were stable. The average stand-alone credit profile was 'bbb+', one notch higher than the anchor level for a bank operating in the country. This is predominantly owing to the strong capitalisation of Saudi banks. -- Tradearabia News Service Directed by Michael Apted In 1964, a group of 14 British seven-year-olds were chosen to be the subject of a one-off documentary for Granada Television. The film, entitled Seven Up! and directed by Canadian Paul Almond, was inspired in part byor intended to testthe motto, attributed to the co-founder of the Jesuit Order, Francis Xavier, Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man. Michael Apted (Coal Miners Daughter, Class Action, Thunderheart, Amazing Grace), who worked on Seven Up! as a researcher, subsequently took on the project of filming those same individuals (or those who agreed to participate) at seven-year intervals. The latest episode, the ninth in the series, follows the group now in their 60s. Apted is 78. 63 Up In 2012, at the time of 56 Up, the eighth edition, Apted told the Radio Times that the first documentary was Pauls film but he was more interested in making a beautiful film about being seven, whereas I wanted to make a nasty piece of work about these kids who have it all, and these other kids who have nothing. The Radio Times continued, Apted was able to indulge his social conscience by trawling the nations schools for 14 suitable subjects. One of the most groundbreaking series ever produced for television, the Up series gives voice to a range of human beings from distinct socio-economic backgrounds and walks of life. According to one commentator, Joe Moran, in Childhood, class and memory in the Seven Up films (Screen, 2002), the principal aim of bringing children from startlingly different backgrounds in Seven Up! was to show the impact of class distinctions on life chances. The programme has no explicitly articulated thesis but points to the significance of class implicitly through its narrative techniques, the most obvious of which is the suggestive intercutting of shots of the different children in their everyday lives. The implied premise of Seven Up! was that the British class system was so entrenched and rigid that the various participants were likely to remain trapped in the class into which they had been born. Indeed, this proved largely to be true. Seven Up! (1964) The Up series not only reveals something about the particular lives documented, but also speaks more broadly to the character of the age and society, namely post-war Britain until the present. While the uninitiated viewer may need to watch each episode from the beginning, the experience will not be time wasted. Every one of the lives recorded, from the working-class participants to those from the elite, is interesting, though it cant be an accident that the lives of the poorer individuals are more intriguing and dramatic than those of their richer counterparts. Nevertheless, it is to the filmmakers credit that one can sympathize with each person whose life is documented. Although the latest installment is not the most eventful of the series, the participants at age 63 are able to provide some insight into the changes that Britain has undergone over the course of the series. Something of the optimism of their youth still remains, but their worries for the future, especially for the generations to come, are more pronounced than before. Leon Trotsky, in his autobiography, noted that the idea of childhood as the happiest time of life holds true for very few, only for those living in a home of inherited wealth and culture. The majority, on the contrary, experience a childhood of darkness, hunger and dependence. Life strikes the weakand who is weaker than a child? In the first segments of the Up series, childhoods seemingly idyllic times are contrasted with the harsh reality of Great Britain in the 1960s. All of the children go to schools determined by their class background. Some of them go to elite boarding schools, others to orphanages or public institutions. Nearly every place looks depressing and yet the children go about their lives apparently oblivious to what lies in store for them. Michael Apteds 63 Up Along with its bleak and archaic surroundings, Britain in the 1960s had a restless, combative working class that looked to the future with some confidence. Now in the third decade of the 21st century, despite all the surface improvements in life, nearly every person filmed expresses a degree of skepticism and anxiety about the state of the world. One participant tells the camera something to the effect, I dont know how the next generation can keep living like this. The series opens with Tony, a working-class boy from the East End of London. In the first episode, Tony wants to be a jockey when he grows up. By 21 Up, Tony has given this dream up to become a taxi driver. Of all the characters, Tony was the only one to move out of his class, becoming financially comfortable and even dabbling professionally in acting. The latest episode, however, shows how Tony has abandoned his holiday home in Spain because of the global recession. He remains in good spirits, but expresses doubt about Brexit and the entire political establishment, telling Apted he might consider voting for the Green Party. His generally upbeat character leaves an impression. The women of the Up series, particularly those from a working-class background, are especially memorable and all have a unique story to tell. Jackie, Lynn, and Sue are asked rather patronizing questions in the beginning about when they will get married, have kids and so forth. Jackie marries at 19 and eventually moves to a council estate in Scotland, raising three boys by herself mostly. Despite being on disability for years and having a precarious existence, she displays good humor. At one point, Jackie berates Apted for only asking her questions about family and marriage, while the men of the group are presented with a wider range of questions. Jackie in 63 Up Lynn also marries at 19 and become a childrens librarian until she is laid off due to budget cuts. Lynn is also extremely active in the fight against austerity and Thatcherism more generally. In 2013, she succumbs to an illness and becomes the first participant of the show to die. The school library she worked in was renamed in her honor. Sue marries at 24 and has two kids before getting divorced. She is engaged to her current boyfriend and works as an administrator for Queen Mary University of London by 63 Up. Footage of her singing Smile, the popular standard by Charlie Chaplin, and Superstar by the Carpenters from an earlier episode, is especially moving. Paul and Symon were both raised in a charity boarding school as orphans. Paul left for Australia while Symon remained in the UK. The latest episode shows them catching up and recounts their lives and new families. They, along with the working-class women of the series, are perhaps the most sympathetic figures, having had to withstand a good deal of adversity and still make a life for themselves. However, at times these segments tend to drag somewhat, and the audience is treated to the same rather banal questions about family and circumstance. Such sequences have more the feeling of watching ones friends home movies rather than a deep-going sociological study. Nick, a boy from a small farm, moves to the United States to eventually become a nuclear physicist. His first marriage is shown over the course of the series, and he is quite candid about the circumstances leading to its end. By 63 Up, he is remarried and fighting cancer. He also expresses some regret at not achieving more success in his professional life. Peter and Neil are two boys from a middle-class school in Liverpool. By 28 Up, Peter is a frustrated teacher and expresses his contempt for Margaret Thatchers administration leading to a vicious media campaign against him. After bowing out of the show for several episodes because of the attacks, he returns for 56 Up to promote his new Americana band. Peter notices the immense cultural changes in Britain over his lifetime, noting something along these lines, In 1964 it was illegal to be openly homosexual in Britain, women could not get an abortion, and you could have a sign that said, No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs over your establishment. He notes correctly that Britain is unquestionably a more tolerant society now, and yet Neil, Peters classmate, has perhaps the most tragic journey of all the shows participants. In Seven Up! he is a happy child and full of hope. By 21 Up, he is squatting in a flat in London working on construction sites. By 28 Up he is still homeless and by 35 he is living in a council house in the Shetland Islands, the northernmost inhabited part of the UK. He tells Apteds camera at various points about his struggles with mental illness. By 42 Up, it seems Neils freefall has stopped. He is involved in local politics, becoming a Liberal Democrat in the London Borough of Hackney. Still a timid man by 63 Up, Neil reveals he was married at one point, but separated from his wife for reasons never made clear. He tells the camera, When you have the possibility of a relationship, but you cant fulfill that relationship, heartbreak ensues. The other participants of the show are not quite as interesting as to merit further comment, though as an aside, one feels sympathy for them too despite their more privileged backgrounds. After more than half a century on the screen, does the Up series say something about life? In this reviewers view, yes. Perhaps the reason why the characters lives feel as unfulfilled as they do is because of the nature of the period they went through. On that note, what has happened over the course of their lives, politically and historically? The British working class was cruelly betrayed by the Labour party in the 1960s and 70s, opening the door to the social counter-revolution led by Margaret Thatcher in subsequent decades. Then New Labour and Tony Blair came to power, carrying out unrelenting attacks on social services and producing mass unemployment, a precipitous fall in living standards and a resulting decline in culture and class consciousness. All of this had an impact and it shows. 63 Up tells us something about not only the lives but also the times. Through the documentary medium Apted and his subjects have illustrated not just the immense difficulties of being a human during a time of social reaction and decay but also that these lives were not lived in vain, that something can be learned from them. The class system remains in Britain, as entrenched and more reactionary than ever. Sections of the population succumbed, temporarily at least, to the foul Thatcherite mantra that the purpose of life was the accumulation of material wealth before everything else. In fact, that many of the characters have found some happiness in this world, without money or power, disproves that right-wing filth. Britain is far more of a social powder keg today than it was in the 1960s. That the series has become so popular over the years and inspired different versions around the world is testament to the fact that many people can identify with the characters and their hopes and failures. It remains one of the most intriguing examples of the possibilities of television and film to illuminate and entertain. It is a humane answer to Reality television. BEIRUT (AP) A large Turkish military convoy rumbled into rebel-held areas of northwest Syria on Sunday, witnesses on the ground and activists said. Separately, airstrikes on a rebel-held village in Syria's northwest killed at least seven people, opposition activists said. Elsewhere, rebel shelling killed a woman and wounded at least three journalists, Syrian state TV reported. The violence and troop movements came amid a Syrian government offensive into the country's last rebel stronghold, located in Idlib province and parts of the nearby Aleppo region. Turkish troops are deployed in some of those rebel-held areas to monitor a cease-fire that has since collapsed. Relations between Turkey and Syria have deteriorated sharply since Syrias civil war began in 2011. Syria accuses Turkey of undermining its security by allowing thousands of foreign fighters to come battle the Syrian army. Idlib province is currently dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants. The Turkish military convoy consisted of dozens of armored vehicles, fuel tanker trucks and flatbed trucks carrying tanks and armored personnel carriers. Associated Press video from northern Syria showed Turkish troops had remained in their vehicles and none were seen on the road as civilian cars drove past and residents stood by watching. The Syrian Observatory for Human rights, an opposition war monitor, put the number of Turkish vehicles at around 195. With Russian backing, the Syria government has been on the offensive since December to capture and reopen a strategic highway held by the rebels since 2012. That's despite a cease-fire deal brokered late last year between Russia and Turkey. Government forces captured the key town of Maaret al-Numan from the rebels on Wednesday, and have now set their sights on the town of Sarqeb. The strategic highway passes through both. An airstrike killed seven people Sunday in the village of Sarmin, west of Sarqeb, according to the Observatory and the Idlib News Network, an activist collective. Story continues Syrian state TV said rebels shelled western parts of the northern city of Aleppo, killing a woman and wounding others. It added that insurgents fired an anti-tank missile at journalists working in the area, wounding several of them. State TV said the wounded included a reporter for the pro-government Sama TV, as well as two others for Iran-owned Alam TV and Kawthar TV. One of their drivers was wounded as well. Idlib province is home to some 3 million people, many of them displaced from other parts of Syria in earlier bouts of violence. The United Nations has estimated that 390,000 Syrians have been displaced there over the past two months 315,000 in December and 75,000 in January. Turkey already hosts 3.5 million Syrian refugees, and the current wave of violence in Idlib has raised concerns of a new surge in displaced civilians fleeing toward the Turkish border. Economists and local businessmen said the Cambodian economy would most likely feel the impact of any economic slowdown in China, on account of the novel coronavirus outbreak, which has now been declared a global health emergency. Chinese stock markets crashed Monday morning, falling more than 8 percent, the first time the Shanghai stock exchange has seen such a drop in five years. The spiraling coronavirus outbreak has exposed deep concerns among investors about the potential economic fallout from the viral epidemic. Mey Kalyan, member of the Supreme National Economic Council (SNEC), said that Cambodia would face a medium level impact from the viral outbreak, on account of the economys links to Chinese investors, who were intertwined with market forces in China. I believe the impact is not going to be small and we have to keep an eye on the situation and see how it goes, Mey Kalyan said. The big investor's country [China] is having a problem now and we have to be concerned about that, he added. Cambodias economy has become increasingly reliant on Chinese investment and foreign aid, especially in the construction and real estate sectors. Online gambling operations provided a lot of the impetus to spur these investments, especially in the coastal town of Sihanoukville. The government said it has now shut down all online casino operations in the southern province. According to Cambodian Council for Development, from 2016 to August 2019, China accounted for nearly $8 billion of the $22.5 billion foreign direct investment in Cambodia, with the Kingdom receiving 50 percent of its in foreign investment from China in the first six months of 2019. This heavy investment, which has resulted in ever-growing geopolitical bonhomie between Phnom Penh and Beijing, could be impacted by the viral outbreak and become a cause of concern for Cambodias economic prospects, experts said. Agriculture tycoon Mong Reththy said the agricultural sector relies heavily on Chinese investments and that he was personally seeing the effects of the viral outbreak Chinese businesses were delaying meetings and potential orders. That's because of the outbreak, otherwise it wouldn't have been delayed, he said. There are concerns and preventions everywhere but I don't know if, and how much, we can overcome this. In its annual update last year, the World Bank said a slowdown in the Chinese economy would directly impact the construction and real estate sectors in Cambodia. Nget Chou, a Cambodian economist, said four of Cambodias critical economic sectors agriculture, tourism, garments, and construction had 50 percent of its investors from China and the effects of the viral outbreak would depend on its severity and duration. The viral outbreak, which has resulted in more than 17,000 positive cases around the world, has seen China shutter businesses around the epicenter of Wuhan, Hubei, and multiple countries issuing advisories preventing travel to the Asian economic powerhouse. So, the [Cambodian] government needs to have a mechanism and policies in place to be ready from now to deal with this problem and its long-term effects, he said. Prime Minister Hun Sen last week said that he would not stop air and sea routes to China nor would he prevent the entry of Chinese nationals into Cambodia, admitting that this would affect the Cambodian economy. However, Tourism Minister Thong Khon said last week that tourist groups were canceling their trips to Cambodia, on account of the coronavirus, with official ministry statistics showing a more than 10 percent drop in visitors last month to the countrys premier tourist destination, Angkor Archaeological Park. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: The US sanctions on Chairman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi are pushing Iran to take harder steps in the nuclear field, Spokesman for AEOI Behrouz Kamalvandi said, Trend reports via the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA). Kamalvandi added that the US freezes the property of individuals by imposing sanctions. However, Salehi doesnt own property in the US, the spokesman noted. Irans nuclear program wont depend on steps of other countries, and the steps taken by Iran in this area are for the benefit of the country, Kamalvandi said. If these sanctions had any impact on Iran, the Islamic Republic would have to revise its nuclear program, the spokesman added. However, such cases wont happen and Iran will further advance its nuclear program, Kamalvandi noted. On Jan. 30, the US imposed sanctions against Salehi. Since November 2018, the US sanctions imposed on Iran concerned oil exports, more than 700 banks, companies and individuals. The Cygnus space freighter from Northrop Grumman is pictured in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm before its release as the International Space Station orbited above west Africa. Cygnus had completed an 88-day stay attached to the Unity module after delivering nearly 8,200 pounds of research and supplies to the space station on Nov. 4, 2019. iss061e150137 (Jan. 31, 2020) - Larger image Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. KYIV, Ukraine A leaked recording of an exchange between an Iranian air-traffic controller and an Iranian pilot purports to show that authorities immediately knew a missile had downed a Ukrainian jetliner after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 people aboard, despite days of denials by the Islamic Republic. Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the recordings authenticity in a report aired by a Ukrainian television channel on Sunday night. In Tehran on Monday, the head of the Iranian investigation team, Hassan Rezaeifar, acknowledged the recording was legitimate and said it was handed over to Ukrainian officials. After the Jan. 8 disaster, Irans civilian government maintained for days that it didnt know the countrys paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, answerable only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had shot down the aircraft. The downing of the jetliner came just hours after the Guard launched a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. forces in retaliation for an earlier American drone strike that killed the Guards top general, Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad. A transcript of the recording, published by Ukrainian 1+1 TV channel, contains a conversation in Farsi between an air-traffic controller and a pilot reportedly flying a Fokker 100 jet for Irans Aseman Airlines from Irans southern city of Shiraz to Tehran. A series of lights like yes, it is a missile, is there something? the pilot calls out to the controller. No, how many miles? Where? the controller asks. The pilot responds that he saw the light by the Payam airport, near where the Guards Tor M-1 anti-aircraft missile was launched from. The controller says nothing has been reported to them, but the pilot remains insistent. It is the light of a missile, the pilot says. Dont you see anything anymore? the controller asks. Dear engineer, it was an explosion. We saw a very big light there, I dont really know what it was, the pilot responds. The controller then tries to contact the Ukrainian jetliner, but unsuccessfully. Iranian officials should have immediately had access to the air-traffic control recordings and Zelensky told 1+1 that the recording, indeed, shows that the Iranian side knew from the start that our plane was shot down by a missile, they were aware of this at the moment of the shooting. Ukraines president repeated his demands to decode the planes flight recorders in Kyiv something Iranian officials had promised last month but later backtracked on. On Monday, Ukrainian investigators were to travel to Tehran to participate in the decoding effort, but Zelensky insisted on bringing the black boxes back to Kyiv. It is very important for us, he said. Iranian authorities, however, condemned the publication of the recording. This action by the Ukrainians makes us not want to give them any more evidence, said Rezaifar, according to the semiofficial Mehr news agency. Yuras Karmanau and Jon Gambrell are Associated Press writers. P olice investigating the murder of a drill rapper known a Bis in south-west London have arrested three men. Crosslom Davis, 20, was found with knife wounds and pronounced dead at the scene in Bronze Street, Deptford in December last year. At around 3am on Sunday, three men were arrested after a car was stopped at Dover Docks by officers from Kent Police. A 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and was taken into custody at a south London police station where he remains. Locals lay flowers next to a crime scene on December 7, 2019 in Deptford / Getty Images A 21-year-old man and a 17-year-old male were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. They were taken into custody in Kent and later charged with perverting the course of justice. Elijah Morgan, 19, of no fixed abode was previously charged on January 5 with the murder of Crosslom Davis and possession of an offensive weapon. Azerbaijan drew a red line in the negotiations a long time ago and isnt preparing to cross it. Baku will only sign under a document that is within the scope of this. If not, it will unleash a war, and Baku has said this several times and showed it in 2016. This is what analyst Angela Elibegova told reporters today. She stated that, in essence, the Armenian foreign ministers response in Bratislava showed once again the Armenian sides red lines, and what was added was the fact that the solution has to be acceptable for Armenia, Karabakh and Azerbaijan. If this is just desire, we need to recall that the reality is different, and the solution is based on mutual concessions that will be extremely painful for the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides, Elibegova said. The analyst added that it is currently impossible to say what document will be presented to the public in Armenia and the public in Azerbaijan. First, if the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs say the negotiations need to be kept secret, then they need to be kept secret. Second, if a certain document is introduced, the part about the Armenian side also needs to be presented. Third, it is inacceptable to do everything by referring to media outlets, taking into consideration the fact that Baku takes advantage of every opportunity to advance its propaganda, she stressed. According to her, Armenias sole objective is to bring Karabakh back to the negotiating table, not to, say, ask the presidential candidates of Karabakh what they think about the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, just like Nikol Pashinyan asked during his press conference in Kapan. Hong Kong will close more border checkpoints with China in order to ward off the spread of the deadly coronavirus that has already claimed more than 360 lives in the mainland. The city will close some of its busiest ports effective midnight Tuesday, including Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau, Huanggang, and the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Pier, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at a briefing Monday. She said China has already stopped issuing visas to Hong Kong as part of the containment effort. The new measure would leave only three border checkpoints remaining in operation: Shenzhen Bay port, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge and the airport, Lam said, stopping short of announcing a full border closure with the mainland, despite pressure from Hong Kongs public. A local health workers union began a five-day strike Monday after her government refused their demand to shut all entry points from China. In this critical time, using these extreme measures would add more burden on the Hospital Authority. I cannot accept this method, Lam said in response to the strike. Its extremely unfavorable to our disease control efforts and the interest of patients. Last month, Lam said Hong Kong would stop individual travelers from the mainland from coming into the Asian financial hub. Hong Kong has shut the busy high-speed rail connecting it to China and pared the number of flights from the mainland in order to contain the virus from spreading further. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON (Natural News) A pro-family group in British Columbia has launched a legal complaint against a pro-LGBT lawyer for claiming that its the law that people must use the preferred pronouns of males who now say theyre female and vice versa. (Article by Lianne Laurence republished from LifeSiteNews.com) Vancouver lawyer Adrienne Smith deceives people into thinking the law compels everyone to use the preferred pronouns of trans-identified individuals, asserts Kari Simpson, executive director of pro-family advocacy group Culture Guard, which filed the complaint with the Law Society of British Columbia earlier this month. Smith, a biological woman who identifies as non-binary, appears in a three-minute 2017 video published in connection with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) titled Why Use Appropriate Pronouns for Transgender People? She identifies herself as a lawyer and CUPE member and claims the most important reason to use appropriate pronouns is because its the law. But that statement promulgates a lie that infringes Canadians Charter-protected right to freedom of expression, said Simpson in a press release. Contrary to what Smith says no such law exists, either in BC or Canadian statute law, said Simpson. Canadians might think they have to refer to a gender fluid person by their preferred pronouns because of confusion over federal Bill C-16, Simpson told LifeSiteNews. Passed by Justin Trudeaus Liberal government in June 2017, Bill C-16 adds gender expression and gender identity to Canadas human rights code as prohibited grounds for discrimination, and to the Criminal Codes hate speech section. Its critics notably Toronto psychology professor Jordan Peterson warned the bill would lead to compelled speech. But Simpson says Bill C-16 does not mandate the use of preferred pronouns. Definitely, my complaint to the Law Society is about putting that gauntlet down, because there is so much confusion at this point, she told LifeSiteNews. Bill C-16 gave the right to people to express themselves or to identify a certain way. What it doesnt do is require me to change how Im going to do things, Simpson said. REAL Women of Canada and lawyer Gwen Landolt agrees. The law on the use of pronouns would appear to be unsettled. Consequently, there is not at this time, a legal requirement that designated pronouns be used, she told LifeSiteNews in an email. Neither the BC or Ontario Human Rights Codes make any reference to a requirement that the preferred pronoun chosen by the transgendered person must be adhered to, nor does federal Bill C-16 make any reference to the use of preferred pronouns, Landolt said. Moreover, provincial rulings on transgender cases so far have not settled the issue, she added. When the BC Human Rights Tribunal ruled in March 2019 that Bill Whatcott violated trans-activist Ronan Morgane Ogers human rights, the issue was whether the flier distributed by Mr. Whatcott exposed Oger to hatred and contempt, Landolt explained. The tribunal agreed that it did so. However, it did not make any ruling on Mr. Whatcotts use of the male term rather than female term when he referred to complainant Oger, she said. The panel directed Whatcott to use she rather than he when referring to Oger, and Whatcotts consistent refusal to do so contributed to the extraordinarily high penalty against him, but was not part of the panels judgement on the use of designated pronouns, Landolt said. The tribunal ordered Whatcott to pay Oger $55,000 $35,000 in compensation for injury to Ogers dignity, feelings and self-respect, and $20,000 for Whatcotts improper conduct during and before the hearings. Ontarios Bill 89, which was enacted to amend and repeal the Ontario Family Services Act in 2017, did not make any reference to the requirement that preferred pronouns be used, Landolt told LifeSiteNews. Nor does the BC Child, Family, and Community Service Act make any reference to preferred pronouns, but Section 37 refers to what constitutes the best interests of a child and Section 38 lists what constitutes family violence, she said. BC judges used that section to rule earlier this year against the father who was fighting to stop his 14-year-old daughter receiving testosterone shots in her transition to a boy. On April 15, 2019, BC Supreme Court Justice Francesca Marzari upheld an earlier ruling in her A.B. vs. C.D. decision that the fathers refusal to accept the childs gender change including refusing to use her preferred pronouns was contrary to the childs best interest and constituted an act of violence, Landolt said. Marzaris ruling is under appeal and so is not binding, at least until the B.C. Court of Appeal hands down its decision, she said. The appeals court ruling may also be subsequently appealed before the Supreme Court of Canada, where it would then become settled law and become binding, she said. But until then, the law on pronoun use would appear to be unsettled, Landolt said. Simpsons complaint to the law society alleges that Smith violated BCs Legal Professions Act, which requires lawyers to uphold the rights of all persons, as well as the law societys rule that lawyers not allow outside interests to jeopardize their professional integrity, independence or competence. Clearly, Smiths political zealotry on matters involving transgenderism and identity politics has jeopardized her competency, Simpson said. And demanding that her audience conform to a nonexistent law does more than jeopardize her personal integrityit extinguishes it. Simpson expects the law society will take the matter very seriously and act on it promptly. If it dismisses the complaint, Simpson says shell seek a judicial review in provincial court. This is where we must start standing up and pushing back on these issues, she told LifeSiteNews. If we dont want to lose the right to retain logic and biological application to reality, we need to step up right now. Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com Editorial For a country that only recently ranked among the worlds leading importers of rice, the quest for domestic sufficiency in record time would ordinarily be deemed admirable. Not so the frenetic race to join the league of exporters, even when basic infrastructure are far from being in place. That would be akin to putting the cart before the horse. That perhaps best describes the press conference in Lagos last week during which an apparently upbeat agriculture and rural development minister, Muhammad Sabo Nanono, announced that the country was ready to join the league of rice exporters. He listed, among his reasons, the countrys 11 rice milling plants with the capacity to produce from 180 tonnes to 350 tonnes of rice per day; another mill with a capacity to produce 400 tonnes of rice per day expected to come on board soon, and this aside other upcoming 34 smaller mills and countless other clusters in different parts of the country. According to the minister, Before the closure of our land borders, most of these rice milling plants were partially operating, but now, they not only operate in full capacity but are also expanding. And if we maintain the momentum in the next two years, we may export rice to other countries. Like his predecessor, the minister may have succumbed to the pressure to overstate the reality of possible achievement. No doubt, a lot of money has been poured into the CBN-initiated Anchor Borrowers Scheme. As at May, last year, over N190 billion had reportedly been disbursed to more than 1.1 million smallholder farmers through the programme. In all, over 1.3 million hectares of land were said to have been brought under cultivation. Overall however, the indication is that the country still has a long way to go. The US Department of Agriculture and the World Markets and Trade, for instance, both put the total rice production at 3.7 million tonnes annually and this against an annual demand of 6.4 million tonnes (representing 20% of Africas consumption). Unfortunately, the figures from the Federal Government have remained one of wild guestimates. However the government tried to wish the problems away, the truth of the matter is that they have endured. Top on the list is relatively low output. Here, mechanisation remains a major drawback at 0.3 hp/ha, relative to 2.6hp/ha in India and 8 hp/ha in China. In a rather graphic picture, PWC the global accounting firm says that increasing the mechanisation rate from 0.3hp/ha to 0.8hp/ha in the next five years can double rice production to 7.2 million tonnes. That, says the firm, would involve tripling the current stock of machinery over the same period. At the moment, that remains a tall order. Add to the aforementioned the emerging complaints about the quality of local rice on offer. As it seems, there can be no further shying away from asking tough questions about what our millers are doing to ensure that the locally produced rice is world-class, both in quality and packaging. As for the farmers, they certainly can do with more help in extension services to boost output and to cut post-harvest losses. Moreover, to the extent that the current credit architecture for rice remains not only ad hoc but restrictive there is a lot to be said of the role of the apex bank as sole promoter of the anchor borrower initiative. The giant killer of course remains smuggling. By closing the borders, the government has since demonstrated its resolve to tame the monster. Unfortunately, despite governments efforts to make our ECOWAS neighbours see reason, they have remained unyielding, if not recalcitrant. Since the closure cannot be permanent, the government ought to be considering targeted measures as alternative to punish non-compliance. The government will do well to address the identified challenges first before venturing into the highly competitive export market. In other words, rather than setting unrealistic time frame for itself, the quest should be more about developing a sustainable eco-system for the entire sector. That will not only put the country in better stead to sustain the current momentum but will supply the launch pad for our export aspirations. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Monday rejected US President Donald Trump's plan for the Middle East, calling on its 57 member states not to help implement it. The pan-Islamic body, which represents more than 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide, "rejects this US-Israeli plan, as it does not meet the minimum aspirations and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and contradicts the terms of reference of the peace process," it said in a statement. It called on "all member states not (to) deal with this plan or cooperate with the US Administration efforts to enforce it in any way or form". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP leader Anantkumar Hegde has been asked to tender an unconditional apology for his comments on Mahatma Gandhi by his party, news agency ANI reported on Monday. Asian News International, citing unnamed sources, said the Bharatiya Janata Partys top leadership is unhappy with the Anantkumar Hegdes remarks against the Father of the Nation. The former Union minister, known for his controversial statements, had described the freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi as drama and also questioned as to how such people come to be called Mahatma in India. The six-time Lok Sabha member from Uttara Kannada said, while addressing a public event in Bengaluru on Saturday, that the entire freedom movement was staged with the consent and support of the British. None of these so-called leaders were beaten up by the cops even once. Their independence movement was one big drama. It was staged by these leaders with the approval of the British. It was not a genuine fight. It was an adjustment freedom struggle, he said, according to ANI. The senior BJP leader also said that Mahatma Gandhis hunger strikes and satyagraha were a drama. People supporting Congress keep saying that India got independence because of the fast unto death and satyagraha. This is not true. The British did not leave the country because of satyagraha, Hegde was quoted as saying by ANI. Britishers gave independence out of frustration. My blood boils when I read history. Such people become Mahatma in our country, he also said. The Congress on Monday slammed Anantkumar Hegde for the comments, saying that the Father of the Nation does not need a certificate from the cadre of Britishers chamchas and spies. Awaiting Narendra Modi who invokes Mahatma Gandhi at the drop of a hat especially when repackaging his ideas and to gain international credibility to comment on Mr Hegde who is a senior BJP Leader, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi tweeted. Another Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said in a tweet that it is high time the BJP is renamed Nathuram Godse Party. Mahatma Gandhi does not need a certificate from cadre of Britishers chamchas and spies, Jaiveer Shergill said. State Law Enforcement Division agents are investigating an inmate attack on a prison staff member at Lee Correctional Institution in rural Bishopville. A male inmate tried to sexually assault a female staffer Sunday at the maximum-security prison, according to the S.C. Department of Corrections. The employee was examined at an area hospital and released, the agency said. Corrections spokeswoman Chrysti Shain would not identify the inmate in question or discuss the circumstances surrounding the attack, citing the ongoing investigation. Charges are expected in the incident, she said. SLED spokesman Tommy Crosby confirmed his agency's involvement in the probe but declined to discuss specifics. The attack occurred at the same prison where seven men died in a killing spree in April 2018. Dozens more were left wounded. Corrections officials have blamed the confrontation on gangs warring over turf and contraband. The Post and Courier in December published the first in-depth account of the riot, revealing that staffing shortages, a mass transfer of rival gang members into Lee and security gaps also contributed to the outbreak of violence. Prison officials have said conditions have improved since the riot. Contraband seizures are down, as are the number of violent confrontations. In the last quarter of 2019, Lee didn't have any serious assaults a milestone for a prison that recorded about one fight a day the year before, corrections officials said. After years of pleading for more money, the Corrections Department could soon see a significant boost in funding to improve prison security, bolster staffing, and combat the growing menace from gangs who control violence and a black market economy behind bars. Gov. Henry McMaster has proposed spending $129 million more to improve prison security system-wide, bolster staff, and combat gangs in an effort to make the state's correctional institutions safer for officers and inmates alike. That is less than half the amount his prisons director had asked for, but it would still represent the largest single investment in upgrades to the beleaguered prison system in decades. TIRUPATI: Tension was palpable in Naravaripalli, the home turf of Telugu Desam Chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday. The trigger came when YSR Congress decided to hold a huge public meeting in the village in support of three capitals and to create awareness on the importance of decentralisation. In a counter-attack, the Opposition party leaders also tried to hold a rally opposing the proposal before the start of the meet. However, it was foiled by the local police who denied permission to hold the rally leading to tension when a heated argument broke out between the TD supporters and police. The local legislator and government whip Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy chose this tiny village, apparently to send a message to the TD leaders that the government would not be intimidated by their protests against the three capitals move. T he government has announced plans to introduce emergency legislation to prevent terrorists from being released automatically after serving half of their sentences. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland addressed the House of Commons on Monday afternoon following a terrorist attack in Streatham, south London, on Sunday. Sudesh Amman, 20, who had recently been released from prison after serving half his three year and four-month sentence for possessing and distributing terrorist documents, was shot dead by police after going on a knife rampage on Streatham HIgh Road. The attack led to three members of the public being hospitalised, although none are in a life-threatening condition. Amman was under active surveillance since his release because authorities were concerned he still held extremist views. Streatham terror attack - In pictures 1 /28 Streatham terror attack - In pictures Police are dealing with an incident in Streatham Andy Bullemor Police officers conduct a search of a bail hostel in south London AFP via Getty Images A woman reacts near to the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police Getty Images Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police cordon off a property in Streatham PA Forensic officers outside a property on Leigham Court Road, Streatham PA Police activity at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police officers look under a bus as they work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the Streatham area of south London AP Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police officer on Streatham High Road PA Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Police officers guard a cordon on Streatham High Road, at the junction of Prentis Road AFP via Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police secure the area in Streatham AP Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Plainclothes officers from the Met Police had been pursuing him by foot when the incident began and were able to get to the scene quickly to prevent him from harming more people. Today, Justice Buckland told MPs: Yesterdays appalling incident makes the case plainly for immediate action. We cannot have the situation, as we saw tragically in yesterdays case, where an offender a known risk to innocent members of the public is released early by automatic process of law without any oversight by the Parole Board. We will be doing everything we can to protect the public, that is our primary duty. Sadiq Khan: Streatham attack was preventable We will, therefore, introduce emergency legislation to ensure an end to terrorist offenders getting released automatically having served half of their sentence with no check or review. The attack in a London suburb comes just over two months since the London Bridge attack when two died and others were injured at the hands of Usman Khan a recently released convict who had been released on licence after serving time for terrorist offences. He too had worn a fake suicide vest and attacked unsuspecting members of the public with a knife. He was also shot dead by armed police. Both incidents have led to a spotlight being put on the current criminal justice system, with many calling for longer sentences while others urge for better rehabilitation. Police are still combing the scene in Streatham / PA Wire/PA Images Those killed in the London Bridge attack, Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones, were both working at the time for Cambridge University's Learning Together prison-rehabilitation programme and Merritt's father spoke out publicly against Prime Minister Boris Johnson's promise to introduce harsher punishments. The bridge attack prompted a raft of measures to be proposed including forcing dangerous terrorists who receive extended determinate sentences to serve the whole time behind bars. Following the most recent attack, Mr Buckland said the government would be looking to change legislation with "the underlying principle has to be that offenders will no longer be released early automatically and that any release before the end of their sentence will be dependent on risk assessment by the Parole Board." We face an unprecedented situation of severe gravity and, as such, it demands that the Government responds immediately and that this legislation will therefore also apply to serving prisoners," he added. MP Robert Buckland addressed the House of Commons today about their plans to introduce emergency legislation / Sky News The earliest point at which the offenders will now be considered for release will be once they have served two-thirds of their sentence and, crucially, we will introduce a requirement that no terrorist offender will be released before the end of their full custodial term unless the Parole Board agrees. We will ensure the functions of the Parole Board are strengthened to deal even more effectively with the specific risk that terrorists pose to public safety so, for example, we will ensure that the appropriate specialisms are in place. That work is in train and we will take steps to implement this as soon as possible. The Cabinet minister said "robust safeguards" should be put in place when a terrorist offender is released. He also said the government would be reviewing maximum sentences for terrorists with "the underlying principle that terrorist offenders should no longer be released until the Parole Board is satisfied that they are no longer a risk to the public". We face a threat from an ideology that takes no heed for others and we must use every tool we can to make sure that that threat is neutralised," he added. Clare Collier, an advocacy director for campaign group Liberty, said: The Governments response to recent terror attacks is a cause of increasing concern for our civil liberties. From last months knee-jerk lie detector proposal, to todays threat to break the law by changing peoples sentences retrospectively, continuing to introduce measures without review or evidence is dangerous and will create more problems than it solves. Susanna Reid told the Streatham terror attack happened near her home Its clear the UKs counter-terror system is in chaos and desperately needs proper scrutiny and review. The Counter Terrorism (Sentencing and Release) Bill, which is yet to be fully debated in Parliament, would also ensure those convicted of serious offences, such as preparing acts of terrorism or directing a terrorist organisation, would spend a minimum of 14 years in jail, introduce lie-detector tests for offenders and double the number of counter-terrorism probation officers. Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon criticised the Government over cuts to the justice system during their time in power. Cuts to the justice system are being blamed for the recent attacks / PA Wire/PA Images Tragically, the cuts that we have seen over the previous decade across our justice system to the police and to prisons, to probation and to the CPS, have left our communities less safe, which is why our justice system is in a state of crisis, he said. It will, of course, take time for the full facts around yesterdays terrible attack to come out and we owe it to those affected to carefully assess what happened and take the action necessary to reduce the risk of similar attacks happening again. He added: Experts have raised serious concerns about the impact of austerity on the Governments programmes for dealing with terrorist offenders. (Kitco News) - Gold and silver prices are moderately weaker in early U.S. futures trading Monday. The safe-haven metals are under some pressure from a rebound in the U.S. stock market to start the trading week, as well as solid gains in the U.S. dollar index. Gold prices did score a three-week high overnight. February gold futures were last down $6.40 an ounce at 1,576.50. March Comex silver prices were last down $0.222 at $17.69 an ounce. Asian stock markets were lower overnight, led by sharp losses in mainland China stocks as those markets reopened for the first time in over a week, due to the Lunar New Year holiday last week. The Shanghai stock index lost nearly 8% on the daythe biggest drop in 4.5 years. European stock markets were mostly up and U.S. stock indexes are pointed toward higher openings when the New York day session begins. The coronavirus outbreak in China that has spread to other parts of the world remains in focus early this week. Latest counts show 17,500 Chinese citizens afflicted with over 350 dead, with air travel to China being significantly curtailed and global and domestic business there disrupted. Its been an up-and-down daily trading affair for markets the past two weeks, regarding the coronavirus outbreak. Judging from the European and U.S. stock markets gains Monday, at least on this day the present situation appears to be factored into market prices. Thats a negative for gold and silver prices. In other Asian news, Hong Kongs economy contracted by 1.2% in 2019, the first negative growth rate in over 10 years. Civil unrest and a global trade slowdown hurt that citys economy. In the Euro zone, the January manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) came in at 47.9, which was slightly better than expectations, but still a reading below 50.0 that suggests a contraction in the sector. The U.K. has officially exited from the European Union as of last Friday. The British pound saw some pressure as the U.K. and Euro zone officials begin transition talks. The key outside markets today see crude oil prices near steady and trading around $51.50 a barrel. Reports overnight said Saudi Arabia is mulling a drastic temporary oil-production cut due to the coronavirus outbreak. OPEC ministerial officials may meet this week to discuss the matter. Meantime, the U.S. dollar index is higher on a corrective bounce from solid losses seen last Friday. U.S. economic data due for release Monday includes the U.S. manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI), the ISM manufacturing report on business, construction spending, domestic auto industry sales and the global manufacturing PMI. Technically, the gold bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage. A nearly three-month-old price uptrend is in place on the daily chart. Bulls next upside price objective is to produce a close in February futures above solid resistance at the January high of $1,613.30. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,550.00. First resistance is seen at Thursdays high of $1,582.40 and then at this weeks high of $1,588.40. First support is seen at the overnight low of $1,570.00 and then at this weeks low of $1,562.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.5 March silver futures bulls and bears are on a level overall near-term technical playing field amid recent choppy trading. Silver bulls' next upside price breakout objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at last weeks high of $18.375 an ounce. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $17.00. First resistance is seen at $18.00 and then at the overnight high of $18.125. Next support is seen at $17.70 and then at $17.50. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 5.0. Earlier last week, Apple closed three stores in China due to concerns about the spread of the virus. Apple remains heavily reliant on China both for smartphone sales as well as for its supply chain and manufacturing. Apple Inc on Saturday said it would shut all of its official stores and corporate offices in mainland China until Feb 9. as fears over the coronavirus outbreak mounted and the death toll more than doubled to over 250 from a week ago. Out of an abundance of caution and based on the latest advice from leading health experts, were closing all our corporate offices, stores, and contact centers in mainland China through February 9, Apple said in a statement. The company said looked forward to re-opening stores as soon as possible. Earlier this week, Apple closed three stores in China due to concerns about the spread of the virus. Its joining a handful of overseas retailers, including Starbucks Corp and McDonalds Corp to temporarily shut storefronts as a precautionary measure. Many other companies, meanwhile, have called for employees in China to work from home and cease non-essential business travel in the first week of February. Normally, businesses in China would be preparing to return to normal operations following the end of the week-long Lunar New Year Holiday. Apple remains heavily reliant on China both for smartphone sales as well as for its supply chain and manufacturing. Many factories in Hubei province, including plants run by AB InBev and General Motors Co, have temporarily suspended production due to the virus. In a recent earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company was working out mitigation plans to deal with possible production loss from its suppliers in Wuhan. The city where the virus outbreak originated is home to several Apple suppliers. A mob has partially damaged a shrine in Bihar's Sheikhpura district during an agitation against the killing of a local JD(U) leader, police said on Monday. The incident occurred when JD(U) supporters were protesting the killing of local party leader Amit Vishwash alias Nand Kishore Kushwaha on Sunday, a senior police officer said. Kushwaha was killed in Sanaiya village in Ariyari police station area on Saturday evening during a clash between two groups, he said. "Some anti-social elements, who had mingled with the supporters of the murdered JD(U) leader, had partially damaged the religious place. We have begun a probe into the incident and several miscreants have been identified through CCTV footage," DIG, Munger, Manu Maharaj said. Sheikhpura police station SHO Chandan Kumar said FIRs will be lodged against the anti-social elements indulged in the violence, adding police is looking for around 150 such people. Meanwhile, one person was killed and another injured in a firing that took place during immersion of an idol of Goddess Saraswati in Manipur village in Kasar police station area in the district on Sunday night, police said. An FIR has been registered in connection with the incident and one person has been arrested, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Surendra Kumar Singh said. He said the arrested person had a tiff with the injured man during the procession, adding an investigation into the incident has been started. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amidst cries over the increasing insecurity in the country, the lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Ali Ndume has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to wake up regarding his constitutional duty of saving lives. Ndume decrying the insecurity ravaging the country, said the situation in the Northeast was getting worse by the day. Speaking during an interview on Channels Televisions Sunday Politics, Ndume stressed that the resurgence of the Boko Haram /Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) kept increasing. Ndume, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on the Army, also lamented the increase in killings and violence in his constituency. The situation in the Northeast, particularly Borno State is terrible. I can tell you that the situation is getting worse. There is a resurgence of the insurgency in the northeast. Terrorists recently attacked Askira and Damboa Local Government Areas of his state and killed some people while carting away foodstuff and other valuables. From the report I received, two people were killed in Damboa Local Government. Two people were also killed in Gumsuri, Damboa Local Government. In Askira, people scampered into the bush for safety. I have not gotten the true assessment of the situation or report on the lives lost, he said. The APC lawmaker, however, described the call by the Senate Minority Leader, Eyinnanya Abaribe, for President Buhari to resign as unnecessary. Senator Abaribe, while contributing to a motion on insecurity on the floor of the Senate, a few days ago called for Buharis resignation , over the high level of insecurity witnessed across the country. The Senate also passed a vote of no-confidence on the military, police, and other security agencies in Nigeria. A fraudster who sold the same two forests in Co Roscommon over and over again to unsuspecting investors has been given an extra two years in jail on foot of an appeal by prosecutors. Garret Hevey (43) used the pseudonym James Baker, when he incorporated Arden Forestry Management Limited, which offered investment opportunity in the Irish forestry sector, in November 2013. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that 5.5 million from 143 investors passed through an AIB bank account in Dun Laoghaire between the accounts opening in January 2014, and its freezing in June 2016. Gardai began investigating the company when one of the investors discovered that Arden FML was not the registered owner of the land he had invested 52,000 in. The investor had asked to visit what had been identified as his investment at which point an email was sent to Hevey by his co-accused saying sh*t, he wants to visit the land registry, how do we get over that? The Finnish investor was taken to a forest in Frenchpark, Co Roscommon, but when he asked to go to the land registry he was told there was no time. Upon returning home to Greece, the investor carried out his own inquiries with the land registry and was dismayed to find the land registered to someone else. Hevey, of Brookdene, Shankill, Dublin 18, pleaded guilty to one count of dishonestly inducing investment in Arden FML between January 1, 2014 and June 13, 2016 and three counts of inducing individuals by deception to make payments on dates between September 2015 and May 2016. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment with the final year suspended by Judge Melanie Greally on July 27, 2019 which was found to be unduly lenient by the Court of Appeal today. Re-sentencing Hevey to six years imprisonment, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said Arden FML could not be regarded as anything other than an engine of fraud because false names were used when the business of the company commenced. Mr Justice McCarthy said the same two forests, located in Frenchpark, Co Roscommon, were being sold over an over again by Arden FML. If the monies had been used for the intended purposes, he said 858 acres of forestry should have been acquired but in reality, the company purchased a mere 30.2 acres of forest. The minimum permissible investment was STG10,400 which afforded the investor two acres of forest land, while the largest individual investment was 491,381. Mr Justice McCarthy said Arden FML attracted investors through Google Ads and their marketing campaign targeted overseas investors, who would have had limited knowledge of the Irish forestry sector. They were provided with an impressive looking investor pack which included a brochure containing unauthorised endorsements from AIB, Confor and FBD. It used a virtual office with an address at 629 Trinity Street, Dublin, and with an associated phone number. The company also issued fraudulent timber certificates from a non-existent forestry company. Mr Justice McCarthy said investors were given false folio numbers, which were taken from genuine purchases of land, but the same numbers were used and re-used. He said the company also offered a 500 reward to investors who attracted new investors. Payments slightly in excess of 270,000 were paid out to investors in the form of purported government grants and thinning payments. Investors were paid using the monies of later investments because the 30.2 acres which had been purchased were not eligible for government grants. Investigations showed that Hevey received payments of 501,332 from the AIB account, of which 281,613 was spent on Google Ads. In addition, 1.5 million was transferred to an account in the United Arab Emirates, the two beneficiaries of which (the account) were Hevey and his co-accused. Hevey also accepted that he had a connection to a company called 'Clarence' and there was evidence that 60,000 had been transferred to it. Sentencing Hevey to six years imprisonment today, Mr Justice McCarthy said fraudulent conduct of the present kind must fall into the most serious category of offending. He said the sentencing judge erred in selecting a headline sentence lower than in or about nine years, where the maximum is ten years. Mr Justice McCarthy said the sentencing judge also fell into error by attaching too much weight to the mitigating factors. He said a two year reduction from the headline sentence would have been appropriate for Heveys relatively late guilty plea and the other mitigating factors. Hevey had a lengthy history of employment in national and international companies and he enjoyed the respect of former colleagues. He had no relevant previous convictions and testimonials spoke to his qualities as a husband and father as well as his engagement with charitable concerns. A further 12 months was taken off in circumstances where Hevey may have hoped for and been working towards a release date after four years in jail, the judge said. Mr Justice McCarthy, who sat with President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice Brian McGovern, said a significantly higher sentence than six years may have been appropriate at first sentence. The court did not think it appropriate to suspend any portion of the sentence, the judge added. Heveys coaccused, David Peile (42) of Avondale Court, Ballyguile, in Wicklow, pleaded guilty to dishonestly inducing investment in Arden FML between January 1, 2014 and June 13, 2016 and guilty to two charges of of inducing individuals by deception to make payments on dates between September 2015 and May 2016. Peile, who was second in charge and who sometimes went by the name David Marshall, was sentenced to four years imprisonment with the final year suspended by Judge Greally. No appeal has been lodged in respect of Peiles sentence. The idea of a jester character appealed to Kehlmann, he says, because hes someone who could go anywhere and meet anybody at a time when there was not much social mobility. Tyll took him five years to write, twice as long as any of his other novels. Kehlmann was about two-thirds of the way through when Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. Kehlmann, his wife, the human-rights lawyer Anne Rubesame, and their son, Oscar, live in Manhattan, after years shuttling between New York and Berlin. When Trump won, I was so shocked and worried that for a while I couldnt write anymore, Kehlmann says. But then I thought of Tylls resilience and his way of making fun of anything. It was revelatory because Id never had any experience of my own character helping me to finish something or to cope. One of Kehlmanns hallmarks as a novelist is the impish humor that he injects into bleak and absurd situations. It is there in Tyll and Measuring, but also in his modern-day novels, such as Me and Kaminski (2003), Fame (2009) and F (2013), where the vanities of artists, actors, writers and businessmen are exposed by their appetite for outlandish quests. His fascination for comic writing is very unusual in German literature nowadays, especially the way he combines it with elements of horror, says Alexander Fest, Kehlmanns longtime editor at his German publisher Rowohlt Verlag. I think he grew fascinated by Tyll Ulenspiegel because two of the things hes interested in came together in this one character. Tyll is an uncanny figure in the way he makes fun of people and is funny not for the people he makes fun of, but for the others standing around. Social Democrats Cork South-West candidate, Cllr Holly Cairns, says too many communities in Cork are afflicted with rural isolation which can lead to mental health challenges. Speaking at an organic farm in Skibbereen, Ms Cairns, her party's spokesperson on Agriculture, and Cork South-West General Election candidate, was launching their new strategy to combat such isolation. Ms Cairns said: For too long, rural development has been framed as some sort of urban rural divide. However, the quality of life issues that people have in urban areas are no less felt within rural communities. Costs of childcare, commutes to work, affordable housing, access to good quality healthcare or disability services are core concerns of people all across west Cork. The impact of these challenges can be felt differently in rural communities, leading to depopulation, isolation and mental challenges. Its time to shout stop, to have a government who will have a clear focus on ideas and innovations that are specifically designed to halt the decline in our rural communities, she added. She said the Social Democrats are putting forward solutions, which include investment in good quality public services, accessible local transport that links towns and villages, investment that builds new economic and job creation opportunities and regeneration measures for towns. Ms Cairns said the county needs supports for the agriculture and fisheries sectors the lifeblood of rural communities. She said: Change is coming and we want to bring solutions that dont involve a cliff-edge with no supports or alternatives in place. These solutions should be fair, not only to our current farmers, but to the next generation of farmers too. "To achieve this, we need robust and sustainable support from the State. It is not too late to save our rural communities." In Dublin, the party also launched their 'Greener and Fairer climate policy to deal tackle the environmental crisis. A furious row has erupted between former socialite Gayle Killilea and her ex-husband, bankrupt property developer Sean Dunne, after he issued legal proceedings against one of his sons in New York. Her legal team has claimed his actions will be "extremely detrimental" to the future of the four children they had before getting divorced last year. The one-time 'Baron of Ballsbridge' is seeking a temporary injunction against John Dunne, his son from his first marriage and Ms Killilea's stepson, preventing him from using the funds of a Cypriot company to settle a lawsuit in Dublin. In legal filings, Mr Dunne (65) has claimed the funds are owed to a trust for the benefit of the four children he had with Ms Killilea, who was his second wife. He has also claimed the children, all minors, are also owners of the company, Yesreb Holdings Ltd. Mr Dunne wants to stop John Dunne from using Yesreb's funds to settle a legal action taken by the Official Assignee in Bankruptcy, Christopher Lehane, who is working with US bankruptcy trustee Richard Coan to recover assets for creditors. Expand Close The Walford property on Shrewsbury Road in Dublin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Walford property on Shrewsbury Road in Dublin But a lawyer acting for Ms Killilea (44) and John Dunne (32) has claimed the children had "no direct claim whatsoever" to the funds, and that the lawsuit will be "extremely detrimental" to their long-term interests. Attorney Peter Nolin also accused Mr Dunne of interfering in a settlement Ms Killilea is close to finalising with Mr Coan over 18m in assets a US jury found were fraudulently transferred to her by her ex-husband. The former couple, who were synonymous with the Celtic Tiger era, both now live in England. Details of the row emerged in legal correspondence from Mr Nolin to Mr Dunne's New York lawyer Luke McGrath, which has been seen by the Irish Independent. The injunction proceedings have also been criticised by lawyers for Mr Coan, who claim the businessman is violating federal law. Proceeds The dispute is just the latest twist in the incredibly convoluted legal saga, which has unfolded since the Carlow-born businessman was adjudicated bankrupt in Ireland and Connecticut in 2013 with debts of around 700m. Much of the intervening period has been dominated by claims Mr Dunne defrauded creditors by transferring assets to Ms Killilea. A key issue has been whether Mr Dunne held a beneficial interest in Dublin mansion Walford. The Shrewsbury Road property became the most expensive home in Ireland in 2005 when Mr Dunne bought it for Ms Killilea for 57.9m. It was subsequently bought by Yesreb, of which John Dunne is the owner, for 14m in 2013, using a loan from Ms Killilea. Yesreb then sold to it for 14.25m in 2016 to Celtic Trustees Ltd, an Isle of Man trust set up for the benefit of financier Dermot Desmond's children. Last June, a US jury found Ms Killilea financially liable, as the recipient of certain fraudulent transfers, to pay more than 18m to the US trustee. This sum included the 14m from the 2013 transfer of ownership and 2016 sale of Walford. Mr Lehane has sued Yesreb in a bid to recover the proceeds of the sale, claiming Mr Dunne had an involvement with the company. The case is due to start on Wednesday. Police in London shot and killed a man on Sunday afternoon after he stabbed two people, authorities said. The man, wearing a fake bomb, stabbed the victims outside of a pharmacy in the south London neighborhood of Streatham; they are both expected to survive. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy D'Orsi said police are "confident" the suspect is 20-year-old Sudesh Amman, who was "recently released from prison where he had been serving a sentence for Islamist-related terrorism offenses." Amman was found guilty of publishing graphic terrorist videos online. D'Orsi said Amman was being tailed by police officers as part of a "proactive counterterrorism operation." British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday his government will introduce new measures to make a "fundamental" change to the way people convicted of terrorism offenses are dealt with in prison and upon their release, The Associated Press reports. London Mayor Sadiq Kahn vowed to fight back against terrorists who "seek to divide us and to destroy our way of life. Here in London we will never let them succeed." More stories from theweek.com Mitch McConnell's rare blunder John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi All the president's turncoats Click here to read the full article. The Sundance Film Festival concluded with the announcement of its grand jury awards, honoring Lee Isaac Chungs Minari, a semi-autobiographical glimpse into the Korean American directors Arkansas upbringing, and Boys State, an immersive verite look at an impassioned class of politically inclined Texas teens who participate in an annual mock-government competition. Ethan Hawke and his fellow U.S. dramatic competition jurors Wash Westmoreland and Rodrigo Garcia gave the directing prize to Radha Blank for her The 40-Year-Old Version. More from Variety Caught off-guard by the award, Blank riffed, Anybody who feels theres an expiration on a passion, f that shit. If its in you to be a rapper, a parent, a director in your 40s, do that sh. Many of the nights speeches reflected similar attitudes, as directors whod confronted discrimination in order to make their films shared their experiences from the podium. The U.S. dramatic jury also named four special awards. They spotlighted the ensemble cast of Charm City Kings, about the dirt-bike riders who do dangerous stunts on Baltimore city streets. They honored Eliza Hittman director of abortion-themed Never Rarely Sometimes Always, for its Neorealism. Josephine Decker accepted an auteur award for Shirley, sharing the prize with her cast and crew and subject Shirley Jackson, who is the true auteur of this film. The Waldo Salt screenwriting award went to Edson Oda for Nine Days, a conceptual drama in which new souls audition for a shot to live on earth. In the U.S. documentary competition, directing honors went to Garrett Bradley for Time, a look at a family torn apart by a 60-year prison sentence, told through more than 20 years worth of footage. Bradley connected to her subject, Fox Rich, by Facetime from the stage. Story continues Documentary special jury awards went to Arthur Jones Feels Good Man (for emerging filmmaker), ACLU-themed, group directing effort The Fight (for social impact filmmaking) and Welcome to Chechnya editor Tyler H. Wauk. A fourth special mention went to Kirsten Johnsons Dick Johnson Is Dead (for innovation in nonfiction storytelling). As Johnson put it, Ive been a part of this community for a long time, and its just so amazing who comes up on this stage that didnt used to come up on this stage. Audience awards in the U.S. categories went to Minari and Obama-backed documentary Crip Camp, a decades-spanning look at the disability rights movement, tracing its roots to a summer camp where many of the activists first connected. The World Cinema dramatic section gave its grand jury award to Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness. Directing honors went to Cuties helmer Maimouna Doucoure. Addressing the doubters who questioned whether her femininity might be an obstacle to making the film, Doucoure said, I want to say Im here more feminine than ever, and Ive just won this wonderful prize at Sundance with my first film. As Oprah Winfrey says, You become what you believe. Ladies, just believe, and we will become. Ben Whishaw won a special mention for acting for Surge, while a screenplay mention went to Identifying Features writers Fernanda Valadez and Astrid Rondero; the film also earned the categorys audience prize. Lemohang Jeremiah Moseses This Is Not a Burial, Its a Resurrection the first film from Lesotho to be shown abroad earned a visionary filmmaking mention. In the World Cinema documentary category, the jury honored Oscar nominee Hubert Saupers Cuba-set Epicentro with its top prize. The directing award went to Iryna Tsilyk for The Earth is Blue as an Orange, about a family trying to survive the conflict in Ukraine. A trio of special jury awards recognized Kenyan film Softie (for editing), Acasa, My Home (for cinematography) and The Painter and the Thief (for creative storytelling). The Reason I Jump won the sections audience prize. The Next category gives two prizes. Both the Next Innovator award, presented by Gregg Araki, and the audience prize went to documentary helmer Heidi Ewings narrative debut, I Carry You With Me, which blends nonfiction and reenactment to tell the story of a gay immigrant couple from Mexico cut off from their families back home. Im a white woman from Detroit City who made a film in Spanish about Mexican men, and I feel lucky that the cast and crew helped me get it right, Ewing said in her speech. Its what should be happening, right? We should be co-producing, co-living, talking to each other, and this was so beautiful. We did it together. Stars were in relatively short supply at this years Sundance, where films with Angelina Jolie, Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Keaton premiered without those actors in attendance. Fortunately for the festival, Viggo Mortensen whose directorial debut, Falling, screened the night before kicked off the awards show by introducing Oklahoma City band Skating Polly. Following the performance, Sundance Institute head Keri Putnam announced festival director John Coopers replacement: Tabitha Jackson, formerly director of the Sundance Institutes Documentary Film program. As a Brit, going through Brexit yesterday, I felt something a little like grief, like Id lost a whole continent. But today, Jackson said, I feel like Ive gained a whole world. Earlier this week, Michael Almereydas Tesla received the $20,000 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, presented annually to a film focusing on science or technology as a theme. Also previously announced, Higher director Kirsten Tan won the Sundance Institute NHK Award; the Sundance Institute/Amazon Studios Producers Awards went to Diane Becker and Melanie Miller (producers of Whirlybird) and Huriyyah Muhammad for Farewell Amor; and Carla Gutierrez and Affonso Goncalves won Sundance Institute Adobe Mentorship Awards for Editing. The full list of winners appears below: U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION Grand Jury Prize: Minari Audience Award: Minari Directing: Radha Blank, The 40-Year-Old Version Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: Edson Oda, Nine Days Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast: Charm City Kings Special Jury Auteur Award: Josephine Decker, Shirley Special Jury Award for Neorealism: Eliza Hittman, Never Rarely Sometimes Always U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION Grand Jury Prize: Boys State Audience Award: Crip Camp Directing: Garrett Bradley, Time Special Jury Award for Emerging Filmmaker: Arthur Jones, Feels Good Man Special Jury Award for Social Impact Filmmaking: Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman, Eli Despres, The Fight Special Jury Award for Editing: Tyler H. Walk, Welcome to Chechnya Special Jury Award for Innovation in Nonfiction Storytelling: Kirsten Johnson, Dick Johnson Is Dead WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION Grand Jury Prize: Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness Audience Award: Identifying Features Directing Award: Maimouna Doucoure, Cuties Special Jury Award for Acting: Ben Whishaw, Surge Special Jury Award for Visionary Filmmaking: Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, This Is Not a Burial, Its a Resurrection Special Jury Award for Best Screenplay: Fernanda Valadez & Astrid Rondero. Identifying Features WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION Grand Jury Prize: Epicentro Audience Award: The Reason I Jump Directing Award: Iryna Tsilyk, The Earth is Blue as an Orange Special Jury Award for Editing: Mila Aung Thwin, Sam Soko, Ryan Mullins, Softie Special Jury Award for Cinematography: Micrea Topoleanu, Radu Ciorniciuc, Acasa, My Home Special Jury Award for Creative Storytelling: Benjamin Ree, The Painter and the Thief OTHER AWARDS NEXT Audience Award: I Carry You With Me NEXT Innovator Award: I Carry You With Me Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize: Tesla Sundance Institute NHK Award: Kirsten Tan, Higher Sundance Institute/Amazon Studios Producers Award for Narrative Features: Huriyyah Muhammad, Farewell Amor Sundance Institute/Amazon Studios Producers Award for Documentary Features: Diane Becker & Melanie Miller of Fishbowl Films, Whirlybird Sundance Institute/Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Documentary: Carla Gutierrez Sundance Institute/Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Narrative: Affonso Goncalves Sundance Open Borders Fellowship Presented by Netflix: Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Britain will resist accepting any EU rules on social protections and the environment in the post-Brexit trade talks with the bloc, Boris Johnson will say on Monday. Three days after the UK ended its 47-year membership of the EU, the prime minister will use his first major speech since the decisive general election victory to set out his hardline position to the post-Brexit talks. As of 11pm on Friday, Britain entered the transition period with the bloc and will continue to abide by the EUs rules over the next 11 months, while officials in London and Brussels attempt to hammer out a future relationship. Mr Johnson has already vowed not to extend the negotiating period, and if no deal is agreed by 31 December then the UK could be forced to rely on World Trade Organisation (WTO) trading terms with the EU by 2021. But speaking on Monday, the prime minister will say: The choice is emphatically not deal or no deal. The question is whether we agree a trading relationship with the EU comparable to Canadas or more like Australias. Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Show all 37 1 /37 Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro-Brexit supporters celebrating in Parliament Square, after the UK left the European Union on 31 January. Ending 47 years of membership PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o'clock at night AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro Brexit supporters attend the Brexit Day Celebration Party hosted by Leave Means Leave Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage smiles on stage AFP/Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square People celebrate in Parliament Square Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A Brexit supporter celebrates during a rally in Parliament square AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Police form a line at Parliament Square to prevent a small group of anti-Brexit protestors from going through to the main Brexit rally PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square JD Wetherspoon Chairman Tim Martin speaks as people wave flags Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters wave Union flags as they watch the big screen AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit Party leader, Nigel Farage arrives Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters gather AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Ann Widdecombe speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters wave Union flags as they watch the big screen AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square People wave British Union Jack flags as they celebrate Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square on Brexit day Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A man waves Union flags from a small car as he drives past Brexit supporters gathering AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A pro-Brexit supporter pours beer onto an EU flag PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square An EU flag lies trampled in the mud Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Canada brokered a free trade agreement (FTA) with the bloc after several years of negotiations eliminating tariffs on 98 per cent of goods but Australia has no such deal in place, and is currently in talks with the EU over an FTA. And in comments that will likely alarm EU officials, businesses and environmental groups, the prime minister will add: There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment, or anything similar any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules. The UK will maintain the highest standards in these areas better, in many respects, than those of the EU without the compulsion of a treaty and it is vital to stress this now. Addressing business leaders and ambassadors from around the world, Mr Johnson will say: We have made our choice: we want a free trade agreement, similar to Canadas but in the very unlikely event that we do not succeed, then our trade will have to be based on our existing withdrawal agreement with the EU. The choice is emphatically not deal or no-deal. The question is whether we agree a trading relationship with the EU comparable to Canadas or more like Australias. In either case, I have no doubt that Britain will prosper. And of course our new relationship with our closest neighbours will range far beyond trade. Speaking on Sunday, Leo Varadkar, the Irish premier, warned the UK government to tone down its nationalist rhetoric and insisted the prime ministers rigid red lines could hinder the ability to strike a future trading agreement. As is always the case when it comes to negotiations, setting out so boldly such firm red lines actually makes coming to an agreement more difficult because the other party you are negotiating with doesnt feel they got a fair deal unless those red lines get turned pink or bent in some way, he said. Foreign secretary Dominic Raab also said any suggestion the UK will have to follow EU rules and laws after the transition period just aint happening. Dominic Raab on The Andrew Marr Show (BBC) Were not going to be aligning with EU rules, thats not on the negotiating table, its not even an issue of red lines it is not even in the negotiating room, he told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show. Donald Tusk, the former European Council president, who was intimately involved in negotiations over the Brexit agreement, added that the imminent talks over trade will be focused on damage control. He claimed there would be great consequences for both sides if Mr Johnson moves away from Brusselss regulations. There is no desire for punishment, Mr Tusk said. For Brexit, and the negotiations after Brexit, this is a process of only damage control. The problem is, objectively, that there will be some losses and damages, no doubt, on both sides but not as an intentional game. The decision earlier this month by Sudan to further slash the number of its troops deployed in Yemen came as no surprise. Jamal Juma Adam, spokesman for Sudans paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, informed news agencies on Jan. 14 that only 657 Sudanese soldiers remain in Yemen. The estimated 30,000 soldiers deployed in Yemen in June as part of the Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting the Iranian-backed Houthis since March 2015 had been cut to some 15,000 in September and then to 5,000 in December. Several factors have contributed to the drawdown. Among the first were the Sudanese uprising that began in December 2018, sparked by the high price of bread and general economic crisis. Months later, in April 2019, the military overthrew President Omar al-Bashir, who had held power for 30 years, but the protests continued, including pressure on the transitional military government to withdraw troops from Yemen. In announcing the recent drawdown, Adam had remarked, The Sudanese troops in Yemen had been operating in two sectors, the [United Arab Emirates] sector inside Aden, and the Saudi sector that extends along the Saudi-Yemeni border. Exact figures are not available, but the Sudanese forces have reportedly suffered significant losses, with casualties estimated in the thousands. Allied withdrawals and de-escalation in fighting also contributed to Khartoum's decision to scale back troops. According to Nabil Soufi, editor in chief of NewsYemen, in June the UAE withdrew an estimated 100 troops, which were replaced by forces from the secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC), which the Emirates supports. Meanwhile, in November Saudi Arabia reduced confrontations on the battlefield and entered into Oman-mediated direct talks with the Houthis. There is almost a complete withdrawal of Sudanese troops, said Soufis, who is close to the National Resistance Forces (also called the Joint Forces), which support the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. All the Sudanese sites and camps have been handed over to the so-called Joint Forces established and trained by the UAE. After South Sudan seceded and declared independence in 2011, Sudan lost three-quarters of its oil production. The loss in revenue played a major role in prompting Khartoum to join the Saudi coalition in Yemen, in exchange for financial assistance, including debt relief. In addition, the Saudis have repeatedly promised to help Sudan in having US-imposed economic sanctions lifted and its name removed the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Abdel Nasser al-Muadea, an independent writer and researcher, views the Sudanese troops as mercenary forces and does not believe their withdrawal will have a significant impact, given their already limited role. Sudanese troops in Yemen were support and protection forces used by the UAE forces to protect their headquarters in the southern regions and the west coast and to support the fighters in those areas, Muadea told Al-Monitor. The UAE withdrew from the west coast and most areas of the south. Accordingly, Sudanese forces no longer have a role there. Baraa Shiban, an independent researcher and political analyst, told Al-Monitor that there has been a clear desire among Arab coalition members to curtail their direct intervention. Several indicators confirm this, he told Al-Monitor, most notably the talks in Oman since November between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, the Riyadh agreement on Nov. 5 and the recent pullout of Sudanese forces. This, however, does not mean that the war in Yemen will soon conclude, as the proxy war will continue even as direct intervention winds down. While there are no statistics on the number of soldiers in Yemen trained and funded by Saudi Arabia, news reports from August estimated that UAE-backed STC forces numbered 90,000. A Sudanese political source who spoke to Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity, asserted, There are Sudanese military forces operating outside the framework of the official forces whose names and numbers are listed in the records of the Ministry of Defense. The source further explained that Khartoum had selected them through the ministry to fight, but not under the banner of the Sudanese Armed Forces. There is at least one scenario in which Sudan might reverse gears and send more forces to Yemen without official announcement: if the negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis fail. In that case, the Sudanese Ministry of Defense will send more recruits, that is, mercenaries assembled from its own forces, to fight in the Saudi ranks, if Riyadh requests them. Maintaining a symbolic presence of Sudanese forces in Yemen without specifying their tasks and positions could be due to the Saudis' lack of confidence in achieving a full-fledged peace with the Houthis. In short, they are needed to continue to give cover to the perpetuation of the Arab coalition's mission until Riyadh officially announces its conclusion. As the regime army advances in Idleb, it has suffered a number of losses in battles, with many coming from the costal province of Tartous writes Zaman Al Wasl. Syrian rebels killed at least 33 regime troops from the coastal province of Tartous in January on the battlefronts of Idleb and Aleppo provinces, activists said. The death toll included a Brigadier General and 17 more officers from the main stronghold of Bashar al-Assads manpower. More than 400 regime troops and allied militants were killed in Idleb province in January, according to Russias Defence Ministry and opposition news feeds. Bashar al-Assads forces, backed by Russian air power, have rapidly advanced in Idleb and parts of rural Aleppo last week. They have taken dozens of towns, including the key city of Maarat al-Numan, upending the last major rebel-held stronghold after nearly nine years of war in Syria. On Friday, the Kremlin said that Russia was fully compliant with its obligations in the Idleb region, but that it was deeply concerned about what it said were aggressive militant attacks on Syrian regime forces and Russias Hemeimeem air base. Rebels and jihadists have killed more than 135,000 pro-regime forces since the armed conflict erupted eight years ago with the brutal repression of protests against the Assad regime This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) The Chinese man who died from novel coronavirus in the Philippines will be cremated, the Department of Health said on Monday. Health spokesperson Eric Domingo said they are treating the cadaver of the 44-year-old Chinese man who is also the Philippines second confirmed case of 2019-nCoV as "potentially infectious," which is why they will continue to exercise caution. "Cremation of the Chinese man's body is being prepared. We are ensuring no one will be directly exposed to the body," he said in a media briefing. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the severe pneumonia that caused the Chinese man's death on Saturday "must have been caused by the novel coronavirus," even if there were other pathogens found in his body. Aside from being infected with 2019-nCoV, the man was also infected with Influenza B virus and Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. He said this case is recorded as part of China, which means Philippines still has "zero local transmission." The man traveled to the Philippines from Wuhan the Chinese city at the center of the 2019-nCoV outbreak via Hong Kong on January 21. He and his Chinese partner were the first cases of novel coronavirus in the Philippines; they were confined in San Lazaro Hospital in Manila City. DOH said they have gotten in touch with 74 people who came in contact with the Chinese couple who traveled around the country. It said eight persons who were in close contact with the Chinese couple have shown flu-like symptoms and are now being closely monitored. DOH on Monday said there are 80 patients under observation for possible infection of novel coronavirus, 67 of which are hospitalized. In my blog last weekI discussed a new book, The Power of Bad, that presented evidence that we pay more attention to bad things that happen than to good ones, an underlying reason why the media emphasizes bad news about government. There is a chapter in the book, called "Heaven or Hell: Prizes vs. Penalties," that applies the argument to a completely different question -- whether rewards or punishments will influence people's behavior more. This topic too is an important one, both in our everyday lives and in the design of public policies, so I am talking about that chapter here as well. I am also writing about this because it is one of the few examples I remember of something I've read that reversed my opinion about an important issue. I definitely see myself temperamentally as a softie, much more inclined to carrots than sticks. This is not just me -- the book's authors, John Tierney and Roy Baumeister, write that "Dangling a carrot is more pleasant than wielding a stick." Yet I'm now reconsidering a very fundamental attitude I have. The chapter starts with a broad-sweep account of the development of Christianity over the centuries in the U.S. New England was settled by Puritans, who morphed into Congregationalists (still big in my home town of Concord, Massachusetts). "Their clergymen were well-educated gentlemen, not charismatic rabble-rousers," Tierney and Roy Baumeister write. "They preached elegant, cerebral sermons based on the theology they had studied at Harvard and Yale, where rationalism was prized and emotionalism disdained. They had been taught to see God as distant and abstract, a vaguely benevolent deity nothing like the wrathful figure in the Old Testament who condemned sinners to perdition." These clergy were challenged in the eighteenth century by the "fire and brimstone" preachers of the so-called Great Awakening, such as one who warned audiences not to be lulled by theologians who denied "the eternity of hell-torments" and stated that the denial of hell promoted "infidelity and profaneness." With the arrival of such preachers, Methodism grew in the U.S. from a tiny sect to, by 1850, the largest denomination in the country. The terrors of hell won out over the delights of heaven. The book proceeds from this historical example to modern research and public policy practice. Psychologists have discovered that while rats had to be exposed to rewards several times to influence their behavior, and the reinforcement needed to be immediate, rats exposed to a punishment changed their behavior after a single exposure, and continued to do so even several hours later. Dozens of studies show that people are much more likely to respond to public health messages (such as getting tested for cancer) if the message is based on fear. Schools provide fascinating public policy examples. Studies of students in Germany and Florida who have been held back and need to repeat a grade showed that, despite worries that this would destroy students' self-esteem, their grades rose the next year (as in fact did their self-esteem) and in subsequent years. Recent years have seen the development of the "no excuses" movement in school, which revolted against social promotion and "everyone gets a trophy." "Instead of stressing collaborative projects, they regularly test each student's individual competence," the authors note. "Instead of encouraging 'mutually supportive' group discussions where students are called on only if they raise their hands, the teachers challenge students by 'cold-calling' them to answer a question." At the Success Academy -- a non-profit chain of New York schools that uses these principles, enrolls 90% minority students and admits students by lottery -- 95% of students pass state proficiency exams, compared to one-third of minority students in ordinary schools. A study of which charter schools do the best showed that it was schools using a no-excuses approach. So the book's argument is that just like bad things affect us more than good ones, so does punishment affect us more than rewards. Even if rewards are comforting and punishments seem cruel, they may typically not be the best way to influence behavior. This material was eye-opening for me. I need to think about it more to decide which of my own behaviors and attitudes I need to change. Ridham Desai, head of India Equity Research at Morgan Stanley said that the stock market's reaction to the Union Budget 2020 was fair as the investors expected this Budget to be "different," but it was "just as any another". "The market was disappointed," he said. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2020 in the Parliament on February 1 with the key announcements being the new tax slabs, a proposal to raise banks' deposit insurance, LIC IPO launch, among others. Among the things that got costlier are cigarettes, tobacco products, medical equipment and others due to a hike in taxes. Markets reaction is fair because, in the run-up to the Budget, there was some expectation building up that this may be a platform for some major announcements. It is not necessary. We have seen in recent years that the Budget is not being used as a platform for announcements, a lot of announcements and reforms are made outside the budget platform. But nevertheless, the market did get signals from the government that maybe this is going to be a different type of a Budget and to the extent that it was just another Budget," Desai told CNBC-TV18. According to Desai, no announcements regarding the LTCG tax and lower rural spending were among the main reasons behind the stock market's disappointment. Also read: Budget 2020 | In a difficult year, Sitharaman shows spunk for fiscal innovation, but targets ambitious However, Desai said that going forward, he hoped that the market will react positively as "the government has concentrated all its efforts in the same direction that it has been over the last four-five months, it is being very consistent, it is not dispersing its revenues in different directions, it is focusing on lifting corporate savings. That to my mind is very big positive to the stock market." Desai continues to remain positive on domestic cyclicals. "I am buying discretionary consumption, which is doing a whole lot better than staples. I would have changed that view if I had seen major rural stimulus in this Budget but it is not there. So I dont think there is any reason for us to switch back to staples. So we prefer discretionary over staples. So we buy autos over fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG),." Desai is also positive on banks but selectively. "We tend to be more selective there. We prefer the corporate banks and some of the really beaten up non-banking financial companies (NBFCs)." Source: CNBC-TV18 New Jebel Ali gas field to help the emirates become more energy independent, UAE officials say. The United Arab Emirates on Monday announced the discovery of a natural gas field containing 80 trillion standard cubic feet of gas between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Authorities said the new Jebel Ali field would help the Emirates become more energy independent, as the UAE now imports natural gas from Qatar for electricity. Leaders of Abu Dhabi and Dubai witnessed the signing of an agreement between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Dubai Supply Authority for the exploration and development of the gas resources. This new discovery reinforces the nations goal of achieving gas self-sufficiency, enabling major development projects, ADNOC said in a statement. Qatar has continued to supply its Gulf neighbour with gas via the Dolphin pipeline, despite being blockaded by the UAE and three other Arab nations over a years-long political dispute. In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a land, air and sea blockade on Doha, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Qatar has repeatedly and vehemently denied the allegation. The agreement with Qatar reinforces ADNOCs commitment to ensuring a sustainable and economic gas supply and achieving gas self-sufficiency, said the firms CEO, Sultan al-Jaber. ADNOC and the Dubai Supply Authority will explore and develop the shallow gas field, which spans some 5,000 square kilometres (1,930 square miles), ADNOC said. Mondays statements gave no details on the timeframe for the new gas resources to come on stream or the estimated cost of the projects. Shallow gas resources are reserves found trapped not too deep from the surface but they need advanced technology for production. Qatar is the worlds largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer. It produces and supplies the globe with 42 million metric tonnes of LNG annually. Most of this gas is pumped from the North Field, which is part of the worlds largest gas field that is shared between Qatar and Iran. This article originally appeared in the Daily News on July 12, 1980. Norristown police are seeking a suspect in the Thursday murder of a Norristown businesswoman. A murder warrant has been issued for Robert Fisher in connection with the death of Linda Rowden, 26, of Gravel Pike, Collegeville, Montgomery County. Fisher is charged with murder, manslaughter, assault and weapons offenses. Rowden, who operated a telephone-answering service in Norristown, was shot in the neck and right side as she drove her car north on DeKalb St. in Norristown around 6:24 p.m. Thursday. Rowden was dead on arrival at Montgomery Hospital at 6:40 p.m. Fisher apparently was riding in the back seat of Rowdens car when he fired the fatal shots, according to Norristown police. After the shooting, Rowden lost control of the rented car, which rammed into two parked cars. Fisher fled on foot. Earlier this week Rowden had complained to police that Fisher had assaulted her. Police issued a warrant for his arrest but were unable to locate him Wednesday. India is the worlds biggest smartphone maker after China but is still largely dependent on China for supplies of parts. So far smartphone makers in India have weathered the impact of the virus, which has already killed 170 people. The coronavirus outbreak in China could start to disrupt Indias production of smartphones if it continues to spread in February, as it could delay component shipments, industry executives said. India is the worlds biggest smartphone maker after China but is still largely dependent on China for supplies of parts such as cells, display panels, camera modules and printed circuit boards. Taiwans Foxconn and Wistron make iPhones in India for Apple, and Foxconn produces phones there for Chinas Xiaomi as well. Other smartphone makers in India include South Koreas Samsung and Chinas OnePlus. So far smartphone makers in India have weathered the impact of the virus, which has already killed 170 people, partly because they had ramped up inventories of Chinese-made parts anyway to cover the Lunar New Year holiday period when Chinas factories close down. Those disruptions were already planned but if it (the virus spread) gets prolonged then for March and April production we will have serious trouble, said S.N. Rai, the co-founder of homegrown smartphone maker Lava. Were definitely worried about it. Some components can be shipped in from markets such as South Korea, Vietnam or Taiwan, but smartphone makers will only make such purchases as a last resort as it would force companies to make changes including in design and software, Rai said. Samsung declined to comment, while Foxconn, Wistron, Apple and Xiaomi did not respond to requests for comment. Chinas OnePlus said its Indian operations could manage, in the short term at least. We are well covered because we have the entire production in India, we already have enough stock, and even going forward many of the components will anyway be coming directly from other markets, said Vikas Agarwal, the India head of OnePlus. While Beijing has expressed confidence in defeating the devil virus, which is yet to be declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation, major companies such as Alphabet Incs Google and Swedens IKEA have closed operations in China. Indias Tata Motors, which counts China as a major market for its luxury Jaguar Land Rover cars, said on Thursday it was worried about the coronavirus and warned that the outbreak could hit profits. As several airlines suspend flights to China, the movement of technical staff from the country - such as on-site support executives, machine and automation specialists - will also be curtailed and that will hit Indias smartphone sector, an executive at another foreign-owned smartphone maker, who did not wish to be named, said. For now, the industry just hopes the outbreak can be contained within the next two weeks. If the problem persists beyond Feb. 10 then we have a real problem at hand, said Pankaj Mohindroo, head of the India Cellular & Electronics Association, an industry lobby group. STOCKHOLM and HOUSTON, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MAJORITY , the first financial membership focused on migrants, today announced its launch out of beta, making the product widely available to anyone living in the U.S. On top of the product's broad availability, new features are now available including Early Direct Deposit. With MAJORITY direct deposit, users' paychecks will go straight to their MAJORITY account, which can be accessed as soon as it's deposited by an employer. Users can get their paychecks up to two days earlier than non-members, which means no more worrying about lost checks, mail delays or other problems related to physical paychecks. "Everyone should have equal access to the tools, support and information needed to build a better financial future for themselves and their familiesregardless of their country of origin," said Magnus Larsson, CEO of MAJORITY. "More than half of the 68 million underserved in banking are people that have moved to this country. We exist to solve these problems so people can thrive and succeed faster!" MAJORITY is unique in its approach to growing customers. Until now, customer acquisition has been fostered by a community-first approachrelying on referrals, brand ambassadors, and the company's advisor program. Since its beta launch in October of 2019, the community has grown from its initial 1,000 beta testers to 20,000 membersan achievement made possible through the company's heavy focus on the community, with a large portion of the member base coming from the Houston area. Currently, MAJORITY also has 5,000 subscription-based users, a number that is expected to grow rapidly within the next year, with Meetup spaces opening in Houston later this month followed by Miami, FL later this year. Membership costs $5 per month and includes an FDIC-insured account and Visa prepaid card. Users also have access to more than 55,000 ATMs across North America, free and unlimited remittance to four countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Senegalwith plans to open remittances to 15 additional countries by the end of 2020, Mexico becoming available this spring. Additionally, free international calling to more than 25 countries and native language advisors are readily available to assist users. MAJORITY partners with the established Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, for the U.S. market. Media Contact: Angela Smith InkHouse for MAJORITY [email protected] Vanessa Buendia Global Head of Content, MAJORITY +46 73 633 54 61 [email protected] About MAJORITY MAJORITY is the first digital financial service dedicated to serving migrants worldwide. For $5 a month, MAJORITY members in the U.S. receive an FDIC insured account, Visa debit card, use of more than 55,000 ATMs across North America, remittance and international calling, native language advisors, and access to our network of community meet-up spaces, local discounts and events. With MAJORITY, there are never overdraft fees or minimum balance requirements. MAJORITY was started in Sweden by a diverse team of banking, fintech, payments, and telecom executives serving migrant communities globally for the last 15 years. MAJORITY's U.S. headquarters are in Houston, Texas. The Visa debit card is issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. SOURCE MAJORITY Related Links https://www.majority.com/en The India Art Fair is not a safe space, the artists behind the performative project "The Wall" that included songs, paintings and poetry said on Monday, a day after their booth was sealed by police following an anonymous complaint. The Post Art Project leading the "live community artwork" also dismissed the organisers' claim that they were unaware of the details of the work. On Sunday, the last day of the three-day fair, their artwork was interrupted after police arrived at the venue following an "anonymous complaint made about the 'artwork being prepared by someone wearing clothes resembling the women sitting in Shaheen Bagh", Gargi Chandola and Yaman Navlakha of the Post Art Project said in a statement. "The Art Fair is NOT a safe space. The police overreacted initially, and instead of quiet inquiries chose to shut down the performance. Only after reasoning and explaining did they take cognisance of what actually was happening, see reason and close the matter," said the statement shared on Instagram. The art that was being made was all about celebrating artistic unity across diverse communities, it added. "The event invites clearly mentioned a 'live community artwork' as an all day event. This schedule was repeatedly and clearly shared with the India Art Fair by the curator," Chandola and Navlakha wrote. The performative art piece at the Italian Embassy Culture Centre booth featured paintings as well as songs, including Faiz Ahmad Faiz's "Hum Dekhenge", and poetry recitations talking about the love, beauty, tenderness and the strength of women across the country. The invite to the performance, available and circulated among visitors, mentioned "The Wall" as a "community art building mural led by the Post Art Project (Yaman N/ Gargi C)". "What happened yesterday was intimidation. There was no question of legality behind it, because nothing illegal was being done. The complaint made to the police -- was it by some 'concerned citizen', or are we now all being watched for perceived 'infringements' even in so called safe spaces," the statement said. Following the commotion on Sunday, India Art Fair organisers released a statement saying they were not aware of the activities at the Italian Embassy Culture Centre booth, and added that while they "embrace the freedom of expression, ensuring safety and security of their visitors was paramount. "India Art Fair embraces freedom of expression and believes individuals have the right to express their opinions in their own way. Artists are conscience keepers of a society and we place their voice at the centre of our programme," the IAF statement said. A senior police official on Sunday said police received a PCR call that some paintings depicting the CAA were being exhibited at the fair. "A police team was sent to check it, but no such painting was exhibited," he said. Post Art Project's statement noted that the whereabouts of the "sealed" artworks was yet to be determined. "We are reading statements from the Police today, that they have not confiscated the artwork. So now we are trying to locate it," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SeABank is among 12 banks that have so far cleared all their bad debts kept at the Viet Nam Asset Management Company (VAMC). - Photo SeABank The banks include Vietcombank, Techcombank, MB, VIB, OCB, Nam A Bank, TPBank Agribank, VPBank, ACB, SeABank and Kien Long Bank. Previously in 2013, VAMC accepted to buy bad debts of banks in a move to reduce the bad debt ratio of the entire banking system. Many banks had to sell bad debts to VAMC so they could take the debts off their balance sheet to have a bad debt ratio of below 3 per cent as required by the central bank and could continue their operations as normal banks. By selling the debts to VAMC, instead of money, banks received five-year special bonds from VAMC. During the five years, banks had to make provisions of 20 per cent for special bonds each year. In principle, this affects banks annual profits. According to experts, when the on-balance sheet bad debt ratio at banks is low and banks have gained fairly high profits in recent years, the trend of buying back bad debts to clear debts at VAMC is becoming more common. Banks also have to speed up the resolution of bad debts to meet the State Bank of Viet Nams regulation. According to the central banks regulation, VAMC was to keep the bad debts for only five years, and the deadline for the debts to return to the banks is 2020. If a lender misses the deadline it faces penalties, including suspension of the right to pay shareholders dividends in cash. The dividends will instead be used for settling the bad debts. According to Doan Van Thang, VAMC this year expected to basically complete the handling of purchased bad debts from credit institutions, excluding those from weak ones, as stated in Decision 1058 on restructuring credit institutions associated with dealing with bad debts in the 2016 to 2020 period. VAMC would increase the purchase of debts at market prices according to plans approved by SBV. VAMC reported that it purchased bad debts with special bonds of 381 debts worth VND20.54 trillion last year. Another 37 bad debts were also purchased according to the market price at VND2.25 trillion. Accumulated from its establishment until December 31, 2019, VAMC cooperated with credit institutions to recover VND151.86 trillion of bad debt. VAMC increased its charter capital to VND5 trillion last year by the SBV and the Government. Y esterday, just after 2pm, terror came to Streatham. Thanks to the quick and brave action of the police, the only person to die was the attacker himself, although three people were injured. Sadly, incidents such as this have become familiar. So has the standard national response. Immediately after there is huge concern for the victims and their families. Then there is justified praise for the police and other emergency services. Next, we find out more about the person who carried out the attack and stories of people who tried to stop it. Soon after that a row starts about whether terror laws should change, with ministers promising dramatic action and pressure groups and liberal lawyers warning against a knee-jerk response. Less than a day after Sudesh Amman grabbed a knife and started stabbing passersby in Streatham High Road, weve already reached that last point. But this time, something is different. The Prime Minister is right that the law, and the way it is applied, is part of the problem and it needs to change. Hes said this before of course, but that was during a general election. Now he is firmly in charge and it is his responsibility not just to criticise what he has inherited but set out a better way of doing things. So what is it? Already, we know that the Streatham attacker had just been released after serving half of a three-year and four-month sentence for possessing and distributing extremist material. He had been recorded by the police as having a fascination with dying in the name of terrorism. He was under surveillance, but could not be detained longer. The police responded quickly and effectively, but they were dealing with a situation that need not have occurred if Amman had not been released. There are echoes of the London Bridge attack in November Usman Khan had also been released early although in that case it was thought that Khan was no longer a threat. Early release Something is obviously very wrong with the way people convicted of terror-related crimes are being managed during their detention and allowed to be released. Its much harder to say what should be done instead. Clearly, neither Amman nor Khan should have been on the streets and they are unlikely to be the only ones last year, the Prime Minister said that around 74 people convicted of terror-related offences had been released early. The law has already been tightened up since Amman was sentenced. But there is a compelling case to go further. Ian Acheson, who led a recent review into Islamist extremism in prisons, probation and youth services, argued this morning for powers of indefinite detention for those who seem an extreme threat. That could be necessary. But its not the whole answer. You cant simply lock up everybody who might, conceivably, be a potential risk. We need to offer people a route to redemption. And there is the problem that by holding people, we risk infecting others with the sort of cruel beliefs which led Amman and Khan to think it was their duty to kill and wound others. Far from being places that overcome such hateful behaviour, prisons have become ones that help spread it. Responding this morning, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, was right to say that the Streatham attack was preventable. In part he blamed spending cuts, which is his default excuse. But its not money thats the problem here. It is the way people are managed in prison, the way radicalisation is dealt with and the way prisoners are judged ready for release. It is all but impossible to look into someones soul and know if they intend to cause terrible harm or should be allowed back into society. The London Bridge attacker had convinced almost everyone he was safe. The balance must tip towards public protection, which will mean detaining more people, for longer, with better rehabilitation. No free society should be proud of that but it is needed. Listen to today's episode of The Leader: Clients are asking about the extent of their cover, Clarissa Franks of Marsh was quoted as saying in the report. Clients with manufacturing in the key regions of China will be affected. Three major insurance areas are most likely to feel the full impact of the coronavirus: travel insurance, business insurance, and life insurance. Travel insurance claims are expected to spike, as flights and trips get cancelled in the wake of the disease, which has infected more than 14,000 people and taken the lives of over 300. Meanwhile, companies whose operations get interrupted and events get cancelled will turn to insurance to absorb the financial blow. The report cited research by California-based Metabiota, which tracks the impact of viruses on individual behaviour, such as peoples willingness to travel. According to the companys model, the impact of the coronavirus outbreak could be comparable to the SARS outbreak in 2003, which caused hotels revenue to decrease by around 40%. The impact of outbreaks such as SARS has caused many insurers to become more cautious in covering such risks. Lots of policies have had exclusions placed in them in the last 10 years due to [insurers] experience with flu-type outbreaks, said Michelle Crorie, partner at law firm Clyde & Co. Life insurers will also have to deal with more claims as the viruss death toll goes up. According to Frank Pinette, global head of life and health at Willis Re, life insurers take out reinsurance against extreme mortality events such as pandemics. However, Pinette said that many life insurers in Asia werent that keen to purchase such reinsurance. Insurers response to coronavirus on the ground In China, the epicentre and worst-hit country, several insurers have taken action to respond to the health crisis. In a statement, Allianz, through its wholly-owned Allianz (China) Insurance Holding Co., announced that it has pledged a RMB4 million (US$570,000) emergency response fund to support frontline workers. This fund will provide medical supplies, donations, and insurance protection. Two of the insurers operating entities in China, Allianz China Life Insurance and Allianz Jingdong General Insurance, have also launched some temporary emergency measures for the convenience of customers. These measures include implementing fast track claims process, removing restrictions on designated hospitals and drugs, waiving deductibles, and eliminating waiting periods. Meanwhile, Ping An Healthcare Diagnostics Centre has dispatched its mobile computerized tomographic (CT) imaging vehicle to Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University. It will be used to support diagnosis and treatment for pneumonia associated with the 2019 novel coronavirus, according to a statement by Ping An. 03.02.2020 LISTEN The China chapter of National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has called on Government to within the next 48 to 72 hours evacuate all Ghanaian students in China to avoid any possible infection of the deadly coronavirus. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the Hubei province of China, several countries including the United States of America and Australia have evacuated their citizens from China. Reopening dates for most universities in China have been postponed indefinitely following the outbreak of the virus leaving international students stranded. Vice-President of NUGS-Wuhan, Micheal Akne, in a video said the situation in Wuhan is such that life is becoming difficult for them. The situation in Wuhan is that its being 11 days now since the lock-down, so as usual our students and members are indoors, their movement in the city is restricted which means they don't have access to basic facilities like going to the mall to buy groceries from the market and also there is general fear and panic because the infection rate is increasing so everybody doesn't want to go out, we are all scared and in our rooms. He further called on the government to immediately evacuate them to ensure that no Ghanaian student gets infected and to give the students a safe environment to study. So, what we really want the government to do for us is that the Government should lead a Government-sponsored evacuation to take our people out of here to Ghana where they will feel safe, where they will have a good mind to focus on their studies because definitely this is going to affect academic work and the atmosphere here is not good for academic work. So we believe our government should join the other countries that are evacuating their citizens, they don't have to wait for any of our members to get infected or become a global statistic before they act because our lives are very precious. So this is a clarion call on our government to act as soon as possible; within the next 48, 72 hours we want the government to send us a reassuring and powerful message that things are underway for them to come and get. USAG adds voice The University Students' Association of Ghana (USAG) in a statement was also unhappy with the Ministry for not commenting on the issue. The University Students' Association of Ghana (USAG) has observed with great concern the silence of the Ministry of education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the pandemic coronary virus outbreak in the Peoples Republic of China and the absence of information on the safety measures putting in place to safeguard Ghanaian students outside the country, particularly in China, the group said in a statement. It also demanded the evacuation of Ghanaians student in China. It is in this light we call on the Ghanaian government to bring back home our dear students who are largely exposed to this risk. Coronavirus: Evacuate Ghanaians in Wuhan Ablakwa urges Government The Member of Parliament for the North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa earlier called on government to, as a matter of urgency, evacuate students and other Ghanaians trapped at Wuhan in China's Hubei Province due to the outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus. He said, considering the fact that the outbreak has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization, it would better to have the Ghanaians returned to the country especially as there is no confirmation that any of them are infected. The Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Badu Sarkodie is reported to have advised the government against evacuating Ghanaians in the virus-stricken city of Wuhan but Ablakwa, who is also the Minority's spokesperson on foreign affairs said in a statement that evacuating Ghanaians at this point will rather protect the citizens. citinewsroom Walkers take in both the river and Philadelphia skyline views as they cross a bridge over the Cooper River on an unseasonably warm day in January. Read more The official high in Philadelphia on Monday, 60, fell short of the daily record, but the weather did quite a decent impersonation of April, and forecasters say February wont act much like itself until the weekend at the earliest. Daytime readings will be above the long-term averages through the workweek, and its at least possible that the thermometer makes a run at 60 again Thursday night or early Friday. Overnight lows Tuesday and Wednesday will be above the average daytime highs. And rain, maybe lots of it, is in the forecast for Tuesday through Friday. Its been a sad winter for snow lovers, said Nicholas Carr, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Mount Holly, with a measure of understatement. Punxsutawney Phil, the prognosticating rodent, might be on to something. In case you missed it, he failed to see his shadow Sunday, the folklore harbinger of an early spring. Computer models are saying not so fast, suggesting hints of at least a modest transition to winter during the second half of the weekend and perhaps later in the month. Temperatures on Saturday will be close to where they should be, with highs in the lower 40s. A smallish storm could pop off the coast and throw back some snow toward Philadelphia Saturday night into Sunday, a nuisance threat that likely wouldnt bear mentioning in a normal February, said Dave Dombek, a meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc. Theres at least some potential, said Dombek. The governments Climate Prediction Center has odds favoring above-normal temperatures through mid-month. Dombek said computer models do suggest an intrusion of cold air thereafter. But talk about Groundhog Day, the movie version: Computer models have been hallucinating about future cold and snow all winter. READ MORE: Surprise snowfalls have become rare. In fact, forecast snow often doesn't come. READ MORE: How does a forecasted snowstorm fizzle out? Blame the computers. If youre looking for winter, said Dombek, its just not here. Through Monday, the official seasonal snow total stands at 0.3 inches, or exactly 11 inches below normal, typically half the seasonal total. Based on climatology, this is the heart of the peak snow season in Philadelphia. Said Dombek: The clock is running. Phil could not be reached for comment. Medics in hazmat suits delivered a baby boy inside the coronavirus quarantine zone with both his parents feared to have the deadly virus. Doctors and nurses dressed in full protective gear and goggles helped to deliver the 7lb 11oz boy at Wuhan Union Hospital on Saturday. The boy's father is a confirmed coronavirus patient and medics suspect that his mother has also been infected. Pictures from the hospital showed the child in the arms of doctor Song Bo, who said the baby was 'healthy and everyone is very happy'. Medics pose in goggles and protective suits after helping to deliver a baby whose parents are both feared to have been infected with coronavirus The baby meets its mother - a suspected coronavirus patient - after it was delivered on Saturday inside the quarantine zone The Wuhan hospital's isolation unit, inside the quarantined Hubei province, is the designated national location for pregnant coronavirus patients. As a result, medics such as Song have been sent from numerous other provinces to assist with the influx of people. The doctor is usually based at the department of infectious diseases at the Fourth Hospital of Harbin Medical University in a different province, Heilongjiang. The mother, named only as Ms Gong, was transferred to the hospital from the same province last Friday. She has been held in isolation as a suspected carrier of the deadly virus, while her husband remains in quarantine after he was diagnosed. Dr Song said: 'The patient successfully gave birth to a 7lb 11oz (3.5kg) boy. 'The child is healthy and everyone is very happy. He's been sent to Wuhan Children's Hospital for further tests. 'As a father-of-two myself, it's been tough being on the front line day and night, but we're all so excited to see this new life. 'I believe we will win the fight against this disease.' Doctors and nurses dressed in full protective gear and goggles helped to deliver the 7lb 11oz boy on Saturday, day 10 of the Wuhan lockdown Officials say that medics are running short of protective medical equipment because of the coronavirus outbreak. Medical workers need 'urgent supplies' of masks, protective suits and safety goggles, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday. Virus fears have prompted many in the country of 1.4billion to stock up on face masks, but China's factories can only produce 20million of them a day at full capacity. In addition, several cities and provinces including Wuhan have made it compulsory to wear masks in public in a bid to contain the virus. The death toll from coronavirus soared past 360 on Monday, exceeding the 349 fatalities in mainland China from the 2002-03 SARS outbreak. The number of infections in China also jumped signficantly on Monday, passing 17,200. The baby at Wuhan Union Hospital which is the designated national location for pregnant coronavirus patients Amid mounting pressure, the government has been racing to build two new hospitals in extraordinarily quick time. The first of those, a 1,000-bed facility, was due to open on Monday, just 10 days after construction began. About 1,400 military medics will treat patients at the hospital, dubbed 'Fire God Mountain', according to state media. However with the death toll surging in Wuhan and other areas of Hubei, it was not immediately clear what overall impact the hospitals would have. In a worrying sign of a further spread, the eastern industrial city of Wenzhou was yesterday placed under a similar lockdown to Wuhan. Roads in Wenzhou, 500 miles to the east of Wuhan, were closed and its nine million people were ordered to stay indoors. Only one resident per household in Wenzhou is allowed to go out every two days to buy necessities, authorities announced. The comments section is closed. To submit a letter to the editor for publication, write to letters@nytimes.com The Cabinet of Ministers approved a plan to prevent Chinese coronavirus (2019-nCoV) spread in Ukraine, as well as a national plan of anti-epidemic measures, the Government portal reported. "We are currently developing regional plans for certain regions. Hospitals are instructed to prepare for dealing with a possible case of illness, as well as to determine the need for medication and equipment, and the Health Ministry will monitor and assist methodologically," Honcharuk said. Also, the plan envisages that holidays for Chinese students studying in Ukraine will be prolonged. The prime minister stressed that the Foreign Ministry and Health Ministry recommend Ukrainian citizens to temporarily refrain from tourist and business trips to China. "We are establishing high alert regime for all civil defense systems so that all relevant services are promptly mobilized in case of need," said the prime minister. As reported, cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) have been reported in China since December 2019 Cases of the coronavirus have been already confirmed in 23 countries. As of February 3, there were 17,389 laboratory-confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV, death toll grew to 362. These protests, held around January 20, are important to show the Iranian people that they and their legitimate protests have backing in the West, but also to show the Iranian regime that the world is watching their brutal crackdown on protesters. The MEK and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), have supported the Iranian peoples popular protests since the very beginning, but the protests took on a whole different feeling in November, with the anti-government demonstrations calling for regime change and 1,500 protesters murdered by the regime as a result. On Saturday, January 18, MEK supporters in Stockholm gathered to show solidarity with the Iranian people, voice their support for the Iranian Resistance movement, and pay tribute to Rajavi for his contribution to the MEK and the sacrifices he made. (Rajavi is the last remaining member of the original MEK membership, as the rest were killed in prison under the Shah. He was only spared thanks to an international campaign by his brother, who was living in Switzerland. His brother was then assassinated by the mullahs and when Rajavi left the country, his first wife was killed by the regime.) The MEK supporters then echoed the Iranian people, with the chant, Down with the oppressor; be it the Shah or [Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei. That same day, MEK supporters gathered outside the White House in Washington DC, USA, to call for all political prisoners to be released immediately and show their support for the November uprising. Meanwhile, in The Hague, the Netherlands, Iranians and MEK supporters held a protest outside the Dutch Parliament to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners. They also called on the international community to dispatch a fact-finding mission to Iran to stop further bloodshed by the regime. In Hamburg, Germany, Iranians and MEK supporters held a rally to support the ongoing protests in Iran as well as commemorate Rajavis release from prison. Some of the representatives of Iranian associations in Germany addressed the rally, noting that Rajavi was among the last group of political prisoners to be freed on January 20, 1979, just four days after the Shah fled Iran. In Copenhagen, Denmark, the MEK supporters organized a protest, where they chanted slogans in solidarity with their risen compatriots, such as Regime change in Iran by the people of Iran and Down with the dictator. Down with Khamenei. In Tehran and other cities across Iran, the MEKs Resistance Units began to put up large banners of Rajavi with the quotes The world should know that Massoud Rajavi is our leader and The end of the mullahs tyranny is near. The MEK is dedicated to freedom in Iran and will not end its protests until the regime is overthrown. OTTAWA - Canadians returning from the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak will remain in isolation including from each other and still need significant support after they arrive, federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said Monday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/2/2020 (706 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Minister of Health Patty Hajdu responds to a question during an update on the coronavirus situation on Monday, February 3, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - Canadians returning from the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak will remain in isolation including from each other and still need significant support after they arrive, federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said Monday. While Hajdu said she believes Canadians evacuated from Wuhan will be "very grateful to come home," she noted their return might not be easy. She said many have already endured isolation and low supplies in Wuhan, a city of 11 million in central China that has been under quarantine in an effort to contain the spread of the virus, and will have undergone a great deal of stress before they arrive in Canada. They will also be under mandatory quarantine and observation for 14 days after returning to Canadian soil. The federal government plans to land a chartered plane in Wuhan to transport Canadian citizens who do not show symptoms to Canadian Forces Base Trenton. Permanent residents of Canada accompanying Canadian children as their primary caregivers will also be allowed to board the plane. Canada has not called for a public health emergency in the wake of the coronavirus, but has the authority as part of an emergency order under the federal Quarantine Act to keep those returning from Wuhan in isolation for 14 days before they can leave the base. Once the plane lands at CFB Trenton, a military base in southern Ontario, passengers will be housed at the Yukon Lodge, a motel with 290 guest rooms normally reserved for military personnel and their families, as well others visiting the base. They will be watched for symptoms for a full two weeks. "During the 14 days, we'll offer social support as well as mental health services given the stressful experiences many of these passengers will undergo or have undergone," Hajdu said Monday in Ottawa. So far, there's no indication any of the Canadians who have asked for help to leave China show signs of the illness. Passengers will undergo a mandatory exit screening by Chinese authorities before they are allowed in the airport, and be screened a second time by Canadian medical personnel before they board the plane. Once on board they'll be given surgical masks and hand sanitizer as they're monitored over the course of the flight for possible symptoms of the virus. Those that fall ill will be moved to a separate part of the plane for the rest of the flight. The flight is expected to land in Vancouver to refuel, and any sick passengers can be transported to hospitals from there while the rest continue to the Ontario military base. Earlier Monday, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, also cautioned that passengers will need to be monitored for more than just coronavirus. "We're trying to set up a process, if they're going to come, that we want to get comprehensive care," Williams said in Toronto. "We're looking at the facilities there. Is it adequate, is it nice lodging, and proper food? All those day-to-day needs are going to be met because these people coming will need to be handled in that way." If any of the passengers from China show symptoms of the virus while they are on the base, they will be transferred to a local hospital for further isolation, observation and treatment. At the end of the 14 days, Canadians under quarantine on the military base who still don't show any signs or symptoms of coronavirus will be transported to either Ottawa, Toronto or Montreal, where they can finally return home. While it's not clear exactly how many Canadians will be transported out of the epicentre of the viral outbreak, as of Monday afternoon Hajdu said 304 had requested help to leave China, but only 280 of them had Canadian passports. She stressed the numbers were fluid, though, and a few hours later, a Foreign Affairs official briefing the House of Commons health committee said 312 have asked for help to leave. The government has approved a second chartered flight in case there's not enough room on the first Canadian plane out of Wuhan. Personnel at the base undertook a "dry run" Monday to make sure they're prepared for the Canadians' arrival from China, Hajdu said. The Defence Department says all Canadian Armed Forces members will be issued protective equipment to guard against possible infection, and will be monitored themselves for signs of the virus. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2020. with files from Allison Jones in Toronto Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to assist public health partners in responding to the novel (new) coronavirus outbreak first identified in Wuhan, China, February, 2020. As concerns over the coronavirus mount, some U.S. school districts have canceled Chinese student exchange programs to alleviate fears in the community. Since the first outbreak of the new virus reported in Wuhan, China, in late December, the virus has spread both locally and overseas, sickening about 17,400 people across the globe and killing at least 362. There have been 11 cases in the United States so far. Last month, Yakima School District canceled the trip of eight students, two teachers, and two administrators, who were planning to travel to Macao, China in mid-February. Washington was also the first state where a U.S. case of the coronavirus was identified when a man in his 30s was confirmed sick in Snohomish County. A handful of schools and school districts in Massachusetts have also canceled Chinese exchange programs. Brookline school district said a planned student trip to China has been postponed indefinitely. Norton school district said 10 Chinese students from schools in and around Beijing are no longer coming to study at its schools as originally planned. Easton Middle School, which was supposed to host about 10 to 16 students from the Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School in China starting Monday, canceled its plans as well. Philadelphia's William Penn Charter School said in January that it was canceling its two-week-long Chinese student exchange program after a student was tested for the coronavirus, Sharon Sexton, a spokeswoman for the school, told CNBC. The test turned out negative. It is likely the exchange program will continue next year when it is advisable to travel to the region, Sexton said. Some school districts are taking extra precautions. The Chula Vista Elementary School District in San Diego sent a letter to parents last week asking them to follow the guidelines released by the California Department of Public Health. "During the outbreak, we ask any students who have a fever of 100.4 Fahrenheit or greater to be kept home until they have no fever for 24 hours, without fever medication," superintendent Francisco Escobedo stated in the letter. Others are going even further and asking students who have traveled to the region not to attend classes. Four students who visited China for the Lunar New Year were advised to live-off campus temporarily at the Annie Wright Schools, a private boarding school in Tacoma, Washington. The students did not visit Wuhan or have symptoms of the coronavirus, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. The students are expected to return to the dorm after a week, Annie Wright spokesperson Lisa Isenman told CNBC. Thirty high school students from The Benjamin School, an independent day school in Palm Beach County, were told to stay home from class. The students were at a Model United Nations event at Yale University attended by a Chinese student who was thought to potentially have coronavirus. The student has since then tested negative, according to New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker. Monday morning, February 3, 2020. (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) If you thought something was missing from your morning commute into Trenton Monday, you're not wrong. Since the 1960s, the familiar landmark twin smokestacks of the former Mercer Generating Station have loomed on the horizon from many different vantage points around the Trenton-Hamilton area, not the least of which was I-295. Since the 1960s, the familiar landmark twin smokestacks of the former Mercer Generating Station have loomed on the horizon from many different vantage points around the Trenton-Hamilton area, not the least of which was I-295. Don't Edit 2011 file photo looking north on I-295. (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) The smokestacks were imploded early Saturday morning. That was then... Don't Edit (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) ... and this is now. Don't Edit (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Fog obscured the view of the implosion, which took place at 8 a.m. As the morning fog, cleared, the familiar landmark twin smokestacks had disappeared from view on I-295. The Hamilton Township Office of Emergency Management had issued an alert on social media telling nearby residents to be prepared for the noise. Don't Edit The Hamilton Township Office of Emergency Management would like to alert residents that on Saturday, February 1, 2020... Posted by Hamilton Township on Friday, January 31, 2020 Don't Edit Don't Edit October 2011 file photo - View from the waters of the Delaware River. (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) The coal power unit, decommissioned in 2017, was one of only a handful of such facilities remaining in New Jersey. In 2008, when the Mercer Generating Station underwent $600 million of upgraded emissions controls, the Trenton Times newspaper, owned by NJ Advance Media and affiliated with NJ.com, was granted unprecedented access to the plant's interior areas. Don't Edit Panoramic view from a 2008 tour during $600 million of upgraded emissions controls at the then PSE&G plant. (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Don't Edit 2008 file photo shows PSEG site construction manager George Gadach, right, in the control room of the PSE&G Mercer Generating Station (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Don't Edit 2008 file closeup photo of the smokestacks. (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Don't Edit A 2008 view inside the control room while the then PSE&G's coal-fired power plant, the Mercer Generating Station was undergoing $600 million of upgrades to reduce emissions. (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Don't Edit Don't Edit The twin smokestacks are visible in the distance of this 2011 sunset photo, from Bordentown Township, New Jersey, over waters in the Hamilton-Trenton-Bordentown Marsh. (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Don't Edit Michael Mancuso may be reached at mmancuso@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @michaelmancuso. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com's newsletters. Following the decision of United States to ban people who travelled to China for the last two weeks from travelling into the country as a measure to stop the spread of Coronavirus, the Chinese government has slammed the US for taking such decision. Recall that the World Health Organisation has labelled the Coronavirus outbreak as a global emergency as a result of 259 people who have lost their lives in China and thousands infected with the virus. Trumps administration decided to ban all flights from China to the country till the disease goes away after 8 cases have been recorded in the US. The United States declared a public health emergency on Friday and President Trump signed an order blocking the entry of foreign nationals who are not the immediate family of American citizens or permanent residents, if they have visited China within the last 14 days. Reacting to the decision of the US, China slammed the US eventhough Australia announced similar measures while the WHO warned countries to be prepared against an outbreak. Reacting to the decision, the Chinas foreign affairs ministry spokesman Hua Chunying stated in a statement obtained that Certain US officials words and actions are neither factual nor appropriate. Just as the WHO recommended against travel restrictions, the US rushed to go in the opposite way. Certainly not a gesture of goodwill. Barely hours after WHO declared the epidemic as a global health emergency, WHO representative in Beijing, Gauden Galea said to The Associated Press: Countries need to get ready for possible importation in order to identify cases as early as possible and in order to be ready for a domestic outbreak control, if that happens, The number of confirmed cases in China has risen to 11,791, surpassing the number in the 2002-03 outbreak of SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Share this: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Bhagwant Mann on Monday said that voters in Delhi will vote for 'Vikas' (development) and not for 'Vinash' (destruction) in the ensuing assembly elections. "The statement of Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister) on 'Kanwariyas' is a part of hatred of the BJP," Mann told ANI, adding that of polarisation is not good for Delhi. "People in Delhi have decided that they will vote for 'Vikas' and not 'Vinash'. AAP has requested the Election Commission to put a ban on Adityanath from campaigning," he added. On being asked whether there will any impact as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will campaign for BJP today, Mann said, "I don't understand why they have not called (US President Donald) Trump. Modi ji had gone (to the US) and said, 'Abki Baar Trump sarkar'." Polling on 70 Assembly seats of Delhi will be held on February 8 and the counting of votes will take place on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) YEREVAN, 3 FEBUARY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 3 February, USD exchange rate is up by 0.09 drams to 478.85 drams. EUR exchange rate is up by 2.25 drams to 530.23 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate is down by 0.07 drams to 7.49 drams. GBP exchange rate is down by 1.99 drams to 626.00 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price is up by 4.59 drams to 24389.37 drams. Silver price is up by 0.06 drams to 275.35 drams. Platinum price is up by 2.77 drams to 14764.17 drams. A district court in Russia-controlled Crimea has jailed an embattled safari park owner in connection with his failure to appear for a court proceeding related to a lion biting a park visitor. The Belohorsk District Court ordered on February 3 that Oleh Zubkov, the owner of the Taigan lion park, should be jailed for two months. The decision came in part due to concerns that Zubkov would flee abroad, the Crimean press service told the Crimea Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service. The Crimea Desk reported that Zubkov -- who supported Moscow's illegal annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 but has since been in conflict with the Russia-installed authorities -- was handcuffed and taken to a police station. His lawyers have said they are seeking his prompt release. Zubkov has said he has been called for hundreds of court hearings related to his operation of the park since Russia's occupation of the peninsula. He has claimed in the past that he has not been able to draw up documents for his properties, resulting in the closure of the 32-hectare park to visitors in 2015. The Taigon lion park is situated in the city of Belohorsk on an abandoned Soviet military base that Zubkov purchased in 2006, and is touted as the largest breeding ground for lions and other predator animals in Europe. It boasts approximately 80 lions and 50 tigers, among other animals. WATCH: Crimean Safari Park Fights For Survival His latest run-in with the courts resulted from a lawsuit stemming from a July 2018 incident in which a lion bit a visitor who was getting a picture taken while on the park's Walk With The Lions trail. In April, the Belohorsk District Court banned the trail, which allowed guests to "chat with lions without barriers." The victim, Olha Solimina, told Crimea 24 television at the time that the lion "dragged me like a doll" and that she had said "goodbye to life." The next thing she remembered, she was standing and Zubkov was bandaging a bleeding wound, after which she was urgently taken to the park medical station. "I asked that the ambulance or police not be called," she told the television outlet. She has since said that Zubkov was nearby, but "couldn't calm his animals down right away." Zubkov has acknowledged that a lion bit Solimina, claiming that she was drunk and had ruffled the animal's mane. He said he immediately stopped the lion and she was treated by a park doctor for a deep puncture wound to her hand. An investigation by the consumer-protection agency Rospotrebnadzor did not find any violations, Zubkov told RFE/RL in August. The Taigon park once attracted 500,000 visitors a year, but has struggled since Russia's 2014 annexation. In a 2016 video shot by RFE/RL, Zubkov said that he looked back fondly on the days when he -- a Russian -- could live in Crimea under Ukraine and build safari parks. "Unfortunately, those days have passed," he said. Zubkov's jail sentence comes after a public spat with Sergei Aksyonov, the Russia-imposed head of Crimea, that ended in a compromise. On his VK page on February 3, Aksyonov said he had "no right to interfere" in the court's activities, but offered "to personally guarantee" that Zubkov would appear for future court appearance if he were released from jail. An Australian man living in London was going for an afternoon run before he saw a knifeman being gunned down by police after his stabbing spree. Sudesh Amman, 20, was shot dead around 2pm on Sunday local time in Streatham, south of London, after stabbing a man and a woman. He had been released from jail just days prior to the terror attack and had been wearing a fake suicide vest at the time. Daniel Gough, 26, from Brisbane was running around the neighbourhood before he suddenly heard three gun shots that came from across the road. Daniel Gough, 26, (pictured) from Brisbane was running around the neighbourhood before he suddenly heard three gun shots that came from across the road Mr Gough said he and a few other people near him ran down a side street before returning to the crime scene minutes later. 'There was a policeman who was pointing his gun at a man on the ground who had obviously been shot. The policeman was just screaming at everyone in the area to get back,' Mr Gough told Nine News. 'At that stage no-one had any idea what was going on. I just thought it was a London shooting, the sort you hear about happening from time to time. We didn't realise it was terrorist-related until later.' The 26-year-old said within minutes, seven police cars had turned up with heavily armed officers. 'They all had rifles and bullet proof vests. They seemed very desperate. They were even man-handling people out of stores,' Mr Gough said. Mr Gough had moved to London with his wife and had nearly witnessed another massacre just two months earlier during the London Bridge attack. Sudesh Amman, 20, was shot by police around 2pm on Sunday local time in Streatham, south of London, after stabbing a man and a woman He said he was on the bridge just three hours before Usman Khan stabbed two people to death. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Gough said after the gunshots were fired everyone started running. 'There was panic, people were yelling. A young girl running alongside me kept asking 'Is this what I'm meant to do?' he said. 'She was very distressed. After a few minutes, I went back and saw a policeman and he yelled, telling everyone to get back. Armed police shot dead terrorist Amman, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, after he grabbed a knife from a shop and stabbed a man and a woman during a brutal high-street rampage in south London 'His gun was pointing in the direction of a man on the floor. Suddenly, more police appeared. There were [officers] everywhere.' After the rampage, one man was rushed to hospital with life-threatening stab wounds and another woman taken with non life-threatening injuries. Annam had been jailed for three years and four months in December 2018, when he pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing terrorist documents including bomb making manuals and knife fighting guides. During the attack, Amman stole a knife from a convenience store and stabbed the man, in his 40s, in the stomach before knifing a female cyclist, in her 50s, in the back as he ran down the street. Armed police were on the scene within minutes, having been following him because they suspected he was going to launch a terrorist attack imminently. After he failed to stop, Amman was shot dead outside a Boots chemist. Fearing an explosion from the attacker's 'suicide vest', dozens of shoppers had been ordered to take shelter behind the closed shutters of Boots and a WHSmith store. Families in a nearby Odeon cinema were interrupted mid-way through their films and evacuated by police. Others having lunch in a nearby cafe were ordered to leave immediately. (Natural News) In 2014 Progressive Press published a book by a French author, Laurent Guyenot, titled JFK-9/11: 50 Years of Deep State. The book contains much interesting reporting that shows that the official explanations we are given about even major events, such as the assassination of a President and 9/11, are transparently false. Yet, these transparently false explanations are hard to challenge despite all available evidence being against the explanations. (Article by Paul Craig Roberts republished from PaulCraigRoberts.org) Reviewing such a book is a challenge that I avoided by securing permission to reprint two chapters from the book. One chapter, Ghost planes, deals with the mystery of the four allegedly hijacked airliners. No trace of the one that allegedly hit the Pentagon has ever been found, and the many videos of the event remain under lock and key. No trace of the one that allegedly crashed in Pennsylvania has ever been found. Neither has any trace of the two that allegedly hit the two World Trade Center towers ever been found, although an unburnt passpost was allegedly found in the ruins of two massive buildings. Readers might remember that I raised the question why we did not hear demands for explanations from the families of the victims of the four destroyed airliners like we did from the families whose relatives were in the twin towers. Guyenot reports that of the alleged casualties of AA77 only five of these have relatives who received the 9-11 Compensation Fund offered by the State. . . . no family of the victims of Flight UA93 requested compensation. How can this be? The other chapter, The Art of the Patsy, shows that the key to the ability of the authorities to control the explanation is to have an explanation of the event ready at hand. No one expected President Kennedys assassination or he wouldnt have been riding in a convertible. Yet it was instantly known that Oswald was the assassin. The explanation for 9/11 was also instantaneous. It was CIA-asset Osama bin Laden, who was dying from renal failure and no longer useful to the CIA. If you find Guyenot interesting, you might want to read his book. What Guyenot shows us is that what the CIA has schooled the dumbshit presstitute media to ridicule as conspiracy theory is indeed a conspiracy, a real one usually involving the CIA. Sorry. The images didnt transfer. Ghost Planes The governments narrative on 9/11 says that the Boeing 757 of Flight UA93 (from New Jersey to San Francisco) crashed at Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after the passengers fought the hijackers and prevented them from flying the aircraft into the White House or Camp David. But in the images of the impact site released on the same day, it is impossible to distinguish any wreckage of an airliner; even the reporters who had rushed to the scene were perplexed. The first to arrive there, Jon Meyer of WJAC-TV, an NBC affiliate in Pennsylvania, declared: I was able to get right up to the edge of the crater. [] All I saw was a crater filled with small, charred plane parts. Nothing that would even tell you that it was the plane. [] There were no suitcases, no recognizable plane parts, no body parts. The Mayor of Shanksville, Ernie Stull, early on the scene with his sister and a friend, declared in March 2003: Everyone was puzzled, because the call had been that a plane had crashed. But there was no plane. [] Nothing. Only this hole. [Image LG17-1 Shanksville] Photographer Scott Spangler recalls his surprise when looking at the crash scene of UA93: I didnt think I was in the right place. I was looking for a wing or a tail. There was nothing, just this pit. The Boeing 757 of Flight AA77 (from Washington to Los Angeles) that allegedly crashed into the Pentagon also could not be found. French journalist Thierry Meyssan was the first to draw conclusions in 9/11: The Big Lie, a dissenting investigation published in March 2002 based on pictures from the Department of Defense and Associated Press. The lawn before the crash site was immaculate, the two or three pieces of debris that could be seen were ridiculously small, and could not be identified as belonging to a Boeing. The reporter Jamie McIntyre of CNN, who arrived at the Pentagon an hour after the crash, was perplexed: From my close-up inspection, there is no evidence of a plane having crashed anywhere near the Pentagon. [] the only pieces left that you can see are small enough that you pick up in your hand. There are no large tail sections, wing sections, fuselage, nothing like that anywhere around which would indicate that the entire plane crashed into the side of the Pentagon. [Image LG17-2 Pentagon lawn] Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski of the U.S. Air Force, who was on the scene within minutes after the explosion at the Pentagon, reported: I saw nothing of significance at the point of impactno airplane metal or cargo debris was blowing on the lawn in front of the damaged building as smoke billowed from within the Pentagon. [] all of us staring at the Pentagon that morning were indeed looking for such debris, but what we expected to see was not evident. Was the plane buried deep into the building? No photo taken inside the crash site shows even the slightest credible scrap of a plane, and witnesses say that they did not see anything that would suggest an airplane. April Gallop was in her office with her son of two months, 10 or 15 meters from the impact zone. She felt an explosion, and then the ceiling fell in on her; in making her way towards the exit with her child, she saw nothing that made her think that a plane had crashed, no wreckage, no airplane fragments, no engines, no seats, no luggage, no fuselage sections with rows of windows, and especially, no blazing quantities of burning jet fuel. [Image LG17-3 Does not fit] I look at the hole in the Pentagon, and I look at the size of an airplane that was supposed to have hit the Pentagon, and I say: the plane does not fit in that hole. So what did hit the Pentagon? What hit it? Where is it? Whats going on? (General Albert Stubblebine, head of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command from 1981 to 1984). Did Flight 77 just vanish? Did the fire, hardly noticeable in the photos, melt its hundred tons of metal, as was suggested by the government? If that were in fact the case, how did they manage to identify all the passengers through their fingerprints and DNA analysis, as has been claimed? (None of the allegedly dead bodies, by the way, has been identified by a relative: they were all transferred to a military base, where they were incinerated.) [Image LG17-4 Pentagon hole] We are asked to believe that the plastic nose of a Boeing 757 made this hole after going through five other reinforced concrete walls, as Rumsfeld himself announced on Good Morning America (ABC), September 13. It resembles rather the damage done by a shell with a hollow charge, designed to perforate such walls. The recordings of 85 video cameras, either placed at the Pentagon or in the general vicinity, were seized by government agents, but no recognizable image of the aircraft was made public. Only one sequence was released by court order in May 2006, and it includes four images that show an object exploding as it hits the Pentagon, but they do little to suggest that it is an airplane that caused the blast. Curiously, the film is dated September 12, not 11. According to some experts, the yellow light emitted by the explosion in the images could not have been caused by jet fuel, and neither can the odor of cordite (an explosive made from nitroglycerine, nitrocellulose and nitroguanidine) that some Pentagon employees have reported. Professional pilots united around Rob Balsamo as part of Pilots for 9/11 Truth have analyzed the trajectory of Flight AA77 provided by the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) and demonstrated that it was physically impossible for a Boeing airliner. The aircraft descended in an extremely perilous spiral maneuver, finally hitting the second floor of the west facade horizontally, without hitting the turf in front of the building. It is impossible, since at such low altitude and high speed, such a plane loses all of its lift. And even if it were possible, the feat would have been beyond the capacity of Hani Hanjour, the alleged pilot of the aircraft. A few months before September 11th, Hanjour was written up for incompetence by his Arizona flight school JetTech, who then called for the withdrawal of his license. An instructor at JetTech is quoted in the New York Times, April 5, 2002 saying: Im still to this day amazed that he could have flown into the Pentagon. He could not fly at all. The other supposed hijackers in the plane were no better: Nawaq al-Hazmi and Khaid al-Mihdhars instructor in San Diego declared to the Washington Post (September 24, 2001): Their English was horrible, and their mechanical skills were even worse. [] It was like they had hardly even ever driven a car. [Image LG17-5 Mubarak] In a CNN interview on September 15, 2001, then again on BBC on September 19th, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak questioned the official U.S. explanation regarding 9/11. As a fighter pilot, he said in a later article, I find it hard to believe that people who were learning to fly in Florida could, within a year and a half, fly large commercial airlines and hit with accuracy the towers of the World Trade Center which would appear, to the pilot from the air, the size of a pencil. Mubarak would soon pay the price. Air defense is the responsibility of NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), and in particular its NEADS (Northeast Air Defense Sector) department. NORAD had successfully intercepted 67 planes throughout the twelve months preceding September 11, 2001, each time in less than twenty minutes. Intercept tactics are triggered at the slightest alarm, as part of precautionary measures. Even if we assume that NORAD could not have intercepted Flights AA11 and UA175 before they crashed into the Twin Towers, it is incomprehensible that it could not intercept Flight AA77, which supposedly crashed 50 minutes later into the Pentagon, the most secure building in the world. Something or somebody must have deliberately prevented normal procedure, as Robert Bowman, Director of Advanced Space Programs Development for the U.S. Air Force, has assumed: If our government had done nothing that day and let normal procedure be followed, those planes, wherever they were, would have been intercepted, the Twin Towers would still be standing and thousands of dead Americans would still be alive. Contradicting Condoleezza Rice and President Bush, who declared in 2002 that no one could have predicted this kind of attack, USA Today revealed on April 18, 2004 that NORAD was conducting, four times a year since 1999, military drillsor war gamesthat involved aircraft hijacked by terrorists and directed against the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. With these new facts, the rather shallow excuses for American air defense ineffectiveness on September 11 were turned on their head: it was then explained that on that very day, NORAD was occupied with five military exercises, three of which, under the names of Vigilant Guardian, Global Guardian, and Vigilant Warrior, were simulated hijackings, both with real and virtual flights. Consequently, according to Colonel Robert Marr, head of NEADS, as many as twenty-nine hijacked planes were on the radar screens at NORAD on that day. According to Lieutenant Colonel Dwane Deskins, head of Vigilant Guardian quoted in an article in the Syracuse Post-Standard on January 20, 2002, everyone concerned at NEADS initially thought that the announcement of the hijacking of Flight AA11 was part of the ongoing military exercises. This aspect of the case is crucial to understanding the unfolding of the attacks on September 11th. As explains Captain Eric May, a former intelligence officer in the U.S. Army, the easiest way to carry out a false flag attack is by setting up a military exercise that simulates the very attack you want to carry out. Once the exercise is fully developed, it will require nothing more but to change a single parameter to turn the operation from simulated to real. Those who plan and oversee the drill are not necessarily those who hijack it to turn it into real. Most participants in the 9/11 synthetic terror act, accustomed to obey military orders and the established rules of the (war) game, perform their appointed mission without knowing that the attack will turn out to be real. When they realize what they have been involved in, they simultaneously grasp the danger of raising objections; they themselves have been framed. As in the Kennedy assassination, military discipline is the key to ensuring the necessary silence of all unwilling, or unknowing participants. [Image LG17-6 Peter Power] Hours after the London bombings of July 6, 2005 (claimed by an improbable Secret Al-Qaeda in Europe), Peter Power, a former Scotland Yard official turned manager of a private security company, revealed on BBC Radio 5, then again on ITV News, that he was conducting on that very morning, for a private company of the City, a simulation employing one thousand persons, based on simultaneous bombs going off precisely at the railway stations where it happened this morning. So we had to suddenly switch an exercise from fictional to real. The website of his company Visor Consultants emphasizes that the crisis drills they design aspire to be Making the scenario come alive and be as realistic as possible. It would be foolish to think that Power has made a blunder by his revelation; he probably saved his life. All things considered, it is highly doubtful whether any of the airline flights reportedly hijacked on 9/11 were involved in the attacks. The Bureau of Transportation, which holds precise records of all flights, has no trace of Flight AA77 on September 11th; it was not planned at Dulles Airport that day, and its takeoff was not recorded. As for Flight UA93, it doesnt normally circulate Tuesdays, but as an exception, it had taken passengers initially planned for Flight UA91, which had been canceled due to a crack in the windshield. This flight was recorded at takeoff, but then it is also recorded as having landed in San Francisco at noon, 45 minutes late. Finally, the mayor of Cleveland, Michael White, was quoted at 11:50 am on ABC News saying that a Boeing 767 flying out of Boston was forced to make an emergency landing in Cleveland due to a bomb threat, and had been taken to a secure area of ??the airport to be evacuated. The plane was identified as Flight UA93although a Boeing 767 out of Boston corresponded rather to the Flight UA175. The problem of the transponders is also perplexing. This device transmits the position of aircraft to control towers, and also allows the pilot to send alert and emergency messages. Incredibly, none of the eight pilots or their professional copilots entered the four-digit code on the transponder which signals an assault on the cockpita maneuver that takes only three seconds. In fact, each aircraft actually cut their respective transponders, and then completely disappeared from secondary radars for nearly an hour while going through radar gaps. For example, AA77 left Washington for Los Angeles, disappeared from radars near Ohio and was spotted again an hour later near Washington DC. According to official reports, many passengers of Flights UA93, UA175 and AA77 had made calls to relatives or friends from their portable phones. Details of these calls (by passengers named Jeremy Glick, Peter Hanson, Brian Sweeney, Mark Bingham, Elizabeth Wainio, Marion Britton, Sandra Bradshaw, Tom Burnett, Edward Felt, CeeCee Lyles) were reported as early as September 13th on mainstream TV channels and newspapers (like The Washington Post). But they are highly problematic, because the technology required to make high-altitude phone calls was not developed until 2004. Moreover, some calls include oddities completely incongruent with the context, exemplified by Mark Binghams call to his mother a few seconds before his death: Hi, Mom. This is Mark Bingham. Two calls were allegedly made from AA77 by Barbara Olson to her husband Ted Olson. The Olsons are both public figures: Barbara was a well-known CNN reporter, and Ted has been Solicitor General during the first Bush term (after defending Bush in the disputed 2000 election, and then Dick Cheney when he refused to submit to Congress Enron-related documents during their investigation). Barbara Olsons calls, reported on CNN in the afternoon of September 11th, contributed to crystallizing some details of the official story, such as the box cutters used by the hijackers. Repeatedly invited on television shows, Ted Olson frequently contradicted himself when questioned regarding the calls from his wife. Sometimes he said she called him twice on a cell phone adding that the second call was cut because the signals from cell phones coming from airplanes dont work that well. Sometimes he said that his wife called collect from the air phone because she somehow didnt have access to her credit cards. This second version is as impossible as the first, because a credit card is required to activate the phones in the seats, even for a collect call, though really the entire argument is moot, given that the seats on AA77 were not equipped with telephones (as confirmed by American Airlines). The most troubling contradiction appeared in 2006, during the trial of supposed terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui: in their report on Flight AA77, the FBI attributed only one call from Barbara Olson, and it was an unconnected call lasting 0 seconds. Given the many impossibilities woven throughout the official story, the alternative hypothesis that seems most likely is that none of the four airplanes were in fact the Boeing 767 or 757s the world was told about. Flights AA77 and UA93 probably never existed. As for Flights AA11 and UA175, which reportedly hit the Twin Towers, several hypotheses are in competition among 9/11 truthers. Many surmise that they had been replaced by dronesplanes equipped with automatic remote control technology, and without passengers. But numerous witnesses have declared having seen no planes, while others saw missiles. No consensus has been reached on these matters. Simon Shack, in a groundbreaking documentary (September Clues, 2007), has analyzed the images of the second crash (South Tower) broadcast on September 11th and later, and argued that they are fakes, fabricated with various video editing software. This also applies to the only image of the first crash (North Tower), miraculously captured by the mysterious brothers Jules and Gedeon Naudet. The TV forgeries have been further explored by Ace Baker in his 2012 documentary 9/11 The Great American Psy-Opera, where he gives credence to professor Morgan Reynolds who has long claimed that the aluminum planes shown to penetrate the steel towers without resistance, defy physical laws and therefore must be video artifacts. Richard D. Hall of richplanet.net, however, after having attempted to show that the virtual planes added to the images were masking a missile-type object, has pointed out shortcomings in the video-compositing theory, and proposed an alternative theory based on holographic projections. Although there is yet no consensus on the method employed to create illusion, it is today clearly established that the planes penetrating the towers like butter, without being shattered or even decelerated at the impact, as seen on multiple TV footages, can in no way be real. The initial explosions seen at that precise moment must have another explanation. [Image LG17-7 CNN ghost plane] On this pic from the CNN footage of the second crash, the aluminum plane has half disappeared into the steel tower: a physical impossibility. If no planes hit the Twin Towers any more than the Pentagon or the field outside Shanksvilleall 9/11 Flights having been probably created virtual in the context of a drill, then all speculations on the military identity of those planes can be counted as diversions. So can discussions on the failures of U.S. air defenses. Of course, if the planes did not fly on that day, neither did the passengers. False identities were created, and it would seem that the Intel agencies involved suffered severe shortages in this regard. For Flight AA77, for example, only 53 passengers are listed, while the planes capacity is 239. Among the 53 passengers plus 9 crew members, only 14 persons are listed in the Social Security Death Index. And only 5 of these have relatives who received the 9-11 Compensation Fund offered by the State. Moreover, the passenger list comprises an abnormal percentage of Navy officers and aeronautic engineers (13 out of 53). The other three flights show similar percentages of capacity and recorded deaths (no family of the victims of Flight UA93 requested compensation, for example). The Art of the Patsy Peter Dale Scott was one of the first scholars to point out some parallels between the Kennedy assassination and the September 11th attacks. Each of these events was specifically designed to justify the illegitimate invasion of a foreign country and the overthrow of its hostile regime: Cuba in the first case, Afghanistan in the second, with the difference that the invasion of Cuba was eventually called off. Each of the two false flag crimes also preceded a second lie that justified war, conducted unilaterally by the United States against a far away country: the mock incident in the Gulf of Tonkin justified the aggression against North Vietnam, just as the lies surrounding Saddam Husseins weapons of mass destruction justified the war against Iraq. Unlike the first two crimes, the two secondary lies are today publicly recognized as such by politicians and historians alike. In both cases, the plot originated in the upper echelons of the National Security State, and directly served the interests of the military-industrial complex and all its parasites. In both cases, the goal was to traumatize the American nation with a crime so heinous as to transform the publics fear into hatred and build a national consensus for war against some stereotypical enemy who poses a mortal threat: Communism in the former case, Islamism in the second. It is also interesting to look at the preparation and eventual execution of the two deep events; doing so reveals a characteristic pattern and thereby allows for the development of a theory of false flag operations, and an increased ability to expose them. In both cases, for example, we note that the pseudo-culprit is identified almost instantaneously, along with the murder weapon. Oswald was arrested and accused in the hour that followed his alleged crime. Bin Laden was not arrested, but his name was plastered across TV screens everywhere by a slew of so-called terrorism experts in the hours following the collapse of the towers. The aim is to quickly and efficiently cut off any alternative theory and inspire confidence in the veracity of the official narrative, marginalizing in advance all the skeptics. Official information, in this kind of event, circumvents public discussion and debate, preventing the people from collectively building hypothesis, interpretations, and meaning. Less than a week after September 11th, the Pakistani General Hameed Gul, a former ISI Director, who knew ben Laden and didnt believe him to be able to orchestrate such operation, said to Arnaud de Borchgrave, UPIs inter- national editor at large: Within 10 minutes of the second twin tower being hit in the World Trade Center, CNN said Osama bin Laden had done it. That was a planned piece of disinformation by the real perpetrators. It created an instant mindset and put public opinion into a trance, which prevented even intelligent people from thinking for themselves. Studies show that information received from an authority during a period of emotional shockand thus rational vulnerabilityis embedded into the memory of the trauma, in such a way that the distinction between facts and interpretation becomes impossible. [Image LG18-1 Ideal witness] Mark Walsh was interviewed by Fox News (for which he works as a freelancer) in the hour following the disintegration of the towers, providing the ideal eyewitness testimony. I saw this plane come out of nowhere and just ream right into the side of the Twin Tower exploding through to the other side, and then I witnessed both towers collapse, the first, and then the second, mostly due to structural failure because the fire was just too intense. Conflating the observation and the technical explanation, in the very terms destined to become official, serves to cover the explanation which naturally comes to the mind of a neutral witness, such as journalist Don Dahler commenting on ABC News: The entire building has just collapsed, as if a demolition team set off Once the authorities assuredly designate a patsy, it becomes almost unnecessary to provide evidence of his guilt. It is remarkable that the FBI never formally charged bin Laden for the attacks of September 11th; he appears on the list of the ten most wanted criminals on their official website, but only as a suspect in the attacks against the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. When questioned by journalist Ed Hass of the Muckraker Report in June 2006, FBI spokesman Rex Tomb said: The reason why 9/11 is not mentioned on Osama bin Ladens Most Wanted page is because the FBI has no hard evidence connecting bin Laden to 9/11. Even the identification of the hijackers was presented to the public without any evidence; instead, conflicting information abounds, casting serious doubt about those identified: the flight manifests first provided by United Airlines and American Airlines did not include the name of any of the 19 hijackers, and there are no video images showing them boarding. The little evidence of their identity that has been made public is so convenient its rendered hardly credible, for example two passports and one identity card of the hijackers recovered miraculously from the crash sites of Flights AA11, AA77 and UA93, or a Quran and flight manual in Arabic left by Mohamed Atta in a rental car. [Image LG18-2 Passport] The magic passport of Satam Al Suqami, supposed to have escaped Flight AA11 at the moment of the impact, to be then picked up in a street of Manhattan by an anonymous passerby and handed to the FBI. Likewise, the passport of Ziad Jarrah, pilot of Flight UA93, was found at Shanksville near the crash site, and the ID of Majed Moqed, one of the hijackers of Flight AA77, came out unburnt in front of the Pentagon, while the plane had vaporized. A further parallel between the immediate identifications of the pseudo-culprits Oswald and bin Laden deserves to be mentioned: in both cases, they were charged with a second crime which strengthened the suspicion of their guilt in the public mind. An hour after Oswald was pinpointed, he was reported to have shot a police officer, J. D. Tippit, who had recognized him and approached him in the street. Similarly, the responsibility of the Taliban in the attacks of September 11th was made easier to believe by the report, one day before, of Commandant Massouds assassination, readily attributed to the same Al-Qaeda-Taliban alliance. A good patsy is a dead patsy; that is another fundamental rule of false flag operations that we can see applied in both Kennedys assassination and September 11th. Once designated, the falsely accused culprit must be eliminated as soon as possible, because he will have nothing to lose in speaking out, and he knows enough to realize that he is the subject of something malicious. Lee Harvey Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby two days after his alleged crime. That was already a bit late; the plan was probably to shoot him dead while trying to arrest him in the Texas Theater, where Jack Ruby was present according to manager George Applin. The news of Tippits murder would have been used to present Oswald as armed and dangerous and justify the shooting that led to his killing. It is unfortunate for the conspirators that Oswald had time to realize what was happening and say to the press: Im just a patsy. This might be one of the mistakes that prompted them to abandon their Communist conspiracy theory, which would have incurred too many inconsistenciesincluding FBI agents interrogating him and thereafter not recognizing his voice on the Mexico tapes produced by the CIA. In any case, a patsys claims to innocence are barely a speed bump when up against the steamroller of an aligned media; bin Ladens denial meant nothing. As for the suicide hijackers, they were dead by definition. Again, however, problems arose: a few days after the FBI identified the culprits (September 14th), seven of the nineteen hijackers came forward through various channels, proving that they were alivein Morocco, Saudi Arabia and elsewhereand consequently innocent. The father of the supposed ringleader Mohamed Atta, a respected lawyer from Cairo, told the German magazine Bild am Sonntag in late 2002 that [his] son called [him] the day after the attacks, September 12, and that he was hiding out of fear for his life. As for bin Laden, its not until April 30, 2011, in the operation known as Neptunes Spear, that he is supposed to have been eliminated by a SEAL commando, shot fatally in the head in his home in Abbottabad, Pakistan. His body, we were told, was dumped in the sea after identification. The only picture presented to the public was a vulgar photomontage, as the media quickly acknowledged. The farce would be funny if not for the tragic epilogue: Friday, August 5th, 2011 around 11 pm, a Chinook helicopter of the U.S. Army crashed in a province in central Afghanistan after being hit by two rocket-propelled grenades (RPG-7s) shot, we are told, by the Afghan resistance. The attack killed 38, including 30 members of Navy SEAL Team 6, the elite unit who had led Neptunes Spear. And thus there will be less chance of contradiction to the official story of bin Ladens death. Family members of the dead SEALs are now raising questions, however. [Image LG18-3 Fake corpse] The cheap Photoshop fake of bin Ladens corpse, sold to the public before being denounced as a fraud days later. Its likely that bin Laden actually died in late 2001, as was announced by the Pakistani President Musharraf (CNN, January 18, 2002), the Afghan President Hamid Karzai (CNN, October 7, 2002), and the leader of the anti-terrorism division of the FBI, Dale Watson (BBC, July 18, 2002). On January 28, 2002, CBS reported that on the eve of September 11th bin Laden had been treated in a military hospital in Pakistan for kidney dialysis, and was escorted by the Pakistani army. How could he have survived until 2011, holed up in the caves of Afghanistan, when he had to undergo dialysis every three days? More troubling still: two months earlier, bin Laden stayed at the American Hospital in Dubai, where he was visited by the local CIA station chief Larry Mitchell. This information comes from credible sources (administrative management of the hospital, members of the Saudi royal family, and French Intelligence) and was covered by French newspaper Le Figaro in October 2001. There were two advantages in holding back the announcement of bin Ladens death until 2011. First, it allowed the continued invasion of Afghanistan under the auspices of a manhunt. Second, it allowed bin Laden to speak when needed, and thus clear the doubts raised by his denials; better than a dead patsy, the architects of the September 11 deception created for themselves a virtual patsy. The guilt of bin Laden is based mainly upon three video confessions accredited by the CIA. The first was mysteriously found in December 2001 in Jellalabad, translated and released two months later. Despite the poor image quality, it is easy to see that the character presented as bin Laden is hardly a credible semblance. [Image LG18-4 Fake Ben Laden] On the left, the bin Laden of the December 2001 video. On the right, the real bin Laden. The second video appeared in October 2004, a week before the elections that reappointed George W. Bush. An independent analysis by the Swiss institute IDIAP specialized in perceptual intelligence, basing their study on comparisons with twenty previous recordings of bin Laden, concluded with 95% probability that the voice on the October tape is not that of bin Laden. A third video reached the public on September 8, 2007, in which bin Laden announced an intensification of Al-Qaeda activities in Iraq; this just before the debate in Congress regarding the need for new troops in Iraq. The image is frozen for most the message, and even when it is not, the quality is so bad that it is impossible to verify whether the movement of the lips corresponds to the soundtrack. Additionally, the videos of 2004 and 2007 were filmed in the same studio with the same frame and the same posture, but bin Laden looks younger on the second (he had dyed his beard black, it was explained). [Image LG18-5 Ben Laden 2004-2007] On the left, the bin Laden of the 2004 video. On the right, the same, three years later. The 2007 video was provided to the government by the Search for International Terrorist Entities Institute (SITE), founded by Israeli-American Rita Katz, daughter of an Iraqi Jew executed by Saddam Hussein on the charge of spying for Israel. After September 11th just like after Kennedys assassination, it was necessary to appease doubts with a Presidential Commission of inquiry. The 9/11 Commission was created in November 2002, and was led by Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, but its executive director was Philip Zelikow, who also happened to be the senior editor of the NSS 2002 document defining Bushs preemptive war doctrine. In 2006, Kean and Hamilton revealed in their book Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission, that the Commission was set up to fail from the beginning, Zelikow having already written a synopsis and a conclusion for the final report before the first meeting. He controlled all the working groups, prevented them from communicating with each other, and gave them the singular mission to prove the official story; Team 1A, for example, was tasked to tell the story of Al-Qaedas most successful operationthe 9/11 attacks. All information, and any request for information, had to pass through him. On top of that, most of the information obtained by the commissioners from the CIA and NORAD was far from the truth, according to Kean and Hamilton. The Commission had no access to any direct evidence or even the recordings of the interrogations of the suspected Al-Qaeda members, which came to them third hand in the form of reports, not even transcripts. Commission members had to be content, for example, with CIA affirmations that the confessions of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (described as the operational manager of the attacks), obtained between 183 waterboarding sessions, were certifiable evidence that bin Laden had authorized and supported the operation. Before the Commission published its final report in July 2004, several members expressed their frustration and resigned. One of them, Max Cleland, called the Commission a national scandal: One of these days we will have to get the full story because the 9-11 issue is so important to America. But the White House wants to cover it up. John Farmer, the Senior Counsel, said for his part in The Washington Post: what government and military officials had told Congress, the Commission, the media, and the public about who knew what whenwas almost entirely, and inexplicably, untrue. The Commission also threw a veil over one of the most disturbing facts around 9/11, which happened on the stock exchange: between the 6th and the 10th of September 2001, there were massive purchases of put options, twenty-five times higher than average, on American Airlines and United Airlines, whose shares fell 40% after the attacks, but also on companies housed in the WTC such as Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co. and Merrill Lynch & Company. The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) concluded on October 15th that the gains had been in the hundreds of millions of dollars and could be the largest insider trade ever committed. The Commission rejected the hypothesis in a few lines: further investigation has revealed that the trading had no connection with 9/11. A single US-based institutional investor with no conceivable ties to Al-Qaeda purchased 95 percent of the UAL puts on September 6 as part of a trading strategy that also included buying 115,000 shares of American [Airline] on September 10. In other words: postulating that the culprit was Al-Qaeda, and noting that the investors in question did not have the Al-Qaeda profile, enabled the Commission to conclude implicitly that these suspicious transactions were just an unfortunate coincidence. The institutional investor in question was Alex Brown Inc., a subsidiary of Deutsche Bank whose former CEO and Chairman A.B. Buzzy Krongard (until 1998) had just become Executive Director of the CIA in March 2001. Read more at: PaulCraigRoberts.org Swarms of locusts are spreading across eastern Africa and could ravage more countries, the UN has warned. Somalia has declared a national emergency over the crisis - and now the United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) thinks livelihoods and food supplies across the region are under threat. The swarms were first spotted in December and have already destroyed thousands of hectares of farmland in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. It is the worst locust invasion in 70 years. According to the FAO, other countries are at risk - especially South Sudan, Uganda and Eritea. At least one locust swarm has already been seen in Eritrea, while several had been sighted in Oman and Yemen. Some 11 million people in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya are already experiencing food insecurity and the swarms will worsen the situation, the FAO added. "Therefore, we need to make all possible efforts to avoid such a deterioration," said Dominique Burgeon, director of the FAO emergencies and rehabilitation division. Mr Burgeon, speaking during a visit to Samburu and Kitui counties, two of 15 affected regions in Kenya, added that the locusts can cause "massive devastation" in terms of crops and pasture. This means it could affect the livelihoods of the pastoralist communities. "The only solution that works is aerial spraying [of pesticides]," he added. Due to conflict and chaos in much of Somalia, spraying pesticide by plane is impossible, according to the agency. The country's agriculture and irrigation ministry said it had declared the locust invasion a national emergency. One farmer in Mwingi, in eastern Kenya's Kitui County, said she was worried the locusts would destroy their crops. Esher Kithuka added that another growing season due to start in April would be too short for any meaningful production. She said: "We depend a lot on this season and we worry that the locusts will destroy our harvest and we will end up remaining hungry through the rest of the year waiting for October for the next cropping season." Hearing loss could be prevented by an injection dubbed 'chemical earmuffs' by scientists. Biologists say they have discovered a way to preventing the damage caused by loud noises while not muffling the sound. Funded by the US Department of Defence, the successful testing gives hope soldiers will one day be able to take a hearing-protection drug before being exposed to gunshots. The drug, being designed by researchers at the University of Iowa and Washington University in St Louis, would protect auditory receptors while allowing soldiers to still hear commands and one another. Tinnitus and hearing loss are the top causes of disability for US veterans. A new drug tested in mice may prevent damage to auditory neurons without preventing soldiers from hearing They discovered a drug that blocks a receptor that prevents the breakdown of vital auditory synapses. A receptor are part of a molecules in ear nerve cells that bridge the pattern of sound and auditory information from sound sensors to the brain. The successful transmission of sound occurs through a junction called a synapse. The researchers identified some receptors lack a protein called GluA2, and it is these lacking receptors that are responsible for hearing loss. When biologists blocked the faulty receptors in mice, it prevented them from sustaining hearing damage. Professor Steven Green said: 'Now, we have a drug that doesn't prevent hearing, but does prevent hearing damage.' He added: 'It wasn't just putting earmuffs on - these earmuffs prevent the damage caused by loud sounds but don't muffle the sound.' 'Permanent hearing damage can be caused by noise levels that have been considered 'safe,' and people need to be careful about noise exposure because we can't yet repair synapses or regenerate hair cells. 'Our chemical earmuffs are, currently, just an indication of the direction research can go, not yet a proven, safe means of protection in humans.' Dr Mark Rutherford, an expert in head and neck surgery at Washington University, said for a long time, it was assumed this common type of hearing loss was caused by an influx of calcium. He added: 'For a long time, it has been assumed that cochlear synapses are not permeable to calcium, because all of the synapses have the GluA2 subunit. 'We have found that cochlear synapses have both GluA2-lacking and GluA2-containing glutamate receptors, implying that some of them are indeed highly permeable to calcium. 'With high-resolution microscopy of cochlear synapses we have provided a mechanistic explanation for the protection of these synapses from noise exposure by the calcium-permeable glutamate receptor blocker IEM-1460.' In this study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, IEM-1460 was introduced directly into the cochleas of mice through a surgical procedure. Green hopes to find other drugs that could prevent hearing damage and that could be administered non-invasively. If their new drug continues to perform well, it could be life-changing for many people, but especially for soldiers. A study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine estimated that between 16.4 and 26.6 percent of male veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq who visited VAs in the US had serious hearing and/or tinnitus. Some estimates suggest that as many as 52 percent of combat soldiers suffer moderate or worse hearing loss. And this damage has major repercussions for veterans. Tinnitus and hearing loss are the two leading reasons that former US soldiers file for disability with the Department of Veteran Affairs. For the time being, voting on the joint resolution on Indias Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the European parliament has been differed for the next session beginning March 2. Although it is likely to come back after a few weeks, the Indian policy-makers have now got an opportunity to explain their side of the story to EU policy makers. The timing has been useful for New Delhi as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to visit Brussels for the 15th India-EU summit scheduled on March 13. EU policy-makers obviously did not want to jeopardise the summit for the sake of a resolution. Reports indicate that foreign minister S Jaishankar will be travelling to Brussels in mid-February. This will be an opportunity to engage EU stakeholders. The MEAs position is that CAA is an internal matter of India and it has been adopted through a due process and by democratic means. Many in the Indian media have declared the deferment as a major diplomatic victory for India. Some reports quoting unknown official sources assert that the Indian lobbyists prevailed over Pakistani lobbyists in the European Parliament. The joint resolution moved by five major political groups represented 560 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from Centre-Right to Far-Left groups in a 751 member house. Still, the mainstream Indian media tried to project it as a handiwork of a Pakistan-origin British MEP Shaffaq Mohammed. In the wake widespread anti-CAA protests in India, these assertions may fit in a certain kind of domestic political narrative, but they fail to capture intricacies of the EU institutional machinery. The EU is Indias valued strategic partner. Instead of criticising it as an interference in Indias internal affairs or work of Pakistani lobbyists, serious engagement with EU stakeholders, including the MEPs, may dispel some of their concerns. As the joint resolution suggests, a large number of MEPs feel that EU-India strategic partnership is based on shared values of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights. They feel that the CAA is discriminatory in nature and dangerously divisive and there has been an increased crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, including the jailing of peaceful critics on charges of sedition, criminal defamation or terrorism. It is not just EU parliament, many of these issues are seriously being debated in India itself. The Supreme Court may bring some further clarity on the issue. Many of the political groups in the EU parliament will continue to raise their concerns, with or without passing resolutions. The EU parliamentary debates or passing of a resolution may not directly represent EUs official position. Still, they significantly influence EU policy framework. Compared to the European Commission and the European Council, the EU parliament does represent citizens voice as MEPs are the directly-elected by EU citizens for European affairs. Unlike traditional legislatures, the EU parliament cannot propose legislation. However, laws cannot be passed without its approval. It also ratify EUs international agreements. So any major agreement the EU may sign with India, including the FTA, will have to be passed by the European parliament. If we think the EU is important, we must not ignore some serious concerns raised by a large majority of MEPs. Following Brexit, the EU parliament seats have come down to 705 from 751. Out of 73 UK seats, 27 seats have been redistributed and remaining 46 have been kept in reserve for future enlargements. The five groups which moved the joint resolution against the CAA will now have 539 seats out of 705. These include Christian Democrats (European People's Party, 187); Socialists (Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, 148); centrist group Renew Europe (formerly Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, 97) Greens/European Free Alliance (67); and Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left (GUE-NGL,40). The new parliament will have fewer South Asian- origin MEPs. Not only is Pakistan-origin British MEP Shaffaq Mohammed out, a few Indian origin-MEPs, such as Dinesh Dhamija and Neena Gill, who spoke in favour the CAA in the debate, are also not part of post-Brexit EU parliament. The government earlier brought a few selected Right-wing MEPs to Kashmir and tried to project their opinion as the EU position. This could also be one reason why so many political groups in the EU parliament have reacted strongly against the CAA. It seems, the adventure of bringing Right-wing MEPs to Kashmir and getting their endorsement might have backfired. Now discussions and outcome at the forthcoming EU-India summit, as well as handling of anti-CAA protests in India, will shape EU lawmakers opinion in the coming weeks. As an independent body, the EU parliament, over the years, has earned the reputation of raising its voice for democracy and human rights. So, the increasing geopolitical importance of India may not automatically silence many of the groups and committed MEPs raising concerns about the CAA or Kashmir. The best strategy for India would be to improve its broad-based engagement with EU institutions, including with the EU parliament. Miss Plus Size San Antonio is preparing to crown an inaugural group of women who wear size 12 and up, regardless of what social media has to say. Roxanne Quintero, founder and director of the upcoming pageant, said she's had the vision for a stage "committed to the plus-size woman" for years. Her motivation was stalled in the past by what she was sure she'd read online. I contemplated for many years leading up to today if San Antonio was ready for a plus-size pageant, I debated putting it out there because I was terrified of social media," she shared online. "Until I realized that social media or any negative comments werent going anywhere, and neither was my vision. Why was I going to keep all of San Antonio from recognizing so many beautiful, talented, educated, independent, curvaceous and most of all courageous women who would be participating? RELATED: Fashion Week SATX will be a statewide event in 2020 hosted in San Antonio Quintero shared her plan of action for any negative reactions to the pageant: "I'm just going to ignore them. The trolls won't go away." "At least those people are paying attention," she added. The June 26 pageant will welcome three age groups: 18-29, 30-40 and 40 and up. The production will include "trendy attire," evening gown and interview portions, Quintero said. Live from the Southside, a media outlet focused on the area of town, is hosting the pageant from 4 to 7 p.m. at Pica Pica Plaza on Southeast Military Drive. Hopefuls are able to submit applications online. Quintero said she and co-host April Monterrosa are looking for 20 to 25 contestants. The usual pageant regalia, like a crown, will be awarded as well as a cash prize, though an amount has not been decided. Madalyn Mendoza is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @MaddySkye Photograph: AP Closing arguments in Donald Trumps impeachment trial were made on Monday, preceding a vote on the articles of impeachment scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Here are five key takeaways: History will not be kind to Donald Trump Related: Trump impeachment trial: Democrats warn Trump 'will do it again' if acquitted The lead impeachment manager, Adam Schiff, urged senators standing by Trump to consider their own legacies. History will not be kind to Donald Trump, Schiff said. I think we all know that. And if you find that the House has proved its case and still vote to acquit, your name will be tied to his with a cord of steel for all of history. Schiff blasted Trump in personal terms, warning that Trump had tried to cheat in the 2020 election and will keep trying if acquitted. He has not changed. He will not change, said Schiff. A man without character or ethical compass will never find his way. .@RepAdamSchiff: "I hope and pray that we never have a president like Donald Trump in the Democratic Partyand I would hope to God that if we did we would impeach him, and Democrats would lead the wayHistory will not be kind to Donald Trump. I think we all know that." pic.twitter.com/FfdF9WwQfi CSPAN (@cspan) February 3, 2020 Defense makes election argument Trumps team has argued for weeks that the impeachment process seeks to rob American voters of a choice in 2020. The prosecution have replied that part of the point of removing Trump would be to ensure a fair election despite his attempts to cheat. On Monday, the defense team closed with the election argument, focusing not on Trumps conduct but on the urgency, they said, of keeping him on the ballot in 2020. The only appropriate result here is to acquit the president and to leave it to the voters to choose their president, said the lead defense lawyer, Pat Cipollone. Story continues Defense argues no wrongdoing by Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone: I urge you on behalf of those Americans, of every American, on behalf of all of your constituents, to reject these articles of impeachment. Its the right thing for our country. The president has done nothing wrong. These types of impeachment must end. Pat Cipollone: "I urge you on behalf of those Americans, of every American, on behalf of all of your constituents, to reject these Articles of Impeachment. It's the right thing for our country. The president has done nothing wrong. These types of impeachment must end." pic.twitter.com/FMA3zCWCwl CSPAN (@cspan) February 3, 2020 Acquittal assured but who might defect? A two-thirds majority of voting senators would be required to remove Trump from office. Enough Republicans have said they will vote to acquit to vacate that threat. But the vote tallies on each article of impeachment were not settled. At least two Republican senators and three Democratic senators were seen as potential swing votes on the question of whether Trump warrants conviction. The first article of impeachment charges Trump with abuse of power. The second article charges him with obstruction of Congress. Related: What are the articles of impeachment against Donald Trump? Whats next The Senate adjourned as a court of impeachment on Monday afternoon and will not reconvene as such until Wednesday at 4pm, when the vote to acquit or convict Trump will be held. Meanwhile, Capitol Hills 100 senators, who have been required to maintain silence during the trial, finally began to speak on the Senate floor about the case. Each senator is allotted up to 10 minutes of speaking time. Canada has allowed at least 162 flights of Boeing 737 MAX jetliners since grounding the fleet last year, public broadcaster CBC said Monday. The flight ban in March 2019 followed two crashes of the MAX within five months in Indonesia and Ethiopia involving flight control problems, killing 346 people. But flight tracking data obtained by CBC showed Air Canada, Westjet and Sunwing continued to fly their MAX planes across North America, sometimes several times per week. Transport Canada told AFP no passengers were onboard the flights, which were permitted only for maintenance, storage or pilot training under "very strict conditions." Air Canada, for example, flew two dozen planes to a facility in the Arizona desert, for storage. It also used "ferry flights" to keep pilot certifications current. Families of the 18 Canadian victims of the Ethiopian Airlines crash were aghast. "It feels like a slap in the face," Chris Moore, who lost his 24-year-old daughter in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, told CBC. "Your loved one has died due to that plane and they're still gearing up for the day when it's ungrounded." Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi was admitted to the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi on February 2, for check-up after she complained of stomach-ache, reports suggest. Gandhi will undergo some tests at the hospital, reports add. She is reportedly suffering a stomach ache, a source close to Gandhi was quoted by news agency PTI as saying. Her son Rahul Gandhi and daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were reportedly with her at the hospital. The Congress chief did not attend the Union Budget 2020-21 presentation in Parliament on February 1. (With inputs from PTI) Next Wednesday, February 5, is both the Feast of St Agatha, meaning her death day, and Slovakian artist Dorota Sadovska's birthday. St Agatha was born in 231 and died in 251 but the dates are uncertain. It was, after all, a while ago. Beautiful and of noble birth, Agatha lived in Sicily, became a consecrated virgin and dedicated herself to a life of celibacy and prayer. Pursued by a high-ranking chap called Quintianus who lusted after her, Agatha said no. Rejected, an enraged Quintianus imprisoned her in a brothel, but this resolute saint-in-the-making remained steadfast in her commitment to Christ. Quintianus, Mister Ego himself, then had her sent to prison, where she was burned, whipped and stretched on a rack. While Agatha endured all with good cheer, an infuriated Quintianus ordered her breasts to be cut off, but St Peter, appearing to her in a vision, comforted her and healed her wounds. These miraculous cures maddened Agatha's tormentor even more, so much so that he had her stripped naked and rolled over hot coals and shards. A brutal ending, she died. Today St Agatha is the patron saint of rape victims, breast cancer, wet nurses and bell-founders - bell-founders because breasts and bells are similarly shaped. Quintianus, deservedly, came to a bad end. On a sea voyage a horse bit him and lifted him in its teeth and a second horse kicked him overboard. He hasn't been found. Sadovska's Svata Agata, painted in 2004, can be viewed in the magnificent Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum, on the Danube, 20 kilometres south of Bratislava. Sadovska was born in 1973 in Bratislava, where she studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design and later at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts, Dijon. Her work explores the body and its representation, and Christian iconography. Though Sadovska's subject matter is centuries old, misogyny is still with us. St Agatha, all in yellow and foreshortened, is viewed from above. Her expression is both strong and calm. Yellow here symbolises courage, self-confidence, wisdom, faith and the glory of God. Though nipples are banned on Instagram, in this artwork Agatha unashamedly displays her perfect breasts depicted in a book on pure white pages which she holds, reminding the viewer of what she has been through. Sadovska has shown her work internationally including in Clonmel and Limerick, and her work is in public collections in Czech Republic, USA, Austria and Germany. Help.org, a trusted online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones, has announced the Best Rehab Facilities in Canton, Ohio for 2020. The informational guide recognizes the top 7 rehab facilities based on cost, treatment options, location, accompanying services and more. According to recent studies, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people under age 50. In Canton, deaths related to opioid abuse increased significantly from 2011 to 2015. Substance abuse among adolescents is also escalating in Canton with 55 percent of high school students reported using alcohol, 38 percent reported using marijuana, 8 percent reported using prescription drugs without a valid prescription, and 2 percent reported using heroin. With the growing need for accessible and high-quality rehab programs, Help.org has developed a unique ranking process to help connect individuals with treatment providers that meet their needs. The Help.org research team analyzed thousands of facilities across the country and then identified the most cost-effective and highest rated programs in larger cities like Canton. Each facility was evaluated based on rehabilitation services, treatment approaches, cost, special programs for unique demographics and ancillary services. The website also provides information about drug use and side effects as well as educational articles. For a detailed listing of the Best Rehab Facilities in Canton, Ohio please visit https://www.help.org/best-drug-and-alcohol-rehab-centers-in-canton-oh/ 2020 Best Rehab Facilities in Canton, Ohio (in alphabetical order) Arrow Passage Recovery 721 Lincoln Way E Massillon, OH 44646 855-790-7398 CommQuest 625 Cleveland Avenue NW Canton, OH 44702 330-455-0374 IBH Addiction Recovery Center 3445 S. Main Street Akron, OH 44319 330-644-4095 Summit Psychological Associates, Inc. 832 McKinley Avenue NW Canton, OH 44703 330-493-2554 The Bluffs 2650 Lodge Road SW Sherrodsville, OH 888-481-7821 The Recovery Village Columbus 3964 Hamilton Square Boulevard Groveport, OH 43125 614-362-1686 The Ridge Ohio 25 Whitney Drive, Suite 120 Milford, OH 45150 513-434-3206 ABOUT HELP.ORG Help.org is an online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones. The website provides the latest research through scientifically proven methods, community recovery resources as well as information about local financial assistance. Help.orgs team of researchers, activists and writers work together with addiction counselors and other professionals to offer useful and accurate resources to help individuals seeking recovery. To learn more, visit https://www.help.org/. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 20:58:18|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close TASHKENT, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan -- and United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a dialogue here on Monday aimed at strengthening the region's ties with the U.S. The high-level talks within the framework of C5+1, comprised of five Central Asian countries plus the United States, have become a regular affair covering economics, energy, transport, the environment and security, the Uzbek foreign ministry said in a statement. Neighboring Afghanistan was another topic of discussion, the statement added. The C5+1 multilateral forum was established in November 2015 at a ministerial meeting in Samarkand, the second largest city in Uzbekistan, with a goal of expanding inter-regional cooperation and boosting Central Asia's relations with the United States. Pompeo, who is on a five-nation tour, is expected to meet Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on his final stop. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: Licenses were issued to establish 1,045 industrial enterprises in Irans north-western East Azerbaijan province during 10 months (from March 21, 2019 through January 20, 2020) of this Iranian year, Chairman of the Industry, Mine and Trade Organization of the province Habib Aminzade said. This figure increased by 39.5 percent compared to the same period of last year, Aminzade added, Trend reports referring to IRNA. As a result, about 116.5 billion rials (about $2.7 million) were invested in the establishment of industrial enterprises, which is by 1.1 percent more compared to the same period of last year, the chairman said. The licenses worth 9.6 trillion rials (about $230 million) were issued for commissioning 252 industrial enterprises this Iranian year, the chairman said. As a result, 3,790 people were employed. Some 313 enterprises were put into operation in the same period of last year and 1,780 people were employed. There are 4,850 industrial enterprises in the East Azerbaijan province. In this regard, the province ranks fifth in Iran. Reacting to the alleged firing incident outside gate no. 7 of the Jamia Millia Islamia on February 2, Congress leader Digvijay Singh listed out the chronology of the incidents after MoS Finance and BJP leader Anurag Thakur's Gun down traitors remark and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's stern warning of 'anybody causing unrest in Kanwar yatra will be met with bullets and not dialogues'. The Congress leader slammed Delhi police for 'inaction' on the multiple shooting incidents and alleged that the country is being pushed towards a Civil War. "Every step is going on the basis of Chronology. First Anurag Thakur then Gopal then Aditya Nath and now Kapil Gujar. Delhi Police becoming a mute spectator. Police Commissioner has also got the extension. Are we being pushed towards civil war?", tweeted Digvijay Singh. WATCH | Protests Against CAA, NRC Continue At Shaheen Bagh Protests against CAA The nation has witnessed a series of protests concerning the CAA, NPR and the proposed NRC in several places across the country which magnified in prominent universities such as JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia University and Aligarh Muslim university resulting in vandalism, rioting, damaging public property and stone-pelting by protestors, leading to retaliatory action by police personnel. Both the protestors and the police personnel suffered injuries in violent protests. The Shaheen Bagh protest blocking an important road for over one and a half month in Delhi has caused massive inconvenience and delay to civilians in transit, emergency services such as ambulance and fire brigade. Opposition leaders from AAP and Congress leaders such as Mani Shankar Aiyar a day after returning from his visit to Pakistan has supported Shaheen Bagh protest. Hitting back at the Congress and oppositions' support to the protest, the BJP leaders such as Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma have slammed the protests with inciting speeches and statements in poll-bound Delhi, followed by multiple shooting incidents on protestors, twice in Jamia and once in Shaheen Bagh, making the political situation vicious and intense. READ | Committees To Be Formed In All UP Districts To Launch Protests Against CAA, Say Social, Minority Bodies What are the protests for? The CAA law grants citizenship to persecuted minorities such as Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi refugees who have escaped persecution from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan and have taken refuge in India since or before December 31 2014. With no mention of Muslims in the CAA law, a section of the Muslim community seemingly feels threatened alleging that government plans to systematically detain or oust the Indian Muslims despite the government's repeated assurance that no Indian citizen will be ousted as the law is about giving citizenship to persecuted minorities and not about snatching away citizenship. Protestors have raised questions on the exclusion of the Muslim refugees in the law. Center in its defense has said that Muslims are in majority in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan and are not persecuted in these countries as against the plight of the minorities which is much worse. Also, the center stated that leaders during the times of independence and partition such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru had promised the minorities that India would accept them if they wish to come back since they were the victims of partition whereas a section of Muslim community willingly chose to make a separate Muslim dominated nation which is today's Pakistan hence the Muslims need not come back to India as it was their decision to go to Pakistan. The center reiterated that the CAA law is a fulfillment of the long-awaited promise made by Mahatma Gandhi and several such leaders of those times. READ | Opposition Set To Corner Govt In Parliament Over CAA, NPR And NRC READ | Anti-CAA Resolution To Be Moved In Puducherry Assembly On Feb 12: CM Although farmers were able to celebrate the passage of the USMCA and signing of a phase one U.S.-China trade deal, many are still facing an existential crisis. According to U.S. Courts data, U.S. farm bankruptcy rates increased by 20% in 2019, an eight-year high. There were a total of 595 Chapter 12 bankruptcies filed by family farmers. A lot of the bankruptcies have been on the dairy side of life and there have been a lot of mitigating impacts going on there, Veronica Nigh, senior economist for the American Farm Bureau, recently told Yahoo Finance. Amy Holl, a dairy farmer inspects the herd of cows on her farm. (Photo: AP Photo/Bradley C Bower) Large amounts of debt Wisconsin, the heart of the dairy industry, saw 57 farm bankruptcies, its highest level in a decade. Over the past 15 years, there's been a 49% decrease in the number of dairy farms in the state. And between 2016 and 2018, Wisconsin lost almost 1,200 dairy farms. Milk prices have been low for a number of years, John Newton, chief economist for the American Farm Bureau, recently told Yahoo Finance. When you think of the capital requirements to run an operation, small- and medium-sized dairy operations find themselves with large amounts of debt. Several years of low commodity prices and the large amounts of debt are really contributing to the rise of Chapter 12 bankruptcies we see in key dairy producing regions. Wisconsin had the highest number of Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies in 2019. (Photo: American Farm Bureau) Newton explained that in the longer term, the issues with the dairy industry are surrounding how to balance supply and demand, stating that it can take a long time for the dynamics to rebalance. In 2014, we had record high milk prices and dairy farmers in the U.S. expanded output, and farmers around the world expanded output, Newton said. Weve really been in a 4-5 year hangover trying to get rid of excess supply. Were finally moving from a global milk supply situation of oversupply to one thats a little bit tighter. Competition in the beverage milk space isnt helping either, as more people are turning to plant-based beverages. When you see the biggest milk processors, Borden and Dean Foods, go bankrupt, were kind of at an inflection point with respect to the fluid milk business, Newton said. The passage of the USMCA is expected to help at least some of the dairy industry. Story continues Because there's a lot of other things going on, it seems unlikely that one part of that puzzle will solve the whole puzzle but it certainly helps, Nigh said. US President Donald Trump arrives to speak about the United States - Mexico - Canada agreement, known as USMCA, during a visit to Dana Incorporated, an auto supplier manufacturer, in Warren, Michigan, January 30, 2020. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images) Nobodys made whole from this Newton said that the next step is to see what happens with respect to China, now that a phase one trade deal is in place. Were likely to have one of the smallest trade surpluses in agriculture in the last four decades because of slower agriculture exports we experienced in 2019, he said. In order to help offset the effects of retaliatory tariffs from China, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provided farmers with market facilitation payments. According to the USDA, nearly one-third of farm income in 2019 came from government aid. Farmers and ranchers didnt ask to be unfairly retaliated against, Newton said. Nobodys made whole from this. Theyd rather have trade, not aid. Adriana is an associate editor for Yahoo Finance. She can be reached at adriana@yahoofinance.com. Follow her on Twitter @adrianambells. READ MORE: Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, SmartNews, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit. Can the arts help to solve urban woes in Houstons Fifth Ward? Maybe not all of them, but a new cultural arts plan for the area embraces the idea that the arts can be a positive economic driver and community builder. The Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation has unveiled a master plan to establish the Lyons Avenue Cultural Arts District, including an ambitious wish-list of creative-placemaking projects that it hopes can serve as a model for other neighborhoods. The new district will unfold along Lyons Avenue, Fifth Wards main commercial corridor, a 22-block area between the Deluxe Theater and St. Elizabeth Hospital. Financed by a $100,000 Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, with an additional $20,000 from the City of Houston, the plan was months in the making and drafted by an artist advisory and planning group that included the conceptual artist Mel Chin, Asakura Robinson, Michelle Barnes, Erin McClarty, Harrison Guy and The Mayors Office of Cultural Affairs Houston (MOCA). The plan recognizes that Fifth Ward is strained by racial and economic segregation and challenged by environmental disasters, but also rapidly gentrifying. So it looks to the arts to help convey the story of a community that continues to adapt, survive and celebrate its history and culture. The scope of projects could have a broad range, from poetry jams in barbershops and performances on street corners to mobile art stations and the creation of affordable rehearsal spaces. It also envisions interdisciplinary "spark spaces, biennials and artist residencies. Given the rapid threat of gentrification in Houstons Fifth Ward, we were eager to find a response that better-encouraged integration, says Kathy Flanagan Payton, president and CEO of the redevelopment corporation. The Fifth Ward Cultural Arts District plan is a true model for other historic communities which value their unsung heroes/heroines, says Michelle Barnes, executive director of the Community Artists' Collective. Chin, in town for the unveiling at the Deluxe Theater, introduced a new branding effort for the area, I am the 5th. molly.glentzer@chron.com Delhi Election 2020: Ahead of the Delhi Assembly election, political parties are leaving no opportunity to defame each other and take advantage of their different strategies. BJP leader Kapil Mishra has targeted Aam Aadmi Party and its founder Arvind Kejriwal claiming that they should rename his party as Muslim League. Delhi Election 2020: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and candidate from the Model Town constituency in Delhi, Kapil Mishra on Monday has once again targeted Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its chief Arvind Kejriwal which has courted controversy. Aam Aadmi Party should be renamed as Muslim League. Those who patronize Umar Khalid, Afzal Guru, Burhan Wani, and other terrorists are scared of Yogi Adityanath, Mishra tweeted in Hindi on Monday. When a reporter asked, he said that just the sake of 20% Muslim votes, AAP is playing bad politics and they should change their name to the Muslim League. Recently, AAP has written a letter to the Election Commission (EC) against the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath alleging violation of the Model Code of Conduct by him. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party has sought a ban on Yogi for making exasperating speeches while campaigning for BJP candidates in Delhi. The party has also sought his arrest and Kapils remarks came in the wake of that. , , , Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishra_IND) February 3, 2020 AAP MP Sanjay Singh said on Sunday that Yogi Adityanath must be arrested for his hate speeches. They have lodged a complaint against him with the EC. He added that BJP asked for a time to conduct a meeting for the same matter but 48 hours have been passed and there is no word on the matter from the party. Adityanath had said on Saturday that people who support terrorists in Kashmir are the same who are protesting in Delhis Shaheen Bagh and chanting azaadi. He also targeted Delhis Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claiming that he and his party are backing protesters. Also, Kapil Mishra created controversies a few weeks ago with his tweets in a row that compared Delhi election 2020 to India vs Pakistan clash. In other tweets and public statements, he claimed that mini Pakistans were being created in Delhi. For all the latest National News, download NewsX App While the new coronavirus ravages much of China and world leaders rush to close their borders to protect citizens from the outbreak, the flu has quietly killed 10,000 in the U.S. so far this influenza season. In the U.S., its really a fear based on media and this being something new, Dr. Jennifer Lighter, hospital epidemiologist at NYU Langone Health, said of the new coronavirus. When in reality, people can take measures to protect themselves against the flu, which is here and prevalent and has already killed 10,000 people. Jill Weinlein The groundbreaking new Disney attraction, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, opened on Friday, Jan. 17, adding immersive adventures for guests inside the largest theme land at Disneyland Park. Guests joining the Resistance participate in an epic battle against the First Order on a new ride. This is the newest experience for Disneyland guests in the 14-acre expansion Star Wars: Galaxys Edge that opened in May 2019. When arriving at the planet Batuu, the inspiration for the design by the development team includes replicas similar to architectural locations in Turkey, Morocco and Israel. Visitors will be able to transform the Play Disney Parks app into Star Wars: Datapad to guide them into a deeper adventure in a galaxy far away. Once the Star Wars: Datapad is activated, guests have the tools needed to translate a variety of languages from across the galaxy, including Aurebesh signs throughout Black Spire Outpost. Scan objects all around the spaceport to discover precious cargo, a tune and decrypt communications sent by the planets many residents. While waiting to board the most famous ship in the galaxy at Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, guests can take on a job for Hondo Ohnaka, the pirate turned legitimate businessman who operates Ohnaka Transport Solutions out of Black Spire Outpost. Reroute misplaced cargo, learn how to keep cover under pressure, and help prep the Falcon for flight. Jill Weinlein Galactic food and drink options include the Milk Stand where visitors can sip frozen cups of Batuus legendary blue or green beverages, similar to Luke Skywalker. These blue milk drinks were featured in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, and the green milk beverage in Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi. At a notorious local watering hole Olga's Cantina, fans can grab coffee, breakfast items and unique concoctions with and without alcohol for all ages. Venture into the market to find grain merchant Kat Saka, a colorful snack shop, where grains from all over the galaxy are on display. Order a generous, piping-hot helping of popular and flavorful specialty popcorn and enjoy it as you explore Black Spire Outpost. Refreshing beverages are also sold here. Jill Weinlein Ronto Roasters offers the aroma of savory sausages and is becoming a favorite stop for crews prepping for their next mission. Inside, spot the hanging podracer engine heating up a spit of various meats. A pitmaster droid turns the mechanical spit, grilling a large side of rontoa massive beast native to the planet Tatooine. Roasted pork and grilled pork sausage is served with peppercorn sauce, tangy slaw and a thick flatbread pita. They also make a plant based vegan sausage option filled with spicy kimchi slaw, sweet pickled cucumber wrapped in a thick flatbread pita. Enjoy these tasty treats with a specialty beverage while you explore the rest of the market. They make a Tatooin Sunset, Sour Sarlacc, and Meiloorun juice. Place your order in the Disneyland Mobile App and pick up to save time. Jill Weinlein Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo is housed in a working hangar bay surrounded by crumbling walls of the old marketplace. This visually stimulating dining venue offers a variety of dishes prepared with ingredients from across the galaxy. Chef Strono Cookie Tuggs has docked a food freighter loaded with fresh supplies and hes ready to satisfy the appetites of visitors and locals alike with an array of exotic offerings. His planet-hopping travels allow him to prepare fare with unusual flavors that delight customers. Jill Weinlein Guests can encounter some of their favorite Star Wars characters, including the resourceful and loyal astromech droid R2-D2. Messages are whispered to share with 'Chewie' Chewbacca. Jill Weinlein The Build A Droid Workshop is stocked with colorful parts, chips, manuals and tech items. First register your choice of either the BB-series unit or R-series unit. The clerk, will provide a basket and blueprint for the parts and direct you to stations to begin your droid-building experience. The price is $99.99 per astromech droid unit, plus tax. It includes a carry box and instructions, various personality-affiliation chips and other accessories are available for an additional charge. The experience area is limited to the builder and one guest. At least one person in the party must be age 14 or older. Only the builder will be allowed to build a droid; the guest may watch. Parts include a dome connection plate, Body sphere and motivator. The R-Series includes a dome, body, center leg and set of side-legs. Build a personal droid, the ultimate travel companion for all your Outer Rim adventures. Another treasure to take home is a custom handbuilt lightsaber at Savi's Workshop for an additional cost. B oris Johnson talked up the "enormous" potential of a fresh trade deal with the US in a rambunctious speech outlining his stance towards the EU. The prime minister refused to mention the word Brexit as he laid out the government's negotiation stance with the EU bloc following Britain's formal departure. He spoke of a desire for a free trade deal with the remaining EU27 akin to Canada's agreement - though talked of expansive plans across the globe. A key country he hopes to trade with will be the United States, with him and Donald Trump having both spoke up the chances of a fresh agreement. Free trade: Boris Johnson spoke of his desire for tariff free agreements across the world / AP In his speech today, he hit out at those who have reservations towards such an agreement and said: "We will get going with our friends in America, and I share the optimism of Donald Trump, "To all the naive anti-Americans... grow up. Get a grip." He said the US buys "one fifth of everything we export". Mr Johnson hit out at "conspiracy theorists" and said: "The NHS is not on the table". "I must say to the America bashers, if there are any.... In doing free trade deals we will be governed by science and not mumbo jumbo, because the potential is enormous," he said. In negotiating new deals he said the government was ready to flex rested "nerves, muscles and instincts" in haggling over terms with countries it has prior been unable to. He said he has teams ready for a "multi-dimensional game of chess" in wrangling over multiple agreements at once. Hitting out at the EU's calls for alignment, Mr Johnson said the bloc should not expect Britain to match all of its rules - much as his government would not push for the EU27 to follow UK rules. Boris Johnson: We have settled the question of sovereign authority "There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules... any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules," he said. "It is vital to say this now, clearly." After highlighting aspects Britain does not want, he gave his firmest commitment yet to what the government does hope to secure. Brexit Day at Parliament Square - In pictures 1 /22 Brexit Day at Parliament Square - In pictures Anti-Brexit protesters in Parliament Square, London PA Police presence at anti-Brexit protests in Parliament Square, London PA The Winston Churchill statue and Union flags in Parliament Square, London PA Pro Brexit supporters hold placards at Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images A man carries an EU themed wreath at Parliament Square Reuters Anti-Brexit demonstrators in Parliament Square, London, ahead of the UK leaving the European Union PA Pro Brexit supporters hold placards at Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images A man wears a President, Donald Trump mask and holds an American flag at Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images People hold placards in Parliament Square opposite the Houses of Parliament in London AFP via Getty Images A man holds up a President, Donald Trump, American flag at Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images A Red Viking apple with the Union Jack is displayed and given out for free to promote British produce as an Anti-Brexit demonstrator waves the European Union flag in Parliament Square AP Joseph Afrane in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn Pro-EU anti-Brexit protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images A man takes a photo of political artist Kaya Mar's paintings in Parliament Square Getty Images A man in an oversized 'Keep America Great' hat and draped with a US flag holds a Union Flag in Parliament Square opposite the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images A woman holds a newspaper at Parliament Square Reuters A woman wears a face mask in Parliament Square PA "We have so often been told that we must choose between full access to the EU market along with accepting its rules and its courts, or a free trade agreement... like the Canada deal," he said. "I hope you've got the message by now, we've made a choice, we want a comprehensive free trade agreement, similar to Canada's." Brexit: UK's final day in EU 1 /44 Brexit: UK's final day in EU Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives to attend a cabinet meeting held at the National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland AFP via Getty Images A massive banner by the campaign group Another Europe is Possible is hung off Westminster Bridge in London, ahead of the UK leaving the European Union PA People wear Union Jack hats and Brexit Day t shirts in Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images Pro EU supporters let off flares from Westminster Bridge by the London Eye as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images European Parliament President David Sassoli speaks during a media conference at the Parlamentarium in Brussels AP MEP Jonathan Bullock holding the Union Jack waves from a taxi as he leaves the European Parliament AFP via Getty Images Commuters walk along London Bridge toward the City of London with Tower Bridge AFP via Getty Images Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon delivers a speech on Brexit day Reuters AFP via Getty Images European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and European Parliament President David Sassoli arrive for a meeting near The European Parliament in Brussels AFP via Getty Images Steve Bray in Westminster this morning Jeremy Selwyn People walk past a Brexit countdown clock at the Parlamentarium in Brussels AP Union Flags line the Mall leading to Buckingham Palace AFP via Getty Images British members of the European Parliament from the Brexit Party Jonathan Bullock and Ann Widdecombe wave in front of the train station as they leave in Brussels AFP via Getty Images Pro-EU anti-Brexit protesters hold placards in Parliament Square in London AFP via Getty Images Sunrise over the Houses of Parliament Getty Images Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid arrives at King's Cross St. Pancras Station in London before boarding a train to the North East for a cabinet meeting in Sunderland PA Brexit Party members of the European Parliament, Jack Pugh and David Bull, depart from the Parliament to return to Great Britain on the day the United Kingdom will officially fulfill Brexit and leave the European Union Getty Images Britain's ambassador to the European Union Tim Barrow leaves the British representation to the EU residence in Brussels AFP via Getty Images A man sits as members of the media set up on Parliament Square on Brexit day Reuters European Commission Chief Negociator Michel Barnier arrives for a meeting near the European Parliament in Brussels AFP via Getty Images Red Viking apples with the Union Jack are displayed and given out for free to promote British produce on Parliament Square AP A woman carrying the red box belonging to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab goes into King's Cross Station in London to board a train to the North East for a cabinet meeting in Sunderland PA A technician makes lighting adjustments prior to a media conference of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and European Parliament President David Sassoli at the Parlamentarium in Brussels AP Ann Widdecombe member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South West England, reacts with other members of the Brexit party as they leave en masse from the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium PA Euro Balloons stuck in a tree in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn Newspapers and other souvenirs are pictured at a store, near Parliament Square REUTERS Julian Smith, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland arrives at King's Cross Station in London PA A British bulldog toy and other souvenirs are pictured at a souvenir store, near Parliament Square Reuters International Trade Secretary Liz Truss arrives at King's Cross St. Pancras Station in London before boarding a train to the North East for a cabinet meeting in Sunderland PA British MEP's carry a Union flag as they march out of European Parliament with their luggage in Brussels to take the Eurostar train back to Britain AP A Brexiteer in Parliament Square, Londo PA Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, earlier spoke of the openness to a free trade agreement but expressed his own red lines. He said competition between Britain and the bloc must remain fair while the EU would also push for reciprocal access to fisheries. He said the bloc respects the desire for divergence but said it does not want to allow this to become "an instrument for unfair competition". Describing Britain as a "great ally" and "great neighbour", he bemoaned the nation's departure but said the bloc wished to respect Britain's choices. Pakistan police on Monday claimed to have thwarted a terror attack on a building of an intelligence agency in Punjab province and arrested three Taliban terrorists. According to a statement by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), an intelligence-based operation was carried out in Gat Wala Bridge in Faisalabad city, 150-km from Lahore, after receiving information that three terrorists were hiding there and planning to target the intelligence office. It said the CTD along with police raided their hideout and arrested three Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorists - identified as Abdul Salam, Maodood Chisiti and Ali Muhammad Khan. Explosive material including fuse, detonators, two pistols and bullets have been recovered from them, the CTD said. The arrested terrorists have made important disclosures regarding activities of their outfit in the region, it added. A case has been registered against them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kanye West and pastor Joel Osteen are once again teaming up for a special service. The duo, who shared the stage at Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston in Nov. 2019, are set to present An Evening with Joel and Victoria Osteen featuring Kanye West and the Sunday Service Choir at Yankee Stadium in New York City on May 2, 2020, at 7 p.m., according to a Monday release. Mining billionaire Clive Palmer in July Mining billionaire Clive Palmer donated $83.7 million to his United Australia Party in the run up to the federal election last year, a new report has revealed. But the massive figure, spent largely on TV adverts, was not enough to win him a single seat in either house of parliament. The amount was disclosed in the Australian Electoral Commission's annual financial returns which were released on Monday morning. Before today it was estimated that Mr Palmer spent around $60million on his campaign. The funds came from Mr Palmer's Mineralogy, which was the biggest fossil fuel donor during the election. The UAP has an $8.2 million debt to Google and owes a further $600,000 to IPG Marketing Solutions. Mr Palmer drew criticism from outgoing Greens leader Richard Di Natale, who said his spending showed all that was wrong with politics. 'That's not a democracy, that's actually somebody buying influence,' he told reporters in Canberra. 'That's one of the biggest problems we face in our politics, we've got to clean it up. 'If you want to have people's voices represented in this place, we've got to get donations reform - we haven't made enough progress on that.' Gas company Woodside donated $135,400 to Labor, $136,750 to the Liberal Party and $11,190 to the National Party. Excluding donations to the UAP, fossil fuel industry donations totalled $1.9 million. The top three fossil fuel industry donors, excluding Clive Palmer-linked companies, were Woodside, Adani and the gas industry lobby group Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association. These donated a total of $692,299 to various parties. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday accused Arvind Kejriwal of having a "partnership" with Pakistan and appealed to the people in Delhi to not vote for the AAP chief as it will make Pakistan happy. Ramping up his attack on the Shaheen Bagh protest, Adityanath said the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is merely an excuse for people to vent their anger against the scrapping of Article 370. "You must have seen their partnership on 370. Arvind Kejriwal used to speak in the same voice as Imran Khan on Article 370. You must have heard it." "Now when elections are taking place in Delhi, who is speaking in favour of Arvind Kejriwal? It is the ministers of Pakistan. They are aware that Kejriwal is feeding 'biryani to protesters at Shaheen Bagh'," he said, referring to Pakistan minister Fawad Chaudhry's tweet asking Indians to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Adityanath addressed three rallies on Monday in the national capital ahead of assembly elections. "Will Pakistan decide who Indians should vote for. If voting for Kejriwal will make Pakistan happy, should it be done," he asked at a rally in Mehrauli. Adityanath said his Delhi counterpart Kejriwal has become a "toy in the hands of antisocial and anti-India elements". Addressing a rally in Vikaspuri in west Delhi, he said Kejriwal is not bothered about key issues such as providing clean drinking water but is concerned about Shaheen Bagh, the anti-citizenship amendment act protest site. At another rally in Uttam Nagar in west Delhi, Adityanath said Kejriwal has played with the emotions of the people of Delhi for the last five years. "He obstructed the development of Delhi. And knowingly and unknowingly, he became a toy in the hands of anti-social and anti-India elements," Adityanath said. The protest at Shaheen Bagh, he said, has disrupted traffic across the capital. "A guest with an appointment to meet him at 9.30 am could only reach at 11. He told me he had left as early as 7 am but got stuck because of the traffic in Shaheen Bagh," he said. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister also slammed Kejriwal for "sympathising" with elements who he said gave anti-India slogans in Jawaharlal Nehru University. On February 2, the armed formations of the Russian Federation violated ceasefire in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine 12 times. The enemy used 120mm and 82mm mortars banned under the Minsk agreements, weapons on infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms to fire on positions of the Joint Forces, the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports. In the zone of action of tactical force East, Russian-led forces used grenade launchers of different systems and heavy machine guns to shell Ukrainian troops near Pisky (11km north-west of Donetsk); mounted antitank grenade launcher, heavy machine guns and other small arms outside Lebedynske (16km east of Mariupol); automatic grenade launcher, heavy machine gun and other small arms in the area of Vasylivka (20km north of Donetsk). In the zone of action of tactical force North, the enemy fired 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of different systems and heavy machine guns on Ukrainian positions near Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk); 82mm mortars, weapons on infantry fighting vehicles, automatic mounted grenade laucnhers and heavy machine guns outside Krymske (42km north-west of Luhansk); 120mm mortars outside Novotoshkivske (53km west of Luhansk); automatic grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms in the area of Hladosove (51km north-east of Donetsk). Two members of the Joint Forces were wounded and another one was injured as a result of the enemy shelling over the past day. Today, the Russian-occupation troops have not opened fire yet. ol Thus far, our review of video footage from the school bus and from the hallway cameras has not revealed anything that would cause us to take remedial action concerning any of our employees, district Superintendent Michelle Smith said in a statement released by the district. AP CHICAGO More than $39 million in adult-use cannabis sales were recorded by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation during January, the first month of such sales. State officials said dispensaries across Illinois sold 972,045 items over the 31-day period, with sales to Illinois residents totaling $30,611,632.22 and sales to out-of-state residents totaling $8,636,208.61. WINSTED The Gilbert School officials recently announced that it earned the College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award, for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science A and AP Computer Science Principles, according to a statement. Schools honored with the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have expanded young womens access to AP computer science courses, according to the statement. Out of the 20,000 institutions that offer AP courses, 818 achieved this important result during the 2018-2019 school year nearly 20 percent more than the 685 schools recognized last year. In 2019, the Gilbert School was one of only 36 to be recognized for closing the gender gap in both AP computer science courses. Were proud to see the creativity, commitment, and enthusiasm our female students have demonstrated in their study of AP Computer Science A and AP Computer Science Principles, said Principal Susan Sojka in a statement. As educators and administrators, we believe a STEM education plays a critical role in fostering a lifelong relationship with learning, setting our female students on a path to success in a 21st century workforce. College Board officials say that schools receiving the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have achieved either 50 percent or higher female representation in either or both of the AP computer science courses, or the percentage of female computer science examinees meets or exceeds that of the schools female population. The Gilbert School is empowering young women to see themselves as creators, innovators, and problem-solvers, said Stefanie Sanford, College Board global policy chief in the statement. We hope to see even more high schools inspire female students to harness the potential of an AP computer science education. The introduction of AP Computer Science Principles in 2016 was the largest course launch in AP Program history. In 2019, nearly 100,000 students took the AP CSP exam, more than doubling participation in three years. After completing AP CSP, many female students choose to go on and take AP CSA. In five years, the number of female AP CSA exam-takers has increased by nearly 60 percent. Providing female students with access to computer science courses is necessary to ensuring gender parity in high-paying technology jobs and to drive innovation, creativity, and competition, according to the statement. A 2014 Google study found that women are more likely to pursue computer science if they are given the opportunity to explore it in high school. In the case of our abnormal president, rhetoric is bent to a different purpose. Trump with the apparent approval of congressional Republicans conflates his political fortunes with the national interest. This is the reason he saw nothing wrong with twisting Ukrainian arms to undermine an opponent and cheat in a presidential election. Nothing done to help him can ultimately be judged corrupt because he regards his success as identical to the nations. This is the plain meaning of the Dershowitz Doctrine the theory advanced during the Senate trial by legal expert and Trump defender Alan Dershowitz that, since public officials universally regard their election as serving the public interest, this intention cant be the basis of a quid pro quo that results in impeachment. (Dershowitz now denies this was his actual meaning, but he will be forever remembered as the scholar who gave constitutional blessing to malignant narcissism.) YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. Foreign minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan recieved on February 3 newly appointed Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Abbas Zohouri, who delivered copies of credentials to the FM. Zohra Mnatsakanyan congratulated Abbas Zohouri on assuming the responsible mission and hoped that the newly appointed Ambassador will foster the strengthening and deepening of the Armenian-Iranian friendly relations. The sides exchanged views on expanding the existing bilateral agenda between Armenia and Iran. During the meeting the sides referred to a number of urgent regional and international issues. FM Mnatsakanyan and Ambassador Abbas Zohouri highlighted the joint efforts aimed at the maintenance of regional stability and security. The sides highly assessed the importance of the Armenian community in the social-political life of Iran and the role of the community as a bridge for the relations of the two countries. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan Burford Capital is at loggerheads with London Stock Exchange over a bid to unmask traders behind the alleged manipulation of its share price. The litigation funder's shares plunged in August when it came under attack from US short-seller Muddy Waters, with bosses later claiming there was evidence of trading 'consistent with illegal activity'. Burford is trying to identify who was behind this through an application to the High Court demanding that the LSE hand over the information. Burford is trying to identify who was behind this through an application to the High Court demanding that the LSE hand over the information But the LSE is understood to be resisting, and it puts Burford on course for a court showdown with the LSE within weeks. After Muddy Waters' attacks in August, Burford commissioned a report by a Columbia University expert, and its lawyers now claim there are 'strong grounds' to believe part of the big fall in the company's share price was down to so-called 'spoofing' and 'layering' by mystery traders. Spoofing is when a trader places a high volume of orders to sell a stock at a price below the going rate pushing the stock down to a lower price but cancels at the last minute. This pushes down the shares without any actually being sold. Burford who warned yesterday that profits for 2019 would be lower than the previous year because of the timing of various legal cases it is funding wants to uncover the identity of those behind the alleged spoof trades. It claims that they were made through the LSE's systems so needs the stock exchange to turn over the information. Muddy Waters has dismissed the claims. The extraordinary life of William Dorsey Swann, the first drag queen who was born into slavery, is being told for the very first time in a new book titled, The House of Swann. According to author, Channing Gerard Joseph, Swann, who was the property of a woman named Ann Murray, fought for queer freedom nearly a century before Stonewall, which has been touted as the beginning of the fight for gay liberation. Last week, Joseph published an article in The Nation about his book that gave a sneak peek into who Swann was and what he stood for as the first American activist to lead a queer resistance group. The extraordinary life of William Dorsey Swann, the first drag queen who was born into slavery, is being told for the very first time in a new book titled, The House of Swann. This image is a depiction of two actors from 1903 According to author, Channing Gerard Joseph, Swann fought for queer freedom nearly a century before Stonewall. This article was published in 1888 in The National Republican that exposed the raid on Swann for 'keeping a disorderly house' Swann was sentenced to 10 months in jail following the raid and even demanded to be pardoned by President Grover Cleveland. His demand was denied Swann was born in Maryland around 1858. He lived on a plantation in Hancock, Washington County, Maryland, where he endured slavery and racism before falling victim to torture during a stint in jail. In the 1880s, Swann became 'the first known person to dub himself a "queen of drag" - or more familiarly, a drag queen,' Joseph wrote. There were also other firsts for Swann, who was known as 'the Queen' to his friends. One came in 1896 when he was sentenced to 10 months in jail for 'keeping a disorderly house'. At the time, Swann demanded to be pardoned by President Grover Cleveland, but his request was denied. According to Joseph, Swann was the earliest recorded American to take legal action to defend the queen community. There were other firsts for Swann, who was known as 'the Queen' to his friends. Swann was the earliest recorded American to take legal action to defend the queen community. This image shows actors, one in drag, from 1903 Despite the possibility of harm, Swann's drag balls, which featured folks songs and dance, didn't stop. Joseph notes that descriptions from the drag balls of the 1930s used phrases like 'strike a pose' and 'sashay across the floor,' and 'vogue', which are used in RuPaul's Drag Race Those phrases are often used today in other shows like Pose (scene pictured) Joseph said his research on Swann began 15 years ago when he happened across a Washington Post article from April 13, 1888, that detailed the raid against Swann and 12 other black men. The title of the article was: 'Negro Dive Raided. Thirteen Black Men Dressed as Women Surprised at Supper and Arrested.' According to Joseph, when officers raided the area, Swann tried to stop them and even told one of the officers: 'You is no gentleman.' An article from The National Republican said that during the brawl with officers, Swann's 'handsome dress was torn off'. Joseph said that this act of violence was one of the first know cases against the LGBTQ community. The dangers of attending Swann's drag balls became more evident during police raids when the names of those arrested were printed in newspapers. Men who participated in the balls then fell victim to public scorn and violent acts. Despite the possibility of harm, Swann's drag balls, which featured folks songs and dance, didn't stop. Joseph notes that descriptions from the drag balls of the 1930s used phrases like 'strike a pose' and 'sashay across the floor,' and 'vogue'. Those phrases are often used today in RuPaul's Drag Race and Pose. The House of Swann: Where Slaves Became Queens will be published in 2021. Joe Biden is against Medicare for All, and maybe thats enough reason to vote for him. But understand, too, that he wants to both eliminate and raise the capital gains tax, that he leaves sentences dangling without an end and that his disregard for political correctness borders on an impeachable offense. He's certainly a character, this 77-year-old ex-senator, ex-vice president and third-time candidate for Oval Office occupancy. When he isn't in intense arguments with individual voters, he is convivial to the point of giving many hugs. He mastered gaffes early in his political life, mostly getting by with it, but ran into serious trouble when he campaigned for president in 1988. He committed plagiarism to the extent of even using someone else's biography as his own. Right now, he's at the top of the national polls of Democratic primary candidates but is also a subject of discussion in the impeachment proceedings of President Donald Trump. Some see no reason this will or should hurt his chances. I think it should. The main case against Trump is that he held up military aid to Ukraine in order to get the country to investigate Biden. When he was vice president, Biden was made point man for Ukrainian affairs. With no noticeable qualifications other than who his father was, Biden's son Hunter was soon being paid $83,000 a month to sit on the board of directors of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company believed to be enmeshed in fraudulent dealings. Biden visited Ukraine and said he would hold up a billion dollars in United States aid if the country did not fire a national prosecutor pledged to further investigate Burisma. The man was fired and the next prosecutor dropped the probe. Trump says his concern was Burisma's corruption, that most of the aid arrived on time and that there was no Biden investigation, case closed. Prosecuting Democrats say Trump was abusing his power to damage a possible political opponent and that the Obama administration and our Western allies thought this prosecutor was himself corrupt. However, some in the administration expressed deep concerns about Hunter's job, and they should have. Even minus any illegalities, here was a stark conflict of interest. Biden said he never talked to his son about the job and Hunter Biden says differently, but the worst thing would be not talking. Biden should have told him to quit, to get the heck out of Ukraine, and, if his son refused, he should himself have given up his role as Ukrainian point man. The last thing our government should want is the appearance of such impropriety in matters of national security. What's working best for Biden is his personality recognition, his centrism, his connection with the highly respected Barack Obama (who does not seem to want him as president) and his solid African-American support. Of course, he once said Obama was the "first mainstream African-American who is articulate, bright and clean," and therein lies a serious fault, a way of talking that either reflects a scary shadow self within or a mind constantly getting unplugged. Capital gains? He mistakenly wants to raise the tax but has allowed his tongue to be misleading. And what do you make of his remarking that "poor kids are just as talented and bright as white kids," something immediately corrected. He meant "as wealthy kids." Things that especially turn me off: He wants free colleges, an idea that wont work; he wants a $15 minimum wage that will cost more than a million unskilled workers their jobs according to the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office; he has adopted a new, politically advantageous belief that people should pay taxes to pay for abortions that they consider the killing of sacred, innocent human creatures. Some of what I like about him is his willingness to negotiate, his understanding that Medicare for All would be economically ruinous and his hesitancy about the need for a Bernie Sanders socialist revolution. I would be happier if he were principled. A 48-year-old monster has lost his Supreme Court appeal in Belarus against the death sentence for killing and decapitating an eight-month-old girl. Viktar Syarhel immediately indicated in a Belarus court that he will waive his right to seek clemency from strongman president Alexander Lukashenko. This means the murderer will be shot in the back of the head by a Belarus state executioner for the cruel murder of baby Hanna. Viktar Syarhel who has lost his Supreme Court appeal in Belarus against the death sentence for killing and decapitating an eight-month-old girl Mother Natallya Kolb who faces 25 years in jail for the same crime Baby girl Hanna who was killed and beheaded in Luninets town, Belarus The child's mother Nataliya Kolb, 26, lost her appeal against a maximum jail sentence for the same killing. She now faces 25 years in prison. By law only men can face capital punishment in Belarus, the only state in Europe which still imposes the death penalty for serious crimes. Footage shows the moment Syarhel nods his head in the negative after a judge said: 'You have the right to submit a plea for mercy to the president.' This was taken to mean he will not seek clemency from President Lukashenko. Natallya Kolb and Viktar Syarhel in court. Kolb, 26, lost her appeal against a maximum jail sentence for the same killing The child's mother Natallya Kolb, 26, and her accomplice Viktar Syarhel, 48, in court Inside the residential block in the town of Luninets where the baby girl was killed and beheaded The residential block from the outside. By law only men can face capital punishment in Belarus, the only state in Europe which still imposes the death penalty for serious crimes Natallya Kolb, who faces 25 years in prison for the murder of her daughter Earlier Syarhel declined to appeal his death sentence but his legal teamanywaytook it to the country's supreme court. Syarhel and Klob, a family friend, were drinking in the flat when they killed the defenceless child. Her husband Leonid, 28, came home with the couple's other children aged four and six, and saw his daughter's severed head and a pool of blood. A neighbour said: 'He saw a scene out of the horror movies. 'The ambulance doctor fainted when she came in.' Natalia and Leonid Kolb with their baby daughter on the day of her christening Father of the killed girl Leonid Kolb in court. Leonid, 28, came home with the couple's other children aged four and six, and saw his daughter's severed head and a pool of blood. Hearing in the Supreme Court of Belarus. Footage shows the moment Syarhel nods his head in the negative after a judge said: 'You have the right to submit a plea for mercy to the president' Hearing in the Supreme Court of Belarus. Those facing the death penalty are blindfolded and forced to kneel The child had 46 separate injured on her body and was killed with a kitchen knife. The baby had been badly beaten before being killed and the murder was with 'particular cruelty', the closed-door session of Brest Regional Court ruled. Those facing the death penalty are blindfolded and forced to kneel. They are then shot in the back of the head. The method is similar to that used in Stalin times in the USSR. More than 400 men have been executed in Belarus since the country became independent with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Natallya Kolb pictured left and right. Syarhel and Klob, a family friend, were drinking in the flat when they killed the defenceless child Her husband Leonid, 28, came home Her husband Leonid, 28, came home to find their daughter's severed head Lukashenko has only spared one man during his more than quarter of a century in power. The EU and various international organisations have urged Belarus to stop using the death penalty. Lukashenko said last year he would continue to approve death penalty cases because people had voted for capital punishment in a referendum. 'Do you think I am happy about this death penalty, considering that I sign it, and then, put crudely, someone is shot?,' he said. But it was his duty. Legislators in the country are reviewing whether to recommending ending the death penalty. "The more I thought about it, the more I thought it was really important that we give someone a good opportunity to launch into the next election and particularly at the moment, when it's so critical to hold this shocking government to account for their failure on fires." Loading Senator Di Natale said he was not backing anyone to succeed him. "It's a decision for the party room. There are 10 people; it's not a difficult decision when you only have 10 people." Mr Bandt, the party's climate change spokesperson and only lower house MP, is expected to emerge as the frontrunner to replace Senator Di Natale. High-profile South Australian senator Sarah Hanson-Young has also previously nominated for leadership roles. Senator Di Natale said he was leaving at a time when he had "never felt more supported by my party room". "I feel like I'm leaving the party in good shape, at a time when it's my decision and no one else's." Former Greens leader Christine Milne embraces new Greens leader Richard Di Natale during a press conference in Parliament House in May 2015. Credit:Andrew Meares Senator Di Natale also leaves as the party tries to resolve a years-long debate about whether it should allow members to elect the federal leader directly. After its national conference last November, the party set a May 2020 timeline to decide the issue, with Mr Bandt among those who say there is a "role for greater membership involvement". Senator Di Natale, who was a GP and public health specialist before coming to Canberra, said he had been thinking about resigning since last year, but had given himself the summer break to confirm his decision. He said he wanted to be able to support Ms Quarterman's career, after she had supported his for a decade, adding he had also been "knocked around" by knee surgery, to repair an old footy injury, last October. "Having major surgery's good for your perspective," he said. The Greens election night party in July 2016. Credit:Luis Ascui "I'm sure there'll be a lot of people who are surprised with this decision. I was surprised when Bob [Brown] made his decision. And I was surprised when Christine [Milne] made her decision." Senator Di Natale was hailed as a "new" type of Greens leader when he was elected almost five years ago. A Victorian, who did not come from the activist environment movement (unlike his Tasmanian predecessors), he was tipped to bring the party into the "mainstream". Loading But, despite hopes of winning additional lower house seats in the 2019 election, the party came away empty handed. Senator Di Natale insisted he is proud of the overall result, noting all six senators up for re-election were returned. The Greens captured 10.4 per cent of lower house first preferences - the party's second best result, and a slight increase on 2016. "If we just stand still, we'll elect three new senators at the next election," he said. Senator Di Natale listed medicinal cannabis legislation, Medicare-funded dental care and the since-dismantled carbon price scheme, as well as the Greens' campaigns for marriage equality and the banking and disability abuse royal commissions among his parliamentary highlights. In December, he expressed deep frustration about his party's "fractious" relationship with Labor, despite repeated overtures on his part for the two to co-operate on climate change policy. He is also angry and disappointed about the lack of climate action more broadly out of Canberra. But he said he was leaving with a sense of optimism, due to growing local and global movements on climate change. "We've endured this horrific bushfire season but there's no question there is a big movement building around climate change. A year ago, just to link the issue of bushfires and climate change was heresy and we were criticised [and] now it's accepted that there's a link." Senator Di Natale and Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young on the campaign trail in the 2019 federal election. Credit:AAP His decision to resign is effective immediately, but Senator Di Natale will stay on in Parliament until a replacement is found for his Senate spot. This may take until the middle of the year, but he does not yet have clear plans about what he will do after that. Workers process peanuts at Nhat Huy JSC in Da Nang.- Photo nongsan.com.vn The resolution stipulates that Viet Nam must aim to rank among the worlds top 15 most developed agricultural countries and a global hub for agricultural logistics and processing. In order to realise these goals, a number of strategic objectives must be fulfilled, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong. Firstly, Viet Nam must restructure its agriculture sector with nationwide planning to establish input material producing regions and consumption markets. High-producing regions with skilled labour forces and developed infrastructure and logistics networks should be earmarked for investment to serve as growth drivers for surrounding localities. The countrys agro-processing sector must start filtering out products with low add-value and seek ways to add more value to existing products. Secondly, the business environment must continue to improve to help facilitate investment, especially in the countrys agriculture, forestry and aquaculture sectors. The country must also build a long-term development strategy to fully exploit areas where it enjoys significant advantages such as vegetable farming, aquaculture and wood processing to attract more investment. Meanwhile, administrative reforms must target unnecessary business requirements and conditions and build legal frameworks to help localities unleash their potential. For instances, farmland could be rented from farmers and merged to allow greater economies of scale and higher degree of product specialisation. Thirdly, the country must seek to improve its products to compete by supporting the formation of large enterprises specialised in agriculture, forestry and aquaculture. Measures must also be taken to help farmers sell their products directly to domestic consumers. Additional investment must go into the development of national brands, especially for products that have been widely-recognised in the international markets such as tra fish, shrimp, coffee, pepper and ginseng. The country must also look to adopt advanced technology to add more value to its products, improve safety and enforce product origin regulations. Lastly, Viet Nam will need significant investment in human resources to spearhead the growth in its agricultural sector. A new generation of workers who can use technological advances will play a key role in connecting producers to consumers to achieve greater market efficiency. Meanwhile, the Government must seek ways to encourage the private sector to invest in production, especially in research and development. A national database to oversee production, logistics and processing activities is also listed as a top priority for agriculture agencies. Viet Nam must focus on improving national standards to govern agriculture activities and product quality. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, demand for agricultural products had been on the rise on a global scale and was forecast to continue to rise. Viet Nam is well-poised to take advantage as a signatory to trade deals such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement. - Stan Xoese Dogbe believes that there is no need to investigate the Airbus bribery case which cited Ghana as one of the countries involved - He said it is not really necessary since Ghana did not actually lose any money - Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in An aide to former President John Dramani Mahama, Stan Xoese Dogbe believes that there is no need to investigate the Airbus bribery case which cited Ghana as one of the countries involved. According to a Facebook post sighted by YEN.com.gh, shared by Stan Dogbe, he said it is not really necessary since Ghana did not actually lose any money. His somehow sarcastic comment comes in reaction to President Akufo-Addo's referral of the matter to the Special Prosecutor to investigate the said Ghanaian government officials involved in the case. READ ALSO: Airbus Scandal: Akufo-Addo orders Amidu to probe bribery of Ghanaian official Stan Dogbe indicated that the President should "rather investigate the nepotism-induced $24m tax waiver he [Akufo-Addo] gave to his in-law which will be at a cost to the taxpayer" Stan Dogbe wrote: "Ha ha ha!! Finally, the SP [Special Prosecutor] will have some work to do." "But please, Mr. Akufo-Addo, given that Govt of Ghana did not lose any money in this Airbus matter, and yet you are willing to attempt some so-called investigation, just asking, why wont you rather investigate the nepotism-induced $24m tax waiver you gave to your in-law which will be at a cost to the tax payer?" he added. "The criminal PDS scandal involving your family and cronies is also still fresh in our minds ooo!" Mr Dogbe posted. READ ALSO: Mills-Mahama never took bribe from Airbus - NDC In other news, a British court documents has revealed that Europes largest aerospace multinational company, Airbus paid bribes to some top Ghanaian officials during the Mills-Mahama era between 2009-2015. According to the document sighted by YEN.com.gh, Ghana is amongst five countries Airbus paid millions of dollars in bribes to in exchange for contracts. The conduct and act of the European aviation company, Airbus has led to a British court slapping a fine of 3 billion pounds (3bn) as penalties on the company. READ ALSO: Airbus paid bribes to top Ghanaian officials between 2009 and 2015 - British court documents reveal Faces of Ghana: Art is Lucrative But Not Appreciated-Ghanas Incredible 3DMotion Designer| #Yencomgh Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh James Tulp, a 28-year-old former Mississippi College professor and conservative radio pundit, will challenge U.S. Rep. Michael Guest in the Republican Primary on March 10. Dozens of others seriously wounded during the incident at Kakamega Primary School. At least 14 students have been killed and 39 wounded in a stampede at a primary school in western Kenya. The stampede occurred at approximately 5:00 pm (14:00 GMT) when panic broke out as the students went home for the day from Kakamega Primary school. The reason for the panic was not immediately unclear. Speaking to journalists in Kakamega town, police chief David Kabena said an investigation was under way to establish what exactly happened. Kenya Red Cross said on Twitter that emergency services were responding to a fatal stampede at the school. My heartfelt condolences to parents that have lost loved ones in the unfortunate and regrettable tragedy at Kakamega Primary School. I wish a quick recovery to the injured children and pray that God grant strength to the affected families, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga said on Twitter. (Newser) The former chief of WorldCom, convicted in one of the largest corporate accounting scandals in US history, died just over a month after his early release from prison. Bernard Ebbers was 78, the AP reports. The Canadian-born former telecommunications executive died Sunday in Brookhaven, Miss., surrounded by his family, per a family statement. WorldCom collapsed and went into bankruptcy in 2002, following revelations of an $11 billion accounting fraud that included pressure by top execs on subordinates to inflate numbers to make the company seem more profitable. The collapse caused losses to stockholders, including those who'd invested through retirement plans. Ebbers, who was once referred to by an analyst as "the telephone equivalent of Bill Gates," was convicted in New York in 2005 on securities fraud and other charges and received a 25-year sentence. story continues below In July 2019, one of Ebbers' daughters submitted a request that her father receive compassionate release from a federal prison medical facility in Fort Worth, Texas. Per court papers, that request was denied in August. A family statement said Ebbers experienced a "rapid decline" in October, followed by multiple hospitalizations. US District Judge Valerie E. Caproni said late last year it fell within her discretion to order the early release of Ebbers after a lawyer cited severe medical problems. Ebbers was not in court when Caproni announced her ruling on Dec. 18; his lawyers said he was hospitalized. Ebbers was imprisoned from September 2006 until Dec. 21, when he was released by the Bureau of Prisons. By the time of its collapse, WorldCom was the nation's second-largest long-distance business. It reemerged as MCI, which was eventually absorbed by Verizon. (Read more obituary stories.) Oil prices extended their losses on February 3, dragged down by worries about lower demand in China, the world's largest oil importer, following the novel coronavirus outbreak there. Brent and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell for a fourth week in a row last week after airlines cancelled flights to China. Supply chains across the world's second-largest economy have also been disrupted, prompting its biggest refiner Sinopec to cut output. Brent crude was at $56.14 a barrel by 0241 GMT, down 48 cents, or 0.9 percent, after losing nearly 12 percent in January, the steepest monthly decline since November 2018. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 24 cents to $51.32 a barrel, after earlier hitting a session low of $50.42. The front-month WTI price fell 15.6 percent in January, the biggest monthly drop since May. China's measures to support its economy might help put a floor under oil prices in the short term, even though the outlook for oil demand remains bearish, said Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets in Sydney. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show "The shuttering of airports suggests that there would be at least some demand delay, if not deferred or destroyed," he said. China's factory activity stalled in January as export orders fell, and analysts expect a big plunge in February's data as the virus outbreak hits demand in the country. China's central bank planned to inject more liquidity to shore up its economy on Monday, and pledged over the weekend to use various monetary policy tools to help allay the impact of the virus outbreak. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)and its allies could bring forward a March meeting to February to discuss the impact on oil demand from the virus flare-up. Already, OPEC and non-OPEC's Joint Technical Committee (JTC) have scheduled to meet in early February to assess the impact of the virus, OPEC+ sources told Reuters. OPEC's oil output plunged in January to the lowest since 2009 after several members led by Saudi Arabia over-delivered on a new agreement to cut production and as Libya's supply slumped. "They've done a good job of managing the price, but it is unexpected that demand would be impacted by something like a pandemic," Tony Nunan, a senior risk manager at Mitsubishi Corp in Tokyo. "The expectation is that in the next meeting that they will deepen the (production) cuts" to support prices, he said. Teresa Giudice shared several photos to Instagram to wish her daughter Milania a happy 14th birthday. And in one shot the 47-year-old TV vet was showing off her new chest after a recent breast augmentation. Last week, the single mother of four said on Instagram, '10 Years after my first Breast Augmentation I decided to have my breasts re-done. I am so thankful for Dr. Preminger @premingermd.... I was very nervous to re-do my breasts, but I felt it was necessary for me to feel like my best self.' All new and all good: Teresa Giudice shared several photos to Instagram to wish her daughter Milania a happy 14th birthday. And in one shot the 47-year-old TV vet was showing off her new chest during a recent breast augmentation In her tribute on Sunday, Giudice shared several photos of her little girl from when she was a young child to present day. Her caption read, '@milania_giudice356 you are most loving, sweetest girl! Im so lucky to have the pleasure to watch you grow into a beautiful, thoughtful, smart young woman! 'You are always so caring and you are always HILARIOUS! You keep us all on our toes and I hope this is the best year yet! Baby M: In her tribute on Sunday, Giudice shared several photos of her little girl from when she was a young child to present day With her pops: Here the teenager is seen with her father Joe Giudice in Italy after he was released from prison Already looking so grown up! And here the TV star was seen at home in a dress and heels 'Happy Birthday - I love you so much beautiful #14.' Joe also shared a long tribute to Milania from his new home country Italy. 'You got me running in circles writing this today so many emotions coming out,' he wrote ion social media. 'I want you know I love you buddy and happy birthday!' He then said that she has a great personality: 'You have brought such joy and happiness into our lives. The smiles, laughter, and memories have been some of the best moments of my life! You have your own sense of humor that lights up every room you walk into and the kindest heart of anyone I have ever met.' He ended with: 'I WILL ALWAYS BE THERE PARTNER! You will always be my princess of my heart. Love you buddy!' Big news: Giudice has breast augmentation again. The Real Housewives Of New Jersey star broke the news with a lengthy note on her Instagram account Teresa had a lot to say last week about changing her breasts. She stated on social media: 'I believe its important to always stand strong and feel like your best most confident self.' And the TV vet also said: 'I encourage anyone who doesnt feel their best self to work on feeling better. Even if it is the smallest thing every day. If it is something that requires cosmetic surgery to feel better I highly recommend Dr. Preminger @premingermd, and could not be happier with the results. I felt like she understood me, and really made me feel comfortable. 'I am grateful to have had such a professional approach. 'Dr. Preminger is Harvard, Cornell & Columbia educated Board Certified plastic surgeon. Based on my experience I can see why Dr.Preminger sits on the board of American Plastic Surgery, was the Chair of Ethics for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons for 2 years, and why she has an ethics faculty appointment at Cornell University Medical College.' The single mother then added several hashtags. One included, 'Not a paid advertisement.' In the photo, Teresa has on a robe as she poses with the doctor. She is serious about looking good: The star works out daily; seen here last week in NJ Staying on top of her workouts: Here she is seen earlier this month in the gym with a pal Last week the 47-year-old mother-of-four left very little to the imagination in her racy cut-out costume. Teresa stunned in a white one-piece with a criss-cross suit that had a very low cut out in the front and down each side. She teamed the look with a cover-up that barely did the trick with its cut-outs and hem. The Real Housewives of New Jersey star accessorized with various bangles and a pair of shades over her eyes. Over: Teresa's post comes following the split from her husband Joe (pictured with their daughters, Gia, 19, Gabriella, 16, Milania, 15, and Audriana, 11 in 2019) Teresa's surgery post comes after her estranged husband, Joe, recently confessed that she had 'urged' husband Joe to change before their split. 'Dont fall in! Whatever happens in our future, remember we were friends to begin with,' he captioned a throwback photo with Teresa. 'We will always stay strong. Its not distance that breaks a couple its actions! Im growing and learning more from todays generation. egocentrism was thing in baby boomer and gen x era.' Final straw: Joe, recently confessed that she had 'urged' him to change before their split He continued his deep spiel with: 'Now, Millennials believe in joint effort not separating roles. Not, that I didnt love my era I see the ego thing got in my way like a trap. one bedroom is good Today, simplicity, girls and family first, and actions speak louder than a car or big things.#familyiseverything #awakening #kids #future.' Joe and Teresa are parents to four daughters, Gia, 19, Gabriella, 16, Milania, 15, and Audriana, 11. The pair confirmed their split in December. 'Teresa and Joe have separated, but have no plans to divorce yet, a source told Us Weekly at the time. 'Teresa and Joe talked about their future when she and the girls were in Italy and decided it was best for them to separate.' Joe has spent much of the past few years behind bars in connection to his 2014 guilty plea to mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud charges. Teresa spent most of 2015 in custody in her 11-month sentence in her related conviction, while Joe in March of 2016 started serving his 41-month sentence. Because Joe was not a U.S. citizen - the reality star was born in Saronno, Italy and brought to the United States when he was a year old, never applying for citizenship - federal authorities ordered him deported due to legal statutes related to 'a crime of moral turpitude' or 'aggravated felony.' Joe concluded his sentence at Fort Dix, New Jersey's Federal Correctional Institution this past March, and was held in ICE custody until he was deported to Italy October 11 amid an appeal in the case. Sushmitha Ramakrishnan By Express News Service CHENNAI: A handful of boys in their teens gathered at a trisection at the slum resettlement at Perumbakkam on a Thursday noon. They were fashioned in baggy shorts and colourful T-shirts with their hair in spikes or, streaked with bright blonde, wine red or orange. Between them on the tar road lay an orange triangle drawn with chalk; 11 green marbles dotting the insides. Karthik* (15), who was one among them, set the ball rolling. It drew a loud cheer from the other boys and when the game was done, Karthik shot a high five to the winner and promised to put up a better fight next time. "Of course I'd rather be at school now. We'd all rather be at school. But schools don't like having us," he said laughing. Karthik and his family, were among the 2,092 families that are being evicted by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board from Sathiyavani Muthu Nagar in Park Town in Central Chennai. He was removed from there early in January. He was a class 9 student at a government-aided school near Chintadripet. They were moved by the State, into one of the many vertical resettlement at Perumbakkam, to where over 20,000 families have already been relocated from slums around the city over the last few years. Despite housing such large number of families, Perumbakkam has merely two schools: one high school and one elementary school. While most of them run at near full capacity, there are barely any vacancies for the new children who move in to the resettlement, forcing children to drop out. For the first few days, I took a two-hour bus journey to get to my old school. Then, I got tired. My mother made an unsuccessful attempt to enrol me in the government school within the resettlement here, he said. His neighbour, a 19-year-old girl, jumped in smiling sarcastically and said, "But he won't study here. He wants to have fun. He doesn't want to go to school. He just likes to play marbles with other drop-outs like him." Karthik immediately defended himself and said, "The teachers hit me here. They don't like me having any fun. They hit me because I asked questions in class...They hit me if I have a friendly conversation with girls... They hit me for everything," he said as his face turned serious. He turned to his neighbour and said, "Do you know that according to law, teachers cannot hit students? They even hit me when I said that to them. I don't want to go to a school that doesn't like me. They didn't do this to me in my old school even though I was naughty," he argued. Meanwhile, Vadivu, who is a sanitary worker at a government hospital, dragged her crying 10-year-old son by the ear, to enroll him in Class 5 at the government school within the resettlement. He was a frail and lean boy with big bold eyes that were welled with tears. "I don't want to go to this school," the boy cried, as she hauled him up a flight of stairs to meet a teacher. Her family was relocated to Perumbakkam, in the last week of December. Her husband, is a daily-wage worker who lifted heavy objects to load them in trucks. After a three-week search, Vadivu had found a job as a sweeper at a hospital nearby. "Since I have this new job, I cannot take him to the city to his old school everyday. It costs me Rs 10 to get out of the resettlement to the bus stop, Rs 27 for the bus journey from here to Chindadiripet and Rs 6 from that bus stop to his school. I cannot spend Rs 90 everyday," she rued. Her son angrily stomped away from her and buried his face on a wall crying. He is supposed to be writing his first public exam in March this year. "I will not write any exam here. My friends are there. This is not my home," he cried. With barely two months left for the exam, his helpless mother yelled at him,"Do not talk to me like that!" While bus facilities to Chintadiripet have been made free for students, it is not the case for parents. Further, there are very few buses plying between Perumbakkam and the city during school hours. A bus shuttle, arranged by a public representative for school children, goes tightly packed. Shanthi*, the mother of an eight-year-old girl who was in Class 3, said that her daughter was forced to sit on the floor of the bus with her legs tightly crossed, in a way she doesn't occupy much space. Shanthi hugged her crossed knees tightly to demonstrate how her daughter was made to sit. She said within a few days, she pulled her daughter out of school. When Express visited a few schools near Park Town and Chintadripet, teachers said even though students found the bus shuttle useful, they were extremely exhausted by the time they arrived in school. "Most children who come from Perumbakkam after eviction, skip breakfast as they have to start really early from their homes," said a science teacher at a middle-school near Chindadiripet, adding that they are tired and hungry well ahead of the lunch recess. She further said that students start getting restless by 3:30 pm, as the first ones to get out of the school, get the better seats in the crowded shuttle buses. "When students are evicted mid-year, they continue their education until the end of the academic year at best. Many of them quit, at the end. I don't know if they join other schools later," she said remarking that the government should prevent mid-academic-year evictions to prevent, "spoiling of children's education." A teacher at a private low-priced kindergarten in the same neighbourhood said that half her students dropped out after evictions at Sathiyavani Muthu Nagar and Chindadiripet. "Since these children are mostly under five-years-of-age, they start falling sick every week when they travel so far. Parents just pull them out. These government evictions do not account for early childhood education at all," she rued adding that young children need at least 10 hours of sleep. "They do not get this sleep, as they have to wake up early and travel for two hours to get to the school," she said. An Assessment of the two schools by Vanessa Peter, policy researcher, Information and Resource Centre for Deprived Urban Communities: The primary school is located inside a tenement and does not have facilities like adequate lighting and ventilation. Children are made to sit on the floor in classrooms. As per records, the high school has a strength of 2,400, but only about 1,500 turn up regularly. The mid-day meal is not prepared in the school campus and hence, the quantity is not assessed on a daily basis. This has resulted in food falling short on most days. Students have also complained about quality of food. The High School school does not have compound wall and children are found to be outside classrooms most of the team Demands LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 03: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlines his government's negotiating stance with the European Union after Brexit, during a key speech at the Old Naval College in Greenwich on February 3, 2020 in London, England. Sterling fell more than 1% Monday after the U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he wouldn't accept EU standards as a price to pay in order to secure a free trade deal. The United Kingdom left the EU officially on Friday, but it has yet to agree a new relationship with the EU. Both sides laid out separately on Monday what they want from a future trade deal but positions appear so far apart that economists have not excluded the possibility of an abrupt breakup at the end of the year. "I would put it at 20% at the moment," Anna Rosenberg, head of Europe and the U.K. at the advisory firm Signum Global, told CNBC Monday. "We have to track how talks pan out. If tensions rise and they seem to break down, I will revise it up," she added. The U.K. is currently in a transition period, during which EU law and rules are still applicable across the country, and the U.K. government can prepare trade deals with other nations. During this period, London also aims to develop new trade arrangements with Brussels. Failure to reach a new trade deal would bring higher costs for U.K. and European exporters. "There's no doubt there is also considerable difference between the parties," David Henig, a U.K. trade policy expert at the think tank ECIPE, told CNBC. "There is a possible deal that removes tariffs in return for some level playing field provisions, but equally no deal remains a distinct possibility," he said. The city of Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, has announced measures including financial support and tax cuts to help small and medium-sized firms affected by the coronavirus epidemic. Banking institutions are required to step up financial support for small and micro enterprises to guarantee bank loans, according to the circular released late Sunday by the city government. The outstanding balance of loans to small and micro companies in 2020 shall be no less than that of the same period in 2019, and the companies' financing costs shall be no more than last year's levels, the circular said. Companies that do not lay off employees can get a refund of 50 percent of the actual unemployment insurance premiums they paid last year. For those facing temporary production and operation difficulties, insurance premiums can be deferred up to six months, it said. Small and medium-sized enterprises affected by the epidemic outbreak can also have their housing rent exempted or reduced. Chinese health authorities said the total confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection on the Chinese mainland had reached 17,205 by the end of Sunday, with 361 deaths reported. Many Chinese cities have implemented traffic restrictions and work delays following the Spring Festival holiday to contain the spread. The People's Bank of China has said it will increase financial support including lower lending rates for companies affected by the epidemic. Conservation watchdog will investigate incident, which came to light after residents saw koalas bulldozed into piles. Dozens of koalas have been euthanised and some 80 more are being treated for injuries and starvation after their habitat was logged at a plantation, it emerged on Monday as Australian officials began an investigation. The environment department in the southern state of Victoria said its conservation regulator was investigating a very distressing incident at a bluegum plantation near the coastal town of Portland that resulted in the deaths of dozens of koalas. If this is found to be due to deliberate human action, we expect the conservation regulator to act swiftly against those responsible, the department said. Those responsible could face steep fines under laws designed to protect Australias native wildlife. The environment department said approximately 80 koalas had been removed from the site over the weekend for medical treatment, while others had had to be put down. Wildlife welfare assessment and triage will continue with qualified carers and vets, the department said in a statement. Plans are being made to translocate remaining animals offsite if they are well enough to be moved. Massacre Friends of the Earth said the plantation was logged in December in what it called a massacre that left hundreds of koalas dead or injured. The conservation group said the scale of the incident was uncovered when local residents witnessed dead koalas being bulldozed into piles in recent days. Australias horrific fire season has destroyed vast swathes of koala habitat and left the animals themselves with horrific burns [File: Nathan Edwards/Getty Images] The deaths come after devastating bushfires destroyed large swathes of koala habitat across Australias southeast and killed thousands of the animals, which are listed as vulnerable to extinction. The Australian Forest Products Association said a forestry contractor harvested the land in November in accordance with strict wildlife protection rules before the remaining trees were bulldozed after the contractor left. It is unclear as yet who bulldozed the trees with the koalas apparently still in them, but it is absolutely certain that this was not a plantation or a forestry company, Chief Executive Officer Ross Hampton told Nine newspapers. We support all those calling for the full force of the law to be applied to the perpetrator. The forestry industry lobby group has pledged to hold its own investigation into the incident. Kerala on Monday reported another case of the rapidly-spreading coronavirus from Kasaragod taking the total number of the affected in the country to three even as state health minister KK Shailaja said there are chances of more samples testing positive. Health officials said like the other two patients, the latest is also a medical student who returned to India in the last week of January from coronavirus epicentre of Wuhan and that all the three travelled back together from China. The patient is stable and being closely monitored, the Union health ministry said in a release. Also read: Stuck in Chinas Coronavirus-hit Wuhan, Andhra womans video appeal for help The second case of coronavirus was detected in Keralas Alappuzha on Sunday after the first was reported on Thursday last week from Thrissur, prompting the authorities in Kerala to put the state on high alert. Of the seven students who came in a batch on January 24, the other four are in isolation wards in different hospitals and people who came in contact with them were also isolated, officials in the state said. WATCH | Coronavirus: Students evacuated from China dance at Armys quarantine camp All steps to contain The state health minister said the government has taken enough steps to contain the secondary infection of the virus and that there was no need to panic. She said the state will overcome the fresh challenge as it did with the nipah virus two years ago. Though 17 people died of nipah infection in 2018, the state had localised the virus and contained it in two weeks. Also Read | A new case, travel advisories, appeal: The latest on coronavirus in India The condition of all the three affected is stable. The mortality rate of nCoV is very low but it can spread fast and it can be transmitted even before it was diagnosed. Taking this into consideration, there are chances of more samples testing positive, Shailaja said in the state assembly. She said 2,000 people are under surveillance at homes across the state and 80 have been admitted to isolation wards. Surveillance is the key. We have taken all steps to contain it. People are alerted throughout the state and they are following the guidelines issued by the health ministry. We have to be more alert, she said. Also read | Cocktail of flu, HIV drugs appears to help fight coronavirus: Thai doctors New centre, video She also said since the virology centre in Alappuzha has started operating it will ensure faster testing of samples. After sending samples to the National Institute of Virology in Pune it takes at least three days to get the result but now in Alappuzha, it will be available in seven hours. Though the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended a 14-day incubation period, the state is insisting for 28 days because of the high density of population. In a fresh recommendation, WHO has also asked laboratories to test only one swab sample as against the earlier two in suspected cases to cut down the result time. But the Alappuzha centre will continue with two tests to ensure foolproof results. A video, commissioned by the state health ministry, is being screened in schools to create general awareness. Health experts said the video will help put forth facts about the virus and dispel unnecessary fears among students and teachers. With the robust health care system the state can tide over the present threat easily, they said. At least 200 isolation wards have been set up in the state to meet the emergency. Many private hospitals have also offered isolation wards, intensive care units, ventilator support and enough supply of masks and gloves. The government has also appointed special medical officers in all district hospitals and medical college hospitals only to deal with virus-related cases. In isolation In all, 198 samples have been tested for the novel coronavirus, of which 195 samples have tested negative. Close to 100 people, with a history of travel to China, are under quarantine in different hospitals across India. Eight of the 13 patients kept in the isolation ward In New Delhis Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital have been discharged. Reports of five suspected cases are awaited. In a fresh travel advisory issued by the Indian government, e-Visa already issued to Chinese nationals is not valid temporarily. The facility for submitting the application online for the physical visa from China is suspended, the government statement said. People having compelling reasons to visit India asked to contact the India embassy in Beijing or consulate in Shanghai or Guangzhou, it added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Rajya Sabha witnessed repeated disruptions on Monday as members from opposition parties raised slogans against the government and demanded a debate on the Citizenship Amendement Act and NPR. The House was adjourned within three minutes of reassembling at 2 pm as members from the Congress and TMC continued shouting slogans and did not allow BJP's Bhupender Yadav to move a Motion of Thanks on the President's address. Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh told protesting members that they can talk on the CAA issue and all related matters during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address. As Harivansh made repeated appeals to members to return to their seats and allow the House to function, Yadav said the House must be in order for him to proceed. However, as members were unrelenting and protests continued, Harivansh adjourned the House till 3 pm. Earlier when the House reassembled at noon, members from Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) were up on their feet demanding an immediate discussion on CAA, National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Deputy Chairman Harivansh said he cannot allow discussion on issues on which the chairman has already given a ruling on adjournment notices given by Opposition parties. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "I have a fundamental issue. We run the House based on rules. There is Rule 267 for discussion. Why there is such a rule in the book if it is not allowed." The Chair did not yield to members' demand and began to take the Question Hour, but Opposition members were on the aisle while TMC members trooped into the Well protesting against CAA, NRC and NPR. Azad insisted that the discussion should be allowed because people are being allegedly killed in BJP-ruled states across the country. As there was no order in the House, the Chair was forced to adjourn the proceedings till 2 pm. In the morning Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu disallowed notices given by several opposition members to discuss the issue and then adjourned proceedings till noon after MPs belonging to the Congress, TMC, Left and BSP rose to raise the issue. Naidu said members will get enough opportunity to raise the issue during discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament. The President's address had specific mention of the amended citizenship law and it can be discussed during the debate on the Motion of Thanks, he said. However, Satish Chandra Mishra of the BSP, Derek O'Brien of the TMC, T K Rangarajan of the CPM and other opposition members rose to speak on it. Naidu cut them short, saying he has already given a ruling on adjournment notices and cannot allow them to speak now. As other opposition members joined them, Naidu adjourned proceedings. Naidu said he had received notices from leaders such as Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma of Congress, TMC leader O'Brien, Binoy Viswam of the CPI and others under Rule 267 seeking setting aside of the business of the day to take up discussion on issues related to NPR and Citizenship Amendment Act. Also, call attention notice has been received from Subramanian Swamy on related issue. He, however, said members could raise the issue during the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address. When the House met for the day at 11 am, Naidu read out an obituary reference on the passing away of Sultan of Oman Qaboos Bin Said Al Said and also on the death of 29 people and animals in Australia's bushfires. Members stood in silence as a mark of respect to departed souls. Naidu also mentioned sitting member M C Mary Kom being awarded the Padma Vibhushan, saying she is the first woman spokesperson of the country to be decorated with the award. He also mentioned the award being conferred on former members Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, George Fernandes and Manohar Parrikar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ATHENS As Greece struggles to deal with a seemingly endless influx of migrants from neighboring Turkey, the conservative government has a contentious new plan to respond to the problem: a floating net barrier to avert smuggling boats. But rights groups have condemned the plan, warning that it would increase the perils faced by asylum-seekers amid growing tensions at camps on the Aegean Islands and in communities there and on the mainland. The potential effectiveness of the barrier system has also been widely questioned, and the center-right daily newspaper Kathimerini dismissed the idea in an editorial Friday as wishful thinking. A leaked recording of an exchange between an Iranian air-traffic controller and an Iranian pilot purports to show that Iranian authorities immediately knew its missiles had downed a Ukrainian plane after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 people on board, despite days of denials. Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the recordings authenticity in a report aired by a Ukrainian television channel on Sunday night. Hassan Rezaeifar, head of Irans investigation team, acknowledged the recording was legitimate and said it was handed over to the Ukrainian officials in Tehran on Monday. After the January 8 disaster, Irans civilian government maintained for days that it did not know Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), answerable only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had shot down the aircraft. Leaked conversation A transcript of the recording, published by Ukrainian 1+1 TV channel, shows a conversation in Farsi between the air-traffic controller and a pilot reportedly flying a Fokker 100 jet for Irans Aseman Airlines from the southern Iranian city of Shiraz to capital Tehran. A series of lights like yes, it is missile, is there something? the pilot calls out to the controller. No, how many miles? Where? the controller asks. The pilot responds that he saw the light by Payam airport, near where the IRGCs Tor M-1 anti-aircraft missile was launched from. The controller says nothing has been reported to them, but the pilot remains insistent. It is the light of missile, the pilot says. Dont you see anything anymore? the controller asks. Dear engineer, it was an explosion. We saw a very big light there, I dont really know what it was, the pilot responds. The controller then tries to contract the Ukrainian aircraft, but unsuccessfully. Publicly accessible flight-tracking radar information suggests Aseman Airlines flight number 3768 was close enough to Tehran to see the blast. Iranian civil aviation authorities for days insisted it was not a missile that brought down the plane, even after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US officials began saying they believed it had been shot down. Zelenskyy told 1+1: The recording, indeed, shows that the Iranian side knew from the start that our plane was shot down by a missile, they were aware of this at the moment of the shooting. Black boxes The Ukrainian president also repeated his demands to decode the planes flight recorders in Kyiv something Iranian officials had promised last month but later backtracked on. On Monday, Ukrainian investigators were to travel to Tehran to participate in the decoding effort, but Zelenskiy insisted on bringing the black boxes back to Kyiv. It is very important for us, he said. Iranian authorities, however, condemned the publication of the recording as unprofessional, saying it was part of a confidential report. This action by the Ukrainians makes us not want to give them any more evidence, said Rezaifar, head Iranian investigator, according to a report by the semi-official Mehr news agency. Al Jazeeras Assed Baig, reporting from Tehran, said the revelation puts Tehran in a very difficult position. This has upset the Iranians, not only because this information has been leaked without anyone telling them, but also because domestically and politically it puts them in a difficult position, he said. A regional airline has complained to the consumer watchdog about Qantas "dumping excess capacity" on some routes, making some of its services unviable. Regional Express Airlines - better known as Rex - told the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission it will highlight Qantas' behaviour on three routes: Adelaide to Whyalla, Adelaide to Kangaroo Island and the Sydney-Ballina service. Rex says it will stop services to Kangaroo Island and Ballina in coming weeks due to a downturn in demand. Credit:Kate Callas The airline says it has decided to stop services to Ballina and Kangaroo Island in the coming weeks due to a downturn in demand, claiming Qantas has gone beyond competing on merits. "Rex has to face up to the reality that it is not able to match Qantas' financial firepower and, unlike Qantas, Rex is not able to continue servicing a money-losing route indefinitely," the company said in a statement on Monday. The National Green Tribunal Monday directed the Ghaziabad Municipal Commissioner to file an affidavit informing it about the status of compliance of its direction to remove encroachments in the green belts. A bench headed by Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore asked the Commissioner as well as the Executive Engineer of Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam to remain present on February 19, the next date of hearing. It said the Corporation has submitted a compliance report on January 9 through the Executive Engineer and as per the direction the registry has listed it before the tribunal. "A bare perusal of the report, particularly the chart in tabular form not only shows that it lacks clarity but it also reveals that many compliances have not been made because appropriate action had not been initiated against the defaulters," said the bench, also comprising expert member Satyawan Singh Garbyal. "Before passing appropriate order in the light of observation made in the order of December 11, 2019 with regard accountability to the officer concerned, we direct the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation to file an affidavit with, a chart in tabular form, indicating the recommendations and final compliance thereof, before the next date of hearing, with an advance copy to the other side," it said. The tribunal on December 11 had directed the municipal corporation to remove illegal encroachments in the green belts under its jurisdiction within a period of 30 days. The tribunal's direction came after petitioner advocate Shariq Abbas Zaidi alleged that NGT's February 8 order directing the Municipal Corporation of Ghaziabad to take immediate steps for removal of encroachment from green belt has not been executed. The petitioners had sought action against the encroachments in the green belt area and reckless dumping of waste by the municipal bodies. The plea had alleged that Hotel Radisson Blu which is located at Kaushambi has destroyed the entire green belt situated along with the road solely for their parking purposes and even converted the area into a party lawn. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BOCA RATON, Fla., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Newswise -- The Carnegie Foundation has announced that Florida Atlantic University is one of the 119 U.S. colleges and universities to receive the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification for 2020, an elective designation that indicates institutional commitment to community engagement. This classification is awarded every five years following a process of self-study by each institution, which is then assessed by a national review committee led by the Swearer Center for Public Engagement at Brown University, the administrative and research home for the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. "I'm delighted that FAU's community engagement efforts were recognized by the Carnegie Foundation, which reaffirms the importance of our world-class educational and outreach programs and partnerships in enhancing our students' learning experiences, while promoting community development and economic prosperity," said FAU President John Kelly . "I'd like to thank everyone who helped the university achieve this wonderful designation, especially Dr. Ron Nyhan, who led this initiative." Of the 119 institutions classified in the 2020 cycle, 44 are receiving the classification for the first time while 75 are now re-classified, after being classified originally in 2010 or 2015. These 119 institutions join the 240 institutions that earned the classification during the 2015 selection process, for a total of 359 campuses who are currently active holders of this important designation. Among the 2020 recipients of the classification, 67 are public institutions and 52 are private. "Florida Atlantic University is committed to being a force for positive change through its leadership and by leveraging the knowledge, expertise, and resources of the university along with those of the community in authentic engagement for mutual benefit," said Ron Nyhan, Ph.D., executive director of FAU's Office of Community Engagement . "The Carnegie designation is a reflection of this commitment, which stems from our faculty, staff and students working with, learning from and contributing to the communities FAU serves locally, regionally and internationally." The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for the past 14 years. -FAU- About Florida Atlantic University: Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU's world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU's existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu . Provided by Newswise, online resource for knowledge-based news at www.newswise.com Media Contacts: Brittany Sylvestri Assistant Director, Media Relations [email protected] Phone: 561-297-2676 SOURCE Florida Atlantic University Related Links http://www.fau.edu A series of privacy bills have been introduced in Washington state, but they present conflicting regulatory visions and their sponsors don't necessarily see eye-to-eye.After what was designed to be the state's landmark privacy law failed to materialize last year , its primary sponsor, Sen. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, has introduced Senate Bill 6281 , which he hopes will be able to appeal to a diversity of stakeholders in its pursuit of an overarching policy framework.The bill, whose stipulations apply to companies with 100,000 customers or more, set out a framework in which consumers have "data rights of access, correction, deletion, data portability and opt out of the processing." However, the bill has also left out several consumer privileges long sought by privacy rights activists, like a private right action provision, which would allow individuals to sue technology companies for abuses and leaves enforcement authority instead to the state's attorney general."When the previous bill didn't pass the House, we spent an incredibly robust six-plus months since the last session working with stakeholders, working with consumer privacy groups and advocates [and the House] ... in a thorough, expansive effort to reach consensus so that we can move forward," Carlyle said, speaking withThose stakeholders included powerful technology lobby groups like CompTIA, TechNet, and the Internet Association. Carlyle said he also took input from consumer and civil rights groups like Consumer Reports and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which he said were sometimes involved in negotiations over bill language with industry representatives.But some of those rights groups have actually lined up behind several opposing pieces of legislation introduced by Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton . Smith, who is the ranking member of the state's House Innovation, Technology and Economic Development Committee, has worked together with the ACLU and other consumer groups to craft five bills that would create consumer rights over a persons data and biometric identifiers Smith's legislation would do a number of things to expand consumer rights. They include creating a charter of consumer data rights around which companies would have to structure their data policies as well as transforming the office of the state's chief privacy officer from an appointed one to an elected one, making it more accountable to the public. It would also provide for a private right of action and force data brokers to register with the state, among other things.Smith said that Carlyle's legislation leaves numerous loopholes that will allow companies to take get away with privacy abuses."It is a very corporate-centric bill," she said. "You [should] start with a consumer focus. You build a bill that really empowers consumers, that provides clear direction as regards to the corporate responsibility ... and then [provide] strong enforcement mechanisms."Smith also providedwith copies of letters from the Consumer Federation of America, a consumer lobbying group, which were submitted to the Senate and House that argue Carlyle's legislation would "do little to change business practices built on exploiting individuals personal information for profit or provide meaningful privacy protections for Washingtonians," and were overly influenced by "Big Tech.""I just have a different policy view," Carlyle said, responding to Smith's criticism. "Her work is very thoughtful ... I think her policy position is just as legitimate as the approach I'm taking on."Carlyle said that his bill, which is built to take on the abuses of large companies, has been instructed by large privacy bills that came before it and that the law, should it pass, would continue to evolve and be adapted to improve consumer rights."What we learned from GDPR and from California is that [it's important to] get the larger entities data right relative to the consumer's right to opt out, delete and correct, [which] then allows us to learn and bring smaller businesses onboard down the road as we fine tune, rather than thrusting this obligation on every single industry in every single sector," he said."I don't think that we're ever going to be done dealing with the regulatory framework of consumer data and the issue of privacy. We're living in a new era," he said. A knifeman has been shot and wounded after he stabbed a police officer in the hand in northeastern France. The officer, who has not been named, also fired a tear gas canister at the individual before firing two shots in Dieuze, Moselle, this afternoon. The attacker was injured in the abdomen and transported to hospital for treatment, although the severity of his injuries is yet to be confirmed. The officer fired a tear gas canister at his assailant before firing two shots in Dieuze, Moselle 'There was an opening of fire by a gendarme at Dieuze on an individual who I am told was armed with a knife,' prosecutor Christian Mercuri told a court in Metz this afternoon. The national gendarmerie told AFP: 'A man in civilian clothes brandished a stabbed weapon in the Dieuze gendarmerie.' A preliminary investigation must determine whether it is a case for 'ordinary law' or a terrorist attack, they added. The circumstances of the shot and motivation of the attacker are not yet known. New Delhi: Within the last 10 days, the third firing incident took place at the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Jamia Nagar area on Sunday night, creating a scary atmosphere among the protesters. The Delhi police has registered an FIR at the Jamia Nagar police station and it is probing the third firing incident. The police said that it is zeroing in on the two accused allegedly invol-ved in the third firing act with their two-wheelers registration number that was caught on camera. Meanwhile, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) has been deployed near Shaheen Bagh protest site on Monday evening. Two unidentified persons had opened fire during the ongoing protests at the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University late on Sunday night. Though no one was injured in the incident, there was panic among those present at the spot. DCP Kumar Gyanesh said the police teams are carrying out intensive search of the place where the firing took place near Gate No. 7 of the varsity campus. So far, we have found no empty cartri-dges. We are, therefore, probing further to identify the accused and verify the crime. The FIR was registered after due procedure, said the DCP. Hundreds of protesters stormed into the Jamia Nagar police station and stayed there until police registered an FIR at around 4 am. As usual, the police wasnt taking any complaint and after two to three hours of the citizens shouting slogans and approaching cops inside the police station, the FIR was registered, claimed Mohd. Hafeez, a Jamia student who was at the police station. We had taken photographs of the red scooter, which the accused had used, and based on the same identified its registration number. It is up to the police now to verify and see if the owner of the vehicle and the accused are the same or if the accused used someone elses vehicle, he said. However, a police official at the Jamia Nagar police station said that a few persons approached them during the registration of the FIR saying they had seen the red scooter that was allegedly used for the crime. The police has claimed that no one could capture the full registration number of the two-wheeler. As per the vehicle registration records, the owner of the two-wheeler with the registration number caught on camera apparently ending with the digit 2 belongs to a man while that ending with 4 belongs to a woman, said the police official. The police teams are cross verifying the CCTV cameras and other videos of the incident captured by some protestors to ascertain whether the number ends with 2 or 4, said the police official. Prior to Sundays incident, Kapil Gujjar, a resident of Dallupura village on the outskirts of Delhi, had fired at the protest spot in Shaheen Bagh on February 1. Gujjar had allegedly shouted, Humare desh men aur kisi ki nahi sirf Hindu ki chalegi (only Hindus shall have a say in our country, no one else). He was later arrested by the Jamia Nagar police. As every investor would know, not every swing hits the sweet spot. But really bad investments should be rare. So spare a thought for the long term shareholders of Alco Holdings Limited (HKG:328); the share price is down a whopping 85% in the last three years. That'd be enough to cause even the strongest minds some disquiet. And more recent buyers are having a tough time too, with a drop of 64% in the last year. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 18% in the last 90 days. We really feel for shareholders in this scenario. It's a good reminder of the importance of diversification, and it's worth keeping in mind there's more to life than money, anyway. See our latest analysis for Alco Holdings Given that Alco Holdings didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong revenue growth. That's because it's hard to be confident a company will be sustainable if revenue growth is negligible, and it never makes a profit. Over the last three years, Alco Holdings's revenue dropped 18% per year. That means its revenue trend is very weak compared to other loss making companies. And as you might expect the share price has been weak too, dropping at a rate of 47% per year. We prefer leave it to clowns to try to catch falling knives, like this stock. It's worth remembering that investors call buying a steeply falling share price 'catching a falling knife' because it is a dangerous pass time. You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image). SEHK:328 Income Statement, February 3rd 2020 We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. This free interactive report on Alco Holdings's earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further. Story continues What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)? We've already covered Alco Holdings's share price action, but we should also mention its total shareholder return (TSR). Arguably the TSR is a more complete return calculation because it accounts for the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested), along with the hypothetical value of any discounted capital that have been offered to shareholders. Its history of dividend payouts mean that Alco Holdings's TSR, which was a 84% drop over the last 3 years, was not as bad as the share price return. A Different Perspective We regret to report that Alco Holdings shareholders are down 64% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 5.2%. However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 19% per year over five years. We realise that Buffett has said investors should 'buy when there is blood on the streets', but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Alco Holdings better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Alco Holdings (1 is a bit concerning) that you should be aware of. There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on HK exchanges. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. The World Food Programme is warning that the number of people in need of aid in South Sudan will increase this year. The World Food Programme is warning that the number of people in need of aid in South Sudan will increase this year. Years of conflict have left nearly half of the population relying on food assistance. And, as Al Jaazeeras Hiba Morgan reports, recent flooding has made the situation worse for thousands more. A new financial channel has opened up between Iran and Switzerland that will permit the sale of humanitarian supplies to the country, which has become increasingly financially isolated due to US sanctions. In a ceremony with camera crews, Switzerlands Ambassador to Iran Markus Leitner unveiled boxes of medical supplies, which caused a bit of controversy given that the medicine was actually purchased by Iran even though the presentation of the ceremony made it appear as if the medicine was a donation. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, however, was not enthusiastic about the announcement and rejected the idea that the alleged US role in permitting the channel to open would lead to a decrease in tensions. This channel is less than the order of implementation of the International Court of Justice, which told the United States it does not have the right to block the entry of food and medicine into Iran, Zarif told reporters Feb. 3. Americas policy is still a policy of pressure on the Iranian people. It is a policy of depriving people of financial resources to purchase food and medicine, Zarif added. He continued, This is a very small step that the government of Switzerland put together, and we are grateful for their efforts. But this is not a sign of Americas good intentions. Zarif added, It is not even a sign that the United States has taken the smallest step in the direction of fulfilling its commitments based on the ruling of the International Court of Justice let alone based on the nuclear deal. In October 2018, the International Court of Justice ruled that the United States must lift its new sanctions on Iran, which restricted trade in humanitarian goods and civil aviation. The new sanctions were reapplied after President Donald Trump exited the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as the nuclear deal, between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany. The 2015 deal lifted international sanctions on Iran in exchange for the country reducing its nuclear program. The US reapplication of sanctions on Iran and forcing European countries and companies to also pull out of financial investments in the country and reducing their oil imports has severely damaged the countrys economy and scared off most international companies from conducting banking transactions with Iran. European countries that have wanted to save the nuclear deal had sought to open a financial transaction channel called Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX). While the plan, which would protect financial transactions from US sanctions, had been announced in January 2019, it is still not able to handle financial transactions of oil sales, which is what Iran had sought. According to President Hassan Rouhanis spokesman Ali Rabiei, the Iran-Switzerland channel is different from INSTEX. He referred to the Iran-Switzerland channel as a medicine channel. Rabiei said, Our expectation from INSTEX was more than this. We see this as a humanitarian effort, but it is certainly not the legal requirements Iran wants from European countries and the obligations to their requirements under the nuclear deal. Iran so far has remained in the nuclear deal, though it has announced incremental reductions in its nuclear program as a means to pressure Europe to secure financial transactions. We hope this is the first step by the European countries in showing courage against American bullying, said Rabiei. Photo: Sierra Bell/Unsplash Missed the most recent top news in Houston? Read on for everything you need to know. Man killed in hit-and-run on Aldine Bender Road in north Harris County The Harris County Sheriffs Office is looking for the driver responsible for hitting and killing a man Saturday night in north Houston. Read the full story on KPRC2 / Click2Houston. Suspect dies after crashing into light pole during police chase in SW Houston Two other suspects are in custody after getting out of the car during the middle of the chase. Read the full story on KHOU 11 News. Bed Bath & Beyond throws in the towel on 3 Houston stores Three locations in the Houston-area are closing their doors. Is your location on the list? Read the full story on ABC Houston, KTRK. Flights from China to Houston canceled as new US travel restrictions go into place New travel restrictions went into effect Sunday at 4 p.m. central time. Read the full story on KHOU. The Log Cabin Republicans denied a spot at Texas GOP convention Motions to allow a roll call vote on the matter failed. Read the full story on Houston Chronicle. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. The National Technical Coordinating Committee will today Monday meet to review arrangements to prevent the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country. The Committee of experts was constituted last week to plan for possible cases of the coronavirus in Ghana. The Ministry of Health in a statement last week said the meeting will be to review the resilience of our current arrangements to prevent an outbreak of the virus. The coronavirus has been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO) after the outbreak was discovered and begun to spread outside China. So far, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has designated the Ridge Hospital and the Tema General Hospital as initial case management centres. Regional directors of health have also been instructed to designate treatment centres in their respective regions. The Minister of Health and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration will on February 4, 2020, brief Parliament on the government's preparedness towards dealing with the coronavirus. Ghanaian students stranded Meanwhile, the China chapter of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has called on the Government to evacuate all Ghanaian students in China within the next three days The Union expressed fears over the wellbeing of Ghanaian students in the country. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, reopening dates for most universities in China have been postponed indefinitely, leaving international students stranded. Several countries including the United States of America and Australia have evacuated their citizens from China. ---citinewsroom New Delhi Another person suspected to be infected by the novel coronavirus (nCoV-2019) has been admitted to the isolation ward at the citys Dr Ram Manohar Lohia hospital. The 27-year old returned from China on January 30. Eight persons admitted to the ward were discharged on Monday after their lab reports confirmed that they did not have the viral infection. Eight persons admitted to the hospital between January 27 to February 1 were discharged on Monday morning after their reports came out to be negative, said Smriti Tiwari, spokesperson, RML hospital. The reports of six persons one admitted on Monday and five on Sunday are awaited. The samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune for testing. So far, the lab has tested 338 samples, of which 335 were found to be negative. Three persons from Kerala, who had travelled to China, tested positive for the disease. Seventy other samples are under process at the central lab. Besides that, regional laboratories of the Indian Council of Medical Research have also been activated for the testing of the virus, with five samples being tested at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi. To test patients, swabs are taken from the back of the nose and mouth, and fluid is collected from the lungs with a bronchoscope for a culture test to look for the presence of a microbe. The DNA of the virus (if any) is matched against the published 2019-nCoV sequence released by China using special testing kits. The hospital had to expand its eight-bed isolation facility on Sunday after five more people were admitted. Now, it has a 32 bed ward. So far, the hospital has admitted seventeen people in its isolation ward since persons travelling from China started being screened. All the patients were from Delhi-NCR. Another 50-bed isolation facility had also been set up at Safdarjung hospital to treat persons who returned from China and have flu-like symptoms. Over 650 Indians, who were evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, are currently under quarantine at two isolation facilities set up by the army and the ITBP in NCR. Medics screen Indians after they were brought home by an Air India aircraft from Chinas coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, at the airport in New Delhi. PTI photo The condition of two medical students from Wuhan University, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, has improved, according to doctors. The two students who were admitted into the isolation wards of the government medical colleges at Thrissur and Alappuzha are said to be recuperating. They are being closely monitored for now. The relatives and friends of the Thrissur student who are under observation are not symptomatic though they will remain under home quarantine until the incubation period is over. The total number of persons under observation in Kerala is 1999 including 75 admitted in isolation wards of various hospitals. In Alappuzha, eight persons have been quarantined in hospitals including the virus infected medical student while 124 persons are under home quarantine. Health authorities have initiated measures to trace all persons in the contact list of the student. Isolation wards have been set up at Alappuzha medical college where 20 persons can be treated at a time and in general hospital where 25 people can be treated. A corona surveillance committee has been set up in Alappuzha to coordinate prevention and control measures. Meanwhile, the National Institute of Virology has received the permission to test samples to confirm coronavirus. The NIV Alappuzha will start testing samples from today which will help in quicker analysis and detection of the positive cases, said health minister K.K Shylaja. Facilities have been stepped up at NIV, Alappuzha with more staff and machines and the unit is now equipped to test as many as 200 samples per day. There was considerable delay in getting the results from NIV, Pune as all states are sending out blood samples to the centre for analysis. The police have arrested two more persons for spreading fake news on coronavirus through social media. The police earlier caught three persons for forwarding misleading and baseless information pertaining to the virus. Kiev, Ukraine: The President of Turkey has denounced the Russian annexation of Crimea and pledged to support the territorial integrity of Ukraine in a move bound to upset Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan applaud during a signing ceremony in Kiev, Ukraine. Credit:AP Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said on a visit to Ukraine that Turkey would help build housing for 500 families of Crimean Tatars who have relocated to other parts of Ukraine after Crimea's annexation. The Tatars are a Turkic ethnic group indigenous to Crimea. Many have opposed Russia's annexation of the Black Sea peninsula. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014 in a move that hasn't been recognised by most of the world's nations and that triggered Western sanctions against Vladimir Putin's government. Ozzy Osbourne looked to be in good spirits as he arrived with his wife Sharon Osbourne on Sunday. The 71 year old rocker and his 67 year old wife were spotted arriving at their son Jack Osbourne's home in Studio City, California. They were both arriving to attend the birthday party of Jack's daughter Minnie Theodora. Ozzy: Ozzy Osbourne looked to be in good spirits as he arrived with his wife Sharon Osbourne on Sunday The Prince of Darkness was rocking a black shirt and black pants with black shoes with silver buckles. He wore a bright purple trench coat over his black ensemble, with matching purple sunglasses. He completed his look with a silver chain around his neck and a black cane to assist him walking, following his diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. Sharon's look: Ozzy's wife Sharon wore a white shirt under a white button down shirt with wide-legged black pants Ozzy's wife Sharon wore a white shirt under a white button down shirt with wide-legged black pants. She also had a necklace hanging from her neck, while holding a large black purse that was hanging from her shoulder. She completed her look with large diamond earrings while carrying a Claudine shopping bag. Prince of Darkness: The Prince of Darkness was rocking a black shirt and black pants with black shoes with silver buckles The Osbourne's outing comes just days after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, and after a candid new interview where he admitted he wasn't worried about death. 'I wont be here in another 15 years or whatever, not that much longer, but I dont dwell on it,' Osbourne said. 'Do I ever think about when my times gonna come? I think about it, I dont worry about it', the musician candidly said in this week's Kerrang! magazine. Diagnosed: The Osbourne's outing comes just days after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, and after a candid new interview where he admitted he wasn't worried about death The Osbournes star elaborated on his outlook on life since discovering his condition as he added: 'Its gonna happen to us all. Am I happy now? No. I havent got my health. That thing knocked the s*** out of me, man, but Im still here.' Ozzy revealed he was diagnosed with Parkinson's on Good Morning America earlier in January. He admitted he could no longer hide his health struggles and that he is on a 'whole host' of medications to treat his nerve pain. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday said Arvind Kejriwal had done "nothing exceptional" by providing cheap power and healthcare in Delhi and alleged the AAP leader was a "shifty character" who had "mastered the art of deceit and lies to mislead people". Singh said all chief ministers of Congress-ruled states were providing such amenities to the people and asserted that claims of an AAP wave in Delhi were only a "myth" as in Punjab in 2017, when Kejriwal's party had won 20 seats despite the hype. Addressing an election rally in Hari Nagar, he also hit out at the BJP, accusing it of converting "the entire country into Shaheen Bagh", using it to polarise elections in Delhi and in the process destroying India's foundations. Singh said Chief Minister Kejriwal should tell the people what he has done for the progress of Delhi and to provide jobs to people here, instead of talking about the freebies. "Some people will surely be happy with these freebies but what has he really done for the development and progress of Delhi? What has he done for creating jobs for your children," he said at a public meeting in favour of Congress candidate Surinder Setia. Singh said that there has been virtually no progress in Delhi in the last five years. "In Punjab we have given jobs to 11 lakh youths," he said, adding that what Delhi needed was economic and industrial development. He, however, lamented that both the AAP and the BJP had "sacrificed" the interests of Delhiites in their turf war, and the city, "which saw lots of progress under the Congress regime, had been deprived of any development over the past five years". He said only the Congress could ensure Delhi's development and work for strengthening and uniting India. Targeting the BJP, the Punjab CM said, "They are attempting to polarise the elections here with Shaheen Bagh but they will not succeed, as people have seen through their game". The Congress leader said the entire country had in fact become Shaheen Bagh with protests against CAA and NRC across the nation. "There is unrest in universities. Students are on the streets across the country, and are being shot at," he said, adding that this was not the India for which so many had sacrificed themselves. In contrast to the divisive of the BJP, which had weakened the nation, the Congress had always worked towards strengthening India, he added. Singh said the names of 19 lakh people had been excluded in the NRC in Assam. "Will they put them all in detention camps that they have built, he said, asking where will all those people, who are being brand as non-citizens, go. He later said Kejriwal is subsidising power only to a section of customers and making commercial and industrial consumers in Delhi pay through their nose by cross subsidising them. The chief minister said that the Delhi government had been subsidising residential consumers to the tune of Rs 1,700 crore and this amount had been raised to about Rs 2,600 crore only recently with an eye on the polls. He said even this amount was only one-fourth of the subsidy being given by his government. "In Punjab, we subsidies power to 21 lakh domestic consumers belonging to SC/BC & BPL Category, 14 lakh agriculture and 1.50 lakh Industrial consumers and spending Rs 9,000 to Rs 10,000 crore every year," he said, adding that electricity rates of commercial & industrial consumers in Delhi are 1.5 times more than Punjab. The chief minister said that while commercial consumers in Delhi pay Rs 11 to Rs 12 per unit in Punjab, they are charged Rs 7-8 per unit only. Similarly, Industrial Consumers in Delhi were paying Rs 10-11 per unit, as compared to Rs. 5-7 per unit in Punjab, he pointed out. While Amarinder Singh refused to predict how many seats Congress will win in Delhi in the February 8 assembly election, he said that the party was in a strong position. He expressed confidence that Setia would emerge victorious from Hari Nagar. In her address, AICC general secretary Asha Kumari said that Delhi had become an orphan in the tussle between the BJP and the AAP. She said neither of these parties are bothered about Delhi and have their own vested interests in mind. Unlike Sheila Dikshit, who led Delhi from the front, both AAP and BJP have destroyed it, she alleged. Amarinder Singh later held a road show in Kalkaji in favour of party candidate Shivani Chopra. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) FRESNO, California A 24-year-old man was shot and killed by a homeless man during an argument over who would win Super Bowl LIV, police say. Police tell the Fresno Bee that the victim, Frank Rojas, was attending a barbecue in front of a home Saturday when the suspect approached. The two men began arguing over which team, the Kansas City Chiefs or the San Francisco 49ers, would win the Super Bowl. According to ABC 30, police say the argument quickly escalated and the suspect pulled out a weapon from his backpack. Police say it wasnt a gun but a makeshift gun" and that officers are still trying to determine exactly what it is. Rojas was taken to a hospital but died of his wounds. The suspect, a man in his 30s, ran from the scene but was arrested a few blocks away, ABC 30 reports. To comment on this story, go to Sundays crime and courts comments section. Other content on cleveland.com: Boy, 13, dies after accidental shooting in Hinckley Shaker Heights police investigating after girl shot in the stomach, boyfriend in custody for questioning Ravenna boy dies after accidentally shooting self in the chest, police say Man wounded in daytime shooting in parking lot of Cleveland strip mall A Group of Ministers under the Chairmanship of Union Minister for Health Dr Harsh Vardhan, reviewed the situation related to novel coronavirus in the country on Monday. Other members of the GOM include External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and MoS Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy. This group will be reviewing the situation on a daily basis. Similarly, Dr PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister also reviewed the situation relating to coronavirus today. Mishra, along with NSA Ajit Doval, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, CDS Gen Bipin Rawat and others attended the meeting in which the review of arrangements for the approximately 600 evacuees was done. Earlier with three confirmed cases of nCoV detected in Kerala, the health ministry has decided to make children aware of the preventive measures to avoid the disease. Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan told ANI on Monday: "Now that the nCoV case is being detected in India, school administrations should sensitise their students on preventive measures related to flu-like symptoms. The parents should also take care of it." On Monday, the third positive case of Novel Coronavirus has been reported in Kerala. According to the Health Ministry, the patient has travel history from Wuhan, China. The patient is stable and is being closely monitored. Meanwhile, the central government has issued a fresh travel advisory asking people to refrain from travelling to China and that anyone with travel history to China since January 15 this year may be quarantined. According to China's Health Commission, the latest data on the coronavirus outbreak in China till today states that there are 17,205 confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland, another 15 in Hong Kong 8 in Macao and 10 in Taiwan. As many as 361 people have died of the infection so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Irans President Hassan Rouhani announced that 133 water and power projects worth over $4.7 billion have been opened throughout the country in the last four months, Caspian News reports. "Opening 133 important water and power projects in 22 provinces with a value of over 20 trillion tomans [over $4.7 billion] in less than four months displays Iranian people and governments power, Rouhani said at the opening ceremony for a water treatment plant and electricity projects in Tehran province, on January 28. As of 2018, hydroelectric power comprises more than 15 percent of Irans total installed electricity capacity, or about 12,000 megawatts (MW). Irans total capacity is roughly 80,000 MW, making it the second-largest electricity producer in the Caspian region after Russia, which produces almost 225,000 MW. Officials are trying to expand Irans energy output. As the most populous country in the region, with almost 85 million residents, Iran is poised to consume more power in the coming years. In 2019, the energy ministry announced its intent to launch 22 new power plants, with a total capacity of 3,933 MW, and upgrade existing ones. The second phase of the Tehrans 7th water treatment plant will supply five cubic meters of healthy and safe water per second to a large population of about two million people in the south and east of Tehran, as well as Varamin, Pakdasht, Pishva, Bagher Abad and villages and cities in this area, read a statement posted to the official website of Irans president. According to the deputy head of the Underground Water Resources Protection Unit at Iran Water Resource Management, Abdollah Fazeli Farsani, dwindling underground water supplies have forced 20 million people from small towns and villages to the countryside in the last two decades. Irans water deficit is about 130 billion cubic meters and if this issue is not addressed, the damage will be irreversible, Farsani said, according to IRNA. Iran had been suffering from extreme droughts for about 10 years, and some cities were facing water shortages through last March, before heavy rains flooded 25 of Iran's 31 provinces, creating a reverse crisis: mass evacuations, ravaged infrastructure, and heavy losses inflicted upon the agricultural sector. Courtney Wild (pictured) one of Jeffrey Epstein's victims will attend the State of the Union address Tuesday night One of Jeffrey Epstein's victims will attend the State of the Union address Tuesday night as a guest just after the sex trafficker's lawyer Alan Dershowitz defended the president in the Senate impeachment trial. Jackie Speier, a California representative, is hosting Courtney Wild as her guest at the address in the House Chamber. 'I'm nervous but super excited,' Wild said Monday, according to the Miami Herald. 'I still can't wrap my mind around it. I think it shows that we have come a long way. Hopefully, at the end of it, I would really like to give back to educate our children about sexual abuse and awareness. That's my goal.' 'It's like giving me a second chance at life,' she continued. Wild was molested by Epstein, a now-deceased sex criminal, when she was underage. It was also revealed that while he victimized teenage girls, he was also at the helm of a sex trafficking ring. Epstein died in August 2019 after hanging himself in a New York jail cell. He was there awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. It is a common tradition for lawmakers to bring guests to the State of the Union and in recent years it has been used to make a political statement. Speier is a sponsor of the Courtney Wild Crime Victims' Rights Reform Act, which was proposed in October 2019, and sought to strengthen the Crime Victims' Rights Act by closing loopholes. The same loopholes were used by federal prosecutors to justify giving Epstein a plea deal for committing a slew of child sex offenses. Wild will be attending the speech as a guest of California Representative Jackie Speier (pictured), who co-sponsored a bill named after the woman who took on Epstein for molesting her as a young girl She will also be appearing in the Capitol after Epstein's lawyer Alan Dershowitz (pictured) defended Donald Trump there during the Senate impeachment trial the past few weeks Trump will deliver his third State of the Union address a day before the Senate will either vote to acquit or convict him of two articles of impeachment abuse of power and obstruction of Congress The bill imposes penalties against prosecutors who fail to protect victims, and gives these victims the ability to obtain $15,000 in monetary redress for violations. Attorney Alan Dershowtiz helped negotiate a 'non-prosecution agreement' for millionaire Epstein in 2005 when he found out he was being investigation for sexual abuse of underage girls. Under that agreement, Epstein served just 13 months in a county jail with much of it spent on 'work release' in an office. Dershowitz has come under fire for his involvement in the case, especially after new charges were waged against Epstein this summer before his death and after the high-profile lawyer took a job to defend Trump in the Senate impeachment trial. He made an impassioned case against impeachment, claiming neither article abuse of power or obstruction of congress was an impeachable offense as detailed in the Constitution. Although the president is expected to make the State of the Union address a victory speech about the 'wins' in his administration, it's hard to image that he will completely ignore impeachment. Dershowitz says he does not regret representing controversial clients, including Epstein and O.J. Simpson. Dershowitz says he does not regret defending controversial client like Epstein. The millionaire was found dead in his New York jail cell while awaiting trial for federal child sex offenses Congresswoman Speier is part of the Democratic Women's Caucus, which recently sent a letter to Trump criticizing his 'continuing derogation of women in your rhetoric and policies.' The letter was signed by Speier and others. 'Beyond your public policy choices,' it read, 'your words demonstrate a contempt for women who dare to do their jobs or speak truth to power which reflects poorly on you. It is as if you relish the opportunity to publicly humiliate any woman who fights back, speaks up, or takes up space.' The letter to the president came after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a reporter for National Public Radio, Mary Louise Kelly, clashed during an off-the-record conversation following a formal interview. During that chat, Pompeo used the 'f-bomb' and demanded Kelly find Ukraine on a map. Later, in public, Trump told Pompeo: 'you did a good job on her,' in reference to the NPR reporter. Trump is also bringing his own guests to the address Tuesday evening. One will be Afghanistan Army veteran Tony Rankins, a recovering drug user who is now a construction worker in a so-called 'opportunity zone' in Cincinnati, Ohio. These zones were created by the Trump administration as part of the 2017 tax cuts and are low-income areas that receive tax advantages to drum up more investment. The Trump administration has also touted the strides it has made toward decreasing overdose deaths and last week White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway delivered a rare press briefing where she announced overdose deaths in 2019 decreased for the first time in decades. Another one of Trump's guests will be Border Patrol Deputy Chief Raul Ortiz. BJP leader Anantkumar Hegde's remarks on the Mahatma Gandhi-led Independence movement reflected "intellectual bankruptcy" of the BJP leadership, Maharashtra Congress president Balasaheb Thorat said here on Monday. Hegde, a former Union minister, reportedly claimed at an event in Bangaluru that the entire freedom movement was staged with the consent and support of the British, and the independence movement led by Gandhi was a "drama". Taking objection to Hegde's remarks, the Congress has demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi come to Parliament and clarify his position. "BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde's statement is highly condemnable. This shows the intellectual bankruptcy of the BJP leadership. Their parent organisation, the RSS, had collaborated with the British and opposed the freedom struggle," tweeted Thorat, who also holds Revenue ministry in the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government. He said Hegde's remarks exposed the "true face" of the BJP "which hails (Mahatma Gandhi's assassin) Nathuram (Godse) as its idol". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A financial fund affiliated to US investment banking giant Goldman Sachs is entitled to an order for the possession of a property in Galway, the High Court has ruled. Ennis Property Finance DAC which is controlled by the American Bank, sought the order in respect of a house located in Devon Park, in Salthill, Co. Galway. The fund brought proceedings against the property's owner Mr Henry Greally, who had opposed the application. Ennis Property Finance claimed it was entitled to an order for possession on the basis that Mr Greally had defaulted on loans totalling 550,000 taken out with Bank of Scotland (Ireland) in 2003 and 2006. The loans were to be used for purposes including capital expenditure and mortgage redemption. The property, the subject of the possession order, was put up as security for those borrowings. Ennis Property Finance acquired the loans in 2015. Mr Greally with addresses at Knocknacarra Park, Salthill, and Henry Street, Galway, had opposed the application on grounds including that the sum of money due and owing arising out of the loans had not been fully explained to him. He also disputed the validity of personal guarantees allegedly given in respect of the loans, and said that the fund had been reckless in issuing the proceedings where the paperwork was not correct. In his judgement today, Mr Justice Garrett Simons said the uncontroverted evidence before the court was that the fund is the owner of the registered charge over the property and is entitled to an order for possession. The Judge said it was an "unusual" case. While Mr Greally had lawyers representing him, he had sworn an affidavit which was almost entirely irrelevant to and did not engage with the proceedings before the court. It seemed to be directed at separate other proceedings which Ennis Property has taken against him seeking summary judgement, the judge said. The judge also concluded that the fund does have a power of sale over the property, which the court was told currently has people living in it. After delivering his decision, the judge awarded Ennis Property Finance its legal costs of the action and placed a stay of one month on the possession order. By Olivia Rose A TEAM from the Cumbria Army Cadet Force in the United Kingdom visited the TCI this week to discuss an upcoming exchange programme. In July the force will send 12 cadets and four adult volunteers to the Turks and Caicos Islands for 10 days of military training and cultural experience. Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson, Education Minister Hon. Karen Malcolm, officials from the TCI Cadet Corp and the Department of Youth Affairs welcomed the delegation on Tuesday (January 28). According to a brief statement from the Government, a meeting was held at the Office of the Premier to discuss the future partnership with the TCI Cadet Corp. Back in November 2019, British police and crime commissioner Colonel Peter McCall was appointed Honorary Colonel of Cumbria Army Cadet Force. During his first official appointment, McCall met with Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ennis Grant from the TCI Army Cadet Force. During a one week stint in Cumbria, Lieutenant Grant was instrumental in establishing the first international exchange programme for the TCI. He said: "I am delighted to be part of this new programme and believe the exchange will be invaluable in developing our existing cadet and adult volunteer experience. "I have been overwhelmed with the generosity shown to me by Cumbria and I look forward to welcoming the Cumbrian Cadets in the Caribbean next July. The TCI Cadets Corp programme aims to promote military ethos among youths, to instil values in young people, and encourage them to contribute to their communities and country. Students enrolled in the programme develop qualities such as self-discipline, loyalty and respect, strong leadership, teamwork and resilience which will help them achieve excellence and shape their own future. River in Assam's Dibrugarh aflame after crude pipeline busts A river in Assam's Dibrugarh has been on fire for two days in a row due to an oil pipeline blast on Sunday. The fire reportedly broke out on Burhi Dihing river following leakage from an underwater pipeline carrying crude oil. As per reports, the massive fire broke out at Digholibil area near Sasoni village of Naharkatia in Dibrugarh district and the fire has not been doused yet. Locals said that crude oil from Oil India Limited, Duliajan plant, came in a water pipe that was connected with the river Reports say, villagers had noticed the fire on the river three days ago and had informed the local administration. However, the authorities have not done anything to douse the flames and control the situation so far. The fire has led to panic among the locals. Some videos of the incident have also gone viral on social media. Shaheen Bagh, Jamia protests are not mere coincidence but an experiment, says Modi India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Feb 03: Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off his rally at Delhi's Karkardooma on Monday saying that mood of the national capital a week before the polls is clear. "The vote of the people of Delhi (during Lok Sabha polls) had supported the change in the country. Now the vote of the people of Delhi will also change and modernise our Delhi. It will make it safe, make the lives of the people living here easier," he said. "This poll will decide Delhi's future...Vote for BJP if you want Delhi to be safe,' says PM. Their ancestors divided India: Yogi Adityanath slams anti-CAA protesters at Delhi rally The Prime Minister also said,'' We made laws to regularise the illegal colonies, despite the handicaps, ridding the people of Delhi of fear of getting their homes razed. We delivered on our promise to people of Delhi that we will regularise unauthorised colonies.'' ''BJP believes in positivity, interest of country supreme for us'', Modi said while addressing a rally in Karkardooma. The Prime Minister also accused Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of not wanting to give houses to poor and blocking PM Awas Yojana. "In the Lok Sabha elections, the people of Delhi increased the strength of the BJP by one vote each. By giving seven seats, the people of Delhi had told in which direction they are thinking. The people of Delhi have helped a lot in changing the country. Now, the vote of the people will change their Delhi as well."In a major effort to reach out to Delhi traders, Modi dedicated a considerable amount of his speech to list out the BJP-led NDA government's pro-trade initiatives. "The Union Budget will help in creating new job opportunities," said PM Narendra Modi. He also said,'' These people were doubting the ability of our security forces during surgical strikes. Do citizens of Delhi want such people in power? These people are saving those who want to break India into pieces. There is a political design behind all these protests including Jamia and Shaheen Bagh.'' Modi also took swipe at Congress in Delhi rally and said that those who questioned Batla House encounter are saving those who raised 'tukde tukde' slogan. ''Shaheen Bagh and Jamia protests over CAA and NRC are not mere coincidence, but an experiment (Shaheen Bagh, Jamia protests mahaj sanjog nahi ek prayog hai)," says PM Modi targeting Congress and AAP. He added: "Iske peeche rajneeti ka ek aisa design hai jo rashtra ke sauhardra ko khandit karne ka iraade rakhta hai (Behind this, there is a political design to vitiate the atmosphere of national harmony)", Modi said while addressing a rally. Modi's appeal is likely to be used by the party as a final push for votes. The party feels that Modi's appeal can be effective in garnering votes of undecided voters. Modi had addressed a rally at Ramlila Maidan on 22 December last year. In that rally, he attacked the opposition parties, accusing it of spreading lies over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). Delhi Elections: BJP unveils manifesto 'Sankalp Patra', air & water on top priority Earlier on Monday, Union Minister Prakash Javadekhar said that there was plenty of proof of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is a terrorist. Soon after, the Aam Aadmi Party hit back, with party member Sanjay Singh challenging the BJP to arrest him. The bitter campaigning for the Delhi assembly polls 2020 has also seen Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath courting controversy with his remarks. On Saturday, he alleged that CM Kejriwal is feeding Biryani to anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh. Voting in all 70 Assembly constituencies of Delhi is slated to be held on 8 February. The counting of votes will take place on 11 February. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell met in Tehran, Trend reports via the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting company (IRIB). The meeting took place at the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Borrells visit to Iran is his first foreign visit on this post. Borrell is expected to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, the report said. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will be the main topic of discussion. The UK, France and Germany issued a statement regarding Iran's suspension of its obligations within JCPOA and announced that they launched a process to resolve nuclear disputes. If problems are not solved in this process, the matter will be discussed at the UN Security Councils meeting. In January 2016, JCPOA was launched between Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, UK, France and Germany) in connection with Iran's nuclear program. In May 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the deal and imposed sanctions against Iran in November of the same year. In order to preserve the agreements reached as part of the JCPOA, the European signatories of the deal stated in January 2019 that a financial mechanism for maintaining trade with Iran called INSTEX was formed. On May 8, 2019, Iran announced that it had ceased fulfilling its commitments regarding the sale of over 300 kilograms of uranium, as stated in the deal, basing its decision on the other signatories having not fulfilled their obligations. On July 7, Iran announced that it will not be fulfilling its commitments regarding the enrichment of uranium at 3.67 percent and the reconstruction of the Arak Heavy Water Reactor Facility as stated in the deal. On Sept. 5, Iran announced that it will enrich uranium using next-generation centrifuges and will not mix it with the enriched uranium residues as part of the third step of reducing commitments in JCPOA. On Nov. 5, 2019, Iran announced that it took the fourth step in connection with reducing its commitments to the nuclear agreement. So, uranium gas is being pumped to the centrifuges at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. Iran took the last fifth step in reducing the number of its commitments within JCPOA. Iran no longer faces any restrictions on its nuclear program. Pennsylvania so far has logged no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus triggering fear of a global epidemic, and the threat to state residents remains low, state Secretary of Health Rachel Levine said on Monday. Levine and another Gov. Tom Wolf administration official further said Asian Americans and people from the Pacific islands pose no greater threat of spreading the virus than anyone else. Too often, national security and public health crises have led to the demonization of particular groups of people, and we are committed to ensuring that that does not happen here, said Mohan Seshadri, an advisor to Wolf. Our thoughts and prayers are with our fellow Americans and those in China fighting the virus, as well as with our Chinese American community members worried for their families. The new coronavirus first appeared in China, which has the vast majority of cases, and has spread to several other countries. Levine said, Our friends and neighbors of Chinese descent are important members of our community and are not at an increased risk to spreading the coronavirus. Levine said the state health department is in contact with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is prepared to respond if coronavirus appears in Pennsylvania. Symptoms of the new coronavirus can include fever and cough. Experts believe it is killing about two percent of those who get it, with some making an easy recovery and some getting severely ill. As of early Monday, it was blamed for 361 deaths. Levine said people can find updates about the status of coronavirus in Pennsylvania from sources including the health departments web page and on Facebook and Twitter. Professor Jeffrey David Sachs, Director of the Institute and Professor of Sustainable Development at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, has praised Bahrains wise policy in laying the foundations of peace and strengthening the significance of the worlds collective conscience. Prof Sachs also pointed that Bahrains distinguished international level is the outcome of its realistic contributions and supportive positions in laying the foundations of international peace and security. Delivering a lecture on Achieving sustainable development in the Middle East ... challenges and opportunities, Prof Sachs lauded the role of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister, and his vision in promoting issues of world peace through his initiative, which was approved by the United Nations by adopting April 5 as an international day of conscience. He expressed deep thanks and appreciation to HRH the Prime Minister for his global initiative that contributes to stimulating and encouraging international action and co-operation in the field of sustainable development. Bahrains efforts in achieving the sustainable development goals have made it among the pioneer countries on the path of global sustainability, he added. Prof Sachs praised the progress achieved by Bahrain at all levels and the advanced steps it has taken in implementing the goals of the 2030 sustainable development plan, which were included in the Government Action Plan for 2019-2022. The United Nations endorsed Bahrains plan, he said. Prof Sachs stressed that Bahrain has made important steps and remarkable accomplishments in achieving development goals and that it is still a pioneer of change towards a green economy at the regional level. This is an essential leadership to motivate the countries of the Middle East region to emulate the Bahraini example and achieve the best in the environmental field, he added. Prof Sachs pointed out that Bahrain has a great understanding and profound awareness of the importance of maintaining the commitment to strengthening the bonds of sustainable development and its readiness to make more efforts to ensure green transformation and reduce dependence on the hydrocarbon sector in order to generate clean renewable energy and improve the lives and welfare of its citizens. Bahrains readiness to lead at the level of values (tolerance, peace, security, freedom and respect for others) is not an easy matter since values do maintain the stability of the countries because of their close links to development, he added, stressing that Bahrain has come a long way in this field. In the lecture attended by Shaikh Hossam bin Isa Al Khalifa, President of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Award for Sustainable Development, senior officials, diplomats, academics, experts and media figures, Sachs assessed the experiences of the countries of the region in the field of sustainable development, the challenges they face in achieving the sustainable development goals 2030 approved by the United Nations, and ways of dealing with them in a manner that supports the international communitys endeavour to lay the foundations of peace, security and stability. On the regional level, Prof Sachs stressed the importance of the countries of the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula to optimise more than ever the utilisation of the solar energy that they possess in abundance in order to be able to reduce their great dependence on fossil fuels. He said that the situation of the region is complicated because of the dependence of the regions budgets and wealth on the hydrocarbon sector almost entirely. In this context, he urged the countries of the region to put in place national development and environmental strategies and to implement them seriously, in addition to harnessing the best minds and advanced technologies to make the best use of solar energy as well as moving earnestly towards electrical applications such as the use of environmentally friendly electric cars. The achievement of development and the transition to green economies in the region in the desired manner requires achieving stability and sustainable peace in a way that suits the specificity and history of the area, he said. Prof Sachs said that mankind has the knowledge, advanced technology and unprecedented capabilities which empower people to solve or address any problem they face, such as eliminating poverty, generalising health and education services and maximising the use of renewable and environmentally friendly energy through wind, solar, and hydrogen energy, especially since there are no limits to technology when it comes to achieving the sustainable development goals. However, Prof Sachs cautioned against the consequences of ignoring the environmental aspect in dealing with the challenges of pollution as well as indifference to climate change. As New York moves closer to legalizing recreational marijuana, social justice advocates are fighting to make sure that minority communities where people have been disproportionately incarcerated over the drug would be able to benefit from a newly legal industry. Activists are hoping to include social equity provisions in recreational pot legislation. Such provisions would lower barriers to enter the marijuana industry for those who have been harmed by marijuana criminalization, reinvest in affected communities and expunge the criminal records of those convicted of marijuana-related crimes while releasing those currently serving time in prison. However, there is no one program or set of policies that activists can point to as the ideal social equity model, which has left many states trying different systems to see what works. And New York is no different, as it hashes out the broad strokes of its own plan. With the state poised to legalize marijuana with a strong focus on equity from the outset, the Empire State has the opportunity to become a nation-leading example for other states to follow. Although marijuana arrests have decreased in recent years, black and Latino men are still getting arrested and ticketed at much higher rates at least eight times the rate in New York City than their white counterparts. Meanwhile, white and black communities use marijuana at about the same rates. And its not just in the city research has shown that counties across the state have similar racial disparities in marijuana arrests. These disparities drove the state to enact legislation late in the 2019 session to further decriminalize marijuana possession and expunge past convictions as a sort of stopgap measure, since full recreational marijuana legalization failed to pass. Minority Cannabis Business Association President Jason Ortiz, a Connecticut organizer and leader among marijuana social justice activists, said that people who have been hurt by marijuana criminalization can benefit under a new legal framework. This means that people who have been arrested, or had a family member arrested, for marijuana-related crimes ideally would be at the front of the line to get licenses or jobs in a legal marijuana market under a social equity program, Ortiz said. But other criteria for who would qualify as a social equity applicant can vary depending on who you talk to or what state youre in. For example, some activists want social equity applicants to include those who have never been arrested, but were previously part of the illicit market. Some states include criteria like poverty level and geography when vetting people applying for licenses as part of a social equity program. Gov. Andrew Cuomo defined a social equity applicant a little more narrowly in his 2021 budget proposal, where he laid out his plan for legalizing recreational marijuana. He added to Ortizs definition to require that the person also be a member of a community determined to be disproportionately impacted by marijuana criminalization and earn less than 80% of the area median income. The proposal includes language stating that these social equity applicants, as well as minority- and women-owned businesses, and low-income farmers, would receive prioritization over other license applicants. The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, introduced by state Sen. Liz Krueger and Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, offers similar guidelines as part of the proposed social and economic equity plan in the bill. These considerations were notably not a part of the states medical marijuana program, which was almost entirely dominated by large, multistate pot companies largely run by white men from outside the state. Only one company, New York-based Etain Health, qualifies as a minority- or women-owned business under state law. These massive companies will likely benefit from their existing footholds in New York when attempting to enter the recreational market. Advocates want a detailed social justice plan to be put in place before licenses are issued and businesses open. Jessica Gonzalez, general counsel for Minorities for Medical Marijuana, said this is essential to any social equity program because prioritizing social equity applicants means little if they dont have the resources to apply for a license. She pointed to Illinois, where despite having a social equity program, there were few low-income or minority applicants during the first round of licensing. It opened too quickly, benefiting established companies and rich entrepreneurs who knew how to navigate the complicated process. Even the timelines can be prohibitive, Gonzalez said. Providing low- or no-interest loans is an important part to getting social equity and other disadvantaged business owners up to speed, but so are legal services to navigate a complicated application process, training programs for potential entrepreneurs and incubator programs to continue assistance after a license has been granted. Some states have said, Were going to give out grants, were going to give out loans, Gonzalez said. You cannot give out money to folks who have never had money. So you have to give them a fighting chance. In New York, both major proposals from the governor and the Legislature include a mandate that the state create a social and economic equity plan with guidelines that appear to include many of the components that advocates want, such as loans, business training, incentives for large companies to incorporate social justice into their business plans, and, to varying degrees, reinvestment of tax money into communities that have been hurt by marijuana criminal enforcement. However, neither contain a specific timeline for when the program would be implemented or how quickly license applications would be accepted after the bill becomes law. According to advocates, New York could potentially be a leader among states with legal recreational marijuana, as it would be one of the first to not just have a statewide equity program, but to include it from the outset of legalization. Few states have statewide social equity programs; Massachusetts became the first in 2018, two years after a statewide referendum legalizing pot in 2016. Illinois followed suit last year when it included social equity provisions in its legalization legislation that was signed by the governor. While New York has solid guidelines in its proposals, it would still be up to the proposed Office of Cannabis Management which would be created at the same time as legalization to determine the details of and implement a social and economic equity plan. So in some ways, the state would still follow the proud tradition of other states trying to figure out the finer points of how equity should work after legalization. According to advocates, no one has quite gotten it right yet. Every experiment has been a learning experience for the rest of the country. The only program so far where equity applicants have actually opened businesses is in Oakland, California, years after the program was established. Illinois dedicated what activists consider unprecedented financial resources to fund its equity initiatives. That state also included a controversial provision that would encourage larger businesses to hire social equity employees if the company proves it hired such employees, it would be considered a social equity applicant itself and gain the benefits that come with the designation. In Illinois, that means bonus points in a grading system to determine who receives a license. Massachusetts, the first with a statewide equity program, took a novel approach by mandating all on-site consumption and delivery licenses be awarded to social equity applicants. Boston implemented its own program that established a 1-to-1 ratio of social equity and nonsocial equity licenses issued at all levels of the distribution chain. However, the relative successes of these programs still need to be determined, as there is little centralized data collection and many of these programs are still too new for their impacts to be understood. Imani Dawson, executive director of the Cannabis Education Advocacy Symposium and Expo, said that the Krueger and Peoples-Stokes bill, known as the MRTA, could be groundbreaking and set a precedent for other states to follow. Because it is centered on marijuana justice and really creating an equitable industry for everyone, for me, it is sort of the standard, Dawson said. And my hope is that the governor will adopt the MRTA as the standard. And though the governors proposal shares many similarities with the MRTA when it comes to social and economic equity, the bills differ on how to use tax revenue collected from marijuana sales. The MRTA sets aside a significant portion of that money for community reinvestment in its social equity program, including grants to support job placement, adult education and housing initiatives. Cuomos proposal contains no specific earmarks, but includes language that some money will be used for community reinvestment grants. That disparity will likely fuel debate in the coming months, and was a large part of why marijuana legalization failed to pass last year. But if the governor and the state Legislature can agree on a compromise and thats a big if, since neither side seems inclined to budge New York can be in Cuomos favorite position: a national leader on progressive policy. Miami, Florida, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In March of 2019, the Trump administration delivered a sanction against the tech giant Facebook, charging the company with housing discrimination. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) alleged that Facebook violated the Fair Housing Act by "encouraging, enabling, and causing" prejudice by limiting those who could view housing advertisements. While some companies were concerned that this move would threaten the way that the industry makes its profits, it was a sign that more companies would be involved in the investigation. HUD alerted both Google and Twitter in 2018 that it was studying both platforms for various discriminatory violations, according to three sources who knew of inside knowledge within the companies. This case was significant because it shook waves in the tech industry, which considers targeted advertising to be standard practice. The industry has traditionally enjoyed immunity from being singled out and prosecuted when third parties commit abuses on their platforms. In the complaint, HUD alleged that Facebook extensively extracts users' data. They also claimed that the company uses attributes typically protected by law- including race, gender, nationality, familial status, and disability- to determine who could see housing advertisements, even when it was not the original intention of the advertiser. With this information, a potential landlord could exclude specific categories of renters, including the vision and hearing impaired, from finding or renting from them. HUD Secretary Ben Carson said that now using a computer to find housing while being discriminated against can be just as jarring as getting a door slammed in a face. These charges came one week after Facebook agreed to overhaul targeted advertising systems after allegations that landlords, lenders, and employers were using the online platform to discriminate against individuals. For years, advocates of civil rights have warned Facebook that their advertisements have violated anti-discrimination laws. Advertisers were able to exclude certain groups of people, including minorities, those with disabilities, and others. A Facebook spokesperson said that the company was surprised by HUD's decision, as Facebook had been working with them to address concerns and prevent discrimination. However, the spokesperson went on to add that the company was not comfortable sharing complete access to its user base with the government and HUD, as they believe it would set a dangerous precedent. "While we are eager to find a solution, HUD insisted on access to sensitive information... without adequate safeguards," they said. They went on to express that while the company was disappointed with the resolution, they will continue to work with civil rights experts on these issues. Dealing with complicated data requests from the governments is complex for Facebook and other large technology companies. Companies fear that when they comply with such requests, it could do damage to their reputations, as well as violate data privacy laws. However, officials at HUD say that Facebook's settlement with the National Fair Housing Alliance, the Communication Workers of America, the American Civil Liberties Union, and others did not do enough for housing discrimination. A HUD spokesperson said that until HUD could verify that Facebook's practices are in full compliance with the law, that they would continue to use all resources at their disposal to protect Americans from the harmful effects of discrimination. If a U.S. administrative judge finds that unlawful discrimination did occur, the judge could award damages or impose fines, according to HUD officials. If the matter is brought to federal court, then a judge could also award punitive damages. HUD also requested that a judge require Facebook employees to attend training relating to the Fair Housing Act's prohibitions against discrimination in advertising. Legal Justice Advocates At Legal Justice Advocates, attorneys draw upon their combined experience of more than 40 years of expertise to enforce their clients' rights when it comes to disability discrimination online, in real estate, in the workplace, and other essential aspects of life. The law firm understands that as technology becomes more ingrained in our everyday lives, a large portion of society has been cut off and denied fair access to online resources. Studies undertaken by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that about 3,400,000 individuals in the United States over 40 years of age are blind or severely visually impaired. These numbers do not include those who have not been tested, as well as those who have not reported their disabilities. As the average age in this country continues to climb, the number of people with visual impairments will continue to soar. The internet, for the most part, is a visual tool. Visually limited individuals cannot begin to access large portions that are not designed for them. Legal Justice Advocates believes that these individuals should not be denied society's principal means of communication and access to information. To make the internet accessible to all, the Web Accessibility Initiative initiated the use of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. These guidelines now serve as a set of technical guidelines and were developed to provide a single, shared standard that meets the needs of multiple organizations, companies, and governments. The attorneys and staff at Legal Justice Advocates maintain that they work tirelessly on behalf of the visually impaired and other individuals with disabilities to ensure that all places of public accommodation adopt these guidelines covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Legal Justice Advocates states that they work to ensure that you or your loved one has equal access to the public accommodations and information afforded to non-disabled citizens, as was intended when Congress wrote these particular and complex laws. The law firm wants individuals who have been discriminated against in housing situations to understand their rights under fair housing laws. The most common forms of discrimination, being race and disability, are protected under the Federal Fair Housing Act. Most state laws also make these kinds of discrimination completely illegal. Legal Justice Advocates states that tenants should consider their options. Tenants, both prospective and current, have several ways to fight unlawful discrimination. Options include negotiating a settlement with a landlord (perhaps with a mediator's help) and filing a complaint with a government fair housing agency that may result in a resolution agreement between a landlord and tenant. Legal Justice Advocates notes that tenants should evaluate the strength of their cases. The more serious harm that has been suffered, the more likely a tenant is to win their case. Also, the law firm suggests that tenants determine their goals. If a tenant wants a landlord to rent them a particular apartment, then they might find that filing a complaint with a fair housing agency is the best route to go. One result could include the tenant dropping their charge in exchange for the landlord's written agreement to rent them that apartment. Finally, Legal Justice Advocates wants potential clients to understand what is involved in suing their landlord. A lawsuit may be filed in state or federal court. If a case is strong and can get a quick order from a judge, it may be speedy, but other times, some cases take years to settle. Discrimination can take a severe toll on the individuals it affects, from limiting housing opportunities to causing substantial psychological stress. Legal Justice Advocates stresses that they listen to the needs of their clients so that they can seek the forms of remedy and compensation that are fitting to each experience. They urge those with a complaint to contact them or schedule an appointment today. A man who lost his wife in Irans January 8 downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet says he fled the country after being pressured by authorities for criticizing the way the government handled the tragedy. Javad Soleimanis wife, Elnaz Nabiyi, was among 176 people killed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) missile attack against the civilian airliner. He says he was summoned by Iranian intelligence agents for insulting state officials. I decided to leave the country as soon as possible because I wasnt the person to go to their office and apologize for my criticism, so I decided to leave Iran immediately and be the voice of the victims and their families, Soleimani said in a January 30 interview with Canadas CBC News Network. Soleimani, a postgraduate student at the Alberta School of Business in Canada, says Iranian authorities also interfered in his wifes funeral to prevent potential protests. They didnt let us have our own funeral. They controlled everything because they were afraid of any protest against the government," Soleimani said, adding that his family tolerated the pressure because our first priority was to bury my wife. The IRGC admitted three days after the tragedy that it had shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, saying the incident was the result of a human mistake. Iran says an investigation has been launched and that arrests have been made. But so far, no official has resigned over the tragedy -- which occurred just hours after Iran fired ballistic missiles at U.S. forces in Iraq as retaliation for the January 3 assassination of the IRGCs Quds Force commander, Qasem Soleimani, in a U.S. air strike. Tehrans admission after three days of persistent denials spawned protests in the Iranian capital and other cities, with demonstrators calling for the resignation of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Javad Soleimani says senior officials, including Khamenei, should be held responsible for the crash. He says many Iranians were upset that Khamenei did not personally apologize for the loss of innocent lives. When you kill someone intentionally or unintentionally, the first thing to do is to say, I apologize. But [Khamenei] didnt say it, and he made people in Iran angry and more upset, Soleimani told CBC News. He says he also was upset that Iranian authorities referred to his wife as a martyr. They said the victims are martyrs and they wrote down congratulations, he complained. It was terrible. Alireza Ghandchi, whose wife, daughter, and son were killed in the plane crash, said those responsible should face justice. We would not accept it if [authorities] find an individual and say he mistakenly pushed the button in order to end the case, Ghandchi said in a January 10 interview with the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran. Its my right to know [who was responsible] and ask for them to be put on trial," Ghandchi said. Ghandchi said regime agents were present at his familys funeral at Tehrans Behesht Zahra Cemetery. He said authorities have neither pressured his family nor provided any support. The government didnt give us any support, except for using the term martyr and creating somewhat better conditions for us during the burial. That is all, he said. Ghandchi said the term martyr, which is used in Iran to describe soldiers killed during the 1980-88 war with Iraq, should not be used when referring to the victims of the plane downing. The term martyr is used for people who are [killed] in a war in conditions when theres an enemy. But its not correct to use it when referring to my children, who were returning [to Canada] from their trip, he said. Hamed Esmaeilion, who lost his wife and daughter in the plane crash, said officials at Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport harassed the relatives of victims when they left Iran to attend memorial services in Canada. "Let the family members leave to attend the funerals with ease. It is none of your business if Canada has easily issued entry visas within hours for the relatives," Esmaeilion said on Facebook on January 27. Esmaeilion did not provide more details about why he thinks relatives of the victims are being harassed. Other reports suggest some relatives of victims were told by authorities not to speak to Farsi-language media based outside the country but were encouraged to speak to Irans tightly controlled media. They said, Come and talk to our own media, not to the anti-regime media, one mother who lost her son in the tragedy told the news site Iranwire.com on January 15. I said, You want me to say that it was Americas fault? You will never hear me whitewash [this for] you. Khamenei on January 17 accused Irans enemies of using the Ukrainian airline tragedy to question the Islamic republic and the IRGC, which he said "maintained the security" of Iran. In his first public remarks about the incident, Khamenei said on January 17 that the downing of the Ukrainian plane was a bitter accident that "burned through our heart." Prices at the pump fell another 5 cents per gallon last week as crude oil and fuel costs continue to plunge because of Wuhan coronavirus fears and weakening demand. The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded in the Houston area dipped to $2.10, while the national average fell to $2.45 per gallon, according to GasBuddy, which tracks fuel pricing nationwide. The U.S. benchmark for crude oil is trading just above $51 per barrel - its lowest level since August. "For the third straight week, motorists have been greeted by falling gasoline prices in virtually every corner in every city and state in the country," said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. "Oil prices continue to sag on worries over the spread of the coronavirus, blowing the door wide open for a continued slump at the pump." RELATED: Facing tumbling profits, Exxon and Chevron focus on Permian Fuel prices are expected to keep falling for at least a few more weeks, and many service stations are selling gasoline for less $2 per gallon. "Nearly 5,000 stations are currently selling gasoline under $2 per gallon, a critical psychological level, while some 17 states have at least one gas station under the mark," DeHaan added. "For most, there's no signs of the slump slowing, especially with fears of the spread of the Chinese-originating virus continuing to grow." DeHaan warned drivers to shop around and not settle for the nearest gas station because many stations are dropping their prices much faster than others. THE NEWS YOU NEED: Sign up for free newsletters and get the best of the Houston Chronicle delivered to your inbox. Last week's highlights Every Monday, we take a step back and look at all the cool stuff that went down during the previous week. Last week we launched our JAXenter survey, Java EE Guardians became Jakarta EE Ambassadors and Microsoft Blazor is likely to go mainstream this year. Lets take a closer look. Microsoft Blazor to become mainstream in 2020 Microsoft Blazor is an open source framework for creating web apps made up of web UI components using C# and HTML. It takes design inspiration from JavaScript frameworks like Angular and React. In 2020, Microsoft Blazor is likely to become more commonly used, especially with web developers coming from a JavaScript and WebAssembly background. Read more about Blazor here. JAXenter survey: Which technologies are relevant for you in 2020? What technologies will be in high demand in 2020? Last week, we launched our annual survey to see what languages, frameworks and tools are on your agenda for this year. Whether youre still languishing on ancient Java or cruising the bleeding edge using tools weve never heard of, were interested in what you have to say! So go on, answer a few questions over your cup of coffee. Its not too late to take part in the survey. Java EE Guardians become Jakarta EE Ambassadors Weve been following Jakarta EEs progress pretty closely lately, including the Jakarta EE 9 release plan. However, the transformation of Java EE into Jakarta EE is not the only metamorphosis that has taken place recently. The community of Enterprise Java supporters formerly known as Java EE Guardians have been undergoing their own rebrand. Find out more about Jakarta EE Ambassadors here. AI and AIOps: Top 5 Technology Trends for 2020 What will 2020 look like in terms of AI and AIOps? We launched a three-part series on five major trends regarding technology, market and users. The most significant changes will be seen in user behaviors and user practices, this is the year where we will see substantial transformation. We started out with the five technology trends and part two regarding market trends was released last week as well. Stay tuned for part three. See the top five technology trends and market trends for AI and AIOps. pandas 1.0: The 1.0 release does not mean a conclusion, or even slowing down, of pandas development. The Python library pandas, used for data analysis and manipulation, has already been around for 12 years and is being used in production. What led to the recent milestone release 1.0? We spoke to Tom Augspurger from the pandas developer team. He shared some insights on the new release, his personal highlights and where pandas is headed in the future. Read our interview with Tom Augspurger here. But thats not all Last week was so full of interesting news and great content, heres a few more highlights for you: The formation of the new SAE Media Group directly supports the priorities and focus of the larger SAE organization, and helps us leverage our broad capabilities. - Raman Venkatesh, Executive Vice President and COO, SAE International SAE International announced today the acquisition of SMi Group Ltd, a United Kingdom-based company that specializes in the production of global events for the aerospace, defense and medical/pharmaceutical sectors. As part of the acquisition, SAE International will merge SMi Group with Tech Briefs Media Group (TBMG) to form the SAE Media Group. By combining the synergies of SMis global event footprint with TBMGs publication reach, the SAE Media Group can achieve aggressive global expansion goals to improve the organizations service and content offerings to a wider audience. David Schutt, Chief Executive Officer of the SAE Group, welcomed SMi, noting that the acquisition enhances SAEs global position in the aerospace, defense and medical markets through SMis unique range of events and content. As an organization, we have historically expanded through a strategic M&A approach, so this move helps us achieve our global goals, said Raman Venkatesh, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of SAE International. The formation of the new SAE Media Group directly supports the priorities and focus of the larger SAE organization, and helps us leverage our broad capabilities. SMi Group specializes in coordinating high-level events within its target industries that convene influential thought leaders with speakers to learn, engage and network on the topics most pressing to industry. TBMG, an existing SAE International company, offers a diverse set of print and electronic media resources that deliver unparalleled coverage of the design engineering market across multiple disciplines. The formation of the singular SAE Media Group takes full advantage of the synergies of two unique properties, added Joe Pramberger, who will now serve as the President of the SAE Media Group. As the SAE Media Group integrates itself in the larger SAE organization, we will continue to find opportunities to improve and further align our go-to-market strategies. Dale Butler, Managing Director of SMi Group, said: The expanded SAE Media Group will provide increased diversity of content and allow us to serve SMi Groups customers and clients with new, innovative products and services, while maximizing growth, synergies and scale opportunities across our combined international products. We are excited about the next chapter of our evolution as a leading producer of specialist business-to-business conferences and look forward to growing as part of the SAE Media Group. The acquisition of SMi Group Ltd was approved and finalized by the SAE Board of Directors in January 2020. About SAE International SAE International is a global association committed to advancing mobility knowledge and solutions for the benefit of humanity. By engaging nearly 200,000 engineers, technical experts and volunteers, we connect and educate mobility professionals to enable safe, clean, and accessible mobility solutions. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including award-winning programs like A World in Motion and the Collegiate Design Series. More at http://www.sae.org. ### The Congress on Monday demanded in Lok Sabha that Union Minister Anurag Thakur be booked for egging on participants at an election rally to raise an incendiary slogan that "traitors should be shot". The opposition party alleged that "political masters at the top" are giving directions to ministers to make inflammatory speeches. Participating in the discussion on Motion of Thanks on President's address, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that a BJP member is making remarks about shooting and terming Indian people as traitors. "Book the minister" under relevant laws, he said without taking the minister's name. He said that if people can vote BJP in, they can also vote it out. "They think that they can rule like dictators and make such speeches. It is unfortunate," he said. Gogoi said that for this government, the students and women who are protesting against the CAA are "our enemies. But for me, they are my brothers and friends. They are telling about values of Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekanand". Referring to the JNU incident on January 5, Gogoi said people witnessed disturbing scenes in universities. Students and professors at JNU were bleeding due to attack and police did not do anything, he said adding, "I am not questioning Delhi Police". Delhi Police, he said, is capable of managing everything, but "what I feel is that political masters are dictating them and giving directions". "In front of Delhi Police, a boy fired on the people," the Congress leader said adding "he must have been motivated by someone". "I want to know who is pulling the trigger. It's not the minister or that boy," he added. "None of this will happen if there is no tacit appeal from political masters. This shows the attitude of these people... the minds of young people are being polluted," he said. He also said that a member banned by Election Commission for campaigning in Delhi was allowed to speak first in the House and "that shows the BJP's attitude towards the Election Commission and Parliament". BJP MP Parvesh Verma was barred by the Election Commission last week for four days for his controversial remarks made during an interview and at an election meeting in Delhi. Gogoi said the government should talk about the real problems of poverty, unemployment, and inequality as these issues are not yet over. "The true Ravans are poverty, and inequality," he said. He also criticised the Union Budget for 202-21 saying it does not provide anything to deal with these problems and revive private investments. "You are full of rhetoric only," he said adding the prime minister meeting top 15 industrialists will not solve the problem of economy. "You have wasted first five years and you are going to waste these five year also," Gogoi said. "You may threaten us, or shoot us, but people will not be afraid," he said. He said that it was very unfortunate that members are absent when such an important discussion is going on in the House. Gogoi added that "I feel proud that Indian people are on the streets". Speaking during the discussion, T R Baalu (DMK) wondered if the President had gone through his speech before reading it during the joint sitting of Parliament. He said that Budget has not provided anything to boost investment in agri sector. On Citizenship Amendment Act, he asked the government about the compulsion under which they came up with this law. "You want to discriminate among people," he alleged. Opposing the motion, Trinamool Congress' Mahua Moitra said the government is betraying the people who have voted for them. "You have betrayed the tribal people in Gujarat on whose land you built a statue," she said. She dubbed the National Population Register (NPR), National Register of Citizens and the CAA as the "biggest betrayal" of people of India. "People who voted for you in 2014 are horrified," she said adding, "Today, you put a person banned by Election Commission to speak in parliament". She also said that the state of economy is abysmal and the finance minister was fearful in giving the target for the real GDP. "You have rubbished all economists, but your own former CEA appointed by you" is raising question marks on government data, she said. P V Midhun Reddy (YSRCP) said that his party was opposed to the NRC and the NPR and the government should not do anything which creates a sense of insecurity among minorities. He also demanded that the government honour all the commitments made by it at the time of division of Andhra Pradesh. Vinayak Raut, member of former NDA constituent Shiv Sena, dared the BJP to give Bharat Ratna to Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. He also wanted to know how many Indians have gone to Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370. He also asked the government what was being done to generate employment and reduced poverty. Raut said that Shiv Sena is opposed to the NRC. BJD leader Pinaki Misra said that Odisha was not getting sufficient funds from the Centre to deal with recurring problems of cyclones and other natural calamities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Istanbul, Turkey Mon, February 3, 2020 16:00 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206248820 2 World #Turkey,#Syria,soldiers,killed,Idlib Free Turkey has killed dozens of Syrian forces in retaliatory fire after four of its soldiers died in shelling on positions in the northwest of the country, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday. "There is an ongoing operation right now and... according to initial findings around 30 to 35 Syrians on the other side were neutralised," he told reporters at an Istanbul airport before leaving for Ukraine. Meanwhile, at least six Syrian government troops were killed by Turkish shelling on Monday in the northwestern region of Idlib in retaliation for a deadly regime attack, a war monitor said. The Turkish strike on regime positions south of the flashpoint town of Saraqeb wounded another 20 regime fighters, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It followed Syrian regime shelling in Idlib that killed four Turkish soldiers, according to Ankara's defence ministry. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called it an "ongoing operation," and said that 30 to 35 Syrian forces were killed in the counterattack. He urged regime ally Russia not to stand in the way of Ankara's response. The clash is a rare confrontation between Syrian forces and Turkish soldiers who are based in parts of Syria's north and northwest where Ankara backs a host of rebel groups. It risks a serious escalation in a region that has come under heightened attacks by Damascus and Moscow in recent weeks, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. Erdogan last week warned that Ankara would use military force against Damascus if any of its positions in Idlib were threatened by attacks. Turkey has 12 observation posts in the region as part of a Turkey-Russia deal to prevent a regime offensive. Turkish media on Sunday reported that Turkey's military sent reinforcements to the region to bolster the forces stationed at the posts. The HSE are encouraging those at risk to get tested. There has been a significant increase in the numbers of syphilis reports in Cork, according to a statement released by the HSE. There has been 21 reported cases in Cork and Kerry from January to June this year. This is three times more than the same period from 2015. Gay men are the highest risk group, with eight out of every 10 cases reported being from men who have sex with men. The HSE Department of Public Health in Cork has released a statement expressing concerns and is encouraging anyone who is sexually active to get tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The Department of Public Health said. Safer sex practices and regular testing and treatment of infectious syphilis are the key to prevention. Syphilis has been called the Great Pretender as its symptoms can look like many other diseases. Up to half of people with syphilis may not notice any symptoms; therefore it is vital to get tested." Professor Mary Horgan, Consultant in Infectious Diseases at CUH and clinical lead for STI services in Cork and Kerry, confirmed that cases are increasing in the area. She said: I have seen a significant increase in syphilis among men who have sex with men. I would encourage (gay men) who have had unprotected sex, including unprotected oral sex, to book an STI test as soon as possible. While 90% of the cases we are seeing are primary syphilis, up to half of people with syphilis may not have any symptoms, and therefore could pass it on unintentionally. Syphilis is curable with treatment. Unrecognised, untreated syphilis can lead to serious long-term complications. Education Dept. official says Second Chance Pell in prisons is Illegal but worth fighting for Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment WASHINGTON The Department of Education is looking to expand its experimental Second Chance Pell initiative to bring college programs to more prisons nationwide but is butting heads with the White House Office of Management and Budget over funding, an official said Thursday. Dianne Auer Jones, the principal deputy undersecretary of education, spoke on the state of higher education before dozens of college presidents and administrators at the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities annual presidents conference at the Westin City Center. Jones updated the gathering on the status of the second cohort of the Second Chance Pell Experimental Site Initiative. Since its launch it 2016, the initiative has helped bring college programs to as many as 12,000 incarcerated individuals nationwide. With 180 member schools across the globe, CCCU has 13 institutions that have participated in the Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative since it was launched by the Obama administration. Second Chance Pell is an experiment that we think is incredibly important, Jones said. It is probably also illegal. But the prior administration started it and we have a lot more flexibility, she continued. One of the things we are not allowed to do with experimental sites is changing eligibility requirements. So technically, it is not a legal experiment. But Congress likes it and the last administration started it and we said, What the heck, well join the club." The Second Chance Pell initiative essentially uses the authority of the Experimental Sites Initiative of the Higher Education Act to circumvent a 1994 law passed by Congress banning those in prison from receiving Pell Grants. Over 60 colleges and institutions participated in the first cohort of Second Chance Pell. Last year, the department announced that it would allow new cohorts of colleges and universities to apply for the initiative. Jones told the administrators that the department will soon release the names of schools selected to participate in the second cohort of the experimental site initiative. She said that the agency has received over 130 applications so far. Our biggest obstacle there is we have to get a budget number from the Office of Management and Budget, Jones explained. There is a cost associated with the new cohort of Second Chance Pell because it allows additional students to participate and get a Pell Grant. There is a cost associated. But Jones stressed that even though President Trump and senior administration officials believe Second Chance Pell is a really important program, there are some folks at OMB that are making it clear that they dont allow us to use budget. So we are having that fight, Jones said. Ill just share that with you and you can do with it what you will. But we want people to understand that we are ready to go and we want a large cohort to enter the experiment. But OMB is the one that will determine how many institutions we can allow to participate. There is a push by the CCCU and criminal justice reform groups like Prison Fellowship that are advocating for legislation or a provision to be passed in Congress that would reopen Pell Grants for prisoners. We do think the eligibility requirement should be changed, Jones said. Advocates for Second Chance Pell contend that increasing access to education in prison will help reduce recidivism. The Education Department will soon release its report on the first cohort of Second Chance Pell. Jones stressed that it's too early to know whether the Second Chance Pell initiative is leading to a reduction in recidivism. I would not call it a scientifically robust report, Jones admitted. We just dont have enough data that will allow us to put out a report that says that This is what we know as a result of the experiment. We dont know enough yet. Jones said that the report will largely show anecdotal information about the challenges of running college programs in prison. We learned that sometimes prisons are going to update their computer networks [but then] they shut them down. So for a year there are no computers on-site, Jones detailed. What do you do about that? Another struggle the department noticed, she said, is difficulty in keeping tabs on students as they get transferred between prisons or released. We learned that all those schools in the experiment have to provide the outcomes of those students. If they are moved to a different correctional facility, you dont know what happens to them, Jones explained. As they graduate, they may not know what happens to them and you certainly dont have access to information about recidivism. The Education Department is working to figure out how to best support its partners so that the department can obtain those data sets without being a burden on institutions, Jones said. I would not say that we have conclusive data, she relayed. And we certainly havent had the experiment going long enough to know if it has had an impact on recidivism. We think it will but we just cant say that yet. Representatives from over 85 institutions in 31 states and nine countries attended the 2020 CCCU Presidents Conference. If you think about what kind of person you want to have come out of prison, you want a person equipped because that is good for everybody good for the prisoners, good for the caretakers and good for us, CCCU President Shirley Hoogstra told The Christian Post. Although some were concerned that Second Chance Pell could be abused by institutions, Hoogstra assured that the initiative has not been abused. In fact, incarcerated persons are getting educated and having some increased success, Hoogstra said. A man in his 20s was stabbed outside an afrobeats concert at London's O2 Academy in Brixton on Sunday night. Police officers and an ambulance rushed to Stockwell Road, Lambeth, at around 9.40pm to reports that a young man had been stabbed outside the venue where Naira Marley was playing. The victim's wound was not said to be life-threatening and the concert was allowed to go ahead. However, many were left furious and confused outside the concert hall after they said staff had shut the doors and refused to let anyone else in. A passer by took footage of a number of police cars outside the Brixton O2 Academy on Stockwell Road, Lambeth. 'It's long,' he captioned the snapchat, expressing disappointment at the scene Videos emerged of Capital Xtra DJ Tim Westwood walking around outside the O2. 'Naira Marley got locked off, so Tim Westwood was chilling in main brikky (Brixton),' one person tweeted. Others spoke of their devastation, one wrote: 'Naira Marley deserved better man!! How is it getting locked off and gates gets closed.' Another tweeted: 'I'm screaming. People still haven't entered inside Naira Marley's concert and it's 10.25pm.' People hoping to see Naira Marley at the O2 Academy were left furious after they said the venue shut its doors and refused to let anyone else in Naira Marley, 25, is an afrobeats musician originally from Nigeria, he moved to Peckham, southeast London, aged 11 Naira Marley got locked off, so Tim Westwood was chilling in main brikky pic.twitter.com/W3X8IBhUJy Quincy (@jumz23) February 2, 2020 The Metropolitan Police tweeted: 'We were called to Stockwell Road, #Lambeth at 21:41hrs to a report of a stabbing. Officers and Ambulance attended and treated a man in his 20s with a stab wound. 'He was taken to hospital in a non-life threatening condition. No arrests; enquiries continue.' The Met declined to comment further. NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Report Includes: - An overview of the recycled ocean plastics market - Analyses of the global market trends with data from 2018 to 2019, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2024 Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05843530/?utm_source=PRN - Insight into the Top 20 countries ranked by mass of mismanaged plastic and input of plastic to the oceans from most polluting rivers across the World - Information on opportunities and challenges with respect to using plastic waste as a resource with the help of recycled ocean plastics Summary: Plastic production has increased by about 200 times since 1950.Only 9% of the plastic ever made has been recycled. The remainder is burned or thrown away into nature or landfills.Since plastic is so rigid, it can last for centuries without breaking down. This means that plastics made and thrown away in the past are often found in the earth's oceans. The plastic in oceans originates in both land-based and marine sources.It is estimated that nearly 80% of ocean plastics come from land-based sources and the remaining 20% comes from marine sources. Plastic marine waste refers to pollution from fishing fleets, which leave behind fishing nets, boats, ropes and sometimes abandoned vessels.Of the 20% from maritime sources, approximately 10% is estimated to come from fishing fleets. This is backed by estimates from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) which shows that unused, missing or discarded fishing gear contributes about 10% of total ocean plastic. There are several routes via which plastic enters the ocean ecosystem. Plastic reaches the ocean from coastlines, rivers, tides and aquatic sources. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05843530/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com A new criminal case has been opened in Armenia on the fact that a Defense Ministry employee hindered the work of a lawyer representing the interests of the Russian arms company ORSIS in Armenia, RIA Novosti reported referring to a source. ORSIS has been earlier blacklisted as Armenia's arms supplier immediately after the failure of the Armenian Defense Ministry to tender several million dollars worth of military equipment in which this company participated. Later, Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade asked the head of the Armenian military department Davit Tonoyan to understand this situation, noting the decision to ORSIS is unmotivated. It brought the first criminal case under the article neglect of service. Later, a lawyer representing ORSIS in Armenia reported that the company was excluded from the black list. As an informed source told RIA Novosti, a new criminal case was instituted by the Special Investigation Service (CCC) of Armenia on the fact of a high-ranking representative of the Defense Ministry giving a valuable gift and on the fact that an official of the same Ministry interfered with the activities of a lawyer representing ORSIS in the country. According to the source, the grounds for initiating a new criminal case were received by the SIS materials, according to which after the first criminal case was opened in the main military investigation department of the Armenian Investigative Committee in connection with the failed tender, the assistant to one of the deputy defense ministers of Armenia tried to persuade the ORSIS lawyer to refuse from complaints filed with law enforcement. At the beginning of 2019, as a sign of strengthening cooperation, the Armenian 'daughter' of the Russian company - ORSIS Arms - presented the Armenian Defense Ministry with a gun, which, however, was not transferred to the balance of the military department, but was assigned and registered in the name of the Deputy Minister of Defense, a source said . Spokeswoman for the Special Investigation Service (CCC) of Armenia, Marina Ohanjanyan, confirmed to RIA Novosti the fact of initiating a new case according to the ORSIS statement, without specifying details. Now both cases are combined into a single production, Ohanjanyan said. Tsai Ing-Wen waves after addressing supporters following her re-election as President of Taiwan on January 11, 2020 in Taipei, Taiwan. (Carl Court/Getty Images) US Calls Attention to UN Aviation Bodys Exclusion of Taiwan Amid Virus The U.S. State Department has criticized the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations agency overseeing international air transport, for allegedly blocking users on Twitter. ICAO reportedly blocked several users on the social networking service who made reference to Taiwans exclusion from communications regarding international events, notably the current global outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). In a statement issued on Feb, 1, department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said the United States is deeply concerned by ICAOs actions and urged the UN body to allow Twitter users to discuss Taiwan freely. The United States is deeply concerned about actions taken by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to suppress freedom of expression and curtail important discussion of Taiwans legitimate role in international issues. the spokesperson said. Blocking Twitter users who make reference to Taiwans participation in international organizations, particularly given the global response to the coronavirus crisis, is outrageous, unacceptable, and not befitting of a UN organization. Taiwan has a relevant and credible voice on transnational health issues, and the United States has long supported its active engagement in international venues, including ICAO, where its expertise can be beneficial. We call upon ICAO to immediately and permanently reverse its practice of blocking discussion of Taiwan on its Twitter properties and make clear publicly its understanding that freedom of expression must always supersede the political insecurities of member states. The departments statement comes shortly after Jessica Drun, a non-resident fellow at the Virginia-based think tank, The Project 2049 Institute claimed ICAO had blocked her on Twitter following several posts explaining the need for Taiwans inclusion in critical international communications, particularly in light of the current global health crisis. Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen said the following on Feb. 3. The WHO and the International Civil Aviation Organization, two key UN agencies for epidemic prevention, still exclude Taiwan from the global disease prevention system due to political factors. I call on relevant agencies of the UN to acknowledge the right to health of the Taiwanese people. Disease prevention is a global issue. As Taiwan is on the frontline in dealing with this outbreak, it should not become a gap in a global disease prevention and control system. Drun wrote in her posts that the ICAO, along with the World Health Organisation refuse to share knowledge with Taiwan authorities; and that civil aviation authorities for Taoyuan airport, one of busiest regional airports, do not receive up-to-date info on any potential ICAO-WHO efforts. Drun noted that the lack of communication with Taiwan could potentially nullify any efforts to contain coronavirus and lead to it spreading further, and that Taiwan wants to make functional contributions to these organizations but in a capacity where sovereigntyas defined by the UNisnt a requirement. Days later, on Jan. 25, Drun revealed she had been blocked by ICAO, which is led by Fang Liu, a Chinese national, on Twitter following her comments. The Twitter accounts of several other critics, including those belonging to Capitol Hill staffers and D.C.-based analysts, were also blocked by ICAO, Axios reported. However, in a statement on Twitter, ICAO said it has not blocked anyone for asking anything about anywhere. Please do not contribute to the spread of this misinformation. Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), is home to 23.78 million people and has a democratically-elected government, military, and currency. Despite this, China views Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory and has pressurized other countries and international organizations to follow the One China policy, asserting that there is only one sovereign state under the name China. The Republic Of China, which has not been part of ICAO meetings since 2013, has so far reported 964 potential cases of the coronavirus, however so far only 10 have been confirmed, according to local media. (Kitco News) - Large speculators reduced their net-bullish positioning in gold futures modestly for the second week in a row, based on data compiled for the most recent reporting week for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Still, the markets stance remains bullish overall, with gold continuing to draw safe-haven flows due to worries about how Chinas coronavirus could impact the global economy, analysts said. During the week-long period to Jan. 28 covered by the last CFTC report, Comex April gold rose by $11.70 to $1,575.80 an ounce, while March silver fell 35 cents to $17.458. Net long or short positioning in the CFTC data reflect the difference between the total number of bullish (long) and bearish (short) contracts. Traders monitor the data to gauge the general mood of speculators, although excessively high or low numbers are viewed by many as signs of overbought or oversold markets that may be ripe for price corrections. The disaggregated report shows that in the week to Jan. 28, money managers net-long position slipped to 219,938 futures contracts from 223,832 the week before. The decline was due to long liquidation, as the number of gross long positions fell by 4,010 and far outpaced a decline of 116 short positions (short covering). Commerabank said speculative financial investors took profits in the week to 28 January and slightly reduced their net-long positions. Still, analysts pointed out that the metal overall has continued to draw investment demand. Commerzbank noted that gold holdings by exchange-traded funds rose by 22 tons last week. TD Securities, in a research note on the CFTC data, said that safe-haven demand saw additional capital flow to the yellow metal amid surging fears that the Wuhan coronavirus may spread and derail the global reflationary wave. While net positioning remains at extreme levels, per-trader positioning has largely remained in balance with expectations, suggesting that the more sustainable underlying driver of investment demand namely, the need to protect capital from negative real rates may keep appetite for precious metals on the rise, as per-trader positioning decreases the risk of a rush-to-the-exits. In silver, money managers net-long position came in at 47,967 futures contracts, down from 56,558 the week before. There was both long liquidation (decline of 5,635 gross long positions) and fresh selling (increase of 2,956 shorts). Princeton University has ordered some students, faculty and staff who recently traveled to China to self-isolate as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread worldwide. Fewer than 20 students including undergraduate and graduate students were in self-quarantine as of Monday evening, said Michael Hotchkiss, deputy university spokesperson. They must confine themselves for 14 days following their last visit to mainland China, according to a statement issued by the university. The mandate requires that they remain indoors and not attend classes or jobs on campus. As many as 108 Princeton students were ordered to self-quarantine as of Sunday, but that number dropped after the New Jersey Department of Health issued a new guidance, which the university is following, Hotchkiss said. Each students needs are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis to ensure they receive appropriate assistance, Hotchkiss told NJ Advance Media. Coronavirus has infected 17,000 people in more than two dozen countries, including 11 confirmed cases in the U.S. It has killed more than 360 people nearly all of them in China and none in the U.S. Ben Chang, a spokesman for Princeton, said it is coordinating to ensure accommodations for self-isolating students are met. The university was hashing out details, such as how to take care of students laundry, meals and nearly everything else in their daily lives while they remain in isolation. Keeping up with their coursework might be the easiest solution to find virtual classes are an option to ensure they keep up with their studies. A big team of folks have been working for days to meet the academic housing and dining needs for students self-isolating, Chang said. Were working on a one-on-one basis, whether that is arranging classes virtually to keep up with their academic work. We want to get this right, he added. N.J. colleges restricting travel to China Other universities in the state have also taken action in response to the outbreak and travel advisories from the U.S. State Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University both said in statements that they have restricted all travel to China for students, faculty and staff. Rowan University recommends all students, staff, and faculty comply with travel recommendations made by the CDC and avoid any non-essential travel to China for the foreseeable future, it said in a statement. Besides asking some students to self-isolate, Princeton also banned all students, faculty and staff from traveling to the nation on university business or as part of university-sponsored programs. We recognize that self-isolation is a very challenging situation for our students, and we are working to fully support them while following guidance from government and health officials, Hotchkiss said. Meanwhile, Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order Monday creating a coronavirus task force, which will coordinate all State efforts to appropriately prepare for and respond to the public health hazard posed by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), according to a statement from the governors office. The statement noted that Newark airport will continue requiring enhanced entry screening for coronavirus. With the outbreak and rapid spread of coronavirus around the world, it is critical that New Jersey has strong preparedness protocols in place, Murphy said in the statement. By establishing the Coronavirus Task Force, we are bringing together experts across state agencies, health officials, and federal partners to ensure that we are working collaboratively to protect the health and safety of all New Jerseyans. Reassuring response Monday was an unseasonably warm day as Princeton students strolled around campus, many in T-shirts and shorts. Several didnt seem overly concerned about the actions taken by the university. Some students said they understood the reasoning amid an outbreak that has only been intensifying, even if they felt for their classmates undergoing self-isolation. I definitely think the universitys response has been very reassuring, said graduate student Mary Naydan, noting she was aware of one classmate who had opted to self-isolate. Simone Zhang, another Princeton graduate student, said shes been in touch with a colleague currently stuck in China, unable to return because of the travel restrictions imposed by the U.S. government. She didnt know how long it would take before her colleague would be able to return to the U.S. The Trump administration declared the coronavirus a public health emergency last week and imposed a mandatory 14-day quarantine for Americans returning to the U.S. from Chinas Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak. Certain foreign nationals who pose a risk of transmitting the virus will also be temporarily prohibited from entering the country. Princeton is requiring students, faculty and staff who are currently in China or have returned from the country since Jan. 16 to complete a confidential registration form so that the university can provide students with assistance. After completing the form, those who have returned from mainland China in the past two weeks will be evaluated and placed into one of three risk categories: high, medium or low, according to the university. Those categorized as low risk will not be required to self-isolate. We expect that most will fall into this category, the university said in a statement. Those categorized as medium or high risk will be required to self-isolate. For more information, visit the universitys coronavirus website here. Any student, faculty or staff member who needs to speak to someone about the coronavirus can call the universitys department of public safety at 609-258-1000. Adam Clark contributed to this story. Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma said on Monday said there was no question of rolling back the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and alleged that there was talk of 'Jihad' and 'Azadi' at Shaheen Bagh protests and slogans had been raised against police. Verma, who initiated the debate during the Motion of Thanks on President's Address in the Lok Sabha, accused the Congress of indulging in "uncounted corruptions" and practicing the "vote bank " He accused the ruling AAP of backing Shaheen Bagh protestors. Verma claimed that the protest at Shaheen Bagh "was not against CAA" and the people there had talked about targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, "Wanting Jihad" and "Azadi sought by Jinnah." He alleged that slogans hailing Pakistan had been raised and remarks had been made of separating Assam, Kashmir. He said the media had faced attacks and "slogans had been raised against the police." Verma alleged that AAP leaders were backing Shaheen Bagh protestors. He made some remarks pertaining to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, which were expunged from proceedings. Verma, who was barred by the Election Commission on January 30 from campaigning in Delhi elections for 96 hours over his controversial remarks, made several attacks on the AAP government and accused it of failing to fulfil its promises. The west Delhi MP also hit out at the opposition for raising doubts over the surgical strikes and said the opposition leaders should be ready to board the plane when the Indian forces plan the next such strike. He targeted Rahul Gandhi, saying his leadership of Congress had been beneficial to the BJP. "A child asks his mother that these were easy tasks which happened in six months, why did we not do them. The mother says we cared for vote-bank politics," Verma said. The BJP lawmaker called upon opposition members to raise the slogan of "Jai Shri Ram" saying it is not a symbol of religion but of the culture of the country. Verma said the original copy of the Constitution contained images of Lord Ram, Lord Krishna, and Lord Hanuman. He said the Modi government is working in a timely manner and solving pending problems with determination. He accused the opposition members of not respecting the mandate of the people and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be re-elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He said a grand Ram Temple will be constructed at Ayodhya and urged members to raise the slogan of "Jai Shri Ram." "All your sins will be washed away. Say Jai Shri Ram. I urge opposition members to say Jai Shri Ram. Jai Shri Ram is not a symbol of religion. It is a symbol of our culture," he said. Verma said the entire opposition should say 'Jai Shri Ram'. He also referred to a Trinamool Congress member and urged him to raise the slogan. Trinamool Congress member Mahua Moitra sought to raise the point of order but Speaker Om Birla asked her to speak from her seat and on getting permission from the chair. In his speech, Ram Kirpal Yadav of the BJP said that the Modi government cared for all sections of the society. He said there was a need to keep an eye on members of 'Tukde, Tukde' gang. Verma said the gang itself will be broken to pieces and there were lakhs of people, who will carry out the task. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ODM Party leader Raila Odinga on Sunday left Kenya for the US where he has been invited together with President Kenyatta to speak about their handshake. The former Prime Minister jetted out for the National Prayer Breakfast shortly before 6 pm, his spokesperson Dennis Onyango said in a statement to newsrooms. Odinga is scheduled to hold a Roundtable meeting with African Ambassadors in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, February 4 ahead of the National Prayer Breakfast to be held on February 6th, 2020. The African Union envoy for Infrastructure Development in Africa is expected to brief the African ambassadors on the Continents Infrastructure and continental trade agenda. On 5th February 2020, Raila and Uhuru will speak at the International Luncheon on reconciliation, organised by the US National Prayer breakfast team. They are set to talk about their historic March 9th, 2018 unity pact and will deliver their speeches from 12.30 pm. US President Trump and First Lady Melania will be the guests of honor for the event. As the keynote speakers for the lunch, we would like to ask you to share your personal journey of faith and reconciliation, reads the invitation letter from US Congress National Prayer Breakfast co-chairs, John Moolenaar and Thomas R. Suozzi. The ODM leader will later attend the African Senate Dinner hosted for Heads of State from Africa and Africa delegation by the Prayer Breakfast team. The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the Centre, Election Commission of India (ECI) and Delhi government to file response on a plea of 11 people seeking to file nomination papers from New Delhi assembly constituency, from where Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal is contesting. The court will hear the matter on February 6. A division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Harishankar also asked the Chief Electoral Officer and returning officer of Jamnagar House to file the reply on the plea. Advocate Viplav Sharma, appearing for 11 petitioners, argued that the respondents "illegally arbitrary and malafidely" deprived the petitioners and many others to file their nomination by the election officer of New Delhi Assembly Constituency. He also said that a single-judge bench without going into merits of the declined to entertain the said writ petition. Sharma said that the 11 appellants were not questioning the elections but wanted to participate in the elections which were illegally arbitrary and malafidely prevented by election officer. Eleven candidates, who were not allowed to file nomination papers, moved the Delhi High Court alleging that officials deputed at Jam Nagar Election Office have facilitated Kejriwal to walk inside the election office out of turn evading the queue while filing his nomination paper from New Delhi Assembly seat. They have requested the Delhi High Court to issue a direction to poll panel to give them the shortest possible reasonable time to file their nomination papers again. The petitioners including one Kiran Pal Singh Tyagi has also requested the court to hold an enquiry on the mode and manner the candidates were dealt with by the election officer and allowed out of turn entry of Arvind Kejriwal inside the election office. Polling on 70 Assembly seats of Delhi will be held on February 8 and the counting of votes will take place on February 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Greenland Ice Sheet is melting faster today than it did only a few years ago. The reason: it's not just melting on the surface - but underwater, too. AWI researchers have now found an explanation for the intensive melting on the ice's underside, and published their findings in the journal Nature Geoscience. The glaciers are melting rapidly: Greenland's ice is now melting seven times faster than in the 1990s - an alarming discovery, since climate change will likely intensify this melting in the future, causing the sea level to rise more rapidly. Accordingly, researchers are now working to better understand the underlying mechanisms of this melting. Ice melts on the surface because it is exposed to the sun and rising temperatures. But it has now also begun melting from below - including in northeast Greenland, which is home to several 'ice tongues'. Each tongue is a strip of ice that has slid down into the ocean and floats on the water - without breaking off from the land ice. The longest ice tongue, part of the '79 North Glacier', is an enormous 80 km long. Over the past 20 years, it has experienced a dramatic loss of mass and thickness, because it's been melting not just on the surface, but also and especially from below. Too much heat from the ocean A team led by oceanographer Dr Janin Schaffer from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven has now identified the source of this intense underwater melting. The conclusions of their study, which the experts have just released in the journal Nature Geoscience, are particularly unsettling because the melting phenomenon they discovered isn't unique to the 79 North Glacier, which means it could produce similar effects elsewhere. For the purposes of the study, the researchers conducted the first extensive ship-based survey of the ocean floor near the glacier, which revealed the presence of a two-kilometre-wide trough, from the bottom of which comparatively warm water from the Atlantic is channelled directly toward the glacier. But that's not all: in the course of a detailed analysis of the trough, Janin Schaffer spotted a bathymetric sill, a barrier that the water flowing over the seafloor has to overcome. Once over the hump, the water rushes down the back of the sill - and under the ice tongue. Thanks to this acceleration of the warm water mass, large amounts of heat from the ocean flow past the tongue every second, melting it from beneath. To make matters worse, the layer of warm water that flows toward the glacier has grown larger: measured from the seafloor, it now extends 15 metres higher than it did just a few years ago. "The reason for the intensified melting is now clear," Schaffer says. "Because the warm water current is larger, substantially more warmth now makes its way under the ice tongue, second for second." Other regions are also affected In order to determine whether the phenomenon only manifests at the 79 North Glacier or also at other sites, the team investigated a neighbouring region on Greenland's eastern coast, where another glacier, the Zachari Isstrm, juts out into the sea, and where a large ice tongue had recently broken off from the mainland. Working from the surface of an ice floe, the experts measured water temperatures near the ocean floor. According to Schaffer: "The readings indicate that here, too, a bathymetric sill near the seafloor accelerates warm water toward the glacier. Apparently, the intensive melting on the underside of the ice at several sites throughout Greenland is largely produced by the form of the seafloor." These findings will ultimately help her more accurately gauge the total amount of meltwater that the Greenland Ice Sheet loses every year. ### Original Study Janin Schaffer, Torsten Kanzow, Wilken-Jon von Appen, Luisa von Albedyll, Jan Erik Arndt and David H. Roberts, Bathymetry constrains ocean heat supply to Greenland's largest glacier tongue", Nature Geoscience, 3 February 2020, DOI: 10.1038/s41561-019-0529-x EMBARGOED until: Monday, 3 February 2020, 17:00 CET, 11:00 US Eastern Time By PTI NEW DELHI: Indian students, who have been evacuated from the coronavirus-affected Chinese city of Wuhan, on Sunday celebrated their return by dancing and making selfie videos at Army's quarantine facility in Manesar, according to officials. In a video shared by government officials, a group of six male students, wearing masks, can be seen dancing on Haryanavi tunes at a dormitory-style room in the facility near Delhi. "The students are happy as they have been evacuated. In the video, you can find them dancing and making videos even though they have their face masks on," an official said. In the last two days, 647 Indians have been evacuated through two special Air India flights. ALSO READ | WATCH | Andhra girl, stuck in Wuhan amid Coronavirus outbreak, urges Indian Government to help her return home While 324 Indians were part of the first batch, 323 Indians and seven Maldivians were evacuated on Sunday. As many as 252 Indians have been kept under quarantine for a period of two weeks at the Army's 300-bed facility in Manesar, according to officials. Wuhan is the epicentre of the outbreak which has killed more than 300 people in China. #WATCH Indian students who were brought back from Wuhan, China, dance at the quarantine facility of Indian Army in Manesar, Haryana, where they are currently lodged. #Coronavirus (Source - Indian Army) pic.twitter.com/tGDCTO0cNX ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2020 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in a tweet on Sunday, "7 Maldivians brought back with 323 Indians from Wuhan on the second @airindiain flight today. #NeighbourhoodFirst at work again." Two Indians, both from Kerala, have been tested positive for the deadly coronavirus infection. Due to the outbreak, IndiGo has suspended all three flights between India and China. Air India has suspended its Delhi-Shanghai flight and curtailed operations on the Delhi-Hong Kong route. Cat Lai Port in HCM City (Photo: VNA) The volume of international cargo that passed through ports in the first nine months of 2019 increased by 6 percent year-on-year, lower than the 8 percent rate in 2018 and 9 per cent in 2017. Except for very large ports like Cat Lai in HCM City, most of the others faced intense competition, and have adopted various measures to retain customers, analysts at SSI Securities Corporation said. The demand for domestic transport was weak, and so costs did not change much through the year and averaged 2-2.5 million VND (86.4-107.9 USD) per TEU from Hai Phong to HCM City. On international routes, the rate increased by 7 percent for crude oil transport but the dry cargo rate did not change. SSI forecast that in 2020 the international container volume handled by ports would increase by only 6-7 percent and ports revenues by 3-5 percent this year, with the profit margin likely to remain unchanged due to the increasing competition. According to experts, the shipping industry will encounter difficulties this year because of a new global cap by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on sulphur content in marine fuels. From January 1 ships on international routes are required to use fuels with a sulphur content of 0.5 percent m/m or lower. A low supply of such fuels has pushed up their prices sharply, and understandably transport companies operating on international routes are hit in the short term, SSI said. The SSI analyst team forecast that many vessels used internationally could return to the domestic market if they are unable to meet the IMO requirements or incur losses by meeting the new requirement, bringing huge pressure on the shipping market. The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, which is expected to take effect in the second half of the year, and the increase in FDI inflows would create demand for B2B and marine transport services, it said. Nguyen Ngoc Hue, president of the Vietnam Association of Ports-Waterways-Offshore Engineering, said marine transport plays a very important role in the countrys economy. Marine transport accounts for just 5.2 percent of domestic cargo share, but more than 92 percent of imports and exports. Nguyen Xuan Sang, director general of the Vietnam Maritime Administration, said seaports such as Cai Mep - Thi Vai and Lach Huyen could berth the worlds largest ships of up to 194,000 tonnes and capacity of 18,300 TEUs. With Vietnam joining free trade agreements, the volume of goods through its ports in the coming years is expected to grow by 12-15 percent a year, and so investment to increases their capacity is urgently needed. The Rs 6,950 crore recapitalisation of three state-owned general insurers National Insurance, Oriental Insurance and United Insurance may be inadequate for the companies. While the insurers sought Rs 12,000 crore for maintaining the solvency or minimum capital, lower-than-required funds would lead to the delay of the proposed merger of the companies. The budget documents showed that the provision was for the higher requirement for maintaining the requisite minimum solvency ratio by each of the three public sector general insurance companies. The revised estimate of 2019-20 made a provision of Rs 2.500 crore which had been hiked to Rs 6,950 crore. Solvency levels of the three PSU insurers have been dwindling. At the end of Q2FY20, United India solvency stood at 105 percent, Oriental Insurance's solvency stood at 156 percent as of Q1Fy20. Among these, National Insurance solvency dropped from 104 percent at the end of FY19 to 95 percent as of Q1FY20. A level of 150 percent is stipulated as the minimum solvency or capital requirement by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India IRDAI). This roughly means that the assets must be 1.5 times the liability. The finance ministry said that a partial budgetary support had been made in revised estimate through first batch of supplementary demands for Grants and provision for further capital infusion is included. The provision is met from the National Investment Fund. The merger process The PSU insurers' merger has been a pet project of the BJP government. It was announced by former finance minister Arun Jaitley in his February 2018 Budget speech. The idea was that the merged entity would subsequently be listed on the stock exchanges. The idea to merge the three insurers was to create a stronger and larger insurance company that was sustainable in the long run. The other two state-owned entities, New India Assurance and General Insurance Corporation of India, are listed on the exchanges. EY was appointed as the consultant for the process in December 2018. The initial estimates suggest this will be the largest non-life insurance company in India valued at about Rs 1.5 lakh crore. On one hand, while there has been a delay in the merger process, there are also human resource concerns. The insurers unions have also expressed concerns about the merger of the entities, saying this would lead to retrenchment of staff at the mid and junior levels. Considering these challenges, sources said that the actual merger will only be initiated in FY21. The listing could either be end of March 2021 or the first quarter of FY22. This has been cited as the pre-condition before the proposed merger process begins. With inadequate funds in the recapitalisation process, the merger could be delayed by another two to three quarters. Beijing: 17387 people worldwide have been sick with Coronavirus so far. While 17205 of these people are infected only in China. So far, 362 people have died due to coronavirus. Before the big and powerful countries of the world devise the drug of Coronavirus, Thailand's doctors have prepared a new medicine by mixing some medicines. Delhi Assembly Election: PM Narendra Modi will address his first election meeting today The government of Thailand claims that this drug is also effective. After giving it, a patient was cured within 48 hours. Thailand's doctor Krensak Atiepornwanich has told that we gave a new medicine to a 71-year-old female patient in 48 hours. Within 12 hours of being given the medicine, the woman sat up on the bed, even before that she could not move from her place. In just 48 hours, she has recovered 90 percent. In a few days, we will fix it completely and bring it home. Now the Chinese army will fight with Coronavirus, gets this important responsibility Doctor Krensak Atiepornwanich has told that if we tested this drug in the lab, we got very positive results. It gave relief to the patient within 12 hours. In 48 hours, the patient has fully recovered. Doctor Krensak Atipornavnich has said that for the treatment of coronavirus, we have prepared a new drug by combining anti-flu drug oseltamivir with lopinavir and ritonavir. This drug has proved to be very effective. We are now testing in the lab to make it work. Delhi Assembly Elections: CM Yogi addressed rally in bidar assembly, targets AAP and Congress American armaments dominated the defence services's show of weaponry. Ajai Shukla reports IMAGE: The Indian Air Force's new Chinook helicopters fly over Rajpath during the Republic Day parade, January 26, 2020. Photograph: Press Information Bureau The all-time high participation of United States-made aircraft at this year's Republic Day parade, alongside a noticeably reduced Russian presence, underlines the growing shift in India's weapons procurement priorities. While the Indian arsenal continues to field large number of legacy Russian weapons platforms, the new weaponry being inducted is mainly of US or Indian origin. The American aircraft in the parade included the newly arrived CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopter, the AH-64E Apache attack helicopter, C-130J Super Hercules special operations aircraft and the C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifter. In addition, the Indian Navy's tableau featured the P-8I Poseidon multi-mission maritime aircraft. In contrast, the parade featured only three Russian aircraft -- the Sukhoi-30MKI and MiG-29UPG fighters and the Mi-17V5 medium-lift helicopter. IMAGE: Newly inducted Apache helicopters fly over Rajpath. Photograph: Press Information Bureau Russian Ilyushin-76 and Antonov-32 transport aircraft also remain in the Indian Air Force's fleet, but were absent, with the more contemporary American C-130J and C-17s being preferred for the parade. There was also a significant participation by Indian-built aircraft, including the Dhruv advanced light helicopter, its weaponised version called the Rudra, Dornier light transport aircraft, and Jaguar fighter-bombers -- all built by Hindustan Aeronautics. The Netra, an airborne early warning and control system aircraft, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation on a Brazilian Embraer business jet, was also showcased. Meanwhile, the IAF tableau featured the indigenous light combat aircraft. The IAF has finalised, and is shortly slated to sign with HAL, an approximately Rs 26,000 crore order for 83 Tejas Mark 1A fighters. IMAGE: The Indian Army's battle tanks, the T-90 Bhishma, followed by the K9 VAJRA-T gun tanks, on Rajpath. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo Ground systems participation, which has traditionally featured a large number of Russian weapons platforms, was noticeably biased towards indigenous and non-Russian weaponry too. The only Russian ground systems featured were the T-90S Bhishma tank and BMP-2 infantry combat vehicle. Indian systems included the new K-9 Vajra-T self-propelled medium artillery gun, the Ordnance Factory's Dhanush medium artillery gun and the DRDO's Sarvatra assault bridge and eponymous Short Span Bridging System. There was a strong Indian flavour to missile and air defence systems as well. There was a debut appearance for the DRDO-developed Anti-Satellite Weapon, which was ostentatiously tested last March in the so-called Mission Shakti -- arousing international criticism for allegedly creating space debris. IMAGE: Boeing C-17 Globemaster aircraft fly over Rajpath. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo In the air defence arena, dominated by a range of Russian missiles for half a century, this year's parade featured only DRDO's Akash missile system. However, a new Russian air defence system could well occupy centre stage in next year's parade, with delivery of the first Russian S-400 Triumf missile units slated for late 2020. India has defied strong pressure from Washington in going ahead with the purchase of five S-400 units from Russia for $5.43 billion. In addition to the large number of weapons systems that debuted in this year's parade -- including the Chinook and Apache helicopters, the K-9 Vajra-T and the DRDO's promising Astra missile -- the military scored two other significant firsts on January 26, 2020. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi pays homage to fallen soldiers at the newly built National War Memorial on Republic Day for the first time instead of the Amar Jawan Jyoti beneath the India Gate arch. Photograph: Press Information Bureau For the first time, Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi paid homage to soldiers, sailors and airmen who laid down their lives for the country at a new location -- the National War Memorial that was inaugurated last February. Until now, prime ministers paid homage at the Amar Jawan Jyoti (the eternal flame) memorial at India Gate. Also unprecedented was the presence of a tri-service chief -- the newly created appointment of the chief of defence staff, to which former army chief, General Bipin Rawat, was appointed on the new year. The prime minister and President Ram Nath Kovind were, for the first time, received by four general rank officers -- the CDS and the three service chiefs. The US state is set to kick off the caucus and primary season of the 2020 presidential race. Ames, Iowa Iowans from across the US state will gather at churches, mosques, community centres, homes and elsewhere on Monday evening to caucus for Democratic presidential candidates. Mondays caucuses will kick the 2020 presidential election into high gear, with the rest of the US states and territories to follow with their own primaries or caucuses over the next five months. Every time I think Ive made a decision, something pushes me the other direction, said Kevin Caballin at a recent campaign rally for Senator Amy Klobuchar in Ames, Iowa. Caballin said he has seen more than two dozen of the original Democratic candidates and two Republican candidates in about 120 campaign events this election cycle. The election comes at a time of deep divisions within the United States, amid an impeachment trial and divisive rhetoric coming from the White House and Capitol Hill. While Caballin said he likes Klobuchar, he is worried about her lack of name recognition. Hes not the only undecided caucus-goer in the room. Many people at the event late last month said they will make a decision the night before or day of the caucus. A CBS News poll, released on Sunday, suggested that Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden were neck-and-neck at 25 percent each. Democratic US presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders speaks to supporters at a campaign field office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa [Mike Segar/Reuters] Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg was in third at 21 percent, and Senator Elizabeth Warren was in fourth place at 16 percent. Klobuchar was at 5 percent. All the other candidates Senator Michael Bennet, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, US Representative Tulsi Gabbard, former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, billionaire Tom Steyer and entrepreneur Andrew Yang polled at less than 5 percent. The polls margin of error was plus or minus three points. Democratic 2020 US presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden has been crisscrossing Iowa to build up support for his campaign [Ivan Alvarado/Reuters] The release of the results of whats been dubbed the most influential poll before the Iowa caucuses from the Des Moines Register, CNN and Mediacom was cancelled at the last minute after candidates were left out of different questions of the interview. Polls are only good the day the pollsters are in the field, said Dennis Goldford, professor of political science at Drake University. Electability Top of the mind for many caucus-goers in Iowa were issues like healthcare, education and climate change as well as how electable each candidate is over President Donald Trump. What kind of overshadows everything, is people in Iowa and across the nation like different people, said Dianne Bystrom, director emerita of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center at Iowa State University. But then, if you ask, whos the best able to beat Donald Trump, it seems like its always Biden. I see Democrats being a lot more cautious this year. For Caballin, he said he likes everything that Warren and Sanders have said, but he is worried they will not be able to muster widespread support. I dont know if theyre gonna scare moderates and disillusioned Republicans who dont like Trump and are just saying Give us someone we can vote for,' Caballin said. Democratic presidential candidate and former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten Buttigieg attend a campaign event in Boone, Iowa [Eric Thayer/Reuters] Goldford, who is also a co-author of a book about the history of caucuses, said he sees more of an urgency among Democrats to replace Trump than in the 2004 election against incumbent George W Bush. The Democrats nationwide, as well as here in Iowa, are in the middle of an argument of who is better positioned to defeat an incumbent president. A progressive, like Sanders or Warren, or a more centrist liberal, like Biden, Buttigieg or Klobuchar, Goldford said. Whats going to win out? Head or heart? Outsized influence? The Midwestern state has served as a launching platform for both Republicans and Democrats since the 1970s, when little-known Jimmy Carter campaigned heavily in the state, placed well and went on to become president. It has led to most candidates now spending an enormous amount of time in the state. In recent years, the state has fielded increasing criticism of its outsized influence, because its populace does not reflect the diversity of the greater United States. The process has also come under fire for being less inclusive as primaries, because it does not allow for people working during those hours or out of state to participate. This year, a few satellite locations around the US and internationally will attempt to temper some of that criticism. In summary, Iowas position number one is truly a matter of historical accident. Nobody said in either party, Gee, here is a list of criteria that should determine which states should go first in a sequential nomination process, and oh look, Iowa turns out to fit those criteria better than any other state,' Goldford said. Democratic 2020 US presidential candidate and US Senator Elizabeth Warren reacts to the crowd after speaking at a campaign town hall meeting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa [Brian Snyder/Reuters] Still, election observers have continued to closely watch the results of the Iowa caucuses, with high expectations that whoever does well in Iowa will do well overall. The candidates, too, have been zig-zagging across the state to campaign. The four candidates who are also senators have been flying back and forth between Iowa and Washington, DC, during the impeachment trial of Trump, which requires mandatory participation. Bystrom said observers usually look at the top three candidates in the Iowa caucus, but this year, there could be four tickets out of Iowa. Those tickets will garner candidates national standings and ability to fundraise, as well as narrowing the field. Over the years, the results have been mixed. While Hillary Clinton bested the field of Democratic hopefuls in 2016, for example, her husband, Bill, came in a dismal fourth place in 1992, but later won the presidency. Further complicating those results is that, in addition to some candidates simply sitting out of the Iowa contest, caucus-goers, unlike primary voters, go through more than one round of counting, engaging in what Bystrom refers to as caucus math. If, in any precinct, a candidate does not reach a viability threshold of at least 15 percent, his or her supporters must choose a second-choice candidate for the subsequent round. [In the past,] candidates have used it to basically peel off some of the delegates that they dont need, and send them to other camps, basically to weaken the other strong candidates. This year, you cant do that, Bystrom said, explaining that supporters from viable camps will not be able to switch camps on the second round of counting. Democratic 2020 US presidential candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar speaks during a town hall in Waterloo, Iowa [Brenna Norman/Reuters] Even with all the caveats, both Bystrom and Goldford will still be looking to see what the caucuses produce. For the Drake University professor, he said he will be looking at how large turnout is, both in sheer numbers, and also among voters under 45 years old. He is also curious to see how well each candidate does against the same opponent in every election. [Its] name is expected. Did you do better than expected, or did you do worse than expected? Goldford said. Newark, NJ, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the report published by Fior Markets, the global PDX models market is expected to grow from USD 79.5 million in 2017 to USD 290.14 million by 2025 at a CAGR of 17.51% during the forecast period 2018-2025. Growing demand for customized medicine, continuous support for cancer research from the public as well as private sectors, and growth in the number of R&D activities in the pharmaceutical industry are major factors driving the growth of the market. The growing use of humanized PDX models is also cost effective for the market. PDX models are used to create a resembling situation for the study of natural growth of cancer progression and treatment. PDX models are better than traditional cell line xenograft models because they resemble to the tumors found in actual patients. Increasing demand for personalized medicines is a major factor driving the market. Increased efforts for cancer research from private and public institutions are fuelling the growth of market. Ethical issues regarding usage of animals for cancer research may hamper the growth of market. However, increasing demand for humanized PDX models is expected to boost the growth of the market in coming years. DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT AT https://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/362202/request-sample Key players operating in the global PDX models market are The Jackson Laboratory, Crown Bioscience Inc, Champions Oncology, Inc., WuXi AppTec, ONCODESIGN, EPO Berlin-Buch GmBH, Charles River Laboratories International, Inc., Shanghai LIDE Biotech Co., Ltd, Horizon Discovery Group PLC, Xentech, Explora BioLabs, Urolead, EUROPDX, MI Bioresearch Inc, Aragen Bioscience and others. Key players active in the market are involved in collaborative agreements and expansion to bolster the growth of the market. Rising partnership among players to provide better models is positively affecting the growth of the market. Other strategic plans include development of new databases and PDX based models to serve the current unmet needs. Developing and developed (U.S, Germany, U.K, China and Japan) are offering greater opportunities and major players are continuously focused on new product developments and venture capital investments to obtain market share. For instance, In May 2017, CRL International, Inc. partnered with OcellO, in which, CRL would be utilizing the latters PDX model capabilities in order to expand their oncology based drug discovery service portfolio. For instance, EVOTEC has collaborated with Inserm and various other research organizations across Europe. In 2015, Cellaria Biosciences and Taconic Biosciences partnered to promote development and higher use of PDX xenograft models. In February 2017, Crown Biosciences launched their advanced digital platform for their oncology database OncoExpress. For instance, in February 2017, Crown Biosciences launched their advanced digital platform for their oncology database OncoExpress and EVOTEC has collaborated with Inserm and various other research organizations across Europe. Rat models segment held the largest share of 58.9% in 2017 Type segment includes mice models and rat models. The rat models segment held the largest share of 58.9% in 2017. Growth in this market is mainly driven by the larger size of rats, which enhances surgical manipulation. The development of immune-deficient rats will drive the usage of rat models in PDX model generation. The gastrointestinal tumor models segment held the largest market share of 33.61% in 2017 The tumour type segment is classified into gastrointestinal tumor models, gynecological tumor models, respiratory tumor models, urological tumor models, hematological tumor models and other tumor models. The gastrointestinal tumor models segment is further sub divided into colorectal, pancreatic, hepatic, and cholangio tumors. The gynecological tumor models segment is further sub divided into breast, ovarian, and cervical tumors. The respiratory tumor model segment is further sub segmented into lung tumors, nasopharyngeal, and bronchial tumors. The urological tumor models segment is sub divided into renal, prostate, and bladder tumors. The hematological tumor Models is sub divided into leukemia and lymphoma. The other tumor models segment is sub divided into head & neck cancer, sarcoma, and melanoma. Gastrointestinal tumor models segment held the largest market share of 33.61% in 2017 due to increasing focus of market players on generating lung cancer PDX models. The preclinical drug development and basic cancer research segment is dominating the market and are expected to grow with the highest CAGR of 19.2% in the forecast period Application segment is divided into segments such as preclinical drug development, basic cancer research and biomarker analysis. The preclinical drug development and basic cancer research segment is dominating the market and are expected to grow with the highest CAGR of 19.2% in the forecast period. The preclinical drug development and basic cancer research segment is expected to dominate the market. Growth in this segment is mainly driven by the increasing number of research activities in the field of oncology drug research. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology segment was valued around USD 32.68 million in 2017 End user segment includes pharmaceutical & biotechnology, contract research organizations and academic & research institutions. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology segment was valued around USD 32.68 million in 2017 due to increasing expenditure on R&D by for drug development have majorly contributed for the growth of this segment. Browse full report with TOC at https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-pdx-models-market-by-type-tumor-type-362202.html Region Segment Analysis of the PDX Models Market North America (U.S. , Canada, Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Rest of the Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan India, Rest of APAC) South America (Brazil and Rest of South America) Middle East and Africa (UAE, South Africa, Rest of MEA) North America region dominated the global PDX models market with USD 41.3 million in 2017 where as the Asia Pacific region is growing at the highest CAGR in the forecast period. North America is the fastest growing region due to growth in biomedical research, rising preclinical activities by CROs and pharmaceutical companies, and growing stem cell research in Canada. Asia Pacific region is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, due to strong research expenditure and the well-structured CRO industry in China, rising pharmaceutical R&D expenditure in India, and rising biomedical research in Singapore. About the report: The global PDX models market is analysed on the basis of value (USD Million). All the segments have been analyzed on global, regional and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each segment. The report offers in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining the key insight of the market. The study includes porters five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution and marketing channels analysis. For Instant Purchase: Single User License: https://www.fiormarkets.com/checkout.html?reportid=362202&type=single Corporate License: https://www.fiormarkets.com/checkout.html?reportid=362202&type=corp Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per client requirements. For further queries, you can contact us on sales@fiormarkets.com or +1-201-465-4211. Our executives will be pleased to understand your requirements and offer you the best-suited reports. About Fior Markets Fior Markets is a futuristic market intelligence company, helping customers flourish their business strategies and make better decisions using actionable intelligence. With transparent information pool, we meet clients objectives, commitments on high standard and targeting possible prospects for SWOT analysis and market research reports. Fior Markets deploys a wide range of regional and global market intelligence research reports including industries like technology, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, food and beverages, chemicals, media, materials and many others. Our Strategic Intelligence capabilities are purposely planned to boost your business extension and elucidate the vigor of diverse industry. We hold distinguished units of highly expert analysts and consultants according to their respective domains. The global market research reports we provide involve both qualitative and quantitative analysis of current market scenario as per the geographical regions segregated and comprehensive performance in different regions with global approach. In addition, our syndicated research reports offer a packaged guide to keep companies abreast of the upcoming major restyle in their domains. 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Contact Us Avinash D Head of Business Development Phone: +1-201-465-4211 Email: sales@fiormarkets.com Web: www.fiormarkets.com To Read Top Industries Reports, Visit our Affiliated Website: https://www.marketresearchplace.com Related Reports Global Particle Therapy Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-particle-therapy-market-by-type-heavy-ion-376058.html Global Plasma Protein Therapeutic Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-plasma-protein-therapeutic-market-by-product-immunoglobulin-376059.html Global Radiopharmaceuticals/Nuclear Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-radiopharmaceuticals-nuclear-market-by-type-diagnostic-therapeutic-procedure-376060.html Global Surgical Suture Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-surgical-suture-market-by-product-automated-suturing-376061.html Kiev: A leaked recording of an exchange between an Iranian air traffic controller and an Iranian pilot appears to show authorities immediately knew a missile had downed a Ukrainian plane after takeoff from Tehran. Iran denied that a missile had hit the plane on January 8, killing all 176 people on board. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the recording's authenticity in a report aired by a Ukrainian television channel. And the head of the Iranian investigation team Hassan Rezaeifar acknowledged the recording was legitimate and said that it was handed over to Ukrainian officials. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The 5 + 5 Libyan Joint Military Committee, composed of five regular army officers from each side of the Libyan conflict, which will discuss ways to enforce the ceasefire, began its meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday under the auspices of the United Nations, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) announced The novel coronavirus has killed at least 362 people and infected more than 17,400 as of Monday. The virus, which has spread around the world but is concentrated in China, has incited panic as nations work to combat its spread. A US official on Sunday said Americans shouldn't fear the virus and that the risk to the country was "low." The US Centers for Disease Control released six recommendations on coronavirus, from reminding people to wash their hands to avoiding prejudice against people of Asian descent. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The novel coronavirus which originated in the city of Wuhan in China's Hubei province and has spread to 24 other countries has reportedly killed 362 people in China and one person in the Philippines as of Monday. At least 11 people have been infected with the virus in the US, but officials there say the risk to Americans is still "low." Here are three things the US Centers for Disease Control recommends you do to keep from getting Wuhan coronavirus, and three things you should not do. The CDC recommends people stay informed by heading to its website for updates on the virus. FILE PHOTO: A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia September 30, 2014. REUTERS/Tami Chappell/File Photo Reuters The CDC has an entire subsection of its website dedicated to the coronavirus, which it regularly updates with new information. The section also contains helpful pages, like a frequently asked questions page, which answers questions like how the disease spreads. "It's important to note that person-to-person spread can happen on a continuum," the FAQ page says. "Some viruses are highly contagious (like measles), while other viruses are less so. At this time, it's unclear how easily or sustainably this virus is spreading between people." You can also follow all of Business Insider's coverage of the virus here It also says to avoid spreading the virus, people should follow regular measures taken to avoid the spread of any illness, like properly washing your hands. Story continues How to wash your hands 04 Yu Han/Business Insider The CDC said to prevent the coronavirus people should stick to the tried-and-true methods they would use to avoid any virus. These suggestions include: Avoiding close contact with people who are infected. If you're sick, avoid interacting with other people. Don't go to work if you're sick; stay home. When you sneeze, cover your nose and mouth. Try not to touch your eyes, nose, and mouth. Regularly clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that could be contaminated with germs (like your phone). Regularly wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or more, or use an alcohol-based sanitizer with 60% alcohol or higher if you can't get to a sink. If you think you may have the coronavirus, call your doctor or hospital before physically going there. A doctor attends to a patient in an isolation ward at a hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. China counted 170 deaths from a new virus Thursday and more countries reported infections, including some spread locally, as foreign evacuees from China's worst-hit region returned home to medical observation and even isolation. (Chinatopix via AP) Associated Press "If you feel sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, and have traveled to China or were in close contact with someone with 2019-nCoV in the 14 days before you began to feel sick, seek medical care," the CDC recommends. "Before you go to a doctor's office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms." That way they can prepare the space for a possibly infected person. Putting it bluntly, the CDC says people should not travel to China. Riverisde wuhan plane Matt Hartman/AFP/Getty Images The Trump administration on January 31 placed a ban on foreign nationals who had visited China within the past 14 days, with exceptions for immediate family members of US citizens and permanent residents. US citizens who have recently visited the Hubei province, where the outbreak started, must submit to a 14-day quarantine when reentering the US. A second plane was headed to Wuhan on Sunday to remove US citizens in the city, which would be the second instance of such an extraction effort, and may not be the last. Plus, the US State Department increased its travel warning for China to a Level 4 on Sunday, recommending US citizens "do not travel" to the country because of the virus. The CDC does not recommend wearing face masks to prevent the spread of the virus. wuhan coronavirus new york city Reuters/Bryan R. Smith "Do not use facemasks," the CDC said. "CDC does not recommend the use of facemasks for the general public to prevent the spread of 2019-nCoV." Experts told Business Insider's Holly Secon that for the average person wearing a mask is not as effective as everyday measures like hand-washing and avoiding close contact with anyone who might be infected. "There's little harm in it," Eric Toner, a scientist at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said. "But it's not likely to be very effective in preventing it." The agency also warned Americans not to target people of Asian descent. People wearing protective suits and military personnel walk inside a military complex where 56 Italians evacuated from Wuhan, China, will be kept in quarantine upon their arrival Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, on the outskirts of Rome. A viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 17,300 people and 361 deaths as of Monday, Italy has two cases reported. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Associated Press "Do not show prejudice to people of Asian descent, because of fear of this new virus. Do not assume that someone of Asian descent is more likely to have 2019-nCoV," the CDC wrote. The spread of the virus has also led to the spread of racism and xenophobia in various venues like colleges, workplaces, and grocery stores. A worker at a Costco in Washington state refused to serve an eight-year-old boy of a mixed ethnic background a food sample over her fear he was from China, Business Insider reported. Read the original article on Business Insider Police on the Greek island of Lesbos on Monday fired tear gas at hundreds of migrants protesting against tougher new asylum rules, officials said. Brandishing makeshift signs with the word "freedom", some 2,000 men and women walked out of the overpopulated camp of Moria to demonstrate. The protesters walked some seven kilometres (4.3 miles) towards the port capital of Mytilene, but were blocked by police outside the town. "A significant backlog of pending applications and serious delays in asylum procedures have been a major contributing factor to the dangerously overcrowded conditions we see on the islands," Boris Cheshirkov, Greece spokesperson for the UN refugee agency, said in a statement to AFP. "Long waiting times are also contributing to the mental toll that people are facing," he said. After years of procedural delays, Greece faces a backlog of almost 90,000 asylum applications, Cheshirkov said. In 2019, Greece became the first port of entry for migrants and refugees entering Europe. The government has struggled to manage the influx, keeping many in overcrowded camps on the Aegean Greek islands near the Turkish coast. More than 40,000 asylum-seekers are currently crammed into camps on five islands, where the official capacity is for 6,200 people and in conditions repeatedly condemned by aid agencies. The conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has toughened its approach to asylum-seekers and is trying to speed up the repatriation of people whose applications have been rejected. At Moria, where over 19,000 people live in and outside a camp built for fewer than 3,000, many are housed in tents and makeshift shelters without access to power, heating, or hot water, Cheshirkov said. "There aren't enough latrines and showers and access to health is severely limited," he said. There are also frequent outbreaks of violence. - 'Dissuasive message' - The new Greek minister for migration Notis Mitarachi, appointed just two weeks ago, has vowed to expel "on a weekly basis" migrants whose asylum applications are rejected. "Those not entitled to international protection will be rapidly returned to Turkey," Mitarachi told Kathimerini daily on Sunday. "We believe... this will send a loud and dissuasive message to human smugglers," he said. In another apparent attempt at deterrence, Greece's defence ministry last week put out a call for a floating barrier in the Aegean to stop migrant boats. The system -- criticised as unethical and impractical by opposition parties -- could involve either barriers or nets, 2.7 kilometres (1.7 miles) long, and would be used as an emergency measure by the Greek armed forces. Campus News UB celebrates Campaign for the Community Robert Bennett (center), for whom the Bennett Cup is named, holds the cup, which was awarded to University Communications. With Bennett are campaign chair Nancy Smyth and President Satish K. Tripathi. Photo: Douglas Levere By SUE WUETCHER We have a country that feels incredibly divided these days, but we at UB come together to show we are a community and that we care about our community. Members of the UB community gathered Wednesday to recognize the hard work of the volunteers who organized the 2019-20 Employees Campaign for the Community. The campaign has raised $726,154, 85% of its goal of $850,000. Chair Nancy Smyth said she was confident the campaign would reach its goal, as it has in the past. The campaign is still underway, Smyth, dean of the School of Social Work, reminded those attending the reception in Bansal Atrium in Davis Hall, North Campus. She noted that donations are still being accepted through March 31, and that the celebratory reception does not officially mark the end of the campaign. Smyth thanked everyone who worked on the campaign, citing in particular members of the steering committee and the campaign liaisons, who she called the lifeblood of the campaign. She pointed out that contributions so far have come from more than 1,800 employees, of which 390 were new donors to the campaign. We do give at UB in ways that a lot of other places dont, she said. This campaign is about nurturing a sense of community at a time when we all really need that. We have a country that feels incredibly divided these days, but we at UB come together to show we are a community and that we care about our community. And to me thats the heart of this celebration, she said. So thank you all for showing that UB cares and that we really make a difference here and many other places. President Satish K. Tripathi congratulated Smyth for her leadership on the campaign, and recognized as well campaign vice chair James ODonnell, dean of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, who will serve as chair of next years campaign. Service to the community is core to our identity at UB, Tripathi said. As members of a premier public research university, academic and research excellence are our priorities, but they are always guided by the principle of engagement. As we aspire to become one of the top 25 research universities in the nation, we are determined to make an even greater impact on our world. Our university community demonstrates this type of dedication with our Campaign for the Community, he said. And that is why it succeeds year after year. Because across our great university, faculty and staff like you are committed to contributing to our public service mission which, in turn, makes UB a better institution. I would like to thank all of you who contributed to our campaign, he said. Each of you has been vital to the success of the campaign. You inspire our entire university community and far beyond. You are the reason UB always ranks as one of the top agencies for SEFA in New York State and one of the top university campaigns nationwide. You are making a tremendous impact on our neighbors here in Buffalo and around the world. A squadron commander has lost his job after his jet flew too low and too fast during a 'sundown' ceremony at the base where Top Gun was filmed in San Diego. Lt. Col. Ralph Featherstone was relieved from his post as commanding officer of the Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 225 due to his poor judgment. He was flying in the rear seat of the F/A-18D fighter jet and claimed that he did not know the pilot was going to perform the potentially dangerous pass. 'I can't tell you why the pilot descended,' he said. 'Obviously I'm unhappy with the way this turned out, but, as commander I'm ultimately responsible. If deemed outside the box, I'm responsible.' He said it's unlikely he will be promoted after this and that his career is essentially over. The ceremony was held to mark the transition from old F-18 fighter planes to the new F-35C Lightning II jets. The pass took place at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in Southern California, which was once home to the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, otherwise known as TOP GUN. It where the hit 1986 film starring Tom Cruise was filmed. Lt. Col. Ralph Featherstone was fired from his post as commanding officer of the Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 225 on January 24 due to concerns about poor judgment, the United States Marine Corps announced last week Featherstone was in the rear seat of an F/A-18D fighter jet during a 'sundown' ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego on January 23 Video obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune shows the plane flying at an unusually low altitude and a higher-than-permitted speed as onlookers observed from the ground Video obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune shows the dangerously low pass. While Featherstone was not the pilot who flew the plane, as commanding officer he is ultimately held responsible for the actions of his subordinates. The 3rd Marine Air Wing said in a statement that Featherstone was relieved for cause following concerns of poor judgment. "The relief came as a surprise from an otherwise exceptionally performing commander with a long and distinguished career, the statement says. The 'sundown' ceremony marks the end of the squadron's usage of the F/A-18D Hornet fighter jets (seen in the above stock image) The squadron is set to incorporate the new F-35C Lightning II, the next generation of fighter jets It is a necessity to enforce standards and is vital that 3rd MAW provides strong and effective leadership to promote operational excellence, trust, and combat readiness. Air Wing Spokesman 1st Lt. Fredrick Walker told the Union-Tribune Featherstone is an honorable Marine who upholds the values of the Marine Corps. He declined to go into further detail about what caused the firing. Featherstone told the Union-Tribune on Friday that while he acknowledged the jet flew lower and faster than was allowed in the flight plan, he did not receive any complaints from either the flight control tower or the Federal Aviation Administration. We had landing traffic, Featherstone said. We had to de-conflict from that and felt sandwiched in a little bit. The image above shows Featherstone taking command of the Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 225 during a change of command ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego on April 19, 2019 Featherstone said that he 'can't tell you why' the pilot which flew the fighter jet descended, though he added that he received no complaints from either the control tower or the Federal Aviation Administration Featherstone said that the dismissal likely means the end of his career as a military officer Featherstone said that while he was in the rear seat, he had his attention focused on another plane nearby that was landing. He told the Union-Tribune that he believes his military career is essentially over in that it is unlikely he will ever be promoted as a result of the incident. The Marine Corps says it has assigned an interim officer-in-charge to oversee the squadrons transition to the new fighter jets. Living Section Wellton, Arizona - Share your love of books and reading! The Wellton Library Book Club will meet Friday, February 7th and 21st, at 10:00 a.m. All are welcome to attend. Friday, February 7th @ 10:00 a.m. Indianapolis: the True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in US Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man by Lynn Vincent & Sara Vladic (One Book Yuma) (Author Sara Vladic will hold community discussions and book signings on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at Main Library at 1 p.m. and on the AWC campus at 6:30 p.m.) Friday, February 21st @ 10:00 a.m. The Mules Go in Front by Shirley Woodhouse Murdock A list of titles through April, as well as limited copies of each book, are available at the service desk. The Wellton Library is located at 28790 San Jose Avenue in Wellton, AZ. For more information, call (928) 785-9575. Justice and democracy are messy, chaotic things at their core. We saw that in high-profile abundance Friday at the Trump impeachment trial in Washington; at the Harvey Weinstein rape trial in New York; and at a public hearing on tolls in Hartford, where the governor and two top Democrats quietly agreed to hold a vote as partisans duked it out in front of lawmakers. My understanding of how these three events tie together started decades ago in Hackensack, N.J., in my senior year of high school. My buddy David Black and I had internships at the Bergen County courthouse, where we followed the trial of an accused cocaine dealer named Napoleon Crafter. Judge Gould called us into his chambers before he gaveled the trial into session. This guy did it, he tells a couple of shocked schoolboys, in my rough memory. I know that, the prosecutor knows it, the defense lawyer knows it and the jury knows it. The only question is whether the state can prove it beyond the shadow of a doubt. If not, he goes free. Likewise, guilt is clear in President Donald Trumps impeachment. Reasonable people including some Republicans in the U.S. Senate can agree that Trump held up military aid to Ukraine in an effort to prod an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden. Even Republicans Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Marco Rubio of Florida said as much, though Rubios account read like it came from Rufus T. Firefly, Groucho Marxs character in Duck Soup. Alan Dershowitz, Trumps celebrity lawyer, basically conceded the presidents guilt in his argument that the Senate cant convict Trump for advancing his own reelection. The question was whether that guilt would come out in Senate testimony for the world to see, perhaps leading to an impeachment conviction. The answer is no. Fridays 51-49 vote to call no witnesses and introduce no documents with Alexander and Rubio joining the majority flouted the will of a clear majority of Americans, an average of 73 percent in several polls. Flouting the will of the people is OK in this democracy if its the right moral choice, per the founding fathers (and mothers, though they had to offer advice on the sly from home). Likewise, reasonable people can agree and a majority of Americans believe that Weinstein, the film mogul, did sexually assault a number of women. Strong circumstantial evidence and the public claims of some 80 alleged victims points in that direction. Whether he faces judicial punishment or goes free depends on the state of New Yorks ability to persuade a jury that at least one of two women the second of whom gave lurid and emotional testimony Friday is telling the truth. Thats no slam dunk, as these women spent some time in consensual relationships with Weinstein, who wielded influence over their careers. In the Connecticut tolls debate, the will of the people is modest tolling of trucks, if and only if the money is used strictly for the road and bridge upgrades. Gov. Ned Lamont won office on a strong promise of it. Even if thats not a mandate, the failure in the state House and Senate to hold any votes on tolls would seem a slap in the face of Democracy, the one with the capital D. Why such a comic-tragic farce over the last year, with at least three plans, each weaker than the one before it, and no votes? Because democracy, the one with the small d, is necessarily messy and chaotic, the better to hear voices that will not, ultimately, carry the day. And because politics does not reward risk the way business does, especially in steady-habits Connecticut. The state Senate has trodden so lightly on tolls, despite the need and the apparent support, that first-term Sen. Alex Bergstein, D-Greenwich, is slamming her fellow senators at huge risk to her own political career. The messaging and the public handling of this has been wildly mishandled, Bergstein, a strong supporter of tolls for cars as well as trucks, told me. The public...was never educated about the real options. She called the latest version, which bans car tolling for a decade, intellectually dishonest and fiscally irresponsible, and added, I expect our elected officials to do what they were elected to do, which is lead the state. The irony is that it took a closed meeting of three men in Lamonts office to make it happen. It now appears votes will come this month on Lamonts plan to toll trucks at 12 locations around the state. Lamonts 40-minute confab with Marty Looney, the Senate president pro-tem, and House Majority Leader Matt Ritter, the likely speaker in 2021, with no aides present, could not have been a genteel afternoon tea. His governorship hits an iceberg if he doesnt get these votes. These guys have the power to make it happen and he has the power to make their lives hellish if they dont. Maybe all he had to do on Friday afternoon, as the tolls hearing unfolded in the next building, was remind them that he signed the bills they wanted last year the minimum wage hike, paid family and medical leave and a favorable budget and that hes not giving up on his tolls plan. Maybe he had to mediate between them, as we know theres mistrust between the House and Senate, both of which want the other chamber to cast the risky tolls vote first. Whatever Lamont said, were likely to see those votes and its a decent bet well see a trucks-only tolling plan raising $172 million a year after expenses, which is just 7.5 percent of the amount the state will raise for transportation upgrades. Then again, we wont know until we know. Trump will win acquittal, and probably re-election. The economy remains strong and hes a master at planting lies about his opponents, speaking of messy chaos. Weinsteins fate is anyones call. And by the way, the jury found Napoleon Crafter not guilty of selling cocaine in that long-ago New Jersey trial. Justice and democracy are messy, chaotic things at their core. dhaar@hearstmediact.com Banking culture contributed significantly to the financial crisis in Ireland. The Honohan, Nyberg and Regling and Watson Reports chronicled cultures of irresponsible risk-taking, the lack of gender diversity on boards and widespread group-think. The financial regulator was characterised by timidity, deference to bankers and light-touch regulation. Bad organisational cultures in banks and regulators were at the heart of the problem. New laws were introduced to allow the Central Bank of Ireland to take a more stringent and intrusive approach to regulating financial institutions and their managers. In 2010, legislation introduced 'fitness and probity' requirements aimed at ensuring people in key management positions are honest and capable of discharging their functions effectively. In 2013, legislation doubled the maximum fines the Central Bank can impose on banks and individuals. Firms and individuals who breach regulatory requirements now face a credible threat that the Central Bank will take enforcement action. It has imposed fines of approximately 99m to date. Last year, the Central Bank imposed its largest ever fine on a single financial entity, 21m, for overcharging customers in the tracker mortgages scandal. Prior to the crash, the largest fine was 5,000. Moreover, the Director of Public Prosecutions has prosecuted some of the most senior former bankers in Ireland. Some, such as David Drumm, former CEO of Anglo Irish Bank, have been convicted and imprisoned. Despite the more stringent and intrusive regulatory approach, the Report on Banking Culture in 2018 concluded leadership styles in banks remained too directive, exhibiting a "command and control mentality", and remained insufficiently diverse to "prevent group-think, to guard against over-confidence and promote internal challenge". Though some banks have made more progress than others, the report determined that "consumer-focused cultures in the banks remain under-developed, and that banks need to overcome obstructive patterns of behaviour in order to transition to maturity". Such findings suggest generative conditions inside banks may not have changed as much as the external architecture favouring enforcement. The Central Bank of Ireland suggests that the problem partly lies in the absence of sufficient individual accountability. It has recommended the introduction of an individual accountability framework to make it easier to record which individuals are responsible for wrongdoing within their sphere of influence. According to this regime, responsibilities may be delegated but not abdicated. Nevertheless, widespread bad practices in the banking community, such as those involving the tracker mortgage scandal, suggest that problems are systemic and not simply the result of individual wrongdoing. Moreover, the individual accountability framework may do little to address directive management styles, a lack of gender diversity and insufficiently consumer-centred behaviours. While tougher regulatory sanctions may be helpful, a greater focus both on organisational dynamics to promote constructive dissent and broader market conditions to increase competition are necessary. One reason banks may be insufficiently consumer-oriented is that there is not enough competition in the market. Whereas in the UK, the Competition and Market Authority said that only 3pc of customers switching their personal accounts to another provider indicates a concerning lack of competition, the equivalent figure in Ireland is 0.02pc. If customers don't vote with their feet for better deals, is it any wonder they are walked all over? Unlike the UK authority, the Central Bank of Ireland does not have competitional law enforcement powers, an issue which deserves to be reconsidered. Furthermore, organisational dynamics must change. At the board level, 'group-think' produces scenarios where directors are disinclined to challenge existing strategy, especially when that strategy is preferred by a strong personality or where they experience social bonds with other directors. Greater female and minority ethnic representation on boards is an important part of the solution. More diverse boards can reduce group-think and improve monitoring and decision-making in companies, particularly those which experience corporate governance problems. These are among many reforms which will help to generate a better banking culture for consumers, businesses, and the economy. They do not displace traditional supervision and enforcement practices but complement them in the broader regulatory and compliance environment. The next government must legislate for individual accountability, but not neglect the organisational contexts and markets within which those individuals act. Dr Joe McGrath is a law lecturer at UCD, which hosts the Regulating Banking Culture conference on Thursday They finally confirmed their romance in May 2019, one year after he split from his wife of nine years Lucy-Jo Hudson. And Alan Halsall and Tisha Merry have taken their relationship to the next level as they're enjoying a scenic holiday at five-star resort Excellence El Carmen in the Dominican Republic with Blue Bay Travel. Documenting their idyllic break on their respective Instagram accounts, the Coronation Street actor, 37, and the 32 Brinkburn Street star, 26, are living in the lap of luxury as they treat themselves to beach strolls and drinks by the pool. Sun-soaked: Alan Halsall and Tisha Merry have taken their relationship to the next level as they're holidaying at five-star resort Excellence El Carmen in the Dominican Republic In an array of sizzling snaps, Tamla Rose star Tisha showcased her sensational figure as she sipped on a coconut while taking in the stunning view of the Caribbean nation. The brunette beauty looked every inch the bombshell as she slipped into a black bikini, before teaming her swimwear with a floral print kaftan. The media personality went on to share a hunky snap of her long-term partner, who she affectionately branded a 'dream boat'. The loved-up couple tapped into full relaxation mode with a pint of Baileys Irish Cream, before enjoying a romantic dinner date. Toned: In an array of sizzling snaps, Tamla Rose star Tisha showcased her sensational figure as she sipped on a coconut while taking in the stunning view of the Caribbean nation Looking good: The brunette beauty looked every inch the bombshell as she slipped into a black bikini, before teaming her swimwear with a floral print kaftan 'Dream boat': The media personality went on to share a hunky snap of her long-term partner, who she affectionately branded a 'dream boat' Long-time soap star Alan, who shares his daughter Sienna-Rae, six, with ex Lucy-Jo, 36, recently revealed he's already feeling pressured to propose to girlfriend Tisha, just months after the pair publicly confirmed their romance. He told The Mirror he's still in the throngs of early love with his girlfriend, and is in no rush to pop the question. He said: 'The pressure is there from day one but weve not been together that long, so I think well just enjoy ourselves for now.' In the zone: The loved-up couple tapped into full relaxation mode with a pint of Baileys Irish Cream, before enjoying a romantic dinner date Bookworm: Tisha kicked back with refreshing water and Riders by English author Jilly Cooper What a nice surprise: The pair bumped into a series of flamingos as they walked by a river Speaking about his relationship with Tisha he added: 'Its great, shes a wonderful girl and Im really happy.' Alan's revelations come after it was reported by The Sun that Tisha had already moved into his home. A source claimed: 'Tisha is keeping her place on for now but shes living at Alans place full time.' The Queen was introduced to Britains new 100 million F-35B Lightning stealth fighters today on her first public engagement of the year. The 93-year-old monarch visited their base at RAF Marham in Norfolk, a short hop from her Sandringham home, in her role as honorary air commodore of the base. It was also her first official outing since the announcement that her grandson the Duke of Sussex, 35, and his wife Meghan Markle, 38, would stepping back from royal duties. Dressed in a peaches and cream dress and hat by her senior dresser, Angela Kelly, she watched intently as one of the new fighters landed vertically. Although she has seen the aircraft from a distance at flypasts, this was her first close look. She also toured a new integrated training centre, preparing the next generation of pilots and technicians, and met a cross-section of the 3,600 people at the base, home to the fabled 617 Dambusters Squadron. The Queen, 93, travelled to RAF Marham in Norfolk this morning where she was respectfully greeted by officers for her first official engagement of 2020 A guard of honour awaited the Queen's arrival and welcomed her at the start of her engagement today The Queen, who seemed in high spirits, chatted with members of staff during her visit this morning The Monarch, who is the honorary is Honorary Air Commodore, was welcomed by a guard of honour this morning The monarch also lunched with 50 people from across the ranks who have been closely involved in the F-35B project, which was designed to deliver 138 aircraft over the coming decades. The cost of the first 48 has been estimated at 9.1 billion by 2025, including support, training and maintenance. Group Captain James Beck, the station commander, said everyone at the base had been buzzing to see the Queen, who has been visiting the base for decades, usually every other year during her winter stay at Sandringham. But he said the royal visit was also a chance to recognise personnel who have played a key part in getting the jets, some of which will spend up to six months at a time on Britains two new aircraft carriers, up and running. Its not so much about the Queen; its about saying thank you to everyone, he added. The Monarch looked intently at the work of the station's staff during her visit today while she toured the premises 50 of the most deserving members of staff were invited to ta private lunch with the Queen after the visit. Pictured: the Queen inspecting the new integrated training centre that trains personnel on the maintenance of the new RAF F-35B Lightning II strike aircraft The smiling monarch chatted with members of staff that had gathered to welcome her at the station On a blustery day, she was greeted by a guard of honour comprising RAF and Royal Navy personnel including one unfortunate man whose hat blew off and away just as she arrived. Inside the training centre she met so many staff she was heard to remark: I seem to have gone around a lot of people here. The Queen, who trained as a mechanic in the ATS during the Second World War, also viewed training demonstrations of engine maintenance, weapons loading and a canopy change. She also met trainee pilots from the RAF and Navy and heard how much of the training is now done using artificial intelligence. A security officer unnamed for security reasons said the Queen was 'quite interested in the training devices' The queen looked relaxed and rested, having just resumed royal duties following her winter break The Queen, pictured walking past a training mock up of a F-35B Lightning II fighter, inspected the station's new integrated training centre Members of staff of the station gathered to welcome the queen during her first official engagement since the start of her winter break The Queen looked lovely in a peach and cream ensemble with a matching hat with peach feathers The monarch, accompanied by captain James Beck, paid great attention to the work of the station's staff The Monarch was also treated to watching a 100m F-35B land vertically on the bases's taxiway on the airfield The Queen seemed in high spirits during the engagement, chatting away with staff and smiling On the royal family's Instagram account story, the Queen could be seen talking to the RAF students present (left) and other members of personnel (right) The monarch held onto her hat as a playful gust of wind ruffled her coat as she made her way inside, escorted by the station's commander captain James Beck A guard of honour awaited the Queen's arrival and welcomed her at the start of her engagement today The Monarch watched as the air crew worked on a training model F-35B Lightning II fighter during her visit The Queen arriving at the RAF Marham this morning, escorted by the station's commander Captain James Beck The Queen seemed fascinated by the intricate work done by RAF Marham's staff during her visi The technicians also learn their trade using a 6.4 million life-sized model in the centre. One training officer suggested it was just as well. We pranged it the first time we used it, he said, explaining they were using a munitions lift truck to try to load a Paveway IV laser-guided bomb onto the training model. Fortunately, it just involved a new lick of paint on this instead of damaging a 100 million aircraft, another officer said, as the Queen laughed. The Queen in the main atrium of the Integrated Training Centre (ITC) greeting mambers of RAF Marham personnel The Queen receives a posy presented by children from the local Cherry Tree Academy at the end of her visit to RAF Marham A member of Royal Navy personnel demonstrates the latest equipment in the Integrated Training Centre (ITC) to Her Majesty The Queen greets Station Commander Group Captain Jim Beck out side of the Integrated Training Centre (ITC) at RAF Marham Crowds of spectators wave Union Jack flags as they cheer for the Queen as she prepares to leave RAF Marham after her visit RAF personnel lining the street at the end of Queen Elizabeth II's visit to RAF Marham, Norfolk Group Captain Beck said that in the first five years of the Lightning programme, the UK flew to America to train and put 450 people through the programme. 'In the first nine months of this centre being open we've put another 450 through,' he said. 'We're halving the time the Americans are training. A guard of honour was awaiting the arrival of the Monarch at the West Nortfolk base this morning The Queen visited the station's premises and met with members of staff. 3600 Service Personnel, civil servants and contractors work at RAF Marham. Its functions range from engineering support to maintenance to frontline support 'This is the jewel in the crown really for Lightning, this centre here, and all partner nations are looking at why we're doing it so successfully." RAF Marham is the home of the F-35B Lightning - a fifth-generation, multi-role, stealth fighter. The Station is also home to a range of engineering support functions, from maintenance to frontline support. Over 3600 service personnel, civil servants and contractors work at RAF Marham. Part of Irelands general election count could be delayed after the death of a candidate (Niall Carson/PA). Part of Irelands General Election count could be delayed after the death of a candidate. The woman has been named in local reports as independent Tipperary hopeful Marese Skehan, found dead at her home in the county south west of Dublin. Voters in the Republic are due to go to the polls at the weekend as Taoiseach Leo Varadkars Fine Gael bids to fend off a strong challenge from opposition party Fianna Fail. Leaving one constituencys seats unfilled could complicate efforts to form a coalition government after what is expected to be a fragmented election result. Under elections legislation dating from 1992 there will have to be a vote at a later date in the Tipperary constituency as nominations will have to be reopened. A statement from An Garda Siochana said: Gardai are investigating an incident of sudden death in the Thurles area, Co Tipperary, which occurred today. A woman aged in her 60s was found dead in her home. It is understood the force is not treating the incident as suspicious. The Irish General Election campaign has entered its final week, with all parties and independent candidates preparing to make their final pitches to voters. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has been invited by the RTE broadcaster to take part in Tuesday nights Prime Time leaders debate. The original lineup for the debate was to be between Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and Mr Varadkar. However, following Sinn Feins surge in the recent opinion polls, RTE General Election steering committee met on Monday to consider the partys representations to include Ms McDonald in the debate. Journalist and broadcaster Teena Gates has revealed that socialising and working outside the home is now practically impossible for full-time family carers like her due to the dementia care crisis. It is a daily reality for the 790 people living with dementia and their struggling families who are fighting to access essential supports and services in Offaly. Yet despite this, in the constituency of Laois-Offaly, only three candidates have signed the pledge to deliver on dementia - Barry Cowen (FF, Laois-Offaly); Brian Stanley (SF, Laois-Offaly); and Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (FG, Laois-Offaly). Teena, who is from Dublin and is a full-time carer for her elderly father, Terry, who was diagnosed with dementia last year, has issued one last rallying call to General Election 2020 candidates to support The Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI) who are calling on all candidates to pledge their support to Deliver on Dementia and ensure dementia is in the next Programme for Government. Teena Gates said: I used to think I knew what being a carer was. I used to think I knew what 24/7 care meant. I didnt have a clue. It means you never go to the toilet on your own again. It means you never close the door when you shower. It means you cant meet a friend for coffee without a complicated cover system. "It means working outside the home is practically impossible. Yet all of these things are possible with support. So many of us just need a little help, to help us love and care for the ones we love and care for. The ASI knows only too well that access to dementia care in the community depends on where you live and no county in Ireland has an acceptable level of dementia support. The ASIs General Election 2020 campaign Deliver on Dementia Time to End the Crisis aims to ensure that dementia is included in the new Programme for Government so people with dementia and their families can get the support that they need. All candidates must pledge to Deliver on Dementia in the next Programme for Government to ensure the National Dementia Strategy is fully implemented; Homecare for everybody; Dementia is in the Chronic Disease Management Programme. Patricia Maguire, from Wexford who helps to care for her Dad who has dementia, said: My hope for the next Government is to give back to the people like my Dad who contributed so much to our society as my mam has no support from the Government. My Mam is living in Wexford where there is no home care support for her. My Mam has her own health issues as a 70-year-old woman may have and her mental health and physical health is being impacted due to the lack of support. My parents both deserve better from this country and should be cared for in a meaningful way. We want our dad to receive the care that he deserves. File image: Chinmayanand Former Union Minister Swami Chinmayanand, who allegedly raped a law student, was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court on February 3. Chinmayanand was booked under Sections 376C (sexual intercourse by a person or persons taking advantage of their official position), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354 D (stalking), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code after a law student had complained about a person from the "saint community" threatening her. #NewsAlert Allahabad High Court grants bail to Swami Chinmayanand, who has been accused of rape by a law student in Shahjahanpur. | @pranshumisraa with details. pic.twitter.com/0bmeq2376x News18 (@CNNnews18) February 3, 2020 The woman, who later claimed she was sexually abused by Swami Chinmayanand, was a student of the SS Law College in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur, which was controlled by the former BJP leader. The case hogged the limelight after the alleged victim was arrested by Uttar Pradesh police for withholding evidence from the Special Investigation Team probing the case. In August 2019, the 23-year-old law student had briefly gone missing after sharing a video on social media detailing her ordeal, which had gone viral. Although she had not named Swami Chinmayanand in it, her father took his name while filing a "missing persons" report with the police. When she was found later, she had claimed that she had damning evidence against the 72-year-old BJP leader. Chinmayanand was booked on charges of kidnapping and sexually abusing her later that month. It took almost another month before he was arrested from Shahjahanpur on September 20, 2019. Eventually, a chargesheet was submitted by the SIT on November 6 against the former BJP leader and also the alleged victim, who, Swami Chinmayanand had accused of extortion. The student was granted bail in December last year. The post-mortem report of a minor tribal girl found murdered in Chhindwara district has ruled out rape, the Madhya Pradesh police said on Sunday even as her parents said her disrobed body was found in a forested area two kilometres from their home and accused police of asking for bribe to conduct the autopsy and delaying it. In their police complaint, the parents said the 17-year-old girl was kidnapped on January 18 night after they left home to work in their agriculture field while she was asleep. They could not trace her despite an extensive search for days until her disrobed body was found on January 25. The body was decomposed and her tongue was sticking out. Liquor bottles and water and gutakha pouches were found scattered near the body, the complaint said. HT has seen the copy of the complaint. In the complaint, they alleged the areas police station in-charge, Kaushal Surya, demanded ~3,000 from the girls father for arranging vehicles to remove the body. He allegedly took ~1,000 and asked the father to give the remaining amount later. Surya also allegedly demanded ~5,000 for the post-mortem. When the father was unable to pay the money, the post-mortem was not done and the dead body was handed over to him. Inspector general (Jabalpur zone) Bhagwat Singh Chouhan held a meeting with officials in Chhindwara on Sunday. He could be not be reached for comments. Surya rejected the allegations of graft and maintained that an FIR was lodged on January 31 and the post-mortem ruled out rape. Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan attacked the Congress government. Criminals in Madhya Pradesh are so daring that they kidnapped a minor tribal girl in CM Kamal Naths district and gang-raped and killed her. Congress media coordinator Narendra Saluja hit back, saying: The girls father did not file a missing persons report... Further, rape has been ruled out in the post-mortem report The BJP leaders are so insensitive that they have indulged in politics even over the death of a girl. THE LOST VOICE OF ANNE BRONTE Tom Manne Theatre, February 1 Cate Whittaker may have put the sweet-natured, proto-feminist Anne the least famous of the Brontes in her title, but her play is really about the sibling dynamics between the three sisters and their brother, Branwell. In fact it's Emily who draws us into the story, aided by Rose Treloar's superior acting performance. Bedelia Lowrencev, Rose Treloar and Heather Tliege. Credit:Eilish Cree Emily and Branwell are kindred spirits: dreamers and gifted, wide-ranging artists. Treloar makes Emily the more charismatic, and Whittaker makes her credibly the author of Wuthering Heights: her own life is a gothic romance, and she lives with an intensity and vivacity that shades her sisters. Anne (Bedelia Lowrencev) begins as a teenaged innocent who develops into the boldest writer of the three, leading readers into the then-heresy of a woman daring to walk out of the "slavery" of a hideously dysfunctional marriage in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. After struggling early, Lowrencev became more convincing as Anne developed a voice as an artist and feminist WASHINGTON Newtown resident Bridget Sclafani met U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5, at a town hall event less than two weeks ago. On Tuesday, Sclafani will join the congresswoman at the presidents State of the Union in Washington, D.C. This is all a big shock to me, said Sclafani, 54. Im very excited. Sclafani lost her husband to brain cancer in 2018 and started the Paul C. Sclafani Memorial Foundation to help families with their bills while fighting cancer. The foundation has awarded scholarships and hosted a lacrosse tournament in Newtown. On Tuesday night, Sclafani will be one of many guests attending the State of the Union with Connecticuts congressional delegation. President Donald Trumps highly anticipated address will come in the midst of his impeachment trial, one day before the Senate is expected to acquit him. The theme of the address is The Great American Comeback," a senior administration official said. Members of Congress are permitted to bring one guest every year to listen to the address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives. Trump will also have several invitees in the audience. Often lawmakers select a guest whose work or personal story represents an issue that the politician would like to highlight. Heres who else the Connecticut delegation is bringing: Sen. Richard Blumenthal Blumenthal will be joined by the family of the late Marine Staff Sgt. Tyler Reeb. Reeb, who took his life in October, was a veteran who worked at the U.S. State Department. He grew up in New Canaan and attended college at Widener University before joining the U.S. Marine Corps. As a scout sniper, he lead missions in Iraq and Afghanistan before his honorable discharge in 2015. At the State Department, he helped develop and coordinate training for protective forces leading diplomatic security efforts. Tyler Reebs uncle Christopher Reeb of Weston will sit in the House gallery as Blumenthals guest. Other members of the Reeb family, including Tylers parents, Jaymie Reeb and Michael C. Reeb, will be in Washington, D.C. for the address. Our nation has abjectly failed to provide the care our heroes need to fight these invisible wounds mental health services to diagnose and treat them effectively, Blumenthal said. The loss of Tyler Reeb as well as his courage and strength, should inspire us to do better. Sen. Chris Murphy Deborah Davis of Hartford, an organizer with Mothers United Against Violence, will attend the State of the Union with Murphy. Davis lost her son, Phillip Samuel Davis, Jr., to gun violence in January 2010. I am honored to join Senator Chris Murphy at the State of the Union to shine a light on the work that Mothers United Against Violence has done over the years to strengthen and stabilize our communities, especially after they experience traumatic violence, Davis said. I got involved with Mothers United Against Violence after experiencing trauma myself, and far too often after tragedy, we can fall into hopelessness. But our organization, co-founded by Mrs. Henrietta Beckman and Rev. Henry Brown, provides articles of compassion to families in the Greater Hartford area dealing with the trauma of violence by offering workshops, educational opportunities and spiritual support. Davis joined Mothers United Against Violence, after the group counseled her following her sons death. She helps the organization provide comfort and support the families of shooting victims. Rep. Jim Himes Himes, D-4, invited Gary Mendell, founder and CEO of Shatterproof, a national non-profit focused on addiction. Like millions of Americans, Garys life was forever changed when he lost his son in 2011 after a years-long struggle with a substance use disorder, said Himes. Gary took that heartbreaking loss and transformed it into action. Mendell, a Westport resident, said he hopes he can be a voice for individuals suffering from addiction and promote investment in prevention and treatment resources. Rep. Rosa DeLauro Shelton resident Kristen Whitney-Daniels will attend the State of the Union with DeLauro, D-3. Whitney-Daniels, 29, has lived with diabetes for 14 years and has often struggled to afford her insulin. She volunteers with T1International as the Connecticut #insulin4all chapter leader to advocate for lower insulin costs. Whitney-Daniels works full-time as the assistant director of the U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph and part-time for their non-governmental organization at the United Nations. She graduated from Quinnipiac University in 2013. Rep. Joe Courtney Courtney, D-2, will bring John Beauregard, the president and CEO of the Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board. The nonprofit supports training programs with the goal of producing employees for local businesses like Electric Boat. It receives federal funding from the U.S. Department of Labor and has placed over 1,500 in local jobs, Beauregard said. Rep. John Larson Larson, D-1, is not bringing a guest this year. President Donald Trump Trump will have several guests in the audience Tuesday night. He invited Tony Rankins of Cincinnati, Ohio, a veteran who struggled with post-traumatic stress order and drug use before finding work in the construction trades. He also invited Raul Ortiz, a deputy chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol in Texas. Trump also will bring Jody Jones of Farmersville, California, whose brother was killed by an undocumented immigrant, the White House said Tuesday. Other Trump guests include Robin Schneider of Kansas City, Missouri and her daughter Ellie, who was born at 21 weeks and six days old; Stephanie Davis of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and her daughter Janiyah, a fourth grader whom the White House says attends a low performing school; and Paul Morrow of Montgomery, Alabama, a veteran who is building a concrete plant in an Opportunity Zone. Kelli Hake of Stillwater, Oklahoma will attend with her son Gage, after her husband was killed while serving in the U.S. military in Iraq. Also in the audience will be Trump guest Ivan Simonovis of Caracas, Venezuela, a police officer who was imprisoned in that country for protecting protestors and received refuge in the U.S. This story was updated to reflect guests invited to the State of the Union by President Donald Trump that were announced by the White House Tuesday afternoon. Turkish and Syrian troops traded fire in northwest Syria on Monday, with more than 20 reported dead, further raising tension between Ankara and regime ally Moscow over the war-torn Idlib region on Turkey's border. Russian air strikes also killed 14 civilians in the same area, a monitoring group said, as the World Health Organization warned dozens of medical facilities had been closed amid a fierce government offensive. Violence in recent weeks has caused one of the worst waves of displacement in the nine-year-old Syrian conflict. Monday's tit-for-tat shelling between Turkish and Russian-backed Syrian forces was the deadliest since Turkey deployed troops to Syria in 2016, ratcheting up tensions between the conflict's two main foreign protagonists. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan aimed rare criticism at Russia last week, accusing it of "not honouring" agreements to prevent a regime offensive on rebel-held Idlib. The overnight clash began with regime shelling at Turkish positions in Idlib, hours after a Turkish military convoy of at least 240 vehicles entered northwest Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor. The attack killed five soldiers and three Turkish civilians despite previous coordination on where Ankara's forces would be, Turkey's defence ministry said. The Russian defence ministry said Ankara had failed to give prior warning of its troop movements. Retaliatory Turkish rocket attacks on regime positions later killed at least 13 Syrian government troops and wounded 20 others in Idlib and neighbouring Hama and Latakia provinces, the Observatory said. The heaviest Syrian casualties were inflicted south of Saraqeb, a flashpoint Idlib town that Damascus has been trying to encircle since last week, said the Observatory. State news agency SANA said the Syrian army had not suffered any casualties. - Children killed - Erdogan, speaking to reporters at an Istanbul airport before leaving for Ukraine, said the counterattack had targeted 40 locations. He called on regime ally Russia to assume its "obligations" under previously signed agreements, referring to deals aimed at avoiding an all-out regime assault on Idlib region. The jihadist-dominated area hosts some three million people, around half of them displaced by violence in other areas. The Observatory said a new Turkish military convoy entered Syria on Monday. The UN says attacks by the regime and Moscow in northwest Syria have displaced more than 388,000 people since December, forcing many of them towards Turkey's border. Ankara -- which already hosts more than three million Syrian refugees on its soil -- fears the fighting will trigger another mass influx. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for an end to fighting in and around Idlib but air strikes, many of them carried out by Russian warplanes, have continued. On Monday, Russian air strikes killed 14 civilians in northwest Syria, said the Observatory. Nine of those killed were displaced people who died when a missile hit their car in the Urum al-Kubra area, on the rebel bastion's eastern flank. An AFP reporter saw rescue workers carry away the limp bodies of two small children and lay them in blankets on the back of a pickup truck. The World Health Organization said Monday that the violenced had forced 53 medical facilities in northwest Syria to close in January and warned of "critical health threats" to fleeing civilians. The WHO recorded two direct attacks on health facilities in northwest Syria in January, in which 10 people died and 30 were injured. "What this means to Syrian families on the run is further limited access to basic health care, an increasing lack of basic medicine and less protection against communicable diseases," the UN agency said in a statement. - Regime push - The regime now controls more than two thirds of Syria, up from a barely a fifth before Russia's sweeping military intervention in 2015. A jihadist group led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate still controls swathes of land in and around Idlib province, where pro-Ankara rebels are also present. In recent weeks, pro-Damascus fighters have pressed northwards along the M5 highway that connects the capital to Syria's second city Aleppo, crossing Idlib. They are now aiming for the abandoned city of Saraqeb, which sits at a crossroads between two key highways. On Monday, regime forces seized the town of Nayrab on the M4 highway east of Saraqeb, the Observatory said. That left them just eight kilometres south of Idlib city, a major population centre and the province's capital. Many displaced civilians live in precarious shelters in the Idlib countryside along the Turkish border. A 2018 Turkish-Russian deal saw Turkish troops deploy at observation posts around Idlib, but the agreement has failed to stem repeated regime offensives. Des Moines, Iowa Even as he warns that the Robot Apocalypse is rapidly descending upon us, Andrew Yang wants his fellow Americans to know that its still okay to laugh. While speaking to voters in the rural Iowa town of Grundy Center on Friday, Yang painted a bleak picture, arguing that Donald Trump is not the cause of Americas problems, but the symptom of an economy that has left too many working-class Americans behind. The numbers tell a very clear and direct story, he said. We eliminated 4 million manufacturing jobs in the last several years in this country. And where were those jobs primarily located? Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Missouri, and 40,000 right here in Iowa. After those jobs dried up, the shopping center closed. People left. The school shrank, and that town has never recovered. Whats more, he argued, in the coming years, things will only get worse as robots eliminate the jobs of millions of American telemarketers, retail clerks, and truck drivers. How many of you all know a truck driver here in the state? Its the most common job in 29 states: 3 1/2 million truckers, 94 percent men, average age 49. My friends in California are working on trucks that can drive themselves. They tell me theyre 98 percent of the way there, Yang says. A robot truck just transported 20 tons of butter from California to Pennsylvania last month with no human intervention. Why did they choose butter for this maiden voyage? Yang asked. If you Google, robot-butter truck this is a true story at the end of the route was a giant stack of pancakes. The crowd laughed, and Yang admitted that hed made the last part up before assuring them that everything else is real. Yangs unique policy platform his signature proposal is a universal basic income of $12,000 a year for every American adult has been key to his appeal with the small but enthusiastic band of supporters hes built. At a cost of nearly $3 trillion annually (on par with the cost of Medicare for All), no one should expect UBI to become law anytime soon. But, as Alexandra DeSanctis wrote last April, its worth paying attention to Yang because he has a policy agenda that features genuinely new ideas that, even if unworkable, augur interesting times for the future of American politics. Story continues Yangs good nature and sense of humor deserve attention too they help set him apart from his Democratic rivals and also explain his appeal. He pitches himself to Democrats as being the opposite of Trump because he is an Asian man who is good at math. Even when he cant make it to the punchline, his laughter can be infectious: WATCH: @AndrewYang jokes that canvassers should knock unwilling people unconscious, drag them to his corner: "then you prop them up and make them seem like they are conscious." Doubles up with laughter and his wife Evelyn tries to get him back on track: "Contain yourself." pic.twitter.com/QoDRQp58g4 Ben Pu (@BenPu_nbc) February 3, 2020 While Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren spend a fair amount of time denouncing Trump, Yang takes care to emphasize the need to win over those who voted for Trump in 2016. I dont want to put anyone on the spot here, but if youre willing to share, how many people here in this room voted for Donald Trump? Yang asked a crowd in Des Moines on Saturday night. A few attendees raised their hands. Lets give them a round of applause, he said. Its not clear how much longer Yang will be in the Democratic primary. He is polling at 3.3 percent in the RealClearPolitics average of Iowa polls, despite the incredible enthusiasm of his supporters. Though only 50 people showed up at Grundy Center on Friday afternoon, he drew a crowd of 1,200 in Des Moines on Saturday night, and a large percentage of those who arrived too late to get in were wearing the Yang Gangs signature blue hats, emblazoned with the word math. Few of those waiting in line were even willing to entertain the notion of getting behind a second choice if Yang proved not to be viable at their caucus location. However long his campaign lasts, though, its fair to say that American politics would be better were more politicians from both parties to emulate Yangs style, if not his policy proposals. More from National Review As director of the Teaching Council, I am delighted to note that during his recent visit to Ireland, Dr Andreas Schleicher, special advisor on education policy to the OECD secretary-general, stated that teachers need to take ownership of their own profession. It may surprise him to know that through the Teaching Council, the teaching profession in Ireland is already doing so. Dr Schleicher referred to teachers contributing to their own professional body and working for the improvement of their colleagues as some of the hallmarks of a profession, as opposed to an industrial organisation. Teachers are doing these things, and more, day in, day out. Through school placement, co-operating teachers in schools support student teachers on their first foray into the most important profession in society. They liaise with their principal and the placement tutor from the college or university. This is a voluntary activity for these teachers, and a crucial contribution to the formation of the next generation of professionals. Droichead, the council's pilot programme for a new model of induction and probation, is a systemic welcome into the teaching profession for newly-qualified teachers by their fellow professionals. It is about the process of support, advice and mentoring by these fellow professionals. Through this support, the quality of learning for both the new teacher and the pupils in their care is significantly enhanced. Far from focusing on "short-term training courses to fix short-term problems", the council is now reviewing all programmes of initial teacher education in the State in order to ensure that they are fit for purpose for teaching and learning in the 21st century. All these courses have been extended to four years for concurrent programmes and two years for consecutive programmes. This work has been described as one of the most strategically significant projects in teacher education. Last year, the council launched a pilot project giving registered teachers free access to the EBSCO Education Source package, a collection of research journals and eBooks. Reflecting a commitment to life-long learning, and professional development, over 33,000 searches were carried out by registered teachers in the first eight months of the project. The full diversity and richness of teaching is celebrated and discussed in seminars and conferences up and down the country all year long. Most of these conferences take place in the evenings and on Saturdays, in teachers' own time. They give of their time, energy, skills and resources so that fellow professionals can improve their own teaching. This is exemplified in FEILTE, the Festival of Education in Learning and Teaching Excellence, which will take place in October. Last year's event was a visible celebration of the innovation that is happening in teaching and learning. It was a wonderful sharing of that innovation and learning to enthuse and energise fellow professionals. These examples are but a fraction of the many ways in which the teaching profession in Ireland is realising the full vision of professionalism for itself and for pupils. They are the hallmark of a vibrant professional body which is leading the story of teaching, in partnership with others, so as to maintain and enhance the quality of teaching and learning for all of our learners. TOMaS O RUAIRC IS DIRECTOR OF THE TEACHING COUNCIL Hong Kong will shut nearly all land and sea border crossings to mainland China in a bid to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus that has already killed at least 360 people. Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's leader, announced the city will shut almost all border control points from midnight, but denied this was as a result of a medical workers strike. The closure came after hundreds of medical employees went on strike in the city today to demand the shutting of the border and to call for pressure on the stretched health sector be eased. Lam said in a briefing today that only two border checkpoints - at Shenzhen Bay and the bridge to Macau and Zhuhai - will remain open. She denied the move was due to pressure from the protesters, who threatened a five-day demonstration to demand all borders to the mainland are closed. The Hospital Authority Employees Alliance (HAEA), which has about 18,000 members, said 2,400 workers took part in the strike, despite calls by the government for medical workers not to. Protesters holding banners and placards during a 'flash mob' gathering to demand the government close its border with mainland China to reduce the spread of the deadly SARS-like virus to Hong Kong today Lam said the announcement had 'absolutely nothing to do with the strike' and was instead simply a measure to stem the spread of the virus. She urged Hong Kong residents to 'stand united' in combating the outbreak, which has killed more than 360 people, all but one in China. Lam also said she 'cannot rule out taking further measures if the situation evolves'. Hong Kong has 15 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, which emerged in central China in December and has killed more than 360 people there and sent jitters through global markets. The demands are for the government to close the border with the mainland, facilitate the distribution of masks to the public, ensure that front-line medical workers have adequate supplies and protection, provide enough isolation wards for patients, and guarantee no reprisals for striking medical staff. Medical worker Tracy Pui, who queued up with colleagues to sign a petition in support of the HAEA, said: '[We] hope that these strikes will make the government respond to our five demands, most importantly to stop the spread of the coronavirus in Hong Kong.' About 100 people rallied in the heart of Hong Kong's financial district in support of the health workers' union, with some holding banners saying: 'Close Borders, Contain Epidemics.' The scare over the virus comes after months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong, triggered by what many residents see as unnecessary interference by Beijing in city affairs. Supporters of medical workers rally to demand the government closes the border with mainland China in Hong Kong today Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has suspended high-speed rail services to the mainland and cross-border ferries, but she has stopped short of closing the entire border, saying it would be 'inappropriate and impractical'. Panic-stricken residents have emptied shelves in major supermarkets in Hong Kong, stockpiling meat, rice and cleaning products as fears escalate over the coronavirus. About 90 percent of the city's food is imported, with the bulk coming from the mainland, according to official data. The coronavirus is expected to pile pressure on the city's economy, which sank into recession in the third quarter as the often violent protests scared away tourists and took a heavy toll on retailers. Toy shop owner Lam Wa-yin, 45, said closing the border would intensify worries about supplies of staples. 'They've started rushing to buy supplies even before they fully close the borders,' Lam said. 'It'll get worse if it is fully closed. Especially food, people have been rushing to buy oil, salt and rice, not to mention the face masks.' Poppy Jennings won over viewers in the early minutes of Monday's episode of Married At First Sight, only to loose them again by the end. The 38-year-old at first made fans with her witty one-liners, but when she fled from her wedding reception with Luke Eglin, 39, they turned on her. Many took to Twitter to call the Sydney photographer 'cold' for abandoning the FIFO worker so quickly. Not impressed? MAFS fans turned on bride Poppy Jennings (pictured) calling her 'cold' and 'insensitive' after she fled her wedding to FIFO worker Luke Eglin on Monday's episode One person wrote: 'Poppy is seriously insensitive and selfish towards Luke' while another shared a meme of Disney villain Ursula and added: 'Poppy seems cold'. Another shared a meme from the movie Bird Box, showing actress Sandra Bullock blindfolded, writing: 'Poppy out there doing her best Bird Box to avoid eye contact with Luke'. Others were unsympathetic when the single mother had a meltdown over leaving her two-year-old twins at home to film the show. Going okay! Poppy won over viewers in the early minutes of Monday's episode of Married At First Sight but things went pear shaped. Pictured with groom Luke Eglin Change of mood: Her tantrum at the wedding reception changed some fan's minds Oh no! Many took to Twitter to call the Sydney photographer 'cold' for abandoning the FIFO worker so quickly One viewer Tweeted: 'New drinking game Have a drink every time poppy mentions she has kids. You'll be blind in 2.5 minutes'. Someone else added: 'Anyone who was stupid enough to play the '"take a swig every time Poppy mentions her kids" is now comatose'. Yet another chimed in, using all capitals: 'TAKE A DRINK EVERY TIME POPPY FREAKS OUT'. Mixed emotions: Poppy caused an outburst of varied emotions over her behaviour on the show Some were upset that they felt warm towards Poppy at first only to see her act out later. 'Half of me is annoyed that I fell for being manipulated into liking Poppy for the first 30 minutes of the show and the other half is ecstatic because now I get to give her s**t for the next six weeks,' someone Tweeted. Another fan wrote: 'Poppy I had such high hopes!' One unimpressed person watching at home Tweeted: 'Poppy is a f**king drainer.... she could suck the life out of a Wiggles concert'. A Mexican man was accused of the crime of rape and murder of a six-year-old child was killed. The suspect was hit multiple times by a group of angry residents before he got tied up and drenched in petrol. Later, they set him on fire while he was still breathing. According to the media, the Mexican pedophile that was burned alive was Alfredo Roblero. Previously, he was the primary suspect of the rape and murder of the minor named Jarid. In an article by Latin Times, it was reported that the crime occurred in a small town in the Southern Region of Mexico in the Chiapas state. How Was He Executed? In a video recording uploaded to the internet, it was shown that a group of male individuals surrounded the suspected rapist, Roblero. He was struck many times and kicked by a group of people. Some of the participants in the event were seen recording the incident on their mobile phones. Later, they tied the hands and feet of Roblero. Then, they showered him with gasoline before they lit him aflame. The p suspected pedophile was helpless as he burnt in the fire with his hands and feet tied. He was not capable of moving any part of his body rather than his lips as he shouted in agony while his entire body burned in the fire. The crowd who watched him helplessly die in the hands of the fire mocked him. As the man's life ends in the wrath of the fire, the audience can be seen whistling in celebration. How did the police respond? The authorities in Tachulla City arrested Roblero, 37-years old. He was placed in a police vehicle. Then, a group of people hurriedly forced the suspect out of the vehicle. Robledo was dragged by the group of men to the nearby park where he was beaten, tied, and then burned alive. According to the police, they tried to stop the mob, but they were overpowered. However, in some reports, it said that the police did not do anything to stop the mob's vicious attack on Roblero. According to the official statement from the police in the area, the police of the state had arrived moments after the incident happened. The police brought Chiapas Attorney General's Office's (FGE) forensic professionals to study the execution of Roblero by the mob. It said that the FGE will not allow citizens to impose justice. In the past years, cases of public executions have been increasing in Mexico. The reason for this is the insufficiency of the justice system to punish guilty parties. This leads to guilty individuals or groups of individuals being left unpunished by the law. Some of these cases may be caused by file and witness statement mismanagement. Public Execution Gone Wrong In an article from BBC, it tells of a similar story where the suspect of a crime dies at the hands of the public. After rumors of people abducting children spread through WhatsApp in a small village in Mexico, two men faced death. They were burned alive by the public. However, the rumors were fake. Two individuals lost their lives and faced judgment in the hands of citizens without the due process of law. European shares inched higher, recovering from their worst week in nearly seven months, but jitters remained over the economic fallout from a virus outbreak in China. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index and the Ftse 100 rose slightly but the price of Brent crude slumped again -- dropping by $1.70 to below $55 a barrel. That reflects major fears that the deadly coronavirus could yet cause significant global economic havoc. Oil and gas stocks were among the worst performers for the day as worries over demand in China continued to erode oil prices. There are signs of some success in battling the virus, as the number of recoveries increases, providing another positive narrative for markets looking to capitalise on the first decent sell-off in weeks, said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online broker IG. However, investors are likely to stick to cautious plays in the near-term, with the death toll for the Chinese coronavirus still rising and multiple countries setting travel bans on China. Further souring the mood, Chinese stock markets crashed upon opening after a long holiday. Markets are more or less in this wait and see mode where they await new news regarding the coronavirus, said Teeuwe Mevissen, senior market economist at Rabobank in Amsterdam. European travel and leisure stocks, which have been among the worst hit by uncertainty over China, rebounded, helped by the Ryanairs earnings boost. Sterling fell sharply after British prime minister Boris Johnson set out tough terms for EU talks, rekindling fears Britain would reach the end of the 11-month transition period without agreeing a trade deal. The sides have until the end of the year, when a standstill transitional period expires, to secure a deal on trade and future relations but Mr Johnson is striking a tough tone, saying Britain will not adhere to the EUs rules and regulations. The EU on the other hand has warned Britain that access to its single market of 450 million people will depend on how far London agrees to adhere to such rules on environmental and labour regulations. Sterling appears to be coming off on the not very encouraging signs from the two sides at the start of the negotiations. They are positioning themselves at two extremes, said Adam Cole, chief currency strategist at RBC Capital Markets in London. Additional reporting Reuters Its shaping up to be an exciting year for gamers in the Queen City of the South as Lenovo, the worlds leading PC maker, opens its Legion concept store in SM City Cebu. The newly-opened Lenovo Legion Concept Store located at Cyberzone SM City Cebu Legion is Lenovos dedicated gaming brand which offers a wide range of products designed to provide a complete and immersive experience. Launched in 2017, the Legion line has established a significant foothold in the Philippines and was even recognized by global market research company GFK as one of the fastest-growing PC gaming brands. Legion Store SM Cebu is located at the 2nd floor of the malls Cyberzone area and will showcase Lenovos top-of-the-line gaming devices such as monitors, towers, laptops, and peripherals and accessories. Mall-goers can come and visit to try out Legion devices and see how they handle the latest PC games. According to Lenovo, they will be organizing monthly gaming tournaments in the store so thats something to look forward to. Legion Store SM Cebu is the first exclusive Legion concept store in Visayas and second in the Philippines after Legion Store SM City North EDSA. This expansion is part of Lenovos thrust to make its products even more accessible to the gaming community outside Metro Manila. Lenovo Philippines General Manager Michael Ngan during his welcome remarks Putting up a Legion store in one of the Philippines major cities is a significant stride for Lenovo. We work very hard in developing best-performing devices and part of the goal is to make these products accessible. You can expect to see more Lenovo and Legion stores across the market and more of our presence in local events. In fact, we have something special for our gamers based in the North shortly so stay tuned, said Michael Ngan, General Manager, Lenovo Philippines. Ngan led the grand opening of Legion Store SM Cebu held last January 31. As part of the opening celebration, Lenovo hosted gaming tournaments which saw players battle it out on Tekken 7, Mortal Kombat X, and Left 4 Dead 2. Winners of the tournaments were given exclusive Lenovo and Legion merchandise and accessories. Stylish on the Outside, Savage on the Inside In celebration of the stores opening, the Legion Store SM Cebu held a special hardware promo on its first day. Some of the latest Legion products available at the store which were part of the promo include the Legion Y740, Legion Y730, and Legion Y540. Those who bought any of the three devices came home with a free Legion K200 Keyboard and Legion M200 Mouse. Meanwhile, those who purchased the IdeaPad L340 Gaming device got a free Seagate Slim 1TB HDD. Legion Store SM Cebu is open daily, from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Trump administration's recent actions in Iraq, in New York on Jan. 7, 2020. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Biden Responds After Ernst Suggests He Could Be Impeached if Elected Former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading Democratic presidential candidate, has responded after Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) warned that he could be impeached over his dealings with Ukraine should he win the presidency in this years election. [Ernst] just reinforces everything that was the reason why the president was being impeached: They very much dont want to face me, obviously, he told the Des Moines Register on Feb. 2. Ive never seen a sitting president and his allies this frightened about who may be the nominee. Ernst had told Bloomberg News on Feb. 2, I think this door of impeachable whatever has been opened. Joe Biden should be very careful what hes asking for because, you know, we can have a situation where if it should ever be President Biden, that immediately, people, right the day after he would be elected, would be saying, Well, were going to impeach him, she said. Biden, who was meeting with supporters in Iowa ahead of the caucuses, suggested that President Donald Trump and Republicans dont want to face him in the general election later this year. A Biden spokeswoman, Kate Bedingfield, told Bloomberg, Iowans have the chance tomorrow to say the words that Donald Trump and Joni Ernst fear most: Im here to caucus for Joe Biden. The Biden campaign hasnt responded to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. Ernst, in her interview, said Biden could be impeached for being assigned to take on Ukrainian corruption yet turning a blind eye to Burisma because his son was on the board making over a million dollars a year. Biden had served as the Obama administrations point man in Ukraine while his son was on the board of Burisma Holdings, whose founder, Mykola Zlochevsky, a Ukrainian oligarch, was under investigation for corruption and embezzlement. Late last year, the Ukrainian top prosecutor expanded a probe into allegations surrounding Zlochevsky, whose whereabouts arent currently known. According to Biden, he was sent to Ukraine by former President Barack Obama to fight against corruption and wanted to remove former prosecutor-general Viktor Shokin from his position. Shokin, however, issued a sworn statement that he was ousted because he was investigating Burisma. Hunter Biden, meanwhile, told ABC News in October 2019 that although he did nothing wrong, he exercised poor judgment by holding the reportedly lucrative Burisma board position, adding that he realized that it created the impression of a conflict of interest. Republicans and some Democrats in the Senate had said they would like to call Hunter Biden to testify in the Senate impeachment trial of the president. However, a resolution to subpoena witnesses was rejected Jan. 31 by the upper chamber of Congress, likely leading to a quick acquittal for President Trump this week. Why dont you all show Joni Ernst just how smart you are by caucusing for me? Biden said to supporters on Feb. 2, according to The Hill. The impeachment inquiry last year focused on a July 25 phone call between Trump and newly elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Trump asked his counterpart to look into the Bidens, Burisma, and alleged election interference. Democrats alleged that he pressured Zelensky to open investigations by withholding nearly $400 million in military aid, which both Trump and Zelensky have denied. On Dec. 18, 2019, the House voted to impeach Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Fly Your Sweetie to the Moon: Experience an evening thats out of this world from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Challenger Learning Center on the Campus of Purdue University Calumet in Hammond. Tickets are $75 for the 21-and-over event. At 2300 173rd St. Call 219-989-3250 or go to clcnwi.com. Do you love your partner, and love pizza? Does your partner love pizza? If your answers are 'yes', we have great news! This Valentine's Day, Dominos' is giving someone the chance to make a very 'dough-mantic' proposal (they came up with that, not me) with a diamond-encrusted pizza ring. We're not joking. The ring is made of a diamond-encrusted band, holding a gold pizza base and topped with tiny ruby pepperoni circles. It's very cute, but I would highly advise you make sure your future wife or husband really, really likes pizza before proposing with it. According to a Domino's' spokesperson, the ring is over 1 carat and his valued at $9200. Commissioners Approve Jail Camera Purchase, Hear Census Bureau Report The Hill County Commissioners' Court met in a regular session Tuesday, January 28, and approved the purchase of additional cameras to be placed in the county jail, heard a presentation from the United States Census Bureau and held a nuisance abatement workshop. Hill County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Scott Robinson told the court that the sheriff's office recently upgraded all of the cameras in the jail and added additional cameras inside the male cell pods, with the larger pods getting two cameras for better coverage. At the time of the upgrade, cameras were not installed in female cell pods, segregation, holding or detox cells, and the sheriff's office asked the court to authorize the use of county funds to cover the purchase and installation of additional cameras. The sheriff's office reported that the additional cameras will increase the safety of employees, inmates and reduce the county's liability. The new cameras are also expected to help with jail inspections, with video verification of rounds being available to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. The sheriff's office requested an expenditure of $29,382.70 from the county's capital outlay account for the project, but Robinson said that there is a high likelihood that the overall cost will be lower. "We intentionally overshot the number of cameras in order to ensure that we get the coverage that we are hoping to achieve," the request read. The amount includes the purchase of 40 additional cameras with microphones, cabling, battery backup, an additional server and installation costs. The cameras will be purchased from Level One Technology of Waco. County Judge Justin Lewis said that the number of mentally ill people who end up in jail increases all the time. "So many people have got an idea to apply a permanent solution to a temporary problem and they want to do it in our custody," the judge said. Lewis told the court that there have always been suicidal inmates in the jail and said that while issue is not a new one, the cameras will allow the sheriff's office to have constant eyes on the issue to keep someone from hurting themselves. "This is one more thing to keep people from harming themselves when they're in a bad place until we can get them help," Lewis said. "And quite frankly, $29,000 isn't much for the cost of a human life." Robinson said that the jail commission is moving toward video verification of rounds for jail inspections. Lewis said that he feels the commission will eventually begin requiring video verification. The court approved the purchase, and budget adjustments will be considered closer to the end of the fiscal year. Lewis said that the sheriff's office may come up with enough savings within its own budget to fund the cameras, but if not, it will be funded elsewhere in the budget. Yvonne Daniels of the United States Census Bureau gave a presentation to the court regarding the importance of the 2020 Census in Hill County. Introducing Daniels to the court, Lewis said that he is going to continue to emphasize the importance of a complete an accurate count. "A complete census count is the most important thing we can do before April of this year," Lewis said. "It's important for representation, it's important for economic development and it's important to the services we need to offer as a government." The judge added that it is imperative that the county reach out to populations that are commonly not counted, such as those in rural areas and people who may be afraid to interact with the government due to a variety of factors. Both Lewis and Daniels stressed the fact that the Census Bureau cannot legally release any personal information for 72 years, and the information is used for statistical purposes only. The information is also not shared between governmental agencies, and census employees take an oath for life to protect gathered information. Daniels said that census employees can face severe penalties, including prison time, for violating that oath. "We know that the census is a national effort, however, it is accomplished at the community level," Daniels said. Daniels said that in the last census 10 years ago, Texas gained four seats in congress. The 2020 data will be used to determine how many seats each state gets for the next 10 years. The numbers also impact state legislative districts, school district and voting precincts and planning at the city and county levels. She said that businesses and nonprofits also use the information to make decisions about where to locate and bring jobs to communities. The allocation of federal funding to states is also determined by census figures. For instance, Daniels said that it is estimated that more than a million children under five were not counted in the last census. This impacts funding for important programs like Head Start that benefit young children. Daniels explained that residents can self respond online or by phoneboth systems are protected by multiple layers of securityafter receiving their letters from the Census Bureau. Mail-in forms will also be accepted, and help is also available at the Hillsboro and Whitney libraries for those who would like to respond. Most households should receive their communication from the bureau by March 12, Daniels said. While everyone is encouraged to self respond, door-to-door visits will begin in early April in an attempt to connect with those who have not responded. Daniels told commissioners how to obtain information about low-response areas in Hill County and encouraged the court to educate the public. "You are the best voice for the community to make sure the census is accomplished at your level," she said. She added that census jobs are still available, and more information is available at ww w.2020census.gov. Commissioners ended the meeting with a workshop regarding nuisance abatement activities in the county, continuing discussions that have been ongoing about how to address properties that have become problem areas in the county because of large amounts of trash and other safety hazards. County Attorney David Holmes said that the sheriff's office now has an environmental deputy out working in the county. Although ideas for dealing with the issue have been discussed previously, Holmes said that enforcement will require cooperation between the sheriff's office, county attorney's office and commissioners' court as a formal plan is developed. The county is working to develop a plan that would encourage owners to clean up nuisance properties and provide the ability for the county to pursue civil litigation against those who refuse so that the county can clean up the property. Lewis said that the plan will require time, equipment, manpower and money. The judge explained that the process can be expensive, and other counties have implemented such plans and then backed out. "I want the general public to understand that we can't come over to everybody's house in this county because you don't like the way your neighbor keeps their grass," Lewis said. "This is about public health and safety." The judge expressed appreciation to Holmes for working on the plan and said it is a quality of life issue for all Hill County residents. "I think if we're going to put ordinances out there, which we do, then we have to put teeth to them and enforce them," Lewis said. "I think we have a duty to our taxpayers and property owners here in Hill County to clean this stuff up." The county will continue developing a plan and researching options to address nuisance properties. Months after its military offensive in Syria which was criticised by the international community, a large Turkish military convoy entered Syrian territory, reported Al Arabiya. The outlet citing a Syrian war monitor, reported on Sunday that the Turkish military convoy entered Syrian territory from Kafrlosin border crossing. The development comes days after Turkish President Recep Taiyyip Erdogan had warned that Ankara may launch a military operation in Idlib. The three Turkish military convoy consisting of tanks, armoured vehicles, troop carriers and military and logistic equipment are heading towards Idlib and Aleppo, the outlet reported citing Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Syria launched a new military operation in the area in December last year. According to Sputnik, the situation in the region remains tense, despite a ceasefire, negotiated by Moscow and Ankara in January. In October last year, Turkey had launched "Operation Peace Spring" in northeastern Syria to clear the area of Kurdish militants after US announced the withdrawal of troops from northern Syria. The Turkish military offensive targeting Kurds invited international condemnation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 03:30:30|Editor: zyl Video Player Close Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (L) shakes hands with Tunisian President Kais Saied in Algiers, Algeria, on Feb. 2, 2020. Abdelmadjid Tebboune said Sunday that Algiers and Tunis have "convergent views" on international and regional issues, including the Libyan crisis, the official APS news agency reported. (Xinhua) ALGIERS, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said Sunday that Algiers and Tunis have "convergent views" on international and regional issues, including the Libyan crisis, the official APS news agency reported. The president made the remarks during a joint press conference with his visiting Tunisian counterpart Kais Saied. Tebboune also pledged that his country would deposit 150 million U.S. dollars in Tunisian bank as a loan, in a bid to boost the economy of the neighboring nation. He said that "Algiers and Tunis share perfect and absolute convergent views on all levels and on most regional and international issues, including the Libyan crisis." He added that "we both agree that the solution for the Libyan crisis is in the hand of Libyans themselves," while stressing "the need to prevent any foreign interference and stop the flow of arms." For his part, Saied stressed "the need to explore new tools of joint work between the two countries," calling for "a new start for achieving and meeting the aspirations of our two peoples." They also discussed the so called "Deal of the Century," which was proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In this regard, Algeria and Tunisia expressed their rejection for the proposal. Saied arrived in Algeria on Sunday for an official visit at the invitation of Tebboune. Fishing communities across Co Wexford are in mourning this week following the deaths of two men in a tragic fishing accident off Hook Head on Saturday night. Kilmore Quay man Joe Sinnott's body was recovered at around midnight on Saturday, while a massive recovery operation is continuing off the coast for William (Willie) Whelan, a 41-year-old Saltmills man who was married last year. The emergency services were alerted at 10.45 p.m. on Saturday when the EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) from the Wexford fishing vessel, Alize was activated. Dunmore East RNLI spokesman Neville Murphy said two RNLI vessels launched within minutes from Kilmore Quay and Dunmore East. 'The Rescue 117 helicopter and the LE Ciara joined the operation and they are still out searching. The search has now moved on to a search and recovery operation (from a search and rescue one).' The Alize, which is one of a number of vessels owned by a family from South Wexford and is registered as operating out of Duncannon, had been out fishing for scallops for 36 hours and was due to return on Saturday night but failed to do so. The Alize is a 11.7 metre steel-hulled vessel built in the UK and is believed to be more than 20 years old. Mr Murphy, who is a winchman with the Rescue 117 helicopter, said RNLI crews were in the water at 11 p.m. on Saturday, having received the EPIRB at 10.48 p.m. Mr Sinnott, from Kilmore Quay, was discovered at around midnight after his reflective life-jacket was spotted from the helicopter four nautical miles off Duncannon. He was unresponsive when winched onboard the helicopter and was airlifted to Waterford Airport from where he was rushed by ambulance to University Hospital Waterford in Ardkeen, where he sadly passed away on Sunday. Meanwhile the crew of the Irish Coastguard Sikorski helicopter, Rescue 117, RNLI Lifeboat crews from Kilmore Quay and Dunmore East assisted by local fishing boats from both ports were searching the water for Mr Whelan. The Irish Coastguard Sikorski helicopter from Dublin, Rescue 116 joined in the search at first light on Sunday and the search is being co-ordinated by the Naval Service's LE Ciara whose crew have been off Hook Head since early on Sunday morning. 'No one has seen the vessel. Joe Sinnott was found near to where the EPIRB indicated. The water depth is 50m which is particularly deep. I have been involved in a lot of operations (in the area) like this over the years including the Pere Charles tragedy in which five men lost their life. That recovery operation went on for weeks and the remains were never found,' Mr Murphy said. The search area is not far from the scene of the sinking of the Dunmore East trawler which went down with the loss of all five crew while returning home from a fishing trip for herring in January 2007. He said: 'They were out until 11 a.m. on Sunday when they returned to refuel and change their oil. Fishermen came out on Sunday morning as did the Fethard Inshore lifeboat crew. Conditions were challenging but workable and the search continued until the fall of darkness at around 4 p.m.' A surface search will continue in the hope that Mr Whelan and the vessel are located. 'We are going to do a surface search until we locate the vessel and can be 100 per cent that it is the right one and then the naval divers can dive in at some stage hopefully. On Sunday afternoon's search we had naval vessel, three RNLI vessels, two helicopters and more than 20 local boats involved. We couldn't do anymore. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with both families. We have recovered Joe Sinnott. It's good to get him back to his family and hopefully a bit of closure will come with that.' He said an extended search is very difficult on a family. Weather conditions on Saturday night were said to be reasonable with Force 4 winds while on Sunday morning winds had risen to Force 5 with two metre swells but worsened to Force 7 later on Sunday night, into Monday morning. After a wild start on Monday, the weather calmed, enabling the search operation to continue in calmer seas. Describing conditions on Monday morning as 'atrocious', Mr Murphy said two privately owned boats joined the LE Ciara, Dunmore East and Kilmore Quay RNLI vessels in the search at 9 a.m. in 50 Knot winds. He said: 'The lifeboats are all weather so there is no weather that would stop us. 'The wind is picking up again tonight. It was 50 knots today (Monday) but calmed down a bit. It's due to ease off on Tuesday.' He said local boat owners and people who were thinking of searching on the coastline were advised to keep back on Monday due to the stormy conditions. 'It's a very dangerous area in our seas and we've been actively encouraging people to stay back as the utmost caution is needed.' Cllr Ger Carthy said it remains a mystery what happened. 'Some time after 10.30 p.m. something happened. They were coming in across Hook Head and it went down without even having time to give them an opportunity to send out a mayday call. The EPIRB is activated once a vessel goes underwater. 'The signal goes to the Dublin marine (Rescue Coordination Centre). Fortunately they were able to locate Joe Sinnott and bring him to University Hospital Waterford.' Describing Mr Sinnott's death as a tragedy, Cllr Carthy said something catastrophic must have happened. He said fishing was in the blood of the two men and their families. 'They were both very experienced fishermen. Something very catastrophic happened and both men lost their lives.' Work on the Zafar, or Victory, satellite began three years ago with the participation of 80 Iranian scientists. Iran will launch a satellite into orbit by the end of this week, a government minister has said. We are not afraid of failure and we will not lose hope. With your prayers and trust in God, the Zafar satellite by the end of this week will be heading toward an orbit of 530 km from Earth, Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi tweeted on Monday. The head of Irans national space agency recently said that work on the scientific observation satellite named Zafar which means victory in the Farsi language began three years ago with the participation of 80 Iranian scientists. Morteza Berari said on Saturday that the 113kg satellite will be launched by a Simorgh rocket 530km (329 miles) above the Earth, where it will make 15 orbits daily. The satellite was designed to remain operational for more than 18 months, he added. Its primary mission will be collecting imagery, said Berari. He said Iran needed such data to study earthquakes, prevent natural disasters and develop its agriculture. It will be a new step for our country, said Berari, noting that Iran had previously managed to place a satellite into orbit 250km (155 miles) above the Earth. 190903201336931 While the Islamic republics satellite programme has concerned some Western countries, Berari said Iran advocates for the peaceful use of outer space. All our activities in the domain of outer space are transparent, he said. The Iranian Space Agency hopes to build five more satellites before March 2021, Berari added. In January 2019, Tehran announced that its Payam which means Message in Farsi satellite had failed to reach orbit. Authorities had said they launched Payam to collect data on environmental change in Iran. The launch of its carrier rocket was preceded by warnings from the United States, which described it as a provocation and a violation of a 2015 UN Security Council resolution. The Resolution 2231 endorsed an international accord on curbing Tehrans nuclear programme and called on Iran to refrain from any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. Iran maintains it has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons and says its aerospace activities are peaceful and do not violate the UN resolution. JANUARY 30, 2020 Editors note: The following message was sent via email today from Dr. Lisa Montoya, Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and Senior International Officer, and Dr. Beth Wichman, Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer, Student Health Services. The World Health Organization has declared the Coronavirus outbreak a global public health emergency. The virus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has resulted in more than 8,000 reported cases in China and more than 100 cases elsewhere in the world. That includes six confirmed cases in the United States, one of which is a person-to-person transmission. UTSA continues to closely monitor global developments and their potential impact on our international studies programs. Currently, there are no faculty, staff or students in China or other designated high-risk areas on official university business. The UTSA Office of Global Initiatives and UTSA Student Health Services are in communication with several students, scholars, faculty and staff who were in China on university business from December to mid-January, when the outbreak occurred. While all of them are symptom-free, they have been advised to immediately call their health care providers and self-quarantine if they develop flu-like symptoms. Students should contact their professors in the event accommodations are needed. Out of an abundance of caution, and for the well-being of our campus community, UTSA is restricting all official university travel to China until international health officials declare that the emergency has passed. While the university cannot restrict private travel, we strongly urge any students who may have been to China or designated high-risk areas in December and January to contact Student Health Services for a wellness check and health assessment. Faculty and staff should contact UTSA Chief Medical Officer Beth Wichman, M.D. for an initial assessment and recommendation on subsequent clinical evaluation by their health care providers. As a reminder, taking routine precautions can help you avoid viruses and remain healthy during flu season. Free flu shots remain available to students by appointment, while supplies last, through Student Health Services. UTSA is coordinating regionally with the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District and monitoring guidance from the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control. We will provide updates to our campus community as needed. He starred with a bevy of the world's biggest stars in last year's Avengers: Endgame. That didn't stop Jeremy Renner from looking star-struck as he watched the Super Bowl with Hobbs & Shaw star Eiza Gonzalez. The 49-year-old actor and the 30-year-old actress got close while watching from the sidelines inside Miami's Hard Rock stadium on Sunday. Star power: Jeremy Renner, 49, looked star-struck as he watched the Super Bowl with Hobbs & Shaw star Eiza Gonzalez, 30, Sunday in Miami Jeremy rocked a Risky Business look with his black Ray-Ban Wayfarers, which he paired with a black blazer and a light gray graphic T-shirt. Eiza looked similarly casual in a low-cut white blouse tucked into her jeans. The From Dusk Till Dawn star accessorized with a gold chain around her throat, and she wore her brunette tresses pin straight and swept over one shoulder. Too cool for school: Jeremy rocked a Risky Business look with his black Ray-Ban Wayfarers, which he paired with a black blazer and a light gray graphic T-shirt Casual chic: Eiza looked similarly casual in a low-cut white blouse tucked into her jeans. The From Dusk Till Dawn star wore her brunette tresses pin straight and swept over one shoulder The actress had a mishap earlier in the day when she was turned away at a gate heading into the stadium, though she managed to make it to the field without too much trouble. Jeremy also had a mini-superhero reunion with his Avengers colleague Paul Rudd. The seemingly ageless funnyman helped support the winning Kansas City Chiefs with his jersey. His look-alike son Jack Sullivan Rudd also showed off his team spirit with his number 76 jersey for Canadian player Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. Reunited: Jeremy also had a mini-superhero reunion with his Avengers colleague Paul Rudd Mini me: The seemingly ageless funnyman supported the Kansas City Chiefs along with his look-alike son Jack Sullivan Rud Generations: The two co-stars also rubbed elbows with Miles Teller, who was supporting his Philadelphia Eagles High profile: The actor was featured in the new trailer for Top Gun: Maverick that was released to coincide with the Super Bowl The two co-stars also rubbed elbows with Miles Teller, who was supporting his Philadelphia Eagles. The actor was featured in the new trailer for Top Gun: Maverick that was released to coincide with the Super Bowl. He plays Tom Cruise's trainee, who's also the son of his late partner Goose, played by Anthony Edwards in the original film. Actor David Osokow also joined the party. The BASEketball star joined Miles by rocking a Hawaiian-style Philadelphia Eagles shirt. It wasn't all star power for Jeremy though. The actor also posed with some excited fans lucky enough to make it to the field. Big shoes to fill: He plays Tom Cruise's trainee, who's also the son of his late partner Goose, played by Anthony Edwards in the original film Big fan: Actor David Osokow also joined the party. The BASEketball star joined Miles by rocking a Hawaiian-style Philadelphia Eagles shirt The promise and peril of economic development on the worlds oceans will be the focus of an address at Hope College on Thursday, Feb. 13. Dr. Daniel Vermeer, a 1988 Hope graduate who is the founding director of Duke Universitys Center for Energy, Development and the Global Environment (EDGE), will present the address Ocean Sustainability and Other Global Challenges: Designing a Career that Matters on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 3:30 p.m. in the Schaap Auditorium on the lower level of the Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center. He will be speaking through the colleges annual John Shaughnessy Psychology Lecture Series. The public is invited. Admission is free. Vermeer will share insights from his career tackling global challenges, including ocean sustainability. As explained in the presentations abstract, problem-solving for complex, multi-stakeholder challenges is sometimes called design thinking. Rather than following a linear path, the method is organized as a series of design experiments, gathering data from multiple sources, collaborating with diverse partners and iterating toward effective actions. Over the course of his career, Vermeer has pursued these design experiments from the mountains of Nepal to Silicon Valley to African schools, working in diverse roles as a crisis counselor, anthropologist, executive and college professor. In his talk, he will reflect on his journey including his current work on ocean sustainability to demonstrate how a design approach can help students create a satisfying and meaningful career. EDGE, which was founded in 2010 and is part of Duke Universitys Fuqua School of Business, is an initiative that harnesses the power of business to meet the global demand for energy, resources and improved quality of life. In addition to his leadership role with EDGE, Vermeer, who holds his Ph.D. in learning sciences from Northwestern University, is an associate professor of the practice of energy and environment at Fuqua School of Business and Nicholas School of the Environment, where he teaches sustainability, energy and international business courses. The lecture series through which Vermeer will be speaking is named in memory of Dr. John Shaughnessy, a professor emeritus of psychology who died on Dec. 16, 2015. He had taught at Hope for 40 years, from 1975 until retiring at the end of the 2014-15 school year, and was highly regarded for both his teaching and his commitment to engaging students in collaborative research. Among other honors, he received the Hope Outstanding Professor Educator (H.O.P.E.) Award from the graduating class in 1992 and the colleges Janet L. Andersen Excellence in Teaching Award in 2008. The annual lecture series, which is funded through an endowment and debuted in March of 2017, features psychology alumni who in addition to giving a presentation interact with students, demonstrating ways in which their Hope psychology education informs and shapes their work. Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the college's Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center is located at 115 E. 12th St., at the center of the Hope campus between College and Columbia avenues along the former 12th Street. Italy prepares for streaming wars between Disney+ and Netflix. Disney+, the new television streaming service, is to launch in Italy on 24 March, one week earlier than previously announced, in a move that is expected to lead to "streaming wars" with rival Netflix. The new platform will focus on spin-off shows, movies and other series from studios including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. The monthly cost for the streaming service will be 6.99, with a yearly subscription of 69.99, which is less than Europe's basic Netflix package of 7.99. Disney+ launched in the US last November and its expansion into Europe threatens to draw viewers away from Netflixs biggest and most rapidly-growing audience. Disney pledges to make any new film releases exclusive to its streaming platform, and has already begun to remove its content from rivals including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+. Unlike Netflix however, Disney+ will release new episodes of selected shows on a weekly basis, in a bid to avoid binge viewing. Disney+ will also roll out on 24 March in Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 23:49:37|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close WARSAW, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- "The visit of the President of France represents a turn in Polish-French relations, especially through the deal on strategic cooperation signed today," Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Monday at a press conference in Warsaw held after his meeting with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron. Duda was referring to a deal on strategic cooperation for the period 2020-2024 signed by the two foreign ministers on Monday. Macron arrived in Warsaw on Monday. On his first visit to Poland, the French president held talks with Duda, also attended by the French and Polish defense and foreign affairs ministers. "We have no doubt that the European Union (EU) will have to take a new shape, that the departure of Britain from the EU will come with a new balance and a new opening -- the roles within the EU will have to be, in a certain way, arranged anew," Duda said. "A new era is starting after Brexit, and we have to strengthen our alliance so that we can function in an uncertain world," Macron told the press conference. Macron said that the strategic cooperation agreement signed by the two countries on Monday covered the areas of cybersecurity, climate, energy security and economic cooperation. He said that he hoped to see a meeting of the so-called Weimar Triangle countries -- France, Germany and Poland -- taking place in the coming months. Macron started a two-day visit to Poland on Monday. WASHINGTON - Closing arguments Monday in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial were directed more toward history than to sway the outcome, one final chance to influence public opinion and set the record ahead of his expected acquittal in the Republican-led Senate. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/2/2020 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In this image from video, House impeachment manager Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., speaks during closing arguments in the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. (Senate Television via AP) WASHINGTON - Closing arguments Monday in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial were directed more toward history than to sway the outcome, one final chance to influence public opinion and set the record ahead of his expected acquittal in the Republican-led Senate. The House Democratic prosecutors drew on the Founding Fathers and common sense to urge senators and Americans to see that Trump's actions are not isolated but a pattern of behaviour that, left unchecked, will allow him to "cheat"' in the 2020 election. Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff implored those few Republican senators who have acknowledged Trump's wrongdoing in the Ukraine matter to prevent a runaway presidency and stand up to say enough. For a man like Donald J. Trump, they gave you a remedy and meant for you to use it. They gave you an oath, and they meant for you to observe it, Schiff said. "We have proven Donald Trump guilty. Now do impartial justice and convict him. The president's defence countered the Democrats have been out to impeach Trump since the start of his presidency, nothing short of an effort to undo the 2016 election and to try to shape the next one, as early primary voting begins Monday in Iowa. Leave it to the voters to choose, said White House counsel Pat Cipollone. He called for an end to the partisan era of impeachment. In this image from video, House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., speaks during closing arguments in the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. (Senate Television via AP) All that's left, as the Senate prepares to acquit Trump on charges that he abused power and obstructed Congress, is for Americans to decide now and in the November election, as the third presidential impeachment trial in the nation's history comes to a close. Most senators acknowledge the House Democratic managers have essentially proven their case. Trump was impeached in December on two charges: that he abused his power like no other president in history when he pushed Ukraine to investigate rival Democrats, and he then obstructed Congress by instructing aides to defy House subpoenas. But key Republicans have decided the president's actions toward Ukraine do not rise to the level of impeachable offence that warrants the dramatic political upheaval of conviction and removal from office. His acquittal in Wednesday's vote is all but assured. GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska called the president's actions shameful and wrong, but in a powerful speech late Monday she also derided the highly partisan process. I cannot vote to convict, she said. Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Marco Rubio of Florida and Rob Portman of Ohio are among those who acknowledged the inappropriateness of Trump's actions, but said they would not vote to hear more testimony or to convict. What message does that send? asked Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., a House prosecutor. He warned senators that for Trump, the past is prologue." He urged the Senate to realize its failure to convict will allow the president's misconduct to stand. The Senate proceedings are set against a sweeping political backstop, as voters in Iowa on Monday are choosing presidential Democratic primary candidates and Trump is poised to deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday in his own victory lap before Congress. It is unclear if any Republican or Democratic senators sworn to do "impartial justice'' will break from party lines. One centrist Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin, W-Va., said he was heavily weighing the vote ahead. He suggested censure may be a bipartisan alternative. In this image from video, House impeachment manager Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., speaks during closing arguments in the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. (Senate Television via AP) The House Democrats unveiled a striking case centred on Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, running an alternative foreign policy that drew alarm at the highest levels. As part of the scheme, Trump held up $391 million in U.S. aid from Ukraine, a fragile ally battling Russia, for his personal political gain, they argued. The money was eventually released after Congress intervened. As Chief Justice John Roberts presided, the House managers opened with a plea from Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., a freshman and former Army Ranger: We cannot and should not leave our common sense at the door. One by one, the Democrats drew on their life experiences to remind senators, and Americans, of the simple difference between right and wrong in the case against Trump. Rep. Val Demings, a former police chief, argued that the president is not behaving like someone who is innocent. She warned that if senators do not convict, Trump will try to cheat again ahead of 2020. You will send a terrible message to the nation that one can get away with abuse of power, cheating and spreading of false narratives, she told them. Before Trump's celebrity defence mounted its closing argument, the president himself already registered his views on Twitter, where he decried the whole thing as he often does as a hoax. Kenneth Starr, the former prosecutor whose investigation led to Bill Clinton's impeachment, complained about the inadequacy of the House prosecutors' fast track case. Trump attorney Jay Sekulow showed political clips of Democrats calling for impeachment with many lawmakers of colour, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a top Republican foil to argue this was the "first totally partisan presidential impeachment in our nation's history, and it should be our last." One key Trump lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, who was forced to walk back a sweeping defence of presidential power in last week's arguments, did not appear. Trump wanted acquittal secured before he arrives at the Capitol for the State of the Union address Tuesday, but that will not happen. Senators carrying the power of their votes to the history books wanted additional time to make their own arguments, in public speeches from the floor of the Senate. Those began Monday afternoon and were expected to continue until Wednesday's vote. The trial unfolded over nearly two weeks and reached a decisive moment last Friday when senators voted against calling witnesses and documents. Key Republicans said they had heard enough. It becomes the first impeachment trial in the nations more than 200-year history without any witnesses. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Even new revelations from John Bolton, the former White House national security adviser, whose forthcoming book discloses his firsthand account of Trump ordering the investigations, did not impress upon senators the need for more testimony. Bolton said he would appear if he received a subpoena, but GOP senators said the House should have issued the summons and the Senate did not want to prolong the proceedings. Prosecutors relied on a 28,000-page report compiled over three months of proceedings in the Democratic-controlled House, including public and private testimony from 17 witnesses, among them current and former ambassadors and national security officials with close proximity to the Ukraine dealings. The case stems from Trump's July 25 call with Ukraine that he maintains was perfect. A government whistleblower alarmed by the call filed a complaint that sparked the inquiry. __ Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Matthew Daly, Laurie Kellman and Padmananda Rama contributed to the story. After withdrawing his support for the protests, controversial populist Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers back to Tahrir Square Feb. 1, where his supporters clashed with demonstrators and forcibly took over the main part of Tahrir Square as well as the Turkish Restaurant that has been under control of the protesters. The nomination of Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi as the new Iraqi prime minister was simultaneously received negatively by the protesters, who see his appointment as a plot by Sadr and his Iran-backed allies in the government to end the protests in Baghdad. Allawi is a candidate of Sadr's Sairoon Alliance and Hadi al-Amiri's Fatah Alliance. The parliament needs to hold a session to vote on the new prime minister. The Sadrist group is now cooperating with the security forces to end the sit-in at Tahrir Square. The breakup between Sadr and the protesters began Jan. 26, when Sadr ordered his followers to leave the protests. Sadrists were packing their belongings in accordance with their leader's command and preparing to leave. However, thousands of Iraqis especially students facing live gunfire and defying the powerful clerics call to stay home flocked to the capital and to the streets of other cities. While Sadrs devoted followers packed up their tents in Tahrir Square Baghdads main protest point protesters denied rumors that the four-month-long anti-government uprising would immediately collapse without his backing. After his decision to withdraw from the protests, Sadrs popularity seems to be partially declining, Karrar Ahmed, a protester from Najaf, told Al-Monitor. Ahmed added, Protesters in the squares rejected him, crossing all red lines. Before, it was impossible to hear chants against him. He said protesters who left were soon replaced by others. Their withdrawal did not affect us. The momentum has actually increased. We installed new tents after the Sadrists removed theirs, said Ahmed. Late Jan. 24, Sadr said he would stand neutral amid ongoing anti-government protests. In his statement, Sadr expressed regret for those among the demonstrators who questioned him in Baghdad and other provinces. He tweeted, I was their supporter and I thought of them as supporters for me and Iraq. However, from now on I will try not to interfere with them, negatively or positively, until they take into account the fate of Iraq and its imminent danger. In Baghdad, journalist and protester Saher al-Barbouti sees positive results of the Sadrists' withdrawal. "[In December], independent protesters began to gradually withdraw from the square because Sadr's followers tried to control the protests tried to silence other voices and impose their opinion. The recent withdrawal led independent people to return back strongly, he said. However, observers say the withdrawal resulted in a rapid crackdown as riot police raided the sit-ins in Baghdad and set tents on fire in southern cities Jan. 25, killing at least 10. Sadr's decision to pull his support had an immediate effect on the peaceful protests, said Minatullah al-Obaidi, a graduate of The American University of Iraq in Sulaimaniyah with a master's degree in contemporary Arab studies from Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service. Soon after, there were news reports of tents being set on fire in Basra and Nasiriyah. Determined protesters began replacing burned tents with concrete accommodations in Nasiriyah, said Obaidi. The protesters persist despite Sadr's withdrawal, she told Al-Monitor. Some say the Sadrists are no longer a homogenous group and are mostly influenced by the polarization of Iraq's Shia society, Obaidi said. Others see this as a new hope for the protests, whose momentum initially declined after a US drone strike killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani Jan. 3 at Baghdad's airport. All those who reject the Sadrist movement and Islamic parties feel satisfied now, as the sit-ins are now purely Iraqi with no foreign loyalties, said Salam Abdul-Hussein, a petroleum engineer from Diwaniyah. He added, We reject the Iranian hegemony and call on the international community to protect us from the militias' oppression. All Iraqis, especially the younger generation, have become aware of Iran and Sadr's mutual goals to end these protests by any means. Sadr's decision came a day after tens of thousands of his supporters crowded Baghdad's Jadriya neighborhood Jan. 24, calling for the expulsion of US forces from Iraq. The march lasted a few hours and came in response to the killing of Soleimani and Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Sadr frequently tested his supporters, asking them to go out protesting against the government and corruption though he led the largest bloc in parliament. People are tired of this, said Khairuldeen Makhzoomi, a Washington-based Iraqi-American analyst and graduate of Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. He added, He will lose a fair minority of his base supporters. He also called for the removal of US forces from Iraq, though we all know that all the bases are Iraqi. Ali Bashar, a political science instructor at Bayan University in Erbil, thinks Sadrs withdrawal from the protests might be temporary. He might change his mind and call his followers to rejoin the protests at any moment, Bashar told Al-Monitor, adding, He moves from the far right to the far left suddenly. There is no method to predict his decisions. Sadrs supporters reportedly helped protect protesters from attacks by security forces, and their withdrawal left many concerned about the fate of the protests. His followers, namely the Peace Brigades, were protecting Tahrir Square's entrances and exits, said Barbouti, who began attending the protests Oct. 1. He added, Their withdrawal left the square vulnerable and the militias began raiding us daily, in addition to the riot forces' attacks. However, our courageous young men helped repel the attacks. Obaidi is suspicious of Sadrs motivation. If he was really [trying to protect protesters], then he certainly wasn't doing a great job at that. Over 600 people have been killed so far, and the numbers keep going up, she said. Ahmed agrees with Obaidi. Everyone says he was protecting us. He was protecting his interests and popularity," as he has done before. Ahmed added, "He wanted to be the [protest] leader in spite of our rejection. Then he ordered his followers to withdraw." Ahmed also accused Sadrists of threatening some protesters. He said, There were countless threats against anyone who might utter a word against [Sadr]. Once, I chanted against him in a march until a Sadrist quarreled with me and silenced me." Obaidi also thinks some Sadrists no longer support him. Many of them joined the protests early on and have been influenced by the nationalist sentiment and progressive ideas of liberal protesters, she said. Sadr also uses double standards to [appear] neutral, yet his actions prove he sides with Iran labeling influencers, like comedian [Ahmed] Albasheer, jokers" and saying they support the US agenda, Obaidi stated. Bashar fears that some corrupt factions of the government might draw protesters into violent clashes with security forces. If the corrupt groups see the protests as a major threat to their interests, they might do their best to turn them violent. The government is embarrassed because of the protesters' peacefulness. Three parties prevent the use of brutality against the [protesters]: the Shiite religious authorities in Najaf, tribes and Sadr, he said. Abdul-Hussein seems determined to continue the protests for long-term gains. He said, "A strong escalation is coming, accompanied by repression by government authorities and militias. We will fulfill many of our demands that will change the reality of Iraqi citizens for the better. After Sierra Leones decade-long civil war ended in January 2002, the small West-African country was the center of the transitional justice world. The Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) operated for about eleven years with more than 400 staff members. The Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) compiled a four-volume account of the conflict that went to press in 2004. Today, the transitional justice community has moved on. The TRC archives in Sierra Leones capital Freetown barely receive any visitors. The former SCSL-courthouse is falling apart. Visitors are not allowed to take pictures. In the adjacent peace museum, which was refurbished last December, the only guide is anxious to save money and switches off the light in each room once the first visitor in months has seen all exhibits. This is not the center of transitional justice anymore; it is the periphery of it. Still, one largely forgotten measure continues to operate: Sierra Leones reparation program. Its story holds important lessons about the sustainability of transitional justice processes and the attention span of international actors both practitioners and academics in the field. From the TRC recommendations to ad hoc measures The TRC devoted an entire chapter of its final report to recommend comprehensive reparation measures for the most vulnerable survivors amputees, severely war-wounded, survivors of sexualized violence and war-widows. The chapter foresaw pensions, free healthcare, education benefits and much more. Sierra Leones government reluctantly agreed to implement the recommendations, but failed to take any action for four years. It required pressure from Sierra Leones biggest survivor organization, the Amputee and War-Wounded Association (AWWA) and a 3.5 million USD grant from the UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) to kickstart reparation efforts in 2008. The International Organization for Migration helped create a reparations unit in the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) and with the help of the International Center for Transitional Justice 33,863 survivors were registered. Yet, from the beginning, major stumbling blocks appeared. The proposal to the PBF foresaw that the government would raise additional funds through special taxes, a debt-relief-for-reparation-scheme and other measures none of which were implemented. The lack of funds, operational challenges and disadvantageous PBF regulations forced a change of course. Instead of implementing the TRC recommendations as planned, each registered survivor received an interim-relief payment of 100 USD to bridge the time gap until more comprehensive reparation could be delivered. Alas, that day never came. Sierra Leone quickly decided to focus exclusively on individual compensation. From there on, the reparation program was defined by incoherent ad hoc measures, mostly stimulated by international donors. In 2011, a second PBF grant allowed NaCSA to give another 300 USD as interim-relief to 1138 amputees. And then came Ebola The first genuine compensation package was delivered between 2013 and 2015, after the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) granted Sierra Leone another 2.5 million USD for that purpose. Amputees and war-wounded received 1,400 USD along with limited skills training mostly workshops on financial literacy. In 2015 and 2016, Ebola ravaged the country and made NaCSAs work impossible. Afterwards, the survivor register needed to be updated seven years had passed since the original registration effort and much of the information was outdated. In 2017, NaCSAs work again stalled, because no international funds were available and the budget promised by the government did not arrive until late that year. Only in 2018 did the process resume and Sierra Leone started to compensate survivors of sexualized violence and war-widows. Beyond these core efforts, 16,500 survivors received counselling until 2016, when money for the program ran out. In addition, Sierra Leone provided some support to a housing program by the Norwegian Refugee Council and to UN Women in delivering skills training (e.g. in soap making, tailoring and gara tie-dyeing) and healthcare to survivors of sexualized violence. Lastly, the reparation program delivered symbolic reparation in the form of commemoration ceremonies and an apology to Sierra Leones women. The government had a number of other priorities Even considering only this basic data, it is apparent that Sierra Leone did not deliver adequate, effective and prompt reparation to survivors. After four years of inactivity, it took Sierra Leone over a decade to provide a hotchpotch of small, unsustainable and incoherent reparation measures to probably only a fraction of the survivor population. Almost 29 years after violence started to engulf Sierra Leone, some survivors are still waiting for measures promised to them 15 years ago. Even those who received compensation often continue to live in abject poverty 1,400 USD quickly evaporate, if chances for employment and business opportunities are scarce. No wonder frustration and disappointment with the program are so common among survivors. In hindsight, this outcome was foreseeable. Sierra Leones government never showed much enthusiasm for providing reparation to survivors. With limited resources and given the many challenges the country faced rebuilding society after civil war, pursuing development and later managing the Ebola crisis political priorities often lay elsewhere. Only upon pressure by AWWA did it apply for funding. Progress always depended on outside resources. Until 2014 six years into the program the government contributed 200.000 USD in funds, compared to 7.5 million USD given by the UN. Only when international donations ceased for good did the government provide domestic funds on a larger scale. By 2018 it had still only contributed roughly a quarter of the 10 million USD the program had cost since 2008. Transitional justice limited attention span Sierra Leones reparation program challenges those who pay attention to think about sustainability: the attention span of the international transitional justice community, practitioners and academics alike, can be short often too short to ensure the delivery of meaningful, comprehensive reparation absent domestic political will. This situation is not unique to Sierra Leone. Many transitional justice measures around the world cannot build on much domestic political support. Even where it originally exists, political tides can change as Colombia makes painfully clear. Of course, it remains Sierra Leones obligation to repair survivors. The reparation measures it provided do not suffice to discharge that obligation and a lack of international support provides no excuse for inaction. Nevertheless, political will wont magically appear. Sierra Leone ranks among the ten least developed countries on earth. It has little resources to spare and budgetary priorities will always lie elsewhere. Political will is also difficult to create. Survivors do not have a voice powerful enough to change the governments policy. AWWA is stifled by a lack of resources and organizational structures. At times, the organization is unable to pay for electricity in their headquarters. It is also unlikely that Sierra Leone will move back into the center of the transitional justice world. Resources for transitional justice processes are limited and any dollar spent on Sierra Leone is a dollar lacking in Syria, Myanmar, The Gambia, etc. One can lament it, but one will not change that transitional justice has a limited attention span, dictated by donor fatigue, changed political priorities and perceived urgency. With a lack of domestic political will, an international community busy elsewhere and survivors too marginalized to substantially influence the political process what remains to enforce the right to reparation for Sierra Leones survivors? One could still rely on international oversight. Sierra Leone awaits its Universal Periodic Review in 2021. The UN Human Rights system could and should take up the topic and give survivors claims the weight they alone cannot attain. Yet, to believe that an isolated intervention is the solution to the problem is optimistic to put it mildly. Closing a gap of scandalous proportions Mindful of the challenge, the UN Secretary-General emphasized that to enhance the sustainability and relevance of transitional justice processes, these should be carried out, where feasible, by local and national actors. In this regard, international assistance has to concentrate on development of national capacity to initiate and lead the process. As a negative example, Sierra Leone substantiates that statement. Fortunately, reparation programs have the possibility to incorporate it. As a form of collective reparation for the disenfranchisement often accompanying human rights violations, reparation programs can offer survivor organizations material benefits, technical support and institutional strengthening, e.g. through seminars on advocacy or organizational skills . Such measures can help survivors to organize more effectively, empower them to participate in the political process and hold the state to account. Through helping develop such domestic capacity to drive transitional justice processes, reparation programs can make themselves more independent from international support. In the Sierra Leone context, AWWA provides a good albeit unfortunately hypothetical example. At crucial moments, the organizations pressure helped to create Sierra Leones reparation program and to keep it running. Nowadays for a lack of funding, AWWA does not have the capacity anymore to engage in advocacy and lobbying for the reparation process. Sierra Leones reparation program could have provided collective reparation measures to strengthen AWWAs financial and organizational capacity, e.g. by training its members in fundraising and communication, among others. In the long run, this might have given Sierra Leones survivors the political impact needed to prevent the government from underfunding the reparation program and slowly phasing it out. Obviously, such collective reparation measures alone cannot make up for a lack of political will. But they provide one piece of the puzzle, which can ultimately help close what the Special Rapporteur on truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence described as an implementation gap () of scandalous proportions. Rome, Feb 3 : The 56 Italian citizens who arrived home on Monday aboard a flight from the Chinese city of Wuhan - epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak - are now in quarantine at the Cecchignola military zone in south Rome. The Italians will be held at Cecchignola for two weeks and none has so far shown any coronavirus symptoms such as fever or a cough, AKI has learned. The Italians arrived at Pratica di Mare military airport aboard a military plane and underwent initial screening for the coronavirus at the airport. Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio thanked the medics and military staff who accompanied the repatriated Italians. "Thanks to the medical and military staff and the apparatus of the state that worked to bring our fellow Italians home from Wuhan," Di Maio tweeted. The repatriation of the Italian citizens from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city was "a complex operation", the Foreign Ministry tweeted. "A complex operation has brought home our compatriots who were stranded in Wuhan," read the tweet. The head of the Foreign Ministry's crisis unit chief Stefano Verrecchia and other ministry officials were there to meet the returning Italians, it added. A Foreign Ministry statement hailed repatriation as "a team effort by the Foreign, Defence and Health ministries". The Italian government on Friday declared a six-month state of emergency and earmarked five million euros for the coronavirus crisis. which has now claimed more lives than the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic There are more than 17,000 confirmed cases of the virus in China, which has killed some 361 people there since the outbreak began in mid-December. Outside China, there are more than 150 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and one death (in the Philippines). Cases of the virus have been reported in 24 countries other than China. There have been two confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Italy to date - a Chinese tourist couple currently receiving treatment at Rome's Spallanzani military hospital near the Colosseum. Tata Motors reported 17.74% decline in total sales to 47,862 units in January 2020 from 58185 units in January 2019. Hero MotoCorp said the company sold 501622 units of two-wheelers in the month of January 2020, down 13.91% from 582660 units in January 2019. Motorcycles sales saw 6.45% decline in total sales to 494390 units in January 2020 from 528489 units in January 2019. Scooter sales plunged 86.65% to 7232 units in January 2020 from 54171 units in January 2019. Eicher Motors' unlisted subsidiary VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV) reported 6.1% decline in total sales to 5,544 units in January 2020 from 5,906 units in January 2019. Total exports slipped 18.1% to 517 units in January 2020 as against 631 units in January 2019. Total domestic sales dropped 5.9% to 4,871 units in January 2020 compared with 5,177 units in January 2020. Lumax Industries reported 61.14% fall in consolidated net profit to Rs 18.90 crore on 17.79% fall in total income to Rs 387.38 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Q3 December 2018. Lumax Industries will continue to invest in infrastructure, technology, product development, processes and human capital Sobha reported 4.87% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 73.20 crore on 11.58% rise in total income to Rs 901.20 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Q3 December 2018. Total average price realization stood at Rs 6,811/square feet. PVR said CRISIL has upgraded its rating on the non-convertible debentures and long-term bank facilities to 'CRISIL AA/Stable' from 'CRISIL AA-/Stable'. CRISIL has also withdrawn its ratings on the Rs 225 crore non-convertible debentures as these have been redeemed. The rating upgrade is driven by CRISIL's expectation of a sustained improvement in PVR's business risk profile leading to strong cash flows. SML Isuzu reported 11.53% rise in vehicle sales to 1,112 units in January 2020 from 997 units in January 2019. Total sales (cumulative 10 months till January 2020) fell 12% to 9,127 units as against 10,373 units in corresponding period pervious year. Coal India on Saturday said that its total coal production in January 2020 stood at 63.11 million tonnes as compared to 57.21 million tonnes in January 2019, recording a rise of 10.3%. Coal offtake rose 6.9% to 56.05 million tonnes in January 2020 as against 52.44 million in January 2019. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Covid curbs in UP: Government and private employees to work at 50 per cent capacity Night curfew in Andhra Pradesh: Know timings, guidelines, rules; What is allowed, what is not allowed 46 Covid deaths in 5 days in Delhi, 34 patients had comorbidities, 25 aged above 60: Govt data Contacts of confirmed cases don't need to get tested unless identified as high risk: Govt Omicron has clear growth advantage over Delta with highest level of immune escape: INSACOG Kerala confirms 3rd case of coronavirus; Union Health Ministry issues fresh travel advisory India oi-Mousumi Dash Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 03: The Kerala health ministry on Monday has confirmed that the third case of Coronavirus was tested positive in Kasargod district. The student is in an isolation ward at Kanhangad district hospital in Kasaragod district, she informed the state Assembly. The condition of the student is "stable", she said. Out of the 104 samples tested till Sunday, three have been tested positive. This is the third positive case reported from Kerala. Two earlier positive cases, also of students who came back from Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, were reported from Thrissur and Alappuzha districts. Meanwhile, amid the outbreak of the deadly nCoV virus, India has issued a fresh travel advisory to China. NEWS AT 3 PM, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 The patients had a travel history from China. Meanwhile, Kerala Health Minister K K Shailaja has confirmed that the student is in an isolation ward at Kanhangad district hospital in Kasaragod district and her condition is stable. Out of the 104 samples tested till Sunday, three have been tested positive. This is the third positive case reported from Kerala. The two earlier positive cases were reported from Thrissur and Alapuzha districts of Kerala The patients were kept in the isolation ward in the hospital and were being closely monitored. Both the patients are currently stable and have been kept in isolation. Coronavirus: Death toll rises to 361 in China Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a fresh travel advisory on Monday urging people to refrain from visiting China. Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. The United States stands ready to help Brazil to improve the rules for bidding in its oil auctions in order to make them more attractive to international oil majors, U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette said on Sunday during a visit to Brazil. And we stand ready to assist, should it be desired or needed, to help design new auctions that might produce results that are more conducive to the desires of the Brazilian government, Brouillette told reporters, as carried by Reuters. At the end of last year, Brazil held three separate oil auctions for what it said were very attractive and prolific offshore areas. The auctions, however, failed to excite as much interest as the Brazilian government had hoped, while analysts deemed those auctions failures. Last years final oil auction in Brazil ended in a flop, with Big Oil staying away from bidding and only one of five blocks awarded, suggesting that the massive upfront payments and complex royalty schemes have kept the worlds largest oil companies from participating. The underwhelming results of the final oil auction for the year came a day after another near-flop in the biggest oil auction ever held in Brazil, in which Big Oil didnt bid and Petrobras picked up two of the four blocks on offer. Speaking in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, Secretary Brouillette said, as carried by Reuters: We looked at what happened in the last auction, with regard to the blocks. We understand, I think clearly, why some investors may have shied away from that. Big Oil will likely snub Brazils huge oil auctions in 2020, just as they did in last years highly anticipated bid rounds, because projects and prospects around the world are competing for the majors disciplined capital spending, the head of BP in Brazil said last November. Assets in other countries will be more attractive than Brazils resources, BP Energy Brazils president Adriano Bastos told local economic daily Valor Economico back then. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: A man attempted to murder a young college lecturer by setting her ablaze in a crowded area at Hinganghat, some 110 kms from Nagpur in neighbouring Wardha district, on Monday morning. According to reports that the divisional headquarters received, the incident occurred when the 24-year-old woman lecturer was going to her college at around 7.30 am. The accused, Vicky Nagrale, arrived on a bike from behind her before intercepting the woman near Matoshri Ashatai Arts Commerce and Science Womens College, where the victim works as a lecturer. Nagrale reportedly poured petrol on her before setting her ablaze. The onlookers were stunned as Nagrale fled and left the woman in flames. Some people rushed to extend help to the victim and tried to douse the fire as the police arrived on the spot. She was rushed to a nearby nursing home. Her face was partially burnt following the incident and she sustained around 40% burns. Later, she was shifted to a private nursing home in Nagpur, where her condition is reported to be very critical. Medical experts fear she may lose her vision even if she survives. The Wardha police have arrested Nagrale, a married man with a 7-month-old child. He works in a private firm. Police inspector of Hinganghat, Satyaveer Bandiwar said, Nagrale claimed during interrogation that they had an affair since their childhood. As Nagrale works as an electrician in a private firm, the victim, the college teacher, maintained a distance with him of late. The accused was a friend of the victim till two years ago, but she severed ties with him due to his irrational behaviour. Later, he used to stalk the woman. He had even tried to commit suicide last year, though no complaint was lodged at that time. Both, the accused and the victim are from the same villageDarodesome 15 kms from Hinganghat. The woman got the job in the college seven months ago and she used to take a bus to go to the college from the village. As soon as she got down from the bus and headed towards her college, Nagrale intercepted her and poured petrol on her and set her ablaze. We have already arrested the attacker and the woman has been shifted to a private nursing home in Nagpur for treatment, he added. Dr Anup Marar, Director of Orange City Hospital, Nagpur, where the victim has been admitted for treatment, informed that she had sustained deep dermal burns, covering scalp, face, right upper limb, left hand, upper back, full neck with an approximation of 40% burns with inhalational injuries affecting the respiratory system. A special team of doctors of the hospital have been engaged for her treatment, he informed and added that she has been kept in the ICU. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh condemned the incident and ordered top police officials to investigate the crime. I had a talk with the SP of Wardha and ordered an inquiry, he informed. BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities on Sunday stressed providing greater medical supplies support to central China's Hubei Province, particularly the key regions -- the city of Wuhan and its surrounding areas -- to help curb the epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus. Authorities in some provinces were urged to flexibly arrange their work for the epidemic battle and step up efforts to prevent and control the novel coronavirus outbreak and ensure market supply, said an official statement issued after a Sunday meeting of the leading group of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and also head of the leading group of the CPC Central Committee on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus outbreak, presided over the meeting. Noting that great manpower and material resources support from all aspects has been delivered to Hubei in China's response to the novel coronavirus outbreak, the statement said that "the shortage of medical resources is still a prominent issue in Hubei." The meeting underscored efforts to speed up the construction of hospitals to provide more beds, step up medical personnel support and organize more quality medical personnel in respiratory, intensive care and nursing fields from other provinces to support Hubei. Authorities stressed accelerating production resumption by manufacturers of medical supplies and protective items, with a priority to meeting the needs of Wuhan and other key areas in Hubei, and quickening efforts to make up for the shortage of key items such as medical face masks and protective clothing in Hubei, according to the statement. The State Council has agreed that to help curb the outbreak in some provinces, while arrangements are made to ensure the timely return of workers to key posts, enterprises and projects that are of high importance to the virus battle, public services, national economy and people's wellbeing, flexible ways can be adopted to arrange people's work in other sectors, the statement said. The measure will help reduce the risk of virus spread by avoiding large-scale population movement after the Spring Festival holiday ends, it added. The meeting also stressed efforts from local authorities to ensure a stable supply of epidemic prevention and control materials and daily necessities. Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and deputy head of the leading group, attended the meeting. Two men, described by the police as illegal miners, have been confirmed dead, while others sustained injuries after an abandoned mining pit collapsed on them at dawn last Tuesday. The incident happened at Panyinikrom, a farming community near Kyeremasu in the Dormaa East District in the Bono Region. The police identified the deceased as Patrick Osei, popularly known as Atta Small, 37, and Kofi Tutu, 25. The two suspected illegal miners were said to have gone to the abandoned galamsey site with others to engage in illegal mining. Loose compact of sand The Bono Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Chief Inspector Augustine Kingsley Oppong, told the Daily Graphic that while they were busy digging for gold in the abandoned pit, a loose compact of sand caved in and trapped them, leading to their death. The Daily Graphic also gathered that there were about seven illegal miners in the pit at the time of the unfortunate incident. Although their colleagues managed to come out, luck eluded the two who were unable to do so. Their colleagues, however, bolted and left them to their fate after realising that they could not come out of the pit. Police briefing Chief Inspector Oppong said the fate of the two was similar to being buried alive, saying the police with the help of some community members, managed to retrieve the bodies from the pit. He explained that a relative of the deceased, Mr Thomas Asamoah Yeboah, a carpenter at Kyeremasu, accompanied by Martin Kwasi Yeboah and two others, called at the charge office to report the incident. The relatives of the deceased told the police that they had information that their brothers were trapped in the abandoned galamsey pit while prospecting for gold, he stated. Chief Inspector Oppong said when the police inspected the bodies, there were no marks of assault on them. He said the police also conducted a search at the scene to find out whether there were more casualties and the cause of the collapse but did not find additional bodies. Chief Inspector Oppong said the police realised that part of the loose compact of sand had collapsed but nothing incriminating was found at the scene. He said the bodies had been deposited at the Dormaa-Ahenkro Presbyterian Hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Kyiv. In addition to meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, he visited wounded Ukrainian servicemen in the hospital. He also congratulated Metropolitan Epifaniy on further recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in the world But the arrival of Pompeo was preceded by a scandal with the American journalist Marie Louis Kelly. Secretary of state reproached for the question about Ukraine, and in the end asked if she really believes that Americans care about Ukraine. Therefore, it is obvious that Mike Pompeo doesnt care whether whether the clergy recognize Orthodox Church of Ukraine or not - he also doesnt care about other things that he said about or was interested in. Which is normal. As noted by Russian political scientist Andrei Piontkovsky, the West will never be more pro-Ukrainian than Ukraine itself. (Incidentally, President Zelensky never once visited wounded servicemen). Consequently, the level of expectation from a visit of Pompeo in particular and from the United States as a whole should be reduced. But it is necessary to understand why the US Secretary of State visited Kyiv. Stop at request Mike Pompeo arrived in Ukraine in the framework of his official trip. Having got out of Washington, he decided to kill four birds with one stone. After Kyiv he went to Belarus, and after Minsk he will go to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. "Ukraine will only be a stop during the Pompeos tour, but this nuance should not be dramatized, as well as the rather complicated emotional background around bilateral relations that is now observed in the United States," says political columnist Yevgen Magda. Going to Kyiv, Pompeo announced that he expected meetings with President Zelenskys team and a discussion of "a whole series of important issues of European security." In addition, according to the Secretary of State, the discussion will focus on "the important efforts that the United States and Ukraine will make together in the fight against corruption in this country." Pompeo also noted that he will discuss American support, "necessary for the Ukrainian people to become a free and independent nation." Similar moments were reflected during the two-day (i.e. quite long by diplomatic standards) visit of Pompeo. However, the US Secretary of State would be deceiving if he said that he was going here for just that. Political analyst Taras Panio notes, for example, that if Pompeo was really worried about security issues, the format of the negotiations would be different. "At least because resolving such issues involve lengthy preparations through diplomatic channels, meetings of some working groups, preliminary conversations of authorized persons, and the like. But now there is no American ambassador in Kyiv, and no active contacts." In the meantime, lets talk on the true reason for the arrival of Pompeo. "In reality, the US Secretary of State is in a hurry to Ukraine to extinguish a political, not a military fire. And this fire is not in Kyiv, but in Washington," writes Panio on depo.ua. The expert recalls: Trumps impeachment problem, the scandal surrounding Yovanovitch, to which Pompeo was directly involved, and a whole bunch of dark stories involving Giuliani and Parnas, Lutsenko and Shokin, and many, many more politicians and officials, have not disappeared. Actually, because of the dark stories, Pompeos visit was delayed: with almost 100 percent certainty we can say that, in addition to officialdom, the US Secretary of State had a number of informal meetings designed to level the Ukrainian footprint in American impeachment. Demonstration of good faith Because now oil is only added to impeachment fire. The exaggeration of the flames was linked to the publication of excerpts from the yet-unpublished book of John Bolton, ex-national security adviser to Donald Trump. Information was published on the pages of The New York Times. The book says that Mike Pompeo was not only against the presidents decision to block military assistance to Ukraine, but also expressed concern over the actions of Trump's personal lawyer - Rudolf Giuliani. After such revelations in the character of Pompeo you get completely confused. On the one hand, he is loyal to the US president and believes that the Americans are indifferent to Ukraine. On the other hand, in private conversations, Pompeo opposed blocking military assistance to Ukraine, and because of disagreement with the president, their relations allegedly worsened. This deterioration was immediately confirmed by three sources in the Republican Party. The article says that Trump is unhappy with Pompeo: he allegedly does not sufficiently protect the US president in the impeachment case and does not control his employees in the State Department who testified against Trump. In this regard, Pompeo plans to resign as Secretary of State, and then try to win the Senate elections, running for Kansas. And yet, no matter how the mutual trust and sympathy between Trump and Pompeo is shaken, the latter arrived in Kyiv just to convince everyone of the following: 1) Trump is not averse to helping Ukraine - without blackmail and additional conditions, 2) bilateral cooperation will continue, and no one will discount Ukraine, 3) in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the commitment of the United States invariably remains on the side of Ukraine. In the end, creating the right picture is beneficial not only to Trump, but also to Pompeo as well. And not only in the context of presidential impeachment, but also taking into account the political ambitions of the Secretary of State and his further career plans. That is why Pompeo spoke a lot about supporting Ukraine - in the diplomatic and investment sense. In particular, he assured that American sanctions against Russia would continue until the territorial integrity of Ukraine was restored. Since January 2017, we have provided more than one billion dollars in security assistance. This commitment remains. We will maintain support for the diplomatic resolution of the conflict provoked by Russia in Ukraine, and we will maintain financial support for the security of Ukraine, said Pompeo. What the Secretary of State did not do However, in addition to such declarations, three important issues remained unresolved during the visit of Pompeo. The first is President Zelenskys trip to the United States. To put it mildly, they did not call the Ukrainian side there. In Kyiv, Mike Pompeo was asked whether the investigation into the son of Joe Biden was the condition that Donald Trump set to Zelensky to organize his official visit to Washington? To which Pompeo said that no conditions were imposed, and such a visit is being prepared. There is a lot of work between our countries, our teams are discussing all these opportunities. We see economic opportunities for American companies, we talked about this, the Secretary of State answered. And as we see, he answered rather evasively. In turn, Volodymyr Zelensky said that he was ready for such a trip "even tomorrow." But his tomorrow has not yet come and it is not known whether it will come at all. At least due to the completion of the Donald Trumps presidency and the incomprehensible prospects of the latter for a re-presidency. "Pompeo sent a signal that Trump is still not ready to meet the President of Ukraine at the White House. Zelensky still has not received an invitation. He emphasized that such a meeting would send a signal to Moscow," - said MSNBC producer Kyle Griffin, commenting on The New York Times article about Pompeo's visit to Kyiv. The second important and unresolved issue is the new US ambassador not appointed to Ukraine. After the dismissal of Marie Yovanovitch from this position, the place remains vacant. Perhaps, suggests Evgen Magda, another reason for Pompeo's arrival was intelligence on the ground before the landing" of the new ambassador to Ukraine. It is obvious that without a personal probe by the chief of American diplomacy (taking into account his experience as head of the CIA) it will not be possible to determine the candidacy of the next US ambassador to Ukraine. As you know, former military Keith Dayton and career diplomat Philip Ricker are applying for it. However, none of them will be able to take office before the spring of 2020, because approval by Congress will be required, "Magda writes on Radio Liberty website. However, if such a probe took place, it was non-public and belonged specifically to the closed part of Pompeo's visit. The third item on the list of unfinished business is the absence of appointment of the U.S.special representative instead of Kurt Volker, who was dismissed in September 2019. It is noteworthy that during a meeting with Pompeo, Zelensky reminded the Secretary of State of this gap. "Today I expressed the hope that the United States will be more actively involved in the peace process in eastern Ukraine and the de-occupation of Crimea, thanks to the appointment of a separate official from the US Department of State on these issues," Zelensky said. Meanwhile, America reacted negatively to the fact that Pompeo did not pass this ball and did not answer Zelensky anything concrete. "In Kyiv, Pompeo did not name the successor to Kurt Volker. The weakened US diplomatic efforts (in Ukraine) is another serious service to Moscow. This is further proof of the departure from the support policy of Ukraine, which the United States adhered to after 1991," said Vice President of Carnegie Analytical Center Endowment for International Peace Andrew Weiss. Instead of an afterword The conclusions that can be drawn after the completion of Mike Pompeos visit are as follows. Ukraine is asymmetrically dependent on the United States: we need America more than it needs us. Which, however, is no secret to anyone. And yet, the United States does not refuse to demonstrate influence even on those countries that are not among their priority strategic interests. Which, in fact, was proved by the visit of Pompeo. This may not be good news, but there are others. The phrase that Pompeo said shortly before the visit - whether the Americans care about Ukraine, is evidence that such sentiments are beginning to gradually take hold of the American establishment. This is the biggest problem for Ukraine and its politics. Is the government ready for its solution? On this occasion, it would be useful to hear what Volodymyr Zelensky will say, and not "even tomorrow," as our president says, but right today - here and now. IN A bid to reduce long frustrating queues at the Treasury the Government is looking to introduce an online renewal system for business licences. This was recently disclosed by Deputy Governor Anya Williams during the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA)s annual general meeting. Speaking at the AGM which was held at the Shore Club on January 8, Williams said the online system, when implemented, will replace the current paper-based system. "We want to reduce our carbon footprint and we want to reduce our reliance on paper documents and we want persons to be able to submit documents online, she said. "We know from a government side that we have to do more in terms of the services that we offer and in terms of innovation. The deputy governor explained that the Government is in the process of modernising these critical systems to enhance business operations across the territory. "Were spending right now several thousand dollars to start on a scanning project which will allow us to scan files so that we dont have the huge paperwork that we do. "Later this year we will be launching a new online business licences renewal system, something that should have come along a long time ago. "How many of you in this room are tired of having to stand in long lines at the Treasury every 21st of the month to pay your accommodation tax? "Thats a system that we know needs our attention as well. Proposed Kansas Law Would Require In God We Trust to Be Posted in Every Classroom A group of 13 Republican state legislators are proposing a bill that would require all public buildings and schools in Kansas to post the national motto, In God We Trust. The House Bill 2476, which was introduced on Jan. 30, would mandate that all public school classrooms and libraries, public colleges and universities, and all state and municipal buildings display the motto, alongside the flags of Kansas and the United States. It should be displayed as an acknowledgment of our countrys history and founding principles, state Rep. Michael Capps, a lead Republican sponsor of the bill, told local news outlet The Wichita Eagle. State Rep. Stephanie Clayton (D) raised concerns over the potential message to atheists. I already have some heartburn here, she said, reported The Wichita Eagle. Because not everyone in this country or state does believe in God. Meanwhile, Capps noted that Kansass state constitution also mentions God. Does having the reference to God in the Kansas state constitution make every atheist feel second-class? he asked, the Associated Press reported. Kansass proposed law is following in the footsteps of eight other states that have made the display of In God We Trust in public schools mandatory, namely Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia. In July 2019, South Dakota became the latest state where public schools must display the motto in a prominent location or other common areas where students are most likely to see the it, such as an entryway or cafeteria. Some other states including Alabama, Arizona, and Texas, have passed similar legislation that allows, but does not require, In God We Trust to be posted in public schools. In Georgia and Ohio, such displays are only allowed if they are donated. Arkansas state law rules that if such a display is donated to a public school, it must be posted there. In God We Trust first began appearing on U.S. coins in 1864 during the Civil War. In 1955, nearly a century later, it was placed on paper banknotes and in 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a law designating the phrase a national motto. In 2018, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a case (pdf) by a group of atheists who argued that the practice of placing the religious message on federal reserve notes and coins violated their First Amendment-guaranteed free speech and religious rights. In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court turned back a similar case from Michael Newdow, a secularist advocate known for trying to remove under God from the Pledge of Allegiance, maintaining that In God We Trust on money is constitutional. Six maps and graphics explaining how the respiratory virus has spread and how it is being dealt with. A respiratory virus first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan has now infected thousands of Chinese citizens and spread to a number of other countries. The fast-moving infection, which causes pneumonia-like symptoms, has been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization. It has claimed more than 300 lives and prompted Chinese authorities to quarantine several major cities. Here are six maps and graphics that will help you understand what is going on. 1. Cases have been mainly in China Thousands of confirmed cases have been recorded across China, with central Hubei province the worst-affected. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is warning the number of cases is likely to rise further, and Chinese authorities have introduced a number of measures to try to halt the virus's spread. Travel restrictions have been imposed on a number of cities in Hubei province and people have been asked to wear face masks in public places. The Chinese government has also closed a number of temples, the Forbidden City and part of the Great Wall. The growing list of restrictions came at the beginning of a week-long holiday celebrating Lunar New Year - one of the most important dates in the Chinese calendar - when millions of people travel home. The national new year holiday was extended by three days to 2 February, in an attempt to contain the spread. The WHO declared the crisis a global health emergency on Thursday. "The main reason for this declaration is not what is happening in China but what is happening in other countries," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The concern is that it could spread to countries with weaker health systems. 2. Hubei province has been particularly badly affected More than 9,000 cases have been recorded in Hubei province - the centre of the outbreak - which has also seen almost all of the deaths as a result of the virus. Restrictions on travel are affecting at least 20 million people across 10 cities - including the capital Wuhan, where the virus emerged. Its origins have been linked to illegally traded wildlife at the city's seafood market, which sells live animals including bats, rabbits and marmots. However, the exact source of the outbreak has not been identified. Wuhan - which has a population of 11 million people - has gone into lockdown, with authorities suspending flights and train services in and out of the city. Local officials said no-one from the city had left Wuhan in four days. "My university is checking every student's body temperature every day and are offering free masks. It also has its own hospital and ambulance," Chongthan Pepe Bifhowjit, an Indian student at the Wuhan University of Technology, told the BBC. In a bid to tackle the increased demand for medical services in the city, authorities are building two new hospitals, one with 1,000 beds and another with a capacity of 1,500 beds. 3. A number of other countries have seen cases On Sunday, the Philippines confirmed a 44-year-old man had died of the Coronavirus, becoming the first known death outside of China. The man was from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak. Aside from the Philippines, infections have spread to more than 20 countries including Japan, Thailand, the US, Canada, France, Germany and the UK. The majority of these cases are in people who had been to Wuhan. However in eight cases - in Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the US - patients were infected by people who had travelled to China. Voluntary evacuations of hundreds of foreign nationals from Wuhan are under way. The UK, Australia, South Korea, Singapore and New Zealand are expected to quarantine all evacuees for two weeks to monitor them for symptoms and avoid contagion. A growing number of countries have advised their citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to China and many have announced screening measures for passengers from China, including the major airport hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Companies like Google, Ikea, Starbucks and Tesla have closed their shops or stopped operations. 4. The symptoms are respiratory Coronaviruses are common, and typically cause mild respiratory conditions, such as a cough or runny nose. But some are more serious - such as the deadly Sars (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers). This outbreak - known as novel coronavirus (nCoV)- is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. It seems to start with a fever, followed by a dry cough and then, after a week, leads to shortness of breath. But in more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. Most victims have been elderly people, suffering from other chronic diseases including Parkinson's and diabetes. The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has surpassed that of the Sars epidemic, which spread to more than two dozen countries in 2003. There were around 8,100 cases of Sars - severe acute respiratory syndrome - reported during the eight-month outbreak. Peter Piot, professor of global health and director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said the "good news" was that data suggested the virus may have a lower mortality than Sars. There was also a diagnostic test and greater global sharing of information than previously, he said. "And that is essential because you cannot deal with a potential pandemic in one country alone." There is not yet a specific anti-viral treatment for the infection, so people with the virus are currently being treated for their symptoms. Researchers are racing to develop a vaccine, though, with one lab in California planning for a potential vaccine to enter human trials by June or July. 5. You can do things to reduce your chances of catching it The WHO is advising people in affected areas to follow standard procedures to reduce the chance of catching the virus. They include hand and respiratory hygiene as well as safe food practices. People are advised to avoid close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections; wash hands regularly, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment; and avoid unprotected contact with farm or wild animals. Avoiding eating raw or undercooked animal products is also advised. Those with symptoms of coronavirus should practise "cough etiquette", including maintaining distance, covering coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or the inside of an elbow, and washing hands. 6. If a case is suspected, there are processes to follow The Chinese government has classified the outbreak in the same category as the Sars epidemic. This means people diagnosed with the virus in the country must be isolated and can be placed in quarantine. Within healthcare facilities, the WHO advises staff to implement enhanced standard infection prevention and control practices, especially in emergency departments. The WHO advises that patients should be assessed quickly and treated for the level of severity of the disease they have - mild, moderate, or severe. It also recommends immediately implementing infection prevention measures. These include staff wearing protective clothing and limiting patient movement around the hospital. In the UK, family doctors - GPs - are being advised to place patients suspected of having coronavirus in isolation and avoid physical examinations. Official guidance from Public Health England (PHE) says patients should remain in a room away from other patients and staff and be prevented from using communal toilets. By Dominic Bailey, David Brown, Mark Bryson, Ben Butcher, Lucy Rodgers and Irene de la Torre Arenas (BBC) Test offers the most complete package of genomic data available for patients with undiagnosed diseases, as well as patients seeking predispositional genetic testing NEW YORK, NY (February 3, 2020) The New York Genome Center (NYGC) has received approval from the New York State Department of Health to offer clinical constitutional whole genome sequencing (WGS) testing in its Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program-certified laboratory. The WGS test provides clinicians with the most complete package of genomic data available for patients with undiagnosed diseases, as well as for patients seeking predispositional genetic testing, i.e., a systematic early detection or exclusion of a hereditary disease, a genetic predisposition to a disease, or to determine whether they carry a predisposition which may produce a hereditary disease in their children. Since acquiring conditional approval for the WGS test a few years ago, the NYGC has developed new tools and an updated pipeline that further enhance its capabilities. The test is now performed using Illumina NovaSeq sequencers, allowing for greater speed and sample volumes than when run on the previous HiSeq X platform. Sequencing reads are now mapped to the latest hg38 reference human genome build, considered to be the most accurately sequenced genome build to date. These updates provide an opportunity to uncover novel genetic etiologies that were previously not about to be identified by older reference genome builds. NYGC scientists have also updated the test's analysis workflow to include discovery of more genetic variant types. In addition to the single nucleotide variants, insertions/deletions, copy number variants, and variants in the mitochondrial genome, the test examines repeat expansions in selected genes, and copy number analysis in survival motor neuron genes to identify spinal muscular atrophy disease/carrier status. The test also deploys the novel software tool Expansion Hunter, developed in a collaboration with Illumina and NYGC and a global team of research partners, that can genotype repeats at the locus of interest, even if the expanded repeat is larger than the read length. The team's report on this innovative test tool was published by Genome Research in 2017. ### Led by Vaidehi Jobanputra, PhD, Director of Molecular Diagnostics, NYGC's Clinical Lab is licensed to perform clinical testing in all fifty (50) of the United States and the District of Columbia. The lab's Whole Genome and Transcriptome Sequencing (WGTS) test for cancer patients, developed by NYGC scientists, received New York Department of Health approval in 2018. For more information, visit the NYGC Clinical Lab website at https://www.nygenome.org/clinical-products/nygc-diagnostic-tests/. About the New York Genome Center The New York Genome Center (NYGC) is an independent, nonprofit academic research institution focused on furthering genomic research that leads to scientific advances and new insights and therapies for patients with neurodegenerative disease, neuropsychiatric disease, and cancer. Leveraging our strengths in whole genome sequencing, genomic analysis, and development of new genomic tools, the NYGC serves as a nexus for collaboration in disease-focused genomic research for the New York medical and academic communities and beyond. NYGC harnesses the expertise and builds on the combined strengths of our faculty, staff scientists, member institutions, scientific working groups, affiliate members, and industry partners to advance genomic discovery. Central to our scientific mission is an outstanding faculty who lead independent research labs based at the NYGC, and hold joint tenure-track appointments with one of our member institutions. Institutional founding members of the NYGC are: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Columbia University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, The Jackson Laboratory, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York University, Northwell Health, The Rockefeller University, Stony Brook University, and Weill Cornell Medicine. Institutional associate members are: American Museum of Natural History, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Hackensack Meridian Health, Hospital for Special Surgery, The New York Stem Cell Foundation, Princeton University, and Roswell Park Cancer Institute. For more information on the NYGC, please visit: http://www.nygenome.org. Media Contact: Karen Zipern, Senior Director, Communications, NYGC kzipern@nygenome.org o: 646-977-7065 c: 917-415-8134 Posted on Monday, February 03, 2020 KINGSVILLE (February 3, 2020) After a nearly two-year process, the Department of Music at Texas A&M University-Kingsville has earned the designation School of Music. The process started with Dr. Paul Hageman, Regents Professor and Chair of Music, making the request to university administration and ended with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approving the new designation. Hageman said a School of Music is usually a larger, more comprehensive unit than a Department of Music. It may often have more internal structure and be divided up into areas of teaching, performance and ensembles. Becoming a School of Music allows us to be recognized as a comprehensive music program and allows us the structure to continue to grow and expand our offerings. A School of Music is usually thought of as a larger entity. If you look just even at the state of Texas, the largest programs are Schools of Music, like University of Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, West Texas A&M, Hageman said. We have joined the ranks of those groups in some ways and we feel we are ready to do that. The news comes as 275 music majors began classes this month in the new 90,000 square foot Music Education Building. An official ribbon-cutting celebration of the new building is scheduled for April. We have grown over the years and we currently have 275 majors and as we go into our new building, we anticipate continued growth, Hageman said. Even with our new building, we are looking to the future and what we have built will be able to house 450 to 500 majors. That is where we would like to get one day. The recommendation to pursue the designation was made in the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) 2017 Visitors Report, Hageman said. It all started with our accreditation visit from the NASM. Every 10 years, we get reaccredited. The last suggestion in the report was to work toward becoming a School of Music. The initial work on becoming a School of Music began with our Music Council. The Council conducted extensive research and examined policies, procedures, and organizational structures that we thought would make it appropriate for us to become a School of Music. We produced a comprehensive proposal that included input from our music faculty and other entities. Our music faculty voted to accept the proposal and become a School of Music. We then sent the document forward to our campus administration for their perusal and approval, Hageman said. We are growing and we certainly feel like we have the student body to do this. Our students are just fantastic young men and women. They work very hard and they have accomplished a lot. We have been winning awards at the national and international level. This is a good way to help springboard them to their future if they can say they came from a School of Music, he said. The new designation elevates the reputation of an already stellar music program, said Dr. Jaya Goswami, associate vice president for academic affairs. It certainly makes the program even more attractive to future students and faculty, she said. The School of Music also opens doors to prospective donors and other funding sources to help students and faculty in the program. This designation is most timely, given the brand new building to house the program. I feel like it gives me a stronger foundation when I look for a job, said Olivia De La Rosa, a senior music education major from Kingsville. A lot of great educators come from this program. The School of Music title matches what has been on-going, like the way the professors train us and everything is very professional and it prepares us for everything, she added. Although David De La Rosa, a sophomore music education major from San Benito, has a couple of years before he starts looking for a job, he agreed with Olivia De La Rosa. For later in the future, when I am looking for a job, I think it will help me on my resume. I will come from a more prestigious school. When they see that on my resume, they will see that I came from a School of Music rather than a Department of Music, he said. The university administration supported it. The last two steps was for it to be approved by The Texas A&M University System and then by the Higher Education Coordinating Board. Right away students shouldnt see any changes other than the name. We will continue to be one of the programs in the College of Arts and Sciences. We answer to the dean just like we always have done, Hageman said. There will be no change in our structure now. In the future, this will allow us to grow a little bit more. Music degrees offered at A&M-Kingsville include: Bachelor of Music in the following areas: Teacher Certification, Performance, Performance with an Emphasis in Piano Pedagogy, and Performance with an Emphasis in Jazz Studies; Master of Music in the following areas: Music Education, Performance, and Conducting. About the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) The National Association of Schools of Music is an organization of schools, conservatories, colleges and universities with approximately 639 accredited institutional members, according to its website. It establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials for music and music-related disciplines and provides assistance to institutions and individuals engaged in artistic, scholarly, educational and other music-related endeavors. -TAMUK- A key accuser in the Harvey Weinstein rape trial broke down in tears on the witness stand on Monday when it came out in court that she had been sexually assaulted when she was younger. The witness, Jessica Mann, had been asked by a defense lawyer to to read aloud a note she had written to her former boyfriend in which she described her relationship with Mr. Weinstein, calling him a father figure who validated her. She began sobbing uncontrollably when she read a line that revealed she had been sexually abused long before she met Mr. Weinstein when she was 27. After a short break, Ms. Mann returned to the witness stand but still could not compose herself. The lead prosecutor, Joan Illuzzi, tried to comfort her. Sit back, Ms. Illuzzi said. Take a deep breath. When that did not help, the judge adjourned the trial for the day. Ms. Mann, 34, appeared to be hyperventilating as she left the courtroom, still weeping. She could be heard screaming from a back room. Brexit is over and done with. India will need to review its policy both towards Britain and the European Union (EU). Relations with Britain will need to be reframed with a narrower, more bilateral focus. For several years, Britains attraction was as a most convenient platform to do business in Europe. Britain had an outsized influence on EUs policies towards India, claiming a familiarity with its former colony that other member countries lacked. These had started diminishing over the past decade. Now they will cease to do so. Relations with Britain will lose some salience, and London will no longer be a critical capital in Indian calculations. It will retain its attraction as one of the most important global financial markets and as a centre of technological innovation and knowledge. It will be an opinion leader in the Anglo-Saxon world. These point to a recalibrated but nevertheless strong relationship which India should seek with London. There is an interest in Britain to conclude an early trade deal with India, but a more protectionist and swadeshi minded India may be a reluctant bride. The British press has been increasingly critical of recent political developments in India. There have been more gentle proddings at the official level, too. This may cast a shadow over relations. EU, without Britain, would be weaker in some ways but could also gain in coherence. As an EU member, Britain provided its strongest link with the United States (US) and resisted more independent European initiatives such as in defence and foreign relations. With Britain gone and the US under Trump dismissive of the EU and of NATO, it is likely that Europe will begin to look at a more cohesive and relatively independent international role. This is coming at an interesting juncture. The phase of Europes intense engagement with China is giving way to a perception of strategic competition. There is anxiety over Chinas predatory investment in European strategic assets such as ports and logistic hubs. China has been courting a group of former central and east European and southern European countries under the 17+1 forum. Several of these countries are EU members. This is a matter of concern. This provides an opportunity for India to revive its strategic partnership with EU which was announced in 2004 but fell short of expectations due to two main factors one, the EU priority to relations with China, which was seen as a bigger economic opportunity than India; and two, Europes inward turn in the aftermath of the global financial and economic crisis of 2008. There is today a more congenial environment to revive the partnership, and both sides need to grasp this opportunity during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Brussels later this month. India and the EU were close to concluding a trade and investment agreement subsequent to the announcement of the strategic partnership. However, this did not happen mainly because technicalities overwhelmed the political drivers of the relationship. The gap between the two sides has become bigger over the past decade-and-a-half. Negotiations on the proposed agreement must be resumed with a clear political direction from leaders on both sides to conclude a pact speedily. If the economic pillar of the relationship is weak, then the strategic partnership cannot be sustained. Both sides will need to shed the growing protectionist tendencies in their countries. India and the EU also have a convergent interest in a multilateral rule-based international trade and investment regime embedded in a reformed World Trade Organisation (WTO). The same is true in other domains such as the climate crisis, cyber security, peaceful uses of space, international terrorism and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. There is every reason for the two sides to engage in a broad-based dialogue to promote a multilateralism and rules-based regimes. In 2004, there was a strong affinity which brought India and the EU together in a strategic partnership. Both were multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-lingual and multi-cultural plural democracies. Each side had a stake in the success of the other. Since then, we have seen migration becoming a major issue in Europe and there is the increasing influence of ultra-nationalist and right wing parties which question Europes multi-culturalism. In India, too, we are witnessing a struggle between a vision of India as a secular republic encompassing a vast diversity and a narrower, more exclusive, identity. There is a danger that both sides may settle for a transactional relationship, downplaying shared values and affinities. Criticism of Indian policies in European civil society, parliament and media may put Indian diplomacy on a defensive mode and prevent a confident leveraging of the substantial and mutual opportunities which are emerging in a changing global landscape. India has always supported and even cheered European unity because this would enable the EU to emerge as an independent pole in a multilateral order. This role has become even more important today and a strong India-EU partnership can help shape a more balanced, more democratic and peaceful international order with stronger multilateral institutions and multilateral processes to tackle global challenges. This is a relationship which has compelling logic. Shyam Saran is a former foreign secretary and a senior fellow, CPR The views expressed are personal The Supreme Court on Monday resumed its exercise of framing questions relating to discrimination against women in various religions and made clear that it was not discussing the issue of entry of women of all age groups into Sabarimala temple in Kerala. A nine-judge bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde has been hearing several senior lawyers on the issue of framing of larger legal questions to be deliberated upon by it relating to discrimination against women in various religions. "The Sabarimala review case is not before us. We are not deciding Sabarimala. We are deciding the larger questions," the bench said when senior advocates F S Nariman, Kapil Sibal, Shyam Divan and Rakesh Dwivedi opposed the hearing on the so-called larger issue relating to discrimination against women in various religions. A five-judge constitution bench, by a majority of 3:2 on November 14 last year, had referred to a larger bench the issue of discrimination against women in religions such as denial of entry of Muslim women into mosques, the practice of female genital mutilation in Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community and denial of right to Parsi women who have married outside their religion. At the outset, Nariman said the question whether women of all age groups can be allowed entry into the Sabarimala temple has been already decided by the Supreme Court in 2018 and the subsequent review has also been dealt with and hence, this cannot be adjudicated afresh. The bench, which also comprises justices R Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan, L Nageswara Rao, M M Shantanagoudar, S A Nazeer, R Subhash Reddy, B R Gavai and Surya Kant, said that it will also consider the objection of Nariman as one of the issues. Nariman said the apex court cannot club other issues with Sabarimala and it cannot frame questions in a review and bring in new issues. "Scope of review is very restricted. This will set a new precedent. How can you think about other issues in a review?" he said. To this, the CJI said, "No. We will not be deciding these issues. We will only interpret articles involved in these cases." Another senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the All India Muslim Personal Board, said that though Muslim women are allowed entry into the mosque, the issue of essential religious practice is broad enough to be decided by this court. The Article 25 and 26 (fundamental rights to religion) of the Constitution are part of the fundamental rights which are enforceable against state action, he said. "A lot of petitions have been filed saying Nikah Halala is bad. Somebody is saying polygamy is bad. How the bench will decide the issue," Sibal said. To this, the bench said, "That is why we have set up a nine-judge bench. That is why we are hearing you." The bench said it was only going to decide the interpretation of those articles which have been invoked in Sabarimala. During the hearing, which is still continuing, Sibal asked, "How do you interpret Article 21 (right to life or personal liberty), 17 (abolition of untouchability) and 14 (equality before law)? Any statement that you make will impact everyone across the country. It will impact the caste system. How do you decide?" He further said these are the matters which will have an impact across the country and all religious denominations. The apex court on January 13 has asked four senior lawyers to convene a meeting to decide on the issues to be deliberated by it in the matter. While referring the matter to a larger bench, a five-judge bench on November 14 last year said the debate on the constitutional validity of religious practices such as a bar on the entry of women and girls into a place of worship was not limited to the Sabarimala case. It had said such restrictions were there with regard to the entry of Muslim women into mosques and dargahs, and Parsi women, married to non-Parsi men, from entering the holy fire place of an agiary. It set out seven questions of law to be examined by the larger bench. They include the interplay between freedom of religion under articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, need to delineate the expression "constitutional morality", the extent to which courts can enquire into particular religious practices, meaning of sections of Hindus under Article 25 and whether "essential religious practices" of a denomination or section thereof are protected under Article 26. While the five-judge bench unanimously agreed to refer religious issues to a larger bench, it gave a 3:2 split verdict on petitions seeking a review of the apex court's September 2018 decision, allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala shrine in Kerala. A majority verdict by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices A M Khanwilkar and Indu Malhotra decided to keep the pleas seeking a review of its decision regarding entry of women into the shrine pending and said restrictions on women at religious places were not limited to Sabarimala alone and were prevalent in other religions as well. The minority verdict by justices R F Nariman and D Y Chandrachud gave a dissenting view by dismissing all the review pleas and directing compliance of its September 28, 2018 decision. By a 4:1 majority verdict, the apex court had lifted the ban that prevented women and girls between the age of 10 and 50 years from entering the famous Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala and held that the centuries-old Hindu religious practice was illegal and unconstitutional. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An NBC News analyst reportedly overheard former Secretary of State John Kerry discussing the possibility of throwing his hat into the 2020 race for president out of concerns over Sen. Bernie Sanders rise in the polls. Kerry reportedly said Sunday that he was concerned about the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Partydown whole. NBC overheard Kerry while he was talking on the phone in the lobby of a Des Moines hotel one day before the Iowa caucuses. Maybe Im fucking deluding myself here, Kerry said, noting that he would have to step down from the board of Bank of America and no longer give paid speeches. Plus, donors would have to raise a couple of million, although he seemed optimistic about the chances because donors now have the reality of Bernie. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kerry, who is one of the most high-profile endorsers of former Vice President Joe Biden, vehemently denied he was thinking of running for president. Any report otherwise is fucking (or categorically) false, Kerry wrote on Twitter, adding that he is confident Biden will win the nomination. He later deleted that tweet and wrote another one that deleted the profanity. As I told the reporter, I am absolutely not running for President. Any report otherwise is categorically false. Ive been proud to campaign with my good friend Joe Biden, who is going to win the nomination, beat Trump, and make an outstanding president. John Kerry (@JohnKerry) February 2, 2020 Despite the denial, NBC notes that the fact he would even talk about the issue illustrates just how some of the big names in the Democratic Party are not really happy with the current crop of candidates as well as Sanders growing position in the primary race. It also suggests Kerry may be concerned about Bidens chances to win the nomination. A CBS News poll released Sunday showed Biden and Sanders are tied at 25 percent for the first choice among likely caucusgoers. A Queensland tourism boss is demanding an unprecedented response to help the industry survive the savage effects of Australia's bushfire crisis and coronavirus travel bans. The virus outbreak, which has shut down arrivals from China, has so far cost Cairns and Great Barrier Reef operators 25,000 direct bookings worth $10 million. Great Barrier Reef tour operators are among those in the sector to take a hit from the coronavirus outbreak and recent bushfires (file image). Credit:Ron and Valerie Taylor That's on the back of a 60 to 70 per cent drop in international visitors in January, fuelled by the false perception that the entire nation was on fire. With no end in sight to Australia's coronavirus travel bans the same is forecast for February, a time of year when Chinese visitors typically pump $25 million a month into the regional economy. Joe Biden said Sunday that Republicans and Donald Trump are scared to take him on in the general elections in November. 'I've never seen a sitting president and his allies this frightened about who may be the nominee,' Biden told the Des Moines Register over the weekend. His comments came after Republican Senator Joni Ernst predicted earlier in the day Sunday that if Biden was victorious in his presidential run, the GOP would waste no time in impeaching him. Biden, 77, said he has never met Ernst, 49, but claimed, 'She just reinforces everything that was the reason why the president was being impeached: They very much don't want to face me obviously.' Joe Biden claimed Sunday that Republicans are 'frightened' he could become the Democratic nominee The comments came after Iowa Senator Joni Ernst said Republicans could jump on the opportunity to impeach Biden should he become president The former vice president also asserted in an interview that aired Monday morning that the only thing 'wrong' with his son's position on a Ukrainian natural gas firm was that it 'sets a bad image' "It's a good thing that no one's found anything wrong with his dealing with Ukraine except they say it sets a bad image," says former Vice President Joe Biden on his son's dealings with Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/9SLk62WPCK TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 3, 2020 The articles of impeachment abuse of power and obstruction of Congress stemmed from Trump's all with his Ukrainian counterpart, where he urged him to launch a potential corruption investigation into Biden and his son Hunter. Democrats claim this move was made in an attempt by Trump to harm his political opponent's chance and influence the 2020 elections in his own favor. But Biden said in a Today Show interview that aired Monday morning that the investigation was unable to unearth anything that he or his son did wrong in regards to Ukraine. 'It's a good thing that no one's found anything wrong with his dealing with Ukraine except they say it sets a bad image,' Biden told NBC's Savannah Guthrie. Biden then charged the reporter with not knowing what she's talking about. 'Do you think it was wrong from him to take that position' 'No,' he prematurely answered. 'knowing that it was really because that company wanted access to you?' Guthrie finished her question. 'Well that's not true. You're saying things you do not know what you're talking about. No one said that. Who said that? Who said that?' Biden lashed back. 'Don't you think that it's just one of those things where people think, 'Well that seems kind of sleazy. Why would he have that job if not for who his father was?' Guthrie pushed. 'He's a very bright guy,' Biden pushed back, but admitted he could see the 'appearance' was off. 'Well, he said he regretted having done it,' Biden continued of his son. 'Speak for himself. He's a grown man.' Biden said Today reporter Savannah Guthrie (right) didn't know what she was talking about when she asked if the move for his son to take the board position was 'sleazy' Hunter Biden (pictured) took a job on the board of a Ukrainian natural energy firm in 2014 while his father was still vice president Biden has come under scrutiny following revelations of Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelesnky. Trump insists nothing improper was discussed on the call, and instead says he was urging the Eastern European country to investigate potential corruption stemming from Hunter Biden's past board position with Ukrainian natural gas firm, Burisma Holdings. Hunter assumed the post in 2014, when his father was still serving as Barack Obama's vice president. He left the firm in 2019. Despite never meeting, Ernst, an Iowa senator, and Biden have been sparring all week. Despite never meeting, the Iowa senator and former vice president have been sparring all week. 'I think this door of impeachable whatever has been opened,' Ernst told Bloomberg News in the interview Sunday morning. 'Joe Biden should be very careful what he's asking for because, you know, we can have a situation where if it should ever be President Biden, that immediately, people, right the day after he would be elected would be saying, 'Well, we're going to impeach him,' she continued. Her comments came a day before the state she represents in the U.S. Senate Iowa will hold the first-in-the-nation caucus Monday. Biden admitted in his Today interview that the caucus results weren't clinched. 'I think it's going to be very close,' he told Guthrie. A senior adviser to Ernst, Brook Ramlet, clarified Sunday that the senator did not feel Biden should be impeached if he becomes president, but was making a hypothetical point about the politicalization of impeachment. Last week, Ernst said that she's 'really interested to see how this discussion today informs and influences the Iowa caucus voters.' She was specifically referencing the impeachment proceedings. 'Those Democratic caucusgoers, will they be supporting Vice President Biden at this point?' she questioned at the time. But Biden said in his interview Sunday that he doesn't believe Ernst's comments or others like it will stop him from succeeding if he is chosen as the Democratic nominee. 'There is an appetite, but not the Joni Ernsts of the world,' he said. 'There's some that are just beyond the pale, but I think there are at least a dozen Republicans who know we have to do something about health care, at least a dozen of them know we have to do something about keeping prescription drug prices down, know we have to do something about increasing access to education and so on,' Biden continued. While campaigning in Iowa ahead of the caucus, Biden received some the loudest applause of the week when he told attendees they could 'Ruin Joni Ernst's night' by caucusing for him. 'Did anyone see what Sen. Joni Ernst said yesterday?' Biden asked supporters Tuesday in Muscatine, Iowa. 'She spilled the beans.' Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders has emerged in pre-Iowa caucus polls as the Party's frontrunner in the first-in-then-nation primary competition. Biden admits that the caucus will be 'very close' The clash comes also at a time when Biden continues to slip in the polls and Bernie Sanders has emerged as the favored Democratic candidate in Iowa. A New York Times poll released Sunday showed Biden, once a far-ahead frontrunner, tied with Sanders, and a Real Clear Politics average has Sanders with 24.2 per cent support from Iowans while Biden holds 20.2 per cent. Biden, however, still coasting on the wings of his ties to Trump's predecessor, assured supporters in his interview Monday morning that caucusing or voting for him in the primary would essentially extend Obama's presidency into a third term. 'Pete Buttigieg says you represent an old playbook and nominating you is a risky choice?' Guthrie said, referencing comments made by the former South Bend, Indiana Mayor who is the youngest Democratic candidate. 'If this were a third term for Barack Obama would he say it's a risky choice?' Biden posed in response. 'Is that how you see it?' Guthrie asked. 'No my point is I see it as moving on from what we started,' he clarified. Morocco has reiterated its firm support for the Palestinian cause and for a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, meeting the Palestinian peoples claims. This came during the emergency meeting of the Arab League held in Cairo, on February 1, where Morocco was represented by Junior Foreign Minister Mohcine Jazouli. Morocco supports a just and lasting solution that will satisfy Palestinian claims, he said, adding that the resolution of the Palestinian issue is the key to stability in the Middle-East. Morocco maintains that the solution should guarantee the legitimate rights of Palestinians to achieve an independent and sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital, he insisted. The solution should also allow the people of the region to live in dignity, prosperity, and stability, Jazouli stressed. Jazouli who pointed out that Morocco will examine very carefully the US-brokered peace plan unveiled on January 28 as the Deal of the Century, and that the kingdom acknowledges US efforts to resolve the conflict, made it clear that Morocco insists that Jerusalems status needs to be preserved. The final decision must be discussed between the parties in accordance with international legality, he said. In a statement issued at the end of its emergency meeting, the Arab League rejected the US-brokered peace plan, stressing that this unilateral plan does not meet the fundamental rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people and is at odds with international peace standards and UN resolutions. The Arab States also agreed not to cooperate with the US administration to implement this plan, which is a new setback for the peace efforts that have been going on for three decades, and insisted that the two-state solution needs to include a Palestinian state based on ante-1967 war borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, the statement added. They reiterated that the Arab peace initiative endorsed in 2002 remains the only acceptable solution for the Arab world. The Arab peace initiative calls for normalizing relations between Arab states and Israel, in exchange for a full withdrawal by Israel from the occupied territories, including East Al-Quds (Jerusalem), and a just settlement of the Palestinian refugee problem, in accordance with Resolution 194 of the UN General Assembly. They also called on the international community to stand against any measure taken by the Israeli occupation, adding that the new American plan is inappropriate for achieving a just and lasting peace since it constitutes a new setback for the efforts that have been going on for three decades. The Council of the Arab League has also expressed its full support for the struggle of the Palestinian people and their national leaders, headed by President Mahmoud Abba French President Emmanuel Macron met up with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda in Warsaw this Monday, beginning a two-day official visit to the country in a bid to solidify ties with the right-leaning government, but also questioned recent changes to its judiciary. I spoke with President Duda with the honesty we owe each other as European partners, about the concerns that the ongoing reforms of the judicial system have given rise to, said Macron, referring to changes that would bring the judiciary under political control. The right-wing ruling Law and Justice party broke EU law, according to a ruling by the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice last November, when it changed the retirement age for judges from 67 to a lower age, depending on whether the judge was male or female. Polish magistrates say this was a way to replace impartial judges with loyalists to the Law and Justice party. I wish for the dialogue with the European Commission to intensify in coming weeks because I know that the values of freedom and justice are ingrained in Poland and throughout its history, added Macron. According to RFI correspondent Gulliver Cragg in Warsaw, Macron has been very vocal on Polands backsliding on the rule of law. Since coming to power in 2015, the ruling Law and Justice party in Poland has pursued a series of reforms that the EU Commission and various legal experts see as giving the government full control over the courts, says Cragg. This destroys the separation of political and judicial power, which underpins liberal democracy, he added. Solidifying European solidarity Although Macron has previously been critical of the Polish government, he made a point of saying he would like this visit to be a turning point in bilateral relations. France has repeatedly called for talks with Russia on its seizure of the Crimean Peninsula, while Poland has pushed for sanctions against Russia. Story continues France is pro-European, said Macron. It is not in our interest to have a situation where we dont face up to our relationship with Russia, letting unresolved conflicts pile up and misunderstandings persist, he added. Given the hole in EU solidarity with the departure of Britain, Macron is looking towards reviviving a former tripartite alliance within the EU, composed of France, Germany and Poland. On Tuesday, Macron will go to Krakow to visit Wawel Castle and give a speech at Jagielloian University on European values. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are locked in an Irish general election battle to hold the centre ground in the Republic's politics as Sinn Fein's support grows. Both parties have been caught off guard by the shock rise in support for Sinn Fein as the campaign enters its final week. Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe insisted he was "not giving up or giving in on the centre" but said he would have to "fight" to ensure it holds. "We have to continue to change the political centre to make sure it works for more people," he said. Meanwhile, senior figures in Fine Gael are warning the party needs to significantly change its strategy to focus on Sinn Fein's policies rather than dismiss it as not being a normal party. However, opinions are divided in the party as other senior ministers believe attacking Sinn Fein is driving voters towards Fianna Fail. "A number of people have told the Taoiseach every time you take on the Shinners it plays into [Micheal] Martin's hands," a senior Fine Gael source said. Fianna Fail will tell voters supporting them is the only way to keep Sinn Fein out of power. "We will tell voters that if they vote for Mary Lou they could be putting Marxists like Ruth Coppinger and Richard Boyd Barrett in government," a senior party source said. Yesterday, at a campaign event, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said a Business Post/Red C opinion poll which had her party neck and neck with Fianna Fail showed the "energy and momentum for Sinn Fein and for change". The poll puts Sinn Fein on 24%, up 3% on the previous week. It has Fianna Fail down two points to 24%, while Fine Gael is down two points to 21%. "The best possible outcome from this election is a government without Fianna Fail or Fine Gael. The worst outcome for us is a government of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael working together," she said. Sinn Fein officially requested RTE to include Ms McDonald in the final live televised debate of the campaign which takes place tomorrow night. RTE's election coverage steering committee will meet this morning to consider the request. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin yesterday said they had no objection to Ms McDonald being included in the debate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the protests against the new citizenship law in Shaheen Bagh and other areas here are not a coincidence but an "experiment" and a political conspiracy to destroy the country's harmony, as he accused the AAP and the Congress of fuelling the stir for vote bank Addressing his first rally here ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls on February 8 at Karkardooma, the prime minister referred to his government's initiatives for the city and for the country, made promises and also put the spotlight on the ongoing protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Alleging that the protests in Shaheen Bagh--the epicentre of the stir in Delhi-- and other parts of the national capital are not "coincidental" but "experimental", he said Delhi's ruling AAP and the Congress were provoking people and misinforming them and asked voters to back the BJP because Delhi could not be left to anarchy. The two parties were keeping the Constitution and tricolour in the forefront, but the aim was to "divert attention from the real conspiracy", Modi said in his nearly one-hour-long speech in Karkardooma in East Delhi. The people of Delhi are quiet and they are angry watching this vote bank politics, he said. "If the strength of those plotting a conspiracy increases, then another road or lane will be blocked. We can't leave Delhi to such anarchy. Only people of Delhi can stop this. Every vote given to the BJP can do this," he said. "Be it Seelampur, Jamia (Nagar) or Shaheen Bagh, for the last several days, there have been protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Are these protests coincidental? No, this is not coincidental, it is an experiment," he added. Behind the protests, Modi said, is a political design aimed at destroying the national harmony. "In the India of 21st century, of hate will not work. Only of development will," he added. Referring to the protests in Shaheen Bagh, on the Delhi-Noida border, he said people commuting to and from the satellite city are facing a lot of problems. The Shaheen Bagh protests are at the centre of the BJP poll campaign with the top party leadership raking it up in every rally. The BJP has also accused the AAP of supporting the protests at Shaheen Bagh. Modi said the Supreme Court and the High Court have expressed their dissatisfaction over the violence during protests and the destruction of property. "But these people don't care about courts. They don't accept what the court says and talk about the Constitution," he said. In December, several parts of the national capital witnessed widespread protests against the amended citizenship act. Modi also took a swipe at the Congress, saying those who questioned the Batla House encounter in the capital are now saving those who raised 'tukde tukde' slogans. Two Indian Mujahideen(IM) terrorists were killed and two were arrested in the encounter at Batla House in Jamia Nagar area on September 19, 2008. A Delhi Police inspector, who was injured in the encounter, also died. Modi also slammed the AAP and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and said they questioned the Army on surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir(POK) in 2016. Modi listed out a series of measures taken by his government to address the issues of the national capital, touching on national issues like the revocation of special provisions of Article 370, construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya and bringing in the CAA for persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, saying these were unaddressed issues for decades but previous governments did not work on it. "Our Opposition says Modi ji why are you working so fast, why are you taking such big decisions. But, the problems of many decades need to be solved for the country to move faster. This is what people of the country want and this is the mandate which we are following," he stated. Seeking to reach out to traders and the common man, he also detailed steps in the budget for them, specially the relief in income tax to salaried class and various measures to boost MSME sector, skill development, exports and creating infrastructure. "Industrial expansion and creating job opportunities are directly linked to infrastructure," he said. Modi said his government was finding solutions to decades-old problems affecting the country and cited the regularisation of unauthorised colonies to assert that the BJP had fulfilled its promise to the people of Delhi. The move is expected to benefit over 40 lakh residents of the national capital. "We delivered on our promise to people of Delhi that we will regularise unauthorised colonies," Modi said. Modi also accused Kejriwal of playing politics over health and housing by not implementing the central government's flagship schemes Ayushmaan Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. The prime minister also hit out at the ruling AAP in Delhi, accusing it of showing "bias" towards Purvanchalis and Biharis. "Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that buses from Patna are not allowed in Delhi. They said Purvanchalis from Bihari buy Rs 500 ticket to come to Delhi for Rs 5 lakh treatment. People from Bihar are doing their best in the country. Such hatred towards them pains us. This reflects on their mindset." The Kejriwal-led party will continue to stall welfare schemes for people if it is voted back to power, he said. Referring to rule of Congress and AAP in Delhi in past 20 years, the prime minister stated, "For 20 years you faced much problems and witnessed misery in Delhi. So, its necessary that BJP comes to power." He also promised that the BJP-led Central government will provide 'pucca' houses to all poor families by 2022. The BJP, he added, believes in positivity and the interest of the country is supreme for the party. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Anil Kapoor is possibly one of Bollywood's youngest-looking actors, and he will be seen playing a cop in the upcoming movie Malang, which he is busy promoting nowadays. In a recent interview, Anil talked about his role in the film and how other films where he has played a cop, have influenced his performance in this movie. He also spoke about how it felt to play the role of a police officer. Reuters During his interaction with the media, Anil Kapoor said that Ardh Satya was one of his favourite cop films, in which Om Puri did a brilliant job. "When I saw that film, I was completely shaken. Om Saheb played the role of a police officer in a great manner. It is also chained after this. I also like the character of the police officer I played in Ram Lakhan. He remains a character who aspires to be rich and for this he is ready to break all the rules and regulations." He also mentioned other actors who played cop roles, There is Ajay (actor) who played a cop in Singham, Salman (actor) in Dabangg. When this police role was offered to me, first I said 'let me do this role because I have already played a cop before'. There is a tendency of people saying that You are playing a cop again," he told the media. Reuters Anil is of the opinion that a cop is something that you can play again and again. He shared an example from the Hollywood industry and said Clint Eastwood has played so many of these roles like in Dirty Harry. Talking about the cop he plays in the movie Malang, Anil said, It is a pretty dark role. I have not played such a dark character. I wanted to be a little more fun and watchable also as the film is a commercial film. I have tried to make it as interesting as I could. The making of his look for the movie: Instagram-Malangfilm A lot of the time actors do not have a say in what their character in a movie looks like; however, that was not the case here. Talking about his look, Anil Kapoor said, "Yes, it is a collaborative look. Mohit wanted an all-black look but I said No. I am playing a cop so it might not look real. It might look slightly stylised. Then I added the cop shirt. The red glasses were Mohits idea. The tattoo was also his idea, he added. While the film's director Mohit Suri had a fair idea of how he wanted Anil to look, the latter made the look his own with his inputs. Anil further added, There is a lot of anger which the character has towards the department, the system and a lot of anger towards Goa. The character feels that Goa is not the way it used to be. Keeping all those things in mind, I thought my hair and all should be disheveled and he is 50 plus, so he should look like he is 50 plus. I have grey hair. I said Let me leave my real grey hair, which you see in the film. Its not artificial. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 22:18:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA) on Monday called on African countries to craft development strategies that prioritize and promote a sustainable blue economy, green growth and smart cities. "Digital technologies are propelling us into the fourth industrial revolution," the ECA said in a statement issued Monday, while emphasizing that "anthropogenic carbon emissions are changing our climate, triggering atypical fluctuations in weather conditions globally such as rises in temperature and increased risks of flood, drought and agricultural shocks." "The result of this is a world that requires new strategies if development is to continue," it argued. Noting industrialization to have been the major catalyst behind economies of the world's developed countries, the ECA also stressed that the traditional route to development is changing due to developments in digital technologies across the globe. "Sustainability must be recognized and affirmed as central to sustainable development. African development strategies in this changing world must account for a sustainable blue economy, green growth and smart cities," the ECA stressed. The ECA's call came ahead of the upcoming high-level continental economic conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development on the state of sustainable industrialization and diversification of Africa, with particular emphasis given to developments in the digital era. The conference of African finance ministers, which is part of the 53rd session of the Economic Commission for Africa, will be held under the theme "Africa's Sustainable Industrialization and Diversification in the Digital Era" from March 18 to 24 in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, the ECA announced on Monday. According to the ECA, this year's edition of the conference of African ministers, among other things, will deliberate on digitization and its impacts, including the challenges and the means through which it is forcing a character makeover of the technology industry. "The focus will be on how digitization is opening up opportunities in agriculture, services and clean energy, and how these can help spur the processes of industrialization and diversification, while providing options for adapting to climate change, including methods to ensure resilience," the statement read. The discussions at the upcoming high-level ministerial meeting also expected to highlight Africa's endowment of clean energy potential, as well as the risks of expensive environmental damage, it was noted. "The conference presents a call for action, and a chance for us all to take an active part in ensuring that Africa prepares adequately for the world ahead," the ECA said. With the spring semester now underway, students within Central Michigan University's health professions programs now will attend their classes in a high-tech new facility. The recently-completed Center for Integrated Health Studies was opened to students when the Spring 2020 semester began in January. Tom Masterson, dean of the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions, believes the addition of the new facility will make his college the "premier" institution of its kind in Michigan, and will serve the faster-than-average job growth in the field of health professions. "There's a shortage of healthcare providers in the state of Michigan -- and really everywhere -- and we're doing our best to try and increase the number of qualified health professionals that are out there for employment," Masterson said. "In particularly, we're trying to get physician assistants and physical therapists to increase their classes so there will be more of them locally. We've typically determined that if you teach these students here, they tend to go back to their homes, and a lot of times that's rural, underserved parts of Michigan, which might be lacking in the services." Construction on the center, which adds about 50,000 square-feet of space to CMU's Health Professions Building, began in March 2018. The $26 million construction project was partially funded by a $19.5 million investment from the State of Michigan in 2016. "It took us five years to build it, and now that its here, it's truly to field of dreams -- when you see this thing, you're going to want to come here to be a health professions student at CMU," Masterson said. A large part of the project was the expansion of the lab space for physician assistant and physical therapist programs, Masterson said, which now allow students in those programs to train with "state-of-the-art" equipment in facilities twice the size of what was previously available to them. In the past, students in the programs often had travel to Midland and pay to use the MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland's facilities, or sometimes use spare facilities from CMU's College of Medicine. One the facility's new features that Masterson is most proud of is the installation of the Interprofessional Education and Practice Center, a 6,000 square-foot education space in the building's second floor. Under the supervision of director Amy Malheim, students can make use of a two-room simulation suite equipped with five high-tech clinical mannequins. The space also houses eight patient exam rooms designed for observation and feedback for students to "role play" medical scenarios. "I'm really excited about it -- this place has so many different possibilities within," Malheim said. "It's so flexible, and it's really a great addition to health care at this college." The center also has an 150-seat auditorium for large lecturers and special events, something the Health Professions Building did not have pre-expansion. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion curated for you. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. Take a dip in Yamuna like PM Modi and CM Yogi: Shah challenges Kejriwal in rally Home Minister Amit Shah challenged Kejriwal to take a dip in the Yamuna, since he claims his government has cleaned the river. BJP joined hands with separatists: Uddhav in sharp attack on estranged ally Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has lashed out again at its estranged ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the break-up of ties and not honouring the promise made over equal sharing of the chief ministership. ICAI CA foundation, intermediate result 2019 soon: Heres how to check ICAI Chartered Accountants Intermediate (Old Course & New Course) and Foundation Examination result is expected to be declared on Monday, February 3, 2020. The examination was held in November 2019. Karan Johar was asked about not indulging in Islamophobia in Takht, says History wrote this story, Im only telling it Director Karan Johar has said that his upcoming historical drama, Takht, will be sensitive towards religions across the world. Sara Ali Khan, Alaya F, Ananya Panday: Best and worst dressed Bollywood celebrities this week Millennials like Sara Ali Khan, Alaya F and Ananya Panday deserve special mention. Sara is busy promoting the sequel to Love Aaj Kal along with Kartik Aaryan, while Alaya has been promoting her debut film, Jawaani Jaaneman, along with Saif Ali Khan and Tabu. India vs New Zealand: With Rohit Sharma injured, 4 possible replacements for India in ODI and Test squad In this article we take a look at the possible candidates who who will be named as replacements for Indias premier batsman in both ODIs as well as Test matches. Skoda likely to unveil its Made for India concept compact SUV VISION IN today Skoda is likely to unveil its Made in India concept compact SUV - VISION IN - today, just days before the Auto Expo 2020 kicks off. Coronavirus to hurt Apples supply chain, shipments in Q1, says analyst Kuo Experts are of the view that Apple and other technology firms will bear the brunt of Coronavirus outbreak in China, which is also the hub of manufacturing for companies around the world. People expose eyes to phones flash for TikTok challenge. Its dangerous A TikTok challenge with a potentially dangerous outcome has taken over the platform and its something no one should try. She's never been shy in flaunting her curves in an array of swimwear and lingerie on Instagram. And Lauren Goodger displayed her jaw-dropping curves and incredibly pert posterior once again as she sunbathed in Marbella. The former TOWIE star, 33, set pulses racing as slipped into a tiny aqua-coloured bikini top with purple detailing, which accentuated her ample cleavage. Sun-soaked: Lauren Goodger displayed her jaw-dropping curves once again as she sunbathed in Marbella She teamed the item of swimwear with a pair of matching skimpy bottoms, which showcased her peachy posterior as she pulled herself out of her hotel's swimming pool. Lauren looked every inch the holiday babe as she left her brunette locks loose after her cooling dip and sported a glamorous beauty look. Ensuring she looked glamorous while sunbathing, Lauren added a pair of oversized black sunglasses and a gold watch. Lauren knew how to work her best angles during her getaway as she posed up a storm, showing off her incredible curves. Shore looking good: The former TOWIE star, 33, set pulses racing as slipped into a tiny aqua-coloured bikini top with purple detailing, which accentuated her ample cleavage Looking rear-ly good: She teamed the item of swimwear with a pair of matching skimpy bottoms, which showcased her peachy posterior as she pulled herself out of her hotel's swimming pool With her curves causing such a stir, it is little wonder fan have raised the question about surgical enhancements - however she has always defiantly insisted her derriere is all natural. Lauren's holiday comes after she was criticised for filming herself behind the wheel in a recent Instagram post. The star took to Instagram to share two videos in the front seat of her car. In the short first clip, Lauren posed and pouted for the camera while singing to music, with her arm outstretched on what appeared to be the steering wheel. Mane attraction: Lauren looked every inch the holiday babe as she left her brunette locks loose after her cooling dip All in the details: Ensuring she looked glamorous while sunbathing, Lauren added a pair of oversized black sunglasses and a gold watch Lauren flitted between staring at the road and the camera as she posed and pouted before mouthing the words from the song. A second video showed the star wearing sunglasses and once more filming herself singing. In this clip, the reflection of her hands on her steering wheel could be seen in her sunglasses, confirming she was filming while driving along a road. Using a mobile phone while driving is against the law in the UK, and is punishable by six penalty points on a licence and a 200 fine. Glam: Lauren sported a glamorous beauty look, despite spending a day in the pool Flaunt it: The former TOWIE star accentuated her golden glow as she stood at the water's edge Lauren's representative declined to comment when approached by MailOnline. Last week Lauren suffered more vehicle drama as she returned from a trip to the salon to discover her 43,000 Mercedes had been clamped. The star was spotted returning to her matte black Mercedes Coupe SUV to see it had been hit with a warning notice, but later clarified on Instagram it was an error and the clamp had since been been removed. Onlookers said that the agent went into the salon to inform Lauren her car had been clamped, and she sent a pal to remove the notice. Oh dear: Lauren risked a driving ban as she filmed herself behind the wheel of her car while driving Hmm: In the short first clip, Lauren posed and pouted for the camera while singing to music, with her arm outstretched on what appeared to be the steering wheel Eventually it was clarified that the clamping was a mistake, and it was removed so Lauren could drive home, with the star confirming the mix-up on Instagram. A representative for the star told MailOnline: 'Laurens car was clamped in error yesterday and after speaking to an enforcement agent he happily removed the clamp and explained to the three paparazzi waiting for her it was in error.' Taking to Instagram Stories Laura also wrote: 'Only I could get me car mistaken for someone else's and be clamped!!!! Happy Friday... 'To the person always remember to pay your fines.' The novel coronavirus outbreak, which originated from China, was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organisation last week. Since then, countries have heightened their health security surveillances, especially at the borders and various points of entries. This has become necessary as the fast spread of the coronavirus is becoming alarming. The disease was first thought to be transmitted from animals to humans, however, research has confirmed that human to human transmission is possible. As at Sunday, the disease has been transported to about 24 countries. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said it is closely monitoring the ongoing outbreak and has developed a guide with answers to frequently asked questions. What is the novel coronavirus? Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are normally transmitted between animals and people. The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans. It was first detected on January 7, 2020 in Wuhan, China. Some coronaviruses can be transmitted from person-to-person, usually after close contact with an infected patient, for example, in a household or healthcare setting. For this novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), while most initial transmission appeared to be zoonotic, person-to-person transmission has been confirmed. What is the source of 2019-nCoV? Scientists and public health officials are working hard to identify the source of the 2019-nCoV. Coronaviruses can be transmitted between animals and people, or from person-to-person. For this novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), the initial transmission appeared to be from an animal source, but person- to-person transmission has occurred. What is the risk of the virus coming to Nigeria? The risk assessment conducted by WHO places the country at High Risk, meaning that there is a high chance of an infected person (traveller) coming into Nigeria. Has anyone in Nigeria (been) infected? Till date, there is no confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in Nigeria. What is Nigeria doing to prevent the disease from entering the country? The Nigerian government is closely monitoring the ongoing coronavirus outbreak which originated in Wuhan, China. A multi-sectoral Coronavirus Preparedness Group has been established at NCDC. The Coronavirus Preparedness Group meets daily to carry out regular epidemic intelligence gathering. Since the beginning of the outbreak in China, NCDC has shared public health advisories to guide Nigerians on what to do in the event of an outbreak. The Port Health Services Division of the Department of Public Health has heightened screening at the ports of entry, especially for travellers with a travel history to China. The NCDC has established a standard case definition for novel coronavirus and circulated it to State Ministries of Health, health facilities and all relevant stakeholders to guide detection and response. Does Nigeria have the capacity to diagnose 2019-nCoV? Advertisements The NCDC National Reference Laboratory has the capacity to diagnose the 2019-nCoV. Health officials are advised to call 07032864444 for sample transportation and related advice if they have a case that fits the case-definition. Where are the treatment centres in Nigeria? NCDC is currently preparing treatment and isolation facilities in the Federal Capital Territory and seven other priority states in Nigeria. They are: Lagos, Akwa-Ibom, Rivers, Enugu, Delta, Cross River, and Kano states. Can I travel to China from Nigeria? The World Health Organisation has not placed any travel or trade restrictions on China. However, it is advised that only essential travel is made at this time. What should I do when I return to Nigeria from China? If you have travelled from Wuhan or any other province in China to Nigeria in the last 14 days, you should stay indoors and avoid contact with other people. Please follow this advice even if you do not have symptoms of the virus. What number(s) can I call if there is an emergency? Please call NCDC Toll-free Number: 0800-970000-10 SMS: 08099555577, WhatsApp: 07087110839 Who should call these numbers? Any person that has returned from China within the last 14 days and has the following symptoms- fever, cough, difficulty with breathing, close contact with a confirmed case of 2019-nCoV virus, and those who have visited a healthcare facility where hospital-associated 2019-nCoV infections have been reported. What are the symptoms of 2019-nCoV? The symptoms of the 2019-nCoV are: Cough, fever, breathing difficulties that are not explained by any other illness. Unwell people who are immunocompromised and have recently travelled to China should be examined promptly by their physician, regardless of the type of illness they have. How do people become infected with this virus? People get infected by the virus when it is transmitted from animals to humans, or person-to-person. Investigations are underway to determine the source of the virus, the types of exposure that lead to infection, the mode of transmission, and the clinical pattern and course of disease. Can the virus be transmitted from person to person? There is evidence of person-to-person transmission in 2019 n-CoV outbreak. Is there a vaccine for 2019-nCoV? No vaccine is currently available to protect against infection from 2019 n-CoV. Does treatment exist for 2019-nCoV? There is no specific treatment yet for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. However, many of the symptoms can be managed. Therefore, treatment is based on the patients clinical condition. Supportive care for infected persons can be highly effective. Do people recover from the 2019-nCoV infection? From current evidence about 98 persons out of 100 persons with the disease recover, and it appears that death is a not the most common outcome. Most deaths have occurred in patients with underlying health issues. Am I at risk of catching 2019-nCoV from a package or products that arrive from China? Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of 2019-nCoV associated with imported goods or packages from China and there has been no known case of 2019-nCoV in Nigeria, associated with imported goods. What about animals or animal products imported from China? The NCDC does not have any evidence to suggest that animals or animal products imported from China pose a risk for spreading 2019-nCoV in Nigeria. This is a rapidly evolving situation and information will be updated as it becomes available. Is there anything a person can do to avoid becoming infected? To reduce the risk of infection or spread of 2019-nCov3, members of the public are advised to adhere to the following hand and respiratory hygiene measures: Wash your hands regularly with soap under running water and use hand sanitisers frequently. Cover your mouth and nose properly with tissue paper when sneezing and/or coughing and immediately dispose of the tissue in a covered waste bin. After this, wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitiser. You may also cough into your elbow if a disposable tissue is not available. You are strongly advised not to re-use handkerchiefs. If you become sick while travelling, you should avoid close contact with other people whileyou are symptomatic and cover your mouth and nose with a face mask. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing. Healthcare workers are always advised to observe standard infection prevention and control measures when attending to patients and take a travel history. Travellers from China, who show no symptoms on arrival, but who have a fever and cough within 14 days of arrival in Nigeria, should contact NCDC on 0800-970000-10 Are health workers at risk of 2019-nCoV? Yes. Transmission has occurred in health care facilities, including spread from patients to health care providers. WHO recommends that health care workers consistently apply appropriate infection prevention and control measures. Is 2019-nCoV like SARS? SARS is a coronavirus that was identified in 2003 and comes from the same family of coronaviruses as 2019-nCoV. However, although both viruses can cause severe disease, current information indicates that they have key differences. Most importantly, 2019-nCoV does not appear to transmit easily between people whereas the SARS virus was much more transmissible. What is WHO recommending that countries do? WHO encourages all Member States to enhance their surveillance for severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and to carefully review any unusual patterns of SARI or pneumonia cases. WHO urges Member States to notify or verify to WHO any probable or confirmed case of infection with 2019-nCoV. Note: This FAQ was developed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. For nearly two years, Moscow has been facing an inevitable choice between Ankara and Damascus in Syrias rebel-held province of Idlib, the consequences of which will bear directly on the Turkish-Russian alignment in recent years, which has been shaped by the strongman brotherhood between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Developments in Idlib over the past several weeks signal that Moscow is opting for Damascus at the expense of losing Ankara in northwestern Syria. Regime forces, backed by Russian air power, have stepped up their attacks on Idlib since early January, advancing both from the south of the province and western Aleppo. The escalating thrust is changing the military picture in the entire region to the west of the Euphrates, while putting Turkish-Russian ties to a serious test. On the southern front, the advance of the regime forces, aided by Russian warplanes and special forces, resulted Jan. 28 in the fall of Maaret al-Numan, an opposition stronghold of strategic and symbolic importance, considered the hub of armed Sunni resistance since 2011. Next in line in the south is the district of Saraqib. According to open sources, tank-supported Turkish mechanized units deployed in the town center Jan. 30, while setting up checkpoints on the M5 highway in the north and south of the district. Saraqib is emerging as the most critical spot in the arm wrestling between Ankara and Damascus in the coming days, as Ankara appears resolved to not concede Saraqib as easily as Maaret al-Numan. Meanwhile, pro-Iranian militia opened a new front in the area between western Aleppo and northwestern Idlib in early January, further turning up the pressure on Idlib city. The Russian-backed regime forces and the pro-Iranian militia will apparently try to unite the two fronts by April and take full control of the M4 highway to the south and the M5 highway to the east, which connects Aleppo to Damascus. For the Turkish-backed armed opposition, this would mean losing about 45% of the territory it currently controls in the Idlib region. On the morning of Feb. 1, fighters from the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) launched a counteroffensive from the south of al-Bab toward Aleppo. SNA factions in Afrin and the triangle between Jarablus, al-Rai and al-Bab, all under Turkish control, could mount further clashes with the regime forces to ease the pressure on Idlib. In other words, a continued regime offensive in Idlib could result in fighting spreading across northwestern Syria. Overnight on Feb. 1, however, Russian jets responded by bombing al-Bab, the first such attack since late 2017, signaling that Moscow will not allow the SNA to advance southward toward Aleppo. Around 600,000 civilians have already amassed at the Turkish border, and since Feb. 1, tens of thousands of others have sought to flee the Turkish-controlled areas in Afrin and the Jarablus/al-Rai/al-Bab triangle. If the current pace of regime operations continues, the number of civilians piled up on the Turkish border could reach 1 million by the end of February. Ankara had hoped that the Jan. 8 meeting between Erdogan and Putin in Istanbul would result in a cease-fire in Idlib, but in light of the developments since then, its hopes seem to be turning into a big disappointment. A Turkish bureaucrat, who requested anonymity, told Al-Monitor, We know that Putin personally promised Erdogan a cease-fire, but seemingly the Russian air force is either unaware that a cease-fire is in place or does not obey Putins calls. Until last week, Ankara was indeed inclined to believe that some sort of divergence existed between Putin and his military aides on the issue of Idlib. Erdogan repeatedly indicated he had trust that his personal relationship with Putin would resolve any problem on the ground. The pro-government media also disseminated that narrative by emphasizing Erdogans adroitness, while downplaying the role of the Russian air force in the massive, indiscriminate air raids on civilians and nonmilitary sites such as hospitals, schools and markets in and around Idlib. Since last week, however, the tone of both Erdogan and the pro-Erdogan media seems to be changing. In remarks to reporters Jan. 29, Erdogan slammed Russia directly for the first time, saying, Russia unfortunately has not been loyal to the Astana and Sochi agreements. Either [Russia] stops the bombings in Idlib or our patience is running out and we will do what is necessary from now on. Asked how the Astana process between Russia, Turkey and Iran would be affected, he said, There is no Astana process anymore. In further remarks a few days later, Erdogan warned that Turkey will not refrain from doing what is necessary, including the use of military force [in Idlib], asserting that any development in Syria was as important to Turkey as developments inside its own borders. We will not and cannot be a spectator to the situation in Idlib or other regions of Syria, he said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected Erdogans accusations, insisting that Russia fully complies with all obligations under the Sochi agreements regarding the Idlib zone. Nevertheless, Ankara and Moscow appear to be mutually losing interest in keeping up cease-fire and de-escalation efforts in Idlib. So what military moves could Turkey make to at least slow down the regime offensive? Ankaras first option is to seek military collaboration with the United States to the west of the Euphrates River. US Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters, commander of the US European Command and NATOs supreme allied commander-Europe, visited Ankara Jan. 30 for talks that focused on Syria. Sources in Ankara note that Wolters talks with Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Chief of General Staff Yasar Guler covered the west of the Euphrates as much as the east of the Euphrates, where the US military presence is concentrated. There is military logic, indeed, in Turkey moving closer to the United States should its rift with Russia in northwestern Syria deepen. Slowing down the Russian-backed regime forces in Idlib would serve US interests, too, because the longer Damascus remains busy in the northwest, the longer it will delay military moves into the northeast, especially the oil fields in Deir ez-Zor and Rmelan. As power dynamics shift from the negotiating table to the battlefield, another card for Ankara would be to supply more sophisticated weapons to the armed groups under its patronage. What the rebels need most are anti-tank guided missiles such as the AT-3 Sagger, AT-4 Spigot, AT-5 Spandrel and TOW. Better weather conditions will be a great advantage for the Russian-backed regime forces, after rain and fog often interrupted their ground offensives and air raids in December and January. Hence, they are expected to step up their offensives in the coming weeks. Anti-tank guided missiles would be a highly efficient weapon in impeding those offensives or making them costlier for the regime, even if not fully stopping them. Wary of angering Russia, Turkey has not kept its promise to provide anti-tank guided missiles to the SNA so far, causing resentment in rebel ranks that Turkey is not doing enough to help the defense of towns. In light of the recent developments, Ankara might slacken its commitments to Moscow to make the weapons available to the SNA. Meanwhile, four of Turkeys 12 military observation posts in the Idlib region remain besieged by regime forces. Five other outposts could be surrounded within weeks, if the regime offensives continue unabated. This makes the security of the outposts and logistics convoys all the more crucial. Their safety has been ensured by Russian military police so far, but continued effective protection from Moscow is rather doubtful now. Aware of the growing risks, the Turkish Defense Ministry declared Jan. 28 that any harassment would generate a military response. The warning suggests that Turkey is determined to keep its outposts in Idlib until an ultimate solution is found. The rebels might also get help to acquire man-portable short-range air defense systems not immediately, but rather as a last resort to weaken Russian-Syrian air dominance when the armed opposition in the northwest becomes desperately squeezed. Such weapons would give a most crucial capability to the rebels, with likely force-multiplying effects on the ground that Russia has experienced in the past. (Bloomberg) -- Russia may deport foreign citizens who are infected with the deadly new strain of coronavirus as part of a national plan against the outbreak signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. The government will also postpone the flagship Sochi Economic Forum due to be held Feb. 12-14 as a precaution, Mishustin said at a televised meeting with his deputies on Monday. Russia is taking all necessary measures to prevent the spread of the virus, and has sufficient medicines, he said. Foreigners traveling from China to Russia will be permitted to enter the country only at Moscows Sheremetyevo airport as of midnight, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova told reporters at a briefing later Monday. Still, theres no reason yet to declare an emergency over coronavirus, she said. Russia reported its first two cases of coronavirus on Friday after two Chinese nationals were diagnosed in Siberia. It has canceled nearly 200 flights to China and also mostly closed the land border with its giant neighbor for passenger traffic. Both patients are in a satisfactory condition and remain in isolation, public health chief Anna Popova said at the same briefing. More than 4,000 people who may have come into contact with others suspected of being exposed to coronavirus in China are being kept under observation, she said. Infection Control Infection control measures are being tightened at Sheremetyevos Terminal F, which is handling passengers on China flights, according to Popova. The restriction on entry from China for foreigners wont apply to citizens of the four other Eurasian Union member states -- Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan -- or to those foreigners with permanent residence in Russia, Golikova said. A temporary ban on imports of rare plants and animals from China is being imposed as part of precautions against the virus, Golikova said. Russias second-largest retailer, Magnit, said in a statement that its suspending fruit and vegetable shipments from China because of the coronavirus threat and complications in logistics. Chinese tomatoes, peppers, tangerines, grapes and pomelo accounted for about 3% of Magnits fruit and vegetable sales last year. Story continues The countrys biggest food retailer, X5, said in an email that its looking at alternative suppliers to replace Chinese goods, though they account for significantly less than 1% of the companys direct imports. (Updates with deputy premier in third paragraph, health chief in fifth) --With assistance from Ilya Khrennikov. To contact the reporters on this story: Andrey Biryukov in Moscow at abiryukov5@bloomberg.net;Stepan Kravchenko in Moscow at skravchenko@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Gregory L. White at gwhite64@bloomberg.net, Tony Halpin, Paul Abelsky For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. "The Project(s)," the story of public housing in Chicago and Paparelli's latest critical hit in what had been a peerless season this year in Chicago theater, is currently playing at the theater company that Paparelli loved and nurtured to a level of artistic success that belied the size of its annual budget. In a conversation just a few days before he died, Paparelli said that some people found him challenging because he was always trying to do the highest quality of work "on a storefront budget." No one who ever saw Paparelli's work at American Theater Company, or who saw what happened to his work thereafter, could possibly contest that statement. TMC moves 6 amendments to Prezs speech; questions silence on J&K, CAA, economic slowdown India oi-PTI New Delhi, Feb 03: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has moved amendments to the president's address delivered on Friday at the beginning of the budget session, raising questions on his "silence" on issues relating to CAA protests, economic slowdown and Kashmir clampdown. The move has opened the doors of discussion on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in Parliament, which has witnessed nationwide protests. President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday hailed the CAA as "historic" in his address to the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament, prompting protests by some opposition members. Opposition members raise slogans against CAA in LS TMC MP Derek O' Brien and Rajya Sabha chief whip Sukhendu Sekhar Ray have moved amendments on behalf of the party in Rajya Sabha pertaining to the "silence" of the president on the ongoing protest against the CAA and demanding that the speech include the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC), and the National Population Register (NPR). According to party sources, amendments will be moved in Lok Sabha as well. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has 22 MPs in Lok Sabha and 13 in Rajya Sabha. The party has moved six amendments to the president's address. The sources said the TMC's amendments say that at the end of the speech a "regret that the address fails to acknowledge the hardships and anxieties of people caused due to the passing of the CAA, and fails to allay the people's fear of a nationwide NRC and NPR" be added. NEWS AT 3 PM, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 Another sought the expression of regret that the speech did not take into account the "hardships of peaceful protesters, including students who were illegally detained, denied medical care, lathicharged, fired at and subjected to other forms of torture". Among the other amendments moved include "absence of the mention of economic slowdown, drop of India's rank on the Global Press Freedom Index, EIU's Global Democracy Index and a low rank on the Global Hunger Index, failure to condemn hate speech and divisive statements made by ministers and MPs and silence over the six-month long detention of political leaders, including sitting MP from Jammu and Kashmir and former chief ministers of the state". The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed in Lok Sabha on December 4 and a week later in Rajya Sabha. It seeks to grant Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan if they have fled their respective country due to religious persecution. The proposed Investment Clearance Cell in the Budget will link all central government ministries and state departments to provide information on land banks, incentive schemes and taxation policies to entrepreneurs, a top government official said. Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Guruprasad Mohapatra said the cell will help an entrepreneur to take a well informed decision to set up manufacturing facility in the country. "The idea is to bring all central government ministries and state governments linked to it physically as well as through IT," he told PTI. The cell will provide all information about incentive schemes and taxation policies of states and centre so that an entrepreneur has the complete information, he said. The secretary said it will help them in taking an informed decision about "where to go" and once they decide, then "through this cell, we will help them in getting through all the approvals and clearances". Information such as how far a land site, chosen by the entrepreneur, is there from the nearest airport or rail line or highway will also be provided through this cell, he added. "So all the land bank details are going to be a part of it and this will be on a live system where you can see which site is where. So, we are working on the national land banks," the secretary said. He added that many states have their own single window clearance systems to promote investments but neither the central government department nor the state governments are aligned through a single agency. "If somebody wants to set up an industry and he proposes certain investment in certain sector, the idea is that if he approaches this investment cell which the finance minister has talked about, then all the hand holding and all the clearances that he requires are available to him and facilitated through this cell," Mohapatra said. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech proposed to set up an Investment Clearance Cell that will provide end-to-end facilitation and support, including pre-investment advisory, information related to land banks and facilitate clearances at the centre and state level. It will work through a portal. For startups, the secretary said the department is formulating a National Seed Fund to help budding entrepreneurs. Most of the startups actually face problem in raising finance or funds in the ideation to the proof of concept stage. He said that the department will work on a National Seed Fund policy and creation of the fund. In the interactions with the department, startups have time and again demanded formulation of a national seed fund scheme. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The UK and European Union will discover the distance between their respective ambitions for a trade deal as both sides prepare to reveal their hand. Boris Johnson, in a speech in London on Monday, is due to announce he would rather collapse the talks and leave without any formal trade agreement if Brussels pushes for the UK to continue following the blocs rules after the transition period ends in 2021. The Prime Minister will push for a Canada-style free trade agreement but will warn European leaders that he is content to fallback to Australia type terms a move that would see Britain revert to trading on bare bones World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms, but with tacked-on side deals to ensure areas such as aviation can continue to run smoothly. Critics hit out at the suggestion that Britain could have a relationship akin to Australia with its biggest trading partner, with acting Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey calling it no deal in all but name. There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment, or anything similarPrime Minister Boris Johnson In an indication of the gulf between Downing Street and Le Berlaymont chiefs, the EU is expected to argue that the UK should be treated differently to past free trade partners due to the threat it poses to the single market. According to a leak seen by the Telegraph, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier will demand that Britain signs-up to Brussels benchmarks on standards because of its geographic proximity and economic interdependence, as well as the threat of unfair competition by undercutting. It is expected to demand access to UK fishing waters a red line for Brexiteers and potentially include a proposal, first mooted in the Observer, to back Spains claim to Gibraltar by giving Madrid powers to exclude the overseas territory from any trade deal. But Mr Johnson looks set to slap down any suggestion that Britain will make concessions in order to ratify a free trade pact. There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment, or anything similar, any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules, he is expected to say in his speech laying out his post-Brexit vision. Its time now to start looking forward. On Monday, I will present a draft mandate for the negotiations with the #UK. One thing is clear: the interests of , of each and every Member State and of all our citizens come first.https://t.co/CRmsGviUYO pic.twitter.com/JaiGEmjTq0 Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) February 1, 2020 The UK will maintain the highest standards in these areas better, in many respects, than those of the EU without the compulsion of a treaty and it is vital to stress this now. The PM will tell an audience of business figures and global ambassadors that the Government has made our choice in wanting to set its own rules and regulations after December 31. Mr Johnson favours a deal akin to Canadas, despite Treasury analysis suggesting it would make Britains economy 4.9% worse off by 2035. When Ottowa signed the agreement with the EU, it abolished 98% of all duties and opened up fresh investment opportunities in the transport and financial services sectors for European firms. Expand Close Prime Minister Boris Johnson will argue the UK can prosper even without a trade agreement in place with the EU (Paul Ellis/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Prime Minister Boris Johnson will argue the UK can prosper even without a trade agreement in place with the EU (Paul Ellis/PA) We want a free trade agreement, similar to Canadas but, in the very unlikely event that we do not succeed, then our trade will have to be based on our existing Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, the PM is due to say. The choice is emphatically not deal or no deal. The question is whether we agree a trading relationship with the EU comparable to Canadas or more like Australias. In either case, I have no doubt that Britain will prosper. The UK, upon its departure from the bloc last week, entered an 11-month transition period in which it has no representation in Brussels but continues to follow EU rules while it works to agree a new relationship with the remaining 27 member states. Trade talks between the two sides will commence in March, with decisions expected on financial services and fishing as soon as June. Incredible footage has captured the wealth of wildlife living in bushland before a fire approaches and destroys the area. Timelapse footage shows the creatures moving around the native forest before the blue skies turn to black and fire roars into shot. The video was recovered from one of the 240 cameras installed across East Gippsland monitoring feral animal populations through the Southern Ark project. A possum, wombat, deer and kangaroo all make an appearance in the timelapse video. But as smoke and fire comes into the view the animals disappear from shot until all that can be seen is flames circling the area the animals once called home. The camera also records a temperature jump from 39C to 66C as the fire takes hold of the bushland. Footage was captured of the wildlife across 10 days in November, December and January 2019. Several animals were captured on camera in bushland in East Gippsland, Victoria before a fire sweeps through the area The fire sweeps through on January 4 and it only takes half an hour before the area is fully aflame. The camera which captured the timelapse footage miraculously withstood the blaze- suffering only minor structural damage. East Gippsland was particularly badly hit by the bushfires burning off Australia's East Coast at the end of 2019. Three people died, more than half-a-billion hectares of land was burnt and dozens of properties were lost in the fires across the east coast of Victoria. Flames surround the tree and engulf the area dozens of creatures call home in bushland in regional Victoria on January 4, 2020 Thousands of holiday-makers and locals were trapped in the coastal town of Mallacoota on December 30 after conditions became so severe authorities warned it was too late to leave. The Australian Defence Force evacuated stranded Australians on Friday January 3 using several naval vessels. While it appeared fire authorities had managed to get the worst under control by the start of January, the fires flared up again only weeks later. An emergency warning remains in place for the blaze at Mallacoota- after a return to heatwave conditions at the weekend. While there is no threat to lives at present, an advice level warning is urging residents to stay on top of conditions for the bushfires burning in Far East Gippsland- which are not yet under control. Diving deep for 'the world's most famous radio' What extremes would YOU go to to get your hands on an old radio? If that radio is the wireless transmitter that operator Jack Phillips used April 15, 1912 to summon help for the doomed RMS Titanic, those extremes likely include ocean depths. The United States company that has salvage rights to the wreckage is ready to make that trip - and soon. It's asking a U.S. District Court judge in Eastern Virginia to approve an undersea expedition to the ship's interior to retrieve the Marconi transmitter that summoned the RMS Carpathia. It sent the message: "Come at once. We have struck a berg. It's a CQD, old man." In an agreement reached recently between two countries, Britain and the United States, both have the authority to grant or refuse permission for such missions. RMS Titanic Inc., the U.S. company hoping to make the trip, noted in its court papers that while the radio room itself has stayed somewhat unscathed, holes are forming in the deckhouse directly above it, placing the Marconi set in peril. The Washington Post said that Parks Stephenson, a Titanic expert, called the transmitter "the world's most famous radio." To fight the pneumonia epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak, a Chinese central enterprise has responded to the call of SASAC by making every effort to guarantee power support to aid the prevention and control of the epidemic. (Photo/SPIC) As of January 29, the State Power Investment Corporation Limited (SPIC) has started four power units during the Spring Festival, generating a total of 9.8 TWh of energy. Moreover, more than 20 large coal-fired power generating units are operating on the grid, generating wind power, PV power, hydroelectricity, thermal power, gas and biomass power. The stable operation of the 356,000 KW new energy PV project, and the commissioning of SPIC Jingmen natural gas project have further supported the prevention and control of the epidemic. At 9:47 a.m. on January 26, unit 2, a project of China Power Dabie Mountain Power Generation Co., Ltd, which was launched by SPIC overnight was connected to the grid smoothly, providing power guarantee during the efforts to control the province's epidemic. It has also become the first thermal power enterprise with double engines fully operational in Hubei during the Spring Festival. SPIC China Power Dabie Mountain Power Generation Co., Ltd. is located in the outskirts of Macheng, Huanggang, Hubei Province. Before the outbreak, the Company had shifted to the Spring Festival Holiday production schedule with only one power unit in operation, and some of its employees had returned to their hometowns for the festival. After the outbreak, the Company has been working even harder than before to ensure power supply as part of its efforts to prevent and control epidemic. The Company have established itself as one of the backbone power generation enterprises during this time. (Photo/SPIC) During critical moments, party members and cadres have played a pioneering and exemplary role in fighting against the virus. The Companys key personnel have stayed on the frontline and established an epidemic prevention and control organization. Cadres and staff in non-epidemic areas have given up their holidays and returned to work ahead of schedule. The personnel preparing for the expansion project have also taken the initiative to maintain the power units in operation. With the guarantee of power supply, SPIC China Power has also made a thorough investigation on the health status of the staff on duty by collecting data and information from returning staff. Timely efforts have been put into coordinating the various roles and responsibilities of the staff, and knowledge in regards to epidemic prevention and control have been passed on to the team. So far, SPIC China Power has published the contact information of the main personnel in charge while ensuring that their mobile phones are turned on around the clock, so that they can attend to the personal and professional needs of the staff involved. Furthermore, SPIC has ensured that all the units are ready to provide power supply as part of their efforts to fight the epidemic. Three dozen people evacuated from China to France showed symptoms of coronavirus, French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said, but the 20 that remained on the tarmac at a French Air Force base later tested negative for the illness. The evacuation flight ferried 254 people, a number from countries outside of France, from Wuhan to Europe on Sunday. Wuhan is the epicenter of the new coronavirus. Some 20 people, including French nationals and people from outside of Europe, stayed on the tarmac at Istres airport after showing symptoms of the coronavirus, Buzyn told reporters, according to AFP. Another 16 people, all foreign nationals, were flown to their respective countries after showing signs of the virus. Sixty-four people on the flight, which included 30 different nationalities, were French. The French nationals and 60 non-European nationals, including people from Mexico, Brazil, and Rwanda, were being quarantined for 14 days near Aix-en-Provence. People who showed no symptoms were being allowed to fly onto their home countries, French officials said. Six coronavirus cases have been confirmed in France, the second-most in any country in Europe. The 20 people who were tested and remained in France all tested negative, Secretary of State Adrien Taquet said on Monday. When they got on the plane, some people had some symptoms but were not related to the coronavirus, it was rather a cold, he said during an appearance on BFM-TV. But they had to be controlled, which was done at the military base in Istres in the Bouches-du-Rhone. All the tests turned out to be negative and the people in question were able to reach reception centers, like the one in Aix. Eleven Swedish nationals were among the people who didnt show symptoms. We dont yet know what this group has, Anders Tegnell, an epidemiologist at Swedens Public Health Agency, told Swedish wire agency TT, according to The Local. If you put a few hundred people on an aircraft this time of the year and then ask when they arrive if anyone has a cough or a slight cold, the odds are low that you will find a few. The Swedes were told to self-quarantine for 14 days and report to health authorities if they showed any symptoms but the quarantine orders were not mandatory. One case has been confirmed in Sweden. The Czech Republic and Great Britain also had nationals on board the plane that flew to France. Countries around the world have been sending planes to Wuhan to evacuate their citizens, including Germany, Turkey, and the United States. Some of the planes have also carried nationals from other countries. The British Embassy in Beijing said on Monday that there would be more flights evacuating people out of Hubei Province, which hosts Wuhan, this week but warned they could be the last flights for foreigners from Wuhan or other parts of the province. From The Epoch Times Get ready to eat some chicken. Photo: Melissa Hom All of the familiar tropes of the upmarket bromakase experience are on display at the new downtown restaurant Torien, which, as any jet-setting gastronaut worth her weight in sizzled chicken gizzards will tell you, is the first-ever American outpost of the fabled Tokyo yakitori institution, Torishiki. Upon arriving, you will find a discreet anteroom, into which youre buzzed from the street; and hostesses, dressed in traditional robes, who usher you to the long, polished white pine bar. There are the voluble cooks who call out greetings as you arrive, and there are the patrons themselves: stylish couples who look like theyve just flown in from Tokyo, food professionals tapping on their grease-stained phones, and prosperous sushi-bar regulars dressed in their familiar hedge-fund vests. I dont think the Big Mans here tonight said my deep-pocketed friend, the Tokyo Whale, who on this evening was dressed not in his vest, but a discreetly gray salary mans suit. The Big Man in question is Yoshiteru Ikegawa, the Jiro of Japans burgeoning haute-yakitori scene, a chef so devoted to his craft that, according to legend, his fingernails have melted away from spending so much time twirling his yakitori skewers close to the binchotan charcoal flames. Ikegawa opened the first 17-seat Torishiki in 2007, and managed to turn it into one of the elite gastronomic temples of Tokyo, and therefore the world. Lately hed expanded his empire, first with a new establishment in Tokyo, and now for the first time outside of Japan, here in New York. The bar here seats 16 diners, and instead of the usual a la carte yakitori-shop options, the $150 set-course menu includes a variety of skewers carefully sequenced in the grand sushi-omakase tradition. The first skewer we tasted was morsels of tender chicken thigh brushed with a sugary, soy-based yakitori sauce, followed by slightly less tender chunks of chicken shoulder, which we dutifully complemented with decorous mounds of mashed daikon. The cooling daikon is another Torishiki innovation, designed, one of the cook-assistants told us, to mimic qualities of shaved ginger in the sushi experience. He also told us that chef Ikegawa was in New York for a few days last week, although its his two assistants, who were busily fanning their bricks of binchu charcoal The charcoal comes from outside Osaka, cried the Whale. Its been ranked No. 1 in Japan for like 400 years! who are here to stay. As any high-flying bromakase devotee will tell you, however, the great-chef aura is crucial to the whole big-money, set-course dining experience, and as our diligently prepared yakitori meal progressed, that aura began to fade a little. There are some fine vegetable skewers (the zucchini, slippery segments of shiitake) and a few de rigueur offerings of gizzard (fibrous kidneys, fat little hearts dusted with plenty of white pepper), but as one skewer succeeded the next, I found myself wanting a little bit more of that exotic Tokyo terroir. There were no rubbery coxcombs, or gently sizzled chicken oysters, not to mention satisfyingly bony bits of chicken wing to eat with your fingers, and the ribbons of neck skin the great yakitori favorite known as kawa that we did have were overly fatty in an American way. At this early date, theyre still working out the kinks at Torien, of course, and for the record, the Tokyo Whale enjoyed his skewer of kawa much more than I did. (Whats better than neck skin, Platty?!) Although our meal lacked the traditional settled structure that you find in the elevated world of sushi omakase, the Tokyo-style service and ambience are generally impeccable, and the omakase is still marginally cheaper than your average high-end, big-city sushi dinner. Its also a little more filling. Will your neck-craving critic return to Torien for a second taste of top-dollar, chicken-centric yakitori? Im sure the answer is yes, but heres hoping that the menu will grow a little more varied and daring over time, and that, the next time we drop in, the Big Man will be there, too. Eat like the experts. Sign up for the Grub Street newsletter. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. Local journalism is important and producing it costs time and money. To continue viewing content on tucson.com, please sign in with your existing account or subscribe. Jim Krause will be teaching the classes using materials from the University of Minnesota short course, Raising Bees in Northern Climates. Some of the topics to be covered include equipment needs, obtaining bees and maintaining the hive, among others. Krause will teach new information at each class. The information presented will be geared for those new to beekeeping and especially people that are interested in becoming beekeepers. Registration for both classes is preferred. To register for the class, stop by or contact the library at 637-7151. Reality TV star and entrepreneur Bethenny Frankel has reportedly sold her loft in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood for $3.65 million, the Observer reports. But reality does bite: After three years on the market, the property was sold with a significant price cut. Frankel, 49, purchased the unit in 2014 for $4.25 million. She listed it in 2017 for $5 million, eventually cutting the price to $4.2 million in 2019. In October, it dropped to $4 million. Last fall, she reportedly had a buyer, but that deal fell through. Here's hoping this latest sale sticks. Living space with 14-foot ceiling realtor.com Great room with fireplace realtor.com Master bedroom realtor.com Bath realtor.com Located in a loft building, the superbly outfitted" and renovated space measures 2,392 square feet. It has two bedrooms and 2.5 baths. It includes a wood-burning fireplace and a small balcony, the only one of its kind in the building. The 25-foot-wide great room features a 14-foot high ceiling and three triple-pane, arched windows. The designer open kitchen is equipped with Sub-Zero, Wolf, Gaggenau, and Miele appliances; a marble island with bar seating; and a pantry. An oversize hallway is perfect for showcasing art and offers a home office with storage and built-ins. Naturally, the master suite is a dreamy retreat designed for Real Housewives. It features a custom walk-in closet as well as a luxurious marble bath. The second bedroom is also en suite with custom closets. Both bedrooms are bathed in natural light from the floor-to-ceiling walls of glass. Other features include walnut flooring, a washer-dryer, and a custom Crestron-integrated Sonos sound system with built-in speakers. The 16-unit boutique building offers door attendants and a common roof terrace. Its close to restaurants, shops, and public transit. 2020 might be shaping up as a positive year for the former Real Housewives of New York cast member. Frankel is also selling one of her two Hamptons homes. The Bridgehampton abode, which was originally listed for rent or for sale for $3 million, is currently in pending sale status after a price reduction to $2.59 million. The Skinnygirl founder also reportedly owns a second loft in SoHo. Frankel, who left the "Real Housewives" franchise last year after Season 11, plans to focus on her brands and philanthropy. The post No Longer a Housewife, Bethenny Frankel Sells Her SoHo Loft at a Loss appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. New Covid curbs in UP: Government and private employees to work at 50 per cent capacity Night curfew in Andhra Pradesh: Know timings, guidelines, rules; What is allowed, what is not allowed Contacts of confirmed cases don't need to get tested unless identified as high risk: Govt Pak resumes flights from coronavirus-hit China International oi-PTI Islamabad, Feb 03: Pakistan on Monday resumed flights from coronavirus-hit China after two planes from the country landed at the airport in Islamabad. Pakistan had suspended flights from China till February 2 after the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak of the novel virus as a global health emergency. The death toll in the coronavirus epidemic soared to 361 with 57 deaths on Sunday alone while the number of confirmed cases climbed to 17,205. According to the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCCA), two flights of China Southern Airlines - CZ 6007and CZ 5241 - from Urumqi city of China landed at Islamabad International Airport. The flights were allowed a day after Pakistan said it has received special medical kits from China to detect the coronavirus cases. Officials said a Qatar Airlines flight also came from Doha, bringing at least 40 Pakistani students from China who had travelled to Qatar due to suspension of direct flights to Pakistan. Coronavirus: Death toll rises to 361 in China Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza who was at the airport to see the arrival and mandatory checks on the passengers confirmed the development. "At Islamabad airport this morning - received passengers from China along with HE Chinese Ambassador in Pakistan. We supervised implementation of 'Airport SOPs' and I interviewed passengers," Mirza tweeted. "Following all international protocols ensuring their health & safety as well as that of all Pakistanis. A responsible Pakistan means being emotional when needed but rational and practical in decision making as well. We support the Chinese Govt efforts to overcome CNV (coronavirus)," he said. NEWS AT 3 PM, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 So far, no case of the virus has been found in Pakistan. While India, the US, Sri Lanka and many other countries evacuated their nationals from Wuhan, Pakistan has declined pleas by its stranded citizens in the city to airlift them. Coronavirus: 4 Chinese among 5 under observation in Pakistan Pakistan's Ambassador to China Naghmana Hashmi on Sunday said that Pakistani students should not be evacuated from Wuhan as medical facilities back home do not meet the standards required to treat a patient diagnosed with coronavirus. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, February 3, 2020, 13:10 [IST] The flight crew helping stranded Australians out of Wuhan amid the coronavirus crisis are all volunteers. The Qantas 747 carrying four pilots, 14 cabin crew and officials from the Department of Health left Australia late Sunday and was on the tarmac on Monday morning in Wuhan in central China. About 270 passengers boarded the plane at 8am (AEST) for the first of two flights that will help hundreds of Aussies evacuate the locked-down city, the ABC reported. All passengers and crew members will be required to wear masks, which will be swapped out every hour, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. Crew members will be required to wear masks and gloves during the flight from Wuhan to Australia. Source: AAP There will be a limited food and beverage service to minimise interaction between crew and passengers and the 747 plane will be thoroughly cleaned afterwards. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the volunteer crew are ready "to get this done. "I spoke to the crew last night through FaceTime video and they were all very keen to get this done and get the Aussies out," he said. "We put in a whole series of protections for these volunteers to make sure that they are protected. Mr Joyce said the crew have gloves, and sanitisers and will be placed on the upper deck of the aircraft. "They are there for safety reasons to use on the doors and on takeoff and landing," Mr Joyce said. "In-flight, there is water left on the seats. The crew go back to the upper deck, which is sealed." The Qantas 747 carrying four pilots and 14 cabin crew left Australia late Sunday and is now on the ground in Wuhan, in Hubei province in central China. Source: AAP There have been 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia There are now more than 14,000 cases of the virus globally, with just over 300 deaths. The federal government has announced foreign travellers who have left or passed through China will be denied entry to Australia to offset the risk of the virus spreading. Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families, dependants, legal guardians and spouses, are exempt from the strict measures. Story continues Some 71 travellers to Australia were not allowed to board their plane in China overnight and 12 flights were cancelled on Sunday. Seventeen Portuguese and two Brazilian citizens returning from the virus-hit city of Wuhan disembark from a Portuguese Air Force C-130 airplane at a military airport in Lisbon. Source: AP Evacuees will be airlifted from the epicentre of the coronavirus to Exmouth in northern Western Australia, before being taken to Christmas Island where they will be quarantined. Planes from Poland, France, Portugal and the UK were seen landing in their respective countries on Monday after retrieving citizens from Wuhan. with AAP Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. With Punjab reluctant to give SYL water to neighbouring Haryana, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala on Monday blamed the BJP-JJP coalition for not taking "effective steps" to ensure that Haryana gets its rightful share of the water. He said Punjab is openly saying that it does not have a drop of water to spare for others, but the coalition government in Haryana is not taking effective steps to ensure the state gets its rightful share. "The BJP-JJP coalition government is not taking effective steps to ensure that Haryana gets its rightful share," Chautala said while addressing workers at the party's state executive meeting in Jind. According to a party release, Chautala asked his party workers to remain prepared for "any sacrifice" for the construction of Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal. He also said that he will raise the SYL issue during the Budget Session of the Haryana Assembly. On January 23, an all-party meeting in Punjab had called for a new tribunal to assess river water availability in Punjab, in an apparent reference to the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal project. A resolution had said Punjab does not have surplus water and is facing a threat of desertification due to declining availability of river water and fast depleting groundwater. "In such a situation, it is unanimously resolved that Government of India should ensure that river water in Punjab is not in any way transferred from basin to non-basin areas of three rivers, namely Ravi, Sutlej and Beas, as per internationally accepted riparian principle," it had said. However, the resolution adopted at the meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh did not specifically name the SYL Canal issue. A day after the Punjab's all-party meeting, Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja had asked the Haryana government to immediately move the Supreme Court and help bring SYL water to the state and demanded that the central government explain its position on the matter. Selja had said Haryana has the right on the water of SYL Canal and it has been validated by the Supreme Court. "Today Haryana is craving for water and farmers of the state are in dire need of it. Haryana has right on the SYL water and the state will take it because the Supreme Court has given judgement many times in favour of Haryana," she had said. Notably, Punjab has been demanding reassessment of the water volume of the Ravi-Beas river, while Haryana is seeking completion of the SYL canal to get its share of 3.5 million acre feet of the river water. The Supreme Court had in September last year given four months to the Centre, Punjab and Haryana to find an amicable solution to the SYL canal issue. Meanwhile, in the meeting at Jind, the INLD demanded that the Haryana government order a 'special girdwari' (revenue survery) to assess the extent of damage caused by a hailstorm in some parts of the state recently and to compensate the affected farmers. Addressing the workers, Chautala and state unit chief Nafe Singh Rathi said that recent hailstorm in some northern districts of Haryana, including Kurukshetra and Ambala, had led to damage to crops such as wheat and potato. They said the BJP-JJP government should immediately order a 'special girdwari' to assess the extent of damage and compensate the affected farmers, the release said. In the meeting, Chautala appealed to workers to help strengthen the party further by connecting more and more people with the regional outfit. It was informed in the meeting that 112 BJP-JJP workers had left their parties and joined the INLD on Monday in Chautala's presence. Notably, the INLD slumped to its worst-ever performance in the 2019 Haryana Assembly polls. Barring Chautala, who retained his Ellenabad seat in Sirsa district, over 80 candidates of the party had to bite the dust. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Home Minister Amit Shah once again targeted Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of spreading lies. He said his government will open 1000 school. Did any school come to Mundka in the last five years? He said his government will open 50 colleges, did that happen? Shah said while addressing an election rally in Mundka in West Delhi. He also said that the famous CCTV claim made by the AAP chief is not true. He said he installed 1.5 lakh CCTVs in the national capital. What he did not tell you was - 1.25 lakh CCTVs came through grant from Centre, said Shah. He also challenged Kejriwal to take a dip in the Yamuna, since he claims his government has cleaned the river. ALSO WATCH | Why PM Modi called Shaheen Bagh protest an experiment in Delhi rally Do it the way PM Modi and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath did during the Kumbh Mela, said Shah. He also accused Kejriwal of deferring the issue of regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delhi. Modiji wrote a letter to the Delhi government in 2015, asking for details of these colonies. The Delhi government replied itll take two years. He again wrote a letter in 2017, and got the reply that it will take two more years. You again chose the BJP in 2019, and this time, the Centre use satellite data to regularise more than 1700 illegal colonies, said the Home Minister. At a rally on Sunday, Shah had said that Kejriwal has done nothing in the name of development for the city-state. Kejriwal did nothing for the development of Delhi. He has only spread lies in the name of development. Had Hitler been alive today, Kejriwal would have left him behind in doing false propaganda, Shah had said in Burari. The Home Minister had further said that the Delhi Chief Minister would have achieved the first position in lying had there been any such competitions. The national capital goes to polls on February 8. The counting of votes will take place on February 11. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 Trend: The US embassy in Azerbaijan posted a statement on its Facebook page in connection with the spread of coronavirus, Trend report on Feb. 3. Per Presidential Proclamation, entry of aliens who were present in China, excluding Hong Kong and Macau, within 14 days prior to their arrival at the port of entry in the US, is suspended, the message said. If you reside in China, have travelled to China recently, or intend to travel to China prior to your planned trip to the US, we recommend you postpone your visa interview appointment until 14 days after departure from China, the message said. On December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization about an outbreak of unknown pneumonia in Wuhan in the central part of the country. Specialists have identified the causative agent - Coronavirus 2019-nCoV. The number of people infected with coronavirus in China exceeded 17,200 people, 361 died. Almost 150 more people became ill outside China, one of them died. World Health Organization has recognized the outbreak as an emergency of international concern. Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg and her new boyfriend Tom Bernthal have announced they are engaged after less than a year of dating. Sandberg, 49, posted the happy news online, writing: 'Engaged!!! Tom Bernthal, you are my everything. I could not love you more.' It comes five years after the death of her husband Dave Goldberg, who suffered a heart attack aged 47 while on vacation in Mexico to celebrate a friend's birthday. The couple, who were introduced by Goldberg's brother, went public with their romance in summer last year. Bernthal is understood to have popped the question with a ring that has five diamonds to represent each of their five children. A source told People they were engaged on February 1 after a hike in Vermejo Park Ranch on the border of New Mexico and Colorado that 'recreated their first date'. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg led the congratulations on Monday, replying to Sheryl's post, writing: 'Congrats! You're wonderful for each other and I'm so happy for both of you.' Bernthal, 46, who is the co-founder and CEO of Kelton Global, is a divorced father of three. After Mr Goldberg's death Bernthal shared a tribute to him on Facebook saying he was 'Truly one of the kindest, most generous, talented, and enjoyable guys ever.' Sandberg posted the happy news online, writing: 'Engaged!!! Tom Bernthal, you are my everything. I could not love you more'. The couple are pictured in the Facebook post Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and new boyfriend Tom Bernthal are engaged Dave's brother Rob Goldberg is also Bernthal's best friend and he thought that he and Sandberg would be a good match because of their shared values and dedication to their children, according to reports. The source said: 'Tom is Robs best friend, and it is really special that Daves brother was the one to connect them. 'Hes this really nice, down to earth guy. Theyre both devoted parents. Its a nice thing that it has worked out so well.' Friends said they were attracted to each other because of their shared values as dedicated parents. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg led the congratulations on Monday, replying to Sheryl's post, writing: 'Congrats! You're wonderful for each other and I'm so happy for both of you' Chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer at Facebook wrote: 'So so happy for you both!' The couple, who were introduced by Goldberg's brother, went public with their romance in summer last year. Bernthal is understood to have popped the question with a ring that has five diamonds to represent each of their five children A source told People: 'They just clicked right away and have been completely committed to each other since they met. 'The Sandberg/Goldberg and Bernthal families have become very close and are thrilled that both of them have found happiness. Both Tom and Sheryl share a strong commitment to all the same things, especially family and philanthropy.' On Monday Bernthal replied to Sandberg's post writing: 'I love you so much and couldn't be more excited about spending the rest of our lives together.' Chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer at Facebook wrote: 'So so happy for you both!' Rob Goldberg told People: 'They both see the world in the same way. Their kids are No. 1. They are blending their families and their lives and thats a testament to how in love they are. Theyre building a future going forward together.' He added: 'Both of them have gone through loss, and just because you have gone through loss doesnt mean you arent entitled to happiness and joy again. 'They both came out of hard times of their lives still happy and motivated to make their lives better and their kids lives better.' The couple had been spotted enjoying each other's company at a country music concert in Boise, Idaho last summer. They were said to be based in different U.S. cities but were seeing each other regularly and are making their relationship work by 'travelling a lot'. It is not known if either has moved since. Sandberg had two children with her late husband. Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg was seen at a Garth Brooks country music concert in Idaho with CEO of Kelton Global Tom Bernthal, pictured together. Sources claim they were set up by her late husband's brother Rob Goldberg Dave Goldberg died suddenly in 2015 after he suffered a heart attack while on vacation in Mexico to celebrate a friend's birthday. He died aged 47 of cardiac arrest after falling off a treadmill while the family was vacationing. In Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy, Sandberg reveals how she found her husband on the floor. She said: 'We found Dave on the floor, lying by the elliptical machine, his face slightly blue and turned to the left, a small pool of blood under his head. 'We all screamed. I started CPR. Rob took over from me. A doctor came and took over from him.' The businesswoman was introduced to Bernthal by her late husband Dave Goldberg's brother Rob. She is pictured with Mr Goldberg in 2013, two years before his death After Mr Goldberg's death Bernthal shared a tribute piece to him on Facebook saying he was one of the 'kindest' and 'most generous' people ever In her book Sandberg, who had been married for 11 years, explains how the couple's two children collapsed from grief at their father's funeral. She recounts how she had to tell them their father died and how at Mr Goldberg's funeral they 'got out of the car and fell to the ground, unable to take another step'. She writes: 'I lay on the grass, holding them as they wailed.' Before meeting Bernthal, she dated Activation Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, 56, for three years. Sandberg, pictured with her late husband Dave, had previously dated Activation Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick. They split earlier this year Sandberg and billionaire beau Bobby Kotick, pictured together, had started dating in 2016 A source close to Sandberg and Kotick said they broke up as they are 'very different people'. However, they 'remain great friends', according to the source. Bernthal has won an Emmy Award as a producer for NBC News and worked in the Clinton White House before founding consumer insights and strategy consulting firm Kelton Global. His website explains how he is originally from Washington DC, but settled in Los Angeles in 2000 and has lived near Venice Beach since 2007. LOS ANGELES Joslyn Jane stars as a mom who goes the extra mile to protect her teen daughter in DickDrainers latest IR fantasy release, available now at the companys official website. The scene is a sexual tour-de-force for Jane, the Florida-based adult film star of Black Patrol and a prolific content creator in her own right. "This was actually our second shoot with Joslyn, said DD honcho Branden Richards. She had been on our list for a while and did so amazing during the first shoot we brought her back to break in the newbie a week later! Her superb oral skills, big booty, and big natural tits have already made her one of our faves. If you enjoyed this one, wait til you see what else we've got in the vault with her!" Im really excited for everyone to see this scene with J. Rippher, Jane said. I honestly had so much fun shooting it and breaking in a new talent! Richards added, One of our goals in 2020 is to showcase new male talent, so we were very happy to have J. Rippher on set. Fresh off going viral due to someone claiming his nudes were those of the rapper DaBaby, J. Rippher showed he's ready for prime time. Joslyn handled every single inch like the pro that she is, and both of them will be back very soon!" The DickDrainers release, Busty PAWG Mom Destroyed by Monster Black Dick! has a runtime of 26 minutes and is available for streaming and download here. Follow Joslyn Jane on Twitter @Xxxjoslyn and Instagram @josjane6996. Follow J. Rippher on Twitter @JRippher. Follow Branden Richards on Twitter @BRichXXX. Six days after the state high court restrained the elected chairpersons from returning to their local government secretariats by force, caretaker committee chairpersons on Monday returned to the offices. The chairpersons were elected under former Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, but were sacked in May last year by Governor Seyi Makinde who in December appointed caretaker committees to run the 68 councils in the state. The resumption of the caretaker committees followed a court injunction obtained by the state government, restraining the Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar, Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and the local government chairpersons from taking over the council secretariats by force. The chairpersons had earlier last week Monday resumed, eight months after Mr Makinde sent them home. But the state high court in Ibadan, on Tuesday, granted the injuction. At a meeting with the caretaker chairpersons last week, Mr Makinde said his administration did not meet any elected local government official in office. He urged the caretakers to return to their various local government areas. Those who resumed include the caretaker chairpersons for Oluyole, Iseyin, Oorelope, Saki and Aare Latosa LCDA. Olaide Settle and his supporters when they entered the council Secretariat. Olaide Settle while addressing his supporters on Monday. The caretaker chairperson for Oluyole, Olaide Settle, while addressing his supporters, advised the residents to shun hooliganism and join hands with Governor Makinde for the progress of the state He told the gathering that members of NULGE would return to work as soon as normalcy returns to the secretariats. Settle was accompanied to his office by a member of the State House of Assembly for Oluyole State Constituency, Francis Adetunji, and other leaders of the PDP in the area. Olaide Settle while addressing his supporters on Monday. Showing Caretaker Chairman in Oluyole local Government Area, Olaide Settle while addressing his supporters on Monday. The caretaker chairperson for Aare Latosa LCDA, Kazeem Oshoniyi, told Premium Times that all the caretaker chairpersons had resumed. We have resumed. All of us have resumed today, he said. The Delhi High Court on Monday reserved order on a plea seeking direction to stop the entry of lawmakers from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in the Parliament, contending that they lost their locus standi as MPs after the bifurcation of the state into two union territories. Meanwhile, Advocate Anil Soni, representing Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs told Justice Brijesh Sethi that this plea is not maintainable and should be rejected. According to the petitioner, on August 5 2019, the state of Jammu and Kashmir was disbanded and in its place, two Union Territories were formed, therefore the MPs representing the State in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha lost their locus standi to sit in the parliament. The plea, filed by one professor from Jammu and Kashmir, Abdul Gani Bhat, who has sought that the 10 Members of Parliament from the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state should be stopped from entering and occupying seats in the parliament forthwith. The petitioner, in his plea, said that MPs are representatives of the people of their States or Union Territories. "But when there is no State or Union territory there cannot be any representation of that non-existent State or Union territory in the Indian Parliament. On 5th August 2019, the State of J-K was disbanded and in its place, two Union territories were formed. Accordingly, the MPs representing the State in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha lost their locus standi to sit in the Indian Parliament," the petitioner said. He further added that their continuation in the Parliament is illegal and unconstitutional for all practical purposes. The petitioner said that Parliament of India abrogated the temporary Article 370 of the Constitution of India, cancelled separate constitutions, separate flag, separate laws and separate status of the State of Jammu and Kashmir and reorganised the State into two Union territories of Ladakh and Jammu-Kashmir. "Thus the presence of the 10 members in the Indian parliament from the erstwhile State is immoral, illegal and unconstitutional," the petition said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Maharashtra State Commission for Women on Monday asked Wardha superintendent of police to submit a report on a 25-year-old woman being set ablaze earlier in the day allegedly by her stalker. The commission took suo motu cognisance of the matter and sought an action taken report (ATR) from the police officer. The victim Ankita Pisudde, who teaches at a college in Hinganghat in the east Maharashtra district, is in a critical condition after she suffered 40 per cent burns and inhalation injuries in the attack. The accused, Vikesh Nagrale (27), was arrested from a village after the incident. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has announced that the case will be tried in a fast track court. Earlier in the day, Vardha superintendent of police Basavaraj Teli said it seemed to be the case of unrequited love by the accused. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It's been one hell of a year for Joaquin Phoenix, and the year has only just begun! After his big victory at the Golden Globe Awards for best actor and bagging the Critic's Choice Award, he won a BAFTA for his epic performance in Joker, once more. Twitter But what the audience looks forward to most, when Phoenix wins an award, is mostly his daring speech he makes at the award ceremony and I feel he outdid himself at the BAFTA award ceremony with his speech, more than what he did at the Golden Globe Awards. And as usual, he used his BAFTA win for a cause. Last time if you remember watching the Golden Globe Award ceremony, the actor criticised a lot of his fellow actors for taking their private jets out and flying all the way to Palm Springs. He called them out for doing so, in the context of climate change that's making our planet suffer. His speech at BAFTA, though, was not on climate change but the amount of racism Hollywood displays and how there's a lack of diversity. Twitter So here are a few things Joaquin said in his speech and brought out the outright racism existing in the industry. "The BAFTAS have already been very supportive of my career and Im deeply appreciative. But I have to say I also feel conflicted, because so many of my fellow actors that are deserving dont have that same privilege." Of late, BAFTA has been in the limelight for being criticised for racism, as only white actors/directors would win awards. The hashtag #BAFTAsowhite was trending on Twitter, claiming the white folks bagged most nominations while others were snubbed. I think that we send a very clear message to people of color that youre not welcome here. I think thats the message that were sending to people that have contributed so much to our medium and our industry and in ways that we benefit from. This is not a self righteous condemnation, because Im ashamed to say that Im part of the problem. I have not done everything in my power to ensure that the sets I work on are inclusive. but I think its more than just having sets that are multicultural. I think that we have to really do the hard work to truly understand systemic racism, Phoenix further added in his speech. Warner Bros Pictures While ending the speech, when the audience was numb in silence listening to him attentively, he said "I think that it is the obligation of the people that have created and perpetuate and benefit from a system of oppression to be the ones that dismantle it, so thats on us. This got the crowd roaring, for his outstanding honesty that he's displayed ever-so-often during award functions. Here's wishing we see more of the superstar this year! Page Content Your Practice. Our Purpose. Every day, you face diverse and unique challenges in the practice of law. And every day, your State Bar is ready to provide the resources, information, and insights you need to turn those challenges into opportunities, questions into answers, delay into determined action. Simply put, were here to help you succeed. Contact Us Membership Customer Service Manager (608) 250-6131 (800) 444-9404, ext 6131 Member Benefits and Services Member Services Manager (608) 250-6181 (800) 444-9404, ext. 6181 Dues Email Customer Service or call (800) 728-7788. Status Email Customer Service or call (800) 728-7788. Admission to practice The Supreme Court requires lawyers to be admitted to the Supreme Court and join the State Bar of Wisconsin as a condition of practicing law in the state. For complete information and requirements visit the For attorneys section of the Wisconsin Supreme Court website. Certificates of Good Standing The State Bar of Wisconsin does not issue Certificates of Good Standing but they may be obtained from the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Learn about the process and fees on the Wisconsin Supreme Court website. The SDLP has made a renewed call for parties here to "find a way forward through Brexit" together after Friday's historic exit from the European Union. Nichola Mallon said that while all the parties here differed in their position on Brexit, "all agree that the way in which Northern Ireland is being dragged out of the EU is not acceptable". During the first main sitting of the restored Assembly last month, all the Stormont parties rejected the Government's EU withdrawal plan without dissent, following a near three-hour debate in the chamber. The SDLP's Assembly leader urged the parties here to "work collaboratively" as the Brexit process moves forward into the transition period, in which key trading agreements are set to be decided over a period of 11 months. "We believe Brexit is a socio-economic and political disaster for all people living on these islands," said Ms Mallon. "There is a responsibility on all parties in the Assembly to resist the opportunity to point-score and instead to show real leadership and maturity. "While we certainly welcome the fact that there is to be no border on this island, we recognise the serious consequences for our business community if unfettered access is not secured for trade east-west also. "The possibility of a new cliff edge into a no-deal Brexit at the end of this year still looms. "New questions remain unanswered on trade and future relationships." Teams of police and security forces accompanied by sniffer dogs and armed with metal detectors carried out a massive search operation to sanitise areas along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district on Monday, officials said. The operation was carried out based on information provided by overground workers (OGW) of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) who were arrested on Friday after police gunned down three terrorists of the banned group in an encounter in Nagrota here, they said. The OGWs, including handler Sameer Dar, were ferrying the terrorists in a truck. Police and security forces, including Border Security Force (BSF) and Special Operation Group (SoG), launched the search operation this morning in the area along the IB in Basantar nallah in Samba, the officials told PTI. They were accompanied by two sniffer dogs. They searched the entire riverine belt of Basantar and the bushy area along the IB to find if any other consignment of weapons or improvised explosive devices (IED) might have been dumped in the area, the officials added. On Saturday, based on the disclosures made by the three OGWs, a police team and a bomb disposal squad had defused an IED fitted with RDX, grenades and other material and placed under a hoarding at Nagrota on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. Monday's operation was also launched following a disclosure by the OGWs that the terrorists had infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir via Basantar nallah along the IB in Samba. According to reports, one of three OGWs was also taken to the spot to recreate the scene of infiltration. Sources said the terrorists had spent a night in Chak Dalaya area and security agencies also questioned the people living near Basantar bridge. The three JeM terrorists were killed on Friday morning at a toll plaza on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. They were travelling towards the Kashmir Valley. Sameer Dar is the cousin of Pulwama suicide bomber Adil Dar, who had rammed an explosive-laden SUV into a bus carrying CRPF personnel in Lethpora area of Pulwama district on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway, killing 40 troops, in February last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jeff Bezos was sued for defamation by his girlfriends brother in a lawsuit accusing the Amazon.com Inc. chief executive officer of falsely claiming the brother provided lurid photographs to the National Enquirer. The lawsuit was filed late Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court by Michael Sanchez, the brother of Lauren Sanchez and subject of media reports that he was a source for the Enquirers splashy report last year revealing the affair between his sister and Bezos. The story has expanded into an international controversy, now involving allegations that Saudi Arabias crown prince participated in a hack of Bezos phone and an investigation by federal prosecutors in New York. The lawsuit also names Gavin de Becker, a security consultant who works for Bezos, as a defendant. It accuses Bezos and de Becker of telling journalists that Michael Sanchez provided graphic nude photographs of the Amazon CEO to the tabloid. In the filing, Michael Sanchez acknowledges he entered a confidential agreement to cooperate strategically with American Media Inc., the National Enquirers parent company, but said he did so to get ahead of the story in an effort to limit the backlash against his sister and Bezos. He says he didnt provide the photographs to the Enquirer and couldnt have been the source for them because he never possessed them. A lawyer for Bezos, William Isaacson, said Bezos would respond to the accusations in court. Unforgivable Betrayal Michael is my older brother, Lauren Sanchez said in a statement provided by her lawyer, Terry Bird. He secretly provided my most personal information to the National Enquirer a deep and unforgivable betrayal. My family is hurting over this new baseless and untrue lawsuit, and we truly hope my brother finds peace. De Becker did not respond to a message seeking comment. A United Nations report last month accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of possible complicity in the hack of Bezos phone, based on an analysis conducted by a consulting firm hired by Bezos. Saudi Arabia has denied the allegation, and the report did not link Saudi Arabias alleged actions to the Enquirer report. Federal Case At the time the Bezos story was published, AMI was already operating under a non-prosecution agreement with the Manhattan U.S. attorneys office, after admitting its role in hush-money payments made to women who allegedly had affairs with President Donald Trump. In a blog post shortly after the Enquirers story about the affair, Bezos accused the tabloid of extortion and blackmail in their handling of the story. That prompted prosecutors to reopen their investigation to determine if AMI had violated its non-prosecution agreement. That investigation was still ongoing as of late last year, according to people familiar with it. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. More than 200 Australians are heading home on a Qantas flight that has left the Chinese city Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. The citizens and permanent residents were airlifted from the Hubei province capital just after 11 a.m. local time. The plane is due to land at the RAAF Base Learmonth near Exmouth in Western Australias north about 2:30 p.m. WST on Monday. The passengers will later be taken to Christmas Island in smaller aircraft where they will be quarantined. Earlier, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce paid tribute to the crew of four pilots and 14 cabin staff who volunteered for the mission. I spoke to the crew last night and through FaceTime video and they were all very keen to get this done and get the Aussies out, he said. The 244 passengers underwent health checks before boarding the flight and will wear surgical masks. There will be a limited food and beverage service to minimise interaction between crew and passengers and the plane will undergo a three-day cleaning process when it returns. The crew have masks, gloves, and sanitisers and will be placed on the upper deck of the aircraft. In-flight, there is water left on the seats. The crew go back to the upper deck, which is sealed. The plane has medical-grade filters that remove particles in the air, including viruses. There have been 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia as the outbreak continues to wreak havoc in China and spread around the world. Foreign travellers who have left or passed through China will be denied entry to Australia to limit the spread of the virus. Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families, dependents, legal guardians and spouses, are exempt from the restrictions. Some 71 travellers to Australia were not allowed to board their plane in China overnight and 12 flights were cancelled on Sunday. Australias Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said the governments protective measures were effective. Many people now coming from mainland China, who have been in China as at the first of February, are deciding not to travel, he told reporters in Canberra. Thats been because of the edict issued by the border force commissioner that people shouldnt be uploaded onto flights. Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said thousands of tourists would also be affected by the virus, with the sector expected to take an A$11 billion hit, but public health must come first. This is our largest tourism market, our largest international education market, our largest trading partner so, of course, it is a significant and severe impact, he told ABC radio. Senator Birmingham said Tourism Australia would look to recalibrate existing resources to help affected tourism operators, and urged Australians to holiday domestically. By Tracey Ferrier She wowed fans with her slim body and moves on Dancing With The Stars last year. But Olympia Valance told Australian Women's Health she has transformed her physique by ditching dance and taking up weights. The 27-year-old told the publication that her new strength training regime has made her the 'leanest I've ever been'. 'I'm the leanest I've ever been!' Playing For Keeps star Olympia Valance, 27, reveals how ditching cardio and taking up weights helped her achieve a ripped physique The former Neighbours star said she focuses on doing four strength sessions a week- two focusing on legs and two on her upper body. Olympia says the trick to get a fantastic bikini body like hers is to continually keep pushing yourself. 'We see my progression and then I add more weights where I can' she said. 'We see my progression and then I add more weights where I can' Olympia said the secret to getting a fantastic body like hers is to continually keep pushing yourself In a photoshoot for the magazine, Olympia is seen flirting joyfully with the camera as she shows off her stunning body in bikinis and workout gear. This months cover star shows glows as she flaunts her flat stomach and trim pins. Olympia completes her look with glamorous bronzed make-up and wears her long dark mane in loose curls which fall at her shoulders. 'I have a curvy body as it is and I didn't want to feel any bigger': Olympia admitted to being worried before she started weight training but she loves the results Strength training: Olympia (pictured) focuses on doing doing four strength sessions a week- two focusing on legs and two on her upper body and getting in 15,000 steps per day While on DWTS she'd work out for hours on end, Olympia has now pretty much-ditched cardio. 'I don't do much cardio because I just don't like it, but I try to get in 15,000 steps a day,' she said. Although the former soap star loves her new muscular physique she admits she was reluctant to start pumping iron. Stunning: Olympia used to train for hours and hours training on dancing with the stars but says weight training has given her a better physique New love: Olympia revealed she was dating Essendon play Thomas Bellchambers in June 'I was definitely a bit worried (at first) because I have a curvy body as it is and I didn't want to feel any bigger,' but all her fears melted away as she saw her amazing transformation. Olympia, who plays a WAG dating an AFL star on Network 10 hit Playing For Keeps revealed she was seeing real-life Essendon player Thomas Bellchambers in June. She spoke to WHO magazine about the similarities between the show and her relationship. 'It's hilarious, really. Sometimes I read the scripts and I'm like, 'Is this my life?' Some of the conversations in the show are the ones I've had with Thomas,' she said. Preferred Hospice has announced that on Jan. 1, Cindy Cole, RN, BSN, CHPN, director of Clinical Services, was promoted to Quality Assurance nurse for all of Preferred Hospice and Regional Hospice of Missouri. Cole is now responsible for regulatory compliance, survey readiness, and other clinical issues for seven Preferred offices and three regional offices, covering more than 65 counties in Missouri. My goal is to help educate our staff on regulatory changes and to be a support to them. I have 14 years of hospice experience and am excited to share that experience with all of Preferred Hospice and Regional Hospice," said Cole. Cole began her career with Preferred Hospice almost 10 years ago when the Farmington office opened its doors in April of 2010. She has watched the office grow beyond all expectations and is now looking forward to helping all 10 offices grow and maintain the high standards already in place. I was in Farmington on day one when we had no patients. It was a leap of faith to come here and hope that we would be successful. With the assistance of the staff we have put in place over the years, we have done more than I ever expected in Farmington. We have provided the best hospice care possible. I am beyond proud of our achievements in Farmington and look forward to assisting all of our offices through my new role," she said. Cole will maintain an office in Farmington while traveling to the other offices as needed. She is a graduate of Farmington High School and the University of Missouri-Columbia and has been an RN since 1998. Also on Jan. 1, Shayla Scaggs-Smith, RN, BSN was promoted to director of Clinical Services in the Farmington office to fill the position vacated by Cole. She has been with Preferred Hospice for five years where she has served as admissions nurse and most recently assistant director of Clinical Services. She has shown leadership skills and very strong clinical competency in her years with Preferred Hospice. Administrator Micah Reutzel felt like she would be the perfect replacement in Farmington. The Farmington office has been extremely successful and is well-staffed with talented, experienced staff. Shayla has been able to step into her new role and maintain the family atmosphere in Farmington while also maintaining great patient care. She was the obvious choice and I am proud to have her working alongside me in the Farmington office," Reutzel said. Shayla is a graduate of South Iron High School as well as Mineral Area College and Central Methodist University. She currently lives in Farmington and has two children. Jessica Nichols, RN, BSN was also promoted to assistant director of Clinical Services to support Scaggs-Smith and the rest of the Farmington team. She is a graduate of Valley of Caledonia High School, Mineral Area College, and Central Methodist University. She is also currently enrolled at Maryville University working on obtaining her Masters Degree. She lives in Farmington with her husband and two children. She has been employed by Preferred Hospice for three years. Cole spoke about these recent changes. I have been fortunate enough to work with both Shayla and Jessica in the field and have watched them both grow into strong clinicians and managers. They are both extremely talented and will continue to lead us to provide the very best hospice care. The Farmington office is very special to me and I know I am leaving them in good hands. Preferred Hospice of Farmington serves patients in Jefferson, Washington, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Perry, Madison, Iron, Wayne, and Reynolds counties. The Preferred Hospice staff is made up of nurses, CNAs, social workers, chaplains, physicians, and volunteers. Together the staff has many years of hospice experience. The mission of Preferred Hospice is to have a positive impact on the lives of those we service, inspire through example, and encourage celebration of life. We will assist with emotional peace of mind and both physical and spiritual healing. For more information, to refer a patient, or to become a volunteer, call Preferred Hospice at 573-756-9800 or toll free at 1-888-756-9802. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 President Akufo-Addo will on Monday, 3rd February, 2020 begin a two day working tour of the Savannah and Upper West Regions. On Monday , the President will pay courtesy calls on traditional rulers in Kpembe, inspect the rehabilitation works on the Salaga water system and attend a durbar of the chiefs and people of Salaga North. He will also inspect the Tamale- Salaga Mankango road and Bunjai- Fulfulso road. On Tuesday 4th February, President Akufo-Addo will arrive in Wa and pay courtesy calls on the Wa Naa and new regional Chief Imam. He will then inspect ongoing construction of a multi-purpose youth centre in Wa Central and cut sod for phase II of the Solar Power Project. The President will also inspect ongoing construction of some roads in Nandom before returning to Accra on the same day. These regional tours by President Akufo-Addo are aimed at giving him an opportunity to hear first-hand from the people and observe for himself the progress of work. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (TSXV:VM) (the "Company" or "Voyageur") is pleased to announce successful test results by SGS Minerals & SGS Life Sciences division (SGS) on the Frances Creek barite project. SGS testing is a part of the ongoing Preliminary Economic Assessment on the Frances Creek project. Voyageur has confirmed that the Frances Creek barium sulfate meets all specification under US Pharmacopeia (USP) guidelines. The following specifications have been achieved: Grind size (average) 2.9 micron BaSO 4 Content 98.6% SrSO 4 Content 1.87% SiO 2 Content 0.69% USP 232 Elemental Impurities Limit - Passed (metals analyzed = 3.5ppm) Heavy metals <10ppm The company has accomplished and surpassed expectations with the last stage of the Frances Creek process testing with SGS. As a result of the superior purity of the natural occurring barite on the Frances Creek resource Voyageur can take advantage of low cost gravity separation and implement Standard Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for the API processing. The results indicate that Voyageur will be able to create a final ultra-pure Barium Sulfate product. Having the capability to operate using very simple and low cost technology that uses gravity to separate the waste rock from the barite is economically significant. The resulting grades are unmatched anywhere in the world. The barite process testing has achieved over and above all requirements for the highly regulated and stringent USP specifications. There is only one other natural USP barium sulfate supplier in the world, based out of China. The supplier is restricted to 5% export of their production to world markets and they reserve 95% of their production for the Chinese domestic market. Due to natural USP barite shortages world wide, the industry relies on expensive, chemically-manufactured, synthetic man-made barium precipitate (blanc fixe). Blanc fixe has grades between 98% - 99.9% BaSO 4 . CEO of Voyageur, Brent Willis commented that, "Our company not only continues to complete every milestone that has been set on its path to commerciality, but this particular milestone elevates Voyageur to a new level that will enable Voyageur to bring the highest quality product to market. With these results, we have a clear path forward to complete our PEA and advance to the production of our bulk sample. Our next major milestones are Health Canada natural and non-prescription drug (NNHP) registration approvals and the engineering of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) barium sulfate processing plant. Construction of this API facility will be followed by the 10,000 tonne bulk sample, where we will test all aspects of the production cycle. The fact that the company is able to create the highest quality natural barium sulfate in the current marketplace, with a low-cost processing method, is an indication of how rare and unique the Frances Creek resource is. Our grade of barium sulfate matches those produced synthetically, allowing our company to be highly competitive. We are excited by this latest work from SGS. We will continue to build our one of a kind pharmaceutical strategy of, From the Earth to the Bottle. Our goal is to become the only fully-integrated radio contrast media company in the health care market. Full integration allows a company to be highly competitive, by removing all costs associated with middle man. By controlling all our costs and having our own secure supply chain, we expect to deliver low cost, high profit contrast media products to the health care market in the near future. Voyageur plans to replicate the fully-integrated barium strategy on its iodine projects in Utah. Voyageurs joint venture partner Anson Resources (ASN:ASX), has identified a JORC resource of 21,400 contained tonnes of iodine in the area directly surrounding Voyageurs mineral claim block. Both of Voyageurs barium and iodine contrast projects can commence cash flow early for stakeholders, by utilizing third party API minerals to begin pharmaceutical manufacturing. Voyageurs joint venture partner, Chief Medical Supplys, have two GMP pharmaceutical manufacturing plants that are capable to meet all of our manufacturing requirements. About Voyageur Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is a Canadian public company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol VM. Voyageur is focused on the development of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) minerals. The current focus is developing barite and iodine radiocontrast products and later begin developing bromine-based pharmaceutical products. Voyageurs goal is to generate positive cash flow from operations through its signed joint venture with Chief Medical Supply Ltd. Albertas only pharmaceutical manufacturer. The joint venture contemplates turnkey manufacturing, bottling and distribution of barium radiopharmaceuticals for MRI, X-ray and CT scan applications. The Company also contemplates similar Health Canada registration applications for iodine and bromine products also for medical applications. Voyageur owns 100% interest in three barium sulfate (Barite) deposits including two properties suitable in grade for the industrial barite marketplace, as well as significant interests in a high-grade iodine, lithium & bromine brine project in Utah, USA. About ImagingX Pharmaceuticals Voyageur formed ImagingX, a gross revenue-sharing joint venture company with Chief Medical Supply Ltd (CMS). CMS provides high quality, competitively-priced pharmaceuticals and hemodialysis products to pharmacies and hospitals in Canada. Operating from both its 81,000 square-foot plant in Calgary, Alberta and its 163,000 square-foot facility in Mississauga, Ontario, CMS can supply products coast-to-coast. Regulated by Health Canada and complying with the Canadian Food and Drug Act, CMS has both drug and medical device establishment licenses issued by Health Canada. CMS currently has the combined bottling capacity of 760,000 bottles per day and has a turnkey sterile bottle line ready for ImagingX iodine contrast production. ImagingX is employing a strategy of selling competitively-priced radiopharmaceuticals for MRI, X-ray and CT scan applications. The main focus to date has been on barium, with the inclusion of iodine in 2020. The joint venture obligates Voyageur to provide the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient minerals for the products and CMS to manufacture the products. The partners each split gross revenue 50/50. This joint venture relationship is designed for ImagingX to be highly competitive by controlling all input costs under the motto of: From the Earth to the Bottle Qualified Person Statement The Companys qualified person as defined by NI 43-101, Mr. Bradley Willis, P.Eng, has reviewed this news release and approved it. For further information, please contact: Steven R. Livingston Mobile + (403) 471-1659 Office: + (587)-779-6166 Dial #1 steve@voyageurminerals.ca www.voyageurpharmaceuticals.ca Reader Advisory Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains certain statements or disclosures relating to the Company that are based on the expectations of its management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company which may constitute forward-looking statements or information ("forward-looking statements") under applicable securities laws. All such statements and disclosures, other than those of historical fact, which address activities, events, outcomes, results or developments that the Company anticipates may or will occur in the future (in whole or in part) should be considered forward-looking statement and undue reliance should not be placed on any such statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of the words "will", "intends", believes, expects, forecasts, "anticipates", "plans" and similar expressions. In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, this news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to anticipated product registrations with Health Canada for various pharmaceutical products, the Companys plan to develop, produce and sell pharmaceutical products, anticipated cash flows, and Voyageurs ability to meet its obligations under the joint venture agreement with CMS.. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligations to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the U.S. Securities Act) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons (as defined in the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration is available. The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) says bandits have displaced no fewer than 4,030 persons from their communities in four local government areas of the state. The public relations officer of the agency, Hussein Ibrahim, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Monday. Mr Ibrahim said that over 1,000 persons displaced from communities in Shiroro Local Government Area (LGA) were taking shelter at Dr Idris Ibrahim Central Primary School, Kuta. According to him, about 700 people displaced in Munya LGA are taking refuge at Sarkin-Pawa. He told NAN that bandits displaced 2,000 persons from Pandogari and environs in Rafi LGA, adding that they were taking refuge at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Central Primary School, Kagara. According to him, 600 other persons displaced from Adunu and environs in Paikoro Local Government Area are taking shelter at Kafin-Koro. He said the government had provided relief materials through the agency to lessen the suffering of the affected persons, adding that plans were underway to provide more materials for those not yet given. NAN recalls that the governor, Abubakar Bello, led a delegation, which included a former governor of the state, Muazu Aliyu, to President Muhammadu Buhari, to solicit the intervention of the federal government on the continual banditry in Niger State. The governor, who decried the surge in activities of the bandits in the state, said that the attacks had rendered many homeless and instilled fear in the people. (NAN) BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sentrium announced the availability of VyOS in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace , an online store providing applications and services for use on Azure. VyOS customers can now take advantage of the productive and trusted Azure cloud platform, with streamlined deployment and management. VyOS is an open-source network operating system based on GNU/Linux that provides a unified management interface for all functions like traditional hardware routers. It runs on bare metal as well as major hypervisors and cloud platforms, so you can use the same OS everywhere and connect your on-premises networks with cloud sites without the limitations and costs of vendor-specific VPN solutions, or you can build inexpensive remote-access VPN for your remote workers. VyOS includes everything you would expect from a router: industry routing protocols (BGP, OSPF v2/v3, RIP) policy-based and multipath routing VPN and tunneling protocols (IPsec, VTI, L2TP, OpenVPN, Wireguard, GRE, IPIP, SIT, VXLAN, L2TPv3) stateful and zone-based firewall NAT high availability (VRRP, connection table synchronization) QoS and shaping NetFlow and sFlow traffic accounting Image-based update, stateful CLI with commit and rollback capabilities, and built-in config versioning and archiving provide simple and reliable system management. Built-in SaltStack integration and official Ansible module allow automating configuration workflow. For custom automation solutions, an HTTP API is available. Yuriy Andamasov, Coordinator of VyOS Project, said, "This is a significant milestone for VyOS public cloud support to start a collaboration with Microsoft Azure platform. It is a fact that cloud services benefit our clients. Providing best-quality solutions with Azure allows us to help customers face the different challenges of their business". Sajan Parihar, Senior Director, Microsoft Azure Platform at Microsoft Corp, said, "We're pleased to welcome VyOS to the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, which gives our partners great exposure to cloud customers around the globe. Azure Marketplace offers world-class quality experiences from global trusted partners with solutions tested to work seamlessly with Azure." The Azure Marketplace is an online market for buying and selling cloud solutions certified to run on Azure. The Azure Marketplace helps connect companies seeking innovative, cloud-based solutions with partners who have developed solutions that are ready to use. Learn more about VyOS at its page in the Azure Marketplace. About VyOS VyOS is a fully open-source network OS that provides a wide range of features for any network, from a small business to an Internet service provider. It runs on commodity hardware from desktop router boards to large servers, as well as a virtual machine in all popular hypervisors and multiple cloud hosting platforms including VMware, KVM, Xen, Amazon EC2, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform and more. Its aim is to provide the reliability and user experience of traditional hardware routers, without getting tied to any specified hardware or software vendor. Unified command-line interface and HTTP API for all functions, built-in configuration versioning and archiving, and reversible image upgrades allow network admins to make configuration changes easily. VyOS project started in 2013 as a fork of Vyatta Core when the open-source Vyatta version was discontinued. For more information, press only: Nataliia Korobchenko PR manager https://sentrium.io , https://vyos.io e-mail: [email protected] phone: +8170-4292-5389 SOURCE Sentrium New Delhi, Feb 3 (UNI) Responding to Union Minister Prakash Javadekar's 'Terrorist comment', Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Monday challenged BJP to arrest Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, if he is a terrorist. "First, a BJP MP (Parvesh Saheb Singh Verma) called Arvind Kejriwal a terrorist, then Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar called him a 'monkey' and then Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath made fun of Kejriwal's health. 'Today, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar again referred to Arvind Kejriwal as a terrorist. This is quite unbelievable that these kinds of remarks are being made in the capital of the country, while Parliament session is going on," Mr Singh said in a press conference here. "Despite an entire constitutional set-up being in place, the Election Commission being here, how is a Union Minister even allowed to make such a statement? And if Arvind Kejriwal indeed is a terrorist, I challenge the entire BJP to arrest him and put him behind bars. They have crossed all limits of decency in language. Mr Singh added. Earlier in the day, Mr Javadekar said that Arvind Kejriwal had once himself called him 'an anarchist' and there was not much difference between "an anarchist and a terrorist." "There is a reason why Delhiites have turned away from Arvind Kejriwal. He is making an innocent face and asking people, 'Am I a terrorist?' You are a terrorist, there is plenty of proof. You had yourself said you are an anarchist; there is not much difference between an anarchist and a terrorist," Mr Javadekar had said in a press conference here. Taking a dig at the Javadekar's comment, Mr Singh counted the Kejriwal-led Delhi government's works and asked, 'Have you ever seen a terrorist doing such a work? "This is the CM, who provided senior citizens with opportunity to go on a Teerth Yatra, provided good education, health to the people of Delhi, free bus rides for women, who provided financial assistance to families of martyrs, who studied from IIT, left his job as a Revenue Commissioner and sat on a dharna for 15 days against corruption. Have you ever seen a terrorist doing Dharna against corruption?," Mr Singh quipped. UNI GK RJ 2031/2037 Ocado-backed network of Hyperloop-style underground tunnels for delivering packages across London moves a step closer after raising 1.5 million. Magway, based in Wembley, London, was founded in 2017 by Rupert Cruise, an engineer on Elon Musk's Hyperloop project, and Phill Davies, business expert. They took to crowdfunding website crowdcube in November in the hope of raising 750,000, but they more than doubled that goal, hitting 1.58 million. The money will allow them to expand their team and enter the pilot stage - which will see a 1.2 mile test track of 3ft wide magnetic tubes built later this year. Scroll down for video. A series of tunnels would transport 72,000 carriages per hour each holding four parcels along a magnetic track The company says it's network of underground tunnels could deliver more than 600 million packages a year in London alone once fully installed. A series of tunnels would transport 72,000 carriages per hour each holding four parcels along a magnetic track, which propels them forward at just under 40mph. They hope to build the first operational track between London, Hertfordshire and on to Milton Keynes where there are a number of fulfilment centres. 'Weve been overwhelmed by the response to our crowdfunding campaign.' said Magway Managing Director, Anna Daroy. 'It shows that people, particularly younger generations, are prepared to back innovative businesses, such as Magway, in their drive to change existing, out-dated modes of transportation.' The team say their network of tunnels will give retailers a quick and cheap way to move goods between distribution and fulfilment centres, and could be up and running in as little as three years. The company has also raised 1.5 million through investors including Ocado - who may use the service in the future - and a government grant of 650,000. Magway transports goods including groceries and small parcels on carriages moving along a magnetic track. Pictured is a still from an animated video showing a carriage moving along a track The Magway tunnels could run under the embankment by the side of the hard shoulder and help cut down on congestion However estimates for building the tunnels and carriages to carry the packages alone will cost a massive 1.5m per mile - with an extra 3.5m needed to get planning and legalities secured. Currently a comparable feat - the Crossrail project -is to cost the UK 20 billion to build a 62 mile track with only 26 miles of underground tunnel, however these tunnels were much larger than the 3ft tubes planned to transport the packages. In order to transport packages along London's 9,197 miles of road far more than 26 miles of tunnels will be needed. Magway calls itself a 'delivery utility' and plans to deliver parcels between distribution centres and consolidation centres via underground pipelines similar to those used by water, gas and electricity companies. The company says it hopes to start with a series of short routes for airports to alleviate freight traffic with a UK wide network starting development in 2023. The company is currently mapping its route across London from north London in Hatfield, to Park Royal in west London The full-scale roll-out would eliminate millions of tonnes of CO2 emissions annually by removing heavy good vehicles Similar to the hyperloop technology proposed by Elon Musk, the tubes will also use electromagnets. However, Magway does not operate in a vacuum and will be used for transporting goods, not humans. The company is currently mapping its route across London from north London in Hatfield, to Park Royal in west London - the first 56-mile section from Milton Keynes to Park Royal could be ready in three years. Magway said it aims to install multiple pipelines across the UK and internationally. Rupert Cruise, co-founder and managing director of Magway, said: 'As the first major economy in the world to legally commit to zero emissions by 2050, the UK Government has taken positive steps towards reducing global warming. 'However, how we reach this target is another question.' The first 56-mile section from Milton Keynes to Park Royal could be ready in three years 'With no clear plan in place, not enough is being done to address the future of our transport infrastructure and, more importantly, how to tackle the problem of dangerous levels of air pollution,' he said. 'We need big ideas that will change the way we currently deliver goods and the face of transport for years to come.' The full-scale roll-out would eliminate millions of tonnes of CO2 emissions annually by removing heavy good vehicles from the road as well as saving millions of pounds worth of road maintenance costs. When electricity starts running through the track, this pushes the carriages forward at just under 40mph. The electromagnet technology is similar to that proposed by Elon Musk for his hyperloop The government Innovate UK grant has been awarded to help build an operational demonstrator to illustrate how a full-scale system will operate. A consortium of companies will deliver the project, comprising of Magway, Ocado, Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, Space Syntax, Force Engineering and Transport Research Laboratory (TRL). Co-founder Phill Davies told MailOnline: 'Each Magway pipe can manage 72,000 carriages per hour; 12 million per week or over 600 million per year in each direction. 'A carriage transports a 'tote' that can potentially hold multiple items. A typical Ocado delivery comprises 3-4 totes.' The government Innovate UK grant has been awarded to help build an operational demonstrator to illustrate how a full-scale system will operate He said the UK is the most advanced online grocery market in the world and It is estimated that 1bn grocery totes will be delivered in the UK to homes. 'Magway's 0.9m pipes can also fit 90 per cent of general merchandise goods leaving the likes of Amazon etc. 'Our pipes can run both overground and underground and are the same as those being used in the utility industry. We are just putting something different through them.' WHAT IS THE HYPERLOOP? Hyperloop is a proposed method of travel that would transport people at roughly 700mph between distant locations. It was unveiled by Elon Musk in 2013, who at the time said it could take passengers the 380 miles (610km) from LA to San Francisco in 30 minutes - half the time it takes a plane. It is essentially a long tube that has had the air removed to create a vacuum. For safety reasons, Hyperloop tunnels need escape hatches in case of fire. The tube is suspended off the ground to protect against weather and earthquakes. There are now a number of firms vying to bring the technology to life, including Elon Musk himself, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, and Virgin Hyperloop One. As several firms vie to create the first operational Hyperloop, Elon Musks vision of a radical transport system that could ferry passengers above land at 760 miles per hour continues to inch closer to reality Advertisement On Thursday, the states Criminal Justice Commission interviewed four candidates to fill the remaining year and a half of the term of Kevin T. Kane, who retired as Chief States Attorney on Dec. 1. Kane, the longest-serving chief since the office was created in 1973, was appointed to a third five-year term in 2016 and retired after 47 years as a prosecutor, the last 13 as the head of the Division of Criminal Justice. The interviews, conducted in a public meeting of the commission in the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, were intensive and went on for eight hours. There were four candidates, all of whom have considerable prosecutorial experience: Richard J. Colangelo Jr., the States Attorney for the Stamford/Norwalk judicial district; Kevin D. Lawlor, the Deputy Chief States Attorney and previously the States Attorney for the Ansonia/Milford judicial district; Erik T. Lohr, Associate Attorney General; and Maureen T. Platt, the States Attorney for the Waterbury judicial district. At the end of a long day of interviews, the commission announced it had selected Colangelo, who has served as the States Attorney for the Stamford/Norwalk district since 2015, to succeed Kane as Chief States Attorney. He was sworn in on Friday. In a grim coincidence, Colangelo, who has been much in the news lately as the prosecutor in charge of the Jennifer Farber Dulos homicide case, was announced as the commissions choice only hours after Fotis Dulos, who had been charged with her murder, died of carbon monoxide poisoning. In the interviews, the four candidates discussed a number of issues related to the organization and administration of the division the current challenges it faces and its needs and priorities in the years ahead. They also discussed a number of substantive issues pertaining to criminal justice for example, diversionary programs for youthful offenders, levels of incarceration, officer-involved shootings, and the need for public accountability and prosecutorial consistency across the states 13 judicial districts. And they were asked about possible criminal justice reforms, including one that has gained widespread support across the country over the past decade creation of a conviction integrity unit. In recent years, as they have become increasingly aware of the frequency and various causes of wrongful convictions, prosecutors in a number of cities and counties across the country have created such units, the purpose of which is to reexamine the evidence in cases in which there is some reason to believe there was a wrongful conviction. The first such unit was created in Santa Clara County (San Jose) in 2002, then in Dallas County in 2007 and Harris County (Houston) in 2009, and then in quick succession in Manhattan, Kings County (Brooklyn), Cook County (Chicago), San Diego County, Baltimore, Suffolk County (Boston), and the New York Attorney Generals Office in 2010-12. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, there are now 58 such units in the country, 31 of which have conducted investigations that led to a total of 390 exonerations. Recently, the Smart Justice Campaign of the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut sent a 17-question survey to the four finalists for the position of chief states attorney and made their answers public. One of the questions was, Will you commit to fairness and accountability by supporting legislation creating an independent conviction integrity unit to review and investigate innocence claims presented by people convicted of violent offenses? While Associate Attorney General Lohr responded only with an ambiguous No as phrased, the three prosecutors all expressed their strong support for creation of such a unit. Colangelo, for example, said that while he didnt think legislation is needed to create such a unit, he supports the creation of one. Indeed, he said, if I am the CSA I plan on having a conviction integrity unit. In creating such a unit, Colangelo will have the support of Deputy Chief States Attorney Lawlor, States Attorney Platt, and no doubt other states attorneys as well. In response to the ACLU question, Platt said, Yes. I believe that a Conviction Integrity Unit would be an important development to ensuring public confidence in the Criminal Justice System. As ministers of justice, prosecutors should endorse any effort to prevent wrongful convictions. And in his response, Lawlor noted that the Office of the Chief States Attorney has been at work for some time on the creation of such a unit, that he and Kane, along with the States Attorneys, had drafted a proposed policy to provide an avenue for incarcerated individuals who claim they were wrongfully convicted to have their cases reexamined, and that last year he had presented Kane with an outline of the possible creation of a conviction integrity unit that would be staffed with experienced prosecutors and inspectors similar to those who staff the offices Cold Case Bureau. Creating such a unit would, of course, require some additional funding for the Division of Criminal Justice. But noting that convicting an innocent person is every prosecutors worst nightmare, he made it clear that he would lobby the legislature and make the case that creation of such a unit is a critical priority for the division. The good news for those such as I, who have called for some time for creation of a statewide conviction integrity unit, is that under Chief States Attorney Kane, the Division of Criminal Justice has been doing the necessary planning and preparatory work for creation of such a unit and that, under Chief States Attorney Colangelo, such a unit is likely to be created. In recent years, Connecticut has enacted important legislation designed to prevent wrongful convictions. It has required that confessions to serious crimes be videotaped and has mandated the blind or double-blind administration and sequential presentation of a suspect and fillers in a lineup or photo array in order to minimize eyewitness misidentifications, the single most frequent cause, by far, of wrongful convictions. And it has a state-level Innocence Project that has worked effectively with the Division of Criminal Justice in reversing a number of wrongful convictions. Creating a conviction integrity unit is clearly on the agenda for the new chief states attorney. And that will be a good thing for criminal justice in Connecticut. David R. Cameron is a professor of political science at Yale University. The censure motion titled "Orban Government / PNL - putting Romanian democracy into private hands", signed by 208 MPs, was read on Monday in the plenary sitting of the Parliament by Social Democrat deputy Daniel Suciu. The Standing Bureaus of the two Parliament Houses are to meet on Tuesday starting at noon to set the timetable for the debate and vote on the censure motion initiated by the Social Democrats.Parliament's Rules of Procedure require the censure motion to be presented in the joint sitting of the two Houses no later than five days after the date it was submitted.The debate on the censure motion takes place in three days after its presentation in the joint sitting of the two Houses.The censure motion needs the votes of 233 MPs to pass.According to the Constitution, the government can take responsibility before the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, in a joint meeting, for a program, a general policy statement or a bill. The government is dismissed if, after assuming responsibility, a successful censure motion is tabled. If the Executive has not been dismissed, the presented bill, amended or supplemented - as the case may be - with amendments accepted by the government, is considered adopted.The Social Democrats tabled a censure motion after the Orban Government last week assumed responsibility for the bill on two-round mayoral elections. AGERPRES The prosecution and the defence on Monday sought more time from a court here in Maharashtra to file their response on the National Investigation Agency's application seeking transfer of the Elgar Parishad case to a special NIA court in Mumbai. After hearing both the sides, Additional Sessions Judge S R Navandar kept the matter for hearing on February 6. Special public prosecutor Ujjwala Pawar said she has no instructions from the investigation machinery, and sought more time to file the prosecution's response. Lawyers representing the accused also sought more time to file their say, citing that they have not yet received any notice about the application filed by the NIA. The National Investigation Agency last week filed an application before a Pune court hearing the Elgar Parishad case, seeking transfer of seized data, court records and proceedings of the case to the special NIA court in Mumbai. The Centre last month transferred the probe into the Elgar Parishad case from Pune Police to the NIA, a decision which the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government in Maharashtra criticised strongly. The Pune Police told the NIA last week that case records will be handed over only after the state Director General of Police issues necessary orders. The case is related to speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave, held at Shaniwarwada here on December 31, 2017, and the next day's violence near the Koregaon Bhima war memorial in the district. Pune Police claimed that the conclave was backed by Maoists, and the speeches made there triggered the violence. During the probe, the police arrested activists Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Varavara Rao for alleged Maoist links. The Pune Police have already filed two chargesheets in the case. However, the new government in Maharashtra had taken steps to review the police probe. The Congress and NCP had hit out at the Centre for handing over the case to the NIA, claiming it was done as the BJP feared the earlier government's wrongful actions would get "exposed". NCP chief Sharad Pawar had last month demanded a Special Investigation Team to probe the action taken by Pune Police against the rights activists in the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Patterson joined Watercrest Senior Living Group in early 2019, successfully leading the pre-operational management of Watercrest Columbia Assisted Living and Memory Care, before transitioning to her new position as executive director of Watercrest Fort Mill. Patterson's healthcare career began as a senior living marketing director where her love for seniors and the industry flourished. After achieving her nursing home administrators license and residential care facility license, she excelled in a regional role providing leadership and implementing strategic growth for multiple senior living communities. "I feel God has surely blessed me in joining the Watercrest family," says Joy Patterson, executive director of Watercrest Fort Mill. "I am deeply moved seeing the love, care and happiness in our communities, and I look forward to serving the residents, families, and associates of Fort Mill-Indian Land with excellence." Watercrest Fort Mill will offer 75 assisted living and 32 memory care apartments with premium accommodations, resort-style amenities, and world-class care. Residents will enjoy pampering in elegant Spa W, savor private label Watercrest wines at the wine bistro, and relish the flavors of locally grown, seasonal ingredients and organic fare whether dining outdoors, bistro-style, or in the chef's private dining room. The innovative design of Watercrest Fort Mill includes a stunning promenade, pool, fireplace, signature water wall, multiple dining venues, and children's play space. Watercrest's uniquely designed Market Street Residence will showcase an 'outdoor' streetscape with salon and spa, bakery, post office, and numerous LifeBUILT programming touches; a highlight and crucial element of their multi-sensory memory care programming. Watercrest Fort Mill is ideally situated at 8154 English Clover Lane, in one of South Carolina's fastest growing communities. It is the second senior living development project partnered between Watercrest Senior Living Group and Waypoint Residential. Their first project, Watercrest Newnan Assisted Living and Memory Care is recently celebrated their grand opening in Newnan, Georgia. Waypoint Residential, LLC ("Waypoint") is a vertically integrated real estate investment firm specializing in rental housing. Waypoint acquires and develops conventional multifamily, student and senior housing properties throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.waypointresidential.com. The Watercrest Fort Mill Sales Office is located at 4184 Doby's Bridge Road, Suite 102, across from Indian Land Elementary School. Visit the office from 9am-5pm, Monday through Friday or contact Executive Director, Joy Patterson at 803-590-7005, for more information. A certified Great Place to Work, Watercrest Senior Living Group was founded by Marc Vorkapich, CEO, and Joan Williams, CFO, to honor our mothers and fathers, aspiring to become a beacon for quality in senior living by surpassing standards of care, service and associate training. Watercrest specializes in the development and operations of assisted living and memory care communities and the growth of servant leaders. Visit www.watercrestseniorliving.com. SOURCE Watercrest Senior Living Group Related Links http://www.watercrestseniorliving.com A primary school teacher and her sister were tied and beaten up by local party representatives for protesting. The footage was recorded by an onlooker in a small village in the South Dinajpur district in West Bengal, India, on Sunday. It is thought that the pair had been protesting over forcibly acquired land by the government in the east Indian state of West Bengal. In the video, the two women can be seen sitting in the middle of the sandy road in an attempt to block access of an oncoming truck. The crowd that has started to gather is becoming increasingly agitated as two men begin to unravel handfuls of rope in the background. Then two men, who are thought to be both members of the village and local party representatives, walk towards one of the women. They grab her by the arms and legs and drag her towards them. The footage was recorded by an onlooker in a small village in the South Dinajpur district in West Bengal, India, on Sunday. In the video, the two women can be seen sitting in the middle of the sandy road in an attempt to block access of an oncoming truck One man begins to tie her legs as she unsuccessfully attempts to shuffle away. She is dragged off the road and taken to sit next to what appears to be an industrial shed. Her sister was dragged around to sit in the same place just a few moments later. The women are then left as the men walk away and the 'road roller' continues through, which is where the video ends. Two men, who are thought to be both members of the village and local party representatives, walk towards the women to tie their legs and drag them away from the road The women have registered a case against five men who allegedly assaulted them, according to the reports. It is currently being investigated by the law enforcers. The local political party, All India Trinamool Congress, have since dismissed their district leader. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, holds a joint news conference with Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, on Feb. 2, 2020. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP) Pompeo, in Kazakhstan, Warns of Chinas Growing Reach, Calls for Greater Economic Cooperation U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday pressed Kazakhstan to be wary of Chinese investment and influence, urging the Central Asian nation and others to join calls demanding an end to Chinas repression of minorities. Bringing a message similar to the one he has delivered repeatedly to other countries, Pompeo told Kazakhstani officials that the attractiveness of Chinese investment comes with a cost to sovereignty and may hurt, instead of help, the countrys long-term development. We fully support Kazakhstans freedom to choose to do business with whichever country it wants, but I am confident that countries get the best outcomes when they partner with American companies, he said at the press conference. You get fair deals. You get job creation. You get transparency in contracts. You get companies that care about the environment, and you get an unsurpassed commitment to quality work. Pompeo also urged Kazakhstani officials to continue reforms that would allow greater U.S. investment and said the two nations were discussing the possibility of opening direct passenger flights between the countries. Pompeo also discussed economic and security cooperation with his Kazakhstani counterpart Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tileuberdi. The United States is currently one of the biggest investors in Kazakhstan, comprising 18.5 percent of [its] total foreign direct investment. Tileuberdi and Pompeo talked at a joint press conference, about the contract that American agricultural giant Tyson Foods signed in December with the Republic of Kazakhstan and private holding multinational company Kusto Group also operating in Kazakhstan, on cooperation leading to a construction of a modern beef processing plant and an entire ecosystem for developing livestock production in Kazakhstan. Also, Chevron and ExxonMobil will continue to invest in the Kazakh oil and gas sector, contributing to the development of the countys oil fields and job creation. There is also a potential to expand the cooperation between two countries in the information technology and scientific research, said Tileuberdi. Pompeo said that Kazakhstans reforms aimed to strengthen the economic prosperity and democracy and increasing public confidence in the government, which are welcomed by the United States. Pompeo and Tileuberdi emphasized that the fundamental rule of law and basic protections for transparency in contracts are the key prerequisites necessary to expand the economic cooperation between two countries further and are fundamental for Western companies to do business in Kazakhstan. The American risk-taking entrepreneurs will love the hardworking, capable, talented people here in Kazakhstan to be part of their teams, and we will do good things for American business and for the people of Kazakhstan when we get all of these opportunities brought to fruition, Pompeo said. Fighting International Terrorism Together Both countries also cooperate in fighting international terrorism. The United States has provided border security assistance to Kazakhstan, and both countries cooperate in combating money laundering for terrorism financing, narcotics abuse and trafficking, and human trafficking. the statement says. Kazakhstan also helps to support the peace process in Afghanistan mostly through providing logistical access to Afghanistan and professional education to young Afghans. Pompeo congratulated Kazakhstan on its repatriation of ISIS terrorists from Iraq and Syria. Kazakhstan has taken back nearly 600 fighters and family members detained in areas formerly controlled by the group. I have and will continue to commend the Kazakhstani government for its leadership in repatriating foreign terrorists fighters and their families from Iraq and Syria, he said. I hope this commitment to justice will inspire other nations to do the same. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, center, meets with Kazakh citizens who said their family members are detained in Xinjiang, China. The meeting was held in a yurt at the U.S. Ambassadors residence in Nur-sultan, Kazakhstan, on Feb. 2, 2020. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP) Neighboring China Pompeo praised Kazakhstan for its efforts to counter the spread of the coronavirus from China. He said the United States is helping the country, which shares roughly 1,100 miles of its border with China, with expertise from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and providing laboratory equipment. Kazakhstans quick action to stop the spread of the virus has been incredibly impressive, he said. Kazakhstan is among the growing list of countries that have suspended travel links with China. Pompeo met with ethnic Kazakhs whose families have gone missing or been detained in Chinas widespread crackdown on Muslims and other ethnic and religious minorities in its western Xinjiang region. He praised the Kazakhstani government for not repatriating asylum seekers back to China at the Chinese government request. The protection of basic human rights defines the soul of a nation, he said, thanking Kazakhstan for taking in those fleeing persecution. The United States urges all countries to join us in pressing for immediate end to this repression. We ask simply for them to provide safe refuge and asylum for those seeking to flee China. To protect dignity, just do whats right. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, meets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Akorda presidential residence in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, on Feb. 2, 2020. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP) The USKazakhstan Relation The United States was the first nation to recognize Kazakhstans independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991. Just 24 hours after your independence back in 1991, almost 30 years ago, my predecessor, Secretary of State James Baker, traveled here to support your vision for a sovereign, prosperous nation, said Pompeo. Since its independence, Kazakhstan had the fourth largest stockpile of nuclear warheads in the world. Kazakhstan renounced its nuclear weapons in 1993 and removed its last nuclear warheads in 1995 with United States assistance, the statement says. Under Soviet rule, Kazakhstan was a testing ground for nuclear weapons, as more than 25 percent of all the nuclear tests in the world was conducted on [its] soil. The United States helped the country recover from the damaging effects of these tests on the people and the environment. And more recently, in January of 2018, President Trump welcomed then-President Nursultan Nazarbayev to the White House, who was Kazakhstani first president. Pompeo also met today with Kazakhstani President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and with Nazarbayev. The Associated Press contributed to this report. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Ilkin Seyfaddini Trend: President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev issued an order on the establishment of a special commission for the preparation of programs of measures to prevent the entry and spread of coronavirus in the territory of Uzbekistan, Trend reports citing the Uzbek media. The Cabinet of Ministers held a meeting of the extraordinary commission to combat the epidemic, which was chaired by Prime Minister of UzbekistanAbdulla Aripov. As reported, more than 28,000 people entered Uzbekistan on January 31 only. On February 2, 38 aircrafts from abroad landed at Tashkent International Airport named after I.Karimov from abroad, and 4,194 Uzbek citizens including 84 persons studying in China, were checked by thermometry equipment at sanitary quarantine points, 84 of them are studying in China. Among those underwent thermometry, one passenger who had arrived from Russia had an elevated body temperature; however, the epidemiological survey conducted by doctors found that this person was not in contact with patients with this disease, the message said. Another 953 Uzbek citizens who arrived on five trains were checked at six short-stay hospitals of the central Sanitary and Epidemiological Station of Uzbekistan Railways, and no patients with elevated body temperatures were found among them. Test samples from 21 suspicious citizens were taken to the agency's virological laboratory for coronavirus research. No traces of coronavirus samples were found among the samples taken. As of February 1, no cases of infection with coronavirus were registered among citizens of the Uzbekistan. In each region, three operational teams consisting of intensive care specialists, infectious disease specialists and epidemiologists were deployed, the report said. First charter flights from Beijing to Tashkent are scheduled for February 4 and 5, Foreign Ministry reports. Uzbek citizens are asked to arrive in Beijing February 3. The dates of the other flights will be announced additionally. According to the Uzbek embassy in Beijing, there were 81 Uzbek citizens in Wuhan as of February 1. On December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization about an outbreak of unknown pneumonia in Wuhan in the central part of the country. Specialists have identified the causative agent - Coronavirus 2019-nCoV. The number of people infected with coronavirus in China exceeded 17.2 thousand people, 361 died. Almost 150 more people became ill outside China, one of them died. World Health Organization has recognized the outbreak as an emergency of international concern. In many cities, the construction cacophony of jackhammers, excavators, and pile-drivers offers a background symphony, and even a short stroll around Dublin or Cork provides mesmerising views of cranes and towers dominating the skyline. Construction activity has grown roughly 10% per annum since 2013 when the economic recovery began to get underway and 1,000 people have entered the construction industry per month since then. How different it all was a decade ago when silence and inactivity were the bywords of a shattered economy. Inevitably, though, construction activity does present its problems. The dilemma is about the lack of trained workers available personnel. With the economy approaching full employment, the task of filling vacancies in the dozens of major building projects across the country is proving a vexatious headache. Such is the skills shortage that construction companies have been forced to cast their employment net overseas in search of quantity surveyors, civil engineers, and project managers, with talent from as far afield as Brazil and South Africa responding to work opportunities. While there has been a focus in recent years on bringing Irish construction talent back from overseas, including many who were forced to emigrate during the slump, it is not enough to successfully plug the growing gaps. To maintain the level of growth required by the vast array of major projects across the country, companies increasingly need to access the global talent pool. However, many companies are put off by the assumption that the bureaucracy of employing non-EU residents will involve a blizzard of paperwork. According to Azon Recruitment, construction professionals from outside of Ireland make up less than 10% of all workers in the industry, with over 70% of building companies saying they are not actively looking to hire professionals from abroad to fill their vacancies. In addition, 90% of those who responded to the Azon survey were unaware of government initiatives to help companies to source and relocate non-EU workers. One example is the 2015 Trusted Partner Initiative, aimed at streamlining the application process and offering a fast turnaround of applications, with no fees and reduced paperwork. It is buttressed by the Critical Skills Employment Permits, an initiative designed to attract highly skilled people into the labour market to take up permanent residence in the State. Another product of the skills shortages in construction is the increase in salaries. Azon estimates construction wages rose by around 4.5% last year, before other perks, such as enhanced car allowances, pensions, and health benefits. In addition, construction is getting to grips with a variety of roles that were unknown a decade ago. The changing face of the sector is generating new types of job, driven by technology. The industry is also grappling with a gender equality crisis, with women accounting for only 8% of Irish construction workers. Given that up to 112,000 additional workers will be needed to deliver on the planned construction activity over the next decade, the industry is limiting its growth potential if it only recruits from 50% of the population. From an efficiency perspective, female participation in business decision making has been proven to improve business performance, says Jean Winters, who is director of industrial relations at the Construction Industry Federation. We, as an industry, cannot continue to allow such low levels of female participation. Other sectors have taken steps with some success and we need to also, she says. The construction industry continues to play a game of catch-up following almost a decade of under-investment. Meeting the housing needs of a country whose population is set to substantially increase in the near future will underpin much of the next decades output. The construction industry will be under pressure to deliver. the goods. Carbon Reduction Plan: More Sustainable and Cost-Effective for Customers Evergy announced its commitment to achieve an 80 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions below 2005 levels from its fleet of power plants by 2050, which is a commitment consistent with the Paris Climate Accord. By the end of 2020, Evergy will have reached an estimated 40 percent reduction in emissions. Evergy highlighted the key components of a plan to achieve this significant emissions reduction: Retiring all coal power plants in the Evergy fleet at the end of their useful life, which is currently estimated to be between 2040-2050, with the exception of Iatan 2 in Missouri; Continuing to make significant investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency; Operating the Wolf Creek Nuclear Station until its license expires in 2045; and Adding a small amount of natural gas generation, if additional carbon-free generation is not available within the plan's timeframe. "Reducing carbon emissions and increasing the amount of wind energy on our system benefits our customers by reducing operating costs and by making our operations more environmentally sustainable," said Terry Bassham, Evergy president and chief executive officer. "This represents a significant investment in the state of Kansas, helping to create clean energy jobs, and bring additional income for rural communities and school districts. It will also make Kansas more competitive for future economic development and job creation." "Without question, we are uniquely positioned to be a regional and national leader in the development and expansion of renewable energy," Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said. "Renewable energy is about far more than a cleaner future - it's about jobs. It's about adapting to the economy. It's about innovation and business growth. We need an energy market that is affordable, efficient and meets the needs of our businesses and communities. I'm pleased to see Evergy commit to more renewable energy and wind production. My administration will continue to work together with stakeholders, consumers, businesses and industries alike. Because at the end of the day, we all will benefit from forward-thinking energy initiatives." Additional Wind Energy: Creating One of the Largest Wind Fleets in the United States Evergy will add 660 megawatts of wind to its generation portfolio. This addition will bring the total amount of wind serving Evergy customers to 4,535 megawatts, making Evergy one of the top five wind energy companies in the United States. The energy from these wind farms will be used to support and expand Evergy's Direct Renewables Program, which allows Kansas companies to access clean wind energy to become more sustainable and reduce the overall cost of energy. Evergy plans to use the additional wind energy as an economic development tool to attract manufacturers and technology companies who are seeking cost-effective, sustainable and carbon-free energy. "With the abundant wind energy in Kansas, Evergy is a natural partner for businesses that want to use affordable renewable energy. Our innovative wind energy programs attract businesses and boost the local economy," said Bassham. "Our ongoing transformation to cleaner energy sources reduces carbon emissions and provides our customers sustainable, affordable, reliable electricity." Combined, the four new wind projects bring $180 million economic benefit to the region, including hundreds of construction jobs and dozens of permanent green energy jobs. The projects are: Expedition Wind, a 199 MW project being developed by National Renewable Solutions in Marion County, Kan. Flat Ridge 3, an additional 128 MW of wind generation being developed by AEP Renewables near Kingman, Kan. Jayhawk Wind, a 193 MW wind project being developed by Apex Clean Energy in Crawford and Bourbon Counties, Kan., with Evergy purchasing power from 155 MW of the site. Ponderosa Wind, from which Evergy will purchase 178 MW of wind energy from the site being developed by a subsidiary of NextEra Resources, LLC, south of Liberal, Kan., in Oklahoma. "Evergy is a national leader in renewables. In fact, thanks in large part to our wind investments, Kansas now ranks Number One in the nation for per capita wind generation," Bassham said. "We will continue to grow our renewable energy commitment and provide affordable options to help our customers' meet their sustainability goals." About Evergy, Inc. Evergy, Inc. (NYSE: EVRG) serves approximately 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri. We generate nearly half the power we provide to homes and businesses with emission-free sources. We support our local communities where we live and work, and strive to meet the needs of customers through energy savings and innovative solutions. About AEP Renewables AEP Renewables, with offices in Columbus, Ohio, and San Diego, California, is a wholly owned subsidiary of AEP. AEP Renewables develops, owns and operates 1.3 gigawatts of large-scale wind, solar and energy storage in 11 U.S. states and has an active development pipeline across the U.S. AEP Renewables sells renewable energy through long-term contracts with utilities, electric cooperatives, municipalities and corporate customers. For more information, visit www.aeprenewables.com. About Apex Clean Energy Apex Clean Energy develops, constructs, and operates utility-scale wind and solar power facilities across North America. Our mission-driven team of more than 200 renewable energy experts uses a data-focused approach and an unrivaled portfolio of projects to create solutions for the world's most innovative and forward-thinking customers. For more information on how Apex is leading the transition to a clean energy future, visit apexcleanenergy.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. About National Renewable Solutions and Ares Management Corporation National Renewable Solutions was founded in 2011 and is based in Wayzata, MN. The company is committed to building clean, efficient energy generation plants and products for our country and the world's future. The company has developed over $1.1B of wind projects operating and in construction. Please visit www.natrs.com for additional information. Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager operating three integrated businesses across Credit, Private Equity and Real Estate. Ares Management's investment groups collaborate to deliver innovative investment solutions and consistent and attractive investment returns for fund investors throughout market cycles. Please visit www.aresmgmt.com for additional information. About NextEra Energy Resources NextEra Energy Resources, LLC (together with its affiliated entities, "NextEra Energy Resources"), is a clean energy leader and is one of the largest wholesale generators of electric power in the U.S., with approximately 21,000 megawatts of net generating capacity, primarily in 36 states and Canada as of year-end 2018. NextEra Energy Resources, together with its affiliated entities, is the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage. The business operates clean, emissions-free nuclear power generation facilities in New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin as part of the NextEra Energy nuclear fleet, which is one of the largest in the United States. NextEra Energy Resources, LLC is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.NextEraEnergyResources.com. Cautionary Statements Regarding Certain Forward-Looking Information Statements made in this press release that are not based on historical facts are forward-looking, may involve risks and uncertainties, and are intended to be as of the date when made. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the expected financial and operational benefits of the merger of Great Plains Energy Incorporated (Great Plains Energy) and Evergy Kansas Central, Inc. that resulted in the creation of Evergy, Inc. (including cost savings, operational efficiencies, and the impact of the merger on earnings per share), cost estimates of capital projects, dividend growth, share repurchases, balance sheet and credit ratings, rebates to customers, the outcome of regulatory and legal proceedings, employee issues, capital investments and their impact on driving shareholder value, the execution of our strategic plan and its impact on driving long-term growth and shareholder value, and other matters affecting future operations, as well as statements that are generally accompanied by words such as "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "estimates," "forecasts," "should," "seeks," "intends," "proposed," "projects," "planned," "outlook," "remain confident," "goal," "will," or other words of similar meaning. As forward-looking statements, these statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information. In connection with the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Evergy, Inc., Evergy Kansas Central, Inc. and Evergy Metro, Inc. (collectively, the Evergy Companies) are providing a number of important risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the provided forward-looking information. These important factors include, but are not limited to: future economic conditions and any related impact on sales, prices and costs; prices and availability of electricity in wholesale markets; market perception of the energy industry and the Evergy Companies; changes in business strategy or operations; the impact of unpredictable federal, state and local political, legislative, judicial and regulatory actions or developments, including deregulation, re-regulation and restructuring of the electric utility industry; decisions of regulators regarding, among other things, customer rates and the prudency of operational decisions such as capital expenditures and asset retirements; changes in applicable laws, regulations, rules, principles or practices, or the interpretations thereof, governing tax, accounting and environmental matters, including air and water quality and waste management and disposal; changes in the energy trading markets in which the Evergy Companies participate, including retroactive repricing of transactions by regional transmission organizations and independent system operators; the impact of climate change, including reduced demand for coal-based energy because of actual or perceived climate impacts and the development of alternate energy sources; financial market conditions and performance, including changes in interest rates and credit spreads and in availability and cost of capital and the effects on derivatives and hedges, nuclear decommissioning trust and pension plan assets and costs; impairments of long-lived assets or goodwill; credit ratings; inflation rates; the transition to a replacement for the LIBOR benchmark interest rate; effectiveness of risk management policies and procedures and the ability of counterparties to satisfy their contractual commitments; impact of terrorist acts, including cyber terrorism; ability to carry out marketing and sales plans; weather conditions, including weather-related damage and the impact on sales, prices and costs; cost, availability, quality and timely provision of equipment, supplies, labor and fuel; the inherent uncertainties in estimating the effects of weather, economic conditions, climate change and other factors on customer consumption and financial results; ability to achieve generation goals and the occurrence and duration of planned and unplanned generation outages; delays and cost increases of generation, transmission, distribution or other projects; the Evergy Companies' ability to manage their transmission and distribution development plans and transmission joint ventures; the inherent risks associated with the ownership and operation of a nuclear facility, including environmental, health, safety, regulatory and financial risks; workforce risks, including those related to increased costs of, or changes in, retirement, health care and other benefits; the possibility that the expected value creation from the merger will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period; difficulties related to the integration, including the diversion of management time; difficulties in maintaining relationships with customers, employees, regulators or suppliers; disruption related to the rebranding of the Evergy Companies, including the impact of the rebranding on customers making timely payments; and other risks and uncertainties; and risks, disruption, costs, and uncertainties caused by or related to the actions of activist shareholders. This list of factors is not all-inclusive because it is not possible to predict all factors. Part II, Item 1A, Risk Factors included in the Evergy Companies' combined Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2019, together with the risk factors included in the Evergy Companies' combined 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K under Part I, Item 1A, should be carefully read for further understanding of potential risks for the Evergy Companies. Reports filed by the Evergy Companies with the Securities and Exchange Commission should also be read for more information regarding risk factors. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement. The Evergy Companies undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. The HC had in October last year quashed the examination after several aspirants approached it alleging irregularities in the selection process and also ordered a CBI probe into the matter. (Representational image) New Delhi: The CBI has filed an FIR to probe the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the civil services (mains) examination for 2016 organised by the Manipur Public Service Commission (MPSC). According to sources, the agency has registered the case against unidentified officials of the MPSC on the orders of the Manipur high court. The Manipur Civil Services Combined Competitive Examination (CSCCE), 2016 had selected 82 officers of the Manipur Civil Service, Manipur Police Service and allied services whose services were quashed following the high court orders. The HC had in October last year quashed the examination after several aspirants approached it alleging irregularities in the selection process and also ordered a CBI probe into the matter. It had then instituted a two-member panel to probe the matter, which revealed irregularities and discrepancies, including absence of examiners signatures on answer scripts and manipulation of marks and allotment of marks without evaluation of answer scripts. The MPSC appears to have taken the examination very lightly, like a child's play, completely forgetting that it would decide and determine the career of a candidate, it had said while handing over the investigation to the CBI. In November last year, the order was upheld by the Supreme Court, which told the agency to conduct a time-bound investigation. The panel looking into the alleged irregularities had found serious lapses such as alteration of the numbers scored, non-appointment of a Controller of Examin-ation (CoE), absence of a procedure for evaluation and tabulation of answer sheets, among others, the officials said. In its order directing the CBI to take over the probe, the high court had noted that out of 8,163 answer sheets, the examiners did not put their signatures in respect of seven papers or subjects, while in 15 papers, the supervisors did not put their signatures. Taking note of the non-appointment of a CoE, the high court had said the rules stated that the appointment was implicit and indispensable and the official's presence was required for codification of answer sheets as he shall be responsible for their safe custody and secrecy. The provisions made it clear that the CoE and the Secretary, MPSC shall be two different persons, it had said. In the case, the Secretary, MPSC had allegedly assumed the role of the CoE as well. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW, SAYING: "I submit to you on behalf of the House of Representatives that your duty demands that you convict President Trump." Democratic managers made a last-ditch appeal to a Republican-controlled Senate in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE VAL DEMINGS, SAYING: "We have proved that the president abused his power." (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE HAKEEM JEFFRIES, SAYING: "A president who can obstruct and thwart the impeachment power becomes unaccountable." (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE ADAM SCHIFF, SAYING: "Donald Trump has betrayed his oath his oath to protect and defend the constitution. But it is not too late for us to honor ours." In their closing arguments, Democrats hammered their case, arguing that witnesses and testimony show that Trump withheld Congressionally-approved military aid to Ukraine in an effort to pressure Kiev into announcing potentially damaging investigations of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Democrats in the House of Representatives approved articles of impeachment accusing Trump of abusing his office and obstructing Congress's investigation. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE ADAM SCHIFF, SAYING: "Today we urge you in the face of overwhelming evidence of the president's guilt, and knowing that if left in office he will continue to seek foreign interference in the next election, to vote to convict on both articles of impeachment and to remove from office Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States." But the Democrats' sweeping oratory and arguments citing America's founding documents are unlikely to change the outcome. It seems all but certain that the Republicans will vote to acquit the president this week. Despite reports last week that Trump's former national security adviser was aware of the alleged pressure campaign against Ukraine, most Republicans voted to make this the first impeachment trial in U.S. history without witnesses. Story continues Most Republicans have said they don't believe the actions alleged by Democrats merit removing Trump from office. (SOUNDBITE) (English) WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL PAT CIPOLLONE, SAYING: "You must vote to acquit the president." (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL PATRICK PHILBIN, SAYING: "This was a purely partisan impeachment from the start." (SOUNDBITE) (English) DONALD TRUMP ATTORNEY JAY SEKULOW, SAYING: "These articles fail on their face as they do not meet the constitutional standard for impeachable offenses. No amount of testimony could change that fact." And Trump's legal team presented a unwavering defense of their client, attacking the case as illegitimate, partisan, and an effort to subvert the will of the voters. (SOUNDBITE) (English) WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL PAT CIPOLLONE, SAYING: "We put our faith in the Senate, because we know you will put your faith in the American people. You will leave this choice to them where it belongs." The final word on Monday came from Democratic Representative Adam Schiff, who argued that while impeachment and removal might seem an extreme measure, the founders meant it to be used in cases such as this. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE ADAM SCHIFF, SAYING:"Impeachment. They meant it to be used rarely, but they put it in the constitution for a reason. For a man who would sell out his country for a political favor. For a man who would threaten the integrity of our election. For a man who would invite foreign interference in our affairs. For a man who would undermine our national security and that of our allies. For a man like Donald J. Trump. They gave you a remedy, and they meant for you to use it." A final vote to convict or acquit is expected Wednesday. A couple of years ago, I was invited to be the guest speaker at an event to raise money, and awareness, for breast cancer. Although I have never had breast cancer, once upon a time I lost one of my dearest friends to the cruel disease. She was 43 when her life ended too early, leaving a husband and two small children. She had asked me to write a book about her experience, which became my novel The Love Verb. The event was held in one of those glamorous New York apartments you see in the movies. Eighteen months ago, I turned 50 and took stock. I didnt want to keep pretending it was time to discover who I really was. I had spent so long hiding my true self that I didnt know, writes JANE GREEN The lift doors opened into the apartments foyer, where scores of women stood around sipping champagne cocktails, beautifully dressed in tight, floral mini-dresses, all the better to see their yoga-honed bodies, their Hermes Birkin bags hanging like exquisite jewels from their elegant wrists. I walked out of the lift, resisting the urge to turn tail and run home. A few women looked over to see who had arrived, sweeping me up and down with their eyes and deciding I wasnt worthy, before turning back to their friends. At least, that was how it felt. I had got my outfit wrong. I didnt fit in. In my now-creased linen trousers and silky T-shirt, what had looked like relaxed chic in my bedroom mirror now looked anything but. Everything about these women intimidated me. One look from them and I felt, instantly, the way I have felt all my life: inadequate. I stood alone during the cocktail hour, attempting to blend in with the wallpaper, pretending to be busy on my iPhone. If I smiled at someone, they looked away. I didnt belong. They knew it, and I knew it. And then the room quietened and I was introduced. I walked to the front of the vast living room. Rented chairs, the kind you see at expensive weddings, were arranged in row after row, the audience turning their heads to wave hello at friends and acquaintances in other rows. Foolishly, I had always been too self-conscious to dance. At weddings, my husband would throw himself into it, writes JANE GREEN. Pictured: Jane with husband Ian Warburg I started to talk about my book. I talked about my friend, Heidi. I spoke of the lessons I had learned in losing someone I loved namely, that love is a verb; that it isnt enough to tell the people we love that we love them, but that real love requires acts of love, such as dropping off food or sending a thoughtful email. I learned that love is in the doing, not in the saying. I learned that love requires effort. I told the story of how Heidi said she would leave white feathers in unexpected places, to show me she was still there, watching over me. My first white feather appeared at her memorial service. I was exhausted from sobbing, and made my way to the bathroom to wipe the smudged mascara from my eyes. Walking into the grey-tiled room, I blinked. Several feet in front of me, on the floor, was a white feather. The next came a little while later. My husband and I were driving Heidis ten-year-old daughter back home. The car roof was off and she giggled as the wind whipped through her long hair, covering her face. I laughed with her, before noticing there was a perfect white feather on her jacket. While I told my stories, the room in that expensive New York apartment fell completely silent. I had planned on leaving as quickly as possible after my talk, but I couldnt get out of there. A stampede of women quickly approached, throwing their arms around me, and as tears streamed down their cheeks they shared their own stories and every one of them had one. Whether it was losing a mother, a friend, a sister, or sharing how they had found their own white feathers the women showed me real warmth and love. They were not the women Id thought they were at all. I was embarrassed at how wrong I had been in judging their outsides by my insides. I hadnt given them a chance because of my own lack of self-worth. Not that you would know it to look at me either. For years I had hidden behind a wall of glamour, trying to be someone I wasnt. I was terrified that someone might see beyond the best-selling author to the painfully shy, overweight, frizzy-haired girl that I still saw in the mirror. Brene Brown, a writer and research professor at the University of Houston, says: Shame is the most powerful emotion. Its the fear that were not good enough. Then, the British artist Grayson Perry came over to interview me for his forthcoming TV series about America. I had never met him before, and fell instantly in love, writes JANE GREEN. Pictured: Jane Green with Grayson Perry Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance. Shame, I began to realise, is what makes us try on other personas in an attempt to hide our true selves. We cover our inadequacies by armouring up. If we have the right outsides, no one will see how insufficient our insides may be, but we will never be able to connect properly. We are so busy hiding, so convinced that we dont fit in, we wont dare be vulnerable, human or reveal our faults all of which leads to a very lonely life. I was that person, trying very hard to be someone I wasnt. I was reminded of how universal this feeling is among women when I heard the actress Olivia Colman at the Golden Globes last month saying she felt as though she was winning someone elses award, when she was given the gong for Best Actress in a TV series [The Crown]. Where I now live, a small coastal town near New York where you can never be too rich or too thin, it didnt matter how many best-selling novels I had written: I never felt pretty enough or successful enough. A few months ago, for fun, I dyed my hair pink. It was supposed to be temporary, but as soon as I saw my reflection, I knew I could never go back to being blonde or, worse, my natural salt and pepper. It felt even more like me, writes JANE GREEN I straightened my hair and sported glittery bling. I had blonde highlights and dressed in 50 shades of greige, attempting to fit in. And I found myself growing lonelier and lonelier. I had friends in my town, but they were mostly situational friends rather than friends with whom I had a deep connection. Eighteen months ago, I turned 50 and took stock. I didnt want to keep pretending it was time to discover who I really was. I had spent so long hiding my true self that I didnt know. I started experimenting with my world. I had never been much of a drinker, but it turns out that I love tequila. I threw out the greige and started wearing colours; bright red and emerald green. I bought kaftans and giant earrings. Foolishly, I had always been too self-conscious to dance. At weddings, my husband would throw himself into it, waving his hands in the air as I shuffled gamely from side to side, counting the minutes until I could get off the dance floor. Nowadays, if I walk into a room where I dont know anyone, I will introduce myself with a warm smile and ask questions, writes JANE GREEN At my 50th birthday party, with a little too much of my new favourite tipple, I discovered I love dancing. I havent stopped since. A few months ago, for fun, I dyed my hair pink. It was supposed to be temporary, but as soon as I saw my reflection, I knew I could never go back to being blonde or, worse, my natural salt and pepper. It felt even more like me. Then, the British artist Grayson Perry came over to interview me for his forthcoming TV series about America. I had never met him before, and fell instantly in love. He wasnt wearing a dress but he did ride up my driveway on a multi-coloured Harley Davidson with a tooled yellow leather seat that I have been lusting after ever since. We went for a bike ride together by the beach, Grayson on his Harley, me riding my hot pink Little Free Library bicycle I fill it with books every weekend and cycle to the local beach to hand them out to people. Every passer-by slowed down to stare, some with their mouths visibly agape. They had never seen anything like the pair of us. I thought we were a perfect match, me with my pink hair and he with his colourful everything. What I loved most was seeing how comfortable Grayson was with not fitting in how easy he feels in his own skin and in expressing himself in ways that are unlike anyone else. Channelling Grayson, I have given up worrying about fitting in. I no longer hide in a corner at parties, pretending to be busy on my phone. Nowadays, if I walk into a room where I dont know anyone, I will introduce myself with a warm smile and ask questions. Occasionally people are uninterested, but it is amazing how a warm smile can soften the hardest of personalities. Or perhaps its the pink hair. The best part of discovering who I really am has been the new friendships I have made. Where I now live, a small coastal town near New York where you can never be too rich or too thin, it didnt matter how many best-selling novels I had written: I never felt pretty enough or successful enough, writes JANE GREEN I am very aware that the only reason I have allowed myself to develop these connections with people is because I am no longer hiding behind a veneer of the woman I thought I had to be. However, I sometimes still slip back into bad habits. Two weeks ago, I found myself having tea with a young woman I had seen only via her social media account. She is part of a pack I refer to as the Yummy Mummies. A decade younger than me, she is petite, gym-honed and beautiful, with a large Instagram following. We met, unexpectedly, at a coffee morning. As soon as she spoke, I knew that I liked her and by the end of that coffee morning we found ourselves sequestered in the corner of the room, where she revealed some of the struggles she had been going through. Her husband had recently lost his job and they were struggling to pay the mortgage on their home and keep up her Instagram lifestyle. Her life looked perfect on the outside, but scratch the surface and she was the same as all of us, with the same fears and worries, the same struggles. I wanted to tell her to reveal some of what she is going through that more people would relate to her being scared than to her being perfect but I thought again. This wasnt her lesson to learn, it was my lesson. My reminder not to judge other people by their Instagram accounts or what they look like. Maybe one day she will reveal her truths. Maybe one day Instagram will be filled with people living in messy houses, with teenagers shoes all over the hallway. But until then I shall continue to drink tequila, dye my hair pink and dance as though no one is watching. And even if they are, I no longer care. Its important to reassure the public and to counter some of the negative images portrayed at times This article is old - Published: Monday, Feb 3rd, 2020 Cooperative working with town centre businesses and an increase in high visibility patrols has resulted in a sharp fall in demand on officers, according to North Wales Police. Wrexhams neighbourhood policing team has been working closely with the council and representatives of the business community and night time economy particularly with staff at fast-food outlets and pubs and clubs to cut the number of police call outs to disorder and unacceptable behaviour. Police say that as a result there has been a sharp fall in demand on officers dealing with anti-social and public order incidents in Wrexham town centre. Its important to reassure the public and to counter some of the negative images portrayed at times, that plenty of work is going on with a wide range of groups to ensure Wrexham town centre is a safe place day and night, said Sgt Simon Williams. Officers are regularly out and about engaging with the community and people may well have seen us patrolling with our sniffer dog Rufus while carrying out stop searches as part of our crackdown on drug dealing. We also work closely with nightclubs and pubs all year round to ensure people can have a safe and enjoyable night out. We advise and teach staff how to deal safely with issues which t might arise, knowing they can call us if needed. We have done tremendous work with outlets such as McDonalds over the last year. Management attend multi- partnership meetings and are working proactively with us to reduce demand in the town centre. Calls to the restaurant to deal with unruly youngsters during the day or to early morning disturbances have dropped significantly this year. In May we attended on 18 occasions, by November it was seven. The build up to Christmas also passed off peacefully in a festive atmosphere with the public pleased to see officers out patrolling and keeping the streets safe. Sgt Williams added; Wrexham is a safe place, but we are never complacent and we will continue to work with the public sector and business community as we drive down crime. Around 160 civilian officers and staff have been transferred from the Department of Defence to the newly-established Department of Military Affairs (DMA), Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik said on Monday. In a landmark decision, the government on December 24 last year approved the creation of a chief of defence staff (CDS) in the rank of a four-star general who acts as the principal military adviser to the defence minister on all matters relating to tri-services. The government also decided to create a new DMA under the Defence Ministry, which is headed by the CDS as its secretary. In a written reply to a question, Naik stated in Rajya Sabha,"The Second Schedule to Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules 1961, clearly identifies the functions of all the five Departments of the Ministry of Defence and thus there will not be any duplication of functions among them." "Work of 23 sections along with around 160 Civilian officers and staff have been transferred from Department of Defence to DMA," he added. In reply to another question, the minister stated that there have been total 151 allegations of human rights violations against Indian Army between 2015 and 2019. Only two allegations out of 151 have been found to be true, he added. "In the year 2018 there was a rise in the number of complaints. Examination of the cases has revealed that 50 per cent of allegations were administrative in nature (like closure of cantonment roads, injury, damage to house, grievance against harassment and miscellaneous issues filed by serving army personnel/ex-servicemen/civilian) etc," he added The minister added that no allegations of human rights violations were reported against Navy and Air Force in the 2015-19 period. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BAD AXE A recent traffic stop executed by the Bad Axe Police Department resulted in the arrest of 10 alleged undocumented immigrants. According to a BAPD press release, a traffic stop was conducted Feb. 3 around 5:30 a.m. on a vehicle at the intersection of E. Huron Ave. and S. Hanselman St. Upon contact with the vehicle, the officer discovered all six occupants of the vehicle were in the country without proper documentation. The BAPD contacted the United States Border Patrol, which asked that the six individuals be held in the Huron County Jail until border patrol agents could pick them up. The press release reads that during the investigation by border patrol, and additional traffic stop was conducted on Outer Drive in Bad Axe and an additional four individuals were taken into custody. The 10 individuals were transported to Detroit by border patrol agents to await deportation to their country of origin, according to BAPD. You may not know who Loretta is. However, by the end of Googles Super Bowl commercial, youll not only get to know who she is, you find out some incredible things about her thanks to a man whos trying not to forget her. The tear-jerker is making millions emotional and among them is Anand Mahindra. The business tycoon has shared the commercial on his Twitter handle and if the commercial itself doesnt make you teary-eyed, Mahindras caption may just do the job. This Super Bowl ad made me cry, he says on Twitter. Perhaps its my vintage that made me identify with it. But I think it will strike a chord with most people, no matter what their age is... Well done Google. You managed to dive deep into our hearts... he adds. The video gives a glimpse of a man trying to preserve his memories, especially those of his beloved Loretta. The commercial starts with the man searching for how not to forget. He then uses Google to safeguard some of his memories with Loretta. Watch the ad below and beware of those onion cutting ninjas: This Super Bowl ad made me cry. Seriously. Perhaps its my vintage that made me identify with it. But I think it will strike a chord with most people, no matter what their age is... Well done Google. You managed to dive deep into our hearts... https://t.co/yfJPvvQ2uI anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) February 3, 2020 Googles ad itself and Mahindras tweet have collected a ton of reactions from tweeple. Google knows how to tap the emotions, says a Twitter user. Now I miss Loretta too, says another about the ad. Heres how it made others feel: You absolutely KILLED me! pic.twitter.com/eSJgZuTfXM Denise Andre (@DAndreAz) February 3, 2020 What do you think about the ad? The number of people infected with the new coronavirus in China has risen to more than 11,000, while a total of 259 people have died, Chinese health officials said on Saturday, DPA reported. Health officials in Hubei province in central China, the epicentre of the coronavirus crisis, said an additional 1,347 new cases had been reported in the province alone, bringing the number of infections there to 7,153. Wuhan, with a population of 11 million, and many other Chinese cities have been placed on lockdown. The number of people infected and China's national death toll are expected to climb further once other regions report their latest statistics. According to DPA, more than 100 other people have become ill in about two dozen countries across the globe. On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a global emergency as the virus has spread around the world. The European Union and several countries have already flown their citizens out of China, including the United States, Japan, South Korea, Jordan, Britain and most recently Sri Lanka and India. A German air force jet left Wuhan early Saturday to evacuate 130 people - 90 German citizens and around 40 citizens of other countries. It was expected to arrive in Germany Saturday afternoon. The returnees are to be quarantined at an army barracks near Frankfurt airport. Some countries have also moved to limit the entry of those who have travelled to China in a bid to stop the spread of the illness. The United States on Friday announced a public health emergency in order to pre-empt an coronavirus outbreak. The measures include a ban on the entry of foreign nationals - other than immediate family of US citizens and permanent residents - who have travelled in China within the last 14 days. The US took the "unprecedented" action of issuing a 14-day quarantine on 195 US citizens who recently returned from Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the health crisis. Meanwhile, Delta Airlines said it will suspend all US to China flights starting on February 6, citing concerns of the new coronavirus. Hundreds of flights to and from China have been cancelled around the world, including those run by Air Canada, Lufthansa, British Airways Turkish Airlines, United, American Airlines, KLM and Air France. Australian carrier Qantas suspended flights to China on Saturday until the end of March. Russia announced earlier this week it was closing its land border with China, similar to steps taken by China's other neighbours. Moscow reported its first case of the virus on Friday. Both the US and Japan told citizens not to travel to China, with Washington issuing a warning on par with its advisories for Afghanistan and Iran. The Italian government on Friday declared a six-month state of emergency in response to the first confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in the country. The decision resulted in 5 million euros (5.5 million dollars) being earmarked for civil protection purposes. Italian cruise company Costa announced on Friday that it would not allow anyone who had been in China in the last 14 days on board - including guests, visitors or crew members of any nationality. The coronavirus broke out at a seafood market in Wuhan that reportedly sold exotic animals for consumption - similar to the outbreak of SARS. SARS, a disease that infected 8,000 people and killed 800 globally, was linked to the consumption of civet cats, another exotic meat. The coronavirus belongs to the same family of viruses. This is a real issue and something that only can be addressed when we know what is stacked against us. Here are 5 key challenges for small business owners, like yourself, with advice for how to overcome them. Working long hours Running your own small business is a 24/7 activity, which is why its so easy to get stuck on the treadmill. There is always more to do, always another form to fill out, another client to call, always more, more, more. This impacts our home life, especially when we have to tell our partner why we wont make it back for dinner or to kiss the kids goodnight, again. Its easy to forget that we actually achieve more when we do less. Slowing down, carving out space and time for ourselves and what we enjoy, creating distance from our work helps with perspective. When we have a clearer head, when were not trying so hard, then we create the mental space to solve complex problems and to respond to events instead of reacting to them. Struggling with finances Ask any business owner what their biggest stressor is, and the majority will reply, money. As leader of your company, it is impossible to have all the answers for all the problems, which is why the right support and education is key. Identifying areas for growth, then connecting with the right professionals to fill those gaps will accelerate your success, as well as make you feel supported and confident. Ask yourself: Who are my tribe (personal and professional), and who will support me to get there? What other education, tools or resources do I need? Who can mentor me from where I am now to where I need to be? Take steps to address those gaps. Managing staff issues When you first started your business, it was probably pretty easy. The only person you had to manage was you! Now 90% of your time is likely spent managing the everyday challenges that your team brings into the workplace, as they too are human. It seems counter-intuitive (They are the problem!), but you cant manage anyone else unless you are managing yourself first. When you dont feel safe, neither do your staff. They are not immune to the fallout from your insecurity, stress and changes. You need to take them along on the journey with you, to connect with them and to keep them aligned with your vision and mission. So managing this issue, starts with managing yourself. Maintaining health and wellbeing Research shows that one in five working Australians report experiencing mental illness, with evidence suggesting psychological distress is most acute for sole traders. This is cause for real concern. There will always be pressure, setbacks and failures running your own show: it will never go away (sorry). This is why it is crucial to be mentally healthy, fit and strong. Making conscious choices each day about what to eat, when to exercise, and how to switch off from work and on for home is the recipe for success and stamina in small business. Practising gratitude in the morning, meditating, walking in nature and being mindful of your thoughts, feeling and experiences are ways we can interrupt negative patterns and influence positive ones. Keeping quiet While you may have people around you all the time, its easy to feel like no one truly gets it. So instead of confiding in those closest to you about challenge, you isolate yourself more and more. This only exacerbates what you are experiencing, as you internalise what is happening. Your mindset plays a huge role in changing this situation. It helps you move from talking about what you wish for to actually making steps, and asking for the help that will make a difference to your life. Hence, extending your hand for help is the biggest step towards gaining a sense of control over your environment. Knowing you can change yourself, your business and your life is crucial: not just to survive, but to thrive. Anastasia Massouras is a leader, facilitator and coach helping small business owners and teams to overcome barriers that prevent growth and success. She is the CEO of Work Happy, which provides wellbeing and employee assistance programs and tailored advice for corporates, as well as the founder and CEO of Pure Insights, a consultancy specialising in mental health intervention. Visit www.anastasiamassouras.com Christian Students Ask Supreme Court to Review Case Over Free Speech Rights on Campus Two Christian students have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lawsuit against a Georgia College, claiming that the colleges speech zone and speech code policies violated the students First Amendment rights. Chike Uzuegbunam and Joseph Bradford, who were both students at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) at the time when the lawsuit was filed, sued multiple GGC officials challenging two policies in the GGCs Student Handbook: the Freedom of Expression Policy and the Student Code of Conduct that they say prevented them from exercising their freedom of speech and freedom to exercise rights, according to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the religious rights law firm representing the students in the case. In 2016, Uzuegbunam attempted to distribute religious literature in a plaza at the GGC campus. Shortly afterward, he was told to stop by a campus security officer, who informed him that he was not allowed to distribute materials at the location. According to campus speech zone policy, students had to reserve one of the two zones available on campus to exercise their free speech. The two zones made up only 0.0015 percent of the campus. About a month later, Uzuegbunam reserved and was granted one of the speech zones in order to distribute religious literature for three separate dates. On one of those days, Uzuegbunam went to the speech zone to share his religious beliefs with students and pass out religious literature. Sometime later he was ordered to stop because the campus had received complaints about his efforts. A lieutenant for campus police told Uzuegbunam that his faith-sharing efforts amounted to disorderly conduct under a GGC policy, which applies to any expression that disturbs the peace and/or comfort of person[s]. Bradford, who shared the same religious views as Uzuegbunam, self-censored after seeing how Uzuegbunam was treated. This prompted ADF to file a lawsuit against the GGC officials. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia dismissed the case, which was affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. During the time when the case was in the district court, GGC amended its speech zone policy and eliminated its speech code but did not provide any relief for the students. It also removed the provision that references behavior that might disturb the peace. The policies effectively allow students to engage in expressive activity in open outdoor areas on campus without obtaining a permit, unless the group is over 30 people. The lower courts found that the lawsuit became moot when Uzuegbunam graduated from GGC and after the college had changed its speech zone policy and code. But ADF attorneys argue in the petition (pdf) filed on Jan. 31 that the case is still alive, citing opinions from other circuit courts. They argue that the 11th circuit is the only federal appellate court that does not hold officials accountable for violating constitutional rights when they change the policies later during the litigation. [T]he Eleventh Circuits outlier view allows these institutions to violate constitutional rights with impunityavoiding judicial review through a well-timed policy shift, the petition states. This rule sends a clear message to students when school officials trample their freedoms: Dont bother retaining counsel; we know how to game the legal system. And it signals that colleges can keep censoring students without consequence This Court should intervene and declare that federal courts remain open to everyone when colleges violate students constitutional rights. ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, said in a statement that he hopes that the top court would weigh-in in order to make sure that this denial of justice doesnt occur to anyone else. We need to ensure that the wrong done to our clients is rightedsomething that both the district court and the 11th Circuit failed to do, Langhofer said. The case came under the spotlight in 2017 after the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a Statement of Interest supporting the two students. At the time, the DOJ argued that the students had adequately provided enough evidence to allege a violation of their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights and that GGCs speech policies were not content-neutral, established an impermissible hecklers veto, and were not narrowly tailored to achieve a compelling government interest. A national recommitment to free speech on campus and to ensuring First Amendment rights is long overdue. Which is why, starting today, the Department of Justice will do its part in this struggle. We will enforce federal law, defend free speech, and protect students free expression, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions said at the time. Rishi Kapoor's sudden health deteriorated, admitted to hospital in Delhi | Fillmibeat After a year of treatment for cancer in New York, Rishi Kapoor returned to India in September last year. However recently, a few media reports stated that the veteran actor suffered a relapse and was rushed to a hospital in Delhi for treatment. Rishi was in the National capital to attend a family function. While this news left his fans worried, the actor spoke to a news agency and revealed that he was hospitalised for an infection. A PTI report quoted him as saying, "I have had an infection which am getting treated. Nothing dramatic. Pollution got me, I guess." Earlier, a media report quoted a close family member who has said, "Chintuji was to attend a family function in Delhi when he suddenly had to be hospitalized. He was accompanied by his wife Neetu Kapoor. On hearing of his father's health issue, Rishi's son Ranbir also flew to Delhi." Another report stated that Ranbir was accompanied by his girlfriend Alia Bhatt and the couple gave Armaan Jain's mehendi ceremony a miss because of this reason. As per a Pinkvilla report, the Brahmastra actors were also supposed to perform at the ceremony but had to opt out due to the family emergency. Speaking about work, Rishi Kapoor recently announced his next project, a Hindi remake of the Hollywood film, The Intern, which also stars Deepika Padukone. RIP Kobe Bryant: Rishi Kapoor Shares Son Ranbir Kapoor's Fan Moment With Basketball Legend Rishi Kapoor To Reunite With Neetu Kapoor On Screen For The Remake Of A Bengali Film Porterville, CA (93257) Today Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 43F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 43F. Winds light and variable. Cats are the most popular pets in Europe. According to data from the European Pet Food Industry (FEDIAF), about 26% of EU households own at least one cat, while only 18% of the households own at least one dog. In total, there are approximately 74.4 million cats in the EU compared to just 66.4 million dogs. Germany and France have by far the highest number of cats in the EU, with 14.5 million and 13.5 million cats, respectively. Other countries with a huge cat population include the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Austria. Germany Pets play a significant role in German society. They are seen to provide balance in the lives of people with hectic and career-focused lives. In some instances, they are viewed as taking the place of a partner or a child. They also help enhance their owners wellbeing and quality of life. At least 23% of all German households own a cat. The cat population on record, however, does not include strays whose population could be as high as two million. The stray cat population has become a matter of public concern, and experts have begun advocating the neutering of all stray cats as a means of controlling the population. Appeals have also been made to the federal ministry of agriculture to initiate a debate on the situation. Several small towns have begun adopting the idea of compulsory neutering of stray cats. Some campaigners, including birdwatchers, have suggested that stringent measures should be taken on cat owners for harming biodiversity since cats are responsible for killing about 100 million birds annually. France There are 13.5 million cats in French homes. The number of cats in the country has been increasing since 2006 when the cat population was just 10 million. All types of pets, including cats, are protected under French law. There are also rules on the maintenance of pets, including regular vaccination and microchipping. Cat owners are, however, less likely to follow the rules on microchipping compared to dog owners. As a result, a lot of cats end up lost. As a foreigner, it is recommended that one follows all the rules and regulations on keeping a pet. United Kingdom About 22% of all households in the UK own at least one cat. Currently, there are about 7.5 million cats in the UK. Some of the common breeds in the UK include the Bengal cat, British shorthair, Persian cats, Siamese cat, Ragdoll, Maine Coon, Oriental Cat, and the Burmese cat. The most popular type of cat, however, is the non-pedigree. According to a recent survey conducted by IAMS UK, a pet food company found that at least 55% of cat owners in the UK keep a non-pedigree cat as a pet. The study also found that 46% of British cat owners buy gifts for their cats, while 20% treat their cats with a present every month. Italy Italy is home to 7.5 million cats. In Rome, lovable cats can be found living in ancient monuments around the city. It is estimated that there are about 2,000 colonies in the city that have up to 300,000 cats. The cats have lived in the region for ages and have become an essential part of the town. Romes city council recently classified them as the Bio-Heritage of Rome and are now actively protected. The city is also home to Torre Argentina, a large cat sanctuary that takes care of abandoned cats. Currently, the ancient square where Julius Caesar was murdered is not accessible to anyone except a colony of stray cats and volunteers who operate the sanctuary at the south-west corner. Poland Poland is considered a cat-friendly nation. The country is currently home to about 6.4 million cats. Cats are allowed into various places, including some cafes and bookstores. People who prefer having a hot beverage and some desserts in the company of cats have the option of visiting cat cafes. In one such cafe, the Miau cafe situated in Warsaw, guests enjoy lemonade and play with the cats that live there. Other cat cafes can be found in Lublin and Krakow. Anyone moving to Poland with their cat is expected to microchip and vaccinate their cats against diseases such as rabies. A health certificate is also required when one does not have an EU pet passport. Romania Romania has the second-highest per-capita cat ownership in the EU after Hungary. The country is currently home to about 4.3 million cats. Romanians like having companion animals in their homes. According to a recent online survey, nearly half of the people who live in urban areas have cats. Spain Spain has 3.15 million cats. Spaniards generally love the company of companion animals. In the Spanish town of Trigueros del Valle, pets or non-human residents are accorded equal rights to co-exist alongside their human counterparts. A growing number of people are, however, expressing concern over the large population of feral cats in the country. Residents in areas that have large cat colonies have complained that they are a health risk. The city of Madrid recently introduced the zero-sacrifice law, a humane legislative measure that banned the practice of putting down street cats that were deemed a nuisance. Today the stray cat population is controlled through trapping and neutering. Street cats are also dewormed to ensure they are healthy. Residents also do not get upset over disturbance caused by fights between males or females on heat. Netherlands There are cats in just about every street in the Netherlands. The cat population in the country is 2.6 million, which means that the ratio of cats to humans is one to six. Cats hold a special place in the hearts of the Dutch. Some places have a special focus on cats, including the De Kattenkabinet, a museum that is dedicated to cats and a canal boat that serves as a cat shelter. Almost all Dutch cities have cat cafes where one can enjoy coffee surrounded by cats rehomed from a shelter. Belgium Cats have an interesting and unsettling history in Belgium. The town of Ypres was infamous for the cat throwing festival, a tradition that dates back to the 12th century. On every second day of lent, cats were rounded up and thrown off the citys bell tower. Cat Wednesday, as it was popularly known, is probably the darkest page of the citys feline history. In another part of the country, namely Liege, cats had a more pleasant and exciting history. In 1876, the Belgium Society for the Elevation of the Domestic Cat trained 37 cats to deliver mail in the city of Liege. Initial trials were successful, but the idea did not take off. Today, there are about 2.05 million cats in Belgium. They are treasured companions for a significant number of people in the country. The country recently passed laws requiring that cats should be sterilized to help control the stray cat population. Austria Austria is home to 2.03 million cats. Austrians love cats, and the country is generally considered cat-friendly. Cat Welfare In The EU Since 1974, the EU has progressively passed legislation on animal welfare. The welfare of pets, including cats, is covered under the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals. Currently, there is little EU legislation that protects cats and dogs from commercial practices. Member states have varying levels of legislation on the matter, which leaves considerable room for those looking to violate animal rights. Some pet owners have been calling for more robust laws that better protect companion animals. Those championing the cause believe that there should be more comprehensive and harmonized laws across all EU member states. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is insisting former President John Dramani Mahama of being the elected government official 1 named in the Airbus bribery scandal. According to the party, John Mahama cannot exonerate himself from the scandal. At a press conference in Accra on Monday, Director of Communications of the NPP, Yaw Buaben Asamoa said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer played an active role during the purchase of some aircraft for Ghana in 2012. He, therefore, asked Mr. Mahama to break his silence on the matter. Ghana has been cited as one of five countries in which global aerospace group, Airbus SE, allegedly bribed or promised payments to senior officials in exchange for business favours between 2009 and 2015, according to the UK's Serious Fraud Office. In addition to Ghana, the company allegedly paid bribes to officials in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Taiwan within the same period. The UK's Serious Fraud Office, however, in its statement of fact did not name the Ghanaian officials because investigations were still ongoing. President Nana Akufo-Addo has since referred the Airbus bribery scandal to the Office of the Special Prosecutor for investigations. These investigations are expected to be conducted in collaboration with the United Kingdom authorities, according to a statement from the presidency. A Deputy Information Minister, Pius Hadzide, has assured that the government will take the information arising from the Airbus bribery scandal seriously. In an interview with Citi News, Mr. Hadzide said: government takes a very serious view of the revelations that have come from the courts in the United Kingdom. He also said the government was counting on the Office of the Special prosecutor to establish the individuals who have been singled out. especially government official 1, who, documents indicate, was the fulcrum around which these create, loot and share scheme evolved, the Deputy Minister added. Response from NDC The National Democratic Congress (NDC), which was in power during the period the bribes were allegedly paid, denied the suggestions of corruption amid speculation from the public. The party in a statement signed by former Attorney General, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, argued that media reports on the matter did not accurately capture the approved judgement of the case in the UK. The reports alleging that Airbus SE paid bribes during the administration of President John Evans Atta Mills and John Dramani Mahama are false, misleading and do not reflect the Approved Judgment. Indeed, the Approved Judgment of the Crown Court of Southwark approving the DPA between Airbus and the UK Serious Fraud Office does not allege that any payment was made by Airbus to any Ghanaian Government official, the statement said. Payments in Ghana In the case of Ghana, the court found that the company's bribe was to land the contract of purchase of a military transport aircraft. Between 1 July 2011 and 1 June 2015 Airbus SE failed to prevent persons associated with Airbus SE from bribing others concerned with the purchase of military transport aircraft by the Government of Ghana, where the said bribery was intended to obtain or retain business or advantage in the conduct of business for Airbus SE, the court's statement of offence noted. The documents indicated that one of the unnamed Ghanaian officials was a key decision-maker in respect of Government of Ghana aircraft orders. A number of Airbus employees made or promised success-based commission payments of approximately 5 million to one of the Ghanaians implicated in acts of corruption. Key actors in scandal The Judgement noted the existence of a Government Official 1 described as a high ranking and elected. There was also an Intermediary 5 who is noted as British national and close relative of Government Official 1. There is Company D which is a corporate vehicle for Intermediary 5, Intermediary 6 who is a British national and associate of Intermediary 5, Intermediary 7 who is also a British national and associate of Intermediary 5 and Intermediary 8 which is a Spanish company and front for Intermediary 5. ---citinewsroom Quarterly Update and Appendix 4C Sydney, Jan 31, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The Board of BetMakers Technology Group Ltd ( ASX:BET ) ( FRA:T07 ) is pleased to release its quarterly cash flow statement and report unaudited revenue for the half year in excess of $4 million.Highlights- Unaudited revenues for the 6 months to 31 December 2019 in excess of $4 million- Re-affirm FY20 revenue guidance of $10 million- 31 December 2019 closing cash balance of $2.7 millionQ2 FY20 was an important period for the Company as the performance payments in respect of the acquisitions of the DynamicOdds and Global Betting Services businesses were satisfied by way of the issue of ordinary shares in the Company (Shares).The Company also took the opportunity to raise $2.76 million (excluding costs) through the placement of Shares to institutional and sophisticated investors. This additional capital has strengthened the balance sheet and provides the Company with the financial resources to invest in a number of strategic opportunities.The Company would like to reaffirm its guidance of $10 million revenue for FY20.To view the quarterly report, please visit:About Betmakers Technology Group Ltd Betmakers Technology Group Ltd (ASX:BET) (OTCMKTS:TPBTF) is an ASX-listed holding company and a global provider of online wagering products and services to both wholesale and retail markets through its various wholly owned subsidiaries. The Company operates a retail wagering business, offering consumers wagering, fantasy tournament and content products and services. The New Patriotic Party has revealed the unnamed Government Official 1 in the Airbus bribery scandal is former President John Dramani Mahama, now presidential candidate of the NDC for the 2020 Elections. At a press conference in Accra on Monday, the Communications Director of the party, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, said Mahama should tell the country what he knows about GO1 and the processes leading to the purchase of the aircraft form Airbus SE. . . Notwithstanding the referral to the OSP, it is important to note that the former Hon Attorney Generals intervention on behalf of candidate Mahama is very weak and unable to directly respond to the hard facts as put out by the United Kingdom Serious Fraud Office (SFO). It is therefore necessary that former President, now Candidate John Dramani Mahama responds directly to the issue himself, he stressed. According to the NPP, the serious nature and processes involved in the accusations demand immediate action to remove any dents on the image and reputation of Ghana. The companies used to receive the bribe money have been named. The shareholder who is very close to the former President has been named. Document falsification, kickbacks, lies and overpayments is what the Airbus scandal is all about. And it appears John Mahama is deeply involved. Candidate Mahama is no stranger to speaking to the international community. He has been known to assemble diplomats even if he has nothing to say except lies as demonstrated in the false tapes saga of Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituteuncy matters, he said. Significantly, Buabeng Asamoa said this is just one of Mahamas corruption scandals, where he personally led the negotiations and for his close associate to execute on his behalf and collect the bribes. . . The Airbus issue appears similar to the Embraer investigations, which then Attorney General, now OSP, Martin Amidu, was tasked by President Mills to do but was aborted in mysterious circumstances, he noted. Last week, Airbus entered into a deferred prosecution agreement, with the British Serious Fraud Office (SFO), which was investigating the company for bribing or failing to prevent corruption in transactions in five countries, including Ghana. Under the agreement the British SFO agreed to suspend the prosecution of Airbus for a period of three years. If Airbus complies with the terms of the agreement within the period, the prosecution will be discontinued. NDC's Response But the opposition NDC through its former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong has already come out to deny the reports. In her statement released on the issue, Marietta Brew described the reports alleging that Airbus SE paid bribes during the administration of former President John Evans Atta Mills and John Dramani as false, misleading and not a reflection of the Approved Judgement. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video "The Legend Returns," proclaims the program cover. Matthew Bourne's muscular male swans are strutting their stuff once again at New York City Center, where his reworking of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake is back through February 9 to close out an international tour. This is Swan Lake's third tour in the Big Apple since its Tony-winning Broadway premiere in the late 1990s, and its luster hasn't dimmed. It's still just as gorgeous and just as provocative as it must have been 20 years ago. The original Swan Lake, which has been in the dance repertory since its 1877 premiere with the Bolshoi Ballet, follows a prince who falls for a princess turned into a white swan by an evil sorceress. Retaining Tchaikovsky's eternal score (unfortunately, this production's music is recorded) and reconfiguring the plot, Bourne's Swan Lake tells the story of a young British prince (James Lovell) and his sexual awakening at the hands of another man. The Prince goes about his royal duties unloved by his mother, the Queen (a droll Nicole Kabera). Even his would-be girlfriend, a vulgar commoner (the hilariously expressive Katrina Lyndon), is just for show, it turns out. At the end of his emotional rope, the Prince contemplates suicide, only to be saved by a pack of bare-chested male swans, whose leader (Matthew Ball) helps the Prince awaken emotions and desires he's never realized before. As a first-time viewer, I was startled by how consistently surprised I was by the production, even knowing the "twist" as a student of history (and having seen clips of a 2012 film version). I didn't expect it to be as funny as it was, and I didn't expect to feel as emotionally connected as I did. Even though contemporary attitudes have changed since the work's premiere, it still feels sort of incendiary and really punk-rock to watch an all-male corps de ballet leading a young man into the discovery of his sexuality. As Bourne told TheaterMania in 2006, this was all part of the goal. "I don't necessarily like to upset people, but I do want to surprise themI never want my work to be what you'd expect it to be." You couldn't ask for two more connected leading men than Lovell and Ball. The baby-faced Lovell is perfectly vulnerable, particularly when compared with the striking, sinewy Ball. The heat they generate, particularly in the second half (when Ball returns as the "black swan," now a human stranger who wreaks sexual havoc upon a royal ball), is palpable and genuinely sexy. You can't take your eyes off them. Even those who aren't dance aficionados will be engaged by the production's visual storytelling. Bourne's through line is crystal clear, and his choreography is stunning (and, perhaps surprisingly, simultaneously witty and menacingly swanlike). Lez Brotherston's looming sets are larger than life, and look even more attractive when hit with the accentuations by lighting designer Paule Constable. This Swan Lake is a feast for the senses, one that will continue to inspire new generations for years to come. Even though mortality from congenital heart disease (CHD) has declined over the last three decades as diagnosis and treatments have advanced, the chances for a child to survive a CHD diagnosis significantly differs based on the country where he or she is born. This eye-opening finding is drawn from the first comprehensive study of congenital heart disease across 195 countries, prepared using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD), and recently published in The Lancet. "Previous congenital heart estimates came from few data sources, were geographically narrow and did not evaluate CHD throughout the life course," write the authors, known collectively as the 2017 GBD Congenital Heart Disease Collaborators. Co-lead author Meghan D. Zimmerman, M.D., worked on the study while completing her pediatric cardiology and American Heart Association Global Health Fellowships at Children's National Hospital, and two pediatric cardiologists from Children's National, Cardiology Associate Chief Craig Sable, M.D., and Gerard Martin, M.D., medical director of Global Services, provided leadership and oversight of this paper. The remaining collaborators are from more than 45 institutions around the world, spanning cardiology, public health and schools of medicine on every continent. This is the first time the GBD study data was used along with all available data sources and previous publications--making it the most comprehensive study on congenital heart disease burden to date. Key differences between this study and prior estimates include: Anatomic groupings of CHD by type, rather than simply categorized as moderate, severe or critical. Inclusion of new data sources, including data from screening programs, congenital registries, administrative data and data sources in mortality and survival. A control mechanism to account for cases of CHD that remit on their own to reduce the risk of overestimating prevalence. Inclusion of all cases of congenital heart disease, including those with chromosomal or genetic anomalies such as Trisomy 21 that often co-occur. This more comprehensive data set led to findings that showed lower predicted long-term survival, higher remission, and lower prevalence than previous studies that extrapolated evidence from studies of high-income countries. However, it also means these new estimates are a more accurate representation of the current global state of affairs. Overall, the study found: A 34.5% decline in deaths from congenital disease between 1990 to 2017. Nearly 70% of deaths caused by CHD in 2017 (180,624) were in infants less than one year old. Most CHD deaths occurred in countries within the low and low-middle socio-demographic index (SDI) quintiles. Mortality rates get lower as a country's SDI rises. Birth prevalence of CHD was not related to a country's socio-demographic status, but overall prevalence was much lower in the poorest countries of the world. This is because children in these countries do not have access to life saving surgical services. Nearly 12 million people are currently living with CHD globally, 18.7% more than in 1990. The burden of CHD is not fully realized by just looking at prevalence and mortality. The measure "Years of Life Lost" provides deeper insight into the staggering burden of CHD, taking into account both absolute mortality and age at death. "In high income countries like the United States, we diagnose some heart conditions prenatally during the 20-week ultrasound," says Dr. Martin, a pediatric cardiologist at Children's National Hospital who contributed to the study. "We catch others right after birth with a pulse oximetry screening for critical congenital heart disease. We can operate to correct a critical issue within the first week of life. And now our CHD kids are growing and thriving through adulthood and having families of their own." For children born in middle- and low-income countries, these data draw stark attention to what we as cardiologists already knew from our own work in these countries--the lack of diagnostic and treatment tools leads to lower survival rates for children born with CHD. This is one of the most significant publications I have been a part of as it highlights the substantial loss of life to CHD in infancy around the globe." Dr. Craig Sable, Cardiology Associate Chief The authors write, "The UN has prioritized reduction of premature deaths from heart disease, but to meet the target of 'ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age,' health policy makers will need to develop specific accountability measures that address barriers and improve access to care and treatment." The study also includes a 400-page appendix breaking down each area by type of congenital anomaly, world region and country. [February 03, 2020] PeopleScout's UK-Based Talent Advisory Team, TMP Holdings Limited ("TMP"), Wins Four Recruitment Advertising Design (RAD) Awards Recognition Includes Top Award for Work of the Year for The AA's "Ant Middleton's Ready for Anything?" Campaign, Described by Judges as the First of Its Kind LONDON, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PeopleScout won four coveted RAD awards, including Work of the Year as well as in the Innovation, Use of Social and Out of Home Advertising categories for their work with clients The AA and the National Crime Agency, at the awards ceremony held in London on January 30, 2020. The judges described the Work of the Year winner, The AA's "Ant Middleton's Ready for Anything?" campaign as "unique," "special" and the "first of its kind." "It is compelling, innovative, inspiring, real and so expertly put together," the judges said. "It beautifully connects in a highly emotive way, taking us all on a journey of highs, lows and human endeavour. This team was ready for anything and have produced work that has never been seen before in our industry." The AA's "Ant Middleton's Ready for Anything?" campaign was a 24-hour, live interactive challenge that embodied their Ready for Anything? employer brand. It featured six brave AA employees following Ant Middleton, former Special Boat Service soldier, through a series of challenges while the public participated across social media. The challenge reached millions of potential candidates and engaged thousands of AA employees and resulted in a significant increase in applications. "Every year we celebrate the best in our industry," said Mark Horley, Chair of the Judges, at the awards "Something great happened in 2019 because this year we've seen a huge leap in quality and innovation. The standard of thinking and ideas is incredible." "Winning the top prize for Work of the Year is fantastic news," said Robert Peasnell, Deputy Managing Director of PeopleScout. "The RAD awards recognise the best-of-the best; having the recruiting industry celebrate our work in this way is extremely exciting. The AA campaign allowed us to showcase our exceptional creative skills of which we are incredibly proud. As the only RPO with a full-service, in-house, creative communications agency, this recognition demonstrates that it's possible to recruit in large numbers by offering innovative solutions to our clients' attraction challenges." This is the second time in 12 months that PeopleScout have won top award honours. In October 2019, PeopleScout had a strong showing at the Recruitment Marketing Awards (RMAs) winning the Grand Prix award for the company's creative approach to recruiting nurses in Greater Manchester, as well as awards for employer branding, recruitment effectiveness and video. To learn more about PeopleScout and how PeopleScout delivers Next Generation RPO visit www.peoplescout.co.uk. About PeopleScout PeopleScout, a TrueBlue company, is the world's largest RPO provider managing talent solutions that span the global economy, with end-to-end MSP capabilities supporting total workforce needs. PeopleScout boasts 97% client retention managing the most complex programs in the industry. The company's thousands of forward-looking talent professionals provide clients with the edge in the people business by consistently delivering now while anticipating what's next. Affinix, PeopleScout's proprietary talent acquisition platform, empowers faster engagement with the best talent through an AI-driven, consumer-like candidate experience with one-point ATS and VMS integration and single sign-on. Leveraging the power of data gleaned from engaging millions of candidates and contingent associates every year, PeopleScout enhances talent intelligence for clients across more than 70 countries with headquarters in Chicago, Sydney and London and global delivery centers in Charlotte, Toronto, Montreal, Bristol, Krakow, Gurgaon and Bangalore. For more information about PeopleScout and its Now to Next brand promise, please visit www.peoplescout.co.uk. Press Contact Rachel Harris PeopleScout Head of Marketing EMEA & APAC 020 7268 9220 [email protected] Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/883295/PeopleScout_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] By Abdul Kerimkhanov Total economic effect of using artificial intelligence in Kazakhstan could amount to about $25 billion per year, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin has said. Addressing the forum Digital Almaty: Digital Future of the Global Economy, held on January 31, Mamin said that the greatest effect is expected in the services sector (up to $15 billion) a year, while in the mining sector - up to $9 billion. Mamin further said that jointly with the World Economic Forum, an agreement was reached to launch the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution of the WEF on the basis of the Astana International Financial Center and the launch is expected in 2020. He noted the need for coordinated measures within the EAEU to create favorable conditions for the development of artificial intelligence technologies. "It is important to establish active cooperation in developing common standards and rules, developing policies in the field of data exchange and integration, developing research activities," he stated. He emphasized that Kazakhstan has already taken the first steps to use artificial intelligence technologies as part of the Smart Data Ukimet project. The Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence was created on the basis of Nazarbayev University. "Based on the existing potential of Nazarbayev University, together with the World Bank, it is planned to create a National Cluster of Artificial Intelligence with its own laboratory, a data processing research center and a science park for the development of artificial intelligence. In all sectors and large companies, consistent work is underway to introduce artificial intelligence," he said. Mamin believes the use of artificial intelligence in the field of transport and logistics will contribute to the optimization of transit routes, in the customs sector will accelerate the time of border crossing, and in trade it will reduce the volume of shadow and counterfeit traffic. The forum participants got acquainted with the exhibition of IT companies and start-up projects of Kazakhstan on automation and digitalization of processes in law enforcement, financial, banking, educational and medical fields. Prime minister Sergei Rumas (Belarus), Mikhail Mishustin (Russia), Ion Chicu (Moldova), Deputy Prime minister Zhenish Razakov (Kyrgyzstan), UN Assistant Secretary General Fabrizio Hochschild, Director of Government Transformation at Amazon Web Services Liam Maxwell, Founder of the 01 Edu system Nicolas Sadirac and Director of the UK State Digital Service Chris Ferguson attended the plenary session. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz THE final cost of the Limerick to Cork motorway remains unknown and could run to more than 1 billion, it has been claimed. Contracts, worth 15 million, were signed last May to progress what will be the biggest infrastructure project outside of Dublin to planning stage. The Government has allocated 900 million for the project in the Ireland 2040 plan. Despite this, documents obtained by the Irish Times under Freedom of Information legislation, revealed the government has been told final cost of the project remains unclear. The most recent cost estimates from 2010 and 2011 suggest the total cost of connecting the countrys second and third cities will be between 850 million and 900 million. However, notes obtained by the Irish Times and given to the Taoiseach's advisors last year stated there is 'no cost estimate at this point in time' for the M20 which will take a number of years to complete once construction works get underway. It's now being speculated the new motorway between the two cities could cost up to 1.2 billion to complete and that it may take some years before the actual price is confirmed. The documents reveal that 35 million has already been spent which includes 20 million between 2008 to 2012 when it was then mothballed because of the recession. The final route of the motorway has become an issue of contention during the general election campaign. The documents released to the Irish Times state nothing [is] ruled in or out at this stage. While a route bypassing towns and villages on the current N20 such as Charleville, Buttevant and Mallow is most likely, a case has been put forward to connect to the M8 Cork Dublin motorway. The man shot dead by police following a stabbing attack in south London was a convicted terrorist who had recently been released from prison. It is understood Sudesh Amman, who was jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, was freed in the past six weeks. He was thought to have been staying in a bail hostel in Tulse Hill. Amman, who at the time of his sentencing was 18-years-old and had an address in Harrow, north-west London, had been jailed for three years and four months. Two people were stabbed in yesterday's attack in Streatham, which police believe to be "Islamist-related". Scotland Yard said armed officers shot dead a man as part of a "proactive counter-terrorism operation" on Streatham High Road. Three victims were taken to hospital, with one man's condition life-threatening and one woman being treated for lesser injuries. Police said a second woman received minor injuries caused by glass following the discharge of a police firearm. A device found strapped to the body of the suspect was a hoax. The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: "The situation has been contained and off- icers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command are now leading an investigation into the incident. "It was quickly declared as a terrorist incident and we believe it to be Islamist-related." Disbelief One witness described seeing the man apparently carrying a weapon with "silver canisters on his chest" being shot in front of a Boots store. Another said members of the public came to the aid of victims, with one saying she had been stabbed. People took shelter in nearby shops. Jonathan Bartley, a councillor for the St Leonard's ward on Lambeth Council, said: "There's absolute shock and disbelief from residents that are around. There was a sense of panic and fear when it happened. "The emergency services seemed to have reacted incredibly quickly, so quickly that you wonder whether they had received some advance warning about this." Prime minister Boris Johnson said he will announce plans today for "fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences". "Following the awful events at Fishmongers' Hall in Dec- ember, we have moved quickly to introduce a package of measures to strengthen every element of our response to terrorism, including longer prison sentences and more money for the police," he said. Families at the scene last night could be heard asking police how they would be able to access their homes in light of the incident. Stranded residents were being offered temporary accommodation inside the Odeon cinema within the cordon, with workers at Lambeth Council inside looking after those affected. A terrorist wearing a fake suicide vest stabbed two people on a London street yesterday, just days after his release from prison and while under surveillance by police who shot him dead. Sudesh Amman (20) had been automatically released from jail halfway through a sentence of three years and four months for possessing a bomb-making manual. Government sources last night admitted there had been concerns about his behaviour but they had been powerless to keep him behind bars. Ministers are braced to face immediate demands for all terrorists who have been released early to be recalled, amid growing fears over public safety following two attacks by terrorists on parole within just over two months. Up to 180 convicted Islamist terrorists have been released early from jail in the past two decades, analysis shows, and news reports had warned Amman was due for release in the wake of November's London Bridge attack. Amman was shot dead by plainclothes officers, who had been following him, within eight seconds of stabbing a woman in the back. His second victim was last night fighting for his life in hospital. It is understood Amman was wearing an electronic monitoring tag. Expand Close Armed police officers crowd around the attacker after he was shot on the street in Streatham / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Armed police officers crowd around the attacker after he was shot on the street in Streatham In the wake of the London Bridge attack, the Government promised tougher monitoring for serious terrorists. However, the attack will raise questions about how a terrorist apparently under 24-hour surveillance was able to attack innocent people in the middle of the day on a busy street. Government sources confirmed Amman had been released from prison towards the end of January under very strict licence terms. A source said: "He was also under surveillance and that is what allowed the police to do their job so quickly. It meant that it could have been worse than it was had he not been under this surveillance." The source added: "There were concerns about this individual when he was in prison - around his language - but there were no powers available to any of the authorities to keep him behind bars." The knife-obsessed college student was jailed in December 2018 after sharing an al-Qa'ida magazine in a family WhatsApp group. He had reached the automatic halfway release point, including time served on remand. Residents at the bail hostel where Amman had been staying, a kilometre from the scene of the attack, said he had tried to take his own life two weeks ago and had been asking for medication. It is thought Amman may have realised he was being watched because he stole a 25cm kitchen knife costing 5 from a shop about 2pm yesterday. Within seconds, he stabbed a woman in the back. As he ran up the street he stabbed a man, believed to be in his 30s, in the side. Witnesses described how the second victim lay on the pavement with blood pouring from the wound as he waited for around 30 minutes for paramedics to arrive. At least two officers who had been following Amman, dressed in hoodies and jeans and with balaclavas covering their faces, gave chase on foot after he attacked his first victim. It is thought a third officer on a motorcycle who had been part of the surveillance team may have been the first to open fire. As he fell to the ground after being shot three times, Amman reached for a fake suicide vest that he had strapped around his waist. Authorities confirmed that Amman had died at the scene. A police spokeswoman said that it was "quickly declared as a terrorist incident and we believe it to be Islamist-related". ( Daily Telegraph, London) Two teenagers have been rushed to hospital with serious injuries after a double stabbing outside a college this afternoon. Emergency Services were called to Kingsway, in Widnes, close to Riverside College after reports of a disturbance at around 2.50pm. Pictures showed a number of ambulances and police outside the college. Two 16-year-old boys were found with what were reported to be serious injuries and road closures are currently in place. Emergency Services were called to Kingsway, in Widnes, close to Riverside College (pictured) after reports of a disturbance at around 2.50pm The victims, both students at the college, were taken to hospital and their families have been informed. Chief Inspector Catherine Pritchard said: 'The investigation is in the very early stages but I would like to reassure people that this appears to be an isolated incident and there is not believed to be any risk to the wider community. 'Officers remain at the scene and enquiries are ongoing. If anyone has any concerns they are urged to speak to a local officer.' The victims, both students at the college, were taken to hospital and their families have been informed No arrests have been made at the current time and enquiries are ongoing. College deputy principal Thalia Bell later released a statement saying the college was helping police with their inquiries and operating as normal. Anyone with any information is urged to call Cheshire Police on 101 quoting IML 627919. Information can also be reported to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously. Photo: The Driskill Grill/Yelp Looking to satisfy your appetite for New American fare? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best high-end New American restaurants around Austin, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to fill the bill. 1. The Driskill Grill Photo: the driskill grill/Yelp Topping the list is a location of the Austin-based chain The Driskill Grill. Located at 604 Brazos St. downtown Austin, the New American spot is the highest-rated high-end New American restaurant in Austin, boasting four stars out of 218 reviews on Yelp. The site can tell you a thing or two more about The Driskill Grill. "Famous for the iconic date spot of LBJ and Lady Bird, The Driskill Grill now blends the refined setting with a hyperlocal Texas menu. Savor signature dishes, including dry-aged steak and our local wagyu beef burger with a whiskey cocktail or a selection from our Wine Spectator-awarded list," it notes on Yelp in the section explaining specialties. 2. Barley Swine Photo: Alison L./Yelp Next is Brentwood's Barley Swine, situated at 6555 Burnet Road, Suite 400. With 4.5 stars out of 1,054 reviews on Yelp, the bar and New American spot has proven to be a local favorite for those looking to indulge. The site has lots more information about Barley Swine, which opened in 2010 and prides itself on supporting local farmers and ranchers. "Our shared plate and tasting menu options are truly seasonal and always changing based on the ingredient availability and the aspirations of the kitchen." that's per the history section of the business's Yelp profile. 3. Lonesome Dove Western Bistro Photo: Susan P./Yelp Downtown Austin's Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, located at 419 Colorado St., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the fancy steakhouse, cocktail bar and New American spot 4.5 stars out of 263 reviews. The site can tell you a thing or two more about Lonesome Dove Western Bistro and the face behind the business. "Chef Tim Love is known as much for his freewheeling personality as he is for his signature urban western cuisine and quick business sense," the business says on Yelp in the bio section of its profile. "As chef and owner of beloved Texas restaurantsincluding Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Woodshed Smokehouse, Queenie's Steakhouse and Love Shack, as well as the storied White Elephant Saloonhis inspired and innovative dishes have earned critical and popular acclaim." Story continues 4. Cafe Josie Photo: katharine p./Yelp Cafe Josie, a wine bar, cocktail bar and New American spot in Old West Austin, is another much-loved, pricey go-to, with 4.5 stars out of 321 Yelp reviews. Head over to 1200 W. Sixth St., Suite B to see for yourself. The site has lots more information about Cafe Josie. Images of Willie and Elvis adorn the walls of this establishment, which has been part of Austin's dining scene since 1997, per the history section of its Yelp profile. The menu, courtesy of chef Todd Havers, offers small plates like the crispy pork belly, fried gulf oysters (comes with cilantro lime aioli, honey chipotle and manchego). For brunch, try the chef's tasting menu, which has featured a breakfast tater tot casserole, chocolate malted pancakes and a tiramisu yogurt parfait. 5. The Carillon photo: nickie b./yelp And then there's The Carillon, a West University favorite with 4.5 stars out of 283 reviews. Stop by 1900 University Ave. to hit up the New American spot next time you're in the mood to celebrate. The site has lots more information about The Carillon, was built as a gathering place for the University of Texas' faculty and staff but now is open to all. The restaurant's award-winning culinary team "creates dishes with local, fresh and seasonal produce and organic, grass-fed or free-range proteins," the business writes in specialties section of its Yelp profile. "For dinner, The Carillon offers a la carte and chef tasting menus, which can be skillfully paired with award-winning wines." This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. On Architecture In Nova Scotia, Homes as Wild as the Landscape Around Them Across the provinces cliffside fishing towns, Omar Gandhis residential architecture is as austere and intense as the environment for which its built. Feb. 3, 2020 EVERY FEW DAYS, the Canadian architect Omar Gandhi migrates between Toronto, his hometown, and Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, where he opened his eponymous firm in 2010. A year and a half ago, Gandhi added New Haven to his weekly peregrinations he was teaching a seminar at the Yale School of Architecture called Where the Wild Things Are, after Maurice Sendaks 1963 childrens book. For the final project of the semester, the professor took his class to the wind-swept island of Cape Breton (a glove-shaped appendage separated from Nova Scotias main peninsula by the narrow Strait of Canso) to visit Rabbit Snare Gorge his 2013 project with the New York-based architecture firm Design Base 8 a slender cabin that stretches 43 feet tall, like a 16th-century Mannerist portrait. Touring the surrounding plot, a 47-acre wooded slope bisected by the creek that gives the house its name, Gandhi, 40, asked his students to conceive a campus of creatures a set of structures that, as he described it when we met at his Halifax studio last summer, have an attitude and respond and look like they move. Where Sendaks wild things were fierce, lumbering beasts, the house, dressed in long, pale panels of local white cedar, is spry and lithe, imbued with the same anarchic, leaping energy as Max, the books boy king. Built for a New Jersey lawyer who has vacationed in Nova Scotia for years, it looks toward a 120-foot bluff fronting the Gulf of St. Lawrence, three miles outside the village of Inverness. A broad 20-by-8-foot bank of windows faces west over a narrow chute of black spruce and birch toward a slim triangle of water, etched on blustery days with white caps, like a sinister sea in an Edward Gorey illustration. The structure gracefully withstands Nova Scotias often brutal weather, its 1,200 square feet split over three spartan floors; each level has a 14-inch ring beam to help protect against the islands gale-force winds. Weve always thought of our buildings as these sort of creatures, Gandhi says, and this ones job is to get up as high as possible to see these long views. Architects often discuss the tasks their buildings accomplish, but Gandhi talks about his as if they have their own inchoate desires: His houses dont just serve a purpose, they have lives of their own. In fact, the house at Rabbit Snare Gorge is part of a family, Gandhis own campus of creatures, originally planned for the site. The second structure, a boat shed made from the same faded planks of local white cedar, is shaped like a crystal of Maldon salt, stretched low over the ground, its form distended by forward motion, as though ensnared in its sprint through the forest. (The third, a lookout tower at the waters edge, was never born.) With this project, Gandhi encapsulated his vision for a new Nova Scotian architecture. Across the province from the highlands of Cape Breton, which draw hordes of tourists each fall to witness the dense forests flamboyant transition into winter, to the marshlands of the south across the Bay of Fundy from Maine shingled houses painted in shades of aubergine, sage and slate line up along country roads that overlook skiffs and lobster boats bobbing on the mercurial, cobalt sea. Front yards are decorated not with flower beds or lawn ornaments but with tangled mounds of fishing rope and buoys the color of wild strawberries. The names of the villages that line the peninsulas rocky perimeter Antigonish and Isle Madame, Argyle and Lunenburg speak to the regions long polyglot history, beginning with the Mikmaq indigenous peoples, whose land was taken starting in the 17th century by Scottish, English, French and German colonizers. Even today, many here still speak Gaelic or Acadian, the French dialect introduced by the first European settlers in 1604. Fishing remains an important industry. Nova Scotia, Gandhi says, is a place that doesnt change very quickly. But Rabbit Snare Gorge injects the islands static saltbox vernacular with sudden kinetic energy, an argument for the 20th-century theory that evolution happens not gradually, as Charles Darwin suggested, but in dramatic bursts. Rather than modernizing the traditional cottages that punctuate the provinces tundra-like landscape with new technologies or imported materials, Gandhi has brought them to jarring life, not so much creating finished structures as releasing them into the wild. A heartwarming video of a girl being reunited with her dearest stuffed toy is going viral on social media. Three-year-old Avalon Mulcahy lost her stuffed toy named 'Violet' during a house move as her family relocated from California to Hawaii. Avalon Mulcahy's father is in the United States military and he was asked to move to a different base just recently. Before moving to the base, the family stayed at two temporary lodgings and reportedly that is when Avalon lost her favourite toy. Read: Elephants Teach 'how To Cross Road Safely'; Watch The Adorable Video Avalon's mother Jennifer Mulcahy was unable to find Violet despite putting a lot of effort. According to Jennifer, Avalon kept asking her about the missing toy and hoped that Santa would bring her one for Christmas. Jennifer looked for the toy online but all of it went in vain as she couldn't find one. Jennifer while talking to the media said she bought the toy from Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim, an activity centre for children in California and she contacted the store to see if they could send one to her new address in Hawaii and luckily the store agreed to ship the toy. Read: Viral Video Of Men Playing Cards Shows Florida Traffic Woes The toy arrived the next day and Jennifer decided to film the moment when Avalon opened the box. The footage of an excited Avalon opening the box as her mother tells her to 'go-ahead'. After Avalon tore off the plastic wrapping she found her favourite toy inside the box to which she started screaming and giggling as tears rolled down her cheeks. Avalon held the toy close to her chest and got excited looking at Violet's new dress that the store decided to pack as a surprise for the little girl. Jennifer then asks Avalon to say something to the camera to which she replies, "I love her a lot." and ends it by requesting her mother to take the tag off. Adorable! Read: First 1000-bed Coronavirus Hospital Is Close To Completion, Video Shows 'Chinese Speed' According to Jennifer, Avalon loved the original toy so much that she had to repair it with needle and thread a couple of times. Avalon would take Violet to school and after reaching she would ask her mom to buckle the toy for the ride home. Jennifer told media that when Avalon lost Violet she thought that her daughter would find another toy to latch onto but she was wrong as the three-year-old kept asking about the stuffed wolf again and again. Jennifer took to her Facebook handle to thank the store for sending her the toy overnight and also for the extra surprise in the box. Read: Mysterious Sea Creature In TikTok Video Creeps Out Netizens, Watch We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form : WangLimin (), : Chinese : NYS Workers' Compensation Case G2029240, Email to WCB for : Workers Compensation,WCB,Justice,Limin Wang,MRI : BBS (Mon Feb 3 13:53:03 2020, ) NYS Workers' Compensation Case G2029240, Email to WCB for Justice, Limin Wang by Limin Wang February 03, 2020, Monday Re: The Pursuit of Justice Dear Government Agency WCB Officials, I applied for WCB Board Review of my WC Case # G2029240 on Oct. 31, 2019, and then submitted a 54-page document, The Pursuit of Truth, on Dec. 18, 2019. I have been waiting for so long the justice to this premeditated and coordinated attempted murder case since the date of injury January 16, 2018. My life, liberty, and happiness can not be traded with a compensation of ~$ 435 or $150/week for the perpetrators' enjoyment through a such complex case deliberately and coordinately twisted by so many other parties including the employer, its WC carrier, its defense attorney's law firm, the treating physicians, the IME physicians, my former attorney's law firm, and some personnel from the USA government agencies such as WCB. My full version of The Pursuit of Justice will be served when it is ready. Right now, since the most recent MRI (2nd on head, on Dec. 27, 2019) also showed signs of the MRI facility's blatant irregularity, including giving me a blank DVD on the day of scan and then another DVD problematic in access to its content. It again shows the necessity for the governing authority to investigate the case from a true base of the victim's injuries as soon as possible. I appeal to the USA GOVERNMENT AGENCIES such as WCB to send me to an MRI facility for an honest and high-resolution MRI on my head and whole spine, and then to a treating physician or physicians for real examination and treatment. I turn to this system for JUSTICE, on three aspects, health recovery to its maximal possibility, criminal case justice to the perpetrators, and financial compensation. I turn to this system, not for further being tortured and murdered toward death by this system. That's not a joke when the details are revealed in my full version of The Pursuit of Justice. Thanks for your attention. Limin Wang Injured Worker & Claimant -- WangLimin http://blog.mitbbs.com/WangLimin http://www.mitbbs.com/pc/index/WangLimin :WangLimin Feb 3 14:05:24 2020 [FROM: 2604:2000:b808:6] :WWW mitbbs.com [FROM: 2604:2000:b808:] THE Philippine National Police (PNP) is preparing to mobilize over a hundred personnel trained in Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE) to assist in the repatriation of Filipinos from China. As of Monday, February 3, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella said 40 Filipinos in Hubei, China have expressed their desire to go home. Hubei province, particularly Wuhan City, is the epicenter of an acute respiratory disease outbreak caused by the zoonotic 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). PNP Chief Archie Gamboa said on Monday that there are a total of 105 CBRNE personnel from the Special Action Force, PNP Health Service, Crime Laboratory and Explosives and Ordnance Division-K9 unit. They are ready for deployment. "The Philippine National Police has made available a team of CBRNE-trained medical personnel from the PNP Health Service who may be deployed to assist concerned agencies in the repatriation of Filipinos based in China and other countries affected by the 2019-nCoV ARD who will wish to return to the country subject to mandatory quarantine procedure," Gamboa said. If they are brought home from China, the Filipinos will be quarantined for 14 days, which is believed to be the incubation period for the disease. Gamboa said the doctors from the PNP Health Service may also help the concerned government agencies in conducting the mandatory quarantine procedures. "The PNP will help but we're just presenting na meron kaming ganitong pwersa whom they can use," Gamboa said. Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the mobilization of an Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to prevent the spread of the virus. He also ordered a ban on travelers coming from mainland China and its special administrative regions, Macau and Hongkong. Two Chinese nationals who arrived in the country on January 21 tested positive for the 2019-nCoV. One of them, a 44-year-old male, died while undergoing treatment at San Lazaro Hospital in Manila. Story continues To prevent the spread of the virus, Gamboa said he has directed all Regional and National Support Unit directors to make available face masks for all PNP personnel and assure the availability of hand sanitizers in all PNP offices and facilities. He said the PNP is also studying the possibility of implementing temporary lockdown on all its training facilities including the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) and the National Training Police Institute (NPTI). Gamboa said this is to ensure the safety and protection of cadets and trainees in these facilities. He said the matter will be done in coordination with the DOH. "As I have said, we are considering kasi nga kailangan talagang ng assessment ng experts. You just do not execute something kasi we also have to balance. It might create panic or we might be overreacting so dapat evidence-based kumbaga. So kung ni-recommend ng DOH that it is necessary then we will do so but only upon careful study because it also has a lot of implications once you decide on doing something," he said. "Basically, kapag sinabing lockdown, denial of entry of other persons other than those who are supposed to be assigned on duty doon sa lugar na 'yun, he added. (SunStar Philippines) Seven Stills Brewery and Distillerys LLC is ceasing operations for 90 days, following the receipt of 60 or so tied-house violations over two years and a subsequent license suspension. The brewery-distillery, opened in San Francisco in 2016 by Tim Obert and Clint Potter, found early success in a niche space in the drinks industry landscape. Their unique business model involved brewing craft beer (or buying it from other craft breweries) and then distilling it into small-batch whiskey. However, legally dubious marketing practices accidental as they may have been resulted in whats called tied-house violations, prompting the California Bureau of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to suspend the companys license. Since December 2018, when Obert says Seven Stills received its first violation, the brewery has garnered around 60 in total. Each charge comes with a fine of $10,000, which would have meant the brewery would have had to cough up $600,000 to stay in operation. That wasnt feasible, so, working with the ABC, they went the other route: a 90-day suspension. To mitigate the financial hit, they also decided to close their Egbert production facility and the Mission District taproom. (The Stanford Court location closed in mid-2019.) We were trying to address each [violation], and each time they started opening more stuff they were looking into, Obert tells SFGATE. Obert didnt outline specific incidents, but noted the ABC began asking for involved information, like the sales records at the taproom over the last two years, old social media posts and the brewerys production logs. It started getting really crazy, Obert says. It started snowballing. They started digging into every facet of the business. The purpose of tied-house laws is to maintain separation between the three tiers of alcoholic distribution producers (like breweries), wholesalers and retailers like bars and stores and to level the playing field for smaller craft breweries competing in the market. The laws prohibit companies, particularly large ones, from offering gifts of value, or straight-up monetary payments to retailers, in exchange for selling their beer. The issue, says Obert, is theres a lot of gray area in the interpretation of value. A brewery has to be incredibly careful, because something of value can be anything from a branded kegerator, to a neon light-up sign, to coasters, to something as simple as an Instagram post stating our beer is available at the neighborhood bar we love! Obert writes in a press release. There are other such potential violations he also noted: A brewery cannot, for example, say $1 of each pint will be donated to particular charity; rather, a brewery must donate a predetermined amount. Despite what unfolded, Obert doesnt feel like Seven Stills was singled out, but he does feel the need to warn other breweries about their own marketing practices. Its better for them to know that what theyre doing isnt okay, he says. It does seem like the agency is trying to make changes to support craft breweries, but at the same time theyre getting [us] for stuff that we werent trying to do wrong It wasnt like we were trying to get away with anything. Such tied-house issues are more common than consumers might think. Brendan Palfreyman, a craft beer attorney with Harris Beach in New York, says while its more typical that a macro brewery might receive such citations for pay-to-play-type sales efforts, its not unheard of for small breweries to also get dinged. You dont hear a ton about it in the news, he tells SFGATE. [But] Its happening more frequently than its being reported is my guess. Oftentimes too, breweries dont get caught on such violations. Every state has a byzantine series of these laws, he continues. Are they always enforced? No. But they could be. In Seven Stills case, the ABC has at least been relatively nice to work with so far. Seven Stills has over the last couple years been in the process of migrating its operations over from an LLC to a C-Corp. The merger isnt complete yet, so Seven Stills is currently running two businesses. As a result, the ABC is allowing them to move operations over from its LLC to its C-Corp, where it can continue brewing, distilling, and selling under that second license at 100 Hooper in Mission Bay during the LLCs suspension. RELATED: Seven Stills opens its massive new Mission Bay distillery, brewery and restaurant That doesnt mean its business as usual. The companys first Bayview facility on Egbert Avenue, under the LLC, has to close, and the new, exceedingly expensive and not-yet-operational production facility at 100 Hooper isnt yet ready to take over brewing and distilling. That project, a 22,500-square feet brewery, distillery and restaurant (the last of which opened in Fall 2019), wound up costing four times what Obert and Potter initially estimated. We dont have the cash right now to finish the production facility, Obert says. If we had the money we could get it up and running in 6-9 weeks. They can, at least, continue to keep the restaurant and taproom at 100 Hooper open uninterrupted, which is particularly important now at the advent of San Francisco Beer Week (which begins February 7). Seven Stills Sunset taproom, on Lawton Street, will also be forced to close for 15 days as a result of the suspension, though the brewery hasnt yet signed off on a start date for that. Thats the thing that majorly sucks, Obert says of its Sunset District closure. We signed an agreement with the ABC in November, [and] we thought suspension from that day [on] was in effect, so we stopped operations. That wasnt the case, as they soon found out, and Seven Stills production and sales as a whole slowed as a result. The financial hit will be substantial, but Obert says one area he and Potter are prioritizing to keep things normal is employment. A handful of Seven Stills 65 employees have opted to leave the company due to whats happening, but the others who worked at the shuttered locations will be relocated to work at the main Mission Bay location. Our employees are by far the number one [priority], he says. I put keeping our employees paid far and above the rest. And as for what happens after the suspension, Obert says theyll pursue marketing efforts differently. I just dont do anything that falls in the gray area at all anymore, he says. Now were not doing anything in that borderline gray area. Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE digital editor. Email: alyssa.pereira@sfgate.com | Twitter: @alyspereira Royal watchers have speculated that the Queen used her brooch to send a subtle show of support for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The monarch, 93, wore a glittering diamond and sapphire brooch given to her by Canada's Governor General as she attended church in West Newton, near Sandringham, yesterday. Many, including Hello! Magazine, saw her choice of accessory as an expression of support for her grandson Prince Harry, 35, and his wife Meghan Markle, 38, who recently decided to move the North American country with their son Archie. Showing support for her grandson? Royal watchers said the Queen sported her Canadian snowflake brooch for the last church service of her winter break in support for Prince Harry, 45, and Meghan Markle, 38. Pictured: the Queen yesterday in West Newton in Norfolk Harry and Meghan announced they would be stepping back from royal duties in early January, Pictured as they departed Canada House on January 7 The Queen wore the brooch, shaped like a snowflake and made of 48 sapphires and surrounded with diamonds, to several events in the three years since it was added to her collection, including visits to Canada House in London and during President Donald Trump's visit in July 2018. Yesterday she paired the accessory with a baby blue hat and matching coat, which revealed a glimpse of the paisley patterned silk dress she was wearing underneath. Looking relaxed, she greeted crowds and walked alongside Canon Jonathan Riviere to the church. Today the Queen returned to work for the first time since her six-week winter break - and Megxit - with a visit to RAF Marham, in Norfolk. Her grandson the Duke of Sussex and his wife announced earlier in January that they would be stepping back from royal duties in a shock move. The brooch, made of 48 sapphires surrounded in diamonds, was gifted to the Queen by Canada's Governor General in 2017 The Queen, wearing a hat adorned with green and blue feathers in the shape of flowers, looked delighted to be handed pink roses and daffodils as she bypassed the throng of well-wishers In a statement released by Buckingham on 13 January, the Queen said: 'Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family.' 'My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghans desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.' It would not be the first time the Queen is thought to have used her brooch to communicate a message. During President Trump's visit to the UK some royal watchers suggested she was using her accessories to conduct a silent protest over his presence. Leadership Music Opens Applications For 2021 Leadership Music is now accepting applications from music industry leaders for its Class of 2021. The eight-month Nashville-based program, which I am fortunate to have become a part of in 2016, exposes participants to every phase of the music industry and fosters communication and cooperation among industry leaders. Leadership Music is so much more than an educational program. Building community and relationships within each class is just as important, said LM Executive Director, Debbie Schwartz Linn. Leadership Music is the only music program of its kind to offer access and insight from virtually every segment of the industry. Although we are headquartered in Nashville, we welcome music industry leaders from all over the world to apply. The selection committee places a great deal of emphasis on diversity, whether its the segment of the industry, ethnicity, genre, background or geography. Applications, program dates, policies and FAQs are available at leadershipmusic.org/apply/ and must be submitted no later than midnight, February 29, 2020. Share on: The Trump administration's sweeping new travel restrictions aimed at combating the spread of the new coronavirus took effect Sunday, leaving airline employees around the world scrambling to enforce them. More than 17,200 people have fallen ill to the coronavirus worldwide, killing at least 361 people in China and a 44-year-old man in the Philippines, according to international health officials. The new U.S. travel rules, announced Friday, prohibit foreigners who have been in China in the last 14 days from entering the United States. Exemptions include whether they are an immediate family member of a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident. The U.S. is imposing a 14-day quarantine on citizens who have visited China's Hubei province where Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, is located and self-quarantines for citizens who have been in China in the last 14 days. Hong Kong and Macau are exempt, according to the president's proclamation. The Transportation Security Administration on Sunday instructed airlines with flights to the U.S. from other countries to screen passengers before boarding to find out whether they've been in China recently, according to a security directive that was reviewed by CNBC. Check-in and gate agents or other employees are required to question travelers, look through recent reservations and possibly their passports for entry or exit stamps, according to the order, which provided examples of the stamps from China. Airlines recommended U.S.-bound travelers arrive at airports earlier than usual. TSA noted that it is not involved in screening air travelers bound for the U.S. from abroad but an agency spokeswoman said it "is requiring carriers to enforce portions of the president's proclamation that limit who may board a commercial aircraft destined for the United States." The airlines don't have to rely only on passenger answers and must work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to make a determination, the spokeswoman said. The restrictions are complex and will mean all travelers headed to the U.S. will likely get questioned, not just people coming directly from China, from where many carriers have already cut routes. From Mexico City to Rome to Dubai, airline staff or their local contractors will have to question all travelers before they can board a U.S.-bound flight in case they had traveled from China to another country before their flight to the U.S. The screening will apply to tens of thousands of travelers a day. Customs and Border Protection figures show it processed an average of 371,780 people at U.S. airports each day in the last fiscal year, although February travel demand is much lower than in the summer. Some 14,000 people flew into the U.S. from China each day that year. Foreign travelers who fall under the U.S. restrictions will be denied boarding. The U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in China in the last 14 days must be rerouted into one of 11 airports Atlanta, Chicago's O'Hare, Los Angeles International, San Francisco International, Honolulu, Seattle, Newark, Washington Dulles, Detroit, Dallas/Fort Worth, and New York's Kennedy Airport for enhanced screening. "We realize this could provide added stress and prolong travel times for some individuals, however public health and security experts agree these measures are necessary to contain the virus and protect the American people," DHS acting Secretary Chad Wolf said in a statement Sunday. "To minimize disruptions, CBP and air carriers are working to identify qualifying passengers before their scheduled flights. Once back in the U.S., it's imperative that individuals honor self-quarantine directives to help protect the American public." That means that if a U.S. citizen was in China and then traveled to Dublin with a later flight to Boston, the carrier would need to rebook them to one of the designated U.S. airports so they could be screened on arrival. (Passengers do not have to cover the cost of a change in their itinerary.) Such a system relies on the self-reporting by passengers and how much information airline employees can confirm. Some travelers arriving at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday morning from India told CNBC that airline employees asked them if they had been in China when they departed for the U.S. but several other travelers who were arriving from the Dominican Republic, Kenya and Senegal said they were only asked upon arrival in the U.S. "It's an imperfect system," said Henry Harteveldt, founder of travel consulting firm Atmosphere Research Group. "This is not the best approach. It relies on the honor system and some passengers are just not going to be truthful." It's not the first time airline employees have been tasked with enforcing new rules for travelers. Gate agents and others have had to screen travelers for what has been sometimes confusing restrictions, such as the 2017 in-cabin electronics bans and outright bans on citizens of several nations. Failing to follow restrictions can be costly because airlines are responsible for flying individuals without accepted documents back. They can also face fines of around $3,500, according to the International Air Transport Association, an airline trade group. Chongqing, China Jianguo was exhausted when he returned home after a long days work at Wuhans Pulmonary Hospital, one of the medical facilities designated to treat those infected with a new type of coronavirus in the central Chinese city. The 52-year-old cleaner said his hospital was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people seeking medical care, with doctors and nurses overworked and supplies running low. Since the new virus was first detected in Wuhan in late December, nearly 400 people have died and more than 17,000 others infected the vast majority of deaths and infections have occurred in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital. The rapidly spreading virus has stretched the healthcare systems in Hubei, with some medical personnel saying Chinas government was completely unprepared for the outbreak and describing its response as chaotic. But when Jianguo turned on his television on January 28, he was greeted by television anchors hailing the governments transparent and swift response and videos of Wuhan residents joyfully expressing faith in the Chinese Communist Party to contain the virus. Speaking to Al Jazeera on the telephone, Jianguo, who preferred to give one name, said he immediately contacted his son, an avid user of the Chinese micro-blogging site, Weibo. Are you seeing the news? Are they serious? he recalled telling his son. Doctors and nurses at my hospital are so exhausted that they are on the edge of breaking down. And those people who look so happy on camera are they living in a different universe? Jianguos son immediately posted a message on his Weibo account, along with a picture from the hospital of doctors and nurses sleeping on chairs in apparent exhaustion. I dont care what CCTV is saying, he wrote, referring to Chinese state television. But the situation in Wuhan is still dire. The picture, which was quickly shared and liked by thousands of Weibo users, is just one among many posted on Chinese social media in recent days, challenging the official narrative offered by the heavily-censored state-media China has tightly controlled the coverage of the outbreak, according to Human Rights Watch, which on January 30 accused Chinese authorities of withholding information from the public, under-reporting cases of infection and downplaying the severity of the infection. The New York-based rights group said Chinese police have harassed people on allegations of spreading rumours about the outbreak, including the detention of a doctor who had warned colleagues that the new virus was similar to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which had killed 349 people and infected 5,300 others in mainland China in 2003. Indeed, it was only after January 20, when President Xi Jinping issued a statement saying he would curb the spread of the outbreak and called for the release of information in a timely manner, that state media started to report on the extent of the crisis. Days later, Wuhan, a city of 11 million, was placed under quarantine and the lockdown was extended to an area of more than 50 million people measures the World Health Organization (WHO) has praised Chinese authorities for. But in the days that followed, many Wuhan residents took to social media to criticise the governments handling of the crisis, with users complaining about what they said was a lack of adequate care at hospitals as well as what they called a delay in informing citizens of the outbreak. On Wednesday, another Weibo user posted a picture of her grandfather lying in the hallway of a hospital and wrote: My grandfather has been having a fever for three days now, and no hospital is admitting him! Is the government going to let all of us die like this?! On January 22, one user posted an article asking the question: Why did it take the outbreak so long to attract public attention?. In response to the article, another user alleged: The government already knew the existence of human-to-human transmission in early January, but still, news kept telling us there was no such possibility. They also arrested eight people who shared the information initially for spreading rumours. Not until there were over 200 confirmed cases did the government start to respond. Shouldnt the government be responsible? Another young man from the neighbouring city of Huanggang said in a video posted online on January 30: I might be arrested after posting this video. But I still want all of you to know how dire the situation is in Huanggang, and we are in desperate need of help the government doesnt care about us any more! That video has since been taken down. The Chinese authorities closely monitor all information shared on Weibo and other platforms, deleting posts that counter the government narrative and banning users that do so. And so in this context, some observers say the current anger and frustration on Weibo is extraordinary. Chinas more tech-savvy citizens are also turning to platforms blocked in the country, such as Twitter and YouTube, using virtual private network services to get the message out. I am not even afraid of death; do you think Ill be afraid of you Communist Party? Qiushi Chen, a well-known lawyer who travelled to Wuhan to report on the outbreak said in a Twitter video that also complained about the lack of medical supplies at hospitals. Another Wuhan resident, in a video posted on YouTube, described life under lockdown. Its like living in hell, waiting for death, he said. This and other social media posts not only offer a closer look at what is happening on the ground in Wuhan but also give a human face to the suffering in the city. For instance, in one article posted on WeChat, one woman described her mothers death in detail. The car that picked up my mothers corpse drove away, and I was running after it, crying like I never did before, she wrote. It was a cold day I felt despair and hopelessness. Amid the apparent frustration in Wuhan, some of Chinas privately-owned media have also begun to question the official narrative, publishing stories on the lack of medical supplies and questioning the conduct of the local Red Cross, which has been accused of failing to disburse donations. Caixin, a widely read news website, even published an interview with the doctor who was questioned for speaking out on the spread of the new virus and another article suggesting the lack of freedom of speech in China had affected the effort to contain the outbreak. Yet, state-media coverage of the coronavirus remains overwhelmingly positive there is little mention of the apparent anger in Wuhan and news anchors on state television repeat on an almost hourly basis the message that the international society has been highly impressed by Chinese governments fast response and the unprecedented measures to contain the outbreak. The state-owned English language Global Times, meanwhile, has focused on measures taken by the Chinese government in addressing the crisis, including the wide-ranging lockdown and the construction of a new hospital in Wuhan within 10 days. Some measures which are unbelievable at ordinary times have been quickly implemented and the entire society has been cooperating. A large but orderly situation against the epidemic has been formed, it said in an article that also slammed the United Statess recent decision to bar travellers from China in a bid to limit the spread of the new virus. The pandemic will finally pass. Many people bad-mouthed China during SARS 17 years ago, but what happened after? Nobody should underestimate Chinas ability to fight a public health crisis. Since we can take measures that many countries cannot take, we can also quickly recover vitality after the crisis, the article said. A General Election candidate has been found dead in her home. Independent candidate Marese Skehan from Thurles, Co Tipperary is understood to have been found at her home but no details of her passing have been released at this time. It means Saturdays general election will not go ahead in the constituency with the Department of Housing confirming that the existing field of candidates will have to be revoked (countermanded) by the Tipperary returning officer. As a result, there will be no seats filled in the constituency this weekend and voters there will have to go to the polls at a later date. James Seymour, returning officer for Tipperary, said: I hereby give notice that I am countermanding, with immediate effect, the poll scheduled to take place in the constituency of Tipperary on Saturday 8th February 2020, following the death of the nominated candidate, Marese Skehan of Cabra Road, Thurles, County Tipperary. I hereby give notice that all acts done in connection with the election (other than the nomination of the surviving candidates) are void and that a fresh election will be held (date to be confirmed by the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government). Described by locals as a lady who was determined to stand up for the values she believed in, Mr Skehan was a member of the highly respected and well known Skehan family of Cabra Road, Thurles. She had clashed with the Catholic Church on many occasions in her bid to have women ordained to the priesthood and had protested at the Church's stance on many occasions. Ms Skehan, a home help co-ordinator had been due to attend an open meeting with the candidates in the Anner Hotel in Thurles this evening alongside others on the ballot paper. That meeting has since been cancelled. Labour's Alan Kelly TD said: Firstly I wish to offer my deepest sympathies to Mareses family and all who knew her. The news of Mareses death has been a huge shock to the people of Tipperary this evening. Ar dheis De go raibh a hanam uasal. Deputy Michael Lowry also expressed his deep sadness saying: "I have known Marese for many years. She cared passionately about the plight of the underprivileged and disadvantaged and was always a great source of support and assistance to those in need. She will be sadly missed by all those who had the pleasure of knowing her. "Deepest condolences to her family and many friends." Funeral arrangements will be announced later. The Shiv Sena on Monday said that the party will oppose any attempt by the BJP-led government to bring the Register of Citizens (NRC) forcibly. Taking part in the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address in the Lok Sabha, party member Vinayak B Raut alleged that problems such as unemployment were being overlooked and "an attempt was being made to mislead the nation through NRC". "If an attempt is made to bring NRC forcibly, Shiv Sena will oppose it. People of the country will oppose it," he said amid interruptions. The opposition has accused the government of trying to bring NRC in disguise through the Population Register (NPR) exercise. The government has said there is no link between NPR and NRC. Raut said the party had supported the government on the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) but its query of how many refugees have come to the country has not been answered by the government. He also asked how many people from other states have been able to go to Jammu and Kashmir and set up their business since the abrogation of Article 370. Raut said that the government should give Bharat Ratna to Veer Savarkar if it has the guts. "Do not take the trouble of looking at Shiv Sena with a crooked eye on the issue of Hindutva," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi, Feb 3 : The government on Monday said it has not included AGR dues payment in the Budget 2020-21. Economic Affairs Secretary Atanu Chakraborty said on Monday at a post-Budget event at Ficci that "AGR dues payment has not been taken into account in the Budget", and the higher revenue projection in the budget is expected on account of spectrum charges and license fees from telecom operators. The government, in the Budget, increased the revenue estimate from the debt-ridden telecom sector by over two-fold to Rs 1.33 lakh crore for 2020-21. In the receipt budget, it has pegged a revenue collection of Rs 1,33,027.2 crore for financial year 2020-21 under the communications head. The sector's financial situation is such that it is looking for relief from government and is fighting in the court on the AGR dues amounting to Rs 1.02 lakh crore. The spectrum auction is scheduled to be held this year but the Budget did not mention even the auction either ot if any proceeds are to be netted from there. "Receipts under 'Other Communication Services' mainly relate to the license fees from telecom operators and receipts on account of spectrum usage charges," the budget document says. It is pertinent to mention here that the AGR dues are also on the same category of licence fees and spectrum usage charges. The government has pegged revenue of Rs 1.33 trillion from licence fee and spectrum usage charge payments by telecom licensees in the next financial year 2020-21, up 125 per cent from Rs 58,989 crore that it expects to garnerate in the current fiscal, budget documents show. ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Maryland voters are deciding which candidates will be the nominees for the congressional seat that was held by the late Rep. Elijah Cummings. A special primary election is scheduled for Tuesday. There are 24 candidates seeking the Democratic nomination. Eight candidates are on the ballot for the GOP nomination. The district includes parts of Baltimore city, as well as portions of Baltimore and Howard counties. The primary winners will run in a special general election April 28 to serve the rest of the term. Whoever wins the special election will have to stand for reelection in November to keep the seat. Here are the candidates and some background on the race and the district: DEMOCRATS The Democratic primary for the seat that Cummings held for more than 20 years has drawn a crowded field. Cummings widow, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, is a former head of the Maryland Democratic Party. Kweisi Mfume, who held the congressional seat before Cummings, is a former head of the NAACP. Several state legislators are seeking the nomination. They include state Sen. Jill Carter, of Baltimore, and Del. Talmadge Branch, also of Baltimore. Del. Terri Hill represents a state legislative district in portions of Baltimore and Howard counties. Del. Jay Jalisi represents a Baltimore County district. Harry Spikes is a former aide to Cummings. Other candidates are: T. Dan Baker, Alicia Brown, Anthony Carter, Matko Chullin, Jay Cohen, Nathaniel Costley, Jermyn Davidson, Darryl Gonzalez, Mark Gosnell, Leslie Grant, Dan Hiegel, F. Michael Higginbotham, Paul Konka, Adrian Petrus, Saafir Rabb, Charles Smith and Charles Stokes. REPUBLICANS Kimberly Klacik, a Republican activist whose online videos of trash and dilapidated homes in Baltimore led to President Donald Trumps posts on Twitter describing the 7th Congressional District as a rodent-infested mess is running. Liz Matory, who was the GOPs nominee in 2018 in a neighbouring congressional district, also is running. Other Republican candidates on the ballot are Christopher Anderson, James Arnold, Ray Bly, Brian Brown, Reba Hawkins and William Newton. SAME DAY REGISTRATION Its the first time Maryland has had same-day voter registration on the day of the election, since a constitutional amendment was approved in 2018 allowing same-day voter registration. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. RARE OPPORTUNITY Only three people have held the office in the past 49 years. Parren Mitchell, who was the first African American elected to Congress from Maryland, represented the district from 1971 to 1987. Mfume held the seat from 1987 to 1996. Cummings served from 1996 until his death in October. ELIJAHS SEAT The districts next representative will follow a popular predecessor who cruised to reelection over 12 terms. At his funeral in October, Cummings was remembered as a leader who fought for civil rights and took on the White House as a prominent figure in the impeachment inquiry of the president. 7th CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 4-1 in the 7th District, which is home to landmarks like Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Social Security Administration, as well as cultural touchstones like the Baltimore Museum of Art. The national headquarters of the NAACP, the nations oldest and largest civil rights organization, is in the district. STATEWIDE POLITICS Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1 statewide in Maryland. Both of the states U.S. senators are Democrats. Of Marylands eight U.S. House seats, Democrats now hold a 6-1 edge, with the vacancy. WHATS NEXT? The primary winners will run in a special general election on April 28, which is the same day as Marylands presidential primary and primaries for Marylands eight congressional seats. The winner of the special general election will serve the rest of the term through Jan. 3. The primary for the full term in the 7th District will also be on the April 28 ballot. New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday trained his guns on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that the partys entire campaign in Delhi revolves around the ongoing anti-Citizensip (Amendment) Act protests in the Shaheen Bagh neighbourhood and expressed dismay over the saffron partys attempts to portray him as anti-Hindu. In a town hall address with Hindi news channel News18 India, Kejriwal identified himself as a devout Hindu when the anchor asked him a question on his religiosity. I dont know why they (BJP) have been trying to portray me anti-Hindu. I am a devout Hindu and a follower of Hanuman, the Delhi CM said. Asked if he could recite the Hanuman Chalisa, Kejriwal sang a hymn. In another town hall address with Hindi news channel News-24, Kejriwal said, The BJP has designed its entire election campaign around the Shaheen Bagh protest. It is because they have no real issue for the Delhi elections Hence, they are calling me a terrorist It was the duty of the BJP leadership to talk to the protesters and get the road blockade cleared. When asked why he did not visit the Shaheen Bagh protest siite or the Jamia Millia and Jawaharlal Nehru University campuses after students were attacked, Kejrwal threw the ball on the other side of the court saying, Law and order in Delhi comes under the Union government and it was the primary responsibility of Union home minister Amit Shah. I could not have done anything by physically going there. When asked by the anchor, Kejriwal sang hymns from the Hanuman Chalisa once again. Several streets of Delhi turned into a sea of white-and-blue as hundreds of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters joined Kejriwal in road shows organised in Dwarka, Palam, Kondli, Trilokpuri and Patparganj, where he stood in support of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. While the chief minister did not speak at the road shows, his party supporters continued their door-to-door campaign taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over their West Delhi MP Parvesh Vermas terrrorist remark targeting Kejriwal. In his road shows, Kejriwal waved at people from the back of an open-roof vehicle, standing next to the partys candidates from the respective constituencies Vinay Mishra (Dwarka), Bhavna Gaur (Palam), Kuldeep Kumar (Kondli), Rohit Kumar Mehraulia (Trilokpuri) and Sisodia (Patparganj). Except Gaur and Sisodia, all other are fresh names in the partys list of candidates for the 2020 assembly polls. On Monday, the AAP released a video filming relatives of Delhi Police and Delhi Fire Services officials, who died in the line of duty, speaking in support of Kejriwal and condemning Vermas remark. Meanwhile, the partys Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh upped his attack on the BJP challenging the party to get Kejriwal arrested if they could prove that he is a terrorist. Singhs comments came after the BJPs west Delhi MP Parvesh Verma called the CM a terrorist during the poll campaign a remark that led to a crackdown by the election commission which imposed a temporary ban on Verma from campaigning. Union minister Prakash Javadekar made a similar remark on Monday. Singh further said that the party is likely to release its poll manifesto on Tuesday. The BJP and Congress have released their manifestos in the run-up to the February 8 assembly elections. In the next three days, the party will conduct as many as 15,000 local meetings as part of its poll campaign even as the road shows and public addressed by top leaders will continue, Singh added. He further said, Also, as part of the final phase of the campaign, 5,000 volunteers will be deployed in each of Delhis 70 constituencies and they will individually reach out to at least three persons who had voted for the BJP in the general elections. INSET: AAP FILES COMPLAINT WITH EC New Delhi: The AAPs Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Monday said that he met chief election commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora and complained to him against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing its top leaders of contributing to a disturbed atmosphere in the Capital ahead of the February 8 assembly elections. The BJP hit back saying that the AAP is using tactics to stop the party from fielding strong campaigners in the city. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Singh said that he complained about Union minister Prakash Javadekar and West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma for calling Kejriwal a terrorist, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath for drawing comparisons between the CM and Pakistani leaders and BJP leader Anantkumar Hegde for his remarks questioning the role of Mahatma Gandhi in Indias freedom struggle. I have demand that the CEC should take action in each of these cases as they violate the model code of conduct. The CEC should also direct the police to register FIR against the leaders and ban them from campaigning, said Singh. Senior BJP leader and the partys Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel said, Kejriwal can foresee his defeat and so he is using such tactics to stop our strong campaigners. The EC is capable of taking up such cases suo moto. The weak leadership of the AAP should focus on their own public meetings and campaigns. DES MOINES, Iowa A Democratic campaign that has cost more than $1 billion, dashed the ambitions of veteran politicians, forced conversations about race, gender and identity and prompted fierce policy debate came to a head Monday in the Iowa caucuses. Candidates gave last-minute pep talks and pitches, while hundreds of volunteers activated statewide to win the famed Iowa caucuses. By days end, tens of thousands of Democrats will have participated in the premiere of more than 50 contests that will unfold over the next five months. The caucuses will render the first verdict on who among dozens of candidates is best positioned to take on President Trump, whom Democratic voters are desperate to beat this fall. The moment is thick with promise for a Democratic Party that has seized major gains since Trump won the White House in 2016. But instead of optimism, a cloud of uncertainty and deepening resentment hangs over Mondays election, which, after a multiyear buildup, will finally begin to reveal who and what Democrats stand for in this tumultuous era. Im the one who can pull our party together, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren told supporters Monday during a telephone town hall, taking an indirect dig at her rivals. Im the one who is going to pull us all in to give us the ideas that we can all run on. The one who says both inspiration and inclusiveness. Polls suggest that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders may have a narrow lead, but any of the top four candidates Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, Warren and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg could score victory in Iowas unpredictable and quirky caucus system as organizers prepare for record turnout. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who represents neighboring Minnesota, is also claiming momentum, while outsider candidates such as entrepreneur Andrew Yang, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard could be factors. If anybody tells you they know whos going to win, either theyve got a whisper from God or theyre loony because nobody knows, said Deidre DeJear, former state chair for Kamala Harris and the first black woman to win a statewide primary in Iowa. The four senators in the field left Iowa late Sunday to return to the Capitol for the impeachment trial, but did what they could to keep their campaigns going from Washington. While Warren held her telephone town hall, Klobuchars husband and daughter appeared at an event in Des Moines. Back in Iowa, Biden, Buttigieg and Yang revved up supporters at campaign offices across Des Moines. Buttigieg delivered about 100 volunteers a last shot of encouragement before they stepped out into the chill to knock doors for him around midday Monday. We are exactly where we need to be to astonish the political world, he said, igniting cheers. Iowa offers just a tiny percentage of the delegates needed to win the nomination but plays an outsize role in culling primary fields. A poor showing in Iowa could cause a front-runners fundraising to slow and support in later states to dwindle, while a strong result can give a candidate much needed momentum that propels him or her to the nomination. The 2020 fight has played out over myriad distractions, particularly congressional Democrats push to impeach Trump, which has often overshadowed the primary and effectively pinned several leading candidates to Washington at the pinnacle of the early campaign season. Meanwhile, ultrabillionaire Mike Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, is running a parallel campaign that ignores Iowa as he prepares to pounce on any perceived weaknesses in the field come March. With uncertainty comes opportunity for campaigns desperate for momentum. The expectations game was raging in the hours before voters began gathering at high school gyms and community centers in more than 1,600 caucus sites across the state. Having predicted victory multiple times in recent weeks, Bidens team sought to downplay the importance of Iowas kick-off contest the day before voting began amid persistent signs that the 77-year-old was struggling to raise money or generate excitement on the ground. Biden senior adviser Symone Sanders said the campaign viewed Iowa as the beginning, not the end, of the primary process. The tone was noticeably more upbeat for Sanders campaign, which has repeatedly predicted victory and believes hes running even stronger in New Hampshire. Thats despite increasingly vocal concerns from establishment-minded Democrats who fear the self-described democratic socialist would struggle against Trump and make it more difficult for Democrats to win other elections this fall. In a fundraising message, Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir warned supporters to expect an absolutely huge barrage of attacks from the political establishment after Mondays results are announced. The heated rhetoric underscores a dangerous rift between Sanders passionate supporters and other factions of Democrats who have clashed in recent days but must find a way to unite should they hope to defeat Trump in November. New party rules may give Sanders and his rivals an opportunity to claim victory, even if they arent the official winner. For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party will report three sets of results at the end of the night: tallies of the first alignment of caucusgoers, their final alignment and the total number of state delegate equivalents each candidate receives. There is no guarantee that all three will show the same winner. Steve Peoples, Thomas Beaumont and Alexandra Jaffe are Associated Press writers. Fighting the new coronavirus has been a battle against the unknown for doctors. How does it attack the body? What are the full range of symptoms? Who is more likely to be seriously ill or die? How do you treat it? Now, an account by medics on the front line of this epidemic, at the Jinyintan Hospital, in Wuhan, is starting to provide answers. A detailed analysis of the first 99 patients treated there has been published in the Lancet medical journal. Lung assault All of the 99 patients taken to the hospital had pneumonia - their lungs were inflamed and the tiny sacs where oxygen moves from the air to the blood were filling with water. Other symptoms were: *82 had fever *81 had a cough *31 had shortness of breath *11 had muscle ache *nine had confusion *eight had a headache *five had a sore throat First deaths The first two patients to die were seemingly healthy, although they were long-term smokers and that would have weakened their lungs. The first, a 61-year-old man, had severe pneumonia when he arrived at hospital. He was in acute respiratory distress, meaning his lungs were unable to provide enough oxygen to his organs to keep his body alive. Despite being put on a ventilator, his lungs failed and his heart stopped beating. He died 11 days after he was admitted. The second patient, a 69-year-old man, also had acute respiratory distress syndrome. He was attached to an artificial lung or ECMO (extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation) machine but this wasn't enough. He died of severe pneumonia and septic shock when his blood pressure collapsed. At least 10% die As of 25 January, of the 99 patients: *57 were still in hospital *31 had been discharged *11 had died This does not mean the death rate of the disease is 11%, though, as some of those still in hospital may yet die and many others have such mild symptoms they do not end up in hospital. Market workers Live animals sold at the Huanan seafood market are thought to be the source of the infection, called 2019-nCoV. And 49 out of the 99 patients had a direct connection to the market: *47 worked there, either as managers or manning the stalls two were shoppers who had only popped in Middle-aged men worst affected Most of the 99 patients were middle-aged, with an average age of 56 - and 67 of them were men. However, more recent figures suggest a more even gender split. The China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 1.2 men were infected for every 1.0 women. There are two possible explanations for the difference: Men could be more likely to become severely ill and need hospital treatment, Men, for social or cultural reasons, may have been more likely to be exposed to the virus at the beginning of the outbreak. Dr Li Zhang, at the hospital, says: "The reduced susceptibility of females to viral infections could be attributed to the protection from X chromosome and sex hormones, which play an important role in immunity." And those who were already sick Most of the 99 had other diseases that may have made them more vulnerable to the virus as a "result of the weaker immune functions of these patients": 40 had a weak heart or damaged blood vessels due to conditions including heart disease, heart failure and stroke. A further 12 patients had diabetes. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video By Colin Packham and Sonali Paul SYDNEY/MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne said 243 citizens and permanent residents evacuated Wuhan on Monday on an Australian government-chartered aircraft, fleeing the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak which has killed 361 people. The 243 people will be quarantined in a detention centre on a remote island in the Indian Ocean off Australia's northwest coast. The Australian-run centre has in the past been used to detain asylum seekers. "We have prioritised vulnerable and isolated Australians which is reflected in the fact that 89 of the Australians on the flight are under 16 and five are under two," Payne told reporters in Canberra. All passengers and crew were being given masks and hand sanitiser, and the crew were being told to remain on the upper deck of the plane other than for manning the doors. The aircraft has medical grade air filters, which eliminate 99% of particles, including viruses, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said. "It's a lot safer, a lot cleaner than being in a restaurant, in an office," he said. The Qantas Airways plane had been scheduled to leave Wuhan late on Sunday but experienced some delays as China checked the temperatures of those departing. The Qantas flight will go to an air force base in Western Australia, from where the government will fly the passengers to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean 1,500 km (900 miles) from the mainland, where there is a controversial immigration detention centre. Payne said the evacuees will be transported to Christmas Island on Australian military flights. Wuhan in Hubei province has been in lockdown to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed 361 people. The first death from the virus outside China was reported on Sunday in the Philippines. There were 600 Australians registered in the Hubei region as of last week, and Payne said Canberra would consider further evacuations if needed. Story continues Australia on Saturday followed the United States in barring entry to all foreign nationals travelling from mainland China and raised its travel warning for China to the highest level, advising people against visiting the country at all. The move stoked concern about the Australia-China relationship which has deteriorated in recent years, but Payne said Beijing understood Canberra's rationale. (Reporting by Sonali Paul in Melbourne and Colin Packham in Sydney; Editing by Chris Reese and Michael Perry) Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu met today in Uganda with the leader of Sudan's governing council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and discussed the possibility of normalizing relations, Netanyahus office said in a statement. Why it matters: Today's meeting follows years of hostility from Sudan toward Israel and signals a diplomatic opening under the joint civilian-military government that replaced longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir last year. Flashback: Sudanese soldiers fought against Israel in the 1948 and 1967 wars. The country has also hosted Hamas headquarters and was used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a logistical hub for arms smuggling to Gaza. Behind the scenes: The planned meeting between Netanyahu and the Sudanese leader was kept under an Israeli military censor gag order for several days. It was lifted only after the meeting ended and press reports emerged in Sudan. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni hosted the meeting and mediated between the two. The meeting lasted two hours, and one of the issues discussed was opening Sudanese airspace to Israeli airlines. In talks leading up to the meeting, Sudan asked Israel to help open doors in Washington and encourage the Trump administration to change Sudan's designation as a state sponsor of terror, Israeli officials told me. Netanyahu agreed and raised the issue with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week in Washington. Last night before Netanyahu left for Uganda, Pompeo called Burhan and invited him for meetings in Washington next week. What they're saying: Netanyahu said after the meeting he believes Sudan is moving in a new and positive direction." Netanyahu said he had emphasized that to Pompeo and added, Mr. Burhan wants to help his country to modernize and get out of its international isolation." Go deeper: Sudan's prime minister makes "historic" visit to rebel stronghold Michel Barnier said the EU would be "clear headed" in its negotiations with the UK. Brussels' chief negotiator said: "Our aim is to conclude an ambitious partnership with the United Kingdom. "But we will remain clear headed. The most ambitious partnership is the one that we had, because we were in the same union." He added: "When you are not a member of the European Union then, objectively speaking, your position is different and less favourable." The European Commission published its draft negotiating mandate for a single package with three components: general arrangements, economic arrangements and security arrangements. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said: "It's now time to get down to work. Time is short. "We will negotiate in a fair and transparent manner, but we will defend EU interests, and the interests of our citizens, right until the end." The European Commission published its draft negotiating mandate for a single package with three components: general arrangements, economic arrangements and security arrangements. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said: "It's now time to get down to work. Time is short. "We will negotiate in a fair and transparent manner, but we will defend EU interests, and the interests of our citizens, right until the end." Mr Barnier said the EU was prepared to make a "exceptional offer" for a wide-ranging free trade agreement with the UK. However, he said that it was conditional on competition remaining "open and fair" with "specific and effective guarantees" to ensure a "level playing field" over the long term. "That means mechanisms to uphold the high standards we have on social, environmental, climate, tax and state aid matters," he said. He said there must also be an agreement on fisheries with continued reciprocal access to markets and waters with "stable quota shares". Mr Barnier warned that even if they were able to agree a "best-in-class" trade deal it would still not be "business as usual". He said rules of origin and customs formalities would apply between the UK and the EU and access to EU markets would be subject to "certification and market authorisation and supervision activities". Mr Barnier said the more the UK was prepared to maintain common standards with the EU, the higher quality access it would get to EU markets. "This will be up to the UK to decide. Will it continue to adhere to Europe's societal and regulatory model in the future or will it seek to diverge?" he said. "The UK's answer to this question will be fundamental to the level of our ambition of our future relationship. The UK must know this." There would be no harmonisation or mutual recognition of rules, and UK financial services providers would no longer enjoy EU "passporting rights". Goods entering the EU from the UK would be subject to regulatory checks," he said. "These are the automatic and mechanical consequences of the UK's choices and businesses must adapt now to this new reality," he said. Mr Barnier warned that even if they were able to agree a "best-in-class" trade deal it would still not be "business as usual". He said rules of origin and customs formalities would apply between the UK and the EU and access to EU markets would be subject to "certification and market authorisation and supervision activities". There would be no harmonisation or mutual recognition of rules, and UK financial services providers would no longer enjoy EU "passporting rights". Goods entering the EU from the UK would be subject to regulatory checks," he said. "These are the automatic and mechanical consequences of the UK's choices and businesses must adapt now to this new reality," he said. Mr Barnier said the more the UK was prepared to maintain common standards with the EU, the higher quality access it would get to EU markets. "This will be up to the UK to decide. Will it continue to adhere to Europe's societal and regulatory model in the future or will it seek to diverge?" he said. "The UK's answer to this question will be fundamental to the level of our ambition of our future relationship. The UK must know this." Boris Johnson has said Britain has settled a question of "sovereign authority" and can now go out into the world with "newly recaptured powers". Speaking in Greenwich, the Prime Minister said: "We have settled a long-running question of sovereign authority, we have ended a debate that has run for three and a half years - some would say 47 years... "We have the opportunity, we have the newly recaptured powers, we know where we want to go, and that is out into the world." Mr Johnson said that at a time when tariffs were being "waved around like cudgels", the UK was ready to step forward as a champion of free trade. "Humanity needs some government somewhere that is willing at least to make the case powerfully for freedom of exchange," he said. "Some country ready to take off its Clark Kent spectacles and leap into the phone booth and emerge with its cloak flowing as the supercharged champion of the right of populations of the earth to buy and sell freely among each other. "I can tell you in all humility the UK is ready for that role." Michel Barnier said that a security partnership between the UK and EU would depend on the European Court of Justice playing a full role - something likely to be rejected by Brexiteers. Setting out three conditions he said: "The UK should commit itself to applying the European Convention on Human Rights. "Secondly, the British government should set up adequate standards for data protection - this is an essential concern for the Europeans and this is something that the European Parliament is paying a great deal of attention to. "Thirdly, any co-operation should be subject to an effective dispute settlement mechanism. "Where a partnership is based on concepts derived from European law, obviously the European Court of Justice should be able to continue its role in full." Michel Barnier told reporters in Brussels that "where there's a will, there's a way" to reach a deal. "But we are constrained by the decision, if it's confirmed, the decision of Boris Johnson to leave the single market and the customs union at the end of this year," he said. Michel Barnier, who said he had a "very direct and frank relationship" with Boris Johnson, suggested it would not be possible to complete the whole deal within 11 months. "Irrespective of the result that we will arrive at at the end of the year - and in any subsequent negotiations, and I say that because to do everything we will need more than 11 months of time - it won't be business as usual," he said. Mr Barnier said an agreement on fisheries and the "level playing field" were "inextricably linked" to a trade deal. "It's clear that the agreement that we wish to have in the interests of UK fishermen and in the interests of European fishermen - I call that reciprocal access to our territorial waters and our markets - that agreement on fisheries will be inextricably linked to the trade agreement, as indeed will be... the agreement on the level playing field agreed with Boris Johnson." Mr Johnson said the UK would seek a Canada-style free trade agreement with the EU. "We want a comprehensive free trade agreement similar to Canada's, but in the unlikely event that we do not succeed then our trade will have to be based on our existing Withdrawal Agreement with the EU," the PM said. "And let's be clear, the choice is not emphatically deal or no deal - we have a deal, we've done it, and it did indeed turn out as I correctly prophesied to be oven ready. "The question is whether we agree a trading relationship with the EU comparable to Canada's or more like Australia's and I have no doubt that in either case the UK will prosper mightily." Mr Johnson said: "There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policies, subsidies, social protection, the environment or anything similar, any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules. "The UK will maintain the highest standards in these areas - better in many respects than those of the EU - without the compulsion of a treaty." 2.6k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Adam Schiff wasnt having any of the Republican complaints that the impeachment trial was unfair, because it was Senate Republicans who rigged the trial. Transcript via CBSs Face The Nation: REP. SCHIFF: Well, look, I would only say with respect to Senator Murkowski and the other senators as well, theyre not mere spectators here. When the senator laments that theres not a fair trial in the Senate, its up to the senators to make it a fair trial. It is within their power to make it a fair trial with four votes, with four courageous senators saying no were going to demand a fair trial no matter what this president may say. There would have been a fair trial. There would have been witnesses and testimony MARGARET BRENNAN: But is there anything you would have done differently? REP. SCHIFF: So its not as if she was powerless to do something about this. Look, theres nothing that I can see that we could have done differently because as the senators have already admitted, we proved our case. We proved our case. Now, the presidents lawyers have said time and again, I think, hoping through sheer repetition to make something true that is in fact untrue, that the process in this impeachment was different than in Nixon and Clinton. In fact, the president had the same due process rights, which he did not avail himself of in this process as in the prior ones. That is not an excuse that should be used by any senator for not fulfilling their obligation to hold a fair trial. Theyre not spectators. They have control over the proceedings. And they could have insisted on witnesses and documents and for whatever reason, chose not to. And for those who would say, well, lets let the voters decide when the president is trying to cheat in that very election, and they dont want the voters to have the full information, they want the president MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah. REP. SCHIFF: to continue to be able to cover it up. Thats just completely unsatisfactory. Video: Chairman Schiff was right. Republican complaints about the trial are bogus because they are the ones who approved the rules for the trial. If Lisa Murkowski or any of the other Republican Senators wanted a fair trial, they could have had one by going to Mitch McConnell and refusing to vote for his sham trial. Senate Republicans who are voting not to convict Trump are trying to distance themselves from their role as Trump accomplices. The Senate Republican majority rigged the impeachment trial for Trump, and now they are going to have to live with the consequences of their decision. Chinese employees work at the construction site of the Huoshenshan hospital, which means "Fire God Mountain", before handed over to China's army in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on Feb 2, 2020. (Photo: AFP/STR) Some 1,400 military medics will treat patients at the 1,000-bed hospital, dubbed "Fire God Mountain", which will receive its first patients on Monday - just 10 days after construction began, according to state media. The official Xinhua news agency said many of the staff were involved in the fight against another coronavirus, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which killed some 650 people in mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002 to 2003. It is one of two makeshift medical facilities that the authorities decided to build in order to relieve hospitals swamped with patients in Wuhan, the central city at the epicentre of the national health emergency. People in the city of 11 million people, which has been under quarantine for more than a week, have complained of waiting hours in line to see a doctor. The new coronavirus, which is believed to have originated at a wild animal market in Wuhan, has killed more than 300 people and infected another 14,000. The second field hospital, "Thunder God Mountain", is set to start admitting patients on Thursday, with 1,600 beds - 300 more than originally planned. (CNN) -- Alphabet for the first time disclosed the size of various business units within Google, including YouTube advertising, which in 2019 was a $15 billion business. YouTube's sales have grown 36% from 2018 and 86% since 2017. The company has historically only broken out the finances for Google's advertising business and the "other" areas of Google's business, which lump together such key segments as YouTube and cloud. The company's stock dropped around 3% Monday after it narrowly missed Wall Street analysts' overall revenue projections for the three months ending in December. Alphabet posted total revenue of $46 billion for the quarter, up 17% from the same period in the prior year. Analysts had projected annual revenue of $46.9 billion. This story was first published on CNN.com, "YouTube advertising is a $15 billion business, Google parent discloses for the first time" Saginaw Valley State University has announced that 7,754 students are taking classes this semester, enrollment numbers that officials say are in line with what they projected. It's a 2.5% decrease from a year ago but less than the 3.2% dip in enrollment SVSU experienced last fall. "Our enrollment for the winter semester is right where we expected it to be," said J.J. Boehm, SVSU spokesman, noting that there are some positive takeaways from the overall enrollment picture. They include a slight increase in the number of graduate students, both overall and in newly enrolled graduate students. The total number of graduate students increased from 672 to 680 (from winter 2019 to winter 2020) and the university enrolled 68 new graduate students this semester, compared to 52 new graduate students in winter 2019. "There was not one graduate program that saw a big jump, but our relatively new master's programs in public health and social work continue to see strong interest," Boehm said. Boehm and other educational leaders have heard from employers time and again that Michigan has a dearth of workers with college degrees and advanced skill sets. SVSU is working hard to help fill that void. "We continue to partner with businesses, non-profits and others to identify opportunities to develop the talent our region and our state needs today and in the years to come," he said. "Within our region, we hear about employer needs in the health professions, STEM fields such as engineering and computer science, as well as accounting and business, as we have for years." The job market also has dramatically improved for teachers -- good news for SVSU's College of Education. "Increasingly, we are hearing about the growing and impending teacher shortage, and we are seeing more students pursuing education majors through traditional and non-traditional route," Boehm said. "Graphic design is another field with growing demand." Under President Donald Bachand, who succeeded longtime SVSU leader Eric Gilbertson in 2014, SVSU has prioritized increasing awareness of the institution's brand throughout the state and beyond. Bachand also has emphasized diversifying the university's student population. To that end, SVSU's student recruitment efforts have been successful in attracting more international students, primarily from Saudia Arabia and China, and now are eying students from other European nations. "We still actively recruit international students and that remains an important piece of our overall enrollment strategy," Boehm said. "We have expanded our outreach into parts of Africa and are seeing increased interest as a result." "Both parties discussed various bilateral issues, including the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and the ongoing situations in both the region and the world," Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Iran's Foreign Ministry noted that both parties discussed developments in the Persian Gulf, and the need to de-escalate tensions in the region, which reignited following the killing of Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani on January 3. Zarif and Borrell also discussed US President Donald Trump's proposed plan for an Israel-Palestine peace deal. According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Zarif stated that Trump's so-called deal of the century would have dangerous consequences for the region. The diplomats also touched on developments in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Borrell arrived in Tehran, his first engagement in the Middle Eastern country, on Monday for a two-day visit. He is also expected to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Iranian parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani. According to a European External Action Service statement, Borrell is visiting Iran in order to express the EU's strong commitment to preserving the JCPOA, and to discuss the development of bilateral relations between Tehran and Brussels. Iran initially announced on January 5 to take the fifth step in reducing its obligations as specified under the JCPOA, however, Mikhail Ulyanov, permanent representative of Russia to international organizations in Vienna, said on January 27 that Iran has not since taken this step. Tehran has stated that it will continue to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and promises to resume JCPOA compliance once US sanctions are lifted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) KAMPALA Legislators in the 10th Parliament have approved a request by State House of Uganda seeking for Shs47b as expenditure on inland travels by President Yoweri Museveni to sensitize Ugandans on poverty alleviation in 2021. The request is contained in the 2020/2021 national budget framework paper that was adopted by Parliament, ahead of the scrutiny of the national budget in April 2020. The report submitted by Patrick Isiagi, Vice Chairperson Budget Committee highlighted that officials from State House, led by Lucy Nakyobe, State House Comptroller asked Parliament to rein over the Ministry of Finance and see to it that the money is availed to enable the President fulfill his constitutional mandate. According to the report, in the FY 2020/2021, State House projects an increase in the Presidents in land activities in regard to mobilization of masses towards poverty reduction, peace and development. To implement this activity, State House requires Shs47.072Bn but only Shs28.604Bn is provided leaving a funding gap of Shs18.5Bn. While presenting the report, Isiagi said, The Committee recommends that Shs18.5Bn be provided to enable the President execute his mandate conferred upon him by the Constitution. Parliament also approved the request by State House to provide Shs7.3Bn to establish and maintain the existing model villages across the country. The Presidential Affairs Committee undertook on-spot assessment of selected model villages and appreciated the impact on livelihood and welfare that these model villages have on the Community. During the on spot check, MPs observed that there are only 21 model villages in existence and efforts to ro11 out this intervention to more areas while continuing with the support of the existing ones has an indicative allocation of Shs1.032Bn against Shs8.332Bn desired leading to a funding gap of Shs7.3Bn. Parliament then called on the Ministry of Finance to have special considerations accorded to the initiative by availing Shs7.3Bn to enable State House roll out the intervention to other parts of the Country. Related The Commonwealth Bank hopes to get the edge on rivals by launching 25 new fintech businesses over the next five years, with plans to roll out the start-ups' products to its millions of customers. CBA, considered the technology leader among the big four, on Monday signalled it could lift its $1 billion a year tech investment budget, as it unveiled a new platform aimed at pumping the bank's capital and expertise into fintech start-ups. CBA chief executive Matt Comyn and Toby Norton-Smith from X15ventures. Credit:Renee Nowytarger Other banks including Westpac and National Australia Bank have set up venture capital funds that take stakes in fintech firms, but CBA signalled it would take a more hands-on approach. We didnt want to be a passive equity investor, we actually wanted to work with a range of different businesses across what we believe are going to be critical - either experiences for our customers, or eco-systems and platforms - as the market evolves, chief executive Matt Comyn said. Opposition Naga People's Front (NPF) has decided to move a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 in the ensuing budget session of the Nagaland Assembly, a senior party leader said on Monday. The session is scheduled from February 7 to 15. During a consultative meeting of NPF legislators with party officials held in the residence of party president Shurhozelie Liezietsu on Saturday, it was decided that the MLAs will take up the matter (CAA) in the Assembly, NPF secretary-general Achumbemo Kikon told reporters. Kikon said party workers will organise dharnas against CAA outside the Assembly. "Our legislators will give fierce arguments against the Act and move a resolution for withdrawal of CAA," Kikon said. He said the party will also field its candidate for the post of Assembly speaker which is vacant following the demise of the sitting speaker Vikho-o Yhoshu on December 29 last year following a prolonged illness. Kikon said a whip has been issued to all the NPF MLAs and all of them, including the seven suspended ones, will abide by it. Seven of the 25 NPF MLAs were suspended during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections for defying the collective decision of the party and supporting the ruling party nominee. Though they are suspended from the party, they are still NPF legislators inside the Assembly, Kikon said, citing past court rulings. The election of the speaker is scheduled on the first day of the session on February 7. NPF MLA Imkong L Imchen told PTI that the party legislators have decided to nominate former speaker Imtiwapang for the post. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has described Nigeria as the safest country to live in the world. The minister reportedly made this statement while welcoming Finland Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Jyrki Pulkkimen and his team, who paid him a courtesy visit in his office on Monday. Also Read: Lai Mohammed Denies Existence Of Social Media Bill (Video) According to reports, the minister also cleared the air on the allegations of human rights violations against President Muhammadu Buhari government. The Minister also expressed that the social media regulation plans by the government was only sanitising the media on hate speech and abuse of the freedom of speech. He said this was not an attempt to clip the media. He said the social media regulation was only to sanitised and not deny the rights of individuals. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gestures during a press briefing on the coronavirus on January 29, 2020 in Geneva. "For too long, the world has operated on a cycle of panic and neglect," Tedros said, according to a transcript of his remarks. "We throw money at an outbreak, and when it's over, we forget about it and do nothing to prevent the next one." At an executive board meeting in Geneva, Tedros urged the World Health Organization's 196 member countries to "invest in preparedness," not "panic." He added that funding for outbreak preparedness in surrounding countries "has remained grossly inadequate" in the past. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on Monday that the world may be "dangerously" unprepared for the next pandemic as the flu-like coronavirus that emerged from China about a month ago spreads rapidly to new countries. "If we fail to prepare, we are preparing to fail," he added. Tedros said more than $1 billion has been spent trying to stop the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. By comparison, he added, just $18 million was spent on preparedness in Congo's neighbor Uganda before the virus crossed the border. "This must be a lesson for the rest of the world," he said. The plea from WHO's top official comes as the deadly coronavirus has now killed at least 362 people and sickened more than 17,400 worldwide, including patients in the U.S. and Europe. The respiratory illness, which is capable of spreading through human-to-human contact, is not yet considered a pandemic. A pandemic is "an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people," according to WHO. While the new virus has spread to almost two dozen countries, the majority of the cases remain in mainland China. Nevertheless, many global health experts expect the virus will become a pandemic. Since emerging about a month ago in Wuhan, China, the coronavirus has infected more people than the 2003 SARS epidemic, which sickened roughly 8,100 people across the globe over nine months. As of Monday, there are nearly 200 cases in at least 23 countries, outside of China, a handful of which have been transmitted from human contact within those countries. On Thursday, WHO declared the virus a global health emergency after declining to do so at two previous meetings. Tedros said the "continued increase in cases and the evidence of human-to-human transmission outside of China" were "most deeply disturbing." Engle directed the FTC's Division of Advertising Practices for almost 19 years, enforcing truth-in-advertising principles for national advertising matters, including claims about food, dietary supplements, medical devices, alcohol, tobacco, and broadband. She also examined social media and digital technology marketing practices. Her investigations and law enforcement actions in this area helped create new policy and standards that are now used to govern influencer marketing, native advertising, and privacy cases. Engle held several management positions at the FTC and served as an advisor to a commissioner and two directors of the Bureau of Consumer Protection. During her government career, she received several awards for her work including the Meritorious Executive Rank Award from President Obama for accomplishments in the management of U.S. government programs and the FTC Chairman's Award for the Commission's 2000 Media Violence Study and Report. Recently, Andrew Smith, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, praised Engle's law enforcement actions and policy initiatives efforts have benefited consumers across the nation. "After her distinguished service at the FTC, I am pleased to welcome Mary Engle to the BBB National Programs executive leadership team. Mary's innovative work at the FTC has shaped fair business practices in national advertising policy and privacy initiatives and her work has helped create a better marketplace for consumers," said BBB National Programs Chief Executive Officer, Eric D. Reicin. "Through self-regulation, monitoring, and dispute resolution, we help businesses serve stakeholders as strong corporate citizens. Our programs enhance trust in the marketplace, improve the customer experience, and reduce the need for government involvement and further government regulation. The depth and breadth of Mary's experience will help us expand our programs to benefit all stakeholders in the marketplace," noted Reicin. "Mary Engle has been a strong voice for consumers in national advertising policy for over 30 years, especially during technology-driven shifts to digital marketing. I enjoyed working with Mary when I was Acting Chairman and Commissioner of the FTC and am delighted to welcome her into a leadership role at BBB National Programs," added Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Member, Board of Directors, BBB National Programs, partner, Baker Botts, and former Acting Chairman and Commissioner of the FTC. "BBB National Programs is continually building trust through its programs and exemplary self-regulation work that is transforming the marketplace for the better. I am eager to join the leadership team and begin working with these well-known programs," said Engle. "I look forward to enhancing the organization's portfolio of programs and expanding on the work I have done to encourage self-regulatory policies and effective monitoring and dispute resolution programs to benefit both businesses and consumers." Before joining the FTC, Engle practiced law with a firm in Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of Harvard University and received her J.D. from the University of Virginia. In her former FTC role, Engle previously worked with BBB National Programs' National Advertising Division and other programs on case referrals. She has a deep understanding of the self-regulatory industry and how it enhances the broader marketplace experience for businesses and consumers. BBB National Programs is where companies, industry experts and trade associations work together within a self-regulatory environment to address issues of national and global importance, and to foster industry best practices in truth-in-advertising, child-directed marketing, data privacy, and dispute resolution. BBB National Programs builds industry self-regulation programs encouraging innovation and competition while minimizing the need for government intervention. About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs fosters trust, innovation, and competition in the marketplace through the development and delivery of effective, third-party self-regulation, dispute resolution and other programs. BBB National Programs is the home of industry self-regulatory and dispute resolution programs that include the National Advertising Division (NAD), National Advertising Review Board (NARB), BBB EU Privacy Shield, BBB AUTO LINE, Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU), Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), Children's Confection Advertising Initiative (CCAI), Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC), Digital Advertising Accountability Program (Accountability Program), and the Coalition for Better Advertising Dispute Resolution Program (CBA DRM). The programs are designed to resolve business issues and advance shared objectives by responding to marketplace concerns to create a better customer experience. To learn more about industry self-regulation, please visit: BBBNP.org. SOURCE BBB National Programs Related Links http://www.bbb.org In this series, we explore some of the darker and sometimes forgotten aspects of Luxembourg. Think sinister chapters of history, eerie folk tales, conspiracy theories, infamous criminals and contemporary issues. This week we have a closer look at some of the deadliest plane crashes ever to occur in Luxembourg. The Dudelange radio tower tragedy If you've ever crossed the Luxembourg-France border by car, chances are you've seen the 285-m tall freestanding steel framework radio and television transmission tower. It was completed in 1957 and remains in use today. The tower became the unlikely scene of an aviation disaster on 31 July 1981. A Belgian Mirage III military aircraft crashed into the tower at mid-height, tearing down its upper part. The pilot did not survive the crash. Debris also fell on a nearby house and tragically killed the couple that lived there. A group of 65 school children and 10 tutors were having a picnic in a forest close to the tower when the incident occurred. Fortunately none of them were injured. Own work by User:Schaefc https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39324997 The photos published on this site are subject to copyright and may not be copied, modified, or sold without the prior permission of the owner of the site in question. The puzzling circumstances of the crash led to numerous rumours and conspiracy theories. The most common unofficial theory was that the pilot crashed into the tower on purpose to take his own life. Proponents of this version argued that the pilot could have used his ejection seat to save himself before the impact. They also drew attention to the fact that the tower was impossible to overlook because it was equipped with warning lights. Aircrafts are also fitted with sensors that detect potential obstacles. Findel airport's air traffic control tower, the argument goes, must also have warned the pilot when he approached Luxembourgish airspace without permission. Some websites cite anonymous sources who allegedly claimed that the official version of the Belgian plane crashing into the antenna was a cover-up. Proponents of this theory argued that... aliens targeted the tower and struck it down with a missile to prevent humanity from developing powerful communication methods. We'll refrain from commenting. Deadly stopover flight On 29 September 182, Aeroflot Flight 343 was scheduled to have a first stopover at Findel airport before continuing its journey to one of Peru's main international airports. 66 passengers and 11 crew members were on board. The aircraft had technical difficulties when it approached the landing strip. The thrust reversers were released at an altitude of just 5 m above the ground, at the speed of 278 km/h. The plane immediately started veering to the right and the pilots did not manage to re-align the aircraft. As a result, it continued to veer further to the right and was unable to stop. One of the plane's wings hit a water tower and a fence before ploughing through a small forest and eventually falling into a small ravine. Seven people lost their lives. By Tim Rees - https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28491936 According to the investigation report, "the accident may be attributed to a mechanical failure affecting the mechanism of controlling thrust which occurred during the most critical phase of landing. This failure, sudden and unpredictable, was identified by the crew and made the aircraft uncontrollable in direction during the execution of the normal landing procedure." Luxair Flight 9642 - Luxembourg's deadliest aviation disaster Luxembourg's deadliest aviation disaster took place on 6 November 2002. Luxair Flight 9642 was an international passenger flight from Berlin to Findel airport. The plane crashed while on final approach to Luxembourg airport in extremely foggy conditions. It landed 2 nautical miles short of the runway. 20 out of 22 passengers and the crew lost their lives. Luxembourgish artist Michel Majerus was among the victims. Ministry of Transport 2003 report Ministry of Transport 2003 report Ministry of Transport 2003 report Luxair Fokker 50 at Findel. / By Jerome Krier - http://www.airliners.net/photo/Luxair/Fokker-50/0017990/L/, GFDL 1.2, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17875360 The photos published on this site are subject to copyright and may not be copied, modified, or sold without the prior permission of the owner of the site in question. An investigation into the cause of the crash found that a series of non-standard actions led the plane to lose airspeed due to the accidental selection of the propellers into reverse pitch, which is only used to slow down an aircraft that has already touched down. This loss of airspeed was the reason why the plane landed short of the runway. The investigation also found that a safety recommendation made by the manufacturer had not been implemented. The captain, three former Luxair executives and three mechanics faced charges of negligence and involuntary manslaughter. The court later acquitted the executives. The others were sentenced to suspended prison sentences and fines. Health officials visit two patients infected with the Wuhan coronavirus at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, January 23, 2020. Photo by VnExpress. HCMC has begun work on a VND255 billion ($11 million) field hospital with facilities in two locations to deal with the new coronavirus infections. The hospital, being built by the HCMC Department of Health and the municipal Military Command, is expected to be completed by mid-February. When the admitted Wuhan pneumonia cases in HCMC, suspected or confirmed, exceed 500, the field hospital will be deployed to quarantine and treat, Nguyen Tan Binh, director of HCMC Department of Health said at a meeting Monday. The hospitals currently under the department cannot handle 500 cases at a time, he said. The field hospital will have 500 beds with at least 30 post-treatment recovery beds (used to stabilize a patients condition). It will be divided into two facilities, one with 300 beds (20 post-treatment recovery beds) located at the City Military School in Cu Chi District and the other in Phu Xuan Commune, Nha Be District will have 200 beds (10 post-treatment recovery beds). The hospital will also be equipped with medical equipment including ventilators, monitors, X-rays, protective clothing, and five ambulances. Doctors and nurses from public hospitals like Nhan Dan 115, Nhan Dan Gia Dinh, Nguyen Tri Phuong, and Trung Vuong all located in HCMC will be mobilized to work at the field hospital after it opens. The health department will manage the field hospitals operations, while the citys Military Command will spearhead implementation of disease prevention activities using its units. In case the number of patients exceeds the capacity of the new field hospital, Pham Ngoc Thanh Lung Hospital in District 5, which has 500 beds, will serve as a backup to treat acute pneumonia cases. Binh said the city has asked the HCMC Central Committee to permit Hospital for Tropical Diseases in District 5 to carry out coronavirus tests. As of now, HCMC Pasteur Institute is the only one assigned to test suspected cases of the virus reported from the central coastal province of Ninh Thuan to the entire southern region. The government declared the novel coronavirus (nVoC) an epidemic on Saturday. As of Monday, the country has recorded 236 suspected cases with symptoms like high fever and coughing, including some who had visited infected areas in China. Of these, 163 have tested negative for the virus and 73 are quarantined pending test results. Eight people in the country have been confirmed infected with the virus, including a woman who has recovered and was discharged from the hospital on Monday. The death toll from the epidemic has reached 361 people in China and one in the Philippines. Over 17,400 have been infected while more than 500 have recovered. Friction Welding Machine is a type of machine which uses friction welding technology to work.Traditionally, friction welding is carried out by moving one component relative to the other along a common interface, while applying a compressive force across the joint. Research PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-03 19:21:13 Press Information Research Trades Office No.10, Wing C, Rajhans, Baner, Pune-45, India Nitin Business Development +1 6269994607 (US) +91 7507349866 (IND) email https://www.researchtrades.com/checkout/1823660 # 795 Words Office No.10, Wing C, Rajhans, Baner, Pune-45, IndiaBusiness Development+1 6269994607 (US) +91 7507349866 (IND) Friction Welding Machine Market studies record 2019 gives certain records of primary players like producers, suppliers, vendors, traders, clients, traders and and so on. Friction Welding Machine market report offers a professional and deep evaluation on the prevailing country of Friction Welding Machine Market that consists of major types, major packages, information kind consist of ability, manufacturing, market share, price, revenue, cost, gross, gross margin, boom rate, intake, import, export and etc. Enterprise chain, manufacturing procedure, price shape, advertising channel are also analyzed in this report.The boom trajectory of the worldwide Friction Welding Machine Market over the assessment period is shaped by way of several common and emerging regional and international developments, a granular assessment of which is offered in the research report. The study on reading the global Friction Welding Machine market dynamics takes a critical examine the business regulatory framework, technological advances in related industries, and the strategic avenues.Scope of the Report:Request for sample with TOC @ https://www.researchtrades.com/request-sample/1823660 There are many Friction Welding Machine manufacturers in the world, some high-end Friction Welding Machine products are mainly concentrated in USA, Europe, etc. There are also some Friction Welding Machine manufacturers in China, but the scales of China Friction Welding Machine companies is relative small, and the products are inferior to foreign Friction Welding Machine products, so the price is lower than some foreign Friction Welding Machine products.As the technology of Friction Welding Machineis relatively mature and the downstream market is large, so now there are quite a lot of enterprises was in the Friction Welding Machine market. Currently the production of Friction Welding Machine is concentrated. The Friction Welding Machine was mainly produced in Europe and United States, their products are famous for their quality and performance, so they are welcomed by the world.The worldwide market for Friction Welding Machine is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly xx% over the next five years, will reach xx million US$ in 2024, from xx million US$ in 2019, according to a new GIR (Global Info Research) study.This report focuses on the Friction Welding Machine in global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers : Branson (Emerson), KUKA,Thompson Friction Welding,ESAB,NITTO SEIKI,Forward Technology (Crest),MTI,Sakae,Dukane,Cyril Bath,Gatwick,Baruffaldi,Daeyoung UltrasonicYUAN YU Industrial,Zhengchen,Changchun CNC Machine Tool,Longfei Welding Equipment,HWI,Yuyao City Biweekly,New Dimension Research,Bielomatik, HornwellMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers : North America (United States, Canada and Mexico),Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia),South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia etc.),Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, covers : Rotary Friction Welding,Linear Friction Welding,Friction Stir WeldingMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into : Automotive ManufacturingTool & Machine Manufacturing,Aviation & ShipbuildingThe content of the study subjects, includes a total of 15 chapters:*Chapter 1, to describe Friction Welding Machine product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market driving force and market risks.*Chapter 2, to profile the top manufacturers of Friction Welding Machine, with price, sales, revenue and global market share of Friction Welding Machine in 2017 and 2018.*Chapter 3, the Friction Welding Machine competitive situation, sales, revenue and global market share of top manufacturers are analyzed emphatically by landscape contrast.*Chapter 4, the Friction Welding Machine breakdown data are shown at the regional level, to show the sales, revenue and growth by regions, from 2014 to 2019.*Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to break the sales data at the country level, with sales, revenue and market share for key countries in the world, from 2014 to 2019.*Chapter 10 and 11, to segment the sales by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2014 to 2019.*Chapter 12, Friction Welding Machine market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2019 to 2024.*Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Friction Welding Machine sales channel, distributors, customers, research findings and conclusion, appendix and data source.Answers that the research report acknowledges:- Market length and growth rate throughout the forecast period.- The important thing factors of the market of Friction Welding Machine .- Key market trends have dampened the growth of the Friction Welding Machine market.- Challenges for market boom.- The main vendors of the market of the Friction Welding Machine- Targeted SWOTanalysis.- Possibilities and threats going through current vendors in the worldwide Friction Welding Machine market.- Trend elements influencing the marketplace in geographic regions.- Strategic tasks focused on key suppliers.Contact Us:Email: sales@ researchtrades.com Call us: +1 6269994607 (USA), +91 7507349866 (IND)Web: www.researchtrades.com Skype ID: researchtradescon LKE Quarterly Activities and App 5B Brisbane, Jan 31, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Lake Resources NL ( ASX:LKE ) ( FRA:LK1 ) provide the Quarterly Activities report for the period ending December 31, 2019.HIGHLIGHTS- Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) is near completion for the Kachi Lithium Brine Project in Argentina, a major lithium project in the Lithium Triangle.- Large volume high purity lithium carbonate with very low impurities to be produced from Lake's Kachi Lithium Brine Project for off-takers in Asia. Delivery to commence from March 2020.- 20,000 litres of brines currently underway to arrive at pilot plant in California soon after the end of January 2020.- Pre-production targeted in early 2020 from pilot plant using Lilac Solutions' direct extraction ion exchange methodology expected to produce at the lower part of industry cost curve.- London based, SD Capital Advisory Limited appointed to secure debt funding of up to US$25 million for DFS, permitting and lithium pre-production from its Kachi Lithium Brine Project in Argentina.- Capital raising underway for purpose of increasing shareholder value with intent to repay convertible notes; update due by 10 February.To view the quarterly report, please visit:About Lake Resources NL Lake Resources NL (ASX:LKE) (OTCMKTS:LLKKF) is a clean lithium developer utilising clean, direct extraction technology for the development of sustainable, high purity lithium from its flagship Kachi Project, as well as three other lithium brine projects in Argentina. The projects are in a prime location within the Lithium Triangle, where 40% of the world's lithium is produced at the lowest cost. This method will enable Lake Resources to be an efficient, responsibly-sourced, environmentally friendly and cost competitive supplier of high-purity lithium, which is readily scalable, and in demand from Tier 1 electric vehicle makers and battery makers. Chinese hospital specially built for patients infected by the deadly coronavirus is ready to receive patients, state media reported. The hospital which is designed to have 1000-beds will be receiving patients from Monday. The emergency hospital was built in a record time of just eight days and it will house patients with confirmed infections to ease the shortage of beds elsewhere in the city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the contagious disease. According to Chinese state media, the new hospital was built on the same construction plans from a hospital built in Beijing in 2003 during the SARS outbreak. Read: "No, Coronavirus Won't Turn You Into A Zombie," Assures Malaysian Government Amid Rumours The hospital, 'Huoshenshan' meaning the 'fire-god mountain' is named after Zhurong, an important figure in Chinese mythology and Chinese folk religion. According to media reports, more than 7,500 workers worked day and night to finish the project that was started on January 25. Chinese state media had earlier reported that the country is building another hospital in the same city with a capacity of 1,600 beds for the treatment of coronavirus patients. The second hospital will reportedly be named 'Leishenshan' or 'thunder-god mountain.' Read: Coronavirus: Maldives' President Solih Thanks India For Evacuating 7 Maldivians From Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak The world is battling the outbreak of the deadly contagious coronavirus that has claimed more than 360 lives so far in China alone. According to the international press, the confirmed reported cases have reached up to 17,000 as of February 2. The disease is believed to have originated in a market in Hubei's Wuhan city, where animals were being traded illegally. Chinese authorities have imposed a strict quarantine in 12 cities across the country, 11 of which are in the Hubei province. As per the US CDC, confirmed cases of the virus have been reported in 27 other countries that include some developed countries like, Australia, Canada, France, United Kingdom, Russia, Singapore, and Italy. Read: Coronavirus: India Temporarily Suspends E-visa Facility For Chinese And Foreigners Residing In China Read: Another Flight To Evacuate Indians From Coronavirus-hit Wuhan To Leave Delhi On Saturday: AI There were three other women in the Nissan, and two of them were injured, Cepeda said. A 46-year-old woman from Chicago was listed in serious condition at an area hospital and a 31-year-old woman from Chicago suffered injuries not considered life-threatening and she was also at an area hospital, officials said. A 25-year-old woman from Chicago was not injured. EDWARDSVILLE Edwardsvilles Trace on the Parkway will get a new addition this summer, city officials confirmed. Michael Del Pietro plans to bring a breakfast- and lunch-centered restaurant to The Parkway, a new mixed-use development at Governors Parkway and Route 157 in Edwardsville, as his eighth restaurant in operation, according to St. Louis Magazine. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday accused that the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) members for trying to sneak into peacefully conducted anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in the state and create problems. Replying to questions of Congress MLA Roji M John and KC Joseph, Vijayan said that police cannot allow such acts. "Extremist group like SDPI is trying to create unrest using the anti-CAA protests. The state government cannot allow this. Police will slap cases against such people. Any attempts to create communal disharmony in the state will be strongly dealt with," he said in question hour in Kerala Assembly. Congress MLAs alleged that police are filing cases against those protesting against CAA in the state. Roji M John said that police registered cases against 200 people who participated in the protest in Angamaly that was conducted peacefully. When Vijayan mentioned SDPI involvement, members from opposition benches interfered with which Chief Minister said, "When I am speaking about SDPI and their extremism why should the opposition have issues." Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala interfered to clarify that opposition is not supporting SDPI. "Like Uttar Pradesh cases should not be registered against anti-CAA agitators. Kerala should not follow the policies of Amit Shah," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) When Environmentalists and the Fishing Industry Team Up, Ocean Habitats Win An inspiring collaboration on the Pacific Coast blew fishery conservation goals out of the water. YES! Magazine When it comes to threatened Pacific species, groundfish rarely get the glory. They are not as charismatic as orcas, nor is their life history as inspiring as salmons. As seas warm and the threats of climate change take effect, what these bottom-dwellersand the cultures that depend on themdo have going for them is an incredible and unexpected comeback story. Historically, the Pacific groundfish fishery was run as a derbyessentially a race for fish. By the 1970s, massive quantities of fish and bycatch were being hauled in via trawl nets all along the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. But by the late 1990s, research began to reveal signs of overfishing among groundfish, which includes dozens of species that live near the ocean bottom, such as rockfish, roundfish, and flatfish. Since many of these species are long-lived, they are slow to grow and reproduce, meaning theyre also slow to recover from overharvesting. As the century turned, managers scrambled to close certain areas to fishing and reduce catch limits to prevent collapse. The first decade of the millennium, we were in sort of a frantic panic mode trying to gather more scientific information, says Gretchen Hanshew, a fisheries management specialist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. At the same time, NOAA worked to rein in some exploitative fishing practices to make sure they werent creating future problems. Still, in 2001, a coalition of environmental groups sued the federal government to step up the management of overfished species and won. The result was a sweeping closure of fishing areas considered essential fish habitat , many as a precautionary measure. Managers essentially froze the map on trawl fishing until they could get a better handle on what was happening where. While this protection may sound good on the surface, it was a big concern for both the commercial fishing industry and Native American tribes, which co-manage many natural resources, including fish stocks, in the Pacific Northwest. It took 10 years but the Makah Cape Flattery Fishermans Co-op in Neah Bay, Washington, has realized the goal of processing their own fish fillets, adding value to the fish and jobs to the community. Photo: Northwest Treaty Tribes / Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission The four tribes who exercise treaty rights in this stretch of the North Pacific are the Makah, Quileute, Hoh, and Quinault. Thanks to federal court cases, including Washington v. United States and U.S. v. Oregon , the tribes essentially share the harvestable surplus of any fish stock in their usual and accustomed fishing areas 50/50 with the nonnative fishing industry, both commercial and recreational. This kind of cooperative management between states, tribes, and the federal government is necessary because fish constantly cross the borders between these nations, says Rob Jones of the Northwest Indian Fish Commission. And despite a history of collaboration in the region, these closures did not sit well with the tribes. Some of those essential fish habitat closures were placed in traditional fishing grounds without proper consultation, Jones says, which is a direct diminishment of the treaty fishing right. The closures didnt limit the tribes ability to fish per se, because they are sovereign nations not subject to U.S. law. Their rights to fish in usual and accustomed areas are secured by treaties with the U.S. government. but fishing within the closure does create a problem of perception. This puts the tribes in a really hard spot, Jones says. In the public eye, he says, this arrangement can sometimes be seen as the tribes harvesting from habitats that require protectionhabitats that non-Native fleets are banned from fishing. Do you go along to get along, Jones asks, even though the action diminishes tribal treaty rights? Zachary Jones, a Quileute fisher and now the tribal vice chairman, helps unload groundfish from The Seeker, in the tribes marina in La Push, Washington. Photo by Debbie Preston Makah tribal dock staff unload rockfish from a Makah fishing vessel in Neah Bay, WA. Photo by Debbie Preston The protections had broad economic ramifications, too. Jones says that as part of the conservation measures, a huge portion of the continental shelf off the north coast of Washington was closed to trawling because it was good rockfish habitat. That ended up running a few commercial trawlers out of business. Not only did that mean the demise of these fishers, but it meant they were no longer operating out of Neah Bay, which is an important tribal port. By not having as many active fishing boats coming in and out of the port, the Makah tribe was no longer able to fill its processing capacity and lost local business. The closures worked, however, when considered from a sustainability perspective. NOAAs Hanshew says the groundfish populations today are much healthier and better understood than they were back in 2000. Some of that has more to do with natural processes than active management. The ocean conditions in the past decade, for example, have been particularly good for some species of bottom-dwelling groundfish. Another part of the fisherys rebound may have been because of simply gaining a better understanding of the fish and their ecosystems. Scientists from the environmental nonprofit Oceana, for example, used remotely operated vehicles to explore the underwater environment and discovered swarms of juvenile baby rockfish swimming in and among reefs of Christmas tree coral. Some of the most commercially valuable fish were found to be dependent on the very corals that environmentalists were trying to protect, laying their eggs on the reefs and using them to hide from predators. On top of that was a massive amount of data that has come out of a catch-share program implemented in 2011. The program includes a quota system for groundfish and mandatory reporting of all bycatchthat is, everything that gets caught in a trawling net and hauled up by accident. This program reduced bycatch, shifted incentives toward more sustainable practices, and provided a lot more data. The amount of information we have on population dynamics and stock biology has probably multiplied 1,000 times since 2000, Hanshew says. Back in 2000, we thought it was going to take 70 years to rebuild one of these populations, but then its rebuilt in 2017. A yelloweye rockfish swims in a rocky habitat with sponges near Cape Arago, off the Southern Oregon Coast, in a newly established Essential Fish Habitat Conservation Area that is protected from bottom trawl fishing under Amendment 28. Yelloweye rockfish are long-lived, slow-growing fish that are now recovering from previous overfishing. Image from Oceana A Messy But Productive Process In 2013, the Pacific Fishery Management Council undertook a mandatory five-year review of the essential fish habitat closures. The council is made up of 14 representatives from states, tribes, industry, and environmental groups and is charged with sustainably regulating federal fisheries in the region. The task at hand was to determine whether the original closures were working, if they needed to be redrawn, or if more or fewer closures were necessary. So while the council has the ultimate authority to make decisions, the group decided to issue a request for proposals . The decision-makers sent a clear message, says Geoff Shester, a senior scientist at Oceana: Youre probably not going to be as happy if you dont collaborate. That incentive, he says, is what set up these disparate communities for success. The stakeholders formed a collaborative of environmental and industry representatives that pored over historic catch data, analyzed the topography of the seafloor, and visited trawl ports along the coast, three or four times in some cases, to talk to fishers and find out where they were pulling up coral, for example, and where they have their best hauls. It was a messy but productive process of back and forth, give and take, according to Shems Jud, who was on the groundfish advisory panel. Jud, who is the Pacific regional director of the Environmental Defense Funds U.S. oceans program, says the group was trying to map out where within the active trawl areas were the most sensitive habitats needing protection, and which spots should be opened to the commercial industry, whether because theyre less vulnerable, close to port, particularly productive, or had been closed inadvertently. Tempers flared at times, but the group ultimately carved out sensitive habitats for protection and set aside prolific areas for fishing. The result is an agreement that was celebrated by stakeholders when it took effect on Jan. 1. Amendment 28 , as its called, protects about 13,000 square miles of the deep-sea-floor groundfish habitat from bottom trawling and fishing gear that can endanger the sensitive corals and sponges there. At the same time, the amendment reopens 3,000 square miles of previously closed fishing areas. Map showing existing protections maintained, new bottom trawl closures, and reopened areas under Amendment 28. Bottom trawling is now prohibited in 90% of the West Coast Exclusive Economic Zone, spanning from the shoreline to 200 nautical miles off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. Map from Oceana The tribes declined invitations to participate in the collaborative. Their answer, according to Jones, was, Thanks, but no thanks. Thats a stakeholder group; were not stakeholders. Were sovereign governments, so were going to handle it on a government-to-government basis. The tribes did play an active advisory role as members of the Pacific Fishery Management Council. But this time around, the tribes wanted meaningful government-to-government consultation, Jones says, to work with NOAA on any changes within their usual and accustomed areas, and to understand the impacts of those changes before they agreed to anything. Ultimately, the tribes didnt agree to any changes. The closures made back in 2006 are still in effect, but at the tribes request, the federal government took no action within the usual and accustomed fishing areas of the four coastal tribes. Some tribes didnt want any changes adjacent to those areas either, but the changes went forward. While the amendment doesnt have a direct impact on the tribes fishing access, it will definitely affect it. What remains unclear is how. Expansion of a closure next to a tribal fishing ground could drive more people to an area where the tribes fish, Jones conjectures, creating increased competition. Or, equally possible, he says, there could be a spillover effect from having less pressure on a particular stock in an adjacent closure, creating more fish within the tribes area. We just dont know, Jones says. The plan was a decade in the making and has gained broad approval, in large part because the Pacific groundfish populations have seen a phenomenal comeback during that time. It went from collapse to environmental success story in a fairly short time, says Yelena Nowak, director of the Oregon Trawl Commission. That was possible due to collaboration of many different partiesenvironmentalists, fisheries, industries, and scientists. Reflecting on the process that yielded such a successful outcome, Shester emphasizes the power of listening. Both sides had something to gain by collaborating and sharing information, he says. In the end, Shester found that opponents were not actually in conflict, despite their apparently different goals and the polarized political climate of the day. The fishers, for example, suggested some of the new closures, and environmental groups recommended reopening certain areas to fishing. A nearshore rockfish in rocky habitat with sponges in Monterey Bay Essential Fish Habitat Conservation Area, which will continue to be closed to bottom trawling under Amendment 28. Image from Oceana Were truly partners, Nowak says. At the end of the day, the way our fishermen look at it, these are family operations, generational businesses. My fishermen are in it for the long run, not the short-term mentality, she says. This is just one example of the power of that collaboration. I hope it is an example for others to follow. While this outcome certainly wasnt inevitable, Jud of the Environmental Defense Fund hopes it is becoming less unique. Im seeing more openness to this approach from industry and NGO colleagues, he says. After fostering many relationships over the years on this project, he says, there are two essential ingredients: One, trust that those involved are honest brokers; and two, understanding each others goals, even if they arent shared. The compromise is viewed as a rare win-win that could have ripple effects around the countrys coastlines. The oceans are already feeling the effects of a changing climate. That goes for the ecosystems at large as well as the stocks and fisheries that comprise them. Even if we dont know exactly what future ocean conditions will look like, Jud says, the more habitat that we can protect that is in good condition, fulfilling its function, and connected to other habitats, the more resilient it will be. Breanna Draxler is the climate editor at YES! She covers all things environmental. Note: This article originally appeared on YES! Magazine . It is published under a Creative Commons license Join the Conversation The Bashar al-Assad regime and its allies have continued with intensified air and land attacks on civilian settlements in the deescalation zone. Russian and Bashar al-Assad regime airstrikes in Idlib, Syria, killed at least 11 civilians, a Syrian civil defense group announced Sunday. The Syrian opposition aircraft observatory said Russia targeted villages near the town of Saraqib, as well as the district of Darat Izzah in Aleppo, Anadolu agency reports. The White Helmets civil defense group said the regime airstrikes killed 11 civilians, according to initial reports. It reported that nine of the civilians were killed by strikes carried out by Russian while two were killed by the regime. Read alsoRussia to build military base in Somalia media The Bashar al-Assad regime and its allies have continued with intensified air and land attacks on civilian settlements in the Idlib deescalation zone. In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a deescalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited. But more than 1,800 civilians there have been killed in attacks by regime and Russian forces since then as the cease-fire continues to be violated. A group of people raised "traitors should be shot" slogans during a rally organised here as part of an event in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) by a local organisation. The city police launched an inquiry after one of the speakers allegedly raised a similar slogan at the end of the pro-CAA meeting organised by Akhand Bharat Sangarsh Samiti (ABSS) on Sunday evening. A video clip aired by some local web-based channels purportedly showed a group of participants while marching towards the event's venue shouting slogans including "Desh Ke Gaddaron Ko "goli maro sa*** ko" (shoot down the traitors)." They also raised slogans like "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "We want CAA". One of the speakersat the end of the meeting was also allegedly heard raising the slogan"traitors should be shot" following which policeon its own took up the matter, a senior police official said. "We are seeking legal opinion with regard to the slogan raisedat the culmination of the event. The entire event was videographed. We have collected the footage and are taking legal opinion with regard to the slogans uttered as to whether it attracts violation or not," the official told PTI. One of the organisers of the event defended the slogan shouting, saying the speaker did not mention any group or religion but, only said "traitors" should be shot. BJP Telangana chief K Laxamn and some of the party leaders also addressed the gathering. Meanwhile, a man, part of a group of participants on way to attend the event, attempted to pull down a banner of a political party against anti-CAA, but was prevented from doing so by police personnel, the official added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It's been a tough time for Princess Beatrice with scandal engulfing her father, but it hasn't cast a shadow over her wedding plans, with the bride-to-be revealing that she is 'so excited' to tie the knot. Beatrice, 31, revealed she's eagerly looking forward to the big day in a handwritten thank you note to German royal blogger Katherina, who wrote to the royal to congratulate her on her engagement to multi-millionaire Edo Mapelli Mozzi, 37. Posting on Instagram, the royal enthusiast who has run the blog katsroyalletters since June 2019, gushed over the 'beautiful reply', on monogrammed stationary featuring Beatrice's initial topped with a crown. It comes amid a difficult time for Beatrice, whose father Prince Andrew is engulfed in ongoing scandal over his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. German blogger Katherina, shared the handwritten letter that she received from Princess Beatrice on her Instagram feed The royal enthusiast gushed that she had received a 'beautiful reply', in response to congratulating the couple on their engagement The handwritten message which highlights the upcoming union between Princess Beatrice and Edo, comes after their whirlwind romance saw them get engaged in September 2019. Beatrice wrote: 'Thank you so much for thinking of us after the engagement. It is so kind of you to wish us happiness for the future. 'We are so excited to get married and begin life together. With our very best wishes, Beatrice & Edo' Katherina seemed overwhelmed by the response, posting a series of heart emojis alongside many hashtags related to royalty. The letter which arrived with a heartwarming photo of the couple from their engagement shoot at Windsor Great Park, racked up over 300 likes. Katherina also received a heartwarming photograph of Beatrice and Edo taken at Windsor Great Park (pictured) Congratulating Katherina, one person wrote: 'Big congratulations my dear!! I love this response.' Another said: 'I can't believe they send replies after all this time!' A third added: 'Congratulations' Beatrice and Edo had been together for 11 months at the time they announced their plans to get married. Father-of-one Edo proposed with a ring estimated to have cost 100,000, while the pair were visiting Italy. The couple are believed to be planning a 'low key' wedding this summer, but the planning has somewhat been overshadowed by the ongoing scandal of her father's friendship with deceased paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Prince Andrew was 'sacked' by the Queen after a disastrous Newsnight interview in which he failed to show any empathy for Epstein's victims, and dragged Beatrice into the row by claiming he was with her at a pizza party on the day he allegedly slept with 'sex slave' Virginia Roberts. Ms Roberts has claimed she was forced to have sex with Andrew from the age of 17 after being trafficked by Epstein. The Duke is facing mounting demands, including from Ms Roberts, to co-operate with an FBI investigation into Epstein's sordid activities. Q: Whats with all of these new gas stations serving lunch? Is the food any good? A: As folks whove had the chance to road trip around the South know, gas station food has always been good. Ole Miss alums and Southern Foodways Alliance members have canonized the chicken-on-a-stick served at Oxfords 24-hour Chevron station, but the high gas station art of seasoning and frying isnt confined to one place or one chain. When I was a rookie reporter, the only thing that kept me covering Noxubee County Commission meetings in Macon, Miss., was the catfish at the Shell station (which is probably why Im no longer on the local government beat). But youre right that the latest batch of gas stations to settle in the Lowcountry are making a big deal about their menus. Our trusty retail columnist Warren Wise tells me Parkers Kitchen, Refuel and Spinx, which collectively will soon have about 20 area locations, are each promoting their hot food options as distinctive amenities. Curious, I logged on to Refuels website to get a sense of just what it was pitching. Admittedly, I dont spend much time on gas station websites I dont even own a car but it did strike me as unusual that I was prompted to make a reservation. Apparently, theres a Big Green Egg on the Daniel Island locations patio that customers can book for parties. And should they show up unequipped, the store sells $29.99 raw prime T-bones and pricey California wine. Thats unique even by Refuel standards. More commonly, the brand offers the same array of familiar items as its competitors: biscuits, pizza, hot dogs, burgers and steak fries are fairly universal. Since I couldn't try everything everywhere, I decided to focus on the all-ages favorites of chicken tenders and mac-and-cheese, although I also ordered the odd corn dog and fried okra when the moment seemed right. (Also, to clarify my research methodology: I ate at the Parkers Kitchen nearest Nexton; the Spinx close to the airport and the Refuel on Red Bank Road in Goose Creek.) Both Parkers Kitchen and Spinx use touchscreen ordering systems, even when there are five employees clustered around the hot bar and only one customer in the store. The Spinx system is particularly elaborate, with decision trees including hot sauce bottles and drink upgrades. Yet at Spinx, technology doesnt seem to speed up the process of walking out the door with food. I waited 12 minutes from the time I punched in my selections to the time my number was called. In the context of a sit-down restaurant, thats nothing, but its a lifetime to someone trying to eat between sales calls or deliveries. I suspect my meal was delayed by Spinxs touted chicken commitment. Theres an equally slow-paced video on Spinxs website called Porch Sessions with Stewart Spinks, in which the company owner explains the care that his Aunt Pearl lavished on poultry. So, call it handcrafted. All I know is that the breading on my chicken was scant and erratic. Still, the potato wedges were serviceable, even if the mac-and-cheese was coagulated and a tough burger didnt have much in the way of beef flavor. My guess is that if I ate at Spinx more frequently, Id find more menu highlights. While I wish I could say the same about Parkers, I found its food unpersuasive at best. Im not sure if theres too much condensation trapped in its good-looking display counter, but everything I tried there was unpleasantly limp. That brings me back around to Refuel, which outside of Daniel Island is offering perhaps the most traditional gas station food experience. At the Refuel I visited, there werent any computer screens. I asked a friendly guy at the register for what I wanted and received a crisp set of chicken fingers in return. Look, Im not about to go to bat for the mac-and-cheese I sampled, but that chicken was correctly seasoned and fried. Even though there was nothing newfangled about it, Id cover a county commission meeting in its vicinity any time. Many more leaders are in contact with me: Tejashwi Yadav after former MLA rejoins RJD from JD(U) Tejashwi ridicules Nitish for sharing stage with 'mahboob' Amit Shah; NDA leaders hit back at him India pti-PTI Patna, Feb 03: Senior RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday hit out at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for sharing stage with his "mahboob" (lover) Union Minister Amit Shah while campaigning in the Assembly polls in Delhi. Kumar, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, said "in his desperation to share the stage with Shah had broken all his past records of uttering lies". The JD(U) chief had shared the dias with Shah in Delhi on Sunday while stumping for his party's nominees at Burari and Sangam Vihar constituencies. He had claimed during the campaign meetings that the Delhi government has not performed at all on any front. Lalu Prasad's younger son's caustic remarks drew sharp reaction from the BJP and the JD(U). Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said in a tweet that the joint rally of Kumar and Shah in the national capital was a big success whose "jerk" has been felt badly by the rivals in Bihar. Sushil Modi said RJD which has thrown anti-Congress ideology of veteran socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia into "dustbin" is busy searching good words for itself in the dictionary and invectives for the opponents. "Respected Nitish Kumar ji, you shared the stage with your 'mahboob' (lover) Amit Shah ji in Delhi for the assembly election. Your political compulsion, plight and shrewdness were evident despite your efforts to hide them. "You broke all your past records of uttering lies in your sheer desperation to share the stage with Amit Shah in Delhi yesterday (Sunday). You were not even ashamed at all in branding the national capital as a city worse than any one in Bihar," Yadav said in a release. Taking a swipe at Kumar's regime, Yadav wondered why crores of Biharis are migrating despite the 15-years of "so-called sushashan raj" (good governance). "If you think that infrastructure, education and health care system of Delhi are worse than in Bihar then only God can fathom your mental state," he said. The RJD leader said the Bihar chief minister must have told in Delhi the number of youths who have got employment in the state and the number of sugar, rice and jute mills shut there. "You (Kumar) can't give an account of your 15 years of governance, but you went to Delhi to seek that of the government headed by an opposition party(AAP) ... This is called defending the indefensible," Yadav said. Kumar without naming Kejriwal had said at the meetings, "Some people are more interested in publicity and advertisements. Some people have the habit of praising oneself. We don't do that ... Those who got the mandate to govern Delhi did nothing". Recounting the Nitish Kumar government's alleged failure on several fronts, the RJD leader said that 500 children died of AES in the state, besides thousands lost their lives due to heat and countless others in floods. The entire country saw the water-logging in Patna over TV, he said and reminded Kumar of the Muzaffarpur shelter home scandal in which 34 minor girls were physically assaulted under the protection and patronage of the state government. "Instead of demanding special category status, special package for Bihar, assistance for flood victims or fighting for the state's rightful demands, you are busy in branding as 'popular' and 'great leader' those who are out to change the Constitution and are trying to snatch citizenship from its own citizens," Yadav said referring to Citizenship Amendment Act. Bihar JD(U) chief spokesman Sanjay Singh said "what else one can expect from a 9th fail man. We all have witnessed the scene that prevailed during his parents' regime of 15 years. Bihar has marched ahead from RJD's misrule in the state." "It is the sanskar that he is speaking in such a manner...RJD and its leaders have no agenda except making such absurd statements, " he said. On Kumar sharing stage with Shah, Singh said his party has an alliance with BJP in Delhi and that's why the party chief shared stage with its leaders but what about RJD leaders who flaunt sharing stage with anti-social people like Mohammad Shahabuddin and Raj Ballabh Yadav. Bihar BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand said Tejashwi Yadav does not know the decorum of language and should tender apology for such "loose talk" against the CM. Just last month, the Telugu remake of Pink starring Pawan Kalyan in the lead went on floors in Hyderabad. The actor-turned-politician will be gracing the big screen this year after a two-year hiatus and therefore fans are eagerly waiting for the Pink remake to hit the screens. While the movie is yet to be titled, we have got a new update on the much-awaited courtroom drama. Well, if the latest buzz is true then the Telugu version of Pink will arrive in theatres this summer. To be specific, the makers have apparently locked May 15 as the release date. However, the final confirmation on the same is awaited. Co-produced by Boney Kapoor and Dil Raju, Pawan Kalyan's film is being helmed by Venu Sriram and also stars Nivetha Thomas, Anjali and Ananya Nagalla in the lead roles. The makers are expected to wrap up the film by March and then the star cast will get busy promoting the film from March 25 onwards which is Ugadi. We hear the title of the film will also be unveiled on the same day. While the Telugu version has been tweaked a bit for the Tollywood audience, last year, the Tamil version made its way to the cinema halls and turned out to be a hit venture. The original version came out in 2016 and became one of the biggest Bollywood hits of that year. Kalyan, who has been shooting for the Pink remake non-stop, has reportedly signed one more film. Yes, after the courtroom drama, the 48-year-old will be seen in a period drama directed by Krish Jagarlamudi. Though there has been no official announcement as yet, reports suggest that the duo will soon start working on the project. Coming back to the Pink remake, Trivikram Srinivas has written the dialogues and S Thaman is composing the music for the film. Also, since Pawan Kalyan is making a comeback of sorts, he is allegedly charging Rs 60 crore for playing the lead. That's obviously a humungous figure but the makers haven't confirmed the reports regarding the actor's remuneration. Pawan Kalyan Starts Shooting for Telugu Remake of Pink After Pink Remake, Pawan Kalyan to Star in a Period Drama? Food waste is a problem affecting the globe, and Luxembourg alone bins a staggering 124 kilograms of food waste per capita. In the ongoing fight against food waste, the municipality of Differdange organised a festival (Anti Gaspi) to raise awareness of the issue and to demonstrate solutions to the acute problem. Food waste is a problem highlighting the stark contradictions of our world - one third of all food produced throughout the world is binned whilst nearly one billion people suffer from hunger and undernourishment. The Differdange authorities have emphasised discussing the issue, with the council's social commission organising an anti-food waste festival (anti-gaspi festival, with gaspi referring to the French word 'gaspillage/waste'). The main event of the festival took place in the large kitchen set up, demonstrating how to use produce that is no longer in its prime. Hotel school (Ecole d'Hotellerie et de Tourisme du Luxembourg - EHTL) professor Lucien Kass stressed that all types of produce can still be used, even if they are overripe. The most common use for overripe vegetables is to make a vegetable stock, using any peeled or cut-off parts of the produce that you might have thrown away, as well as food that you would no longer eat directly. Vegetable stocks can then be frozen for future use, or used in meals straight away. As for fruit, Kass pointed out that soft fruits can still be used in smoothies, whilst parts that are still firm enough can be used in a fruit salad, as the festival would demonstrate. Those working in the kitchen took to the anti-food waste task with great enthusiasm, mirroring the EHTL's commitment to reducing food waste as much as possible. Kass nevertheless admitted it is difficult to incorporate a wholly anti-food waste regimen in a school. Christophe Hochard Food waste is most frequent at home, where over 40% of food is thrown away. One of the main causes of this wastage is that many households tend to overbuy produce and food items, inevitably failing to use up everything they've purchased. This, however, is a knock-on effect of overproduction, a trend exacerbated by today's desire to have as much available as possible, immediately. Following private households in terms of food waste is the restaurant sector, which throws away 14% of food. Finally, food waste is also rife during transportation, as food is thrown due to, broadly, packaging errors. The festival on Sunday also promoted other aspects of a zero-waste lifestyle, namely homemade products such as cleaning items or bathroom staples. For more on zero-waste tips and DIY, check out our reducing-waste guide. Anuraag Singh By Express News Service BHOPAL: After a five-year relationship, Chinese national Xi Jao Dora married Satyarth Mishra, a native of Mandsaur, at a colourful ceremony in the grooms home town on Sunday. While the wedlock was solemnised at Mandsaur, the post-marriage party and celebrations planned at Doras home in China were cancelled due to the health scare. Both of us live in Canada, but our relatives are either based in India, or in China. While the marriage was solemnised as per Indian tradition at our hometown, the party and celebrations planned in China have been cancelled due to the Coronavirus scare, Satyarth said. Doras parents and three more family members from China took part in the celebrations in Mandsaur in Saturday-Sunday, but not before a thorough medical examination at Delhis IGI Airport. According to Mishras family, many more members from Doras family, including her uncle and aunt, wanted to be in India for the marriage, but they were not permitted to travel given the prevailing circumstances there. Satyarth met Dora about six years ago in Canada when he was pursuing a course in Mass Communication. She also studied at the same college. We met at the International Students Centre and fell in love. Our marriage is the ideal culmination of our five-year-old relationship, he said. Dora, who works as a make-up artist, gushed about the colours of Indian culture and the unforgettable culinary delights which she experienced. Algerias national carrier, Air Algerie has flown to Wuhan, the epicenter of the Coronavirus outbreak, to bring back its nationals as well as citizens of its neighbors, Libya and Tunisia. The aircraft, TSA reports, took off from capital Algiers Sunday morning for the Chinese city, which has been locked down over coronavirus outbreak which has left at least 361 people dead according to Chinese authorities. The Airbus 330 will repatriate 36 Algerians living in the health crisis-hit city and will also evacuate 10 Tunisians and the Libyan students studying in the 11-million people city. The Algerian presidency did not reveal the number of Libyan national but indicated that the transportation of its neighbors nationals was requested by governments of the two countries. Chicago police determined a 43-year-old woman who also lived in the apartment, who was in a relationship with the man, fired the gunshots that led to his death. Officers arrested her and questioned the womans younger sister who witnessed the dispute and shooting, according to a police source. A 13-year-old girl also was in the home at the time, but it was not clear whether she saw the shooting. Kodagu administration cautions coffee planters against engaging labours from neighbouring Kerala Madikeri, Feb 3(UNI) Following third Coronavirus case reported in Kerala state, the Kodagu District administration has warned planters against engaging labours from neighbouring State for coffee cultivation. The District administration has stepped up surveillance and asked the coffee planters not to send their workers to Kerala or bring new workers to their plantations till February 15, as a precautionary measure. Kodagu shares its border with Kerala and workers were often brought for work in the estates during the coffee harvesting season. Usually, the Earth's magnetic field shields us from the misadventures of our nearest star, the mighty sun. But it failed on Sept. 2, 1859. Known as the Carrington Event, the most powerful solar storm on record burst through the magnetic field and pummeled telegraph wires throughout the United States and Europe, breaking down communication systems and igniting several fires. Scientists like Piyush Mehta, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at West Virginia University, worry that a similar event today would unleash mightier havoc - widespread blackouts, destroyed electrical grids and an estimated $2 trillion in damages. That's why Mehta, with the aid of a $273,734-grant from the National Science Foundation and a WVU graduate student, will research more accurate ways to predict space weather via artificial intelligence and machine-learning. "This research has come to light in recent years because of the advanced technological infrastructure we have today," Mehta said. "We've got power grid lines, oil pipelines and satellites that gather GPS and weather information. Space weather can adversely affect all of these infrastructures." In more recent history, the province of Quebec suffered a daylong blackout in March 1989 due to a solar storm. In the U.S., more than 200 power grid problems erupted from coast to coast. With more and more satellites sprouting into orbit and technological advances that enable our electronic communications, the weather in space could create annoyances - or even catastrophes -- in our day-to-day lives. "The main issue is that we still don't understand very well what the sun's going to do and how it impacts our near-Earth space environment or geospace," Mehta said. The sun continuously spews out plasma, mainly made up of different kinds of charged particles, Mehta explained. The resulting solar wind then interacts with the Earth's magnetosphere, an interaction that isn't completely understood by scientists, Mehta said. This interaction can be highly violent when the sun is very active or during solar storms and can set up drastic changes in the geospace environment that can significantly impact us. According to NASA, these activities are considered "space weather," the conditions on the sun, in the solar wind and within Earth's magnetosphere, ionosphere and thermosphere that can influence technological systems and endanger human life and health. The process of providing space weather forecasts is highly involved and complex, with model and human inputs. Space weather forecasters at the Space Weather Prediction Center operating under NOAA are charged with providing the forecasts. However, predicting space weather, especially strong events, is a challenging task and existing models can be improved upon, Mehta said. We are far behind the models we use on Earth for terrestrial weather. "You can look at your phone for the weather forecast. If it says there's an 80 percent chance of rain, it's probably going to rain and you're going to grab your umbrella. We're not quite there yet when it comes to forecasting space weather." One reason is that scientists don't have a grasp on how the different solar wind conditions affect the amount of energy transferred into the magnetosphere. Mehta will work with the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico to develop a new model for the geospace/magnetosphere that will help to improve understanding of this energy transfer process. To achieve this, Mehta and his colleagues will apply AI and machine-learning methods to develop a computationally efficient model that can expand the role of simulation models in scientific discovery (and operations). The project will also provide a unique training opportunity for a graduate student at WVU, who will visit the laboratory with Mehta for research and collaboration. Mehta's funding comes from a highly competitive Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research award. "This is the first time WVU has received this type of an award," Mehta said. "Space weather was the subject of one of the last executive orders by former President Barack Obama, and the current administration has also voiced support for it. The work performed under this award will help elevate WVU's stature in the community of space weather and artificial intelligence and machine-learning." ### " " A female specimen of the newly discovered Borneostyrax cristatus. Radim Gabri Three biologists recently set out into the high jungle mountains of the Malaysian part of the island of Borneo. Intent on studying the insect life in a part of the world rich in biodiversity the scientists, from Palacky University in the Czech Republic, discovered a new species of wingless long-horned beetle giving birth to live young the first of its kind found doing so. The scientists' research, published in the open-access journal ZooKeys, describes a beetle, given the name Borneostyrax cristatus, displaying an example of ovoviviparous birth. Advertisement " " Three Borneostyrax cristatus larvae discovered hatched and awaiting birth within the abdomen of an adult female beetle. RADIM GABRI Ovoviviparous animals employ a rare way of bringing the next generation into the world. This type of animal creates embryos in eggs, but the eggs remain inside the mother's body the hatching takes place within the genital tract, and the young animals exit the mother's body viably alive. This is opposed to animals that give birth by viviparous or oviparous methods. Humans, for example, are viviparous animals, where embryonic development takes place inside the mother's body. And most insects fall in the category of oviparous animals which lay eggs and their embryos develop outside of the mother's body. Most birds, reptiles and amphibians are oviparous as well. Ovoviviparous birth is much less common in the animal world, but you'll find it among sharks, snakes, manta rays, insects and some frogs and toads. Borneostyrax crystatus is the first confirmed ovoviviparous birther in the family of long-horned beetles, which comprises about 35,000 species and is the world's fifth-largest beetle family. And although the B. crystatus isn't the first beetle to give birth like this the Pseudomorpha genus of ground and leaf beetles does, too it is extremely rare in the world's overall beetle population. "During a dissection of female genitalia in specimens belonging to the one of the newly described genera, named Borneostyrax, we found out that two females contained large larvae inside their bodies," says lead researcher and Ph.D. student Radim Gabris in a press release announcing the find. "This phenomenon have been known in a few lineages of the related leaf beetles, but this is the first case for the long-horned beetles." The authors of the findings say, though, that the reproduction of most long-horned beetle species hasn't been studied, so it may be more widespread throughout the family. " " A male Borneostyrax cristatus beetle. Radim Gabri Now That's Cool Officially named the Volkswagen Type 1, the car colloquially called the VW Beetle in most countries also goes by the nicknames Frog (Indonesia, Peru), Turtle (Bolivia, Iraq, Malaysia, The Philippines) and Little Cockroach (Greece). EDMONTON, Alberta, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Translational Research in Oncology (TRIO), a global academic clinical research organization, today announced the appointment of two new members to the Companys Board of Directors, effective February 1, 2020. Joining the Board are Hari Kumar, PhD and Peter Fasching, MD. Together, they bring decades of leadership in key areas including product and clinical development leadership. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am pleased to welcome Dr. Kumar and Dr. Fasching to the Board. As highly respected individuals in their fields with significant industry and clinical experience, we look forward to their expert engagement, said Dr. Dennis Slamon, TRIOs Executive Director. These additions will complement our current Board of Directors skills and experiences, and we are confident they will provide valuable perspectives as we execute our strategy to bring novel targeted therapeutics through the clinical trial setting. About Dr. Hari Kumar Dr. Kumar is a Pharmaceutical Executive with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He trained as an immunologist at University College London where he completed his PhD, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston and another fellowship at the Marie Curie Cancer Research Centre in UK. Dr. Kumar started his pharmaceutical career at Roche, first in basic research, subsequently moving to sales and marketing, lifecycle management and finally to business development. In his time, Dr. Kumar oversaw the launch of CellCept and at Eisai Aricept and Aciphex. He was also involved in guiding cross functional teams for the transplantation franchise in Roche which resulted in the growth to achieve billion dollar sales. In his role as lead in-licensing person he was instrumental in partnerships with Isotechnika, Biotie, Biocryst and Actelion. Dr. Kumar went to Amira in 2007 where he led the process that resulted in the acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2011. His second big acquisition came as CEO and Board member of Adheron Therapeutics, Inc, which was bought by Roche. About Dr. Peter Fasching Dr. Fasching currently serves as Associate Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics Translational Medicine, at the University Hospital Erlangen and Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Germany. He obtained his MD degree at the University of Cologne, Medical School and in 2006 he earned his Board Certification in Gynecology and Obstetrics at University Hospital Erlangen. He was a Research Fellow at the Department of Hematology/Oncology, UCLA, Los Angeles. Since 2011, Peter has served as Head of the Clinical Trial Unit and Coordinator of the Breast Cancer Center and Gynecologic Oncology Center at the University Hospital Erlangen. Dr. Fasching has also served as Steering Committee member and Principal Investigator in several key breast cancer trials. About TRIO TRIO advances translational cancer research by introducing innovative and novel targeted therapeutic concepts into the clinical trial setting. With international offices in Edmonton (Canada), Paris (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), TRIOs global reach is expansive. Our goal as a not-for-profit clinical research organization is to find the shortest path to saving lives. Additional information on TRIO can be found by visiting https://www.trioncology.org . Interested parties may also follow TRIO on Twitter ( twitter.com/TRIOncology ). Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-04 06:44:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Belgian UN ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, whose country holds the Security Council presidency for the month of February, speaks at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York, Feb. 3, 2020. The Security Council will hear a briefing behind closed doors from Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's senior adviser, on the U.S.-proposed Middle East peace plan on Thursday, the council president said Monday. (Xinhua/Wang Jiangang) UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Security Council will hear a briefing behind closed doors from Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's senior adviser, on the U.S.-proposed Middle East peace plan on Thursday, the council president said Monday. "The understanding is that the United States will request closed consultations in order to brief council members on the American plan. The idea, as I understand, will be that Mr. Kushner, as the special envoy, would be participating in that meeting," said Belgian UN ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, whose country holds the Security Council presidency for the month of February. The closed-door meeting will be held on Thursday probably between noon and 1 p.m. EST (1700 and 1800 GMT), he told reporters. The Security Council will also hold a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Feb. 11, said the ambassador. The council has been approached informally with a request of organizing a meeting with Abbas. A formal request is expected on Monday, he said. Trump on Tuesday revealed a controversial Middle East peace plan designed by Kushner, which calls for a two-state solution while recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's "undivided capital." In an emergency meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on Saturday, Arab foreign ministers unanimously agreed to boycott the U.S. plan and not to cooperate "in any way" with Washington in its implementation. KKR and Palm Logistics have agreed to forward fund the development of two prime, Grade A logistics warehouses at Greenogue Business Park, Dublin by Jordanstown Properties. The transaction is thought to be the largest logistics forward funding in Dublin post the financial crisis with a gross development value of approximately [] Earlier on Sunday, the second case of coronavirus in the country was reported from Kerala The first patient who was tested positive for coronavirus is currently hospitalised in Thrissur. PTI Photo Kerala: Indias third case of coronavirus has been reported on Monday from Kerala, again. Two Wuhan University students who returned recently from China are said to be infected with the novel coronavirus and are being treated at government medical college hospitals. The medical student, a batch mate of the two infected students, has tested positive for the viral infection, said health minister K.K Shylaja in the State Assembly. The condition of the student admitted in the isolation ward at district hospital, Kanhangad is stable. The three medical students travelled together from China, the minister said. Daniel Okrents book The Guarded Gate examines the decades-long campaign in the US to restrict immigration that led to the passage of the Johnson-Reed Act of 1924, legislation which established a quota system designed to virtually bar immigration to the US from Southern and Eastern Europe. A century later, at a time when xenophobia, anti-Semitism and racism are once again on the rise in the US and around the world, much of this history is little known. The four decades leading up to the Johnson-Reed Act had witnessed the greatest wave of immigration to the United States in the countrys history up to that point. More than 25 million Europeans, increasingly from Southern and Eastern Europe, flocked to the US during this period. Asians were largely barred, primarily by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This was a time of an enormous expansion of American capitalism and with it the class struggle, as illustrated by such events as the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 and the Haymarket affair and frame-up of 1886. In the aftermath of the Civil War and with the end of Reconstruction, a period of political reaction set in, bringing with it new expressions of racism and xenophobia, including campaigns against immigration. The Guarded Gate The Immigration Restriction League (IRL) was founded in 1894 by several young graduates of Harvard, members in good standing of Bostons elite, who could trace their lineage back to the 17th century, if not to the Mayflower itself. Prescott Hall, one of the founders, was president of the IRL for 25 years. Hall was indefatigable in promulgating his racist views. According to him, Hebrews [were] an Asiatic race, and southern Italians were African because of the negroid migration from Carthage. The IRL drew upon the considerable financial resources of its closest supporters. Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge (whose son would run for vice president alongside Richard Nixon in 1960) was a very prominent supporter and spokesman in Washington. When Lodge first introduced legislation to restrict immigration in 1896, he read a poem on the Senate floor by Thomas Bailey Aldrich, from which Daniel Okrent drew the title of his book. The poem, written in response to Emma Lazaruss famous inscription on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty (Give me your tired, your poor), ended with the following lines: Wide open and unguarded stand our gates, And through them presses a wild motley throng Flying the Old Worlds poverty and scorn Accents of menace alien to our air O Liberty, white Goddess! Is it well To leave the gates unguarded? Lodge and his co-thinkers were not subtle in their arguments. In the same speech, the senator said that his proposal for a literacy test for admission to the US will bear most heavily upon the Italians, Russians, Poles, Hungarians and Asiatics, and very lightly, or not at all, upon English-speaking emigrants. He continued, [H]istory teaches us if a lower race mixes with a higher in sufficient numbers the lower race will prevail. Henry Cabot Lodge c. 1916 Running parallel to increasing efforts to restrict immigration was the development of the pseudo-science of eugenics. The term was first coined in 1883 by Francis Galton, a cousin of Charles Darwin. Galton was a brilliant scientist. He was also a believer in racial separatism and white superiority. Scientific racism, in the form of the thoroughly anti-scientific claim that desirable traits are inheritable and that selective breeding could improve the human species, became the rage in ruling class circles in the first three decades of the 20th century, on both sides of the Atlantic. As we shall see, the Nazi dictatorship in Germany enthusiastically welcomed the work of the eugenicists. Among the most prominent of the scientific racists and promoters of their arguments were Charles Davenport, the head of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island; Madison Grant, who was trained as a lawyer but devoted himself primarily to zoology, and who was one of the founders of the world-famous Bronx Zoo; and H. Fairfield Osborn, a famous paleontologist and geologist, who was Grants closest friend and was for 25 years the president of the board of trustees of the American Museum of Natural History. Charles Davenport Davenports main contribution to the cause was the founding of the Eugenics Record Office (ERO) in 1910. He developed a detailed study called The Trait Book, a massive collection of 3,500 human attributes and defects. In just the first seven years of the EROs operations, Okrent explains, it accumulated more than half a million index cards that described individual subjects, not only with respect to obviously genetic traits like hair color, but also including such characteristics and descriptions as mythomaniacal, rattle-brained and whining, and special abilities like penmanship. This was all supposed to aid in a future program of selective breeding. Grant, who was a close friend of presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover, did the most to ally xenophobia with eugenics. He became well known as the author of The Passing of the Great Race. The book, published in 1915, exalted the so-called Nordic race of Northern and Western Europe as the white man par excellence, superior to the Alpines and the Mediterraneans of Central and Southern Europe. On the last page of his book, Grant warned, The maudlin sentimentalism that has made America an asylum for the oppressed is sweeping the nation toward a racial abyss. This is only a small sample of the vitriolic racism and pseudo-scientific quackery that permeated the efforts of the anti-immigration forces and received the backing of dominant sections of the ruling class. Racism and xenophobia did not arise from the masses of working people, but were formulated and relentlessly promoted by the ruling elite. The Passing of the Great Race Every president expressed sympathy for the work of the racist xenophobes. When Grants book was published, Roosevelt immediately sent him a letter of congratulation. Davenport was largely funded by Mary Harriman, the widow of rail tycoon E. H. Harriman and the mother of the future Democratic governor of New York, W. Averell Harriman. The Passing of the Great Race was the subject of a laudatory two-page spread in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. Others who praised it included Oswald Garrison Villard, the grandson of famed abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. Villard was at that time the owner of the Nation . In the Progressive Era, certain measures of capitalist reform and regulation went hand in hand with support for eugenics and immigration restriction. Many of the eugenics leaders were also conservation advocates. Underlying the unity among these various elements was American nationalism, as the US emerged as an imperialist power. Among the supporters of restrictive measures were birth control advocate Margaret Sanger and Booker T. Washington, the conservative African-American leader who advocated self-reliance instead of a struggle against Jim Crow segregation. Right-wing business union leader Samuel Gompers, himself an immigrant, also backed racist exclusion measures. Immigrants at Ellis Island Library of Congress Leading the opponents of eugenics was the famous German-born anthropologist Franz Boas. For much of this period, Boas was outnumbered by adherents of scientific racism. Support for restrictions grew as the wave of immigration continued. In the 1890s, the total number of immigrants was 3.7 million. That shot up to 7.6 million in the first decade of the 20th century. Despite the widespread sympathy they won in establishment circles, the restrictionists did not make much headway until the years of World War I. They finally secured literacy tests in the 1917 Immigration Act, and a 1921 law was another step in the closing of the unguarded gate. The major turning point came with the 1924 act, co-sponsored by Congressman Albert Johnson from the state of Washington and Senator David Reed from Pennsylvania. Johnson was particularly well equipped to shepherd this vicious law through Congress. A supporter of the Ku Klux Klan, he was known for his violent denunciations of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), which was very active in the Pacific Northwest. The Johnson-Reed Act effectively stopped immigration from Asia while setting an overall annual quota of 160,000 for all countries outside of the Western Hemisphere. This total was in turn divided according to the number of foreign-born persons of a given nationality counted in the 1890 census. The act simply ignored more recent census figures in order to ensure that virtually no immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe, particularly Italians and Jews, would be accepted. In 1914, before the world war, 1.2 million Europeans had settled in the US. After the 1921 law, this figure dropped to 368,000. In 1924 it was reduced further, to the 160,000 figure. These numbers, as Okrent shows, do not provide the whole picture, because, exactly as designed, the quotas within the quota came down most heavily on Southern and Eastern Europe, without explicitly using racial or ethnic criteria. The former Russian Empire sent about 189,000 emigrants in 1921. The figure for that area after 1924, then encompassing the Soviet Union, Lithuania and Poland, was 7,346. Italian immigration was reduced even more drastically over this same period, from 222,000 to 2,662. MS St. Louis in it home port of Hamburg The Johnson-Reed Act had devastating consequences over the next 40 years. Although it was superseded by the notorious Immigration and Nationality Act (McCarran-Walter Act) in 1952, the quota system remained in place until new legislation in 1965. Well before that, however, the door was shut to refugees fleeing fascism and the looming Second World War. Okrent notes the well-known Voyage of the Damned in 1939, when the SS St. Louis, carrying more than 900 refugees from the Nazis, was denied entry to the US because Germanys immigration quota had already been filled. Hundreds of thousands more, from among the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust as well as others, were similarly prevented from fleeing to safety. Anti-Semitism, and anti-immigrant racism more generally, were dominant within the ruling class, as also evidenced by quota systems at universities and other institutions, until World War II brought a shift toward democratic rhetoric and official disapproval of most open displays of bigotry. The biggest weakness of The Guarded Gate lies in the questions that it does not pose. Okrents largely empirical account is informative, but does not suffice. The issues cannot be understood divorced from the class struggle in the US and internationally. Virtually the only mention of the labor movement in the book is the reference to the reactionary role of Gompers. Men arrested in Palmer Raids awaiting deportation hearings, 1920 Why were racism and anti-Semitism on the rise in the early 20th century, including and especially within elite and intellectual circles in the US? Why were the advocates of restrictive immigration unable to obtain any of their major goals until the eve of US entry into World War I? What were the reasons for the overwhelming support for the 1924 law, as well as the transformed immigration system set in place in 1965? And finally, why the return today to xenophobic demagogy and proposals similar to those of a century ago? These are admittedly huge issues, which can only begin to be addressed within the scope of this article. The advance and self-confidence of American capitalism a century ago were accompanied by an intensification of the class struggle. Big business sought cheap labor and saw advantages in pitting the native-born against the immigrant. Sections of the ruling elite resisted calls for immigration limits. This explains the several presidential vetoes of bills passed by Congress during this period. At the same time, anti-immigrant sentiment continued to be encouraged, and there were no divisions of principle between the different sides of the debate within the ruling class. Newly arrived immigrants Library of Congress The shift to support for immigration restriction that took place during and after the First World War is more fully discussed in the valuable book by Tom Mackaman, New Immigrants and the Radicalization of American Labor, 19141924. It was in part a response to the Great Migration of African-Americans to the North, fleeing Jim Crow oppression and seeking employment in the expanding industrial sector. Later, this was amplified by the returning veterans after the war, and also the internal migration from Appalachia to the industrial Midwest, sharply reducing the need for immigrant labor. At the same time, and most decisively, amidst the wave of strikes and labor militancy of the 19161919 period, business interests feared an influx of immigrants influenced by the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia and the collapse of the defeated German and Austro-Hungarian Empires. American workers had already demonstrated their combativity in bitter struggles and the growth of basic industry portended far greater class conflict. This was not a purely American phenomenon. The anti-immigrant campaign took place within the context of the political upheaval on every continent. The Russian Revolution, the first successful workers revolution in history, set an example for workers everywhere. The bourgeoisie reacted with fear and counterrevolutionary violence. The Johnson-Reed Act was part of this wave of global reaction after the war. It was preceded by the infamous Palmer Raids, the mass arrests of thousands of immigrant workers, hundreds of whom were deported, in November 1919 and January 1920, organized by A. Mitchell Palmer, President Woodrow Wilsons attorney general. The year 1921 saw the arrest and frame-up of the Italian anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti in Massachusetts. Many mob attacks on immigrant workers took place during this period. The best elements of the socialist movement and the fledgling Communist Party fought on the basis of an international perspective to unite the working class. In both Europe and the US, the ruling classes turned toward nationalism and repression, preparing for another and even more devastating war, which was to break out within two decades. Far-right nativism and fascism were promoted, with Adolf Hitlers Nazi Party taking power in Germany and adopting the terror methods that led to the Holocaust. The Nazis enthusiastically welcomed the work of the American eugenics advocates. Adolf Hitler said of The Passing of the Great Race, The book is my Bible. In Mein Kampf, published a year after the Johnson-Reed Act became law, Hitler described the US as the one state in which at least weak beginnings toward a better conception of [citizenship] are noticeable, including simply excluding certain races from naturalization. The return to a policy of open immigration after 1965 reflected the needs of American capitalism as the post-World War II economic boom began to unravel. The American working class remained powerful and militant, even if it was politically disarmed by the treacherous labor bureaucracy of the AFL-CIO. New opportunities for cheap labor were now seized, as big business sought to pit immigrants against native-born workers. The immigration reform of 1965 coincided with other reform measures, including the landmark civil rights legislation. The elimination of the openly racist and exclusionary quotas dating from 1924 was necessary if American imperialism, in the midst of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, was to present a democratic face to the world. These policies in turn set in motion other far-reaching changes. The American working class has been transformed over the past five decades, as immigration has dwarfed even the numbers of 18801924. There is much to learn from the earlier period. As in the past, todays anti-immigration campaign has intensified in tandem with capitalist crisis. Xenophobia and racism have been relentlessly promoted in the period since the 2008 financial crash. Trumps vicious scapegoating of immigrants exceeds even that of the anti-immigration forces of the past. The Democrats, as shown by the massive deportations of undocumented immigrants under Obama, share responsibility for whipping up xenophobia, even as they pretend otherwise. Moreover, their promotion of identity politics serves to divide the working class, complementing and encouraging the racists. The same New York Times that boosted Madison Grants racist tract The Passing of the Great Race in 1915 today produces the 1619 Project, promoting a racialist interpretation of American history and repudiating the legacy of the American Revolution and the Civil War. What unites these seemingly opposed views is a racial view of history and a deliberate policy of sowing and exacerbating divisions in the working class. The ruling class cannot rule without fomenting such divisions, and as a new wave of struggle develops today, it seeks with increasing ferocity to stoke up racial and national tensions. As in the past, this is the product of a global capitalist crisis that threatens global war, and along with it the prospect of social revolution. Todays crisis is indeed far deeper and more closely interconnected than that of the period described by The Guarded Gate. World war and fascism are threatened once again, and pose the need for the overthrow of decaying capitalism. The international working class is coming forward and the lessons of this history must be learned. In the US, the multi-ethnic and multi-racial working class that has taken shape in the last several generations must be united in opposition to the poison of nationalism, whether it comes in the form of Trumps fascistic rhetoric or the nationalism and identity politics of the Democrats. Twice-bankrupt self-styled Lord Battenberg better known as prominent one-time Sydney liquidator Andrew Charles Lee has failed in his bid to claim a share of his aunts will. Battenberg first came to prominence after being evicted from the exclusive Union Club on Bent Street in 2001, promptly launching legal action to have his membership reinstated. Battenberg has in the past claimed to be the illegitimate son of Prince Philip and took the titles Lord Andrew of Craigstown which the previous holder said he had sold to him for 5000 and Lord Leitrim. He departed Sydney in 2004. But the death of his aunt Minnie Condon three years ago thrust Battenberg back into the legal spotlight, after he launched a lawsuit claiming part of the $7.6 million estate. Condon, whose banker brother Harold Lee and his wife Ailsa adopted Battenberg, changed her will in November 2016 to specifically exclude him. She died the following month. ABCs The Bachelorette and Bachelor In Paradise hunk and model, Jordan Kimball, will romance Chippendales audiences when he joins the world famous male revue as celebrity guest host for four shows only Valentines Day weekend, February 14 & 15 (8:30 pm and 10:30 pm), 2020, at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. We are excited to have Jordan joining us a guest host on Valentines Day weekend, commented Kevin Denberg, Chippendales Managing Partner. Hes great looking and witty exactly what our audience wants and expects from our celebrity hosts. Jordan will be the perfect addition for this special weekend. A professional male model, Jordan is one of reality TVs sexiest stars and is best known for his wild antics while starring on The Bachelorette and Bachelor In Paradise, where he refers to himself as the Mayor of Paradise. Kimballs larger-than-life personality also created a huge stir on Twitter when he appeared on screen in a pair of shiny gold underwear at a cocktail party as a way to woo his bachelorette Becca Kufrin. I cant wait to take the stage at Chippendales in Vegas on Valentines Day weekend, says Kimball. This show is iconic and to headline in Vegas is something Ive always wanted to do so its a win-win! And who knows, maybe my golden underwear will make an encore appearance at the Rio? Youll just have to come and see for yourself. Jordan is the latest addition to the exclusive roster of celebrity guest hosts who have donned the famous Chippendales cuffs and collars in Las Vegas. Just some of the former guest hosts have included Jersey Shore star Vinny Guadagnino, international supermodel Tyson Beckford, Beverly Hills 90210 and Sharknado star Ian Ziering, and Dancing with the Stars and Americas Next Top Model winner, Nyle DiMarco, MTVs The Challenge stars Joss Mooney and Rogan OConnor, and fellow The Bachelorette stars Garrett Yrigoyen and Jared Haibon, among others. Indoor Gardening: How to Care for Your Houseplants Through the Winter Just because theres snow covering your garden doesnt mean you have to forgo the quiet company of plants. Whether youve brought some potted plants in from the garden, or have a number of regular house plants, youll want to be sure to treat them right through the winter. Indoor gardening Missed the most recent top news in Sacramento? Read on for everything you need to know. Thieves steal truck batteries, fuel from U-Haul stores in Sacramento region Thieves stole truck batteries and fuel from U-Haul stores in the Sacramento region. Read the full story on KCRA 3. Presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg headed to Sacramento Presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg will be in Sacramento this morning. Read the full story on CBS13 CBS Sacramento. Trump administration rejects Californias health care tax The Trump administration says it will not allow California to collect a key health care tax on managed care organizations, a decision that could cost the state nearly $2 billion a year for low-income benefits. Read the full story on FOX40. Sacramento City Council approves $100M housing trust fund The Sacramento City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a new $100 million housing trust fund. Read the full story on FOX40. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. (Natural News) Up until very recently, the communist Chinese government was in open denial about any kind of novel coronavirus epidemic. All is fine and well, we were repeatedly told that is, until it was no longer possible to veil the carnage ravaging Wuhan, its surrounding cities and towns, and now beyond. Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a recent meeting with the World Health Organization (W.H.O.), made the specious claim that hes been in command this entire time, adding that his government would release information on the virus in a timely manner. The epidemic is a demon, and we cannot let this demon hide, he added, reassuring the officials present that they need not worry. But as we all know, a lot has developed since then. More than 12,000 people around the world have coronavirus, and nearly 300 have died from it. And these are just the official numbers other sources besides the communist Chinese government are saying that coronavirus has afflicted far more than this. Chinas track record of transparency and honesty, as the world well knows, is dismal at best. Truth is typically concealed for as long as possible, especially when it makes China look bad though, to be fair, the same is true of the United States and many other countries. In this case, however, tens of millions of lives are now at risk, and President Xi has been playing word games, or saying nothing at all, and now the disease has breached Chinas borders with no obvious sign as to when it might stop. The story as to where it originated from claimed nonexistence to contaminated seafood at an open-air market to possible release from a nearby Peoples Liberation Army Biowarfare unit has continued to change, and now the focus has shifted mostly to dealing with the problem rather than identifying why it became one. Communism breeds this type of corruption dont let it happen here, America But people who are watching the situation unfold can see that China, in many ways, pulled a fast one, here. And this is reflective of its communist culture, which exists not to enhance or enrich the lives of its citizens, but rather to subdue them while enhancing the power and image of the government. The Chinese Party-State probably spends a trillion dollars a year monitoring and surveilling, policing and re-educating its population, writes Stephen Mosher for LifeSiteNews. The cost of incarcerating over a million Uyghurs in concentration camps alone must run into the tens of billions, he adds. The cost of persecuting tens of millions of Catholics and other Christians probably runs billions more. Again, we see the same type of behavior in the new America, where people are still being packed into prisons over plants while Big Pharma, Big Vaccine, and Big Business get all the tax breaks and other perks. Were well on our way to becoming just like China if were not careful, in other words. The lies and deception coming out of China amid this crisis should serve as a warning to Americans not to allow our own government to become this very same way. Whether left or right theyre often two sides to the same corrupt coin governments need to be held in check, always, or else we, too, will see our own President Xi hiding a major pandemic while thousands of Americans get sick and die in the background. If they put a fraction of the money they spend on their police state into public health, and actually released information in a timely manner, as Xi promised, they would have been able to stop this epidemic in its tracks, contends Mosher. To keep up with the latest coronavirus news, be sure to check out Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: LifeSiteNews.com NaturalNews.com Chinese WHO delegate warns of deliberately creating panic over Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV The U.S. is needlessly whipping up panic over the Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV, China's government said today. Guess someone's a little sensitive this week, with Monday's stock market crash in China and an uncontrolled lethal disease outbreak. From Reuters: China accused the United States of spreading fear by pulling its nationals out and restricting travel instead of offering significant aid. Relations between the two sides had just begun to recover after a long and bruising trade war. Washington has "unceasingly manufactured and spread panic", Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters, noting that the WHO had advised against trade and travel curbs. "It is precisely developed countries like the United States with strong epidemic prevention capabilities and facilities that have taken the lead in imposing excessive restrictions contrary to WHO recommendations," she added, saying countries should make reasonable, calm and science-based judgments. No immediate official comment from the United States, but I'm sure as soon as old Trump hears about this tonight on Fox News, the tweets will spread faster than ugh, everything is terrible, nevermind. There are differing opinions among public health professionals about whether travel bans do anything to help, however. Speaking in Geneva today, the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus again said travel bans were not helping. "There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade," he told the WHO's Executive Board. "We call on all countries to implement decisions that are evidence-based and consistent." Chinese delegate Li Song said the international community should treat the outbreak objectively and not "deliberately create panic" among the general public. More at Reuters: U.S. whipping up panic over virus, China says, as Pakistan resumes flights Indian market recouped losses to climb back over crucial support levels on Monday. The Niftty50 bounced back after breaching a 200-days moving average (DMA) on the downside while the S&P BSE Sensex rose over 100 points. Lets look at the final tally on D-Street the S&P BSE Sensex rose 136 points to 39,872 while the Nifty50 rose 46 points to close at 11,707. Sectorally, action was seen in consumer discretionary, realty, auto, and metal index while profit-taking was seen in the IT index. Mixed performance was seen in the broader market with the S&P BSE Midcap index rallying over 1 percent while the S&P BSE Smallcap index underperformed as it closed flat but with a positive bias. Experts are of the view that the market has factored in most of the negatives from the Budget and it is a good opportunity for long-term investors to dip into stocks as most of them are available at a double-digit discount from their respective highs. Chinas central bank said it will inject 1.2 trillion yuan ($174 billion) worth of liquidity into the market via reverse repo operations is a welcome step. But, rising concerns regarding Coronavirus will cause volatility in markets, suggest experts. "We believe absence of any major announcements in the budget may weigh on the investor sentiments in the short-term and we may continue to witness volatility," Ajit Mishra, VP - Research, Religare Broking Ltd told Moneycontrol. "On the global front too, while liquidity boost of $173 bn by Chinas central bank is a good sign, rising concerns regarding coronavirus may continue to cause uncertainty in the markets," he said. The country's manufacturing sector activity climbed to a near 8-year high in January, driven by a sharp rise in new business orders amid a rebound in demand conditions that led to a rise in production and hiring activity, a monthly survey said on February 3. "With valuations on the higher side, the on-going results reported has been mostly inline with estimates. Manufacturing PMI shows notable rebound providing a breather that economy will stabilize as mentioned in the budget," Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services told Moneycontrol. Stocks & sectors: Sectorally, the S&P BSE Consumer Discretionary rose 1.8 percent, followed by the Realty index which gained 1.4 percent, and the Auto index closed 1.3 percent higher. Profit taking was seen in IT that was down 1.8 percent. Volume spike of 100-400% was seen in stocks like Escorts, Pidilite Industries, Biocon, Nestle India, and Tech Mahindra Long Buildup Escorts, Bajaj Auto, Nestle India, DLF Short Buildup Century Textiles, Indiabulls Housing Finance, Hero MotoCorp, DLF As many as 80 stocks on the BSE hit a fresh 52-week high that include names like s Nestle India, Dixon Technologies, Hawkins Cookers, Bajaj Auto, HUL, PVR, Divis Laboratories, and Asian Paints. Stocks in news: ITC: Share price of ITC fell over 4 percent on February 3 after the Budget proposed to raise excise duty on tobacco and cigarettes. It recorded its biggest one-day decline on February 1 since July 2017. Hindustan Unilever: Shares of Hindustan Unilever gained almost 5 percent on February 3 after it reported better-than-expected earnings during December quarter. Asian Paints surges over 6% as crude slips a 1-year low. The stock also touched its fresh 52-week and was the top Sensex and Nifty gainer. PVR: PVR share price gained 3 percent on February 3 after rating upgrade by CRISIL. CRISIL has upgraded its rating on the non-convertible debentures and long-term bank facilities of the company to CRISIL AA/Stable from CRISIL AA-/Stable. Godrej Properties: Godrej Properties share price surged over 8 percent on February 3 after the company reported 9.2 percent jump in its December quarter (Q3FY20) consolidated net profit at Rs 45.5 crore against Rs 41.6 crore in December 2018. Technical View: Nifty forms a bullish candle on the daily charts On expected lines, index bounced back after breaching 200-DMA placed at 11,653 Though it will be too early to conclude that bottom is in place at Mondays low of 11614, some consolidation with positive bias cant be ruled out in next couple of trading sessions, suggest experts. In case if bulls succeed in defending the low of 11614 levels then a best case target of 11934 cant be ruled out on Nifty in next couple of sessions. Bulls may abort this pull back attempt if Nifty fails to sustain above its 200-Day moving average on closing basis and weakness shall resume with ultimate targets placed around 11200 levels. For time being traders are advised to focus on stock specific opportunities by remaining neutral on index. Fresh shorting opportunity shall arise on a close below 11600 levels. Three levels: 11614, 11749, 11900 As Pete Buttigieg travels across Iowa, he has taken to ending his speeches by reaching out his hand and letting his wedding ring glint under the lights. This is the point when Buttigieg talks about the first time he came here as a volunteer on Barack Obamas 2008 campaign. I was here in Iowa when this state changed what the country and the world thought was possible in American presidential politics, he often says. This state gave me permission to believe that someone like me could be wearing this wedding ring Ive got on right now. The ring flashes. The crowd cheers. This closing pitch is part of Buttigiegs not-so-subtle effort to link his candidacy to the last young outsider to win Iowa and then the presidency, another disciplined intellectual who ran on hope and unity. But its also a hint at the broader emotional arc of how Buttigiegs identity informs his central argument about grace and belonging: that America is flawed but forgivable, that her sins are venial but not mortal, and that bigotry can be melted by love. Just as Obamas rhetoric on race was informed by his love for his white mother and grandparents, Buttigiegs rhetoric about what he calls a crisis of belonging is rooted in his experience as a closeted gay man in Indiana. Buttigieg is the first gay candidate for president to have a credible chance at winning, which is part of the reason why his bid for the White House gained notice in the first place. But perhaps the most remarkable part of this milestone is the degree to which his identity has faded into the background over the course of the campaign. It seems to have had little negative effect on his fundraising or poll numbers; if anything, it may have helped him catch the attention of deep-pocketed donors in New York and San Francisco. And unlike his female opponents, Buttigieg has faced few questions about whether his sexuality diminishes his electability. Story continues In interviews with dozens of voters across Iowa during Buttigiegs final swing, not a single one brought up his sexuality until explicitly asked. When asked directly, voters said they considered it a non-issue, or even evidence of how far the country has come. For the gay candidate to have twice the crowd of [Elizabeth] Warren or [Bernie] Sanders or anybody else in these little rural towns, that gives me some faith in humanity, says Scott Matter, a Buttigieg precinct captain and a former Republican. I get choked up just thinking about it. It says something really good about Iowa. They see who this guy is at his core. Democratic presidential candidate and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg arrives at a campaign event with his and husband Chasten Glezman (R) at Town Hall in Vinton, IA on Jan. 27, 2020. | September Dawn Bottoms for TIME In an interview with TIME on Saturday, Buttigieg reflected on how being gay has affected his campaign message. Our message about belonging is designed to make everyone feel welcome, and my own search for belonging of course partly has to do with being different because Im gay, he said. But its also part of what motivates me to help make sure anybody whos been made to feel on the outside knows that they have a home in this campaign. Buttigiegs sexuality appears to have shaped his personality and presentation in ways that explain both his formidable strengths as a candidate and his weaknesses. He is unusually controlled and disciplined. To supporters, this reads as reassuring, presidential. To skeptics, it reads as contrived, robotic. Buttigieg was in his 30s when he came out publicly by writing an op-ed. By then he had amassed a glittering resumeHarvard, Oxford, McKinsey, Mayor the Navybut no intimate personal life. That may not be a coincidence. Externally, he had to be the best, prove himself, and strive and get the top mark. Internally, I could see how thats tough, says one friend who has known him since high school. Theres two sides: you go home and its probably a little painful and lonely, and then when you go outside the best way to measure success or happiness or pleasure or fun is just by doing the best job you can. And thats kind of how hes gotten to this point. Buttigieg himself has acknowledged this. You feel a different level of pressure to be the most, the best, the strongest, especially if theres something gnawing at you that makes you think theres something about you thats wrong or off, Buttigieg told comedian Jon Lovett on his podcast, Lovett or Leave It, adding that he had a little more bandwidth because dating wasnt available for me. You just find places for your energy. You could even argue you find places for your love to go if its not going into a relationship, he said. Theres no question that so many gay people feel that pressure and it propels us in different ways. In 1973, writer Andrew Tobias first popularized the idea of the best little boy in the world, which suggests that closeted young men often become overachievers in order to deflect attention from their sexuality. In 2013, this theory was substantiated in a study that found that closeted young men were more likely to derive their self-worth from external achievements and that the longer they stayed in the closet, the more they accomplished. Being in the closet didnt just propel Buttigieg towards achievement. It also defined his personality, giving him a discipline and self-control that few politicians his age have mastered. It doesnt always go over well. Hes been called an ambitious apple-polisher and a build-a-Bear for middling Democrats. He was mocked in The Onion for speaking to manufacturing robots in fluent binary. He seems to have trouble relating to angry young protesters. But critics who accuse him of contorting himself in a cynical bid to run for President are missing the point: He has always been like this. In interviews with dozens of people who have known Buttigieg throughout his life family friends, middle-school classmates, high-school teachers, college roommates, disgruntled South Bend residentsthey all say the same thing: the 38-year old Pete that voters see on the trail is the same Pete they knew when he was 30 or 13. Personality is the product of countless factors, from geography (theres that Midwestern niceness) to education and privilege (hes a white man raised in an upper middle class family) to family dynamics (as an only child of two professors, hes bookish and conflict-averse) to parenting (Buttigiegs mother has a similarly calm and collected demeanor.) But the intensity of his self-possession is obvious to anyone who has ever met Buttigieg: the absolute self-control, the infrequency of gaffes, the unwillingness to let the mask slip, even among his closest and most intimate friends. Thats because its not a mask. Or if it is, its one that he put on so long ago he doesnt know how to take it off. Hes someone whos grappled with what its like to be gay in this liminal space between acceptance and a lack of acceptance, and I think you see that in his story, Lovett said in an interview, reflecting on their earlier conversation. I think thats something that a lot of young gay people have been through: this desire to prove that you arent defined by it, while also going through that long and difficult process of not just viewing it as something you have to deal it but viewing it as a positive, important aspect of yourself that allows you to have insight into what its like to be marginalized in some way. Buttigiegs sexualityand the years of struggle and isolation that came with ithave informed his central argument about difference and belonging, allowing him to position himself as the candidate of inclusion for anybody who feels excluded from the Democratic party. Nationwide, that argument could fall flat in the face of his dismal polling with voters of color, who are core to the Democratic base. But in Iowa, the Buttigieg campaign has calculated that his welcoming message of growth and acceptance could appeal to what he calls future former Republicans, who feel at once alienated by Trump but excluded from an increasingly vengeful Democratic party. People who are sick of feeling bad, and just want to feel good again. People who want forgiveness. I think the pendulum has swung on that issue even more than we all understand, says Matter, the Buttigieg precinct captain. And its happened so fast that its almost jarring. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 20:38:15|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close MOSCOW, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Center for Reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria said Monday that the Turkish military in Syria's Idlib province had been wounded by fire meant for terrorists. "Turkish military units made movements inside the Idlib de-escalation zone on the night from Feb. 2 to Feb. 3 without warning the Russian side and came under fire from Syrian government forces aimed against terrorists in the area west of the village of Seracab," it said in a statement. The statement said that several Turkish soldiers had been wounded and arrangements had been made for their evacuation to Turkey. The airspace above the Idlib de-escalation zone is constantly monitored by the Russian Aerospace Forces, the statement said, adding that the Turkish Air Force did not violate Syria's border, and no attacks were recorded against Syrian troops. The Russian and Turkish military in the area maintain constant communication, it said. Earlier on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised speech that Turkey had been retaliating against an attack by Syrian forces on its soldiers in Idlib. He said Turkish artillery and warplanes operating in the area killed between 30 and 35 Syrian soldiers. Four Turkish soldiers were killed and nine others wounded in an intense artillery shooting by Syrian forces in Idlib, the last stronghold of rebels in Syria, the Turkish defense ministry said earlier in the day. Brad Pitt is undergoing a major career resurgence, after his appearance in Quentin Tarantinos hit film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Still, the world is much more interested in Pitts personal life than with his film work. Following a headline-making divorce from his longtime flame Angelina Jolie, Pitt is back on the market and might be ready to mingle. As one of the worlds leading heartthrobs, Pitt could likely have his pick of attractive industry players. But fans are intent on seeing him reconnect with one specific woman his ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston. Still, Pitt recently revealed that he tries to avoid the chatter as much as possible, using a very basic technique that could surprise many fans. Brad Pitts turbulent romantic history Brad Pitt | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic In the early 2000s, Pitt and Aniston were happily married, and considered to be Hollywoods Golden Couple. They appeared at red carpet events all over the world, and by all appearances, couldnt be happier. However, in 2005, Pitt and Aniston announced their separation, following rumors of Pitts affair with Angelina Jolie. Shortly after Pitt and Aniston officially split, Pitt and Jolie went public with their relationship. The two started a family, adopting children from Ethiopia and Cambodia and even welcoming three biological children together. In April 2012, after close to seven years together, Pitt proposed to Jolie. They tied the knot in August 2014, in a low-key ceremony that included all six of their children. Still, wedded bliss didnt last long and in September 2016, Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt. It was widely reported that Pitts drinking had led to irreparable problems within their marriage. The world is obsessed with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston Pitt and Jolies divorce dragged out over a period of several years and included a bitter custody battle. These days, Pitt seems to be doing better than ever and is reconnecting with several people from his past including his ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston. The two are reportedly still friends, in spite of the history between them. Pitt has even shown up to several of Anistons recent events, including her fiftieth birthday party. Needless to say, fans are loving the fact that Pitt and Aniston have been spotted together and seem to be friendly. Many have speculated that the two are dating, although there remains little evidence to actually support that and Pitt himself has said that any dating rumors are completely untrue. Still, fans hold onto hope that Pitt and Aniston could one day reconnect in a romantic sense, and step out once again as Hollywoods Golden Couple. Brad Pitt tries to avoid the gossip As for Pitt, he is keeping his head low and focusing on his work, rather than romance. In a recent interview, Pitt admitted that he likes to remain blissfully naive when it comes to internet reports about his personal life and whether or not he and Aniston will start dating. He stated that he hasnt read the headlines recently, preferring to stay well away from the internet frenzy focusing on his reunion with Aniston. It seems likely that Pitt is at least partially aware of how beloved he and Aniston were as a couple and how much many people would love to see them back together. He is most likely deflecting a bit in order to avoid discussing what could still be a sensitive topic. For fans, the only real solution is to wait and see what happens: it is certainly possible that the one-time couple could decide to pursue a romantic relationship in the near future. (Natural News) Every virology lab in the world that has run a genomic analysis of the coronavirus now knows that the coronavirus was engineered by human scientists. The proof is in the virus itself: The tools for genetic insertion are still present as remnants in the genetic code. Since these unique gene sequences dont occur by random chance, theyre proof that this virus was engineered by scientists in a lab. But the WHO and CDC are covering up this inconvenient fact in order to protect communist China and its biological weapons program, since no government wants the public to know the full truth about how frequently government-run labs experience outbreaks. Decades ago, for example, the U.S. Army ran an Ebola bioweapons lab in the United States, where a monkey infected one of the scientists there. The strain turned out to be infectious only in monkeys, not humans, so the world dodged a bullet, but the U.S. Army nuked the entire facility with chemical bombs, killing all the monkeys and wiping out any last remnant of the virus on U.S. soil. You can read the full details of that incident in the book The Hot Zone by Richard Preston. Weve also covered it at NaturalNews.com, where this book description is reprinted: In 1989, Reston, VA one of the most famous U.S. planned communities located about 10 miles from Washington DC stood at the epicenter of a potential biological disaster. This well-known story was narrated by Richard Preston in a bone chilling account related to the recognition and containment of a devastating tropical filovirus at a monkey facility the Reston Primate Quarantine Unit. That outbreak occurred because Ebola was found to be spreading through the air ducts, confirming that Ebola can spread through the air. This simple fact was vigorously covered up by the entire medical establishment during the Ebola scare in the United States many years later, where the CDC transported an infected patient to a hospital in Dallas, subsequently infecting a nurse who was treated with highly toxic chemicals that caused permanent kidney damage (she later sued the hospital for the damage she suffered). The reason this is relevant is because in order to understand the coronavirus situation in China, we must first realize that virology research labs routinely experience lapses in containment. Even the United States has failed to contain deadly viral strains when trying to study them. Chinas BSL-4 labs have experienced multiple accidental releases of SARS strains, and this new coronavirus is now confirmed to be an engineered strain that was either used in bioweapons research or vaccine experiments. The genomic coding in the virus is not natural, in other words. Just as you would never encounter a snake in the desert thats writing a book containing words and grammatical structure, the genetic sequences now identified in the coronavirus strain are, without question, proof that human engineers have been tinkering with the strain. How to genetically engineer viruses: the pShuttle vector One of the tools used to accomplish this genetic engineering is called pShuttle. Its a genetic tool set that can carry a payload of genes to be inserted into the target virus. Researchers engaged in genetic engineering can purchase the pShuttle sequence from online retailers such as AddGenes.org, which sells the sequence for $75, shipped in bacteria as agar stab. The following map outlines the complete gene sequence of the pShuttle tool: The method for using pShuttle is described in a PubMed document entitled, A simplified system for generating recombinant adenoviruses. The summary of the paper describes, a strategy that simplifies the generation and production of such viruses. Heres how the process works to achieve genetic engineering of viruses: A recombinant adenoviral plasmid is generated with a minimum of enzymatic manipulations, using homologous recombination in bacteria rather than in eukaryotic cells. After transfections of such plasmids into a mammalian packaging cell line, viral production is conveniently followed with the aid of green fluorescent protein, encoded by a gene incorporated into the viral backbone. Homogeneous viruses can be obtained from this procedure without plaque purification. The paper describes how this approach will, expedite the process of generating and testing recombinant adenoviruses. During this process, of course, the pShuttle leaves behind unique code, a fingerprint of the genetic modification. It is this fingerprint that has now been identified in the coronavirus. As revealed by genomics researcher James Lyons-Weiler in this bombshell analysis article, the pShuttle genetic code is found in the coronavirus thats circulating in the wild. This is proof that the virus has been engineered by human scientists. IPAK researchers found a sequence similarity between a pShuttle-SN recombination vector sequence and INS1378, writes Lyons-Weiler for IPAK: Another gene sequence also shows a 92% match with the Spike protein from the SARS coronavirus: The process for achieving this was patented by Chinese researchers as shown in this patent link. The pShuttle vector was used to insert SARS genes into the coronavirus, a process that makes it deadly to humans. The very researchers conducting studies on SARS vaccines have cautioned repeatedly against human trials, warns Lyons-Weiler: The disease progression in of 2019-nCoV is consistent with those seen in animals and humans vaccinated against SARS and then challenged with re-infection. Thus, the hypothesis that 2019-nCoV is an experimental vaccine type must be seriously considered. He also warns about, studies that have reported serious immunopathology in animals rats, ferrets, and monkeys in which animals vaccinated against coronoviruses tended to have extremely high rates of respiratory failure upon subsequent exposure in the study when challenged with the wild-type coronavirus. He concludes: If the Chinese government has been conducting human trials against SARS. MERS, or other coronviruses using recombined viruses, they may have made their citizens far more susceptible to acute respiratory distress syndrome upon infection with 2019-nCoV coronavirus. Brighteon.com/a4d2afed-56c6-4602-b6ab-6f777ba4a69a Another doctor from Beijing Medical University warns the virus appears to be genetically engineered Lyons-Weiler is not alone in his assessment of the genetic engineering origins of the coronavirus. Dr. Yuhong Dong, who holds a doctorate degree in infectious diseases from Beijing University, writes in The Epoch Times: Based on recently published scientific papers, this new coronavirus has unprecedented virologic features that suggest genetic engineering may have been involved in its creation. The virus presents with severe clinical features, thus it poses a huge threat to humans. It is imperative for scientists, physicians, and people all over the world, including governments and public health authorities, to make every effort to investigate this mysterious and suspicious virus in order to elucidate its origin and to protect the ultimate future of the human race. Dr. Yuhong reminds us that a Jan. 30 science paper published in The Lancet concludes that, recombination is probably not the reason for emergence of this virus. In other words, this did not occur through natural mutations in the wild. He also points to a Jan. 27th study by five Greek scientists who also concluded the coronavirus has no lineage to other viruses in the family tree thats found in the wild. He writes: A Jan. 27 2020, study by 5 Greek scientists analyzed the genetic relationships of 2019-nCoV and found that the new coronavirus provides a new lineage for almost half of its genome, with no close genetic relationships to other viruses within the subgenus of sarbecovirus, and has an unusual middle segment never seen before in any coronavirus. All this indicates that 2019-nCoV is a brand-new type of coronavirus. The studys authors rejected the original hypothesis that 2019-nCoV originated from random natural mutations between different coronaviruses. No bats were sold or found at the Huanan seafood market Dr. Yuhong writes about The Lancet study by authors Roujian Lu et al., from the China Key Laboratory of Biosafety, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, repeating a quote from that paper: First, the outbreak was first reported in late December 2019, when most bat species in Wuhan are hibernating. Second, no bats were sold or found at the Huanan seafood market, whereas various non-aquatic animals (including mammals) were available for purchase. Third, the sequence identity between 2019-nCoV and its close relatives bat-SL-CoVZC45 and bat-SL-CoVZXC21 was less than 90%. Hence, bat-SL-CoVZC45 and bat-SL-CoVZXC21 are not direct ancestors of 2019-nCoV. In other words, it isnt from bats. That means the entire mainstream media is lying to us about the real origins of the coronavirus. That same paper goes on to underscore the misinformation in the official explanation, stating, Many of the initially confirmed 2019-nCoV cases27 of the first 41 in one report, 26 of 47 in anotherwere connected to the Wuhan market, but up to 45%, including the earliest handful, were not. This raises the possibility that the initial jump into people happened elsewhere. Both Lu (in The Lancet paper linked above) and Lyons-Weiler point to the presence of a SARS binding protein sequence in the coronavirus that allows it to easily infect human cells. As explained in The Epoch Times: despite considerable genetics distance between the Wuhan CoV and the human-infecting SARS-CoV, and the overall low homology of the Wuhan CoV S-protein to that of SARS-CoV, the Wuhan CoV S-protein had several patches of sequences in the receptor binding (RBD) domain with a high homology to that of SARS-CoV. The residues at positions 442, 472, 479, 487, and 491 in SARS-CoV S-protein were reported to be at receptor complex interface and considered critical for cross species and human-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV. So to our surprise, despite replacing four out of five important interface amino acid residues, the Wuhan CoV S-protein was found to have a significant binding affinity to human ACE2. The Wuhan CoV S-protein and SARS-CoV S-protein shared an almost identical 3-D structure in the RBD domain, thus maintaining similar van der Waals and electrostatic properties in the interaction interface. Thus the Wuhan CoV is still able to pose a significant public health risk for human transmission via the S proteinACE2 binding pathway. (emphasis added) As Dr. Yuhong asks, How could this novel virus be so intelligent as to mutate precisely at selected sites while preserving its binding affinity to the human ACE2 receptor? How did the virus change just four amino acids of the S-protein? Did the virus know how to use Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) to make sure this would happen? It couldnt happen by chance, in other words. The coronavirus is not a random mutation in the wild. It was engineered. Many other scientists around the world are now investigating the gene sequences found in the coronavirus, and they are increasingly concluding that elements of the virus have been engineered. Many of those scientists are being threatened and censored. One paper has so far been forced to be withdrawn and revised, no doubt to remove the key conclusions that point to the genetic engineering origins of the coronavirus, but the proof of its engineering cannot be denied forever. Brighteon.com/0bddc3da-f590-445e-ac38-9a74e358a57c Either the coronavirus was genetically engineered, or the science establishment is going to have to throw out the entire field of genomics research and claim it isnt real Eventually, the science establishment is either going to have to conclude that this coronavirus strain was engineered, or that all the laws of genetics science dont work, and gene sequencing is imaginary (sort of like transgenderism by the progressive Left, which has already abandoned biological reality). So far theyve tried to bamboozle the public into believing this is all some sort of accident from Mother Nature, but that has only worked because most of the public doesnt understand enough science to counter the official propaganda. However, there are more than enough independent scientists around the world to prove that this pandemic strain was engineered by humans. More evidence is coming out each day. Interestingly, as this article is going to press, all the official numbers of infections and deaths from coronavirus have been frozen for about 14 hours and counting, almost as if every nation of the world has agreed to stop reporting new numbers. This may be a temporary situation that gets resolved in the next few hours, but its highly suspicious. For the last week, weve been getting new updates about every 12 hours or sooner, and weve never seen the count frozen for this long. At the same time, an 11th case of coronavirus has now been confirmed by the CDC in the United States, revealing that infections are continuing to spread in the USA, despite the efforts of the CDC to contain the outbreak. Stay informed. Read NaturalNews.com and watch more videos from thousands of channels at Brighteon.com. PARSIPPANY, N.J., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Nutella, The Original Hazelnut Spread is celebrating World Nutella Day by encouraging fans across the U.S. to unite and show their fandom to unlock 20,000 coupons for a free jar of Nutella. In addition, Nutella fans will have the chance to win a trip to the birthplace of Nutella in Alba, Italy. As part of the World Nutella Day festivities, the Nutella brand is enlisting the help of fellow Nutella lovers Giada De Laurentiis and Alexys Gabrielle Johns, as well as World Nutella Day founder Sara Rosso. Influencer Gabrielle Johns is leading the conversation on social media to rally fans across the U.S. to unlock the coupons for a free jar of Nutella. Acting as global ambassador for the brand, TV personality and chef De Laurentiis is kicking off the day with a post inspired by the beloved hazelnut spread as a means of spurring consumer excitement. "I believe food is the cornerstone of community and for me, Nutella has always helped create special moments with my family," said Giada de Laurentiis. "I'm thrilled to be partnering with the brand in support of World Nutella Day, and I hope fans are inspired to open up a jar of Nutella and help spread the love on February 5." To celebrate this World Nutella Day, fans can come together and do the following: World Nutella Day Coupon Giveaway* The Nutella brand wants fans to share their passion for Nutella across the United States. In return, if fans post at least 50 posts in each of the 50 states, they will unlock a giveaway for 20,000 coupons for a free jar of Nutella. Beginning on February 5 , Nutella fans can show their Nutella fandom on their personal Twitter, Instagram or the Nutella Facebook page with a post, video or photo and tag it with #WNDGiveaway and a hashtag with their state abbreviation (for example, #NJ). , Nutella fans can show their Nutella fandom on their personal Twitter, Instagram or the Nutella Facebook page with a post, video or photo and tag it with #WNDGiveaway and a hashtag with their state abbreviation (for example, #NJ). Track in real time how many people from each state have posted about Nutella at NutellaDay.com, and encourage friends and family across the U.S. to spread the love. Once fans meet the requirement of 50 posts from each of the 50 states, the Nutella brand will notify fans when they are able to visit NutellaDay.com to claim a coupon for a free jar of Nutella. One Lucky Fan Could Win a Trip to the Homeland of Nutella** Nutella fans will have the chance to win a five-day/four-night trip to Italy for a winner and their guest, where they will tour a factory where Nutella is made. Participants can visit NutellaDay.com to complete their entry form. Additionally, the Nutella Cafe in New York and Chicago will be giving away a free personalized jar of Nutella with the purchase of a menu item of their choice, to the first 100 consumers to visit each location. Both Nutella Cafe locations will be open from 7 a.m. 9 p.m. Nutella Cafe New York is located at 116 University Place. Nutella Cafe Chicago is located at 189 Michigan Avenue. "This World Nutella Day, we wanted to give back to our passionate fan base," said Shahrukh Mehta Brand Marketing Director for Nutella at Ferrero USA. "Our goal on February 5 is simple - to bring people together across the U.S. through a mutual love for our iconic hazelnut spread." Since 2007, World Nutella Day has grown to be a global phenomenon that recognizes the brand's longstanding heritage of delighting people in more than 170 countries worldwide. For more information on World Nutella Day, the World Nutella Day Coupon Giveaway and the Italy Experience Sweepstakes, visit NutellaDay.com and follow Nutella on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. *World Nutella Day Coupon Giveaway (the "Giveaway"). Open only to legal residents of the 50 U.S. and DC who are 18 years + as of the time of post and have a valid email. Void in PR and where prohibited. Between 12:00:00 AM (ET) on 2/5/2020 and 6:00 AM (ET) on 2/6/2020 (the "Posting Period") need to submit an original public Nutella-themed post, photo or video (the "Post") on either Twitter (https://twitter.com), Instagram (Instagram.com) or the official Nutella Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/nutellausa/) The Post must include #WNDGiveaway plus a hashtag to indicate the state of the participant. If the Giveaway is activated, consumers can access the Giveaway by visiting www.nutelladay.com/coast-to-coast between the time the coupon offer is unlocked until the earlier of 11:59:59 PM (ET) on 2/7/2020 or when all 20,000 coupons have been claimed. Coupon must be redeemed by 2/22/2020. For complete details, see Terms and Conditions available at www.nutelladay.com/coast-to-coast. **Nutella World Nutella Day Italy Experience Sweepstakes (the "Sweepstakes"). NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Open only to legal residents of the 50 U.S. and D.C. who are 18 years + with a valid email as of the time of entry. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes begins at 12:00:00 AM (ET) on 2/5/2020 and ends at 6:00AM (ET) on 2/6/2020. For complete details, including entry requirements and prizing details/restrictions, see Official Rules available at www.nutelladay.com/coast-to-coast/#rules. About Nutella Nutella was born in 1964. The unique hazelnut spread that millions of people around the world love, is made with a meticulous selection of high quality ingredients and an exacting, artisan-inspired production. Today, the popular hazelnut spread is available in around 160 countries worldwide. About Ferrero For over 70 years, Ferrero has been creating products loved by generations. We've grown from a bakery in Alba into the third largest confectionery in the world. Ferrero entered the U.S. market in 1969 with Tic Tac mints and continues to win hearts and sharing joy with Ferrero Rocher, Nutella, Kinder and Fannie May chocolates. Ferrero Group expanded its chocolate portfolio with the addition of legendary brands, including Butterfinger, Crunch, Baby Ruth, Raisinets, and other legendary chocolate brands which are now part of the Ferrero U.S. portfolio. We're proud to be a family-owned company with 3,000 employees in seven offices and six plants and warehouses in North America. Instilled in every aspect of our business at every level is the entrepreneurial spirit of our founders, and we work together as a family to bring the Ferrero passion for quality, creativity, and innovation to life every day. Generation after generation, our products are crafted by the people who love them and who appreciate the philosophy behind them. Follow @FerreroUSA on Twitter and Instagram. CONTACT Patrick Rizzuto, Golin [email protected] SOURCE Nutella Related Links https://www.nutella.com/us/en/ Credit: CC0 Public Domain Historic rainfall in southeastern Brazil has created deadly floods and widespread destruction in a region that was experimenting with "more progressive" planning and zoning policies than most, says Northeastern political science professor Thomas Vicino, who studies metropolitan development and housing in Brazil. Had they been fully realized, could those policies have reduced some of the destruction in Belo Horizonte wrought by the storms? "Many peopleand we see this in India as well as Brazillive in informal settlements that are often built in precarious places, like mountainsides" Vicino says. These communities are typically not zoned or overseen by any government agency, and they crop up as piecemeal settlements as a result of people moving from rural areas of the country closer to urban areas for work, he says. "They are very susceptible to natural disasters," says Vicino, who is a professor of political science, public policy, and urban affairs at Northeastern. In 2013, he led a Dialogue of Civilizations program in Belo Horizonte. "Resilient, sustainable regional planning and approaches to development certainly help," says Vicino, who spent a year in Belo Horizonte as a United States Fulbright Core Scholar, where he contributed to research on urban planning. "But the core issue is a political question: Does society have the political will to confront the realities of climate change?" It's been raining in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais for nearly a month, and Belo Horizonte, its capital, registered last week the heaviest rainfall in the city since it started measuring 110 years ago. Cities and towns in the region have been washed out by landslides and floods, and thousands of people have been displaced from their homes. Brazilian officials blame inadequate housing policies in part for the storm's particularly high death toll, they told the New York Times. The destruction underscores the need for cities around the world to implement "more resilient policies and more resilient [neighborhood] planning," Vicino sayspolicies with which Belo Horizonte was in the early stages of exploring. City officials had created a number of programs to bring those informal housing settlements (called favelas) into the fold by applying appropriate zoning regulations and adding municipal sewer systems, roads, and public services such as police and schools, Vicino says. "This makes them more sustainable places to live," he says. But it's not just these communities that are susceptible, Vicino says. He says that "resilient planning" also involves officials creating fixed boundaries around development zones to protect open space and natural land. Paving over too much of the landscape or burying rivers and creeks in order to build over them, means that these natural water collection systemssoil and riverscannot do their jobs, Vicino says. "It makes an acute event, like the storms we are seeing in Brazil, even more acute," he says. The sorts of long-term planning policies that Belo Horizonte and other parts of Brazil are implementing require support and funding that spans elected officials and administrations, Vicino sayssupport that can be difficult to achieve. Any interruption to the process, including natural disasters, political upheaval, economic downturn, and social unrest, can derail it, he says. "What we know is that we need more resilient policies, and more resilient planning for all types of neighborhoods and all types of people," Vicino says. Explore further Record southeastern Brazil rainstorms kill 30 Sophisticated brain imaging, like an MRI, has limited applicability in assessing a defendant's sanity, investigators say. The bottom line of an insanity defense is the defendant's inability to distinguish right from wrong at the time of the crime, something which neuroimaging cannot help do, they say in a review article in the journal Neuroethics. MRIs and other brain scans are good for many things but they really have limited use when you talk about truly determining if someone was criminally responsible or not. The key element of an insanity defense is you have to be unable to tell right from wrong. It's that functional deficit that is critical. It's a very high bar." Dr. Michael J. Vitacco, forensic psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University It's also an important distinction that means the difference between a defendant going to jail or to a hospital, says the article's corresponding author. And, it's one that advanced brain imaging technology, like functional MRIs and positron emission tomography, or PET scans, which provide images of brain structure and insight into how the brain is functioning, typically cannot help defendants seeking a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict achieve. But it's use is growing. Particularly in the last decade, brain imaging, which routinely provides valuable, objective information to a medical diagnosis, has been increasingly used in criminal and civil cases. It even has a name, "neurolaw," with neurolaw centers sprouting up across the country and beyond, Vitacco says. "The problem is nobody talks about the limitations of these images," says Vitacco who, along with colleagues at the Medical University of South Carolina, Emory University and University of Southern Mississippi, decided to take a look at research and evidence out there. No published studies they found showed the ability of brain imaging to provide insight and evidence beyond the usual exhaustive clinical evaluations of defendants, says Vitacco. These evaluations may include talking with the defendant, with friends and family members, possibly personality testing and medical record reviews looking for patterns of behavior and for evidence that supports or contradicts an insanity defense. Another issue is that brain images are taken well after the crime, sometimes even a year or more after, and the dynamic brain function images they display indicate what is happening at that moment, not at the time of the crime, he says. Scans can show evidence of serious mental health problems like chronic depression and schizophrenia, as well as brain tumors or brain damage. While problems like these may qualify defendants for an insanity evaluation, a very small percentage of these individuals will meet the high bar of not being able to distinguish right from wrong, Vitacco says. As an example, pedophilia has been associated with tumors in the front of the brain in areas involved with emotion and memory, but they don't necessarily mean the offender did not know right from wrong, Vitacco and his colleagues write. Even sociopaths typically know right from wrong but choose to ignore it, Vitacco says. What may better provide insight on many defendants is social media, notes Vitacco. He and Dr. Ashley B. Batastini, director of the Correctional and Forensic Psychology Research Laboratory at the University of Southern Mississippi, recently coauthored the book Forensic Mental Health Evaluations in the Digital Age: A Practitioner's Guide to Using Internet-Based Data. They found these often multi-daily posts about detailed thoughts and actions on social media can provide that retrospective picture of what was happening in the mind of the defendant at the time of the crime in the defendant's own words, says Vitacco. "It really is powerful evidence, that tells you a lot about their function, says Vitacco. He notes, for example, a Georgia case when the defendant was pleading insanity but his social media accounts at the time of the crime included an instant message to a friend that he had done something bad. "This kind of evidence can speak directly to knowing right from wrong at the time a crime happens," Vitacco says. While there is no accurate measure of how often the defense of not guilty by reason of insanity is used, it is a controversial issue both in the legal and general community, Vitacco and his colleagues write. An insanity verdict is reached in less than 1% of cases, he notes. Insanity evaluations are court ordered and experts like Vitacco only make recommendations to judges and juries. "Insanity evaluations are never easy, mainly because they are retrospective," he says. A 2013 University of Denver study of 165 defendants who each had multiple evaluations by either a forensic psychologist or forensic psychiatrist found unanimous agreement about legal sanity among evaluators only 55% of the time. While recent years have seen a surge in brain imaging in an insanity defense, its usage dates back much further, including the 1982 trial of John Hinckley Jr., who shot President Reagan, and whose defense team said had an abnormal CT scan that suggested "organic brain disease." Hinkley was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Ronald Garcia, PhD, referred to his office as the museum. Its walls were covered with masks from around the world, sent by students and alumni of the School of Medicine. Given that his goal at the school since the mid-1970s was to expand the diversity of health professionals not only ethnically but in terms of sexual orientation, race, religion, and physical and mental abilities the display is an apt metaphor. Garcia retired as assistant dean for minority affairs on Jan. 6, leaving a medical school filled with students who hail from as far as Kazakhstan and as near as Redwood City. When he started, the school had organizations for Latino, black and Native American students; now it also boasts groups for LGBTQ, disabled, Muslim and Asian-American students. By creating opportunity and supporting minority students, he has improved the education and experience of every student, faculty member and patient at Stanford, said Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the School of Medicine. Garcia first worked with the school when he was a graduate student in psychology and was hired to be an evaluator for the physicians assistant program, at the time a joint program with Foothill College. In 1988, he was hired as its associate director and served as director of admissions, as well as interim program director. He assumed a national leadership position in physician assistant education when he was elected president of the Association of Physician Assistant Programs. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WPD Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE: WBIO)(FSE: 8SV1) (the Company or WPD), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, provides an update on the completed acquisition of exclusive sublicenses for two drug candidates from Moleculin Biotech, Inc. a leading global pharmaceuticals company focused on the treatment of highly resistant cancers. The acquisitions bring the total development funding spent on WPDs portfolio of drugs under license to over USD$100 million. The territory covered by the patents includes 30 countries in Europe and Asia, including Russia. The licensed drug candidates, WP1122 and WP1732 were developed at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, a leading comprehensive cancer center located in Houston, TX. Both drug candidates are considered promising potential therapies for treating pancreatic cancer, among other highly resistant tumors. WP1732 appears capable of a disproportionately high accumulation in the pancreas, making it a promising candidate for treating pancreatic cancer. WP1122 is capable of inhibiting glycolysis, a process by which cells convert glucose into energy and one on which many tumor cells are known to be much more dependent for their survival than normal cells. In particular, pancreatic cancer is known to be highly dependent on glycolysis. Mariusz Olejniczak, CEO of WPD commented, The acquisition of these two pancreatic cancer drug candidates brings the total development funding for our license portfolio to over USD$100 million. Working with one of the best comprehensive cancer centers in North America, and a team of world class scientists continues to demonstrate our determination to develop novel treatments for cancer. The acquisitions are an important step for WPD, and we are focused on developing our portfolio of eight drugs across five different indications. About WPD Pharmaceuticals WPD is a biotechnology research and development company with a focus on oncology, namely research and development of medicinal products involving biological compounds and small molecules. WPD has 10 novel drug candidates with 5 that are in clinical development stage and 5 in pre-clinical development. These drug candidates were researched at institutions including MD Anderson Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic and Emory University, and WPD currently has ongoing collaborations with Wake Forest University and leading hospitals and academic centers in Poland. WPD has entered into license agreements with Wake Forest University Health Sciences and sublicense agreements with Moleculin Biotech Inc. and CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., respectively, each of which grant WPD an exclusive, royalty-bearing sublicense to certain technologies of the licensor. Such agreements provide WPD with certain research, development, manufacturing and sales rights, among other things. On Behalf of the Board Mariusz Olejniczak Mariusz Olejniczak CEO, WDP Pharmaceuticals Contact: Investor Relations Email: investors@wpdpharmaceuticals.com Tel: 604-428-7050 Web: www.wpdpharmaceuticals.com Cautionary Statements: Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the Companys CSE listing statement, prepared in accordance with the policies of the CSE, any information released or received with respect to the transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that contemplate activities, events or developments that the Company anticipates will or may occur in the future. Forward-looking statements in this press release include that patents received will provide exclusivity and IP protection, and that WPDs drugs could be developed into novel treatments for cancer. These forward-looking statements reflect the Companys current expectations based on information currently available to management and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those projected. Factors which may prevent the forward looking statement from being realized is that competitors or others may successfully challenge a granted patent and the patent could be rendered void; that we are unable to raise sufficient funding for our research; that our drugs dont provide positive treatment, or if they do, the side effects are damaging; competitors may develop better or cheaper drugs; and we may be unable to obtain regulatory approval for any drugs we develop. Readers should refer to the risk disclosure included from time-to-time in the documents the Company files on SEDAR, available at www.sedar.com. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they are not guarantees of future performance and, accordingly, they should not be relied upon and there can be no assurance that any of them will prove to be accurate. Finally, these forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the Company assumes no obligation to update them except as required by applicable law. Kitahara Fuminari, visiting lecturer and former senior high school principal, enjoyed the Shen Yun Performance at Bunkyo Civic Hall in Tokyo along with his wife on Jan. 29, 2020. (Jerry Hirohiro/The Epoch Times) TOKYO, JapanAn enthusiastic educator who has an avid interest in Chinese culture, Kitahara Fuminari is a visiting lecturer at Keiai University and a former principal of Chiba Hideka Senior High School. I truly feel that Shen Yun brings us back to our original true selves, Kitahara said after he attended the performance presented by Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company at Bunkyo Civic Hall in Tokyo on the evening of Jan. 29, 2020. [Shen Yun] is indeed a superb performance with rich content, he said. I was deeply touched by the long and profound Chinese history [performed by Shen Yun]. In under 10 minutes each, these mini-dramas recount these timeless legends, bygone heroes, literary classics, celestial paradises, and more, according to Shen Yun website. Every dance embodies and celebrates the virtues that were at the heart of Chinese civilization for thousands of years: loyalty, courage, compassion, and piety. Kitahara enjoyed the contents of these vignettes. The [performance] on the stage fully demonstrated females gracefulness and males masculinity, Kirahara said with praise. During the magnificent performance, the educator was especially impressed with the vibrant colors at the dance dramas depicting the authentic culture of Chinas ethnic minority groups. |The stage arrangements and color matching are full of characteristics of Chinese traditions, he noted. From [Shen Yun performers] dance skills and the accompaniment played by the symphony orchestra combining Chinese and Western instruments, I can tell they have undergone rigorous training, he continued, This is something that deeply touched me. I enjoy [Shen Yuns] music for which Chinese instruments are played, he added. The Chinese rhythm is very unique and very pleasing to the ear. Shen Yun website explains, Shen Yun Performing Arts is the worlds premier classical Chinese dance and music company, established in New York in 2006. It performs classical Chinese dance, ethnic and folk dance, and story-based dance, with orchestral accompaniment and solo performers. As a Christian, Kitahara was especially moved by the spiritual connotation of traditional Chinese culture in the performance. I truly felt that Shen Yun is taking us back to our original true selves, and told us the existence and significance of godhood. The spiritual connotation in the [Shen Yun] show is very meaningful, he said. I am deeply moved, and hope that Shen Yun can be even more successful. The short story dances are like little excerpts from Chinese history. They may be about the Yellow Emperor of antiquity, a modern-day tale, heroes, deities, or colorful characters that have appeared throughout the millennia of dynasties, according to Shen Yun website. The value of human rights is deliberately included in dance dramas. Its something good to pass various messages on to China through different approaches, Kitahara said. With reporting by Jerry Hirohiro, Miranda Tsai, and Billy Shyu. The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006. ALTON A group of Alton High School students are making life a little less painful for area cancer patients. Last week members of the schools Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) visited Alton Memorial Hospital to donate 165 handmade pillows to the hospitals cancer center for patients with breast cancer who have chemotherapy ports. A port is a small disc about the size of a quarter made of plastic or metal that sits just under the skin. A soft thin tube called a catheter connects the port to a large vein. Chemotherapy medicines are given through a special needle that fits right into the port. Blood draws can also be taken through the ports. The FCCLA members held a sewing workshop where 26 students, FCCLA alumni members and adults learned how to make the port pillows. When they (patients) put a seatbelt on, wherever theyre at the belt a lot of time will cross right over the catheter, said Donna Campbell, assistant nurse manager for outpatient chemotherapy at Alton Memorial Hospital. Weve had patient tell us in the past that this is the most uncomfortable part about the port, she said. The port pillows are designed to provide both protection and comfort for cancer patients while are in a vehicle. The pillows have velcro straps that wrap around a seatbelt strap. Regina Birch, FCCLA advisor, knows the need for such pillows. In August, she was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer and, on Sept. 4, had a port inserted as part of her treatment. FCCLA members said they were devastated when they learned of Birchs diagnosis. We all wanted to do something to contribute, to help other people out, said FCCLA member Abby Jarnagin. We knew how it felt to have someone in our lives that are going through that. In October, the group launched a campaign to educate others about breast cancer, creating informational brochures and a bulletin board display at the high school for parent-teacher conferences. They also decided to raise money for cancer research and help patients with breast cancer by having clothes sales and ice cream sundae sales. Through the sale of pink awareness armbands and sundaes, FCCLA members raised $1,165 that will be divided between the Siteman Cancer Center Foundation for Research and Alton Memorial Hospital Foundations Youve Got a Friend fund. This whole entire school year has been a duration for me, Birch said. They (the students) basically said, Ms. Birch isnt going down without a fight. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 20:32:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Civil Aviation Organization on Monday criticized the Ukrainian experts for publicizing an audio file related to investigations on the recent Ukrainian passenger plane crash, semi-official Fars news agency reported. The audio file contained the communication of an Iranian pilot of a local airliner with the control tower of Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport at the time when the Ukrainian passenger plane was hit over the suburban of Tehran last month, Fars said. Iran will no longer share any document concerning the investigations with the Ukrainian experts, said Hassan Rezaeefar, who is in charge of the crash investigations. "We are surprised by publicizing this file. The file was part of the documents given to Ukrainian experts during the joint technical investigations of the crash," said Rezaeefar from Civil Aviation Organizatio. "The action by the Ukrainians have made us no longer share any other evidence with them," he added. The Ukrainian expert team has left Iran, the Iranian official revealed. According to an audio file leaked by Ukrainian media earlier in the day, the Iranian pilot who witnessed the incident said he saw "a big flash hitting something" near the Iranian airport. On Jan. 8, a Ukrainian Boeing 737-800 passenger plane crashed near Tehran, killing all the 176 onboard. Later, Iran's armed forces confirmed that an "unintentional" launch of a military missile shot down the Ukrainian airliner. The joint rally of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday, the first ever since Janata Dal (United) returned to the BJP-led National Democratic Fron (NDA) in July 2017, is important in more than one ways. Although Kumars equation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is well known and he had shared dais with the PM whenever he addressed rally in Bihar during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls campaign (PM addressed nine rallies in Bihar), sharing dais with Shah is a signal of new bonding and sends a sound message ahead of assembly elections later this year. Shah had addressed 16 rallies in Bihar in the run-up to last years Lok Sabha polls. When his own partymen were questioning his leadership and trying to corner Kumar on number of issues including loss in bypolls, it was Shah who clarified twice in public that the Bihar chief minister is the leader of the NDA in Bihar and elections will be fought under his leadership. Kumar had also reciprocated the gesture by removing Prashant Kishor and Pavan Verma from the party for their anti-BJP stand. The sharing of dais with Shah will go a long way to silence all critics of alliance - both inside and outside - that NDA is one, strong and intact, said Bihars minister Sanjay K Jha, who is also in-charge of Delhi unit of JD(U). On Sunday, BJP president JP Nadda attended one rally for a JD(U) candidate and Amit Shah addressed a rally for another JD(U) candidate. The JD(U) is contesting on two assembly seats in Delhi. A senior NDA leader said that whether JD(U) performs well or not in Delhi, this bonhomie is good sign for the party in Bihar. It is a clear message to all the voters in Bihar that NDA is united under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. This is also a signal that NDA wants to strengthen itself outside Bihar as this was the first rally of the NDA outside Bihar in which the JD(U) took part, said partys state spokesperson, Rajeev Ranjan Prasad. Leaders of both the parties accept that recent poll debacles of the BJP in Maharashtra and Jharkhand - and earlier in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan - and the setback to JD(U) national party ambition during Jharkhand assembly elections has something to do with this show of unity. While the BJP realised it cannot go on ignoring its allies, the JD(U) has also assessed the ground realities and anti-incumbency factor to show a united face and keep the caste dynamics together, said a NDA leader, wishing anonymity. However, PP Ghosh, director ADRI feels that one should wait a bit to see the impact of this bonhomie. It is difficult to say at this moment. There are two main focal points of Bihars politics - social justice and development. The BJP and JD(U)s activities were guided by allaying the fear of Lalu. That fear is gone and so has the urge to perform. So it remains to be seen how people take a look on these developments, said Ghosh. The BJP in Bihar is happy that the joint rally augurs well for both the parties ahead of Bihar assembly elections. The joint election campaign by the NDA allies as well as political meetings of Nitish Kumar with our national president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for Delhi assembly election is very significant. This sharing of dais by top NDA leaders will give big boost to our cadres not only for Delhi election but in Bihar. Our confidence is very high and we are sure to win not only Delhi, but Bihar assembly elections too, said BJPs spokesperson Nikhil Anand. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON AKRON, Ohio As part of a project led by the University of Akron and City of Akron, FirstEnergy crews have begun installing 252 LED streetlights in the citys South Exchange Street Corridor neighborhood, an area popular for off-campus living. Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan, UA President Gary Miller and Ohio Edison President Edward Shuttleworth announced the project Monday at a news conference at UAs Block by Block safety patrol office. The LED streetlights, which will all be installed by the end of May, are expected to improve visibility for people walking and driving in the area. Updated lighting to the neighborhood south of Exchange Street will significantly improve the quality of living there for all residents, Miller said. We have many university students who live in this area There are also many older residents and rental citizens who live in this area. We think this kind of partnership is very important to everybody. The city has put $52,000 toward the project, and the University of Akron Foundation has contributed $172,000. FirstEnergy is handling the logistics and installation. This neighborhood serves as a hub for student activities, with shops and restaurants that draw the neighborhood together, Horrigan said. Where the lights are brighter, residents feel safer, and were pleased today to start making this a brighter, more inviting space for our students to live, work, shop and learn. An Ohio Edison crew installs an LED streetlight Monday on Sherman Street, in the South Exchange Corridor near the University of Akron. The city has also started installing LED streetlights in West Akrons Copley Road corridor as part of the Great Streets Initiative program. In the next few years, the city plans to install LED streetlights in the other Great Streets districts: Aster Avenue in Firestone Park, Canton Road in Ellet, Goodyear Heights, Kenmore Boulevard, Maple Valley in West Akron, Merriman Valley, Middlebury, Sherbondy Hill, Temple Square, Wallhaven and West Hill. Shuttleworth said cities across Ohio and other FirstEnergy service areas have been asking about LED streetlights to improve visibility and security. Compared to traditional lights, LED streetlights are more energy-efficient, produce better light and have a longer lifespan, he said. LED streetlights have an average lifespan of 15 years, while the lights currently in use last about five years, according to Shuttleworth. The LED lights can also incorporate other security technology, including motion sensors and cameras, which Miller said he is interested in pursuing in the future. Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.coms Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. A man who sexually assaulted his female friend when they were both aged 16 has been sentenced to time served. The 22-year-old Dubliner, who cannot be named to protect the anonymity of the victim, has already spent nine months in custody after he failed to appear before the Children's Court in 2018. He pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to one count of sexually assaulting the girl, who he had been in school with, at an address in Dublin on August 1, 2014, while she was asleep in bed following a drinks party. Sentencing the man today, Mr Justice Michael White handed down a sentence of one year, which was to take into account the nine months the man already served. As a result, the man would not spend any more time in custody and was free to leave, the court heard. The court is satisfied (the man) has already been sufficiently punished, both in terms of punishment and deterrence, the judge said. He took into account several mitigating factors including the man's youth at the time and the fact that it was out of character for him. Detective Garda Colin Fitzpatrick told Derek Cooney BL, prosecuting, that on the night in question, the 16-year-old girl was having drinks in the house of some adult friends for whom she babysat, along with the accused, who was also then aged 16. The court heard the girl went to bed between 2am and 3am. She told gardai she was drunk and fully clothed when she got into bed in one of the children's rooms. She woke up to find her jeans had been pulled down and the boy was beside her, penetrating her vagina with his finger. She said: What are you doing? I have a boyfriend. Get off me, and the boy stopped, the court heard. The girl immediately confided in an adult female friend, but declined to call gardai. Gardai were later called after a child abuse complaint was made through Tusla and the girl was interviewed. 'I have lost all my confidence' In a victim impact statement read out by counsel, the girl said she suffered depression, anxiety and panic attacks in the wake of the assault. She said she went on to have unhealthy relationships with men because she just wanted to be with someone. She was in fifth year at the time but left school and did not complete her Leaving Cert. I have lost all my confidence since this incident happened, she said. Desmond Dockery SC, defending, said his client was extremely remorseful for the offence. Defence submitted the boy had been in the same house with the complainant the night before the incident and that they had been fooling around sexually on the couch. He submitted that when the boy got into bed with the girl on the night in question, he asked: Is this OK? before beginning to touch her and that the girl gave a mumble that he took for consent. When interviewed by gardai, he told them: I should have made sure she was awake. I thought she was. He added the girl was a good friend and he didn't want to hurt her. He was a virgin at the time and had limited sexual experience, the court heard. He made a massive misjudgment, Mr Dockery said. Naivety, his tender age and sexual inexperience, were all extenuating circumstances in the case, he said. Terming the Union Budget pragmatic, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said the government is determined to take India on a high growth path. He further said if the government will be able to achieve disinvestment target of 2020-21 then the Budget will be very successful. "It is a pragmatic Budget. It is pushes for public private partnership (PPP) in many areas. Budget lays lot of emphasis on AI, quantum computing, roadmap for infrastructure sector. The Budget will put India on the right track. "...The government is determined to take India to accelerated high growth," he said at an event organised by industry body Ficci. Kant, however, added that the major challenge of the Budget will be reviving animal spirit and credit flow. He said the finance minister has laid emphasis on macro-economic stability. "For an economy to grow at 8-9 per cent, animal spirit of the private sector is necessary. India's USD 3 trillion economy can't grow only on the back of investment by public sector," Kant stressed. On disinvestment, Kant said the government is on tract as far as stake sale in BPCL, CONCOR and privatisation of Air India is concerned. "If you look at the entire Budget, the key to budget success will depend on successful implementation of disinvestment target, which is very high," he said. The government aims to garner Rs 90,000 crore from the listing of LIC and stake dilution in IDBI Bank in the next fiscal out of total disinvestment target of Rs 2.10 lakh crore. "In the next month or so we will (be) accelerating pace of disinvestment in some of big PSUs. We will push limits on disinvestment of PSUs," Kant said. The Niti Aayog CEO also informed that last year decision to privatise six airports and got a very good response. "We will put out another six airports for bids in the next month or two...We are also trying to put out some power grids and gas grids," Kant said. Noting that India is a difficult place for greenfield investments, he said, "but (it) is an attractive destination for brownfield investments where projects are already been constructed and there are low risks". Kant noted that banks have not filled up vacuum created by non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and housing finance companies (HFCs). He added that the government will continue the structural reforms outside the budget as well. Kant said the private sector should become part of the asset monetisation plan of the government. "We have finalized the RFP for 150 private trains and in the coming 45 days, they will be put out in the market and will be very attractive bids. "We will also have close to 10 railway stations where private sector will play an important role," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SOUDERTON Plans for new playgrounds in Souderton Community Park have been completed, Borough Manager Mike Coll told Souderton Borough Council at its Jan. 3 meeting. "Where the former softball field was is where we are looking to install two playgrounds a playground for smaller toddlers in an age group up to five and a larger playground structure for... Lagos State Government says the little discomfort experienced by commuters on some routes due to the absence of motorcycles (Okada) and tricycles (Keke Napep) will not last long, as alternatives are being rolled out. The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, in a statement on Sunday, the government has rolled out some palliative measures to cushion the effect of the ban on commercial motorcycles and tricycles in 6 local governments and 9 local council development areas of the state. The restriction of Keke and Okada kicked off on Saturday, with the government saying it achieved over 90% compliance. The level of compliance was over 90 per cent. In fact, some of the ride hailing companies directed their riders to obey the directive. This is commendable. The high level of compliance has shown that Lagosians agree with the government on the need to stop the danger that commercial motorcycles and tricycles have become a big threat to safety of lives and security of our people. They should stand firm in supporting the government. The little discomfort experienced by commuters on some routes due to the absence of motorcycles and tricycles is noted. This will not last, as alternatives are being rolled out. A fleet of 65 buses will join the others on some major routes as from Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, Omotoso said. He said that no less than 550 more buses were being expected and 14 ferries would be commissioned on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. According to him, this will further open up the waterways, reduce travel time on various routes and provide safe, dependable and comfortable alternatives for commuters. The commissioner said that the government was not unaware that enforcing this directive might lead to some job losses. He said that the Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, planned to announce some measures to tackle the likely effects of the order. Meanwhile, Lagos State Government has revealed that why Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu banned the operation of commercial motorcycles and tricycles in the state. DNA twice clears man for brutal 1991 homicide as prosecutors search for victim's family originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Almost 30 years ago, a 33-year-old Asbury Park, New Jersey, man was falsely accused of the 1991 brutal beating, sexual assault and strangulation of a 58-year-old woman. Now, Monmouth County prosecutors are on the hunt to find the victim's family and give them some closure. On March 27, 1991, police found Christa Engel's body underneath a ramp at the Asbury Park Boardwalk near Fourth Avenue. Investigators collected Engel's stockings, slip and dress for testing. All that was known about her was that she was a resident of the Carlton Hotel and prosecutors could not find any immediate relatives to contact. PHOTO: In this photo taken from Google Maps, the boardwalk is shown at 4th Avenue in Asbury Park, N.J. (Google Maps Street View) A few weeks later, Kevin W. Wallace was arrested for the crime and held on $500,000 bond, The Asbury Park Press reported at the time. However, once DNA tests were conducted on some of Engel's items, prosecutors with Monmouth County dropped the charges against Wallace. MORE: Jane Doe case of 'Lime Lady' solved 40 years later using DNA evidence Engel's case turned cold. Ten years later, prosecutors reopened the case and submitted evidence for retesting to the state's police lab. PHOTO: In this June 21, 2017, file photo, the beach and the boardwalk are seen in Asbury Park, N.J. (Seth Wenig/AP, FILE) The national database -- Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) -- identified Clarence W. Turnage as the contributor of the DNA profile taken from Engel's dress, stockings and body. Turnage died in 2014. MORE: Man arrested in 1993 cold case rape after he's identified by DNA: Police Nonetheless, in 2018, when Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office created a Cold Case Unit, they listed Engel's case as "one of several cases selected for immediate review," prosecutors said in a press release issued on Friday. During their reinvestigation, prosecutors discovered that Engel was born in West Germany with the maiden name "Dierolf," prosecutors said. At some point, Engel came to the United States and married Seymour Engel in 1961 in Passaic. Story continues PHOTO: In this Nov. 29, 2018, file photo, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni speaks during a news conference in Freehold, N.J. (Seth Wenig/AP, FILE) "It is hoped that with the release of this information and the conclusion of this investigation, a family member of Ms. Engel may come forward," said Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni. "Anyone with any information pertaining to this case can contact Monmouth County Prosecutors Office Detective John Leibfried at 732-431-7160." Also during their investigation, prosecutors resubmitted evidence from the case -- including another DNA sample from Wallace -- to a private forensic lab last year to confirm CODIS' earlier findings that Turnage was the actual killer and rapist. After exhuming Turnage's body to get a DNA sample to perform "a direct comparison" it "confirmed the exclusion of the original suspect as the major contributor on the dress and slip," said Gramiccioni. Ms. Morochoduchi had been stopped nearly a dozen times for illegally selling her pastries in the subway station, Mr. Attia said, yet she always goes back. Whats that show you? he said. It shows you how important it is to her to make that money, to go there and to sell them. Vendors do this because they need a job. It gives them the economic mobility to work, to save money, to start the American dream. That is what chicken over rice has done for Mr. Attia. Today he reports to an office in a Lower Manhattan skyscraper, has won a prestigious fellowship for emerging regional food leaders, and is on a first-name basis with politicians like State Senator Jessica Ramos, who is working with him this year on her pilot project to allow food vendors to use the vacant storefronts of the Roosevelt Avenue-74th Street subway station in Jackson Heights, Queens. When Mr. Attia came to New York City from Alexandria, Egypt, on a tourist visa in 2008 at the age of 20, the only job he could get was working under the table at a Harlem bodega for less than $7 an hour. In Harlem, he noticed a halal food cart parked across the street from the mosque he attended. The man who owned it was Egyptian, and they struck up a friendship. Hey, Mr. Attia remembers the vendor saying to him, would you like to work in the street? For more than three years Mr. Attia was a licensed employee on someone elses cart selling eggs-on-a-roll at 110th Street and Broadway, hawking hot dogs in Times Square. He and his best friend, Ahmed Mohsen, also from Egypt, managed to save up the $20,000 they needed to buy a smoothie cart and a seasonal permit on the underground market. By 2016, they owned a second smoothie cart and a year-round halal cart on Second Avenue near 86th Street called the East Side Grill. Along the way, Mr. Attia married a New Yorker and obtained a green card, then became an American citizen. He moved to the Bronx and then Queens, and learned about the Street Vendor Project, a part of the nonprofit Urban Justice Center. BERLIN - A German federal court said Monday it has thrown out an appeal by a Vietnamese man convicted of involvement in a kidnapping case that strained relations between Berlin and Hanoi. In July 2018, a Berlin district court sentenced the man, who has been identified only as Long N.H. because of German privacy rules, to three years and 10 months in prison. He was convicted of espionage and being an accessory to unlawful detention. Germanys Federal Court of Justice has now upheld the conviction of the man, who lived in the Czech Republic. Prosecutors accused the man of hiring a vehicle used to drive the former chairman of PetroVietnams construction arm, Trinh Xuan Thanh, and a woman accompanying him out of Germany. Authorities say the pair were snatched off the street in Berlin in 2017 by Vietnamese intelligence officials and other employees at the countrys embassy. Berlin accused Vietnam of breaking international law and kicked out the countrys intelligence attache. Thanh was taken to Vietnam, where he was sentenced to life in prison for corruption. Wuhan coronavirus: First death outside of China, India confirms third case and other updates The Wuhan coronavirus has infected over 170 people outside of mainland China in over 20 countries. Photo courtesy: WebMD The Wuhan coronavirus has spread throughout the world since its first appearance in central China in December, now having infected over 170 people outside of mainland China in over 20 countries. On Sunday, the first death outside of mainland China was reported from the Philippines - a 44-year-old Chinese man who flew in from Wuhan in January died on Saturday. He was the partner of a 38-year-old Chinese woman who was traveling with him, and was the first confirmed case in the Philippines. The government is doing everything to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country, @SecAndanar said on Sunday after authorities confirmed the first death of a patient who tested positive for the virus.https://t.co/DDN7acIczv PCOO Global Media Affairs (@pcooglobalmedia) February 3, 2020 India confirms third case India has on Monday confirmed its third case of the novel coronavirus - all three cases are in the state of Kerala and are students who returned from Wuhan. "Third positive case of Novel Coronavirus patient, has been reported in Kerala. The patient has a travel history from Wuhan in China. The patient has tested positive for Novel Coronavirus and is in isolation in the hospital. The patient is stable and is being closely monitored," the Union Health Ministry said today in a statement. Countries with confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (As of 12.00 pm IST, February 3) Senior pastor of historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. King preached enters Senate race Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Rev. Raphael Warnock of Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. served as pastors, announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate on Thursday to make sure every voice is heard. Warnock, 50, who grew up with his parents and 11 siblings in Kayton Homes public housing in Savannah, Georgia, explained in a campaign video that he wants to take his work helping people realize their highest potential beyond the church door. Some might ask why a pastor thinks he should serve in the Senate. Well, Ive committed my whole life to service and helping people realize their highest potential. Ive always thought my impact doesnt stop at the church door. Thats actually where it starts. And I love this country. And I believe that what makes America so great is that weve always had a path to make it greater, said Warnock. Greater for people like for the ones Ive counseled at my church and others like them across this state. Like my father used to tell me every morning whatever it is, be ready. I think Georgia is ready. Ready to stand up for the family whos tried to do everything right but when they received one bad medical diagnosis they realize that the cost of being sick is too much. Ready to fight for the dignity of workers who are paid too little and pushed aside as government works for Wall Street corporations. Ready because I realize that a kid who grows up in the projects today and struggling families across Georgia have it harder now than I did back then. Warnocks bid for political office is a departure from Dr. Kings legacy who chose social action over public office to create the change he wanted to see. He told The New York Times that even though he respects Kings approach, he was inspired by another civil rights leader, the Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Jr., who once preached at New York Citys Abyssinian Baptist Church where he also spent time. Powell served in Congress from 1945 to 1971. Yes, it is, for some people, an extraordinary step for a clergyperson to operate beyond the pulpit and enter the rough-and-tumble of politics, Warnock told the publication. I am aware of the risk. But I am embracing it because I think the times demand it. He argued, The soul of our democracy is imperiled. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that since Warnock announced his bid for a seat in the U.S. Senate he had garnered support from high-profile Democrats, including a former presidential contender, a powerful Washington group and Stacey Abrams, the most coveted Democratic endorsement in the state. Warnocks Democratic opponents, Matt Lieberman and Ed Tarver, who have been getting pressure to end their bid in favor of the reverend, have so far ignored those calls. I believe that the voters of Georgia, and not top Democrats, will decide who to unify behind, Tarver told AJC. This is a decision that will have an enormous impact statewide and nationally. Unity has never been a valid justification for subverting the process. Warnock has been an outspoken advocate of issues such as abortion rights, voting rights and the expansion of Medicaid. In a 2014 interview with The Christian Post, he argued that black voters, while many hold conservative social values, tend to vote in our perceived interests. "Black people are not allergic to the word Republican. Black people vote like other voters, we vote our perceived interests," he said. And what are those interests? "We've been pushing for Medicaid expansion, we've been dealing with the issue of wealth inequality, the need to raise the minimum wage. These are moral and spiritual issues, they are consistent with Dr. King's war on poverty. We're trying to address this business of poverty, give regular people an opportunity to live a dignified and decent life," Warnock said. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Budget 2020-21 has a hidden shocker for mutual fund investors. Those enjoying returns from MFs will now find their pay-outs become lower as the Union Budget has introduced a deduction of tax on income from mutual funds if it is in excess of Rs 5,000. Buried in the Finance Bill 2020 is a proposal to insert Section 194K in Clause 80 to tax MF returns. (i) units of a Mutual Fund specified under clause (23D) of section 10; or (ii) units from the Administrator of the specified undertaking; or (iii) units from the specified company, shall, at the time of credit of such income to the account of the payee or at the time of payment thereof by any mode, whichever is earlier, deduct income-tax thereon at the rate of ten per cent, it said. Budget 2020 Verdict: Welcome tax breaks but growth stimulus missing Tax officials say the move was initiated to keep treatment of MFs at par with bank fixed deposit where tax is already deducted at source, and will also curb under-reporting, which was so far done on a voluntary basis. Experts, however, say the provision is a dampener as it would leave less cash in the hands of investors. TDS on income from mutual funds would be 10% as in the case of any other income sources, other than salary. If an investor falls in the higher tax bracket, the remainder tax would have to be paid by him while filing his returns after deducting tax set-offs. ALSO READ: 2020 Budget leaves the economy wondering However, if the investor falls in a lower income tax slab, then he can claim a refund while filing income tax returns. Earlier, an individual taxpayer was required to pay tax on the dividend at 10% only in case dividend received from Indian companies was more than Rs 10 lakh and no tax was payable in case of dividends received from mutual funds, said Shalini Jain, tax partner, EY India. FM defends new tax system Dismissing criticism that the new tax structure is not attractive, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said it will definitely benefit taxpayers in certain brackets LIC listing in likely in H2 The proposed listing of the Life Insurance Corporation may happen in the second half of 2020-21, Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar said on Sunday A total of 20.8 kg of gold was headed for Warangal and the rest for Hyderabad. Hyderabad: In one of the biggest hauls on a single day, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials from Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Nellore seized a total of 31.5 kg gold in separate operations. In three of the cases, the gold was headed to Warangal. The total value of the seizure was put at Rs 13.3 crore. In all instances, the gold was seized under the Customs Act, 1962. The DRI stated that in the three cases, the accused admitted that they had carried cash to Chennai, purchased the smuggled gold at Chennai and were travelling back to Warangal to hand it over to the mastermind at Waran-gal. A total of 20.8 kg of gold was headed for Warangal and the rest for Hyderabad. They admitted that the gold bars purchased by them were made out of smuggled foreign origin gold and they did not have documents to prove legal import into the country. At about 5 am on Sunday, DRI-Hyderabad officers intercepted three passengers travelling from Chennai to the city in the Chennai-Hyderabad Superfast Express at Secunderabad railway station and seized 10,709.44 grams gold worth Rs 4.53 crore in the market. The purchaser was said to be based in Hyderabad. In another instance, on February 1 at 7 pm the Hyderabad and Vijayawada units of the DRI intercepted four passengers travelling from Chennai to Warangal by an TSRTC bus at Kanakadurga Varadhi bus stop in Vijayawada. They were found carrying the yellow metal in packets concealed inside their clothing. Officers seized 6,470 grams of gold worth Rs 2.74 crore. Also on Saturday, DRI-Vijayawada unit officers intercepted three passengers travelling from Chennai to Warangal in GT Express at Vijayawada railway station at about 1.30 am at seized 7,077 grams of gold valued at Rs 2.99 crore in the open market. At midnight of January 31, DRI-Nellore officers intercepted three passengers travelling from Chennai to Warangal in the Jaipur Superfast Express at Vijayawada. They were carrying 7,228 grams of gold worth `3.05 crore in packets concealed inside their bags. All the accused were arrested and DRI officials are pursuing investigations to trace the purchaser of the yellow metal. BAD AXE, MI - Bad Axe police and U.S. Border Patrol arrested 10 undocumented immigrants in two traffic stops Monday morning, according to the Bad Axe Police Department. A Bad Axe officer made a traffic stop at roughly 5:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 3, and determined all six occupants of the vehicle were in the country illegally, according to a news release. The migrants were held at Huron County Jail while awaiting pickup by U.S. Border Patrol. While investigating the first incident, Border Patrol agents made a second traffic stop around 8:30 a.m. Monday with the departments assistance, arresting four more undocumented immigrants, according to the release. The 10 detainees were taken to Detroit by Border Patrol agents and are facing deportation to their countries of origin, according to the release. Bad Axe Police Chief David Rothe could not be immediately reached for comment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday addressed his first poll rally ahead of the Delhi Assembly election scheduled for 8 February and appealed to voters to 'shun the politics of hate' and focus on development. Amid sustained nationwide protests against the 'discriminatory' Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Modi said that various demonstrations against the contentious law in the National Capital were 'politically motivated' and part of a 'conspiracy'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday addressed his first poll rally ahead of the Delhi Assembly election scheduled for 8 February and appealed to voters to "shun the politics of hate" and focus on development. Amid sustained nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Modi said that various demonstrations against the contentious law in the National Capital were "politically motivated" and part of a "conspiracy". "If the protests had been against one law, they would have ended after assurances of the government. But the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress are provoking people. The Constitution and the Tricolour are being kept in front and attention is being diverted from the real conspiracy," Modi said in a rally at Karkardooma. He also accused the Opposition parties of wanting to "break India into pieces". Claiming that the anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh, Jamia Millia Islamia university, and the Seelampur area of Delhi which have been at the centre of the resistance against the law were part of a "political experiment" by the Opposition, Modi said, "There is a political design behind all these protests, including Jamia and Shaheen Bagh. "From time to time, in different cases, the view of courts,the Supreme court is that protests should not bother the common man. The Supreme Court, the high courts have always expressed their displeasure over violence and arson during demonstrations, but they (protesters, Opposition) are ignoring the warnings despite claiming to support the Constitution." Modi also said that the Delhi's citizens were being "inconvenienced" by the Shaheen Bagh protest, where several hundred women have been conducting a sit-in protest since 15 December and have occupied a section of a highway connecting Delhi and Noida in Uttar Pradesh. "We need to stop this anarchy otherwise more roads will get blocked," he said at the rally, according to India Today. #WATCH PM Modi: Be it Seelampur, Jamia or Shaheen Bagh, protests held over the past several days regarding the Citizenship Amendment Bill. Is this just a coincidence? No. This is an experiment.There is a political design behind this which has plans to destroy harmony in country pic.twitter.com/HBkBem6Spk ANI (@ANI) February 3, 2020 Modi also slammed the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi under Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for "blocking" welfare schemes introduced by the Centre, and lauded events such as the Ayodhya verdict, the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, and the Citizenship Amendment Act as achievements of the NDA government. "Article 370 was abrogated after 70 years, Ayodhya verdict came after 70 years, Kartarpur Sahab corridor was made after 70 years, India-Bangladesh border issue solved after 70 years, CAA was brought in after 70 years, war memorial and police memorial were made after 50-60 years," the prime minister said. BJP also appointed a Lokpal in India for the first time, Modi said, taking a dig at the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement of which Kejriwal was a part. "People of the country got a Lokpal, but the people of Delhi are still waiting for a Lokpal. There was such a big movement, such tall claims, what happened to them all?" he said. The prime minister reiterated the BJP's poll pitch regarding the regularisation of the unauthorised colonies in Delhi. Thanking the electorate for voting the BJP into power in all the seven Lok Sabha seats from the National Capital, Modi said that the BJP "had solved" the problems of the unauthorised colonies. "Despite all the impediments, all the roadblocks, the BJP government at the Centre brought a law in Parliament to legalise the unauthorised colonies in Delhi and ensured ownership of their houses for the living in these colonies," Modi said. "People who never thought that they will ever be able to get their home registered in their lives, are now seeing their dreams come true. Now, those people have been rid of the fear of the sarkari (government) bulldozer," he added. "When the BJP forms government in Delhi on 11 February, development work in these colonies will be taken up on priority. The BJP will ensure clean drinking water in every household, besides other civic amenities." However, Modi said, the AAP government has blocked the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana scheme, which aims to provide housing to all the underprivileged sections by 2022. "The current state government doesnt want to give poor and homeless people a house under the scheme. I feel sad that the scheme is not being implemented in Delhi. As long as AAP is ruling, they will keep putting obstacles in the development for the people of Delhi, they will keep blocking roads. They only know how to do politics. The people of Delhi have suffered for 20 years, now there is only one solution, for the BJP to win in Delhi," he said. The prime minister also praised the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 1 Februrary and said, "The Union Budget that has been presented is going to give direction not only for this year but for this entire decade. The benefit of this Budget will be for the youth of Delhi, traders of Delhi, the middle class, poor and women." He also detailed the provisions and said that the issues of traders and middle class taxpayers had been addressed in the Budget. "There was a complaint from traders of country, including Delhi, that they face pressure from tax authorities. So we started Indirect Tax Settlement Scheme last year. After this, there was demand that such a scheme be started for Direct Taxes. In this budget, we fulfilled this. "In this Budget, it has also been taken care that middle-class taxpayers have more money to save. The government has now given the option of a new slab of tax. This slab is also simple and there is no pressure to invest in certain schemes only to save tax," he said. He also said that the 8 February election will help to "shape the future" of the National Capital. "The upcoming election is not just to vote for a government but to take the development in Delhi to new heights. And who can do this? The BJP who follows through on its promises. The BJP for whom the prosperity of the people is the topmost priority, who believes in positivity and not negativity. For us, the countrys prosperity is the top most priority," he said. With inputs from agencies Air strikes in northwest Syrias Sarmeen town kill 14 civilians International oi-PTI Sarmeen, Feb 03: Air strikes by the Syrian regime and its Russian ally on Sunday killed 14 civilians in the last major opposition bastion of Idlib in the country's northwest, a war monitor said. Moscow-backed government forces have upped their deadly bombardment of the jihadist-dominated region in recent weeks, chipping at its southern edge and causing tens of thousands to flee their homes. Eight of those killed Sunday died in a regime barrel bomb attack in the town of Sarmeen, seven from the same family, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Rescue workers pulled the bodies of a nine-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy from the debris of a two-storey building, an AFP correspondent in the town said. Their father, Abu Fida, stood by weeping. 25 killed in Syria after US strikes on Iran-backed militia in Iraq "It's a terrible disaster," he said. Abu Fida said he and his family had fled bombardment on Sarmeen on Thursday, with just the clothes on their back. They returned on Saturday night to collect their belongings, deciding to spend a last night at home before leaving for good. "I wanted to get my family out this morning but my wife told me to go to work. So I sent them a driver with a car to transport their things," but then aircraft hit the house, he told AFP. NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 His wife was inside the house when it was struck, but he survived with three other children. In the rest of the emballed bastion Sunday, Russian and regime air strikes killed another six civilians, the Observatory said. The Britain-based monitor says it relies on sources inside Syria, and determines who carries out air strikes according to flight patterns, as well as the aircraft and ammunition involved. Nine years into the war, the Damascus regime is back in control of around 70 percent of the country, but the northwestern region of Idlib remains beyond its reach. Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate controls the Idlib region, home to some three million people, but pro-Ankara rebel groups are also present. In recent months, pro-Damascus forces have pressed northwards along the M5 highway that connects the capital Damascus to second city Aleppo in the north, crossing Idlib. Last week the government forces retook from rebels the key town of Maaret al-Numan along the highway and are now just several kilometres from the abandoned town of Saraqeb. Clashes are also raging in the bastion's eastern flank in Aleppo province, where state news agency SANA said four television journalists were wounded Sunday. The journalists for a pro-Damascus channel and two Arabic-language Iranian outlets were targeted by "terrorists", SANA said, using its blanket term for jihadists and rebels. A Turkish-Russian deal in 2018 saw Turkish troops deploy at observation posts around Idlib, but the agreement has failed to stem repeated regime military offensives. On Sunday morning, an AFP correspondent and the Observatory said a Turkish military convoy of hundreds of vehicles entered northern Syria, deploying in Idlib and neighbouring Aleppo province. Increased violence since early December has forced around 388,000 people to escape their homes in northwestern Syria, the United Nations says. The Observatory says that more than 260 civilians have been killed. Half of the Idlib region's residents have been displaced throughout the war, with many living in precarious shelters in the countryside along the Turkish border. Ankara -- which already hosts more than three million Syrian refugees on its soil -- fears the latest fighting will lead to another mass influx. Russian air strikes kill 19 civilians in northwest Syria On Sunday, hundreds of Syrian men, women and children marched towards the frontier demanding to be allowed through in a symbolic protest, an AFP correspondent said. Near the Syrian border town of Harem, women lugged bags and men carried small children towards the razor-wired wall blocking the way to Turkey, he said. "From Idlib to Berlin," read one banner, referring to the German capital many Syrians dream of reaching as they escape the war. Among the demonstrators, Mohammed said he was looking to a better alternative for his family of nine after fleeing his hometown. "Our goal is to go and live in a safe country -- Turkey or Europe," he told AFP. "Here it's no longer safe." Syria's civil war has killed more than 380,000 people since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, February 3, 2020, 8:52 [IST] GUYSBOROUGH, N.S. - A Nova Scotia doctor who saw Lionel Desmond two days before he killed his family and took his own life told a fatality inquiry Monday the mentally ill former soldier received exceptionally swift care at the local hospital. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/2/2020 (706 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Desmond Fatality Inquiry is being held at the Guysborough Municipal building in Guysborough, N.S. on November 18, 2019. An inquiry investigating why a mentally ill Afghanistan war veteran fatally shot three members of this family before killing himself enters its second week of hearings today. Lionel Desmond, a 33-year-old former infantryman from rural Nova Scotia, killed his mother, wife and 10-year-old daughter before turning a military-style rifle on himself in January 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan GUYSBOROUGH, N.S. - A Nova Scotia doctor who saw Lionel Desmond two days before he killed his family and took his own life told a fatality inquiry Monday the mentally ill former soldier received exceptionally swift care at the local hospital. Dr. Justin Clark testified that Desmond was initially assessed by a triage nurse at St. Martha's Regional Hospital in Antigonish, N.S., when he sought help following a heated argument with his wife Shanna on the night of Jan. 1, 2017. Clark told the inquiry Desmond received a score of 2, which on a scale of 1 to 5 indicated he required treatment as soon as possible, given the fact that a score of 1 is regarded as a full-blown emergency. "You want to see them as soon as possible," said Clark, an emergency room doctor who had only six months experience at the time. "It does suggest urgency." Desmond's chart indicated he had complained he was suffering from the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and a post-concussion disorder when he entered the hospital just before 7 p.m. The inquiry has heard that Desmond was diagnosed with PTSD in 2011 after he took part in two particularly violent tours in Afghanistan in 2007. Family and friends have long complained he did not get the help he needed when he returned home to Upper Big Tracadie, N.S., in 2015. Clark said Desmond's chart indicated he was "not coping well" because he had damaged a piece of furniture in his home while arguing with his wife Shanna earlier in the evening. The chart also indicated Shanna had told him to leave their home for the night. Desmond told the triage nurse he had not hurt anyone, Clark said. Last week, the inquiry heard from a senior RCMP investigator, who said an argument over a minor auto accident on New Year's Eve appeared to be the trigger for Desmond's decision to fatally shoot his 31-year-old wife, their 10-year-daughter Aaliyah and his 52-year-old mother Brenda before turning the gun on himself in the family's rural home. However, Clark said when he met with Desmond shortly after 7 p.m., he found the 33-year-old former infantryman to be "calm, polite and co-operative." He said Desmond did not appear to have any suicidal or homicidal thoughts during a 21-minute interview in the hospital. Clark said such interviews typically include questions about access to firearms and whether the subject has considered hurting or killing anyone. On the chart, Clark noted Desmond showed no acute distress and no evidence of psychosis. Inquiry counsel Shane Russell asked Clark if Desmond appeared nervous, unable to maintain eye contact or had a "flat affect" while speaking. "Not that I recall," Clark said. Russell also asked if Clark had seen electronic medical records showing Desmond had two appointments with psychiatrist Ian Slayter in 2016 on Oct. 24 and Dec. 2. The inquiry has heard that Desmond complained to Slayter about anxiety, nightmares, depression, angry outbursts and paranoia toward his wife. Slayter also found Desmond suffered from thoughts of jealousy that bordered on delusions. Clark said he was aware Desmond had been prescribed several medications, including an anti-psychotic drug, but he said he couldn't recall seeing Slayter's files in the province's Meditech system. Russell asked the doctor several times if that kind of information would have been useful. "The more information you get about a person, the better," Clark said, noting that he did not have much experience dealing with veterans with PTSD. The lawyer also asked Clark if he used a checklist to gauge Desmond's suicide risk. "I suppose you could have a checklist as part of the charts," Clark said. "But those risk factors are something we are expected to know." Despite Desmond's stable demeanour, Clark said he decided to call on a psychiatrist for a further assessment, which happened shortly after 7:30 p.m. when Dr. Faisal Rahman took over. Clark said that kind of immediate response was impressive, given the fact that most patients seeking mental health care after 5 p.m. usually have to wait until the next day to see a psychiatrist. The inquiry has heard that Rahman also found Desmond showed no signs of suicidal or homicidal thoughts, but the psychiatrist decided it would be prudent for Desmond to spend the night in the hospital's emergency observation room. The recollections of the doctors are important because some of Desmond's friends and relatives had complained he was turned away from the hospital before the killings an allegation the hospital has denied. Rahman, who is expected to testify Tuesday, released Desmond from the hospital the next day, Jan. 2, 2017. On Jan 3, 2017, Desmond fatally shot his family with a military style carbine he had legally purchased earlier in the day. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2020. By Michael MacDonald in Halifax. The paintings, sculptures, photographs and shrines to killed protesters are political art of a kind rarely seen in Iraq, where art has been made for at least 10,000 years. It is as if an entire society is awakening to the sound of its own voice, and to the shape, size and sway of its creative force. In the beginning this was an uprising, but now it is a revolution, said Bassim al-Shadhir, an Iraqi-German who goes back and forth between the two countries and has participated in the protests. There is art, there is theater, people are giving lectures and distributing books giving them away for free. Mr. al-Shadhir, an abstract artist with a degree in biology, painted his contribution to the scene on a wall on Sadoun Street, one of the capitals broadest thoroughfares. It shows a man shot by the security forces, the blood pouring out of his heart in a vast pool, too large to be hidden or washed away by the masked military man standing behind him. Nearby a mural begs the United Nations to rescue Iraqis. Another shows a map of Iraq inside a heart and says, Oh my country, dont feel pain. There are two or three murals depicting lions, a symbol of Iraq dating from the Assyrian period and one that protesters have adopted. There has been little if any new anti-American messages in the paintings in recent days, even though there is more anti-American feeling in Baghdad since the United States last month assassinated Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the head of Irans Quds force who was visiting Iraq. One reason may be that there are already several murals that have anti-American and anti-Israeli messages. Another is that by now, there are so many walls covered with art, that it is hard to find empty space to add anything new. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 15:35:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Crew members of large transport plane of the air force of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) pose for a photo after arriving at Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 2, 2020. (Photo by Li Shining/Xinhua) Advertisement Police on the Greek island of Lesbos today fired tear gas at thousands of migrants protesting against tougher new asylum rules. Brandishing makeshift signs with the word 'freedom', some 2,000 men and women walked out of the overpopulated camp of Moria to demonstrate. Violence broke out near the Kara Tepe camp after hundreds of people marched from the island's congested migrant camps to the city of Mytilene, according to a police official. Aid groups have described living conditions in some of Greece's island camps as appalling. The protesters walked some 4.3 miles towards the port capital, Mytilene, but were blocked by police outside the town. Some evaded a police cordon and crossed a slope to reach Mytilene, where a group tried to set up tents. Riot police use tear gas against protesting refugees and migrants during a demonstration on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece, today Refugees and migrants confronting riot police during a demonstration outside the Kara Tepe camp on the island of Lesbos A young migrant flees police during clashes with riot officers as refugees and migrants demonstrate outside the Kara Tepe camp in Lesbos today Riot police using tear gas during a demonstration of refugees s violence broke out on the island of Lesbos, Greece, today A child holding a poster calling for 'freedom' during a demonstration of refugees and migrants outside the Kara Tepe camp Riot police clash with migrants and refugees during a demonstration outside the Kara Tepe camp today. Riot forces used tear gas on the Greek island of Lesbos against asylum seekers Two men collapsed on the ground after tear gas was used by riot police during a demonstration of refugees and migrants outside the Kara Tepe camp today Boris Cheshirkov, Greece spokesman for the UN refugee agency, said in a statement: 'A significant backlog of pending applications and serious delays in asylum procedures have been a major contributing factor to the dangerously overcrowded conditions we see on the islands.' 'Long waiting times are also contributing to the mental toll that people are facing,' he said. After years of procedural delays, Greece faces a backlog of almost 90,000 asylum applications, Cheshirkov said. The conservative government elected in July has announced plans to 'decongest' the islands, shut down existing camps and replace them with holding centres that will process new arrivals and people whose asylum applications have been rejected. The centres that will close include the Moria camp on Lesbos, which was set up to accommodate 2,850 people but hosts at least five times that number. Last week, the government said it wants to install a floating barrier in the Aegean Sea, off Lesbos, to deter migrants arriving at its shores. A woman holding a child (centre) shouting as refugees and migrants confront riot police during a demonstration today. Two thousand demonstrated against the new law tightening asylum procedures in Greece Refugees and migrants take part in a demonstration today. The conservative Greek government has announced plans to 'decongest' the islands, shut down existing camps and replace them with holding centres A migrant suffering from the aftermath of tear gas that was used by riot police during clashes as refugees and migrants demonstrate outside the Kara Tepe camp A migrant and a volunteer carrying an unconscious woman during clashes with riot police as refugees and migrants demonstrate outside the Kara Tepe camp A migrant woman begged for help as police fired tear gas at protesters during clashes with riot police as refugees and migrants demonstrated today Migrants hurling smoke canisters as refugees clashed with riot police during a demonstration outside the Kara Tepe camp Refugees and migrants confront riot police while pushing children in prams towards a wall of shields in Lesbos today In 2019, Greece became the first port of entry for migrants and refugees entering Europe. Last year, more than 74,000 refugees and migrants arrived in Greece, among them 3,500 children, according to the United Nations refugees agency UNHCR. Most of them arrived on the islands Lesbos, Chios and Samos, crossing from Turkey. The government has struggled to manage the influx, keeping many in overcrowded camps on the Aegean Greek islands near the Turkish coast. More than 40,000 asylum-seekers are currently crammed into camps on five islands, where the official capacity is for 6,200 people and in conditions repeatedly condemned by aid agencies. The conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has toughened its approach to asylum-seekers and is trying to speed up the repatriation of people whose applications have been rejected. At Moria, where over 19,000 people live in and outside a camp built for fewer than 3,000, many are housed in tents and makeshift shelters without access to power, heating, or hot water, Cheshirkov said. A migrant woman holding a child during clashes with riot police. The Greek government has struggled to manage the influx of migrants, keeping many in overcrowded camps on the Aegean Greek islands near the Turkish coast Migrants and volunteers carrying a man who was injured during clashes with riot police on the Greek island of Lesbos today A migrant holding a child during clashes with riot police as a fire rages in the background. The demonstration was held to protest severe overcrowding at the island's refugee camp and delays in the asylum procedure Riot police block a road to prevent protesting migrants from reaching the island's main town of Mytilene during a demonstration on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos today A man covered his face as he was swamped by tear gas used by riot police during a demonstration of refugees and migrants outside the Kara Tepe camp A man comforts a crying child during clashes with riot police in a demonstration in Lesbos. Riot forces used tear gas against asylum demonstrating seekers today 'There aren't enough latrines and showers and access to health is severely limited,' he added. There are also frequent outbreaks of violence. The new Greek minister for migration Notis Mitarachi, appointed just two weeks ago, has vowed to expel 'on a weekly basis' migrants whose asylum applications are rejected. 'Those not entitled to international protection will be rapidly returned to Turkey,' Mitarachi told Kathimerini daily on Sunday. 'We believe...this will send a loud and dissuasive message to human smugglers,' he said. In another apparent attempt at deterrence, Greece's defence ministry last week put out a call for a floating barrier in the Aegean to stop migrant boats. The system - criticised as unethical and impractical by opposition parties - could involve either barriers or nets, 1.7 miles long, and would be used as an emergency measure by the Greek armed forces. Refugees and migrants are seen on a slope as they try to evade a riot police cordon and reach the city of Mitylene, during a demonstration outside the Kara Tepe camp Yuma Library Yuma, Arizona - The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Fifteenth Amendment, giving black men the right to vote in 1870. Fifty years later, with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, women also won the right to the franchise. On Saturday, February 15th, Professor Monica Ketchum and Tony Mitchell from Arizona Western College will present The 15th Amendment at 150: African Americans and the Vote, 1870 to present day to commemorate the enfranchisement of African Americans and discuss the ongoing struggle to retain voting rights. There is no charge to attend. 10:30 a.m. The Impact of the 15th Amendment Monica Ketchum 11:00 a.m. The Election of 1876 and its Consequences Tony Mitchell 11:30 a.m. Reclaiming the 15th in the Twentieth Century Monica Ketchum 12:00 p.m. Community Discussion: Voter suppression, re-enfranchisement, and the status of African American voting rights today Monica Ketchum & Tony Mitchell The Main Library is located at 2951 S 21st Drive. For more information, call (928) 782-1871. Trump impeachment trial: Closing arguments ahead of acquittal vote Wednesday originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Senate hears closing arguments from both sides as impeachment trial nears end A vote on President Trump's acquittal is set for Wednesday afternoon Democrats counter GOP argument that Trump's conduct 'improper' but not 'impeachable' President Donald Trump's impeachment trial resumed Monday with closing arguments -- even though the outcome appears all but certain ahead of a final vote on acquittal set for Wednesday. PHOTO: The Senate trial begins closing arguments in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump at the Capitol, Feb. 3, 2020. (ABC News) Even though the trial continues, Trump has said he will go to the Capitol Tuesday to deliver his State of the Union address, as President Bill Clinton did during his 1999 trial. It wasn't clear, though, whether he would mention his impeachment. MORE: Trump impeachment: Here's how the process works Monday's arguments come after the Senate voted 51-49 Friday to reject calling any new witnesses -- a critical defeat for Democrats. Only GOP Sens. Susan Collins and Mitt Romney voted to hear witnesses -- while two other other Republicans Democrats were hoping would join them -- Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Lamar Alexander -- voted no. PHOTO: White House counsel Pat Cipollone speaks during closing arguments during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Feb. 3, 2020, at the Capitol. (ABC News) On Sunday, Alexander further explained his rationale he first made in a statement Thursday night ahead of Friday vote -- that while he considered the president's conduct in the Ukraine affair "inappropriate," it didn't, in his view, rise to the level of an impeachable offense and that it was up to voters -- not the Senate -- to decide how to deal with it. MORE: 3 things to know as Trump's impeachment trial heads to acquittal vote Wednesday PHOTO: Lead House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff delivers his closing argument in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Feb. 3, 2020, at the Capitol. (ABC News) MORE: A tumultuous year-long race to Iowa culminates in Monday's uncertain caucuses The ABC News team of correspondents and producers is covering every aspect of this story. PHOTO: In this screengrab taken from a Senate Television webcast, House manager Rep. Adam Schiff speaks during impeachment proceedings against U.S. President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 3, 2020, in Washington, DC. (Senate Television via Getty Images) 7 p.m. Murkowski will vote to acquit In a floor speech, the Alaska Republican said she will vote to acquit Trump on both articles of impeachment. Story continues "I cannot vote to convict," she declared in a speech in which she blasted her colleagues on both sides of the aisle for a flawed, partisan process. "The Constitution provides for impeachment but does not demand it in all instances." Sen. Lisa Murkowski: "The structure we built should have been sufficient, but the foundation upon which it rested was rotted." "The House failed in its responsibilities ... the Senate should be ashamed by the rank partisanship that has been on display" https://t.co/wPjRo6gWeK pic.twitter.com/GQYhuu0WJK ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 3, 2020 "The House failed in its responsibilities," she said, adding that members on both sides have not had an "open mind" throughout the process. She also took aim at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for sending letters to the press in December about the need for additional witnesses and documents before a deal was cut with his counterpart, Sen. Mitch McConnell. "The Senate should be ashamed of the rank partisanship displayed here," Murkowski said. She did concede that the president's handling of the Ukraine phone call was wrong, calling his behavior "shameful," but said it's up to the voters to make their judgment on Election Day. BREAKING: Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski announces that she will vote to acquit President Trump: "The response to the president's behavior is not to disenfranchise nearly 63 million Americans and remove him from the ballot ... I cannot vote to convict." https://t.co/wPjRo6gWeK pic.twitter.com/EbXstqd2hf ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 3, 2020 "Where do we go from here?" she asked rhetorically. "So many in this chamber share my sadness for the present state of our institutions. Its my hope that weve finally found bottom here," she said. -- ABC News' Mariam Kahn 3:03 p.m. Schiff to senators who vote to acquit: 'Your name will be tied to his with a cord of steel and for all of history' Lead House Manager Adam Schiff, in an impassioned closing, argues that the president will not change -- and that Trump himself has made this point clear "without self-awareness of hesitation." "You can't trust this president to do the right thing not for one minute not for one election not for the sake of our country. You just can't. He will not change and you know it," Schiff says. "Trump could offer Alaska to the Russians in exchange for support in the next election, or decide to move to Mar-a-Lago permanently and let Jared Kushner run the country, delegating to him the decision whether to go to war. Because those things are not necessarily criminal, this argument would allow that he could not be impeached for such abuses of power. Of course this would be absurd. more than absurd it would be dangerous," Schiff says. "I will tell you one hundred percent not 5 not 10 or even fifty but one hundred percent. If you have found him guilty and you do not remove him from office he will continue trying to cheat in the election until he succeeds. Then what shall you say what shall you say if Russia again interferes in our election and Donald Trump does nothing but celebrate their efforts? What shall you say if Ukraine capitulates and announces investigations into the presidents rivals? Rep. Adam Schiff on President Trump: "He has betrayed our national security and he will do so again. He has compromised our elections and he will do so again ... truth matters little to him, what's right matters even less. And decency matters not at all." https://t.co/NbEEwk7Bvr pic.twitter.com/wYw7b2VInJ ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 3, 2020 "It is midnight in Washington, the lights are finally going out in the Capitol after a long day in the impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump. The Senate heard arguments only hours earlier on whether to call witnesses and require the administration to withhold documents it has withheld. Counsel for the President still maintains the Presidents innocence while opposing any additional evidence that would prove otherwise. It is midnight in Washington. But on this night, not all the lights have been extinguished. Somewhere in the bowels of the Justice Department, Donald Trumps Justice Department,a light remains on. Someone has waited until the country is asleep to hit send to inform the court in a filing due that day that the justice department, the department that would represent Justice, is refusing to produce documents directly bearing on the president's decision to withhold military aid from Ukraine. The Trump Administration has them. It is not turning them over, and it does not want the Senate to know until it is too late. Send. That's what happened last Friday night when you left home for the weekend. "I hope and pray that we never have a president like Donald Trump in the Democratic Party one that would betray the national interest in the country's security to help with his re-election and I would hope to God that if we did we would impeach him and Democrats would lead the way but I suppose you never know just how difficult that is," he says. Rep. Adam Schiff to senators on Pres. Trump: "I do not ask you to convict him because truth or right or decency matters nothing to him, but because we have proven our case and it matters to you." "You are decent. He is not who you are." https://t.co/NbEEwk7Bvr pic.twitter.com/EZayNEzHAf ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 3, 2020 "I think we all know that not because it will be written by Never Trumpers but because whenever we have departed from the values of our nation we have come to regret it and that regret is written all over the pages of our history if you find that the House has proved its case and still vote to acquit your name will be tied to his with a cord of steel and for all of history, but if you find the courage to stand up to him to speak the awful truth to his rank falsehood, your place will be among the Davids who took on Goliath -- if only you will say, 'Enough!'" "They gave you a remedy and they meant for you to use it they gave you an oath and they meant for you to observe it we have proven Donald Trump guilty now do impartial Justice and convict him," he ends with and the Senate trial is adjourned until Wednesday's final vote. PHOTO: House Manager Rep. Zoe Lofgren speaks during closing arguments in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Feb. 3, 2020. (ABC News) 2:36 p.m. Lofgren: 'If impeachment in election years was not to be, our founders would have said so' Responding to Trump's legal team closing arguments, House managers argue that the president will continue this behavior, noting that he "has not apologized" or offered to change in any way. "We cannot simply hope that this president will realize that he has done wrong, or inappropriate, and hope that he does better. We have done that so many other times. We know that he has not apologized. He has not offered to change. We all know that he will do it again. What President Trump did this time pierces the heart of who we are as a country. We must stop him from further harming our democracy," Rep. Lofgren says. Lofgren, responding to the president's counsel, says, "Some say no impeachment when there's an election coming, but without term limits when they wrote the Constitution, there was always an election coming." "If impeachment in election years was not to be, our founders would have said so," she says. Rep. Zoe Lofgren: "Opposing a president of your own party isn't easy...But your oath is not to do the easy thing. It's to do impartial justice." https://t.co/NbEEwk7Bvr pic.twitter.com/dDvgcT1bhB ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 3, 2020 PHOTO: President Trump's counsel Jay Sekulow speaks during closing arguments in the impeachment trial, Jan. 3, 2020, at the Capitol. (ABC News) 2:07 p.m. Sekulow" Democrats have 'cheapened' impeachment Next, one of the president's personal lawyers, Jay Sekulow, works to bring the defenses argument together, contending that both articles of impeachment "fail to allege impeachable offenses" so both must be rejected. He plays a series of video clip featuring Democrats foreshadowing an effort to remove Trump through impeachment since before the presidents inauguration. "For three years, this push for impeachment came straight from the president's opponents and when it finally reached a crescendo, it put this body, the United States Senate, into a horrible position," Sekulow says. "What the House Democrats have done to president himself, and to this body is outrageous," Sekulow says. "They have cheapened the awesome power of impeachment and unfortunately of course the country is not better for that. We urge this body to dispense with these partisan articles of impeachment for the sake of the nation, for the sake of the constitution." "The real issue is policy disputes. Elections have consequences. We all know that and if you do not like the policies of a particular administration or a particular candidate, you're free and welcome to vote for another candidate. The answer is elections. Not impeachment," Sekulow says. White House counsel Pat Cipollone then returns to the lectern and expresses "gratitude" to the Chief Justice, the Senate leaders and senators on both sides of the aisle, as well as his defense team. Then he argued "these types of impeachment must end." "At the end of the day we put our faith in the Senate," he said, predicting the senators will let the voters decide this fall whether Trump should stay in office. "At the end of the day, that is the only result." "Youll vindicate the rule of law," he says. "End the era of impeachment once and for all." "Reject these articles of impeachment," Cipollone says. "I ask you on his behalf, on behalf of the American people, to reject these articles." PHOTO: Deputy White House counsel Patrick Philbin speaks during closing arguments in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Feb. 3, 2020, at the Capitol. (ABC News) 1:51 p.m. Philbin: Impeachment 'purely partisan' White House deputy counsel Pat Philbin then attacks the Houses efforts to impeach the president, arguing Democrats abused their power in their impeachment effort. "In very significant and important respects they didn't follow the law. From the outset, they began an impeachment inquiry here without a vote from the House and therefore without lawful authority, delegated to any committees to begin an impeachment inquiry against the President of the United States," Philbin says. "That was unprecedented in our history." Philbin then says that a lack of a vote meant there was "no lawful authorization for the beginning of the process." "The Speaker of the House does not have authority by holding a press conference to delegate the sole power of impeachment from the House to a committee and the result was 23 totally unauthorized and invalid subpoenas were issued at the beginning of this impeachment inquiry," Philbin says. "After that, the House violated every principle of due process and fundamental fairness in the way the hearings were conducted." Philbin says that asserting the immunity of his senior advisers is a principle asserted by every president since Nixon. "These are principles defending the separation of powers that presidents have asserted for decades. President Trump was defending the institutional interests of the office of the presidency in asserting the same principles here," he says. He then criticized the House for jumping "straight to impeachment" rather than proceeding in the courts, contending that by moving to the "nuclear bomb" of its power, the House was akin to a parliamentary system where impeachment is effectively a vote of no confidence. "This was a purely partisan political process," he says. "It was done to finish by Christmas on a political timetable and it's not something that this chamber should condone." Deputy White House counsel Patrick Philbin: "This was a purely partisan impeachment from the start." https://t.co/NbEEwk7Bvr pic.twitter.com/YVoJMQqMBM ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 3, 2020 PHOTO: President Donald Trump's counsel Ken Starr speaks during closing arguments in the impeachment trial, Feb. 3, 2020, at the Capitol. (ABC News) 1:10 p.m. Starr: Vote to convict would render 2016 election ''null and void' As President Trump's defense lawyers take their turn wraps up their arguments for why the president should be acquitted, Ken Starr calls on senators to make their decision without any outside influence but only by looking at the case laid out by the House managers - a case he described as rushed and insufficient to vote to remove a president from office. "Finally, does what is before this court, very energetically described by the able House managers, but fairly viewed, rise to a level of high crime or misdemeanor? One so grave and so serious to bring about the profound disruption of the Article II branch? The disruption of the government?" Starr asks. "And to tell the American people and, yes, I will say, this is the way it will be read: your vote in the last election is hereby declared null and void. And by the way, we're not going to allow you the American people to sit in judgment on this president and his record in November. That's neither freedom nor is it justice," Starr argues. He then turns to a sports analogy to argue the Houses case falls short of removal. At the foundations of those authentic forms of justice is fundamental fairness. It's playing by the rules. It's why we don't allow deflated footballs or stealing signs from the field. Rules are rules. They are to be followed. So I submit that a key question to be asked as you begin your deliberations, were the rules here faithfully followed? If not, if that's your judgment, then with all due respect the prosecutors should not be rewarded," "You didn't follow the rules. You should have." In remarks citing Martin Luther King, Jr., Trump impeachment attorney Ken Starr suggests House managers didn't "follow the rules." "It's why we don't allow deflated footballs or stealing signs from the field. Rules are rules. They are to be followed." https://t.co/NbEEwk7Bvr pic.twitter.com/FLzQ2cjMNv ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 3, 2020 Starr concedes that the House has the power of impeachment, but "that doesn't mean that anything goes." "It doesn't mean that the House cannot be called to account in the high court of impeachment for its actions in exercising that power," Starr says. Starr asserts that the House rushed to judgment as it crafted the two articles of impeachment, contending it didnt have time to follow the rules or generate bipartisan support for its case in Congress or throughout the country. "A question to be asked: In the fast-track impeachment process in the House of Representatives, did the House majority persuade the American people? Not just partisans. Rather, did the House's case win over the overwhelming majority of consensus of the American people?" Starr asks. "The question fairly to be asked, Will I cast my vote to convict and remove the president of the United States when not a single member of the president's party, the party of Lincoln, was persuaded at any time in the process?" --ABC News' John Parkinson 12:30 p.m. Trump tweets 'totally partisan Impeachment Hoax' ABC News' Ben Gittleson reports from the White House, that President Trump, who has no public events today, is tweeting about the impeachment trial. "I hope Republicans & the American people realize that the totally partisan Impeachment Hoax is exacty that, a Hoax. Read the Transcripts, listen to what the President & Foreign Minister of Ukraine said ("No Pressure"). Nothing will ever satisfy the Do Nothing, Radical Left Dems!" he says. "Wheres the Whistleblower? Wheres the second Whistleblower? Wheres the Informer? Why did Corrupt politician Schiff MAKE UP my conversation with the Ukrainian President??? Why didnt the House do its job? And sooo much more!" I hope Republicans & the American people realize that the totally partisan Impeachment Hoax is exacty that, a Hoax. Read the Transcripts, listen to what the President & Foreign Minister of Ukraine said ("No Pressure"). Nothing will ever satisfy the Do Nothing, Radical Left Dems! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2020 12:26 p.m. Schiff: Implores senators to 'stand up to lawlessness and tyranny' Lead House manager Adam Schiff takes over and immediately defends his staffers who he says "have been made to endure the most vicious, false attacks to the point where they feel their lives have been put at risk." Rep. Adam Schiff thanks impeachment inquiry staff, saying some endured "the most vicious, false attacks to the point where they feel their lives have been put at risk." "The attacks on them degrade our institution and all who serve in it." https://t.co/NbEEwk7Bvr pic.twitter.com/Ez3n0iwPZY ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 3, 2020 Schiff quotes from the late Rep. Elijah Cummings from the day the House announced its impeachment inquiry, saying, "As elected representatives, he said, of the American people, we speak not only for those who are here with us but of generations yet unborn. Our voices today are messages to a future we may never see. When the history books are written about this tumultuous era, I want them to show that I was among those in the House of Representatives who stood up to lawlessness and tyranny." "We, the managers, are not here representing ourselves alone or even just the House," he continues. "Just as you are not here making the determination as to the president's guilt or innocence for yourselves alone. No, you and we represent the American people, the ones at home and at work who are hoping their country will remain what it has always believed it to be, a beacon of hope, of democracy and of inspiration to those striving around the world to create their own more perfect unions." "For those who are standing up to lawlessness and to tyranny, Donald Trump has betrayed his oath to protect and defend the Constitution, but it's not too late for us to honor ours, to wield our power to defend our democracy," he says. PHOTO: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks during closing arguments during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Feb. 3, 2020, at the Capitol. (ABC News) 12:02 p.m. Jeffries: 'clear and present danger' Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announces the Senate will take a 30-minute break after Democrats finish the first part of their closing arguments, taking about an hour and reserving the rest for rebuttal. PHOTO: House Manager Rep. Hakeem Jeffries delivers his closing argument during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Feb. 3, 2020, at the Capitol. (ABC News) A few minutes earlier, House manager Hakeem Jeffries emphasizes what he says are the lasting consequences if the Senate votes to acquit the president, saying there is no dispute about the facts of the case. "This is neither the first time that the president solicited foreign interference in his own election, nor is it the first time that the president tried to obstruct an investigation into his misconduct. But you will determine, you will determine, you will determine whether it will be his last," Jeffries says, adding "the president continues his wrongdoing unchecked and unashamed." Jeffries says Trump is a "clear and present danger to our national security" and that condoning his behavior could damage U.S. relationships with other countries around the world. Rep. Jeffries: "A president who can obstruct and thwart the impeachment power becomes unaccountable...Such a president is more likely to engage in corruption with impunity. This will become the new normal, with this president and for future generations." https://t.co/NbEEwk7Bvr pic.twitter.com/idmupTeK2d ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 3, 2020 11:51 a.m. Inside the chamber: 2020 candidates looking impatient ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent reports from inside the Senate chamber: Inside the chamber, senators look like fidgety students on the last day of class. There is a lot of activity, but not a lot of close attention being paid. Senators are shuffling papers, working on unrelated matters, reading or, in a few cases, napping. The 2020 candidates look particularly antsy. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is moving around in her chair impatiently and constantly whispering to her seatmate, Sen Coons. Sen. Bernie Sanders is yawning and looking around. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has her head down, writing notes on a pad in her lap, apparently working on something else. GOP Sen. Susan Collins is still taking copious notes, perhaps working on her remarks for later in the week when she announces her position. 11:42 a.m. Democrat Doug Jones still 'undecided' ABC News' Mariam Khan reports from Capitol Hill: GOP Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana tells reporters he's anticipating a couple of his Democratic colleagues may vote with Republicans this Wednesday to acquit President Trump on at least one of the articles of impeachment. "My guess would be maybe a couple, at least on the obstruction of Congress article, and maybe on both," Braun says. Braun adds that his Democratic colleagues who are on the fence will have a difficult decision to make politically because they come from red states where Trump has previously won landslide victories. "I think they've got a real difficult decision because of how heavy Trump carries particular states," Braun says. Democratic Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama, who briefly speaks to reporters on his way into the Capitol, says he is still "undecided" how he plans to vote on Wednesday. "I'm getting there," he says. "I really do want to hear the arguments and some conversations from colleagues." 11:32 a.m. Democrats note Nixon, Clinton apologized ABC News' Allison Pecorin reports from outside the Senate chamber: As members filed into the chamber for closing arguments, Democrats said President Trump will further divide Congress if he fails to apologetically address his alleged wrongdoing in his State of the Union address tomorrow evening. "I think the president's style and approach to this is going to make it more divisive," Sen. Chris Coons, D-Conn., said, "After the Nixon impeachment process, after the Clinton impeachment process, both of them made public apologies to the nation, to Congress and to the country for what they have put the country through. I do not expect that tomorrow night from President Trump." Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt, echoed that sentiment. "Ive never seen President Trump take responsibility for any of his misstatements or anything else hes done wrong. He is not one who takes responsibility," Sen. Leahy said. "Was that too subtle?" he said. Republican members were not keen on commenting on what they hope to hear from Trumps speech. "I learned early on this president, his instincts are pretty good in spite of the fact nobody agrees with them," Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma said. "So, I would not advise him either way." Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., ignored questions of whether the Senate ought to hear some sort of apology from the president. PHOTO: House Manager Rep. Jason Crow delivers his closing argument during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Feb. 3, 2020, at the Capitol. (ABC News) 11:21 a.m. House manger Crow says senators 'have a duty to perform' Rep. Jason Crow starts off the House managers closing arguments in favor of convicting President Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of justice. Crow argues the Senate's role in an impeachment trial is to think about the charges impartially and that they should not consider the arguments in defense of the president that while his behavior was inappropriate, it doesn't rise to the level that warrants removal from office. "Today you have a duty to perform. With fidelity, not without a sense of surrounding dangers, but also not without hope. I submit to you on behalf of the house of representatives that your duty demands that you convict President Trump," Crow says. ABC News' Trish Turner reports Crow invokes former Sen. Daniel Websters famous words in an 1850 floor speech, "The Seventh of March Address," when he put his faith in the Senate as a body of moderation. The 3 hour speech ironically, though is believed by some to have been his demise in abolition-minded New England because Webster argued for the Compromise of 1850 which would keep slavery where it was already legal and not to worry about extending it to the West. Crow raised the specter of the Republican party sticking with Richard Nixon, a popular conservative president, through Watergate to its peril, saying, "Ultimately as Goldwater would tell Nixon, quote, there are only so many lies you can take and now there have been one too many." Rep. Jason Crow recalls when Republican leaders split from Richard Nixon near end of Watergate scandal, citing Barry Goldwater line, "There are only so many lies you can take, and now there have been one too many." https://t.co/NbEEwk7Bvr pic.twitter.com/le116WIz1o ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 3, 2020 PHOTO: House Manager Rep. Val Demings delivers closing argument during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Feb. 3, 2020, at the Capitol. (ABC News) House manager Val Demings takes over to argue that the president's behavior represents an ongoing threat going into the 2020 election. "As I stand here today delivering the House's closing argument, President Trump's constitutional crimes, his crimes against the American people and the nation, remain in progress," she says, before reviewing some of the details of the Democrats' case against Trump. PHOTO: Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts during closing arguments in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump at the Capitol, Feb. 3, 2020. (ABC News) 11:08 a.m. Trial resumes with Democrats arguing first, Roberts sounds sick The Senate trial resumes with Chief Justice John Roberts presiding -- but with a very noticeably hoarse voice. ABC's News' John Parkinson reports from Capitol Hill: The House impeachment managers met again this morning, strategizing before their closing arguments in the Senate trial. I spotted Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Sylvia Garcia in the Capitol this morning, where a dozen U.S. Capitol Police officers are staged outside the meeting room. A Democratic aide to one of the impeachment managers signaled part of the Democrats closing argument could emphasize Senate Republicans are party to "a cover-up" by voting against new witnesses. The aide feared that banner headlines on Thursday morning will read that Trump was exonerated. Democrats are also dejected by the constitutional chaos and precedent that results from a failure to remove Trump from office, but the aide indicated GOP senators will now have to defend their record on the campaign trail, as Mitch McConnell works to defend his majority this fall. With the Senate on a glide path to acquit President Trump at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Democrats, nevertheless, are resigned to a disappointing outcome. While there is still a small chance the Senate could censure President Trump, the aide told me that any symbolic consolidation fails to reassure Democrats after Republicans voted to block new witnesses from being called in the upper chambers trial on Friday. While Democrats continue to question Trumps competence, banking on hope that the president screws up again in the future doesnt provide any reassurance either, because Democrats dont trust that anyone would reliably enforce the Constitution. After the special counsels Russia investigation failed to provide Democrats with enough ammunition to go after the president, they felt they had a slam dunk with the whistleblowers account of Trumps missteps on Ukraine actions that even Republicans have called "inappropriate." The bottom line: Democrats say they are astonished that Republicans are letting Trump "get away with it." 10:10 a.m. Van Hollen: 'Green light to abuse his power' The Senate has given Trump a "green light to abuse his power," Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen said on CNN Monday morning. "The verdict on the U.S. Senate is "guilty -- of dereliction of duty," he said. Vietnamese artists perform at the 48th Chingay Parade.(Photo: VNA) Chingay is one of Asias largest street and floats parade that epitomises the dynamism of Singapores vibrant and multicultural society. The theme for Chingay 2020 is Colours in Harmony, expressed through the use of different colours to symbolise Singapores cultural diversity and harmonious blend of different cultures. Highlight of the parade was a unique Bridge of Harmony float, decked out with harmony tiles that are co-created by more than 20,000 residents island-wide. The parade also featured 60 stellar performances staged by domestic art troupes and seven countries of China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam. Forty Vietnamese artists and 100 extras from the Vietnamese people community in the host nation put on a colourful display at the event to popularise Vietnam as a friendly nation for international friends. Their performance also contributed to enhancing friendship and cultural exchange with Singapore and the participating nations. The two-day parade is expected to attract a crowd of some 280,000, and millions of spectators all over the world./. In a bid to improve the luggage screening process, the Ahmedabad Customs Commissionerate has decided to install eight units of X-ray Baggage Inspection System (XBIS) at the Ahmedabad and Surat international airports, an official said on Monday. These advanced luggage screening units will be also installed at Inland Container Depot at Khodiar village near Ahmedabad and Foreign Post Office here, he said. These X-ray units are much-advanced than the current luggage screening system in place at Ahmedabad and Surat international airports, Principal Commissioner Kumar Santosh of Ahmedabad Customs told reporters here. "Current luggage screening units are around five to six years old. Some units often experience technical snag and stop functioning at the airport. The Ministry of Finance has approved eight XBIS for better luggage screening and we will receive these advanced units very soon," Santosh said. Meanwhile, to thwart any attempt of smuggling, particularly of gold, the Ahmedabad Customs has now started profiling of passengers using a newly developed system, called Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS). Using APIS, an Indian passenger was recently held at the Ahmedabad airport for trying to smuggle 600 grams of gold upon his arrival from Sharjah, said Santosh. The customs department started doing profiling of passengers and find frequent travellers list through APIS. A person with frequent travel history is most likely to be a smuggler whose only intention for the foreign trip will be to bring the gold illegally. The Ahmedabad Customs had registered 113 cases of gold smuggling between April 1, 2019 and January 20 this year, and seized 77 kgs of gold worth Rs 27.11 crore at Ahmedabad and Surat airports. Majority of the apprehended passengers arrived from Dubai, Sharjah, Oman, Kuwait and Bangkok, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 65-year-old Zumbrota woman was injured Friday after her car collided with a truck Friday morning on U.S. Highway 52 in Goodhue County. Rebecca Joanne Almquist was taken to Regina Hospital in Hastings for non-life-threatening injuries, according to a Minnesota State Patrol report. The report states that at approximately 9 a.m. Friday, Almquist's car collided with a Freightliner truck driven by Rabi Mohmmad Alalem, 21, of Maple Grove. Both vehicles were reportedly northbound prior to the incident, and no cause of the collision was listed. Road conditions were listed as "wet." Alalem was not injured. ADVERTISEMENT The Goodhue County Sheriff's Office, Wanamingo Fire Department and Zumbrota Ambulance assisted in the call. (Alliance News) - Leeds Group PLC on Monday said challenging market conditions have hurt its earnings in the first half of financial 2020. The distributor of imported fabrics said it swung to a pretax loss of GBP741,000 in the six months to the end of November 2019 compared to GBP1.0 million profit recorded a year ago, as revenue declined to GBP18.6 million from GBP20.3 million. In the first half of its financial 2019, Leeds Group recorded a gain of GBP118,000 on termination of joint venture and GBP380,000 gain on goodwill arising from an acquisition. No such gains were recorded in the first half of its current financial year. Leeds Group highlighted that market conditions continue to be challenging throughout Europe with pricing pressure in all sectors. The company mainly operates through German trading subsidiaries Hemmers/Itex Textil Import Export GmbH and Stoff-Ideen-KMR GmbH. Chinoh-Tex, Hemmer's China-based subsidiary, ceased trading in November 2019. The loss associated with the discontinued operation was GBP416,000. Sales at Hemmers decreased to GBP14.5 million in the first half, Leeds Group said, from GBP16.6 million, with volumes down by 11%. The company explained that there has been an overall decline in the market and Hemmers's competitors have been offering lower prices. Sales at Stoff-Ideen-KMR increased to GBP4.1 million in the first half from GBP3.7 million for the five months a year ago. "The board continues to believe that the initiated cost reduction and efficiency programmes that are now in place will ensure costs are reduced to a level that are aligned to the reduced sales currently being experienced," said Chair Jan Holmstrom. He added: "This should ensure both Hemmers and KMR can return to profitability in the next financial year." Leeds Group shares were untraded in London on Monday at 14.01 pence each. By Evelina Grecenko; evelinagrecenko@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. ISTANBUL Turkey deployed F-16 fighter jets against government forces in northwestern Syria on Monday, a sharp escalation of the conflict there after six Turkish soldiers were killed by artillery strikes. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey said that as many as 35 Syrian troops had been neutralized. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group based in Britain, said the number of military personnel killed was at least 13, while state news media in Syria made no mention of any deaths. There were also reports on social media of at least eight civilian deaths when a minibus was struck. Mr. Erdogan warned Russia, which backs the Syrian government and which controls the airspace in western Syria, not to prevent Turkey from retaliating. It should be out of discussion to block us, Mr. Erdogan said, before leaving for a trip to Ukraine. Describing the dead Turkish soldiers as martyrs, he added that, It is not possible for us to keep silent as long as his countrys troops were being targeted. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Consumers will soon be bringing their groceries home in reusable bags or be charged a 5 cent fee for paper bags, under a new law that goes into effect on March 1. However, many Staten Island residents are unprepared for change or completely unaware that its happening. That what ban? said a Staten Island woman in the parking lot of Stop & Shop on Forest Avenue in Port Richmond. Outside of ShopRite on Richmond Avenue in Graniteville, 37-year-old Bobby W. said this was the first hes hearing of the ban. I havent heard a single thing about the ban, Bobby said. I guess I should buy some reusable bags. The state-wide ban on single-use plastic bags was passed in April 2019 under the $175.5 billion state budget. According to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, over 23 billion plastic bags are used in the state each year. The states campaign, #BYOBagNY, appears on the states website, however, Staten Islanders said they havent seen any signage in stores, billboards, or anywhere else across the borough. EXEMPTIONS TO PLASTIC BAG USE, PAPER BAG FEE As part of the ban, counties and cities are able to opt-into charging a 5 cent fee on paper bags, of which 2 cents will go to local governments and 3 cents will go to the states Environmental Protection Fund. New York City opted-in to charging the 5 cent fee. There are a few, specific exemptions to the single-use plastic bag ban, including: Bags used by a pharmacy for prescription medication and produce bags for fruits and vegetables; Carry-out bags given to diners for leftovers or take-out; Used to contain a newspaper for delivery; Used to contain sliced food, such as cold cuts; Used as a garment bag. According to the city, the only consumers who are exempt from the 5 cent paper bag fee are those who pay for their groceries using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) programs. Councilman Joe Borelli (R-South Shore) and Minority Steven Matteo (R-Mid Island) voted against the paper bag legislation, calling it another unnecessary fee on New Yorkers. This fee is ultimately a new tax on hard working New Yorkers who continue to LITERALLY be nickel and dimed in a variety of ways, Matteo wrote on Twitter in April. Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore) voted in favor of the legislation. Gigi, 64, of Mariners Harbor, said shes on a fixed income and worries about the added cost of reusable bags and/or paper bags. As it is, the city takes all of my money, Gigi said. What if I forget my bags at home, either way Ill have to pay extra. My mind isnt what it used to be, she said. That small fee adds up after a while, ya know. Whats next? What are they going to tax us for next. This is ridiculous. According to the state, stores are not required to provide customers with reusable bags and do not need to have them for sale. A driver was killed early Monday morning after crashing into a concrete barrier in north Houston, police say. The man was driving south on Spence Road just north of Aldine Bender around 12:45 a.m., according to Houston Police Department Sgt. David Rose. The two roads intersect in a T-shaped intersection, and the driver apparently disregarded the light and ran through Aldine Bender slamming into a concrete barrier that runs parallel to Aldine Bender, Rose said. MORE FROM JAY R. JORDAN: Murder charge lodged against driver in deadly Willowbrook DWI crash Rose said the driver might have thought the road continued. It is unclear if alcohol played a factor in the crash. The driver was not immediately identified, although Rose said he was in his 20s or 30s. Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com The Congress on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of practising politics of violence and polarisation, and called for a sedition case against Karnataka MP Anantkumar Hegde and an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Hegde's remarks against Mahatma Gandhi-led freedom movement. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the media at the Parliament ahead of budget session . Photograph: Arun Sharma /PTI Photo The opposition party demanded that the prime minister must come to Parliament and clarify his position on Hegde's 'objectionable' remarks, and asserted that it was time for Modi to prove whether his loyalty was towards Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse or the Father of the Nation. Questioning the freedom movement led by Gandhi, Hegde said it was an 'adjustment' with the British and freedom fighters had asked the British to imprison and 'properly take care' of them. Congress senior spokesperson Anand Sharma said since the Parliament is in session, the prime minister should come there and clarify his position, even as he accused the BJP of being desperate to win Delhi polls for which it was practising the politics of violence and polarisation. "We demand that the PM come to the House and makes his position clear. These feeds that he is unhappy, he is angry, we are not concerned with that, why this is happening. Mr prime minister, why such a thing is allowed," he asked. "They are disparaging the national movement. If the prime minister and the BJP government are sincere about the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi, we demand that the PM come to Parliament and clarify his position," he said. "They are desperate for the elections. Only to get some votes in the Delhi elections, they have inflicted deep wounds on the very soul of India," he said. The Congress leader said, "In the very ideology, mindset, thinking and language of the BJP, there is violence. The physical violence that they orchestrate and trigger and provoke and what actually provokes, triggers the violence, it is this mindset, ideology and the thought." Sharma earlier said there could not be a greater insult to India's national movement and those who sacrificed everything to give the country freedom. "The prime minister, the BJP leadership as a whole has to apologise for these things," he said. He said one could understand why senior BJP leaders were insulting the memory of Mahatma Gandhi as they had never been a part of the freedom struggle. "They are disparaging the national movement, the freedom struggle, because they are ideological descendants of those who were not only non-participants, but actively opposed the freedom movement, opposed Mahatma Gandhi, opposed 'Quit India', movement and supported the British. "The only way there can be some penance, if the prime minister and the BJP government they are sincere in commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Father of the Nation. This country needs an answer. Asserting that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP's statement was condemnable, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said leaders of the saffron party could afford to call the freedom movement a drama as they never fought for country's independence and did not make any sacrifices. "Such statements reveal their true mindset that they use Gandhi's name just for show and have no regard for him," he said. Demanding Hegde's expulsion from the BJP, Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said it was time for the prime minister to prove whether his loyalty was towards Godse or Gandhi. "The prime minister did not take action against Pragya Thakur, who continues to insult Mahatma Gandhi on a daily basis, and now, Anantkumar Hegde has joined the 'hate bapu' chorus. The prime minister's love for Gandhi exists only in advertisements and on the ground, 'hate Mahatma Gandhi' seems to be the tool to mobilise his cadres. Shergill said that of the prime minister has even an ounce of respect for Gandhi, he should remove Thakur and Hegde from the party and added that it was time for the prime minister to prove whether his loyalty is towards Godse or Gandhi. Modi should apologise for Hegde's remarks, a sedition case should be slapped on the former Union minister and both Thakur and he should be removed from the BJP, Shergill demanded. "If the prime minister does not take action as usual or takes patchwork action, then India will know that the PM stands with the killers of Gandhi," he said. "Mahatma Gandhi does not need a certificate from cadre of Britishers 'Chamchas & Spies'. High time BJP is renamed as 'Nathuram Godse Party'," he said. Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also took a dig at the BJP over Hegde's remarks, wondering how could those who believed in 'kattagraha' (the rule of pistols) accept 'satyagraha'. 'This is Modi's Bharat, where Bapu's thoughts and the path he walked on are attacked everyday. Will Modi ji take action against Anant Hegde? Otherwise, it will be proven that the voice was of Hegde, but the idea was of Modi ji?' he said in a tweet. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted, 'Anant Kumar Hegde is perhaps reflecting the views of his masters. If he is not, his comments should invite the strictest possible action from his party.' Hegde had said in his remarks, "Those who sacrificed their lives and worked towards big change in the country were dumped in the dark corners of history, but those who fought in adjustment with the British became freedom fighters with certificates...This is the tragedy of the country." The Congress also created uproar in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha over Hegde's remarks, with the upper house failing to take up the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to President's address. Asked if the Congress would allow the House to function, Sharma said the government should allow its notices to hold a discussion on the National Register of Population, Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens in Rajya Sabha, which have been disallowed by the chair. "With due respect, the Chair cannot tell the opposition, how to speak and when to speak, when a notice has is under the rules, it is our right. That would be very patronizing as if their senior leaders, who have been for decades in Parliament. We know under what rule, which matter should be raised. "Everything cannot be put in one box of the 'Motion of Thanks', which is government sponsored motion on the President's address, which is deeply disturbing besides reading a laundry list of irrelevant government's scheme and anti-people policies. It was also distortion and falsification of Indian history that we will raise separately," he said. It would be easy to blame the Puget Sound Partnerships failure to clean up Puget Sound on a lack of leadership, funding and meaningful authority to control pollution, but the truth is that we are all to blame. This is the year that we were promised a swimmable, fishable, diggable Puget Sound when former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire created the Puget Sound Partnership in 2007. It replaced the Puget Sound Action Team that was created in 1996 and the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority in 1985. Recovery wouldnt be easy, and its going to take time, she said. We all need to change the way we go about our business. We need to break some china. But PSPs bleak State of the Sound report reads just like every state agency recovery report since 1985. Nearly every indicator used to assess Puget Sounds health shows little progress being made. We face the same challenges, but now theyre amplified by explosive growth and climate change. Recovering Puget Sound chinook is one of the Partnerships main responsibilities, but chinook populations remain far below recovery goals despite having been listed as threatened since 1999 under the Endangered Species Act. Endangered southern resident orca populations in Puget Sound are at a 40-year low and continue to decline. Meanwhile, nearly 40,000 acres of shellfish beds remain closed because of pollution. Lack of funding, existing land use and expectation of use are cited as the main reasons for the poor progress in cleaning up and protecting Puget Sound, but the real reason is a lack of political will. Thats because we get the government we demand. Until we demand better, Puget Sound will not get better. In 2017 treaty tribes in western Washington offered a number of bold actions needed to recover the health of Puget Sound. Among them three are key: We must stop the ongoing decline of salmon habitat by changing our land-use policies to provide a net gain of functioning habitat. We are in a race to extinction of Puget Sound chinook, coho and steelhead because the status quo is not working. We must establish and enforce water quality standards that protect, conserve and restore water resources for salmon. In particular we must develop the green infrastructure needed to control polluted stormwater runoff into Puget Sound. We must establish and enforce water quality standards that protect, conserve and restore water resources for salmon. In particular we must develop the green infrastructure needed to control polluted stormwater runoff into Puget Sound. We must provide space for our rivers, streams and shorelines to function and be protected by buffers and setbacks to reduce flooding and regulate stream temperatures. We must provide space for our rivers, streams and shorelines to function and be protected by buffers and setbacks to reduce flooding and regulate stream temperatures. Instead of these bold actions, regulations intended to protect the environment are being rolled back across the country at the request of industry with the help of the Environmental Protection Agency. Weve seen it here in Washington with big oil, and the pulp and paper companies convincing the agency to lower our water quality standards the most protective of human health in the nation because industry says they are too costly to implement. While the rollback process isnt complete, we are not optimistic about the likely outcome with the current leadership. Were also seeing tugboat companies, cruise lines, other marine industries and EPA fighting to kill a no-discharge zone for human waste from boats. The Puget Sound no-discharge zone was a first for Washington, although there are 90 in 26 other states. We have more than 150,000 recreational boats and more than 3,500 commercial vessels in 2,300 square miles of Puget Sound and lakes Washington and Union. Most already have holding tanks for sewage. If we cant even agree not to directly discharge our waste into Puget Sound , we have a problem. 2020 is here: Checking in with the Puget Sound Partnerships goals to restore Puget Sound by 2020. #salmonhabitat #waterquality #foragefish #orcashttps://t.co/dmBoMjtHbM Northwest Treaty Tribes (@nwtreatytribes) January 30, 2020 The marine industry coalition, with the support of EPA, tried to block implementation of the no-discharge zone through a federal lawsuit challenging the agencys assessment that there are enough pump-out facilities in the region. Fortunately, a federal court last month denied an EPA request to reconsider its assessment, so the lawsuit will proceed without the agencys involvement. Were not out of the woods on the no-discharge zone, but even a small victory in protecting the health of Puget Sound is important. All of us are the answer to whats ailing Puget Sound and one thing is clear: We must help ourselves because no one else will. Former Gov. Gregoire is right that we all need to change the way we go about our business if we are truly serious about recovering Puget Sound. And to do that, we are definitely going to have to break some china. Being Frank is a monthly column written by Lorraine Loomis, the chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission . As a statement from the NWIFC chair, the column represents the natural resources management interests and concerns of the treaty Indian tribes in western Washington Join the Conversation Lower- and mid-income households in Kelowna can look forward to more affordable housing supply over the next few years, with the first of these already under construction. Late last week, the provincial government announced that it has begun work on a four-storey building at 1060 Cawston Avenue, which will provide 40 affordable rental homes, as well as The Carrington complex, which will provide 186 new rentals. The projects are part of the Homes for BC housing plan, which will create nearly 1,200 new affordable housing units in Kelowna. The initiative is aiming to build more than 22,000 new homes across the province. HARTFORD Parents opposed to repealing the religious exemption for childhood vaccinations say they will be at the state Capitol in large numbers on the opening day of the session Wednesday. State Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport, who co-chairs the committee that is expected to introduce the legislation, said Monday that they are working on a draft of the bill and will share it with committee members when its finished. He said the bill would eliminate the religious exemption, which some lawmakers have started to refer to as the non-medical exemption, in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Steinberg said they dont plan to introduce legislation to mandate the HPV vaccine for seventh-graders, even though that is recommended by the CDC. Steinberg said he expects that the Public Health Committee will vote to have a public hearing because even those without reservations about the bill understand the need for the public to weigh in. He said it takes a lot of time for everyone to express their viewpoint on an issue that has been this controversial, but he promised everyone will have their three minutes. In March 2019, when the measles outbreak in Brooklyn, N.Y., was on everyones mind, CTNewsJunkie reported that the state Department of Public Health was sitting on school-level vaccination rate data, but was unable to release the information by statute. At that point, legislators began advocating for release of the data, and House Majority Leader Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, promised a vote on removing the religious exemption within a year. In the following months, the DPH released two years of school-level immunization rates, which showed a 25 percent increase in the number of children claiming the religious exemption to the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. Based on additional interviews over the last several months, parents appear to be using the religious exemption in a variety of circumstances. In some cases, parents say they have opted out of all vaccines. In others, they may have opted out of a portion of the required vaccines. And some parents are vaccinating their children but are making use of the religious exemption because they dont want to disclose their childrens immunization status to their school districts. It was also clear from the data that the paperwork for some students had fallen through the cracks at some schools. Specifically, the number of immunized students, added to those who had used exemptions, did not add up to the total number of kindergartners and/or seventh-graders enrolled. The MMR vaccine comes in two rounds, which are routinely recommended for children ages 12-15 months and again at 4-6 years. One dose of measles vaccine is about 93 percent effective at preventing measles when exposed to the virus. Two doses are about 97 percent effective, according to the CDC. The data released in May showed that in the 2017-18 school year there were 109 school buildings in Connecticut in which MMR immunizations were below the CDCs recommended herd immunity rate of 95 percent. In the 2018-19 school year, data for which was released in October, the total had increased to 149. The overall statewide vaccination rate for MMR dropped from 96.5 percent in 2017-18 to 96.1 percent in 2018-19, based on revised data that the DPH had received from schools. In an interview earlier this month, Ritter said the release of the data was a turning point for legislators. I think the data has been the single most important factor in getting Connecticut politicians to understand the serious nature of this problem, Ritter said. He said you can find out the third-grade reading level at any school in the state. You should be able to know the kindergarten vaccination rate as well. Steinberg didnt want to get into specifics about the legislation before his colleagues had a chance to review it. But he was able to confirm last week that the continued release of the school-by-school immunization data which he said is important to the governor and the public health commissioner would be part of the bill repealing the religious exemption. Steinberg said the committee is focusing on the vaccines that the CDC requires, and is also following the lead of the DPH, which does not require administration of the HPV vaccine. Public Health Commissioner Renee Coleman-Mitchell and Gov. Ned Lamont told reporters in September that they also were supporting the repeal of the religious exemption. Earlier this week, Archbishop Leonard Blair of the Archdiocese of Hartford and four other bishops and high-ranking officials with the Catholic Conference encouraged the use of vaccines, but stopped short of calling for the repeal of the religious exemption. There is no religious teaching against the use of these vaccines for Catholics, the bishops wrote in an open letter. But they went on to say that religious exemptions should be jealously guarded. Any repeal of a religious exemption should be rooted in legitimate, grave, public health concerns. House Deputy Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, said he had been a member of a bipartisan working group seeking to draft the legislation before the holidays, but he said the group was no longer meeting. He said its an oversimplification to say youre going to get rid of the religious exemption and more kids will get vaccinated. He said most of the schools that fell below the recommended 95 percent rate for MMR immunizations are schools where the paperwork was not properly registered, or it was not turned in at all. He said that unless theres some sort of penalty or mandate for schools to collect this data, then the data is not going to be useful. He said the issue of grandfathering in certain groups of students might work because it doesnt make sense to throw high school kids out of school. However, advocates on both sides of the issue are not in favor of grandfathering the current student population. Brian Festa, a co-founder of a group called CT Freedom Alliance, said there are people with sincere religious objections to some vaccines. He said he knows people who forgo some vaccinations but get others. Festa said that without the religious exemption, they wont be able to do that and continue to attend school, which is a right granted to children under Connecticuts constitution. Its a civil rights issue, Festa said. Dawn Jolly, another co-founder of CT Freedom Alliance, said they have asked a lot of people to come to the state Capitol on Wednesday and to the public hearing later in February. Both Jolly and Festa are hoping to get lawmakers to reconsider. They hope to replicate what happened in New Jersey in December, when the state Senate there was unable to find enough votes to repeal that states religious exemption. According to news reports, protests by parents and children opposed to mandatory vaccines were enough to get the issue tabled before a vote. Parents and children were yelling and stomping their feet outside the Senate chamber there when they figured out that they didnt have the votes. Connecticut failed to pass legislation last year, and officials who are now pushing for repeal have been cautious about what theyve said publicly to avoid confrontations with parents who support the religious exemption. We announced it several months ago and no one has wavered from the House and Senate leadership to the governors office on getting it passed this year, Ritter said. He said hundreds of people are not vaccinating their children anymore based mostly on misinformation and thats a danger to a lot of our residents and we want to end that. Emails between employees at the DPH, which were obtained through a Freedom of Information request, show they were concerned about Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who came to Connecticut last March to speak about vaccines. Kennedy has become a celebrity within the niche of people who oppose vaccinations, and he was supposed to join a panel of medical professionals who support vaccines for a public discussion. But the event was canceled. Instead, Kennedy spoke to a large number of mostly women about how he doesnt believe vaccines are safe a position that puts him at odds with members of his own family. The FOI request revealed that Kathy Kudish, immunization program manager at the DPH, warned a colleague seven days before the forum that they should limit the anti-vaccine presence and take no questions from the public. This has the potential to turn into a media and anti-vaccine platform so Im hopeful that (state Rep. Josh Elliott) will take some steps to ensure that does not happen, Kudish wrote. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a loud anti-vaccine spokesperson and turns out huge crowds. LeeAnn Ducat, founder of Informed Choice CT, said that when supporters of vaccine mandates cannot defend their position, they resort to bullying and censorship. We saw a perfect example of this in Hartford in March 2019. The medical establishment cant defend vaccine mandates because their science is extraordinarily weak, Ducat said. If lawmakers learned how weak their evidence is, they would never consider a vote to remove religious liberty and access to public schools. Thats why they are afraid of a real dialogue. She said they hide behind the curtain of alphabet soup agency recommendations and pharmaceutical company public relations campaigns. Virtually all of the entities which support removal of the religious exemption participate in the revenue stream from vaccines, which is an obvious and enormous conflict of interest. Jillian Wood, executive director of the American Academy of Pediatrics Connecticut chapter, has said theres no way medical professionals were going to convince true anti-vaccine people their information is wrong. We can only answer questions about scientific truth. The spread of misinformation on the internet is credited with causing immunization rates to drop. Doubts about the MMR vaccine originated with a retracted study published in 1998 that incorrectly suggested a link between the vaccine and symptoms of autism. The study has been widely cited online as the basis for fear of vaccinations. That is not to suggest that there are no side effects or adverse reactions from vaccinations - the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System was created to track such events and there are parents in Connecticut who believe their children were adversely impacted by vaccines. Regardless, vaccinations are part of the CDCs recommended requirements for children to attend both public and private schools. For the most part, Connecticut follows the CDCs recommendations, but could, in theory, opt not to include a given immunization in the required schedule. The World Health Organization, in its online training course titled Vaccine Safety Basics, provides a chart showing the cycles of a vaccination program. The chart illustrates a vaccines impact on public health from inception through eradication. It also includes a period where negative perceptions about the vaccine - based on adverse events - lead to a drop in immunization rates and a resurgence of a disease. Nationally, we have seen that religious exemptions increase when that is the only choice and other personal/philosophical exemption choices are removed, said Dr. Jody L. Terranova, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington who also is the immunization advocate for the Connecticut Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. But total non-medical exemptions are still increasing regardless of whether they are religious or personal beliefs. Terranova said the increase in use of exemptions can be attributed to a combination of reasons, including: a lack of experience with and exposure to the diseases that vaccines prevent; the reach of the internet and social media and the ability of anyone to claim expertise; perception of risk and overemphasis on vaccine side effects as the visibility of a disease and its effects decrease, and; a general distrust of the government, physicians, and pharmaceutical companies.Measles is among the most contagious diseases in the world and had been nearly eradicated by an aggressive vaccination program, but it has made a comeback in the U.S. and elsewhere as parents have been deciding not to vaccinate. The United States, because of its investment in sanitation and vaccination programs, is better equipped than many other countries to handle outbreaks of contagious diseases. But in areas where people are not vaccinated, the disease is extremely dangerous. One student in Brooklyn infected 21 others last year, some of whom were unvaccinated. But the virus - with its four-day incubation period during which people are contagious but not symptomatic makes it especially easy to spread. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, where vaccination rates are low, an ongoing measles outbreak has infected 310,000 people and killed more than 6,000, according to the World Health Organization. The virus is spread through coughing and sneezing, and can live for up to two hours in an airspace where the infected person coughed or sneezed. In 2019, there were 1,282 measles cases in 31 states in the United States. The CDC reported that 128 of the people who got measles were hospitalized, and 61 reported having complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis. Last year in Connecticut there were four confirmed cases of measles and one suspected case. No measles cases have been reported in Connecticut in 2020. In a rare bipartisan move last June, Republicans and Democrats teamed up to scuttle an Agriculture Department proposal that would have shuttered job training centers for at-risk youth across the country an idea that blindsided lawmakers and seemed to lack much explanation or underlying data. Rep. Dan Newhouse blasted Secretary Sonny Perdues plan, which he said would close some of the highest-performing facilities in the popular program, contrary to USDAs claims. It appears the administrations rollout of this proposal was done carelessly and without the data or the statistics to point to any rhyme or reason as to how the decisions were made, the Washington Republican said at a committee hearing. Perdue called off the site closures soon after. But the hasty rollout and bipartisan backlash pointed to a problem that has repeatedly dogged the department: Many of USDAs recent actions have been marred by missing pieces of critical data, assertions challenged by outside experts or other struggles to demonstrate the reasons for major shifts in federal food and farm policy. The trend has raised questions from critics about how USDA leaders are making decisions with huge implications for struggling farmers, food stamp recipients and workers in dangerous meatpacking jobs, among other aspects of Americas food system. They operate much more on anecdote and ideology than facts and data, said Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a member of the House Agriculture Committee. Ive seen a dramatic shift with this administration using less reliance on data, less interest in talking about data, or completely ignoring it when the facts dont go their way. When USDA rolled out a proposal in July to crack down on eligibility for food stamps, there was a key figure absent from the Trump administrations formal analysis of the rule: how many low-income kids would lose automatic access to free school meals. Lawmakers hounded USDA officials for months to track down those figures, which turned out to be twice as high as USDA initially indicated. Story continues In June of last year, the departments internal watchdog launched an investigation into whether officials used flawed data to support a new rule allowing meatpackers to accelerate their pork processing lines to high speeds that could endanger plant workers. And agricultural economists have challenged the calculations USDA used to structure its $20 billion-and-counting trade bailout for farmers, which has been criticized for paying too much to some farms. Those cases and others reviewed by POLITICO highlight a pattern of questions surrounding the data and analysis behind many of the departments most ambitious policy moves. The trend has fueled complaints from members of Congress who feel left in the dark, and its fed criticism that Perdue and his top officials are making political decisions first and gathering the relevant facts later, according to lawmakers, agricultural research experts and former USDA staff. The administration has made moves to reduce the amount of evidence that enters into the policymaking process, said Rebecca Boehm, an economist with the nonpartisan Union of Concerned Scientists. Its obviously political, and special interests come into it. But bottom line is the public loses, farmers lose. While every president faces scrutiny over how they set federal policies, and whether those actions stem from objective analysis or political objectives, experts suggest President Donald Trump has ushered in a new era of fact-free decision-making, a sharp departure from previous administrations of either party. The Center for Science and Democracy, part of the Union of Concerned Scientists, published a study in 2018 analyzing violations of scientific integrity under each administration dating back to the 1950s. The researchers concluded that the Trump administrations actions reflect a new evolution and escalation of disregard for science and in some cases were unprecedented. For his part, Perdue has frequently talked up the need for sound science at USDA, telling POLITICO last year that were very serious when we say were fact-based, data-driven decision makers. A department spokesperson reiterated that point, claiming the secretary has emphasized the importance of ensuring USDA is facts-based and data-driven, especially when creating and developing policies. To achieve this, the department not only relies on data and science from within our agencies but has also worked to improve data integration so we can measure decisions and outcomes against clear performance standards. But longtime agriculture policy watchers say USDAs actions under Trump dont match its rhetoric. If this administration wants to be transparent and use evidence-based policy, then what were seeing at USDA seems not to be in line with that stance, said Susan Offutt, who led the departments Economic Research Service for a decade under the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. Jobs on the chopping block Perdues short-lived plan to end the longstanding Forest Service job training program left lawmakers on both sides scratching their heads about how the decision was made. The centers train low-income youth to respond to natural disasters, maintain national forests and work on rural infrastructure projects. Perdue wanted to hand them over to the Labor Department, which already oversees a much larger number of job training sites. But the move entailed shuttering nine facilities in rural districts across the country and potentially laying off some 1,100 workers a deal-breaker even for normally supportive members of Congress. USDAs hasty rollout didnt help, either. Lawmakers said they werent briefed in advance of the May announcement, and the chief of the Forest Service told her staff she was given just four days notice . After the rocky launch, Perdues attempts to justify the changes to Congress fell flat, as Republicans from Newhouse to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell lobbied the administration to back down. In an interview earlier this month, Newhouse praised Perdue for listening to lawmakers and changing course. They wanted to make sure that taxpayer dollars were being used as efficiently as possible, he said. On paper, it probably looked like the right thing to do to consolidate these centers. But the episode points to data problems behind the decision. In the official regulatory notice last May, the Labor Department defended the plan to shut down the Forest Service job centers by claiming they suffer from a variety of problems, including operating under-capacity, not achieving long-term student outcomes, and operating in an inefficient manner. However, no data was provided by either department to support that statement. The Trump administration has also asserted in budget documents that the USDA-run sites on average were more costly and less effective than other centers managed by the Labor Department even though their own performance data shows that most of the Forest Service centers scored in the top 25 percent of all job training centers, meaning they significantly outperformed the other sites. A USDA spokesperson said its the Labor Departments decision to shutter any of the job training centers. But the closures were a central piece of the plan from the day it was initiated by Perdue and announced to startled lawmakers and federal workers. The spokesperson said officials are now searching for a pathway that will maximize opportunity and results for students, minimize disruptions and improve overall performance and integrity, citing the need for the Forest Service to focus on its core natural resource mission to improve the condition and resilience of our nations forests. A slaughterhouse overhaul invites safety questions In certain cases, questions about USDAs use of data have exposed its policies to bureaucratic and legal hurdles. That includes lawsuits and an inspector general investigation into whether food safety officials relied on faulty data to justify their recent overhaul of pork slaughterhouse inspections. The final rule released in October removes federal limits on pork processing line speeds allowing meatpackers to move more carcasses per hour and maximize profits. But labor advocates have long warned that ratcheting up the pace of operations in messy, humid slaughterhouses will further endanger plant workers, who already face higher rates of injury than those in other industries. USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service maintains that worker safety is under the Labor Departments jurisdiction, so it wasnt a factor in shaping the final rule. However, in a February 2018 regulatory notice , FSIS wrote that any evaluation of changing the processing line speeds should include the effects of line speed on establishment employee safety. Officials went on to claim that their preliminary analysis showed that plants with faster line speeds under a pilot program actually recorded lower worker injury rates than other facilities. But independent researchers said they discovered flaws in the statistics underlying USDAs assertion: FSIS relied on a sample size that was too small to draw meaningful conclusions and methodology that would leave statisticians scratching their heads, they wrote. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, center, observes operations during a tour of the Lincoln Premium Poultry plant, Costco Wholesale's dedicated poultry supplier, in Fremont, Neb., Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019. Leading the tour is Walt Shafer, COO of Lincoln Premium Poultry, right, and at left is Neb. Gov. Pete Ricketts. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) It was really an inappropriate analysis, Celeste Monforton, an independent expert in occupational safety, said of USDAs claims at the time. There isnt enough data to make that kind of conclusion. It just doesnt exist. FSIS argues that the analysis in question was only mentioned in the initial rulemaking notice for the sake of soliciting public feedback. A USDA spokesperson said the agency did not rely on that analysis for the proposed rule and did not use the worker safety data in the final rule. Therefore, the claim that FSIS used flawed data is not accurate. But doubts about the soundness of USDAs data have already created obstacles for the pork slaughter rule. First, lawmakers cried foul over the worker safety concerns. Then, an IG probe was launched in June. Now, labor groups are suing to block the final rule . A central piece of their lawsuit is that USDA failed to disclose its data and analysis during the public comment period and rejected public concerns about worker safety based on a methodologically flawed analysis. Some farmers gain, others lose Complaints about USDAs statistics extend to Perdues signature effort so far: a massive two-year trade bailout for farmers and ranchers bruised by Trumps tariff wars. The department has doled out $8.6 billion to producers for 2018 production and nearly $11 billion for last years losses, so far. USDA officials have published the economic calculations showing how they determined which regions or commodity sectors get more taxpayer money than others, but some lawmakers, commodity groups and farm economists have questioned the outcome. Many in the industry complained from the get-go that they werent being paid an adequate rate to offset the financial sting from a steep drop in exports and lower commodity prices. Most famously, corn growers were outraged about receiving just one penny per bushel under the 2018 trade aid plan, when industry estimates showed that corn prices for farmers had sunk 44 cents per bushel on average since Trump started his trade war. Smaller corners of agriculture, like Maines wild blueberry growers, say USDA completely failed to address their financial losses from the tariff brawl. Theyre facing a 97 percent drop in exports to China since 2017, but were left out of the direct payment program altogether. Meanwhile, a study published in November by the conservative American Enterprise Institute found that USDAs calculation of trade damages likely substantially overestimated the impact for some U.S. producers, such as soybean growers. The AEI study, conducted by former USDA chief economist Joseph Glauber, cited six other academic studies that found significantly lower trade damage to soybean prices than the departments estimate. USDA officials have said they measured gross trade damage rather than price methodology and didnt account for other factors that have weighed on commodity prices, but lawmakers and farm economists have taken issue with that approach. Senate Democrats in November said they found inequities in the bailout program like a disproportionate amounts of aid flowing to Southern states and larger farm operations relative to their trade losses. Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, ranking member on the Agriculture Committee, specifically criticized USDAs flawed aid formula. A USDA spokesperson pointed out that 68 percent of the total payments have flowed to the Midwest, with farmers in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota and Texas hauling in the most funds so far. While we appreciate feedback on this program, the fact of the matter is that USDA has provided necessary funding to help farmers who have been impacted by unjustified retaliatory tariffs, the spokesperson said. Critics see a degree of political favoritism behind the design of the program, given the influx of funds to key states that Trump hopes could catapult him to a second term in the White House. Even after delivering several long-sought trade wins in recent months, Trump tweeted in January that he hopes the thing [farmers] will most remember is the bailout money. How many kids lose automatic free lunches? USDA has also been accused of playing keep-away with some of the most important metrics related to its policy plans, like the recent proposal to curb broad-based categorical eligibility under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The change would result in 3 million low-income Americans losing automatic eligibility for SNAP, by USDAs own count. But anti-hunger advocates quickly homed in on another key figure: the number of school children who would lose automatic access to free or reduced-price school meals under the plan. That number was nowhere to be found when USDA released the draft rule in July. The department then declined to answer questions for months about how many students would be affected. House Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) tried to pry the figures from USDA; he claimed that Perdues staff had initially suggested during a phone briefing that more than 500,000 children would no longer automatically qualify for free meals. Months later, USDAs Food and Nutrition Service published a new analysis in October, late in the day ahead of a House committee hearing with the departments top nutrition official. That document showed 982,000 students would lose their automatic eligibility for free school meals under the new SNAP rule nearly double what the department had informally told congressional staff. Lawmakers at the hearing angrily questioned why it took so long for USDA to acknowledge the extent of the potential impact on low-income school kids. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) said the monthslong delay makes it appear USDA was trying to thwart oversight. Deputy Undersecretary Brandon Lipps contended that the analysis was provided as soon as it was available and ready. A USDA spokesperson reiterated that point in a statement, adding that every family continues to have an opportunity to apply for meal benefits. To veterans of the department, USDAs original analysis in June should have painted the full picture. Offutt, the former ERS administrator, said its unusual that the department didnt explore the potential consequences for low-income schoolkids before proceeding with the proposed rule. In this case, it was so obvious that the analysis could have been done, Offutt said. For the big regulatory changes, certainly theres a good expectation that there should be a full analysis of the consequences. And that didnt happen. The hazy impact of a food stamp crackdown House members have pressed the department for more statistics relevant to another piece of its proposed SNAP crackdown: curbing states ability to waive work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents. Perdue has defended the plan as necessary during a strong economy to promote self-sufficiency. Democrats and anti-hunger advocates argue the rule will harm recipients who need more flexibility under work requirements, including veterans struggling to readjust to civilian life or young people who recently left foster care. To that end, the House Agriculture Committee has been asking Perdue since early 2019 for detailed information about the population that would be affected by the rule, like how many are veterans or homeless. At a hearing last April, top Democrats, including Reps. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and Marcia Fudge of Ohio, complained that USDA had yet to turn over any new information months after they requested it. They are just making up things, Fudge said after the hearing, later adding: They are making a decision with no data whatsoever. USDA had already shared a publicly available report including demographic information on a sample of able-bodied adults without dependents, including basic household and income data. However, Democrats were seeking more specific analysis that would capture barriers to working, such as a lack of access to transportation. Nearly a year later, they claim theyre still waiting for Perdue to produce that data. The fact is that [the recipients] are a complicated group of people on which we have little data yet USDA has done no research on how this new rule will impact these vulnerable Americans, McGovern said after the final rule was published in December. The Trump administration ought to know more about this population before they literally take food off their table. USDA says its not authorized to gather data on the specific groups of SNAP recipients sought by Democrats, but Fudge and others have disputed that point. At a recent House Veterans Affairs hearing, Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Pam Miller said USDA would undertake a new study to gather more information on veterans who will be affected. Uprooting a research agency The branch of USDA that often conducts the sort of scientific research that Democrats requested on SNAP recipients is the Economic Research Service. But the ERS itself remains in a state of flux because of Perdues controversial plan to uproot the agency from D.C. and transfer it to the Kansas City region, a move announced in mid-2018. The agency started hemorrhaging staff ahead of the relocation, in part because of widespread fears that the abrupt move was part of a political crackdown on scientific research that didnt fit with the Trump administrations agenda. More than half the ERS employees selected for relocation refused to move, according to USDA estimates in July. Mass attrition has left parts of the agency paralyzed. An internal USDA memo in September identified dozens of reports that could face significant delays because of the relocation and the resulting staff exodus. One of the projects flagged for potential delays was a study of the number of working-age veterans who lack access to food. Of course, the relocation itself was perhaps the highest-profile case of a sweeping decision that critics see as based more on politics than science. Perdue said the move would make the ERS more effective by bringing it closer to farmers in the heartland, though agency employees point out that their primary audience is agricultural policymakers in Washington rather than producers on the farm. The secretary also promised it would save taxpayer dollars by avoiding pricey D.C. office space. But when USDA released a cost-benefit analysis in June claiming modest savings over 15 years from the relocation, the findings were disputed by independent economists, including Offutt. They said the move would actually cost taxpayers an additional $128 million over time, rather than the $300 million in savings Perdue was touting as a primary reason for the change. The outside economists said USDAs analysis overstated the costs of keeping the agencies in Washington and failed to consider cheaper locations in the Beltway area. The department also didnt account for the economic value of agricultural research that would be lost due to veteran employees fleeing the agency in droves. USDA continues to stand by its cost-benefit analysis and the relocation itself. Former ERS researchers told POLITICO that the process demonstrated USDA leaderships indifference to backing up major policy and organizational moves with facts. According to one economist who quit the agency last year, the decisions are made, and then gathering data is an afterthought. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 3, 2020 / FIORE GOLD LTD. (TSXV:F)(OTCQB:FIOGF) ("Fiore" or the "Company") is pleased to announce preliminary production results for the Company's first fiscal quarter ("Q1") of 2020 for its Pan open pit mine in White Pine County, Nevada. The Company is also providing full-year production guidance for fiscal year 2020. Highlights: Quarterly gold production of 8,750 ounces, including 3,989 ounces in December 2019 Gold sales of 9,093 ounces Mined ore production in Q1 above plan at approximately 15,290 tons per day with the stripping ratio at 1.8:1.0 26,861 man-hours worked in Q1, achieving our goal of zero reportable incidents, zero reportable accidents, and zero lost-time injuries. As of December 31, 2019, the operation is at 1,322 consecutive days of attaining this Triple-Zero achievement Transition from Run of Mine ("ROM") to crushed ore placement largely complete Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") on the federally permitted Gold Rock project nearing completion, with expected release in calendar Q1 2020 In Q1 2020, the Pan mine ramped up towards the higher gold production levels expected from the installation of the primary crusher. Gold production in the first two months of Q1 were below plan as the operating team worked to optimize crusher throughput and fine-tune the reagent mix and operating procedures. As with all heap leach operations, there was also a natural timing delay between placing crushed ore on the leach pad and gold reporting to the process plant. However, the positive impact of the operational improvements began to be seen in December 2019 with gold production of 3,989 gold ounces and similar production levels continuing through January 2020. Despite the ramp-up challenges, our operating team was able to identify and resolve issues efficiently and safely. Tim Warman, Fiore's CEO commented, "While the changeover at the Pan Mine from ROM to crushing took longer than anticipated, our experienced operating and technical teams have addressed and corrected the key issues we encountered. As a result, gold production has increased steadily over the quarter, reaching almost 4,000 ounces in December. Although total ounces recovered in Q4 2019 and the first two months of the current quarter were lower than expected, management believes these ounces are simply delayed, and will likely be recovered over the coming months. Our full-year guidance for FY2020 shows a significant increase in gold production over the previous year as the benefits of the crushing circuit are fully felt. Higher guided cash costs are related to the temporarily higher stripping ratios, which are expected to decline significantly in the second half of the year." FY2020 Guidance With the crushing circuit startup largely behind us, the Company is providing the following guidance metrics for the full fiscal year 2020, which ends September 30th, 2020: Gold production in FY 2020 will be weighted towards the second half of the fiscal year, and despite the production shortfall in Q1 is still expected in the range of 45,000-48,000 ounces, a significant increase over the previous year. Mining rates are expected to stay at approximately 14,000 tpd ore. Stripping ratio for full year 2020 is expected to approximate the life of mine average of 1.6:1.0. As we are stripping at higher rates earlier in the year, the strip ratio is projected to drop significantly to approximately 1.1:1.0 by Q4 2020. Mined ore grade is forecast to be in the range of 0.014 - 0.016 oz/t, with higher grades biased towards H2 2020. Total cash costs per ounce1 are expected in the range of $975 - $1,025/oz, Pan Mine AISC1 in the range of $1,075 - $1,125/oz, and Fiore Consolidated AISC1 in the range of $1,175 - $1,225/oz for the full FY 2020. Both cash costs1 and AISC1 are expected to drop significantly in Q4 2020 as the stripping ratio decreases in tandem with higher gold grades and production. Cash costs1 in 2020 are guided to be approximately $100 per ounce higher than 2019. The increase is due to the impact of higher stripping, higher processing costs without the full year benefit of higher production from crushed ore, and general escalation in contractor mining costs. As noted, stripping is expected to decrease in H2 and with the impact of higher-grade ore and escalating gold production from crushed ore, cash costs1 are expected to decrease later in the year. Pan and Fiore Consolidated AISC1 are also impacted by the increase in cash costs1, as well as higher sustaining capital. The increase in sustaining capital is largely due to higher capitalized exploration related to the resource expansion drilling program at Pan. 1 This is a non-IFRS financial measure. Please refer to "Non-IFRS Financial Measures" at the end of this news release for a description of these non-IFRS financial measures. Webinar Red Cloud Financial Services will be hosting a webinar to discuss the above results this Thursday, February 6th at 2 PM EST/ 11 AM PST. To register please visit: https://www.redcloudfs.com/rcwebinar-f/ Technical Disclosure The scientific and technical information relating to Fiore Gold's properties contained in this news release was approved by J. Ross MacLean (MMSA), Fiore Gold's Chief Operating Officer and a "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101. Corporate Strategy Our corporate strategy is to grow Fiore Gold into a 150,000 ounce per year gold producer. To achieve this, we intend to: continue to grow gold production at the Pan Mine, while increasing the resource and reserve base advance the development of the nearby Gold Rock project acquire additional production or near-production assets to complement our existing operations On behalf of FIORE GOLD LTD. "Tim Warman" Chief Executive Officer Contact Us: info@fioregold.com 1 (416) 639-1426 Ext. 1 www.fioregold.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Non-IFRS Financial Measures The Company has included certain non-IFRS measures in this document, as discussed below. The Company believes that these measures, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, provide investors an improved ability to evaluate the underlying performance of the Company. The non-IFRS measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. These measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to other issuers. We have adopted "all-in sustaining costs" measures for the Pan Mine and Fiore as a consolidated group, consistent with guidance issued by the World Gold Council ("WGC") on June 27, 2013. We believe that the use of all-in sustaining costs is helpful to analysts, investors and other stakeholders in assessing our operating performance, our ability to generate cash flow from current operations and our overall value. These measures are helpful to governments and local communities in understanding the economics of gold mining. The "all-in sustaining costs" measure is an extension of existing "cash cost" metrics and incorporates costs related to sustaining production. The WGC definition of all-in sustaining costs seeks to extend the definition of total cash costs by adding reclamation and remediation costs, exploration and study costs, capitalized stripping costs, corporate general and administrative costs and sustaining capital expenditures to represent the total costs of producing gold from current operations. All-in sustaining costs exclude income tax, interest costs, depreciation, non-sustaining capital expenditures, non-sustaining exploration expense and other items needed to normalize earnings. Therefore, these measures are not indicative of our cash expenditures or overall profitability. "Total cash cost per ounce sold" is a common financial performance measure in the gold mining industry but has no standard meaning under IFRS. The Company reports total cash costs on a sales basis. We believe that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance and ability to generate cash flow. Accordingly, it is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. The measure, along with sales, is considered to be a key indicator of a Company's ability to generate operating earnings and cash flow from its mining operations. "Costs of sales per ounce sold" adds depreciation and depletion and share based compensation allocated to production to the cash costs figures. Total cash costs figures are calculated in accordance with a standard developed by The Gold Institute, which was a worldwide association of suppliers of gold and gold products and included leading North American gold producers. The Gold Institute ceased operations in 2002, but the standard is considered the accepted standard of reporting cash cost of production in North America. Adoption of the standard is voluntary, and the cost measures presented may not be comparable to other similarly titled measure of other companies. "Total cash costs per ounce", "cost of sales per ounce", and "all-in sustaining costs per ounce", are intended to provide additional information only and do not have any standardized definition under IFRS and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. The measures are not necessarily indicative of operating profit or cash flow from operations as determined under IFRS. Other companies may calculate the measure differently. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward looking information" (as defined under applicable securities laws), based on management's best estimates, assumptions and current expectations. Such statements include but are not limited to, statements regarding , expectations for future performance of the Pan Mine, ore grades, gold production, strip ratios, mining rates and productivities, performance and benefits expected from the primary crushing circuit, that issues with the changeover from ROM to crushing have been corrected, financial projections, cost projections, future success attributed to operating changes, gold production, plans and timing for a Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Gold Rock project, growing gold production at the Pan Mine while increasing the resource and reserve base, advancing exploration and development of the Gold Rock project, goal to become a 150,000-ounce producer, goal to acquire additional production or near production assets, and other statements, estimates or expectations. Often, but not always, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects", "expected", "budgeted", "targets", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "scheduled", "estimates", "aims", "will", "believes", "projects" and similar expressions (including negative variations) which by their nature refer to future events. By their very nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Fiore Gold's control. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Forward looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, as well as a number of assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company concerning, among other things, anticipated geological formations, potential mineralization, future plans for exploration and/or development, potential future production, ability to obtain permits for future operations, drilling exposure, and exploration budgets and timing of expenditures, all of which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievement of Fiore Gold to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward looking statements include, but not limited to, risks related to the Pan Mine performance, risks related to the company's limited operating history; risks related to international operations; risks related to general economic conditions, actual results of current or future exploration activities, unanticipated reclamation expenses; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; fluctuations in prices of metals including gold; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; increases in market prices of mining consumables; possible variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery rates; uncertainties involved in the interpretation of drilling results, test results and the estimation of gold resources and reserves; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; the possibility that capital and operating costs may be higher than currently estimated; the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated expenses in the work programs; availability of financing; accidents, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry; delays in the completion of exploration, development or construction activities; the possibility that required permits may not be maintained, obtained or renewed on a timely manner or at all; changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations, tax rules and regulations, and political and economic developments in countries in which Fiore Gold operates, and other factors identified in Fiore Gold's filing with Canadian securities authorities under its profile at www.sedar.com respecting the risks affecting Fiore Gold and its business. Although Fiore Gold has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are made as of the date hereof and are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Fiore disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as require by law. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. FY2020 Guidance projections used in this document are considered "forward-looking statements" and represent management's good faith estimates or expectations of future production results as of the date hereof. Guidance is based upon certain assumptions, including, but not limited to, metal prices, oil prices, operating costs, ore grades and recoveries, and other assumptions. Additional details of these assumptions can be found in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis under its profile at www.sedar.com. Such assumptions may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Consequently, guidance projections cannot be guaranteed. As such, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon guidance as there can be no assurance that the plans, assumptions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. Source: Fiore Gold Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/574862/Fiore-Gold-Reports-Q1-2020-Production-and-Provides-FY2020-Guidance By PTI NEW DELHI: A Group of Ministers (GoM) formed to review, monitor and evaluate the preparedness to contain the deadly coronavirus infection in the country held its first meeting on Monday. The high-level GoM includes Union ministers Harsh Vardhan, Hardeep Puri, S Jaishankar, G Kishan Reddy, Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Mansukh Lal Mandaviya. The ministers were apprised of the three confirmed cases reported from Kerala and the preventive steps and measures taken to contain coronavirus, the Ministry of Health said. ALSO READ: PMO reviews India's preparedness to deal with Coronavirus cases The GoM also took note of the government announcing temporary suspension of e-visa facility for Chinese travellers and foreigners residing in the neighbouring country and a fresh advisory saying anyone with travel history to China since January 15 can be quarantined. "e-Visa facility for Chinese passport holders has been temporarily suspended, e-Visa already issued to Chinese nationals is also not valid temporarily and the facility for submitting the application online for the physical visa from China is suspended," the ministry said. They were also informed that 645 people evacuated from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, have been admitted to quarantine centres of the Army and the ITBP in and around the national capital. All inhabitants are medically examined on a daily basis, though none of them have tested positive for coronavirus, the ministry said. The ministry has also advised that people having compelling reasons to visit India should contact the Indian embassy in Beijing or consulate in Shanghai or Guangzhou. The Ministry of Aviation has also issued instructions to all national and international airlines operating from China to comply with the above travel advisory. The GoM was also briefed that as of Monday, 72,353 passengers in 593 flights have been screened for the infection. Screening of passengers is ongoing in 21 airports, international seaports and border crossings, particularly with Nepal. ALSO READ | Coronavirus scare: Man who returned from China admitted in KIMS isolation ward Universal screening in all flights from Singapore and Thailand, besides Hong Kong and China is being done. Further, 2,815 people are presently under community surveillance across the country. Out of a total of 338 samples sent for testing, three are positive, 335 negative, while 70 are being processed, the health ministry said. The ICMR National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune has been made a nodal centre for coordinating diagnostics for coronavirus. Twelve regional labs have been activated, standardised and are testing the samples. "The GoM was also apprised that adequate materials like Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and N95 masks are available and the situation is closely monitored in all states and union territories. "The preparedness and actions are being reviewed at the highest level everyday by the Union Health Minister and the Cabinet Secretary, in addition to Secretary (HFW). A 24x7 control room is operational (011-23978046). IEC material is prepared and widely disseminated through various channels of print, electronic and social media," the statement said. The meeting was attended by Secretary (MHFW) Preeti Sudan, Secretary (Foreign) H Vardhan Shringla, Secretary (Civil Aviation) Pradeep Singh Kharola, Special Secretary (Health) Sanjeeva Kumar, Additional Secretary (Shipping) Sanjay Bandopadhyay. Though the virus seems to be readily transmitted between humans, its apparent death rate of about 2 percent is lower than the 9.6 percent for SARS, and recoveries have risen. The U.S. has 11 cases, and dozens of people are being tested. Here are the latest updates. On the ground: Our correspondent in Wuhan reported from a new, 1,000-bed hospital opened from scratch in 10 days (and still partly under construction). In Beijing, empty streets and deserted parks have made for dystopian vistas. President Xi Jinping said Monday that the Communist Party was facing a major test, while party leaders urged better propaganda and opinion guidance. Economic fallout: Chinese stocks plunged on Monday, the first day of trading since the Lunar New Year, and a conservative forecast sees Chinas economic growth slipping this year, which will have global repercussions. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and Russia, agreed to meet in Vienna to discuss possibly cutting output to stabilize falling prices. Still, European and American stocks were up. Related: Hong Kongs government said Monday that it would close more border checkpoints, as some medical workers went on strike to demand a complete ban on entries from mainland China. And huge complications have confronted Americans seeking to leave China. Hundreds of residents of a remote Indonesian island protested Monday at the government's decision to use it to quarantine evacuees from the Chinese city at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. Indonesia has evacuated 237 citizens and one foreign national, married to an Indonesian, from Wuhan. The evacuees, mostly students, landed Sunday and will be quarantined for 14 days on Natuna island, which lies between Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia. "The government's decision to quarantine Indonesians who returned from China has made people feel uneasy, so we strongly reject it," Fadillah, one of the protesters who like many Indonesians goes with one name, told AFP. The protesters, wearing green surgical masks, demonstrated in front of the local parliament building, demanding the local authorities relocate the evacuation centre away from a residential area. "Whatever the reason and the explanation, we don't believe it. We believe this virus is very dangerous for people in Natuna," Fadillah said. In response to the growing protest on the island, President Joko Widodo said the returnees had to be quarantined to ensure they were in good health before they can return home. "Those people are healthy, however several stages are needed in health protocol before they can be returned to their family," Widodo said. Following the evacuees' arrival on Natuna, the local government has shut down schools for two weeks and urged students to limit outdoor activities. The coronavirus epidemic has infected more than 17,000 people across China and reached 24 nations, although Indonesia has not reported any confirmed cases so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Air Asia has given up its plan to set up a joint venture in Vietnam, while Vingroup has canceled its Vinpearl Air project. On January 14, Vingroup announced its decision to withdraw investment in the aviation sector. The conglomerate owned by the billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong was the second big firm leaving the aviation market within three months. The saturation of the aviation market and the bottlenecks in infrastructure conditions are possible causes. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), in 2008-2019, Vietnams aviation sector grew by 17.1 percent in number of passengers and 13.8 percent in volume of cargo. Meanwhile, the growth slowed in the first six months of 2019 to 9.8 percent. In December 2019, Lai Xuan Thanh, CEO of Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), confirmed that airports have to operate beyond the designed capacity. While second- and third-class airports are operating in accordance with the designed capacity, Da Nang, Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat all have been overloaded. Tan Son Nhat, the largest airport in Vietnam, has the designed capacity of 28 million passengers a year, but it served 38.3 million passengers in 2018. There are 800-900 takeoffs and landings a day at the airport. The fact that Noi Bai in Hanoi and Tan Son Nhat in HCM City have not been upgraded in capacity has hindered the development of the air route Hanoi - HCM City. This is the fourth busiest air route in the world as recognized by OAG. The fact that Noi Bai in Hanoi and Tan Son Nhat in HCM City have not been upgraded in capacity has hindered the development of the air route Hanoi - HCM City. This is the fourth busiest air route in the world as recognized by OAG. No new slot and no new terminal mean little room for new investors like Vingroup and AirAsia. Asked about the decision to leave the air transportation sector, Vingroups deputy chair and CEO Nguyen Viet Quang said Vingroups investment in the aviation sector may lead to oversupply and that Vingroup needs to develop its technology development division. Vingroups statement, according to Zing.vn, showed that the enterprise does not see opportunity in the market where the competition between veteran and new airlines is fierce. Low cost carrier Vietjet Air has been prospering since its first flights years ago, but it lost 5 percent of the domestic market share in 2019. This is the result of the strong competition of Vietnam Airlines, which offered cheaper tickets with prices closer to budget airlines. However, the national flag air carrier also saw its market share falling slightly from 34.5 percent to 33.3 percent. Mai Lan Ministries demand more airports open to private investment Five ministries have universally rejected a proposal by the transport ministry to restrict private investment in the countrys biggest airports and instead hand the job to a single company. Actor Hina Khan has stood up for herself against social media critic Kamal R Khan, and she has boyfriend Rocky Jaiswal and TV industry colleague Karanvir Bohra on her side. Hina reacted after KRK questioned her stature as a film star. Hina is making her film debut with the thriller Hacked, after establishing herself in the TV industry. I got shocked to know that someone has made a film with #HinaKhan! Who will watch it? I am 100% sure that it will be watched by alone Hina Khan only! #BB13 #BiggBoss13, KRK wrote on Twitter recently, to which Hina replied, Instead of putting each other down for no reason.. I may not matter to u but I have worked my A** off to reach where I am today.. #AppreciationOrNoAppreciation #FromTelevisionToFilms #TelevisionHasItAll #WeDeserveAChanceToo. #LetsLiftEachOther Instead of putting each other down for no reason.. I may not matter to u but I have worked my A** off to reach where I am today.. #AppreciationOrNoAppreciation #FromTelevisionToFilms #TelevisionHasItAll #WeDeserveAChanceToo SAM #NoWhereToHide (@eyehinakhan) February 2, 2020 Meanwhile, Hinas boyfriend Rocky wrote on Twitter, Hahahah @eyehinakhan this disgust of a person was #Hacked of all decencies by God himself, even before he was born. So #God promoted #Hacked the film before he made the mistake of sending him down to this world. PS: Tu reality - reality khel le sold broker. ALSO WATCH | Cannes 2019: Hina Khan dazzles on red carpet Hahahah @eyehinakhan this disgust of a person was #Hacked of all decencies by God himself, even before he was born. So #God promoted #Hacked the film before he made the mistake of sending him down to this world. PS: Tu reality - reality khel le sold broker. https://t.co/cxZ3ySu21E ROCKY (@JJROCKXX) February 2, 2020 Krk Bhai,whatever ppl say about u, it's a fact that millions follow you and wait for your tweets and reviews. We have no #Godfather but we all have dreams and a will 2 achieve. @eyehinakhan must be applauded the fact that she has come here by her own effort & god's grace... https://t.co/fG4zgRoBPV Karanvir Bohra (@KVBohra) February 2, 2020 Karanvir Bohra also jumped up in defence of Hina, and wrote, Krk Bhai,whatever ppl say about u, its a fact that millions follow you and wait for your tweets and reviews. We have no #Godfather but we all have dreams and a will 2 achieve. @eyehinakhan must be applauded the fact that she has come here by her own effort & gods grace... Reacting to his tweet, Hina added, Every project Ive got so far, every appreciator, every fan I have today. I have earned it with my hardwork n talent. And thats what got me the film and THATS WHAT MATTERS. Not PR brokers, so @KVBohra people are smart enough to see through such stunts and acknowledge good work. Follow @htshowbiz for more Thai doctors have seen success in treating severe cases of the new coronavirus with combination of medications for flu and HIV, with initial results showing vast improvement 48 hours after applying the treatment, they said on Sunday. The doctors from Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok said a new approach in coronavirus treatment had improved the condition of several patients under their care, including one 70-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan who tested positive for the coronavirus for 10 days. The drug treatment includes a mixture of anti-HIV drugs lopinavir and ritonavir, in combination with flu drug oseltamivir in large doses. This is not the cure, but the patients condition has vastly improved. From testing positive for 10 days under our care, after applying this combination of medicine the test result became negative within 48 hours, Dr. Kriangska Atipornwanich, a lung specialist at Rajavithi, told reporters. The outlook is good but we still have to do more study to determine that this can be a standard treatment. Chinese health officials have already been administering the HIV and flu drugs to fight the coronavirus. The use of the three together in a cocktail seemed to improve the treatment, the Thai doctors said. Another doctor said that a similar approach in two other patients resulted in one displaying some allergic reaction but the other showed improvement. We have been following international practices, but the doctor increased the dosage of one of the drugs, said Somsak Akkslim, director-general of the Medical Services Department, referring to the flu medicine Oseltamivir. Thailand has recorded 19 cases of coronavirus. Of the Thai patients, eight have recovered and gone home while 11 are still under treatment in hospitals. Somsak said the health ministry will meet on Monday to discuss the successful treatment in the case of the 70-year-old but said it is still too soon to say that this approach can be applied to all cases. Initially we will apply this approach only to severe cases, he said. The pilot of another plane noticed the light of a missile in the sky before the crash A leaked audio recording of an Iranian pilot talking to the control tower in Tehran shows that Iran knew immediately it had shot down a Ukrainian airliner last month, despite denying it for days, Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky said. Reuters reported this. On the recording, played on a Ukrainian television station late on February 2, the pilot of another plane can be heard saying he saw the light of a missile in the sky before Ukrainian International Airways (UIA) flight 752 crashed in an explosion. Tehran blamed the Ukrainian authorities for leaking what it described as confidential evidence, and said it would no longer share material with Ukraine from the investigation into the crash. All 176 people aboard the flight were killed when the plane crashed shortly after takeoff en route from Tehran to Kyiv on January 8. The leaked audio proves that the Iranian side knew from the start that our plane had been hit by a missile, Zelensky said in a television interview. He says that it seems to me that a missile is flying, he says it in both Persian and English, everything is fixed there, Zelensky said. After denying blame for three days, Iran acknowledged shooting the plane down, saying it had done so by mistake while under high alert, hours after it had fired at U.S. targets in retaliation for a U.S. strike that killed an Iranian general. Iran has faced pressure from Ukraine and other countries whose citizens were on board the flight to send evidence abroad for international investigations. The Iranian official in charge of accident investigations at Irans Civil Aviation Organization called it a strange move by Ukraine to release the confidential recording. In the recording, a pilot for Aseman, an Iranian airline, can be heard radioing the control tower that he has seen what he believes is a missile. Is this an active area? Theres lights like a missile. Is there anything? the pilot says. Nothing has been reported to us. Whats the light like? the controller replies. The pilot says: Its the light of a missile. The control tower can be heard trying and failing to raise the Ukrainian airliner on the radio. The pilot of the Iranian plane then says he has seen an explosion. In a very big way, we saw it. I really dont know what it was. Ukraine International Airways said in a statement the recording provided yet more proof that the UIA airplane was shot down with a missile, and there were no restrictions or warnings from dispatchers of any risk to flights of civilian aircraft in the vicinity of the airport. As it was reported earlier, Boeing 737 of Ukraine's International Airlines, flight PS752 with 176 people aboard crashed in Tehran, not far from Imam Khomeini airport. No one, including 11 Ukrainians survived the tragedy. The aircraft of Ukraine's Defense Ministry will return from Iran with the bodies of 11 Ukrainians who deceased in the recent plane crash in Tehran. Fears of escalation in violence in Libya, as reports suggest arms build-up by forces loyal to renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar. Concerns are growing in Libya that the forces loyal to renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar may be preparing to renew full-scale fighting, despite a ceasefire that has loosely been in place for three weeks. Analysts say Haftar has received large supplies of weapons from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). On the other side, Turkey has sent naval frigates, troops and weapons to support the internationally-recognised government. Al Jazeeras Tony Birtley reports from Tripoli. This time of year, San Francisco local residents are looking at self-improvement goals to live a healthier, happier life. Good oral care is a critical piece to better health. San Francisco Dental Implants, a team of professional dental implant specialists serving not just San Francisco but also nearby communities such as Oakland and Marin County, is proud to announce a new blog post for the Bay Area community. The post focuses on the goal of improving one's smile for 2020 and the way in which a dental implant consultation could be a first step towards that goal. "This time of year, San Francisco local residents are looking at self-improvement goals to live a healthier, happier life. Good oral care is a critical piece to better health," explained Dr. Alex Rabinovich, chief oral surgeon of San Francisco Dental Implant Center. "Our January post discusses the physical benefits of a clean, healthy smile and how dental implants might be a tactic towards achieving that goal." The new post can be read at https://www.sfdentalimplants.com/blog/if-you-are-looking-for-dental-implants-in-the-sf-bay-area-you-need-a-specialist/. Persons who want to know about the health benefits of oral surgery, can visit the company's sister website at https://www.oralsurgery-sf.com/. In both cases, interested persons are urged to reach out for a consultation with a specialist to create an individualized treatment plan. SAN FRANCISCO DENTAL IMPLANT SPECIALISTS HELP THE COMMUNITY AVOID 'HACKS' AND PLAN SOLID GOALS FOR BETTER HEALTH IN 2020 Here is the background for this release. Trendy terms on social media sites can include the practice of 'hacks' to improve one's life. Bay Area residents short on time might appreciate simple tips for health-focused hacks in 2020. Online advice concerning simple changes to one's daily health regime might be beneficial. Tips about drinking more water, eating properly, and regular exercise are basic steps to achieving a healthier lifestyle. Different, more creative hacks could end up offering varied results. People might consider scrutinizing advice promising long-term health benefits before starting a new habit. One 'hack' to consider might be dental implants; another might be speaking with an oral surgeon on health issues such as wisdom teeth removal. In summary, San Francisco residents ready to make positive changes to their health might consider speaking to a team of dental implant specialists. ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO DENTAL IMPLANT CENTER San Francisco Dental Implant Center, under the direction of Dr. Alex Rabinovich and on the Web at https://www.sfdentalimplants.com/, focuses on the placement and restoration of dental implants, making its team among the most experienced in the Bay Area. Dr. Rabinovich is a Board Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon specializing in the field of dental implants. The new Trefoil dental implants have been added to the list of procedures the professional oral surgeon provides. This additional training, along with his years of experience, sets Alex Rabinovich MD DDS apart from the growing number of general dentists offering dental implant treatments. Dr. Rabinovich provides services for the San Francisco Bay Area, Marin County, Peninsula, and surrounding North Bay Cities. Turkish soldiers martyred in Assad regime attacks In a statement by Turkey's Defense Ministry, its been said that says regime forces' attack also injures 9 soldiers. At least seven Turkish soldiers were martyred and nine others injured in intense shelling by Bashar al-Assad regime forces in northwestern Syria on Monday, the Turkish Defense Ministry said. ONE OF THE INJURED SOLDIERS IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION In a statement, the ministry said the soldiers -- who were sent as reinforcements to the region for the purpose of preventing conflicts in Idlib de-escalation zone -- were attacked by the regime forces, although their locations were previously coordinated. One of the injured soldiers is in critical condition, the statement said, adding the Turkish Armed Forces responded to the attacks and destroyed the targets. ASSAD REGIME FORCES CEASE-FIRE VIOLATIONS Located in the northwestern Syria, Idlib province is the stronghold of the opposition and anti-government armed groups since the outbreak of the civil war. It is currently home to some four million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces from throughout the war-weary country. Turkey and Russia agreed in September 2018 to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited. The Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the zone, killing at least 1,300 civilians since the agreement. The Spokesman for President Hassan Rouhani administration has urged Iranians to go to the polls in the upcoming parliamentary elections to prevent the collapse of the Islamic Republic. Addressing reporters at a news conference in Tehran on Monday February 3, Ali Rabiei said "The upcoming election is the most important election in the history of the Islamic Republic. The only way to resist the collapse of Iran is going to the polls." This is by far the most radical comment ever made by an Iranian official about the state of affairs in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Rabiei, promised that the government will do its best to ensure a healthy election. This comes while only two weeks ago, President Hassan Rouhani said all the candidates who have been allowed to run belong to the conservative faction. The Guardian Council has disqualified nearly one third of the current members of the parliament on charges of "financial and ethical corruption" and reform-minded figures have complained that there are very few reformist candidates allowed to run for the Majles in the February 21 elections. This has reduced the choice for voters mainly to the hardliner candidates, with the consequent lack of incentive for people hoping for change to go to the polls. Many voters are already disillusioned with the country's economic conditions and harsh repression of recent protests. Regardless of criticisms, the spokesman for the Guardian Council, Abbas Ali Kadhodai said on Saturday that some 7,000 candidates have been qualified to run. He said 24 candidates will compete for every parliament seat. He added, "More than 50 percent of those who registered as candidates have been qualified to run for the Majles." But according to Kayhan newspaper, during the news conference on Saturday, a reporter from the reformist daily Etemad questioned the Guardian Council's impartiality and said that all those qualified come from the same faction. Kadkhodai said: "This is your opinion and we do not accept that." Following Kadkhodai's defense of the Guardian Council's performance in the vetting, some of the disqualified candidates, mainly current MPs have spoken to the press, questioning the Guardian Council's argument. Ali Motahari, the outspoken MP for Tehran, told reporters that he was invited to talk with Guardian Council members on Friday about his disqualification. Motahari said the reason for his disqualification was his critical comments about political matters. He said Guardian Council members told him: "You should say whatever we say." Motahari says that he could not believe what he heard. "It was like a nightmare," adding that he will no longer protest against his disqualification. "I did protest, but I am not going to beg," he said. Another Prominent MP, Gholamreza Heidari, told ISNA that "the electoral system in Iran is badly ill." He said: "I was called in to speak to Mr. Kadkhodai. While at the Guardian Council, I was told that the reason for my disqualification was what I had said at the Majles. They said I should have not said the reason Iraq started a war against Iran in the 1980s was that we had occupied the U.S. embassy in Tehran." They asked: "Why did you say we should have not continued the war after we liberated Khorramshahr?" The comment was taken as criticism of Ayatollah Khomeini's decision to continue the war for eight years. "Another reason was that I had said at the Majles that those who have political power in Iran are not accountable for their decisions ," Heidari said, adding that "They also did not like my comment about why we should spend a lot of money in Yemen and Syria." Heidari explained: What I have said, I have said at the Majles and as part of my responsibility as a member of parliament." He noted he would not follow up the case because if he wants to complain against the Guardian Council, he should send his complaint to the same Guardian Council! There is no other authority Heidari could appeal to. In past elections, a measure of competitiveness and a visible presence of "reformist" candidates encouraged more voters to go to the polls. This time it might be different if people expect hardliners to win. Others such as former Vice-president Shahindokht Mollaverdi and Fatemeh Saeedi simply tweeted a line or two about their disqualification. The two women did not say whether they are planning to take their complaints any further. Last week, pro-Larijani Khabar Online website wrote that both reformists and conservatives found themselves in trouble after the result of the vetting by Guardian Council was announced. Reformists, because they have very few people to run for the 290 seats, and conservatives because they have too many candidates qualified, and it is not easy to narrow down their list. In the meantime, there is a fierce competition among various hardliner groups. The ultraconservative Paydari (Steadfastness) has already made its list public. Other groups such as former Teheran Mayor Qalibaf's neo-conservatives either have to accept Paydari's list or come up with their own separate list of candidates. The second choice is more likely to happen, but it will sow further discord among the conservative camp which has never managed to unite during the past decade. Export Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) CEO Bang Moon-kyu, center, poses with chiefs and executives of energy firms at the Korea Federation of Banks in central Seoul, Monday, after discussing ways to utilize natural gas. Bang pledged to increase financing for natural gas projects. / Courtesy of Eximbank Amadeus Buys Optyms Flight Network Planning Tech Amadeus is acquiring the airline tech unit of Optym, a technology company, for an undisclosed amount, the companies said Monday. The unit helps airlines with planning and scheduling their flight networks. Optym, privately held and founded in 2000, aims to help airlines, such as easyJet, Latam Airlines Group, and Southwest Airlines, trim their operational costs, boost profitability, and enhance service. Optyms employees are mainly based at the headquarters in Gainesville, Fla. Optyms airline optimization services, with the 90 employees associated with it, will become part of Amadeus Sky Suite. Optym, which provides tech services for multiple verticals, previously told The Gainesville Sun that it had generated about $25 million in revenue in 2017. In February 2019, Amadeus CEO Luis Maroto said his team was evaluating potential acquisitions to beef up the companys information technology services for airlines and airports. The Madrid-based tech giant went on to acquire ICM, an airport luggage technology company. In November, Optyms founder Ravi Ahuja stepped aside for a new CEO, Vic Keller, who ran private equity firm KLV Capital. Subscribe to Skift newsletters covering the business of travel, restaurants, and wellness. One of Sirius Minerals' largest investors has urged the company to find an alternative rescue deal with just weeks remaining before it collapses. Global mining giant Anglo American offered to buy potash miner Sirius for 5.5p per share earlier last month in a 405m swoop. But Jupiter Asset Management, Sirius's second largest investor, said the board of directors should hunt out alternatives so shareholders can choose between multiple bailout packages. Running out of time: Jupiter Asset Management said the board of directors should hunt out alternatives Sirius is attempting to develop the world's largest deposit of potash in the North York Moors National Park. But the 3.8 billion project is close to collapse after it failed to complete a financing package last September and will run out of money by April. Sirius's shares price has fallen from 20p this time last year, to 5.8p today, and it will need to down tools if it does not secure a lifeline soon. Last month shareholders were left stunned by a revelation, buried deep in the announcement confirming Anglo's takeover, that said Sirius was also approached by an unnamed consortium. Sirius said the group's offer to put in a 519m funding package to cover the next phase of work at the Woodsmith Mine was not viable. Crucially, such an offer would keep Sirius as a listed company and allow loyal investors including 85,000 private shareholders the chance to earn back money they have lost as its share price plunged. Now many want to know the terms of that proposal and for the company to look into it further even though Sirius said the only viable option was the 5.5p bid. Steve Davies, manager of the Jupiter UK Growth Fund, said: 'We would like the board to pursue any alternative options, including the consortium of financial investors who submitted a proposal for a 519m funding package earlier in January, within the remaining time available. 'We would like to be able to consider a stand-alone financing proposal that would enable shareholders to remain invested in the project, as an alternative to the existing offer from Anglo American.' Jupiter did not say how it planned to vote if there is no alternative to the Anglo bid. A date for a shareholder vote on the Anglo takeover has not been set but will take place in a matter of weeks. The company was a favourite of retail investors and private holders are thought to control as much as 50 per cent of its shares. Sirius declined to comment. Porterville, CA (93257) Today Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 61F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Mainly clear skies. Low near 35F. Winds light and variable. Experts believe that the highly contagious Wuhan coronavirus, which has killed at least 360 people in China and one in the Philippines, will likely become a pandemic. Dr. Thomas Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, now operates a nonprofit called Resolve to Save Lives, which works to fight epidemics. Frieden told The New York Times it is "increasingly unlikely that the virus can be contained," making it "therefore likely that it will spread, as flu and other organisms do, but we still don't know how far, wide, or deadly it will be." A pandemic is the worldwide spread of a new disease. This coronavirus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, and there are 17,205 confirmed cases in the country. The World Health Organization said Sunday there are 146 confirmed cases in 23 countries outside of China, including nine in the United States. The elderly and those with pre-existing health issues are most at risk. There are travel restrictions in place worldwide for people coming from China, where doctors are struggling to help patients. Face masks are sold out across the country, and goggles and gloves are in short supply. Some hospitals have gone on social media and asked for donations, but those posts have since been deleted by government censors, The Washington Post reports. A hospital that was built in 10 days is set to open Monday in Wuhan, with 1,000 beds and 1,400 medical workers able to assist patients with coronavirus. More stories from theweek.com Mitch McConnell's rare blunder John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi All the president's turncoats Five persons were killed and one was injured after their car fell into a well while they were on way to attend the funeral of a relative in Maharashtra's Sangli district, a police official said on Monday. The mishap took place late Sunday night when the steering wheel of the car got locked, following which the vehicle fell into the well located on a roadside near Parekar Wadi village in Atpadi tehsil, he said. "Five people were killed in the mishap and one person sustained injuries," the official said. The deceased have been identified as Machhindra Patil, Kundlik Barkade, Gunda Dombale, Sangita Patil and Shobha Patil. The injured person, who came out of the car on his own after breaking its window glass, was taken to a nearby hospital, the official said. The car was later pulled out of the well with the help of a crane, he said, adding that the bodies were sent for postmortem. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump arrives for a signing ceremony for the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, on Jan. 29, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Trump Says He Thinks Bernie Sanders Is a Communist Based on what Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has done and said, President Donald Trump believes hes a communist. During an interview that broadcast before Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2, Trump was asked about his thoughts on leading Democratic presidential candidates, including Sanders, 78. I think hes a communist. I mean, you know, look, I think of communism when I think of Bernie, Trump, 73, told Fox News host Sean Hannity. Now, you could say socialist, but didnt he get married in Moscow? Hannity corrected Trump, noting that Sanders honeymooned in the former Soviet Union but did not get married there, before the president continued. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks to Iowa voters at the Ames City Auditorium in Ames, Iowa, on Jan. 25, 2020. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) I think of Bernie sort of as a socialist but far beyond a socialist, Trump said. At least hes true to what he believes. Sanders is a self-described socialist. His campaign didnt respond to a request for comment. Trump has criticized the Democratic National Committee in recent weeks over alleged attempts to keep Sanders from winning the Democratic primary. On Jan. 23, Trump wrote that Sanders took the lead in the primary but it is looking more and more like the Dems will never allow him to win! On Feb. 2, Trump denigrated former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, before claiming the billionaire was getting the DNC to rig the election against Crazy Bernie. Trump was referring to a rule change that appeared to pave the way for Bloomberg, 77, to appear in a debate for the first time. Michael Bloomberg speaks during an event to open a campaign office at Eastern Market in Detroit, Michigan, on Dec. 21, 2019. (Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images) The president was also asked about other Democratic candidates a day before the Iowa caucuses. He said little about former Vice President Joe Biden, 77, calling him sleepy before saying that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), 70, cant tell the truth, referencing Warrens ill-fated attempt to claim Native American heritage. Trump attacked Bloomberg, 77, over the business owners height, claiming that Bloomberg wants a box for the debates to stand on. The other thing thats very interesting, Cory Booker and all these people couldnt get any of the things that Bloomberg is getting now. I think its very unfair for the Democrats, Trump added, referring again to the debate rule change. But I would love to run against Bloomberg. I would love it, Trump said. Trump and Bloomberg also aired dueling commercials during the Super Bowl, with Trump focusing on his efforts in the criminal justice reform arena, and Bloomberg promising to end gun violence if he was elected president. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on countries to offer asylum to ethnic minorities fleeing China's troubled Xinjiang region during a visit Sunday to oil-rich Kazakhstan -- a country that borders the region. "We ask simply for them to provide safe refuge and asylum for those seeking to flee China," Pompeo said at a press appearance with Kazakh foreign minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi. "Protect human dignity, just do what is right," Pompeo said. Pompeo was meeting top officials in ex-Soviet Kazakhstan as he rounds off a five-nation tour in two countries where Russia and China enjoy privileged interests. His visit to the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan also saw him meet with Kazakhs who say their family members are detained in Xinjiang, where over a million ethnic Uighurs, Kazakhs and other minorities are believed to have been incarcerated as part of an unprecedented security crackdown in the region. Kazakhstan has allowed several ethnic Kazakhs of Chinese citizenship who fled the region to stay in the country, but has not given any of them asylum -- a reluctance local activists attribute to Chinese pressure. Pompeo also commended Kazakhstan's "quick action" over the novel coronavirus that has killed more than 300 people and infected more than 14,000 in mainland China and beyond, forcing governments around the world to take drastic measures. Kazakhstan has presently hospitalised over 40 people that returned to the country from China with flu-like symptoms, but has yet to confirm any cases of the disease. On Sunday evening Pompeo will fly to Uzbekistan, a country of 33 million that is emerging from nearly three decades of isolation. Pompeo also visited two other ex-Soviet countries -- Belarus and Ukraine -- as part of a trip that began with a stop in Britain. Ahead of the visit, Pompeo stressed that the Central Asian countries on his itinerary "want to be sovereign and independent", and Washington had "an important opportunity to help them achieve that". But he also acknowledged "a lot of activity (in the region) -- Chinese activity, Russian activity". Washington has often struggled to keep a foothold in Central Asian states that were part of the Soviet Union up to its collapse in 1991. At the height of hostilities in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks, NATO and the United States maintained important logistics centres in the region, but these have now closed. Russia has retained military bases and heads security and trade blocs that have helped to entrench its position there. But Central Asia also increasingly looks east to China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road global trade plan as a panacea to treat battered economies. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have both seen leadership transitions since John Kerry toured the region in 2015 -- the last US secretary of state to visit. In Kazakhstan, Pompeo was to meet President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as well as his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev, who last year shocked Kazakhs by retiring from the presidency after nearly three decades in office. In Uzbekistan, he was to hold talks with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who has embarked on ambitious reforms, welcoming tourism and investment in the once-isolated republic while keeping the authoritarian system intact. Mirziyoyev's long-ruling hardline predecessor, Islam Karimov turned his back on the United States in 2005 after a row over the Uzbek government's bloody crackdown on protests. The relationship had healed somewhat by the time of Karimov's death in 2016. Mirziyoyev, who visited Trump at the White House in 2018, has mused on the benefits of joining the Moscow-backed Eurasian Economic Union, a five-country bloc including Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan that is seen as a key vehicle for Russia to wield influence in the region. In addition to holding bilateral meetings, Pompeo on Monday in Tashkent will hold a meeting with foreign ministers from all five ex-Soviet Central Asian countries -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. This format was first tried under Kerry to enhance regional, economic, environmental and security cooperation. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Adelia Pratiwi and M. Rizky Zein (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 16:10 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20624ad19 3 Opinion digital-economy,cross-borders,Trade,taxation,import-tax-free-ceiling,import-tariff,ecommerce Free Cross-border trade is an important consequence of the growing digital economy. Indonesia, like other countries, has been impacted by this growth, as seen in the high cross-border trade activity. A new government regulation on import duties and import-related tax within online cross-border trade became effective on Feb.1. The new finance ministerial regulation cuts the maximum value of duty-exempt imported goods ordered online to US$3 per delivery note from $75, thereby making it one of the most restrictive measures on online cross border trade. But considering the potential increase in online imports of consumer goods, such a restriction is necessary to reduce imports and protect the domestic industry. For import-related tax, while VAT is now imposed on imported goods of any value, while the income tax is not applicable anymore. Also, to increase literacy and support education, educational textbooks are exempt from duty and import taxes. The new regulation will increase the end-price of shoes. Indonesias e-commerce market size is forecast going to be the biggest at $53 billion (41 percent growth for 2015-2025) based on Google-Temasek e-economy SEA 2018. This will account for 52 percent of the Southeast Asian e-commerce market in 2025. This is due to the fact that the Indonesian market has become very online and mobile-based with 47 percent of the total population (265 million) using smartphones with internet time of almost four hours a day. Based on an Asian Development Bank study in 2019, Indonesia will record a growth gain of 0.53 percentage points above the normal growth level in 2020-2030 due to Industry 4.0 adoption. E-commerce, in particular, is expected to have a positive impact on the economy as it could increase a companys sales and profit irrespective of the size of the firm. The ADB study shows firms that use online commerce have 12.8 percent higher sales growth than conventional firms. The fast e-commerce growth in the world has affected Indonesia, such as its consumer behavior. For instance, Indonesia recorded a very high growth of small-value goods import (ordered online) as evidenced by an increasing number of consignment notes from about 849 percent to 57.9 million documents in 2019 while in value terms, they grew by 132 percent to $673 million in 2019, which was actually only 0.3 percent of Indonesias total imports. Aside from the fact that the imported goods are relatively cheaper than local goods, this high growth also reflected different taxation treatment between imported and local goods as well as indication of tax avoidance as evidenced by the decreasing import value of one delivery unit from $47.54 in 2017 to $13.8 or a decline of almost 80 percent in two years. If not managed, this behavior will continue and affect our local distributors of similar goods. As most of these items are consumer goods such as bags, shoes and garments, one should look at the impact of these particular goods imports on the domestic manufacturing industry, and consequently on employment creation and GDP growth. Based on the Input-Output Table by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the output multiplier of leather bags, shoes and garment are 1.78, 1.65 and 1.7, while the employment multiplier for garment and leather goods are 1.54 and 1.31, respectively. That means every increase of Rp 1 billion in the investment of the goods could add Rp 1.78 billion, 1.65 billion and 1.7 billion, respectively, to Indonesian GDP. For the employment multiplier, it means every 1 billion rupiah increase in investment in garment and leather goods contributed to the employment of about 1,540 and 1,311 people. Hopefully then, the new restrictive regulation on the online imports of consumer goods will stimulate the growth of local small and medium enterprises, which are eventually expected to become competitive internationally. At the multilateral level, the G20 for example, placed the taxation of digital economy as one of its main concerns, while the OECD has also strengthened international cooperation on this issue. One of the principles the OECD promotes is to ensure a level playing field and discourage double taxation as well as regulatory uncertainty which Indonesia should follow. But the tax regulation on online cross border transactions needs to be continuously evaluated. Based on a study by ECIPE, Indonesia is the fourth-most restrictive country in term of fiscal policy based on the Digital Restrictiveness Index for digital trade. *** Adelia is an analyst at the Fiscal Policy Agency and M. Rizky Zein is an analyst at the Customs and Excise Directorate General, Finance Ministry. The views expressed are their own. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. T he MP hailed a hero after tending to the murdered policeman in the Westminster Bridge terror attack has said convicted terrorists should be isolated from others inside prison to prevent the spread of their ideology. Tobias Ellwood tried to save Pc Keith Palmers life in March 2017. The Tory MP told BBC Breakfast it was wrong that somebody such as Streatham attacker Sudesh Amman was allowed to leave prison early. He added: Individuals are being radicalised in prison and I would encourage Justice Secretary Robert Buckland to look at isolating those who have been radicalised so they cant then spread their message to others in prison who perhaps would otherwise be safer being kept away from them. He warned the problem would not go away and added: Its very sad to see London being affected like this again." Tobias Ellwood performed CPR on PC Keith Palmer during the Westminster terror attack / PA He added: "Many questions will be asked about this automatic early release. Mr Ellwood, a former army officer, is now the chairman of the defence committee. Police in Streatham High Road / AFP via Getty Images The MP, who lost a brother in 2002 Bali bombing, was photographed kneeling over Pc Palmers body giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Ian Acheson, who led an independent review of Islamist extremism in prisons, probation and youth justice in 2016, said some people were so dangerous they might need to be kept in prison indefinitely. Streatham terror attack - In pictures 1 /28 Streatham terror attack - In pictures Police are dealing with an incident in Streatham Andy Bullemor Police officers conduct a search of a bail hostel in south London AFP via Getty Images A woman reacts near to the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police Getty Images Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police cordon off a property in Streatham PA Forensic officers outside a property on Leigham Court Road, Streatham PA Police activity at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police officers look under a bus as they work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the Streatham area of south London AP Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police officer on Streatham High Road PA Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Police officers guard a cordon on Streatham High Road, at the junction of Prentis Road AFP via Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police secure the area in Streatham AP Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that he was concerned about the prison services ability to manage terrorist offenders. He said: We have to be much more sceptical and robust about dealing with the risk of harm. Moroccos phosphates and fertilizer producer, OCP, will start exporting fertilizers to Romania after the setting up of a company dubbed SEEFCO, which will be in charge of imports, stockpiling and marketing in the eastern European country, Moroccan media reported. The OCPs SEEFCO, which stands for South East European Fertilizer Company, will operate in partnership with UAE group Al Dahra. The company will also help the group access other markets in Eastern Europe and reduce logistics cost. The group has recently signed an 80 million deal with Finlands Outotec to build a sulphuric acid plant, an investment, which comes only few days after the Moroccan phosphates exporter signed a 255 million agreement with Spains Intecsa to build two similar plants. The new plants will help OCP maintain leadership in the phosphates-based fertilizers market especially in Africa. OCP, which is currently producing customized fertilizers specific to the needs of different African soils from its chemical plants in Jorf Lasfar, is also planning large-scale investments in Africa. In Ethiopia, the group already launched a plant that will be operational in the next two or four years. The plant required an investment of about $3 billion and is expected to export raw material for the production of fertilizers to the region. The group is planning a fertilizer plant in Nigeria and probably in Ghana where feasibility studies are underway. OCP is also gearing efforts to improve the process of agricultural productivity in Africa through helping farmers and establishing soil maps. OCP revenues hit $ 5.95 billion in 2018, as the company continues to step investments beyond extraction to manufacturing customized fertilizers. In the February 3rd edition of In The News podcast, host Anvita Bansal talks to Shraddha Sharma and Atharva Pandit from the Moneycontrol newsroom to find out the top developments of the day. Sharma gives the latest details in the coronavirus outbreak, including the third case infection being detected in India and the 1000-bed hospital that China managed to build in just eight days. Overall, she says that 17,000 people have been infected across the world, with over 360 deaths being reported. Over 400 people have reportedly been cured of the disease. In another incident, a techie from Andhra Pradesh has claimed that Air India refused to airlift her from Wuhan as she showed symptoms of the infection. Next, Pandit talks about the third shooting at anti-CAA protests in New Delhi as two men opened fire near Jamia Millia Islamia on Sunday night. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show Lastly, he gives details about the Maharashtra government reportedly ordering a probe into allegations of phone tapping of NCP chief Sharad Pawar and CM Uddhav Thackeray after of the general and assembly elections held last year. texas a&m commerce shooting WFAA Two women were killed and a toddler was injured in a shooting at a Texas A&M University campus in Commerce, Texas, police said Monday. The shooting occurred at the Pride Rock Residence Hall, which is open to first-year students, the school told students via social media. Police have not yet said whether a suspect is in custody, WFAA reported. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Two women were killed and a toddler was injured in a shooting at the Pride Rock Residence Hall at Texas A&M University on February 3, police said at a news conference on Monday afternoon. The two-year-old child is in stable condition, according to campus police chief Bryan Vaughn, The Dallas Morning News reported. Police did not identify any victims or answer questions from reporters, according to the report. Police said they discovered the victims after they received a call from a student at 10:17 a.m. local time. Police have not yet said whether a suspect is in custody, though they said they did not believe there was an additional threat to the community, WFAA reported. The campus was in a shelter-in-place for about two hours, WFAA said. The order was lifted around 1:30 p.m. local time, according to tweet from the university, which is a satellite campus of A&M located in Commerce, Texas. "The precautionary shelter in place recommendations have been lifted," the school said in a tweet. "Due to the ongoing investigation, Pride Rock and surrounding areas are still blocked off." The Pride Rock Residence Hall is for first-year students at Texas A&M, according to the school's website. All classes on the campus have been canceled for the remainder of Monday, WFAA reported. Counselors are available on campus in the Rayburn Student Center to assist any students who need "assistance coping with this situation," Texas A&M said on Twitter. Read the original article on Insider Australia Zoo has rubbished claims that Bindi Irwin's fiance, Chandler Powell, 'took a tumble' in the crocodile enclosure at Australia Zoo last month. According to Woman's Day on Monday, the 23-year-old former wakeboarder left fans worried during the alleged incident in the Crocoseum on January 26. 'It was one of those heart-stopping moments,' an 'onlooker' was quoted as saying. Denial: Australia Zoo has rubbished claims that Bindi Irwin's fiance, Chandler Powell, 'took a tumble' in the crocodile enclosure at Australia Zoo last month 'Everyone knows crocs can be on you in a split second, so Chandler was lucky he scrambled out when he did. He looked very shaken up.' But Australia Zoo has denied Woman's Day's report, saying: 'There is no truth to this article'. Chandler is an employee of Australia Zoo, having left behind his life in Florida to live with the Irwins on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. 'It was one of those heart-stopping moments': According to Woman's Day on Monday, the 23-year-old former wakeboarder left fans worried during the alleged incident in the Crocoseum While he is a part of the family now, he is also less experienced when it comes to dangerous animals. Bindi and Chandler are currently planning their wedding, after getting engaged on her 21st birthday in July. However, their plans have been interrupted by Australia's devastating bushfires. Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital has been working around the clock to care for thousands of animals affected by the disaster. Wildlife warriors: Chandler is an employee of Australia Zoo, having left behind his life in Florida to live with the Irwins on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Pictured with his fiancee, Bindi Irwin Bindi revealed in January that the wildlife hospital had treated its 90,000th patient. Her younger brother, Robert Irwin Jr., believes that their late father, Steve, would be in 'a lot of distress' by the fact a billion animals have died in the fires. 'For us as a family, our mission and our goal has always been to continue the wildlife work that dad started so many years ago,' he told Access Daily last month. Once you start to lose your hearing, you can't get it back. But what if you could prevent hearing loss by blocking in advance the effects of loud noises? That's a route a team of biologists at the University of Iowa and Washington University, St. Louis, say may be possible after the researchers identified a receptor that, when blocked, can prevent a common type of hearing loss. Receptors are part of a suite of molecules on nerve cells in the ear that bridge the passage of sound and auditory information from inner-ear hair cells--the sound sensors--to the brain. The successful transmission of sound from hair cells to nerve cells, which occurs through a junction called a synapse, is integral to hearing in animals, including humans. The researchers identified that some receptors involved in the hair-cell-to-nerve-cell transmission lack a protein called GluA2, and it is these receptors that are responsible for synaptopathy, or hearing loss caused by irreparable damage to the synapses. The biologists employed a drug in mice that selectively blocked the GluA2-lacking receptors, and prevented the mice from experiencing synaptopathy when exposed to noise. The approach was like outfitting the mice with chemical earmuffs that prevented them from sustaining hearing damage by blocking the breakdown that occurs in some synapses between inner ear hair cells and nerve cells when loud noises occur. "It wasn't just putting earmuffs on--these earmuffs prevent the damage caused by loud sounds but don't muffle the sound," says Steven Green, professor in the Department of Biology and corresponding author on the study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The experiments in mice indicate there is the potential to inject a drug that would prevent hearing damage in people before they're exposed to damaging noise. Conceivably, soldiers who are expected to encounter loud sounds in their duties could take a hearing-protection drug before exposure to those sounds, yet still hear commands. To be fair, this is more conjecture than fact, although the U.S. Department of Defense helped fund the research. "Permanent hearing damage can be caused by noise levels that have been considered 'safe,' and people need to be careful about noise exposure because we can't yet repair synapses or regenerate hair cells," Green says. "Our chemical earmuffs are, currently, just an indication of the direction research can go, not yet a proven, safe means of protection in humans." In hearing, a chemical called glutamate is released from hair cells; this chemical transmits sound information at the synapse between inner-ear hair cells and nerve cells. However, loud sounds or even sustained moderate noise--such as sound coming through earbuds--cause the hair cells to release a glut of glutamate, effectively gumming the synaptic transmission of sound to brain neurons. More specifically, it's the entry of calcium into the inner ear neurons through GluA2-lacking glutamate receptors that leads to synaptopathy. The researchers identified at the molecular-level receptors without GluA2, meaning those terminals that could cause hearing damage by allowing a flow of calcium. Even more, they then learned that if they blocked the receptors without GluA2, the GluA2-containing receptors picked up the slack, and hearing was maintained. In the mice experiments, they showed a drug called IEM-1460 could target--and block--the receptors without GluA2. "What we found is if you block the GluA2-lacking receptors, a.k.a. calcium-permeable receptors, then you can prevent the damage, and the mouse can hear just fine because it still has the GluA2-containing receptors that can mediate synaptic transmission," Green says. "Now, we have a drug that doesn't prevent hearing, but does prevent hearing damage." "For a long time, it has been assumed that cochlear synapses are not permeable to calcium, because all of the synapses have the GluA2 subunit," adds Mark Rutherford, assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at Washington University and a co-author on the study. "We have found that cochlear synapses have both GluA2-lacking and GluA2-containing glutamate receptors, implying that some of them are indeed highly permeable to calcium. With high-resolution microscopy of cochlear synapses we have provided a mechanistic explanation for the protection of these synapses from noise exposure by the calcium-permeable glutamate receptor blocker IEM-1460." In this study, IEM-1460 was introduced directly into the cochlea through a surgical procedure. Green hopes to find other drugs that could prevent hearing damage and that could be administered noninvasively. ### Along with the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health and the American Hearing Research Foundation funded the research. Ning Hu, associate research scientist in the Department of Biology at Iowa, is a co-author on the paper. And again, as Iowans prepare to caucus, we see fresh rounds of political punditry proclaiming that this candidate or that just cant win not in the Democratic nominating process, then in November. You can match examples of this in major outlets and small ones, in a steady stream. And it may go on, as analysts point out the history of candidate types types along the lines of the current crop who have failed before. That history is all there. But consider the history of presidents past who got there by election and, well, apparently shouldnt have. 2016: Donald Trump cant win because he has no political background, gaffes and creates uproar everywhere he goes, and isnt even well supported in his party of choice, to which hes a newcomer. (And Hillary Clinton was female which, of course, led to a lot of second-guessing, along with the many controversies attached to her.) 2008: Barack Obamas race was of course a deal-breaker, even if the polls didnt say so (people could well be lying). And he was an unabashed liberal on top of that, of which none had been elected since either Kennedy or Johnson, depending on how you count. 2000: George W. Bush is a close family member of a recent president surely a big disability, since no such had been elected in more than a century. 1992: Bill Clinton is enmeshed (even then) in sex scandals and other issues that were of course absolute death blows for a serious presidential candidate (consider Gary Hart only a few years earlier). 1988: Not since the Democratic run of the 30s and 40s had a party held the presidency for three consecutive terms, and here was a vice president, George H.W. Bush, trying to break that trend a vice president who had run for president himself eight years earlier and didnt get far. 1980: Ronald Reagan is way too conservative to be electable, just the kind of extremist voters rejected (see Barry Goldwater) only a few cycles earlier. He had been divorced he would be the first with that on his record and a Hollywood type reliant on support from religious conservatives. 1976: Jimmy Carter is a little-known and unlikely prospect from the start, totally different from recent Democratic standard bearers, who were or had been usually senators or at least top party leaders. And as a moderate in the party, he had little strong support base. 1968: Richard Nixon? Really? Hes a has-been, failed in a presidential race eight years earlier and even in a governors race after that, after which he said he was giving up on politics, never a wise move for a prospective candidate. Running Mr. Controversy everyone had a strong opinion about the man in the middle of one of the hottest political periods in the nations history? Ridiculous. 1960: John Kennedy is a Catholic remember when aco-religionist was badly beaten some cycles back? Hes young and young looking and doesnt have a very impressive Senate record, and matching him up against people like Vice President Nixon, Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson and highly visible Senator Hubert Humphrey seems like not even a fair fight. And so on it goes. Every election cycle we learn new things, and one of them is this: Another thing that cant be done, until it is. Randy Stapilus is a former Idaho newspaper reporter and editor and blogs at www.ridenbaugh.com. He can be reached at stapilus@ridenbaugh.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 The latest gyroplane commissioned by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has increased plateau capabilities for a wider variety of missions and is expected to be deployed along China's southwestern border regions, experts said on Sunday. Commonly known as the Falcon, the new Lieying gyroplane is equipped with three seats instead of two and has a more powerful engine with 135 horsepower. The gyroplane also has a longer rotor blade that stretches 8.8 meters and redesigned fuel tank, according to Ordnance Industry Science Technology, a Xi'an-based periodical focused on the national defense industry, on Thursday. Compared with the two-seat model, the three-seat issue has broader military applications as it can carry more personnel and weapons, transport wounded personnel, and conduct missions like two-person parachuting, the report said. Already proven in earlier tests, the latest model is also capable of operating in plateau areas with heavy loads. The three-seater can transport up to 630 kilograms and take off, fly, and land at an elevation of 4,200 meters, the magazine reported. With sledges as landing gears, the gyroplane can take off and land on ice and snow surfaces, the report said, noting that it can also land and take off on water when equipped with floatation gear. The new Lieying edition is a practical choice for plateau operations in regions like Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, where the two-seat version might struggle, a military expert who asked not to be named told the Global Times on Sunday. The Falcon is adept at infiltrating hostile areas during stealth reconnaissance missions due to its agility, small size, and low noise output, the expert said. The Lieying, developed by Shaanxi Bao He Defense Technology, made its PLA debut at China's the National Day parade on October 1, 2019. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. MP representing My step bloc, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Ruben Rubinyan shares the concerns of President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio over the tensions between institutions in Armenia. ARMENPRESS reports Ruben Rubinyan expressed an opinion on his Facebook page, saying that in the recent period a number of announcements, including by the President of the Constitutional Court, some members of the Constitutional Court, as well as different politicians, can be perceived as political and personal pressure against those members of the Constitutional Court who can use their opportunity of early retirment. ''President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio has issued a statement, expressing concerns over the tense situation surrounding the Constitutional Court of Armenia. He recalled the recommendations made in the opinion of the Venice Commission, according to which any early retirement scheme at the Constitutional Court has to remain truly voluntary, exclude any political or personal pressure. The President of the Commission added that recent public statements and acts do not meet these criteria and do not contribute to the de-escalation of the situation. At the end of the statement Mr. Buquicchio called on all sides to exercise restraint and to de-escalate this worrying situation in order to ensure the normal operation of the constitution of Armenia. Like in the case of the PACE co-rapporteurs, I again share the concerns of Mr. Buquicchio over the tensions between institutions in Armenia. I think this tension and crisis that have emerged as a result of the activities of Hrayr Tovmasyan, have to be resolved as soon as possible and the nature of the operaring Constitution should be restored. I highlight Mr. Buquicchio's remarks on voluntary early retirement system. I think that in the recent period a number of announcements, including by the President of the Constitutional Court, some members of the Constitutional Court, as well as different politicians, can be perceived as political and personal pressure against those members of the Constitutional Court who can use their opportunity of early retirment'', Rubinyan wrote on his Facebook page. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan Accusations are flying at Queens Park in the wake of full-page newspaper ads attacking teachers' unions, which were placed in weekend editions by a mysterious group. Colour advertisements from Vaughan Working Families appeared in the Star, the Globe and Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Sun in advance of province-wide teachers strikes this week. Teachers Union leaders are risking student success, proclaimed the ad, which included a stock photo of a woman holding up a provincial report card that contained several grammatical errors. Children are not pawns, it added. Premier Doug Fords office has denied any connection to the ad, which appeared amid tough contract negotiations between his government and the provinces teachers. Torontos other three daily newspapers did not respond when asked who purchased the ad. A spokesperson for the Star said, It has been brought to our attention. At the Star as at most newspapers, including the Globe, the Post, and the Sun the advertising and editorial departments are separate entities. Industry sources say it could cost more than $150,000 for a blitz of such ads in the four dailies. The name Vaughan Working Families is similar to that of Working Families, a coalition of unions that has been doing political advertising in Ontario since 2003. Working Families is in no way, shape or form affiliated with Vaughan Working Families, the union group said in a statement. The attribution is incorrectly associated with Working Families. We are taking steps to correct this. Any information about this group would be appreciated, and lawyers will soon be involved, it said. NDP MPP Taras Natyshak (Essex) called the ads illegal and wants Elections Ontario to investigate if they violate provincial campaign finance laws because they were placed during Feb. 27 by-elections in Ottawa-Vanier and Orleans. An aide to Education Minister Stephen Lecce, who represents the riding of King-Vaughan, said he was not involved in placing the ads. The minister and I were not aware of the advertisements and not familiar with the group Vaughan Working Families, said spokesperson Alexandra Adamo. Toronto Catholic District School Board Trustee Norm Di Pasquale (Ward 9) has formally complained to the industry group Ad Standards about the newspaper ads, which include a claim that teachers work about eight months of the year. Di Pasquale said he believes that violates the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards, which states that ads cannot directly or by implication make inaccurate, deceptive or otherwise misleading claims. He also said there is no contact information or any way to verify who the group represents. It is stealing the voice of actual Vaughan families, who are actually concerned about education, Di Pasquale said. I want to make sure they never do this again. This is truly terrible. This doesnt represent Vaughan working families, he said. This doesnt reflect any parent opinion that Ive heard, and when you look at the polls, they seem very supportive of teachers. In a statement on its website, the advertising watchdog said political ads are beyond its jurisdiction, but we have alerted the carrying media about the issue and shared the level of concern that has been voiced to us. The ads appeared just days before the provinces four teachers unions were set to take job action this week, including a walkout by Catholic teachers across Ontario on Tuesday and a province-wide work stoppage Thursday by public elementary school educators. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said its important to find out whos behind these expensive ads that parrot the Ford governments talking points. Schreiner said hes very suspicious that a group with no online presence that uses stock photos from Poland actually represents the parents of Vaughan, referring to a Press Progress report about the photo used in the ad. How can a group that appears to have been created out of thin air afford full-page ad space in Canadas most-read newspapers? All signs point to something disingenuous at play, he said. I urge the people behind these ads to be transparent about who they are. Even before the ad kerfuffle, tensions were high between the provincial government and teacher unions. The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario is upping its job action to include two strikes each week, and its members will no longer be doing extracurricular activities. Talks between ETFO and the province broke on Friday after three days. Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie Read more about: Malawis constitutional court on Monday has ordered a new presidential poll after annulling the results of a vote that re-elected President Peter Mutharika last May, citing widespread irregularities including the use of correction fluid on ballot papers. Mutharika, who will remain president until the fresh polls, has the right to appeal the verdict, which is expected to stoke turmoil in the normally peaceful southern African country. We hold that the first respondent (Mutharika) was not duly elected as president of Malawi on May 21, 2019, ruled lead judge Healey Potani. We hereby nullify the results of the presidential elections and we order for a fresh election within 150 days, he added, sparking jubilation in the court. The verdict was greeted with festive cheer in the second city of Blantyre, where residents in impoverished townships set off fireworks. Im delighted. I am short of words really but this is a bright new day for Malawi, said an university student Laura Banda. I hope this is a turning point for the country, the 22-year-old added. The main opposition Malawi Congress Party, which led the court challenge, hailed the ruling as a very fair judgement that had set a precedent for future elections. The five judges concurred that the irregularities and anomalies have been so widespread, systematic and grave that the integrity of the results has been seriously compromised. They added that the results announced by Malawis Electoral Commission (MEC) cannot be trusted as a true reflection of the will of the voters. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates London, UK, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE --Argentum 47, Inc. (www.arg47.com) (OTC: ARGQ) and its fully-owned foreign subsidiaries, a specialist in both Retail and Corporate Financial Services and Corporate Consultancy, with offices located the United Kingdom, today would like to announce that the Board of Directors has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer. On February 1, 2020, Mr. Peter J. Smith stepped down as the Companys Chief Executive Officer. The Board of Directors voted favourably to employ Mr. Nicholas P. Tuke as the Companys new Chief Executive Officer. The Board of Directors also agreed that Mr. Peter J. Smith will continue in his role as a member of the Board of Directors along with Mr. Enzo Taddei, who will also continue as the Companys Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Smiths decision to step down as CEO was purely motivated in order to allow him to concentrate 100% of his time on the growth by acquisition strategy that the Company implemented in 2018 and to hand over the financial services business to Mr. Tuke, who has extensive and proven experience in that field. Alongside his new role as CEO of Argentum 47, Inc., Mr. Tuke will continue in his role as Managing Director of the Companys wholly owned United Kingdom subsidiary, Cheshire Trafford (UK) Limited, a Independent Financial Advisory Firm that currently has circa of U.S.$51 million Dollars of Funds Under Management / Administration. The first executive decision that Mr. Tuke made as the Companys new CEO was to employ Mr. Kenneth Kennison under the Cheshire Trafford (UK) Limited banner. Mr. Kennison, the Companys new lead Independent Financial Adviser, has been tasked to organically grow the funds under administration of the company and brings vast experience, know-how and knowledge to the Cheshire Trafford team. For various months now, as managing director of Cheshire Trafford (UK) Limited, Mr. Tuke has been heavily involved in the due diligence and compliance process of an Independent Financial Advisory (IFA) firm based in the City of London (United Kingdom). This targeted IFA business currently has 136 Million GBP (approximately U.S. $179 Million) of Funds Under Administration and historical recurring revenues of a little more than One Million GBP (approximately U.S. $1.32 million). This IFA firm has now become the Companys most interesting business proposal and target acquisition since management implemented the inorganic growth plan in 2018. Mr. Nick Tuke, CEO of Argentum 47, Inc., said: Following a ground up review of the Cheshire Trafford business model in 2019, we have completely restructured and streamlined the business and its processes. I firmly believe that as a result of this Cheshire Trafford heads into 2020 in a stronger position than it has been for many years. Key to this has been the recruitment of two high quality and highly qualified Independent Financial Advisers, Mr. Declan Harrington (recruited in 2019) and Mr. Kenneth Kennison, both of whom bring a wealth of experience to the company. Taking this into consideration I fully expect the Funds Under Administration at Cheshire Trafford to grow by at least 20% between now and the end of Q2 2020, with this growth to continue in an upwards trend throughout the year, heralding an exciting new chapter in Cheshire Traffords 44-year history. As the Companys new CEO, I will continue to work closely with Mr. Peter Smith and Mr. Enzo Taddei regarding further acquisitions, with the first of these being the firm based in the City of London. I have agreed with the Board of Directors a particularly robust due diligence and compliance review process for this and all other future acquisitions hence only when these have been carried out to my satisfaction, will we be entering into any formal written agreements. We are entering an incredibly exciting period for the Company and I am looking forward, over the coming months and years, to growing our existing business and building on the solid foundations that we now have put in place. Mr. Peter Smith, outgoing CEO and current Director of Argentum 47, Inc., said: Since we changed the direction of the business away from the IPO world to the more stable income producing Financial Advisory platform, Mr. Tuke has become integral to all we do. Having worked with him previously, I know that his experience and knowledge of the IFA market is second to none and therefore it is the right decision to put the Company in his capable hands, thus allowing me to continue to seek out further financing and further potential acquisitions. The acquisition trail is an arduous one at times with a vast number of potential targets falling by the wayside after careful scrutiny; this move means that I can continue to dig around these potential targets with the knowledge that the Company is in the best possible hands and is being guided in its growth by someone who shares the ambition, drive and determination of the rest of the Board of Directors and someone who will accelerate the growth of the company in 2020 and beyond. About Argentum 47, Inc. and Subsidiaries. Argentum 47, Inc. (Argentum) is a full service Financial Intermediary, Corporate Consultancy, Retail and Corporate Financial Services Company. Through its wholly-owned foreign subsidiaries, it advises both business and retail customers with their most critical decisions and opportunities pertaining to growth, capital needs, structure and the development of their financial plans. With offices in the United Kingdom, Argentum has developed significant relationships in the U.S., U.K., Central Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia to assist clients in realizing their full value and potential. Bringing business to external capital and resources, and retail customers to a suite of secure effective financial solutions. Furthermore, as Argentum has offices in key financial centers of the world, they are able to introduce their clients to the right financial partner without geographical constraints. About Nicholas Paul Tuke. Mr. Nicholas Paul Tuke has more than 30 years experience within the financial services industry, both in retail and institutional sales. He started his career 1986 as an assistant Gilt broker for Charles Fulton I.D.B. in London, England. In 1991, Nicholas moved into the retail financial services arena and was employed by the Woolwich Building Society, offering personal financial advice to individual clients, specifically regarding their investment portfolios. During this time, he studied and passed the Financial Planning Certificate and became an associate of the Charted Institute of Bankers. In 1997, Nicholas had the opportunity to join an international financial services company, Belgravia Group International, as an International Investment Broker, working in South America offering holistic and tax efficient financial solutions to expatriate clients, and in 2001 he became the director for all of Latin America and the Caribbean within that company, managing a team of more than 15 brokers across the region. Returning to the United Kingdom in 2005, Nicholas joined Royal Bank of Scotland Group as a Senior Financial Planning Manager and was tasked with looking after the Banks clients savings and investments portfolios. As well as this role, he also acted as an area sales manager when required. From 2013 to 2018, Nicholas setup his own private consultancy practice and worked with various financial services companies helping these firms within the motor industry to develop their finance and insurance propositions. In September 2018, Nicholas was appointed as Managing Director of Cheshire Trafford (UK) Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of Argentum 47 Financial Management Limited. About Kenneth Kennison. Mr. Kenneth Kennison has worked in the financial services industry for over 30 years. Kenneth started his career at SG Warburgs in 1989 as a Eurobond trader before being headhunted to Nomura International to join the Government Bond trading team on the London International Financial Futures Exchange - LIFFE. Kenneth was a pioneer in the emerging Contracts for Difference (CFD) market and traded from 2000 to 2010 before joining a large diversified systematic FX hedge fund where he was Head of Trading. Kenneth is a Level 4 qualified Independent Financial Adviser, holding a Diploma in Financial Advice (DipFA) and brings to Cheshire Trafford (UK) Limited a wealth of knowledge and experience to support and service their clients. Safe Harbor Statement. This press release may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements related to anticipated revenues, expenses, earnings, operating cash flows, the outlook for markets and the demand for products. Forward-looking statements are no guarantees of future performance and are inherently subject to uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon, among other things, assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management, including managements own knowledge and assessment of the Companys industry and competition. The Company refers interested persons to its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and its other SEC filings for a description of additional uncertainties and factors, which may affect forward-looking statements. The company assumes no duty to update its forward-looking statements. Contact details: Mr. Nicholas P. Tuke CEO of Argentum 47, Inc. & Managing Director of Cheshire Trafford (UK) Limited Tel. + (44) 1482 289 591 Email: nick@arg47.com Web: www.ctifa.com Web: www.arg47.com Mr. Peter J. Smith Director of Argentum 47, Inc. Email: peter@arg47.com Web: www.arg47.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In the moments following the Kansas City Chiefs win in Super Bowl LIV, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to offer his congratulations and say he was proud of the team and the Great State of Kansas. Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on a great game and a fantastic comeback under immense pressure. We are proud of you and the Great State of Missouri. You are true Champions! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2020 The problem? The Chiefs play in Kansas City, Missouri. Trump quickly deleted the tweet and posted a corrected version 12 minutes later. But that didnt stop the Twitterverse from posting screenshots of the error and having some fun at the presidents expense. There were the posts of Sharpie-altered maps of Kansas because of course there were. Peoples reaction varied depending on their view of Trump. Nowhere was this more evident than on the morning cable shows. You say Kansas, I say Missouri. You know? MSNBCS Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough joked in a clip posted by Mediaite. You talk to Putin. I start to worry. Tomato, tomahto, lets call the whole thing off." You have to wonder how that guy became the emperor of red state America, national affairs analyst John Heilemann added. Its Missouri, you stone-cold idiot, chided co-host Mika Brzezinski, reading a tweet by Claire McCaskill, the former Senator from Missouri. The tone was a bit different over on Fox News. Kansas City is in Kansas and it is also in Missouri, Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy tried to explain in a clip posted on Twitter. Its like the difference between the New York Giants... people call them the New York Giants but theyre in New Jersey. Doocy is indeed correct in that there is a much smaller Kansas City across the river in Kansas. But the Chiefs have never played in that state or have any history there. Kansas City is in fact the largest city in Missouri, a state Trump won in 2016 by nearly 19 points. But you probably already knew all that. Read recent stories Browns a long shot to win 2021 Super Bowl, Chiefs favored to repeat Rapper Roddy Ricch comes to Cleveland while atop Billboard charts Dear Annie: Infertile couple should consider adoption as an alternative Most effective Super Bowl 2020 ads Cleveland connections in Super Bowl 2020 ads J. Lo pole dances, Shakira shakes during fiery Super Bowl halftime show How was Fox Sports Super Bowl 2020 coverage? Jay-Z, Beyonce sat in protest during Super Bowl LIV national anthem Chiefs heiress Gracie Hunt becomes star during Super Bowl LIV Fish fry guide: We want your 2020 Northeast Ohio event details 13 inexpensive wines to consider sipping in February (photos) Conservationists working around the largest volcano on the Galapagos Islands say they have found 30 giant tortoises partially descended from two extinct species, including that of the famed Lonesome George. The Galapagos National Park and Galapagos Conservancy said Friday that a young female has a direct line of descent from the Chelonoidis abingdonii species of Pinta Island. The last of those tortoises was Lonesome George, who died in June 2012 and was believed to be more than 100 years old. Expand Close A helicopter transports tortoises near Wolf Volcano on Galapagos Islands (Tui De Roy/Galapagos National Park/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A helicopter transports tortoises near Wolf Volcano on Galapagos Islands (Tui De Roy/Galapagos National Park/AP) Another 11 males and 18 females were from the Chelonoidis niger line of Floreana Island. The 45-member expedition was working around the Wolf Volcano on Isabela island. It said pirates and whalers had taken tortoises from other islands in the archipelago and left them near the volcano. BREAKING NEWS: A team from the Giant #Tortoise Restoration Initiative, led by @wacho_tapia in #Galapagos, has located a young tortoise with Pinta Island tortoise ancestry -- Lonesome George's species, the species considered to be extinct!! Read more: https://t.co/x962sMhcwd https://t.co/HqUuZRvMV8 Galapagos Conservancy (@savegalapagos) February 1, 2020 Those found during the new expedition were hybrids descended from both the extinct and other species. The Galapagos, whose variety of endemic species helped inspire Charles Darwin, held 15 closely related species of tortoise, according to the Conservancy, which estimates that 20,00025,000 wild tortoises live on the islands today. At least four of the species are now considered extinct. YEREVAN. Judge Armen Danielyan of the Court of Appeal of Armenia has denied the motion to recuse himself from presiding over the appeal hearing in the criminal case involving second President Robert Kocharyan. The motion was submitted by Kocharyans lawyers Hovhannes Khudoyan and Aram Vardevanyan. According to them, this judge's previous actions testify to his being impartial and not independent. The prosecutor's office has filed an appeal to the aforesaid court in connection with the first-instance court's decision to provide the defense with the full case files. DES MOINES, IowaThe weekend before voting began in the 2020 Democratic presidential contest opened with a ceremonial relitigation of the 2016 Democratic presidential contest. Some members of the crowd at a Bernie Sanders rally in Iowa City booed at the mention of Hillary Clinton. When a panel moderator onstage asked them to stop, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a prominent Sanders surrogate, encouraged them to continue. Tlaib apologized the next morning. But the moment hit a nerve and set the tone for whats to come. It wasnt just a relitigation of 2016, it was a prelitigation of 2020. Though the preseason segment of the 2020 nomination contest has been relatively polite compared with some Democratic primaries past (or any Republican primary), its at a boil just beneath the surface. If Iowa produces as its top two contenders Sanders and Joe Bidenwho are first and second in both Iowa and national pollingthe national race will have effectively lost what consensus options it had, to be divided instead between the avatars of two distinct wings of the party that see little resemblance in each other. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since Sanders began rising in the polls, Sanders supporters paranoia about how the establishment may attempt to stop him has far outpaced any organized effort by top party actors to stop Sanders. The Sanders campaign has found it useful, though, ahead of a caucus where it only needs a modest plurality to win, to stoke these fears. One of Sanders most trusty surrogates, filmmaker Michael Moore, only had to mention the world Democratic National Committee at Sanders Saturday Cedar Rapids rally to elicit a round of boos. Theyre so nervous and worried about Bernie, Moore said. Theres a story in Politico today, how some members of the DNC met today to discuss how to stop Bernie Sanders, how to let the superdelegatesremember them?theyre going to try to figure out a way to have them vote on the first ballot at the convention. Advertisement Advertisement The story was a thin one, in which a handful of DNC members, out of several hundred, had texted one another about the possibility. Moore also decried the DNCs decision to change debate criteria in a way that would allow Michael Bloomberg to participate in them, even though Bloombergs competitors have been wanting Bloomberg to join, as hed make a useful target. Advertisement According to the Sanders campaign, the Cedar Rapids arena rally attracted about 3,000 people, making it the largest Democratic candidate rally of the cycle in Iowa. It certainly had a Ticketmaster-event feel unlike anything that other candidate was capable of producing. The free concert from Vampire Weekend following Sanders speech was likely a helpful motivator. And when frontman Ezra Koenig asked to the crowd, during the bands set, where they were from, out of state earned a roaring response. Advertisement Each campaigns social media team was showing off its INCREDIBLE crowd sizes at its final events of the weekend. Part of this is a trick: book a slightly smaller venue than the size you expect, and have people wait in line longer than necessary, and suddenly you have RIDICULOUS lines and PACKED overflow rooms. But undecided voters did also seem to be showing up more for events over the weekend, as their hours for making a decision ran out. Advertisement Advertisement Tom Taylor, of Shell Rock, seemed stuck. He was a former Republican who switched parties to support Barack Obama in 2008, caucused for Bernie Sanders in 2016, and this time, was looking between Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, and Andrew Yang. I spoke to him Saturday at a Cedar Rapids rally for Elizabeth Warren. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was searching for moderation and compromise in candidates, and didnt seem interested in Warren at all, saying that he would prefer Sanders over her. When I asked what the difference was, he took a lengthy pause to consider his response. Bernie is a little more laid back than Warren, Taylor said. I feel Warren is a little on the edge, too passionate. He planned to caucus with undecided in the first game of shells at his precinct, and read the room from there. Warren is passionate. She ran into her Cedar Rapids rally as her husband, law professor Bruce Mann, ran behind her, leading the family mascotBailey, the golden retrieveron a leash. She still devotes much of her rally to taking questions, at a point in the campaign some other candidates find it too risky for such spontaneity, and she can answer niche onesone about how she would crack down on multilevel marketing schemes, another about banks wanting to tax credit unionswith exactness, almost jump-kicking around the stage as she recognizes an opportunity to discuss enforcement at the Federal Trade Commission. Advertisement Warren still has an outside chance of winning the caucuses, even though shes slid in the polls since last fall following her debacle over Medicare for All. Watching her have complete control over a room, its obvious why she was, for that period last fall, the would-be unity candidate who could provide an escape from the looming clash between Sanders and Biden. Advertisement Advertisement Warren, in her last hours in Iowa, clearly wanted that role back. In her opening remarks, she spoke well of nearly all of the middle-ground candidates who had left, including Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Julian Castro, Jay Inslee, and Bullock, from Montana. This was the morning after the Boo at Sanders rally, and Warren emphasized how proud she was to lead an organization that doesnt say, Its us and no one else. Its a campaign that says, Come on in. Advertisement Amy Klobuchar, too, was making one last attempt to burst the Biden-Sanders duopoly, though from a more Buttigieg-esque, centrist position. Klobuchar was racing across the state on Saturday and Sunday, trying, as she told a (STANDING ROOM ONLY) crowd at a Best Western in Cedar Rapids, to fit 10 days of campaigning into two. The undecided voters to whom I spoke to there were all choosing between either Klobuchar, Biden, or Buttigieg. And for those trying to differentiate between the three, she offered a couple of different arguments. It wasnt necessary to name names. I think we should put someone at the top of the ticket that actually has the receipts, Klobuchar said. It is one thing to talk about winning in rural areas its another thing to have actually done it. Buttigieg, who lost his only statewide race in 2010, had been doing a tour of more rural Iowa areas in the final days of the campaign. I think we need to put someone in charge of this ticket that has the nimbleness on the debate stage, she continued, to be tough enough and quick enough to take on Donald Trump. Nimble isnt exactly how one might describe Joe Bidens debate performances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its also not how you would describe speaking aloud about how you might jump late into the presidential race, while youre supposed surrogating for Joe Biden, at the epicenter of global political media the day before the Iowa caucuses: the Renaissance Savery hotel in downtown Des Moines. But there John Kerry was, reportedly blabbing about what he would have to do to get in the race given the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party. Whatever the would-be Iowa caucusgoers may have been hearing in the OVERFLOWING halls, from the full array of candidates trying to close the deal, thanks to Kerry, the national story came to a close with the focus again on the big two, Sanders and Biden: the one a little more paranoid than before, the other a little more anxious. Credit: CC0 Public Domain China's death toll from a new coronavirus jumped above 360 on Monday to surpass the number of fatalities of its SARS crisis two decades ago, with dozens of people dying in the epicentre's quarantined ground-zero. The 57 confirmed new deaths was the single-biggest increase since the virus was detected late last year in the central city of Wuhan, where it is believed to have jumped from animals at a market into humans. The virus has since spread to more than 24 countries, despite many governments imposing unprecedented travel bans on people coming from China. The World Health Organization has declared the crisis a global health emergency, and the first foreign death from the virus was reported in the Philippines on Sunday. In China, all but one of the 57 new deaths reported Monday were in Wuhan and the rest of Hubei province, most of which has been under lockdown for almost two weeks to stop people leaving and transmitting the virus. The national death toll reached 361, exceeding the 349 mainland fatalities from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002-03. SARS, caused by a pathogen similar to the new coronavirus and also originated in China, killed 774 peoplewith most of the other deaths in Hong Kong. Economic woes The virus is also having an increasingly heavy economic impact, shutting down businesses across China, curbing international travel and impacting production lines of major international brands. Stock markets in Shanghai and Shenzhen plunged by nearly nine percent on Monday morning as investors returned from a Lunar New Year holiday that had been extended to stop people travelling around China. Hundreds of firms tumbled by the maximum 10 percent as investors got their first chance in more than a week to react to a barrage of bad news from the spiralling outbreak. Travel and tourism shares plummeted after domestic and international travel curbs were imposed to slow the virus. In Wuhan, which has been transformed from a bustling industrial hub into a near-ghost town, residents have been living in deep fear of catching the virus. The city's medical facilities have been overwhelmed, with state news agency Xinhua reporting Monday that 68 medical teams of 8,300 staff from across China had been sent to Hubei to "aid novel coronavirus control". The number of infections in China also jumped signficantly on Monday, passing 17,200. Amid mounting pressure the government has been racing to build two new hospitals in extraordinarily quick timeframes. The first of those, a 1,000-bed facility, was due to open on Monday, just 10 days after construction began. About 1,400 military medics will treat patients at the hospital, dubbed "Fire God Mountain", according to state media. However with the death toll surging in Wuhan and other areas of Hubei, it was not immediately clear what overall impact the hospitals would have on the virus spreading elsewhere. In a worrying signal about it already spreading in significant numbers to other parts of China, the eastern industrial city of Wenzhou was on Sunday placed under a similar lockdown to Wuhan. Roads in Wenzhou, 800 kilometres (500 miles) to the east, were closed and its nine million people were ordered to stay indoors. Only one resident per household in Wenzhou is allowed to go out every two days to buy necessities, authorities announced. Travel curbs The emergence of the virus coincided with the Lunar New Year, when hundreds of millions travel across the country in planes, trains and buses for family reunions. The holidayoriginally scheduled to end last Fridaywas extended by three days to give authorities more time to deal with the crisis. But some major citiesincluding Shanghaiextended the holiday again, and many schools and universities delayed the start of new terms. Road traffic on Sunday, when hundreds of millions of people would have been expected to return to their cities of work, was down 80 percent, the transport ministry said. Train journeys were down 74 percent on last year, according to Xinhua, with plane trips during the new year holiday down around a fifth. In a bid to stagger the return to work, many companies offered staff the option to work from home or defer travel, or simply closed. Stopping the spread The G7 countriesCanada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United Stateshave all confirmed cases of the virus. They will discuss a joint response, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Sunday. The US, Australia, New Zealand and Israel have banned foreign nationals from visiting if they have been in China recently, and they have also warned their own citizens against travelling there. Mongolia, Russia and Nepal have closed their land borders. Explore further New Chinese city locked down as virus kills abroad 2020 AFP Primary results of samples collected from three patients who were quarantined Sunday have tested negative for coronavirus, the government has said. Two of the patients exhibited high fever after landing at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) from China on Sunday and were isolated at the Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi. One of the travellers arrived from China aboard a China Southern Airlines plane while the other was from Beijing and had boarded a Kenya Airways flight in Dubai. The third patient arrived from Guangzhou, China, on January 30 with chest pains and breathing problems. She is a Kenyan medical student; she was admitted to Coast General Hospital and confined at the private Rahemtullah Wing. In a statement on Sunday evening, the Ministry of Health in Kenya said the patients are in good general medical condition and more tests will be conducted in South Africa. Following their identification, the three were isolated and appropriate samples collected for tests. The primary results are negative, reads a statement. The Health Ministry further reassured Kenyans that the country was free of the deadly virus that has spread to at least 17 countries leaving 304 people dead. Stringent measures have been put in place to prevent its importation into the country, the ministry added, urging those travelling from China to cooperate with health officials. The Health Ministry has urged the public to: NO WAR ON IRAN RALLY The No War on Iran rally was organised by the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) nationwide. On January 25, There were rallies throughout the world protesting against the assassination of General Soleimani, the US occupation of Iraq, the escalating of tensions in the Middle East, and US imperial wars. The rally took place the day after one million people in Baghdad, Iraq protested against US occupation. The rally in Melbourne was attended by various groups such as Spirit of Eureka, Melbourne Unitarian Church, members of IPAN, Wikileaks, the Worker Student Alliance, the Medical Association for the Prevention of War, the James Connoly Association Australia, union members, and the Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament. The speakers highlighted the following points: The need for an Australian independent foreign policy instead of following US foreign policy; Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran, and so is threatening war instead, which is particularly important in the context of the upcoming US election; Over $1 trillion spent by the US to update their nuclear arsenal a couple of years ago; the Doomsday Clock hand has been moved to 100 seconds from midnight the closest it has ever been before to nuclear war; to get the US out of the Middle East and bring the troops home; war money and resources to instead be used for putting out the bushfires and social services, such as the NDIS; General Soleimani was invited to Iraq for peace talks with Saudi Arabia who sought to resolve tensions in the Middle East because the Saudi Arabian government know that as US allies, they are a target; War is union business; there is a constant need for an independent press since the disinformation spread by mainstream media is paralysing society; since General Soleimanis assassination, the shares of oil companies have increased; imperialist wars are just about killing brown people for oil and capital; white workers have more in common with Iranian people than with white capitalists, and so we should be fighting a class war, not imperialist wars; Western imperialism continues to dominate people of colour internationally and Indigenous people here in Australia. In Perth, more than twenty people gathered late Saturday morning 25th January, outside the US Consulate on St Georges Terrace. The rally was the first public action organised by the Perth branch of the Independent Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) and spokeswoman Elizabeth Hulm said it was necessary to protest the US government actions as the world needed to fight climate change and not wars in the Middle East. The rally also called on Australia to bring our troops home from Iraq which is a call also being made by the Iraqi Parliament. One of the protestors highlighted that We should stop making the people of Iran suffer which comes in part through the sanctions which have been imposed by the US government. Vietnamese face mask manufacturers are working overtime to meet the surging demand, but have problems importing raw materials from China. Hanoi-based Dai Uy Pharmaceutical Jsc has doubled its capacity to 100,000 pieces a day by working 24-hour shifts even as many localities round the country report mask shortages. Tanaphar too has been operating 24 hours a day to produce 60,000 masks a day. Garment producer Dong Xuan Knitting Single Member Ltd, which was not making masks earlier, recently entered the industry by making 50,000 pieces a day, and can increase its capacity to 300,000 if needed, a spokesperson said. Importers are also ordering more stocks. A company that imports 3M brand masks from the U.S. said its orders have risen to five times the normal number. But the U.S. company has said it prioritizes China where masks are in larger demand, and so the Vietnamese importers requirements cannot be met in full. "We only have enough inventory to supply regular customers and cannot accept new ones," a spokesperson for the importing company, who asked not to name the company, said. But most manufacturers have expressed concern about sourcing feedstock since China, their largest supplier, has banned exports to meet its own needs. A Tanaphar spokesperson said a medical mask has three main components: nonwoven fabric, antibacterial filter cloth and activated carbon. Vietnamese manufacturers could produce the first item, but have to import the second and third, the spokesperson said. The company is seeking to import filter cloth from India, but prices have jumped to $12 per kilogram. The limited local supply of raw materials can only sustain production for another week to 10 days since demand has risen to 150 million units a month. A Dai Uy Pharmaceutical spokesperson said filter cloth prices have been surging in mainland China and Taiwan and could rise further. The company has only 200 kilograms left in stock, and needs another 500 kg to meet orders. Ministry of Industry and Trade officials said 70 percent of filter cloth is imported from China, and the rest from other countries such as India, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, France, and Italy. With China banning exports of both raw materials and finished masks, sourcing them from elsewhere would be difficult, they said. South Korea and Japan are facing a scarcity, while prices in European countries are high, they said. Vietnamese manufacturers cannot buy more machines to expand production either since China has also halted exports of them too, they added. Vietnam has 38 manufacturers of medical masks capable of making 1.24 million units a day, according to the ministry. They are willing to sell the masks at cost to help combat the nCoV, it said. Vietnam had eight confirmed cases of nCoV infection as of Monday morning, including three foreigners. There are 92 suspected cases with symptoms like high fever and cough. The epidemic has killed 362 people globally, one in the Philippines and the rest in China. [February 03, 2020] Jane Griffiths Joins TB Alliance Board of Directors NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TB Alliance, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing new drug regimens to fight tuberculosis (TB), has appointed Dr. Jane Griffiths to its Board of Directors. Dr. Griffiths brings 35 years of experience in the healthcare industry, including as Global Head of Actelion, a Johnson & Johnson company. "I am excited to serve on the TB Alliance Board as the organization continues to advance new TB medicines," said Dr. Griffiths. "It is critical that scientific innovations improve the lives of people impacted by tuberculosis." Prior to her role at Actelion, Dr. Griffiths was the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) Company Group Chairman at Janssen Pharmaceuticals and held various roles within Johnson & Johnson since completing her PhD in Plant Sciences at the University College of Wales. Dr. Griffiths has in-depth knowledge of many disease areas including oncology, haematology, pulmonary hypertension and psychiatry, and has sigificant experience in HIV and hepatitis C. Her previous roles include global commercial strategy where she oversaw the entry of Janssen into HIV and worked across the globe to build a plan to ensure true global patient access. "We are thrilled to have Dr. Griffiths join as a member of the Board," said Dr. Mel Spigelman, president and CEO of TB Alliance. "As we advance the introduction of new TB therapies, her global experience will contribute greatly to TB Alliance and our mission." Dr. Griffiths is a passionate advocate for women in business and STEM education. She was the first female Company Group Chairman of Janssen EMEA and is determined to encourage more women to pursue leadership roles, and was a sponsor of the Johnson & Johnson Women's Leadership and Inclusion initiative. About TB Alliance TB Alliance is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding faster-acting and affordable drug regimens to fight TB. Through innovative science and with partners around the globe, we aim to ensure equitable access to faster, better TB cures that will advance global health and prosperity. TB Alliance operates with support from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research through KfW, Global Health Innovative Technology Fund, Indonesia Health Fund, Irish Aid, Medical Research Council (United Kingdom), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rockefeller Foundation, United Kingdom Department for International Development, and the United States Agency for International Development. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jane-griffiths-joins-tb-alliance-board-of-directors-300997857.html SOURCE TB Alliance [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The caucuses have an added twist this year because the Iowa Democratic Party will release more data than ever. While the party previously only released information on delegates, it will now report the first round of voting, the second vote "realignment" and the final delegate count. The Associated Press will base its race call of the winner on state delegate equivalents because delegates are the measure used to decide the eventual winner of the nomination. But the new information is causing some voters to take their first round choices more seriously because those decisions will now be public. Ruby Bodeker said she and her 17-year-old daughter both plan to caucus for Harris during the first round. "This is her first caucus," Bodeker said of her daughter. "She was devastated when Kamala Harris dropped out. As a member of the LBGTQ+ community she feels there is no one left who speaks to her." Caucusgoers can theoretically support whomever they like on the first round, so any of the other candidates who have dropped out could receive votes as well. In her Jan. 24 column, (Pay attention: This may be how democracy dies) Ann McFeatters wrote that the impeachment trial of President Trump wouldnt have further evidence or witnesses because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell didnt want them, and this would be a loss to the trial. Really! Nationwide media coverage of the House impeachment inquiry bored viewers and listeners with relentless, repetitious facts from eyewitnesses, spouting simple hearsay. There was no sound evidence of crimes committed by Trump. The House impeachment inquiry began on Sept. 24 and was completed Dec. 18, with two partisan-approved articles of impeachment. The inquiry was urgently ended before Christmas, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spitefully held delivery of the articles to the Senate for 33 days. The Senate trial began Jan. 21. The House impeachment managers spoke in defense of the two articles and repeated verbatim what was said during the House inquiry trial. Enough is enough. The Senate didnt have to comply with the Houses unpardonable, contrived articles, since a Constitutional professor and all the White House lawyers swore that nothing in the two articles is impeachable! The Bible lovingly cautions,"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and brawling and slander, along with every form of malice." Ephesians 4:33 Philip H. Beach Sr. Bethlehem Township, Pa. Now briefly on to Ms Gobbo's relationship with another police officer, Steve Campbell, who was one of four officers charged with stealing marijuana from the St Kilda Marina. Ms Gobbo represented one of Campbell's co-accused, who wasn't a police officer. That co-accused previously told the commission he would never have hired Ms Gobbo if he knew she was in a relationship with Campbell. Ms Gobbo maintains she still represented the co-accused's interest. "If Mr Winneke is going to keep going, can I take some more painkillers please?" Ms Gobbo asks. The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) says contrary to media report, it is unaware of any impending Presidential debate ahead of the 2020 Presidential Election. Last week, there was media report claiming that the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) was scheduled to organize three Presidential debates ahead of December 2020 polls. The NCCE was reported to have made the disclosure through the Commissions Director of Public Affairs, Joyce Afutu, during media interaction. But the NPP in a statement signed by its General Secretary, John Boadu, said the party, having taken notice of this publication, wishes to respond by, first of all, stating emphatically and for the records that the NPP is completely unaware of the claims by the NCCE, and therefore cannot be said to be a party to any such arrangements. It said the NCCE has, at no point, engaged the NPP and its leadership in any conversation regarding the Commissions intention to organize any debates involving the partys presidential candidate in the buildup to election 2020. The NPP has also not made any solicitation to the NCCE to this effect, it said. President Nana Akufo-Addo and ex-President John Mahama are the lead contenders for the 2020 polls. The two participated in the Presidential debate organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) ahead of the elections in 2012. However, the debate could not be held in 2016 as the then ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) boycotted it. Meanwhile, the NPP in its statement said it was surprising and mindboggling that the NCCE, not having had any prior engagements with the party on the matter, would go ahead to announce to the world that it had scheduled to hold three presidential debates in the months of September, October, and December among all the presidential candidates. Beyond the fact that the NCCEs action is in clear breach of courtesy and standard practice, the Commission also has absolutely no inkling of the NPPs calendar of activities for the partys 2020 electioneering campaign, it said. In the light of the foregoing, the NPP categorically dissociates itself from the purported presidential debates schedules unilaterally announced by the NCCE, and appeals to the Commission not to include the NPP in these arrangements unless and until the party so permits, according to the statement. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Staff members wearing protective masks check a passenger at Shanghai railway station in Shanghai, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus, on Feb. 2, 2020. (Aly Song/Reuters) China Accepts Offer for US Scientists to Help Study Coronavirus The Chinese Communist Party was still refusing to allow American experts into the country to help study and respond to the new coronavirus outbreak, a top American health official said on Feb. 3, but China later in the day finally accepted help from the United States after roughly a week. We have folks ready to go to China as soon as that offer is finalized. I understand that there still are negotiations in process on that. And really, were waiting. As soon as we are allowed to go, we will be there, Nancy Messonnier, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters on a phone call on Monday morning. Later in the day, White House spokesman Judd Deere said that China decided to let American experts join a World Health Organization delegation to help work in the coronavirus outbreak. China has accepted the United States offer to incorporate a group of experts into a World Health Organization mission to China to learn more about and combat the virus, he said in a statement. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters last week that the United States offered to send a team of health experts to China amid the coronavirus outbreak but China had rejected the offer. We do hope that the Chinese government will take us up on the offer, Azar said. CDC experts are standing by, ready to go to China. More cooperation and transparency are the most important steps you can take, he told Chinese officials at the press conference. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar takes questions during a briefing with members of the presidents Coronavirus Task Force in Washington on Jan. 31, 2020. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images) National security adviser Robert OBrien said on Sunday that China had not even responded to any offers of assistance from the United States. We have not heard back yet from the Chinese on those offers but we are prepared to continue to cooperate with them, OBrien said during an appearance on CBS Face the Nation. Weve got tremendous expertise. This is a worldwide concern. We want to help our Chinese colleagues if we can and weve made the offer and well see if they accept the offer. CDC officials were able to get on the ground in Kazakhstan, which borders China, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said over the weekend. While some international health officials have praised China for being more transparent about the outbreak compared to how it dealt with the SARS epidemic in 2002 to 2003, others have criticized the communist regime for underreporting the scale and severity of the outbreak, and for allowing few outside experts into the country to study whats happening on the ground. U.S. officials have expressed growing alarm at the possibility of the virus spreading in America, and on Jan. 31 announced a public health emergency over the outbreak. The United States has barred entry to foreign nationals, excluding U.S. residents and immediate family of U.S. citizens, who have been to mainland China in the past 14 days. U.S. citizens who have been to Hubei Provincethe region housing the disease epicenter of Wuhanin the last 14 days will be subject to mandatory quarantine when they arrive back to the United States. For citizens returning from the rest of mainland China, they will undergo health screening at selected airports and may face up to 14 days of monitored self-quarantine. Security personnel wearing masks walk along the Financial Street in central Beijing, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus on Feb. 3, 2020. (Jason Lee/Reuters) If travelers test positive for the virus, theyll be quarantined by health officials at places like military bases and hotels, Messonnier told reporters on Monday. President Donald Trump in an interview on Fox News on Sunday said the United States has shut down the coronavirus coming in from China. We cant have thousands of people coming in who may have this problem, the coronavirus, he said. Currently, 195 people remain quarantined at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California, after being evacuated from Wuhan last week. No other Americans are currently quarantined, health officials said. The United States is planning a handful more flights to evacuate Americans out of Hubei Province, Pompeo said at a Monday press briefing in Uzbekistan while on a diplomatic visit. The Chinese regime criticized the United States this week, claiming the excessive measures announced by American authorities could only create and spread fear. Asked about the regimes criticism during the call, Messonnier noted that other countries and China are taking aggressive actions to try to slow down the spread of the disease. This is an unprecedented situation and weve taken aggressive measures, she said, referring to how the virus can spread between people and reports that the virus can spread from someone showing only mild symptoms or even showing no symptoms, a condition known as being asymptomatic. Our hearts go out to those individuals who are suffering through this, she added. I think that we at CDC have incredibly strong scientists who have a lot of technical experience in really similar diseases, as well as these kinds of disease and our presence on the ground in China would be a help to the folks in China who are trying to unravel this thing. The United States is among more than 30 countries that have closed their borders or imposed some form of travel restriction on China. After Israel announced on Sunday it would refuse entry to foreign nationals coming from China, Chinas acting ambassador to Israel hit back, comparing the move to turning away Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. Dai Yuming told reporters at an English-language press conference in Tel Aviv that the travel ban reminded him of the old days, the old stories that happened in World War II, the Holocaust, the darkest days in human history. The Chinese Embassy in Israel later issued a statement apologizing if someone understood our message the wrong way. SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the launch of Rebellis Group, LLC, a new government programs consulting firm designed to meet the unique needs of the rapidly changing healthcare landscape. Founded by industry veterans and former Gorman Health Group executives Betsy Seals and Debra Devereaux, Rebellis Group aims to deliver to clients a modern experience marked by flexibility, hands-on expert assistance, technological expertise, and tangible results. "Our industry is undergoing a massive transformation. To win in today's landscape, organizations need deep regulatory, operational, clinical and technical expertise combined with a fast, flexible nimble approach. Deb and I have assembled a team of experts uniquely able to deliver in the new era of healthcare," says Betsy Seals, co-founder of Rebellis Group. Designed for today's healthcare organization, Rebellis Group offers a full spectrum of services to assist in streamlining and optimizing systems and processes, connecting the dots between strategic and operational functions to maximize revenues, increasing agility, and developing fundamental insights for effective management with projects spanning all aspects of the organization including executive strategy support to vendor evaluation, auditing, and software implementation management. Combined, Ms. Seals and Ms. Devereaux bring decades of operational, clinical and leadership experience, having served hundreds of clients, including some of the nation's largest and most well-known managed care companies. Before founding Rebellis Group, Betsy Seals served as the Chief Consulting Officer and Deb Devereaux as the SVP of Pharmacy Operations at Gorman Health Group, prior to its acquisition in August of 2017. Rebellis Group is serving clients nationwide with satellite offices in Northern California, Colorado and Florida. Please visit www.rebellisgroup.com to learn more. About Betsy Seals, Co-Founder, Rebellis Group Betsy is a nationally-recognized leader in the managed care industry with over 17 years of experience. Betsy has been quoted in numerous industry publications, including USA Today, and brings to the table a solid mix of leadership and business acumen, as well as regulatory and strategic knowledge within the Managed Care landscape. About Deb Devereaux, MBA, RPh, Co-Founder, Rebellis Group Deb is a nationally recognized pharmacy expert with a diverse background in acute care, government programs, and managed care, and offers more than 30 years of clinical and regulatory expertise combined with a successful track record in business operations and leadership. Contact Us www.rebellisgroup.com [email protected] SOURCE Rebellis Group Related Links www.rebellisgroup.com Drug lord Pablo Escobar kept four hippos at the illegal zoo on his estate. When he was shot in 1993, the hippos were left to fend for themselves. There are now up to 100 of the animals living in the Magdelena River. The hippos are invasive and might displace some native species, and they can also be aggressive. But some scientists say they are not without their benefits. The large animals might be helping the environment by doing things like tunneling nutrients from land to water and keeping grassy plants maintained by eating them. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz Pablo Escobar hippos Colombia Medellin Drug lord Pablo Escobar was reportedly very fond of the four hippopotamuses he kept at the illegal zoo on his luxurious Colombian estate. When he was shot dead in 1993, the hippos were left to fend for themselves and, so far, they have been thriving. There are now as many as 100 "cocaine hippos" living in the country's main river, the Magdelena, Jonathan Shurin, an ecologist with University of California San Diego told Christie Wilcox of National Geographic. "Within a couple of decades, there could be thousands of them," he said. The animals like Escobar himself have caused a bit of a problem for the Colombian government. They're considered an invasive species, and could eventually displace other animals like otters and manatees. They also have a tendency to be territorial or aggressive but haven't seriously injured anyone yet. The animals, which are native to Africa, also have impacts on the landscape, because they feed on land and excrete their waste in the water, altering the water's chemistry, National Geographic reported. They're so large, that just moving their bodies around can change the structure of wetlands. It's expensive and dangerous to move or castrate them and when one hippo was killed in 2009, the public was outraged, so culling is not really an option either, Wilcox wrote. Story continues For a research project funded by the National Geographic Society, Shurin teamed up with Nelson Aranguren-Riano from the Universidad Pedagogica y Tecnologica de Colombia. The scientists compared human-made lakes where the hippos spend time in to ones they don't and found slight differences, National Geographic reported last week. "Hippo lakes have different chemistry and biology than no-hippo lakes," Shurin said about the research published in January. While they aren't perfect, some scientists are looking at the bright side of the rewilding of the infamous drug lord's beloved pets. Pablo Escobar Colombia hippos Medellin REUTERS/Albeiro Lopera In a 2017 letter in the journal Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation, Jens-Christian Svenning, a biologist with Aarhus University in Denmark, argued that the hippos might contribute "ecosystem services." South America lost dozens of giant herbivore species in the last 20,000 years and the rewilding of the hippos could bring back the services that they once provided, like funneling nutrients from land to water and keeping grassy plants maintained by eating them. pablo escobar AFP Other than what they can contribute to biodiversity, the mere survival of the local celebrities is a feat on its own, Arian Wallach, an ecologist with the University of Technology in Sydney, told the magazine. "The fact that there are wild hippopotamuses in South America [is] a wonderful story of survival, of agency, of pioneering," she told Wilcox. Insider A 55-year-old Indian 'baba' has been arrested for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl in southern Nepal's Bara district, police said on Monday. Rameshwor Sharma, aka Jhanda Baba, was arrested by the police on Sunday, police said. Sharma, who lived in the Kolhawi region of the district, was known to treat people with various ailments using shamanic rituals, The Himalayan Times quoted the police as saying. Sharma allegedly raped the minor when she was brought to him for treatment, the report said. The victim is undergoing treatment at a district hospital and her condition is stable. A rape case has been filed against Sharma under the country's Criminal Code. In another incident, a 76-year-old man Gangaram Shrestha has been arrested from central Nepal's Hetauda Municipality for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The State Department is planning several more flights to evacuate American citizens from the area in China where the coronavirus originated, officials said Monday. We have a handful more flights that will be heading to China to bring Americans back home from Hubei province, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a press briefing in Uzbekistan. The exact timing of those were still coordinating with the Chinese government. The Hubei province includes Wuhan, the city where the epidemic began. The virus, a respiratory illness, has killed more than 360 people, most of whom were elderly or otherwise suffered from compromised immune systems, and infected over 17,000 in China. At least 11 people in the U.S. have contracted the virus, all of whom recently traveled to Wuhan or caught it from a spouse who traveled there. No one in the U.S. has died from the virus. A flight chartered by the State Department evacuated 210 U.S. citizens from Wuhan and landed on Wednesday at March Air Reserve Base near Riverside, California, where they are currently living in quarantine for 14 days. We might be bringing citizens home from other countries as well, Pompeo added. On Thursday, the State Department bumped its China travel advisory up to the highest threat level, just hours after the World Health Organization determined the rapidly spreading outbreak of the respiratory illness constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. We have seen a spectrum of illness among cases in the U.S., Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the Center for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease, told reporters on Monday. Strong measures now may blunt the impact on the United States, she added. No option is off the table, and it is very localized depending on the state and local considerations. More from National Review "When I was a kid, my cousin and I taught ourselves to cook," Jason Joseph told me during my recent trip to the British Commonwealth nation of Barbados. "We didn't have money to dine out, so we would fend for ourselves." Their hard work paid off: the chef, who hails from Lower Carlton, now leads the kitchen at Cobblers Cove, a Relais & Chateaux resort on the western coast. I had come to check out the property's recent renovation, and to meet one of a new wave of chefs who inspired by the food they grew up with and with an eye toward sustainability are creating a new Bajan cuisine. Cobblers Cove is one of the few hotels of its caliber with a restaurant, Camelot, helmed by a local. "Visitors like to know that they're eating something fresh and traditional to the island," continued Joseph, whose kitchen is steps from the water. Under his watch, Camelot no longer serves imported items like smoked salmon or berries. Instead, Joseph chooses smoked barracuda and a bounty of island fruits, and his breakfast buffet includes yogurt flavored with mauby, a bittersweet beverage made from tree bark that's common in Barbados. He invited me to try his interpretation of souse boiled pork belly, trotters, ears, and snout marinated in lime and typically served at room temperature. Joseph's version was an elegant update, prepared with curled purple "sea cat" (as locals call octopus) and tender chunks of fresh-caught conch. Served in a sculptural white bowl, it was flecked with bits of scarlet Scotch bonnet pepper and embellished with edible flowers. I found a similar philosophy at Tapestry, the restaurant at Treasure Beach, where 27-year-old Javon Cummins of Christ Church heads up the kitchen. Cummins made his first dish, a pan of muffins, at just six years old. "I know now that they were horrible!" he joked. "But my mother started buying me cookbooks, and from there my love for cooking just grew." Cummins's menu may include a velvety soup made from curried breadfruit, the starchy staple brought to the Caribbean in the 18th century to feed the enslaved population, or an open-faced sandwich of flying fish on focaccia, which has its roots in the fish "cutter" (Bajan for sandwich) that's considered an unofficial national dish. Story continues I tasted another cutter at ECO Lifestyle + Lodge, this one piled with roasted eggplant. Opened in 2018, the 10-room lodge on the rugged Atlantic coast is centered around wellness and sustainability. There, St. James-born chef Alisha Stoute serves mostly seafood and plant-based dishes. The 33-year-old, Cordon Bleu-trained Stoute admits that consistency of ingredients is a challenge produce grown on Barbados has historically been limited not only by the island's coral soil but also by a lack of resources. Still, her goal is "always local." Luckily, fishermen and farmers are increasingly able to deliver ingredients (octopus, sea urchin, purslane) to her door daily and soon, more will start arriving from ECO's own recently planted plot. Chef Nathan Crichlow needs only to step outside his kitchen to reap a Bajan bounty. His breakfast-and-lunch restaurant, the Chrysalis Cafe, is at the 108-acre PEG Farm & Nature Reserve, which grows organic produce and raises free-range cows, chickens, and pigs. Established in 2013 by Paul Bourne, the farm's mission People, Environment, Growth includes restoring land depleted by centuries of sugarcane production and supplying the community with nutrient-rich food. Crichlow enjoys first dibs on PEG's harvest. His menu at the Chrysalis offers twists on familiar flavors, like a roast chicken bowl with fried plantains and garlic-chive dressing or a vegan hash of breadfruit, okra, curried eggplant, and wilted sweet-potato leaves. "I wish people would come and taste the real Barbados," Crichlow told me on my last day there. "Don't come here to eat Yorkshire pudding and Dover sole. You should be enjoying mahi-mahi, flying fish, and barracuda." As I savored my pan-seared amberjack, I had to agree. A Barbados Culinary Checklist No visit to Barbados would be complete without a meal at The Cliff, where British chef Paul Owens helms the kitchen it's been a star of the dining scene since it opened in 1995. Also worth a stop is La Cabane, a French-owned beach bar with a great wine list and live music. Barbados's most famous cutter has been served for more than half a century at nearby Pebbles Beach, where Cuz, of Cuz's Fish Shack, turns out his $5 marlin sandwiches each fried up on a single hot plate in his tiny wooden stall. Be sure to head to Oistins, a fishing town on the southern coast, for the legendary Friday night Oistins Fish Fry there are more than 30 stalls to choose from, including standout Pat's Place, serving grilled mahi-mahi and macaroni pie since 2003. Visit Mount Gay Rum Barbados claims to be the birthplace of the spirit to taste the work of Trudiann Branker, the island's first female master blender. Barbados is also known for its fabulous Food & Rum Festival, the perfect event to build a trip around. A version of this story first appeared in the February 2020 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline Talent Takes Root. Visit Barbados provided support for the reporting of this story. A 'persistent and systematic' stalker who has harassed Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis for more than 25 years has been jailed for three years after breaching a restraining order for the 12th time. Obsessive Edward Vines sent two letters to the BBC journalist's mother saying he was in love with her and was 'distressed' when she ceased contact with him. The 49-year-old said he had been 'troubled' by Ms Maitlis's treatment of him while at Cambridge University in the mid-1990s - adding that she lied about him during a previous trial. At Nottingham Crown Court on Monday, a judge said he feared there was 'no sight of this ever ending' - describing the defendant's behaviour as a 'life-long obsession'. Maitlis (left) as subjected to a terrifying campaign in which Edward Vines (right) stalked her for 27 years The journalist interviewed the Duke of York in November last year, which led to Andrew stepping back from official public duties for the foreseeable future after criticism over his unsympathetic tone and lack of remorse about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. The defendant's letters had been intercepted by prison officers after he was placed under public protection, which meant all his letters should be checked before delivery. Vines, of HMP Nottingham, pleaded guilty to attempting to breach a restraining order between May 7 and May 16 last year, and again on October 6 by sending a letter to Marion Maitlis to pass on to the journalist. Wearing a beige coat, a blue shirt and spectacles at the hearing, the defendant looked down as he was handed consecutive prison sentences, totalling three years. Sentencing Vines, Judge Stuart Rafferty QC said: 'There's no sight of this ever ending. He has not expressed any remorse at all. It is a sad case.' Turning to the defendant, the judge said: 'For whatever reason, you have an obsession with Emily Maitlis and it is your belief that you have been wronged by her and you have been wronged by the law. 'You are convinced that you are in love with her and, no doubt, you think she is in love with you. 'I am afraid I have to sentence you on the basis that you are a long way from any reality dawning on you. 'If you love Emily Maitlis as you say you do, one might be forgiven for saying you have a very strange way of showing it, because you have made her life, in many ways, a misery.' Judge Rafferty continued: 'She can't live a free life because of you. She is forever looking over her shoulder to see if you are there. If you keep breaching the order, all the court can do is lock you up. 'This at the moment has to be treated as a life-long obsession by you. All the court can do is try to protect Ms Maitlis and her family as best as it can. 'Until you can take the step to stop being the unrequited 19-year-old that you were at the start of all of this, nothing will ever change.' Prosecutor Ian Way said Ms Maitlis had not been approached for a victim impact statement because 'each repeated episode compounds the distress'. Mr Way said since a sentencing hearing at Oxford Magistrates' Court, where he was handed a restraining order which extended to Ms Maitlis's family, including her mother, Vines has 'persistently and systematically breached the order'. He sent letters and emails to Ms Maitlis via the BBC, the Newsnight programme and her mother, including one occasion where he telephoned Marion Maitlis. Summarising the contents of the letters, Mr Way said: 'He was despairing over the situation between Emily and himself, and he did not feel his rights as a defendant were being respected - and until then he would not abide by the order. 'He was troubled by Emily's treatment of him whilst at university. He said he was in love with her and he was distressed when she ceased all contact with him. He also stated that she lied about him and that he had not had his say.' Speaking on behalf of Vines, defence barrister Stefan Fox said: 'There was very little possibility that the letter would have left Nottingham Prison.' New Covid curbs in UP: Government and private employees to work at 50 per cent capacity Night curfew in Andhra Pradesh: Know timings, guidelines, rules; What is allowed, what is not allowed Contacts of confirmed cases don't need to get tested unless identified as high risk: Govt Bengal govt identifies 8 passengers travelled with Kerala Coronavirus affected student India oi-Mousumi Dash Kolkata, Fe 03: West Bengal government has identified eight passengers who travelled with the Kerala students down with coronavirus after the centre on Sunday issued a new travel advisory that anyone with travel history of China since January 15 can be quarantined. According to a senior official, on Sunday, the West Bengal Health Department had traced eight passengers who had travelled in the same flight in which the coronavirus-affected Kerala student returned to India. The flight landed at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata on January 23. As per the report, these eight passengers were seated in the two rows in front and back of the Kerala resident's seat. 2019 nCov in India: Second positive case of coronavirus reported in Kerala, patient closely monitore However, the two passengers, who had landed in Kolkata were identified as residents of Asansol and Odisha. NEWS AT NOON, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 West Bengal Director of Health Services Ajay Kumar Chakraborty said that the other six passengers were also identified on Sunday. Besides this, it was also confirmed that three passengers travelled in that flight, sitting either in the front or the back four seats of the virus affected-Kerala resident were identified as Chinese nationals. On Sunday, the centre's decision of issuing a new travel advisory was taken at a high-level review meeting held by the Cabinet Secretary on the preparedness to deal with novel coronavirus which has now spread to 25 countries. Suspected coronavirus patient at AIIMS Rishikesh tests negative According to PTI, on Sunday, a total number of 58,658 passengers from 445 flights have been screened for nCoV symptom. And a total of 142 symptomatic travellers have been identified by the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and have been referred to the isolation facilities. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu drew rapturous applause from the audience while he was a guest at The Platform, in October last year, when he spoke about his solution to the traffic situation and plan to account for every Okada rider in Lagos State. The Platform is an annual event in Lagos where prominent politicians and professionals are invited to speak on topical issues of governance. I need to also mention, to solve the traffic issue of Lagos is also to talk about the Okada issue, Mr Sanwo-Olu had begun at the capacity-filled hall of The Covenant Place, near the National Theatre in Lagos. Okada is everywhere, anywhere you see, so part of the things we are going to be doing is not leave anybody behind. People are currently using a system that is working for them, meaning that you see some Okada riders that are branded, that are using smart pays to pay when you finish your journey. We are trying to harmonise all of them and be able to come up with a regulation system where we can account for every Okada rider. We will know who they are, we can manage them and when anything happens In fact, the solution that some of them are bringing, they can actually disable some of those Okadas remotely, thats where we are planning to get to. But its also something we have to think very well and be sure that nobody is disenfranchised, as much as possible give everybody opportunity to play and to play well. Im hoping we all these, the solution around our traffic would be reduced significantly. Last week, the Lagos State government announced the restriction of the activities of commercial motorcyclists and tricyclists (popularly known as Keke) from major roads, highways, and bridges in the state. The government said its decision was based on the scary casualty figures resulting from commuting with those means of transport. Commuters resorted to trekking as the enforcement on the ban came into force on February 1. Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday, Mr Sanwo-Olu, through his chief press secretary, Gboyega Akosile, said he never promised not to ban commercial motorcyclists (popularly known as Okada) from operating in the state. When the governor was talking on The Platform, he didnt make any categorical statement about whether there would be a ban or not, Mr Akosile said. He said that we will look into it. We will see whether we will use technology or even categorise them Everything he said was not categorical. It wasnt only at The Platform he said that; he said it at several events. The governors spokesperson said the state government had only decided to enforce the existing laws in the state. What we have only done is to start up enforcement on the existing laws, we have not come out to say we are banning. You cannot ban peoples commercial activities, the government has the responsibility, due to one reason or the other, to regulate. Go to the UK, Uber is a major transportation company, U.K government banned them due to regulation issues, so if Okada people had constituted a menace to the society, security. You and I are not safe and our research has shown that 85 per cent motorcycles. The government went to the drawing board to know what can be done. If we do that it wont be easy for any criminally minded people carrying put dastardly acts to escape. If you see the number of at the hospitals you will be shocked and all of this is Okada. We had to create an Okada ward. (Newser) The coronavirus outbreak has now spread to 23 countries, and experts are increasingly pessimistic about the chances of containing it. Chinese authorities say there have been more than 17,000 cases, but scientists believe the real figure could be closer to 100,000, the New York Times reports. They warn that it is very likely to become a pandemica new disease that spreads worldwidebut what's still unclear is how deadly the coronavirus will turn out to be. Officials say the mortality rate so far has been around 2%, but that figure is likely to drop when more mild cases are detected. "Its very, very transmissible, and it almost certainly is going to be a pandemic, says Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "But will it be catastrophic? I don't know." New evidence of origin. Chinese researchers presented more evidence in two studies released Monday that the virus, like the viruses that cause Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, originated in bats, though it may have infected humans via another species, the AP reports. "In essence, its a version of SARS that spreads more easily but causes less damage," says Ian Jones, a professor of virology at the University of Reading. "The virus also uses the same receptor, the door used to get into human cells, which explains transmission and why it causes pneumonia." story continues below Deaths surge again . The Chinese government announced Monday that another 57 coronavirus patients had died, bringing the total to 361, more than the number killed in China during the 2003 SARS outbreak, the Guardian reports. All but one of the deaths announced Monday were in Hubei province. . The Chinese government announced Monday that another 57 coronavirus patients had died, bringing the total to 361, more than the number killed in China during the 2003 SARS outbreak, the Guardian reports. All but one of the deaths announced Monday were in Hubei province. China accuses US of causing "panic." China accused the US on Monday of causing "panic" and "spreading fear" with its response to the outbreak, the BBC reports. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the US, which has banned non-US citizens who have recently visited China from entering the country, was setting a bad example for the rest of the world by imposing "excessive restrictions." China accused the US on Monday of causing "panic" and "spreading fear" with its response to the outbreak, the BBC reports. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the US, which has banned non-US citizens who have recently visited China from entering the country, was setting a bad example for the rest of the world by imposing "excessive restrictions." Medical workers strike in Hong Kong . Hundreds of doctors, nurses, and medical workers walked off the job in Hong Kong Monday to protest the government's refusal to close the border with mainland China, reports RTHK. Chief Executive Carrie Lam said almost all crossings would be closed at midnight, but a bridge to Macau and the mainland would remain open, and flights from the mainland would still be permitted to arrive. . Hundreds of doctors, nurses, and medical workers walked off the job in Hong Kong Monday to protest the government's refusal to close the border with mainland China, reports RTHK. Chief Executive Carrie Lam said almost all crossings would be closed at midnight, but a bridge to Macau and the mainland would remain open, and flights from the mainland would still be permitted to arrive. Countries in danger. Experts say closing borders will slow but probably not halt the spread of the coronavirus, the Times reports. They say they are most worried about countries with relatively fragile health care systems, including India, Russia, the Philippines, and countries in Africa, where there are more than 1 million Chinese expatriates. (Read more coronavirus stories.) 'By transferring the case to the NIA without the Maharashtra government's consent clearly indicates they want to play mischief.' IMAGE: A Dalit protest. Photograph: PTI Photo Retired Bombay high court judge Justice B G Kolse Patil -- who states that he and retired Supreme Court Justice P B Sawant organised and funded the Elgar Parishad on December 31, 2017 at Bhima-Korgegaon near Pune -- says the Union government's "abrupt" decision to hand over the case to the National Investigation Agency, that reports to the Union home minister, "under the pretext that the NIA wants to further investigate the case doesn't make any sense." Dalits, from all over Maharashtra, congregate at Bhima-Koregaon, a small village in Pune district every year to celebrate the victory of the British India Army, comprising mostly of Dalits, over the Peshwa in the Battle of Bhima-Koregaon on January 1, 1818. The day after Dalits had gathered to commemorate the bicentennial of the Battle of Bhima-Koregaon, violence broke out on January 1, 2018, that led to death of one person. The Pune police, which investigated the case, later arrested activists Sudhir Dhawale, Vernon Gonsalves, Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj and Arun Ferreira, alleging they were part of a Maoist conspiracy to foment trouble at Bhima-Koregaon. The Pune police later claimed these activists had plotted to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi. Ten days ago, the Union government directed the National Investigation Agency to take over the probe -- launched when the Bharatiya Janata Party's Devendra Fadnavis was Maharashtra chief minister -- from the Pune police. This was, Justice Kolse Patil states, in response to the Maharashtra government's statement that it planned to review the case and appoint a special investigation team to examine the evidence produced by the Pune police. "The NIA is appointed only with a view to suppress the truth," Justice Kolse Patil tells Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore. What is your objection to the NIA taking over the Bhima-Koregaon violence cases? The BJP government was in power in Maharashtra when the Pune police investigated the matter. The investigation is complete, their chargesheet is ready. Two accused -- Sambhaji Bhide and (Milind) Ekbote -- had taken press conferences and appealed to people (at Bhima-Koregaon) not to even give water Dalits who were expected to gather there on December 31, 2017.. While there is ample evidence against these two, the evidence against intellectuals arrested and against whom various cases have been filed are 100 per cent fabricated. Cases were filed against Justice P B Sawant with an ulterior motive because he enquired into the Gujarat riots (of 2002) along with Justice (V R) Krishna Iyer. They (Justices Iyer and Sawant) had recommended that (Narendra Damodardas) Modi (then Gujarat chief minister) and other BJP and VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) leaders should be prosecuted for genocide and should not be given any Constitutional post. Thereafter, Modi was denied a visa by the whole world. The Elgar Parishad was organised by myself and Justice Sawant to educate the so-called secular youth of the country about how systematically our natural resources are being sold out (by the Modi government), how our banks are being sold out, how our public institutions are being compromised and how all democratic institutions are being destroyed. I wanted to give this message to the people. In 1818, they fought against the Peshwa, and we asked the people to fight this neo-Peshwa (the Modi government) which is destroying India. Now even the ATS (Maharashtra's anti-terrorist squad) chief has said the Elgar Parishad has nothing to do with Bhima-Koregaon (violence). What are your concerns if the NIA takes over the investigation? What is the point in the NIA taking over the case when they (the BJP government then headed by Devendra Fadnavis) have themselves investigated the case? If investigations have been completed, chargesheets have been filed, then what are they (the NIA) going to do by taking the case to Delhi? The Maharashtra government was mulling appointing a special investigation team. What is the purpose of such a SIT when as you have said the investigations have been completed and chargesheets filed? The entire purpose of this SIT would have been to go through the record prepared by the previous investigation agency (the Pune police under the Fadnavis government). After going through the available evidence and record, they (this SIT) may have come to a different conclusion. However, this SIT's conclusion wouldn't affect the course of judgment. Even if this SIT investigation comes to a conclusion that the evidence gathered by the Pune police is concocted, the case is false, even then the judgment in this case which is already in court will not be affected. Taking this case away from the Maharashtra government under the pretext that the NIA wants to further investigate the case doesn't make any sense. Can't the Maharashtra government still have its SIT probe the same case simultaneously even as the NIA continues with its investigation? That is what I am suggesting. This can't happen because the NIA is appointed only with a view to suppress the truth and save the fabricated evidence gathered against us. IMAGE: Milind Ekbote, left, and Sambhaji Bhide have come under fire for the violence in Maharashtra after the bicentenary celebration of the Battle of Bhima-Koregaon on January 1, 2018. Photographs: PTI Photo Why can't the Maharashtra government conduct its own investigation? Once those papers (the evidence) are taken to Delhi to a different court, then the Maharashtra government ceases to be the investigating agency in this matter. What I have suggested is that the Maharashtra government conduct investigations against Ekbote and Bhide independently. Are you planning any legal recourse against the Centre directing the NIA to take over the case? The (Maharashtra) government is thinking of going to court. If the government doesn't do it, then we will (legally) challenge it. If they have already done the investigation, they are taking the case to Delhi for what, without taking the state government into confidence? We are watching the state government's move. If they go to court, there is no need for us to go to court. We also plan to prosecute the concerned police officers for atrocities against the Dalits under the SC/ST Atrocities Act. They have fabricated evidence against the accused Dalits. Is the Union government violating any law by handing over the case to the NIA? It would have been proper if they had taken the state government's consent and then handed over the case to the NIA. The case was handed over to the NIA only after the state government made a statement that it is inquiring into the Elgar Parishad investigation, the Union government abruptly decided to hand over the case to the NIA. Had they (the Union government) transferred the case to the NIA before the state government made a statement to inquire into the earlier investigation, then we wouldn't have objected to it. That they are doing it now clearly indicates they want to play mischief. What is the central government afraid of? What is the central government afraid of? That their people (Ekbote and Bhide)'s role in the violence will come to light. The case against me and Justice Sawant is 100 per cent fabricated. Do you believe the evidence gathered by the Pune police, which investigated the Bhima-Koregaon violence, was fabricated? They (the Pune police) said they had recorded Justice Sawant's statement and included that in their chargesheet when they actually didn't do so. When he objected, they apologised to him and recorded his statement. BOISE A new traveling exhibition at the Idaho State Museum tells the story of the tens of thousands of Japanese Americans who were incarcerated by the federal government during World War II. The exhibit opened last month and runs through April 5. It combines material from the Smithsonian Institution with Idaho-specific artifacts from the Minidoka National Historical Site near Jerome and an internment camp near Kooskia. Its a national story with a local component, said Museum Administrator Liz Hobson. As discussed in the exhibit, the story began in 1942, two months after the Pearl Harbor attack. Citing the need to protect against espionage and sabotage, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, allowing local military commanders to designate certain areas or zones from which any and all persons may be excluded. As a result, more than 75,000 Japanese-American citizens and another 45,000 Japanese nationals most of whom lived along the West Coast were forcibly removed from their homes and sent to 10 regional internment camps, including Minidoka. We gave the fancy name of relocation centers to these dust bowls, but they were concentration camps nonetheless, said Harold Ickes, the U.S. Secretary of Interior in 1946, as quoted in one of the displays. The title of the exhibition, Righting a Wrong: Japanese Americans and World War II, makes its focus clear from the start. While it offers plenty of historical context and insights into the daily lives of internees, it also stresses post-war efforts to convince the United States to confront the wrong it had done, and to make it right. Those efforts eventually led to the creation of a national commission, which in 1982 concluded there was no military justification for the incarceration. Roosevelts executive order, the commission said, was founded on racial prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of political leadership. Six years later, Congress offered a formal apology and financial redress to camp survivors and their descendants. No payment can make up for those lost years, said President Ronald Reagan, when signing the legislation. This bill has less to do with property than with honor. For here we admit a wrong. Here we reaffirm our commitment as a nation to equal justice under the law. Hobson said the Idaho State Museum spent more than a year preparing to host the exhibition. Much of the material was on display at the National Museum of American History from 2017 to 2019. Although it highlights a dark part of American history, she said, the exhibit also gives people a chance to better understand the event and consider the impact of the decisions that were made. Its important for museums to offer exhibits like this, Hobson said. We need exhibits that challenge us and make us think, while also telling a story. The museum augmented the Smithsonian material with several information panels and artifacts from the Minidoka National Historical Site, as well as one panel and artifact from the Kooskia work camp. More than 265 internees from 23 states voluntarily relocated to the Kooskia camp, beginning in 1943. They earned $55 to $65 per month, helping to construct whats now U.S. Highway 12. Next to the information panel is a pillow cover, showing an American flag, that was woven by one of the Kooskia inmates. The Minidoka center was a much larger facility. At its peak, it housed more than 9,000 internees, making it the seventh-largest city in Idaho. More than 13,000 people were sent there over the course of the war. A display with more than 12,000 of their names takes up one entire wall of the exhibition room. Hobson said the museum plans to hold a number of public programs, workshops and film screenings in conjunction with the exhibitions 10-week run. That includes having some survivors of the Minidoka camp come in to discuss their experience. Most of the programs will focus on telling the story of those who went through (the camps), she said. Hopefully, people can leave here and connect those stories to the present day. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The classic eggs benedict breakfast dish has been creatively modified to include pulled pork and topped with a striking blue hollandaise sauce. The popular Mekko Market and Cafe in Prospect, South Australia, has left customers divided over the $21 dish after creating the sauce from blueberries. While many loved the creativity and were keen to try it for themselves, others described the colour as 'unappealing' and similar to 'clothes washing detergent'. A South Australian cafe has creatively modified the classic eggs benedict dish to include pulled pork and topped with a striking blue hollandaise sauce The new menu was released less than a week ago but the cafe is already considering changing the blueberry sauce. 'Oh no! Looks like the blue colour is not the favourite - we might need to change that,' they wrote on Facebook. 'Thanks for your feedback! We thought we would try something different, but maybe wasnt the best idea.' The new menu was released less than a week ago but the Adelaide cafe is already considering changing the blueberry sauce due to online feedback. 'Oh no! Looks like the blue colour is not the favourite - we might need to change that,' they said This isn't the first time the local eatery has experimented with go-to brunch dishes. Late last year they trialed a beetroot hollandaise sauce which transformed into an appealing pink colour This isn't the first time the eatery has experimented with favourite go-to brunch dishes. Late last year they trialed a beetroot hollandaise sauce which turned out to be an appealing pink colour. Customers have commented online of both the blueberry and beetroot dish, though the reactions have varied with more in favour of the older dish. The smokey barbeque pulled pork dish is priced at $21 and comes with poached free range eggs, wilted spinach on sourdough with maple bacon crumb & arctic midnight sun blueberry hollandaise. OTTAWA - The minister responsible for overhauling Canada's broadcasting and telecommunications sectors tried to reassure Canadians Monday that the federal government is not preparing to license news outlets. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/2/2020 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault speaks with the media in the Foyer of the House of Commons in Ottawa, Monday February 3, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - The minister responsible for overhauling Canada's broadcasting and telecommunications sectors tried to reassure Canadians Monday that the federal government is not preparing to license news outlets. "Let me be clear. Our government has no intention to impose licensing requirements on news organizations nor will we try to regulate news content," Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault told reporters at a news conference he called Monday morning. In an interview aired over the weekend, Guilbeault had said the government would ask media outlets to be licensed. "We are committed to a free and independent press, which is essential to our democracy," the minister said Monday. "Our focus will be and always has been to ensure that Canadians have access to a diversity of high-quality and credible news sources." His weekend remarks sparked a social-media firestorm, fanned by the Opposition Conservatives, over the prospect of the government using licensing requirements to censor news. Guilbeault said he was not referring to news organizations when he spoke about media outlets, but rather about organizations that produce and distribute cultural content. And he suggested that those questioning his comments might have misunderstood. "Clearly some people were confused," said the minister. "I could see that some people were confused about this particular recommendation in the report so I felt it was important to clarify it." The CTV interview, aired on Sunday, was on a wide-ranging report released last week, which included 97 recommendations aimed at modernizing Canada's antiquated broadcast and telecom laws. The report, called "Canada's Communications Future: Time To Act," was compiled by a panel of independent broadcast experts and included a recommendation that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) or another regulatory body control licensing of all companies creating "audio, audiovisual, and alphanumeric news content." During part of the interview, Guilbeault was attempting to differentiate among media outlets and how they would be licensed based on their size when he said, "We would ask that they have a licence, yes." The comments were quickly scrutinized, with some commentators warning that licensing media outlets would amount to a dangerous attack on the freedom of the press. Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner was among the critics who latched onto the minister's comments, questioning Guilbeault's motives. In response to his effort at clarification, Rempel Garner said Guilbeault did not walk back his comments far enough, suggesting there is still uncertainty over the Liberal government's plans to revise Canada's broadcasting and telecommunications laws. "I think the government has to be very clear about one thing: the role of the state is not to interfere in people's right to free speech or the freedom of the press," she said. "What I am concerned about in what I heard was that there was ambiguity in terms of that particular concept." The CRTC currently issues licenses to TV and radio broadcasting outlets but does not regulate content on digital outlets such as Google and Facebook, on websites or in print. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2020. But it may come with a downside risk of further rise in prices of several products. With an aim to reform the countrys electronic manufacturing sector, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has introduced revised import duty rates for some key components used in mobile handsets and consumer appliances. The move comes at a time when the government is finalising a new electronics manufacturing policy to boost local production. But it may come with a downside risk of further rise in prices of several products. In her second Budget on Saturday, the minister announced that the government will soon come up with a new policy to promote local manufacturing of electronic items. While, the fineprint is yet to be finalised, Sitharaman said, I propose a scheme focused on encouraging manufacture of mobile phones, electronic equipment and semi-conductor packaging. According to sources, since the discontinuation of the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS), which used to primarily drive local manufacturing since 2012, no concrete scheme has been in place to incentivise manufacturers in the sector. Like M-SIPS, the proposed scheme will offer attractive incentives through tax benefits and easy availability of amenities like electricity and land, to manufacturers, who set up plants in India. The benefit will be for procuring electronic components. It will also be aligned with the revised corporate tax rate of 15 per cent for new manufacturers. However, the minister proposed increase in Customs duty on items like compressors for ACs and refrigerators (to 12.5 per cent from 10 per cent), printed circuit board assemblies or PCBAs (to 20 per cent from 10 per cent), display assembly and touch panels for mobiles and on components for electric vehicles (EVs). Duty on smaller items like motor components used in fully finished air purifiers, washing machines and coolers have been raised to 10 per cent from 7.5 per cent. The proposed hike in customs duty, just ahead of launch of the new scheme, is a step towards pushing sellers towards local production further. However, lack of a local manufacturing capacity for many of these products at the moment will lead to price rise. Kamal Nandi, president of Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) and executive vice-president of Godrej Appliances, said while the intention is good, it will lead to price escalation in the short run, on products like refrigerators, air conditioners, coolers, washing machines, air purifier and chest freezers. Reduction of goods and service tax (GST) rates on ACs and large screen TV sets (from 28 per cent to 18 per cent) will help manufacturers and buyers absorb some of the increase in cost and spur demand. Manish Sharma, president & CEO, Panasonic India & SA, and chairperson of electronics & manufacturing committee of FICCI, said, while promoting local manufacturing is a welcome move, a definitive timeline would have boosted the industrys sentiments. Instead of supporting a nascent sector like EVs, increase in import duty on fully finished vehicles and components would not go down well, said Pankaj Tiwari, business head, Nexzu Mobility - a local manufacturer of electric scooters. Customs duty has been hiked by 10 per cent on semi-knocked down and 5 per cent on complete knocked down parts. Faisal Kawoosa, lead analyst at TechArc, estimates that the cost of smartphone will rise by 5-7 per cent as components like PCBAs, display assemblies and touch panels become costlier. However, if large suppliers of these items from China and Taiwan respond to these changes by reducing prices to a certain extent, then the impact could be less. So, the effective change in cost will be miniscule to force handset companies towards investing large sums to expand local production, he said. According to a top executive of a leading handset brand, the real impact, if any, will be felt only from May as the new rates come into effect from April. Photograph: Paul Hanna/Reuters S amsung is gearing up for its first big launch of the year with its annual Galaxy Unpacked event set to take place in San Francisco tomorrow. The Korean tech giant is expected to reveal its new Galaxy S20 range, which will include bigger, flashier screens as well as some exciting new camera tech. But there will be another trick up Samsung's sleeve during the Unpacked event. The company is expected to unveil its new folding phone, which it debuted in a surprise advert during the 2020 Oscars ceremony last night. The ad featured the new flip phone, thought to be named the Galaxy Z Flip, in black and purple. It showcased the clamshell folding design of the phone, as well as ways to use it including answering video calls on the device and playing music. Heres what we know so far... Samsung folding phone: the Galaxy Z Flip? Theres a few potential names circling for the new Samsung folding phone including the Galaxy Z Flip and a possible code-name of Galaxy Bloom. Given that the new phone is sporting a clamshell design, similar to the updated Motorola Razr which launched last year, going with Flip in the name is probably the most likely. Samsung didn't confirm a name in the advert on Sunday night, choosing to end the clip with the slogan, "Change the shape of the future." Leaked images of how the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip folding phone will look, courtesy of Evan Blass / Evan Blass / @evleaks Samsung Galaxy Z Flip: design If last years Galaxy Fold looked like an iPad Mini when open, the new Galaxy Z Flip looks like an old-school flip phone except this time the inside is made of an ultra-thin glass screen that bends in half. The benefits of using thin glass instead of plastic means that hopefully, the Z Flip wont run into the problems the Fold had, such as a major crease in the middle of the screen, defective hinges and consistent screen flickering. However, its likely there will be a plastic screen protector over the top to ensure the display doesnt get scratched. Ben Geskin posted a leaked hands-on video to Twitter over the weekend which demonstrates how the phone looks when its open and shut. When folded shut, the Z Flip should be easier to slip into your pocket, unlike the Galaxy Fold. It will have a 1.06-inch OLED display on the front, and will open up to a 6.7-inch full ultra HD+ screen. Samsungs S20+ is expected to have a 6.-7inch screen, whilst the S20+ Ultra could have a 6.9-inch screen so being able to fold it up and carry it around in a compact form is certainly beneficial. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip: cameras It appears that Samsung is keeping things rather simple when it comes to the cameras on the new folding phone. Its likely that Z Flip will have two 12-megapixel cameras on the back of the one one wide-angle lens and one ultra-wide angle lens. Then, when the phone is opened up, there will be a punch-hole camera on the front, which should be about 10-megapixels. In comparison, leaked renders of the Galaxy S20 point to it having four lenses on the back of the phone. A mere two camera lenses are a lot easier to contend with. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip: specs Inside the new Samsung folding phone, it is expected to be powered by a Snapdragon 855+ chip which promises better speeds and performance. By comparison, the new Motorola Razr will ship with a mid-range Snapdragon 710 chip which wont be able to handle some of the more demanding multitasking and AI capabilities that the flagship phones can. If youre weighing up which one to buy, the power of the phone is certainly something to take into consideration. In addition, the phone is predicted to have a 3,300mAh battery which offers reverse wireless charging, and it will have a capacitive fingerprint sensor on the side. Interestingly, the new folding phone will not support 5G. Samsung has been a big proponent of 5G tech, releasing five different 5G phones last year and selling 6.7 million versions of these devices throughout 2019. Therefore its puzzling that the company has decided to leave out the 5G factor when it comes to the Galaxy Z Flip. The folding phone will run Android 10 with Samsungs One UI 2 skin on top. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip: release date and price Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy Z Flip at its Unpacked event next week on Tuesday, February 11 and it could be on sale as early as February 14 according to WinFuture. On the one hand, we Americans are hardly ones to talk about empty posturing, usually accompanied with moral indignation and finger-wagging. On the other hand, it isnt just that the Governments approach to Brexit has been heavy on theatrics and thin on substance. Its also that the UK is in Groundhog Day mode, subjecting the rest of us to tired tropes yet another time. The latest iteration of this far-too-familiar play is Boris Johnson acting as if he can threaten the EU with a no deal at the end of the transition period. Specifically, Johnson has made a big show of poking the EU in the eye by setting forth his tough guy negotiating demands over this past weekend. Admittedly, the Prime Minister isnt setting out his position formally until Monday, but theres no mystery as to what it will be: a rejection of accepting EU rules yet saying it wants a Canada-style free trade agreement. From the BBC: Britain will not be aligning with EU rules in any post-Brexit trade deal, the foreign secretary has said. But Irish PM Leo Varadkar said the UK needed to commit to a level playing field to get a free trade deal Reports in recent days have suggested EU chiefs want the UK to continue to follow EU rules on standards and state subsidies while accepting the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in any trade disputes. The PM is expected to say that he will accept no alignment and no jurisdiction of the European courts when talks start in March. And wags believe the reason for the rollout was to create the impression that the UK was driving the agenda by virtue of preceding Michel Barniers remarks this week. The Financial Times version was entertaining: Boris Johnson is on course for a significant clash with the EU in trade talks on the future relationship with the bloc, with both sides setting out opposing stances on whether a deal will include alignment on rules. The British prime minister will set out his approach to the negotiations on Monday in a speech outlining his vision for the UK after Brexit. He will state that Britain will maintain high standards without the compulsion of a treaty. But Michel Barnier, the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, will say the opposite when he unveils the blocs proposal for its future relationship with the UK. He is expected to insist that Britains future market access be directly linked to its willingness to align with EU rules. Aside from the fact that trade does not operate on a trust me basis, Johnson himself doesnt have a great reputation in that category and is proving to be true to form. Assuming his speech Monday lives up to the previews, Johnson will repudiate parts of the Political Declaration, the statement of intent about the so-called future relationship with the EU, that his Government just agreed to. Specifically: In that spirit, this declaration establishes the parameters of an ambitious, broad, deep and flexible partnership across trade and economic cooperation with a comprehensive and balanced Free Trade Agreement at its core, law enforcement and criminal justice, foreign policy, security and defence and wider areas of cooperation.. This balance must ensure the autonomy of the Unions decisionmaking and be consistent with the Unions principles, in particular with respect to the integrity of the Single Market and the Customs Union and the indivisibility of the four freedoms This partnership will be comprehensive, encompassing a Free Trade Agreement, as well as wider sectoral cooperation where it is in the mutual interest of both Parties.It will be underpinned by provisions ensuringa level playing field for open and fair competition To that end, the Parties should uphold the common high standards applicable in the Union and the United Kingdom at the end of the transition period in the areas of state aid, competition, social and employment standards, environment, climate change, and relevant tax matters. Alert readers may point out that the Political Declaration was not legally binding. True, but that is also the case for letters of intent in business negotiations. Its one thing for parties to work through deal points that have a lot of wriggle room in them and where the two sides need to haggle about what they mean in practice. Its quite another thing for one side to renege on a point in a letter of intent without offering a corresponding concession (unless it was abandoning an issue that worked to its advantage). At a bare minimum, its a demonstration of bad faith and will taint the talks. The expected EU draft would reiterate the Political Declaration. Again from the pink paper: Brussels draft mandate for the negotiations will call for a level-playing field that would require the UK to stay in line with EU environmental and labour market rules as they stand at the end of Britains post-Brexit transition period, according to three people briefed on the contents of the mandate. Johnson is expected to insist on a Canada-style deal with no/minimal alignment requirements, but Irish PM Leo Varadkar has already pre-debunked that on the Andrew Maar show: Canada isnt the UK; youre geographically part of the European continent, we share seas and airspace and our economies are very integrated. And one thing we feel very strongly in the EU is that if we are going to have tariff-free, quota-free trade with the UK, which is essentially what we have with Canada on almost everything, then that needs to come with a level playing field. We, for example would have very strong views on fair competition and state aid. EU negotiators have probably noticed that the UK didnt have any problems agreeing to accept US rules. We have pointed out that the US dictates terms in its bilateral trade deals, so this should come as no surprise. From FT reader Iron Knee: Yet the Brexiteers rushed to submit to US regulations https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/US-UK-Framework-MRA-signed.pdf Agreement on Mutual Recognition The United Kingdom shall, as specified in the Sectoral Annexes, accept or recognize results of specific procedures, used in assessing conformity to specified legislative, regulatory and administrative provisions of the United Kingdom, produced by designated conformity bodies and/or authorities in the United States There was a lot of rah-rahing on Twitter over a Financial Times story that Nissan had a contingency plan for a hard Brexit of largely abandon EU operations and invest more in the UK with an eye to stealing share from other automakers there. However, this isnt inconsistent with our predictions. We had stated that non-tariff trade barrier would wreak havoc with automotive supply chains, which operate on just in time principles. Thus UK part-making for EU end customers would get shifted out of the UK or displaced by other countries. Automakers would still supply the UK marketvia some reconfiguring UK operations to be more self-sufficient. Others might instead only ship in completed vehicles. The Financial Times doubling down headline also exaggerates the magnitude of the possible production increase: But the Japanese carmaker has invested more than 4bn in the [Sunderland] site, the largest in the UK with 6,000 workers, and is determined to keep the facility operational even at the expense of abandoning its exports-based model. The site is equipped to make up to 600,000 cars a year, but last year output fell by a fifth to 350,000, with 80 per cent of the vehicles exported. Under the scenario of selling only to the UK and growing sales, the plant could reach 400,000. The idea of abandoning the business in mainland Europe underscores how far Nissans fortunes have declined in the region, where sales fell 17 per cent to 567,000 vehicles last year and most operations are lossmaking due to a sharp decline in diesel demand. In case you missed the math, 350,000/.8 = 437,500. So its focus on the UK plan would not get production back to the level of a year prior. There might some short-term additional employment due to the need to reconfigure the plant, but the ongoing labor requirements would presumably simply be in line with the recent past. The BBC said Johnson also intends to threaten the EU with customs checks at UK point of entry. As Richard North pointed out, the EU is not impressed: If the strategy is to pressurise the EU into giving the UK a better trade deal though, it is unlikely to be treated as a credible threat. In the short to medium term, the UK is in no position to set up inspection systems which could handle the volume of goods coming in from EU Member States. Needless to say, a senior EU source has rejected the idea of reacting to Johnsons plan to impose import controls. We saw similar threats from Theresa May he says, but frankly we never believed them. And if the UK is actually ready for border checks which are indeed coming then so much the better for both sides. Even the normally sober Economist concludes that Johnson is aiming for the hardest possible Brexit. He does have a fallback: A government source said last night: There are only two likely outcomes in negotiation, a free trade deal like Canada or a looser arrangement like Australia and we are happy to pursue both. Australia is the new euphemism for No Deal or WTO ! https://t.co/BDpwb4Z3qP S & W Yorkshire for Europe (@SWYforEurope) February 3, 2020 Some dry humor from the Financial Times: This new stance has prompted bafflement in Brussels, given that Canberra is still in the process of negotiating a wide-ranging trade deal with the EU. Oh, and the press has largely skipped over the fact that the EU and UK are not on the same page as far as the shape of the table, as in negotiating process is concerned. From Politico: EU countries have now mapped out their priorities for Brussels position in the upcoming talks with the U.K. on future relations. A summary compiled by the Council secretariat, and seen by POLITICO, shows that countries want, among other things, a single negotiating channel with no separate negotiations between London and individual EU countries. They also demand that the EU pursue a comprehensive approach with the possibility of trade offs between chapters. The structure of that agreement looks like a house with the roof being governance/general principles, sitting atop two pillars covering economic components and security. Needless to say, this does not look pretty. As I said to our Brexit mavens by e-mail yesterday: Johnson is playing a game of chicken. Hes already lashed himself to the mast of 11 months. Sir Ivan Rogers basically warned that the early months would amount to shape of the table talks and he thought negotiations could break down then. I would not see that as lasting but with time so tight any delay increases the risk of bad outcomes. And Sir Ivan warned that there had never been a trade deal between countries trying to get further apart. Hes stressed that point so often that I think he is saying at least that the human dynamics of that make getting to a deal more difficult. Again, if the time werent so rigid, the odds would look completely different. And the EU would almost certainly give an extension if the UK asked.but at a price.and would Johnson ever ask? The most I can see him being able to finesse might be say a 2 -3 month technical extension, which wont buy meaningful negotiating runway given the complexity of deals like this. Now weve seen these games of chicken resolve without a crash before, but Johnson is making it difficult as hell, and the UK is further hampered by a Foreign Office which is short staffed and has effectively no experience negotiating trade deals. Davids response: The fundamental problem is that the most brilliant team of negotiators in the world cant do anything unless they have a clear negotiating mandate. (This was the case in 1972 and 1991 by the way). There comes a point in negotiations where you have to decide whether to stick, twist or bust, and you can only do that if you have a clear idea of the overall political objectives of your masters. Theres nothing worse (its happened to me) than to be sent out to die in a ditch on some issue only to find out half way through that your principals have had a rethink and changed their position. It doesnt do your credibility any good, but it also makes it practically impossible to negotiate, because nobody believes you afterwards when you say no. Not only do I not think Johnson has no real negotiating objectives, I also believe that hes uninterested in even fairly high-level detail, and sees the negotiations as one more jolly game that he wants to win. My fear is that hes out to deliberately sabotage progress in order to create drama and tension, only to fly to the rescue at the very last minute. This is more than dangerous. Insane is perhaps the word for it. Some other takes. Will Hutton in the Guardian contends that Johnson has become a prisoner of the allegiances he made to become Prime Minister (and Hutton is very complimentary of the moves Johnson has made so far ex Brexit). Im not sure I agree, since before his ascent, Johnson was famed for shamelessly reversing himself and getting away with it. But Johnson sure looks like someone who is choosing to throw away the steering wheel. From the Guardian: However, Johnson has one fatal weakness the Faustian bargain he struck to deliver a hard Brexit to win the prime ministership. Any economic bounce this year will be short-lived: the Bank of Englands forecast of 1.1% growth for the next three years could even be optimistic, as both inward direct investment and UK business investment dry up when access to the EU single market and customs union ceases. The Canada-style trade deal Johnson advocates is as close to self-immolation as economics provides. Britain already has a vast trade deficit in goods that will widen alarmingly as competitive overseas exporters take advantage of zero tariffs, while services where Britain has great competitive strengths will be crippled by being denied their former EU markets. It is insane and risks an unstoppable run on the pound, as a former cabinet minister privately agreed. Renewed austerity and recession will follow. Johnson and his Brexit cabinet, backed by our Europhobic rightwing press, will blame dastardly Europeans for the crisis and the anti-foreigner mood will grow ugly. But even if the worst is avoided, Britain is plainly not going to grow at new dawn rates of up to 2.8%, as our curiously naive chancellor wants. Rather, the years ahead are going to be a drip of disappointments, as the reality of a hard Brexit bites. And on this Johnson cannot be breezily opportunistic and convert to a soft Brexit, tempted though he may be. He will be imprisoned by his know-nothing right the European Research Group in full battle cry. Richard North argues, What this looks like, therefore, is Johnson setting up his alibi for the failure of the talks, getting his blame game cranked into gear before the EU can react. And Richard Murphy contends Johnson knows what he is doing, which it to put in place Singapore on the Thames: Nothing I have yet seen so starkly states what Brexit is all about. For Johnson the first objective of Brexit is to place greater controls on labour. The intention is to ensure that by controlling free movement labour itself can be controlled, and so too can its price be kept at rates the government would desire. And that is low, of course. And his second objective is to create freeports. He will claim that these are all about creating regulation free hubs for enterprise. This is completely untrue. There is no evidence that regulation free ports have ever generated work, wealth, much employment, or free market enterprise, come to that. This is unsurprising. That is not what freeports are about, at all. Freeports are instead about permitting the free movement of capital beyond the control of the state and without the imposition of any taxes. Quite bizarrely, given that freeports are effectively declared to be outside the country that creates them, one of the major objectives Johnson has for Brexit is to carve whole chunks of the UK out of the control he claims to have just taken back, and to pass it over to the free loaders who frequent freeports. To understand how freeports really work I suggest watching this video. I know its not in English, but its good, and explains how the Geneva freeport works to handle diamonds, gold, armaments, fine art and rare wines, all beyond the control of authorities and all beyond the reach of tax: The aim of freeports is to undermine the state. It achieves this by suspending the law. Freeports permit illicit activity. They permit wealth to be accumulated in secret. That wealth is beyond the reach of tax. Research suggests that much of that wealth is also shielded by anonymous offshore shell companies that disguise the ownership of an asset even if it can be located. The object is to ensure wealth can accumulate without constraint. This is the paradox that Johnson revealed in his video. He wants to control and constrain people. He will use that power to oppress, not just those who want to come to the UK but also, of course, those who wish to leave the UK as well. The market in labour will be constrained. People will suffer as a result. At the same time the market in illicit wealth will be liberated to traffic at will. The cost will be to us all, in lost tax revenue, increased inequality and the undermining of the rule of law. Additional jobs will be few and far between. And lets not for a moment pretend that any freeport activity supports markets: creating ring fences always creates unlevel playing fields that will always, by definition and in practice, undermine effective markets. So there is nothing in this policy that is about wealth creation: it is all about wealth expropriation and extraction. This is what Brexit was for. And Johnson admitted it last night. One day people will realise. If Murphy is correct, that would explain Johnsons recent conversion to fixity of purpose, at least with Brexit. Well have more clues in due course whether the hard core Brexit faction is mad like a fox or simply a different variant of the madness weve seen all along. DENVER, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EVOTEK (www.evotek.com), the nation's premier enabler of secure digital business, announced today that Dan Wood has joined EVOTEK as an Account Director to continue the build out of the Colorado market. In his new assignment, he will be focused on delivering unique value to customers throughout the region. "I am excited to have Dan join the team," said Susan Bullwinkle, Regional Vice President at EVOTEK. "Dan's experience solving cybersecurity challenges for Denver's largest customers, will enable EVOTEK to extend our reach." Dan Wood Wood was most recently Director of Sales for CyberMDX, a healthcare focused software provider. Prior, he spent 14-years at Accuvant/Optiv, where he built and managed a top performing region. "I worked with Dan as a client over many years, at multiple companies. He was a consistent positive force, and I always appreciated his sincerity and tenacity to deliver quality and help my company when there was a need," said Matt Shufeldt, CISO | Executive Advisor at EVOTEK. "Since I joined EVOTEK, the company has been consistent on its pursuit of top talent. Dan matches that description to a tee, I am elated to have Dan on the team." EVOTEK has been on a hyper-growth trajectory since its inception in 2014. In 2017, CRN recognized EVOTEK as the fastest growing solution provider in the United States. EVOTEK was founded to pursue a disruptive new vision: to provide technology leadership on innovated ways to thrive in a digital world. With practice areas in Platform Engineering, Mobility, Cybersecurity, Data Center and AIOps, EVOTEK is connecting the data center to the next generation, secure multi-cloud. "I have been serving the cybersecurity market for many years," said Wood. "Cybersecurity, as a stand alone practice limits a company's ability to deliver value throughout the application stack. EVOTEK brings solutions in adjacent spaces, that deliver enormous value to our customers. It's a great time to be joining the EVOTEK team." About EVOTEK EVOTEK was founded to pursue a disruptive new vision: to provide technology leadership on innovative ways to thrive in a digital world. With technology offerings from data center to cloud, EVOTEK is uniquely equipped to enable customers with the industry shift from traditional IT computing to secure multi-cloud. With services practices in cybersecurity, mobility, platform engineering and artificial intelligence, EVOTEK is moving up the value chain, closer to the part of digital business that matters most. EVOTEK was named to Inc Magazine's Best Places to work in 2018. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, EVOTEK was named to The San Diego Business Journal's Best Places to work and recognized in CRN's Solution Provider 500 list, CRN's Next-Generation 250 list, CRN's Triple Crown and highlighted as CRN's Top 150 Growth Companies, holding the #1 spot in 2017, as the fastest growing system integrator in the country. To learn more about how EVOTEK can enable your digital business, visit http://www.EVOTEK.com/. Follow EVOTEK: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook Media contact: Tawny Malouf [email protected] (858) 362 - 5083 SOURCE EVOTEK Spain has confirmed the first case of the novel coronavirus, technically known as 2019-nCoV, on its territory. On Friday night the National Microbiology Center (CNM) reported a positive test on a sample taken from an individual in the Canary Islands. The Health Ministry said that the sample was one of five taken from people on the island of La Gomera. The patient, a German national, is being treated at Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe Hospital in the town of San Sebastian, where he has been placed in isolation. Health protocols were activated after it emerged that two tourists in La Gomera had previously been in contact with an infected patient in Germany The disease, known more commonly as the Wuhan coronavirus, has already killed 259 people and infected more than 11,000 worldwide. On Friday, a group of 21 Spaniards flew out of the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, and arrived in Madrid on an airplane chartered by the United Kingdom. They have been quarantined at a military hospital in the Spanish capital. Health protocols were activated in Spain after it emerged that two tourists in La Gomera had previously been in contact with an infected patient in Germany. The tourists were located, and three other people who were staying with them on the island were also tested for the virus, said the regional government of the Canaries. The other tests done by the CNM since the beginning of the outbreak have come back negative. Ministry sources said that the risk of the epidemic extending across Spain is very low. The ministry said this scenario had been anticipated an infected individual traveling to Spain and developing symptoms during their stay. This has already been the case in 19 other countries. Spaniards evacuated from Wuhan during their bus journey to a Madrid hospital. jaime santirso On Thursday, the World Health Organization declared an international emergency because of the rapid spread of the coronavirus: in little more than a month, the number of confirmed cases in mainland China has overtaken the SARS outbreak of 2003. The alert has not changed the protocols that were already being followed in Spain, where regional governments are in charge of healthcare. Each region has decided whether to designate specific hospitals to treat potential patients, and everyone is ready for such an eventuality, said Fernando Simon, director of the Health Emergency Coordination Center. No information has been provided about the kind of measures that have been taken with the patient in La Gomera, beyond the fact that he is in an isolated room where access is restricted. There is no cure for the Wuhan coronavirus, but health officials said the patient is doing well and can expect to be discharged soon after the fever has passed. The vast majority of cases are not life-threatening. Problems only arise when the patients respiratory functions are compromised, explained Jose Ramon Arribas, an infectious disease specialist at La Paz Hospital in Madrid. In those cases we need to oxygenate the patients and connect them to a machine that will help them breathe, he said. This is one of the problems facing China, where a large number of patients requiring mechanical ventilation could overwhelm the system. So far, most of the fatalities have been older individuals with pre-existing health conditions. With additional reporting by Pedro Murillo. English version by Susana Urra. The U.S. House of Representatives voted last week to finally end a war authorization from 2002 in an attempt to reign President Donald Trump in as tensions with Iran increase. Congress has a responsibility to do their job and follow the Constitution and debate and vote on the use of the force in matters of war and peace, said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), who added that this law allows war without end this country cant tolerate that. The need to hold this president in check has never been higher, said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA). The worst thing we could do is let this president off the hook. The Democrats are trying to rebuke President Trump but this legislation would end a power that was used by his previous two predecessors to justify war in the Middle East as well. It would amount a significant check against endless wars that have grown unpopular with the American public, which is why it attracted some Republican support in Congress as well. House Freedom Caucus members Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Ken Buck (R-CO) penned an op/ed urging for their colleagues to support the measure and restore war-making authority to its Constitutional bounds. This airstrike was fully justified by Article II of the Constitution, which grants the president, in his role as Commander in Chief, the authority to respond to imminent threats, Buck and Biggs wrote, defending President Trumps controversial assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani via drone strike at a Baghdad airport last month. Additionally, the presidents action can be justified by an authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) granted by Congress in 2002 but Congress must now revisit and reform this nearly twenty-year-old AUMF, as well as a second anti-terrorism AUMF dating to 2001, they added. They argue for a new and improved AUMF that doesnt give the President an open-ended mandate to conduct war in the Middle East at his own discretion without any input from Congress. In the coming weeks, we will be spearheading this effort by introducing a more clearly-defined AUMF that includes mechanisms to combat terrorism, a guarantee that Israel will be defended, and a limited time horizon to ensure continual congressional oversight, the House Freedom Caucus members wrote. Trump wants to move away from the tired foreign policy paradigms of the past, and we intend to help him achieve this aim, they added. Unfortunately for the bipartisan opponents of endless war, President Trump has threatened to veto the measure if it passes the Senate. Anxious shoppers try to buy face masks in Manila after the first foreign fatality from the new coronavirus was reported in the Philippines China's death toll from the coronavirus epidemic soared past 360 on Monday, with deepening global concern about the outbreak and governments closing their borders to people from China. The fresh toll came a day after China imposed a lockdown on a major city far from the epicentre and the first fatality outside the country was reported in the Philippines. Authorities in Hubei, the province at the epicentre of the outbreak, reported 56 new fatalities, with one reported in the southwestern megalopolis of Chongqing. That took the toll in China to 361, exceeding the 349 mainland fatalities from the 2002-3 SARS outbreak. Struggling to contain the virus, authorities took action in the eastern city of Wenzhou on Sunday, closing roads and confining people to their homes. Spread of the Wuhan coronavirus Wenzhou is some 800 kilometres (500 miles) from Wuhan, the metropolis at the heart of the health emergency. Since emerging out of Wuhan late last year, the new coronavirus has infected more than 17,200 people across China and reached 24 nations. The G7 countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States -- have all confirmed cases of the virus. They will discuss a joint response, Germany's health minister Jens Spahn said on Sunday. In Thailand, which has 19 confirmed cases, doctors said Sunday an elderly Chinese patient treated with a cocktail of flu and HIV drugs had shown dramatic improvement and tested negative for the virus 48 hours later. The World Health Organization late last week declared the new coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency Most of the infections overseas have been detected in people who travelled from Wuhan, an industrial hub of 11 million people, or surrounding areas of Hubei province. The man who died in the Philippines was a 44-year-old from Wuhan, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared the epidemic a global health emergency. China has embarked on unprecedented efforts to contain the virus, which is believed to have jumped to humans from a Wuhan animal market, and can be transmitted among people. - Wenzhou lockdown - China's efforts have included extraordinary quarantines in Wuhan and surrounding cities, with all transport out banned, effectively sealing off more than 50 million people. Authorities are conducting temperature checks on people across China as they return to work following the Lunar New Year holiday But 10 days after locking down Wuhan, authorities imposed similar draconian measures on Wenzhou, a coastal city of nine million people in Zhejiang province, part of the eastern industrial heartland that has powered China's economic rise over recent decades. Only one resident per household is allowed to go out every two days to buy necessities, and 46 highway toll stations have been closed, authorities announced. The city had previously closed public places such as cinemas and museums, and suspended public transport. Zhejiang has more than 660 confirmed infections, with several hundred of those in Wenzhou, according to the government. This is the highest tally for any province in China after ground-zero Hubei. - Closing borders - The United States, Australia, New Zealand and Israel have banned foreign nationals from visiting if they have been in China recently, and they have also warned their own citizens against travelling there. The coronavirus has seen airlines stop flights to China and countries close its borders to travellers from China Mongolia, Russia and Nepal have closed their land borders. The number of countries reporting infections rose to 24 after Britain, Russia and Sweden confirmed their first cases this weekend. There were 2,829 new confirmed cases nationally on Monday, bringing the total infected to 17,205, health officials said. With hospitals in Wuhan overwhelmed, China will open a military-led field hospital Monday that was built in just 10 days to treat people stricken by the virus. And with the Chinese economy suffering, the central bank announced it would release 1.2 trillion yuan ($173 billion) on Monday to maintain liquidity in the banking system -- the day markets re-open after the long holiday break. - Holiday ending - The emergence of the virus coincided with the Lunar New Year, when hundreds of millions travel across the country in planes, trains and buses for family reunions. People around the world are donning face masks in a bid to protect themselves from the virus The holiday, which was scheduled to end on Friday, was extended by three days to give authorities more time to deal with the crisis. With many due back at work on Monday, people were starting to return on planes and trains over the weekend, with almost everyone wearing face masks. Customs authorities had ordered temperature checks at all exit-entry points in Beijing, according to state media. Returning travellers were being checked and registered at residential compounds, while fever checks were in place in subway stations, offices and cafes. One 22-year-old arriving at a Beijing train station from northeastern China said her family had urged her to delay her return. "But I was worried it would affect my job," she said. Security guard Du Guiliang, 47, said he would be starting back at work in Beijing on Sunday, after returning from northeast Liaoning province. "Many colleagues (from Hubei) couldn't come back. Now, those who work the day shift at our company have to do the night shift as well," he said. Many businesses were to remain closed for at least another week, however, while some major cities -- including Shanghai -- had also extended the holiday. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. Newly appointed Ambassador of Slovenia to Armenia Tomaz Mencin (residence in Kiev) delivered the copies of credentials to Deputy Foreign minister of Armenia Grigor Hovhannisyan on February 3. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, congratulating on the appointment, Grigor Hovhannisyan wished the Ambassador effective work and success in his important and responsible mission. Thanking for the reception and the warm wishes, Ambassador Mencin noted that he will spare no efforts for the deepening and strengthening the relations between the two countries. The interlocutors discussed a broad scope of issues referring to the relations between Armenia and Slovenia, including the prospects for fostering bilateral political and economic relations and mutually beneficial cooperation in different spheres. The sides referred to the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between Armenia and the EU, as well as other issues of mutual interest. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan [February 03, 2020] The Eclipse Foundation Launches the Sparkplug Working Group to Bring Device Communications Standardization to the Industrial Internet of Things and Industrial Automation ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today at the ARC Advisory Groups 24th Annual Industry Forum, the Eclipse Foundation announced the launch of the Sparkplug Working Group, which is driving the evolution and broad adoption of the Eclipse Sparkplug Specification that enables the creation of open, interoperable, Industrial IoT (IIoT) solutions utilizing MQTT. In particular, the Working Group will encourage the definition of technical specifications and associated implementations that rationalize access to industrial data, improve the interoperability and scalability of IIoT solutions, and provide an overall framework for supporting Industry 4.0 for oil and gas, energy, manufacturing, smart cities and other related industries. Founding members include global leaders Chevron, Canary Labs, Cirrus Link Solutions, HiveMQ, Inductive Automation, and ORing. With the rapid adoption of Sparkplug within multiple markets critical to the Industrial IoT, we are in an excellent position to bring industry leaders together to drive standardization around this transformative technology, said Mike Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation. Sparkplug leverages the ubiquitous MQTT standard already in use throughout the industry to provide standardized communications between industrial devices. The Sparkplug working group will help drive new levels of interoperability across devices and vendors in industrial automation. The industry already relies on the open source specification known as MQTT, which is a proven, standard machine-to-machine data transfer protocol that has become the leading messaging protocol for the IIoT. MQTT was originally designed as a message transport for real-time SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems but does not define the data format or address issues around interoperability. Sparkplug solves these issues. Within a given industry segment, it is essential that all devices and software services share a common representation of the data format and operate according to the same lifecycle stages of the device information. The intent and purpose of the Sparkplug specification is to define an MQTT topic namespace, payload, and session state management that can be applied generically. By meeting the operational requirements for these systems, Sparkplug will enable MQTT-based infrastructures to provide more valuable real-time information to business stakeholders as well. In other words, Sparkplug augments MQTT devices to provide standardization for most devices out of the box, enabling vendors, manufacturers and other industrial end-users to develop an ecosystem of solutions and devices that can easily interoperate. The Eclipse Foundation has a prven track record of enabling developer-focused open source software collaboration and innovation earned over 15 years. Overall, the Foundations more than 375 collaborative projects have resulted in over 195 million lines of code a $10 billion shared investment. Eclipse IoT projects have been adopted by world-leading companies across verticals to deliver commercial IoT solutions and services. To get involved with Eclipse Sparkplug Working Group and contribute to the project, please visit https://sparkplug.eclipse.org The Eclipse Foundation and its member companies will also be showcasing the Sparkplug Working Group at the ARC Advisory Groups 24th Annual Industry Forum, taking place in Orlando from Monday, February 3 to Thursday, February 6. If you are attending the conference, please visit Inductive Automations booth (booth #25) to learn more. Quotes from Eclipse Sparkplug Working Group Members Canary Labs The demand for interoperability of industrial systems has never been stronger, said Jeff Knepper, executive director for Canary Labs. An open source protocol that provides operations with access to the data they need while balancing ITs mandate for security will deliver the adoption of IIoT solutions. MQTT is the necessary protocol, Sparkplug is the needed specification, and the Eclipse Foundation is the perfect steward for the community of developers that will maintain the solution. Cirrus Link Solutions As one of the co-inventors of MQTT over 20 years ago, I couldnt be more pleased to see the Sparkplug specification bring MQTT back into the original market sector it was developed for in the first place, said Arlen Nipper, CTO of Cirrus Link Solutions. The Eclipse Foundations successful track record in this space with projects like Eclipse Paho and others is precisely what the emerging IIoT industry requires if the Internet of Things hopes to evolve at the speed of the Internet of People. HiveMQ Sparkplug is the ideal means to promote the successful use of MQTT in IIoT applications, said Dominik Obermaier, HiveMQs CTO and co-Founder. A big part of what we do is making it possible to build connected products for applications where safety is critical. As a result, we are excited to provide a highly reliable and highly scalable MQTT broker for customers who are deploying Sparkplug. Inductive Automation Our Ignition platform is designed specifically to bridge the gap between IT and production systems, so ensuring interoperability for systems spanning the IIoT ecosystem is critical to our business, said Don Pearson, Inductive Automations chief strategy officer. This new working group is a critical component to making industry-wide interoperability a reality. ORing It is ORings great honor to work with the Sparkplug Working Group founding members to develop MQTT-Sparkplug technology for the next generation of IoT and smart city solutions, said Angus Shih, CEO of ORing. ORing-PaaS with ORing MQTT-Sparkplug IoT devices work well with Ignition and Cirrus Link modules using standard MQTT-Sparkplug protocols. MQTT-Sparkplug is the best solution to solve IoT device compatibility issues and can manage the status of IOT devices in real time. ORing will continue investing resources to work with partners in the Sparkplug Working Group to provide the industrys best IoT solutions. About the Eclipse Foundation The Eclipse Foundation provides our global community of individuals and organizations with a mature, scalable, and commercially focused environment for open source software collaboration and innovation. The Foundation is home to the Eclipse IDE, Jakarta EE, and over 375 open source projects, including runtimes, tools, and frameworks for a wide range of technology domains such as IoT, edge computing, automotive, geospatial, systems engineering, and many others. The Eclipse Foundation is a not-for-profit organization supported by over 275 members, including industry leaders who value open source as a key enabler for business strategy. To learn more, follow us on Twitter @EclipseFdn , LinkedIn , or visit eclipse.org . Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. Media Contact: Nichols Communications for the Eclipse Foundation, Inc. Jay Nichols [email protected] +1 408-772-1551 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Mumbai, Feb 3 : Brent crude, the global benchmark oil, on Monday traded below the $57 a barrel mark. The prices have cooled significantly from its 52 week high of $70 a barrel which the Brent touched at the height of US-Iran tension post the US killing of a top Iranian military leader, Qassem Soleimani. Brent traded at $56.60 a barrel at noon as the death toll in China due to the deadly Novel Coronavirus increased to 361, with 17,205 infected cases. The US central bank, the Federal Reserve had earlier expressed concern over the outbreaks and its impact on global growth. However, Indian markets benefited from the declining oil prices. The benchmark Sensex rose over 140 points to 39,876.91. The Sensex had lost nearly 1,000 points lower on Saturday after the Union Budget was tabled in the parliament. The broader Nifty traded 40 points higher at 11,701.65. The top gainers were Nestle India, Hindustan Unilever, Bajaj Auto and Asian Paints. #OkadaBan, #PlentyWakaMonday, #Otrek, #KekeBan are some of the hashtags that trended on Twitter on Monday two days after the Lagos stat... #OkadaBan, #PlentyWakaMonday, #Otrek, #KekeBan are some of the hashtags that trended on Twitter on Monday two days after the Lagos state government commenced implementation of okada and tricycle ban in 15 local councils in the state.The administration of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos state, had announced that Apapa, Yaba, Surulere, Ikeja, Lagos Island, Ikoyi Obalende, Lagos Mainland, Itire-Ikate and Coker-Aguda would be affected by the ban.Gbenga Omotosho, the commissioner for information and strategy, cited security and safety of lives of Lagosians as the reason for the action, and that ORide, Max.ng and Gokada, motorbike hailing services, would be affected by the ban.After a robust assessment of the debate on what has been widely referred to as the motorcycle (okada) and tricycle (Keke Marwa) menace, the Lagos State Government and the State Security Council have decided that the security and safety of lives of Lagosians are paramount, he said.The figures are scary. From 2016 to 2019, there were over 10,000 accidents recorded at the General Hospitals alone. This number excludes unreported cases and those recorded by other hospitals. The total number of deaths from reported cases is over 600 as at date.But in 2019, the governor told Lagosians that his administration would regulate but not ban okada operations in the state.Speaking at The Platform on October 1, Sanwo-Olu said he would ensure that nobody was left behind, adding that the current transport system was working for the masses.He said his administration would harmonise okada operations and develop a regulation system for better accountability.To also solve the traffic issue of Lagos is also to talk about the okada issue; okada is everywhere, anywhere you see. Part of the things that we are going to be doing is not to leave anybody behind. People are currently using a system that is working for them, he said.You see some okada riders that are branded, that use smart ways to pay when you finish the journey. We are trying to harmonise all of them and be able to come up with a regulation system where we can account for every okada rider.We will know who they are, we can manage them. In fact, the solutions that some of them are bringing, they can disenable those okadas remotely. That is where we are planning to get to but it is also something that we need to think through very well and be sure that nobody is disenfranchised.As much as possible, give everyone opportunity to play and play well. Im hoping that once we do all of this, the traffic will be reduced significantly.Watch video below. Newark, NJ, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the report published by Fior Markets, the global automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) market is expected to grow from USD 6.67 billion in 2017 to USD 36.6 billion by 2025 at a CAGR of 23.7% during the forecast period 2018-2025. Fingerprints are considered as one of the important methods for identification purposes because each fingerprint is unique. Due to the advancement of digital technology, fingerprinting is largely being used for criminal investigation and for fraud prevention in various government agencies. Automated fingerprint verification is widely used with various other systems such as access and attendance control systems. Rising demand for access control systems in the government and civil sectors and increasing the adoption of biometric systems as a service is expected to provide further opportunities in the market. Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) is defined as a type of biometric system that captures a fingerprint with the help of digital imaging, so as to determine the identity of an individual by comparing it with the database of fingerprint records. AFIS is widely adopted as a method used to identify individual user logins. The global automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) market is expected to witness rapid growth over the forecast period, owing to the increase in crime rate. In addition to this, rising investments in various sectors to promote E-governance applications and an increase in crime rate is expected to stimulate the demand for AFIS technology because it is used to identify criminals. However, high costs associated with data acquisition systems and inefficient and unskilled workforce are anticipated to hinder the market growth, over the forecast period. DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT AT https://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/362219/request-sample Key players operating in the global automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) market include Morpho SA, Gemalto, NEC Corporation, Fujitsu Ltd., Crossmatch Technologies Ltd., HID Global Corporation, M2SYS Technology, East Shore Technologies, AFIX Technologies Inc., Papillon Systems, Sonda Technologies Ltd., Dermalog Identification Systems GmbH, Safran Identity & Security, Biometrics4ALL, and Suprema Incorporation among others. To enhance their market position in the global automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) market, the key players are now focusing on adopting the strategies such as recent developments, mergers & acquisitions, product innovation, joint venture, collaborations, and partnership. For instance, For instance, in June 2018, Crossmatch declared a strategic partnership with Accordant Technology, Inc. so as to offer advanced authentication solutions to enterprise customers. Through this partnership, Accordant Technology, Ltd. would be an authorized seller of Crossmatchs DigitalPersona software. In January 2016, Morpho announced the upgradation of Albuquerque Police Department with Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) with MorphoBIS in the Cloud. In May 2019, Canadian Department of National Defences (DND) announced the implementation of Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) from the company Gemalto, a Thales company, to increase reliability and security in the verification of fingerprint records. In January 2018, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) announced the partnership with NEC Technologies India (NECTI) (NEC Corporation) to deploy its automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) for the Kerala State Police in India. The software segment held the largest market share in automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) market and valued as USD 4.60 billion in 2017 The component segment is classified into software and hardware. The hardware segment is divided into microcontrollers/microprocessors displays, fingerprint input modules, and others. The fingerprint input modules segment is further sub segmented as sensor type which is again bifurcated into optical sensors, capacitive sensors, ultrasound sensors and thermal sensors. The software segment is categorized in database and matchers fingerprints. The matchers segment is further classified as pattern matching and miniature-based matching. The software segment held the largest market share in automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) market and valued as USD 4.60 billion in 2017, due to the increased adoption of integrated AFIS products. Tenprint to tenprint search segment is dominating the market with the highest market share of 46.7% in 2017 Search type segment includes latent print to latent print search, tenprint to tenprint search, and others. Tenprint to tenprint search segment is dominating the market with the highest market share of 46.7% in 2017. The tenprint searches are used in various sectors such as hospitality, healthcare, and transportation which is mobilising the growth of the tenprint search in AFIS market. Browse full report with TOC at https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-automated-fingerprint-identification-system-afis-market-by-362219.html Government and hospitality sectors is growing with the highest CAGR of 25.2% over the forecast period Application segment is divided into segments such as government, hospitality, banking & finance, healthcare, transportation and others. Government and hospitality sectors is growing with the highest CAGR of 25.2% over the forecast period as these sectors involves the use AFIS technology. Many government agencies and law enforcement agencies are partnering with the automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) provides to implement the technology, for the criminal investigations. Regional Segment Analysis of Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) Market North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan India, Rest of APAC) South America (Brazil and Rest of South America) Middle East and Africa (UAE, South Africa, Rest of MEA) The regions analysed for the market include North America, Europe, South America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. North America region dominated the global automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) market with USD 2.45 billion in 2017. This is mainly due to early implementation of the technology and the presence of major AFIS vendors in the region. Asia- Pacific is the growing rapidly due to increase in government initiatives to create personal tax ID, unique identity number, and e-passport, among others, based on biometric information such as fingerprint, iris, and face recognition. About the report: The global automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) market is analysed on the basis of value (USD Billion). All the segments have been analyzed on global, regional and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each segment. The report offers in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining the key insight of the market. The study includes porters five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution and marketing channels analysis. For Instant Purchase: Single User License: https://www.fiormarkets.com/checkout.html?reportid=362219&type=single Corporate License: https://www.fiormarkets.com/checkout.html?reportid=362219&type=corp Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per client requirements. For further queries, you can contact us on sales@fiormarkets.com or +1-201-465-4211. 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Contact Us Avinash D Head of Business Development Phone: +1-201-465-4211 Email: sales@fiormarkets.com Web: www.fiormarkets.com To Know More Market Research Reports and Industry Analysis, Visit our Associate Website: https://marketandresearch.biz Related Reports Global Automotive Display Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-automotive-display-market-by-technology-tft-lcd-362228.html Electrostatic Chucks Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/electrostatic-chucks-market-by-type-coulomb-fore-electrostatic-chuck-399145.html Global Automated 3D Printing Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-automated-3d-printing-market-by-process-material-362203.html Global Automotive Differential Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/global-automotive-differential-market-by-differential-type-electronic-362205.html Yahoo Life Tween and teen girls are often hit with dress code violations that can feel like shaming. Experts say it's OK for parents to empower their daughters to speak up. Press Release 3 February 2020 Principal acquires Ona Hotel Terra in Barcelona Advertisements UK-based Principal Real Estate Europe, on behalf of its Principal Hotel Real Estate Fund II (Hotelfund II), has acquired, following a forward purchase agreement, the Ona Hotel Terra in Barcelona from a local real estate developer for 40.5 million (266,400 per room). The 152-room hotel opened earlier this month and is operated by Spanish group Ona Hotels under a long-term lease agreement. Atom Hoteles acquires the Hotel Collection Avenue Louise in Brussels Spanish hotel REIT Atom Hoteles Socimi is acquiring the Hotel Collection Avenue Louise in the Belgian capital Brussels for 8.4 million (105,000 per room). The 80-room four-star hotel will be refurbished and repositioned post-acquisition. The purchaser has signed a new long-term lease agreement with Dutch operator Hotel Collection International. Commerz Real acquires site to build Zleep Hotel in Madrid Commerzbank's real estate arm Commerz Real, through its Luxembourg-based company CR Fund Management S.a r.l., has acquired a vacant office building near Madrid Barajas International Airport to convert into a two-star Zleep Hotel. The 280-room budget hotel is due for completion in 2021 and will be managed by a subsidiary of Steigenberger Hotels AG, part of the Deutsche Hospitality group, which itself was recently acquired by Huazhu Hotel Group of China. HVS was pleased to have advised Huazhu on its Deutsche Hospitality acquisition. BVK acquiring Hampton Kiel in Germany from Revitalis and Dereco Germany's largest public service group, Bayerische Versorgungskammer (BVK), is forward-purchasing the Hampton by Hilton Kiel, Germany, from a joint venture between Hamburg-based investor and developer Revitalis Real Estate AG and Cologne-based multi-family office Dereco. The future 208-room upper midscale hotel is located some 100 kilometres north of Hamburg and will be managed by Gorgeous Smiling Hotels GmbH's subsidiary GS Star GmbH. Balder buys the Scandic Hotel Linkoping, Sweden, from City Finansiering Swedish real estate investment firm Balder Fastighets AB is purchasing the 227-room Scandic Hotel Linkoping City in Linkoping, approximately 200 kilometres southwest of Stockholm, from Norwegian real estate investor and manager City Finansiering. Balder owns some 50 hotel properties across the Nordics, mainly in Sweden, as well as in Germany. Black Swan Hotel in Helmsley, UK, sold to The Inn Collection Group The Inn Collection Group has acquired the historic 45-room Black Swan Hotel in Helmsley in the county of York, bringing the purchaser's portfolio to 13 properties. The 45-room Inn is set to continue trading before undergoing a major redevelopment. This transaction marks the group's second investment this month following its acquisition of The Pheasant in Bassenthwaite Lake, Cumbria, two weeks ago. Dr. Peters Group acquires GHOTEL in Bochum, Germany, for public fund Dortmund-based real estate investment specialist Dr. Peters Group is acquiring the new-built GHOTEL Hotel & Living Bochum in Bochum, Germany, for a mixed-risk public fund. The 162-room three-star hotel, situated 31 kilometres west of Dortmund, was completed in August 2019. The GHOTEL Group, currently operating 21 hotels in Germany and Austria, has signed a 20-year lease agreement. For the first time since 2016, there will be no Tamil national anthem at the 72nd Independence Day celebrations in Sri Lanka and it will only be rendered in Sinhalese, the government announced on Monday, amply demonstrating the administration's priority for the majority Sinhala community. The then Sri Lankan government in 2015 started including the Tamil national anthem as a means of achieving reconciliation with the Tamil minority community. This will be the first time since 2016 that there will be no Tamil national anthem at the Independence Day celebrations in the country. The national anthem will be sung only in Sinhala, officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Monday. Sri Lanka's Constitution provides for the singing of the national anthem in both Sinhala and Tamil. The Tamil version Sri Lanka Thaye' is a direct translation of Namo namo matha' in the Sinhala language. The national anthem in Tamil is not just another song but the Sri Lankan identity of the Tamil speaking community, said Mano Ganesan, a Tamil politician who was the former minister of national integration and had been responsible for the Tamil version being accommodated during the previous Independence Day celebrations. Home Affairs State Minister Maninda Samarasinghe said last week that although there will be only the Sinhala version of the national anthem at the main ceremony, at province based ceremonies, the use of Tamil version will be permitted. Sri Lankan President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa after his swearing-in ceremony in November thanked the powerful Buddhist clergy for backing his presidential bid and vowed to protect all communities, while giving foremost priority to Buddhism. He also thanked the Sinhala-majority people for electing him. While the Tamils in 2016 appreciated the symbolic gesture of recognizing them by adding the Tamil version at the Independence Day celebrations, the opposition, then led by the Rajapaksas and a majority Sinhala community member, filed a fundamental rights petition against the move. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who describes himself as "a rebel with a cause", earlier served as the country's president from 2005-2015, a period which was mired by allegations of human rights abuses, especially against the Tamils. Muslims make up nearly 10 per cent of Sri Lanka's over 21 million people, who are predominantly Sinhalese Buddhists. About 12 per cent of the population are Hindus, mostly from the ethnic Tamil minority. Some seven per cent of the population are Christians. There are already concerns in the country that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa's remarks may have led to apprehensions among the minority communities, who are already worried about the possibility of the return of an iron-fist rule under the Rajapaksa-duo's regime. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attends a joint press conference with Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Feb. 3, 2020. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool/AFP via Getty Images) US Wants Demonstrable Evidence That Taliban Will Reduce Violence: Pompeo Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday demanded demonstrable evidence from the Taliban that it can and will reduce violence before signing a deal that would lead to Afghanistan peace talks and a withdrawal of American troops from the country. Speaking at a news conference in neighboring Uzbekistan, Pompeo said a deal is close but that the negotiations have been close before and failed because the Taliban was unable to demonstrate seriousness. He said more work remains to be done so that peace talks can get started. Were working on a peace and reconciliation plan, putting the commas in the right place, getting the sentences right, he said. We got close once before to having an agreement: a piece of paper that we mutually executed and the Taliban were unable to demonstrate either their will or capacity or both to deliver on a reduction in violence. So, what we are demanding now is demonstrable evidence of their will and capacity to reduce violence, to take down the threat, so the inter-Afghan talks will have a less violent context. Were hopeful we can achieve that but were not there yet, and work certainly remains. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and Uzbekistans Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov meet in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Feb. 3, 2020. (AP Photo) Pompeos comments came just two days after U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul and told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani there has been no notable progress in talks with the Taliban. However, Khalilzad said he was hopeful of reaching an understanding with them on a reduction of hostilities, without offering any time frame. Khalilzad had been in Pakistan last week to rally support for getting an agreement with the Taliban to reduce their attacks, as a first step toward a peace agreement to end 18 years of war in neighboring Afghanistan. President Donald Trump visited Afghanistan for the first time in November 2019, telling troops at the Bagram airbase that the United States had reopened peace talks with the Taliban. Were going to stay until such time as we have a deal or we have total victory, and they want to make a deal very badly, the president said. The Taliban wants to make a dealwell see if they make a deal. If they do they do, and if they dont they dont. Thats fine. U.S. special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, talks with local reporters at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Nov. 18, 2018. (US Embassy/Handout via Reuters) Trump said that the Taliban only wanted to resume peace talks because American troops are doing a great job in the country. Negotiations were stalled for around three months following a terrorist attack. While in the country, Trump met with Ghani. After the meeting, Ghani wrote: Both sides underscored that if the Taliban are sincere in their commitment to reaching a peace deal, they must accept a ceasefire. We also emphasized that for any peace to last, terrorist safe havens outside Afghanistan must be dismantled. The Taliban said a day after the visit that it was ready to restart peace talks. Our stance is still the same. If peace talks start, it will be resumed from the stage where it had stopped, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters. About a month later, the Taliban agreed to a temporary ceasefire, according to reports. But the group disputed the reports and said it had no ceasefire plans at the time. The wreckage of an airplane is seen after a crash in Deh Yak district of Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on Jan. 27, 2020. (Reuters) The Taliban said this month they offered a 10-day ceasefire window to Khalilzad, the U.S. negotiator, in which to sign a peace agreement that would be followed by intra-Afghan negotiations. A U.S. military aircraft crashed in Afghanistan last week but American officials disputed claims that the Taliban shot it down. The group and Afghan forces have clashed repeatedly, leaving dozens dead, in the past several weeks. Pompeo met with Uzbekistans President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent on Monday. According to a State Department statement, he thanked President Mirziyoyev for his leadership in forging a closer, strategic partnership between the United States and Uzbekistan and for advancing a negotiated political settlement in Afghanistan. Jack Phillips and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Recent attacks in Streatham and London Bridge involved attackers known to police who had been released early from jail. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to end the early release of convicted terrorists after an attacker stabbed two people days after he was set free halfway through his prison term. Sudesh Amman, jailed in 2018 for possession of terrorist documents and disseminating terrorist publications, was shot dead by police on Sunday after he went on the rampage with a stolen 25cm (10-inch) knife on a busy London street. ISIL claimed responsibility for the assault in a statement released through the Telegram messaging application, saying: The attacker in the Streatham area in south London yesterday is an [ISIL] fighter, and he carried out the attack in response to a call to target nationals of countries belonging to the global anti-ISIL coalition. Amman injured three people in the attack on Streathams busy high street a woman in her 50s who was treated and released from hospital; a woman in her 20s who was hurt by flying glass and a man who was feared to be in a serious condition at the time he is now recovering. Amman had previously praised the ISIL group, shared an online al-Qaeda magazine and encouraged his girlfriend to behead her parents. Johnson said the government would announce fundamental changes in dealing with people convicted of terrorism offences, saying he had come to the end of my patience with freeing offenders before they had completed their sentences and without any scrutiny. I think the idea of automatic early release for people who obviously continue to pose a threat to the public has come to the end of its useful life, he said in a speech. We do think its time to take action to ensure that people irrespective of the law that were bringing in people in the current stream do not qualify automatically for early release. The government has repeatedly promised tougher rules on terrorism since another former convict killed two people and wounded three more before police shot him dead near London Bridge in November. Johnson said deradicalisation and rehabilitation were hard and the instances of success were few. Britain has about 220 prisoners with terrorism convictions. Mark Rowley, Britains former most senior counter-terrorism police officer who was in post when Amman was arrested, said dozens of other people convicted of terrorism offences were due to be released early under Britains sentencing guidelines. Rights groups have warned against creating a two-tiered system, however, in which prisoners are treated and punished differently according to their religious beliefs. We have an issue about if you have about 200 or so inside, the question is how do you detain them? Johnson said. Do you detain them en bloc as it were in one group and try and keep them together because that avoids them infecting or passing the virus of their beliefs to others in jails? Or do you disperse and try to stop them reinfecting each other? Kolkata, Feb 3 : Taking exception to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Prakash Javadekar calling Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a terrorist, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, here on Monday, described the BJP as "most opportunist" and said it was encouraging "vandalism" and "hooliganism" through its utterances. "What is this? Whenever there is election anywhere, they do this. They say everybody is a terrorist. Who are they then? The biggest nationalist? They are most opportunist," Banerjee told mediapersons at the state secretariat Nabanna. She said the BJP was incapable of delivering the good, either to the nation or to the people. "They are only talking like this to encourage vandalism, hoologanism and goondaism, which is not the path of Gandhi, or Netaji (Subhas Chandra Bose), or (Sardar Balalabhbhai (Patel) or (B.R.) Ambedkar". Attacking the AAP Chief Minister, Delhi BJP poll in-charge Javadekar said, "Kejriwal is making an innocent face & asking if he is a terrorist. You are a terrorist, there is plenty of proof for it. You yourself said you are an anarchist, there is not much of a difference between an anarchist and a terrorist." "I don't like the way the nation is being run," Banerjee said and added, she wouldn't learn politics from the BJP leaders. "We learn our politics from the freedom movement, and from the movements organised prior to that." Stating that the February 8 Delhi vote will decide the fate of the country, Banerjee said urged the people to believe in people, rather than in those firing bullets. "I will appeal to the BJP, don't behave like this. Don't play this dirty game. Only political speech, hate speech and vandalism is on. Otherwise, how constitutional post-holders are saying like this," she said in an indirect reference to the slogan of firing at "traitors" raised at a poll rally addressed by BJP leader Anurag Thakur in Delhi. Egypt's Minister of Education Tarek Shawki denied media reports that the ministry will put off the second school semester, scheduled to resume on 8 February, due to coronavirus outbreak. "There is no change for the time being. We will inform everyone if there is any update, but we have to leave these decisions to the relevant authorities," Shawki posted on Facebook. He requested the public not to participate in creating "a state of panic" across the country. The fast-spreading virus first surfaced in December in the Chinese city of Wuhan, killing some 350 people in China so far and infecting more than 11,000, mostly in China. Egypt has taken precautionary measures against the virus, including screening travellers arriving at its airports. The deadly epidemic, which has spread to 24 countries, has not been detected in Egypt or any country in the Middle East, with the exception of the United Arab Emirates, where six people have been diagnosed with the virus, according to the World Health Organisation. Search Keywords: Short link: People stand on top of a mound of snow and cheer as Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, speaks at his 2020 Cedar Rapids, Iowa, field office Sunday. Read more CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa When Sen. Amy Klobuchar arrived at a ballroom attached to a Best Western here Sunday morning, her supporters green T-shirts said pretty much everything she wanted to tell Iowa Democratic voters. Amy Klobuchar beats Donald Trump, the shirts read. Weve got people who want to come with us and we need a candidate thats going to bring them with us instead of shutting them out, said Klobuchar, a Minnesota moderate seeking her partys presidential nomination. She cited her history of electoral success in liberal, moderate and conservative parts of her state. I know I can build a coalition to win. I have done it time and time again. I have won every race, every place, every time. The night before in the same city, another Democrat from the left end of the partys political spectrum had the same message. The reason that were going to defeat Trump is that we are the campaign that is going to bring about the largest voter turnout in American history, Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, told a raucous and overwhelmingly young crowd of 3,000. Were going to win because we are the campaign of energy and excitement, we are the campaign that is talking to the pain and the heartache of the working class of this country. As a tightly bunched field of Democrats made their final pitches before Iowas crucial caucuses Monday, they distilled their campaigns into one overriding message: Im the one who can win. Several touted their abilities to win back Pennsylvania and other swing states. After months of clashes over how to approach health care, college affordability, and climate change, the Democrats racing across Iowa over the weekend instead attempted to reassure and sway anxious voters who above all else want to remove Trump, but often worry that none of the partys candidates checks all the right boxes. Folks, I think its pretty simple. They dont want me to be the nominee because they know Ill beat him like a drum, former Vice President Joe Biden said Saturday in North Liberty. On caucus night, you can ruin Donald Trumps night because Im coming. On Iowa television, two of the closing ads from Sen. Elizabeth Warren directly tackled concerns that her appeal to liberals might turn off swing voters. In 2020, the person that can unite the party is Elizabeth Warren, one speaker says. At a small college gym in Cedar Rapids, with 20:20 on the scoreboard clock, Warren made a point of how many staffers she has picked up from other campaigns after candidates such as Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker dropped out. Ive been building a campaign from the beginning thats not a campaign thats narrow, she said Saturday. Its a campaign that says come on in, because we are in this fight together, this fight is our fight. Friday in Council Bluffs, 38-year-old Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., made his own unique appeal, telling a crowd of around 400 that every time my party has won the White House, every time weve succeeded, its been with a candidate who has been focused on the future. ... Its somebody who is opening the door to a new generation of leadership and moving past the political fights from before. A February sprint The last-minute blitz in Iowa came as Democrats begin a sprint that, by the end of February, could go a long way toward deciding whom the party will nominate to take on Trump. Mondays Iowa caucuses will provide the first tangible results and potentially winnow the large field. Contests in New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina follow soon after. Polls, and his enthusiastic crowds, suggest that Sanders is surging toward the finish line. A victory for the Vermont senator could snowball, because he also has shown strength in the next two states. Although most campaigns try to downplay expectations, his national co-chair did the opposite late Sunday afternoon. Baby, we will win the great state of Iowa, Nina Turner, a former Ohio state senator, told a room of Sanders volunteers. Still, recent surveys have suggested a tight race with widespread indecision and uncertainty, so the results Monday could still break in any number of directions. Adding to the unease, organizers of the highly anticipated and respected Des Moines Register poll withheld the survey late Saturday night, citing a potential flaw in the latest interviews. In other years, I knew exactly who I wanted and was pretty gung-ho. This year, Im very undecided, said Jessica Pfeiffer, 38, of Cedar Rapids. A Sanders supporter in 2016, she was wavering between him and Klobuchar, whom she saw as more likely to be able to win. My big goal is for Trump to be out of office, so Im really focused on who can compete with that, not necessarily who aligns with my values, Pfeiffer said. Sanders and his allies, who often put his promises of a political revolution ahead of traditional politicking, repeatedly tried to counter concerns about his electoral prospects. Bernie is the candidate who Donald Trump will not be able to vilify as inauthentic or hypocritical, Jane Sanders, the senators wife, said at the Cedar Rapids rally, held before a Vampire Weekend concert. Pennsylvania in focus U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D., Wis.) pointed to Sanders success in Wisconsin during the 2016 primary, where he drew huge votes from independents and young people. When you do that, you win elections in places like Iowa and Wisconsin and Michigan and Pennsylvania and all of the states we need to win the White House, Pocan told the crowd. He was one of several candidates and surrogates who made arguments centered on who can win back swing states. U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, of Philadelphia, who campaigned for Biden over the weekend, said he would remind Iowans that there is no plausible path" to victory without Pennsylvanias 20 electoral votes. That has to be part of the consideration that primary voters make, Boyle said. Biden, whose headquarters are in Center City, has made the state a key part of his electoral pitch. Klobuchar argued that she has a unique advantage in the middle of the country, adding that she can win the same critical states, including Pennsylvania. Dont screw it up Republicans will caucus on Monday, too, though Trump faces no major opposition in his own party. Iowa was fertile ground for him in 2016, when he defeated Hillary Clinton 51.2% to 41.7%, but Democrats picked up two U.S. House seats here in the 2018 midterms. On Monday, the state wont answer the question of whom Trump will face, but it will set the tone. Klobuchar seemed to sum up the Democratic mood, delivering what she called advice to her party: We better not screw this up. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend: Guangzhou is located in southern China, 800 kilometers from Wuhan city, and the coronavirus is most prevalent in Wuhan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, Cemsa CEO, Turkish businessman Cemal Saracoglu, who has been doing business in Guangzhou for 10 years, told Trend Feb. 3. These are industrial cities, where a lot of people live, Saracoglu said. When we go outside, we put on masks, we need to wash our hands after taking subway and buses, the businessman noted. All hygiene rules must be observed. It is forbidden to shake hands. Saracoglu added that there are very few people on the streets, they are wary of leaving home. The biggest problem is the return of 5 million residents to Wuhan who left for other cities to celebrate the Chinese New Year, said the businessman. People must return to Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Therefore, there will be more cases of virus infection in the coming days." Regarding the virus-related problems, Saracoglu said that its difficult to find many products in Wuhan. People can buy bread, fruits, vegetables in the amount controlled by the state, but there are still difficulties, the businessman noted. Saracoglu added that the biggest problem in China is that people go to work from Wuhan or its neighboring places in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. After the holidays, people will return, Saracoglu added. In accordance with the latest information, new cases of virus infection have been observed in Shenzhen. People who come to this city to work from other places have become ill. Another problem is that if a person is a carrier, then he/she has no signs of the disease (he does not cough, the temperature does not rise) within two weeks, but this infected person can transmit the virus to others so it is very difficult to detect the disease, the businessman added. While answering the question concerning the measures which are taken by the country, Saracoglu replied that the government recommends not to leave the house. The factories will not operate in Wuhan, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Urumqi and Xi'an cities. People were warned that if anyone goes to work, then along the way they must not communicate with other people, Saracoglu said. If the number of infected people continues to grow until February 10, the government may extend the closure of enterprises until February 15-20, Saracoglu added. At first, this date was December 31, then it was extended until February 3, now - until February 10. But the companies continue to pay salaries to people even if they dont go to work." Many people left their houses in Wuhan and went away, the businessman said. "But then, as soon as the government banned the flights to/from Wuhan and blocked the main roads, no one could leave the city. Now it is forbidden to leave Wuhan." The businessman emphasized that the spread of the virus had a negative impact on business, leading to financial losses. "We export electrical equipment from Guangzhou to Turkey, and we import wine from Azerbaijan and Georgia to China. No import or export operations are currently being conducted. The last time we delivered Azerbaijani wines to China was in October-November 2020. I do not believe that deliveries will be easy if we receive new orders. So now we are in stand by mode," Saracoglu said. In conclusion, Cemal Saracoglu added that there are approximately 300 patients in Guangzhou hospitals. "There are no problems in the hospitals in Guangzhou or Shenzhen. There are not enough places in Wuhan hospitals, where the virus is most common. The Chinese government controls all issues, but China is a huge country, so managing and controlling the movement of people is not easy," he said. The iconic koalas live in southeastern and eastern Australia. They spend their lives in the tall eucalypt forests and the low eucalypt woodlands in the states of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria. Range of koalas in Australia covering parts of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria. Image credit: Nrg800/Wikimedia.org Home Trees And Home Range Each koalas home is composed of several trees in a group called home trees. The area covered by these trees is called a koalas home range. Koalas are known to stay within the same home trees and home range. Although, some are known to venture out into other home ranges especially when mating, but they normally stay within their own throughout the rest of their lives. A koala perched on eucalyptus trees in its home range. Image credit: Jackson Stock Photography/Shutterstock.com Unlike other animals, they dont inhabit just one tree but instead, travel from one tree to another within their home range. They feast on eucalypt leaves but only eat a few species hence their distribution in different areas of Australia depends on the type of eucalypt trees that are abundant in the area. Koalas are arboreal animals. They live high up on the trees away from most ground predators. They dont make holes, nests, or dens, and instead, sleep right on the branches. The trees are their bedrooms, bathrooms, and backyards. Marking Territory A mature male koala can be distinguished from the rest because of a special area on the chest. This area is the male koala's scent gland that is often dark, moist, and hairless. It is located in the middle of the chest. Male koalas use this gland to attract mates, they also rub this against the trees. The rubbing of the scent gland triggers the release of a fluid that is smelly and distinct. This is done to make their territory or home range. Males generally have a bigger home range than females and are more active. Koalas stay within their range and are very territorial. They stay in their home range or communities for the rest of their lives and will only move if forced. Most of the time, koalas that are taken out of their ranges adapt quite poorly to new environments, so many do not survive. This is why injured koalas that are treated by carers are often taken back to their home range when they are better. Habitat Loss Fossil remains of koalas suggest that these creatures covered a larger area throughout Australia. Their habitat shrunk due to the change in climate in those areas. And their habitat is getting even smaller today due mainly to the clearing of eucalypt forests. Habitat loss is the biggest threat koalas are facing today. The biggest habitat loss recorded happened in the 1990s. Almost 2 million hectares of koala habitat were cleared in Queensland to make way for urbanization and developments. Throughout the years millions of hectares of habitat (up to 10 million hectares) have been lost and most losses occurred in Queensland and New South Wales regions. A firefighter helplessly watching a bushfire rage through the forest in Queensland, Australia. Image credit: Stu Shaw/Shutterstock.com In recent years, destructive bushfires, catalyzed by climate change, have also damaged vast tracts of koala habitat, killing and maiming thousands of koalas and rendering many homeless. Vet treating injured koala from Australian bush fires at Currumbin Wildlife Hospital. Image credit: Ryan Flower Photography/Shutterstock.com Koala habitats are often cleared to make way for roads, estates, or housing developments. While some survive the clearing they often face a myriad of other problems that threaten their survival including disorientation, and diseases if they cannot adapt to the new environment. Habitat loss has been so rapid and so drastic that scientists believe that by 2050 koalas will be extinct in the New South Wales regions of Australia. Habitat Fragmentation Another threat to the koalas survival is habitat fragmentation. This happens when a large home range is divided into smaller fragments due to clearing to make way for roads or other constructions. It takes koalas away from other parts of their range, potential mate, and sources of food and water. Koala territory on the Great Ocean Road Australia. The road fragments the territory of these animals. Image credit: Salah Khenissi/Shutterstock.com Most koalas who lose part of their ranges get disoriented and roam the streets in urban areas in search of it. This exposes them to other threats. Many koalas get attacked by dogs, killed by ground predators, and hit by speeding cars. A koala female with her offspring crossing the road. Linear infrastructure such as roads make koalas susceptible to vehicular collisions and death. Image credit: Anna Levan/Shutterstock.com Restoring Koala Habitat Various wildlife groups and advocates are racing to restore the iconic koalas habitat. They work to preserve the remaining koala habitats in Australia, restore critical koala habitats, and protect the remaining koala populations including those that have gotten inside private properties. View of the Daisy Hill Koala Centre conservation park, a koala sanctuary located near Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Image credit: EQRoy/Shutterstock.com Many are planting koala food trees, to try to increase the koalas food source. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Australia is even embarking on an ambitious project using drones. These drones will drop tens of thousands of koala gum tree seeds across vast landscapes to try to regenerate the forests. BISMARCK, N.D., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE: MDU) announced today that it has acquired the stock of PerLectric, Inc., a leading electrical construction company in Fairfax, Virginia. Founded in 1992, PerLectric provides electrical construction to government, mission critical, commercial and health care customers. PerLectric will operate as a subsidiary of MDU Construction Services Group, Inc. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed. "PerLectric expands the geographic footprint of our construction services to the Mid-Atlantic region," said David L. Goodin, president and CEO of MDU Resources. "We already work with many of PerLectric's customers in other areas of the U.S., and this acquisition provides us an opportunity to serve those customers in a new market." Fairfax is part of the Washington, D.C., metro area, the sixth-largest metro area in the United States that also boasts the second-highest total commercial construction starts. Northern Virginia is one of the world's largest data center markets. "PerLectric is well positioned to benefit from the growth in the D.C. metro area," said Jeff Thiede, president and CEO of MDU Construction Services Group. "We are pleased to welcome PerLectric to our team." Forward-Looking Statements The information in this release includes certain forward-looking statements, including statements made by the president and CEO of MDU Resources and statements made by the president and CEO of MDU Construction Services Group within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Although the company believes its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, actual results may differ materially. For a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, refer to Item 1A Risk Factors in MDU Resources' most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. About MDU Construction Services Group MDU Construction Services Group, Inc., provides a full spectrum of construction solutions, from underground utilities and excavation to electrical, mechanical and fire suppression systems as well as transmission and distribution line construction. It also manufactures and distributes transmission line construction equipment and supplies. For more information about the company, visit www.mducsg.com. For more information about PerLectric, visit www.perlectric.com. About MDU Resources MDU Resources Group, Inc., a member of the S&P MidCap 400 index and the S&P High-Yield Dividend Aristocrats index, is Building a Strong America by providing essential products and services through its regulated energy delivery and construction materials and services businesses. For more information about MDU Resources, see the company's website at www.mdu.com or contact the Investor Relations Department at [email protected]. Financial Contact: Jason Vollmer, vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer, 701-530-1755 Media Contacts: Andrea Blessum, MDU Construction Services Group communications, 701-530-1054 Laura Lueder, MDU Resources Group manager of communications and public relations, 701-530-1095 SOURCE MDU Resources Group, Inc. Related Links http://www.mdu.com Dr. Gregory Poland, director of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, told CNBC on Monday that the fast-spreading coronavirus is nearing pandemic status. "We're basically at a pandemic now," said Poland, regarding the deadly virus, which has currently been labeled as an epidemic. The difference between an epidemic and a pandemic is that a pandemic reaches a great number of people worldwide, compared with an epidemic, which sickens a large number of people locally. China's National Health Commission said Monday that confirmed cases in China increased to 17,205. The death toll rose to 361 in China. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death outside of China. The virus was first discovered in December in the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province. It has since spread to other countries, including the U.S., which has reported 11 cases. The World Health Organization said there's been 151 coronavirus cases in 23 countries outside of China. Last week, the WHO declared the virus a global health emergency. The next few weeks will be crucial in how the coronavirus affects the U.S., said former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. "If we don't start to see outbreaks in the next two or three weeks, we might have dodged a bullet," said Gottlieb. He's also physician, health advocate and Pfizer board member. However, Gottlieb added on "Squawk Box," "I think we're going to start seeing secondary spread in the United States in the next two or three weeks, and then it's going to be a difficult month." Both Poland and Gottlieb agreed that U.S. health officials should broaden testing, which currently is only available through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It currently takes the CDC about four to six hours to make a diagnosis once a sample makes it to its lab. In the meantime, the public should take best-practices personal hygiene measures, Poland added, like they would to prevent more common viruses like the flu. "We have to assume it's here and circulating," said Gottlieb, a CNBC contributor. The coronavirus and the regular flu have similar symptoms, which some health officials fear will cause misdiagnoses. Common flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat and aches. Coronavirus symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the CDC. "This is a novel virus for us. This is an absolutely virgin population," Poland said. "We don't have any immunity to this, and that's why you tend to see somewhat more severe disease." Londons thoroughfare is a tidal river, and when the river retreats, the mudlarks emerge. These mudlarks are people, and they find cool things: A gold ornament from the 16th century, ancient Roman coins, shards of medieval pottery, prehistoric flint these are just some of the thousands of historical treasures Lara Maiklem has found searching the banks of Londons River Thames. NPR Novel coronavirus death toll crosses SARS fatalities in China The death toll from the novel coronavirus in China soared to over 360 on Monday, infecting more than 16,000 people on the mainland. Medical authorities in the Hubei province, the epicentre of the disease, reported 56 new fatalities. The death toll of over 360 has now crossed the 349 mainland deaths reported in the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak. The main driver of #2019-nCoV transmission, based on currently available data, is symptomatic cases. WHO is aware of possible transmission from infected people before they developed symptoms. WHO Situation Report 1 February 2020 https://t.co/5gEHSOGO7H pic.twitter.com/KlhNDYNbr9 World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) February 1, 2020 While China has clamped down quarantine measures like completely sealing off Wuhan and surrounding cities, on Sunday, authorities imposed similar restrictions on the coastal city of Wenzhou, which is 800 kilometers away from Wuhan. The lockdown measures include all transport out of these cities being banned, effectively sealing off all the people living in these areas. The city of Wenzhou in the Zhejiang province, 800 km away from Wuhan, has been put on lockdown. Photo courtesy: Pascal3012 on Wikimedia In Wenzhou, which is in the Zhejiang province, only one resident per household is allowed to go out every two days to buy necessities, and 46 highway toll stations have been closed, authorities announced. The city had previously closed public places such as cinemas and museums, and suspended public transport. According to the government, Zhejiang has 661 confirmed infections, with 265 of those in Wenzhou. This is the highest tally for any province in China after ground-zero Hubei. Outbreak response in action: #CDC staff are actively responding to the ongoing #2019nCoV outbreak in CDCs Emergency Operations Center (EOC). CDC works 24/7 to keep Americans safe from public health threats. For #coronavirus updates & to learn more: https://t.co/ueWP8UYkLW pic.twitter.com/SIoZmA3xfm CDC (@CDCgov) February 1, 2020 Closure of borders to travellers from China The United States, Australia, New Zealand and Israel have all banned foreign nationals from entering if they have been in China recently. They have also warned their own citizens against travelling there. Mongolia, Russia and Nepal have closed their land borders. Graham Norton hosted the BAFTAs last night wearing an embroidered velvet jacket, which, according to his opening speech is older than Florence Pugh, 24. Celebrities were asked to make sustainable fashion choices for this years awards. The host made light of the sustainability angle, saying: This year BAFTA have asked us to make sustainable fashion choices, old clothes. I have, I really have. Fun fact, this jacket is older than Florence Pugh. Im not even joking, it really is Florence. Graham Norton hosted the show. [Photo: Getty] The velvet jacket is said to be at least 24 years old. [Photo: Getty] Florence Pugh laughed along in the audience. She was wearing a Dries Van Noten dress. [Photo: Getty] READ MORE: Irina Shayks BAFTA look Weve seen Graham Norton wearing the jacket quite a few times previously. Most recently, he wore it to Elton Johns AIDS foundation benefit in 2018. He also wore it to the Fashion Awards in 2016. Here's the jacket at Elton John's AIDs Foundation benefit. [Photo: Getty] Here it is again at the Fashion Awards in 2016. [Photo: Getty] Stars arriving at Londons Royal Albert Hall adhered to the dress code, which encouraged guests to wear clothes they already owned or buy pre-loved outfits. Kate Middleton, for example, wore an Alexander McQueen gown she first wore on a royal tour of Malaysia in 2012. Graham Nortons intricately embroidered jacket received mixed reviews on social media. Graham Norton just knocked every dress n suit out of the water with his vintage jacket, ohh it's stunning. One fan of the velvet look commented. #GrahamNorton just knocked every dress n suit out of the water with his vintage jacket, ohh it's stunning :) Nefilian (@Pippaprice3) February 2, 2020 graham norton wins best dressed for that velvet jacket #BAFTAs Eleanor Bougie-Smith (@ellieelbee) February 2, 2020 I really want my sofa covered in the same fabric as Graham Norton's jacket. #BAFTA Zaminator (@Zaminator27) February 2, 2020 Graham Norton is wearing your Nan's 1970s sofa for his jacket tonight. Rob Colley (@Welshracer) February 2, 2020 Another announced: Graham Norton wins best dressed for that velvet jacket. Story continues I really want my sofa covered in the same fabric as Graham Nortons jacket. One viewer added. Its up for debate whether that was a compliment or not. Among the not-so-enthused commentary, one man likened the velvet number to his Nans 1970s sofa. Like it or not, theres a real sofa theme. He wasnt the only man to to use the theme as an excuse to experiment with a bit of colour. Andy Serkis added a layer of tartan underneath his black suit with zip detailing, while Alex Wolff wore a teal three-piece suit with bold geometric print running across it. Andy Serkis experimented with a pop of tartan. [Photo: Getty] Alex Wolff made a bold suit choice, too. [Photo Getty] Graham Norton touched on the environmentally-friendly theme a couple of times, jokingly commenting on how long the trip must have been for the Americans travelling over to the UK. A huge thank you must be made to all of our American friends for making the effort to come here tonight because, you know, I know it takes ages to sail across the Atlantic, doesnt it? You did, didnt you? Thank you for caring. Its the eco awards, ladies and gentleman. READ MORE: The best BAFTAs style Celebrities were prompted to rent outfits from Hurr Collective, By Rotation and My Wardrobe HQ in a guide created by the London College of Fashion and given to guests before the awards. It also suggested looks could be sourced from Vestiare Collective and Depop, and highlighted eco-conscious brands including Stella McCartney and Reformation. The awards body committed to being carbon-neutral for the 2020 ceremony. This included everything from travel to food, branding to materials, according to the press release for the event. The red-carpet looked just a stylish as usual, proving that the outfits dont need to be bought new in order to impress. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Style UK: - Paul Adom-Otchere has sung the praises of President Akufo-Addo, describing him as a trustworthy leader - According to him, the president has confidently implemented a lot of initiatives under his first term Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Broadcast journalist and host of Metro TV's Good Evening Ghana, Paul Adom-Otchere has sung praises to President Akufo-Addo, describing him as a trustworthy leader. According to Adom-Otchere, President Akufo-Addo, has despite a lot of propaganda and opposition, confidently implemented a lot of initiatives under his first term. He made this known while speaking on Thursday's edition of 'Straight Talk' on Class FM. READ ALSO: Bank of Ghana to be awarded Central bank of the year He added that the president was bold enough to do what a lot of presidents could not do and the fact that he was able to do it was a big plus for him. "One thing I have to admire about Akufo-Addo is his confidence to establish the free SHS as a policy. ... when a President comes and against all odds says 'I want to establish it as a policy' and puts his foot down to do it amidst all the difficulties that we are seeing; thats a leader that you can trust, he stressed. President Akufo-Addo rolled out the Free SHS programme in the first year of his first term and about 1.2 million students have been enrolled into second-cycle institutions in the past three years. READ ALSO: Mills-Mahama never took bribe from Airbus - NDC In other news, the 2019 Corruption Perception Index released by Transparency International has listed Ghana as one of the corrupt countries in Africa in the year 2019. With a score of 41 out of 100, the country was named along with South Africa, Senegal, Seychelles and others. The chart shows Seychelles topping the table with a score of 66 percent, Botswana following with 61 percent, Cabo Verde coming third with 58 percent and Rwanda placing fourth with 53 percent. READ ALSO: Corruption Perception Index: Ghana named as one of Africas corrupt countries in 2019 How convenient is it to use the new GHC 200 note at the market? | #Yencomgh Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now! Source: YEN.com.gh P amela Anderson has split from her husband less than two weeks after tying the knot. The ex-Baywatch star, 52, wed Hollywood mogul Jon Peters, 74, in what was her fifth marriage, last month. The pair married in a private ceremony in Malibu. The actress said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that they were taking a break. We would be very grateful for your support as we take some time apart to re-evaluate what we want from life and from one another, she said. Life is a journey and love is a process. With that universal truth in mind, we have mutually decided to put off the formalisation of our marriage certificate and put our faith in the process. Thank you for respecting our privacy. A source told the publication that the pair had not yet filed the legal paperwork for a marriage certificate following the January 20 ceremony. The wedding was Anderson's fifth / Getty Images Anderson previously described her new husband as the original bad boy of Hollywood in a poem. One line said: We understand and respect each other / We love each other without conditions. Im a lucky woman / Proof God has a plan. She was previously married to rocker Tommy Lee between 1995 and 1998, and the pair share two adult sons. Anderson was also married to musician Kid Rock from 2006 until 2007, and married poker player Rick Salomon twice. Peters is a film producer behind Flashdance and A Star Is Born. The pair briefly dated 30 years ago after meeting at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. [February 03, 2020] Lab of the Future Congress USA, 19-20th May 2020, Boston MA Open Pharma Research, a platform for information exchange and networking in the life sciences, today announced the introduction of Lab of the Future USA. The event will see major life science and pharmaceutical companies, research institutes and service companies gather on the 19-20th May 2020 at Hilton Back Bay in Boston, USA. The event follows the highly successful Lab of the Future UK Europe event, which saw more than 300 senior pharma executives meet to discuss the latest advancements in the life science industry. The Lab of the Future series was set up to provide access to the people and resources for life science companies to continue thriving in a rapidly-evolving world. Technology, people and infrastructure are becoming increasingly important to drive new thinking in the lab to deliver on increased R&D productivity. Lab f the Future USA will provide a platform for life science research, laboratory and technology leaders to help shape new strategy, network with peers, and hear of innovative solutions from the major service providers in this space. Over 80 speakers are expected, with confirmed headline speakers from leading global pharma and research institutes, including: Sir Mene Pangalos, Executive VP & President of Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca Carol Rohl, Executive Director, Global Research IT, Merck Research Laboratories Hal Stern, VP & Chief Information Officer of R&D, Janssen Lesley Solomon, SVP Innovation, Chief Innovation Officer, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Andreas Matern, Head of Digital Translational Medicine, Sanofi The event is supported by The Pistoia Alliance: the global, not-for-profit members' life science organisation working to lower barriers to innovation in R&D through pre-competitive collaboration (www.pistoiaalliance.org). Sponsors confirmed to date include Millipore Sigma, Avantor, L7 Informatics (News - Alert), SciBite, Riffyn and ACD/Labs. Zahid Tharia, Founding Director, Open Pharma Research, said: "We are thrilled to be bringing the Lab of the Future Congress to Boston, the largest life sciences hub in the world. The event will be a continuation of the discussions held in Cambridge, UK on how to turn the lab of the future from concept to reality. Our goal is to help drive the successful incorporation of new technologies and thinking into the lab to enable collaboration, foster innovation and deliver new medicines. By bringing a diverse range of experts together in Boston, we'd like to think we're doing our bit to help achieve this. We hope you can join us there." For more information, please visit: www.lab-of-the-future.com/USA/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005453/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] UK police shoot man in terrorism-related stabbing attack Police have shot dead a man after a stabbing attack in south London that left three people wounded. A man was shot dead by police in South London after stabbing several people on Sunday, British police said in a statement. The Metropolitan Police said in a statement that two people had been stabbed in Streatham High Road, Lambeth at approximately 2.00 p.m. (1400GMT). A HOAX DEVICE WAS FOUNDSTRAPPED TO THE BODY "As part of a proactive counter-terrorism operation, armed officers were in immediate attendance and shot a male suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene," Lucy D'Orsi, deputy assistant commissioner. She said a third person also received minor injuries during the incident. UK police shoot man in terrorism-related stabbing attack WATCH "The circumstances are being assessed; the incident has been declared as terrorist-related," an earlier statement from Metropolitan Police said. A device found strapped to the body of the suspect was discovered to "a hoax device," D'Orsi added. One man is being treated for a life-threatening injury, according to the statement, with two women also receiving medical treatment, one with a non-serious injury and another with minor injuries. "Thank you to all emergency services responding to the incident in Streatham, which the police have now declared as terrorism-related," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter. "My thoughts are with the injured and all those affected," he said. Local media claims that the attacker was under active police surveillance, and was well-known to counter-terror authorities. The incident came just over a month after a similar attack at the London Bridge. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 22:54:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close KIGALI, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Landslides triggered by heavy downpour on Sunday left 13 people dead and two others injured in different parts of Rwanda, the Ministry of Emergency Management said Monday, warning that the death toll could rise. Majority of those killed were from the capital Kigali's Kicukiro, Gasabo, and Nyarugenge districts, Olivier Kayumba, the Permanent Secretary in Rwanda's Ministry of Emergency Management told reporters in a news briefing. In one of the incidents, a landslide destroyed a house in Kanombe sector, Kicukiro district, killing three family members, a mother and two children, he said. He added that dozens lost their homes after 15 houses were destroyed in different districts. Kayumba said rescue efforts were ongoing by residents and local leaders. At least 70 people were killed while 177 were injured by natural disasters triggered by heavy rains across Rwanda between January and September last year, according to data released by Rwanda's Ministry of Emergency Management. European Commission chief negotiator Michel Barnier. Photo: John Thys/AFP via Getty Images The European Union (EU) is ready to offer the UK a best in class free trade deal, so long as Britain adheres to EU rules and shares its waters with European fishermen. The EU on Monday published the draft negotiating guidelines for trade talks with the UK, two days after Britain officially left the bloc. Michel Barnier, the European Commissions chief Brexit negotiator, called the proposals best in class but said the UK must adhere to EU demands on fishery rights and competition if it wants to secure all that is being offered. READ MORE: Pound slides as Johnson threatens hard Brexit We are ready to offer a highly ambitious trade deal as the central pillar of this partnership, including zero tariffs and zero quotas on all goods entering our single market of 450 million people, Barnier told journalists. We are ready to offer all this even though we know that there will be strong competition between the UK, our immediate neighbour, and the EU in the future. Competition is normal. But because of our geographical proximity and economic interdependence, our mandate also makes clear that this exceptional offer is conditional on at least two things. Barnier said the UK must agree to a level playing field with EU firms on competition, with specific and effective guarantees to uphold social, environmental, climate, tax, and state aid rules. The UK must also agree to continued reciprocal access to [fishery] markets and to water with stable quota shares, Barnier said. British prime minister Boris Johnson (C) and EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier (R). Photo: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images The demands are likely to prove a flashpoint in negotiations. Cabinet minister Michel Gove last month pledged to take the UK out of the EUs Common Fisheries Policy and the issue of control over British waters was a key topic during the Brexit debate. Chancellor Sajid Javid last month also declared there would no alignment with EU rules. Barnier said a failure to copy EU rules on things like state aid and workerss rights would lead to more restricted access to the EUs Single Market. Story continues The more we have common standards, the higher quality access the EU will be able to offer to its markets, he said. But this will be up to the UK to decide will it continue to adhere to Europes societal and regulatory model in the future or will it seek to diverge? The UKs answer to this question will be fundamental to the level of ambition of our future relationship. READ MORE: Firms demand 'seat at the table' in post-Brexit trade deals Frenchman Barnier also warned that even the most ambitious trade deal could not replace the benefits of full membership of the EU, pointing out that Brexit would lead to more paperwork for firms and checks of goods. Even if we do achieve a best in class free trade agreement, it will not be business as usually, he said. We will have two separate markets instead of one single market. Rules of origin and customs formalities will apply between the UK and EU. There will be no harmonisation or mutual recognition of rules. Barnier called new checks the automatic and mechanical consequences of the UKs choices and said: Businesses must adapt now to this new reality. Britain will on Monday set out its negotiating position for EU trade talks. UK prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to call for a Canada-style zero tariff and zero quota deal, but threaten to walk away from talks without a deal if the EU doesnt agree to the UKs demands. The EU and UK have until 31 December 2020 to strike a new trade deal. European leaders will approve the draft trade proposals later this month, with talks between the EU and UK expected to begin early next month. READ MORE: Britain has officially left the EU here's what happens now New Delhi, Feb 3 : Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi on Monday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for choosing banned Delhi MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma as its star speaker to initiate the motion of thanks on the President's address in Lok Sabha, describing it as a "tacit approval at the top". Referring to the police action over protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) while participating in the debate, Gogoi targeted the BJP-led government, saying it is not about winning or losing elections, but understanding the true meaning of India. Facing a 96-hour ban slapped by the Election Commission from campaigning in Delhi for his communally divisive remarks, West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma initiated the motion of thanks on President's address in the House and again raised the issue by calling the ongoing Shaheen Bagh protest against CAA "anti-national". He said the act will not be rolled back as it is not "Rajiv Feroze Khan's" government. "This shows the attitude of the BJP. He was banned by the Election Commission but is supported by the BJP," Gogoi said. The Congress staged a walk out from the Lok Sabha soon after Verma began to speak. Gogoi later alleged that Delhi Police has not been able to trace those responsible for violence against teachers on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus and "there is a political master who is giving them instructions". The Congress leader demanded that the ministers who had made "inflammatory speeches" should be booked and an FIR should be lodged against them, alleging that they were "also acting on the instructions of their political master." Taking note of the firing incidents in Delhi against anti-CAA protesters, Gogoi condemned the action being taken by the Delhi Police which comes under the Central government. He alleged that BJP ministers are saying that people of India are enemies of the country. "For you, the students of India are your enemies; for you, women of India are enemies. I am proud of them, they are reading the Constitution, they are talking about the values of freedom struggle, values of Swami Vivekananda," Gogoi said. "Democracy is not about winning or losing elections. Democracy is when people of India understand the true meaning of freedom," he added. Coronavirus: India on Sunday confirmed its second coronavirus case. Another Indian student who returned to Kerala from Wuhan (China) tested positive for the deadly virus. Meanwhile, the government brought back 323 more Indians and seven Maldivians by air from the Chinese city which is the ground zero of the outbreak. The total number of evacuees is 654 so far. The central government also temporarily suspended the e-visa facility for Chinese citizens travelling to India as well as foreigners dwelling in the neighbouring country. The government also issued a fresh travel advisory to Indian citizens saying anyone with travel history to China since January 15 can be quarantined. The developments came as the virus, which emerged in early December and traced to a market in Hubei capital Wuhan that sold wild animals, has killed more than 300 people in China, infected over 14,000 others and spread to 25 countries. Also Read: First case of coronavirus confirmed in India; student tested positive in Kerala Both the cases in India have been reported in Kerala, where nearly 2,000 people are under observation in hospitals and homes. The second patient is also a student from Wuhan in China. The patient had returned to Kerala on January 24, Kerala government said in a statement. Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja said the condition of the student, currently admitted to the isolation ward at the Alapuzha Medical College Hospital, was "stable". The first case was reported from Thrissur on Thursday with a woman medical student who returned from Wuhan testing positive for the infection. Since the coronavirus outbreak in China, Kerala, which is thickly populated, has been on high alert as a large number of students from the state are studying in the University of Wuhan. Also Read: Coronavirus in India: Second case of deadly virus confirmed in Kerala A second Air India flight in as many days evacuated 330 passengers, including seven Maldives citizens from Wuhan. Of these, 300, including Maldives citizens, have been housed at ITBP Chawla Camp and 30 are in the Army's Manesar facility. They are being effectively monitored, the health ministry said On Saturday, 324 Indians were brought back from Wuhan and admitted to the quarantine facilities set up by the Army and the ITBP, though none of them has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to officials. A video shared by government officials on Sunday showed a group of six students dancing and taking selfies inside the Manesar facility. "The students are happy as they have been evacuated. You can see them dancing and making videos even though they have their face masks on," said an official. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in a tweet on Sunday, "7 Maldivians brought back with 323 Indians from Wuhan on the second @airindiain flight today. #NeighbourhoodFirst at work again." Five doctors from the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, who were on board the first flight, were also present in the second flight, an Air India spokesperson said. Out of the 324 people that were evacuated through first Air India flight, 56, 53 and 42 were from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, respectively. In its fresh advisory, the Health Ministry asked people to refrain from travelling to China in view of the coronavirus outbreak and said anyone with a travel history of China since January 15 could be quarantined. Also Read: Coronavirus outbreak: Second batch of 323 Indians evacuated from China's virus-hit Wuhan The decision of issuing a new travel advisory was taken at a high-level review meeting held by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba. As on Sunday, 58,658 passengers from 445 flights have been screened for nCoV symptom. A total of 142 symptomatic travellers picked up by the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) have been referred to the isolation facilities. As many as 130 samples have been tested of which 128 have been found to be negative so far, the Health Ministry said. While airlines across the globe have suspended or curtailed operations to China, a number of countries have temporarily stopped issuing of visas to Chinese nationals. Some like the US have even imposed a travel ban on visitors from China. India stops e-visa for Chinese citizens The Indian embassy in Beijing announced that travel to India on e-visas stands temporarily suspended with immediate effect "due to certain current developments". "This applies to holders of Chinese passports and applicants of other nationalities residing in the People's Republic of China. Holders of already issued e-visas may note that these are no longer valid," it said. The e-visa facility for Chinese nationals was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to China in 2015 as a confidence-building measure as well as an attempt to ease visa restrictions to attract more Chinese tourists. Also Read: Coronavirus: Govt issues new advisory, urges people to refrain from travel to China The US has imposed a 14-day travel ban on all visitors from China, regardless of their nationality. Singapore has stopped issuing all types of visas to Chinese travellers, while Vietnam has halted tourist visas. Russia said Saturday it would halt visa-free tourism for Chinese nationals and also stop issuing them work visas. It had already stopped issuing electronic visas to Chinese nationals. Similar visa restrictions have been imposed by the Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the African nation of Mozambique. Due to the outbreak, IndiGo has suspended all three flights between India and China. Air India has suspended its Delhi-Shanghai flight and curtailed the flight operations on the Delhi-Hong Kong route. Only these two Indian carriers fly to China. States prepare for coronavirus spread Meanwhile, arrangements have been made at ESIC Medical College of Alwar in Rajasthan to quarantine people who have returned from China. Ravi Sharma, a state health department official coordinating with the Centre, said 300 beds have been prepared in two hostels and adequate staff has been deployed. Deputy CMHO, Alwar, Dr Chhabil Kumar said the passengers will be quarantined and kept under observation for 28 days. Also Read: Coronavirus update: India temporarily suspends e-visa facility for Chinese citizens, foreigners in china Three persons suspected to have symptoms of coronavirus were admitted to SMS Government Hospital in Jaipur, Dr D S Meena, Superintendent of SMS hospital said. He said that the patients have been kept in isolation. Of the five patients suspected to have symptoms of coronavirus in Haryana in recent days, one test result has come out as negative, a senior health department official said here on Sunday. All the five patients had recently travelled to China, Director General, Health Services, Haryana, Dr Suraj Bhan Kamboj told PTI over the phone. The samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune and the reports of the other four patients are awaited, he said. Besides, there are 24 other people hailing from Haryana who do not have any symptoms but are under observation of the health authorities in view of their recent travel history to China. (With inputs to PTI) Ryanair will take longer than expected to reach its long-term target of flying 200 million passengers per year due to delays in the delivery of Boeings 737 MAX jet, the Irish airline announced on Monday, Trend with reference to Reuters reports. Ryanair had planned to reach the 200 million passengers mark in the year to March 2024, but now expects that to take at least until 2025 or 2026, the airline said in its quarterly results release. It expects to ferry 154 million people in its current year to March 2020. The Irish airline had originally planned to fly 58 of the Boeing 737 MAX this summer but has cut that number since the jet was grounded after two fatal crashes and as the U.S. planemaker struggled to secure approval for its re-entry to service. As a direct result of these delivery delays, we plan to extend our 200 million per annum passenger target by at least one or two years to FY25 or FY26, it said. Boeing in January said it did not expect the MAX to return to service until mid-2020 and, given Ryanair does not take deliveries during its summer peak of June-August, it will not have the first 10 MAX planes until the autumn. Ryanair on Monday said it did not expect to receive the first MAX jets until September or October 2020. For Valassis Direct Mail Inc., Redplum or Retail Me Not, go to tucne.ws/retailmenot and fill out the form. Again, use the information from your mailing label. Other direct marketers may send mail to you. Try Googling the company name to see if you can find an unsubscribe link. If you get promotional mail that has such phrases on the envelope as return service requested, forwarding service requested or something similar, write refused, return to sender on the envelope without opening it and put it back in the mailbox. If the mail was addressed to Resident or Current resident and it has one of those phrases, you can mark it Return to sender. If it was sent by First Class mail these are often sent at a commercial bulk mail rate you can also return to sender. Since the company doesnt want to pay return postage, one try may solve your problem. Download the app PaperKarma on your phone. It allows you to take a photo of your junk mail and the app will unsubscribe for you. The app is available on Google Play and the App Store. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has greenlit a tokenized securities trading firm for full operations within the city-state. Announced Monday, iSTOX has graduated from the Singapore central banks fintech regulatory sandbox and is set to be one of the first securities token platforms that is licensed as a capital markets services provider, said the platforms operator ICHX Tech. The platform will provide both institutional investors with issuance, custody and trading services for digitized securities. One of the firms goals is to open certain parts of the financial market to more investors, Chief Operating Officer Darius Liu previously told CoinDesk. Related: Bitcoin Heads Into Historically Positive February on a Bullish Note Private market opportunities such as equity in series B startups, corporate debt and hedge funds are usually opaque and fragmented for most investors. The new platform will eliminate middlemen and time-consuming settlement time, Liu said. According to the firm, the Security Token Offerings (STO) available on its platform will offer issuers more options for capital fundraising and investment besides the existing mechanism. Since ICHX entered MASs regulatory sandbox in May 2019, the startup has secured a spate of investments from significant backers in Asia. Its early investors include Singapore Exchange (SGX) and Heliconia, a subsidiary of Singapores state-owned conglomerate Temasek Holdings. The firm later received three other investments including Thai investment bank Kiatnakin Phatra Financial Group, Japanese financial services firm Tokai Tokyo Financial Holdings and South Korean asset manager Hanwha Asset Management. Related: Deribit to Launch Daily BTC Options as Regulated Competition Heats Up ICHX also boasts several former financial regulators as members of its board, including Chew Sutat, EVP of SGX, and Chua Kim Leng, a former special advisor to MAS. The firm said it completed its first issuance, custody and trading of a distributed ledger technology-based security on a single integrated platform in November 2019. Related Stories By PTI LAHORE: Pakistan police on Monday claimed to have thwarted a terror attack on a building of an intelligence agency in Punjab province and arrested three Taliban terrorists. According to a statement by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), an intelligence-based operation was carried out in Gat Wala Bridge in Faisalabad city, 150-km from Lahore, after receiving information that three terrorists were hiding there and planning to target the intelligence office. It said the CTD along with police raided their hideout and arrested three Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorists - identified as Abdul Salam, Maodood Chisiti and Ali Muhammad Khan. Explosive material including fuse, detonators, two pistols and bullets have been recovered from them, the CTD said. The arrested terrorists have made important disclosures regarding activities of their outfit in the region, it added. A case has been registered against them. POINTE BLANCHE:--- Port St. Maarten received the PAMAC Distinguished Marketing Partner Award while representatives attended the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Platinum Associate Membership Advisory Council Cruise Summit (PAMAC). The six-day summit featured a series of meetings, workshops and networking events connecting with senior cruise industry leaders to discuss industry trends and standards, and to develop relationships and mutual benefits for the cruise lines and members' companies and destinations. During the PAMAC Summit which took place from January 20-25, Port St. Maarten representatives had very good one-on-one meetings with various cruise lines and the FCCA with respect to renewing relationships and re-establishing commitments. Discussions also centered on improving destination products and services and being able to provide superior experiences. The FCCA PAMAC Summit took place onboard the cruise ship Carnival Sunrise which set sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The vessel took summit delegates to Grand Turk and Amber Cove, Dominican Republic. Port St. Maarten Management was very pleased with the recognition it received as being a key partner in promoting the destination throughout the FCCA marketing network. More than 100 attendees, including FCCA Platinum Members-key cruise tourism stakeholders-and over 30 high-ranking executives from the FCCAs 19 Member Lines, attended the FCCA PAMAC Cruise Summit. Cruise lines that were represented at the summit were: Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Group, MSC Cruises Inc., Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., and Silversea Cruises. The PAMAC event is one of several that the FCCA coordinates for its Platinum Members and Member Lines to stay at the forefront of information about both the industry and destinations while finding ways to maximize the benefits for all. The FCCA is a not-for-profit trade organization composed of 19 Member Lines operating over 100 vessels in Floridian, Caribbean and Latin American waters. Created in 1972, the FCCAs mandate is to provide a forum for discussion on tourism development, ports, safety, security, and other cruise industry issue and to develop bilateral relationships with destinations private and public sectors. By fostering an understanding of the cruise industry and its operating practices, the FCCA works with governments, ports and private sector representatives to maximize cruise passenger, crew and cruise line spending, as well as enhance the destination experience and increase the amount of cruise passengers returning as stay-over visitors. The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) started with some controversy, but its first images are already changing the field of solar science. The Maui observatory captured the highest-resolution photos of the sun ever taken, revealing detail down to a mere 18 miles in size. The image above shows turbulent kernel-like cells made up of boiling gases influenced by the Sun's strong magnetic field, each one about the size of Texas. The DKIST images show the highly energetic actions that move heat from inside the sun to its surface. The convection process forces solar plasma to the surface where it forms the bright cell centers, which may channel energy into the solar atmosphere. Those bright spots could heat the corona at up to a million degrees Celsius and explain why the sun is hotter on the outside than the interior. The plasma eventually cools and sinks, shown as dark lanes between cells. Bright areas in those lanes also map out the sun's magnetic fields, as shown in the animation below. Those magnetic fields often get tangled up by the motion of the plasma. That can lead to solar storms that knock out radio communications and even power transmission. For instance, a solar magnetic storm knocked out radio communications right in the middle of Hurricane Irma, disrupting first responder services. The Inouye Solar Telescope could help scientists figure out why, when and how that happens by showing the magnetic fields in unprecedented detail. "We have to not only be able to clearly see these tiny structures from 93 million miles away but very precisely measure their magnetic field strength and direction near the surface and trace the field as it extends out into the million-degree corona," said DKIST director Thomas Rimmele. That could help scientists develop warning systems that work 48 hours ahead of time instead the current standard of 48 minutes. That kind of notice would help authorities secure critical infrastructure or place communications satellites in safe mode. Story continues Solar convection shown lose up, with bright spots showing the sun's magnetic field Grabbing images of this detail was no easy feat. DKIST not only uses the world's largest solar telescope mirror at 13 feet across, but has crystal clear viewing conditions at the 10,000-foot Haleakala summit. There's still some atmospheric distortion, even at that altitude, so it also has adaptive optics that warp the mirror to compensate for it. It also uses a system that can precisely focus the telescope. On top of that, DKIST absorbs 13 kilowatts of solar power heat that must be removed via a cooling system that protects the optics. Over seven miles of piping distribute coolant around the observatory, augmented by ice created on site in the evenings. Native Hawaiins protested the construction DKIST when it was schedule to begin at Haleakala back in 2015. The mountain is important to their culture and already holds multiple observatories. The DKIST teams helped allay those concerns with a $20 million Maui College program that teaches science and Hawaiian culture. The observatory also reserves two percent of telescope time for Native Hawaiians. BlackBerry phones could finally be dead after the manufacturer said it will stop selling the era-defining handsets. The devices famous for their hardware keyboard and status as the phone of choice for high-powered executives in the 2000s have suffered difficult times in recent years, after being squeezed out by iPhone and Android competitors. In 2016, Chinese firm TCL entered into an agreement that would see it make phones under the famous name, many of which included the same branding and hardware features that made BlackBerry so well-known. But now TCL says it wil stop selling the BlackBerry handsets at the end of August, and that it will be cutting off software support in 2022. That makes it likely that the BlackBerry name on phones will die out. BBM, the equally famous messaging app that came on the phones, was already shut down last year. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty The company ended its own in-house device development before entering into the deal with TCL in late 2016, releasing a number of new smartphones since with limited critical success. In a statement posted to the BlackBerry Mobile Twitter page, the two companies said that "as of August 31, 2020, TCL Communication will no longer be selling BlackBerry-branded mobile devices". Recommended BBM finally shuts down after years of trying to lure people back "TCL Communication has no further rights to design, manufacture or sell any new BlackBerry mobile devices, however TCL Communication will continue to provide support for the existing portfolio of mobile devices including customer service and warranty service until August 31, 2022 - or for as long as required by local laws where the mobile device was purchased," it continued. "The future is bright for both TCL Communication and BlackBerry Limited, and we hope you'll continue to support both as we move ahead on our respective paths." BlackBerry has since moved into cybersecurity and technology around the internet of things - including software designed to be used in connected cars. TCL is best known as a TV manufacturer, but also makes a number of other appliances and mobile phones. Neither company has commented further, and it is not yet known if BlackBerry plans to enter into an agreement with another firm to continue manufacturing mobile devices carrying its name. Additional reporting by agencies WASHINGTON President Trump did not waste any time Sunday night congratulating the Kansas City Chiefs for defeating the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. Except he got their home state wrong. Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on a great game, and a fantastic comeback, under immense pressure. You represented the Great State of Kansas yikes and, in fact, the entire USA, so very well, Mr. Trump said in a tweet posted during his Air Force One flight from Palm Beach, Fla., to Washington. Our country is PROUD OF YOU. The problem, of course, is that the Chiefs play in the state of Missouri, next door. There is a Kansas City, Kan., a handful of miles away, but it was the kind of mix-up his followers might expect a member of the coastal elite to make, not a president who spends much of his time speaking on behalf of people from that part of the country. The nine-judge Supreme Court bench constituted to hear the case pertaining to rules for women at places of worship, including Keralas Sabarimala temple, said on Monday it will go ahead with the hearing even as senior lawyers led by Fali Nariman questioned its powers to do so. We are not aborting the hearing, Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde remarked. The 2018 Sabarimala verdict angered traditionalists, who say women of between the ages of 10 and 50 cannot enter the temple because the presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is considered celibate. In its November 2019 judgment, a five-judge Supreme Court bench observed practices restricting entry of women into places of worship were not limited to Sabarimala, but also arose in respect of three other cases pending before it. The three cases pertain to the entry of Muslim women into mosques, the entry of Parsi women married to non-Parsi men into the holy fireplace of an Agyari or Zoroastrian place of worship, and the practice of female genital mutilation among the Dawoodi Bohra community. The court had said the review petitions can be decided only after certain larger legal questions concerning womens rights vis-a-vis religious practices are settled by a larger bench of not less than seven judges. Senior counsel Fali Nariman on Monday disputed the jurisdiction of a five-judge bench to frame legal questions and refer a case to a larger bench. The legal questions, he pointed out, were decided by the top court in its 2018 judgment. He argued the jurisdiction vested with the Supreme Court while exercising powers of review is very limited. A review bench, he argued, can only correct errors in a judgment being reviewed and cannot frame legal issues and refer it to a larger bench. Nariman underscored that legal questions can be decided as and when such cases come up before the Supreme Court. But a bench hearing a review petition cannot ask a larger bench to answer the issues, he added. Legal issues were answered by a bench of five by 4:1 majority. A review petition against such a decision is limited in scope. The review jurisdiction is very limited is the decision (being reviewed) correct or not. I am not suggesting that Your Lordships should not constitute a nine-judge bench. That is Your Lordships privilege. My objection is to the use of review to do that. It will be a bad precedent, Nariman said. Senior advocates, including Kapil Sibal and Shyam Divan, backed Narimans arguments. It was not clear which party Nariman was representing. Reference to a larger bench is not permissible in a review petition. The review can only be used to correct errors in the main judgment. It cannot be used to frame issues and refer the same to a larger bench. Reference could have been done only in the main judgment of September 2018, Divan argued. Bobde responded saying the Sabarimala case was not before the nine-judge bench which, he said, was concerned only with the larger issues referred to it by the five-judge bench. We are hearing only the questions referred to us by the five-judge bench. We are not hearing the review petitions. We are not deciding the Sabarimala review, CJI Bobde said. Sibal said that a decision by a nine-judge bench on legal issues touching upon religious practices without actually going into facts of each case could have ramifications affecting all religions across the country. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the central government, argued that the nine-judge bench was well within its rights to hear the matter. Senior counsel K Parasaran, who represents Nair Service Society, one of the parties opposing the entry of women into Sabarimala, echoed Mehta. Bobde said the issues raised by Nariman can be among those which the nine-member bench could consider. He added the bench will hold a discussion, frame the issues and then sit again on February 6 when it will decide on the time to be allocated to each counsel to make arguments. We will frame what Mr. Nariman argued as a separate issue and hear it along with the reference, he said. Senior counsel Sanjay Hegde told HT: Mr. Nariman has made a valid objection. A review bench can only look into the pleadings made in the case before it and whether the previous bench has made an error or not. It cannot frame questions and make a reference. The mother of a man stabbed in a frenzied attack at his west Belfast home has spoken out to end rumours her son was targeted for being a "tout". Eddie Devine staggered onto the city's Springfield Road after the attack before he was found in a pool of blood on Thursday afternoon. Disturbing images of the father-of-four quickly appeared on social media alongside speculation he was attacked because he was a "tout". Claims also emerged that he had been stabbed five times, had his throat cut and even had cut his tongue out. "He did not have his tongue cut out, that was a lie," said the victim's mother Betty Devine. "He had not been stabbed five times on the street and he did not have his throat cut. "If you look at that awful picture of him lying on the street you can see what people think is a wound is the string from his hoodie. It's a disgrace what has been said about my son. "I can't wait until he opens his mouth properly, to stick out his tongue, to take that picture that will show it's all lies and my son is not a tout." Speaking to the Sunday World, Ms Devine told how her son needed stitches inside and outside his mouth, and said his bloodied flat was like "a horror movie". The family also hit back at suggestions the 35-year-old was an informer or that he was attacked by the INLA. Mr Devine's brother Gavin said it was "completely untrue", adding: "He isn't a tout and he is not involved with any paramilitaries or gangs. "He smokes grass and might owe a bit of money but that's it and I know that to be the truth, that's the facts." Mr Devine's mother explained it was her son's drug problems that meant his devoted family could not take him in. "I have 20 grandchildren who are in and out of this house every day of the week," she said. "I cannot expose them to drug abuse, [or] let them think it's okay." The distraught grandmother also told how her son was the victim of a hit-and-run in March 2018, suffering life-changing injuries. No one was ever convicted. The PSNI said it received a report of a male being injured during an incident in the Harrogate Street area of west Belfast on Thursday morning. Inspector Paul Noble said: "The man was taken to hospital for treatment to a stab wound to the side of his face, which is not believed to life-threatening." Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact 101, quoting reference number 275 of 30/01/20. Neelkanth Mishra, Managing Director and India equity strategist at Credit Suisse, in an interview with CNBC-TV18 discussed the fine prints of the 2020 Union budget presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1. He said: "There is a sharp change in how much the states are getting from the central tax collections. The 14th Finance Commission has recommended 42 percent devolution. The numbers seen in the gross versus net that comes in the central budget is a bit different because there are things like surcharges; the income tax surcharges that are levied are not shareable, there are certain types of duties on petrol and diesel which we are not shareable with states. So it's never 42 percent. Its generally slightly less than that. "However, what is remarkable is that (in) FY20, this number has fallen to about 30 percent. In FY21 its budgeted to rise slightly but it has fallen very sharply. In fact, the Rs 3 lakh crore shortfall in gross tax collections for the centre, the drop in transfer to states is Rs 1.5 lakh crore. So the state share drop is about 50 percent. "One of the reason which exacerbates this issue is how the goods and services tax (GST) compensation is treated. The Rs 109,000 crore of GST compensation is not part of this tax transfer issue; it used to be so if you adjust for that this is less distorted but it is still an issue. Its still a very meaningful problem and therefore more importantly than in prior years I have been a big proponent of the fact that state budget matters much more than the central budget. Also read: Budget 2020 | In a difficult year, Sitharaman shows spunk for fiscal innovation, but targets ambitious "This year's state budgets will be much more interesting and it will be important for us to understand how the fiscal impulse picking out because unlike the centre they do not have an escape clause and their borrowings get frozen by September-October." On agriculture front, Mishra said: "There is a lot more happening on the agri side in terms of market access. In fact, one of the fascinating features of recent onion price spike is a lot of the gains have gone to the farmers; earlier the onion price increase used to benefit the traders and the farmers would not get incentivised. "So there are many other things which are happening in terms of market access, in terms of access to credit and all of those things matter a lot more than specific rupees that are to be transferred to farmers' pocket," added Mishra. On the state of the economy, he said" It is important to highlight that expenditure to GDP is budgeted to rise in FY20 and FY21 which is an important policy statement that when the economy is slowing down the government is trying to spend; given the fiscal constraint they cannot do much. "So it is much more prudent to use non-tax revenues in these times and therefore, the telecom sector spike that we have seen in the budgeted numbers in FY21 and the disinvestment spike that we have seen in FY21 as well. "So together 2.1 plus 1.33; I would say 1 trillion from telecom, which is extra, about 1.5 percent of GDP is to come from these two angles which is important countercyclical support to the economy." Source: CNBC-TV18 The Delhi Assembly election is a battle between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the truth, said BJP MP Gautam Gambhir on Monday while addressing an election rally at Karkardooma in East Delhi. READ | Delhi CP Amulya Patnaik: Elaborate and detailed security ahead of Delhi polls "To address the pollution issue, the Central government made Eastern and Western Peripheral Express highways. The Kejriwal government did not do a single thing to address this issue," said Gambhir READ | 'Delhi election will be detrimental in deciding the future course of India': PM Modi The battle between Kejriwal vs truth: Gambhir Taking a jibe at AAP supremo Kejriwal, Gambhir added "The AAP asks us that the battle is Kejriwal vs whom. We say it is Kejriwal vs truth this time". Gambhir also lashed out at Kejriwal accusing him of wasting his five-year tenure in photoshoots and putting up posters. "Kejriwal spent 4.5 years in photoshoots, five months in putting up posters and one month in telling about it. The AAP government did not open a single hospital, school or a university and they call us liars. If we work efficiently, then Kejriwal will definitely be removed from the Chief Minister's post," he added. READ | Centre undertook Rs 1.25 Tn infra work in Delhi despite us not being in power: BJP PM Modi slams opposition for complaining about major decisions Earlier in the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi also addressed the crowd at Karkardooma in the East Delhi ahead of the assembly elections. "Today, for the first time in the history of the country, the opposition has a complaint with a government. What is the complaint? They say that Modi is so fast? Just work slowly, why are you taking big decisions one after the other? What is the need for it?," Prime Minister Modi said. Citing major decisions, from scrapping of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir to Citizenship Amendment Act, which were taken by his government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "Article 370 was abrogated after 70 years. Ram Janambhoomi verdict came after 70 years. Kartarpur Sahib corridor was made after 70 years. India-Bangladesh border issue solved after 70 years. The CAA came after 70 years. The War Memorial and the Police Memorial made after 50-60 years,". Delhi will go to polls on February 8 and the counting of votes will take place on February 11. READ | CM Nitish said buses from Patna have been refused entry in Delhi: PM Modi alleges 'malice' (With Inputs from ANI) Korea's population is officially shrinking. Gettyimagesbank By Jung Min-ho Korea's population is officially shrinking. For the first time since the government started keeping track in 1983, deaths outnumbered births in November, and the country is expected to report its first annual population decline this year. According to Statistics Korea data released last week, 25,438 people died that month, up 5.1 percent from a year earlier. Meanwhile, the number of newborns fell short with 23,819, a 5.9 percent decrease from a year earlier and a November record low. [February 03, 2020] Illinois Teachers Chosen for Curriculum Associates' Inaugural Class of Extraordinary Educators NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Curriculum Associates has selected two Illinois teachers for the inaugural class of its Extraordinary Educators program, which establishes a tradition of celebrating and connecting exemplar teachers from schools nationwide. Cynthia Chapman of Elsie C. Johnson Elementary School in Community Consolidated School District 93 in Hanover Park, IL and Tina Skukan of St. Hilary School in the Archdiocese of Chicago in Chicago, IL are among the 31 selected teachers who exhibit best-in-class use of i-Ready and/or Ready in their classroom, illustrate growth and achievement via formal assessments, demonstrate classroom innovation and engagement practices for students, are evangelists for high standards and student achievement, and have been teaching for at least two years. Today, Curriculum Associates' programs are used by teachers in approximately 40 percent of Illinois districts. "As a company founded by passionate educators, we have deep respect for the powerful ways in which talented teachers impact the lives of their students," said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates. "We are proud to recognize Cynthia and Tina as Extraordinary Educators. We look forward to sharing their innovative practices that drive student achievement and continuing our rich history of serving Illinois schools." All Extraordinary Educators will have access to a network of peers from around the country to collaborate, connect, and learn from throughout the ear, as well as receive unique professional development opportunities from Curriculum Associates. They will also be invited to attend and present at the two-day Extraordinary Educators Leadership Summit in July 2020, as well as other professional learning events throughout the year. "I am so honored and excited to be named as one of Curriculum Associates' Extraordinary Educators," said Chapman. "And being part of this inaugural class is even more special! I always love watching my students succeed with their work with i-Ready, and they look forward to their work every day. Their individual goal setting as well as their differentiated lessons have helped my students make some nice gains! I am looking forward to learning more about how to help students and teachers over this next year with my fellow Extraordinary Educators and sharing this knowledge with others." "I am excited to be named an Extraordinary Educator because it gives me joy knowing that what I am doing in the classroom is being recognized," said Skukan. "I love being a teacher and helping students reach their full potential and goals. Teaching is a passion of mine. I am most looking forward to collaborating with other teachers to help gain more insight in how I can improve my teaching. I am always looking to learn more strategies and techniques to help me grow as a teacher." "With all the work we've done in Illinois recently to support our teachers, I understand how they're having to adapt to meet the challenges of today's classroom," said State Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates. "I am proud to see two Illinois teachers be recognized for all that they do to engage their students and prepare them for the future." To learn more about the 2020 Extraordinary Educators, please visit CurriculumAssociates.com/ExtraordinaryEducators. About Curriculum Associates Founded in 1969, Curriculum Associates, LLC designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screens and assessments, and data management tools. The company's products and outstanding customer service provide teachers and administrators with the resources necessary for teaching diverse student populations and fostering learning for all students. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/illinois-teachers-chosen-for-curriculum-associates-inaugural-class-of-extraordinary-educators-300997666.html SOURCE Curriculum Associates [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Heartless scammers have tried to cash in on the deaths of four children by starting a fake fundraiser. Siblings Antony Abdallah, 13, Angelina Abdallah, 12, Sienna Abdallah, eight, and their 11-year-old cousin Veronique Sakr, were killed on Saturday after being hit by a 4WD on a footpath at Oatlands in Sydney's north-west. Three fake fundraisers were set up under the name of Leila Abdallah - the mother of the three siblings. Mr Abdallah and his wife Leila had had six children. Three of his kids, and the daughter of his cousin, were killed on Saturday One fake page was called 'Angelina, Anthony and Sienna funeral fund' and almost raised $2,000 on Gogetfunding (pictured) One fake page was called 'Angelina, Anthony and Sienna funeral fund' and almost raised $2,000 on Gogetfunding with the boy's name spelled incorrectly, The Daily Telegraph reported. Another that has raised more than $400 was reported on Mycause called 'Abdallah family', with a third was found on FundRazr called 'Angelina, Anthony and Sienna funeral fund'. A false Facebook account was also created under Mrs Abdallah's name and was used by the fraudsters to send the fundraisers directly to people. Family friend Stephanie Zaidan told the publication the family are aware of the scams. Three siblings killed in a horror car crash on Saturday night were Antony Abdallah, 13, (right) Angelina Abdallah, 12, (left) Sienna Abdallah, nine, was killed builder in a 4WD allegedly ran into a group of seven children 'The last thing this family needs right now is to worry about fake fundraisers and information being sent around.' 'Please be mindful of what you share in whatsapp groups and Facebook.' Close friend Stuart Bond set up a real fundraiser on Facebook. 'My dear friend just lost three of his precious children,' he wrote. 'Money cannot solve this. But it can allow their father, Danny to stay at home with his wife and children where hes needed. 'Please help me help them.' Mr Bond has raised almost $5,000. Seven children were riding their bikes when they were allegedly hit by a blue 4WD (pictured) A topless man is led away by police from the scene in handcuffs following the crash about 8pm on Saturday night Samuel William Davidson, 29, is facing up to 25 years in prison if he is convicted of 20 offences including four counts of manslaughter and high-range drink driving after Saturday's horrendous crash. He has been isolated in jail over fears for his safety. The builder allegedly blew 0.150, three times over the legal blood-alcohol limit. Three others were seriously injured, including an 11-year-old boy and two girls, aged 10 and 13, who were taken to Westmead Children's Hospital. The boy woke from an induced coma on Monday morning and is in a serious but stable condition. Both girls are stable. The seven children, all from the same extended family, had been walking to buy ice cream when they were struck on Bettington Road, one of the main thoroughfares through Oatlands. NSW has emerged as the strategic winner from a $3 billion energy deal with the federal government, inking an agreement that is "not legally binding" and ensures the state faces no real penalty if it doesn't deliver on the plan to increase gas supply. Last Thursday, the federal government announced NSW had committed to a target of 70 petajoules of new gas supply in return for financial support for a range of electricity network upgrades and renewable energy investment. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Prime Minister Scott Morrison speak to the media in Sydney on Friday. Credit:AAP But The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age can reveal there are no tangible consequences if NSW misses its gas target. The memorandum of understanding signed between the governments says the agreement is not "a legally binding or enforceable document". It records the parties' responsibilities "but does not give rise to legally enforceable obligations". 4. What is the story of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope? Where is it located and why? What features of the telescope are most fascinating to you? 6. The article concludes: Joining the Inouye telescope in this coronal detective work are NASAs Parker Solar Probe, now orbiting the Sun, and the joint NASA-European Space Agency Solar Orbiter, scheduled to be launched next week, in what amounts to a new coordinated effort to investigate our old shining friend. What questions about the sun would you like scientists to investigate? How might the answers to your questions affect and benefit our lives? 7. Mr. Overbye writes: Seen from afar, stars are gentle twinkling harbingers of romance and of the mysterious secret order of the universe. Grist for campfire philosophizing and armchair astrobiology. What do you think he means by his statement? What romance or mysteries do you think stars like our sun hold? How often do you gaze at the stars at night? What do you think or feel when you stare into glistening lights in the nights sky? Going Further Choose one of the following activities: 1) Research an intriguing question about the sun. Todays featured article only scratches the surface of the surface of our sun (O.K., bad pun). Many other questions and mysteries remain: What is our sun made of? When and how did it begin? What is the weather on the sun? Why do we get sunburns and suntans? Why shouldnt you look at the sun even during an eclipse? What are the suns rogue plasma waves and magnetic islands? And many more You might consider using your research as the basis for an entry to our informational writing contest that runs until March 3, 2020, in which were challenging students to write an explanation, in 500 words or less, about any STEM-related concept that will engage and enlighten readers. 2) Do you think the United States should invest more in the study of the cosmos? In Will the United States Lose the Universe? Mr. Overbye writes that for more than a century, American astronomers have held bragging rights as observers of the cosmos. But that dominance may soon slip away: The United States is about to lose the universe. It wouldnt be quite the same as, say, losing China to communism in the 1940s. No hostile ideologies or forces are involved. But much is at stake: American intellectual, technical and economic might, cultural pedigree and the cosmic bragging rights that have been our nations for the last century. In 1917, the 100-inch Hooker telescope went into operation on Mount Wilson in California, and Edwin Hubble eventually used it to discover that the universe is expanding. Until very recently, the mightiest telescopes on Earth have been on American mountaintops like Palomar, Kitt Peak and Mauna Kea. They revealed the Big Bang, black holes and quasars. But no more. In 2025 the European Southern Observatory, a multinational treaty organization akin to CERN but looking outward instead of inward, will invite the first light into a telescope that will dwarf all others. The European Extremely Large Telescope on Cerro Paranal in Chile will have a primary light-gathering mirror 39 meters in diameter, making it 13 times more powerful than any telescope now working and more sharp-eyed than the iconic Hubble Space Telescope. There are two American-led telescope projects that could compete with the European giant, if they are ever built: the Thirty Meter Telescope, slated for construction on Mauna Kea, in Hawaii, and the Giant Magellan on Cerro Las Campanas, in Chile. But both are mired in financial difficulties and political controversies, and their completion, if it happens, is at least a decade away. The article concludes: Now, as the wheels of the academic and government bureaucracy begin to turn, many American astronomers worry that they are following in the footsteps of their physicist colleagues. In 1993, Congress canceled the Superconducting Super Collider, and the United States ceded the exploration of inner space to Europe and CERN, which built the Large Hadron Collider, about 17 miles around, where the long-sought Higgs boson was eventually discovered. The United States no longer builds particle accelerators. There could come a day, soon, when Americans no longer build giant telescopes. That would be a crushing disappointment to a handful of curious humans stuck on Earth, thirsting for cosmic grandeur. In outer space, nobody can hear you cry. What do you think? Is the United States in danger of losing its supremacy in the study of the universe? What will be lost if we do? Should the United States invest more money in the building of large-scale telescopes? 3) Should telescopes be built on sacred land? In The Thirty Meter Telescope Can Show Us the Universe. But at What Cost? John Edward Huth, a professor of physics at Harvard, writes: On the Big Island of Hawaii, Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano, rises nearly 14,000 feet above sea level. There are currently 13 telescopes on its slopes, on land managed by the University of Hawaii. Mauna Kea is ideal for astronomy: It is dry, has little turbulent air and a large fraction of clear viewing nights. But Native Hawaiians have long voiced concerns over the construction of telescopes on Mauna Kea. To them, the mountain is sacred. For the last four years, construction on a 14th telescope, the $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope, has been delayed by legal challenges. The Hawaiian Supreme Court upheld the construction permit in October 2018. Just before construction was scheduled to start in July, protesters blocked Mauna Keas main access road. Thirty-eight arrests followed. On Wednesday the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii is scheduled to consider a resolution to settle the standoff. The protests are a culmination of a long period of disregard of indigenous claims to the mountain. The dispute also underscores the disconnect between Western science and the remarkable achievements of Polynesian astronomy, which enabled navigation across the vast Pacific to connect with tiny islands mere specks, really thousands of miles away. Polynesian people had been navigating this way for centuries, well before Magellan circumnavigated the globe in the 1500s with the aid of a compass. The Thirty Meter Telescope would provide a powerful new window into the universe and be the first of its size and capacity in the Northern Hemisphere, giving astronomers access to now-hidden reaches of the sky. With the ability to image atmospheres on exoplanets, perhaps well discover evidence of extraterrestrial life. The telescope would also be able to capture images of the formation of galaxies in the early universe. But at what cost? The continued neglect of Native Hawaiian culture in favor of Western scientific supremacy is simply not worth it. Thats why the best plan forward for both indigenous science and Western science is to locate the Thirty Meter Telescope elsewhere. Do you agree? Should the plan to build the Thirty Meter Telescope on sacred lands be scrapped? Or is it more important to gather valuable information about the secrets of the universe? By PTI JAIPUR: Blood samples of four suspected coronavirus patients were sent to Jaipur's SMS Medical College for testing on Monday. Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rohit Kumar Singh said six people, one each from Jaipur, Sikar and Ajmer, and three from Jhalawar had approached the Health Department for screening. Four of them showed symptoms of coronavirus, he said, adding that they had been admitted to hospitals. ALSO READ: Kerala declares coronavirus outbreak as 'state calamity' The officer further said the Health Department had screened 4,495 passengers at the Jaipur airport for coronavirus so far. The microbiology department lab at the SMS Medical College has so far tested six samples, all of them negative for the coronavirus infection. The Legislature has approved big increases in spending under Gov. Phil Murphy, but twice has frustrated his desire for a tax surcharge on high-income residents. After this fiscal years budget was approved last spring, Murphy responded by selectively freezing $235 million in spending because without his new millionaires tax he couldnt be sure there was enough revenue for the whole budget. Legislative leaders at the time called this nonsense. Their revenue forecasting which was more accurate the prior year showed there would be plenty of revenue thanks to tax increases and a strong national economy. Murphys Treasury Department started to relent in October, releasing $114 million that had been withheld. Then two weeks ago the revenue reality could no longer be denied and the remaining $121 million was released. Among the state work being held up by the funding freeze was the second phase of Stockton Universitys Atlantic City campus. Now that it has the $4.6 million appropriated by the Legislature in the budget signed by Murphy but withheld, the college can proceed with developing a $64 million, 400-bed residential building in the Chelsea neighborhood. Lok Sabha on Monday witnessed protests by opposition members, mostly from the Congress and DMK, against the amended Citizenship Act, with Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury saying the government cannot silence people's "boli" (voice) with "goli". Chowdhury was apparently referring to Union minister Anurag Thakur's controversial "shoot the traitors" remarks made at a recent rally. Speaker Om Birla and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi asked protesting members, who had trooped into the Well as soon as the Question Hour began at 11 am, to raise their issues during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address. With opposition members carrying placards and raising slogans against the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Population Register and National Register of Citizens, the Speaker adjourned the House after a little over 10 minutes following the Question Hour. He emphasised that it was for lunch. Some Congress members were heard raising slogans, seeking "azadi" (freedom) from the CAA, NPR and NRC. Throughout their protests, Birla kept appealing to opposition members to return to their seats to raise their issues. "You can raise and discuss all issues that you want during the debate on the President's address. You will get enough opportunity. You were elected by people through democratic process and it is my responsibility to give you opportunities to raise issues concerning people," he said. When he allowed Chowdhury to speak during the Zero Hour, the Congress leader hit out at the BJP and alleged that anti- CAA protestors were fired upon and killed, an apparent reference to death of these agitators in some states, including UP, in alleged police firing. People are protesting to protect the Constitution and are carrying national flags, he said, alleging that some protestors were killed "mercilessly". "You are fake Hindus," he said in an attack on the BJP, adding that if its members were "asli (genuine) Hindus", then they would have behaved differently. Joshi told opposition members that they can raise their issues during the discussion on the motion of thanks to the President's address. Despite the protests, at least nine questions were taken up during the Question Hour, the first in the current Budget session. Some opposition members displayed placards saying 'Save India', 'Save Democracy' and 'Save Constitution'. As the protests continued, the Speaker reminded agitating members that floor leaders had assured him that the Question Hour will be allowed to be conducted smoothly. "If you want to strengthen the Constitution, discuss issues in Lok Sabha," Birla said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The father of London Bridge terror victim Jack Merritt has compared the shooting of another terrorist was like 'shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted'. Convicted terrorist Sudesh Amman was shot dead by police on Sunday after stabbing members of the public while wearing a fake suicide vest. Amman, 20, was under police surveillance as he launched his attack, having been recently released half way through his three-and-a-half year prison sentence. David Merritt, whose son Jack, 25, was murdered in December's London attack, said yesterday's incident showed the 'total failure' of Government's policy on terrorism. Jack Merritt's father David (left) and his mother Anne (right) are pictured with their son David Merritt, whose son Jack, 25, was murdered in December's London attack, said yesterday's incident showed the 'total failure' of Government's policy on terrorism He tweeted that the shooting dead of another terrorist was 'the epitome of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted'. Jack was working as a course co-ordinator on a prisoner rehabilitation programme when he was killed and his father has urged politicians to resist harsher sentencing in the wake of his death. However, after this weekend's Streatham attack, Prime Minister Boris Johnson indicated again that he was planning far-reaching reform of the sentencing of terrorists. He said in a speech: 'This is a liberal country, it is a tolerant country, but I think the idea of automatic early release for people who obviously continue to pose a threat to the public has come to the end of its useful life.' In response, Mr Merritt accused Downing Street of 'trying to distract attention' from the fact the Conservatives had been in power for the past 10 years. In a string of tweets, he said: 'Longer sentences by themselves just = kicking the can down the road, allowing prisoners to radicalise each other & build greater resentment. Leanne O'Brien, the girlfriend of Jack Merritt, is comforted by family members during a vigil at The Guildhall in Cambridge to honour him on December 2 Jack Merritt was murdered by Islamist Usman Khan (pictured), who also killed Saskia Jones during a knife rampage on November 29 last year 'Key has to be de-radicalisation, rehabilitation, supervision & diverting people from this path in the first place. 'Expect a suitable scapegoat to be found to carry the can for this; I can guarantee it won't be a minister. 'Shooting people dead on the streets after they have carried out attacks is the epitome of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted; the ultimate failure of policy. 'That is no criticism of the police; they do their jobs admirably, but it shouldn't have come to this.' The comments came as the mother of Amman described her son as a 'nice, polite boy' who was radicalised while in the high-security Belmarsh prison. Mr Johnson had already promised reform to ensure serious terror offenders served their whole sentences, after London Bridge killer Usman Khan's attack was carried out while he was out on licence from prison. However, the changes would not have applied to the Streatham attacker, who had been convicted of the less serious offence of possessing and distributing terrorist material. On Monday Mr Johnson said: 'We are bringing forward legislation to stop the system of automatic early release. The difficulty is how to apply retrospectively to the cohort of people who currently qualify.' London: Boris Johnson says Britain will be transformed into a Superman-like world champion of free trade, even as other countries turn their gaze inwards amid economic fears and the spread of coronavirus. Johnson also warned his country would accept Australian-style customs trading arrangements in order to strike new deals with economic giants the United States and China. Australia does not have a trade deal with the EU and trades under WTO rules. British PM Boris Johnson takes a question from the audience after delivering a speech on "Unleashing Britain's Potential" in London. Credit:Bloomberg The British Prime Minister's announcement, made during a major speech in Greenwich, signalled a major departure from the Brexit promise of leaving the European Union and still enjoy the "exact same benefits" of the bloc's single market. Johnson said he wanted a deal with Australia's "Prime Minister ScoMo" to be one of the "first four" trade deals Britain would strike but said he would require a complete break from EU regulations and standards to enable Britain to set its own regulations which he said in many cases exceeded those of the bulk of EU nations. The new coronavirus killed the first person outside of China over the weekend and has spread to roughly two dozen countries around the world as governments, groups, and airlines take action to try to stem its spread. Click here for updates from Feb. 4. China Agrees to Entry of American Scientists As Part of WHO Delegation China has agreed to allow American scientists into the country to help in the fight against 2019-nCov as part a team of scientists with the World Health Organization (WHO). China has accepted the United States offer to incorporate a group of experts into a World Health Organization mission to China to learn more about and combat the virus, White House spokesman Judd Deere said. Earlier on Monday, Beijing had accused the United States of fueling panic over the disease with travel restrictions and evacuations. Washington has unceasingly manufactured and spread panic, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters, noting that the WHO had advised against trade and travel curbs. It is precisely developed countries like the United States with strong epidemic prevention capabilities and facilities that have taken the lead in imposing excessive restrictions contrary to WHO recommendations, she claimed. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defended the measures. We made an aggressive decision in front of an unprecedented threat that action now had the biggest potential to slow this thing down. Thats what the theory is here, said Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, as she noted that there are already some 17,000 cases of a virus for which the population does not have immunity. Chinese stocks plunged on Monday on the first day of trading following an extended break over the Lunar New Year. 108 Princeton Students Self-Quarantine More than 100 Princeton University students were asked to self-quarantine amid fears of coronavirus infection after traveling to China within the past two weeks, the New Jersey Ivy League college announced on Monday. Michael Hotchkiss, a spokesperson for Princeton, said that 108 students have submitted a form after going to China and are currently in self-isolation, reported The Daily Princetonian. Some faculty members and staff are also self-isolating, he said. Princeton is committed to ensuring the health and safety of all members of the University community, said Hotchkiss in a statement. Guided by that principle, we are responding to the novel coronavirus based on the latest information and recommendations from government and health officials. The students have to remain indoors and not attend classes or jobs on campus for 14 days, he told NJ Advance Media. Each students needs are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis to ensure they receive appropriate assistance, Hotchkiss said. A team from across the university has been working for days to ensure that we can provide academic, housing and dining support to students who are self-isolating, the spokesman added. 2 Patients Hospitalized in San Francisco Two California coronavirus patients whose cases were confirmed by U.S. health officials over the weekend were transported to a hospital in San Francisco. The San Francisco Department of Public Health said the two patients, who are from Northern Californias San Benito County, were taken to the hospital on Monday. The San Benito County Health Department has said the pair remained at home and posed a low risk to the community. The agency didnt disclose what hospital would house the patients. The identities of the patients were also not given. SF still has zero cases of #coronavirus. We are caring for two confirmed novel coronavirus cases from another California county who require hospitalization. They arrived this morning and represent no elevated risk to the public. Statement here: pic.twitter.com/qGii3xuHeH SFDPH (@SF_DPH) February 3, 2020 The patients arrived this morning and represent no elevated risk to the public at large in the city, the agency said in a statement. The hospital is taking all appropriate precautions for patient and staff safety, it added. CCP Wont Let American Scientists Into China The Chinese Communist Party is still refusing to allow American experts into the country to help study and respond to the new coronavirus outbreak, a top American health official said on Monday. We have folks ready to go to China as soon as that offer is finalized. I understand that there still are negotiations in process on that. And really were waiting. As soon as we are allowed to go we will be there, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters on a phone call. Health Secretary Alex Azar told reporters last week that the United States offered to send a team of health experts to China amid the coronavirus outbreak but China had rejected the offer. We do hope that the Chinese government will take us up on the offer, Azar said. CDC experts are standing by, ready to go to China. Read more here. People Quarantined for Coronavirus Could be Held in Hotels, Military Bases Military bases and hotels are two types of places people quarantined on suspicion of having the new coronavirus could be held in the United States, a top health official said on Monday. Passengers arriving in the United States on commercial airlines will be directed to one of 11 U.S. airports for additional health assessments. If the travelers need to be quarantined, military bases are close to some of the airports while hotels have been identified for use for quarantined people by health officials in some of the states, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters in a call. No options are off the table, she said. U.S. officials announced a public health emergency last week over the virus, announcing new restrictions on U.S. citizens returning from China. Foreign nationals who have been to mainland China in the past two weeks wouldnt be allowed to enter the United States, officials said. The eleven airports are: John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, OHare International Airport in Chicago, San Francisco International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Hawaii, Los Angeles International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Dulles International Airport in Virginia, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Russia May Deport Foreigners With Coronavirus Russia said on Monday it may deport foreigners who test positive for coronavirus as Russian military planes flew in to evacuate its citizens from the Chinese province at the epicenter of the outbreak which has killed at least hundreds of people. Russia, which has a 2,670-mile land border with China, reported its first two cases of the virus last week in the Siberian regions of Tyumen and Zabaykalsk. Both involved Chinese nationals. Russia halted passenger trains to China as of Sunday night and the last train from Beijing rolled into Russia empty after 136 passengersall Chinese nationalswere taken off at the border, the RIA news agency reported. Moscow has already restricted direct flights to China, its largest trade partner, and the remaining flights are being routed through a separate terminal at Moscows Sheremetyevo International Airport. Starting from Tuesday, Sheremetyevo will be the only place where foreign citizens coming from China by air can enter Russia. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin told senior government officials that Moscow has formally labeled coronavirus a very dangerous disease, granting authorities enhanced powers to combat it. This will allow us to deport foreign citizens if they are found to have such a disease, and to introduce special restrictive measures, including isolation or quarantine, he said. Possible Last Flights for Foreigners From Hubei Province The British embassy in Beijing, meanwhile, said on Monday that there would be a number of new flights arranged by other countries that Britons could get on. These may be the last flights available for foreign nationals out of Hubei, the embassy said in a statement, citing the Chinese government. Hubei encompasses Wuhan, the city of around 11 million where the new coronavirus originated in December 2019. British authorities also said over the weekend that a national evacuated from Wuhan was taken to a hospital in Oxford after falling ill on the flight. Anthony May-Smith, the man who fell ill, told Sky News that he had a cough and sore throat. He was isolated and test results are pending. He said he thinks it was probably the stress of getting back and being run down more than anything. The other 10 passengers were taken to Arrowe Park Hospital. They joined 83 others who were evacuated last week. Theyll be quarantined for two weeks as health workers monitor them for symptoms of the coronavirus. Two Chinese nationals in Britain have tested positive for the virus. Lufthansa Extends Flight Suspensions Lufthansa said it was going to suspend flights to mainland China amid the coronavirus outbreak. The safety of passengers and employees is a top priority for the Lufthansa Group. After thoroughly evaluating all currently available information on the coronavirus, Lufthansa Group has decided to suspend its Lufthansa, SWISS and Austrian Airlines flights to/from Beijing and Shanghai until February 28 with immediate effect, the German company said in a statement. The flights were initially suspended until Feb. 9. Nanjing, Shenyang, and Qingdao will not be served until the end of the winter timetable on March 28, Lufthansa said. Flights to and from Hong Kong would not be affected. Hong Kong Leader Refuses to Seal Off the City From China Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has announced the additional closure of four border crossing points with China, bringing the total number of closed crossings to 10. The four crossings, to be shut down at midnight today, are Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau, Huanggang, and the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal. The remaining three open crossings are Hong Kong International Airport, Shenzhen Bay, and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Read more here. India Reports 3rd Case of Coronavirus K.K. Shailaja, health minister for Indias state of Kerala, announced a third case of coronavirus on Feb. 3, according to local outlet Business Today. The patient, who recently traveled to Wuhan, is now receiving treatment at the Kanjangad District Hospital in Kasaragod, a town in Kerala. Currently, India has three confirmed cases of coronavirus, all of them in Kerala. Coronavirus Detected on Doorknob in China Zhang Zhoubin, deputy director at Chinas Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, announced that the new coronavirus was recently found on a doorknob of a patient infected with the virus in Guangzhou, a city in southern Chinas Guangdong province, according to a Jan. 3 article by Chinas state-run newspaper Guangzhou Daily. The possibility that the new virus could be spread in different ways, including through the air by coughing and sneezing, poses greater threats as governments around the world try to contain the outbreak. A recent Bloomberg report pointed out that the virus was detected in feces in the first confirmed case of coronavirus in the United States. Maldives Bans Travelers from China Maldives tourism minister Ali Waheed, speaking at a press conference on Feb. 3, announced a ban on entry of travelers from China, according to Reuters. The ban, effective from Feb. 3, does not include Maldivian citizens, according to Waheed. Currently, direct flights between China and the Maldives have been suspended, and the South Asian country has not reported any confirmed cases of coronavirus. New York City Reports 2 New Possible Cases of Coronavirus Health officials in New York City said they are now monitoring two additional patients who are showing symptoms in line with the novel coronavirus. Both patients, who are over 60 years old, recently arrived from China. They join a third patient who health authorities said on Feb. 1 was being tested for the virus. With the best public health system in the world, New York City stands ready to respond to any confirmed cases of the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Currently, the United States has 11 known cases of coronavirus. Read more here. Mike Pompeo Says More US Flights to Bring Back Americans From China U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking at a news conference in Uzbekistan, said a handful of flights will be heading to China over the next few days to bring back Americans in Hubei Province, according to AP. Were working closely and hand-in-hand with the Chinese government to try and resolve what is now this global epidemiological challenge, Pompeo said. Well have more details exactly on when those flights will depart and when they return and how theyll return to the United States before too long. Vietnam Reports 8th Case of Coronavirus The new coronavirus patient in Vietnam is a woman who returned to the country from Wuhan on Jan. 17, local media VNExpress reported, citing the local health ministry. The woman, who returned to Vietnam with seven other coworkers abroad on the same flight, was an employee of Japan-based Nihon Plast Company, the outlet said. Of the seven coworkers, three have already tested positive for coronavirus. In Hong Kong, Hospital Workers Are on Strike to Demand Border Closure Thousands of Hong Kong hospital workers turned out in force to support a strike called by local union Hospital Authority (HA) Employees Alliance. The alliance wants the Hong Kong government to meet their five demands, which include closing the border with mainland China , ensuring adequate beds in isolation wards, and suspending non-emergency hospital services. Monday marked the first stage of the five-day planned strike. The alliance said that if the Hong Kong government is unable to respond to their demands by 6 p.m. local time, about 9,000 hospital workers, including those in the hospitals emergency units, will take part in the second phase of the strike beginning Tuesday. Read more here. Virus Worries Wipe $420 Billion Off Chinas Stock Market Investors erased $420 billion from Chinas benchmark stock index on Monday, sold the yuan and dumped commodities as fears about the spreading coronavirus and its economic impact drove selling on the first day of trade in China since the Lunar New Year. The market slide came even as the central bank poured cash into the financial system as it stood poised to post its worst day in more than four years. Read more here. US Has 11 Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus Three new cases of coronavirus have been identified in Califonia, bringing the national total to 11, according to Reuters. The 9th case involved a woman in Santa Clara County, who is now in isolation at the home of a family she is staying with. The woman, who was not sick enough to be hospitalized, recently traveled to Wuhan. Two other new cases involved a married couple in San Benito County. The husband recently went to Wuhan and apparently passed on the virus to his wife. Neither is hospitalized, according to local health officials. South Korea Quarantines 800 Soldiers as Coronavirus Precaution South Koreans defense ministry announced a set of measures on Jan. 3 as the country continues to battle the new coronavirus. Around 800 service members have been quarantined either at their residences or military bases, including around 630 people who had contact with those who traveled China, Hong Kong, and Macao recently, Choi Hyun-soo, South Koreas defense ministry spokesperson said, according to local media Yonhap News Agency. Regular training for South Koreas 2.75 million-strong reserve forces has been also postponed until after April 17. Currently, South Korea has 15 confirmed cases of coronavirus. None of these cases involve South Korean soldiers. Click here for updates from Feb. 2. Epoch Times reporter Frank Fang contributed to this article. From The Epoch Times Medical staff in protective suits treat a patient with pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus at the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China on Jan. 28, 2020. (China Daily via Reuters) Exclusive: Chinese Man in Wuhan City, Epicenter of Coronavirus Outbreak, Gets Rejected From Hospital, Later Dies As the coronavirus continues to spread inside China, a resident in the epicenter of the outbreak told The Epoch Times about her father being rejected from the hospital despite having symptoms similar to the virus. The central Chinese city of Wuhan first reported an outbreak of a viral pneumonia on Dec. 31, 2019. Authorities later traced the disease to a new strain of coronavirus, which has since spread quickly to all provinces and regions of China. Wuhan and other 16 cities in Hubei Province are now under some form of quarantine. Family Disaster The woman wishes to remain anonymous. Her family is from a rural area and makes a living as street vendors in the Hankou district of Wuhan. The lady, her husband, and her father live together in a rented apartment in Hankou. We never went to Huanan Seafood Market, the woman said. Authorities have linked the outbreak to the market, where wild game is also sold. About one week ago, my father had a fever. He treated it as a normal fever in the beginning and had some fever medicines that a clinic gave him, she said. On Jan. 24, her fathers condition became worse. My husband sent him to the Wuhan Union Hospital, but was rejected by the hospital [due to lack of space]. Then they went to the No. 5 Hospital. That hospital treated him temporarily but didnt have a hospital bed for further treatment, she explained. No facilities officially diagnosed him for the coronavirus. They had no choice but to take the father back home. In the following three days, the father visited the No. 5 Hospital for several injection treatments and stayed at home. But the situation became severe on Jan. 28. My husband begged the doctors to receive him at the hospital. But the hospital couldnt arrange a bed for him, no matter how much money wed like to pay, she said. Her father passed away that night while waiting in line for treatment at the hospital. Transmission Her husband tended to her father while the latter was isolated at home. Recently, her husband began exhibiting similar symptoms. We [the couple] are scared, she said. The daughter tried to buy disinfectants for her home. But all shops were out of supplies and couldnt find any available online stores either. After my father passed away, the hospital and the community didnt send anybody to our apartment to disinfect my fathers room, she said. We dont know what we can do. Although the central government has previously said all coronavirus patients can be treated free of charge, her family had to pay for all of her fathers medical costs. Furthermore, the hospital did not diagnose the fathers disease, which means authorities did not count the father as a coronavirus case. The woman said her husband has not gone to the hospital yet. She said hospitals are currently at capacity; they would need to wait for a long time to receive treatment. Luo Ya contributed to this report. Kolmar Pharma starts its CBD supplying business to deliver the raw ingredients imported through The Greenery and supply it to cosmetic manufacturers. / Korea Times file By Jung Hae-myoung Kolmar Pharma, a contract manufacturing organization (CMO) under Kolmar Korea Holdings, said it will start supplying cannabidiol (CBD), an active ingredient in cannabis, to cosmetics manufacturing companies in Korea, joining hands with The Greenery, the only company that imports cannabis oil. This is the first CBD business to be launched here after the government permitted cannabis use for medical purposes. The company signed an exclusive contract with The Greenery recently, and will deliver CBD raw materials to the cosmetics manufacturers from February. The Greenery will import CBD materials from Colorado in the U.S., and hand them over to Kolmar Pharma to examine and supply to manufacturers. The products will take about three months to appear on shelves. Although marijuana is still deemed an illegal drug here, medical use became legal after a revised law regarding medical marijuana for self-treatment passed the National Assembly in Nov. 2018. Cannabinoids that are extracted from hemp fall under two categories cannabidiol, which leads to physical and psychological relaxation and tetrahydrocannabidiol (THC) that induces a "high." Current law in Korea allows importing CBD materials extracted from hemp seeds, stems and roots that do not contain any THC. The Greenery will extract oil from naturally-dried fully-grown hemp stems that already have low THC content in order to make 100 percent pure CBD oil. Pure CBD helps easing symptoms of various illnesses such as separation anxiety, epilepsy, and dementia. In other countries, such as the U.S., there is active research and product development on CBD, for effective treatment of psoriasis, atopy, acne, and dermatalgia. According to Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), there are cosmetic products, shampoos, lip balms, lotions, drinks and jellies with CBD content sold in America. "CBD cosmetic products will be manufactured from this year after receiving approval from the ministry of food and drug safety. It will be very effective for treating psoriasis by shortening the healing period," Lee Jae-yeol, the CEO of The Greenery said. "In other countries, CBD is distributed as food products, because it is more effective when consumed rather than applied to the skin," Lee said. In November last year, The Greenery also made a business agreement with "Pet territory," a nutrition supplement company for pets, to provide animal-oriented CBD products. It is also planning to sell drinks containing coconut and CBD oil in 2021, and possibly expand the business to functional food products by 2022. WASHINGTON Closing arguments Monday in President Trumps impeachment trial were aimed more toward history than to sway the outcome, one final chance to influence public opinion and set the record ahead of his expected acquittal in the Republican-led Senate. The House Democratic prosecutors drew on the Founding Fathers and common sense to urge senators and Americans to see that Trumps actions are not isolated but a pattern of behavior that, left unchecked, will allow him to cheat in the 2020 election. Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff implored those few Republicans who have acknowledged Trumps wrongdoing to prevent a runaway presidency and stand up to say enough. For a man like Donald J. Trump, they gave you a remedy and meant for you to use it. They gave you an oath, and they meant for you to observe it, Schiff said. We have proven Donald Trump guilty. Now do impartial justice and convict him. The presidents defense countered the Democrats have been out to impeach Trump since the start of his presidency, nothing short of an effort to undo the 2016 election and to try to shape the next one, as early primary voting began Monday in Iowa. Leave it to the voters to choose, said White House counsel Pat Cipollone. All thats left, as the Senate prepares to acquit Trump on charges that he abused power and obstructed Congress, is for Americans to decide now and in the November election, as the third presidential impeachment trial in the nations history comes to a close. Most senators acknowledge the House Democratic managers have essentially proven their case. Trump was impeached in December on two charges: that he abused his power like no other president in history when he pushed Ukraine to investigate rival Democrats, and he then obstructed Congress by instructing aides to defy House subpoenas. But key Republicans have decided the presidents actions toward Ukraine do not rise to the level of impeachable offense that warrants the dramatic political upheaval of conviction and removal from office. His acquittal in Wednesdays vote is all but assured. Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Marco Rubio of Florida and Rob Portman of Ohio are among those who acknowledged the inappropriateness of Trumps actions, but said they would not vote to hear more testimony or to convict. What message does that send? asked Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., a House prosecutor. He warned senators that for Trump, the past is prologue. He urged the Senate to realize its failure to convict will allow the presidents misconduct to stand. The House Democrats unveiled a striking case centered on Trumps personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, running an alternative foreign policy that drew alarm at the highest levels. As part of the scheme, Trump held up $391 million in U.S. aid from Ukraine, a fragile ally battling Russia, for his personal political gain, they argued. The money was eventually released after Congress intervened. As Chief Justice John Roberts presided, the House managers opened with a plea from Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., a freshman and former Army Ranger: We cannot and should not leave our common sense at the door. The final Senate vote on impeachment is expected Wednesday. Lisa Mascaro and Eric Tucker are Associated Press writers. The number of assaults in Oberstown Children's Detention Centre in Dublin increased by 18% last year. There were 32 in 2019 and 27 the year before, according to new Freedom of Information figures. An experienced Italian trekker who died in the Blue Mountains eased his father's concerns about the day trip by telling him the recent bushfires had caused the region's snake population to flee. The body of Mattia Fiaschini, 24, was found on Sunday after he was last seen on January 29 leaving Blackheath Railway Station in the Blue Mountains, 50km north-west of Sydney. He had been taking a day trip and was reported missing when he didn't show up for work in Alexandria, in Sydney's inner-city, the following day. His body has been retrieved but the cause of his death remains unclear. Mattia Fiaschini, 24, was last seen on January 29 leaving Blackheath Railway Station (CCTV pictured) Mattia's father, Rodolfo Fiaschini, and mother are flying to Australia to collect his body Mattia's father, Rodolfo Fiaschini, told Italian media over the weekend that his son - who worked as a waiter at a Sydney cafe - had been living in Australia for two years and was planning to return to Italy this month. Mr Fiaschini said Mattia was a fit and experienced hiker who had trekked in the Himalayas and Amazon. The 24-year-old had reassured his father ahead of the Blue Mountains trip by telling him dangerous snakes in the national park were absent due to recent bushfires. 'The gigantic fire has burned a vast area but the positive side was the absence of poisonous snakes - he told this to me,' Mr Fiaschini told Italian newspaper Il Resto del Carlino before Mattia's body was found. 'He had a free day from work - he wanted to go on a day trip.' Mr Fiaschini said NSW Police were examining whether the Grose Valley fire had changed the local landscape and walking paths, confusing Mattia and causing him to stray. Mr Fiaschini said Mattia was a fit and experienced hiker who had trekked in the Himalayas and Amazon Mr Fiaschini and his wife are expected to arrive in Australia on Monday night. After Mattia's body was located, Mr Fiaschini wrote on Facebook that his son was 'positive, sunny, sensible and generous'. 'His mother and I have always been proud to have raised Mattia and his two siblings with these qualities and values. Now I hope that he gives us from above the strength and positivity we need,' he said. His body was found at 2.30pm on Sunday near the Baltzer Lookout, in the Blue Mountains, by a search party Cesenatico mayor Matteo Gozzoli this weekend said Mattia's loss had touched the entire community and that he shared the family's pain. 'A boy that loses his life in those circumstances, in a place he loves, leaves one speechless,' Mr Gozzoli told Italian reporters. A report will be prepared for the coroner. Sri Lanka won't be allowed to be used for 'any activity' against India: President Rajapaksa Sri Lanka: No Tamil national anthem at 72nd Independence Day celebrations International oi-PTI Colombo, Feb 03: For the first time since 2016, there will be no Tamil national anthem at the 72nd Independence Day celebrations in Sri Lanka and it will only be rendered in Sinhalese, the government announced on Monday, amply demonstrating the administration's priority for the majority Sinhala community. The then Sri Lankan government in 2015 started including the Tamil national anthem as a means of achieving reconciliation with the Tamil minority community. This will be the first time since 2016 that there will be no Tamil national anthem at the Independence Day celebrations in the country. The national anthem will be sung only in Sinhala, officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Monday. Sri Lanka's Constitution provides for the singing of the national anthem in both Sinhala and Tamil. The Tamil version 'Sri Lanka Thaye' is a direct translation of 'Namo namo matha' in the Sinhala language. Sri Lanka suspends visa on arrival for Chinese travellers after 1st case of coronavirus "The national anthem in Tamil is not just another song but the Sri Lankan identity of the Tamil speaking community," said Mano Ganesan, a Tamil politician who was the former minister of national integration and had been responsible for the Tamil version being accommodated during the previous Independence Day celebrations. NEWS AT 3 PM, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 Home Affairs State Minister Maninda Samarasinghe said last week that although there will be only the Sinhala version of the national anthem at the main ceremony, at province based ceremonies, the use of Tamil version will be permitted. Sri Lankan President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa after his swearing-in ceremony in November thanked the powerful Buddhist clergy for backing his presidential bid and vowed to protect all communities, while giving foremost priority to Buddhism. He also thanked the Sinhala-majority people for electing him. While the Tamils in 2016 appreciated the symbolic gesture of recognizing them by adding the Tamil version at the Independence Day celebrations, the opposition, then led by the Rajapaksas and a majority Sinhala community member, filed a fundamental rights petition against the move. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who describes himself as "a rebel with a cause", earlier served as the country's president from 2005-2015, a period which was mired by allegations of human rights abuses, especially against the Tamils. Muslims make up nearly 10 per cent of Sri Lanka's over 21 million people, who are predominantly Sinhalese Buddhists. As Sri Lanka tightens norms on Madrasas, why it is time to take a look at the ones in India About 12 per cent of the population are Hindus, mostly from the ethnic Tamil minority. Some seven per cent of the population are Christians. There are already concerns in the country that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa's remarks may have led to apprehensions among the minority communities, who are already worried about the possibility of the return of an iron-fist rule under the Rajapaksa-duo's regime. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, February 3, 2020, 13:46 [IST] Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Daily Briefing Online on February 3, 2020 2020/02/03 Good afternoon. I'm Hua Chunying, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Glad to see you in our ministry's first online press conference. It's an unusual platform at an unusual time. But I believe we will be seeing each other in Lanting soon. Now I'm happy to take your questions. Q: Some countries announced travel restrictions on Chinese citizens. Specifically, the US has raised its China travel advisory to the highest level and temporarily banned the entry of all foreigners who traveled to China in the past 14 days starting from February 2. I wonder if you have any comment? A: Acting with a high sense of responsibility to people's health, the Chinese government has taken the most comprehensive and strict prevention and control measures after the outbreak of the epidemic, many of which have far exceeded what International Health Regulations required. As the WHO Director-General noted, China is setting a new standard for outbreak response. In the same speech, he said specifically that declaring a public health emergency of international concern is not a vote of no confidence in China. On the contrary, WHO continues to have confidence in China's capacity to control the outbreak. There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel. Most countries appreciate and support China's efforts to fight against the novel coronavirus, and we understand and respect them when they adopt or enhance quarantine measures at border entry. But in the meantime, some countries, the US in particular, have inappropriately overreacted, which certainly runs counter to WHO advice. The US government hasn't provided any substantiveassistance to us, but it was the first to evacuate personnel from its consulate in Wuhan, the first to suggest partial withdrawal of its embassy staff, and the first to impose a travel ban on Chinese travelers. What it has done could only create and spread fear, which is a very bad example. Even American media and experts doubted the government's decision, saying that the US government's restrictions on China are precisely what the WHO rejects, that the US is turning from overconfidence to fear and overreaction, and that banning the entry of visitors who traveled to China in the past 14 days is suspected to be violating civil rights instead of reducing risks of virus spreading. In fact, according to a recent CDC report, the US flu from 2019 to 2020 has caused 19 million infection cases and at least 10,000 deaths. By contrast, by February 2, 17,205 cases of nCoV pneumonia were confirmed, 361 died and 475 cured and discharged, while there are only 11 confirmed cases in the US. The contrast is thought-provoking. I also noted that the Canadian Minister of Health said Canada won't follow the US and impose travel restrictions on Chinese or foreign nationals who have been to China. Canada believes the ban of entry has no basis, which is a sharp contrast to the US behaviors. We hope countries will make reasonable, calm and science-based judgments and responses. In an open, transparent and highly responsible attitude, China will enhance cooperation with the WHO and the international community. We have confidence and capability in winning this battle as soon as possible. Q: The Canadian government says it is waiting for Chinese government clearance to send an aircraft from Vietnam to pick up Canadian citizens from Wuhan. Can you tell me when you expect this authorization to be provided? A: China attaches great importance to the life and health of Chinese and foreign nationals in Wuhan and takes effective measures to address their concerns and needs in a timely manner. For countries wishing to evacuate their citizens out of Wuhan, we make arrangements and provide assistance to them following international customary practices and our epidemic control measures. Relevant countries have expressed thanks to us. I understand China and Canada are in communication on this. Q: How many countries have provided humanitarian aid to China so far? Which countries are preparing to send it? And which items does China need the most? A: Since the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak, some countries have expressed understanding and support to China through various means. As of noon February 2, epidemic prevention and control supplies donated by the ROK, Japan, the UK, France, Turkey, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Iran, Belarus, Indonesia and the UNICEF have arrived in China. In addition, friends in many countries have also offered us support. A friend in need is a friend indeed. I'd like to thank them all. What we urgently need at present are medical supplies for prevention and control, masks, protective suits and safety goggles among other items. Q: Taiwan has complained that Italy has banned flights from Taiwan due to the WHO listing Taiwan as part of China as a "high risk" area from the coronavirus. Will China ask the WHO to list Taiwan separately so its flights are not affected by flight bans? A: Taiwan compatriots are our brothers and sisters. If they encounter difficulties overseas, we are always ready to help. The WHO is a special UN agency consisting of sovereign states. Taiwan's participation in the activities of international organizations such as the WHO must be arranged properly through cross-strait consultations under the one-China principle. The Taiwan region has timely access to information on global public health emergencies released by the WHO and information can also flow readily the other way. With these arrangements in place, Taiwan is able to cope promptly and effectively with local or global public health emergencies. Q: Is China in discussions with other countries about not imposing restrictions? Is China disappointed with those restricting Chinese citizens' entry? A: Attaching great importance to people's life and health, China has taken the most strict and comprehensive control measures that are far exceeding WHO recommendations and IHR requirements. As WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros noted, declaring a public health emergency of international concern is to help countries that have weaker health systems and are ill-prepared. WHO doesn't approve of and even rejects travel bans on China. It has said repeatedly that China has taken firm and strong actions, that it is confident in China winning this battle, and that countries need to stay calm instead of overreacting under the current circumstances. We understand the reasonable measures taken by most countries to enhance quarantine following WHO advice. However, regrettably, it was precisely the US and some other developed countries with sound health systems and advanced public health capabilities that imposed unnecessary or even excessive restrictions on China, which clearly runs counter to WHO advice. We hope some countries will see the epidemic and China's efforts in an impartial and rational manner, follow IHR provisions and the professional, authoritative advice of WHO, and take proper measures that won't unnecessarily interfere with international travel. Q: Pakistan said yesterday it will not be evacuating citizens from Hubei, saying that China has better medical facilities to handle the outbreak. Are there other countries who have expressed the same view in diplomatic discussions? A: Indeed, as Pakistani Prime Minister and foreign minister noted, they highly commend and firmly support China's efforts to fight against the nCoV. They also appreciate China's assistance for Pakistani citizens in China and express confidence in China winning this battle with the strength of its system. The Pakistani people are standing firmly with their Chinese brethren. Like Pakistan, many other countries have also expressed full confidence in China. We thank them. We have the confidence and the capability to win the fight against the outbreak as soon as possible and safeguard the life and health of their citizens in China. Q: Will President Xi's visit to Japan this year be affected by the outbreak? A: We've been in close communication with Japan. The two sides should continue working together and make sound preparations for the major diplomatic agenda in the near future. Q: Is any update on recent cases of H5N1 bird flu in Hunan? A: I'd refer you to information available online from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Q: The US still says China is refusing US offer of help. Is this accurate? A: Since the outbreak of the epidemic, some countries have provided support and assistance to help China fight against the epidemic through various means. We are grateful for that. But as far as I know, the US government has not provided any substantive help to the Chinese side yet. On the contrary, it was the first to withdraw its consulate staff from Wuhan, the first to suggest the partial withdrawal of embassy staff, the first to announce a ban on entry by Chinese citizens after the WHO made it clear that it doesn't recommend and even opposes travel and trade restrictions against China. What the US has done could create and spread panic. In a globalized world, the destinies of all countries are closely linked. In the face of a public health crisis, countries should work together to overcome the difficulties, rather than resort to beggar-thy-neighbor practice, let alone take advantage of others' difficulties. China has strengthened cooperation with the WHO and the international community in an open, transparent and responsible manner. Since January 3, we notified the US of the epidemic and our control measures altogether 30 times. Chinese Center for Disaster Control and Prevention and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held many rounds of communications on the outbreak. On January 29, China's National Health Commission replied through official channel to the US that we welcome it to join a WHO joint expert group. The US thanked China for this on the same day. On January 31, the US told China's National Health Commission that it had contacted WHO headquarters and submitted a list of US experts wishing to join the group. China will continue cooperating with WHO and countries concerned including the US to safeguard the life and health of people of all countries. Q: Is China going to evacuate more of its citizens, those from Wuhan, Hubei especially, from other countries? A: Due to the coronavirus outbreak, some Hubei citizens, especially those from Wuhan traveling overseas find themselves in difficult situations. Placing high importance on this, the Chinese government decided to make proper arrangements to bring them home. This shows how it always puts people's well-being first and its commitment to people-first governing philosophy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs took swift actions. In two days, we arranged for 4 chartered flights to bring home 399 Chinese citizens who wanted to return, showing the impressive speed of a caring motherland. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and take all necessary steps to help Chinese citizens, especially those from Wuhan, Hubei stalled in foreign countries, to tide over their difficulties. Overseas Chinese citizens in need can reach our Global Emergency Call Center for Consular Protection and Services via the 12308 hotline. Q: Recently, we've seen panic and even insulting and discriminatory comments about China's epidemic in some countries. What is your response? A: The merciless virus has brought out great warmth from our fellow human beings. In response to this unexpected epidemic, government officials and people from all walks of life in many countries have expressed sympathy, confidence and support for China's fight against the epidemic in recent days. We're deeply moved by what they've said and done for us, which will never be forgotten. In the meantime, we noted that a few extreme and irrational remarks have appeared in certain media of certain countries. We firmly reject them. As WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros put it, "This is the time for facts, not fear. This is the time for science, not rumors. This is the time for solidarity, not stigma." We hope that the international community can view the epidemic in a rational and calm way and make a science-based and measured response. China will continue to work more closely with other countries in an open, transparent and highly responsible manner to safeguard the life and health of the Chinese people and contribute to regional and global public health security. Q: What measures has China taken to safeguard the health security of foreign nationals in China, especially Wuhan since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus? How can they access information on China's prevention and control efforts? A: Attaching high importance to the well-being of foreign nationals in China, especially Wuhan, Hubei, China has taken effective measures to address their concerns and needs in a timely manner. First, Hubei has set up a 24 hour hotline (027-87122256) for foreign citizens, students and tour groups in the province to access advice and assistance. In addition, its official website and the WeChat account of Hubei Foreign Office promptly relayed information on the epidemic situation and epidemic prevention knowledge in English, French, German, Russian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. Many provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities like Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Xinjiang have sent open letters to foreign citizens working and living there, sharing with them information channels and designated treatment centers and offering services in light of local realities. Second, the MFA has set up a special column entitled "Fighting 2019-nCoV" on its website, gathering the latest information from the National Health Commission to keep foreign readers updated. Third, to help equip foreign nationals in China with prevention know-how, the National Immigration Administration translated the Public Prevention of Pneumonia Caused by Novel Coronavirus released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention into six foreign languages, namely English, French, Russian, German, Japan and Korean. They are all readily available online. Chinese diplomatic missions overseas have also been disseminating multilingual versions of the document. The measures China has taken have gone far beyond WHO and IHR recommendations. We are doing our best to contain the spread of the coronavirus within the shortest time possible. We have the confidence and the ability to win this battle. There is no need for any panic from foreign friends in China. As Director-General Dr. Tedros put it: This is the time for facts, not fear. This is the time for science, not rumors. This is the time for solidarity, not stigma. China will continue to enhance cooperation with the international community in an open, transparent and highly responsible manner to safeguard the life and health of Chinese people and foreign nationals in China. Q: Which countries have provided assistance to China for outbreak response? Could you share more information? A: Please refer to the answer I gave to Tass. Q: You just severely criticized the US government response to the outbreak. We understand the second US flight is experiencing delay - is it due to the lack of Chinese government authorization as some say? A: As I just said, the US was the first to evacuate its consulate staff in Wuhan via charter flight. Further arrangements need to be coordinated based on a variety of factors including Wuhan airport capacity to receive supplies. Q: Will the China-EU summit scheduled to be held in Beijing this year be affected or delayed because of the outbreak? A: China and the EU have been in communication via political and diplomatic channels. We will continue to make meticulous preparations for the next-stage major diplomatic agenda. Q: You just shared with us international assistance to China. I didn't hear you mention the US. But the US side said that it had offered China tremendous help in dealing with the epidemic. Could you clarify? A: Please check my reply to the NBC. Q: Has China received any request from Brazil to pick up its citizens from Wuhan? A: China has the capacity and confidence to win this war against the epidemic and protect the life and health of the Chinese citizens and foreigners in China. Brazil is a friend to China. Please rest assured that we will take good care of Brazilians in China. Q: How much international donation has China received? Which department is in charge of accepting donations? A: Some countries have provided support and assistance to help China fight against the epidemic through various means. We are grateful for that. The Ministry of Commerce is responsible for receiving donations from foreign governments and international organizations. I would refer you to the competent authorities. Q: As of now, how many of the confirmed cases in China are foreigners? A: After checking with the relevant department, as of February 2, 16 foreigners in China have been infected with the 2019 n-CoV. Among them, two have recovered and been discharged from hospital, and 14 are in quarantine and in stable conditions. Q: On January 29, Pakistan lifted restrictions on flights between Pakistan and china which were imposed temporarily. Following the decision one flight from Urumqi to Islamabad has been resumed. Will other airlines also lift restrictions? A: China and Pakistan are iron-clad friends that share a good tradition of mutual assistance. As China fights the outbreak, Pakistan has stood firmly with us, maintaining flights and pooling medical supplies all over the country to help China. We are deeply grateful and touched by such trust and confidence. China will continue to work in close communication and coordination with Pakistan to safeguard the health of Pakistanis in China. [February 03, 2020] PRISM Vision Group Announces Affiliation with The Retina Care Center PRISM Vision Group (News - Alert), the largest independent ophthalmology administrative services organization in the region, announces its affiliation with The Retina Care Center, a practice comprised of retina specialists focused on the diagnosis and treatment of vitreoretinal conditions. The Retina Care Center has 10 locations -- seven in Maryland, two in Pennsylvania and one in Delaware. "The Retina Care Center is renowned for the advanced level of care they provide to their patients," said Steven A. Madreperla, MD, PhD, President and CEO, PRISM Vision Group. "This affiliation not only expands the offering of specialized retina care available through PRISM Vision Group affiliated practices geographically, but further serves our mission to support the provision of world-class, comprehensive eyecare while building an unrivaled practice environment for our affiliated doctors and staff." PRISM Vision Group is a physician-led organization with a primary objective to affiliate and integrate with high-quality professional independent eyecare practices with the goal of building and strengthening the practice environment. "The Retina Care Center has a long legacy of providing high-quality, specialized and compassionate patient care," said Eric P. Suan, MD, FACS, founder of The Retina Care Center. "We are xcited to become affiliated with PRISM Vision Group, as our partnership will support, enhance and expand upon the services we offer, while keeping our full focus on our patients." In addition to Dr. Suan, the team includes Matthew A. Speicher, MD, Newman J. Sund, MD, PhD, Timothy D. Polk, MD and R. Ross Lakhanpal, MD, FACS. PRISM Vision Group affiliated practices benefit from improved staff training and management, access to better technology, improved front and back office services, enhanced patient communication and access to clinical trials. PRISM Vision Group's suite of administrative services allows doctors to focus on and provide better patient care. "This is an exciting time for PRISM Vision Group," said Dr. Madreperla. "We look forward to working alongside the physicians and staff of The Retina Care Center to meet our common goals of providing outstanding care to our patients and communities." About PRISM Vision Group PRISM Vision Group is the largest, independent ophthalmology administrative services organization in the region. With roots that reach back over 30 years, PRISM Vision Group is a physician-led organization with a mission to support ophthalmology practices in providing patients with world-class, comprehensive care. In addition, PRISM Vision Group has built an unrivaled practice environment for their network of affiliated physician groups and employees. To learn more, visit prismvisiongroup.com. About The Retina Care Center The Retina Care Center began operations in Baltimore, MD on August 31, 1998. Founded by Eric P. Suan, MD, the practice specializes in caring for patients with eye problems specific to the retina. Today, the practice has 10 locations Baltimore, Md., Aberdeen (News - Alert), Md., Bel Air, Md., Glen Burnie, Md., North Point, Md., Westminster, Md., Pikesville, Md., York, Pa., Hanover, Pa., and Newark, Del. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005698/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] (Newser) A Montana state lawmaker claims that the US Constitution approves of jailing or shooting anyone who identifies as socialist. State Rep. Rodney Garcia framed his remark as a question at a state party gathering in Helena on Friday, then confirmed it to a reporter the next day: "So actually in the Constitution of the United States [if] they are found guilty of being a socialist member you either go to prison or are shot," he told the Billings Gazette. "They're enemies of the free state. What do we do with our enemies in war? In Vietnam, (Afghanistan), all those. What did we do?" story continues below The Montana Republican Party promptly condemned the remarks, saying that "under no circumstance is violence against someone with opposing political views acceptable." The state's Democratic Party added that Garcia "has brazenly flaunted his conviction for a domestic dispute, called single moms deadbeats, and was only elected because he created an illegal campaign cash scam. Now he's publicly calling for people to be shot." Garcia later said he believed socialism was rising in Montana because he'd seen it in Facebook ads, per the Washington Post. His opponent in the House District 52 race, Amelia Marquez, said she wished Garcia "would continue to focus on the issues rather than this constant worry over things that are somewhat ludicrous." (Read more socialism stories.) WASHINGTON Rather than looking for controversial, statement-making guests, it appears most of the Louisiana delegation is welcoming friends and family to President Donald Trump's third State of the Union speech. The State of the Union, which will be Trump's fourth address to a joint session of Congress since taking office in 2017, will carry the theme "The Great American Comeback" and comes at the climax of Trump's impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate. "In his address, the president will lay out a vision of relentless optimism," a senior administration official said in a preview of the speech. "He will encourage Congress to work with him to continue to build an inclusive economy where the least well-off are making some of the fastest gains and where people of every background are finding new opportunities." Grace Notes: It's almost State of the Union time, so bring on the Bobby Jindal memories The Democratic response to President Donald Trumps upcoming State of the Union speech is hardly the most anticipated event in presidential po Some members of the Louisiana delegation haven't yet revealed their SOTU guests. U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, had not finalized plans as of Monday. A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, R-Alto, didn't respond to a request for information. U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, is bringing newly-elected State Senate President Page Cortez, R-Lafayette, as his guest. Cortez has been a member of the Louisiana Legislature since 2008 first in the House before moving to the Senate in 2012. He was unanimously elected Senate president last month, succeeding term-limited, longtime lawmaker John Alario of Westwego. As he has in the past, U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville, has invited an employee from the AbilityOne Program, which helps people with disabilities find work opportunities at the U.S. Capitol. Washington-native Felicia Proctor is a custodian for the U.S. Senate. "Her dedication to her work is inspiring, and Im glad to get to share this historic moment with someone whose kindness and professionalism make the Capitol a brighter place, Kennedy said. U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, a Bossier City Republican who has drawn attention in recent weeks as a member of Trump's impeachment defense team, plans to bring his daughter, Abby. Johnson and his wife, Kelly, have four children. He's traditionally brought one of them as his guest to the president's address. U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, also gave his guest invitation to a family member. He is bringing his wife, Laura, a doctor who is an advocate for people who suffer from dyslexia. The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Port Barre, plans to bring longtime friend and supporter Christian Gil, of St. Mary Parish. Four years ago, Gil was involved in some Louisiana GOP drama when he called for the party to censure Republicans Jay Dardenne and Scott Angelle because they did not endorse U.S. Sen. David Vitter in his run for governor against Democrat John Bel Edwards in 2015. By a near unanimous vote, the state GOP Central Committee voted down Gil's proposal for a public reprimand of the two the following spring. +3 President Trump's pledge to end HIV/AIDS epidemic could mean big boost to Louisiana's efforts President Donald Trumps declaration in his recent State of the Union speech that he wants to eliminate the nations HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Each lawmaker can invite at least one person to attend. Some members of leadership get additional passes. U.S. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, got two tickets to the event as the chamber's No. 2 Republican, but he gifted them to other members who wanted to bring extra guests. Scalise's tickets went to Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tennessee. The president also invites several guests to the annual address frequently mentioning them and their stories during the speech. In the past, Trump has included people with Louisiana connections among his personal guests. The full lineup of his guests hasn't yet been released, and none so far are from Louisiana. In SOTU address, Trump calls for end of resistance politics WASHINGTON (AP) Face to face with emboldened Democrats, President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Washington to cast aside "revenge, resis Tony Rankins, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and became addicted to drugs after suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, is among Trump's guests who have been revealed. According to the White House, Rankins was homeless, jobless and had been sentenced to prison multiple times before he was trained to work in construction, overcoming drug addiction and reuniting with his family. Another of Trumps guests will be U.S. Border Patrol Deputy Chief Raul Ortiz, who has been with the agency since 1991. Some lawmakers use their choice of State of the Union guests to raise awareness of issues. U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, announced Monday she plans to bring a Wisconsin dairy farmer who has been impacted by ongoing trade wars and tariffs. U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-California, has invited Courtney Wild, one of the accusers of billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Wild filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice in 2008 over a plea deal given to Epstein in her case before his death in a Manhattan jail cell, since ruled a suicide. Speier is a lead co-sponsor of legislation named after Wild that would update the federal Crime Victims Rights Act. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. New Delhi, Feb 3 : Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Monday held a review meeting here to take stock of the Novel Coronavirus situation, even as the government issued a new Travel Advisory that urged everyone to refrain from travel to China, saying travellers on return could be quarantined. Besides, from now on, anyone with history of travel to China since January 15, 2020, could be quarantined. The high-level review meeting on the preparedness for tackling the Coronavirus threat was attended by the Secretaries of Health and Family Welfare, External Affairs, Home, Civil Aviation, Department of Health Research and representatives from the ITBP border force, the Armed Force Medical Services (AFMS) and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The Cabinet Secretary has held six review meetings so far on the issue. As on Monday, 58,658 passengers from 445 flights have been screened. A total of 142 symptomatic travellers screened by the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme(IDSP) have been referred to the isolation facilities. Besides, 130 samples have been tested, of which 128 have been found to be negative. The two positive cases found in Kerala are being monitored and are clinically stable,the government said. "The second batch of 330 passengers (including 7 Maldivian citizens) from Wuhan arrived in India on Sunday. The second batch of 300 people (including 7 Maldivian citizens) is housed at ITBP Chhawla Camp and 30 are in Manesar. They are being effectively monitored." a ministry statement said. Close Boris Johnson Says UK Wants A Free Trade Agreement 'Similar To Canada's' Boris Johnson has set out his stall on post-Brexit talks with Brussels demanding a Canada-style free trade deal and vowing that Britain will not accept any EU rules on social protections and the environment. The PM has said he would be willing to accept trade arrangements more like Australias if the EU does not agree. Acting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey claimed Mr Johnson was simply re-branding a no-deal crash out scenario, attacking it as no deal in all but name. EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said Brussels was prepared to make an exceptional offer for a wide-ranging free trade agreement but said that it was conditional on retaining EU rules across a whole set of areas to uphold a level playing field. For many adolescents and adults with dysmenorrhea, the cornerstone of successful treatment is hormones. Oral contraceptive pills or other hormone based contraceptives (like implants or patches) will stop the production of prostaglandins and therefore mitigate the cramps, though some parents dislike the idea of adolescents taking hormones, or worry that having contraception may lead teenagers to be sexually active earlier. Again, its important for adolescents and their parents to feel comfortable talking this through with the doctor and with one another. Dr. Bonny said that she worries more about underlying problems when someones first menstrual period is marked by severe pain, because it may be a sign of some structural problem. And when there is progressively worsening pain and hormones dont help, doctors worry about endometriosis. The muscular uterine wall the myometrium, where cramps take place is lined with the endometrium, which thickens during the cycle and then is shed during menstruation. In endometriosis, cells such as the endometrial cells that normally line the uterus and slough off with every menstrual cycle, cued by the hormone shifts of ovulation, also grow on other organs, including the ovaries and the fallopian tubes. [Read more: The website of the Endometriosis Foundation of America. | A 2019 review of endometriosis in adolescents.] These tissues also respond to the hormonal signals, but the blood and tissue outside the uterus cannot leave the body and can cause inflammation, pain and, over time, give rise to scar tissue and adhesions. Pelvic pain including pain with intercourse and pain with bowel movements or urination is often seen as the hallmark of endometriosis, but it also causes heavy periods. In order to make this diagnosis, doctors need to do a laparoscopy, inserting a camera through a tiny incision in the abdominal wall to look for the errant endometrial tissue and the damage it may have done; theres no radiologic study that can substitute. Laparoscopy has risks, and doctors may be especially reluctant to take those risks in adolescents. Dr. Rosen, who regularly performs such laparoscopies, said that often in teenagers, the trip to the operating room is a last resort, after numerous tries with medical therapy. Its very difficult to decide when to take someone to the operating room to look for endometriosis, she said. But if the hormones dont help, laparoscopy can also be an occasion for treatment, with surgical removal of the problem tissue. And since other medical treatments for refractory endometriosis carry other risks, that surgical diagnosis is important for confirming the cause of the pain before those other options are tried. By Gwynne Dyer The peculiar thing about the "peace deal" between Israelis and Palestinians that was announced in Washington in late January was obvious at a single glance. There were President Donald Trump and his good buddy Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, together at the podium, and an audience of U.S. and Israeli officials who clapped at every opportunity. They were talking about a "two-state solution," and one of those states would have to be Palestinian but there wasn't a single Palestinian in the room. The after-life of the "two-state" principle has already been much longer than its real life. It was born in the Oslo Accords of 1993, which were based on the belief that although Israel had conquered all of historic Palestine by 1967, it could not go on ruling over millions of Arabs forever. Peace and prosperity could only come, therefore, if the Palestinians had their own state too. So the Oslo principle was that there should be two equal and democratic states living side-by-side, one Israeli and one Palestinian: the "two-state solution." But that solution didn't even survive the 20th century. Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli prime minister who signed the Oslo deal, was assassinated by a Jewish right-wing extremist in 1995. His successor, "Bibi" Netanyahu, had strangled the deal in its cradle before his first term as prime minister ended in 1999. The Oslo Accords died because Palestinian nationalists didn't want to accept a state that included only a sixth of former Palestine, and Israeli nationalists didn't see why the Palestinian Arabs should have even that much land. Indeed, since the whole area was controlled by the Israeli military, Jewish settlers were already building towns throughout the occupied zone. Yet even two decades later almost nobody admits publicly that the two-state solution is long dead, because to say that commits you to a discussion of the remaining alternatives and none of them are good. That's why even this bizarre sham "deal," cooked up by Trump and Netanyahu without any Palestinian participation, still talks about two states. At every turn of the wheel, the size of the imaginary state on offer to the Palestinians dwindles. With Israel on the brink of formally annexing all the Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, it's down to about 10 percent of former Palestine, and it will never actually happen. Yet the fictional destination of a Palestinian state must still be maintained. Why? When people saw the "concept" of a Palestinian state unveiled by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, consisting of several dozen little enclaves linked by overpasses and tunnels, many were irresistibly reminded of the "Bantustans" of South Africa. The Bantustans were created by the apartheid regime to give the illusion of freedom and self-determination for South Africa's oppressed black populations. They never fooled anybody, but they allowed the regime to claim that it did respect the democratic rights of black people. They just couldn't vote in South Africa, which was a country for white people. Kushner's map is trying to do the same trick. A real two-state solution is politically unsaleable in Israel, partly because of the Jewish majority's security concerns but mainly because the Jewish settlers want too much of the territory such a Palestinian state would be built on. But the Palestinians are not going to go away, and there are around 5 million of them. They have already lived under Israeli military rule for more than 50 years. Can you really defend leaving them under military occupation for another 50? If not, then the remaining alternatives are a two-state solution or a "one-state solution" in which Israel annexes all the occupied territories. But if Israel annexes them, then those 5 million Palestinian Arabs will be able to vote in Israeli elections and Israel ceases to be a "Jewish state," although it remains a democratic one. Or else you don't let them vote, in which case Israel becomes an apartheid state. This is why the zombie two-state solution keeps rising from its grave. Israel doesn't actually have to get the Palestinians to agree, but it must keep talking about some sort of Palestinian state or else resign itself to being simply an ethnic tyranny. Is this a sustainable long-term policy? It may well be. Israel is the regional military superpower, unbeatable by any imaginable combination of Arab states, and in any case the rest of the Arab world has largely lost interest in the plight of the Palestinians. That's why there was no need to have any Palestinians at the great unveiling of the Trump-Netanyahu "peace deal." Palestinian consent is not necessary, and when they reject it, they can be vilified for rejecting "peace." Netanyahu understands this perfectly. Whether Trump understands it doesn't even matter. Gwynne Dyer (gwynne763121476@aol.com) has worked as a freelance journalist, columnist, broadcaster and lecturer on international affairs for more than 20 years. He is the author of "Growing Pains: The Future of Democracy (and Work)." INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indian Health Service (IHS), a division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, needs technology improvements to enhance healthcare for Native Americans and Alaska Natives, according to a Health Affairs blog post written by Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine researchers. The authors urge Congress to support the needs of indigenous tribes by allocating appropriate resources and supporting oversight of a health information technology (HIT) modernization program. IHS provides health services to about 2.5 million Native Americans and Alaska Natives. This population suffers from large health disparities. On average, they live nearly 5.5 years less than other U.S. citizens and have a 60 percent higher death rate. They face many challenges, including geographic isolation and low income. These conditions combined with the fact that the needs of the 574 recognized tribes vary widely can make providing quality healthcare difficult. "HIT is a crucial part of improving IHS' ability to deliver quality care to this already marginalized community," said Theresa Cullen, M.D., M.S., senior author of the blog and associate director of the Regenstrief Institute Global Health Informatics Program. "The current system needs extensive improvements, and the proposed federal funding is not sufficient to accomplish this task, which will put the health of Native Americans and Alaska Natives further at risk." Dr. Cullen is also an IU School of Medicine faculty member. Evaluating the IHS HIT system HHS' Office of the Chief Technology Officer contracted with Regenstrief Institute on the HHS/IHS HIT Modernization Project to evaluate the HIT system and the needs of its users. The current system, Resource and Patient Management System (RPMS), was developed in the mid-1980s. In the article, the authors write that consistent underfunding of HIT within IHS has hindered RPMS' ability to keep pace with advances in HIT capabilities and user needs. The researchers used human-centered design methods and engaged with more than 2,000 RPMS users to understand how care providers felt about the system. The findings revealed: 60 percent believe RPMS needs either significant improvements or a complete overhaul to meet healthcare team needs. 30 percent rate the overall quality of RPMS as poor or very poor. 16 percent are very dissatisfied with its ability to help them do their jobs better. The research team also did a technical evaluation, which found the system will be completely unsupportable in 10 years. In addition, they discovered there was little to no interoperability between most IHS facilities, meaning patients' health records are not available to providers at different locations. Many members of the tribal population often move from one place to another, so the ability to access personal medical histories is crucial. Recommendations for improvement of IHS HIT In the Health Affairs blog, the authors write that to address health disparities in the Native American and Alaska Native population, IHS must modernize its HIT infrastructure and solutions, as well as design and implement creative methods to secure appropriate staffing and provide increased support for remote employees. They believe decisions about appropriate HIT solutions should involve input from the communities being served. In addition, they urge the IHS to engage with other government partners, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense, which are currently undergoing their own HIT modernization efforts. The authors state lessons learned by these organizations can result in immediate benefit to IHS and its patients. The VA and the Department of Defense have received substantial increases in funding to improve their technology systems, but up to this point, IHS has not received similar funding. The authors write, "This presents an opportunity for Congress to solidify their voiced support for tribes while creating an opportunity to innovate around HIT solutions for rural and resource-constrained communities." According to estimates from the National Tribal Budget Formulation Workgroup, $3 billion over a 10-year period is needed to successfully complete the modernization. The amount is consistent with VA funding. The authors' note, "Health care for tribes is a guaranteed, nation-to-nation responsibility between the United States and Tribal nations. The administration must take immediate steps to address unfulfilled trust and treaty obligations with Tribal nations by implementing a strategy to end unacceptable health disparities and urgent life-safety issues facing the AI/AN population. An adequately-sourced HIT program is essential to ensuring quality and safe care. To fulfill its obligations to this marginalized community, the administration must remember this is a start, not a finish." ### "Closing the Health Disparity Gap for American Indians and Alaska Natives through Health IT Modernization" was published on healthaffairs.org on January 27, 2020. It was written by Theresa Cullen, M.D., M.S., and Shannon Effler, MSW, of Regenstrief Institute, and Matthew Demaree, formerly of Regenstrief. About Theresa Cullen, M.D., M.S. Theresa Cullen, M.D., M.S., is the associate director of the Global Health Informatics Program and a research scientist at Regenstrief Institute. She also is the interim director of strategic planning and communications for LOINC at Regenstrief and an associate professor of clinical family medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine. Prior to joining Regenstrief, Dr. Cullen served as National Chief Medical Information Officer of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and Director of VHA Health Informatics. About Regenstrief Institute Founded in 1969 in Indianapolis, the Regenstrief Institute is a local, national and global leader dedicated to a world where better information empowers people to end disease and realize true health. A key research partner to Indiana University, Regenstrief and its researchers are responsible for a growing number of major healthcare innovations and studies. Examples range from the development of global health information technology standards that enable the use and interoperability of electronic health records to improving patient-physician communications, to creating models of care that inform practice and improve the lives of patients around the globe. Regenstrief Institute is celebrating 50 years of healthcare innovation. Sam Regenstrief, a successful entrepreneur from Connersville, Indiana, founded the institute with the goal of making healthcare more efficient and accessible for everyone. His vision continues to guide the institute's research mission. The Maharashtra State Women's Commission (MSWC) on Monday took suo motto cognizance of the Wardha incident where a woman lecturer was set ablaze by a man. The commission has issued a notice to Wardha Superintendent of Police, seeking a detailed report of the case. Earlier in the day, a 24-year-old lecturer was set ablaze allegedly by a jilted lover in Maharashtra's Wardha district near Hinganghat area.The unmarried woman has suffered approximately 40 per cent burn injuries and is being treated in a Nagpur-based hospital.Speaking on the incident, Police Inspector Satyaveer Bhandivar said, "The incident took place when the woman was heading to her college at around 7 am on Monday morning. The man threw kerosene on the woman and set her on fire. The victim was taken to the hospital by the locals present at the site. She has been taken to Nagpur for further treatment. The accused man is absconding, we are trying to search him."The police have assured that they are trying to ascertain the motive behind the incident.Meanwhile, the Nagpur based hospital has issued a medical bulletin stating that the victim has suffered 40 per cent burn injuries."The woman lecturer was brought from Primary Health Center, Hinganghat by Hinganghat police to Nagpur based Orange City Hospital and Research Institute, with history of being burnt alive in front of her academic institute today morning at around 7:15, am," hospital's statement read.Primary aid was provided to the patient and was reviewed by the Burns and Plastic Surgeon."She is noticed to be suffering from Grade III Deep dermal burns covering the scalp, face, right upper limb, left hand, upper back, full neck with an approximation of 40 per cent burns with inhalational injuries affecting respiratory system also. She is presently admitted to CCU," the statement further read.The accused, who is already married is absconding and a case has been registered in this matter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Joaquin Phoenix targeted the British Academy of Film and Television for overlooking "people of colour" in its nominations and urged the industry to dismantle a "system of oppression" in his Bafta acceptance speech. The actor, who won the best actor Bafta for his portrayal in the title role in "Joker", said he felt "conflicted" receiving the award as so many of his deserving fellow actors didn't have that same privilege. "I think that we send a very clear message to people of colour that you're not welcome here. I think that's the message that we're sending to people that have contributed so much to our medium and our industry, and in ways that we benefit from," he said onstage at the Royal Albert Hall. Both British Academy of Film and Television and Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences were heavily criticised for the lack of representation and diversity after the nominations were announced. The acting categories had shut out people of colour while no women directors were recognised in the directing segment. "I don't think anybody wants a handout or preferential treatment, although that's what we give ourselves every year. I think people just want to be acknowledged, appreciated and respected for their work. This is not a self-righteous condemnation because I'm ashamed to say that I'm part of the problem," Phoenix said. Calling himself "part of the problem", the 45-year-old actor said more than creating a diverse working environment, the issue at hand was about understanding "systemic racism". "I have not done everything in my power to ensure that the sets I work on are inclusive, but I think it's more than just having sets that are multicultural. We have to do the hard work to truly understand systemic racism. "I think it is the obligation of the people that have created and perpetuate and benefit from a system of oppression to be the ones that dismantle it. So that's on us," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The campaign for February 8 Delhi Assembly election reached its crescendo on Monday with stalwarts from the BJP, the AAP and the Congress launching a no-holds-barred attack on rivals on issues like anti-CAA protest at Shaheen Bagh and performance of the Kejriwal government. In his first first public meeting ahead of polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi trained his guns at protests against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) currently underway at Shaheen Bagh, Jamia and Seelampur, saying it was not a coincidence, but an "experiment" and a political conspiracy to destroy the country's harmony, as he accused the AAP and the Congress of fuelling the stir for vote bank politics. Union Minister and BJP in-charge of Delhi polls Prakash Javadekar targeted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying the AAP leader had called himself an "anarchist" and there is "not much of a difference between an anarchist and a terrorist". Kejriwal took out roadshows in various parts of the city, while his party tried to corner the BJP for allegedly calling him "terrorists" by releasing a video in which the kin of 'martyred' Delhi police officer, who was given compensation by AAP government, expressed their disapproval of the remarks by BJP leaders against the chief minister. BJP's firebrand leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath continued his blistering attack on Kejriwal at public meetings, saying the AAP leader has become a "toy in the hands of antisocial and anti-India elements". The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday approached the Election Commission against Yogi Adityanath, BJP MP Parvesh Verma and other BJP leaders for alleged objectionable remarks against Kejriwal, and demanded an FIR against them. "We met the CEC and raised the issue of statements of several BJP leaders. BJP MP Parvesh Verma called the CM a terrorist. We also demanded action against UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his Pakistan remark against the Delhi CM," AAP leader Sanjay Singh said. He alleged the BJP does not have any issue to raise in the Delhi assembly election and was trying to defer the polls. For the Congress, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh joined the campaign on Monday and targeted both the AAP and the BJP, saying Delhi has suffered in the turf war of the two parties and only Congress can bring development in the city. Singh, participating in a roadshow for Congress candidate from Kalkaji constituency, alleged that Kejriwal had done "nothing exceptional" by providing cheap power and healthcare in Delhi as all Congress chief ministers have been doing it in states and alleged the AAP leader was a "shifty character" who had "mastered the art of deceit and lies to mislead people". Addressing an election rally in Hari Nagar, he also hit out at the BJP, accusing it of converting "the entire country into Shaheen Bagh", using it to polarise elections in Delhi and in the process destroying India's foundations. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar tried to woo voters in Wajeerpur. He alleged that Kejriwal government did not work in areas where people from Bihar lived in Delhi. BSP supremo Mayawati also addressed a rally in support of her party candidates in Delhi elections at Talkatora stadium. She said the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) had made life more difficult for Muslims, as she appealed to the voters of Delhi not to get lured by the "enticing manifestos" of the Congress, BJP and AAP. Mayawati said if her party wins the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls, it would bring development on the lines of the BSP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, driven by the principle of "sarvajan hitaye, sarvajan sukhaye". Top BJP leaders including party president JP Nadda and Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goel, Hardeep Puri and Smriti Irani also slammed the Kejriwal government, accusing it of failing to fulfil its promises and supporting "anti-national" elements. Shah claimed that former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had promised citizenship to minorities from Pakistan but the Congress is now protesting the amended citizenship law because it is "afraid of its vote bank in Shaheen Bagh". Addressing an election rally in support of the BJP candidate from Rajinder Nagar, R P Singh, he said the February 8 polls were no longer for electing assembly members and a chief minister but were a contest between two ideologies. "On one hand, there are people who stand with Shaheen Bagh and on the other hand, there are people who enter Pakistan and avenge the death of our soldiers," he said. In his rallies, Shah and other BJP leaders have been referring to the sit-in by anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh here since December 15, asking people to vote for the BJP to show their disapproval for the stir. "Kejriwal only cheated Delhi people in past five years," Shah said in his election meetings. Irani, while addressing meetings in Srinagar, Madipur and Patel Nagar, said, "Why are Kejriwal, Congress and 'tukde tukde' gang pained if the BJP came out with the CAA for giving citizenship to victims." Campaigning for the polls will conclude on February 6 evening. The elections for Delhi Assembly's 70 seats will be held on February 8. Results will be declared on February 11. Chancellor Angela Merkel's efforts to rule out a ban on Huawei Technologies Co. have hit a wall of resistance in parliament. While the U.K. and the European Union introduced policies that allow Huawei's partial participation in next-generation wireless networks, Merkel has failed to forge a compromise with hard-line lawmakers in her Christian Democratic-led bloc who want to ban China's biggest maker of telecommunications gear, according to three officials familiar with the process. Attempts to reach an agreement last week failed and will be resumed later in February. The stalemate reflects Merkel's difficulty in asserting control in a standoff that pits trade interests with China against security concerns raised by Washington and her own intelligence agencies. Open dissent such as that over the 5G policy is uncommon in Merkel's otherwise disciplined CDU. Since the 65-year-old former physicist announced over a year ago that she wouldn't run for a fifth term, she has withdrawn from domestic politics and her agenda has at times been overshadowed by a power struggle to succeed her. The security concerns over Beijing's potential influence over Huawei are shared by many in her allied Social Democratic party and in the Foreign Ministry. Yet the balancing act is proving difficult for Merkel and her government, which are torn between an allegiance for a traditional ally and the risk of antagonizing and isolating Germany's largest trading partner by shutting out Chinese technology. "I call on us not to slip into a new form of bi-polarity," Merkel said in a speech last month in Berlin. "Rather we must try, with the results and experiences we have around multilateralism, to include a country like China and at least treat it on the same terms." Inside Merkel's chancellery, senior officials consider that a ban on Huawei would be futile, since the Chinese could potentially infiltrate another supplier if they were determined to hack into 5G communications. They are also keenly aware of the warnings from Beijing over likely retaliations if Berlin were to limit the Chinese company's access to the German market. Skeptics accuse Merkel of adhering to an outdated geopolitical view that Chinese economic development would spur political reform and a convergence of the world's most populous nation with international standards and norms. "Merkel is stuck with an idea of China that is 10 years old," Nils Schmid, a senior SPD lawmaker on the Bundestag foreign affairs committee, said in an interview last week. A group of Bundestag lawmakers is standing by a bill drafted in December that would exclude "untrustworthy" equipment vendors from the whole network, a clear reference to Huawei and a break from last week's decisions in London and Brussels that defied U.S. demands to exclude Huawei. The U.K. said that Huawei would be allowed access to the periphery of 5G networks, but not the core -- a principle that Merkel's chancellery had agreed to late last year in a concession to hawks. The hard-liners got a boost last week, when Handelsblatt reported on a classified document from the Foreign Ministry containing U.S. intelligence linking Huawei to Chinese security services, or a "smoking gun." The ministry declined to comment on the report. U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger led a delegation to Berlin in December and another to London last month as part of a Trump administration effort to warn the Europeans about Chinese technology and to alert them that intelligence-sharing across the North Atlantic is at risk. Such warnings haven't convinced the French government. France's cybersecurity chief said his agency hasn't uncovered any evidence of Huawei snooping via Europe's communications networks. "There is no Huawei smoking gun as of today in Europe," Guillaume Poupard, the head of the national cybersecurity agency ANSSI, said in an interview last week. "There is no situation with Huawei being caught massively spying in Europe. Elsewhere maybe it's different, but not in Europe." Merkel will now have to seek a compromise with lawmakers in the Bundestag, which reconvenes Feb. 10. - - - Bloomberg's Ania Nussbaum and Helene Fouquet contributed to this report. A special jet sent by the Egyptian government to bring back hundreds of Egyptian nationals from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the Coronavirus, will land in Marsa Martouh governorate for quarantine, Egypt's Minister of Health Hala Zayed said on Monday. In statements to CBC Extra News TV channel on Monday, the minister said that the special jet would land in Al-Alamein airport in Marsa Matrouh governorate, where the passengers will remain in quarantine for 14 days, which is the estimated incubation period of the coronavirus. "If any one of them suffers from an increase in body temperature, he or she will be transferred to the equipped quarantine hospital immediately," Zayed said. The Egyptian government has designated El-Negelah Central Hospital in Marsa Matrouh as a quarantine hospital. The minister of health said that the special jet carrying Egyptians who requested to return home carries families and pregnant women, in addition to a 14-member crew and a special medical team of eight doctors and nurses. An Airbus A330-200 aircraft took off from Cairo International Airport on Sunday morning bound for Wuhan with a special health ministry medical team on board. The flight has 297 seats. Cabinet spokesperson Nader Saad said late on Saturday that 306 out of a total 345 Egyptian nationals in Wuhan had requested to return home. Minister Zayed said that Marsa Matrouh governorate was chosen because it is one of the less polluted governorates in the country and it has an airport that can accommodate a large jet. "Marsa Matrouh is one the less polluted governorates in the country, this important because the coronavirus is more active in polluted areas," she said, adding pneumonia is a symptom of the coronavirus. Search Keywords: Short link: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Josep Borrell and Michel Barnier (The Jakarta Post) Brussels Mon, February 3, 2020 11:21 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20623395c 3 Opinion Insight,UK,EU,United-Kingdom,European-Union,international-relations,Brexit,diplomacy,diplomatic-relations Free On Jan. 31, the United Kingdom left the European Union. We lost a member of our family. It was a sad moment for us, for European citizens and, indeed, for many British citizens. Nevertheless, we have always respected the sovereign decision of 52 percent of the British electorate, and we now look forward to starting a new chapter in our relations. Emotions aside, Feb. 1 turned out to be historic but also undramatic. This is largely thanks to the withdrawal agreement that we negotiated with the UK, which enabled us to secure an orderly Brexit. One that at least for now minimizes disruption for our citizens, businesses, public administrations as well as for our international partners. Under this agreement, the EU and the UK agreed on a transition period, until the end of 2020 at least, during which the UK will continue to participate in the EUs customs union and single market, and to apply EU law, even if it is no longer a member state. During this period, the UK will also continue to abide by the international agreements of the EU, as we made clear in a note verbale to our international partners. So, with the transition period in place, there is a degree of continuity. This was not easy given the magnitude of the task. By leaving the Union, the UK automatically, mechanically, legally, leaves hundreds of international agreements concluded by or on behalf of the Union, to the benefit of its member states, on topics as different as trade, aviation, fisheries or civil nuclear cooperation. We now have to build a new partnership between the EU and the UK. That work will start in a few weeks, as soon as the EU27 have approved the negotiating mandate proposed by the European Commission, setting out our terms and ambitions for achieving the closest possible partnership with a country that will remain our ally, our partner and our friend. The EU and the UK are bound by history, by geography, culture, shared values and principles and a strong belief in rules-based multilateralism. Our future partnership will reflect these links and shared beliefs. We want to go well beyond trade and keep working together on security and defence, areas where the UK has experiences and assets that are best used as part of a common effort. In a world of big challenges and change, of turmoil and transition, we must consult each other and cooperate, bilaterally and in key regional and global fora, such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the Group of 20. It is perhaps a cliche but the basic truth is that todays global challenges from climate change to cybercrime, terrorism or inequality require collective responses. The more the UK is able to work in lockstep with the EU and together with partners around the world, the greater our chances of addressing these challenges effectively. At the very core of the EU project is the idea that we are stronger together; that pooling our resources and initiatives is the best way of achieving common goals. Brexit does not change this, and we will continue to take this project forward as 27. Together, the 27 member states will continue to form a single market of 450 million citizens and more than 20 million businesses. Together, we remain the largest trading bloc in the world. Together, at 27, we are still the worlds largest development aid donor. Our partners can be sure that we will stay true to an ambitious, outward-looking agenda be it on trade and investment, on climate action and digital, on connectivity, on security and counterterrorism, on human rights and democracy, or on defense and foreign policy. We will continue to live up to our commitments. We will continue to stand by the agreements that link us to our international partners, such as our existing partnership and cooperation agreement or our future Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Indonesia. Likewise, we will continue to develop strong relations with ASEAN and multilateral cooperation frameworks around the world. The EU will continue to be a partner you can trust. A steadfast defender of rules-based multilateralism, working with our partners to make the world more secure and fair. *** Josep Borrell is the European Union high representative for foreign affairs and security policy/European Commission vice president. Michel Barnier is the EU head of task force for relations with the United Kingdom. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Kamya Punjabi is all set to tie the knot with long-time boyfriend Shalabh Dang on February 10, 2020. With only a few days left for the marriage, Kamyas close friends organized a surprise celebration. The Shakti - Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki actress recently took to social media and shared some fun-filled pictures of her bachelorette party. The happy bachelorette is seen having a jolly time and posing with her girl gang in the pictures. The party saw a drop-dead gorgeous Kamya donning a sexy black spaghetti top with a red skirt and flowers. The bride-to-be thanked her gal-pals for leaving no stone unturned in all the preparations and pre-celebrations. Kamya shared a flurry of pictures of fun poses and pampering and wrote, Thank you my lovelies for the wonderful surprise. Thank you for making me feel so special. yes yes Meri Shaadi hai @chouhanmansi17 @immalapunjabi @sonia_punjabi @poojaa_singh_ @deepali_gautam @baishakhi05 @dazzling123 #shubhmangalkasha. (sic) Regarding the wedding, Kamya is set to walk down the aisle in Mumbai. According to various media reports, the pre-wedding rituals - haldi, mehendi and sangeet - will be held on February 9. This is said to be followed by a grand reception to be held in Delhi. For the uninitiated, the former Bigg Boss 7 contestant, was previously married to Bunty Negi and has a 10-year-old daughter Aara with her ex-husband. ALSO READ: Kamya Punjabi To Marry Shalabh Dang On February 10; Reception To Be Held In Delhi ALSO READ: Kamya Punjabi To Marry Next Year; Actress Says 'I'm Like A 16-Year-Old Girl Now, Madly In Love' Coming down heavily on the Congress in Lok Sabha, the BJP on Monday accused the opposition party of indulging in vote bank and creating problems like Article 370 during its rule. BJP member Parvesh Verma, who initiated the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address, also took on the Congress for its opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act, saying, "They should know that it is not Rajiv Feroze Khan government, it is Narendra Modi's government. "We will not take back CAA. It is a question of the country's integrity." He said that "they (Congress) create problems like Article 370 and 35(A)" by their "vote bank politics", and "we solve them" to strengthen India. Verma said Lord Rama gives the message of humanity but the Congress linked him with religion, and went on to add that "if opposition members chant 'Jai Shri Ram', their sins will be washed off". The BJP MP said his government was not of any particular religion. Verma also accused the Congress of removing the pictures of Lord Rama, Lord Krishna and Lord Hanuman from the original copy of the Constitution and added that these pictures were "not related to religion". He said that if his government talks about Ram Mandir, it also talks about toilets. Stressing that a strong foundation would be laid by the present government during its tenure, Verma said that in three years India will become an economic power, while the Opposition Congress will shrink. The Constitution, he said, was of foremost importance and asked the Congress "where was the Constitution when riots took place in 1984." Padma awards were given during the Congress rule "on recommendation. In contrast, they are given on merit under the BJP government," Verma said. The West Delhi MP also attacked the Congress over the policies followed by it when the party was in power in Delhi. He said that while it was the Congress government which created problems like unauthorised colonies, the BJP government has worked to solve them. Verma also said that if the BJP comes to power in Delhi, it will ensure that 'pucca' houses will be built in unauthorised colonies. He also targeted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying it had said that the number of buses will increase, but in reality the number of DTC buses has gone down in Delhi. He also said that Delhi has been alloted the maximum share from Nirbhaya fund but the money remains unutilised. "Delhi Government is giving Rs 18,000 salary to Imam... but has forgotten the priests of temples and gurudwaras," he said. Verma also referred to the Shaheen Bagh sit-in, saying it is not a protest against Citizenship Amendment Act, rather people there are saying "Pakistan zindabad, and Assam and Kashmir should be separated from India." The BJP leader also hit out at those who questioned surgical strike by India on terror camps in Pakistan. Earlier, opposition members, including those from the Congress and DMK, walked out of Lok Sabha to protest Verma's controversial remarks during a poll rally, when the BJP MP rose to initiate the debate. The TMC said that Verma's speech was for Delhi election campaign and not for debate on the President's address. Delhi goes to polls on February 8. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Adelaide woman who was high on drugs and driving a stolen car has apologised 'from the bottom of my heart' to the family of a man killed when she smashed into his delivery truck. Sophie Brine also fled the scene of the crash in the city's north in January last year. Woolworths driver Jatinder Singh Brar was killed when the cab of his truck was crushed. Sophie Brine has apologised to the family of a man killed when she smashed into his delivery truck Jatinder Singh Brar, 25, was killed when the cab of his truck was crushed by a stolen car Brine pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and string of other offences and told the District Court on Monday that nothing she could say would fix what she had done. 'Nothing I do will ever make up for this and I know sorry will never be enough,' she told the dead man's family. 'I don't expect you to forgive me but I ask can you please accept my apology from the bottom of my heart.' In a victim impact statement provided to the court, Mr Brar's mother, Kulwinder Kaur said he was her 'only hope for the rest of my life'. 'Even though I was alone when Jatinder was studying in Australia I had hope he would return to India and he would care for me and be there for me,' her statement said. 'But when I heard the news of Jatinder's death my life and my reason to live ended.' Brine wrote a letter apologising to Mr Brar's family folllowing his death Mr Brar's mother Kulwinder Kaur is endowed with grief as she revealed her son was her 'only hope for the rest of my life' The dead man's brother, Beant Kaur, described Mr Brar as a 'superhero'. 'My brother always took a stand for me. Now life is full of darkness,' Mr Kaur said in his statement. 'My brother was my strength. Nobody can replace my brother in my life.' It previously emerged that Brine, who wept in court on Monday, was near the end of a 10-year driving ban at the time of the fatal crash. She received the ban after her irresponsible driving contributed to the death of her best friend in 2010. The Adelaide woman fled the scene of the crash in the city's north in January last year as Jatinder Singh Brar, 25, was killed when the cab of his truck was crushed Brine will be sentenced over the most recent crash next month Brine, then 16, drove a vehicle which Lauren-Kay Zadow-Mulvey, 18, and another woman, 30, 'car-surfed' near Eudunda, a rural town north-east of Adelaide. The 18-year-old fell off and was killed, while the older woman was hit by a passing car and died as she tried to get help. She told the court that she had struggled to come to terms with the fatal incident in 2010. Brine will be sentenced over the most recent crash next month. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 15:41:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISTANBUL, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least 30 Syrian troops were killed in Turkish counter-fire in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said here on Monday. "We have responded in kind to these attacks and will continue to do so... We are determined to continue our operations for the security of our country, people and our brothers in Idlib," he told reporters. The retaliation came after four Turkish soldiers were killed and nine others wounded by Syrian shelling in Idlib, said the Turkish Defense Ministry. THEATRE THE FEATHER IN THE WEB Red Stitch / Midsumma, until March 1 If Nick Coyles The Feather In The Web were indeed a web, it might resemble the disordered ones woven by spiders on LSD. It sports jagged and bizarre patterns but is full of holes and not entirely fit for purpose. Michelle Brasier and Patrick Durnan Silva in The Feather in the Web, by Nick Coyle. Credit:Pier Carthew / Red Stitch The convulsive comedy premiered to critical acclaim at Sydneys Griffin Theatre Company in 2018. This new production directed by Declan Greene with a talented cast snares a share of dark and anarchic laughter, but the writing is a stylistic mess. At the plays centre sits Kimberly (Michelle Brasier), a young woman whose mother (Belinda McClory) is recovering from cancer and must grimly endure a visit from an upbeat friend. Suddenly Kimberly leaps onstage like a creature possessed, upending the comedy of bourgeois excruciation with savage slapstick. She then goes to a mall, challenges a flamboyant gay beautician (Patrick Durnan Silva) to live up to his persona, and later drives her psychotherapist mad. Gate-crashing an engagement party, Kimberly meets Miles (George Lingard) and his fiance Lily (Emily Milledge), and falls in love with Miles. Her pursuit of this infatuation leads to masochistic humiliations. Kimberly's queer bond with socially diffident Lily provides a rare spark of tenderness in a work dominated by vicious and grotesque upper-middle-class caricature, with insufficient depth to render human truths underneath. The actors struggle valiantly to suggest the latter and occasionally succeed. Milledge strikes a compelling tragicomic balance between the vapid prescriptions of culture, gender and class and the uncanniness of suffering, and conveys how profound a challenge it is to fully realise a shallow character. McClorys cynical, narcissistic mother is a brilliant black comic creation, and Durnan Silvas camp intrusions possess an effervescent silliness. OrbiMed Announces New General Partner OrbiMed is pleased to announce the promotion of David Bonita, M.D., to General Partner. David joins the firm's six existing General Partners, Sven H. Borho, Carl Gordon, Jonathan Silverstein, Carter Neild, Geoffrey Hsu and Scot Stevens. Since joining OrbiMed in 2004, David has led numerous transformative investments in innovative biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, including Loxo Oncology, Tricida, Cryterion Medical, and Therachon SAS (News - Alert), among others. "David's investments have contributed significantly to the financial returns enjoyed by OrbiMed's clients, but more importantly his companies have discovered and developed numerous therapies that treat life-threatening unmet medical needs." stated Jonathan Slverstein, a Managing Partner of OrbiMed. "David's promotion to General Partner is a recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the firm in recent decades," stated Managing Partner Carl Gordon. "We look forward to his growing organizational leadership in the years to come." David can be reached at (212) 739-6400 or [email protected] About OrbiMed OrbiMed is a leading healthcare investment firm, with $13 billion in assets under management. OrbiMed invests globally across the healthcare industry, from start-ups to large multinational corporations, utilizing a range of private equity funds, public equity funds, and royalty/credit funds. OrbiMed maintains offices in New York City, San Francisco, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Mumbai and Herzliya. OrbiMed seeks to be a capital provider of choice, providing tailored financing solutions and extensive global team resources to help build world-class healthcare companies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005520/en/ "I don't think the Bunker is going to be off of people's lips for some time". Artistic director Chris Sonnex isn't wrong. In its too short tenure of three years occupying a converted underground car park in Southwark below the Menier Chocolate Factory, the Bunker Theatre has championed new writing and artists from a diverse series of backgrounds and with a wide range of artistic viewpoints. It even recently won Fringe Theatre of the Year at The Stage Awards 2020. But now, due to a proposed redevelopment occurring on the south London site, this Off-West End venue will close its doors on 28 March after an eight-week takeover season that begins today over 80 artists will be featured as a different friend of the venue curates everything in each week, from the programming to the bar. It's this kind of progressive, rule-breaking attitude that has been at the core of the Bunker since 2016. The venue opened with Isley Lynn's Skin A Cat and has played host to such creatives as the Traverse Theatre's new co-artistic director Debbie Hannan, director Sara Joyce (Dust), theatre companies Cardboard Citizens and Damsel Productions, and actors Danny-Boy Hatchard (Eyes Closed, Ears Covered) and Daniella Isaacs (Devil with the Blue Dress). Some of WhatsOnStage's theatre professionals to look out for in 2020 lighting designer Zoe Spurr and sound designer Nicola Chang among them have also worked in this welcoming, inviting and transformative space. We spoke with Sonnex, executive director David Ralf and head of production Hannah Roza Fisher about the closing of the current venue, its legacy, the final season and a potential future elsewhere. What were you all feeling when you had to let the world know that the Bunker was closing? Hannah: "It's the kind of thing that we always knew 'could' happen the reality of being in an area that is rapidly developing into other things and being in a building that does not want to be a theatre meant that things didn't quite look as bright." David: "We had time to see the writing on the wall, as a team discuss how to share the news and put out a final season that would sum up all the support we've given to artists and producers over the last few years. It rapidly became clear that we wanted to have as many different artists in the building as possible, which led to the idea of the takeover season." Chris: "We've got Debbie Hannan and Vinnie Heaven, The Upsetters [artistic director] Marcus Bernard is the first man that I've actually programmed directly Natasha Brown, Sabrina Mahfouz, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and Abi Zakarian, the anonymous EVERYWOMAN and Caitriona Shoobridge. "What we do best is hold artists and allow them to take risks, to be themselves. It's very rare for somebody to turn around and go, 'Do whatever you want'. I've done whatever I wanted for a year and a bit, so I felt it was best for us to allow these people to own the space and see what they can do. There's no fail here it's nice to experiment with form." The Bunker Theatre's 2020 Takeover Season The Bunker Theatre In 2019, 86 per cent of writers and 90 per cent of directors working at the Bunker identified as womxn it's obvious that championing underrepresented voices is a core value for you. Chris: "If I didn't do that then I wouldn't be doing this what's the point? White, cis, heterosexual, middle class men aren't going anywhere unfortunately. And that's fine they can have their space too. But it's boring. "There aren't many working class artistic directors, directors or artists because you cannot afford to do it when this ends there's a strong possibility that I could be working in Tesco, or painting and decorating. So, if you're risking all that and still not getting any chances, what's the point of a civic space? "I never set out by the way to programme all women I programme the best work. It just so happens that womxn are bringing the best work." Hannah: "I've been really lucky in this space to almost consistently be in a room that's majority female or non-binary I'm not surprised to be surrounded by this talent. It's very easy to forget that outside of these walls that it's not the same way, because I look at all the amazing talent that we've got and wonder, 'Why aren't you everywhere? "It was interesting as well for me being in charge in a technical area as a woman, which is on the face of it very male-heavy. I know so many incredible female and non-binary technicians, stage managers, production managers and designers. But it's still seen as a boy's job." Founding executive producer Joel Fisher and founding artistic director Josh McTaggart in The Bunker Theatre Chris Gorman As a new writing venue, what do you think is needed to bridge the gap that is preventing new, emerging writers from getting into mid-scale or larger venues with more expansive work? Chris: "It's always producers, those that make this shit work. Then after that it's stage managers." Hannah: "Anyone can put on a play you can paint some chairs red, get a black box studio, pay 150 for a night and put on something with your friend doing the stage management, running the tech and this and that. But that gap upwards is f**king huge. It's about building that team who can do it the producer brings all that together. And pays people! It's that jump." It's obvious that the Bunker is more than its four walls as a converted underground car park. It's open doors and connections, people and family, making theatre and making mistakes, and chatting and exploring. Is that the future of the Bunker? Chris: "London needs the theatres that exist to be better. If we can be part of that change, if our artists are going on to bigger and better things which they are then we've done our job right. "It's also an ideology. I am overtly political, that means that the Bunker is overtly political. It's about that openness of saying this is what we believe and think. Politics with a big P but also politics with a small p." Hannah: "The point of theatre is meant to be the art. "If we can be a vague idea that you can programme womxn, queer people and black voices, that you can put on a show in a week and it be brilliant, that you can create a producer model, then it proves that people should be doing it elsewhere as well. It's not that hard to make it happen." David: "If you think about the end of the Bunker here on the 28 March those takeover weeks we've got artists and producers that we want to give a package of support to, people who will have explored this space as a civic space, who can take that to the next place they work and be insurgent within that organisation. "I joined the Bunker at a time when one of the original directors was stepping away, so to see that period of transition through has been extraordinary. We are coming to the end but there's a sense of learning what it takes to move past that first flush of youth." Voters across the board are oriented toward public education and are looking to elected officials of both parties and at all levels of government to prioritize public education and do a better job addressing it. The National School Boards Action Center (NSBAC) today released the results of its national poll of voter opinions and attitudes about public education, federal policymaking and key issues impacting public schools and student achievement. The poll, America Speaks on Public Schools: Results from the 2020 NSBAC Public Education Poll shows that voters strongly support public schools and are opposed to taking away funds from public schools to fund for-profit charters or private schools. The results were presented at the annual National School Boards Associations (NSBA) Advocacy Institute in Washington, D.C., to an audience of more than 800 school board members from across the country. Voters across the board are oriented toward public education and are looking to elected officials of both parties and at all levels of government to prioritize public education and do a better job addressing it. Funding, school safety, real world learning and teacher shortages were identified as both big problems and extremely important issues to address. While views of charter schools are mixed, the public is adamant that charter schools should be under the oversight of local school boards like other public schools. Other major findings include: 1) Voters expressed strong commitment to public schools and support for increased funding, even if it means they would pay more in taxes. Moreover, 73% of voters indicate that inadequate funding and resources for public education is a problem, 64% think funding for public schools should be increased and, for those who do think funding should be increased, 83% of them support public funding, even if means they would pay more in taxes. In fact, more than six in ten voters say they would be less likely to vote for an elected official who supported taking funds away from public schools to give to private schools. 2) Teacher shortages and school safety are top concerns for voters across the political spectrum. 67% of voters say the lack of quality teachers is a problem and 81% say this as an important issue to address. On school safety, voters want to ensure that public schools are safe 92% say it is an important issue to address. Additionally, voters support the instruction of real-world skills, with 77% saying it is an important issue to address. 3) Local school boards enjoy high favorable ratings from voters nationwide, with a strong majority (58%) saying they are favorable toward their local school board. Conversely, voters overall do not think the President or Congress, regardless of party affiliation, are paying enough attention to the state of public schools today59% think Republicans in Congress are not paying enough attention, 54% think Democrats in Congress are not paying enough attention and 58% think the President is not paying enough attention. The findings in the poll are based on the results of a nationally representative survey of 1,000 likely 2020 voters. There was an oversampling of 100 African Americans, 100 Latinx, 100 parents of school-age children and 100 battleground state voters, which allowed for a more in-depth look and examination of attitudes and the importance of public schools Going into an election cycle, its imperative that we understand what is on voters minds with regards to the challenges facing public schools today, said Frank Henderson, NSBAC President. Voters made it clear that public school funding, teacher shortages, school safety and the need to teach real-world skills are issues that they recognize as critical for elevating public schools, and they are willing to pay to achieve this important goal. NSBA Executive Director and CEO Thomas J. Gentzel added, Strong public schools are the best way for the nation to prosper. Students need support to thrive in our highly competitive world and to live a fulfilling life. As a cornerstone of our society, we need to make enhancing public education and serving the 50 million public school students our number one priority. Henderson adds, Prioritizing school safety must be at the top of our list of priorities, but to adequately meet that goal, local public schools need help from our federal elected officials to get us the resources and tools we need. At a time where the number of deadly school violence incidents has increased, more work must be done. Republican pollster, Bob Carpenter part of the bipartisan team who conducted the poll said, "Throughout the survey we see strong support for public schools including greater funding, even if it means tax increases, This support extends across gender, region and partisanship. And, voters are ready and willing to punish those elected officials who take the opposite approach and move to cut funding." Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who also conducted the poll added, With the vast majority of school-age children in this nation attending a local public school, public education continues to be an important part of communities across this nation. Our recent survey of likely 2020 voters shows voters nationwide were committed to public education, favourable toward their local schools, teachers and school boards and very supportive of increased funding for their local public schools. About NSBAC: The National School Boards Action Center (NSBAC) is a champion for public schools and the more than 50 million students who attend them. It gives people in every community in the country who support their neighborhood school a voice in our nations capital. Dedicated to its vision to strengthen public schools and provide students with the support they need to get a high-quality education, NSBAC educates, organizes, and mobilizes advocates to secure federal policies that advance public education so students can realize their dreams. NSBAC has successfully helped secure key federal policies including the landmark Every Student Succeeds Act, reinforcing the organizations commitment to students who need extra support and educational equity. NSBAC also campaigns for federal policies that enhance educational equity, expands access to educational technology, and improves student well-being. NSBAC provides national grassroots advocacy on issues important to school board members and public education. http://www.nsbac.org. Lake Research Partners (LRP) is a nationally recognized qualitative and quantitative research firm with offices in Washington, DC, New York, and California. LRP has conducted surveys and focus groups for progressive candidates, elected officials, government entities, non-profits, and foundations. Chesapeake Beach Consulting is a nationally recognized research firm that has conducted surveys and focus groups for Republican candidates at the local, state and federal level as well as numerous associations and corporations. WAKEFIELD, MI A medical issue is believed to be a factor in a vehicle crash that killed one person. Troopers from the Michigan State Police Wakefield Post responded to the scene of the two-car crash on M-28 near Jack Spur Road in Wakefield around 5:43 p.m. on Saturday. Police say 75-year-old Philip Wirtanen of Merriweather was pronounced dead at the scene. A medical condition was a factor in the crash, police say. The driver of the other vehicle, Anthony Beinhorn, 24, of Shakopee, Minnesota, was treated for minor injuries at Aspirus Ironwood Hospital. Troopers were assisted on scene by the Ontonagon County Sheriffs Department, Beacon EMS, Gogebic County Sheriffs Department, SONOCO South EMS, Bergland Township Fire Department, Michigan DNR and Iron County Dispatch. Coronavirus patients in the Wuhan, China are deliberately spitting at health care workers to spread the highly contagious respiratory virus, a South African teacher trapped in the center of the outbreak has revealed. According to an article by Latin Times, this revelation came at a time when the coronavirus scare has spread to several parts of the world. As of now, the virus has already infected more than 17,000 people in China and caused the death more than 360 people. All but one of those deaths, which was recorded in the Philippines, has occurred in mainland China. "I've heard shocking stories about infected people going out of their way to contaminate others by taking off their masks and spitting in doctors' faces," Jessica Bailing disclosed. "I saw one video of a man spitting on all of the buttons in an apartment elevator," she added. As the situation gets worse by the day, with 2000 more people infected compared to yesterday's record, the South African teacher fears leaving home, worrying she might contract the deadly disease. She said she covers herself "from head-to-toe with gloves on my hands, glasses to cover my eyes and of course, my mask." In Wuhan alone, 14,380 people have already been infected as of late Saturday, 304 of which have already died, according to Business Insider. However, there might have been more patients infected with the deadly virus than that of the record, leading scientists think. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers coronavirus as highly contagious since this strain can be easily spread from one person to another via a simple sneeze or light cough. Researchers said the first cases of coronavirus have come from the area of Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan where exotic animals are being sold for consumption. According to an article by Latin Post, the worsening situation has prompted the Chinese government to build a hospital in Wuhan City to cater patients who have coronavirus symptoms, but are no longer being accepted in the city's hospitals. Last week, China's National Health Commission announced the outbreak could peak in the next 10 days. Aside from China, there are already confirmed cases of the virus in South Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Canada, France, Finland and the United States. People who are infected by coronavirus may suffer fever, cough, and trouble breathing. However, there are experts who claim that the virus could be transmitted even with the absence of any symptoms. Meanwhile, an article by Latin Post says that more and more people are being alarmed by the outbreak of coronavirus. For instance, there have been an increase of 1,050 percent in searches using keywords such as "how do I prevent coronavirus" and "coronavirus symptoms" in just 7 days. This search trend also proves that people are showcasing their lack of knowledge of the deadly virus infection. There is also the misconception that a certain beer brand can cause an infection. Proof is an increased search for the 'corona beer virus' wherein some people associated the coronavirus to the Mexican Beer 'Corona.' WASHINGTON Syracuse community activist Mary Nelson will be Rep. John Katkos guest Tuesday night at President Donald Trumps State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol. Each member of Congress receives one guest ticket for the annual event. Nelson runs the Mary Nelson Youth Center in Syracuse. After losing two family members to violence, she started the Back to School/Stop the Violence barbecue in Syracuse. The annual event provides students with new backpacks full of school supplies. Katko said he invited Nelson to highlight the need to address poverty and reduce gang violence in Central New York. Syracuse has the nations highest concentrated poverty among blacks and Hispanics, and about half of the citys children live in poverty. In 2014, Nelsons work in Syracuse attracted the attention of Oprah Winfrey, who donated $100,000 during a surprise visit to the Mary Nelson Youth Center. Katko, R-Camillus, said he would like to hear the president discuss what he will do to help lift people out of poverty. Last month, Katko asked the Trump administration to reconsider plans to tighten work requirements for food stamps on April 1. The change could force 4,500 people in Onondaga County out of the program. Read more Trump acquittal likely after State of the Union Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. The end of 2019 saw increasing diplomatic activity between Azerbaijan and Russia, at a time when Russia wants to strengthen its profile in Azerbaijan and bring the country closer to Moscow-promoted multilateral initiatives. This is partly due to Azerbaijans increasing geopolitical importance to the West and China, being a key participant in the Southern Gas Corridor and a prospectively important one in the Belt and Road initiative (BRI). Russia also wants Azerbaijan to counterbalance its traditional South Caucasus ally Armenia, whereas Azerbaijan expects Russias assistance in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is nevertheless unlikely to materialize. BACKGROUND: On November 20-25, Azerbaijans First Vice President and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited Russia for a series of high-profile meetings including with Russias President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. She also met with Valentina Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Federation Council and senator, with whom Aliyeva attended the reopening of the Azerbaijan pavilion at the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy and took part in several other cultural and business events. Little has been revealed about the undercurrents of Aliyevas visit yet Moscow visibly attached much importance to it, signaling her growing stature in international affairs. Aliyevas visit was not only packed with high-level meetings; she was also awarded the Russian Order of Friendship. Russias major news outlets praised Aliyeva for her work to improve relations between Russia and Azerbaijan and preserving Russian culture and language in her country at a time when many post-Soviet countries seek to erase Russian influences in their public spheres. A week later, on December 2-3, Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Baku to talk about the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, yet he received a less warm reception in Baku than Aliyeva did in Moscow. Lavrovs earlier remarks about the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, referring to the ethnic Armenian population inhabiting the region, caused discontent in Azerbaijan and were rebuked by President Ilham Aliyev. In addition, Lavrov has previously suggested including representatives of the Nagorno-Karabakh de facto republic in the peace negotiations equally controversial since this would serve to legitimize the breakaway regions separatist government, which Baku refuses to do. On December 20, Aliyev took part in an informal meeting of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member states in St. Petersburg in parallel with a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). Aliyev and other heads of CIS member states that do no not belong to EEU, were specifically invited by Putin during a meeting of the Council of Heads of CIS Member Countries in October 2019 in Ashgabat. During the Ashgabat meeting, Putin urged CIS members to a create a common financial market and develop currency cooperation, thus the Kremlins underlying intention behind the December 20 CIS summit could have been to advance the idea of deeper integration within the CIS area and possibly the accession of some CIS members into EEU. IMPLICATONS: In the past few years, Russia-Azerbaijan relations have generally improved thanks to intensive political dialogue and growing bilateral trade. Military ties between Baku and Moscow have also grown, not only in terms of arms procurement but also joint military exercises and cooperation between law enforcement, border guards and special services. This has happened despite some serious disagreements, including the closure of an Azerbaijani diaspora organization in Russia in 2017 and incidents where Azerbaijan has denied Russian citizens entry to the country. Aliyevas visit to Moscow highlighted these positive dynamics, however, even more interesting is the fact that it was the First Lady instead of her husband who made this trip. Aliyevas visit underlines that since becoming Azerbaijans First Vice President in 2017, her position in the country is steadily growing. Her appointment is part of broader changes in Azerbaijans state apparatus over the last few years. Aliyev has launched unprecedented personnel changes and replaced powerful members of the old guard with young technocrats. Within this context, even the powerful Ramiz Mehdiyev, presidential chief of staff and a longtime associate of Aliyevs late father Heydar, was dismissed in October 2019 and replaced with the Western-educated technocrat Samir Nuriyev. Soon thereafter, in January 2020, the president sacked his longtime senior adviser Ali Hasanov, a vehement critic of government opponents. The official reason behind the far-reaching personnel replacement is that senior officials block reforms, yet the elite overhaul visibly targets members of the once-powerful Nakhchivan clan, a group of officials and businessmen who were closely associated with Heydar Aliyevs power base. While the purge of the old guard is not a sign that Azerbaijans political system is undergoing liberalization and democratization, it indicates a regrouping between oligarchs and powerful informal networks. It benefits the influential Pashayev family, which Mehriban Aliyeva comes from and whose members were lately appointed to several important posts. These developments have caused speculations, further fueled by the dissolution of the parliament in December 2019 and the scheduling of parliamentary elections for February 9; that the First Lady is being prepared to succeed her husband on the presidential post. Notably, the positive trend in Russia-Azerbaijan relations gained momentum after the 2018 power shift in Armenia. In order to exert pressure on Armenia, Moscow has a made series of positive gestures towards Azerbaijan, including an attempt to bring the country closer to Moscow-led integration blocks, particularly the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Moscow wants Azerbaijan to take part in other integrative economic initiatives within the CIS and perhaps the EEU, reflected by the invitation of Aliyev to the latest informal CIS summit in St. Petersburg. Azerbaijans strategic geopolitical location and hydrocarbon wealth motivate Moscow to bring the country into the CSTO and EEU. However, while some high-ranking Azerbaijani officials might be in favor of joining these Moscow-led organizations, Baku publicly ruled out this possibility in September last year. Moreover, in October 2019 Azerbaijan assumed the presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement until 2022 providing a clear answer to speculations about its changing foreign policy objectives. Indeed, Bakus non-alignment policy allows it to both maintain productive relations with the West, which is an important partner in energy cooperation, and to participate in Chinas regional trade projects bypassing Russia. Economic and military subordination to Russia would offer limited benefits for Azerbaijan. Russias economy is weakened by sanctions and volatile oil prices and cannot match the prospects offered by China, particularly in terms of foreign investment, which Baku needs in order to diversify its economy away from hydrocarbon exports. In terms of security, the Azerbaijani elite views Moscow as a crucial actor in the strategically important resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and likely hope that Russias disaffection with developments in Armenia may compel it to support Azerbaijan in resolving the conflict, or at minimum stay neutral in case of renewed fighting. Yet, despite its strained relations with Yerevan, Russia prefers to play a mediatory role when it comes to Nagorno-Karabakh and is more likely to pursue balance between the two conflicted neighbors than to take sides. CSTO membership is therefore unlikely to bring about a breakthrough for Azerbaijan in terms of conflict resolution. Moreover, as a member of both CSTO and EEU, Armenia is highly likely to veto Azerbaijans accession to both organizations. Azerbaijan also already enjoys close relations with several CSTO and EEU member states, particularly Belarus and Kazakhstan, without even joining in. CONCLUSIONS: The shake-up in Russia-Armenia relations certainly opens up new possibilities for Baku to upgrade relations with Moscow. However, the recent rapprochement is unlikely to make a substantial difference in the process of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Bakus favor, since Moscow continually avoids taking sides. Serious questions also remain regarding Azerbaijans participation in Moscow-led economic and military projects. CSTO membership would award Azerbaijan some perks in terms of arms procurement and defense cooperation, as well as an upgraded partnership with Russia, but offers limited economic and security prospects. Nevertheless, this will likely be a recurring topic in Azerbaijan-Russia relations since the Kremlin is obviously eager to speed up integration in the CIS-space and has for years been exerting strong pressure on its post-Soviet partners, such as Belarus, to accommodate these ideas. AUTHOR'S BIO: Natalia Konarzewska is a graduate of University of Warsaw and a freelance expert and analyst with a focus on political and economic developments in the post-Soviet space. Image Source: kremlin.ru accessed 2/3/20 How was it I was told by an Israeli the correct pronunciation for Isaiah is Ishaiah? Note the Ish, which we pronounce as I. I was on a plane flying to Melbourne with she who must be obeyed and sat next to a young Israeli backpacker and we yarned a bit. It didnt take me long to ascertain she was an Israeli. As it happened I had been reading a book about King Hezekiah, his relationship with the prophet Isaiah, his banning of idol worship, the renovation of the temple and scrutiny of the priests. King Hezekiah The son of Ahaz, perhaps one of the worst kings of Israel, Hezekiah became one of the good kings No, he wasnt perfect, in fact he and Isaiah had words on more than one occasion but he came to believe in Yahweh when He set the sun back 10 degrees which led to massive changes within Judah. The other kingdom of Israel had been conquered by Sargon's Assyrians and Hezekiah was determined the new king of the Assyrians, Sargons son Sennacherib, would not conquer Jerusalem. In preparation for Sennacheribs arrival, Hezekiah had the broad wall built around the city, 8m high, 7m wide, parts of which still stand today. He also had the Siloam tunnel built to bring water inside the city it also still exists. Isaiah I remember being enthralled with the book about these two and how God extended Hezekiahs life by 15 years. Isaiah proved to be a great counsellor for his king and although they didnt always agree, Hezekiah found what Isaiah prophesied soon came to be. An Israeli backpacker So, sitting next to an Israeli soon led me to talking about the book I was still reading. I was immediately picked up on pronunciation but it became the catalyst for our conversation. We talked about King Hezekiah shed never heard of him and Isaiah the prophet who she had heard of but knew very little about. I told her the basics of the story from the book, how Hezekiah had grown up with a father who was into worship of the pagan idol, Moloch, and who threw live children into a fire pit as part of his worship and was an altogether living evil. Hezekiah himself was selected to go into the fire pit but was saved when his mother, Abi, anointed him with the blood of a salamander. Later, Hezekiah married a lass said to have been the daughter of Isaiah, who had been an idol worshipper but he had already banned all pagan idols and brought the people back to worshipping the Living God, Jehovah. Some time later, Hezekiah was told by Isaiah he had an idol worshipper in his household and this was why God had deserted him in the short-term. He found the idol in his wifes bedroom and was forced by his own law to have her thrown in prison. Messianic? I soon came to realise this lass knew little about the history of Israel and I picked up on Isaiahs prediction concerning the birth of Immanuel (God With Us) some 700 or so years before the birth of Jesus. Yes, she knew about Jesus, she knew about the orthodox Jews who didnt recognise Him and had heard of the Messianic Jews (those who believe in Jesus as the Son of God). Did she believe I asked? Well, no, she had never been a religious person, life was for the living and she would worry about the afterlife when she was older. A Dilemma I knew God had placed us together on this 90-minute flight for a reason but how do I proceed? I knew I had to say something. One of my fortes is being able to speak in front of crowds or a congregation but to an individual, I wasnt so sure of myself. The Word of God Then, like a miracle, it flowed not my words but His. I started with Isaiahs prophetic words about the birth of the Living God, how it came about and what Jesus did while on this earth, why He came and what Hes doing in His followers lives now. She listened and said nothing. We landed shortly afterwards and were soon separated but before we were, she thanked me for the story Id told.. Did she believe? Ill never know but what I do know is, this lass walked off the plane knowing the truth about Jesus and what hes done for us, each and every one of us. Its not up to us to know how God works, we only need to speak into someones life and let Him carry on the work. A former senior bureaucrat at the centre of Western Australia's biggest public sector theft has not ruled out trying to get out of jail on bail while his lawyers try to ascertain if his fraud was as eye-watering as alleged. Paul Whyte. Credit:Paul Whyte, 56, and Jacob Anthonisz, 43, have been charged with two counts of official corruption. A barely recognisable former Department of Communities executive Paul Whyte, 56, appeared via video link from Hakea Prison in Perth Magistrates Court on Monday, sporting a grey beard and having clearly lost weight. His case was adjourned while he seeks legal advice, with his counsel Michael Tudori telling reporters outside court work continued to determine the scale of the fraud, which his client generally admits. Whyte previously signalled he was likely to plead guilty to more than 500 corruption charges stemming from the alleged $22 million rort. Piers Morgan has called for answers over why Streatham knife terrorist Sudesh Amman was released from jail - and said that if he had not been shot dead he would have been set free to attack again. Amman, 20, was freed last week before launching a bloody knife rampage, stabbing two people in south London yesterday before he was shot by officers on Streatham High Road. He had been jailed for three years and four months in December 2018 after admitting possessing and distributing terrorist documents, including bomb making manuals, and knife fighting guides - but was released automatically a few days ago, despite fears he still held extremist views. Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Piers Morgan said the attack was 'no surprise', adding that we 'knew after the last time this happened' that there were thousands of jihadis on Britain's streets. 'The jihadi last night, had he survived this attack, you can absolutely bet your life he'd have been let out at some stage again, it is utterly ridiculous,' Mr Morgan said. He added: 'He wanted to die a martyr killing people with knives - guess how he died, everybody, he died a martyr, trying to kill people with knives. Sudesh Amman, 20, from Harrow, fantasised about carrying out a terror attack with a blade or with acid while riding a moped and had been jailed in 2018 - before being released a few days ago Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Piers Morgan wondered how many more terrorists were out on the UK's streets hoping to 'die a martyr, killing people with knives' 'I mean literally short of walking around with a loudhailer saying ''I'm about to kill people with knives'' - it's utterly ridiculous isn't it? How many more of them are out there?' He said: 'Why are they released at all? If they're still considered a threat and theyre extremist jihadist... what are we doing releasing them?' Mr Morgan raged that we keep more than 70 prisoners locked up for life without tariff, saying that the 'monsters' that killed Lee Rigby 'will never come out of prison, because they did an act not dissimilar to this'. Michael Adebowale, 37, and Michael Adebolajo drove into Fusilier Rigby before hacking him to death near his barracks in Woolwich, South East London, in May 2013. Adebowale was given 45 years in jail for his part in the bloody attack; Adebolajo was given a whole-life term. Mr Morgan today said: 'What's the difference? What is the difference between what those killers did... Why is Lee Rigby's life considered to be worth more than the poor woman that was stabbed in the back on Streatham High Road? Armed police shot dead terrorist Amman, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, after he grabbed a knife from a shop and stabbed a man and a woman during a brutal high-street rampage in south London 'Lee Rigby was an incredibly brave man, he served his country, and his death was a outrage, but his killers will never come out of prison.' He said that what made yesterday's attack particularly extraordinary was that the reason he was shot dead by police so quickly was because he was under surveillance, as he was one of 'hundreds' being watched. Fellow host Susanna Reid said Amman was set free under the automatic release scheme after serving half his three-year four-month sentence, but was considered so much of a risk that police were following him. Amman had been jailed for three years and four months in December 2018, when he pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing terrorist documents including bomb making manuals and knife fighting guides. But he was released automatically a few days ago, despite fears he still held extremist views, paving the way for him to launch his attack on Sunday. The Henry Jackson Society has now revealed that it identified Amman in December as an extremist close to automatic early release, warning he was still too dangerous to be freed. The think tank included Amman as part of a 'new wave of released terrorists' in the wake of the London Bridge attack where Usman Khan murdered two people. A Whitehall source claimed he was released despite concerns because the law didn't give them the power to keep him in jail. 'Lee Rigby was an incredibly brave man, he served his country, and his death was a outrage, but his killers will never come out of prison,' Piers Morgan said. Pictured is Lee Rigby Residents at the bail hostel where he was believed to have been staying claim he had previously tried to take his life and had been asking for medication. Speaking after Amman was named as the attacker shot dead by police in Streatham today, Henry Jackson Society fellow Dr Paul Stott said: 'We need an immediate moratorium on the release of terrorist prisoners, whilst the government reviews each individual case.' On Sunday, while being under active police surveillance and 'very stringent licencing conditions', he launched a horrific knife rampage in Streatham, south London, leaving one man in a life-threatening condition, though he later recovered. Wearing a fake suicide vest, Amman stole a 10-inch, 3.99 blade from a convenience store and stabbed the man, in his 40s, in the stomach before knifing a female cyclist, in her 50s, in the back as he ran down the street. Armed police were on the scene within minutes, having been following him because they suspected he was going to launch a terrorist attack imminently. After he failed to stop, Amman was shot dead outside a Boots chemist. In the rush to get there, one police car crashed into a driveway on a residential street a mile away. Officers are thought to have called for back-up in a panic after seeing Amman steal the knife before launching his attack, reportedly yelling 'Allahu Akbar'. Another woman received minor injuries in the attack, believed to have been caused by flying glass following a police gunshot. France has called on Iran to free two French academics held in the Islamic Republic, indicating that the two French researchers have been unwell. Roland Marchal is a senior researcher at the Sciences Po University in Paris and Fariba Adelkhah, a Franco-Iranian dual national also from the same university have been held in the Iranian prison on suspicion of espionage. Marchal according to his lawyer, has seen his charges dropped but has been held on security-related charges. Le Figaro had reported that Adelkhah has been on hunger strike since Dec. 24 and was in extremely poor health. Speaking in a joint interview with LCI and RTL and the newspaper Le Figaro, French top diplomat Jean-Yves Le Drian criticized Iran for the detention of the two French nationals while urging Teheran to release them. We consider these detentions intolerable. We have made this known to the highest authorities, including President (Hassan) Rouhani, he said. We know that they are not in very good condition and that they are not always being treated well We think Iran would give a strong signal by releasing them. Both academics were arrested last year in the lead up to Eid religious holiday celebration. Marshal was arrested at Teheran airport upon arrival as he was planning to join his colleague who was already in the country. Just 12 months since one St Kilda icon was given a big-budget makeover, along comes the freshly renovated Prince Public Bar and fans of the neighbourhood's much-loved dives have had to hold their collective breath again. Will the seedy charms of the original be destroyed forever? Will another part of bohemian Melbourne be Blockified? The good news is that while the Prince Public Bar has been sanitised and moved upmarket (there's a $75 steak on the menu, oysters as bar snacks and Nikka whisky on the shelves), it still has the moves of a legitimate pub less St Kilda theme park, more genuine watering hole. The revamped Prince Public Bar is now flooded with light. Credit:CHRISTOPHER HOPKINS And the legendary outdoor area is intact. It seems like the brief given to designer Iva Foschia (Etta, Attica, Cutler & Co) was "let there be light". The place is flooded with the stuff, helped along by the soft white walls and beautifully restored deco-era ceiling. The massive central oval bar is all blond wood, as are the banquettes with their tweed-like upholstery. The floor is pastel-coloured tiles. And a couple of walls have been removed to make the kitchen part of the room. More than two in five undergraduate students and many others, including students attending post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses, receive a third-level grant. The grant is a means-tested payment designed to support student in higher or further education. As outlined in this column last week, SUSI has opened for applications for the 2017/18 academic year, and the advice is to apply early. Although it might take some time to collect all the required information, application is a straightforward process. Even so, there are always questions, and here are some of the most common asked by my students. Why is it important to apply early? It is essential to submit your application as early as possible for a number of reasons. Firstly, SUSI processes applications in the order they arrive, so by submitting the application as early as possible you will receive your answer in good time. Not only will this mean that any payments to which you are entitled will be available when you need them, but applicants will know in advance of registration if they are to expect payments or fee support. This will make the transition to third level a lot easier and reduce the stress of preparing and saving for college over the summer. Can I wait until I receive my offer to apply? Students should not wait until they receive a CAO offer to apply, and should submit their application even if they are not certain they will accept their place. When completing the CAO form, all applicants were asked if they intended to apply for a SUSI grant. Hopefully, anyone considering applying for the grant indicated this on their CAO. This allows SUSI to receive the applicant's offer and acceptance information electronically from the CAO, and that helps to speed up the grant payment process. However, even if you did not do this, you can still apply to SUSI. How do I know what information I need to complete my application? When beginning a SUSI application, applicants will be asked to create an account with their own login and password. Applicants will then be asked to submit information about their family circumstances as well as income and social welfare payments. Due to the nature of the information requested, it can be very helpful for applicants to complete these sections with the help of a parent. There are some very helpful, step-by-step videos online which all applicants should take some time to watch before starting their application. If, at any stage, an applicant cannot answer a question or does not have the relevant information to hand they can 'save' their progress, log out and return at a later date. SUSI will begin processing the application after it is submitted. Once all sections have been completed, the website will generate a personalised list of any documents that the applicant will need to forward to SUSI. Applicants should forward these documents when they have collected them all, and as soon as possible. SUSI advises students to check and double-check all information - especially PPS numbers and dates of birth. These small mistakes can lead to unnecessary delays to payments. Aoife Walsh is a guidance counsellor at Malahide Community School, Co Dublin Important dates Today Open Day - Blackrock FE Institute Open Evening - Bronwyn Conroy Beauty School Open Day/Interview Day - Killester College of FE Tomorrow Open Night - Bray Institute of FE MAY 26 Careers fair for students with disabilities (Ahead) 10am-2pm - Citi, North Wall Quay Mature Student Open Day - Colaiste Stiofan Naofa CFE MAY 29 Open Day - Bronwyn Conroy Beauty School Further Education & Training Fair - Kerry ETB Second Round Interviews - St John's Central College, Cork MAY 30 Mature Student Open Day - St John's Central College, Cork Q. I have received my statement of courses from the CAO and it says to check that all my exemptions are in order. How do I know if they are correct? A. There is limited information here so I cannot be completely certain about your situation. However, a number of my students came to me this week with similar questions so I will explain what has happened in their situation and perhaps it may help you. One student was concerned that her exemption from Irish was not listed on her CAO statement. We realised that she had not sent the NUI exemption form to the NUI head office in Merrion Square, Dublin. A student who feels entitled to an exemption from Irish or a foreign language must make an application to each university for which they apply that requires Irish or a foreign language for entry. This form can be downloaded from the NUI, Trinity College or University of Limerick websites. One form should be sent to the NUI office for the four NUI colleges, and to TCD and UL individually if applying for those colleges. They must be completed and returned as soon as possible. If applicants are doing this for the first time at this stage of the year, I would advise that they send an email to the CAO after their forms have been submitted to confirm the CAO has received all this information. Another student had submitted the exemption form to the NUI but her exemption had not been listed. This student had not applied, as yet, for any NUI courses and none of the courses that had been listed on the CAO required Irish for entry. If neither of these is applicable to your situation, contact the CAO. Signing an agreement with the Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka, HCL Technologies (HCL) announced the establishment of its global delivery center in Colombo. Marking its presence within the region, HCL aims at boosting employment, providing resources and skilling the local talent to serve its global clients. Founded in 1976, HCL Technologies is a next-generation global technology company that helps enterprises reimagine their businesses for the digital age. A true multinational, HCL is headquartered in India with significant global presence across various key industries and sectors. A key part of HCLs business and development strategy in Sri Lanka will be to generate local employment and provide the right skilling programs that will augment the growth of the knowledge services industry in the island. Collaborating with the BOI of Sri Lanka, HCLs local entity HCL Technologies Lanka (Private) Limited will implement its Work Integrated Education Program to foster growth by actively cooperating with local ICT and engineering institutions to develop and train the islands talent pool. Through this delivery center in Colombo global clients will be provided with valuable services in the areas comprising of Applications & System Integration Services, Infrastructure Services and Digital Process Operations. Corporate Vice President of HCL Technologies, Srimathi Shivashankar, said, It is a landmark moment for us as we begin our operations in the beautiful country of Sri Lanka. We are very happy with the progressive policies this country has and thus, we are fully prepared and committed to bring in new opportunities for the local workforce and creating ever-lasting partnerships within the region. Our valuable partnership with the BOI will help us showcase the true essence of our culture of Relationship Beyond the Contract. By imbibing our ideapreneurship culture we will be aiming to provide best-in-class support to the global clients with the help of local talent pool. Director General of the Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka, Champika Malalgoda said, We are pleased to partner with HCL Technologies one of the worlds leading technology companies to take forward our development vision for Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has built a reputation for hardworking, dedicated and talented IT professionals who have delivered innovative and futuristic IT solutions to the world. We are one of the best destinations for providing off-shore services for Information Technology Enabled Service (ITEs) as well as services related to Finance and Accounting, Legal, Insurance, Banking and Telecommunications. HCL Technologies has the resources that will enhance and empower our local IT talent to achieve the national goals set out for the sector. We are delighted with this opportunity and look forward to a longstanding partnership. MONTREAL, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- I-MED Pharma Inc., a Canadian company specializing in dry eye diagnosis and management, announced today that the company has plans to launch its newest, most advanced addition to their I-DROP artificial tear line, called I-DROP MGD. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/588af38b-f05f-42a9-ba18-2ea5d8e5ab68 I-DROP MGD is a premium, preservative-free artificial tear that helps relieve symptoms associated with evaporative dry eye. It is the ultimate eye drop for hydrating and lubricating the cornea. The unique formulation includes superior osmoprotectants and bioprotectants that stabilize and enhance the lipid layer, while reducing evaporation of the tear film. I-DROP MGD will offer patients unparalleled ocular hydration and comfort. It is a long-lasting artificial tear with blink-activated coating and re-coating of the surface of the eye, resulting in increased patient comfort and lower therapy costs to patients, with fewer daily applications required. Ilan Hofmann, Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of I-MED Pharma, stated, We are very excited to bring this exceptional product to the marketplace. I-DROP MGD is in a class of its own, resulting from many years of intensive research and development culminating in the most advanced eye drop of its kind on the market today. It provides exceptional hydration and lubrication to the cornea with very few daily applications. It is most suited for patients with moderate to severe evaporative dry eye disease with a compromised lipid layer. We are very excited to introduce this product to the eye care community and believe it to be the best solution to offer much needed relief to these patients. About I-MED Pharma I-MED Pharma is a privately held Canadian company, headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, servicing Canadian ophthalmologists, optometrists and the international eye care community. Established more than thirty years ago, I-MED Pharma Inc. creates and distributes innovative medical, surgical and veterinary eye care products. It continually researches, develops and sources the most effective and advanced solutions to eye disorders like cataracts, corneal degenerations, glaucoma, dry eye and meibomian gland disease. I-MED Pharma is proud to have been at the forefront of managing Dry Eye Syndrome as a serious disease and invests heavily in researching and developing effective dry eye products. I-MED Pharmas ocular surface disease product range includes dry eye drops , ocular hygiene , nutrition , therapeutic accessories and ocular occlusion devices . Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 04:39:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A Palestinian protester hurls stones at Israeli soldiers during clashes after a protest against the U.S. Middle East peace plan, in the West Bank city of Hebron, Feb. 2, 2020. (Photo by Mamoun Wazwaz/Xinhua) RAMALLAH, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Sunday reiterated its rejection of the U.S. Mideast peace deal, describing it as a "declaration of hostility" against the Palestinian people. "The plan poses a serious threat to the rules-based international order and the foundations of international law," according to a position paper issued by the Palestine Liberation Organization's Public Diplomacy and Policy Department. It said that the proposed plan grants Israel "immediate rewards of annexation," leaving Palestinians with no sovereignty at all. "The U.S. plan presents a disconnected and inviable archipelago of Palestinian communities stripped of any sovereignty or viability, engulfed in Israel's belly and denied of any control over borders, airspace, territorial waters security or natural resources," said the statement. According to the paper, Palestine is ready to engage in "constructive and meaningful political effort on the basis of international law, relevant UN resolutions and the Arab peace initiative," and the Palestinian leadership is ready to work with the international community to achieve a real peace on this foundation. Two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in the eye of the storm over inflammatory statements and slogans during the Delhi election campaign were the focal points of a discordant day in the Lok Sabha as a controversial speech by West Delhi parliamentarian Parvesh Verma and an attempt to speak by minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur led to booing, storming of the Well, and walkouts by Opposition MPs. Verma, who was on January 30 barred by the Election Commission from campaigning in Delhi for 96 hours for suggesting that the protesters at Shaheen Bagh would enter homes and rape and kill women, initiated the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the Presidents address in the Lower House on Monday. Taking on the Congress for its opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Verma said: They should know that it is not Rajiv Feroze Khan government, it is Narendra Modis government. The statement, which led to criticism by the Opposition benches, was a reference to Feroze Gandhi, the father of former PM Rajiv Gandhi. It appeared that the Khan reference was to suggest that Feroze Gandhi was a Muslim, though he was a member of the Parsi community. By the time Verma spoke, several Opposition members had walked out in protest against his remarks. During the course of the Delhi campaign, Verma was also seen referring to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal as a terrorist. Verma, in his speech on Monday, accused the Congress for countless corruptions and practising vote bank politics. He maintained that the protesters in Shaheen Bagh were demanding separation of Assam and Jammu & Kashmir from India. He asked the Opposition leaders to chant Jai Shri Ram to wash away the sinsof Shaheen Bagh protesters. He was banned by the EC but is supported by the BJP, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi said, adding it showed that the controversial remarks of the BJP leaders had tacit approval from the top. The Trinamool Congresss Mahua Moitra said the CAA, the National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) are the biggest betrayals to India. You put a person banned by EC to speak in Parliament, she said about the partys decision to get Verma to open the Motion of Thanks speeches. Earlier, during Question Hour, when Thakur stood up to reply to questions fielded to the finance ministry, he was heckled by Opposition leaders who stormed into the Well with slogans referring to Thakur leading shoot the traitors chants during a Delhi poll rally last month. In Rithala on January 27, Thakur was seen shouting Desh ke gaddaron ko..., to which the crowd responded, goli maaro saalon ko. On January 30, the EC had banned Thakur from campaigning in Delhi for 72 hours. On Monday, the Opposition leaders chanted slogans suggesting that such sloganeering was unacceptable. The words they used, however, were not recorded in the proceedings of the House. During Zero Hour, which followed Question Hour, the Congress floor leader, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, also lashed out at the BJP, saying its leaders were fake Hindus and the government cannot muzzle the common people with bullets, in an indirect reference to Thakurs comments and a campaign speech in which UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath said some people cannot be controlled through boli (talk) but only through goli (bullets). Proceedings in the Rajya Sabha, too, were washed out on Monday as Opposition members raised slogans against the government, demanding a debate on CAA and NPR. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to reply to Motion of Thanks debate in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The man shot dead by Scotland Yard on Sunday after he stabbed two people in the south London borough of Lambeth has been identified as Sudesh Amman, who was a teenager when convicted for terror offences in 2018 and was released from jail recently. The police described the Sunday attack in Streatham as an Islamist-related terror incident, which had similarities with the November 29 attack on London Bridge, when another convicted terrorist, Usman Khan, stabbed two people and wore a hoax explosive device. The situation has been contained and officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command are now leading an investigation into the incident. The incident was quickly declared as a terrorist incident and we believe it to be Islamist-related, said Lucy DOrs of the Metropolitan Police. Amman, 20, was under surveillance since his jail release. He had been serving a sentence for the possession and distribution of extremist material, and was released after serving half of his more-than-three-year sentence. He is reported to have continued to hold extreme views after his release. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government would on Monday announce fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences. The police said in a statement: Three people are known to have been injured in the #Streatham attack earlier this afternoon. One person is at hospital in a life-threatening condition. We are in the process of informing their family. Of the three injured, two were stabbed by Amman: One man was being treated for life-threatening injuries, and a woman with non-life threatening injuries. The third person, a woman, was injured by glass following a firearm discharge by a police officer. Chris Phillips, former head of Britains National Counter Terrorism Security Office, told the BBC that Sundays incident looks very similar to what we saw on London BridgeWe can only hope that police have dealt with it fully now and that its one person acting alone. Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP for Streatham, said: Obviously, we shouldnt make it an issue to divide us because thats what terrorism is. If we are afraid and if we are divided, then the terrorists ultimately win. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Chinese miner CITIC Pacific has isolated 20 people at its Sino Iron Ore mine in Western Australia's Pilbara as the company expanded its coronavirus precautionary measures. Last week two CITIC workers placed themselves in isolation after returning from the Hubei province in China where the deadly virus that has infected more than 17,000 globally and killed 362 people is thought to have originated. On Monday afternoon CITIC issued a statement confirming during the weekend it had placed anyone on site who had visited China since January 17 into isolation in their rooms for a 14-day period. "As a result, a total of 20 people at site are currently in isolation at the projects main accommodation village, where their wellbeing is being closely monitored and care management arrangements finalised," the company said. RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A coalition of bipartisan lawmakers, the Virginia Municipal League, the American Car Rental Association and Virginia vehicle rental operators are calling on the Virginia General Assembly to "Care Before You Share" in response to the rise of peer-to-peer vehicle sharing companies currently facilitating rental transactions without paying taxes. In fact, the Virginia Department of Taxation's Fiscal Impact Statement, submitted alongside the proposed legislation, states the following: "Both peer-to-peer shared vehicles and commercially owned rental vehicles are currently subject to the full 10 percent Motor Vehicle Rental Taxes. However, compliance within the peer-to-peer rental industry is extremely low." (SB 749) "Unfair to the Commonwealth" Michelle Gowdy, Executive Director of the Virginia Municipal League, said, "The Virginia Municipal League's position is that it is incredibly unfair to ask the residents of the Commonwealth to subsidize essential services because there are peer-to-peer vehicle rental companies who are opting out of paying their fair share." In Fiscal Year 2019, the Virginia Department of Taxation reported that the total tax revenue from the MVRT imposed at a 10 percent rate was $111,047,462 and that the revenue collected from the MVRT was distributed in the following manner: $46,756,228 to Virginia local governments to local governments $23,333,228 to the General Fund for STARS debt service to the General Fund for STARS debt service $42,537,359 for Transportation $21,262,666 to Rail Enhancement Fund $10,629,867 to Transportation Trust Fund $9,685,833 to WMATA Capital Fund $958,993 to Highway Construction Fund for Transportation To preserve this important revenue stream generated by businesses paying taxes, the "Care Before You Share" coalition supports HB 891 and HB 892 sponsored by Delegate Mark Sickles and SB 749 and SB 750 sponsored by Senator John Cosgrove. This proposed bipartisan legislation will clarify that under existing Virginia law, the peer-to-peer company not vehicle owners or "hosts" is responsible for collecting and remitting all appropriate rental taxes. As a result, all vehicle rentals would be treated the same, taxed at a 10 percent rate and thereby help fund essential services for local and state governments. "Valuable Tax Revenue Would Be Lost" In contrast, both SB 735 and HB 1539 would instead impose a completely NEW tax on peer-to-peer vehicle rentals: SB 735 would impose a NEW tax on peer-to-peer vehicle rentals at 4 percent and HB 1539 would impose a NEW tax on peer-to-peer vehicle rentals at 6 percent. The Virginia Municipal League estimates that, if peer-to-peer rentals replace 10 percent of current vehicle rentals, valuable tax revenue would be lost. In that scenario, if peer-to-peer vehicle rental companies fail to collect tax on vehicle rentals, over $11 million would be lost. If this same revenue is taxed under SB 735, approximately $6.7 million would be lost. If this revenue is taxed under HB 1539, approximately $4.44 million would be lost. "Care Before Your Share" coalition members are asking the Virginia General Assembly to stop the loss in important tax revenue by governing all consumer transactions, including peer-to-peer vehicle rentals, in a fair and consistent way. SOURCE Enterprise Holdings, Inc. The Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku constituency, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, has asked former President John Mahama and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to focus on their 'record' instead of interfering in the work of the Electoral Commission (EC). According to him, the EC cannot give the NDC victory in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary election; hence the earlier they focus on how to campaign for victory the better for them. "Whether or not the voters register is changed will not give Mahama victory," he indicated while contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo'. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Michael Beckerman Internet Association CEO Michael Beckerman is leaving his post at the trade group to join TikTok social media platform on Feb. 29. Hell be VP in charge of US public policy, a TikTok spokesperson told ODwyers. US lawmakers believe TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, poses a threat to its national security. Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) fear that TikTok may be used by Chinas government, as a tool of espionage and for spreading propaganda among millions of Americans. ByteDance spent $270K in lobbying during the second-half of 2019 on issues related to Internet technology and learning-enable content platforms. Beckerman has served as IA CEO since its founding in 2012. General counsel Jon Berroya will slide into the interim president/CEO slot on March 1. Google, Facebook, Amazon, eBay, Microsoft, Twitter and Uber are among IA members. The Edo State Government has submitted a petition to the Inspector-General of Police, and Department of State Services, DSS, for the arr... The Edo State Government has submitted a petition to the Inspector-General of Police, and Department of State Services, DSS, for the arrest of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress.The Governor Godwin Obaseki-led government also wants the former Governor prosecuted by the security agencies.Oshiomhole is accused of constantly disobeying the State governments orders.This was disclosed in Abuja on Monday by the Deputy Governor of the state, Phillip Shuaibu.. The Deputy Governor, however, stated that the Edo ex-Governor is still his father, adding that their present differences did not change that fact.The governor had earlier accused Oshiomhole of plotting to plunge the state into crisis, asking the IGP to call him (Oshiomhole) to order. He had further threatened to deal with former labour chairman if he kept disrupting activities of Edo APC.Shaibu said the petition would also be submitted to the relevant authorities, including the Department of State Services (DSS) later in the day. Leftists of the Bernie Sanders stripe couldn't stop guffawing after NBC broke the news that John Kerry was considering a late entry into the presidential race. DES MOINES, Iowa Former Secretary of State John Kerry one of Joe Biden's highest-profile endorsers was overheard Sunday on the phone at a Des Moines hotel explaining what he would have to do to enter the presidential race amid "the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party down whole." Sitting in the lobby restaurant of the Renaissance Savery hotel, Kerry was overheard by an NBC News analyst saying "maybe I'm f------ deluding myself here" and explaining that to run, he'd have to step down from the board of Bank of America and give up his ability to make paid speeches. Kerry said donors like venture capitalist Doug Hickey would have to "raise a couple of million," adding that such donors "now have the reality of Bernie." Asked about the call later Sunday, Kerry said he was "absolutely not" contemplating joining the Democratic primary race. He reiterated the sentiment in a tweet later, saying "any report otherwise is f------ (or categorically) false." Minutes later, he deleted the tweet and reposted it without the expletive. Here's how the Bernie bros took it: Run you stupid Frankenstein. Lose even worse this time ketchup boy Nick Thunder Wiger (@nickwiger) February 2, 2020 this is by far the funniest primary ever dave (@dave_k12) February 2, 2020 ive been thinking that what this primary has been lacking is the most boring human being in the entire world daniel (@mauvetowers) February 2, 2020 They sound like Republicans, except that on the right, the coda is "Run, Lurch, Run." Both sides know the same thing: Bernie's rise is a disaster for Democrats. While Republicans can see that Sanders threatens the entire economy, Democrats see something else: that Sanders threatens the entire Democratic power establishment. It's as if the "squad" is engulfing the Democratic Party establishment like a house fire, in the same way these Bernie-ites overwhelmed House speaker Nancy Pelosi into going through with the now failed Trump impeachment bid, only worse. Joe Biden is not cutting it. Elizabeth Warren is cratering. Pete Buttigieg is going nowhere. Bloomberg is an anathema... They've been trying to save their burning edifice, most recently by bending their own rules to allow the entry of Michael Bloomberg into the next debate. They've wheeled out President Obama to warn against extremists in the party. Speaker Pelosi has warned Democrats in private. But for the Democratic establishment, the Bernie fire in the house just keeps getting bigger. Sanders is now at the top of the Iowa polls, and they're trying to hide even that. As Kerry was overheard later saying, Sanders against President Trump would take the party "down whole." Kerry has since denied, with profanity (later reposted without profanity), that he is really running. Conservative Treehouse points out what's going on: Chris Heinz and Hunter Biden were friends in business together, each cashing-in on the influence held by their fathers' [sic] John Kerry and Joe Biden. Considering the likelihood Joe Biden was only running for President in order to: (1) shield himself from scrutiny, and (2) establish the cornerstone of the impeachment effort; it makes complete sense for John Kerry to be the participating campaign handler. With Biden's impeachment usefulness now exhausted by DC engineers, there's no reason to prop-up his candidacy. He's dropping like a proverbial rock. However the risk to Biden and Kerry still exists (see Lindsey Graham interview today), thus Kerry is anxious. That's an establishment going down in flames, desperate to save whatever it can now. Fireman John Kerry, who's got a lot of stuff inside, a lot of baggage to save, a big rice bowl to protect as the flames lick, is now "reporting for duty." He's got the Burisma stuff and all sorts of stuff to protect, as do so many in the Democratic establishment. No wonder he was overheard in that state of desperation. This is wretched. No wonder the Bernie bros are sounding like firebugs or maybe little pitchfork demons, enjoying the inferno. Image credit: Washington Free Beacon via shareable YouTube screen shot. The Carter Center, Georgia Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, and Voices for Georgias Children Convene Georgias Leading School-Based Mental Health Experts to Advance Mental Health and Well-Being in Georgia ATLANTA (Feb. 3, 2020) - The third of six regional School-Based Behavioral Health Forums across Georgia will convene at Dublin High School on Feb. 6 (see agenda). These forums co-hosted by The Carter Center, Georgia Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, and Voices for Georgias Children assess the status of school-based behavioral health efforts in Georgia, identify and discuss strategies to eliminate barriers to success, and encourage the adoption of state and national best practices. During the forum, panelists will focus on school-based behavioral health in the southwest and middle Georgia region. Educators, parents, policy leaders, behavioral health experts, and providers are encouraged to attend this public forum. The first in the series of six forums was held in Atlanta on April 15, 2019, and the second forum was held on Sept. 13 in Albany, Ga. More information on those events can be found here. Almost 20 percent of children and adolescents in Georgia have a diagnosed mental health disorder. So much can be done to prevent and minimize the effects of illness if we intervene early by providing the supports and care children and their families need said Carter Center Mental Health Program Director Eve Byrd. We saw from the attendance and discussions in our first two forums that there is tremendous interest from a variety of community members in preventing behavioral health disorders and promoting mental health and well-being in children through school-based programming. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the estimate of Georgias children and adolescents aged 2-17 who had a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder in 2016 is the same as the national rate: 18.3 percent. The nation is at a tipping point to address childrens mental health and well-being, said Michael Waller, interim executive director at Georgia Appleseed. Although Georgia has made important progress, we need to work together to increase the capacity of our schools to support interventions for children through access to mental health providers in schools and provide early intervention and prevention supports and services to children and their families. Examples of the mental health and developmental issues experienced by youth in the U.S. include stress, anxiety, bullying, family problems, depression, learning disabilities, and alcohol and substance abuse. Left untreated, youth are more likely to experience academic failure, absenteeism, involvement with the criminal justice system, and in some cases, impulses to inflict self-harm or attempt suicide. There are lots of conversations now about school and community safety, and it is important to realize that helping children and youth achieve good mental health- and maintain it - is where safety actually starts, says Dr. Erica Fener Sitkoff, executive director of Voices for Georgias Children. We owe it to our children and ourselves to make sure we provide schools with the best information, workforce, tools and supports we can to make this happen. The two most common metrics to assess a states ability to serve mental health needs in children are the availability of mental health providers in schools and the use of an evidence-based school climate approach. Georgia uses Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in many of its school districts and it continues to expand the Georgia APEX Program, a program started in 2015 by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to increase student access to behavioral health providers in schools. Editors Note Media wishing to attend the Middle Georgia School-Based Behavioral Health Forum must RSVP by Feb. 5 at 5 p.m. to Rennie Sloan (404-420-5129, rennie.sloan@cartercenter.org). Registration for this free public event closed on Jan. 31, 2020. Limited walk-ins will be accepted. The event takes place at Dublin High School, 1127 Hillcrest Parkway, Dublin, Ga., 31201 Portions of the forum will be livestreamed on Twitter via @cartercenter. During the forum, you can join the conversation using #GAschoolbasedmentalhealth on Twitter. View Agenda Middle Georgia School-Based Behavioral Health Forum: Supporting Childrens Mental and Emotional Well-being CLEVELAND, Ohio A Cleveland man used a semiautomatic rifle to rob a cellphone store in the citys Buckeye-Shaker Square neighborhood, court records say. Marvin F. Johnson, 22, is charged with aggravated robbery in the case, according to court records. He is not in custody, but a warrant was issued last week for his arrest. Johnson stole nearly $3,000 in cellphones and cash during the Nov. 13 armed robbery at a Boost Mobile on Buckeye Road near East 116th Street, according to police reports and court records. A 23-year-old employee was speaking with a customer when a robber entered the store. He pulled a semiautomatic rifle from his pants and said you all know what this is, the police report says. The robber pointed the gun at the employee and forced her to open a cash register. He also threatened to shoot the customer when the customer tried to leave the store, the police report says. The robber took $516 from the cash register and forced the employee to take him to a stock room. He took seven Apple iPhone 7s before he left the store. A witness saw him leave the area in a black Chrysler, the police report says. Boost Mobile estimated the phones were worth $2,400, the police report says. Detectives reviewed surveillance video of the armed robbery, which showed the man taking the semiautomatic rifle from his pants when he entered the store. Court records do not specify how detectives identified Johnson as a suspect in the case. In 2016, a judge sentenced Johnson to four years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges related to a carjacking in Cleveland, according to court records. He was released Oct. 30 from the Lorain Correctional Institution, according to Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction records. To comment on this story, visit Mondays crime and courts comments page. Read more crime stories: Man hurt while preventing attack on Cleveland bartender after fight at East Side bar Indicted Lorain man ambushed ex-girlfriend and shot her in the face, police say Woman carjacked at gunpoint at McDonalds in Cleveland Return of carfentanil deaths in Cuyahoga County has officials wary of fourth wave of opioid epidemic Shaker Heights police investigating after girl shot in the stomach, boyfriend in custody for questioning [What to expect at Trumps 2020 State of the Union Address.] WASHINGTON There are two categories of speechwriters in Washington, but only one of them can survive for long in President Trumps White House. The first type of which there are many examples in both parties is defined by those who have used the coveted role of presidential speechwriter as the jumping-off point for a lucrative career as a political commentator, and seem headed in that direction from the time they arrive at the White House. The second category is personified by little-known aides like Vince Haley and Ross Worthington, the speechwriters who have assembled the State of the Union speech Mr. Trump will deliver Tuesday night with its theme of the Great American Comeback, and will give the president all the credit. The annual address to Congress is an odd one in the Trump era because it is generally the only time of year that Mr. Trump consents to acting traditionally presidential, a performance that generally earns praise. Mr. Trump believes he is his own best communicator, so in his administration, the job of speechwriter is not a high-profile Hemingway role, as it was under his predecessor, President Barack Obama, who actually bestowed that nickname on one of his writers, Cody Keenan. The job belongs to the president. The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) shares fell 4.7% to US$557 in the week since its latest yearly results. Revenues of US$18b were in line with forecasts, although statutory earnings per share (EPS) came in below expectations at US$16.49, missing estimates by 6.9%. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what top analysts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. We thought readers would find it interesting to see analysts' latest (statutory) post-earnings forecasts for next year. View our latest analysis for Sherwin-Williams NYSE:SHW Past and Future Earnings, February 3rd 2020 Taking into account the latest results, the most recent consensus for Sherwin-Williams from 20 analysts is for revenues of US$18.5b in 2020, which is an okay 3.3% increase on its sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are expected to leap 26% to US$21.10. In the lead-up to this report, analysts had been modelling revenues of US$18.7b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$21.79 in 2020. So it looks like there's been a small decline in overall sentiment after the recent results - there's been no major change to revenue estimates, but analysts did make a small dip in their earnings per share forecasts. The consensus price target held steady at US$604, with analysts seemingly voting that their lower forecast earnings are not expected to lead to a lower stock price in the foreseeable future. The consensus price target just an average of individual analyst targets, so - considering that the price target changed, it would be handy to see how wide the range of underlying estimates is. The most optimistic Sherwin-Williams analyst has a price target of US$680 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at US$340. As you can see, analysts are not all in agreement on the stock's future, but the range of estimates is still reasonably narrow, which could suggest that the outcome is not totally unpredictable. Story continues Further, we can compare these estimates to past performance, and see how Sherwin-Williams forecasts compare to the wider market's forecast performance. It's pretty clear that analysts expect Sherwin-Williams's revenue growth will slow down substantially, with revenues next year expected to grow 3.3%, compared to a historical growth rate of 12% over the past five years. Compare this to the other companies in this market with analyst coverage, which are forecast to grow their revenue at 3.8% per year. So it's pretty clear that, while Sherwin-Williams's revenue growth is expected to slow, it's expected to grow roughly in line with the industry. The Bottom Line The most important thing to take away is that analysts downgraded their earnings per share estimates, showing that there has been a clear decline in sentiment following these results. Happily, there were no real changes to sales forecasts, with the business still expected to grow in line with the overall market. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates. Even so, the longer term trajectory of the business is much more important for the value creation of shareholders. We have forecasts for Sherwin-Williams going out to 2024, and you can see them free on our platform here. It might also be worth considering whether Sherwin-Williams's debt load is appropriate, using our debt analysis tools on the Simply Wall St platform, here. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. (CNN) In China, Wuhan used to be known as a city of cherry blossoms, an economic engine of the central heartland, and the birthplace of a century-old revolution that brought down the country's last imperial dynasty. But now, the metropolis of approximately 11 million people in Hubei province has become the face of a deadly new coronavirus outbreak a stigma the people of Wuhan increasingly find themselves unable to shake off. With the death toll surging past 300 and 14,300 confirmed cases spreading all over China, local authorities across the country have activated the highest public health emergency response, stepping up screening of arrivals from Wuhan. However, fears over the spread of the outbreak have fueled resentment and discrimination against people from Wuhan. Some have become outcasts in their own country, shunned by hotels, neighbors and -- in some areas -- placed under controversial quarantine measures. Wuhan officials estimate about 5 million people had left the city for the annual Lunar New Year holiday before authorities canceled all outbound flights, trains and buses in an unprecedented lockdown on January 23. Many of them are migrant workers or university students returning to their hometowns for new year family reunions. Others are holidaymakers taking advantage of the long annual break. China only declared that the coronavirus could be transmitted from person to person on January 20, following a sudden jump in confirmed cases. Until then, authorities had said the outbreak was "preventable and controllable." "Many of my friends who left Wuhan did not realize (how severe) the situation was," April Pin, a Wuhan resident, wrote in a widely circulated open letter pleading her countrymen to forgive those who left without knowing. Pin, one of the millions of people who had stayed in Wuhan, told CNN she wrote the letter because "there are too many comments online hurling abuse and denunciation at Wuhan people." "I feel wronged," she added. Persona non grata Following the lockdown, Wuhan residents traveling in other parts of China soon found themselves no longer welcomed by local hotels and guesthouses, nor were they able to return to Wuhan due to the newly imposed travel restrictions. They were stranded in their own country. On social media, posts of Wuhan tourists seeking help for a place to stay sprang up. One user on Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform, claimed in a post last Sunday that she was kicked out by her guesthouse in Changsha, Hunan province, because guests from neighboring Hubei province were no longer allowed. "I'm only asking for help here because I'm really at the end of my rope," wrote the user, Ludougao, who said she left Wuhan on January 20, three days before the lockdown. She went to the train station, only to find out that no trains will stop at Wuhan anymore. She called the police, but was told to go to a "relief station" -- shelter for homeless people. She called the Wuhan mayor's hotline, to no avail. She even went to the hospital to get a health check, but still no hotels would take her. By then, she had already contacted more than 10 hotels and guesthouses, but was rejected by all, according to her post. "I don't understand it. Even if all of us Wuhan people are 'walking dead,' to contain the outbreak's spread, shouldn't I be allowed to stay indoors? Now I'm forced to go out, and I've got nowhere to go," she wrote. The post which was later deleted went viral, so much so that it drew the attention of the Changsha "internet police," or censors, who then alerted authorities about her case, the city's internet regulator said in a statement on Weibo. She finally managed to check into a hotel later that evening, according to the regulator and her own subsequent posts. When contacted by CNN, Ludougao said she stood by her deleted post. She declined to comment further, saying she has been contacted by the government. Ludougao's plight was echoed by many others across the country. In southern Yunnan province, popular for its balmy weather and nature, there were so many Hubei tourists with nowhere to stay calling authorities for help that the provincial culture and tourism bureau issued a notice last Sunday ordering every city to designate at least one hotel to accommodate them. Other provinces and cities in China, such as southern Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, soon followed suit, reserving hotels for tourists from Wuhan and other parts of Hubei province, according to state media. The Wuhan Culture and Tourism Bureau also complied a list of hotels designated for Wuhan tourists acriss the country. But it remains unclear how many travelers from Wuhan know about them. With a growing number of international airlines canceling their flights to Wuhan, many tourists from the city have also been stranded outside China. As of January 27, there were still more than 4,000 Wuhan tourists overseas, according to the Wuhan Culture and Tourism Bureau. China's foreign ministry announced Friday that charter flights will be arranged to take them home. "In view of the practical difficulties Chinese citizens from Hubei province, especially Wuhan, have faced overseas, the Chinese government has decided to send charter flights to take them directly back to Wuhan as soon as possible," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement. According to the ministry, two flights chartered by the Chinese government landed at the Wuhan international airport on Friday night, bringing Hubei travelers home from southeast Asia. One flight from Bangkok, Thailand, carried 76 passengers, the ministry said. it is unclear how many people were aboard the other flight from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Authorities had earlier said that the two flights were expected to carry more than 200 Hubei residents. Blocked roads, barricaded homes Apart from tourists, local authorities have also been on high alert for people who have returned to their hometowns from Wuhan for the Lunar New Year. In some cities, such as Shanghai and Guangzhou, neighborhood committees have been tasked with searching for Wuhan returnees door by door, and reporting their information to authorities, according to state media. Eric Chen, a 33-year-old from Jingzhou, Hubei, This story was first published on CNN.com 'Outcasts in their own country, the people of Wuhan are the unwanted faces of China's coronavirus outbreak' NEW DELHI (PTI): Delegates from over 60 countries including China, Russia, the UK and South Korea will participate in the upcoming DefExpo, India's mega defence exhibition, which is being held in Lucknow from February 5-9. Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar said arrangements have been made for screening of overseas participants, particularly from China, in view of the fast spreading coronavirus in various countries. He said defence ministers from around 40 countries including 14 from the African continent have confirmed their participation in the biennial event. The focus of the DefExpo in Lucknow will be to forge deeper military cooperation with African countries, considering its strategic importance for India, he said. Kumar said over 1,000 companies, including 165 from abroad, will participate in the "biggest ever DefExpo". Various areas of possible cooperation will be extensively deliberated upon at an India-Africa conclave on February 6 at the DefExpo, he added. The government is trying to project the 11th edition of the event to transform India into a hub of military manufacturing. A substantial number of agreements are expected to be inked during the expo which will pave the way for forging of new business collaborations, Kumar said. The theme of the expo is 'India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub'. The aim is to bring the leading technologies in the defence sector under one roof and provide a myriad of opportunities for the government, private manufactures and startups, another official said. "The event will cover the entire spectrum of the country's aerospace, defence and security interests," he said. Advertisement The Royal Navy has completed a five-day operation escorting Russian warships through the English Channel. The RFS Admiral Kulakov destroyer is returning home from the Mediterranean with fellow warships from the Russian navy's Northern Fleet. Three Navy ships and two helicopters were involved in keeping a close watch on four Russian vessels as they made their way up the Channel and into the North Sea, the Navy confirmed on Monday afternoon. Plymouth-based frigate HMS Sutherland led the Royal Navy effort to monitor the force - RFS Marshall Ustinov, a Slava-class missile cruiser, RFS Admiral Kulakov a Udaloy-class destroyer and their support vessels Sliva, an ocean-going tug and tanker Vyazma - as the group sailed up from the Bay of Biscay having completed a deployment to the eastern Mediterranean. HMS Sutherland, pictured front, is monitoring four Russian vessels as they pass through the English Channel on their way back to base having been on patrol in the Mediterranean. The vessels included the the Missile Cruiser Marshall Ustinov, top left, which was sailing astern of the tanker Vyazma, top centre Sutherland, a Type 23 Frigate, was among three Royal Navy vessels and two helicopters to track the Russian navy as the passed into the North Sea Two other vessels, Vice Admiral Kulako, top left, and the tug Sliva, were also in the English Channel this morning Named after a decorated Soviet naval officer, the Admiral Kulakov is an anti-submarine specialist. Together with the Marshal Ustinov and their support ships, it passed through the Strait of Gibraltar on January 26, according to the Russian defence ministry. They are expected to arrive at the port of Severomorsk in Russia's Murmansk Oblast in the first half of February. As well as Sutherland and her Merlin helicopter from 814 Naval Air Squadron at Culdrose in Cornwall, patrol vessel HMS Mersey, tanker RFA Tideforce, and a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron at Yeovilton ensured the Russian force was continuously observed as it sailed through UK waters. 'As the UK's high-readiness frigate we conduct security patrols in and around our territorial waters and national infrastructure,' said Commander Tom Weaver, Commanding Officer of HMS Sutherland which is currently the Navy's on-call vessel to respond to incidents in home waters. 'Working with our French and Norwegian allies, these units were monitored on their transit north from the Mediterranean and our interaction with them was wholly professional.' Lieutenant Commander George Blakeman, Sutherland's weapon engineer officer, added: 'HMS Sutherland has a fantastic reputation for versatility - last year we justifiably won the coveted Above Water Warfare trophy, so we're well trained and more than capable of carrying out this duty.' 'Our ship's company remain determined to uphold the integrity of our sea lanes and will maintain a vigilant watch. It's vitally important the Royal Navy continues to demonstrate its presence and commitment to the integrity of our territorial waters and this tasking is a clear example of that.' This Merlin helicopter from 814 Naval Air Squadron provided aerial cover, pictured here on the back of HMS Sutherland. A Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron at Yeovilton was also involved in the operation The Russian vessels are expected to arrive at the port of Severomorsk in Russia's Murmansk Oblast in the first half of February The Admiral Kulakov and Marshal Ustinov are no strangers to British waters, having been shadowed by Royal Navy warships on previous occasions. In August 2019 HMS Medway followed the progress of the Marshal Ustinov as she sailed from the North Sea, past Dover and into the Channel. The then-brand-new Royal Navy patrol ship was dispatched from Portsmouth and spent 36 hours monitoring the Russian vessel before handing over to French naval forces. In November 2017 Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset shadowed the Admiral Kulakov through the Moray Firth in Scotland. Somerset, a Plymouth-based Type 23 frigate, detected and monitored the movements of the Admiral Kulakov and her supporting tanker and escorted them through UK waters and along the coast of Norway. In March 2016 the Admiral Kulakov passed through the English Channel and up the east coast of the UK as it returned from a deployment to Syria. HMS Somerset, along with her Merlin helicopter, was used to detect and monitor the movement of the Russian warship and escorted it through UK waters. The Admiral Kulakov also visited British waters in 2013 under different circumstances, taking part in a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic. Stand-by passengers trying to get out of China make flight enquiries at the airport. (Photo: AFP/Mark RALSTON) With businesses closed for at least another week, classes suspended and airlines cancelling flights, many foreign students and workers see no reason to stay in the country while it struggles with the viral epidemic. At Beijing's international airport on Sunday (Feb 2), the 19-year-old Uzbek student told AFP he was heading home because his parents were worried about the virus, which has claimed over 300 lives and infected more than 14,000 across China. "Maybe I will give up studying here," said the Yangzhou University student, who asked to be identified only as Max. Calling the situation "dreadful", he expressed concern over the rising death toll and the restrictions other countries have imposed on travellers from China. After the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency, several countries - including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Israel - have barred foreign nationals from visiting if they had recently been in China. The travel bans have left many jittery. 'NO REASON TO STAY' A 46-year-old American said she was worried her flight home would be cancelled at the eleventh hour. "My only hope is that I can go home. I have been standing here checking the flight schedules for any changes," said the woman, who declined to give her name. "I can't be sure until the last minute." Others, such as 22-year-old Jamie Bosch, are leaving because of work. "We can't do anything, and everything is closed," said the English teacher. "You can't see your friends. There's nothing to do, so I just decided to go home." Bosch, who is from South Africa, said she was worried if she did contract the virus, she would be isolated, with no family support. "(My family) said I need to go home," she said, adding that she would return when school re-opens in March. CHINESE TRAVELLERS AFFECTED Icaro Medeiros, 22, a student at Beijing's Central University of Finance and Economics, said his family cancelled their planned February visit to China after Beijing closed off tourist attractions such as the Great Wall and Forbidden City. "I decided to leave Beijing because we are not sure when the semester will start again," he said. "All of my friends have returned home, so there wasn't any reason for me to stay in Beijing alone." Chinese citizens too have seen their plans derailed. Wang Yulu, 46, was on her way to the airport with her daughter on Saturday when they learned that Australia had barred non-citizens arriving from China. Her daughter was due to begin a university semester in Australia, but the pair were forced to turn back to Changchun city in northeast China even before they arrived at the airport. "It can't be helped, we won't be going," said Wang. They don't want us Chinese citizens there." New contingency planning arrangements are being drawn up to help schools respond to severe weather conditions. It follows the confusion in communities last winter when Storm Darwin wreaked havoc along the west and south coasts and left schools to work out their own arrangements. Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has confirmed that his officials are in consultation with Government Task Force on Emergency Planning and the Department of Defence about developing new protocols. He said his officials were due to meet with the management bodies for the primary and post-primary sector to review the issues and identify which measures should be put in place. The minister acknowledged that while long-term weather forecasts were much better, and there was now a more advanced red alert system, "we have not upgraded the system in terms of school decision-making". The matter was raised with Mr Quinn by Fine Gael TD Patrick O'Donovan of Limerick, one of the regions ravaged by the storms. He said that in the 24 hours running up to Storm Darwin, there was a major lack of information available to parents and teachers. He added that while there may be Department of Education guidelines on such emergencies, they are "inadequate ". Mr O'Donovan said the department's circular on the matter offered little advice. Miracle "That is not really much good in the situation we saw on February 12, where debris of every description was flying through the air, third level colleges were sending text messages to their students and staff to say that they were going into lock-down, and staff and principals of schools, particularly primary schools, were left to their own devices to figure out what they should do," he said. He said "the lack of a joined-up approach to planning for emergencies is very obvious and must be addressed. It is a miracle that many people did not lose their lives in the storm". Mr O'Donovan called for a single protocol for all schools, and one of the first issues to be established was whether schools should open at all when a status red weather warning was issued and, if not, how that message could be communicated in a timely and effective manner. Mr O'Donovan has welcomed Mr Quinn's commitment to work with schools "to establish proper protocols" in the event of severe weather conditions. "These four partners are exceptional trial lawyers and litigators, and we are pleased they have chosen K&S as the right place for this phase of their careers," said Robert D. Hays, Jr., chairman of King & Spalding. "They have outstanding experience in mass tort litigation, including first-chair credentials." The team represents healthcare companies on sophisticated product liability lawsuits across the pharma, medical devices, healthcare and life sciences sectors. The team has secured high-profile verdicts for clients, including defending claims involving asbestos, contamination, vaccines and pharmaceuticals as well as IP, accounting and employment matters. "Our practice is a natural fit for King & Spalding's product liability and mass tort platform," Dubin said. "The firm has one of the best mass tort practices in the U.S. with a long and distinguished history of providing cutting-edge trial representation to some of the biggest names in pharma and healthcare, so we anticipate hitting the ground running and creating some exciting opportunities." "Morty, Kristen, John and Kathy have been friends and colleagues in the defense of mutual clients for many years," said Andy Bayman, leader of the firm's Trial and Global Disputes practice group. "They add to our nationally recognized mass tort practice and to our already deep trial bench." Ed Kehoe, office managing partner in New York, added, "The team provides us with a greater ability to defend clients on their most important mass tort cases, both in New York and nationally. We are thrilled to have them join our office." Morton Dubin Dubin is a first-chair trial lawyer who was recently inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. He was the leader of the team serving as lead national asbestos trial counsel to a leading American chemical company and other similar companies in many of the nation's most plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions. Dubin won a defense verdict in the first mesothelioma case for a multi-national healthcare company relating to its talc product, receiving recognition as one of the Top Defense Verdicts in 2017 by the Daily Journal. In addition to his product liability work, Dubin has also tried cases involving accountant liability and securities matters. Dubin graduated from Columbia University and from the University of Michigan Law School. He clerked with the Honorable Sidney Fitzwater from 1996-1997 and is ranked in Chambers USA. John Ewald Ewald is a nationally recognized trial lawyer who focuses on product liability and toxic tort cases. Ewald serves as trial counsel in lawsuits for a multi-national healthcare company related to their talc products. In October 2019, he secured a complete defense verdict for the company in Los Angeles after a five-week trial. He was also trial counsel in November 2018 for the company in a successful trial in South Carolina state court that Law360 recognized as one of the "Top Product Liability Cases of 2018." Additionally, Ewald has been responsible for developing and coordinating the company's national scientific and medical defense. Ewald also has significant experience successfully defending companies in toxic tort class action litigation. He has been recognized in Legal 500 US. Ewald graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and from The University of Texas School of Law. Kristen Fournier Fournier is an experienced trial lawyer handling mass tort and product liability cases. She also is recognized for her ability to develop, coordinate, and manage the implementation of strategy in the defense of mass tort cases. She serves in a national coordinating role for a multi-national healthcare company for its talc defense and for an American chemical company for its asbestos defense. Fournier also serves as trial counsel for the American chemical company in some of the most dangerous jurisdictions for asbestos cases, including New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New Orleans. She is responsible for assisting the company in negotiating multi-plaintiff settlements, and in coordinating its strategy with local counsel in jurisdictions throughout the country. Fournier who is Chambers ranked obtained her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia. Kathy O'Connor O'Connor's practice focuses on the defense of branded pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, advising her clients on litigation and compliance strategy in complex matters that involve concurrent civil and government action. Clients routinely call upon O'Connor to assist them with the management and mitigation of risk associated with their products. She brings a unique perspective, having previously served as an in-house lawyer at Merck. She is regularly recognized as a leading practitioner by lawyer ranking entities such as Euromoney Expert Guides' Women in Business Law and The Legal 500, which singled out her product liability and mass torts defense work. O'Connor graduated from Florida State University with her undergraduate degree and received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law. About King & Spalding Celebrating more than 130 years of service, King & Spalding is an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100, with over 1,100 lawyers in 21 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm has handled matters in over 160 countries on six continents and is consistently recognized for the results it obtains, uncompromising commitment to quality, and dedication to understanding the business and culture of its clients. More information is available at www.kslaw.com. Media Contact: Luis Mocete + 1 (212) 827 4008 [email protected] SOURCE King & Spalding Related Links http://www.kslaw.com The Congress hit out at the ruling BJP on Monday over its leader Anantkumar Hegde's remarks against the Mahatma Gandhi-led freedom movement, saying a sedition case should be slapped against the former Union minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi must apologise for it. The opposition party demanded that the prime minister must come to Parliament and clarify his position on Hegde's "objectionable" remarks, and asserted that it was time for Modi to prove whether his loyalty was towards Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse or the Father of the Nation. Questioning the freedom movement led by Gandhi, Hegde said it was an "adjustment" with the British. "They are disparaging the national movement. If the prime minister and the BJP government are sincere about the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi, we demand that the PM comes to Parliament and clarifies his position," Congress's senior spokesperson Anand Sharma told a press conference. "They are desperate for elections and only to get some votes, they are inflicting deep wounds on the soul of India," he said. Asserting that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP's statement was condemnable, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the leaders of the saffron party could afford to call the freedom movement a drama as they never fought for the country's independence and made any sacrifices. "Such statements reveal their true mindset that they use Gandhi's name just for show and have no regard for him," he said. Demanding Hegde's expulsion from the BJP, Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said it was time for the prime minister to prove whether his loyalty was towards Godse or Gandhi. "The prime minister did not take action against Pragya Thakur, who continues to insult Mahatma Gandhi on a daily basis, and now, Anantkumar Hegde has joined the 'hate bapu' chorus. The prime minister's love for Gandhi exists only in advertisements and on the ground, 'hate Mahatma Gandhi' seems to be the tool to mobilise his cadres. "If the prime minister has even an ounce of respect for Gandhi, he should remove Thakur and Hegde from the party. It is time for the prime minister to prove whether his loyalty is towards Godse or Gandhi," he said. Modi should apologise for Hegde's remarks, a sedition case should be slapped on the former Union minister and both Thakur and he should be removed from the BJP, Shergill demanded. "If the prime minister does not take action as usual or takes patchwork action, then India will know that the PM stands with the killers of Gandhi," he said. Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also took a dig at the BJP over Hegde's remarks, wondering how could those who believed in "kattagraha" (the rule of pistols) accept "satyagraha". "This is Modi's Bharat, where Bapu's thoughts and the path he walked on are attacked everyday. Will Modi ji take action against Anant Hegde? Otherwise, it will be proven that the voice was of Hegde, but the idea was of ??Modi ji?," he said in a tweet. Earlier, reacting to Hegde's remarks, Sharma said there could not be a greater insult to India's national movement and those who sacrificed everything to give the country freedom. "The prime minister, the BJP leadership as a whole has to apologise for these things," he said. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted, saying, "Anant Kumar Hegde is perhaps reflecting the views of his masters. If he is not, his comments should invite the strictest possible action from his party. "Those who sacrificed their lives and worked towards big change in the country were dumped in the dark corners of history, but those who fought in adjustment with the British became freedom fighters with certificates.... This is the tragedy of the country," Hegde said in his remarks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The European Union will offer Britain a close post-Brexit trading relationship but demand tough terms on fisheries and a level playing field for businesses, chief negotiator Michel Barnier said Monday. "We are ready to offer a highly ambitious trade deal as the central pillar of this partnership, including zero tariffs," Barnier said, but warned Brussels would not accept "unfair competitive advantages". Barnier was unveiling his negotiating mandate ahead of talks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government on the EU's future relations with Britain after the post-Brexit transition period. Separately, his boss, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said the talks should stick to what had already been agreed in a pre-Brexit political declaration between the two sides. "There will be no surprises. We outlined with the UK already the future parameters we will have in our negotiations in the withdrawal agreement," she said. Johnson was expected to present Britain's negotiating position later Monday. Reports from London suggested he will warn that Britain seeks the right to diverge from EU rule-making. If that was the case, von der Leyen said, Britain must not expect unlimited access to the EU market. "The closer the UK wants to be, the easier the access to the single market. But nothing comes for free. So access to the single market is of high value, it's the largest single market in the world. It's of utmost importance, and therefore I think it's only a matter of fairness to also play by the rules," she said. Barnier told reporters that disagreement over fishing was likely to be the first and most serious division. British fishermen want to bar EU counterparts from their waters, but want to keep the EU as their main market for fish exports. "We must now agree on specific and effective guarantees to ensure a level playing field over the long term," Barnier said. "That means a mechanism to uphold the high standards we have on social, environmental, climate, tax and state aid matters today and in their future developments," he warned. "Our free trade agreement must include an agreement on fisheries. This agreement should provide for continued reciprocal access to markets and to waters with stable quota shares. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ANN ARBOR, MI A recent report from the Institute for Research on Innovation and Science (IRIS) shows the University of Michigan contributed more than $5.6 billion to the national economy. The report, which spans from 2002-19, said the contributions came through vendor contracts and subcontracts. Of the $5.6 billion, $1.8 billion was spent in Michigan. Research at UM addresses important challenges and opportunities that impact our daily lives, and as a result of our ongoing investment in research, there is a positive ripple effect on the economy that helps drive global competitiveness and spur new jobs, said Cynthia Wilbanks, vice president for government relations at UM. In the last decade, Wilbanks said $3.6 billion went into the national economy and $1 billion into Michigans economy through vendor contracts, which can cover anything from test tubes to treadmills designed for children with Down syndrome. The largest external sponsor is the federal government, but nonprofits, the state, industry partners and others also award grants to support our research, Wilbanks said. Grants allow researchers to buy goods and services, and hire the people they need to advance research. More than 16,000 employees and 5,000 students across the Ann Arbor, Flint and Dearborn campuses were supported by research grants. Wilbanks said the money covers salaries for employees and hourly wages for students. In Michigan, seven counties received significant amounts of money, according to Wilbanks: Washtenaw County: $631M Oakland County: $176.3M Wayne County: $93.6M Ingham County: $28.2M Marquette County: $25.8M Houghton County: $9.7M Kent County: $4.3M The data, Wilbanks said, shows how research for the benefit of society is a fundamental pillar of excellence at UM. This type of near-term economic impact is an important benefit of having a very research-intensive university in the state, Wilbanks said. But its important to note that this value is in addition to the improvements in human knowledge and technology that emerge from UM research, which this spending and these vendors enable. IRIS is based at UMs Institute for Social Research and is a national consortium of more than 30 research universities, organized around an IRB-approved data repository. Dear J.T. & Dale: I have a client Ive been supporting for three years. We have a great relationship. Last week, my contact mentioned they have an opening in their department and need someone with my exact skillsets and wondered if I knew anyone. I almost responded with Me! since I love their company and think it would be great to work there. Is it wrong that I want to apply? Jeremy DALE: J.T. and I had different interpretations of I have a client. Im assuming you mean that youre self-employed and this is one of the companies you do work for. If so, then I think this client is flirting with you, testing to see how you react to the possibility. Why wouldnt they just come out and ask? Corporate employees often assume the best about being self-employed, thinking you make more money and have more freedom, which makes you the employment equivalent of the cute girl in high school that the boys assume will laugh if they ask her out. So, Id sit down with the person who mentioned the job and tell them youve been thinking about it for yourself. Keep it casual. Flirt back. J.T.: On the other hand, if I have a client means that you handle this company for your current employer, then, as long as you didnt sign a non-compete that would be breached, you can definitely reach out and apply. A couple of key things to remember. First, never ever use your current work email to discuss the opportunity. Set up a private email account and reach out that way. Second, let them know you are keeping your interest quiet and would prefer not to tell your current employer unless things work out. Lastly, be very careful to only pursue this outside normal working hours. If/when you get offered the job, its important you explain to your current employer that the client didnt ask you directly. Let your employer know you reached out to the client and pursued it on your own time. Be sure to explain how youll be of value by working for the client. Lastly, show lots of gratitude for the opportunity your current employer gave you. Youd never have the new job if it wasnt for them, so be respectful give them plenty of notice and dont talk about the job opportunity at work. Dear J.T. & Dale: I read recently that LinkedIn now has over 660 million users and counting. This explains why I get tons of random requests to connect from people halfway around the world that Ive never met. My question is, whats the point? With so many people randomly connecting, it doesnt feel like a good use of my time. Juli DALE: Im a regular user of LinkedIn, so Im reluctant to agree with you, but I do. The requests to connect dont seem particularly useful and often lead to mere sales messages. However, I remain grateful that LinkedIn exists. Whenever Im about to meet with someone new, its helpful to read a bit about them. I see where they went to school and where theyve worked, often with a smiling photo and I smile back. Its a start. J.T.: And LinkedIn started out as a social network. When there were a lot fewer users, the people on the platform were enthusiastic about connecting. But now, its evolved into a social marketplace. Think of it as sophisticated Yellow Pages. Its main function is to help you get found. And while the ability to network is there, youll need to put in extra effort to stand out and get people to respond. But, given its free to be on the site, then you get what you pay for. Remember, when something is free, YOURE the product. So, LinkedIn will continue to get more people to join the platform so they can be found. My advice? Optimize your profile and then focus on other ways to network. Finding ways to have meaningful conversations with people via other avenues will be key going forward. Jeanine J.T. Tanner ODonnell is a career coach and the founder of the leading career site www.workitdaily.com. Dale Dauten is founder of The Innovators Lab and author of a novel about H.R., The Weary Optimist. Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via email, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, announced Monday he plans to propose a law to have the state take over PG&E and run it as a publicly owned utility. "PG&E is a failed utility with a track record of prioritizing profits over safety," Wiener charged at a news conference on the steps of the State Building in San Francisco. Wiener said he believes the state would do a better job than the currently shareholder-owned utility at preventing wildfires and blackouts. "Wall Street will be taken out" of the equation, he said. Under the proposed law, the State Power Authority would buy all of PG&E's shares and transfer ownership to a publicly owned utility, the Northern California Energy Utility District. PG&E spokesman James Noonan responded, "We oppose Senator Wiener's proposed framework, and PG&E's facilities are not for sale. "Additionally, changing the structure of the company would not create a safer or cleaner operation," Noonan said. PG&E, facing billions of dollars in claims for wildfires sparked by electrical equipment failures, is currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings while it develops a financial reorganization plan. Noonan said, "We remain focused on fairly resolving wildfire claims and exiting the Chapter 11 process as quickly as possible." Parts of Wiener's news conference were drowned by shouts from about 30 members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, protesting that their PG&E jobs and pensions would be at risk. Wiener said the proposed law would protect workers' collective bargaining agreements, wages, benefits and pensions. The senator hopes to introduce the bill proposing the law in the Assembly as early as Monday afternoon, according to spokeswoman Catie Stewart. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. ATLANTA - Georgias incumbent Republican U.S. senators have built a healthy fundraising advantage over their rivals in the states dual Senate races, newly filed campaign finance reports show. Sen. David Perdue, who is seeking a second term in November, reported raising nearly $1.9 million in the last three months of 2019. That left the Trump ally and former Reebok and Dollar General CEO with just over $7.8 million in the bank to close the year, the most of any Georgia Senate candidate. Three Democrats seeking the partys nomination to challenge Perdue failed to keep pace. Democrat Jon Ossoff, whose fundraising success stood out during an unsuccessful 2017 bid for an Atlanta area U.S. House seat, raised $1 million in the final quarter of last year. Ossoff reported cash on hand of nearly $1.5 million. Democrat Teresa Tomlinson, a former mayor of Columbus, reported raising $530,000 for the period and finished the year with nearly $320,000 in her campaign account. Sarah Riggs Amico, the 2018 Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, put a $365,000 personal loan into her campaign and raised nearly $140,000. She reported $470,000 in the bank. In the other Senate race in Georgia, recently appointed Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a wealthy businesswoman, kickstarted her campaign with a $5 million personal loan a down payment on her pledge to spend $20 million of her own money on the race. She reported more than $5.4 million total in the bank as of Dec. 31. Loeffler was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp in December to replace retiring GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson. She must run to defend the seat in a special election Nov. 3. The election wont be preceded by the usual party primaries, meaning that multiple Democrats and Republicans could be on the ballot. Loeffler last week received a challenge from a fellow Republican, Rep. Doug Collins. Collins had been raising money for re-election to the House before announcing his Senate campaign. He reported ending the year with $1.7 million in his House campaign account. Thats money he should be able to transfer to his Senate race. Democrat Matt Lieberman, an Atlanta educator and the son of former vice-presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, raised just over $700,000 in the last quarter of 2019 and reported nearly $370,000 in the bank. Two other Democrats in the race, Raphael Warnock and Ed Tarver, didnt need to file disclosures because they only recently announced their campaigns. I dont know that (Democrats) are in particularly bad shape or anything, Kerwin Swint, director of the school of government and international affairs at Kennesaw State University, said of the races. But by the same token, I dont know that this says anything that is particularly in their favour. Chief Minister on Monday said his government will not inform Lt. Governor in advance about the proposed anti-CAA resolution to be adopted in the upcoming session of the legislative assembly. Talking to PTI over phone, he said the resolution would be adopted in the assembly session that is scheduled to begin on February 12. Congress-ruled would be the fifth dispensation to adopt the course after West Bengal, Kerala, Punjab and Rajasthan assemblies passed resolutions against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Asked whether the LG would be informed in advance about the important resolution, Narayanasamy said, "We will not be doing so. Why should we inform her in advance? After the resolution is approved, we will send a letter to the governor." To a question whether not informing the constitutional head about the important decision was correct, he said, "We are ready to face any situation, come what may." The chief minister said the assembly had the right and the privilege to adopt such a resolution to protect the interests of the people of the Union Territory. The proposed resolution, as directed by the Congress high command to the states ruled by the party, is one more way of expressing the government's opposition to CAA, National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR), he said. Demonstrations, agitations and a signature campaign have already been held in Puducherry with like-minded parties against the legislation, he added. Narayanasamy termed the CAA "ill-conceived and injurious". In the 30-member Puducherry Assembly, the Congress has 15 members and is supported by three DMK members and an Independent. The All India N R Congress has seven members and the AIADMK four. Under the CAA, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who came to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014, to escape religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants, and be given Indian citizenship. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) Five Purdue University students are living out what could be a once in a lifetime opportunity. They're getting hands-on experience working the Iowa Democratic Caucuses. This is through Purdue's Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement. One of those students is Gerardo Pons, an intern here at WLFI this semester. He tells us their tasks include grabbing interviews and setting up camera equipment. But overall, they're learning about presidential campaigning and the role television broadcast plays in the process. The students have traveled to various rallies in pairs, at the end of the night they come together and discuss what they learned. He said hes surprised to learn that the number of young people attending rallies is much higher than those who actually vote. A lot of the campaign events that we go to, there's a lot of young people but the C-SPAN people told us not even half of them are likely to register or are going to show up to vote, said Pons. Their enthusiasm is there but just the interest in participating in the system is not really there. This is the second time Purdue students and faculty attended the Iowa caucuses. The last time was in 2016 for a research trip. For all the students traveling this year, its their first time participating in a presidential campaign as an adult. Pons said its exciting to be a part of this rare opportunity as a student. Just being able to experience that sort of rallying and enthusiasm that all the supporters go and gather and scream and clap and everything, being involved in those things is very great, it's a great opportunity that Purdue has given us, said Pons. Pons is a student in the Brian Lamb School of Communication, he joins students studying in the Department of Political Science, the Honors College and the College of Science. The Democratic candidates have been hosting rallies since Thursday, Jan 30 leading up to Monday when all the caucuses kick off statewide. Purdue students arrived on Thursday, Jan. 30 and theyll be heading back on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Transaction Further Consolidates Large Land Position in Historic Mining Historic District Production of 1.86MM Ounces Gold and 174MM Ounces Silver Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 3, 2020) - Ely Gold Royalties Inc. (TSXV: ELY) (OTCQB: ELYGF) ("Ely Gold") or the ("Company") and its wholly owned subsidiary, Nevada Select Royalty, Inc ("Nevada Select") are pleased to announce that they have signed a binding term sheet (the "Agreement") for the purchase of seventy-five (75) patented mining claims from Cliff ZZ LLC, a Nevada limited liability company. ("Cliff ZZ"). The patented claims are located in Esmeralda and Nye Counties, Nevada and are known as the Tonopah Extension Claims ("Tonopah Extension"). Nevada Select currently holds 23 patented mining claims and 17 unpatented mining claims contiguous to the Tonopah Extension. Closing of the transaction is subject to TSXV approval and final due diligence by Ely Gold. Closing is expected on or about May 2, 2020. The Tonopah District The Tonopah District is an epithermal precious metal deposit of the quartz-adularia type. The quartz-adularia type may be divided into gold-rich and silver-rich subtypes. Tonopah Extension is a prominent example of the silver-rich subtype. Some silver-rich quartz-adularia type deposits have significant base metal content, but Tonopah is relatively base metal poor. The only larger deposit of this type known in the United States is the Comstock Lode, a relatively gold rich deposit, which has greater total production of both gold and silver than Tonopah. The Tonopah District has produced 174 million ounces of silver and 1.86 million ounces of gold. The Agreement Under the terms of the Agreement to acquire 100% of the Tonopah Extension, Nevada Select will pay Cliff ZZ $650,000 in cash and issue 600,000 Ely Gold share purchase warrants. Each warrant will be exercisable into one common share at $0.65 for a period of two years. The transaction is subject to TSXV approval and due diligence. Cliff ZZ will not retain any royalties after Closing. Trey Wasser, President and CEO commented, "This transaction supports our business model of consolidating under-explored districts while generating royalty interests. We consider Tonopah to be one of the best districts in Nevada based on past production and exploration potential." About Ely Gold Royalties Inc. Ely Gold Royalties Inc. is a Vancouver-based, emerging royalty company with development assets focused in Nevada and Quebec. Its current portfolio includes 36 Deeded Royalties and 22 properties optioned to third parties. Ely Gold's royalty portfolio includes producing royalties, fully permitted mines and development projects that are at or near producing mines. The Company is actively seeking opportunities to purchase existing third-party royalties for its portfolio and all the Company's option properties are expected to produce royalties, if exercised. The royalty and option portfolios are currently generating significant revenue. Ely Gold is well positioned with its current portfolio of over 20 available properties to generate additional operating revenue through option and sale agreements. The Company has a proven track record of maximizing the value of its properties through claim consolidation and advancement using its extensive, proprietary data base. All portfolio properties are sold or optioned on a 100% basis, while the Company retains royalty interests. Management believes that due to the Company's ability to generate third-party royalty agreements, its successful strategy of organically creating royalties, its equity portfolio and its current low valuation, Ely Gold offers shareholders a low-risk leverage to the current price of gold and low-cost access to long-term mineral royalties. Stephen Kenwood, P. Geo, is a director of the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Kenwood has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release. Signed "Trey Wasser" Trey Wasser, President & CEO For further information, please contact: Trey Wasser, President & CEO trey@elygoldinc.com 972-803-3087 Joanne Jobin, Investor Relations Officer jjobin@elygoldinc.com 647 964 0292 FORWARD-LOOKING CAUTIONS: This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding its current assets, Company acquisitions of additional royalty interests, and the requirement for TSX Venture Exchange approvals. These matters are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks that the Company may not secure the required regulatory approvals, including the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange, and the Company may not be able to identify suitable new royalty acquisitions, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal disputes or changes in the jurisdictions where the Company carries on its business that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effect. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52016 T he Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Streatham stabbing attack. The group's Amaq news agency put its name to the attack on Monday, without giving evidence. "The perpetrator of the attack in Streatham district in south London yesterday is a fighter of Islamic State, and carried out the attack in response to calls to attack the citizens of coalition countries," a statement carried by Amaq said. Sudesh Amman, 20, the suspect behind Sunday's attack, had previously praised the Islamic State, shared an online al Qaeda magazine and encouraged his girlfriend to behead her parents. Streatham terror attack: What we know so far Amman, who was jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, had recently been freed from prison, and had been staying at a bail hostel in nearby Leigham Court Road for the past two weeks. The 20-year-old was under police surveillance as he launched his attack, and was found to be wearing a fake suicide vest after he was shot. In November 2018, he pleaded guilty to six charges of possessing documents containing terrorist information and seven of disseminating terrorist publications, for which he was sentenced to three years and four months in prison. Amman once told a friend: "When I grow up I am going to be a terrorist It was revealed during his trial at the Old Bailey that he sent extremist content to his younger siblings via a family WhatsApp group, and wrote comments including: "The Islamic State is here to stay." The messaging thread, titled La Familia, featured images of Amman's siblings adopting similar poses to those publicised by IS supporters such as one-finger salutes and wielding weaponry, the BBC reported. He also sent beheadings videos to his girlfriend, who he instructed to kill her parents, telling her: "If you can't make a bomb because family, friends or spies are watching or suspecting you, take a knife, molotov, sound bombs or a car at night and attack the tourists (crusaders), police and soldiers of taghut, or Western embassies in every country you are in this planet." In other messages with her, Amman pledged his allegiance to Islamic State, also known as ISIS, and said he wanted to carry out acid attacks. A knife found in Amman's home at the time he was sentenced to prison in December 2018 / PA Elsewhere, he asked if he could have a knife delivered to her address and told her he considered ISIS to be the best thing to happen to Islam. He was automatically released from HMP Belmarsh at the end of January 2020 after serving half of his sentence in custody. He was under a curfew and had to wear a GPS tag coupled with exclusion zones such as ports and airports. He was also forced to surrender his passport and had limited access to eletronic devices and restrictions on his internet use. London Bridge attack: What we know so far The group said Usman Khan, who killed two people and injured more during his knife rampage, acted on their behalf. Again, they relayed the information through the Amaq news agency and, again, they provided no evidence of their claims. Their message claimed Khan was "responding to calls to target the nationals of Coalition countries". Listen to today's episode of The Leader: Some days ago on Morning Ireland, two new MEPs who with Britain departed can take seats in the EU Parliament expounded on how well the Irish and EU team conducted Brexit and how lucky we are to have the same team negotiating in the coming year. What a complete load of rubbish. The negotiations have resulted in a possible nightmare for Ireland, especially as Michel Barniers hard-line approach imploded under pressure. The outcome is so different from what was sought that Barnier may enter the language to denote a negotiating shambles where the outcome is exactly opposite to what was intended. The only thing agreed and confirmed on January 31 is that Britain leaves the EU. Negotiations to govern trade are just about to begin and hard-line vibes from Britain and the EU are so diametrically opposed a no agreement departure could be the outcome. The immovable backstop was abandoned at a meeting between Leo Varadkar and Boris Johnson; probably on instigation of the EU as a hardening of British resolve became apparent. The backstop, which monopolised discussion, is no longer even mentioned as we now face the possibility of a very hard Brexit. The UK prime minister is in an extraordinarily powerful position with an 80-plus majority in Westminster, thanks mainly to ham-fistedness EU negotiating. As Germany teeters on the verge of recession, the outcome could well be capitulation by the EU on its immoveable prerequisites: no Border in Ireland and a supply and services level playing field. Germany and the EU cannot afford to lose British trade, with the balance favouring the EU almost two to one. Such agreement would leave Ireland hanging in the wind; while fears of wholesale smuggling could lead to a very hard physical Border, imposed by Ireland on behalf of the EU rather than Britain. Such a negotiation could be the worst in Europe since the Treaty of Versailles. The forthcoming election is of little consequence; our governance lies elsewhere. Less than 100 years after we won hard-fought political freedom, we enthusiastically give it to what is shaping up to be one the most rigid and controlling empires of recent times. Padraic Neary Tubbercurry, Co Sligo Beware Sinn Feins true colours at the ballot box I feel I must write to remind all persons of voting age who have been brainwashed into believing Sinn Fein is some sort of a party which can cure all ills. Sinn Fein has conveniently airbrushed the likes of Martin Ferris as if he never existed. Perhaps his part in trying to bring in a boatload of arms and explosives being too hard to explain to younger voters. Likewise with his more recent trip to Castlerea Prison to greet the cowardly killers of Det Garda Jerry McCabe on their release, like they were some sort of celebrities. In a similar way to Gerry Adams, airbrushed from its ranks up to last weekend, when he reappeared as an elderly, long-haired, loveable grandfather type. It would like us to forget about him from his Armalite and the ballot box type of politics. Mary Lou McDonald in the recent past showed her true colours when, ensconced in the safety of a hall full of Sinn Feiners, she concluded with Tiocfaidh Ar La and Up The Rebels. To quote Adams: We havent gone away, you know. Believe me, they have not gone away and when things dont go their way, you will see their masks slip. It now wants us to believe it is Irelands answer to all our problems. Is it any wonder the loyalists do not trust them? Vote Sinn Fein and just realise what you are voting for. Cleaner than clean? Live and learn. Tony Fagan Enniscorthy, Co Wexford McDonald may soon have two suitors waving hello Following the publication of the latest opinion polls, could it be that Leo and Micheal are about to meet their Mary Lou? John Glennon Address with editor One party bankrupted us, another turned nation round Gerard O'Regan (Irish Independent, February 1) tells us a scream from those who feel they have been left behind could bring on political carnage when the votes come in. The alternatives available are: 1. A party elected in five elections in a row between 1987 and 2007. They bankrupted the country and suffered political carnage in the 2011 election as a result. 2. A party that inherited a spectacularly bankrupted country in 2011 and somehow turned it around. Lowering a government deficit of 50bn in 2010 to zero today and lowering unemployment from 15pc to 5pc were some of its achievements. Is it in the interest of any of us to decide if either deserves political carnage? But that seems to be Mr ORegans forecast. A Leavy Sutton, Dublin 13 Failure to confirm trip purpose and low cash are among the main reasons for border stops. The Europe without Barriers civil organization notes an increased number of cases in 2019 where Polish border guards denied entry to Ukrainian nationals. The rate of denials rose 25% against 2018, the organization wrote in a report. "The number of entry denials to Ukrainian citizens in Poland in 2019 totaled 58,000, which was 25% up from the previous year (46,700). As before, the vast majority of denials are reported at the land border," the organization said on its website on January 31. Failure to confirm the trip purpose (349,000 cases) and low cash (12,800cases) are among the main reasons for border stops. Read alsoUK not to introduce visa-free travel for Ukrainians after Brexit envoy "Growing rates of entry denials at the Polish border has slowed significantly compared to last year, when it was close to the critical rate at 50%, but remained high. Three reasons can be outlined for this dynamic. First, which is important, after the introduction of visa-free travel, consulates continue 'transferring' refusals to border [points]. In 2016, some 45,000 people were denied entry at the visa application stage. Secondly, not everyone is preparing for the trip properly, ignoring the need to justify the purpose and path of their trips. Thirdly, the EU border services' control methods aren't always perfect. We are aware that some of Ukrainian citizens have been denied entry due to lack of cash, while their bank cards have not been accepted as proof," Executive Director of Europe without Barriers Iryna Sushko said. Experts also noted a rapid increase in the number of Ukrainians crossing the Polish border by air travel: 700,000 people (75% up) in 2019 against 404,000 in 2018, and 204,000 in 2017. The number of people crossing the Ukraine-Poland land border in both directions grew by 1%, to 21.7 million. Ukrainian citizens entered Poland (by all means) 10.4 million times, including 9.66 million via the land border. Earlier, Ukrainian diplomats explained the changes in the conditions of visa-free travel for citizens of Ukraine to the European Union countries effective from 2021. In particular, the EU will introduce the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), which means amending the conditions for visa-free travel to the EU for third-country nationals. Cheng Houchao, an operator of SPIC China Power Dabie Mountain Power Generation Co., Ltd., and his wife made a decision to cancel their Spring Festival Holiday in order to take part in the mission to prevent and control the epidemic at the foremost frontline. Cheng is working in the power plant to contribute to ensuring smooth power supply in Wuhan while his wife Dai Weiling, a doctor at Macheng Peoples Hospital in Huanggang City, Hubei Province, treats patients on the frontline of the battle. (Photo/SPIC) This year marks the first Spring Festival after marriage for the newlyweds. In accordance with the local convention of Hubei, they should stay together with their parents to celebrate the festival. Originally, they had planned to spend the first day of the lunar year in the home of Chengs parents, and the second day at Dais parents home. On the afternoon of Jan. 25, the Huanggang-based company re-operated unit 2, which had been previously scheduled to stop operation. Unit 2 was being re-operated so that there would be two units in full operation, ensuring adequate power supply in the battle against the virus. On the evening of the same day, Cheng, after informing his team that he was ready for work, arrived at the power plant at 19:45 and was part of the efforts to operate Unit 2. (Photo/SPIC) Only after completing the work was Cheng able to find a time to tell his wife the reason for why he had failed to be present at the family dinner. However, after turning on his mobile phone, he found a message from his wife telling him that she had gone to the hospital, and will be there to fight the epidemic during the holidays. Dont worry about me, the preventive measures are effective. I am fine. It is my duty to treat the patients while our country is making every effort to fight the virus. I hope the epidemic will taper off soon. I will take care of myself, and you must look after yourself too. Dont overwork yourself, and dont forget to wear your mask. These are the type of messages he has received from his wife. Just like this, they have managed to offer each other mutual support continuously for 7 days. While waiting for such messages from his wife, Cheng feels that time goes too slow. Over the past few days, Dai would see more than 50 patients every day while keeping up to date with the information exchanged between departments. Cheng is also busy with his work as he is in strict accordance with his schedule. Since Jan. 26, when two units were in full operation, up until 12 oclock, 1 February, the Company had supplied a total of 130 GWh power for Wuhan at the rate of a 25 GWh of electricity a day, thus supporting the prevention and control of the epidemic with a reliable supply of power. (Photo/SPIC) There are 7 couples, including Cheng and his wife in the Company. Most of the husbands are workers of the Company while their wives work as doctors or nurses. Data shows that a total of 1334 SPIC employees and their family members are involved in the war against the epidemic, which includes 1,159 medical staff. Family members of 30 employees are currently working in the medical posts in Hubei province, among whom 11 are staff from Wuhan hospitals, and 8 are from hospitals of other provinces. On January 30, the leading Party group of SPIC issued letters filled with words of consolation and encouragement to the families of the staff fighting in the frontline of epidemic prevention, saying no efforts will be spared to provide logistics services for the families. So far, 24-hour hotline and service call has been put in place in Group and some of its secondary units. Grassroots units have been motivated to offer point to point services to meet the familys needs, provide condolence payments, and extend relevant staffs holidays. After receiving the letter forwarded by her husband, Dai said to him, The letter is a token of the organizations appreciation and support for us. It fills my heart with warmth and strength. I will continue to work hard in Huanggang, and you do your best to ensure power supply for Wuhan. I believe we will soon win the battle against the epidemic. And I believe that we, and all the other families will continue to strive for improvements as our motherland works hard to bring the virus under control. Sudesh Amman, 20, from Harrow, fantasised about carrying out a terror attack with a blade or with acid while riding a moped and had been jailed in 2018 - before being released a few days ago Emergency laws blocking the early release of terrorists from prison will be brought in following yesterday's brutal attack in London, the government announced today. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland announced plans for new legislation that would stop extremists from being freed from prison until they had served their full sentence unless they had been assessed and cleared by the Parole Board. A No 10 source said the legislation would be introduced this week ahead of a package of measures expected later this year that could include a beefed-up role for the Parole Board. Crucially ministers want plans for the law to apply to those already in prison for terror crimes, as well as those jailed in future. It came as Boris Johnson signalled that tough new rules could be made retrospective after an Islamist terrorist was freed from prison early only to commit a bloody atrocity days later. Mr Johnson promised 'fundamental changes' after Sudesh Amman's rampage in south London. The 20-year-old walked free last week, halfway through a three years and four month sentence for 13 terror offences. On Sunday he marauded through Streatham high street, stabbing two people before he was shot dead. Addressing MPs in the Commons this afternoon Mr Buckland said: 'Yesterday's appalling incident makes the case plainly for immediate action. Amman lies face down on a south London pavement after he was shot by undercover officers following his stabbing rampage during which two were wounded Justice Secretary Robert Buckland announced plans for new legislation that would stop extremists from being freed from prison until they had served their full sentence unless they had been assessed and cleared by the Parole Board 'We cannot have the situation, as we saw tragically in yesterday's case, where an offender - a known risk to innocent members of the public - is released early by automatic process of law without any oversight by the Parole Board. 'We will be doing everything we can to protect the public, that is our primary duty. 'We will, therefore, introduce emergency legislation to ensure an end to terrorist offenders getting released automatically having served half of their sentence with no check or review.' He added that the Government planned to 'ensure the functions of the Parole Board are strengthened to deal even more effectively with the specific risk that terrorists pose to public safety'. The earliest offenders will now be considered for release will move from halfway through their term to two-thirds. The Parole Board has welcomed the move, issuing a statement that read: "Given the recent events at London Bridge and Streatham, the Parole Board understands and welcomes the Government's plans to ensure that terrorist offenders are not released automatically, as occurred in these incidents but are instead considered by an independent panel of the Parole Board. "Our over-riding priority is the protection of the public. The independent Parole Board will not direct the release of an offender unless we are satisfied, taking account of all the evidence, that detention is no longer necessary for the protection of the public. "The board's focus is rightly on those who have committed the most serious criminal offences and it is vital that the most serious offenders are subject to a proper assessment before their release." A No10 source said as well as short-term measures it was looking at longer-term plans including expanding the role of the Parole Board or hiving off counter-terror responsibilities to a new body, possibly involving former judges with relevent expertise. It will also look at whether those convicted of the most serious terror offences 'should ever be released, or whether there should be permanent conditions on their release'. When the London Bridge terror attack happened in November during the election campaign, the Prime Minister promised he would end automatic early release for terrorists. Following the stunning Tory victory on December 12, the Queen's Speech then committed to bring forward legislation to remove the possibility of early release for the most dangerous offenders. Even lower-level terrorists convicts will only be eligible for release at the discretion of the Parole Board two-thirds through their sentences, rather than halfway. The most serious offenders face minimum 14 year jail terms under the proposals. But the Counter Terrorism Bill that would bring the measures into force has yet to be published. Government sources insisted that the legislation would come to Parliament its first 100 days in office. Asked about the crackdown today, Mr Johnson suggested the new rules could be retrospectively imposed on offenders who are already serving sentences. 'We are bringing forward legislation to stop the system of automatic early release. The difficulty is how to apply retrospectively to the cohort of people who currently qualify,' he said. 'It is time to take action to ensure, irrespective of the law we are bringing in, people in the current stream don't qualify automatically for early release.' Downing Street has said it began work immediately on working to prevent prisoners who have been convicted of terror offences from being released if they are still a threat. Asked whether the Government was working to apply a ban retrospectively to current prisoners, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'The PM set out this morning what we are working to achieve. 'That work began immediately last night once the circumstances of this case became apparent. It's ongoing now. 'The PM set out clearly what we want to achieve, which is preventing people who there are concerns could still pose a risk to the public from being released from prison in terrorism cases.' Pressed if this meant ending automatic early release, he said the PM had been 'fairly emphatic'. The Prime Minister (pictured today) promised there would be 'fundamental changes' to the system for dealing with convicted extremists after Sudesh Amman 's rampage in south London London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was 'angry' at the 'lack of progress', arguing that the Streatham attack on Sunday was 'clearly foreseeable'. He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'One of the things we were promised in November when we had the two fatalities is that the Government would learn the lessons and make sure they would change the policies they brought in a few years ago... 'But for an inch this way or that way, but for the brilliance of the medics and the speed of the police, there would have been two fatalities and many more. 'And that's one of the reasons why I'm not just frustrated but I'm angry at the changes made in the past and the lack of progress in making the changes we were promised in November.' Amman's mother is 'disgusted' by her son's knife rampage The mother of convicted terrorist Sudesh Amman is 'disgusted' with his knife rampage after he stabbed two people in an attack in London, MailOnline can reveal. Haleema Khan, 41, is 'very upset' with her 20-year-old son's knife rampage and rejects his fanatical Islamic extremist beliefs, a source close to the family said. Amman lived with Mrs Khan and his five younger brothers in Harrow, North West London, before he was jailed for terror offences at the Old Bailey in December 2018. Mrs Khan, who has since moved to the Bedfordshire market town of Dunstable, is now trying to get her son's body from police 'as soon as possible' to bury him. The family source told MailOnline today: 'Haleema is disgusted by what he has done and his beliefs, but she is a mother and has lost a son so she is very upset and sad. 'But they are relieved that he wasn't able to kill anyone. It has hit them very hard, but now they are trying to get his body from the police as soon as possible and bury him. 'This is done as quickly as one can for Muslims as is custom and prayers for him will begin shortly.' Advertisement And local Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy said: 'The perpetrator didn't serve his full sentence which is questionable - what is more questionable is why he needed to be under surveillance. 'If someone needs to be under surveillance it brings the question on why they were released in the first place.' After a speech on Brexit in London this morning, Mr Johnson said: 'The questions everyone has about the individual concerned is what was he doing out on automatic early release and why was there no system of scrutiny, no parole system, to check whether he was ready, a suitable candidate for automatic early release. 'That is a very complex legal question and as you know we are bringing forward legislation to stop the system of automatic early release - the difficulty is how to apply that retrospectively to the cohort of people who currently qualify. 'We do think it is time to take action to ensure that ... people in the current stream do not qualify automatically for early release.' Mr Johnson's comments last night echoed those made after London's last terror attack when two people were killed by convicted terrorist Usman Khan at Fishmongers' Hall in December. Khan, 28, had been attending a prisoner rehabilitation event after being released on licence in December 2018. 'If you are convicted of a serious terrorist offence, there should be a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 years - and some should never be released,' the Prime Minster said then. 'Further, for all terrorism and extremist offences the sentence announced by the judge must be the time actually served - these criminals must serve every day of their sentence, with no exceptions.' Mr Johnson has now said the Government has 'moved quickly' to introduce measures to strengthen the UK's response to terrorism. Last month details of The Counter Terrorism (Sentencing and Release) Bill were released. They included forcing dangerous terrorists who receive extended determinate sentences to serve the whole time behind bars, and scrapping early release from jail for those classed as dangerous and handed extended determinate sentences. Boris Johnson has promised there will be 'fundamental changes' to the system for dealing with convicted terrorists after Sunday's attack by a newly-released prisoner Terrorists deemed not to be a risk would have to serve two-thirds of their sentence before the Parole Board could consider them for release, as part of the bill. Following the London Bridge attack during the election campaign, Mr Johnson blamed the 'leftie' Labour government for introducing automatic early release. In 2003 the law was changed so most offenders received early release, but 'dangerous' offenders on extended sentences would only be let out with the Parole Board's consent. What is happening with tougher terror sentences? What has Boris Johnson promised? The Government proposed a series of changes after convicted terrorist Usman Khan murdered two people at Fishmongers' Hall in the City of London in November, while he was on probation. Under the current plan, the Counter Terrorism (Sentencing and Release) Bill will bring in a raft of changes. Early release for those classed as dangerous would be scrapped, and offenders not classed as dangerous would be expected to serve two-thirds of their sentence rather than half. Other changes include making dangerous terrorists who receive extended determinate sentences serve the whole time behind bars, and giving those convicted of serious offences such as preparing acts of terrorism or directing a terrorist organisation a minimum of 14 years in jail. But it is not clear whether these changes could be applied to existing cases. Boris Johnson said today: 'We are bringing forward legislation to stop the system of automatic early release. The difficulty is how to apply retrospectively to the cohort of people who currently qualify,' he said. 'It is time to take action to ensure, irrespective of the law we are bringing in, people in the current stream don't qualify automatically for early release. When will these changes be brought in? The Counter Terrorism (Sentencing and Release) Bill was announced in the Queen's Speech but, according to the Parliament website, no date has yet been set for a second reading in the Commons. It will need to go through multiple stages in both the Commons and the House of Lords before it can receive Royal Assent. Government sources insisted the second reading for the Bill will take place within its first 100 days in office. Advertisement In 2008 the law was changed again to allow for early release without Parole Board involvement. However, the coalition and Tory governments since have not rolled back the provisions. Mr Johnson said in early December: 'Now that I am prime minister I'm going to take steps to make sure that people are not released early when they commit... serious sexual, violent or terrorist offences. 'I absolutely deplore the that fact that this man was out on the streets... and we are going to take action against it.' Shortly after the attack, Home Office figures showed more than 350 convicted and suspected terrorists had been freed from prison over the previous seven years. Overall, 353 terror criminals and suspects had been released from prison between June 2012 and the same period in 2019, of which 245 were convicted of offences. Rory Stewart, the former Tory prisons minister and now an independent candidate for Mayor of London said: 'We should be reassured that armed officers were able to be on the scene as quickly as they were.' Asked at the scene about rehabilitation and de-radicalisation, he said: 'Someone that has committed a crime such as this man will have a limited time determined by a judge and they will eventually get out. 'The key is what work you do with them once they are in prison and the work you do when they are out of prison.' Former head of UK counter-terrorism policing Sir Mark Rowley said there was a 'case' for giving terrorists indeterminate prison sentences. But he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that they should also be given rehabilitation and de-radicalisation support so they can change their ways. 'If someone is clearly driven by an ideology and they believe that slaughtering other people is a sort of God-given purpose, then I can see a case for that,' said Sir Mark. 'As long as we put alongside it the rehabilitation and de-radicalisation programmes to give someone the opportunity to change their ways and be released. 'I don't think there should be a lock-up-and-throw-away-the key - we need to be as equally aggressive about trying to help people turn their lives around as we are determined to protect the public.' The jihadis who slipped through the net: How Streatham knifeman Sudesh Amman is latest terrorist to carry out an attack while on British authorities' radar The convicted terrorist who went on a knife rampage in south London yesterday is the latest in a growing list of Islamists to strike while on the radar of security services. Sudesh Amman was able to stab two people on Streatham high street despite being under close surveillance by MI5 and anti-terror police following his release from jail. He was freed just a few days ago under 'very stringent' licencing conditions, meaning armed police who were tracking him arrived on the scene in moments. But officers were unable to prevent him from knifing one man in the stomach and a female cyclist in the back before he was eventually shot dead outside Boots chemist. Amman, 20, becomes the second convicted terrorist to carry out a knife attack in Britain within ten weeks, following a similar rampage by London Bridge attacker Usman Khan. Sunday's terror attack by Sudesh Amman (left) was the second knife rampage by a convicted terrorist to take place in ten weeks, following the atrocity committed by Usman Khan (right) Armed police shoot dead extremist Sudesh Amman, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, after he grabbed a knife from a shop and stabbed a man and a woman in a brutal high-street rampage in Streatham, South London, at about 2pm yesterday Usman Khan, 28, killed two people at Fishmongers' Hall in 2019 Khan, 28, was shot dead by police on London Bridge in November after killing two people at a nearby rehabilitation conference while out on licence for terror offences. The son of a taxi driver, he got an indeterminate jail term in 2012 after admitting preparing terrorist acts, including the plot and starting a terror training camp in Pakistan. In 2013 the Court of Appeal changed that to a 16-year fixed sentence which meant Khan had to serve only half. While on licence in November, he stabbed Cambridge graduates Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, to death while wearing a fake suicide vest at Fishmonger's Hall. In the aftermath of Khan's attack, it was claimed Khan had reformed and become a model prisoner while in prison, which helped him win permission to travel unescorted from his Stafford bedsit to London. But Khan was moved to a Category A prison after he was involved in incidents of violence and threats to endanger staff. Khan was released from HMP Woodhill in Buckinghamshire in December 2018. Just over two months ago, on November 29, convicted terrorist Usman Khan (pictured) killed two Cambridge graduates before he was fatally shot on London Bridge Khuram Butt, 27, ringleader of 2017 London Bridge attack that killed eight people The ringleader of the 2017 London Bridge attack that killed eight people, Butt had been the subject of a two-year investigation by security services. However the chief coroner, in a report into the atrocity, said police and MI5 did not recognise the threat he posed. Mark Lucraft QC said this was despite Butt's association with Islamic State fanatic Anjem Choudary and an appearance in the documentary The Jihadi Next Door. The probe was twice suspended due to pressure on resources and the authorities did not pass on tip-offs about his extremism, including one from a family member. There was also a two-month delay in translating a request from the Italian authorities for information about his fellow attacker Youssef Zaghba. An Old Bailey inquest heard that Butt, who was an MI5 subject of interest (SIO), had looked at extremist material online in the months and years before the attack, including propaganda for so-called Islamic State, violent images and sermons from extremist preachers. Bereaved families said MI5 and counter-terror police should review their assumptions about the weight placed on an SIO's so-called mindset material. Mr Lucraft said there is no evidence investigators are not capable of making those judgments properly after police and security services pointed out that many SIOs possess such material. Like Usman Khan and the 2017 London Bridge attackers Khuram Butt (pictured), Rachid Redouane and Yousef Zaghba, Amman went on a knife rampage wearing a fake suicide vest Butt is pictured on the left appearing in 'The Jihadis Next Door' which aired on January 20, 2016 Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba (shown left to right) killed eight people before they themselves were shot dead Khalid Masood, 52, who killed five people in 2017 Westminster attack Masood killed five people and injured more than 50 after he mounted the pavement in his car outside the Houses of Parliament and went on a knife rampage. The 52-year-old Briton was probed by MI5 from as early as 2004, with concerns high enough that he was classified as a threat to national security. However the file on him was closed in 2012 as it was deemed that he was not considered a serious threat. Masood, a violent criminal who picked up a string of convictions during his time living in Kent and Sussex, is believed to have converted to Islam while he was serving two prison sentences between 2000 and 2004. After emerging from prison, he went to Saudi Arabia to teach English in trip a thought to have been inspired by his new-found spirituality. When he returned from Saudi around 2009, he moved to Luton, a city in which a number of extremists and Islamic radicals were operating. Theresa May would later tell the House of Commons that 52-year-old Masood was considered a 'peripheral' figure at the time. Khalid Masood (pictured left) murdered five people (including PC Palmer, right) and injured 50 others when he drove his car into pedestrians outside the Houses of Parliament in March 2017 Salman Abedi, Manchester Arena bomber who killed 22 in 2017 Abedi, the jidahi terrorist who detonated a suicide vest at Manchester Arena in 2017 and killed 22 people, was also known to British security services. But was not deemed a high risk, despite five community leaders reporting him for extremist views. A report found a series of failures on behalf of security services, including how he had visited a category A extremist inmate in prison. Counter-terror police were also alerted to Abedi frequently travelling to Libya from 2014 onwards but he was not made the subject of travel restrictions or monitoring. Abedi's case was flagged for review, but was not re-examined before he slaughtered parents and children at the Ariana Grande concert The Abedi family, originally from Libya, fled during the Gaddafi dictatorship with the father returning to fight with opposition forces when the uprising began in 2011. Both brothers travelled to Libya in April 2017, then Salman returned alone before carrying out the suicide attack in Manchester. He detonated his device at the end of the concert, with 353 people, including 175 children, around him in the foyer of the venue. As well as the 22 dead, 16 people suffered serious injuries including paralysis, loss of limbs, internal injuries, and serious facial injuries involving complicated plastic surgery. Abedi, the jidahi terrorist who detonated a suicide vest at Manchester Arena in 2017 and killed 22 people, was also known to British security services Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi (left) and London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt (right) were both known to MI5 but were not actively being investigated at the time of their attacks Ahmed Hassan, 18, whose homemade bomb failed to explode at Parsons Green Tube station in 2017 The 18-year-old Iraqi asylum-seeker left a homemade bomb on a District line commuter train in 2017 which partially exploded after the train arrived at Parsons Green station. He claimed during an asylum interview that he had been trained to kill by ISIS against his will and spent several hours a day in a mosque under their command, receiving religious education. After those comments, he was brought to the attention of MI5 on February 2 2016 during a discussion with Counter-Terrorism Policing, but he was never made a subject of interest. Instead he was referred to the Channel mentoring scheme - part of the Prevent de-radicalisaton programme - in February 2016. It was not until June 2016 that he was made an 'active' Channel case and nine formal meetings were then held of the joint agency Channel panel at which his case was discussed. However, Hassan was never assigned a mentor, for a six-month period in 2017 there were no panel meetings, and at the time of the attack, the panel was considering closing his case. Ahmed Hassan (pictured in a mugshot, left, and on the day of his attack, right) was sentenced to life in prison The bucket bomb (pictured), wrapped in a Lidl cool bag, was built at Hassan's foster home Darren Osborne, 48, killed one in 2017 Finsbury Park mosque attack Darren Osborne (pictured) drove a vehicle into a group of people gathered near a mosque in Finsbury Park Darren Osborne, from Cardiff, drove a vehicle into a group of people gathered near a mosque in Finsbury Park in north London on June 19, 2017, killing Makram Ali. He was said to have had an extensive criminal history dating back to 1984, including 33 convictions for 102 offences ranging from offences against the person to drugs and theft. He had not been investigated by MI5 or Counter-Terrorism Police before launching his attack and was 'not known to be a member of, or have links to, any extremist right-wing groups.' Osborne first appeared a court in his home town of Weston Super Mare aged 15 in 1984. Before the terror attack, he was last in court in 2014. He had planned to drive into crowds attending a pro-Palestinian march inLondon in June last year, and he claimed he hoped to kill Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and London mayor Sadiq Khan. But road closures meant he couldn't get near the march and, after driving around London looking for Muslim targets, he drove at a group of people outside the Muslim Welfare House in Finsbury Park. Sudesh Amman, 20, stabbed two people in Streatham in 2020 Amman was a convicted terrorist under police surveillance having recently been freed from prison when he went on a knife rampage in Streatham. The 20-year-old bearded Islamic fanatic, who was on licence and known for having a fascination with knives, dived into a local convenience store to steal a 3.99 blade before embarking on a bloody stabbing spree. Wearing a fake suicide vest, he targeted pedestrians at random on the Sunday afternoon, stabbing one man in the stomach, before knifing a female cyclist in the back just after 2pm in Streatham, South London. Armed police who had been following him closely, were on the scene within minutes, chasing him down the high street shouting 'stop' before opening fire, shooting him dead outside a Boots chemist. He was jailed in December 2018 for three years and had served only half his more than three year sentence for the possession and distribution of extremist material. Whitehall sources said he had been very recently released 'despite concerns over his conduct' because the law did not give them the power to keep him locked up. He was let out at the end of January on 'very stringent' licencing conditions included a curfew, it is understood. Today, the Prime Minister is expected to come forward with new plans to further crack down on terrorist offenders. Facepalm: Researchers from the University of Alberta recently compared the responses of the four leading virtual digital assistants Alexa, Google Assistant, Cortana and Siri when asked basic first aid and life support questions. The results may surprise you. The team asked each of the assistants 123 questions spanning 39 first aid topics, arranging questions and statements with syntaxes like How can I tell if or Im having a and providing three rephrasing attempts. Responses were rated based on whether or not the assistant recognized the query and against existing first aid guidelines. Amazons Alexa and Googles Assistant were able to recognize queries 98 percent and 92 percent of the time, respectively. Conversely, Cortana only understood what it was being asked of 19 percent of the time and Siri only got it right 23 percent of the time. As for the quality of recommendations issued, the Google Assistant had a recognized acuity of 62 percent versus just 35 percent for Alexa. The overall low quality responses from Cortana and Siri prohibited their analysis, researchers said. Siri only appropriately referred to emergency response systems 12 percent of the time, the study found. In other words, itll probably be a few years still before most are comfortable trusting virtual digital assistants with first aid tasks. On a positive note, Amazon reached out after the results were published in hopes of improving its results. Masthead credit: John Brecher, Washington Post. First Aid by stockcreations. A portion of the funds will go toward supporting two China-based humanitarian aid organizations, the Hubei Charity Federation and the China Charity Federation, and providing assistance to families displaced by coronavirus. Another $1 million has been spent on medical supplies, including face masks, gowns and sanitizers that are en route to China from the United Kingdom. Waldsterben 2.0 - this term has made the rounds in Germany. It refers to the death of various tree species as a result of the record summer of 2019 with heat, drought and bark beetle infestation. "However, tree dieback is not only bad, since many insects and fungi in German forests depend on dead wood. Today, dead wood amounts in many places are still below the average of natural forests" says biologist Dr. Simon Thorn from Julius-Maximilians-Universitat (JMU) Wurzburg in Bavaria, Germany. Dead wood is very important for biodiversity in forests. Combining nature conservation and profitability From which tree species dead wood is needed and under which conditions should it be located in order to promote biodiversity in forests as much as possible? According to Dr. Thorn, very little is known about this question so far. To address this research gap, the Forest Enterprise Ebrach and the Ecological Station of JMU in the Steigerwald have initiated a research project in 2015. The Forest Enterprise Ebrach attempts to enrich dead wood and thereby protect insects and fungi. However, these nature conservation measures are associated with significant losses of income associated to forestry products. "We would like to apply nature conservation in an efficient way, so that it can be conductedwith minimal economic effort," says Ulrich Mergner, head of the forest enterprise. Experiment in the Ebrach Forest To achieve this goal, an experiment was started five years ago. The foresters laid out six trunks of six different tree species either in the sun, in the shade or under artificial shade. "This offered an uncomplicated and unique way to investigate an exciting scientific question," says Thorn, who coordinates the scientific supervision of the experiment at the JMU's Ecological Station. During the first three years, it became apparent that many rare species appeared, especially in sun-exposed dead wood. However, there are also numerous species that prefer shaded trunks. PhD student Sebastian Vogel is currently summarising the results; his work is funded by the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU). Half a million euros raised "To develop the project and to understand the ecological mechanisms that cause the differences between light and shade, we need to go deeper into the details. To do this we need money," says Simon Thorn. And he has now raised this money - around half a million euros - from the Bauer and the Stemmler Foundations and the German Research Foundation (DFG). "Research funds are fiercely contested and are awarded especially when good preliminary work exists. We have only been able to do this because of the support of the Forest Enterprise Ebrach," says the project manager. "Thanks to this funding, for the first time we can also study bacteria and fungi, which develop in dead wood. Many of these species are not visible to the eye, but play a crucial role in the decomposition of dead wood". The dead wood project in the Ebrach Forest will now be conducted until 2023. Forest manager Mergner is also pleased about this: "Nature and species protection is not a 'one-hit wonder' for us. Therefore, we are glad that we can expect long-term research results". ### BANGKOKIn Myanmar, loudspeakers broadcast advice from Buddhist monks: Seven ground peppercorns, exactly seven, placed on the tongue will ward off the coronavirus spreading across Asia and the world. In Indonesia, Terawan Agus Putranto, the health minister, advised citizens to relax and eschew overtime work to avoid the disease, which has killed more than 300 people and infected more than 14,000 others, mostly in China. To prevent it is very easy as long as your immunity is good, Terawan said. And in Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen told a packed news conference Thursday that he would kick out anyone who was wearing a surgical mask because such measures were creating an unwarranted climate of fear. The prime minister doesnt wear a mask, he said, so why do you? The World Health Organization has declared the epidemic, which appears to have originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a global health emergency. But the message does not seem to be resonating in some parts of Southeast Asia, a magnet for Chinese tourists and workers. The region now has the largest cluster of coronavirus patients outside China. Some governments there have either played down the threat of the epidemic or openly worried about offending a superpower whose economic heft can propel their economies. Medical experts worry that a delayed response could hasten the spread of the disease. Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHOs director general. On Sunday, the first overseas death from the virus, of a 44-year-old Wuhan resident who had died a day earlier, was reported in the Philippines. The virus has spread to about two dozen countries. Hours before the death was announced, President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines ordered a temporary entry ban on most travellers who had recently been in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao. Earlier in the week, Duterte, who has brought the Philippines closer to China while distancing it from the United States, said there was no reason to bar visitors from mainland China, bringing a barrage of criticism from local medical experts. We are not as prepared as first-world countries, said Anthony Leachon, a Philippine health advocate who had urged a temporary entry ban, even if it risked riling Beijing. Countries should break protocols to save their people. With 19 confirmed cases, Thailand has the second-largest number of cases outside China, followed by Singapore with 18. Thailand announced Friday that a Thai taxi driver had tested positive for coronavirus, most likely after coming into contact with a Chinese traveller. Yet even as the threat of human-to-human transmission grows, the countrys health officials have counselled against undue concern. One of the confirmed cases in Thailand involved a Chinese man in the northern city of Chiang Mai who initially tested negative for the virus after being admitted to a hospital and was therefore transferred out of an isolation unit to a general ward, said Rungrueng Kitphati, a spokesman for the countrys health ministry. The chances of him spreading the disease is very low, said Rungrueng, noting that the space between beds in the general ward was more than 1 yard. Our medical staff always wash their hands in and out. It will not be communicable to others. Yet in Wuhan, the coronavirus has infected medical workers, including a doctor who had raised the alarm about the mysterious virus in December, only to have the local government berate him for illegal behaviour. As the virus has spread across the region, some governments have remained in denial. At one hospital in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, a slideshow during a presentation on preventing the spread of coronavirus said, Dont be so afraid of the coronavirus. It wont last long because made in China. Health is not a joke, and the virus is not a joke either, said Aung Aung, a surgeon at Mandalay General Hospital. I dont think Myanmar has the modern techniques to know whether the virus is here. On Friday, Myanmar announced its first suspected case, involving a Chinese man who had arrived by plane from Guangzhou. Myanmar does not have the capacity to test for this specific coronavirus, said U Zaw Htay, a government spokesman. Any samples will need to be sent to Thailand or Hong Kong, which could take up to a week. Even high-level officials have been trading in folk remedies. After a Facebook user in Myanmar wrote a widely read tribute to onions as a way to prevent transmission of the coronavirus, the chief minister of Tanintharyi Division, U Myint Mg, shared the post on his Facebook page. The Chinese government has announced that people should consume and have on hand as many onions as they can, the post read, with no basis in fact. Cambodia has only one confirmed case of the deadly virus, involving a Chinese national in the boomtown of Sihanoukville, which has been remade by an influx of tens of thousands of Chinese workers. About 3,000 travellers from Wuhan have flown to Cambodia since the epidemic was announced last month, according to Cambodian civil aviation authorities. In a country with limited media freedoms, some Cambodians worry that the full scope of the viruss potential effect is not being reported for political reasons. The countrys health minister suggested that Cambodias hot and humid climate could ward off the coronavirus. And China has been pressuring countries not to ban its travellers, with a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman calling an entry ban enacted by the United States not in keeping with the facts and not in keeping with friendship. Hun Sen, the prime minister, who has tethered his country close to China, has said he will not ban flights from China. Nor will he organize an effort to evacuate Cambodians from Wuhan, as other nations have done, he said, because they have to continue staying there and joining with Chinese to fight this disease. Is there any Cambodian or foreigner in Cambodia who has died of the disease? the prime minister asked. The real disease happening in Cambodia right now is the disease of fear. It is not the coronavirus that occurs in Chinas Wuhan city. Indonesia, where direct flights from Wuhan brought tourists to the holiday island of Bali, has not confirmed any cases of coronavirus, leading to concerns about lax monitoring of incoming passengers. The virus has been found in Malaysia, Singapore and Australia, three much less populous countries around Indonesia. Laos, a secretive socialist nation on the border with China, has also not confirmed any cases, even though a large number of Chinese tourists and workers cycle through the country. On Saturday, residents of the remote Natuna islands in Indonesia, on the southern shores of the South China Sea, gathered by the hundreds to protest a decision to quarantine about 240 Indonesians airlifted there from Wuhan. People are upset, said Andes Putra, head of Natunas Parliament, noting that local officials had been given scant information about the virus. Like other countries in Southeast Asia, Indonesia depends heavily on Chinese tourism. On Thursday alone, 10,000 Chinese tourists cancelled their trips to Bali, according to one industry association. But Sunday, Indonesia said it was temporarily barring visitors from mainland China who had been there for 14 days. Terawan, the health minister, has suggested that the coronavirus will not affect people who exercise properly and sleep amply. Dont fret, he said. Just enjoy and eat enough. In Thailand, where normally bustling airports have been emptied of holidaymakers and tourism officials said that arrivals from China could drop by 80 per cent in the first four months of this year, Anutin Charnvirakul, the public health minister, recommended temporarily revoking the countrys visa-on-arrival program for mainland Chinese travellers. But more than 180,000 Chinese tourists who had entered Thailand over the past two months remain in the country, according to immigration officials. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha of Thailand called for Anutin to check in with tourism officials before submitting a formal proposal to the Cabinet, a process that could take days. Read more about: By James Oliphant Five Democratic candidates are considered to have viable shots at winning or placing highly in the Iowa caucuses on Monday, the first nominating contest of the 2020 presidential election. Iowa offers only a small number of delegates, but the predominately white, rural state historically is where candidacies take off - or sometimes founder. Since 1996, every Democrat who has won the caucuses has gone to secure the party's nomination. Get the latest from the Iowa caucuses: https://www.reuters.com/live-events/iowa-caucuses-3-id2920959 Here is a look at the stakes for each top candidate vying to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in November: JOE BIDEN For months, Bidens campaign staff has been telling reporters the former vice president does not need to win Iowa to demonstrate his viability as a top-tier candidate. Bidens true strength will be come in later voting states with large African-American and Latino populations such as Nevada and South Carolina, the campaign has argued. That may be true, but there is a hitch. Biden, more than any other candidate, has tried to project an air of inevitability around him becoming the Democratic nominee. Anything lower than a second-place finish in Iowa will allow doubts about his ability to go the distance to return. If he cannot win outright, a clustered result with no clear champion might be the best outcome. BERNIE SANDERS A win for the U.S. senator from Vermont would cap a startling political comeback. Last fall, it appeared fellow Senator Elizabeth Warren would become the vanguard for the progressive vote as she seemed to surge in polls. But Warrens push for electability raised doubts among some of the left about whether she was fully committed to their cause, and Sanders lately has shown signs of consolidating the liberal support. A victory in the caucuses would be a testament to Sanders expansive volunteer network and serve as a warning to rivals and pundits alike to not underestimate the candidate who won more than 20 states in his 2016 bid. Story continues It would also set him up nicely to prevail in the next nominating contest in New Hampshire on Feb. 11, establishing him as the undisputed front-runner. ELIZABETH WARREN No candidate needs a win in Iowa more than Warren. Her organization in the state is widely lauded, but she has faded from the top of polls in Iowa and nationally after peaking last fall. Without a strong showing in the caucuses, the Massachusetts senator would head into neighboring New Hampshire another must-win at a disadvantage. And it would be that much tougher for her to contend she has a viable path to the nomination. More than anything, though, Iowa is a test for the argument that Warren now makes on the campaign trail: that she is the only candidate who can bring the warring progressive and moderate factions of the party together. At the very least, she needs a top-three finish. PETE BUTTIGIEG A win for the former South Bend, Indiana mayor would not necessarily come as a surprise. He has been polling in the top tier of candidates in Iowa for weeks, has a strong organization and has a Midwestern sensibility that jibes well with the local electorate. But like Warren, the path ahead grows much tougher for him should he not perform well in the caucuses. Victory in Iowa would boost Buttigieg in another way: He needs to rewrite his narrative. No major candidate has been more dismissed of late by political observers, who are convinced his lack of appeal to minority voters nationally dooms his candidacy. What Buttigieg needs most is a reason for skeptical voters to give him another look and a win could do that for him. AMY KLOBUCHAR For weeks, Klobuchars campaign has claimed her support is mushrooming in Iowa, so much so that anything less than a third-place finish now would feel like a defeat. More than anyone else, the Minnesota senator has banked her prospects on Iowa, visiting every county and positioning herself as the hometown candidate. Widely viewed as the second choice for many caucus-goers, it remains possible that she might draw enough support from candidates such as Biden and Warren to reach the 15% level of viability in the caucuses, perhaps damaging their prospects as a result. If Klobuchar finishes out of the running, however, her exit from the race could be imminent. And even a win still leaves her as an underdog. (Reporting by James Oliphant in Washington; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Lisa Shumaker) BELLEVILLE Long lines, closures and shortages of product have frustrated consumers of legal weed in Illinois since the first of the year. But state officials said the slow start to the sale of recreational marijuana was intentional, and one that cultivators also wanted. Both, however, say the eventual goal is a market where supply and demand are in balance. Regulators sought to "intentionally slow things down to make sure we made space for new entrance to the market," said Toi Hutchinson, Gov. J.B. Pritzker's senior adviser on cannabis, better known unofficially as the Illinois "pot czar." Similar shortages have been part of in every marijuana market after legalization, said Chris Lindsey, director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project. Lindsey helped state officials draft legal marijuana legislation. Cultivators predicted shortages even before recreational use became legal. The state never disclosed plans for the slow approach to the public as they were drafting the law, Lindsey said, but "it was certainly a conversation among public agencies." After exploring different options, that path made the most sense, he said. There are two main types of systems states can build, Lindsey said. One makes a finite number of licenses available, the choice Illinois went with. The other offers an unlimited licensing and lets the market decide which businesses survive. "We did not want to see a situation where it would be tempting to do the straight math and say how many consumers are there and multiply it straight across," Lindsey said. "That's a brute force way of trying to find the right number. ... If we had let it off the chain, it would have been a lot harder to scale back." Despite consumer frustration, the slow and steady approach has its advantages, Hutchinson and those in the cannabis industry say. For one, a small start helped businesses build up a revenue stream before expanding. Additionally, it protected medical marijuana patients by ensuring the adult use program didn't take priority, Hutchinson said. More than 87,000 patients have qualified for the medical program since 2015. There are 8.6 million Illinois residents over 21, not to mention millions of tourists, who could buy recreational marijuana. With that kind of gap between medical and recreational users, the demand for product can easily overwhelm growers and push medical patients to the sidelines, said Kris Krane, president and co-founder of 4Front Ventures, a cannabis operations company with businesses in nine states. A chance to ramp up production Illinois had to keep the adult use program small to give cultivators a chance to ramp up operations and infrastructure while still serving patients, Krane said. Cultivators said they can't complain about the slow approach. They sell out of all the wholesale products they can grow. Even if they sell out of marijuana flowers, the most popular cannabis product, their business enjoys an unending flow of customers. "It's a good problem to have," said Steve Bundy, general manager of Wellness Group Pharms, a cultivation center in the rural southern Illinois town of Anna. Wellness Pharms plans to expand its cultivation facility, possibly breaking ground within the next month and a half. Bundy said he expects the staff of 50 mostly full-time employees to grow to roughly 100 later this year. His facility isn't the only one set for expansion. Krane said 4Front Ventures plans to expand its cultivation center in a northwest Chicago suburb this year. Though growth will come gradually, Krane said he believes state officials were "trying to strike a balance" when they decided to keep initial license availability low. Only 21 licenses were handed out to existing cultivation centers, while only 55 existing medical dispensaries were eligible for the first wave of licenses for selling recreational pot. The last thing growers and officials wanted was to build a market that failed after a few years. In states such as Oregon and Washington, overabundance of supply after legalization harmed business in the long term, Krane said. "The program got up and running, the prices were too high and they issued a bunch more cultivation licenses (than Illinois)," Krane said. "Fast forward a year or so, there's now so much product that companies are going under and there's no incentive to stop you from selling out the back door." Ultimately, the goal is to balance the market over the next few years, said Hutchinson, a former state senator from Chicago who earns $220,000 annually as pot czar. Another goal other states didn't set when they legalized pot was ensuring access to the market by minority groups, Hutchinson said. The typical business person in the cannabis industry is highly resourced, "homogeneously white and rich and male," she added. Illinois wanted to protect market share for people who don't fit that description. "The conventional system runs at odds with equity," Hutchinson said. A portion of tax revenue from recreational marijuana sales will go to ensuring opportunities for minority populations. Even if Illinois had handed out twice as many licenses, it's almost impossible to expand a market that doesn't exist and that doesn't have access to traditional funding such as bank loans, Krane said. Growers need the capital from sales to expand their operations, as do distributors. "Everyone is scaling up and new products are on the way," Krane said. "In a couple of years, this will be looked at as the growing pains of the early days of legalization and things will really normalize." How much can cultivators grow? As the state grants more licenses this year, growers will continue scaling up. Operations such as 4Front Ventures will try to fill the maximum square footage allowed by the state, Krane says. Cultivation centers can grow up to 210,000 square feet of canopy space, or the amount of space dedicated to growing plants. In July, the state will award 40 licenses to "craft growers," who can cultivate up to 5,000 square feet of canopy space. "Grams per square foot of canopy space" is becoming the industry standard for measuring output, Krane said. 4Front Ventures has built out 14,000 square feet of its 94,000-square-foot facility near Chicago. Cultivators can produce 425 grams per square foot in 6,500 square feet of canopy space. To meet demand, Krane said his company would need a 400,000 square-foot space. "Nobody's able to keep up with demand right now," Krane said. "It's just not possible." On May 1, the state will award licenses for up to 75 new dispensaries. The next round won't come until December, when Illinois will hand out 110 licenses to new dispensaries. Craft growers will get another boost in December as well when an additional 60 licenses will become available. How long does it take to grow weed? License availability doesn't necessarily mean products will be available right away. It can take more than four months to grow and process marijuana flowers. The first step is perhaps one of the best kept secrets among industry insiders. Like other states, Illinois operates under the "don't ask, don't tell" rule on where cultivators get cannabis seeds and plants to start their business. "There's somewhat of an understanding that no one really questions where the seeds are acquired," says Pamela Althoff, executive director of the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois and a former state senator. From there, the process is highly regulated, Althoff said. Wellness Pharms in Anna employs a team that harvests buds from 48 plants a day five-days-a-week in the 27,000-square-foot growing center. A crew works regular hours all five days packaging the products, which are sent to more than 50 dispensaries throughout the state. Cultivation starts with clippings from "the mother plant," or the plant growers use for cloning, Bundy said. The clippings go to the clone room, also known as the nursery, where they grow for one to two weeks depending on the strain. Next, the baby plants head to the growing room tables, where they will stay for roughly six weeks to develop stems and leaves. Growers move the plants to a separate area with a different light cycle, where they will stay anywhere from seven to nine weeks. That's where the plants start producing flowers, or the buds that will eventually be packaged and sold for consumption. Once growers harvest the buds, some go to a drying room, where they stay for about 10 days. Buds destined to become cannabis concentrate, known in the industry as live resin, for use in edibles and vaping cartridges go straight to the freezer. The other flowers dry for roughly 10 days followed by about three weeks of curing. Growers keep the buds in airtight containers, which they "burp" each day. That is, they let fresh air into the container. This process removes any remaining chlorophyll and moisture, Bundy said, creating a product with better flavor and odor and reduced harshness. During curing, an employee from an off-site agricultural lab comes to collect a sample of the marijuana flower for independent testing. This step is required before any sales to distributors. For Wellness Group Pharms, a lab from Sparta does much of the collecting and testing. The labs test for residual pesticides or solvents, harmful bacteria such as E. coli or Salmonella, yeast, mold and toxins. It takes roughly a week for the lab to return results, Bundy said. The labs also test for concentration of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Weed with less than 35% THC concentration is taxed at 10%. Edibles or other cannabis-infused products with more than 35% THC are taxed at 20%. As cultivators work to expand, Lindsey said frustrated consumers should pay attention to how things develop in the next three months. "It's not a new market. This is a market that's already out there and that's getting converted from illegal to lawful," he said. "We're going to see cultivators try to meet that demand." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Indias decision to more than double the outlay for developing the strategic Chabahar port in Iran in fiscal 2020-21 signals the governments determination to push ahead with the project after a clear signal from the US that it wont be affected by sanctions. The budget for the external affairs ministry, unveiled on Saturday, shows the allocation for the port on the Gulf of Oman in southeastern Iran has gone up from Rs 45 crore in fiscal 2019-20 to Rs 100 crore in fiscal 2020-21. However, the official figures showed even the allocation of Rs 45 crore was not expended. People familiar with developments said this was largely due to the reluctance of Indian and foreign firms to get involved in the development of Chabahar due to the potential impact of US sanctions imposed on Iran in 2018. The Centre had set aside funds to acquire cranes and other heavy equipment but firms did not bid for contracts, the people said. During the India-US 2+2 meeting of the foreign and defence ministers of the two countries in Washington in December, the American side reiterated that the sanctions wouldnt affect Chabahar, which India sees as key to bypassing Pakistan to access markets in Afghanistan and Central Asia. After the meeting, external affairs minister S Jaishankar had thanked his American counterpart Mike Pompeo for reiterating the US governments support for the project. The people cited above said the US has made its support conditional to the exclusion of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its affiliates from all efforts to develop the port and road and rail links to the Afghan border. In Jaishankars subsequent visit to Iran in December, the two countries agreed to boost Chabahars economic viability, including steps such as providing larger subsidies to merchant shipping using the port. This decision came in the wake of New Delhi and Tehran concluding that they had achieved the political objectives behind developing Chabahar. Former ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, who has wide experience of serving in West Asia, said only international firms had the expertise to properly develop Chabahar but they had been reluctant to get associated with the project because of the US sanctions. You need world-standard facilities such as cranes and warehouses. There was no response to tenders, mainly because of the fears of secondary sanctions. Now, with the US commitment, there is a feeling of renewed confidence in New Delhi that we will be able to attract international bidders and this is reflected in the increased outlay, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON WASHINGTON Heres a look at how the House voted last week. There were no key votes in the Senate. HOLOCAUST EDUCATION PROGRAMS: House has passed the Never Again Education Act (H.R. 943), sponsored by Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y., to require the Education Department to award grants for Holocaust education programs at public schools. Maloney said: Our children are not born with hate in their hearts, and it is up to us to make sure that they never learn it. The vote, on Jan. 27, was 393 yeas to 5 nays. YEAS: Steil R-WI (1st) SUICIDE RESEARCH: The House has passed the Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act (H.R. 4704), sponsored by Rep. Ben McAdams, D-Utah, to require the National Science Foundation to issue grants to colleges and universities for funding research that aims to prevent suicide. McAdams said the grants will contribute to the foundational research that we need to give our mental health professionals the tools to save lives. The vote, on Jan. 27, was 385 yeas to 8 nays. YEAS: Steil R-WI (1st) TIBETAN POLICY: The House has passed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act (H.R. 4331), sponsored by Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Mass., to change a variety of elements of U.S. policy on Tibet and its relationship to China, with the general goals of advancing human rights, religious freedom, and economic development for Tibetans. McGovern called the bill an important step to strengthen U.S. policy in support of the Tibetan people in the face of oppression by Chinas government. The vote, on Jan. 28, was 392 yeas to 22 nays. NOT VOTING: Steil R-WI (1st) CONSUMER CREDIT REPORTS: The House has passed the Comprehensive CREDIT Act (H.R. 3621), sponsored by Rep. Ayanna Presley, D-Mass. Bill measures include a ban on consumer credit reports including information about delinquent or defaulted private education loans taken out by borrowers who meet a standard for loan repayment, restrictions on employee credit checks by employers, and other changes to the formation and use of consumer credit reports. Presley said the measures were needed to ensure a more equitable and transparent credit reporting system for all. A bill opponent, Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, R-N.C., said the changes will destroy the accuracy and completeness of consumer credit files. This will lead to a weaker financial system. The vote, on Jan. 29, was 221 yeas to 189 nays. NAYS: Steil R-WI (1st) REGULATING FENTANYL ANALOGUES: The House has passed the Temporary Reauthorization and Study of the Emergency Scheduling of Fentanyl Analogues Act (S. 3201), sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. The bill would extend until May 2021 the Drug Enforcement Agencys temporary scheduling order regulating fentanyl-like substances as schedule I drugs. A supporter, Rep. Ann M. Kuster, D-N.H., said the extension would give the federal government the opportunity to better understand the full range of implications that come with classwide scheduling of these substances that are a large threat to public health. The vote, on Jan. 29, was 320 yeas to 88 nays. YEAS: Steil R-WI (1st) CONFLICT WITH IRAN: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act (H.R. 550), that would bar spending on military force against Iran in the absence of declaration of war by Congress or specific legal authorization from Congress. Khanna said the amendment sought to avoid a repetition of the unending and very costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. An opponent, Rep. Michael T. McCaul, R-Texas, said it takes legitimate options off the table for the executive branch. In doing so, it shows America divided in the face of mounting Iranian threats, making our nation less safe. The vote, on Jan. 30, was 228 yeas to 175 nays. NAYS: Steil R-WI (1st) REPEALING IRAQ WAR AUTHORIZATION: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act (H.R. 550), that would repeal the 2002 law that authorized the war with Iraq. Lee called the 2002 authorization outdated and unnecessary, and said not only is it not needed for any current counterterrorism operations, but repealing it would have absolutely no impact on the administrations ongoing military operations. An amendment opponent, Rep. Michael T. McCaul, R-Texas, said repealing the 2002 authorization without a new authorization for counterterrorism actions endangers not only the United States national security, but our coalition partners, most notably, Iraq. The vote, on Jan. 30, was 236 yeas to 166 nays. NAYS: Steil R-WI (1st) Along with this weeks roll call votes, the House also passed the Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act (S. 153), to promote veteran involvement in STEM education, computer science, and scientific research; the Global Hope Act (H.R. 5338), to authorize the Secretary of State to pursue public-private partnerships, innovative financing mechanisms, research partnerships, and coordination with international and multilateral organizations to address childhood cancer globally; a bill (H. Res. 752), supporting the rights of the people of Iran to free expression and condemning the Iranian regime for its crackdown on legitimate protests; and the Keeping Girls in School Act (H.R. 2153), to support empowerment, economic security, and educational opportunities for adolescent girls around the world. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 New Delhi: The 21st edition of the Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM) 2020 - the annual theatre festival organised by the National School of Drama (NSD) kicked started on Saturday with a wonderful performance by veteran actor Amol Palekar in a play titled Kusur The Mistake. The inaugural function of BRM 2020 was hosted at the Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi. The Chief Guest was Rita Ganguly, eminent theatre artist and vocalist, Dr Mohan Agashe was the Guest of Honour, a renowned theatre and film personality and Nirupama Kotru, IRS, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, was the special guest. The function was presided over by Dr Arjun Deo Charan, Acting Chairman, NSD Society. Suresh Sharma, Director In-charge, NSD, welcomed the guests at the inaugural function and expressed his gratitude to Amol Palekar for being part of the ceremony. Amol Palekars crime-drama Kusur - The Mistake revolved around the life of a retired assistant police commissioner Dandavate, who volunteers for service at the police control room. His life, however, changes overnight with a random phone call. Kusur is a mix of suspense and a bit of comedy. The supporting cast of the play also deserves a special mention for their performances. The hour-long play kept the audience hooked to their seats and as it ended, compliments for the cast and claps echoed through the auditorium. Amol Palekar was also felicitated by Rita Ganguly and the core committee and as a mark of respect, he was given a standing ovation. Kusur The Mistake has also been directed by Amol Palekar, along with Sandhya Gokhale. It is based on the Danish film Den Skyldige. It marked the actors comeback to the theatre after a gap of 25 years. BRM, which began on February 1, will be concluded on February 21. For 20 days, it will stage 91 plays that include a combination of post-modern and regional theatre by Indian and international thespians. Apart from Delhi, NSD is also hosting the festival in Shillong, Dehradun, Nagpur, Viluppuram and Puducherry respectively. Financial aid administrators bring a unique perspective to Capitol Hill as experts in the field, constituents, and a direct link to college students, said NASFAA President Justin Draeger. Financial aid leaders from colleges across the country will convene on Capitol Hill Wednesday to advocate for policy changes that would simplify the financial aid application process for students, put an end to the hidden tax on student loans, and direct sufficient funds toward federal student aid programs integral to providing access to higher education. More than 130 financial aid administrators will take part in visits to offices of their representatives as part of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) 2020 Leadership & Legislative Conference & Expo, held every year in Washington, D.C. During the conference, attendees choose from four tracks focused on leadership development, skill-building, best practices, and compliance management in financial aid, and have the opportunity to interact with lawmakers and staff to advocate on behalf of their students. Priority topics planned for the meetings include proposals for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act such as NASFAAs proposal that would send FAFSA filers down one of three pathways to ensure the lowest-income families have the fewest hurdles and the need to remove federal student loan origination fees, which currently function as a hidden tax on student loans, generating a staggering $8.3 billion in revenue for the federal government over the past five award years. The financial aid community will also advocate for increased funding for federal student aid programs, which has not kept pace with rising costs. Financial aid administrators bring a unique perspective to Capitol Hill as experts in the field, constituents, and a direct link to college students, said NASFAA President Justin Draeger. Our members see how proposals in Washington impact students on campus and that experience makes them powerful advocates on what works, what doesnt work, and what lawmakers can do to expand access to students who need it most. Learn more about NASFAAs advocacy at https://www.nasfaa.org/advocacy. To request an interview with a NASFAA spokesperson, please email Allie Arcese at arcesea@nasfaa.org. About NASFAA The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) is a nonprofit membership organization that represents more than 28,000 financial aid professionals at nearly 3,000 colleges, universities, and career schools across the country. NASFAA member institutions serve nine out of every 10 undergraduates in the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., NASFAA is the only national association with a primary focus on student aid legislation, regulatory analysis, and training for financial aid administrators. For more information, visit http://www.nasfaa.org. Even by his own appalling standards, Donald Trump is looking insufferably smug at the moment. The President of the United States gave a sit-down interview with Fox News on Sunday in which he boasted of starting a 'positive revolution' in the country. Preening and polishing himself with all the self-regarding vanity of a cocky matador just begging to be horned in the groin, he harrumphed with his customary bravado: 'I don't know how anybody could beat me.' The reasons for Trump's bumptiousness are not hard to discern. Last week, his job approval rating hit 45 per cent, just shy of where it was during his inauguration three years ago. Meanwhile, his Senate impeachment trial is set to conclude tomorrow and will almost certainly result in his acquittal. Bringing the biggest grin to Trump's lips, however, are events here at the Iowa caucuses, the Democratic Party's first step in selecting their candidate to stand against him in November's race for the White House. Donald Trump speaks at a rally at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, ahead of the caucuses in the state today All the momentum looks to be with Bernie Sanders, the senator for Vermont, a sinewy old gizzard who electrified the 2016 Democrat contest By breakfast time today, Iowa Democrats will have decided on their choice. While a long campaign lies ahead, whoever wins here more often than not ends up being the presidential nominee. For Americans tired of their President's brash behaviour at home and alarmed by his increasingly aggressive posturing abroad, this is being billed as the most important election of their lifetime. How disappointing, then, that the best the Democrats could come up with is an uninspiring collection of political has-beens and never-weres, all of whom resemble roadkill in the wake of the Trump juggernaut. In short, they're an absolute shower. All the momentum looks to be with Bernie Sanders, the senator for Vermont, a sinewy old gizzard who electrified the 2016 Democrat contest when seemingly from nowhere he ran eventual winner Hillary Clinton right down to the wire. Sanders would be a presidential candidate like no other. A self-proclaimed socialist, he espouses far-Left ideas that include free healthcare for all, free college tuition fees and a ruse to cancel student debts. His proposals are bold, eye-catching and almost certainly unaffordable. Watching Sanders campaign, it is almost impossible not to draw parallels between him and Jeremy Corbyn's ill-fated rise from sandal-wearing, backbench laughing stock to leader of the Labour Party. The President of the United States gave a sit-down interview with Fox News on Sunday in which he boasted of starting a 'positive revolution' in the country Appearance-wise, he is wiry and dishevelled. His Brooklyn accent is more of a croak than a melody. He talks about taking on Wall Street, the big pharmaceutical firms and taxing big business and Trump's 'billionaire friends' to the hilt. Like Corbyn once did, he attracts an almost cult-like following, particularly among young voters. At a Super Bowl party in Des Moines on Sunday, they gave him the sort of rapturous welcome reserved for movie stars. 'Bern-ie, Bern-ie, Bern-ie!' they chanted in unison. Sanders' main obstacle could be stamina. His 80th birthday is less than two years away and last year he suffered a heart attack. Running almost neck-and-neck with Bernie is equally doddery-looking centrist Joe Biden, who served as vice president to Barack Obama and who is the Democrat establishment's candidate. At 77, 'Sleepy Joe', as Trump has taken to calling him, is only four years the President's senior, though he looks an awful lot older. Running almost neck-and-neck with Bernie is equally doddery-looking centrist Joe Biden (pictured at his Des Moines campaign office), who served as vice president to Barack Obama and who is the Democrat establishment's candidate The impeachment trial in which Trump stands accused of threatening to withdraw aid from Ukraine to pressure them into investigating Biden has arguably been more damaging to Sleepy Joe than it has to Trump. That is because it brought to light the large sums, reportedly over $80,000 (60,000) a month, his son Hunter was being paid by a Ukrainian energy company. Yesterday, there were signs the controversy was finally getting to him. Asked about it during an interview with NBC, Biden huffily snapped at his female interrogator: 'You don't know what you're talking about.' Biden's speech is peppered with folksy little interjections such as 'that's the God's honest truth'. As Obama's VP, this colloquial schtick was mildly charming the harmless old duffer shadowing the inexperienced wunderkind. Now he seems more like the creepy uncle at the family wedding whose hugs with the younger guests linger just a few seconds too long. A Biden rally at a school in Des Moines on Sunday was a painful affair. Dressed in a blue blazer and flannel trousers, he appeared ill at ease among the provincial crowd. Joining Sanders on the far-Left ticket is Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren. She is a passionate speaker, albeit a slightly hectoring one and, oh, so painstakingly 'woke'. Last week she prompted collective eye-rolling among floating Iowan voters by pledging to have her future education secretary vetted by a nine-year-old transgender youth. Warren has at least won the backing of the handwringingly liberal New York Times. Joining Sanders on the far-Left ticket is Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren (pictured in Indianola, Iowa) Bafflingly, the paper also chose to endorse the more moderate candidate Amy Klobuchar, a former lawyer whose campaign appears to be running out of puff though picking up a $6,000 bar bill during a Super Bowl party she hosted just outside Des Moines on Sunday may have bought her a couple of extra votes. The surprise package so far has been 'outsider' Pete Buttigieg (pronounced Boot-edge-edge), the 38-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana. 'Mayor' Pete is a Harvard grad who worked for consultancy giant McKinsey. He served in the military, winning the joint service medal during a seven-month tour of Afghanistan. He is also gay. At a rally at the National Cattle Congress up in Waterloo, I watched him converse fluently in French with a reporter. What I would pay to see the less linguistically dextrous Trump try doing the same. Notable by his absence is Mike Bloomberg, the media tycoon and former New York mayor who is skipping all four traditional early-state contests Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina to focus on big states that hold primaries soon afterwards. No candidate has ever won the Democratic nomination by pursuing such a risky strategy but, then again, none has ever enjoyed the staggering scale of the resources at Bloomberg's disposal. An estimated $58billion (45billion) fortune makes him the seventh-richest man in America. After shelling out $200million including a treacly but powerful $11million ad slot during Sunday's Super Bowl he is already polling nationally at 8 per cent. Not bad considering he only entered the race 70 days ago. Bloomberg's vast wealth and impeccably liberal credentials means he remains a fashionable fixture on the London and New York cocktail party circuit but it's not certain that his slightly lofty, metropolitan charms will appeal to voters outside of America's major cities. Next to Trump, he is ever so slightly dull. It is possible, however, that the size of Bloomberg's bulging wallet mildly rattles Trump, whose billionaire status and property-empire value has for years been the source of conjecture. Bloomberg's well-remunerated campaign team will no doubt take it as a compliment that Trump spent large parts of his weekend interview childishly dissing their man over his height, making the (totally false) claim that 5ft 8in Bloomberg was negotiating to obtain a soap box to stand on during the primary debates. Which of this rackety collection of candidates will emerge to face Trump remains unclear. All we can be certain of is where the current occupant of the Oval Office intends the contest to take place: in the gutters. Cancelled flights and fears of the novel coronavirus are causing problems for both travel agents and those who want to leave or return to China. Multiple airlines have suspended flights to China in response to the outbreak. "It is [a] huge disaster," said Tingting Wang, director of TTQ Travel in Ottawa. Approximately 80 per cent of her business deals with customers flying between Canada and China. She and the other employees have been working long hours, dealing with 20 to 30 calls a day from anxious customers who want to cancel to China or want to book trips in and out of China. "I totally understand the people worry about the situation of coronavirus," she said, but feels the Chinese and Canadian governments are taking precautions to contain the virus. International airports across Canada stepped up screening tools to detect the virus in passengers entering the country in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver. Four people in Canada have confirmed cases of the virus three in Ontario and one in B.C. As of Sunday, the World Health Organization reported 14,411 confirmed cases worldwide, with 304 deaths in China and one in Philippines. World Health Organization Flights cancelled Air Canada joined other airlines by temporarily suspending direct flights to Beijing and Shanghai, China, between Jan. 30 and Feb. 29, 2020. In a message on Air Canada's website, the airline said, "Affected customers will be notified and offered options, including travel on other carriers where available, or a full refund." Wang said trying to get through to Air Canada and other airlines has been problematic. "It feels like we're in the last century," she said. "We have to wait three to four hours, at least, to get through." Wang also expects fears around the virus will continue during peak travel in the summer months. 'In limbo' While many Canadians are trying to get out of China, David Klinck is one of those people trying to get into the country. Story continues He and his wife Huang Yuan were visiting family in Gatineau, Que. He wants to return home to China where he's lived for 15 years and runs a language training school. Klinck originally booked a flight between Montreal and Guangzhou, China last week, with a connecting flight in Beijing. The connecting flight with Air China was later cancelled, which would have left him and his wife stranded more than 2,000 kilometres from home. Kimberley Molina/CBC They're now hoping to get back home via Hong Kong, a more reasonable 130 km from home. "Hopefully we can fly to Hong Kong and then kind of go in through the back door and try to find a way with a boat or with a bus to get back into [mainland] China. Hopefully that border will be open by the time we get there," he said. Their new flight doesn't leave until Thursday but the situation is tense and could change rapidly, he said. Klinck's not certain that flight will still go forward. "Right now we're kind of in limbo." New Delhi, Feb 2 (UNI) Congress deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha and former Union Minister Anand Sharma on Sunday alleged that instead of fighting elections on issues, BJP was polarising the polls. Addressing the media after the launch of Congress manifesto here, he said, "BJP is creating a divide in our society. The atmosphere of fear and terror is being created to win the polls. I would like to tell the BJP leadership that election will be completed, but the damage you have caused to the society, will not be repaired soon. 'I urge the saffron party to fight election on issues, without causing damage to our society," the senior Congress leader said. Reacting to BJP's manifesto, which was launched on Friday, apart from the Union Budget presented on Saturday, he said BJP did not know how to tackle economic slowdown and provide opportunities for the youth. Talking about Delhi, he said it was the Congress, under the leadership of late Sheila Dikshit, which built the National Capital. He termed the Congress manifesto as 'progressive and beneficial for youths'. Responding to a question, former Union Minister Ajay Maken said, "BJP wants to communalise the election. They should ask it's leaders to stop giving provocative speeches. These statements are being given to polarise the polls.' The party released it's manifesto for Delhi Assembly Polls, which primarily focused on tackling air pollution and unemployment. Answering to another query over the Shaheen Bagh protest, Mr Maken said, "The protest has nothing to do with the Delhi Assembly. The Union government should talk to the agitators and resolve the issue." Providing interest-free loan to students, completing metro phase three, four and five projects at the earliest, setting up five new AIIMS-type super-speciality hospitals, 10,000 electric buses, implementation of NYAY Scheme, were some of the promises the grand-old-party made in it's manifesto. The elections in Delhi are scheduled to take place on February 8, while the counting will take place on February 11. UNI GK RJ 2101 Days after officials confirmed the the first case of coronavirus in the United States, the first person in Massachusetts was diagnosed with the illness. A student at the University of Massachusetts Boston, was identified over the weekend after the man in his 20s returned from Wuhan, China, where the virus was first detected. Officials said the man is doing quite well. School and campus activities resumed as normal on Monday as school officials said the campus is at a low risk of contracting the coronavirus after the man sought medical help and is quarantined at home. Beyond UMass Boston, public health officials said the risk for coronavirus remains low across the region and the United States. Still, the illness continues to attract attention across the globe. Heres what the virus is, how it may have started and what to look for regarding symptoms. What is coronavirus? Coronaviruses are a large family viruses that are common in many different species of animals including camels, cattle and bats, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between people. The same is true for this variation, 2019-nCoV. 2019-nCoV is a betacoronavirus, like MERS and SARs, all of which have their origins in bats, the CDC said. The genome sequences from U.S. patients are similar to the one that China initially posted, suggesting a likely single, recent emergence of this virus from an animal reservoir, the CDC said. Coronavirus or 2019-nCoV is a respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. Health officials in China have reported thousands of infections spreading person-to-person. The virus is spreading internationally, including the United States, most through association with people that traveled to Wuhan. Early in detection in China, the CDC said, many of the patients had some link to a large seafood and live animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. Later, a growing number of patients reportedly did not have exposure to animal markets, indicating person-to-person spread. When was it detected in the United States? Coronavirus was confirmed in the U.S. on Jan. 30. The following day a public health emergency was declared in the country and the President Donald Trump signed a proclamation suspending the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants who pose a risk of transmitting coronavirus. According to the CDC, 2019-nCoV has been confirmed in nearly 30 countries including Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Spain, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, The Republic of Korea, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam. More than 14,500 people have been diagnosed with the virus globally, and 305 people have died, the World Health Organization said in its most recent report. Only around 150 people have tested positive for the disease outside of China. What are the symptoms of coronavirus? Symptoms for coronavirus can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. CDC said symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure. How severe is coronavirus? Reported illnesses have ranged from infected people showing little to no symptoms to people being severely ill and dying. For that reason, investigations are ongoing to learn more. The CDC called coronavirus a very serious public health threat, but its unclear how the situation in the United States will unfold at this time. The risk to individuals is dependent on exposure. Healthcare workers caring for 2019-nCoV patients and other close contacts obviously carry the highest risk. For the general American public, who are unlikely to be exposed to this virus, the immediate health risk from 2019-nCoV is considered low, the CDC said. Related Content: There is a big gap between the federal Governments ambition to make Canada carbon-neutral by 2050 and its plan on how to get there. Its clear that more action is needed. And that means tapping the vast resources of Canadas finance industry. Major money managers around the world already understand this. This was underscored recently when Larry Fink, CEO of Blackrock, the worlds largest fund manager, pledged to put climate change at the centre of his companys business. We will see changes in capital allocation more quickly than we see changes to the climate itself, Fink said in a letter to CEOs. In Canada, a federally-appointed group of bankers, asset managers and pension executives, submitted a report in June with recommendations on how to mobilize Canadian capital for climate change. The group, called the Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance, issued 15 proposals to meet the challenge and opportunity of the low-carbon future. The key is allocating a portion of the trillions already managed by banks, investment funds and asset managers to activities to help Canada meet its climate change goals. Task No. 1, states the panel, is to map Canadas long-term path to a low-emissions future, sector by sector, and create a financing plan for this transition for government and the private sector. This would be followed up with a sweeping reform of the financial industry, embedding climate risk into investment regulation, providing incentives for individual Canadians to place money in sustainable investments, expanding Green and Climate Transition Bonds, financing the evolution of the oil and gas sector and creating investment opportunities in low-carbon infrastructure, including a national electricity grid. The recommendations are critically important precisely because there has been so little action on this issue by the financial sector. While Canadas banks have pledged billions in sustainable financing in coming years, they are also continuing to lend and invest in the fossil fuel industry because of Canadas lukewarm climate policy. As well, pension funds, mutual funds and asset managers are beginning to pay attention to the carbon transition but their portfolios are still focused on a range of companies contributing to Canadas ongoing carbon footprint. Yet, the government has pledged to make Canada carbon neutral by 2050, a goal that will require hundreds of billions in new investment capital. This goal is broadly supported by Canadians with parties calling for tougher climate action winning 63 per cent of the vote in the last election. With a strong public mandate behind him, its time for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to act on the recommendations of the Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance and implement the measures that will truly begin to fund Canadas carbon transition. The solutions to the problems are known. We must implement them to enable financial markets to address climate change. Eugene Ellmen is an activist and writer on responsible investment. Olaf Weber is a Professor at the School of Environment, Enterprise and Business at the University of Waterloo. Read more about: Saudi and Russian leaders held a rare phone call as oil markets tumbled, the latest signal that the OPEC+ alliance is trying to build a consensus for an output cut to prop up prices. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz discussed the global energy market on Monday evening, the Kremlin said in a statement. Both leaders confirmed "readiness to continue cooperation within OPEC+," it said. The kingdom also confirmed the call. Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz. Credit:AP US crude futures sank below $US50 a barrel for the first time in more than a year on Monday, as fears gripped investors that the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China is crushing demand in the world's biggest oil-importing nation. Global benchmark Brent crude in London slid below $US55 to the lowest in over a year. The rout has added pressure on the producer group, and while leading member Saudi Arabia has been pushing since last week for action, it has met resistance from Russia. Oil demand in China is said to have plunged as much as 20 per cent because of the virus outbreak, with cities in lockdown, flights cancelled, and refineries curbing operations. MOLINE (AP) A sanctuary ceases to be a place of refuge when bullets are flying. As more shootings occur in churches, mosques and synagogues in the U.S., more religious leaders are being forced to reckon with a new reality. When a Moline pastor realized other local houses of worship may not be as prepared as his for an attack, he made a gesture that has since turned into a ministry. In the fall of 2018, 11 people were killed and six injured during morning services at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. The mass shooting was a direct attack on Jews. After Pittsburgh, my pastor, Pastor (Scott) Reece, came to me, knowing my skill set, said Dan Mobly, a member of MGT New Hope Church in Moline. Moblys skill set already had helped equip New Hopes church and school with protection against a violent threat. His 30 years in security for the federal government led him into a licensed consulting role in the private sector, and he used his experience to train a security team at New Hope. After the Pittsburgh attack, Mobly took his security expertise in a new direction, courtesy of his pastors offering. After that shooting, Pastor Reece called and offered to send over his security officer, said Allan Ross, executive director of the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities, which is located at the Tri-City Jewish Center. The synagogues have always had security for decades. After Pittsburgh, everything was improved; security was enhanced. And Mobly helped direct those enhancements. That day, when that happened in Pittsburgh, there was a weightiness on me, Pastor Reece said. It really was out of that heart of friendship a heart of love that I reached out. I called Dan (Mobly) first, and he was, like, Absolutely. The Evangelical pastors gesture was welcome at the Jewish synagogue. Talk about interfaith cooperation, Ross said. He did an analysis and supplied a report. Hes had a tremendous amount of experience, and hes a really good guy. He came to services and to Hebrew school to look at security. He did it for free. The pro-bono security services have become a ministry for Mobly and New Hope Church. He has trained fellow congregants, including military veterans, in security strategies. The Rock Island-based synagogue was the teams first outreach, but they since have provided security consulting to nearly a dozen Quad-City houses of worship. We do a full assessment, and we go from there, Mobly said. Some (religious leaders) arent at all comfortable with weapons. I dont try to convince them either way. When I go in to help a church to do a full risk assessment Ill sit down with their pastor to determine their rules of engagement. The one thing we stress is that we want detection. We dont even want them (the threat) in the building. Youve got 500 opinions out there on whether to arm or not arm. In addition to teaching others to protect themselves, Mobly and his team provide security during large religious gatherings, including personal security for Israeli leaders during the annual Night to Honor Israel and during the Praise on the River event. Our whole ministry is about supporting places of worship, Mobly said. His team also has provided free security consultation for a local mosque in keeping with an all-denominations approach. Though the risk of a mass shooting at a Quad-City church is low, he said, the resulting impact would be high. Common sense tells you, if you have a shooting in a church, you may not have anyone in church the next weekend, Mobly said. Its like last years flood: Some didnt recover. At Temple Emanuel in Davenport, security has been in place for decades. But the oldest synagogue in Iowa regularly updates its security protocols, especially after attacks like the one in Pittsburgh. Church violence is distressing; its shocking, said Neal Sears, board president at Temple Emanuel. But Jews are aware. Its not unique to the Jewish community. After Pittsburgh especially, weve taken a look at enhancing security. Weve worked with other churches and with law enforcement. We have mutual support from interfaith groups, and we have a security plan in place. Growing up in a northern-Chicago suburb, Sears said, he has long been aware of anti-Semitism and its related threats. I remember when the Neo-Nazis marched in Skokie, he said. Hate speech is nothing new and religious bias is nothing new, but were inundated with it now. And no denomination is safe. At Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Moline, security is a fairly new issue. While Jews and Muslims have for many years been working to protect congregants from attack, Christians know they are not immune. Weve been working on a plan the last couple of years, said Father Mark DeSutter, of Sacred Heart. We have plans for a fire or a tornado, and weve debated what to do about intruders. The frightening thing is that somebody can just walk in unannounced and start shooting. We waited for some time to see if something came from the Diocese, but theres been nothing from them at all. Sacred Heart has an advantage, however: Highly experienced members of local law enforcement are members of the church. Weve been doing a threat assessment and contemplating to what extent we are training our people, DeSutter said. We have evacuation plans for other things, so its been a matter of some new training. As Mobly noted, clergy and firearms are not a natural fit. In the (shooting) situation recently in Texas, they were lucky that having armed security worked, rather than creating more problems, DeSutter said. There are pretty loose firearms laws in Texas, and it doesnt seem to be a deterrent. The proliferation of firearms doesnt seem to be preventing people from violent activity. A reluctance to fight back is not unusual in some religious-leadership circles, Mobly said. If youre protecting people in an active-shooter situation, you cant move, he said. You cant give up ground. You cannot retreat. (Church leaders) are men of God. When they have to think about this, they dont know where to start. Thats where he comes in, helping churches large and small come up with an action plan that allows congregants to worship freely without worry of an attack. Paul Makonda, the administrative chief of Tanzania capital, who launched a crackdown on homosexuality in 2018, has been banned by the United States. According to Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, in a statement issued on Friday, the ban also affects members of his family. Makonda was acused by the US of being involved in gross violations of human rights, which include flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, or the security of persons. Today we designated Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Christian Makonda as ineligible to enter the U.S. for his involvement in gross violations of #humanrights. We are deeply concerned over deteriorating respect for human rights and rule of law in #Tanzania. Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) January 31, 2020 The United States remains deeply concerned over deteriorating respect for human rights and rule of law in Tanzania, the statement read. This includes actions taken by the government that curtail freedom of expression, freedom of association, and right of peaceful assembly; target marginalized people and the political opposition, and jeopardize life. Section 7031(c) provides that, in cases where the Secretary of State has credible information that foreign officials have been involved in significant corruption or a gross violation of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the United States. The law also requires the Secretary of State to publicly or privately designate such officials and their immediate family members. In addition to the public designation of Paul Christian Makonda, the Department is also publicly designating his spouse, Mary Felix Massenge. These actions against Paul Christian Makonda underscore our concern with human rights violations and abuses in Tanzania, as well as our support for accountability for those who engage in such violations and abuses. We call on the Tanzanian government to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of expression, association, and the right of peaceful assembly. Today we designated Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Christian Makonda as ineligible to enter the U.S. for his involvement in gross violations of #humanrights. We are deeply concerned over deteriorating respect for human rights and rule of law in Tanzania, Secretary Pompeo said. Meanwhile, Makonda had said he knew he would come under fire when he launched the anti-gay movement in 2015, explaining he would, however, forge ahead, claiming the act angers God. KanyiDaily had reported that others countries affected by the ban include Nigeria, Eritrea, Sudan, Kyrgyzstan, and Myanmar. Listen in: Sign up for our IB Talk podcasts to get the most in-depth insurance discussions Based on NAICs 2020 data, here are the top 10 accident and health insurance groups: 1. UnitedHealth Direct Written Premiums: $176.7 billion Market Share: 14.1% A diversified health and well-being company, UnitedHealth Groups core capabilities are clinical expertise, advanced technology, and data and health information. UnitedHealth Group serves clients and consumers in the US and more than 130 other countries through two distinct platforms: UnitedHealthcare provides healthcare coverage and benefits services, while Optum provides information and technology-enabled health services. The group invests more than $4 billion in technology and innovation and processes approximately 1.1 trillion transactions annually. 2. Kaiser Foundation Direct Written Premiums: $104.2 billion Market Share: 8.3% Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. operates as a non-profit healthcare organization. The organization offers allergy, audiology, cardiology, dermatology, oncology, hospice, laboratory, nephrology, occupational therapy, pain management, pediatric rehabilitation, and pharmacy services. The company serves patients in the US. 3. Anthem, Inc. Direct Written Premiums: $76.9 billion Market Share: 6.2% Anthem, Inc. is a health benefits company that is committed to improving lives and communities and making healthcare simpler. Anthem, through its affiliated companies, serves more than 106 million people, including over 42 million within its family of health plans. It aims to be the most innovative, valuable, and inclusive partner. The groups affiliated health plans have created various HMOs, PPOs, network-based dental products, various hybrid and specialty products, and health plan services that combine the attributes consumers find attractive with effective cost control techniques. Individual members and employer groups can select from basic and comprehensive plans to meet their specific needs. A wide range of related specialty products and other services is also available, including flexible spending accounts and COBRA administration. 4. Centene Corp Direct Written Premiums: $75 billion Market Share: 6% Centene Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, is a diversified, multinational healthcare company providing a portfolio of services to government-sponsored healthcare programs, focusing on uninsured and underinsured individuals. It operates in 50 states and three international markets and has more than 25 million managed care members. Centene operates local health plans and provides a range of health insurance solutions. Also, it contracts with other healthcare and commercial organizations to offer specialty services, ranging from behavioral health, dental benefits, life and health, and pharmacy benefits management to care management software, correctional healthcare services, in-home health services, managed vision, specialty pharmacy, and telehealth services. 5. Humana Direct Written Premiums: $73.9 billion Market Share: 5.9% Humanas cultural foundation is aligned to helping members achieve their best health by providing personalized, simplified, whole-person healthcare experiences. Recognizing that each person, family, and communitys healthcare needs continue to evolve, Humana creates innovative solutions and resources to help people live their healthiest lives on their terms when and where they need it. 6. CVS Direct Written Premiums: $69 billion Market Share: 5.5% CVS Health is a healthcare innovation company with a purpose to help people on their path to better health. Through its health services, plans, and community pharmacists, it pioneers a new approach to total health. CVS has more than 9,900 retail locations, nearly 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a pharmacy benefits manager with about 100 million plan members, a diversified healthcare benefits company serving about 23.4 million medical members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year, expanding specialty pharmacy services, and a standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. 7. HCSC Direct Written Premiums: $42 billion Market Share: 3.4% Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), a mutual legal reserve company, is the largest customer-owned healthcare insurance company in the US. The company serves more than 16 million members across five states Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas and employs more than 23,000 people in over 60 local offices. HCSC offers a wide variety of life and health insurance products and related services through its affiliates and subsidiaries, including Dearborn Group, Dental Network of America, HCSC Insurance Service Company, Medecision, Availity, Prime Therapeutics, and TriWest Healthcare Alliance. 8. Cigna Health Direct Written Premiums: $31.8 billion Market Share: 2.5% Cigna Corporation is a global health service organization with more than 165 million customer and patient relationships in over 30 countries and jurisdictions. Its insurance plans and products include healthcare insurance for individuals and families, dental insurance plans, Medicare plans, Medicare supplemental plans, other supplemental insurance, and international health insurance. 9. Molina Healthcare, Inc. Direct Written Premiums: $21.4 billion Market Share: 1.7% Molina Healthcare, a Fortune 500 company, exclusively focuses on government-sponsored healthcare programs for qualified individuals and families. The company contracts with state governments and serves as a health plan providing a wide range of quality healthcare services to individuals and families. Molina provides health plans in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Puerto Rico. The company also offers a Medicare product and has been selected in many states to join in dual demonstration projects to manage the care for those eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. 10. Independence Health Group Direct Written Premiums: $20.1 billion Market Share: 1.6% Philadelphia-headquartered Independence Health Group, along with its subsidiaries, serves about 10 million clients in 27 states and the District of Columbia. A quarter of its customer network is based in southeastern Pennsylvania. The company serves various employer groups, from small and midsize enterprises to national corporations. Among the services the insurer offers are commercial, Medicare and Medicaid coverage, pharmacy benefits management, workers compensation, and third-party benefits administration. The company is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. (Updated August 23, 2021) Oscar 2020, aka the 92nd Academy Awards, is only a week away and is set to honour some of the biggest releases in 2019. Last year Oscars saw penalty of controversy before and throughout the night, from Comedian Kevin Hart forced to step down as a host to, Detainment receiving backlash for a nomination in the live-action short category. The 2020 Oscars like every year will be start-studded with the nominees, presenters as well as the rest of your favourite celebrities. The Red Carpet and the Awards night's full coverage will be available live for the audience sitting at home. Along with a television telecast, the event will also be available on the digital platform. Held at Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, the Red Carpet Live will take place at 5:00 am IST (Indian Standard Time) on February 10, 2020. A live stream will also be available for the same on the twitter page of The Academy. The Awards night, on the other hand, will start at 6:30 am IST on February 10, 2020, in India. The ceremony will be broadcasted on selected channels like Star Movies, Star Movies HD, and Star Movies Select HD. The coverage can also be live-streamed on Hotstar. Some of the biggest nominees this year are Joker, 2917, The Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, Little Women, Ford vs Ferrari, Parasite and more. The Academy earlier last week announced 22 presenters for the awards night including Mindy Kailing, Penelope Cruz, Mark Ruffalo, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Shia LaBeouf, Gal Gadot and more. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira Bring The Latinx Pride To Stage For Super Bowl Halftime Show ALSO READ: Oscar 2020 Nominations: The Irishman, Once Upon A Time, Jo Jo Rabbit And More Make The Cut Tasmanian news anchor, Jo Palmer, will step down after 18 years in the role. Palmer began her role on weekdays in 2002 moving across from presenting the weekend news on Seven Tasmania. Her career commenced as the host of Tasmanias first lifestyle program, The Good Life in Tasmania that first aired on Southern Cross Television. The show was produced in Hobart and launched Palmers television career following her reign as Miss Australia. Nightly News Seven Tasmania (previously Southern Cross News) has regularly been the most watched news program in Australia per head of population. Jo has been the consummate professional as Tasmanias favourite news reader. She has also been an amazing mentor to aspiring journalists and has been instrumental in helping team members fulfil their career goals, with many finding employment in metro markets, Southern Cross Austereo News Director, Grant Wilson, said. The chemistry between veteran weather presenter Peter Murphy and Jo has been a must see for many of the stations viewers over the 18 years they have worked together. We will miss Jo and wish her all the best in her future endeavours. Palmer said: It is with deep sadness that I have decided to leave my position with the company. Local news has been such a huge part of my life; sharing with our community the stories that have broken our hearts, lifted our spirits, kept us safe and informed, made us proud of who we are and where we live. The news room has been my second home, and the news team my second family. I will miss our team so dearly but I know this is the right decision for me personally and for my family. A replacement will be announced shortly. The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. Activist Urvashi Chudawala was on Monday booked for by the Mumbai Police for allegedly raising "anti-national" slogans in support of JNU student Sharjeel Imam at an LGBTQ event held at the Azad Maidan here last week, an officer said. Besides Chudawala, 50 others were also booked under sections 124 (A) (sedition), 153 (B) (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration), 505 (statement conducing to public mischief) and 34 (Common Intention) of the Indian penal code, said Pranay Ashok, Deputy Commissioner of Police. "We have registered an FIR against Chudawala and 50 others. We will call them to (Azad Maidan) police station for further investigation," he said. The case was registered by the Azad Maidan police after a video purportedly of Chudawala raising the slogans went viral after the LGBTQ event on February 1. A police official said Chudawala was at the forefront in raising the slogan 'Sharjeel Tere Sapno ko Hum Manzil Tak Pahuchaege" (Sharjeel, We will realise your dreams). A complaint in this regard was lodged by former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya on February 2, he said. Tweeting the video of a woman raising the slogans at the event, Somaiya had warned of staging a protest if the police failed to register the case against Chudawala and others. Imam was arrested from Bihar's Jehanabad on January 28 for allegedly making inflammatory speeches at the Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi and in Aligarh. Imam, a PhD student at the Jawaharlal Nehru University's Centre for Historical Studies, was booked in cases lodged across several states for alleged "inflammatory" speeches made during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. State Rep. Rodney Garcia is concerned about the rise of socialists Montana. But he says there's something people can do about them kill and imprison them. "So actually in the Constitution of the United States (if) they are found guilty of being a socialist member you either go to prison or are shot," Garcia told The Billings Gazette. From the article: Garcia said he views what he sees as an influx of socialism in Montana as a "very dangerous" situation and that socialism has destroyed countries like Venezuela. "They're teaching that to kids. Thank God my grandkids know it's wrong because I teach them. And it's a very dangerous situation," Garcia said. Garcia added he believes socialism is growing, citing advertising he says is done by socialists on Facebook. Photo of Billings, Montana by Steve Halama on Unsplash STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday that 11 cases of novel coronavirus have been confirmed in the United States amid a global outbreak of over 17,000 cases and more than 360 deaths all mostly in mainland China. The additional confirmed cases also include the second person-to-person transmission of the virus in the United States between two people with close household contact in California, according to Nancy Messonnier, the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. The first case of person-to-person spread in the United States was announced last week between an Illinois couple in their 60s shortly before the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a global health emergency. We expect to find additional cases of novel coronavirus in the United States, Messonnier said during Mondays telebriefing, adding that more cases of person-to-person spread are also likely. As of this morning, Messonnier said that 167 people under investigation for the virus have tested negative for infection, with an additional 82 cases still pending. Officials announced on Sunday that an additional two people in New York City are being tested for the novel coronavirus after recently traveling to mainland China, bringing the total cases in the city under review up to three. It is not immediately clear if these cases tested negative, or if the individuals are still being tested. A 60-year-old man, who has been hospitalized at Flushing Hospital Medical Center in Queens, is considered to be in stable condition, according to the citys Department of Health. An additional 60-year-old individual is being hospitalized at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Queens. The first person from New York City to be identified for testing, an individual under the age of 40 who also recently traveled from China to New York City, is being held at NYC Health + Hospital/Bellevue in Manhattan, the Advance previously reported. Staten Island hospital physicians are on heightened alert for novel coronavirus, health officials previously told the Advance. We are on very, very high alert for coronavirus now, said Dr. Harry Kopolovich, chairman of the emergency department at Richmond University Medical Center. "Our local health services are fully aware and prepared to deal with a pandemic if one does in effect occur. Testing to determine whether an illness is a confirmed case of coronavirus will take a minimum of 36 to 48 hours and depends on CDC testing capacity. Authorities have cautioned that cases under investigation should not be presumed as likely to be confirmed. President Donald Trump declared a public health emergency in the U.S. on Friday in response to the spread of coronavirus. Messonnier said the presidents proclamation suspends entry of foreign nationals who have visited (mainland) China within the past 14 days into the United States, and exempts immediate family members of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents." These people will be allowed to enter the United States, Messonnier said of the exemptions; however, these individuals will receive an additional health assessment and will be screened for symptoms of the virus. If these individuals are considered to be symptomatic, they will be transferred for further medical evaluation, Messonnier said, and will be isolated for 14 days. Given the virus spread outside of China, Messonnier said the CDC is also putting in place measures to detect this virus among those who are allowed entry into the United States," calling the person-to-person spread outside of mainland China a cause of concern. CDC RECCOMENDATIONS For those who feel sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, and who have recently traveled to Hubei province China or been in contact with a confirmed case within 14 days of symptom onset, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends: Seek medical care right away. Before going to a doctors office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about recent travel and symptoms. Avoid contact with others. Do not travel while sick. Cover mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not hands) when coughing or sneezing. Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. For more information about the coronavirus, visit the Heath Department website at nyc.gov/health. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Bodo-dominated Kokrajhar town of Assam on February 7. IMAGE: PM Narendra Modi will address a rally in Kokrajhar. Photograph: Press Information Bureau This will be the prime minister's first visit to the Northeast since it witnessed several anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in which three people were killed. Prime Minister Modi will visit Assam on February 7 and address a rally in Kokrajhar, a government official said. The visit comes a week after the central government signed a peace pact with several Bodo militant groups and a student body. The signing of the Bodo agreement led to surrender of over 1,500 militants of the major insurgent group National Democratic Front of Boroland. A summit meeting between Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, scheduled to be held in Guwahati in December, was also cancelled due to the anti-CAA protests. Modi was also invited for the inauguration of the recently-concluded 'Khelo India' games in Guwahati but he did not attend it. Centra boss Martin Kelleher said the chain, supplied by Musgrave, plans to open 20 new stores this year to tap growing sales. Sales increased 4% to 1.7bn in 2019 as it navigated last years hard Brexit deadlines, having invested millions in refurbishing stores and refocusing to sell healthier product ranges, Mr Kelleher said. Part of the transformation also involved opening its Frank and Honest coffee outlets in most of the stores. We could see back in 2016 that things we would have sold a lot of, in the traditional convenience store, like tobacco and alcohol and newspapers, were coming under pressure, he said. With a total of 473 stores, the Centra business direct rival in the Republic is with BWG, which supplies a number of convenience store chains, including Spar and Mace. In the North, Centra also operates 89 store franchises. Most of the 20 new stores will be in Dublin because of the citys growing population and the others are spread around the country, including conversions from competitors and new sites. Asked about the election, Mr Kelleher said he would urge politicians to do all they could to help cut insurance costs, rates, and tackle crime that can affect local stores. On Brexit, he said Centra had managed sterlings fluctuations and had planned well for last years hard Brexit deadlines, in March and October. But Mr Kelleher said that the eventual trade deal between the UK and the EU could still have effects on retailing in Ireland. He also runs SuperValu, one of the big three supermarkets by sales. In very simple terms, the tariff question is still there and could and will have a significant impact on the price of goods here, he said. But we need to let that play out and see what agreement is made. Then it is the movement of goods which is the next thing which we have been planning around. Some of its British suppliers might supply Centra from factories on the continent where they also have factories but there is still work to be done to solidify that, he said. At the least, the ticking time bomb that was there has passed, Mr Kelleher added. (Natural News) After a few weeks ago deciding not to declare a global public health emergency in response to coronavirus, the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) has now changed its mind, citing deeply concerning cases of the disease that have since emerged. Growing evidence suggests that coronavirus is now increasingly spreading from person to person outside of China, which health authorities previously denied. So, the W.H.O. held emergency committee meetings to determine whether or not a global emergency declaration is now warranted. The United Nations (U.N.), which oversees the W.H.O., announced previously that it was too early to signal a global crisis because human-to-human transmission of the virus had not yet been observed. But now that it has, all bets are off as to how this thing could possibly spiral out of control on a global scale. As of this writing, the official infection count stands at nearly 15,000 cases, with 305 officially reported deaths. And within a matter of days, warn some experts, infection numbers could balloon into the hundreds of thousands. There are now at least six coronavirus cases in which the infected individuals had not previously traveled to China, according to W.H.O.s health emergencies programme executive director Michael Ryan. This indicates that the virus is, in fact, now being transmitted outside of China. To keep up with the latest coronavirus news, be sure to check out Outbreak.news. A German man contracted coronavirus from a visiting Chinese colleague who showed no symptoms of infection What makes human-to-human coronavirus transmission even more of a concern is the fact that it can happen when symptoms arent even evident. This is how a 33-year-old German man caught it from one of his visiting Chinese colleagues, who reportedly became ill after she returned back to China. This is what W.H.O. director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called deeply concerning, adding that this newfound evidence of how coronavirus is actually behaving versus what public health authorities had initially claimed shows potential for a much larger outbreak. The W.H.O. is planning to make a public announcement about whether or not coronavirus is a global public health emergency on Thursday, January 30, from Geneva, Switzerland, immediately following the emergency committees meetings. Ghebreyesus has also issued a public apology for his agencys report from last week that dubbed the global risk from coronavirus moderate, as opposed to its newly revised designation of high. Citing human error in preparing the report, Ghebreyesus claimed on Twitter that the previous designation was a mistake. Gheybreyesus hasnt, however, addressed accusations that his agency dropped the ball in praising the communist Chinese government for supposedly being transparent in its response to the outbreak, even though its now abundantly obvious that China has been downplaying the severity of whats really going on over there in Wuhan. It has also come out that China may have actually stolen this particular strain of coronavirus from a Canadian laboratory a while back, implicating the communist dictatorship in unleashing a deadly bioweapon. I strongly advocated on air for [the W.H.O.] to declare a global health emergency today, tweeted Eric Feigl Ding, an epidemiologist and health economist at Harvard Universitys Chan School of Public Health. The facts are pretty clear this #coronavirus #nCoV2019 epidemic is no longer localized to China and has higher pandemic risk than SARS, he added. Due to his complicity in failing to disclose information about the disease in a timely manner, the mayor of Wuhan has publicly offered to resign from his position. Meanwhile, Chinas foreign minister Wang Yi recently told British foreign secretary Dominic Raab that the epidemic is generally controllable and curable, even as coronavirus appears to be spreading exponentially. Sources for this article include: NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com Two people were shot dead and another was wounded as an unidentified person opened fire on the Texas A&M University-Commerce campus on Monday, the university police said. The incident happened at the Pride Rock Residence Hall, they said in a tweet. The surviving victim was taken to a hospital in unknown condition, the university police department said. The shooter has not been identified yet. Earlier, the police tweeted that they were investigating a crime scene and asked the campus community to shelter in place. The university later posted a notice on its website that the "precautionary shelter in place recommendations" have been lifted, but Pride Rock and the surrounding areas remain blocked off. Classes were also cancelled for the day, the administration said. Police are actively investigating, they said. As of August 2016, those who hold a current and valid concealed handgun license in Texas are allowed to carry a concealed handgun on certain parts of the campus. Handgun licence holders are also allowed to store the weapon in a safe in their campus housing, according to the police. Texas A&M's campus in Commerce, Texas, is over 200 miles north of Texas A&M's main campus in College Station. The university is home to thousands of Indian-origin students and several faculty members. An analysis of student visa data suggests that in 2018 as many as 183,312 Indian students came to the U.S. to study at American colleges and universities. From this pool of 183,312, Texas A&M was home to approximately 1,607 Indian students. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [February 03, 2020] Cooley Adds Acclaimed Trial + Appellate Litigator Cooley has expanded its litigation department with the addition of experienced trial and appellate lawyer Kathleen Hartnett, who joins as a partner in San Francisco. Hartnett arrives from Boies Schiller Flexner, where she was co-administrative partner of the firm's San Francisco office. Previously, she served as deputy assistant attorney general in the US Department of Justice's Civil Division, overseeing the Federal Programs Branch, which represents the federal government in high-profile civil litigation. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005531/en/ Kathleen Hartnett joins Cooley as a litigation partner in San Francisco. The second former US Supreme Court law clerk to join Cooley in 2020, Kathleen previously served as deputy assistant attorney general in the US Department of Justice's Civil Division, overseeing the Federal Programs Branch, and as associate counsel for President Obama. (Photo: Business Wire) "Kathleen is an accomplished litigator with extraordinary credentials who brings to our rapidly growing litigation department best-in-class strategic instinct and deep experience navigating high-profile, impactful litigation," said Mike Attanasio, chair of Cooley's global litigation department. "Together with her deserved reputation for working tirelessly to achieve clients' objectives, her talents will further add to our powerful litigation bench around the world." Hartnett has extensive experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes civil litigation and providing strategic counseling, including in major battles in the technology industry. Her practice spans commercial, regulatory and constitutional law, and she has represented industry and government leaders facing complex challenges involving litigation, policy and politics. At DOJ, Hartnett led, argued and participated in many cases of national importance, including those involving the Affordable Care and Dodd-Frank acts, former President Barack Obama's immigration initiatives and the assertion of executive privilege. She also supervised important cases involving the US Departments of Treasury, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security and Defense and the SEC (News - Alert), among others. Hartnett formerly served as special assistant and associate counsel for President Obama, a role in which she counseled the president and other officials on constitutional, regulatory and oversight issues. "Cooley's success as a global litigation force attracted me, as did its renowned culture of collaboration and commitment to diversity and inclusion," said Hartnett. "I look forward to working closely with my new colleagues to protect our clients' innovation and success." Recognized by the National Law Journal as an Equality Trailblazer for fighting for equal justice under law, Hartnett has significant pro bono and public-oriented litigation experience. She earned her JD from Harvard Law, where she served on the Harvard Law Review. After law school, she clerked for Judge Merrick Garland of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit and for US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. Before her government service, Hartnett was co-founding partner of a litigation boutique in Washington, DC. About Cooley LLP Clients partner with Cooley on transformative deals, complex IP and regulatory matters, and high-stakes litigation, where innovation meets the law. Cooley has 1,100+ lawyers across 16 offices in the United States, Asia and Europe. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005531/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Advertisement Harvey Weinstein's rape trial was adjourned early Monday, after accuser Jessica Mann suffered a panic attack while being hammered by questions from the movie mogul's lawyer. The former aspiring actress broke down in tears on the stand, sobbing uncontrollably while she was grilled as to why she kept in contact with Weinstein even though he allegedly assaulted her on three occasions in 2013 into possibly early 2014. During her testimony, Mann also admitted that she was 'manipulative' towards Weinstein and claimed that he introduced her to his daughter the day after he allegedly raped her. Elsewhere, during her exhaustive questioning, she further described how she told the mogul he was the 'best she ever had' and faked an orgasm with him. The hairdresser additionally described how Weinstein performed a 'Golden Shower' on her and that she was left in shock when he urinated on her. Mann told the court that she gave the disgraced movie mogul her phone number five times and asked him if he would meet her mom - after she claims he raped her. As she was being hammered on the witness stand, Weinstein appeared to fall asleep in court with his eyes closed and head nodding forward multiple times. Key accuser Jessica Mann had a panic attack and broke down in court (above) on Monday after enduring long day of exhaustive and grueling questioning. She admitted she was 'manipulative' towards Harvey Weinstein and kept in contact with him after he allegedly assaulted her multiple times in 2013 Mann pictured above in the white ribbed sweater holding onto what appears to be a stress ball as she was ushered into a car following an exhaustive cross-examination on Monday As she was being hammered on the witness stand, Weinstein appeared to fall asleep in court with his eyes closed and head nodding forward multiple times Weinstein's lawyers revealed Mann gave the movie mogul her phone number five times after he allegedly raped her. Defense lawyers tried to rip apart her testimony on Monday, leading the once aspiring actress to break down in sobs. Mann pictured above Friday entering court for her testimony Her breakdown came after she was pummeled with questions all day by Weinstein's attorney Donna Rotunno, who repeatedly asked if she had manipulated the producer and kept a relationship with him to accelerate her career and get invited to Hollywood parties. The questioning was so intense the 34-year-old former aspiring actress looked confused and asked for a break around noon before breaking down. R otunno asked Mann: 'With your requests to see him on a regular basis, you were manipulating Harvey Weinstein?' Mann paused and said: 'How I handled it and survived it I guess you can say manipulation.' Mann described the movie mogul as her 'abuser' and their dynamic as one where she was obliged to 'obey and jump.' On Friday Mann broke down in tears and shared an explosive testimony in Manhattan criminal court alleging Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills in the spring of 2013 and raped her at the Doubletree hotel in Manhattan in March 2013, after injecting his penis with an erection-inducing drug. Harvey Weinstein pictured leaving court on Monday as his sex-crimes trial has entered its fifth week. During Monday's session Weinstein was seen apparently sleeping and nodding off as Mann was cross-examined Weinstein attorney Donna Rotunno pictured leaving court after he pummeled Mann with intense questions on her relationship with the film producer He allegedly assaulted her again eight months after the New York hotel attack at a Los Angeles hotel after she told him she had a boyfriend and wanted to end their relationship. Mann admitted to having a twisted relationship with the mogul in which they had multiple consensual sexual encounters, including a threesome. During Monday's questioning Rotunno focused on Mann's relationship with Weinstein and efforts to keep in contact with him to unravel her testimony, and often hit her with sarcastic and sharp comments. Rotunno insinuated Mann kept in contact with Weinstein for things like tickets to the Oscars Party and invites to A-list Hollywood parties. The 67-year-old denies the rape and sexual assault allegations against him and insists any sexual encounters were consensual. A conviction could put him behind bars for life. Pictured arriving to court on Monday Mann pictured in court Monday in a cream-colored sweater being questioned by lawyer Donna Rotunno as Weinstein looks on Mann 'told Weinstein he was the best sex she ever had' and meets his daughter Rotunno quizzed Mann on her claim that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills in the spring of 2013. 'You lied to Mr Weinstein when you said it was the best (sex) you ever had?' Mann replied: 'Yes.' Rotunno said: 'You lied to Mr Weinstein when you faked an orgasm?' Mann said: 'Yes.' Mann was then questioned about a time Weinstein allegedly urinated on her, though she could not remember where or when the incident took place, but she did recall the details. 'He asked me to come in the shower and asked: "Have you ever had a golden shower?" I said no,' Mann said. Rotunno asked: 'Did you say no?' Mann said: 'I was in shock, it was gross. At this point I turned into the corner of the shower and looked away.' Rotunno asked Mann to explain why she stayed in touch with Weinstein and she replied she 'wanted him to believe I wasnt a threat'. Rotunno shot back: 'Jessica, how are you a threat if Mr Weinstein is not reaching out to you and you are reaching out to him?' Mann said that there were 'other ways' she felt him in her life. Weinstein's tough attorney asked why Mann 'stuck around' in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 even though she thought Weinstein was 'grotesque and you didnt want sexual interactions with him.' Mann said she stayed in touch with 'my abuser' because it was the best way to keep the 'temperature gauge' between them at a normal level. She talked about Weinsteins 'unpredictable anger (which) would trigger more abuse on me'. Mann looked downcast as attorney Donna Rotunno fired relentless questions and made at time sarcastic remarks casting doubt on Mann's testimony At one point during the cross examination Mann claimed that Weinstein seemed to make comments on helping her career. He said she would make a 'good host' on Good Morning America, the ABC breakfast show. Rotunno then turned to the alleged rape at the Doubletree Hotel in Manhattan on March 18, 2013, the incident for which Weinstein is formally charged. She flew to New York from LA for a meeting with the mogul along with her friend Thomas, but went to his room alone. 'Knowing what happened to you in multiple other hotel rooms, you thought the best place to go was up to the room?' Rotunno charged. Mann replied: 'I thought the best place to go where at least where he would listen to me was somewhere in private.' When asked, 'You made the choice not to walk out the door and go up to the hotel room?' Mann replied 'It was a choice I felt I had to obey.' Mann described her dynamic with the movie mogul as one where she was obliged to 'obey and jump.' She said it felt like Weinstein was pulling a 'bait and switch' and that Weinstein would demand 'payment' with sex. Rotunno wondered out loud 'payment for what?' because Mann did not have any movies in the works. Mann said: 'He just wanted to use me.' Rotunno asked: 'And you let him?' and Mann indicated she did. That's when Rotunno accused Mann of manipulation and she conceded it was 'How I handled it and survived it, I guess you can say manipulation.' A day after the alleged rape, Mann said she saw Weinstein in the lobby of the hotel and it was his birthday. She said that 'probably' wished him a Happy Birthday and that he had brought his daughter Emma and wanted to have tea with her. Mann said: 'We talked about Lana Del Ray and he said maybe Ill have her make a song for one of my movies. Emma talked to me. I was very pleasant and tried to pretend nothing was wrong.' On Monday Weinstein's lawyer Donna Rotunno (above) cast doubt on Mann's testimony and focused on her continued contact with the movie mogul after the alleged assaults The next day Weinstein and Mann exchanged emails in which he offered to get her a taxi to the airport in New York and then from Los Angeles airport to her home. Rotunno attacked Mann for continuing to speak with Weinstein if he assaulted her. She told the jury that after Mann had 'breakfast with your assaulter' she asked him for a ride. 'If all the people you could call, you call Harvey?' Rotunno asked. A week later on March 26, Mann emailed one of Weinsteins assistants asking about the script for Vampire Academy. The day after the rape she went to a movie premiere in Los Angeles for the film August: Osage County. In August she e-mailed Weinstein and referenced seeing that film saying: 'Hope some of your genius rubs off on me. My favourite movie is still this years August: Osage County...as always happy to see your smile...be so much easier if you lived in New York.' Rotunno asked: 'Its the movie you went to see the day after you claim you were assaulted in a New York hotel?' Mann said: 'Yes.' Rotunno asked: 'Did you consider that email manipulative?' Mann said: 'I think I see what youre saying so there was an aspect again (of manipulation).' Mann and Weinstein exchanged 'positive' e-mails for five years - including the year he allegedly assaulted her Rotunno discussed e-mails sent between Mann and Weinstein and how interactions on both sides appeared 'positive'. She said in some emails Weinstein said he was 'proud' of Mann and that she 'deserves things that are coming her way'. In others Weinstein told Mann she was 'beautiful' and that she had given him the 'best haircut Ive ever had'. In five years of email correspondence there was not one email where Weinstein was 'pushy in way way', Rotunno said. But Mann claimed that she could 'read between the lines' of his tone. Rotunno pointed out Mann e-mailed Weinstein in April 2013, just one month after Weinstein allegedly raped her at the Doubletree Hotel in Manhattan. In 2013 alone - the year Mann said he forcibly performed oral sex on her, raped her in March and raped her again late in the year or in early 2014 - all their communications throughout were warm. 'You knew that your words were a problem in your testimony. You sent him emails telling him how wonderful he was. You sent him emails thanking him. You sent him emails asking for things,' Rotunno told Mann. Rotunno asked: 'You manipulated Mr. Weinstein every single time, isnt that correct?' Mann paused and then said: 'I guess there is an aspect of how I needed to protect myself that you could say was manipulative.' Rotunno fired back: 'You made him think that you wanted to be there. You could have walked away from Harvey Weinstein and never seen him again.' Mann (pictured left on Friday) said Weinstein once told her she reminded him of his wife, fashion designer Georgina Chapman (pictured together, right, in May 2017) because both women were 'clumsy' In an exchange in August that year they talked about having dinner with the owner of the New York Knicks. Mann wrote: 'I was hoping for some time privately with you to share the direction Im going in life and to catch up, its been a while.' Weinstein replied: 'Happy to see you, want to see you....you and I will get dessert, ice cream.' On August 2 Mann emailed him to say she had a new phone number. She wrote: 'Dear Harv, I got a new number, just wanted you to have it. Call me anytime, always good to hear your voice.' On September 11 2013 Mann wrote to Weinstein telling her about some comments a photographer had made about him that were 'beautiful'. Mann recalled how the photographer said that Weinstein had 'set the bar with every project in the industry and this is now the standard' and how he was a 'master storyteller'. Mann wrote: 'This made me smile because I know this is true. You are the bar, miss you big guy.' Rotunno asked: 'Thats how you saw Harvey Weinstein? Thats how you felt about him?' Mann said: 'How I felt about him? Theres a backstory to my feelings, theres truth in the fact he did master storytelling. I wanted him to know this conversation I had with someone and I was speaking politely about him.' On the question of why Mann gave Weinstein her phone number, Rotunno asked: 'On at least five occasions you changed your phone number between 2013 and 2017 and each time you sent him your new number?' Mann said: 'There was a reason'. Rotunno said: 'The reason is that you still wanted the benefit of what he was giving you?' Mann said: 'Thats your version.' Rotunno claimed in response that Mann 'still wanted to go to every Oscars Party every year.' Mann said that she flattered Weinstein in e-mails because she was afraid of him and wanted to appear non-threatening. In an e-mail sent on July 26, 2014 Mann asked Weinstein to meet her mother. Mann wrote: 'Hi...Just had you cross my mind thought Id say hello.' Weinstein replied: 'Love to cross your mind, its my favorite exercise.' She then asked him to meet her mother saying, 'She would love to meet you plus you can see how good my genes are.' Asked about it in court and Mann said that she only did it because her mother was 'pressuring me really hard' to meet Weinstein. In an e-mail on November 12, 2013 Mann sent Weinstein a message explaining she was dating somebody, saying, 'I don't want to feel this way because it will make you push away.' Mann said to Weinstein that I know you have watched me grow and thanked him for his 'unfailing support and kindness'. On January 5 2014 Mann cut Weinsteins hair at the Peninsula Hotel in Los Angeles. Afterwards Weinstein emailed her: 'Dear Jessica thats the best haircut Ive ever gotten. Youre the one who makes it look good with your smile'. When asked why she stayed in touch, Mann said, 'I did it to protect myself.' 'There was a reason my behavior was like this. It's just keeping him happy. I felt safe on e-mail,' she said. Mann admitted that she was 'confused' about what she said in the past, leading Rotunno to say, 'You're confused a lot Ms. Mann.' Around noon Mann asked for a break saying, 'I'm getting a little foggy.' Rotunno also noted the producer helped land her a job with celebrity hairstylist Frederic Fakkai by writing a glowing recommendation, praising her as 'brilliant, looks like Natalie Portman. She's a real knockout and sweet to boot.' In her testimony Mann claimed that Weinstein got her a job as a hairstylist with Fakkai 'against my will.' An incredulous Rotunno asked her to explain and Mann said: 'I didnt want him to but he did.' Fakkai was also friends with Jeffrey Epstein and several numbers of his appeared in the pedophiles black book of personal contacts. In her testimony Mann claimed that Weinstein got her a job as a hairstylist with celebrity Frederic Fakkai 'against my will.' Fakkai was also friends with Jeffrey Epstein and several numbers of his appeared in the pedophiles black book of personal contacts. Fakkai pictured left with Weinstein in 2012 and right with Epstein's confidante Ghislaine Maxwell at the Maid in Manhattan premiere in 2002 Weinstein and Mann did at times have consensual sex Rontunno pressed Mann on the sexual nature of her relationship with Weinstein. Mann said consensual sex with Weinstein only happened after 'a long negotiation' and even then 'I wasn't happy to do it.' She said she wanted to negotiate Weinstein away from penetrative sex. Mann said that sometimes he would just 'masturbate while holding me' as a compromise. Mann also revealed that Weinstein wanted to film her during sex and that she role played with him about having sex because she didnt think he could actually do it. 'You told us that you were willing to sleep with Harvey Weinstein because you didnt want him to ruin your acting career, is that correct?' Rotunno asked. 'I did not want him to hurt my acting career,' Mann replied. 'You didn't have a career to hurt,' Rotunno said. 'I was building one,' Mann replied. Mann once told Weinstein 'I love you but I hate feeling like a booty call', four years after he supposedly raped her, it was revealed Friday. She claimed she maintained a relationship with him because 'his ego was so fragile'. She added it 'made me feel safe, worshiping him in this sense. I wanted to be perceived as innocent and naive.' Mann's allegations against Weinstein, along with a former production assistant named Mimi Haleyi, are behind the five felony charges he faces. He faces three sex crime charges for alleged sexual assault encounters with Mann. The two other charges stem from Haleyi's allegations that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her at his Soho apartment in 2006. The 67-year-old denies the allegations and insists any sexual encounters were consensual. A conviction could put him behind bars for life. Mann breaks down as she reveals she was assaulted when she was younger After the afternoon break, Mann read out a highly personal May 2014 e-mail written to her former boyfriend Edie in which she revealed she was sexually assaulted when she was younger and disclosed her relationship with Weinstein for the first time. In that letter she said she made Weinstein into a 'pseudo father'. She said she admired him because he 'validated' her Hollywood dreams and 'encouraged' her to pursue acting. The letter said her father was 'the kind of man who dated younger women' and she realized she had 'become that kind of woman'. 'Harvey was my fathers age and he gave me all the validation I needed. I think he liked me because in a way he couldnt get me, and I didnt take from him. I didnt have an agenda other than my own wounds, playing out subconsciously,' she wrote in that e-mail. She choked on tears upon reading the part about the assault before the jury. 'I remember the day I realized I was controlling my world because I was sexually assaulted and that story played out where I played into sexual dynamics with people to feel like I would never be taken advantage of again,' she read. Rotunno asked: 'This sexual assault is when you were younger, right?' Mann couldn't muster the words to answer and instead her sobs got louder to the point that she was hysterical. The court took a 10 minute break but as Mann came back in she was still sobbing. As she sat in the witness box Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzi approached Mann and tried to calm her down, telling her: 'Take a deep breath.' Seconds later Illuzi said: 'Were going to take a break' and Judge James Burke ended proceedings for the day at 3.50pm, 40 minutes ahead of time. As she walked out Mann stumbled out a side door with her hand on chest and was hyperventilating. Wailing could be heard coming through the wall leading to the side door of the courtroom. Mann's rape allegation which led to criminal charges being laid against Weinstein stemmed from a trip to New York in March 2013. On the witness stand on Friday, she described Weinstein checking in to a hotel where they were meant to have a breakfast meeting before he called her up to the room Jessica Mann claimed Weinstein raped her twice in 2013 and appeared to have 'deformed' genitals In Mann's bombshell, sexually-explicit testimony on Friday she said she thought Weinstein was 'physically deformed or intersex' when she saw him naked for the first time. She said he does not have testicle and his penis 'looks like a vagina'. 'When I first saw him, I was filled with compassion, absolute compassion,' she said, adding, 'It seemed his anger came from a place of pain.' She cried as she described growing up on a dairy farm in rural Washington state to a religious family in a community she described as a 'cult, it was extremely religious Pentecostal evangelist.' She said her parents divorced when she was four and she left home at 16. She moved to Los Angeles at 25 to pursue an acting career. Mann met Weinstein at the engagement party for Michael Lambert in the Hollywood Hills around the end of 2012 or early 2013 as he was talking to a friend of hers. That night he filed her head with promises of a potential acting career. Soon after that he invited her to a hotel suite and allegedly forcibly performed oral sex on her. After that incident she said, 'I entered into what I thought was going to be a real relationship with him and it was extremely degrading from that point on.' She said she did not have intercourse with Weinstein until he raped her at a hotel in Manhattan in 2013. Eight months later he allegedly raped her at a Los Angeles hotel after she said she was dating a well-known actor. He dragged her into bedroom, forced her pants down, pushed her legs apart and raped her. Weinstein is only facing criminal charges over the alleged 2013 rape in New York. The prosecution is expected to wrap up its case against Weinstein by calling a final, sixth accuser to testify on Monday. China has accused the United States of causing panic and 'creating and spreading fear' in its response to the deadly coronavirus, including imposing a ban on Chinese travellers. The US 'hasn't provided any substantial assistance' and has only created 'panic', said foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a regular press briefing on Monday. It comes as Washington on Friday declared a public health emergency and temporarily banned the entry of foreign nationals who have travelled to China over the past two weeks, to contain the spread of the outbreak. An airport officer wares a mask to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus as she works at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand on February 3 A second evacuation flight to transport US citizens from the coronavirus epicenter in Wuhan is on its way to China officials said Sunday. The second flight comes less than a week after a chartered plane transported 200 US citizens from Wuhan to California. This photo shows the flight that evacuated US citizens from Wuhan last week In the US, eight people have been diagnosed with coronavirus, with a Boston college student being the latest person to be diagnosed on Friday, January 31 Courtesy of KTLA The new measures came into effect at 5pm Sunday evening and include sweeping new restrictions on American citizens, with those returning from the province at the disease's epicentre placed in facilities for a mandatory 14-day quarantine. US nationals returning from the rest of mainland China will undergo health screenings at selected ports of entry and face up to 14 days of self-monitored quarantine. Under the new rules, US citizens who have traveled in China within the last 14 days will be re-routed to one of eight designated airports, where they will undergo enhanced health screening procedures. They eight are: John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York; Chicago OHare International Airport; San Francisco International Airport; Seattle-Tacoma International Airport; Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu; Los Angeles International Airport in California; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; and Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Passengers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the Coronavirus as they arrive on a flight from Asia, at Los Angeles International Airport Sunday Travelers arrive to LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal wearing medical masks. The United States has declared a public health emergency and will implement strict travel restrictions later today. Foreign nationals who have been in China in the last two weeks and are not immediate family members of U.S. citizens or permanent residents will be barred from entering the U.S It is understood a second evacuation flight is set to carry US citizens out of of Wuhan today. The second flight comes less than a week after a chartered plane transported 200 US citizens from Wuhan to California. There have been nine confirmed US cases of the new coronavirus, which originated in a live seafood market in Wuhan, in China's Hubei province. A medical worker takes the temperature of a woman in the reception of Queen Elizabeth Hospital, following the outbreak of a new coronavirus, in Hong Kong, China, Monday A man wears a mask in Chicago's Chinatown following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus on Thursday The ninth case was identified on Sunday as a woman who recently traveled to Wuhan, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department in California said. The virus has since spread to more than 24 countries, despite many governments imposing unprecedented travel bans on people coming from China. The World Health Organization has already declared the outbreak a global emergency, and the Chinese death toll has risen to 362 while total infections reached over 17,000, surpassing the SARS epidemic of two decades ago. On Sunday the first foreign death from the virus was reported in the Philippines. Reuters also reported that OML confirmed in a statement that it would oppose the petition. This development is the latest in an intense legal back-and-forth between the insurance company and the former chief executive which began last year. Read more: Old Mutual chops chief executive Peter Moyo In June 2019, OML dismissed Moyo due to a supposed conflict of interest involving investment firm NMT Capital, which Moyo founded, and concerns over declarations of ordinary dividends. Read more: Old Mutual fires chief executive Peter Moyo for a second time However, the termination was challenged by Moyo, who took the issue to court. The court ruled in favor of Moyos reinstatement, which OML challenged in its own way by issuing a second notice of termination a move Mabuza has criticized for being too excessive. Read more: Old Mutual wins case against ex-CEO who fought for reinstatement OML later appealed the reinstatement order, taking its case to the High Court in Johannesburg. Just last month, the high court upheld the insurers appeal against the reinstatement. But while the case seemed to have come to a close, Moyos camp swore that there was a very good chance that he would look to overturn the decision in the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein. Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who leads a central government group to guide the epidemic control work in Hubei Province, inspects Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 2, 2020. Entrusted by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Sun Chunlan inspected Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) Hospital, a newly-delivered hospital to combat coronavirus in Wuhan. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua) WUHAN, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Entrusted by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Vice Premier Sun Chunlan has inspected a newly-delivered hospital to combat coronavirus in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. Sun is leading a central government group to guide the epidemic control work in Hubei Province. The group visited Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) Hospital to oversee hospital facilities and equipment. Approved by Xi, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission, 1,400 medical staff from the armed forces are tasked with treating patients in the hospital starting from Monday. Sun expressed her belief that with the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, the great strength of the unity of the army and the people, and the unity of the people of the whole country, China will surely win the battle of epidemic prevention and control. She thanked workers in the hospital construction, saying that the hospital, as a result of the around-the-clock efforts involving 7,000 workers, serves as an interpretation of "China speed." Huoshenshan Hospital, with a capacity of 1,000 beds, is a makeshift hospital dedicated to treating patients infected with the novel coronavirus. Fern Britton has been overwhelmed by the support of her fans following the shock announcement of her divorce from Phil Vickery. In a heartfelt tweet posted on Sunday the TV star thanked her followers for their support. Fern, 62, confirmed the end of her 20 year marriage to the celebrity chef on Friday in a joint statement on Twitter. Over: Fern Britton has been overwhelmed by the support of her fans following the shock announcement of her divorce from Phil Vickery (pictured in 2017) The former This Morning host took to social media once more on Sunday to thank fans for their dedicated support following the news of her split. Fern tweeted: 'Hello. Thank you so much for all your kind messages. They are so appreciated. More than you know. The kindness of strangers is overwhelming. Xx' The Tweet, which has received 410 likes at the time of writing was followed by a barrage of tender messages from well wishers. One Fern fan gave an affirmative response, writing: '@Fern_Britton 20 years is a success and knowing when to move to new things is wise. Good luck for the next chapter!' Grateful: Big-hearted Fern thanked fans for their support following the breakdown of her marriage in a personal tweet on Sunday Fern Forever: Fern supporters responded to the presenter's thankful tweet with another outpouring of support and good wishes The split comes just one month after the passing of Fern's father, actor Tony Britton, who died, aged 95, three days before Christmas. The actor starred in classic British films including Operation Amsterdam, Sunday Bloody Sunday and The Day Of The Jackal. Fern and Phil share 18-year-old daughter Winnie, whilst the Ready Steady Cook presenter also has twins Harry and Jack, 26, and Grace, 23, with former husband Clive Jones. The couple met on This Morning when Fern hosted the show alongside Philip Schofield - who now hosts with Holly Willoughby - and the star previously said she never thought she would find love again as a mother of three children. While the announcement of their marital breakdown has surprised fans, an insider told The Mirror the pair were 'often not on speaking terms' and their shock split is said to have been 'on the cards for years'. The pair wrote matching Twitter statements which read: 'After more than 20 happy years together, [we] have decided to go our separate ways. We will always share a great friendship and our lovely children. 'We would appreciate it if our privacy is respected at this time. Thank you for your continued kindness and support. [sic]' More dangerous people are being released from British prisons with terror convictions than returning from fighting for Isis in Syria, the former head of UK counterterror police has said. Sir Mark Rowley issued the warning after a known extremist launched a knife attack in Streatham just days after being freed from jail. Sudesh Amman, an Isis supporter, started the rampage in front of undercover police officers who were following him as part of a surveillance operation. The 20-year-old was shot dead, while wearing a fake suicide vest, and two victims he stabbed survived. It was the third terror attack in just over two months to be carried out by a convicted terrorist in Britain, following stabbings at Fishmongers Hall and inside HMP Whitemoor. Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Show all 22 1 /22 Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police officers on Streatham High Road. The Metropolitan Police warned people to stay away from the Streatham area boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings The man was shot dead by police after two stabbed in 'Islamist-related' terror attack in London boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Sudesh Amman, the attacker, has been named as a convicted terror offender who was released from prison days ago Metropolitan Police/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road Isis supporter Amman was just 18 when he was jailed in December 2018 after police found a stash of bomb-making manuals and other propaganda. Now 20, he had declared his own wish to carry out a terror attack and stockpiled a combat knife, air gun and black flag at his family home in London PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings He was being monitored by undercover police and being followed as part of a proactive counterterrorism operation when he started the rampage in Streatham AP Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Amman was able to stab two people before being shot dead by armed officers outside a busy row of shops Gabriel Video/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A woman reacts as police officers interview people near to the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings An armed police officer on Streatham High Road Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said Amman was wearing a fake suicide ves Gully/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers work outside of a Boots store AFP via Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers at the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police forensic officer works at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police officer on the scene Dave Chawner/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers are seen near the site Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers on the scene outside an Iceland supermarket Andy Bullemor/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police are seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A policeman secures the site of the incident EPA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Megan Tobeck Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Michael Owens Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers at the scene PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A Police officer is seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Sir Mark, who led British counterterror police until March 2018, said prisons needed to get a grip on rehabilitation. I remember being asked by MPs a few years ago when I was in post about the threat of returning jihadis from Syria, which is a concern, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. I remember saying at the time that there will be more dangerous people on the streets of the UK in the next few years coming out of UK prisons with terrorist convictions, than returning from Syria. Sadly that seems to be whats happening at the moment. Usman Khan, who was shot dead on London Bridge after murdering two people in November, had also served a prison sentence for terror offences while jailed attack plotter Brusthom Ziamani allegedly launched an attack inside jail last month. There are currently more than 200 people jailed for terror offences in Britain, but up to 800 have been flagged as extremists and prison officers fear the real number is far higher. Recent cases have shown that terrorists are able to network and radicalise others inside prisons, and may be faking apparent compliance with deradicalisation schemes. The government recently announced a package of new terror measures including lie detector tests for released terrorists and changes to make them serve longer in jail. But there are mounting fears that imprisoning extremists could actually be increasing the risk they pose, with a judge handing a man who encouraged far-right terror attacks a community sentence last week partly because he would be liable to radicalisation in prison and made more dangerous. Amman's, mother Haleema Faraz Khan, told Sky News that he was a nice, polite boy who had seemed normal when she visited him at his probation hostel on Thursday. She said he had become more religious since being in prison, and that she believed he had been radicalised while in HMP Belmarsh. Sadiq Khan warns Streatham attack was 'preventable' Concerns have frequently been raised about terrorist networking inside the prison, where a trial recently heard the Buckingham Palace sword attacker and Parsons Green bomber met. Ms Khan also said that Amman, the eldest of her five sons, had also developed extreme views after looking at Islamist material online. He became more religious inside prison, that's where I think he became radicalised, she added. He was watching and listening to things online which brainwashed him. Recommended Terrorist prisoners free to network and radicalise inmates in UK jails His 2018 trial heard that he had started collecting terrorist material online at the age of 17 and was active on Telegram - then Isis's main platform. Sir Mark said he could see the case for handing all terror offenders indeterminate sentence that would require them to be risk-assessed before release, rather than released automatically like Amman. But he said the move would have to be accompanied by strengthened deradicalisation programmes, adding: We need to be as equally aggressive about trying to help people turn their lives around as we are determined to protect the public. A former prison governor who carried out a government-commissioned review of Islamist extremism inside British prisons in 2016 said we absolutely cannot go on like this. Ian Acheson described the Streatham attack as the dismal end of a clearly broken risk management and intervention process that starts off in prison custody. He questioned the effectiveness of existing deradicalisation schemes and called for improved theological interventions. Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said the Streatham stabbing like the Fishmongers Hall attack had been both foreseeable and preventable. (PA (PA) These were men convicted of terrorist related offences and I have been frustrated for some time about changes to the law in 2012 which took away from judges the power they used to have to give a sentence to protect the public - an indeterminate sentence - and to make sure people weren't released unless we knew they were no longer a danger, he added. Whitehall sources said Amman had been released from prison days before the attack after serving half of his sentence for collecting and distributing terrorist material. There had been concerns when he was in prison, a source said. There was nothing that could be done to keep him behind bars under existing laws, hence why he was under surveillance and strict licence conditions. Recommended Teenage Isis supporter encouraged girlfriend to behead her parents Amman was handed a three year and four month sentence in December 2018 for disseminating terrorist material and collecting information useful for terror attacks after police found a stash of bomb-making manuals and other propaganda. Then 18, he had declared his own wish to carry out a terror attack and had stockpiled a combat knife, air gun and black flag at his family home in London. At the top of a list of Amman's life goals was dying a martyr and going to Jannah - the afterlife. In online chats, Amman told his girlfriend and a friend of his hatred for kuffars (non-believers), his allegiance to Isis and his wish to carry out a terror attack. In one message he even encouraged his girlfriend to behead her own kuffar parents, and posted al-Qaeda propaganda to a family WhatsApp group including children as young as 11. Prosecutors said he had a fascination with conducting an attack focused on using a knife. Amman was released after serving half of his jail sentence, after a total of 20 months in prison since his arrest in May 2018. Six people, including a woman, were issued notices under section 149 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) on Monday in connection with a sit-in protest at Nagpada in the metropolis against the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC, police said. The protest, which has been going on for nine days now, is akin to the one in Shaheen Bagh in Delhi and therefore is being called 'Mumbai Bagh' by some sections of the media. The six were brought to Nagpada police station and allowed to go after the section 149 notices were served, an official said. Section 149 of CrPC gives police the right to take steps to prevent a cognisable offence. "We have issued notice under section 149 of CrPC to six persons, including a woman, who are part of the protest in Nagpada," Zone III Deputy Commissioner of Police Abhinash Kumar told PTI. Shibu Khan, one of the protesters, claimed police were making rounds of the site and taking down names and numbers of women participating in the sit-in. "They are harassing us and forcing us to vacate the place," Khan alleged. Earlier in the day, speaking at a press conference, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said the protesters do not have police permission and they must call off the stir immediately. "We have assured the protesters no one will lose their citizenship due to CAA, NPR (National Population Register) and NRC (National Register of Citizens)," Deshmukh said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Here are the worst infected states that account for over 70 per cent of India's active COVID-19 cases COVID-19: These 10 states account for over 71 per cent of new infections Centre asks states to plan for scaling up Covid-19 vaccination through stocks, supplies till June-end Centre to release GST compensation to states in 2 instalments India oi-PTI New Delhi, Feb 03: The Centre will release all due GST compensation to states in two instalments, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said in Lok Sabha on Monday. The reply came after MPs from Telangana and Odisha complained during Question Hour that their states were not getting the share of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST). "All due GST compensation will be given to states in two instalments," Thakur, union minister of state for finance, said. Budget 2020: GST a historic reform says FinMin The minister said GST (Compensation to States) Act, 2017 provides for compensation to States/UTs (UT with legislature only) on account of revenue loss due to implementation of GST on a bi-monthly basis. NEWS AT 3 PM, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2020 Accordingly, he said, the states have been paid GST compensation on a bi-monthly basis with effect from July, 2017. Thakur said the GST Compensation has been released till September, 2019 and the next bi-monthly GST Compensation is due for October-November, 2019. The minister said a total of Rs 2,10,969.49 crore has been released as GST compensation to states so far including UTs of Delhi and Puducherry after implementation of GST with effect from July 1, 2017. Oppn shouts 'Goli maarna band karo against Union minister Anurag Thakur in LS Period for which compensation has been released: July, 2017March 2018 - Rs 48,785.35 crore; April 2018March 2019 - Rs 81,141.14 crore; AprilMay 2019 - Rs 17,789 crore; June July 2019 - Rs 27,956 crore; AugSept 2019 - Rs 35,298 crore. If you don't have a college degree, it won't hold you back from working for Tesla, Elon Musk tweeted on Sunday. Musk is using Twitter to recruit for Tesla's artificial intelligence team. "Join AI at Tesla!" Musk tweeted Sunday. The artificial intelligence team "reports directly to me [and] we meet/email/text almost every day." TWEET: Join AI at Tesla! What's more, to work in Tesla's artificial intelligence department does not require a specific degree. "A PhD is definitely not required," Tesla boss Elon Musk said on Twitter on Feb. 2. I "don't care if you even graduated high school," Musk said. Instead, Musk is looking for those with a "deep understanding" of artificial intelligence. And while, "[e]ducational background is irrelevant," all candidates "must pass hardcore coding test," Musk said. Musk's expressed his opinion on the unimportance of degrees before. "There's no need even to have a college degree at all, or even high school," Musk said during a 2014 interview with the German automotive publication Auto Bild about his hiring preferences more broadly. Read more: Ashley Madison hack offers valuable lesson on coverage gap Nearly five years later, email security company Vade Secure found that several Ashley Madison users had received an email from anonymous senders threatening to share their account details, along with other embarrassing information, to the users family and friends. The emails demanded that in exchange for not sharing the details, the users pay the Bitcoin ransom equivalent of about $1,059. In a blog post, Vade Secure reported that the emails are highly personalized with information from the Ashley Madison data breach. The subject line of the emails contain the targets name and bank, while the body of the message includes details such as the users bank account number, telephone number, address, and birthday, as well as Ashley Madison-specific details sign-up date, answers to security questions, and even references to past purchases made on the website. The senders financial demands are not found anywhere within the emails body. Instead, they are located inside an attached PDF that is password-protected. This roundabout approach prevents the email from being caught by email filters. The PDF also contains more details from the breach as proof, and sets a deadline of six days after the email was sent before the sender leaks the dating website info to the victims family and friends through either social media or email. This Ashley Madison extortion scam is a good example that a data breach is never one and done, Vade Secure warned in its blog post. In addition to being sold on the dark web, leaked data is almost always used to launch additional email-based attacks, including phishing and scams such as this one. Swarms of locusts were spotted in two border villages of Punjab's Fazilka district, prompting the state Agriculture Department to sound a high alert. Emanating from Pakistan, the swarms of pests-three to four-km-long and one-km-wide, settled at the trees in these border villages on Sunday evening, officials said on Monday. However, timely action against the attack ensured their elimination, the officials said, adding that no damage was caused to crops. "Swarms of locusts were spotted at Wareka and Roopnagar villages of Khuian Sarwar block of Fazilka on Sunday," said Punjab Agriculture Department Director Sawtantar Kumar Airi said, adding that locusts came from the Pakistan side. As soon as swarms of locusts were spotted near the villages, a team including members from the Agriculture Department and fire brigade was pressed into service to eliminate pests, Joint Director Gurwinder Singh said. "About 400-500 tonnes of insecticides were used to eliminate locusts," Singh said, adding that boomer and tractor-mounted high velocity sprayers besides fire brigade vehicles were used to control the pests. The operation started Sunday night and was completed Monday morning, officials said. A few days ago, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to raise the issue with Pakistan. The CM had warned that any failure to control the pests could lead to serious implications for agriculture production in India, especially in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat, which will ultimately hit commodity prices and food security. Locusts, popularly known as 'tiddi dal', were earlier spotted in some villages of Fazilka, Muktsar and Bathinda districts. Locusts are short-horned grasshoppers with highly migratory habits and voracious feeding behaviour. Their appearance in winter months is a new phenomenon. India has not witnessed any full-blown locust cycles after 1962. However, during 1978 and 1993, large-scale upsurges were observed. Localised locust breeding was controlled in 1998, 2002, 2005, 2007 and 2010. Since 2010, the situation remained calm and no major breeding and swarm formation has been reported. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ukrainian side has a number of reservations in this regard. The Iranian authorities have invited Ukrainian experts to decode and read the "black box" flight recorders of the Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, which was shot down by a missile shortly after takeoff from the Tehran Airport on January 8, says President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. The invitation was received for February 3, but the Ukrainian side has a number of reservations in this regard, Zelensky told TSN. "They invite [the experts] to fly to Iran as early as Monday (February 3). Frankly, we are rather wary of this, because they might invite our experts to their labs but even back then, our experts told us that [the Iranian side] were technically not ready for the correct, true decoding. I'm afraid that the Iranians may attract our experts and offer them to decode everything on the spot, and then they will say 'why do you need black boxes now?'. No, we do want to take these boxes, and we talked about this with a representative of the Iranian side. And he said 'if we cannot decode them, we'll give them to you.' I said: 'Your president also promised me we would have access to any items, to any evidence, and would be able to take black boxes," Zelensky said. Read alsoPS752 downing: Ukraine releases intercepted tower communications proving Iran was aware of missile launch all along Zelensky added that Ukrainian experts must have a mandate to take flight recorders to Ukraine if full decoding in Iran turns out to be impossible. As UNIAN reported earlier, Kyiv-bound UIA flight PS752 crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport in the early hours of January 8. It was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members on board. Two passengers and the crew members were Ukrainians. There were also 82 citizens of Iran, 63 citizens of Canada, 10 citizens of Sweden, four citizens of Afghanistan, three citizens of Germany and the United Kingdom each. There were no survivors. On January 11, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani officially admitted that the Ukrainian airliner had been shot down by accident as a result of a "human error" and that those responsible would be held accountable. On Sunday, February 2, intercepted communications, provided by intelligence services, were released by TSN.Tyzhden between Tehran Airport's ATC tower and second pilot of Iran's Aseman Airlines flight at the time of the crash of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752. Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday launched a task force to make sure New Jersey is prepared for any threat from the surging new coronavirus. Murphy also noted that Newark Liberty International Airport is one of 11 major U.S. airports that receive flights from China requiring enhanced screening for the virus, officially known as COVID-19. There are no confirmed cases of the virus in New Jersey, but Murphy said its critical the state has strong preparedness protocols in place. By establishing the Coronavirus Task Force, we are bringing together experts across state agencies, health officials, and federal partners to ensure that we are working collaboratively to protect the health and safety of all New Jerseyans," the governor added. According to an executive order Murphy signed Monday, the task force will coordinate all state efforts to prepare for and respond to the public health hazard posed" by the virus. The task force is chaired by state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli and will include members of the states human services, law and public safety, education, and homeland security departments, as well as the State Police. They will also coordinate with the federal government and Newark airport to make sure theres effective communication and information available to the public. Plus, they will coordinate with hospitals and health care facilities to manage any possible treatment for patients with symptoms or risks. The virus originated in China. It has infected more than 7,000 and killed 170 across the world the majority in China. But at least 169 cases of the virus have been confirmed in 25 countries outside of China. Eleven cases have been confirmed in the U.S. Last week, Murphy announced state authorities are on full alert for any possible cases of coronavirus, and that we have in place strong preparedness protocols. The state also launched a website and a hotline 1-800-222-1222 to answer questions about the virus. Outbreaks like this when a new virus is emerging to infect people are always concerning, Persichilli said Monday. The situation poses a serious public health threat, but the risk to New Jersey residents remains low and our level of preparedness is high." Earlier in the day, Princeton University said it has ordered students, faculty and staff who recently traveled to China to self-isolate. More than 100 students including undergraduate and graduate students are in self-isolation, according to Michael Hotchkiss, a deputy university spokesperson. They must confine themselves for 14 days following their last time in mainland China, according to a statement issued by the university. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Bay of Plenty Are you sick of being the sidekick and ready to move into a consulting role? Or know you could be earning more and just... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz In a mid-night court filing on Friday, the United States Department of Justice revealed that it has more than a dozen of emails related to President Donald Trump's involvement in withholding the military aid to Ukraine, international press reported. The revelation came hours after the Senate voted against seeking new evidence and witnesses in Trump's impeachment trial. Trump administration acknowledged that there are more than 24 emails available that showed the President's opinion on the aid. Read: Trump Bashes Bloomberg; Dem's Campaign Calls Trump A `liar' Trump's impeachment trial An Office of Management and Budget (OMB) lawyer wrote in his filing that the emails should not be released as it contains communications by the President, the Vice President and the President's immediate advisors regarding Trump's decision to withhold military aid to Ukraine. According to media reports, OMB lawyer Heather Walsh wrote in his filing that out of the 111 emails, 24 are protected by 'presidential privilege'. As per media reports, the emails included discussions between the Department of Defence (DoD) officials and were from June and September 2019. Read: Protesters Outside US Embassy In Lebanon Decry Trump Plan After the Senate voted against seeking the new evidence, paving way for Trump's acquittal, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer in a statement said, "To not allow witnesses or documents in an impeachment trial is a grand tragedy, one of the worst tragedies that the Senate has ever overcome. America will remember this daya day when the United Senate did not live up to its responsibilities, turned away from the truth and instead went along with a sham trial. If the president is acquitted with no witnesses, no documents, any acquittal will have no value because Americans will know that this trial was not a real trial. Its a tragedy on a very large scale." Read: US Senate 'has Died' As It Sets Stage For Donald Trump's Acquittal Interestingly, Republican Senators Susan Collins and Mitt Romney voted with Democrats to allow witnesses and documents in the impeachment trial. Senate leadership on Wednesday plans to hold the final vote to acquit Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. US President Donald Trump allegedly withheld nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine to press the country to investigate his potential 2020 general election rival, Joe Biden. Trump and his allies have repeatedly made allegations that Joe Biden was involved in corrupt activities in Ukraine when he was Vice President un Obama administration. Read: Trump Denies Asking Top Aide John Bolton To Pressure Ukraine Make it easier for entrepreneurs to launch and exit endeavors through rules on business formation and bankruptcy. It said policymakers should encourage the emergence of new forms of work as a way to raise standards of living while addressing the stresses of the transition. Rethink education to establish a framework to help everyone develop their talent more rapidly, with a focus on uplifting marginalized populations. Update the definition of employment to account for freelance and gig economy work. (TNS) Imagine going through 19 job changes in the course of a career. Even more unsettling: consider that many of those shifts will not be by choice, but by the reality that some of those jobs will become extinct.Those were among the takeaways from a wide-ranging discussion about the future of work with two of Gov. Gavin Newsoms key economic advisers I moderated at the California News Publishers Association in Sacramento last week.The issue of calibrating employment and the workforce to the ever-evolving realities has long been a fascination for the governors wonkish side. He spoke extensively about it when he met withs editorial board before the 2018 election. Now, as governor, he wants to do something about it.But can he? Are the forces of automation and globalization too unrelenting and irresistible to offer any hope to the 35% of Californians who are making less than $15 an hour in a high-cost state.Newsom last year created a Future of Work Commission to explore the possibilities.In recent years, various think tanks have put out reams of studies on the future of work, but few of their ideas have yet to be reflected in public-policy action. After all, the course to address the future of work is a bit more abstract than the typical challenges taken on by elected officials: build roads, cut or raise taxes, reduce prescription drug prices, promote housing construction.This governors not interested in another study, said Lenny Mendonca, the governors chief economic and business adviser. The challenge he gave the group when it first got together was: Be bold. Give us your best ideas and then leave how we get that done to us.Mendonca and Aneesh Raman, senior adviser for economic strategy and external affairs, each talked about how Californias robust economy which attracts 50% of the nations capital is not working for many who are not in the tech sector. Another challenge will be to structure an economy that is sustainable through climate change, Mendonca said.They both emphasized that promotion of lifelong learning and better distribution of opportunity must not come at the expense of the innovation that has been such a generator of prosperity.So what would be the role of public policy? That may become clearer when the commission issues its initial recommendations this spring.It starts with us as individuals, Raman said. We have to be constantly learning and adjusting.Raman was perhaps exaggerating only slightly when he said the generation coming of age is going to have 19 jobs over the course of a career. A Deloitte Insights study in November 2017 predicted the half-life of skill sets will decrease to five years in the future of work meaning an individual would need to update and refresh his or her skills six times over the course of a 30-year career.The bottom line is that no one can assert with certainty how many transitions would be required or even what those new jobs might be.Among Deloittes policy recommendations:Newsom signed a bill (AB5) last year to address the latter issue by severely cutting back the ability of businesses to use contract work. Many industries have complained that the union-pushed bill is far too restrictive and could push some businesses to leave the state. Some of the workers supposedly helped by AB5 like the flexibility of being an independent contractor and are pressing the Legislature to revise it. In the case of the newspaper industry, its application to carriers which takes effect in a year could curtail or even end home delivery in many communities.Thus the challenge of government trying to guide the future of work. Globalization and the advancement of artificial intelligence further complicate the ability to anticipate the necessary policy steps.We are not in a robot apocalypse where there will be no jobs in the future, Mendonca said.But that economy is going to reward the players who are poised to adapt. Its heartening to know that Californias governor is on the case. Held on 03 February 2020 The Board of Directors of Gujarat Borosil at its meeting held 03 February 2020 has adopted the NCLT order pronounced on 15 January 2020. The Effective Date of the Scheme has been proposed as 12 February 2020. The Appointed Date of the Scheme, as set out in the Scheme and approved by the Hon'ble NCLT is 01 October 2018. All the assets and liabilities of the Company shall become assets and liabilities of Borosil Glass Works (Transferee Company / BGWL) with effect from the Appointed Date, once the Scheme becomes effective. The Board has recommended to BGWL, the record date of 18 February 2020, to determine the shareholders inter alia of the Company, who shall be allotted shares of BGWL under the Scheme. The company will be dissolved and trading of the Company's Securities shall stop with effect from 14 February 2020 (i.e. T-2 working days for delivery). Further, pursuant to the Scheme, the name of Borosil Glass Works (BGWL) will be changed to Borosil Renewables (BRL). Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi [India], Feb 3 (ANI): Recovery of high powered American-made assault rifles from terrorists killed by security forces last week at Srinagar's Bann toll plaza has raised alarm among security forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the CRPF sources, forces have recovered American made MP4 guns, which are rare, but this time they were equipped with night vision screens. Interestingly, these terrorists were from new infiltration from Kathua. An MP4 gun can be fitted with many accessories, such as night vision devices, suppressors, laser pointers, telescopic, etc, which makes it more deadly. Forces have also recovered Chinese made pistols and live grenades, hand grenades, etc in large numbers after neutralizing the terrorists.Well placed sources have claimed that there are almost a dozen weapons that are either extremely rare or never recovered. "Militant groups having access to night screens is alarming for the forces. Though forces are obviously better equipped to deal with any attack but the accessibility of high tech war equipment and such guns is a big concern," a senior CRPF official told ANI. According to the sources, a list has been prepared by the security forces which has total 53 items includes M4 carbine with night screen, Night screen battery, Glock 17 pistol and it's magazine and rounds, MOD CF 98 Chinese black star pistol, it's magazine and rounds, Kirnkov rifle, Chinese hand grenades, and live grenades. "Earlier, forces have recovered M4 carbine in Srinagar but those were without night screens" official claimed. Another major concern for the security forces is the dynamites and remote-controlled IEDs. The recovery also includes armor-piercing ammunition which can damage level 3 bulletproof vests. Forces have recovered a total of 53 items, which includes, guns, ammunition, grenades, Indian and Saudi Arabian currency, etc. "After the recovery, we can say that a massive attack has been foiled by security forces especially men deployed at Bann toll plaza. We have also beefed up security and continuously following drills," a CPRF official claimed. On 31 st January, An Encounter was done by security forces neutralizing three terrorists at Bann Toll Plaza, Nagrota, Jammu. "These terrorists were a newly infiltrated group who were on the way to Srinagar. They suspectedly infiltrated from Kathua, Hiranagar. An investigation is on," Dilbag Singh, DGP J-K police had told ANI. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Crime Stoppers One year after a local teenager was killed on the Southwest Side, San Antonio police are still searching for those responsible. On Feb. 3, 2019, 18-year-old Abigail Alcorta was shot while sitting in a vehicle near the 5900 block of Fairshire Drive. A second person inside the vehicle was also injured in the shooting. Nollywood actor and director, Desmond Elliot, has gotten many talking after he took to social media to share new photos of himself. The actor, in the photos, looked to have packed on a lot of weight, a thing that took many by surprise. Read Also: Desmond Elliot, Wife Celebrate 16th Wedding Anniversary Desmond had shared a photo with some members of the Nigerian military in Paris, France. Not long after he shared the photo, a fan commented: Dayummmm Man how did you get this huge? Ask my wife, he replied. Desmond and Victoria have been married for 16 years and have four children. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been leaning on 'immensely influential' Carole Middleton since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the royal family, a source has claimed. Prince William, 37, and Kate Middleton, 38, have looked to the businesswoman, 65, of Berkshire, as a 'stabilising and supportive force', royal author Phil Dampier told The Sun. Meanwhile, another source told the publication that Prince William views his mother-in-law as his 'second mum' in the absence of Princess Diana. They said: 'Williams in-laws have become like second parents and Carole is almost a Diana-Type mum.' Prince William, 37, and Kate Middleton, 38, are 'leaning on Carole Middleton's stabilising and supportive force following Megxit, royal author Phil Dampier has claimed (Carole, pictured in May 2019) The royal author said Prince William and Kate would feel increasingly pressured following the Duke and Duchess' decision to step back from their royal duties. He said: 'Carole will be a stabilising and supportive force in the background, looking after [her grandchildren] when needs be but also just being there for them.' He went on to call her a power behind the throne, and said her influence on the Duke and Duchess was 'immense.' He also commented on the close bond between Prince William and former BA air hostess Carole and her husband Michael Middleton, who run the event supplies company Party Pieces. Prince William, 37, and Kate MIddleton, 38, have looked to the businesswoman, of Bucklebury, Berkshire, as a 'stabilising and supportive force', according to the royal expert (pictured last month) The royal expert said they had 'provided a middle class down-to-earth haven for him', and 'helped to keep him grounded'. He added that this may have been something Prince Harry had missed out on 'because of the splintered nature' of Meghan's parents. A source close to the family told the publication that Carole has been like a 'second parent' for Prince William, who lost his own mother Princess Diana in 1997 when he was just 15-years-old. The source claimed that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have visited Berkshire 'quite a few' times following the Sussexes departure from the UK - with Meghan and Harry currently in Canada with their son Archie. Another source said Prince William feels his in-laws are like 'second parents' with Carole offering support in the absence of Princess Diana (pictured together in July 2019) They also added that 'Carole has spent a lot of time at Anmer Hall with' William and Harry following Megxit. Last month, Harry relocated to Canada to join his wife and son Archie, weeks after the couple's shock announcement that they'd be quitting the Royal Family. Ahead of leaving the UK, Harry spoke of his 'great sadness' at leaving the Royal Family, but said he and Meghan had 'no other option' than to quit senior royal duties. By quitting their senior royal roles, they will sacrifice their HRH title. Australia on Sunday said they have confirmed 12 cases of people infected with the new strain of virus originating in China. However, health authorities said a third person in New South Wales who had been hospitalised has now been discharged and cleared of the virus. New border measures came into force last night across Australia in response to the outbreak. Foreigners travelling from China to Australia will have their visas cancelled on arrival and will be transferred to immigration detention with many people already turned away overseas before boarding flights. Those who returned last night from mainland China were allowed into the country as long as they self quarantine at their homes for 14 days. Minister for Health Greg Hunt said the latest patient recovery shows Australia is well placed to handle the spread of the disease. In the next 24 hours, a chartered flight will take people returning to Australia from Wuhan to Christmas Island to be quarantined there with the assistance of medical professionals. Hyderabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party emerging as the single largest party in the recent elections to the Nizamabad Municipal Corporation, and the TRS struggling to grab the post of Mayor with the support of the Majlis-e-Ittihadul Muslimeen (MIM), has been causing much worry to the TRS cadres, more particularly the cadres and leaders from Nizamabad. They are worried that if the BJP becomes strong in Nizamabad, the TRS will face a tough situation in the district in the coming days. TRS ministers and MLAs say privately that Ms K. Kavitha, former MP, staying away from the civic elections impacted the result, and there were mistakes in selection of candidates for divisions. They are saying that the BJP has taken second place in Armoor, Metpally and Korutla municipalities Though Ms Kavitha was defeated in the Lok Sabha elections, if she had been in the poll campaign for the municipal elections, the results would have been different. Had she been in the campaign and had highlighted the failure of the sitting BJP MP in setting up the Turmeric Board as he had promised, it would have impacted the results. Out of 60 divisions in the Nizamabad Municipal Corporation, the TRS expected to win 30 divisions. But it got just 13 seats and went down to third place. If the MIM had not got 16 seats, the TRS would have lost the corporation. TRS leaders recall that Ms Kavitha had played an active part in the 2018 elections, and ensured the victory of all seven MLAs in the seven segments in the Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency. The World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE), the international trade fair for the civil nuclear sector, once again will bring together professionals from all parts of the industry to do business from June 23 to 25 at the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre (Hall 7). Organised by Reed Expositions France on behalf of GIFEN, the French Nuclear Industry Association, and now in its fourth edition, WNE has adopted a topical theme for 2020: The nuclear industry, a key partner for a low-carbon society. Organised every two years in France, WNE has become the essential meeting place for professionals from around the world to do business and discuss major issues and challenges facing the industry. At the heart of WNE is innovation and it offers exhibitors of all sizes (large groups, mid-caps, SMEs and startups) rich opportunities to cement strategic partnerhips and sign new contracts. Projected figures for 2020 include 730 exhibitors and 23,000 attendees from 62 countries; 16 national pavilions; 4,500 business meetings; and1,500 senior international decision-makers and numerous official delegations. The issue of energy transition is at the heart of political, economic and societal debate as the world moves toward carbon neutrality by 2050. Faced with the global climate emergency, many countries are seeking to establish the fundamentals of a new energy model, based on a reduction of fossil fuel use. Nuclear is one of the keys to the transition to a sustainable future energy mix. World Nuclear Exhibition has chosen to address these major concerns with the theme of its 2020 edition: The nuclear industry, a key partner for a low-carbon society. Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, new President of WNE, states: I am convinced that nuclear power has a crucial role to play in the energy transition if we are to reach our goal of a low-carbon economy. New for 2020 are: One day (25 June) has been designated Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and Advanced Reactor Day and will focus on the various projects around the world dedicated to these small nuclear reactors (50-300 MW). Smaller than conventional nuclear power plants, they are viewed as a viable replacement for obsolete fossil fuel power plants that meet the need for low-carbon energy. On SMR and Advanced Reactor Day, WNE will welcome many international official delegations, affording them a unique forum to address the challenges and opportunities associated with the use of SMR technologies and advanced reactors in the energy systems of the future. WNE has introduced an honorary award, the WNE Fellow Award, to recognise an international expert in the nuclear sector for their contribution to the promotion of nuclear energy worldwide. WNE will once again promote innovation with the WNE Awards. Eight prizes in four categories will be awarded at a ceremony on the first day of the show. The categories are: Products and Services Innovation; Nuclear Safety Innovation; Operation Excellence Innovation and Knowledge Management and Skills Innovation. As in 2018, each category will have two prizes, one for large groups and one for small and very small enterprises (SMEs/VSEs). The 2020 exhibition will also provide an opportunity to discover the essential WNE, including the Startup Planet, guided tours, Investors Day, exhibitors workshops and panel discussions. WNE has an established international dimension with the leaders and key players in the global market in attendance. International exhibitors will make up 40 per cent of the stands at the 2020 show, coming from 40 countries including Belgium, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, Italy, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and United States. WNE will welcome the Czech Republic and Ukraine as newcomers at this edition of the show. Some 16 national pavilions are expected, including Argentina, Belgium, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, Japan, Poland, Romania, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, United States and Wales, as well as 1,500 senior international decision-makers representing governments, institutions, major buyers etc, plus many other official delegations. WNE in 2020 will more than ever be a business accelerator for the industry, with 4,500 business meetings expected over the three days (compared with 4,000 in 2018). Aimed at exhibiting companies (SMEs, mid-caps and large groups), these meetings are a fantastic platform for discussions, sharing of experience, new partnerships and contracts between suppliers and major global contractors. Building on its previous successes, WNE 2020 will once again bring together the entire global community of the civil nuclear industry: senior international decision-makers, official delegations, scientific experts, engineers, technicians, startups and the media. -- Tradearabia News Service Sylvester Stallone and Chris Rock provided the star power for Ready to Rock?, Facebook's first entree into the high-stakes world of Super Bowl commercials. The ad was for the website's More Together promotion, which looks to emphasize the way their groups are aimed at uniting people. In a play off of the word rock - set to Twisted Sister's 1984 anthem I Wanna Rock - the site, in the ad, advertised the multiple niche groups they have that relate to the word, name or concept of rock. Gonna fly now: Sylvester Stallone and Chris Rock provided the star power for Ready to Rock?, Facebook's first entree into the high-stakes world of Super Bowl commercials They included Moab Rock Climbers, Rock Buggies, Amateur Experimental Rocketry, Table Rock Lake and cloneghenge, a group for replicas of the monument Stonehenge. Eventually, swathes of people from the Rocky Balboa Facebook Group were brought together at Philadelphia Museum of Art, where a familiar figure of a runner was eventually revealed as comedian Chris Rock. 'Who'd you expect,' Rock asked, as a familiar voice replied, 'I don't know,' with the camera panning back to reveal Sylvester Stallone. 'The campaign is aimed at celebrating the feeling people get from getting together with people who share their interests via Facebook groups,' Facebook's chief marketing officer, Antonio Lucio, told AdWeek Saturday. 'The focus in 2020 is to ensure that the Facebook brand is more present in moments of culture.' Hearts on fire: The commercial teased that Sly was headed upstairs, but had a special twist Ready to roll: Rock triumphantly raised his arms in the City of Brotherly Love Tale of the tape: The actor and the comic playfully sparred on the set of the commercial Said Lucio: 'Hopefully, the message that we were able to deliver is that there is a group for everyone, and you can find it in Facebook groups. 'There's nothing intellectual about it. It's a simple and joyful message.' The social networking site ran another ad in the campaign during last week's Grammy Awards. Fun times: The idea of the ad was to showcase the many niches Facebook's groups cater to Public health officials are busting some myths surrounding the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, a disease that has caused considerable international concern, with more than 14,500 cases confirmed globally and 304 deaths reported in China, where the outbreak originated. State and federal health officials have said there is a low risk to New England and the entire country, as only 11 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with the virus, though worries are reportedly high. Cases were confirmed in Arizona, California, Illinois, Washington state and Massachusetts. A UMass Boston student, who had recently traveled to Wuhan, China, where the outbreak started, was identified Saturday as the first confirmed coronavirus patient in the state. The man, who is in his 20s, is being monitored by public health nurses at his home and is in good condition, according to officials. We are grateful that this young man is recovering and sought medical attention immediately, said Dr. Monica Bharel, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health. "Massachusetts has been preparing for a possible case of this new coronavirus, and we were fortunate that astute clinicians took appropriate action quickly. "Again, the risk to the public from the 2019 novel coronavirus remains low in Massachusetts. In the wake of the outbreak, international, federal and state public health officials have provided advice for the public that aim to dispel misconceptions about the virus, named 2019-nCoV. Should face masks be used among the general public in the U.S. to prevent the spread of the coronavirus? No. Although limited cases of person-to-person transmission between close contacts has been detected in the U.S., the virus is not spreading in the larger community, the Massachusetts Department of Public Healths website says. Am I at risk if I receive packages or products shipped from China? Due to poor survivability of coronaviruses on surfaces, there is a very low risk of the illness spreading from packages or products shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions website states. Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of 2019-nCoV associated with imported goods and there have not been any cases of 2019-nCoV in the United States associated with imported goods, the agency says. Coronaviruses are generally spread by respiratory droplets generated when coughing or sneezing, according to health officials. What about animals or animal products imported from China? The CDC says it does not have any evidence suggesting animals or animal products imported from China can spread the illness. Should I worry about pets or other animals transmitting the virus? Although the coronavirus was likely transmitted from an animal to a human, the illness is now spreading from person to person. People traveling to China should avoid animals, both living and dead, but there is no reason to believe any animals or pets in the U.S. are a source of infection, the CDC says. There is no evidence that companion animals/pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus, WHO says. However, it is always a good idea to wash your hands with soap and water after contact with pets. This protects you against various common bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella that can pass between pets and humans. A person who feels sick should avoid handling pets or other animals, though, according to the agency. No animals have reportedly contracted the disease, but multiple types of coronaviruses can cause illness in animals that can then spread to humans. Do pneumonia vaccines or antibiotics protect against 2019-nCoV? There are no vaccines currently that prevent the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, and vaccines against pneumonia do not protect against the coronavirus. Researchers are trying to develop a vaccine, and the World Health Organization is supporting their efforts, according to the organizations website. Antibiotics do not work against the virus either, as the medication only helps to fight bacteria. If a person is hospitalized for the coronavirus, though, they may receive antibiotics due to bacterial co-infection, WHO says. Is the coronavirus the same as MERS or SARS virus? The 2019-nCoV strain of the coronavirus falls into a large group of viruses, some of of which affect people while others circulate among animals, including camels, cats and bats, the CDC says. However, SARS and MERS, different coronaviruses that emerged from animals and infected humans, are not the same as the new virus. Analysis of the genetic tree of the 2019-nCoV strain is ongoing, but evidence suggests the coronavirus emerged from a virus related to SARS, according to the agency. Can regularly rinsing your nose with saline or gargling mouthwash protect you from infection? There is no evidence that regularly rinsing ones nose with saline or using mouthwash will prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to WHO. There is some limited evidence that regularly rinsing nose with saline can help people recover more quickly from the common cold, the organization says. However, regularly rinsing the nose has not been shown to prevent respiratory infections. Can eating garlic prevent transmission of the coronavirus? No. Garlic is a healthy vegetable that has some antimicrobial properties, but there is no evidence suggesting it has protected people from the coronavirus, according to WHO. Related Content: The addition of Managing Directors Jeffrey Morris and Chad Kiner, as well as Senior Director Scott Moore and Director A.J. Mangan, represents Walker & Dunlop's first office in the robust Columbus market. The team has historically originated between $700 million and $1 billion of annual financing transaction volume through a broad range of capital providers. Jim Cope, Executive Vice President and Head of Capital Markets at Walker & Dunlop, commented, "Jeff, Chad, and the entire MSF team have an excellent reputation in the industry for sourcing, structuring, and closing real estate development, acquisition, and permanent financing transactions. The team's proven track record and extensive lender relationships will accelerate our growth in the Columbus and greater Ohio area, where there is significant opportunity for us to increase our market share and client base." "Walker & Dunlop has built an impressive presence throughout the Midwest," commented Mr. Morris. "The company has grown substantially over the last decade and we're excited to bring our capital markets expertise to the team and further contribute to the company's strategic growth." Founded in 1984, MSF Real Estate Capital has tripled the size of its full-service commercial real estate mortgage banking firm over the past decade. Collectively, the team has closed more than $10 billion in transaction volume throughout their careers. The Columbus office will comprise a ten-person team, including six staff members who are critical in supporting the group's efforts, with plans for continued expansion. Walker & Dunlop is a leader in the commercial real estate finance space and has been included in Fortune Magazine's Fastest-Growing Companies List for two consecutive years. The Fortune rankings are based on three-year growth in revenues, earnings per share, and total shareholder return. This dramatic growth has largely been due to the company's successful hiring and integration of talented bankers and brokers throughout the United States. Since the beginning of 2019, Walker & Dunlop has added 51 bankers and brokers to the platform. Learn more about our broad range of financing options. About Walker & Dunlop Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD), headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, is one of the largest commercial real estate finance companies in the United States. The company provides a comprehensive range of capital solutions for all commercial real estate asset classes, as well as investment sales brokerage services to owners of multifamily properties. Walker & Dunlop is included on the S&P SmallCap 600 Index and was ranked as one of FORTUNE Magazine's Fastest Growing Companies in 2014, 2017, and 2018. Walker & Dunlop's 800+ professionals in 40 offices across the nation have an unyielding commitment to client satisfaction. SOURCE Walker & Dunlop, Inc. Related Links https://www.walkerdunlop.com Hundreds of terrorists already in jail will be kept locked up for longer under sweeping new laws to be introduced in the wake of the Streatham knife attack. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland also announced a major review yesterday which could see terrorists jailed for life or permanent conditions placed on their release. The UK faces an 'unprecedented situation of severe gravity', he said, after Sudesh Amman knifed two people just days after he was freed from Belmarsh jail. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had come 'to the end of my patience' with the freeing of offenders following the Streatham attack on Sunday Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has announced a major review which could see terrorists jailed for life or permanent conditions placed on their release In an extraordinary move, ministers will introduce emergency legislation this week to stop 220 extremists already in jail being set free half way into their sentence. Mr Buckland said serving terrorist prisoners will not be released before their full sentence has been served without a risk assessment from a beefed-up Parole Board, in a move likely to face a huge backlash and legal challenge. The body made up of 'cynical hardened' former judges and experts will assess whether a prisoner should be let out two-thirds of the way into their sentence. If they believe they are still a danger, then they will have to serve the entirety of their sentence. Crucially, the new law will apply retrospectively to all 220 terrorist prisoners currently in jail. It will be put before MPs as soon as this week. The Government also announced that it would order a review into how to deal with terrorists in the longer term. On Sunday Sudesh Amman was shot dead by police after he knifed two people just days after he was freed from Belmarsh jail This could see terrorists only let out if they are believed to no longer pose a danger a move which could see them jailed for life, or, permanent conditions placed upon them. Following the attack, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had come 'to the end of my patience' with the freeing of offenders before they had completed their sentences and without any scrutiny. De-radicalising people was a 'very, very difficult thing to do', he said. Q&A by David Barrett What has been announced? Robert Buckland, the Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, says he wants all terrorist inmates to undergo a parole review rather than being entitled to automatic release part-way through their sentences. This will apply to serving prisoners thought to be around 220 as well as those jailed in the future, he said, because of the 'unprecedented situation of severe gravity' facing this country. Terrorists will only be eligible for release at two-thirds of the way through their sentence and only when the Parole Board agrees, he said. Are there other measures? Government sources said a review will look at whether some terrorists 'should ever be released'. They hinted at an entirely new sentencing structure which would hand offenders a set number of years in prison, but they would not be released at all if they continued to pose a threat. In other words, ministers may re-introduce controversial 'indeterminate' sentences. Separately, last month Home Secretary Priti Patel announced offences such as 'preparing acts of terrorism' would have sentences significantly boosted in a new Bill. The minimum term would increase from three years to 14. Can they do it? There will be emergency legislation this week to introduce restrictions on automatic release. Other measures will require an Act of Parliament. The Parole Board will be bolstered with a new independent body, possibly named the 'terrorist public protection panel'. It will comprise judges and former judges familiar with terrorism cases to decide when extremists should be freed. Will more time in jail help? It gives the authorities more chance to persuade fanatics if possible to engage with de-radicalisation programmes. Also, if they are behind bars they can't carry out attacks. Could changes be blocked? The Lord Chancellor will have been warned he risks breaching terrorists' human rights. Retrospective legislation potentially presents problems. Under the European Convention on Human Rights enshrined in UK law under Labour's Human Rights Act 1998 criminals are entitled to be dealt with by the law as it stands at the time. Advertisement Amman became the second person to have a committed a terror attack after being released early from jail in less than three months. Whitehall officials last night said he had to be released under current laws even though he was considered a danger to society. Sources said he failed to attend de-radicalisation courses in prison and was associating with extremist prisoners. A Whitehall official said: 'He was a bad man all the time he was in prison. He was associating with extremists and continued to say extreme things. 'They tried everything they could to change his behaviour and it didn't work.But they said they could not keep him in jail because there was not enough evidence to commit him of a fresh offence.' Amman attended Friday prayers and had access to imams during his time at Belmarsh prison. A security source said: 'We had serious concerns about his mind set before he went in and his time in prison didn't alleviate those concerns.' Amman was considered among the ten most dangerous men in Britain when he was released. In Greenwich, the PM said de-radicalising people was a 'very, very difficult thing to do'. He added: 'There is a big psychological barrier and that's why I stress the importance of the custodial option and that's why I have come to the end of my patience with the idea of automatic early release. 'This is a liberal country, it is a tolerant country, but I think the idea of automatic early release for people who obviously continue to pose a threat to the public has come to the end of its useful life.' Mr Buckland said: 'We face an unprecedented situation of severe gravity and, as such, it demands that the Government responds immediately.' He told the Commons that the Parole Board would be 'strengthened' and steps would be taking to introduce the plans 'as soon as possible'. The PM earlier said the new parole panel would be made up of 'cynical hardened people who would look into their eyes' and determined if they were safe to be released. Critics have asked whether keeping terrorists in prison longer just increases the chance of them being further radicalised. Amanda Pinto QC, chairman of the Bar Council said: 'We would urge the Government to take care in considering any sentencing changes that may apply retrospectively.' But Lord Macdonald QC, a former director of public prosecutions, said: 'These proposals are slightly controversial but justifiable. It is no longer tenable to release people who are still ideologically committed to committing terrorist acts.' Dr Alan Mendoza of the Henry Jackson Society, said: 'The Government's plans restore a degree of common sense to the way we handle society's most dangerous individuals.' If the last few weeks have been bad for Democrats, imagine the dyspepsia and insomnia of the NeverTrump brigade. These are the so-called elite conservatives, intellectuals, smarter than your average Republican rube, the voice of reason and wisdom for the conservative movement. They have beclowned themselves into irrelevancy since before Donald Trump was even elected, doubling down on stupid as they became punch lines on Twitter. Their latest outrage is President Trumps impeachment and non-removal from office. Impeachment is all but over, a wasted exercise in partisan derangement. It was a shiny object for media dogs and cats to chase around the room, never quite catching it. For President Trump, it was a boost in his popularity, hitting 50 percent total approval in the Jan. 31 Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll, the same day the U.S. Senate declined to call additional witnesses, since the House had already heard from 17 hand-picked Democrat witnesses, essentially ending the Senate impeachment trial. Despite mountains of evidence and a slam dunk case that was overwhelming, House legal eagles Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler failed to make the case for removing a president from office for the unpardonable sin attempting to do his Constitutional duty investigating government corruption. On schedule, the whiny NeverTrump brigade turned to Twitter to fuss and pout, much like children when told its time for bed in the middle of a good game of pin the tail on The Donald. Start with Bill Kristol, founder of the failed Weekly Standard and constant Trump critic, who after impeachment had his coming out of the closet moment, revealing what everyone has known for years, that he is really a Democrat. Not presumably forever; not perhaps for a day after Nov. 3, 2020; not on every issue or in every way until then. But for the time being one has to say: We are all Democrats now. Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) February 1, 2020 He tweeted after the Senate voted for no witnesses, perhaps secretly hoping he would be called to the Senate to wax eloquently on Trumps unsuitability to live or breathe, that We are all Democrats now. A call to arms to his fellow Trump haters to throw a lifetime of conservative advocacy out the window to support socialists like Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren. What better way to advance conservative principles than getting behind a quasi-communist who wants to nationalize health care and energy, rewrite the Constitution, open the borders, allow full-term abortion, and mandate that any Department of Education nominee be selected by a young trans person. Thats the ticket for advancing conservatism. How did Ronald Reagan get it so wrong? There is also the so-called conservative columnist at the Washington Post, Jennifer Rubin. How her name and the word conservative can be used in the same sentence is beyond me. Then again, CNN airs a show featuring Brian Stelter called Reliable Sources so in the world of the left, words mean whatever they say they mean. She gushed over Adam Schiff, This is the most brilliant legal presentation I have heard. None comes close. The tone, the facts, the anticipated defenses. I am in awe. Right. Schiff is a modern-day Clarence Darrow or Atticus Finch. YouTube screen grab She must have missed that the fact-checker at her own newspaper gave Schiff four Pinocchios for his whistleblower remarks. She attempted to snark the Presidents attorneys, Jay Sekolow and Pat Cippolone, tweeting, Can you imagine if Sekulow and Cipollone had to try a case in front of a real judge? Bhahaahhahahahaha Perhaps she doesnt consider the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court a real judge. After his Obamacare ruling, she may have a point. Yet in her bhahaha, she missed the fact that Sekulow argued 12 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, real judges. Cippolone has years of experience in complex litigation at a big D.C. law firm. Arguing cases before real judges. Adam Schiff only argues his cases in front of Jake Tapper and Chris Matthews. Next is NeverTrump Rick Wilson, a Republican political strategist whose last effort was the underwhelming presidential campaign of Evan McMullin, the NeverTrump savior who garnered just 700,000 votes, less than even Jill Stein. Wilson described Republican voters, who overwhelmingly support President Trump as boomer rubes while CNN host Don Lemon laughed himself silly. What a business model, insulting those you say you represent. Max Boot is another famous NeverTrumper, another so-called conservative, in the mold of severely conservative Mitt Romney. Boot tweeted: I want nothing to do with a party led by the deluded and the dishonest. I fervently hope our democracy survives this debacle. I fervently hope the Republican Party does not. Deluded and dishonest describes Democrats, not Republicans, unless one is wearing Trump derangement eyeglasses. By not playing along with the Pelosi-Schiff faux impeachment, GOP Senators are deluded and dishonest. Like Bill Kristol, he wants the Republican Party to go away. Given the two-party political system in America, thats not likely to change anytime soon, and if the Republican Party dies, then Democrats run the entire show. Again, what better way to advance conservatism than to put Bernie, Pocahontas or AOC in charge. Dont forget the insufferable Mr. Kellyanne Conway, also known as George, who can let a minute go by without publicly bashing his wifes boss. In one recent tweet he drew a comparison between President Trump and the family of North Korean dictators: Everyone must do whatever they are told lest they displease dear perfect leader. Lastly are two cable news harpies, both previously serving in Republican administrations under NeverTrumpers with the last name of Bush. Ana Navarro served on the transition team for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and now spews her anti-Trump venom on CNN. Across the airwaves at MSNBC, there is Nicolle Wallace, former George W. Bush White House Communications Director. Like the Bush family they once served, they spew fire and brimstone toward President Trump. Navarro recently tweeted, They will defend and justify anything Dear Leader says or does, regardless of how wrong, outrageous or offensive. Anything. Wallace already has Trump convicted and frog marched out of the White House tweeting, And the next step would be for someone on talk radio to start musing about how a president (sic) Pence would be just fine. The NeverTrumpers all follow and retweet each other, creating an echo chamber, amplifying and reinforcing their Trump Derangement Syndrome. As Bush establishment Republicans, they would be delighted with the open borders and the endless wars of past Republican presidents. When confronted with a truly conservative presidential administration, they run like scalded dogs. As William Shakespeare wrote: Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun of York. As impeachment fizzles and Trump continues making America Great again, this will be a long winter of discontent for NeverTrumpers and the left. If Attorney General Bill Barr is taken at his word that U.S. Attorney John Durham will be wrapping up his work in early summer, the summer of 2020 may indeed be glorious, with indictments and declassifications just in time for the nominating conventions and fall campaign. Expect NeverTrumpers' hair on fire as the 2020 election approaches. Brian C. Joondeph, M.D., is a Denver-based physician and freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in American Thinker, Daily Caller, and other publications. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and QuodVerum. One nation after another is closing its doors to most Chinese travelers, as the death toll from the novel coronavirus continues to rise with no sign that the virus can be contained before it becomes a full-blown planetary health crisis. Chinas National Health Commission reported today that there are now 17,205 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection on the mainland, plus 15 in Hong Kong and eight in Macao. The WHO reported 146 confirmed cases in 23 countries outside China. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday confirmed an additional case in California, involving a patient who had recently returned to the United States from Wuhan. That brings the U.S. case number to nine, with no deaths. Scientists suspect the true number of infections may be many times higher than the official count. So far, 361 people have died, all but one in China. The most serious illnesses appear to be in the elderly and people with preexisting medical problems, and it is highly contagious. Unless contained soon, it could become a pandemic a disease that travels almost everywhere on the planet in the same manner as influenza. (Washington Post) Featured stories The Huoshenshan temporary field hospital under construction is seen Sunday as it nears completion in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. AP SARS stung the global economy. The coronavirus Is a greater menace (New York Times) No reason for Americans to panic: White House seeks to calm fears over coronavirus (CNN) U.S. flight rules on China visits will pose new airline challenges (Reuters) National news Impeachment trial heads to historic end in frenetic week (ABC News) Schiff wont say whether the House will subpoena John Bolton (CNN) Candidates make frenetic push to an unpredictable finish in Iowa (CNN) John Kerry overheard discussing possible 2020 bid amid concern of Sanders taking down the Democratic Party (NBC News) HELP!!!: Newly released NOAA emails show uproar over Trumps hurricane claims (NBC News) Federal report on Kobe Bryant crash, funeral plans could come this week (USA Today) Montana state lawmaker: Constitution calls for socialists to be shot or jailed (Associated Press) Man dies after argument over Super Bowl turns violent in Fresno (KRON Channel 4) World news Three people injured in London stabbing attack (BBC) Trump appears to tweet confirmation that U.S. drone strike killed top al Qaeda leader (NBC News) Iran has de-escalated, but threat of retaliation remains, general says (Washington Post) Israel puts breaks on West Bank annexation plan (New York Times) Britain will prosper: Johnson sets out tough terms for EU talks (Reuters) Amid feud with NPR, Pompeo tells Kazakhs the U.S. is committed to press freedoms (Politico) Iraqi cleric Sadr tells followers to clear sit-ins after PM appointed (Reuters) Bhopal, Feb 3 : In a major initiative to counter hostility to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) outside the BJP-ruled states, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Monday began a three-day interaction with more than 100 pracharaks from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. This is Bhagwat's first such foray in a state averse to endorsing the new citizenship law. During his Bhopal sojourn, Bhagwat is expected to 'educate' the youth on the benefits of CAA and National Register of Citizens (NCR). This is his first major drive in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh since the CAA row began. Bhopal had emerged as an important RSS nursery during the 15-year rule of the BJP before the Congress returned to power a year ago. Some other key states have also slipped out of the BJP fold since then. The story in Chhattisgarh is no different. Many edifices of BJP's 15-year dominance there have been pulled down one by one. Despite comprehensive victory in both MP and Chhattisgarh during the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and RSS have struggled to regain the momentum for an effective surge here. The local body elections in Chhattisgarh have further jolted the BJP. Bhagwat is scheduled to hold talks with RSS pracharaks of Madhya Prant (central zone) and review Sangh's progress on various fronts and draw up district-wise plans to reach out to the youth, said an RSS functionary. He is also scheduled to meet leaders of affiliates like Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad -- the student wing of the Sangh Parivar -- at Saraswati Shishu Mandir's Sharda Vihar residential school. This is the first such interactive session in five years being held in Madhya Prant and the Sangh would want to revive its activity which peaked during the BJP rule of 15 years, RSS sources said. RSS is working to quell the dissent against CAA among the youth who have been disillusioned by the BJP government's failure to address issues like unemployment and the economic slackness afflicting the middle class. The Sangh and the BJP leadership realises that CAA is an important step in promoting its Hindu Rashtra agenda. All affiliates are required to ramp up support for the new law. Madhya Pradesh still has the support base and the infrastructure to help the RSS chief plan a recovery. The CAA cleared by the Parliament on December 11 authorises Hindus, Christians and other religious minorities from Muslim-majority Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to acquire Indian citizenship. The BJP-led NDA government has, however, kept Muslims out of the list saying they could not have been persecuted in the Islamic nations of the sub-continent. However, critics of the new law contend that it is against the Constitution, which guarantees equal protection to all in India, which is home to around 200 million Muslims. The Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh governments have not only opposed the CAA and NRC, they have also encouraged all meetings held in various parts of the two states against the laws. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 06:36:41|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The San Francisco Symphony gave its 20th annual concert here Saturday to celebrate the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year that attracted about 2,700 people who love Chinese culture and music. The all-Chinese-music concert held at Davies Symphony Hall in downtown San Francisco, which was adorned with red lanterns and other ornaments signifying happiness and fortune in Chinese culture, featured some of the most famous Chinese folk songs for orchestra, including Moonlit Night on Spring River, Flower Drum Song from Feng Yang, and Moon Reflected in Er-Quan. The orchestra was conducted by Perry So, who was from China's Hong Kong and made the performance his musical debut with the San Francisco Symphony. He previously cooperated with many other great symphonies and art groups in the world, such as the Nuremberg Symphony in Germany and the Cleveland and Minnesota orchestras. He said the concert in San Francisco was a program created to take the audience "through centuries of Chinese music" across the entire Chinese history. The concert began with the traditional Chinese melody Moonlit Night on Spring River by Chinese Pipa virtuoso Yang Wei, who presented a musical setting to reflect the scenic beauty of a moonlit night in the region south of the Yangtze River, as described in the same-title poem of the Tang Dynasty (618-906 A.D.) in Chinese history. The artists of the San Francisco Symphony played for the audience that fully packed the music hall several other Chinese musical pieces that expressed the genuine folk culture of various places in China, including Yunnan Province in the country's southwest and Shanxi Province in the north. Micheline Savarin, who is a home-grown San Franciscan working as a marketing staffer for a local company, told Xinhua that she enjoyed the Chinese New Year concert every year. "I grew up in San Francisco and I love the melding of the cultures between the new year that we usually celebrate, and then the Chinese New Year. And I love the traditions and everything that is associated with it," she said. "It's just enlightening to come to these performances." James Mark, a San Francisco architect, said that he has been to the Chinese Lunar New Year concerts for the past two years. "It's fantastic," he said of his third time with the concert. "It was incredible, and I wouldn't miss it for the world." An incident of firing was reported from Jamia on Sunday night, making it the third in four days. No one was injured in the attack. In a statement issued by the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC), a group comprising students and alumni of the university formed to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, said the attackers were on a red motorcycle. One of the miscreants was wearing a red jacket, the statement said. Protesters at Shaheen Bagh on Sunday wrote to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Election Commission (EC), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) stating that the threat to their protest is 'real'. The letter was written by the protesters, including 'Women of Shaheen Bagh', 'Forum of Citizen for Equal Rights', 'Citizen for Justice and Peace' and others. Meanwhile, Delhi Police has not found any bullet shells from the site near Jamia Millia Islamia University where the firing was reported. bccl Earlier, ACP Jagdish Yadav said, "Statements have been recorded. On their basis, FIR has been registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 307/34 and Section 27 of the Arms Act." He said that a team will go to the spot and collect the CCTV footage from Gate No.5 and 7. "Further details which will come out will be included in the FIR. Action will be taken," the ACP said. "The threat to the protest at Shaheen Bagh is real. Threats have been openly made by men in powerful positions leading to at least three violent actions on the ground. Delhi Police are lawfully bound to train its eyes, ears and lathis on those who seek to violently disrupt this peaceful protest. We urge appropriate action to ensure the safety of peaceful protesters," the letter said. "Peaceful protest at Shaheen Bagh are vulnerable from hate attacks, violent attacks and mob. This morning, full police strength has been deployed there. We urge, however, this police strength is geared towards violators of the law, mob and violent attackers and not peaceful protesters," it added. The letter stated, "If any group wish to protest in favour of the government it is free to do so in any other part of Delhi, why Shaheen Bagh?" "Since December 15, 2019, until today, Shaheen Bagh has held its ground peacefully. Women are simply telling the brute might of the state that they stand against the perpetrated attack on Jamia Millia Islamia. bccl Instead of entering into any sort of dialogue or conversation with the protesters, the political bigwigs and authorities have tried to demonise this protest," it said. The letter further said, "This brazen tendency has been particularly visible with the election campaign for upcoming Delhi elections. This is also likely to intensify in the coming weeks." bccl Protests have been going on at Shaheen Bagh since December 15 last year against the Citizenship Amendment Act due to which Kalindi Kunj road has been shut for traffic movement. Earlier, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking appropriate directions to the police to open the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch contending that the road closure is causing huge inconvenience to people. China has built a makeshift hospital in 10 days to battle against the novel strain of coronavirus in Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak in central China's Hubei Province. Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) Hospital was delivered Sunday in Wuhan. It is dedicated to treating patients infected with the virus. A total of 1,400 medical staff from the armed forces are tasked with treating patients in Huoshenshan Hospital starting from Monday. The medics consist of 950 people from hospitals affiliated to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Joint Logistic Support Force, and 450 from medical universities of the army, navy and air force of the PLA who were sent to Wuhan earlier. Replicating Beijing's SARS treatment model in 2003, Wuhan started building two makeshift hospitals: Leishenshan (Thunder God Mountain) and Huoshenshan. On Jan. 23, workers broke ground on Huoshenshan Hospital, with a capacity of 1,000 beds. "MISSION IMPOSSIBLE" MADE POSSIBLE Chinese health authorities Sunday said it received reports of 2,590 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 45 deaths on Saturday from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. All the deaths are in Hubei Province, according to China's National Health Commission. As China feels the pinch of the outbreak, authorities have decided to replicate Xiaotangshan Hospital, a temporary medical center in the northern suburb of Beijing built in 2003. Beijing built Xiaotangshan Hospital in just a week in the treatment and control of SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. When Fang Xiang knew he and his team had to finish the hospital in Wuhan in 10 days, he thought it was "mission impossible." "For a project of this scale, it usually takes at least two years," said Fang, project manager of the Third Construction Co. Ltd of China Construction Third Engineering Bureau. "It takes at least a month to construct a temporary building, not to mention a new hospital for infectious diseases." In addition, with a big number of migrant workers partaking, it is difficult to provide adequate food and shelter on-site, according to a staff member of Wuhan Urban and Rural Construction Bureau. But the "mission impossible" had to be implemented under severe circumstances. From Jan. 23 to Feb. 1, Wuhan's confirmed cases of infection rose from 495 to a staggering 4,109. This has put huge pressure on local medical facilities, which failed to supply enough beds. A good many patients had to stay home for quarantine and treatment. If not handled properly, the epidemic could exacerbate. Located in a sanatorium near Zhiyin Lake in southwestern Wuhan, the hospital is far away from downtown areas where people converge. The area has sufficient transportation and pipeline systems, and existing dining halls and dormitories are ready to provide services. Authorities spent five hours on the designing plan and created a designing draft within 24 hours. Three companies received an order to build the "Fire God Mountain" under the Third Construction Co., Ltd. of China Construction Third Engineering Bureau. "I have never participated in such an urgent task, and I have never seen so many companies involved in a single project," said Fang Xiang's colleague Shen Kai. "It is a tough job, but we need to give it our best shot." Thousands of workers were operating more than 800 equipment simultaneously as they rushed against time to save lives. They vowed to fight against the virus and worked in shifts to complete the construction. Some people only slept for four hours a day, Shen said. Ma Jiaqiang, 47, volunteered for the project when he read about the recruitment ad for Huoshenshan Hospital on social media. "I have been working in Wuhan. It is my home," Ma said. "I just had to take part." Ma operated a digging machine for eight hours a day at the construction site. "I feel honored to be able to part of this," Ma said. CHEER UP CHINA! After the hospital work began, the Chinese public went out of their way to supervise the construction of Huoshenshan. China's state broadcaster has been live-streaming the around-the-clock construction progress, which instantly went viral online. With no narration or background music, the livestream videos provide audiences a real-time bird's-eye view of the construction site. Calling themselves "online supervisors," Chinese citizens have been keeping a close eye on the projects and exchanging their ideas and feelings in the comment section. They cheered when the hospital was delivered. "Cheer up, China! I believe we can curb the epidemic," read a typical online comment. "Salute to the workers working around the clock," read another comment. The project is bringing hope to patients like Zhang Yue, a Wuhan resident, who has been suffering from fever for days. "It feels like seeing the sunlight shining through the dark clouds," Zhang said. Where has Alexander been since Jan. 20, 2017? It is, in the true sense of the word, pathetic to pretend that caving in to Trump this time will provide any incentive for him to behave better the next time. The very concept of think twice before he did it again is as alien to Trump as the words I dont care about money or Its not all about me. Efforts between U.S. prosecutors and Reginald Fowler the former Minnesota Vikings investor accused of running an unlicensed money transmission business for crypto exchanges to strike a plea deal have broken down, according to Bloomberg News. Fowler rejected a plea deal which seemed all but set to occur following a court hearing last month amid disagreement over the amount of money he would be required to forfeit, according to Bloomberg. Word of the talks breakdown was included in a letter submitted to the court by prosecutors on Friday. The letter stated: "On Thursday, Mr. Fowler rejected the current plea offer, and the Government has formally withdrawn that offer; thus, the parties anticipate the case proceeding to trial as scheduled on April 28, 2020. Although the Court set a schedule for motions in limine in advance of trial, a motion schedule for general pretrial motions has not been set; thus, the parties will confer and submit a joint letter within the next week proposing a schedule for the Courts consideration." Fowler was indicted last April for running a so-called "shadow bank" that was tied to Crypto Capital, a payment processing service once used by major exchanges like Bitfinex, Kraken and others at one time or another. (Bloomberg) -- Officials at U.S. weather agencies warned that fallout from the Trump administrations messaging on Hurricane Dorian in 2019 would politicize scientific agencies and undermine public trust in their information. You have no idea how hard Im fighting to keep politics out of science, Neil Jacobs, then the acting director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wrote at the time. Emails from Jacobs and others were part of a trove released to the Washington Post and Buzzfeed News following a Freedom of Information Act request that sought to look into the White House response to Dorian, the Category Five storm that pummeled the Bahamas in September. The emails in the FOIA release were sent after a Sept. 4 press briefing on the hurricane, in which Trump held up a map from the National Weather Service showing initial projections of Dorians track into Florida. But the map had been changed -- by the president, according to people familiar with the matter -- with a line drawn in black Sharpie that extended the storms projected path beyond Florida and into southern Alabama. The episode was dubbed Sharpiegate on social media. Days earlier, on Sept. 1, Trump tweeted that the approaching storm would most likely hit Alabama, an assessment not backed up by government and private weather agencies. Some 20 minutes after the post, the National Weather Services office in Birmingham corrected the record, stating in a tweet that Dorian wouldnt feel that effects of Dorian. Rather than walking back the comment or admitting error, Trump and the White House doubled down, culminating in the hand-altered map shown during the Oval Office briefing. A day later, Trump said on Twitter that Alabama was going to be hit or grazed before the storm changed path. What I said was accurate! Trump tweeted. What concerns me most is that this Administration is eroding the public trust in NOAA for an apparent political recovery from an ill-timed and imprecise comment from the President, Craig McLean, who served as the agencys assistant administrator at the time, wrote in an email. Story continues National Weather Service employees are absolutely reeling, wrote Tim Galludet, the assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, in an another email. Employees now fear for their jobs, and are questioning whether they should post potentially life-saving info or check tweets first, John Murphy, the chief operating officer of the National Weather Service, wrote in an email. To contact the reporter on this story: Alyza Sebenius in Washington at asebenius@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ros Krasny at rkrasny1@bloomberg.net, Virginia Van Natta For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. PUNE, India, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Countries around the globe are exploring the feasibilities of using renewable sources of energy across various industries. Concerns regarding the emission of harmful gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are driving innovations in renewable fuels. The aviation industry is one among the top consumers of fossil fuels in the world. The use of renewable fuels in the aviation industry has the potential to cut down carbon emissions by a factor of several tons. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in their 39th meeting reiterated their commitment towards improving the efficiency of the fuels used in the aviation sector. From 2020, a two per cent carbon footprint reduction strategy was formulated by the organization. The increasing demand for improving the operational efficiency coupled with the higher investment in the development of renewable aviation fuel is helping in the stable growth of the global renewable aviation fuel market. Request a [email protected] https://www.absolutemarketsinsights.com/request_sample.php?id=366 In 2016, the ICAO developed the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) intending to reduce emissions by airplanes. This is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Government agencies are increasingly collaborating with private aviation fuel manufacturers. Swedish Biofuels AB, for example, has developed a biological jet fuel which helps the aviation industry in optimizing fuel usage. They have received a significant amount of funding from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Washington State recently announced its commitment to reducing emission from aviation. In 2019, an initiative was launched by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and Low Carbon Fuel Coalition (LCFC) aims at improving the adoption rate of renewable fuel in the U.S. Gevo, Inc., a pioneer in the research and development of renewable aviation fuel, supplied the fleet of Alaska Airlines with a wood-based jet fuel. The suppliers of renewable air-fuel face a challenge in meeting the ginormous demand for fuel in the aviation industry. However, with several airlines strengthening their commitment towards a carbon-neutral sky, the global renewable aviation fuel market is expected to gain demand. Enquiry Before [email protected] https://www.absolutemarketsinsights.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=366 The detailed research study provides qualitative and quantitative analysis of renewable aviation fuel market. The market has been analyzed from demand as well as supply side. The demand side analysis covers market revenue across regions and further across all the major countries. The supply side analysis covers the major market players and their regional and global presence and strategies. The geographical analysis done emphasizes on each of the major countries across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and Latin America. Key Findings of the Report: In terms of revenue, the Hydroprocessed Fatty Acids and Esters segment accounted for the highest market share of 71.9% in 2018. The ease in the processing and development of this type of renewable fuels is helping its market growth. On the basis of application, the commercial segment is expected to show the maximum growth, due to the increasing adoption of renewable fuels in the aviation industry. As far as geography is concerned, North America accounted for the maximum share in the global renewable aviation fuel market in 2018. This can be attributed to the advanced research and development technologies that are present in the region. accounted for the maximum share in the global renewable aviation fuel market in 2018. This can be attributed to the advanced research and development technologies that are present in the region. Some of the players operating in the renewable aviation fuel market are Amyris Inc., Lanzatech Inc., Honeywell International, Euglena Co., Ltd., Neste Oyj, Total S.A., Gevo Inc., Fulcrum Bioenergy Inc., Red Rock Biofuels LLC, Sg Preston Company, and Swedish Biofuels Ab, amongst others. Request for [email protected] https://www.absolutemarketsinsights.com/request_for_customization.php?id=366 Renewable Aviation Fuel Market: By Type Fischer-Tropsch (FT) Hydroprocessed Fatty Acids and Esters By Application Commercial Defense Others By Geography North America U.S Canada Mexico Rest of North America Europe France The UK Spain Germany Italy Nordic Countries Denmark Finland Iceland Sweden Norway Benelux Union Belgium The Netherlands Luxembourg Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India New Zealand Australia South Korea Southeast Asia Indonesia Thailand Malaysia Singapore Rest of Southeast Asia Rest of Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa and Saudi Arabia UAE Egypt Kuwait South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa & Latin America Brazil Argentina Rest of Latin America Get Full Information of this premium [email protected] https://www.absolutemarketsinsights.com/reports/Renewable-Aviation-Fuel-Market-2019-2027-366 About Us: Absolute Markets Insights assists in providing accurate and latest trends related to consumer demand, consumer behavior, sales, and growth opportunities, for the better understanding of the market, thus helping in product designing, featuring, and demanding forecasts. Our experts provide you the end-products that can provide transparency, actionable data, cross-channel deployment program, performance, accurate testing capabilities and the ability to promote ongoing optimization. From the in-depth analysis and segregation, we serve our clients to fulfill their immediate as well as ongoing research requirements. Minute analysis impact large decisions and thereby the source of business intelligence (BI) plays an important role, which keeps us upgraded with current and upcoming market scenarios. Contact Us: Company: Absolute Markets Insights Email id: [email protected] Phone: +91-740-024-2424 Contact Name: Shreyas Tanna The Work Lab, Model Colony, Shivajinagar, Pune, MH, 411016 Website: https://www.absolutemarketsinsights.com/ SOURCE Absolute Markets Insights A bushfire near the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) grew to more than 35,000 hectares on Saturday, as officials closed a major motorway. Residents in some areas around the capital, Canberra, were warned that it was "too late to leave" and they should try to seek shelter. Six fires in the ACT and nearby parts of New South Wales (NSW) state were burning out of control, officials said. Hot and windy conditions are expected to last through the weekend. Since September, bushfires in Australia have killed at least 33 people and destroyed thousands of homes. More than 11 million hectares of land have been scorched so far. What is happening in Canberra? The ACT declared a state of emergency on Friday - the first in the area since deadly fires in 2003. People living in affected areas are being urged to fill up their bathtubs, buckets and sinks, so that when the fire arrives, they have access to water - to extinguish flames and to drink. "The issue we have with the fire activity is that the fire itself is generating its own weather pattern and that, combined with the wind direction, is what is driving that intensity in the fire," ACT Emergency Services Agency Commissioner Georgeina Whelan said. "The conditions will potentially become more dangerous and the fire may pose a threat to lives directly in its path," she added. Images of the Monaro Highway in the ACT, which has been closed, show the skies above it turning bright orange-red from the fire raging nearby. The ACT, a small territory located between Sydney and Melbourne, has about 400,000 residents. Fires have raged near Canberra for weeks. Last Thursday, the city's airport was shut down when a blaze threatened to breach its perimeter. What is happening in NSW? There are about 60 fires burning in the state, with five in the south-east of the state, near the ACT, burning out of control. Three fires in the Bega Valley area were upgraded to emergency level on Saturday. "The three fires in Bega are creating their own weather conditions and the advice to people in the area is that it's now too dangerous to leave and they should remain in place," local media quoted NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) spokesman Greg Allan as saying. "The three fires in Bega are creating their own weather conditions and the advice to people in the area is that it's now too dangerous to leave and they should remain in place." Parts of the state were seeing temperatures several degrees over 40C, he said. As the US steps up its response to the coronavirus outbreak, the Department of Homeland Security is warning airline passengers that their flights may wind up rerouted if officials discover mid-flight that someone onboard has been in China in the last 14 days. And Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said a handful of flights will be heading to China to bring Americans back home from Hubei Province, which is at the heart of the outbreak. The exact timing of those we're still coordinating with the Chinese government, Pompeo said at a conference Monday in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. We anticipate that they will happen in the next handful of days and we'll return those American citizens. Pompeo said: We may well end up bringing some citizens back from other countries as well. We're working through the details on that. And he said the U.S. may try to deliver some medical supplies to the region. "We're working closely and hand-in-hand with the Chinese government to try and resolve what is now this global epidemiological challenge, and so we'll have more details exactly on when those flights will depart and when they return and how they'll return to the United States before too long, he said. The DHS guidance on airline flights was included in a notice released by the department Sunday as new travel restrictions officially go into effect for flights commencing after 5 p.m. EDT. Under the new rules, U.S. citizens who have traveled in China within the last 14 days will be re-routed to one of eight designated airports, where they will undergo enhanced health screening procedures. They eight are: John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York; Chicago O'Hare International Airport; San Francisco International Airport; Seattle-Tacoma International Airport; Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu; Los Angeles International Airport in California; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; and Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Starting Monday, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Airport will be added to the list. US citizens who have been in Hubei province within 14 days of their return will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine. The outbreak originated in that province. US citizens who have been in other areas of China within the last 14 days will undergo proactive entry health screening and up to 14 days of self-quarantine. Meanwhile, most non-U.S. citizens who have traveled in China within the last 14 days will be denied entry into the United States, except for immediate family members of U.S. citizens, permanent residents and flight crew. While the overall risk to the American public remains low, funneling all flights with passengers who have recently been in China is the most important and prudent step we can take at this time to decrease the strain on public health officials screening incoming travelers," said Chad Wolf, the acting DHS secretary. We realize this could provide added stress and prolong travel times for some individuals, however public health and security experts agree these measures are necessary to contain the virus and protect the American people, Wolf said. Asked in an interview aired Sunday on Fox how concerned he was over the outbreak, President Donald Trump said that we pretty much shut it down coming in from China. We've offered China help, but we can't have thousands of people coming in who may have this problem, the coronavirus," Trump said. "So we're gonna see what happens, but we did shut it down, yes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) St Jude India ChildCare Centres runs residential homes for families of children who need to undergo long-term cancer treatment. Geetanjali Krishna reports on this unique organisation's amazing work. A group of children joyfully sing nursery rhymes in a bright yellow room. Among them is three-and-a-half-year-old Saajan Pandey, naughty, active and difficult to pin down. "Seven months ago when he was diagnosed with leukaemia, he was too weak to walk," says his father Abhishek Pandey, a rural school teacher from Bihar's Nalanda district. Pandey and his wife brought Saajan to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, for treatment. "The doctors at AIIMS said there was a good chance Saajan would recover," he says. But it meant having to stay in Delhi for at least eight months during the course of his treatment. For the cash-strapped Pandeys, such a long stay in Delhi was out of the question. They barely managed to raise the Rs 250,000 required for Saajan's treatment. Fortunately, the doctors at AIIMS referred them to St Jude India ChildCare Centres, a unique organisation which runs residential homes for families of children who need to undergo long-term cancer treatment. In 2006, St Jude India ChildCare Centres Founders Shyama and Nihal Kaviratne went to the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai and discovered young cancer patients registered with the hospital's OPD for long-term treatment. They were often camping on the dirty pavements outside. "Childhood cancers generally have a high rate of cure," says Anil Nair, CEO, SJICC. "Doctors believe that with good nutrition and strict hygiene, almost 90 per cent of childhood cancers are treatable." To give children a fighting chance against the disease the Kaviratnes decided to set up a holistic residential centre near Tata Memorial Hospital. From one centre in 2006, SJICC today has 37 centres that support 459 families at a time, all close to the country's premier hospitals such as AIIMS in Delhi, Christian Medical College in Vellore and Tata Memorial in Mumbai. Every centre provides a 90 to 100 square-foot residential space for each patient and two family members, dry rations, transport to and from the hospital, counselling and educational and co-curricular activities for both parents and children. Each family cooks and eats in the shared kitchen. The families have to abide by strict cleanliness and hygiene guidelines. "With everything else taken care of, all we have to do is focus on our child's recovery," says Pandey. Research shows the efficacy of this model. In 2019, Tata Memorial researchers studied the impact of the long-term holistic care enabled at St Jude, on the recovery rates in childhood cancers. The study has found that the environment plays a statistically significant role in outcomes of cancers like acute leukaemia which need intensive treatment. It also found fewer relapses among children who received holistic care in SJICC. For parents too, the experience of staying at St Jude is therapeutic. They bond over shared experiences, learn to optimise the care they give to their child and, most of all, feel less anxious about the future. As Pandey puts it: "My family is loving and supportive, but can't understand what it's like to have a child with cancer. Here, I meet other parents like me and that's a relief." SJICC plans to expand and reach out to at least 1,000 families by 2024. Their model is, however, resource- and capital-intensive. Each centre costs between Rs 36 lakh and Rs 40 lakh per annum to run. Their annual budget of over Rs 15 crore is covered by institutional and CSR funds. The independent agency, CRISIL, has awarded SJICC the highest rating for voluntary organisations, which indicates robust delivery capability and high financial proficiency. But it's the smile on Saajan's face as he plays with other children that says it all. "Having a child with cancer is the worst trauma a parent can undergo," says Pandey as he watches his son. "But St Jude has given him a fighting chance." Photographs: Kind courtesy stjudechild.org www.stjudechild.org Prime Minister Viktor Orban in a radio interview accused the Soros Network of organising migration across the Balkans. In his regular Friday morning interview to public broadcaster Kossuth Radio, the prime minister said Soros-funded organisations were involved in migration consulting. Referring to US financier George Soros, Orban branded Soros as the worlds number-one oligarch who was financing NGOs, groups, activists in mafia-like networks. Commenting on an attempt by migrants on Tuesday to break through the border, Orban noted that the people who actually managed to cross to Hungary were arrested and found guilty in court, and they will be expelled from the country. Border protection and the fight against migration are the most important current European and Hungarian issues, he said, adding that he was making efforts to convince decision-makers that the European Union budget allocation for border protection should be given directly to member states rather than to the common EU border protection body. So far the EU has given less than a pittance to Hungary for border protection despite the fact that the work done also benefits the Austrians and the Germans, he added. MTI Photo: Fischer Zoltan Two Chinese nationals allegedly drowned in Bac Lieu Province, located in southern Vietnam, on the weekend, local authorities said in a document on Monday. The document was signed by Nguyen Tan Khuong, chief of the Bac Lieu Peoples Committee Office. You Nianwu, 36, and his child You Yuelong, 4, were found dead by their in-laws in the Le Le canal in Ninh Tien Hamlet, Ninh Quoi A Commune, Hong Dan District on Saturday, according to the document. Bac Lieu police initially concluded that they had drowned. The Peoples Committee has sent a dispatch to the Consular Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of External Relations, informing them of the deaths of the Chinese citizens and requesting their assistance in the next consular steps, the document reads. Bac Lieu police are cooperating with relevant bodies in investigating their deaths and will make an announcement when investigation results are available. You Nianwus mother-in-law Duong Thi Lien, 51, reported to local police on Sunday that her family had found the bodies of the two in the Le Le canal, one kilometer from her house, following their disappearance on Saturday. You Nianwu, Liens daughter, and their child You Yuelong had entered Vietnam on January 22 to celebrate the Lunar New Year festival with their family in Bac Lieu. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! With 2021 concluded and the 20th anniversary of the ModDB's Mod of the Year Awards wrapped up, we take a stroll down history lane and look back at all the winners over the last two decades. Nearly a month after Iran launched a rare direct military attack against United States forces in Iraq, an uneasy quiet has settled across the Mideast. Watching fighter jets roar off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, the top U.S. commander for the region believes he is surrounded by one of the reasons that Iran has dialed back its combat stance, at least for now. Youre here because we dont want a war with Iran and nothing makes a potential adversary think twice about war than the presence of an aircraft carrier and the strike group that comes with it, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie told the nearly 5,000 service members on board the 100,000-ton ship. So, we achieve deterrence, which is preventing Iran from starting a war. Patrolling through the North Arabian Sea, the Truman was about 150 miles (240 kilometers) from Iran when McKenzie and a small number of staff flew aboard on Saturday. His overnight stay on the ship underscored his belief that the additional ships, aircraft, weapons systems and thousands of troops that the U.S. has poured into the region in recent months deliver a message. It's one he thinks Iran has received. Since Iran launched a flurry of ballistic missiles at U.S. forces in Iraq in retaliation for an American drone strike that killed a top Iranian general, there has been a visible reduction in Tehran's military posture, McKenzie said. He said Iran brought its ballistic missile force and its air defenses back down from a heightened state of readiness. Also, the level of harassment and other activity by Iran's naval forces around the congested Strait of Hormuz has been scaled back. The drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the top Quds Force general, showed that the U.S. is willing to take action, and the arrival of the Truman and the other warships had underscored that, he said. When an aircraft carrier is in your neighborhood you know it, said Navy Capt. Kavon Hakimzadeh, the Truman's commanding officer. He said his ship left Norfolk, Virginia, in mid-November and almost made a beeline for the Suez Canal. Now, as they maneuver off the coast of Oman, a steady stream of fighter jets, surveillance aircraft and helicopters launch off the 4.5 acre (1.8 hectare) flight deck, conducting a show of force that also allows them to keep up their training in case they are needed for combat. Were practicing our craft, said Hakimzadeh, or Capt. Hak, as he is known on the ship. Our job is to fuel up, load up and launch airplanes. The only real change is whether or not the airplanes come back with bombs or not. So far they haven't dropped any bombs. Some of the ships are taking part in the maritime coalition that is safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz, in the wake of Iranian attacks against commercial vessels last year. Others protect the carrier. From the bridge, where McKenzie spoke to the crew over the ship's loudspeakers, he could look out at the horizon and see the USS Normandy. The weapons-loaded warship stands as a sentry between the carrier and Iran. Out of view were four American Navy destroyers. Another warship loaded with Marines is further up the Red Sea. Despite widespread demands for U.S. Navy ships in other parts of the world, McKenzie requested and received a much larger than usual naval presence in his area. Both the Truman and the USS Bataan steamed rapidly across the Mediterranean to get to the Gulf region, and in a somewhat rare move, one of the destroyers assigned to Europe, the USS Carney, was shifted south to join the Truman. McKenzie and other commanders on the ship acknowledge that deterrence is a hard thing to measure. But speaking to F/A-18 fighter pilots in their ready room, McKenzie mapped out the timeline. Last April and May, he said, Iranian leadership decided to begin more active offensive military operations in the region. In the succeeding months, there were attacks on ships in the Gulf, a pipeline in Saudi Arabia and, on Sept. 14, strikes on Saudi oil facilities. The violence spurred U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper to beef up the military presence in the Gulf. Esper, however, has made it clear that America's top defense priorities are threats from China and Russia, and he is looking to send more forces to the Pacific region. For McKenzie, that means frequent discussions with defense leaders about his assessment of the Iranian threat in the Middle East and why he needs the forces he has. You know what I associate with that period of time, said McKenzie, referring to early last spring. There was no carrier in the region. Now, he said, there is a rough kind of stability" in the region. But he is reluctant to say how long that will last, or how long he will be able to hold onto the military might he's accumulated. And over the loudspeaker, he made that uncertainty clear to the Truman crew. One thing I know everybody wants to know is how long you're gonna be here, he said. So I'm gonna be honest with you. I dont know. COHOES City Court Judge Thomas Marcelle issued an order Monday challenging the constitutionality of the state's bail-reform statutes, setting up the first legal battle over a new law that removed judges' discretion to require a defendant to post cash in order to assure their return to court. Invoking the case of a man who has for years repeatedly failed to make court appearances in multiple counties and also neglected to pay fines for traffic violations and other minor offenses Marcelle issued a 12-page decision questioning whether the Legislature had "exceeded its authority by mandating that a court may never impose cash bail in non-qualifying offenses even when it determines based upon an individual assessment that it is the least restrictive method to ensure a defendant's appearance." Marcelle said the question is not about the "dangerousness" of certain defendants an issue that has fueled debate about the consequences of the new law. Indeed, many lawmakers who oppose the legislation, and contend it needs to be amended or repealed, have pointed to recent cases involving manslaughter and domestic abuse in which people arrested are being released without bail being set. The defendant in Marcelle's court, Jonathan R. Johnston, was arrested last September on charges of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and several traffic offenses. He failed to appear in court twice following that arrest, prompting Marcelle to issue bench warrants. Last month, Johnston was arrested again for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and it's that case in which the judge is challenging whether he has the authority to set bail and to do so before Johnston may fail to appear. Despite what he described as Johnston's "incorrigible record of refusing to come back to court," the judge said he is unable to require Johnston to post bail under the new law. The law does give judges discretion to consider other less restrictive measures to assure someone appears for a court proceeding, including requiring a defendant to restrict their travel or to wear an ankle-monitoring bracelet. But requiring cash bail is no longer an option even in some cases involving arson and robbery. "So the question came up in my mind ... by prohibiting a judge from setting bail when the judge believes it's the least restrictive means, did the Legislature violate the separation of powers?," Marcelle said from the bench last week during a conference with an assistant district attorney and an attorney for Johnston, who is represented the Albany County Public Defenders Office. "It seems to me that if I'm convinced that it's the least restrictive means to set bail, how can the Legislature tell me not to?," Marcelle said. "Part of me thinks that it's a greater intrusion on his liberty to make him wear an ankle bracelet, as opposed to posting $100." Assistant District Attorney Shanza Malik told Marcelle that her office took no position on the issue, although District Attorney David Soares has, along with the state's district attorneys association, been a vocal critic of the related criminal justice reforms. Johnston's attorney, Jessica Gorman, responded that "the law is the law." "I don't know that ... it is appropriate for us to take a position on that at least in the context of this case, which is what I have to do on behalf of my client," Gorman responded. "I do know that he qualifies for our services and he is indigent. One hundred dollars may be a big deal, and $100 may in fact keep him in jail. He wouldn't be the first client that would be essentially remanded to jail for the lack of 100 or 200 bucks, whereas somebody with more means would get out." The bail reform law has galvanized the Legislature and sparked fierce debate from groups on both sides of the issue about whether it went too far in prohibiting judges from imposing bail in many cases, including some involving violence or drug trafficking. Proponents contend New York's bail system had punished indigent defendants who would be thrown in jail for even minor offenses because they lacked the ability to post bail. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "This is not a perceived unfairness; it is quite real," Marcelle wrote in his order. "It is this concern that largely motivated bail reform." But he questioned whether the Legislature, which he said was well-intentioned in its actions, had "impermissibly trespassed upon ... judicial power" because the new law would prohibit the ability of a judge to control their own docket, including securing the appearance in court of defendants. Marcelle is a former Albany County attorney from Slingerlands. Last year, his nomination for a federal judgeship was blocked by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who cited Marcelle's record on reproductive rights. Marcelle withdrew his name from consideration for the federal bench. In the order issued Monday, Marcelle instructed Johnston to appear in City Court at 9 a.m. for a proceeding in which the court will consider the defendant's financial circumstances and his ability to post bail "without undue hardship." Between 2015 and 2019, Johnston allegedly failed to answer summons or to pay fines in eight town courts spread across six counties, resulting in his license being suspended each time. In each case, Johnston had been released without being required to post cash bail, according to court records. If Marcelle sets bail, as he indicated in his order he may, it would set up the first test case involving a judicial order challenging the constitutionality of the state's bail-reform statute. "In short, a judge unable to make judgments is not a judge," Marcelle wrote. "Consequently, by stripping judges of necessary discretion to control the appearance of a defendant, the Legislature improperly interfered with the judiciary's capacity to fulfill its constitutional mandate." The international protection group will defend one of the suspects Open source The Prosecutors Office of the Netherlands filed charges against four persons of interest in MH17 case as TASS reported citing lawyer of one of the defendant Elena Kutina. Four persons of interest were also summoned for holding of investigative actions. The Public Prosecution Service of the Netherlands filed charges and summoned suspects in MH17 case. One of the suspects Oleg Yu. Pulatov will be defended by the international protection group consisting of two Dutch lawyers and one Russian, Kutina noted. Earlier, one of the suspects in the MH17 case wanted to join the judicial process in the Hague. Possibly, the issue is about Oleg Pulatov. Boeing 777 of Malaysian Airlines, flight number MH17 was destroyed while performing a regular flight from the Netherlands to Malaysia in July 2014. The tragedy took place in the sky over the militant-held section of the Donetsk region. All 298 people aboard deceased; most of the victims, 196, were Dutch, but there were citizens of another nine countries as well. The governments of Australia and the Netherlands officially accused Russia of being behind the disaster. As we reported earlier, Foreign Ministry of Russia thinks that the Joint Investigation Group (JIT) announced absolutely bare accusations of the Russians in the MH17 crash in Donbas, in 2014 as the ministry reported. Hearing on arrest of businessman Mints in absentia adjourned until February 5 RAPSI, Natalia Vaneyeva 15:40 03/02/2020 MOSCOW, February 3 (RAPSI) Moscows Basmanny District Court on Monday adjourned a matter on arrest of businessman Boris Mints in absentia as part of an embezzlement case until February 5, the courts press service told RAPSI. The hearing was postponed because of the court evacuation. On Friday, two sons of Mints, Dmitry and Alexander, were ordered to be arrested in absentia as part of the same case. According to the representatives of Mints, the defendants were recommended not to leave London while the High Court of Justice is hearing a damage recovery claim filed by the Financial Corporation Otkritie and Bank Trust against the businessmen. The case against the businessman and two his sons was opened in September 2019. In December, they were put on a wanted list. They are charged with large-scale embezzlement. Investigators claim that the accused men controlled a disputable deal on the retirement by the Financial Corporation Otkritie of O1 Group Finance 34 billion-ruble bonds two weeks prior to financial restructuring of the bank ordered by the Central Bank and appointment of temporary administration. The defendants live in the United Kingdom. Boris Mints is a founder of O1 Group company, former co-owner of the bank Otkritie and founder of the Museum of Russian Impressionism. His fortune has been estimated at more than $1 billion. The charges that have purportedly been brought in Russia against Mr Mints and his sons, Alexander and Dmitry are utterly baseless, suspiciously-timed, and they dispute them in full. The charges are plainly intended to intimidate Mr Mints, his family and other witnesses to withdraw their claims made in against Bank Otkritie and form part of an ongoing campaign by their opponents in Russia. Mr Mints will continue to pursue his own counterclaims in this case, and along with Alexander and Dmitry defeat the baseless allegations now made against them both in Russia and the UK, a spokesperson for Mints said. Ceann comhairle Sean O Fearghail asked that a 7,700 Rolex watch, which he received as a gift while travelling on official business, be sold and the proceeds donated to Trocaire. Mr O Fearghail received the present while visiting the United Arab Emirates in late 2018. However, strict rules on politicians receiving gifts mean that any item with a value estimated at above 650 must be declared to the secretary general of the Department of the Taoiseach. The Rolex Milgauss, which has been valued at 7,700 by the Office of Public Works, had been given to the ceann comhairle by the president of the Federal National Council of the UAE, Amal Al Qubaisi. Correspondence obtained under FOI shows how Mr O Fearghail of Fianna Fail has requested that the watch be sold, and the proceeds given to charity. In an April 2019 letter addressed to Martin Fraser, secretary general to the Government, he wrote: While any deserving charity would be the worthy recipient of the proceeds of the sale, I would like to draw your attention to my support of Trocaire since taking office. As ceann comhairle, I have worked closely with Trocaire over the past three years in fundraising for crucially important water treatment facilities in Tigray in Ethiopia. You might consider this cause as a possibility, which is one close to my heart, but I leave the final decision with you, as is appropriate in the circumstances. In a letter to the ceann comhairle, Mr Fraser had explained how any gift worth more than 650 was deemed a gift to the State. Under ethics legislation, there were two options available, according to the correspondence. Custody of the property by or on behalf of the State [including the giving of it on loan to a person], was option one. Option two was detailed as its disposal, whether by sale or gift, and shall dispose, in accordance with those general directions, of any proceeds of such loan or sale, including by their payment into the Exchequer or disposal for charitable purposes. Mr Fraser said that the normal practice was for such high-value gifts to be maintained on behalf of the State. However, he said the sale of it for payment back to the taxpayer or for charitable purposes was also a possibility. Its understood a final decision on what to do with the watch has not yet been made. Under ethics legislation, notification of receipt of the gift also had to be declared to the Standards in Public Office Commission and it was listed by the Ceann Comhairle in the Register of Interests for 2018. The Kildare South TD raised the issue of the watch on 29 January 2019, when he first wrote to Mr Fraser. The Rolex watch is a Milgauss, of a type which has been manufactured by the famous Swiss watchmakers since 1956. It was developed for scientists because its capable of withstanding magnetic fields and was best known as the watch of choice for staff working at the famous CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research) lab in Geneva. S usanna Reid says she was shocked to discover the Streatham attack took place near to where she lives. Two people were stabbed in the attack, which police believe to be Islamist-related, on Sunday afternoon. Good Morning Britain host Reid, 49, told viewers she went to the scene. This happened ... right on my doorstep, she said. I saw the police helicopter up in the air and then we realised something was happening, went on to social media and of course then discovered this was happening just a couple of minutes drive away from where I live. The scene of the Streatham attack / Jeremy Selwyn The presenter took photographs at the scene. This is the Odeon cinema, thats where we go to watch films, she said. This is outside the Lidl supermarket. People were gathered absolutely shocked to see, just at the back of Lidl supermarket in the car park, four heavily armed police officers in the wake of what had happened. People were shocked, stunned, frightened. There were local residents who couldnt get back into their homes, who didnt know what was going on, if the threat was still going on. The man shot dead by police following the stabbing attack was a convicted terrorist who had recently been released from prison and was under surveillance. Emergency services in Streatham / PA Despite the often disappointing performances of cannabis companies, production and sales figures for the green stuff are rising at very healthy rates. Last week, Statistics Canada updated its data about the contribution of various sectors to that country's gross domestic product (GDP). You can probably guess which young industry saw a notably steep rise. As if to hammer home the point, one high-profile North American marijuana stock reported quarterly figures that were nicely boosted by what's effectively its cannabis business unit. Let's take a closer look at both developments. O, Canada! Following its release of data that revealed sharp growth in domestic cannabis sales, Statistics Canada unveiled encouraging production numbers for the industry. The official statistics bureau of the Canadian government said that the marijuana sector's contribution to GDP rose to $7.4 billion last November. That was a very healthy 15% year-over-year increase, which outpaced not only the broader economy -- it grew 1.5% over that same stretch -- but some of the most important industries in the country. This closely followed another data set from StatsCan showing that licensed cannabis sales in Canada topped the equivalent of $100 million that month -- a new record for the industry, and the first time it crossed the nine-figure mark. This is very encouraging for marijuana stock investors. It shows that, despite the many hiccups and challenges in this fully legalized market, there is plenty of demand for product, and enough manufacturing capacity to satisfy it. Now, if we could only get those supply and licensing problems ironed out... Scotts Miracle-Gro's Q1 tops estimates While we're on the subject of green growth, Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) reported first-quarter 2020 figures last week that, in a way, were powered by cannabis. The company is a "picks-and-shovels" play on marijuana thanks to its Hawthorne Growing subsidiary. Formerly an independent company, Hawthorne makes the hydroponic equipment popular in indoor cannabis cultivation. It's also Scotts Miracle-Gro's miracle growth unit. In Q1, its 41% year-over-year improvement in revenue helped drive overall company sales 23% higher. The latter hit almost $366 million, which was well above the average analyst estimate. Since its Q1 doesn't cover prime growing or cultivating season for plants generally, it's typically an off-quarter for Scotts Miracle-Gro. Nevertheless, the company managed to post a non-GAAP (adjusted) net loss that was considerably narrower than analyst expectations. It came in at $62 million, or $1.12 per share. On average, prognosticators were anticipating a per-share deficit of $1.27. This is a unique marijuana stock, as it's basically the only real equipment picks-and-shovels play in town at the moment. That's a fine position to be in, since if anything the U.S. market will become wider and deeper with new states flipping the switch on the legalization of recreational marijuana. And, of course, there's that nice Canadian growth. This company's popularity with cannabis stock investors is deserved, and I think its stock can still go higher. Beyonce and Jay-Z were spotted sitting throughout the National Anthem at the Super Bowl a big no-no in America. The power couple were at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami with their daughter Blue Ivy, eight, as the San Francisco 49ers took on the Kansas City Chiefs. In a video posted by TMZ, the Carters can be seen sitting down as Demi Lovato belts out their nations anthem. The Flag Code states that everyone present when the National Anthem is being sung should stand and face the flag, if there is one. Civilians are expected to stand with their right hand over their heart, while military personnel in uniform and veterans should salute throughout. Sitting during the National Anthem is seen as disrespecting the flag. Jay-Z and Beyonce were sitting together a few rows back from the field. A man, who is thought to be their bodyguard, is said to have stood for the anthem while they remained sitting down next to him. The video pans around the stadium to show that everyone else is on their feet. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates The Crown: Part Seven By Michael Moriarty Inspired by Jackie Kennedy and against her governments wishes, Elizabeth takes an unconventional approach to resolving an issue with Ghana. I knew they would somehow tie Jackie and the Queen to Ghana. Impressively brilliant, magically literary connections between two, seemingly unrelated corners of the earth: Ghana and Jackie Kennedy. The inspiration, attributed to Jackie Kennedy, however, is not without pain. It is the First Lady of Americas description of Buckingham Palace. Second rate, dilapidated and sad. Like a neglected, provincial hotel and that one came away with a sense of a tired institution without a place in the modern world. About the Queen, Jackie said, In our head of state, we had a middle-aged woman, so incurious, unintelligent and unremarkable. The Britains new, reduced place in the world is not a surprise but an inevitability. To that, the Queen replied: We must have her again soon! Amidst this increasingly painful plight facing Queen Elizabeth, I came to a very personal conclusion and firm resolution that, even though my intelligence rests in my brain?! My wisdom resides in my guts! And, as they say, my gut feelings hold precedence over my thoughts. Always have. My father unendingly criticized me My final feelings about Jackie Kennedy? She lives entirely in her intelligence! She lost touch with her gut feelings quite a long time before she became First Lady. Gut feelings would not have allowed her to say such things about Queen Elizabeth behind her back. The power of First Lady of America corrupted whatever sense of humanity she might have had at one time. Theres a price for such unchecked arrogance. No doubt, she and her husband paid it. Meanwhile, the Kennedy connection to Ghana?! While Jackie is in Paris, J. F. K. decides to pull out of supporting Ghana because of its increasingly close connections to the Soviet Union. Upon hearing that, and under the undeniable influence of the Kennedy visit to London, the Queen says she wants to visit Ghana herself. The Prime Minister and her Adviser, Michael, are horrified at the idea. Ghana is, apparently, a member of The Commonwealth! Her advisers say that she cant show such favoritism to one corner of Africa over the many others involved with The Commonwealth. Prime Minister Macmillan says: It would be unsafe. It would be provocative. a misjudgment to get on that plane. She does, indeed, get on that plane to Ghana. On the plane, Prince Phillip reads the London presss low opinion of her decision to the Queen. He obviously agrees with the pundits! This is, perhaps, though I cant be sure, the first time the Queen has so clearly gone against the advice of her counsellors. The photography of this flight from England to Africa is, as I too often say, breathtaking. And a photograph of the President of Ghana standing with the Queen of England is exactly what this Communist wanted. Hes a Marxist leader on equal footing with the Queen of England. The Queen, however, seems undeterred. Shes involved publically and deeply in an international affair of state that includes the Unite States of America. Because of her trip, the U.S. seems to be modifying its previous stance with Ghana, its virtual pulling out of any support. The Queen is now, at a most significant celebration of her presence, actually dancing with the indisputably Communist President of Ghana. Her advisers?! They are as close to a heart attack over this as they have ever been as consultants to the Queen. On that note, I will leave you with your own thoughts about the Queens new self-confidence. Michael Moriarty is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor who starred in the landmark television series Law and Order from 1990 to 1994. His recent film and TV credits include The Yellow Wallpaper, 12 Hours to Live, Santa Baby and Deadly Skies. Contact Michael at rainbowfamily2008@yahoo.com. He can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/@MGMoriarty. Home The coronavirus is a disease of Chinese autocracy By Minxin Pei, exclusively to the Sunday Times in Sri Lanka View(s): View(s): CLAREMONT, CALIFORNIA An outbreak of a new coronavirus that began in the Chinese city of Wuhan has already infected over 4,000 people mostly in China, but also in several other countries, from Thailand to France to the United States and killed more than 100. Given Chinas history of disease outbreaks including of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and African swine fever and officials apparent awareness of the need to strengthen their capacity to address major risks, how could this happen? It should be no surprise that history is repeating itself in China. To maintain its authority, the Communist Party of China must keep the public convinced that everything is going according to plan. That means carrying out systemic cover-ups of scandals and deficiencies that may reflect poorly upon the CPCs leadership, instead of doing what is necessary to respond. This pathological secrecy hobbles the authorities capacity to respond quickly to epidemics. The SARS epidemic of 2002-03 could have been contained much sooner had Chinese officials, including the health minister, not deliberately concealed information from the public. Once proper disease-control and prevention measures were implemented, SARS was contained within months. Yet China seems not to have learned its lesson. Although there are important differences between todays coronavirus epidemic and the SARS outbreak including far greater technological capacity to monitor disease they may have the CPSs habit of cover-ups in common. To be sure, at first glance, Chinas government has appeared to be more forthcoming about the latest outbreak. But, although the first case was reported on December 8, the Wuhan municipal health commission didnt issue an official notice until several weeks later. And, since then, Wuhan officials have downplayed the seriousness of the disease and deliberately sought to suppress news coverage. That notice maintained that there was no evidence that the new illness could be transmitted among humans, and claimed that no health-care workers had been infected. The commission repeated these claims on January 5, though 59 cases had been confirmed by then. Even after the first death was reported on January 11, the commission continued to insist that there was no evidence that it could be transmitted among humans or that health-care workers had been affected. Throughout this critical period, there was little news coverage of the outbreak. Chinese censors worked diligently to remove references to the outbreak from the public sphere, which is far easier today than it was during the SARS epidemic, thanks to the governments dramatically tighter control over the Internet, media, and civil society. Police have harassed people for spreading rumors about the disease. According to one study, references to the outbreak on WeChat a popular Chinese messaging, social media, and mobile-payment app spiked between December 30 and January 4, around the time when the Wuhan municipal health commission first acknowledged the outbreak. But mentions of the disease subsequently plummeted. References to the new coronavirus rose slightly on January 11, when the first death was reported, but then quickly disappeared again. It was only after January 20 following reports of 136 new cases in Wuhan, as well as cases in Beijing and Guangdong that the government rolled back its censorship efforts. Mentions of coronavirus exploded. Yet again, the Chinese governments attempts to protect its image proved costly, because they undermined initial containment efforts. The authorities have since switched gears, and their strategy now appears to be to show how seriously the government is taking the disease by imposing drastic measures: a blanket travel ban on Wuhan and neighboring cities in Hubei province, which together have a population of 35 million. At this point, it is unclear whether and to what extent these steps are necessary or effective. What is clear is that Chinas initial mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak means that thousands will be infected, hundreds may die, and the economy, already weakened by debt and the trade war, will take another hit. But perhaps the most tragic part of this story is that there is little reason to hope that next time will be different. The survival of the one-party state depends on secrecy, media suppression, and constraints on civil liberties. So, even as Chinese President Xi Jinping demands that the government increase its capacity to handle major risks, China will continue to undermine its own and the worlds safety, in order to bolster the CPCs authority. When Chinas leaders finally declare victory against the current outbreak, they will undoubtedly credit the CPCs leadership. But the truth is just the opposite: the party is again responsible for this calamity. Minxin Pei is Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College and a non-resident senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2020. www.project-syndicate.org After a man fired aerial shots outside the Shaheen Bagh protest area, AIMIM Chief Asaddudin Owaisi has linked the incident to BJP by saying that the shooter echoed BJP's agenda and has blamed the Hindutva ideology for the multiple shooing incidents. "We saw that a violent person went to Shaheen Bagh and said that this country belongs to Hindus. I want to convey to that terrorist, this country neither belongs to Hindus, nor Muslims, nor Christians, this country does not belong to any religion, this country belongs to those who believe in all the religions, this country also belongs to those who do not believe in any religion. The fight on CAA, NPR, NRC wants to drown the country in Hindutva ideology. We have to save this country from the Hindutva ideology", said Owaisi. READ | Jamia Bans Protest, Mass Gathering, Speeches In Campus As Tensions Remain Elevated After a series of anti-CAA protests across the country which have intensified especially in the poll-bound national capital, there have been multiple incidents of shooting near the protest sites, twice near Jamia and once outside Shaheen Bagh with rounds of aerial fire. The men firing rounds had raised pro-Hindu slogans against the anti-CAA protests giving fodder to the opposition parties. Parties such as Congress, AAP and AIMIM have slammed the centre and the police for the situation of violence. READ | Alleged Firing At Jamia: Delhi Police Registers FIR, Sections Of IPC & Arms Act Invoked Protests against CAA The nation has witnessed a series of protests concerning the CAA, NPR and the proposed NRC in several places across the country which magnified in prominent universities such as JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia University and Aligarh Muslim university resulting in vandalism, rioting, damaging public property and stone-pelting by protestors, leading to retaliatory action by police personnel. Both the protestors and the police personnel suffered injuries in violent protests. The Shaheen Bagh protest blocking an important road for over one and a half month in Delhi has caused massive inconvenience and delay to civilians in transit, emergency services such as ambulance and fire brigade. Opposition leaders from AAP and Congress leaders such as Mani Shankar Aiyar a day after returning from his visit to Pakistan has supported Shaheen Bagh protest. Hitting back at the Congress and oppositions' support to the protest, BJP leaders such as Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma have slammed the protests for their provoking speeches and statements in poll-bound Delhi, followed by multiple shooting incidents with pro-Hindu slogans raised near protest area, twice in Jamia and once in Shaheen Bagh, making the political situation vicious and intense. READ | Unidentified Miscreants Open Fire Outside Jamia Millia Islamia: Reports What are the protests for? The CAA law grants citizenship to persecuted minorities such as Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi refugees who have escaped persecution from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan and have taken refuge in India since or before December 31 2014. With no mention of Muslims in the CAA law, a section of the Muslim community seemingly feels threatened alleging that government plans to systematically detain or oust the Indian Muslims despite the government's repeated assurance that no Indian citizen will be ousted as the law is about giving citizenship to persecuted minorities and not about snatching away citizenship. Protestors have raised questions on the exclusion of the Muslim refugees in the law. Center in its defence has said that Muslims are in majority in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan and are not persecuted in these countries as against the plight of the minorities which is much worse. The centre further stated that leaders during the times of independence and partition such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru had promised the minorities that India would accept them if they wish to come back since they were the victims of partition whereas a section of Muslim community willingly chose to make a separate Muslim dominated nation which is today's Pakistan hence the Muslims need not come back to India as it was their decision to go to Pakistan. The centre reiterated that the CAA law is a fulfilment of the long-awaited promise made by Mahatma Gandhi and several such leaders of those times. READ | Delhi Court Sends Man Arrested For Firing At Shaheen Bagh To 2-day Police Custody The CPI(M) on Monday said the repeated cases of firings at the Jamia Nagar and Shaheen Bagh areas here were a direct outcome of the "continued silence" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as ministers and BJP leaders incite violence. Leaders of the saffron party including MP Parvesh Verma and Union minister Anurag Thakur have been sent notices by the Election Commission over their hate speeches during the ongoing campaign for the Delhi Assembly polls. "Repeated firings are an ominous and direct outcome of continued silence of PM as ministers and BJP leaders incite violence. That one incident happens after another points to complicity. Peaceful protesters are demonised while those instigating & initiating violence go scot-free, tweeted CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury. On Sunday two unidentified persons allegedly opened fire outside Jamia Millia Islamia, police said. No one was injured in the attack. Earlier on January 30, a minor fired at anti-CAA protesters preparing to march from Jamia towards the Rajghat, injuring a student. Two days later, a 25-year-old fired two rounds in the air at Shaheen Bagh, where a protest against the new citizenship law has been going on. No one was hurt in the incident "When govt ministers provoke violence or thuggery, then no one is safe. Govts are responsible for every citizen's safety. Peaceful protests is a right of every citizen. All govts must respect that. Dissent is democracy. It cannot be met with hate-speech by those in high offices," he tweeted. "Law and order in the national capital comes under the Centre. Responsibility and accountability for repeated provocative violent incidents falls directly and solely on the Union home minister and the Prime Minister," he tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The masks are a gift from the Holy See and the Chinese Christian communities in Italy. Card. Konrad Krajewski, the papal almsgiver; director of the Vatican pharmacy, Fr. Thomas Binish; Fr. Vincenzo Handuo, vice-rector of the Pontifical Urbanianum College in charge of organisation. The masks will be distributed in Hubei, Zhejiang, Fujian. China Southern Airlines took care of transporting them for free to China. Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Pope Francis has donated 600,000 health masks to China to fight the coronavirus epidemic that is spreading in the country. Since January 27, four batches of medical masks have been collected by the Vatican pharmacy and Chinese Christian communities in Italy, China Southern Airlines has taken charge of transporting them for free to Wuhan (Hubei), the epicenter of the epidemic, and in Zhejiang and Fujian. Those responsible for the charitable operation are Card. Konrad Krajewski, the papal almsgiver; director of the Vatican pharmacy, Fr. Thomas Binish; Fr. Vincenzo Handuo, vice-rector of the Pontifical Urbanianum College (photo 1), originally from the diocese of Mindong (Fujian). The Holy See and the Chinese Christian communities in Italy paid for the masks; the Vatican pharmacy organized the collection and shipment. Yesterday the third batch of the masks arrived in China. The parcels have the coat of arms of Pope Francis inside (photo 2). The fourth batch is scheduled for the next few days. On January 26, the Pope, addressing the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, prayed for people who were sick because of the virus that has spread in China. "May the Lord - he added - welcome the deceased in his peace, comfort families and support the great commitment already put in place by the Chinese community to combat the epidemic". Farmers are calling for assurances that the industry wont be put under pressure to compete domestically with lower standard produce. The warning comes as the UK officially left the European Union at 23:00 GMT on Friday (31 January) after 47 years of membership. The historic moment was marked by parties and anti-Brexit protests as the country counted down to its official departure. With the UK now out of the bloc, farming groups have reminded the government of the need to ensure stability in agriculture as the transition period begins. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set himself the ambitious deadline of concluding a Free Trade Agreement with the EU27 by the end of 2020. One of the most significant ways the industry will get their voice across is the planned mass rally set to be held in London on 25 March, with hundreds of farmers expected to attend. The aim of the rally is to underline how any future UK trade policy should not allow imports of food produced to standards that would be illegal in the UK. Now the National Sheep Association (NSA) has echoed this call, saying it is vital for the government to protect UK farming and recognise it for the important industry it is. While there is potential for UK food and farming to shine in new trade deals, the group said it wants assurances that the industry won't compete with lower standard imports. NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker said: Sacrificing the high-quality British standards to allow lower-quality produce into the UK is absolutely unacceptable. Forcing farmers to compete with food produced cheaply at a lower standard will undermine UK agriculture and leave our farmers in an untenable position. Despite the calls for standards not to be compromised, the NSA said it recognises the challenge ahead for a trade deal to be struck in time for 31 December. Mr Stocker added: The prime minister has been clear he isnt prepared to extend the transition period any further than December. This leaves the very real challenge of negotiating our future relationship with the EU in just 11 months. However, it is necessary a trade deal with the EU, or other equally sized markets, are in place by the end of the year, so the sheep sector is not again facing the significant tariffs attached to trading on WTO rules. For the first time in almost half a century, the UK will now be able to take steps to pursue an independent trade policy, something which was not available as an EU member state. NFU Cymru said that while this new found ability does present opportunities, it urged politicians to exercise a degree of caution to heed what the industry has been saying around standards. We cannot allow a situation to arise whereby our own high standards are undermined by imports produced to environmental or animal welfare standards which would be illegal in this country, NFU Cymru President, John Davies said. Wales farmers must be allowed to compete on a level playing field after Brexit. It comes as over sixty industry groups, including the NFU, RSPCA and Soil Association, recently urged the prime minister for UK food standards to be protected after Brexit. The joint letter was sent on Monday 27 January to coincide with the the passing of Withdrawal Agreement Bill. 'The JD-U has become an ideology-less accessory to the BJP.' Weeks after openly voicing his concerns over the Janata Dal-United's support to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, Ambassador Pavan Varma was expelled by the party headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Soon after the JD-U announced the extension of its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party to the Delhi assembly election, Ambassador Varma wrote an open letter to Nitish Kumar, seeking 'ideological clarity' on the issue of the CAA, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register. In response to his criticism, he was expelled, along with party vice president Prashant Kishor, who was also very vocal in his opposition to Kumar over CAA/NRC/NPR. "Supporting the CAA was not majboori (helplessness). It was Nitish Kumar's choice which I questioned," Varma tells Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf. You tweeted, 'Thank you Nitish Kumarji for freeing me from my increasingly untenable position of defending you and your policies'. It looks like you were disagreeing with him for quite sometime, but were unable to speak your mind because you were a part of the JD-U. I have been speaking my mind to Nitish Kumar on several issues, most prominently over the reason for the party's support to the CAA. That was done both in conversation with him and through public tweets. Secondly, I questioned him on the party's expansion on alliance (with the BJP) beyond Bihar to New Delhi. In my view, before such steps are taken, there is a need for ideological clarity within the party. Do we support the BJP's policies in every respect? Or do we have -- in accordance with our own ideology, our party constitution and Nitish Kumar's own views, particularly on issues of secularism, social harmony and peace -- differences that need to be taken on board? Therefore I wrote to him and tweeted on the CAA issue. I also wrote to him when he said no to the NRC, asking how did his deputy chief minister from the BJP, Sushil Kumar Modi, unilaterally announce the dates for the NPR in Bihar as the (central) government itself has said that the NPR is the first step to the NRC. This has been in the public realm. For sometime now I have been feeling strongly that our party in terms of its ideology is not in sync with the BJP's actions, policies and direction. I, therefore, found Nitish Kumar's compromises were only for short-term political gains (which is) unacceptable. JD-U leader K C Tyagi told me that the states are helpless as they have to implement the CAA, they cannot refuse, which is what even Congress leaders like Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi have said. The JD-U supported it (the CAA) in Parliament when the bill is totally discriminatory, undemocratic, unconstitutional, violative of social peace and harmony and not in accordance with our party's constitution. Supporting the CAA was not majboori (helplessness). It was Nitish Kumar's choice, which I questioned. As regard the CAA, it is an Act passed in Parliament, we have to see how Centre-state relations evolve in a democracy. Because a majority of states have said that they will not implement the CAA and NRC. Obviously, some solution will have to be found within the federal spirit by give and take and through constructive accommodation. That process has to take place. Many Hindus feel if persecuted Hindus don't come to India from Pakistan or Bangladesh, where will they go? We have an existing Citizenship Act under which anyone who comes to India on certain specified conditions can apply for citizenship. If you are amending this Act, I believe conferment of citizenship cannot be on basis of religion. Secondly, please remember the CAA cannot be seen in isolation, but as hyphenated with the NRC. When you see the CAA and the NRC combo together, it is very clearly directed against Muslims. All of young India is saying we are Indians first. We had enough of this divide and rule game. We do not want to be known only for our sectarian and religious identity. Therefore, the protest which you are seeing. How can Nitish Kumar go against Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi on the CAA? After all, Modi is leader of the National Democratic Alliance and Nitish Kumar has to respect that fact. Did we not oppose scrapping Article 370? Every party has its own individual identity. That identity is its ideology. The JD-U, while expelling Prashant Kishor and you, said both of you did not adhere to party discipline. Aren't discipline and loyalty the fundamental requirements for any party? The JD-U prides itself in saying it is a democratic party in which there can be differences of opinions. It is not a one-man dictatorship party. It claims it is a socialist party, fully committed to democratic debate, dissent and discussion. The JD-U draws its inspiration from such iconic leaders who valued dissent and debate like Mahatma Gandhi, Ram Manohar Lohia and Jayaprakash Narayan. Therefore, within the party, there can be more than one view on what decision the party takes. I was trying to be a part of that debate. But obviously now, in the JD-U, for purely short-term political gains, there is a high level of intolerance. do you feel the JD-U will become a party of puppets? The JD-U has become an ideology-less accessory to the BJP. People say you revolted because you didn't get a Rajya Sabha seat for a third term. It is such a petty critique. I have done what I felt what was right. What I have done is on the basis of my conscience of what I believe is right. It is not something that I need to react to. I have been an ambassador and an author. By God's grace, I don't need such titles of position. In any case if I was seeking a Rajya Sabha post of which I have never spoken about or asked for, why would I take a position which challenges the decision of the party? What are your future plans? I remain actively in politics. I will decide what my next steps will be for the right reason at the right time. Any Urdu couplet on parting ways with JD-U, as you always quote Urdu couplets? I say only one thing that today,it is the duty of every citizen to say what he or she believes is right. No other consideration matters. Therefore I will say: Main toh ikhlaq ke haathon hi biqa karta hoon Aur hongey tere bazaar mein biknewaley (There may be many who sell themselves for money and power But I only bow before virtue). Do you know that there are differences between Montessori and traditional preschool education? If you are new to Montessori education, this may sound very strange to you. Below are a few things that differentiate Montessori from traditional preschool education. Timing In Montessori classrooms, the teachers try as much as possible to avoid interruptions to the workings of the childrens minds. This means that students spend as much time as they need on each activity. In traditional classrooms however, there is a schedule and therefore time is set for each activity even if one child needs more time than another. Classrooms All Montessori based classrooms are prepared with the knowledge of the needs of each student. They include student-centered lessons and activities. Traditional classrooms are based on teacher-centered lessons or activities. Lessons Montessori lessons are also extremely active and hands-on, forcing children to solve problems and learn for themselves. On the other hand, more traditional pre-schools mostly teach in a way which means the students to learn more passively by listening, memorising and repeating information. Teachers Traditional preschool teachers follow a curriculum or a predetermined order for lessons whiles Montessori teachers aim to guide children through activities, rather than dictate what should or shouldnt be done. Also whiles traditional schools set the same tasks for each child regardless of his or her learning sle Montessori teachers follow the individual learning path and needs of each child. Pace Montessorians respect and even encourage a child to go at their own pace with each activity. In traditional classrooms, it is often expected that all children will complete each activity at the same pace, or stop doing it if not finished within the time allocated. Self-confidence In the Montessori classroom, teachers aim to help children to foster good self-esteem by understanding that they will only gain this kind of pride through their own accomplishments. Traditional preschools seem to focus more on external validation through praise from teachers or tests. Learning The attitude towards learning differs greatly too. The Montessori curriculum is designed to nurture a passion for learning from the student, wherein they teach themselves to love learning itself. Traditional schools have a curriculum which is all based around standardised testing processes and performance levels. Effectiveness Maria Montessori created the alternative educational method after thoroughly studying the ways children learn most effectively. Traditional education has shown little progress and is based on a structure which has always been a certain way. Summary The table below gives a summary of how Montessori education differs from traditional education. Montessori Education Traditional Education Based on helping the natural development of the human being Based on the transfer of a national curriculum Children learn at their own pace and follow their own individual interest Children learn from a set curriculum according to a time frame that is the same for everyone Children teach themselves using materials specially prepared for the purpose Children are taught by the teacher Child is an active participant in learning Child is a passive participant in learning Understanding comes through the childs own experiences via the materials and the promotion of childrens ability to find things out for themselves Learning is based on subjects and is limited to what is given Learning is based on the fact that physical exploration and cognition are linked Children sit at desks and learn from a whiteboard and worksheets Child can work where he/she is comfortable, move around and talk at will while not disturbing others Child is usually assigned own chair and encouraged to sit still and listen during group sessions The teacher works in collaboration with the children The class is teacher led The childs individual development brings its own reward and therefore motivation Motivation is achieved by a system of reward and punishment Environment and method encourage internal self-discipline Teacher acts as primary enforcer of external discipline Child works as long as he/she wishes on chosen project Child generally given specific time limit for work Uninterrupted work cycles Block time, period lessons Mixed age groups Same age groups Working and learning matched to the social development of the child Working and learning without emphasis on the social development of the child Shared emphasis on intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual development Main emphasis on intellectual development Shared focus on the acquisition of academic, social, practical and life skills Main focus on academics About The Author Emmanuel Asiedu is a Content Writer and a Home Tuition Analyst at Excellent Home Classes. He helps connect parents and students to expert tutors all over the country. You can reach him on phone at 0501457284, email: [email protected] or visit: www.excellenthomeclasses.com Farrukhabad: When 37-year-old Subhash Batham walked out of jail early December after spending a month behind bars for an alleged jewellery theft, he had only one goal in mind: building a new house. Over the next few weeks, neighbours saw Batham and his wife, Ruby, toiling round-the-clock to construct a brick house consisting of a 8x10-feet bedroom without any windows, a slightly larger store room, and a mud backyard covered by an asbestos sheet. No mason or labourer was hired. What no one knew was that the couple also constructed an underground bunker with an iron trapdoor, accessible only by a makeshift ladder, and no staircase. The neighbours also didnt note Batham meticulously laying an elaborate mesh of wires through slits in the brick structure connecting the bunker, the bedroom, and the entrance. A social boycott enforced in the village because Ruby was from a lower caste and the couple married without community sanction, ensured Bathams actions went unnoticed. This would prove deadly on January 30, when Batham locked 25 local children in the bunker after luring them home on the pretext of a birthday party, triggering a 11-hour hostage crisis that culminated in the death of the couple Batham shot dead by the police and Ruby lynched by the villagers. Despite the house stacked with 150 crude bombs, and Batham wielding a rifle and a pistol, all 25 children escaped unscathed, thanks largely to the presence of mind of two teenagers who managed to stall Batham, snap the bomb-connecting wires, and lock the hostage-taker out of the bunker. THE PARTY INVITE It was afternoon last Thursday when loud Punjabi songs blared from speakers at Bathams house in Karthia village in Farrukhabad, about 200km from Lucknow. Soon, Batham was out on the mud road outside to invite the village children for the birthday celebration of his daughter, who turned one six months earlier. Over the next hour, 25 children between eight months and 15 years trooped into his house, dancing to the music either in his cramped bedroom or outside the house. When I told Subhash his daughters birthday was celebrated just months ago, he laughed and said that it was actually his house-warming ceremony, said 13-year-old Vineet Kateria. Batham then hurried the children downstairs, asked them to blow balloons and decorate the bunker. The older children were asked to hold the toddlers in their arms as they awkwardly descended into the dark lair using a rickety bamboo ladder. The moment all of us climbed down, he bolted the lid from above and stopped the music. He screamed to say that he wanted revenge for being framed in the theft, said Akash Kateria, also 13. Along with the children were Ruby and her daughter. Till nearly the end of the drama, either Ruby or Batham stayed with the children, ensuring no one could climb out of the bunker. As the children cried, Batham threatened to kill them all. He said he would spare us if we kept the wailing children silent. He then opened the bunker lid to show us a rifle hanging from his shoulder and a pistol in his hand, said Akash. Any chance of escape seemed impossible, not only because of the closed lid, but also because explosives had been placed in all four corners of the bunker. The explosives were connected by wires that were controlled by Subhash in the bedroom, said Akash. Around 2.30pm, Babli Devi walked to the house to call her three kids home. I found the red iron door locked from inside and Subhash screaming. He asked me to gather all the villagers and call the police. He said the children would be blown up if I didnt listen to him, said Babli. To make his intent clear, Batham allegedly fired a round through a tiny shaft under the main door but didnt hit anyone. Shiv Bahadur Singh, a local head constable who was among the first to the spot around 3pm, said when he initially offered to solve Bathams problems, the man fired a round and said he wouldnt talk to lower-rung officers. I felt helpless and said that he was sinning. Subhashs wife abused me in response, said the head constable. Anil Mishra, superintendent of police (Farrukhabad), said the first call to the police control room was made at 4.20pm, upon which a group of policemen surrounded the house and took positions atop surrounding buildings. The problem was that no one knew the layout of the house. We didnt even know what the bunker looked like until a local man who had once cast a glimpse inside gave us a rough idea, said Mishra. MOTIVE UNCLEAR Bathams motives remain unclear. Vineet said he heard Batham name five villagers - including a local policeman and asked them to be brought before him. He said that these men had framed him in the recent theft case and that the policeman had beaten him up, said Vineet. Rajani Kashyap, another woman whose three children were held hostage, said she stood next to a wall and spoke to Batham for almost an hour before the police took over. He said he held no grudge against my children. All he wanted was to punish those who had allegedly framed him. He asked for the local MLA to be called to the spot, said Rajani, indicating that Batham may have some grudge with him. It was unclear what Batham wanted from the local Bhojpur MLA -- Bharatiya Janata Partys Nagendra Singh - who told HT that he did not know the family. Local residents and police confirmed that Batham sent a list of demands on a piece of paper. That paper was never made public. Mishra and Farrukhabad district magistrate Manvendra Singh said that, in it, Batham asked that the theft charges be dropped, assistance for housing and a toilet and Rs 1 crore each for the release of the children. He also handed over some documents in which he had applied for housing and toilet assistance, but he didnt qualify for the scheme, Manvendra Singh told reporters. Both Mishra and Manvendra Singh, however, declined to show a copy of the note. TROUBLED PAST AND SOCIAL BOYCOTT Batham was born in a potter caste family and had four siblings including a half-brother. His first brush with crime was in 1998 when he was booked under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The next year, he was named in a second caste-based atrocity case. Two years later, he was arrested for burglary and jailed, said Mishra. Soon after he was released from jail in that theft case, Subhash stabbed his distant uncle in 2001. He held some Thakur villagers responsible for framing him, but blamed his uncle the most, said a local police officer on condition of anonymity. Subhash was arrested for murder, awarded a life sentence, and stayed in jail until 2011, when the high court lessened the sentence to 10 years. His mother Surja Devi, too, was arrested for the conspiracy, but was let off earlier. When Batham returned home, he withdrew from the villages social life, occasionally picking fights with locals. For other residents of Karthia village, Batham was an unemployed man who committed petty theft. For a brief while, he built a tiny underground bunker in his agricultural field and stayed there all alone, said Harveer Singh, a local resident. Bathams half-brother, Rakesh, said he used to fly into a rage at the mention of sharing the family property or land, and threatened to shoot him on two occasions. Relations further deteriorated four years ago, when his relations with Ruby became public and the couple married without community sanction. In response, the villagers began boycotting him. Ruby belonged to a different caste. That marriage was unacceptable in our village. We totally stopped visiting their house since then, said Sudha Srivastav, a local resident. Surja Devi, who suffers from poor sight and can barely walk, moved in with her sister in another village after Batham hit her. But she repeated the charge that Thakur men had framed her son in the theft case. NO BLANK THREATS By 5pm last Thursday, when villagers and policemen surrounded the home, among Bathams first demands was to summon legislator Nagendra Singh. The MLA was at the spot in no time, but was cautious not to approach the door. I stood next to the wall and asked Anupam Dubey to speak to Subhash, said the MLA. Dubey was among those few people who interacted with Batham as a friend. Dubey seemed unafraid, marched to the door, and scolded Subhash for keeping children as hostages. Moments later, a bullet came flying out and hit Dubey in his right leg, said Rajababu Omer, a policeman. Batham would go on to fire at least 11 rounds in all, added Mishra. Minutes later, Batham used a crude bomb to trigger an explosion outside the house. The bomb was triggered by a wire connected to a battery placed in the bedroom, Mishra said. It was hidden under a pile of bricks, which flew in the air and hit people in vicinity. Three policemen and a villager were hurt in the explosion, forcing the police to call the National Security Guard (NSG), who were eventually not required. HORROR AND RELIEF IN THE BUNKER Each gunshot outside triggered loud cries from the children inside. It was a congested bunker and the gunshots would make us collapse on each other, said Anjali Kashyap, a 15-year-old girl later hailed for her bravery. Vineet said that when the blast happened, he was sitting with his back rested against the wall. My body shivered for an hour after that. Moments later, Batham opened the bunkers lid and shouted swaha (a reference to throwing offerings into a fire during a ritual havan ceremony). Whenever the cries disturbed Batham, he would allegedly lift the lid, point the rifle inside, and threaten to shoot them all. I would shout that if he killed any of us, him and his daughter would die too, said Anjali. Earlier in the afternoon, Ruby had handed over a packet of toffees to the children. Initially, we threw away the packet. But when hunger set in, we began eating them, said Anjali. A darkness set in, and the little ones began dozing off, Anjali requested for bedsheets. He gave us plastic sheets that we spread on the floor and put the children to sleep. When we told him we were hungry, he arranged about 25 packets of biscuits and passed on some glasses of water, said Anjali. When the biscuits were exhausted, the children received chapatis. Ruby cooked hot chapatis in front of us and gave us a jar of pickle, said Vineet. A RAY OF HOPE As the night dragged on, the authorities kept Batham engaged. If one topic got over, we would initiate another topic. Our aim was to distract him and tire him out, said Singh. At one point, Batham allegedly fired two rounds inside the house and announced he had killed two children. The police had no way of knowing the truth, added the collector. The first ray of hope came around midnight when the youngest of the captives an eight-month-old girl began wailing non-stop. She wanted her mothers milk. I urged Ruby and Subhash to release the little one. When he refused, I asked him to kill us all, but let the toddler go, said Anjali. Batham agreed and said he would free the toddler. Initially he tried to pass the child through a narrow shaft through the front door. When the child wouldnt fit, he called Ruby and asked her to briefly open the rear door to let the child out, said Shiv Bahadur. As Ruby opened the rear door, Subhash threw the toddler on a chair in the backyard. A policeman scaled the wall and took away the child. But in that brief moment, Anjali saw an opportunity. As soon as I felt that the child was rescued, I closed the bunkers lid and bolted it from inside, she said. An incensed Batham threatened to blow up a 15kg LPG cylinder, but the children wouldnt open the lid. The threat drove a wedge between the husband and wife, said the children. Ruby begged Subhash not to trigger a blast as it would kill their daughter as well. She cried and pleaded with him, said Anjali. With the husband and wife busy, Vineet thought he would try to remove the wires placed in the bunker. I wasnt sure, but I remembered that some wires in the bedroom earlier werent connected to anything. So, I pulled out all wires from the bunker and hoped that no blast would occur, said Vineet. Vineets hunch was right. There was no blast. Over the next 90 minutes, one police team kept the couple engrossed while another team planned to break open the rear door. Around 1.30am, when the couple was tired and hopeless, we brought down the rear door. The couple tried to escape from the front door, but we captured Ruby. Subhash then hurled bombs and began firing at us while running back into the bedroom, said Mishra. One of the policemen shot Batham in response, killing him on the spot. As Ruby was being escorted out by the police, the villagers moved to attack her. The police told us that she was strapped with explosives, but the people wouldnt listen. They beat her with stones and bricks. The police joined in the lynching, said Rajani Kashyap. Mishra denied the charge. It remained unclear, however, how the police was unable to stop her being beaten to death. As police bundled an injured Ruby into an ambulance she would die on the way another team walked into the room, and sounded assurances to the children locked underground. Minutes later, the children were climbing into the room. It was 1.30am. In a Democratic debate in September, Mr. Sanders differed with Joe Biden in saying wages would rise if employers were no longer involved with health benefits. Many Americans are skeptical; in a Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 63 percent said their wages would stay the same if their employers health costs fell. Some studies in economics support the theory that employers trade off health insurance premiums for wages almost dollar for dollar. A study in the Southern Economics Journal examined salary and benefits data from the New York Department of Education in the 1970s. Controlling for confounding factors like teaching experience, education, school budget and other benefits, the study found that a dollar increase in the value of health benefits was associated with an 83-cent reduction in salary on average. But other studies of public-sector employees find little to no evidence of a comparable trade-off between wages and health insurance premiums. One, in the Journal of Health Economics and based on data from over 6,000 school districts, found that a dollar increase in benefits was associated with a reduction in wages and salaries of only 15 cents. Another from the same journal, in which the Harvard health economist Michael Chernew is a co-author, used national surveys of public-sector workers and employers data and produced similar findings. Why might premium and wage changes not perfectly offset each other in public-sector jobs? One possibility is unionization, which is more likely in the public than in the private sector. Unionized workers are better able to bargain for higher compensation than individual workers, who are more easily let go and replaced with others. Negotiated contracts could end up with health insurance benefits increasing without offsetting reductions in salary. One reason unionized public-sector workers may be unwilling to fully pay for premium increases with reduced wages is that the higher premiums reflect things they do not fully value, Mr. Chernew said. For example, workers may not be willing to sacrifice already low wages for higher health care prices that dont reflect better health care. So much for the public sector; what about the private one? Here, many studies suggest closer to a one-to-one trade-off between workplace health insurance premiums and wages. Some of these studies focus on specific benefits, like maternity care, or on different populations, like those with obesity, finding that their higher costs to employers are offset by lower wages. The 25-foot granite statue of the Hindu god Hanuman to be installed at the Hindu Temple of Delaware in May. (Hindu Temple of Delaware Facebook photo) The outgoing President of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, Mr Bashir Mamman, and some officials of the bank called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House last Friday to introduce the newly elected President of the bank, Dr George Agyekum Nana Donkor, to him. Mr Mamman told the President that the bank was financing 13 projects in Ghana, in both the private and the public sectors, at a cost of $180 million. The projects, he said, included the rehabilitation of the Akatsi-Aflao road, the acquisition of fire tenders for the Ghana National Fire Service and road electrification developments in some parts of the country. He said the bank had received a request from the Minister of Finance for $100 million for the countrys road sector and for which discussions and modalities had advanced. High standards The President congratulated Dr Donkor, a Ghanaian, on his election and commended him for his work at the bank over the years, which had led to his election into such a prestigious and important position. He charged him to raise the flag of Ghana high, just as many Ghanaians, including a former UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, had done and who set high standards of integrity and efficiency in their work on the international stage. I expect you to do no less and for people to say, yes, this is a Ghanaian official with a high standard of integrity and very efficient at his work. You are a credit to us, he told the new ECOWAS Bank President. He encouraged Dr Donkor to strive and meet what was expected of a Ghanaian. Good news President Akufo-Addo said it was good that one of the first things Dr Donkor would do concerned Ghanas application for money for its road sector, a process which had already commenced and which the outgoing ECOWAS Bank President was amenable to. He exhorted Dr Donkor to raise the flag of Ghana high by spearheading the acceleration of ECOWAS integration, a move that Ghana remained committed to. He assured Dr Donkor that the government would always support him to succeed, just as it had fought hard, through the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, to have him elected. In that regard, the President urged him not to hesitate to let the government know of anything it could do to help him succeed. The President commended Mr Mamman for his leadership skills in growing the bank and his ability to draw impressive investment efforts. He also paid tribute to Mr Mamman for showing solidarity with the country regarding Dr Donkors election and appointment as the new President of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development. Interest President Akufo-Addo said even though the bank was for all the 15 countries in the West Africa sub-region, only a handful of countries took a serious interest in what it did, with Ghana and Nigeria being the two key countries that showed interest and were involved actively in its work. He said it was for that reason that Ghana believed that Dr Donkor would be a very good candidate to assume the banks presidency. Appreciation Dr Donkor expressed his appreciation to President Akufo-Addo and the Minister of Finance for their support. He said he was elated by the support he received from President Akufo-Addo because, without the support of the President of his country, a nominee candidate could not reach far. Mr President, you did not leave me. In spite of all the difficulties and challenges we encountered, you were always with me. I am very much aware of the role that you played, so I am here with my family to thank you and assure you that I will never undermine the confidence you have reposed in me. I will make sure that I lift the flag of Ghana very high, he said. He said he would engage with all the banks stakeholders as a means of building a resilient bank that would inure to the benefit of the people in West Africa. Dr Donkor said he would consult with the Minister of Finance of Ghana to fish out the priority of the economy where the bank could lend support. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video New Delhi, Feb 3 : In a scathing attack on Aam Aadmi Party Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, BJP election in-charge Prakash Javadekar said that Kejriwal is a terrorist. Addressing the media here on Monday he said that Kejriwal was asking for proof of being a terrorist. "Kejriwal is making an innocent face & asking if he is a terrorist, you are a terrorist, there is plenty of proof for it. You yourself said you are an anarchist, there is not much of a difference between an anarchist and a terrorist," said Javadekar. Kejriwal, on Friday during a public meeting in Chandni Chowk, had reminded the people that the BJP had called him a "terrorist". "I am Delhi's Chief Minister. While some people have voted for me, some had voted for the BJP and the Congress. I never discriminated and worked for everyone. All the people in Delhi are my family," he said while addressing a public meeting in Chandni Chowk. Does that make me a terrorist? Now you have to decide if I am a terrorist or your son. If you feel I am a terrorist, then press lotus (BJP's election symbol). If you feel I am your son, press broom (AAP's election symbol) on February 8," he said. Earlier BJP MP Parvesh Verma had made "terrorist" remark targeted at Kejriwal against which AAP party held a silent march in all 70 constituencies in Delhi. "Verma had called Kejriwal a 'terrorist' and the statement was endorsed by Manoj Tiwari, the Delhi BJP chief. The Aam Aadmi Party moved the Election Commission and complained against the hate campaign of the BJP and the lack of decorum on their part. The AAP has also asked the poll body to take stern action against such hate remarks. "Thereafter, the EC banned Verma from campaigning for 96 hours," the AAP said in a statement on Friday. North Chinas Tianjin and the city of Anyang in Central Chinas Henan province both reported two new cases of the highly transmissible omicron variant over the weekend. Both cities have launched new rounds of mass testing and designated more Covid-19 risk areas to control the spread of the virus Jan 10, 2022 06:18 PM New Delhi: One of BJP's star campaigners for Delhi assembly election 2020 and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in an exclusive interview with Zee opened up on several key issues of the country and launched an attack on Delhi CM saying that Arvind Kejriwal has poisoned Yamuna's water, poison can only be countered with poison. Speaking to Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary, Yogi said that CAA just a fig leaf to protest against Article 370's abrogation, Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the abolition of triple talaq. He further asserted that Arvind Kejriwal does not have the guts to speak against Shaheen Bagh protesters and he is using it to play politics in the national capital. Talking about BJP's ideology, Yogi said that BJP has always opposed the act of violence in democracy and believes that the decision should be made through ballot and not bullet. Giving a clarification on CAA, he said, '' PM Narendra Modi has clarified CAA and NRC is not against any citizen or religion of India and will not take away anyone's citizenship.'' Live TV Taking a dig at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Yogi said, ''Anti-India slogans are raised in JNU and Jamia. AAP stands with those who shout anti-India slogans. It is not allowed to prosecute traitors in the Kejriwal government.'' He added, ''Arvind Kejriwal, AAP are anti-development, anti-good governance, anti-nationals.'' Speaking on the present scenario of the national capital, Yogi claimed that the AAP government has failed to do any good in the national capital saying ''Arvind Kejriwal failed to open schools in Delhi but he has ensured liquor shops in every colony.'' Giving an explanation 'Goli maaro' slogan Yogi asserted that the slogan is about tackling anti-India forces, and it was not related to common people of India, BJP's is against terrorism, separatism, Naxalism and corruption and not against the citizens of India. Earlier, on Monday (February 1) Adityanath attacked the Aam Aadmi Party convener for accusing him of trying to create anarchy in the city by orchestrating incidents like Shaheen Bagh. Training his guns on the Delhi Chief Minister over the Shaheen Bagh incident, the BJP leader said that 'democracy will be decided by ballots and not bullets'. The Islamic terrorist shot dead by police in London yesterday kept a notebook with his four 'life goals' including being a martyr and going to paradise. Sudesh Amman's notes were revealed when he was jailed for 13 terror offences at the Old Bailey, 14 months before his terror rampage in Streatham yesterday. He kept a notebook in which he wrote that his 'goals in life' were: 'Die as a shuhada', which means martyr, and 'go to jannah', which translates as paradise. Sudesh Amman kept a notebook in which he wrote that his 'goals in life' were: 'Die as a shuhada', which means martyr, and 'go to jannah', which translates as paradise Sudesh Amman, 20, from Harrow in North West London, had previously fantasised about carrying out a terror attack with a knife, the Old Bailey was told in December 2018 Armed police shoot dead extremist Amman after he grabbed a knife from a shop and stabbed a man and a woman in a brutal high-street rampage in Streatham, South London, yesterday It said: 'We need the jihad, the jihad doesn't need us - goals in life: 1) Die as a shuhada; 2) Go to Jannah; 3) Have fun with all my hoor al-ayn; and 4) Party with my brothers and my mother in Jannah.' The Old Bailey was also told during the sentencing hearing in December 2018 that Amman had been fascinated with carrying out a terror attack using a knife. Speaking after he was jailed, Alexis Boon, then head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, said of the notebook: 'Top of the list, above family activities, was dying a martyr and going to 'Jannah' - the afterlife.' Then aged 18, Amman had smiled and waved at the public gallery as he was jailed for three years and four months. Amman is believed to have been back on the streets for just a few weeks before the stabbing attack - fulfilling one of his so-called life goals of dying a martyr. The supporter of so-called Islamic State (IS) had pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing terrorist documents and was sentenced in December 2018. In one online message, Amman shared a photograph appearing to show an ISIS flag and a firearm In another message, Amman joked about playing the shooting video game Call of Duty 'in real lie' His stash of manuals on bomb-making, knife-fighting and close combat included the titles Bloody Brazilian Knife Fighting and How To Make A Bomb In Your Kitchen. Amman, who had then lived with his family in Harrow, North West London, posted Al Qaeda propaganda on a family WhatsApp group, exposing siblings as young as 11 to graphic material, and had shared bomb-making literature via Skype chat. He had told his girlfriend of his wish to carry out acid attacks and that he preferred the idea of a knife attack over using bombs. In online messages with friends, Amman said he wanted to play violent computer game Call of Duty 'in real life'. What Sudesh Amman wrote in his notebook We need the jihad, the jihad doesn't need us Goals in life 1) Die as a shuhada 2) Go to jannah 3) Have fun with all my hoor al-ayn 4) Party with my brothers and my mother in jannah Advertisement He also said he played Fortnite and video game Far Cry 5 in an exchange with other jihadis on the messaging service Telegram. But the chat was infiltrated by undercover Dutch blogger Mark Van Den Berg, who then shared the extremist with UK intelligence agencies. Agreeing for his screenshots from April 2018 to be released, Mr Van Den Berg said Amman went under the name Abu Malik on the app. One screenshot shows Amman, whose handle is Strangertothisworld on the app, apparently admitting: 'I got ps4 too but I prefer xbox.' In another he says: 'Ugh too much police xddddddd just leave us all alone. We want to have fun with hoor al ayn XDDDDDDDDDDDDDD and play COD irl.' Amman then asks another Dutch or Belgian Jihadi, going under the name Ebu Darda: 'u got fortnite?' to which Ebu replied: 'pc yea.' In the screenshots, Amman also posts an image of a Jihadi flag which he says he bought from eBay and is pictured alongside a cache of weapons. Amman is also seen saying: "Splash splash. Make an kuffar (non believer) drown in his blood. Joke not tryna be bait for all u feds.' Lord Lucan is alive! Or so claims a building contractor called Neil Berriman. And why should we listen to Mr Berriman? Well, he is the son of Sandra Rivett, the Lucan family nanny, whom in November 1974 the 7th Earl allegedly bludgeoned to death, mistaking her in a darkened room for the wife he had come to hate. This was not acceptable behaviour, even among the decadent English aristocracy. Lucan fled, and while he is believed to have thrown himself into the English Channel from a Newhaven ferry a few days later, his body has never been found. The appetite for claims to have discovered the missing Earl in various remote spots has never since abated. Berriman, who as a baby had been given up for adoption by the unmarried Rivett, says he has spent years (and 30,000) looking for his mother's murderer and insists he has located Lucan, who would now be 85, 'living as a Buddhist in Australia'. Lord Lucan (pictured) is alive! Or so claims a building contractor called Neil Berriman. And why should we listen to Mr Berriman? Hippy Berriman has passed on to the Metropolitan Police the address of the man, along with what he claims are the 'eight aliases' used by the alleged fugitive from justice. Scotland Yard responded: 'The inquiry into the death of Sandra Rivett remains open, as is the case with all unsolved murders. Any significant new information will be considered.' I'm not sure Berriman's story is 'significant new information' there seems no evidence, let alone photographs, to back up his account. But I can hardly blame the Daily Mirror for covering their front page with a picture of the missing Earl, alongside the headline: 'Victim's son: I've tracked down Lord Lucan.' The reason I can't blame them is that as the editor of the Sunday Telegraph in 2003, I published at great length and prominence the account of a former member of the Met's central drugs squad, Duncan MacLaughlin, who claimed to have proved that Lucan had ended up in a sort of hippy commune in Goa, under the assumed name of Barry Halpin, becoming known as 'Jungle Barry'. Sandra Rivett (pictured), the Lucan family nanny, whom in November 1974 the 7th Earl allegedly bludgeoned to death, mistaking her in a darkened room for the wife he had come to hate Ended up, literally: 'Barry Halpin' had, as the ex-cop related, died in 1996 marked by an obituary notice from friends in the local paper under the line 'Goodbye, old cock'. Not very 7th Earl. But MacLaughlin had written an entire book to back up his claims, entitled Dead Lucky. Lord Lucan: The Final Truth. On the cover was a photo of 'Barry Halpin' sitting on a rocking chair in his Goanese retreat, looking, both in dress and in the extent of his beard, more like Robinson Crusoe than anyone else. But MacLaughlin claimed to have testimonies from 'facial reconstruction experts' to show that these were indeed that is, Lucan and Halpin the same man: the former cop's killer point (so to speak) was that 'neither man had earlobes'. Gotcha! Berriman (pictured), who as a baby had been given up for adoption by the unmarried Rivett, says he has spent years (and 30,000) looking for his mother's murderer The publisher of MacLaughlin's book, who came to see me in my office, admitted he had been turned down by the News of the World, on the pettifogging grounds that they did not believe any of it. So I could have the scoop and serialisation for a mere 5,000. I rather shared the view of the editors of that now-defunct red-top Sunday paper. On the other hand, I found the whole business gripping. So I signed up. But the words I ran above the masthead of the Sunday Telegraph alongside the photo which the missing earl might indeed have looked like if he'd spent more than 20 years of solid boozing in a tropical hippy commune were: 'Is this Lord Lucan?' I reassured myself that a question could never be untrue, and waited for the reaction. It was instant and spectacular. Sky ran live news feeds from outside Lady Lucan's home. She told the channel: 'It's unutterably boring. I could never imagine my husband looking so pathetic.' That was more grist to the mill: our sales ran at tens of thousands above normal levels. Leading bookshops immediately contacted the delighted publisher with colossal buying orders. John Stonehouse (pictured), the fugitive Labour MP who was arrested by the police in Australia, under the impression that he was Lord Lucan Laughed Then, around lunchtime that Sunday, the truth I mean, the real truth emerged. A number of Barry Halpin's friends got in touch with the Guardian to reveal that the picture really was of the man they knew. He had been a 'character' in the pubs and clubs of the North-West of England in the 1960s, where he was known for playing 'the concertina, banjo and tin whistle'. And he always addressed friends as 'old cock'. He had indeed left this country for Goa, but as one of his old mates, the comedian Mike Harding, said, 'that didn't mean that he was actually Lord Lucan'. Harding added: 'I laughed until I cried when I saw the Sunday Telegraph: to think that anybody could mistake my old friend Barry Halpin for Lord Lucan!' WHSmith and Waterstones immediately cancelled their orders for Dead Lucky. Almost 80,000 copies had to be pulped. A few weeks later, the publisher, John Blake, wrote a charming letter of apology to me. I replied that no apology was required, at least to me. We had merely posed a question and enjoyed booming sales. Moreover we had received no complaints from readers. Actually, to judge from the letters I received, they had enjoyed it all as much as I had. Obviously, such escapades are not enjoyable for the family of the late Lord Lucan (he was officially declared dead in 2016, when his son George Bingham became the 8th Earl of Lucan). Obviously, such escapades are not enjoyable for the family of the late Lord Lucan (he was officially declared dead in 2016, when his son George Bingham (pictured) became the 8th Earl of Lucan) When the Mirror approached the earl with this latest 'news' that his father had been identified by Sandra Rivett's son as being alive and in Australia he said: 'I've met him [Rivett's son] a couple of times, but had no idea he was looking for [my father]. He isn't the first person to go to Australia. I remember they went out there to try and find my father and instead found John Stonehouse.' This is actually true. In the same year Lucan did his runner, so did that Labour MP and former Postmaster General, who was immersed in fraudulent business activities (and, it turned out, had also been a paid agent for the secret service of communist Czechoslovakia). Stonehouse did what was later known as a 'Reggie Perrin': he left his clothes in a pile on a beach in Miami, and was presumed dead. Obituaries were published, even though no body was found. In fact, he had gone to Australia, where the police in Melbourne were tipped off about a mysterious well-spoken Englishman, who had been shuffling large amounts of cash from England into a local bank. Mike Harding (pictured) said: 'I laughed until I cried when I saw the Sunday Telegraph: to think that anybody could mistake my old friend Barry Halpin for Lord Lucan!' Scar The police suspected this was the missing Lord Lucan. He was arrested, but when the cops pulled down his trouser leg, looking for the six-inch scar on the inside of his right thigh which was a distinguishing feature of the missing earl, they realised they had the wrong man. Still, a good day's work: John Stonehouse (for it was he) was brought back to face justice in England, where in 1976 he got seven years for fraud. He died in 1988, not long after suffering a heart attack in a TV studio during the filming of a programme about notorious missing people. Lord Lucan was not available. I confess now (having not done so before) why I was especially interested in Lucan. My wife Rosa had joined him and two others at a dinner at the Clermont club, barely a fortnight before he allegedly murdered Sandra Rivett. Rosa was then 21 years old, and a friend of one of the other members of this foursome. As the editor of the Sunday Telegraph in 2003, I published at great length and prominence the account of a former member of the Met's central drugs squad, Duncan MacLaughlin, who claimed to have proved that Lucan had ended up in a sort of hippy commune in Goa, under the assumed name of Barry Halpin (pictured), becoming known as 'Jungle Barry' When she told me about this, I was agog to learn of her impressions. She said that Lucan 'had the most wonderful, old-fashioned manners, but he was sweating and seemed distracted'. At the time Rosa put this down to his known gambling habit: the Clermont was a casino, and she assumed his distracted manner was because his mind was on the roulette table rather than on the conversation. Now we know that his anxieties were much closer to home, with the fatal consequences that still fascinate my trade, and, perhaps, the nation. Photo: The Rum House/Yelp Visiting Irish Channel, or just looking to better appreciate what it has to offer? Get to know this New Orleans neighborhood by browsing its most popular local businesses, from a New American spot to a Mediterranean restaurant. Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top places to visit in Irish Channel, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of neighborhood businesses. Read on for the results. 1. Coquette Photo: Brian R./Yelp Topping the list is New American spot Coquette. Located at 2800 Magazine St., it's the highest-rated business in the neighborhood, boasting 4.5 stars out of 743 reviews on Yelp. This spot offers small and large plates, with options like the grilled Gulf shrimp, speckled trout and pecan agnolotti. Customers can also put the decision making in the hands of the chef and order the five-course blind tasting menu. (Check out the entire menu here.) 2. The Rum House Photo: the rum house/Yelp Next up is bar and Caribbean spot The Rum House, situated at 3128 Magazine St. With four stars out of 1,478 reviews on Yelp, it's proven to be a local favorite. This chain has one other location in Baton Rouge. The spot serves up light bites like mahi mahi fingers and curried mussels, along with entrees like jerk roasted chicken and island-style Cuban steak. Other menu options include salads, sandwiches, quesadillas and tacos. (Explore the full menu here.) 3. Parasol's Bar & Restaurant Photo: Connie T./Yelp Bar and Southern spot Parasol's Bar & Restaurant, which offers seafood and more, is another top choice. Yelpers give the business, located at 2533 Constance St., four stars out of 496 reviews. Open since 1952, this eatery recently changed ownership and got a facelift. The menu is full of classic comfort foods, such as the firecracker shrimp po'boy as well as fries with gravy. 4. Anatolia Mediterranean Cuisine Photo: berta /Yelp Anatolia Mediterranean Cuisine, a Mediterranean and Turkish spot, is another much-loved neighborhood go-to, with 4.5 stars out of 109 Yelp reviews. Head over to 3100 Magazine St. to see for yourself. On the menu, look for appetizers like hummus and baba ganouj, along with soup, salad, sandwiches, kebabs, shawarma and lambchops. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. (Newser) President Trump spoke to Fox News host Sean Hannity in a pre-Super Bowl interviewand he didn't hold back from unloading on the Democratic White House hopefuls. The president described Joe Biden as "sleepy" and said Elizabeth Warren's platform was a "fairy tale," USA Today reports. Trump described Bernie Sanders as a communist, saying "Now, you could say socialist, but didnt he get married in Moscow?" the Hill reports. Sanders visited the Soviet Union with wife Jane soon after they were married in 1988. Trump also slammed "very confused, very nervous" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and said he doubted he would work on any new legislation with Congress this year, citing his "very unfair" treatment from Democratic leaders. story continues below Trump, who predicted that he would easily win re-election this year, also claimed that Michael Bloomberg wants to stand on a box during Democratic debate, which prompted a few insults from the Democrat. The interview, which aired before Sunday's Super Bowl, was recorded in Florida on Saturday night. Trump also discussed his handling of the coronavirus outbreak, saying he had "shut it down" by closing the borders to foreigners who had recently been in China, reports the New York Times. "We pretty much shut it down coming in from China," Trump said. "But we cant have thousands of people coming in who may have this problem, the coronavirus. We're going to see what happens, but we did shut it down, yes." He said his administration had offered "tremendous help" to China. (Read more President Trump stories.) Controversial BJP leader and former Union minister Anantkumar Hegde waded into yet another storm by claiming the freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi was a drama. The Bharatiya Janata Party, however, said it does not approve of Anantkumar Hegdes comments and that the issue will be referred to a disciplinary committee. He has been asked to tender an unconditional apology for his comments on Mahatma Gandhi by his party, news agency ANI reported on Monday. Anantkumar Hegde, a six-time Lok Sabha member from Uttara Kannada, made the comments at an event on Hindutva icon VD Savarkar in Bengaluru on Saturday. Hegde said that none of the so-called leaders had been beaten by the police even once and the entire Independence movement was a staged big drama with the consent and support of the British. He also labelled the freedom movement led by Gandhi as not a genuine fight but an adjustment freedom struggle. The former Union minister of state for skill development and entrepreneurship had also derided the Congress, saying that people support the Congress saying that India got Independence because of fasts and Satyagraha. This is not true. Britishers gave us independence out of frustration. Hegde also attacked the anti-CAA protests and said the Rs 120 crore funding for it was just the tip of the iceberg and that more rats will come out. He also said that Savarkars ideology and methods are relevant even today. His statements came in for severe criticism from the opposition parties, including Congress. Anant Kumar Hegde is perhaps reflecting the views of his masters. If he is not, his comments should invite the strictest possible action from his party, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted. Another Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi also hit out at Hegde on Twitter. Awaiting Narendra Modi who invokes Mahatma Gandhi at the drop of a hat especially when repackaging his ideas & to gain international credibility to comment on Mr Hegde who is a senior BJP Leader, Singhvi, the Congress spokesperson, tweeted. A senior BJP functionary said the party does not approve of Hegdes comments. Referring to Hegdes comment, the functionary said both Prime Minister Modi and the party leadership are extremely angry with such a proposition and some disciplinary action is likely. On the party failing to reign in Hegde, who has left the party embarrassed on several occasion, the functionary said, He lost his ministerial berth... Hegde has been at the centre of controversy many a time. He had labelled former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer S Senthil as a traitor and asked him to go to Pakistan. He had also called Congress Karnataka unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao as somebody who went after a Muslim lady. Palm Beach, Fla. President Donald Trump used a Super Bowl pregame interview to rail against Democrats, accusing them of hatred and offering schoolyard insults about his potential 2020 rivals. "I see the hatred. ... They don't care about fairness, they don't care about lying," Trump said in a taped interview with Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity, which aired on Fox hours before sports' biggest night of the year. Trump spent his weekend in Florida as most of the political world has been focused on Iowa, where Democrats on Monday will cast their first votes to choose the party's nominee. Prompted by Hannity, Trump went through most of the major candidates one by one, deriding "Sleepy Joe" Biden, the former vice president, accusing Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren of telling "fairy tales," and labeling Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, as "a communist," even though he's not. But Trump seemed most preoccupied by the candidates who has chosen to skip the early-voting states: Michael Bloomberg, the former New York mayor who has been blanketing the airwaves with anti-Trump ads. The president's campaign and Bloomberg's were to run dueling, multimillion-dollar ads during Sunday night's game. In the Fox interview, Trump accused Bloomberg, who is 5 feet, 8 inches tall, of making a special request for a box to stand on if he qualifies for future presidential debates. Bloomberg's campaign denies that is the case. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "Why should he get a box to stand on?" Trump asked. "Why should he be entitled to that, really? Then does that mean everyone else gets a box?" Bloomberg campaign spokeswoman Julie Wood said Trump was "lying." "He is a pathological liar who lies about everything: his fake hair, his obesity, and his spray-on tan," she said. Early Sunday, Trump fired off a series of anti-Bloomberg tweets, calling the billionaire "part of the Fake News" and insisting he "is going nowhere" and "just wasting his money," despite rising in the polls. PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-03 22:50:14 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 614 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 CALGARY, AB and SAN ANTONIO, TX / ACCESSWIRE / February 3, 2020 / Emerald Bay Energy Inc. (TSXV:EBY)(OTC:EMBYF) (the "Company", "Emerald Bay" or "EBY") reported today that the Company has acquired assets mainly comprising 30 oil and gas leases currently producing approximately 15 bbs/day of oil (the "Acquired Leases") on approximately 3,550 acres, in the LaVernia Field of Wilson and Guadalupe Counties, Texas and certain related lease equipment (including but not limited to wellheads, pumpjacks, surface equipment, down-hole equipment, casing storage tanks, drillpipes, pumps, motors) from Advantagewon Oil Corp. (CSE: AOC) ("AOC").The purchase price paid to AOC for the assets is USD$350,000 which shall be paid via: (i) a cash payment of USD$50,000; and (ii) the issuance of 39,027,000 common shares (the "EBY Shares") of EBY (USD$300,000 USD being CDN$390,270 at $0.01/share), subject to final approval from the TSX Venture Exchange.The EBY Shares issued to AOC will be held in escrow by EBY until December 31, 2020. On or before December 31, 2020, Emerald Bay (or its designee) may acquire the EBY Shares for an aggregate USD$300,000. Should EBY elect not to acquire the EBY Shares (or should the TSX Venture Exchange not approve the issuance of the EBY Shares to AOC), then the EBY Shares will be returned to EBY's treasury and the balance of the purchase price for the assets will be paid via an overriding royalty interest on the Acquired Leases being granted to AOC as follows: (i) a 5% overriding royalty interest on all the Acquired Leases with a net revenue interest of 75.0% or greater; (ii) a 2% overriding royalty interest on all the Acquired Leases with a net revenue interest of 72.0% up to, but not including, the Acquired Leases with a net revenue interest of 75.0% (note: no overriding royalty interest shall be assigned to AOC on all the Acquired Leases with a net revenue interest less than 72.0%). The overriding royalty interest shall be in place until such time as AOC has received an aggregate USD$400,000.00 at which point the royalty interest shall be terminated.Shelby Beattie, President and CEO of the Company commented: "The acquisition of the LaVernia assets represents the culmination of a process that began more than 10 months ago. We targeted this acquisition because we believe that we have identified numerous exploration opportunities, both vertically and horizontally, in the Navarro, Poth, Austin Chalk, and Eagle Ford formations. This is very exciting for us as this is the first time we have acquired this large of a land position in South Texas with Emerald Bay owning a 100% working interest." About Emerald BayEmerald Bay Energy Inc. (TSX Venture: EBY, OTC: EMBYF) is an energy company with oil producing properties in Southwest Texas as well as non-operated oil and natural gas interests in Central Alberta, Canada. EBY is the operator of the Wooden Horse and Nash Creek Projects in Guadalupe, Texas, where the Company currently owns a 50.00% working interest those projects. Additionally, the Company owns and operates various working interests in the HugoCellR, Cotulla, and MarPat partnerships. The Company also owns 75% of Production Resources Inc., a South Texas oil company.For all upcoming news releases, articles, comments and questions, to stay updated and speak with management about Emerald Bay Energy. Please JOIN our Investor Information Group at:For further information, please contact:Emerald Bay President, Shelby D. Beattie, or CFO, Mike Rice, by telephone at (403) 262-6000Email: info@ ebyinc.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: Emerald Bay Energy Inc. Rs 5,000 under Sheila pension scheme; 100 Indira canteens. DPCC president Subhash Chopra along with Congress leaders Anand Sharma and Ajay Maken during the release of party manifesto in New Delhi on Sunday. (Photo: PRITAM BANDYOPADHYAY) New Delhi: The Congress party on Sunday promised to implement unemployment allowance of Rs 5,000-7,500 per month, cashback schemes for water and power consumers, and challenge the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act in the Supreme Court if voted to power in Delhi. In its manifesto presented by Delhi Congress president Subhash Chopra, the party also committed to spend 25 per cent of the budget each year on fighting pollution and improving transport facilities. The party has promised to provide free electricity up to 300 units per month. Mr Chopra said Congress will open 100 Indira Canteens in the city to give subsidised meals at Rs 15. Unemployment allowance of Rs 5,000 for graduates and Rs 7,500 for post graduates will be provided monthly under the Yuva Swabhiman Yojna, the manifesto said. The announcements come in the backdrop of promises and initiatives by its rivals AAP and BJP. The party will challenge the CAA in the Supreme Court and demand the Centre to withdraw the law. The party will also not implement the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the existing form of the National Population Register (NPR) if voted to power in Delhi. The manifesto, titled Aisi Hogi Hamari Delhi, was released at the Delhi Congress office in the presence of senior leaders Anand Sharma, manifesto committee chairman Ajay Maken, Rajiv Gowda, and Sharmishtha Mukherjee among others. We will get a strong Lokpal in the first six months, Mr Chopra said. The Congress will launch flagship cashback schemes for power and water supply to benefit consumers saving these resources. If voted to power, Congress will launch Sheila Pension Yojna under which Rs 5,000 per month will be provided to senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and transgenders. The manifesto also promised opening of a Yaari Startup Incubation Fund of Rs 5,000 crore to incentivise entrepreneurs. A major focus area of the manifesto is pollution mitigation and boosting public transport. We will make Delhi Indias first electric vehicle city via DEVI, the Delhi Electric Vehicles Initiative, stated the manifesto, promising procurement of 15,000 electric buses. It also stated that the fares of the Delhi Metro will be subsidised for women, students and senior citizens. For students, a subsidy of Rs 300 per month will be given through direct benefit transfer. The manifesto also cited a scheme proposed by party leader Rahul Gandhi in the last Lok Sabha election, promising Rs 72,000 per year to 5 lakh families. It was the kind of loose, emotionally intense performance that had long eluded him. For years, he told the Times, he had been playing concerts largely out of compulsion . . . I had just fallen into it without ever deciding for myself that it was what I wanted to do. He returned from his travels with a more relaxed approach to music, even as he maintained an academic rigor that he learned from his father, studying composers letters and examining first editions of their scores. HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.XR Brands took home the 2020 AVN O Award for Outstanding Anal Product during the ceremony last month. The Thump It 7X Medium Anal Plug took the prize for its uniqueness in functionality and sensation. Available in multiple shapes, Thump It stimulators utilize kinetic technology to create an ultra-powerful thumping sensation never before seen, or felt, in the anal product category. We are so excited to be recognized for Outstanding Anal Product for our Thump It 7X Medium Anal Plug, XR Brands President Rebecca Weinberg said. The Thump It series has been in-demand since its debut thanks to its unexpected alternative to traditional vibration, and now weve incorporated the unique kinetic technology into even more shapes including three realistic dildos for anal or vaginal pleasure. Thanks to AVN and everyone who voted for the Thump It 7X Medium Anal Plug to win this award! One of the most talked-about products at recent trade shows, Thump It includes the original 7x Medium Thumping Anal Plug, the 7x Large Thumping Anal Plug made for a fuller sensation, and the 7x Medium Thumping Anal Plug, perfect for lovers of prostate stimulation. Each Thump It stimulator is waterproof, and equipped with seven thumping functions, a convenient remote control for easy use, and premium silicone construction. The Thump It collection includes seven anal plugs of various shapes and sizes and three realistic dildos, each equipped with kinetic technology for a unique internal thuddy sensation. Thump It is packaged in color-blocked boxes suitable for slatwall or shelf displays. Each box features images of the product as well as an eye-grabbing Made with Kinetic Technology. Thump It stimulates in a completely unique way and gives users something new, different, and intensely pleasurable, which has kept our customers placing reorders, Weinberg said. We look forward to exploring more ways to incorporate kinetic technology into even more Thump It shapes and designs. To place an order, contact your preferred representative or email [email protected]. To view the Thump It 7X Medium Anal Plug and the rest of XR Brands catalog, visit XRBrands.com. Lagosians continue to count the cost from the ban on Motorcycle and tricycle operators in major parts of the state. Already commuters have lamented the long hours they spend trekking to their places of work due to lack of bikes. The Lagos state government has taken the enforcement of the ban seriously and already bikes have disappeared from major roads in the state. The CEO of one of the largest bike operating companies in Lagos before the ban, Adetayo Bamiduro has lamented the huge lose the company has faced. He regretted that the government made no distinction between formal operators and the local riders when enacting and enforcing the ban. He also revealed the amount the company invested in the scheme. He said: In terms of equity investment and shareholders, MAX has put in close to $10m (about N3.6bn) in the state. And in terms of financing, things that have been done cost well over $5m (about 1.8bn) in the business that has been mobilised for providing micro loans to okada and vehicle operators in the state. We have very big plans for Nigerians as a whole and we have very big plans for Lagos as well. Share this: Fernando Alonso's plans to contest his third Indy 500 this May are reportedly in tatters. We reported last week that the Spaniard had agreed to make his latest attempt to complete the 'triple crown' with Michael Andretti's top outfit. An announcement was apparently imminent, but new reports indicate that the deal has now been vetoed by Andretti's engine supplier Honda. Alonso and Honda have a checkered past, with the former two-time F1 champion now admitting that he regrets describing the Japanese company's engine supplied to McLaren in 2015 as a "GP2 engine". "Maybe I shouldn't have said it, but I didn't say it in the TV pen or the press conference," he told F1 Racing magazine. "If a top driver today went through the performance that I went through, I could not imagine what they would say," added Alonso, 38. (GMM) Lincoln City's Antique Week Uncovers Oregon Coast's Past Published 02/03/2020 at 3:50 AM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Lincoln City, Oregon) Antique & Collectibles Week again descends upon the central Oregon coast town of Lincoln City next week, running February 8 through 17 and including not just collectibles and funky treasures but several trips into the regions past. With bundles of antique stores and some used book purveyors, the town has long been a recognized destination for history hounds and lovers of older finery a tradition going well back into the 90s. For the last decade (plus a few years), Lincoln City Antique & Collectibles Week has been a pinnacle of such fun that grew quickly into an enormous celebration. (BREAKING NEWS: Lincoln City has canceled its special glass float drop for the weekend, resuming on Tuesday) Especially curious is the fact the town is one of the youngest on the Oregon coast (officially forming in the early 60s), but it has a unique way of keeping the past alive. This year, the little beach burgh particularly shines with a host of events centered around history and antiquing, but also a very special glass float drop that involves the real thing: actual Japanese glass floats. This ten-day festival of old stuff takes place all over town, involving numerous businesses already in that industry - and a few that arent - hosting happenings of their own. One of the most engaging events of the entire festival is the dropping of actual antique Japanese glass floats. These curious treasures are now quite coveted and extremely rare to find, but once they commonly hit Oregons beaches. From the 50s through the 80s they were a regular sight: green, thick glass, used by Japanese fishermen back in the east, and lost in great numbers at sea for decades where they landed on the U.S. west coast. They often showed up still entangled in their original nets, making for even more coveted catches. You still occasionally see them as exterior decorations on the Oregon coast, especially on older beach homes. By the 90s the inundation had all but stopped as Japanese fishing fleets went to using other materials. Now, the Lincoln City Visitors Bureau reignites that flame with turning their usual glass float drops promotion towards the very thing that initially inspired it: actual glass floats from Japan from at least 40 years ago. They drop 300 of these on the beach throughout Antique Week. The largest antique mall on the entire Oregon coast will be participating, of course. Little Antique Mall located near midtown features over 80 dealers in one building. The Oceanlake District is its own neighborhood hotspot of antique shops, with a handful of malls hosting more dealers. In the truly old Nelscott area, Nelscott House Antiques & Collectibles shows off its wares. At the southern end at Taft, youll find Beach Bum Vintage and Streetcar Village with their own variety of elder goodies. The scavenger hunt happens all ten days, where you pick up a map at participating stores and collect stamps at various locations (see the visitor center site). Then, turn it in and you may win a drawing for a two-night stay at Chinook Winds Resort Hotel. At the North Lincoln County History Museum, the newest exhibit delves into the Devils of North Lincoln County, a rather goofy but intrepid group of locals who came together in the 30s to promote events like The Redhead Roundup and the Devils Lake Regatta. They were key in central Oregon coast tourism for a good couple of decades. The exhibit features artifacts and documentation of what they did for the area, including some wacky finds such as a giant devil head for a parade float, their costumes and more. On February 8, the museum hosts a presentation on Oregon coasts famed McCullough bridges. Given by Joyce Sherman it starts at 2 p.m. Youll learn how the Oregon Coast Highway was built and how integral the work of architect Conde McCullough was to the scenic beauty we now see on the coastline. The Super Auction takes place February 8 at 5 p.m. at Chinooks Seafood Grill (1501 NW 40th Pl.) Here you get to enjoy food and drink while bidding on outstanding antique finds. On February 11, make your very own Vintage Valentine at the Lincoln City Cultural Center. See more at Lincoln City's website. 541.996.1274. Hotels in Lincoln City - Where to eat - Lincoln City Maps and Virtual Tours More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted Highlife musician Kofi Nti has described the death of his colleague and friend Kofi B as unfortunate explaining that Kofi B had always had high blood pressure. Giving details on how the unfortunate incident happened, Kofi Nti explained that Kofi B real name, Kofi Boakye Yiadom had told him a week ago he was not well and was receiving treatment at End Point Homeopathic Clinic. I knew he was not well before we embarked on a journey to Abaase Domenase in the Central Region. I have always known that Kofi B had high blood pressure but I didnt know how intense it had become, he said in a radio interview on Accra based Peace FM on Sunday morning. According to him, the two were booked for a birthday bash for a chief at Abaase Domenase today, Sunday February 2. He explained that they lodged in a hotel in the town ready to play the show only for Kofi B to bang on his door around 2:30 am that he was not feeling too good. I was still sleepy until I heard a big knock again that he couldnt help it so I woke up and rushed him to a nearby hospital in his own car that we drove in together to this place. When we got to the hospital, I had to carry him to see the doctor but I was told he died before we got to the hospital. As we speak now, Kofi B is no more and his remains are at the mortuary where they refer to as the cold room here, he said. He explained that they are yet to inform the family members as to what should be done. I am sure the family members will love to do an autopsy to find out what actually killed their loved one. The sad news is that Kofi B died at dawn today [February 2, 2020]. He is no more and I am really going to miss him because he was more than a brother to me he said. Kofi B, a highlife musician was known for songs such as Koforidua Flowers, Mobrowa, among others. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC) is deeply disappointed that the World Council of Churches (WCC) has supported Archbishop Atallah Hanna's recent baseless accusations against the State of Israel. There is no evidence that Israel tried to poison him, as he alleges, or that there was any "violence" done against him, as WCC seems to assume. In light of the disputed accounts of the source of his illness, it would have been appropriate to urge Israeli law enforcement agencies to vigorously investigate the matter and ensure full protection for all. IJCIC calls for such a thorough investigation. Archbishop Hanna is not merely "a strong critic" of Israel, as the WCC stated. He has called for the creation of a Palestinian state "from the river to the sea." The archbishop has declared that "Zionism is a racist, terrorist movement," and referred to the Israeli government as "money changers in the Temple." An individual like Hanna who espouses these views should not automatically be believed when he makes accusations against Israel without evidence. IJCIC is the recognized representative of world Jewry in its dialogues with the Vatican, Ecumenical Patriarchate, and World Council of Churches. The consortium of 11 Jewish organizations was founded in 1970, in response to the dramatic, positive transformation of Christian attitudes toward Jews and Judaism, notably the Roman Catholic Church's Nostra Aetate. IJCIC member organizations include American Jewish Committee (AJC), Anti-Defamation League (ADL), B'nai B'rith International (BBI), Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), Israeli Jewish Council on Interreligious Relations (IJCIR), Rabbinical Assembly (RA), Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (OU), United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ), and World Jewish Congress (WJC). Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations, is the current Chair of IJCIC. SOURCE International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 Trend: Interview with Cahid Ismayiloglu, head of IT and technical supply sector of Department of Propaganda, Information and Analytics of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora of the Republic of Azerbaijan. We are about to finish the works on the idea State Committee on Work with Diaspora with one touch. The infographic diaspora map was launched by the State Committee on Work with Diaspora in 2018. What was the main purpose in launching this map? Could the Committee achieve the purpose within the past period? One of the main targets of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora is to establish multidirectional, close relations with the Azerbaijanis living abroad, as well as with the diaspora organizations established by them. As we know, millions of Azerbaijanis are living abroad nowadays. A new approach to the establishment of diaspora made necessary massive apply of the opportunities of the information and communication technologies to this process. It is already two years that the State Committee is looking for the ways of applying new innovations, high technologies to the process of establishment of diaspora. The Committee took serious steps in the direction of the formation of the information space, turning it to the shared information environment, and creating national information sources. We have started from nothing. Thats why, realization of the ideas and presenting concrete product is the very important. Diasporamap.com Diaspora map may be a good example. This interactive map covering diaspora organizations was not regarded as a reliable source when it was newly launched. But now, the data it contains is reliable enough. This platform did not improve gradually, but within a short period of time, and became very reliable source. Of course, technical, innovative, and interactive opportunities of the platform speeded up the process. We could achieve the purposes in this direction. Please, give us information about the coverage area of the Diaspora map. Generally speaking, what can you say about the statistical indicators for the beginning of 2020? Diaspora map platform gave a ground for the coordination of the diaspora organizations established by the Azerbaijanis on a virtual world. regardless of country of residence, every user may enter the website, get concrete information about the diaspora organizations in that territory, get in touch with them. Besides, existing organizations may handle information about themselves to the platform admin, and help to update the platform. The information of this platform is updated every day. Thats why the number of the existing diaspora organizations and countries varies. For example, last year the platform covered 48 countries, but one more country was added to this list this month. Be more exact, an information about the diaspora organization in Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was added to the map and automatically the number of the countries reached 49. Besides the organization of the effective work of the Diasporas, the State Committee also made several innovative novelties to overcome lack of information in this sphere. Infographic diaspora map is one of these novelties. How this map will give impetus to the activity of the Committee? Collecting, handling, saving, processing of the information, delivering it to the user, and use of IT in this direction covers main part of our work. We overcome the lack of information gradually. The Committee gets information from all corners of the world. This process takes seconds and the result is seen immediately. We are about to finish the works on the idea State Committee on Work with Diaspora with one touch. One can get an access to virtual information space both on the web and mobile app. It will be possible to see the whole activity of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora, and the existing diaspora organizations. Can infographic diaspora map solve coordination problems among the diaspora organizations functioning in various countries? The main target of the Diaspora Map platform is to give a ground for the coordination of the diaspora organizations on a virtual world. There was a lack of information among the diaspora organization but we overcame it owing to this platform. The Committee is engaged in enriching opportunities of the platform and speeding up information update and works in this direction. KYIV, Ukraine A leaked recording of an exchange between an Iranian air-traffic controller and an Iranian pilot purports to show that authorities immediately knew a missile had downed a Ukrainian jetliner after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 people aboard, despite days of denials by the Islamic Republic. Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged the recordings authenticity in a report aired by a Ukrainian television channel on Sunday night. In Tehran on Monday, the head of the Iranian investigation team, Hassan Rezaeifar, acknowledged the recording was legitimate and said that it was handed over to Ukrainian officials. After the Jan. 8 disaster, Irans civilian government maintained for days that it didnt know the countrys paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, answerable only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had shot down the aircraft. The downing of the jetliner came just hours after the Guard launched a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. forces in retaliation for an earlier American drone strike that killed the Guards top general, Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad. A transcript of the recording, published by Ukrainian 1+1 TV channel, contains a conversation in Farsi between an air-traffic controller and a pilot reportedly flying a Fokker 100 jet for Irans Aseman Airlines from Irans southern city of Shiraz to Tehran. A series of lights like yes, it is a missile, is there something? the pilot calls out to the controller. No, how many miles? Where? the controller asks. The pilot responds that he saw the light by the Payam airport, near where the Guards Tor M-1 anti-aircraft missile was launched from. The controller says nothing has been reported to them, but the pilot remains insistent. It is the light of a missile, the pilot says. Dont you see anything anymore? the controller asks. Dear engineer, it was an explosion. We saw a very big light there, I dont really know what it was, the pilot responds. The controller then tries to contract the Ukrainian jetliner, but unsuccessfully. Publicly accessible flight-tracking radar information suggests the Aseman Airlines aircraft, flight No. 3768, was close enough to Tehran to see the blast. Iranian civil aviation authorities for days insisted it wasnt a missile that brought down the plane, even after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. officials began saying they believed it had been shot down. Iranian officials should have immediately had access to the air-traffic control recordings and Zelenskiy told 1+1 that the recording, indeed, shows that the Iranian side knew from the start that our plane was shot down by a missile, they were aware of this at the moment of the shooting. Ukraines president repeated his demands to decode the planes flight recorders in Kyiv something Iranian officials had promised last month but later backtracked on. On Monday, Ukrainian investigators were to travel to Tehran to participate in the decoding effort, but Zelenskiy insisted on bringing the so-called black boxes back to Kyiv. It is very important for us, he said. Iranian authorities, however, condemned the publication of the recording as unprofessional, saying it was part of a confidential report. This action by the Ukrainians makes us not want to give them any more evidence, said Rezaifar, the head of the Iranian investigators, according to a report by the semiofficial Mehr news agency. ___ Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Daria Litvinova in Moscow and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Payam is an airport, not a city. Ryanair now expects to receive delivery of its first Boeing 737-MAX-200 aircraft in September or October this year. The news comes as the airline reported profit after tax of 88m for the three months to 31 December 2019. This compares to a loss of 66m in the same period in 2018, according to a trading update from the group. Revenue during the period was 1.91bn, up 21pc on the corresponding period in 2018. The performance was driven by a 6pc increase in passenger traffic to 36 million people over the three months. Revenue per guest grew by 13pc, mainly on the back of ancillary income such as baggage fees and on-board food and drink. During the period the airline's fuel bill rose 14pc to 700m due to higher prices and the 6pc traffic growth. As announced earlier this year, Ryanairs financial year 2020 profit after tax guidance has risen to a range of 0.95bn to 1.05bn due to stronger Christmas and New Year travel bookings. The government and the HSE have once again been accused of gambling with the lives of the people of Wexford after the cath lab for administering cardiac care in University Hospital Waterford was out of action for maintenance for two days last week. Currently, the Cath Lab in Waterford is only open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, meaning that anyone from Co Wexford requiring cardiac care outside those times would be facing a long transfer to either Cork or Dublin for life-saving treatment. General Election candidates Cllr Ger Carthy and Seanie O'Shea have branded the situation a disgrace. 'I'd be very concerned with the frequency of technical problems at the cath lab in Waterford,' said Cllr Carthy, who also works with the National Ambulance Service. 'There's an issue there on a bi-fortnightly basis at this stage and diversion protocol is put in place for patients coming from Wexford.' 'For nearly three years now there's been talk of a second cath lab in Waterford and it hasn't happened. Minister Harris has had numerous reports and deputations from cardiac specialists from across the region and still nothing has been done. Time is muscle in these cases and, for a region with over 500,000 people, we need a 24/7 service. People in County Wexford have died as a result of this.' Speaking from experience, Cllr Carthy says that the amount of trauma that can be inflicted on a patient in one of these transfers can't be overstated. 'If I or one of my colleagues attend a scene at rural Wexford in the middle of the night and we're professional enough to be able to resuscitate the patient, they'll usually require intervention,' he said. 'In that case, time is against them. Depending on availability, you'd be looking at getting the Rescue 117 helicopter, because our Air Ambulance doesn't fly at night. All this takes time. It's not a pleasant experience for the patient either. It really adds to the trauma.' Independents4Change candidate Seanie O'Shea pointed out that Waterford is the only nationally designated cardiac centre that doesn't operate on a 24/7 basis. 'The lack of 24/7 cardiac care in Waterford affects people throughout Wexford more than anyone, because obviously we're geographically further away from Cork,' he said. 'So when the Waterford Cath lab is closed on weekends people in South Wexford have just 90 minutes to get to Cork.' 'In the three years up to May 2019 not one of the 37 emergency cardiac transfers from Wexford to Cork was completed within 90 minutes. Not one. Zero. It's not an exaggeration to say some Wexford people didn't survive to tell their tale.' Both Wexford candidates were extremely critical of the government's inaction on the issue of cardiac care in the region and O'Shea went on to add that, as a result, 'voting Fianna Fail instead of Fine Gael or Labour is like punching yourself in the head to cure a headache.' SPRINGFIELD The owner of a Springfield company that rents trash dumpsters was sentenced to 2 years in prison after he admitted to swindling more than $500,000 in a bank and credit card scam. Talel H. Soffan, 46, was ordered by U.S. District Court Mark Mastroianni to serve 30 months in prison, followed by five years probation. He was also ordered to pay $573,624 in forfeiture. The sentencing comes after Soffan pleaded guilty a year ago to several charges including making false statements to a financial institution, wire fraud, identity theft, conspiracy and bank fraud. Soffan, a co-owner of All Waste Management Inc., obtained 27 credit card and bank accounts under his name, various businesses names, and the names of relatives and associates, according to court filings. In the process, he failed to disclose his criminal record, which included a 2005 conviction for collecting debts for Springfield mobster Anthony Arillotta. Arillotta would later plead guilty to killing onetime Springfield mob boss Adolfo Bruno and a lower-level mob associate. Soffan defaulted on the loans and credit card bills, leading to a loss of $573,624. In a second scam, Soffan conspired with a local real estate broker to defraud banks that hired another of his companies, TRZ Management Inc., to clean out, repair and maintain foreclosed homes. Soffan received about $75,186 in contracts by submitting rigged bids and allowed the broker to keep about 5% of that total, according to court documents. [February 02, 2020] Oxford Nanopore Sequencers Have Left UK for China, to Support Rapid, Near-sample Coronavirus Sequencing for Outbreak Surveillance OXFORD, England, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Following extensive support of, and collaboration with, public health professionals in China, Oxford Nanopore has shipped an additional 200 MinION sequencers and related consumables to China. These will be used to support the ongoing surveillance of the current coronavirus outbreak, adding to a large number of the devices already installed in the country. Oxford Nanopore is already working to support more than 100 public health laboratories in China, as well as a number of Chinese microbiology laboratories and global public health scientists, with a growing community of scientists taking part in the surveillance process. "We are privileged to be working with a global scientific community to support their understanding of this outbreak," said Dr Gordon Sanghera, CEO, Oxford Nanopore. "We hope that the nanopore vision of enabling anyone to access biological information, anywhere, can have a positive impact, and are immensely grateful for the community support as we work to rapidly optimise for this outbreak." The MinION sequencer was designed for broad accessibility. It weighs under 100g and is run with a laptop or special accessory, the MinIT, to perform data analysis. It streams sequence data in real time, allowing for rapid sequencing. It is well suited to rapid sequencing in distributed locations. Previously, the device has performed sequencing in rural or remote settings, for exampe in understanding Ebola, Zika or TB. "We were able to generate results less than 24 hours after receiving an Ebola-positive sample, with the sequencing process taking as little as 15 to 60 minutes. We show that real-time genomic surveillance is possible in resource-limited settings and can be established rapidly to monitor outbreaks." Josh Quick, University of Birmingham, Nature, 2016 https://www.nature.com/articles/nature16996 Rapid sequencing of the coronavirus has been one essential tool in understanding the outbreak. Sequence information is typically combined with location and time data to provide an insight into how the virus is spreading and whether it is changing. Oxford Nanopore's sequencing technology has been used in many of the early coronavirus genomes from China, including the first genome published in NEJM and the "cluster" of genomes that indicated human-to-human transmission that were published in the Lancet and the first genomes published from the US. Researchers in the scientific community have developed protocols for nanopore sequencing of nCoV; Oxford Nanopore is working with the scientific community in the optimisation of those protocols. If you are interested in following updates on the use of nanopore in this outbreak, please follow this post, and if you would like to get in touch for nCoV specific support, please use this form. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1084698/Oxford_Nanopore_Technologies_1.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1084699/Oxford_Nanopore_Technologies_2.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1084701/Oxford_Nanopore_Technologies_3.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1084702/Oxford_Nanopore_Technologies_Logo.jpg SOURCE Oxford Nanopore Technologies [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] For a better experience on our website and avoid any trouble, we strongly recommand to activate Javascript ( click here ). Hello and welcome to Journal des Palaces You are a communication or the PR manager? Click here You are an applicant? Check out our questions and answers here ! The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday quizzed IIT-Guwahati Professor Arupjyoti Saikia for the second time in three days in connection with the violence in the city over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in December last year. The agency summoned him again for questioning on Tuesday. Saikia, a professor of History at the Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati, was summoned to the NIA office at Sonapur in the outskirts of the city on Saturday, when he was asked to appear again before the sleuths of the agency on Monday. An NIA official confirmed that Saikia was interrogated during the day. "Today (Monday), he (Saikia) was questioned for about four hours. NIA is questioning him as a witness to Akhil Gogoi's case. He has been asked to appear again at 11 am tomorrow (Tuesday)," Saikia's advocate Santanu Borthakur told PTI. The NIA has already arrested around half a dozen senior leaders, including Akhil Gogoi, of peasant body Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and its sister organisations for their alleged role in massive violence during the anti-CAA protests across the state in December last year. Earlier in December, Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that the state government has evidence that a leading academician working at a central educational institute was monitoring the "entire exercise" of violence on December 11 and 12 in protest against the Act. "That Assamese academician gave three statements -- a revolution has started, all you senior leaders disappear and now enter through the Janata Bhavan (Secretariat) gate," Sarma had said at a press conference on December 17. Based on the evidence, it was found that the academician was giving instructions from a control room, he had said. Meanwhile, 42 eminent scholars, including Ramachandra Guha, Sukanta Chaudhuri, Partha Chatterjee, Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Nivedita Menon expressed concerns over the issue and the "ordeal that Saikia is going through". "Professor Saikia is an adornment to the literary and intellectual world of Assam and of India. He is also an individual of high moral character; gentle, soft-spoken, and utterly non-violent. His devotion to his students at IIT- Guwahati is exemplary. "That a scholar of such standing, and a human being of such decency, has been called for intensive grilling by the National Investigation Agency is deeply distressing. We urge that the NIA treat him with the dignity and respect he deserves, and allow him to continue his professional work unimpeded," the statement issued by the academicians said. Saikia has done extensive research on the history and nature of Brahmaputra and has penned several books on the mighty river. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SAGINAW, MI A mother extradited from Tennessee to Saginaw County to answer a child abuse charge involving her infant son has received jail time and probation. Saginaw County District Judge M. Randall Jurrens on Friday, Jan. 31, sentenced 22-year-old Alison P. Ray to 120 days in jail with credit for 97 days already served. Upon release, Ray is to be on probation for five years, the first 90 days of which she is to be monitored on a GPS tether. Jurrens held a year in jail in abeyance in case Ray violates probation. Jurrens also ordered Ray to attended counseling and not have any contact with a minor without adult supervision. Ray is not consume alcohol or illicit drugs and is subject to periodic testing. The judge also ordered Ray to pay $375 in fines, costs, and fees, plus a $30 oversight fee shell owe every month of her probation. Earlier in January, Ray pleaded guilty to fourth-degree child abuse, punishable by up to one year in jail. Michigan law states a person is guilty of fourth-degree child abuse if any of the following apply: The person's omission or reckless act causes physical harm to a child. The person knowingly or intentionally commits an act that under the circumstances poses an unreasonable risk of harm or injury to a child, regardless of whether physical harm results. In exchange for her plea, the prosecution agreed to dismiss a charge of first-degree child abuse, punishable by up to life imprisonment. State law defines first-degree child abuse as a person knowingly or intentionally caus(ing) serious physical or serious mental harm to a child. In February 2019, Ray and her husband reported their 5-month-old son was experiencing seizure-like symptoms, prosecutors previously said. The baby was transported via ambulance to Covenant HealthCare Hospital in Saginaw. Staff there determined the boy was suffering from a brain bleed and had two prior brain bleeds, among other injuries, prosecutors have alleged. As police investigated over the following months, Ray and her husband moved from Michigan to Clarksville, Tennessee. The couples parental rights were terminated on Sept. 18 and they both refused to return to Michigan for the hearings, prosecutors have said. Authorities on Oct. 1 issued warrants for Ray and her husband. Sometime afterward, police in Tennessee arrested Ray and before the month ended, she was extradited to Michigan and arraigned in Saginaw County. Prosecutors have said they are not planning to extradite Rays 35-year-old husband, as hes imprisoned in Texas and will be so for several years. Related: Woman extradited from Tennessee pleads guilty to child abuse in Saginaw County A leaked recording of an exchange between an Iranian air-traffic controller and an Iranian pilot purports to show that authorities immediately knew a missile had downed a Ukrainian jetliner after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 people aboard, despite days of denials by the Islamic Republic. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged the recording's authenticity in a report aired by a Ukrainian television channel on Sunday night. In Tehran on Monday, the head of the Iranian investigation team, Hassan Rezaeifar, acknowledged the recording was legitimate and said that it was handed over to Ukrainian officials. After the Jan 8 disaster, Iran's civilian government maintained for days that it didn't know the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, answerable only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had shot down the aircraft. The downing of the jetliner came just hours after the Guard launched a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing US forces in retaliation for an earlier American drone strike that killed the Guard's top general, Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad. A transcript of the recording, published by Ukrainian 1+1 TV channel, contains a conversation in Farsi between an air-traffic controller and a pilot reportedly flying a Fokker 100 jet for Iran's Aseman Airlines from Iran's southern city of Shiraz to Tehran. A series of lights like ... yes, it is missile, is there something? the pilot calls out to the controller. No, how many miles? Where? the controller asks. The pilot responds that he saw the light near the city of Payam, near where the Guard's Tor M-1 anti-aircraft missile was launched from. The controller says nothing has been reported to them, but the pilot remains insistent. It is the light of missile, the pilot says. Don't you see anything anymore? the controller asks. Dear engineer, it was an explosion. We saw a very big light there, I don't really know what it was, the pilot responds. The controller then tries to contract the Ukrainian jetliner, but unsuccessfully. Publicly accessible flight-tracking radar information suggests the Aseman Airlines aircraft, flight No. 3768, was close enough to Tehran to see the blast. Iranian civil aviation authorities for days insisted it wasn't a missile that brought down the plane, even after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. officials began saying they believed it had been shot down. Iranian officials should have immediately had access to the air-traffic control recordings and Zelenskiy told 1+1 that the recording, indeed, shows that the Iranian side knew from the start that our plane was shot down by a missile, they were aware of this at the moment of the shooting. Ukraine's president repeated his demands to decode the plane's flight recorders in Kyiv something Iranian officials had promised last month but later backtracked on. On Monday, Ukrainian investigators were to travel to Tehran to participate in the decoding effort, but Zelenskiy insisted on bringing the so-called black boxes back to Kyiv. It is very important for us," he said. Iranian authorities, however, condemned the publication of the recording as unprofessional, saying it was part of a confidential report. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) If the predictions of Punxsutawney Phil seem a little suspect to you, maybe you'd like a more learned look at the remaining winter weather. Weather experts from DTN, a Burnsville-based company that specializes in weather and industry forecasts, gave their own predictions Thursday based on weather models and recent annual trends rather than spotting a shadow. "Looking at the balance of the winter, for some of you, it doesnt seem like weve had a lot of winter so far," said Jeff Johnson, a certified consulting meteorologist for DTN. Johnson said the current winter season is neither an El Nino nor a La Nina year in the Pacific Ocean, which has made the year a little difficult to pin down. Thus far, he said, a cold snap in mid-November has been followed by a fairly mild December and January in the Upper Midwest. ADVERTISEMENT One area of concern, he said, is the soil moisture is still fairly saturated from the wet winter through summer of 2019. Nathan Hamblin, a long-range team lead meteorologist for DTN, said the polar vortex that often brings waves of cold air into the northern Plains, seems to be mild this year. The vortex, if it will affect Minnesota, should have started doing so by now, and should be at higher elevations. Neither is the case this winter. "There's a 94% chance that we're going to be warmer than normal from November through March," said Stephen Strum, vice president of forecast services for DTN. "There's still some enhanced snowfall risk. There's enough cold air to see impactful snows for a few months still." That risk, though, while it could lead to an above-average winter of snow, won't touch the record levels from 2018-19, Strum said. Hamblin added that the closer the calendar gets to March, the less likely the Upper Midwest will face long periods of brutal cold. Strum said one of the key concerns, as always, is spring flooding. Last week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, said the flow of the Upper Mississippi River has been unusually high for this time of year, which could lead to flooding problems this winter and into the fall. What is key, Strum said, is how fast the snow that does come will melt. If higher temperatures cause it all to melt at once, that could bring severe flooding. But if the snow melts slowly with periods of melting and refreezing, releasing the water over a longer period rivers in the Midwest could more easily handle the water this spring. Nobody is applying for jobs in small mainly rural schools as teaching principals because of the burnout caused by the 'ridiculous' amount of work faced according to Offaly TD and Laois Offaly Independent election candidate Carol Nolan. She was responding to a teacher of a small school in Laois who highlighted a lack of supports at an Irish National Teachers Organisation public meeting in Portlaoise. I taught as a teaching principal for three years and I would never go back again, said the outgoing TD. Unfortunately that is the case with too many principals. I have met many of them and they really are suffering burnout at this stage. It is very hard to get principals in those positions now. They are being advertised and nobody is touching them. I cant blame them. "It is because of the workload and because there are no admin days there. The teaching principal is expected to do too much. Education should always be child-centred. We are not supposed to be technicians or secretaries or doing Revenues work. I remember when I started I was doing online returns for Revenue. It is just ridiculous. I believe passionately that you should be given supports. A principal is the leader of the school community. I believe they are not supported and most certainly, she said. INTO District representative Joe McKeown said there are 2,000 such principals in the country but all are faced with the responsibilities that bigger schools have. The challenges faced were highlighted to Laois Offaly candidates by a speaker who said she has zero funds recently going into the start of the school year because the Department of Education gives 70% of school funding in January and 30% in June. Noel Tuohy, Labour, said his party would make sure teaching principals would have one day a week outside of the classroom. Charlie Flanagan, FG, said there was scope through the Primary Education Forum for further investment and engagement to ease the burden. He said there may be schools that have higher than average special needs demands. Pauline Flanagan, FF, said teaching principals cannot be treated as 'busy fools'. Stephen Tynan, PBP, said cuts to the education budget should end ad Governments should stop giving money to their friends and start putting it into education. Brian Stanley, SF, said there is obviously a problem and is an issue that needs to be addressed. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 20:47:16|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least three police officers were killed and five others injured on Monday morning when their parked van was hit by a bus from behind in Tanzania's southern region of Njombe. "One of the injured policemen is in serious condition and he has already been transferred to the Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam for specialized treatment," Hamis Issah, Njombe regional police commander, said in a phone interview with Xinhua. Issah said the collision occurred in the Njombe municipality at 6 a.m. local time when the bus knocked the police van from behind. "The police officers were being deployed to their work stations," Issah said, adding that the van was stationary when it was knocked by the bus. The driver of the bus was being questioned by police and that no passenger travelling in the bus was injured, he said. Just when youd like your next cookbook to transport you to a beach lounge, tall drink in hand, along comes Beyond the North Wind by Darra Goldstein, a writer and scholar whose specialty is Russian food, to show how a harsh climate, poor soil and limited availability of foods can inspire a cuisine that suits our time. This beautifully photographed and personal cookbook explores Russia on a road to discovery beyond fancy czarist dishes and cliches like chicken Kiev. Its part travelogue, not that you are likely to book a trip to Kola Peninsula, which juts into the Barents Sea. And its timely, covering foods like whole grains, fermented dairy, vegetables and herbs, often foraged. Try the creamy fermented oatmeal or a savory pie in rye dough, with scallion and egg filling, for brunch; mushroom barley soup, braised cod with horseradish, and stroganina, frozen fish to serve in thin shavings for dinner with homemade infused vodka. Recipes for kasha, blini, pelmeni, and venison meatballs, with celery root and mushrooms, are also covered. Beyond the North Wind: Russia in Recipes and Lore by Darra Goldstein (Ten Speed Press, $37.50). Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice. Happy Monday, readers. Just in case youre out there wondering why the obscure hashtag #Sajat seems to have overtaken 2020s hottest pandemic #coronavirus over on Twitterjaya (or Twitterville, to the non-Bahasa speakers), wonder no more were here with the explainer. Buckle up, and grab a packet of wet wipes, because this is going to get messy. First things first: Meet Nur Sajat, a local cosmetics entrepreneur and unabashed online attention-seeker. You might remember her in connection with a Suria KLCC bust-up involving her personal assistant and a shop worker? No? OK, maybe you remember the time that Malaysias Islamic Affairs office JAKIM spent an inordinate amount of time investigating whether or not she was born a man. Ringing any bells yet? The long and short of it seems to conclude that despite dozens of blue-faced denials over whether or not she is transgender, speculation continues to swirl as to whether Nur was a different gender at birth than the one she currently lives as. Is it our business? No. Do we really care? Also, no. Do we admire her ability to leverage this notoriety to sell more of her products? Is the pope Catholic? (Very much so.) Now, Nur once again found herself trending on Twitter over the weekend after she shared a few video clips from a recent trip to Mecca where she performed Umrah, and did so as a woman. She made sure to chronicle the pilgrimmage on social media, because whats the point of doing anything if your millions of followers dont know about it? Ooo-ee, did social media explode, with the holier-than-thou squaring up against the Twitter progressives with the kind of intensity youd expect on a Super Bowl Sunday. As with all exasperating social media debates, no one won. Story continues What is Umrah, you might be asking, and why do people care about how or whether Sajat did it? Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can be done at any time of year, unlike the Hajj, which must correspond to certain dates as per the Islamic lunar calendar. As with the Hajj, Umrah requires that Muslims assume Ihram, a state of purification, complete with cleansing rituals, wearing specific attire, and abstaining from certain actions. Still with us? Right. Now, some folks out there believe that by dressing as her identifying gender, Nur was behaving in a haram (unholy) manner, and flocked to social media to tell everyone all about it. But while some were left grabbing for the smelling salts over Nurs decision to perform Umrah as a woman, others had more nuanced thoughts on the matter. One popular preacher even took to his Facebook account to weigh in, noting that while God accepts all, he had some issues with Nurs decision: We must try to perform the Umrah and Allah accepts everyone, but we must protect the rules concerning aurat if not, we can confuse the faith of other Muslims. He should have dressed up as a man to protect the sanctity of Mecca. Others, however, were understandably asking who appointed netizens the gatekeepers to holiness. As for Nur, well never one to shy away from controversy, she gave her two cents on her recent pilgrimage, noting that the experience was important for her spiritually, and gave her some time to ask God about the haters. I was really humbled by the whole experience, and saw how beautiful Islam is. Its clear when youre here, were all equal. We pray to the one God, Allah. She added that the experience gave her an opportunity to converse with God about the way she is. When I arrived here, I had the intention to converse with God concerning my existence. Why was I born this way? Why did Allah choose me to become like this? Why do I get a lot of tests? Why do people say I am cursed and wont go to Heaven? Nur, just remember there are only two certainties in life (neither of which is heaven): death and taxes. So dont run afoul of the auditors down at the LHDN, and try not to worry about the rest. This article, Malaysian Twitter loses its mind over controversial cosmetics entrepreneurs pilgrimage, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters! Goldman Sachs Group Inc is in advanced talks with Amazon.com Inc to offer small- and medium-sized businesses loans in the United States on the e-commerce giant`s lending platform, the Financial Times reported on Monday. The project could go live as soon as March, the FT reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. Goldman and Apple Inc in March rolled out a virtual credit card to help build out the Wall Street bank`s consumer business, which also consists of its online bank Marcus. Live TV The Marcus consumer banking brand was launched in 2015 to even out volatile results from businesses such as trading and investment banking. During Goldman`s investor day last week, Chief Executive Officer David Solomon said Marcus was looking to capture business from smaller lenders who may have less resources to invest in offering better digital services. Goldman and Amazon did not immediately respond to Reuters` requests for comment on the FT report. Britain's underwater engineering sector will create about 9,000 jobs by 2022, according to an industry body. Subsea UK said that employment in the sector, which includes the likes of engineer Wood Group, could rise from 45,163 to more than 54,000 in the next two years. It claims 80 per cent of companies are expecting projects linked to renewable energy will drive revenue increases in the future. Industry body Subsea UK said that employment in the sector, which includes the likes of engineer Wood Group, could rise from 45,163 to more than 54,000 in the next two years Most of the new jobs will be in north-east Scotland, where 63 per cent of the industry is located. North East England, where the subsea sector supports 15,000 jobs, is also predicted to see a 'considerable increase'. The report also revealed that UK subsea output had increased to 7.8billion annually from 7.5billion in 2017, taking 37 per cent of the 21billion global market. While the sector was down from its 2013 peak when it employed 53,000, Subsea UK's chief executive Neil Gordon said the industry had 'weathered the storm' and there had been a 'clear upturn' in activity, thanks partially to developments in renewable energy. He added: 'The subsea industry remains a significant success story.' NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Limousine Association (NLA) and the Limousine Association of New Jersey (LANJ) applaud New Jersey Senate President, Stephen M. Sweeney for his support in sponsoring the bill, S-863, which follows a suite of impactful bills signed into law January 20th, 2020 that aim to halt misclassification in labor. In an open letter below, on behalf of the membership and Board of the NLA and the LANJ, both organizations back Senate President Sweeney's efforts to advocate for drivers deserving of employee status. Dear Senate President Sweeney, The National Limousine Association (NLA) was founded in 1985 to promote and protect the international, national and regional interests of chauffeured transportation. Similarly, the Limousine Association of New Jersey (LANJ) advocates that New Jersey operators are treated fairly by legislators, enforcement officers and governing bodies. Working in unison, our organizations strive towards the continued growth, development and prosperity of our members' individual organizations, as well as the holistic health of the industry. As New Jersey has long been a role model for worker's rights and lawful employee classification, the NLA and the LANJ were pleased to see the package of assembly bills signed by Governor Phil Murphy that will fine employers knowingly misclassifying employees (A5839), enforce "stop-work orders" against those violating state wage, benefit or tax law (A5838), and require employers to post notice on misclassification (A5843). While these bills, among others, are certainly a step forward, we want to thank you for consistently standing up for our industry through your sponsorship of S-863. The passing of this necessary and impactful legislation demonstrates how critical it is that states and municipalities across that country enforce the "ABC Test" to level the playing field between the chauffeured transportation and ride-hailing industries. All drivers who are free from control over the performance of a company, perform work outside the usual course of the business, and are customarily engaged in an independently established profession, should be considered independent contractors. Ride-hail transportation services such as Uber and Lyft clearly do not meet these requirements, and therefore should not be considered for a carve-out from S-863. We implore that your office keeps this in mind as these manipulative corporations use money to cheat their drivers out of rightful employee status and benefits. Likewise, the development of new technological platforms should not validate immunity from legislation intended to defend the rights of workers across the great state of New Jersey or the nation. The NLA and LANJ will continue to defend its members and the private chauffeured transportation industry and we greatly appreciate your attention to this issue. Thank you very much for your time. Gary Buffo Founder and President, Pure Luxury Transportation, Inc. President, The National Limousine Association Commissioner, Visit California Secretary, California Travel Association Board Member, San Francisco Travel Board Member, Visit Napa Valley Finance and Legal Committee, Sonoma County Tourism Jason Sharenow Chief Operating Officer Owner, Broadway Elite Chauffeured Services Worldwide President, Limousine Association of New Jersey ABOUT THE NLA: The National Limousine Association is a non-profit organization responsible for and dedicated to representing the interests of the private driver transportation industry at the global, national, state, and local level. It is the unified voice of this industry linking transportation industry professionals from owners and operators to suppliers, manufacturers, regional and state limousine associations. With more than 2,000 NLA members, the Association is committed to exceeding expectations with regards to professionalism, transportation efficiency and safe riding. For additional information on the NLA, please visit www.limo.org. ABOUT THE LANJ: The Limousine Association of New Jersey is a non-profit association representing the chauffeured car industry in the state. Its membership is comprised of 150-member companies, representing over 90% of the registered chauffeured cars in New Jersey. The mission of the association is to advocate for its members to ensure a level playing field amongst all transportation platforms, and to educate its members on safety, state and federal regulations, as well as best practices for running a licensed and properly insured business. For additional information on the LANJ, please visit www.lanj.org. SOURCE National Limousine Association Related Links https://www.limo.org January isnt called divorce month for nothing. Its the time of year when warring couples, following a stressful Christmas, are most likely to call time on their marriage. Unfortunately, its also the time of year that people are strapped for cash. While so-called one click online divorces have been available in the UK for a while, its hard to know wholl get you the best deal from among the dozens of options out there. So news that Hollywoods top divorce lawyer, Laura Wasser, is joining the online fray with a mission to help the non-rich end their marriages quickly, cheaply and painlessly could be music to some peoples ears. Laura is the lawyer many celebrities turn to when theyre facing an unhappy-ever-after. Shes negotiated divorces for stars including Angelina Jolie, when the actress dissolved her marriage to Billy Bob Thornton (and oversaw the initial legal stages of Jolies ongoing divorce from Brad Pitt); Johnny Depp (splitting from Amber Heard); Kim Kardashian (from Kris Humphries); and Maria Shriver (from Arnold Schwarzenegger). Hollywoods top divorce lawyer, Laura Wasser is the person many celebrities turn to when theyre facing an unhappy-ever-after She has acted as mediator between Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, and between Lauren Sanchez (the girlfriend of Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos) and her husband Patrick Whitesell, when both couples had outstanding issues to settle. It was Laura upon whom director and writer Noah Baumbach reportedly and loosely based the divorce lawyer character played by Laura Dern in hit film Marriage Story. (Wasser has said she doesnt recognise herself in the spiky portrayal, but has congratulated Dern on her Oscar nomination.) Connections run deep: in Baumbachs own divorce, Laura acted for his ex-wife, Jennifer Jason Leigh; and she represented Dern in the actresss divorce from former husband Ben Harper. Baumbach even persuaded Wasser to loan her office building for the legal scenes in Marriage Story. When it comes to divorce, celebrities are just like us, says Laura. Theyre terrified, sad and angry. They care about how their kids are going to be. We are chatting in her office in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, where she is a partner at the law firm started by her father, Dennis Wasser, in 1976. His clients have included Tom Cruise, Mia Farrow, Steven Spielberg and Jennifer Lopez. Petite, with long, glossy hair and a wide smile, Laura, a 51-year-old mother of two, is wearing a blue leopard-print Paul Smith shirt-dress and Valentino boots. She charges $950 (725) an hour for her legal services and requires a $25,000 (19,000) retainer, a fee paid in advance. Warm and friendly, she shows me into her inner sanctum not the typical wood-panelled workplace you would expect a powerful lawyer to have, its modern and uncluttered with eye-catching art on the walls. She is joining the online fray with a mission to help the non-rich end their marriages quickly, cheaply and painlessly could be music to some peoples ears (Pictured, Laura Dern, left, was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress in Netflix show Marriage Story) Theres a huge framed photo of a couple in bed, for example, with a womans red-soled Louboutin sticking out from under the rumpled bedclothes alongside a mans bare feet. Its not me, but it kind of reminds me of the end of the day, laughs Laura, who has a long-term screenwriter boyfriend. Theres also a painting that proclaims, ominously or optimistically depending on your point of view, the words The End above a sofa. I spot a box of Kleenex sitting on a side table. If only walls could talk. Is this where Maria Shriver sobbed about the discovery of Arnold Schwarzeneggers lovechild with their maid and decided it was time to terminate The Terminator? Was it here that Angelina launched the first salvo in her acrimonious divorce from the two-time Sexiest Man Alive, Brad Pitt? I never, ever talk about my clients, says Laura, her easy charm momentarily dissolving into steeliness. Instead, we are here to talk about her website itsovereasy.com, which, she claims, allows couples who cannot afford huge legal fees to divorce cheaply and easily. People date online and they bank online, so why cant they divorce online? she reasons. Its for couples who want to separate amicably, save money and keep control of the process. While so-called one click online divorces have been available in the UK for a while, its hard to know wholl get you the best deal from among the dozens of options out there Changes in the law expected this year will make divorce in the UK far less painful. The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill is going through Parliament and, if passed, will enable no-fault divorces, allowing couples to split without one party officially taking the blame (for reasons of adultery, for example). The introduction of no-fault divorce chimes with Lauras view that couples now want kinder, gentler ends to a marriage rather than a bitter, dragged-out War of The Roses-type split. Look at the way celebrities are divorcing, she says. Theres conscious uncoupling all kinds of names for it. The fact is, the public looks at celebrities and wants to emulate how they do things in almost every facet of life. 'So, if were looking at the Jennifers and the Bens or the Gwyneths and the Chrises, and theyre divorcing with care and concern for each other, people think: Maybe we should do it that way, too. But surely marriage is something you should stick at? Absolutely, says Laura. People should try to save their relationships. I think marriage is lovely. I think monogamy is lovely. I think co-habitation and co-parenting are lovely. But we have to have the fluidity to change things if theyre not working. Shes negotiated divorces for stars including Angelina Jolie, when the actress dissolved her marriage to Billy Bob Thornton (and oversaw the initial legal stages of Jolies ongoing divorce from Brad Pitt, pictured together in 2009) It is not easy to decide when it is time to cut your losses, she admits. Its when the bad outweighs the good. But relationships are so fluid you can decide you cant stand him, and then he suddenly does something wonderful. Or something happens to a family member and hes not there. And its at that point you make the break. Ive had people come to me year after year, saying: I dont know if Im ready. I get it. You have to be ready because its going to be gruelling to make that transition. We want the legal part to be easier. We want the financial part to be easier, but emotionally, youre going to go through some bad to get to the good. She advises clients who are unsure whether to end their marriages to try couples counselling first. If that doesnt work and divorce is the only option, she recommends building a support system to get you through it. Find someone whos not friends or family. There are people at church or divorce support groups where you can vomit up everything you have to say. You can also, believe it or not, use your soon-to-be-ex as a support system. You can say: We got into this together, lets see if we can get out of this together. How to split and keep it friendly BE PREPARED Seek counselling together if you can, or on your own. Get information on the basics of divorce: how youre going to split your property, and the issues surrounding spouse and child support and custody. Figure out a time schedule that works for both of you. START AS YOU MEAN TO GO ON Take control of the process as a team, so that you leave your relationship as a united twosome. Instead of recriminations, try saying the following: I want us to do this the right way. You are the father/mother of my children and I will always care for you. You have been my lover, my best friend and my support. I hope we can always remain united for the sake of our children and ourselves. SAME HOUSE, SEPARATE SPACES You are no longer condemned, as our parents were, to staying together indefinitely if you cannot afford to divorce. Its one of the reasons Laura founded itsovereasy.com to give couples a more affordable option. The paperwork still takes time however and many couples draw up an agreement while continuing to live under the same roof. Typically, this specifies living arrangements, determines how finances will be shared and helps to draw up a schedule for childcare, too. TELLING THE CHILDREN Put on a united front. Children need reassurance the family unit still exists. Keep it simple. Answer their questions, but say you will handle all the particulars and they can get on with their lives. Next tell their teachers so they can keep an eye out for any problems. CUSTODY Track the current time each of you spends with the children. Be flexible about any changes made to the schedule, but remember that a reliable routine is important for children. FINANCES The ideal division of assets and liabilities neither unduly impoverishes nor unduly enriches either party, but gives you what you need to move on. Each ends up with a fairly equal amount of economic value, if with different amounts of money or property. Remember, the more acrimony, the more money your lawyer makes! Advertisement If you have kids, youre going to deal with that other person for the rest of your lives so its in everybodys interests to keep conflict to a minimum. A change she has seen in her 25 years of family law is that women are demanding more than they have done in the past: fair and equitable settlements. Im also seeing more women not abrogating their financial knowledge, she says. If you made an arrangement at the beginning of your marriage that you were going to be the child-rearer, that you were going to stay at home fine. 'But you have to understand whats going into the household each month and whats going out. Women cant ask for a fair settlement if they dont know what they have. Also, establish your own credit. I have women who can get a table at any restaurant in Los Angeles, New York or London. 'They sit in the front row of the Paris and New York fashion shows, and yet they come in here and say: I dont have my own credit card. Its got my name on it, but its his account. When they go to buy a house post-divorce, theyve got no credit. We may imagine celebrities are cushioned against the pain of divorce by fame and wealth, but it is not so, the lawyer claims. They all have the same insecurities maybe even more that we have about dating again, says Laura. And theyre concerned about money. Its all relative: you might be wondering if youre going to have to live in your car, while theyre asking themselves: Am I still going to be able to fly private? I tell my clients: If you guys have horrible things to say about each other, say it to your mothers, say it to your friends. Dont say it to the media and dont put it in the court papers because theyre filed in the public system. In her decades overseeing divorces, not much surprises Laura. Not naming names, she tells me about the angry wife who steamed the labels off her exs valuable wine collection so that it was worthless. He and his friends drank it anyway. Then there was the rock star and his ex who turned up late for a court hearing. It turned out they had been having break-up sex in the back of his Rolls-Royce. Laura was married briefly, at the age of 25, and divorced a year later. The couple had no children. She now has two sons, aged ten and 14, by two dads and they coparent amicably, she says. Is she friends with her famous clients? I dont want them to feel Im not their friend, but Im not their friend. Im charging them for my time, she explains. I will share with them, to the extent that it seems like it might be helpful to them, my personal experience as someone whos been in relationships and out of them. But its a professional relationship. Sometimes, she says, she sees former clients a year or so after their divorces in restaurants and they avoid catching her eye. I remind them of a painful time in their lives, and even if they say I helped them through it better than anyone else could, they dont want to be hanging out too much with me afterwards. For now, Lauras divorce packages on itsovereasy.com are available only in the U.S. and Canada, where packages start at $750 (575) per spouse. But she intends to launch in the UK soon. Users register on the divorce platform and invite their spouse to join. You provide the basic information to start the divorce, which is filed to the court on your behalf, and your spouse is served with the initial divorce documents. Laura's worked with Johnny Depp (splitting from Amber Heard, pictured in 2016); Kim Kardashian (from Kris Humphries); and Maria Shriver (from Arnold Schwarzenegger) After that, the site helps both of you resolve issues of child custody, support and divisions of assets before the settlement terms are put into an enforceable judgment and filed to the court. Brits contemplating divorce can benefit from access to the free content and resources provided by top experts who are on the website, such as advice on parenting an anxious child through divorce and how to draw up a shared plan for co-parenting expenses. They can also listen to Lauras podcast, DivorceSucks!, and will be able to subscribe to the video series nextchapterseries.com when it launches shortly, advising how to make peace with your past and launch the next chapter of your life. Laura says she is not cynical about marriage, but has no plans to tie the knot again herself. If youve found your soulmate, till death do you part, then thats one of the luckiest things. But it doesnt happen to everyone and I dont know if all humans are meant to mate for life, she says. I just know from experience and from the statistics that people are better off and kids are better off with two not-married parents who are happy, than married parents who are miserable. Find out more here. VANCOUVERTorontos Dr. Eleanor Fish knows theres no proven treatment available for the novel coronavirus thats infected thousands and killed hundreds in China over the past month, but when she read that country is trying interferon for patients, her heart leapt. She says she believes it could be a game-changer, and not just for the coronavirus. The nod from China seemed to indicate that the treatment, which Fish has been studying for three decades and which she said she tried with good results in both SARS and Ebola patients, could be gaining attention globally. I continue to shout it from the rooftops: Those who are severely ill with this coronavirus should be receiving a daily dose of interferon, Fish said. Im excited in the coming months to see what I hope will be positive outcomes. The best defence modern medicine offers to viruses is prevention in the form of vaccines. But the immediate need to deal with outbreaks such as the novel coronavirus is pushing forward broad-spectrum antiviral medicines such as interferon as a potential short-term option. The novel coronavirus that was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan has spread to 26 countries and prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a public health emergency. The virus, which causes pneumonia, is new to doctors and researchers and does not have any proven treatments. Over the past several weeks, health agencies from around the world have been collaborating on attempts to create vaccines for the virus. The WHO told the Star it is attempting to accelerate access to medicines and vaccines for patients with the virus. There are therapeutics under investigation, in the form of observational and clinical trials for MERS-CoV patients, which WHO is helping to coordinate with a range of partners, the organization said in an email. But Canadas chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said last week that, working as quickly as possible, scientists would likely be able to produce a vaccine in a year. Tam said health authorities are working together on considering potential anti-viral remedies for the coronavirus, which would treat sick patients rather than prevent healthy people from getting the virus. Chinas government has issued a directive with guidance to that end, recommending doctors should try two different treatments. One is the combination of drugs used to treat HIV/AIDS. The drugmaker, AbbVie, was quick to promote the concept of a clinical trial for coronavirus last week. The other is interferon, which was used by a team of doctors on SARS in Toronto 17 years ago the first time the treatment had been used on that coronavirus. Prior to that, it was used as a treatment for Hep-C. The Chinese directive recommended two doses of inhaled interferon per day for coronavirus patients. Fish described interferon as the bodys first line of defence against all viruses. Its produced naturally and kicks off a number of immune responses that attack the virus. Not only does it directly inhibit the virus multiplying, but it also boosts the immune system, Fish said. And its broad spectrum, meaning it works no matter if the virus is Zika, SARS, Ebola or this novel coronavirus. In 2003, Fish was the interferon expert on a team of doctors who tried the treatment on SARS patients in Toronto. Though they didnt conduct a formal study, they found the patients given interferon got better quicker than those who werent. When Ebola hit Guinea, Fish ran tests that showed equally encouraging results. Since then, the drug has also been tested on Middle East Respiratoy Syndrome, influenza and others. A study released this month by scientists from the Denison Lab in Nashville cited multiple examples of the drugs effectiveness against a variety of viruses. Fish has been advocating for a store of interferon to be kept as part of countries pandemic response plans. Then you will always have drugs, no matter what the outbreak is, she said. Though Chinas directive is to try interferon, its not part of the global response to the virus. A spokesperson from Ontarios Minstry of Health said that, absent specific anti-viral treatment recommendations, the confirmed coronavirus patients in Ontario should receive supportive care. Read more about: Senior Producers, Larger-Cap Near-Term Production Royalty & Streaming Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 31-Jan-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Altius Minerals Corp ALS 1.8 C$10.71 42 $341 0.42 0.50 0.48 21.3 22.5 0.35 0.96 1.03 11.2 10.4 -- 1.6% Anglo Pacific Group PLC (UK) APF 1.8 GBP$1.74 181 $416 0.18 0.21 0.21 8.4 8.3 0.20 0.23 0.22 7.6 7.8 19.2 4.6% Franco-Nevada FNV 2.3 US$113.66 189 $21,478 1.17 1.71 2.15 66.5 52.9 2.55 3.22 3.85 35.3 29.5 44.2 1.1% Maverix Metals (CA) MMX 2.1 C$6.77 108 $554 0.04 0.07 0.16 NM 43.7 0.24 0.22 0.37 30.2 18.4 -- 0.0% Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd OR 2.1 C$13.20 157 $1,572 0.20 0.26 0.33 50.6 39.7 0.53 0.64 0.76 20.6 17.5 54.3 1.6% Royal Gold Inc RGLD 3.2 US$115.32 66 $7,564 1.60 2.09 2.76 55.3 41.9 4.45 4.50 5.27 25.6 21.9 27.8 0.8% Sandstorm Gold Ltd (CA) SAND 2.2 US$6.86 175 $1,202 0.03 0.08 0.13 91.5 52.3 0.24 0.32 0.39 21.5 17.4 32.7 0.0% Wheaton Precious Metals WPM 1.9 US$29.45 447 $13,191 0.48 0.58 0.88 51.2 33.5 1.22 1.16 1.48 25.3 19.9 23.3 1.4% Average 49.2 36.8 22.2 17.9 33.6 Gold Large Cap Gold Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd AEM 2.0 US$61.82 239 $14,801 0.31 0.96 1.81 64.1 34.1 2.60 3.67 5.06 16.8 12.2 18.5 0.9% Barrick Gold Corp ABX 2.1 US$18.53 1778 $32,923 0.35 0.50 0.68 37.0 27.1 1.51 1.76 2.24 10.5 8.3 11.6 1.0% Kirkland Lake Gold (CA) KL 2.6 US$41.00 210 $8,596 1.36 2.70 2.66 15.2 15.4 2.58 4.20 4.43 9.8 9.3 45.4 0.3% Newcrest Mining Ltd (AU) NCM 3.2 US$19.76 769 $15,255 0.66 0.86 1.02 22.9 19.3 1.90 1.89 1.96 10.4 10.1 11.7 1.0% Newmont Goldcorp NEM 2.0 US$45.06 820 $36,942 1.34 1.30 1.92 34.6 23.4 3.41 3.88 4.74 11.6 9.5 18.0 1.5% Polyus Gold International (UK) PGIL 2.0 RU$7,814.50 134 $16,618 617.74 681.87 850.37 11.5 9.2 589.63 874.03 979.91 8.9 8.0 -- 4.1% Zijin Mining Group (HK) 2899 1.7 CNY$3.05 25377 $14,666 0.18 0.18 0.21 17.4 14.5 0.44 0.38 0.49 8.0 6.2 23.3 0.0% Average 28.9 20.4 10.9 9.1 21.4 Mid Cap Gold Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 31-Jan-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Alamos Gold AGI 2.2 US$6.31 391 $2,472 0.05 0.21 0.25 30.1 24.8 0.55 0.73 0.72 8.7 8.8 15.1 0.7% AngloGold Ashanti Ltd AU 2.7 US$20.26 415 $8,548 0.51 1.17 2.26 17.3 9.0 2.05 2.60 4.82 7.8 4.2 6.8 0.4% B2Gold Corp BTG 1.6 US$4.33 1026 $4,451 0.16 0.24 0.38 18.1 11.4 0.43 0.50 0.67 8.7 6.5 14.5 0.0% Buenaventura (ADR) BVN 3.1 US$12.93 276 $3,415 (0.02) 0.40 0.62 32.5 20.8 1.36 0.58 0.99 22.2 13.1 12.2 0.8% Centerra Gold (CA) CG 2.3 US$8.01 294 $2,357 0.26 0.72 1.08 11.2 7.4 0.74 1.45 1.98 5.5 4.0 7.0 0.0% Endeavour Mining Corp (CA) EDV 1.8 US$20.48 110 $2,251 0.49 0.59 1.60 35.0 12.8 2.33 2.92 4.01 7.0 5.1 12.7 0.0% Evolution Mining Ltd (AU) EVN 2.8 AUD$3.71 1704 $4,248 0.14 0.17 0.23 22.3 16.1 0.39 0.42 0.48 8.8 7.7 9.5 2.2% Gold Fields Ltd (ADR) GFI 3.0 US$6.40 829 $5,490 0.07 0.21 0.46 30.5 13.9 0.75 1.07 1.43 6.0 4.5 6.0 0.5% Kinross Gold Corp KGC 2.5 US$5.07 1254 $6,368 0.10 0.31 0.39 16.3 12.9 0.63 0.88 1.06 5.7 4.8 9.3 0.0% Northern Star Resources (AU) NST 2.7 AUD$12.60 734 $6,213 0.30 0.44 0.72 28.8 17.4 0.58 0.79 1.14 16.0 11.0 20.9 1.2% NovaGold Resources Inc NG 2.0 US$9.12 328 $3,000 (0.10) (0.09) -- -- -- -- -- (0.03) -- -- -- 0.0% Polymetal International PLC (UK) POLY 2.4 US$16.97 470 $7,981 1.00 1.18 1.55 14.4 10.9 1.14 1.44 1.97 11.8 8.6 12.8 4.0% Pretium Resources PVG 2.1 US$10.89 196 $2,137 0.54 0.50 1.09 21.8 10.0 1.07 1.14 1.74 9.6 6.2 -- 0.0% Saracen Mineral Holdings (AU) SAR 2.0 AUD$3.95 1103 $2,927 0.10 0.17 0.27 23.3 14.6 0.25 0.31 0.42 12.6 9.4 45.3 0.0% Sibanye Gold Ltd (SA) SGL 1.8 ZAR$39.08 2670 $7,070 (0.01) 1.75 8.82 22.4 4.4 5.31 2.65 11.73 14.7 3.3 12.1 0.0% SSR Mining SSRM 2.2 US$18.31 123 $2,254 0.23 0.76 1.02 24.1 18.0 0.50 1.55 2.11 11.8 8.7 10.1 0.0% Yamana Gold Inc AUY 2.5 US$4.07 950 $3,879 0.12 0.12 0.19 34.2 21.9 0.43 0.52 0.68 7.8 6.0 7.9 0.8% Zhaojin Mining Industry Co Ltd (HK) 1818 2.3 CNY$7.87 3270 $3,710 0.15 0.21 0.32 38.0 24.3 0.53 0.78 1.10 10.2 7.1 20.5 0.5% Average 24.7 14.7 10.3 7.0 13.9 Note: Currency shown is that used by the company for financial reporting. Currency does not always reflect the country/market in which the company/stock symbol trades. GAAP may differ between stocks due to countries and markets. The tables are compiled from the Thomson Reuters database of consensus Ratings & Estimates of equity analysts. The historicals and estimates of earnings and cash flows exclude non-operating, special items. Thomson Reuters Rating System: Buy (1.0), Buy/Hold (2.0), Hold (3.0), Sell/Hold (4.0), Sell (5.0) Source: Thomson Reuters. Small Cap Gold Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 31-Jan-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Acacia Mining PLC (UK) ACAA -- US$2.93 410 $1,200 0.11 0.22 0.25 13.5 11.7 0.31 0.44 0.52 6.7 5.6 -- 0.0% Alacer Gold Corp (CA) ASR 2.6 US$4.70 295 $1,388 0.05 0.39 0.46 11.9 10.2 0.33 0.76 0.91 6.2 5.2 50.7 0.0% Centamin Egypt (CA) CEE 2.3 US$1.80 1156 $2,075 0.06 0.07 0.10 27.1 18.3 0.19 0.11 0.15 16.6 12.2 4.5 4.8% Continental Gold Inc (CA) CNL 2.3 US$4.13 214 $887 (0.16) (0.15) 0.13 -- 31.3 (0.07) (0.09) 0.33 -- 12.4 -- 0.0% DRDGold Ltd (ADR) DROOY 5.0 ZAR$9.52 865 $558 0.06 0.38 0.80 25.1 11.9 1.17 1.26 -- 7.6 -- 20.4 0.0% Dundee Precious Metals (CA) DPM 1.9 US$4.62 181 $833 0.16 0.30 0.58 15.6 7.9 0.55 0.72 1.03 6.4 4.5 11.9 0.0% Eldorado Gold Corp EGO 2.8 US$7.37 159 $1,155 (0.17) 0.07 0.81 NM 9.2 0.42 1.01 2.10 7.3 3.5 9.9 0.0% Equinox Gold Corp (CA) EQX 2.2 US$8.42 113 $956 (0.10) 0.16 0.57 53.2 14.8 (0.25) 0.78 1.25 10.8 6.7 -- 0.0% Gold Resource Corp GORO 2.0 US$5.51 66 $361 0.15 0.44 -- 12.7 -- -- -- -- -- 0.7% Gold Road Resources Ltd (AU) GOR 2.1 AUD$1.42 879 $839 (0.02) (0.01) 0.09 -- 15.1 (0.02) 0.03 0.14 44.7 9.8 -- 0.0% Golden Star Resources GSS 2.5 US$2.94 160 $322 (0.02) 0.16 0.27 18.8 11.1 (0.09) 0.32 0.71 9.2 4.1 8.2 0.0% Great Bear Resources (CA) GBR 1.5 C$8.80 46 $304 (0.13) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.0% Harmony Gold Mining Ltd HAR 2.1 ZAR$50.83 542 $1,868 1.80 4.45 7.67 11.4 6.6 8.56 11.42 15.36 4.4 3.3 7.3 0.0% Hecla Mining Co HL 3.2 US$3.03 496 $1,501 (0.11) (0.13) 0.04 -- 84.2 0.22 0.23 0.37 12.9 8.1 8.6 0.6% Highland Gold Mining Ltd (UK) HGM 2.0 US$2.77 364 $1,008 0.15 0.31 0.32 9.1 8.7 0.37 0.44 0.49 6.3 5.7 8.1 6.1% Hochschild Mining PLC (UK) HOC 2.4 US$2.22 514 $1,142 0.05 0.12 0.15 18.0 14.9 0.36 0.45 0.46 5.0 4.8 3.9 1.7% Iamgold Corp IAG 2.7 US$2.98 468 $1,397 0.06 (0.02) 0.18 -- 16.3 0.41 0.52 0.81 5.7 3.7 3.8 0.0% K92 Mining (CA) KNT 1.4 US$2.91 213 $621 0.07 0.11 0.27 25.6 10.7 0.09 0.21 0.35 14.0 8.4 -- 0.0% Leagold Mining Corp (CA) LMC 2.5 US$2.75 285 $785 0.07 0.14 0.31 20.0 8.9 0.20 0.47 0.63 5.9 4.4 -- 0.0% Lundin Gold Inc (CA) LUG 2.1 US$7.96 224 $1,783 (0.12) (0.21) 0.37 -- 21.4 (0.17) (0.12) 0.60 -- 13.2 -- 0.0% McEwen Mining Inc. MUX 2.0 US$1.15 363 $417 (0.13) (0.11) (0.01) -- -- 0.00 (0.05) 0.02 -- 57.5 -- 0.3% New Gold Inc NGD 2.8 US$0.92 673 $620 (0.02) (0.07) 0.01 -- NM 0.33 0.37 0.40 2.5 2.3 3.9 0.0% Oceanagold Corp (AU) OGC 2.1 US$2.05 622 $1,305 0.20 0.05 0.17 41.3 12.1 0.55 0.33 0.42 6.1 4.9 5.1 0.2% Orla Mining Ltd (CA) OLA 2.0 C$2.55 187 $361 (0.17) (0.17) (0.09) -- -- (0.14) (0.12) (0.08) -- -- -- 0.0% Osisko Mining Corp (CA) OSK 1.8 C$3.98 290 $874 (0.18) (0.09) (0.05) -- -- (0.03) (0.07) (0.04) -- -- -- 0.0% Pan African Resources (UK) PAF 1.0 US$0.17 1928 $328 0.01 0.02 0.03 8.5 5.5 0.01 0.03 0.04 6.5 4.2 12.5 1.3% Perseus Mining Ltd (AU) PRU 2.2 AUD$1.16 1168 $906 0.00 0.02 0.05 58.0 23.6 0.10 0.14 0.17 8.2 6.8 -- 0.0% Petropavlovsk PLC (UK) POG 2.0 US$0.24 3310 $794 0.01 0.02 0.04 15.0 6.0 0.07 0.02 0.03 16.0 7.4 6.8 0.0% Regis Resources Ltd (AU) RRL 2.9 AUD$4.50 508 $1,537 0.33 0.37 0.44 12.1 10.2 0.53 0.56 0.60 8.0 7.5 8.6 3.0% Ramelius Resources Ltd (AU) RMS 1.8 AUD$1.32 658 $582 0.05 0.06 0.10 21.6 12.8 0.23 0.23 0.26 5.7 5.0 9.4 1.4% Resolute Mining Ltd (AU) RSG 2.1 AUD$1.15 1036 $797 0.06 0.19 0.23 6.1 5.0 0.15 0.28 0.33 4.1 3.4 -- 0.0% St Barbara Ltd (AU) SBM 2.4 AUD$2.73 699 $1,282 0.32 0.25 0.29 10.9 9.5 0.52 0.41 0.46 6.6 6.0 3.4 2.7% Sabina Gold & Silver Corp (CA) SBB 2.1 C$1.78 297 $400 (0.03) (0.02) (0.01) -- -- (0.02) (0.03) (0.01) -- -- -- 0.0% Seabridge Gold SA 2.0 C$18.44 63 $885 (0.34) (0.12) (0.08) -- -- (0.16) (6.29) -- -- -- -- 0.0% Semafo (CA) SMF 2.4 US$2.11 334 $707 (0.01) 0.25 0.30 8.3 7.0 0.34 0.75 0.70 2.8 3.0 5.3 0.0% Silver Lake Resources (AU) SLR 2.8 AUD$1.63 880 $961 0.03 0.07 0.10 24.1 15.6 0.14 0.17 0.21 9.8 7.9 20.6 0.0% Silvercrest Metals Inc SILV 1.8 C$8.77 105 $700 (0.07) (0.10) (0.06) -- -- (0.08) (0.08) (0.05) -- -- -- 0.0% Teranga Gold Corp (CA) TGZ 1.3 US$5.69 108 $614 0.17 0.10 0.40 56.9 14.4 0.86 0.75 1.23 7.6 4.6 7.4 0.0% Torex Gold Resources (CA) TXG 1.9 US$13.76 85 $1,177 0.23 0.72 1.02 19.1 13.5 2.68 3.21 3.10 4.3 4.4 7.8 0.0% Victoria Gold Corp (CA) VIT 2.0 C$8.09 58 $352 -- 0.98 0.83 8.3 9.8 -- (0.40) 0.18 -- 46.2 -- 0.0% Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd (CA) WDO 2.2 C$9.02 138 $942 0.11 0.33 0.44 27.6 20.6 0.34 0.57 0.58 15.7 15.6 71.3 0.0% Westgold Resources Ltd (AU) WGX 2.0 AUD$2.19 400 $588 0.02 0.09 0.24 23.3 9.0 0.13 0.31 0.47 7.1 4.6 -- 0.0% Average 21.5 14.8 9.1 9.0 13.0 Note: Currency shown is that used by the company for financial reporting. Currency does not always reflect the country/market in which the company/stock symbol trades. GAAP may differ between stocks due to countries and markets. The tables are compiled from the Thomson Reuters database of consensus Ratings & Estimates of equity analysts. The historicals and estimates of earnings and cash flows exclude non-operating, special items. Thomson Reuters Rating System: Buy (1.0), Buy/Hold (2.0), Hold (3.0), Sell/Hold (4.0), Sell (5.0) Source: Thomson Reuters. Silver Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 31-Jan-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Alexco Resource Corp* AXU 2.3 C$2.36 119 $212 (0.08) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.0% Americas Gold & Silver Corp (CA) USA 1.8 US$2.95 83 $245 (0.25) (0.23) 0.18 -- 16.4 0.21 0.07 0.52 43.8 5.7 56.3 0.0% Coeur Mining Corp CDE 2.8 US$6.03 241 $1,450 (0.01) (0.26) 0.20 -- 29.7 0.11 0.49 0.99 12.3 6.1 7.8 0.0% Endeavour Silver Corp EXK 3.2 US$2.12 140 $298 (0.10) (0.25) 0.05 -- 47.2 0.21 (0.02) 0.26 -- 8.0 8.5 0.0% First Majestic Silver Corp AG 2.6 US$10.08 205 $2,068 (0.21) 0.08 0.23 NM 44.7 0.18 0.53 0.49 18.9 20.6 18.7 0.0% Fortuna Silver Mines FSM 2.1 US$3.92 160 $630 0.24 0.17 0.46 23.1 8.6 0.52 0.36 0.88 10.8 4.4 8.4 0.0% Fresnillo (UK) FRES 2.7 US$8.74 737 $6,443 0.46 0.23 0.31 38.6 28.3 1.09 0.86 0.95 10.2 9.2 6.8 2.9% MAG Silver Corp MAG 1.9 US$10.90 87 $945 (0.09) (0.05) 0.28 -- 39.6 (0.05) (0.04) 0.08 -- NM -- 0.0% New Pacific Metals Corp (CA) NUAG 2.7 C$6.69 147 $745 (0.03) (0.02) (0.02) -- -- (0.02) (0.01) -- -- -- -- 0.0% Pan American Silver PAAS 2.4 US$22.98 210 $4,828 0.39 0.66 0.79 34.7 29.1 1.01 1.49 2.29 15.4 10.0 18.4 0.9% Silvercorp Metals Inc SVM 2.0 US$5.21 172 $899 0.21 0.23 0.23 22.9 22.9 0.40 0.42 0.41 12.3 12.8 -- 0.6% Average 29.8 29.6 17.7 9.6 17.9 Platinum Group Metals African Rainbow Minerals (SA) ARI 2.1 ZAR$168.91 224 $2,562 25.61 29.31 29.65 5.8 5.7 13.97 17.61 22.93 9.6 7.4 36.1 7.1% Anglo American Platinum Ltd (SA) AMS 3.1 ZAR$1,199.50 270 $21,918 28.22 73.05 102.56 16.4 11.7 59.17 82.37 115.44 14.6 10.4 34.3 2.2% Impala Platinum (SA) IMP 2.3 ZAR$141.50 799 $8,367 1.23 11.70 20.05 12.1 7.1 9.05 18.57 24.65 7.6 5.7 39.1 0.0% Lonmin PLC (UK) LMI -- US$0.96 290 $278 -- 0.41 0.40 2.3 2.4 -- 0.48 0.02 2.0 62.9 -- 0.0% North American Palladium Ltd (CA) PDL -- C$19.73 59 $883 -- 2.30 2.49 8.6 7.9 -- 3.95 -- 5.0 -- -- 1.3% Northam Platinum Ltd (SA) NHM 1.7 ZAR$125.69 510 $4,341 (0.92) 4.87 12.66 25.8 9.9 3.39 14.01 22.60 9.0 5.6 85.3 0.0% Average 11.8 7.4 8.0 18.4 48.7 Select ( Precious Metals >US$20MM Mkt Cap) Gold Springs Resource Corp (CA)* GRC 2.0 US$0.09 249 $23 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.0% Lion One Metals Ltd (CA)* LIO 2.0 C$1.72 106 $138 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.0% Minera Alamos Inc (CA) MAI 2.0 C$0.28 407 $86 (0.02) 0.01 0.03 28.0 9.3 0.03 -- -- -- -- -- 0.0% Northern Vertex Mining Corp (CA)* NEE 2.0 US$0.20 247 $49 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.0% Paramount Gold Nevada Corp* PZG 1.7 US$0.94 28 $27 (0.26) (0.21) (0.15) -- -- (0.19) (0.13) -- -- -- 0.0% Average 20.0 19.9 *includes research coverage by Scarsdale Equities. Note: Currency shown is that used by the company for financial reporting. Currency does not always reflect the country/market in which the company/stock symbol trades. GAAP may differ between stocks due to countries and markets. The tables are compiled from the Thomson Reuters database of consensus Ratings & Estimates of equity analysts. The historicals and estimates of earnings and cash flows exclude non-operating, special items. Thomson Reuters Rating System: Buy (1.0), Buy/Hold (2.0), Hold (3.0), Sell/Hold (4.0), Sell (5.0) Source: Thomson Reuters. Base Metals & Diversified Large Cap Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 31-Jan-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Anglo American PLC (UK) AAL 2.7 US$26.21 1367 $35,839 2.50 2.84 2.77 9.2 9.5 5.50 5.46 5.94 4.8 4.4 7.5 4.0% Antofagasta PLC (UK) ANTO 2.7 US$10.85 986 $10,699 0.52 0.55 0.55 19.7 19.7 1.33 1.92 1.72 5.7 6.3 8.8 0.9% BHP Billiton Ltd BHP 2.7 US$26.36 5058 $124,256 1.81 1.95 1.99 13.5 13.3 3.45 3.46 3.35 7.6 7.9 8.5 4.7% China Molybdenum Co Ltd (HK) 3993 2.2 CNY$2.59 21599 $11,962 0.22 0.08 0.12 32.8 21.2 0.44 (0.18) 0.30 -- 8.6 48.7 0.0% Freeport McMoran C&G FCX 2.3 US$11.10 1451 $16,105 1.52 0.02 0.41 NM 26.8 2.65 1.02 1.55 10.9 7.1 6.9 -- Glencore International PLC (UK) GLEN 2.0 US$2.94 13324 $39,131 0.41 0.16 0.23 18.4 12.6 0.81 0.60 0.64 4.9 4.6 7.1 2.9% Grupo Mexico (MX) GMEXICOB 2.4 US$2.68 7785 $20,856 0.17 0.22 0.23 12.3 11.4 0.22 0.32 0.36 8.4 7.5 8.7 7.0% Hindustan Zinc (IN) HZ 2.6 INR$191.80 4225 $11,328 19.47 17.85 18.81 10.7 10.2 21.39 21.57 23.63 8.9 8.1 5.8 0.0% MMC Norilsk Nickel (RU) GMKN -- RU$5,429.84 158 $52,135 -- 899.94 1210.92 6.0 4.5 -- 689.72 1388.13 7.9 3.9 16.5 11.7% Rio Tinto PLC (UK) RIO 2.7 US$53.90 1619 $91,892 5.12 6.26 5.53 8.6 9.8 6.88 8.59 8.07 6.3 6.7 8.2 5.3% South32 Ltd (AU) S32 2.4 US$1.77 4900 $8,691 0.22 0.13 0.11 13.4 15.9 0.34 0.29 0.27 6.0 6.4 4.6 3.6% Southern Copper Corp SCCO 2.4 US$37.68 773 $29,129 2.00 2.02 2.13 18.6 17.7 3.02 2.72 3.08 13.8 12.2 15.5 4.7% Sumitomo Metal Mining (JP) 5713 2.3 JPY$3,164 291 $8,445 265.40 224.84 257.38 14.1 12.3 438.78 448.41 404.09 7.1 7.8 10.8 1.8% Teck Resources Ltd TCK 2.0 C$17.10 554 $7,167 4.07 2.93 2.56 5.8 6.7 7.62 6.47 6.11 2.6 2.8 4.3 0.9% Vale SA (ADR) VALE 2.4 BRL$50.23 5284 $62,039 5.27 5.86 7.41 8.6 6.8 9.94 9.52 9.52 5.3 5.3 9.4 4.1% Average 13.7 13.2 7.2 6.6 11.4 Mid Cap Assore Ltd (SA) ASR 2.8 ZAR$245.26 140 $2,320 55.70 59.26 51.68 4.1 4.7 14.60 18.27 27.33 13.4 9.0 8.5 6.5% Aurubis AG (GR) NDA 2.9 EUR$49.31 45 $2,445 5.17 3.26 3.89 15.1 12.7 4.75 5.43 5.46 9.1 9.0 6.0 3.1% Boliden AB (SW) BOL 2.7 SEK$229.30 274 $6,509 26.32 21.73 23.38 10.6 9.8 43.03 35.47 42.65 6.5 5.4 6.9 3.9% Exxaro Resources Ltd (SA) EXX 1.7 ZAR$121.77 359 $2,960 20.57 26.14 27.06 4.7 4.5 (0.17) 15.24 11.81 8.0 10.3 7.5 8.8% First Quantum Minerals (CA) FM 2.1 US$7.83 689 $5,407 0.71 0.30 0.44 25.8 18.0 2.87 1.53 2.54 5.1 3.1 14.7 0.1% Iluka Resources Ltd (AU) ILU 3.1 AUD$9.72 423 $2,760 0.72 0.66 0.75 14.7 13.0 1.49 0.92 1.16 10.5 8.4 -- 2.2% Independence Group NL (AU) IGO 2.9 AUD$6.10 591 $2,421 0.11 0.23 0.34 26.4 17.7 0.59 0.72 0.80 8.5 7.6 22.1 2.2% Ivanhoe Mines Ltd (CA) IVP 2.0 US$2.58 1196 $3,091 0.03 (0.00) (0.04) -- -- (0.02) (0.03) (0.04) -- -- -- 0.0% Jiangxi Copper Co "H" (HK) 358 2.3 CNY$8.24 3463 $6,174 0.70 0.74 0.83 11.2 9.9 2.36 1.57 1.14 5.2 7.2 14.6 2.2% Kazakhmys PLC (UK) KAZ 2.3 US$5.78 472 $2,730 1.18 0.98 1.00 5.9 5.8 1.51 1.41 1.52 4.1 3.8 22.5 1.3% KGHM Polska Miedz (PO) KGH 3.4 PLN$91.20 200 $4,688 8.29 10.86 10.00 8.4 9.1 19.30 20.20 18.79 4.5 4.9 5.6 0.0% Lundin Mining Corp (CA) LUN 2.0 US$5.24 734 $3,858 0.30 0.21 0.48 25.3 11.0 0.65 0.72 1.11 7.3 4.7 7.6 0.0% Mineral Resources Ltd (AU) MIN 2.0 AUD$17.06 188 $2,159 1.15 1.39 1.55 12.3 11.0 1.59 1.41 1.63 12.1 10.5 10.3 2.9% MMG Ltd (HK) 1208 2.5 US$0.23 8055 $1,836 0.01 (0.01) 0.01 -- 34.5 0.21 0.09 0.14 2.6 1.7 11.9 0.0% Oz Minerals (AU) OZL 2.5 AUD$10.16 324 $2,213 0.73 0.52 0.46 19.4 21.9 1.45 1.30 1.40 7.8 7.3 8.7 2.3% Sesa Sterlite Ltd (ADR) SSLT 2.4 INR$134.90 3702 $6,981 17.89 16.00 17.57 8.4 7.7 60.18 54.39 50.55 2.5 2.7 4.2 1.2% Vale Indonesia Tbk PT (ID) INCO 1.7 US$0.23 9936 $2,302 0.01 0.01 0.01 42.0 27.2 0.02 0.02 0.02 12.5 11.2 15.2 0.0% Vedanta Resources PLC (UK) VED -- US$10.85 285 $3,089 -- 0.87 1.24 12.5 8.7 -- 9.96 12.60 1.1 0.9 -- -- Average 15.4 13.4 7.1 6.3 11.1 Small Cap Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 31-Jan-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Adriatic Metals PLC (AU) ADT 1.7 GBP$0.83 309 $342 (0.02) 0.01 0.30 76.7 2.8 (0.02) -- -- -- 0.0% Atalaya Mining PLC (UK) ATYM 1.2 EUR$2.41 137 $364 0.25 0.24 0.42 9.9 5.8 0.40 0.17 0.27 14.2 9.1 22.6 0.0% Eramet (FR) ERA 1.7 EUR$38.13 27 $1,120 1.83 1.07 6.73 35.6 5.7 16.01 11.42 18.67 3.3 2.0 6.2 1.0% Ero Copper Corp (CA) ERO 2.4 US$13.74 86 $1,180 0.03 0.61 1.04 22.4 13.2 0.94 1.47 1.71 9.4 8.0 -- 0.0% Hudbay Minerals HBM 2.4 US$3.07 261 $801 0.40 (0.14) (0.03) -- -- 1.84 1.14 1.22 2.7 2.5 3.1 0.4% Kenmare Resources (UK) KMR 1.8 US$3.56 110 $388 0.46 0.42 0.43 8.6 8.2 0.79 0.48 0.49 7.4 7.2 74.0 1.2% Mitsui Mining & Smelting (JP) 5706 2.4 JPY$2,634 57 $1,385 58.51 114.59 224.10 23.0 11.8 649.22 624.86 732.96 4.2 3.6 6.3 2.7% Nexa Resources NA NEXA 3.0 US$7.93 133 $1,056 0.25 (1.14) 0.15 -- 54.6 2.61 1.38 2.77 5.7 2.9 -- 6.4% Outokumpu (FN) OUT1V 3.1 EUR$3.11 416 $1,428 0.34 (0.16) 0.12 -- 25.5 0.52 0.62 0.62 5.0 5.0 8.6 6.2% Sandfire Resources NL (AU) SFR 2.6 AUD$5.58 178 $667 0.72 0.69 0.85 8.1 6.5 1.44 1.49 1.74 3.8 3.2 3.7 3.4% SolGold PLC (UK) SOLG 1.6 US$0.25 1923 $486 (0.01) (0.01) (0.00) -- -- (0.00) 0.00 -- -- -- -- 0.0% Trilogy Metals Inc TMQ 2.2 US$2.15 140 $301 (0.18) (0.14) (0.09) -- -- (0.18) (0.15) -- -- -- 0.0% Turquoise Hill Resources TRQ 3.0 US$0.63 2012 $1,310 0.20 0.14 0.05 4.4 12.0 0.09 0.03 0.00 23.3 NM 7.1 0.0% Volcan Cia Ninera VOLABC1 2.3 US$0.14 4077 $2,033 0.01 (0.00) 0.01 -- 11.0 -- -- -- -- -- 9.8 0.0% Western Areas NL (AU) WSA 2.4 AUD$2.57 274 $473 0.04 0.15 0.27 16.9 9.7 0.32 0.43 0.50 6.0 5.1 9.0 1.0% Average 16.1 14.9 7.7 4.9 15.1 Note: Currency shown is that used by the company for financial reporting. Currency does not always reflect the country/market in which the company/stock symbol trades. GAAP may differ between stocks due to countries and markets. The tables are compiled from the Thomson Reuters database of consensus Ratings & Estimates of equity analysts. The historicals and estimates of earnings and cash flows exclude non-operating, special items. Thomson Consensus Rating System: Buy (1.0), Buy/Hold (2.0), Hold (3.0), Sell/Hold (4.0), Sell (5.0) Source: Thomson Reuters. Aluminum Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 31-Jan-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Alcoa Inc AA 2.6 US$13.95 186 $2,589 3.58 (0.99) (0.23) -- -- 2.38 3.70 2.40 3.8 5.8 4.8 0.0% Alumina Ltd AWC 3.2 US$1.46 2880 $4,218 0.24 0.12 0.08 12.5 18.1 0.22 0.15 0.10 10.0 14.7 5.6 11.2% Aluminum Corp China Ltd (ADR) ACH 2.4 CNY$2.05 17023 $7,390 0.04 0.07 0.10 28.3 20.8 0.77 0.84 0.85 2.5 2.4 14.5 0.0% Century Aluminum CENX 2.5 US$5.29 89 $470 (0.14) (1.45) 0.18 -- 29.4 (0.79) 0.06 1.01 88.2 5.2 25.2 0.0% United Company Rusal Ltd (HK) 486 2.1 US$0.55 15193 $8,314 0.11 0.08 0.11 6.8 5.2 0.05 0.10 0.08 5.3 6.6 10.5 0.0% Average 15.8 18.3 21.9 7.0 12.1 Iron Ore Cliffs Natural Resources CLF 2.7 US$7.02 270 $1,896 3.71 1.10 0.71 6.4 9.9 1.57 1.85 1.01 3.8 6.9 10.1 3.1% Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (AU) FMG 3.2 US$7.62 3079 $23,563 0.69 1.17 1.05 6.5 7.3 0.96 1.58 1.46 4.8 5.2 6.5 4.8% Kumba Iron Ore Ltd (SA) KIO 3.8 ZAR$349.54 322 $7,628 30.06 56.56 46.20 6.2 7.6 47.32 88.62 66.02 3.9 5.3 5.8 9.3% Labrador Iron Ore Royalty (CA) LIF 2.1 C$21.09 64 $1,022 2.01 3.29 2.64 6.4 8.0 2.32 3.56 2.67 5.9 7.9 14.3 5.2% Mount Gibson Iron Limited (AU) MGX 2.7 AUD$0.91 1158 $704 0.07 0.12 0.10 7.7 8.9 0.07 0.10 0.15 8.9 6.0 31.6 3.9% Average 6.6 8.3 5.5 6.3 13.7 Fertilizers CF Industries CF 2.6 US$40.28 217 $8,758 1.24 2.22 2.42 18.2 16.6 6.40 6.61 6.89 6.1 5.8 17.6 2.4% Compass Minerals CMP 2.2 US$57.89 34 $1,962 1.93 2.20 3.61 26.3 16.0 5.63 5.02 8.93 11.5 6.5 12.2 5.1% Incitec Pivot Ltd (AU) IPL 2.8 AUD$3.28 1613 $3,556 0.18 0.11 0.18 29.4 18.5 0.36 0.29 0.40 11.3 8.3 10.6 1.4% Intrepid Potash IPI 3.0 US$2.38 132 $314 0.09 0.12 0.13 20.3 18.3 0.49 0.33 0.32 7.3 7.6 -- 0.0% Israel Chemical (IS) ICL 2.4 US$4.24 1280 $5,422 0.37 0.39 0.40 10.9 10.5 0.48 0.77 0.71 5.5 6.0 7.6 4.2% K & S Aktiengesellschaft (GR) SDF 2.6 EUR$8.80 191 $1,858 0.22 0.50 0.73 17.5 12.0 1.61 2.69 2.77 3.3 3.2 8.8 2.0% Mosaic Co MOS 2.3 US$19.84 379 $7,515 2.12 0.46 1.04 43.4 19.0 3.75 3.30 3.23 6.0 6.1 10.5 0.7% Nutrien Ltd NTR 2.1 US$42.69 573 $24,453 2.69 2.29 2.79 18.6 15.3 3.28 6.61 5.44 6.5 7.8 -- 3.5% Sirius Minerals PLC (UK) SXX 2.0 GBP$0.05 7020 $504 (0.00) (0.00) (0.01) -- -- -- (0.00) (0.00) -- -- -- 0.0% Sociedad Quimica Minera (ADR) SQM 3.1 US$28.10 263 $7,052 1.67 1.06 1.22 26.5 23.0 1.99 1.58 1.56 17.8 18.0 10.2 4.6% Yara International ASA (NO) YAR 2.3 US$36.46 272 $9,953 1.68 2.91 3.30 12.5 11.1 2.77 5.99 6.20 6.1 5.9 8.4 1.7% Average 22.4 16.0 8.1 7.5 10.7 Coal Large - Mid Cap Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 31-Jan-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Adaro Energy TBK (ID) ADRO 2.6 US$0.09 31986 $2,873 0.01 0.01 0.01 6.2 6.9 0.03 0.02 0.02 3.8 4.0 4.8 9.5% Banpu Public Co Ltd (TH) BANPU 2.9 US$0.32 5162 $1,677 0.08 0.02 0.03 13.8 9.4 0.08 0.07 0.06 4.4 5.2 15.6 5.8% China Coal Energy Co (HK) 1898 2.4 CNY$2.38 13259 $7,568 0.34 0.49 0.45 4.8 5.3 1.54 1.51 1.53 1.6 1.5 11.5 2.7% China Shenhua Energy Co (HK) 1088 2.5 CNY$12.27 19890 $47,095 2.22 2.23 2.08 5.5 5.9 4.44 4.00 3.47 3.1 3.5 4.9 6.3% Consol Energy CNX 2.9 US$7.23 187 $1,349 1.36 0.60 0.41 12.1 17.7 4.13 5.12 4.04 1.4 1.8 7.0 -- Whitehaven Coal Ltd (AU) WHC 2.3 AUD$2.51 1026 $1,730 0.54 0.35 0.17 7.3 14.8 0.87 0.61 0.39 4.1 6.4 6.1 8.0% Yancoal Australia Ltd YAL -- AUD$2.87 1320 $2,546 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 8.4% Yanzhou Coal Mining Co Ltd (HK) 1171 2.8 CNY$5.16 4912 $5,584 1.75 1.82 1.60 2.8 3.2 3.71 3.59 3.44 1.4 1.5 16.3 0.0% Average 7.5 9.0 2.8 3.4 9.4 Small Cap Alliance Resource Partners LP ARLP 2.5 US$9.04 127 $1,147 2.99 1.46 1.04 6.2 8.7 5.31 2.61 1.90 3.5 4.8 2.8 19.8% Arch Coal Inc ARCH 2.0 US$51.53 15 $775 15.15 12.73 11.52 4.0 4.5 20.26 21.74 22.19 2.4 2.3 -- 2.4% Fushan Int'l Energy Group (HK) 639 2.3 HK$1.54 5302 $1,051 0.21 0.22 0.22 6.9 7.0 0.31 0.32 0.42 4.8 3.7 6.1 10.0% NLC India Ltd (IN) NLCINDIA -- INR$56.90 1387 $1,103 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 8.1 -- Natural Resource Partners LP NRP -- US$19.89 12 $244 6.43 5.20 4.12 3.8 4.8 9.19 7.06 5.28 2.8 3.8 3.3 7.1% New Hope Corp Ltd (AU) NHC 2.4 AUD$1.88 832 $1,048 0.31 0.28 0.21 6.8 8.9 0.44 0.36 0.34 5.2 5.5 12.3 6.8% PT Tambang Batubara Bukit (ID) PTBA 2.7 IDR$2,210 11521 $1,867 477.00 370.79 328.43 6.0 6.7 746.44 297.65 315.30 7.4 7.0 7.6 15.0% Average 5.6 6.8 4.3 4.5 6.7 Note: Currency shown is that used by the company for financial reporting. Currency does not always reflect the country/market in which the company/stock symbol trades. GAAP may differ between stocks due to countries and markets. The tables are compiled from the Thomson Reuters database of consensus Ratings & Estimates of equity analysts. The historicals and estimates of earnings and cash flows exclude non-operating, special items. Thomson Reuters Rating System: Buy (1.0), Buy/Hold (2.0), Hold (3.0), Sell/Hold (4.0), Sell (5.0) Source: Thomson Reuters. Uranium Price Shrs O/S Mkt Cap Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Cash Flow Per Share Price/Cash Flow EV/EBITDA Div Yld Symbol Rating 31-Jan-20 (MM) (US$MM) 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2018 2019E 2020E 2019E 2020E 2019E % Cameco Corp CCJ 2.4 C$10.67 396 $3,197 0.53 0.02 0.09 NM NM 1.68 0.89 0.84 12.0 12.8 7.5 0.6% Denison Mines DNN 2.1 C$0.46 590 $205 (0.04) (0.04) (0.03) -- -- (0.04) (0.04) (0.02) -- -- -- 0.0% Energy Resources Australia (AU) ERA 4.0 AUD$0.17 3691 $409 0.03 (0.03) (0.09) -- -- (0.11) 0.17 (0.03) 1.0 -- 15.2 0.0% Nexgen Energy Ltd (CA) NXE 1.7 C$1.37 356 $369 (0.06) (0.07) (0.08) -- -- (0.02) (0.04) (0.04) -- -- -- 0.0% Uranium Participation Corp (CA) U 2.1 C$3.85 138 $402 (0.03) (0.15) 0.43 -- 9.0 (0.04) (0.06) (0.05) -- -- -- 0.0% Average 9.0 6.5 12.8 11.3 Note: Currency shown is that used by the company for financial reporting. Currency does not always reflect the country/market in which the company/stock symbol trades. GAAP may differ between stocks due to countries and markets. The tables are compiled from the Thomson Reuters database of consensus Ratings & Estimates of equity analysts. The historicals and estimates of earnings and cash flows exclude non-operating, special items. Thomson Reuters Rating System: Buy (1.0), Buy/Hold (2.0), Hold (3.0), Sell/Hold (4.0), Sell (5.0) Source: Thomson Reuters. Commodity Prices Cash Price (31-Jan-20) Silver ($18.01 / oz) Palladium ($2190 / oz) Platinum ($958 / oz) Aluminum ($0.78 / lb) Cobalt ($15.76 / lb) Copper ($2.53 / lb) Lead ($0.85 / lb) Molybdenum ($9.89 / lb) Nickel ($5.75 / lb) Tin ($7.38 / lb) Zinc ($1.01 / lb) Uranium ($24.35 / lb) HOOSICK FALLS A mid-level appellate court has reinstated a Glens Falls law firms efforts to collect payment from the village for work it did during the municipality's water contamination crisis. The firm, Fitzgerald Morris Baker Firth (FMBF), helped Hoosick Falls deal with fallout from the perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA that was found in the villages water supply and linked to a number of illnesses in the community. Hoosick Falls in 2014 was among the first communities in New York state to discover such problems, which has led to a planned overhaul of the villages water system, as well as a push to develop new laws and regulations about the manmade chemical used in making Teflon and other non-stick materials. FMBF originally represented the village in that matter, but village officials severed their ties with the firm after village board members indefinitely tabled a $1.04 million draft settlement with the two companies blamed for the water pollution, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics and Honeywell International. That offer was criticized by village residents and others as too low and it would have covered more than $570,000 in fees still owed by the village for the work of FMBF and Behan Communications, a public relations company the law firm hired. In a decision in January, judges from the Appellate Divisions Third Department overturned and sent back an earlier state Supreme Court decision that partially granted Hoosick Falls motion to dismiss the case. The town had argued that some of the bills could no be disputed because the statute of limitations for them had already passed. The lower trial court agreed but the appellate division overturned that ruling. Stuart Klein, of Bond Shoeneck & King, the law firm representing FMBF didnt return a call for comment. Andrew Gilchrist, of the GilchristTingley law firm representing the village, declined comment since the case is ongoing and has since gone back to state Supreme Court. Current Hoosick Falls Mayor Robert Allen also did not return calls for comment. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Hoosick Falls residents elected Allen who ran unopposed in 2017 after former mayor David Borge decided to not seek re-election. Allen in an earlier interview questioned the hiring of a P.R. firm during Borges watch, a move that was not initially revealed to village board members. While the law firm is still seeking payment, Mark Behan, principal of Behan Communications, said his business has since been paid. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518-454-5758 @RickKarlinTU Marek Sinko who was sentenced to eight years at Belfast Crown Court today for the manslaughter of his uncle Eugeniusz Sinko in Rasharkin, County Antrim in October 2017 A Polish national who beat his uncle to death with his bare knuckles in a brutal drunken brawl over missing cash and a bottle of vodka has been sentenced to four years in jail. Mr Justice Colton told 38-year-old Marek Marcin Sinko that ironically it was him who arranged for his uncle Eugeniusz to move to Northern Ireland, but it appeared theirs was "a toxic and volatile relationship", described by the family as "living on the edge that was a big problem for our family". "This," added the Antrim Crown Court judge, "was the context in which the fatal assault took place which has resulted in the untimely, unnecessary and unjustified death of your uncle". Mr Justice Colton said he had no doubt the death had a significant impact on a remorseful Sinko, however, his "assault was prolonged" and "on no account could this be seen as a fight between equals... nor was it a case where death was caused by a single punch". "He was no physical match for you and you suffered no injuries during this assault other than to your own knuckles," the judge also told Sinko, adding: "You showed a callous indifference to the fate of your uncle when you left him outside when the assault was over". Previously accused of murdering his 63-year-old uncle on October 22, 2017, at the isolated Co Antrim home they shared at Townhill Road, Rasharkin, the charge was withdrawn when he pleaded guilty to his manslaughter, by an unlawful act, and not by way of diminished responsibility because of his alcoholism. Sinko will serve four years in custody, followed by four years on parole. Last week prosecution QC David McDowell told the Antrim court, sitting in Belfast, that after the fist fight with his uncle, Sinko cleaned up the blood splattered kitchen before making himself some soup and then going to bed, only to find him dead the following morning. Having alerted police he then phoned a work-mate, telling him: "I think I've killed him". Police later found the victim's partly clothed body laying on a pathway at the rear of their cottage. The court heard the victim died from injuries to his brain, but also suffered five fractured ribs, two fractured vertebrae and 14 separate groups of bruising and abrasions. Mr McDowell said Eugeniusz was subjected to a prolonged and severe assault, and while the injuries to his face were consistent to repeated punching, it could not be proven if they were also caused by kicking, although the rib fractures and bruising to both sides of the chest were consistent with kicking or stamping with a shod foot. The court also heard that the uncle and nephew had a history of physical violence between them, often occurring after both had been drinking large quantities of alcohol, which often was the case. During interview Sinko described what had been "a brutal fight" between them, although he initially claimed he'd hit him only once. He also described knocking his uncle to the ground, before challenging him to get up, only to knock him down again. Mr McDowell said Sinko claimed he left his uncle outside washing his face by a tap, before cleaning up the blood in the kitchen and having a bowl of soup and then going to bed. The court heard Sinko had not realised the seriousness of his uncle's injuries until he found him dead outside the next morning. Defence QC Richard Greene said a remorseful Sinko had always accepted the enormity of what he had done in killing an uncle, something which he bitterly regrets and did not intend to do. Mr Greene said Sinko had been looking after his uncle, but given their mutual problem with alcohol, both uncle and nephew should never have been allowed to live together, resulting as it did in Eugeniusz's death. The court heard Eugeniusz's death was described by his son as having the most traumatic affect on the family not only in the loss of a father, but also a cousin. Mr Greene said what occurred happened because two people, who both had problems with drinking, were living together in a toxic mix which led to violence between the pair. Mr Green claimed there may have been things said and done by the victim which led to what happened. Following the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Montgomery from PSNI's Major Investigation Team said: Eugeniusz and his nephew, Marek Sinko, had got into a fight with each other in their home on the night of Saturday, 21 October 2019. "Eugeniusz sustained multiple blunt force injuries to his head, chest, back and arms. "This was a senseless fight between an uncle and nephew which led to the death of Eugeniusz. "I know that today's sentencing will not bring Eugeniusz back to his family, who have had to live through the nightmare of a nephew having killed his uncle, however, I hope it will bring some level of closure for them." ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Four children ranging in age from 2 to 14 who were reported overdue in returning from a snowmobile ride in western Alaska have been found, according to rescuers. Rescue teams confirmed the children were cold, hungry and tired on Monday, KTUU-TV reported. Though the rescuers initially said the children were otherwise unharmed, KTVA-TV reported that a trooper dispatch later said they are receiving treatment for severe hypothermia. Blizzard conditions had hampered the search, Alaska State Troopers said. The children had been expected to return to the community of Nunum Iqua early Sunday afternoon, troopers said in a Monday web posting. Troopers identified the children as Christopher Johnson, 14, Frank Johnson, 8, Ethan Camille, 7, and Trey Camille, 2. Multiple local, state and federal agencies were involved in a search and rescue for the children, including helicopters from the Army National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard. Nunum Iqua, formerly known as Sheldon Point, is about 500 miles (805 kilometres) northwest of Anchorage. The 2010 Census put the population at 187 people. ___ This story has been corrected to show Nunum Iquas population was 187 people in 2010, not 2000. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 Trend: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) have come to the conclusion that the newly widespread novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is of animal origin, Trend reports on Feb. 3 referring to the Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency. The epidemic of the current virus and similar epidemics which were spreading in the past, namely, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) are associated with animals and products of animal origin, in particular, fish and seafood, the agency said. The origin of the name of the family of viruses is connected with the fact that according to the anatomical structure they have the shape of a crown and often lead to the spread of zoonotic infections. The indicated virus is genetically different from all other coronaviruses and is notable for its rapid spread among people. The OIE Scientific Committee and the Working Group on Wildlife began collaborative research and recommended to set up an emergency department in accordance with the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code and advised member-states to urgently notify OIE representatives through the World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS). In this regard, Azerbaijan began to discuss this issue with OIE representatives and undertook to periodically inform the organization of proactive measures which are taken against the spread of this coronavirus in the country. A roadmap is being developed for the research and control of 2019-nCoV virus upon a joint OIE-WHO initiative. The Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency imposed a temporary ban on the import of animals (including animals for the zoo and wild animals), as well as fish and seafood into the country within the fight against the virus. The regional branches of the Agency as well as the laboratories of the Azerbaijan Food Safety Institute have begun to work intensively. At the same time, together with the relevant organizations, the measures are being taken to prepare a list of food products having the risk of transmitting of the virus. The control measures are being taken in the shops. The control over bird hunting and their consumption has been strengthened. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday announced the suspension of all flights to and from China, with the exception of capital Beijing, as part of precautionary measures to confront the outbreak of the new strain of coronavirus. The suspension would come into force on February 5, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said in a statement, as reported by state news agency WAM. The authority stated that all passengers travelling from Beijing International Airport will be required to undergo a 6-8 hour comprehensive medical screening at the airport to ensure the safety of passengers before boarding. Coronavirus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has killed as many as 361 people in that country alone, while cases have been reported in several countries across the The GCAA said the decision to suspend flights came after studying and analysing the current conditions on the spread of the virus, adding that it coordinated with international agencies and worked closely with national agencies such as the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, NCEMA, the Ministry of Health and Prevention, MoHAP, Etihad Airways, and Emirates Airlines. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Denver, COLO. February 3, 2020 Judith Briles, the Book Shepherd, will be holding her annual Speaking Unplugged Bootcamp for local authors looking to up their game in public speaking to promote their books. This two-day intensive will be held from March 27-28 at the Hilton Denver Inverness Hotel at 200 Inverness Drive West, Englewood, CO 80112. Dr. Briles has organized this event to feature various activities and tips to help authors with their public speaking. From how to build a portfolio of main topics, how to structure a speech, and how to keep the audience engaged, the intensive will cover every aspect to building a successful speaking platform for various authors. There will also be sessions focused on the pitfalls and blunders of public speaking and how to avoid them, along with how to bounce back from an unsuccessful speaking engagement. The event will also dive into the business side of speaking, from negotiating contracts to setting fees. Why hold an event such as this? Dr Briles has stated "Speaking is the number one way to build influence, support your branding, and for authors, to sell more books than they ever will in a bookstore." "I'm honored that my book How to Create A $1,000,000 Speech has been honored with nine national book awards," she continues. "The genesis of the two-day Speaking Unplugged Bootcamp is that book. All recipients will receive a copy." Judith Briles has published 37 books and has over 35 years of experience in public speaking. Her lifetime within the publishing industry exposed her to the pitfalls and benefits of both self-publishing and traditional publishing. She is the president of AuthorYOU, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping authors navigate the publishing world and give self-published authors access to publishing resources. Her consulting company, The Book Shepherd, is based in Colorado and has created over 500 bestsellers for authors. More information on Dr Briles, the event, pricing, and hotel rates will be found at www.TheBookShepherd.com. More information on AuthorYOU can be found at www.AuthorYOU.org. Press inquiries: Judith Briles, Judith@Briles.com or 303-885-2207. ### CHANGSHA, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Over the Spring Festival holiday, 23-year-old Mohamed Jiahd Mohamed Moustafa has been reporting his health condition to his mother in Egypt every day. "Don't worry mom, I'm fine!" Moustafa, a graduate student at the Communication University of China in Beijing, said to his mother via WeChat video call. For this Spring Festival, he decided to stay in China despite repeated calls from his family who were worried about the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. "My family has been watching the news about the novel coronavirus every day, and they are worried," he said. "But I told them nothing would happen to me, and even if it happens, people here will certainly help me." His confidence was justified. After the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the school immediately communicated with Moustafa, and the teachers would contact the international students one by one via WeChat, telling them to call as soon as they feel unwell, and updating the students with the latest notices so that they could keep abreast of the situation and latest preventive measures. Moustafa lives in an apartment in Beijing's Chaoyang District, and his apartment is disinfected every day. "It's a very scientific and thoughtful measure," he said, adding that the strict supervision for wearing masks gave him a greater sense of security when he went to the supermarket for supplies on Saturday. His family was reassured by the news that the World Health Organization (WHO) officials were praising China's response to the epidemic. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that China deserves the international community's gratitude and respect for having taken very serious measures to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak and prevent exporting cases overseas. He also praised China for its solidarity and cooperation with WHO and other countries. "I also told my family that China would build a hospital in Wuhan in about 10 days for treating the confirmed patients, they were surprised as it would normally take years to build a hospital in my country," he said. Thousands of miles away in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan province, the epidemic is similarly grim. Muhammad Salman Azhar, a graduate student from Pakistan at the Xiangya Medical School of Central South University, has signed a voluntary commitment to support Wuhan anytime. "I'm studying medicine in China and want to try my best to help China," he said adding that his parents in Pakistan were worried about his health, but he has been explaining to his parents about the latest progress of the epidemic and a series of measures taken by the Chinese government. Although he did not go to Wuhan to help as he wished, he has been trying to do his part by telling his friends about the correct ways of wearing masks and washing hands. "I'm surprised that China can quickly mobilize medical personnel and allocate professional equipment to cities with serious situations. China has taken a lot of measures such as delaying work and school," he said. "I believe China can definitely contain the epidemic." WASHINGTON NJ Transit is going to teach its conductors and other employees to look for signs of human trafficking on its trains and buses. The announcement came as the White House celebrated the 20-year anniversary of the landmark law designed to put the federal government behind efforts to fight sex and labor trafficking. This landmark piece of legislation changes the landscape of the conversation around human trafficking and elevated the U.S. governments capabilities to combat this evil, said President Donald Trumps daughter Ivanka, who hosted the summit. Some 25 million people around the world are used for sex or labor, according to the White House. More than 23,000 of them are in the U.S., according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Many of the victims use public transportation to get from place to place, and the goal of the program is to provide the information and tools needed to recognize trafficking. NJ Transit was one of the agencies agreeing to train its employees following a U.S. Department of Transportation summit in Washington. Were looking to help as much as we possibly can, NJ Transit spokeswoman Nancy Snyder said. The effort was not restricted to transit systems. Representatives of Hackensack Meridian Health and RWJBarnabas Health both came to Washington for a separate event to recognize their efforts to combat human trafficking. After all, victims sometimes wind up in hospital emergency rooms. With an estimated 88 percent of victims seeking medical care or treatment while being trafficked, training and knowledge is essential to ensuring that our clinicians appropriately diagnose these individuals, said Theresa Brodrick, Hackensacks executive vice president and chief nursing executive. At the White House Friday, Trump signed an executive order to address both human trafficking and child exploitation, setting up a full-time position to coordinate government efforts. Human trafficking is a problem everywhere, the president said. Among those looking on was Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., the chief sponsor of that 2000 law, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Human trafficking is a barbaric human rights abuse that thrives on greed, secrecy, a perverted sense of entitlement to exploit the vulnerable and an unimaginable disregard for the victims, Smith said. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University develop a novel gas imaging system to simultaneously visualize and measure gases that are released through the skin in real-time Tokyo, Japan - Gases emitted from the human body have been used since ancient Greek times to diagnose the sick; the same principle with a modern, technological makeover could now become a simple tool to identify metabolic disorders, genetic diseases and cancer. A new method, developed by researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University and recently published in the journal ACS Sensors, now makes it possible to image and measure gases, called volatile organic compounds or VOCs, that are released through the skin in real-time. VOCs that are released through the skin reflect the VOCs present in circulating blood. It is known that certain VOCs, such as ethanol, which is a component of alcoholic beverages, are significantly related to alcohol metabolism. Besides, it has been reported that VOCs would be associated with certain skin diseases, such as psoriasis. Although VOCs can already be commonly analyzed in laboratories using big, expensive machines, convenient, practical devices that provide accurate measurements for routine use in the clinical setting have been lacking. In addition, being able to see how gases are released through the skin over time has remained a challenge. "We wanted to develop a tool that makes it easy to monitor human health in a non-invasive way," says the corresponding author of the study Prof. Kohji Mitsubayashi. "Even dating back to ancient Greece, physicians knew that a patient's breath could offer clues to their ailments. And nowadays, everybody has heard of the breathalyzer. The problem with breath is that it is not suitable for long-term monitoring of VOCs. The skin, on the other hand, offers an easy way for the continuous monitoring of VOCs without putting extra burden on the individual." To achieve their goal, the researchers mounted a ring light consisted of an array of UV light-emitting diodes on a camera lens, which together enabled the real-time imaging of VOCs emanated from the skin surface. In a proof-of-principle experiment, the researchers aimed to detect ethanol in a subject who had consumed alcohol. Because the skin surface can be uneven, they used a so-called "2D Mako" to equalize the complex skin surface and to enable the accurate measurement of ethanol over time. To facilitate the detection of ethanol, the researchers drew on the same principle as the human body uses to get rid of ethanol by placing a mesh with an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) on the subject's skin via 2D Mako. Once gaseous ethanol hit this mesh, a byproduct of the enzymatic reaction, NADH was generated and emitted fluorescence, which was utilized to gas-imaging. "We were able to show a dynamic change in the concentration of ethanol over time after alcohol consumption," says postdoctoral research fellow and lead author of the study Kenta Iitani. "Our results indicate that metabolic monitoring and early disease screening can be achieved by measuring blood VOCs via transcutaneous gas release". Being able to reliably measure VOCs could help clinicians to evaluate how alcohol influences the skin and contributes to the development of skin disorders. Adaptation of this gas imaging system to other gases could further enable the study of other diseases by monitoring the release of VOCs. ### The article, "Transcutaneous Blood VOC Imaging System (Skin-Gas Cam) with Real-Time Bio-Fluorometric Device on Rounded Skin Surface," was published in ACS Sensors at DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.9b01658 EDWARDSVILLE Madison County Veterans Assistance Commission is welcoming a new employee as another leaves for a job with the Disable American Veterans in Chicago. We welcome Bradley (Brad) Yount as the new veteran service officer, benefit specialist in our office as we say goodbye to Timothy Alexander, VAC Superintendent Brad Lavite said. The VAC hired Yount on Jan. 21. He will complete his accreditation to become a certified veteran service office with the National Association of County Veteran Service Offices on Feb. 23-29 in Sacramento, California. Once certified, Brad will assist area veterans, their widows and their dependents with primarily filing compensation and pension claims with the Veterans Benefit Administration, Lavite said. Yount comes to the VAC from the St. Louis VA Veterans Curation Program where he worked during the past year. He is a U.S. Marine Corps Afghanistan combat veteran who specialized as a telephone and computer systems repairer and later worked in satellite communications. The St. Louis VA Veterans Curation Program managers praised Yount, saying they loved getting to know him in the lab. They said his dad jokes and laugh are contagious, and they know that the Veterans Assistance Commission of Madison County it lucky to have him. In his spare time, Yount is an avid coffee roaster. Yount will be backfilling a position held by Alexander, a veteran service officer, benefit specialist. Alexander has accepted a job offer/promotion with the DAV, Chicago VA Regional Office, as a national service officer and will be starting his new position on Feb. 22. We thank Timothy for his five years of dedicated service to the VAC and wish him well in his exciting new opportunity, Lavite said. In his new position, Alexander will still be interacting on a regular basis with VACs and others service organizations across the United States. In addition to his new position, Alexander will also be the senior vice commander for the Department of Illinois DAV until June 2020, which he hopes to serves as the commander following the end of his term in the position. Local veterans needing benefit-related questions answered can reach the Madison County VAC at 618-296-4554 or mcvac@co.madison.il.us or on Facebook @mcveterans. SAN FRANCISCO Amid canceled flights, tightening global travel restrictions and looming plans to quarantine Americans returning from China, the tension at a handful of airports still receiving flights from the country mounted on Sunday as travelers described a scramble for the few remaining tickets out of China and federal officials readied military bases to house hundreds of people potentially exposed to the deadly coronavirus. It feels like trying to leave Paris in 1940 or something theres a bit of panic settling in, said Jeffrey Phillips, 41, who was unsure when his wife, Sue, would be able to return to the United States after a trip to visit her family in China. Under new federal rules that apply to U.S.-bound flights that take off after 5 p.m. ET, U.S. citizens who have been in Chinas Hubei province, the epicenter of the epidemic, in the last 14 days will be subject to a quarantine of up to two weeks. Military bases said they were expecting to house about 1,000 such evacuees. Other U.S. citizens who have visited mainland China will undergo a health screening and can be ordered to quarantine in their homes for up to 14 days, according to the Homeland Security Department. Waiting for a flight to arrive in San Francisco on Sunday before the new restrictions took effect, Jancey Gui, a student from China, said she and her friends exchanged frenzied messages after the United States announced the cutoff. I was extremely scared and panicked, she said. Gui rushed to change a ticket for her mother, who arrived on Sunday from the Chinese city of Xian. Under the restrictions announced by the Trump administration on Friday, foreign nationals who have been in China in the last two weeks will generally be denied entry into the United States. Federal officials said the rules were necessary to minimize the risk of the disease spreading further in the United States, where nine cases of the coronavirus had been confirmed so far, including one in the San Francisco area on Sunday. We pretty much shut it down coming in from China, President Donald Trump said in an interview taped Saturday with Fox News personality Sean Hannity to air before the Super Bowl. But we cant have thousands of people coming in who may have this problem. The number of lab-confirmed cases of the coronavirus stood at around 17,000 worldwide on Sunday, with over 360 reported deaths, all but one of them in China. A number of scientists now fear that the virus will become a pandemic an ongoing epidemic on two or more continents, with potentially painful effects on health, travel and global commerce. ALSO 2 confirmed cases of coronavirus in San Benito County All U.S. citizens who have traveled in China within 14 days of their arrival home to the United States will be directed to one of 11 major airports in New York; Newark, New Jersey; Chicago; Detroit; Dallas; San Francisco; Los Angeles; Seattle; Honolulu; Atlanta or outside Washington. Jeffrey Phillips, who is from the St. Louis area, scrambled on Friday when several major airlines announced that they were halting flights out of China for weeks. His wifes flight on American Airlines for Tuesday was canceled. We might be separated for months, he said. We dont know how bad this virus is going to get. For now, the family has a hopeful backup plan: Sue Phillips, 37, an American citizen, is booked through another airline on Monday on a flight to Korea, where she can then connect to a flight to Los Angeles and then to St. Louis. What Im worried about now is, every day theres more cancellations, more countries sealing off their borders, Jeffrey Phillips said. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, criticized the Trump administration for a lack of coordination that he said was creating confusion and concern among travelers. The White House is simply not equipped to handle this, he said. They have a number of vacancies that are creating a vacuum in leadership, and the communication that is required with state and local government and with impacted communities is very close to zero. Hawaiis lieutenant governor, Dr. Josh Green, who works in the emergency department at Kohala Hospital on the Big Island of Hawaii, agreed that coordination was lacking. It was rushed, he said, adding that the Friday announcement online sent everybody into a frenzy without a comprehensive plan, and now everyone is being forced to race to that plan. Before last week, it had been more than 50 years since a federal quarantine had been issued, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said at a news conference Friday. That one was in connection with smallpox. Passengers arriving at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday described a commotion to leave China. Richard Ren, a businessman who flew from Beijing, said he paid $2,000 to move his flight up by a day and make the deadline. It was extremely tense, Ren said in Mandarin. Like most passengers, he wore a mask as he walked through the arrivals hall and described an Air China flight across the Pacific where passengers used copious hand sanitizer, all the flight attendants wore masks, and passengers were deliberately seated with empty seats between them. Ren and others arriving in San Francisco said they were not screened for symptoms when they arrived. But they described many screenings in China before their departure. Americans whose flights left after the 5 p.m. cutoff, and who had spent time in Hubei province, would be housed at one of four military bases for up to 14 days, the Defense Department said: Fort Carson in Colorado, Travis Air Force Base near San Francisco, Lackland Air Force Base in Texas or Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego. Each of the bases set up for quarantine have extensive, hotel-style quarters, the military said. About 200 Americans are currently quarantined at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California, after arriving Wednesday on a State Department-chartered flight from Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province. At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the worlds busiest, federal health officials set up screening areas for arriving passengers, said Elise Durham, an airport spokeswoman. But the airports direct flight to and from China, a Delta flight to Shanghai, was suspended on Saturday, she said. The Transportation Security Administration has directed the airlines to determine if passengers traveled to China before allowing them to board their flights, a Department of Homeland Security official said. Customs and Border Protection officers have also been told to question travelers upon their arrival at one of the designated airports and comb through a travel history database to determine if they were in China, the official said. Anyone who has been in China within the past two weeks will be referred to officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for additional screening. DHS did not respond to questions about how travelers would be transferred from the airports to quarantine facilities. Since the United States announced the travel restrictions on Friday, a number of other countries, including Japan and Australia, have followed with their own. A lot of us airlines are trying to figure that out, candidly, said Lisa Hellerstedt, a spokeswoman for Delta Air Lines, which is halting all fights from China after Sunday. A number of travelers were critical of the Trump administrations restrictions, which they described as rushed. The deadline was too sudden, it ruined all our plans, Kevin Luo, a passenger who traveled from China via Hong Kong and arrived in San Francisco on Sunday, said in Mandarin. Amber Gao, also arriving in San Francisco, described a fight for the remaining tickets to the United States over the weekend. Every family member was on a computer trying to load tickets, she said in Mandarin. It was nerve-wracking, because every time you loaded a new page, the ticket would disappear. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. One of Africas best-known mercenaries who fought in the Democratic Republic of Congo and led a failed coup in the Seychelles, Mike Hoare, has died aged 100, the family said on Monday. Nicknamed Mad Mike, Hoare died on Sunday in South Africa where he had retired. Born 1919 in India to Irish parents, he was educated in England where he qualified as a chartered accountant. He attended a small-arms and an officer training course during the British army during WWII and went on to serve in India and in Burma. The fervent anti-communist then emigrated to South Africa in 1948. The well known adventurer and soldier of fortune, Lt Col Mad Mike Hoare, died in his sleep and with dignity aged 100 years at a care facility in Durban on 2 February 2020, the family said in a statement. His son Chris, said Hoare lived by the philosophy that you get more out of life by living dangerously, so it is all the more remarkable that he lived more than 100 years. Hoare shot to fame in the 1960s when he led some 300 soldiers in the DRC to crush a communist-inspired rebel uprising. His soldiers nickname Wild Geese, inspired the title of a 1978 film about mercenaries in Africa which starred Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris and Hardy Kruger. In 1981, Hoare led a group of mercenaries that planned a coup to return to power the pro-Western founding president James Mancham to power in the Seychelles archipelago. The group entered the country disguised as a beer-drinking tourist party called The Ancient Order of Froth-Blowers. However, their plan came undone when an airport inspector found a weapon in their luggage and a gunfight broke out. The men then hijacked an Air India flight and forced the pilot to take them to Durban in South Africa to escape. Hoare was arrested, convicted and sentenced to 20 years. But he only served nearly three years in jail before he relocated to France where he lived for 20 years. Hoare returned to South Africa in 2009. Hoare is survived by five children. His peers from the heyday of mercenaries in Africa include the likes of Frenchman Bob Denard and his affreux (the frightful ones) and Belgian Black Jack Schramme. He and Mr. Walsh have also been making their case to voters in one-on-one conversations in bars and coffee shops in Des Moines in the lead-up to Mondays caucuses. James Marren, who showed up at the Exile bar to talk to Mr. Walsh the other night, said that he had encountered the candidate before, at a veterans group in Dubuque, and that he was a changed man from his days as a right-wing, pro-Trump radio host spouting incendiary conspiracy theories. It was all Democrats and him, said Mr. Marren, 75, a Democrat so impressed by Mr. Walsh that he is talking him up to his Republican friends. He said that Trumps a liar and a traitor. He apologized for what he used to say on his radio show. He was amazing. But at the Trump rally, it was a different story. Virtually everyone Mr. Walsh spoke to disagreed with virtually everything he said. When he mentioned Ukraine, a Trump supporter said that Obama got that started. When Mr. Walsh pointed out that Mr. Trump had vowed to make Mexico pay for the border wall, but was instead using money from the United States military budget, another supporter first said that Mexico was indeed paying for it, in that there are fewer Mexicans crossing the border and thus fewer Mexicans sending American money back home. Then she said: Well, he would have made the Mexican government pay for it, but a lot of people are standing in his way. After just a few minutes of these encounters, Mr. Walsh was beginning to seem like the most masochistic person in Iowa. These are the people who listened to me on the radio when he was a darling of the right, he said. I can relate to why they voted for Trump. I voted for him in 2016. But then I saw that he lies damn near every time he opens his mouth. The turning point for him was Mr. Trumps 2018 meeting in Helsinki with Vladimir V. Putin, the Russian president, in which Mr. Trump said he believed Mr. Putins claim contrary to American intelligence that Russia had not interfered in the 2016 election. That was the most unpatriotic thing Ive ever seen an American president do, Mr. Walsh said. 16.5k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Donations to a Susan Collins Super PAC have been busted for possible violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act, namely hiding the source of the money. The Campaign Legal Center has filed a complaint based on a belief that an LLC that was formed weeks before pouring $150,000 into a Super PAC to help embattled Republican Senator Susan Collins win re-election in the Maine senate race has violated the Federal Election Campaign Act. It also isnt the only LLC looking like a shady cover for pouring money into the Republicans race. This LLC was formed just weeks before giving $150k to the super PAC. As was the case with Globale Energy Producers LLC, it doesnt look like Society for Young Women Scientists & Engineers LLC is the true source of the funds. We are filing a complaint this morning, federal reform program director Brendan Fischer at Campaign Legal Center wrote Monday morning. Heres the legal filing as sent to PoliticusUSA by the Campaign Legal Center. The complaint states: there is reason to believe that Jennifer Lam and/or other person(s) who created, operated, and/or contributed to SYWSE (John Doe, Jane Doe,and other persons) may have violated 52 U.S.C. 30122 by [m]aking a contribution of money . . . and attributing as the source of the money . . . another person [namely, SYWSE] when in fact [the person(s) who created, operated and/or contributed to SYWSE was] the source. there is reason to believe that SYWSE has violated 52 U.S.C. 30122 by knowingly permit[ting its] name to be used to effect such a contribution. 52 U.S.C. 30122. there is reason to believe that SYWSE met the two-prong test for political committee status by (1) being an entity or group of persons with the major purpose of influencing the nomination or election of a candidate and (2) receiving contributions of $1,000 or more in a calendar year. The why: As of January 12, 2020 Susan Collins was more unpopular than Republican Senator Mitch McConnell. Unpopular politicians who dont represent the people require and rely upon dark money to prop them up so they can continue to serve the needs of the source of that dark money instead of regular citizens. That poll was taken BEFORE the Senate voted they didnt need any witnesses in President Trumps impeachment trial. It doesnt escape this woman writer that the name of this newly formed LLC is Society for Young Women Scientists & Engineers, when Susan Collins is so unpopular in part for her support of accused sexual assaulter and now Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Heres how this possible violation came to light: The shady Super PAC was flagged by Propublica journalist Derek Willis, while linking to their project: 2019 donors to 1820 PAC, a super PAC backing Susan Collins in #MESEN, included * Warren Stephens * Newsmax Media * Something called the Society for Young Woman Scientist and Engineers LLC in Hawaii (no website or Google results)https://t.co/LeqTjBwy8r#FECFilingDay pic.twitter.com/TmMTZyeN7y Derek Willis (@derekwillis) January 31, 2020 According to his bio, Fischer directs CLCs work before federal regulatory agencies, such as the Federal Election Commission (FEC), to ensure vigorous and fair enforcement of campaign finance and ethics laws, and to hold candidates and political committees accountable for violating those laws. As our democracy is threatened and undermined at many points, the work of tracking the dark money pouring in to silence the voice of the people has become even more important than it was before. It might seem like small steps against a tidal wave, but keeping a democracy has never been easy. The powerful always want more and the people always have to fight to keep whatever power they have. The All Progressives Congress (APC) has cautioned people in positions of influence against utterances that could aid ethno-religious fracas. The ruling party was reacting to the prayer protests against rising killings, held by some churches on the instruction of the Christian Association of Nigeria in parts of the country on Sunday. The party in its statement obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday evening, said the commentaries that trail the menace of the Boko-Haram and other criminal elements is assuming a dangerous ethno-religious slant, unfortunately influenced by insensitive and selfish partisan narratives by shortsighted groups and individuals. The APC said the recent pattern of attacks by the Boko-Haram terrorists is to pitch the Christian and Muslims against one another and should not be promoted by (persons in) positions of influence and authority.' Prayer walk Some churches under the auspices of the CAN, earlier on Sunday had a prayer walk in different states to protest against insecurity and the inability of the government to protect Christians. The CAN made the call after the gruesome murder of Lawan Indimi, the chairman of this body in Michika Local Government in Nasarawa by Boko Haram terrorists. Among the persons of influence that led the Sunday prayer walk was the General Overseer of the RCCG, Enoch Adeboye, in company of his church members. This action has been welcomed by many Nigerians on social media. PREMIUM TIMES has extensively reported the rising killings in many parts of the nation. The nations parliament, a few days ago, lamented the killings and also callled for the sack of the service chiefs. Amidst the insecurity, the presidency has said Nigerians have reasons to be grateful as the security situation is better than it was before Mr Buhari assumed office. We know what the situation was as at 2015 and we know what it is today. Despite the reversals in security, it is still not as bad as it used to be in this country, Femi Adesina, President Buharis spokesperson, said recently. Buhari on course- APC Although, the ruling APC condemned the killing, it insists that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is winning the war against the insurgency and insecurity across Nigeria. In 2015, followed by a reelection in 2019, Nigerians voted President Muhammadu Buhari to among others win the war against terrorism and generally secure the country. Despite the opportunistic and pocket of attacks on some soft targets, the Presidents resolve and the APC-led government in degrading Boko Haram is not in doubt, the party reiterated the stance of the federal government. We must not fall for this divisive ploy. In our respective spaces, we should understand that these violent extremists are our common enemies, and are blind to religious and political affiliation and socio-economic status. Our leaders religious, political, traditional and all others in positions of influence and authority, must now show leadership and temperance in their utterances and actions. Doing otherwise will be acting the scripts and playing into the hands of these fanatics seeking to divide us and pitch us against each other, the party spokesperson, Lanre Issa-Onilu wrote. Mr Issa-Onilu also said the Nigerian armed forces are now better equipped. Our armed forces are now better equipped with their welfare prioritised; previous insurgency-ravaged communities are being rehabilitated and resettled; gone are those days when attacks particularly on the countrys capital city of Abuja and other parts of the country were routine. Currently, no inch of Nigerias territory is under the control of Boko Haram; bandits, kidnappers and other criminal camps are being cleared with the criminals suffering heavy casualties on a daily basis, he said. The party also commiserated with the families of those that lost their lives in recent attacks. Five people have been arrested in Kazakhstan on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack in a public space, the country's National Security Committee said. They were detained in the cities of Karaganda and Taraz. All the detainees were previously convicted of serious offences and felonies. "According to an investigation, the group was formed with the goal of committing terrorist acts in the country, including in public spaces", Sputnik cited the committee as saying. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. By the decision of Vahe Misakyan, Judge of the Court of General Jurisdiction of Avan and Nor Nork Administrative District of Yerevan City, the criminal case against former President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and others has entered the stage of arraignment, ARMENPRESS was informed from Datalex judicial information system. Serzh Sargsya is accused of organizing embezzlement of particularly large amounts of money (489 million AMD) by other officials through misuse of official position in the period of January 25 to February 7 of 2013. According to the charges, on January 24, 2013 the Government of Armenia confirmed the state assistance program for providing farmers with cheap diesel fuel. A number of companies, including Maxhur and Flash companies, expressed readiness to provide the fuel. The officials of the Ministry of Agriculture of Armenia decided to introduce Maxhur, which presented the cheapest price for the fuel, for the confirmation of the Cabinet. Serzh Sargsyan, being aware of the cheaper offer for the supply, demanded a number of officials to choose Flash company as the supplier of the fuel, ensuring personal profits for himself. As a result, the Government paid over 1.2 billion AMD to Flash company as a subsidy, while it would pay only 846 million AMD to Maxhur, thus inflicting to the state financial damage of over 480 million AMD. Signature bond on not leaving the country has been chosen as a preventive measure for Serzh Sargsyan. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan PwC is one of the Big Four UK auditors who have come under regulatory pressure in recent years (Philip Toscano/PA) The number of audit firms who resigned from their posts jumped over the past year, amid pressure from industry regulators. New figures have revealed a 21% increase in the number of auditor resignations to 229 in the 12 months to September, from 190 in the previous year. The data from Thomson Reuters comes as audit firms face pressure from the accounting regulator to drop unprofitable clients from their rosters. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has previously called on audit firms to raise fees for audit work and reduce the risk of this work being used as a loss-leader. It seems that audit firms are now looking far more closely at which clients they want to work forBrian Peccarelli, Thomson Reuters Audit firms have previously been accused of using loss-making audits to make client relationships and attract them to use the auditor for more profitable work, such as consultancy and tax work. Fines have also been increased by regulators in response to corporate collapses and accounting scandals for companies such as Carillion and Patisserie Valerie which have put pressure on the industry to improve audit quality. Brian Peccarelli, chief operating officer for customer segments at Thomson Reuters, said: It seems that audit firms are now looking far more closely at which clients they want to work for. Audit firms have responded to regulatory pressure and are now pouring far more time and resources into audits. With the FRC increasing the level of fines it imposes on audit firms it is also understandable that audit firms will want to review their relationships with high risk clients. In November last year the new head of the FRC, Simon Dingemans, blamed cross-subsidisation of audit with other services and audits usage as a loss-leader for a fall in audit quality. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has also suggested that separating out audit and non-audit services would reduce potential conflicts of interest. The number of firms resigning from audits has returned to growth after steadily declining from a peak of 367 resignations in the 2014-15 year. Yesterday, in central China (Hubei province), the army opened a new field hospital in Wuhan, the provincial capital. It took ten days to build the temporary thousand bed hospital and staff it with 1,400 army medical personnel. The army is building a second field hospital in Wuhan, with 1,600 beds, that will open in five or six days. These new facilities are for dealing with the coronavirus, another epidemic that first broke out in China. The last one was the SARS (avian flu) in 2002-3 which killed 349 in China and led to the destruction of much of the domestic poultry in China, a loss that took several years to recover from. The original influenza disease breaks out anew every year, infects 350 to 900 million and kills 300,000 to 700,000 a year worldwide. Every decade or so there is an especially deadly strain of the flu that increases the normal deaths by five to ten times. More rarely there are severe pandemics that can kill 20 million or more worldwide. Whenever a new type of virus appears, like SARS or the current coronavirus, there is the risk of it being a major pandemic and the degree of risk is not confirmed until the new disease can be thoroughly studied. Despite decades of new medical tech, it still takes weeks or months to confirm how destructive a new epidemic disease will be. In the meantime, you have to prepare for the worst and that means shutting down travel to or from China. Inside China, the government has reacted like the communist police state it still is and restricted access to information about what it is doing to deal with the new disease. Despite that, communications tech like cellphones and the Internet, even though tightly controlled and censored in China, still gets details out to the world. It takes longer but the facts do emerge no matter what the government does. Apparently the coronavirus is highly infectious, like the common flu or SARS and has a fatality rate of about two percent. Work is already underway worldwide to develop a vaccine and other medical tech to deal with the new disease. Diseases like this tend to come from China for cultural reasons. Chinese are big fans of exotic food. Cuisine plays a bigger role in Chinese history and life than just about anywhere else on the planet. Wild game is particularly popular and the more exotic the better. The increasing affluence since the 1980s greatly expanded the demand for exotic live animals, who are openly displayed and sold in markets that are popular for visitors as well as shoppers. Bringing all those different species together so often provides more opportunities for a new disease to be created by a virus moving from one species to the other via these animals breathing near each other. The transferred virus cannot survive long outside the animal that exhaled them and in the wild, there is miniscule chance of such transfers. But in crowded markets, where cages containing many wild species are stacked up for people to closely examine, you get more viral transfers that turn very, very bad. Most viral transfers have no impact at all or one that is benign and often not noticed at all. For thousands of years, China has had the largest population of any political entity on the planet. Most of the people were farmers who lived closely (often in the same building during bad weather) with domestic animals like swine and poultry (especially ducks). This led to influenza and periodically new strains of the flu. Less often it brings us SARS or the coronavirus. This disease creation phenomena is known to Chinese medical professionals but the government has refused to do anything about the hugely popular wild animal trade. Its a matter of priorities. The long term impact of the coronavirus is to accelerate the departure of foreign companies from China. Depending on how severe the disease is, the Chinese military will be diverted for a while to help deal with the crises. The military has questionable combat effectiveness, but it has proved increasingly useful during natural disasters. There are very few combat opportunities but a steady supply of natural disasters. What you have to deal with, you get better taking care of. The Other Epidemic Chinese neighbors, near and far, are increasingly resisting Chinese offers of more trade, and large investments and loans for building transportation and other economic infrastructure. The resistance comes from the fear that Chinese investment means eventual annexation of some or all their territory. It works like this. After all that Chinese investment there are a lot more Chinese living, working and investing in the newly developed area. Even Russia and North Korea are threatened by this. Former Soviet Union territories in Central Asia, which have been independent countries since 1991, are seeking closer ties with nuclear armed Russia for defense against these Chinese moves. China would be all over North Korea if it werent for the fiercely nationalistic North Korean dictatorship. All Koreans know that the historical Greater Korea used to include large portions of northeast China that once had a majority Korean population. These areas now have a large Korean minority population but are indisputably Chinese. The same thing is happening in northwest China where Xinjiang province was once known as East Turkestan and had a majority Uighur Moslem population. Centuries of Chinese efforts to turn Xinjiang from a conquered province into a Han (ethnic Chinese) majority region have succeeded in the last few decades. A similar effort is underway in Tibet, where the local population are distant cousins to the Han but have for over a thousand years resisted Chinese occupation and domination. Tibet is losing that battle. There is a similar situation in Chinese Inner Mongolia, a portion of neighboring Mongolia where centuries of Chinese trade and Han migration turned a large portion of Mongolia into what is now the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia. China started its Hanification of the area in the 14th century, after the Mongol dynasty in China was overthrown, and China sought to eliminate any future Mongo threats by gradually absorbing Mongolia. Currently the rest of Mongolia is called Outer Mongolia by the Chinese and is independent only because of alliances with Russia. In time the Chinese will make all of Mongolia Chinese. Russia faces the loss of its far eastern (Pacific coast) territories. Communist China never renounced Chinese claims on these territories and there was some fighting on the border over that in the 1970s. Those battles ended in a stalemate. Since then China has reorganized its government and economy. This has been a successful transition from classical communism to a Chinese version of post-World War I German fascism. The current Chinese rulers are actually a bunch of communist party leaders trying to stay in power using the appeal of lost (centuries earlier) imperial glories. Just as Hitler described his imperial effort as the Third Reich (empire) in the tradition of the Holy Roman Empire and the 19th century German Reich, so does China claim legitimacy because of ancient claims by earlier Chinese empires. Since the 1980s China adopted a market economy and shed most of its socialist (state ownership of everything) responsibilities. So with the presence of a nationalist dictatorship government, you actually have a repeat of what happened nearly a century ago. China has a self-appointed leader-for-life running what is officially known as a socialist dictatorship. Back in the 1930s Germany had a (relatively) free-market economy in a country controlled by the NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers Party) or, Nazis. Spain had a similar government with a dictator technically acting as regent for a deposed monarchy. Japan had a market economy but its constitutional monarchy had been usurped by a military coup that put a military dictatorship in power that ruled in the name of the emperor. Italy was run by a dictator who was a lifelong socialist but also a nationalist dictator promising to revive the Roman Empire on the cheap. That did not end well. But that was then, today the fascists are the same but a bit different. Fascist China now and Fascist Germany in the 1930s were very similar but there were some key differences. In the 1930s the U.S. had the largest GDP in the world and Germanys was second. But back then the American GDP was more than twice the size of Germanys while today the Chinese GDP is about 64 percent the size of the American one. The German military was one of the most effective on the planet with an impressive record of winning battles, and losing wars. The Chinese military has a much less illustrious track record and tended to eventually prevail because of its ability to mobilize more soldiers for a longer war than their opponents could handle. Historically Chinese armies often looked good on paper but usually proved to be paper tigers at the start of a war. In contrast, the American peacetime military has become one of the most effective on the planet. China has similar goals to 1930s Germany, as in territorial claims on neighbors. Like the Nazis, China claims it needs more territory and resources for its huge population. The Nazis proclaimed Germans were the master race and all others must submit or be exterminated. The Chinese believe in the racial superiority of the Han ethnic group, which most Chinese belong to. The Chinese claim a historical destiny to rule the largest possible empire. Unlike the Nazis, the Chinese have a historical record of successful empires. Until the 18th century China was the largest and often most powerful nation-state on the planet but then went into decline for two centuries. Most Chinese agree that it is time for China to once again be the most powerful state in the world. This is causing problems. The neighbors, and the rest of the world, are more alarmed than inclined to submit. Two potential victims (Russia and India) have nukes. This was something earlier Chinese empire builders never had to face although the Mongols did a pretty impressive job of killing everyone and burning everything over a wide area. Like current nuclear powers, the Mongols preferred to use the application of massive violence more as a threat than as a regular practice. February 2, 2020: North Korea revealed that it managed to keep the country free of the coronavirus. This is probably true because North Korea has the most heavily guarded borders on the planet and normally gets few legal visitors. North Korea has halted all Chinese tourism (a major source of foreign currency) and curbed normal (business and government) travel to China. North Korea is also very poor and in no condition to deal with an outbreak of the new virus. February 1, 2020: Despite, or perhaps because of the coronavirus the Hong Kong protests continue. Protestors want their border with the rest of China closed but so far that has not happened. Meanwhile, the ongoing protests continue to cause economic damage with the local GDP contracting at an annual rate of 5-7 percent in the last few months. That has not discouraged most of the locals, who see the coronavirus as another example of how dangerous it is to let the national government run things in Hong Kong. January 29, 2020: China has apparently become the second-largest weapons producer on the planet, ousting Russia from that position. Despite secrecy about such matters in both countries, SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute), an independent defense research organization tracks such things and has a good track record for accuracy. A year ago SIPRI declared that as of 2017 Russia had become the second-largest arms manufacturer in the world. Russia passed Britain for the first time since the Cold War ended in 1991. The United States remains in first place, with $227 billion in sales by 42 major firms. Russia was second with $38 billion and Britain third $36 billion. Taken together Western European nations had total sales of $94 billion which is about the same as Chinese arms firms, whose published data shows about $95 billion for 2017. SPIRI notes that it leaves China out because it has not got comparable data for China going back to 2002, which is when the current data begins for the Top 100 Defense firms. During the Cold War SIPRI did not include Russia or other communist nations with command economies (most of East Europe, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam and China) for the same reason. But unofficial (and eventually verified) estimates put Russia in second place during most of the Cold War. January 22, 2020: The U.S. Navy conducted its first 2020 FONOP (freedom of navigation operation) in the South China Sea by sending an LCS type warship passing close (with 22 kilometers) of a Chinese base in the Spratly Islands. China issues warnings and accuses the Americans of troublemaking because of these FONOPS. There were seven South China Sea FONOPs in 2019, five 2018, six in 2017 and three in 2016. Since 2015, when the Chinese South China Sea claims became a major issue, the Americans have carried out more FONOPS in the South China Sea each year. China lays claim to two million square kilometers of open sea (57 percent of the South China Sea). China continued its policy of not interfering with FONOPS but does send warships to follow the foreign ships. There are two ways China can enforce its sovereignty exert control over its territorial waters. The traditional response is to attack intruders with gunfire or missiles. Then there is the preferred Chinese method of swarming around the intruder with commercial, coast guard and even navy warships and combat aircraft. This has included causing collisions (often just bumping). China does not want a war with the United States, mainly because of the economic risks which could lead to more unrest inside China. Interference with seaborne trade and trading relationships, in general, would disrupt the Chinese economy and threaten CCP control. What China has demonstrated is a willingness to do everything short of war, especially if they can remain able to claim victim status. January 21, 2020: The U.S. confirmed that North Korea has failed to comply with the December 22 deadline to bring all foreign workers home. This was mainly about 50,000 North Korean workers in China and 30,000 in Russia who were supposed to be back in North Korea by December 22nd, as per the UN sanctions. Russia had sent home all the North Korean workers officially still in Far East Russia, where there is a labor shortage and cheap North Korean workers have been popular. Many of the departing North Koreas said they expected to return soon and they did with tourists or other deceptive visas. Using various visas and other deceptions China and Russian managed to keep or replace (with other North Koreans) all their North Korean workers. The UN economic sanctions on North Korea called for all North Korean workers employed in other countries (mainly China and Russia) to be sent home by late December. That did not happen in China, which has long been North Koreas major trading partner. China has been allowing more North Korean workers to enter and work, many with no visa at all. Half of the workers pay goes to the North Korean government as tax but the North Korean workers are still making more than they could in North Korea and most of that pay supports family back in North Korea while the exported workers have more food and heat than they would back home. China and Russia are officially supporting the sanctions but are unofficially tolerating all manner of smuggling and sanctions evasion. The end result is that China and Russia cooperated with North Korea to ignore these economic sanctions. North Korea earns about $500 million year via this exported labor. North Korea has recently sent more security personnel to China to ensure that the North Korean workers do not try to escape from China and North Korean control. The U.S. subsequently put individual sanctions on two China-based but North Korean controlled companies that provided various support (housing and transportation) services for the foreign workers and the security personnel who keep them under control. January 17, 2020: The Chinese leader began a two-day state visit to Myanmar. This was mainly about discussing matters of mutual interest with Burmese leaders. There a lot of things to discuss, including the Rohingya refugees, tribal rebel violence on the Chinese border and Chinese investments in Burma. China has been protecting Burma in the UN, where there are calls for punishing Burma over the Rohingya mess. The tribal rebels are largely an internal Burmese matters. Burmese negotiations with the tribal rebels have been heavily influenced by China. That is because China is part of the problem. This state visit was to try and get Burmese leaders to be more cooperative with Chinese investors. That did not happen. There were some token concessions but Burma remains wary of Chinese investments. Before the local military gave up power in 2011 Burmese officers had made a lot of money allowing China to do business in the tribal north, often at the expense of local civilians, most of them tribal people. This continues to cause problems as China tries to maintain many of these economic projects by including them in the new CMEC (China-Myanmar Economic Corridor) agreement China and Burma signed in late 2018. That agreement called for both countries to begin detailed negotiations on where a 1,700 kilometer long transportation corridor from southern China (Yunan province) to central Burma (Mandalay) and then west to the coast at the Kyaukpyu SEZ (Special Economic Zone) will be built and what it will consist of. The corridor would improve roads, railroads and build, as needed, pipelines and electrical transmission lines. This would be financed by China and built mainly by Chinese construction firms. CMEC paid special attention to the risk of a debt trap where Burma might find itself with debt it could not repay unless it turned over new facilities to Chinese ownership or control. This has happened in other nations, most obviously in Sri Lanka. Burma needs the investment and since 1988 China has been the major foreign investor in Burma with projects totaling $20 billion so far. Burma told China it was working on special debt trap provisions and the main one is for China to allow foreign nations to provide some of the loans needed for the CMEC work. Details of this deal are still being negotiated. This explains why only a few of the 38 projects that comprise CMEC have so far been approved by Burma. Reaching agreement on the rest of those projects gives Burma some leverage over China. CMEC is the Burma component of the massive Chinese Obor (One Belt, One Road) effort. Also called BRI (Belt and Road Initiative), Obor is all about China building roads, railroads, pipelines and ports to make it easier for Chinese imports and exports to move around, from East Asia to Europe, Africa and more. Pakistan, Nepal, Thailand Sri Lanka and Burma are all BRI participants that are seeing billions of dollars in construction Chinese projects taking place and the terms of these deal tend to favor China, not the country where the construction takes place. Not surprisingly many people in these BRI countries see Chinese investments as another form of colonialism. China prefers not to call it colonialism but rather seeking to expand its commercial activities. All the disagreements over border security and CMEC have not slowed down the growth in trade with China. In 2019 that trade increased 38.5 percent over 2018 to $17.7 billion. That is huge considering that the Burmese GDP is $67 billion. January 16, 2020: Corruption remains a major problem for China and years of well-publicized efforts to deal with it have failed and that can be seen in the international surveys of nations to determine who is clean and who is corrupt. For 2019 China ranked 80th out of 180 nations in international rankings compared with 87th in 2018. Corruption in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index is measured on a 1 (most corrupt) to 100 (not corrupt) scale. The most corrupt nations (usually Yemen/15, Syria/13, South Sudan/12 and Somalia/9) have a rating of under 15 while of the least corrupt (Finland, New Zealand and Denmark) are over 85. The current Chinese score is 41 (versus 39 in 2018) compared to 30 (30) for Ukraine, 45 (44) for Belarus, 58 (60) for Poland, 80 (81) Germany, 65 (61) for Taiwan, 39 (40) for Turkey, 41 (40) for India, 28 (28) for Russia, 57 (54) for South Korea, 14 (17) for North Korea, 37 (35) for Vietnam, 85 (84) for Singapore, 73 (73) for Japan, 40 (37) for Indonesia, 38 (38) for Sri Lanka, 29 (33) for the Maldives, 34 (34) for the Philippines, 32 (32) for Pakistan, 26 (28) for Bangladesh, 26 (30) for Iran, 16 (15) for Afghanistan, 29 (30) for Burma, 71 (71) for the UAE (United Arab Emirates), 60 (64) for Israel, 69 (75) for the United States, 26 (27) for Nigeria, 44 (43) for South Africa, 20 (18) for Iraq, 39 (40) for Turkey, 53 (49) for Saudi Arabia and 28 (28) for Lebanon. The Chinese corruption score has not changed much since 2012 when it was 39. January 15, 2020: A recent study of Internet censorship concluded that North Korea had the most heavily controlled Internet with China coming in second followed by Russia, Iran, and Turkmenistan. January 12, 2020: In the Philippines the navy tracked a Chinese coast guard ship spending a lot of time circling a Filipino base on Second Thomas Reef. Although this reef is 200 kilometers from Palawan (indisputably part of the Philippines) and thus recognized by international law as Filipino, China also claims ownership. This was going on while Chinese coast guard officials were making a goodwill visit to the Filipino capital. China still claims that Second Thomas Reef is Chinese and that Filipinos are trespassing. Since late 2019 China and the Philippines have been negotiating, unsuccessfully so far, to create a COC (Code of Conduct) for operations in contested areas. January 8, 2020: The most valuable service China has done for the socialist Venezuelan government (aside from helping rebuild the collapsed oil industry) has been to help use police state tech to better control an angry population. China has such tech and has agreed to export it to Venezuela and assist with the installation of its newly developed SCR (Social Credit Rating). This has been developed over the last decade in northwestern China (Xinjiang province) where extensive networks of vidcams and other forms of population monitoring have enabled more control over large populations. China already boasts that nationwide millions of people have been identified and punished because of their low SCR. A bad SCR makes it more difficult to get a good job, a bank loan or a passport. SCR scores depend on what the government sees, hears or reads via that growing network of sensors and informants. The government expects to have the Big Brother monitoring and SCR systems operating nationwide by 2020, or at least the early 2020s. Already local officials are finding SCR a useful tool. Xinjiang was the laboratory in which it is discovered what works and what does not. For example, Xinjiang factory workers who refuse to accept harsh working conditions and no pay increases can be assigned a low SCR and then told they must either improve their attitude towards bad working conditions or go to a reeducation camp for a while, perhaps a long while if they refuse to behave as ordered. Many Chinese have no problem with SCR and see it as an opportunity. One reason for that, which the government does not like to talk about, or even acknowledge, is that SCR has already been corrupted. Local officials and police have a lot of discretion in deciding which behavior is likely to lower an SCR. In other words, some well-placed or well-timed bribes can keep your SCR healthy. The government is aware of this but knows that despite the vulnerability to bribery the SCR is still a powerful tool for controlling the population. For example, one way of boosting your SCR, and making some legal money (although usually less than $50 a month) is to agree to work for the secret police as a local informer. In some parts of the country, like the capital, there are a lot of these paid informants. In central Beijing, where nearly four million people live and even more work or pass through, about three percent of the population are paid informants. That is in addition to the extensive network of security cameras and extensive surveillance carried out on the Internet. Exactly how the population will react to extensive and sustained use of SCR is an unknown. But at this point, we are beginning to find out, especially in Xinjiang province and some of the major cities. The cost of building and operating the SCR system is one reason why China spends more on internal security (secret police, riot police, coast guard and so on) than they do on the defense budget. China helped adapt the SCR system to Venezuela, especially the issuance of ID cards (for individuals and businesses) linked to an SCR database. Most of the population depends on the government for basic necessities, like food. Everyone will get an ID card that must be used to get anything from the government. A low SCR score means you go hungry. The more affluent can pay a bribe to get around SCR problems. Venezuela is enormously corrupt but if you cannot pay a bribe you cannot get around the SCR system. In China, the government continues to find new uses for SCR by trying out new ideas in Xinjiang province. For example, the government wants to suppress the traditional Turkic culture of the native Uighur Moslems. To that end, Uighurs are getting lower SCR scores if they refuse to change the decor in their homes by removing traditional Turkic features and replacing them with fashions favored by the Ham Chinese majority. January 6, 2020: China has revived its efforts to force Indonesia to acknowledge Chinese claims on the Natuna Islands and the lucrative fishing grounds there. There are potentially natural gas deposits as well. This latest effort began in early December when Chinese fishing boats began entering Indonesian waters off the Natunas and fishing illegally. There were 30 of these incidents, involving over 60 fishing vessels. All were ordered to leave and were escorted to international waters. But the Chinese kept coming Since 2016 China and Indonesia have been unofficially, but very visibly, at war with each other over illegal fishing. Early on Indonesia seized and destroyed a number of Chinese fishing boats and ignored Chinese complaints and threats. China has long been stealing fish (poaching) from offshore areas where the fishing rights belong to other countries. This poaching has been going on with increasing frequency since the 1990s. But now many of the victims have done the math and noted that the most frequent offenders are Chinese ships. These are either Chinese owned fishing ships or ships from other countries that register themselves as Chinese to gain a measure of immunity from being stopped or punished by the nations being plundered. But some nations are not just complaining, they are fighting back. In the case of Indonesia, the fighting back consists of shooting at poachers and, since 2014, destroying (via explosives or burning) over 170 ships used by guilty poachers. Indonesia calculates that this poaching costs Indonesia over $2 billion a year and that Chinas worldwide poaching operation brings in over $20 billion a year. Since China does not officially admit it is organizing and controlling this, and the Indonesians are using large warships with orders to fire on any poacher caught and refusing to surrender, the Chinese are taking most of the losses off Indonesia. For a while, China sent warships to accompany flotillas (often ten or more ocean-going fishing ships) and protect the poachers if caught and keep the police or coast guard boats busy while the poachers escaped. But Indonesia responded by sending out warships (corvettes and frigates) with orders to fire on any foreign warships caught with the poachers. China stopped sending warships but the poachers kept on coming and Indonesia keeps capturing and prosecuting the crews. The poacher ships are often destroyed as media events, with local news being allowed to capture and broadcast videos of the fires and explosions. In mid--2016 an Indonesian warship intercepted a dozen Chinese fishing ships illegally operating off the Natunas islands, fired warning shots and seized one of the Chinese ships and its crew and charged them with poaching. This was the third such incident that year and Indonesia accused China of deliberately sending these fishing boats to poach in order to establish a claim that the Natunas are traditional Chinese fishing areas and thus belong to China. The 272 Natuna islands are 3,000 kilometers from China and within the Indonesian EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone). Waters 360 kilometers from land are considered the EEZ of the nation controlling the nearest land. The EEZ owner can control who fishes there and extracts natural resources (mostly oil and gas) from the ocean floor. Technically, most of the Natunas are just outside the Chinese South China Sea claims. At first it seemed China was only interested in poaching, which its fishing ships do as far away as Africa and South America. But now China has expressed an interest in purchasing some or all of the Natunas. The implications is that if Indonesia wont sell, China lay claim to the Natunas and take them along with the rest of the South China Sea claims. December 30, 2019: Beidou ("Compass"), the Chinese version of GPS (Global Positioning System) is now fully operational, providing worldwide coverage. China achieved this in late December 2019 when it put the last two of its Beidou satellites into orbit some 21,800 kilometer high circular orbits, joining 22 others in similar obits covering the entire planet, plus six more in 36,000 kilometer high geosynchronous (stationary) orbits. The full Beidou network will be open for business as a world-wide service in early 2020. People got their first experience with Beidou in late 2012 when the first few satellites were made available to anyone with a Beidu GPS receiver. Now China expects Beidou to become a major competitor for the existing global navigation systems among civilian users. China aims to grab a major share of the satellite navigation market from the original U.S GPS system and do it by 2030. Services available to anyone are less accurate than other systems but Beidu also has a special (more accurate and allows messaging) military mode that is only available to the Chinese and Pakistani military. China will make an effort to monetize its GPS service, which really would make it unique compared to the others. December 29, 2019: Chinas two major shipbuilders, CSSC and CSIC, merged to create the largest shipbuilder in the world with 310,000 employees. A decade ago there were nearly half a million employees but recessions continued competition from rivals South Korea and Japan forced the change. The new company, CSG (China Shipbuilding Group), as well as the two it merged from are all state-owned. The merger is actually a return to the situation in 1999 when CSSC and CSIC were created from the then single state-owned shipbuilding operation. This was meant to encourage competition and it worked. Chinese shipbuilders, mainly the two large firms, account for most of the shipbuilding in China and have been striving to overtake their main rival South Korea as the largest shipbuilder in the world in all categories. There are several ways to measure shipbuilder output South Korea is the champion in most of them. Japan was once in first place but now has to settle for third place. South Korea and China have been close competitors for first place since 2012 and to that end the two largest South Korean ship builders also merged in 2019. December 26, 2019: China has not revealed how many carriers it plans to build eventually. China already has two; CV-16 in service and a similar CV-17 (the Shandong) recently completed trials, was commissioned on December 19th and was seen passing near Taiwan on the 26th. It was assumed that China wanted to build two more similar carriers (CV-18 and 19) which would lose the ski jump deck and instead adopt a catapult. These two will be a bit larger than CV-17 and the first one is already under construction and is expected to be in the water by 2020 and in service by 2024. One thing that might delay the Type 002 is the decision on which catapult system (steam or electric) to use. The U.S. Navy has had problems getting its EMALS (electromagnetic aircraft launch system) to work effectively and the Chinese may be waiting to see how that works out before deciding. The Type 002 will have a steam propulsion system but one that will produce a lot more electricity (for laser weapons and catapult). After the two catapult equipped carriers are evaluated, it is believed that two nuclear-powered carriers are planned (CVN-20 and 21). These will be similar to the 100,000 ton American Nimitz class CVNs. Chinese working on nuclear propulsion for submarines had long encountered lots of technical problems that have seriously limited the development of an effective Chinese nuclear submarine force. Apparently these nuclear power experts informed the government that China did not yet have reliable nuclear power plants for surface ships and it would be a while before that technology was achieved. December 24, 2019: Meeting in China, the leaders of China, South Korea and Japan met to discuss the situation North Korean nukes and missiles had created. Nothing new was agreed to, just the usual we must continue talking to North Korea and persuade the north to give up its nukes. Separately the leaders of South Korea and Japan met to discuss their continuing diplomatic and trade disputes. A man in Hanoi has been detained for attempting to violate his own childs schoolmate when she visited his home last month. Police said on Sunday that they had arrested Le Dinh Thang, a 40-year-old man in Thanh Cong Ward in the Vietnamese capitals Ba Dinh District, for an investigation into his attempt to rape N.H.L., his sons 14-year-old schoolmate. L. came to Thangs house to play with his son at 8:00 am on January 15, according to police reports. His son went to an after-school class at 8:45 am so L. continued to stay with Thang. The man then tried to lure the little girl into having sex with him. He took L. to a neighbors house, where nobody was present, to violate her but he failed in his attempt. Thang told the girl to put on her clothes before he pretended to bring a bottle of alcohol to the front of the house to check if there was anybody around. He returned to open the door for L. to go home after seeing the vicinity was clear. L. arrived home on the afternoon of the same day and told her parents the attempted violation, as she was afraid to become pregnant. Her parents then reported it to police in Thanh Cong District. Thang admitted to his wrongdoing at the police station afterward. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! [February 03, 2020] Roaming Data Traffic Generated by Consumer & IoT Devices Forecast to Reach 2,000 Petabytes in 2024: Kaleido Intelligence Mobile data roaming traffic generated by consumer and IoT devices reached 737 Petabytes in 2019, according to roaming experts Kaleido Intelligence. This is forecast to reach 2,000 Petabytes in 2024, representing an average annual growth of 22% over the period. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005036/en/ Leading vendors for Wholesale Roaming, split by service area (Graphic: Business Wire) Driven by the significant increase in roaming data traffic across key regions including Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, Kaleido predicts that consumer inbound wholesale roaming revenues will reach $16 billion in 2024, with IoT adding a further $5.7 billion. Nitin Bhas, Chief of Strategy & Insights at Kaleido Intelligence said: "Roam-Like-At-Home will continue to be the most important revenue driver, followed by the intrduction of IoT and 5G roaming services. However, the challenge here is to identify and predict what data roaming services will look like in 3 years time; i.e. IoT and 5G use cases that will have an impact - anything from connected cars to high-speed video services." Telco Roaming Challenges & Opportunities: Survey Findings Key findings from Kaleido Intelligence's operator survey conducted in H2-2019 included: Ensuring a premium customer experience from a 4G/5G roaming perspective was found to be the biggest challenge by participants. Real-time business analytics and intelligence were found to be the most popular and immediate technical requirement. 67% of the global operators surveyed reported over 5% increase in traffic in 2019; in comparison, 11% reported between 1-5% increase. BICS, Mobileum, Vodafone (News - Alert) Roaming Services, Nextgen Clearing Leads Kaleido Scores for Roaming Vendors Kaleido Intelligence's Wholesale Roaming Strategies & Competitive Analysis 2020 report analyses the wholesale roaming sector, including an in-depth assessment of 30 vendors across the roaming value chain. Read more. About Kaleido Intelligence Kaleido Intelligence is a specialist consulting and market research firm with a proven track record delivering telecom research at the highest level. Research is led by expert analysts with significant experience delivering roaming insights that matter. Request a copy of our Wholesale Strategies Report here. View the full Press Release on our website. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005036/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday raised concerns of the state in the Assembly regarding proposed amendment of section 6 of the Income Tax Act, 1961, which lays down conditions for residential status for tax purposes in India. "With the amendment, those working in foreign countries will have to stay abroad for 240 days per year instead of 182 days as at present, for retaining their non-resident status. The proposed reduction of the period from '182 days or more' to '120 days or more' will adversely affect professionals leaving for employment from Kerala particularly in Gulf countries," said Pinarayi Vijayan in the state assembly. He said those running partnership business abroad and working in areas like oil rigs, will be most affected. "I have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising Kerala's concerns as the state's economy is substantially supported by remittances, especially from those in the Gulf countries. Also, I have written letters to MPs requesting them to raise the issue in Parliament," he said. Congress members in the House also raised their concerns regarding the proposed amendment. In the letter written to Prime Minister, the Chief Minister said, "Most of the people working in the countries of the Gulf Region, from Kerala, are having homes and families in Kerala. They visit and stay in their home state to look after domestic affairs. Tax Evasion is not their intention and they do not fall in the category of persons who shift their bases to escape taxes.' Further, the letter read, "Most of the persons from Kerala working in the Middle East are doing medium scale businesses there. They have the responsibility of taking care of their families who are here. Such persons will be hard hit by the amendment to section 6 of the Income Tax Act 1961, which proposes to reduce the stay period for residential status from 182 days to 120 days". . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lesly Joseph By Express News Service BENGALURU: After office hours, software engineer Sowmya J rushes to her theatre groups rehearsal sessions. I dont feel tired, rather our rehearsal time is something that I look forward to every day. And when I perform on stage, thats an amazing feeling, says the 35-year-old who is part of RangaTantra, a group of working professionals who is passionate about theatre. The group, which has done several public performances, will be staging their show, Ask Mr YNK, on February 7. We used to enact dramas as part of the Ugadi celebrations at our office premises around 2008. Later we realised that this is something we love to do and should continue beyond office hours. So we extended our horizon and formed the group RangaTantra, shares Mahadev Prasad, group manager and an IT professional in Koramangala. Over the last decade, RangaTantra has been performing two-three plays every year at multiple venues like Ranga Shankara in JP Nagar, K H Kalasoudha in Hanumantha Nagar, and Prabhat Auditorium in NR Colony and in Basaveshwara Nagar. Over the years, they have performed plays written by the likes of Kailasam, Jogi and M S Narasimhamurthy. The first drama that we performed outside the office was Ammavra Ganda. We do social dramas, mythology and comedy plays. We have only working professionals which, sometimes, is challenging. We compose our own music and our colleagues who are percussionists play their instruments on the day of performance. This is one of the areas that we need to improve, says Prasad (43). According to team members, they get a lot of support from colleagues and family. We cant compromise on our work, so it is me-time or family time that gets compromised. If we didnt have that kind of support, it would have been really hard. In fact, our family members are the ones who help us manage crowds and stage settings on the performance day. The most satisfying moment is when you receive positive feedback from audience after putting in all the hardwork, says 32-year-old Sriharsha H S, a project manager and actor. Today, the 15-member group includes working professionals from different parts of the city. They come together during the weekends to rehearse. We start practice at least three months in advance of a scheduled performance, says Sowmya, adding that RangaTantra has changed her life in many ways. Until I joined this group, I had never dreamt of becoming a theatre actor. In fact, I feel IT has given me so much room to pursue my passion, she says. The final day to take advantage of Early Registration savings for the 2020 National Medicare Supplement Insurance industry Summit is approaching reports the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance (AAMSI). "February 15 is the last day to take advantage of the early registration rate to attend the only national industry event that focuses on Medigap," notes Jesse Slome, AAMSI's director. The 12th national industry convention for the Medicare Supplement insurance industry takes place May 13-15, 2020 at the Schaumburg Convention Center, located in NW Chicago. "This already looks to be the biggest event to date, just based on the fact that all 124 exhibit booth spaces have been sold," Slome predicts. "In addition, we have sold out rooms at the primary hotel and are moving towards closing down available rooms at the two secondary conference hotels." The national Medigap Summit brings together industry leaders who market, price and support the sale of Medicare Supplement insurance. "We strive to offer a great program of timely topics that feature leading industry professionals from across this diverse industry," Slome shares. "We are seeing more emphasis on direct-to-consumer insurance sales but balancing that with our longstanding focus on sales made by traditional insurance agents and brokers." Complete information on the conference can be accessed online via the Association's website. "While the 2020 Medicare Supplement conference exhibit hall is sold out, there are still some sponsorship opportunities remaining available," Slome acknowledges. "That said, we expect these will go soon as the importance of this event gains momentum." To learn more about the Association's conference visit the Association's website at www.medicaresupp.org/2020-medigap-conference-expo/. The American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance is an advocacy and informational organization that supports the industry and insurance professionals who market Medicare insurance options. The Association organizes the annual Medicare insurance conference that includes a free sales day for insurance agents. At this years March For Life rally in Washington, D.C., a young woman sporting dark lipstick, a trendy cropped haircut, and Converse sneakers held up a sign that read: Pro-Life Feminist: We Demand Rights For Both Mother and Child!! Next to her, another young person held a poster that read, LGBT+ Rights Begin In The Womb, according to The Federalists Jayme Metzgar, who captured photos at the event. Do pro-life progressives exist in meaningful numbers? Are such mash-ups of controversial views common? Youd hardly think so looking at the national political stage where there are only three pro-life Democrats in the U.S. House, zero pro-life Democrats running for President, and a slew of leaders pushing for late-term abortion policy positions that most Americans find extreme. Yes, pro-life progressives are rare, and becoming rarer, in political life. But that doesnt mean theyre rare in real life. Im a life-long, liberal, open-hearted Democrat who is pro-life, said Lila Kalnajs, 67, of Madison, Alabama in a phone interview. But even for the most tolerant of tolerant, when you introduce late-term abortion, youve taken it too far, pushing the fallacy that such an act is about womens rights. Thats bull. Look at the facts and look at the science. Kalnajs said both political parties need to stop judging the women involved, and examine the act itself. I dont find fault with the woman having an abortion, she said. I do find fault with the law that even allows it to be an option. Maybe we shouldnt be calling so many attorneys and should be calling more doctors and scientists so they can give an opinion for this person who cant speak for themselves yet. Kalnajs is far from alone in her view. Nearly 30 percent of Democrats and 44 percent of Independents consider themselves pro-life, according to 2019 Gallup polling. And even though recent Marist polling released in January found that more Americans identify as pro-choice (55 percent) than pro-life (40 percent), nearly half who identify as pro-choice believe abortion should be restricted to the first three months of pregnancy. And more than six in 10 Independents and four in 10 Democrats said they are more likely to vote for a candidate who would enact that limitation. But many Democratic elected representatives and candidates still skew very far left of what so many in their own party believe. One could argue that there is not a pro-life lane in the Democratic Party anymore, wrote John Murdock in National Affairs, pointing to the unapologetic late term abortion stance of candidates such as Elizabeth Warren and the striking announcement late last year that the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DACA) would no longer provide financial assistance to any candidate who didnt publicly support and promote abortion rights. It creates a conundrum for pro-life Democrats who are appalled by their partys extreme abortion stance. Do they stay? People say I should leave the Democratic Party, said Democrats For Life of America (DFLA) Executive Director Kristen Day in a recent tweet. Pro-life voters leaving the Party led to the current push for abortion extremism. I am going to stay and fight. Join me in taking the Party back from the abortion lobby. Others see abortion as the non-negotiable keeping them politically homeless. Birmingham-native Virginia Bradley Linzee is a New York City based celebrity makeup artist who told me shes a former conservative Independent who is running away from the Republican party after Trump and considers herself super liberal most of the time. But where to run to? Shes also the mother of a son with Down syndrome who said in a recent Belle Curve podcast interview it was challenging to see the test results at first, but that her son is a delight, and that there is nothing sad about [his condition]. Still, she says shes been super hard hit on social media when she defends her son. Nice, open liberals, right? she said. Sometimes they are the worst. Rachel Blackmon Bryars is a Huntsville-based columnist for Al.com, co-host of Belle Curve Podcast and managing partner of Bryars Communications, LLC. Keep up with her work on her Facebook page. An employee (L) puts a protective face mask on a child at a railway station in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Feb, 2, 2020. (Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images) 108 Princeton Students Self-Quarantine for Coronavirus After Trips to China More than 100 Princeton University students were asked to self-quarantine amid fears of coronavirus infection after traveling to China within the past two weeks, the New Jersey Ivy League college announced on Monday. Michael Hotchkiss, a spokesperson for Princeton, said that 108 students have submitted a form after going to China and are currently in self-isolation, reported The Daily Princetonian. Some faculty members and staff are also self-isolating, he said. Princeton is committed to ensuring the health and safety of all members of the University community, said Hotchkiss in a statement. Guided by that principle, we are responding to the novel coronavirus based on the latest information and recommendations from government and health officials. The students have to remain indoors and not attend classes or jobs on campus for 14 days, he told NJ Advance Media. Each students needs are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis to ensure they receive appropriate assistance, Hotchkiss said. A team from across the university has been working for days to ensure that we can provide academic, housing and dining support to students who are self-isolating, the spokesman added. In a statement explaining the new measure, Princeton said that the New Jersey Department of Health provided universities across the state with new guidance for students and staff who have recently traveled to China in the past two weeks. Passengers arriving on flights wear protective masks at the international airport in Auckland, New Zealand, on Jan. 29, 2020. (Dave Rowland/Getty Images) The guidance applies to individuals who arrived in the U.S. prior to 5 pm February 2. Those who arrived after that time will receive advice about quarantine at the border, the university said. But one student, Alex Luo, said that self-isolation might not be enforceable. It is completely up to the visitor to report, and I know many people returning from China could easily circumvent [the procedures], he said, adding, There is no way to make all returning students isolate, or ensure wider campus health just in case, according to Daily Princetonian. Meanwhile, Americans who have been to Hubei Province, of which virus epicenter Wuhan is the capital, will have to undergo up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine upon returning to the United States, the Department of Homeland Security announced on Sunday. Foreign nationals who are not immediate family members of American citizens, permanent residents, and flight crew who have been to China within the past 14 days also wont be able to enter the country, the agency said. The Chinese regime over the weekend locked down more cities in Hubei Province and also placed restrictions on the movement of residents in Wenzhou, a port city located in Chinas coastal Zhejiang Province. Only one member from each family in the city can be out buying goods every two days. We have folks ready to go to China as soon as that offer is finalized. I understand that there still are negotiations in process on that. And really were waiting. As soon as we are allowed to go we will be there, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters on a phone call on Monday. In the United States, 11 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in California, Massachusetts, Illinois, Washington state, and Arizona. By Nick Cunningham, an independent journalist covering the oil and gas industry, climate change and international politics. He has been featured in Oilprice.com, The Fuse, YaleE360 and NACLA. Cross-posted from DeSmogBlog. Like black swan events, green swan events will be very difficult to predict and will hit with little warning. The potential for a cascading series of crises stemming from climate change threatens global financial stability, and the worlds central banks are not equipped to respond to them, or even predict what exactly might unfold, the 100-page BIS report said. Risk in the Time of Climate Change The financial risk from climate change is typically put into two categories: physical risk and transition risk. The former refers to natural disasters or some other climate-related calamity that imposes steep costs on society from physical damage, such as a drought or a hurricane. Transition risk refers to the repricing of assets as the global economy shifts towards cleaner energy, such as an oil company losing much of its value following the passage of a painful carbon tax. #ClimateChange is a green swan risk that may cause extreme events, large financial losses and possibly the next systemic crisis. How can central banks & supervisors preserve #FinancialStability? A joint BIS@BanquedeFrance book looks for answers @NGFS_ https://t.co/S5KI2omUqY pic.twitter.com/4rHiAux0mB Bank for International Settlements (@BIS_org) January 22, 2020 Both types of risk are characterized by deep uncertainty and nonlinearity, BIS said. Worse, they will interact with each other, resulting in feedback loops that could deepen financial stress. The destruction of coastal real estate could trigger bank failures or the collapse of insurance markets as losses pile up, for example. The ripple effects are difficult to predict, and the 2008-2009 financial crisis is a reminder that the financial system can seize up in an instant. However, green swan events are different from a typical black swan event in that while the details or timing of the disaster are unpredictable, there is nevertheless a high degree of certainty that climate catastrophes will indeed happen. And they are even more serious than most systemic financial crises: they could pose an existential threat to humanity, the BIS report warned. Bailing out the Atmosphere? Central banks have dangerously few tools at their disposal to respond to climate-related financial crises. Ahead of time, central banks can do stress tests, work with financial markets on disclosure, study regulation, and recommend certain policies. They can also exclude debt of carbon-intensive industries when they purchase bonds, for instance, or require lenders to hold more capital reserves. But climate-related risks will remain largely uninsurable or unhedgeable as long as system-wide action is not undertaken, the BIS said. Even as they remain ill-equipped to head off disaster, central banks may inevitably be led into uncharted waters as the climate crisis unfolds, forcing them to intervene as climate rescuers of last resort and buy large sets of devalued assets, to save the financial system once more, the report warned. However, central banks cannot buy up entire swathes of coastline that go under water, or rescue collapsed industries left behind in the transition. Ultimately, central banks cannot bail out the carbon-loaded atmosphere as if it were a tranche of toxic mortgage assets that simply need to be removed from the balance sheet. The biophysical foundations of such a crisis and its potentially irreversible impacts would quickly show the limits of this wait and see strategy, the report warned. Warnings Abound This is not the first time that someone has warned about climate change bringing down the financial system. The governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, has warned for years about the financial risks from a changing climate and did so again recently. Various organizations have warned of stranded assets for years. Some of the largest private financial institutions in the world have begun to reduce their exposure to fossil fuels. BlackRock, the largest asset manager in the world, made headlines in January when it announced that it would divest from coal companies. In a letter outlining the decision, BlackRock said that climate risk is investment risk. But the latest report from the BIS is notable because of who is issuing the warning. The BIS is an organization made up of 60 central banks from around the world, including the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank. Its often likened to the central bank of central banks. In other words, this is not an environmental group or even a collection of socially responsible investors urging a greening of finance. Rather, the worlds most powerful financial institutions are sounding the alarm that a new global financial crisis triggered by climate change would render central banks and financial supervisors powerless, as the report warned. Released shortly after the conclusion of the warmest decade in recorded human history, the BIS report urged global governments to move aggressively to slash climate emissions. Oil Industry Heads to Davos Against this grim backdrop, oil titans traveled to Davos, Switzerland, in mid-January for the World Economic Forum. Industry executives met with bankers and even OPEC officials amid growing pressure for climate action. By many accounts, concerns about climate change dominated the proceedings in Davos and oil executives scrambled to mount a plan of action. Despite the pressure, the oil executives fell back on a familiar playbook. Their response? Lure investors with higher returns and raise the PR game, as Reuters put it. Key economic decision makers see climate risks as top long-term concerns. The risks include extreme weather events, failure to properly plan for climate change, man-made environmental disasters such as oil spills, and major biodiversity loss. #ActOnClimate https://t.co/1FuDKTSteG NRDC Action Fund (@NRDC_AF) January 26, 2020 There is no doubt and there is a consensus coming here in various meetings in Davos that our industry is literally under siege and the future of oil is at stake, said Mohammed Barkindo, secretary-general of OPEC, according to Reuters. The industry needs to come together and respond positively with facts and figures. We are not shying away from the fact that we have not been able to communicate well. Last year, Barkindo said that climate activists and their unscientific claims are perhaps the greatest threat to our industry going forward. In Davos, other oil executives agreed. How do you get the hearts and minds of investors back? That is a real challenge for our industry, said John Hess, CEO of Hess Corp., an independent oil company. In the face of worsening climate crisis, Hess thinks that the real challenge for the oil industry is winning back the hearts and minds of investors. Meanwhile, Hess is in the process of developing a string of oil discoveries off the coast of Guyana in partnership with ExxonMobil, which wont reach full production until the mid-2020s and will operate indefinitely thereafter. The industry shows no signs of slowing down. DeSmog has spent years exposing the bad-faith PR behind the oil industry. The public is increasingly aware of the industrys obfuscation. But even at this late stage, with the climate crisis worsening and even with the worlds central banks sounding the alarm, the oil industrys response in Davos amounted to a decision to engage in yet another round of advertising. Press Release February 3, 2020 De Lima hails conviction of MJ Veloso's recruiters Senator Leila M. de Lima has commended Nueva Ecija Court's decision finding two illegal recruiters guilty of large-scale illegal recruitment of Filipino household service workers, including Mary Jane Veloso who was convicted of illegal drugs in Indonesia. De Lima made the commendation after Presiding Judge Anarica Castillo-Reyes of the Nueva Ecija Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 88 found Christina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao guilty of large-scale illegal recruitment. "I applaud Judge Castillo-Reyes' guilty verdict to the illegal recruiters of Mary Jane, Lorna, Ana Marie, Jenalyn, and all other victims unwittingly duped in their unlawful business," she said. "It must have been a harrowing five years of waiting, but now they can start a new chapter of their lives using the justice and reparations that they have received," she added. Last Jan. 30, Judge Castillo-Reyes ruled that the weak defenses of Sergio and Lacanilao - including their denials and alibis - cannot trump the positive and credible testimonies of the complainant-witnesses. Court records show that complainants - Lorna Valino, Ana Marie Gonzales and Jenalyn Paraiso - decided to press charges against their recruiters because they hoped that it would help the cause of Veloso and save her from execution. The lady Senator from Bicol also lauded the handling public prosecutors and the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL) for their victory and for untiringly fighting for the cases of Veloso and other victims of illegal recruitment. "Their righteous pursuit of justice has to be largely credited for this important win. Maraming, maraming salamat sa inyong serbisyo at sakripisyo," she said. "Ang atin pong dalangin: Magbigay daan po sana ang nakamit na hustisyang ito ng mga biktima sa pagkakamit din ng katarungan at paglaya ni Mary Jane," she added. It can be recalled that De Lima had been in the forefront of the Aquino administration's efforts to reverse Veloso's execution after the latter was pronounced guilty for allegedly smuggling in more than two kilos of heroin to Indonesia. In 2015, as DOJ Secretary, De Lima created a special task force to study Veloso's case and assisted her in filing separate charges of human trafficking, simple illegal recruitment and estafa against Sergio, Lacanilao and a certain "Ike". She also personally appealed to Indonesia's Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Human Rights to suspend Veloso's execution, in view of the materiality and importance of Veloso's testimony against her recruiters. As of this writing, Veloso's case against her illegal recruiters, which is also lodged at the Nueva Ecija RTC Branch 88, is still awaiting decision. In 2016, less than two months after she was elected as Senator, De Lima filed Senate Bill No. 961 seeking to amend the definition of illegal recruitment by a syndicate by lowering the number of perpetrators from three to two personalities. De Lima earlier said that persons accused of illegal recruitment by a syndicate often evade by "simply alleging that the victim failed to establish that the crime was carried out by a group of three or more persons" conspiring with one another. TORONTO, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Revival Gold Inc. (TSXV: RVG, OTCQB: RVLGF) (Revival Gold or the "Company"), a growth-focused gold exploration and development company, announces the results of an updated mineral resource estimate (Mineral Resource) completed by Roscoe Postle Associates Inc. (RPA) on the companys past-producing Beartrack-Arnett Gold Project (Beartrack-Arnett) located in Lemhi County, Idaho. Highlights The updated RPA Beartrack-Arnett Mineral Resource contains: -- An Indicated Mineral Resource of 36.4 million tonnes at 1.16 g/t gold containing 1.35 million ounces of gold ; and, -- An Inferred Mineral Resource of 47.2 million tonnes at 1.08 g/t gold containing 1.64 million ounces of gold , including an initial bulk underground component of 6.7 million tonnes at 2.19 g/t gold containing 0.47 million ounces of gold -- An Indicated Mineral Resource of ; and, -- An Inferred Mineral Resource of , including an initial bulk underground component of 6.7 million tonnes at 2.19 g/t gold containing 0.47 million ounces of gold These results represent an increase of 11% in Indicated Mineral Resources and an increase of 114% in Inferred Mineral Resources over the Companys prior mineral resource estimates at Beartrack (see May 29 th , 2018 press release, Revival Gold Unveils 43-101 Gold Resource at the Beartrack Gold Project in Idaho, USA). , 2018 press release, Revival Gold Unveils 43-101 Gold Resource at the Beartrack Gold Project in Idaho, USA). The Mineral Resource is defined by 563 core and reverse circulation drill holes totalling approximately 93,000 meters and was estimated at an assumed gold price of US$1,400 per ounce of gold. Mineralization at Beartrack remains open to the north, south and at depth. Mineralization at Arnett remains open in all directions. The focus of technical work will now turn to preparations for a Preliminary Economic Assessment on the potential re-start of heap leach operations at Beartrack and plans for future exploration drilling at Beartrack-Arnett. Details to follow. Results at Beartrack-Arnett have well exceeded Revival Golds ambitious goals for exploration success, said Hugh Agro, President & CEO. Inferred gold resources have more than doubled while indicated gold resources are up 11% with this resource update. The deposit remains open laterally and at depth and, at its current scale, Beartrack-Arnett represents an outstanding opportunity for further growth. Details Table 1 below outlines the pit-constrained and initial underground Mineral Resources for Beartrack-Arnett. Table 1: Summary of Beartrack-Arnett Project Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources by Material Type and Location1,4 Resource Category Tonnes (000) Gold Grade (g/t Au) Contained Gold Ounces (000) Indicated Heap Leach5 Beartrack open pit Arnett open pit 11,900 2,300 0.56 0.66 215 49 Indicated Mill Beartrack open pit Beartrack underground 22,216 NA 1.52 NA 1,089 NA Total Indicated 36,416 1.16 1,353 Inferred Heap Leach5 Beartrack open pit Arnett open pit 9,961 8,300 0.53 0.55 169 147 Inferred Mill Beartrack open pit Beartrack - underground 22,228 6,700 1.19 2.19 850 471 Total Inferred 47,189 1.08 1,638 1 Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves dated May 10, 2014 (CIM (2014) definitions) were used for Mineral Resource classification reported in this press release. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. It is reasonably expected that the majority of Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Indicated Mineral Resources with continued exploration. 2 Mineral Resources were tabulated for model blocks with positive net value that lie within an optimized conceptual pit. Table 2 summarizes the various economic parameters that were used to generate the Mineral Resource pit. The price, recovery and cost data translate to a breakeven gold cut-off grade of approximately 0.52 g/t gold and 0.17 g/t cyanide soluble gold for mill and heap leach respectively for the open pit at Beartrack, a breakeven gold cut-off grade of approximately 1.3 g/t gold for the incremental underground mill option at Beartrack, and approximately 0.19 g/t gold for heap leach at Arnett. The cut-off grades include considerations of metal price, process plant recovery, mining, processing and general and administrative costs. 3 Rounding may result in apparent discrepancies between tonnes, grade, and contained metal content. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by geology. 4 The effective date of the mineral resource estimate is December 10, 2019. 5 Heap Leach material defined by cyanide soluble grade leach characteristics. The Mineral Resource includes all oxide, mixed oxide-sulphide and sulphide material constrained within an economic open pit and underground bulk mining scenario based on a gold price of US$1,400/ounce along with the cost, recovery and slope parameters summarized in Table 2 below. Table 2: Conceptual Parameters Parameter Units Value Base Case Gold Price US$/ounce gold $1,400 Mill Throughput Mineralized tonnes/day 20,000 Leach Operation Mineralized tonnes/day 10,000 - 15,000 Heap Leach Recovery - Beartrack % of cyanide soluble gold1 85%1 Heap Leach Recovery - Arnett % of contained gold2 75% Mill Recovery % of contained gold2 94% Open Pit Mining Cost US$/tonne mined $2.25 Underground Bulk Mining Cost US$/tonne mined $35.00 Heap Leach Processing Cost US$/tonne processed $3.25 Mill Processing Cost US$/tonne processed $18.46 Re-Handle Cost Beartrack US$/tonne processed $0.10 G & A Cost US$/tonne processed $0.50 - 1.003 Pit Slope Angle Degrees 37 - 504 1 Gold grades based on cyanide soluble analysis methods. Equivalent to approximately 70% of contained gold. 2 Gold grades based on fire assay methods. 3 US$0.50/tonne and US$1/tonne processed G&A for incremental underground and open pit resources respectively. 4 Beartrack: 37o for Tertiary rocks, dikes, faults & backfill; 45o for Yellowjacket Fm. & Rapakivi Granite. Arnett: 50o. As presently conceived, Mineral Resources at Beartrack are largely assumed to be exploited by open pit mining methods. However, mineralization at Beartrack extends over 600 meters vertically below surface in the South Pit area and has also been intercepted at depth in holes drilled in the Wards Gulch, North Pit and Joss areas. Resource modeling by RPA supports the inclusion of an initial component of bulk underground material in the Mineral Resource located in the South Pit and Joss areas at Beartrack. The deposit at Arnett is envisioned as an open pit operation that could either be operated independently of Beartrack or as a satellite operation taking advantage of existing infrastructure at Beartrack. Heap leach resources are primarily composed of oxide and mixed oxide-sulphide material. Mill resources are primarily composed of sulphide material. Two separate net economic values were calculated for each resource block based on heap leach and mill processing parameters. The Mineral Resource was generated from the maximum of the two conceptual block net economic values. Heap leaching is assumed to take place at a rate in the range of 10,000 to 15,000 tonnes of mineralized material per day with two-stage crushing to minus two inches. The mill operation is assumed to take place at a rate of about 20,000 tonnes of material per day with approximately 3,000 tonnes per day of flotation concentrates pressure oxidized and cyanide leached to produce gold dore on site. Mill flotation tailings would also be cyanide leached to produce gold dore on site. The mill operating parameters shown in Table 2 above translate into a breakeven gold cut-off grade of 0.52 g/t gold for Beartrack open pit mill material and an incremental breakeven gold cut-off grade of 1.26 g/t gold for Beartrack incremental underground mill material. Heap leach operating parameters translate into breakeven gold cut-off grades of 0.17 g/t cyanide soluble gold and 0.19 g/t fire assay gold respectively for Beartrack and Arnett open pit heap leach material. Beartrack was previously operated as an open pit, heap leach operation exploiting leachable ore until the operation was shutdown in 2000 when the price of gold was below US$300/ounce. The historic Beartrack operation involved open pit mining by truck and shovel at a rate of 13,600 tonnes per day of ore, with two-stage crushing to minus two inches, conveyed to a heap leach pad with gold recovered in an Adsorption, Desorption, Regeneration plant. A total of 21,880,000 tonnes at 0.98 g/t cyanide soluble gold were processed producing 609,141 ounces of gold, yielding an average recovery of 88% of the cyanide soluble gold (approximately 70% of contained gold). Significant infrastructure from the historic operation remains. Revival Gold is evaluating the economic potential for a re-start of heap leach operations at Beartrack and intends to continue to aggressively explore for additional mill and leach material on the Beartrack-Arnett property. Cut-off grade sensitivity at various gold prices is summarized in Table 3 below. Table 3: Sensitivity Analysis of Grade and Tonnage at Varying Cut-Off Grades for the Beartrack-Arnett Project Assumed Gold Price ($US/oz Au) Resource Category2 Tonnes (000) Gold Grade (g/t Au) Contained Gold Ounces (000) $1200 Indicated 33,652 1.21 1,307 $1300 Indicated 35,062 1.18 1,331 $1400 Indicated 36,416 1.16 1,353 $1500 Indicated 37,455 1.14 1,368 $1600 Indicated 38,678 1.12 1,387 $1200 Inferred 38,633 1.14 1,420 $1300 Inferred 43,271 1.11 1,542 $1400 Inferred 47,189 1.08 1,638 $1500 Inferred 49,794 1.06 1,691 $1600 Inferred 53,921 1.03 1,787 1 Base case cut-off grades at US$1,400/ounce gold are approximately 0.517 g/t gold and 0.17 g/t cyanide soluble gold for mill and heap leach respectively for Beartrack and approximately 0.193 g/t gold for heap leach for Arnett. Heap leach cut-off grade varies as does mill cut-off grade based on gold price. 2 Includes both heap leach and mill material. Mineral Resources were estimated for the Beartrack and Arnett deposits using inverse distance squared (ID2). Several different interpolation processes including inverse distance cubed (ID3), ordinary kriging, and nearest neighbor methods were completed as secondary parallel estimation validation. Mineral Resources based on the ID2 grade model compare favourably with the ordinary kriged and nearest neighbor models. Block size in the block models measure 20 feet (6.1 meters) in each direction. This block size was deemed to be appropriate by RPA given the current drill hole spacing, assay length and style of mineralization. Block grades were estimated using Metric units (grams/tonne). Gold mineralization at Beartrack is associated with a large, northeast-trending regional structure known as the Panther Creek Shear Zone (PCSZ). Mineralization in the Joss area is hosted by the Proterozoic Yellowjacket Formation and the PCSZ, mineralization in the South Pit and Wards Gulch areas is hosted by the Yellowjacket Formation, the PCSZ and a Proterozoic Rapakivi Granite, and mineralization in the North Pit and Moose areas is hosted by the PCSZ and the Rapakivi Granite. The estimate of gold resources was constrained by a combination of lithologic and gold grade wireframes. Block gold grades were independently estimated using fire assays and cyanide soluble analyses. The grade models were validated using visual and statistical methods. In addition, the grade models were extensively compared to historical cyanide soluble and fire assay blast hole data and historical production reports. The estimated block grades were classified as Indicated and Inferred categories based on drill hole spacing and continuity of mineralization. The Mineral Resource for Beartrack was completed by RPA in Denver, USA with Mark Mathisen, C.P.G. and Ryan Rodney, C.P.G serving as the independent Qualified Persons for this Mineral Resource estimate. A National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days. Steven T. Priesmeyer, C.P.G., Vice President Exploration, Revival Gold Inc., is the Companys designated Qualified Person for this news release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has reviewed and approved its scientific and technical content. About Revival Gold Inc. Revival Gold Inc. is a growth-focused gold exploration and development company. The Company has the right to acquire a 100% interest in Meridian Beartrack Co., owner of the former producing Beartrack Gold Project located in Lemhi County, Idaho. Revival Gold also owns rights to a 100% interest in the neighboring Arnett Gold Project. In addition to its interests in Beartrack and Arnett, the Company is pursuing other gold exploration and development opportunities and holds a 51% interest in the Diamond Mountain Phosphate Project located in Uintah County, Utah. Revival Gold currently has approximately 52.8 million shares outstanding and had a working capital balance of approximately $0.7 million as of December 31st, 2019. Additional disclosure of the Companys financial statements, technical reports, material change reports, news releases and other information can be obtained at www.revival-gold.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. For further information, please visit www.revival-gold.com or contact: Hugh Agro, President & CEO or Adam Rochacewich, CFO Telephone: (416) 366-4100 or Email: info@revival-gold.com Cautionary Statement Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, could, would, will, or plan. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Companys intentions regarding its objectives, goals or future plans and statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, failure to identify mineral resources, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects, capital, operating and reclamation costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and those risks set out in the Companys public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. Iran for days denied that its forces had fired an antiaircraft missile and shot down the plane, a Boeing 737-800, shortly after takeoff from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran. The incident came just hours after Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at military bases hosting U.S. troops in Iraq retaliation for a U.S. drone strike that killed a prominent Iranian general at the Baghdad airport days before. NORMAN, OKLA. - A University of Oklahoma-led study shows that paddy rice (both area and plant growth) is significantly related to the spatial-temporal dynamics of atmospheric methane concentration in monsoon Asia, where 87% of paddy rice fields are situated in the world. Methane is one of the major greenhouse gases. It has a lifetime of 12.4 years and its global warming potential is approximately 86 times higher than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. "Rice paddy is a large source of methane emission; however, it has been a challenging task to attribute relative role of rice paddy in the spatial distribution, seasonal dynamics and interannual variation of atmospheric methane concentration as measured by spaceborne sensors," said Xiangming Xiao, a member of the Earth Observation and Modeling Facility at OU and a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology who coordinated this interdisciplinary study. Over the past few years, researchers at OU developed annual paddy rice maps at 500-meter spatial resolution and quantified the spatial-temporal changes in rice paddy area in monsoon Asia during 2000-2015. By combining the annual paddy rice maps, rice plant growth data and atmospheric methane concentration (XCH4) data, researchers found strong spatial consistencies between rice paddy area and XCH4 and seasonal consistencies between rice plant growth and XCH4, including both single rice and double rice fields. Results from the study also yielded a decreasing trend in rice paddy area in monsoon Asia since 2007. This suggests that the change in rice paddy area could not be one of the major drivers for the renewed XCH4 growth since 2007. The findings of this study demonstrate the importance of satellite-based paddy rice datasets in understanding the spatial-temporal dynamics of XCH4 in monsoon Asia. These annual maps of paddy rice are the first of their kind and could be used to further improve simulations of biogeochemical models that estimate methane emission from paddy rice fields, which are critically needed for analysis of spaceborne XCH4 data and simulations of atmospheric chemistry and transport models. ### This OU-led study, "Fingerprint of rice paddies in spatial-temporal dynamics of atmospheric methane concentration in monsoon Asia," was published by Nature Communications. The lead author of the paper, Geli Zhang, completed a large portion of the work as a post-doctoral researcher at OU and recently returned to work at China Agricultural University, Beijing, China. Three graduate students, including two from OU, have also made contributions to the study. For more information about this study, please contact Professor Xiao at xiangming.xiao@ou.edu. Awoman using a phone walks past Apple's logo near its retail outlet in Beijing in Dec. 2013. The FBI is asking Apple to help extract data from iPhones that belonged to the Saudi aviation student who fatally shot three sailors at a U.S. naval base in Florida in December 2019. Read more The dispute between Apple and the government about searching iPhones is back. In 2015, when terrorists launched an attack in San Bernardino, CA, the FBI asked Apple for help in searching the now-dead suspects phones and then obtained a court order compelling Apples assistance. Ultimately the FBI was able to search the phones without Apples assistance and the issue went away. But now, the FBI is requesting help in searching the iPhone of the late Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, the Saudi Air Force lieutenant who killed three people and injured eight others at the Naval Air Base in Pensacola FL in December. Apple has declined to help, claiming that it has built the iPhone so that even Apple cannot get in. This situation raises two serious questions. The first is whether we should allow companies to make devices that are unsearchable. The Fourth Amendment does not ban all searches, only unreasonable ones. A search warrant determines that a search is reasonable. In nearly 20 years of handling computer crimes, I developed some knowledge of searches of computers and cell phones in varied cases. Every FBI computer forensic lab has a collection of iPhones that it is unable to search, because Apple has made the phones unsearchable. (It takes years to figure out how to break the encryption in one generation of iPhones.) Sometimes, the government gets a court order compelling the suspect to unlock his phone, but these cases present difficult Fifth Amendment self-incrimination issues. Unsearchable phones present serious problems for investigations of terrorism, as well as narcotics, kidnapping, and child sexual exploitation. If criminals and terrorists can use an iPhone to communicate and store files, knowing that it can never be searched, that puts us in a new world. It means that even if law enforcement officers can seize a suspects phone and obtain a search warrant, his communications stored on the phone (e.g. e-mails, text messages) and any saved files (e.g. images of the sexual victimization of children) will remain hidden. Resolving this issue is not simple. Experts tell us that creating back doors to encryption systems means that they can be broken more easily. Apples encryption system does not protect one device; it protects all of Apples phones. If Apple creates an encryption key, it could be used against every iPhone. Even if Apple keeps the key, there is the danger that the key could leak out, endangering the privacy of all iPhones. Although Coca-Cola, for example, has managed to keep its formula secret, in August 2016, the National Security Agency lost control of some major cyber tools, resulting in major internet attacks. This could happen again. This choice between privacy and security should not be one of absolutes. We make decisions like this daily. We would never be hurt in an auto accident if we never went outside. Most of us go outside and get into cars, in spite of the risks. In such cases, we make tradeoffs between security and convenience. We need to make a similar decision about unsearchable phones. We should not leave this decision to a large international company, which exists to make money. If Apple thinks taking this stand will help it sell more iPhones, it will not help the government, regardless of the seriousness of the crime or danger to the country. The second key question here is when, and to what extent, the government can compel a private person to help with a search. Does it place too great a burden on Apple to order it to assist? Its one thing to ask a landlord to unlock an apartment door with his key, and another to ask a company to perform services for the government that may include writing new software or creating new search tools. There is also the question whether, and when, the government should be allowed to get court orders forcing such help. These are issues that the American people should discuss, with a view toward pressing Congress to pass legislation dealing with them. We should not leave these issues to international corporations, or to periodic lawsuits between these companies and the government. Michael Levy served as an Assistant United States Attorney for 37 years. From 2001 until 2017, he was Chief of Computer Crimes in Philadelphia. Haiti - FLASH : Kidnapping of Father Rene Irilan of Anse-a-Veau We are still without news from Father Rene Irilan of the diocese of Anse-a-Veau (Miragoane) kidnapped on the evening of January 30 in Delmas 75 by unidentified individuals. Police and judicial authorities have been informed by religious authorities of Father Irlian's kidnapping, but so far the police have given no information whether or not it has located the location of the hostage, for not giving clues to the kidnappers. Sequestrated since, his captors demand a ransom for his release. Mgr. Wildor Pierre, one of the episcopal vicars, was able to speak to the kidnappers by telephone and tried to have the priest released, trying to make them realize that Father Irilan was helping the poorest children in Haiti, begging him to release him, what the kidnappers refused before the communication was interrupted... Mgr. Pierre Andre Dumas, Bishop of Anse-a-Veau, informed of this tragedy invited all Christians in Haiti to pray for the release of Father Irilan. TB/ HaitiLibre Jody O'Neill's new play is written for a cast of both autistic and allistic (non autistic) performers I've worked as an actor and writer for almost 20 years now. In the past two years, I've been researching and developing work that promotes autism acceptance. The resulting play, What I (Don't) Know About Autism, premiered at the weekend, in co-production with the Abbey Theatre and in partnership with The Everyman and Mermaid County Wicklow Arts Centre. This is a premium article Premium articles will soon be available only to Independent.ie subscribers. When did autism become part of our lives? I suppose, you could start in 2016 when my partner and I sat with a psychologist who told us that our child met many of the criteria of being on the autism spectrum. How did we feel? Mostly relieved. At that stage, in our naivete, we felt that now we were in the safe hands of professionals who could open the door to the services that would help our son to overcome the anxieties that were getting in his way. Expand Close The cast of Jody's new play / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The cast of Jody's new play And more than that, relieved because he was still the same child. Now, we had a concrete explanation for why some things had been difficult for him. We had clear advice and pathways to access support. Nothing else had changed. So, you could start in 2016, or you could go back a little further. You could say it all started in 2015 when we realised our son wasn't navigating social situations in the way we had expected him to. Or even further...Christmas 2014, we went with friends to see the switching on of the lights on Grafton Street. The overcrowded, bustling event culminated in a huge bang and an explosion of confetti all over the street at the exact moment the lights switched on. My son couldn't get out of there quick enough. For the rest of that Christmas, he struggled to be in the same room as a Christmas tree, which made family events a little awkward. Only nine months later was he able to explain to me that every time he was in the vicinity of twinkling festive lights, he was sure they could explode at any moment. Can you imagine the terror and confusion? Everyone laughing and celebrating, seemingly unaware of the imminent danger only he could see. You could rewind further to a two-year old who thinks round objects exist primarily for the purposes of arranging them into solar systems. You could look at two solid years of wakeful nights. A baby that must have been tired, but just couldn't stay asleep. Or you could start right at the beginning when at three days old, our baby was rushed to hospital in an ambulance after choking during a feed. At the time, looking at my helpless baby turning red, looking at him looking to me for help, all I could think about was saving him. Now I can see that his motor skills, even at that early point, were atypical. His swallowing reflex at birth hadn't fully developed. So, you could say that autism arrived in our lives in 2012. Or you could continue with this journey back in time. To a 17-year-old who's leaving home, heading off to college, weighing just five stone because she's taken a year off from eating. Recent research suggests that one in five females presenting with anorexia may also be autistic. To a 16-year-old who discovers that alcohol is what's been missing all these years, and holds the key to social skills. To a teenager, so afraid of stepping out of line, she copies everything her best friend does, right down to changing her accent in order to fit in. To a nine-year-old who wants to become a communist and defect to Russia to join the Kirov Ballet. A small girl on a tour of Fota House, who exists in utter terror having been told by the tour guide that, due to the size of the group, they are going to "split you all in half". A pre-schooler with a fear of water so bad she won't leave the house in the rain without a hat on her head - or in a pinch (as discovered by an aunt who was in a rush to get to the supermarket) a pair of knickers. A toddler who weeps solidly every time her mother leaves the room. Another baby who just doesn't feel the need for sleep. And of course, you could keep going back. Once you know the right signs to look for, the presence of autism is clearly identifiable right back through the generations. But let's look forward again. To that afternoon in 2016, in a private clinic - private because we had been advised that we'd be waiting three years or more for our son to be seen through public services. All this talk of the importance of early intervention and we could expect our son to be at least seven before he reached the top of the waiting list. To 2017, 2018... years passing and still no sign of any supports or assistance through the Public Health Service. To a torrentially rainy evening in June 2019, when I'm sitting in a waiting room on Pembroke Road. Soon, I will see the psychiatrist who will officially confirm what I already know. That I too am autistic. I should have realised this a long time ago, but it's taken me 39 years to get there. When our son was a baby, a toddler, a pre-schooler I put his differences down to the fact that he was, in many ways, just like me. His differences were things I could remember, could fully empathise with, although he was a lot more vocal than I was about expressing his discomforts. So, when the idea that he might be autistic first arose, I dismissed it. He was simply my son, and I wasn't autistic, was I? And then, after his diagnosis, something fortuitous happened. We went through the various therapies suggested, attended various practitioners, completed training courses and realised that they weren't helping. Looking for answers, we found our way into the autism community. We stumbled across Amythest Schaber's series of videos, Ask an Autistic and from there to a huge volume of digital content and literature by autistic people voicing their personal experiences. We found our way to a support group, Triple A and from there to AsIAm. The more I learned, the more I realised: autistic people are the people we need to be listening to, and their articulation of autism resonates beyond my son's experiences to my own. Looking back, would I change anything? Absolutely. I would un-read every book and article on parenting that I ever read. I would un-go to the toddler groups, play dates and social groups that caused nothing but upset. I would un-Google everything I looked up in the time before seeking a diagnosis. I would never compare my child to another child. I would take back the brief period of time we invested trying to teach our son to make eye contact, as if that was the key to a successful life. I would listen to my wise friend, who told me several years before I accepted it, "He's just a non-conformer, isn't he?" And I would take back any efforts I made to make him conform. I would play more, laugh more and worry less. And the list will keep growing. Because that's parenting, isn't it? A big messy cluster of fear, hope, anger, guilt and more love than you'd ever have imagined feeling. What would I not change? Our autism. Even on the more difficult days, even in the midst of fears for the future, I would never want to take away the fact that we are autistic. I will continue, every day, to accept my son as he is. I will seek out the therapies that support him, and I will reject those that try to change him or make him more typical. I will support his growing independence by encouraging him to develop the areas of his (many) special interests. I will teach him to advocate for himself and his needs. I will advocate on his behalf whenever he needs me to. I will listen. I will try. Sometimes, I will succeed. Sometimes, I will fail. When I fail, I will try again. I've written What I (Don't) Know About Autism for two reasons. One: to promote autism acceptance - the idea that we don't need to fix autistic people, we need to adapt the world to better accommodate all its citizens. And two: to celebrate autistic identity, because I think that's something worth celebrating. What I (Don't) Know About Autism is at the Peacock Theatre, Dublin until Feb 8; The Everyman Cork Feb 11-13 and The Mermaid, Wicklow on Feb 15. www.aboutautism.ie Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin is a big believer in the "American Dream," and she thinks it's a lot easier to achieve right now in her country than in the United States. "I feel that the American Dream can be achieved best in the Nordic countries, where every child, no matter their background or the background of their families, can become anything," Marin told The Washington Post in an interview on the sideline of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last month. "We feel that the Nordic model is a success story," said Marin, who became prime minister in December at age 34, making her briefly the youngest world leader (she lost that title in January when 33-year-old Sebastian Kurz returned to power as Austrian chancellor). Marin is hardly the first to claim that it's easier to live the "American Dream" in Nordic countries. British politician and former Labour Party leader Edward Miliband said it in 2012. A New York Times opinion piece last year dubbed Finland a "capitalist paradise." And presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a self-declared "Democratic Socialist," has often said that the United States should be more like Scandinavia. "Countries like Denmark and Sweden do very well," Sanders said in Iowa in April. He praised them for having an "economy in which you have wealth being created by the private sector, but you have a fair distribution of that wealth." On Twitter, Sanders also praised Finland's health care system, especially its manageable childbirth cost. As Election 2020 heats up, there's likely to be renewed attention to how the United States compares to other countries, including Finland. On many of President Donald Trump's preferred metrics - the unemployment rate, the stock market and economic growth (GDP) - the United States typically performs better. But on rankings of happiness, social mobility, health care and child care, Finland comes out on top. Marin told The Washington Post, "We have a very good education system. We have a good health care and social welfare system that allows anybody to become anything. This is probably one of the reasons why Finland gets ranked the happiest country in the world." When the U.S. v. Finland/Denmark/Sweden debate escalated on the 2016 campaign trail, Democrat Hillary Clinton was quick to say in a CNN debate with Sanders, "We are not Denmark." Many Republicans are far more dismissive of the Nordic model, and Trump regularly tweets about how bad he thinks socialism is. Finland is a country of 5.5 million people, close in population size to the state of Minnesota, but, geographically, Finland is nearly the size of California. The United States has 329 million people and about 29 times more land. "Of course, every country's situation is different, every country's political atmosphere is different," Marin said. But she emphasized again, "The American Dream can be achieved in Finland for everyone." Here's a look how the United States compares to Finland on several economic and well-being indicators. Happiness Finland is the happiest country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report , which looks at a variety of factors including social support, economic growth, life expectancy, freedom and generosity. The United States came in at No. 19. Last year's report noted, "The years since 2010 have not been good ones for happiness and well-being among Americans." It cited widespread addiction problems and unhealthy digital media use as reasons for alarm. Social Mobility Nordic countries are at the top of the World Economic Forum's Social Mobility Index, which looks at how people born across the income spectrum fare in health, educational achievement and income. The United States ranks number 27 - behind not only Finland, but Germany, Canada, France, Japan, Australia and more. Social mobility in the United States has been falling. Widely cited research by Harvard professor Raj Chetty shows that back in 1940, more than 90% of children born in the United States that year went on to earn more than their parents. That same benchmark has fallen to 50% for children born in the early 1980s. Unemployment - One of the metrics where the United States looks better than Finland is the unemployment rate. The U.S. unemployment rate is 3.5%, a half-century low, and most Americans agree it is easier to find a job right now. The unemployment rate in Finland is 6%. That said, the share of the population that works is slightly higher in Finland (66.2%) than in the United States (63.2%). Life expectancy - According to the World Health Organization, Finland ranks 21st for life expectancy with an average of 81.4 years. The United States comes in at No. 34 with a life expectancy of 78.5. Finland also has much lower maternal death rates during childbirth compared to the United States, according to the CIA Factbook. Health care cost - The U.S. health care system spends over $10,000 per person per year. Finland's system spends $4,000 per person per year, according to the Health System Tracker. In Finland, health care is "free" because it is paid for by the government. There are some complaints of uneven care in Finland since the system is largely run at the municipal level, which means health care services can vary. There are also concerns of how to continue funding the Finnish system with an aging population. Still, there is overwhelming satisfaction with Finland's system versus a slim majority of Americans (52%) who say they are satisfied with the U.S. quality of care. Economic growth (GDP) - The United States has a faster growing economy. The IMF projects 1.5% GDP for Finland in 2020 versus 2% for the United States. In recent years, the Finnish economy has been growing 1.3 to 1.7%, while the United States has averaged 2.3% during this expansion. Home ownership - Home ownership is higher in Finland (72.7%) than in the United States (63.7%), according to the Urban Institute data from 2015. Home ownership dropped sharply in the United States after the 2008-09 financial crisis with many people losing their homes to foreclosure. There was an especially large drop in African-Americans homeownership. But even before the crisis, the United States had never topped 70% homeownership. Child care cost - For a typical middle-class couple with two kids, child care costs are much higher in the United States than in Finland. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that 41% of pay goes toward childcare in the United States versus 17% in Finland. The United States actually has the highest costs among the countries studied, while Finland is just below average. Government subsidizes child care in Finland and there is a cap on how much even wealthier families have to pay. Educational achievement There are several ways to look at educational achievement. A global test given to 15-year-olds found that Finnish teenagers performed better on reading, math and science exams than their U.S. peers, somewhat backing up the Finnish Prime Minister's claim of educational quality for all. That said, according to OECD data, the United States has a higher share of its population with college or advanced degrees than Finland does. This might sound surprising since college is free for Finnish students, but the higher education system is selective with a lot of Finnish students rejected because there isn't enough funding for all. Taxes - Finns pay much higher taxes in order to pay for so many government benefits. Finland routinely ranks as one of the top tax collection countries in the OECD while the United States is routinely toward the bottom. In 2018, a single worker earning a typical middle-class wage paid about 30% of their income in taxes in Finland versus 24% in the United States, according to OECD data. (That figure includes the federal income tax and payroll taxes like Social Security that are paid by workers). Poverty - Finland has one of the lowest poverty rates in the world. It is about half of the U.S. rate. The official U.S. poverty rate in 2018 was 11.8%, according to the U.S. Census, compared to 6.3% in Finland, according to the OECD. Stock market performance - There are a lot of ways to judge stock market performance but the U.S. wins this one hands down. In the past year, the popular S&P 500 Index of U.S. companies has gained over 21% while the OMX Helsinki 25, a popular Finnish index, is up a bit shy of 13%. But far more of the world's most significant and highest-performing companies trade on the U.S. markets. Looking at the past decade, the Finnish stock market is up about 150% versus a roughly 250% return for U.S. stocks. Ease of doing business - The United States is usually at or near the top of lists for global competitiveness and entrepreneurship. For example, the U.S. is No. 1 on the Global Entrepreneurship Index while Finland ranks 12th. Similarly, the United States ranks 12th while Finland is 20th conservative Heritage Foundation's Index of Freedom, which takes into account open markets, regulatory environment taxes and rule of law. - - - The Washington Post's Ishaan Tharoor contributed to this report. By Elizabeth Piper LONDON (Reuters) - Police shot dead a man in south London on Sunday after two people were stabbed in what police described as a terrorism-related incident. By Elizabeth Piper LONDON (Reuters) - Police shot dead a man in south London on Sunday after two people were stabbed in what police described as a terrorism-related incident. Some witnesses said the man had been armed with a machete. One described him as wearing silver canisters on his chest. Police said the man they had shot had been pronounced dead. They said two people had been wounded in the attack in Streatham, a busy residential district south of the River Thames. "We await updates on their condition," police said, adding the scene of the incident was now fully contained. "The circumstances are being assessed; the incident has been declared as terrorist-related," the police said on Twitter. A Western security source said the incident was related to Islamist militancy. The local member of parliament, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, said one of the wounded was seriously hurt. Sky News quoted Gulled Bulhan, a 19-year-old student from Streatham, as saying he witnessed the shooting in front of a shop. "I was crossing the road when I saw a man with a machete and silver canisters on his chest being chased by what I assume was an undercover police officer - as they were in civilian clothing," Bulhan said. "The man was then shot. I think I heard three gun shots but I can't quite remember." Armed police cordoned off the area and said people should avoid the area. In one video of the scene posted on Twitter, but not verified by Reuters, a man can be seen lying on the street while at least two armed police officers point their guns from behind an unmarked car with its blue lights flashing. At least one helicopter flew overhead and police cars were in surrounding streets, with the area blocked off by tape. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter: "Thank you to all emergency services responding to the incident in Streatham, which the police have now declared as terrorism-related". "My thoughts are with the injured and all those affected," he added. The last such incident in London was in November, when police shot dead a man wearing a fake suicide vest who stabbed two people to death and wounded three more before being wrestled to the ground by bystanders. That attack, at London Bridge, was carried out by a man with Islamist militant sympathies. He had been jailed for terrorism and released early. London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, said in a statement after Sunday's incident: "Terrorists seek to divide us and to destroy our way of life - here in London we will never let them succeed." (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Writing by Peter Graff and Frances Kerry; Editing by David Goodman and Angus MacSwan) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Sunday shunted out Delhi's southeast DCP Chinmoy Biswal citing the "ongoing situation" in the area that saw two incidents of firing at anti-CAA protest sites in Jamia Nagar and Shaheen Bagh this week. The poll body directed Additional DCP (southeast) Kumar Gyanesh to take charge. "As decided by the Election Commission, this is to convey that Chinmoy Biswal IPS (2008), DCP (southeast), stands relieved from his present post with immediate effect and shall report to the MHA," an Election Commission spokesperson said. "In view of the ongoing situation, Commission directs that Kumar Gyanesh, DANIPS (1997), senior-most additional DCP (southeast), shall take charge of DCP (southeast) immediately from Chinmoy Biswal IPS," the spokesperson said. The commission has directed the Home Ministry and the Delhi Police chief to "immediately" send a panel of three names to it for posting a "suitable officer" as regular deputy commissioner of police (DCP). "A compliance report with the charge taken over details may be immediately sent to Election Commission by the Chief Secretary," the EC order said. Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh had visited the Shaheen Bagh area this morning for an assessment. Biswal's transfer comes after a teenager, on January 30, fired at a group protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) outside the Jamia Millia Islamia University, injuring a student. The attacker was later detained by the police. Two days later, a gunman opened fire at Shaheen Bagh, which has emerged as the epicentre of anti-CAA protests and where hundreds have been staging a sit-in for almost two months now. No one was injured in the firing and the gunman was immediately taken into custody. Fotis Dulos, the Connecticut man accused of killing his estranged wife Jennifer Farber Dulos, was confirmed dead Thursday after an apparent suicide attempt two days before. But that wont stop Fotis Dulos attorney from insisting he was innocent. To do that, Dulos attorney, Norm Pattis, has asked the state to proceed with the criminal case against a defendant who is no longer alive. Whether a posthumous trial will take place remains to be seen, but legal experts told CNN that such a proceeding is extremely rare. It is completely unprecedented in my experience for the case to proceed where the defendant has died, said Todd Fernow, a law professor and director of the Criminal Law Clinic at the University of Connecticut. But I also dont know of any ruling that says its prohibited. Last month, Dulos pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife. But with his death, the future of the case is up in the air, and along with it, whether the public will ever learn the fate of Jennifer Farber Dulos. Heres Where the Case Stands, and What Could Happen Next Tried and convicted in the court of public opinion Dulos and Farber Dulos, a 50-year-old mother of five, were in the midst of a bitter divorce and custody battle when she vanished in May 2019. One week later, Dulos and his then-girlfriend Michelle Troconis were charged with tampering with or fabricating evidence. They pleaded not guilty. Dulos was charged with murder and kidnapping last month. He was out on a $6 million bond when he failed to appear for an emergency bond hearing Tuesday. The bond hearing was set after one of the properties used to secure his bond was found to be in foreclosure and didnt meet the bond requirement set by the court. Authorities went to his home in Farmington, Connecticut, and found Dulos in dire condition, his attorney said. He was eventually taken to a New York hospital, where he died Thursday. Pattis insisted Dulos death did not reflect consciousness of guilt, but instead a conscience overborne with the weight of a world that was too busy to listen and that wanted a story more than it wanted the truth. Dulos deserves his day in court, Pattis said, because he was tried and convicted in the court of public opinion. Now, he said, he has been executed. The judge Could Consider Cost, Justice, and Lack of Jail Time When a defendant dies before a case goes to trial, prosecutors ordinarily file whats called a nolle prosequi, or notice not to seek prosecution, and a judge could either dismiss the case or the charges would be dismissed after 13 months. Generally, the trials over, there is no trial, there is no case, the charges get dismissed. You dont prosecute dead people, said Joey Jackson, a criminal defense attorney, and CNN legal analyst. Its over. Pattis filed a motion seeking to prevent that, asking the court to substitute Dulos estate as the defendant in the criminal case. Dulos attorneys wrote in the motion that after his suicide attempt, authorities found a note Dulos wrote. According to a copy of the note obtained by CNN, Dulos said the case against him was fabricated by law enforcement and claimed his attorney could explain part of the evidence against him. But there are other factors the court could weigh in deciding to allow a case against Dulos to proceed. One issue, Fernow said, is a dead defendant cant go to jail if hes found guilty, nor could his estate. And if Dulos cant be punished, the court could have trouble finding interest in going forward. From (the states) standpoint, If we win, we dont win anything,' Fernow said. Another factor is the potential cost the trial would present to the state. And this case, Fernow said, could be very costly, he said, pointing to just the sheer volume of evidence, the minutiae that have been collected by investigators and be introduced in court. I can tell you this case is going to be a very expensive case for the state to try, he said, later adding, Were talking in the millions of dollars. But another thing to consider is the family, Jackson said. The couple had five children who have lived with Jennifer Dulos mother since her disappearance. The family, he said, certainly deserves to know what happened to their loved one, and I think that should weigh heavily. What Happens to 2 Other Suspects A posthumous trial doesnt happen, Jackson said. But he believes Pattis could have a case to make, because of Troconis and Kent Mawhinney, Dulos former attorney. Both face charges of conspiracy to commit murder related to the case. They have not entered pleas. In the note Dulos left, he wrote that neither Troconis nor Mawhinney had anything to do with his wifes disappearance. According to Jackson, Pattis could argue it wouldnt burden the state to hold a trial for Dulos if prosecutors intend to proceed with trials against Troconis and Mawhinney. We got the same police officers, we got the same evidence, we got the same factual scenario and circumstances, weve got the same forensic analysis and experts were going to be putting on, Jackson said. It doesnt seem to present a hardship for judicial resources or witnesses or monetarily present a burden to the state to move forward, he explained, since youre trying two other parties anyway. By no means is it a slam dunk, Jackson said, but the Dulos case isnt a typical case. I think Norm Pattis has a realistic shot of having that motion granted under these unique circumstances, he said. But if prosecutors simply wanted to present the evidence against Dulos, they wouldnt need to put him on trial. Those facts could come to light in Troconis and Mawhinneys trials on the conspiracy charges, Jackson said. But the jury would be deciding on their guiltnot Duloss like Pattis wants. Fernow believes Dulos death will have an enormous impact on Troconis and Mawhinneys cases but said its unclear whether all the evidence against Dulos would be admissible in their cases, too. If either of them was his client, he said, hed be objecting all over the place that this isnt relevant to what youre charging my client with. At that point, he added, prosecutors might as well have tried Dulos estate, as Pattis wants. Many believe Troconis and Mawhinney were only arrested to give the state leverage against Fotis Dulos, Fernow said. But now hes gone, and their incentive to say anything has disappeared, Fernow said. A Civil Action is an Option There is the possibility of a civil lawsuit, and both Fernow and Jackson pointed to the O.J. Simpson case as an example. After Simpson was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, their families sued Simpson in civil court and were awarded millions of dollars. Suing the estate of a person is much more common than the estate serving as the defendant in a criminal trial. If Jennifer Farber Dulos family or her estate sued Dulos estate for wrongful death, Fernow said, there may be airing of the case, though the standard of proof is lower. But its not a substitute for I think the stuff Norm (Pattis) wants to get out there, he said. The actual question of his guilt or innocence really needs a criminal trial to resolve. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. (Newser) Monica Mathis has no idea how Hazel, missing for more than two years, got from Iowa to Floridabut Mathis is now excited to welcome her home to Minnesota. Hazel is Mathis' dog, a terrier mix who vanished from Mathis' yard in 2017. "She was an escape artist, she was very good at ... getting loose," Mathis tells WWSB. "Knocking me over just to get out the door." Per KSTP, Mathis desperately searched for her lost dog, visiting local shelters, but Hazel appeared to be gone for goodand Mathis eventually packed up her kids to make a move to Minnesota, where a new job awaited. Last month, however, a stroke of luck and an eagle eye brought astounding news: WFTS reports Mathis was on Facebook when she spotted a story about a Florida brewery that was imprinting the faces of dogs that Manatee County Animal Services wanted to adopt out. story continues below As Mathis was perusing the story, her gaze fixated on one beer can in particular. "I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, that looks like my dog,'" she recalls. "I was amazed, I was crying. An emotional wreck," she adds to KSTP. A rep from the animal shelter says Mathis called them immediately, and that while Hazelwho'd been renamed Day Daydid have a microchip with identifying information, a different last name for Mathis was listed, as well as other outdated info. Mathis forked over photos of Hazel and veterinarian records to prove the dog was hers, and Hazel is now set to arrive at her new/old home, with the animal shelter covering the costs of the dog's long journey back to her owner. "Im just so happy that Im getting her back," Mathis tells WFTS. (Read more strange stuff stories.) Australia, Japan and Singapore announced strict travel controls Saturday on foreigners, who have been in China recently, over fears of the coronavirus, after the U.S. announced similar restrictions and declared a public health emergency the day before. Israel, Malaysia, Mongolia and the Philippines have announced similar measures. Taiwan also announced more limited travel restrictions Saturday. The actions were taken as China's government announced another jump in deaths from the outbreak. The New York Times released a report over the weekend indicating that the Chinese government's early response to the virus may have worsened the epidemic. "These rumors were already flying around the Chinese internet," Flora Fauna, an American Wuhan resident who asked to be referred to by her pseudonym, told VOA Mandarin about the beginning of the outbreak in December. "So, in response, the city governments dispatched the police to arrest people who were spreading this information," she said. Reports, including some from Wuhan residents, indicate that early information about the outbreak was covered up, and many people, including doctors, speaking about the virus in December were threatened by the government or even detained. Chinese officials in central Hubei province, where the outbreak began, said Saturday at least 304 people have died and more than 14,000 have been infected by the virus. The city of Wuhan in the Hubei province has been on lockdown for weeks, but China also announced a lockdown in the city of Wenzhou on Sunday, which is some 800 km from Wuhan. A man in the Philippines died of the Coronavirus Sunday, marking the first death from the virus outside of China. Also Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper approved a request from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for help in housing 1,000 people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus and need to be quarantined upon arrival to the U.S. from overseas, the department said in a statement Saturday. "HHS officials requested the Defense Department to provide several facilities capable of housing at least 250 people in individual rooms through Feb. 29, 2020," the statement said. It said the people would need to be held for 14 days, which is the incubation period for the virus. The statement said, the Department of Defense "will only provide housing support, while HHS will be responsible for all care, transportation, and security of the evacuees." Four military installations were identified for use -- two in California, and one each in Colorado and Texas -- if they are needed. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global health emergency on Thursday, fearing the virus could spread to poorer countries that would have great difficulty containing it. The WHO has said it does not recommend that countries initiate any travel or trade restrictions with China. The virus has been detected in at least 27 countries, the majority of cases involving those who visited China. The continuing spread of the coronavirus led U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to also declare a public health emergency on Friday and deny entry into the country to any foreign national who has recently traveled to China, except for those travelers whose immediate family members are U.S. citizens. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed eight cases of coronavirus in the United States. Health officials say the latest patient is a man in Massachusetts, who became ill after traveling to China. Taiwan said it will prohibit Chinese citizens from China's southeastern coastal province of Guangdong from entering the country beginning Sunday, Taiwan state media reported Saturday. Travelers who visited the Guangdong area recently will be quarantined for 14 days. The U.S. State Department raised the coronavirus Saturday in criticizing China for banning Twitter messages that reference Taiwan. "Blocking Twitter users who make reference to Taiwan's participation in international organizations, particularly given the global response to the coronavirus crisis, is outrageous, unacceptable, and not befitting of a UN organization," said an official statement released Saturday. Also Saturday, two groups of stranded Hubei residents returned to China on chartered planes sent to Thailand and Malaysia by the Chinese government. The 199 Chinese nationals had been left without a way home when their return flights were canceled amid the virus scare. The state-owned Xinhua news agency reported the retrieved passengers were screened for fever and anyone who displayed symptoms of the coronavirus would be "quarantined immediately." Members of a Hong Kong union for medical workers voted Saturday to go on strike Monday after the government dismissed their demand to close all entry points from China. The Hospital Authority Employees Alliance said more than 9,000 of its members vowed to participate in a 5-day strike. The year 2020 marks many historic milestones for Vietnam, including the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties with key partners such as Hungary, the Czech Republic and Romania. Here Vietnam News introduces an outline of the relations. Immigration, education highlights of Hungary partnership Hungary and Vietnam established an official relationship in the 1950s. Since then, Hungary and Vietnam have developed relations, with Vietnamese students and workers often going to Hungary to pursue higher education. Workers at Tungsram lighting company welcomed President Ho Chi Minh when he visited in August, 1957. VNA/VNS Photo Vietnam considers Hungary an important economic and key partner in central Europe, due to its diverse ties and rich history. The two countries developed a strategic partnership in 2018, with the Hungarian Prime Minister referring to Vietnam as a success in the far east. The Vietnamese community in Hungary is small and, despite historic immigration. In 2018, the Hungarian government officially recognised a pagoda that had recently been built by the Vietnamese community. Ties with Czech Republic go from strength to strength Foreign relations between the Czech Republic and Vietnam were established on February 2, 1950. As of 2018, there were 61,097 Vietnamese citizen with residence permits in the Czech Republic, making them one of the largest immigrant groups in the country and the largest non-European group. Vietnam is one of the most important trading partners with the Czech Republic in Southeast Asia. Bilateral trade has been growing steadily and trade volume has exceeded US$1 billion. Last year, exports from the Czech Republic to Vietnam reached $140 million while exports from Vietnam to the Czech Republic hit more than $1 billion. A Vietnamese Cultural Day Festival in Brno, a city in the Czech Republic last year. VNA/VNS Hong Ky Historic and time-honoured links with loyal friend Romania Having adopted bilateral diplomatic ties in 1950, Romania was one of the first countries to establish a relationship with Vietnam. Romania has supported Vietnam during the countrys struggle for independence, reunification and national construction. More than 3,000 students, post-graduates and trainees have been sent to Romania, while over 2,000 Vietnamese labourers are working in the European nation. Over the decades, Romanian universities have trained more than 4,000 specialists for Vietnam. Since 1990, the countries have signed documents to create a legal framework for their co-operation. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Romanian PM Viorica Dancila at a press conference in Bucharest during his official visit to the country in April last year. VNA/VNS Photo Thong Nhat One of those agreements was on economic cooperation signed in 2009. As a result, bilateral trade has risen in recent years, reaching US$217 million in 2017 and over US$218 million in 2018. The figure was estimated at US$41.6 million in the first two months of 2019. Vietnams key exports to Romania include coffee, seafood, pepper, textiles and garments, leather shoes and computer components. Romanias main products shipped to Vietnam are chemicals, fertilisers, construction steel, plastic granules, oil and gas drilling equipment and wooden products. - VNS When it comes to the UK, Ireland and the EU, I feel I've been in at the beginning. I was a student in Paris in 1963 when Charles de Gaulle uttered his famous "Non!" to the UK joining what was then the EEC (and which effectively halted Ireland's membership as well). The French seemed to rejoice at the rebuff of "perfidious Albion" - a Parisian spat at me in the Metro when I was reading a London newspaper with the story on the front page. "Dunkirk!" he hissed. (The wartime evacuation of Dunkirk was seen as Britain abandoning their French allies to the Nazi invaders.) Roll forward to 1973, and I was a reporter for the London 'Evening Standard' covering the accession of the UK, Ireland and Denmark to the European Community. De Gaulle was dead and things had moved on: Champagne corks popped to welcome the new boys - and it was, then, mostly boys. What I remember most about the celebration party is Paddy Hillery, Ireland's first European Commissioner (later to be President), was unable to attend because his young daughter had broken her arm and he didn't want to leave her. This was thought admirable - a politician who put a family matter before a big political occasion. They were optimistic days in Brussels and Strasbourg, and it was evident that British and Irish civil servants worked well together. The parity of relationship undoubtedly helped to create networks that were later to serve both sides in developing much improved Irish-British relations. The EC's lessening of national barriers was a positive move - the days of gendarmes asking to examine "your papers" in the street in somewhat contemptuous style were over. The Common Agricultural Policy always seemed to be problematic, and the Fisheries Policy didn't seem to suit either island nation. But wasn't exchanging benefits for costs part of the horse-trading? My life moved on too, and I married an Englishman, Richard West, who was of that little-recognised tribe - Britons who embraced European civilisation but couldn't stand the EU. Richard spoke French, German, Italian and Serbo-Croat, and could get by in Polish and Czech. His favourite poet was Heine and even in frail old age could recite much of Dante's 'Inferno'. But he deplored rule from Brussels, and the barriers erected against old Commonwealth traders, from Australian lamb to Jamaican bananas. I encountered other Englishmen like this, perhaps most notably Michael Foot, sometime leader of the British Labour Party. I sat next to him at a brunch given by David Frost, and he spent the entire meal talking about Ignatio Silone, the Italian left-wing novelist. Footy was a fierce opponent of the European Community, yet he loved European culture. The two are not incompatible - the EU is not, for everyone, "Europe". Margaret Thatcher favoured enlargement of the EU, and got it. But beneath the surface, you could sense discontent growing - especially with Maastricht in 1992, which moved the EC towards "the superstate" critics so disliked. And although Ireland sometimes demurred about ever-closer union - voters initially rejecting the Nice Treaty in 2001, fearing it compromised neutrality, and the Lisbon Treaty in 2008, being the constitutional basis of the EU - on the whole, the Irish have remained strongly committed members. The EU has boosted infrastructures, helped with equality and workers' rights (Paddy Hillery was a pioneer for this as a commissioner) and enhanced freedoms of movement and trade, even if there was a little local trouble with the euro debt crisis of 2008. And Ireland calls on something in the deposit of history too - those long-established links with the Catholic Europe of France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and Portugal which were natural to Patrick Sarsfield, the Wild Geese and Daniel O'Connell. Long before there were Erasmus scholarships, Irish men and women studied at Rome, Louvain and Salamanca - as my own father did. From 1992, the UK was diverging, and the divergence culminated, as we know, with the Brexit referendum of 2016, which has been such a source of turbulence - and indeed division - since. But the die was well and truly cast by the December 2019 election and the triumph of Boris Johnson: today is what Brexiteers call "Independence Day". I don't accept the oft-asserted trope that Brexit is based on xenophobia and a "Little England" mentality. Yes, unrestrained immigration did play a part in alienating working-class constituencies. But it's about something deeper and older - call it an affirmation of national identity, or a gut feeling that "this is who we are". Granted, it's not straightforward - Remainers won't handle the Brexit 50p coin issued this week; Scotland protests; and we know about the problems squaring Northern Ireland's majority wish to Remain - prompting renewed speculation about a united Ireland. Watching this odyssey has been a lifetime's journey: as a teenager I could never have imagined that De Gaulle's veto to the UK in the EU would be one day be repeated in reverse order. I have been asked if I'm "pro-Brexit". I'm pro-democracy. I support Ireland's commitment to the EU, but I also support the UK's vote to leave. And despite Leo Varadkar's joshing that the UK has a smaller team than Ireland and the EU, I truly believe that a new and creative relationship will eventually emerge. SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Convergint Technologies, a worldwide leader in service-based systems integration, today announced the acquisition of Cerberus Technologies, a systems integrator based in Perth, Australia. Cerberus Technologies is Convergint's second acquisition in Australia and brings Convergint a group of highly experienced colleagues to service customers throughout the region. With the addition of Cerberus, Convergint now has technology centers in Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. As one of the largest systems integrators in the world, Convergint continues to grow its footprint across the globe via both organic and acquisitive growth, acquiring 32 companies since 2014. "Convergint has been steadily expanding our service capabilities in Asia Pacific since 2013," said Ken Lochiatto, CEO of Convergint. "Our desire to directly meet the needs of our customers across the world has driven our growth in the Australian market, and this acquisition is an important step in servicing our customers with a presence in Western Australia. We welcome the Cerberus Technologies team to the global Convergint family." Founded in 2004 by Daniel Collet and Scott Martin, Cerberus Technologies has built strong relationships with customers in the mining, local government, logistics, and transportation markets. The Cerberus team's dedication to outstanding customer servicea key component of Convergint's own culturewas the main catalyst behind the decision for the two companies to join forces, according to Lochiatto. "The benefits of combining our expertise and footprint in Australia will provide many new opportunities for our organization," said Collet, Director of Cerberus Technologies. "Our shared values and beliefs will ensure we continue to be our customers' best service provider and an employer of choice in the industry. We are looking forward to together enhancing the growth and success of Convergint in the region." About Convergint Technologies - Convergint Technologies is a $1 billion global, industry-leading systems integrator that designs, installs, and services electronic security, fire alarm, and life safety systems. To learn more about Convergint, visit www.convergint.com. SOURCE Convergint Technologies Related Links https://www.convergint.com Big decisions are sometimes hard to make. Often it helps to identify small component parts which make up the bigger decision and treat them one by one. So it is with next Saturday's election. The choice of who to back will very likely affect our own lives, and most certainly those of our younger relatives, neighbours and friends, for years to come. The past 10 days brought us a flood of dazzling promises from pensions to tax breaks, to help with housebuying, and on to childcare, to better public transport and even - if you can try to believe it - a more workable health system. When you do a sampler of some of the glittering voter blandishments, funded by our own taxes, it is hard to believe that, just weeks ago, we were being urged to tighten our belts. So who to believe? And who to choose? A slew of opinion polls so far strongly suggest that people are minded to change from the current Fine Gael-led governments which have been a feature of our politics for the past nine years. But there is scant evidence that the desired change amounts to returning a Fianna Fail-led government given that it preceded the current regime for 14 years prior to that. But other doubts remain about the apparent rise in the popularity of Sinn Fein. In the past week this newspaper reported how a former stalwart of that party, Peadar Toibin, raised serious issues about how its policies were formulated and how little say was left to democratically elected TDs. In the final days of this campaign, its policies will inevitably come in for greater scrutiny. It has made hefty promises on pension entitlements, numbers of new houses to be built and other delights. But let us remember that, for all parties, these manifesto promises may never fly at all as their deputies head for the opposition benches. Or, these wish-lists may be merged into an amalgam of other parties' wish-lists in coalition talks which will yield another programme for government. Worst of all, few if any of these promises will happen at all if we hit another economic recession. Remember also that when "Finance Department costings" are cited along with various party promises, these costings amount to just putting a price tag on a particular initiative. It very definitely does not mean that the officials in the Department of Finance endorse any of these promises. In reality it is known in political circles that many senior officials are recoiling in horror at the prospect of many vote-getting promises. So, it is worth trying in the remaining days to have another quick look over the various parties' promises lists. As you do that, it is worth bearing the three realpolitik caveats cited above. The net issue is this: will the money ever be there to fund these promises? Remember that you do not need financial or economic expertise here. The value of that often most uncommon commodity - common sense - will surely come into its own. Since you and yours will pay the bill, you should decide carefully. London is home to the most CEOs in the UK. Photo: Getty The top 10 locations where CEOs live in the UK are all found in London and south-east of England, a study by accountancy group UHY Hacker Young has found. Westminster comes top of the list with 6,010 CEOs living there. In second place is West Surrey (including Weybridge and Epsom) which is home to 5,510 CEOs, followed by Camden and City of London with 4,830. The findings reflect the concentration of company headquarters in the capital, suggesting that there has been very little shift in the north-south business divide over the last two decades. Few businesses have moved their corporate headquarters outside London and the surrounding areas. Oxfordshire is the furthest north of the top 10 locations. Birmingham, though it is the UKs second biggest city, comes in at number 12, with 2,149 CEOs living there. The report calls on the government to consider further incentives for businesses to have their headquarters outside of London, in order to create more equal distribution of the economy across the UK. Although London can give companies some competitive advantages such as access to a larger talent pool, there are benefits to locating further afield. Businesses that base headquarters outside of the capital should enjoy lower costs such as property and wage costs. Top ten locations where the highest number of CEOs live. Table: UHY Hacker Young The report points to infrastructure projects such as high-speed rail line HS2, the Mersey Gateway Bridge, and Birmingham's Big City Plan as initiatives that aim to improve the ability of cities to win businesses away from London. READ MORE: The areas outside London where house prices rose fastest in the past decade Cities that could attract businesses away from the south east include Leeds, which has become a northern hub for the technology and digital sector, Bristol, which is focused on aerospace and technology businesses, and Edinburgh, as a financial services centre. Clive Gawthorpe, partner at UHY Hacker Young said: The huge number of CEOs living in the South East reflects the UKs reliance on London as a centre for HQs. Improvements in technology should be weakening the draw of the capital city. So many locations away from London have emerged as successful business hubs for advanced and emerging technologies. But expanding growth in the regions is a full-time job for the government its a task the government cant take its eye off. READ MORE: The most affordable London commuter towns of 2020 Darwin's finches are among the most celebrated examples of adaptive radiation in the evolution of modern vertebrates and now a new study, led by scientists from the University of Bristol, has provided fresh insights into their rapid development and evolutionary success. Study of the finches has been relevant since the journeys of the HMS Beagle in the 18th century which catalysed some of the first ideas about natural selection in the mind of a young Charles Darwin. Despite many years of research which has led to a detailed understanding of the biology of these perching birds, including impressive decades-long studies in natural populations, there are still unanswered questions. Specifically, the factors explaining why this particular group of birds evolved to be much more diverse in species and shapes than other birds evolving alongside them in Galapagos and Cocos islands have remained largely unknown. A similar phenomenon is that of the honeycreepers endemic to the Hawaiian archipelago. These true finches (unlike Darwin's finches which are finch-like birds belonging to a different family) radiated to achieve an order of magnitude more in species and shapes than the rest of the birds inhabiting those islands. An international team of researchers from the UK and Spain tackled the question of why the rapid evolution in these birds from a different perspective. They showed in their study published today in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution that one of the key factors related to the evolutionary success of Darwin's finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers might lie in how their beaks and skulls evolved. Previous studies have demonstrated a tight link between the shapes and sizes of the beak and the feeding habits in both groups, which suggests that adaptation by natural selection to the different feeding resources available at the islands may have been one of the main processes driving their explosive evolution. Furthermore, changes in beak size and shape have been observed in natural populations of Darwin's finches as a response to variations in feeding resources, strengthening these views. However, recent studies on other groups of birds, some of which stem from the previous recent research of the team, have suggested that this strong match between beak and cranial morphology and ecology might not be pervasive in all birds. Professor Emily Rayfield, from the University of Bristol's School of Earth Sciences, co-authored the new study. She said: "Other factors such as constraints on skull shape during development, the use of the beak for many other functions and the fact that the skull and beak develop and function as a coherent unit may have contributed to this mismatch. "Therefore, the strong connection between beak, cranial morphology and feeding ecology over the evolution of Darwin's finches, Hawaiian honeycreepers, and perhaps other lineages of birds, might have been only possible if this tight coevolution of cranial regions is somehow 'relaxed' and those regions are able to evolve more freely." Lead author Guillermo Navalon, recently graduated from a PhD at the University of Bristol and now a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oxford, added: "By taking a broad scale, numerical approach at more than 400 species of landbirds (the group that encompasses all perching birds and many other lineages such as parrots, kingfishers, hornbills, eagles, vultures, owls and many others) we found that the beaks of Darwin's finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers evolved in a stronger association with the rest of the skull than in most of the other lineages of landbirds. "In other words, in these groups the beak is less independent in evolutionary terms than in most other landbirds." Jesus Marugan-Lobon co-author of the study and Lecturer at the Autonomous University of Madrid, said: "We found that as a result of this stronger cranial integration, these birds could evolve in a more versatile way but mostly constrained along a very specific direction of adaptive change in the shape of their skulls. "Paradoxically, we hypothesised that this allowed them to evolve many different shapes very rapidly, filling many of the available niches in their archipelagos as a result." In contrast, the authors asserted that the other sympatric bird lineages that occupied the island archipelagos at similar time to the ancestors of finches and honeycreepers all belong to the group with the lowest cranial integration in their study and suggest that this was a limiting factor for rapid evolution in other lineages. Guillermo Navalon added: "While these results are exciting, this is mainly the work of my PhD and at the minute we are working on solving different unanswered questions that stem from this research. "For instance, are these evolutionary situations isolated phenomena in these two archipelagos or have those been more common in the evolution of island or continental bird communities? Do these patterns characterise other adaptive radiations in birds? "Future research will likely solve at least some of these mysteries, bringing us one step closer to understanding better the evolution of the wonderful diversity of shapes in birds." ### Paper: 'The consequences of craniofacial integration for the adaptive radiations of Darwin's finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers' by G. Navalon, J. Marugan-Lobon, J. Bright, C. Cooney and E. Rayfield in Nature Ecology & Evolution G reta Thunberg has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the second year running. Two Swedish politicians Jens Holm and Hakan Svenneling put the environmental activist forward for the 2020 award after three Norwegian politicians nominated her last year. On Monday, the pair said Ms Thunberg has worked hard to make politicians open their eyes to the climate crisis. "Action for reducing our emissions and complying with the Paris Agreement is therefore also an act of making peace," they added. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg poses for media as she arrives for a news conference in Davos, Switzerland / AP The teenager spoke to world leaders at the World Economic Forum in January where she blasted US President Donald Trump, who withdrew from the Paris climate deal in 2017. She called out his "inaction" in tackling the climate crisis and said his lack of urgency is fuelling the flames last month. The 2015 landmark Paris Agreement asks both rich and poor countries to take action to curb the rise in global temperatures that is melting glaciers, raising sea levels and shifting rainfall patterns. 'Your Inaction Is Fuelling The Flames By The Hour' Greta Thunberg At Davos It requires governments to present national plans to reduce emissions to limit global temperature rise to well below 2C. Ms Thunberg has also encouraged students to skip school to join protests demanding faster action on climate change, a movement that has spread beyond Sweden to other European nations and around the world. She founded the Fridays for Future movement that has inspired similar actions by other young people. Any national lawmaker can nominate somebody for the Nobel Peace Prize, and three members of the Norwegian Parliament nominated Ms Thunberg last year. That prize was won by Ethiopias Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for bringing to an end two decades of bloody conflict with neighbouring Eritrea. In 2019, Ms Thunberg was among four people named as the winners of a Right Livelihood Award, also known as the "Alternative Nobel" and she was named Time magazine's "Person of the Year." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rizki Fachriansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 18:32 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206250b03 1 Business Batik-Air,Wuhan-coronavirus,wuhan,coronavirus,Natuna,Riau-Islands Free Following the successful repatriation of over 200 Indonesian nationals from coronavirus-hit Wuhan, Hubei province, and other regions in China via a Batik Air flight that used the Airbus A-330, social media users have taken to Twitter to convey their appreciation for the Lion Air subsidiary. Thanks to patriotic Indonesian diplomats, Batik Air cabin crew, and the Indonesian evacuation team who braved risks of coronavirus and volunteered for mercy flight to bring back Indonesian students from Wuhan, China. Were proud of you! Twitter user @GandhiPP wrote in a tweet on Sunday. Thanks to patriotic indonesian diplomats , batik air cabin crew ,Indonesia evacuation team who braved risk of Coronavirus & volunteered for mercy flight to bring back Indonesianstudents from Wuhan, China, We proud of you! #indonesiahebat @DjoOratmangun @KBRI_Beijing pic.twitter.com/3U9eZxiJe4 Gandhi Priambodho (@GandhiPP) February 1, 2020 Twitter user @alichaniag0 tweeted, Just be safe and strong, pilot and crew of Batik Air. Thanks for bring [sic] our friends back from Wuhan not all heroes have superpowers. Just be safe and strong pilot and crew batik air , thanks for bring back our friend in Wuhan, not all heroes have superpowers, . (@alichaniag0) February 1, 2020 The [crew members] are fantastic, they are wholehearted people. They [underwent] the mission to evacuate Indonesians in Wuhan even though they had to risk their own lives. Can we give them [more respect]? Batik Air is amazing, @jessicoconut_ tweeted. The aircrews are fantastic, they are "wholehearted" people. They have this mission to evacuate the Indonesians in Wuhan eventhough they are risking their own life. Can we give them respects or even more? Batik air is amazing :) https://t.co/DUO0zWY2fB (@jessicoconut_) February 1, 2020 Indonesians evacuated from Wuhan and other cities in China arrived at Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands, on Sunday morning and were immediately directed to passenger planes operated by the Indonesian Air Force to be airlifted to Natuna Island for quarantine. The passengers underwent medical check-ups inside the Batik Air aircraft before boarding the planes that transported them to Natuna Island. Batik Air spokesperson Danang Mandala Prihantoro said in a written statement that the airline had prioritized the security and safety of its passengers during the humanitarian mission, in accordance with its standard operating procedures. The flight carried 19 crew members and 270 Indonesian passengers, he said. The safety measures taken by the airline during the mission included providing the passengers with multi-use disinfectant sprays, masks, gloves and other means of protection to prevent the coronavirus from spreading on board, Danang said. He went on to say that the airline extended its gratitude to the crew members of the flight, as well as to other parties that had helped to ensure that the evacuation went according to plan. The crew members would subsequently undergo a medical protocol, including quarantine, to ensure that they were virus-free, Danang added. Previously, the Health Ministrys head of the emerging infectious diseases subdirectorate, Endang Budi Hastuti, said that the evacuees must be quarantined for at least 14 days, which would allow authorities to observe them throughout the virus' estimated incubation period. (rfa) " " Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks during a campaign event Dec. 29, 2019, in Centerville, Iowa. The all-important 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses will be held Feb. 3, 2020. Joe Raedle/Getty Images During the fall and early winter of every fourth year, the United States turns its full attention to the state of Iowa. The Des Moines Register has the kind of political clout you normally expect from The Washington Post or The New York Times when its editorial board announces which presidential candidate the paper is officially endorsing. Average Joes and Janes talk to out-of-town national correspondents over coffee and pie in the local diners about issues most important to them. And almost every candidate in the U.S. presidential race practically moves to the state to spend months campaigning throughout Iowa. Advertisement But why? What makes Iowa's caucus so important? After all, Iowa is just an otherwise quiet, largely agricultural state. And Iowa doesn't necessarily represent a diverse cross-section of America (the state's population is more than 90 percent white). One reason Iowa draws so much attention in a presidential campaign year is because the Iowa caucus is unlike any other. What's a Caucus? The Democratic and GOP caucus systems in Iowa are different. In the Democratic caucus system, registered voters don't just go to their designated polling place and, well, vote. Instead, they attend public meetings, usually held in school gyms, churches and public libraries, and even restaurants and fire stations, to choose their presidential nominee by standing in a section of the room devoted to their candidate. If a preference group doesn't get enough people to be considered "viable," (usually 15 percent of attendees), caucus-goers can join another group, or try to convince people to join their group, in order to reach the 15 percent goal. Delegates are awarded to the final viable preference groups based on their sizes. For the 2020 Iowa caucus, the Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) made the most historic changes to the process since it was first established in 1972. For the first time, registered Iowa Democrats will be able to participate through six "virtual caucuses" via phone or smart device. They will rank up to five choices for president and the total result of the six virtual caucuses will account for 10 percent of Iowa's caucus delegates. "The Iowa Democratic Party has always sought ways to improve our caucus process, and today, we are setting the stage for the 2020 Iowa caucuses to be the most accessible, transparent, and successful caucuses in our partys history," Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price said in a press statement. "While we will always continue to improve the caucus process, I am confident that with these historic changes, we are giving more Iowans a way to participate in the caucuses, we are increasing transparency and trust, and we are streamlining our process." The GOP caucus process in Iowa is much simpler. Caucus-goers simply cast a vote for their candidate for president and the delegates are divide proportionally at the Republican National Convention. But Iowa isn't the only state to hold a caucus to select its party's nominees for president of the United States. Nine other states and three U.S. territories will also choose the presidential nominee via caucus in 2020. The remaining states and territories will hold primary elections to choose their Democratic nominee, which they will present at the political national conventions. Yet the votes cast by the residents who turn out for the Iowa caucus are so highly coveted that news agencies and political organizations take frequent polls to find out what the Iowans are thinking. Why Is Iowa So Important? So again, what makes Iowa so important? The simplest answer may be that Iowa is the first state in the nation to show its support for candidates. Sen. George McGovern, the Democratic contender in the 1972 election, explained the significance of Iowa like this: "Iowa is terribly important. It's the first test in the nation, where we get any test at all." That test comes from real, everyday voters. The level of support a candidate receives in Iowa gives a reasonable indication of how they will perform with the rest of American voters. The traditional thinking goes that if middle-American Iowans support a candidate, then that candidate has a chance with the rest of the nation. The results in Iowa can also tell a candidate how their platform is resonating with voters. The early timing gives candidates time to make adjustments to their campaign messaging should the response from voters signal they need to. A very poor showing in Iowa might force some candidates to bow out of the race. A strong showing in Iowa also sends a message to the national party leaders. Each party seeks a strong contender for the White House, and a good response from Iowans helps cement a candidate's chances to win the national nomination. Being first in the nation certainly is important. But Iowa wasn't always first, and the votes cast by its residents in the caucus weren't always so important. In 1972, the Democratic Party changed its scheduling, and Iowa became the first state to hold its caucus. The resulting attention for the Democrats was great enough that the Republican Party also made Iowa first in the 1976 election, and since then, Iowa's importance has grown each election cycle. But to say that the importance of the Iowa caucus is entirely due to its status as first in the nation would be a mistake. Political analysts point to another factor that bolsters Iowa every four years. Read about that on the next page. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 22:07:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Medical team members from Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital bid farewell to their colleagues before setting off for Wuhan in Hubei Province, in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 3, 2020. A medical team comprised of 212 members from Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital set off on Monday to aid the coronavirus control efforts in Wuhan. (Xinhua/Zhang Bowen) Passengers leave on first United Nations-supervised humanitarian flight from the Yemeni capital to Amman. At least seven critically ill people in need of medical care and their relatives have been flown out of Yemens rebel-held capital, Sanaa, on Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. The WHO said on Twitter that the majority of the patients are women and children who suffer from conditions such as aggressive forms of cancer and brain tumours, or who need organ transplants and reconstructive surgeries. The young patients flew out of Sanaa airport, which has been closed to commercial flights since 2016, aboard a UN-marked plane bound for Amman, Jordan. This is the first of what we hope will be a number of flights in the medical air bridge, UN Resident Coordinator for Yemen Lise Grande told AFP news agency, adding that more patients and their families would travel to Jordan and Egypt in coming days. Its crucially important that this first flight has gone, she said of the evacuation programme that took months to negotiate. People board a United Nations plane that will carry them to Amman, Jordan in the first flight of a medical air bridge from Sanaa airport in Yemen [Khaled Abdullah/Reuters] All of us feel today that this is a major breakthrough and an indication of hope out of Yemen. Fifteen-year-old Abdallah Abed was one of 16 patients to be flown out on the first flight to Amman. I have kidney failure and I need a transplant, he said. God willing we travel today to Jordan for treatment. Yemen has been mired in almost five years of conflict since Houthi rebels overthrew the internationally-recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi from Sanaa in late 2014. A Saudi-UAE-led military coalition intervened in 2015 to try to restore Hadi. In November, the coalition which controls Yemens airspace said patients needing medical care would be allowed to be flown out of Sanaa. On Sunday, Houthis criticised the evacuation plan as inadequate for the needs of thousands of people in urgent need of treatment. The World Health Organization said it will transport via a small UN plane only seven patients with their escorts per flight, the rebels said in a statement. The number of people signed up for medical evacuations are around 32,000 patients with serious illnesses, the statement added. UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths last month told the UN Security Council that we are very close to seeing the first flight move 30 patients who are now waiting in Sanaa for their treatment. These flights will transport patients who need medical attention unavailable in Yemen to agreed locations abroad, he said. I really hope that by the time we meet next month we will have seen that first flight happen. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) welcomed the expected start of the humanitarian airlift, but said that others were handed a death sentence when the coalition closed the airport in Sanaa. Todays move comes too late for thousands of Yemenis who died waiting to leave the country for urgent life-saving care, Mohamed Abdi, the NRCs country director for Yemen, said. We hope that these medical flights will save the lives of other Yemenis. Many more are still waiting to get the healthcare they need, Abdi added. A WHO spokeswoman told AFP that three more flights have been scheduled for February 4, 5 and 7, bound for Amman and Cairo, Egypt. Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed and millions displaced in the war in Yemen, which the UN says has caused the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, K. Vlasis, will travel to the United States (Washington DC and New York) from 3 to 9 February 2020. During his visit, the Deputy Minister will meet with Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and representatives of Diaspora organisations and the academic community. The Deputy Minister will also attend the dinner to be organised by the US Secretary of State, M. Pompeo in Washington DC on 5 February, in the framework of the International Religious Freedom Alliance. Finally, the Deputy Minister will attend the National Prayer Breakfast the following day. (UPDATE: Woman involved in crash with semi-truck near Clio dies) VIENNA TWP, MI An 18-year-old woman was seriously injured Monday morning after a crash in northern Genesee County, police said. Deputies with the Genesee County Sheriffs Office responded around 11:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 3 to the area of North Saginaw Road and Hurd roads in Vienna Township for a crash involving a semi-truck and a car. The semi-truck driven by a 38-year-old man was headed north on Saginaw when the car driven by the 18-year-old woman turned in front of the vehicle, police said. She was transported to Hurley Medical Center in Flint with serious injuries. The intersection was closed for investigation Monday afternoon. It reopened around 1:15 p.m. Speed or alcohol do not appear to be factors in the crash, police said. The incident remains under investigation. Kathleen Carroll "Educating and informing the security industry about data privacy motivates me daily, and chairing the Data Privacy Advisory Board allows me to work with like-minded leaders in the industry to spread the word. Privacy matters." Kathleen Carroll The Security Industry Association (SIA) has selected Kathleen Carroll as the 2020 recipient of the SIA Committee Chair of the Year Award, which recognizes individuals for excellence in leading SIA committees and advancing member objectives. SIA will present Carroll with the honor at The Advance, SIAs annual membership meeting, during ISC West. Carroll chairs the SIA Data Privacy Advisory Board and is the founder and managing partner of Seven Seas Strategic Communications, a full-service public relations and government affairs firm offering strategic planning, writing, media relations and event planning. With more than 30 years of experience, she has worked with companies in diverse industries, designing public relations and government affairs programs and strategies that help build business and garner attention and support for clients key goals and objectives. She previously served as vice president of corporate communications for HID Global, overseeing the development and implementation of public relations and government affairs programs. She has testified before Congress on a range of topics, including the use of secure identification documents in airports, and has testified in several states on the use of secure credentials for physical and logical access control, cybersecurity, the Internet of Things and privacy. "I am honored to be recognized as Chairperson of the Year. The Data Privacy Advisory Board members have made it easy to chair this committee, and I thank them for their commitment, dedication and active participation, said Carroll. I am also grateful to SIA for recognizing early on that privacy and security should be complementary. As important has been the support that the advisory board has received from Ron Hawkins and the rest of the SIA staff. Educating and informing the security industry about data privacy motivates me daily, and chairing the Data Privacy Advisory Board allows me to work with like-minded leaders in the industry to spread the word. Privacy matters." SIAs Data Privacy Advisory Board provides information and best practices to help SIA members handle sensitive data in a safe and secure manner to protect the personally identifiable information of their employees, partners and customers from potential breaches. The board leverages the collective expertise of industry professionals, law enforcement, security practitioners and data privacy experts to inform and educate SIA member companies about methods for mitigating the risk of data breaches. As chair of the Data Privacy Advisory Board, Carroll has spearheaded a number of notable efforts, including outreach to key integrators, office visits to members of Congress, the development of the Data Privacy Microlearning Series a self-paced online course exploring key privacy issues, regulations and risks and the creation of a data privacy primer for the security industry and several additional data privacy resources, including guidance documents to help firms navigate the business impact of the California Consumer Privacy Act and Europes General Data Protection Regulation. Additionally, Carroll authored an opinion letter on the need for a federal privacy law that was published in the New York Times. During her time as advisory board chair, Kathleen Carroll has increased awareness of data privacy issues throughout the security industry, said Don Erickson, SIA CEO. Kathleens leadership has helped position SIA as a thought leader on this critical issue, and we look forward to recognizing her for her outstanding achievements at The Advance this year. The Advance will take place during ISC West 2020 on Tuesday, March 17, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to the presentation of the Committee Chair of the Year Award, attendees will enjoy a high-impact presentation from William Wilkins, executive director of global security operations at Valero Energy Corporation, on the chief security officer framework and key lessons for security professionals. SIA will also review key association business, exchange market intelligence for the year ahead and present the SIA Chairmans Award, Member of the Year Award and Sandy Jones Volunteer of the Year Award. Attendees of The Advance will receive complimentary lunch and have the opportunity to network with industry colleagues. Learn more and register to attend. About SIA SIA is the leading trade association for global security solution providers, with over 1,000 innovative member companies representing thousands of security leaders and experts who shape the future of the security industry. SIA protects and advances its members interests by advocating pro-industry policies and legislation at the federal and state levels, creating open industry standards that enable integration, advancing industry professionalism through education and training, opening global market opportunities and collaborating with other like-minded organizations. As the premier sponsor of ISC Events expos and conferences, SIA ensures its members have access to top-level buyers and influencers, as well as unparalleled learning and network opportunities. SIA also enhances the position of its members in the security marketplace through SIA GovSummit, which brings together private industry with government decision makers, and Securing New Ground, the security industrys top executive conference for peer-to-peer networking. Farmer Ethan Crow in his home in Marshalltown, Iowa. Jacob Pramuk | CNBC MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa Ethan Crow says he has endured a "rough" two years. The 32-year-old farmer, who grows crops such as corn and soybeans on land his family has held since the 1930s, has navigated a gantlet of wet land and low prices further depressed by President Donald Trump's trade war with China. He received a U.S. Department of Agriculture market facilitation payment, part of more than $20 billion in aid the administration doled out to farmers in 2018 and 2019 to mitigate trade war damage. While Crow said the money has proved "pretty instrumental" in helping family farms survive, he added that his community would "so much rather have a good trade package instead of an aid package." Crow expresses "cautious optimism" about the president's "phase one" trade deal with China, which calls for $40 billion in Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural goods every year. But he wants a quick resolution to an economic conflict that has made an already challenging environment for farmers even more precarious. "We're acknowledging the fact that it's going to take time, and in the meantime, we've still got to pay our bills and keep groceries on the table," Crow said. Tom Steyer (L-R), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) await the start of the Democratic presidential primary debate at Drake University on January 14, 2020 in Des Moines, Iowa. Spencer Platt | Getty Images Iowa's agriculture industry shows just one way the tumultuous three years of Trump's presidency have shaped the state and the country. With Monday's first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses, Democrats will start the process of choosing who will take on the president in November in what many White House hopefuls have described as the most consequential U.S. election in recent memory. Polls suggest four Democratic contenders Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg have a good shot to leave Iowa with the most delegates. A strong showing in the Hawkeye State can give candidates a bump in fundraising and legitimacy as they claw through early nominating states in their push to challenge Trump. Democrats have tried to appeal to potential Iowa caucus attendees who, like large shares of voters in their party nationally, tend to say they care most about health care or climate change. At the same time, they have refined their arguments against Trump, an incumbent buoyed by glowing voter views about the economy despite lackluster marks on most other issues. The candidates' arguments in the final days before the caucuses show the weaknesses they see in Trump's case for reelection. They have contended Trump has not done enough to rein in health-care costs, favored corporations over workers and consumers by cutting taxes and scaling back regulations, and brought the U.S. to the brink of war in the Middle East through reckless foreign policy, among other Democratic arguments. Joe Biden campaign sign outside of a field office in Fairfield, IA. Jacob Pramuk | CNBC In conversations with CNBC last week, Iowa voters mentioned a range of reasons for supporting a Democratic candidate. Bruce Ersland, a 67-year-old who lives outside Marshalltown, said after a Biden event that he leans toward supporting the former vice president. He noted that foreign policy helped Biden's case, saying "we were a lot closer to war than people thought" following the U.S. killing of Iran's top general in January. Solomon Smith, a North Liberty resident whose 17-year-old son convinced him to go to a Buttigieg town hall, said he supports the former mayor partly because he seemed "more middle class" than his rivals. Warren backers frequently mentioned her plans to root out government corruption. Sanders supporters most often cited his signature "Medicare for All" health-care plan. "Your farms are going to hell" While a low jobless rate and steady economic growth have buoyed Trump during his first term, few economic issues have created as much of a threat to those trends as trade. Iowa has an economy that Iowa State University economics professor David Swenson described as "growing but not necessarily thriving." Gross domestic product grew 1.3% in the third quarter of 2019 from the second quarter, below the U.S. rate of 2.1%. The state had an unemployment rate of 2.7% in December. It was lower than the U.S. mark of 3.5% during the same month itself near a 50-year low. While Iowa is associated with farming, the state's economy is a lot more than agriculture. Des Moines and Iowa's other largest metropolitan areas have enjoyed a boost from the technology and health-care sectors, Swenson said. Apple and Facebook, among others, have opened data centers in Iowa in recent years. However, the state's manufacturing base has contracted. Stress in the agricultural economy that started before Trump's tenure has weighed on Iowa's economy. The trade war added to those pressures. In 2018 alone, tariffs lopped at least $1 billion and up to $2 billion off Iowa's gross state product, according to an Iowa State study. The farm aid payments show Trump's awareness of how trade could damage him politically. At a pre-caucus rally in Des Moines on Thursday, the president pointed to the new North American trade deal and the phase one agreement with China as evidence of what he has accomplished for Iowa. He argued Democrats would hurt farmers a key constituency that Trump hopes to maintain amid trade angst. "We're going to win the great state of Iowa and it's going to be a historic landslide," Trump predicted. "And if we don't win, your farms are going to hell." While the president carried Iowa by nearly 10 percentage points in 2016, the 2018 midterms showed he can still face backlash in the state. Democrats flipped two of Iowa's four House seats that year in campaigns fueled by resistance to GOP efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, among other issues. Both of the House members who beat incumbent Republicans Reps. Cindy Axne and Abby Finkenauer have endorsed Biden and argued he can help candidates down the ballot. The state's other Democratic congressman, Rep. Dave Loebsack, who will retire at the end of his current term, has backed Buttigieg. Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten wave following a campaign town hall in North Liberty, Iowa on Jan. 27, 2020. Jacob Pramuk | CNBC Secrets of how the Oscar-nominated sounds in 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' were made originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com David Acord and Matt Wood were trying to blow stuff up, and it wasnt going so well. The movie sound designers had set up their microphones at a firefighter training facility outside Denver, where technicians were triggering loud explosions destined to become sound effects in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The weather, however, wasnt cooperating. It was so windy that day, Acord tells ABC News. The gusts sweeping off the Rockies were so strong that Acord and Wood paused the recording session and took shelter inside an empty, all-metal building where firefighters practice knocking down flames. Matt and I just wandered into this thing to get out of the wind for a minute, Acord said. And we're like, Oh my god, this sounds amazing in here! The wind is whistling through these metal containers, and you can hear some kind of metal rattle, and the bang of a door somewhere. The pair remembered what director J.J. Abrams had told them about the creepy, haunted house-like sounds he wanted for scenes when Rey (Daisy Ridley) visits the ruins of a destroyed Death Star. We just started recording everything inside those containers to capture the ambiance of that very natural, metallic-y, spooky sound, Acord said. It was perfect. PHOTO: An undated photo shows Sound designer and voice actor, Matt Wood posing. (Skywalker Sound) It was a moment of sound serendipity that ultimately helped Acord and Wood earn an Oscar nomination for sound editing, competing against Ford v. Ferrari, Joker, 1917 and Once upon a Time in Hollywood. The death of Carrie Fisher in 2016 presented a particular challenge for Wood, who says he scoured unused footage and outtakes from previous films to piece together lines spoken by her character, Leia Organa. Every bit of Leias voice in the movie is Fisher. We pulled from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, as well as any behind-the-scenes footage we had, Wood said. Crafting that was hard, but we felt like we wanted to do right by Carrie. We all have our own special relationship with Carrie Fisher, not only as fans but also as colleagues. And we just wanted to tell that story right for her. Story continues In addition to using iconic "Star Wars" sounds like lightsabers, TIE Fighters and laser boltsall kept in a restricted electronic library at Skywalker SoundAcord says he created many new effects as well. The guttural grunting of the new space horse creatures known as Orbaksstarted out as something unexpected. Its about 90% pitched, slowed down crow. Theres a little bit of donkey in there as well, but its mostly crow, said Acord, who also created the sounds of the Child (AKA Baby Yoda) for The Mandalorian. PHOTO: Sounds of a crow and a donkey were among the recordings sound designer David Acord combined to bring to life the Orbacks, new space horse creatures in 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.' (Lucasfilm) Wood often travels to multiple countries and unorthodox places to record actors speaking new lines, or to re-record higher-quality versions to replace existing dialogue. For The Rise of Skywalker, Wood found himself at Adam Drivers New York apartment, recording new Kylo Ren lines in the actors closet. Sometimes, the best way to record is to just hang a bunch of clothes in a closet and just go for it because it muffles all the sound, Wood said. I think I recorded Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) under a blanket and a couple of chairs to get his lines. When it comes to creatures, Wood had originally planned to replace the puppeteer who provided the voice of the droidsmith Babu Frik, until he heard the performance. As I was listening, I was thinking this is amazing. I dont know how we could even top this, Wood said. It turns out Babu gets his voice from Shirley Henderson, who played Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter movies. She was even invited on the set with the puppeteers and operated Babus mouth while delivering his lines. The Rise of Skywalker, sources tell ABC News, also contains a deep audio Easter egg: a scream that is actually the voice of "Star Wars" creator George Lucas. The clip, affectionately called The George, was originally recorded for the directors 1973 film American Graffiti." It has appeared in several movies, including Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and The Last Jedi. Acord and Wood acknowledge they did use a special scream in The Rise of Skywalker, but wont say where it appears. They wont even confirm that its Lucas. Weve got a calling card, a very special scream in there, Wood said of The Last Jedi in 2018. The George has now replaced The Wilhelm, a famously distinctive scream that legendary "Star Wars" sound designer Ben Burtt wove into the soundtracks of dozens of movies, starting in 1977 with Star Wars when a Stormtrooper falls down the shaft of the Death Star. He put the Wilhelm in every Indiana Jones film and dozens of others. Other Easter eggs in Rise of Skywalker include the sound of hundreds of chanting Sith cultists. The words are Sanskrit, and translate to Revenge, Soul, Kill. Wood credits voice actor Sam Witwer for coming up with the phrase. Acord says he created as many as 2,000 new sound effects for the film, although not all of them made the final cut. Its a lot of work, but the scale of the movie demands it. Pretty much every single shot of the movie has some sound design piece to it, Acord said. Its a group effort. Its collaborative. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie fired VA deputy secretary James Byrne Monday due to "loss of confidence," just months after the Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Byrne to the job. Wilkie announced Byrne's immediate dismissal in a two-sentence news release Monday afternoon. Byrne's bio had been already removed from the VA website by the time of the announcement. "Today, I dismissed VA Deputy Secretary James Byrne due to loss of confidence in Mr. Byrne's ability to carry out his duties," Wilkie said in a statement. "This decision is effective immediately." Byrne, a former Marine infantry officer, performed the deputy secretary's role in an acting capacity, in addition to his job as the VA's general counsel, until his Senate confirmation on Sept. 11, 2019. He had also served as a Department of Justice international narcotics prosecutor. Related: Does VA Care Improve Disabled Veterans' Health? More Research Needed, GAO Finds Before joining the VA in 2017, he was part of Lockheed Martin Corp.'s legal department. As VA deputy secretary, Byrne worked with Wilkie to oversee the VA's health care services, including implementing the Mission Act. The VA did not provide any explanation regarding Byrne's sudden firing. He had, however, figured in the handling of a high-profile episode involving a congressional staffer and Navy veteran who claimed she was sexually assaulted and harassed at a VA hospital in Washington, D.C. Andrea Goldstein published an account Monday morning on the website Jezebel.com of the aftermath of her alleged assault. By closing her case due to insufficient evidence, she said, Wilkie had implied "I was a liar." VA Inspector General Michael Missal, who rebuked Wilkie in January for characterizing Goldstein's accusations as "unsubstantiated," noted that he had discussed the allegations with Byrne and VA Chief of Staff Pamela Powers and had warned them against incorrectly characterizing the outcome of the investigation. The dismissal caused concern from House Committee on Veterans Affairs Chairman Mark Takano, D-California, who said he will meet with Wilkie in future to discuss this leadership change "in detail." "Despite speaking with Secretary Wilkie this morning about changes to VAs staff structure, I have many questions about what Deputy Secretary Byrnes firing means for our veterans and VA as a whole," he said in a statement. "Deputy Secretary Byrne was confirmed by the Senatethe American people deserve to know why he was dismissed." -- Dorothy Mills-Gregg can be reached at dorothy.mills-gregg@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @DMillsGregg. Read More: Naval Academy Adds Cadence Push-Ups, Planks to Fitness Test Cyprus authorities brought 87 irregular Syrian migrants safely to shore after their wooden boat was picked up by radar sailing southeast of the island, police said Monday. A Cyprus police spokesman said they located the Syrians 20 nautical miles (37 kilometres) off the island's coast and escorted the boat to shore at Larnaca on the Mediterranean island's southern coast. The 13 metre (42 foot) craft was crowded with migrants -- including 16 children and 10 women -- who will be processed before being taken to a reception centre outside the capital Nicosia, said police. Police suspect the boat set off from Mersin in Turkey, a route often used by people smugglers bound for Cyprus. In August, Cyprus requested fellow EU member states to take in 5,000 of its migrants to alleviate the "disproportionate pressures" it faced. The small member state says it is on the frontline of the Mediterranean migration route with the highest number of first-time asylum seekers per capita of population. According to available government data, the number of migrants arriving in Cyprus and applying for asylum between January and June 2019 reached nearly 7,000 with around 26 per cent coming from war-torn Syria. The number of pending applications awaiting examination has reached 13,000. But Cyprus, located 160 kilometres (100 miles) from the Syrian coast, has not seen the massive inflow of migrants experienced by Turkey and Greece. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It is increasingly clear from new information available and stories appearing in Chinese local and social media that China lost crucial days and weeks in early January in containing the pathogen. A month later, it has gone on to trigger an international public health emergency. The question is whether the delay was caused by apathy or by a deliberate decision to keep the spreading outbreak a secret: Alarm and panic should never come in the way of social stability and harmony. It was possibly a mix of reasons that stopped authorities from immediately pressing the alarm bell: Local authorities didnt realise how serious the situation was about to become or they were reluctant to admit to themselves even after local doctors alerted them how serious the situation was about to become. An important government conclave was coming up in the middle of January in Wuhan and instead of alerting the unsuspecting citizens about a deadly virus in their midst, local authorities continued as if all was well. And, all remained well despite a death and dozens of cases right into the third week of January; for about a week in the middle of the month, no new cases were reported and rumours churned facts into fiction about a strange, new disease in town. As the Washington Post pointed out, even after Coronavirus cases were reported in Thailand and South Korea, Wuhan officials organised a downtown community potluck attended by as many as 40,000 families to spread the cheer of the upcoming Lunar New Year (LNY). We can only imagine what else the potluck spread as children, men and women freely mingled in the potluck. By the time Wuhan and a dozen more cities soon after was locked down on January 23, the virus had pretty much broken lose. The first cluster of cases of the previously unknown virus first appeared in December in Wuhan. Local experts were immediately alerted because of its new and virulent nature; it was also clear to the first doctors who treated the patients with the mysterious, new pneumonia that it was infectious as members of the same family were falling ill. It took just a day to two for the information about the disease to reach the top of the local government hierarchy: By January 1, the seafood market to which most initial cases were linked was shut down. It took nearly a month for Zhou Xianwang, Wuhans mayor, to say that the speed with which information was shared with the public was not good enough and blamed the information system as he wasnt authorised to disclose the information. We will never know who was actually authorised to disclose the information to the 11 million citizens of Wuhan and thousands of foreigners who stay there. What we will know for days and weeks to come is the daily toll the disease will take. Or will we? The time to act is now, Flores added, "and by joining together with elected officials (like) Duckworth, who has been a staunch advocate for environmental justice, we can lift up the voices of those disproportionally affected and achieve our shared vision for social change that is led by those most directly impacted. The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN on Sunday departed Nigeria to attend a three-day meeting of the United States-Nigeria Bi-national Commission in Washington DC. Dr Umar Gwandu, the Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations in the Office of the Minister disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja. The Minister is expected to, on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, sign a tripartite agreement with Nigeria, the Island of New Jersey and the United States of America. The agreement is for repatriation of 321m US dollars looted assets and as part of the Federal Government's efforts to recover more stolen funds stashed abroad. He said the meeting is an annual event between Nigeria and U.S.aimed at reviewing bilateral relations and taking necessary steps to advance mutual interest in all diplomatic areas among the two countries. The meeting is not an ad hoc event for addressing impromptu concerns, but a friendly binational meeting that holds annually devoid of intervening concerns or relating to the internal affairs of the participating states. Some other Nigerian government delegates expected to be part of the meeting include: the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, Minister of Defence, Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd), and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama. Others are National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd) as well as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development; Sadiya Umar Faruk. (NAN) 'I keep thinking I am retired," says Jeremy Irons. "And then something comes up and I think, 'That will work.' I suppose I think I shall potter on until the day I drop dead." A person who potters is not necessarily the popular impression of Jeremy Irons. His is a more purposeful energy; a cool charm shot through with a hint of danger. His is a magnetic, almost menacing talent, which won him the 1991 Oscar for his leading role in Reversal of Fortune. Pottering, he is not. What Irons conveys, however, is a sense of ease, and there is that, he says, at the age he has achieved. "Well, I never thought I'd get here," says Irons of his 71 years. "And it's great. You no longer have scorching ambition and that's great, and you get to just look around and see what interests you. And having run a pretty good race, it's a nice time. I find I'm spending more time with my wife, Sinead, and more time with my kids. I'm not constantly away for months at a time. "I've got fussier," Irons says of work and other commitments. "That's probably age. I'm not going to have a limitless number of summers, so I look at what's offered and decide if it's worth giving up four months of my life, and, really, there are so many other things I love doing." Irons speaks to me from his home in Oxfordshire, where he lives part of the time, preferring to be based in the country than in London these days. He was in west Cork, at his Kilcoe Castle bolthole only a few weeks ago, he says, and hopes to be back there before the end of March. It's all part of that process of being more selective with how you spend your time, Irons explains. You become more selfish of it, less willing to waste it. This applies to work, to people - to all of life, really. Revisiting India with Sam His trip last November to Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), captured on these pages in photographs by Irons's son, Sam, is a case in point. There were layers to what pulled Irons to the trip, during which they visited some of the 60 projects run in the city by the Cork-based Hope Foundation, filming footage that, it is hoped, will become a documentary to mark 2020, the 21st year of the charity. It was also a chance to go back to India with Sam, who had worked there as a young man with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity. Irons and his wife, Irish actress Sinead Cusack, had visited Sam there, he recalls. It was a "whistlestop tour", four weeks long, taking in Delhi and Kolkata, and as much of the country as they could. Last November's visit with the Hope Foundation was a very different experience, an up-close encounter with Kolkata, the real lives of its citizens and the foundation's work. Expand Close Actor Jeremy Irons has been patron of the Hope Foundation for over a decade / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Actor Jeremy Irons has been patron of the Hope Foundation for over a decade "One was hugely privileged to see all of this," Irons says. "Hope has so many establishments - schools, creches, hospitals, schools for children with special needs - all over Kolkata, and we were taken to some of them. It was eye-opening, and we saw places Sam had never seen before, and parts I would never have seen had I travelled there on holiday. And Sam saw big changes in the 15 years since he had been there." Knowing that photographs would be a boon to the trip, it was Irons himself who suggested that Sam accompany him and record it, and that was a wonderful addition, he says. "To have him there, with me, was great," he says of the shared experience, and there is an intimacy to the photographs that bears this out. Irons had great interest in seeing Kolkata close up. His curiosity about life is keen, and the human spirit has always fascinated him. "I've been to slums before and seen abject poverty in the favelas of Rio. What was so heartening to see in Kolkata was what they're doing about it," Irons says. "I spent some time in Brazil when I was making The Mission [in 1996] and there were some Jesuits on set, and they were interested in going into the big cities to see how the poor were being treated and the facilities provided, and I would go with them. And I saw many things in the favelas. That was real abject poverty." November's trip to India was Irons's first time to travel abroad with any charity. He has done work with the Hope Foundation for some years, though, by his own admission, Irons isn't great on times and dates. He's not sure which came first, a Hope Foundation event at which he gave a speech, or perhaps when its founder, Maureen Forrest, came to visit him at Kilcoe Castle, his terracotta-coloured home in west Cork. Irons is not certain of sequence or specifics, but he knows for certain that when she came to the castle, Maureen Forrest threw a bucket of ice over him. Expand Close Jeremy Irons has been patron of the Hope Foundation for over a decade / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jeremy Irons has been patron of the Hope Foundation for over a decade The Ice Bucket Challenge dates this visit to the summer of 2014. A remarkable presence "I was blown away by her enthusiasm and charm and bullying of me," says Irons, with a laugh. "And I felt she had got this charity off the ground, and I felt immediately that this was something I wanted to help, if I could. It's the way it is with any organisation, it's the person at the top who motivates it, and it was she who drew me in." You don't work almost 50 years as an actor, as Irons has done, without learning about the power of charisma. It gets things done; it carries people along with you; it is a magical power that cannot be forced. You have it, or you don't. Irons is very much drawn to that kind of force. He sees it in Maureen Forrest; it's what made him believe in the Hope Foundation even before seeing their work on the ground. He also saw it in Hope Foundation worker Cathy O'Shaughnessy, who runs a creche in Kolkata, whom he singles out as a remarkable presence. And he recalls with great warmth the three-hour stage show put on to celebrate the charity's Foundation Day, the children and the bright colours, and the radiant enthusiasm and joy. "You have to have a bit of chutzpah to do that," says Irons. You could say that Irons is attracted to energy, life force, and that is what keeps him from truly relaxing into his imagined retirement. "I get offered a lot," he says. "But as you get older, you are offered a bit less. It's a bit like what happens to women in acting - there aren't as many roles for 70-something men as there are for 40 or 50-year-olds." We talk about The Two Popes, the Netflix film about Benedict XVI and Francis I, starring Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce, actors in their 80s and 70s, respectively. Irons marvels at how unlikely it looks on paper. Two men, older, just talking. "If one was offered that kind of thing, it would be a yes," he says. "But there is less of that kind of thing. "The business has changed, and the films I used to make, the ones I liked, the smaller art films, don't tend to be made now. They now tend to be made as television series, and it's difficult to get mid-range art films made. And the problem with television series is they are such a long commitment. When I was in The Borgias, for example, that was three years." Expand Close Jeremy Irons has been patron of the Hope Foundation for over a decade / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jeremy Irons has been patron of the Hope Foundation for over a decade There is great writing in television now, says Irons, but he's not sure he has the push to get involved. "I think this business is a bit less romantic a world than when I was young," Irons explains. "I imagined myself a travelling actor when I was young, and that was possible, but now it's all run by the money men and less dramatic, and sometimes a bit less fun. "I don't know what it is," he continues. "Everything is quicker now, and it's less of a group of people making a story, it's more a studio from above and how they want everything done." Irons is given to agree with Martin Scorsese's dismissal of "Marvel movies" and how they lack any artistic risk. There is a danger, perhaps, that the business moves ever closer to a situation where the only films that are being made are the guaranteed successes, the ones that tick all the obvious boxes. And Jeremy Irons has never been interested in the obvious. "I love to be on board with a project from the start, for the decision making and making my contribution. I like being hands-on with the process. I like to do my bit." It's not pottering, and his trip to Kolkata was far from pottering, too. The difference between giving his time to the Hope Foundation and going to Kolkata was that Irons can now ask people to "dig deep in their pockets" with extra conviction. He has seen now what the Hope Foundation's work is achieving. Scope of their efforts "I was surprised by the scope of their efforts," Irons says. "And I didn't even see it all. I saw about 10 different establishments, but there are so many more. I didn't realise the scope of the work, and you have to go there to really grasp that. And they do take Irish kids there to work as volunteers, which is tremendous for them. What a wonderful opportunity." Expand Close Jeremy Irons has been patron of the Hope Foundation for over a decade and talks about his work with the organisation / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jeremy Irons has been patron of the Hope Foundation for over a decade and talks about his work with the organisation Last year, Irons's big project was Watchmen for HBO, based on the 1980s vigilante-superhero graphic novel, in which he played Ozymandias. "It was a great group of people," says Irons, "and HBO are now for leaving their creatives alone, so it was a very pleasant experience. And I got to spend a few weeks in North Wales and do a lot of horse-riding." Horse-riding is a great passion of his. "I've always ridden," he says. "And I've never been a betting man or into flat racing, but I used to hunt and have a few horses here in Oxfordshire that I drive with traps." "In fact, I'm working towards making a film about race trainer Henry Cecil and his horse, Frankel," Irons says, referencing the flat-racing legend who had his heyday in the 1960s, before decades in the wilderness and then a massive comeback early this century. It's the kind of arc of mixed fortunes, and triumph of the human spirit that appeals to Irons. "We might use the Curragh," Irons adds. "I'm not a city person. I like walking; riding. In Ireland, I like sailing. Unless I have to go to the city, I like bigger spaces around me." "If only the weather would get better," he says, a disappointed note in his voice. Admittedly, it hasn't been a great winter for the pottering, but one suspects Jeremy Irons will find plenty more ways to use his time and energy. Specsavers stores across Ireland are proud charity partners of the Hope Foundation, raising over 175,000 for the charity to date. At the end of 2019, a team of 10 from Specsavers stores in Ireland travelled to Kolkata, spending a week providing vital eye care to the street and slum communities. Over 1,500 eye tests were carried out, with over 1,200 pairs of glasses dispensed to those tested. The team also visited the Eye Clinic at the Hope Hospital, which Specsavers funds annually. See Specsavers.ie for details on how to support their 2020 fundraising efforts for Hope Photography by Sam Irons WAR veterans have demanded that government creates their own ministry separate from the war collaborators and ex-political detainees, indicating that there should be a difference between freedom fighters and those who were assisting them during the war. The mujibhas and chimbwindos (war collaborators) on Friday, however, told Parliament that the liberation war would not have been won without them and demanded equal treatment and compensation, saying that their plight had been ignored for too long. Outspoken ex-officio member of the war veterans association, Andrew Ndlovu, told NewsDay on Friday on the sidelines of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle 2019 Bill hearings in Bulawayo that the war collaborators and ex-political detainees do not have military training, hence they could not be called freedom fighters. We are military persons, while those are civilians who are (late former President Robert) Mugabes creation to combine us so that he could gain political mileage, Ndlovu said. Some of these people (war collaborators) were too young during the liberation struggle and were herding cattle. They were not exposed to the risk that we were subjected to. We fought a guerrilla warfare against the National Treaty Organisations (NATO). This was a tough assignment and we did this just for the love of our country, not for money. We want that guerilla warfare structure to be maintained with its commanders and be treated as a special constituency. He said political detainees were in the country advocating for freedom, but were never in the forefront during the liberation struggle. Dry Katsande, a representative from the Mujibha Chimbwindo Association during public hearings at Stoddard Hall in Mbare, Harare, said they were never given a chance to attain education, but the war veterans that did attain education were now mocking them and labelling them illiterate. Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs chairperson Levi Mayihlome said the Bill would, among other issues, eliminate any form of discrimination to military exposure, recommend four categories of liberation war fighters under Zanla and Zipra, non-combatant cadres, war collaborators, and ex-political prisoners and detainees. We demand that the Bill should stipulate equal treatment to mujibhas and chimbwindos because without us, the liberation war fighters would not have survived and we played a very important role to support them by carrying food, ammunition, clothes, spying and supplying information to them, Katsande said. During the war, wherever there were bombings of the liberation war fighter, we mujibhas and chimbwindos were also bombed and we suffered in the same manner as the liberation war fighters. He demanded paid education for their children, farms, as well as positions to head companies. All war veterans must be exempted from paying tollgate fees and other taxes. The term war collaborators is also vague and we want it changed in the Bill to liberation war collaborators, Katsande said. But war veterans felt that when it comes to compensation, the Bill must state seniority of the different war veterans groupings. Hoyini Bhila, the Harare province chairperson of the War Veterans Association, criticised lack of mentioning of seniority of war veterans in the Bill. Seniority must be based on ones contributions during the liberation struggle and their sacrifices. It is our view that the degree of sacrifice by those who held arms and fought in the liberation war supersedes that of other groups, he said. Bhila also said there must be a 20% quota reserved for war veterans in all institutions, including seats in Parliament. The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Cadres Association said the Bill recognises veterans who fought in Mozambique and Zambia and ignores those who fought from Botswana. The troupe has returned to producing live plays on its Mainstage, and will start 2022 with the classic "Murder on the Orient Express." The family of a young nurse who watched their daughter die when she set herself on fire are suing health authorities over years of trauma and suffering. Marlene Sako was 25 years old when she took her own life by setting herself on fire in the backyard of her home in Victoria on November 30, 2015. In the moments leading up to her death Marlene's sister called Triple-0 twice, saying her sister was drunk and threatening suicide. Now, the family is taking legal action against the Northern Hospital in Epping and North Western Mental Health, as well as the Triple-0 operators on the emergency response line, reports the Age. Marlene Sako (pictured) was 25 years old when she took her own life by setting herself on fire The claim, lodged in the Victorian Supreme Court, alleges authorities are responsible for the nurse's death because they failed to provide her with adequate mental healthcare. This was despite numerous warning signs and eight crisis presentations to emergency departments in the two years before Marlene's death. The claim states Marlene attended the emergency department with suicidal thoughts and under the influence of alcohol at least eight times within a two year period. In suing health authorities for medical negligence the family is also arguing their daughter's death has caused significant emotional suffering on the remaining family. This includes the onset of their own mental health concerns like depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder brought on from having to witness Marlene's death. The legal action is a joint claim by mother Tereza Sako and her five sisters and brothers. Her mother Tereza Sako has described the impact of her daughter's death on the family, saying they're still feeling it five years on. 'It is just not something that you can move on from. We are all haunted by it. It has destroyed our family and we are broken,' she said. 'We tried and tried to get services in place for her, but no one was willing to listen to us. Marlene's mother Tereza Sako said: 'I miss my beautiful girl so much and just wish someone had taken the time to look and listen' 'No one was willing to help. She didn't believe anyone would help her and she was right.' Among the allegations being put forward by the family are claims the services didn't pick up on Marlene's substance abuse and the impact it was having on her mental health. One instance referenced in the claim involved Marlene's presentation to the Northern Hospital in February 2014 after having taken six paracetamol tablets. Despite telling medical professionals she was depressed and thinking about suicide, Marlene was discharged and told to visit her general practitioner, the claim says. A year later, a phone call was allegedly made to NorthWestern Mental Health by Marlene's sister after a conversation between the two about suicide and sexual abuse. Her sister claims to have contacted the service to try and hospitalise Marlene for her substance abuse, including drinking three to four bottles of vodka a day. The legal action is based off accusations the health services failed to act on its duty of care, by connecting Marlene's problem drinking and increased risk of self harm. The family is being represented by Maurice Blackburn medical negligence lawyer Shari Liby. Ms Liby said the case is particularly tragic because Marlene and her family had reached out for help multiple times to no avail. The Northern Hospital (pictured) is facing legal action over claims it failed to adequately provide mental health support for Marlene Sako 'The numerous presentations to Northern Hospital where Marlene was simply sent home reflects so many missed opportunities to give her the treatment she needed and deserved. 'During an emergency department visit less than a month before her death, Marlene was finally offered a voluntary admission to Northern Hospital's psychiatric unit. 'When she agreed to the admission, however, it was revoked. She was once again sent home without treatment. Her family will always wonder about how different things would have been had the hospital held up its end of the bargain. Ms Liby said the mental health system not only failed Marlene but every member of her family. 'The family's grief has been compounded by the fact that the coroner has not yet made a decision about whether to hold an inquest into the circumstances leading to Marlene's death, despite it being four years since she passed away.' Marlene's mother Tereza Sako, said the family is seeking justice for their daughter. 'I miss my beautiful girl so much and just wish someone had taken to the time to look and listen,' she said. 'The coroner has been very slow to act so we still don't have closure. That makes it all that much harder. 'Real changes need to be made so that families like ours aren't left to fend for themselves. We owe it to Marlene to make this her legacy.' If you or anyone you know needs support call Lifeline 131 114, or beyondblue 1300 224 636. Tesla TSLA has had a significant impact on the auto industry, which is witnessing digital transformation. It has an ambitious vision for a future of electric and autonomous vehicles, which is highly encouraging. Notably, since its IPO in 2010, Tesla has skyrocketed 2,623%, breezing past the S&P 500s 224% total return during the decade. Over the past few months, the stock has been on a tear. This streak of the electric vehicle (EV) pioneer continued in fourth-quarter 2019, wherein it easily topped earnings and revenue estimates. January 2020 was Teslas best month since 2013, wherein it added $40 billion in market capitalization. The company, which is currently valued at more than $115 billion, zoomed past the combined value of General Motors GM and Ford F. Tesla is currently the second-most valuable car manufacturer, just behind Toyota Motor TM. While Tesla has taken the financial markets by storm with its breathtaking rally and achieved various milestones, one key question remains: When will this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company enter the prestigious S&P 500 club? You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Eligibility Criteria for Inclusion in the S&P 500 The S&P 500 is a market-capitalization-weighted index of the 500 largest U.S. publicly-traded companies. Whats important, it actually makes up for around 80% of the total U.S. stock market capitalization. So, how does a stock get added to the S&P 500 Index? Well, among several criteria that are needed to be met, which include: a company should be headquartered in the United States and have a market capitalization of at least $8.2 billion (this number fluctuates according to the stock markets booms and busts).The stock price must be at least $1 per share and the company must file 10K annual report. Moreover, at least 50% of the firms stock must be available to the public, and a minimum of 50% of its fixed assets and revenues must be generated in the United States. Story continues Finally, the last reported quarter should be profitable for the stock and aggregate profit is needed to be generated over the trailing four quarters. The S&P inclusion criterion on their website states, The sum of the most recent four consecutive quarters Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) earnings (net income excluding discontinued operations) should be positive as should the most recent quarter. Whats Hindering Teslas Entry Into the S&P 500? Notably, Tesla is the most valuable U.S. firm that is not in the S&P 500 list. While the EV maker qualifies to join the S&P 500 Index in terms of every other parameter including liquidity, market cap and domestic headquarters, there is just one hurdle to be crossed. And that criterion is profitability. Tesla has not been able to achieve profitability for four consecutive quarters. While the firm raked in net income of $105 million and $143 million in the fourth and third quarters of 2019, respectively, it reported a combined loss of $1,110 million in the first two quarters of 2019. As such, Tesla requires to report earnings in the next two quarters to become eligible to be part of the S&P 500 before 2020. Tesla Could Join the S&P 500 This Year Teslas second consecutive quarter of profit brings it a step closer to its inclusion in the S&P 500 Index. With two straight profitable quarters and various tailwinds surrounding the company, we believe that a sustained profitability promised by the CEO Elon Musk is well within the realm of possibility for Tesla. There are a number of catalysts to support the companys earnings going forward, which will enable it to make its debut in the S&P 500 list this year. High demand for Model 3 vehicle is definitely a booster. In full-year 2019, Tesla delivered 367,500 vehicles, reflecting an increase of 50% year over year. For full-year 2020, the company expects vehicle deliveries to exceed 500,000 units. Higher volumes should enable Tesla to achieve cost and production efficiencies, thereby strengthening margins. Automotive gross profit is on the rise over the last three quarters and the company seems to be trying its best to eke out more gross profits in the coming quarters. With production anticipated to increase and improved battery cell costs, the trend is not expected to reverse anytime soon. Tesla is reaping benefits from cost-cut strategies and operational efficiency. In 2019, operating expenses declined 6.6% year over year to $4,138 million. Persistent cost control across the business had helped the firm to generate positive free cash flow of $1,078 million in 2019compared with negative FCF recorded in 2018. Volume growth and successful cost efficiencies are likely to aid the firms earnings and FCF growth. Model Y, which is slated to launch in the summer of 2020, will add incremental income to the company. The firms Shanghai Gigafactory, wherein deliveries have already begun, is also a positive catalyst. Impressive sales of existing products, ambitious product lineup including Semi truck and Roadster, along with a new battery technology are expected to boost its income. In addition to increasing automotive revenues, the firms energy generation and storage revenues are also boosting Teslas prospects. Notably, both solar and storage deployments will be up at least 50% in 2020.Solar Glass Roof, Powerwall and Powerpack are also expected to enhance its prospects. Words of Caution While theres a lot of optimism surrounding the stock, it should not be forgotten that Tesla has had a hard time to generate profits for four consecutive quarters. Not to forget, the company had managed to deliver two consecutive profitable quarters in 2018 as well, before losing ground. Tesla, which is yet to turn a profit on an annual basis, holds a debt-to-capital ratio of 64%. Investors should remember that Tesla is one of Wall Streets most-shorted stocks, with around $15-billion bearish bets placed against it. With China being the biggest EV market, the countrys economic slowdown may weigh on the companys prospects. Tesla Model 3 production is likely to get delayed in Shanghai, as the company has temporarily suspended operations because of the deadly coronavirus outbreak. As it is, the first quarter is typically a relatively weak one for auto sales. Although the king of EV is becoming efficient, one cannot ignore the risk of rising expenses amid the launch and ramp of new products. However, if Tesla is able to navigate through these challenges and book a profit in the first quarter of 2019, the second quarter is also likely to be profitable. If things go well, Tesla would qualify to join the S&P 500 in the second half of this year. Final Thoughts Despite some concerns, the narrative for this stocks $115-billion market cap is still compelling, considering how quickly the firm has been building out its base. If Tesla gets added to the S&P list, the company will most likely witness short-term gains as stocks do get an immediate boost on joining major indices like the S&P 500. While there might be potential short-term gains, the index inclusion effect may not last long. However, what matters is the fact that an inclusion in the S&P 500 will increase the companys credibility. So, will the stock get added to the prestigious S&P 500 Index and 2020 turn out to be an eventful year for Tesla? Or will it again lose the chance like the last time? Well, only time will tell that. Nonetheless, with various positives surrounding the stock, one can expect the stock to join the S&P 500 list this year. Free: Zacks Single Best Stock Set to Double Today you are invited to download our latest Special Report that reveals 5 stocks with the most potential to gain +100% or more in 2020. From those 5, Zacks Director of Research, Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. This pioneering tech ticker had soared to all-time highs and then subsided to a price that is irresistible. Now a pending acquisition could super-charge the companys drive past competitors in the development of true Artificial Intelligence. The earlier you get in to this stock, the greater your potential gain. See 5 Stocks Set to Double>> Click to get this free report General Motors Company (GM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ford Motor Company (F) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Toyota Motor Corporation (TM) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday attacked the central government over Population Register (NRC) and said that around 50 to 60 crore people in this country would not be knowing their parents' date of birth. Azad along with party leader Anand Sharma and leaders from DMK, NCP, RJD, CPM, CPI and TMC gave suspension of business notice in Rajya Sabha under rule 267 over "prevailing situation in the country". "Ever since Citizenship (Amendment) Bill became an Act, the government, on different occasions, said that after this NPR and after that NRC will come. NPR was done earlier also, but the questions asked in it were usual... BJP is presenting this (NPR) wrongly, it is presenting it on the name of Hindu and Muslim (BJP isko galat tareeke se pesh karti hai, isko Hindu aur Musalman ke naam pe pesh karti hai)," Azad told media here. "We all believe that Hindu and Muslim identities have nothing to do with it... I believe that there are 50-60 crore people in this country, who would not know the date of birth of their parents," he added. Azad further stated that the BJP-led central government is dragging people into all these things as they did not fulfil any of their promises. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's lunar rover Yutu-2 (Jade Rabbit-2) has driven 367.25 meters on the far side of the moon to conduct scientific exploration. Both the lander and the rover of the Chang'e-4 probe ended their work for the 14th lunar day on Saturday (Beijing Time), and switched to dormant mode for the lunar night, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration. During the 14th lunar day, Yutu-2 continued to move along the planned route. The scientific instruments on the lander and rover worked as planned. The neutron radiation detector and low-frequency radio spectrometer on the lander worked normally and acquired first-hand scientific data. On the rover, the near-infrared spectrometer, panoramic camera, neutral atom detector and lunar radar carried out scientific exploration as planned. China's Chang'e-4 probe, launched on Dec. 8, 2018, made the first-ever soft landing on the Von Karman Crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon on Jan. 3, 2019. The rover Yutu-2 has worked much longer than its three-month design life, becoming the longest-working lunar rover on the moon. A lunar day equals 14 days on Earth, and a lunar night is the same length. The Chang'e-4 probe switched to dormant mode during the lunar night due to the lack of solar power. China plans to launch the Chang'e-5 probe in 2020 to bring lunar samples back to Earth. The Chang'e-5 probe includes a lander, an orbiter, an ascender and a returner. The key tasks of the mission will be lunar sample collection, takeoff from the moon, rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit and high-speed reentry into Earth's atmosphere. At long last, you dont have to be in the room where it happens. For all those who have been unable to afford, or even find, tickets to Hamilton, there is going to be a solution: A filmed version of the stage performance will be distributed to movie theaters late next year. The blockbuster musical was filmed in June 2016, during one of the last weeks when the original Broadway cast was still intact. The producers, who include the shows creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, have been sitting on the film since, trying to weigh when would be the best time to release it to the public while interest was still high but without damaging the multiple ongoing stage productions. The decision: The Walt Disney Company will release it on Oct. 15, 2021, a little more than six years after the show opened on Broadway. The first Briton to contract coronavirus in Wuhan claims he shook off the deadly illness with a hot toddy after refusing antibiotics. Connor Reed, a 25-year-old English teacher from Wales, was stricken by the virus around two months ago. He had taken himself to hospital in the Chinese city after struggling to breathe with a severe cough. Mr Reed, from Llandudno, said: 'I used the inhaler which helped control the cough and drank a hot whisky with honey until that ran out.' He told The Sun: 'It's an old fashioned remedy but it seemed to do the trick. I did refuse to take the antibiotics the doctors prescribed me because I didn't want to take any medicines.' Connor Reed, a 25-year-old English teacher from Wales, was stricken by the virus around two months ago. He had taken himself to the hospital in the Chinese city after struggling to breathe with a severe cough. Mr Reed, who has been in China for the last three years and in Wuhan for the last six months, was discharged from the Zhongnan University Hospital in the city. But it was only after he had been out of the hospital for two weeks that doctors told him he'd been suffering from coronavirus. Mr Reed added that the Foreign Office were 'disinterested' when he told them about his infection. He told The Sun: 'They kept asking if I wanted a place on a flight out but I said no. I'll stick it out here. I am proof coronavirus can be beaten.' Mr Reed says his boss has told him that they will get back to work in two weeks, but he is not as certain. ndonesians who arrived from Wuhan, China, are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam, Indonesia, on Sunday He described Wuhan as a ghost town with supermarkets running out of groceries, pharmacies out of medicine and masks. China updated the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak to 361 on Monday, with an additional 2,829 new cases reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 17,205. A hospital specially built to handle coronavirus patients in Wuhan is expected to open today, just ten days after construction began. A second hospital is set to open soon after. CHICAGO, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Thermal System Market for Automotive By Application (Front & Rear AC, Engine & Transmission, Seat, Steering, Battery, Motor, Power Electronics, Waste Heat Recovery), Technology, Electric & ICE Components, Vehicle Type and Region - Global Forecast to 2027", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Thermal System Market for Automotive is projected to reach USD 64.6 billion by 2027 from an estimated USD 49.3 billion in 2019 at a CAGR of 3.4% during the forecast period. Browse in-depth TOC on "Thermal System Market" 196 Tables 44 Figures 244 Pages Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=228170865 The growth of thermal system market size is influenced by factors such as stringency in emission norms and engine downsizing, developments in advanced HVAC system and advancements in comfort features among others. Therefore, the automotive thermal system is expected to witness a significant growth in the future. Waste Heat Recovery is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR The application of thermal system in waste heat recovery is an attractive revenue pocket for automakers right now. The technology is having a low penetration currently in passenger cars but has significant usage in heavy commercial vehicles. The development of engine waste heat recovery technologies attracts ever increasing interests due to the rising strict policy requirements and environmental concerns. The waste heat recovery technologies such as Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) can convert low medium grade heat into electrical or mechanical power and has been widely recognized as the most promising heat-driven technologies. A typical internal combustion engine (ICE) converts around 30% of the overall fuel energy into effective mechanical power and the rest of fuel energy is dumped through the engine exhaust system and cooling system. Integrating efficient waste heat recovery system in a vehicle can effectively improve the overall energy efficiency and reduce emissions with around 25 years payback period through fuel saving. Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR According to MarketsandMarkets analysis, thermoelectric generator is the fastest growing segment in the Thermal System Market for Automotive. The main usage of TEG currently is in advanced comfort features such as heated/ventilated seats and heated steering and waste heat recovery. With the increasing concerns and efforts towards improving fuel efficiency of the engine, the automotive thermoelectric generator is expected to play an important role in the coming future. As a large amount of heat is wasted in the process of energy conversion, thermoelectric generator gives a viable solution to minimize this wastage of heat. Thermoelectric generators have a great potential to reduce fuel consumption by converting waste heat into a usable form, which can be used for running auxiliaries and other systems such as air conditioning system, infotainment system and lightings. Request FREE Sample Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=228170865 Asia Pacific region is expected to lead the market during the forecast period. Asia pacific is estimated to be the largest market for automotive thermal system as China is at the forefront of this technology globally. Asia Pacific has emerged as a hub for automotive production in the recent years, owing to changing consumer preferences, increasing per capita income of the middle-class population, and cost advantages given to OEMs. The vehicle production in Asian countries such as China, India, and Japan is higher compared to other regions, making them prominent markets. At the same time, the demand for luxury cars has increased considerably. With the increasing demand for vehicles, especially premium passenger cars, cabin comfort and luxury, the demand for the automotive thermal system would experience continued growth in this region. The huge vehicle production in the region offers a tremendous growth opportunity for the automotive thermal system market. Favourable investment policies coupled with the availability of cheap labour have made Asia Pacific an ideal market for automotive OEMs. The Thermal System Market for Automotive is dominated by globally established players such as Denso Corporation (Japan), Hanon Systems (South Korea), MAHLE GmbH (Germany), Valeo (France) and BorgWarner (USA) among others. Browse Related Reports: Automotive Heat Exchanger Market by Application (Air condition system, Exhaust gas heat exchanger, Intercooler, Oil cooler, & Radiator), Design Type, Electric Vehicle Type, Off-Highway Vehicle, Vehicle Type, Region - Global Forecast to 2025 Automotive Battery Thermal Management System Market by Propulsion (BEV, HEV, PHEV, & FCV), Technology (Active and Passive), Vehicle Type (Passenger & Commercial), Battery Type (Conventional & Solid-State), Battery Capacity, and Region - Forecast to 2025 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Shelly Singh MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/automotive-thermal-management-market.asp Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/automotive-thermal-management.asp SOURCE MarketsandMarkets State support to terrorism by a neighbouring country poses a serious challenge to India, but it has displayed capability to "disrupt and deter" terror networks and their patrons, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday. Addressing a conference, Singh also announced creation of 10 new defence wings in as many Indian missions so that more Defence Attachs (DAs) could be appointed. "This will further strengthen India's defence diplomacy," he said at the conclave of India's Defence Attaches (DAs) posted across the globe. On threat of terrorism, Singh, in a clear reference to Pakistan, said continued presence of terrorist infrastructure and state support to terrorists in the country have tested India's patience. "As a responsible and powerful nation, India had displayed that it was able to disrupt and deter the activities of terrorist groups and their patrons," the defence minister said. India's warplanes struck a Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan on February 26, 2019 to avenge the killing of 40 paramilitary personnel in Kashmir. The strike reflected a doctrinal shift in India's approach to deal with cross-border terrorism. "Terror and its related violence have posed serious challenge to the international security environment and the inter-play between state and non-state actors as proxies to spread violence have further increased the threat," Singh said. The defence minister also delved into security threats in the Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific region. "We need to be more focused to secure our interests. We have adopted pro-active measures to promote peace and stability in the region as well as to increase defence and security cooperation with the Indian Ocean rim countries so as to create a stable maritime environment," he said. Singh also asked the DAs to work for attracting foreign direct investment in India's defence manufacturing sector. "With the establishment of two industrial corridors in the states of Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, it is expected that this will increase defence manufacturing and exports. "There is a lot of scope for DAs to work and attract FDI in these corridors," he said, adding a large country like India cannot restrict its defence cooperation to a few countries. "The government has introduced a new scheme to promote defence exports through DAs to their respective countries. Under this scheme, funds have been allocated for export promotion to 34 countries," the defence ministry said in a statement. It said Singh hoped that the DAs will use the fund judiciously to promote defence exports. The Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) have also opened offices in countries like Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar, Oman, etc. "An Export Promotion and Investor Cell has been set up under the Department of Defence Production to facilitate Indian companies' efforts for exports," the statement said. Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar also addressed the DAs. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria and Chief of Army Staff Gen M M Naravane attended the conference. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The just concluded Dhaka city elections were neither free nor fair because Bangladeshs ruling Awami League used force and intimidation to get its candidates elected, civil society groups and opposition party members alleged Monday. Awami officials and the Bangladesh Election Commission rejected the criticism, saying that the introduction of electronic voting machines for the first time in the city polls made it impossible to manipulate the vote. The turnout was low for Saturdays city polls, the countrys first major vote since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her party secured a record fourth term after the December 2018 general election. Only 30 percent of registered voters turned out to cast ballots for mayoral candidates and hundreds of others vying for elected city government positions in Dhaka, officials said. The Dhaka city corporation polls were in no way free, fair and unbiased, Badiul Alam Majumder, secretary of Shujan, a civil society organization that advocates good governance, told BenarNews. We ran an online polling survey asking whether the Dhaka city corporation elections were free, fair and unhindered. Nearly 4,000 people responded and nearly 95 percent of the respondents vehemently responded that the elections were not fair, Majumder said. The city is divided into governing jurisdictions that cover the northern and southern halves of the Bangladeshi capital, respectively. The Awami League retained control of both mayoral offices and won most of the other so-called city corporation positions that were up for election. The Bangladesh Election Commission arranged the Feb. 1 polls using electronic voting machines to record ballots that were cast. When the votes were counted, ruling party candidates Md Atiqul Islam and Fazle Noor Taposh were elected mayors of the Dhaka North City Corporation and the Dhaka South City Corporation, respectively, defeating Tabith Awal and Ishraque Hossain, candidates from the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNPs Secretary General, accused the Awami League of taking control of polling stations before voting began. This is completely a farce in the pretext of elections. The ruling party men and their hired goons captured the polling stations in advance and drove away our election agents, he told BenarNews, adding police did nothing to stop them. The BNP made similar allegations during the 2018 national elections. The turnout of 30 percent for the latest Dhaka polls was far less than the 2015 city election, when 43 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. Majumder attributed the poor turnout to three factors a lack of confidence in the election commission, the use of electronic voting machines and security concerns. Meanwhile, the top elections commissioner and an Awami League official both challenged claims of unfair elections. The election commissions task is to arrange the elections and we have discharged our duties with honesty and sincerity, Nurul Huda, the chief election commissioner, told reporters. It was the responsibility of the political parties to bring voters to the polling stations. Awami League member Faruk Khan said the low turnout reflected that the vote was untainted. It is not possible to manipulate elections with electronic voting machines. If we had manipulated [polls], the turnout would have been 60 percent. The low turnout proves that the elections were free, fair and unhindered, he told BenarNews. All the allegations have been unfounded. These are simply an opposition campaign. Media attacked Akter Hossain, the joint secretary of Dhaka Union of Journalists, said at least 10 journalists were attacked while covering Saturdays vote. Among them was Mostafizur Rahman Sumon, a journalist working for a local online portal. The journalist Sumon was talking on his mobile phone. Suddenly, some ruling party men attacked him with machetes, assuming that he filmed video of the center, witness Mohammad Rasel told BenarNews. Sumon, who received treatment at Dhaka Medical College hospital, told BenarNews that an Awami League leader came to the hospital and threatened him. Elsewhere, Shahidul Islam Khan Riyad, a leader of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student front of Awami League, and others allegedly confined three journalists. The journalists, Mahbub Mamtazi of Bangladesh Pratidin, Nurul Amin Jahangir of the Business Standard and Papon of Din Pratidin were at a polling station in the Dhaka South City Corporation. Mamtazi told BenarNews they were talking to two people who alleged they were not allowed to vote. We were recording their comments on our mobile phones. Suddenly, at least 20 armed musclemen attacked [us], he said. They snatched our phones and confined us to a room for one and a quarter hours. The police then rescued us. The police helped to get our phones back, but the attackers deleted all records. The Chhatra Leagues central leadership issued a statement saying that it had expelled Riyad after the incident. Riyad did not deny it occurred, but filed a complaint with the Gendaria police that the three journalists had been working in favor of the BNP-Jamaat political alliance. They created troubles at the Faridabad Madrasa polling center, and purposefully tarnished my image and image of the government through publishing reports in newspapers, he said. Akter Hossain said his group and other journalists planned to hold a protest rally on Tuesday. The terrible attack on journalists covering the Dhaka city corporation polls is not acceptable. These sorts of attack are hindrances to independent journalism, he told BenarNews. An employee walks out of a Samsung building in southern Seoul in this file photo. Yonhap By Lee Min-hyung Employees of Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance launched a union Monday for the first time in 68 years since its establishment despite the conglomerate's group-wide non-union policy. This is the second time that a Samsung union has been established under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions. In November 2019, a group of workers from Samsung Electronics also set up the historic first union, challenging Samsung's decades-long policy "We are going to put an end to the one-sided management that does not respect labor rights as provided in the Constitution," said Oh Sang-hoon, the leader of the union. He called on more employees to join to stop the company from further abusing its authority. "We hope more than half of employees will join the union no later than the end of this year," he said. Market experts said it remains to be seen over whether the launch will have any impact on the firm's corporate earnings. "The newly-launched union is different from so-called militant unions," an analyst based in Seoul said on condition of anonymity. "Some militant unions have a very negative image for corporate valuation and earnings," said the analyst. "But most unions in the financial industry are not that hardline in their activities." Unions in the "hardware" and automobile industries are often dubbed "hardcore" when going on a strike. But things are not the case in non-manufacturing industries, according to the analyst. But the establishment of the union does not bode well for corporate earnings at a time when the non-life insurance sector is suffering from sluggish growth due to external uncertainties. "Aside from the union issue, major property insurers including Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance are unlikely to report a major turnaround in their earnings in 2020, as they will continue to face unfavorable market conditions this year," the analyst said. Most non-life insurers here reported significant drops in their earnings in 2019, compared to a year ago, in the face of toughening market rivalry and increasing loss ratios in their businesses, such as car insurance. "Things will not take a turn for the better in 2020 despite their recent drive to increase car insurance premiums," the expert pointed out. The industry's top-tier players have recently announced plans to push for auto premium hikes of around 3 percent to 3.5 percent this year amid their deteriorating profitability. The analyst added the figure does not appear big enough to offset their declining profit, so they need to find new revenue streams for sustainable growth. The negative outlook for growth has in recent months driven down the firm's corporate valuation on the Seoul bourse. The stock price of the Samsung subsidiary was traded as high as 255,500 won ($213) on the benchmark KOSPI on Dec. 13. But it nosedived to around 210,000 won as of the end of January, as chances are getting slimmer for a short-term earnings rebound. Iconic lighting is a real Italian job, reports Kya deLongchamps as she charts the popularity of Artemide The bold, hip, exploratory nature of the 1960s and early 1970s resulted in a wild departure from expected forms. Lighting is one area of mid-century madness that has survived and thrived in our current collections almost uninterrupted. Designers hit so many high lights - appreciated by architects and decorators, keeping particular lighting ranges in production for over half a century. Inspiration was taken from the best of art deco and early modernism of the 30s and developed through the lens of post-war shifts. Music, politics, sexual liberation, and the democratisation of design by visionary manufacturers with their own design studios changed the market. The idea of total design, where architects took charge of every element of a commercial building or one-off super-houses, experimenting with new materials, invoked unfettered creativity. The public bought into this bright future as lights trickled down to the high street through the growth of interiors publications and trade shows. Presented on the high street, this new wave would have stiffened the hairspray of even adventurous middle-aged homeowners, used to oriental style lanterns, plain cylinders, chandelier drops, and simple glass blossom style shades. This was the time in which we pierced the Earths outer atmosphere anything seemed possible. The Italians have a long history of glass and fine metalwork making, reaching back to the Renaissance. Artemide is still very much in business since 1957 in Pregnana Milanese, and was most recently awarded the prestigious Archiproducts Design Award for their flexible tube light La Linea. Its minimalist, futuristic lighting fixtures include perennial award-winning collaborations over six decades with feted architects including Naoto Fukasawa, David Chipperfield, Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel, Karim Rashid, and Herzog and De Meuron. Nessino in glossy thermoplastic as seen on Rogers desk in HBOs Mad Men. Starting small, the Eclisse by Vico Magistretti c 1966 is a table steel lamp with a familiar form of a bubble set on a half shelf. Its space-age appearance is enhanced by an inner metal shade that can be turned over the bulb to direct the light, rather like an astronauts helmet shield. It recalls the sets of 2001 Space Odyssey and in a choice of colours Eclisse was an instant hit. In orange, red, or white, the Eclisse offers a nice low point of balance, and excellent engineering for a side table or bedside. It can also be wall mounted from 154 from a range of suppliers. The Dalu from Artemide is a similar aesthetic in sharp half ball on supporting cusp, also part of Magistrettis 60s run, this one in a single piece of thermoplastic. If you want metal belting to that rounded form something slighting more urbane classic and sophisticated, look up the vintage Saffo lamps of Angelo Mangiarotti in mouth blown, etched Murano glass from Artemide. Try 1stdibs. The other popular Artemide lamp on more daring desks including Rogers in Mad Men is the Nessino. Its a low, distinct capped mushroom shape, an organic eruption of lava in injection moulded polycarbonate by Giancarlo Mattioli & Gruppo Architetti Urbanisti Citta Nuova. With its calming glow, throwing direct light down to your paperwork and diffusing light around its position, Nessino is part of the Century Design wing of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In a juicy 70s orange or galactic white, Nessino is impossible to ignore on or off, and would sit beautifully in a searing contemporary room looking for some style credentials beyond IKEA, in a pair to flank a sofa. Fabulous teamed to Lucite, Saarinen tulip based tables and quality glass surfacing; 144 for a full-size 32cm diameter lamp, ambientedirect.ie. Eclisse by Artemide, from circa 1966 to today. Space-age styling with firm functionality, from 154, artemide.com. Much copied, but unlikely in a fake to be hand-built with the same quality specifications, the Tolomeo Tavolo c 1986 is the perfect desk lamp. The last time I saw one was hovering on the studio space of Dr Marc O Riain in The Architecture Factory in CIT, and it was a reminder what understated superb design can do. Created by Michele de Lucchi and finessed by Giancarlo Fassina, its action was inspired by a fishing device used by Apulian fishermen. The desk version has a heavy base and tensioned action to hold it in the perfect, highly precise position and angle. What makes it immediately identifiable is the small head, rather bird-like and industrial with a spike on the shade to adjust its illuminating pool. A favourite in a 45cm with illustrators, graphic designers, and architects, the Tolomeos 360 swivel head was scattered over desks on Wall Street in the 1980s and the lamp retains a firm following in a rainbow of colours in aluminium. It won the prestigious the Compasso dOro design prize in 1989 and has been continuously redeveloped into a series of ball-jointed floor lamps and wall lamps. My choice would be a 45cm original width in a clamp, in black, but you decide. Prices range from 214 for a Tolomeo Micro, lights.ie and other suppliers. A design winner in Milan and Frankfurt in 2004, I have to slither forward to offer up the Pipe ceiling fitting by Herzog & de Meuron for Artemide who built the Tate Modern. This is a curious Medusa style light fitting in tubular steel with a silicone cover that can snake its way in any direction and sits perfectly with the late mid-century trend for the wacky and wild line. The pierced side of the cone-shaped lamp head delivers what is termed babbled light, and with its elegant articulation and functionality its highly architectural. The Pipe can take a dimmable Led, and is a good alternative if you simply cant stand a ceiling studded with direction spots. It can (like Eclisse) also be wall-mounted to peer at you in corridors and from over bed heads; from 800 from multiple suppliers for Artemide. Explore the graded glass Gople collection designed by BIG Bjarke Ingels Group and developed for the new AREA 2071 in Dubai. Quite Scandinavian with their graded glass pill-shaped pendant. Available in a crystal glass with a white gradient, or transparent glass with a silver or copper metallic finish, they can be staggered over a table for exquisite suspension that lightly shields the bulb; from 552, artemide.com. Avinash Tripathi Its widely recognised that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her Budget against the backdrop of a challenging economic environment. Every Budget has two basic functions. According to Article 112 of the Constitution, it presents an Annual Financial Statement to Parliament. This statement should depict a true and fair picture of the governments finances. Further, the FM introduces the Finance Bill to take permission of Parliament to levy taxes. Along these two axes, the Budget can be examined. The main figures in the Budget, the Budget Estimates (BE), pertain to the next year and hence, are prospective in nature. If these projections go wrong, the Budget arithmetic gets problematic. Unfortunately, the Union Budget, from last year onwards, is suffering from such poor fiscal marksmanship. The documents reveal that tax collection BE for 2019-20 had to be substantially revised downwards, implying that the original tax projection was unrealistically optimistic. Despite the downward revision, the gap between the Revised Estimates (RE) and Provisional Actuals (PA) of the Controller General of Accounts has only worsened (Table 1). "Except non-tax revenue -- which includes dividends recieved from the Reserve Bank of India -- provisional actuals (PA) as a proportion of revenue estimates (RE) is consistently lower for this year's budget for every receipt head compared to the last year's budget." What is also likely to be a problem for the finance minister is that the tax collection growth is decelerating. Notice that the actual tax collection up to December is lower than what it was last year, implying that the tax collection growth rate is negative, at least in the first three quarters (Table 2). Given the reality of the tax collection, the focus of the government was on revenue mobilisation, not on providing stimulus as was widely expected. The Budget sought to accomplish it by eliminating various deductions and exemptions from the personal income tax. The key sentence in the Budget speech is as follows: I have removed around 70 of them [deductions and exemptions] in the new simplified regime. We will review and rationalise the remaining exemptions and deductions in the coming years with a view to further simplifying the tax system and lowering the tax rate. To make this elimination politically palatable, tax rates were reduced and an option to stay in the old regime was provided. However, there is a catch. First, as the finance minister noted, this option will become meaningless in future as more exemptions are removed. Second, deductions and exemptions actually reduce the taxable income from the highest tax rate applicable to an individual. As such, the actual impact of their elimination, even with reduced tax rates, will be to increase the tax burden for a majority of taxpayers. Further, this overhaul is likely to beget more confusion and uncertainty. This is so because of the legal framework within which direct taxes operate. Indian income tax is governed by two different sets of laws. The Income Tax Act, 1961, determines the procedure for computation of the taxable income. Then, we have the annual Finance Bill that lays down applicable tax rates for every year. Nearly every word of the I-T Act has been litigated and the interpretation has stabilised after the development of the decades of case laws. What the current proposal does is to introduce a separate provision in the I-T Act (Section 115BAC) that effectively creates a parallel taxation system for those who opt out of exemptions and deductions. This is likely to result in potential complexity, as these two sets of rules are likely to conflict under different scenarios. If that happens, there is a risk that direct taxes may go the way of the goods and services tax (GST). In a challenging economic environment, the government policy in general and the Budget in particular should provide an anchor of stability, which is not the case with this Budget. The most charitable interpretation is that the Budget has lost an opportunity to invigorate the economy. 03.02.2020 LISTEN Johannesburg, South Africa, 3rd February 2020: Vivo Energy, the leading pan-African distributor and retailer of Shell and Engen-branded fuels and lubricants, is proud to be exhibiting at the African Mining Indaba, in Cape Town, South Africa for the first time next week. Multi-national mining companies are increasingly viewing South Africas Mining Indaba as the perfect platform to engage Africas mining industry. Vivo Energy sees the Mining Indaba 2020 as the perfect time and vehicle to build stronger relationships with existing and new customers, and showcase the products and services it can offer to benefit mining companies. The Mining Indaba 2020 will take place at the CTICC (Cape Town International Convention Centre), in Cape Town from the 3rd to 6th February. Smart fuel management and Vivo Energys latest Shell lubricants are considerably extending equipment life, providing significant cost savings for mining customers. Alex Caldwell, Head of Mining, Vivo Energy said: The fact that Shell has been judged the worlds leading supplier of lubricants for 13 consecutive years by Kline & Company means we are able to provide our mining customers with industry-leading lubes and grease products. These have been endorsed by major Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) worldwide. Vivo Energy has a footprint in 23 African countries and will be pushing to further its mining offer to customers in the coming years, including power generation, and particularly sustainable energy generation initiatives. Mining is a key focus of Vivo Energys commercial offer, with its line of Shell-branded fuels and lubricants, servicing more than 40 mining customers across Africa. Drawing upon innovative services and technical expertise, Vivo Energy is constantly looking to adapt its offer to customers evolving needs; to hone in on exactly those extra or added services, which make all the difference to mining businesses, and by the same token, to Vivo Energys continued market leadership. With a dedicated team of technical experts at both country and Pan-African level, the company offers a range of specialised services and technological innovations, as well as technical assistance, relating to fuels and lubricants, and to the optimal usage of machinery. Caldwell added: With our undisputable experience and track record, we would like to showcase our company and product brands at Mining Indaba. We believe it is a smart way to tell as many existing and prospective clients and partners that we are here to deliver substantial value for them. About Vivo Energy: Vivo Energy operates and markets its products in countries across North, West, East and Southern Africa. The Group has a network of over 2,100 service stations in 23 countries operating under the Shell and Engen brands and exports lubricants to a number of other African countries. Its retail offering includes fuels, lubricants, card services, shops, restaurants and other non-fuel services. It provides fuels, lubricants and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to business customers across a range of sectors including aviation, marine, mining, construction, power, transport, and manufacturing.. The Company employs around 2,700 people and has access to over 1,000,000 cubic metres of fuel storage capacity. The Groups joint venture, Shell and Vivo Lubricants B.V., sources, blends, packages and supplies Shell-branded lubricants at plants in six countries. Omaha real estate developer Millard Roy Seldin was just 12 when he first demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit. He bought a bike paid for with money he earned selling magazines door to door. He then used that bike to do more paper routes and earn more money. Years later, while in college, Seldin used those skills and work ethic to help his father, Ben Seldin, form the homebuilding company Seldin and Seldin. Millard Roy Seldin, a native of Council Bluffs, died on Jan. 24 at age 93 in Paradise Valley, Arizona. My dad lived a long life, and were so grateful for him, said his son Scott Seldin of Paradise Valley. He really set a great example. Hes also survived by son Derry of St. Louis; a daughter, Traci Moser, of Paradise Valley; and six grandchildren. The World War II veteran and graduate of the University of Iowa used to take his children with him when he went to check out potential development sites. At a young age, Scott said he witnessed his fathers passion for making Omaha grow. Seldin built homes, affordable housing, hotels, shopping malls and retail, as well as developing farmland, in Omaha and out of state. Seldin left a mark in the Omaha community. He developed Royalwood Office Center, the 750-apartment unit Camelot Village and Howard Johnsons Motor Lodge. Scott said his father always believed in Omahas potential. Were so proud of coming from Omaha and becoming part of the community, Scott said. While still working on his real estate and business interests in Omaha, Seldin also started Hawkeye Bank in Iowa, which is no longer active. In 1990, he also co-founded a real estate investment firm, Southwest Value Partners, in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was a minority partner in the NBAs Phoenix Suns and WNBAs Phoenix Mercury. Seldin also helped his son Scott establish Seldin Real Estate Inc., the operating company for the family office of Kent Circle Partners. In his free time, Seldin enjoyed horse breeding and the racing industry. As a horse racing enthusiast, he often attended Ak-Sar-Ben races. In 1988, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association named him the Nebraska Horse Breeder of the Year. His homebred gelding, Golden Yank, won his first race while Seldin was undergoing bypass surgery. A few years ago, he was also diagnosed with glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor. Even as Seldins health deteriorated, he continued to attend his grandchildrens sporting events, concerts and plays. He also served on the Council Bluffs Planning Board, and was active in the Omaha Home Builders Association, National Home Builders Association and Urban Land Institute. He was president of Council Bluffs Industrial Foundation. In 2013, Seldin made a donation to Barrow Neurological Foundation for spine research in honor of his wife, Beverly. The gift funded the Beverly and Millard Seldin Family Disc and Spinal Regeneration Lab. Seldin spent more than 20 years caring for his wife, who suffered stenosis in her neck from a fall. She died on Dec. 14, 2018. Losing both parents a year apart was painful, but Scott said hes comforted that his parents, who taught him love, hard work and resilience, are together. Im happy knowing that my mom and dad are back dancing with each other again, he said. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Petra Morris knew she was ready to start a family, but she had to sort out the details. A planning manager for the Albuquerque City Council, Morris began plotting how she could financially finagle time off to have a baby. She assumed that would require piecing together available vacation and sick days and relying on savings for the rest. But amid her preparations, the city government adopted a policy allowing 12 weeks of paid leave for employees with new children. The timing was really good for me. That made a big decision a lot less stressful, she said. Morris, who gave birth to a son in November, is among more than 100 city workers who have used the citys new paid parental leave policy so far. A single mother by choice, Morris said she is grateful for months of mother-son bonding time at home without the financial pressure she might have felt without a paycheck. I had an idea that kids were expensive before I got into this, but its like Man, all these (costs) youve never thought of, she said. Albuquerque City Councilor Pat Davis in late 2018 introduced legislation to grant city employees 12 weeks of compensated time off when they or their spouse give birth, adopt or foster a child. Mayor Tim Keller subsequently signed it, making Albuquerque the first city in New Mexico to offer the benefit. In 2019 the policys first year on the books 122 of the citys roughly 6,500-person workforce took such leave, according to data from the citys Human Resources Department. It amounted to 44,319 hours of paid time off. The city spent an estimated $53,104 to cover their duties via overtime shifts and temporary workers, a city spokeswoman said, though that does not include some departments like police and fire which do not differentiate between overtime costs for parental leave and costs tied to other reasons. Only 17% of civilian workers nationwide have available paid family leave a broader benefit that also includes time to care for a sick loved one based on a 2018 survey by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But the idea has gained traction in New Mexico. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered that state employees under her authority get access to a 12-week paid parental leave benefit effective Jan. 1, and Bernalillo County District Attorney Raul Torrez recently announced the same for employees in his office. The University of New Mexico last summer began offering its employees up to four weeks of paid parental leave. We were the first city in New Mexico to offer paid family leave and are glad to see others stepping up, Keller said in a statement. It set the bar, and now were seeing a tipping point because of how important this is for working families. Davis said Albuquerque City Council staff have fielded inquiries about the policy from other city governments around the state. This movement is building around the country, he said. Once Albuquerque did it and we showed our employees were excited about it and people were using it well, you see the state implemented it for state employees. I think we showed this is something that could work in New Mexico. Davis said he was pleasantly surprised at how many city workers participated in the first year, including three people from the City Councils own staff. He sees the policy as a way to retain talented workers, and noted that the council kept all three employees who he said could have taken jobs elsewhere. Morris said many of her friends who did not have paid parental leave ultimately quit working after giving birth, but she plans to be back on the job Feb. 10. She said she looks forward to working again but appreciates having had valuable time at home with her newborn. I go to bed and I wake up and hes like a whole new baby hes done so much growing overnight, she said. Its really nice to be able to have the special time when theyre going through so much growth and development to share with him and not having to worry about running around and doing other things like getting to work. Femi Fani-Kayode A former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, has reacted to claims by Police that the man arrested after an attempt to bomb Winners Chapel church in Kaduna, is a Christian. Taking to Twitter, the PDP chieftain revealed that the suicide bomber is not a Christian, but a Hausa Fulani Muslim. He further disclosed that the name of the suicide bomber is Mohammed Nasiru Sani. Recall that the Kaduna State Police Command had on Sunday arrested a suspected suicide bomber inside a church located at Sabon Tasha in Chukun Local Government Area of the state. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Yakubu Sabo had confirmed that the suspect named Nathaniel Samuel was a Christian from Bauchi State. Reacting to the arrest, Fani-Kayode faulted reports that the suspect was a Christian. In a series of tweets, the former Minister said anyone who believed claims that the suspect was a Christian should have his head examined. He recalled what a Kaduna-based Pastor Azzaman, wrote: The Kaduna bomb planter Mohammed Sani confessed to being forced in detention to bear Nathaniel Tanko in custody. He confirmed he is a Muslim & Fulani.He also claims an influential Muslim contracted him to bomb Living Faith Church Kaduna. On his part, Fani-Kayode wrote: If anyone really believes that the individual that attempted to plant a bomb in Winners Chapel, Kaduna is a Christian and that his real name is Nathaniel Tanko they need to have their heads examined. He is actually a Hausa Fulani Muslim and his real name is Mohammed Nasiru Sani. For decades, elections to seat judges in Napa County Superior Court have been walkovers but that will change on March 3. Judge Monique Langhorne will become Napas first sitting judge in more than 30 years to face a challenger on the ballot. Competing with Langhorne in the Seat 3 race is Clifford Blackman, a St. Helena resident who founded the Blackman Legal Group in San Francisco and has worked as a trial attorney for more than 35 years. The last contested race for a Napa County judgeship took place in 1984, when six candidates filed in the June primary election for the vacancy left on the municipal court when Judge Scott Snowden ran for Superior Court. Two candidates emerged from the June primary and moved to the runoff November general election. Judge Ron Young won that seat with 63.8% of the vote, according to John Tuteur, county registrar of voters. The match-up of judge and challenger presents numerous contrasts in background and endorsements. Langhorne, a Vallejo native and resident, spent a dozen years on the Napa bench as a court commissioner before her appointment as a judge by then-Gov. Jerry Brown in November 2018, and her campaign materials tout dozens of endorsements from fellow judges as well as law enforcement leaders and elected officials, all the way up to state Sen. Bill Dodd. Correcting the record on judicial elections Letters: The last contested election was really in 1984. Despite her relatively short time as a full-fledged judge, Langhorne pointed to the experience garnered over 25 years in Napa County government, including stints in Child Support Services and the District Attorneys Office. In 2006, she became a county court commissioner, hearing cases involving restraining orders, child custody, misdemeanor arraignments, drug court and traffic violations. The job doesnt change just because youre a judge, Langhorne, a law graduate at the University of California, Berkeley, said last week. You still have same role, to be fair and impartial. I hear different kinds of cases now but my role is the same; its just that I have more responsibilities now. I have the experience, because Ive done every area of the law you can as a Superior Court judge; Ive sat in so many different assignments. By contrast, Blackman hopes to bolster the Napa courts expertise in the field that has been his own specialty civil law. He cited his background representing individuals, families and small businesses in contract negotiations, real estate, product and landowner liability and other fields. Id like to present an option to voters if they want to add more experience to that side, said Blackman, a New York native and San Francisco Law School graduate who lived in San Mateo before settling Upvalley in 2012. I think our criminal justice bench is strong, but where I can offer something to the public is to have an additional emphasis on civil law. In his first run for elected office, Blackman is relying on presenting a fresh approach rather than securing endorsements, of which only three none with evident Napa connections appear on his campaign website. (Supporters listed online include environmental lawyer James Arnold, attorney Jacob Shapiro and Richard Rogers, an employment and discrimination attorney.) I dont regard this as a political position; having political endorsements for a non-political position to me doesnt seem really relevant, he said. I think I bring a lot to the table for people to consider. It may be hard for people to understand that, but its a strong desire on my part to give back to the community. My whole life has been serving people. Blackmans home in St. Helena was the subject of controversy in 2017, when the city lodged a complaint against him for violating its ban on short-term rentals shorter than 30 days without a permit. Under an agreement the following year, Blackman paid back $105,000 in taxes, penalties and legal fees, the city announced at the time. Blackman said the violations took place at a time when he was frequently traveling to Florida to assist his aged mother and seriously ill brother both since deceased and a property manager offered his St. Helena house on the VRBO home-hosting website. Though Blackman is running directly against a sitting Napa County judge in Langhorne, he presented his campaign not as a clash of personalities but simply as another option for residents. Its like applying for a job, he said. In this case, the people hiring me are the voters.Editors Note: This item has been amended to correct the last occasion when there was a contested judicial election. John Tuteur, county registrar of voters, told the Register that retired Judge Scott Snowden refreshed his recollection of the history after this article originally appeared. You can reach Howard Yune at 707-256-2214 or hyune@napanews.com Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. [February 03, 2020] Sherry Hwang Named 2020 Leadership Awards Finalist by Women in Technology FAIRFAX, Va., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Women in Technology (WIT) has named Pyramid Systems' President and Co-founder, Sherry Hwang, a 2020 Leadership Awards Finalist. Sherry is one of five finalists nominated for the Small Business/Entrepreneur category. Annually, the WIT Leadership Awards recognize and honor female leaders whose achievements, mentorship, and contributions to the community align with the WIT mission of advancing women in technology from the classroom to the boardroom. Sherry and Jeff Hwang launched Pyramid Systems in 1995 and have grown the company to more than 200 employees. Sherry's leadership philosophy of taking care of her clients and people is the main reason behind Pyramid's success. Outside of work, Sherry spends most of her time and resources on philanthropic efforts. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Red Cross and the Tzu Chi Foundation. She mentors the next-generation f business leaders with the International Leadership Foundation. Sherry and Jeff also sponsors a Georgia State scholarship fund for international STEM students. "I'm honored to be considered for a WIT award. Helping further the careers of women in technology gives me great pleasure. It's so important as you advance in life and business to bring others along with you," Sherry Hwang said. Women in Technology will announce winners at a gala event on Thursday, May 21st, at the Sheraton Hotel in Tysons Corner, Virginia. For the full list categories and finalists, visit the Women in Technology website. About Pyramid Systems, Inc. Pyramid Systems is a technology solutions company that enables digital transformation for federal agencies via Modernization, DevSecOps, Cloud, Analytics, and Biometrics technology services. Our talented agile engineers apply human-centered design and modern software development techniques to produce next-generation solutions. Pyramid's proven methods and tools empower forward-thinking innovations, accelerate production-ready software, and deliver secure, high-quality solutions that last. Visit www.pyramidsystems.com to learn more. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sherry-hwang-named-2020-leadership-awards-finalist-by-women-in-technology-300996673.html SOURCE Pyramid Systems, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The combination of two drugs was reformulated to attack the version of the virus that circulates in South Africa, where nearly 1 in 5 adults are infected, in the hope of boosting its effectiveness to about 50 percent. That would have made production of the vaccine worthwhile for the two companies, Sanofi Pasteur and GSK, experts said. A passenger wearing a protective facemask arrives at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing on Feb. 2, 2020. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images) Overflowing Hospitals, Medical Shortages, Tragic Deaths in Virus-Stricken Wuhan Chen knew all too well the dangers lurking on the other side of the globe, but hopped on the plane anyway. There was no other option to rescue her mother, who lives in the Chinese city of Wuhanground zero of a virulent outbreak that has prompted a global health emergency. International airlines are now halting flights to China, while international brands such as Apple and Starbucks are closing their Chinese branches. Around a dozen countries, including the United States, have barred entry to travelers who have recently been to China. On Jan. 18, Chens mother began exhibiting symptoms similar to the coronavirus that has spread all over China and dozens of countries. Her condition was deteriorating by the day. For 10 days, her mother tried to seek medical help, but everywhere she went, hospitals turned her away due to the lack of beds. Chens family wasnt alone: According to Wuhans mayor, as of Jan. 26, the city has utilized 24 hospitals and a total of 100,000 beds to cope with the growing number of suspected patients. Authorities are also constructing two additional emergency hospitals to handle coronavirus patients. The Epoch Times spoke to many Wuhan residents who, like Chens mother, were turned away at the hospital and not diagnosed with the coronavirus. Their stories indicate that authorities have been underreporting the number of infections by failing to diagnose patients. At the time, Chen was in England, visiting on a tourist visa. I really couldnt bear the thought of losing my mom, Chen told The Epoch Times. Hearing her parents plight steeled Chens resolve to return to Wuhan. One time, around midnight, her parents gave up waiting at a hospital after learning that there were more than 1,000 patients ahead of them, all with feverish symptoms. On another occasion, they walked miles to the Hankou hospital. A doctor promised a bed by that evening. They went home and returned at night. They waited for 10 hours, only to be told at 5 a.m. that the space was no longer available. I wanted to stay by her side and take care of her, Chen said. The Journey Back It was a mission against all odds. Her father, her brother who was with her in England at the time, and friends around her all objected to Chens decision. There were no direct planes going in and out of Wuhan anymore. In the city, as well as the wider Hubei Province, some 60 million people had been placed under some form of quarantine. People wearing protective masks wait to board their train as they travel for the Lunar New Year holidays at the Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing on Jan. 24, 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images) Chen first flew to Vietnam, then to the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, where she caught an express train that had a three-minute stopover in Wuhan. The police there helped her get home after she explained her parents plight. On Jan. 28 at noon, she returned to the home in Wuhan where she and her mother lived. What greeted her was a miserable sight, according to Chen. My mom was sitting on the sofa with her eyes closed, spiritless, she said. She Would Have Died Chen wasted no time in mobilizing the network of people who could help her pull some strings. She tried every possible contact, to give her mother a better chance. She called up hospitals and drove her mother from place to place, despite knowing she could be punished for violating a ban on private vehicles. She posted her story on social media, which garnered media attention. That night, Chens mothers lips turned purple. She had difficulty breathing and nearly fainted. Her blood oxygen saturation dropped to 40 percent. Chen raced her mother to the Hankou hospital. Doctors issued a critically ill notice and performed an emergency operation on Chens mother for three hours. A CT scan revealed that 40 percent of her mothers lungs were infected. A doctor told Chen her mother only had a 50 percent chance of survival. At 4 a.m., the operation procedure ended, and a hospital bed was secured for her mother. Another doctor told them that he believed her mother had contracted the coronavirus, but he didnt issue formal paperwork to diagnose her. If I hadnt gone back home, she would have died, Chen said. A Lucky One On social media chat groups where Chen and other Chinese netizens share information about the virus, desperation permeates their conversations. There was someone who lost four of her five-member household to the virus; a single mother who fell sick together with her young son; and Chens colleague who was infected one month after having a baby. A neighborhood committee officer in Chens residential area told Chen that her mother was a lucky one, as the hospital admitted her. Another 84-year-old man who fell critically ill at the same time couldnt get a bed, he told her. Chens friends and coworkers also told stories of family members getting sick. A lot of people remained undiagnosed when they died. They were not hospitalized, she said. General view of empty roads in Wuhan, China, on Feb. 3, 2020, in this picture obtained from social media. (Vladimir Markov/via Reuters) The entire city was in a dire state. When I was driving my mom to the hospital, the entire street was empty, she said. In the past, that would be the busiest, most crowded placeit was impossible to walk through but now all you see is the [banner] about the disease. It felt like the end of the world, like what you see in the movies. Man-Made Disaster The last time Chen spoke to The Epoch Times, she was at the hospital waiting for updates about her mothers condition. The doctor said the situation was very grave and asked her to stay at the hospital. She said her mother could be gone at any time. Authorities said that all who test positive for coronavirus are eligible for free medical treatment. But doctors simply told Chen that they didnt have enough testing kits and couldnt diagnose her mother. Two of the countrys three official suppliers of coronavirus testing kits, Shanghai GeneoDx Biotech and Shanghai BioGerm Medical Biotechnology, said on Jan. 24 that they had the capacity to produce about 220,000 testing kits each day and that the kits should reach different regions within 24 hours, according to Chinese state media. On Jan. 27, two biotech companies that developed their own testing kits donated 46,000 of them to Wuhan, according to Chinese media. People wearing face masks, to help stop the spread of a deadly virus that began to spread in the city, are seen at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan on Jan. 25, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images) All the government policies are a joke, she said. [They said,] I will arrange free treatment for you, but when you actually look for them the doctors wont diagnose you. Its just window dressing. Chen also blamed government inaction for exacerbating the crisis. A Jan. 29 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that human-to-human transmission had occurred around early- to mid-December. Authorities repeatedly claimed that the disease was containable and not contagious until Jan. 20when Zhong Nanshan, the nations leading respiratory scientist, acknowledged that a patient had infected 14 medical workers. On Jan. 3, Wuhan police issued warnings to eight local medical professionals for spreading rumors about the illness online. One of them, Dr. Li Wenliang, later contracted the virus while treating a patient. His parents also fell ill while caring for him. The citys mayor later blamed central authorities for withholding information about the disease. A study published in The Lancet on Jan. 31 estimated that as many as 75,815 individuals in Wuhan could have been infected, with the number of infections likely to double every 6.4 days. The illness has so far hit 26 territories outside of mainland China. Citing a friend who works in local government, Chen said the total of suspected cases and infections is definitely more than 100,000. This is not a natural calamity; its a man-made disaster, Chen said. Kenya introduced a sweeping national biometric identity program last year, with the view to collecting personal and biometric data -- such as fingerprints and facial photographs -- from its 50 million-strong population. Now, however, the program has been temporarily suspended by the country's high court, which has cited concerns about the way the data may be used. The program, called the National Integrated Management System, aimed to make biometric ID compulsory for all citizens and foreign residents accessing a wide range of services, including healthcare, housing, education and voting. But following criticism from a number of civil rights groups in the country, Kenya's high court has stalled the program until the government puts in place "an appropriate and comprehensive regulatory framework" that would protect the security of the data and safeguard minorities from discrimination. The decision -- which is expected to see an official 500-page judgement released next week -- will come as something of a blow to the Kenyan government, which has already collected data from nearly 40 million residents. It will now have to pass new legislation under public scrutiny, which will prove challenging in the face of civil rights groups that have vociferously opposed the program. Speaking to the New York Times, Yussuf Bashir, a lawyer representing the Nubian Rights Forum, said, "We are hopeful that this judgment is a milestone in the quest for equality for all Kenyans." Kenya's decision to implement this kind of wide-scale ID program follows similar moves from other countries -- many of which have proven problematic. India's Aadhaar database -- which holds the biometric data of more than 1.1 billion India citizens -- has been rife with security issues since its creation. In China, meanwhile, the government is using facial recognition to monitor ethnic minorities. While Kenya did pass a data protection law last November, it's not yet clear when it will be enacted, nor whether it will have any sway over the biometric ID program, if and when it is restored. Rajas Kelkar By Ahead of the Union Budget 2020-21, there was an air of expectations. You thought the Union government would provide relief on long-term capital gains tax or cut personal income-tax or remove the securities transaction tax on market investments to kick-start the economy. The hope was that the government would put more money in your hands so that you can spend it. However, the budget has not done away with any taxes. There is no significant cut in taxes for individuals. At least, not the way you thought it would be. The message from the budget is clear. Taxes are the only reality for any income you earn. In that context, no new taxes should be a significant relief for individuals navigating the wonderland of investments and personal finance in the budget. New tax regime: When you are young and negotiating your salary, a common question you ask is about the salary you get in your hand. That is the net of all deductions for taxes and other mandatory savings. The idea of the salary negotiation is to ensure that you get more money in your hands. Budget 2020 gives you an option. You can choose to pay less tax and not invest in any tax-saving instrument. Effectively, you have more money in your hand to spend. A lot of youngsters are known to spend more than they save. More money in the hands of consumers by way of a tax cut and no need for tax-saving means more money for consumption. There is a good chance that urban India may witness a sharp surge in consumer spending. While the government has decided to forego revenue, it may get that money back through indirect taxes like the Goods and Services Tax (GST). The idea of putting more money in the hands of the salaried is so good that it rattled investors in insurance companies on Saturday. A lot of insurance products are sold as tax-saving instruments. The selling pressure in insurance company shares soon after the budget announcement showed the extent to which tax planning and insurance buying is connected. If individuals choose to pay tax in the new regime and not invest or save money, that is terrible news for the future business of insurance companies. In a way, the government action makes a significant point. It nudges people to buy insurance for protection and not for investment. This column has always advocated the need to purchase insurance coverage only for protection. Provident funds, pension funds made unattractive: Tax breaks on long-term savings were a significant attraction to the salaried classes. However, the budget proposes to tax promoter contribution exceeding Rs 7,50,000 per annum. If you go through the changes proposed in the finance bill, you may realise that the government is shaking up the savings culture. That is a bold move in the context of a slump in household financial savings over the past few years. It appears that the government wants you to focus on investing and spending rather than saving money. Dividend income issue: The other significant thing is for people dependent on the dividend income. So far, your dividend was not taxed in your hands. The company paid tax before distributing it. Going forward, you will have to add the dividend income to your overall income and pay the applicable tax according to your income slab. For the super-rich, the burden on the dividend income would be 44 per cent, including the cess. You may have to figure out a new way to save tax now. Share buyback to get popular: The messaging about taxation is so loud, and it does not spare non-resident Indians (NRI). The government has also decided to tax non-residents living in tax havens like Dubai or any other zero-tax destination. The message is loud and clear that India is not a tax haven and no income can go without taxation. Amidst all that, buyback of shares may become widespread. There is no tax if you sell your shares back to a company in a buyback offer. Cash-rich companies that announce high dividends regularly may announce a buyback of shares instead of paying the dividend.(The writer is editor-in-chief at www.moneyminute.in) Fears of an imminent confrontation first surfaced Sunday, after reports that Turkish armored columns had crossed into northwestern Syria. On Monday morning, Turkeys defense ministry said that four of its soldiers had been killed by Syrian government shelling. And by days end, the Turkish death toll had risen to eight, and retaliatory shelling and airstrikes by Turkey had killed dozens of Syrian soldiers, according to Turkish officials. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3 2020 E-tax payment: Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati (center), accompanied by executives of state-owned banks, tries out an online tax payment system during an event to celebrate National Tax Day in July 2019. The World Bank has urged the Indonesian government to strengthen tax collection in order to boost the tax-to-GDP ratio. (Antara/Reno Esnir) The World Bank has called on the government to strengthen the tax collection system to stimulate growth amid tax reforms plans that will lower tax revenue. World Bank acting country director for Indonesia Rolande Pryce said the governments plan to relax corporate income tax, among other things, would reduce the tax-to-GDP ratio by 0.5 percent. Indonesias tax to GDP ratio stood at 10.7 percent in 2017, the lowest among regional peers. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Case Western Reserve University President Barbara Snyder will step down as president this fall to lead the Association of American Universities. The Association of American Universities is a organization which represents 63 leading American research universities, including all of the Ivy League schools, Stanford and Johns Hopkins. CWRU is part of that association. Snyder, the universitys first female president, was also provost and executive vice president at Ohio State University. A former CWRU law professor, she returned as president in July 2007 and led the university for more than a decade. Read more about milestones from Snyders 12-year tenure. The opportunity to serve as Case Western Reserves president has been the greatest professional privilege of my life, Snyder, 64, said in a university press release. But at a time when higher education itself faces such profound challenges across so many fronts, I felt an obligation to answer my peers call to work on behalf of all of our institutions. When Snyder took the role as president in 2007, Plain Dealer reports described the university as renowned but troubled. The previous president launched an expensive plan to boost CWRUs reputation that earned him a no confidence" vote by the arts and sciences faculty. Snyder inherited a $19 million deficit. The university developed a fiscal recovery plan, and Snyder told reporters at the time she planned to fix the deficit by 2010. It was eliminated by June 30, 2008. Many of the iconic spaces on CWRUs campus were created during Snyders tenure, including 11 renovation and building projects. The Sears think[box], a university-housed makerspace, is now a hot-spot for start-up and research activity. The Temple-Tifereth Israel was renovated to become the Maltz Performing Arts Center, while maintaining religious services. The university built a new student union, Tinkham-Veale, which cost upwards of $50 million. Most recently, CWRU partnered with the Cleveland Clinic on its new Health Education Campus, a huge glass building which will house medical, dental and nursing students. The university also launched its Forward Thinking capital campaign, which started with a goal of $1 billion in 2011. It reached $1.04 billion in 2014, and the university announced in 2019 it surpassed $1.82 billion. Snyder will leave by the end of fall semester 2020, but the timing depends on when officials find her successor. There will be updates on the search process by the end of this month. Snyders new position will be based in Washington, D.C. United States District Judge Deborah Batts, the first openly gay member of the federal judiciary, has died at age 72, just three months before she was set to preside over Michael Avenatti's embezzlement trial. Batts passed away on Sunday. So far, her cause of death has not been made public. 'Deborah Batts was a trailblazer in every respect: an openly gay African-American woman who became a United States District Judge after a distinguished career as a federal prosecutor and law professor,' Manhattan federal Chief Judge Colleen McMahon said in a statement. United States District Judge Deborah Batts, the first openly gay member of the federal judiciary, has died at age 72 Batts was set to preside over Michael Avenatti's embezzlement trial related to Stormy Daniels (pictured together in January 2019) in April 'She will be remembered by her colleagues for her devotion to the work of the court, for her mentorship of a cadre of young lawyers of all backgrounds, and for her infectious smile and extraordinary collegiality.' 'Our hearts are broken at her premature passing,' McMahon added, reported the New York Post. Judge Batts was expected to oversee Avenatti's trial on charges that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from his famous former client, porn star Stormy Daniels. In October, Batts set the trial for April 21. It is expected to last one to two weeks. Avenatti, 48, was arrested in New York in March 2019. Manhattan federal prosecutors have charged him with stealing nearly $300,000 from Daniels in the course of representing her and helping her secure a book deal, to which he has pleaded not guilty. Daniels gained fame after she claimed an affair with President Donald Trump before he took office. The prosecutors said Avenatti diverted two $148,750 installment payments from Daniels' $800,000 book advance by forging her signature in a letter to her literary agent and directing that the money be sent to his bank account. Batts, a Harvard Law School graduate, was appointed to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1994 by President Bill Clinton Avenatti eventually paid $148,750 to Daniels after obtaining the funds from another source, according to prosecutors. However, when Daniels asked about the second payment, Avenatti falsely told Daniels the publisher 'owes me a payment' and that he was 'on it,' prosecutors said. Avenatti's lawyer, Dean Steward, said at a pre-trial hearing last fall that he was considering filing a motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that it was motivated by the 'vindictiveness' of Avenatti's political enemies in the Trump administration. Batts, however, expressed skepticism, saying the prosecutors' office 'is not known for being vindictive.' Avenatti has denied the charges in the Daniels case, in a separate case that he tried to extort Nike for $25million and charges in Los Angeles that he defrauded clients of millions of dollars. A native of Philadelphia, Batts earned her Bachelor's degree from Radcliffe College 1969 and then went on to graduate from Harvard Law School in 1972. After a distinguished career in both the private and public sectors, Batts was appointed to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1994 by President Bill Clinton, becoming the first - and at the time only - member of the LGBTQ community to sit on the federal bench. She also served as an adjunct professor at Fordham University School of Law. In 2001, Harvard Law School unveiled a portrait of Judge Batts, which was commissioned by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Alumni/ae Committee of the Harvard Law School Association. In accepting the portrait, Harvard Law School Dean Robert C. Clark described it as 'a superb tribute to this distinguished member of the bench.' (Kitco News) - Global financial markets are taking the further escalation in the coronavirus in stride as S&P 500 futures start the new trading week in slightly positive territory. However, investors aren't entirely ignoring risks as gold prices are also starting the week in positive territory, with some analysts looking for prices to push to $1,600 an ounce in the near-term. March S&P 500 futures last traded at 3234 points, up 0.32% on the day; meanwhile, February gold futures last traded at $1,588.70 an ounce, up 0.37% on the day. Market analysts and investors are particularly focused on this week's Asian open as China returns from its week-long Lunar New Year celebrations. However, investor sentiment could remain subdued; according to Chinese media, the China Securities Regulatory Commission had issued a verbal directive to brokerages to bar their clients from selling borrowed stocks. The People's Bank of China is also pumping $21.7 billion into money markets to make sure there is enough liquidity as markets reopen after the holiday week. The steps come after news that the coronavirus continues to spread. According to media reports, more than 300 people in China have died as a result of the virus. The number of infected people has jumped to more than 14,000. International media are also reporting that the first person outside of China has died from the coronavirus. It is still unclear what impact the virus will have on the health of the global economy. Still, some economists are already expecting to see a significant slowdown. "There is still such little clarity on the fallout on China's economy, although we know it's going to be brutal and traders naturally are sensing an inevitable fallout in activity in China's key trade partners," said Chris Weston, head of research at Pepperstone in a report Sunday. The growing uncertainty continues to support gold prices, according to some analysts. In a recent comment to Kitco News, Lukman Otunuga, senior research analyst at FXTM, said that he is closely watching $1,600 an ounce. "Growing fears over the coronavirus outbreak and negative impacts it may have on global economic growth should stimulate appetite for gold in the week ahead. Gold is trading around $1585 as of writing and could target $1600 in the short to medium term as risk aversion remains a dominant market theme," he said. Other analysts have been disappointed with gold's performance in the face of growing negative investor sentiment. However, analysts at Capital Economics, said that gold prices have a chance to rally further as the virus continues to spread. "There is scope for gold to rise much further if the Wuhan virus is not contained in the coming weeks. Indeed, if factory closures are further extended across mainland China, there could be a global economic fallout, which would be supportive of the gold price," the analysts said in a report Friday. Advertisement Terrorist Sudesh Amman asked his mother for his favourite mutton biryani meal just hours before he was shot dead by police in London, she revealed today as it emerged she was left 'disgusted' by the terror attack. Haleema Khan, 41, of Dunstable, Bedfordshire, learned about both yesterday's attack in Streatham and her son's death from TV news, having spoken to him on the phone earlier in the day when he asked for the meal. It comes as Mrs Khan revealed three pictures of Amman as a boy - shirtless and pulling a face while playing on the pavement; posing with a neck chain while eating with a fork; and holding a vacuum cleaner. She described her son as a 'lovely boy' as she fought back tears today while telling MailOnline how she felt he was radicalised at HMP Belmarsh in Thamesmead, South East London. The top-security jail has been home to a number of high-profile extremist prisoners, including Lee Rigby killers Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale. Mrs Khan said Amman had also developed extreme views after looking at Islamist material online. She is now trying to get her son's body from police as soon as possible to bury him. Amman lived with Mrs Khan and his five younger brothers in Harrow, North West London, before he was jailed for terror offences at the Old Bailey in December 2018. A family source said Mrs Khan was 'disgusted' by yesterday's attack, although neighbours said she had been convinced of her son's innocence even after he was convicted. Mrs Khan told MailOnline today: 'He wasn't even a very devoted Muslim. He got radicalised while he was in Belmarsh Prison (in Thamesmead, South East London). 'He got into all this (supporting terrorism) on the internet, but when he went to prison something happened to him.' She said she saw him twice last week in a bail hostel in Streatham, South London, and last on Thursday where he was staying at following his release. Fighting back tears, Mrs Khan said she had taken him food and that he had not mentioned anything about carrying out a terrorist attack. Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman is pictured as a young boy while holding a vacuum cleaner in his living room Amman is pictured as a young boy, posing with a neck chain while eating food with a fork Amman is pictured as a boy, shirtless and pulling a face while playing on the pavement (left), and in a police mugshot (right) Forensics on Streatham High Road, where terrorist Sudesh Amman stabbed shoppers on Sunday before being shot by police Forensics outside Boots on Streatham High Road today following Sudesh Amman's stabbing spree yesterday afternoon She said: 'I regularly took food to him at the hostel and on Thursday, I asked him what he wanted. He said: 'Mum, I would really like a mutton biriyani' - so I cooked one and took it over to him.' Amman stabbed two people in Streatham yesterday at about 2pm, before being shot dead by police who were had him under close surveillance because of the potential risk he posed to the public. His parents are from Sri Lanka, where his father Faraz Khan was today. The two-storey terraced home in Harrow, which the family are said to have lived in for 18 years, now sits empty following the family's move shortly before Christmas. All but one of the house's front facing windows were blocked by drawn curtains today. As a teen, Amman attended Park High School, an academy in Stanmore with 1,650 pupils which was labelled 'outstanding' in its most recent Ofsted inspection. 'Shaken' ex-girlfriend of Sudesh Amman reveals how he urged her to BEHEAD her 'non-believer' parents Sudesh Amman's ex-girlfriend wiped the sickening jihadist from her mind after he urged her to behead her own parents, the 'shaken' woman revealed today. Long before the 20-year-old terrorist's stabbing spree through Streatham, south London, yesterday, he made clear his rampant radicalism to his one-time partner. She said he would fantasise about slaughtering non-believers with knives and had carefully plotted how to execute such a bloody attack. But she ended her hellish one-year relationship which cut 'emotional and psychological' scars after he told her to kill her family. The horrified ex-girlfriend responded by 'erasing' him from her memory - yet she has been forced to relive her 'nightmare' following Amman's blade rampage. The woman, who has asked not to be named, told MailOnline: 'What Sudesh did was horrible and disgusting. I don't want anything to do with him or what he has done. 'I have tried to move on with my life after what he did the first time. This has affected me really badly. 'But now after I heard what he did I am angry. I just want to live a normal life. I never really knew him. 'You never really know someone. Now I just want to be able to walk down the street in peace.' Advertisement A spokesman for Harrow Council told MailOnline today: 'We can confirm that he attended the school between 2011 and 2016.' Amman also attended Kenmore Park Junior School, whose alumni include Tessa Peake-Jones who played Raquel Turner in Only Fools and Horses. Meanwhile, his ex-girlfriend revealed how she wiped the sickening jihadist from her mind after he urged her to behead her own parents. Long before the 20-year-old terrorist's stabbing spree through Streatham, south London, yesterday, he made clear his rampant radicalism to his one-time partner. She said he would fantasise about slaughtering non-believers with knives and had carefully plotted how to execute such a bloody attack. But she ended her hellish one-year relationship which cut 'emotional and psychological' scars after he told her to kill her family. The horrified ex-girlfriend responded by 'erasing' him from her memory. However, she has been forced to relive her 'nightmare' following Amman's blade rampage. The woman, who has asked not to be named, told MailOnline: 'What Sudesh did was horrible and disgusting. 'I don't want anything to do with him or what he has done.' The terrorist's mother said she learned about his death from TV news, adding: 'I saw that there had been something in Streatham, and I got worried.' 'Then I saw the police and what was happening. A short while later they gave his name on the television. 'The police came to see me yesterday and told me too.' She added: 'I can't believe this has happened to my son. He was a lovely boy. I was very close to him.' Mrs Khan said Amman was watching fundamentalist paraphernalia online and it led to his arrest, adding that he became more deeply interested in Islamic fundamentalism while at HMP Belmarsh. Before that he had a girlfriend and would like to play basketball in a local park, his family said. Mrs Khan said she wanted a very quick burial of her son, preferably in the UK, and was trying to talk to her lawyers, police and the Home Office to get his body released. Meanwhile, a source close to Amman's family added that his mother was 'disgusted' and 'very upset' with her son's knife rampage and rejects his fanatical extremist beliefs. The family source told MailOnline today: 'Haleema is disgusted by what he has done and his beliefs, but she is a mother and has lost a son so she is very upset and sad. Forensics on Streatham High Road today where jihadi terrorist Sudesh Amman stabbed shoppers on Sunday afternoon Forensic officers on Streatham High Road today after terrorist Sudesh Amman stabbed two people yesterday afternoon A forensics officer investigates the incident on Streatham High Road today after the stabbing at about 2pm yesterday Mrs Khan said Amman - who is pictured as a youngster in this photograph - was watching fundamentalist paraphernalia online and it led to his arrest Amman lived with his mother Haleema Khan and his five younger brothers at a property (pictured today) in Harrow, North West London Sudesh Amman is pictured as a teenager in this image. He was shot dead by police in Streatham yesterday 'Die as a martyr': Terrorist revealed four 'life goals' in chilling notebook The Islamic terrorist shot dead by police in London yesterday kept a notebook with his four 'life goals' including being a martyr and going to paradise. Sudesh Amman's notes were revealed when he was jailed for 13 terror offences at the Old Bailey, 14 months before his terror rampage in Streatham yesterday. Sudesh Amman kept a notebook in which he wrote that his 'goals in life' were: 'Die as a shuhada', which means martyr, and 'go to jannah', which translates as paradise He kept a notebook in which he wrote that his 'goals in life' were: 'Die as a shuhada', which means martyr, and 'go to jannah', which translates as paradise. It said: 'We need the jihad, the jihad doesn't need us - goals in life: 1) Die as a shuhada; 2) Go to Jannah; 3) Have fun with all my hoor al-ayn; and 4) Party with my brothers and my mother in Jannah.' The Old Bailey was also told during the sentencing hearing in December 2018 that Amman had been fascinated with carrying out a terror attack using a knife. Speaking after he was jailed, Alexis Boon, then head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, said of the notebook: 'Top of the list, above family activities, was dying a martyr and going to 'Jannah' - the afterlife.' In online messages with friends, Amman said he wanted to play violent computer game Call of Duty 'in real life'. He also said he played Fortnite and video game Far Cry 5 in an exchange with other jihadis on the messaging service Telegram. But the chat was infiltrated by undercover Dutch blogger Mark Van Den Berg, who then shared the extremist with UK intelligence agencies. Agreeing for his screenshots from April 2018 to be released, Mr Van Den Berg said Amman went under the name Abu Malik on the app. One screenshot shows Amman, whose handle is Strangertothisworld on the app, apparently admitting: 'I got ps4 too but I prefer xbox.' In another he says: 'Ugh too much police xddddddd just leave us all alone. We want to have fun with hoor al ayn XDDDDDDDDDDDDDD and play COD irl.' Amman then asks another Dutch or Belgian Jihadi, going under the name Ebu Darda: 'u got fortnite?' to which Ebu replied: 'pc yea.' Advertisement 'But they are relieved that he wasn't able to kill anyone. It has hit them very hard, but now they are trying to get his body from the police as soon as possible and bury him. 'This is done as quickly as one can for Muslims as is custom and prayers for him will begin shortly.' One female friend from Harrow told the London Evening Standard about conversations with Amman when they were younger, saying: 'He kept on saying. 'I am going to bomb you'. 'He said 'I have got a grenade in my pocket and if you take one step closer to me I am going to set it off'. 'We thought he was joking but he kept on saying it. He said, 'when I grow up I am going to be a terrorist'.' A former neighbour of Amman, Savita Khimani, 51, said: 'After he was convicted last the mother still believed her son was wrongly accused and hadn't done anything. 'The last time I spoke to her was about three months ago. They went very quiet. Last time we asked the police what happened and we were scared because armed police were here all the time. 'We've never had any issues with them and we just had casual conversation to be honest. The brothers never addressed anything about him being sent to prison.' Her son, Jignesh Khimani, 20, went to school with Amman. He said: 'He was a normal boy at Park High School (in Stanmore). He kept himself to himself. 'He was a quiet lad. There were no red flags at all. He did have friends. The family all acted normal. 'I would see the brothers out and about but we never saw his dad. Sudesh had no social media whatsoever.' One neighbour in Harrow described the Ammans as 'a normal family' who she knew vaguely as their children went to the same school - Kenmore Park Junior School. Remembering a previous police raid on the house she said happened around three years ago, she said: 'I was shocked. 'When they did the first raid I thought it was for Can't Pay Take It Away. We have been here for 20 years and the kids went to the same school as theirs. 'I didn't really know the guy because I only saw the younger ones. They seemed like a pretty normal family. I said hello to them a few times. The only time I saw the mum was when they were passing.' It comes as the Parole Board confirmed it did not reassess Amman to ascertain if he was a danger before his release, and it emerged Amman had displayed several 'risk indicators'. In the Queen's Speech before Christmas, Boris Johnson immediately promised changes including tougher surveillance, 14-year sentences for all serious terror offences, and a government review of license conditions for 74 terrorists who had been let out of jail early. Two of the 72 have since been recalled to prison, MailOnline understands. Mrs Khan also issued this picture of her son Amman posing with a BlackBerry mobile phone Armed police shoot dead extremist Amman, after he grabbed a knife from a shop and stabbed a man and a woman in a brutal high-street rampage in Streatham, South London, yesterday What were the charges Sudesh Amman faced? Possession of an electronic document titled 'How to make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom'. Possession of an electronic document titled 'Bloody Brazilian Knife Fightin' Techniques'. Possession of an electronic document titled 'Close Combat' from a United States Marine Corps training manual. Possession of an electronic document titled 'US Army Knife Fighting Manual Techniques'. Possession of an electronic document titled 'Anarchists Cookbook- version 2000', a derivative of a book called the 'Anarchists Cookbook' first published in the USA in 1971. Possession of an electronic document titled 'Improvised munition handbookpdf', a US Army technical manual. Posted on his family WhatsApp group a link to a pdf copy of the 'Inspire 16' magazine and at the time of doing so intended an effect of this to be a direct or indirect encouragement or other inducement to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism Dissemination of an electronic document titled 'Make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom'. Dissemination of an electronic document titled For the Sake of Allah (CAR/13) Dissemination of an electronic document titled al-e1b8a5ayc481t-media-center-22lets-go-for-jihc481d22_dvd.mp4 Dissemination of an electronic document titled The-islamic-state-22my-revenge22_dvd.mp4 Dissemination of an electronic document titled theYNC.mp4 Dissemination of an electronic document titled video1235.mp4 Advertisement After the Fishmongers' Hall terror attack on November 29, a raft of measures were proposed including forcing dangerous terrorists who receive extended determinate sentences to serve the whole time behind bars. Mr Johnson, whose government is under pressure to answer how yesterday's terror attack was allowed to happen just weeks after he promised tighter controls, has now said Ministers are preparing to take action to end the automatic early release of prisoners currently in jail for terrorist offences. On January 21 the Government vowed to introduce new anti-terror measures in the 'first 100 days' of its administration to carry out the Prime Minister's pledge on tougher sentences, overhaul the terrorist licensing regime, double the number of specialist counter-terror probation officers and introduce polygraph testing. He was elected on December 12, suggesting a deadline of March 21 to implement the new Counter-Terrorism Bill. Scotland Yard said armed officers were following Amman on foot yesterday as part of a 'proactive counter-terrorism surveillance operation' in Streatham High Road. The three victims were taken by ambulance to south London hospitals. One man, in his 40s, is no longer considered to be in a life-threatening condition following treatment, police said. A woman, in her 50s, who had non-life threatening injuries has been discharged from hospital. It also emerged today that Amman was put under full surveillance on the day he was released from prison and within days, counter-terrorism officials were so worried about him that those tailing him were armed. In December 2018, Amman smiled and waved to his mother and brother in the public gallery at the Old Bailey when he was jailed for 13 terror offences. Lawyers leave the home of Haleema Khan, mother of Sudesh Amman, in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, today Mrs Khan has since moved to a home (pictured above, today) in the Bedfordshire market town of Dunstable Amman attended Park High School, an academy in Stanmore, North London, with 1,650 pupils which was labelled 'outstanding' in its most recent Ofsted inspection What Boris's government promised but so far NOTHING is in place In the Queen's Speech before Christmas, following his December election win, Boris Johnson pledged to end the early release of of dangerous terrorists and introduce minimum 14 year jail terms. Last year two people were killed by convicted terrorist Usman Khan, 28, at Fishmongers' Hall after he attended a prisoner rehabilitation event. He had been released on licence in December 2018. 'If you are convicted of a serious terrorist offence, there should be a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 years - and some should never be released,' the Prime Minster said then. 'Further, for all terrorism and extremist offences the sentence announced by the judge must be the time actually served - these criminals must serve every day of their sentence, with no exceptions.' Mr Johnson has now said the Government has 'moved quickly' to introduce measures to strengthen the UK's response to terrorism. Last month details of The Counter Terrorism (Sentencing and Release) Bill were released. They included forcing dangerous terrorists who receive extended determinate sentences to serve the whole time behind bars, and scrapping early release from jail for those classed as dangerous and handed extended determinate sentences. Terrorists deemed not to be a risk would have to serve two-thirds of their sentence before the Parole Board could consider them for release, as part of the bill. The required legislation has yet to be passed by MPs as politicians concentrated on getting Brexit done. Advertisement Wearing a black prayer cap and long black tunic, Amman smirked when he was told that he was facing a sentence of just three years and four months. The maths and science student at North West London College with a fascination for knives refused to stand for the judge and could not stop laughing. The fanatic kept a notebook in which he wrote that his 'goals in life' were: 'Die as a shuhada', which means martyr, and 'go to jannah', which translates as paradise. Amman told his girlfriend to kill her parents, bought a combat knife and airgun in readiness for a terror attack and tried to radicalise his younger brothers. He sent Isis recruitment material and shared an Al Qaeda magazine to a family WhatsApp group that included his three younger brothers aged between 11 and 15. Amman had been jailed for three years and four months in December 2018, when he pleaded guilty to 13 counts including possessing bomb-making manuals and knife-fighting guides, but he was automatically released just days ago, halfway through his sentence, despite fears he still held extremist views. In the Queen's Speech before Christmas, Boris Johnson immediately promised changes including tougher surveillance, 14-year sentences for all serious terror offences, and a government review of licence conditions for 74 terrorists who had been let out of jail early. But the Parole Board has confirmed it did not reassess Amman to ascertain if he was a danger before his release, and Amman had displayed several 'risk indicators', including lack of remorse and allegiance to an extremist group. It was 'obvious' to think tank the Henry Jackson Society that he was 'one of the most high-risk extremists around'. Police had kept Amman, who was released on licence and subject to a curfew, under active surveillance. The jihadis who slipped through the net: How Streatham knifeman Sudesh Amman is latest terrorist to carry out an attack while on British authorities' radar The convicted terrorist who went on a knife rampage in south London yesterday is the latest in a growing list of Islamists to strike while on the radar of security services. Sudesh Amman was able to stab two people on Streatham high street despite being under close surveillance by MI5 and anti-terror police following his release from jail. He was freed just a few days ago under 'very stringent' licencing conditions, meaning armed police who were tracking him arrived on the scene in moments. But officers were unable to prevent him from knifing one man in the stomach and a female cyclist in the back before he was eventually shot dead outside Boots chemist. Amman, 20, becomes the second convicted terrorist to carry out a knife attack in Britain within ten weeks, following a similar rampage by London Bridge attacker Usman Khan. Sunday's terror attack by Sudesh Amman (left) was the second knife rampage by a convicted terrorist to take place in ten weeks, following the atrocity committed by Usman Khan (right) Usman Khan, 28, killed two people at Fishmongers' Hall in 2019 Khan, 28, was shot dead by police on London Bridge in November after killing two people at a nearby rehabilitation conference while out on licence for terror offences. The son of a taxi driver, he got an indeterminate jail term in 2012 after admitting preparing terrorist acts, including the plot and starting a terror training camp in Pakistan. In 2013 the Court of Appeal changed that to a 16-year fixed sentence which meant Khan had to serve only half. While on licence in November, he stabbed Cambridge graduates Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, to death while wearing a fake suicide vest at Fishmonger's Hall. In the aftermath of Khan's attack, it was claimed Khan had reformed and become a model prisoner while in prison, which helped him win permission to travel unescorted from his Stafford bedsit to London. But Khan was moved to a Category A prison after he was involved in incidents of violence and threats to endanger staff. Khan was released from HMP Woodhill in Buckinghamshire in December 2018. Just over two months ago, on November 29, convicted terrorist Usman Khan (pictured) killed two Cambridge graduates before he was fatally shot on London Bridge Khuram Butt, 27, ringleader of 2017 London Bridge attack that killed eight people The ringleader of the 2017 London Bridge attack that killed eight people, Butt had been the subject of a two-year investigation by security services. However the chief coroner, in a report into the atrocity, said police and MI5 did not recognise the threat he posed. Mark Lucraft QC said this was despite Butt's association with Islamic State fanatic Anjem Choudary and an appearance in the documentary The Jihadi Next Door. The probe was twice suspended due to pressure on resources and the authorities did not pass on tip-offs about his extremism, including one from a family member. There was also a two-month delay in translating a request from the Italian authorities for information about his fellow attacker Youssef Zaghba. An Old Bailey inquest heard that Butt, who was an MI5 subject of interest (SIO), had looked at extremist material online in the months and years before the attack, including propaganda for so-called Islamic State, violent images and sermons from extremist preachers. Bereaved families said MI5 and counter-terror police should review their assumptions about the weight placed on an SIO's so-called mindset material. Mr Lucraft said there is no evidence investigators are not capable of making those judgments properly after police and security services pointed out that many SIOs possess such material. Like Usman Khan and the 2017 London Bridge attackers Khuram Butt (pictured), Rachid Redouane and Yousef Zaghba, Amman went on a knife rampage wearing a fake suicide vest Butt is pictured on the left appearing in 'The Jihadis Next Door' which aired on January 20, 2016 Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba (shown left to right) killed eight people before they themselves were shot dead Khalid Masood, 52, who killed five people in 2017 Westminster attack Masood killed five people and injured more than 50 after he mounted the pavement in his car outside the Houses of Parliament and went on a knife rampage. The 52-year-old Briton was probed by MI5 from as early as 2004, with concerns high enough that he was classified as a threat to national security. However the file on him was closed in 2012 as it was deemed that he was not considered a serious threat. Masood, a violent criminal who picked up a string of convictions during his time living in Kent and Sussex, is believed to have converted to Islam while he was serving two prison sentences between 2000 and 2004. After emerging from prison, he went to Saudi Arabia to teach English in trip a thought to have been inspired by his new-found spirituality. When he returned from Saudi around 2009, he moved to Luton, a city in which a number of extremists and Islamic radicals were operating. Theresa May would later tell the House of Commons that 52-year-old Masood was considered a 'peripheral' figure at the time. Salman Abedi, Manchester Arena bomber who killed 22 in 2017 Abedi, the jidahi terrorist who detonated a suicide vest at Manchester Arena in 2017 and killed 22 people, was also known to British security services. But was not deemed a high risk, despite five community leaders reporting him for extremist views. A report found a series of failures on behalf of security services, including how he had visited a category A extremist inmate in prison. Counter-terror police were also alerted to Abedi frequently travelling to Libya from 2014 onwards but he was not made the subject of travel restrictions or monitoring. Abedi's case was flagged for review, but was not re-examined before he slaughtered parents and children at the Ariana Grande concert The Abedi family, originally from Libya, fled during the Gaddafi dictatorship with the father returning to fight with opposition forces when the uprising began in 2011. Both brothers travelled to Libya in April 2017, then Salman returned alone before carrying out the suicide attack in Manchester. He detonated his device at the end of the concert, with 353 people, including 175 children, around him in the foyer of the venue. As well as the 22 dead, 16 people suffered serious injuries including paralysis, loss of limbs, internal injuries, and serious facial injuries involving complicated plastic surgery. Abedi, the jidahi terrorist who detonated a suicide vest at Manchester Arena in 2017 and killed 22 people, was also known to British security services Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi (left) and London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt (right) were both known to MI5 but were not actively being investigated at the time of their attacks Ahmed Hassan, 18, whose homemade bomb failed to explode at Parsons Green Tube station in 2017 The 18-year-old Iraqi asylum-seeker left a homemade bomb on a District line commuter train in 2017 which partially exploded after the train arrived at Parsons Green station. He claimed during an asylum interview that he had been trained to kill by ISIS against his will and spent several hours a day in a mosque under their command, receiving religious education. After those comments, he was brought to the attention of MI5 on February 2 2016 during a discussion with Counter-Terrorism Policing, but he was never made a subject of interest. Instead he was referred to the Channel mentoring scheme - part of the Prevent de-radicalisaton programme - in February 2016. It was not until June 2016 that he was made an 'active' Channel case and nine formal meetings were then held of the joint agency Channel panel at which his case was discussed. However, Hassan was never assigned a mentor, for a six-month period in 2017 there were no panel meetings, and at the time of the attack, the panel was considering closing his case. Ahmed Hassan (pictured in a mugshot, left, and on the day of his attack, right) was sentenced to life in prison Darren Osborne, 48, killed one in 2017 Finsbury Park mosque attack Darren Osborne (pictured) drove a vehicle into a group of people gathered near a mosque in Finsbury Park Darren Osborne, from Cardiff, drove a vehicle into a group of people gathered near a mosque in Finsbury Park in north London on June 19, 2017, killing Makram Ali. He was said to have had an extensive criminal history dating back to 1984, including 33 convictions for 102 offences ranging from offences against the person to drugs and theft. He had not been investigated by MI5 or Counter-Terrorism Police before launching his attack and was 'not known to be a member of, or have links to, any extremist right-wing groups.' Osborne first appeared a court in his home town of Weston Super Mare aged 15 in 1984. Before the terror attack, he was last in court in 2014. He had planned to drive into crowds attending a pro-Palestinian march inLondon in June last year, and he claimed he hoped to kill Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and London mayor Sadiq Khan. But road closures meant he couldn't get near the march and, after driving around London looking for Muslim targets, he drove at a group of people outside the Muslim Welfare House in Finsbury Park. Sudesh Amman, 20, stabbed two people in Streatham in 2020 Amman was a convicted terrorist under police surveillance having recently been freed from prison when he went on a knife rampage in Streatham. The 20-year-old bearded Islamic fanatic, who was on licence and known for having a fascination with knives, dived into a local convenience store to steal a 3.99 blade before embarking on a bloody stabbing spree. Wearing a fake suicide vest, he targeted pedestrians at random on the Sunday afternoon, stabbing one man in the stomach, before knifing a female cyclist in the back just after 2pm in Streatham, South London. Armed police who had been following him closely, were on the scene within minutes, chasing him down the high street shouting 'stop' before opening fire, shooting him dead outside a Boots chemist. He was jailed in December 2018 for three years and had served only half his more than three year sentence for the possession and distribution of extremist material. Whitehall sources said he had been very recently released 'despite concerns over his conduct' because the law did not give them the power to keep him locked up. He was let out at the end of January on 'very stringent' licencing conditions included a curfew, it is understood. Today, the Prime Minister is expected to come forward with new plans to further crack down on terrorist offenders. Deepika Padukone celebrated her younger sister Anisha Padukones birthday in Bengaluru on Sunday. Videos and pictures from the intimate celebrations are out now. Earlier in the day, she also took part in the 25th anniversary celebrations of legendary Indian badminton player and her father, Prakash Padukones academy. In videos from the birthday celebration, we see both the sisters dressed in pearly white outfits, with Deepikas loose shirt looking casually chic. There isnt a conventional cake, but a number of cupcakes with sparklers on them. As others in the background sing Happy Birthday, Deepika helps light the sparklers. Anisha looks on, looking attractive in a matching white collared dress. Deepika on Monday also took to Instagram to wish her sister on latters birthday and revealed their common love -- French Fries. She wrote: Happy Happy Birthday my partner in french fry! Actually...YOU are a french fry! Okay Bye!!! Earlier on Sunday, Deepika posted a heartfelt note for her dad and wrote on Instagram: Pappa, Your contribution to Badminton and Indian Sport is immeasurable! Thank You for your dedication, discipline, determination and years of hard work! We love you and are proud of you!Thank You for being you! #prakashpadukonebadmintonacademy #ppba #25years She posted two pictures from Prakashs playing days. Also read: Neha Kakkar, Aditya Narayan fly to Goa, he says they had a blast. See pic Deepika recently announced her next project a Hindi remake of Hollywood romantic comedy, The Intern, in which Rishi Kapoor will be her co-star. Her last release was Chhapaak, the Meghna Gulzar directorial which is inspired from the life of Delhis acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. The film was mired in controversy after Deepika visited JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) campus ahead of the films release to show her solidarity with the agitating students. A fallout of it was that the IMDb rating of the film took a hit with people downvoting the film in large numbers. In a video shared on Twitter by a fan club, Deepika is seen giving out a clear message to her detractors. Unhone meri IMDb rating badli hai, mera mann nahi (They have changed my IMDb rating, not my mind). The video is from last month. Follow @htshowbiz for more [February 02, 2020] INTERalliance Presents TechOlympics 2020: ACTIVATE CINCINNATI, Feb. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TechOlympics 2020, the largest student-run technology conference in the nation, will be held at the Great American Ball Park from February 22-23. At TechOlympics, companies including P&G, Worldpay, Anthem Digital, Kroger Technology, Abre, Great American, GE, Strategic Data Systems, Max Training and more, host breakout sessions and panels geared towards fueling students passion for technology. Students can immerse themselves in incredible sessions ranging from cybersecurity and internships to AI and game design. As well as visiting more than thirty companies at Career Crossroad, students can also make new friends, compete with passionate students from around the tristate, and discover new talents in web design or public speaking! TechOlympicss 2020 keynote speakers include Nicole Smith, an experienced Project Manager with a demonstrated history of leadership in the Aerospace industry at NASAs Glenn Research Center, Katy Moeggenberg, Head of NA Hair eBusiness & Global Marketing Technologists at P&G, and Anil Bhatt, Chief Experience Officer at Anthem, Inc. Heather Ackels leads TechOlympics as the Executive Director of the INTERalliance of Greater Cincinnati. A non-profit, INTERalliances core mission is that, by woring with surrounding Cincinnati businesses and high schools to host a plethora of technology events, the region will foster a diverse and successful pool of IT talent. INTERalliance hopes to better the chances of IT job placements for every student, no matter their current technology experience. Although the once three-day event has been reduced to two, the 2020 venue offers special perks. With access to benefits of the Great American Ball Park, students will be visiting the Reds Hall of Fame, experiencing the batting cages, meeting the mascots, and eating amazing meals offered by the Park. Depending on the financial situation, INTERalliance offers admissions scholarships on an as-needed basis. Visit https://techolympics.org/forms/ to apply. For more information about the event, please visit www.techolympics.org. Extended Registration will close on Feb 5, 2020. TechOlympics address: 100 Joe Nuxhall Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202 About the INTERalliance of Greater Cincinnati: The mission of the INTERalliance is to inspire and assist young talent to pursue an IT career in Greater Cincinnati. More information can be found at www.interalliance.org . Member companies of the INTERalliance include The Kroger Co., Procter & Gamble, Great American Insurance, Worldpay, GE, Vora Technologies, Fifth Third Bank, Western & Southern Financial Group, among many others. For more information, visit https://interalliance.org , Heather Ackels (513) 415-7707 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Some of the biggest news out of the royal family in recent history has hit: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry are stepping back from their duties as senior royals. They aspire to live a more independent and private life in Canada. The decision, which has been nicknamed Megxit, brings light to an issue the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have long been dealing with as a constant source of frustration and pain: the racist and sexist treatment of Meghan by the British media. British media coverage of Meghan Markle is sexist and racist Meghan has had a tough go of the spotlight since the moment the media found out about her relationship with Prince Harry. There seems to be no end to what the media will do to portray her in a negative light, from nitpicking how she dresses to finding fault with every perceived royal faux pas she supposedly commits. Meghan cant even eat avocados without experiencing the ire of the British press. This is not an exaggeration. An actual headline from Express once read: Meghan Markles beloved avocado linked to human rights abuse and drought, millennial shame. This from the very same media outlet that applauded Prince William giving Kate, Duchess of Cambridge avocados as a morning sickness cure. Other headlines include Harrys girl is (almost) straight outta Compton, Why cant Meghan Markle keep her hands off her bump? and My memo to Meghan Markle following her Vogue editorial we Brits prefer true royalty to fashion royalty. That last headline was by Daily Mails Sarah Vine, who just a month prior had praised Kate Middleton as a style guru. The content of the articles often goes even further than the headlines Meghan Markle | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images In the time of clickbait, itd be tempting to assume the headlines are as bad as it gets when it comes to reporting on Meghan, but unfortunately, the content of the articles is even worse than their flashy headlines. In a Daily Mail piece titled Sorry Harry, but your beautiful bolter has failed my Mum Test, writer Rachel Johnson casts herself as a stand-in for Prince Harrys late mother, Princess Diana. In a completely unasked for the diatribe, she claims she has done her due diligence and that Meghans divorce is a red line for a future mother-in-law. She also describes Meghan as having exotic DNA and describes Markles mother as a dreadlocked African-American lady from the wrong side of the tracks. There is far too much to unpack in that one piece alone, and Meghan has been judged in such a harsh way for years. One reporter, Danny Baker of the BBC, even tweeted Royal Baby leaves hospital with a photo of a chimpanzee. He, at least, lost his job and deleted the tweet. What does the royal family think about Megxit? Sunday Times reports suggest Queen Elizabeth is only supportive of Meghan and Prince Harrys exit due to fears of being called racist and sexist. Tom Bradby reportedly claims that Queen Elizabeth is worried Meghan will hold a no-holds-barred interview and accuse the royal family of sexism and racism. I dont think it would be pretty, Bradby said. That said, the queens official statement is in part this: My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghans desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family. Prince William is also sad to see them go, especially his brother, saying: Ive put my arm around my brother all our lives and I cant do that anymore; were separate entities. Im sad about that. All we can do, and all I can do, is try and support them and hope that the time comes when were all singing from the same page. Unfortunately, Meghan is already having a tough go of it in her new life in Canada. Reporters there are already starting to spy on the young mother, photographing her with long-range lenses as she spends time with her son, Archie. This marks the crossing of a line in the same that British reporters stayed clear of. Despite taking a step back from life as a royal, it remains to be seen if Meghan will ever have the peace she seeks again. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) The Philippine government is ready to assist overseas workers affected by the countrys temporary travel ban to and from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, officials said Monday. Bureau of Immigration (BI) spokesperson Dana Sandoval said OFWs will still be covered by President Rodrigo Dutertes directivewhich came in the wake of the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV ARD) outbreak in the neighboring nation. Temporarily po due to the travel ban, hindi po muna (they still cannot return), Sandoval said in a media briefing in Malacanang. Because wala pong distinction between visa types doon sa lumabas po na direktiba doon sa travel ban. [Translation: Because there is no distinction between visa types in the travel ban directive.] So lahat po ng (all) Filipino nationals who are in the country will not be allowed to depart for Hong Kong, China, and Macau, she added. The Labor Department, in a statement, said the government will provide 10,000 cash aid for OFWs caught up in the travel ban. Stranded outbound passengers can also avail of accommodation at the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) halfway house as well as transportation assistance, the department added. Sandoval likewise allayed OFWs concerns on job security, saying the government will do its part in maintaining their livelihoods. No one infected in China Families of OFWs in China can meanwhile heave a sigh of relief as Filipinos residing in the East Asian country remain free of the mysterious respiratory illness. No Filipinos in China are confirmed to be infected with the 2019 nCoV acute respiratory disease, none, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella said in the same media briefing. Abella added the government targets to commence the repatriation of Filipinos from China this week, with around 42 persons requesting to come home. The expected goal is to be able to fetch them within the week, Abella noted. Currently, there are over 295,000 Filipinos in mainland China, according to government data. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Washington The Iowa caucuses are never simple. On Monday, voters who have gathered at more than 1,600 caucus sites will begin their night by declaring support for their preferred presidential candidate. After a feverish round of lobbying, supporters of eliminated candidates can make a second choice. This year, there's a new wrinkle that could make the caucus even more chaotic. For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party will report three sets of results. There is no guarantee that all three will show the same winner. Each set of results represents a different stage of the caucus. The new rules were mandated by the Democratic National Committee in a bid to make the process more transparent. In the past, Iowa Democrats reported only one set of results: the number of state convention delegates won by each candidate through the caucus process. Democrats choose their party's eventual White House nominee based on national convention delegates, and the state delegates are used to determine those totals in Iowa. The Associated Press will declare a winner in Iowa based on the number of state delegates each candidate wins. The AP will also report all three results. Q: What results will Iowa Democrats release out of the caucus? A: There will be three sets of results: tallies of the "first alignment" of caucus-goers, their "final alignment" and the total number of "state delegate equivalents" each candidate receives. This is the first time the party has made public the first and final alignment results. Q: What do those categories mean, and how will the results be determined? A: Caucuses are different from primaries. In a primary, voters go to the polls, cast their ballots and leave. At a caucus, voters gather at local precincts and declare support for their chosen candidate then some have an opportunity to switch sides. In Iowa, voters arriving at their caucus site will fill out a card that lists their first choice. Those results will be tabulated and will determine the results of the "first alignment." But that's not the end of the night. Caucus-goers whose first-choice candidate fails to get at least 15% of the vote can switch their support to a different candidate. The threshold can be higher at some precincts. If voters don't choose another candidate, their vote won't count in the final alignment. The results of this stage will be tabulated to determine the caucuses' "final alignment." Only candidates who receive at least 15% of the vote at that precinct the so-called viable candidates will be counted in the final alignment. Nonviable candidates get zero votes in the final alignment. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. There's one more step. The final alignment votes are then used to calculate the number of state convention delegates awarded to each candidate. The party calls these state delegate equivalents, because they represent the number of delegates each candidate will have at the party's state convention in June. That, in turn, determines how many national convention delegates each candidate receives. Iowa will award 41 pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention, based on the results of the party caucuses. Q: Could different candidates top each of the three categories of results? A: Yes. For example, Candidate A could beat Candidate B in the first alignment voting. But Candidate B could get more support from voters who initially voted for nonviable candidates. After those voters switch to a different candidate, Candidate B could end up with the most votes in the final alignment. The final alignment votes are used to calculate the state delegate equivalents, so the results should be similar. However, in a very close race, it is mathematically possible to have different winners there, too. Q: Why are Democrats making this change? A: The new rules were mandated by the DNC as part of a package of changes sought by Bernie Sanders following his loss to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential primaries. The changes were designed to make the caucus system more transparent and to make sure that even the lowest-performing candidates get credit for all the votes they receive. The opportunity for the media industry to learn from the best! Group booking discounts: Amasa is pleased to announce that it will be partnering with FNB again this year to deliver next level content at the 2020 Amasa Workshop taking place from 2 to 5 April 2020 at Riverstone Lodge, Muldersdrift, Krugersdorp. FNB will be involved from a panel experts perspective as well as to deliver the live brief, listening to and understanding the strategies presented by the delegates and providing invaluable feedback and insight back into the groups.It is in our best interests to actively play a part in, and support such an initiative for both our customers and ourselves. As a company it is inherent in our DNA and culture to actively participate in uplifting and enabling industries relevant to our business and our customers, says Lebo Thubakgale, media strategist at FNB South Africa.The Amasa Workshop aims to equip young talent with the know-how and network connections to make their mark and essentially ensure the sustainability of this wonderful, frenetic industry. Each year we aim to stand on the shoulders of the previous Amasa workshops to make the experience even more rich and rewarding for the delegates, says Fagan Abraham, media strategist at OMD and head of the Amasa workshop portfolio.This will be the fifth year that the Amasa Workshop will be presenting to audiences over three jam-packed days at the beginning of April. Featuring top industry experts, it will consist of a series of speed-networking, panel-style discussions rather than traditional classroom-style lectures. Designed to engage delegates in a way that reflects the fast-moving communications environment we live in today. It will provide a snapshot view of the media landscape and also delve into the inner workings of disciplines such as strategy and media planning.Like previous years, delegates will have access to the invaluable network of experts as well as the opportunity to build networks amongst their peers. Not only is it an awesome growth and learning opportunity but its also a really fun weekend to share in one anothers creativity and zest for life. Wed really like to encourage the agencies and media owners to get behind this opportunity and send their young talent for whats guaranteed to be a skills-toolbox-filling experience, adds Abraham.The event has always been a rite of passage for young professionals in the media and advertising industry, helping them to build the knowledge and muscle necessary to compete in such a dynamic context. It provides delegates with the opportunity to engage in an interactive learning process created to empower them to collaborate with suppliers better, improve the quality of responses, network amongst the movers and shakers in the industry, and build long-term relationships.We are excited to be entrenched in this opportunity to identify opportunities and solutions to breaking through, what is becoming a throttled and challenging environment. As the media landscape evolves and technology plays a more significant role, other mitigating circumstances include the struggling economy and getting the best bang for your buck as far as media spend is concerned. We look forward to enabling individuals in the industry to upskill and provide the very best strategies and plans, adds Thubakgale.Bookings are now open for the workshop and space is limited. So if your company operates in the media and advertising industry whether as an agency, media owner or marketer you have a unique opportunity to inspire your most talented and promising staff and to provide them with an invaluable foundation in industry-related management and leadership skills.As tickets to the workshop are limited and always in high demand, we recommend securing a booking for your staff as soon as possible.R 5,999 per person sharing (Amasa members)R 6,499 per person sharing (Non-Amasa members)7.5% on groups 4-910% on groups of 10+All bookings and confirmations need to be finalised by 11 March 2020.The cost for the workshop includes accommodation, all meals, and all lecture notes and stationery.Costs do not include transport to the venue, beverages (cooldrinks or alcoholic drinks), telephone calls, room service or additional leisure activities outside of the curriculum. These are additional to the package and will be charged directly to the delegate should he or she make use of them.To make your booking, please contact Natalie Card at az.oc.noitavenic@eilatan For general enquiries about the workshop and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Fagan Abraham on az.oc.dmo@maharbA.nagaF in 2018, about 1,3 percent of all deaths. Suicide is the 19th most common cause of death in Zimbabwe, with 1 641 people taking their own livesin 2018, about 1,3 percent of all deaths. National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Vice Chancellor Professor Mqhele Dlodlo now wants a determined effort to combat the looming crisis. Addressing delegates during a two-day Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention Seminar at the NUST campus, which focused on mental health issues and finding ways to prevent them, Prof Dlodlo said statistics showed that 1 641 cases of suicide were recorded in 2018, while 1 838 people perished through road traffic accidents the same year. According to WHO, 1,3 percent or 1 641 deaths were due to suicides, he said. To put this into perspective, in the same year, 2018, it was reported that 1 838 people died due to road accidents. What this clearly indicates is that we must treat suicides in Zimbabwe as a looming crisis just the way we do road traffic accidents. Most such deaths are by hanging. Police reported 142 such cases in the first three months of 2019. Suicide is linked to mental illness, in particular to depression, and can be found in rich and poor countries. Serious depression can be effectively controlled with modern drugs and other medical techniques, but it is necessary that those who are drifting into suicidal depression are identified and referred to competent medical practitioners or psychiatry specialists as early as possible. Younger people under high pressure can be more susceptible to serious depression, hence the effort by NUST to do something practical to prevent suicide by improving awareness of the mental health of every student. said the programme was important in the prevention of cases of suicide among students. Speaking on the sidelines of the seminar, Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education chairman Professor Kuzvinetsa Peter Dzvimbosaid the programme was important in the prevention of cases of suicide among students. If those issues are not handled properly, they may end up becoming a serious mental health problem, he said. In most cases, they may lead to children committing suicide. So, it is important for the university staff to be able to identify and possibly prevent such cases. Imagine the loss that a nation incurs when an engineering student commits suicide. Dr Nemache Mawere, a psychiatrist, said people spend more time at work or at school than at home or relaxing, hence solutions that deal with mental health problems should come from the same places. As employees (we) spend most of our time at the workplace or work-related environment much more than we do at home or recreational facilities, he said. It is, therefore, most likely that the greater part of any social stresses or sorrows that we experience emanate from our workplace. Ironically, the expectation is that the solution should come where we spend the least time, outside our work place. Dr Mawere said students spent most of their time at the university campus, hence that was where solutions to their mental problems should come from. Similarly, students spend most of their time learning or at learning related institutions than at home or recreational facilities, he said. Ironically, when death or illness strikes, it is those with whom students spend least of their time with that care the most. Dr Mawere urged the media to report responsibly, especially on cases that dealt with suicide. Photo: The Canadian Press A sign for 8 Wing CFB Trenton is seen on Saturday, September 29, 2012. The federal government says Canadian evacuees from Wuhan will be quarantined for two weeks upon their arrival at Canadian Forces Base Trenton. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg Canadian evacuees from the Chinese province afflicted with the novel coronavirus will be quarantined for two weeks upon their arrival at an Ontario military base, the government announced Sunday night. But Ottawa did not provide a timeline for when they'll arrive from the locked-down city of Wuhan, saying it's still awaiting final approval from Chinese authorities. Their plane will land at Canadian Forces Base Trenton. "To protect the health and safety of Canadians both those who are coming to and those already in Canada the returning individuals will undergo a thorough health screening before boarding, during the flight and upon arrival at CFB Trenton, Ontario," said a statement from Global Affairs Canada. "All other returning Canadians, including staff and flight crew, will remain at CFB Trenton for 14 days for further medical assessment and observation, and be provided with all the necessary medical and other supports as needed to ensure the health and safety of all Canadians." Until Sunday, the federal government hasn't said whether Canadians who eventually arrive from China would be quarantined. But officials said they were closely watching developments in other countries, including the United States. Nearly 200 Americans have already been evacuated from Wuhan, and U.S. health officials ordered that they be quarantined for two weeks. It was the first time a federal quarantine has been ordered in that country since the 1960s, when one was enacted over concern about potential spread of smallpox, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. South Korea, too, quarantined its evacuees, who arrived in Seoul on Friday. They underwent screenings for fever before boarding buses to quarantine facilities established in the central towns of Asan and Jincheon. Residents there have protested plans to place the evacuees in their neighbourhoods, throwing eggs and other objects at visiting government officials. The Australian government was forced to defend its plan, which involved sending evacuees to Christmas Island, which has been used to banish asylum seekers and convicted criminals. Critics warned that some Australians would prefer to stay in China rather than go there. "The government remains fully engaged on the issue, and will do all that is necessary to ensure the safety of Canadians, both at home and abroad," said a statement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office after a meeting of senior cabinet members where the plan to quarantine at the Trenton military base was discussed. The number of Canadians who want to flee the Chinese province afflicted by the virus climbed to 325 on Sunday. Global Affairs Canada provided the updated figure on Sunday, as the world saw its first case of a person dying from the new coronavirus outside of China a 44-year-old man in the Philippines. "This has been a rapidly evolving situation and the number of Canadians asking for assistance is quickly changing," said a statement from the department. Global Affairs Canada said government officials and military personnel are currently en route to Hanoi, Vietnam, and in the process of obtaining visas from the Chinese government to enter Wuhan. It said the government has chartered a plane to land in Hanoi and then head to Wuhan, where airspace is currently closed, once it gets approval from the Chinese government. But there was no indication Sunday from Global Affairs about the status of that flight. The department was, however, telling people not to go to the airport unannounced because they will not be permitted to board the aircraft. Instead, they were told to contact its Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa to make arrangements. "Canada is chartering a plane to take Canadians from Wuhan, China back to Canada. We have 325 requests for departure assistance from Hubei Province and we will be reaching out to provide updates and to confirm their needs in order to assist our logistical planning," the department said in a statement. "Spaces will be limited and not guaranteed, and will likely only be confirmed with very little notice." Canada is consulting with the United States and Britain "to ensure co-operation and sharing of best practices in this operation," the statement said. China says 361 have died on the mainland from the new virus, with an additional 2,829 new cases over the last 24 hours bringing the Chinese total to 17,205. The latest figures, released on Monday in China, come a day after the first death from the illness was recorded outside the country, in the Philippines, as countries around the world evacuated hundreds of their citizens from the infection zone. Canada has four known cases three in Ontario and one in British Columbia. On Sunday, a second French-chartered plane carrying 300 evacuees from China landed at the military base of Istres in the southern French region of Bouches-du-Rhone. That followed the first French plane that landed on Friday. In spite of the widespread fear of the virus, health officials in Canada have said chances of contracting it in this country are exceptionally low. They said people should take normal cold- and flu-season precautions of frequent hand-washing and covering coughs and sneezes. Kolkata, Feb 3 : Two persons have been arrested while the Calcutta High Court on Monday sought a detailed report in connection with the alleged brutal torture of two women in Gangarampur of West Bengal's South Dinajpur district by a group of men led by a panchayat functionary belonging to the ruling Trinamool Congress. According to the shocking video - which has become viral - a woman, Smritikona Das, wearing a maroon dress and said to be a BJP worker, was seen bound by a rope to a pole at her knees and then hauled over a country road. When another woman - the victim's elder sister Soma Das - comes forward and protests, she is also flung onto the ground and tortured by an abusive 'panchayat upapradhan' (deputy chief of the gram panchayat - the lowest tier of the three-level panchayat system in Bengal)- Amol Sarkar and three of his associates. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker and her sister were rescued by the local residents and admitted to hospital. Smritikona Das, a school teacher, sustained a head injury. On Sunday, after her release from the hospital, Smritikona Das lodged a complaint at Gangarampur police station naming Sarkar and four others. According to the police, two persons have been arrested. On Monday, a lawyer brought the matter to the attention of the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court T.B.N. Radhakrishnan who asked for the detailed report on the incident. According to the two victims, they were tortured for protesting against the Trinamool run panchayat grabbing their land for building a road. The woman initially had given permission for building a 12-feet wide road and gave up their land for the project. But the panchayat later is said to have decided to increase the road width to 24 feet, which would have meant the taking of more land from the Das family. The horrendous attack followed after they protested. "They threatened to murder us. We are in great panic," said Smiritikona. As the incident triggered widespread condemnation, district Trinamool chief Arpita Ghosh expelled Sarkar from the party. Lok Sabha member from Balurghar and BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar described the incident as "worse than medieval barbarism" and sought exemplary punishment of the perpetrators. "Only Trinamool can behave so inhumanly with a woman. This shows the state of law and order in the state," said Majumdar. 'Mahatma Gandhi does not need a certificate from cadre of Britishers 'chamchas and spies',' Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said New Delhi: The Congress on Monday slammed BJP leader Anantkumar Hegde for reportedly calling the Mahatma Gandhi-led freedom movement a "drama", saying the Father of the Nation does not need a certificate from the "cadre of Britishers chamchas and spies". Hegde, a former Union minister, reportedly claimed at an event in Bangalore that the entire freedom movement was staged with the consent and support of the British, and the independence movement led by Gandhi was a "drama". "Mahatma Gandhi does not need a certificate from cadre of Britishers 'chamchas and spies'," Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said in a tweet. It is high time the BJP is renamed 'Nathuram Godse Party', he added. Another Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi tweeted, "Awaiting Narendra Modi who invokes Mahatma Gandhi at the drop of a hat especially when repackaging his ideas and to gain international credibility to comment on Hegde who is a senior BJP leader". PROFESSOR Stephanie Moser will give a talk on The reception of ancient Egypt in Victorian Britain: museums, exhibitions, art and design at the next meeting of the Thames Valley Ancient Egypt Society. How representations of ancient Egypt in Victorian paintings responded to the Egyptian domestic antiquities on display in the British Museum and how these paintings perceived Egyptian culture. The meeting will be held at the Oakwood Centre in Woodley on Saturday, February 8 at 2pm. At the following meeting Dr Stephanie Boonstra will talk about the latest work and research into the archives of the Egyptian Exploration Society, including 5,000 glass plate negatives of early excavations and how the society is making the collections more accessible to the public. This will be held at Coronation Hall, Woodley, on Saturday, March 14 at 2pm. Francesca Jones New York, NY, February 3, 2020--The Vilcek Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Vilcek Prizes in Biomedical Science. Awarded annually, the Vilcek Prizes in Biomedical Science honor the contributions of immigrants to scientific research, discovery, and innovation in the United States. The Vilcek Prizes in Biomedical Science are a part of the Vilcek Foundation's prizes program, which honors the contributions of foreign-born persons in the arts, sciences, and humanities in the United States. The Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science recognizes an immigrant scientist for outstanding career contributions to biomedical science and global scientific research. The prize comprises an unrestricted cash prize of $100,000 and a commemorative award. The winner of the 2020 Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science is Xiaowei Zhuang, the David B. Arnold Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. "Honoring the achievements of immigrant scientists and to articulate their enormous role in upholding the United States' world leadership in science is especially important at this juncture in view of the current administration's efforts to curtail immigration to this country," said Jan Vilcek, cofounder and chairman of the Vilcek Foundation. "Xiaowei Zhuang exemplifies a foreign-born scientist whose work has demonstrably shaped the further advancement of scientific technologies and discovery in the United States. The imaging tools she has developed have changed how we see and understand the structures and basic functions of living organisms at a molecular level, fundamentally expanding research horizons and possibilities, and cementing the United States as a global leader in science." Xiaowei Zhuang developed methods to directly observe individual molecules in cells at high resolution and at genomic scale. She invented STORM, a super-resolution imaging method that surpasses the diffraction limit of conventional light microscopy and enables light microscopy at molecular-scale resolution. Using STORM, Zhuang has unveiled novel structures in cells, such as a periodic membrane skeleton in neurons, which provides a platform for signal transduction and lends mechanical stability. Zhuang invented a single-cell transcriptome and genome imaging method, MERFISH, which allows thousands of genes to be simultaneously imaged and quantified in individual cells. MERFISH is a key tool in the Human Cell Atlas project--an international effort aimed at cataloguing cell types that constitute humans. Zhuang has used this tool to identify novel types of neurons in the mouse brain and uncovered insights into the neuronal control of behavior. Zhuang was born in Rugao, China. The Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science are awarded to young immigrant scientists whose early career work represents a profound advance in their respective fields. Each prizewinner receives a $50,000 cash prize and a commemorative award. Kivanc Birsoy, Viviana Gradinaru, and Martin Jonikas are the winners of the 2020 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science. Kivanc Birsoy has fashioned tools to probe the complex metabolism of cancer cells. Using CRISPR, Birsoy demonstrated how mitochondria--the powerhouses of animal cells--support tumor growth. He found that the synthesis of the amino acid aspartate rather than energy generation is key to mitochondria's ability to fuel tumors. He custom-designed instruments called Nutrostats for the long-term laboratory culture of cancer cells under nutrient levels closely mimicking natural conditions. Combining the Nutrostats with DNA barcoding and CRISPR-based genetic screens, Birsoy showed that a rare but deadly type of lymphoma requires LDL-cholesterol for survival. His work has identified altered tumor metabolism as a potential therapeutic target in cancer. Birsoy was born in Izmir, Turkey. Viviana Gradinaru has developed advanced tools in optogenetics--an approach that uses light to control brain cells--to unearth deep insights into the brain. Her work has uncovered circuits that may underpin sleep disturbances in neuropsychiatric disorders. She has also engineered vehicles for gene therapy that, when injected into the bloodstream of rodents, cross the blood-brain barrier and deliver target genes to the brain. Gradinaru also developed a tissue-clearing technique called PARS-CLARITY to render the entire body of a rodent transparent for fine-scale visualization and mapping of circuits as well as gene expression analysis. Her work could boost the development of gene therapies for an array of human disorders. Gradinaru was born in Vaslui, Romania. Martin Jonikas has used molecular biology to advance the single-celled green alga Chlamydomonas as a widely used model for photosynthesis--a biochemical process at the heart of global food production. Jonikas and colleagues have unraveled the molecular makeup, structure, and assembly of pyrenoids, which are cellular compartments found in photosynthetic organisms that can absorb planet-warming carbon dioxide. This work could aid efforts to engineer pyrenoids into species that lack them, paving the way toward environment-friendly food production and helping to combat climate change. Jonikas was born in Paris, France. The foundation has also announced the recipients of the 2020 Vilcek Foundation Prizes in Literature, and the recipient of the 2020 Vilcek Prize for Excellence in the Administration of Justice. All of the prizewinners will be celebrated at the Vilcek Foundation Prizes Gala in New York in April 2020. The Vilcek Foundation The Vilcek Foundation was established in 2000 by Jan and Marica Vilcek, immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia. The mission of the foundation, to honor immigrant contributions to the United States, and more broadly, to foster appreciation of the arts and sciences, was inspired by the couple's respective careers in biomedical science and art history. The foundation awards annual prizes to immigrant biomedical scientists and artists, sponsors cultural programs, and manages the Vilcek Foundation Art Collections. To learn more, please visit http://www.vilcek.org. ### We New Yorkers are the ones, as the poem goes, who lift our lamp beside the golden door: Being the gateway for America's immigrants is part of our state's identity, and our proud legacy. Gov. Andrew Cuomo in recent years has taken extra pains to hold that lamp high, offering New York state as a diverse and tolerant counterpoint to the xenophobia that stains President Donald Trump's vision of America. So it's perplexing that his budget omits funding for the Liberty Defense Project, a public-private partnership that provides counsel to immigrants facing deportation. New York has been a national leader in providing legal services to immigrants. Whether they're legal residents or undocumented immigrants, people have no guarantee of counsel in immigration court. But due process demands it, and New York is to be commended for working to restore a measure of fairness to an increasingly politicized federal immigration enforcement system. A spokesman says Mr. Cuomo supports the Liberty Defense Project. Then why trifle with its funding? That leaves the nonprofits who provide the services in limbo, unable to assure their workers that their jobs won't disappear. Mr. Cuomo, if you think it's right, fund it. Don't squander New York's leadership on this by making it a budget-season bargaining chip. Racing reforms U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko is right to be mad: It's past time for Congress to pass the Horseracing Integrity Act. The Amsterdam Democrat has spent five years pushing the measure, years in which racing's reputation has taken a hit and, more importantly, scores of horses have died during racing meets around the country. Mr. Tonko's bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky, would replace the current hodgepodge of rules with a national set of medication regulations and an industry-wide anti-doping program. It has the support of breeders, owners, and racing organizations, and brings the U.S. in line with international standards on race-day doping. Medicine can be used to camouflage a horse's pain and injuries, putting the animal at risk of a life-ending fracture. Uniform regulations would not only boost the integrity of the sport but also help to protect these fragile, powerful athletes. We have a responsibility to these horses who run for our amusement. If we shirk it, don't be surprised when people continue to turn away from what was once the sport of kings. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Lessons in cyberspace More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com See More Collapse The town of Colonie is recovering from a cyberattack that locked its computer systems. It followed a recent ransomware attack on the Albany County Airport Authority; the city of Albany also endured a cyberattack last year. In all cases officials assured that no personal data was compromised. These attacks are an ugly fact of modern life. And municipalities, which often have older computer systems, are vulnerable. But still, taxpayers deserve to know: How exactly did this happen? Was this a user error, a security flaw? What changes might make it less likely to happen again? Even here, transparency matters. Boris Johnson Getty Boris Johnson warns the EU that Britain will not follow any of its rules in a future trade deal. The prime minister will set out his desire for a loose relationship with Brussels in a speech on Monday. EU figures have said that Britain must sign up its rules in order to secure high levels of market access. However, Johnson will say "it is vital to stress" that Britain will not sign up to them under any circumstances. The prime minister will warn Brussels that Britain will walk away without a trade deal if necessary. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Boris Johnson will on Monday warn that Britain will not follow any European Union rules in a new trade deal with Brussels, and will walk away from negotiations without any deal whatsoever if necessary. In a speech in south London this morning, the prime minister is set to declare that there is "no need" for the United Kingdom to sign up to EU rules and regulations in exchange for high levels of access to European markets. Johnson's remarks put the UK on collision course with the EU when trade talks get underway next month. EU figures including European Commission President, Ursula Von Der Leyen, have said that Britain must sign up to a "level playing field" with the EU in order to secure tariff and quota-free access to European markets. However, the prime minister will today categorically rule out signing up to commitments of this sort. "There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment, or anything similar any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules. "The UK will maintain the highest standards in these areas better, in many respects, than those of the EU without the compulsion of a treaty and it is vital to stress this now," he is expected to say. Johnson is also set to warn Brussels that he is prepared to walk away from trade talks without an agreement. Story continues "We have often been told that we must choose between full access to the EU market, along with accepting its rules and courts on the Norway model, or an ambitious free trade agreement, which opens up markets and avoids the full panoply of EU regulation, on the example of Canada," he is expected to say in his speech. "We have made our choice: we want a free trade agreement, similar to Canada's but in the very unlikely event that we do not succeed, then our trade will have to be based on our existing Withdrawal Agreement with the EU. "The choice is emphatically not 'deal or no-deal'. The question is whether we agree a trading relationship with the EU comparable to Canada's or more like Australia's." Australia and the EU do not have a free trade deal, and trade largely on World Trade Organisation rules. The Institute For Government think tank last month warned that an outcome of this sort would be just as damaging to British businesses as a no-deal Brexit, as it would result in swathes of new checks on goods. However, Johnson is set to say that "in either case, I have no doubt that Britain will prosper." Brexit countdown clock Downing Street Hollie Adams/Getty Images Britain finally left the EU on Friday evening, three-and-a-half-years after the 2016 Brexit referendum. The country has entered an 11-month transition period or "implementation period" during which it will continue to follow all EU rules, laws, and regulations. This arrangement will come to an end in January 2021. Johnson's UK government will in the meantime try to secure free trade agreements with the EU and other countries like the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, as soon as possible. Experts have warned that negotiating free trade agreements usually takes a number of years, and that the UK government faces a huge challenge in securing deals before the transition period expires at the end of the year. Read the original article on Business Insider Sudesh Amman who strapped on a fake bomb and stabbed two people on a south London street before being shot to death by police ISIS has today claimed responsibility for a terror attack in south London that saw three people injured. Without giving any evidence, the militant group's Amaq news agency said its 'fighter' was responsible for the stabbing rampage in south London yesterday. Assailant in Sunday's attack, Sudesh Amman, was shot dead by police, after grabbing a knife from a shop and attacking two bystanders in Streatham. The 20-year-old had previously praised the Islamic State, shared an online al-Qaeda magazine and encouraged his girlfriend to behead her parents. In a statement posted online by Amaq, ISIS said: 'The perpetrator of the attack in Streatham district in south London yesterday is a fighter of Islamic State, and carried out the attack in response to calls to attack the citizens of coalition countries.' Amman, who was jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, had recently been freed from prison, and had been staying at a bail hostel in nearby Leigham Court Road for the past two weeks. He was under police surveillance as he launched his attack, and was found to be wearing a fake suicide vest after he was shot. A third person was injured by flying glass during the gunfire. Dramatic footage was posted online of armed officers warning members of the public to clear the area when they spotted the device in Streatham High Road. Armed undercover officers followed Amman's route along the high street on part of a 'proactive counter-terrorism surveillance operation', after his conviction on terror charges. Sudesh Amman was seen lying on the pavement after being shot dead by police in Streatham High Road yesterday Police placed Amman under surveillance and shot him soon after be began his knife rampage in south London yesterday. He was seen to have silver canisters strapped to his body and a knife was picture next to his lifeless body ISIS also claimed responsibility for the attack at Fishmongers Hall in the City of London last November, when another convicted terrorist, Usman Khan, murdered two people despite being on probation. Again ISIS did not provide any evidence of Khan's connection to the group. The Government will announce plans today for 'fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences' following the Streatham attack. Amman's mother Haleema Faraz Khan told Sky News he was a 'nice, polite boy' who had seemed 'normal' when she visited him at his bail hostel on Thursday. She told the broadcaster that he had become more religious since being in prison, and that she believed he had been radicalised while in high-security jail Belmarsh. Khan also said that Amman, the eldest of her five sons, had also developed extreme views after looking at Islamist material online. On Sunday Amman entered the Low Price Store before 2pm, and took a cheap knife from the shelves, described as up to 10 inches in length with a white handle. Despite the shopkeeper's attempts to stop him the convicted terrorist fled from the store, removed the packaging from the blade and stabbed a woman in her 50s in the back. A body, understood to be Sudesh Amman, being carried to a private ambulance at the scene in Streatham High Road, south London, last night A police cordon outside a bail hostel in Leigham Court Road, Streatham, following the terror attack in Streatham High Road, south London by Amman Seconds later, Amman stabbed a man outside the White Lion pub just a few buildings further up the road, as armed police officers gave chase. Up to three armed officers, dressed in civilian clothing, shouted after Amman as he ran up the road in the direction of Streatham Hill railway station. People including children took shelter in nearby shops as the incident unfolded on the high street, and a helicopter was seen hovering over the area. A witness heard the first shot, followed by a 20-second gap, then up to four shots as Amman was finally stopped outside a branch of Boots just 100 metres from the shop where the rampage began. Video showed three officers as they kept their weapons fixed on Amman while he flailed on the ground, his arms and legs kicking into the air. A fourth officer rushed onto the scene on a blue motorbike while a witness filmed from a passing bus, saying: 'This ain't real, this ain't real.' Police forensic teams at the scene in Streatham High Road, south London following the terror attack by Sudesh Amman who was shot dead by armed police following what police declared as a terrorist-related incident Amman had recently been freed from prison and had been staying at a bail hostel in nearby Leigham Court Road for the past two weeks before launching his attack on Streatham High Road As Amman fell still, an officer with a gun kicked away the knife before rushing back as he spotted the hoax suicide vest on the 20-year-old's chest. One witness described the device as 'silver canisters on his chest'. After the fake vest was spotted, officers began shouting at each other and members of the public, clearing the area. Movie-goers were evacuated from the nearby Odeon and urged to leave by the back of the cinema, as officers went into cafes and shops to evacuate. Amman's body lay untouched outside Boots as police officers kept the area clear before determining the vest was a fake. The London Ambulance Service was called just before 2pm and three victims were taken by ambulance to south London hospitals. The man in his 40s is no longer considered to be in a life-threatening condition following treatment, and the woman in her 50s has been discharged from hospital. The second woman, in her 20s, continues to receive treatment after she received minor injuries from the glass. Korea's exports shrank in January for the 14h month in a row. Exports last month fell 6.1 percent on-year to US$43.35 billion, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Sunday. This is the second-longest back-to-back export decline on record. But signs of a possible rebound are emerging. Average exports per day, derived by dividing the total by the number of production days, stood at $2.02 billion in January, up 4.8 percent on-year and the first improvement in 14 months. A price slump for semiconductors, one of Korea's mainstay exports, is also slowing. This month will have 22.5 manufacturing days, 3.5 more than last year, when Lunar New Year's Day was in February, but the coronavirus outbreak in China has cast dark clouds over improvements. The ministry said, "Coronavirus had virtually no impact on exports in January, but there is a chance of a negative impact in February as the Chinese New Year holidays end and full-fledged business resumes." Vietnams novel coronavirus infection number has risen to eight as the Ministry of Health announced a new case on Monday. The new patient, a Vietnamese blue-collar worker at a company in Vinh Phuc, located in northern Vietnam, recently returned to the Southeast Asian country after having attended a vocational training program in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the viral outbreak, according to the Vietnamese health ministry. She is the eight confirmed infection in Vietnam. Before her, three of her co-workers, who had also joined the two-month training program in Wuhan, had tested positive for the new coronavirus last week. Upon their arrival at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on January 17, 29-year-old V.H.L. and the three co-workers, together with four other, were picked up by their companys bus to its headquarters in Vinh Phucs Binh Xuyen District. The eight-people group joined a meeting at the company before L. shared a ride home with a colleague. After L.s three co-workers tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Friday, the other five, including L., was quarantined and sampled by a delegation of the Ministry of Health. By that time, L. and another person in the group showed some symptoms of the infection. L.s sample returned positive for the killer virus, the health ministry confirmed on Monday morning. She is now in stable conditions and being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi. The novel coronavirus has killed 361 people in mainland China and one outside the country, while infecting 17,386 others globally, an overwhelming majority of whom are in China, since the first outbreak in Wuhan in December 2019. Vietnam has confirmed eight cases so far, including five Vietnamese, one Vietnamese American, and two Chinese. One of the Chinese has been cured. The World Health Organization has declared the virus a public health emergency of international concern. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has grounded all flights to and from mainland China to curb the spread of the deadly virus. Vietnam has also stopped issuing tourist visas to those coming from China, including Chinese and foreigners who have stayed in the mainland for 14 days which is the incubation period of the new coronavirus. Over 20 provinces and cities in the country have told school students to stay home for one week to prevent the viral contagion. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! NEW HAVEN Did anyone ever ask you how you felt about high school? Were guessing that scenario was unlikely, given that researchers at Yale decided they needed to study how kids feel at high school. The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and the Yale Child Study Center decided, in a nationwide survey of 21,678 high school students in this country, to ask them how he or she typically feels at school. The results? Researchers from found that nearly 75 percent of the students self-reported feelings related to school were negative, a Yale release said. That results means answers to the question about self-reported feelings included is tired, closely followed by stressed and bored, according to the release. The study appeared in the January edition of the Journal of Learning and Instruction. It also involved a second, experience sampling study in which 472 high school students in Connecticut reported their feelings at distinct moments throughout the school day, the release said. These momentary assessments told the same story: High school students reported negative feelings 60% of the time. It was higher than we expected, co-author and research scientist Zorana Ivcevic said in the release. We know from talking to students that they are feeling tired, stressed, and bored, but were surprised by how overwhelming it was. Overall, said co-author Marc Brackett, students see school as a place where they experience negative emotions. How they did it: - Students were recruited for the survey through email lists of partner schools and through social media channels from nonprofits (such as the Greater Good Science Center and Born this Way Foundation. - Students represent urban, suburban, and rural school districts across all 50 states and both public and private schools. - Researchers found all demographic groups reported mostly negative feelings about school, but girls were slightly more negative than boys. The questions: Students were asked to think about the range of positive and negative feelings you have in school and provide answers in three open text boxes. They were also asked to rate on a scale of 0 (never) to 100 (always) how often they felt 10 emotions: happy, proud, cheerful, joyful, lively, sad, mad, miserable, afraid, scared, stressed and bored. The answers: In open-ended responses, the most common emotion students reported was tired and 58 percent and the next most-reported emotions, all just under 50 percent, were stressed, bored, calm, and happy. The ratings scale supported the findings, with students reporting feeling stressed (79.83%) and bored (69.51%) the most. Ivcevic said, also in the release, that when the feelings are examined with more granularity the finding is interesting: The most-cited positive descriptions calm and happy are vague. They are on the positive side of zero, Ivcevic said in the release, but they are not energized or enthusiastic. Feeling interested or curious, she said, would reveal a high level of engagement that is predictive of deeper and more enduring learning. Ivcevic also said many of the negative feelings may be interrelated, with tiredness, for example, contributing to boredom or stress. Boredom is in many ways similar to being tired, she said. Its a feeling of being drained, low-energy. Physical states, such as being tired, can be at times misattributed as emotional states, such as boredom. Changes? The researchers noted the way students feel at school has important implications in their performance and their overall health and well-being. Students spend a lot of their waking time at school, Ivcevic said in the release. Kids are at school to learn, and emotions have a substantial impact on their attention. If youre bored, do you hear whats being said around you? - Yale noted: Public attention has turned recently to early start times for high schools in the U.S. and how that contributes to sleep deprivation among students, which is associated with a number of other health risks including weight gain, depression, and drug use and poor academic performance. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended high schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later, but the vast majority start earlier. It is possible that being tired is making school more taxing, Ivcevic said in the release. so that it is more difficult for students to show curiosity and interest. It is like having an extra weight to carry. Decisions about school start times are often not made with students health and wellbeing in mind, Ivcevic said in the release. There has been a movement in recent years to move school start times later, she said. The reasons for not moving it have nothing to do with students wellbeing or their ability to learn. In spite of the ban and restriction of commercial motorcycles (Okada) and tricycles (Keke) by the Lagos State Government, the usual traffic congestion in the metropolis continued on Monday. A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos reports that there was no significant difference in the traffic situation in the metropolis, compared to before the operators were banned. NAN reports that the gridlock along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Agege Motor Road, Oshodi-Isolo and some other parts of the state continued. The usual gridlock at Iyana-Ipaja, Iyana-Dopemu, Cement, Ile Zik, Ikeja Along, Bolade Oshodi, Under Bridge and other places persisted in spite of the ban and restriction of `Okada and `Keke. The corridors, which had been known for unrestrained operations of motorcycles and tricycles, were devoid of such operations from Iyana-Ipaja to Oshodi. The security operatives comprising the Police, Anti-Robbery Squad, Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps (LNSC) and officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) were on ground arresting the dissidents. Some of the officers chased commercial vehicles flouting traffic laws and regulations along the corridors. Some of the operatives were armed while others held tear gas and sticks to clampdown on the recalcitrant motorcycle and tricycle operators and motorists. A large number of commuters were stranded at Kola, Ile-Epo, Iyana-Ipaja, Iyana-Dopemu bus stops, seeking vehicles to convey them to their offices on the first working day after the ban and restriction. While many were grumbling and complaining over the ban of `Okada and `Keke in most bus stops, some others resorted to trekking from Iyana-Ipaja to Ikeja and Oshodi. A commuter, Saheed Raheem, urged the state government expedite action on the Oshodi-Abule Egba Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor to reduce the pains of people living in Alimosho. Mr Raheem said: Things are no longer the same. Things are not easy for commuters, especially those of us living along this Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway. I think government should have waited until the inauguration of this our BRT here. It would have reduced the stress. `When I couldnt get a bus, I started trekking with others to Ikeja. Another commuter, who simply identified herself as Mummy Abigail, said that the times were bad for the nursing mothers who had to move their children to wherever they go. She pleaded with the Lagos State Government to put to use the BRT corridor on Oshodi-Abule Egba. Tosin Adebayo, a trader at Oshodi, said that the pain created by the ban was huge, urging the government to do more in reducing the plight of commuters. At Onipanu, Sayo Ogunsakin, a retired civil servant, described the ban as good in reducing `Okada-related accidents. Mr Ogunsakin said: We were not born with Okada. These deaths were too many with Okada. We will all adjust to this new development. However, the ban in Surulere, Lagos Mainland and Apapa Local Government Areas (LGAs) ended the usual crowding, loitering and lawlessness of motorcycle and tricycle riders at Costain Roundabout, Ijora, Apapa road and Ojuelegba. Meanwhile, some commuters were also seen trekking from Costain to Bode Thomas, Ijora and Oyingbo because of non- availability of motorcycles and tricycles. At Oshodi-Isolo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), the ban and restriction had little or no effect on traffic situation between Oke-Afa and Iyana-Isolo as the usual gridlock persisted and many commuters resorted to trekking. Advertisements Also, the usual traffic congestion from Ikotun to Jakande Gate also persisted in spite of the ban. NAN reports that the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, especially from Cele to Mile 2 bus stops known for unrestrained operations of motorcycles, was free on Monday morning. From Ikorodu-Mile 12-Ketu-Ojota-Maryland-Onipanu-Fadeyi-Ojuelegba-Barracks-Stadium-Alaka, Iponri to Costain, there was total compliance by motorcycles and tricycles and the usual gridlock was not there. There was, however, shortage of commercial buses at most bus stop as some workers and students resorted to trekking to offices and schools. Some people who spoke with NAN around Ojuelegba could not hide their anger, saying that they trekked from Idi Araba, Ijesha and other places in Surulere to Ojuelegba, Yaba and other nearby places. A mother of two, who simply identified herself as Mummy AbdulMojid, told NAN that she trekked with her children from Banire St. to Nathan St., Surulere, a long distance, to take her children to school, urging the government to look into the ban. She said that the total ban on motorcycles and tricycles in Surulere would affect a lot of people and students, urging the state government to rather restrict their operations. A student of St Catherine Schools at Ojuelegba, Johnson Nwachukwu, told NAN that he trekked from Lawanson to Ojuelegba because he could not find a tricycle to pick him. Most of us are trekking to schools because motorcycles and tricycles have been banned in Surulere where we reside, he said. The state government, on February 1, commenced enforcement of the extant Transport Sector Reform Law 2018 banning operations of motorcycles and tricycles in some LGAs and LCDAs and restricted them from some highways, bridges and roads. (NAN) BAGHDAD, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Populist Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr urged his followers on Sunday to help security forces clear roads blocked during months of sit-in protests, calling for "day-to-day life" to resume following the appointment of a new prime minister. Sadr, who has alternately sided with the anti-government protesters and the Iran-backed political groups they reject, urged his unarmed supporters known as "blue hats" to work with authorities to ensure schools and businesses can operate normally again. "I advise the security forces to stop anyone from cutting off roads and the ministry of education should punish those who obstruct regular working hours, be they students, teachers or others," Sadr said in a statement published on Twitter. Some of his followers appeared to have helped already to clear out protest areas in Baghdad's Tahrir Square overnight, a Reuters reporter said. The Turkish Restaurant, a tall building occupied by demonstrators since October, was mostly empty and the blue hats stood guard with walkie-talkies outside it. Anti-government protests continued nearby, with demonstrators directing their ire towards new Prime Minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, who was named on Saturday as part of a deal between Sadr and rival Iran-backed political groups. Protesters demanding the removal of Iraq's ruling elite and the creation of better jobs and services have regularly blocked main roads in Baghdad and southern Iraq since demonstrations erupted in October. A political opportunist, Sadr has directed anti-government unrest in previous years but he has not been able to control this round of demonstrations and many protesters oppose him as much as the rest of the political class. Saturday's appointment of Allawi resulted from a deal following two months of wrangling between Sadr and pro-Iran parties, sources close to outgoing premier Adel Abdul Mahdi said. Abdul Mahdi resigned in November under pressure from the street protests. Sadr's supporters had previously bolstered the protesters and sometimes helped shield them from attacks by security forces and unidentified gunmen. Story continues But they withdrew from the main sit-in camps at his request earlier this month, and even attacked protesters in Tahrir Square, the main protest camp in the capital, hours before Allawi's designation on Saturday. Many protesters, including some of his own supporters who had joined demonstrations, accused him of abandoning their cause. Many of Sadr's supporters hail from eastern Baghdad slums and share the same grievances as many Iraqis - no work opportunities, poor healthcare and education. The unrest is Iraq's biggest crisis for years. It has shattered nearly two years of calm that prevailed after the defeat of the Sunni Muslim extremist Islamic State in 2017. (Reporting by Nadine Awadalla, John Davison and Aziz El Yaakoubi Editing by Helen Popper) GUWAHATI/ NEW DELHI: The massive fire that broke out on a river in Assam on Sunday due to leakage from an underground oil pipeline has died out, officials said on Monday. The fire on Burhi Dihing River took place at Naharkatiya in Dibrugarh district, nearly 450 km east of Guwahati, after an Oil India Limited (OIL) pipeline started leaking on Saturday. OIL alleged some miscreants set the leaked oil on fire. The fire subsided once the spilled oil had completely burnt by Sunday evening, said Dibrugarh district additional superintendent of police (head quarter) Padmanabh Baruah. Officials from OIL stopped the leakage. Since the fire took place in the middle of the river, it didnt cause much damage and no one was injured, he added. In its official statement on Monday, OIL said, An incident took place at the Central Tank Farm (CTF) in Oil India Limited (OIL)s field headquarters in Duliajan. There was sudden closure of remote operated shut off valves and motor operator valves of inlets and outlets of all the Crude Oil Storage Tanks. Consequently, there was pressure build up in the incoming lines to the tanks and it was observed that leaks developed at five points within the periphery of the CTF. Leaks also developed at two points in the incoming crude oil delivery line of one of the field installation near Duliajan. It added, The spilled crude oilsomehow managed to trickle into the nearby Burhi Dihing river. It appears that some miscreants set fire to the oil floating on the river. There has been no casualty and the fire has doused on its own. Meanwhile, river and environmental policy experts said the oil spill may have suffocated aquatic life in Burhi Dihing. They also raised concerns that environment ministrys January 16 notification exempting offshore and onshore oil and gas exploratory drilling from seeking environment clearance could expose more water bodies to such environmental disasters. Big fires caused due to burning of hydrocarbons could cause release of green house gas like carbon dioxide and affect the environment, said Hari Prasad Sarma, professor, department of environmental science, Gauhati University. The first thing that happens after such a spillage is the river stretch loses dissolved oxygen and the most aquatic life in that stretch dies... The government must immediately revisit its decision to exempt exploratory drilling from environment impact assessment, said Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan convenor Manoj Mishra. This incident comes as a reminder that our regulation needs to be based on precaution than exemption, said Centre for Policy Research senior fellow Manju Menon. We have sought a first hand information report from Assam Pollution Control Board. It appears to be an accident. We will take decision after receiving details, said Prashant Gargava, member secretary, Central Pollution Control Board. Rare, if ever, has there been a time when President Donald Trump has made Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee want to dance with joy. The Houston Democrat has been one of Trumps most persistent critics since he took office, and the president hasnt had much good to say about Lee. But lets give credit to both, as well as Sen. John Cornyn, for working together to honor African American history and telling a more expansive and accurate story of how critical slavery was to the development of the state and nation. I feel like doing a dance, Lee said after Trump signed a bill co-authored by Lee and Cornyn that paves a path toward a 51-mile Emancipation Trail from Galveston to Houston. The bill commissions a study for this trail and is a necessary first step toward a national landmark commemorating when Texas slaves learned they were free. On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and Union troops sailed into Galveston Bay, where he issued General Order No. 3 informing them of the Emancipation Proclamation that President Abraham Lincoln had signed nearly 2 years earlier. The proposed trail would begin at the building where Granger made his announcement and would go along Interstate 45 and Texas 3 to Freedmans Town before ending in Emancipation Park in Houston. After that first Juneteenth, Freedmans Town, located in Houstons Fourth Ward, became a destination for newly free blacks from Texas and Louisiana. The Emancipation Trail will be only the second National Historic Trail honoring African American history, the other one being the 54 miles between Selma and Montgomery in Alabama which, in a march led by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965, capped a civil rights campaign that would lead to passage of the Voting Rights Act. Given the long presence of African Americans in the United States and their deep cultural impact, its shameful no other trails acknowledge their presence and contributions. This is even more reason why a tip of the hat should be given to Lee, Cornyn and Trump. Their bipartisan effort to give a fuller version of our nations history should inspire other efforts and lead to more National Historic Trails honoring those too often ignored. The dance between Lee and Trump wont last long, but their partnership is leading to something that will endure. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 17:06:44|Editor: zh Video Player Close ISTANBUL, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least 30 Syrian troops were killed in Turkish counter-fire in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said here on Monday. "We have responded in kind to these attacks and will continue to do so... We are determined to continue our operations for the security of our country, people and our brothers in Idlib," he told reporters. Erdogan said Turkey will continue to retaliate against attacks on its forces in Idlib. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, reported that about six Syrian government troops were killed by Turkish shelling. The retaliation came after four Turkish soldiers were killed and nine others wounded by Syrian shelling in Idlib, said the Turkish Defense Ministry. In recent years, drag performers have entertained children by reading books at libraries and community centers. The events have faced some backlash: In June, state Rep. Larry Householder of Ohio condemned drag queen story time in a letter to the Ohio Library Council. I can also assure you the taxpayers arent interested in seeing their hard-earned dollars being used to teach teenage boys how to become drag queens, he wrote. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. A soldier (conscript) has been injured in one of Artsakhs military regiments, spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia Artsrun Hovhannisyan told ARMENPRESS. He added that according to preliminary information the soldier shoot at his leg by his own weapon. Artsrun Hovhannisyan said that at the moment he can provide no more details. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan The international expansion Aurora Cannabis (NASDAQ:ACB) shareholders have been waiting for took another step forward on Monday. A large marijuana production facility in Bradford, Ontario, received its European Union Good Manufacturing Practice (EU-GMP) certification. The Aurora River site is the company's third and largest facility licensed to produce marijuana for consumption in Canada and throughout the EU. The new certification raises Aurora's ability to serve the growing market for medical marijuana in Germany and the rest of the European Union by 237% to 39,800 kilograms annually. Making ends meet Aurora has quickly expanded its operations to 25 countries on three continents, and that growth hasn't come cheap. During the third quarter, funding that expansion abroad helped push Aurora's sales, general, and administration, expenses to CA$81.1 million. Meanwhile, international medical revenue grew to an annualized CA$20.0 million during the quarter, which wasn't nearly enough to cover all those added expenses. While an EU-GMP certification for increased capacity is a vital step on the path to significant medical marijuana sales abroad, the first two Canadian facilities to receive that green light already gave Aurora's European operation a lot of room to grow. And Aurora's German facility can produce 2,100 kilograms per year, which is probably enough capacity to meet demand in 2020 there without any imports from Canada. China has flown two planeloads of its citizens back home to Hubei, the locked-down province at the centre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak where they were greeted by authorities in full-body protective suits. A Xiamen Airlines charter flight from Bangkok touched down late Friday in the provincial capital Wuhan, where the infection is believed to have originated in a market that sold wild animals. Health authorities in white, full-body protective gear stood by the cabin door as the plane's 73 passengers disembarked, smiling through face masks and waving to news photographers. A second Xiamen flight landed soon afterwards carrying Hubei residents from Kota Kinabalu, a popular coastal tourist destination in Malaysia. China's foreign ministry said earlier on Friday that the country would bring Wuhan residents back from overseas "as soon as possible" due to "the practical difficulties that Chinese citizens from Hubei, especially Wuhan, have faced overseas". The move came after a more than 30 airlines worldwide announced they were halting or reducing flights to China as the country struggles to contain the spread of the epidemic. China's aviation agency had said there were 117 nationals from Hubei province in Bangkok and 100 in Kota Kinabalu who are "willing to take the chartered flights back to Wuhan as soon as possible". This was despite the fact that Wuhan and surrounding cities have been locked down by authorities for more than a week, effectively trapping more than 50 million people in their homes after a near-blanket transport ban. Nearly all of the 259 people killed in the outbreak so far were in Hubei. Hospitals have been overwhelmed in Wuhan. AFP reporters saw long queues, with some patients saying they lined up for two days to see a doctor. The charter flights prompted a flurry of discussion on Chinese social media. "These people probably don't want to go back," said one, while another questioned if residents should be returned to Hubei if they were not infected. Story continues China has advised its citizens to postpone trips abroad and cancelled overseas group tours. Several countries including the United States, Germany, Britain and Japan have urged their citizens to avoid travel there. The US has also declared a national emergency, temporarily barring entry to foreigners who had been in China within the past two weeks. Neighbouring Myanmar turned a plane back to China on Friday with most passengers still on board -- including French and American citizens -- after one man suspected of contracting the coronavirus was taken to hospital. Recognition of School Choice As a former educator, I understand how important it is for our children to have access to a quality education. And when it comes to educating our young people in the United States, we are fortunate to have numerous options to ensure the best results and learning for every child. In recognizing National School Choice Week, we celebrate the freedom of parents and guardians to determine and decide in what setting their kids should receive their education. I believe strongly in the authority of parents to guide the education and upbringing of their children with minimal interference from the government. Whether its in public schools, private schools, charter schools, religious schools or at home, there is a school environment that is best for the unique needs of each student. I fully support enabling and empowering parents to educate their children in the ways best suited for their kids and within their individual households and families. Alternatives to the traditional public education system are all driven by one idea helping all students achieve academic success. In recent years, access has grown to charter and magnet schools, making these schools an option for more families. A charter school is a public school that often operates independently of the local school system, giving the school the freedom to design classrooms that meet their students needs. The charter school movement began as a reaction to the one-size-fits-all model of traditional public schools, a model that has clearly failed some though certainly not all students and families. In our state of Oklahoma, there are currently 41 charter schools serving more than 24,000 students; two are in the Fourth District. Thank you for making this National #SchoolChoiceWeek 2020 celebration the best one yet! pic.twitter.com/rSafC3i6nJ School Choice Week (@schoolchoicewk) February 1, 2020 In addition to charter and magnet schools, families might decide to send their children to private or religious schools or to educate at home. If relevant or accessible for families, these options can also cater to the curriculum preferences and learning needs of students that might not be addressed in traditional public-school settings. There are a number of reasons why parents might go this route for the education of their children, including the desire for a different approach to classroom curriculum or to incorporate religious viewpoints excluded in public schools. And due to smaller class size, these options typically offer more individualized attention toward students as well. During my tenure as Chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds the Department of Education, I advocated for and oversaw implementation of more funding for charter schools. Like public schools, charter schools are held accountable for academic success, tuition is free, and no entry exams are required to attend. However, in contrast to public schools, charter schools test innovative and different service delivery models such as focusing on science and mathematics. Charter schools have more flexibility in responding quickly to student needs without asking for permission from a cumbersome school district. For parents who want a more targeted approach to their childs education, charter schools provide an affordable alternative, especially if private school is too expensive or home schooling is not an option. The United States was built on freedom, and our forefathers fought hard to deliver unique liberties to all Americans. Certainly, our educational systems should reflect that founding belief, empowering families to help their kids reach their fullest potential in life. Indeed, education is one of the most important building blocks for success, and access to quality learning directly impacts lifelong development and individual potential. When our children have a solid foundation of learning, they are better equipped to flourish throughout their lives. During National School Choice Week, we celebrate the freedom of American families to not only the provide their children with the best opportunity to learn, but the best chance to excel in their individual pursuit of happiness. Tom Cole, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, is serving his eighth term in Congress as the elected representative of Oklahoma's 4th Congressional District. He is recognized as an advocate for taxpayers and small business, a proponent for a strong national defense and a leader in promoting biomedical research. He is considered the foremost expert in the House on issues dealing with Native Americans and tribal governments. He and his wife, Ellen, have one son, Mason, and reside in Moore, Oklahoma. Join the Conversation The word Brexit is "over" and is receding behind us into history, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday in his first major speech since the UK formally left the European Union after 47 years of membership following the vote in favour of the divorce deal in June 2016. The UK formally left the EU on January 31 and is now in a pre-agreed period of transition during which it is free to open up trade talks with countries around the world. In a triumphant vision statement for the UK to become a campaigner and catalyst for free trade around the world, Johnson said Britain's exit from the 27-member economic bloc meant that it will not be accepting all its rules as it opens up negotiations with countries around the world. "It's not banned. It's just over... it's gone. I wouldn't say it's like the Big Bang or the Norman Conquest. It's just that it's receding into history behind us," said Johnson, when asked why he had not referred to the word "Brexit" even once during the course of the speech during at the historic Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, reflective of Britain's trading history across its many colonies during the Empire. "I won't even mention the name of the controversy except to say that it begins with B. Receding in the past behind us. We have the opportunity, we have the newly recaptured powers, we know where we want to go, and that is out into the world," he said. The central theme of his address was to highlight the UK government's approach to the upcoming negotiations with the EU during the transition period triggered on Friday night and running until the end of December. Johnson's tough-talking message was that the UK would be seeking a "pragmatic" agreement with the EU along the lines of Canada but that it was also prepared for looser ties akin to Australia if it meant complete alignment with the EU rules and laws. "The reason we do not seek membership or part membership of the Customs Union or alignment of any kind, is at least partly that I want this country to be an independent actor and catalyst for free trade across the world," he said. Johnson made specific references to the US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan as being on top of the list of countries that the UK would be initiating immediate talks for new trading arrangements. India was not named in this initial list but he stressed that the UK's Department for International Trade was ready to begin talks simultaneously around the world. "We are ready for the great multi-dimensional game of chess in which we engage in more than one negotiation at once and we are limbering up to use nerves and muscles and instincts that this country has not had to use for half a century," he said. In a corresponding speech in Brussels, Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, said the EU was ready to offer a "highly ambitious trade deal as the central pillar of this partnership" but it would be dependent on the UK agreeing to "specific and effective guarantees to ensure a level playing field" to ensure competition "remains open and fair". Trade talks between the UK and the EU are due to formally begin in March, with any agreement required to be cleared by all 27 members of the economic bloc. Johnson had hailed the historic Brexit moment as the dawn of a new era for the UK in his address to the nation just before Brexit. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mary Dunn has lived in the same house since the second grade. The house, built in 1903, has four floors, a full walk-in closet and maids quarters, and has been her home since the 60s, where shes spent many summers reading on the screened-in porch. But shes known two homes for the last few decades: the century-old, white house with green shutters on Ferry Street, and the La Crosse Public Library. Dunn has been a librarian and staff member with the La Crosse Public Library for the last 45 years, and this week shes retiring, ready to start the next chapter. She first started at the library in 1975 when she was 18. A friend encouraged her to apply. It was the summer after I graduated from high school, Dunn said, and the bottom line is: I was bored. But she didnt hear back from the library at first. She said it took nearly four months before she got a call saying youre working today. And she even remembers the green skort outfit she wore on her first day that October. During the past four-and-a-half decades, Dunn has served in at least four different positions, seen two renovations and additions at the library, introduced many new programs and initiatives, been through fast-moving changes like security measures and the addition of computers, and seen the library grow into a space for the community to feel safe. Ive gone through a lot of changes in library world, Dunn said. I want to move on to the next chapter. The impact Dunn will leave behind on the library is significant, leaving behind plenty of programs she helped spearhead, like Books n Brunch, the homebound book delivery service and bus tours, trips that take patrons to new spots in the area that showcase literature and history. These programs have helped make the library feel more like a home than just a place to find books, especially for adults, her friends and coworkers say. Ive lived a lot of places, and Ive always gravitated to libraries, said Diane Buckles, a retired library volunteer who attends a lot of Dunns programs. She moved to La Crosse in recent years after living in Alaska for much of her life, and said the library became a safe space for her in a new town. We will get bored, depressed. Thats what I found when I first retired, was I was starting to get depressed because I didnt know anybody, Buckles said. But then she started going to the library, which helped her feel more at home. This camaraderie that Dunn built for adults and their love for reading is something she will be long remembered for at the La Crosse Public Library. She said, Hey, why cant adults have fun too? said Pam Gleason, a long-time coworker and friend of Dunns. But it wasnt just initiating inclusive (and fun) programs at the library that will set her apart, but also her ability to make a friend in anyone. Mary is a very personable person, Gleason said. She can talk to anyone. And shes always been that way. A conversation with Dunn is an easy thing to have, Gleason said, because she always has something interesting to say. Shes traveled all over the world, met the Pope, worked with animals in-need, brought trinkets back from Christmas markets in Germany, is a musician who sings at the Cathedral of St. Joseph and The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, plays softball on local teams, and through it all, has kept her friendships dear to her. Thats one thing about Mary, she keeps her friendships and commitments to her friends pretty tight, Gleason said, who has known Dunn for 41 years. Shes a friend forever, once youre a friend of Mary Dunns. Those at the library will miss that instant friendship and outgoing personality. Shes one of a kind, said Heather Miller, the volunteer coordinator at the library. You cant duplicate a Mary Dunn. Just about everybody who comes through this library, Mary gets to know them. She gets to know them well. She usually knows their story, their background, whats going on with them, Gleason added. And its an aspect that Dunn herself will miss the most, too. The people ... I had to mentally prepare myself for a year to do this, she said, because I really enjoy the people that I serve, and the people I work with. The community is invited to Dunns retirement party at the library on Wednesday, Feb. 5, from 1:30 to 4 p.m., where the theme will be bidding farewell to Queen Mary, who will be adorned in a crown and seated on a throne. What will Dunn do with her new time as a retiree? Travel, adopt a dog, read more true crime and historical fiction (her favorite genres) on the screened-in porch of her childhood home, and, of course, visit the library, a place that will always be her home. This was Marys home away from home, Gleason said. And that wont change for Dunn. You know, I may be showing up for some of those programs, she said, and Im always available for lunch. Love 8 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. B oris Johnson has vowed to set out tougher rules for convicted terrorists after a man released early from jail went on a stabbing spree in south London. Although he has not been formally identified, police are confident the suspect is Sudesh Amman , who was jailed in 2018 for "Islamist-related terrorism offences" but released half way through serving his three-year sentence. In a statement released after the Streatham attack, Mr Johnson said the Government had "moved quickly" to introduce measures to strengthen the UK's response to terrorism. He added: "We will announce further plans for fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences. "My thoughts are with the injured victims and their loved ones." It comes as police shot dead a man after three people were injured during a knife attack in Streatham / NIGEL HOWARD Mr Johnson's words echo comments he made the day after London's last terror attack at Fishmongers' Hall when two people were killed by convicted terrorist Usman Khan in December. At the time, he claimed that scrapping early release from prison would have stopped Khan's murder spree which claimed two lives. "If you are convicted of a serious terrorist offence, there should be a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 years - and some should never be released," he said. Streatham terror attack - In pictures 1 /28 Streatham terror attack - In pictures Police are dealing with an incident in Streatham Andy Bullemor Police officers conduct a search of a bail hostel in south London AFP via Getty Images A woman reacts near to the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police Getty Images Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police cordon off a property in Streatham PA Forensic officers outside a property on Leigham Court Road, Streatham PA Police activity at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road PA Police officers look under a bus as they work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the Streatham area of south London AP Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Armed police officer on Streatham High Road PA Forensics investigate the scene of the terror attack on Monday morning Jeremy Selwyn Police officers guard a cordon on Streatham High Road, at the junction of Prentis Road AFP via Getty Images Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard Police officers at the scene after a man was shot by armed police Getty Images Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Police secure the area in Streatham AP Forensics investigate the scene Nigel Howard "Further, for all terrorism and extremist offences, the sentence announced by the judge must be the time actually served - these criminals must serve every day of their sentence, with no exceptions." In November 2018 he pleaded guilty to possession of terrorist documents and disseminating terrorist publications, and the following month he was sentenced to more than three years in prison. Details of The Counter Terrorism (Sentencing and Release) Bill were released last month. They included forcing dangerous terrorists who receive extended determinate sentences to serve the whole time behind bars, and scrapping early release from jail for those classed as dangerous and handed extended determinate sentences. Terrorists deemed not to be a risk would have to serve two-thirds of their sentence before the Parole Board could consider them for release, as part of the bill. Shortly after the London Bridge attack, Home Office figures showed more than 350 convicted and suspected terrorists had been freed from prison over the previous seven years. By Express News Service MUMBAI: A 24-year-old woman lecturer at a college in Wardha was set on fire by a stalker on Monday and is in a critical condition. The accused Vicky Nagrale (27) was arrested soon after the incident. The incident took place at around 7.15 am as the victim was arriving at the Matoshri Ashatai Kunawar College in Hinganghat town of Wardha district. The college was just about 100 metres away from Nanderi Chowk area where the incident took place. It is a crowded area. As she alighted from the bus, Nagrale came up to her, doused her with petrol that he took out from his two-wheeler, and set her ablaze before running away from the spot, said police inspector Pratibha Dunbale from Hinganghat police station, who is investigating the case. Wardha Superintendent of Police Basavaraj Teli said Nagrale was arrested from Sawarkheda village near Butibori industrial area of Nagpur, around 75 km away from Hinganghat. The accused has been arrested and is currently detained. He is being questioned by the police. He and the victim belong to the same village and he had been stalking the girl for some time, Teli said. The victim has sustained around 40 per cent burns. Her face is completely charred. But, more dangerous are the toxic fumes emanating from the fire that she must have inhaled. That has made her condition critical. We will have to keep her under observation for at least 72 hours, said Dr Darshan Revankar of the Orange City Hospital at Nagpur where she was brought after the incident. The victim has suffered grade 2 deep dermal burns covering the scalp, face, right upper limb, left hand, upper back and full neck, said the hospital bulletin. According to the police, the accused and the victim were friends till two years ago when she severed ties with him due to his irrational behaviour. Both of them are from Daroda village of Wardha district. Nagrale is a married man and has a seven-month-old son. He works at a firm in Balharshah. He had even tried to commit suicide last year, though no complaint was lodged at that time. Since the past three-four months, the accused had been stalking and pursuing the victim, but she repeatedly spurned his overtures. They used to travel on the same bus and three months ago, she had a bitter altercation with him during the journey after which she informed her family. They advised her to handle the matter tactfully. Nagrale was charged under Indian Penal Code sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means. The government is serious on the issue and we shall deal with it firmly. Strong action will be taken in this case, said Women and Child Development Minister Yashomati Thakur. Ernest Sumpter, 68, tells a tax-time tale that should give anyone pause before handing over a Social Security number and other information to a stranger who offers a deal on doing your taxes. Sumpter lives in a seniors apartment complex in Detroit not far from Wayne State University where a woman essentially went door-to-door offering to prepare tax returns. "She was charging the seniors $50 to do their taxes," Sumpter said. The woman, who was in her 40s, dressed well, drove a nice car and looked professional. She had built up a friendship with another tenant in the building, a relationship that ultimately opened doors for her. "She got close to one of the seniors so she could vouch for her," said Sumpter, who retired after working at a local manufacturing plant that made auto parts. Ernest Sumpter, 68, and Rosaline Johnson, 64, are neighbors in a senior complex in Detroit and say a woman went door-to-door to promote her $50 tax preparation services and ultimately rip off seniors. Since the woman seemed genuine and other people liked her, Sumpter paid $50 for filing his 2017 state income tax return to get a state refund based on the Home Heating Credit and the Michigan Homestead Property Tax Credit. All seemed to work out OK. Taxes 2020: When to file and what changes to expect Tax audits: These two groups of taxpayers face the highest rates of audit But last year, he said, the woman filed a 2018 state tax return on his behalf without his knowledge. She not the state sent him a check for about $700. He called her up to find out what was going on. And then he called the state to dig into the situation a bit further. After all, he never signed a return. Only then did he discover that he was actually supposedly paid about $900 not $700. He figures she pocketed around $200 when she apparently had the refund sent to her account first. "I didn't get it. She sent it to her account and then sent me a check," he said. "She just did it on her own and brought me a check." Others from his building express frustration at seeing someone ripping off seniors, too. "We don't have a lot of money and for someone to come and play us like that, that's really a bad thing," said Rosaline Johnson, 64, who lives in the same senior complex in Detroit. Story continues Can you trust your tax preparer? While many legitimate professionals prepare taxes, the IRS has been warning consumers to be careful when it comes to dealing with unethical preparers and fly-by-night outfits. Johnson and Sumpter told their story as part of a media event to outline the risks of running into a bad preparer. Participants included the Internal Revenue Service, the Better Business Bureau, the Accounting Aid Society, the Michigan Department of Treasury and the Detroit Police Department. Sometimes a con artist will keep repeating the same old tricks and won't be easily caught such as the ongoing story of the door-to-door tax preparer in Detroit. "Unfortunately, this woman is back on the street and going door to door already," said Laura Blankenship, director marketing of the Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Michigan & the Upper Peninsula. She said the BBB heard about the bad preparer at one of its events for seniors in Detroit. Sumpter is working with a legal aid attorney to seek some justice. Taxpayers are warned to choose their tax preparers carefully. Don't just trust someone who is making big promises or is the friend of a friend. Don't get taken by outlandish promises on social media where some preparers claim to get you the biggest tax refund possible. How to spot a scam artist "You want to stay away from people who are showing big buckets of cash," said Sarah Kull, the special agent in charge for IRS Criminal Investigations Detroit Field Office. The IRS already has spotted all sorts of wild ads on social media. Sometimes, someone is holding a supersize refund check to promote a given tax preparer. But is the tax preparer really going to take time to find out whether you have a mortgage and could itemize deductions? Will the taxpayer even ask to see your paperwork? Does the preparer even care whether you have children? "You want to make sure they're asking for your W-2s," Kull said. Too often, a phony preparer will file a fake Schedule C for a business, even if you aren't running a business, to generate a bigger refund. If you know you aren't running a lawn care service, she said, you shouldn't be filing a tax form that says you do, even if your preparer suggests that's the way to go. Sometimes, a fraudulent preparer will go so far as to claim you have dependent children when you're single and childless to wrongly try to generate a large refund by claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit. "All of a sudden, they have two kids when they have none," Kull said. Tax filers need to review their returns with their preparers and ask questions when they don't understand something. Don't sign a blank tax return and let the person you're paying complete it. Don't sign a return that you don't understand. Make sure the tax preparer that you paid signs the return, too. The IRS warns that "ghost" tax return preparers will refuse to sign the tax return they prepare for you. The unscrupulous preparer will print the return and tell you to sign it and mail it to the IRS in many cases. For an e-filed return, the preparer may refuse to digitally sign it as the preparer. Other bad signs: The preparer may only accept cash and not provide a receipt. How bad actors make their money The bad preparer might make money by getting repeat business, charging outlandish fees or even cooking up a scheme where they take their payment based as a percentage of your tax refund. Some bad actors will direct that refund into their own bank account, not yours. You might end up with some of the money or nothing at all. Watch out to make sure that a "ghost" preparer doesn't put his or her bank account information on your tax return. "Basically, their incentive," Kull said, "is to make more money for them." Taxpayers need to do their own basic research about tax laws. It's also wise to research a tax preparer not just go with anyone offering a super deal. You don't want your personal information to get in the hands of fraud rings that might later file fake returns using your information as a way to generate phony tax refunds for the crooks. Sometimes, a preparer can just do shoddy work, even if they're not trying to cheat the system. The State of Michigan has seen tax returns filed by preparers who didn't completely or accurately fill out the form, according to Sarah Rusnell, the taxpayer outreach coordinator in the Michigan Department of Treasury. "That can lead to the taxpayer paying too much and not getting the refund that they are owed," Rusnell said. In general, the IRS notes that unscrupulous preparers tend to frequently prepare bad returns for a large number of people. The taxpayer, at best, could end up being stuck paying any additional taxes owed and interest. And at worst, the taxpayer, depending on culpability, would be subject to penalties and even criminal prosecution. Remember, anyone who prepares federal tax returns professionally must have a valid "preparer tax identification number" or PTIN. And tax filers should ask about the PTIN. A paid preparer must sign the return and include that PTIN on the tax return. And tax filers should make sure that any professional preparing their return signs that return to indicate that the tax return was prepared by someone else. The IRS has a "Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers with Credentials and Select Qualifications" at irs.gov that can help taxpayers research preparers. The site explains the different professional credentials and levels of expertise, including enrolled agents, certified public accountants, and annual filing season program participants. Taxpayers can report misconduct to the IRS using IRS Form 14157. If a taxpayer suspects that a tax preparer filed or changed their federal income tax return without their consent, they should file Form 14157-A. More than half of the federal income tax returns filed in Michigan last year were signed and filed by tax professionals, according to Luis D. Garcia, an IRS spokesman in Detroit. But he warned that using a bad preparer one who makes fraudulent claims is going to create major problems and headaches for the tax filer. "They're going to leave you with a big mess to clean up," Garcia said. "Remember, you sign it, you own it." Contact Susan Tompor at 313-222-8876 or stompor@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @tompor. Read more on business and sign up for our business newsletter. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tax refund promises might be scams. Here's how to check preparer The first genetic analysis of schizophrenia in an ancestral African population, the South African Xhosa, appears in the Jan. 31 issue of the journal Science. An international group of scientists conducted the research, including investigators from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and New York State Psychiatric Institute, as well as the University of Cape Town and the University of Washington. The study was carried out in the Xhosa population because Africa is the birthplace of all humans, yet ancestral African populations have rarely been the focus of genetics research. (There is no evidence that the Xhosa have an unusually high risk of schizophrenia). The researchers analyzed blood samples collected from 909 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and 917 controls living in South Africa. Their study revealed that participants with schizophrenia are significantly more likely to carry rare, damaging genetic mutations compared to participants without schizophrenia. These rare mutations were also more likely to affect brain and synaptic function. Synapses coordinate the communication between brain nerve cells called neurons; the organization and firing of neuronal synapses are ultimately responsible for learning, memory, and brain function. The genes and pathways identified by this research inform the understanding of schizophrenia for all human populations, the researchers say. Further studies in African populations might also suggest potential mechanisms for the design of more effective treatments. "The presence of only a few DNA variations damaging to synaptic function could have an outsized effect on schizophrenia," says co-author Ezra Susser, MD, DrPH, professor of epidemiology and psychiatry at the Columbia Mailman School, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and New York State Psychiatric Institute. "While these variants differ from person to person, we believe they may disrupt neural pathways that elevate risk for schizophrenia." The relative lack of genetics studies in Africa leaves a major gap in understanding human genetics. Almost 99 percent of human evolution took place in Africa after the first modern humans originated and before humans migrated from Africa to Europe and Asia 50,000 to 100,000 years ago. Because of the lack of studies in Africa, many generations of human genetic history are missing from our understanding of human adaptation and of human disease. Studies of ancestral African populations like the Xhosa have more diverse background DNA, which facilitates the identification of truly rare mutations. The Xhosa community participated in the development and conduct of the research. The project was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, grants U01MH096754, U01 MH096756, U01MH096844, UM1HG008898. A young woman, who is among the six Indians stopped from coming back to India, has released a video seeking the governments help to fly them back home from Chinas coronavirus-struck Wuhan city. The six Indians were not allowed by Chinese authorities to board the special Air India flight, which flew out of Wuhan early on Saturday with 324 of their compatriots on board. Four students and two trainees from a Shenzhen-based Chinese electronics company were stopped at immigration during their medical screening just before they were to board the New Delhi-bound aircraft. All of them displayed either above normal or fluctuating temperatures during the screening and were asked to step aside from the immigration line. Fever, cough and shortness of breath are three key symptoms of the novel coronavirus, a previously unknown strain. The woman, who can be seen with her face covered in a mask, says in the video that she and her colleague do not have any symptom of the fast-moving coronavirus. Reports said she is from Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh. She says they were told they could take the next flight to India but were informed on Sunday afternoon that they will not be allowed to board that as well. We are asked to stop and not to take the flight. They said that we can take the next flight. But today in the afternoon they called and said that we were not even allowed to take that flight because of yesterdays body check We are stuck. she says. The Chinese people didnt assure neither deny that we are having any virus. We are ready to prove that we dont have any virus because we dont have any symptoms, she is heard saying in the video. We had just a raise in our body temperature. It was not that high. It was just some 37.5 degrees which was due to some physical activities under some strain at that time. We were panicked a bit, she says. She says their body temperature is stable now and that they dont have any other symptoms of coronavirus. We request our government to take us back to India and for that we are ready to prove that we dont have any symptoms regarding the virus and we are safe and healthy. So, I request the government to take us back to India, she adds. India has evacuated more than 600 people from Wuhan on Saturday and Sunday and kept them under observation in two quarantine facilities in Delhi and Haryanas Manesar. Officials have said one of the evacuees has shown symptoms of being affected by the virus. At least 56 people died of the novel coronavirus on Sunday pushing the death toll from the outbreak to 361, health authorities have said. The worst-hit Hubei province recorded more than 2100 cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases in the central Chinese province to over 16,600. More than 2800 new cases were reported nationwide. China now has at least 17,205 confirmed cases of the virus across the country. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned other countries that they need to be prepared in the event the disease spreads among their populations. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kapil Mishra said on February 3 that incumbent Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should rename his party as the Muslim League. Accusing the Aam Aadmi Party national convenor of siding with anti-national elements and doing the politics of divide, he slammed all those who have a disdain for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. , , , Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishra_IND) February 3, 2020 He took to Twitter on February 3 to vent his resentment for Kejriwals party. Likening him with Burhan Wani, the BJP leader wrote: Speaking to the media, he also said: "The Aam Aadmi Party is doing the same politics as that of the Muslim League. They are doing of politics of divide and Muslim vote bank. They are against Yogi's speech. Only those who stand by anti-nationals, terrorists, traitors, and rioters will be afraid of Yogi ji." Mishra, who is contesting the election for BJP from Model Town constituency, has been reprimanded by the Election Commission for posting provocative tweets. He was banned from campaigning for two days by EC for comparing the upcoming elections with an India versus Pakistan duel. His comments came in response to AAP urging EC to ban The UP CM from addressing election rallies in Delhi. In their complaint against the UP CM, who was campaigning for the BJP ahead of the February 8 Delhi Assembly elections, AAP accused him of delivering communal speeches. Seeking his arrest, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said: He (Yogi Adityanath) must be arrested for his communal speeches. We have lodged a complaint with the EC. Adityanath reportedly said at an election rally held in Delhi on February 1 that those staging protests against the new citizenship law at Shaheen Bagh and raising azadi slogans supported terrorists . He drew a parallel between a Pakistani minister and Kejriwal for supporting the peaceful demonstrators. [February 03, 2020] NOTICE TO UPS EMPLOYEES WITH ACCOUNTS AT THE MERRILL LYNCH TAMPA, FLORIDA BRANCH OFFICE: KlaymanToskes Continues to Investigate Claims on Behalf of UPS Employees Who Sustained Losses from Unsuitable Covered Call Writing Strategies KlaymanToskes ("KT (News - Alert)"), www.klaymantoskes.com, continues to investigate FINRA arbitration claims for current and former UPS (NYSE: UPS) employees for losses sustained from unsuitable covered call writing strategies for concentrated UPS stock positions. According to KT, Merrill Lynch employed an unsuitable covered call writing strategy. After hard-working UPS employees accumulated thousands of UPS shares through UPS's Employee Stock Purchase Program and the Manager Incentive Program, they were solicited to invest with Merrill Lynch, including one former UPS employee who invested at the Merrill Lynch, Tampa, Florida branch office. Merrill Lynch recommended a call writing strategy, to earn stable income. The strike prices that the call options were sold at were far too low given market conditions. The strategy was improperly implemented, and it led to UPS employees losing thousands of shares or significant amounts of money buying back the shares. The UPS employees did not want to lose shares, which they were assured they would not. More importantly, the shares paid out much needed quarterly dividends, which are relied upon in retirement. Further, the sale of such large positions tyically ended in significant tax liability to investors. The sole purpose of this release is to investigate the sales practices of Merrill Lynch for FINRA sales practice violations including: unsuitable recommendations, misrepresentation and omissions of material facts, and failure to supervise. Current and former UPS employees who held accounts at Merrill Lynch's Tampa, Florida branch office, and have information relating to the manner in which the firm handled their concentrated portfolios, are encouraged to contact the attorneys of KlaymanToskes at (888) 997-9956, or visit our firm's website at www.klaymantoskes.com. About KlaymanToskes KT is a leading national securities law firm which practices exclusively in the field of securities arbitration and litigation on behalf of retail and institutional investors throughout the world in large and complex securities matters. The firm represents high net-worth, ultra-high net-worth, and institutional investors, such as non-profit organizations, unions, public pension funds, and multi-employer pension funds. KT has office locations in California, Florida, New York, and Puerto Rico. Destination: https://klaymantoskes.com/notice-to-ups-employees-with-accounts-at-the-merrill-lynch-tampa-florida-branch-office-klaymantoskes-continues-to-investigate-claims-on-behalf-of-ups-employees-who-sustained-losses-from-unsuitable/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005519/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Phoenix police seized $2.5 million worth of fentanyl pills along with other drugs and weapons after stopping a suspected trafficker, officials said. Officers involved in a drug task force took 137,000 fentanyl pills off the streets on Jan. 30 during the second bust in the city in two weeks, the Phoenix Police Department said in a statement. The drug bust came after police identified a man they believed was selling large amounts of fentanyl pills to drug dealers. After investigations, officers stopped suspect Alexis Meza, 20, of Phoenix, while he was driving and uncovered 122,000 fentanyl pills in his vehicle, the statement said. Following the car stop, officers went to his home where they uncovered more fentanyl pills, 38 pounds of methamphetamine, a pound of marijuana, $5,000 in cash, seven handguns, and two rifles, according to police. Investigators also found four vehicles and ammunition during their search. Meza was booked into jail on various drug charges. CNN has not been able to determine whether he has an attorney, and has reached out to the Maricopa District Attorneys office. Last week, another drug bustconsidered one of the largest in the state of Arizonanetted 165,000 fentanyl pills. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Bidfood Middle East, the regions leading multi-channel foodservice provider of international F&B brands, will showcase its latest portfolio at the 25th edition of Gulfood, a leading annual food and beverage trade exhibition, later this month in Dubai, UAE. The event will take place from February 16 to 20, at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Keeping with the trade shows theme of this year, Rethinking Food, Bidfood MEs stand will display a multitude of product innovations from its portfolio under its overarching theme Innovation that Drives Profitability, said a statement. Plant-based cheese from Violife, superior high-oleic cooking oil from FlavOil, a range of product developments from Kraft Heinz, and a selection of gourmet salt from Cornish Sea Salt, among other surprises, will all be on full display around Bidfood MEs space for passersby to explore. The products quality, application options, and attributes will be showcased front and centre at the stands demo area, where corporate chefs and specialist mixologists will be highlighting the products via daily menu creations reinforcing Bidfood Middle Easts full-solution product offering. Bidfood Middle East CEO Hisham Al Jamil said: With a show as big as Gulfood in terms of reach and exposure, it is an incredible opportunity for Bidfood Middle East to reinforce why we are the leading foodservice distributor in the region. Not only does the quality of the brands we carry speak volumes, but our constant search for innovative products also allows us to remain ahead of the curve, he said. This years theme at Gulfood is exactly what people can expect at our stand: a fascinating, curated range of product innovations that help drive profitability and provide a front-and-back-of-house solution to the F&B world. We invite everybody to pass by our stand, talk to our regional team, ask about the products and experience our range first-hand, he added. More than 15 of Bidfood Middle Easts brands will be displaying their products at the show, 12 of which will present their products on bespoke stands across the perimeter of the Bidfood ME space, and the rest via the culinary demo area inside the space. These include Kraft Heinz, Violife, Sweet Street, General Mills, CSM, FlavOil, Cornish Sea Salt, Black & White Coffee, The Handmade Cake Co., Pacific West, Bridor, Monin, and more. With around 98,000 visitors hailing from more than 192 countries and over 5,000 exhibitors, Bidfood Middle Easts team members will be flying in from all over the region (Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman) to represent the company and participate in the show, it stated. TradeArabia News Service To celebrate beYogi's 5-year anniversary, we're giving one lucky person $5,000 to kickstart their yoga business. beYogi is celebrating its fifth anniversary by giving back to its tribe in a big way. The premier online yoga source for resources and yoga liability insurance today announced the companys first giveaway contest, a Yoga Studio Kickstarter Giveaway with a grand prize of $5,000 cash to one lucky winner. Now through Dec. 31, yogis will have the opportunity to enter into the Yoga Studio Kickstarter Giveaway for a chance to be selected as the lucky winner. In addition to the $5,000 cash prize, the grand prizewinner will also receive two-years of free beYogi yoga liability insurance and a free business course from Bizzy Yogi, valued at $1,000. We know it can be tough establishing the financial resources needed to set out on your own to open a studio, stated Adam Lapp, brand director for beYogi. At beYogi, we are a tribe of individuals that lift and encourage one another, which is why we wanted to give someone in our tribe this opportunity. Our customers have been so loyal over the last five years, we are delighted to be able to return the favor. In addition to the grand prize, beYogi will also giveaway additional prizes to contestants chosen at random throughout the contest. The first drawing will include a $500 gift card, courtesy of Gaiam, for one lucky winner to buy new mats, towels, blocks, bags, bolsters, or yoga apparel. To participate in the Yoga Studio Kickstarter Giveaway, contestants can enter by visiting http://www.beYogi.com. Ten finalists will be selected every six months, for a total of 20 finalists. All finalists will be asked to summit a short video explaining why they should be declared the grand prizewinner of the Yoga Studio Kickstarter Giveaway. The winner of the grand prize will be announced by beYogi in Jan. 2021. Officials with the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District have threatened legal action against a former employee who posted information inadvertently provided to him by the district in response to an open records request on social media. James Ridgway Jr., who worked for LSGCD from 2015 to 2018, submitted an open records request Dec. 11 requesting email correspondence between former LSGCD Board President Webb Melder and the districts former hydrologist Bob Harden. Melder, who provided no reason for his resignation, resigned from the board Dec. 10. At that same meeting, the board unanimously terminated its contract with Harden. District officials, who believe the information is protected, requested an opinion from the Texas Attorney Generals Office via a letter that outlined the reasons the district did not want to release the emails. According to the letter to the AGs office, district officials believe the information is protected because while a pending lawsuit against the San Jacinto River Authority does not name the district as a party, the lawsuit alleges collusion. Based on the allegations against the district in the lawsuit, the district reasonably anticipates litigation related to these claims, the letter states. In addition to sending the letter to the AG, the district provided Ridgway with an electronically redacted copy of the letter. However, when viewing the letter, Ridgway realized he could see the redacted information. Ridgway then posted both the redacted and the unredacted letter on social media questioning the districts transparency. Given the heavily redacted response to my Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District Public Information Request, I suppose I shouldnt be surprised that the word transparency is non-existent on the LSGCD website, Ridgway posted on Facebook Jan. 8. Stop hiding behind lawyers (especially since youre using a lot of the publics money to keep this very public information private). On Jan. 28, LSGCD counsel Kristen Fancher with Frisco-based Fancher Legal, contacted Ridgway via phone and email requesting he remove the information from Facebook. As we discussed, the information that you unredacted and posted on social media is confidential information of the district, Fancher said. This is evident from the fact that it was redacted in the first place, and you knowingly, willfully, and intentionally have distributed this information to the public. Please note that this is in violation of Section 37.10 of the Texas Penal Code, among other provisions in state statute related to the distribution of this confidential information. As discussed by phone, please remove this information from all public forums immediately. Under Texas Penal Code, Section 37.10, a person commits an offense if he knowingly makes a false entry in, or false alteration of, a governmental record; makes, presents, or uses any record, document, or thing with knowledge of its falsity and with intent that it be taken as a genuine governmental record; intentionally destroys, conceals, removes, or otherwise impairs the verity, legibility, or availability of a governmental record; possesses, sells, or offers to sell a governmental record or a blank governmental record form with intent that it be used unlawfully; makes, presents, or uses a governmental record with knowledge of its falsity; or possesses, sells, or offers to sell a governmental record or a blank governmental record form with knowledge that it was obtained unlawfully. As of Monday, Ridgway, who believes section 37.10 is not applicable to the matter, had not removed the documents from his Facebook page. In those rare moments where we do manage to carve out some time to be engaged citizens, for instance, watchdogging a local governmental entity solely funded by its constituents, itd be nice to think that they wouldnt use those public funds to pay an attorney to threaten civil and criminal litigation against a citizen for sharing information gained from an open records request, Ridgway said. Especially if said governmental entity, whether intentionally or through sheer incompetence, freely shared that same information through an email in direct response to the original open records request. Ridgway said he is surprised at the districts response to the situation. Nothing about this should be complicated, he said. Transparency is only difficult when people make it difficult. Usually, that happens when theres something to hide. And the fact that this has escalated so quickly and so aggressively creates a very real credibility issue for LSGCD. I just want to know what they are hiding and why they believe it is important enough to hide. cdominguez@hcnonline.com Republicans, who do not have the same viability and realignment rules as Democrats, simply count heads at each caucus. Trump stayed around 97 percent support as votes rolled in, and between 90 and 95 percent in the states more liberal counties, like Johnson, Story, and Ames. Thats comparable to the results for Barack Obama in 2012, when he had no challengers of note in Iowa and got nearly 99 percent of the vote. Milan's Politecnico brings luxe expertise to Dubai (ANSAmed) - DUBAI, FEBRUARY 3- MIP Politecnico di Milano in partnership with the Australian University of Wollongong in Dubai launched on Sunday the Global Executive Master of Luxury Management that will bring together Italian tradition with the new luxury markets of the Gulf region. It is another step on Italy's path towards the 2020 Expo which will open on October 20 and a concrete example of the great operation of scientific and cultural diplomacy that Italy will bring to the exhibition in Dubai. The 18-month program which will kick off in March is an executive program for professionals with at least five years experience who are interested to explore the world of luxury further. It is a jointly designed program by both universities, in which students get dual degrees upon completion. ''Luxury is one of the sectors in which Italy has a strong tradition and heritage, we want to keep studying to protect and nurture the craftsmanship and heritage and luxury in general'', said at the launching event Professor Alessandro Brun, Program Director of the Global Executive Master of Luxury Management. He added that the idea behind creating this program is linked to the relevance of Dubai developing the luxury industry, which is changing the scenario. ''We realize that no matter whether the participants will be working for an Italian brand or another, they have to be aware of what is happening in this part of the world'', Brun said referring to the Gulf. Participants will begin their studies in Dubai, then travel to the world's luxury capitals - Milan, Paris or Geneva - as the eight modules of the program will take place both in the UAE and in Europe. They will participate in luxury shopping and factory tours, exhibitions and industry fairs to gain exposure to the luxury sectors, and at the end of the program will have to elaborate a company project that will be presented in Dubai. Before the 1990s, luxury was for the elites but now it has become an elite product distributed for the masses, Brun added. ''It is more of a mass distribution of an elite product'', he specified. ''We already have a master program in luxury but we needed something on new luxury and Dubai represents the example of what luxury is today'', said Professor Andrea Sianesi, president of the Fondazione Politecnico di Milano. According to Bain & Company, the luxury goods and services market is valued at US$1.35 trillion globally and is expected to increase. The UAE luxury market alone is projected to reach $14.9 billion by 2023, as it is the largest spender in the luxury space for the Gulf countries. Millennials have been specifically wary of luxury in Dubai. ''We have been big consumers of luxury for a long time, so it will be great to have that kind of expertise here. So maybe eventually we will have some big brands coming out from this region'', said Rami, a prospective student who currently works in tech in Dubai. ''The management of luxury is a model that attracts a lot in the higher education sector around the world'', said the General Commissioner for Italy of Expo 2020, Paolo Glisenti, who attended the event to launch the master's degree. As part of Expo 2020, the commissioner said that between 40 and 50 Italian companies are already scheduled to attend and their number is rising. Small and medium-sized businesses will be attending, along with large firms, he said on the sidelines of the launch. The MIP Politecnico said that the program is designed for those who wish to expand their skills in managing luxury and the target are the emerging markets such as India. The program that will start next March aims at creating industry leaders for successful luxury companies so it will include strategic analysis, retailing and service design, luxury distribution, brand management and negotiating contracts. It has been accredited by the UAE-based Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) and is the first example of a joint program between a European and a Dubai-based institution to be accredited, according to the Italian university. (ANSAmed). Prime Minister Narendra Modi must make his stand clear in Parliament over the comments by its leader Anantkumar Hegde against Mahatma Gandhi, Congress demanded on Monday. Anantkumar Hegde, known for his controversial statements, had described the freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi as drama and also questioned as to how such people came to be called Mahatma in India. The six-time Lok Sabha member from Uttara Kannada, while addressing a public event in Bengaluru on Saturday, said that the entire freedom movement was staged with the consent and support of the British. The only way there can be some penance if the Prime Minister and the BJP government are sincere about commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Father of the Nation. This country needs an answer, Anand Sharma said during a press conference. Parliament is in session. We demand that the Prime Minister comes to the House and makes his position clear by tomorrow. As I have said, these feeds on he is unhappy, he is angry, we are not concerned with that, he said. The BJPs leaders must be taken to task for their comments, Sharma demanded. The senior Congress leader also said that they can understand the reason why senior BJP leaders have been insulting the memory of Mahatma Gandhi. They are disparaging the national movement, the freedom struggle because they are the ideological descendants of those who were not only non-participants but actively opposed the freedom, opposed Mahatma Gandhi, opposed the Quit India Movement and supported the British. Its a fact of history, he said. The Rajya Sabha member said that the there is violence in the very ideology, mindset, thinking and language of the BJP. They are desperate for the elections. Only to get some votes in the Delhi elections, they have inflicted some deep wounds on the very soul of India, Sharma said. It should rein in their leaders, whether they are Yogi Adityanath or ministers, and ask them to control their language, he demanded. The Congress leader said that the way its senior ministers and lawmakers are talking its unconstitutional. He also criticised several shooting incidents, including Sundays firing in front of Jamia Millia Islamia, in the Capital, is because of the poison being spread in the society. OTTAWACanadas foreign minister is defending the pace of the countrys evacuation from China as planes carrying citizens of other countries including the United States, Australia, Egypt, and Japan have already left the quarantine zone at the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak. Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill Monday, Francois-Philippe Champagne rejected assertions from the Opposition that the federal government has been slow to organize an airlift of Canadians from Wuhan, the Chinese megacity where the virus emerged in December. The moment I asked to (have a) call with the Chinese foreign minister we got a call back within hours to go through all the steps that we need, he said, referring to his call with his Chinese counterpart last Thursday night. Our response is proportionate, and I would look at the number of days it is pretty much in line with every other country, Champagne said. Champagne said the number of Canadians asking Ottawa to get them out of the quarantine zone has skyrocketed from just two to 304 over the past seven days. During that time, the federal government has assessed the needs of citizens in the region and chartered two planes to evacuate them to the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton, Ont., where they will be quarantined again for 14 days in an army hotel. As of Monday afternoon, Champagne said the government was working out the final logistics of its planned airlift. That included crafting a list of passengers for Canadas flight out of Wuhan and receiving final approval from Chinese authorities to fly the government-chartered plane through restricted airspace from Vietnam before leaving China for Canada. While it was a question of hours before Canadas first plane leaves for Vietnam, Champagne couldnt say when China will grant permission to fly into Wuhan. During Question Period, Conservative Deputy Leader Leona Alleslev once again demanded to know why other countries have evacuated citizens from Wuhan and Canadians are still waiting. New Democrats and Conservatives have raised questions in recent days about why Canada hasnt already evacuated citizens from Wuhan. The U.S. evacuated 200 Americans from Wuhan last Wednesday, followed by Japan, which chartered a plane to airlift a similar number of its citizens to Tokyo. A plane carrying Australians to Christmas Island reportedly arrived on Monday, while Egypt flew home more than 300 citizens on Sunday. What is the hold up? Is the delay in evacuation due to the disastrous state of Canada-China relations? Alleslev asked, referring to the dispute over the over the arrest in Vancouver of a Chinese telecommunications executive and Beijings detention of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. Not at all, Champagne responded in the House of Commons. We will be there for Canadians who want to be repatriated and I will inform Canadians at every step of the way on what this government is doing for them. Champagne told reporters earlier Monday that the Chinese authorities are co-operating with Canadas efforts, including by issuing visas to officials who will help co-ordinate the evacuation. He also said China agreed to Canadas request to respect family unity. While China is only letting foreign nationals leave on the evacuation flights out of Wuhan, Champagne said authorities have agreed to let passengers who arent Canadian citizens travel with family members on the Canadian plane. If the plane cant hold everyone cleared to leave, Champagne said priority will be given to the elderly, children and pregnant women. A second plane has been hired and could be deployed for another evacuation, he said. As of Monday afternoon, 260 Canadians who travelled to China with their Canadian passports have asked to leave, while another 44 that want out are Canadian permanent residents or dual citizens who travelled using Chinese passports, Champagnes office said. We will continue to ask for us to be able to repatriate every Canadian and permanent resident, Champagne said. After providing few details about Canadas evacuation plan over several days, the federal government announced Sunday night that it would quarantine returning Canadians at the army base in Trenton, Ont. Health Minister Patty Hajdu explained Monday that passengers boarding the Canadian plane in Wuhan will be screened by Chinese officials. Any showing symptoms of illness will be barred from leaving, though the government is not aware of any Canadians in China who have been infected with the virus, Hajdu said. This is actually part of Chinas extensive effort to contain the spread of disease, and so theyre resolute on this with all countries, Hajdu said. I think we have to be prepared to understand thats not going to be a flexible point for discussion. Hajdu said the plane will stop in Vancouver to refuel, and if any passengers show signs of illness on the flight over they will be segregated and removed from the plane to receive treatment in isolation. Harjit Sajjan, Canadas defence minister, said there will be six armed forces personnel, four nurses and two doctors on the flight back from China to help screen passengers before, during and after the flight. From Vancouver, the plane will fly to Trenton, where passengers will stay for two weeks in isolation in the Yukon Lodge, Sajjan said, a 290-room complex run by the Canadian Forces. The planned quarantine is precautionary measure that spans the maximum time the virus can exist in someones body before they get sick, Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said Monday. We have all the necessary processes, authorities in place, Tam said, pointing to how Canadas national laboratory has tested more than 120 potential cases and confirmed only four infections. Correction - Feb. 7, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that mistated the number of armed forces personnel on the flight back from China to help screen passengers as 16. With files from Star wire services The concept was pioneered in Louisville by contemporary art collectors Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, who wanted to increase public access to thought-provoking art. Thats why 21cs hotel lobbies dont feature miles of sink-in seating or fancy amenities. Instead, they are high-end art galleries with works from a range of contemporary artists such as Kara Walker, LaToya Ruby Frazier and Nick Cave. They are also open to the public and free of charge anyone, hotel guest or not, is welcome to stroll the galleries. Arresting works of art, such as a massive sculpture of a young man riding a bison or a menorah made of repurposed handguns, command the streetside windows, engaging and enticing passersby. An isolation unit is seen at the Huoshenshan temporary field hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death from a new virus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in a city that allow only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. (Chinatopix via AP) The first patients arrived Monday at a 1,000-bed hospital built in 10 days as part of China's sweeping efforts to fight a new virus that is causing global alarm. Huoshenshan Hospital and a second 1,500-bed facility due to open this week were built by construction crews who are working around the clock in Wuhan, the central city where the outbreak was first detected in December. Some 50 million people are barred from leaving Wuhan and surrounding cities. The Wuhan treatment centers mark the second time Chinese leaders have responded to a new disease by building specialized hospitals almost overnight. As severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, spread in 2003, a facility in Beijing for patients with that viral disease was constructed in a week. The first patients arrived at Huoshenshan Hospital at 10 a.m. on Monday, according to state media. They gave no details of the patients' identities or conditions. The ruling Communist Party's military wing, the People's Liberation Army, sent 1,400 doctors, nurses and other personnel to staff the Wuhan hospital, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The government said earlier that some have experience fighting SARS and other outbreaks. A Chinese army medic looks at a patient room at the Huoshenshan temporary field hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death from a new virus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in a city that allow only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. (Chinatopix via AP) The state newspaper Beijing Daily applauded construction workers and suppliers who cut short their Lunar New Year holiday. It hailed the rapid construction as a political triumph, despite complaints leaders in Wuhan endangered the public by failing to respond fast enough to reports of a dangerous new disease. "Today's Chinese people are more deeply aware: where I stand is my China," the newspaper said. "When this national sense of ownership is awakened, our mentality in the face of disasters becomes more mature." Authorities have cut most road, rail and air access to Wuhan and surrounding cities, isolating some 50 million people, in efforts to contain the viral outbreak that has sickened more than 17,000 people and killed more than 360. Before this week's addition of 2,500 new beds, Wuhan had 6,754 in hospitals designated for virus patients, according to the website TMTpost.com. It said authorities were considering assigning another 2,183 beds to virus cases at the city's other hospitals. Medical equipment is seen at the Huoshenshan temporary field hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death from a new virus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in a city that allow only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. (Chinatopix via AP) The Huoshenshan Hospital was built by a 7,000-member crew of carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other specialists, according to Xinhua. About half of the two-story, 60,000-square meter (600,000-square foot) building is isolation wards, according to the government newspaper Yangtze Daily. It has 30 intensive care units. The name Huoshenshan means God of Fire Mountain. The second hospital, Leishenshan, means God of Thunder Mountain. Newspapers published day-by-day accounts of crews clearing a riverside plot, laying the foundation, installing sewage and electrical equipment and assembling prefabricated rooms that were shipped to the site. Photos in state media showed workers in winter clothing, safety helmets and the surgical-style masks worn by millions of Chinese in an attempt to avoid contracting the virus. Trucks were shown arriving in the middle of the night carrying rolls of insulation and other materials. A patient room is seen at the Huoshenshan temporary field hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death from a new virus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in a city that allow only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. (Chinatopix via AP) People walk down a corridor at the Huoshenshan temporary field hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death from a new virus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in a city that allow only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. (Chinatopix via AP) The Huoshenshan temporary field hospital under construction is seen as it nears completion in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death from a new virus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in a city that allow only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. (Chinatopix via AP) People walk near a CT scanner in a room at the Huoshenshan temporary field hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death from a new virus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in a city that allow only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. (Chinatopix via AP) The Huoshenshan temporary field hospital under construction is seen as it nears completion in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death from a new virus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in a city that allow only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. (Chinatopix via AP) The Huoshenshan temporary field hospital under construction is seen as it nears completion in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death from a new virus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in a city that allow only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. (Chinatopix via AP) The Huoshenshan temporary field hospital under construction is seen as it nears completion in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death from a new virus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in a city that allow only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. (Chinatopix via AP) The Huoshenshan temporary field hospital under construction is seen as it nears completion in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death from a new virus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in a city that allow only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. (Chinatopix via AP) The Huoshenshan temporary field hospital under construction is seen as it nears completion in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death from a new virus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in a city that allow only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. (Chinatopix via AP) The Huoshenshan temporary field hospital under construction is seen as it nears completion in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death from a new virus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in a city that allow only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. (Chinatopix via AP) The Huoshenshan temporary field hospital under construction is seen as it nears completion in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. The Philippines on Sunday reported the first death from a new virus outside of China, where authorities delayed the opening of schools in the worst-hit province and tightened quarantine measures in a city that allow only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. (Chinatopix via AP) This Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, shows construction workers at the site of the Huoshenshan temporary field hospital being built in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. China's death toll from a new virus has increased to 304 with more than 14,000 cases, amid warnings from the World Health Organization that other countries need to be prepared in the event the disease spreads among their populations. (Xiao Yijiu/Xinhua via AP) This Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, shows construction workers at the site of the Huoshenshan temporary field hospital being built in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. China's death toll from a new virus has increased to 304 with more than 14,000 cases, amid warnings from the World Health Organization that other countries need to be prepared in the event the disease spreads among their populations. (Xiao Yijiu/Xinhua via AP) This Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, shows construction workers at the site of the Huoshenshan temporary field hospital being built in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. China's death toll from a new virus has increased to 304 with more than 14,000 cases, amid warnings from the World Health Organization that other countries need to be prepared in the event the disease spreads among their populations. (Xiao Yijiu/Xinhua via AP) Doctors can talk with outside experts over a video system that links them to Beijing's PLA General Hospital, according to the Yangtze Daily. It said the system was installed in less than 12 hours by a 20-member "commando team" from Wuhan Telecom Ltd. The building has specialized ventilation systems and double-sided cabinets that connect patient rooms to hallways and allow hospital staff to deliver supplies without entering the rooms. It is equipped with infrared scanners to warn if any employees show signs of the disease's distinctive fever, the website Economy Net reported, citing the company that provided the technology. A Chinese company donated "medical robots" to deliver medicines and carry test samples, according to the Shanghai newspaper The Paper. In other cities, the government has designated hospitals to handle cases of the new virus. In Beijing, the Xiaotangshan Hospital built in 2003 for SARS is being renovated by construction workers. The government has yet to say whether it might be used for patients with the new disease. Explore further China rushes to build new hospital for virus within 10 days 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/03/2020 -- This intelligence report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Global Frozen Food Market. This includes Investigation of past progress, ongoing market scenarios, and future prospects. Data True to market on the products, strategies and market share of leading companies of this particular market are mentioned. It's a 360-degree overview of the global market's competitive landscape. The report further predicts the size and valuation of the global market during the forecast period. Definition: Frozen food is basically the food that is preserved in the freezer before the cooking process. With the help of the freezing process lifespan of that food can be increased that means it can be kept fresh for a longer period. Additionally, it can make food (vegetable) more nutritious by freezing exactly at the point high nutrition content. Freezing process helps in maintaining Quality and consistency and also makes season fruits available anytime of the year. The best benefit of frozen food is that it offers time convenience, hence preferred by working women. Now-a-days eating habits are changing rapidly that increases the inclination towards foods that can be prepared easily and quickly and that will drive the market for the frozen food. Some of the key players profiled in the study are: Grupo Bimbo S.A.B. de C.V. (Mexico), Associated British Foods plc (United Kingdom), Aryzta AG (Switzerland), Lantmannen Unibake International (Denmark)Europastry, S.A. (Spain), General Mills Inc. (Unitde States), Kellogg Company (Unitde States), Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (Japan), Amy's Kitchen, Inc. (Unitde States) and Ardo N.V. (Belgium). Get Latest insights about acute features of the market (Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts) @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/18710-global-frozen-food-market Market Drivers - Increment in count of working women - Availability Of Seasonal And Regional Food across the globe anytime Market Trend - Growing attractiveness due decrements in use of harmful preservatives - Requirement of high energy to provide Constant freezing Temperature Restraints - Frozen food are perceived to be harmful to some extent - Availability of preferable alternatives like fresh foods Opportunities - Untapped market in Asian countries - Technological up-gradations has increased Freezer Space Each segment and sub-segment is analyzed in the research report. The competitive landscape of the market has been elaborated by studying a number of factors such as the best manufacturers, prices and revenues. Global Frozen Food Market is accessible to readers in a logical, wise format. Driving and restraining factors are listed in this study report to help you understand the positive and negative aspects in front of your business. This study mainly helps understand which market segments or Region or Country they should focus in coming years to channelize their efforts and investments to maximize growth and profitability. The report presents the market competitive landscape and a consistent in depth analysis of the major vendor/key players in the market. Furthermore, the years considered for the study are as follows: Historical year 2013-2017 Base year 2018 Forecast period** 2019 to 2025 [** unless otherwise stated] **Moreover, it will also include the opportunities available in micro markets for stakeholders to invest, detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product services of key players. Enquire for customization in Report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/18710-global-frozen-food-market The Global Frozen Food segments and Market Data Break Down are illuminated below: Type (Ready meals, Meat & poultry, Sea food, Vegetables & fruits, Potatoes, Others), Application (Food service Industry, Retail Customers) Region Included are: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Oceania, South America, Middle East & Africa Country Level Break-Up: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Russia, France, Poland, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia and New Zealand etc. Objectives of the Study - To Define, Describe, and Segment The Global Frozen Food Market On The Basis Of Type, Function, Application, And Region. - To provide detailed information regarding the major factors influencing the market growth (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and industry-specific challenges) - To estimate the size of the Global Frozen Food Market in terms of value. - To study the individual growth trends of the providers of Global Frozen Food Market, their future expansions, and analyze their contributions to the market - To strategically analyze micro-markets with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and contribution to the total market, covered by Global Frozen Food Market and various regions. - To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, mergers & acquisitions, and new product launches, in Global Frozen Food Market. - To strategically profile key market players and comprehensively analyze their market position and core competencies Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/18710-global-frozen-food-market Strategic Points Covered in Table of Content of Global Frozen Food Market: Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Global Frozen Food market Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary the basic information of the Global Frozen Food Market. Chapter 3: Displaying the Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges of the Global Frozen Food Chapter 4: Presenting the Global Frozen Food Market Factor Analysis Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis. Chapter 5: Displaying the by Type, End User and Region 2013-2018 Chapter 6: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Global Frozen Food market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile Chapter 7: To evaluate the market by segments, by countries and by manufacturers with revenue share and sales by key countries in these various regions. Chapter 8& 9: Displaying the Appendix, Methodology and Data Source Buy the Latest Detailed Report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/buy-now?format=1&report=18710 Key questions answered - Who are the Leading key players and what are their Key Business plans in the Global Frozen Food market? - What are the key concerns of the five forces analysis of the Global Frozen Food market? - What are different prospects and threats faced by the dealers in the Global Frozen Food market? - What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors? Definitively, this report will give you an unmistakable perspective on every single reality of the market without a need to allude to some other research report or an information source. Our report will give all of you the realities about the past, present, and eventual fate of the concerned Market. Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia. We've repeatedly established that the Huawei Mate 30 Pro is the best phone you can't have with the lack of Google Mobile Services making it unusable in markets that are not named China. However, our own Yordan decided to go on a quest to find out how much exactly you are losing without the full Google package. He gave up his perfectly set life with a Samsung Galaxy S10+ for a Google-free Mate 30 Pro and is now ready to share his experience with you. We, humans, are creatures of habit and few among us welcome change when something works. Well, when you are caught in a trade war, change is inevitable. But how bad is it exactly and can you learn to live with the limitations? Before I began, our team in the office split the Huawei Mate 30 Pro potential owners in three categories: The first one is your basic consumer that will try and use the phone the way it is - they won't bother with side-loading or anything beyond visiting the Huawei AppGallery. The second group are those with a bit more technical knowledge that wouldn't mind sideloading some apps to make the gorgeous hardware usable. The third category is the ultimate geeks that will hack their way into the phone and will install Google Services one way or another. This article isn't for them - there is a way to get the full Google package on the phone, but that involves a bunch of security compromises so it is always going to be a risky affair. First thing I tried was if the phone could be made to work for the first group - no Google Services at all, despite having a personal Gmail account, storing all my photos at Google Photos, and having all my favorite restaurants saved in Maps. Taking the phone out of the box, powering it, and setting it up is a pretty straightforward process. Once the phone was ready to use, I had a handful of apps, providing all the basics I need - a gaming center, an app gallery, a platform for direct customer support, notes, music, voice recorder, e-book reader. One thing that this whole ecosystem is missing is a mapping platform. I went to the Huawei app store to find a Google Maps alternative, but it was far from an easy task. Huawei AppGallery lacks Here or Sygic, two of the more popular platforms, leaving you with crowd-sourced platforms like Maps.Me or OsmAnd. Sadly, with these, you have to pay for all the extra layers. I wasn't going to spend $1.99 for layers with hill shades, so I was stuck with the basic version. The good news is that TomTom is on the way and it will likely be free to end users, but it's not there yet. Back in September, Richard Yu also promised us the Facebook apps are coming to the AppGallery. Fast forward four months and they are still missing. I had to resort to mobile versions through the browser. As an active user of Instagram, let me tell you that you are not prepared for Instagram Stories outside the native app. It's properly rough. Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Skype are also not present, so you will have to use the less than ideal web versions. There's only one relatively popular IM app, available in the AppGallery - Rakuten's Viber. Using Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media through a browser means you get no notifications - which I honestly found to be a good thing. Using Huawei Mate 30 Pro with no apps meant I was checking the phone less, which is a weird experience, given my job is to look at phones all the time. I also wasn't able to send dank memes to all my friends, so I had to live like a troglodyte and talk to them in person - imagine the horror. There are more important things in life you can do on your phone. I am talking mails, banking apps, learning new stuff, or follow your health results in your wellness app. For the past seven days, I couldn't use online banking on mobile, because I wasn't able to receive a token in the app. My bank's platform is simply missing from the AppGallery. I also lost my 15-day streak on Duolingo, the language-learning app. Thanks to Huawei being a bargaining chip between the United States and China, I almost forgot how to ask for directions in Italian. Eventually, I realized I could use Duolingo through the mobile webpage, but that is an experience I do not wish upon my worst enemy. When I mentioned wellness platforms, I meant anything that isn't Huawei Health. If you want to use the Huawei Mate 30 Pro and have a working mobile environment, you better get a Huawei Watch GT2 and FreeBuds 3 - there is no legal way to use Google Health or Mi Fit or Strava or anything non-Huawei. At least the company makes decent accessories, so sticking with a smartwatch from the Huawei family is not necessarily a bad thing. Three days into the experiment, I was ready to admit defeat and concede that the phone simply isn't going to work for any casual users. There's just too much they would need to get used to and the experience will always feel compromised. I decided to check whether the phone can be made usable by those that don't mind a bit of side-loading. The first step was downloading an app store. I decided to try Amazon because it has Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, plenty of unofficial Reddit apps, and a lot of games. Super Bowl was right around the corner, and I had to know how the meme war between the Chiefs and the Niners was going. To no one's surprise, the Amazon App Store lacks Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, HBO, and any other leading streaming platform that isn't called Prime. After one more day, I entirely gave up and downloaded APKPure - a platform that allows you to download virtually any Google Play app, including Google Photos and all the others that should be making my life easier. Well, this isn't how the story ends, because downloading apks of Google apps doesn't magically solve all your problems. For example, you still can't log into your account on Google Maps - nothing happens when you try to add your account. Google Photos doesn't even have this option - it acts like any other offline photo library. Downloading the Google Play apk file leads you nowhere - the app closes immediately after starting. Finally, we reach Sunday, the last day of this experiment. I powered on the Samsung Galaxy S10+, where an avalanche of missed notifications came upon me. I felt a rejuvenated person, like waking up from a week-long nightmare. I started seeing colors again; the birds outside my window began singing the "Ode to Joy" by Beethoven. The feeling was similar to when you have a cold and a stuffy nose, and then you realize how you've been taking untroubled breathing for granted. Am I a bit overdramatic? Probably. Using Huawei Mate 30 Pro for a week (or more) is not that bad - I had more spare time, managed to detach from the ultra-mobile world I was living in, and I started appreciating the little things in life. However those not looking for a phone to bring a dramatic change to their everyday habits will inevitably find the Mate 30 Pro lacking. With some side-loading and a bunch of web apps, you can make it usable, but it's never going to compare to those having native GMS support. A real pity too - the hardware is so amazing that it pains me to have to write such a damning verdict. Here's hoping that Huawei actually get permission to use GMS or manages to build up its ecosystem very quickly because not only the company's own future is going to be in question, but customers outside China would be losing on excellent phones. Its election year again and the stakes are higher than ever for one booming industry in the United States: oil and gas. All the leading Democratic candidates have vowed to reduce the countrys emissions to net zero by 2050, which is a pledge general enough to overlook, but some have also promised to ban oil exports as part of push to net zero emissions. Now this is a promise that the industry cannot overlook. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Tom Steyer have all spoken in favor of reinstating the oil export ban that was in effect for four decades before Obama repealed it. Environmentalist organizations are adding fuel to the anti-oil enthusiasm, as well. A report by Greenpeace and Oil Change International released earlier this month said that banning U.S. oil exports would remove between 80 and 181 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. But the return of the ban would serve a dual purpose, according to analysts. It would, on the one hand, cut emissions, and, on the other, discourage investors from putting their money in oil and gas when the oil and gas have nowhere to go. But there are problems with Greenpeace and Oil Change Internationals ambitions. If the United States were to stop exporting oil, it wouldnt affect demand. The oil would simply come from elsewhere. Instead, a US oil export ban would simply be a boon for other producers such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, with no effect on emissions globally. As Shells chief executive, Ben van Beurden, summed up the industry in a Reuters interview last year, as long as there is demand for oil, there will be production. An export ban would do nothing about the demand, it will simply shrink the supply alternatives. In truth, the authors of the report acknowledge that the impact of an oil export ban could be smaller than desired. Related: U.S. To Become Net Oil Exporter This Year: EIA With the first point invalid, that leaves the green groups second point as the primary motive for a ban. We are already seeing this result play out in Canada. Investors are pulling out of Canadian oil because of the many problems the industry is havingchief among them, not finding an outlet for its growing production. A U.S. oil export ban would have a similar effect: the booming production in the Permian and the Bakken shale plays would be stifled if the oil had nowhere to go. Prices would then fall, and investors would pull out seeking greener pastures. "The two most basic ways to 'keep it in the ground' are to disrupt throughput and capital," the managing director of energy research firm ClearView Energy Partners, Kevin Book, told S&P Global Platts this week. "In this case, an export ban does both. Not only does it block physical transfer, but the glut resulting from impaired exports can diminish the commercial incentive to invest in future production." The United States exported an average of around 3 million bpd of crude last year, according to Energy Information Administration data. At WTI prices of around $53 at the moment, these exports are worth some $159 million daily. A months worth of exports at this daily rate is worth $4.77 billion. If the export ban is reinstated, it would deal a pretty severe blow to the industry. Yet the actual blow will be a lot more severe because the end of exports would not just eliminate the daily 3 million bpd at current prices. The reinstatement of the export ban would inevitably pressure oil prices, so the actual losses the industry will incur would be higher than the above calculations. Related: Tesla Shares Race, But How Long Will The Rally Last? In fact, a U.S. oil export ban could have an impact on the industry that is comparable with the effect the 2014 price crash had. That price crash was caused by growing U.S. shale oil production and OPECs decision to fight fire with fire and open the taps to maximum. Many shale companies did not survive that crash. Many more are bound to go under if the export ban returns. And this time investors will dump their oil stocks even faster. The climate change narrative has prompted several institutional shareholders to pull out or limit their exposure to the oil industry. The most notable of these was the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, which decided to exit all pure-play oil producers. In truth, the grounds for that decision were not climate change but rather exposure to the volatile oil price environment, yet there are pension funds that are moving their money away from oil and gas precisely because of climate change concerns. Investment banks have got a whiff of the changing times, too. Goldman recently announced it would no longer fund oil and gas drilling projects in the Arctic. This may be just the start in a shift that will make the life of the U.S. oil industry much harder, even if exports continue and President Trump wins a second term in office. But if Trump is replaced by any one of the candidates promising a reinstatement of the ban, then the future of U.S. oil becomes a lot bleaker. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: While some ministries of education are receptive to the idea of using Lego as a teaching tool, such as those in Nordic countries, others are less comfortable with the idea. Dr Rene Tristan Lydiksen, MD of Lego Education Europe, explains that some traditional education systems find the notion of bringing 'fun' into the class counter-intuitive. "We try to understand various curriculums very carefully and of course the system in every country is different. "Playing in a classroom does not always come across as acceptable to teachers, like in Germany for example, they don't feel it connects to learning so we have to find a way around that barrier. "Across Europe we need to get better at teaching teachers to be creative not just to teach to the test. The brain's favourite activity is playing, we must understand that." Dr Lydiksen welcomes the move by the Mary Immaculate College in Limerick to train their teachers to be more creative. "The work being done here in Limerick is excellent and we hope more teaching training facilities in Ireland will follow suit. It's so important that we help children think in a more holistic way, anything we can do to assist that is a good thing. We want to teach children to be creators of technology and not just consumers of it." PARENTS have been urged to ask retailers whether their school uniforms are free from child labour. The Irish National Teacher's Organisation (INTO) said parents should not be afraid to ask retailers about the origins of their clothes and that schools should also consider the issue. "Every child has the right to be in school and to get an education," said Sheila Nunan, general secretary of the INTO. "If child labour is being used to produce school uniforms, then Irish people who buy such products are effectively denying children in poorer countries an education." Highlighting the issue in aid of yesterday's World Day Against Child Labour, the union said every year there are concerns about the high cost of uniforms but questions also need to be asked about cheaper models. "Retailers should be able to show that children were not exploited," said Ms Nunan. "All primary schools, when sending out notices in relation to school uniforms, should ensure that their school uniform policy is 'child-labour proofed'." For schools that don't require uniforms to be bought in particular shops, she urged parents to question retailers. A spokesperson for Marks and Spencer said all of its suppliers "wherever they are in the world, and whatever size they are, must adhere to our strict ethical standards as a condition of working with us". Standards Aldi said its school uniforms were "ethically sourced from a reputable supplier". It added: "Aldi is committed to respecting the human rights of workers in our supply chains." A spokesperson for chain store Penneys said: "Unfortunately Penneys have declined to comment on this." Dunnes Stores did not reply to a query from the Irish Independent. The children's advocacy organisation, Barnardos also urged retailers to be transparent with parents and schools about the origins and production of their school uniforms. LAST year the people of Limerick voted in favour of electing their own Mayor and Fine Gael is committed to holding that vote no later than May 2021, according to Senator Maria Byrne. The people of Limerick decided that they would be the only city in Ireland to have a directly elected mayor. Having had the pleasure of serving the people of Limerick as a Councillor for 17 years and as mayor in 2010, I can see the huge benefits that this position will bring to our county. I am delighted that Fine Gael has committed to passing legislation quickly in the next Dail that will allow for the first directly elected mayor no later than May 2021, Senator Byrne said. If elected to Dail Eireann in the coming days, I will pursue this commitment. It will bring many advantages to our city and county. Unifying our voice in Limerick with help to strengthen our regional position in terms of attracting jobs and investment. Fine Gael will provide 5 million per year from 2022 to Limerick City and County Council to deliver on the mayors mandate. Fine Gael is committed to delivering for Limerick and, if elected, I will continue to pursue our interests at a national level. The directly elected mayor plan - which was rejected in Cork and Waterford - will see a transfer of powers from existing chief executives, something it's felt could further slow the process. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, Apriza Pinandita and Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 Medical examinations found that no Indonesians who were evacuated from Wuhan the epicenter of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak and surrounding cities in China's Hubei province showed signs of being infected, the government has said. The government evacuated on Sunday 243 people from the region comprising 237 Indonesian nationals, a foreigner and five Foreign Ministry officials using a Batik Air Airbus A-330 from China to Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands. Separate planes operated by the Indonesian Air Force then transferred the passengers to Raden Sadjad Air Force Base in Natuna on the same day. Their health will be monitored there for the next 14 days. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Interfaith leaders gathered on Monday in Abu Dhabi to mark one year since Pope Francis' historic trip to the Arabian Peninsula, a visit that saw leading Muslim clerics gather alongside the pope to promote co-existence. The United Arab Emirates has worked to promote itself over the past year as a beacon of religious tolerance, despite it's hard limits on political speech. The majority of the country's population are not Emirati Muslim citizens, but foreigners, millions of whom are Christian and Hindu. Abu Dhabi hosted Monday's meeting to showcase its continued efforts in promoting interfaith dialogue as it prepares to break ground this year on a compound that will house a mosque, church and synagogue side by side. The Abrahamic House of Fraternity project is due to be completed in 2022. In the neighbouring emirate of Dubai, an unmarked villa has already been turned into a synagogue. The UAE and Saudi Arabia, along with other Gulf states, have been expanding their outreach to Christian groups, like evangelicals, and Jewish organisations. The effort coincides with a broader alignment of political interests and ties emerging between Gulf Arab states and Israel, which share a common foe in Iran. A US rabbi, a representative of the Catholic church and a trained sheikh from Egypt's Al-Azhar, the revered 1,000-year-old seat of Sunni Islamic learning, attended Monday's briefing where they discussed ongoing interfaith efforts. Senior Rabbi at the Washington Hebrew Congregation, Bruce Lustig, insisted his participation on this visit was "apolitical". We are here as a forum for peace for the whole human family, so I am delighted when there are greater ties with the state of Israel," he told The Associated Press. "I am delighted when there's opportunities to bring justice and peace to so many people who have so many injustices in the world. Israel's treatment of Palestinians and the sanctity of one of Islam's holiest sites in Jerusalem remain obstacles to full normalization. Like most of the Arab world, the UAE does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Pope Francis' trip last year marked the first ever papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula. He ended his trip with a mass for 180,000 Christians, capping a visit that emphasised the presence of minority Christians in the region and a greater understanding with Islam. During his trip, Francis also participated in a conference on interreligious dialogue and signed a "human fraternity" document to promote coexistence and confront extremism with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb. Just before he departed for Abu Dhabi last year, the pope appealed for an end to Yemen's humanitarian crisis, saying the "cries of these children and their parents rise up" to God. The UAE is a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war with Yemen's Iran-aligned rebels. The conflict has driven Yemen to the brink of famine and caused the world's worst humanitarian crisis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jamal Khashoggis fiancee will be watching President Donald Trump as he discusses his record in the Middle East at his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., has invited the murdered Washington Post journalists fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, as his guest to Trumps address. Hatices courage to sit in the House chamber Tuesday night should serve as a clarion call to the president that no matter how high it goes, Saudi Arabia must be held accountable for the murder of this loving father and fiancee, respected journalist, US resident, my constituent and reformer, Connolly said in a statement. Congress has acted. Now too must the president. Why it matters: Trump enjoys a warm relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman despite the fact that the United Nations has found credible evidence that the kingdoms heir was involved in Khashoggis 2018 murder. The president has also leaned heavily on the US-Saudi security partnership as tensions escalate with Iran, which he is expected to address in his Tuesday speech. The House passed a veto-proof bill 405-7 last year to sanction every Saudi official complicit in Khashoggis murder, but the White House successfully convinced Congress to drop the legislation in order to pass a compromise defense bill that Trump signed into law in December. Nonetheless, the compromise bill still required the US intelligence community to disclose the names of every Saudi official complicit in Khashoggis assassination a report the Trump administration failed to deliver by last months deadline. Whats next: While Saudi Arabia has emerged largely unscathed after more than a year of lawmakers bipartisan threats to retaliate for the Khashoggi murder, some Democrats are still trying to keep the unwelcome spotlight on Riyadh. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has given the director of national intelligence to the end of Trumps impeachment trial which is expected to end in the presidents acquittal this week to submit the legally mandated report on the Khashoggi murder. If the Trump administration fails to do so, he has threatened to turn to the Senate Intelligence Committee to force the director of national intelligence to declassify the report. Know more: Congressional Correspondent Bryant Harris will keep you up to date on the latest tensions between Saudi Arabia and Capitol Hill. Read his roundup of Democratic efforts to keep the heat on the crown prince and his inside story outlining how the White House convinced lawmakers not to sanction Saudi Arabia over Khashoggis murder. Imperial Valley News Center Electronic Health Records Vendor to Pay $145 Million to Resolve Criminal and Civil Investigations San Francisco, California - Practice Fusion Inc. (Practice Fusion), a San Francisco-based health information technology developer, will pay $145 million to resolve criminal and civil investigations relating to its electronic health records (EHR) software, the Department of Justice announced. As part of the criminal resolution, Practice Fusion admits that it solicited and received kickbacks from a major opioid company in exchange for utilizing its EHR software to influence physician prescribing of opioid pain medications. Practice Fusion has executed a deferred prosecution agreement and agreed to pay over $26 million in criminal fines and forfeiture. In separate civil settlements, Practice Fusion has agreed to pay a total of approximately $118.6 million to the federal government and states to resolve allegations that it accepted kickbacks from the opioid company and other pharmaceutical companies and also caused its users to submit false claims for federal incentive payments by misrepresenting the capabilities of its EHR software. Across the country, physicians rely on electronic health records software to provide vital patient data and unbiased medical information during critical encounters with patients, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Ethan Davis of the Department of Justices Civil Division. Kickbacks from drug companies to software vendors that are designed to improperly influence the physician-patient relationship are unacceptable. When a software vendor claims to be providing unbiased medical information especially information relating to the prescription of opioids we expect honesty and candor to the physicians making treatment decisions based on that information. The resolution announced today addresses allegations that Practice Fusion extracted unlawful kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies in exchange for implementing clinical decision support (CDS) alerts in its EHR software designed to increase prescriptions for their drug products. Specifically, in exchange for sponsorship payments from pharmaceutical companies, Practice Fusion allowed the companies to influence the development and implementation of the CDS alerts in ways aimed at increasing sales of the companies products. Practice Fusion allegedly permitted pharmaceutical companies to participate in designing the CDS alert, including selecting the guidelines used to develop the alerts, setting the criteria that would determine when a healthcare provider received an alert, and in some cases, even drafting the language used in the alert itself. The CDS alerts that Practice Fusion agreed to implement did not always reflect accepted medical standards. In discussions with pharmaceutical companies, Practice Fusion touted the anticipated financial benefit to the pharmaceutical companies from increased sales of pharmaceutical products that would result from the CDS alerts. Between 2014 and 2019, health care providers using Practice Fusions EHR software wrote numerous prescriptions after receiving CDS alerts that pharmaceutical companies participated in designing. Practice Fusion executed a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Vermont based on its solicitation and receipt of kickbacks from a major opioid company to arrange for an increase in prescriptions of extended release opioids by healthcare providers who used Practice Fusions EHR software. As detailed in the criminal Information made public today, Practice Fusion solicited a payment of nearly $1 million from the opioid company to create a CDS alert that would cause doctors to prescribe more extended release opioids. That payment was financed by the opioid companys marketing department, and the CDS was designed with input from the marketing department. Practice Fusion and the opioid company entered the CDS sponsorship because they believed that the CDS would influence doctors prescriptions of extended release opioids. In marketing the pain CDS alert, Practice Fusion touted that it would result in a favorable return on investment for the opioid company based on doctors prescribing more opioids. Practice Fusions conduct is abhorrent. During the height of the opioid crisis, the company took a million-dollar kickback to allow an opioid company to inject itself in the sacred doctor-patient relationship so that it could peddle even more of its highly addictive and dangerous opioids, said Christina E. Nolan, U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont. The companies illegally conspired to allow the drug company to have its thumb on the scale at precisely the moment a doctor was making incredibly intimate, personal, and important decisions about a patients medical care, including the need for pain medication and prescription amounts. This recovery is commensurate to the nature of Practice Fusions misconduct, represents the largest criminal fine in the history of this District, and requires Practice Fusion to admit to its wrongs. It is another example of pioneering healthcare fraud enforcement by the talented Assistant U.S. Attorneys and staff of this U.S. Attorneys Office, working with their partners in law enforcement. We cannot and will not tolerate technology companies influencing patient treatment merely because a pharmaceutical company provided a kickback. The criminal Information charges Practice Fusion with two felony counts for violating the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b(b)(1), and for conspiring with its opioid company client to violate the AKS, 18 U.S.C. 371. This case is the first ever criminal action against an EHR vendor and the unique Deferred Prosecution Agreement imposes stringent requirements on Practice Fusion to ensure acceptance of responsibility and transparency as to its underlying conduct, and to invest heavily in compliance overhauls and an independent oversight organization. The Deferred Prosecution Agreement requires Practice Fusion to pay a criminal fine of $25,398,300 and forfeit criminal proceeds of nearly $1 million. In addition, the company will cooperate in any ongoing investigations of the kickback arrangement and report any evidence of kickback violations by any other EHR vendors. To ensure transparency and public awareness of the companys activities while the nation continues to battle an epidemic of opioid addiction, the Deferred Prosecution Agreement requires Practice Fusion to make documents relating to its unlawful conduct available to the public through a website. Additionally, the Deferred Prosecution Agreement mandates that Practice Fusion retain an independent oversight organization that is required to review and approve any sponsored CDS before Practice Fusion may implement the CDS, and create a comprehensive compliance program designed to ensure such abuses are not repeated. The civil settlement with the United States resolves Practice Fusions civil liability arising from the submission of false claims to federal healthcare programs tainted by the kickback arrangement between Practice Fusion and the opioid company. It also resolves allegations of kickbacks relating to thirteen other CDS arrangements where Practice Fusion agreed with pharmaceutical companies to implement CDS alerts intended to increase sales of their products. The $118.6 million settlement amount includes approximately $113.4 million to the federal government and up to $5.2 million to states that opt to participate in separate state agreements. Prescription decisions should be based on accurate data regarding a patients medical needs, untainted by corrupt schemes and illegal kickbacks, said U. S. Attorney David L. Anderson of the Northern District of California. In deciding what is best for patients, electronic health records software is an important tool for care providers. It is critically important that technology companies do not cheat when certifying that software. In addition to the kickback allegations, the civil settlement with the United States resolves allegations relating to two intersecting Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) programs, one at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) that regulates the voluntary health IT certification program, and one at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that oversees EHR incentive programs. Specifically, the United States alleged that Practice Fusion falsely obtained ONC certification for several versions of its EHR software by concealing from its certifying entity, known as an ONC-Authorized Certification Body, that the EHR software did not comply with all of the applicable requirements for certification. ONCs certification criteria were designed to promote enhanced functionality, utility, and security of health information technology, and access to patient medical information across the care continuum. HHS implemented the certification criteria for EHR software in multiple stages, known as editions. To be certified under the 2014 Edition certification criteria, EHR software was required to allow users to electronically create a set of standardized export summaries for all patients. When Practice Fusion sought certification of this 2014 Edition criteria, Practice Fusion falsely represented to the certifying body that its software met this data portability requirement, when several versions of its software did not. The civil settlement resolves allegations that, at the time these versions of Practice Fusions software were certified, its software was unable to permit a user to create a set of standardized export summaries. Additionally, after obtaining certification of the 2014 Edition criteria, Practice Fusion disabled access to this feature altogether. Instead, Practice Fusion required users to contact it separately to request export of this critical patient data. In addition to failing to satisfy the data portability requirement, Practice Fusions software allegedly did not incorporate standardized vocabularies as required for certification. The United States alleged that by fraudulently obtaining certification for its products, Practice Fusion knowingly caused eligible healthcare providers who used certain versions of its 2014 Edition EHR software to falsely attest to compliance with HHS requirements necessary to receive incentive payments from Medicare during the reporting periods for 2014 through 2016 and from Medicaid during the reporting periods for 2014 through 2017. As new technologies continue to develop and evolve, so too do new and innovative fraud schemes, said Shimon R. Richmond, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will continue to be vigilant in detecting and investigating these schemes in order to protect the safety of patients in federal health programs and to ensure the appropriate use of electronic health records in providing their care. Today's announcement shows that Practice Fusion exploited technology to profit at the expense of a vulnerable population patients seeking medical advice," said Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office, Criminal Division. "The FBI is committed to working with our partners to bring to justice the perpetrators of healthcare fraud in all its forms, especially one that fans the flames of the already rampant opioid epidemic. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Vermont handled the criminal investigation and resolution. The civil investigation was jointly handled by the Civil Divisions Commercial Litigation Branch and the U.S. Attorneys Offices for the District of Vermont and the Northern District of California. The investigation was supported by the HHS Office of Inspector General and multiple HHS agencies and components. The FBIs field office in Washington, DC, also provided significant investigative support. Except for the conduct admitted in connection with the criminal resolution, the civil claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability as to such civil claims. Chinese armament firms, including those building aircraft carrier and military aircraft, have halted work in order to focus on controlling the risk of rapidly spreading coronavirus that has killed 361 people in the country, official media here reported on Monday. The deadly virus, which so far infected 17,341 people in China, has spread to 25 countries, including India, the US, the UK and Russia. "Chinese armaments companies have postponed planned work in order to concentrate on controlling the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus, including those building the country's new aircraft carrier and fighter jets," state-run Global Times said in a brief report. China launched its first aircraft carrier in 2014 which is a refitted vessel of the hull of a former Soviet ship. The country recently operationalised its second aircraft carrier even as it built the third one. Official media reports say China plans to acquire about five to six aircraft carriers in the coming years. Also, China is developing a host of new fighter jets, including stealth bombers. The suspension of the work is part of the radical measures being taken by the ruling Communist Party of China to combat the fast spreading virus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Even with acquittal seemingly assured, the Democrats prosecuting President Donald Trump in his impeachment trial urged the Senate on Monday to convict him to show that no president is above the law while his legal team faulted the case brought against him. "I submit to you on behalf of the House of Representatives that your duty demands that you convict President Trump," Democratic Representative Jason Crow told the 100-member Republican-controlled Senate, which is due to vote on Wednesday on whether to remove Trump from office. The trial's outcome will have a lasting effect "not only for this president but for all future presidents: whether or not the office of the presidency of the United States of America is above the law," Crow added. The Democratic-led House impeached Trump on Dec. 18 on charges of abuse of power for asking Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden and obstruction of Congress for blocking testimony and documents sought by lawmakers in their investigation. Trump has denied wrongdoing and called the impeachment effort an attempted coup by Democrats. Senators heard closing arguments in the trial by the Republican president's legal team and the seven House members serving as prosecutors. Trump defense lawyer Kenneth Starr, the former independent counsel who paved the way for the impeachment of Democratic former President Bill Clinton in 1998 in a sex scandal, said the House did not follow the rules in impeaching the president and engaged in a rush to judgment. Starr asked the senators whether the House charges "when fairly viewed" rise to the level of the "high crimes and misdemeanors" set out in the US Constitution as grounds for removing a president from office. He accused Democrats of trying to take away the public's ability to choose the US president. The Democratic case, Starr said, told Americans that "your vote in the last election is hereby declared null and void, and by the way we are not going to allow you, the American people, to sit in judgment on this president and his record in November. That is neither freedom nor is it justice." The Senate seems certain to acquit Trump. A two-thirds majority is required to remove the president. None of the 53 Senate Republicans has indicated support for conviction. "Impeachment is an extraordinary remedy - a tool only to be used in rare instances of grave misconduct," Crow said. "But it is in the Constitution for a reason: in America, no one is above the law, even those elected president of the United States - and I would say especially those elected president of the United States." Representative Adam Schiff, who heads the Democratic prosecution team, said that Trump, if left in office, would continue to seek foreign interference in the Nov. 3 election in which he is asking voters to give him four more years as president. Biden is a leading contender for the Democratic nomination to challenge Trump. "A president free of accountability is a danger to the beating heart of our democracy," Schiff said. No Witnesses The Senate voted on Friday not to hear any witnesses such as Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton, who in an unpublished book manuscript depicts Trump as playing a central role in pressuring Ukraine, despite Democratic demands and opinion polls showing most Americans wanted to hear from them. Only two Republicans, moderates Mitt Romney and Susan Collins, voted to hear witnesses. When the closing arguments are complete, the senators will be able to make speeches on the matter until Wednesday, when a final vote is scheduled at 4 p.m. EST (2100 GMT) on whether Trump is guilty of the charges and should be removed. Several Republican senators have called Trump's actions wrong and inappropriate but not impeachable. During the trial, Trump's lawyers offered an expansive view of presidential powers and argued that he could not be thrown out of office for abuse of power. "The logical conclusion of this argument is that the president is the state, that his interests are the nation's interests, that his will is necessarily ours," Crow said. "Allowing a president to get away with conduct based on this extreme view would render him above the law," Crow added. Trump is only the third US president to be impeached. The first contest in the state-by-state battle to determine the Democratic candidate who will challenge Trump was taking place on Monday in Iowa, a stern test for Biden as he seeks his party's nomination. Three senators are seeking the Democratic nomination: Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar. Trump was scheduled to deliver his annual State of the Union speech to Congress on Tuesday night. Search Keywords: Short link: An Australian personal trainer has hit back at a male troll who argued that she should be home with her two-year-old daughter instead of on a business trip. Emily Skye, 34, has made a name for herself as a hardworking brand ambassador and body confident mother to two-year-old daughter Mia Elise, with another baby on the way. The Gold Coast native flew to New York City last week to champion the launch of Women's Best, a nutrition and sportswear company for ladies, alongside fellow fitness alum Tammy Hembrow. An Australian personal trainer has hit back at a male fan who argued that she should be home with her two-year-old daughter instead of on a business trip 'One more night in New York then I head home to my family!' she said on social media (pictured in Times Square) 'One more night in New York then I head home to my family!' she said on social media. A few fans noticed that Mia had stayed behind in Australia with Emily's husband Declan, and questioned why she would make such a decision. 'Where is Mia?' Asked one of her 2.5million followers, while another said 'I was thinking this was a cute photo but where is Mia?' One man even suggested that she should have stayed home to clean and 'look after' Mia and Declan. Emily Skye shared this screenshot to her Instagram Story to call out the male fan A few fans noticed that Mia had stayed behind in Australia with Emily's husband Declan, and questioned why she would make such a decision One man even suggested that she should have stayed home to clean and 'look after' Mia and Declan (pictured pregnant with her second child) 'No you should stay at home, clean the house and cook like women were born to do,' the troll said. 'You don't belong in the work force, men were made for working. You are a mother and wife and should satisfy him and look after him and your child.' Emily posted the comment to her Instagram Story asking if 'this was a joke'. 'I've had a lot of people criticising me for being away from Mia and saying that it's selfish of me. To be honest, this is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard,' she countered. 'I'm away working so I can give my family the best life possible AND I'm also doing this for ME! This whole idea that doing anything for yourself is a bad thing is WRONG. Emily posted the male comment to her Instagram Story asking if 'this was a joke' 'Don't ever let anyone tell you that you're selfish for wanting to achieve goals for yourself. You are still your own person with goals and dreams and you deserve to do things for yourself to make yourself happy.' She argued that although kids become your priority as a parent your own happiness should be considered as well. Emily is currently pregnant with her second child, announcing the baby's arrival to her online audience on January 2. Americans who have traveled to China and may have been exposed to the coronavirus could be brought to Nebraska for observation. The federal Department of Health and Human Services is working on a plan to bring Americans back to the United States, University of Nebraska Medical Center Chancellor Jeffrey Gold said Saturday afternoon. One place they might end up is Nebraska. The travelers most likely would be U.S. government workers or privately employed Americans who have been in the Chinese city of Wuhan or other areas where people have tested positive for the virus. Gold stressed that they could be housed in the state as a precautionary measure. The Americans in question would have tested negative for coronavirus but still would need to be observed for 14 days. Gold said its extremely unlikely that the people would have the virus. The coronavirus so far has resulted in 304 deaths in China, the World Health Organization said Saturday. More than 14,550 people have been infected around the world, with most of those cases occurring in China, Reuters reported. The Kansas City metropolitan area straddles the borders of Kansas and Missouri, meaning that theres both a Kansas City, Kansas and a Kansas City, Missouri. But the latter is both the bigger city (488,943 to 152,938, as of 2017) and the one where the Chiefs play. But after the Chiefs 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV Sunday, U.S. president Donald Trump briefly tweeted congratulations to the Chiefs and the Great State of Kansas. That tweet was soon deleted, but is preserved here: When trump thinks the Chiefs play in Kansas ? pic.twitter.com/dgi3GcEKFc Annie Neveau (@AnnieNeveau) February 3, 2020 After taking down that tweet, Trumps account posted a similar tweet this time shouting out the great state of Missouri. Which is a bit more accurate as to where they actually play, but probably wont be loved by the Chiefs fans who live on the Kansas side: Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on a great game and a fantastic comeback under immense pressure. We are proud of you and the Great State of Missouri. You are true Champions! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2020 Funnily enough, one of the many people calling Trump out over the initial tweet was former U.S. senator Claire McCaskill (a Democratic senator representing Missouri from 2006-2018 whos now a NBC News/MSNBC analyst): Its Missouri you stone cold idiot. pic.twitter.com/O1cAAOFsJ6 Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) February 3, 2020 And someone else actually predicted that he would do this: If KC pulls this out, what are the chances Trump A. Thinks the Chiefs play in the state of Kansas B. Takes shots at the city of SF in a congratulatory tweet to KC Deven Nunez Parler is for Losers Cow (@EmmReef) February 3, 2020 So, yeah, that first tweet was a bit of a swing and a miss. [Annie Neveau on Twitter] WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) announced their partnership with Lupus Canada to fund innovative lupus research through the Lupus Canada Catalyst Award. The award supports research projects that have the potential to significantly advance the field or impact the lives of people with lupus. "In order to accelerate lupus research to improve drug development, find better treatments and ultimately discover a cure, we must work together. Collaborating with Lupus Canada allows us to join forces to increase the impact of lupus research in North America and work towards our common goal of improving the lives of people with lupus and ending this disease," said Stevan W. Gibson, president and CEO, Lupus Foundation of America. The Lupus Foundation of America's research program has contributed to every lupus research breakthrough of the past 40 years. The LFA is dedicated to uniting lupus experts and groups throughout the world to identify the cause, control the symptoms of and ultimately discover a cure for lupus. "Lupus Canada is fiercely committed to improving the lives of Canadians living with lupus by funding the best and brightest lupus researchers in Canada. By partnering with the Lupus Foundation of America we will be able to further our mandate and bring greater attention on a global perspective to this debilitating disease," said Tanya Carlton, volunteer President, Lupus Canada. The Lupus Canada Catalyst Award is available to a Canadian researcher at any stage of their lupus research career and provides support for high caliber start up projects for one year. Applications for the Lupus Canada Catalyst Award are now open until April 17, 2020. In addition to this award, the Lupus Foundation of America has also opened its request for applications for its Gary S. Gilkeson Career Development Award and the Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Fellowship Program Grant. Applications will be accepted until April 17, 2020. To learn more about these three peer reviewed grant programs, click here. About the Lupus Foundation of America The Lupus Foundation of America is the national force devoted to solving the mystery of lupus, one of the world's cruelest, most unpredictable and devastating diseases, while giving caring support to those who suffer from its brutal impact. Through a comprehensive program of research, education, and advocacy, we lead the fight to improve the quality of life for all people affected by lupus. Learn more about the Lupus Foundation of America at lupus.org. Contact: Mike Donnelly [email protected] (202) 349-1162 SOURCE Lupus Foundation of America Related Links http://www.lupus.org The separate controversies that have overshadowed the British monarchy over recent months were played for laughs on Sunday evening as Rebel Wilson attended the 73rd annual EE British Academy Film Awards. With guests including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in attendance, the Australian actress referenced Prince Andrew and the recently abdicated Prince Harry before presenting the Best Director award to filmmaker Sam Mendes. Addressing the star-studded audience at London's Royal Albert Hall, she joked: 'It is really great to be here, at the Royal Andrew... Royal Harry... no, sorry, Royal Phil- at this royal... palace place.' Scroll down for full list of winners Comedy gold: Rebel Wilson cracked a joke at Prince Andrew and Prince Harry's expense as she presented the Best Director award at the BAFTAs on Sunday evening The Duke Of York stepped down from royal duties in November following a disastrous Newsnight interview about his friendship with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Following the interview, he was accused of failing to show regret over his friendship with the disgraced financier, and empathy with his victims. The awkward gag prompted a ripple of laughter from those in attendance, however William and Kate looked notably reserved as cameras immediately cut to the Royal couple. Banter: 'It is really great to be here, at the Royal Andrew... Royal Harry... no, sorry, Royal Phil- at this royal... palace place,' she joked Awkward: The awkward gag prompted a ripple of laughter from those in attendance, includign a slightly strained looking William and Kate Rebel, 39, also touched on the decision to offer guests environmentally friendly goodie bags for the first time, part of their ongoing push for sustainability at the annual event. She added: 'Sorry I was just told backstage that no one's getting a gift bag tonight. Instead, youre all getting a gifting wallet, which is funny because thats also nickname of my vagina.' Choosing to joke about the absence of females in the Best Director category, she quipped: 'I dont think I could do what they do, honestly. I just dont have the balls.' While her appearance went down well with the star-studded audience, viewers were divided over here decision to make a joke at the Royal family's expense. Taking to Twitter, one viewer wrote: 'Three cheers for the producer who cut to William and Kate after Rebel Wilsons Prince Andrew and Harry joke.' While another raged: 'I thought it disgustingly rude and unfunny. I felt sorry for them. Why should they go to an awards ceremony to have their family insulted. A crude and insensitive remark.' Spotlight: Prince Andrew's friendship with convicted sex offender has Jeffrey Epstein has dragged the monarchy into another royal crisis Topical: The 39-year old also touched on the decision to offer guests environmentally friendly goodie bags for the first time, part of their ongoing push for sustainability at the annual event Mixed response: While her appearance went down well with the star-studded audience, viewers were divided over here decision to make a joke at the Royal family's expense Evidently in agreement, a third added: 'I totally agree she made me cringe .... not the time or the place for her tasteless remarks I dont find her remotely funny anyway just crude and talentless in my view. When you have to resort to being unkind to promote yourself its sick.' Others praised the star for injecting life into the event, with one adding: 'Rebel Wilson does 3 minutes; good jokes about Cats, all male nominations lists, coronavirus and her vagina; rescues BAFTAs.' 'If Rebel hosted the show, it would be quality,' wrote another. Well done: Others praised the star for injecting life into the star-studded event with her unique brand of humour Special appearance: The actress was on hand to present the Best Director award to Sam Mendes Royal jokes proved to be a recurring theme on the night, with Margot Robbie also poking fun at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to step away from their official roles. The Duke and Duchess awkwardly grinned as the Australian star accepted the award for Best Supporting Actor on behalf of absent Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood co-star Brad Pitt. Reading out his acceptance speech, she told the audience: 'He says he is going to name this Harry because he is really excited about bringing it back to the States with him. His words not mine.' The camera immediately panned to the Duke and Duchess, who were seen laughing alongside the rest of the crowd from their seats. Farewell: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently announced their desire to abdicate and live independently in Canada NME Awards 2020: The Winners BEST ALBUM IN THE WORLD Billie Eilish 'When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?' FKA twigs 'Magdalene' Foals 'Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost, Pt. 1' Lana Del Rey 'Norman Fucking Rockwell' (WINNER) Little Simz 'GREY Area' Michael Kiwanuka 'Kiwanuka' Slipknot 'We Are Not Your Kind' Slowthai 'Nothing Great About Britain' Stella Donnelly Beware Of The Dogs Tyler, the Creator 'IGOR' BEST BRITISH ALBUM FKA twigs 'Magdalene' Foals 'Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost, Pt. 1' Little Simz 'GREY Area' (WINNER) Michael Kiwanuka 'Kiwanuka' Slowthai 'Nothing Great About Britain' BEST BRITISH SOLO ACT AJ Tracey Charli XCX FKA twigs (WINNER) Slowthai Yungblud BEST BRITISH SONG AJ Tracey 'Ladbroke Grove' Dua Lipa 'Don't Start Now' Georgia 'About Work The Dancefloor' Mura Masa ft Slowthai 'Deal Wiv It' The 1975 'People' BEST SONG IN THE WORLD AJ Tracey 'Ladbroke Grove' Billie Eilish 'Bad Guy' (WINNER) Honoured: Billie Eilish is nominated for Best Album in the World Clairo 'Bags' Dua Lipa 'Don't Start Now' Georgia 'About Work The Dancefloor' Lil Nas X 'Old Town Road (remix)' Lizzo 'Juice' Mura Masa ft Slowthai 'Deal Wiv It' Post Malone 'Circles' The 1975 'People' BEST SOLO ACT IN THE WORLD AJ Tracey Beck Billie Eilish Charli XCX FKA twigs Lana Del Rey Lizzo Slowthai Taylor Swift (WINNER) Yungblud BEST BAND IN THE WORLD Bring Me The Horizon Brockhampton BTS HAIM IDLES Krept & Konan Slipknot (WINNER) Tame Impala The 1975 The Big Moon BEST BRITISH BAND Award: The 1975 took home the award for Best British Band Bring Me The Horizon IDLES Krept & Konan The 1975 (WINNER) The Big Moon BEST NEW ACT IN THE WORLD Celeste Clairo (WINNER) D-Block Europe DaBaby Dominic Fike Easy Life Fontaines DC Girl In Red Jade Bird Sam Fender BEST NEW BRITISH ACT Celeste D-Block Europe Easy Life (WINNER) Jade Bird Sam Fender BEST LIVE ACT Amyl & The Sniffers Foals (WINNER) Iggy Pop Lizzo Slowthai BEST COLLABORATION BTS + Halsey Charli XCX + Christine & The Queens Megan Thee Stallion + DaBaby Slowthai + Mura Masa (WINNER) Yungblud + Dan Reynolds BEST MUSIC VIDEO Brockhampton 'I've Been Born Again' Easy Life 'Nice Guys' Normani 'Motivation' Stormzy 'Vossi Bop' Yungblud 'Original Me (WINNER) BEST FILM Blue Story (WINNER) Hustlers Joker Midsommar Once Upon A Time In Hollywood BEST FILM ACTOR Florence Pugh Joaquin Phoenix Lupita Nyong'o Micheal Ward Taron Egerton BEST TV SERIES End Of The Fucking World Fleabag Peaky Blinders (WINNER) Stranger Things Top Boy BEST TV ACTOR Success: Jodie Comer is nominated for Best TV Actor Asa Butterfield Jessica Barden Jodie Comer Kano Zendaya BEST MUSIC FILM Beyonce: Homecoming BTS: Bring The Soul Liam Gallagher: As It Was (WINNER) Michael Hutchence: Mystify Rocketman BEST MUSIC BOOK Brett Anderson 'Afternoons With The Blinds Drawn' Debbie Harry 'Face It: A Memoir' Elton John 'Me' Prince 'The Beautiful Ones' Tegan & Sara 'High School BEST REISSUE Aretha Franklin 'Amazing Grace' Muse 'Origins Of Muse' Prince '1999' R.E.M. 'Monster 25' The Beatles 'Abbey Road' BEST PODCAST Have You Heard George's Podcast? (WINNER) My Dad Wrote A Porno Sex Power Money Stay Free: The Story Of The Clash The Missing Cryptoqueen BEST GAME Death Stranding Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Super Smash Bros. Ultimate The Outer Worlds BEST BRITISH FESTIVAL All Points East Glastonbury Parklife Reading & Leeds Wireless BEST SMALL FESTIVAL Bluedot End Of The Road Iceland Airwaves Kendal Calling ya BEST FESTIVAL HEADLINER Cardi B Lana Del Rey Stormzy The 1975 The Cure (WINNER) BEST FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD Popular: Glastonbury is up for Best British Festival All Points East Coachella Fuji Rock Glastonbury (Winner) Mad Cool Parklife Reading & Leeds Rock In Rio Sziget Wireless ICON AWARD Courtney Love GODLIKE GENIUS Emily Eavis SONGWRITER OF THE DECADE Robyn Advertisement Later in the ceremony Prince William took to the stage as he spoke passionately about the importance of diversity in films before handing out the Fellowship award to Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy. The American film producer started her career working on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and most recently has worked on the Star Wars series. The Duke of Cambridge addressed issues around diversity before presenting Kathleen with the BAFTA award. Quips: Margot Robbie gave the speech on behalf of absent film-star Brad Pitt, who did not attend the ceremony, during which she poked fun at Megxit, whilst Rebel Wilson later took aim at Prince Andrew Dazzling: Kate wowed in a stunning floor length white and gold gown by Alexander McQueen as she walked the red carpet at the BAFTAs alongside husband Prince William He praised the 'exceptional film-making' that had been highlighted during the ceremony, and reflected on his decade as president, joking that he did not know if he should be 'proud or slightly alarmed' at how many of the winners over the past decade 'have portrayed members of my own family'. William said: 'Both here in the UK and in many other countries across the world we are lucky to have incredible film-makers, actors, producers, directors and technicians - men and women from all backgrounds and ethnicities enriching our lives through film. 'Yet in 2020, and not for the first time in the last few years, we find ourselves talking again about the need to do more to ensure diversity in the sector and in the awards process - that simply cannot be right in this day and age.' He continued: 'I know that both Pippa (Harris), chair of Bafta and Amanda (Berry), Bafta CEO, share that frustration and continue to work tirelessly to ensure that creative talent is discovered and supported. 'Bafta take this issue seriously, and following this year's nominations, have launched a full and thorough review of the entire awards process to build on their existing work and ensure that opportunities are available to everyone.' Main man: Prince William spoke passionately about the importance of diversity in film before presenting the Fellowship award to Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy Sam Mendes' 1917 led the winners at the event, with t he World War I masterpiece taking home seven gongs, including Best Film, Director, Outstanding British Film, Special Visual Effects, Cinematography, Production Design and Sound at the star-studded ceremony. Renee Zellweger won the Leading Actress gong for her role as Judy Garland in the namesake biopic Judy with Joaquin Phoenix taking home the Leading Actor award for his role as Joker. Despite receiving 11 nominations, Joker only took home three awards - Casting, Original Score and Joaquin's Leading Actor gong. Other A-lister wins included Laura Dern, who won the Supporting Actress gong for her role as cutthroat lawyer Nora Fanshaw in Marriage Story. CHICAGO, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Powering Chicago , the voice of Chicago's unionized electrical industry, today announced the launch of a new campaign designed to underscore its industry-leading investments in the future of Chicagoland. Powering Chicago is comprised of members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 134 and the Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) . The foundation of Powering Chicago's commitment to better construction is a continuous investment in training for its members and the use of the latest technology in electrical construction to ensure every job is completed in accordance with the highest standards in the industry. Emblematic of this commitment is an innovative apprenticeship program for future Powering Chicago electricians at the IBEW/NECA Technical Institute in Alsip, IL. Funded exclusively by Powering Chicago members, who invest in the future of skilled labor, the state-of-the-art institute sits on 29 acres in suburban Chicago and is comprised of numerous classrooms and technical labs within the 120,000-square-foot building. The institute features a one-of-a-kind Renewable Energy Training Field complete with solar, wind and battery storage components for apprentices and journeymen and women to learn about the latest technological advancements within the industry. "Choosing a Powering Chicago electrician or contractor means your project will be completed on time, within budget, and have the highest quality installation available in the market today," said Powering Chicago Executive Director John Donahue. "We are confident in our ability to deliver consistently better construction because the training and education our members receive is among the most rigorous in the United States." Apprentices take part in a five-year paid program that combines 1,200 hours of classroom training with extensive on-the-job training. During the program, apprentices learn basic electrical principles, safety standards, new technology, and the latest compliance standards in line with the Chicago electrical code. The final two years of the program are flexible, and apprentices have the opportunity to participate in seminars on specific topics that will best serve them in the field. By the conclusion of the program, each apprentice is equipped with the skills necessary to advance the industry to ever-higher standards and performance. Powering Chicago's commitment to better careers is underscored by the advancement opportunities for apprentices who graduate from the IBEW/NECA Technical Institute. Once journeymen or journeywomen electricians, Powering Chicago's members have access to ongoing education and training, providing those motivated to own their own businesses in metro Chicago with the support necessary to do so. Members of Powering Chicago are also provided career advancement opportunities at IIT and Daley College, where they have the option to earn an associate degree or a bachelor's degree in a related field. These programs are discounted for Powering Chicago members. "What makes this industry thrive is that many of the employees who work for union contractors have worked their way up through the apprenticeship program so they really understand the industry from the ground level," said Richard Jamerson, president of the ECA. "This knowledge allows our contractors to deploy cutting-edge technologies to increase productivity and job safety." Each year, Powering Chicago's members take part in more than 100 charitable activities, playing a major role in rebuilding blighted properties and giving back to the communities in which its members live and work. "Powering Chicago takes seriously our obligation to better the communities in which we operate," said Donald Finn, IBEW Local 134 business manager and financial secretary. "A career in the unionized electrical industry provides many benefits, and our charitable activities are how we pay it forward to the communities that support our work." Some of the organizations Powering Chicago assists throughout the year include SOS Children's Village, Rebuild Together Metro Chicago, Boy Scouts of America and Ronald McDonald Charities. About Powering Chicago Bringing together the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 134 electricians and the Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA) of City of Chicago, Powering Chicago is an electrical industry labor-management partnership that invests in consistently better construction, better careers and better communities within the metro Chicago region. Employing the latest technology, its members are elevating industry performance through their commitment to safety, level of experience and reliability, while also investing in the future of skilled labor through an innovative apprenticeship program that is paving the way for the next generation of skilled electricians. For additional information, visit poweringchicago.com . SOURCE Powering Chicago Related Links https://poweringchicago.com Taiwans Wistron plans to assemble printed circuit boards (PCBs) for iPhones at its plant in southern India, two sources said, highlighting Apples push to expand manufacturing. The local assembly of PCBs by Wistron's India unit will be a first for the contract manufacturer, which began making Apples low-priced SE model in the southern tech hub of Bengaluru in 2017. It currently assembles the 6S and 7 iPhone models there as well. A PCB is a bed for key components such as processors, memory and wireless chip sets that are the heart of an electronic device. Once ... When Konrad Adenauer became Chancellor of Germany four years after VE Day, Germans were at their lowest point in history. They lived in desperate poverty. Their country was partitioned and occupied. Their economy and livelihoods were destroyed. Millions of refugees struggled to return to their homes, or took part in population exchanges as post-war borders were redrawn. As Chancellor, Adenauer did not give Germans hope of reversing the outcome of the war. He did not offer them victimhood or resistance to the Allied forces. Instead, within two months of taking office, Adenauer signed the 1949 Petersberg Agreement, giving up control of the Ruhr and Saar regions to the Allies and acceding to partition. What Adenauer knew he was getting in return was sovereignty for the new Federal Republic of Germany, and previously unthinkable partnerships with Germanys former enemies. His ambition was to make the Federal Republic of Germany a stronghold of democracy, stability, and credibility through honest reconciliation with its neighbors. Bolstered by U.S. support in the form of NATO and the Marshall Plan, and deep economic cooperation with its ancient enemy in France, the Federal Republic of Germany went from occupied pariah to coequal member of the international community. The results speak for themselves. The Germany of today is Konrad Adenauers Germany, one of the most prosperous, stable, and admirable democracies in the world. Lesen Sie auch US Ambassador Richard Grenell Emotional speech at United Nations US Ambassador to Germany Grenell gave an emotional speech at the United Nations naming all 69 countries that punish homosexuality! National Security Advisor O'Brien Huawei is a corrupt state enterprise He is one of Trump's most important advisors! Robert O'Brien (53), the US National Security Advisor. BILD met O'Brien for an interview. The same year Adenauer signed the Petersberg Agreement, another war came to an end. Known in Israel as the War of Independence, and among Palestinians as the Nakba, the war had begun one day after the Palestinian leadership and Arab states rejected UN Resolution 181, the first ever two-state solution of the international community. With Israel victorious over the Arab League and Egyptian and Palestinian forces, the 1949 Armistice Agreement solidified the State of Israel. Seven decades later, the Palestinian people are still waiting for the kind of leadership that will exchange compromise for sovereignty, and reconciliation for prosperity. Instead of gaining the economic and security benefits of a final peace, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority offer only the hopelessness of eternal struggle. Rather than gain independence and dignity through a negotiated settlement, Palestinian leaders still reject the outcome of every event since 1949. For the last seven decades, the major factions of Palestinian leadership have cynically justified endless conflict by pretending to advance a cause they know to be futilethe reversal of their neighbors existence. The impact of their leadership is clear. While Israel today is stronger than its ever been, Palestinians are governed either by a financially starved terrorist organization in Gaza, or by a corrupt government in the West Bank. Neither government effectively addresses the conflict itself or the daily concerns of ordinary people. With cooperation increasing between Israel and its erstwhile Sunni enemies, and international headlines dominated by Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Libya, the cause of Palestinian statehood is likewise a weaker focus of global concern than it once was. With the Trump administrations announcement Tuesday of a new U.S.-led peace plan, the United States is putting the cause of Palestinian statehood back at the fore of international attention. Lesen Sie auch BILD with Otto Warmbiers parents Im looking at death As they see the country that brought death to their son for the first time, Cindy and Fred Warmbier can hardly control their emotions. BILD reunites the enemies Over cola, beer, and sauerkraut, they became friends 75 years after the beginning of Hitlers Ardennes Counteroffensive, a German tank commander and an US-anti-tank gunner shake hands. At the core of President Trumps plan is a map for two states with significant territorial expansion for Palestinians, whose authorities will work with the U.S. and Israel to assume more security responsibility over time and phase out Israels security footprint. With the choice to return to the new Palestinian state, integrate into the countries where they currently live, or resettle in a third country, Palestinians refugee status will no longer be perpetuated by the corrupt and secretive United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Under the plan called Vision for Peace, Israel and the future Palestinian state will be connected by modern transportation links to enable the free movement of goods and services. The plan also outlines the development of a Palestinian airport and seaport, including the use and management of facilities at Haifa and Ashdod. Underwriting these connections will be a $50 billion economic package from the United States, designed to help the Palestinian state create over 1 million jobs, double its GDP, reduce unemployment below 10 percent, and reduce the poverty rate below 50 percent. Prime Minister Netanyahu and opposition leader LTG Benjamin Gantz recently traveled to Washington to endorse the Vision for Peace, the first time an Israeli government and opposition leader have both endorsed the creation of a Palestinian state. But no amount of support from the U.S., Israel, Europe, or Arab states will be enough without courageous Palestinian leadership. What Palestinians deserve is a leader who will not keep them forever frozen in 1949, but who will grasp the opportunity to reconcile with their neighbor, and make the State of Palestine a prosperous and stable democracy. -- *Richard Grenell is the US Ambassador to Germany A man who fell through the ice while riding an ATV was rescued by a sheriff's sergeant who jumped into the icy water to pull him out. Two men, Craig Dennison, 38, and Donald Holbrook, 28, drove their ATV about 100 yards from shore on a pond in Warren, Maine, on Saturday night, according to the Sheriff's Office. The men ended up going through the ice. Residents nearby heard someone screaming for help and called 911. When Knox County Sgt. Arthur Smith and another deputy arrived, both men were still in the water. Smith threw a rope to the men, and Dennison was able to use it to pull himself out. Holbrook was struggling and going under water, so Smith tied the rope around himself and jumped into the water to help him. "I was able to get a hold of him and get him to the edge of the ice, took my arms underneath his arms, so I'm on his back and then held onto the ice," Smith said about the rescue. "Kept him above the water and myself above the water for him to be able to breathe and relax." Officials said Smith used his arms to hold onto the ice and his legs to keep Holbrook above water. At one point, the ice Smith was holding onto broke free, and he had to get to more solid ice to keep both himself and Holbrook afloat. Eventually, a rescue swimmer in a wetsuit arrived and jumped in to help. Together with other first responders, they were able to get Holbrook out of the water. "Extremely proud of Sgt. Smith's dedication to serving the people of Knox County and true heroism while putting his own life in danger," Knox County Sheriff Tim Carroll said. Holbrook and Dennison were taken to Penobscot Bay Medical Center. Holbrook was then brought to Maine Medical Center in Portland. He was in satisfactory condition Monday morning. Smith was taken to the hospital to be checked out as a precaution. The Maine Warden Service stressed the importance of checking the ice before heading out. Ice conditions along the coast are hazardous in some areas," said Aaron Cross, a sergeant with the Maine Warden Service. "With the warmer weather, some areas that are normally frozen this time of year may not be." (TNS) Smart Columbus is closing in on its goal of having 1,000 charging stations for electric and hybrid vehicles in central Ohio by March 31.As of Dec. 31, the seven-county region had 826 charging ports installed: 379 at workplaces; 177 at fleet locations; 154 at public places; 116 at apartment or condominium complexes.That's been done through the $10 million Paul G. Allen Philanthropies grant. The stations include "Level 2" stations 240-volt ports that provide 25 to 38 miles of range per hour of charging, and fast-charging stations that provide 60 to 80 miles of range in 20 minutes of charging."In 2020, you're going to see a lot more fast chargers come online," said Jordan Davis, the Columbus Partnership's Smart Columbus director.On Jan. 14, Columbus' first two fast-charge stations opened Downtown along Fulton Street west of South 4th Street. Each of the stations can simultaneously charge two vehicles in about 30 minutes. The charge, paid by credit card, could cost $10 to $15 depending on energy demand and time of day."It fills a great gap. Helps a lot of visitors," Davis said.The $10 million grant funds that pilot project, too. The first two stations cost about $80,000.Davis said more companies and organizations have charging stations. That includes Huntington Bancshares and OhioHealth."We're going to see a lot more workplace charging," Davis said. The number of workplaces with charging stations increased from three to 60 in two years, she said.Allegra Wiesler, senior sustainability consultant at OhioHealth, said the health system has 54 charging posts for employees, patients and their families, offering free charging at its facilities in the seven-county region, with plans to add more."We see the connection to public health supporting zero tailpipe emissions," Wiesler said.OhioHealth has bought its first electric vehicle for its courier fleet.The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has 11 charging stations that were installed in February 2019: five for staff and fleet vehicles, and six for visitors.For several years, visitors had emailed the zoo about whether it had charging stations, especially during the holiday Wildlights show, said Barb Revard, the zoo's sustainability director.In 2019, there were only 10 days when no visitors used the charging stations at the zoo, and the zoo was closed on two of those days, she said. The busiest day was May 11, when good weather helped bring in a large crowd, she said. The second-busiest day was Dec. 26.American Electric Power helped the zoo with the cost of the stations, Revard said.AEP has helped pay for charging stations in general through a $9.5 million incentive program. Company spokesman Scott Blake said 97% of that money has been committed to projects.Land Grant Brewing in Franklinton had hoped to install a charger last summer, but grant funding was not available then. The brewery is investigating how to secure funding to install a charger this year, said Vinny Valentino, Land Grant's sustainability and operations manager."One of the pillars of Land Grant is that we're trying to be a sustainable brewery and a sustainable neighbor," Valentino said, adding that the brewery would like to add electric sales vehicles at some point.The city of Columbus will reach its goal of 200 electric vehicles in its fleet by March 31, Finance Director Joe Lombardi said.The city is trying to reduce its carbon footprint, Lombardi said, after winning the Smart Cities Challenge in 2016 to advance transportation innovation. The city received $40 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation. A worker wearing a protective suit checks the luggage of an evacuee from Wuhan, China, after their evacuation flight landed at an airport in Marseilles, France, on Feb. 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Arek Rataj) 36 Evacuated From China to France Displayed Coronavirus Symptoms Three dozen people evacuated from China to France showed symptoms of coronavirus, French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said, but the 20 that remained on the tarmac at a French Air Force base later tested negative for the illness. The evacuation flight ferried 254 people, a number from countries outside of France, from Wuhan to Europe on Sunday. Wuhan is the epicenter of the new coronavirus. Some 20 people, including French nationals and people from outside of Europe, stayed on the tarmac at Istres airport after showing symptoms of the coronavirus, Buzyn told reporters, according to AFP. Another 16 people, all foreign nationals, were flown to their respective countries after showing signs of the virus. Sixty-four people on the flight, which included 30 different nationalities, were French. The French nationals and 60 non-European nationals, including people from Mexico, Brazil, and Rwanda, were being quarantined for 14 days near Aix-en-Provence. People who showed no symptoms were being allowed to fly onto their home countries, French officials said. Six coronavirus cases have been confirmed in France, the second-most in any country in Europe. A crew member of an evacuation flight of French citizens from Wuhan gives passengers disinfectant during the flight to France on Feb. 1, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images) The 20 people who were tested and remained in France all tested negative, Secretary of State Adrien Taquet said on Monday. When they got on the plane, some people had some symptoms but were not related to the coronavirus, it was rather a cold, he said during an appearance on BFM-TV. But they had to be controlled, which was done at the military base in Istres in the Bouches-du-Rhone. All the tests turned out to be negative and the people in question were able to reach reception centers, like the one in Aix. Eleven Swedish nationals were among the people who didnt show symptoms. We dont yet know what this group has, Anders Tegnell, epidemiologist at Swedens Public Health Agency, told Swedish wire agency TT, according to The Local. If you put a few hundred people on an aircraft this time of the year and then ask when they arrive if anyone has a cough or a slight cold, the odds are low that you will find a few. A person wears a protective mask as he walks down an empty street in Wuhan, the epicenter of the new coronavirus, on Feb. 3, 2020. (Getty Images) The Swedes were told to self-quarantine for 14 days and report to health authorities if they showed any symptoms but the quarantine orders were not mandatory. One case has been confirmed in Sweden. The Czech Republic and Great Britain also had nationals on board the plane that flew to France. Countries around the world have been sending planes to Wuhan to evacuate their citizens, including Germany, Turkey, and the United States. Some of the planes have also carried nationals from other countries. The British Embassy in Beijing said on Monday that there would be more flights evacuating people out of Hubei Province, which hosts Wuhan, this week but warned they could be the last flights for foreigners from Wuhan or other parts of the province. India's following protocol quite swiftly, with regard to the onset of coronavirus in China and some parts of the world, including India. The first Air India flight that left for China brought back 324 Indian nationals from coronavirus-hit Wuhan on February 1, 2020 at 7:30 in the morning. 220 citizens were sent to the Army quarantine facility in Manesar and the rest 104 were sent to ITBP facility at Chawla camp. Twitter A second flight took off for China to bring back more Indian nationals stranded there, on Sunday, February 2. 323 Indians were brought back and along with them came 7 nationals from the island of Maldives. We're not sure how the protocol was handled but the flight came back with 7 citizens from the tiny island, and the Maldives Foreign Minister, Abdulla Rashid, took to Twitter to express his gratitude to India and the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. The gesture certainly didn't go unnoticed. The Maldives Prime Minister said that the seven Maldivian nationals will be housed in Delhi for a few days before they make their way home. His tweet said the following: 7 Maldivians in #Wuhan are on their way to Delhi on a special #AirIndia flight. Upon arrival they will be housed in Delhi for a period of quarantine. Deep gratitude to PM @narendramodi and EM @DrSJaishankar. Special thanks to Ambassadors. 7 Maldivians in #Wuhan are on their way to Delhi on a special #AirIndia flight. Upon arrival they will be housed in Delhi for a period of quarantine. Deep gratitude to PM @narendramodi and EM @DrSJaishankar. Special thanks to Ambassadors @VikramMisri @sunjaysudhir and their teams Abdulla Shahid (@abdulla_shahid) February 2, 2020 Rashid called India's gesture 'an action that reflects historic ties of kinship between the two countries and synergy between the Neighbourhood First and India First policy. Not only did he extend his gratitude towards India, Rashid also thanked China for all their help for taking care of the citizens. Grateful to @MFA_China, @AmbassadorZhang and local authorities in #Hubei for the assistance. A very special thanks to our Ambassador in China Ms Azeema and Ambassador in Delhi @aishamdidi and their team. Thank everyone at @MoFAmv for the hard work. 7 Maldivians in #Wuhan are on their way to Delhi on a special #AirIndia flight. Upon arrival they will be housed in Delhi for a period of quarantine. Deep gratitude to PM @narendramodi and EM @DrSJaishankar. Special thanks to Ambassadors @VikramMisri @sunjaysudhir and their teams Abdulla Shahid (@abdulla_shahid) February 2, 2020 While India has already sent two flights and brought back close to 700 people, including 7 Maldivians, a lot of Pakistani nationals are still stranded in China, running pillar to post, to figure how to go back home as soon as possible, since their country isn't making too many efforts to bring their citizens back home. Indian citizens, on the other hand, are urging the government to help bring back the stranded Pakistanis on a humanitarian level. After External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar put out a tweet about the Maldivians being brought back, a number of people talked about the Pakistanis as well. Sir we request you to bring the Pakistanis too on humanitarian ground, after all they r actually our brothers n sisters...Desh ka partition hua toh kia hua...relationship ka toh partition nehi hua nah... Abhijit (@Road_Engg) February 2, 2020 A master stroke would have been bringing down Paxtani students as well, brings great goodwill within Paxtan. M Merchant (@kluzener) February 2, 2020 I urge u to evacuate the pakistani students as well...... As they are completely helpless now, and we must set an example,,, as we believe in @PMOIndia @MEAIndia @narendramodi @AmitShah @AmitShahOffice Kundan Kunal (@KundanK96192092) February 2, 2020 Salute to You @DrSJaishankar . India always stands with her friends. Suhasini R (@R_Suhasini) February 2, 2020 lets bring Pakistani as well.. that would be great initiative Rajiv Karambalkar (@icon_rajiv) February 2, 2020 Great job sir There is a big debate raging on SM about Pakistani students who are pleading to be evacuated. What is the stand of the Indian govt? OmShantiOm (@OmShant07338068) February 2, 2020 Pls also consider the fate of the Pakistani students left behind by their government.. Sameer Goyal (@sameergoyal) February 2, 2020 If India can, then we should help Pakistanis students too. In any way possible. #HumanityFirst Rohan Sharma (@chunnusharma) February 2, 2020 Can we bring Pakistanis too to save the students from sure death . Alok Kumar Chaudhury (@ChaudhuryAlok) February 2, 2020 Sir we should help Pakistani students too.. LET'S TRY TO WIN THE WAR WITH LOVE Shivansh pandey (@Im_shivansh) February 2, 2020 Can't you help the 300 Pakistani students also!? Their foreign policies may be against India's but why can't we rise above and get those children to their border!? Danny Loyall (@dannijon75) February 2, 2020 The government should actually consider these pleas made by the Indians to free their Pakistani brethren. In these troubled times, humanity should come before religion, economic policies or political struggle between the two countries. We should help each other out, in a global health crisis such as this and we hope the government can see through this and aids Pakistan in this issue. We really hope that this crisis is averted and no more casualties occur due to this deadly virus. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin suggested postponing the Russian Investment Forum over coronavirus outbreak. "We have discussed this situation on several occasions. I propose that we do not cancel, but postpone, as we discussed, to other dates and, in this sense, think, of course, first of all, about the safety of health of our citizens, participants of the forum, Mishustin said at a briefing with his deputies. The PM also ordered Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov to think about how to compensate the organizers of the forum for the costs they incurred and discuss with them possible dates for the event, PRIME reported. The Russian Investment Forum was scheduled to take place in Sochi on February 1214. Webster University will open its first campus in the region in Georgia, the Georgian Business and Technology University (BTU) announced. Webster University will be located on a 2,000 square meter plot of land in Tbilisi. The university will have labs, auditoriums a library and work spaces. "The entry of Webster University into Georgia will allow students in the region to receive American education and diploma starting from 2021 without leaving the region," Agenda.ge cited BTU as saying. It was noted that BTUs innovative and top-quality programmes, a strong technology base and technology labs have played their roles in Webster University choosing Silicon Valley Tbilisi as its new location. Algeria Sunday pledged to inject $150 million into the Tunisian Central Bank, BCT, in support to its neighbor, which has been struggling financially and economically since the 2011 revolution. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune made pledge during a meeting with Tunisian leader Kais Saied who was on his maiden international visit to Algeria. Algeria is poised to bring its support to Tunisia which is going through a hard time, financially and economically, Tebboune said. Tunisias economy nearly flattened in the wake of 2011 revolution. The countrys tourism industry, which accounts for 14.2 per cent of the GDP and which is an important job provider, received a blow in 2015 after a series of terrorist attacks that killed at least 70 people mostly foreign tourists. Rising unemployment, mainly among youth has caused major discontent in several governorate mainly in Kasserine province, the epicenter of the 2011 uprising. Both new Presidents, Tebboune (elected in December) and Saied (October) also discussed how to increase trade exchanges, which remain very low. Algerian exports to Tunisia according to Algerian custom statistics relayed by TSA media, hit over $1 billion over the 11 months of 2019 while imports from Tunisia reached $400 million, 3.7 up from the same period in 2018. As part of the "Taifun" armed grouping, the man had been fighting against the forces of the government's Anti-Terrorist Operation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Counterintelligence Department at the SBU Security Service of Ukraine has busted a former member of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" ("DPR") who had been declared wanted six years ago. The operatives established that the man, a Slaviansk resident, had volunteered to join the so-called "DPR's Slaviansk Police Brigade," according to the SBU's press center. "He served as deputy commander of one of the terrorist-controlled platoons there. It is known that as part of the 'Taifun' gang, the man had been fighting against the Anti-Terrorist Operation forces in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In particular, the culprit took an active part in hostilities near Shakhtarsk, Opytne, Spartak, and Novoazovsk in Donetsk region," reads the report. Read alsoEnemy forces twelve times violate truce in Donbas over past 24 hours In 2016, he left the "service" and set off to the Russian Federation to get a seasonal job. The perpetrator was detained by the SBU in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine at the Melove checkpoint. The investigation is underway as part of the criminal proceedings. The detainee is testifying about his participation in the terrorist organization. Authorities are desperately searching for an 11-year-old boy who has been missing for six days after leaving his Colorado home to visit a friend's house. Gannon Stauch of Colorado Springs, was reported missing on January 27 after leaving his home on foot between 3.15pm and 4pm, according to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. Gannon was initially categorized as a runaway, but the status was later upgraded to a missing/endangered person's case, ABC News reports. Reasons for the upgrade include his age, the amount of time that has passed, the cold weather and because Gannon needs his medication. Fifty people were searching Gannon's neighborhood of Lorson Ranch Sunday as the FBI joined in on the case. 'We would like to remind those who live in or around the Lorson Ranch area to be mindful of and check areas on your property a child may hide to include yards, window wells, outbuildings and culverts,' authorities said. Gannon Stauch (pictured) was declared missing after he vanished on January 27 after leaving his home on foot to visit a friend's home Gannon is an 11-year-old boy who was last seen wearing blue jacket, black jeans and sneakers. He has brown eyes and hair, is 90 pounds and stands around four-feet and nine inches A growing number of tips have been called into the sheriff's office, with the most recent count totaling to 134. On Friday, blue ribbons were tied around Lorson Ranch to show support for his family and let Gannon know he's missed, according to The Gazette. Gannon's mother, Landen Hiott, is thankful. 'I'm so thankful for all the outpouring of help this case has brought. My son is a very loving kid, he wouldn't want harm on anybody at all and it's so hard to think, '"Why is this happening to him?"' she said. Gannon's biological mother, Landen Hiott (left), and his father pleaded for their son's safety during a press conference 'I have no clue. My kid deserves to come home. My kid has a purpose, my kid has a life and is important to me and is important to everybody that is standing in this room,' she continued. 'Bring my baby home, Im begging you.' More than 300 citizen volunteers and 160 volunteers from supporting military agencies have helped comb through the area. Some of those agencies include the FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD), the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Salvation Army. Several volunteers combed his neighborhood of Lorson Ranch in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Sunday Letecia 'Tecia' Stauch, the boy's stepmother, was the last person to see Gannon and says she's received death threats after Facebook groups dedicated to finding the boy have accused her of being 'missing.' 'I took care of Gannon for the last two years in our home because his mother didn't want to do it,' she told KKTV. 'I would never ever, ever hurt this child...these people have these conspiracy theories...I'm like, 'Why are you saying Gannon is dead?' He is not dead. We are going to find Gannon.' She maintained that the entire family has been involved in the search for Gannon. She said, 'I'm just ready for Gannon to come home. Most importantly for him to see his family, but second, I am going to be so ecstatic when I'm able to say to people that I hope they have a really sincere apology for all these theories that have (come) out online.' Gannon was last seen wearing a blue jacket, black jeans and sneakers. He has brown eyes, brown hair, is 90 pounds and stands around four-feet and nine inches. If you have any information as it relates to Gannons case, please call the Sheriffs Office Tip Line at 719-520-6666 or email Tips@elpasoco.com. Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty NEW YORKThe man who bankrolled the campaign for Britain to quit the European Union boasted about a backchannel to WikiLeaks after Brexit leader Nigel Farages secret meeting with Julian Assange at the Ecuadorean embassy in London, according to private Twitter messages that have been leaked online. The messages hacked from Farages biggest financial backer, Arron Banks, also raise legal questions over the involvement of Cambridge Analytica in the Brexit referendum, undeclared lobbying efforts in the U.S. on behalf of a foreign power, and a breach of data-protection law by pro-Brexit campaigners. Banks also joked about being a full agent of the Russian state a couple of weeks after Trump was elected president. Brexit campaigners and Trump staffers became close in 2016 as the two upstart campaigns shocked mainstream politicians and won unexpected victories at the ballot box. WikiLeaks: Inside the Farage-Assange-Trump Connection The House Intelligence Committee heard in 2018 that Farage may have been used as a conduit between the White House and WikiLeaks, which the CIA has described as a hostile intelligence service aided by Russia. Two weeks after meeting Trump in Washington, D.C. in February 2017, Farage was spotted leaving Ecuadors embassy in central London. The Brexit Party leader, who previously led the anti-European Union UK Independence Party (UKIP), later claimed he was only there to set up an interview with Assange for a British radio network. According to the hacked Twitter messages, which have been posted online by New York-based website Cryptome, Banks claimed his colleague emerged from the meeting in March 2017 confident that a new WikiLeaks data dump was on the horizon. The day after the meeting, Banks sent a private Twitter message to a friend. I had a drink with nigel, he wrote. He had an interesting time with wiki leaks. On the same day, Banks wrote to a Guardian columnist: You will have plenty of new material soon ! Wiki leaks specialise. Story continues Farage has previously denied to The Daily Beast the allegation that he provided data to WikiLeaks, which published damaging messages hacked from Hillary Clintons private email account during the 2016 presidential election. A spokesperson for Farage did not respond to a request for comment for this report. Glenn Simpson, whose company, Fusion GPS, came to prominence after the controversial Steele dossier on Trumps alleged relationship with Russia, told the House Intel committee he had been informed that Farage delivered material to the embassy via a thumb drive. Nigel Farage and Arron Banks had a number of trips to the U.S. theres been a misrepresentation of the length of that relationship and the extent of it, Simpson told the committee. There was a somewhat unacknowledged relationship between the Trump people and the UKIP people and that the path to WikiLeaks ran through that. It turns out Banks has been making the same point about the depth of the relationship with Team Trump in his private Twitter messages for years. Nigel and Donald love each other, he wrote in one message soon after the November 2016 election. The media dont really get how deep the links go. We are in daily contact with the Trump campaignBrexit playbook! he wrote to another in the days before the vote. Britain finally left the European Union on Fridaythe same day the Senate voted to block new witnesses in Trumps impeachment inquiry, setting the wheels in motion for his all-but-certain acquittal. HACKED Banks social-media account was compromised in November 2019, and a link to download the hacked messages was posted on his Twitter account, but the contents were not reported in the U.K. media after a series of threatening messages from Banks lawyers and his spokesman Andy Wigmore, who said he would come after anyone who downloaded the data. Wigmore also accused Twitter of breaching European Union data-protection rules. Legal threats were issued to the British media and a number of sites that tried to publish messages from a section of the leak were shut down. Cryptome has published the messages in full, including previously undisclosed group messages. We wont comment on Twitter hacked messages. Its become clear that fabricated messages have been inserted into the batch, Banks told The Daily Beast in an email. The whole world has had a go with this wild conspiracy theories Good try though. Fabricated messages did go viral on Twitter on the day of the leak, but The Daily Beast accessedvia Cryptomethe original JSON file, which is a common format for transmitting data in web applications. John Young, who runs the anti-secrecy website, explained that the files had been provided anonymously and said no lawyers from the U.K. had tried to force Cryptome to take the messages down from the site, which is protected by U.S. freedom of speech laws. Providing information banned elsewhere is the primary purpose of our website (since 1996). Much good material has come from nations with limitations on publication, he told The Daily Beast in an email. It would be best for more countries to provide this service to citizenry, especially now that authoritarian regimes are increasing in U.S. and globally. TRUMP TOWER The leak includes messages in which Banks says Leave.EU used the disgraced Cambridge Analytica during the Brexit campaign, a claim campaign officials now deny and did not declare in official election filings. He says former White House chief strategist Steve Bannona former vice president of the controversial political consultancypersonally demanded payment during a visit to Trump Tower in November 2016. In a conversation with former UKIP spokesman Gawain Towler, Banks wrote, Steve Bannon actually chased us at trump tower and we said duck off. Bannon was shilling for CA, Towler wrote. oh how codswallop would love that. Indeed he was, Banks replied. Codswallop is the derogatory nickname the self-proclaimed Bad Boys of Brexit have given to Carole Cadwalladr, the British journalist who has won numerous awards for her work exposing Cambridge Analytica and its links to Brexit and the Trump campaign. She was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for her part in uncovering Cambridge Analyticas use of Facebook data stolen from 50 million people and used in Trumps 2016 campaign. Cambridge Analytica was shut down in 2018 after Cadwalladrs reporting and after the CEO, Alexander Nix, was caught on camera offering an undercover reporter an extraordinary package of election black ops. The Daily Beast previously reported Nix had reached out to Assange to try to get hold of Hillary Clintons stolen emails during the Trump campaign. Banks is currently suing Cadwalladr for libel after she alleged that he had lied about his contacts with the Russian state. Carole has to provide her defence shortly and will be going down in flames! Banks told The Daily Beast. I understand we get Caroles defence Monday, which should be an interesting readas Trump would say Very Fake news! Banks has periodically enjoyed playing up his links to Russia, and in one jocular leaked Twitter message he even claimed to be a full agent. Britains National Crime Agency (NCA) launched an investigation into Banks funding of Leave.EU after claims that money may have been funneled to him from Russia. The NCA found no evidence that Banks or his companies had received funding from third parties. In a leaked Twitter message written during the investigation, Wigmore expressed confidence that the NCA would find in their favor. You forget that throughout the investigation into us we were privy to who said what etc and why the NCA were very willing to cooperate with us and gave us everything we needed to know. CHANGING STORY The extent to which Cambridge Analytica worked on the Brexit campaign has been hotly contested. Banks organization Leave.EU did not declare any expenditure on the data campaigners, or any in-kind donations that would still have to be declared to Britains Electoral Commission, which enforces much stricter election laws and spending limits than the U.S. When Banks and Wigmore gave evidence to a parliamentary select committee in June 2018, it was pointed out to them that they had at least three stated positions on the work done by Cambridge Analytica. We then move on with the relationship with Cambridge Analytica. Again, I think this is you, Mr Wigmore, Cambridge Analytica did no work for us formally and, if they had, it would have been way before you had to report expenditure. I think that is what you were getting at before, We never employed Cambridge Analytica and they never gave us anything in kind. Then we have, Cambridge Analytica provided initial help and guidance to the Leave.EU campaign, which then went on to develop its own artificial intelligence analysis methodology. The AI machine learning was developed in Bristol by 20 mathematicians and actuaries with input from Cambridge Analytica at the very beginning and then executed by Goddard Gunster. Now we have come to the point where Cambridge Analytica is simply an ad agency. Banks responded that Cambridge Analytica was simply an ad agency. Wigmore told the committee that Cambridge Analytica had done some work on the pitch for Leave.EU to be designated as the official Brexit campaign, but that ended when the rival group Vote Leave secured designation. After an investigation into Leave.EUs spending in the campaign, the Electoral Commission issued a fine for failing to declare all of its expenditures but ruled that based on the evidence it has seen, the Commission is satisfied that Leave.EU did not receive donations or paid-for services from Cambridge Analytica. The leaked messages raise further questions, however. In February 2016, Banks wrote approvingly of Cambridge Analyticas work for Texas Sen. Ted Cruzbefore the company switched sides and joined the Trump campaign. He suggested that Leave.EU was already using Cambridge Analyticas psychological profiling techniques. I see ted cruz beat trump with the same online election people we use Cambridge analytica. Social profiling and targeted ads work, he wrote. We can message clinically to labour , Tory UKIP and all Sorts We have 20 different messages targeted by psychology profiling SM [social media]. After Trump was elected president that November, he wrote to another contact: its interesting that the SM campaign we ran used the same AI [artificial intelligence] technology they did via Cambridge analytica. This result came as no surprise to us. If what Banks wrote was true, it might suggest Cambridge Analytica lent its data to Leave.EU; ran psychological profiling to be used in the referendum; or helped it to replicate its online targeting throughout the campaign. You would expect that to be declared to the Electoral Commission. Banks and Wigmore have said publicly that Leave.EU did not pay Cambridge Analytica for any work. They said UKIP had sent data to Cambridge Analytica, but insisted that had nothing to do with Leave.EU or the Brexit campaign. Banks did eventually admit at the select committee hearing that he had donated 42,000 ($55,000) to UKIP in order to pay Cambridge Analytica for work he claims not to have benefited from. To Banks annoyance, UKIP decided to keep the money rather than pay the bill. According to the leaked messages, Bannon was demanding that money from Banks, Farage, and Wigmore at Trump Tower in the days after the presidential victorythat was the trip where the Brexit campaigners posed with Trump in front of a golden elevator. OFFSHORE In the Twitter direct messages, Banks also claimed he used close ties to Team Trump to lobby on behalf of the Belizean banking sector. Banks discussed a plan to work with then-Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant to restore support for transactions in U.S. dollars to Belize Bank. The institution lost its partnerships with Bank of America and Commerzbank after an Obama-era American crackdown on offshore tax evasion raised the costs of offering correspondent banking facilities to Belizes biggest bank. The bank, which is owned by Conservative Party donor Lord Ashcroft, reportedly saw the value of its deposits fall 75 percent in the six months after. Ashcroft messaged Banks in November 2016 to say: The corespondent bank for US dollars? Banks replied: We have asked about corresponding banking for Belize ( and it's been taken up ) call andy for an update ! As well as being a spokesman for Banks and Leave.EU, Andy Wigmore was a trade and investment envoy to Britain for Belize. The following month, Banks, who was an honorary consul to Wales for Belize, sketched out more of the plan to Ashcroft. Dont know if youve caught up with andy but we intend to tackle the bank correspondent issue -the team we know & Bannon all headed off to the White House so fab access. We will be having a party at the inauguration with nigel and hopefully you can make it. Our plan is to get the governor of Mississippi out to Belize on a trade mission and explain the banking issue and get him to take it up directly with WH. Ive been thinking about the banking issue and sure we can get a change of view, he wrote. It is unclear from the messages whether Gov. Bryant, who introduced Farage and Banks to Trump, according to Banks book The Bad Boys of Brexit, did help to push the Belizean case in Washington, but he has not registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as he would be required to do if he were operating on behalf of a Belizean principal. Joseph D. Songy, a lawyer representing Gov. Bryant, told The Daily Beast: Governor Bryant has never had any association of any kind with a bank or financial institution in Belize nor has he ever made any effort to do so. Neither Banks nor Wigmore registered as foreign agents either, although they may have been exempted if they were properly recognized by the U.S. State Department as officials acting on behalf of Belize. At the time of publication, the State Department has not been able to ascertain whether Banks and Wigmore, who were supposed to represent Belize in the U.K., were properly recognized in the U.S. at the time. Neither of them were on the U.S. diplomatic list in the summer of 2016, which is the latest information available before the Trump administration stopped making it public. BREACH Another set of Twitter messages suggests there may have been a breach of UKIPs data security in October 2017, when a disgruntled regional organizer quit the party and may have used UKIPs email database to try to recruit them to a new party. A whistleblower messaged Banks and newly elected UKIP leader Henry Bolton to say: If I were you Id said emails to all branches that any UKIP info being passed to For Britain is a breach they are already emailing ukipers. Bolton had defeated Anne Marie Waters, a former colleague of Tommy Robinson, to become leader. Waters quit the party in response to set up the radical, anti-Islamic For Britain party. The misuse of UKIP emails by an unnamed organizer who quit the party with Waters may have been an offense under the data protection act. Bolton told The Daily Beast that he had tried but failed to improve the partys safeguarding. When I took over the leadership of the party I had serious concerns regarding party governance, including finance, data and management generally. Furthermore, I received no cooperation from the NEC (the partys National Executive Committee) in addressing these things. I found it impossible to get full transparency because of NEC incompetence and obfuscation, he said. UKIP did not respond. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. During the chaos of London's Streatham attack on Sunday, in which a man went on a stabbing rampage, a police officer bursts into a nearby cafe to tell customers to evacuate. And the cafe responds by asking if they could have 30 minutes for the customers to finish up (and pay the bill, which wasn't said, but) "Sorry guys, you're going to have to close, we have got to evacuate, I'm afraid," the officer says. "There's been a terrorist incident down there. We are closing everything down. You guys want to stay safe you will listen to me." As customers react and start collecting their things, an employee says, "Just give us half an hour, people are just starting to eat." "Madam, a terrorist has been shot dead just down there," the officer replies. "They've got a possible IED vest on them, which is a bomb. If you want to stay open for half-an-hour and you want to put people's lives in danger, be my guest." Hmm, run away from a terrorist attack, or polish off my Reuben sandwich? More details at Business Insider Atlanta: The US Department of Homeland Security warned that flights could be re-routed for coronavirus screening if it's discovered mid-flight that a passenger has been to China recently. The US and US Department of Homeland Security flags fly in Karnes City, Texas. Credit:AP That could affect travellers who have not been to China, if someone on their flight has been in China in the last 14 days, according to the agency. Homeland Security also warned that travellers who show symptoms "should be prepared for the possibility of prolonged delay to avoid spreading the infection". "We realise this could provide added stress and prolong travel times for some individuals, however public health and security experts agree these measures are necessary to contain the virus and protect the American people," Department of Homeland Security acting secretary Chad Wolf said in a written statement. February 03 : Tiger Shroff-Shraddha Kapoor starrer Baaghi 3 will be released next month. Today, the makers of the film dropped its first fierce-looking poster. This Ahmed Khans film made Tiger up against a nation. Taking to his Instagram handle, Tiger shared the first poster of the film and informed his fans that the trailer will be dropped on February 6. In the poster, the actor is seen standing in front of a huge military tank, while several helicopters are also seen. With a war backdrop, explosions are also seen in the poster. Tiger is seen standing shirtless with a weapon in his hand. This time, the actor will fight his strongest enemy in his greatest battle, which will be up against a nation. After the success of Baaghi and Baaghi 2, Tiger will now entertain the viewers with the third instalment of the franchise. The movie was filmed in Serbia and Jaipur. Bankrolled by Sajid Nadiadwala, the film also features Jackie Shroff, Ritesh Deshmukh, and Disha Patani in a song. In Baaghi 3, a remake of the Tamil film Vettai, Shraddha Kapoor will play the role of an air hostess. The film is slated to release on March 6, 2020. Also Watch: Tiger Shroff pulls off his chiselled look from Baaghi 3 sets in Jaipur Max Deegan, pictured during Ireland squad training at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Abbotstown, Dublin could make his debut against Wales on Saturday. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Max Deegan is set to make his Ireland debut against Wales on Saturday, but he is likely to do so from the bench as Peter O'Mahony is in line to earn a recall to the starting XV. With Caelan Doris due to miss out after picking up a head injury in the early stages of last weekend's win over Scotland, Andy Farrell is expected to revert back to the tried and tested back-row of O'Mahony, Josh van der Flier and CJ Stander at No 8. The one other enforced change will come in midfield as Garry Ringrose is ruled out having undergone surgery on his thumb. Like O'Mahony, Robbie Henshaw is also in line for to be reinstated, having started on the bench against Scotland. That would mean Henshaw will renew his centre partnership with Bundee Aki. Expand Close Conor Murray is tackled by Adam Hastings of Scotland / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Conor Murray is tackled by Adam Hastings of Scotland Conor Murray is again expected to see off the challenge of John Cooney and continue at scrum-half alongside captain Johnny Sexton. Keith Earls has recovered from a knee injury, but Andrew Conway and Jacob Stockdale are unlikely to be dropped with Jordan Larmour again wearing the 15 jersey. Tadhg Furlong was helped off the pitch last weekend after his calves cramped, but he is understood to be recovering well. Should Furlong be passed fit, he is likely to again form a front-row with Cian Healy and Rob Herring. James Ryan and Iain Henderson will continue in the engine room in front of the familiar looking back-row. Having been involved at the Aviva as an extra squad player last weekend, the uncapped Deegan is now pushing hard for a place in this week's matchday 23. The 23-year old has been excellent for Leinster this season, scoring seven tries in 14 games. Deegan's fellow Leinster flanker Will Connors has been added to the wider Six Nations squad, but he isn't expected to make his debut on Saturday. The Ireland team to play Wales will officially be named at 2.15 tomorrow. Possible Ireland team (v Wales): J Larmour; A Conway, R Henshaw, B Aki, J Stockdale; J Sexton (capt), C Murray; C Healy, R Herring, T Furlong; I Henderson, J Ryan; P O'Mahony, J van der Flier, CJ Stander. TROY, Mich., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland has scheduled a hearing for 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 5 at the federal courthouse in Port Huron, Michigan to determine the future of the state's controversial Sex Offender Registry Act (SORA). The law currently prohibits sex offenders from living or working within 1,000 feet of a school, requires them to register all their email addresses and vehicles, and report to the police four times a year or more. These rules currently apply to all people on the sex offender registry list, even if it has been decades since they have committed any crimes. In 2016, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the law unconstitutional because it is in violation of protections against increasing penalties for a crime after its commission and adjudication. The Court cited research suggesting that public sex offender registries actually make the public less safe and stressed that the law does not work in its current form. Oliver Law Group filed the class action case that is scheduled for hearing, on behalf of all who are still being subjected to this unconstitutional law. This case was also assigned to Judge Cleland who gave the state 90 days last year to bring the law into compliance. No changes resulted, and the upcoming hearing will determine whether the relief provided a few individuals in the 2016 case will be applied to all. The Court is expecting a large turnout for the hearing. Reserve seating may be required. For more information, get in touch with Oliver Law Group, P.C. at www.oliverlawgroup.com. SOURCE Oliver Law Group, P.C. Related Links http://www.oliverlawgroup.com The brother of Jeff Bezos girlfriend has filed a lawsuit accusing Bezos and his security consultant of defaming him in connection with a 2019 National Enquirer story revealing Bezos extramarital affair The brother of Jeff Bezos girlfriend has filed a lawsuit accusing Bezos and his security consultant of defaming him in connection with a 2019 National Enquirer story revealing Bezos extramarital affair. Michael Sanchez, a Hollywood talent manager and the brother of Lauren Sanchez, said in his lawsuit, which was filed Friday in state court in Los Angeles, that Bezos and Gavin de Becker, the consultant, had falsely told journalists that he had leaked graphic, nude photographs of Bezos to The Enquirer. Among its other claims, Sanchezs suit says Lauren Sanchez and Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the worlds richest man, kept their affair secret on the advice of a psychic. Sanchez also said his home was searched by the FBI. The Enquirer story, published online on 9 January, 2019, contained reproductions of text messages from Bezos to Lauren Sanchez. The tabloid later claimed to have photos of Bezos in various states of undress, but did not publish them. The lawsuit blames Bezos and de Becker for spreading what it calls the false narrative that Michael Sanchez had betrayed his sister by peddling the story to The Enquirer. A lawyer for Bezos, William Isaacson, said his client has chosen to address this lawsuit in court and we will do that soon. De Becker declined to comment. In a statement provided by her lawyer, Terry Bird, Lauren Sanchez said, Michael is my older brother. He secretly provided my most personal information to The National Enquirer a deep and unforgivable betrayal. My family is hurting over this new baseless and untrue lawsuit, and we truly hope my brother finds peace. A lawyer for Michael Sanchez, Enoch Liang, said in a statement that the lawsuit speaks for itself. Michael Sanchezs assertions contain apparent inconsistencies. Bezos and de Becker, who investigated how The Enquirer got its expose, have not publicly accused Michael Sanchez of leaking photographs to the tabloid. Instead, Bezos hinted in a blog post last February that materials relevant to the story made their way to The Enquirer through a hacking of his phone by Saudi Arabia, which has denied any role in the expose. Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, suggested that the Saudis had been angry over the newspapers coverage of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident and columnist for The Post who was murdered by Saudi assassins weeks after writing critically of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the paper. Bezos also cited the wooing of Crown Prince Mohammed by David J Pecker, the chief executive of American Media, the publisher of The Enquirer, who was seeking Saudi investment in the company. Last month, the results of a forensic analysis commissioned by Bezos became public. It concluded with medium to high confidence that the Amazon founders iPhone X had been hacked after he received a video from a WhatsApp message sent to him from an account reportedly belonging to the Saudi crown prince, with whom the billionaire had swapped contacts at a Los Angeles dinner. The analysis did not reveal a Saudi connection to the materials obtained by The Enquirer. American Media said in a statement last month that Michael Sanchez was the single source for the expose. According to an October 2018 contract reviewed by The New York Times, Michael Sanchez granted American Media the right to publish and license text messages and photographs documenting an affair between Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in exchange for $200,000. In his lawsuit, Michael Sanchez did not address whether he had provided text messages or photographs, or whether he was compensated by the tabloid. When federal agents and prosecutors examined allegations of wrongdoing in connection with The Enquirers handling of the story, American Media gave them evidence showing that Michael Sanchez had obtained text messages and photos of Bezos from his sister, four people with knowledge of the matter told The Times. In his blog post last year, Bezos quoted emails sent to de Beckers lawyer by an American Media lawyer and a company executive, who wrote that the photos obtained during our news gathering included a nude below-the-belt selfie. American Media said in the emails that it would refrain from publishing the photographs if Bezos said publicly that he believed the expose was not politically motivated. (The Enquirer had been a booster of President Donald Trump, who was at odds with Bezos.) After Bezos accused American Media of trying to extort him with the unpublished materials, which the company denied, federal prosecutors began looking into the matter. The company had months earlier avoided prosecution for having paid a former Playboy model, in coordination with Trumps 2016 presidential campaign, for the exclusive rights to her story of an affair with Trump, a story that was suppressed by the tabloid. The company agreed not to break the law again or face consequences. Prosecutors have not taken any action related to the Bezos article. Michael Sanchez in his lawsuit acknowledged engaging with The Enquirer, but said he did so to protect his sister and Bezos. According to the suit, the two started an affair in 2017, while Bezos was still married to MacKenzie Bezos, a novelist who was Amazons first accountant. After Bezos and Lauren Sanchez were guided in their decision to keep their relationship hidden by a psychic in New Mexico, Sanchezs lawyers wrote, Michael Sanchez was instrumental in covering up first, the existence, and second, the timing of the affair. Eventually, Michael Sanchezs lawsuit said, he tried to get ahead of the story, entering into a nondisclosure agreement with American Media. By his account, he agreed to corroborate the existence of the relationship under conditions that would help Sanchez manage the timing of the story and the way in which the affair was portrayed. Michael Rothfeld and Jim Rutenberg c.2020 The New York Times Company Shaking off the Budget blues and buoyed by strong PMI data, equity markets bounced back on February 3 after falling for three consecutive days. The manufacturing PMI data for India hit a near eight-year high in January, driven by a sharp rise in new business orders amid a rebound in demand conditions that led to a rise in production and hiring activity. Sensex closed 137 points, or 0.34 percent, higher at 39,872.31 and Nifty settled 46 points, or 0.39 percent, higher at 11,707.90. "Technically, Nifty formed a positive candle on the daily chart. Going forward, if it sustains above 11,750, then we may see a bounce towards 11,83011,900 levels. However, the overall bullish sentiments got dampened and thus traders should not remain aggressively on the long side. On the downside, a break below its immediate support of 11,600 may lead to a further correction towards 11,500 and then 11,333 levels," said Siddhartha Khemka, Head - Retail Research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services. We have collated 15 data points to help you spot profitable trades: Key support and resistance level for Nifty According to the pivot charts, the key support level for Nifty is placed at 11,631.67, followed by 11,555.43. If the index continues moving up, key resistance levels to watch out for are 11,766.97 and 11,826.03. Nifty Bank Nifty Bank closed 0.68 percent up at 30,023.25. The important pivot level, which will act as crucial support for the index, is placed at 29,721.93, followed by 29,420.66. On the upside, key resistance levels are placed at 30,215.13 and 30,407.07. Call options data Maximum call open interest (OI) of 17.03 lakh contracts was seen at the 12,000 strike price. It will act as a crucial resistance level in the February series. This is followed by 12,200 strike price, which holds 15.19 lakh contracts in open interest, and 11,800, which has accumulated 11.83 lakh contracts in open interest. Significant call writing was seen at the 11,700 strike price, which added 4.9 lakh contracts, followed by 11,800 strike price that added 1.53 lakh contracts and 11,900 strike price, which added 1.31 lakh contracts. Call unwinding was witnessed at 12,200 strike price, which shed 1.93 lakh contracts, followed by 12,100 which shed 1.76 lakh contracts. Put options data Maximum put open interest of 23.55 lakh contracts was seen at 12,000 strike price, which will act as crucial support in the February series. This is followed by 11,500 strike price, which holds 19.73 lakh contracts in open interest, and 11,700 strike price, which has accumulated 15.19 lakh contracts in open interest. Put writing was seen at the 11,500 strike price, which added 2.74 lakh contracts, followed by 11,400 strike, which added 2.48 lakh contracts. Put unwinding was seen at 12,000 strike price, which shed 2.37 lakh contracts, followed by 12,100 strike price which shed 1.34 lakh contracts. Stocks with a high delivery percentage A high delivery percentage suggests that investors are showing interest in these stocks. 61 stocks saw long build-up Based on open interest (OI) future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which long build-up was seen. 10 stocks saw long unwinding 38 stocks saw short build-up An increase in open interest, along with a decrease in price, mostly indicates a build-up of short positions. Based on open interest (OI) future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which short build-up was seen. 33 stocks witnessed short-covering A decrease in open interest, along with an increase in price, mostly indicates a short-covering. Based on open interest (OI) future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which short-covering was seen. Bulk deals (For more bulk deals, click here) Quarterly earnings Bharti Airtel, TVS Motor Company, Triveni Engineering & Industries, Tata Global Beverages, Thermax, Titan Company, JSW Energy, OFSS, Piramal Enterprises, Punjab National Bank, CSB Bank, Dhanlaxmi Bank, Exide Industries, GATI, Jindal SAW, Adani Green Energy, Adani Ports and Avanti Feeds are among the companies that will release their quarterly earnings on February 4. Stocks in the news Deepak Nitrite: Q3 profit jumps to Rs 157 cr versus Rs 39.7 cr, revenue jumps 44.2% to Rs 1,119.9 cr YoY. Affle India: Q3 profit jumps 31.33% to Rs 21.45 cr, revenue rises 27.4% to Rs 94.46 cr YoY. GSK Pharma: Q3 loss at Rs 661.16 cr versus profit at Rs 113.67 crore, revenue dips 5.7% to Rs 778.59 cr YoY. JK Cement: Company successfully commissioned grey cement grinding capacity in Rajasthan and UP. GMR Infrastructure: GMR Hyderabad International Airport signs agreement to operate Bidar Airport in Karnataka. FII and DII data Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold shares worth Rs 1,200.27 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares of worth Rs 1,286.63 crore in the Indian equity market on February 3, provisional data available on the NSE showed. Fund flow Stock under F&O ban on NSE No security is under the F&O ban for February 4. Securities in the ban period under the F&O segment include companies in which the security has crossed 95 percent of the market-wide position limit. (Natural News) A few days into the new year it was reported that yet another Tesla car had gotten into a serious accident, smashing into a moving vehicle at a high rate of speed before its highly flammable battery suddenly burst into flames. The incident took place in Salt Lake City, and while some news reports are saying that the Tesla driver may have been drunk he supposedly ran a red light going about 122 miles per hour Salt Lake Police Lieutenant Brett Olsen told Deseret News early on that impairment was not immediately suspected in the crash. This statement led still other news outlets to speculate as to whether Teslas autopilot function may have played a role in this latest horrific tragedy, seeing as how roughly one year ago a rogue Tesla veered off the highway in New Jersey and plowed into several objects as a result of faulty autopilot programming. Fifty-year-old Sarina Astorga, the driver of the Nissan sedan that was struck by the out-of-control Tesla in Salt Lake City, was reportedly rushed to the hospital in critical condition after the crash. She later died, while the driver of the Tesla was last reported as being in critical condition. I heard this big, loud boom and I turn around and this black car in the middle of the intersection, I saw it come flying at me, local bystander Danny Hill told Fox13Now about the Tesla. I saw the brake shoes, wheel wall come straight at me, so I actually had to start running a little bit to avoid getting hit. Lt. Olsen told the same news outlet that he observed debris from the Tesla scattered up to a block away, adding that it was a pretty significant impact. Sarinas family has since set up a fundraiser page to help cover the costs for her funeral arrangements. Tesla cars are serial killers, warns news outlet As it turns out, Sarinas death marks the 15th death caused by a Tesla, the 14th resulting from another horrific crash that took place on December 29 in Indiana. Reports indicate that this prior incident involved a Tesla Model 3 that, just like in New Jersey, had been running on autopilot before colliding with a parked fire truck. This string of deadly incidents involving Tesla cars has prompted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to launch an investigation into these death traps, which some news outlets are now referring to as inanimate serial killers. For all intents and purposes, Tesla cars are proving themselves to be homicidal maniac vehicles and if they dont kill their drivers and passengers upon impact, then their exploding batteries will finish the job. The NHTSA has since issued a public advisory warning to Tesla owners that they should always keep their hands on the steering wheel and pay attention at all times in other words, dont ever rely on the so-called autopilot function to get you to your destination safely. However, Tesla itself has borne none of the brunt of all this carnage, and neither has its owner Elon Musk. Wealthy Americans continue to purchase these elitist vehicles believing them to be better for the environment, and Musk is reaping windfall profits, even as people continue to die from these deadly vehicles. Why are these cars even allowed on the streets? asked one Zero Hedge commenter in response to this latest news out of Salt Lake City. The liability is incredible. Even a lawnmower cant be sold without kill switches and backup blade shut-offs. Who is allowing this? Is the taxpayer subsidizing Teslas production? Tesla has been selling their own insurance in California for over a year, is the insurance also being subsidized by the taxpayer? For more related news about the hoax that is Tesla, be sure to check out Deception.news. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com Fox13Now.com KSL.com NaturalNews.com AutoNews.com EricPetersAutos.com A 20-year-old man was branded the most 'apathetic and lazy' person that a judge has ever seen after he admitted to dangerous driving with no insurance or licence. Kyle Spurr, of Millom Way, Grimsby, appeared at Grimsby Crown Court where he was given an interim driving ban following a police chase in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, on April 17. Spurr, who has been unemployed since leaving school, refused to stop for police and sped off just after midnight with the chase lasting between five and six minutes. Kyle Spurr, of Millom Way, Grimsby, appeared at Grimsby Crown Court where he was given an interim driving ban The Ford Fiesta he was driving was damaged during the incident after he bought it for 200 the day before. The chase was brought to an end when the police laid a tyre-bursting stinger in the road. Andrew Bailey, mitigating, told the court that it was a fairly determined attempt at escaping from the police but Spurr had not been drinking or taking drugs. He had three younger passengers with him, including his brother and two of the brother's female friends. 'Happily, nobody was hurt but there was a real risk of it,' said Mr Bailey. 'The incident could have been a lot worse than it was. 'He is living a fairly bored, immature, apathetic existence and he needs to grow up really.' Judge Mark Bury (pictured) said that he hoped that the day's court experience would help motivate Spurr and put him in the right frame of mind to do something positive Mr Bailey continued: 'He needs to get into work and get out of bed and wake his body and mind from its slumber. 'He left school with no qualifications. He hasn't worked ever since he left school, in the four years since he left school. 'He hasn't bothered with a lot but something has to change. He can't sleep through the rest of his days.' Judge Mark Bury said that Spurr was the most 'apathetic and lazy' person that he had seen in the dock of a court. Judge Mark Bury said that Spurr was the most 'apathetic and lazy' person that he had seen in the dock of a court. Pictured Grimsby Crown Court 'You can't be bothered to do anything,' he said. 'You simply don't have any motivation to get up and do anything apart from drive cars you should not be driving.' Judge Bury continued: 'Get yourself a job and do something with yourself. 'You just can't spend your life lazing about. You're not thick. You're giving the impression you are but you are not. 'You need to do something with yourself.' Judge Bury said that he hoped that the day's court experience would help motivate Spurr and put him in the right frame of mind to do something positive. Sentence on Spurr was deferred for six months but Judge Bury warned him that he would be jailed '100 per cent guaranteed' if he committed any more offences before then. Spurr, who had no previous convictions, was given an interim driving ban. China Fortune Land Development (CFLD), China's leading developer and operator of new industry cities, has entered the Brand Finance Global 500 list for 2020 at position 418. The list was drawn up by Brand Finance, a global independent third-party brand valuation and consulting agency headquartered in the City of London, UK. It publishes the "Brand Finance Global 500" list annually. The top four on the list this year are American brands Amazon, Google, Apple and Microsoft. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. and Huawei entered the top ten, ranking sixth, ninth and tenth respectively. According to the "annual report on the world's most valuable brands" released in 2019, CFLD ranked 453, so it has made good improvement this year. She's started the new year with a positive outlook on a 'cleansing' holiday in Mexico. And Demi Rose, 24, looked the picture of ease as she bathed in the nude in the Tulum sea caves, resting her assets against a pontoon. The British model also treated her 12.7 million Instagram followers to an insight into her serene getaway with a shot of her curvaceous rear lying on a palm leaf. 'Cleansing': Demi Rose, 24, looked the picture of ease as she bathed in the nude in the Tulum sea caves on the south west coast of Mexico, resting her assets against a pontoon The rosy cheeked social media personality showcased her voluptuous cleavage whilst bathing in a clear water shallow pool on the south east coast of Mexico. Boasting a glowing tan the Birmingham babe looked up at the camera flaunting her long lashes and deep brown eyes with her hair slicked behind her ears. In another snap of the holiday the model posed on a palm leaf on the sand, lying on her front while looking over her shoulder in a tiny leopard string bikini. The star said that the aim of the holiday was 'looking after her mind, body and spirit'. Tiny triangle: The busty model lay on a palm leaf on a Mexican beach while showcasing her curvaceous rear The steamy snaps come after a candid Instagram post that saw Demi reflect on her 2019. Revealing that 2019 had been both the 'hardest', yet also 'best' year of her life, she penned: 'Wow what a year. It definitely has been the hardest year of my life but the also the best year of my life. 'Im proud of myself for getting through the hurdles Ive faced and the growth that Ive experienced. Im ready to say goodbye to 2019 and Im SO excited for whats to come in this new year. Cheeky: In a stunning but revealing shot posted to Instagram earlier this year, the beauty playfully posed wearing nothing but skimpy blue crochet bikini bottoms near a cave 'I wish you all an amazing 2020 filled with lots of blessings and love. Thank you for all your support, always. Love you guys!' The past year saw Demi travel the world, book high profile modelling jobs and launch a fashion collaboration yet but it was also the year of her mother's death - her father died in 2018. During her extended holiday in Tulum, Mexico, the star said that she was 'feeling better than ever' as she partied by night and did yoga by day. Turbulent: The past year saw Demi travel the world, book high profile modelling jobs and launch a fashion collaboration yet but it was also the year of her mother's death OCs were developed in the early 1960s, comprising EE, a synthetic estrogenic compound. Despite lowered hormone doses, in certain cases, OCs may induce serious arterial or venous thromboembolic complications suggesting a disturbed regulation of blood clotting. Since estrogen regulated genes have crucial roles in the balanced hepatic synthesis of factors of coagulation and fibrinolysis, thromboembolic events associated with OC use suggest a deregulation of ERs via partial inhibition and compensatory stimulation yielding estrogen-like properties. Use of OCs comprising synthetic estrogen exhibits ambiguous correlations with cancer risk depending on the regulatory features of affected organs. In OC user women, overall breast cancer risk is slightly increased, while the risks for ER-negative and triple negative breast cancers are significantly elevated. The increased prevalence of poorly differentiated breast cancers among OC users reveals imbalanced ER activations via liganded and unliganded pathways. In contrast, endometrial and ovarian cancer risks are reduced in OC users, as synthetic estrogen upregulates liganded ER activation via an inhibition of non liganded pathways. Consequently, OCs may improve the regulation of these female organs as they are primarily dependent on the hormonal activation of ERs. These highly controversial correlations between OC use and cancer prevalence at different sites reveals that EE even in low doses is not a pure agonist of ERs, but it is an endocrine disruptor inducing alterations in estrogen regulated gene expression. Despite all experienced complications of OC use, EE is a widely used estrogenic compound in medical practice even today. All adverse effects associated with OC use are mistakenly attributed to characteristic concomitants of increased endogenous estrogen levels. For MHT analysis, both synthetic estrogens and CEEs extracted from biological samples were prescribed. In the early MHT studies, hormone use was designated simply as exogenous estrogen treatment without discrimination between natural and synthetic estrogen formulas. Among postmenopausal women, the use of estrogens with different origin and even their combinations with synthetic progestogens resulted in a chaos of quite controversial clinical experiences concerning the risks for arterial and venous thromboembolism and for cancer of the breasts. Wide spread use of MHT has provided an expanding clinical database suggesting crucial roles of estrogen hormone in the development of coronary heart disease and breast cancer. This belief has directed both breast cancer care and the a significant portion of the community on a false track. Health professionals could not recognize that behind the experienced adverse effects of MHT use, various defects in estrogen signaling may be delineated instead of an excessive estrogen activation of ERs. From 1971, antiestrogenic compounds were introduced for breast cancer therapy. Despite initial enthusiasm, the antiestrogen blockade of ERs; the highest regulators of genomic machinery, resulted in many failures in breast cancer care either as a prophylactic or therapeutic measure. In antiestrogen responsive breast cancer cells, the chemical shock may upregulate the remnants of their regulatory capacity inducing a compensatory increased expression and liganded activation of ERs as well as a transient tumor regression. In contrast, tumor cells unresponsive to antiestrogen treatment may show completely blocked liganded ER-activation, while an upregulation of growth factor receptor signals and acquired activating mutations strive to strengthen the unliganded activation of ERs. Researchers mistakenly suspect even today that in tumors growing under antiestrogen treatment, the increased unliganded activation of ERs is an aggressive survival technique, whilst it is a compensatory effort against the artificial liganded ER-blockade. Unfortunately, even an extreme unliganded ER-activation is incapable of DNA-repair when the liganded activation is completely blocked and the result will be an unrestrained proliferation of tumors. The capacity of estrogen activated ERs for genome modification in emergency states provides excellent possibilities for estrogen/ER use against all human diseases including cancer. In 2002, the publication of Women's Health Initiative (WHI) investigators reported greater harm than benefit of combined MHT (Premarin plus medroxyprogesterone-acetate (MPA)) resulting in a precipitous decrease in estrogen and progestin use and a serious re-evaluation of menopausal hormone therapy. Mistakenly, Premarin was blamed for the experienced adverse effects instead of MPA; however, the results of HRT studies in the UK revealed that progestin formulas may be much more dangerous for the health of female breasts than estrogens. Nevertheless, the next step was an increased interest in introducing alternative approaches to manage menopausal symptoms preferring the use of "bioidentical" synthetic hormones instead of Premarin. In 2004, striking results of a randomized placebo controlled prospective MHT study were reported by WHI investigators. Postmenopausal women with prior hysterectomy were treated with 1 dose and 1 schedule of oral CEE (Premarin 0.625 mg/day). After a median follow up of 5.9 years, the incidence of breast cancer was lower in the estrogen group, as compared with the placebo group (HR: 0.77). The authors could hardly believe the beneficial effect of unopposed Premarin treatment and suggested further investigations. Retrospective analyses of the results of specific MHT studies using CEE alone, clearly justified that natural estrogen use without synthetic progestin is highly beneficial against thromboembolism, cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, bone loss and breast cancer. In 2011, WHI investigators published the results of an extended, 10.7 year follow-up study continuing after a previous 5.9 years of Premarin use. In the previous study, among postmenopausal women without a uterus, a lower incidence of breast cancer was experienced in the Premarin group as compared with the placebo group and this result became statistically significant with the extended period of follow-up. WHI investigators explained their result with the uterine extirpated status of women. In 2019, in San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, WHI investigators presented an update on breast cancer findings from two WHI randomized controlled trials with more than 19 years of follow up. CEE alone resulted in a significant 23% reduction in breast cancer incidence, while CEE plus MPA yielded a significant 29% increased risk of breast cancer. In addition, death from breast cancer was significantly reduced (44%) with CEE treatment alone, while showed a borderline significant increase (45%) with CEE plus MPA treatment. The long term benefit of Premarin for women's health may be unique and may not be applied to other (synthetic) estrogen preparations. After 19 years, the advantageous anticancer effect of natural estrogens may be explained by their capacity for DNA repair via activating mutations. ### A property developer millionaire has celebrated turning 51 in lavish style just months after he was busted with cocaine at his wife's birthday bash. Jean Nassif spared no expense on his elaborate birthday bash at Odyssey Bar Restaurant in Leichhardt in Sydney's inner-west on Saturday night. Photos and videos shared by friends on social media show Mr Nassif enjoying the celebrations with his glamorous blonde wife Nissy by his side. One video shows the father-of-three being presented with a bottle of expensive French champagne and sparklers by a friend while a photo shows him skolling from the bottle. Jean Nassif celebrated his 51st birthday in lavish style with wife Nissy by his side Another shows Mr Nassif grooving to dance music with his wife's arms wrapped around him. His wife also posted a public Instagram story of the elaborate chocolate cake tower dripped in gold icing, topped with the letter J and surrounded by berries, Ferrero Rocher chocolates and a miniature bottle of whisky. 'Happy Birthday baby. These pictures are old but gold and remind me of how lucky I am to be with such a special, giving and big hearted person as you. May your birthday this year be as special as you are,' Mrs Nassif captioned a collage of photos of the couple. A year earlier, Mr Nassif splashed out $75,000 on his 50th birthday party at trendy Sydney nightclub Marquee. Videos posted to social media the birthday boy being presented with French champagne The controversial property developer, 51, and his wife, 32, have three young children It was recently revealed he was busted with cocaine by police and sniffer dogs at the The Star casino while celebrating his wife's 32nd birthday last September. He pleaded guilty at Downing Centre Local Court to the possession of a prohibited drug the following month. He confessed to having 'a bag' of the drug when busted and said 'oh s**t' when he saw a large gathering of officers after he had walked up a set of escalator, according to court agreed facts seen by The Daily Telegraph. No conviction was recorded due to his good character and a judge gave him an 18-month conditional release order. His lawyer Rebekah Giles said there was more to her client's case 'than meets the eye', but was not willing to give any further details. She added Mr Nassif regretted 'the unfortunate circumstances' and had co-operated with authorities. The birthday cake was an elaborate chocolate cake tower (pictured) dripped in gold icing 'These pictures are old but gold and remind me of how lucky I am to be with such a special, giving and big hearted person as you,' Jean's wife captioned this Instagram post Mr Nassif is no stranger to controversy. He first made headlines last February after he shared a video of a $480,000 yellow Lamborghini he bought his wife as a Valentine's Day gift on social media. Mr Nassif welcomed the luxury vehicle into the family home and said to his wife 'Congratulations Mrs Nassif you like?' His wife strolls into the garage where the prized car is parked and, wearing a Gucci belt, stands beside the prominent vehicle before blowing kisses to her followers. The Nassifs were quickly mocked for their display with a number of meme videos popping up on social media where wheelie bins and toy trucks were among the items swapped for the car. Property developer Jean Nassif, pictured with his wife Nissy, is no stranger to controversy Jean Nassif and his wife grooved to dance music at his party held at Odyssey Bar Restaurant Mrs Nassif, fed up with the meme videos, took to Instagram to respond to her haters. 'Social media is great, but instead of focusing on other people's lives and count their blessings and spending all day checking out indecent footage,' she said. 'Focus on your own future and how you can provide a good luxurious life for yourselves, your wives, children and loved ones.' Mr Nassif also faced business controversies after his development company Toplace blocked access to 700 car spaces by building a basement the company didn't have approval for in Parramatta in Sydney's west. City of Parramatta Council said at the time it was 'no longer in litigation' with Toplace and that the 'parties are working together to complete the project'. Thousands of people zip along the interstate each day, mostly unaware of what rests nearby. But around the bustling highway sits a tiny community fighting for its neighborhood. Like many of Charleston's historically African American neighborhoods, Rosemont is tight-knit. Its residents regularly attend neighborhood meetings and the area features a few locally operated food shops. But decades after Interstate 26 sliced through the community, Rosemont faces another road project that residents say is threatening their quality of life. Construction of a port access road, which involves building new infrastructure to provide interstate access to a new North Charleston ports terminal, is scheduled to be completed by February 2021. But residents in the community, which rests in the city of Charleston near the border of North Charleston, are becoming more impatient. They've already dealt with trucks being rerouted through their small neighborhood where children play. Residents also had to bear the noise from both the interstate and road construction. This has been a nightmare for us," said Nancy Button, president of the Rosemont Neighborhood Association. We just want to live a normal life. Similar to other small communities, the neighborhood continues to feel the impact of the region's growth as neighborhood residents combat a variety of issues, including increased flooding and persistent offers to buy out longtime homeowners. Blow after blow Residents remember when days were much more simple. Button, who grew up in the community, said she and her siblings were delivered by midwives in the '60s. Back then, Rosemont neighbors would share cups of flour and rice. "We had a good life, based on what our parents could afford," she said. The community took a hit when Interstate 26 took away residents' homes, along with with houses in several other Charleston area communities. The neighborhood took another blow when state agencies outlined plans to build a port access road. The $330 million joint project between the State Ports Authority and the states Department of Transportation will provide a direct link between Interstate 26 and the Port of Charlestons new Leatherman Terminal. A new ramp being constructed as part of the new interchange cuts into the north end of Rosemont. Construction has impacted the neighborhood in several ways, including road closures that have forced trucks to use neighborhood streets when accessing nearby businesses. Also, some residents contend that damages to their property are related to the nearby construction work. At a recent neighborhood meeting attended by residents, DOT representatives and employees from the contracting group doing the work, residents said construction pieces on the grounds have flattened tires. Daniel Burton, DOT district construction engineer for the project, said "only a couple" of individuals have filed official complaints regarding property damages. Burton said he couldn't discuss specific cases and he also didn't know if anyone had been compensated for damages. He added that the number of complaints regarding property damages has been relatively few across the entire project area, which includes a handful of neighborhoods in the Neck Area. We havent had a terribly high amount (of official complaints citing property damage) considering the proximity of the homes," he said. To mitigate traffic issues, DOT has either built temporary roads for the trucks to go around the work or the agency delayed activity until night or weekend hours when businesses using the vehicles were closed. Additionally, DOT hired a consultant to work as a community liaison, offering a more personal touch and presence in the neighborhood, Burton said. It was a very nice luxury on this project," he said. "I felt like it's helped out with addressing and keeping the lines of communication open much more than we typically have available." While they lost the battle to fend off the ramp, the community has won other efforts. Residents successfully pushed years ago to get DOT to agree to build a sound barrier between the neighborhood and I-26. That project is under construction. The community also succeeded in pushing the State Ports Authority to award the neighborhood $500,000 in mitigation funds. That money is held as an endowment by the Coastal Community Foundation. Other issues Charleston's Neck Area, which includes the upper peninsula, has changed over the years with the arrival of new restaurants, craft breweries, tattoo parlors and a skate park. The development threatens to reshape Rosemont, which stretches east to west from Summerville Avenue to the Ashley River, and north to south along Doscher Avenue. Though its had its issues with crime, the neighborhood still has much of its close-knit feel that it possessed decades ago. The area features a small community center, a few small food shops and a playground. Many of the residents know each other and attend the community meetings. But the changes have brought in new residents seeking affordable places to live. The predominately African American neighborhood features a mix of white and Latino residents, several who work at a nearby restaurant, Button said. Additionally, fear continues to loom about the uncertainty of the neighborhood's future as homeowners are pestered with phone calls and letters offering to buy their homes. When Button spoke with The Post and Courier on Wednesday, she had already gotten two offers that week. The thought of leaving the community frightens those who've lived there for more than a half-century. It scares the old people," Button said. Theyre not going anywhere. They want to die right here. Like other communities along the Neck, Rosemont residents say the area has seen increased flooding over the years. Cora Connor, who's lived on Peace Street for 20 years, said the road hadn't flooded until construction of the new interchange began a few years ago. She helps out her elderly neighbor, who appears to have gotten accustomed the high water levels. "Anytime theres a storm coming, Ill get a ton of sand bags and basically give them to her," Connor said. "Ive noticed shes just kept them all around her house." Connor said she's filed complaints to the city about the neighborhoods flooding issues, but she feels it has fallen on deaf ears. This is a quiet little community. But it just seems like it got thrown to the wayside," she said. When the city last did a major infrastructure reassessment in 1984, it's likely Rosemont wasn't closely examined because most of its roads are state-owned, said Matt Fountain, director of stormwater management for the city of Charleston. Fountain added that the city is currently in the process of clearing drainage ditches and fixing broken pipes in all city neighborhoods. We got to make sure neighborhoods dont get left behind," he said. Businesses near the neighborhood have aimed to ensure that the community benefits from the surrounding prosperity. BoomTown, a software company on King Street Extension, has been offering computer coding classes at the neighborhood community center. So far, 20 laptops have been given to residents who've completed courses. We want to make sure we are bringing value to the residents of our area so that everybody benefits from this great economic upturn," said Nina Magnesson with the company. The 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan was hospitalized with a fever, cough, sore throat and died after developing severe pneumonia. The first death outside China from the new coronavirus was recorded Sunday in the Philippines, as countries around the world evacuated hundreds of their citizens from the infection zone and Chinese authorities completed a new, rapidly constructed 1,000-bed hospital for victims of the outbreak. Chinese authorities also delayed the reopening of schools in the hardest-hit province and tightened the quarantine in one city by allowing only one family member to venture out to buy supplies. The Philippine Health Department said a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan, the city at the centre of the crisis, was hospitalized 25 January with a fever, cough and sore throat and died after developing severe pneumonia. The mans 38-year-old female companion, also from Wuhan, tested positive for the virus as well and remained hospitalized in isolation in Manila. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte approved a ban on the entry of all non-citizens from China. The U.S., Japan, Singapore and Australia have imposed similar restrictions despite criticism from China and an assessment from the World Health Organization that such measures were unnecessarily hurting trade and travel. The death toll in China climbed by 45 to 304, and the number of cases worldwide surged past 14,550, according to Chinas National Health Commission and other nations. The vast majority of those infected are in China; about 150 cases have been reported in two dozen other countries. The U.S. on Sunday reported its ninth case, this one involving a woman in the San Francisco Bay Areas Santa Clara County who arrived in the U.S. to visit family after recently traveling to Wuhan. A hospital specially built to handle coronavirus patients in Wuhan is expected to open on Monday, just 10 days after construction began. A second hospital is set to open soon after. Also, six officials in the city of Huanggang, next to Wuhan in Hubei province, were fired over poor performance in handling the outbreak, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. It cited the mayor as saying the citys capabilities to treat the patients remained inadequate and there is a severe shortage in medical supplies such as protective suits and medical masks. The trading and manufacturing center of Wenzhou, with nearly 10 million people in coastal Zhejiang province, confined people to their homes, allowing only one family member to venture out every other day to buy necessary supplies. Huanggang, home to 7 million people, imposed similar measures on Saturday. With no end in sight to the outbreak, authorities in Hubei and elsewhere have extended the Lunar New Year holiday break, due to end this week, well into February to try to keep people at home and reduce the spread of the virus. All Hubei schools are postponing the start of the new semester until further notice. Wenzhou, situated about 500 miles from Wuhan, put off the reopening of government offices until Feb. 9, businesses until Feb. 17 and schools until March 1. The city has reported 241 confirmed cases of the virus, one of the highest levels outside Hubei. Similar measures have been announced in the provinces and cities of Heilongjiang, Shandong, Guizhou, Hebei and Hunan, while the major cities of Shanghai and Beijing have also closed schools and public offices indefinitely. Despite its own drastic travel restrictions, China has chafed at those imposed by foreign governments, criticizing Washingtons order barring entry to most non-citizens who visited China in the past two weeks. Apart from damaging Chinas international reputation, such steps could worsen a domestic economy already growing at its lowest rate in decades. The crisis is the latest to confront Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who has been beset by months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong, the reelection of Taiwans pro-independence president and criticism over human rights violations in the traditionally Muslim territory of Xinjiang. New Zealand announced Sunday it is temporarily barring travellers from China to protect the South Pacific region from the virus. The 14-day ban applies to foreigners leaving China but not to New Zealand residents. New Zealand also raised its travel advice for China to Do not travel, the highest level. Qatar Airways joined the growing number of airlines suspending flights to mainland China. Indonesia and Oman also halted flights, as did Saudi Arabias flagship national carrier, Saudia. Saudi Arabias state-run media reported that 10 Saudi students were evacuated from Wuhan on a special flight. It said the students would be screened on arrival and quarantined for 14 days. Over the weekend, South Korea and India flew hundreds of their citizens out of Wuhan. A Turkish military transport plane carrying 42 people arrived in Ankara on Saturday night. A French-chartered plane made its way toward France on Sunday with 300 evacuees from a multitude of European and African countries. And Morocco flew home 167 of its people, mostly students. Indonesia flew back 241 citizens from Wuhan on Sunday and quarantined them on the remote Natuna Islands for two weeks. Several hundred residents protested the move. Europe so far has 25 people infected with the virus. The German Red Cross reported two more cases there on Sunday, both German citizens who were airlifted from Wuhan on Saturday on a military transport carrying 128 people. Eight earlier cases in Germany were all linked to an auto parts factory. France has six cases; Russia, Italy and Britain have two each, and Finland, Sweden and Spain each have one. German Health Minister Spahn said he had spoken to his U.S. counterpart and agreed that the Group of Seven health ministers should hold a teleconference on how to coordinate efforts against the coronavirus. It doesnt help if one country alone takes measures, and certainly not in Europe, Spahn said. The other G-7 members are France, Italy, Japan, Canada and Britain. The Trump administrations national security adviser, Robert OBrien, said on CBS Face the Nation that the Chinese so far have been more transparent certainly than in past crises and we appreciate that and we continue to offer assistance to the Chinese. Right now, theres no reason for Americans to panic, he added. This is something that is a low risk we think in the U.S. Vietnam counted its seventh case, a Vietnamese-American man who had a two-hour layover in Wuhan on his way from the U.S. to Ho Chi Minh City. The country ordered schools to close for at least a week in 19 of its 54 provinces and cities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which together account for over 4 million students. Rubber glove manufacturers in Malaysia, the top producer of such gear, pledged to donate 18 million gloves to Wuhan. While Malaysians are concerned about the spread of the virus to our shores, we are equally sympathetic toward China, Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok said. The number of confirmed cases will keep growing because thousands of specimens from suspected cases have yet to be tested, said the WHO representative in Beijing, Gauden Galea. A Pakistani court on Monday accepted the plea of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's brother-in-law Hafiz Abdur Rehman Makki and allowed transfer of two terror financing cases against him to Lahore from other parts of Punjab province after the prosecution raised no objection. "Lahore High Court Chief Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh allowed the application of suspect Makki after Additional Prosecutor General Abdul Samad Khan said the prosecution has no objection in transferring his (Makki) cases from Sargodha to Lahore," a court official told PTI. Sargodha is located nearly 200 kilometres northwest of Lahore, the capital of Punjab province. Makki told the court that two cases have been pending against him before the anti-terrorism court of Sargodha while some other identical cases were also being heard by a Lahore's trial court. He asked the court to order consolidation of all cases against him at Lahore "because of similar charges" against him. The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had registered 23 cases under Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 in police stations of Lahore and other cities of Punjab against Makki, Jamat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed and others. They are accused of using properties of religious seminaries and mosques and collection of funds for terror financing. Makki, head of JuD's political and international affairs wing and in-charge of its charity Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), was arrested after the Imran Khan government's crackdown against the outlawed organisations last year. Meanwhile, no proceeding was held in the terror financing cases against Saeed in the Lahore's ATC on Monday. "Saeed and other suspects in the two cases of terror financing against them could not be produced before the ATC on Monday after which it adjourned the hearing till Tuesday," a court official told PTI. In the last hearing last week, the lawyers of the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba completed their arguments before the court. Saeed's lawyers - advocates Naseeruddin Nayyar and Imran Fazal Gull - presented their arguments declaring their client innocent. The ATC had indicted Saeed and others on December 11 in terror financing case in day to day hearing. The Counter Terrorism Department had registered 23 FIRs against Saeed and his accomplices on the charges of terror financing in different cities of Punjab province and arrested him on July 17. He is lodged at the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore. Saeed-led JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans. The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a USD 10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice. The United States has also welcomed Saeed's indictment by a Pakistani court, urging Islamabad to ensure a full prosecution and expeditious trial of the charges against him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Queen Elizabeth II may be the longest-reigning British monarch, but that longevity comes with consequences and burdens that she had to carry on her shoulders since day one. The Queen became the longest-reigning monarch in U.K. history in September 2015, getting the crown from Queen Victoria. Aside from that title, Her Majesty recently earned the title for becoming the world's fifth longest-serving monarch. Adrian Hilton officially announced the Queen's new milestone on his Twitter account, saying, "Just to say, today the Queen moved up a notch in the table of the world's longest reigns, surpassing that of Franz Joseph I. God Save the Queen." However, the passing of the throne onto her on Feb. 6, 1952, as well as these new acknowledgments she got, came with great responsibility and suffering. Queen's Suffering Queen Elizabeth II has been doing everything she can for the monarchy, just like what she pledged when she took over the throne. Margaret Rhodes, Queen Elizabeth II's first cousin, told PEOPLE that Her Majesty pledged to offer her entire life serving the monarchy. In fact, the Queen has kept that promise in a letter. Since then, however, Queen Elizabeth II has faced a lot of headaches during her reign, including the events that happened in the most horrible year for her: the Annus Horribilis in 1992. Even the Queen herself gave the title to that year while delivering a speech to mark the 40th anniversary of her accession. In 1992, aside from the sudden fire that broke out in Windsor Castle just four days before the Queen's ruby jubilee, the royal family's reputation got tarnished after the announcements of split after split. Princess Anne, Her Majesty's second child, and Captain Mark Phillips finalized their divorce. Prince Andrew followed the "routine" and announced his split with Sarah Ferguson. Meanwhile, Prince Charles and Princess Diana also got separated in the same year. Even in 2019 and this 2020, with the Prince Andrew scandal and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to step back from the royal family, the problems have not stopped for the Queen. Loneliest Job Ever With her royal highness choosing to be silent these days, royal biographer Penny Junor spoke up for her and revealed that Queen Elizabeth II's job as a monarch is the loneliest job ever, especially considering all the problems and burdens she needed to carry alone. According to Junor, the Queen reportedly asked a friend where she went wrong (especially during the 1992 Annus Horribilis) that she had to face all those things during her ruling. She eventually blamed herself for what happened. "I do not know how the Queen coped with all those catastrophes. Being Queen, being monarch, is a very lonely job," Junor said. "People up and down the country admire her, even Republicans admire her - they may dislike the principle, but they cannot fault the woman. " Underneath everything, however, the Queen is still a woman who is capable of feeling everything an ordinary person does. With that said, everyone should take note that she gave up her happiness to serve the monarchy. In the end, the former BBC Royal Correspondent and historian Wesley Kerr praised the Queen for being "always herself" and "not an actress putting on a part." TOKYO -- The Air Force tightened curfew for service members at Misawa Air Base in northeast Japan after several alcohol-related incidents, including drunken driving, over the past two months, according to an order issued Sunday by the commander of the 35th Fighter Wing. "In the last 60 days, there have been 5 cases of driving under the influence of alcohol, and 8 alcohol-related incidents involving personnel assigned to Misawa," Col. Kristopher Struve wrote in a memorandum posted to a popular Air Force social media page. Struve imposed an 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew on all ranks and all personnel, including those at Misawa on temporary duty, deployed, leave or pass status. The curfew runs through March 2, according to the commanders "Temporary Liberty Order." During curfew hours, airmen must be either on a U.S. military installation, in a private residence, inside a hotel room or performing official duties, including commuting between an off-base residence and place of duty. "Additionally, for all Air Force personnel, regardless of rank, the off-installation public consumption of alcohol is prohibited between the hours of 2300 and 0500 (on all days, including holidays)," the memo states. "Civilian employees and contractors are encouraged to comply with the order." Public affairs officers at Misawa were unavailable to comment due to a holiday for the Super Bowl, a Japanese employee at the base said Monday. Lower-ranked service members throughout Japan are already subject to a 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. curfew that dates to October 2012, when restrictions were imposed following the rape of an Okinawan woman by two U.S. sailors. The U.S. military has a history of adjusting the curfew following incidents involving service members in Japan. In November 2017, for example, troops were placed on a midnight to 5 a.m. curfew and ordered not to consume alcohol after a fatal vehicle accident involving a 21-year-old Marine on Okinawa. The restrictions were lifted the following month. The Labour Party would aim to build 18,000 homes in its first year in Government as an acceptable target, leader Brendan Howlin has said. Speaking at the official launch of the partys housing policy in Dublin, Mr Howlin reiterated his manifesto commitment to building 80,000 homes on public land over a five-year term. Well build homes, is Labours simple policy commitment. That construction is to be funded by 16bn in cash held outside the annual spending budget in order to stay inside fiscal space guidelines. 5bn is to come from the Irish Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), 4bn from NAMAs surplus, 4bn redirected from the rainy day fund, with the remainder to be sourced via injections from the European Investment Bank and Irelands credit unions. Mr Howlin said that Labour is offering a unique take on the housing crisis. People want honesty, they dont want promises that wont be delivered, he said. To do this we need to deploy a lot of money, and we cant spend the same euro twice. Mr Howlin was joined on stage by the partys candidate for Dublin Fingal Duncan Smith, whos striving to hold onto the seat vacated by the retiring Brendan Ryan. Mr Smith said it currently takes a lot to drag him away from his constituency, but that housing is that subject. He said he genuinely believes that Labours plan is the answer. Fingal has the fastest growing population in Ireland. We have enough public land there to build if the political will is there, he said. We are showing that political will. Regarding Labours plan to freeze rents until enough homes are built, Mr Smith said that weve frozen rents before, and it worked. The party is also planning to both cap rents and to introduce a system of secure long-term tenancies - the norm in many European countries where home-ownership is not prioritised to the same extent - with rent paid in affordable housing to qualify as a housing deposit should a tenant so wich once creditworthiness has been established. Mr Howlin said that construction manpower for the building splurge, an issue given both the slow growth in the profession and the fact that the industry in Ireland is currently working at full capacity, would be sourced through a focus on apprenticeships, re-training of workers from other sectors (such as the peat and coal-burning industries), and asking Irish workers if they will come home. He said, given that Fine Gael has delivered just 14,000 construction jobs on the back of a commitment to 40,000 since 2016, that I wouldnt wish to be compared with Fine Gael when it comes to job creation. We know how to create jobs because we understand workers, he said. The biggest incentive towards the creation of jobs, if you ask the unions, is certainty of work. Labour, echoing a similar policy commitment from Fianna Fail, said it would empower the local authorities to directly build homes, with the initial surge in building to be commissioned from the private sector. The party also committed to merging all housing agencies into one central body in order to ensure knowledge and experience is shared on a daily basis. Asked what would be a satisfactory target of publicly-built homes for the first year, Mr Howlin said youre certainly talking about 18,000. Retired megachurch pastor discusses flaws in refugee resettlement, amoral evangelical attitudes Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Retired megachurch pastor Dan Scott has witnessed the transformation of Nashville, Tennessee, over the course of the past few decades as the city has taken on thousands of refugees despite the objection of many of the areas white Christian conservative residents. Scott, the former pastor of Christ Church Nashville who retired last June, was among many who harbored some concerns when an influx of thousands of persecuted refugees from Nepal was resettled to Nashville in the early 2010s. But now that the Nepalese refugee community has successfully integrated into the city and many of them have become members of Scotts old church, Scott sees their resettlement as a blessing to his town. It wasn't the refugees themselves that were resented, he told The Christian Post in a recent interview. It was the idea that the government had brought these people in where there was no infrastructure. Scott discussed the ramifications of President Donald Trumps executive order signed last year giving state and local government authorities the ability to block refugee resettlement in their jurisdictions. He opposes the new order, contending that it is an attempt to simply pass the buck on the refugee resettlement issue to somebody else to make the decision not to help people. Obviously, no nation can take in all of the suffering people of the world, he said. But the Old Testament repeatedly talks about this. You leave the gleanings in the field and you treat the foreigners among you with respect and make sure that they're fed and all that kind of stuff. Although he did hold some concerns about Nepalese refugees being resettled in Nashville years back, he did not outright object to their resettlement in his community like others did in his area. He did, however, question the logic of resettling thousands of non-English speaking Hindu and Buddhist refugees in a city that lacked an adequate public transportation system and other infrastructure necessities to help ease resettlement. Not only did the city lack expanded mass transit, but neither the federal nor the state government provided the refugee community with English language classes or any kind of cultural readiness training, he noted. The refugee communities needed help learning things such as setting up bank accounts, getting car insurance or even flushing a toilet. For me, it was bewildering like it was for a lot of people, he said. Why would you bring 100 Nepalese and put them in a housing division that's just a few blocks from the church who didn't have any ways to get anywhere? They didn't know how to use a flush toilet. It felt to me like the government kind of dumped these people without giving them the infrastructure. We don't have mass transit, for example, in the area. So people have to have cars. The Nepalese had been living in refugee camps. For some of them, they were in camps as long as they had lived. And so to figure out how to use a car, how to get a car, how to get insurance, it was just a massive thing because even if we got them jobs, how would they get to work? Scott recalled his time as an immigrant to Quebec, Canada, in the 1980s. During that time, he said that the Canadian government offered him language classes for nine months. But in the U.S., he said nothing similar is offered by the government. In [the American] situation, if private people don't step up to the plate like churches, the folks are thrust into an urban situation they don't understand economically or any other way, Scott said. Plus, they've got to work immediately to support themselves and don't have the opportunity of learning the language. Selling point Scott said that his complaint at the time is also what he used as a selling point to the thousands of members at Christ Church. He urged the congregation to get more involved in helping the Nepalese community. I told the church that if we don't step in, what's going to be the plight of these people? he recalled. It's not just humanitarian, though our faith commands us to do that. Our long-term interest is to see that they learn the language and enter the workforce of the area. Although his church helped welcome about 60 Russian refugees in the 1980s into the congregation, Scott said the church was not as open as he would have liked to nominally Muslim Kurdish refugees who resettled during the late 1980s and 1990s. Had we been aggressive about welcoming them here and getting involved in their life, we probably would have had real success and incorporated lots of them into the Christian community at that time, he contended. But a whole generation grew up and we didn't have that infrastructure. So we lost that opportunity. I think some of us were just determined not to see that repeated with these Buddhists and Hindus that were coming in and we reached out to them and great numbers of them have become Christians. The church came alongside the Nepalese community as some men in the community were in such dire straits when their six months of government aid ran out that they were discussing the possibility of prostituting their wives. Because they felt like there was no other way and this was something that their culture, I guess, would have permitted them to think about, Scott said. We were really alarmed at that. We just doubled our efforts to try to convince them to learn legitimate trades and to get them into legitimate lines of work. According to Scott, Christ Church offered the Nepalese community free language classes, while many church volunteers served in social worker-like capacities to help the Nepalese get acquainted with life in the U.S. and stay out of debt. Because of the church's discipleship, around half of some 300 Nepalese refugees the church served have become Christians, he said. Additionally, the Nepalese community in Nashville has transformed economically. The last several years have seen a real dramatic lift of Christian Nepalese communities and their economic viability, he noted. These were people at the bottom of the economic level. They were reliable workers in kitchens and cleaning situations. They didn't take drugs, they didn't cheat, they didn't steal stuff. And they quickly proved themselves to be very reliable workers. Coming behind them were their children who were getting a good education and being prepared for prospering in other ways. Christ Church often partnered with other faith-based groups like Catholic Services to provide help to the community. It created an odd amalgam of people who were acting out of a kind of left-of-center sort of humanitarian way with very conservative Christians who were trying to get food and shelter for their folks, he said. People made common calls across those barriers for the sake of helping the folks. That's become more complicated as our political situation is radicalized in the country. In todays political context where Nashville continues to be a very conservative town supportive of an administration looking to limit immigration and refugee resettlement, Scott said, only a few churches have some sort of ministry with refugees. He added that churches even conservative ones that do have refugee ministries are being called out by anti-refugee critics in the area for being liberal. Tribal loyalties and the Gospel The people who have called for this reaching [to refugees] have been penalized and painted as if their motivations were liberal rather than just sheer response to the Gospel, Scott said. [These are] really good people that otherwise are the salt of the earth. [T]hey don't know where the line is that separates those socioeconomic tribal loyalties from a Gospel that promises a day when every tribe, kindred nation and language are included in the God in the Community of Christ. Scott explained that as Christ Church has filled up with more immigrants from around the world, there has been a level of white flight from the congregation and community. [I]n the church, some of it was a response to racial complexity that begin to occur in the church, he said. Outside of large metropolitan areas, white Americans have generally not been used to being parts of groups that minorities predominate. There's a tipping point. And when they reach a certain percentage, you start seeing a lot of white people leave and it's just reality. Scott has identified as Republican for most of his life. However, he has become disillusioned due to the fact that some of his clergy peers have embraced what he calls amoral and unethical behavior, attitudes and postures on immigration. It has shaken me to the core, he said. I'm 67 years old and I can't imagine what kind of fruit we're going to reap from our children and grandchildren watching this and coming to the conclusion that our stated values were never our real values. Although he understands that there are limitations that some local communities face that may inspire officials to want to block resettlement to their towns, Scott said he cant get behind Trumps order giving local officials that right. Had the president been warm and forthcoming and compassionate in a statement and say, We want to receive as many people as we can but some of our local areas are really strained right now so I'm going to give them a say in this, I don't know how we could fight against that, Scott said. But that's hardly the spirit in which it was presented. It seems to me they are saying You states that want to deal with [refugees], we're sending you all the problems and you can handle it. Those of us that don't want to, we're going to continue to make sure that we don't have the burden of it. Scott fears that the conservative evangelical community is embracing behaviors unhinged from any principles of the Gospel. [Were] separating utterly our sense of social and moral life from Scripture and our stated beliefs about the Gospel, he warned. That shakes me and I don't know exactly what to do about it. Voters have turned on Prime Minister Scott Morrison over his response to the summer bushfires in a sign he could be irretrievably damaged by a series of stumbles, including his decision to take a holiday in Hawaii. Angry at a pathetic and disorganised response to the crisis, voters blamed Mr Morrison for being too slow to act on the threat and failing to show empathy with Australians suffering in the aftermath of the fires. But some believe Mr Morrison can recover from the crisis if he sticks to his policies over the years ahead, showing he has continued support from those who backed the Coalition government at the last election. The findings, based on focus groups run by research company Ipsos for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, also revealed majority support for greater action on climate change despite doubts about putting a price on carbon. (Photo : Screenshot From Did That Happen Today In History? Facebook Page) USA 245 A suspicious movement has been observed as the Kosmos 2542-- a Russian spacecraft has been observed following the orbits of the USA 245, which has been in space since 2013. The main role of this Russian spacecraft was to inspect and safeguard other satellites, but the space community has reason to believe that it may actually be tailing the U.S. satellite by following its orbit. The security of the citizens of the Earth A military agent whose main mission is to watch out for suspicious satellite activity called the NRO has noticed the movement of the Kosmos 2542, but an even bigger question is the secrecy of the USA satellite whose mission is still unknown to the majority. Although it is not yet that alarming because of how satellites often brush the same pane every once in a while but what is suspicious is that the patterns of Kosmos 2542 are very similar to those of USA 245. Read Also: The Spitzer Space Telescope from NASA Brings Back Stunning Images of Tarantula Nebula The suspicious movements of Kosmos 2542 Normally, satellites would keep their distance and only find each other every once in a while, but what is odd about the Kosmos 2542 is that it has maintained a distance of about 150 to 300 kilometers or 90 to 180 miles apart at all times which makes its movements a bit uneasy. Although the Kosmos 2542 is slowly growing in the distance, it has remained in visible sight of USA 245 for quite some time now. The possible motive of the Russian Spacecraft Michael Thompson, who is known to be a graduate teaching assistant at the Purdue University released a statement in his tweet which leans towards the idea of the Russian spacecraft inspecting one of America's assets and although this is still considered as Thompson's opinion, it could still be highly likely true. Russia's statement regarding the activities of Kosmos 2542 Before ever launching the satellite, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a statement clarifying the purpose of this spacecraft. It was said that the spacecraft was indeed to inspect the other satellites, but what everyone thought was vaguely implied is that the Russian spacecraft would only inspect other Russian satellites and not U.S. satellites. The implications could be either the Russians are just trying to make sure each satellite is safe and secure, or it could be that intelligence is being gathered about the movement of the U.S. satellite and the U.S.' agenda all in all. Read Also: Proxima B: Astronomers Find Potential Super-Earth Space diplomacy for all The outer space is not territory for a single nation to claim orbital rights over, nor is it a place where certain activities that are invasive are allowed, which is why political diplomacy for space movement is critical, and the NRO is trying its best to uphold such standard. Giving way to satellites from other countries, every satellite in space reports directly to the country behind them, and although it is uncomfortable to have a Russian spacecraft watching a U,S. satellite, there is not much to be done. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Australian citizens evacuated from Chinese city Wuhan, the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, have landed in Western Australia's north before being quarantined on Christmas Island. A Qantas flight carrying more than 243 Australians landed at the RAAF Base Learmonth, near Exmouth, just after 4pm local time on Monday. From there they will be transported by military planes to Christmas Island, where they will be separated into their families and quarantined for two weeks. Qantas has begun the evacuation out of Wuhan. It's anticipated the passengers could be accommodated overnight in Exmouth after their departure was delayed by about six hours. Russians favor amendments to Constitution public opinion poll RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 11:36 03/02/2020 MOSCOW, February 3 (RAPSI) The vast majority of Russian citizens, about 80%, favour amendments to the Constitution and regard them as essential, according to the research results of the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. Reportedly, social initiatives secured maximum approval of Russians, including fixing of regular pension indexation (backed by 91% of people in the survey) and minimum wage (90% of pollees). Russian people also supported a proposal to increase the residence qualification from 10 to 25 years for presidential candidates (87%). 81% of respondents raised their voice for authorize the Constitutional Court to check draft laws on the request of a Head of the State. Nearly 70% of Russian nationals want to ban governors, judges, government and parliament members and other officials from having foreign citizenship and residence permit. A presidential right to appoint security agencies chiefs and regional prosecutors after consultations with the Federation Council was positively assessed by 66%. Primacy of the Constitution over international treaties was backed by 63%. The poll was conducted on January 24 with the sample amounting 1,600 people. Speedcast Government, which provides mission-critical communications for military, government, non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations, is supporting a UN agency and an independent national electoral committee in Niger in their mission to ensure that no electoral fraud takes place. In preparation for the upcoming national elections, Speedcast Government has been asked to provide satellite internet services, equipment, life-cycle operation, installation, maintenance and logistics support for eight regional electoral sites. The project is divided into two phases and expected to be completed before legislative and presidential elections take place in 2020-2021. Speedcast Governments fully managed communication solutions are enabled by multi-access technology and a multi-band, multi-orbit network of 80+ satellites and a global ground support network which provides a local point of presence in over 40 countries. Its managed satcom services are complemented by advanced wireless capabilities, systems integration services, and high-touch professional services for land and airborne ISR / mobility applications. And if the name seems familiar, that may be because Speedcast Government is part of the largest remote communications provider in the world. In fact only last week, Speedcast International announced that it had been awarded a 12-month contract with a mobile operator in Mexico, where its fully managed, end-to-end cellular backhaul solution will help the mobile operator expand its network. Hull Street Energy has signed an agreement to acquire thirty-one hydroelectric facilities with 255 MW of capacity from EGPNA Renewable Energy Partners (EGPNA REP), a joint venture between Enel Green Power North America and GE Energy Financial Services. The transaction will close in two phases. The first phase, which closed this week, includes thirty hydro projects totaling 175 MW. The second phase, which includes the remaining 80 MW of capacity, is expected to close during the first quarter of 2020, pending regulatory approval. The plants supply reliable, low-carbon energy to regional electricity customers in Vermont, Washington, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, South Carolina, Idaho, California, North Carolina, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Hull Street Energy affiliates own fifty-one power generation stations providing more than 815 MW of renewable, gas-fired, and dual-fueled generation capacity to support grid operations throughout the United States. BNP Paribas Securities Corp. served as sole placement agent and ancillary facility provider on a private placement financing for the transaction, and Baker Botts LLP acted as legal counsel to Hull Street Energy. About Hull Street Energy Hull Street Energy is a private equity firm that specializes in deploying capital into the power sector as it transitions to a more sustainable future. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, the team leverages its decades of experience and unique knowledge of North American electricity infrastructure, fundamentals and grid operations, including fuel inputs, commodity contract structuring, renewable and fossil powered generation assets, energy storage, transmission and distribution systems, and electricity demand-side businesses to build value for stakeholders. For further information about Hull Street Energy please see www.hullstreetenergy.com. Media Contact: Matthew Willis 240-800-3218 mwillis@hullstreetenergy.com Odisha police said Monday they have arrested a CRPF sub-inspector from Uttarakhand for allegedly raping a woman after promising to marry her. Bhupender Singh, a CRPF sub-inspector posted in Odisha had allegedly brought the woman to Bhubaneswar from Uttarkhand and had sex with her several times promising marriage. The victim had lodged a complaint against Bhupender at Nayapalli police station in Bhubaneswar on December 25, 2019. Police said the accused was arrested by a police team from Odisha on January 31 in Dehradun and produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Dehradun on Saturday. He was produced before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate court in Bhubaneswar on Monday and later sent to jail. Singh was arrested under sections of rape, cheating and others relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). PHOENIX Secretary of State Katie Hobbs is asking a federal judge to declare theres nothing unconstitutional about requiring people to get their early ballots to county offices by 7 p.m. on Election Day. In legal briefs filed Monday on her behalf, Hobbs said the two groups that sued over the deadline, Voto Latino and Priorities USA, have no legal standing to challenge the law. She said they havent provided evidence that a member of their organizations or anyone has been harmed by the failure to count a vote because mail wasnt delivered until after the deadline. She said people have 27 days to get an early ballot back to county officials. And if they cant get them in the mail on time, Hobbs said, they can always drop them off at polling places before or on Election Day. Hobbs, a Democrat, also said Arizona provides more opportunities for voting than many other states. Those include the ability to cast an early ballot without having to provide any excuse. Hobbs dismissed the idea that some voters are confused. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday refused a demand by opposition parties in the state to form a House Committee to probe the frequently changing private forest land data. Sawant, who also holds the forest portfolio, told opposition MLAs there was no need for a House Committee as the matter is pending before the National Green Tribunal. The demand for such a committee was raised by GFP chief Vijai Sardesai, Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat and Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte. They contended that data on private forest land was "frequently changing", with Sardesai calling it "one of the biggest scams in Goa's history". Sardesai said private forest land had reduced from 21 square kilometres to four square kilometres under different committees set up to assess the area. The five-day Budget session of the Goa Assembly began on Monday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A few years ago, California-born Lauren Taylor was backpacking around the world, forging a successful career as an artist and illustrator while indulging her travel bug. Working as a freelance artist meant she could tour the world, travelling across Latin America and Europe while running her business out of a suitcase, creating her beautiful whimsical art wherever she could find a table and a Wi-Fi connection. These days, Lauren's career has gone from strength to strength - but the locations are rather different. Instead of working in coffee shops in Buenos Aires or on a catamaran in Colombia, she's married and putting down roots in her new home of Newry with husband James Patterson (35) and puppy Maya. The couple met while travelling, then embarked on a long-distance relationship before marrying in 2018 at the gorgeous Arcadia Cafe in Portrush. And this week they've just announced that they will be running bespoke tours of Northern Ireland and the Republic aimed at artists and other creatives, starting their first tour this May and taking in their beloved north coast. I love the ruggedness of the coastline up there and all the towns, you know, Portrush and Bushmills and Ballycastle. "It will be eight days visiting the northern half of Ireland and it's for artists and creatives, so basically painters, writers, photographers of any level," Lauren explains. "We want it to be inclusive and not just limited to one style. So basically, we're going to spend half the day somewhere really beautiful creating and the other half of the day sightseeing." While Lauren married and settled in Northern Ireland in 2018, it's clear the travel bug hasn't entirely left her. She got to know the region while the pair were conducting their long-distance romance and made a point of discovering as many places as possible. "I guess coming back and forth here made it easier - it kind of seemed like a transition period. I got to know the people here and became familiar with the area, and I was able to explore and do my own thing as well. "I've always been pretty adaptable, moving around and going to new places, and I've always made it a point to try and find new places to explore. But especially being from California, big drives are normal and don't bother me. I travel to Belfast once a week, doing a life drawing group at the Crescent Arts Centre and I used to go down to Dublin once a week for life drawing and people thought I was crazy! Like when we got our puppy in Kilkenny and I said, 'oh, let's go down and check her out' - James said, 'It's a five-hour round trip', and I said 'that's okay'! "We've done quite a bit of exploring around here. I think travel is still a big part of both our lives - I guess now we just have a bit more of a base." Lauren, who has a brother and two sisters, and grew up in the agricultural Central Valley in California, two hours east of San Francisco. She studied International Business at Hawaii Pacific University and admits she longed to travel from an early age. "When I was in college, I studied abroad for a year in Spain, and did a bit of travelling around Europe while I was there," she says. "It was actually the first time I visited Ireland as well, for just a few days in 2010. But when I graduated from college in Hawaii, I stayed there for a couple of years and started working for a news station as a morning show producer. "I enjoyed it, but my day started at 3am and I got a bit burned out. I feel that to stay in that sort of industry, you have to just be totally passionate about it - but news wasn't my passion." At the same time, Lauren says, she was dabbling in art on the side and was keen to travel while she was young and didn't have any commitments - so she decided to combine the two. "I decided to move back home to California and save up and then go and travel a bit. So I went back home and got a job with Apple, and was working and painting around it and started selling prints of my art. "And I thought 'This is kind of cool, I could do this while I'm travelling'. I had a printer that I was using in the States that would ship the prints for me so I didn't have to ship them myself." It was about a year later that the fateful meeting with James took place when Lauren was travelling in Chile, South America. "We were in a town called Valparaiso and that's actually where I met my husband, James," she says. "He was also travelling and we were staying in the same hostel - we started chatting and just hit it off immediately and spent four days together. But then after that, we had plans to go separate directions. "So we said, I think we'll both be in Columbia about the same time, so we'll try and meet up. About two months later, we did meet up and then we travelled for a few months together. "And that was just kind of it! We did long distance for a couple of years, and I came here in the summer and he would get time off in the winter and come to visit me." Expand Close Brush strokes: Lauren Taylor / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brush strokes: Lauren Taylor During that time, Lauren's business, Lauren Taylor Creates, was going from strength to strength, branching out from painting delicate watercolours into illustration work for products and packaging, branding and social media. "I was painting full time and creating - I do mostly watercolour work and some oil as well," she says. "It was nice because it was a career that I could do while I was moving around so it kind of made it possible for us to be together and for me to come here. And then I moved here just over two years ago. We just got married in June and now we're living in Northern Ireland." Lauren describes her firefighter husband James as passionate and hard-working. "He went back to school a few years ago and got a law degree as well. He's just really the type of person that if he puts his mind to something he does it, which I love," she says. "And I guess both of us love travelling and you get to know a person pretty well when you're travelling with them. We spent a few months together in Colombia and we just totally clicked. I mean, he just makes me laugh so hard, I remember my face hurt at first - I couldn't stop smiling. I'm very, very lucky!" Expand Close Lauren Taylor with her husband James Patterson / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lauren Taylor with her husband James Patterson Lauren has made a point of exploring her adopted country as much as she can and loves the north coast. "I love the ruggedness of the coastline up there and all the towns, you know, Portrush and Bushmills and Ballycastle. And that drive, going up past Larne and Carnlough - it's just so beautiful," she says. "There's the Fairy Glen in Rostrevor - there's a little trail next to Kilbroney along the river and it's so peaceful and beautiful for walks. We love Murlough beach and the sand dunes. Even the towpath is so nice - I could go and jump in on so many different spots along it. I love being outside and there are so many places to go for a walk or hike." One particularly memorable spot was Downhill Beach, overlooked by the Mussenden Temple, where their spectacular wedding photographs were taken. "We drove over from Portrush before we got married to get some photos and we got so lucky because the summer wasn't great weather-wise, but the day we got married was absolutely beautiful," Lauren says. "But when we were on the beach, the sky turned really dark and dramatic and it made these really wild kind of photos, which was really cool." Expand Close Lauren on her wedding day paula ohara / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lauren on her wedding day The setting was the perfect place to show off Lauren's unusual emerald green wedding dress, designed by Una Rodden. She explains why she chose a non-traditional dress: "I went dress shopping a few places in the States and then one or two places here - and I just didn't love how I looked or felt in white. I had this idea of wearing green and it stuck in my head - I thought about it for at least six months to a year. "I knew someone who got married about a year before me - Una had made her dress and it was beautiful, and she couldn't say enough good things about that. So I reached out and she was a dream to work with. We totally clicked immediately and she understood what I wanted and she made the most amazing dress, I felt incredible." Creativity clearly runs in the family - Lauren's sister Julia Engel is the figure behind the hugely successful Gal Meets Glam fashion collection and lifestyle blog, and has more than one million Instagram followers. Lauren says the family are very proud of her. "She started her blog when she was in college, and she's just the hardest-working person," she explains. "She's always, always working and she's just so passionate about clothing and fashion and travel." Expand Close From left, Blayne Hayes with his girlfriend Samantha (Laurens sister), Lauren and husband James, Laurens mum Judie Engel, brother George, niece Clementine, sister Julia and Julias husband Thomas / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp From left, Blayne Hayes with his girlfriend Samantha (Laurens sister), Lauren and husband James, Laurens mum Judie Engel, brother George, niece Clementine, sister Julia and Julias husband Thomas Meanwhile, Lauren illustrated her first children's book last year and is about to start her second. "I worked with the author, Morgan Hunt, in the States, and the book is called Tales of Wonder (left). It's about a little girl who travels in her dreams, and she travels to each of the seven continents," she says. "And when Morgan reached out to me about illustrating her book, and she told me what it was about, I was like 'Oh my God, that was me as a kid. I read the story and it was so much fun coming up with these concepts of where she was and what she was doing and, doing ballet with animals in the Serengeti and flying over a night sky. "I'm about to start illustrating my second book, which is really exciting as well. "I'm also working on a collection of artwork inspired by our honeymoon. We went to South Africa in September, and went on safari, and it was just so beautiful. "So I'm working on a collection of art right now that that's inspired by that journey too." But for now, she's looking forward to introducing other creatives to her adopted home, with the first LT Creative Tours event starting on May 19. The itinerary includes stops in Carlingford, the Mournes, Causeway Coast, as well as Sligo and Galway. "We wanted to show off the places that we love and that we visit often," Lauren says. "We really want to have places that are bit unusual and different along the tour to stop and spend a couple of hours painting, or taking photos or sitting and writing and thinking, and giving people space to work on their own style of art and create. "Instead of it being like a workshop and teaching, we just want people to be able to come and do their own style of art," she adds. Lauren says she was taken aback by the friendly reception she's had in Ireland. "It was kind of weird to me first, how people like strangers come up and just talk to you. "It's just nice, even when you're out for a walk and you're saying hello to everyone. I just find people here to be really helpful and friendly and that was really nice. "It was a pleasant surprise - and now when I go back to the States and I'm going around saying hello to everyone!" For more information on Lauren's work, the Tales of Wonder book and upcoming tours, visit www.laurentaylorcreates.com or Instagram @ltcreativetours 2 Killed, 1 Injured in Shooting at Texas A&M Campus: Officials Two people are dead and another person was injured in a shooting at Texas A&M University-Commerce on Monday, university officials said. Students, faculty and staff are instructed to take shelter and stay in place until further notice. This is a precautionary measure, the school said, adding that an investigation has led to officials confirming two deaths. The third victim has been taken to the hospital for treatment. UPD has stationed officers throughout the campus, including all key gathering points, for the safety of the campus community, Texas A&M said. We will continue to provide updates as they become available. The third survivors condition was not detailed by the school. There have been 2 confirmed deaths. The third victim has been taken to the hospital for treatment. UPD has stationed officers throughout campus, including all key gathering points, for the safety of the campus community. We will continue to share updates as they are available. A&M-Commerce (@tamuc) February 3, 2020 In a Twitter statement, Texas A&M said that classes are canceled for the remainder of the day. An active criminal investigation is underway. According to ABC News, the shooting occurred at a residence hall that houses freshmen students. Freshman Larry Cooper told the Dallas Morning News that he left his room in the dorm before the shelter-in-place was announced. Theres police blocking the doorways, but other than that were all just kind of sitting in and waiting on the news to happen, Cooper said. A law enforcement officer patrols the Pride Rock residence hall at Texas A&M-Commerce after a deadly shooting in Commerce, Texas, on Feb. 3, 2020. (Don Wallace/The Herald-Banner via AP) Texas A&M Commerce is located about 65 miles northeast of Dallas. Its located about 200 miles north of Texas A&Ms main campus in College Station, Texas. Resverlogix Receives US FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Apabetalone Details Category: Small Molecules Published on Monday, 03 February 2020 15:12 Hits: 1885 CALGARY, Canada I February 03, 2020 I Resverlogix Corp. (Resverlogix or the "Company") (TSX: RVX) is pleased to announce the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for apabetalone in combination with top standard of care, including high-intensity statins, for the secondary prevention of major adverse cardiac events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and recent acute coronary syndrome. "This extremely exciting development significantly supports our commercialization plans for apabetalone, said Donald McCaffrey, President and CEO. The FDA recognizes that apabetalone, in combination with top standard of care therapies, is a novel way to address a major unmet need. This important designation the first for a major cardiovascular indication entails working closely with the FDA to facilitate a time-efficient drug development program including planned clinical trials and plans for expediting the manufacturing development strategy for apabetalone. We look forward to working with the FDA on next steps and updating our stakeholders on future material developments. Breakthrough Therapy Designation According to the FDA, Breakthrough Therapy Designation is intended to expedite the development and review of new drugs to address unmet medical need in the treatment of serious or life-threatening conditions. The criteria for Breakthrough Therapy Designation require preliminary clinical evidence that demonstrates the drug may have substantial improvement on at least one clinically significant endpoint over available therapy. Expedited programs, including Breakthrough Therapy Designation, help ensure that therapies for serious conditions are available as soon as it can be concluded that the therapies benefits justify their risks, taking into account the seriousness of the condition and the availability of alternative treatment. BETonMACE In the fall of 2019, Resverlogix reported results from the groundbreaking Phase 3 trial BETonMACE. Apabetalone treatment significantly reduced hospitalizations due to congestive heart failure in comparison to placebo with top standard of care, as well as improving cardiovascular outcomes in two pre-specified subpopulations including those with chronic kidney disease. Significant improvements in cognition, as measured by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and relative to placebo with top standard of care, were also observed in cardiovascular disease patients with moderate to severe cognitive decline. Apabetalones consistent safety profile was further validated by an analysis of adverse events in BETonMACE, and nine positive reports by the trials independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board. About Resverlogix Resverlogix is developing apabetalone (RVX-208), a first-in-class, small molecule that is a selective BET (bromodomain and extra-terminal) inhibitor. BET inhibition is an epigenetic mechanism that can regulate disease-causing genes. Apabetalone is a BET inhibitor selective for the second bromodomain (BD2) within the BET proteins. This selective inhibition of apabetalone on BD2 produces a specific set of biological effects with potentially important benefits for patients with high-risk cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease treated with hemodialysis, neurodegenerative disease, Fabry disease, peripheral artery disease and other orphan diseases, while maintaining a well described safety profile. SOURCE: Resverlogix Number of criminal matter complaints filed with Russian business ombudsman ups RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 16:21 03/02/2020 MOSCOW, February 3 (RAPSI) Russias business ombudsman Boris Titov received 2,230 applications, 44% of which concerned illegal prosecution of businesses over the past year, the rights commissioners press service reports. In total, the number of applications filed by the business ombudsmans office rose by 2.9% as compared to a year before. The number of illegal prosecution complaints increased by nearly 14%, from 30.5 to 44%, the statement reads. According to the ombudsmans office, 12,230 applications were recorded in Russias regions that is 24% more than in a previous period, 9.65% of these complaints have a criminal nature. There were also applications over tax and customs law, environment, licensing and accreditation, property and land rights, entrepreneurship. However, the number of complaints against failure to execute court rulings dropped, excluding non-compliance with court decisions on state contracts debts, Titov stated. Actor Joaquin Phoenix gratefully accepted his Best Actor award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Sunday night. Then he dressed down the awards system and the industry for sending a clear message to people of color that theyre not welcome here. He spoke for minutes to a dead-silent audience that included fellow nominees Adam Driver and Saoirse Ronan before listeners erupted in cheers and applause. The BAFTAs have already been very supportive of my career and Im deeply appreciative, Phoenix began at the awards event at the Royal Albert Hall in London, where he was honored for his leading role in Joker. But I have to say I also feel conflicted because so many of my fellow actors that are deserving dont have that same privilege, he added. I think that we send a very clear message to people of color that youre not welcome here. Phoenix said it wasnt a self-righteous criticism. Im ashamed to say that Im part of the problem, he added, because I have not done everything in my power to ensure that the sets I work on are inclusive. But he also said the problem was more than simply pushing for multicultural sets. I think that we have to really do the hard work to truly understand systemic racism, Phoenix added. Its the obligation of the people that have created and perpetuate and benefit from a system of oppression to be the ones that dismantle it, so thats on us, he concluded. The lack of diversity in the film awards in Britain and across the pond is a perennial issue. The chair of BAFTAs film committee, Marc Samuelson, said early last month that this years lineup of acting award nominees represented an infuriating lack of diversity. Emma Baehr, BAFTAs director of awards, told The Hollywood Reporter that while the academy would have liked to have seen more diversity in the nominations, it does continue to be an... Continue reading on HuffPost BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 Trend: The PACE resolution on so-called "political prisoners" in Azerbaijan on the eve of parliamentary elections in the country and its adoption by a majority of votes to recommend to the CoE Committee of Ministers is another step designed to strike at Azerbaijan's reputation, Ilyas Huseynov, a political analyst, told Trend, commenting on the PACE resolution adopted at its winter session. According to Ilyas Huseynov, PACE, where deputies with pro-Armenian position make up the majority, has once again demonstrated a biased approach towards Azerbaijan. "It is regrettable that PACE does not distinguish between the occupied country and the aggressor country. It is unacceptable that people arrested in Azerbaijan for specific criminal acts are called political prisoners," Huseynov said. "Why was PACE silent when Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev were taken hostages by the Armenian armed forces, while they wanted to visit the graves of relatives in the Kalbajar district on July 11, 2014, when an illegal "court" sentenced Dilgam Asgarov to life imprisonment and Shahbaz Guliyev to 22 years of imprisonment? Therefore, this biased position taken towards Azerbaijan by PACE, which turns a blind eye to the inhuman attitude towards Azerbaijani "prisoners" and the conditions of their detention, can not be understood," the Azerbaijani political analyst added. Ilyas Huseynov emphasized that some organizations demonstrate an anti-Azerbaijani position in their reports and decisions that are not based on the real situation and facts in the country, but mainly on the speculations by the radical opposition. "The pro-Armenian forces, using the information of the radical opposition, which aims at discrediting the democratic electoral environment in the country, continue the campaign against Azerbaijan," Huseynov concluded. The Minister of Health, Victor Costache, will be in Paris, February 4-6, where he will meet the Minister of Solidarity and Health of the Government of the French Republic, Agnes Buzyn, the two to discuss the memorandum of understanding that will be concluded between the two ministries, which provides for the establishment of partnerships, exchanges of experience and good practices in domains of medical aid such as burns, transplant, pediatric cardiac surgery, drug policy. "The document provides for the establishment of partnerships, exchanges of experience and good practices in domains of medical assistance in deficit, as for example: major burns, transplant, pediatric cardiac surgery, drug policy, medical technology evaluation, accreditation of healthcare units," a press release of the ministry informs.The two ministers will also analyze topics regarding daily medical assistance, regarding the cooperation between the two systems to ensure prevention and limitation measures for the new coronavirus.The working meeting of Minister Costache to France also sets a meeting with Romanian physicians that are active in French medical centers.Also in France, Victor Costache is invited to hold a lecture during the Conference regarding "Cardiac surgery and vascular surgery in the age of minimally-invasive techniques," at the National Surgery Academy of France. AGERPRES New headquarters of the rapidly growing Conversant Group will feature a sleek, glass wall look, president John Anthony Smith said. It is at the current site of Grant's Auto Trim, just in front of the group's current location. Mr. Smith told members of the city Industrial Development Board on Monday that the project cannot go forward until an alley in that vicinity is closed and a long-unused gas tank is dug up. Mr. Smith said the group that features a team of cyber security experts started in 2009 and had 11 employees by 2015. He said it currently is at 46 and has plans to grow to 100 by 2023. The Covenant College graduate said 67 percent of Conversant employees make over $80,000 per year. He said all make at least $36,000. Mr. Smith said the company cannot find employees locally and most often recruits experienced net-savvy employees from far away. He said the local school system "is not keeping up" with needs of his industry. He said, "There is a gross shortage of talent to do this." Mr. Smith said his company handles "very complex" protection and rescue of the data of companies far and wide - mainly law firms. He said, "We keep the bad guys out. If they do get in, we kick them out." He said malware operatives in China and Russia "don't stop. They keep coming." Conversant was given a $10,000 small business incentive grant from the mayor's office that won the approval of the IDB. LOS ANGELES, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer Watchdog hailed the imminent departure of the Department of Conservation's Chief Deputy Director, widely seen as an impediment to environmental reform, as a sign that Governor Newsom plans to overhaul the way oil and gas is regulated in the state. "Jason Marshall oversaw DOC's oil and gas division, as well as other key divisions and programs, but not to the benefit of the environment," said consumer advocate Liza Tucker. "His departure is a Valentine to environmentalists and anyone else who cares about combating climate change and protecting communities poisoned by fossil fuel infrastructure." Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance had asked Gov. Newsom to fire four top oil and gas regulators at the DOC and its then-Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources in a letter sent in July 2019 about oil regulators and financial conflicts of interest. See the letter here: https://consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2019-07/DOGGRLettertoNewsomCWDandFracTracker.pdf Newsom has now removed and replaced the Oil and Gas Supervisor, the head of the Department of Conservation, and has removed Marshall. The fourth, William Bartling, Chief Deputy at the newly renamed California Geologic Management Division, remains. He is a former longtime Chevron employee on whose watch the massive Chevron spill in Kern took place last year. Consumer Watchdog called on Newsom to go further and ban wells within 2,500 of communities, fracking and other risky enhanced oil extraction techniques, and to ultimately stop issuing new oil and gas permits. Other oil-producing states including Texas and Colorado, have setbacks, though inadequate, but California has none. Marshall's tenure marked lax permitting, the relaxation of regulations for dangerous high-pressure cyclic steaming, more exemptions for wastewater injection permits that contaminated federally-protected aquifers, and prevention of public web access to maps of oil spills. "For reform to really come, housecleaning must continue and the culture has to change," said Tucker. Over the course of a 28-year-career, Marshall was tapped more than once to act as temporary head of the DOC and/or as temporary head of the newly renamed California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM). In 2011, he was tapped by Governor Jerry Brown to be acting oil and gas supervisor after Brown, at the behest of Occidental Petroleum, fired two top oil regulators fighting to ensure well safety during cyclic steaming. Once in place, Marshall elevated oil-friendly regulators in the division who went back to rubberstamping permits for oil companies without rigorous environmental review. Marshall deep-sixed a map of surface expressions in the state that had been prepared internally for the division's public website and pressured regulators not to enforce strict environmental reviews for permits under the California Environmental Quality Act, according to sources close to the division. He was one of the chief architects of SB 4, the state's fracking law implemented in 2014. That law exempted cyclic steaming from its weak requirements. Last July, Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance revealed that eight regulators held stock in oil companies they were responsible for regulating at the then Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources. The Fair Political Practices Commission then opened an investigation into two of them. The groups also revealed that oil and gas drilling permits and fracking had skyrocketed in the first five months of 2019 over the same period under Jerry Brown the year before. After learning that fracking permits had jumped by 103% and oil and gas drilling permits had increased 35%, Newsom fired the then Oil and Gas Supervisor Ken Harris and replaced him with Marshall as a stopgap. Between May and July last year, a massive Chevron spill began in Kern County. Although Marshall must have known of the spill, he did not issue a notice of violation and an order to Chevron to stop some oil extraction work in the area until after the firing of Harris. In November, Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance launched a website, newsomwellwatch.com, that maps and updates the pace of permitting. The map revealed that permits were on track to beat Governor Brown's total in 2018. Newsom then announced a moratorium on new fracking and high-pressure cyclic steam permits pending reviews by federal researchers. SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Related Links http://www.consumerwatchdog.org BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Russia fully recognizes and highly appreciates the effective measures taken by China to combat the epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. He said in a phone conversation with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday that Russia believes that the threat of the epidemic will soon be eliminated. President Vladimir Putin on Friday sent a sympathy message to Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying that Russia fully supports China in fighting the epidemic, and is willing to provide necessary medical supplies and send a delegation of anti-epidemic experts to China to jointly carry out research and development of vaccines and drugs, Lavrov said. Wang appreciated Putin's sympathy message to Xi, saying it reflects the strong mutual trust between the two heads of state and the high-level China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. The Chinese people are united as one in the serious fight against the epidemic, and are fully capable, confident and sure of defeating the virus, Wang said. The Chinese government has actively responded to the reasonable concerns both at home and abroad in an open and transparent manner and has won full recognition by the international community including Russia and the World Health Organization (WHO), Wang noted. He added that Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, has spoken highly of China's decisive and powerful measures and is full of confidence in China's victory over the epidemic. Offering firm and mutual support when they need each other the most is a good tradition between China and Russia, and also what is expected of the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era between the two countries, Wang said. He expressed China's gratitude for Russia's medical supplies and welcomed Russia to send anti-epidemic experts to China for exchanges and cooperation on public health, including epidemic prevention and control. Lavrov said Russia is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China to properly cope with the challenges posed by the epidemic and jointly contribute to the cause of world public health. Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong speaking at the Multi-Ministry press conference on Monday (27 January). (PHOTO: Dhany Osman / Yahoo News Singapore) SINGAPORE Here are the highlights from Parliaments sitting on Monday (3 February). 3.50pm: The Singapore government is working with employers to gather more information on the 30,000 work permit holders who have yet to return from China following the Chinese New Year holidays. We are... working directly with the employers to identify who they are, which sectors, where are their places of residents today. That exercise is underway now, so that we can be ready (for) when these workers return, said National Development Minister Lawrence Wong. He noted that not all of these workers live in our housing estates. 3.45pm: It takes at least two separate tests for a person infected with the Wuhan coronavirus or 2019-nCoV to be deemed virus free, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong. I understand from my professional colleagues that, for patients, they will do two tests. Both tests have to show negative viral loads, he said. Gan, who co-chairs the Multi-Ministry Taskforce on the Wuhan Coronavirus, added that the tests are conducted one day apart to ensure that the patients are virus-free before they are considered for discharge. On top of the tests, doctors will also make an assessment to be confident that the patient is well before he or she is released. 3.27pm: The ongoing collection exercise for face masks is a prudent method for distributing them, said National Development Minister Lawrence Wong. To address the concern of people gathering together, we have decentralised the distribution points to void decks, (Residents Committee) centres. It is proceeding in a very orderly fashion, he said. Wong, who co-chairs the Multi-Ministry Taskforce on the Wuhan Coronavirus, said the government felt that distributing the masks via post would possibly had led to some wastage as some households would not need them. Even in the collection exercise... residents come to us and say, Actually, I dont need the masks. Im not going to collect it. You save it, either for your stockpile or give it to someone else, said Wong. Story continues 3.19pm: The travel restrictions Singapore have imposed upon those with a travel history to China are complementary to Chinas own actions, said National Development Minister Lawrence Wong. I believe, China understands why some of these restrictions are needed. China itself has restricted its own people from traveling outside of China, precisely because they do not want to spread this virus to other countries, he said. It is in all of our interests, be it China, Singapore, or any other country... to tackle this situation together as a global community, Wong added. 2.53pm: There are about 140 Singaporeans still in Wuhan, the epicentre of Chinas 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak, said National Development Minister Lawrence Wong. Most of them have spouses who may not be Singaporeans. So they've either chosen to remain in China or the time being, or they would like to come back but we have to work out arrangements because it's not so straightforward, he said. Wong was responding to questions raised following his Ministerial Statement on the Singapore governments response to the Wuhan Coronavirus situation. He noted that the government is in touch with the Chinese authorities to see what else can be done for the group of Singaporeans that want to return home. We are also in touch with the Singaporeans directly on whether there are any Singaporeans outside of Hubei who have been infected with the virus. We do not know of anyone at this point in time, said Wong. Last Thursday, 92 Singaporeans were flown home safely from Wuhan aboard Scoot Flight TR121. Of this number, two have so far tested positive for 2019-nCoV. Wong said that another four Singaporeans had not been allowed to board the flight as they had shown symptoms of the virus. As of Monday, there have been 18 confirmed cases including the two Singaporeans who travelled on TR121 of the virus detected in Singapore, all of which have been imported. 2.25pm: Border controls are Singapores first line of defence against the spread of Wuhan coronavirus, said Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong. We have to be extra vigilant on this front because Singapore is an international travel hub... A virus that comes through our airport will not only impact Singapore, but can also easily spread to other countries in the region, he said during his Ministerial Statement on Singapores whole-of-government approach towards tackling the virus, or 2019-nCoV. As of last Friday, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is no longer issuing new visas to those with Chinese passports and has suspended all such visas. Wong said on Monday, however, that for holders of Chinese passports who have not visited China in the past 14 days, the ICA is prepared to issue them with a short-term visit pass or extend their short-term pass. He added that as of Sunday night, 524 people have been placed under quarantine in Singapore. Of this group, 222 are in Government Quarantine Facilities (GCFs) and 302 are serving quarantine at home. 1.58pm: Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said Singapore will be putting together an assistance package for communities in China that have been severely affected by the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. In his ministerial statement, he emphasised that Singapores 18 confirmed cases of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus or 2019-nCoV were all imported and involved either Wuhan residents or those who had recently travelled to the Chinese city. Two of the cases are Singaporean. Gan, who co-chairs the Multi-Ministry Taskforce on the Wuhan Coronavirus, also noted that there remains no evidence of community spread in Singapore. He warned, however, that the possibility of community spread is something Singapore needs to be prepared for. 12.58pm: Differences in sentencing could be the result of individual cases, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs Amrin Amin. There may be specific circumstances in a case that merits a different punishment or treatment, he said, emphasising that the ministry takes every crime seriously, regardless of the offenders income level or background. Amrin was responding to questions from Nee Soon GRC MP Lee Bee Wah, who raised the apparent discrepancy in sentences applied to university students convicted of sex crimes. I think it's not wise to draw conclusions based on one or two cases and it's important that we send a very strong message that the rich do not get away easily or lightly for any type of crimes including sexual offences, he said. On rehabilitation measures for young sex offenders, Amrin highlighted programmes for probationers such as the Positive Adolescent Sexuality Treatment Programme and the Positive Psychotherapy Group. (Ministry of Social and Family Development) research has found that for youth who are at the developmental phase of sensation seeking and impulsivity, their likelihood of reoffending is low when they receive appropriate treatment, said Amrin. He added that the police will continue to work with schools and universities to raise awareness of sexual crimes. 12.50pm: MOH has been observing a steady increase in the take-up rates of adult vaccinations recommended by the ministry, with more using MediSave to pay for them, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health Amrin Amin. According to the National Health Population Survey 2019, in 2017, 39,000 adults used MediSave for flu vaccination. The number increased to 74,000 in 2018, he said. In July last year, the HealthySG Taskforce recommended the provision of subsidies to help Singaporeans pay for any recommended vaccinations. These subsidies are targeted to be rolled out by the end of this year and more details will be announced at a later date, said Amrin. 12.30pm: Senior Minister of State for Health Edwin Tong said that all of Singapores private hospitals are currently not set up to provide the full range of emergency and trauma services needed to manage all life-threatening emergencies or situations involving multiple patients with serious injuries. He noted that the Ministry of Health (MOH) has had ongoing discussions with private hospitals about their capabilities when it comes to providing emergency care. Over the last four years, MOH has been collaborating with Raffles Hospital for the management of non-life threatening and urgent SCDF ambulance cases, added Tong. Hew was responding to questions raised by Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Joan Pereira and Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Daniel Goh regarding the emergency care capabilities of private hospitals. Gohs question was framed in the light of a traffic accident at Lucky Plaza on 29 December, which left two women dead and four injured. All the victims were Filipina domestic workers. The accident has raised questions as to why the victims were sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and not one of the private hospitals near Lucky Plaza, such at Mount Elizabeth. Follow more of the latest news on our Telegram account: t.me/YahooSingapore Related stories: Wuhan virus: 524 people now under quarantine in Singapore In Parliament: Assistance package being prepared for virus-affected communities in China, says Gan Kim Yong Wuhan virus: 15 people barred from entry into Singapore since new travel curbs Wuhan virus: 2nd Singaporean among 2 new cases, total at 18 This White House is certainly not the first to offer a proposal for resolving the nearly eight-decade conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. And, judging by the response so far, Trumps proposal will likely not be the one to resolve this issue that has vexed American officials, and much of the world, since the 1960s. To understand why a solution has been so elusive, its less essential to understand the specifics of the current plan on the table, than it is to understand those things that the Israelis and the Palestinians have long considered to be at stake. First, Israels chief concern is its own security, not only from conventional military attacks at the hands of its many hostile neighbors, but also from terrorist attacks at the hands of non-state actors like Hamas. A second, but just as central concern for both players in this conflict is the borders and nature of a Palestinian state. A third concern is the status of Jerusalem, specifically, whether it will be the undivided capital of Israel or divided between both parties. And finally, there is the question of whats known as the right to return, namely whether the estimated 4 million descendants of the Palestinian Arabs who fled what is now Israel in the aftermath of the 1947 Partition and subsequent wars should have the right to return, not only to the West Bank, but also to pre-1967 Israel. Obviously, the questions of where to place borders and who ought to be considered security threats are interrelated concerns. And, making the already Herculean task only more difficult are the Israeli settlements on the West Bank, Palestinian harboring of bad actors, and a history of (to put it mildly) hatred and distrust. The Trump administrations plan is formally known as Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People. It runs fifty pages and offers very specific proposals. First, it rejects the right of return, a concern essential to Israel because the potential influx of millions of Arabs threatens its identity as a Jewish state and homeland. This makes the proposal a non-starter for the Palestinians. Second, the plan would award virtually all of Jerusalem to Israel, while designating Abu Dis, a village bordering Jerusalem, as the capital of the Palestinian state. Third, the map in the plan details the contours of the Palestinian state, granting to the Palestinians about 70 percent of the West Bank, plus Gaza and parts of the Negev Desert. However, the current Israeli settlements would remain. Also, according to the plan, the Palestinians would not be permitted their own military, and would be forced to renounce violence and disband Hamas. In exchange for this step toward Israeli security, they would receive $50 billion in economic assistance over 10 years. How has Peace to Prosperity been received? Dr. Gerald McDermott, Anglican chair of Beeson Divinity School, told Christianity Today that it was a realistic opportunity for peace. He also noted the significant Arab support for the proposal, including UAE, Oman, Bahrain, and Egypt. Joel Rosenberg, co-founder of The Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem, told Christianity Today that the plan was generous to the Palestinians while giving the Israelis almost everything they wanted. But others, including Arab Christians, disagreed. Dr. Salim Munayer of Musalaha Ministries, which promotes reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians based on biblical principles, told CT that No Palestinian leader can accept this deal, because it doesnt meet our basic needs. Another Palestinian Evangelical, Daoud Kuttab, said that the plan sounded more like a surrender dictate than a peace plan. More importantly, the Palestinian Authoritys president Mahmoud Abbas called the plan a conspiracy and added We say a thousand times over: no, no, no. If this plan is conditioned on the Palestinians bringing Hamas in line, well, its difficult to imagine that happening. To paraphrase a former Canadian prime minister, if there was ever a place with too much history and too little geography, its this part of the Middle East. Thats why its difficult to imagine that this plan will succeed where others have failed. Still, it is possible that it can be a step, even if a very small one, in a better direction. And so, we continue to follow the dictate of Psalm 122, and Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. Publication date: February 3, 2020 Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Liorpt BreakPoint is a program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. BreakPoint commentaries offer incisive content people can't find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion. Founded by Chuck Colson (1931 2012) in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends. Today, you can get it in written and a variety of audio formats: on the web, the radio, or your favorite podcast app on the go. John Stonestreet is President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program providing thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview. Some cities are born and die as gold rush towns. Barkerville, Skagway, Dawson City all saw their fates ride on gold and now have become museums of sorts a tribute to their former glory. But one far flung B.C. community still has the lure of gold in its eye, long after it saw its gold rush come and go. Atlin lies in the the very northwest corner of B.C., the only way in and out is through the Yukon Territory. The community hugs shores of its namesake, the massive glacier-fed Atlin Lake. It has a rustic ghost-town-like feel. Ramshackle buildings, quiet streets, abandoned mining equipment it's a peaceful and tranquil spot, a far cry from the place it was over 100 years ago. History of Atlin Back in 1898, Atlin was born when some people travelling through discovered gold shards in a stream. The Atlin gold rush coincided with the Klondike rush. Prospectors heading up from the Alaska port town of Skagway enroute to Dawson City were able to shorten their trip, and head to the Atlin area with the hope of striking it big. Matthew McFarlane/CBC For 20 years or so, the region boomed. Atlin became the centre of the mining activity: hotels, a courthouse, stores, restaurants and schools all were quickly built. With about 10,000 people calling the region home, Atlin was its beating heart. Once the gold rush was done, Atlin had another trick up its sleeve. The region also happened to be extraordinarily beautiful, and because of the gold rush, accessible. The White Pass company had ships, going up and down the Yukon and B.C. lakes, bringing tourists up by rail from the coast to the lakes in the summer. They marketed the area as "the Switzerland of the North." And with nearby glaciers, clean fresh air and mountains to scale, it's easy to see why that slogan still sticks. But by the Second World War, the community was facing a bleak future. The White Pass company pulled out, and while there was still gold, it wasn't worth mining. From a population in the thousands, the town dwindled to about 100. The Taku River Tlingit First Nation always called the area home, but outside of the area, Atlin was being forgotten. Story continues Reviving a forgotten gold rush town Atlin was too beautiful and alluring a place to be overshadowed for long and a revival of the community began in the 1960s that continues to this day. Besides, there's still gold to be found. Much of the mining in the community these days is small-scale placer mining. That's the old-fashioned mining of streams and riverbeds. But one company is eyeing a much bigger prize. Brixton Metals thinks there's got to be a source of all that gold. That it must be washing down from somewhere else. Matthew McFarlane/CBC Gary Thompson is the CEO and he says, the end goal is to find the source. "There's gold in these veins and people are starting to find these veins of high-grade gold." Brixton is spending time and money testing the area, and seeing if they can't find the source of all this gold. And Thompson says if their theory pans out, it will be good news for Atlin's residents. "We're working with the Taku River Tlingit First Nation. They're looking for economic benefits and opportunities too. You know I think what this could provide is long-term stable jobs for people that don't currently have that many mining opportunities." Matthew McFarlane/CBC For the first nation, the opportunity is one they welcome, as long as the mining is done sustainably and doesn't impact their traditional land and lake based industries. Louise Thompson is the development officer, and former spokesperson. She said the Taku River government has developed a mining policy that guides them in their decisions and so any development is done with the utmost of caution. Thompson has lived in the community all her life, and her relationship to the mining community goes back to when she was a child. She laughs as she recounts how easy gold was to come by. "The young people used to have really strong artistic skills and we used to make jewelry out of a lot of moose horns. And back then gold was very abundant and the miner, they gave us gold. We used to put glue on it and put it on our jewelry and sell it. We were young entrepreneurs." AU Summit timeline South Africa and the AU in 2020: extract from President Cyril Ramaphosas weekly newsletter At the end of the week, I will travel to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia for the African Union summit at which South Africa will assume chairship of our continental organisation for the next year. We plan to use this great responsibility, among other things, to promote the economic empowerment of the women of Africa. There has never been a better time to do so. With the African Continental Free Trade Area coming into operation this year, we have an opportunity to ensure that women and women-owned businesses are able to meaningfully benefit from what will be the worlds largest common market for goods and services. Just as there can be no real gender equality without economic emancipation for women, so too there can be no sustainable economic growth for any country unless women are full and equal participants. The continental African passport promised to roll out in 2020 can only improve mobility in Africa (Quartz) Its still up in the air whether the African Union can keep its promise to deliver a continental passport by the end of the year. The travel document would allow visa-free travel between the Unions 55 member countries. The potential economic impact is huge. Recently-released data show that intra-African travel continues to lag the world. The continents 1.2 billion people made far fewer intra-continental tripsin total, and per personthan Europeans, Asians and Americans. Will expansion help Tazara get back on track? (The East African) The board of directors of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway wants the two countries to expand the business to Malawi, Rwanda and Burundi. We took note of the negative trend in some of the key performance indicators recorded in the first half of the year ending December 31, 2019, and we urge the management to ensure that actions are taken to reverse the trend and put the performance back on track, says a communique issued this past week in Dar es Salaam following Tazaras board of directors meeting. Tazaras latest performance report shows that the company performed below capacity in the first half of the 2019/2020 financial year, transporting just over 56%, or 88,529 tonnes, of its target cargo volume of 157,734 tonnes, between July and December. This is a 9.7% drop compared with the same period in 2018 when 98,024 tonnes of cargo moved between the two countries. Tazaras priorities are listed to tap more private investment and to link the railway to landlocked neighbouring countries. However, none of these have been implemented. Northern Corridor deal set for review (The East African) The 10-year-old Northern Corridor trade agreement will be updated by March to address emerging trade opportunities, meet current needs and boost regional trade. This was the main resolution of the 48th executive meeting of the Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Co-ordination Authority member states meeting in Mombasa, Kenya recently. The member states are Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. The revised draft of Agreement and protocols has been received and is awaiting a validation workshop in March this year before its submission to the Council of Ministers, said executive secretary Omae Nyarandi. The revised trade agreement will include the use of Kenyas Standard Gauge Railway, which was not there in 2007 when the agreements were being drawn up; joint funding of infrastructure such as roads, one-stop-border posts, motion weighbridges; and speed up implementation of the Customs Union Protocol by adopting a single window system for regional custom data transfer to end cross-border delays. Trade Mark East Africa has committed budgetary support of $393,000 for the recruitment of system developers to enhance the current online tools which are a transport observatory system and the regional information system and are expected to be officially launched in the next two months. South Africa: Trade statistics for December 2019 (SARS) The South African Revenue Service released trade statistics for December 2019 on Friday which recorded a trade surplus of R14.85bn. The year-to-date (1 January to 31 December 2019) trade surplus of R24.70bn is an improvement from the R15.23bn surplus for the comparable period in 2018. Exports increased by 4.1% year-on-year whilst imports for the same period showed an increase of 3.3%. The R14.85bn trade surplus is attributable to exports of R103.31bn and imports of R88.47bn. Exports decreased from November 2019 to December 2019 by R13.02bn (11.2%) while imports decreased by R22.22bn (20.1%). Top 5 countries for exports: China (11.0%), United States (7.5%), Germany (7.1%), United Kingdom (6.9%), India (5.2%). Top 5 countries for imports: China (16.9%), Germany (7.4%), United States (6.3%), Nigeria (5.9%), Saudi Arabia (5.9%) Journal of African Trade: selected recent articles from Volume 6, Issue 1-2, December 2019 Trade and industrialisation in Africa: SMEs, manufacturing and cluster dynamics. There is evidence of dynamism in Africa, both within individual SMEs and in clusters of SMEs. In understanding the challenges faced by this sector, and in examining the prospects for their participation in external trade, we review the experience of 25 African clusters using four dimensions: the nature of unintended externalities (e.g., external economies), market orientation and upgrading and growth trajectories, cluster dynamism and joint action for upgrading, external institutional support and upgrading. In terms of policy challenges for SMEs and export trade we discuss four major areas: (i) participation in governed global value chains feeding into high-income markets, (ii) export sales to non-regional low-income markets, (iii) export sales to regional markets and (iv) informal sector cross-border trade to regional economies. We conclude that for Africa, trade and industrialisation are integrally linked and attempts to facilitate regional trade policies cannot ignore the need for developing appropriate industrial policy and adopting an approach of developmental regionalism. This is especially evident with respect to SME development. [The authors: Raphael Kaplinsky, Mike Morris] The impact of regional integration on Africas manufacturing exports. This paper analyses the impact of Regional Trade Agreements on intra-regional manufactured exports in Africa. Using data from 1990 to 2015 for 45 African countries, a structural gravity model was estimated using the Poisson pseudo maximum likelihood estimator that controlled for heteroscedasticity and allowed for bilateral zero trade values between trading partners. The study also accounted for multilateral resistance effects, endogeneity of RTAs, and the phased-in impacts of RTAs. On average, a regional trade agreement led to a 72% increase in manufacturing exports between members within 12 years of the ratification of the trade agreement. [The author: Rodgers Mukwaya] The effects of trade facilitation on trade performance in Africa. In this paper, we assess the effects of trade facilitation measures and their combined effect (using principal component analysis) on trade performance in a sample of 52 African countries within a structural gravity model framework for the period 20062015. The results suggest that trade facilitation improves trade performance in Africa; the better the level of trade facilitation, the larger the extent of trade flows. From a policy perspective, reducing trade costs across borders remains key to improve trade performance in Africa. [The authors: Daniel Sakyi, Sylvanus Kwaku Afesorgbor] WTO structured discussions on investment facilitation for development: informal ministerial meeting on investment facilitation for development. The following communication dated 31 January 2020 is being circulated at the request of the delegation of Chile: Ministers (23 January, Davos) re-affirmed their commitment to work towards a concrete outcome on investment facilitation by MC12 and to keep the momentum in the forthcoming crucial months, including by conducting further outreach activities. They also confirmed the decision to move into negotiating mode as of March 2020 in order to achieve such concrete outcome. Ministers welcomed the Philippines as the newest participant in the Initiative, following the announcement made at the meeting in Davos. There are now 99 participating WTO Members, representing well over half of the WTOs membership as well as 64% of world GDP, 78% of global trade and 68% of global foreign direct investment (inward stock). Ministers conveyed their strong support and commitment in favour of the joint initiative and confirmed that a framework on investment facilitation is seen as an important element to update and strengthen the multilateral rules-based system and make it more responsive to present-day needs and global challenges notably the financing of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, which will require a significant mobilization of investments. Finally, Ministers welcomed the strong support and engagement by the private sector in favour of the initiative as highlighted in a separate high-level meeting with business leaders, civil society and academics held at the World Economic Forums Annual Meeting 2020 in Davos.5 Ministers expressed their readiness to further strengthen the dialogue with business and investors, including micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Statement by the Inclusive Framework on BEPS (OECD) The international community reaffirmed its commitment to reach a consensus-based long-term solution to the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy, and will continue working toward an agreement by the end of 2020, according to the Statement by the Inclusive Framework on BEPS released by the OECD on Friday. The Inclusive Framework on BEPS, which groups 137 countries and jurisdictions on an equal footing for multilateral negotiation of international tax rules, decided during its 29-30 January meeting to move ahead with a two-pillar negotiation to address the tax challenges of digitalisation. Participants agreed to pursue the negotiation of new rules on where tax should be paid (nexus rules) and on what portion of profits they should be taxed (profit allocation rules), on the basis of a Unified Approach on Pillar One, to ensure that MNEs conducting sustained and significant business in places where they may not have a physical presence can be taxed in such jurisdictions. The Unified Approach agreed by the Inclusive Framework draws heavily on the Unified Approach released by the OECD Secretariat in October 2019. Endorsement of the Unified Approach is a significant step, as until now Inclusive Framework members have been considering three competing proposals to address the tax challenges of digitalisation. A Programme of Work agreed in May 2019 has been replaced with a revised Programme of Work under Pillar One, which outlines the remaining technical work and political challenges to deliver a consensus-based solution by the end of 2020, as mandated by the G20. Inclusive Framework members will next meet in July in Berlin, at which time political agreement will be sought on the detailed architecture of this proposal. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hotli Simanjuntak and Ardila Syakriah (The Jakarta Post) Aceh and Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 Calls for cannabis legalization are on the rise in the conservative Muslim province of Aceh as local leaders believe the move will boost economic development in the region, where cultivation of the substance is already widespread. Indonesia, which has one of the strictest drug laws in the world, currently prohibits the possession and use of marijuana. According to the 2009 Law on Narcotics, marijuana is a type-1 narcotic, putting it on par with crystal methamphetamine and heroin, which are illegal for consumption including for medical purposes. Despite the ban, cannabis cultivation remains common in Aceh. In response, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) has established the Grand Design Alternative Development (GDAD) 2016-2025 program, which aims to decrease the cultivation of cannabis in three regencies in the province by encouraging farmers to shift to other commodities. This is part of the country's fight against the use of marijuana, which is used by 63 percent of Indonesia's 3.6 million illegal drug users aged 15 to 65, according to the agency. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Hertz, a leading car rental company in the UAE, announced that it has welcomed the first batch of Toyota Camry hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) to its fleet. The Al-Futtaim company is also considering converting 30 per cent of its fleet into HEV over the next three years, by adding the newest hybrid models from Toyota, Lexus, Volvo and Jeep. This landmark move will help both residents and tourists not only save fuel and money but also have a more positive impact on the environment. Nigel Johnson, managing director of Hertz UAE, said: Hertz is the first car rental company to provide UAE residents with the opportunity to rent a Toyota Hybrid Electric Vehicle. We noticed that the demand for green rental cars has been increasing in the past two years, as customers started understanding the financial and environmental benefits of hybrid electric cars. With considerable reduction in fuel consumption, allowing our customers to enjoy further cost efficiencies from this outstanding value proposition, he added. Toyota Camry HEV runs for 26KM/L compared to its petrol engine variant at 14.6KM/L, registering a staggering 78 per cent enhanced fuel efficiency and 53 per cent less CO2 emissions. The class-leading model provides a comfortable and stable ride with superior handling characteristics and is fitted with the latest hybrid technology, switching between electric and engine power depending on driving conditions and demand, it stated. TradeArabia News Service When Johanna Merlos started teaching at Burncoat Middle School in Worcester, she began to hear a similar message from a number of students: theyd tell her they never had a teacher who looked like her before. Merlos, a 25-year-old who grew up in New York and moved to Worcester to attend Clark University, began to notice that her youth and ethnicity made students feel at ease talking to her about school and their personal lives. She had a similar background to her students and was able to speak with them in Spanish. They said, Ive never seen that here yet. I havent had a teacher of color, per se, specifically Latina as they saw me as, recalled Merlos, a dual language history teacher. A lot of students have also said Ive never had a teacher that looks like you or that has spoken the same language. I think that was a rapport I definitely built was being able to talk to them in their home language, in Spanish, and I think thats really powerful for them to not have it shut down. A stark difference between the ethnicities of Worcesters public school teachers and the students they teach were among topics that came to a head last spring, as student groups and some local organizations pointed to instances of racism in the schools. They also called attention to suspension rates that pointed to a high amount of students of color being disciplined. Now months later, Superintendent Maureen Binienda says training and workshops are underway, or already complete, to help address those concerns. All the turmoil that happened in the spring, when you think about it, besides the personal attacks, the conversation did get us to a different place, Binienda said in an interview. Were in a better place. It started a good conversation. The conversation shouldnt have been as personally attacking, however, it did get us to this place where everything weve done is benefitting kids in the Worcester Public Schools. When Binienda received a new contract last year, she was also handed a list of 14 goals. That document asked Binienda to do a number of things, from workshops and training to hiring a chief diversity officer and studying suspension data. Now, Binienda said most everything on that list is in the works or completed. What remains is creating an affirmative action diversity council and a Latino advisory council, she said. We were after the same goal, Binienda said. I dont think it always came out that way but we were after the same goal, providing best that we can for the students of the Worcester Public Schools and I think were on our way to doing that. Worcester School Committee member Jack Foley said theres still a considerable amount of work before the district. I think shes made some modest moves in those areas. Nothing too dramatic, nothing too bold," Foley said of the 14 points. I think theres work across the entire district, not just the superintendent, but the school committee and all of us here. The numbers Of the more than 25,000 students in Worcester Public Schools, the majority are Hispanic, according to state data. For the 2018-19 year, data indicates 42.9% of students were Hispanic, 29.6% white, 16.3% African American, 6.7% Asian, 4.3% of more than one race, and 0.2% Native American. The state records data on diversity among school staffing by full-time equivalent. Worcester Public Schools have a full-time equivalent of 3,412.7 teachers. Of those educators, 2,878.2 are white, according to state data. The school system has 329.3 Hispanic teachers, 122.1 African American teachers, 49.4 Asian teachers, 29.6 teachers of more than one race, and two teachers each who are Native American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. Thinking back to her own schooling in New York, Merlos remembered many teachers of color in elementary school. But when she attended Bard High School Early College, almost all her teachers were white, she recalled. It was during her studies at Clark, where Merlos obtained her undergraduate and graduate degree, that Merlos started to think more about diversity among teachers. I think I became more aware of my own identity of being Latina when I came to Clark," she said. "I had always wanted to become a teacher but I think what I was passionate about [was that] Im really good at school and I can help other people with that. Thats also when Merlos noticed the lack of diversity among Worcester teachers, specifically. I think theres still a lot of work to be done in terms of hiring educators of color," Merlos said. I think at the middle school level is also very important because they start to see someone like them and its a big age where you can mold your students. I wish there was more of that in the schools. I think there should be more of a target toward hiring teachers of color and getting those teachers in districts as well where theres a diverse population and teachers are not reflective of it. Some say it could be a generational change to make Worcesters teacher population mirror its student population. Many teachers who join the district stay for decades, and so as Worcesters demographics have evolved, its school employee base has not shifted at the same pace. To add more diversity to the teaching staff, the district has looked to its instructional assistants, Binienda said. Many of those assistants have been working for the schools for a long time and live in the city, but dont have the certification to be a full teacher. And in that group, Binienda said, are people who are multi-cultural and multi-lingual. The district partnered with Worcester State University to allow instructional assistants with some or no college experience to become teachers. Thirteen are student teaching now and will graduate and get hired in May, Binienda said. Another six are on track to graduate next year, and more plan to complete the program in two and a half years. Finding students at local colleges and creating a pipeline for those students to become educators in Worcester is one method the district is utilizing. Kids that are bilingual, students of color, if they get their degrees and theyre certified, theyre going to be able to say, this is what I want to do. Theyre going to be able to choose between a lot of different options because everybody is saying weve got to diversify our workforce," Binienda said. Foley said that because it is a small pool, Worcester will have to get creative in its effort to diversify the workforce. The total pool for teachers of colors in this area, who we could then hire, its going to be a small pool. And theyre going to have opportunities in many different cities so its going to be a challenge for us at trying to diversify our system rapidly, he said. Looking at the diversity in teaching programs at area colleges, the classes are often mostly white students. Thomas Del Prete, a Clark professor, noted that the university is seeking to attract diverse candidates to its graduate teaching program and create a ripple effect. Called the teacher diversity initiative, through the Adam Institute for Urban Teaching and School Practice, Clark hopes to increase the number of teachers from underrepresented groups in the Worcester schools and other urban school districts. As part of the initiative, Clark has committed to a 50% tuition rate over the next few years for a limited number of qualified candidates from groups underrepresented in Worcester schools, said Del Prete, the director of the Adam Institute for Urban Teaching and School Practice. Worcester could also look deeper in its own public schools to recruit future teachers, Foley said. I think we have to talk to our kids in high school and have frank career conversations with them about what they can be looking for. I think we have to talk with them about teaching as a great profession where you can change the lives of the next generation of kids," Foley said, adding that bringing in teachers of color who graduated from the Worcester schools, and work here or in other cities, would help promote teaching as a profession. Not just hiring, but keeping diverse teachers New school committee members Laura Clancey and Tracy OConnell Novick said part of the reason they ran is because there were previously no members of the committee who had students presently attending the Worcester Public Schools. Clancey watched last year as students and organizations voiced concerns about the district. What I was thinking was these are great conversations to have but do I think theres racism in our schools? No, I do not, Clancey said. Novick said she hopes the districts conversation about diversity also hinges on retention. One of the concerns that I have had in terms of how its been framed in Worcester is that if all we talk about is recruitment, we know theres substantial data on teachers of color leaving the profession at a greater rate than teachers who are white, Novick said. So if all we do is sort of input and then lose people then were not actually making any progress. What were doing essentially is ending up with teachers who we only have for short periods of time which we also know doesnt necessarily make for great teachers. One of the 14 points given to the superintendent was to hire a chief diversity officer. Binienda has tapped Ivonne Perez, currently the principal of the Chandler Magnet School. When a new principal can take over Chandler Magnet at the end of this school year, Perez will fully step into her new role. Perezs job will focus on items like recruitment and retention. Binienda said Perezs role is different than the citys Chief Diversity Officer position, which includes more strategic planning for the entire city workforce, because state laws make clear that only principals can hire teachers and the superintendent hires administrators. Perez will meet with principals to reiterate the importance of hiring a diverse workforce, Binienda said. One thing Perez plans to track is retention of employees of color, something that the states Department of Elementary and Secondary education does not currently track, Binienda said. School Committee member John Monfredo said the effort to add more diversity to the teaching staff has been underway since he was a principal. Were trying to get the best and brightest teachers that are applying out there, he said. Whats working Some school officials feel last springs turmoil overlooked the successes of the Worcester Public Schools. So what is working well? Clancey pointed to the graduation rate, programs like the Hanover program, the diesel program at South High and the education at the technical high school. Monfredo highlighted the biliteracy program and the selection of advanced placement courses. Novick pointed to the sheer impressiveness of getting more than 25,000 students into the school doors, then taught and fed and back home each day. Clancey encouraged parents who have concerns about the school system to attend meetings of parent committee groups like the English Language Learning Parent Committee. Were trying to reach out to the community but I think there may be some people in the community that just dont want to believe that were making a change. They just dont see it. For those people, Im not sure we can change their mind on that," Binienda said. For the greater community, I really think they should listen and they can wait and see if what were saying is making a difference," the superintendent added. It would be better if we could partner with those people that have open minds that want to join us in this because this work is hard and we cant do it by ourselves. Related Content: Press Release 3 February 2020 A new nationwide study exploring Briton's eating habits has, once and for all, settled the age-old argument about what our evening meal should be called. Advertisements According to the majority of British adults (54 percent), the last meal of the day should be called 'dinner'. In fact, only four in ten Britons still refer to it as "tea", while just one in twenty (5 percent) call it 'supper'. The survey also shines a light on the assumptions we make about people based on what they call their evening meal. Over a quarter of Britons claim that if you call it 'supper', you must be posh, and the same number believe that if you call it 'tea', you're definitely Northern. It's no surprise then that the study, commissioned by Travelodge which operates 200 restaurants in UK hotels, found that 43 percent of us attribute differences in what to call your evening meal to where you live geographically. The survey found 'tea' is unsurprisingly more prevalent in the North of the country (53 percent of Northerners call it tea), while 'dinner' is more likely to be used in the South (66 percent refer to it as dinner). The data also revealed that what you call your evening meal can lead to problems, as many as 41 percent of Britons have got themselves into a socially awkward situation when it comes to what to call the third meal of the day. A paranoid 16 percent worry that others look down on them for saying 'tea', while 12 percent have asked a new partner to refer to their evening meal in a different way, to fit in with their family. An argumentative one in ten Britons has even fallen out with a colleague or friend about the correct term to use. The survey also reveals that one in five (20 percent) Britons think the term 'tea' refers to a cup of tea and a biscuit, while 10 percent assuming 'tea' would be a light meal between the hours of 4pm and 6pm. Meanwhile, 15 percent would expect an afternoon tea with cakes and sandwiches if invited for 'tea'. The study found it is not just our main meals that are causing problems - respondents were also divided over the correct term for the sweet course. Four in 10 Britons (40 percent) refer to it as 'pudding', 12 percent say 'afters', and 39 percent stick to dessert. Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge Spokeswoman said: "We have over 200 restaurants in our hotels across the UK and our Bar Cafe team members regularly debate whether the evening meal should be called dinner or tea. Therefore we thought it would be interesting to put this age old argument to bed by asking the nation. Interestingly our research findings show opinion is clearly divided across the country. However dinner is growing in popularity." The term 'dinner' derives from the Latin word 'disjejunare' meaning to break one's fast, whereas supper comes from the French word 'souper', meaning evening meal. The study also explored where we eat our evening meal and found that the most common place is plonked on the sofa with a tray (39 percent), but that 28 percent of families gather around a traditional dining-room table. A swanky one in five (20 percent) choose to eat at their kitchen island, but one in 10 Britons slope off to their bedroom to enjoy dinner on their own. More than one in twenty (6 percent) are still slogging away in the office come dinner time, so eat their tea at their desk. The average UK family eats at around 7pm, with 25 percent claiming it is old fashioned and uncool to eat before 5pm. In fact, over a quarter (27 percent) of respondents said they didn't like the trend for feeding children separately to the adults, believing the whole family should eat together every evening. 43 percent of the adults surveyed said the evening meal was the only chance they got to catch-up with their partner and children. When it comes to what we discuss over the dining table, work, what to watch on telly and the children's homework are the top topics of conversation. The study also uncovered the most popular dinners for modern Britons, with spaghetti bolognaise, sausage and mash and pizza topping the list. WHAT THE UK CALL THEIR EVENING MEAL Birmingham - dinner (49%) Brighton - dinner (82%) Bristol - tea (52%) Cambridge - dinner (64%) Cardiff - tea (47%) Edinburgh - dinner (74%) Glasgow - dinner (74%) Leeds - tea (61%) Leicester - tea (71%) Liverpool - tea (58%) London - dinner (80%) Manchester - tea (67%) Newcastle - tea (66%) Nottingham - tea (51% Oxford - dinner (70%) THE 'NATIONAL DINNER MENU' AS REVEALED BY THE RESEARCH... Gold prices fell in overseas trading early Monday when the expected demand in China failed to materialize and profit-taking set in, said Afshin Nabavi, head of trading with MKS. Gold rose last week on coronavirus worries while trading in China was shut down for the Lunar New Year holiday. The market opened up in China after one week of holiday, Nabavi told Kitco News. The market was anticipating higher gold. And at the opening in the Far East, it rallied $4 or $5, and suddenly there was some profit-taking that came in. There was not much interest in buying gold. Thus, traders started squaring positions, he continued. Still, he said, the metal held around the $1,574 to $1,575 area, meaning it remains in its recent trading range. As of 7:39 a.m. EST, spot gold was $9.60 lower to $1,578.90 an ounce. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com Commerzbank: India disappoints industry by not lowering import tax on gold Indias government did not lower the import tax on gold, as the countrys industry had hoped, meaning smuggling of the yellow metal into the country is likely to continue, said Commerzbank. Once again, the Indian government has ignored calls for the gold import tax to be reduced and has left it unchanged at 12.5% in the budget it presented for the new fiscal year, Commerzbank said. Indian gold demand is finding no support from this side, in other words, and gold smuggling is likely to continue to thrive. According to the World Gold Council, 27% more gold was already smuggled into India last year than the year before. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com BBH: big data week for the U.S. but economy still strong This will be a big data week for the U.S., said Brown Brothers Harriman, but adding that the economy appears to be holding up despite a surprisingly weak Chicago Purchasing Managers Index on Friday (fell to 42.9 versus 48.9 expected. Reports this week will include the Institute of Supply Management manufacturing survey Monday and service-sector index Thursday, the ADP private-sector jobs report Wednesday and nonfarm payrolls on Friday. The U.S. economy remains strong, said BBH, pointing out that the government reported a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.1% growth in fourth-quarter gross domestic product last week. The Atlanta Feds GDPNow model estimates Q1 GDP growth at 2.7% SAAR, while the NY Fed's Nowcast model estimates Q1 GDP growth at 1.6% SAAR, BBH said. While these early reads are far apart and subject to significant revisions, we are clearly far from recession and the Fed is right to maintain steady rates for now and assess how the outlook unfolds in 2020. The yield on the U.S. three-month and 10-year Treasury curve remains inverted, often seen as a warning of recession. However, BBH said, The U.S. economy is nowhere near recession, and we think the bond market is wrong here. Downtown Missoula is without question a thriving commercial and community hub today, a stark contrast from decades ago, and that transformation is thanks in no small part to Linda McCarthy. McCarthy recently hit the 20-year milestone as executive director of the Missoula Downtown Association and its umbrella organization, the Downtown Missoula Partnership. She was honored at the organizations annual awards banquet and membership meeting on Jan. 16. Several speakers spoke of downtown Missoula's reawakening from empty stores to the bustling economic engine it has become. Tim France, the longtime owner of the iconic Wordens Market and Deli in downtown Missoula, calls her the angel of downtown. France told the packed house at the DoubleTree Hotel about how much McCarthy has meant for the community. I call her a guardian angel, he said. She wrapped her arms around downtown as if it was her own. I feel comfort and feel safer knowing somebody is looking out for downtown, and Ive always felt that way with Linda in the helm. She never made a decision without first considering how it would affect the beloved downtown. Tim and Exie France bought Wordens Market in 1981, but they saw many businesses shutter in the area because Southgate Mall was in full swing. Scott Sproull, the longtime owner of Hide & Sole downtown, said he remembers blocks of empty storefronts downtown. "You could have your pick," he said, recalling how many "for sale" signs there were when he was choosing a downtown location. When McCarthy took over the helm of the Downtown Association two decades ago, she had her work cut out for her and made sure to meet with all the business owners. After 40 minutes, I was extremely optimistic, France recalled. I was pretty sure we had the right person for the job, and I think weve been proven right on that in spades. France recalled how McCarthy and her staff more than doubled the membership of the Downtown Association in just a few years. He pointed to McCarthys leadership in making the signature downtown events like the River City Roots Festival, the Parade of Lights, Out to Lunch, Downtown Tonight and the brewfests as successful as they are today. He noted that she was instrumental in the creation of the Downtown Business Improvement District and the Downtown Master Plan process, both big reasons why the district is thriving today. Missoulas downtown has seen hundreds of millions of dollars in commercial projects over the past two decades and is now a hot spot for everything from new restaurants to retail stores to plans for huge new performing arts venues. People talk of Lindas legendary efficiency, France said. She leaves no stone unturned to enhance downtown. She hires quality people, and they get work done. He also pointed out that the downtown area was Missoulas first Urban Renewal District and benefited from Tax Increment Financing. All of the blight was remediated through the efforts of the Missoula Redevelopment Agency because they would help property owners preserve and protect the historic facades, he said. They also helped us buy down interest when we had to restore and remodel. We did that three times. That came and went and after the (Urban Renewal District) sunsetted after 20 years, things had dressed up pretty good, the storefronts were looking good and we might have a chance, it looked like. Julie Weaver worked for McCarthy from 2004 and was the assistant director when she left in 2011 for a job in Texas. Linda just has a passion for Missoula and a passion for downtown, Weaver said. She also has a passion for working with and mentoring young people as well. I was in my early 20s when I started, and the amount I learned from her is just tremendous. I learned the kinds of things you only learn on the job from a true mentor. Weaver described the work as varied and complicated. They expect a lot of different things, she recalled. We work on everything from event planning to helping small businesses to other, more serious things like helping the homeless and helping shape policies that help with the future of downtown. With the Downtown Master Plan process, Weaver said Linda not only worked on that but helped raise funds to make it happen. It was 99 percent Linda pulling that thing through, Weaver said. A lot of people also worked hard on it, but shes got vision and passion, and the fact that 20 years later she still has it is amazing. Missoula has been through so much now and seen so many changes, and to see a resurgent Missoula downtown with restaurants and retail and hotels is amazing. McCarthy was surprised to be honored at the annual awards banquet and said it was the people around her who helped her get through the tough times. I feel very fortunate to work here with the best people in our community, she said. Hundreds of entrepreneurs and people who are incredibly passionate about our downtown. But it doesnt happen overnight. It doesnt happen with one person. Its a village. She asked current or former board members and employees to stand up, and scores of people in the room rose to their feet. Im so grateful for my village, McCarthy said. My village helped me survive a year-long battle with cancer, the loss of our son Samuel in 2009, and the raising of our daughter, Madelyn, who is now 18 and ready to launch. I feel so fortunate and lucky. Thank you. Weaver said she admired McCarthys ability to weather the storm. The woman has strength that I dont know where it comes from, she said. That she was really able to stay on top of her responsibilities and keep managing was tremendous with so much to deal with there. She was so strong at work and was focused there, but she was also focused at home and was able to do both. Weaver said McCarthy brings a sense of family to the Downtown Partnership. She was there for us when we needed her, and we were there for her when she needed us, Weaver said. Shes also had a tremendous board of directors and a great staff over the years. You dont really see that sense of community and support, that comes from the downtown Missoula area, in other cities. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. DENVER A U.S. woman who said she was visiting England to do a study of the late World War II codebreaker and computing pioneer Alan Turing walked into the prestigious boys boarding school he attended and asked to see a collection of his memorabilia. She was given a wooden box with items that once belonged to Turing, who helped crack Nazi Germanys secret codes and whose story inspired 2014s Oscar-winning film The Imitation Game. Inside the box was his Ph.D. from Princeton University, his Order of the British Empire medal and other mementos. When she left that day in 1984, the box was empty. The only thing left inside was a note asking for forgiveness and promising to return the items someday, according to a recent court filing by government lawyers. More than 30 years later, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Denver has the items that were seized from the Colorado home of the woman, who later changed her name to Julia Turing. The Princeton degree was found behind a dresser in 2018. The medal, given for contributions to a field, and a letter from King George VI awarding the honor to Alan Turing was found in a briefcase behind a wall in a bathroom. Her offer to donate the items to the University of Colorado had launched a lengthy international investigation to sort out the rightful owner of the items, according to a forfeiture action filed Jan. 17 and first reported by BizWest. The action is the first of two legal steps to return the memorabilia to the Sherborne School in England. Julia Turing had letters from Sherbornes treasurer, Col. A.W. Gallon, thanking her for previously returning most of the memorabilia and saying she could keep the diploma, according to court documents. They suggested she could show the correspondence to police if she was questioned. But school officials told investigators that giving away any school property would require the permission of its board of governors, which did not consider the matter, according to Sherborne documents. The school said some items that Julia Turing previously returned were not the original items that were taken. It noted that the Order of the British Empire medal she sent back was tarnished and did not include its miniature version and the kings letter. According to court documents, Julia Turing told investigators that she had bought OBE medals online, and several were found during the search of her home, along with the original discovered behind the bathroom wall. In diaries and letters seized by investigators, she wrote of her tremendous love and devotion to Alan Turing and how she wished she did not have to hide his things. In one diary entry, addressed to Alan Turing, she worried about a museum forcing her to give up the items by claiming they are stolen, court documents show. The U.S. government is asking a judge to give it permanent custody of the items so it can begin another legal process to return them to the school. Julia Turing has until March to file an objection to the forfeiture. Her attorney, Katryna Spearman, did not return messages seeking comment. She has not been charged with a crime. Sherborne School headmaster Dominic Luckett declined to comment Friday on the items removed from the schools archives because authorities are still dealing with the matter. Sherborne officials are proud of their distinguished alumnus and seek to preserve and promote his legacy, Luckett said in a statement to The Associated Press. As part of that, we take very seriously our responsibility to look after those items in our archives which relate to his time at Sherborne School and his subsequent life and work, he added. During World War II, Alan Turing helped crack Nazi secret codes by creating the Turing bombe, a forerunner of modern computers. After the war, he was prosecuted for homosexuality, then illegal in England, and forcibly treated with female hormones. He died in 1954 at age 41 after eating an apple laced with cyanide in what was ruled a suicide. He received a posthumous apology from the British government in 2009 and a royal pardon in 2013. ___ Associated Press researcher Jennifer Farrar contributed to this report. YEREVAN. The 7.8% economic growth did not create an extra quality value in Armenia. Economist Vardan Bostanjyan said this at a press conference today, urging not to use the word "unprecedented" inappropriately. "By and large, they have recorded that 7-8 percent," he said. "But as an economist I would say that this is a quasi-indicator, there was a mythological thing, a Sisyphus job." According to Bostanjyan, any development in terms of quality is built on GDP. "In this respect, there is still no success recorded in Armenia in spite of the fact that there is a 9% growth recorded in industry," he added. "These [economic] growths should not be misleading." Bostanjyan noted that the 7.8% economic growth did not create an extra quality value in Armenia. "the specialists () with such potential could have achieved this," he added. "I wonder how hard they work in these conditions, or if they are able to fully manifest themselves or not." A former First National Vice-chairperson of the National Democratic Congress [NDC], Madam Anita DeSoso says the law of Karma will strike back at the New Patriotic Party [NPP] for pursuing a hunting agenda against some officials of the opposition party. According to her, the ruling government now finds pleasure in frustrating leaders of the NDC by dragging them to court for frivolous issues. So the NPP think they are wiser than everyone? But in life, when you direct a finger at someone, you have more than one finger pointing back at you...Karma will definitely strike them. First, they have dragged our National Chairman [Samuel Ampofo] to court, again our Communication Director [Sammy Gyamfi] is in court. Now they want to investigate JDM (John Dramani Mahama). This tactics wont work..., She said on NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie. Listen... Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The ninth U.S. case of coronavirus was confirmed on Sunday evening by local health officials in Californias Santa Clara Countythe second case reported in the Bay Area since the outbreak began. The Santa Clara County Public Health Department said an adult female tested positive for coronavirus after traveling to virus-hit Wuhan, China, in recent days, reported ABC7 and other local news outlets. She had arrived in the United States on Jan. 23. Health officials said the woman, who was not identified, has stayed at home since she arrived in the country and only went out to seek medical care twice. She was regularly monitored and not sick enough to be hospitalized, according to the agency. The womans coronavirus case was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the health department said. I understand that people are concerned, but based on what we know today, the risk to general public remains low, said Dr. Sara Cody, who is the health officer for Santa Clara County, in news conference. A second case is not unexpected. With our large population and the amount of travel to China for both personal and business reasons, we will likely see more cases, including close contacts to our cases. Sundays confirmed case is the second case in Santa Clara and the fourth in California. The first case, a man who had also traveled to Wuhan and tested positive, was announced last Friday. The man returned Jan. 24 to Mineta San Jose International Airport before exhibiting symptoms after getting home, according to Cody. The man never got sick enough to be hospitalized and had contact with few people, she said. Wuhan in Hubei Province is the epicenter of the virus outbreak, but a number of new cases have apparently been reported in other parts of China, prompting officials to place lockdowns on cities outside of Hubei. Several cases of person-to-person transmission of the virus have been confirmed in Shenzhen, located near Hong Kong, over the weekend. Also over the weekend, another U.S. case of coronavirus was confirmed in Boston, Massachusetts, said local health officials. They confirmed that hes a student at the Boston campus of the University of Massachusetts and has been under self-isolation at his off-campus home since Jan. 29, after complaining of flu-like symptoms. That patient had also recently traveled to Wuhan, said authorities. We are grateful that this young man is recovering and sought medical attention immediately, Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel said in the statement. So far, cases have been reported in California, Illinois, Washington state, Arizona, and Massachusetts. The second cases announcement came shortly the Department of Homeland Security issued rules to implement new travel restrictions starting at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday. From The Epoch Times The Chairman of Lagos State Chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Alhaji Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya (MC-Oluomo... The Chairman of Lagos State Chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Alhaji Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya (MC-Oluomo), has warned commercial drivers against indiscriminate increase in transport fare over the ban of motorcycles and tricycles in some parts of Lagos State. The NURTW boss gave the warning in a statement on Monday, saying the warning became imperative following the complaints from members of public, alleging commercial drivers of taking advantage of the ban to inflict more pains on the commuters. Lagos State NURTW Chairman directed that no commercial driver should inflate their charges, warning that anyone caught in the act would be dealt with in line with the rules and regulations of the union. He directed all the branch chairmen of the union to monitor and ensure that the commercial drivers do not extort people as a result of the ban of motorcycle and tricycle operations in some parts of the metropolis. He stated that NURTW in Lagos State has been making a move to resolve the issue with state government and that the union is also working assiduously with investors to inject more buses and increase the number of commercial vehicles in the metropolis to ease the hardship faced as a result of the ban. Oluomo used the occasion to caution commercial drivers against driving on one way or BRT corridors as anyone found culpable would face the wrath of the law. We advise both the commercial drivers and TOAN and MOALS to be patient and cooperate with Lagos State Traffic Management Authority officials, obey traffic lights. Its an offence to drive on BRT lanes or drive against traffic. Obey the traffic laws and regulations, comport yourself orderly and do not carry passengers at will. Meanwhile, with the full enforcement of the policy on Okada and tricycle operations in Lagos even beyond the restricted areas, commuters have started lamenting hardship as the policy has started having adverse effect on them, complaining that they undergo stress in getting to their destinations. Many commuters have resorted to trekking and horse-riding due to scarcity of Okada and tricycles to convey them in some areas. In separate chats with people at different locations in the state, the affected residents recounted how the ban has affected them especially on the Monday being the first working day to experience the effect of the policy. Our correspondent, who moved round the metropolis to feel the pulse of the people on the latest policy reported that police were seizing Okadas and tricycles from riders on roads that were not listed or captured in the directory released by the state government. Some of the respondents who spoke, said although the restriction order was given in the interest of the residents, a monitoring team should be put in place to curb the excesses of security agents while implementing the executive order. A staff of Radio Nigeria Bond FM) located at Ikeja, Taoreed Abdullahi, who lives in Oshodi, said the police he could not get tricycle to convey him from Inside Oshodi to Ladipo bus stop as police arrested Okada and Maruwa in that axis despite the fact that they were operating within the community that is not among the restricted areas. He added that tricycles and Okada could not operate anymore since Saturday within Mafoluku since the police have been arresting them and asking them to pay N30,000 to get their bikes and or Maruwa back. I think the government needs to monitor the police officers who take advantage of the policy to milk the innocent Okada and Maruwa riders. I dont understand why they would be arresting Maruwa in the community that is not among the listed areas. I dont take okada right from time, I take Maruwa but this morning there was no okada or Maruwa to convey me and there is no bus from my house to my office, I take Maruwa every day. This morning, I had to trek a long distance to get to the office I almost missed my programme in the office. A youth ambassador in Ajao Estate, Abdulahi Yusuf, who is known as PressyPoly said: People are beginning to feel the hardship of commuting within the area. Banning on Okada and Maruwa from plying the bridge means people will have to get down at Iyana Isolo and trek to Mushin. Crossing the ever-busy express at their own risk or incurring the stress of trekking across the bridge. Thats uncalled for. Even Opay cant ply the road. I have a great Objection to Maruwas ban, there has not been any case of accident with Maruwa lately and most people feel comfortable transiting in the tricycle. I hope the ban can be reviewed and possibly reversed excluding some areas and some bridges from the list. A Maruwa rider, Olanrewaju Adedeji complained: I dont know why Maruwa was banned. It will affect every commuter. At least on daily basis, I make not less than N8,000, and I carter for my family with this. Same applies to many of us. This ban means we wont have work to do, the best the government can do is to get us alternative because we dont know what else to do. There is no job out there. Amongst us there are graduate, craftsmen. Ive been riding this for more than four years. A resident in Ikeja, Mr. Adeleke Adegboyega said: The government should have looked for a regulatory measure which probably would have worked. They should design something whereby the security consciousness would have been there. There is no job outside for those riders to engage or get busy with. An Opay Operator, Abraham Aminu protested the ban on Opay riders, saying: The ban will go a long way to affect my operation in this vicinity. I live in Agege but I operate within Ikeja area I come here everyday. Aside from the companys money, I make not less than N5,000 here on daily basis. The ban, in other area as well, will greatly affect our family. I hope it can be reviewed. Chairman, Motorcycle Operators Ascociation of Lagos (MOALS), Isolo Branch A, Comrade Lukmon Olaitan, stressed that the umbrella body of Okada riders would ensure strict compliance of its members to the ban on the listed areas but decried the manner at which police victimised Okada riders, noting even those who comply with the restrictions and regulations were victimized. He said: Though the policy is not favourable, since it is the government that made the law, we will ensure they (Okada Riders) comply. Though it will affect us in a long way but we will ensure strict compliance. Although, we are still pleading because I dont think there is an alternative for those okada riders in banned local government areas to make ends meet. Theyve only blocked their viable means of livelihood. Again, the rate at which police impound Okada in the communities especially those plying inner streets is disheartening, most of them with no worthy reason, we hope something can be done to this. Chandigarh Traffic Police has blamed BMW India for accidents involving BMW cars. Theres an unsaid pattern when it comes to alloting blame in the case of an accident. More often than not, the bigger the car, the bigger the blame. And while common folk have been doing it for long, it beggars belief that even the police force resorts to this thought process. No doubt, there could be a drunk driver in a snazzy car at breakneck speed who could wreak havoc onto the lives of other road users, but is it always this one contributing factor that results in death and destruction? In 2018, 1.51 lakh people lost their lives to road accidents. ??The accident thats prompted Chandigarh Traffic Police to write an open letter to BMW India via Facebook involves a BMW and a cycle. The crash has left a 17 y/o dead, and his pillion, seriously injured. The car in question was speeding. But there are most likely two wrongs here. A speeding car being one, and the other, a cycle in a car lane or vice versa. Considering both vehicles would be going at different speeds if going slowly, leave alone at speed, rightfully both vehicles shouldnt be on the same lane. Since, a cycle rides on manpower, and a car on horsepower, even a vehicle maintaining speed will cause grievous injury to a cyclist in the lane if contact is made. But this is not how our roads functions. In this case either the BMW was in the slow lane or the cycle in a fast lane. This is the fault that should have been rectified. Theres also the question of visibility, and how well the streets are lit, among others. We are quick to judge, make comments, and are known to resort to immediate response rather than wait for police. We are also not the quickest to call for medical help, and are most likely to tamper with an accident site by the time the PCR van reaches. Chandigarh Traffic Police says Thereve been numerous incidents of rash driving involving your vehicles in Chandigarh. Its about time you did something to change this. At face value then, the coppers have identified rash driving as the underlying reason. They are also adjudging BMW drivers to be rash. Given the statement, and understanding, how is a manufacturer to thwart rash driving? Read the post on Facebook. Would this not be a non-issue if rash driving behaviour identified, and penalised in a timely manner. Are the street cameras so ineffective that no one cares a damn and keeps driving rashly? Do we not care that rash driving will result in point penalties and hefty fines? And is speed not a contributor in case of an accident, and not the only issue. These are the shocking scenes as a terrorist was shot dead outside a Boots chemists when a team of undercover officers with handguns swooped on him. Filmed by a bystander from a passing bus, footage shows the men in jeans, trainers and hoodies pointing their firearms at Sudesh Amman's convulsing body yesterday. One of the officers kicks away a knife on the pavement before backing off. A third officer skids on to the scene on a blue motorbike while another ushers onlookers away from the scene shouting: 'Get away.' As the bus drives on, it passes two victims lying on the pavement. Two innocent bystanders, a man and a woman, had been stabbed in broad daylight in front of dozens of horrified onlookers on one of South London's busiest shopping streets. Next to one victim, a pushchair was abandoned on the pavement in Streatham as members of the public desperately tried to give first aid. Armed police shoot dead extremist Sudesh Amman, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, after he grabbed a knife from a shop and stabbed a man and a woman in a brutal high-street rampage in Streatham, South London, at about 2pm yesterday The terrorist had been shot dead outside a Boots after undercover officers with handguns swooped. The terrorist is pictured wearing a fake suicide vest, left, and his knife, right Fearing an explosion from the attacker's 'suicide vest', dozens of shoppers had been ordered to take shelter behind the closed shutters of Boots and a WHSmith store. In the Life Cafe, diners enjoying lunch were oblivious to the terror until a police officer burst in. He shouted: 'We've got to evacuate. There's been a terrorist incident... If you want to stay safe, you'll listen to me.' Asked by a waitress if they could have half-an-hour to finish their meals, his response was clear: 'Madam, a terrorist has been shot dead just down there. 'They've got a possible IED vest on them, which is a bomb. If you want to stay open for half-an-hour and you want to put people's lives in danger, be my guest.' A team of five anti-terror police stand behind shields while responding to the incident A police officer stands in the road with a gun during the terrorist attack in London yesterday A police officer next to a blue motorbike, with the terrorist's body seen on the floor (bottom) Families in a nearby Odeon cinema were interrupted mid-way through their films and evacuated by police. Witnesses said the terror began when the attacker, later revealed to be 20-year-old Amman, walked into the Low Price hardware store before choosing his deadly weapon, said to be a 3.99 kitchen knife. Shopkeeper Jagmon Singh watched Amman, dressed in a grey tracksuit and a black and grey top, pluck the knife off the shelf and unpeel the packaging. Maybe believing him to be a shoplifter, he tried to wrestle it off him. 'The shopkeeper tried to get the knife from him but he got away and stabbed a woman on a bicycle,' said a nurse who saw the horror. 'The knife was really big.' The female victim, said to be in her 40s, was stabbed along with a man outside the neighbouring White Lion pub. In the Life Cafe, diners enjoying lunch were oblivious to the terror until a police officer burst in. Asked by a waitress if they could have half-an-hour to finish their meals, his response was clear: 'Madam, a terrorist has been shot dead just down there' Mechanical engineer Nardos Mulugeta, 52, saw the injured man outside the pub and said police arrived almost immediately. Sudesh Amman was shot dead by armed police in Streatham, South London 'I saw a guy lying down in front of the pub with stab wounds across his stomach,' he told the Daily Mail. 'About ten minutes later, a woman came in and said she had also been stabbed. I had ran over because I was smoking further down the road and heard a shot. 'At first I thought it might have been a car backfiring. Then I heard three or four further shots. People were running so I went to investigate. That's when I saw a guy on the floor next to the pub. He had very bad injuries to his stomach. 'He was going pale. People were saying 'Stay with us' and talking to him. Then another woman came and knelt at the Low Price Store. 'She said, 'He stabbed me in the back'. Two people started helping her. A policeman came and asked if any other people had been stabbed.' Police forensics on Streatham High Road this morning as investigations continue The scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road this morning Police at the scene in Streatham today, one day after Sudesh Amman was shot dead by officers Comedian David Chawner, 31, was on his way to the Odeon when he saw two police officers in plain clothes pointing firearms at the attacker outside Boots, around 300ft from the Low Price Store. 'I ran to the other side of the road where I saw a white, possibly European victim on the ground, bleeding from the lower abdomen,' he said. 'I tried to compress the bleeding. I ran off as instructed to flag down the ambulance.' Shockingly, Mr Chawner said it took more than 30 minutes for paramedics to arrive. 'I'm shaking. I'm still in shock,' he added. Witnesses told how the attacker was felled by up to four gun shots which made shoppers flee. It was around 2pm on an otherwise ordinary Sunday afternoon when the Streatham attacker began his bloody rampage. The Life Cafe is pictured above A horrified witness is pictured above at the attack scene in Streatham. Witnesses told how the attacker was felled by up to four gun shots which made shoppers flee Firearms team crashes on the way to the scene: Officers stand by the crumpled wreck of unmarked police BMW after it hit wall in Streatham Common yesterday Daniel Gough said he ran with them, adding: 'There was panic, people were yelling. A young girl running alongside me kept asking 'Is this what I'm meant to do?' What was Sudesh Amman jailed for? Sudesh Amman was jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018. Wearing a black prayer cap and long black tunic, Amman smirked when he was told that he was facing a sentence of just three years and four months. The Islamic State fanatic kept a notebook in which he wrote that his 'goals in life' were: 'Die as a shuhada', which means martyr, and 'go to jannah', which translates as paradise. The Old Bailey heard he told his girlfriend to kill her parents and tried to radicalise his younger brothers. He also sent Isis recruitment material and shared an Al Qaeda magazine to a family WhatsApp group that included his three younger brothers aged between 11 and 15, telling one of them he wanted to 'blow myself up'. Advertisement She was very distressed. After a few minutes, I went back and saw a policeman and he yelled, telling everyone to get back. 'His gun was pointing in the direction of a man on the floor. Suddenly, more police appeared. There were [officers] everywhere.' As the attacker lay 'convulsing and twitching' on the floor, officers cautiously approached and kicked his knife away. To their horror, they saw a suspected suicide vest strapped to his stomach. Video shows the officers quickly retreating before evacuating nearby buildings. Richard Mustonen-Smith, 59, a pastor at the Ascension Trust, said: 'My grandson was in the Odeon and they got told to go out the back because there was a bomb. 'When it's your family, you don't expect it. You're always worried about your family being on the streets but this is even worse.' Retired accountant John Woods, 64, was in a Wetherspoon's pub when people ran inside following the sound of gunfire. Fearing an explosion from the attacker's 'suicide vest', dozens of shoppers had been ordered to take shelter behind the closed shutters of Boots and a WHSmith store. Police are pictured above patrolling near the scene 'I went outside and it was obvious they were undercover police,' he said. 'There were a number of men armed but wearing normal clothes. From when I heard the shots and walked to the door, the police were already there. They must have been following him. There were black cars stopped.' Dozens of emergency vehicles raced to the area and an air ambulance landed on nearby Tooting Bec Common. Last night forensic officers were combing the scene. Many residents who had been evacuated were told it would be hours before they could go home. The London Ambulance Service said the first paramedics arrived at the scene four minutes after being called just before 2pm. Witnesses told how the attacker was felled by up to four gun shots which made shoppers flee. Forensic officers are pictured on Streatham High Road last night Amman's mother Haleema Khan, 41, is said to be 'disgusted' and 'very upset' with her 20-year-old son's knife rampage and rejects his fanatical Islamic extremist beliefs. Amman lived with Mrs Khan and his five younger brothers in Harrow, North West London, before he was jailed for terror offences at the Old Bailey in December 2018. Mrs Khan, who has since moved to the Bedfordshire market town of Dunstable, is now trying to get her son's body from police 'as soon as possible' to bury him. A family source told MailOnline today: 'Haleema is disgusted by what he has done and his beliefs, but she is a mother and has lost a son so she is very upset and sad. 'But they are relieved that he wasn't able to kill anyone. It has hit them very hard, but now they are trying to get his body from the police as soon as possible and bury him. 'This is done as quickly as one can for Muslims as is custom and prayers for him will begin shortly.' An ODEON spokesperson said: 'Safety of guests and colleagues is our number one priority at ODEON. 'We can confirm that in response to an incident taking place on the road in front of the cinema, the team at ODEON Streatham performed a lockdown on Sunday 2nd February. 'There was an immediate police presence on-site and as a result of this, the cinema remains closed until further notice in line with police requirements.' Industry body COAI on Monday said timely resolution of AGR payment timeline is critical for telecom companies as it will offer them clarity on decision-making, future investment path and year-end audits. The Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) further said it will continue to engage with the Telecom Department on outstanding issues despite the disappointment on Budget not outlining any big-bang relief for the sector, but added that discussions will happen once there is a clarity on outcome of modification petition on payment timelines for statutory dues. "Quick resolution of the matter is important for telecom companies as it would provide certainty in decision-making. Also, since we are approaching the end of the financial year, that clarity is required for annual audit and financial tabulations for the full year," COAI Director General Rajan Mathews told PTI. Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and Tata Teleservices have jointly filed a modification application in the Supreme Court seeking more time to pay statutory dues. The plea came after SC dismissed review petition of telecom companies on Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues. As many as 15 entities owe the government about Rs 1.47 lakh crore in past dues -- Rs 92,642 crore in unpaid licence fee and another Rs 55,054 crore in outstanding spectrum usage charges. The Supreme Court, in October last year, had upheld the government's position on including revenue from non-core businesses in calculating the annual AGR of telecom companies, a share of which is paid as licence and spectrum fee to the exchequer. Old telecom operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are expected to take major hit on payment of statutory dues to the government. In the case of Bharti Airtel, the liabilities add up to nearly Rs 35,586 crore, of which Rs 21,682 crore is licence fee and another Rs 13,904.01 crore is spectrum usage charge dues (not including the dues of Telenor and Tata Teleservices). Airtel, which recently raised USD 3 billion through Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) and convertible bonds route, is scheduled to announce its third quarter results on Tuesday. Vodafone Idea, which is staring at unpaid statutory dues of Rs 53,038 crore, including Rs 24,729 crore of spectrum dues and Rs 28,309 crore in licence fee, has already warned of shutdown if no relief is given. Most of the remaining liability is with state-owned BSNL/MTNL and some of the shut/bankrupt telecom companies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Alliance News) - President Energy PLC on Monday said it expects its earnings to decline in 2019 amid a challenging trading environment in Argentina. The oil & gas company said revenue declined to USD41 million in 2019 from USD47 million in 2018, amid reduced average realised commodity prices in Argentina. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation fell to USD12 million from USD17 million year-on-year. President Energy said it has faced a number of challenges during the year, unplanned downtime in key producing wells and electricity supply outages in Rio Negro, Argentina, and a three-month shutdown of production in Louisiana. As a result, the company said it has prudently suspended planned drilling activity in Argentina. More positively, average production of 2,414 barrels of oil equivalent a day is 6% up on the previous year, President Energy highlighted. "With all key performance indicators improving, significantly lower debt levels, an expanded asset base and exploration upside through our asset base, we look forward to a year of growth and tangible improvement," said Chair Peter Levine. Looking ahead, the company said 2020 has got off to a "good and profitable" start with January showing a "material" improvement from the second half of 2019. President Energy said it is "cautiously optimistic that the macro environment in Argentina has calmed and that it may well see beneficial developments during the year. The company repeated its guidance for 2020 of average production in excess of 4,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day. President Energy shares were trading 2.7% lower in London on Monday at 4.09 pence each. By Evelina Grecenko; evelinagrecenko@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung talks to Vietnam News agency about the National Public Portal Service that aims to tackle petty corruption. Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung. Photo vietnamfinance.vn What are the advantages and disadvantages of the national public portal? The portal is designed to connect the Government with people and enterprises. It was officially launched on December 9 after nine months of development. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said the portal reiterated the Government's determination to step up practical e-governance to serve people and enterprises. Within a month, the portal has attracted 10.3 million people, and during that time 29,000 passwords were issued and 530,000 administrative procedures were handled. The portal hosts eight public services, including new forms for domestic and international driving licences and electric bill payments, which have been appreciated by the public for their convenience. Which Government agency has been assigned to control the portal? The absolute security of the portal, including personal information, has been the main focus. We are confident that with lessons learned from Estonia, ministries, sectors and localities will keep the data safe and sound. Government agencies assigned by the Prime Minister, including the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Communications and Information and the National Cyber Security Centre have to co-ordinate with each other to run the service. And finally, the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group has been assigned to design the software system. Foreign experts, including those from France and the World Bank, have highly evaluated the quality of our software. Can you tell us more about the public services offered by the Government portal? The portal offers eight groups of administrative procedures. It is expected that in the first quarter of 2020, more services will be available online. In the pipeline, the portal will offer 15 more services. Of course, we cannot do everything online. Well only offer services with dossiers which could be handled online. Our infrastructure is now able to handle most services required by people and enterprises. Do you think the portal will secure confidence in the Governments fight against corruption and embezzlement? I couldn't agree more! Many people and enterprises have complained about the poor performance of our public services, particularly the poor attitude of some civil servants and rampant petty corruption. We hope the Government portal will help make public services more transparent and accountable. Whats more important is that all Government administrative agencies should adopt more comprehensive and effective public services. This is a good way to help people and the enterprises save time and money to eliminate petty administrative corruption.- VNS Anticorruption drive takes positive turn: report Vietnamese people believe that corruption is declining and that the nations anticorruption efforts are becoming increasingly more effective, according to the Vietnam Corruption Barometer 2019 report. Apple will now come to your house to fix your iPhone. The new service allows people to have their broken handsets fixed at their home, rather than having to head to an Apple Store or posting it to the company. Users who can get the new service will see it listed when they book a repair on the Apple website, as first spotted by Macrumors. In addition to the normal option, they will see the option for "onsite service", and the visit can be booked in. "In select locations, onsite service may be available," the message reads. The visit can then be booked in the same way as organising any other repair. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty Customers will pay an extra fee for the service, the company warns. Recommended Apple hits out at EU proposal to force phones to have same charger It is currently available in only six cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Houston, and Dallas. It is also only available for a limited number of problems, with broken iPhone screens covered but not replacement iPhone batteries, or other devices. The repairs are actually carried out by a company called Go Tech Services, rather than Apple itself. That company seems to only offer repairs through Apple already offers a service called Applecare for Enterprise, which allows people to pay to have the company come and do repairs onsite. But that is limited to large companies, rather than individuals. The Prime Minister will address a rally in Bodo-dominated Kokrajhar town of Assam. File Photo New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Bodo-dominated Kokrajhar town of Assam on February 7. This will be the prime minister's first visit to the Northeast since it witnessed several anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in which three people were killed. Prime Minister Modi will visit Assam on February 7 and address a rally in Kokrajhar, a government official said. The visit comes a week after the central government signed a peace pact with several Bodo militant groups and a student body. The signing of the Bodo agreement led to surrender of over 1,500 militants of the major insurgent group National Democratic Front of Boroland. A summit meeting between Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, scheduled to be held in Guwahati in December, was also cancelled due to the anti-CAA protests. Modi was also invited for the inauguration of the recently-concluded 'Khelo India' games in Guwahati but he did not attend it. The National Organiser for National Democratic Congress (NDC), Joshua Hamidu Akamba says President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is the most corrupt President Ghana has ever produced. Akamba has described President Akufo-Addo as the most corrupt leader in the country's history. According to him, Nana Addo must accept full responsibility for the unenviable accolade as the most corrupt President in Ghana's history, which hangs around his neck and find out why it is so. But in a rebuttal Joshua Hamidu Akamba told Kwame Tutu on 'Anopa Nkomo' on Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7 that, the President has demonstrated clearly that he was not in touch with the realities of the time: that he heads the most corrupt government in the history of Ghana. In his words, the corrupt level of the current government has passed the test of hypothesis and has assumed the level of theory and in full practice. From today President Akufo-Addo must accept that he is the most corrupt President in the history of Ghana and there is no doubt about that,he added The backbone of corruption, which was almost broken until the advent of this administration, has been strengthened, because President Akufo-Addo's punishment for those found wanting is to go and sin no more. According to him, the President's approach to dealing with corruption scandals exposed by well-meaning Ghanaians under his government has been a laughable disaster of a pattern. He noted that, aside corruption, poor governance including security issues, bad economic situations have led to unrest and agitations by Ghanaians who he indicated have not been treated fairly by government. ---KingdomfmOnline.com Halle Berry has played leading lady for a number of blockbusters in her career. But the actress has shifted her focuses to motherhood over the past couple of decades. She rocked cool mom vibes Sunday as she stepped out for some shopping with her kids in Los Angeles. Cool mom: Halle Berry rocked cool mom vibes Sunday as she stepped out for some shopping with her kids in Los Angeles The 53-year-old sported a white sweater with a pair of distressed jeans cuffed at the bottom. She finished the look with metal-framed sunglasses, a black leather braided belt and black suede boots. Berry carried a black leather backpack over her shoulder as she was spotted at the Grove with her kids. She enjoyed a day out with daughter Nahla, 11, and son Maceo, six, with some lunch and some shopping. Blue jean baby: The 53-year-old sported a white sweater with a pair of distressed jeans cuffed at the bottom Family day: She enjoyed a day out with daughter Nahla, 11, and son Maceo, six, with some lunch and some shopping The mother-of-two shares Maceo with ex-husband Olivier Martinez, to whom she was married from 2013 to 2016. She co-parents Nahla with ex Gabriel Aubry, whom she dated from 2005 to 2010 after meeting on a Versace photo shoot. It was recently revealed that Berry was once up for a potential 007 spin-off, centered around her character Jinx Johnson from the 2002 installment Die Another Day. But the idea never came to fruition, as MGM wasn't prepared to spend $80million on the budget. Leading lady: It was recently revealed that Berry was once up for a potential 007 spin-off, centered around her character Jinx Johnson from the 2002 installment Die Another Day Missed opportunity: But the idea never came to fruition, as MGM wasn't prepared to spend $80million on the budget Girl power: According to Variety , it was producer Barbara Broccoli's goal to strip Bond of some of his chauvinistic qualities According to Variety, it was producer Barbara Broccoli's goal to strip Bond of some of his chauvinistic qualities. At 53, the former Bond girl still keeps in killer shape, frequently showing off her stunning figure on Instagram. She recently posted a snap, crediting planking as one of her secrets: 'Today is all about the beauty of stillness. Sometimes just holding a pose is an equally effective way to build strength, stamina and to get that heart rate up! 'As a bonus, remaining in poses can improve your focus, keep your mind from wandering and can even allow certain emotions to come up - Ive certainly worked through a few things this way!' The trailer of Vicky Kaushal's Bhoot: The Haunted Ship dropped today and it has already inspired a line of memes on the internet. However, people arent finding it scary enough and looks like they are already having a lot of fun turning some of the dialogues from the movie into hilarious memes that are way too relatable. The movie stars Vicky Kaushal and Bhumi Pednekar in lead roles and is set to hit the theatres on February 21, 2020. Watch the movie trailer here: However, apparently people didnt find the film scary enough to give them chills but instead they have found this one particular Vicky Kaushal dialogue meme-worthy- Yeh tumahara hallucination hai (this is your hallucination). Hahahha. We can empathise. #BhootTrailer After passing 12th Ab to Maze hi Maze hai.. Life: pic.twitter.com/N5Qcybh3zW (@Ironnnmannnn) February 3, 2020 Major Monday blues! When you go back to work on Monday after a long weekend #BhootTrailer pic.twitter.com/AqccqVKTY7 Kartik Patadia (@KartikPatadia69) February 3, 2020 We feel you, bro. Oh damn #BhootTrailer Friend: I will clear the UPSC exams in the very 13th attempt. Me: pic.twitter.com/DNfwJiRsZO Prince Pandey (@princepandey_) February 3, 2020 Chaos and confusion. Haahahahahthis one is funny! Finance minister : we'll open 100 new airports. Current economic situation : #BhootTrailer pic.twitter.com/070riBXR5A Rishabh Kumar (@madrish04) February 3, 2020 Ye toh nahi ho paaega. When u think this tym your plan for Goa with your friends will be successful.#BhootTrailer Friends:-. pic.twitter.com/jfx4vyV8fs Aman Satish Singhal (@singhalaman35) February 3, 2020 People had a lot of expectations from the movie when the spooky posters came. However, at the moment, the trailer has failed to impress people. This Bhanu Pratap Singh directorial is about a man (Vicky Kaushal) and his paranormal experience at a dead ship. The ship is supposed to be empty, but there are ghosts inside and play with their minds instead. What do you think of the trailer? Let us know in the comments below. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: After spending over four months in the Shajahanpur district jail, former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand got some respite on Monday when the Allahabad High Court granted bail to him in the alleged case of sexual harassment of a law student. Chinmayanand was arrested on September 20 after a 23-year-old LLM student of the SS Law College had accused him of sexual harassment and intimidation. SS College of Law is run by Mumukshu Ashram of Swami Chinmayanand in Shahjahanpur. While the state government has set up a three-member special investigation team (SIT) on the directives of Supreme Court of India to probe into the case against Chinmayanand, the swami was booked under Sections 376C (sexual intercourse by a person or persons taking advantage of their official position), 354 D (stalking), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Earlier, Chinmayanand had applied for parole in the High Court on the grounds of his deteriorating health condition and old age. The case had come to light after the victim posted a video on social media on August 23 last year alleging that Chinmayanand had been harassing her sexually for over a year and threatening to kill her. The law student went missing a day later and was found in Rajasthan on August 30 with one of her friends. After the disappearance of the victim, her father lodged a complaint, accusing Chinmayanand of harassing her. In the meantime, the BJP expelled Chinmayanand from the party following his arrest in the case. The SIT, which had been conducting the inquiry into the case under the monitoring of the High Court, submitted the charge sheet in the case on November 6. During questioning in 2019, Chinmayanand admitted to his crime saying, "I am ashamed of my act." He did not want to give further testimony. The High Court had reserved the order on the bail application filed by Chinmayanand on November 16. Meanwhile, in a parallel case, the victim was booked on extortion charges. The case was registered against her on the basis of the complaint filed by Chinmayanand and the video of her accepting the alleged extortion bid of Rs five crore from Chinmayanand went viral on social media. She was arrested and sent to jail along with three of her friends Sanjay Singh, Vikram Singh and Sachin Sengar who were charged under similar sections. However, the victim and her three friends got bail from the Allahabad High Court in the extortion case in December last year. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-04 03:12:57|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close NICOSIA, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The everyday life of Cypriots living in the United Kingdom (UK) will not change after Brexit, British High Commissioner to Cyprus Stephen Lillie reassured Cyprus's President Nicos Anastasiades on Monday. Lillie said after meeting Anastasiades that he confirmed the UK's continuing commitment "to a strong, wide-ranging, very deep relationship between the two countries." "Our relationship ... is based on shared values, shared history, membership of the Commonwealth, our large communities of Cypriots in the UK and Britons in Cyprus," said the British diplomat. There are over 80,000 people of dual Cypriot-British or single British citizenship living in Cyprus, and also those who serve in Britain's two military bases on the eastern Mediterranean island, which the UK retained after it granted independence to its former colony. Tens of thousands of Cypriots of up to third generation live in several cities in the UK, plus over 10,000 students study at British universities. As European Union (EU) citizens, Cypriot students enjoyed low tuition fees and other student benefits. Lillie said Cypriot students will continue to be treated like British students. He also said that the UK will require neither a visa nor a passport from Cypriots to travel to Britain as they will be accepted by just showing their identity card. Jarir Usman and five other Islamic State-allied Filipino militants thought they had eluded government troops who were on their trail, but a U.S. surveillance plane high overhead was tracking their movements through the southern Philippine jungle. The Beachcraft 200T, operated by DynCorp, a private contractor of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), was sending the information to an American military forward base in Zamboanga City, about 1,329 km (830 miles south of Manila). The coordinates were then relayed to the intelligence unit of the Philippine militarys regional command, which passed the information on to patrolling troops, who immediately set up an ambush. Usman, a 38-year-old former student at Mindanao State University, was dead before night fell. Philippine and U.S. military officers hailed the operation that took place last month as a success, although his five comrades managed to escape in different directions, according to an account of Usmans killing told to BenarNews by a senior Philippine officer. That kind of tactical advantage provided with help from a U.S. spy plane would be weakened if President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration implement a threat to terminate Manilas Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States, its defense ally for more almost seven decades, according to the officer and others who spoke to BenarNews on condition of anonymity. Ending surveillance provided by the DynCorp aircraft would amount to a loss of about 20 percent of the Philippine armys intelligence capability against the militants, said the officers who were not authorized to talk to media about the circumstances around Usmans killing. It would be like fighting the militants with blurry eyes or hazy vision, one officer said. Some of our operations will be affected. On Saturday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana indicated that surveillance assistance provided to the Philippines by DynCorp would go by the wayside with the move to end the VFA pact with the United States. We have to look elsewhere for that kind of support soon, Lorenzana told officers and troops while visiting a military camp in southern Cagayan de Oro city. VFA will be terminated. The agreement, a bilateral pact that serves as the legal cover for large-scale military cooperation by the two allies, was signed in 1999, years after Manila ended a lease agreement on two U.S. bases in the Southeast Asian nation after almost half a century. In Washington, DoD officials referred questions about the Philippine threat to terminate the treaty to the U.S. State Department, where officials on Monday did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BenarNews. President Duterte first threatened to scrap the VFA more than a week ago, after Washington cancelled the visa for his ex-police chief, Ronald dela Rosa, who is now a senator. Dela Rosa told reporters that a letter he received recently from the U.S. Embassy in Manila did not state a reason for the cancelation of his visa, which was supposed to expire in 2022. Dela Rosa was the chief enforcer of Dutertes drug war, which has left thousands of suspects dead during the past three years. Lorenzana, who has been in consultations with the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, told reporters that the VFA would be scrapped within 180 days upon Washingtons receipt of a notice of termination. But the Philippine government had not yet delivered an official termination notice, he said. VFA is over, although there is no formal announcement yet, Lorenzana said. Manila was also studying the effects of the VFA termination in comparison with other U.S.-Philippines military agreements, such as the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA, Lorenzana said. Signed in Manila on April 28, 2014, the EDCA allows the United States to rotate troops into the Philippines for extended stays and allows the United States to build and operate facilities on Philippine bases. I think EDCA will become useless if there is no more VFA. Who will man these bases? Lorenzana said. Once the defense deals are terminated, the temporary facility operated by U.S. forces in southern Zamboanga City will also shut down, he said. That DynCorp [surveillance] will have to go, too, because it is attached to the U.S. Department of Defense, Lorenzana said. Lorenzana said the Philippine military would then have to build its own aerial surveillance capability. The U.S. Department of Defense awarded $135 million to DynCorp in July 11, 2016 to provide helicopters and surveillance aircraft to American troops in the Philippines. Surveillance aircraft operated by DynCorp helped Philippine troops defeat militants linked with Islamic State (IS), who took over the southern city of Marawi in 2017. Aerial intelligence allowed the Philippine Air Force to pound the extremists with near-daily bombing runs and end the siege. The five-month battle between government forces and pro-IS fighters left Marawi in ruins and killed 1,200 people, most of them militants. Richel V. Umel in Iligan city, Philippines, contributed to this report. While the Wuhan coronavirus keeps spreading within the United States, health officials are trying to rush testing capabilities across the country. Right now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta is the only place in the United States that can confirm whether a patient has the virus, which has killed more than 420 people and infected more than 17,000 in China. Around the world, more than 170 confirmed cases have been reported in more than 20 countries. CDC officials said they're trying to expedite the 'emergency use authorization' for tests so more parts of the United States can test for and diagnose the Wuhan coronavirus. 'The process is extremely expedited, and our colleagues at (the US Food and Drug Administration) have been working with us closely ever since we made the plan that we were going to do this in this way,' said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Her comments Monday came a day after officials confirmed three new cases of infection in California. That brings the state's total to six cases and the nationwide total to 11. On Sunday officials said a San Benito County man who had recently returned from Wuhan, China, and his wife have the virus. Both were isolating themselves in their home. The man arrived at San Francisco International Airport on January 24 and was screened and found to be healthy and asymptomatic, said Dr. Martin Fenstersheib, the county's interim public health officer. But the next day, the man developed symptoms including a cough and low-grade fever, Fenstersheib said. A few days later, his wife began showing symptoms as well. The couple had stayed at home since the husband's arrival, Fenstersheib said. But on Monday the couple was transported from San Benito County to an undisclosed hospital in San Francisco, said Rachael Kagan, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Also Sunday, officials confirmed a woman who recently traveled from Wuhan to Santa Clara County also has the virus. The woman's case is the second in Santa Clara County, though officials said the cases are unrelated. Elsewhere in California, Orange and Los Angeles counties each have had one confirmed case. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern last week. A number of countries -- including the United States -- started evacuating their nationals on flights from Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in China where the virus was first detected. The United States issued a level 4 travel advisory warning residents not to travel to China, adding that most commercial air carriers have reduced or suspended flights to and from the country. A spokeswoman for China's Foreign Ministry accused the US government Monday of responding inappropriately to the outbreak and feeding mass hysteria. 'Most countries appreciate and support China's efforts to fight against the novel coronavirus, and we understand and respect them when they adopt or enhance quarantine measures at border entry,' Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. 'But in the meantime, some countries, the US in particular, have inappropriately overreacted, which certainly runs counter to WHO advice.' Not everyone who has the virus went to China The San Benito couple's diagnosis is the second person-to-person transmission of the virus reported in the United States. In Chicago, a woman in her 60s was diagnosed after she returned from Wuhan on January 13. She is in a hospital and doing 'quite well,' her doctors said. The CDC said the Chicago woman had transmitted the virus to her husband, who had not traveled to China. But he was in close contact with his wife during a long period of time when she was symptomatic, the Illinois Department of Public Health said. Other US cases of Wuhan coronavirus include a student at the Boston campus of the University of Massachusetts. In Arizona, officials said, an 'adult member' of the Arizona State University community was infected. And in Washington state, a man in his 30s sought treatment after returning from Wuhan. More US citizens are about to be evacuated US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday said the United States will send additional flights to China to evacuate Americans from Hubei Province. 'The exact timing of those we are still coordinating with the Chinese government but we anticipate that they will happen in the next handful of days ... we'll return those American citizens,' Pompeo said. 'We may well end up bringing some citizens back from other countries as well. We're working through the details on that.' That announcement came after Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared the coronavirus a public health emergency in the United States. He said American citizens who were in Hubei Province in the past two weeks 'will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine.' The CDC ordered a federal 14-day quarantine for those passengers -- the first such order in more than half a century. Astonishing footage has emerged showing a on duty police officer trying to catch his hat, in a silly prank, feet away from Sunday's Streatham terror carnage. The video was shared on Twitter by Alex Roebuck who tweeted: 'Mate, I dont want to point out the obvious but your live on TV around the world... #Streatham.' The video shows two officers standing by a row of trees not far from where 20-year-old Sudesh Amman, from Harrow, North London, went on a rampage on Streatham High Road, South London, on Sunday afternoon, stabbing two people before being shot by police. One of the officers leans forward before jerking his head backwards and trying to catch his hat which lands away from his grasp. He retrieves the hat from the empty road, closed by police following the incident, before putting it back on his head. 20-year-old Sudesh Amman (pictured) went on a rampage on Streatham High Road, South London, on Sunday afternoon, stabbing two people before being shot by police He once again jerks his head back several times, but this time the hat remains in place. Twitter users were quick to react and share the video: 'What is he, 6 years old?? Only the best recruited by the Met,' said Al Shax. 'Lmao I bet hes gonna get a stern word in the morning,' commented another Twitter user. 'No professionals in todays police force. Just young blokes lucky to have a job and wear a uniform,' said @hashish62 The footage shows one of the officers leaning forward before jerking his head backwards and trying to catch his hat which lands away from his grasp Miss: The officer can't catch the hat and it falls into the road shut off by police following Sunday's terrorist incident He retrieves the hat from the empty road, closed by police following the incident, before putting it back on his head Twitter users were quick to react and share the video with some expressing outrage over the stunt While some jumped to the officers defence: 'Hes doing his job, he ain't committed the murder and obvs never knew he was being filmed. Cut the lad some slack,' said Twitter user A.S. 'Imagine the pressure they had all been under during the day with the incident that was happening and the prospect of what could be!! All I see here is someone managing to find a few minutes of light relief and fun. Give him a break,' said @Missy_B83 Plain clothes police crowd around a body on Streatham High Road Armed police were on the scene within minutes. Amman was shot dead outside a Boots chemist Police activity at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road, south London Sudesh Amman, 20, from Harrow in North West London, had previously fantasised about carrying out a terror attack with a blade or with acid while riding a moped and had been jailed in December 2018 - before being released just days ago Wearing a fake suicide vest, Sudesh Amman stole a 10-inch, 3.99 blade from a convenience store around 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon and stabbed a man, in his 40s, in the stomach before knifing a female cyclist, in her 50s, in the back as he ran down the street. Armed police were on the scene within minutes, having been following him because they suspected he was going to launch a terrorist attack imminently. After he failed to stop, Amman was shot dead outside a Boots chemist. The 20-year-old extremist was shot dead by officers a mile from his bail hostel - on Sunday afternoon at about 2pm after he went on the horrific rampage. Amman had been jailed for three years and four months in December 2018, when he pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing terrorist documents including bomb-making manuals and knife-fighting guides. But he was released automatically just days ago, despite fears he still held extremist views, paving the way for his attack. The Met police told MailOnline they had no comment to make regarding the video at this time. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, whose party severed ties with the BJP after the state elections, on Monday said that if somebody breaks a promise, "pain and anger is obvious". "No, I did not get any shock," Thackeray said in an interview with Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana while talking about forming an alliance with NCP and Congress, and becoming the Maharashtra Chief Minister. "I am a son of Shiv Sena Pramukh (Balasaheb Thackeray), several people tried to give a shock to me but they didn't succeed. This is a field where you have to accept in the beginning that there will be a bit pushing and pulling," Thackeray said. He added that accepting the Chief Minister's post was not a shock for him and neither was it his "dream at any point of time" "But I can say one thing for sure that I had decided to go to any level to fulfil the promise which I made to Balasaheb Thackeray. I want to further clear it that me becoming Chief Minister is not the fulfilling of the promise made to Shiv Sena Pramukh but it's just a step towards that. I will fulfil every promise which I made to my father," Uddhav Thackeray said. "There are several types of shock. Did people like it or not, it is the important part. I have spoken on this issue (alliance with NCP and Congress) several times and even people have understood this. Making promises and keeping them are two different things. If someone breaks a promise, pain and anger is obvious," he added. The Chief Minister said that he does not know if BJP "has come out their shock till now or not." "But I have to say if they had kept their promise what would have happened, what a big deal had I asked for? Did I ask for stars and moon? I only asked for what was decided before Lok Sabha polls, when we decided seat distribution," he said. He further said, "Maharashtra and the country are watching (who betrayed/shocked whom), I don't need to say much on this." Soon after the Assembly election results, Shiv Sena demanded rotation of the chief minister's post and equal power-sharing in the state government, which was rejected by then ally BJP. The weeks of political stalemate led to the imposition of President's rule on November 13. Firm on its demands, Sena, the second-largest party in the state, did not hesitate to cobble up with the ideological opponents -- NCP and Congress -- and was given the chief minister's post. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Betsy Joles HONG KONGThe new coronavirus that has spread consternation around the world over the last few weeks has now killed more people in China than the SARS epidemic of 2002-2003. Chinas health commission reported Sunday that there were 361 deaths nationwide. During the SARS outbreak, 349 people died in mainland China and 774 altogether around the world. The Chinese stock markets took major hits Monday, and the whole nation feels its growing isolation. Three New Cases of Coronavirus Confirmed in California Yet last Decemberbefore people all over China began falling sick with pneumonia-like symptoms, before people around the world grew alarmed about a disease leaping from captured wild animals to human shoppers in dense Chinese food markets, and before the coronavirus reached new shores after being carried onto planes by human hosts, forcing the World Health Organization to declare a global emergencyeight people discussed how several patients in Wuhan were experiencing severe, rapid breakdowns in their respiratory systems. They were part of a medical schools alumni group on WeChat, a popular social network in China, and they were concerned that SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, was back. It wasnt long before police detained them. The authorities said these eight doctors and medical technicians were misinforming the public, that there was no SARS, that the information was obviously wrong, and that everyone in the city must remain calm. On the first day of 2020, Wuhan police said they had taken legal measures against the eight individuals who had spread rumors. Since then, the phenomenal spread of the virus has created cracks even within the normally united front of the Chinese Communist Party. It might have been fortunate if the public had believed the rumor and started to wear masks, carry out sanitization measures, and avoid the wild animal market, a judge of Chinas Supreme Peoples Court wrote online last Tuesday. Story continues Li Wenliang, a doctor who was among the eight people who tried to sound the alarm before the coronavirus infected many thousands and killed hundreds, has been diagnosed as someone infected with the coronavirus and is being treated at a hospital. As of 5 p.m. Monday, the official tally of coronavirus damage runs at more than 17,000 confirmed infections, more than 21,000 under observation, and 361 dead. But the actual numbers must be far higher, possibly by a considerable magnitude, according to estimates by doctors in China and infectious-disease experts around the world. Authorities are still actively censoring social-media posts and news articles that question the government's response to the outbreak. One Wuhan man, Fang Bin, uploaded footage of corpses in a van and a hospital in Wuhan, and was then tracked down and taken into custody. His laptop was confiscated, and he had to pedal for three hours on a bicycle to get home after he was questioned, warned, and released. His coronavirus video went viral. The Chinese government is eager to project the image that everything is under control. Beijing pushed back the post-Lunar New Year opening of financial markets by a few days, and traders returned to their posts Monday morning. The Shanghai Composite Index and Shenzhen Composite Index quickly dropped 8.7 percent and 8.6 percent, respectively. By lunch time, more than 2,600 stocks had tripped regulator-imposed breakers after losing 10 percent in value. At market closing at 3 p.m., the indices were unable to recover from their nosedives. This was the worst plummet in Chinas markets since an equity bubble burst in 2015, and it isnt difficult to see why. Schools have been closed indefinitely. Flights have been grounded, and domestic travel has been limited or even halted. Office buildings, restaurants, and malls are empty. Public functions have been canceled. Overwhelmingly, white-collar workers across the country are telecommuting. The country, it seems, is a network of ghost towns with wide boulevards and glass towers. Combined with the ongoing swine flu and a new outbreak of avian flu south of Wuhan, the coronavirus is hitting Chinas economy on many fronts. Perhaps the most striking development in China is how borders became tangible. Villages, towns, and cities are physically blocked off from each other, sometimes with local officials posted on roads to stop anyone except emergency relief personnel from passing through. Married couples who hail from different parts of the country have been separated if they chose to travel over the Lunar New Year; as they returned home after the break, local officials in some locations barred one spouse, whoever is an outlander, from entering city limits. The coronavirus is isolating China from the rest of the world, too. Many countries have imposed travel restrictions on Chinese nationals, or even banned visitors who have recently been in mainland China. In Hong Kong, medical workers who joined a newly formed union voted to begin a strike Monday to pressure the citys officials to seal the border with mainland China. Clashes have broken out at sites where the government had attempted to set up mass quarantine facilities in Hong Kong. Coronavirus Has Europe Treating Chinese People Like the Plague Back in Wuhan, one of two speed-built hospitals began absorbing patients on Monday. The hospital took 10 days to build, has 1,000 beds, and is staffed by 1,400 military doctors who are managing the symptoms of those under their care. The additions are welcome, but people living in Hubei, the province where Wuhan is the capital, have doubts about how effective the facilities will be. Theres a severe shortage of testing kits, and sick people are still being turned away from hospitals. It is common for patients to wander between several emergency rooms before giving up to head home and tough it out. This outbreak has given new meaning to a well-worn adage: When China sneezes, the world catches a cold. People recall a lack of transparency when SARS was hitting China, even though the WHO has praised Beijing repeatedly for improving its performance this time around. But that may not be enough. Right now, every country in the world is trying to prevent the epidemic from flaring up on its own shores. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. More than 3,500 residents of Venice were evacuated yesterday so that a 500lb Second World War bomb could be detonated. All boat, train and bus traffic was suspended and the airport closed for four hours. The bomb was discovered during an excavation to repair sewers last month. It is not known whose forces dropped it. Police officers patrol the car terminal in Piazzale Roma, Venice, during operations for disarming a Second World War bomb. It was discovered during an excavation to repair sewers last month Venice was largely unscathed by the war, although the RAF struck German naval operations in the city in March 1945. Gianluca Dello Monacco, commander of the army team in yesterdays operation, said the port of Marghera a mostly industrial area near the centre of Venice needed to be evacuated because the bomb still had a high risk of explosion. All boat, train and bus traffic was suspended (pictured) and the airport closed for four hours, yesterday. The bomb was detonated after being transferred by a ship to a remote area The bomb was detonated after being transferred by ship to a remote area in the Adriatic. The city of Venice said later that a controlled explosion had been carried out. A statement said: 'When the bomb reached the open sea, plastic explosive charges were applied to the device, which were detonated underwater by divers.' The port of Marghera (pictured), in the industrial area near the centre of Venice, needed to be evacuated because the bomb still had a high risk of explosion, commander of the army team in yesterdays operation said Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 18:39:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANGZHOU, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- As cases of the novel coronavirus continue to rise in China, Chinese society, enterprises and communities are using the Internet to reduce the flow of people and prevent the disease from spreading. As the number of hospital inquiries surges, Chinese Internet giants Alibaba and Tencent have launched remote medical services through their own platforms. In late January, Ali Health opened a free medical consultation portal on its shopping platform Taobao for users in Hubei where the epidemic was most severe, and hundreds of respiratory physicians have responded online. China's popular messaging app WeChat has also launched a portal for people to provide clues and suggestions regarding the epidemic. The page will redirect people to an official State Council app for soliciting clues for epidemic prevention and control. The State Council launched the page on Jan. 24 to solicit clues from the public on problems regarding local authorities and departments in the prevention and control of the epidemic. As people resume work after the Spring Festival holiday, telecom and internet companies such as China Mobile and Tencent have launched free services including video message, video conference, remote consultation to facilitate working from home and reduce the need of traveling. Government organs have also been moving their services online in an effort to curb the epidemic. In eastern China's Zhejiang Province, the higher people's court has required courts at all levels in the province to give priority to guiding parties to file cases, contact judges, submit materials, hold court sessions or mediate online during the epidemic. The China Securities Regulatory Commission and other agencies have issued notices to guide investors to conduct off-site trading activities. In Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang, community workers are using a mobile phones app to in epidemic prevention and control. Hu Xiuhua, head of a community in Jianggan District, said the app has greatly facilitated their work. In one case, they needed to inform another community about a local resident who should be isolated at home. "We would have to make many calls in the past, but now I can upload the information through my mobile phone and share it directly with the community," said Hu. "We can also contact relevant authorities in Hangzhou and even other parts of the province in a timely manner." Alibaba's mobile office tool DingTalk has also released a module for daily health status summary of employees through quickly collecting real-time statistics. As of Jan. 27, nearly half a million enterprises and organizations were managing the health of their employees through the module, the company said. "Through the internet, we strive to magnify the efficiency of social coordination and take joint efforts to deal with the epidemic," said Tao Jun, Alibaba DingTalk's intelligent personnel business director. OTTAWA - Canada Post has asked cannabis producers to stop shipping marijuana to a small island in Eastern Canada, in order to curb a sharp increase in the number of mail trucks being stopped and searched by U.S. border officials. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/2/2020 (706 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. East Quoddy Lighthouse on Campobello Island, N.B., on Aug. 1, 2009. Canada Post has asked cannabis producers to stop sending cannabis through the mail to a small island in Eastern Canada in an effort to curb a sharp increase in the number of Canada Post trucks being stopped and searched by U.S. border officials. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kevin Bissett OTTAWA - Canada Post has asked cannabis producers to stop shipping marijuana to a small island in Eastern Canada, in order to curb a sharp increase in the number of mail trucks being stopped and searched by U.S. border officials. Campobello Island, located off the southwestern tip of New Brunswick, is accessible year-round only by a bridge from the American state of Maine, so all mail to the community must pass briefly through the United States. Over the last year, residents have been experiencing a rise in the number of their letters and packages being searched and seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection authorities. U.S. officials do have the right stop and search any vehicle at their discretion and detain or seize any item they deem to be inadmissible. But some residents say it's happening so often, they feel their privacy is being violated. "Residents on Campobello are distressed and unhappy that their mail that's delivered by Canada Post is being searched by U.S. border officials," says Conservative MP John Williamson, who represents the area. "Given the sanctity that we view the mail service as a way to communicate with our physicians, our banks and our families, this is distressing." It's not the first time this has happened to the community of fewer than 900 people. Kathleen Case, a postmaster at a local post office, said she recalls stepped-up searches and seizures of mail by U.S. authorities in the past, including after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This time, many are pointing to Canada's legalization of cannabis as a possible cause. Recreational use of the drug is legal in Maine as well, but it remains against the law to ship it across the border. Canada Post did try to get ahead of the issue before pot was legalized in Canada in 2018 and worked with U.S. border officials on a process to "seal" Canadian mail trucks to Campobello Island to prevent mail from being tampered with. Despite this, Canada Post is "seeing its vehicle stopped regularly and packages seized," according to a briefing note prepared for Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand. That's why Canada Post sent a letter to licensed cannabis producers last October, asking them to end shipments of cannabis to Campobello Island entirely in an effort to curb the number of searches, the briefing note says. Cannabis New Brunswick, the retailer of recreational marijuana in the province, confirms it has stopped shipments to the island and that they've been told Canada Post is working on a solution. Meanwhile, the searches have continued. Canada Post says it is in discussions with U.S. Customs and Border Protection authorities and that these talks "have been productive." "Our goal is to provide timely and reliable service to the residents of the island," said Phil Legault, a media relations officer for Canada Post. "While this delivery method has been in place for many years without issue, we are continuing to monitor our approach." Brett Newman, the mayor of Campobello Island, says residents are frustrated and they want Ottawa to do more to make the searches stop. "Residents comment and discuss the issue daily. Packages accessed by U.S. Customs and mail services being disrupted is not normal," he said. "The Canadian government has made very little effort to fix this problem and seems to be all right with United States doing as they wish with Canadians' mail." Some residents say the issue is tied to the lack of a year-round ferry service between the island and the mainland of New Brunswick. A petition has been started trying to get federal support for a ferry. Williamson raised Campobello's mail woes in the House of Commons last week, saying Canada Post's response has been "tone deaf" and called on the Liberal government to dedicate federal dollars toward a year-round ferry service for the island. Steven MacKinnon, parliamentary secretary to the public services minister, sympathized with the residents, calling it a "vexing conundrum." He suggested the provincial government should propose solutions, "including transportation solutions," that Ottawa would be prepared to support to solve the mail issue. Case is among those who believe the problem would be solved by a new ferry. She doesn't blame U.S. border agents for acting within their authority, but feels instead that Canada has left the island residents to fend for themselves. "I feel that I am being neglected by my own government and its responsibility," she said. "The only way for us to receive unimpeded access to Canadian goods and services is to have a link to Canada. We don't have one." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2020. Australia will send dozens of residents trapped by China's coronavirus epidemic to New Zealand after co-ordinating an evacuation with the Kiwi government. The deal will see Australian residents join 70 New Zealanders on an Air New Zealand flight on Tuesday. They will then be quarantined on a military base outside Auckland or transferred to Christmas Island, where the first batch of Australian evacuees from the Chinese city of Wuhan landed overnight. After four days of negotiations with Chinese authorities and a 14-hour maze of medical and immigration checks, 243 Australian residents were evacuated on the first flight from the centre of the coronavirus outbreak on Monday. Australian residents and Department of Foreign Affairs officials negotiated a web of road blocks across Hubei province, where all public and private transportation has been put into lockdown as the number of cases of the flu-like disease swelled to 17,318, with 362 deaths confirmed. I booked a hotel-only reservation through Love Holidays two weeks ago and agreed a price of 1,080. Two days later I received the booking confirmation confirming my booking. I then went on to book my flights and paid 2,800 for my travel to Tobago for a family holiday in August. I then received a message from Love Holidays two weeks later saying there was a pricing error and the price is now 2,080. I cannot afford this extra 1,000 and my flights are non-refundable so I can't even travel to another destination. Is there anything I can do? This whole situation has made me sick. T.S., via email A This is Money reader was charged an extra 1,000 for his holiday after confirming the price (stock image) Grace Gausden, This is Money, replies: Unfortunately, this isn't the first time that This is Money has heard of customers having their holiday prices increased after they have already confirmed their booking. There are a number of reasons as to why this happens sometimes it is a genuine error or other times the third party website has not been given the right prices by the hotel. As you had already booked your flights which are non-refundable, it is understandable that you were very frustrated that the hotel prices changed, as you would be unable to alter your holiday. Budgeting for a holiday is very important and so to have that completely scuppered is no doubt frustrating. A price increase of 1,000 is also a very large jump and not something that everyone would be able to afford. In your case it pretty much doubled the cost. You were also concerned that it had taken the company two weeks before they advised the pricing was wrong. If they had told you sooner, you may not have booked your flights and the issue could have been more easily resolved. When you were told the prices had changed, you were offered no explanation other than it was an error, causing you considerable concern. One of the reasons this is likely to have happened is because using third party websites, such as price comparison sites, offers less protection against incidents such as this. Many of these bookings will say in the small print that the agreement is actually made between the user and the respective external contracting booking site - rather than the website itself. Unfortunately for you, as you booked through a third party site, you will not have been given the same protection as those who booked directly. You also haven't stated whether you paid with a credit card, which again would have made a lot of difference. When paying by credit card, you will receive protection under the Consumer Credit Act, if the holiday is between 100 and 30,000. If something goes wrong, the credit card provider will be as liable as the retailer for refunding the card holder. The reader booked a family holiday to Tobago but was then charged an extra 1k for the hotel A Love Holidays spokesperson replies: Love Holidays is aware of the issues with Mr S's hotel booking and the team has been working to try to resolve this. The pricing discrepancy was due to a loading error made by the hotel supplier. The supplier has confirmed today that they will honour the booking at the rate initially provided. Mr S has already been updated on this and we are delighted that the price of his holiday to Tobago has not been affected. An ABTA Spokesperson replies: Customers can on occasion be quoted a price in error. Providing the error is spotted fairly quickly there is no obligation for the travel company to honour the incorrect price, though they may choose to do so, but there is also no obligation for the customer to pay the correct price, they can simply accept a full refund. If they booked their flights and hotel at the same time through one travel company they have booked a package holiday and so their tour operator could either honour the original price or refund the cost of the package which would include the flight costs. Grace Gausden, This is Money, adds: Even though you hadn't booked a package holiday, you were fortunately allowed to pay the original amount quoted by Love Holidays after the issue was addressed with them. You may not always be so lucky so ensure you have every type of protection to cover your holiday including paying by credit card, travel insurance and, if possible, buying a package deal. Even though it will depend on the situation, having any of the above could mean your money will be protected. When the fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld died a year ago, he left a part of his $200 million fortune to his cat, Choupette. Choupette was already known as the richest cat in the world. In 2015 alone, she earned $3 million from taking part in two campaigns, one for a Japanese beauty product and the other for a German car company. Lagerfeld supplied her with a bodyguard and two ladies-in-waiting. She travelled everywhere with custom-made Louis Vuitton and Goyard trunks, and had her own iPad. At first glance, it appears so easy: you wait until Choupettes household staff are taking a well-deserved coffee-break, then you catch Choupette unawares, bundle her into a bag, throw the bag to a getaway driver, and take her place on the sofa, dressed up as her double. Hey presto! A life of luxury awaits! Over the years, Choupette has broadened her portfolio. It now includes a make-up collection with Shu Uemura, a book and a fashion line, plus a huge following on social media. Choupette is what is now known as an influencer. Her late masters munificence has left her comfortably well-off. Like Jacob Rees-Mogg, she benefits from a full-time nanny, who sees to her every need. She feeds off designer chinaware, with separate dishes for water, croquettes and pate. Her croquettes arrive with a choice of turkey or fish sauce. Furthermore, at the weekend her agent has released a set of photographs in which Choupette can be seen enjoying a three-course meal and snuggling up on a silk cushion. Choupette is, says her agent, a model whos very easy to work with. Shes used to having her photo taken and to all the noise. As soon as she sees the camera, she poses. Having done little in her life other than purr and pose, she has been welcomed as a member of the international jet-set. No doubt she breakfasts with Gwyneth Paltrow, exchanges selfies with Kim Kardashian and makes impassioned calls for inclusivity at all the major red-carpet events Choupette is, says her agent, a model whos very easy to work with. Shes used to having her photo taken and to all the noise. As soon as she sees the camera, she poses' Is it just me, or does Choupette look insufferably smug in these new photographs, even for a cat? Having done little in her life other than purr and pose, she has been welcomed as a member of the international jet-set. No doubt she breakfasts with Gwyneth Paltrow, exchanges selfies with Kim Kardashian and makes impassioned calls for inclusivity at all the major red-carpet events. Envy is never an attractive emotion, but, by now, one or two down-at-heel readers may have already begun plotting to elbow Choupette out of the way and to take her place at the centre of the beau monde of Paris. At the weekend her agent has released a set of photographs in which Choupette can be seen enjoying a three-course meal and snuggling up on a silk cushion At first glance, it appears so easy: you wait until Choupettes household staff are taking a well-deserved coffee-break, then you catch Choupette unawares, bundle her into a bag, throw the bag to a getaway driver, and take her place on the sofa, dressed up as her double. Hey presto! A life of luxury awaits! Which of us would not relish the chance to spend the rest of our days curled up on a sofa, tucking into croquettes in a chic Paris apartment while a furious Choupette is forced to eat Kattomeat and catch mice in a dank basement somewhere off the Edgware Road? But, on second thoughts, it will never work. If the recent film of Andrew Lloyd Webbers Cats has taught us anything, it is how difficult it is for us human beings to pass ourselves off as cats. We are simply too big and burly. Those who saw James Corden squeezed into a hairy bodysuit tell me he looked more like the Yeti, or a pantomime horse; in fact, quite a few audience survivors are still being treated for post traumatic stress disorder. So it looks as though any attempt to swap places with Choupette is doomed to fail. Instead, we just have to hope that Choupette will suffer the same fate that afflicts so many celebrities in the world today. Not content with her life of luxury, she will become greedy for more and more fame. Before long, she will be photographed coming out of a nightclub in the early hours of the morning, looking wrecked. Choupette is what is now known as an influencer. Her late masters munificence has left her comfortably well-off. Like Jacob Rees-Mogg, she benefits from a full-time nanny, who sees to her every need. She feeds off designer chinaware, with separate dishes for water, croquettes and pate. She is pictured with late owner Karl Lagerfeld Then close friends will tell the newspapers that they are seriously concerned at the weight she is putting on, or taking off. On Celebrity Big Brother, Choupette will be recorded saying something offensive in an unguarded moment. She will face a twitter storm, and early departure. Damning profiles in serious magazines will follow. Her fan base will collapse, and she will be barred from appearing on even fairly modest television shows, such as Celebrity Antiques Road Trip and Loose Women. And then, on top of it all, her misery memoir, chronicling her kittenhood on the streets of Montmartre and her recent descent into celebrity hell, will meet with disappointing sales. And in a couple of years time, Choupette will feature alongside a member of S Club Seven and a Red Setter off Animal Hospital in a feature called Where Are They Now? Poor Choupette! For all its outward luxury, life as a celebrity cat is fraught with hazard. Any cat who sets foot in the high life does so at her peril. LAS VEGAS, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Did you spot Bill and Ted's time-traveling phone booth in one of the biggest commercials from Sunday's Game? The phone booth from Cubicall is an authentic recreation of the iconic time-traveling machine from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and is now available for pre-order with delivery expected in May. To learn more and place an order for Bill & Ted's Excellent Phone Booth click here. Cubicall Cubicall is a custom phone booth manufacturer that specializes in privacy booths for calls, heads-down work or team huddles. The company brings productivity back to modern offices through visual and acoustical privacy offering users a space to focus, hold private communications, or break from the distractions of our digital world. The limited-run Bill & Ted's Excellent Phone Booth features a design inspired by the original film, including an authentic payphone retrofitted for VOIP/landline service and an umbrella time-travel antenna. It ships flat for easy assembly and is Made in the USA. Unfortunately, the phone booths do not actually travel through time. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to recreate this classic icon from movie history," said Anthony Pucci, co-founder of Cubicall. "Over the last several months we've been perfecting the design for production which was seen in the commercial during Sunday's Big Game. We're extremely excited to start delivering these booths to fans." Creative Licensing, the licensor of Bill and Ted' Excellent Adventure, worked with Cubicall to deliver the celebrated phone booth. "We pride ourselves in creating unique licensed offerings for fans of the properties we represent," said Rand Marlis, President of Creative Licensing. "We're thrilled to be working with Cubicall to offer the iconic phone booth of this beloved franchise for the first time in thirty years." Place pre-orders for the phone booth at cubicallbooth.com/bill-and-ted. About Cubicall: Cubicall produces efficient and customizable privacy solutions. Cubicall phone booths offer visual, acoustical, territorial and informational privacy through modern design. The phone booths ship flat, are easily assembled/disassembled, and are fully customizable. The bifold door allows Cubicall to fit into areas where every inch of space is critical and helps more businesses comply with International Building Codes. As Seen on ABC's Shark Tank, the phone booths have been featured on Fox Business Channel, The New York Times, Interior Design, Fast Company, Inc. and was called the "an efficient privacy solution to open-plan distractions" by Forbes. Cubicall is designed, engineered and manufactured in the USA and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. cubicallbooth.com Facebook Instagram Twitter About Creative Licensing: Located in Los Angeles CA, Creative Licensing is a full service independent merchandise licensing agency that specializes in long-term brand development. Founded in 1982, Creative Licensing currently represents a large catalogue of classic films and properties. http://www.creativelicensingcorporation.com/ Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure characters and images & 1989, 2020 Creative Licensing Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Media contact: Nick Pucci [email protected] 818-319-4200 SOURCE Cubicall Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon (MP), Hon. Lydia Syreme Alhassan has chided the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama for exhibiting gross incompetence, a situation she noted; created economic hardship in Ghana under his regime. The former President says when elected for a second term, he will replace President Akufo-Addos One District, One Factory programme to staple processing zones. He believed it would encourage investors to pump in resources into the processing sector without any political restrictions. Former President Mahama, in an interaction with journalists in Accra, said the One District, One Factory wasnt feasible because not all districts are endowed and resourceful to establish sustainable factories and create jobs. He further noted that when given the nod in the 2020 elections, his administration will revamp the crippling cocoa industry. He stated his administration will provide free fertilizers, rehabilitate roads for cocoa growing areas, revamp the Produce Buying Company and adequately equip the company, and also eliminate the monopoly of foreigners in the sector. We shall provide correct inputs to achieve the right outputs. If you pretend to be giving more inputs, outputs will expose you. But Hon. Lydia Alhassan has cautioned Mr. Mahama to stop reviewing NPP ideas and rather come out with his own manifesto. According to her, Mahama is showing serious signs of desperation. Ghanaians are not asking for copy copy PresidentIt is not about copying someone's idea and changing it to your own. The problem here is to tell us what different thing you (Mahama) is bringing on board and stop this changing and review policy parasiteThose closer to him should advised him to try and be original small, She said. Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video New Delhi, Feb 3 : Sedition-charged Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Sharjeel Iman was on Monday produced at Patiala House Court Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Purushottam Pathak's residence amidst high security at the end of his police remand. Imam was nabbed from Kako in Bihar's Jehanabad district on January 28 for allegedly making inflammatory speeches against the Citizenship Amendment Act and proposed National Register of Citizens. He was produced before a court which sent him to police custody for five days. LOS ANGELES The composer Matthew Aucoin began working on Crossing, his first opera, when he was in college. It was a work of enormous talent, exciting promise and considerable hubris: Mr. Aucoin wrote his own libretto, inventing a story about Walt Whitmans work with wounded soldiers during the Civil War. If Crossing (2015) lacked a certain kind of unity as Mr. Aucoin, now 29, said in a recent interview it was still taut, intense and audacious. What would he do next? The answer came on Saturday, with the premiere of Eurydice at Los Angeles Opera, where it runs through Feb. 23 before traveling to the Metropolitan Opera next year. This project demanded a very different approach. Mr. Aucoin didnt write the libretto; instead, the text was a collaboration with the playwright Sarah Ruhl, closely hewing to her 2003 play, a modern-day take on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth which tells the story from the womans perspective. [February 03, 2020] TrendSpider Launches Market Scanner to Empower Traders to Find Actionable Trade Setups Faster and More Efficiently CHICAGO, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TrendSpider , a Chicago-based fintech focused on building automated, all-in-one dynamic technical analysis software for active traders, today announced the release of its ground-breaking Market Scanner technology. The Market Scanner is intended to help active traders filter through the universe of symbols, or a specific watchlist, for securities that meet specific technical requirements. For example, traders can search for any U.S. stocks in the S&P 500 that have experienced a bullish engulfing on the five minute chart that also have a relative strength index (RSI) reading of less than 50 on the daily timeframe. They can then use TrendSpider's other functions to develop strategies, analyze patterns, compare timeframes, identify support and resistance zones, and create alerts. "The best trading system in the world is useless without being able to find the right securities at the right times," says TrendSpider CEO Dan Ushman. "There are many screening tools out there, but most of them are very basic, supporting only the simplistic criteria on a single timeframe, and extremely complex, requiring advanced knowledge of programming in order to define criteria. Worse, none of the legacy solutions available today are integrated directly into a robust charting, backtesting and alerting platform like TrendSpider. Our Market Scanner bridges the gap by providing a way to find opportunities that any trader could put to work immediately." The TrendSpider Market Scanner offers a number of interesting and unique distinction compared to other scanning tools: Over 30 predefined scans for the common strategies, as well as TrendSpider's proprietary scans. Ability to scan multiple timeframes at once. Ability to define complex, logical and comparative conditions in a visual interface with no programming experience. Ability to convert a scan into a watchlist for quick reference. Ability to have multiple scanners running at one time. Combined with its other automated capabilities, TrendSpider is the only platform that gives traders everything they need to scale their analysis so they can cover more ground, find better setups, and more accurately time trades. "We designed TrendSpider to be both easy-to-use for novice traders and powerful enough for professional traders," added Ruslan Lagutin, CTO of TrendSpider. "The addition of the scanner makes the platform the most comprehensive option on the market for traders looking to automate their technical analysis and free themselves from cognitive biases that contribute to money-losing trades. You can easily filter opportunities and even see the results of multiple scans at the same time on the same screen." In addition to scanning, the TrendSpider platform includes several powerful features that are not found in any other trading system: Automatic trendline detection Automatic Fibonacci measurements Candlestick pattern recognition S/R heatmap visualization Breakout detection Price gap detection Multiple timeframe analysis Backtesting capabilities And much more TrendSpider supports real-time data for a wide range of securities, including all U.S. equities and ETFs, over 6,500 cryptocurrency pairs, and over 900 forex pairs. Sign up for a free 7-day trial that includes instant access and 1-on-1 training. Cancel anytime. About TrendSpider TrendSpider is the world's first fully automated, all-in-one dynamic chart technical analysis software for active traders, market technicians and analysts. After two years of development, TrendSpider launched its platform in March 2018 and has attracted over 4,000 active traders. Press Contact Dan Ushman TrendSpider LLC [email protected] (833) 587-3637 ext. 700 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trendspider-launches-market-scanner-to-empower-traders-to-find-actionable-trade-setups-faster-and-more-efficiently-300997599.html SOURCE TrendSpider LLC [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The United States has taken decisive action to protect Americans from the threat of a fast-moving coronavirus while offering help to China, President Donald Trump said on Sunday, but a key adviser said Beijing had not accepted the offers of assistance, Trend reports citing Reuters. Trump appeared to downplay concerns about the flu-like virus that has killed more than 300 people in China and spread to more than two dozen countries, telling Fox television in an interview, Were gonna see what happens, but we did shut it down, yes. Concerns about the virus spurred the United States to declare a public health emergency and bar entry to foreign nationals who have recently visited China. Under new restrictions that go into effect at 5 p.m. ET (2200 GMT) Sunday, U.S. citizens who have traveled in China within 14 days will be directed to one of seven airports designated for screening. We cant have thousands of people coming in who may have this problem - the coronavirus, Trump told Fox during a short interview broadcast on Sunday. He said U.S. officials had offered China tremendous help in dealing with the epidemic. Trumps national security adviser, Robert OBrien, in a separate interview, said China has been more open about the coronavirus than it has been in previous crises but had not yet accepted U.S. offers of assistance. So far the Chinese have been more transparent certainly than in past crises and we appreciate that, OBrien said in an interview with CBSs Face the Nation. He said Beijing has still not responded to U.S. offers of help from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health professionals. Weve got tremendous expertise, OBrien said. This is a worldwide concern. We want to help our Chinese colleagues if we can and weve made the offer and well see if they accept the offer. CDC officials have not been invited into China, but are in neighboring Kazakhstan to help guard against the spread of the virus, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday during a visit there. Youve got a long border with China which is where this disease has emanated from, Pompeo said in an interview with a Kazakh journalist. And weve got our people from the Center for Disease Control right here on the ground, helping Kazakhstan deal with this so that you dont have an enormous outbreak. Chinas National Health Commission said on Sunday the coronavirus has killed 304 people in China, and infections jumped to 14,380 as of Saturday. At least 171 cases have been reported in more than two dozen other countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Britain. So far, eight cases of the fast-spreading virus have been confirmed in the United States, health officials said. The Pentagon is providing housing for people arriving from overseas who might need to be quarantined. Americans who visited Chinas Hubei Province, epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic, will be subject to a mandatory quarantine of 14 days - the incubation period of the virus - upon entering the United States. Americans who traveled to other parts of mainland China will undergo health screening and be asked to self-quarantine for up to 14 days. Foreigners who have traveled in China within 14 days of their arrival will be denied entry. Chad Wolf, U.S. Homeland Security acting secretary, said the overall risk to the American public remains low. The latest U.S. patient, in Massachusetts, recently returned from Hubei, the CDC said. The coronavirus is believed to have originated in a market that traded illegally in wildlife in Hubeis provincial capital, Wuhan. Montreal, February 3, 2020 -- Most people living with HIV control the virus thanks to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Although this medication is highly effective, the presence of latent viral reservoirs in their bodies means they require lifelong therapy. Studies have demonstrated that immunotherapy combining two anti-HIV antibodies can also suppress HIV, similar to ART. Now an international team of researchers from the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM), the Rockefeller University (United States) and the University of Cologne (Germany) has shown that the use of these antibodies during ART interruption has an effect on the immune system of HIV-infected individuals. In a study published in Nature Medicine, the researchers describe how injection of these potent anti-HIV antibodies, known as neutralizing antibodies, is associated with enhanced T cell responses that specifically recognize the virus. T cells are important white blood cells (lymphocytes) that help control chronic infections like HIV. This study shows an unsuspected interaction and a potential influence between the two arms of the human immune system: humoral immunity (antibodies) and cell-mediated immunity (T cells). "It is really a proof of concept," said Dr. Daniel E. Kaufmann, a CRCHUM researcher and a professor at Universite de Montreal. "Here, we analyzed blood samples from participants in a clinical trial conducted by our collaborators that used laboratory-produced monoclonal antibodies to block the virus. All participants maintained viral suppression for at least 15 weeks after the ART therapy was stopped." He added: "We observed what happened to other immune cells that target the virus. In this study, we documented the increase of the T cell immune response on nine HIV-infected study participants. But are these T cell responses more effective at controlling HIV than before this intervention? This remains to be demonstrated." A Phase 1b clinical trial Two days before their ART therapy was stopped, nine individuals living with HIV and harbouring viruses sensitive to antibodies received a first injection of a cocktail of two antibodies. Recruited by the international research team, this cohort of individuals received new injections of antibodies after three and six weeks of follow-up. Blood tests were carried out every week to check if the virus returned. Using sophisticated cell analysis techniques, Julia Niessl, the study's first author and a doctoral student in Kaufmann's lab, observed that the activity level of CD4 and CD8 T cells responding specifically to HIV was augmented during the period of antibody therapy combined with ART interruption. Antibodies work differently than drugs. They are not passive; in addition to blocking the virus, they "engage" the immune system and influence it. "In the future," said Kaufmann, "this kind of antibody therapy will be studied in larger clinical trials for HIV prevention or treatment, as antibodies are very well tolerated by humans and can efficiently block the virus for many weeks." According to the World Health Organization, approximately 37.9 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2018. ### This research was supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health; the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; the Einstein-Rockefeller-CUNY Center for AIDS Research; a BEAT-HIV Delaney grant; the Robertson Fund; grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery; a Canada Foundation for Innovation Program Leader grant; and the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Network of the Fonds de Recherche du Quebec-Sante. Further reading: "Combination anti-HIV-1 antibody therapy is associated with increased virus-specific T cell immunity" by Julia Niessl et al. in Nature Medicine DOI: 10.1038/s41591-019-0747-1 About the CRCHUM The University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) is one of North America's leading hospital research centres. It strives to improve adult health through a research continuum covering such disciplines as the fundamental sciences, clinical research and public health. Over 1,850 people work at the CRCHUM, including more than 550 researchers and more than 460 graduate students. chumontreal.qc.ca/crchum @CRCHUM About Universite de Montreal Deeply rooted in Montreal and dedicated to its international mission, Universite de Montreal is one of the top universities in the French-speaking world. Founded in 1878, Universite de Montreal today has 13 faculties and schools, and together with its two affiliated schools, HEC Montreal and Polytechnique Montreal, constitutes the largest centre of higher education and research in Quebec and one of the major centres in North America. It brings together 2,400 professors and researchers and has more than 67,000 students. umontreal.ca Media contact--information and interviews Bruno Geoffroy Science Writer University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) 514-890-8000 poste 30872 bruno.geoffroy.chum@ssss.gouv.qc.ca Funders: This research was supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health; the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; the Einstein-Rockefeller-CUNY Center for AIDS Research; a BEAT-HIV Delaney grant; the Robertson Fund; grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery; a Canada Foundation for Innovation Program Leader grant; and the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Network of the Fonds de Recherche du Quebec-Sante. Between 11 and 14 May 2019, doctors and researchers met in Mondorf-les-Bains to exchange interdisciplinary ideas on the widespread disease diabetes. The numbers speak for themselves: according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) data, 425 million adults worldwide were diagnosed with diabetes in 2017. The IDF estimates the number of people affected will rise to 629 million by 2045. A majority of diabetics are aged between 40 and 59 years. The national conference set itself the task of discussing the illness and treatment. Around 150 experts from all areas of diabetes took part in the European Diabetes Epidemiology Group (EDEG) event organised by the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) and experts from Luxembourgish hospitals. The emphasis of the four-day conference was prevention and treatment. High point in epidemiological diabetes research Discussion themes at the high-level conference included gestational diabetes or dangers associated with children's nutrition/ The programme also explored the risks and complications of diabetes type 1 and type 2 as well as research into biomarkers of the disease and diabetes in old age. As the LIH's head of public health director Laetitia Huiart explains, the conference allowed an interdisciplinary exchange with the most important experts in the field. She described the conference as "a high point in epidemiological diabetes research", highlighting the objective of coordinating the support and treatment of patients in Luxembourg. New impulses in public health The stated goal is to advance the epidemiological research of diabetes and the risk factors and complications of this disease. The contribution of LIH researchers resides in presenting projects developed in Luxembourg. The conference could give new impulses in the domain of public or clinic health, Gloria Aguayo, the main organiser of the EDEG in Luxembourg, said. Author: Uwe Hentschel michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. Today: The kickoff to the 2020 campaign was undercut on Monday night by major delays in the reporting of the results from the Iowa caucuses. The story of the day. Its Tuesday, February 4. lisa tobin Here comes Alex. alexander burns Ill just grab a water. michael barbaro Yeah, yeah. (WHISPERS) That was Alex Burns. Hi. alexander burns Hi. michael barbaro Happy caucus day. alexander burns Happy caucus day. michael barbaro Is that a thing people say out here? alexander burns I dont know. Its something we say out here. michael barbaro Exactly. So lets just set the scene a little bit. Its 4 p.m. Were in Des Moines. In about 2.5 Iowans are going to start heading to these caucus locations around the state. Were going to do the same. And I want to talk with you about how this is going to work. So can you just give me a quick primer on this very particular tool of American democracy, the caucus? alexander burns Well, calling it a tool of democracy is generous in the view of some people. It is not a secret ballot. This is not something where people take 10 minutes in the middle of their workday, go vote and then return to their desk. This is an in-person, out in the open exercise of demonstrating your public support for a candidate. The way this works literally, physically, in practice is there are hundreds of predesignated caucus locations around the state. And around 7 p.m. local, people show up at these locations, and theyre asked to gather themselves into groups according to which candidate theyre supporting. They do that. There is an assessment made about which candidate has 15 percent of the support in the room and which candidates do not hit that threshold of support. So when people refer to the threshold, thats what theyre talking about 15 percent support at the caucus site. michael barbaro Of everybody in the room 15 percent of everybody who has showed up. alexander burns Thats right. If you havent hit that 15 percent threshold, your candidate does not qualify to get delegates. And then the voting goes to a second round, where you get to reallocate yourselves to candidates who did hit the 15 percent threshold. So if you go in there expecting to caucus for Alex Burns, and Alex Burns in the first round only has 9 percent of the people in the room supporting him michael barbaro Highly possible. alexander burns Entirely possible. Hes not super popular in Iowa. You can reallocate your support to somebody else in the room, perhaps Michael Barbaro, who just barely cleared the threshold at 16.5 percent. michael barbaro So what might be the impact of this process on the field of 2020 Democratic candidates and what we know about those dynamics? Im thinking about Bernie Sanders, for example, who has been polling in the lead and who we understand has benefited from more moderate Iowans splitting their support among the other leading candidates in the race. alexander burns Well what the Sanders campaign believes will certainly be good for him, or almost certainly be good for him, is having that first-round popular vote ultimately released to the public. They believe that however the reallocation process ultimately sorts itself out, that he is very, very likely to have the most support on that first round of caucusing. So that even if he ends up slipping behind somebody else, they will be able to brandish that as a symbolic victory. michael barbaro Which is another way of saying he predicts he might lose some support through the process as it goes along. alexander burns Exactly. And for the more moderate candidates, those candidates have been competing for a lot of the same indecisive voters who are trying to sort out which of these candidates is the best bet against Trump, but Im not for Bernie Sanders. Right? So if you are a moderate woman in the suburbs of Des Moines and you are tempted by three or four of these candidates, you may very well have the chance to vote for one and then change your mind in the second round. And its really anyones guess right now as to whether you are going to see more moderates moving towards Joe Biden on the second round, or women moving towards Elizabeth Warren on the second round, or perhaps Pete Buttigieg supporters scattering across the field. It is wildly unpredictable. And because of the way that 15 percent threshold works, it is hugely important whether somebody in the first round is at 16 percent or at 14 percent. Not only because whether they hit the threshold for themselves, but because it will determine whose supporters are actually deciding what happens on the second round. And in a caucus site where Elizabeth Warren is at 16 percent, her people are locked in. In a site where shes at 14 percent, thats a place where suddenly Bernie Sanders is in a position to pick up all the support from liberals who preferred Elizabeth Warren but might consider him on the second round. michael barbaro Right. Right. But if Elizabeth Warrens at 16 percent, Bernie Sanders cant go after any of her supporters because theyre locked in. alexander burns Right. So if you are Pete Buttigieg or Joe Biden, you are looking at the other guy and really hoping he doesnt clear 15 percent in a lot of places. Because youre betting that most of those voters are moderates and are likelier to go to me by a lot than they are to go to Bernie. But if both Biden and Buttigieg mostly end up at 16 or 17 percent, then they could find themselves sort of persistently stuck behind Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren. michael barbaro So what should we be most on the lookout for as we head out to these caucuses? alexander burns A lot of voters here are not necessarily going to make up their mind based on the ideological factors that we perceive as the national media looking at these candidates from afar. There can be a real sort of oversimplification for the way we see the lanes in this race that we think that somebody who is an Elizabeth Warren supporter is more likely to go to Bernie Sanders than to Joe Biden, as I just said. But it may be that somebody is an Elizabeth Warren supporter, not because they are left populist ideologically, but because they like her experience and they saw her in television ads with Barack Obama and they liked that. michael barbaro So they could easily go to Pete Buttigieg, not Bernie Sanders. alexander burns Right, or to Joe Biden or anybody else, right? That if youre a Klobuchar voter, I think we in the national media tend to think of her as a centrist candidate, and by and large she is. Shes also the only other woman with a real shot at clearing the 15 percent threshold in this process. And if youre for Amy Klobuchar, not just because shes a centrist, but because you feel like its important to elect a woman president, you might end up moving to the ideological left on a second round just because Elizabeth Warren is the option available to you. michael barbaro Got it. So youre saying dont make assumptions. alexander burns Im saying that anybody who is gaming this out in advance, with ideology as the sole or defining characteristic of how these voters make up their minds, is really risking missing the way real people are going to experience this. michael barbaro Thank you, Alex. alexander burns Thank you. michael barbaro So we will talk to you four hours five hours? alexander burns Hopefully four. michael barbaro O.K. Good luck. alexander burns You too. clare toeniskoetter Here we go. michael barbaro Prepare yourself for some extremely unpleasantly cold weather. O.K. I dont know oh actually thats Reid. clare toeniskoetter Yeah. lisa tobin Hello! clare toeniskoetter Hi! sam dolnick Hi, Reid. reid epstein Hi, how are you? lisa tobin Thank you for being our chauffeur. I feel like my dads taking us all to the soccer game. reid epstein Its really wild. michael barbaro What are you listening to, Reid? reid epstein I have Les Mis on. I told you. sam dolnick Are you a big Les Mis guy? reid epstein No, but this is like the last day, so this is the song that clare toeniskoetter Last day of Iowa? reid epstein The last day of Iowa. michael barbaro So this is the idea of the song, is like one day more. reid epstein One day more. clare toeniskoetter Can we crank it? reid epstein We can crank it. Hold on. ["one day more" of "les miserables" playing] One day more. Watch them run amuck. Catch them as they fall. Never know your luck when theres a free for all. Well be ready for these school boys. Tomorrow well be far away. Tomorrow is the judgement day. group (SINGING ALONG) Tomorrow well discover what our God in heaven has in store. One day more! reid epstein Can you pull the lyrics up on your phone? group (SINGING ALONG) One more day! One day more! gps voice Continue on Second Avenue for four miles. michael barbaro So were pulling into Johnston Middle School, and the parking lot is getting pretty reid epstein Theres a lot of cars here. michael barbaro pretty full. Id say theres a couple maybe 150 cars here. speaker 1 Were asking you to stay right in this area here. speaker 2 O.K. speaker 3 And then when speaker 4 Press? speaker 5 Press. Right over here on the left. [cheering] speaker 6 Ill take it. Ill just go over here. speaker 7 Ts over there and see if youre on the michael barbaro O.K. Its 6 oclock and the doors have just opened. speaker Precinct One is on this side. Precinct Two on this side. michael barbaro We are now in a very crowded main hallway of the school, and I think theyre going to go register. speaker 1 Youre not on here either. speaker 2 Yes I am. speaker 1 Oh good. Thank heavens. speaker 2 Thats my husband michael barbaro Checking IDs. speaker 1 Thank you. speaker 3 Hi. speaker 1 How are you? clare toeniskoetter You know each other? Do a lot of people know each other? speaker 3 Yeah, neighbors. speaker 1 Two houses down. speaker 2 Yeah. michael barbaro And then they head into the caucus room. clare toeniskoetter Which is a gym. michael barbaro Which is, I believe, a gymnasium. Im just Im having flashbacks to high school. So now were in the gymnasium. Theres a huge set of bleachers in the back, and that is where the candidate alignment is going to begin. There are signs for Bernie, and people are sitting on those bleachers. There are signs for Pete, people are sitting on those bleachers. Warren, Klobuchar, Yang. tom leffler The sign-in is practically done and its 7 oclock. So how about that? [APPLAUSE] reid epstein (WHISPERING) Its Tom Leffler. Hes the precinct chairman. Hes running the caucus. tom leffler in the vicinity. speaker Testing, testing. michael barbaro (WHISPERING) Amy Klobuchar is outside. clare toeniskoetter Is she allowed in? michael barbaro Yeah. speaker All right. michael barbaro Amy Klobuchar has just walked into the room. [applause] michael barbaro Dramatic entrance. amy klobuchar It is so great to see all of you here. So my story, just so you know, I am from Minnesota. I am a granddaughter of an iron ore miner. Im the daughter michael barbaro (WHISPERING) Why is Klobuchar here, and why is she allowed to be here? reid epstein Any candidate who shows up can speak. michael barbaro (WHISPERING) And whats the point of her showing up at the last minute right before the caucus? reid epstein Because this is really the time when she has to convince undecided caucus goers to come for her. And more important, people who their candidates might not be viable on the second alignment, to get them to come to her on a realignment. Iowans love people to show up, and shes literally shown up at the caucus. michael barbaro Yeah, its a really dramatic gesture. amy klobuchar what unites all of you in your separate groups is bigger than what divides us. I would love to have your support, but I also want us to win big in the general election. Lets do it. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] [indistinct speech] clare toeniskoetter Do you know whats happening right now? speaker 1 Excuse me? clare toeniskoetter Do you know whats happening right now? Is now the time you vote? speaker 1 Yeah see what were doing is speaker 2 I dont think we have to. speaker 1 they told us we had a total of 358 people here to caucus, registered voters. We have to have 15 percent to be viable. Well, that figures out to 54 is a count that you have to have to be viable. michael barbaro So I was going to ask, does it look like anyones in, at this moment, in danger of not being viable, and who isnt? reid epstein Well the Yang group is probably not going to be viable. Doesnt look they have 54 people over there. Biden it doesnt look like Biden is going to be viable here. michael barbaro So Biden and Yang may not make 15 percent reid epstein May not make michael barbaro may not have 54 people. reid epstein Right. michael barbaro (WHISPERING) Are you surprised that Biden doesnt seem viable at the moment? speaker 1 Very surprised. michael barbaro Are you upset? speaker 1 Well, what happens happens, but I think thats a mistake. I cant understand the lack of support. Of course, my wifes supporting somebody else. michael barbaro Who is your wife supporting? speaker 1 Warren. michael barbaro O.K. speaker 1 Yeah. michael barbaro So if you dont become viable, where do you think youre going to go next? speaker 1 Warren. michael barbaro O.K. speaker 1 Yeah. michael barbaro Well see you over there. speaker 1 Yeah. michael barbaro (WHISPERING) Are you guys the Yang gang? speaker 2 (WHISPERING) Yes we are. michael barbaro How are you guys doing? Were from The Daily with The New York Times. Hows your vote count? speaker 2 Were about 20 short to viability. Were also looking at a very small Biden crowd and hoping we can pop over there. I dont know how michael barbaro And then maybe negotiate? speaker 2 Were hoping. Thats my hope. clare toeniskoetter So you want to convert them to Yang? You think speaker 2 My hunch is the Yang is probably more of a group of true believers, versus hoping just for the most electable candidate. So well find out. michael barbaro The Yang people are now heading over to the Biden people to do some business. Do you want to speaker 3 Over here, wed be willing to tell you why hes a good candidate. speaker 4 For me, I really like Yang. I really want to see him in the government. He needs to be in the government. I dont see him as president quite yet. Hes still young. Hes got a lot to do, but we need him in the government now. And I think that speaker 3 I would agree, cabinet member at least. speaker 4 Cabinet member or something, and so he will be there. Let me tell you why I think Joe, and we would love to have Joe speaker 3 No, were not going to go Joe because he caucused when I was 24 his first election. 1988. speaker 4 He is solid as a rock. speaker 3 No hes not. He just almost got impeached, or caused our whole country to fall apart with the impeachment. And his son he got his son that job for $50,000 a year. Thats crooked. 100 percent. And thats going to come up during the election. If you dont think thats not going to come up when he runs against Trump speaker 4 Have you fact checked that? speaker 3 Yes, I have. Yes. speaker 4 Have you fact checked the whole thing speaker 3 Yes, I have. speaker 4 and about the legitimacy of it? speaker 3 His son yes, his son his son has not done anything for that money. His son has not done anything for that money. michael barbaro So this is your overture to the Biden people? speaker 3 Yeah Im sorry. I know, it didnt work very well, did it? It fell flat on its face, so Ill go back. speaker 5 God, these people scare me. speaker 4 That amazes me. Im so sorry about that. sam dolnick You didnt seem swayed. speaker 4 What? sam dolnick You didnt seem swayed. speaker 4 Im not swayed. clare toeniskoetter Are you angry? speaker 4 No Im not angry. Im disappointed. michael barbaro Your face is a little red. speaker 4 O.K.? Well yeah, because Im hot. But not that kind of hot. michael barbaro Did that feel like a winning argument from the Yang people to you? speaker 4 No, not to me. clare toeniskoetter Do you know where you might go? speaker 4 Biden. clare toeniskoetter No, but are you going to go somewhere else if hes not viable? speaker 4 If he is not viable, Amy would be my second choice. clare toeniskoetter Will you try to convince your group to go to Amy? speaker 4 I dont know what Ill do. Ill have to think about that. I have to think about that because I but Amy would be my second choice. michael barbaro Final results are being read now for the first allocation. speaker 1 Biden has 37. 37 will not be viable. speaker 2 You can come over here. emcee O.K., this is Pete. Pete Buttigieg has 70. Viable. [APPLAUSE] Viable. Warren has 59. Viable. [APPLAUSE] Klobuchar has 75. [APPLAUSE] Viable. michael barbaro So at 8 oclock, here is the count from the first round, the first allocation as its called: Sanders has 76. Klobuchar has 75. Buttigieg has 70. Warren has 59. Biden has 37, is not viable. Yang has 33, is not viable. Steyer has four, not viable. Gabbard has three, not viable. And there are now 77 votes among the nonviable candidates that will be redistributed in the coming minutes, and that could obviously given the spread between the top candidates completely change everything. Of course, some voters may just walk out because dinners at home getting cold or because they dont believe in any of the other candidates. speaker 1 If you want your voice to be heard, join us. Join team Bernie. speaker 2 I think were going to go Im going to go with Amy. Amy Klobuchar. michael barbaro Yet the two men almost never spoke. They clashed through proxies. Over the course of the past year, a series of slights accidental, calculated, impulsive, imagined drove a schism between them, according to numerous interviews with government officials, transit executives and business leaders. Andy Byford won the hearts of New Yorkers with his clear intention to make this the best transit system in the world, Ms. Wylde said. But it was naive of him to think that this governor, who has put his credibility on the line, would rely on any one person to do the job. Neither Mr. Byford nor Mr. Cuomo has had a cross word for the other in public, before or after the resignation. But even before the October letter, Mr. Byford had threatened to quit on more than one occasion. Reached late last week, Mr. Byford said he was grateful to Mr. Cuomo for bringing him to New York. The subway system last month had an on-time rate of 84 percent, he said, up from 58 percent in 2018. I get the attention, but a good leader builds a good team, Mr. Byford said. I will have failed if it all falls apart when I leave, but Ive left it in good hands, with a good plan. Mr. Cuomo said Mr. Byfords departure would not hobble the systems recovery. There has been amazing progress made at the M.T.A. with new laws, financing and its reorganization, the governor said. All arrows are pointed up and with new projects coming on line and new resources, the best lies ahead. The governor has said he did not want Mr. Byford to leave, but behind the scenes, the distance between the two men widened through the past year. LIC-owned IDBI Bank on Monday said it has raised Rs 745 crore through issue of Basel III compliant tier 2 bonds which will help improve its capital position. The 10-year bond was priced at a coupon rate of 9.50 per cent per annum payable annually, the bank said in a statement. "The amount mobilised would be counted as part of tier 2 capital and enhance the capital adequacy of the bank," the statement said. The bonds have a call option after five years. The bids were opened on electronic bidding platform of BSE on January 31, and allotment to successful bidders closed on Monday. In December, Parliament approved Rs 9,300 crore capital infusion in IDBI Bank. The Department of Financial Services got Rs 4,557 crore for infusion into the bank through recap bonds for its share of 47.11 per cent in IDBI Bank. State-owned LIC, which is the promoter of the debt-ridden lender with 51 per cent stake, will pump in an additional Rs 4,743 crore to improve the bank's capital position. Presenting the Union Budget on Saturday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government's balance holding in IDBI bank will be sold to private retail investors. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rising drug use in the United States is taking its toll on mortality rates, according to a study that has shown drug-ass Islamabad (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd February, 2020) Rising drug use in the United States is taking its toll on mortality rates, according to a study that has shown drug-associated deaths to be twice as high as stats suggest.On average, in what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have dubbed a drug "epidemic," 130 people die each day in the U.S. from an opioid overdose.Death by drug poisoning or overdose has surged since 2000 in all regions and among all ethnic groups.In 2017, more than 70,200 people in the U.S. died as a result of a drug overdose. Some 68% of these deaths involved opioids, with the number being six times higher than that in 1999.Opioids include prescription drugs, such as some pain relievers, and illegal drugs, such as heroin. Opioids induce euphoria and are potentially addictive.However, what if drug records, which focus on death by overdose and drug-related mental and behavioral disorders, are not a true reflection of the death toll of the drug epidemic?What if the drug epidemic is behind the negative life expectancy trends in the U.S.?There were the questions that the researchers behind a recent study inPLOS ONE set out to answer. They investigated broader drug-related deaths in people in the U.S. between the ages of 15 and 64 years.Among this subset of the population, 9% of deaths were drug-related, based on data on overdose rates. This figure has gone up by 4% in less than 20 years.Speaking to Medical news Today, co-author Prof. Samuel Preston of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia said, "Increasing mortality among working age Americans was not limited to drug overdose, and we believed that the rapid increase in drug use and abuse was likely to be implicated in mortality from other causes of death."The full effect of drugs on mortalityProf. Preston and co-author Dr. Dana Glei of Georgetown University in Washington, DC, hold that drugs can kill in multiple ways beyond overdose.These include infectious diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis, as well as circulatory illnesses, accidents as a result of impaired judgment, and suicide."People who are perpetual drug users have much higher mortality in general," says Prof. Preston.To investigate the extent of drug-related mortality, the researchers looked at data from the National Center for Health Statistics (part of the CDC), which included more than 44 million deaths in people aged 15-64 years in all 50 states over an 18 year period. What they found was that drug-coded deaths, or in other words, those attributed to overdoses and drug-related mental and behavioral disorders, only reflected half of all drug-associated deaths."The most important causes of death accounting for the impact of drugs, in addition to those deaths coded to drugs on death certificates, were cardiovascular diseases and, for working age men, external causes of death," said Prof. Preston.Looking at 2016, for example, Prof. Preston and Dr. Glei found the total number of drug-related deaths to be 142,000, which is 2.25 times higher than the recorded 63,000 drug-related deaths, mostly attributed to overdose.The effect of drugs on U.S. life expectancyProf. Preston and Dr. Glei found that after the age of 15 years, life expectancy for people using drugs dropped by 1.4 years for men and 0.7 years for women, on average.Although this may not sound like a lot, researchers say that it is enough to affect life expectancy trends in the U.S. and to account for the recent reversal of life expectancy trends."We estimate that the impact of drugs is responsible for the reduction in U.S. life expectancy at age 15 since 2010."- Prof. Samuel Preston"If one were to eliminate those deaths we estimate to have been caused by drug use and abuse, we estimate that life expectancy at age 15 in 2016 would increase by 1.4 years for men and 0.7 years for women," Prof. Preston added.The decrease in life expectancy more than doubled for those in West Virginia, the state that the drug epidemic has hit hardest. Here, among those aged 15-64 years, drug-associated deaths represented 39% of male deaths and 27% of female deaths.Other hard-hit states include Massachusetts, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.The state with the lowest rate of drug-related deaths in both sexes was Nebraska.While the study recalculated the extent of the drug epidemic in the U.S., it shed no light on root causes."For now, this research aims to paint a broad picture and get at the true extent of the drug epidemic in the United States," says Prof. Preston. PLANS to hold an emergency services day in Henley have been scrapped. A Thames Valley Police detective suggested holding the event on Mill Meadows with the public being able to meet members of the police, ambulance and fire services and see their vehicles. The town council rejected the idea after the officer was relocated. A group of students from Jamia Millia Islamia on Monday accused those "sitting in power" of giving goons the confidence to open fire during the anti-CAA protests. The Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC), which includes the university's students and alumni, condemned the firing incident outside the university on Sunday night and demanded immediate arrest of those involved. "The impunity with which such people come and open fire shows the confidence granted by fascist forces who are sitting in power, just as much as it shows their frustration," the JCC said in a statement. "The escalation of threats and attacks is bound to lead to casualties if steps are not taken to stop such goons. The protesters are defenceless in the face of such firings and they have been attempting to steer clear of violence in all forms," it added. In third such incident within a week, two unidentified people opened fire outside Jamia Millia Islamia on Sunday night. No one was injured. "The fight against the CAA and the NRC will go ahead with proper concern for safety and security of protesters. It is the Delhi Police's responsibility to take control of law and order situation, which is going out of hand," the JCC said. "We demand immediate arrest of culprits and measures be taken to prevent further incidents. Preventing casualties is as important as anything else in planning further protests," it added. Prior to Sunday's incident, Kapil Gujjar of Dallupura, a village on outskirts of Delhi, had fired in Shaheen Baag on February 1. Gujjar was allegedly seen shouting, "Humare desh men aur kisi ki nahi sirf Hindu ki chalegi" (only Hindus shall have a say in our country, no one else). He was later arrested by the Jamia Nagar police. Four days ago, a 17-year-old youth fired at anti-CAA protesters from Jamia Millia Islamia who were marching towards the Rajghat, injuring a student. Undeterred by these incidents, the protests at the university are going on with full vigour. The students have expressed anger towards the "lack of law and order" around the protests. "The students are not scared but these incidents to deter the spirit of the protests are the reflection of how Delhi Police treats young protestors. They are the ones who are supposed to ensure security and they have completely failed in it," said Waseem Khan, a JMI student. Another student Mohd Arif said, "These incidents of armed shooters entering the protest areas shows desperation of the government at the Centre. The Union ministers at election rallies in Delhi have mentioned Shaheen Bagh and anti-CAA rallies several times. This shows how frustrated they are with the CAA protests". The students, however, said the protests at Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Millia Islamia will continue without any fear. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A new 1,000-bed hospital has been built in just 10 days in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. The first patients have already begun arriving at the prefabricated Huoshenshan hospital, which was thrown up by the authorities after the scale of the epidemic became clear. Thousands of construction workers toiled 24 hours a day to complete the two-storey, 60,000 square metre structure, which has 30 intensive care units. Only those suffering from the coronavirus will be admitted to Huoshenshan, which is designed to take the strain off Wuhans existing hospitals. A leading Chinese epidemiologist, Zhong Nanshan, said the extra space was critical to stopping the spread of the virus. Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Show all 154 1 /154 Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Paramedics wearing personal protective equipment carry patient on a stretcher on to an ambulance in North Point district in Hong Kong, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker wearing protective gear takes a rest as he waits for ambulances carrying patients infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at an entrance of a hospital in Daegu, South Korea YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker sprays disinfectant on an ambulance after carrying a patient infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Daegu YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective face masks shop at a supermarket in Casalpusterlengo, one the northern Italian towns placed under 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attend to a patient inside an isolated ward of Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A drone operated by the Suwon municipal government flies around Changyong Middle School spraying disinfectant, in Suwon, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers transfer medical waste at Leishenshan Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective mask rides a bicycle with his children in Guangzhou, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a railway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Changsha, Hunan province, China cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman repatriated from Wuhan carries a child as she walks upon her arrival at the Van Don airport in Vietnam's Quang Ninh province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff checking the body temperature of a patient who has displayed mild symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker in protective suit transports oxygen tanks at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Boys wearing protection masks, gloves and modified water bottles sit on a cart at the airport arrival terminal in Guangzhou EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Employees work on a production line manufacturing protective suits at a clothing factory in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits move a patient at an isolated ward of a hospital in Caidian district following an outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in protective clothing, including face mask and gloves, carries a bucket as he works inside of The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton, southern England, after it closed for "urgent operational health and safety reasons", following reports a member of staff was infected with the strain of the novel coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers of the ecology and environment bureau collect samples from the sewage system of a hospital in Xinle, Hebei province China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man in protective clothing cleaning the County Oak Medical Centre GP practice The British government warned the outbreak of novel coronavirus was a "serious and imminent threat" and reported four new cases that brought the total recorded in the country to eight. Two hospitals The Royal Free and Guys and St Thomas', have both been designated as "isolation" facilities, with both currently housing Britons who have returned from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to the newly completed Huoshenshan temporary field Hospital in Wuhan. The global coronavirus death toll rose again with Hong Kong announcing its first death from the outbreak on 4 February EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff wait as coaches carrying Coronavirus evacuees arrive at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, in Milton Keynes, after being repatriated to the UK from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A crew member of the cruise ship Diamond Princess talks to a worker wearing protective gear standing near the vessel, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Doctors scan a patient's lungs at Huoshenshan temporary hospital built for patients diagnosed with coronavirus in Wuhan Xinhua News Agency/AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective suits walk from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesians who arrived from Wuhan are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam. People evacuated from the Chinese city at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak, were transported to a quarantine zone on a remote island at the edge of the South China Sea, shortly after landing Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a market in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members hugging each other in an isolation ward at a hospital in Zouping in China's easter Shandong province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A portrait of Dr Li Wenliang is left at Li's hospital in Wuhan. He is regarded a whistleblower on the outbreak and died of the coronavirus which triggered wide-spread mourning on Chinese media Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear enter the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where people tested positive for coronavirus, after the ship arrived at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Firefighters and personnel from the health ministry participate in a drill to prepare for the potential arrival of passengers infected with the coronavirus at the Viru Viru International Airport, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Scientists are at work in the VirPath university laboratory as they try to find an effective treatment against the new Sars-like coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to patients at the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital to receive patients with mild symptoms caused by the virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A girl wears a mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man is transferred from the World Dream cruise ship to an ambulance at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong as health officials conduct inspections AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers from a disinfection service company enter Lotte Department Store in central Seoul, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man who arrived from Hubei province talks with police at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor holds a handheld digital thermometer near health officials preparing a health check for arriving passengers from China at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A resident walks across an empty track in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A scientific staff member works in a secure laboratory, researching the coronavirus, at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members preparing equipment to meet passengers of a military plane, which evacuated citizens of Russia and ex-Soviet countries from China's Wuhan province Vsluh.ru via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff wearing protective suits as they prepare to disinfect a Vietnam Airlines plane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi Vietnam Airlines/AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A South Korean person, who was evacuated from Wuhan, arrives at the National Medical Center after showing suspected symptoms of novel coronavirus, in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was on board cruise ship Diamond Princess and was tested positive for coronavirus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor being disinfected by his colleague at a quarantine zone in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buses carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, arrive at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesian health officials conduct an exercise drill in transporting a patient requiring isolation at the Belawan port in Medan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Pasteur Institute in Dakar, designated by the African Union as one of the two reference centres in Africa for the detection of the new coronavirus that appeared in China, is hosting experts from 15 countries on the continent this weekend to prepare them to deal with the disease AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A government worker disinfects a co-worker after visiting a quarantined woman's home in Qingdao EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An aerial view of the deserted roads and bridges in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers hold a strike outside the Hospital Authority as they demand for Hong Kong to close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person has their tempriture checked in Qingdao, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Malaysian nationals being directed from a bus by health officials in protective suits as they arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, after being evacuated from Wuhan Malaysia's Ministry of Health/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People hoping to buy face masks crowd outside a medical supply shop that was raided by police for allegedly hoarding and overpricing the masks, as public fear over China's Wuhan Coronavirus grow in Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government has been heavily criticized after failing to immediately implement travel restrictions from China, the source of a deadly coronavirus that has now killed hundreds and infected thousands more Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Residents wearing masks and raincoats volunteer to take temperature of passengers following the outbreak of a new coronavirus at a bus stop at Tin Shui Wai, a border town in Hong Kong Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Italian citizens repatriated from Wuhan going though a health control zone after landing at the Mario De Bernardi military airport in Pratica di Mare, south of Rome, prior to be placed in quarantine Italian Defence Ministry/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers arrange beds in a 2,000-bed mobile hospital, set up in an exhibition center, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor checks conditions of occupants in a hotel accommodating isolated people in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city of Wuhan, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital. The Chinese army deployed medical specialists to the epicentre of the spiralling viral outbreak that has killed and spread around the world AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A baby wearing a protective face mask is pushed by a woman as they arrive from Shenzhen to Hong Kong at Lo Wu MTR station AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A young child wears a protective mask and is covered in plastic while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance crews arrive at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, as it prepares for a return flight from Wuhan, China. Eighty-three Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan are being flown back to the UK Tom Maddick / SWNS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman carries a baby wearing a protective mask as they exit the arrival hall at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Camp beds at a Medical Assessment Center set up at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on the eve of the arrival of German citizens evacuated from Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Funeral parlour staff members in protective suits help a colleague with disinfection after they transferred a body at a hospital in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Muslims wearing masks pray for the victims of coronavirus at a mosque in Ahmedabad, India Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical officials waiting for people who wants to check the novel coronavirus at Myeongdong shopping district Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift homemade protection and protective masks while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A patient assisted by medical staff gets off an ambulance in Wuhan AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People line up to buy face masks from a medical supply company in Nanning, southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Countries began evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city hardest-hit by a new virus that has now infected more people in China than were sickened in the country by SARS Chinatopix via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Millions spent their normally festive Lunar New Year holiday under lockdown Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children with face masks wash their hands before prayer at Erawan shrine in Bangkok. Thailand has detected eight Coronavirus cases so far AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An Indonesian health officer points at the screen of a thermal scanner for passengers China confirmed that the deadly Wuhan coronavirus virus can be transmitted between humans AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Hospital workers wearing protective eyewear and masks examine an Indonesian student who returned from China in quarantine at a hospital in Banda Aceh AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance staff dispose of an outfit at the hospital in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person checks the temperature of a passenger to help stop the spread of a deadly virus as he arrives at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International airport in Palembang AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Nepali students, wearing face masks, attend a class at Matribhumi School in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Two Buddhist monks wear face masks while walking along a street in Yangon AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting a residential area in Ruichang, part of Jiujiang in China's central Jiangxi province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers are seen at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020. - China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken thousands of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) HECTOR RETAMAL AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Vapor blurs the goggles of an ambulance driver while they work, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Yangzhou AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff getting on an ambulance in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor of traditional masks wears a facial mask at his shop in Thamel EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An airport official checks the temperature of a passenger upon his arrival at the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An ambulance driver talking with medical staff in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team leave the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market The new coronavirus appears to have its origins in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a popular transport hub AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers produce protective suits at a factory in Nantong AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures after they landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Thai royal guard wears a mask while on duty at the Grand Palace in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a face mask rides a nearly empty subway train in Beijing AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A shopper wearing goggles with a face mask and gloves uses a self checkout machine at a supermarket in Wuhan AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Italian Red Cross putting on protective gear, getting ready to give health checks to passengers that landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of the Hong Kong government's Civil Aid Service gestures at the entrance to the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village which is being used as one of two quarantine centres for people who have been in close proximity with suspected cases of a SARS-type virus. Hong Kong will turn two holiday camps, including a former military barracks, into quarantine zones for people who may have come into contact with carriers of the Wuhan virus, officials announced AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff wearing protective suits at the Zhongnan hospital in Wuhan STR/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Malaysia Health official checks passengers going through a thermal scanner upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting Yingtan North Railway Station, China China banned trains and planes from leaving the major city at the centre of a virus outbreak on January 23, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed lives and spread to other countries AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A passenger walks past a quarantine control station at Narita airport, Japan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Patients queue up to seek treatment in Wuhan Tongji Hospital Fever Clinic, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Quarantine workers spray disinfectant at Incheon International Airport, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of staff checks the temperature of a guest entering the casino of the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau, after it reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jin Yintan hospital Little is known about the new disease which, if confirmed, would be only the seventh coronavirus known to science that can infect humans Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Three Gorges Medical Laboratory offering free masks to the public in Yichang, China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Gabriel Leung, right, chair professor of public health medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, speaks about the extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team conducting searches on the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine officer at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, uses an electronic thermometer to check the temperature of passengers arriving by plane from Wuhan The virus causes symptoms of viral pneumonia, and has already led to several deaths EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A screen shows cancelled flights at Tianhe airport in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials hand out information about the current coronavirus at Kuala Lumpur International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A store owner argues with security guards as he attempts to enter the closed Huanan wholesale seafood market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Handan, China's northern Hebei province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff and security personnel stop patients' family members from being too close to the Jinyintan hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus maya-goodfellowAn airport staff member uses a temperature gun to check people leaving Wuhan Tianhe International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A rescue worker walks past a notice about new coronavirus that has broken out in China Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members carry a patient into the Jinyintan hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A staff member checks body temperature of a child after a train from Wuhan arrived at Hangzhou Railway Station in Hangzhou AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine station measures passenger body temperatures at Narita Airport JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a notice displayed near a quarantine control station at Narita airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a poster alerting on coronavirus screening ahead upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An employee sprays disinfectant on a train, as a precaution against coronavirus, at Suseo Station in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Kazakh sanitary-epidemiological service worker uses a thermal scanner to detect travellers from China who may have symptoms possibly connected with the previously unknown coronavirus, at Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Pharmacist Liu Zhuzhen stands near a sign reading "face masks are sold out" at her pharmacy in Shanghai AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in a protective suit at the closed seafood market in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers wear protective face masks at the departure hall of a high speed train station in Hong Kong AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A notice for passengers from Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wears a mask while riding on mobike past the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market Getty The lack of hospital rooms forced sick people to return home, which is extremely dangerous. So having additional [beds] available is a great improvement, he told the state-run broadcaster CCTV. Despite massive quarantine efforts which have effectively cut off dozens of cities, including Wuhan, from the outside world, the mystery virus has continued to spread. Recommended Two people in UK test positive for coronavirus Chinese authorities said on Monday the total number of confirmed cases was now more than 18,000, and there had been 414 deaths. A second emergency hospital, this time with enough space for 1,500 beds, is also being built in Wuhan and is expected to be finished in the next few days. To bolster the exhausted and overwhelmed medical staff in Wuhan, the Chinese army is sending 1,400 doctors and nurses to the city. Inside Huoshenshan, about half of the prefabricated units which make up the structure are isolation wards, according to the government-run newspaper Yangtze Daily. Reginal medical director of International SOS explains how worried we should be by Coronavirus A high-tech video-link system allows doctors there to discuss cases with specialists in Beijing, over a thousand kilometres away. It also features double-sided cabinets inside patient rooms so staff can deliver supplies and food from the hallways without having to enter. A Shanghai newspaper also reported an unnamed Chinese tech company had donated medical robots which can deliver medicines and test samples around the hospital. Huoshenshan has been modelled on a similar prefabricated hospital thrown up in a few days in Beijing during the Sars virus outbreak in 2003. That building is currently being renovated but authorities have yet to say if it will be used for coronavirus patients. Chief Owangue, Benin, Nigeria, now in Horniman Museum, London, United Kingdom 03.02.2020 LISTEN We, Europeans, who have received and transmitted and continue to transmit these objects, are on the side of the conquerors. To a certain extent, this is also a heritage that weighs us down. But there is no fatality. The good news is that in 2017 the history of Europe being what it is and has also been for centuries, a history of enmity between our nations of bloody wars and discriminations painfully overcome after the Second World War, we have within ourselves the sources and resources to understand the sadness, or the anger or hatred of those who, in other tropics, much further away, poorer, weaker, and have been subjected in the past to the intensive absorbing power of our continent. Or to put it simply: it would be sufficient today to make a very tiny effort of introspection and a slight step aside for us to enter into empathy with the dispossessed peoples.Benedicte Savoy. (1) Readers are by now familiar with my statements that Western museums and the supporters of the universal museums are full of inventiveness when it comes to developing tactics and theories that will help avoiding or at least postponing, the restitution of looted African artefacts in their museums. They seem prepared to do anything except simply accept that looted African artefacts must be returned to their owners in Africa. A good example is the proposal now coming from the Horniman Museum, London, published under the title Horniman Museum to consult Nigerian Londoners on return of looted Benin bronzes. (2) The museum will consult Nigerian Londoners about the future of its Benin bronzes. A team of experts and artists from Nigeria and UK will research the Benin collection before the public is given a chance to express their opinion. The museum has 50 Benin artefacts out of its 22,000 African artefacts. According to the report, Horniman Museum wants to have equitable conversations about the future of its collection of its looted Benin artefacts. This includes being open and transparent about what we have and what we know about it, as well how these collections are currently used and stored, and what opportunities for access are currently available. The discussions will be open, but with a view to developing a set of actions associated with but not limited to access, ownership, care and interpretation. Priest of Ugbor Village with dreadlocks, Benin, Nigeria, now in Horniman Museum, London, United Kingdom. Horniman museums proposal for equitable conversations is no doubt its response to an ever-increasing pressure on Western museums to restitute their looted African artefacts. This response comes after French President Macrons declaration on the need to restitute African artefacts looted in the colonial period and the subsequent recommendation by the Sarr-Savoy report to restitute African artefacts taken without the consent of the owners. Germany has responded to this pressure by publishing new guidelines on handling artefacts looted during the colonial rule and the Dutch have established new rules on this matter. The Arts Council England is seeking a producer of new guidelines. Hornimans equitable conversations must be viewed against this background. What are precisely equitable conversations? My Oxford Advanced Leaners Dictionary of Current English (Eight edition) defines equitable as fair and reasonable; treating everyone in an equal way. Can there be a fair and reasonable conversation about undoubtedly looted artefacts after one party has kept them for more than 100 years and is still refusing to return any to the owners? Can there be equitable conversations between looters/looters successors and owners of the artefacts, between those who have inherited the plunder and wealth of imperialist domination and those whose sweat and labour, including slave labour, created imperial wealth? But why are Horniman museum and other European museums now, after hundred years of neglect and insults, interested in having conversations with the African peoples? They seem to have realised finally that they lack any convincing legitimacy in holding those looted artefacts. They now seek to build some sort of legitimacy and are seeking to draw the African diaspora in the Western world into discussion instead of facing squarely the owners in Africa. But this quest for legitimacy has its own problems. The African diaspora has its origins in slavery and colonialism and the approach by the museum is not without its pitfalls. The African diaspora knows the museums and their dubious ways and tricks better than many an owner at home in Africa. Diasporans live close to the museums and have no problem in realizing the connections between slavery, colonialism, looting and the current racism of which they are the primary victims on a daily basis. The Benin artefacts in Horniman museum were admittedly bought by Frederic Horniman, the museums founder, in 1897 soon after the notorious British invasion of Benin. Annie E. Coombes states in her excellent book, Reinventing Africa, with reference to the founder of the museum that In 1897, he was quick to buy up a considerable amount of Benin material from established commercial sources and private collections.(3) It is disappointing that after so many years, equitable conversations are what the museum wishes to establish on such an important contemporary matter instead of coming out with a clear policy on restitution. Ekpenede, Iyase of Benin, Benin, now in Horniman Museum, London, United Kingdom. Who are Nigerian Londoners with whom the museum seeks to have equitable conversations? Are they Nigerians living in London and not elsewhere in Britain or are they Londoners with Nigerian descendance or background? The museum can talk to whomever it chooses and there is no objection to discussions on artefacts, equitable or inequitable. But all this seems to be playing for time. The main issue now is the restitution of looted Benin artefacts. We are surprised that the museum wants to talk to Nigerian Londoners, whoever they are, about access, ownership ,care and interpretation. The right interlocutors for the Horniman museum on the main issue of ownership are the Benin owners in Benin City, Nigeria and the Nigerian government. It is good that Horniman intends to talk to British and Nigerian artists, but we must note that the relevant question about the Benin artefacts now is not their artistic quality or the level of the Benin craftsman. It is now accepted that the Benin craftsmen had achieved a very high level of sophistication and craftmanship. Felix Luschan had already in 1919 declared: These Benin works stand among the highest heights of European casting. Benvenuto Cellini could not have made a better cast himself, nor anyone before or after him, even to the present day. These bronzes reach the very heights of what is technically possible.(4) The urgent question now about the Benin artefacts is their ownership. Should these exquisite treasures be returned to their African owners in Benin who, through excessive violence of war by the British, have been deprived of the use of their artefacts for hundred years or should they remain with the British who have kept them for so long though they do not belong to Benin cultural area. This is how the matter has been seen in France, Germany, Netherlands and elsewhere. Horniman may wish to add to the list of artists it intends to consult, art historians, jurists and historians. Nigeria has many such specialists, not necessarily in London, who have spent some time in studying the issue. One can think of Sylvester Ogbechie, UC Santa Barbara, Chika Okeke Agulu, Princeton University, Peju Layiwola, University of Lagos and many others from that great country of culture which has been robbed many times by those pretending to help. It seems Horniman museum has not advanced much on the issue of restitution since we last visited the museum in Forest Hill and so we can repeat what we wrote in 2011: If the Horniman Museum is really interested in equitable and respectful relationships not only with the peoples of Africa, but with the rest of the world, the museum must take concrete steps such as returning a few of the Benin bronzes, in response to the long-standing request from the Benin Royal Family and in fulfilment of several UNESCO and United Nations resolutions. (5) The Horniman Museum is, of course, not alone in applying delaying tactics in the form of offers for discussions. It is aware of the examples of the Victoria and Albert Museum offering to loan looted Maqdala treasures to Ethiopia and the British Museum offering to loan looted Benin artefacts to Nigeria. Horniman Museum, like the British Museum, is a member of the Benin Dialogue Group which has ruled out restitution. (6) These citadels of looted treasures of others act as if they were facing demands for restitution for the first time and thereby demonstrate their utter contempt for the former colonial and conquered peoples. These Western museums are not willing to return even a few of the artefacts Europeans looted from the colonies with violence. Their lack of empathy with the African owners is obvious. Should we continue to listen to speeches that only reinforce racist assumptions of superiority? An innocent bystander, listening to discussions on restitution of African artefacts may be excused for thinking that Africans were begging Europeans to lend them European artefacts which the Europeans needed for practicing European culture. The bystander may also be excused for thinking Queen-Mother Idia was a European goddess that Nigerians had learnt to admire as a result of colonial education and not a noble Benin heroine who played a crucial role in the history of Benin. Nefertiti may appear as a queen of ancient Germans and not as an Egyptian queen illegitimately held in Berlin. African intellectuals and leaders must finally develop a more active and self-respecting approach rather than waiting for those who use every occasion to show their unwillingness or inability to follow any path other than that of our continuous centuries old humiliation. We must demonstrate that we can learn from history. Kwame Opoku. Priest Doctor of the Royal Army and Benin War Chief, Benin, Nigeria, now in Horniman Museum, London, United Kingdom. NOTES. 1. Nous, les Europeens, qui avons recu et transmis et continuons de transmettre ces objets, nous sommes du cote des vainqueurs. Dune certaine maniere, cela aussi, cest un heritage qui nous ecrase . Mais il ny a pas de fatalite. La bonne nouvelle, cest quen 2017 lhistoire de lEurope ayant ete ce quelle a ete aussi pendant des siecles, une histoire dinimities entre nos nations, de guerres sanglantes et de discriminations peniblement surmontees apres la Seconde Guerre Mondiale, nous avons a linterieur de nous-memes les sources et les ressources pour comprendre la tristesse, ou la colere, ou la haine de ceux qui, sous dautres tropiques, plus loin, plus pauvres, plus faibles, ont ete soumis par le passe a lintense pouvoir absorbant de notre continent. Ou pour dire les choses simplement : il nous suffit aujourdhui dun minuscule effort dintrospection et dun leger pas de cote pour entrer en empathie avec les depossedes. Benedicte Savoy, Objets du desir. Desir dobjets Histoire culturelle du patrimoine artistique en Europe. XVIIIeXXe siecles Lecon inaugurale prononcee au College de France le 30 mars 2017 https://www.college-de-france.fr/site/en-benedicte-savoy/inaugural-lecture-2017-03-30-18h00.htm 2. Horniman Museum to consult Nigerian Londoners on return of www.msn.com en-xl africa top-stories ar-BBZtGvR Horniman Museum to consult Nigerian Londoners ... - MSN.com Horniman Museum to consult Nigerian Londoners ... - Flipboard 3. Annie E. Coombes, Reinventing Africa, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1994, p.150. A Guide to the Collections in the Horniman Museum and Library, 1921, describes the Benin collection as follows: The Benin collection, obtained shortly after the town was destroyed by a British force in 1897, contains the following specimens:-a number of bronze panels with figures in high relief; small bronze pendants with animal figures; small pendants with human figures ;brass mask with face showing tribal marks; brass fowl, bell, armlet, dancing wands; ivory armlets ;ivory handles with human figure at end (?handles of fly-whisks) ;wooden comb; carved wooden frame: and other objects. p.43. The catalogue also contains some remarkable statements such as: Since the backward races of Asia, Africa, Oceania, and America- in so far as they have not become semi-civilised or extinct- still make use of simple primitive contrivances analogous to those discarded by our remote ancestors, a large part of the collection consists of specimens from such peoples. p.13.3. 4. Felix von Luschan, Die Altertumer von Benin, 1919 5. www.toncremers.nl kwame-opoku-horniman-museum-and-the-restit...Kwame Opoku - HORNIMAN MUSEUM AND THE ... 6. K. Opoku, www.modernghana.com news loan-of-looted-ethiopian-treasures-t...Loan Of Looted Ethiopian Treasures To Ethiopia: Must Europeans always win?... www.modernghana.com news benin-dialogue-group-removes-rest... Benin Dialogue Group Removes Restitution Of Benin Artefacts ... China imposed a lockdown Sunday on a major city far from the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic, as its death toll from the disease soared to 361 and the first fatality outside the country was reported in the Philippines. The events added to deepening concern about the potential for the virus to spread, as governments around the world closed their borders to people from China. Struggling to contain the virus, authorities took action in eastern city of Wenzhou on Sunday -- some 800 kilometres (500 miles) from Wuhan, the metropolis at the heart of the health emergency -- closing roads and confining people to their homes. Since emerging out of Wuhan late last year, the coronavirus has infected nearly 14,500 people across China and reached 24 countries. In Thailand, which has 19 confirmed cases, doctors Sunday said an elderly Chinese patient treated with a cocktail of flu and HIV drugs had shown a dramatic improvement and tested negative for the virus 48 hours later. Most of the infections overseas have been in people who had travelled from Wuhan, an industrial hub of 11 million people, or surrounding areas of Hubei province. The man who died in the Philippines was a 44-year-old from Wuhan, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared the epidemic a global health emergency. China has embarked on unprecedented efforts to contain the virus, which is believed to have jumped to humans from a Wuhan animal market, and can be transmitted among people in a similar fashion to the flu. - Lockdowns - Those efforts have included extraordinary quarantines in Wuhan and surrounding cities, with all transport out banned, effectively sealing-off more than 50 million people. But 10 days after locking down Wuhan, authorities imposed similar draconian measures on Wenzhou, a coastal city of nine million people in Zhejiang province, part of the eastern industrial heartland that has powered Chinas economic rise over recent decades. Only one resident per household is allowed to go out every two days to buy necessities, and 46 highway toll stations have been closed, authorities announced. The city had previously closed public places such as cinemas and museums, and suspended public transport. Zhejiang has 661 confirmed infections, with 265 of those in Wenzhou, according to the government. This is the highest tally for any province in China after ground-zero Hubei. - Closing borders - Internationally, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Israel have banned foreign nationals from visiting if they have been in China recently, and they have also warned their own citizens against travelling there. Mongolia, Russia and Nepal have closed their land borders. The number of countries reporting infections rose to 24 after Britain, Russia and Sweden confirmed their first cases this weekend. The death toll in China climbed to 304 on Sunday after authorities reported 45 new deaths. There were 2,590 new confirmed cases in China, bringing the total to nearly 14,500. The number of confirmed infections in China is far higher than the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002-03. SARS, caused by a pathogen similar to the new coronavirus and also originated in China, killed 774 people worldwide -- most of them in mainland China and Hong Kong. With hospitals in Wuhan overwhelmed, China will Monday open a military-led field hospital that was built in just 10 days to treat people stricken by the virus. And with the Chinese economy suffering, the central bank announced it would release 1.2 trillion yuan ($173 billion) Monday to maintain liquidity in the banking system -- the day markets re-open after the long holiday break. - Holiday ending - The emergence of the virus coincided with the Lunar New Year, when hundreds of millions travel across the country in planes, trains and buses for family reunions. The holiday, which was scheduled to end on Friday, was extended by three days to give authorities more time to try to deal with the crisis. With many due back at work on Monday, people were starting to return on planes and trains over the weekend, with almost everyone wearing face masks. Custom authorities had ordered temperature checks at all exit-entry points in Beijing, according to state media. Returning travellers were being checked and registered at residential compounds, while fever checks were in place in subway stations, offices and cafes. One 22-year-old arriving at a Beijing train station from northeastern China said her family had urged her to delay her return. But I was worried it would affect my job, she said. Security guard Du Guiliang, 47, said he would be starting back at work in Beijing on Sunday, after returning from northeast Liaoning province. Many colleagues (from Hubei) couldnt come back. Now, those who work the day shift at our company have to do the night shift as well, he said. Many businesses were to remain closed for at least another week, however, while some major cities -- including Shanghai -- had also extended the holiday. Many foreigners, meanwhile, have started to leave China to wait things out abroad. (My family) said I need to go home, said 22-year-old South African student Jamie Bosch as she waited for a flight out of Beijing on Sunday. bur-lth/mtp/har A school district in Michigan has been ordered to reinstate one employee and pay a total of $102,905.78 in back wages, damages and other compensation in a whistleblower case. The U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said Michigans Dearborn Heights School District violated whistleblower statutes by unjustly disciplining, publicly discrediting and terminating an employee who reported unsafe working conditions to federal and state agencies. Federal investigators determined that the Michigan school district violated the Clean Air Act. The terminated employee served as a key witness for federal investigators in a 2012 whistleblower complaint from an employee who alleged employee and student exposure to asbestos at the public school. In fall 2016, the employee also reported potential exposure of pesticide at the school to the Michigan Environmental Protection Agency. OSHAs investigation found the Dearborn Heights School District publicly disputed these employees complaints, as well as media reports of potential exposure to hazards. The district also maintained an information link on its website alleging that both employees had presented misinformation and caused a public health scare. In addition, the district stated on the public website that it was within its rights to terminate whistleblowers, a clear violation of federal law. The employee assisted with the 2012 investigation after the worker objected when the director of operations and construction management told the worker to dry sand floor tiles that contained asbestos at Annapolis High School. The director failed to train the workers in asbestos hazards and provide protective equipment. Within days of receipt of the Department of Labors June 2016 findings in the employees whistleblower case, the school district allegedly embarked on heightened surveillance of the second employee, a lengthy progressive discipline campaign against the individual, and eventually terminated their employment for actions including reporting unsafe conditions to state and federal agencies. In the previous action, Dearborn Heights School District contested OSHAs June 2016 findings in favor of the first whistleblower. An Administrative Law Judge ordered the district, through a settlement, to pay the former janitor $210,261 in back wages and damages on Feb. 14, 2018. Both parties have 30 days from the receipt of OSHAs findings to file objections and request a hearing before an administrative law judge. Source: OSHA Topics Workers' Compensation Michigan Education Pollution ESA is working with Argentina to test telemedicine device Tempus Pro in the harsh conditions of Antarctica as Europe prepares for its next phase of human exploration in space. The development of these devices was supported by ESA and it is thought they could be used by astronauts and medical teams during future exploration missions. The testing and validation of Tempus Pro in Argentinian Antarctic bases marks a new era of cooperation between ESA and Argentina - a nation that is already a long-standing partner of ESA in Latin America. ESA telemedicine monitors have been deployed for testing at two of Argentina's Antarctic bases - Belgrano II and Carlini. Belgrano II is located less than 1 300 km from the South Pole, with temperatures that can drop below -35oC over summer. Isolated, and built on rocky outcrops, it is seen as a good analogue for missions to the Moon and Mars. Carlini is located at South Coast Potter Cove, on King George Island. Being less isolated than Belgrano II, it will allow teams to compare two different, but extreme, environments. Tempus Pro in action Tempus Pro telemedicine devices have been used by ESA medical teams to record and transmit the vital signs of ESA astronauts after landing since the return of Thomas Pesquet from his Proxima mission in May 2017. The technology will be used again in February when ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano returns from his second six-month mission to the International Space Station, known as 'Beyond'. The device also allows geolocation and voice communications between rescue teams and receivers and is regularly used by civilians and military personnel around the world to measure and transmit life parameters such as a patient's heartrate, blood pressure, respiration rate and temperature to medical doctors. The harsh environment of Antarctica will provide the ultimate viability test. Connecting in harsh conditions Members of ESA's space medicine team at ESA's astronaut centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany prepared the Tempus Pro devices for testing in Earth's southernmost continent in late 2019. Dr Victor Demaria-Pesce, senior scientific advisor at EAC, and Dr Daniel Vigo from the Catholic University of Argentina then travelled to Antarctica with the devices to support their deployment and the testing that is currently underway. Victor and Daniel believe the strength of Tempus Pro lies in the way the device combines all medical techniques needed to carry out an initial medical assessment in a single, robust unit, as well as its flexibility to transmit information via a range of voice and data networks. Non-medical users can also operate the units thanks to detailed instructions on screen. n Antarctica, there are few reliable options for data transmission. In addition to their own base transmission systems, operators will use an antenna to connect Tempus Pro to the Iridium satellite network that orbits Earth. These satellites will then retransmit the medical data to a receiver in a different location. Made up of 66 cross-linked satellites in Low-Earth Orbit, the Iridium network enables global coverage even when traditional systems are unavailable and will allow users in Antarctica to communicate, by voice in addition to sending data, with the medical team at EAC as well as Dr Juan Manuel Cuiuli and colleagues from the Joint Antarctic Command in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Spotlight on simulation Six simulations, similar to what astronauts may encounter during future missions to the Moon and Mars, are planned for the two Tempus Pro devices during their time in Antarctica. These simulations include nominal and off-nominal scenarios such as emergencies where the medical officer is incapacitated, medical emergencies in an outdoor environment and situations where communication is limited. The devices will be used by researchers as well as by the medical officer of the bases for everyday medical purposes while the technology is evaluated for potential use during space missions. Device development The Tempus Pro devices were developed in the UK with funding and support from the Business Applications part of ESA's Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems programme. "The fact that ESA's medical operations team already use this commercially-successful technology for their operations as well space exploration preparatory activities closes the loop nicely," says Arnaud Runge, medical engineer who supervised the technical development of the Tempus Pro. "It demonstrates ESA's ability to support industry in many different areas". Their journey to Antarctica marks the first step in a recent agreement between ESA, the Argentine Antarctic Directorate (DNA) and the National Commission of Space Activities (CONAE). This growing scientific cooperation will include other institutions such as the Catholic University of Argentina, National University of Quilmes and CONICET. It will allow further development of scientific and operational projects in the extreme environment of the Antarctic continent as ESA prepares for further exploration of our solar system. First results of the experiments should be available in the coming weeks and demonstrate how Tempus Pro can be used to medically support a crew of explorers in a situation and environment that most closely resembles what future astronauts will encounter on Mars. Additional imagery Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - UNICEF Gambia has called on The Gambia government to take stronger measures to protect children from violence, abuse and exploitation Newsfrom Japan Assessing the state of the new coronavirus infection and the outlook for Japan. Outbreak in Wuhan Just over three weeks after the Chinese government announced the detection of a new coronavirus on January 9, it had spread across the whole country and beyond, leading to 360 fatalities and more than 17,000 people infected worldwide, as of February 3. Coronaviruses are communicated among human and animal populations. Previous outbreaks include severe acute respiratory syndrome, which broke out initially in China in 2002, and Middle East respiratory syndrome, which spread from Saudi Arabia in 2012 and caused an epidemic in South Korea in 2015. SARS infected 8,000 and killed 774 people worldwide, while MERS infected 2,500 and killed 858 . As the number of infections from the Wuhan coronavirus has overtaken both of these, the situation is becoming more serious by the day. With a population of 11 million, the geographically sprawling city of Wuhan has more people than central Tokyo. The outbreak is thought to have originated in a seafood wholesale market that also sold live animals; this market has been closed. To prevent further spread of the disease, the Chinese government has shut off transportation in Wuhan and the surrounding area, effectively imposing a blockade. However, almost half of the citys population left during the major holidays around Chinese New Year on January 24. As they traveled around China, and to Japan and other countries, the number of people infected steadily increased. First Person-to-Person Infection in Japan Stock markets have plunged around the world as the outbreak takes its toll on the global economy. In addition to the immediate security measures associated with the virus, Japan faces pressure to contain the problem before this summers Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. With a target of 40 million international visitors this year, the host country will want to curb infection before the Olympics begin in July. On January 28 in Japan, a bus driver carrying tourists from Wuhan was found to have been infected, while the following day the guide on the bus was also confirmed as having pneumonia from the coronavirus. The driver had no record of visiting China, so this was the first case of the coronavirus spreading from person to person in Japan. From January 29 to 31, Japanese citizens in Wuhan were transported back to Japan on government-chartered planes. Some of those traveling were found to have been infected. Difficult to Make Predictions Professor Iwata Kentaro from the infectious diseases division at Kobe University Hospital is a specialist with experience at a Beijing clinic. Now is the crucial moment, he says, which will decide whether the infection will spread or be contained. If infection from people entering the country and those around them can be contained, it will prevent an epidemic, notes the professor. But if the number of patients increases into the dozens or hundreds, their communities will become like Wuhan is now. The immediate task is to prevent a rise in the number of people infected. At a meeting of representatives from government ministries and agencies, someone suggested quarantining all returnees from Wuhan for a certain period. However, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare said it would be illegal to force quarantine on people without symptoms, creating a human rights issue. The MHLW asked returnees without symptoms to measure their body temperature every day and refrain from leaving their homes for two weeks to ensure that they remain healthy beyond the viruss incubation period. Professor Iwata Kentaro of Kobe University Hospital. (Courtesy Kobe University Hospital) Professor Iwata says, The 14-day observation period set by the Japanese government is generally good. People should act normally toward the returnees. He stresses that there is no need to take any unusual action or precautions. On the question of whether the infection can be contained in Japan before the summer, Iwata says, Its difficult to make any predictions. The SARS epidemic came to an end, but the 2009 swine flu virus is still around more than a decade later. While there are still so many unknown factors, specialists cannot make any judgements about the Wuhan coronavirus, and must focus on gathering more information. Avoid Disproportionate Worry Professor Iwata was in Beijing when SARS was at its height in 2003. All patients with fevers potentially had SARS, so they were under extreme stress when I examined them. But even though there were thousands of people infected with SARS, the daily life of the city remained the same. Chinas a huge country and Beijings a big city. Iwata gives the following advice for preventing infection. Its extremely simple and obvious advice, but get enough sleep and rest, avoid overwork and excessive stress, and eat nutritionally balanced meals. Maintaining hygiene by washing hands with soap, gargling, and avoiding touching ones mouth and nose are also key measures, as with most airborne diseases. As yet, no medicine has been developed to tackle the coronavirus, but just passing someone infected in the street is not enough to catch it oneself. Infection requires prolonged contact, so Professor Iwata says, Its important not to worry disproportionately and to maintain a healthy everyday life. (Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: A patient thought to be infected with the new coronavirus is carried to an ambulance in Wuhan, China, on January 30, 2020. Hector Retamal, AFP, Aflo.) Further reading: Unclear Symptoms Making Coronavirus Containment DifficultFebruary 10, 2020 The economic and diplomatic costs of Chinas coronavirus epidemic mounted on Monday with investors knocking $400 billion off the value of stocks and the government accusing the United States of over-reacting to the outbreak and whipping up panic. The number of deaths in China from the newly identified virus, which emerged in Wuhan city in the central province of Hubei in December, had risen to 361 as of Sunday, up 57 from the previous day, the National Health Commission said. Chinas markets plunged at the open in their first session after an extended Lunar New Year break that began on Jan. 23, when the virus had claimed only 17 lives in Wuhan. Since then, the flu-like virus has been declared a global emergency and spread to about two dozen other countries and regions, with the first death outside of China reported on Sunday, that of a 44-year-old Chinese man who died in the Philippines after traveling from Wuhan. Wuhan and some other cities remain in virtual lockdown with travel severely restricted, and China is facing increasing international isolation as well due to restrictions on flights to and from the country, and bans on travelers from China. The government pointed a finger of blame at the United States saying it had acted to create and spread fear instead of offering any significant assistance. The United States was the first country to suggest the partial withdrawal of its embassy staff, and the first to impose a travel ban on Chinese travelers, said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying. All it has done could only create and spread fear, which is a bad example, Hua told an online news briefing, adding that China hoped countries would make judgements and responses that were reasonable, calm and based on science. Relations with the United States have been strained over the past year, largely over trade. TRAVEL AND TRADE The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern but it has also said travel bans are unnecessary. There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. We call on all countries to implement decisions that are evidence-based and consistent. Jittery investors erased almost $400 billion from Chinese stocks, with the Shanghai Composite index down almost 8%, its worst daily drop in four years The yuan had its worst day since August and Shanghai-traded commodities from oil to copper hit their maximum down limits. The wipeout came even as the central bank made its biggest cash input into financial markets since 2004 with an injection of 1.2 trillion yuan ($173.8 billion) of liquidity into the markets via reverse repo operations and despite apparent regulatory moves to curb selling. Investors had been bracing for volatility when onshore trade in stocks, bonds, yuan and commodities resumed, following a steep global selldown on fears about the impact of the virus on the worlds second-biggest economy. Beijing also said it would help firms that produce vital goods resume work as soon as possible, state broadcaster CCTV reported. But while stock markets reopened, most provinces have extended the holiday to try to contain the virus, with workers in Hubei not scheduled to return until after Feb. 13. The number of new confirmed infections in China rose by 2,829, bringing the total to 17,205. The WHO reported at least 151 confirmed cases have been reported in 23 other countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Britain. CHINA OPENS FAST-BUILT HOSPITAL A 1,000-bed hospital built in just eight days to treat people with the virus in Wuhan will begin to take patients on Monday, state media said. More than 7,500 workers took part in the project, launched on Jan. 25 and finished this weekend. A second hospital in Wuhan with 1,600 beds is due to be ready on Feb. 5. While countries have been trying to block the virus with travel bans, they have also been getting stranded citizens out of Wuhan. The United States, which flew people out last week, is planning a handful more flights while Russia is due to start evacuating its citizens from Wuhan on Monday. It has also suspended direct passenger trains link. Australia evacuated 243 people, many of them children, from Wuhan on Monday and will quarantine them on a remote island. Australia on Saturday followed the United States in barring entry to all foreign nationals traveling from mainland China. The virus is thought to have emerged late last year in a Wuhan market illegally trading wildlife. It can cause pneumonia and spreads between people in droplets from coughs and sneezes. It has created alarm because it is spreading quickly and there are still important unknowns surrounding it, such as its death rate and whether it is able to spread before any symptoms show. The number of deaths in China has now passed the total Chinese toll from the 2002-03 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), another coronavirus that emerged from China and killed almost 800 people around the world. Even so, Chinese data suggests the new coronavirus is less deadly than SARS, although such numbers can evolve rapidly. (Reporting by Kevin Yao, Lusha Zhang and Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by Yilei Sun, Leng Cheng, Brenda Goh, Winni Zhou in Shanghai, Martin Pollard in Jiujiang, Roxanne Liu, Pei Li, Gabriel Crossley and Muyu Xu in Beijing, Clare Jim and Noah Sin in Hong Kong, Mekhla Raina in Bengaluru, Maria Kiselyova in Moscow, Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Gayatri Suroyo in Jakarta, Tom Westbrook in Singapore Writing by Robert Birsel; editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan) Topics COVID-19 USA China Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 23:23:34|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TOKYO, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said Monday it is stepping up anti-terrorism efforts ahead of the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics to be held in the capital and is asking foreign visions to remain vigilant. Part of its efforts include a new poster campaign with a slogan written in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, encouraging people to contact the police if they notice anything out of the ordinary. The striking posters in the style of a "ukiyoe" woodblock print feature a "kabuki" actor with intense, staring eyes, urging people to call the "110" emergency phone number. The new posters have been put up around major hubs in the metropolis, including at Shibuya Station, where a nearby giant screen also urges people to cooperate in the capital's efforts to prevent terrorism. Police also handed out flyers around the station, calling for cooperation from all. The campaign is also aimed at informing non-Japanese that the emergency "110" number will connect callers to operators around the clock who can speak English and Chinese, police here said. Buhari! Absent. Thats the class teacher calling the attendance and Nigerias presidents classmates responding. The Hausa will say, Ba anan. My Yoruba brethren will say, Kosinle. And the Biafrans refer to him as Jibrin-al Sudani, a clone. There are a few that still believe Muhammadu Buhari is aware and running the affairs of Nigeria. Africas largest nation is visibly on cruise control. The latest evidence of disconnect was when president Buhari denied knowing how the nation is be riddled with terror. I was taken aback by what is happening in the North-West and other parts of the country. During our campaigns, we knew about the Boko Haram. What is coming now is surprising. It is not ethnicity or religion rather it is one evil plan against the country, Buhari said when confronted by citizens from Nigeria state, the past Monday. But while there has been some uproar, no one is really shocked by his distance from the happenings in the country. Buhari does not read, his Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi once said. A Senator from Adamawa state, whose home was invaded by terrorists described the state of insecurity as worse than ever in recent history.. Another called for Buharis sack. The entire House of representatives asked for the dismissal of Nigerias heads of service.. Thats how bad the security situation in Nigeria is, yet Buhari does not know. There is something amiss, apart from the president. There is a secret being held in high corridors. After the gravely ill president got miraculously fixed in the United Kingdom, something got broken. And those at the head know. It is not in contention that Nigerias heads of service have failed in their obligation to secure the nation. There are more daily gruesome deaths and kidnappings in Nigeria than any other nation on earth right now, including those at war. But while most of the failed security chiefs are past retirement, there is no one to fire them, because they know the secret. Every one at the top knows the secret and so they are all immune, co-rulers of Nigeria, doing as they may with no fear of consequence. Fire us and well tell. Nigerias First lady is seen publicly dismissing the presidents her husbands spokesman and his nephew. The spokesman fires back at her.. Everyone sits and waits for the president to moderate the embarrassing disputes, but there is silence. The man of the house is absent. When his chief of staff sacked aides of Vice president Yemi Osinbajo, the president responded to interviewers with an expression of surprise. Were they fired? I only thought they were moved around. They were fired and still are. But wait not for the president to acknowledge, agree or overturn. There will be no response. Everyone at the top is enjoying the freedom of a nation on auto-pilot. No one is talking. No one will talkwell, except for one man. One very loud man who is not known for silence. When president Buhari visited the United States, it was rumored that president Donald Trump told his aides he never wanted to meet someone as lifeless as Nigerias president again. The teacher is putting the grades in. Buhari! she calls again. Absent. Failed, she records. But it is not a single exam for a single student. It is a terminal exam for an entire nation. The fail is written in red ink. Blood from the wounded, dying and the dead. After three courses with all the trimmings at Old Government House, Guernseys only five-star boutique hotel, I ease back in my chair with a glass of locally produced damson gin and finally pay some notice to the elegant surroundings. My eyes hover over photographs above the mantelpiece: officers dancing, lounging on the terrace in the sun, even a uniformed string quartet. They seem so natural in the Georgian dining room, with its fine mahogany doors and portraits of bygone governors in their red coats, that you would hardly give them a second look. But on closer inspection, you suddenly notice that these arent British officers at all but those from the Wehrmacht, enjoying a little rest and recreation in the Channel Islands, the only bit of Britain that fell to Hitlers forces. Reminders of the past: The Germans occupied Fort Grey in St Peter Port, above, during the war This year, Guernsey celebrates the 75th anniversary of its liberation from five years of German occupation, an event that disfigured the islands landscape and left deep but hidden wounds in the inhabitants. For decades after the war, Guernsey, as elsewhere in occupied Europe, made strenuous efforts to forget the whole awful experience. Now, though, the bitterness felt by former generations has gone and the island has come to terms with the wartime occupation, which began in June 1940. This period is captured beautifully in 2018s gentle film The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society, starring Lily James. After the fall of France, nothing could be done to defend the Channel Islands, and over three days, a desperate evacuation was organised, during which half of Guernseys population and most of its children were ferried to mainland Britain. But it was hit and miss to get a place on a boat. And no one imagined the war would last another five years. The highlight of this years anniversary events billed as Heritage 75 will be the 75th Liberation Day on May 9. It has been designated a public holiday on the island and will see parades and a huge public turnout in the streets of the capital St Peter Port for what will be the last significant anniversary in which locals who were alive during the occupation take part. Pictured is one of the German bunkers on Guernsey Numerous other events are being organised throughout the year which will celebrate the islands wartime history. There will be occupation-themed guided walks, dinners and cycle rides, and food festivals where you can sample potato peel pies (served as enticing canapes rather than the monotonous original). Meanwhile, a group of 30 local volunteers have led Fortress Guernsey, a project to restore hitherto closed German blockhouses and gun emplacements, which will be open to the public for the first time this year. I was treated to a tour in a wartime Dodge staff car, but getting around Guernsey is simple enough. There are numerous buses (it costs just 1 to go around the island) or else visitors can hire a car. Some of the wartime sites are astonishing, such as the four vast emplacements for Russian naval guns captured by the Germans at Sebastopol and laboriously transported all the way to Guernsey. Each had a crew and defence force of 600 men, but the guns were fired only a handful of times. Visitors will find Old Government House Hotel, built in 1796 as the governors official residence, is a draw for formal afternoon tea, while a pleasant drink can be had at The Crows Nest nearby. For a grander experience, La Fregate, an 18th Century manor house with views of Sark, is a must for anyone who loves seafood. But it is one of Guernseys fanciest restaurants and has prices to match. Fascinating collection: A German anti-tank gun, just one of the exhibits on show at the German Occupation Museum Gill Girard organises walking tours of the island and rates La Nautique and Octopus for delicious local catches, which can be enjoyed while admiring wonderful sea views. A descendant from an old Guernsey family, Gill appears in extra features of The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society and is a mine of fascinating information. The island, she says, offers visitors decent B&Bs, such as La Roche Guest House and Les Rouvets Farm. History buffs should sign up with Tim Osborne, who specialises in German occupation walks and tours, or visit the German Occupation Museum, privately run by an enthusiast called Richard Heaume. It contains a captivating collection of exhibits, including a German anti-tank gun and a poster with the message: ATTENTION-WARNING Any persons found marking walls with V signs or insults against the German Armed Forces are liable to be shot. And if reading about this traumatic period is more your thing, then A Quiet War, by tour guide and author Fred Gallienne, is recommended. Fred, described as a quintessential Guernseyman, lived through the German occupation and has plenty of tales to tell of his childhood. And it is these nuggets of Guernseys past, now dug up for our delight, which will linger long in the minds of visitors. Polls & the anatomy of a protest. New Delhi: Several weeks before Union home minister Amit Shah set in motion a chain of violent reactions with his goading at the January 27 election rally in Delhi Press the voting button so hard that the tremors are felt in Shaheen Bagh two people had seen it coming. And when junior finance minister Anurag Thakur followed up Mr Shahs instructions the next day by inciting people to chant goli maro gaddaraon ko, which in turn led 17-year-old Rambhakt Gopal to post Shaheen Bagh, khel khatam on his Facebook page before shooting at Jamia Millia Islamias anti-CAA protesters, Sharjeel Imam and Aasif Mujtaba, the two IITians who had led the protest at Shaheen Bagh, would have been unnerved. They would have recalled the exit plan they had negotiated with the Delhi Police and were ready to implement after the New Year. If they could, they would have discussed the ominous comment of the police officer on that freezing night of January 1 that led to a chain of events they both had dreaded but couldnt eventually avoid. Tum ko peacefully uthane se mana kar diya hai, the officer had said to them, relaying instructions received from the Union home ministry. They would have liked to discuss it, surely, except that Sharjeel was in police custody and Aasif remains besieged by the recurring shooting at Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Millia Islamia University. Sharjeel and Aasif had got a glimpse of how quickly and easily things could go wrong on December 15 itself. At around 4 pm, when a crowd in Jamia Nagar had lifted Sharjeel on their shoulders and asked, Hamein kya karna chahiye?, his two-word response, Chakka Jaam had led to the Shaheen Bagh sit-in protest. At round 5 pm, both sides of Road No. 13A that links Mathura Road and Kalindi Kunj to Noida, had been blocked with cement slabs, stones and police barricades. Sharjeel and Aasif, encircled by about 300 men, were taking turns to explain why it was important to protest. All we can do is disrupt, said Sharjeel. That is the only way to be heard. Sitting at Jantar Mantar, even for years, will yield nothing. We were talking of blocking both sides of the highway, of disrupting the water and milk supply to Delhi, he told me over conversations that began on January 16. The local AAP MLA, Amanatullah Khan, was not so keen. He said lets get up now and organise a peaceful march to Amit Shahs house next Friday. I said, Hamein baithna hai, hum baithenge. Jisko jana hai woh jaye, Sharjeel said. Women had come and gone. At around 8.30 pm, police came and asked us to vacate at least one side of the road. I agreed, though I was not very happy, Sharjeel said. As soon as the barricades were removed from one side of the road, a protester, carrying the tricolour, started throwing stones at the passing vehicles. It was like a scene from Mumbai locals as people rushed back to the street and many started pelting stones, Sharjeel recalled. He had a mike in his hand and kept shouting, Stop the violence, dont vandalise property. You cant win over a state by throwing stones, Aasif said. Police fired rubber bullets and Sharjeel left after 10 pm for Aasifs home in Shaheen Bagh. During the night, 10-15 young men blocked both sides of the road again. I returned, at around 7 am, and a crowd was sitting. I spoke for an hour about why not to pick up stones, Sharjeel said. People of Jamia Nagar, Shaheen Bagh, upset since December 11 when Parliament passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, were bristling with indignation when, just two days later, police entered Jamia Millia Islamia University and beat up several students. Shaheen Baghs two lakh residents, living about a kilometre away from Jamia, are deeply connected with the university. Either they themselves, someone in their family or a neighbour studied or worked there. The December 13 police attack on Jamia students upset them greatly, especially the women... The sense of safety they once felt when their sons and daughters were in college was now gone, Ehtmam, a law student at Jamia, said. There was anger, and it had now found an avenue. By December 16, a mike materialised and a makeshift stage was organised by some local Congress leaders on Road No. 13A. People have vested interests, and there was a Congress lobby versus a BJP lobby and we didnt want to become players in it or its victims so we formed a committee, Sharjeel said. The 12-member Shaheen Bagh Coordination Committee was focused on creating a safe space for people to sit in peaceful protest and use the stage for students, scholars and experts to talk about CAA, NRC, citizens rights, the Constitution and the law. Sharjeel Imam and Aasif Mujtaba, who had met for the first time on December 14, during anti-CAA protests at Jamia, led the charge. Sharjeel, a BTech and MTech in computer science from IIT Mumbai, is now a student of history pursuing his PhD in JNU. Aasif, a resident of Shaheen Bagh, who did his BTech and MTech in environmental engineering from IIT Delhi, is pursuing his PhD from IIT. Sharjeel, more than Aasif, was mindful of the threat of violence and the possibility of the Shaheen Bagh protest being politicised and sabotaged. There was talk of Delhi elections ke pehle saza de denge, vardaat ho jayegi, Sharjeel said. So on the 5th day of the protest, eight CCTV cameras were installed in and around the tent. Footage was relayed to a backend office. As days progressed and new challenges came up, several sub-committees were formed. In between the sloganeering, singing and speeches, Sharjeel repeatedly spoke of avoiding cash donations that people were offering. We said no cash, give kambal, chai patti, cheeni, but no cash That could even lead to NSA (National Security Act) And then one day, a donation box appeared. I sat on the stage and said remove it, Sharjeel said. Someone sent biryani, someone brought boiled eggs, and someone sent helmets for protection in case of a police attack. At one point, Sharjeel recalled, there was a theological discussion over what Prophet Mohammed had said that Kisi ka rasta band karna sunnat ke khilaf hai. We said, hum kisika rasta nahin rok rahe, hum sadak band kar rahe hain. People can walk, Sharjeel said. Sharjeel Imams politics is that of a strident scholar. He nitpicks and is critical of all. I hardly spoke against the BJP at Shaheen Bagh, he said. But in a style that exudes a scholars intellectual confidence and an activists moral certitude, he routinely dismisses some well-regarded Muslim historians, takes a strong position against not just the Congress and the Left, but also his college mate Kanhaiya Kumar who, he says, is a pointless public attraction that gathers huge crowds but changes nothing. If theyd listen, Sharjeels beliefs would warm the cockles of many saffron hearts. The Congress has not been secular. Even our Constitution is not secular only a Hindu can be a dalit as per the 1950 presidential order, not a Muslims or a Christian, he would say often in his speeches. The point was to tell them that the Congress is not your sympathiser If the Congress was so concerned about the CAA and the NRC, they could have blocked Delhi on their own, said Sharjeel. The anti-CAA movement was gaining strength and Shaheen Bagh was turning into its powerful pivot. It was more than just a peaceful dharna it was a moral force field whose ripples were being felt not just on Raisina Hill, but across the country. Locally, the dharna was causing inconvenience to a lot of people. Though one side of the barricaded road was being kept free for ambulances and school buses to pass, all other traffic between Kalindi Kunj and Noida was diverted, leading to long, harrowing jams. Several showrooms on Road No. 13A remained shut. The shopkeepers were criticising us every day, saying `60-70 lakh ka stock credit pe liya hua hai, staff bhi garib hai. Your blockade has shut our businesses but we have to pay staff salaries, we have to pay rent, Aasif said. The police was also saying, ab tum hato, khali karo, bahut ho gaya almost every day, till the 1st of January, Aasif said. Sharjeel, Aasif and other members of the Shaheen Bagh committee had regular meetings with the police, often at night, near the police barricade, at a distance of about 100 metres from the protest tent. The plan was to keep the protest going for some days, then call off the blockade and carry forward the movement in some other form. Many were leaning towards Hong Kong-style flash mobs blocking roads, when they wanted, where they wanted. The exit plan worked out with at least three senior police officials, including one from the local thana, had been discussed over and over. We had been negotiating with the police... We were very clear and had said New Year tak baithnege, New Year ke baad, agar uthana hai, toh kaise uthayenge Bring lots of women constables and remove the protesting women, open the blockade on both sides of Road No. 13A... The police had agreed, Sharjeel said. The Delhi Police forcibly entering a Muslim neighbourhood was not a scenario anyone wanted. Since Jamia, the police was on the backfoot. And Shaheen Bagh mein ghusenge toh police walle bhi zaroor mare-jayenge. So the best option was to dislodge the protesters nicely, peacefully promotion bhi mil jayega, Sharjeel said. On 31st and 1st night there was a huge crowd, recalled Aasif, suggesting that the sit-in protest had been successful in highlighting the communal, divisive nature of CAA nationally and internationally and it was now time to move out of Shaheen Bagh. But on the night of January 1, the cops changed their tune. They said they didnt have enough female constables, both Sharjeel and Aasif told me separately. It is out of our hands, the cops said. The matter was now being handled by the Union home ministry and the instructions were not to intervene. Is mein hamara kya fayeda hoga? Nahin uthana. Jo karna hai karne do, is what the cops said they had been told. Tum ko peacefully uthane se mana kar diya hai court bhi intervene nahin karega, Sharjeel recalled a police officer telling him. He understood, Aasif didnt. Maine kaha, aap peacefully nahin uthayenge toh hum baithe rahenge. Phir directly mujhse hi bola, Main dobara bol raha hoon, ki hum peacefully nahin uthayenge, Aasif said. Toh peaceful nahin uthane ka matlab hai ki they wanted isko violently uthayen. Aur violently uthane ke liye sabse achcha hai ki isko pura communal colour de dein Shaheen Bagh ka jo face hai, peaceful protest ka, woh khatam ho jaye, Aasif said. On January 2, I was walking and thinking, if we dont have an exit plan, hum akele pad jayenge. Elections were about to be announced and polarisation will help the BJP... Anyone can start a scuffle 10-20 men dressed as Muslims. Then the police will get a chance to enter the mohalla... Bachche uthaye jayenge. If violence happens, we will be held responsible, said Sharjeel, whose PhD is on Hindu-Muslim riots. There was now marginal utility of the protest and the roadblock, and it was further reducing for us. But it was increasing for the BJP, Sharjeel said. Sharjeel and Aasif asked the protesters to vacate the protest site. But people, especially women, were in no mood to leave. Humera, a resident of Shaheen Bagh and a student of zoology, had been managing the stage all these days. When I first texted her on January 14, she couldnt talk as she had lost her voice anchoring and giving speeches. I met her a few days later. There was constant fear of violence we were conscious of it 24x7. We tried to explain to people that we should move. But they were like ke, Nahin, hum nahin hatenge Weve been sitting here for 17-18 days but havent got the result we wanted, so why should we leave? We could not convince people, Humera said. On January 2, Sharjeel put out a statement: We have taken back the chakka jaam of Shaheen Bagh Road to avoid violence and attempt by goons to politicise the movement. We are afraid that the BJP wants violence by not bringing in the police. He also wrote of money being used to taint the movement. From that moment, Sharjeel, the Gandhi of Shaheen Bagh, became a traitor, gaddar, accused of having taken `1-2 crore from Amit Shah. As Sharjeel and Aasif stepped back and others took charge, the character of the Shaheen Bagh protest changed. There was an unsaid rule now, about not revealing the organisers, and not putting a face or a name to the movement. Though the message that Sharjeel, Aasif and others had drilled in not to trust any political party stayed, the sound and optics changed. The Shaheen Bagh protest now sounded less scholarly, more participative. It also looked unapologetically Islamic, organic. Shaheen Baghs moral force kept growing. The longer the women stayed, Shaheen Baghs attraction and popularity increased, as did the cooperation and sacrifice of those working behind the scenes, or just quietly supporting the protest. As temperatures dipped and chai kept brewing night and day, the nearby Warda Hospital kept its bathrooms open for women protesters and visitors. Some homes remained open too, offering beds and washrooms. The owners of the buildings on the main road, where shops and showrooms had been shut since December 15, decided that no rent will be charged for the duration of the protest. Artists from across the country came to create protest art. A small 24x7 health camp with doctors came up. Volunteers set up a library for children whose mothers were sitting in protest. A map of India in circulation on social media shows the sites of at least 40 Shaheen Bagh-like protests that have come up across the country. Everyone I spoke with, to try and understand how and when had women become the main protesters, gave vague answers. Most put it down to women being more upset by the attack on Jamia students, especially girls. Some said that they were inspired by Ayesha Renna, Ladeeda Farzana and Shaheen Abdullah the three hijab-clad girls who had shielded a male student from police beating. But there were several practical reasons behind this brilliant idea. Men and women sitting together day and night is not an acceptable scenario in any Indian residential colony. There was also concern that men could be removed forcibly and detained at any time, most likely in the dead of night. Women, on the other hand, can only be arrested by women cops, and never after sunset or before sunrise. Women leading the protest also posed a dilemma for the BJP government. It is difficult to target mothers, grandmothers and turn them into hate figures. Attacking women, especially Muslim women after the BJP had made triple talaq a poll plank in Delhi elections, was not going to fly. On January 6, the Election Commission announced that polling in Delhi will take place on February 8 and votes will be counted on February 11. A day later a survey predicted that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was all set to sweep back to power in Delhi with 59 of the 70 seats. The BJP, a distant second, was tipped to get eight seats, an embarrassing increase of just five from its 2015 tally. The Congress was not really in play. The AAPs best bet was to keep the election campaign, the narrative focussed on local issues pani, bijli, sadak, health clinics, but the BJP needed a mudda, and for this it needed an enemy with a face. The women of Shaheen Bagh would not do and that lament was clear in Yogi Adityanaths comment on January 22. While addressing a pro-citizenship law rally in Kanpur, he asked why the men of Shaheen Bagh were sleeping under the quilt while women have been pushed forward. A man was needed someone who would naturally fit the anti-national template created by the BJP. Someone who was easy to identify, by his clothes, speech, college. Sharjeel Imam, from Delhi Public School, Vasant Vihar, who had not just studied but also taught at IIT Mumbai, would not make the cut. Like the Crocs he wore under his kurta-pyjama, the ensemble didnt gel. But a JNU scholar with a bushy beard who spoke of cutting off Assam from the rest of the country did. On January 25, a five-minute clip of Sharjeels speech went viral and Assam police filed a case against him. Several other states followed suit. Except Delhi, all were states with BJP governments. He was accused of sedition, provocation with the intent to cause riots. Since the first week of December, Sharjeel Imam and many other students of JNU, Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia had been actively engaged in educating people about CAA and NRC. They were distributing pamphlets and delivering speeches in which they asked people to organise themselves, to block roads. Sharjeels hour-long speech, delivered on January 16 on the footpath outside AMU, was no different. He spoke approvingly of constitutional spirit, but said the Constitution is not secular. He discussed the Poona Pact, called Mahatma Gandhi a fascist, criticised the Congress, talked of the history of violence of the Left and Right, and said Indian history had been written by pandits. We have to write our own history. While speaking of peoples anger against CAA and NRC, he said students, scholars should take charge and channel it productively, for an outcome. After sensitisation, there must be a plan of action. Delhi kyun band karna hai Delhi band karna hai kyunki awam ko takleef ho, he says and adds that while protesting, people must guard against violence, sabotage and political takeover. Its at about 30 minutes into the speech that we come to the five minutes where he talks of Assam: If 5 lakh people come together and sit in dharna, they can cut off Assam from the rest of India at least for a month or two. Only then will we, they be heard. He mentions the Chickens Neck, the narrow strip of land that connects the Northeast with the rest of India, being Muslim dominated and says that if 5 lakh Muslims were to mobilise, they could hamper the Armys movement and supply. He is talking of a dharna, a chakka jaam. Not an armed rebellion. The five-minute clip played on a loop on certain TV channels with the hashtag #tukdetukdegang. The Shaheen Bagh protest had been forcibly given a face and attacking it now became easy. On January 24, Union minister Prakash Javadekar, speaking at an election rally, asked Delhi voters to decide whether they wanted Jinnah wali azaadi or Jai Mata Di. On January 28, Sharjeel was arrested, the same day when, in a video that went viral, Anurag Thakur, Union minister of state for finance, is seen prompting a crowd at an election rally. Desh ke gaddaron ko..., he says, to which the crowd responds ...goli maaro sa***n ko. On January 29, a news report said the BJPs fortunes in Delhi Assembly elections are on an upswing, and an internal poll was predicting at least 30-35 of the 70 seats in Delhi. One of the main reasons for the change, according to two unnamed leaders, was the rising resentment against the sit-in protest at Shaheen Bagh. A week after Yogi Adityanath called for all those chanting the azaadi slogan to be charged with sedition, Rambhakt Gopal aimed a gun at anti-CAA protesters in Jamia and said, Ye lo azaadi. Tarannum Begum from Batla House, Okhla, is a widow and mother of three and has been sitting in protest at Shaheen Bagh since December 15. She says she has no choice but to protest, to save herself and her children from discrimination, harassment and being sent to detention centres. Maine socha tha ki hamare Wazir-e-Azam hain, awam ke badshah hain, Pradhan Mantri hain, woh hamari takleef samjhenge... Jaise ma-baap apne bachche ki sunte hain, vaise woh hamari sunenge. Woh aaj tak aa kar yeh pooch bhi na sake ki kya pareshani hai? she said. Article 370 par, Kashmir par, Ayodhya judgment par, hum sab ne sarkar ki izzat rakhi Sarkar kehti hai ki triple talaq se woh Muslim women ko protect karna chahte hai, toh un auraton ko protect karna nahin chahti jo Shaheen Bagh mein baithi hain? On a good day, the 17 km-long drive from 7, Lok Kalyan Marg to Shaheen Bagh takes about 37 minutes. In the Prime Ministers cavalcade, which moves at 120 km per hour, that distance would take a little over 10 minutes. If Mr Modi were to come, he will see tirangas painted on faces, fluttering in small hands, on the barricades, on the stage, on every bamboo stick and pole in sight, and he will hear both, a wail and a warning. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is being sued for defamation by Michael Sanchez, the brother of his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez. The lawsuit accuses Bezos of spreading false rumors to journalists that Michael Sanchez had leaked nude photographs of Bezos to the National Enquirer. Gavin de Becker, Bezos' security chief, is also named in the complaint, which was filed late Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and does not offer any proof that Sanchez never had access to the photos of Bezos. A lawyer for Bezos, William Isaacson, told CNBC in a statement: "My client has chosen to address this lawsuit in court and we will do that soon." "Michael is my older brother. He secretly provided my most personal information to the National Enquirer a deep and unforgivable betrayal," Lauren Sanchez said in a statement provided by her lawyer, Terry Bird. "My family is hurting over this new baseless and untrue lawsuit, and we truly hope my brother finds peace." Enoch Liang, a lawyer for Michael Sanchez, said the lawsuit "speaks for itself, including allegations of Ms. Sanchez's intimate relationship with TMZ." In the lawsuit, Michael Sanchez claims his sister approached him about leaking information about her affair to TMZ. "[Lauren Sanchez's] 'hurting' reaction, instantly provided to close friend Harvey Levin at TMZ, apparently from a Miami dance floor, speaks volumes," Liang added. Last January, the Enquirer published intimate texts and photos that the Amazon CEO sent to Lauren Sanchez, a former TV anchor. Bezos alleged in a Medium post last February that National Enquirer publisher AMI blackmailed him by threatening to publish the photos, including a "below the belt selfie," if he didn't state that the tabloid's coverage of him was not politically motivated. Bezos tasked De Becker with investigating how the Enquirer obtained the photos and text messages. De Becker said his investigation identified Michael Sanchez as a paid source of the Enquirer. An AMI spokesperson previously told CNBC that Michael Sanchez was the single source for the story. A report from The Wall Street Journal said Michael Sanchez granted AMI the right to use the photos and text messages in exchange for $200,000. Michael Sanchez has denied providing intimate photos of Bezos to the Enquirer and claims in the suit he "never had possession of the graphic photographs in question." COMMERCE, Texas - Two women were killed and a child was wounded in a shooting Monday morning at a university dormitory in Texas, officials said. A recommendation for students and employees to shelter in place was lifted early Monday afternoon at Texas A&M University-Commerce, and police said there appeared to be no other threats. Officials have not identified the suspected shooter. University police Chief Bryan Vaughn said officers responding to a call at about 10:17 a.m. found two dead women in a room at Pride Rock residence hall on the campus in Commerce, about 65 miles (105 kilometres) northeast of Dallas. He said a boy about 2 years old was also in the room and was taken to a hospital, where he was in stable condition. Vaughn did not take questions after a news conference and did not say if the women were students. The university cancelled classes after the shooting and later said classes will not resume until Thursday. The university lifted the shelter-in-place recommendation about an hour and a half after it was announced on Twitter. But the university said that even with the lifting of the recommendation, the residence hall and the surrounding area was still blocked off due to the ongoing investigation. The university said the student centre would be available for displaced students and that counsellors were available there. Larry Cooper III, a freshman who lives in the Pride Rock residence hall, told the Dallas Morning News that he left his room Monday just before the shelter-in-place was announced. He said he was waiting in a friends room on the first floor of the residence hall. Theres police blocking the doorways, but other than that were all just kind of sitting in and waiting on the news to happen, Cooper said. Last October, two people were killed and a dozen others injured in an off-campus shooting at a homecoming and Halloween party involving Texas A&M-Commerce students. New details have emerged in connection with the youth, identified by the Delhi Police as Gopal Sharma, more commonly referred to as the Jamia shooter, after 30 January when he opened fire at peaceful protesters near Jamia Milia Islamia in New Delhi injuring one student protester Shadab Farooq. New details have emerged in connection with the youth, identified by the Delhi Police as 'Gopal Sharma', more commonly referred to as the Jamia shooter, after 30 January when he opened fire at peaceful protesters near Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi injuring one student protester Shadab Farooq. On 30 January, after a gun-wielding Sharma aimed at the protesters (and later fired a shot), with the Delhi Police standing behind him, quietly watching, outrage erupted across India. Calling the incident "shocking", several prominent leaders, politicians and activists called for Sharma's arrest and also blamed the BJP-led Centre for this escalation of violence over the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Delhi Police had charged Sharma for attempt to murder under Section 307 of the IPC. While calls for Sharma's arrest grew louder, new details have emerged regarding the shooter. While several media reports after the 30 January incident confirmed that Sharma was a "minor", new details based on details fished out of the Election Commission website show that the shooter is not a minor after all. However, verification of these details are still underway. Here is what we know so far. On Monday, a new controversy erupted over the age of the accused. According to news agency ANI, which sourced the CBSE marksheet of the accused, said that he is 18-year-old. The marksheet shows Sharma's date of birth as 8 April, 2002. Delhi: CBSE marksheet of the allegedly minor gunman who brandished a gun and opened fire in Jamia area, earlier today. One student was injured in the incident. pic.twitter.com/3p6Pgbsl7P ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2020 Soon after ANI tweeted the image of the marksheet on 30 January, several handles on Twitter alleged that the news agency was spreading fake news. The ANI report, however, was reaffirmed by several other reports which confirmed that Sharma was indeed a minor. According to fact check websites, Sharma attended Jewar Public School in Uttar Pradesh's Jewar. Reuters, in their report on Sharma, confirmed that he is 17-year-old. For keyboard warriors out to discredit ANI just because we have stringers & reporters in almost every district in India, hence got to the village in an hour, here is an international news agency reporter confirming what we put out. https://t.co/hWq9BRA6n8 Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) February 1, 2020 Thread. I've made two trips to Jewar in the last 24 hours to find out more about the 17-year-old shooter at #Jamia - who exactly he was and why he did what he did. This is what I found.#JamiaShooting #CAA_NRC_NPRhttps://t.co/9Y2zOGduoA Devjyot Ghoshal (@DevjyotGhoshal) January 31, 2020 "Family members, neighbours, and a school official in Jewar described the boy who cannot be named under Indian law because he is under 18 as quiet and ordinary. His act of violence took them by surprise", Reuters reported. While Reuters report attempted to understand the shooter's background, it did not much information on ascertaining the boy's age. On Monday, however, several handles on Twitter, shared a screenshot of the Election Commission website which showed the shooter as an adult, as he is a registered voter from Uttar Pradesh as of 11 April, 2019. Hindutva terrorist, 'Rambhakt' Gopal Sharma, who had fired at a Kashmiri-Muslim protester this week in front of Jamia Milia University seems to be not a minor - He was in the voters' list for 11 April 2019 election. In India, minimum voting is 18 years. pic.twitter.com/vg4ba0n3k1 Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) February 2, 2020 Here is the proof that Jamia shooter Gopal Sharma is not a minor. Ellection Commission of India registers him as a 20 year old voter. He should be tried as an adult accused. pic.twitter.com/Os7B1EBO0Y Dr Azim Khan (@azimsherwani) February 2, 2020 The Election Commission website using his purported EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card) number shows Sharma is a registered voter. However, reporters who visited the town of the accused confirmed that the accused is indeed a minor. It can be gleaned from various reports around the accused that he was a pro-majority, pro-Hindu boy who followed the fringe Hindu groups in and around his town. According to Reuters, "In March 2018, the boy asked friends via Facebook to join a meeting of the Bajrang Dal, a hardline Hindu group tied to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Days later, he shared photos of himself at the meeting. Praveen Bhati, a local leader from the Bajrang Dal, denied the boy was a member of the group. Some classmates said they were aware of his support for Hindu nationalism for at least three years, partly from his social media posts." Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno has scrambled to apologize for comments suggesting women tend to complain about sexual harassment by ugly people. President Moreno said that men were under threat of being denounced for harassment and added, 'at times, with harassment, they torment ugly people. 'That is to say, that the harassment is when it comes from an ugly person,' he added. President Lenin Moreno said that men were under threat of being denounced for harassment and added, 'at times, with harassment, they torment ugly people 'But if the person looks good according to the standards, they tend not to think necessarily that it is harassment.' His remarks prompted immediate outrage from women's rights activists. Governing party congresswoman Soleda Buendia complained on Twitter that Moreno 'justifies and reproduces violence against women. You can't joke about harassmant, rape, femicide, trafficking, sexual exploitation.... Nothing justifies expressions that revictimize us!' The Women for Change organization joined in: 'It is not that everything now looks to women like harassment, it is that to machos like you it has never seemed bad to harass!' the group tweeted. President Moreno tweeted: 'In my comment about harassment, I did not intend to minimize such a grave topic as violence or abuses. 'I apologize if it was understood that way. I reject violence against women in all forms!' Women's rights activist Silvia Buendia said that machismo is 'structural' in Ecuador and 'everyone from the president to a common citizen needs to understand what we are talking about when we talk about violence against women.' TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's vice president-elect William Lai will go to this week's high-profile National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, he said on Monday, an event traditionally attended by U.S. presidents and which President Donald Trump was at last year. Lai, who assumes office in May, has angered China by saying he is a "realistic worker for Taiwan independence", a red line for Beijing which considers the island merely a Chinese province with no right to state-to-state relations. Taiwan says it is an independent country called the Republic of China, its official name. Lai wrote on his Facebook page that he was going in an individual capacity. The National Prayer Breakfast, which was started in 1953, takes place from Feb. 5-6 and is hosted by members of the U.S. Congress. Lai added he would also express his thanks to U.S. politicians who have supported Taiwan's bid to enter the World Health Organization (WHO). Taiwan is excluded from the WHO - as it is most international bodies - due to objections from China, which says the island can only participate if it recognizes itself as part of China, something Taiwan's government has refused to do. Taiwan and the United States do not have formal diplomatic ties, but Washington is Taipei's most important international backer and main supplier of arms. Taipei and Washington have further strengthened ties under the Trump administration, to China's anger, which regularly says Taiwan is the single most sensitive issue in Sino-U.S. relations. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Christopher Cushing) Sault Tribe praises decision to abandon Canadian nuclear waste storage facility on Lake Huron Renews calls to decommission Line 5 News from the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians SAULT STE. MARIE, Michigan Aaron Payment, chairperson of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, today cheered Ontario Power Generations decision to abandon its plans to build a permanent nuclear waste storage site less than a mile from Lake Huron. The Sault Tribe, along with the rest of the tribes in Michigan, is pleased to see Ontario Power Generation give up on this terrible idea to build a nuclear waste storage site on the shores of the Great Lakes, Payment said. Since 2017, the tribes in Michigan have supported our relatives in the Saugeen Ojibway Nation in their concerns over this proposal. In addition, any threat to the Lake Huron fishery that is posed by disposal of nuclear waste so close to the Great Lakes is of deep concern to us all. The Sault Tribe has taken a leadership position in defending the waters of the upper Great Lakes from industrial pollution. In 2014, the tribe passed a resolution calling on any government to take action to stop the flow of crude oil in Line 5, especially the twin pipes spanning the Straits of Mackinac. This decision by Ontario Power Generation, before any leak of contaminants, is consistent with our age-old commitment to protect the waters, Payment said. Now we need a parallel action by the government of Michigan to stop the oil in Line 5 before the inevitable spill destroys the Great Lakes fishery, our tourism economy and Pure Michigan. The Sault Tribe chairperson added, The Sault Tribe Board of Directors, each of the other federally-recognized tribes in Michigan, the United Tribes of Michigan, Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes and the National Congress of American Indians have all passed resolutions calling for decommissioning of Line 5. Lets build on todays news of wisdom in protecting the Great Lakes, and remove this aging, dented, sagging pipe. Its only a matter of time before it breaks. The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians is descended from signatories to the 1836 Treaty of Washington, which ceded much of the territory that now makes up the state of Michigan. Its tribal service area encompasses seven counties in the eastern half of the Upper Peninsula, where it is among the largest employers and the largest participant in subsistence and commercial Great Lakes fisheries. Join the Conversation WWPR's Pro Bono Committee was established in 1993 to offer marketing and communications expertise to non-profit organizations focused on supporting women and/or children in the DC region. Through it, some of Washington's top PR professionals are able to leverage their expertise in strategic planning, media relations, branding and more to organizations working for the greater good. Academy of Hope is WWPR's ninth pro bono client since it began providing marketing and communication services to local nonprofit organizations that support women and families and in 1993. "One of the things that made Academy of Hope stand out for us is that roughly 60 percent of their adult learners are women," said WWPR President Sarah Beth Cloar. "We know that parents' educational attainment is correlated with a reduction in childhood poverty as well as children's success with literacy and school. Supporting an organization that provides a path forward for women and their families is a natural fit for us." As part of the new pro bono client relationship, WWPR will work to increase awareness of Academy of Hope in DC, develop messaging that will enhance its visibility among potential learners and donors, and maximize community interest in their programming. Additionally, the Academy of Hope will receive the proceeds from the 2020 and 2021 Woman of the Year luncheon silent auction. "In 2020, we are celebrating 35 years of transforming lives, strengthening communities and redefining education," said Academy of Hope's Chief Executive Officer Lecester Johnson. "Looking forward, we want every adult learner in the District to find their way to us. We are excited to collaborate with WWPR to help us tell the Academy of Hope story and connect more people to hope." The Academy of Hope welcomes all adult learners (18+) at all levels. It offers programming on both achieving a high school diploma as well as transitioning to higher education or a career pathway in Healthcare, Hospitality and Office Administration. As Academy of Hope students build their skills and confidence, their families and children benefit as well. Many adult learners report becoming more involved in their children's homework or school after attending classes at Academy of Hope. About Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School Academy of Hope (AoH) is a Washington, DC-based workforce development and adult education provider. AoH provides educational programming integrated with career development and supportive services. We deliver high quality instruction for adults 18 to 70+ years old across all skill levels from beginning-to-read to preparing individuals for college. We provide adults with career training in healthcare, hospitality, and office administration, helping learners to gain academic skills, high school credentials, and employment, as well as confidence, increased self-esteem, and a higher quality of life for themselves and their families. For further information, contact Maria McLean at [email protected]. About Washington Women in Public Relations Washington Women in Public Relations is a member-based professional society cultivating and inspiring female communicators to reach their full potential in the DC market and beyond. The organization is committed to providing leadership opportunities, professional development, mentorship and industry networking. Visit us at wwpr.org, connect with us on LinkedIn and Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @WWPR and on Instagram @WWPRDC. For more information about WWPR, contact [email protected]. WWPR's work with Academy of Hope will be led by its 2020 Pro Bono Committee co-chairs Elynsey Price and Zorie Valchev who oversee the efforts of a diverse and talented group of local volunteers. For more information, email [email protected]. SOURCE Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) Related Links http://wwpr.org (Alliance News) - Investec Ltd said Monday its capital and liquidity remained in line with regulatory requirements at the end of 2019, with an increase in its common equity tier 1 ratio. As at December 31, the London and Johannesburg-listed financial services firm said its common equity tier 1 ratio was 11.2%, up from 10.1% the same date the year before. Investec's total capital adequacy ratio was 14.6%, compared to 15.5% the prior year, and remaining within its regulatory target range. Investec's common equity tier 1 capital was ZAR370.98 billion, around GBP18.90 billion, up 3.4% from ZAR358.74 billion a year prior. Total regulatory capital however, declined by 1.2% to ZAR51.09 billion, and total risk weighted assets dropped 6.8% year-on-year to ZAR330.40 billion. The group's liquidity coverage ratio also remained above its minimum target in South Africa of 100%, coming to 143.6% at the end of December. The liquidity capital ratio is used to promote the short-term resilience of the liquidity risk profile of banks by ensuring that they have sufficient high-quality liquid assets to survive a significant stress scenario lasting 30 calendar days. In addition, Investec's net stable funding ratio which was 113.0%, above South Africa's minimum net stable funding ratio requirement of 100%. The NSFR is the measurement of a bank's stable funding profile in relation to the composition of their assets and off-balance sheet activities on an ongoing structural basis. Shares in Investec were down 0.3% at 417.90 pence in London, while its Johannesburg shares were down 0.8% at ZAR83.38 on Monday. By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Helping people to tackle a number of ailments is the main aim of this collaboration To help people get rid of various fatal diseases, StemRx Bioscience Solutions Pvt. Ltd., in association with Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Navi Mumbai, organized a one day International seminar on how technologies like Tissue Nanotransfection, bone marrow transplant, organ transplant, and umbilical cord blood transplantation can change the future course of various diseases like cancer. Along with Dr. Pradeep Mahajan, many other dignitaries like Dr. Chandan K. Sen, Director, Indian Center for Regenerative Medicine and Engineering , Indiana University, USA; Dr. M. Gopinath, Principal Scientist, CFTRI, Mysore; Dr. Satyandra Katewa, Head, Department of Paediatric Hematology-Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant, Jaipur; Dr. Sunali Khanna, Nair Hospital, Mumbai; Dr. Deepa Bhartiya, Senior Scientific Officer, NIRRH, Mumbai, and Dr. Neetin Desai, Director, Amity Institute Of Biotechnology were part of the workshop. Today, the Indian healthcare sector is growing at a brisk pace. With the help of advanced medical technologies, it is now possible to treat diseases with efficacy. The technological advancements are changing the very face of medicine. Thus, to help people tackle a number of ailments StemRx Biosciences Solutions Pvt. Ltd tied up with Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Navi Mumbai. Dr. Pradeep Mahajan, Regenerative Medicine Researcher, Mumbai explained, The seminar highlighted how technologies like Tissue Nanotransfection, bone marrow, transplant, organ transplant, and umbilical cord blood transplantation can help treat various diseases like cancer, and infertility. I conducted a session on how new age medicine, regenerative medicine, and cell-based therapy can be a good option for people to tackle cancer, autoimmune diseases, urinary problems, neurological disorders, spinal cord injuries, and weak immune systems. Cell-based therapy can solve the majority of diseases without having conflicts. The newest technology Tissue Nanotransfection is going to create a revolution in cell-based therapy. I am honored, proud, and will look forward to many more associations with Amity in the near future. More than 300 participants including the students, gynecologists, and government authorities were present for the seminar. [February 03, 2020] Infobip Deploys SMS Firewall With Monetization Consultancy Services for Indosat Ooredoo in Indonesia LONDON and JAKARTA, Indonesia, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Infobip, a global cloud communication platform company for businesses and a leader in telecom solutions today announced the installation and operational rollout of its award winning sGate SMS firewall with monetization consultancy services at Indosat Ooredoo in Indonesia. The sGate SMS firewall provides mobile operators with a detailed analysis of inbound SMS messaging traffic, identifying fraudulent activities and preventing spam messages from being delivered to subscribers' devices. Simultaneously, Infobip's monetization experts are working closely with operators to monetize improperly charged messages and turn them into revenue-generating, legitimate traffic. Infobip was selected by Indosat Ooredoo as the SMS firewall and monetization solutions provider based on Infobip's proven track record for protecting operators' networks and increasing revenue from A2P SMS traffic. Indosat Ooredoo has a subscriber base of close to 60 million, and a vision to be Indonesia's leading digital telco, with one of its major focus areas in accelerating B2B as a new engine of growth. Indosat's goal to be the "telco you can trust" aligns with Infobip's values, promising a successful partnership. "Carriers across the industry are working to mitigate the risks of cyberattacks and fraudulent activity so much so that management of this traffic has become a strategic bsiness priority. Our solution combines next generation continuous business and technical support that helps fix deficiencies in messaging operations and optimizes network efficiency leading to increased revenues and better experiences for end users. We look forward to working with Indosat Ooredoo on shaping and supporting best practices in this space," said Infobip founder and CEO Silvio Kutic. "Indosat Ooredoo is committed to deliver the best customer experience through IM3 Ooredoo and Indosat Ooredoo Business products and services. Infobip was exceptionally proactive and efficient throughout the entire process, adhering to short deadlines successfully to deploy and begin commercial operations as soon as possible. Infobip's performance has been exemplary and the partnership is promising to be mutually beneficial. Together with Infobip, Indosat Ooredoo will get to understand corporate customer behaviour, treat customers better, and ensure that they are protected using our services," said Vikram Sinha, Director & Chief Operating Officer of Indosat Ooredoo. About Infobip Infobip powers enterprises to deliver messages across any channel, any device, at anytime and anywhere worldwide. Infobip's technology creates seamless mobile interactions between businesses and people and simplifies the integration of almost all communication capabilities. With over a decade of industry experience, Infobip has expanded to include 65 offices on six continents offering in-house developed messaging platform with the capacity to reach over seven billion mobile devices in 190+ countries connected to over 800 telecom networks. The company serves and partners with leading mobile operators, messaging apps, banks, social networks and tech companies. Website: www.infobip.com About Indosat Ooredoo Indosat Ooredoo, member of Ooredoo Group, is building Indonesia's leading digital telco, enabling access and greater connectivity for everybody and every business. Indosat Ooredoo aspires to enrich the lives of Indonesians in the digital world. The Company reported 58.8 million mobile customers as of Q3 2019 and operates 29.317 4G BTS covers more than 83.5% of population. Website: www.indosatooredoo.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCxcHb7vNkSPnXYVp9E03JHQ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/IndosatOoredoo SOURCE Infobip [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari on Monday spoke over the Shaheen Bagh sit-in and asserted that the option of baton-charge to remove the protestors has been ruled out due to presence of women and children at the site of agitation. "In Shaheen Bagh, there have been talks of shooting Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah. Did the government do anything? No. We are not taking the decision of lathi-charge as there are women and children sitting on a dharna in Shaheen Bagh. We know that those who are protesting there are misguided people," he told reporters here in a press conference while responding to a question. Shaheen Bagh agitation has been ongoing for over 50 days now, with a large number of women sitting on protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, Population Register (NPR) and Register of Citizens. Commenting on AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's remark that those who talk against Modi in the country are traitors, Tiwari said: "Our government is very tolerant. No one else has suffered as much as the Prime Minister has endured in this county". Shaheen Bagh protests have also become a matter of heated political debate with BJP accusing AAP and Congress of sponsoring the protestors. Meanwhile, AAP has slammed the Centre for not holding a conversation with the protestors. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cardinal Namdini Project Finance Update Posted by Publisher Internet Cardinal Resources Limited (ASX/TSX: CDV https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/cardinal-resources-ltd/) is pleased to provide an update regarding Project Financing for its 5.1 Moz* Namdini Gold Project in Ghana. The Company in conjunction with appointed financial advisers, Cutfield Freeman & Co, (ASX/TSX Press Release dated 3 April 2019) have received a number of term sheets from banks and financiers. ? With the release of the Feasibility Study and accompanying NI43-101 Technical Report (ASX/TSX Press Release dated 28 November 2019) additional banks, financiers and corporates have shown interest in Project Finance participation and have subsequently been granted access to the data room.? In addition, the Company is concurrently evaluating strategic alternatives to bring the Namdini Project into production with a view to maximising economic outcomes for Cardinal shareholders.? Cardinal?s Chief Financial Officer, Jon Grygorcewicz stated: ?With the current gold price maintaining a price above US$1,500/oz as compared to the gold price of US$1,350/oz used in the Company?s Feasibility Study, it creates an even more compelling financial model and project valuation which provides a greater level of confidence to banks, financiers and corporates. ?We are pleased with the strong level of interest and the rate of progress to date. ?We look forward to updating shareholders as we progress the Namdini Project Financing programme.? ABOUT CARDINAL Cardinal Resources Limited (ASX/TSX: CDV) is a West African gold?focused exploration and development Company that holds interests in tenements within Ghana, West Africa. The Company is focused on the development of the Namdini Gold Project and released the Feasibility Study on 28 November 2019. The Feasibility Study concluded the Project has strong economic returns with a post-tax NPV5 of USD$590 million and an IRR of 33.2% at a conservative gold price of USD$1,350 per gold oz. Exploration programmes are also underway at the Company?s Bolgatanga (Northern Ghana) and Subranum (Southern Ghana) Projects. Cardinal confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in its announcement of the Ore Reserve of April 3, 2019. All material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning this estimate continue to apply and have not materially changed. * The Namdini Project? has a published gold Ore Reserve of 5.1Moz (138.6 Mt @ 1.13 g/t Au; 0.5 g/t cut-off), inclusive of 0.4Moz Proved (7.4 Mt @ 1.31 g/t Au; 0.5 g/t cut-off) and 4.7Moz Probable (131.2 Mt @ 1.12 g/t Au; 0.5 g/t cut-off). For further information contact: Archie Koimtsidis? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? CEO / MD? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Cardinal Resources Limited? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? P: +61 8 6558 0573???????? Alec Rowlands? IR / Corp Dev? Cardinal Resources Limited? ? ? ? P: +1 647 256 1922 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Cannings Purple Andrew Rowell or Peta Baldwin??????????????????????????????????? E: arowell@canningspurple.com.au E: pbaldwin@canningspurple.com.au Disclaimer Cardinal confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in its announcement of the Ore Reserve of April 3, 2019. All material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning this estimate continue to apply and have not materially changed. This ASX / TSX press release has been prepared by Cardinal Resources Limited (ABN: 56 147 325 620) (?Cardinal? or ?the Company?).? Neither the ASX or the TSX, nor their regulation service providers accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. This press release contains summary information about Cardinal, its subsidiaries and their activities, which is current as at the date of this press release.? The information in this press release is of a general nature and does not purport to be complete nor does it contain all the information, which a prospective investor may require in evaluating a possible investment in Cardinal. By its very nature exploration for minerals is a high?risk business and is not suitable for certain investors.? Cardinal?s securities are speculative.? Potential investors should consult their stockbroker or financial advisor.? There are a number of risks, both specific to Cardinal and of a general nature which may affect the future operating and financial performance of Cardinal and the value of an investment in Cardinal including but not limited to economic conditions, stock market fluctuations, gold price movements, regional infrastructure constraints, timing of approvals from relevant authorities, regulatory risks, operational risks and reliance on key personnel and foreign currency fluctuations. Except for statutory liability which cannot be excluded and subject to applicable law, each of Cardinal?s officers, employees and advisors expressly disclaim any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the material contained in this press release and excludes all liability whatsoever (including in negligence) for any loss or damage which may be suffered by any person as a consequence of any information in this Announcement or any error or omission here from. Except as required by applicable law, the Company is under no obligation to update any person regarding any inaccuracy, omission or change in information in this press release or any other information made available to a person nor any obligation to furnish the person with any further information.? Recipients of this press release should make their own independent assessment and determination as to the Company?s prospects, its business, assets and liabilities as well as the matters covered in this press release. Forward?looking statements Certain statements contained in this press release, including information as to the future financial or operating performance of Cardinal and its projects may also include statements which are ?forward?looking statements? that may include, amongst other things, statements regarding targets, anticipated timing of the feasibility study (FS) on the Namdini project, estimates and assumptions in respect of mineral resources and anticipated grades and recovery rates, production and prices, recovery costs and results, capital expenditures and are or may be based on assumptions and estimates related to future technical, economic, market, political, social and other conditions. These ?forward ? looking statements? are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Cardinal, are inherently subject to significant technical, business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated or anticipated events or results reflected in such forward?looking statements. Cardinal disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly or release any revisions to any forward?looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, circumstances or results or otherwise after today?s date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, other than required by the Corporations Act and ASX and TSX Listing Rules. The words ?believe?, ?expect?, ?anticipate?, ?indicate?, ?contemplate?, ?target?, ?plan?, ?intends?, ?continue?, ?budget?, ?estimate?, ?may?, ?will?, ?schedule? and similar expressions identify forward?looking statements. All forward?looking statements made in this press release are qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements. Investors are cautioned that forward?looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward?looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. Doctors and nurses from provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions across the country have volunteered to work on the frontline in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, to combat the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that has led to cases of pneumonia there, where the virus first broke out. Up to January 29, a total of 52 teams comprising of more than 6,000 medical workers from 29 provincial regions, along with member of the People's Liberation Army, have traveled to Wuhan and other cities in Hubei to provide aid to the local coronavirus control efforts. Among the medical workers who have traveled, there are many daughters, mothers and wives. They have shown little regard for their own safety in the so-called "White War" and have placed themselves at risk to save the lives of virus-affected patients. Let's take a look at who they are and where they come from. The Medical Team from Tianjin Medical workers from Tianjin pose for a group photo before they fly to Wuhan on January 26, to join the local fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak. [For Women of China] A team of 138 medical workers from Tianjin took a flight to Wuhan late in the afternoon of January 26. They were among the first group of medical delegations nationwide that signed up to assist the coronavirus control efforts in Hubei. Guo Junhua is the chief nurse at the department of infectious diseases in Xiqing Hospital of Tianjin. She has accumulated rich experience and knowledge in the prevention and control of previous epidemics such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), the H1N1 virus, MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) and plague. Guo Junhua (3rd, L), chief nurse at the department of infectious diseases in Xiqing Hospital of Tianjin, joins the medical team to Wuhan. [For Women of China] Guo has always stayed at her post and combated infectious diseases, with little regard for her own safety, even when others choose to keep far away from the contagion. As for her, the occurrence of epidemics is like a call to action and the department of fever is her battlefield. Di Jianxin, another member of the Tianjin medical team, is the deputy chief nurse at the intensive care ward of Haihe Hospital. She chose to work on the frontline of combating the novel coronavirus epidemic on January 22 and has committed herself wholeheartedly to saving the lives of virus-affected patients. This comes after she just completed a half-year medical assistance partnership in northwest China's Gansu Province and returned to Tianjin three days before. Di said that a majority of nurses at her hospital are women with children but they never show any complaints in the face of potential dangers in the workplace. The Medical Team of N China's Shanxi Medical workers from North China's Shanxi Province say goodbye to their families and friends before their departure to Wuhan on January 26. [For Women of China] A team of 137 medical workers from 35 hospitals in North China's Shanxi Province flew to Wuhan on the night of January 26. There are 99 females in the medical team. They were divided into three groups to join the fight against the coronavirus epidemic in Xiantao, Tianmen and Qianjiang cities in Hubei on the same night. Without hesitation, they signed up their name when local health authorities made an announcement to recruit medical workers for the deadly epidemic in Wuhan, even though some people of them are in their 50s and some members of their families have poor health. Two medical workers of the Shanxi's medical team to Wuhan, gives a gesture before their depature to Wuhan on January 26. [For Women of China] Fan Jingyu, a young nurse from the generation born after 1990, comes from the department of infectious diseases at the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University. Under the influence of other medical workers, she made up her mind to be a nurse in 2003 when SARS broke out and claimed many lives. Fan submitted her application immediately as the hospital was selecting members of its medical staff to join the medical team from the province to go to Hubei. Before the departure, she even changed her username on WeChat to Huaiting, which sounds like "fighting" and demonstrates her sense of responsibility and promise. The Medical Team of E China's Jiangsu An application letter written by a medical worker requesting the opportunity to fight against the novel coronavirus in Wuhan [For Women of China] It took only several hours for East China's Jiangsu to form its medical team on the night of January 23 when it was designated as one of the first group of provincial regions to extend their medical assistance to Hubei. Liu Li is a young medical worker and Party member at Jiangsu Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine. She chose to postpone her wedding to aid the coronavirus control efforts in Hubei. The Medical Team of E China's Zhejiang Wu Chunyan (L), a leading nurse at the respiratory department of Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, has her hair cut short before her departure to Wuhan. [Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine] A team comprised of 141 medical workers, including 26 women from Hangzhou, Ningbo and Wenzhou cities, all in East China's Zhejiang Province, travelled to Wuhan on the afternoon of January 25, the first day of the year on the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. Zhejiang's medical team comprised of 141 medical workers, including 26 women, pose for a photo before traveling to Wuhan on January 25. [For Women of China] Wu Chunyan is a leading nurse at the respiratory department of Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. She has gained rich experience and knowledge from the battles against SARS, bird flu and other communicable diseases in the past. Wu intentionally had her hair cut short so as to better wear protective clothing and caps on the frontline of combating the novel coronavirus in Wuhan. In addition, Wu has received full support from her husband, who often travels for work, and her son, who is a high school student currently preparing for the national college examination, or Gaokao, this June. Wu explained that their common goal is to curb the spread of the epidemic and safeguard the health of the public. The Medical Team of E China's Anhui Medical workers from the First Hospital of Anhui Medical Hospital pose for a group photo before their departure to Wuhan. [For Women of China] A team of 50 medical workers from East China's Anhui Province left for Wuhan on the noon of January 27 to join the fight against the coronavirus epidemic. Among the team are dozens of women with rich professional knowledge and clinical experience. The First Hospital of Anhui Medical Hospital finalized five medical staff out of over 1,000 applicants to aid the coronavirus control efforts in Wuhan. All of them have sufficient working experience and boasted sound capacity in the treatment of patients in critical condition. Chen Hong, a chief nurse with the First Hospital of Anhui Medical University, has been selected as head of the Anhui medical team. She said at a seeing-off ceremony that the team members will devote themselves wholeheartedly to curbing the spread of the coronavirus epidemic and saving the lives of virus-affected patients. Before the departure, the son of Chen, who is also a student at a medical college, went to see them off. He told Chen he is very supportive of her choice and hoped she would take care during her stay in Wuhan. Shen Hang, another member of the Anhui medical team, is a chief nurse at the intensive care department of the Fourth Hospital of Anhui Medical University. She just returned to Anhui from a vocational training session at Peking Union Medical College Hospital earlier in January. Explaining her own actions, Shen said she wanted her daughter to realize that some people must step forward and lend their assistance to others in the case of epidemics. She hoped her daughter would be as brave as her in the future. The Medical Team of E China's Jiangxi A medical worker with her husband before her departure to Wuhan [For Women of China] Many medical workers from Yingtan People's Hospital in East China's Jiangxi Province rushed to sign up when a recruitment notice was posted to their community WeChat group on the morning of January 26. The hospital finally formed a seven-person medical team, with six female members. Xia Yinfang is a head nurse in the intensive care department of Yingtan People's Hospital. Her husband Wang Zhipeng said in his WeChat message feed that his single wish is for her to take care of herself in a professional manner. When she first told him her decision, he said that he would stay with her no matter what happens. The Medical Team of E China's Shandong Medical workers from East China's Shandong Province say goodbye to their friends and colleagues at a seeing-off ceremony before their departure to Wuhan. [For Women of China] East China's Shandong Province has sent a delegation of 138 medical workers from the departments of respiratory and infectious diseases at local hospitals to join the fight against the novel coronavirus in Wuhan. They are among the first group to do so. The Medical Team of S China's Guangdong Two female medical workers from South China's Guangdong Province make a gesture before their departure to Wuhan to show their confidence in winning the battle against the novel coronavirus. [For Women of China] A team of 60 medical workers from South China's Guangdong Province took medical equipment with them and left for Wuhan on the morning of January 27 to aid the coronavirus control efforts there. There are 22 women in the medical team and they comprise the second such group of medical workers sent by Guangdong to Wuhan. A team of 60 medical workers from Guangdong Province leaves for Wuhan on January 27. [For Women of China] Tian Ruixue, 23, is the youngest member of the medical team and an ICU nurse with the Second Guangdong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. She told the head nurse at the hospital that her parents and grandfather are supportive of her decision and that she would not get distracted upon leaving home since she is still single. Tian said that she has full confidence in their successful accomplishment of the anticipated mission in Wuhan, when asked about the work of combating the coronavirus epidemic before their departure. Liu Guirong, a head nurse with Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital at Sun Yat-sen University, went to Hubei several days prior to Tian. She said that their arrival has brought the hope of life to local patients and they will make maximum efforts to save more lives. The Medical Team of SW China's Sichuan Medical workers from Southwest China's Sichuan Province prepare to leave for Wuhan. [For Women of China] Southwest China's Sichuan Province on January 25 sent a team of 138 medical workers to Hubei to join the fight against the coronavirus epidemic there. Huang Niao, a young nurse with local hospital, is a mother with a 1-year-old toddler. Moreover, her father was just discharged from a hospital. Nevertheless, the family still gave her their full support. Xie Li, a nurse with West China Hospital of Sichuan University, is also a mother of an 8-year-old girl. The daughter sent her mom a drawing which illustrated Xie's fight against the novel coronavirus and conveyed her wish that Xie would be able to return home soon. Xie Li's daughter sends a drawing which illustrated Xie's fight against the novel coronavirus, expressing her wish that Xie would be able to return home soon. [For Women of China] The Medical Team of NW China's Shaanxi A letter written by local medical workers in Hanzhong City, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, to their superior officials requesting the opportunity to fight against the epidemic in Wuhan [For Women of China] The medical team sent by Northwest China's Shaanxi Province to Wuhan to join the fight against the coronavirus epidemic has many outstanding women. Dong Xiaocui of Hanzhong's People Hospital is one of them. Her husband is also a doctor working on the frontline of combating the novel coronavirus. The couple decided to entrust their infant daughter to other family members to be cared for whilst they are away from home. Dong said that when the little child grows up, she will tell her daughter the story of her fight against the ongoing epidemic. (Women of China) A father said his 12-year-old son will 'have nightmares' after he was told to research the murder of James Bulger for a religious education homework project. Rob Gregg - who has a son at Cooper School in Bicester, Oxfordshire - posted a photo of the homework slip on Twitter. Year eight pupils at the co-educational secondary school were asked to research the murder of the two-year-old boy. James was abducted, tortured and killed by two 10-year-old boys, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, in 1993. A father said his 12-year-old son will 'have nightmares' after he was told to research the murder of James Bulger (pictured) for a homework project at Cooper School in Bicester, Oxfordshire Parents at the school claim pupils were asked to do homework on the case in preparation for a religious education class on 'God' and 'evil'. Alongside the picture of the slip, he tweeted: 'Cooper school Bicester asking their year eight students (12 year old's) to research this. WTF, my boy will be have nightmares for weeks now.' The homework assignment which is due to be completed by February 5, asked pupils to 'make sure you look at respectable websites' such as the BBC and newspapers to 'avoid inappropriate material'. The school attached a note for parents with the homework slip which read: 'Please can we assure you that the covering of the James Bulger case was a very carefully considered decision. Father Rob Gregg - who has a son at Cooper School in Bicester, Oxfordshire - posted a photo of the homework slip on Twitter James was abducted, tortured and killed by two 10-year-old boys, Robert Thompson (right) and Jon Venables (left), in 1990 'We are currently studying God and Evil in Year eight and, within this, considering the problem of evil. It went on: 'Focusing on one specific case of "evil" we have found to be an effective way to evaluate the compatibility of a belief in God with the existence of evil (we have covered this topic, intermittently, for a number of years). 'Full harrowing specifics of the case are not necessary and will not be covered.' The note asked parents to contact the school directly if they had any concerns. Thompson and Venables led James away from his mother in a shopping centre in Merseyside in 1993. Several Bicester residents recalled how they were also taught about the case years ago at Cooper School. A spokesperson from the school said: 'The Cooper School has taught RE lessons which refer to the death of James Bulger for many years within a unit of work on good and evil. 'Students are asked to explore the concept of evil existing in the context of religions which define God as all loving and all seeing. 'Students' understanding of the issue is enhanced through discussion of a specific example rather than generalised philosophical concepts. 'Due to concerns expressed by a few parents on social media this year, the school has withdrawn references to the case from their RE lessons and from homework tasks. 'The school is also aware that many parents and ex-students expressed their support and understanding of why the school has taught this case. Nevertheless, the decision has been made to remove it.' "Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness" wins grand prize at Sundance Film Festival 02/03/20 "Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness" directed by Iran's Masud Bakhshi received the "World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic" award at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Saturday February 1st, 2010. The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to: Massoud Bakhshi, for Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness / Iran, France, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg (Director and screenwriter: Massoud Bakhshi, Producers: Jacques Bidou, Marianne Dumoulin) Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness: Maryam is a young woman who has been sentenced to death for murdering her husband, Nasser. Iranian law allows for the victim's family to forgive her and spare her life, so Maryam's fate will be decided by Nasser's daughter, Mona, on the country's most popular televised reality show. In front of millions of viewers during Yalda, the winter solstice celebration, Maryam and Mona discover that forgiveness can be difficult as they relive the past. Filmmaker Massoud Bahkshi brings aesthetic energy and dramatic intensity to a story that unfolds over a few hours and almost entirely within the studio. Compelled by the social complexities of contemporary Iran, Bahkshi started as a documentary filmmaker, during which time he met several women who had murdered their husbands. Their stories stayed with him as he developed this powerful exploration of women characters. Although Maryam and Mona are condemned in some way and subject to Iran's profound patriarchy, they find agency, moral authority, and freedom within those confines. Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness elucidates Iran's vibrant, modern identity alongside its deeply traditional culture. Cast: Sadaf Asgari, Behnaz Jafari, Babak Karimi, Fereshteh Sadr Orafaee, Forough Ghajebeglou, Fereshteh Hosseini. Artist Bio: Born in Tehran, Iran, in 1972, Massoud Bakhshi has worked as film critic, scriptwriter, and producer, before making 12 documentaries and short films that were awarded internationally. His first feature film, A Respectable Family, screened at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival Directors' Fortnight. Yalda is his second feature film. YEAR 2019 CATEGORY World Cinema Dramatic Competition COUNTRY Iran/France/Germany/Switzerland/Luxembourg RUN TIME 89 min LANGUAGE Farsi SUBTITLES Yes with English subtitles COMPANY Pyramide International WEBSITE www.pyramidefilms.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Theresia Sufa (The Jakarta Post) Bogor, West Java Mon, February 3, 2020 13:46 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206240ea8 1 City Bogor-regency,West-Java,gold-mine,gold-mining,illegal-gold-miners,illegal-gold-mines Free A joint operation involving 700 security personnel was held over the weekend to close down 23 holes from illegal gold mining activities within the area of Mount Pongkor in Bogor regency, West Java. The 700 personnel comprised police officers from the West Java Police, Bogor Police, the Indonesian Military (TNI), local forest police and security personnel of diversified mining company PT Aneka Tambang (Antam), Bogor Police spokesperson Adj. Comr. Ita Puspita Lena said. She said the operation to shut the illegal mining holes was to enforce order and protect the environment, especially following a string of natural disasters in the regency. The illegal mine holes were mostly located around bushes, each within 5 to 10 kilometers from each other, scattered in two different blocks in the mountain area. Authorities had to go up steep hiking trails and crossed the river to get to the illegal mining locations, she said. Thirteen of the 23 illegal mine holes were located in Citorek block, while the remaining 10 were located in Cisuren block, technically within a gold mining area owned by PT Antam. Read also: Five dead after landslides at illegal gold mine in Bogor "Such illegal gold mining activities have damaged the environment and caused natural disasters. They have violated Law No. 4/2009 on mineral resources and coal mining," she said. Last month, the Bogor Police arrested two people after they were allegedly caught red-handed carrying out mining activities without a permit following an investigation by authorities to find out the cause of massive flooding that struck Sukajaya district in the regency on the first day of 2020. The police suspected illegal mining activities in Bogor had contributed to the floods, tempo.co reported. Pongkor is known to attract miners searching for gold despite their lack of skills and proper tools. Last year, at least five people died after being buried by landslides at in an illegal gold mining area in Pongkor following hours of heavy downpours. It was not the first fatal incident as 12 miners died in a similar accident in Pongkor in 2015. (afr) Just as this year's Young Scientist Exhibition opened its doors at the RDS on Thursday a much quieter event was taking place at Dublin's Mansion House. Two students from Mzumbe Secondary School in Morogoro, Tanzania presented the Lord Mayor of Dublin Criona Ni Dhalaigh with gifts from their country, symbolising aspects of life in Tanzania. Edwin Luguku and John Method, won the 2015 Young Scientists Exhibition Tanzania (YSET) and part of their prize included attending last week's Irish Young Scientist Exhibition. The project that won them the top prize was 'The Effects Of Plastic Bags On Morogoro And Reducing Their Use'. The YSET is the brainchild of Joe Clowry. Before moving to NUI Maynooth, where he was Education Officer with the Combat Diseases of Poverty Consortium, he taught science, biology and development education at Carlow CBS. 'Between 2008 and 2011 I worked with 40 researchers from east Africa in Maynooth and we visited Irish schools looking at projects the youngsters were preparing for the Young Scientist Exhibition. The African researchers could not believe how advanced the Irish youngsters were when it came to scientific matters. We were working on a probiotics project for people living with HIV. I met Professor Michael Kelly SJ, who has spent most of his life working in Africa, and he suggested that we should take the project to Africa. And that's really the genesis of YSET. We picked Tanzania because it has the least developed scientific infrastructure in east Africa,' Joe explains. The first YSET was launched in 2011 and last year 130 schools in Tanzania exhibited their projects in Dar es Salaam. Up to 300 schools entered the competition but due to space restrictions there was only room for the top 130 exhibitors. The exhibition has so captured the imagination of the youth in Tanzania that young people last year spent three days getting to the event and another three days travelling back home afterwards. The project is funded by Irish Aid, BG Tanzania and other organisations such as Concern Worldwide. Joe Clowry explained to me how he happened to meet the then Concern CEO Tom Arnold at a function at the Irish Embassy in Dar es Salaam. 'I was telling Tom about the project and he immediately realised its potential and offered me any help I needed. He allowed me use the Concern offices in Tanzania and anytime I ever mention that the project is supported by Concern, doors automatically open for me,' he smiles. Concern annually presents the Niall Weldon Award at the YSET. Niall was secretary at Aer Lingus, who were the original sponsors of the Young Scientist Exhibition and for over 25 years he was the chairman of the organising committee of the exhibition. For Edwin and John it's their first time to leave Tanzania. Lord Mayor Criona Ni Dhalaigh told them they were visiting a great city and strongly advised them it was a special place to have some fun and 'craic'. It's a project that offers great potential. Why not Irish schools set up partnerships with fellow exhibitors in Tanzania and other African countries? Working and learning together always makes sense. A couple in Ajmer, who returned from China on January 28, have been kept in isolation at a hospital after they complained of cold and cough as a preventive measure against coronavirus. District Health Officer KK Soni said, "Their samples are being sent to Jaipur. A team will be sent to screen their family too." The first patient who was tested positive with coronavirus is in a stable condition, Thrissur Medical College had said in a statement on Sunday. "Coronavirus patient at Thrissur Medical College is stable. Her condition is satisfactory. There are currently 20 people in Thrissur who are under observation in different hospitals. From here, 30 samples have been sent to Alappuzha virology lab," the medical college said in its statement. Earlier, the patient was shifted from Thrissur General Hospital to the isolation ward of Thrissur Medical College. Earlier on Sunday, the second case of novel coronavirus in the country was reported from Kerala, and the patient is being monitored in an isolation ward in the Alappuzha Medical College. Meanwhile, the death toll in the coronavirus outbreak in China's Hubei province has risen to 361 with 56 people succumbing to the deadly virus, according to health authorities. According to the Hubei health authority, authorities confirmed an additional 2,103 coronavirus cases in the province, which brings the total number of cases to over 16,600, CNN reported. The virus originated in China's Wuhan city in December last year and has since spread to various cities around the world. Several countries including India have sped up the evacuation process after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak as a global health crisis. Earlier on Sunday, India evacuated 323 Indian nationals and seven Maldivian citizens, from Wuhan in a special Air India flight. On Saturday, 324 Indians had been evacuated from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Health workers spray antiseptic on Indonesians disembarking from a plane that arrived from Wuhan, China, at the Hang Nadim Airport in Batam, Indonesia, Feb. 2, 2020. A day after the Philippines confirmed the first coronavirus death outside China, residents of Indonesia's Natuna Islands on Monday protested the governments decision to quarantine its evacuated citizens in the remote region. Malaysia, meanwhile, pledged to house evacuees far from the public as an airplane arrived in Kuala Lumpur carrying its citizens home from Wuhan, the epicenter of a rapidly spreading virus that has killed at least 360 people. Hundreds of residents of the Natuna Islands demanded that 238 Indonesians who have been evacuated from China be quarantined on a warship, despite assurances from the government that the returnees were not infected by the coronavirus. It's not that we are heartless and have no humanity, but the shelter is not standardized and health facilities and doctors are also limited. Even if only one person is infected with the coronavirus, they could transmit it to the population, Abid Juong, one of the demonstrators who gathered at a local legislative building, told BenarNews. The Indonesians arrived in Batam, an Indonesian island near Singapore, from Hubei Province in China, on Sunday and were immediately transported to a military base in Natuna, where they will be quarantined for 14 days, authorities said. Other nations have also taken sweeping steps to contain the flu-like coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in a market that traded illegally in wildlife in Hubeis provincial capital, Wuhan. Chinese health officials confirmed more than 17,200 infections with 361 deaths as of Monday. The U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said confirmed cases of the virus had been reported in 27 nations outside China. Indonesias move took place as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte urged Filipinos on Monday not to engage in xenophobia, a day after his government reported the death of a Chinese man in Manila, the first coronavirus death outside China. The man was already infected when he traveled to the Philippines in January, officials said. Manila has banned the entry of all foreign nationals travelling from China and confirmed two cases of the virus, adding to the 150 cases that have been reported in two dozen other countries. If the question is if I will bar Chinese from entering, the answer of course is no. That is an utter disrespect to a human being. This mentioning the Chinese and blaming them is xenophobia, Duterte said. "Stop this xenophobia thing," he added. He said that Chinese nationals flying in from outside China would be allowed to enter the Philippines, where health authorities were awaiting confirmation on whether 48 other patients currently under observation were infected. On Thursday, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global emergency. Authorities said the infections had surpassed the total in the 2002-2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic, which killed about 800 people Sprayed Indonesian Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto said none of the Indonesians repatriated on Sunday were believed to have contracted the coronavirus. They have passed the three stages of screening by the Chinese government, it has been confirmed that all of them are in good health, he told reporters. But after arriving here, I have to make sure they are in good health. Health workers were seen spraying the Indonesians who flew from Wuhan, China to Batam, Indonesia, as they disembarked from a plane with a substance that local reports described as an antiseptic. The Health Ministry said there had not been any confirmed cases of the virus in Indonesia, which was visited by about 2.1 million Chinese tourists last year. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Sunday the government had decided to bar entry to visitors who have been in China and would ban flights to and from China starting Wednesday. All visitors who arrived from mainland China and who have been there for 14 days will not be allowed to enter or transit in Indonesia, temporarily, she told reporters. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ministry of Trade said the government was considering suspending imports of food and beverages as well as live animals from China. Hotline In Malaysia, a Foreign Ministry official told BenarNews that an Air Asia flight arrived in Wuhan on Monday to evacuate 141 people, including 116 Malaysians. Local media reported that the same flight arrived early Tuesday (local time) in Kuala Lumpur. The official, who asked not to be identified as he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media, described as exaggerated local reports that repatriated Malaysians would be housed in a facility very, very far from public with 24-hour police surveillance. It's far and safe from the public, the official said. And at the center we also have zoning, so there will be no direct contact except with the medical team. Most of the non-citizens being evacuated are Chinese nationals married to Malaysians, the source said. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) responded to the spread of the virus by convening a videoconference last week at its Center for Military Medicine, according to a report by the diplomat.com. Medical representatives from eight of the ten ASEAN countries discussed preventive measures and early testing for those suspected of being infected, it said. On Monday, the ASEANs official Twitter page provided hotline numbers that can be accessed by nationals of its 10 member countries. If you experience fever, cough and difficulty in breathing, do not panic, the posting said. Seek medical care immediately or dial these numbers. Jason Gutierrez in Manila contributed to this report. A 30-year-old housewife, Shukurat Olufowobi has been arrested by the police in Ogun for allegedly beating her five-year-old stepson, Azeem Olufowobi to death. Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the arrest in a statement made available to newsmen in Abeokuta the Ogun State capital, saying the suspect was arrested on Sunday. He said the suspect who lives in Oshodi Oke area of Ogijo in Sagamu local government area of Ogun State allegedly used an object to hit Azeems head. Read Also: Police Arrest Woman Who Accused Her Stepson Of Having Sex With Her In Dreams The statement reads, the suspect was arrested at about 12:30 pm of Sunday 02 02 2020 following an information received from members of the public who informed police at Ogijo division that the deceased boy was beaten with an object on his head which gave him a skull injury that eventually resulted to the death of the victim. Information further revealed that the woman and her husband hurriedly took the corpse of the victim to Ajah in Lagos State where he was secretly buried. Upon the information, the DPO Ogijo division CSP Suleman Baba Muhammed quickly mobilized his detectives to the scene where the couple who have started packing their belongings away from the area were promptly arrested. Preliminary investigation revealed that the woman has been maltreating the victim whose mother has separated from the father due to unreconcilable differences. On a fateful day, the boy was beaten on the head with a heavy object which caused him a broken skull resulting to his eventual death. The nurse who gave the victim first aid treatment and informed a couple of her observation was pleaded with by the woman and her friend to lie about the cause of the victim death but she refused because it is against the ethics of her profession. The couple Ayuba Olufowobi and Shukurat Olufowobi are currently undergoing interrogation at Ogijo divisional headquarters and they were helping the police in their investigation. Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police CP Kenneth Ebrimson has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the homicide section of the state criminal investigation and intelligence department for further investigation and prosecution. No restraint can be made on free communication during the process of election, the Delhi High Court has said while refusing to bar a person from circulating messages on a social networking platform against a candidate contesting the upcoming assembly polls. Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw refused to pass an ex-parte order to direct a national daily and Internet giant Google to take down alleged defamatory content relating to the candidate from its electronic platform. The court was hearing a plea by a BJP leader, who is contesting in the upcoming Delhi Legislative Assembly election to be held on February 8, seeking to restrain the newspaper, Google and others from publishing or disseminating the alleged defamatory material against him. His counsel contended that a WhatsApp sender be restrained from circulating messages to the effect that the candidate was accused of the offence of rape, as he has been discharged of the charge by a court here. The high court said though the candidate has been discharged of the offence of rape, he is still accused of the offences under Section 354 (molestation), 354A (sexual harassment), B (use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe) and D (stalking), 201 (destruction of evidence), 506 (criminal intimidation) IPC and Section 67 (punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act under which also the FIR has been registered. "The court certainly cannot by its order, direct the allegedly defamatory material to be so dissected," it said. "It has been held that during election and campaigning for elections, a lot of claims and speeches are made and at least the candidates contesting the election cannot be bound by the promises made by them to the electorate and on the same parity, I feel that any restraint on free communication during the process of election is not envisaged under the law relating to elections," the judge said. The court issued summons to the parties on the suit and listed it for further hearing on February 19. The candidate has filed a suit in the court seeking direction to the newspaper to take down the offending article, published in 2015, stating that he was accused of molesting and sexually assaulting a woman. The plea said once he has been discharged of the charge of rape, the content on the website of the newspaper to the effect that he had been booked under Section 376 of the IPC, is ex-facie defamatory of him and affects his chances in the ensuing election. The candidate's counsel contended that since the content of the item also contained information which is not correct as of today, it is liable to be removed in entirety. The judge, however, said, "I am unable to agree, it is up to the plaintiff to inform its electorate that he has been discharged of the offence under Section 376 IPC." The court said it cannot be lost sight of the fact that the offences of molestation, sexual harassment, use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe and stalking of which he is still accused, are allied to the offence of rape for which he has been discharged. And the impact of other offences, of which he is still accused, on the public is likely to be the same as of offence of which he is discharged. Thus, no case is made out for grant of ex parte order, the court said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kenneth Okoth, 39, tells his inspiring story of how he rose from the throes of despair after the death of his parents to become a manager at Grand Forest Japan Hospital Ltd, a Diagnostic Centre in Upper Hill. Nairobi. I was born in Homa Bay County in 1980 I am a firstborn in a family of three children. We were poor, my parents struggled to educate us and provide for our other needs. My father was an electrician while my mother plaited hair for a living. When I was in primary school, we all packed our belongings and moved to Nairobi, where my parents hoped to make a better living. We got a house, (a room to be specific) in Dandora Phase Four and I joined Tom Mboya Primary School, a walking distance from our house. Unfortunately, the improved livelihood my parents were searching for did not materialise. If anything, life was more difficult here, so we all trooped back to the village. My parents were however determined to educate me, and therefore they enrolled me at the nearby Kamolo Primary School. I was in Class Two then. In August 1995, just before I sat for my Kenya Certificate of Primary School examinations (KCPE), my mother died. Her death spelt doom over my family because she had been the breadwinner. I was devastated by her death, and my hope of joining secondary school faded away. HEAD BOY Hard-hit by my mums death, I did not perform as well as I had expected, managing 380 marks out of the possible 700. Thankfully, my aunts Abigael Akoko and the late Elizabeth Ouma, as well as a cousin, Charles Akal, paid my school fees at Dandora Secondary School in Nairobi. Being a day scholar, I lived with my aunt Abigael, her husband and their son. After school in the evening, I would assist her to sell fish and do house work. I stood out at my new school, determined to perform well in my studies and go to university. While in Form Three, I was appointed class prefect, and when I got to Form Four, I was appointed head boy and chair of the Science Club. In August 1999, just before I sat for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations (KCSE), my father died. Just like my mothers death, my fathers death disoriented me. My siblings and I were now orphans, forcing our relatives to take us in. We ended up being separated, living with different relatives. I completed high school, but to my disappointment, managed grade C, meaning I could not study medicine, as I had hoped. CERTIFICATE COURSE I was sure that this would be the end of my education and the end of my long-held dream to end the cycle of poverty in my family. However, something compelled me to keep going, not to give up. I therefore sought employment at the defunct Jack & Jill Supermarket, the popular supermarket that was located near OTC in Nairobis central business district (CBD). I was employed as a packaging boy, earning Sh200 per day, part of which I diligently saved for eight months, putting aside enough to pay initial school fees at Nairobi Technical Training Institute in Pangani, where I studied a certificate course in medical laboratory technology. It helped that I was still living with my aunt. I would work during the day and attend classes in the evening. I continued saving, and when I completed the course two years later, I joined Technical University of Kenya (TUK) for a diploma in the same course. Around this time, I found another job at then-East Africa Industries (EAI), now Unilever East Africa my job was to pack Vaseline Jelly. In 2006, I sought attachment at a medical facility, Medical Diagnostic Centre, located at Re-Insurance Plaza in Nairobis CBD. LAB TECHNICIAN My boss, the late Hannington Pamba, must have noticed my intense desire to learn because he took me under his wing and mentored me. A year later, he invited me to join his NGO, International Friends of Children Healthcare Organisation (IFCHO), which was located near Adams Arcade, on Ngong Road. At IFCHO, I worked as a laboratory technician as well as administrator, earning Sh9,000 a month. A year later, a couple of donors, led by Isao Mori, the president of Ishinkai Yao Hospital, in Osaka, Japan, detached themselves from IFCHO and formed Child Doctor Kenya, an NGO that provided healthcare support to children living in childrens homes in Nairobi. In 2008, I was offered a job by Child Doctor Kenya, which, being newly formed, was a small organisation. By then, I had been married for a year. My wife Christine, whom I had met at Kenya Polytechnic, advised me to return to school to further my education. It was a good idea, but my younger sister Damaris Otieno was in secondary school, and I was paying her school fees, and therefore it would have been a huge struggle, considering the fact that I earned less than Sh10,000. SUPPORTIVE WIFE Through my wifes encouragement, however, I enrolled at the University of Nairobi for a bachelors degree in political science and sociology. My wife was very supportive. She took a loan of Sh40,000 and paid the fees required for my first semester. When I joined the university, my goal was to become a district commissioner (DC) so that I could improve the lives of people back home through delivery of the services they needed I was also eager to serve in the government. With a loan from the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) and support from my wife, I completed my degree and graduated in 2010. That same year, Kenya promulgated a new Constitution and with it, my dream to become a DC died since the position was scrapped. The degree was not in vain, though, because I was promoted to administrator of Child Doctor Kenya. The following year, in 2012, through the persistence of my wife, I went back to the University of Nairobi for a master of arts in project planning and management. This is the same year that I left Child Doctor Kenya and joined another organisation, Grand Forest Japan Hospital Ltd, which is under the Dream World Healthcare Programme. DOCTORAL STUDIES This is where I have been working since. Part of my work involves recruiting doctors and nurses and other medical staff. I am also involved in procurement as well as quality checks. The organisation, which started in 2012 with a staff of two, the director and I, has grown, now has 15 permanent employees and six part-time staff. My education did not stop with my masters degree. In 2015, I commenced my PhD in project planning and management, specialising in project planning design and implementation, again through my wifes motivation. This would probably have been impossible had it not been for the support I received from my employer through the staff partial scholarship programme. Besides, I was promoted to manager of the institution. I graduated in December 2019; what a joyous day it was! My PhD research was on medical laboratory quality control systems, project resource management and performance of maternal and child healthcare programmes in my home county, Homa Bay. In my thesis, I explored the influence of medical laboratory quality control systems on the performance of maternal and child healthcare programmes. TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES I also sought to establish the moderating influence of project resource management on the relationship between medical laboratory quality control systems and the performance of maternal and child healthcare programmes. I was looking at the role of medical laboratories in reducing maternal and child deaths through early diagnosis, choosing Homa Bay as my research site due to the high prevalence of malaria and HIV/Aids. If youre wondering, I am already thinking of starting my postdoctoral studies. At the moment, I am not looking for a job, but opportunities to teach at the university have come knocking. I might consider part-time teaching soon since I intend to grow in academia. Obviously, my wife has been very instrumental in my journey. We met at Kenya Polytechnic, where we both studied for our diplomas. Christine is a senior laboratory technician at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. She is also a part-time lecturer at Multimedia University of Kenya. As my wife encouraged me to further my education, she too was not left behind. YOUTH MENTORSHIP She would go on to do a national diploma specialising in haematology, after which she studied for a bachelors degree in haematology at Technical University of Kenya. She also has a masters degree in medical parasitology and entomology. We have two children, Marlene Hope Otieno, 10, and Malia Tabitha Otieno, who is four years old. We are expecting our third-born this year, after which Christine plans to commence studying for her PhD in 2021. After my parents died, I was afraid of what the future held for me, but I was determined to use every opportunity I got to work towards my dream. Having lived in the village in the midst of poverty, as well as Dandora with all its challenges and shortcomings, I plan to mentor as many youth as I can to change their life for better. It is possible, if I did it, they too can. GIVING BACK I never forget that I am where I am due to the generosity of others so far, I have put two needy boys through secondary school. One is pursuing an auto-mechanic course while the other is still trying to figure out the career he wants to pursue. In future, I envision myself working for the national government, specifically in the design and implementation of policies. A murder accused managed to join the police force in Uttarakhand and remained posted at different places in the state, hoodwinking the authorities for 19 years. A case under Section 420 of the IPC has been registered at the Pantnagar police station against Mukesh Kumar, who works as a constable in the Uttarakhand Police. Mukesh is said to have been involved in a murder case at Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh in 1997. However, he allegedly applied for recruitment in the state police four years after the crime in 2001, Pantnagar SHO Ashok Kumar said. Mukesh appears to have been recruited in the force as he changed his original address to Sehdora village of Kichcha in Uttarakhand. He was currently posted in Almora,the SHO said, adding that appropriate action would be taken after the investigation was complete. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) FAIRFIELD A 33-year-old man was arrested and charged Monday after allegedly injuring multiple people, including a state trooper based in Bridgeport, in a June crash on I-95 North. Joseph Buzzanca, 33, was charged with failure to use seatbelt, reckless driving, illegally operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol / drugs, failure to drive in proper lane, failure to reduce speed or pull over for emergency vehicle and second-degree assault with a motor vehicle. According to an affidavit seeking a warrant for his arrest, Trooper First Class Gregory Trahan was dispatched to a three-vehicle crash near Exit 21 on I-95 North in Fairfield just before 5 a.m. June 16. He was told that a Ford Mustang convertible had become disabled, possibly running out of gas, and stopped on the left shoulder. Trooper Gregory Sawicki, driving a police cruiser, stopped behind the car to provide assistance. A Chevrolet Tahoe then struck the police cruiser from behind, according to the affidavit. Four people were taken to the hospital for treatement, including Sawicki, who sustained a concussion, three broken ribs, injuries to his shoulder and hip bones and a torn rotator cuff. By analyzing the vehicles diagnostic system, Trahan later found that Buzzanca, the Tahoes driver, had not hit his brakes before the crash, and was traveling approximately 73 miles per hour half a second before impact. There was no noticable defect in his car that could have contributed to the crash, Trahan said. Buzzanca turned himself in on Monday, according to state police. He was released on a court-set $50,000 bond and is next scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Bridgeport on Feb. 11. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com Two Ukrainian military personnel were killed and four wounded over the weekend in the Donbas conflict zone where Russian-backed separatists control portions of the country's two easternmost regions. A female combat medic was killed on February 1 near the front-line town of Novotoshkivske in the Luhansk region, the military headquarters said in a daily war update. Sergeant Klavdia Sytnyk, 33, came under fire while delivering medical supplies to a combat post and sustained fatal shrapnel wounds to her chest. The native of the Kharkiv region worked as a civilian paramedic before enlisting in the military in February 2017, according to her combat unit. Another service member was killed on February 2 as Ukrainian forces faced 15 attacks over a 24-hour period, almost twice the number recorded the previous day, the military said. More than 110 Ukrainian service members were killed in 2019. The conflict between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists that started in April 2014 has killed more than 13,000 people. Hostilities in the Donbas erupted shortly after Russia forcibly annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, a move that has not been recognized by the international community. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed to end the war, which has internally uprooted 1.5 million people from their homes and caused a humanitarian crisis in the easternmost regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. The Kremlin officially denies that it is a party to the war and describes the events in the Donbas as "an internal Ukrainian conflict." Numerous cease-fires have failed to bring lasting peace to Europe's only shooting war. Based on reporting by UNIAN, Interfax, Hromadske, and Censor Two Sydney mums have been charged after a bizarre online spat over the coronavirus allegedly ended in a wild brawl. The women, aged 33 and 36, from the city's northern beaches, were charged with affray on Monday, almost a week after both were hospitalised for their injuries. The mothers were allegedly discussing the deadly disease in an online group chat on Tuesday, when one woman, from Dee Why, visited the other's home in Brookvale. Northern Beaches Police shared the story to their Facebook on Thursday, where it quickly went viral (pictured) Tensions boiled over and the pair allegedly then came to blows, with police and paramedics called about 8pm. One of the two women involved has claimed she had criticised the other woman for not going into quarantine after returning from Wuhan, China. Wuhan is the epicentre of the fatal illness, which has killed more than 360 people and infected 12 Australians. Two women accompanying the mothers - also from the group chat - tried to separate the pair. Police and an ambulance were called and both the women were taken to hospital for their injuries. Two women have ended up in hospital after an online argument over the coronavirus turned violent (stock image) The older woman suffered a head injury - requiring a brain scan - as well as a shoulder injury and a cut to her arm. The younger woman suffered a sore shoulder and other 'non-life threatening injuries'. Both women have since been released from hospital. The pair will face court on March 25. Shahdara Delhi Assembly Constituency Election Results 2020 Live Updates - Read Shahdara constituency vidhan sabha chunav latest news, party, constituency, candidate name wise winner, loser, leading, trailing live updates online at Firstpost.com. Shahdara Assembly Elections 2020 | A small margin of 500 votes keeps AAP's candidate and sitting Shahdara MLA Ram Niwas Goel behind BJP's Sanjay Goyal. While the AAP candidate got 44,177 votes, Sanjay Goyal got 44,699 votes. The Shahdara Assembly constituency, which is a part of East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, is scheduled to go to polls on 8 February with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielding a candidate in the seat it has traditionally left empty for its ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and the Congress trusting it's three-time MLA Narendra Nath. The ruling AAP has fielded sitting MLA Ram Niwas Goyal, while Sanjay Goyal will fight the election on BJP's ticket. Past election result: In the last election held in 2015, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Ram Nivas Goel won the seat. In 2013, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Jitendra Singh Shanty had won the seat, and prior to that in 2008, Congress had won the seat and Dr Narendra Nath was elected as the MLA. The electorate of Delhi, which will be voting on 8 February, is made up of 80,55,686 registered male voters, 66,35,635 registered female voters, and 815 registered voters of the third gender. Additionally, 55,823 differently-abled voters are also likely to vote. The electorate also comprises of 489 non-residing voters for the 2020 Assembly polls. Here is a brief description of the Assembly constituency (as of 2015): Constituency number: 62 Total electors: 1,18,432 Male: 90,585 Female: 79,368 Transgender: 6 Voter turnout in last Assembly Election: 69 percent Polling stations: 155 The Kerala government on Monday declared novel epidemic as a "state calamity" with a third student testing positive for the infection in the state. State Health Minister K K Shailaja told reporters that the government has declared the epidemic as a "state calamity" to take all necessary steps to ensure that the outbreak is effectively controlled. The decision was taken at a meeting of the apex committee of the State Disaster Management Authority chaired by Chief Secretary Tom Jose, she said here, hours after the third positive case in the country was confirmed from the state. A medical bulletin issued by the government said the health status of all the three students, who tested positive for the virus, was "satisfactory". Earlier, two students from the state who studied in Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the epidemic, had tested positive for the virus in Thrissur and Alappuzha. Till date, a total of 2,239 people, who travelled from the novel affected countries, including China, have been identified and placed under surveillance in the state, it said. Of them, as many as 2,155 are under home quarantine and 84 have been admitted to isolation wards in hospitals. Shailaja said some people who have returned from China were evading the health department. "What they are doing by not reporting is very dangerous", she said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 00:51:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed bilateral ties with his German counterpart Heiko Maas in a telephone conversation on Saturday night. In the in-depth exchange of views, Maas highlighted the year 2020 as vital to bilateral relations, saying his country is willing to make real efforts with China to improve and develop the ties. Regarding bilateral ties, he noted that Germany abides by the agreed upon principles reached between the two countries in recent years. Germany respects China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, is committed to the one-China policy, regards Hong Kong as part of China and supports its practice of "one country, two systems," which serves as the foundation for Hong Kong's longterm prosperity and stability. Maas said Germany will take care of each other's core interests, strengthen exchanges and dialogue with China, consolidate mutual understanding and trust, and push forward cooperation in various areas bilaterally and multilaterally. Germany assumes the rotating European Union (EU) presidency in the second half of this year, and is willing to work with China to ensure the success of everything important on the EU-China political agenda, he noted. For his part, Wang noted that the world is undergoing profound and complex changes, with growing instability and uncertainty. As major countries of significant influence, Germany and China should enhance strategic communication and cooperation, he said. Wang said the key to a successful relationship is to maintain mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs as well as abide by other international norms, urging Germany to fulfill its commitments with concrete actions. The Chinese foreign minister also called for strengthening dialogue, deepening mutual trust, and properly handling disagreements, in order to sustain a healthy and stable development of bilateral ties. China is willing to work with Germany to elevate China-EU relations to new heights, Wang added. Former Green Beret Adam Smith had eight concussions during his 17-year career in the National Guard, which included deployments to Bosnia and Afghanistan. To him, traumatic brain injury means more than the short-term memory problems that make him put tracking devices on his keys, phone and other everyday items so he can find them again. TBI, which is often closely linked with post-traumatic stress disorder, also contributed to an "existential crisis" that almost took Smith's life in 2016. "When you live a life of service, purpose and mission and your personal self-identity is defined and provided to you by your job and that's taken away, that really causes an existential crisis with any individual," he said. Related: 64 Troops Now Being Treated for TBI Following Iran Missile Attack Compounding those "demons of the past -- the things that you haven't really worked through or processed yet," brought him to a breaking point in January 2016, he said. Smith recalled that he sat on the couch and put his gun in his mouth, but he passed out before he was able to pull the trigger. When he came to, his then-fiancee -- now his wife -- was there. "You get really good at hiding that [pain] from the world," he said, "and we get really good at hiding it to the point where we can even hide it from those that we love." Traumatic brain injury made headlines recently when President Donald Trump referred to injuries sustained by troops after a Jan. 8 Iranian airstrike as "headaches." "I heard they had headaches and a couple of other things ... and I can report it is not very serious," Trump said at a press conference in Davos, Switzerland, according to an AP report on Jan. 22. "No, I don't consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries that I've seen. I've seen what Iran has done with their roadside bombs to our troops. I've seen people with no legs and with no arms. I've seen people that were horribly, horribly injured in that area, that war." His comments have drawn sharp criticism, especially as the number of troops diagnosed with TBI after the attack continues to rise. On Jan. 30, officials raised that number to 64, with the possibility of more to come. The issue has drawn attention to what is considered the "signature wound" of the post-9/11 war. More than 410,000 service members have been diagnosed with TBI since 2000, according to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC). This is in part due to the prevalence of enemy fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan using improvised explosive devices. But doctors are still working out how to make tests sensitive enough to show mild TBI and determine who will need a longer recovery. Physicians also have yet to agree on the level of activity a patient should engage in after a TBI. No matter the case, to Dr. Brent Masel, director of the Brain Injury of America Association, TBI is by no means a minor injury. "[Trump's] just wrong," Masel said. TBI diagnoses are broken into three types: mild, moderate and severe. Those classifications refer to the patient's status of consciousness after the event. Mild TBIs are most often called a concussion. That's when a person is awake after the event. They're usually dazed -- seeing "stars" or "spots" -- and confused. Dr. David Cifu, a Virginia Commonwealth University Health professor researching TBI for the government, said people look pretty good in this state so it's easy to miss that the patient has 10% less ability in their hand movements, or they're off balance. With a moderate TBI, the person may be unconscious for up to 30 minutes. Severe TBI results in a coma. Dr. Jamshid Ghajar, president of the Brain Trauma Foundation, said the classifications serve two purposes: "One is to recognize the impairment and, two, it's correctable," he said. "You can actually treat it." In the long term, TBI patients can experience temporary gaps in memory, irritability, depression, anxiety and trouble sleeping, among other issues, according to the DVBIC, which calls it a "significant health issue." Alex Balbir, from the largest nonprofit organization helping veterans and active-duty service members, the Wounded Warrior Project, pointed out TBI's cognitive deficits. "Your supervisors, your commanding officers, might look at you and say, 'You know what, I'm not quite sure what's happening to you right now," Balbir said, adding they would see a lack of focus or confusion. "You find yourself breaking those routines, breaking those molds that you developed over the years, and it changes your persona just a little bit." The Evolution of TBI Treatment The days of sitting in a dark room until the patient's headache goes away or waking him or her every so often are mostly in the past. However, doctors still differ on what exactly should be done in the days following a TBI. "A lot of physicians will say, 'Well, you shouldn't do anything. Go into a dark room, don't strain the brain and wait until you recover,'" said Ghajar, who is also the director of Stanford University's Brain Performance Center. "And we have a national epidemic of people that are sitting in a room waiting for their headache to go away. "Well, we and others have published literature that found that early exercise after a concussion speeds recovery," he continued. "So this idea of 'don't strain the brain' is not a good one because you're actually isolating people and causing a delay in their recovery." Ghajar said he introduces therapy like one would do with any injury. The patient might have issues with their eyes not focusing or their neck hurting, so they would be connected with a specialist. He said it's best to identify the patient's symptoms and introduce therapy early, even though it may provoke TBI symptoms like headaches. "The brain is a prediction machine and, when you get a concussion, that's what goes -- prediction," he said. "What happens is, you're unable to predict well and so, when things are moving in the outside world, you're unable to tell where they're going to be or where you're going to be, and that causes error signals in the brain, which produces headaches, dizziness, fogginess, feeling out of sync." For Cifu, TBI treatment is about helping the whole person. While the vast majority of patients will be fine after two weeks, those with chronic conditions such as anxiety, sleep apnea or a history of migraines often take longer to heal. For example, if the patient is suffering from anxiety, Cifu said he might refer them to a psychologist, in addition to the therapy Ghajar mentioned. The Wounded Warrior Project is investing in a similar holistic treatment strategy for veterans suffering from TBI. "I don't like to call it a 'multidisciplinary approach' because that means that the patient is going from one person to the next person without them talking. What we hope to have is more of an interdisciplinary approach," Balbir said. The WWP's "secret sauce," he said, is forming a cohort of veterans to go through treatment together. This creates a support system for veterans during the program and post-treatment, where they can check on each other. Treatments at civilian facilities are similar to the Pentagon's, requiring eye and neck therapy as appropriate to treat the symptoms. Former DVBIC director Kathy Lee noted that TBI does not just affect troops who have seen combat. Some 80 to 85% of TBI events tracked by the Defense Department happen at bases stateside, often as a result of traffic or training accidents. In 2018, the DoD added eye tracking to its Military Acute Concussion Evaluation 2, or MACE 2. Four years earlier, officials established a six-step program to introduce service members back to physical activities gradually. Today, officials are working to include TBI instructions into the DoD guidance on brain health. Lee, who is now special assistant to the assistant secretary of defense for Health Readiness Policy & Oversight, said education remains a significant problem, because many people with TBI do not recognize its symptoms. "It's very rare that a person says they're having 'attention problems,'" she said. That's one reason why the DoD has instituted mandatory TBI assessments for troops who experience a potentially concussive event. This also eliminates the "stigma" associated with getting treatment. After a diagnosis of mild TBI, a service member will receive a "Return to Activity" educational brochure to track their symptoms and explain the stages of light activity they must go through before returning to duty. The Department of Veterans Affairs created a concussion screening procedure in 2007 for all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans when they come in for care. The VA does not list all its TBI treatment methods on its website, but says that "treatment typically includes a mix of cognitive, physical, speech, and occupational therapy, along with medication to control specific symptoms such as headaches or anxiety." The Future of Treating TBI Military care providers are eager to find an objective test that will help diagnose TBI without relying on accounts of patients' self-reported symptoms. Last year, the Defense Department and the VA announced a joint grant for TBI research with each giving up to $25 million for five years to look at the least-studied TBI category: concussions. Cifu's team, which received the grant, is researching a way to better diagnose mild TBI. The current best practice is simply talking to the patient. Researchers are looking into "biomarkers" in the blood and brain that might reveal the presence of a mild TBI; current scans are not sensitive enough to show the damage. Cifu said his study is looking into whether it might be better to use multiple tests, instead of just one, to reach a diagnosis. Other research areas might lead to early detection of which patients will take longer to heal, he said. Meanwhile, VA researchers are looking into methods such as magnetic brain stimulation and protein injections to treat symptoms of headaches, anxiety and mood swings. "The treatment involves taking an electromagnet [a wire wrapped around a solid coil], charging it with electricity, and applying it to specific points on the skull to target the underlying brain area," the VA said on its website. "The result is a powerful magnetic field that can affect brain cells." Conclusion Smith, the Green Beret, said he has since discovered his purpose outside of the military by educating the public on TBI and helping active-duty members and veterans cope with its effects. TBIs are not visible to the public like the loss of a limb, he said, so it's important to really push the question of "Are you OK?" to someone suffering from it. Since it's part of the military's culture to carry your own weight and not be a burden, he continued, a veteran will avoid saying something so they're not labeled as complaining or boasting. "That person is never going to look at you and say, 'I need help,'" Smith said. "That person is never going to say, 'I'm drowning.'" -- Dorothy Mills-Gregg can be reached at dorothy.mills-gregg@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @DMillsGregg. Read More: Trump Reverses Obama-Era Restrictions on Military Use of Land Mines In a blow to India, limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma was on Monday ruled out of the upcoming ODI and Test series against New Zealand after sustaining a calf injury during the fifth T20 International in Mount Maunganui. Rohit retired hurt after scoring 60 off 41 balls after he pulled his calf muscle while going for a quick single during the match that India won on Sunday. "He is out of the tour. Right now, it's not looking good. The physio is assessing him. We will get to know how bad it is but he is not taking any further part in the series," a top BCCI source told PTI on conditions on anonymity. India are set to play three ODIs, starting Wednesday, and two Tests after that. It has been learnt that Mayank Agarwal will be replacing Rohit as the third opener in the ODI set-up along with KL Rahul and Prithvi Shaw. Agarwal was the logical choice in the white-ball format since he was the reserve opener in the side during the home ODI series against the West Indies when Shikhar Dhawan was absent due to knee injury. In the Test squad, Shubman Gill will join KL Rahul and Prithvi Shaw as the third opener in the absence of Rohit. During India's last two Test series at home (vs South Africa and Bangladesh), Gill was the back-up opener to Rohit and Agarwal. His place was sealed in the squad after scores of 83 and 204 not out in a drawn first 'A' Test against New Zealand in Christchurch. The Test squad is yet to be officially announced but it is learnt that it has already been selected and only the official announcement is due. The old selection committee under MSK Prasad picked the replacements but it might take some time for the official announcement as convenor of the selection committee, secretary Jay Shah, is on his way to New Zealand along with treasurer Arun Dhumal. "Once the secretary's approval comes, the replacements will be officially announced. But the selectors have already sent the names," the source added. It has still not been ascertained whether Rohit has endured a calf muscle tear but he looked in severe pain even after physio Nitin Patel attended to him. Despite that, he smacked a six off Ish Sodhi but had to be replaced after it became unbearable for him. Rohit's injury is a big blow to the Indian team especially after his stupendous show across formats in 2019. He continued his match-winning efforts first against Australia at home followed by two fine knocks in the recently concluded T20 International series against New Zealand, which India won 5-0. It included a stellar Super Over performance where he hit back-to-back sixes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SPRINGFIELD Unemployment rates for Illinois and the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) for December jumped slightly from last month, but remain dramatically lower than one year ago, according to recently released statistics from the Illinois Department of Employment Security. According to the IDES, the states unemployment rate was 3.5% in December, up from Novembers 3.4% but almost a full percentage point below the 4.4% rate in December 2018. The unemployment rate for the Illinois Section of the St. Louis MSA which includes Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe and St. Clair counties was at 3.7%, up from 3.4% in November, but down dramatically from the 5.1% rate recorded in December 2018. I would expect that, Tony Fuhrmann, director of Madison County Employment and Training said. Historically December is a big month for unemployment claims being filed. Part of the issue is the downturn in construction. They lay people off when the weather gets bad, he said, adding that it is counterbalanced by increases in people working holiday retail jobs. Fuhrmann said the uptick in unemployment is a statistical blip, and the job market remains very strong and he expects a continuation of the strong economy. The region added about 3,000 jobs to 245,600 over the past year. The Madison County unemployment rate was 3.6%, down 1.3% from last year. The region added about 3,000 jobs to 245,600 over the past year. That shows you how strong the economy is in this area, and the labor market, Fuhrmann added. Nothing is slowing down. New infrastructure construction projects will also bring a number of jobs to the area. As part of the states new Rebuild Illinois program Interstate 255 will be closed between I-55/70 and I-64 for the next five months for a major rehabilitation. That project will then extend south from I-64 to Illinois 15 for another five months. I think it just adds to the already strong workforce, Fuhrmann said. In addition to I-255, there are a number of other projects, including the I-270/Illinois 111 interchange, the Illinois routes 111/3 interchange, and the construction of a new I-270 Chain of Rocks Bridge and related improvements. The highest local unemployment rate by county was Calhoun County at 4.6% followed by Jersey and Macoupin counties at 4.1%, St. Clair at 4%, Monroe County at 3.7%, Bond County at 3.6% and Clinton and Monroe counties at 2.8%. State officials touted the overall improvements over the past year. Under Governor Pritzkers leadership, we now have the lowest unemployment rate in state history with the most jobs on record, said Deputy Gov. Dan Hynes. The governor is committed to building on this progress by attracting new businesses to Illinois, putting people to work on our infrastructure and creating opportunities for communities that have been left behind for too long. There is also a renewed emphasis on vocational training and jobs requiring less than a four-year degree. Were seeing, slowly but surely, a switch in the educational area, he said. People are seeing more and more that those trade jobs are out there. MCET, along with the St. Clair County Intergovernmental Grants Department and the city of Collinsville, recently held a regional meeting on apprenticeship programs. Fuhrmann said they are already seeing results. Weve already had a couple of institutions reaching out to us, he said. We were happy with the event, and were happy with whats happening after the event. Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari on Monday said that the party will launch a campaign for people who come to Delhi from other states for medical treatment. Tiwari also hit out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his statement that people of Bihar come to Delhi with a Rs 500 train ticket and avail health care facilities worth Rs 5 lakh. "Kejriwal said that people from Bihar and Poorvanchal pay Rs 500 for travelling and avail medical facilities in Delhi. He insulted Poorvanchalis and thinks of them as a burden. Amit Shah addressed this issue. BJP will launch a campaign for migrants and help them in this regard. We will help patients who come to Delhi from any state of India," Tiwari told ANI. Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also attacked the AAP chief and said: "Kejriwal has left no stone unturned in insulting the Purvanchalis and Uttarakhandis. He says that Bihari buys a ticket of 500 and gets treatment for 5 lakhs. Is this the AAP government's imagination?" Tiwari also accused Kejriwal and AAP of doing appeasement "It seems like there is a competition between AAP and Congress," he said. Commenting on BJP lawmaker Anantkumar Hedge's "drama" remark on Mahatma Gandhi, the party leader said: "It is not the view of the party and it should take cognizance." Hedge had attacked Mahatma Gandhi, calling the freedom struggle led by him a "drama" and also questioned as to how "such people" came to be called 'Mahatma' in India. "None of these so-called leaders were beaten up by the cops even once. Their independence movement was one big drama. It was staged by these leaders with the approval of the British. It was not a genuine fight. It was an adjustment freedom struggle," Hedge had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: A Delhi-Mumbai flight of IndiGo received a bomb threat on Sunday (February 2) just after boarding of passengers was completed at the Indra Gandi airport in Delhi which later turned out to be a hoax, said sources. As per standard operating procedure (SOP), all the passengers were deplaned and luggage was offloaded for security check. Indigo staff informed that aircraft was thoroughly checked and no bomb was found. "A call was received around 5.45 pm on Sunday just after the passengers boarded the Delhi-Mumbai flight. All the passengers were then deplaned and the plane was checked. There was no bomb on the plane. The call was a hoax'', said a source. Live TV Earlier, on January 16, a full emergency was declared on Indigo's for Pune-Jaipur flight (6E 6129) at 4.26 am. The flight landed safely in Mumbai at 4:36 am and the full emergency was withdrawn at 4.43 am. However, the reason for the full emergency was not known. This week, Bachelor fans will get double the drama as Peter Weber continues his search for love on The Bachelor." The first episode airs Monday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m. ET. And you wont have to wait a full week for more drama with another episode airing on Wednesday. Even if your household doesnt have cable, there are still ways to watch the drama unfold as it airs (and before it gets spoiled on social media). Heres the information youll need to watch the fourth episode of The Bachelor online without cable. When is 'The Bachelor on? Episode 5 of The Bachelor airs on Monday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. ET. The Bachelor next airs Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. Episodes will continue to air on Mondays at 8 p.m. How to watch The Bachelor without cable Live stream The Bachelor on Hulu Live TV. How to catch up on The Bachelor online on-demand Previous episodes can be found on Hulu Live TV. There are also clips on The Bachelor website. Related Content: Sneak Peek clip from The Bachelor" episode 5: She also challenged the BJP to show its guts to play the political card instead of the communal card to fight the polls. Kolkata: Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his attack on Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday described the BJP as the most opportunist party, which she claimed has become scared ahead of the Assembly Elections in the capital. She also challenged the BJP to show its guts to play the political card instead of the communal card to fight the polls. The West Bengal chief minister slammed the BJP and its ministers over the shooting incidents and their call for shooting to end the ongoing agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register. Referring to Mr Modis rally, Ms Banerjee said at the state secretariat, Nabanna, I saw his speech on Twitter. He called everyone a terrorist. She argued, Even Mr Kejriwal was not spared. Like his party said earlier, he (the PM) also declared he would put up a good show for all in Delhi. If the Delhi polls is the fate of the country, faith should be reposed in the public. Why is shooting so much trusted instead of trusting the people? They are not playing the political card. I challenge them to play it if they have the guts. The Trinamul chief added, Now that there is an election in Delhi, they are talking of violence. They will do the same when Bihar goes to the polls. They call themselves nationalists and others as terrorists. But they are the most opportunist. They can not deliver good for the country or for the people. A former Armenian deputy minister of health standing trial on corruption charges insisted on Monday he did not take a bribe moments before being caught by law-enforcement officers one year ago. Arsen Davtian was arrested last March and subsequently sacked for allegedly accepting $3,000 in cash from Razmik Abrahamian, the director of Armenias largest maternity clinic. The National Security Service (NSS) claimed that Abrahamian paid the bribe in order to secure more government funding for his hospital. Both men pleaded not guilty to corresponding accusations leveled against them when they went on trial recently. Davtian, who was released from custody later in 2019, refused to comment further after the latest court hearing. I want to say once again that Im not commenting on anything, he told RFE/RLs Armenian service. During the hearing prosecutors demonstrated an NSS video that was secretly filmed in Davtians office. It shows Abrahamian putting an envelope on the vice-ministers desk. Davtian claimed that he did not know that there was money in the envelope. Davtian had been appointed as vice-minister in May 2018 following the Velvet Revolution that toppled the countrys former leadership widely accused of corruption. Health Minister Arsen Torosian has repeatedly pledged to eliminate corrupt practices in state-run and private medical institutions. Abrahamian is also the main suspect in another investigation launched by the NSS last year. He and four other individuals were charged with having forced over a dozen pregnant women to abandon their babies adopted by foreign nationals in 2016-2018 in return for bribes. They all deny the accusations. Abrahamian was arrested in December. A district court in Yerevan ordered him freed a few days later, however. Prosecutors appealed against his release. Armenias Court of Appeals upheld the lower courts decision at the weekend. Anti-Aborigine discrimination still rife in Queensland Housing discrimination against Aboriginals in Townsville is so great but it is only one of many areas where we are restricted. This is a denial of human rights to the Aboriginal population. People do not know how devastating an effect it has on the people concerned ... In 1975 the Commonwealth government passed the Racial Discrimination Act but a report published recently by Community Relations Commission shows beyond doubt that unequal treatment of Aborigines and Islanders is still rampant in Townsville. The report Discrimination against Aborigines and Islanders in North Queensland deals with employment, housing hotels and its findings are shocking indictment of white Australian attitudes toward our black national minorities; the report does not reveal simply the occasional case but discrimination on a massive scale. Many Aborigines and Islanders do not register for unemployment benefits so official figures do not accurately reflect the level. In June 1973 when unemployment generally was low at a level (the national figure was 1.4 per cent), Aboriginal unemployment was twelve per cent or over 8 eight times greater. Today, Aboriginal and Islander unemployment is far higher. FOBBED OFF A survey in the report shows that fifty per cent of Aborigines and Islanders who applied for jobs were not even given an interview while in all these the cases the white applicant for the job got an appointment. Aborigines were fobbed off, with lies, usually that the job had already been filled. The report concludes that this discrimination in employment results in most Aborigines and Islanders working in unskilled positions with high rates of casual work, frequent unemployment and a great degree of job frustration and insecurity. Many of Aborigines and Islanders interviewed also reported that they were paid less than whites and were asked to do the hardest and most unpleasant jobs. Individuals and organisations treat Aborigines and Islanders unequally but the major source of discrimination in employment is the Queensland government. The Queensland parliament passed the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders Acts in 1971. Essentially, the Act is a piece of discriminatory legislation which allows government control of black wages, freedom of movement and other basic human rights. Government discrimination is also expressed in the powers of the Department of Aboriginal and Islander Affairs, which controls the life on reserves and the actions of welfare agencies in Queensland. Discrimination in housing in Townsville makes it extremely difficult for Aborigines and Islanders to find decent homes, especially private rented accommodation. They are told that houses and flats have already been taken, they get poorer services from estate agents and are charged higher bonds and rents. In every single case where the home had not really been sold or rented already, the Aborigines in the survey were discriminated against. In other words discrimination in housing is total, despite the fact that this is against the law. HUMILIATING Most hotels in the town were proved to discriminate against Aborigines and Islanders always or occasionally, either with poor service or by barring Blacks completely. Aborigines as a result are often unwilling even to go into the hotels. The report comments: Aborigines had no experience with alcohol before the advent of the white man. Prohibition ... served the discriminatory purpose of reducing Aboriginal people to second-class status. Today, in 1976, the refusal of access to drinking facilities is humiliating and without any benevolent purpose whatsoever. Discrimination in hotels functions only to maintain a second-class status for Aborigines, to perpetuate racial myths of inferior drinking behaviour, and damages Aboriginal self-esteem and confidence. The appalling situation that the report reveals is not restricted to Townsville. There is evidence of discrimination against the Aboriginal people throughout Australia. European colonisation with its imported racism destroyed the traditional Aboriginal economy and social system, and many human beings too. Racism was used to justify the theft of Aboriginal lands and the later exploitation of cheap black labour. This has not stopped. Mining companies still disrupt communities and destroy sacred sites to get at valuable minerals, and in city slums and fringe camps, Aborigines exist on social service benefits until they are needed as casual or seasonal workers. Aborigines have experienced poverty, malnutrition, sickness, poor education, unemployment, police harassment, insecurity and racial prejudice and discrimination for the past 200 years. It is still going on. There are no quick and easy solutions. The Community Relations Commission report suggests that the federal government, and not the States, should have powers to prosecute people for discriminatory acts. Conciliation has not worked so there should be penalties for anyone convicted. This would clearly be a step forward in defending and increasing Aboriginal and Islander human rights but in addition there must be special stress on the right to work and on equal wages and working conditions. LAND If Aboriginal workers are to become equal members of Australian society, land must be returned to communities where they can have autonomy and control of natural resources. Special benefits must be provided to equip the people with general and trade education, housing, health and other facilities. Language and the Aboriginal cultural heritage must be preserved and developed. The Socialist Party of Australia points out in its program that it is in unity between black and white Australians and the powerful support of the Australian labor movement and progressive people that the struggle for full rights for Aborigines will be won. LLOYDMINSTER, Alta.The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has been called in to investigate an officer involved shooting that left a suspect dead in Lloydminster, Alta. The RCMP say that when officers tried to stop a stolen vehicle early Sunday afternoon there was an altercation and a Mountie fired his pistol but the suspect vehicle was able to get away. They say about an hour later police spotted the suspect vehicle in the central area of the city and there was a second altercation during which another RCMP officer fired their weapon. Police say the male driver of the vehicle was killed and a female passenger was arrested without further incident or injury. Two Mounties were also taken to hospital for treatment of what police described only as non-life-threatening injuries. The RCMP say they will continue to investigate the events leading up to the deadly confrontation, however, now that ASIRT has been brought in they will not be commenting further on the incident. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2020. Read more about: According to the report, the hip replacement market size is prognosticated to be worth USD 10.51 billion by the end of 2026 from USD 7.13 billion in 2018. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.0% within the forecast period of 2019 to 2026. As per current hip implants market trends, the market is dominated by hospitals and ambulatory centers segment, with respect to end-user. This is attributable to the rise in the number of hip arthroplasty implants in hospitals and the rapid adoption of robots for replacement surgeries. The report is based on facts and figures gathered from secondary and primary research methods. It provides details of the market primarily focusing on growth drivers, restraints, trends, and opportunities. Various players and their key strategies such as product launches, company collaborations, mergers and acquisitions, investment in research and development, among others are listed in the report. These strategies will help players invest accordingly and thus maintain a strong foothold in the market competition. Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/hip-replacement-implants-market-100247 The report covers: Global Hip Replacement Market trends, with detailed analysis on consumer trends & manufacturer trends. Overview on supply analysis covering trends across raw material suppliers, technology providers and distributors. Key areas of investments identifying market opportunities and challenges in forecast timeframe. Competitive analysis of the industry players along with the overview on strategic management. Comprehensive company profiles of the major industry players. Leading Players operating in the Hip Replacement Market are: Key players are involved in mergers and acquisition to strengthen their market position. Owing to increasing competition frequent innovations are taking place in the market. Some of the companies operating the industry are: Exactech, Inc. Stryker Braun Melsungen AG Bioimpianti Zimmer Biomet MicroPort Scientific Corporation DePuy Synthes (Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc.) Conformis Smith & Nephew plc Increase in Preference for Customized Hip Implants to Drive Market The increasing geriatric population and their vulnerability to various health issues of the bones is a major driver for the hip replacement market growth. In addition, the increasing prevalence of osteoarthritis is adding a boost to the market and further expected to do the same in the coming years. In addition, there is a surge in demand for partial replacement surgeries. This, coupled with the advent of robot-assisted hip implants will help boost the hip replacement market shares in the coming years. Moreover, the rise in preference for customized implants for both female and male patients is likely to drive the market. This is attributable to the introduction of 3D printing technology for the manufacturing of customized implants. Furthermore, government-supported health reimbursement policies set to provide affordable and quality care to all patients are anticipated to create lucrative growth opportunities for the market in the long run. For more information in the analysis of this report, visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/hip-replacement-implants-market-100247 North America to Dominate Market with New Product Launches and Strategic Company Collaborations The global hip replacement market is classified geographically into five major regions namely Latin America, Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa regions. In the current scenario, the market is dominated by North America with a hip replacement market revenue of USD 2.52 billion in 2018. This is on account of the surge in the number of hip replacement prostheses, rise in strategic collaborations among market vendors and new product launches. The launch of MiniMAX Hip, by Medacta International, was announced in November 2017. It is a cementless stem that will serve as an option for minimally invasive hip replacement surgery for surgeons in the U.S. Such innovations are likely to bode well for the market in the long run. On the other hand, the market in Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant growth in the forecast duration on account of the increasing prevalence of hip osteoarthritis serving most of the geriatric population in the region. For instance, the Surgical Variance Report of 2107 reported the funding of about 9,947 hip procedures in private hospitals by a private health insurer in Australia called Medibank Private Limited during 2015-2016. Such health reimbursement policies are prognosticated to augment the hip implants market share in Asia Pacific. Detailed Table of Content: Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions Executive Summary Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Key Insights Number of Hip Replacement Procedures For Key Countries Regulatory Scenario For Key Countries/Regions Reimbursement Scenario For Key Countries/Regions New Product Launches Technological Advancements in Hip Replacement Market Key Industry Developments Mergers, Acquisitions and Partnerships Global Hip Replacement Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Procedure Total Hip Replacement Partial Hip Replacement Revision & Hip Resurfacing Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By End User Hospitals & Ambulatory Surgery Centers Orthopedic Clinics Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/hip-replacement-implants-market-100247 Report Focus: Extensive product offerings Customer research services Robust research methodology Comprehensive reports Latest technological developments Value chain analysis Potential Hip Replacement Market opportunities Growth dynamics Quality assurance Post-sales support Regular report updates Reasons to Purchase this Report: Comprehensive analysis of the Hip Replacement Market growth drivers, obstacles, opportunities, and other related challenges. Tracks the developments, such as new product launches, agreements, mergers and acquisitions, geographical expansions, and joint ventures. Identifies market restraints and boosters. Identifies all the possible segments present in the market to aid organizations in strategic business planning. Users Also Search For- zimmer hip replacement problems, what does a hip replacement look like, murray hip replacement, cost of hip replacement uk Related Reports: Sterilization Wraps Market to Reach US$ 512.1 Mn by 2026,Growth Attributable to Product Innovations by Leading Companies, says Fortune Business Insights Dental Implants Market to Value US$ 5725.7 Mn at CAGR of 5.1% by 2026 | Exclusive Report by Fortune Business Insights Ultrasound Equipment Market to Value US$ 10,500.8 Mn at CAGR of 5.1% by 2025 | Exclusive Report by Fortune Business Insights About Us: Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them to address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in. 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Phone: US :+1 424 253 0390 UK : +44 2071 939123 APAC : +91 744 740 1245 Email:sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Linkedin | Twitter | BLogs Michael is an integral member of our executive team and has proven instrumental in facilitating a critical period of merger and acquisition activity, said Daniel Adamany, CEO, AHEAD. This award is well-deserved and a testament to his collaborative leadership style. AHEAD, a leading provider of enterprise cloud solutions, today announced its chief people officer, Michael Hoehne, was included on Crains Chicago Business 2020 Notable Leaders in HR list. The annual list honors Chicago-based HR executives who are leaders in their field and drive positive change within their organization and greater community. Since joining AHEAD in 2018, Hoehne has made a significant impact on the companys talent management, culture and employee satisfaction. His strategic leadership approach ensures that HR initiatives fully support AHEADs overall business strategy and growth. As a result, AHEAD maintains a reputation for attracting, retaining and cultivating top talent at the forefront of innovation delivering superior digital results for clients. Michael is an integral member of our executive team and has proven instrumental in facilitating a critical period of merger and acquisition activity, said Daniel Adamany, CEO, AHEAD. As a result, AHEAD is now exceptionally positioned to move forward under one identity that reflects our capabilities, core values and mission-focused culture. This award is well-deserved and a testament to his collaborative leadership style. Under Hoehnes guidance, AHEAD continues to maintain a strong culture of learning both through its internal technical LAB and career trajectory opportunities, where employees are encouraged to pursue different disciplines within the organization and develop new skills. He also enables AHEADs diversity and inclusion initiatives, which include Moving Women AHEAD and Race Inclusion for Success and Equity at AHEAD (RISE AHEAD) employee groups. Additionally, this January, AHEAD kicked off Launch, a progressive talent recruitment and retention initiative aimed at launching the careers of local Chicago-area college graduates. Its an honor to be recognized by Crains Chicago Business for what could only be made possible by an amazing HR and recruiting team, said Hoehne. Working at AHEAD during this exceptional time of growth and evolution has been extremely rewarding and I look forward to learning, growing and achieving more together. An HR industry veteran, Hoehne has more than 25 years of proven experience building and developing high-performing teams, directing multi-functional project groups and leading global change initiatives at both privately held and public companies. In addition to his work at AHEAD, Hoehne spends time volunteering and is a member of the board at Chicago-based nonprofit Open Heart Magic. About AHEAD: AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation and analytics, and software delivery, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation. Learn more at http://www.thinkahead.com and follow us on Twitter at @ahead. Nearly 15 years since the forest brigand Veerappan died, one of his close accomplice has been arrested by police in Karnataka's Chamarajnagar. HD Anand Kumar, Superintendent of Police (SP) Chamrajnagar has confirmed that Stella Mary, (40) a close associate of Veerappan was arrested after 27 long years, on Sunday. "Stella Mary was absconding and she was hiding her identity from almost last 27 years. She has been arrested from Kollegal area of Chamarajnagar on Sunday," he added. During the enquiry, Stella has confirmed that she was trained in using guns and arms. She has also revealed details regarding her personal life and marriages. Chamrajnagar Police was in search of Stella since Veerappan's death. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Key indices were trading marginally higher on select buying in index stocks. At 9:26 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 45.25 points or 0.11% at 39,780.78. The Nifty 50 index was up 23.05 points or 0.20% at 11,684.90. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.40%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was down 0.08%. The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was negative. On the BSE, 576 shares rose and 591 shares fell. A total of 45 shares were unchanged. Q3 earnings impact: Among stocks, Lumax Industries fell 2.16%. Lumax Industries reported 61.14% fall in consolidated net profit to Rs 18.90 crore on 17.79% fall in total income to Rs 387.38 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Q3 December 2018. Lumax Industries will continue to invest in infrastructure, technology, product development, processes and human capital SML Isuzu rose 1.46%. SML Isuzu reported 11.53% rise in vehicle sales to 1,112 units in January 2020 from 997 units in January 2019. Total sales (cumulative 10 months till January 2020) fell 12% to 9,127 units as against 10,373 units in corresponding period pervious year. Stocks in news: Hero MotoCorp fell 1.77%. Hero MotoCorp said the company sold 501622 units of two-wheelers in the month of January 2020, down 13.91% from 582660 units in January 2019. Motorcycles sales saw 6.45% decline in total sales to 494390 units in January 2020 from 528489 units in January 2019. Scooter sales plunged 86.65% to 7232 units in January 2020 from 54171 units in January 2019. Tata Motors gained 0.27%. Tata Motors reported 17.74% decline in total sales to 47,862 units in January 2020 from 58185 units in January 2019. Eicher Motors shed 0.81%. Eicher Motors' unlisted subsidiary VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV) reported 6.1% decline in total sales to 5,544 units in January 2020 from 5,906 units in January 2019. Total exports slipped 18.1% to 517 units in January 2020 as against 631 units in January 2019. Total domestic sales dropped 5.9% to 4,871 units in January 2020 compared with 5,177 units in January 2020. Sobha was down 1.76%. Sobha reported 4.87% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 73.20 crore on 11.58% rise in total income to Rs 901.20 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Q3 December 2018. Total average price realization stood at Rs 6,811/square feet. Coal India advanced 2.39%. Coal India on Saturday said that its total coal production in January 2020 stood at 63.11 million tonnes as compared to 57.21 million tonnes in January 2019, recording a rise of 10.3%. Coal offtake rose 6.9% to 56.05 million tonnes in January 2020 as against 52.44 million in January 2019. PVR was up 1.63%. PVR said CRISIL has upgraded its rating on the non-convertible debentures and long-term bank facilities to 'CRISIL AA/Stable' from 'CRISIL AA-/Stable'. CRISIL has also withdrawn its ratings on the Rs 225 crore non-convertible debentures as these have been redeemed. The rating upgrade is driven by CRISIL's expectation of a sustained improvement in PVR's business risk profile leading to strong cash flows. Global Markets: Overseas, Asian stocks were trading lower on Monday following the sell-off on Wall Street on Friday amid concerns about the rapid spread of the coronavirus outbreak and its impact on the global economy. China's health officials said the death toll related to the coronavirus has risen to 361, while there are 17,205 confirmed cases. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The search for 480 missing people who fled the epicentre of coronavirus outbreak from Wuhan to Britain is still ongoing. As the British government launched a huge advertisement campaign to tell people how to stop the spread of the deadly Coronavirus which has now claimed 361 lives with nearly 17,205 confirmed cases in China. According to UK media reports, the government officials had begun tracing 1,561 recent arrivals from China. However, at least 480 still remain reportedly unaccounted for. This has sparked fears among the health authorities in Britain is that some of the 'lost' travellers can be in their incubation period of the novel Coronavirus. Read - Third Coronavirus Case Reported From India 11 more UK nationals return from virus-hit Wuhan Earlier, at least 11 more UK nationals returned from Wuhan on a French plane and were reportedly taken to Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral where they will be quarantined for two weeks. The new returnees will join the 83 British nationals who are isolated in Arrow Park Hospital on Merseyside. Philippines confirms first Coronavirus death outside China The latest increase in the death toll of the deadly coronavirus comes as the Philippines confirms the first death due to 2019-nCoV on February 2, as countries around the globe have managed to evacuate their citizens from virus-hit China. According to the British Department of Health, 264 coronavirus tests have come back negative while two who were detected are currently being treated in Newcastle. Read - Chinese Army Given Full Operational Control Of Hospital Amid Coronavirus Outbreak Coronavirus takes toll on Chinese economy Meanwhile, the crisis in China due to virus has also started taking a toll in its economy. China's central bank has said on February 2 that it will pump $173 billion into the economy to help fight the nationwide outbreak of the Coronavirus. As the deadly virus claims more than 300 lives with nearly 14,000 confirmed cases in China, the People's Bank of China released a statement which said that it would launch 1.2 trillion yuan reverse purchase operation to maintain 'reasonable abundant liquidity' in the banking system. Read - DHS: Flights Could Be Rerouted Over Coronavirus Concerns Read - Ajmer Couple Kept In Isolation Ward On Suspicion Of Coronavirus (With Agency Inputs) HONG KONG: Hong Kong`s leader announced the suspension of four more border crossings with mainland China. Now just three checkpoints remain open but stopped short of demands for the entire border to be closed to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. Fifteen number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus have been reported by Hong Kong. The virus emerged in central China in December last year has killed more than 360 people to date. The Chief Executive of Chinese-ruled Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, was speaking hours after more than 2,500 workers from the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance (HAEA) went on strike to call for the border to be immediately closed and better protection for the hospital staff, among other demands. Lam said, "We should be united if we have the same goal. At this critical moment, some people are taking extreme means and it is inevitable it will affect the rights of patients." The Hospital authority said, "Those using extreme means to try to force the government`s hand will not succeed." The hospital workers who were on a strike booed as they watched Lam speak, calling her a liar and chanting: "Close all borders." The medical workers, held a press conference shortly after Lam spoke and said they planned to keep up their strike action. HAEA chairwoman Winnie Yu said she expected around 9,000 of the alliance`s roughly 18,000 members to strike on Tuesday. Around 40 unions have been formed by the Pro-democracy protesters in the recent months. This is their way to put their demands in front of the government and at least a dozen have come out in support of the HAEA`s strike. Reflecting concerns in the broader business community, three-quarters of American business leaders polled said they wanted Hong Kong to shut the border with the mainland, according to a survey of 156 executives by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. Lam refused to shut the entire border, saying such a move would be "inappropriate and impractical" and "discriminatory" as well. By making it inconvenient for people to cross the border, Lam said she hoped it would help stop the spread of the virus although she does not "rule out future measures as the situation evolves". The health scare comes after months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong triggered by fears the city`s autonomy, guaranteed under a "one country, two systems" formula which is being eroded by Beijing. China refuses to meddle and accuses foreign governments of instigating the unrest. The coronavirus is expected to put more pressure on the former British colony, which on Monday reported its economy contracted for the first time in a decade in 2019. The HAEA has put five demands for the government to close the border, distribute masks to the public, ensure that front-line medical workers have adequate supplies and protection, provide enough isolation wards for patients and guarantee no reprisals for strikers. Residents who are in a panic over the spread of the virus have emptied shelves in major supermarkets in Hong Kong. They have stocked up meat, rice and cleaning products. According to official data, about 90 percent of the city`s food is imported with the bulk coming from the mainland. Toy shop owner Lam Wa-yin, 45, said, "Closing the border would intensify worries about supplies of staples. They`ve started rushing to buy supplies even before they have not fully closed the borders." He added, "It`ll get worse if it is fully closed, especially food. People have been rushing to buy oil, salt and rice, not to mention the face masks." Head of Vietnams mission to the UN Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy chaired a session on January 31 to review activities of the UN Security Council (UNSC) during January, the month Vietnam held the rotary Presidency of the UNSC. browser not support iframe. The meeting was attended by morethan 100 representatives from UN member countries and observers, including 23ambassadors and head of missions. Taking the rotarypresidency of theUNSC in the first month of the year marking the 75th anniversary ofthe UN Charter, Vietnamselected a priority theme of January as adhering to the UN Charter to maintaininternational peace and security. The initiative was meant to contribute to promotingthe adherence to international law, the UN Charter and reiterating theimportance of multilateral cooperation in maintaining international peace andsecurity. The second initiative of Vietnam duringthe month was the first ever meeting at the UNSC on cooperation between the UNand the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The event provided anopportunity for the international community in general and the UNSC in particularto get an insight into the ASEANs role in the region and discuss ways tofurther enhance the collaboration between the UN and the regional bloc. Vietnam took the occasion to affirmthat as Chair of the ASEAN in 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UNSC, itwill make efforts to promote the comprehensive and effective cooperationbetween the two organizations, with focus on priority fields such as thepeaceful settlement of disputes, preventive diplomacy, disarmament, maintenanceof peace, anti-terrorism, maritime cooperation and maritime security. Also onthe occasion, Vietnamproposed organizing a high-level ASEAN-UN dialogue on sustainable developmenton the occasion of the ASEAN-UN Summit slated for October 2020 in Vietnam. The initiatives aside, Vietnam has made timely reactionss toarising issues that threatened international peace and security, responded tocountries ideas and proposals, creatively utilized the UNSCs rules and practices and promoted consensus sothat the council could make timely decisions. During themonth under the presidency of Vietnam,the UNSC held 30 official activities, including two open debates, eight sessionsto listen to reports and four sessions to approve resolutions, which werebroadcast live on the UNs media system. As UNSCpresident, Vietnamalso held an international press conference and many press briefings on thecouncils work. The council adopted 13 decisions, including four resolutionsand a decision on extending the mandate of UN missions, forces and mechanisms,one declaration of the UNSC President, five press statements and two pressreleases. This is the largest number of decisions made by the UNSC during onemonth over many recent years. At thesession, many delegates said Vietnamhas well performed its role as president of the UNSC right in the first monthof its tenure as a non-permanent member. They said Vietnam has built a reasonableagenda and handled complicated issues in a flexible manner. Many recognized Vietnamsefforts to regularly provide information on the councils work to non-membercountries, non-governmental organizations and the media. On January30 evening, Ambassador Quy hosted a reception to mark the end of the month Vietnam servedas the UNSC president. Following Vietnam, Belgium will be the next presidentof the UNSC./. VNA When food makes people sick, some blame birds because they hang around farms, and their feces can contain E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter, three common pathogens that can cause food-borne illness. But a recent Washington State University study published in Biological Reviews on Jan. 31 has found scant evidence to support the link between wild birds and human illness involving those three pathogens. The perceived risk of wild birds can impact their survival, said Olivia Smith, lead author on the study and a recent WSU Ph.D. graduate. "Farmers are being encouraged to remove wild bird habitat to make their food safer, but it doesn't appear that these actions are based on data," Smith said. "When you restrict birds from agricultural settings, you are doing something that can lead to their decline." Bird populations have been falling rapidly in recent decades. Scientists estimate that since 1970, North America has lost more than three billion birds. In light of this, the WSU researchers highlighted the need for more definitive research before destroying habitat and banning birds from fields in the name of food safety. Smith and her colleagues, WSU Associate Professor Jeb Owen and Professor William Snyder, analyzed data for E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter in 431 North American breeding bird species and found no relevant studies for 65% of those species, including birds that are commonly found in farm fields such as raptors, great blue herons and black-billed magpies. In their review, the researchers found only one study definitively linking wild birds to food-borne illness outbreaks: a case where sandhill cranes spread Campylobacter on fresh peas in an outbreak that sickened nearly 100 people in Alaska in 2008. The most studied birds in relation to these pathogens were ducks, geese as well as two non-native species house sparrows and European starlings that tend to swarm on feed lots and can contaminate the food and water used for cattle. Yet there's a huge gap in knowledge about many other common native species that are often around agricultural crops including American robins. Only 3% of the studies that the researchers analyzed looked at the entire transmission process from bird to plant to human. The majority simply tested bird feces to see if the bacteria were present or not. In order for the bacteria to make people sick, the bird needs to get pathogenic strains of E. coli, Salmonella or Campylobacter on a food crop, and that bacteria has to survive long enough until people eat the contaminated food, including through shipment, washing, food processing in plants and food preparation. The data on the pathogen survival is also very limited. "Birds do carry bacteria that can make people sick, but from our review of the scientific studies, it's unclear how big of a risk they are," Smith said. William F. Buckley Jr. entitled one of his anthologies of conservative thought Did You Ever See a Dream Walking? In it, he expressed his hope that the ideas in it would become reality. Last Friday, I attended a party in London where leading Brexit supporters celebrated their nations departure from the European Union. Several of them privately told me they never thought that such a day would ever arrive. But the left-wing Guardian newspaper paid the Brexit rebels their due in 2016. It noted that theyd worked for little else, with no reward, and with no sign that they would ever prevail. The paper compared the Brexit sect to medieval monks who copied their manuscripts waiting for the Dark Ages to come to an end. Fridays party, organized in part by Churchill biographer Andrew Roberts and held at a private club in Mayfair, was full of toasts and speeches reminding the world of the great odds that battlers for Brexit had overcome. Rising just before the clock struck 11 p.m., the point at which Britain formally left the EU, Roberts brought the house down by declaring: We faced an establishment that hadnt been so unanimous on any single issue since appeasement and Munich. It was the BBC, Barack Obama, Tony Blair, David Cameron, the powers of Oxford and Cambridge, the civil service, the Bank of England, the Confederation of British Industries, Goldman Sachs, and even the International Monetary Fund which warned Brexit would lead to a 10 percent decline in GNP a decline greater than that during World War II. But, Roberts continued: The British people were conscious of their history, an extraordinary thing given they hadnt been taught it in schools for the last half century. They instinctively understood the patriotic part of it. They were lions, they never were daunted, and the lions roared back in 2016. Among those in attendance were some of the people who helped give the public its voice on Brexit. Take Daniel Hannan, a Euroskeptic member of the European Parliament for 21 years until last Friday night. He concluded as a student at Oxford in 1990 that the European Union was turning into a superstate; that prompted him to devote much of his career to wrenching Britain free of its embrace. The EU went from being a club, an association of nations that was mainly a free-trade zone, into an entity immersed in immigration policy, foreign policy, defense, and culture, he told me. Story continues Hannan s indefatigable efforts paid dividends, and he became Britains leading pro-Brexit ideologist. Douglas Carswell, a former Conservative member of parliament, told the Guardian: When I heard Boris Johnson and all those others making those brilliant points they made, I thought, Compare it to making a film: these guys on the silver screen are brilliant. But the script is written by Hannan, and this is largely a Hannan production. But there were also two elections that had to be waged and won for Brexit to become reality. One was the actual referendum in 2016, and the other was last Decembers general election, in which Boris Johnson won a landslide mandate to bring in Brexit. Prime Minister Johnson himself held his own party at 10 Downing Street last Friday to mark Brexit. There he gave recognition to a man who helped do so much to win both campaigns: the eccentric political consultant Dominic Cummings (portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch in a recent docudrama on Brexit thats available on Amazon Prime). According to the Telegraph, Prime Minister Johnson introduced Cummings last Friday by saying: It was he, I seem to remember, who came up with the famous phrase that we should take back control. It was also Dom who came up with the other three-word epigram, that the policy of the government should be to get Brexit done. Johnson then picked up a mallet and rang a gong several times to imitate Big Bens chimes as the 11 p.m. hour arrived. Despite the celebratory mood among Brexit enthusiasts last Friday, many acknowledged that much work remains to be done. A new free-trade agreement will have to be concluded between Britain and the EU before years end, and a bilateral pact between the U.S. and Britain will no doubt see President Trump drive a hard bargain. Andrew Roberts recently told the Wall Street Journal that he worries that his friend Boris will pursue politics that include high social spending and intervention in the economy in order to hold the Labour-party strongholds captured by surprise by the Conservatives in the last election. But for now, Britain has a chance for a fresh start and, as Roberts put it to me, the opportunity to escape the bloated, sclerotic beast the EU had become and to forge a new relationship with India, China, and the U.S. The irony is, Brexit supporters were criticized as Little Englanders these last few years, Roberts says, But in the next few years, were going to prove we are truly international in outlook and actually Great Britons. More from National Review Denmark's intelligence service arrested and charged three members of an Iranian separatist group with spying on behalf of Saudi Arabia in Denmark, it said Monday. The Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) said it arrested three leading members of the ASMLA, Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz. The three "have carried out espionage activities on behalf of a Saudi intelligence service from 2012 to 2018," Finn Borch Andersen, head of the intelligence agency, told a Copenhagen press conference. PET said it launched an investigation into the trio, who live in Denmark, in November 2018 to determine whether they "had publicly condoned acts of terrorism or committed other criminal offences." The members were arrested in 2018 and accused of praising the five commandos who attacked a military parade in the Iranian city of Ahvaz on September 22, spraying the crowd with gunfire and killing 24 people. Danish authorities said at the time they believed the three were the target of a planned attack on Danish soil, orchestrated by the Iranian regime. Tehran had formally denied the accusation. During the investigation "it was uncovered that they have been involved in espionage activities in Denmark on behalf of Saudi Arabia," a PET statement said. "Among other things, they have collected information about individuals in Denmark and abroad and passed on this information to a Saudi intelligence service," it added. ASMLA is a separatist group that advocates an Arab state in a southwestern Iranian province. Tehran calls it a terrorist organisation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scheduled for March, US Defender 2020 drills is not directed against Russia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told France-Presse. According to him, the drills' goal is to show the ability of US to quickly deploy US forces in Europe to protect the allies of the alliance if necessary. NATO is a defensive alliance, and the upcoming drills are defensive in nature, he noted adding that they are not looking for a confrontation with Russia. He added that Russia, as well as OSCE member states, were duly informed by the US of upcoming maneuvers. Russia has every right to feel safe within its borders, but so do our member states, AFP reported quoting Stoltenberg. Defender 2020 drills will be the largest US drills in Europe in 25 years. As a military source in NATO explained earlier to TASS, these will be exactly the American maneuvers under the American command. The structures of the North Atlantic Alliance will play a subordinate role during the exercises, engaged in logistics and coordination of contingents of 17 US partner states that will take part in the maneuvers. A total of 37 thousand people will be involved in them, Germany will be the center of their holding, however, various elements of these maneuvers will take place on the territory of 10 NATO states, including near the Russian borders with Poland and the Baltic countries. Law Offices of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against Shipt, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. The Los Angeles employment law attorneys at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action lawsuit against Shipt, Inc., alleging that the company misclassified their shoppers as independent contractors and allegedly as a result violated the California Labor Code. The class action lawsuit against Shipt, Inc., is currently pending in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Case No. 20STCV01001. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here. The lawsuit filed against Shipt, Inc., alleges the company (a) failed to provide PLAINTIFF and the other AGGRIEVED EMPLOYEES accurate itemized wage statements, (b) failed to properly record and provide legally required meal and rest periods, (c) failed to pay overtime wages,(d) failed to pay minimum wages, (e) failed to reimburse employees for required expenses, and (f) failed to pay wages when due, all in violation of the applicable Labor Code sections listed in Labor Code Sections 201, 202, 203, 204, 210, 221, 226(a), 226.7, 226.8, 510, 512, 558(a)(1)(2), 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, 2802, and the applicable Industrial Wage Order(s), and thereby gives rise to civil penalties as a result of such alleged conduct. PAGA is a mechanism by which the State of California itself can enforce state labor laws through the employee suing under the PAGA who do so as the proxy or agent of the state's labor law enforcement agencies. An action to recover civil penalties under PAGA is fundamentally a law enforcement action designed to protect the public and not to benefit private parties. The purpose of PAGA is not to recover damages or restitution, but to create a means of "deputizing" citizens as private attorneys general to enforce the Labor Code. For more information about the class action lawsuit against Shipt, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and other types of illegal workplace conduct. ***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT*** Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has announced the country will deport foreign citizens if they are detected with a new virus that has killed more than 300 people. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Mishustin said special measures were being taken to "prevent the spread of the virus" in Russia. Russia on Friday reported the first two confirmed cases of the new coronavirus. Russia has closed its land border with China and suspended train traffic between the countries. China's updated figures of 361 deaths and 2,829 new cases over the last 24 hours, bringing the Chinese total to 17,205 cases, come as other countries continued evacuating citizens from hardest-hit Hubei province and restricted travel by Chinese or people who recently travelled in the country. Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Air Force planes will fly to Hubei province on Monday to bring back Russian citizens. Similar steps have been taken by other countries to try to stop the spread of the virus that has sickened thousands, mostly Chinese citizens in Hubei province. Everyone from environmentalists to investors is beating up on fossil fuels, and American energy giants Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. are taking increasingly diverging approaches as they try to weather the storm. The problem is, neither strategy is working right now. Exxon is using the downturn in oil, gas and chemical prices as an opportunity to unleash its giant balance sheet to fund a slew of mega-projects around the world. Chevron is sticking with austerity -- to such an extent that Chief Executive Officer Mike Wirth admitted he sounds like a broken record repeating a mantra of financial discipline. The companies posted their worst results in years on Friday, dragged down by weak performance across most business lines. The origin of much of their current problems can be traced back to Americas shale revolution, which in little over a decade ended a domestic shortage of oil and gas and created a seemingly limitless source of supply, pushing energy prices lower. Exxon and Chevron have also become lightning rods in the backlash against fossil fuels. As pressure mounts for the industry to do more to address environmental concerns, investors have increasingly fled the sector. Energy now accounts for just 3.8% of the S&P 500 Index, down from 16% in 2008. Both companies are competing in a sector that has systematically destroyed value for investors over the past decade, said Mark Stoeckle, a Boston-based fund manager at Adams Funds with $2.5 billion of assets. Its going to take time, and consistent results to convince the investing public otherwise. Exxon slumped 4.1% Friday after fourth-quarter earnings trailed analysts estimates. Low natural gas and petrochemical prices meant it failed to generate enough cash to over its dividend for the period. Still, Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods remains steadfast in his pursuit of a $35 billion-a-year capital investment plan that aims to build oil and gas projects from Guyana to Mozambique. Its a classic counter-cyclical strategy: Invest while prices are low and competitors are pulling back, and reap the rewards when the commodity cycle turns. While we would prefer higher prices and margins, we dont want to waste the opportunity that this low price environment provides, Woods said on a conference call. Exxon has the option of utilizing our financial capacity or taking on debt to pursue its goals, he said. In contrast, Chevron sees shale as having fundamentally changed the market, forcing the industry to adapt. The company reported its biggest quarterly loss in a decade after writing down the value of North American gas fields. We conditioned ourselves and our investors to believe that the only path to the future was by doing these great big projects, Wirth said on a conference call. Were not nearly as reliant on those alone to sustain and grow cash flows into the future. The Chevron boss reaffirmed his commitment to cutting costs, increasing capital efficiency and churning out cash to buy back shares through commodity cycles. Flagship projects in far-flung foreign locations are largely on the back burner; the real gains are to be made in shale -- or unconventional production, to use oil industry jargon -- in West Texas. Grinding away on enormous unconventional positions may not be quite as glamorous as doing the big projects in terms of giving you a lot of things to talk about, but it really drives strong financial outcomes, Wirth said. While Chevron made a brilliant decision to walk away from a $32 billion agreement to buy Anadarko Petroleum Corp. last year, theres lingering concern that the oil major may still seek a deal to bulk up for growth, according to Stoeckle. Investors are concerned its growth and spending levels are too low while Exxons are too high, he added. Chevrons stock fell 3.8% Friday, the most in nine months. Some $19 billion was wiped off Exxon and Chevrons market value on the day. Former hedge fund manager and CNBC television host Jim Cramer summed up the mood in typically hyperbolic fashion. Im done with fossil fuels. Theyre done, he said. The worlds turned on them. U.S. Venture Partners (USVP), a Menlo Park, Calif.-based early-stage venture capital firm, closed USVP XII, at $340M. Led by Steve Krausz, Rick Lewis, Jonathan Root, Casey Tansey, Dafina Toncheva and Jacques Benkoski, the fund continues the firms strategy of being the lead Series A investor in companies based in the U.S. or Israel in four core sectors: cybersecurity, enterprise software, consumer and healthcareincluding the emerging digital health sector. The team consists of former entrepreneurs, technologists, corporate executives, and financial professionals who assist with strategy, scaling, team building, product development, and business development. USVP has invested in over 400 companies spanning four decades, including: Box, Check Point Software, Guidewire, HeartFlow, HotelTonight, Imperva, Inari Medical, Inspire Medical Systems, Intersect ENT, Luminate, Omada Health, Pluto TV, Prevoty, Sequent, ThreatMetrix, Trunk Club, Trusteer, Vontu, Yammer and Zerto. So far, the firm has led investments in 88 companies that completed initial public offerings and 85 more that were profitably acquired. FinSMEs 03/02/2020 A Ryanair plane in Germany. The airline on Monday bemoaned the impact of delays to Boeing's 737 Max aircraft. Photo: Martin Meissner/AP Photo Ryanair (RYA.L) on Monday warned that delays in the delivery of Boeings (BA) 737 Max aircraft could force the airline to push back its goal of flying 200 million passengers a year by up to two years. The low-cost carrier had planned to fly that many passengers in its 2024 financial year, but CEO Michael OLeary said that it would now not happen until 2025, and suggested it may take until 2026. Ryanair, one of the 737 Max jets biggest customers, said on Monday that it now did not expect delivery of the aircraft until September or October 2020. It hopes to have 55 of the 210 aircraft it has on order flying by summer 2021, a full year later than it had originally anticipated. READ MORE: Coronavirus sparks biggest Chinese stock crash since 2015 The Boeing 737 Max has been grounded globally since March 2019 following two fatal crashes that killed all passengers on board the aircraft. The airline again blamed the delays for the closure of a number of loss-making bases, which led to job losses in Spain, Germany, and Sweden. Ryanair reiterated the extent to which it expected the aircraft to accelerate its growth plans once they are actually delivered, however. READ MORE: Firms demand 'seat at the table' in post-Brexit trade deals Citing their more economical fuel usage and greater number of seats, Ryanair said the gamechanger 737 Max will transform its cost base and business for the next decade. Ryanair on Monday reported net profit of 88m (75m) in the three months to the end of December 2019, the third quarter of its financial year. That was a 230% climb on its 66m loss in the same period in its previous financial year, which was largely driven by a one-off deficit in its Austrian subsidiary Laudamotion and weak winter fares. Ryanair also raised its guidance for its current financial year and said that it expected full-year pre-tax profits to come in between 950m and 1.05bn, up from a previous forecast of 800m to 900m. Shares in Ryanair climbed by more than 4.5% on Monday following the trading update. The mining and metals sector is facing greater scrutiny from communities at host countries, end consumers and society at large, demanding transparent, ethical supply chains, as well as a lower carbon footprint. Rather than declining any time soon, the pressure to meet those expectations will force resource companies to redefine the way they do business, shaping the sector in the short and medium term, a study published Monday shows. According to Deloittes Tracking the Trends annual mining report, now in its 12th edition, miners will have to work this year on building trust with communities, consumers and investors. Particular attention is being paid to how companies are addressing issues such as climate change, water management, health and safety, and the fair treatment of workers and communities, the report highlights. Investing in environmental, social and governance (ESG) is currently estimated at over $20 trillion in assets under management and those numbers are only expected to grow. Companies that fail to deliver value beyond compliance could face financial consequences and a blow to their reputations. Many investors are making it clear that they will not advance funds unless companies can demonstrate a meaningful and measurable commitment to the principles so much of society holds dear, says Leeora Black, Principal, Risk Advisory, Deloitte Australia. This causes mining companies to consider not only threats to public trust, but also potential threats to investor trust. (Click to enlarge) Most top miners are well aware of the need for change and have already kicked off company-wide initiatives. BHP (ASX, LON, NYSE: BHP) recently committed $400 million over five years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its operations and mined commodities. The miner, the worlds largest, has promised to reduce its Scope 3 emissions (those generated by end users), an important consideration given it is the top exporter of coking coal used in the steelmaking and number three in iron ore, the raw material for steel. Rio Tinto (ASX, LON, NYSE: RIO), the worlds second largest miner, signed last year a pact with Chinas biggest steelmaker Baowu to develop and implement ways to reduce carbon emissions in the steel sector, which is responsible for about 9% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The transition to a low-carbon economy is well underway and the pressure to accelerate this transition seems to grow every day. As of 2020, roughly 800 financial services organizations with $118 trillion of assets under management have committed to making climate-risk disclosures about their portfolio investments. Despite the business case in support of decarbonization, many mining companies continue to see it as a cost rather than an opportunitymaking it difficult for proponents to unlock the capital required to move forward, says Tim Biggs, Mining & Metals Leader, Deloitte UK. A massive shift toward electrification could also change the way employees work, requiring companies to obtain buy-in not only at the management level, but at the operations level. The sector leaders, however, are setting an example in terms of switching towards renewables. Related: The Survival Of A $2.7 Trillion Market Rests On This Tiny Niche BHP estimates deals announced last year to switch two giant copper mines in Chile to solar, wind and hydro sources in place of existing coal and gas power will cut energy costs by about 20%. Anglo American (LON:AAL), which has installed floating solar panels on a copper mines waste pond, has said that renewable energy will help deliver cheaper mining operations. Fortescue Metals Group (ASX: FMG) recently flagged potential savings from new investments to switch mines to renewable energy as it expands a $700 million program to add transmission lines, solar arrays and battery storage in Australias Pilbara region. Together with committing to deliver value beyond compliance and reducing their emissions, companies should pay attention to other growing industry trends that would determine their success. According to Deloitte, they are: Partnerships and joint ventures: Be open to consolidating to gain scale. Given the size of capex projects in the mining sector, their location in remote regions, and the growing complexity associated with accessing many ore bodies, companies of all sizes can benefit from partners to finance projects, source critical skills, build local relationships, and share risks. Seize opportunity amid uncertainty: Miners should start preparing for the next downturn now. Globally, trade volumes are down and geopolitical tensions remain high. Concerns about Chinas economic revival remain front and center. Deloittes experts recommend Over-investing in communication, town halls and one-to-one meetings. People long for transparency and, in the absence of clear communication, will create their own narrative, the report highlights. Miners should start preparing for the next downturn now. Globally, trade volumes are down and geopolitical tensions remain high. Concerns about Chinas economic revival remain front and center. Deloittes experts recommend Over-investing in communication, town halls and one-to-one meetings. People long for transparency and, in the absence of clear communication, will create their own narrative, the report highlights. Dynamically managing risk: Miners should go back to the basics, taking time to redefine their risk appetite, identify gaps in their risk and control framework, and ensure their risk management methodology covers strategic, operational, financial, cyber, regulatory, and environmental risks. Miners should go back to the basics, taking time to redefine their risk appetite, identify gaps in their risk and control framework, and ensure their risk management methodology covers strategic, operational, financial, cyber, regulatory, and environmental risks. Embracing intelligent mining through investments in automation, technology modernization and the right workforce: Bringing new technologies into a business is a first step, not the only one needed. Companies will have to also invest in an adaptive workforce, with a new set of skills, to sustain their competitive advantage in global markets. One way companies can ensure they have the right skills in place for intelligent mining is by classifying the capabilities required on a matrix to identify skills gaps and determine how best to fill them. (Click to enlarge) Proactively planning for the social impact of digitalization: In the same way as mining companies conduct life-of-asset and life-of-mine planning, longer-term and more strategic talent planning is becoming more critical to the delivery of planned business outcomes and to ensuring that the possible repercussions on local communities are mitigated. Leadership in an industry 4.0 world: The mining workforce of the future needs leaders able to base their decisions not only on decades of hands-on experience, but also on analysis of large sets of data. To leverage emerging data insights, for instance, leaders will likely need digital fluency, data visualization skills, and an understanding of cognitive and AI-driven technologies. Tax tribulations: Concerns over transfer mispricing put miners in the spotlight. Deloitte recommends the use of bilateral agreements and partnerships with host countries, ensuring compliance with tax regulations and being prepared to be able to substantiate positions and defend against any challenges made by tax authorities, while continuing to maintain healthy relations with government. In the past, miners thought that generating employment and tax receipts for government was enough to secure a social licence to operate. But in an era of populist politics and growing activism, most mining companies now know they need to do more. Among the pending tasks, the report highlights, miners need to show how theyre working towards sustainable and inclusive growth, which eventually will help redefine the sectors image as a responsible source of the minerals and metals that are the base for a green future. (Click to enlarge) By Mining.com More Top Reads From Safehaven.com: Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal When she was a young child growing up in Albuquerque, Mary Martinezs earliest jobs often involved helping her elderly neighbors any way she could. Not much has changed in the decades since. While she is no longer raking leaves or cleaning up sidewalks for pocket change, Martinez, owner of the Albuquerque location of Home Instead Senior Care and founder of the Isabel Gallegos Center for Aging, still dedicates her time to caring for seniors. Ive done what I love my whole life, she said. Even as a little kid. Ive always loved helping seniors. Martinez plans to bring that same level of dedication to the Hispano Chamber of Commerce as the organizations 2020 chairwoman. She officially took over as chair Nov. 15, and since then already has begun to inspire fellow board members and employees, according to Ernie Cde Baca, the chambers president and CEO. She really wants to be efficient and engage them (the board) in a way that makes us the kind of chamber that we want to aspire to be, Cde Baca said. Grandmothers lessons As a leader, Martinez describes herself as deeply involved and wanting to see a project through from beginning to end. Im a hands-on kind of person, she said. I want to see the energy. I want to see people working together and see those things come to fruition. Martinez said she grew up watching both her grandmothers work to help their communities. She remembers one grandmother taking in people off the streets to give them a meal or a warm place to stay for the night. Her grandmothers also gave Martinez her first exposure to the lack of services available to aging adults, especially those with Alzheimers disease. When one of her grandmothers was first diagnosed with the condition, very little was know about the disease or how to treat it. There was a huge lack of services back then, and as I learned more about it, I wanted to know more about it what else is out there, Martinez said. People would say you were demented and dementia was a big word and people were scared of that word. Martinez went on to earn a degree in gerontology and sociology from New Mexico State University. In her first job after graduating, Martinez worked for the state government as a case manager in Dona Ana County with 300 senior clients spread across the countys 3,814 square miles. You learn people really know how to be scrappers, Martinez said of the experience. I learned from a lot of those folks how to be a scrapper and help put together systems to help people in very remote areas. Martinez quickly learned if she wanted to be successful, she had to create a net of support systems beyond her own department. I ended up creating this little army of people that work together to make sure that the seniors could stay home and be safe, she said. When Martinez made her way to Home Instead in the early 2000s, she created that network again. Bringing all those people together and all those systems together helped a lot of people, one at a time, she said. As the owner of the Albuquerque franchise, Martinez said she still works with multiple agencies including competitors when managing the care of seniors. We cooperate with each other and we refer out to other agencies that might also need to be involved, she said. It takes a village to raise a child, it takes that same village to help somebody age in place. Focus on business growth, education Martinez said the board first invited her to join seven years ago due to her involvement in the state across both public and private sectors. In her new role as chamber chair, Martinez said she is focusing on two key goals: promotion of small businesses and education. My big thing for them is to really promote more what they do for small businesses and education in our community, she said. Those are big things that they do, but I dont think we promote them enough. As the largest Hispanic chamber of commerce in the country, in a state where nearly 50% of the residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, Martinez sees a huge opportunity to promote the chambers work and help business leaders become more aware of the benefits it can provide. I dont think enough people in the community know exactly what the chamber does, she said. They actually do things out in the community in a meaningful way. Beyond networking opportunities, Martinez said the chamber plays essential roles in both helping small business owners get their enterprise going and helping existing businesses expand. Like her most recent predecessors, Martinez is stepping into the chair position at a time when chamber membership numbers are stagnating. The Hispano chambers membership has hovered around 1,200 for the past several years, according to Annette Pitera, the organizations executive assistant. This year, membership is down to 1,071 members, according to the chambers website. Martinez hopes those numbers grow in the next year, but said she ultimately will measure success on business growth rather than membership numbers. The success for the year is if we had more businesses start this year than last year, she said. As far as education, Martinez said she hopes to encourage growth of the chambers scholarship program, and wants to work on encouraging graduates to stay in New Mexico. In the past 32 years, the chamber has awarded $2.3 million in scholarship funds to 2,600 students, according to Pitera. Scholarships average around $1,000. We want them to keep their gifts here, Martinez said. Cde Baca said Martinez has already had success as the boards chair. Under her leadership, the chambers annual gala has almost sold out. Cde Baca also credited Martinez as instrumental in bringing the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Convention to Albuquerque last year. Shes a tremendous inspiration for the community, he said. [February 03, 2020] Cotton & Company Announces the Election of 3 Partners Effective January 1, 2020 Cotton & Company is pleased to announce the election of three new partners in 2020 who have served as valuable members of the firm's management team. "We are excited to announce the election of our three newest Partners, who are valuable additions to the growing partnership, each bringing diverse experiences." - Managing Partner, Steve Koons Jason Boberg Jason Boberg joined Cotton & Company in March 2013 as a senior auditor and was elected a partner with the firm's Contracts and Grants & Litigation Services practice in January 2020. He has experience managing and providing litigation support services, financial consulting, and performance audits to federal and state government clients. Mr. Boberg holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus on Accounting from San Diego State University. He is also a member of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Liz Lang Liz Lang joined Cotton & Company in April 2019 as a director and was elected a partner with the firm's Assurance Services practice in January 2020. She has more than 12 years of experience conducting financial statement and performance audits at organizations ranging in size and complexity. M. Lang earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Richmond and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant. She is a member of the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) and serves on the AGA's Editorial Board for the Journal of Government Financial Management. Harrison Lee Harrison Lee joined Cotton & Company in January 2009 as a staff auditor and was elected a partner with the firm's Advisory Services practice in January 2020. He has experience managing Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) audits and reviews, financial statement audits, performance audits, and IT consulting engagements for multiple federal clients. Mr. Lee holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Information Technology from Virginia Tech, and is also a Certified Information Systems Auditor, Certified Information Systems Manager, Certified Information Systems Security Professional, and Project Management Professional. He is also an active member of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association and the International Information System Security Certification Consortium. About Cotton & Company Cotton & Company, founded in Alexandria in 1981, has 16 partners and more than 170 employees. The firm provides a full range of audit, accounting, IT, and consulting services to governmental and commercial clients throughout the United States. The firm also assists in resolving litigation disputes before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and other adjudicators. Federal clients include Legislative and Executive Branch agencies, including Inspectors General, Chief Financial Officers, and Chief Information Officers. Visit Cotton & Company at www.cottoncpa.com or contact Steve Koons, Managing Partner, at 703.836.6701 or [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005793/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] In a bid to counter the nefarious designs of Pakistan and its proxies of snatching weapons from Security forces, Jammu and Kashmir Police have floated tenders for Weapon Safety and Tracking System. This system will not help in reducing the cases of Weapon snatching but also will help track the weapons if snatched. The Jammu and Kashmir Police has faced the brunt of weapon snatching which has been on continuous rise post unrest in valley in the year 2016 followed by killing of Hizbul Poster Boy Burhan Wani. Read: NIA to quiz former J-K MLA for links with Hizbul Mujahideen commander There have been more than 50 cases in which around 180 weapons have either been snatched from Jammu Kashmir Police Jawans or some of our own Black Sheeps have decamped with the weapons, a senior official told Republic. Can be tracked even on 2G To ensure the safety of its weapons, Jammu and Kashmir Police has floated a tender which reads, "Tenders have been invited from manufacturers or their authorized dealers for the supply of Weapon Safety and Tracking Systems (WSTS). Another Officer privy with the development told Republic that the trial run of the system has been successfully done and it works with every network. This system has been tried and tested in far-flung areas as well and it works well on the 2G network as well. Even if in the present situation, it can be tracked by whitelisting the tracking server." Read: Provide 100 pc reservation to J-K candidates in PG seats in medical, dental colleges: Bukhari Jammu and Kashmir Police has also tested the compatibility of the system with existing weapons and in case of any forced removal of WSTS, a security breach alarm will be triggered and a system notification will be sent to the control room, another official told Republic. Read: Need to set up electoral literacy clubs:J-K Guv Earlier, Jammu and Kasmir Union Territory Police had floated tenders to procure Liquid Explosive Detectors (LED). This will be the first of its kind of procurement which is aimed to thwart the continuous attempts by terror outfits to target civilians and security forces in the region. It was done after five Jaish-e-Muhammad men arrested from Srinagar involved in two grenade attacks at Hazratbal and Habbak areas recently, had managed 100 to 200 sticks of Gelatin with a sole aim of making IEDs to target security forces. Read: SPO killed after being run over by truck on J-K highway January 31, after 47 years of membership, the UK officially began the process of secession from the European Union. Brexit promises various consequences for the UK, which will also affect the development of Ukraine and Europe. Victory loves preparation The entry into force of the Brexit agreement does not mean that from February 1, Misty Albion sets sail for global political and economic processes. De facto, by the end of 2020, the UK will feel at home in the EU and will prepare to curtail its participation in European integration processes. The United Kingdom will be bound by the European Union with the same mutual obligations as during the transitional period. Until July 1, 2020, both parties have the right to extend it for a year or two. In the next 11 months, the UK will retain access to the common market, will participate in the EU customs union, follow European legislation, general rules in the field of nuclear energy, industry, agriculture and make contributions to the EU budget. In 2018, the UK allocated the EU 20 billion pounds. British business will continue to benefit from the freedom of movement of goods, capital, services, and labor in relations with European countries. However, January 31, representatives of the United Kingdom will cease to participate in the work of the European Commission, European Parliament, European Council, other EU bodies and services. Nevertheless, during the transitional period, the jurisdiction of the EU bodies on all kinds of issues will extend to it: from the sphere of justice, ending with standards in the social sphere. London will continue to be within the scope of the Court of Justice of the EU. Three million citizens of European countries will be able to freely live, work, study in the United Kingdom. The same goes for the million Britons who are in EU member states. During the transition period, the UK may enter into agreements with third countries, provided that they enter into force after its expiration. The UK will continue negotiations with the United States and the countries of the British Commonwealth on a free trade area agreement. In February, the UK and the EU should decide on the format for future cooperation. The possibility of concluding an agreement on a free trade zone is being studied. For this, the EU and the UK will form working groups. The European group will be led by Michel Barnier, who was the EU negotiator for Brexit. Changes in the lives of the British and Europeans will begin from the beginning of 2021. How pleasant they will depend on the effectiveness of the upcoming negotiations between London and Brussels. Implications for the UK The experience of Canada, Singapore, and Japan suggests that the coordination of the terms of the agreement on a free trade zone can last more than one year. Singapore held the longest trade negotiations with the EU - nine years. Great Britain and the EU do not have much time to agree, given the fact that the parties have a different vision of the future free trade zone. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is interested in a free trade zone with zero duties and quotas. The EU stands for a gradual reduction in duties after the creation of a free trade zone for certain groups of goods, if they comply with European sanitary and phytosanitary standards, for the introduction of customs control. In Brussels, they are interested in concluding an additional fisheries agreement with the UK, which will allow fishing vessels of EU member states to obtain quotas in British waters. Protecting the interests of British fishermen was one of the arguments in favor of Brexit, as they experience competition from European colleagues. If negotiations on an agreement on a free trade zone are delayed, and the transition period is not extended, then the British economy cannot avoid the negative consequences. Enterprises that supply their products to the EU will face duties for third countries, and their products will increase in price and cease to be competitive. The European Union is the largest trade and economic partner of the United Kingdom, where it exports 45% of its goods and services, mainly motor vehicles, oil products, medicines, electrical equipment, engineering products, services in the field of business, finance, insurance, tourism, transportation, IT. According to the British National Institute for Social and Economic Research, by 2029, UK GDP will decline by 3.5%. In the case of a hard Brexit, the fall in GDP would be over 5%. Even during the period of turmoil and political instability in the UK against the backdrop of negotiations with the EU on the Brexit agreement in 2016-19. British economic growth slowed by 2.5% from initial expectations. Over the next 10 years, car production in the UK could drop by 12%, and foreign direct investment inflows by 22%. Foreign investors could export manufactured products to continental Europe without duties, develop cooperation with local suppliers of raw materials and components, and now they are afraid of uncertainty. After the Brexit referendum in 2016, the amount of foreign investment in turnkey projects in the UK decreased by 30% (to 83.4 billion dollars), fewer new industries and jobs were created. In February 2019, the leadership of the Japanese automobile concern Nissan decided not to place the production of the new X-Trail SUV series at the British plant in Sunderland. The Johnson government is trying to mitigate the negative consequences for British business to the maximum after losing access to the Common Market and in 2019 signed an agreement on a free trade zone with 50 countries and integration blocks. At the moment, negotiations are underway on an agreement on a free trade zone with the United States, similar issues are being worked out with the authorities of India, Australia, and New Zealand. The calculation is to partially reduce dependence on the European market and redirect supplies to former colonies. Johnson's government should be on the alert for security. After Brexit, the separatists of Northern Ireland and Scotland intensified. Most residents of these regions did not support the idea of Britain leaving the EU in a 2016 referendum. Now, the Northern Irish party Sinn Fein and the Scottish National Party are demanding that London allow referendums on leaving the regions from the United Kingdom in order to remain in the EU. In the coming years, a transformation of the geopolitical role of Great Britain in the modern world order will occur. With the exit from the EU, it will not be able to play the role of a bridge in relations between the US and Europe, and its role will be played by Poland, where the US military is stationed, and the party's strict migration policy, Law and Justice, and opposition to strengthening EU-Russia cooperation in the gas and security spheres echoes the views of members of the ruling Republican Party of the United States. Britain will position itself as a global trading power, as it was after decolonization until 1973. London sets a precedent for the country to leave the EU through the efforts of the Eurosceptics who are in power. Pros and Cons for the European Union The main disadvantage for the EU is the loss of the third-largest donor after Germany and France. The UK invested more in the European budget than it received in the form of grants, subsidies as part of a single agricultural policy, various humanitarian projects, and financial assistance to facilitate the peace process in Northern Ireland. In 2018, 11 billion remained in the European budget. Not only the British, but also the Europeans are interested in the agreement on a free trade zone, for which Foggy Albion is a very attractive market for engineering products, food products, and pharmaceuticals. In 2018, the United Kingdom imported 357 billion worth of goods and services from the EU (53% of total imports). Without the UK participating in the general market, European-made products can supplant goods from the USA and other third countries. European migrants who have settled in the UK will have to tackle paperwork in order to legalize their status. Since 2021, the UK government plans to pursue a new migration policy that will limit the freedom of movement of former EU neighbors. To stay in the United Kingdom for more than three months, Europeans (with the exception of the Irish) must obtain a special permit valid for three years. They will need to confirm the absence of a criminal record, pass security checks. Those who want to live in the UK for more than three years will need to prove their professional competence. The essence of the conservative migration policy is that, at the request of British employers, personnel from all over the world with certain skills for working in specific areas will be attracted to the UK. Migration to the UK will be targeted. Not delighted with the consequences of Brexit students from European countries. After 2021, London is expected to cease participating in the Erasmus student exchange program with universities in EU countries. In the academic year 2017/18, about 140 thousand undergraduate and graduate students from EU member states (about one-third of all foreign students) entered UK universities. British students do not care much. Only 200 thousand British have received higher education in European countries under the Erasmus program since 1987. However, Brussels can draw some advantages from Brexit. London is one of the world's financial centers, but after leaving the EU, the offices of companies and banks focused on working exclusively on the European market will leave the city. Part of the jobs in the service sector will move to the European cities of Dublin, Frankfurt, Paris, and Amsterdam. In 2018, Japanese firms Panasonic and Sony decided to move their European offices from the UK to Holland amid Brexit. The importance of European cities as EU financial centers will increase. The influx of investment in office infrastructure will increase. There will be prerequisites for the implementation of projects in the field of real estate construction and other activities in the business sector. Britains exit from the EU will become a catalyst for strengthening integration within the EU, increasing the powers of supranational bodies and enhancing security cooperation among member countries. London was positioned as a self-sufficient center of power, with its vision of European integration, which was different from the initiatives of Berlin or Paris. The British authorities were not willing to give up sovereignty in various fields and emphasize the development of transatlantic relations with the United States, consider NATO a guarantor of European security. Now Eurosceptics remained in power only in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and their political weight, economic and military power is not comparable with the potential of Germany and France. All cards are in the hands of supporters of the idea of turning the EU into a global center of power independent of the USA. What about Ukraine? Commenting on Brexit at the International Economic Forum in Davos, President Zelensky noted with some irony that Ukraine could take Britains place in the EU. This joke sarcastically reflects the perception of a part of Ukrainian citizens, the stereotype that Ukraine will sooner or later be admitted to the EU, despite rampant corruption, the crisis in the economy, problems with territorial integrity, ongoing armed conflict on our territory and banal inefficiency management. The maximum that we managed to achieve was to conclude an association agreement and a free trade zone with the EU. In any case, the UK exit from the EU will not pass without leaving a trace for Ukraine. The UK will not participate in the association agreement and Ukraine-EU free trade area and will introduce import duties on our goods. The question is the design of a new regulatory framework for Ukrainian-British relations. For three years now, the possibility of signing an agreement on a free trade zone between Ukraine and the UK has been explored, which should help increase bilateral trade from $ 2.5 to $ 3.5 billion. The British are buying wheat, corn, and sunflower oil in Ukraine. They may be interested in the Ukrainian market of medicines, vehicles, financial and legal services. Another question is how soon it will be possible to sign this agreement, given that all the attention of British diplomacy this year will be paid to trade negotiations with the EU and the United States. Brexit opens up new opportunities for technically savvy Ukrainians with innovative thinking and fresh innovative ideas, for IT specialists and scientists. In late January, Johnson shared plans to launch a new Global Talent visa scheme starting February 20, with the goal of attracting researchers and mathematicians from all over the world to the UK. Most likely, the British will give priority to their people from former colonies, including India, where there are a lot of programmers, but do not exclude the possibility of successful participation in the visa scheme of immigrants from post-Soviet countries. In addition to new opportunities, Britains exit from the EU will bring Ukraine new political challenges. London was Kyivs most powerful ally in Europe in countering Russian aggression. The British authorities are the conduit of anti-Russian sanctions, support the idea of tightening pressure on the Putin regime. The Franco-German tandem, which now has a monopoly influence on the development of the EU, will take a softer position with respect to Russia. At least, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, talked about a single space in the field of trade and economic cooperation and security from Lisbon to Vladivostok. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and functionaries of her Christian Democratic Union party oppose sanctions against companies participating in the Nord Stream - 2 gas pipeline project. Under such conditions, it will be difficult for Ukraine to uphold the restoration of territorial integrity and seek the withdrawal of the Russian military and mercenaries from occupied territories. The Armed Forces of Malta rescued 47 migrants from rough seas between Malta and Libya and brought them to land on Sunday, Trend reports citing Xinhua. The meteorological situation is worsening as wind speeds pick up due to a low pressure system forming over Italy. The rescue came after another group of 77 migrants was brought to Malta on Thursday. The national parliaments of EU member states may not be given a vote to approve the EU's Brexit trade deal with the UK, Brussels has indicated. EU officials said they are "confident" that the scope of the agreement with Britain will be narrow enough that parliaments do not have to be given a vote but said it might be decided to give them one anyway. Under EU law, there are two types of trade agreements: "EU-only" deals and "mixed" deals. A deal is "EU-only" if it only covers policy areas that are the responsibility of the EU, while the latter cross into the prerogatives of member states. EU-only deals only have to be approved by the EU collectively meaning member state governments, the Commission, and European Parliament. But the so-called "mixed deals" have to be ratified individually by member states according to their own constitutional requirements. In all cases this means the deal has to be put to their national parliament; in some states like Belgium, regions also get a say. Recommended EU insists UK must keep regulations if it wants trade deal Mixed deals are politically much trickier to pass because different interests within member states can block them. For instance, the Belgian region of Wallonia famously held up a deal with Canada in 2016 over the lifting of agricultural tariffs and dispute resolution. They also take a lot longer to fully implement a crucial detail given the UK only has 11 months to get an agreement in place. One senior EU official said: "We are confident that the mandate that we have proposed today will bring us to an agreement that can be concluded as an EU-only one. "Of course, we will have to decide at the end of the process, and sometimes these things are not so much legal as political, whether we want to have the national parliaments ratifying. Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Show all 37 1 /37 Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro-Brexit supporters celebrating in Parliament Square, after the UK left the European Union on 31 January. Ending 47 years of membership PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o'clock at night AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro Brexit supporters attend the Brexit Day Celebration Party hosted by Leave Means Leave Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage smiles on stage AFP/Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square People celebrate in Parliament Square Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A Brexit supporter celebrates during a rally in Parliament square AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Police form a line at Parliament Square to prevent a small group of anti-Brexit protestors from going through to the main Brexit rally PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square JD Wetherspoon Chairman Tim Martin speaks as people wave flags Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters wave Union flags as they watch the big screen AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit Party leader, Nigel Farage arrives Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters gather AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Ann Widdecombe speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters wave Union flags as they watch the big screen AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square People wave British Union Jack flags as they celebrate Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square on Brexit day Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A man waves Union flags from a small car as he drives past Brexit supporters gathering AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A pro-Brexit supporter pours beer onto an EU flag PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square An EU flag lies trampled in the mud Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty "What we are prosing is an association procedure. We think that this could be ratified on an EU-only basis, and the legal basis for this is article 217." Article 217 of the Lisbon Treaty says that "the Union may conclude with one or more third countries or international organisations agreements establishing an association involving reciprocal rights and obligations, common action and special procedure". NEW YORK - A key accuser in the the New York City rape trial of Harvey Weinstein testified Monday that she stayed in touch with the once-powerful movie mogul after he allegedly raped her to protect her acting career as the defence sought to paint her as opportunistic manipulator. Asked on cross-examination about warm emails she sent to Weinstein, the 34-year-old woman responded, I wanted him to believe I wasnt a threat, she said. She later added: I was afraid of his unpredictable anger. Defence lawyer Donna Rotunno, a known #MeToo skeptic, also grilled the woman about consensual sex with Weinstein that the accuser claimed only happened after a long negotiation. Even then, I wasnt happy to do it, she said. You manipulated Mr. Weinstein every single time, isnt that correct? Rotunno asked. She responded: I felt there was an aspect to the way I felt I needed to protect myself that had an element of manipulation. At one point, Rotunno shot back: You made a choice to have sexual encounters with Harvey Weinstein when you werent sexually attracted to him ... You liked the parties and you liked the power. The defence attorney also grilled the accuser about communications that provided him with her new phone number and encouraging him to get in touch. One read: I got a new number. Just wanted you to have it. Hope you are well and call me anytime, always good to hear your voice, according to court papers. At times during the cross-examination, the woman struggled to recall certain details and at one point asked for a break, saying, Im getting a little foggy. The witness returned to the stand after she told jurors last week that Weinstein trapped her in a New York hotel room in March 2013, and angrily ordered her to undress as he loomed over her, and then raped her. A second attack came eight months later at a Los Angeles hotel, where she worked as a hairdresser, after she told Weinstein that she was dating an actor, she said. You owe me one more time! she said he screamed at her. She said she begged him not to take off her clothes, but he said, I dont have time for games, and ripped off her pants before pushing her legs apart and raping her. The Associated Press has a policy of not publishing the names of alleged sexual assault victims without their consent, unless they go public. The AP is withholding the name of the 34-year-old woman because it isnt clear if she wishes to be identified publicly. The testimony comes at a pivotal moment in the trial of Weinstein, whose downfall energized the #MeToo movement. He is charged in New York with the 2013 rape and also sexually assaulting Mimi Haleyi, a former Project Runway production assistant, in 2006. A conviction could put him behind bars for the rest of his life. Weinstein, 67, has insisted that any sexual encounters were consensual. His lawyers aim to raise doubts about the rape accusers credibility by seizing on her complicated history with the former film producer. The alleged rape victim caused a stir Friday when, asked by a prosecutor to describe Weinsteins body, she said that when she first saw him naked, she noticed extreme scarring and thought he had characteristics of both male and female genitalia. When I first saw him, I was filled with compassion, absolute compassion, she said, adding, It seemed his anger came from a place of pain. ___ On Twitter, follow Michael Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak and Tom Hays at twitter.com/aptomhays GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip A recently imposed customs duty has caught some Palestinians off guard as they travel from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip via the Erez border crossing. The Customs and Excise Directorate of the Ministry of Finance in the Gaza Strip recently placed a sign at the northern Gaza Strip crossing declaring that duties will be imposed on all purchases citizens bring in. The duties went into effect Jan. 20. The Erez crossing, which is under Israeli supervision, is the only land crossing for people to move between Gaza and the West Bank. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip usually visit the West Bank either for medical treatment or to see their relatives. Fatima al-Serhi of Gaza City told Al-Monitor she was surprised upon her return Jan. 22 to Gaza through the Erez crossing when customs officers on the Palestinian side, which is run by Hamas, asked her to pay duties on a few items she had in her hand bag. She had bought the items in the West Bank. Serhi visited the West Bank because her child needed treatment at a hospital there. She explained that she had 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) of flavored hookah tobacco, which she had bought in Hebron for 90 Israeli shekels ($26) per kilo. However, customs officials in Gaza asked her to pay 130 shekels ($37) in duties for each kilo. This made her purchase substantially more expensive, though still well below the price she would pay in the Gaza Strip. I buy this hookah tobacco for my brothers in Gaza because it is cheaper in the West Bank. A kilo is sold at 270 shekels [$78] in Gaza, Serhi said. Mohammed Abu Jayab, editor of economic newspaper Al-Eqtesadia in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, Imposing customs duties on goods not destined for personal use is common around the world, as such goods would be treated like imported goods and placed under the category of trade. Abu Jayab said that people entering Palestinian territories are allowed to carry some goods they can use in a short period of time, such as two cartons of cigarettes or a kilo of hookah tobacco. But anything additional, he added, would be counted as trade and subject to customs duties. However, what is abnormal is that such duties are imposed on goods bought in Palestinian cities in the West Bank and brought to Gaza in personal bags. Such goods have already been subject to customs duties upon their entry to the West Bank, he added. Hamas represented by the Ministry of Finance in Gaza treats all goods entering Gaza through the Erez crossing as goods imported into Gaza and imposes customs duties thereon, regardless of whether these were bought in the West Bank or outside Palestine, Abu Jayab noted. The tax primarily aims to boost the movements revenues, but Abu Jayab stated that double taxation is a destructive policy for the commercial sector and the main driver behind high prices in the Gaza Strip. "It is a product of the Palestinian division that created two separate powers, one in the West Bank and another in Gaza. Muhammad al-Laham, member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, believes the tax is intentionally divisive. During a Jan. 21 meeting held at Fatah headquarters in Bethlehem, the West Bank, he condemned the new measure as proof that Hamas is deepening the division between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Hamas has been suffering from an acute and prolonged financial crisis since the Egyptian army in 2014 started establishing a border buffer zone with the Gaza Strip, while destroying and closing border tunnels with Gaza. These tunnels served as the most important route for funds and weapons transferred from abroad to Hamas. Over the years, Hamas has made several decisions to increase its revenues through taxes, the latest of which was in December 2018, when it imposed new taxes on 95 items and commodities imported from abroad. There is no available data on the amount of customs the Finance Ministry in Gaza collects through goods entering the Gaza Strip. But Awni al-Basha, the ministry's assistant undersecretary, revealed in statements to Palestine Today news in March that the value of customs and taxes collected by his ministry at all of the Gaza Strip crossings totaled 50 million to 60 million shekels per month ($14 million to $17 million). Like Abu Jayab, Bayan Bakr, the ministry's director of information and public relations, told Al-Monitor, The goods that citizens bring into Gaza through the Erez crossing for personal use are not subject to customs duties unless bought in quantities that exceed personal use quantities. In this case, such goods would fall under the category of trade." Bakr stressed that imposing taxes on commercial goods entering Gaza through the Erez crossing and goods coming from the West Bank is very important to avoid harming the Palestinian economy." He added, "Failure to impose such customs would make goods entering Gaza through Erez more competitive compared with those that enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close wuhan coronavirus masks REUTERS/Aly Song A man in Boston tested positive for the coronavirus after returning from Wuhan, China, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said on Friday. In a letter to community members, the University of Massachusetts Boston confirmed that the person infected was a student at the school, adding that health officials believe the risk to other students is "low." The case marks the first in Massachusetts and the eighth confirmed case in the United States. At least 259 people have died as a result of the virus, and around 12,000 have been infected, primarily in China. The virus has been reported in at least 22 countries around the world. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. A University of Massachusetts student who recently traveled from China to Boston has been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Friday to have the Wuhan coronavirus, marking the first case of the virus in Massachusetts and the eighth in the United States. According to a report from the Boston Herald, the University of Massachusetts in Boston confirmed February 1 that the individual who contracted the virus was a student at the school. "I want to let you know that a member of the UMass Boston community who recently returned from Wuhan, China has tested positive for the novel coronavirus," the university told community members in a letter sent Saturday, per the Herald. "We are working closely with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) and the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) to ensure all guidelines and protocols are diligently followed. These agencies will continue to monitor the treatment and health of the affected person." UMass Boston added that state and local officials told them that the "risk to members of our community is low," and that "business as usual" is to be expected at the university's campus. Story continues According to a Saturday press release from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), the man is in his 20s and resides in Boston. The MDPH said the Centers for Disease Control notified state and local agencies of the positive test result on Friday night. Per the MDPH, the Boston man had recently traveled to Wuhan, the city in China's Hubei province where the outbreak originated. The man sought medical attention soon after his return to the US, the release said, adding that he had been isolated since seeking medical help. His "few close contacts" are being watched for signs of the virus, the agency added. wuhan coronavirus compared to other major viruses long table Shayanne Gal/Business Insider The man will stay in isolation until he is cleared by public health officials, according to the MDPH. "Our priority is not only to protect and inform the residents of Boston but also to help this man continue to recover. We are pleased that he is doing well," Boston Public Health Commission Executive Director Rita Nieves said in the press release. "Right now, we are not asking Boston residents to do anything differently. The risk to the general public remains low. And we continue to be confident we are in a good position to respond to this developing situation." As Business Insider previously reported, seven other cases of the virus have been reported throughout the US, in Arizona, California, and Washington. The disease, which has killed at least 259 and infected nearly 12,000, mainly in China, has spread to 22 countries around the globe, including Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, the US, and Vietnam. President Trump on January 31 banned foreign nationals who visited China within the past two weeks from entering the US, though US citizens, their immediate families, and permanent residents are not included in the ban. US citizens who have traveled to China's Hubei province must undergo 14 days in isolation upon returning to the country. Read more: 9,000 Hong Kong hospital workers are threatening to strike amid coronavirus outbreak if the government doesn't close its border with mainland China Apple shuts down all stores and corporate offices in China amid the continued Wuhan coronavirus outbreak Scientists have published over 50 studies on Wuhan coronavirus in the last 3 weeks. They learned that 75,800 people in Wuhan could be infected. A medical-surveillance system that China implemented after SARS led officials to discover the novel coronavirus within 1 week here's how it works Read the original article on Business Insider Apartment buildings rise into the skyline in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China, on June 29, 2015. (John Moore/Getty Images) 5.2 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Southwest China A 5.2 magnitude earthquake has rattled Chinas southwestern province of Sichuan. The earthquake shook the Qingbaijiang District, one of 11 districts in Chengdu, which is the capital of Sichuan Province, at around 5 minutes past midnight local time on Feb. 3. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the shallow earthquake had an epicenter 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) below the surface. Chinas state-run media Xinhua reported that 150 rescuers and 34 vehicles had been dispatched to the area. As of 2 a.m. local time on Feb. 3, there were no casualties and no reports of any buildings having collapsed. Passive investing in index funds can generate returns that roughly match the overall market. But you can significantly boost your returns by picking above-average stocks. For example, the Brunswick Corporation (NYSE:BC) share price is up 30% in the last year, clearly besting the market return of around 17% (not including dividends). That's a solid performance by our standards! Having said that, the longer term returns aren't so impressive, with stock gaining just 3.2% in three years. See our latest analysis for Brunswick There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS). Over the last twelve months, Brunswick actually shrank its EPS by 88%. So we don't think that investors are paying too much attention to EPS. Since the change in EPS doesn't seem to correlate with the change in share price, it's worth taking a look at other metrics. We doubt the modest 1.5% dividend yield is doing much to support the share price. Unfortunately Brunswick's fell 20% over twelve months. So using a snapshot of key business metrics doesn't give us a good picture of why the market is bidding up the stock. The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image). NYSE:BC Income Statement, February 3rd 2020 We're pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized companies. It's always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. This free report showing analyst forecasts should help you form a view on Brunswick What About Dividends? As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. In the case of Brunswick, it has a TSR of 33% for the last year. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. This is largely a result of its dividend payments! Story continues A Different Perspective It's nice to see that Brunswick shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 33% over the last year. Of course, that includes the dividend. That's better than the annualised return of 4.2% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. Someone with an optimistic perspective could view the recent improvement in TSR as indicating that the business itself is getting better with time. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for Brunswick that you should be aware of. If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. T he father of London Bridge terror victim Jack Merritt has condemned the ultimate failure of policy which he believes led to the capitals latest attack in Streatham. Amman, 20, was under police surveillance as he launched his attack on Sunday, having been recently released halfway through a three-and-a-half year prison sentence for terror offences. David Merritt, whose son Jack, 25, was murdered in Decembers attack in central London , tweeted that the fatal shooting of another terrorist was the epitome of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. Jack Merritt's father David / Sky News Jack was working as a course co-ordinator on a prisoner rehabilitation programme when he was killed and his father urged politicians to resist harsher sentencing in the wake of his death. However, after this weekends attack in Streatham, Prime Minister Boris Johnson indicated again that he was planning far-reaching reforms of the sentencing of terrorists. He said in a speech: This is a liberal country, it is a tolerant country, but I think the idea of automatic early release for people who obviously continue to pose a threat to the public has come to the end of its useful life. Jack Merritt, 25, was killed in the London Bridge terror attack / AP In response, Mr Merritt accused Downing Street of trying to distract attention from the fact the Conservatives had been in power for the past 10 years. In a string of tweets, he said: Longer sentences by themselves just = kicking the can down the road, allowing prisoners to radicalise each other & build greater resentment." He added: Key has to be de-radicalisation, rehabilitation, supervision & diverting people from this path in the first place. Expect a suitable scapegoat to be found to carry the can for this; I can guarantee it wont be a minister. Shooting people dead on the streets after they have carried out attacks is the epitome of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted; the ultimate failure of policy. That is no criticism of the police; they do their jobs admirably, but it shouldnt have come to this. Amman was shot and killed by police on Sunday () / Met Police The comments came as the mother of Amman described her son as a nice, polite boy who was radicalised while in the high-security Belmarsh prison. Mr Johnson had already promised reform to ensure serious terror offenders served their whole sentences, after London Bridge killer Usman Khans attack was carried out while he was out on licence from prison. Prime Minister Boris Johnson / REUTERS However, the changes would not have applied to the Streatham attacker, who had been convicted of the less serious offence of possessing and distributing terrorist material. On Monday, Mr Johnson said: We are bringing forward legislation to stop the system of automatic early release. "The difficulty is how to apply retrospectively to the cohort of people who currently qualify. Listen to today's episode of The Leader: China imposed a lockdown Sunday on a major city far from the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic, as its death toll soared to 304 and the first fatality outside the country was reported in the Philippines. The events added to deepening concern about the potential for the virus to spread, as governments around the world closed their borders to people from China. Struggling to contain the virus, authorities took action in the eastern city of Wenzhou on Sunday -- some 800 kilometres (500 miles) from Wuhan, the metropolis at the heart of the health emergency -- closing roads and confining people to their homes. Since emerging out of Wuhan late last year, the new coronavirus has infected nearly 14,500 people across China and reached 24 nations. The G7 countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, all of which have confirmed cases of the virus -- will discuss a joint response, Germanys health minister Jens Spahn said on Sunday. In Thailand, which has 19 confirmed cases, doctors said Sunday an elderly Chinese patient treated with a cocktail of flu and HIV drugs had shown dramatic improvement and tested negative for the virus 48 hours later. Most of the infections overseas have been in people who travelled from Wuhan, an industrial hub of 11 million people, or surrounding areas of Hubei province. The man who died in the Philippines was a 44-year-old from Wuhan, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared the epidemic a global health emergency. China has embarked on unprecedented efforts to contain the virus, which is believed to have jumped to humans from a Wuhan animal market, and can be transmitted among people in a similar fashion to the flu. Lockdowns Those efforts have included extraordinary quarantines in Wuhan and surrounding cities, with all transport out banned, effectively sealing-off more than 50 million people. But 10 days after locking down Wuhan, authorities imposed similar draconian measures on Wenzhou, a coastal city of nine million people in Zhejiang province, part of the eastern industrial heartland that has powered Chinas economic rise over recent decades. Only one resident per household is allowed to go out every two days to buy necessities, and 46 highway toll stations have been closed, authorities announced. The city had previously closed public places such as cinemas and museums, and suspended public transport. Zhejiang has 661 confirmed infections, with 265 of those in Wenzhou, according to the government. This is the highest tally for any province in China after ground-zero Hubei. Closing borders Internationally, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Israel have banned foreign nationals from visiting if they have been in China recently, and they have also warned their own citizens against travelling there. Mongolia, Russia and Nepal have closed their land borders. The number of countries reporting infections rose to 24 after Britain, Russia and Sweden confirmed their first cases this weekend. The death toll in China climbed to 304 on Sunday after authorities reported 45 new fatalities. There were 2,590 new confirmed cases in China, bringing the total to nearly 14,500. The number of confirmed infections in China is far higher than in the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002-03. SARS, caused by a pathogen similar to the new coronavirus and also originated in China, killed 774 people worldwide -- most of them in mainland China and Hong Kong. With hospitals in Wuhan overwhelmed, China will open a military-led field hospital Monday that was built in just 10 days to treat people stricken by the virus. And with the Chinese economy suffering, the central bank announced it would release 1.2 trillion yuan ($173 billion) Monday to maintain liquidity in the banking system -- the day markets re-open after the long holiday break. Holiday ending The emergence of the virus coincided with the Lunar New Year, when hundreds of millions travel across the country in planes, trains and buses for family reunions. The holiday, which was scheduled to end on Friday, was extended by three days to give authorities more time to deal with the crisis. With many due back at work on Monday, people were starting to return on planes and trains over the weekend, with almost everyone wearing face masks. Customs authorities had ordered temperature checks at all exit-entry points in Beijing, according to state media. Returning travellers were being checked and registered at residential compounds, while fever checks were in place in subway stations, offices and cafes. One 22-year-old arriving at a Beijing train station from northeastern China said her family had urged her to delay her return. But I was worried it would affect my job, she said. Security guard Du Guiliang, 47, said he would be starting back at work in Beijing on Sunday, after returning from northeast Liaoning province. Many colleagues (from Hubei) couldnt come back. Now, those who work the day shift at our company have to do the night shift as well, he said. Many businesses were to remain closed for at least another week, however, while some major cities -- including Shanghai -- had also extended the holiday. Many foreigners, meanwhile, have started to leave China to wait things out abroad. (My family) said I need to go home, said 22-year-old South African student Jamie Bosch as she waited for a flight out of Beijing on Sunday. The planning and execution of an international evacuation operation of any type is a complex affair with significant financial and diplomatic costs. The federal government's about-face on charging $1000 in cost recovery for Australians evacuated from Wuhan will increase these costs by creating new expectations for future support in the travelling public. For each government-assisted international evacuation of Australians that has occurred, there have been scores of others that have, thankfully, not got past the planning stage. In every case, whether it's an evacuation or just planning for it, someone must pay the bill: almost all of the time it's the taxpayer. Description GIS - 03 February, 2020: Mauritius, as a rainbow nation, embraces a diversity of cultures through the celebration of peace, harmony, tolerance and solidarity. This existing plurality is a source of inspiration for other countries. Mauritius, as a rainbow nation, embraces a diversity of cultures through the celebration of peace, harmony, tolerance and solidarity. This existing plurality is a source of inspiration for other countries. The Minister of Culture and Communication of the Republic of Senegal, Mr. Abdoulaye Diop, made this statement following a courtesy call on the Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister of Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, this morning at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis. The Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck, was also present. Minister Diop underlined that the meeting was cordial and fruitful and discussions focused on the different facets of the rich heritage of both countries. He reiterated the support and solidarity of Senegal vis-a-vis the Mauritian population adding that both Governments look forward to working in closer collaboration in various fields including arts and culture. Minister Diop is in Mauritius in the context of the 185th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery. He was the Chief guest for the official celebrations held on 01 February 2020. Biju E Paul By Express News Service ALAPPUZHA: With the Union Ministry of Health allowing the National Institute of Virology Kerala Unit in Alappuzha to test the body fluid samples of patients with the suspected novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a huge relief for the people and states health sector. The samples can be tested within hours which will help in starting the treatment early. The fluid samples of the two persons which tested positive in the state were examined at the National Virology Institute (NIV), Pune. Sending the samples to Pune and getting the results take more than two days, delaying the treatment. According to Health Minister K K Shailaja, the Central government gave its approval to carry out the tests at the Alappuzha institute. Dr B Anu Kumar, who is the head of the NIV Kerala Unit, will lead the examination. The test results will be available in one day and it would help treat the patients speedily and that way, we can reduce the chances of transmitting the disease to other persons, said the minister. Alappuzha Medical College superintendent R V Ramlal said the results will be available in one day. Earlier, we had airlifted the samples to Pune. The process takes more than one day depending on the availability of flights. The Central governments decision to allow the examination of samples at the Alappuzha NIV is a big leap in the treatment, he said. At the time of the Nipah outbreak, the Centre had approved the examination of body fluid samples at Alappuzha NIV. Later, the tests were reconfirmed in Pune. Two more arrested for misinformation Thrissur: Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar said that police had arrested two women for spreading misinformation on novel coronavirus. The arrested, Shajitha Jamal, 41, from Perinjanam and Shamla, 43, from Kodungallur were charged with IPC 268 and 505, KPA 120 and 118 sections and released on bail the same day. With this, five persons have been held for spreading misinformation so far. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) got vulnerable, admitting that the idea of the US instigating a war with Iran was making her feeling "a little bit" ill. "Every time I hear aboutI hear of conversations around war, I find myself being stricken with PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder]. And I find peace knowing that I serve with great advocates for peace and people who have shown courage against war," Omar said. One reaction to Omars remarks was swift and cruel. Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) tweeted: But many came to the Congresswomans defense, expressing outrage at the insensitive (and inaccurate) remark. Among her defenders was the veterans group Common Defense: Common Defense which later said it had received a deluge of racist messages for its tweet is right: PTSD isnt a condition reserved for soldiers. Although people in certain occupations may experience higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, veterans and active duty service members are not the only ones who suffer from this condition. According the DSM-5 regarded as the bible of psychological disorders PTSD is caused by exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. In no way does the DSM-5 suggest PTSD is only legitimate if present in soldiers. In fact, sexual violence survivors experience some of the highest rates of PTSD. According to RAINN, 94 per cent of women who are sexually assaulted experience symptoms of PTSD within two weeks after the assault. And almost 70 per cent of sexual assault survivors struggle with moderate to severe distress, more than any other violent crime. PTSD can happen to anyone, regardless of their identity, occupation, or status. All it takes is experiencing trauma, and feeling the impacts of that trauma long after it has occurred. In the case of Omar, who fled a civil war in Somalia at eight years old and lived in a Kenyan refugee camp for four years, that trauma will likely stay with her for the rest of her life. Other survivors of genocide and civil war will live with the same trauma. A 2009 Conflict and Health study of Somali and Rwandan refugees found that 48 per cent of Somali refugees and 32 per cent of Rwandan refugees were suffering from PTSD symptoms. Its clear that victims of violence struggle with the lasting effects of trauma, as much or more than combat soldiers. But they are so often denied validation and support, because to acknowledge their pain would be to acknowledge their humanity. And the war machine depends on dehumanizing massive swathes of the global population most often the marginalized and colonized so that it will be more acceptable to enact violence upon them and wreak havoc on their homelands. Denying their trauma is a useful tool when advocating for endless war. US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Show all 35 1 /35 US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures This photo released by the Iraqi Prime Minister Press Office shows a burning vehicle at the Baghdad International Airport following an airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq, early Friday 3 January AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures The wreckage of the car in which general Soleimani was travelling when a targeted US airstrike struck outside Baghdad International Airport on 3 January Ahmad Al Mukhtar via Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Demonstrators burn the US and British flags during a protest in Tehran after general Soleimani was killed in a targeted airstrike by American forces Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A burning vehicle at the Baghdad International Airport following an airstrike. The Pentagon said Thursday that the US military has killed general Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, at the direction of Donald Trump AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Protesters burn Israeli and US flags as thousands of Iranians take to the streets to mourn the death of general Soleimani at the hands of America EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Supporters of Donald Trump pray at an 'Evangelicals for Trump' campaign event held on the day following the killing of general Soleimani. At the event, the president praised the "flawless strike that eliminated the terrorist ringleader" AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A huge procession of mourners gather in Baghdad for the funeral of general Soleimani on 4 January AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Thousands of Iranians take to the streets to mourn the death of Soleimani during an anti-US demonstration to condemn the killing of Soleimani, after Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iraqis perform a mourning prayer for slain major general Qasem Soleimani of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards at the Great Mosque of Kufa AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A billboard reading 'Death to America and Israel', installed by Iran-backed shiite armed groups at a street in Jadriyah district in Baghdad, Iraq EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A handout picture provided by the office of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him visiting the family of Soleiman KHAMENEI.IR/AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Thousands of Iranians take to the streets in Tehran EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Pakistani Shiite Muslims burn a mock of a US flag as they hold pictures of General Qasem Soleimani during a protest against the USA, outside the US Consulate in Lahore, Pakistan EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Jalal Feiruznia, looks to a portrait of Soleimani, as he receives condolences at the Iranian embassy, in Beirut, Lebanon AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures People make their way on the street while a screen on the wall of a cinema shows a portrait Soleimani in Tehran AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Aziz Asmar, one of two Syrian painters who completed a mural following the killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani poses next to his creation in the rebel-held Syrian town of Dana in the northwestern province of Idlib AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A demonstration in Tehran AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures An anti-US demonstration to condemn the killing of Soleimani, after Friday prayers in Tehran EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Mujtaba al-Husseini, the representative of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, delivers a speech in the holy shrine city of Najaf AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Pakistani Shiite Muslims burn a mock of a US and Israeli flags as they hold pictures of General Qasem Soleimani during a protest against the USA, outside the US Consulate in Lahore, Pakistan EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Protesters demonstrate in Tehran AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Pakistani Shi'ite Muslims hold pictures of General Qasem Soleimani during a protest against the USA, in Peshawar, Pakistan EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Protesters, holding a photograph of the leader of the People's Mujahedin of Iran Massoud Rajavi, outside Downing Street in London PA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Protesters burn a US flag in Tehran AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A Syrian man offers sweets to children to mark the killing AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranian worshippers attend a mourning prayer for Soleimani in Iran's capital Tehran AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Kashmiri Shiite Muslims shout anti American and anti Israel slogans during a protest AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranian worshipers chant slogans during Friday prayers Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A protest against the USA, in Islamabad, Pakistan EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranians burn a US flag in Tehran EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in Germany (NWRI) protest outside Iran's embassy in Berlin, Germany Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in Germany (NWRI) protest outside Iran's embassy in Berlin Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranian worshippers in Tehran AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Vehicles of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol a road in the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Kila near the border with Israel. Following morning's killing of Major General Qasem Soleimani, Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement called for the missile strike by Israel's closest ally, to be avenged AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranian women take to the streets in Tehran EPA Veterans with PTSD are also used as pawns, even as those using them proclaim their undying support for their mental health issues. While politicians like Banks claim to care for the troops above all others, they do not provide adequate funding and resources for their care, especially when it comes to enlisted members. A 2017 article in The International Journal of Mental Health Systems found that lack of access to mental health care was often a substantial factor contributing to high suicide rates among veterans with PTSD and depression. While the Veteran Affairs Office remains sorely underfunded even after several allocations bills about 20 veterans die by suicide each day, according to a 2016 study by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Furthermore, if Banks main concern was the wellbeing of service members and veterans, he would be vehemently against the war with Iran; he would not be enthusiastically supporting it. PTSD among veterans and active duty service members would reduce drastically if the military-industrial complex were downsized, or better yet, dismantled. But going to war with Iran will only exacerbate the issue, destroy a region, and leave so many Americans with lasting trauma. The leading Democratic presidential contenders have sharpened their cases in the final hours of the Iowa caucuses, hoping that clearer divisions will help undecided caucusgoers tilt their way. All six candidates -- former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and businessman Andrew Yang are hoping to squeeze as much time in Iowa as possible, looking to maximize their outreach to Iowans before many begin caucusing. The rush highlights Iowa's importance to the broader Democratic primary, and that the candidate who wins here on Monday night will enjoy a wealth of momentum heading into the New Hampshire primary next week. Visit CNN's Election Center for full coverage of the 2020 race Here's how the top six candidates in Iowa are closing out their campaign in the state: Biden Keenly attuned to Democratic voters' focus on electability, Biden spent his final sprint through Iowa playing up Republican attacks on him -- showing voters that he's already weathered the full force of Trump's political machine, while his primary rivals have not. In particular, he has played up Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst's comments to reporters in Washington suggesting that Iowa Democratic caucusgoers might turn away from Biden after Republicans used President Donald Trump's impeachment proceedings to attack Biden and his son Hunter. "She kind of spilled the beans," Biden told a crowd Friday morning in Burlington. Then he asked the question Ernst had raised about Iowa Democrats: "Will they support Joe Biden at this point?" The crowd applauded and yelled "yeah!" "Seems so, right?" Biden said. "Seems so." Biden's closing pitch is the same as the slogan on the side of his campaign bus: Restoring the soul of the nation. "In Joe Biden's America, the President's tax returns won't be a secret. Political self-interest will not be confused with the national interest. And no one -- no one, not even the President of the United States -- will be above the law," Biden said Thursday morning in a speech in the Des Moines suburbs. "I'm absolutely certain we can repair this country," he said. "And we can repair our standing in the world. We can win the battle for the soul of America. The country's ready." He rarely says his Democratic opponents' names, but punctuated his stump speeches with clear jabs at his leading foes. On Sunday in Dubuque, Biden said the next President "is going to have to face a nation that's fundamentally divided, as well as a war in disarray. And with all due respect, there's going to be no time for on-the-job training. You'd better know what you're doing the first day." Minutes later, in a jab at Sanders and Warren, Biden brought up the axiom that talk is cheap. "In politics sometimes it's very expensive," he said. "Especially if you don't tell people how you're going to pay for what you want to do." Buttigieg The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor is closing his campaign by highlighting his uniqueness as the youngest candidate in the race: It's time to "open the door to a new generation of leadership." Buttigieg has highlighted the message throughout the closing days of his Iowa campaign, one where the 38-year-old former mayor -- more than most candidates in the field -- needs a strong showing to legitimize his run and prove some semblance of electability. Buttigieg has repeatedly used a campaign riff to explain why his age -- something some Democrats see as a fault -- has historically been useful to his party. Buttigieg tells audience that, in the last 50 years of the Democratic Party, the presidential nominees who won were "new on the scene"; "was opening the door to a new generation"; and "who did not have an office in Washington, or if they did, hadn't been there for very long." "We had better make sure we win this time because the country can't take another term of this President," Buttigieg said this week. As part of the strategy, Buttigieg has begun taking on two of his older opponents -- Biden and Sanders -- by name, suggesting they do not fit that historic mold. Buttigieg, in response to an ad where Biden's campaign argues that now is "no time to take a risk," told voters in Decorah that "history has shown us that the biggest risk we could take with a very important election coming up is to look to the same Washington playbook and recycle the same arguments." And at an event in Anamosa, Buttigieg cast Sanders as too unmoving, arguing that the senator feels "you're either for a revolution, or you got to be for the status quo, and there's nothing in between." This reflects a new consensus inside the Buttigieg campaign, where the former mayor's top strategist view Biden and Sanders as their most formidable opponents. The Buttigieg campaign, people with knowledge of their strategy say, will be satisfied with a top two finish or beating Biden in Iowa. Buttigieg, to make that case, has focused intently on winning over what the mayor has called "future former Republicans," people who may have voted for Trump in 2016 but as disaffected with the President and willing to give a Democrat a chance. "I was hopeful that he was somebody different," Anne Wahl, a 49-year-old former nuclear medical tech from Marshalltown, said of her vote for Trump in 2016. "You learn from everything. I look at it that this next time around let's start with somebody who starts out very presidential and intelligent. Let's start their first and go from there." The question for Buttigieg's team is whether those Iowans will come out Monday night, allowing the former mayor to expand the electorate with voters eager to, as he says, usher in a "new generation" of leaders. Klobuchar Klobuchar's closing message can be summed up with two words: "Grit" and "charm." Klobuchar, who turned her snowy announcement speech into a sign of her toughness, is closing with some of that same messaging in Iowa, hoping that the culturally similar Democrats in Iowa will be drawn to a senator selling herself as pragmatic and tough. Klobuchar has peppered her final events with nods to her Minnesota upbringing, her grandfather who saved money in a coffee can and her ability to win over Republican voters. Her ads have also fixated on this message, touting the fact that she has visited all 99 Iowa counties and referred to her "Midwestern charisma" and "grit." Klobuchar has also turned up the heat on one of her opponents, Buttigieg, in the closing days of the campaign, faulting him as dismissing the importance of the impeachment trial. "I don't have the luxury to switch the channel and watch cartoons, as one of my opponents suggested," she said on Friday after Buttigieg suggested the chaos in Washington has led some voters to turn off the news and watch cartoons. "I'm here. I'm hoping that the people see it as a plus and I'm going to do my job." One dynamic Klobuchar supporters are hoping plays out Monday is that Iowans, many of whom like Klobuchar, will be moved to back her because they want her to stay in the race beyond the Hawkeye State. And there are signs that is impacting voters across the state, with numerous undecided voters telling CNN they were considering Klobuchar because they wanted her to get further than Iowa. "In my precinct, I think Pete will probably win it," said Barbara Wells, a Des Moines resident. "So if I can go over to Amy and make Amy viable, that would be really important to me because it keeps her in the race." Klobuchar has played this up in recent days, all but pleading with Iowans to send her on to New Hampshire and beyond. "This person deserves a ticket out of Iowa," she said this week, "to be able to go forward, and I am asking you to do that for me." Sanders Sanders' closing pitch to Iowa voters sounds a lot like what he's been saying all along: Rich corporate and establishment interests are aligned against working people. But his campaign has the grassroots power to win -- there and around the country -- if they can drive as many people out to the caucuses as possible. The emphasis on expanding the electorate has been a central theme of every Sanders speech since he arrived back in the state for this final push. "What this campaign in Iowa is about and what it is about nationally is about voter turnout," Sanders said in Cedar Rapids on Sunday. "It is reaching forth to our friends and neighbors who have in many instances given up on political process." Sanders has also sought to use a late round of pushback, including one from an outside group that spent nearly $700,000 to run an ad here questioning his electability and health, as fuel for his supporters. Calling in to an Iowa City rally this week from Washington, where he and the other senator-candidates have been stuck serving as jurors in Trump's impeachment trial, Sanders cast the uptick in attacks on his campaign as a sign of its strength. "Right now there are people with a lot of money (and) they are sitting around trying to figure out how they can defeat us," Sanders said. "But at the end of the day, the reason that we will win is that we have the people, and we have an unprecedently strong, grassroots movement in Iowa and around the country that tonight are knocking on thousands and thousands of doors." In a campaign ad that began running this week, Sanders highlighted those volunteers, along with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; a young, diverse group of supporters; and the climate activists from the Sunrise Movement, who appear in turns as Sanders' voice, from a rally in New York last year, delivers the message. "Take a look around you and find someone you don't know, maybe somebody doesn't look kinda like you," Sanders says, then asks: "Are you willing to fight for that person as much as you're willing to fight for yourself?" Warren "Unite the Party." That was the message on posters at a Warren event in Urbandale on Saturday. Warren is closing out her campaign in Iowa by pitching herself as the one candidate on the ticket with power to bring together warring factions inside the Democratic Party and beat Trump in November. She made a similar case in three recent ads here that touted her ability to bring along voters who had backed Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Trump in 2016. Another spot highlighted her endorsement by the state's largest newspaper, the Des Moines Register. In an ad titled, "She Can Win," a man who identifies himself as a former Trump voter says he will back Warren this year. "The people that say that a woman can't win, I say 'nonsense.' I believe a woman can beat Trump and I believe Elizabeth is that woman," he says. Another ad features three voters -- each of whom backed different candidates in 2016 -- attesting to Warren's ability to forge a coalition. "We can't afford a fractured party in 2020," a former Bernie supporter says. The Clinton backer from 2016 adds: "In 2020, the person that can unite the party is Elizabeth Warren." And the erstwhile Trump voter delivers the closing message. "If a former Trump supporter can be energized by Elizabeth Warren," he says, "then Elizabeth Warren is doing something great for America." Yang Yang, the entrepreneur and first-time candidate, spent his final events on the campaign trail in Iowa hammering home the same message that launched him to stardom: A call for a universal basic income. Yang's proposal to give every American $1,000 per month -- which he calls a "freedom dividend" -- has been the animating cause of his candidacy. "We're living in a country -- there are 78% of us are living paycheck to paycheck. Almost half can't afford an unexpected $500 bill. Too many Americans are being left behind in the 21st century economy," Yang said Sunday morning on ABC. "We need to put the gains of this economy directly into our hands, into families' hands around the country, through a dividend of $1,000 a month." Yang has sought to appeal to disaffected voters -- from Sanders' supporters to Republicans. At events, he's asked those that voted for Trump to raise their hands -- and then asked the crowd to applaud them for being there. But he's also tried to show he's having the most fun of any candidate in the race. On Sunday morning, he hopped off a chair in Ames and then told a small crowd around him, "Let's see Bernie Sanders do that!" FILE PHOTO: Teck Resources sign is on display during the company's annual general meeting in Vancouver (Reuters) - Teck Resources Ltd said on Monday it targets to be carbon neutral across all its operations by 2050, as the miner awaits the Canadian government's decision on the approval of the Frontier oil sands project. Teck's target, which aligns with Canada's commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, comes more than a month after the environment minister said the government will take into account the country's climate plan when it considers approval of the Frontier project. At full capacity, the C$20.6 billion ($15.55 billion) Frontier project could produce 260,000 barrels per day of bitumen in northern Alberta, making it one of the largest in the oil sands. All 14 First Nations and Metis communities that would be directly affected have signed agreements with Teck, supporting the project. Other indigenous groups staunchly oppose it, saying the impact of more oil moving across western Canada affects many more communities. If Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government approves Frontier, it would jeopardize his promise over Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. Saying no could infuriate Alberta, which is already angry over a perceived federal bias against the energy industry. Canada also has the power to delay a decision on whether to approve the oil sands project. Teck said the initial plan to achieve carbon neutrality includes looking at alternative ways of moving materials at its mines, using cleaner power sources and implementing efficiency improvements, among others. Several Canadian companies have come out with carbon neutrality targets as the spotlight increasingly shifts to climate change, with investors in the region becoming more vocal about environmental, social and governance issues. Opposition from environmental and indigenous groups has also stalled new pipeline projects in the region that are needed to move Canadian crude to refineries. (Reporting by Shanti S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri) Last Saturday, the day of the Big Lad's First Holy Communion, was a day of firsts - it was the first 'holy' event in our house, the first time the priest, as he declared himself, conducted a First Communion, the first family event the brother in law's new girlfriend had attended with us. And while all these firsts added frissons of excitement to the day, it was not, unfortunately, the first time the Wee Lad decided that he hated not being the centre of attention, nor was it the first time that he decided to embarrass us in public. It will not, I fear, be the last. If you have ever watched the wonderfully funny Little Britain, you will be familiar with the character of Andy Pipkin, played by Matt Lucas. He's a wheelchair user who is cared for by the hapless Lou Todd (David Walliams) and the perennial joke is that Andy doesn't need to use a wheelchair and just pretends to when Lou's watching. The other constant in the Andy-Lou sketches is the fact that Lou often goes to great trouble to get his charge something that he seemingly really wants, to take him somewhere that he likes, only for Andy to baulk and says he doesn't want it. And it's Andy's catchphrases that the Wee Lad employs, unknown to himself that he's emulating one of British comedy's great characters. 'I don't like it'; 'I want that one' and 'Yeah, I know' are often all employed to great effect by the Wee Lad. Except it wasn't so funny on Saturday when the stress levels were going through the roof ahead of the Communion. Well, mine were anyway. The Husband was getting stressed about me getting stressed, but not getting stressed himself, if you see what I mean. Getting myself ready, which seems to take longer and longer, followed by trying to blow-dry down the Wee Lad's unruly hair, followed by trying to get them to brush their teeth meant that by the time they had to get their clothes on, I was ready for a funeral, (mine) not Communion. The Big Lad had to wear his school uniform and a blazer. There was no problem there. I had envisaged, the previous night, of the Wee Lad baulking at his outfit, a once-worn black shirt that was once much-admired by him when his big brother had it. So, the night before, I brought the Wee Lad specially up to his room to ensure that he was aware of the sartorial choice made on his behalf. 'Well', I said, 'there's your outfit for tomorrow. It's nice, isn't it? Will you wear it?' Oh yes, he loved it, the Wee Lad assured me. 'You have to wear it for your brother's Communion', I reminded him. 'Yeah, I know', he said, a-la-Andy. I was surprised, though looking back I shouldn't have been, the following day to hear the Wee Lad say: 'I don't like it' when I went to put the shirt on. 'I want that one', he says, pointing to a cowboy-style check one hanging alongside. Here's me: 'You're not getting that. You said you wanted this one. You said it was the height of sophistication and elegant style and you would be delighted to get it on your back'. But no. The Wee Lad howled and folded his arms, rendering my attempts to get it on him completely useless. He wasn't for budging, until his father came up and told him: 'You have three seconds to get that shirt on. Two'. Reluctantly, and with much pulling and dragging, the Wee Lad finally put it on him. He looked great. I never worked out what would have happened after the three seconds had elapsed. The Wee Lad may have looked the part, but he didn't act it. He refused to smile in photos, refused to smile hardly at all, and while he behaved himself in the chapel, under the ever-watchful glare, sorry, stare, of my Ma, he hardly covered himself in glory when it came to demanding a non-existent burger in the restaurant. They made one for him, much to everyone's delight. Still, the Big Lad had a great time, even if he has Andy Pipkin for a brother. That's a first. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday that it is working with internet and social media giants to combat unfounded rumours and misinformation about the coronavirus outbreak. At a meeting in Geneva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus said the WHO was working with Google to make sure that people searching for information about the virus saw WHO information at the top of their search results. He said that social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Tencent and Tiktok have also taken steps to limit the spread of misinformation. Surgical masks urgently needed Meanwhile China says it urgently needs medical masks, protective suits, and safety goggles. The authorities in a number of provinces have ordered everyone to wear masks in an effort to contain the virus, but supplies of protective equipment are insufficient. Several countries including South Korea and Japan have donated medical supplies; masks from Europe and the US are expected soon. Border closures Several countries in Chinas vicinity including Mongolia, Russia and Nepal, have closed their land borders with China. Hong Kong has announced that it is closing all but two of its crossings to mainland China but Hong Kong airport, which is one of the worlds busiest, is to remain open to mainlanders, with continuing restrictions on those coming from Hubei province, where the outbreak started. However calls on the island for a full border closure are growing, fuelled by a historical mistrust of the mainland stemming from the 2003 SARS outbreak which was initially covered up by Beijing. Hundreds of health workers today began a five-day strike to increase pressure for a full border closure. But the islands leader Carrie Lam maintains that a complete closure would be impractical and economically damaging. Economic and health toll The virus continues to affect the economy in mainland China as businesses are forced to close and travel restrictions impact production lines in factories. The Shanghai stock market plunged almost 8 percent on Monday in the first day of trading since the recent Chinese Lunar New Year holiday. 361 people infected with the virus have already died and the number of new cases has now jumped to over 17,200. New Delhi: Indias decision to more than double the outlay for developing the strategic Chabahar port in Iran in fiscal 2020-21 signals the governments determination to push ahead with the project after a clear signal from the US that it wont be affected by sanctions. The budget for the external affairs ministry, unveiled on Saturday, shows the allocation for the port on the Gulf of Oman in southeastern Iran has gone up from Rs 45 crore in fiscal 2019-20 to Rs 100 crore in fiscal 2020-21. However, the official figures showed even the allocation of Rs 45 crore was not expended. People familiar with developments said this was largely due to the reluctance of Indian and foreign firms to get involved in the development of Chabahar due to the potential impact of US sanctions imposed on Iran in 2018. The Indian government had set aside funds to acquire cranes and other heavy equipment but firms did not bid for contracts, the people said. During the India-US 2+2 meeting of the foreign and defence ministers of the two countries in Washington in December, the American side reiterated that the sanctions wouldnt affect Chabahar, which India sees as key to bypassing Pakistan to access markets in Afghanistan and Central Asia. After the meeting, external affairs minister S Jaishankar had thanked his American counterpart Mike Pompeo for reiterating the US governments support for the project. The people cited above said the US has made its support conditional to the exclusion of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its affiliates from all efforts to develop the port and road and rail links to the Afghan border. In Jaishankars subsequent visit to Iran in December, the two countries agreed to boost Chabahars economic viability, including steps such as providing larger subsidies to merchant shipping using the port. This decision came in the wake of New Delhi and Tehran concluding that they had achieved the political objectives behind developing Chabahar. Former ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, who has wide experience of serving in West Asia, said only international firms had the expertise to properly develop Chabahar but they had been reluctant to get associated with the project because of the US sanctions. You need world-standard facilities such as cranes and warehouses. There was no response to tenders, mainly because of the fears of secondary sanctions. Now, with the US commitment, there is a feeling of renewed confidence in New Delhi that we will be able to attract international bidders and this is reflected in the increased outlay, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The UK pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said Monday it was joining a global race to develop a vaccine for a new strain of a deadly coronavirus that has killed more than 360 people. The UK government also pledged USD 20 million in funding for research at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) - a civil group formed at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2017. GSK said its work will complement the four projects already being funded through CEPI to develop a vaccine for the deadly China strain. "Our (vaccine) adjuvant technology has previously been used successfully in the pandemic flu setting," GSK Vaccine chief medical officer Thomas Breuer said in a statement. "It enables using only small quantities of the vaccine antigen which allows the production of more doses of the vaccine -- a crucial advantage in a pandemic." Adjuvant are agents that boost a body's response to vaccine or other treatment. The World Health Organization has declared a global virus emergency but refrained from calling the new epidemic a "pandemic". That term is reserved for disease that spread across multiple continents or worldwide. CEPI was originally formed in response to the Ebola epidemic that killed more than 11,300 people of the 29,000 recorded cases in west Africa from 2013 to 2016. "Our hope is that, with our partners, we can get an investigational vaccine from gene sequencing of the pathogen through to clinical testing in 16 week," CEPI chief executive Richard Hatchett said. CEPI's four other projects aimed at stamping out the new strain include a partnership between the US biotech company Moderna and the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. GSK said it will initially be joining the work already being performed by the University of Queensland in Australia. The other two projects involve the German biopharmaceutical company CureVac and the US-based Inovio pharmaceuticals firm. UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the new government funding "will help our globally recognised vaccine development capabilities continue to develop new defences" against emerging threats. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - President Uhuru Kenyatta and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader, Raila Odinga, have left for the United States where they will attend the 68 National Breakfast Meeting The internet has wasted no time in coming up with fresh memes on the recently released trailer of the horror film, Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship. Starring Vicky Kaushal in the lead role, the film is intended to be the first instalment in a series of horror movies, produced by Karan Johar. Twitter users focused on one particular moment from the trailer for meme content. Yeh tumhara hallucination hai (Youre hallucinating), became a popular meme online, mere hours after the trailers release on Monday. People poked fun at everything from UPSC exams to Vodafone. When someone says Vodafone Provides the fastest internet, one person wrote next to a picture of Vicky and the hallucination line. When crush smiles back! wrote another. Check out some memes here: When you go back to work on Monday after a long weekend #BhootTrailer pic.twitter.com/AqccqVKTY7 Kartik Patadia (@KartikPatadia69) February 3, 2020 #BhootTrailer Friend: I will clear the UPSC exams in the very 13th attempt. Me: pic.twitter.com/DNfwJiRsZO Prince Pandey (@princepandey_) February 3, 2020 #BhootTrailer When someone says Vodafone Provides the fastest internet. Me: pic.twitter.com/jUs3nSq46e Prince Pandey (@princepandey_) February 3, 2020 Indian Parents to their kids who dream of a smooth love marriage #BhootTrailer #BhootTrailer3rdFeb #BhootPartOneTheHauntedShip pic.twitter.com/i3jb42RzUa Pados Wali Aunty (@sharma_aunty) February 3, 2020 Speaking at the trailer launch event of the film, Vicky said, "This was something I was not prepared for as an actor. While doing comedy, drama or emotional scenes, you can leave it to the moment between co-actors. You can rehearse, and while acting you leave it to the moment. You surrender to the moment and create something. But horror is a genre where I had to know everything in advance. The scene was explained to me in advance, and I know what's going to happen next and have to react to it. I cannot just leave it to the moment. So, it was very technical and detailed, and a very tricky space, which I wasn't really exposed to earlier." Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship is directed by Bhanu Pratap Singh, and also features Bhumi Pednekar and Ashutosh Rana. The film is reportedly based on a true incident that happened in Mumbai. It tells the story of a couple on an abandoned ship lying static on a beach. The film releases on February 21. Follow @htshowbiz for more BUFFALO, N.Y., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bengal Machine, the parent company of Schutte Hammermill, CM Shredder and Schutte Motion has announced that it has acquired a majority interest in CSE Bliss Manufacturing, a hammer mill manufacturing company in Ponca City, Oklahoma. The purchase of CSE Bliss Manufacturing fits with Bengal Machine's strategy to combine world-class brands in the size reduction industry into a fully integrated manufacturer, offering complete, turnkey solutions across a wide range of industries and size reduction applications. CSE Bliss Manufacturing brings decades of experience in the design and manufacture of leading hammer mills, particularly in the biomass, animal feed and pet food industries. "This is a great story of one family business partnering with another in the size reduction space. We're proud to have the Bliss boys as partners in making the best hammer mills in the world, and combining our complementary offerings," said Martin Berardi, CEO of Bengal Machine. "Together, our companies offer unparalleled value to customers seeking turnkey size reduction systems with a reputation for being rugged, efficient and well-engineered." The Bliss family will retain a significant ownership position in the business and are looking forward to a very positive future partnered with Bengal Machine. "We are very pleased to find partners that share common values and an approach to customer service," said Rick Bliss, CEO of CSE Bliss Manufacturing. "We are excited to apply our experience and success in the size reduction space worldwide together with Bengal Machine." About Bengal Machine Bengal Machine is the parent company of Schutte Hammermill, CSE Bliss Manufacturing, Schutte Motion, and CM Shredder. With a combined heritage of over 165 years in business and as leaders in respective areas of size reduction and material handling, servicing a wide range of industries and applications, only the Bengal Machine family of equipment can offer complete, turnkey solutions. The combination of these world-class brands of the size reduction industry offers customers a fully integrated manufacturer featuring complete, turnkey solutions across a wide range of industries and size reduction applications. About CSE Bliss Manufacturing CSE Bliss Manufacturing LLC. specializes in hammer mills, rotary feeders, hammer mill parts, rotary feeder rebuilds as well as on and offsite troubleshooting. The company is operated by Rick Bliss, and Jason Bliss. Both Rick and Jason have extensive experience in the hammer mill industry. SOURCE Bengal Machine Related Links http://www.bengalmachine.com Dividend paying stocks like Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group Limited (HKG:563) tend to be popular with investors, and for good reason - some research suggests a significant amount of all stock market returns come from reinvested dividends. Yet sometimes, investors buy a popular dividend stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations. In this case, Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group likely looks attractive to dividend investors, given its 4.6% dividend yield and five-year payment history. It sure looks interesting on these metrics - but there's always more to the story . Some simple analysis can offer a lot of insights when buying a company for its dividend, and we'll go through this below. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group! SEHK:563 Historical Dividend Yield, February 3rd 2020 Payout ratios Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Comparing dividend payments to a company's net profit after tax is a simple way of reality-checking whether a dividend is sustainable. Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group paid out 14% of its profit as dividends, over the trailing twelve month period. We'd say its dividends are thoroughly covered by earnings. In addition to comparing dividends against profits, we should inspect whether the company generated enough cash to pay its dividend. Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group's cash payout ratio last year was 5.3%. Cash flows are typically lumpy, but this looks like an appropriately conservative payout. It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously. Is Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group's Balance Sheet Risky? Story continues As Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group has a meaningful amount of debt, we need to check its balance sheet to see if the company might have debt risks. A rough way to check this is with these two simple ratios: a) net debt divided by EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation), and b) net interest cover. Net debt to EBITDA is a measure of a company's total debt. Net interest cover measures the ability to meet interest payments. Essentially we check that a) the company does not have too much debt, and b) that it can afford to pay the interest. Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group has net debt of 3.04 times its EBITDA, which is getting towards the limit of most investors' comfort zones. Judicious use of debt can enhance shareholder returns, but also adds to the risk if something goes awry. We calculated its interest cover by measuring its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), and dividing this by the company's net interest expense. With EBIT of 4.73 times its interest expense, Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group's interest cover is starting to look a bit thin. Consider getting our latest analysis on Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group's financial position here. Dividend Volatility From the perspective of an income investor who wants to earn dividends for many years, there is not much point buying a stock if its dividend is regularly cut or is not reliable. Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group has been paying a dividend for the past five years. During the past five-year period, the first annual payment was HK$0.011 in 2015, compared to HK$0.041 last year. Dividends per share have grown at approximately 30% per year over this time. Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group has been growing its dividend quite rapidly, which is exciting. However, the short payment history makes us question whether this performance will persist across a full market cycle. Dividend Growth Potential Dividend payments have been consistent over the past few years, but we should always check if earnings per share (EPS) are growing, as this will help maintain the purchasing power of the dividend. Strong earnings per share (EPS) growth might encourage our interest in the company despite fluctuating dividends, which is why it's great to see Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group has grown its earnings per share at 34% per annum over the past five years. The company is only paying out a fraction of its earnings as dividends, and in the past been able to use the retained earnings to grow its profits rapidly - an ideal combination. Conclusion When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. First, we like that the company's dividend payments appear well covered, although the retained capital also needs to be effectively reinvested. We were also glad to see it growing earnings, although its dividend history is not as long as we'd like. Overall we think Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group scores well on our analysis. It's not quite perfect, but we'd definitely be keen to take a closer look. Now, if you want to look closer, it would be worth checking out our free research on Shanghai Industrial Urban Development Group management tenure, salary, and performance. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of dividend stocks yielding above 3%. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Iraqi protesters have rejected the appointment of Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi as the country's new Prime Minister over his links to the ruling class. Campaigners in Baghdad's Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the anti-government protests across the country that began four months ago, have already outcast Allawi, a spokesperson for the demonstrators told Efe news. "Despite the conditions presented many times in the squares of the demonstrations the authority of political repression insists on taking the country to the unknown," the protesters said in a statement. Allawi, who was Minister of Communications in 2006 and 2010, is "a part of the political process that destroyed the country since 2003", when the US invaded Iraq, toppling Saddam Hussein, according to demonstrators. They called on fellow activists in other cities to "get ready for a next peaceful escalation," of demonstrations. Allawi's appointment ended a two-month period in which Abdel-Mahdi was running the country on an interim basis amid increasing unrest and the escalation of tensions between the US and Iran following the January 3 killing of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani. When Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey mused last fall about turning the provinces judicial appointments process on its head, a hopeful theory went around the legal community. Perhaps Downey didnt really mean it. Maybe his proposal was a fanciful trial balloon that could be shot to pieces and disappear. No such luck. Minister Downey is back, doing the rounds of legal stakeholders in hopes of drumming up support for a reform plan that will, if implemented, place the patronage pork barrel squarely back into the judicial appointment process. Downey will find few takers. Support for the current procedure devised in 1990 by then-Attorney General Ian Scott is widespread and deep. Few legal innovations in the last 50 years have been as well received and as effective as the 13-member Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee he created. Under its mandate, JAAC investigates and interviews candidates who apply for advertised vacancies on the Ontario Court of Justice. Roughly half of the committee members mostly members of the public are appointed by the province. Others are selected by the bar and the judiciary itself. JAAC compiles a prioritized list of at least two top candidates for each vacancy and forwards it to the Attorney-General. This process takes time and considerable effort, as it ought to considering the gravity of a lifetime appointment. By removing politics from the equation, appointments are almost universally perceived as being meritorious. In the space of three decades, the OCJ bench has been transformed into a model not just for the country, but for the international community. Other jurisdictions imitate Ontario. Enter Downey. He says the JAAC is not working. Like a skilled hunting dog, he can hear a whistle inaudible to everyone else in the legal community. The sound, coming from the ungreased wheels of a gravy train, is calling out to him. Downeys reforms include arrogating to the AG the power to choose from a large pool containing any applicant who gets over the hurdle of unqualified a low bar, indeed. Downey also wants the power to examine any application including those of candidates found unqualified and to force the JAAC to reconsider them. And, whereas the JAAC considers diversity on the bench part of its mandate, the Attorney General would be under no such compulsion under the new proposal. This aspect alone has proved chilling to equality-seeking groups. From the beginning, the whiff of patronage and favouritism has hung over the Ford government. It is no stretch to picture Conservative party donors and activists topping the list of future judicial candidates if Downeys scheme is implemented. Indeed, in an interview with TVOs Steve Paikin last fall, Downey stoutly defended his right to appoint judges who reflect his partys values, a belief that runs counter to basic principles of judicial independence. Just last week, he stood quietly next to his boss at a police event while the premier lectured judges to get tougher on bail. We should not expect much respect for civil liberties in his judicial appointments if he is given free rein. A good judge is respected as a lawyer, and possessed of sound judgment. She is hard-working, patient and reflective. These are among the primary traits the JAAC looks for in judicial candidates. Ideological beliefs or political convictions reflecting the government of the day do not make the list. The JAAC process has survived for more than 30 years because governments of all stripes have recognized its quality control. Why mess with it? The JAAC debacle typifies a growing specialty of the Ford government fixing thing that arent broken and leaving them in scattered pieces. As Attorney-General, Downey has a duty to leave the justice system in better shape than he found it. He is not on the right track. The student of Jamia Millia Islamia University, who was injured in after a gunman fired during a protest against he Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA, has said that the Delhi Police was not to be blamed alone for the incident. Delhi police alone is not to be blamed. Jamia administration and VC too should be blamed for what happened yesterday. Had they taken action against the police brutality in the earlier events, this might not have been happened, Shadab Farooq said in a Facebook post. The 22-year-old also dubbed the incident a result of hyper nationalism. If you want to make it a protest, make it one. Raise black flags, raise red flags, he stated. Narrating the sequence of events, Farooq, a mass communication student, stated on Facebook that the Jamia Coordination Committee had called for a Gandhi March from the university to the Rajghat on January 30. I was about to join the protest, waiting for the crowd to march forward when I saw a random person holding a pistol in his hands walking towards Holy Family (Hospital). I saw some of my friends standing there, I immediately ran towards him to calm him down, he stated in the post. People were asking the police to stop him. They were continuously shouting that hes holding a pistol but the police didnt listen. Instead, they kept recording videos. I kept saying put the gun down, I said it twice. He shot me on my left forearm when I said it for the third time, he added. Farooq said what he did wasnt an act of heroism as he did what he felt was right. I am calling for an action because I am hurt. If the administration still doesnt take action on it and if it fails to reach out to its students, then tomorrow there will be another Shadab standing in front of a bullet while the police keep their hands in their pockets and record videos, he said. And Ill be back to college real soon. The fight is long, but we will fight. We will win, he added. A 17-year-old fired at the crowd outside Jamia Millia Islamia last week, injuring Farooq. He suffered a bullet injury in his left arm. The attacker from Jewar in Greater Noida was sent to a 28-day protective custody by a Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) on Friday. Farooq belongs to Jammus Bhaderwah area and joined the university four years ago to pursue BA in English literature. He was also a member of Jamias theatre group. Danish Iqbal, a professor at Farooqs centre, said he is not associated with any political group on campus. Operator: Good morning and afternoon, and thank you for standing by. As a reminder, todays conference is being recorded. If you have any objection, please disconnect at this time. The lines are in listen-only mode. It is now my pleasure to turn the conference over to Mr. Benjamin Haynes. Sir, you may begin. Benjamin Haynes: Thank you, Michele, and thank you all for joining us on the update on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus response. We are joined by Dr. Nancy Messonnier, Director of CDC National Center for Respiratory Diseases. She will provide opening remarks. Id like to now turn the call over. Dr. Nancy Messonnier: Thank you for joining us today. Since we last briefed you CDC has confirmed additional five infections with novel coronavirus in the United States bringing the total number of confirmed positives in the U.S. to 11. The new cases include one patient identified in Massachusetts and four more patients in California. Four of the five patients have travel history to Wuhan, China. One patient in California is a close household contact of another patient in California. This is the second instance of person-to-person spread in the United States. We expect to find additional cases of novel coronavirus infection in the United States. We expect to see more cases of person-to-person spread among close contacts. And we continue to expect this will happen given the explosive nature of this outbreak in China and our very aggressive public health response where we are putting a lot of resources into finding infections this virus. As of this morning, 167 persons under investigation, or PUIs as we call them, have tested negative for infection with the novel virus. We currently have testing pending on 82 PUIs. Some of the 82 that are pending include samples in transit to CDC. As we have reported earlier, CDC has developed a real-time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction or RRT-PCR test that can detect 2019 Novel Coronavirus and respiratory and serum specimens from clinical specimens. On January 24, CDC publicly posted the assay protocol for this test. CDC has isolated the virus, and this week it is being sent to the NIH resource repository for use by the broad scientific community. Im pleased to report that, today CDC plans to submit an Emergency Use Authorization or EUA package to FDA. The EUA process expedites the use of potentially life-saving medical or diagnostic products during a public health emergency. Once approved, the EUA will allow public health labs across the United States to use the CDC developed diagnostic assay. This will greatly enhance our national capacity to test for this virus. In preparation for that approval, CDC has shipped the test to the International Reagent Resource so that States and international partners can begin ordering the test for their use. Also on the topic of this test, I want to clarify something I said on Friday in relation to the people quarantined at March Air Reserve Base, that even if an initial screening test comes back negative from CDCs laboratory, it does not guarantee these people wont get sick. There has been some confusion about that statement, and some people have taken that to mean the test doesnt work. That is not the case at all. This is an accurate test. A negative test most likely means a person is not infected. However, it may mean that an infection has not developed enough to be detected by the test. This is a new virus. And the best timing and right type of sample to determine if someone is infected with this new virus has not yet been determined. When confirming infections, CDC asks for multiple different types of samples from patients, including from the nose and the throat. On Friday, the U.S. government also took unprecedented steps in the area of travel in response to the growing public health threat posed by this new coronavirus. The intensity of transmission in Hubei province; the expansion to other provinces in China; the continued community transmission; the growing volume of exported cases to countries around the world; the continued reporting of deaths, including the first death outside of China; and reports of person to person spread outside China, including the United States, are all cause for concern. Now I want to talk to you through the specifics of the travel policies announced late Friday afternoon. We have a presidential proclamation in place that suspends entry of foreign nationals who have visited China within the past 14 days into the United States. There are some exceptions. Sorry, there are some exemptions including for immediate family members of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. These people will be allowed entry into the United States. Its important to note that this policy is from mainland China, and it excludes people coming from Hong Kong and Macau. We are also putting into place measure to detect this virus among those who are allowed entry into the United States who are entering the country within 14 days of having been in Hubei province or the rest of mainland China. All of these passengers will be directed to one of 11 U.S. airports. At those airports, American citizens and exempted persons who have been in Hubei province in the previous 14 days will have an additional health assessment. They will be screened for fever, cough, difficulty breathing. If symptomatic, American citizens and those who are exempt will be transferred for further medical evaluation. They will not be able to complete their itinerary and will be isolated for 14 days. If asymptomatic, American citizens and those who are exempt will be subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine at or near that location. Remember, this is specifically for people who are returning from Hubei province. These people will not be able to complete their itinerary. CDC is working with state to determine where travelers will be quarantined. American citizens and people who are exempt who have been in other parts of mainland China, that is outside of Hubei province, in the previous 14 days will have an additional health assessment where they will be screened for fever, cough, or difficulty breathing. If symptomatic, they will be transferred for medical evaluation and they will not be able to complete their itinerary until that evaluation is completed. If asymptomatic, American citizens and people who are exempt will be allowed to reach their final destination, and after arrival will be asked to stay home as much as possible and monitor their health for 14 days. Today, CDC is issuing additional guidance for States on how to monitor this process. And you should not be surprised to learn that we have been in constant contact with our State as well as Federal partners all through the weekend in working on operationalization of this policy. We appreciate their patience and we also appreciate the cooperation of the American citizens and exempted people who are returning as we are reliant on their cooperation in order to implement these operations. There is likely to be confirmed infections among returning travelers. Its important to know that this strategy is not meant to catch every single traveler returning from China with novel coronavirus. Given the nature of this virus and how its spreading, that would be impossible. But working together we can catch the majority of them, and the goal here is to slow the entry of this virus into the United States. Our second line of defense in this strategy is a public health system which is on high alert. Well continue to monitor the situation and adjust accordingly. Either pulling back or strengthening these measures. These actions are science based and deemed at protecting the health and safety of all Americans. Dr. Nancy Messonnier: I want to give you an update on another activity. The Department of State is bringing more people back from Wuhan. The first plane arrived last week. More are planned. Over the weekend CDC sent four additional teams to specific Department of Defense locations where those planes will arrive. These passengers, like the ones in March air reserve base, will be under Federal quarantine that will last 14 days from when the planes left Wuhan, China. Medical staff will monitor the health of these people, including temperature checks and observation for respiratory symptoms. Medical care will be readily available at the first onset of symptoms. We do not believe these people pose a risk to the communities where they are being temporarily housed as we are taking measures to minimize any exposure. As I look around me at the staff working on this outbreak here at CDC, I see a lot of people who worked on the 2009 h1n1 pandemic. Rather than coming from abroad, that virus was on our doorstep when we recognized it. We didnt have much chance to prepare. Today we are again seeing the emergence of the new virus that poses a very serious public health threat. This time we do have time to prepare, and we are preparing as if this were the next pandemic. The goal of our public health response is to detect and contain introduction of this virus with the goal of preventing sustained spread of 2019 Novel Coronavirus in this country. Strong measures now may blunt the impact of this virus on the United States. We would be happy to take questions. Benjamin Haynes: Michelle, ready for questions. Operator: Thank you. At this time if you would like to ask a question, you may press star 1. Please unmute your phones and state your name when prompted. Again star 1 for questions. Hillary Brooke from Business Insider you may go ahead. Hillary Brooke: Yes. Thanks for taking my call. I just wanted to ask, we have been seeing some new claims out from places like PETA, that coronavirus is related to meat eating and some other myths like bleach cures. Im wondering what you are doing to combat this misinformation thats circulating out there. Dr. Nancy Messonnier: Yeah, thanks for that question and for the opportunity to say what we are doing is this. We really count on all of you to try to set the record straight. We do the best we can every day through all our appropriate communication channels. And with all the inter-governmental partners and health departments also trying to transmit the messages to get the most accurate stories out there. But we recognize this misinformation can rapidly spread, especially through social media. Im asking for your help to combat the spread of those rumors. There is obviously no credible data that supports what you just said. So, Im really hoping that youll help us try to make sure the American public knows that we continue to believe they are currently low risk and that the focus right now is on travelers returning from places where this disease rate is soaring. Benjamin Haynes: Next question, please. Operator: Thank you. Elizabeth Cohen from CNN. You may go ahead. Elizabeth Cohen: Hi. Thanks so much for taking my question. I wanted to reference the statement Dr. Messonnier mentioned about the what a negative test results mean. So, based on what she said Friday, and also what she said today as well, are we retesting any of the 167 negatives? If they are being retested, is there a certain protocol they are retested at certain intervals? Are some being retested and some not? Any thoughts on that? Dr. Nancy Messonnier: Sure. Happy to. We tested those returning travelers as a hope that it would help us learn more about transmission of the virus in Hubei or in the community. It was not meant to derive individual decision making, and I think has been misunderstood. At this point our plan is really to use the test to look more closely at close contacts at individuals with the virus. So if, for example, somebody on the base becomes ill and has novel coronavirus, we might think about using it around that individual. But again, its really using it as patients that are asymptomatic is not meant to be a diagnostic tool as much as it is to it be a public health tool and a population level to better understand the dynamics of the virus. So, we dont have any plans, for example, to do another cross-sectional look at those people at March Air Force Base. Benjamin Haynes: Next question, please. Operator: Mike Stobbe from the Associated Press. You may go ahead. Mike Stobbe: Hi. Thank you for taking my call. Dr. Messonnier, I have a couple questions. Did you say 11 airports? I thought it was 7. And also, could you update us on the quarantine. Actually, I would love it if you would post on your website how many people are under Federal and State quarantine. But is the number still 195, 200? Or how many are? And could you tell us a little bit more how many people are expected to come into quarantine later this week? And also, Im sorry, could you update us about will China has taken up CDCs offer to help? Are you expecting to send CDC folks? And the last question, just for the folks at home, could you let us know why it continues to be called the 2019 nCoV. Why isnt it called like Yamagata or in this case the Wuhan virus? Could you explain why that name in convention isnt being followed with this new coronavirus? Thank you. Dr. Nancy Messonnier: Sure. Im going to try all of those. Ill start with the last one. I think, the worlds health organization said weeks ago that this 2019 novel coronavirus name was a temporary name. There are naming conventions and I suspect once people have a chance to catch their breath it will be changed. Its 2019 because thats when the outbreak was determined to start. I think that is just a temporary name. My understanding there are plans down the road to clean that up. In terms of the airports, I have this list, Im going to read it to you. Airports were added. The list as of right now is 11 airports. And they are; JFK in New York; OHare airport in Illinois; San Francisco International Airport in California; Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington; Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Hawaii; Los Angeles International Airport in California; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia; Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey; Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas; and Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Michigan. So, I think what you are missing from the 7 to 11 is the last four. Washington Dulles, Newark, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Detroit Metropolitan. The next question you asked is how many people are currently under quarantine? Right now, today in the United States, only 195 individuals are currently under quarantine. There is nobody else quarantined for novel coronavirus. When these flights arrive, we will have more concrete numbers of the number of individuals that are being quarantined and well provide that. We have a general estimate, but I dont think we will have a completely accurate number until those flights land in the United States. And thats expected to be this week. So, for that large number I dont have it today, but well provide it. As many of you have hypothesized, and we agree, with the closing of Wuhan on the 21st and Hubei on the 24th, the number of travelers coming out of either of those locations should be trailing off. And given that we are talking about quarantine for 14 days from the time that you left Hubei, we are rapidly getting to the end of that cycle, and, therefore, we expect the number of individuals to fit within that quarantine requirement to be decreasing. I will pass along the question of how we can or will be releasing those numbers. I actually dont know that we have come to a conclusion about that yet. But understand why you want to know. Did I miss anything? Dr. Nancy Messonnier: Oh, and China offer. What I can say is that we have folks ready to go to China as soon as that offer is finalized. I understand that there still are negotiations in process on that. And really, we are just waiting. As soon as we are allowed to go, we will be there. And, you know, we do have an expert already in the field as part of CDCs continuing work with China. So, hes already in the field and therefore could be there immediately. So, we are still waiting for that invitation. And I dont have anything more to say on that. Benjamin Haynes: Next question, please, Michelle. Operator: Richard Harris from NPR. You may go ahead. Richard Harris: Thanks very much. Good morning. Can you tell us about the health situation, health condition of the 11 people? Is anyone seriously ill? Some of the anecdotes weve heard is that people seem to get the virus and have shrugged it off pretty quickly. But Im not sure if that speaks to all 11 or how nasty this disease is. Thanks for that question. Dr. Nancy Messonnier: As many of you know we have declined to speak directly about the health of the individuals because that is it really something that should be coming from the State The State health departments who have the best knowledge, and also their own requirements what they want to share. I can tell you we have seen a spectrum of illness among cases in the U.S. some of them seem pretty mild. At least a few have at least some point in the course of their illness been more severely ill. And there have been some ups and downs in the course of these patients that are sicker. I would note that there are no deaths in the United States. Some of our patients have had oxygen requirements during the course of their illness. There is the first death outside China now reported. And the data coming out of China continues to say that the people who are higher risk for severe disease and death are those who are older and with underlying health conditions. And so, obviously, well need to wait and hope that we dont see that level of that here in the United States. Our clinical folks working on everything we can do to make sure those patients get the optimal care we can provide for them. Benjamin Haynes: Next question, please. Operator: Leonard Bernstein from Washington Post, you may go ahead. Leonard Bernstein: Thanks for taking my question. Dr. Messonnier, if somebody or multiple people meet the criteria for quarantine coming into those 11 airports, where are you going to put them? Dr. Nancy Messonnier: Yeah. So, the discussions about where those patients will go is a conversation that CDC has been having actively with State and local health departments as well as with after at each of those 11 locations. So, with the Federal partners and the State and local partners, we are working through operational plans that might be slightly different for every one of those locations depending on how much preparation they have done, whether they already have sites identified, where they are. So, in each of those locations it might be slightly different, but you know I think we are making good progress on a plan, and my compliments to our State and local partners. Because we are all in this together with them, and we appreciate their flexibility, their willingness to work through this with us on an incredibly tight time line and coming up together for plans. We want to make sure these people are comfortable but also, that they are safe, and their families and communities are safe. Leonard Bernstein: Well, if I might follow up. Could you give us some examples? Are we talking about military bases? Are we talking about FEMA trailers? Are we talking about hotels? What are the options? Dr. Nancy Messonnier: All of those things might be options. I think for some specific locations, military bases are close by. For others, states have actually already themselves made plans for hotels as part of their own operational planning. Again, as we talked about, part of pandemic planning that we and our state and local partners have been involved in for a dozen years, this was one of the contingencies we have been planning for, so some States had already gone pretty well down there thinking about what to do. So, no options off the table, and it is very localized depending on the State and local considerations. Benjamin Haynes: Michele, we have time for two more questions. Operator: Thank you. Julie Steenhuysen from Reuters. You may go ahead. Julie Steenhuysen: Yes, thanks. So earlier you mentioned that a lot of these quarantines were science based. United States has been criticized by China directly, which is saying that we are sort of banning the fears about this virus. And our quarantines do seem to be outside of the w.h.o. recommendations. Can you explain what the science base decision making or how these decisions are made based on what particular science? Thanks. Dr. Nancy Messonnier: What I would say is this is an unprecedented situation and we have taken aggressive measures. A couple of weeks ago there were 41 cases in China. This morning the numbers are 17,000. 17,000 cases with a novel virus, novel coronavirus that the population doesnt have immunity to, and for which, because things have been moving so quickly, we dont have the information base that we want. As I said, largely expanding outbreak; person-to-person and community transmission in China. Deaths inside China, and now a death outside of China. Concerning data suggesting that people who are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic may be transmitting the disease. All of those are worrisome data points. This is an aggressive action by the United States, but our goal is to slow this thing down. We have the opportunity to slow it down before it gets into the United States, and we felt scientifically our recommendation was that if we acted now, we did have the opportunity to provide additional protection to the United States and Americans. We made an aggressive decision in front of an unprecedented threat that action now would slow this down, and action now has the biggest potential to slow this thing down. And thats what the theory is here. And other countries are making different decisions, but I would say that multiple countries are also taking pretty aggressive actions. And, importantly, the Chinese themselves are taking very aggressive actions in their own country to try to slow the thing down. Benjamin Haynes: Last question, please. Operator: Thank you. Sarah Owermohle from Politico. You may go ahead. Sarah Owermohle: Hi, yes, Im kind of on the lines of the last question, Chinese authority this morning was expressing a lot of frustration with the U.S. response saying that you were overreacting and spreading panic. Do you think that jeopardizes CDCs place in the WHO mission that you are still planning? Or I mean are you looking to talk through that with Chinese officials? Also, separately, you mentioned at the beginning of the call the status for diagnostic tests and I wanted to clarify. You are expediting the EUA? Dr. Nancy Messonnier: Ill answer the second one first because its easier. The process is extremely expedited and our colleagues with FDA have been looking at this closely since we made the plan, that we were going to do this in in way. So, our plans were submitted to them today and I expect that that means that we should be able to start that by the end of the week, barring complications. Dr. Nancy Messonnier: In terms of the first question, let me start by saying that this is a horrible situation in China. There is a huge number of cases. There is lots of disruption in their communities and society both from the illness and from the measures that theyve taken to try to slow the spread. So, our hearts go out to those individuals who are suffering through this. I think that we at CDC have incredibly strong scientists who have a lot of technical experience in really similar diseases as well as in these kinds of diseases. And our presence on the ground in China would be a help to folks in China who are trying to unravel the thing and make the best recommendations possible for their country and the world. And certainly, what Ive seen in situations like this, science should trump everything else. And thats certainly what we are hoping is that scientific expertise of the larger global community will be able to be brought to bear on this really complicated difficult situation that our colleagues in China are dealing with. Benjamin Haynes: Thank you, Dr. Messonnier. Thank you for joining us for todays update. Please remember to check out CDCs 2019 novel coronavirus website for latest updates. And if you have further questions, please call the main media line, 404.639.3286, or email media@cdc.gov. Operator: Thank you for participating on todays call. You may go ahead and disconnect at this time. NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Neuberger Berman, a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager, announced the acquisition of Almanac Realty Investors. The addition of Almanac deepens Neuberger Berman's real estate solutions, complementing public REIT strategies of $1.8 billion, including the Neuberger Berman Real Estate Fund, real estate private equity secondaries, and public and private mortgage credit. Almanac was founded in 1981 as Rothschild's real estate unit and spun out in 2007 as an independent firm. Almanac's primary strategy is to make investments in independent real estate firms seeking capital to fuel further growth. It has committed over $5.5 billion of growth capital to 44 public and private real estate companies, partnering with established, mid-sized owners and operators of real estate with unique competitive advantage within their niches across industrial, office, retail, multifamily, hotel and other sectors in North America. Examples include Mack Real Estate Group, RXR Realty, CA Ventures, Slate Asset Management, ReNew Senior Living and Westcore Properties, among others. For a complete list, please visit www.almanacrealty.com. Almanac will operate as a distinct investment platform at Neuberger Berman. The group will continue to be led by its Managing Partner, Matthew Kaplan, and its Partners and Investment Committee members Pike Aloian, Justin Hakimian, Josh Overbay, and Andrew Silberstein. Almanac's Investment Committee will be expanded to include David Haltiner, a Managing Director who has been with Almanac since 2008, and this group will continue as the investment decision-making body for the Almanac strategies. All employees are expected to join Neuberger Berman. "Private real estate is an important asset class. We've looked for a decade for the right partner here and are thrilled with the outcome. We respect the Almanac team deeply as investors, fiduciaries and professionals and welcome them to our firm," said George Walker, CEO, Neuberger Berman. Matthew Kaplan, Managing Partner, Almanac, added: "This transaction represents the next step for our clients and our team. We are impressed by the culture of partnership at Neuberger Berman, and its singular focus on alignment with clients. Our team and clients will benefit from Neuberger's research resources, excellence in ESG and data science, client service capabilities and forward thinking." Berkshire Global Advisors acted as financial advisor to Almanac Realty Investors on the transaction. Ardea Partners advised Neuberger Berman. Terms are not disclosed. About Neuberger Berman Neuberger Berman, founded in 1939, is a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager. The firm manages a range of strategiesincluding equity, fixed income, quantitative and multi-asset class, private equity, real estate and hedge fundson behalf of institutions, advisors and individual investors globally. With offices in 23 countries, Neuberger Berman's diverse team has 2,200 professionals. For six consecutive years, the company has been named first or second in Pensions & Investments Best Places to Work in Money Management survey (among those with 1,000 employees or more). The firm was awarded an A+ in every category in the latest 2019 PRI report for our approach to ESG integration across asset classes. The firm manages $356 billion in client assets as of December 31, 2019. For more information, please visit our website at www.nb.com. About Almanac Realty Investors Since 1996, Almanac's (together with its predecessor, Rothschild Realty, Inc.) primary activity has been making growth capital investments into private and public companies which own and operate real estate in North America. Almanac managed funds have committed over $5.5 billion to 44 companies. Almanac's portfolio companies are structured to combine proven management teams within a specific real estate sector together with ownership of focused portfolios of real estate assets and interests. These companies are governed by a board of directors consisting primarily of representatives from the management teams and Almanac, with a focus on protecting and growing shareholder value, generating dividends, setting strategy, allocating capital and working with management to optimize resources. www.almanacrealty.com. All information is as December 31, 2019 unless otherwise indicated and is subject to change without notice. Firm data, including employee and assets under management figures, reflects collective data for the various affiliated investment advisers that are subsidiaries of Neuberger Berman Group LLC. Firm history/timeline includes the history of all firm subsidiaries, including predecessor entities and acquisitions. This material is being issued on a limited basis through various global subsidiaries and affiliates of Neuberger Berman Group LLC. Please visit www.nb.com/disclosure-global-communications for the specific entities and jurisdictional limitations and restrictions. The "Neuberger Berman" name and logo are registered service marks of Neuberger Berman Group LLC. 2020 Neuberger Berman Group LLC. All rights reserved. An investor should consider Neuberger Berman Real Estate Fund's investment objectives, risks and fees and expenses carefully before investing. This and other important information can be found in the Fund's prospectus or summary prospectus, which you can obtain by calling 877.628.2583. Please read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before making an investment. Media Contacts: Alex Samuelson, 212 476 5392, [email protected] SOURCE Neuberger Berman Related Links www.nb.com The quashing of the appointment of Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) is a big blow to the state government, though not entirely unexpected. The tribunal also stated that the process followed in Mr Guptas appointment in February last year was against the provisions outlined by the Supreme Court. When the Amarinder Singh government appointed Mr Gupta as the states top cop, he superseded five officers. Two superseded officers, Mohammad Mustafa and Siddharth Chattopadhyaya, then moved CAT to challenge the appointment, which has now struck down Mr Guptas appointment. Further, it has called it an act of favouritism and arbitrariness. The tribunal has now directed the state government to send names of the three seniormost officers to the UPSC for the appointment of a new candidate. But sources say, despite this major setback, the state government is determined to protect Mr Gupta. The chief minister reportedly told the state Assembly that Mr Gupta will continue as DGP. The high court has now stayed the tribunals order after the state government knocked on its door. So, we can expect this fight to continue. Watch this space for updates. Heading down a new track The Cabinets decision to merge eight service cadres of the railways into one has caused much heartburn ever since it was announced. But the government is determinedly going ahead, despite the intense social media campaign against it by officers who feel worried about their seniority and career prospects after the merger. After the announcement, several officers had begun a campaign where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sent thousands of postcards with messages to Save Indian Railways. Several others gave up the protection of anonymity and took to social media platforms to express shock and disappointment. However, the government has, typically, maintained an aggressive approach. Most observers have noted that the existing silos within the Indian Railways had to be broken, as recommended in reports by several committees, the most recent being the one led by Bibek Debroy, eminent economist and chairman of the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) to the Prime Minister. Admittedly, its not going to an easy task, especially integrating some 8,401 officers into the new Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS). But the railways have begun working towards it. It has cancelled its plans to recruit fresh officers from the engineering services examination and the civil service examination this year. Some 250 candidates were to be recruited this year to these services. RBI: A house divided The introduction of the unified regulatory and supervisory cadre at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in November 2019 has created a crisis, with several officers indicating that they want to opt out of the cadre. The deadline for deciding their career path ends this month-end. The move, which is probably the biggest shake up in the RBIs history, was seen as the first step towards hiving off the oversight functions into a separate entity, as recommended by the Srikrishna panel back in March 2013. But given that it has created unprecedented turmoil in the organisation, the central board of RBI is likely to review the progress on the unified cadre during its next meeting in February. According to sources, the RBI clearly did not anticipate the disruptive impact the new oversight cadre would have on the officials. It is now felt that the groundwork including addressing the concerns of the officials could have been handled better. Watch this space for updates. BOSTON - Two college students from Iran have filed civil rights complaints with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, saying they were mistreated and illegally denied entry into the country by federal officials at Bostons Logan International Airport. Shahab Dehghani, who attends Northeastern University, and Reihana Emami Arandi, who had been set to start classes at Harvard University, recently filed separate complaints with the agencys civil rights office, requesting the agency investigate the conduct of Customs and Border Protection officials. The students say federal officials detained and interrogated them for hours at the airport before concluding they planned on staying in the country longer than their temporary visas allowed. The students maintain they had no intention of overstaying their visas and that federal officials provided no proof supporting their conclusions. I couldnt and still cannot believe how I was treated and why I received such behaviour, Arandi said in her complaint. I have never had any interest in or intention to stay in the U.S. for the long term. In fact, Harvard is the only school in the U.S. I even applied to. It doesnt make sense for anybody intending to immigrate permanently to rest their hopes on one highly competitive program at Harvard. Arandi and Dehghani are among at least ten Iranians denied entry into the U.S. since August. Seven of those had flown into Bostons airport. Spokespeople for Homeland Security didnt respond to an email seeking comment. Customs and Border Protection declined to comment. In a complaint filed Monday, Dehghanis lawyers argue he was admitted to the U.S. three times in recent years to study in Boston and that his most recent student visa was issued after nearly a year of vetting by the State Department. The 23-year-old economics and math student, whose full name is Mohammad Shahab Dehghani Hossein Abadi, was also prevented from communicating with his attorneys during questioning and subjected to a threatening and uncivil interrogation that focused on his religious and political beliefs, according to the complaint. Federal officials purposely ignored an emergency court order temporarily staying his removal until the case could be heard in court and forced him to board a flight bound for Paris, Dehghanis lawyers argue. This entire situation is unacceptable and was handled in an utterly unprofessional manner, the complaint concludes. This behaviour by members of Customs and Border Protection cannot stand. Arandi, a 35-year-old incoming graduate student at Harvards Divinity School, said in her complaint filed Jan. 30 that she was detained at Logan Airport on Sept. 18 and questioned for nearly eight hours about her work, family, travel and opinions about recent events in the Middle East. She said officers also searched and confiscated her luggage, laptop and cellphone and did not allow her to make any calls, including to officials at Harvard. Arandi said she also didnt understand the legal implications of declining to sign a statement given to her by officials, which has now resulted in her being banned from entering the U.S. for five years. She said in her complaint that she had hopes to earn a masters degree at Harvard so she could eventually pursue a career in research, teaching or humanitarian work in the Middle East or North Africa. Civil rights groups say Iranians have been targeted for extra screenings and interrogations at airports ever since President Donald Trump issued a ban on travellers from several predominantly Muslim countries in 2017, including Iran. But they say the targeting has only worsened as relations between the U.S. and Iran have deteriorated, culminating in the U.S. drone strike that killed one of Irans top generals last month. Photograph: Alan Ortega/Reuters A second worker at Mexicos famed monarch butterfly sanctuary has been found murdered, sparking concerns that the defenders of one of Mexicos most emblematic species are being slain with impunity. The body of Raul Hernandez Romero, a part-time tour guide, was found on Saturday, showing injuries possibly inflicted by a sharp object, according to prosecutors in the western state of Michoacan. Hernandez had been reported missing on 27 January in the town of Angangueo, in the heart of the federally protected Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, a Unesco world heritage site some 180km west of Mexico City. His death came just days after the body of Homero Gomez Gonzalez, who managed the El Rosario monarch butterfly reserve, was discovered floating in a well with a head wound. Gomez Gonzalez had been reported missing two weeks earlier. Related: Mexico: defender of monarch butterflies found dead two weeks after he vanished Officials in the state of Michoacan said they were unsure if the two deaths were linked or related to the mens work in the butterfly reserve. The state has seen a rising tide of violence in recent years, and the region around the monarch butterfly reserve has been rife with illegal logging, despite a ban imposed to protect the monarchs, which winter in the pine- and fir-covered hills. Some illegal clearcutting is also carried out to allow for the planting of avocado orchards one of Mexicos most lucrative crops and an important part of Michoacans economy. The deaths again called attention to the disturbing trend in Mexico of environmental defenders being killed as they come into conflict with developers or local crime groups, who often have political and police protection. Gomez himself was once a logger, but helped lead his community toward a more sustainable economic path, in which they would protect the monarch butterflies and attract tourists instead. Millions of the butterflies make a 2,000-mile (3,220km) journey each year from Canada to pass the winter in central Mexicos warmer weather, but the population has been declining over recent years. New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/03/2020 -- Future Market Insights (FMI) recently published a report titled '5G Technology Market Global Industry Analysis and Forecast 20182028.' 5G technology will play a crucial role in supporting governments and public organizations in transforming cities into smart cities, and will enable citizens and communities to realize and participate in the socio-economic benefits delivered by an advanced, data-intensive, and digital economy. The increasing demand for improved network performance and reliability is driving the growth of 5G technology market. Moreover, significant growth in wired and wireless subscriptions as well as the number of internet users is creating potential opportunities for the growth of 5G technology market. FMI has segmented the global 5G technology market on the basis of technology, application, vertical, and regions. The global 5G technology market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 82.4% during the forecast period. In addition, the 5G technology market was valued at US$ 608.3 Mn in 2018, and is estimated to grow substantially to reach US$ 248,462.4 Mn by 2028, owing to the heavy investments by government and various key players in 5G technology. Request to View Sample of Research Report @https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-9011 Government Initiatives to Speed up 5G Technology The US is expected to be the first country to introduce 5G technology, wireless applications and networks, as regulators pave the wave for rapidly growing next-generation services. In North America, enterprises such as AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communication Inc. are coming together to commercial 5G technology. Also, increasing number of initiatives by the government is boosting the growth of 5G technology market. For instance, in July 2016, the US government launched initiatives worth US$ 400 Mn to conduct research on 5G wireless networks. Also, the Government of Canada is strongly committed to boosting engagement in next-generation networking and 5G technology by opening an innovation ecosystem to accelerate the growth of ICT. Moreover, in enterprise application, the substantial adoption of advanced technologies, such as the internet of things and cloud solutions, is expected to boost the adoption of 5G technology by transforming the focus from consumer-centric cellular coverage to more machine-centric communications. Moreover, in the beginning of 2018, 5G technology has launched in the specific regions of GCC countries, and large-scale commercial roll outs are expected in commercial areas by 2020. Dominance of Western Countries in 5G Research Prevails It has been observed that, in the European region, countries such as Germany, France, and the UK are leading the research that is being conducted for the commercialization of 5G technology. Enterprises such as Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, and Ericsson are testing various frequency spectrums and advanced technologies to deploy 5G technology efficiently. Moreover, these enterprises have launched customer trails in several geographical areas which will form the base for 5G technology. In June 2017, Belgium BASE signed a partnership agreement with ZTE Corporation, a telecom equipment provider based in China. The main objective of this partnership is to conduct research on LTE advanced, Internet of things, and 5G technology. Increasing number of Contracts between Telecommunication Service Providers According to FMI analysis, providers of 5G technology and telecommunication services are focusing on collaborating with each other to increase their revenue share as well as reach new potential markets. For instance, in July 2018, T-Mobile and Nokia announced a US$ 3.5 Bn agreement to accelerate the deployment of a 5G technology and networks across the U.S. Need more information about Report methodology @https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-9011 According to the agreement, Nokia will provide its end-to-end 5G technology, software, and services portfolio to T-Mobile, which will assist the latter in bringing the 5G network to the market for customers in the critical first years of the 5G technology cycle. Some of the other key players in the 5G technology includes Ericsson, Telecom Italia, AT & T, Inc., Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Orange S.A., China Mobile Limited, KT Corporation, Qualcomm, and Verizon Communications, Inc. IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Quality Custom Distribution (QCD), part of the Golden State Foods (GSF) family of companies, has acquired four DPI (Dedicated Logistics Inc.) distribution centers in Chicago, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Boston, Massachusetts; Washington, D.C.; and a satellite depot in St. Louis, Missouri. This acquisition further expands QCD's national footprint to 30 locations across the U.S., including its recently relocated corporate headquarters in Frisco, Texas. "This growth enables QCD to better service all of our customers by optimizing our total distribution network throughout the United States," said Mark Wetterau, chairman and chief executive officer, Golden State Foods. "We will continue to build upon the relationships established by DPI in the Midwest and Northeast, as we deepen our partnership with Starbucks' operators and suppliers in these regions." QCD's newly acquired U.S. facilities service an additional 2,100 Starbucks stores across 20 states. Over the years, Starbucks has recognized QCD for its high levels of service and efficiencies, enabling their iconic brand to better service its consumers throughout the country. Since its start in 2006, QCD has grown with Starbucks from just one route and a few stores in the Northwest to serving thousands of locations across the country. With this acquisition, QCD now services more than 7,500 stores for Starbucks and other U.S. customers in virtually every state. Serving a variety of foodservice industry icons, QCD drives more than 35 million miles each year, distributing a half billion products and making more than a million deliveries annually from its distribution centers strategically located throughout the United States. "With excellent customer collaboration and a dedicated team, all of us here at QCD strive to support Starbucks' growth in the markets where they need us, and our growth is a reflection of their continued success and our longstanding partnership," said QCD President Ryan Hammer. "As we go forward, we have the privilege of welcoming new associates to our QCD family and maintaining the highest standards with their valued expertise in the Midwest and Northeast markets." QCD's new Midwest and Northeast locations collectively employ more than 600 associates, which increases GSF's total associate count to more than 6,000 worldwide. About Golden State Foods Golden State Foods is one of the largest diversified suppliers to the quick service restaurant (QSR) and retail industries. Established in 1947, the company is values-based with proven performance in superior quality, innovation and customer service throughout the food industry. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif. with more than 50 locations worldwide, GSF services more than 125,000 restaurants and stores in more than 40 countries on five continents. Its core businesses include processing of liquid products, protein, produce, dairy, aseptic and full-line logistics services to the foodservice, QSR, retail and C-store industries. The company also runs the GSF Foundation, a national non-profit organization to help children and families in need. For more information, please visit: www.goldenstatefoods.com. Media Contact: Tori Lau, Porter Novelli [email protected] 408-515-6766 SOURCE Quality Custom Distribution Related Links https://goldenstatefoods.com Malawi's constitutional court on Monday ordered a new presidential election after annulling the results of a vote that re-elected President Peter Mutharika in May, citing widespread polling irregularities, including the use of correction fluid on ballot papers. The verdict, which is expected to stoke turmoil in the traditionally peaceful southern African country, can be appealed by Mutharika, who will remain president until the fresh polls. "We hold that the first respondent (Mutharika) was not duly elected as president of Malawi on May 21, 2019," ruled lead judge Healey Potani. "We hereby nullify the results of the presidential elections and we order for a fresh election," he said. A new election should be organised within 150 days, the court said. In the meantime the status in the presidency, including the office of the vice president, revert to what it was prior to last year's presidential election. Malawi President Peter Mutharika waves to supporters in May last year, following an election that has been annulled. By AMOS GUMULIRA (AFP/File) Sporadic protests have broken out across the country since Mutharika was declared the winner of the May vote by a narrow margin with 38.5 percent of the vote. Runner-up Lazarus Chakwera, who lost by just 159,000 votes, alleges he was robbed of victory and went to court. 'Unjustifiable' The case gripped the nation and kept Malawians glued to radio stations for hours on end, listening to live broadcast of witnesses presenting evidence of the alleged vote rigging during a six-month-long hearing. On Monday security was tightened with a heavy military presence around the court and businesses pulled down their shutters for the week, fearing violence erupting after the ruling was announced. Judges were driven to court in a military armoured vehicle. Security was tightened at the court for a ruling on a case that has gripped the nation. By AMOS GUMULIRA (AFP) An army helicopter occasionally hovered above the courthouse and the central business district as the 500-page verdict was read out. "It is clear that the use of Tippex (correction fluid) was employed by (electoral commission) officers to hide votes," said judge Ivy Kamanga, taking a turn reading the judgement that took more than nine hours to deliver. "Use of Tippex was unjustifiable and an irregularity," she said, adding the way in which the electoral commission "dealt with the alterations was not in line with the law, hence it was irregular". The court also said that only a quarter of the results sheets were verified and it "finds this to be a serious malpractice that undermined the elections". 'Pivotal moment' The court said only a quarter of the results sheets were verified and it "finds this to be a serious malpractice that undermined the elections". By PATRICK MEINHARDT (AFP/File) It is the first time a presidential election has been challenged on legal grounds in Malawi since independence from Britain in 1964. The outcome echoes a historic decision by Kenya's judiciary to annul presidential election results over claims of widespread irregularities in 2017. "Credible, free and fair elections form a solid foundation for democracy," Potani said in a preamble to the judgement. Protesters took to the streets over several months last year demanding the resignation of the electoral commission chief, and many demonstrations turned violent. Anger flared last month after Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda claimed bribes had been offered to the five judges presiding over the case. Protests have broken out in the Malawian capital Lilongwe following accusations that bribes were offered to the five judges on the case. By Amos GUMULIRA (AFP/File) Malawi's anti-graft body vowed to probe the allegations and arrested top banker Thom Mpinganjira last week. The opposition has urged supporters to maintain peace and accept the court's decision. Mutharika, 79, has repeatedly dismissed opposition accusations that election was rigged and brushed off doubts about the official results. In a joint statement, British, American and several European ambassadors referred Thursday to the verdict as a "pivotal moment" in Malawi's history. 03.02.2020 LISTEN Greetings of peace from the Federation of Muslim Councils (FMC)! The Federation of Muslim Councils, for the avoidance of doubt, is recognized by Article 166 [1] (a) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic Ghana as a representative body for the interests and welfare of Muslims in Ghana. In furtherance of its constitutional recognition, as an umbrella body and mouthpiece of Muslims in Ghana, the FMC, through the late Lawyer (Alhaji) Bashiru Ahmed Futa, represented Ghanaian Muslims on the Constituent Assembly that gave birth to the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. It is worthy of note, also, that, on behalf of Muslims in Ghana, the FMC without noise, led the crusade that culminated in the unprecedented passage by Parliament of Ghana the law declaring the two Islamic festivals (Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha) as national public holidays across the country. By virtue of its status and position, therefore, the Federation of Muslim Councils represents the interests of Ghanaian Muslims by serving on a host of statutory, governmental and non-governmental institutions, and is frequently consulted by governments and Parliament of Ghana on various matters of national importance as and when necessary. The FMC is a founding member of the Forum of Religious Bodies (FORB), and was prominent in the attempts by the FORB to settle the impasse between the former President JJ Rawlings and the then Vice President Ekow Nkensen Ackaah in March 1996. The FORB has since metamorphosed into the Ghana Conference of Religions for Peace (GCRP). The FMC was represented on the 2008 IEA Presidential Debate by its National Coordinator, Hajj Abdullah S. Williams. In conflict resolution, it was the FMC leadership that dialogued with the Christian Council of Ghana, among others, to defuse, by Gods grace, the Christian-Muslim conflict which erupted in Sekondi in October 1995 and nearly engulfed the whole country. Indeed, the FMC has existed very quietly but with a great deal of notable achievements for Muslims and for national development. Respectfully, Madam, it is in this capacity of the FMC that we write this letter to you. Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. Fasting was prescribed by Allah in Holy Book, the Quran. Allah says: "Oh you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you many learn piety and righteousness." (Quran Chapter 2:183). Hopefully, the muslim month of fasting, Ramadaan, will this year commence on Thursday, April 23, 2020 and end on Saturday, May 23, 2020. On the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is the ninth month of the year and the month of fasting. The word Ramadan originates from the Arabic root word which means scorching heat or intense dryness. In observing the fast, Muslims across the world, will abstain from eating, drinking, sexual relations and other activities considered mundane, from dawn to dusk. They will focus on the religion and self-reflection. Because Allah views fasting as inherently stressful, not every Muslim is expected to fast during the period. Pregnant women as well as those who are sick or traveling are exempt but to recompense in other forms. (Quran Chapter 2: 185). The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Quran; a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the criterion (of right and wrong). And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, a number of other days. Allah desires for you ease; He desires not hardship for you; and that you should complete the period, and that you should magnify Allah for having guided you, and that perhaps you may be thankful. (Quran Chapter 2: 185). In the countdown to the presidential and parliamentary election this year, the Electoral Commission (EC) has announced 18th April to 23rd May , 2020 as dates for the compilation of a new voters register . While we wish the EC well in its endeavours to execute this important national exercise, we also wish to draw attention to the discomfiture the exercise will cause muslims nationwide as it coincides with the fasting period. Voter registeration exercises in our part of the globe are characterised by hassles including queing for long hours , sometimes in the sun and for days before one goes through. This is not the kind of torment one would want to see a fasting person go through. Still fresh on our minds are the media reportage of people who collapsed over exhaustation after waiting long in qeues, in certain parts of the country, to acquire the national identity card, not to mention that that even was not in Ramadan , neither were the victims even fasting. While we concede the importance of this national exercise of compiling a new voters register, the Federation of Muslim Councils firmly believes that the timimg of the exercise is just not favourable to muslims . It is the sincere hope and prayer of the Federation of Muslim Councils that the on-going tripartrite negotiations among the Eminent Advisory Committee of the EC , IPAC and EC will lead to an amicably fruitful results to move us forward as a nation. We hope and pray too that the importance of the Isamic calender and the fasting period will not be lost sight of. In light of the above the Federation of Muslim Coucils calls on your good office and the Electoral Commission to review the period of the intended new voter registration exercise, to a more suitable one, possibly to commence a day after the Idul Fitr holiday for, if care is not taken many muslims will be disenfrancised come December 7 , 2020!!! Al-Hajj Muhammad Amir Kpakpo Addo Secretary- General Federation of Muslim Councils, Ghana Email: [email protected] CC: Former special inspector general of police (IGP) Abdur Rehman, who was set to address a protest at the Aligarh Muslim University against the amended citizenship law, was detained by police here and asked to return to New Delhi. Rehman, who had resigned from his post in December last year in protest against the CAA, was detained at Lodha Police Station in Aligarh on Sunday. The former IPS officer from Maharashtra told reporters that he was served a written notice by police stating that his presence at the AMU could lead to a law and order problem, and hence he decided to comply with this missive "and would come back" again after he gets permission. Rehman said he was invited at the university on Sunday by the AMU Students Co-ordination Committee to address them on the Citizenship Amendment Act. He had resigned from his post on December 11, 2019 in protest against the the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill which later got President Ram Nath Kovind's assent, turning it into an act. "This bill is against the religious pluralism of India. I request all justice loving people to oppose the Bill in a democratic manner. It runs against the very basic feature of the Constitution," he had said. "The bill is against the basic feature of the Constitution. I condemn this bill. In civil disobedience I have decided not attend office from tomorrow. I am finally quitting the service," Rehman had said in a statement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Articles Sorry, there are no recent results for popular articles. Salesperson speaks on the phone at an Apple reseller store in Mumbai By Sankalp Phartiyal NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Taiwan's Wistron Corp <3231.TW> plans to assemble printed circuit boards (PCBs) for iPhones at its new plant in southern India, two sources said, highlighting Apple Inc's push to expand manufacturing in the world's second-biggest smartphone market. The local assembly of PCBs by Wistron's India unit will be a first for the contract manufacturer, which began making Apple's low-priced SE model in Bengaluru in 2017. It currently assembles the 6S and 7 iPhone models there as well. A PCB is a bed for key components such as processors, memory and wireless chip sets that are the heart of an electronic device. Once assembled, or populated with components, PCBs account for about half the cost of a smartphone. Wistron's second iPhone plant, some 65 km (40 miles) from Bengaluru, is expected to become operational by April, the sources said, adding that it will make iPhone 7 and 8 models, some of which will be exported. The facility will be capable of producing up to 8 million smartphones annually, they said. The plan is part of Wistron's 30 billion rupee ($422.12 million) investment proposal submitted to the Karnataka state government in 2018. Wistron's bigger rival Foxconn <2317.TW>, which began making iPhone XR models in India last year, already assembles PCBs for those devices locally. The deepening of PCB assembly in India will help Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple save on import taxes on smartphone components, levied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to boost local manufacturing and create new jobs. On Saturday, India said in its federal budget that it will from April begin taxing imports of populated PCBs at a higher 20%, from the previous rate of 10%. Apple declined to comment. Wistron did not respond to a request for comment. Apple, which still makes most of its iPhones in China, has gradually moved to expand production in other countries as Washington and Beijing wage a disruptive battle over trade and technology. Story continues In India, a market with 1.1 billion wireless connections and about 480 million smartphones, Apple's premium devices have proven too costly for many consumers. The company's market share by shipment volumes is just over 1%, though it was among the fastest growing smartphone brands in India in the quarter to Dec. 2019, according to market researcher Counterpoint. India remains largely dependent on China for supplies of smartphone parts such as cells, display panels, camera modules and printed circuit boards. The coronavirus outbreak in China could cause a delay in Wistron and Apple's plans for India, one of the sources said. The epidemic, which has killed more than 250 so far, threatens to disrupt India's production of smartphones if it continues to spread, Reuters reported previously. (Editing by Jonathan Weber and Jacqueline Wong) South-Paul's family later moved to Philadelphia, where her parents ran a rescue mission. The experience set her on the path to a career in medicine. "I saw folks who had no access to care," she said. "It was a diverse group of people --African Americans and white Americans. They were largely men. By the time I finished high school, it was transitioning to families. I thought, 'Someone needs to focus on helping people who are economically underserved.'" South-Paul turned out to be one of those people. She attended the Philadelphia High School for Girls, a magnet school with a competitive enrollment process. Her "wonderful experience" there instilled the belief that she could become anything she wanted. Her goal was to become a family physician, so she moved on to the University of Pennsylvania and later the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. South-Paul said she encountered overt racism in both places. As affirmative action programs gained traction in the 1970s, there was a backlash against black students. "There was an attitude that, 'You don't have to worry because you're black,'" she said. "I was stunned and put off. People thought I didn't deserve something or that things were handed to me. I worked really hard all the time." At Pitt, South-Paul was one of four black students in a medical school class of 140. There were only two minority faculty members, she said, and many white professors were reluctant to mentor her. She also was denied housing in the school's Oakland neighborhood. "I was enraged," she said. "I wanted to be really good at what I do. It was a challenge, and you had to focus on why you were there. I committed to academic medicine so I could provide mentorship, focus and guidance to women and minorities." South-Paul left Pittsburgh after graduating, vowing never to return. Having joined the Army ROTC to pay for her education, she embarked on a long career in the military, starting at the Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center Family Practice Residency at Fort Gordon, Ga. She later served nearly two decades as faculty at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., including roles as vice president for minority affairs and chair of the Department of Family Medicine, before retiring from the military in 2001. "The Army was one of the best things that ever happened to me," she said. "I felt like everyone else. I felt embraced and I moved up the ladder." South-Paul climbed that ladder to the rank of colonel. She also has taken on a variety of family medicine leadership roles, including president of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine and the Uniformed Services AFP, as well as board member of the Association of Departments of Family Medicine. She has been a delegate and an alternate delegate to the AAFP Congress of Delegates, in addition to working on various Academy commissions, committees and more. South-Paul didn't stay retired long. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine asked her -- repeatedly -- to come home. She said no. But there were letters, phone calls and outreach at national meetings. Eventually, she listened. South-Paul remembered all the challenges she had faced so many years before, but she also thought about the future. "I realized I had an opportunity to make a difference, and that I wouldn't be in the same vulnerable position that I was in as a student there," she said. When South-Paul returned to Pitt as family medicine chair in 2001, she was the school's first woman and first member of a racial/ethnic minority to serve as a permanent chair. "I've worked hard," said South-Paul, who retired from that role at the end of January. "There's still more work to do." South-Paul and her husband have retired to suburban Washington, D.C., but she said she's not finished working. She plans to consult, speak and continue to serve on various boards and committees. South-Paul practiced full-scope family medicine, including maternity care, until a few years ago. She said she's not ready to give up patient care completely and hopes to find a free clinic where she can practice. As a medical student, South-Paul once traveled through Alabama to a medical rotation. On a whim she stopped in Greensboro, looked in the phone book for that then-elderly general practitioner who had delivered her, called him and asked for a meeting. She spent 90 minutes in his home talking about family medicine and the joys of delivering babies. "That's a treasure as a family physician to care for families, to take women through pregnancy, deliver them and care for the children," she said. "There's nothing like it." The grounding of the Boeing 737 Max is slowing Ryanairs growth significantly, the airline has said. The plane was grounded almost a year ago following two fatal crashes that cost a total of 346 lives. Until recently, Boeing was confident the Max would be back in passenger service early in 2020. But now the planemaker says it will return in the middle of the year. Ryanair has the biggest order for the type in Europe for 210 of a special variant called the Max 200, with an extra eight seats. It was due to start flying them in May 2019, but due to the worldwide grounding it has yet to take delivery of any of the aircraft. The airline said in a statement: It is now likely that our first Max aircraft will not deliver until September or October 2020. Boeing parks grounded 737 planes in employee car park: In pictures Show all 6 1 /6 Boeing parks grounded 737 planes in employee car park: In pictures Boeing parks grounded 737 planes in employee car park: In pictures Boeing 737 aeroplanes are parked in the employee car park of Boeing's Seattle factory King 5 Boeing parks grounded 737 planes in employee car park: In pictures Seen above the car park is the full storage area for planes at Boeing's Seattle factory D. Permadi Boeing parks grounded 737 planes in employee car park: In pictures Six 737s are currently being stored in the car park as they have not been delivered from the factory due to the model being grounded following two major crashes Boeing parks grounded 737 planes in employee car park: In pictures Boeing has incurred first quarter losses of around $1 billion following the crashes and ensuing controversy King 5 Boeing parks grounded 737 planes in employee car park: In pictures The company grounded their 737 model in March following their second deadly crash in months King 5 Boeing parks grounded 737 planes in employee car park: In pictures Seen above the car park is the full storage area for planes at Boeing's Seattle factory The requirement for Max simulator training will also slow down the delivery of backlogged aircraft and new deliveries. But we believe that these gamechanger aircraft (with 4 per cent more seats, 16 per cent less fuel burn), when delivered, will transform our cost base and our business for the next decade. As a direct result of these delivery delays, we plan to extend our 200 million per annum passenger target by at least one or two years. The carrier now expects to hit the 200 million annual passenger figure representing 550,000 per day around the end of 2025. It has flown 154 million passengers in the past year. Ryanair blamed the delivery delays for the closure of some bases in Spain, Germany and Sweden. However, profits rose sharply in the airlines third financial quarter, covering October to December 2019. It turned a 66m (55m) loss for the same period in 2018 to a 88m (74m) profit, due largely to high fares at Christmas. Passenger numbers grew by 6 per cent to an average of 400,000 per day. Ryanairs load factor the proportion of seats filled increased by one per cent to 96 per cent. Iran will no longer share with Ukraine evidence of an investigation into the crash of a Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) passenger jet shot down near Tehran on January 8 after an audio recording of talks between an air traffic controller and an Iranian aircraft pilot was leaked, according to Hassan Rezaifar, the director in charge of accident investigations at Iran's Civil Aviation Organization. "The technical investigation team of the Ukrainian airline crash, in a strange move, published the secret audio file of the communications of a pilot of a plane that was flying at the same time as the Ukrainian plane," the Mehr news agency quoted him as saying. Earlier, the TSN.Tyzhden weekly news program on Ukraine's 1+1 television channel released an audio recording of talks between the Tehran airport's flight control center and the pilot of an Iran Aseman Airlines plane, which revealed that the Tehran airport's flight control center knew from the very beginning that the Ukrainian plane UIA was hit by a missile. The air traffic controller learned about the launch of a missile and the blast from the pilot of a plane of a local airline that was preparing to land at the time. A Ukraine International Airlines plane (Flight PS752) heading from Tehran to Kyiv crashed shortly after taking off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport at about 06:00 Tehran time (04:30 Kyiv time) on Wednesday, January 8. There were 176 people on board nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK). On January 11, Iran admitted that its military had accidentally shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps accepted full responsibility for the downing of the Ukrainian airliner. op The Canadian Ambassador to Serbia, Kati Csaba, has said services between Canadas and Serbias largest cities could resume soon. Speaking to Cord magazine, Ms Csaba noted, Our trade colleagues, here at the Embassy and at our ministry in Ottawa, work with many enterprises from Canada and local partners in Serbia to develop stronger economic ties between our countries, and we hope to see more companies flying here for business. Maybe even with a direct flight from Toronto one of these days. The Ambassador previously noted both sides were working on the introduction of flights between the two countries and said services would likely commence in 2020. The Canadian Embassy has held talks with Air Serbia over the past two years concerning flights between Belgrade and Toronto to gauge the companys interest, while Torontos Pearson Airport confirmed it held talks with the Serbian carrier in the past as well. However, since then, a Canadian carrier is believed to have expressed interest in serving Belgrade as Air Serbia has put a greater focus on its short haul operations. "The Air Service Agreement between Serbia and Canada has been signed and it allows us to advance the process of launching flights between Belgrade and Toronto. There is a large Serbian diaspora in Canada, but these flights would also be very useful for the business community, Ms Csaba said. Belgrade Airports operator VINCI noted last year it was "committed to opening new medium and long haul routes from Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport" in the near future. However, it is yet to deliver on that promise. Flights between Serbia and Canada were last operated just over a decade ago by leisure carrier Skyservice, which has since gone bankrupt. During the 1970s and 1980s, JAT Yugoslav Airlines maintained services from Belgrade to Toronto and Montreal. Presently, Zagreb is the only city in the former Yugoslavia linked to Canada though Air Transats and Air Canada Rouges nonstop seasonal summer flights from Toronto. Delhi High Court The four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case on February 2 contended in the Delhi High Court that since they were sentenced to death by a common order, they have to be executed together and cannot be "singled out". The lawyers appearing for the four convicts -- Mukesh Kumar (32), Akshay Singh (31), Vinay Sharma (26) and Pawan Gupta (25) -- told the High Court that some of them cannot be singled out for execution and neither the Centre nor the Delhi government has the power under the rules to do so. The submission was made before Justice Suresh Kumar Kait during hearing of the Centre and Delhi government's joint plea challenging a trial court decision to stay the hanging of the four "till further orders". Senior advocate Rebecca John and advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for Mukesh, told the high court that the petition was not maintainable in view of a recent order by a division bench of the court that the lower court's order has to be challenged in the Supreme Court. The high court's order, that John was referring to, had come while declining to hear Mukesh' plea seeking a stay on the trial court's earlier order to execute all four on January 22. Advocate AP Singh, who appeared for the other three convicts, began his arguments claiming there were facts in the case, like the death of accused Ram Singh, which were not investigated by the police. However, after hearing him on the issue for a few minutes, the court said the arguments were "not relevant" as "trial is over" and the entire case has been decided by the Supreme Court. Subsequently, the court asked him to sit down and thereafter, John commenced arguing. During her arguments, John said, "The death sentence by the trial court was one composite order and it was upheld as such by the high court and the Supreme Court. If the sentence is common, then the execution has to be common. That is what I am seeking". She contended that "bifurcation" of execution of the sentence was not possible under the law. John said the Centre was accusing the convicts of working in tandem to deliberately delay process of law, but "what were they (Centre and Delhi government) doing till now". "They are accusing us of delay. The Centre woke up only two days ago," she said. She also contended that the Centre was never a party in the case proceedings before the trial court. "It was the victim's parents who moved the trial court for issuance of death warrants against the convicts. At no point the central government or the state government approached the trial court to immediately issue death warrants," John contended. She also questioned the "tearing hurry" in filing the instant petition by the Centre and Delhi government and said that they could have waited for a few days more till the mercy pleas as well as other remedies of all the convicts were decided. She said if mercy plea by any of the others is granted by the President, it would amount to a change in circumstance entitling her client to move another mercy plea. "That is why it is important for me (Mukesh) to wait. My fundamental rights are protected. It is guaranteed under the Constitution. You cannot condemn me for using Constitutional provisions. I can do so till the last breath of my life. My rights are protected till I die," she told the court. "I am only asking for a few extra days. No prejudice would be caused to anyone, if we wait. If everything is rejected, date of execution would not be that far away," she said and added, "We do not want a posthumous moral tale to be told later". John also told the high court that the Centre has moved a plea in the Supreme Court seeking clarification whether co-convicts can be executed separately and this petition is pending before the apex court. NASA's Terra satellite saw yet another fire, known as the Orroral Valley Fire, break out in the Canberra region of Australia, specifically in and around the ?Namadgi National Park. In one week, these fires have consumed 62,988 hectares (155,646 acres) according to the Australian Capital Territory Emergency Services Agency as of Feb. 04, 2020 (2:30 am local Australian time). The Department of Defence in Australia has reported that a firefighting helicopter's landing lights created the heat needed to spark the new fire. Since the area is tinder-dry, any bit of heat can provide the ignition for a new blaze. Below is a sliding image showing the true- and false-color images of the fire on Feb. 03, 2020 taken by the Terra satellite using the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument. The dark red-brown color represents areas where the fires have burned the land. NASA/NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite also captured an image of the fires using their Day/Night band on the VIIRS ?(Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instrument. At night the fires can clearly be seen in this image from February 02, 2020. The fire line of the new blaze is extremely close to the city of Canberra, the capital of Australia. This area is under a State of Emergency until at least Sunday. Fire crews have, to date, been able to save all structures in the Australian Capital Territory. NASA's satellite instruments are often the first to detect wildfires burning in remote regions, and the locations of new fires are sent directly to land managers worldwide within hours of the satellite overpass. Together, NASA instruments detect actively burning fires, track the transport of smoke from fires, provide information for fire management, and map the extent of changes to ecosystems, based on the extent and severity of burn scars. NASA has a fleet of Earth-observing instruments, many of which contribute to our understanding of fire in the Earth system. Satellites in orbit around the poles provide observations of the entire planet several times per day, whereas satellites in a geostationary orbit provide coarse-resolution imagery of fires, smoke and clouds every five to 15 minutes. For more information visit: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/missions/index.html ### NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Worldview application provides the capability to interactively browse over 700 global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and then download the underlying data. Many of the available imagery layers are updated within three hours of observation, essentially showing the entire Earth as it looks "right now." Actively burning fires, detected by thermal bands, are shown as red points. Image Courtesy: NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). Caption: Lynn Jenner with information from William Straka III, Researcher from University of Wisconsin - Madison By Park Si-soo A middle-aged South Korean man died on a Vietnamese plane flying to Hanoi from Incheon on Saturday. According to Yonhap News Agency, the incident happened on Vietnam Airlines VN415 at around 8 p.m. two hours after the plane took off from Incheon International Airport. The man, 56, fainted and lost consciousness, according to people on the plane. A doctor on the plane offered emergency treatment for about 30 minutes, but to no avail. With an investigation under way, crew members told police they saw no signs of a health problem when the man boarded the plane. An official at the South Korean embassy in Hanoi said the death had nothing to do with coronavirus. A large number of Pashtuns living in the UK and Europe gathered outside the Pakistan embassy here on Sunday to protest against the arrest of Manzoor Pashteen, a human rights activist and founder of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM). The protesters were seen holding pictures of the PTM leader and banners calling for his release. Manzoor Pashteen was taken into custody in Peshawar along with nine others from his Pashtun Protection Movement on January 26. Pashteen has drawn tens of thousands to rallies in cities around Pakistan accusing the government and army of human rights abuses. Pashtuns living in Pakistan and across the are protesting against the arrest of Manzoor Pashteen. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) leader Amit Shah on Monday claimed former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had promised citizenship to minorities from Pakistan but the Congress is now protesting the amended citizenship law because it is "afraid of its vote bank in Shaheen Bagh". Addressing an election rally in support of the candidate from Rajinder Nagar, R P Singh, he said the February 8 polls were no longer for electing assembly members and a chief minister, but were a contest between two ideologies. "On one hand, there are people who stand with Shaheen Bagh and on the other hand, there are people who enter Pakistan and avenge the death of our soldiers," he said. In his rallies, Shah has been raising the issue of a sit-in by anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh here since December 15, asking people to vote for the to show their disapproval for the stir. On the issue of CAA, he said, "Former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Azad, they all promised to give citizenship to Pakistani minorities whenever they come to India." "But, when I brought in a bill to give citizenship to them, the Congress reneged on its promise and is now protesting the CAA because they are afraid of their vote bank in Shaheen Bagh," he said. "In Shaheen Bagh, the protesters are raising the slogans of 'Jinnah wali azadi'... which freedom are you taking about? India attained Independence in 1947. Now, no one can divide it," Shah said. The home minister alleged that the government protected those who raised anti- slogans at Jawaharlal Nehru University. On Sharjeel Imam's "cut-off-Assam-from-India" remark, Shah said for 12 days, he had been asking Kejriwal if he would give sanction to prosecute the JNU student, but "he hasn't uttered a word". The BJP leader said the Kejriwal government promised to install 15 lakh CCTVs, but only 1.5 lakh could be installed, and that too with the help of the Centre's grant. "Kejriwal promised to deploy commandos in buses (for safety of women). But in reality, he made workers wear commando uniform," he alleged. "He said the Yamuna will be cleaned. I challenged Kejriwal to take a dip in the river at 8 am on Tuesday," he said. Shah also accused the chief of stonewalling the implementation of 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme in the capital and delaying the work to regularise the unauthorised colonies. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union minister Anurag Thakur faced Opposition ire as he rose to speak during the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament on Monday. As the proceedings began in the Lok Sabha, BJP MP from Rajasthans Dausa Jaskaur Meena sought answer from the government about the steps being taken for the welfare in Parliament. As Thakur, the Minister of State for finance, stood up, the Opposition MPs raised their voices and started shouting Goli maarna band karo (stop shooting people) and Bhadkau bhashan band karo (stop inflammatory speeches). The House was adjourned till 1:30 pm following Opposition ruckus. Watch l Anurag Thakur faces opposition ire in Parliament; Owaisi & Cong slam Centre Thakur is a Member of Parliament from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh. Campaigning for his party for Delhi Assembly elections in Rithala last month, Thakur had chanted a provocative slogan: Desh ke Gaddaron ko, goli maaron saalon ko. The rough English translation is shoot the traitors. The Election Commission of India (ECI) had imposed a 72-hour ban on him and put him off the star campaigner list of the BJP. The ECI felt Thakur violated the model code of conduct and the Representatives of Peoples Act - the election law - by making controversial statement, which political rivals allege, are divisive and communally rhetoric. In his explanation, Thakur had told the ECI that the slogan attributed to him was never uttered by the Union minister and that there was no intention on his part to create or promote enmity between religious groups, caste or community. It was the crowd that responded with the remark goli maron saalon ko to his slogan Desh ke gaddaro ko..., which literally means the traitor of the country, he said. Rejecting the response, ECI concluded that Thakur made undesirable and objectionable statements, which has the tone and tenor to aggravate differences or create mutual hatred between different religious groups. The the fraught situation in Delhi ahead of the Assembly elections on February 8, the Opposition leaders had said that such provocative speeches resulted in incidents like firing at protesters near Jamia Millia Islamia University last week, who were demonstrating against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA. The incident took place as hundreds of students were gathering for a march to Raj Ghat on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (on January 30) as part of an anti-CAA protest. At around 1.30 pm, multiple eyewitnesses said that the teenager was spotted walking towards the students, brandishing a gold-coloured countrymade pistol and shouting provocative slogans. He also fired a shot, injuring a Jamia student. The minor attacker appeared before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), which sent the 17-year-old to 28-day protective custody on Friday. Colombo, Feb 3 : Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has ordered a probe into alleged financial irregularities in the transaction between SriLankan Airlines and Airbus following reports that the multinational aircraft manufacturer paid massive bribes to executives of the flag carrier to secure contracts. The President's Office said on Sunday that Rajapaksa ordered a comprehensive investigation immediately covering all aspects of the alleged transaction that took place in 2013, reports the Colombo Page newspaper. According to disclosures in courts in Washington, Paris and London, Airbus for years conducted a "massive scheme to offer and pay bribes" involving very senior executives in 16 countries including Sri Lanka's ailing flag carrier. Airbus employees offered up to $16.84 million to influence SriLankan Airlines' purchase of 10 aircraft and the lease of an additional four planes to an intermediary company registered in Brunei under the wife of an executive at SriLankan Airlines. Airbus had paid out $2 million of the agreed amount to the company, the Colombo Page report said. In 2017, Sri Lanka paid $98 million in penalties for cancelling the order in 2016 and returning four A350 'extra wide-body' aircraft that is specifically designed for long haul routes and unsuitable for the airline's business model. Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International Sri Lanka Director Asoka Obeyesekere said that the fallout from the A350 deal was widely reported to have cost the country in excess of $94 million in cancellation penalties, called for action both internationally and locally to ensure that Airbus and its agents were held accountable for losses inflicted on the island nation. Last week, Airbus announced that it has agreed to pay combined penalties of more than $3.9 billion to resolve foreign bribery charges with authorities in the US, France and the UK. Meanwhile, Chairman of SriLankan Airlines has advised the management of the national carrier to cooperate with any government agency in the investigations. DUBLIN, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN) announced today its Be The Difference philanthropic program supporting children and their families who may benefit from treatment with BOTOX (onabotulinumtoxinA) for pediatric upper limb spasticity. BOTOX is approved to treat increased muscle stiffness in children 2 to 17 years of age with upper limb spasticity. BOTOX Cosmetic is approved for three aesthetic indications and BOTOX is approved for 11 therapeutic indications in the U.S. During the month of February, every BOTOX Cosmetic treatment recorded in Brilliant Distinctions, Allergan's loyalty reward program, will help Allergan contribute up to a total of $500,000 to Foundations that help children across the country. Be The Difference will generate awareness and support children and their caregivers seeking advancement in pediatric neurological care, while providing loyal aesthetic patients with an opportunity to support an organization in their area. In addition to supporting these Foundations by receiving a BOTOX Cosmetic treatment, patients can choose to further their contributions to the campaign by donating their Brilliant Distinctions points. "Many people are familiar with the uses for BOTOX Cosmetic, however most are not familiar with all the therapeutic uses of BOTOX, particularly for children suffering with upper limb spasticity. Through the Be the Difference program, consumers who get treatment with BOTOX Cosmetic will support Foundations that help children," says Carrie Strom, Senior Vice President, Allergan US Medical Aesthetics. "BOTOX and BOTOX Cosmetic have 14 total indications in the U.S. three aesthetic indications for BOTOX Cosmetic and 11 indications for therapeutic treatment with BOTOX. We are proud of how many ways these products and our research can help people." In June 2019, BOTOX became the first neurotoxin FDA-approved to treat upper limb spasticity, or muscle stiffness, in children 2 to 17 years of age. Several months later, BOTOX was approved by the FDA for the treatment of muscle stiffness in children 2 to 17 years of age with lower limb spasticity, excluding spasticity caused by cerebral palsy. "As a cosmetic surgeon, I have been treating my patients with BOTOX Cosmetic for more than 17 years in my practice, however I am also a father of two children who suffer from severe upper limb spasticity due to cerebral palsy and have seen firsthand the benefits of BOTOX used for a therapeutic indication. My aesthetic patients are surprised to learn that BOTOX is approved for children with upper limb spasticity," said Dr. Joseph Niamtu III, DMD, a cosmetic facial surgeon. "Staying informed about the resources available and connected to the healthcare organizations treating pediatric upper limb spasticity has been crucial in determining the right treatment course for my boys. I applaud the Be The Difference program as it will help these Foundations that are so crucial in helping parents provide their children with the care they need." Participating Foundations that help children include: Children's Hospital of Orange County ( Orange, Calif. ) ( ) Children's Specialized Hospital ( New Brunswick, N.J. ) ) Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center ( Cincinnati ) ) Dell Children's Medical Center ( Austin, Texas ) ) Nicklaus Children's Hospital ( Miami ) ) Rady Children's Hospital ( San Diego ) ) Shirley Ryan AbilityLab ( Chicago ) ) UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals ( Oakland, Calif. ) This past December, Allergan celebrated the 30th anniversary of BOTOX since its FDA approval in 1989 for two rare eye disorders, blepharospasm and strabismus in adults. This milestone year marked the 14th FDA-approved indication, and the worldwide distribution of over 100 million vials of BOTOX and BOTOX Cosmetic combined. BOTOX Cosmetic is the only treatment of its kind that is FDA approved for temporary improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe crow's feet, frown lines, and forehead lines in adults. Allergan cares about patients and their caregivers and is focused on supporting programs that improve the health and well-being of our communities. In 2019, BOTOX Cosmetic donated $500,000 to various breast cancer organizations. Additionally, since 1998 the Allergan Foundation has donated $95 million to a wide range of global philanthropic organizations. By visiting www.SmallActofKindness.com patients can join the Be The Difference movement by donating their Brilliant Distinctions points to the organizations of their choice. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION BOTOX and BOTOX Cosmetic may cause serious side effects that can be life threatening. Get medical help right away if you have any of these problems any time (hours to weeks) after injection of BOTOX or BOTOX Cosmetic: Problems swallowing, speaking, or breathing, due to weakening of associated muscles, can be severe and result in loss of life. You are at the highest risk if these problems are pre-existing before injection. Swallowing problems may last for several months Spread of toxin effects. The effect of botulinum toxin may affect areas away from the injection site and cause serious symptoms including: loss of strength and all-over muscle weakness, double vision, blurred vision and drooping eyelids, hoarseness or change or loss of voice, trouble saying words clearly, loss of bladder control, trouble breathing, and trouble swallowing There has not been a confirmed serious case of spread of toxin effect away from the injection site when BOTOX has been used at the recommended dose to treat chronic migraine, severe underarm sweating, blepharospasm, strabismus, or when BOTOX Cosmetic has been used at the recommended dose to treat frown lines, crow's feet lines, and/or forehead lines. Indications BOTOX is a prescription medicine that is injected into muscles and used: To treat overactive bladder symptoms such as a strong need to urinate with leaking or wetting accidents, a strong need to urinate right away, and urinating often in adults 18 years and older when another type of medicine (anticholinergic) does not work well enough or cannot be taken To treat leakage of urine (incontinence) in adults 18 years and older with overactive bladder caused by a neurologic disease who still have leakage or cannot tolerate the side effects after trying an anticholinergic medication To prevent headaches in adults with chronic migraine who have 15 or more days each month with headache lasting 4 or more hours each day in people 18 years or older To treat increased muscle stiffness in elbow, wrist, finger, thumb, ankle, and toe muscles in people 18 years and older with upper and lower limb spasticity To treat increased muscle stiffness in children 2 to 17 years of age with upper limb spasticity To treat increased muscle stiffness in children 2 to 17 years of age with lower limb spasticity, excluding spasticity caused by cerebral palsy To treat the abnormal head position and neck pain that happens with cervical dystonia (CD) in people 16 years and older To treat certain types of eye muscle problems (strabismus) or abnormal spasm of the eyelids (blepharospasm) in people 12 years and older BOTOX is also injected into the skin to treat the symptoms of severe underarm sweating (severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis) when medicines used on the skin (topical) do not work well enough in people 18 years and older. BOTOX Cosmetic is a prescription medicine that is injected into muscles and used to temporarily improve the look of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows, crow's feet lines, and forehead lines in adults. It is not known whether BOTOX and BOTOX Cosmetic are safe or effective to prevent headaches in patients with migraine who have 14 or fewer headache days each month (episodic migraine). It is not known whether BOTOX is safe or effective to treat increased stiffness in upper limb muscles other than those in the elbow, wrist, fingers, and thumb, or in lower limb muscles other than those in the ankle and toes in people 18 years and older. BOTOX has not been shown to help people perform task-specific functions with their upper limbs or increase movement in joints that are permanently fixed in position by stiff muscles. It is not known whether BOTOX and BOTOX Cosmetic are safe or effective for other types of muscle spasms or for severe sweating anywhere other than your armpits. It is not known if BOTOX Cosmetic is safe or effective for use more than 1 time every 3 months. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION (continued) BOTOX and BOTOX Cosmetic may cause loss of strength or general muscle weakness, vision problems, or dizziness within hours to weeks of taking BOTOX and BOTOX Cosmetic. If this happens, do not drive a car, operate machinery, or do other dangerous activities. Do not receive BOTOX or BOTOX Cosmetic if you: are allergic to any of its ingredients (see Medication Guide for ingredients); had an allergic reaction to any other botulinum toxin product such as Myobloc (rimabotulinumtoxinB), Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA), or Xeomin (incobotulinumtoxinA); have a skin infection at the planned injection site. Do not receive BOTOX for the treatment of urinary incontinence if you: have a urinary tract infection (UTI) or cannot empty your bladder on your own and are not routinely catheterizing. Due to the risk of urinary retention (not being able to empty the bladder), only patients who are willing and able to initiate catheterization post-treatment, if required, should be considered for treatment. Patients treated for overactive bladder: In clinical trials, 36 of the 552 patients had to self-catheterize for urinary retention following treatment with BOTOX compared to 2 of the 542 treated with placebo. Patients with diabetes mellitus treated with BOTOX were more likely to develop urinary retention than nondiabetics. Patients treated for overactive bladder due to neurologic disease: In clinical trials, 30.6% of patients (33/108) who were not using clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) prior to injection, required catheterization for urinary retention following treatment with BOTOX 200 Units as compared to 6.7% of patients (7/104) treated with placebo. The median duration of post-injection catheterization for these patients treated with BOTOX 200 Units (n = 33) was 289 days (minimum 1 day to maximum 530 days) as compared to a median duration of 358 days (minimum 2 days to maximum 379 days) for patients receiving placebo (n = 7). Among patients not using CIC at baseline, those with MS were more likely to require CIC post-injection than those with SCI. The dose of BOTOX and BOTOX Cosmetic is not the same as, or comparable to, any other botulinum toxin product. Serious and/or immediate allergic reactions have been reported, including itching, rash, red itchy welts, wheezing, asthma symptoms, or dizziness or feeling faint. Get medical help right away if you experience symptoms; further injection of BOTOX or BOTOX Cosmetic should be discontinued. Tell your doctor about all your muscle or nerve conditions such as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome, as you may be at increased risk of serious side effects including difficulty swallowing and difficulty breathing from typical doses of BOTOX or BOTOX Cosmetic. Tell your doctor if you have any breathing-related problems. Your doctor may monitor you for breathing problems during treatment with BOTOX for adult spasticity or for detrusor overactivity associated with a neurologic condition. The risk of developing lung disease in patients with reduced lung function is increased in patients receiving BOTOX. Cornea problems have been reported. Cornea (surface of the eye) problems have been reported in some people receiving BOTOX for their blepharospasm, especially in people with certain nerve disorders. BOTOX may cause the eyelids to blink less, which could lead to the surface of the eye being exposed to air more than is usual. Tell your doctor if you experience any problems with your eyes while receiving BOTOX. Your doctor may treat your eyes with drops, ointments, contact lenses, or with an eye patch. Bleeding behind the eye has been reported. Bleeding behind the eyeball has been reported in some people receiving BOTOX for their strabismus. Tell your doctor if you notice any new visual problems while receiving BOTOX. Bronchitis and upper respiratory tract infections (common colds) have been reported. Bronchitis was reported more frequently in adults receiving BOTOX for upper limb spasticity. Upper respiratory infections were also reported more frequently in adults with prior breathing related problems with spasticity. In pediatric patients treated with BOTOX for upper limb spasticity, upper respiratory tract infections were reported more frequently. In pediatric patients treated with BOTOX for lower limb spasticity, upper respiratory tract infection was not reported with an incidence greater than placebo. Autonomic dysreflexia in patients treated for overactive bladder due to neurologic disease. Autonomic dysreflexia associated with intradetrusor injections of BOTOX could occur in patients treated for detrusor overactivity associated with a neurologic condition and may require prompt medical therapy. In clinical trials, the incidence of autonomic dysreflexia was greater in patients treated with BOTOX 200 Units compared with placebo (1.5% versus 0.4%, respectively). Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you: have or have had bleeding problems; have plans to have surgery; had surgery on your face; weakness of forehead muscles; trouble raising your eyebrows; drooping eyelids; any other abnormal facial change; have symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI) and are being treated for urinary incontinence (symptoms of a urinary tract infection may include pain or burning with urination, frequent urination, or fever); have problems emptying your bladder on your own and are being treated for urinary incontinence; are pregnant or plan to become pregnant (it is not known if BOTOX or BOTOX Cosmetic can harm your unborn baby); are breastfeeding or plan to (it is not known if BOTOX or BOTOX Cosmetic passes into breast milk). Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using BOTOX or BOTOX Cosmetic with certain other medicines may cause serious side effects. Do not start any new medicines until you have told your doctor that you have received BOTOX or BOTOX Cosmetic in the past. Tell your doctor if you have received any other botulinum toxin product in the last 4 months; have received injections of botulinum toxin such as Myobloc, Dysport, or Xeomin in the past (tell your doctor exactly which product you received); have recently received an antibiotic injection; take muscle relaxants; take allergy or cold medicines; take sleep medicine; take aspirin-like products or blood thinners. Other side effects of BOTOX and BOTOX Cosmetic include: dry mouth, discomfort or pain at injection site, tiredness, headache, neck pain, eye problems: double vision, blurred vision, decreased eyesight, drooping eyelids, swelling of your eyelids, dry eyes; drooping eyebrows; and upper respiratory tract infection. In people being treated for urinary incontinence other side effects include: urinary tract infection, painful urination, and/or inability to empty your bladder on your own. If you have difficulty fully emptying your bladder after receiving BOTOX, you may need to use disposable self-catheters to empty your bladder up to a few times each day until your bladder is able to start emptying again. For more information refer to the Medication Guide or talk with your doctor. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Please see BOTOX full Product Information , including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide . Please see BOTOX Cosmetic full Product Information , including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide . About Allergan plc Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a global pharmaceutical leader focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing branded pharmaceutical, device, biologic, surgical and regenerative medicine products for patients around the world. Allergan markets a portfolio of leading brands and best-in-class products primarily focused on four key therapeutic areas including medical aesthetics, eye care, central nervous system and gastroenterology. As part of its approach to delivering innovation for better patient care, Allergan has built one of the broadest pharmaceutical and device research and development pipelines in the industry. With colleagues and commercial operations located in approximately 100 countries, Allergan is committed to working with physicians, healthcare providers and patients to deliver innovative and meaningful treatments that help people around the world live longer, healthier lives every day. For more information, visit Allergan's website at www.Allergan.com . Forward-Looking Statement Statements contained in this press release that refer to future events or other non-historical facts are forward-looking statements that reflect Allergan's current perspective on existing trends and information as of the date of this release. Actual results may differ materially from Allergan's current expectations depending upon a number of factors affecting Allergan's business. These factors include, among others, the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of FDA approvals or actions, if any; the impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance of and continued demand for Allergan's products; the impact of uncertainty around timing of generic entry related to key products, including RESTASIS, on our financial results; risks associated with divestitures, acquisitions, mergers and joint ventures; risks related to impairments; uncertainty associated with financial projections, projected cost reductions, projected debt reduction, projected synergies, restructurings, increased costs, and adverse tax consequences; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Allergan's periodic public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to Allergan's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and Allergan's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2019. Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. CONTACTS: Allergan: Investors: Manisha Narasimhan, PhD (862) 261-7488 Media: Ember Garrett (714) 246-3525 SOURCE Allergan plc Related Links http://www.Allergan.com Pakistan's government on Monday postponed its decision on whether to lift a ban on a movie that had offended hard-line Islamists in this Muslim-majority country, after asking a high council of clerics to weigh in on the film. The Islamists had raised allegations of blasphemy over the film, "Zindagi Tamasha, or Circus of Life," by Pakistani director Sarmad Khosat, which was to be released in late January. Its debut was scrapped by the Punjab provincial government's information office, following objections from the Tehreek-e-Labbaik party and its followers. Their claims drew attention again to Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law, which carries an automatic death sentence for a conviction of insulting Islam. There have been widespread complaints that the law is used to settle scores and intimidate religious minorities. The party's supporters argued the movie contains blasphemous content and could spread hatred against people of faith. Party leader Khadim Rizvi threatened to hold nationwide protests on January 24, the day the film was originally set to open in local cinemas. Raja Jehangir Anwar, the Punjab government spokesman, said a special government committee postponed a meeting scheduled for Monday to examine the ban. The fate of the movie was referred to the country's Council of Islamic Ideology, a constitutional body that advises the government and legislature. It was unclear when the council would deliver its opinion. The film's director, Khosat, has denied the allegations against the movie. He was asked by authorities to appear before the special government committee - which includes officials from the Central Board of Film Censors and a representative of Tehreek-e-Labbaik - to answer questions about his movie. The film's storyline focuses on a conservative, devout Muslim businessman, Mohammad Rahat Khawaj, whose life unravels after a video of him watching a woman dance at a wedding is posted online and goes viral. His family is ashamed of him and he faces taunts from radical Islamists wherever he goes. The controversy over the film also underscores the deepening divisions in Pakistani society in which Islamist parties have become more vocal in recent years. Some observers point out that both proponents and critics of the film in Pakistan had based their opinions solely on a two-minute promotional trailer showing a bearded student, similar to those attending religious schools or madrassas, having a heated argument with the main character, Khawaj, before beating him. Tehreek-e-Labbaik was also angered by a scene in the movie of an angry mob chanting its popular slogan, used at party rallies to defend blasphemy laws. The party says the film was also an attempt to tarnish its image. The director declined to comment to The Associated Press, saying he had said everything he wanted to say in letters to Pakistani President Arif Alvi, Khan and army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, which he shared on Twitter in January. "I did not make (the movie) to hurt, offend or malign anyone," Khosat tweeted, adding that, as an artist, the last thing I'd ever want to achieve through my artistic expression is anarchy or hatred. No! That's not what an artist does. Or at least I don't." "There is nothing offensive or malicious in the film," he said in the letter to the president. The space for rational and artistic thinking and expression must not be annexed by a few troublemakers for their political end but I fear this is what will happen if we buckle under this time." Khosat had received Pakistan's prestigious President's Award for Pride of Performance in 2017 in recognition of his work as an artist. He directed an earlier film, Manto," and played a key role in movie Motorcycle Girl." He has also done television work. Last year, ahead of its debut at home, "Zindagi Tamasha won the coveted Kim Ji-seok Award at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, drawing praise from the film community in Pakistan. Pakistan's film industry has seen a decades-long decline, mainly blamed on poor scripts and lack of technological advances used by film producers, compared to neighboring India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Irish firms are being invited to join a special conference to learn about the growing business opportunities across Portugal. The Portugal Conference will be staged at the Clayton Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin, tomorrow between 9.30am and 5pm. The event is being led by the IPBN (Ireland Portugal Business Network) with a series of partners including Portuguese inward investment agency AICEP, Invest Lisboa and Enterprise Ireland who support exporters to the Portuguese market. Headline speakers include PwC Portugal, Edge law firm, AICEP and Invest Lisboa and also Blevins Franks international tax and wealth management advisers. IPBN chair Aoife Healy said delegates will gain essential knowledge about trading in Portugal during this crucial moment when Britain is leaving the EU and also the Mercosur trade deal with South American countries, including Portuguese speaking Brazil, is looming. A team of experts will deliver a series of presentations including legal structures and requirements of setting up in Portugal, a brief assessment of the office space availability in Portugal and the long-term financial planning and tax treatment for overseas companies. It will also examine attractive tax incentives including the NHR (Non-Habitual Residents) scheme for senior managers and skilled employees. A series of case study presentations will further illustrate Irish business successes in Portugal. "Ireland enjoys huge success across the globe delivering a big impact to many evolving industries, in-particular high-tech industries such as fintech, medtech, high-tech construction, agrotech ICT," Healy says. "There will always be a concerted effort to promote our agrifood and tourism sectors, which are Irelands two biggest export commodities, driving employment in rural areas." She added, "In the post-Brexit era we must continue to foster strong partnerships with our EU neighbours where there remains major potential to increase trade and investment. Portugal is a fast-expanding market with a large demand for professionals, services and firms bringing innovation and change. There are many other benefits including excellent travel connectivity and zero tariffs and customs procedures between Irish and Portuguese imports and exports." Source: www.businessworld.ie The filmmakers behind "Midway" harnessed all the modern computer and camera tricks developed for superhero and sci-fi movies and used them to tell the real-life story of perhaps the most important naval battle of World War II. If you missed it in theaters, "Midway" is out this week on digital and will follow on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on Feb. 18. The Battle of Midway began on June 4, 1942, and continued until June 7. It represented the first great American victory of the War in the Pacific after a string of bad news for U.S. forces, starting with the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Midway was the first step in a three-year campaign to win the war against Japan. Director Roland Emmerich is known for patriotic action pictures such as "The Patriot," "Independence Day" and "White House Down." He's also a master of movie FX and realized that the technology finally existed for him to recreate the excitement of battle in a way that would resonate with audiences raised on Avengers and Transformers movies. Most of the film was shot on a giant soundstage in Canada. We've got a behind-the-scenes clip that shows just how they recreated planes and carriers from 1942. We paid a lot of attention to "Midway" when it was released in theaters last year. Check out some of our best articles: Keep Up With the Best in Military Entertainment Whether you're looking for news and entertainment, thinking of joining the military or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to the Military.com newsletter to have military news, updates and resources delivered straight to your inbox. Jill Biden said Monday that she doesn't consider Lindsey Graham her friend anymore after he's said 'so many negative things' about husband Joe Biden and her step son Hunter during the impeachment proceedings. When CNN anchor John Berman brought up the Republican senator from South Carolina, Biden said she and Joe 'did' consider him a friend. Berman pushed on the past tense answer: 'We did?' 'Well, you know, Lindsey I don't know what happened to Lindsey,' Biden said in her interview on New Day Monday morning in Iowa. 'We used to be great friends, and friends with John McCain. I mean, we traveled together with the Foreign Relations Committee, we've had dinner, you know.' 'And now he's changed,' she said in reference to Graham's stance on the impeachment trial. Jill Biden, wife to Democratic candidate Joe Biden, said Monday that they are no longer friends with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham after the 'negative things' he's said about their family during the impeachment proceedings 'I don't know what happened to Lindsey,' Jill said in an an interview with CNN from Iowa Monday morning. She added that he has 'changed' Graham has suggested that Joe Biden's surviving son and Jill's step son, Hunter, testify before the Senate in a separate investigation into potential corruption in Ukraine Graham and Biden were once close friends, as Jill referenced in her interview, talking about their travels and dinners together. But that has changed as Graham has become a staunch defender of Trump in the impeachment trial "We used to be great friends... And now he's changed," says Jill Biden, wife of Joe Biden, about Sen. Lindsey Graham's stance on the impeachment trial. "It's hard when you consider somebody a friend and they've said so many negative things. That's been a little hurtful." pic.twitter.com/tjR1JsFrDJ New Day (@NewDay) February 3, 2020 'Do you consider him a friend anymore?' Berman asked. 'You know, it's hard when you I don't know consider somebody a friend and then they've said so many things so many negative things. And that's been a little hurtful,' she said. Graham, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee and is chairman of the Judiciary Committee, suggested that Hunter, who worked on the board of Ukrainian natural energy firm Burisma Holdings from 2014-2019, should testify in a separate investigation into the Bidens dealings in Ukraine. Biden was asked about this during her appearance Monday. 'Hunter has done nothing wrong,' she laughed through her answer. 'Why would Hunter be called? Donald Trump should be before that committee.' Jill is campaigning alongside her husband in Iowa ahead of the first-in-the-nation caucus Monday night. Graham, who was once friends with the Bidens, is a staunch defender of the president and has opposed impeachment since its inception in September. And since the genesis of the impeachment inquiry centers on an issue involving Hunter and Joe, it only makes sense that they have sparred with the president and his defenders like Graham. While Graham has opposed calling witnesses in the impeachment trial in general, he has expressed he's open to a separate investigation into potential Ukraine corruption involving the Bidens business dealings there. Hunter Biden has found himself at the center of impeachment after Trump's infamous call centered on the former vice president's son's position on the board of a Ukrainian natural gas firm from 2014-2019 Joe Biden defended his son in an interview that aired Monday morning on the Today Show. 'It's a good thing that no one's found anything wrong with his dealing with Ukraine except they say it sets a bad image,' Biden told NBC's Savannah Guthrie. Biden then charged the reporter with not knowing what she's talking about when it came to his son's position with the Ukrainian firm. 'Do you think it was wrong from him to take that position' 'No,' he prematurely answered. 'knowing that it was really because that company wanted access to you?' Guthrie finished her question. 'Well that's not true. You're saying things you do not know what you're talking about. No one said that. Who said that? Who said that?' Biden lashed out at Guthrie. 'Don't you think that it's just one of those things where people think, 'Well that seems kind of sleazy. Why would he have that job if not for who his father was?' Guthrie pushed. 'He's a very bright guy,' Biden hit back, but admitted he could see the 'appearance' was off. 'Well, he said he regretted having done it,' Biden continued of his son. 'Speak for himself. He's a grown man.' Joe Biden also asserted in an interview that aired Monday morning that the only thing 'wrong' with his son's position on a Ukrainian natural gas firm was that it 'sets a bad image' Jill is in Iowa alongside her husband campaigning in the first-in-the-nation primary contest Monday night Biden has come under scrutiny following revelations of Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelesnky. Trump insists nothing improper was discussed on the call, and instead says he was urging the Eastern European country to investigate potential corruption stemming from Hunter Biden's past board position with Ukrainian natural gas firm, Burisma Holdings. Hunter assumed the post in 2014, when his father was still serving as Barack Obama's vice president. He left the firm in 2019. In the weeks leading up to the trial, Trump and his allies have tried to keep the focus on Biden's surviving son, who landed a job earning a reported $50,000 per month, despite a lack of experience in the area. A 25-year-old woman teaching at a college in Maharashtra's Wardha district was set ablaze by a stalker on Monday morning, police said. The victim, Ankita Pisudde, a resident of Daroda village in Wardha, suffered 40 per cent burns and inhalation injuries and has been admitted to a hospital in Nagpur where she is battling for life, he said. The accused, Vikesh Nagrale (27), who was the victim's friend till two years back before she severed ties with him, has been arrested, the official said. The incident took place around 7.15 am when the woman alighted from a state transport bus in Hingnaghat town of Wardha, located about 75 km from here, to get to the college. At that time, Nagrale came up to her, doused her with petrol that he took out from his two-wheeler, and set her ablaze before running away from the spot, Hingnaghat police station inspector Satyaveer Bandiwar said. "Some passers-by poured water on the woman and rushed her to a nearby primary health centre from where she was shifted to Orange City Hospital in Nagpur. She has suffered 40 per cent burns," the official said. The hospital authorities later released a bulletin, stating that the woman suffered "grade II deep dermal burns covering scalp, face, right upper limb, left hand, upper back, full neck with approximation of 40 per cent burns with inhalation injuries affecting respiratory system also." Nagrale, who fled the scene of crime, was nabbed from Takalghat village and charged under Indian Penal Code Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means, Wardha Superintendent of Police Basavaraj Teli said. The accused was a friend of the victim till two years ago, but she broke ties with him due to his "irrational behaviour", Bandiwar said. "Nagrale, also from Daroda village, is a married man and has a seven-month-old son. He works at a firm in Balharshah. He used to stalk the woman. He had even tried to commit suicide last year, though no complaint was lodged at that time," the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 1619, my ass, New York Times By Greg Strange Is there any reason for the lingering existence of the New York Times other than to endlessly denigrate and undermine the United States of America? Any casual perusal of its unobjective pages reveals its devotion to leftist ideology above any concern for truth or accuracy. And leftist ideology demands the destruction of the United States as we have known it. Part of that task is to taint Americas history in order to delegitimize its present, making it all the more necessary to fundamentally transform the country. Therefore, all of history is the Times ideological playground. And what the New York Times is to history, a demolition derby is to driving, or a bull to a china shop. To that end, the Times just last year hatched its inglorious 1619 Project. Its all part of their interminable effort to delegitimize the country by claiming that the founding of the country actually occurred in 1619 and was based primarily on the stolen labor of slaves. So, the basic, heartfelt message from the New York Times is: Happy 400th anniversary, America! You suck! So, what exactly happened in the year 1619? Well, a boat that was carrying some 20 African slaves landed on the coast of what was at that time the British colony of Virginia and guess what? According to the New York Times, that was the first time slaves had been brought to America and therefore was the beginning of the system of slavery on which the country was built. Theres just one thing wrong with this supposed 400th anniversary story that has the Times so giddy. Those slaves had actually been part of a larger group that was being transported not to Virginia, but to Mexico by a Portuguese slave ship. That ship was then attacked by English privateers near Veracruz who were probably looking for gold or silver, but settled for a few slaves, which they ended up taking to Virginia. So the whole thing was nothing more than happenstance. It wasnt as if some Englishmen sailed to Africa, loaded up with slaves and then took them to Virginia, whereupon they declared, Okay, lets start us up a country and base it on slavery! But according to the New York Times, 1619 was it, baby, that was when it all began in a singular act of racist imperialism by white slaveholders. See, the beginning of the country was not in 1775 at Concord with the shot heard round the world. Nor was it in 1776 in Philadelphia with the Declaration of Independence. And it wasnt in 1789 when the United States Constitution, the greatest political document in history, took effect. No, no, no, says the New York Times. It was in 1619 with this utterly inconsequential event that nobody ever heard of. Of course, this is a sick, stupid, leftist point of view. The United States was no more founded on, or built on, slavery than was any other civilization in world history. Slavery was a feature of its early life, just as it was a feature of life in virtually every civilization throughout human history. There is nothing remarkable or uniquely evil about that. Despite any of that, the 1619 Project was launched, beginning with the idea of a single issue of the New York Times Magazine being devoted to the concept. To no ones surprise, though, and given the intemperate enthusiasm of the participants, it quickly developed into a full-fledged, open-ended project which goes on until . . . forever, maybe? In any case, in that first issue of the New York Times Magazine was a series of essays, a few titles of which are presented here to give a flavor of what it was all about:: American Capitalism is Brutal. You Can Trace That to the Plantation. Why is Everyone Always Stealing Black Music? Why Doesnt America Have Universal Healthcare? One word: Race. How Segregation Caused Your Traffic Jam. Why American Prisons Owe Their Cruelty to Slavery. Get the picture? Sixteen-nineteen, 2019, it doesnt really matter. America is still racist to the core. But lets talk about slavery for a moment. All one has to do is consult Wikipedia or any of the other myriad sources on the history of slavery to see that it existed throughout history all around the world, including Mother Africa, where tribes enslaved each other and even today is one of the regions most rife with contemporary slavery. Do you think that will be emphasized in the 1619 Project? Of course not, because that would clash with the idea that black people are somehow morally superior to whites simply because they were once enslaved by them hundreds of years ago. (Millions of black Africans were also enslaved by Muslims, but lets just keep that hush-hush since it would be Islamophobic to even mention it.) Continuing with a simple Internet search on the history of slavery that any child could perform (but not, apparently, the New York Times). . . Well, look at this. In an article by Henry Louis Gates Jr. esteemed African-American historian, scholar and filmmaker are some numbers on how many Africans were transported across the Atlantic as part of the slave trade and what countries they were taken to. Turns out that only a tiny percentage was brought to America. Here are some specifics: America received about 388,000 and Brazil received whoa, just under five million! Thats well over ten times as many! If your only source of information is left-wing propaganda like the New York Times, you might be shocked at such lopsided numbers because you probably thought that America was the worst slaveholding country in history. In reality, it wasnt even close, but it was one of the first to end slavery, fighting a very bloody war to that purpose. Meanwhile, back in Mother Africa, right now, today, theyre still trying to stamp it out. And by the way, just to get something straight . . . This country was not built on slavery or built by slaves or any other similar leftist iteration. Picking cotton is not equivalent to building the country. The southern part of the country that held onto slavery the longest was hopelessly backward compared to the north, where the country was actually built through industry, invention and innovation. In fact, it was built so well that it eventually became the number one destination for guess who? oppressed and poor peoples of color the world over. Thats right, for the past bunch of decades the overwhelming majority of our immigration has come from the Third World and they continue to flock here like theres no tomorrow. Will there be any essays in the Times to explore why that is if America is so irredeemably racist? How about an essay dealing with the 70%+ illegitimacy rate in the black community which has nothing to do with the legacy of slavery, but is the single biggest cause of social pathology, economic failure and lawlessness? And will there be any essay about rap/hip-hop culture that self-destructively, and unapologetically, celebrates vulgarity, stupidity, misogyny and criminality? In other words, will there be any essays that say anything at all about a people holding itself responsible for anything whatsoever that has gone wrong? Or will it just be endless carping about 1619 and slavery and white people bad, black people unassailably blameless? Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, an integral part of the 1619 Project is to get this distorted, propagandistic version of our history into the schools, starting with kindergarten, where children can be brainwashed in between nap time and learning the ABCs. From the viewpoint of the Times youre never too young to start hating your country! The 1619 Project is a deplorable project of destructive leftist lies and distortions. It will only contribute to senselessly keeping the country torn apart with inappropriate racial grievance long after the original cause of that grievance is over. Its all the more infuriating that the Times pushes this in a country that has done more than any other in human history to change from and atone for the wrongs of the past, none of which, by the way, are unique to America, or white people, but are universal failings due to the fallen state of man. If the New York Times is still around in 2119, will this be how it celebrates the supposed 500th anniversary? Unless good people with traditional values rise up and vociferously fight back against the relentless barrage of leftist lies about Americas past and present, the answer is a resounding, Yes! Greg Strange can be reached at gpstrange30341@yahoo.com. (c) 2020 Greg Strange. Home Fine Gael has said the party is seen by voters as the porridge on the cereal shelf as it seeks to turn around its fortunes in the final week of the General Election campaign. Director of elections Paschal Donohoe said the party will be appealing to voters not to vote for change for changes sake. Sinn Fein has surged into first place in the Irish General Election race, an opinion poll of voters suggested. The party could earn the support of a quarter of all those likely to cast their ballots, according to an Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI survey. Fine Gael, the party which has led Irelands coalition governments for almost decade, was predicted to finish third with the backing of a fifth of the electorate, the Irish Times poll said. I took my soapbox and Fine Gaels message to Henry Street yesterday weve delivered change, well deliver more, but please reflect on whats been offered by others and what it could mean for you on Feb 8th #PaschalsSoapBox #LookForward pic.twitter.com/qGOcjMstHa Paschal Donohoe (@Paschald) February 3, 2020 Mr Donohoe said Fine Gael will fight back this week and will spend the final week of the campaign emphasising that not all change can be risk-free and not all change can be positive. This week we are going to try and drag the election back to where we believe it should be, a discussion about who has the realistic and deliverable policies to deliver a change in approach and a new direction for our country, he said. Our hope is debate will move beyond the relentless negativity of Fianna Fails Project Fear and the fantasy policies of Sinn Fein. Richard Bruton said Fine Gael is thought of by voters as the porridge on the cereal shelf as it seeks to do serious work in Government. Richard Bruton says Fine Gael are often viewed as the porridge on the cereal shelf but they plan to stage a fight back this week #GE2020 pic.twitter.com/Mhk5uVQwFf Aine McMahon (@AineMcMahon) February 3, 2020 Mr Donohoe said while he understands the public appetite for change, he urged them to stick with Fine Gael. What we are going to be doing as we head into the final week of the campaign is emphasising in our manifesto and in the plans that we have published that we have recognised the progress that has been made in our country due to the sacrifices of the Irish people. We will be making the claim to the Irish people that change is happening and we are ambitious for more change to happen. We will be building on what we have already done, acknowledging what needs to be done, and we will be unapologetic in challenging other parties that are putting forward mantras of change. In offering these mantras of change, Fianna Fail are putting forward their worst hits of their recent past, and what Sinn Fein are offering is the kind of ideas that will do such harm to workers income, to wages and to their jobs. Launching a plan for climate action, Fine Gael said two billion euro of the carbon tax fund would be ring-fenced for retrofitting homes and insulation. We are taking the lead on climate action. We will move to 70% renewable electricity, invest more in public transport and cut down on plastic waste. This Saturday, vote Fine Gael. To find out more, visit https://t.co/AcPpTZ7fQE #LookForward pic.twitter.com/NlAQQHieV7 Fine Gael (@FineGael) February 3, 2020 It also committed an additional 244 million euro of carbon tax revenue towards the transition away from peat burning in the midlands. Mr Bruton said: This will not only reduce the countrys emissions by one third by 2030 but also upgrade 500,000 homes. Fine Gaels new plan will replace the current ad-hoc retrofitting model and instead group homes together, develop easy pay-back models and put smart finance in place. Our plan will have a very regional spread, with the initial focus obviously being on the midlands. This will mean that we will be able to build up an expertise in this in the midlands, providing employment opportunities there for the years ahead. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald will join the Prime Time leaders debate on Tuesday night on RTE One. Until the decision on Monday afternoon, Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fail head Micheal Martin were the only two party leaders invited to debate. Britain's 'strictest headmaster' was today sacked from a top boarding school after sending 'flirty' text messages to young girls. Education minsters warned it would close the 37,500-a-year school unless it ditched principal Toby Belfield, 47. Ruthin School in North Wales announced it 'decided to terminate Mr Belfield's employment with immediate effect' after a safeguarding review. Mr Belfield (pictured) was previously dubbed Britain's strictest headmaster when he sent an email to parents saying he was looking to expel students In a statement the school said children would be 'safer' in the future as a result of the sacking. It said: 'This has been, and remains, a highly sensitive and challenging situation. A number of external investigations have been conducted over some months, and the school's council of management has worked with relevant agencies throughout and continues to do so. 'As we have previously stated, while external investigations have been ongoing, the Principal has not been carrying out his role at the school. 'The school's council of management received a verbal interim report on Friday from the external person we appointed to independently review Mr Belfield's conduct, and on the basis of that report has decided to terminate Mr Belfield's employment with immediate effect.' Belfield complimented a student's red dress, said he would visit pupils at University, and asked about their sex lives. The messages above are examples of what he had sent to other pupils Toby Belfield pictured outside the school, in Denbighshire, north Wales It said the Vice Principal had been appointed as interim head, adding: 'We are determined to ensure that the children at Ruthin School, now and in the future, will be all the better cared for and safer as a result of the work which is being carried out between the school's council of management and the local Welsh education authorities.' In a series of texts married Mr Belfield called the girls 'cute', 'naughty' and discussed one's virginity. Mr Belfield, who is head of Ruthin School in North Wales, told one girl: 'I'll visit you at university to check you are still an angel.' In another message he said: 'I worry, definitely, about you and sexual behaviour. You might need my support and you shouldn't risk not having it.. All the boarding staff have been told you are a potential sexual threat to young boys.' The private school boasts a string of successful ex-pupils including John Lennon's son Julian in the 1980s. Principal Mr Belfield, was previously dubbed Britain's strictest headmaster when he sent an email to parents saying he was looking to expel students. He told parents that too many students were registered as 'sick' when they were just 'tired' and disapproved of relationships between pupils. Last week Kirsty Williams, Welsh Government Education Minister, warned the school must take immediate action or risk closure. Messages Mr Belfield sent are pictured above where he claims he prefers petite women She said: 'In the event that an independent school does not act to safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are pupils at the school in a way that Welsh Government and other bodies think is appropriate, the ultimate sanction would be to remove the school from the register of independent schools. This would mean the school could no longer offer full-time education.' A safeguarding report by Care Inspectorate Wales found the school was putting pupils 'at risk of harm'. Now a report has found the school has 'serious shortfalls' where pupils are 'not appropriately safeguarded.' It said: 'We found some staff did not always feel supported, morale was low and they felt undermined and vulnerable by the lack of effective oversight by the council of management.' The report also found students did not ask for help with their mental health because they were scared of losing a place at university. It said: 'Policies are discouraging young people from coming forward, accessing support in relation to their mental health in fear of losing their place at school or university. Policies relating to their emotional health were inadequate and discriminatory. 'The counsellor had not visited or supported any young person at the school in the 12 months preceding this inspection, even though the need was apparent for such a service.' The report also found there was a failure to ensure staff followed a professional code of conduct that 'resulted in young people being placed at risk of harm'. The school charges 37,500-a-year for full boarding and up to 14,500-a-year for day pupils. SARL National Field Day on 8 and 9 February The first leg of the SARL National Field Day takes place from 10:00 UTC on Saturday 8 February to 10:00 UTC on Sunday 9 February 2020 with Phone, CW and Digital (PSK, FT8 and RTTY) activity on the HF amateur bands, excluding the 2 200, 630, 30, 17 and 12 metre bands. The are 6 classes of participation to choose from, ranging from a station at home to a station outdoors. The Hibiscus ARC will be operating from a nature reserve, ZS/FF-0462. Equipment for Field Stations may only be set up in the 24 hours prior to the starting time of the contest. This restriction applies to antennas, masts, towers and transmitting equipment, but excludes accommodation such as a caravan, tent, etc. The exchange is the number of transmitters, the Field Day operating class and the Provincial abbreviation. The sending of a RS or RST is optional - it has nothing to do with the scoring. Each contact with a station from one of the South African provinces counts five points and each DX contact counts one point. There are power, provincial, and class multipliers for the scoring. Logs in ADIF, Cabrillo or MS Excel format with a summary sheet labelled "your call sign NFD," shall be sent by e-mail to contest@sarl.org.za.The closing date for log submissions is 17 February 2020. A photo(s) of the station in operation (JPG format) MUST accompany every log entry. The full set of rules can be found on page 37 of the 2020 Contest manual. The South African Radio League A Sessions Court here on Monday posted for February 6 the matter seeking the transfer of probe into the Bhima-Koregaon violence to the Investigation Agency (NIA). Both the prosecution and the defence lawyers have sought more time to file their replies. The NIA had filed a petition in the Pune sessions court on January 29 seeking transfer of the case to the agency's court in Mumbai. The agency also seeks handover of the documents and evidence by the state police after it was asked by the Union Home Ministry to investigate the case. It is important to note that charges of sedition (Section 124) are not included in the FIR filed by the NIA in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon violence case. While NIA has named 11 accused, the number of those against whom cases were registered by the Pune police is 23. The NIA also did not include Section 121 (Waging or attempting to wage war against the Government of India) in its FIR, which was invoked by the Pune Police later on in the case. On January 1, 2018, violence had erupted during the 200th-anniversary celebrations of the Bhima-Koregaon battle. One person had lost his life while several others were injured in the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Natural News) An independent journalist recently traveled to Wuhan, China, to get a closer and more accurate look at whats actually taking place on the ground, and what he discovered might shock you. Feeding into suspicions that the communist Chinese government isnt being totally honest about the spread of coronavirus, this individual ultimately made a shocking discovery: Things are far worse there than the world is being told. As it turns out, Chinese people living in Wuhan have been handed a potential death sentence by their government, which imposed a mandatory quarantine and lockdown throughout the city that prevents people from leaving meaning theyre now medical prisoners. Further, the city is receiving no outside help, meaning its been summoned to handle it all alone and its not going so well, to say the least. By quarantining the city, the government in Beijing had basically condemned the people of Wuhan to battle the virus on their own, is how Zero Hedge explains what this citizen journalist discovered. Hospitals are so overwhelmed that people with obvious symptoms of the virus are still being turned away. Some severely ill people have been forced to visit five or six hospitals before being accepted for testing and treatment. Chinese hospitals are short on coronavirus testing kits, only receiving about 100 per day Each district of Wuhan only has about four volunteer taxis that pick up sick patients and take them to the nearest hospital for testing. Meanwhile, the streets are closed to all other traffic and public transportation is currently halted so whoever cant catch one of these taxis is forced to walk, sometimes many miles, to the closest medical facility. Not all hospitals in Wuhan are equipped for coronavirus testing, its important to note. And those that are only receive about 100 testing kits each per day, which is hardly enough to handle the growing onslaught of new patients. Another thing is that many local hospitals are full, so taxis are having to tote infected patients around to sometimes five or six hospitals before finding one that accepts new patients. Its just the latest sign that the true number of infections in China is much bigger than the numbers that have been released by the government, Zero Hedge warns. Communist Chinese government cracking down on citizen journalists who report truth This citizen journalist also learned that the communist Chinese government isnt too keen on people like him reporting what they see without their permission. Im afraid, this anonymous individual says (as translated into English) in a video he posted to YouTube about his experience. Behind me is disease. In front of me is Chinas legal and administrative power Im not afraid of dying. Why should I be afraid of you, Communist Party? This journalist goes on to explain that hes stopped putting his name on social media, and warns others not to share his videos on their social media accounts because their accounts could be frozen. A lot of doctors [at Sixth Peoples Hospital] have been reported to have gotten ill, but doctors wont accept my interview, an English translation of this mans account further reveals. Theyve all been told not to do interviews. Even some have their phones taken away, we think. We know that eight doctors were arrested before (in December) Most people are shut up at home; if you dont have transport its really hard to get to the hospital. And if you go, some people are not getting checked. Each area (jiedao) is only allocated four taxis, thats four taxis per thousands of people. The full transcript of this video, which youll also see embedded below, is available for reading at Zero Hedge. For more up-to-the-minute news about coronavirus, be sure to visit Outbreak.news. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com NaturalNews.com YouTu.be Disney unveiled the final trailer for their highly-anticipated Mulan live-action remake during Super Bowl LIV on Sunday night. The trailer (via Walt Disney Studios YouTube) comes just under two months before Mulan is slated to hit theaters March 27. This live-action remake of the 1998 animated film of the same name, with Ming Na-Wen voicing the title character, may be one of Disney's biggest gambles yet, with a reported budget of more than $300 million. Final trailer: Disney unveiled the final trailer for their highly-anticipated Mulan live-action remake during Super Bowl LIV on Sunday night Big budget: This live-action remake of the 1998 animated film of the same name, with Ming Na-Wen voicing the title character, may be one of Disney's biggest gambles yet, with a reported budget of more than $300 million The trailer begins with a horde of soldiers riding in black, attacking a castle, while a messenger describes the attacks, stating that their leader has the help of a witch (Gong Li). The Emperor (Jet Li) tells the messenger to, 'crush these murderers,' which leads a royal decree to be mandated, with the villagers told, 'each family must contribute one man to fight.' But in Mulan's (Yifei Liu) family, the only man is her father Hua Zhao (Tzi Ma), an aging war hero who's seen trying to handle a sword, though his hand is shaking, so Mulan says she will fight in his place as she dresses up as a man. Attack: The trailer begins with a horde of soldiers riding in black, attacking a castle, while a man describes the attacks, stating that their leader has the help of a witch (Gong Li) Fight: But in Mulan's (Yifei Liu) family, the only man is her father Hua Zhao (Tzi Ma), an aging war hero who's seen trying to handle a sword, though his hand is shaking, so Mulan says she will fight in his place as she dresses up as a man 'My father cannot fight, so I will take his place,' Mulan says, though her family is not pleased, with her mother (Rosalind Chao) saying, 'The Northern invaders will kill her.' But Hua says that if they expose her now, 'our own people will kill her, as we get a closer look at the warriors in black, lead by Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee). 'When we take the Imperial city, I will take revenge, for my father,' Khan said. Kill her: 'My father cannot fight, so I will take his place,' Mulan says, though her family is not pleased, with her mother (Rosalind Chao) saying, 'The Northern invaders will kill her' Leader: But Hua says that if they expose her now, 'our own people will kill her, as we get a closer look at the warriors in black, lead by Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee) During training, Mulan is approached by Commander Tung (Donnie Yen), who asks her/his name, as she answers in a deeper voice. Mulan and the other soldiers are engaged in training battle as Tung starts their battle chant during the training. Her training is put to the test as a horde of black-clad soldiers rides up, as the archers fire a slew of arrows at them. Mulan and Tung: During training, Mulan is approached by Commander Tung (Donnie Yen), who asks her/his name, as she answers in a deeper voice Training: Mulan and the other soldiers are engaged in training battle as Tung starts their battle chant during the training Archers: Her training is put to the test as a horde of black-clad soldiers rides up, as the archers fire a slew of arrows at them Mulan is then seen literally letting her hair down as she prepares to battle the witch Xian Lang. We see how powerful the witch really is as she turns herself into an eagle and flies away as she tells Mulan, 'You will die pretending to be something you are not.' But Mulan responds, 'Yet here I stand, proof there is a place for people like us,' while Khan tells Lang, 'the girl threatens our plans.' Prepare: Mulan is then seen literally letting her hair down as she prepares to battle the witch Xian Lang Pretend: We see how powerful the witch really is as she turns herself into an eagle and flies away as she tells Mulan, 'You will die pretending to be something you are not' Stand: But Mulan responds, 'Yet here I stand, proof there is a place for people like us,' while Khan tells Lang, 'the girl threatens our plans' The trailer end with a number of shots of Mulan engaged in battle with Khan's soldiers, including a thrilling shot of Mulan running up the side of a wall. She then twirls her sword in an impressive fashion to prove she's ready for battle as the trailer comes to an end. Disney will release Mulan in theaters nationwide on March 27. Battle: The trailer end with a number of shots of Mulan engaged in battle with Khan's soldiers, including a thrilling shot of Mulan running up the side of a wall End: She then twirls her sword in an impressive fashion to prove she's ready for battle as the trailer comes to an end BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3 Trend: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has congratulated President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka His Excellency Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa. I wholeheartedly congratulate you and your people on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf on the occasion of the national holiday of your country the Independence Day, President Aliyev said. I believe that the friendly bilateral ties between Azerbaijan and Sri Lanka and our cooperation within the Non-Aligned Movement, in particular, will successfully continue further, the Azerbaijani president added. I wish you good health, successes in your activities, and peace and prosperity to the friendly people of Sri Lanka. In this UGA police blotter, a resident hall director called the police after smelling marijuana, an individual attempted to break in to a University Village apartment and an intoxicated student was transported to the hospital. While one of the key focus areas for this Budget 2020-21 on socio-welfare front is to widen the reach of affordable healthcare services, it also lays emphasis on government policy of Make in India. On the positive front, with this Budget, the government is effectively trying to widen the ambit and affordability of healthcare in the country through emphasis on eradication of tuberculosis (TB) by 2025, expansion of Mission Indradhanush to cover 12 more diseases, including five new vaccines, expansion of Jan Aushadi Kendra Scheme to all districts offering 2,000 medicines and 300 surgicals by 2024, etc. This is a positive note for overall wellness theme. While one of the key focus areas for this Budget 2020-21 on socio-welfare front is to widen the reach of affordable healthcare services, it also lays emphasis on government policy of Make in India. The announcements like a scheme to encourage manufacturing of medical devices in India, additional levy on imports on medical equipment, attracting foreign investment through reduction in corporate tax rate (undertaken earlier) and withdrawal of dividend distribution tax or DDT (through this Budget) are seen as steps undertaken by the government to potentially increase investment in India and thereby boost the economy. On the infrastructure front, the government proposes to set up more hospitals in tier 2 and tier 3 cities through public-private partnership (PPP) model under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). Also, acknowledging that there is a shortage of qualified medical doctors, both general practitioners as well as specialists, the government proposes to incentivise hospitals that allow attachment to a medical college through a PPP model. Additionally, those states that allow such synergies and wish to provide land at a concession, would be able to receive viability gap funding. The negative is really that a lot of funding for some of the above initiatives would come out of levy of duty (in form of health cess at of 5 percent ad valorem) on import of medical devices. Additionally, it is also proposed to levy social welfare surcharge at 10 percent on the import of certain medical equipment. While attracting foreign investments and Make in India will be good for the country in the long-term, in the short to medium-term, the announcements such as additional import duties on medical devices and equipment will increase the costs for the consumers and put more margin pressures on companies and hospitals. Also, it would have to be seen whether the current demand for such medical devices (especially the high-end ones) in India makes the manufacturing of such products viable in the country, in spite of the additional duties levied. To really support the pharmaceutical and medical devices sector growth and ability to perform exceptionally, the government may have to look at: 1) Innovation-linked tax benefits or funding 2) Stronger Intellectual Property (IP) regulations especially for foreign investment 3) Stable pricing and policy environment favourable for long-term investments decisions There are some futuristic pushes from the government in healthcare with the proposition of two new national-level schemes to support mapping of Indias genetic landscape which will be critical for next-generation medicine. Also, the government's overall focus on digital and technology has its imprints on healthcare sector as well, with the proposed digital platform to facilitate seamless application and capture of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and institute of excellence for working on complexity and innovation in the field of IP which is encouraging for the sector. Overall, while the Budget is positive for the sector, it would have been better for the consumers if the medical devices levy would not have been imposed. (The writer is Partner and National Leader, Life Sciences at EY) Follow full coverage of Union Budget 2020-21 here The Turkish Air Force F-16 fighters, as well as artillery crews, attacked 40 targets in Syrian Idlib in response to the shelling of Turkish troops, which leaved four soldiers killed, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Ankara before flying to Ukraine, TASS reported. Turkish F-16s and howitzers continue to strike at targets of the regime Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, he said adding that nearly 40 points became their goals. According to him, as a result of the fire, 30-35 Syrians were neutralized. The president also said that Turkish and Russian military experts are in contact after the shelling of Turkish troops in Idlib. He expressed his readiness to discuss the latest incident in Idlib with Russian President Vladimir Putin. JERSEY CITY, N.J., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Starting today, new clients looking for an easy and convenient way to get their taxes done by skilled Tax Pros can get $100 just for switching2 to Jackson Hewitt. With over 35 years in the tax business, Jackson Hewitt knows taxes, and Tax Pros take the time to understand taxpayers' specific situations so they can find every credit and deduction clients deserve. 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They broke into his home, confiscated his electronic devices and took him away not to a hospital, but to a police station. Such was the perilous turn for a clothes seller who enlisted as a "citizen journalist" to report on his nation's secrecy and mishandling of the coronavirus epidemic that has killed at least 360 and infected more than 17,300. Fang was interrogated about videos he'd posted online, including one in which he spotted eight corpses within five minutes, at public hospitals in Wuhan, the center of an outbreak that has now surpassed China's death toll during the SARS crisis in 2002-03. "There wasn't a single doctor" who interviewed me, Fang said in a phone interview Sunday. "They were all police." He said authorities accused him of receiving money from foreign organizations to make online videos, and ordered him to stop posting "rumors" that would "spread panic" online. Fang's videos were potent: In one he counted several body bags outside a hospital, then went into a room where a man was gasping and sobbing as doctors spoke over a patient who had apparently just died: "It's over. It's over," a voice says. "Who is he to you?" Fang asked the man. "My father," the man cried. As the new strain of coronavirus that originated in China spreads across the world, authorities are cracking down on Chinese activists' attempts to investigate the severity of the outbreak. At least 254 Chinese citizens have been detained, fined or otherwise punished by authorities for "spreading rumors" about the coronavirus crisis so far, according to Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a nonprofit coalition that tracks human rights in China. China's inability to contain the virus in the early days of the outbreak has embarrassed it abroad and ignited a backlash at home as President Xi Jinping tries to calm panic at a time he is consolidating his power. Beijing has attempted to present a face of simultaneous transparency and control, urging foreign diplomats not to evacuate their citizens, and uncharacteristically allowing domestic media a modicum of freedom to report on the outbreak in the last two weeks. Social media posts criticizing local government officials have been permitted to gather momentum, along with devastating stories of Wuhan and Hubei residents trying and failing to save family members' lives because of the government's failure to provide information, resources or access to medical facilities. Harsh criticism has been directed at the local police decision to punish eight whistleblowers, including at least one doctor, who tried to alert the public about a contagious new virus on Jan. 1. They were detained briefly for "spreading rumors" and made to sign a promise that they would stop "making untrue comments" that "severely disturbed the social order." One of them, Dr. Li Wenliang, was later diagnosed with coronavirus after treating patients at the frontline. In an unusual admonishment of a government institution, China's Supreme People's Court reprimanded the Wuhan police last week in a WeChat post, saying the whistleblowers should not have been criticized. Li and the others have since been heralded as heroes online and by a high-ranking scientist. "The coronavirus outbreak requires a swift and comprehensive response that respects human rights," said Yaqiu Wang, China researcher for Human Rights Watch, in a report on China's coronavirus response. "Authorities should recognize that censorship only fuels public distrust, and instead encourage civil society engagement and media reporting on this public health crisis," Wang said. But such openness runs contrary to the Communist Party's instincts for secrecy and top-down rule. In recent days, censorship and propaganda have again intensified. Doctors and nurses in Wuhan and other localities have reportedly been ordered to stop speaking to the press. Many of the social media posts from sick individuals or their family members have disappeared. Foreign journalists have been forced to delete video filmed near hospitals and escorted away from affected areas. State news channels meanwhile broadcast stories celebrating China's fast construction of new hospitals, factories producing face masks to fill the shortage, and medical personnel holding hands with patients in hospital beds, singing patriotic songs to soothe them. One of the most popular articles in more independent-leaning local media, a report by business publication Caijing about the "uncounted people" who had died without being tested or reported as potential coronavirus victims, was wiped off the Chinese internet on Monday. Fang, who runs a traditional Chinese clothing shop in Wuhan, said he had decided to try "citizen journalism" because of a dearth of reliable information, especially for Wuhan residents stuck in their homes and afraid to go outside. "I wanted to go and see what's actually happening. It's what any normal citizen should do," he said. He put on a mask and a hanfu, the traditional outfit he usually sells, and ventured into ground zero. Fang spent the morning visiting public hospitals in Wuhan and posting videos online. In a video filmed at one of Wuhan's hospitals, one of the designated locations for treating coronavirus patients, he counted eight corpses within five minutes, including bodies in bright yellow and orange bags. "How can there be so many?" he said. That night, the men in medical suits came to his door. Fear spread across the community of Chinese civil society activists in Wuhan, many of whom have been organizing volunteer efforts to share medical supplies and donations from other "online friends" across the country who don't trust the official channels. A group of them went to Fang's residential compound. Unsure of which building he was in, they shouted his name to the sky in the dark. There was no response. Panicked, they began sharing videos of Fang's confrontation online and as their posts went viral, the police questioners' tone changed, Fang said. Around 12:30 a.m., the police let Fang go with just a warning, though they kept his computer. He found a bike, made his way home, and posted another video online, thanking the other activists and calling for more citizens to speak up. "There's no use if you're afraid and you're begging. The more afraid you are, the more they'll act like this," he said. "Only if everyone stands up together that's why I say our movement right now, all the people saving themselves, should become all the people saving one another. "You're the ones who saved me," he said. (c)2020 Los Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. At least 245 persons were killed in violent attacks across Nigeria in January 2020, according to various newspaper reports and available records. According to the Expat Insider Survey of 2019 by InterNations, Nigeria is the third most dangerous country in the world due to widespread corruption and insecurity. While the Presidency disagrees with such reports that criticise President Muhammadu Buharis handling of security, members of the National Assembly have lamented the security situation in Nigeria. PREMIUM TIMES has also extensively reported on the insecurity across the nation carried out by various armed groups and individuals. Apart from the resurgent Boko Haram attacks in the North-east, there have been increased cases of killings and kidnappings across the country. This led to protest by members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) across the country on Sunday. Amidst the insecurity, the Presidency has said Nigerians have reasons to be grateful as the security situation is better than it was before Mr Buhari assumed office. President Muhammadu Buhari [Photo: Presidency] We know what the situation was as at 2015 and we know what it is today. Despite the reversals in security, it is still not as bad as it used to be in this country, Femi Adesina, President Buharis spokesperson, said recently. Mr Adesina has been widely criticised for his comments. Here are the recorded killings in January: January 2 Eight Boko Haram terrorists were killed by Nigerian soldiers when the insurgents tried to attack Michika in Adamawa State. January 4 Suspected gunmen killed 23 people at Tawari community in Kogi Local Government Area, LGA, of Kogi State. January 6 In Gamboru, Borno State, no fewer than 30 persons were killed after an improvised device exploded on a bridge. On the same day, four Nigerian Navy officers were killed by suspected pirates while another three foreign sailors were kidnapped in an attack on a dredging ship in the waterways of the Niger Delta. In Niger State, an army officer and three soldiers were killed by bandits in the Gwarm village, Munya Local Government Area of Niger State during routine patrol. January 7 A police officer attached to one of the new generation banks in Ekeki suburbs of Yenagoa, in Bayelsa killed a driver, NYSC member, one other. On same day, two middle-aged men were set ablaze by a mob for robbing a barbers shop in Calabar while bandits killed one Yasir Usman in an attack in Katsina and other seven kidnapped. January 9 The Plateau State Police Command confirmed the death of 12 persons killed by suspected herdsmen who also injured one at Kulben village of Kombun District of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State. January 11 Four Air force officers were shot dead by bandits in Kaduna.The suspects laid an ambush for the security operatives at Unguwan Yako, close, along Kaduna- Birnin Gwari road. January 14 The clash between farmers and herdsmen killed two in Sobe, Owan Local Government Area of Edo State while four naval ratings were killed in Gbagira Village, Ilaje LGA of Ondo State. The naval officers were trying to rescue three foreigners from pirates. January 16 Bandits stormed a village in Gummi LGA, Zamfara State, shot sporadically and killed at least 29 people. Also unknown gunmen attacked the convoy of Alhaji Umaru Bubaram Emir of Postikum, killing six people. Emir of Potiskum addressing his subject after return from attack. PHOTO JOE HEMBA January 18 One soldier and four Boko Haram militants were killed during an attack on an aid facility in Ngala, Borno and at least 20 internally displaced persons waiting for assistance at the facility were killed. In the same state, Boko Haram killed four soldiers in Bama. On the same day, a sectarian violence led to the death of four people in Igalamela-Odolu, Kogi State. January 19 Vandals busted a fuel pipeline in Lagos and the action led to explosion that killed five in Alimosho. Advertisements Also on January 19, a video of a boy executing a man identified as a Christian hostage by suspected Boko Haram surfaced online. January 20 at least 17 soldiers killed while many others were abducted in two confrontations between the military and Boko Haram insurgents on Bama-Gwoza highway. January 21 At least, eight soldiers were killed during a battle with Boko Haram insurgents in Kaga, Borno. The insurgents camouflaged in a police vehicle and approached a military base then opened fire on unsuspecting soldiers near their trench. Also, unidentified gunmen killed four in Keana, Nassarawa. In addition, Boko Haram insurgents killed the Chairman, CAN, in Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Lawal Andimi, after reportedly refusing a ransom offered for his release. Gunmen also killed one and kidnapped fourteen in Batsari, Katsina. January 23 Boko Haram killed 10 loggers in Dikwa, Borno. The incident occurred in the remote village of Lura near Dikwa town, headquarters of Dikwa LGA. January 24 Mob killed two suspected POS robbers at the Biogbolo suburb of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. January 25 suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers attacked a mosque in Gwoza, Borno State. The explosion killed three people and many people were injured. Boko Haram Terrorists used to illustrate the story. Also, gunmen killed 13 people at Kwatas village in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State while bandits killed 11 people in Niger communities. January 27 A man stabbed his girlfriend to death for receiving a phone call from a male friend in Bauchi State. January 29 A man, Kalu Ilum shot his wife at Etitiama Nkporo community in Ohafia council area of Abia State. In retaliation, he was set ablaze for the act by a mob. Also, suspected herdsmen killed two Owan community in Ovia North East LGA of Edo State. January 30 Armed robbers killed Adebayo Mukaila, a serving member of National Youth Service Corps in Osun State. Mayor Lightfoot has accepted the resignation of Chicago Board of Education Inspector General, Nicholas Schuler, effective February 29, according to a statement provided by the mayors office. The Mayor thanks Mr. Schuler for his years of dedicated service to Chicago Public Schools and the City of Chicago. The Chicago Public Schools Inspector General performs the critical role of ensuring the integrity of important functions within Chicago Public Schools, particularly regarding allegations of sexual assault or abuse. : The Congress-led United Democratic Front, which in the opposition in Kerala, on Monday walked out of the state assembly over alleged police inaction in a case of death of a 36-year-old man caused by the sand mafia. The Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan assured the House of strong action if there was any lapse on the part of the police and said the state government has sought a report from the deputy superintendent of police in this regard. A Gulf-returnee Sangeeth was killed after being hit by an excavator on January 23 when he tried to prevent a gang from unauthorised sand excavation from his property. Eight suspects have been arrested in this connection. In his reply to an adjournment motion moved by the Opposition member M Vincent stating that the police was allegedly in connivance with the mafia and delayed taking action on the gang. Vincent also sought a government job to the widow of Sangeeth and a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the family. The MLA alleged corruption in the police force and there were 'collection centres' around certain police stations to receive bribe. To this, the Chief Minister told the House, "Our aim is to curb corruption in the police force. So, if anyone has any evidence with regard to the so-called collection centres and bribery, come forward with the evidence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The health ministers of the Group of Seven countries will on Monday discuss a joint response to the coronavirus epidemic, France's health ministry told AFP. They will hold talks via a telephone conference at 1400 GMT, it said. Germany's Health Minister Jens Spahn said Sunday he had talked on the phone with his US counterpart and "we agreed that there should be a conference call, a discussion by G7 health ministers about this question with the aim of dealing with it together". Spahn added: "There is no point in each country deciding on measures alone". The G7 comprises rich nations Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. An outbreak of coronavirus, detected late last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has since spread to more than 24 countries. By Monday, the death toll had hit 362, with the first fatality outside of China reported in the Philippines at the weekend. More than 17,000 people across China have been infected, with scores of other cases reported in over 20 countries. Italian Health Minister Roberto Sperenza said Monday the outbreak must be tackled "on a global scale". "It is very important because each country for the moment is organising itself autonomously, while what we need is for the actions to be shared... by the international organisations," he said. Last Thursday, Italy announced the suspension of all flights to and from China as a precautionary measure. The United States has since Sunday banned foreign nationals from visiting if they have been in China recently, and has warned its citizens against travelling there. France was the first European country to register a case of coronavirus infection after the outbreak started. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Making a breakthrough in the field of enhancing medical services in the Kingdom, Invent ITS, a leading Bahraini company in the field of Information Technology, has launched the Medical.BH smartphone app; the first electronic integrated platform in Bahrain allocated for booking medical appointments. The platform, which is powered by AWS (Amazon Web Services) was launched in an event supported by Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), the platform grants users the ability to book appointments with doctors of any speciality within a specific user-selected location, date and time, in addition to tracking their appointments request status. Moreover, Medical.BH allows users full accessibility through smart devices and computers, without any human interaction and within a simple click. Through the app, users also have access to thousands of medical videos, images and healthcare professionals advices. It is fully integrated with the medical EMR systems of all medical firms, giving users the opportunity to know their doctors before booking the appointment online. A special inauguration ceremony was held yesterday, at the Gulf Hotel Bahrain, in the presence of Investment Promotion Senior Advisor at EDB Dr Simon Galpin, Senior Systems Manager and Solutions Architect at Amazon Mr Ahmed El Haw, Invent ITS CEO Mr Ali Al Halwachi, Invent ITS marketing lead Hussain Al Jishi and a number of representatives of public and private medical institutions in Bahrain. On the occasion, Dr Galpin praised Medical.BH; the first 100 per cent Bahrain-developed medical appointments electronic platform. Reaffirming on EDBs keenness on supporting entrepreneurs, micro businesses and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Dr Galpin said: We are excited to see how young entrepreneurs are getting involved in this ever-evolving field. On his part, Mr El Haw commented: Amazon took an important step to run its operations from here in Bahrain. Today, we are looking at one of the objectives why Amazon chose to be here. The launch of such innovative technologies that would surely assist in making peoples lives easier. We are glad to be part of the launch event of such a promising platform that represents a leading example in the region. During his speech, Mr Al Halwachi expressed thanks and appreciation to all the attendees and supportive parties, spearheaded by EDB and AWS, NHRA, valuing their endless support to the project. Good evening and welcome to the 22nd Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Awards Ceremony, held this year in the Frank Collymore Hall. A little over a month ago, at the launch of Both Sides of the Coin, a book by former Deputy Governor Harold Codrington, I spoke about the importance of writing one's story. On that occasion, I said: "We are preserving the institutional knowledge of the first generation of central bankers, many of whom are retired or about to retire. The experiences of this first generation and the information on our near 50-year journey should inspire the next generation of central bankers." I was at the time speaking about a work of non-fiction whose very purpose was to record the Bank's history, but the essence of those words is in many ways applicable to creative endeavours as well. Literature, whether fiction or non-fiction, captures the ethos of a particular moment in time. Writers are unavoidably influenced by the society in which they live, and their work - even works of fantasy - reflects this. The literature students here tonight can attest that they were able to gain insight into the culture of an era from the texts they studied. Those my age or older will remember studying William Wordsworth - he of the famous, or infamous, "Daffodils" - and other famous British poets, whose works, however skilfully crafted, did not appear immediately relevant to our reality. Then emerged a West Indian and Barbadian literary tradition, and suddenly writers like Austin "Tom" Clarke, George Lamming, Kamau Brathwaite, and regionally, Earl Lovelace and Jamaica Kincaid were telling stories that were not only beautifully crafted, but relevant to us. While delivering the 24th Sir Winston Scott Memorial Lecture back in 1999, Professor Gordon Rohlehr expressed the importance of having such a tradition: "These writers have rendered the island's landscapes with such a focused care and depth of seeing that they have forever changed our way of knowing the place." That is the power of literature. Seeing your culture reflected and celebrated in print is a powerful and validating experience. That gets to the core of why, despite it being outside the traditional mandate of a central bank, the Bank, under the leadership of former Governor Winston Cox, started the FCLE, and why all subsequent Governors have endorsed it. We all believed in the vision of our founding father, Sir Courtney Blackman, that a central bank in a small economy must be involved in nation building. And what is promoting and showing tangible support for an activity that imbues a strong sense of national identity in our citizens if it is not a form of nation building? Having that national identity and the sense of pride it engenders will be critical as we as Barbadians continue to tackle the economic and other challenges our island faces. Professor Rohlehr made his comments 20 years ago, but the role of the arts in shaping our sense of being has not changed. We are in a different century, and indeed just entered the third decade of that century, so we must look to a new generation of writers to carry on this Barbadian literary tradition. I was therefore pleased to hear of the committee's continued outreach with secondary school students and the Barbados Community College. Working to hone budding writers' skills early augers well for the future of creative writing in Barbados. I was similarly pleased to learn of the significant increase of entrants in this year's competition, from 44 last year to 70 this year. I understand from the judges that they saw an improvement in the editing in these submissions. These three things are deeply gratifying to the Bank as sponsor of the FCLE. And let me now take this opportunity to reiterate the Bank's commitment to this very worthy initiative. Our commitment has been mirrored by yours. Over the past few years, I have been pleased by the level of support we are seeing for the FCLE. And I have been assured by our Chairperson, Esther Phillips, that that support will be rewarded this evening when you hear excerpts from all our finalists as well as by a feature address by Vincentian-born writer Dr. H. Nigel Thomas. On behalf of the Bank, I want to express appreciation to the Canadian High Commission, which facilitated Dr. Thomas's visit. Congratulations to tonight's winners. And to the entrants who were unsuccessful on this occasion, I encourage you to continue to refine your skills. I suggested at last year's ceremony that Barbados' economic recovery efforts - efforts that have begun to bear fruit, but which are still ongoing - offer interesting themes, among them sacrifice, struggle, resilience, and regeneration, from which you can draw inspiration. They also offer the opportunity for you to capture, as Both Sides of the Coin does, an important period in time in a way that can be instructional to future citizens. To the committee, thank you for your hard work during the year. I urge you to press on so that this generation of writers, the new vanguards of Barbados' literary tradition, will render our landscapes even more beautifully than their predecessors. Thank you, and all the best for 2020. South Dinajpur: In a shocking incident, a primary school teacher in Gangrampur of South Dinajpur district in West Bengal was tied with a rope, dragged and beaten up by a group of people, allegedly including a local Trinamool Congress leader Amal Sarkar. According to the victim, she was attacked as she protested their bid to acquire her land forcibly for construction of a road. A video of the purported act is being circulated on social media. The woman has registered a police complaint against five people after which an investigation has been launched into the matter. Following the complaint, the South Dinajpur Trinamool leadership expelled Amal Sarkar, for allegedly being a part of the group that attacked the woman. Tiger Shroff on Monday unveiled an intriguing first poster from the third installment of the action-thriller franchise 'Baaghi'. The 29-year-old actor shared the poster in a Twitter post with a caption that reads, "Against his strongest enemy, His greatest battle, Up against a nation, RONNIE is back! #Baaghi3 trailer out on 6th Feb, Thursday." In the poster, Tiger is seen facing a tank with a rifle in his hand. The subhead to the poster reads "This time he is up against a nation" giving a hint about what Ronnie (Tiger) has to deal with in Baaghi 3. The trailer for the flick will be released on February 6, 2020. The 'War' actor has been showcasing his toned physique in his Instagram posts while shooting for the flick, which is happening in different locations including Jaipur. In the movie, the actor is paired with Shraddha Kapoor like its first installment. The movie also features Riteish Deshmukh. It is helmed by Ahmed Khan and is expected to release in March 2020. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Opposition parties on Monday protested after they were unable to move a motion for discussion on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) under Rajya Sabhas Rule 267, which allows taking up an issue after suspending all listed business with the chairmans permission. Soon after the Rajya Sabha convened, chairman Venkaiah Naidu announced his decision of not allowing discussions under the rule. Naidu said the opposition members can use the time allocated to them during the motion of thanks to the Presidents address, which had a specific mention of CAA. The House was adjourned twice before the lunch break as Opposition protests continued. Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Opposition has been following the rules, and if their notices under the rule were not going to be taken up, there needs to be a rethink on continuing with the provision. Later, Azad said parties such as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Communist Party of India (CPI) had given notices under the rule. For the last two months, since CAA has been passed, there are people out on the streets and several ministers including the home minister have said NPR [National Population Register] and NRC [National Register of Citizens] will follow. NPR was conducted earlier, but with simple questions, but now it is seeking details about ancestors, where one lived and what one ate...who has this information? DMKs Tiruchi Siva said the rule allows discussion on important issues, but has not been accepted. This rule has become redundant. The whole country is burning. The opposition parties are moving under the rules... NCPs Vandana Chavan said the rule that allows members to raise matters of national importance has not been allowed even once. ...Why is it in the rulebook, if it is not be allowed. Thousands of citizens are on the streets... The time given during motion of thanks is not enough. CPIs KK Ragesh said MPs have not been able to raise the issue people were protesting over across the country. People are agitating everywhere... but the government is not listening... BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said the Opposition has disregarded Naidus suggestion to raise the issues during the motion of thanks. The chair said he has not accepted the notices, because there will be a 12-hour discussion on a motion of thanks to the presidents address and the opposition can keep their views forth during this discussion. Constitutional law expert Subhash Kashyap said the presiding officers call under the rule is final. As per House rules, this is the discretion of the presiding officer. If the House wants, it can change the rules, until then the chair is the final authority. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Unlike the temperatures, gas prices are continuing to fall in the first part of 2020. The slump at the pump, is not expected to end anytime soon, according to GasBuddy.com and AAA. "For the third straight week, motorists have been greeted by falling gasoline prices in virtually every corner in every city and state in the country," said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. "Oil prices continue to sag on worries over the spread of the coronavirus, blowing the door wide open for a continued slump at the pump. Nearly 5,000 stations are currently selling gasoline under $2 per gallon, a critical psychological level, while some 17 states have at least one gas station under the mark. For most, there's no signs of the slump slowing, especially with fears of the spread of the Chinese-originating virus continuing to grow. Motorists need not be in a rush to fill up again, and with prices plummeting, I would urge them to be mindful that some stations are passing the drops on much faster and to shop around." In the Harrisburg area, according to GasBuddy, prices have fallen almost 6 cents a gallon in the past week reaching an average of $2.61 a gallon today. That price is 16 cents lower than a month ago but still 23.2 cents higher than a year ago. The national average gas price, according to AAA, is $2.47 a gallon, which is 4 cents cheaper than last week and 11 cents cheaper than the beginning of the year. According to AAA, Gas prices are pushing cheaper for two reasons. Crude oil prices are $10 less a barrel than one month ago and U.S. gasoline stocks sit at an all-time record high. Cheaper crude and healthy stock levels mean motorists can expect prices to continue to decline this month. The lowest price in the Harrisburg area today is $2.45 a gallon, according to GasBuddy. That is at Carroll Motor Fuels in Carlisle. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Agency Reporter The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN on Sunday departed Nigeria to attend a three-day meeting of the United States-Nigeria Bi-national Commission in Washington DC. Dr Umar Gwandu, the Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations in the Office of the Minister disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja. The Minister is expected to, on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, sign a tripartite agreement with Nigeria, the Island of New Jersey and the United States of America. The agreement is for repatriation of $321m looted assets and as part of the Federal Governments efforts to recover more stolen funds stashed abroad. He said the meeting is an annual event between Nigeria and U.S.aimed at reviewing bilateral relations and taking necessary steps to advance mutual interest in all diplomatic areas among the two countries. The meeting is not an ad hoc event for addressing impromptu concerns, but a friendly binational meeting that holds annually devoid of intervening concerns or relating to the internal affairs of the participating states. Some other delegates expected to be part of the meeting include: the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, Minister of Defence, Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd), Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd) as well as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development; Sadiya Umar Faruk. (NAN) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is filing for emergency authorisation to distribute its test for the deadly coronavirus and believe the diagnostic may be available to send out by week's end, officials said Monday. Currently, the health agency's laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia, is the only place in the nation equipped with the blood test that diagnoses the virus - and 82 people are awaiting results. Emergency authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would allow the federal agency to send the tests to states, expediting the diagnostic process. The CDC also revealed that four more planes are being sent to Wuhan, China - the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak - to rescue Americans who are stuck in the region. An estimated 1,000 Americans were left behind after a charter flight last week transported 195 US citizens stateside. The newly-announced additional flights are expected to arrive this week, after which the passengers will undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine. The CDC revealed on Monday that more planes are being sent to rescue Americans stuck in Wuhan, China - the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has sickened 11 in the US Health officials stress that the coronavirus risk to Americans is low, but travelers continue to trickle in from Wuhan and mainland China, and CDC authorities say it's all but certain that some will carry the virus with them. Starting on Sunday night, new rules from the Trump administration went into effect barring foreign nationals who have been in China in the last two weeks from entering the US. However, this excludes immediate family members of US citizens or permanent residents as well as citizens from Hong Kong or Macao. Dr Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said that anyone who has traveled within China in the last 14 days will be directed through 11 US airports for screening. Previously announced were John F Kennedy International Airport in New York City; O'Hare International Airport in Chicago; Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport in California; Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington; Daniel K Inouye International Airport in Hawaii; and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta. Four new airports were added to the list: Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC; Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey; Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas; and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Michigan. Experts say the difficulty of containing the coronavirus is that so many patients have mild, cold-like symptoms and don't realise they have the infection but it can quickly turn deadly Dr Messonnier said that if any passengers are symptomatic, they will be transferred to a location that has yet to be determined and isolated for 14 days. Since the outbreak began in December 2019, 99 percent of cases have been in China and mostly in Wuhan. As of Monday morning, more than 17,200 people worldwide have been infected with coronavirus and 362 people have died. There are 11 confirmed cases in the US including six in California, two in Illinois and one each in Arizona, Massachusetts and Washington. Nine of the cases are among people who traveled to Wuhan and two are from person-to-person transmission. 'We expect more cases and person-to-person spread,' Dr Messonnier said on Monday. 'We expect this given the explosive nature of this outbreak in China.' The death toll in China currently exceeds that of the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak in mainland China with 361 deaths due to coronavirus compared to 349 people from SARS. However, fatality rates are lower for the current outbreak - two percent compared to the 10 percent mortality rate from SARS. Amid the recent outbreak of the novel Coronavirus, a senior health official stated that the Union Health Ministry has come up with a plan to write to all the schools across India, asking them to sensitise the students about basic hygiene tips to follow to minimise the risk of Novel Coronavirus infection. With three confirmed cases of nCoV in Kerala, the health ministry has decided to create awareness among the children and educated them about preventive measures to avoid getting exposed to the dangerous disease. While interacting with a news agency, Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan said, "Now that the nCoV cases are being detected in India, school administrations should sensitise their students on preventive measures related to flu-like symptoms. The parents should also take care of it." READ | Health Min: 2nd patient detected with Coronavirus sat next to 1st person tested positive Third case of nCoV confirmed in Kerala Earlier on Monday, health officials confirmed the third positive case of Novel Coronavirus in Kerala. According to the Health Ministry, the patient has travel history from Wuhan, China. Health officials also stated that the patient is stable and is being closely monitored. The Central government has also issued a fresh travel advisory advising people to refrain from traveling to China and that anyone with travel history to China since January 15 this year may be quarantined. As per China's Health Commission, the latest data on the coronavirus outbreak in China till today states that the country has 17,205 confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland, another 15 in Hong Kong, 8 in Macao, and 10 cases have been reported confirmed in Taiwan. So far, as many as 361 people have died of the infection. READ | Chinese Central bank injects $173 billion into economy amidst Coronavirus outbreak Global health emergency The World Health Organisation (WHO) has now declared the coronavirus outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). After the second meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the committee acknowledged that human-to-human transmission has occurred outside Wuhan and China. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated the Chinese government for the extraordinary measures it took to contain the virus, despite the severe social and economic impact those measures are having on the Chinese people. We dont know what sort of damage this coronavirus could do if it were to spread in a country with a weaker health system. We must act now to help countries prepare for that possibility," said Ghebreyesus during the press conference after the meeting. READ | China coronavirus hospital ready to receive patients after a record 8-day completion READ | China: People swarm drugstores to buy herbal remedies rumored to cure coronavirus (With inputs from ANI) Of Laredos homeless population, the addicted have especially little refuge. Considering this, City Council has voted to begin planning a campus where homeless addicts would be able to safely shower, wash their clothes, go to the bathroom and possibly be guided into treatment. The city and county are currently working on converting the former juvenile detention facility in west Laredo into a detox center, which would be the areas first significant drug detoxification or substance abuse program. There is a big yard on this property that Councilman Roberto Balli suggested be utilized for the wet campus. READ MORE: Laredo City Council denies federal government access for border wall surveys Councilman George Altgelt argued that they cannot have a conversation about the detox center without talking about such as space for the homeless. Because unless we have a pipeline from the street to a wet campus, we cant really establish that pipeline to the detox center, he said at a recent meeting. Where I-35 meets the United States-Mexico border, cocaine and heroin and other such drugs are more available and cheaper here than few places on the planet. So we have this high incidence of drug use and abuse, and very specifically, we have this homeless population that gathers in and around downtown, Altgelt continued. They gather at the Bethany House soup kitchen, where the homeless are converting food into excrement and then spreading it throughout our downtown, he said. Meanwhile, the city is trying to encourage people to invest in the area. If the city can create a wet shelter outside the detox center, they will be able to easily approach addicts and offer them a space to safely detox inside, Altgelt argued. It is extremely inhumane that we dont have a place where the homeless population in downtown can go shower and go to the restroom and wash their clothes, he said. A few council members and city staff were hesitant to jump on this idea because the development of the detox center is still in preliminary stages. Health Department Director Dr. Hector Gonzalez noted that the county, which owns the former detention center, is working with an architecture firm to develop a design to convert the space into a detox center. The Commissioners Court has not yet approved the design, and only once they do can they begin the bidding process for a contractor. Then theyll need the approval of the licensing agency, Texas Health and Human Services, before they can begin operations. The city plans to take over maintenance and operations at this point. Councilman Marte Martinez, a medical doctor, said he did not want to jeopardize the detox center project before it gets off the ground by throwing another component in the mix. Its a complicated plan on its own, and it will take a while to get the states approval, he said. I think developing a parallel plan is a much better approach than baking it in from the beginning, Martinez said. City Attorney Kristina Hale also noted that the county is not ready to entertain the idea of a wet campus at the detox center right now, and said adding this in would delay the project. READ MORE: City of Laredo issues notice clarifying no coronavirus in Laredo after rumors spread on social media Altgelt bristled at this idea, noting that the application with the state is only five pages long and that all they would need is to install the washing machines, dryers, showers, restrooms and a shade structure outside. Balli agreed, arguing that this wouldnt affect the detox center project itself and that it would be a more effective use of taxpayer money to utilize the property available to them. This does provide us with a good location, away from downtown, that could serve the community well and serve the taxpayers by not having to make any further investments, he said. Still, this is the countys property, so any changes to the ground would need to be at their approval, noted Co-Interim City Manager Robert Eads. Altgelt motioned for city staff to start developing plans for a wet campus at the detox center, with the countys approval, or elsewhere if necessary. It passed unanimously. Chronicle Graphic It's not something you see on the highway every day. A bathtub was blocking westbound traffic mid-span on the San MateoHayward Bridge Monday before 8 a.m, according to the California Highway Patrol. The Assistance Animal Integrity Act provides various clarifications and guidelines to association boards to ensure they meet their obligations to disabled residents. Notably, among the guidelines, (i) a therapeutic relationship is required between the requesting resident and the medical provider supplying a medical opinion in support of a reasonable accommodation request, (ii) nonmedical service agencies may provide supporting documentation to bolster a reasonable accommodation request, (iii) certificates/licenses procured for a nominal fee without a meaningful assessment through a therapeutic relationship are insufficient under the Assistance Animal Integrity Act in support of a reasonable accommodation for an assistance animal and (iv) an association may require documentation that establishes a disability-related need for each animal requested unless the need for an animal is apparent. (Bloomberg) -- A group including two of Forever 21 Inc.s biggest landlords has offered to buy the bankrupt retailer for $81 million, a fraction of what the international fashion pioneer was once worth. The consortium of Simon Property Group Inc., Brookfield Property Partners LP and Authentic Brands Group LLC is seeking to buy substantially all of the companys assets, according to documents filed Sunday in federal bankruptcy court. The so-called stalking horse agreement sets a minimum price for a proposed auction later this month. If no other bidders step forward, the consortium would be declared the winner. The agreement calls for a court hearing on the deal no later than Feb. 13 and court approval by Feb. 18, the documents show. The would-be buyers have the right to close and wind down certain stores and conduct going-out-of-business sales, according to the filing. Theyre also entitled to a $4.65 million break-up fee under some circumstances if the sale isnt completed. Exit Struggles Forever 21 had been in substantial, round-the-clock negotiations about the bid, the Los Angeles-based company said in documents filed last week. Bloomberg previously reported that Authentic Brands and Simon Property were mulling a plan to acquire the retail chain. Forever 21 was talking about selling a stake to Simon and its other largest landlord, Brookfield Property Partners LP, before it filed for bankruptcy in September, Bloomberg reported in September. Negotiations broke down and the company had to seek court protection without a reorganization plan in place. The chain has since struggled to raise money to exit bankruptcy, with potential lenders and buyers balking because of poor sales and the founding Chang familys insistence on maintaining control. Forever 21 recently told suppliers in a letter reviewed by Bloomberg that its short on cash and that it could be forced to liquidate if a buyer doesnt emerge. As part of the stalking-horse bid, the potential buyers deposited almost $13.5 million in connection with the sale, and any competing bids would have to deposit 10% of the cash purchase price up front, according to court filings. The case is Forever 21 Inc., 19-12122, District of Delaware (Delaware). --With assistance from Jeremy Hill. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. ABOARD THE USS HARRY S TRUMAN Nearly a month after Iran launched a rare direct military attack against United States forces in Iraq, an uneasy quiet has settled across the Mideast. Watching fighter jets roar off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, the top U.S. commander for the region believes he is surrounded by one of the reasons that Iran has dialed back its combat stance, at least for now. Youre here because we dont want a war with Iran and nothing makes a potential adversary think twice about war than the presence of an aircraft carrier and the strike group that comes with it, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie told the nearly 5,000 service members on board the 100,000-ton ship. So, we achieve deterrence, which is preventing Iran from starting a war. Patrolling through the North Arabian Sea, the Truman was about 150 miles (240 kilometers) from Iran when McKenzie and a small number of staff flew aboard on Saturday. His overnight stay on the ship underscored his belief that the additional ships, aircraft, weapons systems and thousands of troops that the U.S. has poured into the region in recent months deliver a message. Its one he thinks Iran has received. Since Iran launched a flurry of ballistic missiles at U.S. forces in Iraq in retaliation for an American drone strike that killed a top Iranian general, there has been a visible reduction in Tehrans military posture, McKenzie said. He said Iran brought its ballistic missile force and its air defenses back down from a heightened state of readiness. Also, the level of harassment and other activity by Irans naval forces around the congested Strait of Hormuz has been scaled back. The drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the top Quds Force general, showed that the U.S. is willing to take action, and the arrival of the Truman and the other warships had underscored that, he said. When an aircraft carrier is in your neighborhood you know it, said Navy Capt. Kavon Hakimzadeh, the Trumans commanding officer. He said his ship left Norfolk, Virginia, in mid-November and almost made a beeline for the Suez Canal. Now, as they maneuver off the coast of Oman, a steady stream of fighter jets, surveillance aircraft and helicopters launch off the 4.5 acre (1.8 hectare) flight deck, conducting a show of force that also allows them to keep up their training in case they are needed for combat. Were practicing our craft, said Hakimzadeh, or Capt. Hak, as he is known on the ship. Our job is to fuel up, load up and launch airplanes. The only real change is whether or not the airplanes come back with bombs or not. So far they havent dropped any bombs. Some of the ships are taking part in the maritime coalition that is safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz, in the wake of Iranian attacks against commercial vessels last year. Others protect the carrier. From the bridge, where McKenzie spoke to the crew over the ships loudspeakers, he could look out at the horizon and see the USS Normandy. The weapons-loaded warship stands as a sentry between the carrier and Iran. Out of view were four American Navy destroyers. Another warship loaded with Marines is further up the Red Sea. Despite widespread demands for U.S. Navy ships in other parts of the world, McKenzie requested and received a much larger than usual naval presence in his area. Both the Truman and the USS Bataan steamed rapidly across the Mediterranean to get to the Gulf region, and in a somewhat rare move, one of the destroyers assigned to Europe, the USS Carney, was shifted south to join the Truman. McKenzie and other commanders on the ship acknowledge that deterrence is a hard thing to measure. But speaking to F/A-18 fighter pilots in their ready room, McKenzie mapped out the timeline. Last April and May, he said, Iranian leadership decided to begin more active offensive military operations in the region. In the succeeding months, there were attacks on ships in the Gulf, a pipeline in Saudi Arabia and, on Sept. 14, strikes on Saudi oil facilities. The violence spurred U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper to beef up the military presence in the Gulf. Esper, however, has made it clear that Americas top defense priorities are threats from China and Russia, and he is looking to send more forces to the Pacific region. For McKenzie, that means frequent discussions with defense leaders about his assessment of the Iranian threat in the Middle East and why he needs the forces he has. You know what I associate with that period of time, said McKenzie, referring to early last spring. There was no carrier in the region. Now, he said, there is a rough kind of stability in the region. But he is reluctant to say how long that will last, or how long he will be able to hold onto the military might hes accumulated. And over the loudspeaker, he made that uncertainty clear to the Truman crew. One thing I know everybody wants to know is how long youre gonna be here, he said. So Im gonna be honest with you. I dont know. President Moon Jae-in at a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Feb. 3, 2020 Yonhap By Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in has reaffirmed the need for close cooperation with China to overcome the coronavirus outbreak which started in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The President also explained that Seoul's entry ban of people who have visited Hubei Province was an "inevitable measure" considering the mounting public concern here about the spread of the epidemic. "China is a country with which we conduct the largest people-to-people exchanges and trade. China's difficulties are linked to our difficulties," Moon said during a meeting with his senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. "The two countries should work together to overcome the crisis. As a neighbor, Korea will not spare any efforts to extend all our support and cooperation. True neighbors are those who join forces at a time of need." The remarks come amid rising concern that Seoul's announcement to temporarily prohibit the entry of foreigners who have travelled to Hubei Province in the last two weeks could hamper relations with China. Beijing has shown discontent toward similar measures taken by the U.S. and Japan, saying that the World Health Organization (WHO) has advised against travel restrictions. New Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming stated that he was against such restrictions in a local media interview. Moon stressed that the measure was necessary to protect Korean citizens. "We have to tighten our immigration controls to protect our people. Countries around the world are also enforcing immigration controls to prevent the inflow and spread of infectious diseases. The temporary entry limit for foreigners who have visited Hubei Province and the temporary suspension of visa-free entry to Jeju are inevitable measures taken for the safety of our people." The entry ban came after a Cheong Wa Dae online petition site was flooded with requests to limit the entry of people coming from the epicenter of the coronavirus. Cheong Wa Dae was initially careful to respond to the demands considering the impact it could have on relations with China, especially when the two countries are in the process of arranging a Korea-China summit in the coming weeks. But the government eventually decided to impose the ban Sunday. The President stressed the need to contain secondary and tertiary infections. "In particular, we must actively respond to the public's anxiety," he said. Moon also underlined the importance of close cooperation between central and local governments and reassured the people of the government's full commitment to keep on top of the situation. "The situation may be just beginning. We don't know how much more it's going to spread, and when it's going to end. We are at a critical juncture and are determined to do our utmost." Hadiza Aliyu lives in Borno, the Nigerian state at the epicenter of the Boko Haram crisis that has left tens of thousands dead. But she thought she had found a way out. Ms. Aliyu was preparing to apply to move to the United States, where she once studied and where her two brothers live. She was furious when she heard about the extended ban. Trump has been looking for a way to get at us Africans for a very long time, and finally got us, Ms. Aliyu said. To hell with Republicans and their supremacist ideas. Mika Moses moved to Minnesota from Nigeria nine years ago to join his mother and siblings, who were allowed entry after the family was attacked in religious riots in their northern city of Kaduna in 1991. His wife, Juliet, and their daughter were planning to join him, but are stuck in Kaduna, where Ms. Moses sells soda in a small store. She said they were heartbroken by the news that the move would now be impossible. I have been struggling to raise our daughter alone, she said. Why would Trump do this to us, after we have waited for nine years? Nigerians already living in the United States have been calling lawyers to try to figure out whether they will have to leave. Marilyn Eshikena, a biomedical research ethicist, has lived in the United States for the past seven years, but her visa expires this year. Her employer sponsored her application for a green card. If it turns out that everything needs to stop, they will feel cheated, because they spent a lot of money on this process, Ms. Eshikena said. I will also feel cheated, because all the time that I spent working here will ultimately be for nothing. I cant even imagine what packing up and leaving will mean for me. CAMERON, Louisiana With this weeks LNG export milestone placing Houstons Cheniere Energy among industry elites, it has no intention of relinquishing its dominant lead in U.S. shipments. The company shipped its 1,000th cargo of liquefied natural gas Monday from its Corpus Christi terminal just four years after it exported the first from the continental U.S. a cargo from its Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana. With the milestone behind it, the company sees further growth opportunities in China after U.S. and Chinese officials signed a tentative trade deal this month. It also is developing more flexible business models that include partnerships with natural-gas producers in the Permian Basin of West Texas. We just feel like were now just getting started, Cheniere Energy CEO Jack Fusco said. This validates that were the real deal. Were now a force to reckon with. Milestone: Cheniere Energy's 1,000th LNG cargo headed to France The milestone shipment puts Cheniere among global LNG exporters such as Qatargas, Total, Petronas, Chevron, Shell and BP whose exports number in the thousands. Through the first 11 months of 2019 alone, Cheniere had exported 400 shipments while its nearest competitor had 65. Chenieres rise comes as global demand for liquefied natural gas is growing and four competing export terminals have come online in the U.S., where horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have created a record surplus of natural gas that needs to be exported. When the company started exporting, global demand for liquefied natural gas was at 270 million tons per year. That demand now stands at 380 million tons and is expected to grow to 500 million tons by 2030 with the greatest growth in China, which is converting more power plants to natural gas from coal. More Information U.S. LNG Shipments by Company (Jan 2019 through Nov 2019) Company Cargoes Cheniere Energy 400 Dominion Energy 65 Sempra Energy 20 Freeport LNG 8 Source: U.S. Department of Energy See More Collapse The trade war between the United States and China, however, sent LNG exports to that nation plunging from 26 in 2018 to just three in 2019. Two of those shipments came from Chenieres Sabine Pass terminal and one came from Corpus Christi plant. But LNG is at the top of the list of U.S. commodities that will be headed to China after the U.S. and China signed an initial trade deal Jan. 15. The pact does not require congressional approval. Cheniere already had an LNG supply deal with China National Petroleum Corp. when trade tensions began but the companys Beijing office was reported to be in talks with other buyers. China has surpassed Japan and Korea, Fusco said. Theyre the No. 1 importer of LNG. Their LNG import capabilities even during trade tensions grew over 10 percent last year. Its forecast continues to be over 10 percent this year and can be much greater than that if they want it to be. Fuel Fix: Get energy news sent directly to your inbox Cheniere makes most of its money from the fees it charges for liquefying natural gas and shipping it to customers around the world. The company in 2018 reported a $471 million profit and revenue of $8 billion. As the largest buyer of natural gas in the United States, Cheniere purchases an average of 6 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from more than 70 producers. Fusco says he expects that number to grow. Were buying close to 10 percent of U.S. natural gas production every day, Fusco said. Domestic production is around 70 billion cubic feet per day right now. Were taking about 6 billion. But thats going to grow when we bring more two trains online. It is probably going to be least 7.5 billion. Although the companys earlier business model relied on long-term supply deals with overseas utility companies, Cheniere has since changed things up. In September, Cheniere announced long-term partnerships with Houston oil companies EOG Resources and Apache Corp. Under the deals, Cheniere buys gas from the two companies at Permian well-head prices, sells the LNG at market price and gives the difference to EOG and Apache. Cheniere profits from its processing and shipping fees. The deal provides an outlet for the vast amount of natural gas produced in the Permian, the excess of which is typically burned off in a process known as flaring. Cheniere is one of several companies sending much of the Permians natural gas through hundreds of miles of new pipelines to Corpus Christi, a major hub for the natural gas business. Cheniere epitomizes the type of blue-chip customer the Port of Corpus Christi values, Port of Corpus Christi CEO Sean Strawbridge said. Chenieres Corpus Christi liquefication LNG exports continue to balance the burgeoning national trade deficit and provide a cleaner, reliable fuel source to major markets throughout the globe. sergio.chapa@chron.com @SergioChapa on Twitter World-renowned Harvard University chemistry professor Charles Lieber appeared in court on Thursday in handcuffs, ankle chains and an orange jumpsuit as he was charged with lying about his ties to China. The bail for Lieber, head of Harvards Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department, was set at $1 million as he was formally accused, along with two Chinese nationals, of illegally aiding the Peoples Republic of China by the US Justice Department. A DOJ press release issued on Tuesday, the day the 60-year-old Lieber was arrested at his office, said that the Harvard department chair was being criminally charged with one count of making a materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statement. Harvard University professor Charles Lieber, right, follows his attorney Peter Gelhaar (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) The cases against the Chinese nationals are separate from Liebers. Yanqing Ye, 29, currently in China, was charged with one count each of visa fraud, making false statements, acting as an agent of a foreign government and conspiracy. Zaosong Zheng, 30, was arrested on December 10, 2019 at Bostons Logan International Airport and charged with attempting to smuggle vials of biological research into China. On January 21, 2020, Zheng was also indicted on one count of smuggling goods from the US and one count of making false, fictitious or fraudulent statements. He has been held in jail since December 30, 2019. The crux of the case against Lieber is the claim that he lied about his involvement with a program called the Thousand Talents Plan, a program that is alleged to be aimed at luring people with knowledge of foreign technology and intellectual property to China. The DOJ statement says Unbeknownst to Harvard University beginning in 2011, Lieber became a Strategic Scientist at Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) in China and was a contractual participant in Chinas Thousand Talents Plan from in or about 2012 to 2017. Under the terms of Liebers three-year Thousand Talents contract, WUT paid Lieber $50,000 USD per month, living expenses of up to 1,000,000 Chinese Yuan (approximately $158,000 USD at the time) and awarded him more than $1.5 million to establish a research lab at WUT. The DOJ document states further that Lieber, during an interview with investigators in April 2018, stated that he was never asked to participate in the Thousand Talents Program, but wasnt sure how China categorized him. Oddly, the criminal complaint also states that, in November 2018, Lieber caused Harvard to falsely tell NIH that Lieber had no formal association with WUT after 2012, that WUT continued to falsely exaggerate his involvement with WUT in subsequent years, and that Lieber is not and has never been a participant in Chinas Thousand Talents Plan. If convicted, Lieber faces up to five years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. The university has placed him on paid administrative leave. A sense of the political motivations behind the aggressive treatment of Lieber was provided by US attorney Andrew Lelling who called the charges against the professor a, small sample of Chinas ongoing campaign to siphon off Americas technology and know-how for its countrys gain. Boston FBI agent Joseph Bonavolonta provided further insight into the motivation for the charges against the Harvard professor, No country poses a greater, more severe or long-term threat to our national security and economic prosperity than China. Chinas communist governments goal, simply put, is to replace the US as the world superpower, and they are breaking the law to get there. The New York Times reported in November 2019 that there were at that time 180 open investigations at 71 universities across the US into potential intellectual property theft, including most of the top medical schools. Almost all of the individuals targeted are of Chinese descent, including naturalized American citizens. Dr. Liebers biography shows that he is a leading international authority on nanoscience and nanotechnology with over 400 papers published on these topics. Nanotechnology deals with the manipulation of matter at the atomic and molecular level and it is a new scientific frontier with vast implications for the future of multiple disciplines and across industries. Lieber is the principle inventor on over fifty US patents and applications of nanotechnology and nanodevices in materials and biology. Additionally, a review of the top nanotechnology research organizations in the world shows that the US--at the University of California, Berkeley--ranks at number seven behind China, Russia, France and Japan in this area of study and far behind South Korea and Japan in the category of commercial patents. The arrest and charges against Dr. Lieber come in the context of the Trump administrations trade war Beijing and preparations for open war with the second largest economy in the world. The DOJ case against Lieber bears unmistakable characteristics of an extreme response by the American ruling elite to its declining position in relation to significant areas of scientific research and development internationally. There can be no question that the case against Lieber is intended to intimidate American scientists from engaging in any way with their Chinese colleagues on scientific projects. This will be the prime minister's first visit to northeast since it witnessed several anti-CAA protests New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Bodo-dominated Kokrajhar town of Assam on 7 February. This will be the Prime Minister's first visit to the North East since it witnessed several anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in which three people were killed. Modi will visit Assam on 7 February and address a rally in Kokrajhar, a government official said. The visit comes a week after the central government signed a peace pact with several Bodo militant groups and a student body. The signing of the Bodo agreement led to surrender of over 1,500 militants of the major insurgent group National Democratic Front of Boroland. A summit meeting between Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, scheduled to be held in Guwahati in December, was also cancelled due to the anti-CAA protests. Modi was also invited for the inauguration of the recently-concluded 'Khelo India' games in Guwahati but he did not attend it. Suspected jihadists have killed 18 civilians in an attack in northern Burkina Faso, the governor of Sahel region said. "The defence and security forces brought back the body of the nurse to give it to her family in Yalgo and secure the area to allow the burial of other victims," Colonel Salfo Kabore said on Sunday. Several similar attacks were carried out a week ago in the country's north, with one on January 25 leaving 39 civilians dead in the neighbouring province of Soum, northwest of Seno. A security source told AFP that during the massacre, which took place in Lamdamol village in Seno province Saturday, "the attackers, heavily armed and on motorbikes, literally executed the local inhabitants". A local health official, speaking from the town of Dori in the north, said the chief nurse at the nearby village of Lamdamol was among the victims. "There is panic in the village and the surrounding area," the official added, saying local people were fleeing the area towards the centre-north of the country. Another security source said that the attack had come as a reprisal after jihadists had told local people to leave the area a few days earlier. The security forces worked day and night to make the zone safe, "but it is difficult to be everywhere at once", said the source. Burkina Faso borders Mali to the northwest and Niger to the east, both countries that are struggling to contain a wave of lethal jihadist attacks. Burkina Faso security forces, under-equipped and poorly trained, have not been able to counter the deadly raids in their territory, despite the help of foreign soldiers, notably French troops. According to UN figures, the jihadist attacks in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso killed 4,000 people in 2019 and caused an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, forcing 600,000 to flee their homes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The people want change - but be careful what you wish for. That's the warning from Fine Gael as it comes to grips with its ranking as the voters third party of choice. "This week we are going to try and drag the election back to where we believe it should be, a discussion about who has the realistic and deliverable policies to deliver a change in approach and a new direction for our country," said a defiant Paschal Donohoe. But who's listening? TAKEAWAY 2 You'd think the election was over with the way many of the parties are talking. At Labours housing policy launch the prospect of sharing government with Mary Lou McDonald and co didnt seem to be phasing the top brass to any great extent. Jan OSullivan, Labours housing spokeswoman, was asked how she would feel should Mr O Broin be given the task of solving the crisis. Ill take education, was the instant reply. TAKEAWAY 3 The last few days of the campaign could get dirty. Fianna Fail has attacked Sinn Fein's tax policies claiming it will leave Ireland a "cold place" for businesses. Micheal Martin claimed Leo Varadkar's comments that Fianna Fail has "a lot of backwoodsmen" was beneath the office of An Taoiseach. For his part, Mr Vardakar has accused Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin of a nasty and deeply offensive attack on Fine Gael as a party of privilege. Gentlemen, please! WELL SAID Coming up to the election they are talking about it more and using it to garner green votes, which we call 'greenwashing'. It's using green PR to manipulate the public into thinking that their policies are environmentally friendly in order to get more votes. Members of Extinction Rebellion Ireland after spraying green dye over a Fine Gael office GOOD DAY Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald must be delighted at RTE's U-turn on allowing her participate in tonight's leaders debate. Early in the campaign, McDonald had appealed for fairness so she could join Leo Varadkar and Micheal Martin in the election clash. There were even legal threats. Her omission would have benefited Sinn Fein. But it is now firmly game on for McDonald. BAD DAY RTE has for weeks said that its final leaders debate would be between Micheal Martin and Leo Varadkar. Despite howls of derision from Sinn Fein, it stuck to its guns. It has been running ads across channels for the programme. Until, at the eleventh hour, it changed its mind. Not a great look. China has updated the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak to 361. An additional 2,829 new cases have been reported over the last 24 hours, bringing the Chinese total to 17,205. The latest figures Monday come a day after the first death from the illness was recorded outside China, in the Philippines, as countries around the world evacuated hundreds of their citizens from the infection zone. Chinese authorities completed a new, rapidly constructed 1,000-bed hospital for victims of the outbreak and delayed the reopening of schools in the hardest-hit province. Restrictions were tightened still further in one city by allowing only one family member to venture out to buy supplies every other day. The Philippine Health Department said a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan, the city at the centre of the crisis, was hospitalised on January 25 with a fever, cough and sore throat and died after developing severe pneumonia. The mans 38-year-old female companion, also from Wuhan, tested positive for the virus as well and remained hospitalised in isolation in Manila. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte approved a ban on the entry of all non-citizens from China. The US, Japan, Singapore and Australia have imposed similar restrictions despite criticism from China and an assessment from the World Health Organisation (WHO) that such measures were unnecessarily hurting trade and travel. The vast majority of those infected are in China; about 150 cases have been reported in two dozen other countries. The Huoshenshan temporary field hospital nears completion in Wuhan (Chinatopix/AP) The US on Sunday reported its ninth case, this one involving a woman in the San Francisco Bay Areas Santa Clara County who arrived in the US to visit family after recently travelling to Wuhan. A hospital specially built to handle coronavirus patients in Wuhan is expected to open on Monday, just 10 days after construction began. A second hospital is set to open soon after. Also, six officials in the city of Huanggang, next to Wuhan in Hubei province, were fired over poor performance in handling the outbreak, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Story continues It cited the mayor as saying the citys capabilities to treat the patients remained inadequate and there is a severe shortage in medical supplies such as protective suits and medical masks. The trading and manufacturing centre of Wenzhou, with nearly 10 million people in coastal Zhejiang province, confined people to their homes, allowing only one family member to venture out every other day to buy necessary supplies. Huanggang, home to seven million people, imposed similar measures on Saturday. Visitors wear face masks at the Comic Exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan (Chiang Ying-ying/AP) With no end in sight to the outbreak, authorities in Hubei and elsewhere have extended the Lunar New Year holiday break, due to end this week, well into February to try to keep people at home and reduce the spread of the virus. All Hubei schools are postponing the start of the new semester until further notice. The crisis is the latest to confront Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who has been beset by months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong, the re-election of Taiwans pro-independence president and criticism over human rights violations in the traditionally Muslim territory of Xinjiang. Meanwhile, the domestic economy continues to slow, weighed down by slowing demand and the trade war with Washington. New Zealand announced on Sunday it is temporarily barring travellers from China. The 14-day ban applies to foreigners leaving China but not to New Zealand residents. New Zealand also raised its travel advice for China to Do not travel, the highest level. Qatar Airways joined the growing number of airlines suspending flights to mainland China. Indonesia and Oman also halted flights, as did Saudi Arabias flagship national carrier, Saudia. Saudi Arabias state-run media reported that 10 Saudi students were evacuated from Wuhan on a special flight. It said the students would be screened on arrival and quarantined for 14 days. Over the weekend, South Korea and India flew hundreds of their citizens out of Wuhan. A Turkish military transport plane carrying 42 people arrived in Ankara on Saturday night. A French-chartered plane made its way toward France on Sunday with 300 evacuees from a multitude of European and African countries. And Morocco flew home 167 of its people, mostly students. Indonesia flew back 241 citizens from Wuhan on Sunday and quarantined them on the remote Natuna Islands for two weeks. Several hundred residents protested the move. A government worker takes the temperature of a passer-by at a checkpoint in Suining in south-western Chinas Sichuan Province (Chinatopix/AP) Europe so far has 25 people infected with the virus. The German Red Cross reported two more cases there on Sunday, both German citizens who were airlifted from Wuhan on Saturday on a military transport carrying 128 people. Eight earlier cases in Germany were all linked to a car parts factory. France has six cases; Russia, Italy and Britain have two each, and Finland, Sweden and Spain each have one. Vietnam counted its seventh case, a Vietnamese-American man who had a two-hour layover in Wuhan on his way from the US to Ho Chi Minh City. The country ordered schools to close for at least a week in 19 of its 54 provinces and cities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which together account for more than four million students. The number of confirmed cases will keep growing because thousands of specimens from suspected cases have yet to be tested, said the WHO representative in Beijing, Gauden Galea. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 A renewable energy bill that has been included in the House of Representatives National Legislation Program (Prolegnas), is expected to solve issues related to regulations obstructing the growth of green energy in the country, according to an environmental law expert. Grita "Ninda" Anindarini, a researcher at non-governmental organization Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL), said the absence of legislation specifically regulating the renewable energy sector had led to legal uncertainty in the development of green energy in the country. "Legal uncertainty poses a challenge to investors wanting to develop a renewable energy project in the country. This is probably what the government is trying to address through the bill," she told a media briefing in Jakarta on Friday. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Editors note: The following is a letter from Scott Earl, president and CEO of the Mountain West Credit Union Association, in response to an article published in American Banker. As president and CEO of the Mountain West Credit Union Association representing 117 credit unions, I would like to clear the air about a recent American Banker article predicting a slowdown in the number of credit unions purchasing banks. The article quoted Christopher Williston, president and CEO of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas, regarding Alaska USA Federal Credit Unions recent deal to buy bank branches in Phoenix. Williston questioned what reason an Alaskan credit union would have for being in Arizona. Im hoping to clear up some details regarding the credit union and its growth plan in the Phoenix-metro area. Alaska USA currently has eight operating locations in Arizona. Those locations serve an estimated 61,000 members. The West Bengal government has provided two thermal scanners to the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here to help the authorities conduct surveillance on passengers to contain attack of coronavirus, a senior official said on Monday. The West Bengal Medical Service Corporation has bought the two thermal scanners at a total cost of Rs 30 lakhs and handed it over to the city airport authorities on Sunday, he said. The Kolkata Port authorities have already started using thermal scanners to identify passengers with symptoms of coronavirus, who are arriving at the city using waterways. Eight passengers, who had travelled in the same flight as that of a coronavirus-affected Kerala resident, had landed at the city airport on January 23. The state health department has traced the eight passengers three from China, one each from New Delhi and Odisha while three are from West Bengal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At the end of the 10th grade, students would have to qualify for the career or academic paths by passing a test or some other measure that showed they were prepared for basic, entry-level college classes. The Kirwan plan estimates about 65 percent of students in the state would meet that bar by 2030, boosted by other parts of the education package, such as more prekindergarten and intensive support for students at schools with high poverty rates. Police are searching for the owner of a kayak that was found wedged on rocks in the Brisbane River on Monday. The orange two-seater Prijon-brand kayak was found on the northern bank of Milton Reach about 6.45am. The orange two-seater Prijon kayak found on the Milton stretch of the Brisbane River. Credit:Queensland Police Service A paddle, red net, black beanie and grey canvas cover were also found with the kayak. Anyone who saw the kayak or knows who the owner is should contact Policelink on 13 14 44. Chinese oil demand has dropped by about three million barrels a day, or 20% of total consumption, as the coronavirus squeezes the economy, according to people with inside knowledge of the countrys energy industry. The drop is probably the largest demand shock the oil market has suffered since the global financial crisis of 2008 to 2009, and the most sudden since the Sept. 11 attacks. It could force the hand of OPEC and its allies, which are considering an emergency meeting to cut production and staunch the decline in prices, which are headed for the lowest close in four months. It is truly a black swan event for the oil market, said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC in New York. There was some hope for the demand outlook this year before the outbreak, but that has been knocked off its block. OPEC+ has to react. If there are no further production cuts, there will only be more price losses. Crude futures fell to one-year lows on Monday as traders reacted to the magnitude of the health crisis in China. Brent, the global oil benchmark, dropped 0.3% to $56.45 a barrel as of 11:37 a.m. in London. West Texas Intermediate declined as much as 2.2%, but recovered to trade 0.3% higher at $51.71. China is the worlds largest oil importer, after surpassing the U.S. in 2016, so any change in consumption has an outsize impact on the global energy market. The country consumes about 14 million barrels a day -- equivalent to the combined needs of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the U.K., Japan and South Korea. Chinese and Western oil executives, speaking on condition of anonymity because they arent authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said the decline was measured against normal levels for this time of year. Its a measure of the current drop in demand, rather than the average loss since the crisis started, which would be smaller. Beijing has locked millions of people in quarantine and the New Year holiday has been extended. Flights have been canceled and authorities across the globe are trying to contain the viruss spread. Traditionally during the New Year holiday, gasoline and jet-fuel demand increase as hundred of millions go back home, while gasoil consumption drops as industrial activity slows. The collapse in Chinese oil consumption is starting to reverberate across the global energy market, with sales of some crudes slowing to a crawl and benchmark prices in free-fall. Sales of Latin American oil cargoes to China came to a halt last week, while sales of West African crude, a traditional source for Chinese refineries, are also slower than usual, traders said. Chinese refineries are storing unsold petroleum products such as gasoline and jet fuel, according to the executives. But every day stockpiles are growing, and some refineries may soon reach their storage limits. If that were to happen, they would have to cut the amount of crude they process. One executive said that refinery runs were likely to be cut soon by 15-20%. There are signs thats already happening. Sinopec Group, the nations biggest refiner, is in the process of reducing runs at its plants by an average of about 13-15% and will review whether further cuts are needed Feb. 9, according to one of the people. The company declined to comment on its operations. As many as 18 independent oil refineries may be cutting rates or shutting completely as storage fills up, according to traders familiar with operations at the plants known as teapots. China has as many as 40 of these independent refineries, which are located primarily in the eastern region of Shandong and account for about a quarter of the nations processing capacity. Beyond the headline price for Brent, every other indicator in the physical and derivatives market also points to a weakening market. So-called time-spreads, which measure the price difference between contracts for delivery at different times, have collapsed -- an indication that short-term demand is expected to remain weak. See also: Commodity Prices Collapse in China as Demand Fears Spook Market In China, stocks plummeted by the most since an equity bubble burst in 2015 as they resumed trading to the worsening virus outbreak. The CSI 300 Index slumped as much as 9.1% as onshore financial markets opened for the first time since Jan. 23, while the yuan tumbled and crude futures in Shanghai also sank by more than 7%. OPEC Meeting OPEC and its allies, which include Russia, are weighing their options to respond to the crisis and there have been discussions about calling an emergency meeting. Saudi Arabia is pressing for a gathering sooner than the one scheduled for March 5-6, though it has run into resistance from Russia. The Saudi and Russian oil ministers spoke on the phone for an hour on Thursday and another 30 minutes on Friday, according to Russians officials. For now, OPEC has called a technical meeting this week to assess the situation, and the Joint Technical Committee will report back to ministers. According to consultants at Energy Aspects Ltd., OPEC is considering an informal proposal to deepen current production curbs by about 500,000 barrels a day. But theres no consensus on the idea, which was floated by at least one country. As OPEC and its partners are already in the midst of steep cuts, many analysts are skeptical on how much more theyre willing to do. The most recent agreed reductions only came together after considerable diplomatic wrangling, and Saudi Arabia has already slashed production to the lowest since 2014. Russia, which has become the most important producer in the coalition alongside the kingdom, has typically taken some persuading to sign up to additional cuts. Still, if the alliance does agree to call early meeting, historic precedent suggests it will probably result in action. Nothing concentrates a producers mind more than the prospect of a crude oil price bust, said Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group, and a former White House oil official under President George W. Bush. --With assistance from Grant Smith, Olga Tanas, Lucia Kassai, Bill Lehane and Saket Sundria. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. A huge jump in demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and Li-ion battery is anticipated for the coming decade. This demand has seen Europe develop the worlds fastest growing lithium-ion production capacity. But the industry is facing some hurdles, the major one being that the EU has no local supply of battery-quality lithium hydroxide. The battery material is currently sourced from hard rock or salar-type brine sources in the Americas, Asia, or Australia, and is then processed and transported to battery manufacturers and automakers in Europe. This is not only costly, but raises a second issue: the large carbon footprint associated with EV raw material supply chains, particularly with the production of battery cells. Vulcan Energy Resources Ltd (ASX:VUL) could have a solution to both issues. Its Vulcan Zero Carbon Lithium Project is located in Germanys Upper Rhine Valley at the heart of the European auto and lithium-ion battery industry, not far from Volkswagen, Northvolt and Teslas planned gigafactories. The Vulcan Zero Carbon Lithium Project is strategically located to provide the only Zero Carbon Lithium product to the European auto and lithium-ion battery manufacturing industry. Given its size and carbon-neutral production process, Vulcan has potential to be a primary source of lithium hydroxide for the burgeoning European EV and battery industries. Vulcan vs its peers The Vulcan Zero Carbon Lithium Project boasts Europes largest lithium resource a globally significant 13.95Mt contained LCE. This is considerably larger than European Metals Cinovec at 7.17Mt LCE, Rio Tintos Jadar at 6.24Mt LCE, Infinity Lithiums San Jose at 1.68Mt LCE, and Savannah Resources Barroso at 0.71Mt LCE. Each of these are hard rock projects which have a large carbon footprint in their extraction and processing. Vulcans lithium is sourced from brines in geothermal wells. The company is pioneering the worlds first and only Zero-Carbon Lithium process the extraction and precipitation of battery-quality lithium hydroxide from deep, hot brines via production wells that will co-generate renewable, baseload geothermal energy. Story continues The company recently signed an agreement with German utility Pfalzwerke geofuture GmbH for direct access to lithium-enriched brine at the operating Insheim Geothermal Plant and Insheim Exploitation Licence. Insheim is pumping hot, high-flow, lithium-enriched brine from aquifer depths of nearly 3,000 metres to the surface for power generation. However, no lithium is currently being processed or extracted as part of the power generation circuit before the brine is reinjected into the reservoir, meaning theres a significant opportunity for Vulcan to do so. The MoU grants Vulcan an initial collaboration period that allows access to the Insheim Licence brine and data, with a pathway to construct a lithium extraction demonstration plant at Insheim in the future. The agreement marks a material milestone for Vulcan as the company in obtaining access and a pathway to co-production lithium rights to lithium-enriched brine from within the deep aquifer underlying the Insheim Exploitation Licence. Vulcan has announced a Maiden Indicated Lithium-Brine Mineral Resource Estimate at the Insheim Licence of 722,000t of contained Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE), at a grade of 181mg/l Li. This brings the projects global Resource to an estimated 13.95Mt LCE (Indicated & Inferred) at two of its six licences the largest JORC-compliant Lithium Resource in Europe. Vulcan Managing Director, Dr Francis Wedin commented: With Vulcans Maiden Indicated Mineral Resource Estimate at Insheim, we are continuing to advance our Zero Carbon Lithium project at a rapid rate. The use of data from producing wells at Insheim allows for increased confidence in the resource category used. It increases the size of the JORC lithium resource at the Vulcan Project, already easily the largest in Europe, and increasingly highlights the potential for it to be the primary source for the European battery industrys lithium hydroxide needs, via a low-impact, Zero Carbon Lithium process powered by and sourced from geothermal wells. The supply-demand dynamic is compelling: European lithium-ion battery production is the fastest growing in the world, with new capacity plans announced regularly, but this market has zero local supply of battery-quality lithium hydroxide. We next look forward to updating our shareholders on our Scoping Study, the results of which are on track to be reported this quarter. Meagan Evans Other readers criticized me for giving Seigler unwanted public attention through my column. I see their point. But if Seigler truly wanted to remain invisible to society as well as to a curious newspaper columnist he could set up his portable presence anywhere except for the roadside of a major thoroughfare. Even if he set it up 25 feet off the shoulder of the road. No one would see him. No one would likely care. Yahoo Life Videos Ireland Baldwin is opening up about her anxiety disorder. The 26-year-old model, who is the daughter of former married couple Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, shared a photo on Instagram of her holding a blood pressure monitoring device, which she said helps her manage a phobia that she has struggled with for a long time. Nearly three years after a $225 million state-funded marine terminal opened in Gloucester County, the Port of Paulsboro is still only bringing in steel from Russia and the effort to diversify and increase the cargo may be several years away. The port, maintained by the South Jersey Port Corp, was touted as the first new marine terminal on the Delaware in nearly 50 years when it opened in winter 2017. It was formerly a 190-acre petroleum storage field that had to be cleaned up and redeveloped. Officials say phase II of the Paulsboro development is underway and is expected to be completed in 2021. It includes two more wharfs, infrastructure improvements and warehouses, which it doesnt have now. The intention is to see dividends, the creation of jobs, said Chad Bruner, of Gloucester County, one of 11 members of the SJPC board of directors. Towns like Paulsboro, where there are no industries, it helps revitalizes it. For Gary Stevenson, the mayor of Paulsboro, that revitalization cant come soon enough. This has not yet been the big jobs producer, the big hope we all spoke about years ago, he said. I dont know if there are more than 25 jobs right there right now. My big hope is that all that was talked about years ago comes to fruition." Stevenson said hes still hopeful the port will someday produce up to 1,000 jobs and those workers will shop in his town and support his local businesses. It would be a utopia for Paulsboro, said Stevenson, 60, who retired recently after working at a refinery here for the past 35 years. Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D, Gloucester, Camden) was mayor of Paulsboro when the marine terminal project was first proposed in 1997 and when funding was approved in 2009 before ground was broken. Burzichelli still keeps close tabs on the terminal development. He said the construction of one of two additional wharves needed to expand operations at the port is currently underway. Burzichelli is also optimistic Paulsboro may benefit from an offshore wind project recently approved by the state. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has granted the states first award for offshore wind to the Danish energy company rsted and Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) for the proposed 1,100-megawatt Ocean Wind project. Ocean Wind, which would be built in federal waters 15 miles offshore of Atlantic City, is expected to generate enough electricity to power about 500,000 homes, according to the NJBPU. The project is also expected to generate $1.17 billion in economic benefits and create about 15,000 jobs over the life of the project. Burzichelli hopes some of those jobs will be in Paulsboro. The turbines for the enormous windmills will be built overseas. But the giant monopiles they sit on will be manufactured in the state. Burzichelli said Paulsboros terminal will be able to handle the size and weight of the piles. Paulsboro wharves are designed to handle this type of weight, he said. Burzichelli said he expects one of the two additional wharves to be completed by the end of this year and the other completed by 2021. Andy Saporino, the new SJPC CEO who took over four months ago, is a 38-year veteran of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He wasnt shy about promising a return on the public investment for the marine terminal. Generally ports are engines for economic activity, said Saporino. Its important for the region. The steel brings in a new customer. But so far the figures say otherwise. The SJPC, which operates three ports in Camden as well as foreign trade zones in Salem and the Millville airport, reported a 6.5 percent decrease in tonnage of cargo this year through August, down to 2.8 million tons. Paulsboro tallied a nearly 4 percent gain in tonnage during the same period, according to recent SJPC meeting minutes. Paulsboro has one 850-foot wharf. The three terminals in Camden have a total of six wharves. The imported steel slabs in Paulsboro come from Russia, and are then shipped by rail to the Midwest for fabrication. A former SJPC executive told a trade magazine last year that Trump administration tariffs on steel did take a chunk out of us. Officials said overall traffic has been down over the past year. The SJPC handled 131 ships through August, which is 18 below 2018. It had 487 ship days as compared to 544 days in 2018. Ship days are the number of days a ship is loading or unloading at its terminals. Most of the other SJPC ports handle break-bulk items, such as lumber, which are largely shipped outside of container boxes. Far more freight is shipped in containers than break-bulk, SJPC officials said. Port terminals in Philadelphia get the majority of container packages in the area. Holt Logistics operates ports on both sides of the river, including SJPC facilities and a separately owned terminal just south of Camden in Gloucester City. Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Los Andes Copper Ltd. ("Los Andes", or the "Company", TSX Venture Exchange: LA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Harry Nijjar, CPA, CMA, as Chief Financial Officer who will be taking over from Aurora Davidson with immediate effect. Mr. Nijjar received his CPA CMA qualification in 2012 and is a Managing Director of Malaspina Consultants Inc., a private company that provides accounting and administrative services to Canadian public companies. Mr. Nijjar serves as Chief Financial Officer for other Canadian public companies. The Company would like to thank Aurora for all her hard work and dedication to Los Andes over the past 12 years serving as Chief Financial Officer. Aurora leaves to take a position as Chief Executive Officer for her principal employer and Los Andes wishes her all the best in her new role. For more information please contact: Fernando Porcile Chairman Tel: +56 2 2954-0450 Antony J. Amberg, CEO Chief Geologist Tel: +56 2 2954-0450 E-Mail: info@losandescopper.com or visit our website at: www.losandescopper.com Los Andes Copper Ltd. is a Canadian company focused on developing the Vizcachitas copper-molybdenum porphyry project in Chile. The Company owns 100% of the Vizcachitas project, one of the largest advanced copper deposits in the Americas. The Company believes that Vizcachitas is set to become Chiles next major copper mine. The project is a copper-molybdenum porphyry deposit, located 150 km north of Santiago, in an area of very good infrastructure. The Project is currently undertaking a pre-feasibility study. Certain of the information and statements contained herein that are not historical facts, constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of the Securities Act (British Columbia) and the Securities Act (Alberta) (Forward-Looking Information). Forward-Looking Information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as seek, anticipate, believe, plan, estimate, expect and intend; statements that an event or result is due on or may, will, should, could, or might occur or be achieved; and, other similar expressions. More specifically, Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such Forward-Looking Information; including, without limitation, the Companys belief about the potential for the Vizcachitas Project to be Chiles next major copper mine. Such Forward-Looking Information is based upon the Companys assumptions regarding global and Chilean economic, political and market conditions and the price of copper. Among the factors that have a direct bearing on the Companys future results of operations and financial conditions are changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, a change in government policies, competition, currency fluctuations and restrictions and technological changes, among other things. Should one or more of any of the aforementioned risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from any conclusions, forecasts or projections described in the Forward-Looking Information. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise Forward-Looking Information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. RICHMOND, Va. - Mathematicians and geeks everywhere celebrated a rare occurrence Sunday, 02/02/2020, a kind of 8-digit palindrome that hasnt happened for more than 900 years. A palindrome is any sequence, phrase or word that reads the same backward as forward. And 02/02/2020 is considered a universal palindrome because it reads the same whether written as Month/Day/Year as the United States does, or Day/Month/Year as many other countries do. The last universal palindrome occurred on 11/11/1111. The next one wont come until 12/12/2121. Its possible to live your entire life without ever having gone through a universal palindrome, so its pretty cool to have one in your lifetime, said Heather Pierce, a mathematics lecturer at Emmanuel College in Boston. The date was cause for celebration on Twitter, where even those who dont specialize in math got a kick out of the rare global palindrome. Another one wont happen for 101 years, so make the most of this one! tweeted actor Mark Hamill of Star Wars fame. Are you guys pumped? The big day is finally here!! tweeted musical comedian Weird Al Yankovic. Right now people all across the country are getting together with friends and loved ones to celebrate - so exciting. Anyway, from my house to yours, Happy Palindrome Day! The Royal Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas was hoping the date would have special meaning for many couples. The chapel noted in its advertising that couples who marry on 02/02/2020 would have their two-year anniversaries on 02/02/2022. Two being the ultimate symbolic number representing you and your spouse to be. NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Consumer Battery Market 2020-2024 The analyst has been monitoring the global consumer battery market and it is poised to grow by USD 18.91 bn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 8% during the forecast period. Our reports on global consumer battery market provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05843293/?utm_source=PRN The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by the increasing adoption of Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. In addition, advancements in flexible batteries is anticipated to boost the growth of the global consumer battery market as well. Market Segmentation The global consumer battery market is segmented as below: End-user Residential Commercial Geographic segmentation North America APAC Europe South America MEA Key Trends for global consumer battery market growth This study identifies advancements in flexible batteries as the prime reasons driving the global consumer battery market growth during the next few years. Prominent vendors in global consumer battery market We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the global consumer battery market, including some of the vendors such as BYD Co. Ltd., Duracell Inc., Energizer Holdings Inc., EVE Energy Co. Ltd., Maxell Holdings Ltd., Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Panasonic Corp., SAMSUNG SDI Co. Ltd., Toshiba India Pvt. Ltd., and Ultralife Corp. The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05843293/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com A petition was filed before the Supreme Court on Monday seeking its direction to the Centre for laying down comprehensive guidelines relating to total restriction on holding protests in a public place where it may lead to obstruction of the public movement. The petition, filed by one Nand Kishore Garg, sought a direction to respondents, including Union of India (UOI), and laying down "detailed, comprehensive and exhaustive guidelines" relating to complete restrictions for holding protest and agitation leading to obstruction of public places. The petitioner has sought a direction to the central government and others for removal of protesters from Shaheen Bagh near Kalindi Kunj, who are protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019, for last one and a half month. The protesters have blocked the road connecting Delhi to Noida. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (adds Hong Kong's Chan, U.S. official, German cases) * Philippines death on top of 304 fatalities in China * Cbank to inject $174 bln liquidity when markets reopen * Beijing facing mounting international isolation * Mall workers take customers' temperatures By Ryan Woo and Enrico Dela Cruz BEIJING/MANILA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The first death from the coronavirus outside of China was reported on Sunday and the Beijing government took steps to shore up an economy hit by travel curbs and business shut-downs because of the epidemic. A 44-year-old Chinese man from the city of Wuhan in Hubei province, the epicentre of the epidemic, travelled to the Philippines and died there on Saturday, the Philippines' Department of Health said. The vice governor of China's Hubei province, Xiao Juhua, said the virus outbreak was still "severe and complicated". A total of 304 people have died in China, the National Health Commission said on Sunday. Infections in China jumped to 14,380 as of Saturday, it said. At least another 171 cases have been reported in more than two dozen other countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Britain. Beijing is facing mounting isolation as countries introduce travel restrictions, airlines suspend flights and governments evacuate their citizens, risking worsening a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy. China's central bank said it would inject a hefty 1.2 trillion yuan ($173.8 billion) worth of liquidity into the markets via reverse repo operations on Monday as the country prepares to reopen its stock markets after an extended Lunar New Year holiday. The government also said it would help firms that produce vital goods resume work as soon as possible, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing a meeting chaired by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan said the risk of further contraction in the region's economy, which was buffeted by anti-government protests last year, has increased due to the epidemic. Story continues Catering, retail, tourism and consumer sectors, which have been hit in the last six months, would "fall into a deeper winter", Chan said. In Beijing, some malls stayed open during the extended holiday but staff wearing surgical masks stood outside shops offering to take customers' temperatures. Many other stores and cafes in the capital and other cities chose to close. We can't work and have no income. I would rather work than stay at home and do nothing, said 32-year-old restaurant worker Wu Caixia in Beijing. Some meal deliveries in Shanghai and Beijing have started to arrive with a note showing the temperatures of the workers that prepared, packaged and delivered the food - to reassure customers they are not sick - according to residents and social media postings. China Evergrande Group, the nation's third-largest property developer, said in an internal note it would extend its Lunar New Year holiday to Feb. 16, and suspend construction work at all of its 1,246 sites until Feb. 20. OPEC and non-OPEC's Joint Technical Committee (JTC) has scheduled a meeting over Tuesday and Wednesday in Vienna to assess the impact of the virus on oil demand, OPEC+ sources told Reuters. TRAVEL BANS, EVACUATIONS Authorities have effectively quarantined Wuhan, sealing off roads and shutting down public transport. The city - where the virus is thought to have emerged late last year in a market illegally trading wildlife - was about to open two new hospitals for virus patients, state broadcaster CCTV and Xinhua news agency reported. One of the facilities was built in eight days. The virus has disrupted a string of sporting events across China. Organisers of the all-electric Formula E series said on Sunday they had abandoned plans for a race in the city of Sanya next month. The Chinese data on the numbers of infections and deaths suggests the new coronavirus is less deadly than the 2002-03 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 800 people of the some 8,000 it infected, although such numbers can evolve rapidly. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, but said global trade and travel restrictions are not needed. However, a string of countries have ramped up border controls. Singapore and the United States announced measures on Friday to ban foreign nationals who have recently been to China from entering their territories, and Australia followed suit on Saturday. Russia will start evacuating Russian citizens on Monday and Tuesday, Interfax and TASS news agencies reported. The Philippines expanded its travel ban to include all foreigners coming from China, widening an earlier restriction that covered only those from Hubei province. Indonesia also barred visitors who have been in China for 14 days. More than 100 Germans and family members landed in Frankfurt on Saturday after being evacuated from Wuhan. Two of them had the virus, adding to the eight cases in Germany already in quarantine. About 250 Indonesians were also evacuated from Hubei. Japan plans to send another chartered plane mid-week or later to bring back Japanese nationals who are still in Hubei, its foreign ministry said on Sunday. Japan has barred foreigners who have been in Hubei from entering the country. South Korea will impose a similar entry ban from Tuesday, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said. In Washington, national security adviser Robert O'Brien said the United States has offered to send U.S. medical and other health professionals but Beijing had not yet accepted. For a graphic comparing coronavirus outbreaks, see https://tmsnrt.rs/2GK6YVK (Reporting by Lusha Zhang and Ryan Woo Additional reporting by Yilei Sun, Leng Cheng and Brenda Goh in Shanghai, Martin Pollard in Jiujiang, Roxanne Liu and Pei Li in Beijing and Clare Jim in Hong Kong and Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Gayatri Suroyo in Jakarta Writing by Lincoln Feast and Andrew Heavens Editing by Christopher Cushing and Angus MacSwan) She was one generation away from slavery, had only three months of schooling and founded a company that employed 20,000 agents, says Judith B. Thomas, president of the Madam Walker Legacy Center in Indianapolis, where Walker built her eponymous beauty business in 1910. That kind of drive, even now, would be amazing. But to think that it came from a woman whose parents were slaves, who was born into poverty and who had worked as a washer woman. Union minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday added another barb in the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJPs) arsenal against Delhi chief minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal. With the just days to go before voters in Delhi are to choose a new government on February 8, the senior BJP leader joined a host of his colleagues criticising Arvind Kejriwal. The people of Delhi, who once stood behind him, have turned against him. There is a reason behind it, Prakash Javadekar said. The senior leader then went on to elaborate on what he meant. Watch l Delhi Election 2020: Javadekar calls Kejriwal a terrorist; AAP hits back Kejriwal now makes an innocent face as he asks whether he is a terrorist. You are a terrorist, there is plenty of proof for it. You had yourself said you are an anarchist. There is not much difference between an anarchist and a terrorist, he said. Union minister for information and broadcasting Prakash Javadekar made the comments during a ceremony to induct several workers of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party ahead of Delhi assembly polls, which is largely being seen as a two-way race. Javadekar was flanked by the Bharatiya Janata Partys chief of Delhi unit Manoj Tewari and junior finance minister Anurag Thakur. The AAP got back at Javadekars comments with a challenge for the ruling party at the Centre. This is happening in the Capital of our country where the central government is sitting and the Election Commission is present, AAPs Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh said. How can a central minister be permitted to use such language? If Arvind Kejriwal is a terrorist, I challenge BJP to arrest him, Singh added. The BJP has attacked Kejriwal over a host of issues, especially Shaheen Bagh, with several leaders of the party led by Union home minister Amit Shah describing the protests at the southeast Delhi colony as being against the national interests. The BJP is looking to get some hold on Delhi after winning just three seats in the last assembly elections in 2015. The AAP had swept the polls by winning 67 of the 70 seats that year. Votes will be counted on February 11. The positions of the sun, moon and planets determine our daily horoscope. Each sign has its own characteristics and traits which tell us a lot about a persons personality. Now wouldnt it be helpful if you started your day by already knowing about whats going to come your way? So, go ahead and find out whether the odds are in your favour today. * Aries (March 21-April 20): Travelling in a group will prove most enjoyable. A real estate transaction is likely to prove profitable. Your hard work is likely to get positive results on the academic front. You will impress one and all by an excellently executed project or assignment on the professional front. You may take exception to someone spending too much. Exercising control on the quality of food will assume importance on the health front. Despite professional workload, your involvement on the domestic front will be much appreciated. Love Focus: An old relationship is likely to take a turn for the better. Lucky Colour: Pearl White Lucky Alphabet: J Friendly Numbers: 3, 7, 11 Friendly Zodiac Today: Libra & Sagittarius Be careful of: Aquarius * Taurus (April 21-May 20): Be sensitive to the wishes of partner, if you want peace to prevail at home. Taking a lift in somebody elses vehicle may become necessary today. Builders and property dealers are likely to benefit. Focus and persistence on the academic front is certain to bring positive results. Promotional prospects for those in the defence forces brighten. Financial condition is set to improve by your constant efforts. Same workout regime may become monotonous, so go for a change. Love Focus: Lover expects you to give a sympathetic ear to whatever he or she has to tell. Lucky Colour: Olive Green Lucky Alphabet: K Friendly Numbers: 5. 10 Friendly Zodiac Today: Leo & Pisces Be careful of: Virgo * Gemini (May 21-July 21): Home is likely to become a fun place as friends pour in. A drive with family will be most refreshing and help bring the members closer. Desire to own a property, that you have taken a fancy to, may take some time in becoming a reality. You are likely to give a good account of yourself on the academic front. Professionals will find the day quite satisfactory. Coming into the saving mode on the financial front is advised. Jogging or walking will help keep you on the go. Love Focus: Your romantic feelings are likely to be reciprocated in full measure by the one you love. Lucky Colour: Coffee Lucky Alphabet: S Friendly Numbers: 7, 14 Friendly Zodiac Today: Aries & Aquarius Be careful of: Scorpio * Cancer (July 22-July 22): A property deal promises to bring in big money. Carelessness on the academic front can cost you dear, so remain alert. Good earning is indicated, as profits accrue. A healthy alternative proves beneficial. You are likely to influence an important decision at work. Today is the day to do things together with the family, so plan out something interesting. Some of you may be required to undertake an official trip at a short notice. Love Focus: Love is likely to grow between the newlyweds. Lucky Colour: Dark Yellow Lucky Alphabet: D Friendly Numbers: 18, 20 Friendly Zodiac Today: Sagittarius & Gemini Be careful of: Leo * Leo (July 23-August 23): Travelling with friends and relatives will prove most enjoyable. Good news on the property front can be expected. An excellent opportunity on the academic front materialises for some. A salary jump is possible for some. Health remains satisfactory through your efforts. Day is favourable for starting a new project at work. A new addition in the family is foretold. Love Focus: You are likely to pick someone for a long-term affair. Lucky Colour: Lemon Lucky Alphabet: P Friendly Numbers: 4, 8, 12 Friendly Zodiac Today: Cancer & Aries Be careful of: Scorpio * Virgo (August 24-September 23): Help given to a family member will be much appreciated. Exciting time is in store for those out on vacation. Construction of a house may be taken up by some. Your hard work is likely to get positive results on the academic front. Luck will play an important role in adding to your wealth. You are likely to enjoy good health. A good time is foreseen at work as you are likely to enjoy the task allotted to you. Love Focus: You will be able to catch the eye of the one you secretly love. Lucky Colour: Light Pink Lucky Alphabet: U Friendly Numbers: 5, 10, 15 Friendly Zodiac Today: Taurus & Scorpio Be careful of: Aquarius * Libra (September 24-October 23): A vacation is on the cards for some to someplace exotic. Possession of a house or apartment is likely to be offered soon. Students can expect a positive outcome. Financially, the day proves lucky for you. You are likely to remain fit and healthy. You are likely to become the blue-eyed of your senior, if you are not already are! Newlyweds may experience some differences and become incommunicado. Love Focus: Partner appears off mood today, so tread carefully! Lucky Colour: Lavender Lucky Alphabet: J Friendly Numbers: 1, 18 Friendly Zodiac Today: Capricorn & Sagittarius Be careful of: Scorpio * Scorpio (October 24-November 22): Keep your travel plans confidential. Property booked by you is likely to come into your possession soon. Students will be able to get the subjects of their choice. A family youngster may require continuous pestering. Your professional soundness will be your greatest asset at work today. Be careful of how much you invest and in what on the financial front. Health will remain fine with self-control. Love Focus: A great time is foreseen for lovers today. Lucky Colour: Orange Lucky Alphabet: N Friendly Numbers: 5, 12 Friendly Zodiac Today: Aquarius & Virgo Be careful of: Cancer * Sagittarius (November 23-December 21): Your love for travel can translate into a leisure trip today. Survey the real estate market before settling on any deal, as getting something better is possible. You are likely to come in full control on the professional front. A repair job may prove more expensive than anticipated. Good routine will restore your energy. Differences with spouse that had cropped up for the past few days will show signs of being amicably resolved. Love Focus: Things can get sour on the romantic front, so be careful in what you do or say. Lucky Colour: White Lucky Alphabet: B Friendly Numbers: 9, 2 Friendly Zodiac Today: Capricorn & Libra Be careful of: Taurus * Capricorn (December 22-January 21): Financial condition is set to improve for those feeling the pinch. Change of season may take its toll on your health. You will make parents succumb to your wish of going out with friends on a trip. A lucrative property deal materialises. Excitement reigns on the domestic front, as a family member returns home after a long period. An issue that is worrying you on the professional front will resolve itself. Love Focus: A most pleasing situation is likely to develop on the romantic front. Lucky Colour: Beige Lucky Alphabet: B Friendly Numbers: 17, 21 Friendly Zodiac Today: Libra & Aquarius Be careful of: Aries * Aquarius (January 22-February 19): A tricky problem on the domestic front warrants tactful handling and you will be up to the task! Some of you may be compelled to travel on an official tour. Setting up a new house is on the cards for some. Academically, you are likely to shine like a bright star and pale the competition. You will succeed in keeping your financial situation stable. Health remains excellent and will keep you energetic. Completing an urgent job entrusted to you will be much appreciated. Love Focus: Your initiative on the romantic front will keep your chances alive with the one you admire. Lucky Colour: Brown Lucky Alphabet: T Friendly Numbers: 8, 18 Friendly Zodiac Today: Gemini & Scorpio Be careful of: Leo * Pisces (February 20-March 20): A senior at work may advise you on something important, so be all ears. Atmosphere at home will be most peaceful and tranquil today. Delay is foreseen in a journey, but you will be able to make up the time. Academic front paints a rosy picture for some. Property may come to you through inheritance. Previous investments promise to fetch handsome returns. Weight watchers will succeed in remaining in shape through their own efforts. Love Focus: Those in love must find newer ways to please lover to keep the relationship rocking! Lucky Colour: Light Red Lucky Alphabet: G Friendly Numbers: 4, 16 Friendly Zodiac Today: Capricorn & Sagittarius Be careful of: Cancer The astrologer can be contacted at psharma@premastrologer.com or support@askmanisha.com Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter A high school teacher was tied up, dragged for some distance, and locked inside a house by alleged Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters in a bid to acquire her land forcibly for a village road in West Bengals South Dinajpur district, police said on Monday. The woman identified as BJP supporter Smritikana Das, her mother and other family members were also assaulted by the group, led by panchayat members, at Nandanpur in Gangarampur block, the police said. So far nobody has been arrested in connection with the incident that took place on Friday. A video grab of the purported attack showed Nandanpur panchayat 'upa-pradhan' (deputy chief) Amal Sarkar and some others involved in the act, the police said. The TMC district leadership on Sunday expelled Sarkar for his alleged involvement in the incident, party sources said. The video showed that the teacher fell down on the road when the attackers tied her hands and legs, and dragged her for nearly 30ft while raining blows on her. The attackers then locked her up at a house belonging to a TMC block level worker. Her sister, Soma, was also beaten up by the attackers when she went to Smritikana's rescue. The teacher, who was discharged from a local hospital after preliminary treatment, lodged a complaint against Sarkar and four TMC supporters at Gangarampur police station, a police officer said. "We are probing the incident and also talking to eye- witnesses," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SAN BENITO COUNTY, Calif. According to the San Benito County Public Health Department, there are two confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the county. According to public health officials, the confirmed cases are a husband and wife pair. They are both 57 years old. The husband recently traveled from Wuhan, China and the wife picked up the virus from her husband. Both patients have not left their home since returning to China. By Joseph Ax CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Reuters) - Like many Iowans, Peggy Magner is still grappling with a weighty choice as the state's first-in-the-nation nominating contest fast approaches: which Democratic candidate is best equipped to defeat Republican President Donald Trump in November. By Joseph Ax CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Reuters) - Like many Iowans, Peggy Magner is still grappling with a weighty choice as the state's first-in-the-nation nominating contest fast approaches: which Democratic candidate is best equipped to defeat Republican President Donald Trump in November. "It's a hard thing, because we're really not sure who can beat Trump," the 70-year-old retired university professor said on Saturday in Cedar Rapids, where she was waiting for U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren to take the stage at a rally. "All of us take this really seriously. I've been praying on it." Interviews with dozens of Iowans throughout the rural state pointed to plenty of votes still up for grabs once caucus meetings start on Monday. A recent Suffolk/USA Today poll said 13% of Iowa voters were undecided and 45% might change their mind. A Monmouth University survey released on Jan. 29 reported that nearly half of respondents might change their minds. Several voters said the burden of their choice the state's verdict has historically had an enormous impact on the trajectory of the race felt particularly heavy this year, with Democrats desperate to defeat Trump. At a rally for former Vice President Joe Biden in Fort Madison, Marla Anderson, 66, said her heart told her to support Warren, but her head was leaning toward Biden, who she views as a potentially safer choice for the general election. "I am just concerned about whether she can actually win. It's beyond time that we get a woman in the White House, but not sure if she's the right one," Anderson, a former healthcare worker, said, before adding with a grin, "I may not know until caucus night." The leading candidates are criss-crossing the state this weekend in an all-out sprint, delivering their closing arguments on why they are the best choice to take on Trump this fall. Liberal U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders touted his ability to expand the electorate, while Biden, a moderate, argued that only he is capable of bringing back disaffected swing voters who abandoned the party in 2016. Meanwhile, Warren cast herself as uniquely positioned to "unite the party," as new campaign signs at one rally read, by stitching together the liberal and centrist wings of the Democratic coalition. Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, urged voters to embrace generational change. And U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar pointed to her electoral victories in rural, Trump-supporting counties in Minnesota. In public opinion polls, Sanders and Biden appear to be jockeying for the lead, with Warren and Buttigieg close behind. In Iowa City, where Warren answered questions in front of a crowd of 900, Maggie Taylor, a 22-year-old who works in health policy, said she has narrowed her choice to between Sanders and Warren but she has no idea how to decide. She ticked off pros and cons for each Sanders' career-long commitment to progressive ideals versus Warren's compelling backstory, Sanders' ability to excite young voters versus Warren's history-making potential as the first female president. "I don't know what's going to help me make my decision," she said. (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw, Tim Reid and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Daniel Wallis) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Controversial Portland marijuana company Cura Cannabis has finally completed the sale of its recreational marijuana business, nine months after announcing the deal with Massachusetts-based Curaleaf. The deal closed Saturday at a fraction of the billion-dollar price initially touted after a series of setbacks that included lawsuits, a record financial penalty and layoffs. Cura had been under investigation by Oregon regulators for inaccurately claiming its flagship Select Elite products were 100% marijuana. The company settled the case Thursday, paying a record $100,000 penalty for not acknowledging additives in its products and an additional $10,000 for dishonest conduct. Cura sold more than 186,000 vape cartridges that contained unlabeled additives last fall, according to last weeks settlement agreement, forcing the Portland company to recall the products and apologize to retailers. Documents show state regulators initially sought to suspend Curas license before negotiating a financial penalty instead. The episode triggered a lawsuit filed Friday by Portland attorney Michael Fuller, first reported by Willamette Week, seeking class-action status and any profits Cura made from selling the mislabeled vape cartridges. Cura did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the suit. Settling with regulators, though, cleared the way for Massachusetts-based Curaleaf to complete its deal for Curas Select brand. The all-stock sale was worth nearly $950 million when the companies announced their deal in May and briefly topped $1 billion amid investor enthusiasm for the transaction. Curaleaf shares declined sharply in months since announcing the transaction amid a general downturn in marijuana stocks. Curaleaf then reworked the transaction in October, reducing the deals value by significantly more. The deal is now worth a little less than $400 million, though Curas owners can potentially double that total if the Portland companys Select marijuana business hits newly established sales targets this year. When Curaleaf restructured the deal for Cura and Select, it blamed last years vaping health crisis for depressing sales. It also cited unspecified internal factors within the operations of Select that resulted in the Portland company underperforming as compared to its stated business plan. "The close of the Select deal is a major milestone in Curaleaf's history and marks an unprecedented phase of growth for our company," Joseph Lusardi, Curaleafs CEO, said in a written statement Monday. Cura CEO Cameron Forni is now president of the Select brand within Curaleaf. The companies said in May he would become join Curaleafs board when the deal closed; it wasnt clear Monday if that happened -- Forni is not listed as a member of Curaleafs board. Curaleaf did appoint a new board member Monday, however: Las Vegas orthopedic surgeon Jaswinder Grover. Grover has a long business relationship with Curas executive chairman, Portland investor Nitin Khanna, having been listed as a producer on documentary films on which Khanna also served as a producer. Cura, which also went by the name of its Select recreational marijuana business, was Oregons largest cannabis company. It claimed sales of $117 million in 2018. Curas sale closed following a spate of unannounced layoffs at Cura during the holiday season. The Oregonian/OregonLive confirmed the layoffs with multiple people who lost their jobs during the cutbacks but was unable to ascertain how many jobs the Portland company eliminated altogether. Cura and Curaleaf did not respond to inquiries seeking details of the layoffs and an explanation of what prompted them. The job cuts took place even as the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which regulates recreational marijuana in the state, was investigating Cura for mislabeling its products. Cura claimed there was a breakdown in communication between its Portland manufacturing facility and the companys marketing department. That apparently resulted in tens of thousands of Select Elite vape cartridges hitting the Oregon market labeled as 100% cannabis, when in fact they included other additives. Public records show that Cura agreed to a recall, though some products remained on the market for weeks after the recall began. Regulators say its not clear whether the additives post any health risk to consumers. Cura has a difficult past, marred by a real estate scandal, rape allegations, lawsuits and unusual executive hires. Curas initial funding was diverted from Oregon retirees who had invested in a real estate investment firm called Iris Capital Partners. That companys founder is serving a three-year prison sentence in Georgia, but several dozen Oregon retirees collectively lost about $1 million and will recover none of that through Curas sale. In 2018, women in the marijuana community highlighted rape allegations against Khanna, Curas chairman and former CEO. Khanna had previously faced allegations he had assaulted his wifes hairdresser on the morning of his own wedding. Khanna denied the claims and prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges, concluding that even though DNA evidence proved there had been sexual contact they couldnt prove it was nonconsensual. Khanna settled a lawsuit the woman brought in 2014 and Cura settled a separate lawsuit last year, in which the Portland company claimed a California rival had used anonymous social media accounts to highlight the rape allegations to undercut Curas business. In 2019, Cura hired a new president a man named Nick Sarnicola, who previously ran a business called ViSalus that sold protein powder for weight loss. Sarnicola and ViSalus had settled a string of lawsuits alleging they operated a pyramid scheme. Cura never announced Sarnicolas hiring and he left the company after The Oregonian/OregonLive reported on his background. Though they have sold the business, Curas owners will be tied to Curaleaf for years to come. Curaleaf said last month that shares issued to complete the acquisition are subject to lock up restrictions that limit their sale to 5% of their holdings each quarter. Restrictions are common after large stock transactions to prevent stock recipients from abruptly cashing out which could reduce overall share prices. Curaleafs restrictions are especially tight, though. Previously, it had permitted up to 15% of shares to be sold each quarter. Curas largest shareholders include Khanna, Forni and Portland attorney Nick Slinde, who acquired his shares in 2014 in exchange for doing legal work for Iris Capital the fraudulent real estate firm that provided Curas initial funding. The Oregon State Bar has been investigating Slinde since last spring over an allegation that he had a conflict of interest when he negotiated to send money from an Iris legal settlement into the marijuana business. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. F amously the UK's highest taxpayer, Phones 4u founder John Caudwell has turned two mansions in Mayfair into one vast property that, with an estimated value of 250 million, is thought to be Britain's most expensive private home. Businessman and philanthropist Caudwell, 67, who sold his Phones 4u chain for just under 1.5 billion in 2006, bought Mayfair House for 87 million in 2012 and a few years later embarked on a total renovation. Set in a Portland stone building, it's actually two houses knocked into one, with a 120-capacity ballroom, 15 bedrooms and eight floors. The super-home spans 43,000sq ft, which is roughly the average size of 55 London flats and more than twice the size of the Royal Albert Hall. Channel 4 The total overhaul of this huge home was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary earlier this year, in which Caudwell revealed how a vast basement now joins the two mansions together. There's a "car stacker" that can take eight cars from street level to storage at the press of a button, plus an indoor pool with a volcanic lava installation. Other features you might not expect to find in this historic London enclave include a Thai-themed dining room Caudwell's favourite food with a river flowing through its centre filled with handpicked African Cichlid fish, all set beneath a faux cherry tree with pink blossoms, while its also revealed that 20,000 sheets of gold leaf were used throughout the opulent interiors. At a total cost of 65 million, the renovation ran over time and 55 million over budget. See inside: Britain's most expensive home Inside Britain's most expensive home: a 250m mega-mansion in Mayfair Caudwell's main residence is a 12-bedroom country house in Staffordshire and, along with other homes around the world, he also owns a 73-metre yacht which he bought at auction for the bargain price of 35 million. While the Mayfair House is protected by hi-tech security and round-the-clock staff, Caudwell has said that he hasn't owned any expensive jewellery or art since his Staffordshire home was burgled 10 years ago in a raid that saw the tycoon attacked with a metal bar. Referring to the value of his latest project in a recent interview with The Times, Caudwell said: The value in my house is the house itself, but I dont keep any valuables. You cant steal a marble staircase. Caudwell will not live in the property full time, it's revealed in the show, as he intends to use it primarily for his charitable foundation, Caudwell Children, which supports disabled children and their families. Channel 4 Caudwell will throw gala evenings, charity balls and hold meetings at the newly revamped property, "because I dont need a house anything like that size", he tells the Times. Last year, the most expensive detached home on the market was a secluded Hollywood-style mansion near Hampstead Heath, which was listed for 40 million. Volunteers needed for exciting new project at Plas Power Nature Reserve This article is old - Published: Monday, Feb 3rd, 2020 An environmental charity in Wrexham is looking for volunteers to help with a project at Plas Power Nature Reserve. Groundwork North Wales has successfully secured funding from the Welsh Governments Landfill Disposal Tax Communities Scheme, administered by WCVA to make a positive improvement to the local environment at the site in Tanyfron. The Plas Power Colliery site in Tanyfron near Wrexham was once a busy coal mine, the site lay derelict for many years but is now the old miners offices are home to Groundwork North Wales, a charity focusing on social, economic, cultural and economic projects across North Wales and the surrounding land regenerated into the Plas Power nature reserve. Project officer Geraint Hughes said: Groundwork North Wales is excited about the Plas Power project. Volunteers make such a difference to a project like this and its great to see residents from the local area taking part in such a project As well as the changes to the local environment a project like this brings it is also great to see the benefits to see the physical and mental health benefits that a project like this can bring to people, and to see them enjoying being outside. The project aims to improving the biodiversity currently on site. Enhancing and improving the area for the grassland for wildflowers and ground nesting birds such as skylarks. The woodland area will be thinned to encourage stronger trees and bring light to the woodland floor, some replanting with native species such as Oak will take place. A new pond will also be dug so practical and social volunteer days will be accessible. The improvements will have a positive impact on pollinating insects and other species which is likely to spread beyond the site perimeter. Groundwork North Wales are looking for local residents that would like to take part in these conservation activities giving the opportunity to meet new people and learn new skills. There will also be opportunities for local schools and community groups to get involved. For further details about the project and to get involved contact Geraint Hughes on 01978 757 524 geraint.hughes@groundworknorthwales.org.uk www.groundworknorthwales.org.uk The trial of Jeremy Christian, accused of fatally stabbing two men and severely injuring a third on a crowded MAX train in 2017, will enter its second week Monday. Prosecutors are expected to continue calling witnesses to the triple stabbing and its aftermath. Dozens of passengers were onboard when Christian launched into a loud tirade that escalated into a shoving match before turning deadly. Christian killed Ricky Best, 53, and Taliesin Namkai-Meche, 23, and wounded Micah Fletcher, then 21, on May 26, 2017, on a Green Line train as it pulled into the Hollywood Transit Center in Northeast Portland. Christian is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree attempted murder in the stabbings. He also is charged with second-degree intimidation for allegedly targeting two teens on the train with slurs, as well as another woman in an encounter a day earlier. The trial continues Monday at 9 a.m. Heres what happened last week. Opening statements set stage A prosecutor used photos to describe in chilling and graphic detail the moments before Jeremy Christian repeatedly stabbed Best, Namkai-Meche and Fletcher as horrified commuters watched. Prosecutors and defense attorneys made their opening statements to a packed courtroom half of it filled with victims, including Fletcher, and members of the dead mens families, including one of Bests adult sons. Namkai-Meches parents and five of his siblings also attended. Prosecutor Don Rees said Christian made the first two shoves at Namkai-Meche, who apparently was about to start recording Christian with his phone, and Fletcher, who had walked across part of the train to tell Christian to get off. But defense attorney Dean Smith countered the prosecutions characterization of Fletcher, Namkai-Meche and Best, saying Christian was defending himself. Smith said Christian responded reasonably after Fletcher unlawfully tried to oust him from the train because Christian was exercising his free speech. Smith said Namkai-Meche and Best joined in by ganging up on Christian, who was more vulnerable at the moment because hed been drinking alcohol from a container he had with him and was unsteady on his feet. Smith also described the encounter as mutual combat. Before opening statements, Christian entered the courtroom and almost immediately blurted: You guys ready to smash Portlands fairy tale? ... Hate crime? Christian indicated he was eager for those in the courtroom to watch video of the stabbings. Key prosecution witnesses called One of the first witnesses called by the prosecution Tuesday was a young woman, Walia Mohamed, who was wearing the hijab on the train when police say she was targeted by Christian for verbal abuse. She was 17 at the time and is now 20. The friend who was with Mohamed, Destinee Mangum, also testified Tuesday, saying Christian appeared to single her out because of her race and Mohamed because of her faith. Mangum, who was 16 at the time, is African American. Two Army veterans who tried to help the stabbing victims testified Wednesday. Marcus Knipe put his hand on Fletchers neck to try to stop the bleeding as much as he could, he testified. An aunt of Taliesin Namkai-Meche testified Thursday that moments before Jeremy Christian stabbed and killed her nephew on a MAX train in May 2017, she had suggested that he might record Christian making a hate-filled rant and then hand the video evidence over to police but she begged him not to get involved. On Friday, Demetria Hester described from the witness stand her violent encounter with Christian, which occurred a day before the stabbing. She said Christian told her as they stepped off a different MAX train: (Expletive), youre about to get it. She said when Christian put down his bag, Hester sprayed him with Mace. He responded by pelting her in her right eye with his Gatorade bottle and saying the next time he saw her he was going to kill her, Hester recounted. Videos show stabbing, aftermath Several of the witnesses also took video of the stabbings that factored into the prosecutions case. The cellphone footage supplements TriMet security camera footage that also shows the stabbing. The clarity of the footage taken by multiple cameras from different angles, some of it including sound is rare in a murder case. The videos are expected to continue to play a central role in both the prosecutions case and the defense arguments as the trial continues in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Stay informed -- The Oregonian/OregonLive NEW YORKOne day last October, three powerful figures in New York affairs met for a serious lunch at Fraunces Tavern in Lower Manhattan. On one side were Patrick Foye, chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, which represents business leaders. In front of them sat Andy Byford, head of the citys subway and buses, who had beguiled New Yorkers in less than two years with his spirited efforts to turn around a transit system in crisis. One day earlier, though, Byford had submitted a scorching letter of resignation that detailed grievances with his ultimate boss, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, including complaints that micromanaging by the governor and his office was making it impossible for him to do his job. By the end of lunch, Foye and Wylde had calmed Byford, sketching out a deal that kept him in place and made the harsh letter disappear, according to three people familiar with the October events. In truth, the Byford-Cuomo relationship was already beyond salvage, and late last month, Byford resigned. It was a startling development and to many of his admirers, a worrying stumble at the nations largest transportation system, where a historic rebuilding program is underway. Behind a curtain of measured statements was a low-decibel, slow-motion collision between two of New Yorks most commanding personalities supremely confident figures, gifted at public relations, masters not only of their domains but fluent in each others as well. Cuomo understands how a switch on a railroad track makes things happen just as Byford knows the power of a clause in a 2,000-word piece of legislation. Byford had arrived in New York in January 2018 as Cuomo was bluntly asserting his extra-large temperament and political know-how in transit affairs, a first for any governor in the half-century of the MTAs existence and a direct response to the publics demand that he be accountable for failing service. Yet the two men almost never spoke. They clashed through proxies. Over the course of the past year, a series of slights accidental, calculated, impulsive, imagined drove a schism between them, according to numerous interviews with government officials, transit executives and business leaders. Andy Byford won the hearts of New Yorkers with his clear intention to make this the best transit system in the world, Wylde said. But it was naive of him to think that this governor, who has put his credibility on the line, would rely on any one person to do the job. Neither Byford nor Cuomo has had a cross word for the other in public, before or after the resignation. But even before the October letter, Byford had threatened to quit on more than one occasion. Reached late last week, Byford said he was grateful to Cuomo for bringing him to New York. The subway system last month had an on-time rate of 84 per cent, he said, up from 58 per cent in 2018. I get the attention, but a good leader builds a good team, Byford said. I will have failed if it all falls apart when I leave, but Ive left it in good hands, with a good plan. Cuomo said Byfords departure would not hobble the systems recovery. There has been amazing progress made at the MTA with new laws, financing and its reorganization, the governor said. All arrows are pointed up, and with new projects coming online and new resources, the best lies ahead. The governor has said he did not want Byford to leave, but behind the scenes, the distance between the two men widened through the past year. Byfords underlings would be summoned to the governors office on Third Avenue in Manhattan for interrogation by Cuomo about cleaning procedures, signal changes, fare evasion and construction projects. He chewed many of them out. Few spoke back, even when he was mistaken. Byford was never invited. On the eve of a major presentation by Byford to the MTA board last May, Cuomos aides abruptly ordered him not to reveal dollar amounts for a spending program. Byfords colleagues had to pulp the full-colour booklets they had printed. Byford, 55, an Englishman, had moved to New York from Toronto to run the buses and subways. Cutting a figure of cheerful candour, poised humility and tireless optimism Yes, service stinks, we owe you better, but just think of how good it will be if we all hang in and push together! he managed to quickly win over a city that scoffs at sweet talk. Cuomo, 62, born, reared and brined in New York politics, is, by the measure of things built, laws changed and electoral votes won, as successful as any governor in history. He was also blamed by many for the subways problems. But he persuaded the state Legislature last spring to create a first-in-the-nation congestion pricing system for cars entering parts of Manhattan, money to pay for transit improvements. He manoeuvred changes in state law to curb the little-known powers of a few well-positioned politicians to take hostages in exchange for MTA spoils. He got permission to overhaul the authority, which includes commuter lines for nine counties outside the city. Forced marriage The work of Cuomo and Byford and their relationship mattered far beyond New York. At a casual glance, the MTA, a glued-together bundle of local transit services, some of which date back nearly 200 years, might seem to have little to do with the rest of the country. But the New York region generates 10 per cent of the gross domestic product. Mass transit makes it possible, almost despite itself. By some estimates, New York is the only global city to have fewer miles of track today than in 1940. Monumental works of civil engineering tunnels dug under rivers or threaded beneath the pipe-crowded underground of Manhattan were abandoned, left empty as generations came and went. In 2017, with the city growing at its fastest rate since the early 20th century, transit managers were unable to explain why tens of thousands of subway trains were delayed every month. So Byford, who had overseen transit systems in London, Australia and Toronto, started in 2018 at an agency with cultural rot. Cuomo was already fully engaged: He had personally driven the completion of a half-century-delayed section on the Second Avenue subway line, declared a state of emergency for the system in 2017, allocated more than $800 million for a repair blitz, and was using his mastery of government to blow up the MTA. Cuomo invited me to be a part-time fly on his wall during the spring and summer as he pursued his overhaul of the MTA, an agency I have followed as a columnist and reporter, with varying degrees of attention, across four decades. The Byford-Cuomo estrangement was highly unusual. Governors have always held considerable power over the MTA, but until the past four years, they had so little to do with transit leaders that a feud between them was no more likely than a couple who had never met announcing their divorce. During his first term, Cuomo followed the risk-averse tactic of virtually all of his predecessors by staying as far from transit as possible. Then, in 2017, he was driven into what he called a forced marriage with the transportation authority by a service meltdown. What he had seen from afar, Cuomo said, was just as true when he looked at it under a microscope. The authority seemed comfortable with failure and armoured to resist change. He was radicalized, he said, when he discovered in late 2018 that the transit establishment had not seriously entertained alternatives to shutting down the L train tunnel between Brooklyn and Manhattan for repairs, which would have disrupted the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of people for 15 months. When the governor announced a plan suggested by engineers outside the transit system that would allow most service to continue, Byford said he would get his own team of experts to assess it, then embraced it. Byfords initial public skepticism opened a major breach with the governor that never closed. Cuomo takes charge Cuomo met spies with inside information about the MTA. He gloried in the emerging beauty of a new train hall. He changed laws, upended the agencys board, duelled with major vendors. He invoked Sun Tzus The Art of War while planning for one important transit vote, and Michael Harrington, author of The Other America, on the need for dramatic exposes of problems to force change in a leaden bureaucracy. That happened to be when he was discussing the citys torn safety net for homeless people in subways, but he routinely used theatricality not only as a tool for reforms but also to embarrass rivals or just to see his name in neon. As with most humans, Cuomos purposes can be so tightly woven that it was occasionally hard to tell which or how many were driving him at a given moment. The upshot was that Byford found himself working at an agency where the governor was sinking his hands deeper every day. One night, near midnight, Cuomo walked down two flights at the 59th Street station on Manhattans East Side, then used a stepladder to reach the tracks. In the tunnel 100 yards north, transit workers in glowing safety vests lifted tools from a cart. About two feet of water had pooled in a clogged holding basin between the tracks, a murky tea of subway filth. The basins drain pipe was blocked. The governor had seen dozens of them, and they still infuriated him. During the 2017 crisis, transit managers told him that standing water on tracks was a chronic problem that caused delays. Since the subways have an ingenious drain network, Cuomo assumed that climate change and rising water tables were to blame. Not so. The water had nowhere to go because most drains, like the one at 59th Street, were silted shut. The governor called for inspection reports. They falsely showed that drains were open. Of roughly 673 kilometres of drain pipe, just 27 kilometres were scheduled for annual cleaning. Even that was not being met. Happy talk has been the death knell of MTA management, Cuomo said. Under an emergency declaration, transit officials spent $57 million to unblock drains along all 673 kilometres, barely touched for 20 years, estimated Elizabeth Keating, a deputy inspector general for the MTA. Now the governor watched workers banging at one of the last clogs. You guys break your rear ends, Cuomo said. This is what makes the system work. On another evening, Cuomo arrived unannounced at the 207th Street train yards in Upper Manhattan. The public was spending millions of dollars every week to overhaul train cars, three shifts a day, but at this hour, a few minutes after 10 p.m. on a Monday in April, there was neither sight nor sound of work. One man scrambled from a booth to greet him. Yes, he said to the governor, the crew was working on trucks the wheels and engines that the shell of a train car sits on. Where are you doing that? Cuomo asked. The man pointed to a long line of trucks, one after the other, above a shallow repair pit. They are working here? Cuomo asked. Not a soul was in sight. Yes, sir, the man replied, nodding vigorously. They must be very short people, Cuomo said. Or invisible. About 130 people were being paid to work until 11 p.m., though they had clearly left well before that. Mr. Fixit No single episode, no blowout fight led to Byfords departure. Every day, he treaded an unmarked boundary. On one side, he served as the champion for his workforce. On the other, he was in danger of being seen, fairly or not, as the ambassador of an unrepentant bureaucracy. He saw its follies up close. Trains in some places were running 30 per cent to 50 per cent below speed limits because of broken equipment that could have been simply fixed. On a whiteboard in his inner office, he posted battle plans. Much of it came down to fussy little tasks, each shaving a few seconds that would add up to a crisper trip. He sipped coffee in break rooms, chatted with station cleaners, visited repair shops and made 26 videos urging on his 50,000 employees. The record of his first year included 20,000 fewer delays per month and the highest on-time performance in six years. No one could authoritatively parse how much was due to the Cuomo Subway Action Plan or to the Byford operations initiative; both were necessary, neither sufficient. Still, it was Byford who was profiled as the subways Mr. Fixit by 60 Minutes. His Thomas-the-Tank-Engine optimism was more telegenic than Cuomos Dark Knight of the tunnels. One town hall event at a time, Byford, who flunked the only driving test he ever took, preached that a better day was coming. Remember, Byford told an audience in the Bronx, we can give you world-class transit in less than 4,000 days. That 4,000 days was wordsmith sugar for 10 years, and he spooned it out week after week. The core of his vision was hardly revolutionary a modern signal system that would make service faster and more reliable yet he left his audiences glowing. But those signals, a multi-billion-dollar construction project, would land Byford in one of his biggest disputes with the governor. The signals were part of Cuomos proposal for the largest capital investments in the authoritys history $54 billion over five years but he did not trust the transit bureaucracy to pull it off. Under Cuomos reorganization plan, virtually all construction would move to a division headed by aides close to him. That included the signals, one of the reasons for Byfords resignation letter in October. The intervention of Foye, the MTA chair, reversed the decisions on both sides, for a while. A little more than two weeks ago, crowds thronged a town-hall-style meeting in Jackson Heights, Queens, where Byford presented a draft bus route redesign for the borough, as CBS reported. It was highly unpopular. Byford stayed late to hear why. Whatever the proposals merits, the Byford team had taken on a thankless, vital task that others had shirked: modernizing bus routes based on ancient lines drawn by streetcar companies, little changed since horses pulled milk wagons on the same roads. That bruising session in Queens was the final day of Byfords second year as transit president. He was still doing his job, but it was shrinking. Yes, he would be running trains and buses and was promised control of the signals. But he had lost a voice in policy and had new bosses. His time was up. A week later, on the evening his resignation was announced, Byford and some of his colleagues repaired to a bar in Brooklyn. Then they heard that the bar next door had a space for throwing axes. They changed venues. Read more about: North Africans evacuated from China on Monday landed in Algiers international airport after being quarantined for 14 days at a hotel in La Marsa, 30 kilometers east of the capital. Global evacuations were underway from China as health authorities reported 17,205 confirmed cases of a new viral outbreak that has so far killed 361 people. The group that landed in Algiers included 36 students and an additional 17 citizens of three other North African countries; 10 Tunisians, three Libyans and four Mauritanians. Following the flight's landing, Air Algerie, the North African nation's flag carrier, announced it was suspending its weekly flights to Beijing, preventively. Algeria has not announced any positive cases. An official of the World Health Organization, Dr. Michel Yao, emergency operations program manager in Africa, listed Algeria as one of WHO's 13 high-priority African countries - with direct China flights or many visitors from China. Algeria employs thousands of Chinese, often on construction sites. The world is changing. As digital transformation hits more and more companies and industires, workers have to develop the new competencies and skills required by changing digital business models. Upskilling: Theres an app for that Most enterprise leaders recognize the growing need to invest in employee training, but theres a big gap between recognition and action. A Randstad Sourceright survey shows that 91% of business leaders see a responsibility to provide training but just 22% are delivering it. While 66% of employers plan to provide such training eventually, this is mostly focused on organizational needs, such as AI skill development. Rebecca Henderson, CEO of Randstad global business, said it's troubling that so few companies are currently offering this necessary training. Shes probably right, and this lack of action leaves the onus on employees to carve their own path to skills development and personal progression. Some consider this an abdication of responsibility on the part of employers. A 2014 Duke University study revealed that more than three-quarters of enterprises had used or evaluated online courses such as those provided by these services for professional development. Meanwhile, here are five of the most popular iOS apps enterprise professionals are using to bolster their skills; they should be of use to anyone who hopes to find affordable training themselves. Each of these services is available on your iPhone, Mac, iPad, online and most other platforms. LinkedIn Learning LinkedIn acquired Lynda.com in 2015 before itself being acquired by Microsoft. LinkedIn Learning is the result of these acquisitions and offers a wide range of affordable short courses with a slant on the needs of business and creative pros. These span a good range of introductory and advanced coding and software-based skills, application-specific knowledge and leadership training. You can access all the courses through a web browser or using LinkedIns various platform-specific apps. While the service is perhaps the most widely used educational tool at U.S. companies, access comes at a price: $29.99/month, for which youll gain access to the entire 13,000+ course catalog and the usual range of LinkedIn Premium features. The service is quite well sign-posted and provides certifications you can add to your LinkedIn profile. Pluralsight Pluralsight is a U.S. service offering video training mainly primarily aimed at software developers, creative professionals and IT admins; 6,000+ courses are certificated and include on- and off-line access, skills assessments and live mentoring, in some cases. The certification is particularly useful as these are industry-specified certificates, and the service can provide you with curated learning paths to help get them. So, for example, one selection of Big Data-related courses comes up with 43 hours of training spread across 101 courses. Courses are provided on a monthly (from $24/month) or annual (from $245 annually) subscription though the snag is that certification is only available with the more expensive Premium plan. The company also offers a complete SAAS platform for enterprise customers, which lets them provide training internally across the organizations. Udemy Offering 10s of thousands of courses across a huge range of topics and disciplines to millions of students and in multiple languages, Udemy is one of the biggest online learning platforms accessible to any Mac or iOS user (or pretty much anyone else). These courses arent aimed solely at the needs of enterprise pros, which means you may need to dig a little deeper to find the caliber of training you seek. However, the wide range of content makes it a good place to upscale so-called "soft" skills through humanities-related training. Navigation is the best thing about Udemy. Learners are encouraged to share reviews and star ratings of the courses they take, which means the best courses usually have hundreds of reviews and high star ratings. Pricing models vary free courses are available, as are fee-based learnings. Some courses are very short, others basic, some poor, but the best of them are available on an enterprise license (Ubemy for Business) so your enterprise can offer up training and development to employees. Coursera Broadly speaking, the courses provided on the Coursera service are high-quality, well-designed and cover a range of subjects, including career-specific training up to full online degree and MBA-level courses. There are 3,900 courses, including more than 20 at degree level. The service also offers 2,000 Coursera for Business sessions, which includes training in some of the most in-demand skills enterprises are looking for. It is interesting that many of the most popular courses currently available are focused on deep learning, data analytics, machine learning, as these are precisely the skills people are searching for at present. (Theres even a Masters in Machine Learning available.) The majority of these courses are provided by internationally recognized educational centers, including Yale, Imperial College London and the University of Illinois. Prices are variable you may even find the training you need available at no cost, though certification (which you can add to your C.V.) can cost an additional fee. Pricing varies (the Machine Learning Masters course will set you back about $30,000, for example). edX Youll also find high-quality academic courses at edX. Like Coursera, many of them come from more than 100 of the worlds leading global education providers (including MIT, Harvard, Stanford). Topics include computer sciences, business management, language, engineering and the humanities. Many courses are free, with an additional cost for certification. And (just like Coursera), you can also access full degree courses here, including an MBA in Business Administration from Boston University for $24,000. Many of the courses youll find here have fixed availability times, but as edX is run as a non-profit concern, you may find it easier to identify high-quality training resources you can access for no fee here than some other services. Keep looking for the right training These arent the only online training course providers; if you want to be able to access your learning materials from any platform or device, there are many more. For example, three services focused on IT skill development include: A Cloud Guru (Certified cloud computing training from $49/month); Codecademy (one of the best places for coding training for free); and CBT Nuggets (IT-related training from $59/month). An honorable mention goes to FutureLearn, which offers many high-quality courses, but failed to make the cut for this report as it lacks an iOS app. I hope this short collection of training and learning providers helps you plot a route to the skills you want to develop. The world is changing, and you need to empower yourselves to navigate the journey. Please follow me on Twitter, or join me in the AppleHolics bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe. Sen. Lindsey Graham got emotional recounting a long phone call to Joe Biden - "as good a man as God ever created," he said. The vice president had been dealt a "gut blow" with the death of his son Beau Biden, said the Republican senator from South Carolina. Talking with Graham, though, the prominent Democrat had focused on the future. "If you can't admire Joe Biden as a person, then you got a problem," Graham told a reporter, laughing in the back of a car. "You need to do some self evaluation. 'Cause what's not to like?" The HuffPost clip from 2015 has resurfaced again and again as President Donald Trump's attacks on a potential 2020 rival and his family drive an increasingly conspicuous and newly personal wedge between Graham and Biden. While Democrats build the case that Trump tried to pressure Ukraine into damaging his political rivals - by investigating Biden and his son Hunter - Graham has joined Republicans to argue that the Bidens should, in fact, be probed. On Monday, Biden's wife, Jill, suggested that an across-the-aisle bond has suffered lasting damage. "I don't know what happened to Lindsey," Jill Biden said on CNN's "New Day," criticizing Republicans' focus on her son amid impeachment proceedings against the president. "We used to be great friends," she said of Graham. "I mean, we traveled together with the Foreign Relations Committee, we had dinner, you know . . . And now he's changed," she said. Representatives for Biden and Graham did not respond to requests for comment Monday. Biden and Graham were close for decades despite political differences, as The Washington Post's Greg Jaffe and Matt Viser reported in December. About to become second-in-command in the Obama administration, Biden picked Graham - who had the "best instincts in the Senate," he said - to join him on a trip to Kabul, Afghanistan, where they were united in concern about the state of the war in that country. The vice president even offered his support in Graham's reelection campaign in 2013. As Graham faced criticism from more conservative Republicans and the prospect of a primary challenge, Biden joked that he could lambaste his colleague if needed. "I told him I'll come to South Carolina and campaign for him or against him, whichever will help the most - I know which it'll be," Biden said at a forum. "I'm going down there to the JJ next weekend, Lindsey," referencing the South Carolina Democratic Party's annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner, "and I assure you I will rip your skin off for you." "I expect a thank-you note," he quipped. Like their close friend John McCain, Biden and Graham built reputations for reaching across the aisle for years in the Senate. Graham was part of the "Gang of Eight" that pushed for sweeping bipartisan immigration reform. And Biden left the chamber where he'd spent more than three decades with nods to former segregationist colleagues, deeply controversial figures he'd nonetheless forged connections with and said he had seen redeemed. "Every good thing I have seen happen here, every bold step taken in the 36 years I have been here, came not from the application of pressure by interest groups, but through the maturation of personal relationships," Biden said. Biden and Graham were also united in their distaste for Donald Trump - at first. Graham was aghast at Trump's presidential aspirations and his infamous dig at McCain while campaigning. ("He's not a war hero," Trump said of the former Republican senator from Arizona, adding that he liked "people who weren't captured.") Graham responded by calling Trump a "jackass" who was "appealing to the dark side of American politics" and had no place in the Republican Party. "He's a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot," Graham added later in the year. "I'd rather lose without Donald Trump than try to win with him." But while Biden has become one of Trump's chief challengers, pitching himself first and foremost as the Democratic candidate to beat a menace to the country, Graham has drawn close to the man he once disdained - rejecting his old labels of bigotry, praising Trump's work in office and becoming the president's "greatest ally in the Senate," as a Post article put it in 2018. Until recently, Graham and Biden had been able to avoid a direct confrontation. Then came impeachment and a subplot centered on the Bidens. Trump insists he did no wrong and was justified in pushing Ukraine to investigate unsubstantiated allegations that Biden fired a Ukrainian prosecutor to protect his son Hunter. The prosecutor was probing the gas company Burisma, where Hunter Biden used to sit on the board - a position that's raised some eyebrows given his father's role in U.S.-Ukraine relations at the time. There is no evidence that the elder Biden conducted foreign policy with his son in mind or that Hunter was targeted in the Burisma probe, and Democrats dismiss those suggestions as a distraction from Trump's alleged high crimes and misdemeanors. But Republicans have repeatedly argued that Trump's allegations against the Bidens deserve further scrutiny. In November, Graham asked the State Department for documents related to Burisma and information on calls between the former vice president and the then-president of Ukraine. Biden was dismayed. "Lindsey is about to go down in a way that I think he's going to regret his whole life," he said the same week on CNN, suggesting Graham was eyeing his reelection prospects as he stood staunchly with Trump. Asked what he would tell Graham directly, Biden said: "Lindsey, I just - I'm just embarrassed by what you're doing, for you. I mean, my Lord." He also put the clash in personal terms, saying Graham knows the allegations are baseless because he "knows me" and "knows my son," while Graham countered that his actions have "nothing to do with friendship." "My friendship with Joe Biden, if he can't withstand me doing my job, it's not the friendship I thought we had," he responded on Fox News Radio. Graham is still calling for an investigation after Trump's impeachment trial comes to a close, ideally by a nonpartisan actor akin to special counsel Robert Mueller, he said. "To my Democratic friends, I stood with you when you called for an outside entity to look into President Trump," he said recently. "I'm asking you to allow somebody outside of politics to look at what happened with the Bidens." Sparring in interviews as impeachment hurtles toward almost-certain acquittal, Graham and Biden have both downplayed the impact on their personal relationship. Graham has maintained that he "loves" Biden - "one of the finest men I know," he reiterated last month - but also doesn't think he's "beyond being looked at." Biden, meanwhile, told a newspaper in Graham's home state that he doesn't know "what's gotten into Lindsey" but also doesn't "have any time to hold a grudge." Jill Biden's comments Monday on CNN described a deeper rift, though. The network's John Berman had brought up Graham, "whom I think you count as a friend," he began. "We did," Jill Biden said. "Yes." Berman noted the use of past tense. Had the relationship changed? "It's hard when you, I don't know, consider somebody a friend and then they've said so many things - so many negative things," Jill Biden said. - - - The Washington Post's Greg Jaffe and Matt Viser contributed to this report. Photo: Twitter A Toronto-bound Air Canada plane has made an emergency landing at Madrid's international airport after pilots reported an engine problem and tire rupture shortly after takeoff. The Boeing 767 carrying 128 passengers had been circling southeast of Adolfo Suarez-Barajas airport "to use up fuel and lighten the aircraft for landing," the carrier said Monday morning. The "engine issue" occurred shortly after take-off," according to Air Canada. "A tire also reportedly ruptured on take-off, one of 10 on this model of aircraft." Ignacio Montesinos, a spokesman for Spain's airport operator, said the pilot radioed the tower citing an "emergency." "Our pilots are fully trained for this eventuality," Air Canada said in an email.Nonetheless, an emergency was declared in order to obtain landing priority." Spain's Defence Ministry said that an F18 fighter jet had been dispatched from a military airport near the Spanish capital to evaluate the damage done to the landing gear of Toronto-bound flight AC837. A spokeswoman with Spain's airport operator, AENA, told the AP that the airline had requested a slot for an emergency landing some 30 minutes after takeoff. A spokesman for Enaire, Spains air navigation authority, said the plane's landing gear did not fold up properly on taking off and that a piece of it may have damaged part of one of the engines. He said the pilot estimates that the plane should be able to attempt the emergency landing around 7:30 p.m. local time Emergency services including firefighting trucks and ambulances have been deployed at the Spanish capital's airport. Spain's El Mundo newspaper's website published audio it said featured the plane's pilot explaining to the passengers the need to return to Madrid because a wheel had been damaged during the takeoff. Because we are a bit too heavy we have to get rid of fuel before being able to land, the voice can be heard saying in Spanish. Disappointment is the one word that sums up Union Budget 2020-21. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had a great opportunity to boost economic growth, after the ill-conceived 2016 demonetisation and an ill-timed roll-out of the Goods and Services Tax in 2017. However she frittered away a golden chance to course-correct the countrys economic discourse by presenting a Budget that doesnt have any vision or idea to address the current economic problems. Indias economy is beset with three major problems: One, low consumer confidence, which discourages people from spending and thereby fails to create enough demand for entrepreneurs to invest and create jobs; two, poor prospects of future growth in demand which inhibits business people from expanding their businesses; three, low capital formation and difficulty in securing loans. Any solution to boost economic growth must begin with restoring the peoples confidence in the economys future. But there was no major announcement in the Budget something similar to the Atal Behari Vajpayee governments Golden Quadrilateral that could revive confidence. When the government, that theoretically has unlimited spending power, shudders to fearlessly take up megaprojects to boost the economy, what can individuals and companies do? Similarly, nothing was done to either resurrect state-run banks or privatise them to bring efficiency into their functioning. The Budget, however, had some good proposals like encouraging womens self-help groups to build storage facilities for farm produce in villages, incentivising the construction of cold storages at the block level on PPP mode, and prodding state governments to amend archaic laws governing market yards. In the proposed scheme, the Centre would remain a mere facilitator by providing financial support. How quickly such proposals fructify, especially in the wake of a deep-seated resistance in rural areas to allow a new social order to emerge, is a trillion-rupee question. Another great disappointment in the Budget was the new income-tax regime. There are many opinions on taxation some call for taxing the rich at a higher rate and relatively less rich at a lesser rate, others prefer a considerably lower rate for everyone without a maze of deductions for easy tax compliance, and a few others oppose the concept of income-tax itself. On her part, Ms Sitharaman appears to have chosen the advice of the second lot, but not wholeheartedly. The result is that she abolished all deductions to make compliance easy, but tax slabs were rearranged in such a manner that the taxpayer continues to pay the same tax or maybe a little more. In a nation like India where each individual has to fend for himself due to the lack of a social security net, most people dislike the idea of working one-third (33 per cent) of their day to pay income-tax. And at any given opportunity, they would try to evade taxes. But if the tax rate is low and compliance easy, more people would become taxpayers. But sadly the finance minister failed to realise it, and her tax proposal has ended up as the butt of jokes in the social media. The government on Monday said there were reports of violence in campuses of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and (AMU) but no such incident was reported in the University of Allahabad (AU). HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said in Lok Sabha that central universities are statutory autonomous organisations and all administrative and academic decisions are taken by the university with the approval of its statutory bodies such as Executive Council, Academic Council and Court etc. and universities are also competent to deal with such incidents. "There are reports of violence in the JMI and AMU. However, no such incident in the campus was reported by the AU. The JMI has made a request for constitution of a high powered committee to inquire into the incident of violence in the campus," he said during Question Hour. The minister said as the subject matter pertained to law and order, this request has been referred to the department concerned for appropriate action. "The AMU and AU have not made such a request to the Ministry of Human Resource Development. As per provisions of the act of the university, the executive council of the university shall have the power for management and administration of the revenue and property of the university," he said. While trying to raise a supplementary, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said he was with students of Jamia and the whole country was with students of Jamia. "The government is harassing students and it is shameful," he charged. However, even before the minister could say anything, Speaker Om Birla ended the Question Hour and moved to the next item of the agenda. Earlier, replying to another question, Pokhriyal said some of the reasons for dropout of school children include poverty, economic issues, poor health, child too young to be attending school and child needed to help in domestic work etc. He said under the centrally sponsored scheme of Samagra Shiksha, financial assistance is provided to states and UTs for various activities to reduce number of dropouts, which include opening/strengthening of new schools up to senior secondary level, construction of school buildings, additional classrooms among others. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ever since she was young, 12-year-old Ruby Chitsey of Harrison, Arkansas, has been accompanying her mother to the nursing homes where she works. Thats kind of just my happy place and I love it there, Ruby explained. I just feel like its such an awesome environment to learn, and just have a great time. In 2018, Ruby noticed a resident named Pearl during one of her trips to the nursing home. Pearl had been gazing out the window, and Ruby asked why. She told Ruby that her dog had just left, and she couldnt afford to keep him. A couple of days later, Ruby asked Pearl if she could have any three things in the world, what would she want. Pearl told Ruby she wanted world peace, a Chicago pizza, and a trip to an exotic island. The requests were not what Ruby expected, and she quickly began approaching other seniors asking them what their three wishes were. Our most common wishes are chocolate, haircuts, Cheeto Puffs, lots of shoes, new pillows, better books, and especially warm blankets, Ruby said. Ruby Chitsey has been accompanying her mother to work at nursing homes since she can remember. (Courtesy of Amanda Chitsey) As a result, she founded the nonprofit organization Three Wishes for Rubys Residents. It started in the homes where her mother works, but the initiative has expanded nationwide. The organization has a kid-run board that raises awareness and funds for the 1.5 million seniors living in our nations nursing homes, and of these, notably the 65 percent, or 975,000 who primarily depend on Medicaid, according to the AARP. These seniors receive just a $40 monthly stipend from government assistance for personal expenses that the home does not cover. Ruby Chitsey delivers food to an elderly resident. (Courtesy of Amanda Chitsey) Inspiring Seniors Ruby has met several seniors who have made lasting impressions on her. One of Rubys residents who suffered a stroke cant speak but always maintains a positive attitude. She always just keeps her head up high, above the clouds, and shes just so awesome. We gave her an electric wheelchair because weve found that its harder for her to push around to go to point A, to point B, to point C its just changed her life, Ruby said. A resident named Marilyn has joined Ruby and assists her by handing out chocolates to the other seniors in the home. Over time, Ruby has gained confidence and learned the importance of positivity. Throughout her work with the elderly, Ruby has learned some important life lessons. Mostly just to keep your head high, and that theyre just like me. Even though we may be 50, 60 years apart that were still the same, Ruby said. Three Wishes for Rubys Residents has raised $250,000 since its founding. (Courtesy of Amanda Chitsey) She thinks society overlooks the elderly population and she feels they deserve significantly more attention. She would like to see the $40 stipend increase, and she wants more people to visit nursing homes to create a friendlier atmosphere. The feedback and reactions Ruby receives are the most rewarding part of her work. During its first year, Three Wishes for Rubys Residents fulfilled 2,500 wishes and to date has raised $250,000 for the impoverished elderly. For Ruby, the mission is simple yet powerful. I just want to change the world for the better, and for them, Ruby said. When she became unwell, it was so hard to watch her suffer, her mother said in a statement. We tried and tried to get services in place for her, but no one was willing to listen to us. No one was willing to help. She didnt believe anyone would help her and she was right. Tereza Sako says she wouldnt wish what had happened to Marlene and her family upon anyone. It is just not something that you can move on from, she says. We are all haunted by it. It has destroyed our family and we are broken. Marlene Sako Maurice Blackburn medical negligence lawyer Shari Liby, who is acting for the family, says this case is particularly tragic because Marlene and her family asked for help so many times. The numerous presentations to Northern Hospital, where Marlene was simply sent home, reflects so many missed opportunities to give her the treatment she needed and deserved, Ms Liby said. In February 2014, Marlene went to the emergency department at the Northern Hospital, after taking six paracetamol tablets. She said she felt depressed and was thinking about suicide. She was told to see her general practitioner and discharged, the claim says. Five months later she was back with abdominal pain, and liver function tests indicated alcohol abuse. She returned on two more occasions after a collapse and suspected alcohol withdrawal seizures. 'I miss my beautiful girl so much and just wish someone had taken to the time to look and listen.' Tereza Sako The following year, Marlenes sister rang NorthWestern Mental Health and said Marlene had talked about suicide and revealed she had been sexually abused. Marlene was drinking three to four bottles of vodka a day and her family wanted her to be admitted to hospital, the statement of claim says. Later that night, Marlene experienced seizures and was taken to the Northern Hospital by ambulance. Her escalating alcohol abuse was noted, as was the fact her parents were away and her siblings were unable to cope. The legal claim alleges the hospital should have recognised the relationship between Marlenes alcohol abuse, her mental state and the increased risk of self-harm. Marlene should have been admitted and referred for a psychiatric assessment, says the claim. Instead, she was discharged. More emergency admissions followed, related to intoxication, seizures, suicidal behaviour, threats of self-harm and increasing aggression. The statement of claim lists a number of occasions where Marlene's family allege the hospital failed in its duty of care. During one emergency admission her sister asked to be notified when Marlene was discharged, but was not told. Marlene walked 14 kilometres home. She arrived hours later, her feet cut and bloodied. On November 30, 2015 Marlenes sister called triple zero twice, saying Marlene was drunk and threatening to kill herself. On both occasions the operator should have designated the incident as a "priority 1" and promptly dispatched police, the claim alleges a category intended to treat serious, life-threatening cases. Instead, she was listed as "priority 2," for an acute but non-time critical response. No police unit was dispatched. Loading Shortly afterwards, Marlene went into the backyard of her home and set herself on fire. Her family could not douse the flames. Marlene was taken to The Alfred hospital where she later died. Marlene was an avid cinema-goer and book lover who was talkative, friendly and very very caring, used to take her siblings to the movies on Sundays and relished her nursing studies and work with the elderly. Marlene was such a beautiful girl," says her mother. I miss my beautiful girl so much and just wish someone had taken the time to look and listen." Last November, the royal commission into Victoria's mental health system found years of chronic under-investment in the sector had led to a system that catastrophically failed to live up to expectations. New Delhi: The Supreme court may conduct hearing on the petition filed against the Shaheen Bagh protest on February 7. Lawyer Amit Sahani has filed a petition in the Supreme Court demanding the evacuation of the road by the protesters in Shaheen bagh. The ongoing anti-CAA protest in Shaheen bagh entered its 51 day on February 3. The protest started on December 15 after which several the routes heading towards the area were blocked. The petition filed by Amit Sahani further demanded that the government should keep a check on leaders visiting the protest site and their activities should be monitored. Sahani also demands action against those provoking the public by through their speech in the anti-CAA protest. Live TV The petition states that police should carry an investigation on the speeches being delivered by leaders to ensure that no one provokes the mass and instigates them to break the rule of law. On Monday, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that "in bid to make the CAA a villain, people are on the verge of becoming villains themselves", adding, ''For how long will they be able to hide a mountain of truth behind the bushes of lies." He further asserted that the CAA is for giving citizenship and not for taking anybody`s citizenship. The Citizenship Amendment Act grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who fled religious persecution in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan and took refuge in India on or before December 31, 2014. BOSTON, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Eaton Vance Management ("EVM"), investment adviser to Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (NYSE: EVT) (the "Fund"), announced that Bradley Galko will join Michael A. Allison, John H. Croft, Edward J. Perkin and Aaron Dunn as a portfolio manager of the Fund on February 3, 2020. Mr. Galko is a Vice President of EVM and has been an equity analyst at EVM since 2013. About Eaton Vance EVM is a subsidiary of Eaton Vance Corp. Eaton Vance Corp. (NYSE: EV) provides advanced investment strategies and wealth management solutions to forward-thinking investors around the world. Through principal investment affiliates Eaton Vance Management, Parametric, Atlanta Capital, Hexavest and Calvert, the Company offers a diversity of investment approaches, encompassing bottom-up and top-down fundamental active management, responsible investing, systematic investing and customized implementation of client-specified portfolio exposures. As of December 31, 2019, Eaton Vance had consolidated assets under management of $518.6 billion. For more information, visit eatonvance.com. The information contained herein is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell Fund shares. Shares of the Fund are available for purchase and sale only through secondary market trading on an exchange or alternative trading venue. Shares of closed-end funds often trade at a discount from their net asset value. The market price of Fund shares may vary from net asset value based on factors affecting the supply and demand for shares, such as Fund distribution rates relative to similar investments, investors' expectations for future distribution changes, the clarity of the Fund's investment strategy and future return expectations, and investors' confidence in the underlying markets in which the Fund invests. Fund shares are subject to investment risk, including possible loss of principal invested. No Fund is a complete investment program and investors may lose money investing in a Fund. An investment in a Fund may not be appropriate for all investors. Before investing, an investor should consider carefully the Fund's investment objective, risks, charges and expenses. Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined by U.S. securities laws. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Fund's control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. SOURCE Eaton Vance Management A civilian was killed and four others were injured in a ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Tangdhar sector on Monday, officials said. The deceased was identified as Mohammed Saleem Awan, 60, they said. Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing this morning. The Indian Army retaliated in adequate measure, the officials said. Four civilians sustained injuries in the firing by Pakistani troops, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-03 20:18:11|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hakim (R) and Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defense Philippe Goffin attend a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 3, 2020. Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defense Philippe Goffin on Monday visited Iraq's capital Baghdad to discuss bilateral relations, fighting against terrorism and other issues. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood) BAGHDAD, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defense Philippe Goffin on Monday visited Iraq's capital Baghdad to discuss bilateral relations, fighting against terrorism and other issues. "The extremist and terrorist ideology still exists, and it is the duty of our countries to eliminate the remnants of the Islamic State (IS) to prevent the return of the extremist group," Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hakim said at a televised joint press conference after his meeting with Goffin. Al-Hakim told reporters that he discussed with Goffin "the issue of (IS) foreign fighters and their return to their countries" as well as the efforts to de-escalate tension between the United States and Iran. They also discussed the Palestinian issue and the latest Arab League resolution that rejects U.S. President Donald Trump's newly unveiled Middle East peace plan. "We have confirmed that any settlement for the Palestinian issue must include the full rights of the Palestinian people such as the right of the return of refugees and a Palestinian state with its capital in the occupied al-Quds (Jerusalem)," al-Hakim said. Goffin told reporters that Belgium "is committed to supporting the efforts to fight against the IS and terrorism." The Belgian minister also met with Iraqi President Barham Salih and they discussed the bilateral relations and issues of common concern, as well as regional and international developments, according to a statement by Salih's office. The mother of a Co Down woman who died after struggling with bulimia believes GPs here must receive better training to treat eating disorder cases. Sophie Bridges (21), a past pupil of Assumption Grammar School in Ballynahinch, died from a heart attack in March 2018 after suffering from the eating disorder since 2009. Her mother Sharon, who lives in Killyleagh, said she was not surprised by the rise in diagnoses of eating disorder cases in Northern Ireland. "I do think they are a lot higher because a lot of people who do need help haven't come forward so they haven't been diagnosed," Mrs Bridges said. Read More "I think a lot of people do keep it very much a secret." She continued: "Even if they do realise they have a problem, a lot of people haven't even bothered going to their GP because help is so difficult to get in Northern Ireland." Mrs Bridges believes a facility should be set up here to specifically deal with eating disorders. The Co Down woman has also called for GPs to receive better training in eating disorder diagnosis. Read More "GPs are the first point of call for a family and they are often the one who would make the referral, so they really need to listen to the parents because in most cases eating disorders start quite young," she added. "These illnesses ruin people's lives to the point of death and I'm glad people have been able to contact me since Sophie's death." A total of 108 members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) have been arrested by UP police in last four days (between Januray 20 and February 2, 2020). A senior Uttar Pradesh Police official said on Monday that all the 108 PFI members were allegedly involved in the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi claimed the arrests are in addition to the 25 arrests that were made earlier. He said, "This is just the beginning. We will get to the roots of the organisation. A probe is also going on about their financial dealings. We are in touch with central agencies and are sharing information with them." Awasthi stated that Uttar Pradesh is the first state in the country to take this kind of action against the organisation. Providing with the details of people arrested, acting Director General of Police (DGP) Hitesh Chandra Awasthi said that 14 people were arrested in Lucknow, 21 in Meerut, 20 in Varanasi, 16 in Bahraich, 3 in Sitapur, 9 in Ghaziabad, 6 in Muzaffarnagar, 7 in Shamli, 4 in Bijnor, 5 in Kanpur and one each in Gonda, Hapur and Jaunpur. "We are collecting evidence," Chandra replied on being asked whether the state police has any information about the PFI's financial transactions from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He also said that they were continuously interacting with the ED and other agencies but declined to comment further. In December 2019, Uttar Pradesh Police sought a ban on the PFI, suspecting the organisation's complicity in the statewide violent protests against CAA. The ban was sought after PFI's Uttar Pradesh head Wasim and 16 other activists were arrested for allegedly being the masterminds behind the violence in Lucknow during anti-CAA protests. The PFI was formed as a successor to the National Democratic Front (NDF) in 2006 in Kerala. Security agencies have alleged its leaders have been groomed in the Students' Islamic Movement of India's (SIMI) ideology. As a long-time realtor on San Francisco's north side, Janet Schindler was noticing a worrisome trend. Rather than allowing her to do her job and do an in-depth analysis on the value of a home, buyers and sellers were using Zillow or Redfin home value estimates and asking her to get that price. This is problematic, Schindler said. These estimates often don't take into account the particulars of San Francisco real estate, especially luxury listings where every feature of the home, positive or negative, could mean a big difference in valuation. "Typically, these automated valuations were not what my more detailed analyses revealed, so I began to question how accurate these valuations really were," she said. Schindler decided to dig a little deeper by looking at Redfin's estimates and Zillow's aptly named "Zestimates" when she heard a north side luxury property might be listed soon. She recorded the online valuation and then checked again after the property went on the market. "I noticed that there was usually a change in the Zestimate or valuation. It became more closely aligned with the asking price," she said. "When the property finally sold, it was interesting to see that there was almost always a differential from the original pre-market Zestimate/valuation and the ultimate sales price. I thought it would be useful to articulate this to my clients, so I began tracking this data." For example, 2845 Fillmore just south of Union Street had a pre-MLS Zestimate of $7,202,827 and it sold on MLS for nearly double that amount. The Zestimate was also well under value for 140 Sea Cliff, which sold for $18 million after an initial Zestimate of just over $11 million. Redfin gave 3801 Jackson just south of the Presidio Wall a valuation of $9,132,710 before it came to market; it sold on MLS for $5,700,000. Zillow was a lot closer on that one, giving it a Zestimate of $5,629,000. "Sometimes Redfin is more accurate but other times I found that Zillow is more accurate," Schindler said. "The problem is theres no way to predict which one is going to be more accurate. Or if either is going to be accurate at all." Zillow knows its Zestimates are one of its biggest draws. The feature was built into the platform's launch in 2006 and was so successful it crashed the site, according to Matt Kreamer, Manager of Data Public Relations at Zillow. That's the reason the company has been working constantly on improving accuracy since that launch. "Initially, the Zestimate leveraged primarily public and home-sale data, but has continually evolved and improved," Kreamer said. "Later in 2006, we began encouraging people to update information about their homes that might be incorrect in public records to produce a more accurate Zestimate. Our most recent update, in 2019, uses real-time data and computer vision to identify and value finishes and improvements to individual homes. The Zestimate 'sees' curb appeal and natural light now, for example." But Schindler argued that these automated estimates are still lacking the in-person touch and experience of a local realtor. "There are so many nuances in valuation that can not possibly be captured in any modeling system, such as the negative effect of a bar at the corner, a tall building which obstructs sunlight and views, the sound of traffic on the street or the noisy fan on a nearby commercial property, the sound and vibration of street cars, a bus stop in front of a home, the number of stairs to the front door, I could go on and on." Kreamer said that for most major markets, the Zestimate for on-market homes is within 10% of the final sale price more than 95% of the time, but admitted that luxury properties can be problematic. "High-end homes, for example, are more likely to have unique characteristics that the Zestimate wouldnt know about," he said. "They also are more difficult to find accurate comps for. High-rise condos, too, are difficult because we often dont know which floor a unit is on, for example. Without that, its difficult to accurately differentiate two units if one is 10 floors higher and faces the water, while the lower one faces a freeway." For that reason, Kreamer agrees with Schindler buyers and sellers should definitely meet with a realtor. "We encourage people to supplement the Zestimate with other research such as visiting the home, getting a professional appraisal of the home, or requesting a comparative market analysis from a real estate agent," he said. "When combined with the guidance of real estate professionals, the Zestimate can help consumers make more informed financial decisions about their homes. The Zestimate is an always-improving tool that can do many things, but it can't walk through your home and fully understand its nuanced appeal and unique features." Emily Landes is a writer and editor obsessed with all things real estate. There are both dangers and opportunities for Turkey in the latest Iran-US escalation. Taha Ozhan is an academic and writer and is currently research director at Ankara Institute. The recent Iran-US escalation in the Middle East caused much anxiety among Irans neighbours. Turkey too followed the developments with unease. After the January 8 missile attacks on bases hosting United States troops in Iraq, there seems to be a temporary de-escalation and, at least for now, a wider conflict has been avoided. This has brought temporary relief to Irans neighbours, including Turkey, as none wants to see another war in the region. Although Ankara and Tehran have had a fraught relationship since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq marked by a geopolitical rivalry, they have also maintained strong diplomatic and economic relations. The fallout of the Iran-US confrontation could both threaten Turkish interests in the region and offer an opportunity to strengthen some of its positions and potentially lead a regional dialogue. Between cooperation and rivalry To better understand where dangers and opportunities lie for Turkey within the continuing Iran-US confrontation, it is important to look back at the historical dynamics in Turkish-Iranian relations. Although the political map of the Middle East has been reshaped repeatedly over the centuries, the border between these two countries has remained unchanged for almost 400 years. Indeed, despite historic Turkish-Iranian rivalry, both have stayed committed to the Treaty of Qasr-e Shirin of 1639 which brought an end to 150 years of intermittent confrontation between the Ottoman and Persian empires. Many analysts, mostly in the West, do not understand this long history and seek to frame the dynamics between Turkey and Iran within the friend or foe binary. But the truth is, Iranian-Turkish ties have always been quite complex, multi-faceted and motivated by different considerations. Over the past 20 years, Iranian-Turkish relations have been swayed by different regional events, but have continued to defy the friend-foe binary. Throughout the 1990s, Turkish secular establishment treated the rise of political Islam as an Iranian regime export to Turkey. Tehran was suspected of being behind the assassinations of high-profile secular intellectuals and journalists and of supporting the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which led an armed uprising and committed terrorist attacks against the Turkish army. The US invasion of Iraq in 2003, which Turkey vehemently opposed, refusing to grant access to its territory for US operations against Iraq and Iran wholeheartedly welcomed, created new points of tension between the two neighbours. In the toppling of Saddam Hussein, Ankara lost a friendly regime which had allowed it to carry out cross border operations against the PKK, while Tehran won a victory against an old foe without firing a bullet. In the aftermath of the invasion, Turkey became concerned about the possibility of an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq and the fate of Iraqs Sunni community, while Tehran took to filling the power vacuum in Baghdad, creating a network of supporters among various Shia groups and laying the foundations for its entrenched political and security presence in the country. This renewed rivalry, however, did not mean that diplomacy took a back seat. In fact, just seven years after the invasion of Iraq, Turkish-Iranian relations reached their zenith. In 2010, Ankara convinced Tehran to sign a nuclear swap deal which saw the Iranian authorities commit to sending low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for getting nuclear fuel rods for a research reactor. The agreement was supposed to make unnecessary the imposition of more UN sanctions on Iran, but the Obama administration sabotaged it and two months later slapped Tehran with more sanctions. Apart from the nuclear deal setback, two other events in 2010 shook Turkish-Iranian relations: The nomination of Nouri al-Maliki for a second term as prime minister of Iraq with Tehran and Washingtons blessings and the outbreak of the Arab Spring. In his first term, al-Maliki, who enjoyed wide support from Iran, adopted increasingly sectarian policies, which created conflicts with the Sunni community and eventually led to an insurgency. He also came after Ankaras allies in Baghdad, particularly Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, who was sentenced to death in absentia in what was considered a political trial. The Arab Spring also pushed to the fore the regional rivalry between Turkey and Iran; the former supported the pro-democracy protests in the region, while the latter saw them as a threat. Ankara saw in the Arab revolutions an opportunity to expand its influence in the Middle East, which Tehran sought to curb, especially in Iraq, Syria and Palestine. The opposing stances they took on the Arab Spring fed into the tensions that had already appeared with their clashing interests in Iraq and transformed them into a proxy war in Syria. It was this proxy confrontation that the US chose to ignore and focus on the battle against ISIL (ISIS) a mistake that only in recent years it has admitted to, as the Iranian presence in the region has started worrying its allies in the Gulf and Israel. This head-on confrontation, however, was paradoxically accompanied by diplomatic rapprochement. While Turkish and Iranian-backed armed groups continued to fight each other on the ground over the past eight years, Turkish and Iranian leaders repeatedly met in Nursultan, Tehran and Istanbul to seek a settlement. Opportunities for Turkey In this context, the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani on January 3 could become yet another pivotal point in Turkish-Iranian relations. Given Soleimanis key role in designing and maintaining Irans network of proxies in the region, his death could change the fate of the prolonged proxy wars in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. It is likely to weaken Iranian proxies in the region and therefore, Irans capacity to project power outside its borders. From Ankaras perspective, stability in Syria and Iraq is key for its own security and geopolitical interests. In both countries it sees Iran as a destabilising factor. Therefore, a weakened Iranian proxy network is a welcome development for Turkey, which, recognising this weakness, is also likely to grow less tolerant of Iranian activity in Syria. In Iraq, the potential for Turkish gains at the expense of Iran is less significant. While there are political parties and movements which seek to strengthen relations with Ankara, the Turkish government does not have the capacity to do so due to domestic considerations. The current ultra-nationalist sentiments and discourse in Turkey are constraining the forward movement of Turkish foreign policy and engagement with certain foreign actors, including the Kurds in Iraq, which in the long term could cost the political capital in the region. Apart from potential gains for Turkey, Soleimanis death could also lead to renewed momentum in Turkish-Iranian diplomatic engagement. Turkey is the only powerful and stable country bordering Iran; it is also a NATO member. If the Iranian leadership decided to make a strategic move towards de-escalation and potentially normalisation of relations with the West, Ankara could play a vital role. In 2010, Turkey proved that it can be a reliable partner by seeking a solution on the Iranian nuclear issue and resisting US pressure. For such engagement to take place, however, Iran will have to reconsider its strategy in Syria and Iraq and revise its counterproductive proxy tactics. For now, unfortunately, it seems that more conservative elements are dominating decision-making in Tehran and pushing the country towards confrontation. If there is more escalation between Iran and the US, Turkeys position will be clear. Just as it did not back the 2003 invasion of Iraq, it would not join a US military campaign against Iran. If the US proceeds anyway, this would hurt Turkish interests. Turkey and the entire region have already suffered severely from the chaos that the toppling of Saddam Hussein created. If Iraq continues to be a battleground between Tehran and Washington, the region will continue to suffer economically and politically. In the end, Turkey wants to see the US and Iran sit at the negotiating table and resolve not only the nuclear issue but also conflicts in Iraq and Syria. Whether cooler heads will prevail in Washington and Tehran remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Ankara should hope for the best and prepare for the worst. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. A nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court will hear on Monday the petition regarding women's entry into Sabarimala temple and frame questions in the matter. Chief Justice (CJI) SA Bobde had said on Thursday that the court will examine the matter and hear the scope of judicial review on the point of religious faith and women's rights. Earlier, the CJI had fixed a 10-day period for concluding the hearing on the petition seeking women's entry into Sabarimala temple, mosques, and Parsi Agiyari. The Supreme Court had on January 13 said that it will only hear the questions referred to in the review order passed by it in November last year in the Sabarimala temple case, which allowed women and girls of all age groups to visit the shrine in Kerala. The top court had in November last year, observed that the entry of women into places of worship is not just limited to the Sabarimala temple but also includes issues like allowing Muslim and Parsi women to enter religious practice. The court is hearing a clutch of petitions seeking reconsideration of its September 2018 judgment that lifted the bar on menstruating women from worshipping in the Sabarimala temple. The apex court in a landmark 4:1 ruling had set aside decades-old restrictions on the entry of women of menstruating age inside the temple. The verdict had sparked a series of protests across Kerala, which eventually led to the filing of several petitions seeking review of the top court's order challenging the authority of the court to intervene in a belief of the people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Married At First Sight's Michael Goonan isn't afraid of speaking his mind. As he made his debut on Monday night's season premiere, the 28-year-old businessman said he wished he could turn 'good looking women on silent'. Earlier he also boasted about his wealth, and his love of 'watches, nice cars and shiny toys'. 'Turn that thing on silent': Cocky businessman Michael Goonan (pictured) made questionable remarks about women during Monday's season premiere of Married At First Sight During his introduction, he said: 'I'd be lying if I didn't say I have a taste for watches, nice cars and shiny toys. I've worked hard my whole life and I pride myself on that. To be able to reap the rewards is fantastic. I'd rather cry in a Ferrari.' This was followed by several close-up shots of Michael's expensive gold watch as he sat behind a desk in his office. Michael is the director of his family business, Adelaide Ice, South Australia's largest ice manufacturing and packaging company. 'I'd rather cry in a Ferrari': Michael, who is the director of his family's business in Adelaide, also boasted about his wealth, and his love of 'watches, nice cars and shiny toys' Flashy: This was followed by several close-up shots of Michael's expensive gold watch Discussing his love life, Michael said: 'In my past, I've definitely dated a few girls that you would stereotype as a ditzy blonde, with the fake nails, fake lips and Louis [Vuitton] hanging off the side.' After a few bad experiences with the same type of woman, he now wants to be matched with 'someone with a bit more depth'. 'I want a girl who knows what she wants, and she's going to grab it. I would love that,' he added. Outspoken: 'In my past I've dated a few girls that one would stereotype as a ditzy blonde, with the fake nails and lips,' said Michael, who hopes to be paired with 'someone with more depth' When Michael met the other grooms at their bucks party, he spoke negatively about some of his ex-girlfriends. During an argument with Ivan Sarakula, Michael said: 'We've all been with a good looking girl and listened to her, and been like, "Ugh! Turn that thing on silent." 'You know what I mean? We have, you have... you get me, like.' Chauvinistic: At one stage, Michael (left) made a sexist comment about wanting to 'put women on silent'. Meanwhile, Ivan stood his ground and said he wouldn't try to kiss his wife at the altar He then proceeded to mock Ivan, asking how he plans to behave on his wedding day and if he will kiss his bride at the altar. Ivan replied: 'No, I have no expectations, dude. This is a wedding, be respectful.' Michael snapped back: 'What are you going to do? Give her a handshake? I think you'd make her look like a mug if you didn't kiss her.' Married At First Sight continues Tuesday at 7:30pm on Channel Nine Updated 2.5.20 On average, over 10% of trips experience disruptions. There are many types of risk that travelers face; some are on a smaller scale and lower-impact, such as misplaced luggage, issues with traffic and public transportation and a cancelled or delayed flight. And then there are other types of traveler risk where the stakes are higher and the scale broader, such as a natural disaster, political unrest or terrorism. At my company, Ovation Travel Group, we manage travel for over 300,000 business and leisure travelers, and it is our responsibility to consider the health and safety of others as they conduct business and go on vacations. Regardless of the travel type, it's our job to have a risk management plan in place in order to mitigate risk and disruption, and help travelers experience a safe and successful trip. And right now, we are dealing with a very high profile risk scenario that's both widespread and with high stakes for those who may be affected: the coronavirus. Ovation has been in business for over 35 years, and we've seen a number of public health issues, including SARS, H1N1, Ebola and Zika, and we've had plans in place to reduce disruption in such times. At travel management companies, risk management services typically include traveler tracking and pre-trip and post-trip security reporting, proactive rebooking and evacuation services, if necessary. It doesn't matter if you're the owner of a regional business with three global travelers or the CEO of a multinational corporation, a strategic and solidly founded risk management program can mean the difference between knowing where your people are and being able to quickly communicate with and assist them during a disruptive incident, versus losing track of them. This is what we are seeing at Ovation, in terms of the current coronavirus outbreak, and what travelers need to know now: Updates from Official Sources. First and foremost, it's important to acknowledge what may be a rumor and to get the facts from official sources. Right now, there are over 24,500 confirmed cases in over 25 countries; most of the cases, including most of the 492 deaths, are in China. There are currently 11 confirmed cases in the US. Some positive news is that, over the past 5 years and with bipartisan support, continually increasing funding is available to mitigate outbreaks such as this, including a current $100 million immediately available to the CDC. Further, The World Health Organization (WHO), State Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are stating the following: On Thursday, the WHO declared the coronavirus a global health emergency, "not because of what is happening in China, but because of [...] the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with it." Also on Thursday, the State Department issued a Level 4 "do not travel" advisory to China. It states, "Travelers should be prepared for little or no advance notice. Commercial carriers have reduced or suspended notice routes to and from China." The CDC issued a "Warning - Level 3" alert for China, recommending that travelers avoid all non-essential travel to the country. Presidential Proclamation Issued. On Friday, the US government issued a Presidential Proclamation that imposed the following entry requirements, which went into effect on February 2nd at 5:00 p.m. EST: All passengers on flights to the US that have been to Hubei Province in China will be subject to up to 14 days of quarantine. Foreign nationals who have traveled to mainland China within the last 14 days will be denied permission to travel to the United States. Any US citizen or lawful permanent resident who has traveled to mainland China within the last 14 days must enter the US through an approved airport. Those 11 approved airports are: Atlanta, Chicago's O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Honolulu, Los Angeles International, New York's John F Kennedy Airport, Newark, San Francisco International, Seattle and Washington Dulles. Airline Updates: On Friday, American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines said they were cancelling all flights to China; similarly, on Tuesday, American and United cancelled flights to Hong Kong. Other airlines with suspended or reduced service to China include Air Asia, Air India, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Etihad Airlines, Lufthansa, Polish Airlines, Qantas Airlines, Qatar Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. Many airlines are waiving change fees for those who want to rebook travel to China for a later day, and some are offering full refunds. The specifics for each airline can change, so if you have a question about a future flight, contact the airline and ask about your trip status, what their policy on an itinerary change is and what your options are. Proactive Travel Precautions. At Ovation, over the last few weeks we've had many travelers call to cancel trips to China. Related, many travelers are changing flights that had a connection either in China or one of its neighboring countries. We've had many of our clients pull reports of travelers who have recently flown to China or are set to do so in the upcoming month. Some clients have asked their travelers to cancel trips to China altogether for the foreseeable future and others have put them on hold. For all of our 700+ clients who have scheduled trips to China throughout the coming weeks, we are tracking, reporting on and proactively reaching out to re-accommodate any traveler whose plans are affected by traveler restrictions. And these concerns are widespread. As the New York Times recently reported, "The growing uncertainty about the safety of traveling to China is bedeviling companies large and small around the world and rippling through global supply chains." The Uttar Pradesh government has been on mission-mode to arrest the culprits behind the antii-CAA riots that broke out in various parts of Uttar Pradesh earlier. So far, since the riots, Uttar Pradesh government has arrested 40 members of the radical Islamist organisation PFI, 10 of those have been arrested only in the last 24 hours. Out of the 10, four PFI members have been arrested from Muzaffarnagar in the state, while the others were held from different parts of Uttar Pradesh. Farman, Nafees, Idrish and Mursaleen were arrested on late Sunday night, SHO Anil Kapervan said. Some pamphlets against the CAA were seized from their possession, he said. They have predominently been arrested for anti-CAA riots that broke out on the 20th of December 2018. Kanpur : 5 PFI members arrested, were planning to disrupt CM Yogi Adityanaths visit 5 members belonging to the Islamic fundamentalist organisation of Popular Front of India (PFI) have been arrested in Kanpur on charges of instigating violence during the anti-CAA riots. According to the Kanpur police, the arrested 5 PFI members were named in the previous FIR filed after December 20 violence. They had reportedly planned to disrupt chief minister Yogi Adityanaths visit to Kanpur today by protesting against the CAA. The police have asserted that all 5 arrested were absconding since the December 20 violence and were charged under various sections of the IPC for instigating violence, rioting and attempt to murder. #Breaking | 5 PFI members have been arrested in Kanpur who were plotting to disrupt CM @myogiadityanath's visit. TIMES NOW's Amir with details. pic.twitter.com/rP3xvZQacA TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) January 31, 2020 A few days back, in a stunning revelation, the Enforcement Directorate claimed that the Islamic radicals of Popular Front of India (PFI) are behind the funding of the violent anti-CAA protests across several parts of the country that ensued following the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act by both the houses of the parliament in December 2019. The explosive investigation reports claim that the PFI spent about 120 crores in a month to orchestrate the violent riots in the country, naming eminent lawyers Kapil Sibal, Indira Jaising and Dushyant Dave also as the beneficiaries of PFIs funding. The Uttar Pradesh police too, in its preliminary investigation, claimed the involvement of PFI, SDPI and Samajwadi Party workers in provoking riots across the state of Uttar Pradesh following the passage of Citizenship Amendment Act in December 2019 that grants citizenship for the persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Earlier, three people associated with the radical Islamic organisation PFI, including UP state head Waseem, have been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police for orchestrating violence by spreading misinformation through social media platforms. Singh said that the violence in AMU on December 15 was largely instigated by WhatsApp messages and Twitter posts stating that some Jamia Millia Islamia students were killed in police firing on December 15 in Delhi. Source : OpIndia E L Rocket has been in the news as of late, as word recently broke that he has returned to Canada to stand stud in the Maritimes. It has now been announced that another stud is being introduced to the nations east-coast breeding ranks. According to a report by The Guardian, 2018 Governors Plate winner Czar Seelster will now stand stud on Prince Edward Island. In addition to having won the 2018 Governors Plate, Czar Seelster also won the James Roach MacGregor Gold Cup and Saucer consolation that season. The career winner of 35 races and $214,090 in purses was trained by Greg Weatherbee and was retired later in his 2019 campaign. Although a specific breeding farm was not mentioned in The Guardian article, it was stated that the plan is for the 11-year-old son of Stonebridge Regal to be made eligible to the Atlantic Sires Stakes program for this years breeding season. (With files from The Guardian) Dropbox CEO Drew Houston is joining Facebook's board of the directors, the company said Monday. Houston co-founded Dropbox in 2007 alongside fellow MIT student Arash Ferdowsi. Mark Zuckerberg is a friend of Houston's, attending his birthday party in 2017. "Drew brings valuable perspective to our board as a leader of a technology company with services used by millions of people and businesses," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement. "He thinks deeply about where technology is going and how to build a culture that delivers services that always work well." Houston said in a statement that he looks forward to working with Zuckerberg and the rest of Facebook's board "on the many opportunities and challenges ahead." The move comes after Netflix CEO Reed Hastings left Facebook's board last April, after serving on the board for eight years. The company also appointed Peggy Alford, PayPal's senior vice president of core markets, to replace Erskine Bowles, president emeritus of University of North Carolina, on the board. Houston is the eighth member of Facebook's board. There are now six male directors sitting on the board and two females Alford and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. I was wounded in war. This is the way I manage to drive. Those are the words of Mirza Hussain Haidiri, resident of the Afghan city Bamian. As New York Times reporters David Zucchino and Fatima Faizi explained it, an Afghan officer at a police checkpoint was startled upon seeing the gear shift of Haidiris Toyota, which was wrapped in blue tape and attached to a metal contraption sprouting wires and cables. You see, Haidiri tragically lost both legs five years ago while serving in the Afghan Army, but according to Zucchino and Faizi he now earns his living in a taxi, which he has fitted with a homemade mechanism that allows him to drive with his hands or whats left of them. Thats the other challenge facing Haidiri: not only has he lost both legs care of a land mine, that same mine blew off four of the fingers on Mr. Haidiris left hand, leaving only his thumb. And while he still has a right hand, it too is damaged. Haidiri is one of thousands of wounded combat veterans in Afghanistan. As Zucchino and Faizi describe their situation, Some are cared for by families. Others survive on military pensions. A few beg in the streets, or sell trinkets or phone cards. In Haidiris case he chose to make the best of a very awful situation despite his physical situation, despite occasional ridicule, and despite the sad fact that some choose to leave his taxi upon realizing that he has no legs. Haidiris remarkable story rates more publicity amid ongoing attempts by conservative writers to seemingly match the left when it comes to appearing woke, or whatever, about the downtrodden in the United States. A few weeks ago in the Wall Street Journal, Michael Lind lamented the economic struggles of American workers in forgotten parts of the U.S., and stressed to readers how snobbish it is for some to expect them to relocate within the U.S. to better economic opportunity. A week later, Harvard professor Edward Glaeser offered the Journal his ideas for policies that might cause more Americans to embrace capitalism. And then just this past Saturday AEI scholar Michael Strain, writing correctly in the Journal about how the American dream isnt dead, oddly felt the need to justify the previous assertion with routine calls for government to do more to enhance economic opportunity for those in the towns and communities left behind. Oh dear. Thinking about Glaeser, its evident based on the size of the American economy, along with the massive inflow of investment capital from around the world, that Americans very much embrace capitalism. That Glaesers primary focus is on ways for government to encourage more housing consumption just adds to the puzzlement about the professors insights. The consumption of housing doesnt boost capitalism precisely because capitalists by definition must compete with consumers to attract capital necessary to start and expand businesses. Yet Glaeser wants more directed toward consumption? After that, its worthwhile to watch what Americans do, as opposed to what they say. No doubt the University where Glaeser teaches is full of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren supporters, but the punchline to the socialist riddle when it comes to young people is that those same Warren and Sanders supporters will migrate in high numbers to Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco once graduated from Harvard, only to the compete in three of the most meritocratic, capitalistic industries the world has ever known. Considering the three scholars more broadly, one hopes theyre made aware of what Haidiri overcame just for the opportunity to support himself. About this, lets not forget that work itself, regardless of the nature of it, is its own reward. Work is the driver of happiness simply because as humans we need to feel like were doing something to attain a sense of fulfillment. Money can buy security, but it cant necessarily buy happiness. The latter is earned, and usually is a consequence of work done well. Haidiri, despite being disabled in an unimaginably cruel way, chose to support himself anyway. While its a safe bet that not all his days are good, and while he told Zucchino and Faizi that sometimes I wish I had been killed by the bomb since he faces a lifetime of torture, Haidiri has plainly decided to make the best of a tough situation; one that rates even more thought. Not only is Haidiri disabled, one guesses that he convalesced in a hospital that every American, regardless of economic circumstance, would look askance at in the most contemptuous of ways. What choice did Haidiri have? Afghanistan is realistically all that he knows. Yet having recovered as it were, Haidiri didnt stop there. Though he could have gone the beggar route, he instead chose to develop a homemade mechanism that allows him to drive with his hands, even though whats left of his hands isnt much to speak of. What a story! And its one that hopefully gains more publicity in the conservative community as a counterweight to the hand wringing of scholars like Glaeser, Lind and Strain. They lament the opportunities that exist for Americans whove been forgotten, left behind, or who just arent sure about capitalism. Oh please. Such expressed sadness is hard to countenance in consideration of what people like Haidiri are doing do to better their lives in Afghanistan. The country is italicized simply because opportunity there is a microscopic fraction of what it is here. While Americans are free to migrate to opportunity in the greatest zone of prosperity the world has ever seen, and theyre free to do so in cars, trains, buses and airplanes that cost fewer and fewer dollars to access all the time, Haidiri has to get by while attracting startled glances, ridicule, and people jumping fares once they realize hes legless. Sorry, but American whining is no longer acceptable, and never was. Relative to Americans, all Afghans are forgotten economically. More realistically, no American is forgotten when its remembered that all Americans are free to pursue their bliss sans police checkpoints at any time. The scholar class needs to get out more. As for Haidiri, where are the U.S. immigration officials? Where are the politicians? They should make him an American citizen yesterday. Someone like him driving for a living in the U.S. might remind self-proclaimed forgotten Americans just how good they have it. The banks cannot pass on the hike in premiums to its customers, according to the norms. The premium wont go up substantially in any case and may be hiked to 12-13 paise (per deposit of Rs 100 a year), Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar said. IMAGE: Customers of PMC Bank protest against the bank's closure in Mumbai. Photograph: Sahil Salvi. The premiums charged to banks to cover deposit insurance of customers may hike to 12-13 paise per deposit of Rs 100 every year, Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar said on Sunday, asserting that the government is not in favour of a risk-based premium regime. The banks cannot pass on the hike in premiums to its customers, according to the norms. The premium wont go up substantially in any case and may be hiked to 12-13 paise (per deposit of Rs 100 a year), Kumar said in a media interaction. The premium payable by any insured bank cannot exceed 15 paise per annum for every Rs 100, according to the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) Act. Bank deposits up to Rs 1 lakh of each customer are insured by DICGC, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and guarantees depositors money. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced hiking the deposit insurance limit to Rs 5 lakh for each bank depositor. This is not the right stage to put a differential premium on banks. The risk-based premium will lead to disclosure of weak banks and may lead to speculation on whether the bank is safe or not. We do not want to put the depositors at risk at any stage. The premium will be the same for all banks, the finance secretary said. Last year, the RBI had asked DICGC to explore a risk-based system for collecting premiums from banks to cover the deposit insurance of customers. In other words, banks be charged a premium depending upon their risk profile as against a flat rate, which is done now. Official data showed, between 2009-10 and 2018-19, only one of the 429 claims pertained to a commercial bank and the rest were meant for co-operative banks. The finance secretary said the government would bring in regulatory capital and management norms for the co-operative banks in the next fiscal year. Sitharaman had announced in the Budget that the Banking Regulation Act would be amended to strengthen the co-operative banks for increasing professionalism, enabling access to capital, and improving governance and oversight for sound banking through the RBI. For the first time, the co-operative banks will be required to maintain minimum level of capital as is in the case of other commercial banks. We will introduce governance norms in a way that there is no conflict of interest on the board of such banks, Kumar said. He, however, hinted that the minimum capital requirement for co-operative banks may not be similar to other commercial banks and a differentiated regulatory regime may be followed. For governance reforms in public sector banks, the government is considering to offer employee stock ownership plan. The finance ministry has been working on this plan at least for two years now. ACHESON, Alberta, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ENTREC Corporation (ENTREC or the Company), a heavy haul transportation and crane solutions provider, today announced that it has reached an agreement with the landlord of its Fort McMurray location, FM Airport Industrial Park Ltd. (the Landlord) to enter into a month to month lease and terminate the existing long-term lease for that location. Further to the agreement, (i) ENTREC paid all outstanding rental arrears owing to the Landlord and agreed to pay a further $2.9 million over 5 years; (ii) ENTREC issued the Landlord 18,000,000 common shares at a deemed price per share equal to the market price (as defined in the TSX Company Manual) of ENTRECs common shares on the closing date ($0.06 per share); and (iii) ENTREC agreed to appoint one nominee of the Landlord to ENTRECs Board of Directors. The termination of the long-term lease will significantly reduce ENTRECs operating costs in the Fort McMurray region. The lease previously required monthly payments of $269,000 (inclusive of operating costs) and was not due to expire until December 31, 2030. The new month-to-month lease amount is significantly less than the previous monthly payment. As mentioned above, the Landlord, a corporation based in Edmonton, Alberta, acquired 18,000,000 common shares of ENTREC. Immediately prior to the transaction, the Landlord did not beneficially own, or exercise control or direction over, any common shares of ENTREC. Immediately after the transaction, the Landlord beneficially owned, or exercised control or direction over, 18,000,000 common shares of ENTREC representing 14.1% of the issued and outstanding common shares of ENTREC. As mentioned above, the common shares were acquired pursuant to the terms of an agreement between the Landlord and ENTREC to revise the terms of an existing lease arrangement. The Landlord has advised ENTREC that the common shares were acquired for investment purposes. The Landlord may purchase additional common shares of ENTREC or sell common shares of ENTREC presently held from time to time in one or more transactions in its discretion based on market conditions and other factors that it deems relevant. No assurances can be made as to the timing of any purchase or sale or that any such transaction will occur at all. This portion of the press release is being issued pursuant to National Instrument 62-103 The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues which requires a report to be filed under ENTRECs profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) containing additional information respecting the forgoing matters. To obtain a copy of that report go to ENTRECs profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) or contact ENTREC as set out below. About ENTREC ENTREC is a heavy haul transportation and crane solutions provider to the oil and natural gas, construction, petrochemical, mining and power generation industries. ENTREC is listed on the TSX under the symbol ENT. For further information, please contact: John M. Stevens - President & CEO Telephone: (780) 960-5625 Jason Vandenberg CFO Telephone: (780) 960-5630 Absolute has welcomed three new Executive Producers to its team. Jenna Le Noury has joined as an Executive Producer at Absolute, Thierry Levy has joined Blind Pig and Danny Duke has joined Absolute Films. Following a career spanning over 12 years in both agency and post, Le Noury said: Im delighted to join Absolute, Ive known the team for the last couple of years and theyre wonderful individuals as well as being responsible for producing some very strong and innovative creative work with brilliant, like-minded clients. Welcoming the news Dave Smith, CEO and Founder of Absolute said, "Jennas reputation for careful craft and attention to detail make her the ideal addition to our stellar and dedicated production team." Thierry Levy has joined as Executive Producer for Blind Pig, bringing a wealth of experience after having worked in the fashion industry before specialising in animation and post. Ric Comline, Creative Director of Blind Pig said: "Thierry has had an exceptional impact on the Blind Pig team, both by his championing of the Pigs across the industry, and also with his streamlining and management of the studio on a project by project basis." Danny Duke joined last year as Executive Producer for Absolute Film, Absolutes Managing Director, Dan Bennett said, In the short time hes been with us, he has developed strong relationships with our new film partners and is overseeing the strategic expansion of the department. Our plans for growth further cement our commitment to this exciting new chapter in our evolution as one of Londons leading VFX houses. Ollie Ireland and Ben Carey have both joined as Junior Producers, where they will support the senior production team and strengthen client services. Belinda Grew, Director of Production, said: "Im incredibly excited to continue growing our production team at all levels. Ollie and Ben have already shown their dedication, commitment and enthusiasm." Craig Healy and Ameen Abbas have joined as Houdini VFX artists. CG head James Coore said : It is wonderful to dedicate more of the team to FX work. This focus has had an instant impact on quality as we take on more, and concentrate on look development and quality control. Partner and CD Phil Oldham stated "The new crews expertise is huge! Im looking forward to producing more work that looks amazing, paired with a wonderful experience for our clients." p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} Share this story It broke my heart when my daughter came home from first grade and told me about how in school they practiced for a dangerous person coming into the school. I did a really good job staying quiet, Mommy, she said. This should not be a normal part of an American childhood, and yet, more than seven years after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, here we are. Fortunately, Oregon legislators have the opportunity to pass a common-sense gun safety bill House Bill 4005 that would require all gun owners to secure firearms. There is currently no requirement for gun owners in our state to secure their firearms, which presents huge safety risks to our families and community. According to a 2018 examination by the Washington Post, 80% of school shooters younger than 18 acquired the gun or guns used from their home or the homes or relatives or friends. Secure storage laws are an effective tool in addressing the source of weapons used in school gun violence. In the U.S., nearly 350 children unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else every year thats about one per day. When my daughter goes to a play date at a new friends house, I have to ask if they have guns in the home and if they are secured. Enough is enough. Legislators, please pass HB 4005 to help keep families safe. Rachel Saslow, Portland Saslow is outreach lead for Southeast Portland Moms Demand Action The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered an FIR in the Elgar Parishad case and charged 11 people, including nine currently in jail, under provisions of the anti-terror law UAPA and the IPC, days after it was handed over the matter in Maharashtra by the Centre. While the Pune police had applied IPC section 124A (sedition) in the case during the investigation, the NIA FIR does not have this charge, said advocate Siddharth Patil, representing some of the accused. Violence erupted in the vicinity of a war memorial in Koregaon Bhima on January 1, 2018, allegedly after provocative speeches were made at the Elgar Parishad conclave a day earlier in Pune's Shanirwada locality. The Pune police claimed the conclave was backed by outlawed Maoist groups and arrested activists Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Varavara Rao for their alleged links with Naxals. On January 24, the Centre transferred the case, registered at the Vishrambaug police station, from the Pune police to the NIA, a central agency. As per the NIA's FIR, which was part of the agency's application in a special Pune court seeking transfer of seized data, court records and proceedings, 11 people have been charged under IPC sections 153 A (promoting enmity between groups ), 505 (1)(b) (with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public), 117 (abetting commission of offence by the public or by more than ten persons) among others. They have also been charged under sections 13 (unlawful activities), 16 (terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy), 18B (recruiting of any person or persons for terrorist act) 20 (being a member of a terrorist gang or organization) and 39 (offence relating to support given to terrorist organisation) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The 11 include the nine arrested by the Pune police, while the two other names in the NIA FIR are activists Gautam Navalkha and Anand Teltumbde. As per the NIA FIR, the list of accused comprises 11 who have been named as well as "others". A senior Pune police official said more sections and names of accused could be added by the NIA once all the case papers of the probe are given to the federal agency. The Pune police had filed two charge sheets in the case. Earlier in the day, the prosecution and the defence sought more time from a Pune court to file their response on the NIA's application seeking transfer of the Elgar Parishad case to a special NIA court in Mumbai. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Irans Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Borell discussed the situation concerning the nuclear deal and the Persian Gulf, reports the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to RIA Novosti. The parties talked about the need to mitigate the tension in the Persian Gulf and region and touched upon the US governments proposed plan for the settlement of the Palestine-Israel conflict that is known as the deal of the century and its dangerous consequences for the region, as well as issues related to Syria, Iraq and Yemen. At the end of 2019 HMS Forth, a new Batch 2 River class RN (Royal Navy) OPV (offshore patrol vessel) arrived in the Falkland Islands to provide constant patrol of offshore waters and keep poachers out. Forth replaced HMS Clyde, a Batch 1 ship that entered service in 2007 and spent twelve years in the Falklands. Clyde was decommissioned after leaving the Falklands. Since it was leased, not purchased, Clyde will undergo some refurbishment and enter service with the Brazilian Navy. Brazil already has three River Class type OPVs, known as the Amazonas class. These are slightly larger than Batch 1 ships and have a number of additional features. The Batch 2 ships were based on the Amazonas class but not identical to them. Thailand also built two modified River class ships locally. These are also, like the Brazilian ships, more like the Batch 2 ships. Brazil and Thailand plan to build more River class ships but at the moment there are 14 completed, eight of them British. Forth is the first of the Batch 2 River Class ships. It entered service in early 2018 after three month delay to fix problems found during trials. A second Batch 2 ship entered service later in 2019 and three more will enter service in 2020. River class OPVs are corvette size ships that are optimized for patrolling coastal waters to protect fishing grounds and offshore oil fields as well as deal with smugglers or anyone else who should not be out there. The Batch 2 ships cost $97 million each. The River class OPVs are a British design built by BAE or by foreign customers under license. Britain was the first user of these ships and four entered service between 2002 and 2007. Five 2,000 ton Batch 2 River class ships were recently completed. These are an upgraded version of the first four 1,700 ton Batch 1 ships and are a little larger to accommodate a 14 ton AW101 helicopter, carry a larger crew (58 versus 30) and can carry 50 passengers (troops) versus 25. The Batch 2 ships are 90.5 meters (297 feet) long, which is 11 meters (31 feet) longer than Batch 1. The new ships are also nine kilometers an hour faster (at 46 kilometers an hour) than Batch 1. Endurance has grown from 21 to 35 days. Armament for batch 1 was a 30mm remotely controlled autocannon and two 7.62mm machine-guns. Batch 2 is the same with the addition of two 7.62 six-barrel 7.62mm machine-guns. These fire thousands of rounds a minute. Batch 1 had a 25 ton crane while the new ships have a 16 ton crane. A major difference between the two batches is the much improved electronics of the Batch 2, which integrates nearly all the electronic systems, especially the sensors, so that on the bridge a single display can show data from several sensors or ship systems, either individually or in various combinations. For example, any one of the displays on the bridge can show combined results of the surface search and 3-D air search radars. The larger engines of the Batch 2 ships provide more power for sensors and other electronics as well as higher speed for the ship. Batch 2 has better protection for the ammunition magazines and more internal space in general. The larger crew on the Batch 2 ships is misleading. While there are 58 crew, only 34 are needed on the ship at any time. The others can be away on leave or for training. This enables the Batch 2 ships to remain at sea for up to 320 days a year without exhausting the crew. The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoards Dairyman. At the 89th annual Wisconsin Farmers Union State Convention Jan. 31-Feb. 2 in Rothschild, delegates adopted policy that will guide the family farm organizations work at the Capitol, in Congress, and across the countryside. Wisconsin delegates will have the opportunity to bring these stances to the National Farmers Union Convention in Savannah, Georgia March 1-3. "The policy discussion at the annual State Convention is the democratic process in its purest form, said WFU President Darin Von Ruden. "Farmers from a variety of backgrounds come together to respectfully discuss and come to a consensus on the issues impacting their farms and rural Wisconsin." The following were among the Special Orders of Business that reflect WFU's top policy priorities for the coming year: DAIRY POLICY REFORM: WFU calls on Congress to establish a mandatory program for managed growth based on market demand and price stability. Such a program should increase farmer profitability by elevating milk prices, preventing overproduction, and reducing milk price volatility. Such a program should also allow for beginning farmer entry, reduce government expenditures, and have meaningful farmer input in development, implementation, and governance. OVERSIGHT OF LARGE LIVESTOCK FACILITIES & CAFOS: State standards under ATCP 51 regarding acceptance, regulation, and enforcement of CAFOs have failed to enable towns and counties to protect their people, land, water, and health. WFU urges the legislature to amend the statute to require that the findings of the Technical Committee be presented in writing to the Board of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), and that the Board of DATCP must present a scope statement to the Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture within 90 days. WFU also supports lifting the preemption of local control of siting of large livestock operations and also approves removing the fee cap in ATCP 51, relying instead on the existing statutory requirement that any fee imposed by a town or county must be reasonable. CONCENTRATION IN THE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY: Due to the decline in the vitality of rural communities that has coincided with concentration in agricultural and retail food markets, with family farms bearing the brunt of this injustice, WFU demands that both the state and federal Departments of Justice follow through on the antitrust investigation and aggressively prosecute violators of antitrust laws. WFU urges the federal government to increase its oversight of consolidation and vertical integration in the agriculture industry and to establish a constant dialog within agriculture about market control and antitrust concerns. WFU also opposes the investment in arable lands in all countries by institutional investors, and urges DATCP to vigorously enforce the law limiting ownership by foreign entities to 640 acres of land in Wisconsin. HEMP: In light of the new realm we find ourselves in with regard to hemp production in the state, WFU supports: Formulating an open-source hemp seed-saving program, as well as legislative initiatives to protect farmers rights to develop new strains, plant hemp seed, and sell hemp seed without unnecessary restriction. Lowering the DATCP testing fees for hemp. Removing the background check requirement for permitting and licensing applications. Raising the allowable THC content of hemp, as defined by state and federal law, from 0.3 percent to 1.0 percent. In order to comply with the current federal standard of .3 percent THC, farmers and state certified processors be allowed to remediate the THC to a level of compliance through the extraction process and re-test the hemp product at its consumer-ready form. Removing the ban on individuals applying for hemp licenses that have served and completed sentencing for a non-violent cannabis related felony. Adding hemp to the list of prohibited crops in Wisconsins anti-corporate farming law. State appropriated funding for a grant program for building hemp fiber processing facilities that would open market opportunities for more farms to produce hemp in Wisconsin. BADGERCARE AND BADGERCARE PUBLIC OPTION: WFU supports legislation to create a public option to buy into BadgerCare, available to any resident of Wisconsin no matter their income and inclusion of the BadgerCare public option on the Healthcare.gov marketplace. WFU opposes cuts to funding and/or more restrictive eligibility requirements, including work requirements, for Medicaid and BadgerCare Plus. WFU urges the governor, state legislature and Wisconsin Department of Health Services to pursue a Medicaid strategy that: Prioritizes maintaining eligibility for the largest possible number of residents, opting for modest premium and copay increases rather that wholesale exclusion of participants. Maintains service delivery centers throughout the state, and not just online, recognizing that many rural residents lack access to high-speed internet. Leverages all available federal dollars to support Medicaid programs, including the immediate acceptance of the federal Medicaid expansion funding provided through the Affordable Care Act. Incorporates a methodology that recognizes the fluctuating annual income levels that are characteristic of farming and other self-employment. FAMILY FARMERS SHAPING CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY: Food security, a healthy landscape, climate mitigation, and a prosperous rural America can only be attained through a strong family farm system of agriculture. Farmers and rural communities are uniquely positioned to meet the climate goals set forth in any climate change legislation. Farmers have the available land base for alternative energy and the opportunity to transform farming practices to sequester excess carbon and improve the health of the environment. We need to have a seat at the table as climate change legislation is being developed. MEAT PROCESSING INFRASTRUCTURE: In order to foster an environment in which family farms have equitable market access and the ability to be economically sustainable and grow, WFU advocates for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to offer financial support to increase the capacity of and start new state and USDA-inspected meat processors throughout the state. WFU urges increased support from County Economic Development agencies as well as streamlined regulation from DATCP to help facilitate small-scale processors, as well as processors that offer USDA, organic, Halal, and Kosher certification; as well as mobile and other on-farm processing facilities and use of animal by-products and waste. WFU further supports allowing meat and poultry products sales across state lines if they have been inspected through state, Meat and Poultry Inspection (MPI) programs. WFU supports the formation of cooperatives and other business structures that form to address specific local and regional processing needs, and offers assistance to chapters to do so. Other highlights from the grassroots policy process included support for: Supporters are coming to the defence of Joe Biden after Sean Hannity attempted to criticise the Democratic presidential candidate for kissing his granddaughter on the lips. On Monday, the Fox News host tweeted a link to an article about Mr Biden kissing his 19-year-old granddaughter Finnegan during an event in Iowa with the headline: Biden awkwardly kisses granddaughter at campaign stop. Hannity also included the hashtag #QuidProJoe, before following up with another tweet in which he asked his followers to take a poll about whether the display of affection was Creepy or not creepy? While the tweet prompted some to side with Hannity, others took the opportunity to point out that Donald Trump also kisses his relatives on the lips, including his adult daughters. In response to Hannitys tweet, one person shared a photo of the president leaning in to kiss daughter Ivanka on the lips during an appearance in Manchester, New Hampshire. Another tweeted: Do you mean creepy like this? alongside a photo of a teenage Ivanka sitting on her fathers lap and kissing his cheek. Someone else used Hannitys question to reference Mr Trumps past comments about his daughter, writing: As creepy as Donald Trump saying hed date his own daughter. Recommended Biden gets physical with voter in tense Iowa exchange over pipelines During an appearance on The View in 2006, Mr Trump was asked how he would feel if Ivanka decided to model for Playboy. He responded: It would be really disappointing not really but it would depend on whats inside the magazine. I dont think Ivanka would do that, although she does have a very nice figure. Ive said if Ivanka werent my daughter, perhaps Id be dating her. Isnt that terrible? How terrible? Is that terrible? The former vice-president isnt the only notable figure to face criticism for kissing a younger family member on the lips. Previously, Hilary Duff, Tom Brady and David Beckham have all sparked conversations about the appropriateness of the display of affection. Even among experts, there is no correct answer about whether kissing on the lips is acceptable behaviour or not. While child and educational psychologist Dr Charlotte Reznick first raised the question in 2010, when she asked: If you start kissing your kids on the lips, when do you stop? others in the field have disagreed. The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty In 2015, Dr Fiona Martin from the Sydney Child Psychology Centre said that anything that promotes emotional connectivity, such as a kiss, is a good thing. Assembly polls: PMs photo wont be on vaccine certificates in 5 states PM Modi to inaugurate 11 new medical colleges in Tamil Nadu on Jan 12 25th National Youth Festival to be inaugurated by PM Modi DefExpo 2020: Modi to inaugurate mega defence exhibition in Lucknow; 165 countries to participate India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Feb 03: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate 11th edition of DefExpo 2020, India's five-day biennial mega defence exhibition from February 5th to 9th on Wednesday in Lucknow. Over 1000 national and international defence firms including 165 foreign companies from the US, France, Germany, Russia, Israel, Australia etc are participating in the DefExpo 2020 which is being held for the first time in Lucknow. The theme of DefExpo 2020 'India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub' will cover the entire spectrum of the country's aerospace, defence and security interests. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi shall preside over the inaugural ceremony of the DefExpo 2020," a government statement said. After the inaugural ceremony of the Expo, Modi will visit the India and Uttar Pradesh pavilions. "The India pavilion will exclusively showcase the strong partnership between the public and private sector, including small and medium enterprises," the statement said. This year, the exhibition area has also gone up by 58 per cent to over 42,800 square metres compared to 26,774 square metres during DefExpo 2018. The Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector at Dubai Economy announced a 34 percent increase in trademark files and a 127 percent increase in commercial agency files registered in 2019 compared to the previous year. Trademark files registered at the CCCP in 2019 reached 5,157 and 50 commercial agency files were also registered during the same period, while the figures were 3,844 and 22, respectively, in 2018, reported Emirates news agency Wam. US brands led in terms of trademark files registered in 2019 1,585 files, or 31 percent of the total. The UAE was next with 818 files (16 percent), while German brands went up by seven percent to 373 files. France, Britain, Italy, Switzerland, Japan, British Virgin Islands, India, China, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Canada were also among the top 15 source countries for files registered in 2019. Mohammed Ali Rashed Lootah, CEO of CCCP, said, "The rising number of trademarks and agencies registered shows the importance of Dubai Economy not only in attracting the best and highest-quality brands from around the world but also in providing multi-channel intellectual property protection. The 34 percent increase in trademark files also indicates brand owners recognising the importance of the retail sector and purchasing power in Dubai, as well as the healthy competition among them and their confidence in Dubai Economy in protecting their rights." The Intellectual Property Protection Department in Dubai Economy received 298 complaints relating to trademark infringement in 2019, which was a marginal increase of one percent in comparison to 2018. Meanwhile, infringement cases from commercial agencies showed a decline of 17 percent, from 42 to 35, between 2018 and 2019. US trademarks were involved in 58 of the trademark infringement complaints in 2019, while Emirati and French brands were involved in 43 cases. Perfumes were the leading category of goods involved in the complaints (35 cases). This was followed by cosmetics (32), personal care products (30) jewellery, clothes, phones, accessories (28 cases each), bags and leather products (14), motor and machinery (11), eye glasses (10), foods (8), advertising, restaurants (seven each) watches and auto parts (six each). The CCCP encourages consumers to report any incidents of fraud or counterfeiting through its consumer protection channels. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday asked Filipinos to stop being xenophobic or blaming Chinese nationals on the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus or 2019 n-CoV. This kind of mentioning the Chinese and blaming them, its like a xenophobia, said Duterte in a late night press briefing with the Cabinet officials at Malacanang. Duterte has recently expanded the coverage of the temporary travel ban which includes foreign travelers from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. "China has been kind to us, we should show the same favor to them. Stop this xenophobia thing," Duterte added. Further, the President said that he will not bar all Chinese nationals from entering the country saying that it would be a sign of disrespect. Kung magtanong kayo if I will bar the Chinese from entering, the answer of course is no. That is an utter disrespect to a human being, said Duterte. [Translation: If you would ask me if I will bar the Chinese from entering, the answer of course is no. That is an utter disrespect to a human being.] If there are Chinese found positive and we dont want them to travel to further aggravate the situation, we can assure the Chinese government, that we too will help. The Bureau of Immigration earlier refused the entry to foreigners, including 300 Chinese nationals, who arrived from Hong Kong and Macau. This was a day after Duterte announced the travel ban. The immigration agency said that it was already coordinating with the Chinese embassy to bring home the stranded foreigners. The 2019- n-CoV originated from Wuhan City in the Hubei province in China, where it has killed over 360 people. The virus has already spread in 27 countries, with the first death outside China reported in the Philippines. OTTAWA - The Liberal government insisted China let parents and other primary caregivers accompany their Canadian children after leaving Wuhan, the epicentre of an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, even if they are not citizens themselves. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/2/2020 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA - The Liberal government insisted China let parents and other primary caregivers accompany their Canadian children after leaving Wuhan, the epicentre of an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, even if they are not citizens themselves. "We insisted on the concept of family unity," Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Monday in Ottawa. Richard Fabic, his wife Yunfei Li and their daughter Chloe are seen in this undated handout photo. An Ontario father says he missed his 15-month-old daughter's first steps because she is stuck in the Chinese city at the centre of a new coronavirus outbreak. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Richard Fabic *MANDATORY CREDIT* A chartered plane will soon be in Hanoi, Vietnam, where it will wait to pick up Canadian citizens and some permanent residents accompanying their children from Wuhan, the city of 11 million people in the central Hubei province that is currently under quarantine in response to the outbreak. The federal government is awaiting final approval from the Chinese government to fly through the restricted airspace and land at the closed airport in Wuhan, but Champagne said other preparations are already well underway. "We will be in touch with Canadians in Wuhan later this afternoon to provide them all the necessary details," Champagne said. Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said 304 Canadians have asked for assistance to return home, but only 280 have Canadian passports. The numbers remain fluid and Canada has secured a second flight, as well as seats on other flights, should they be needed. Indeed, only a few hours after Hajdu's update, a Foreign Affairs official briefing the House of Commons health committee pegged the number seeking to leave China at 312. Canadas Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam, Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan and Minister of Health Patty Hajdu look on as Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne responds to a question during an update on the coronavirus situation on Monday, February 3, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld China is allowing only foreign nationals from all countries to board repatriation flights, but Champagne said Canada insisted that children be able to fly with their primary caregivers, even if they are permanent residents, and China agreed to let this happen. That will not apply to families where no minors are involved. Hajdu said China will not allow anyone who is showing symptoms of coronavirus to board a flight to leave the country, even if they are Canadian citizens, as part of that country's efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus. "I don't anticipate we will be able to get the Chinese to concede on that point," Hajdu said. Those who remain will be offered consular services from the rapid deployment team already on the ground in Wuhan. Passengers will be screened twice once by Chinese authorities and then again before they board and will be monitored during the flight for possible symptoms of the virus. If any fall ill, they will be transported to a health facility in British Columbia while the plane refuels. Otherwise, passengers will not be allowed to leave the plane until they arrive at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, where they will be held in isolation for 14 days. The Ontario base was chosen because it has the space to allow large numbers of people to be processed quickly, and a facility where people can be housed with dignity, Hajdu said. "I want to remind people that these are Canadians who have been through a very traumatic experience over the past couple of months and in many cases will have significant stressors," Hajdu said. The repatriated Canadians will be housed at the nearby Yukon Lodge until they are cleared to return home. "Part of the reason we're offering social support is they will also be isolated from one another," Hajdu said. "So if one person falls ill, that won't necessitate the start of an entire other quarantine for all of the passengers." Opposition MPs questioned Monday why it is taking so long for Canada to repatriate its citizens when other countries have already done so. In the House of Commons, deputy Conservative leader Leona Alleslev suggested the "hold up" is due to Canada's "disastrous" relations with China. Champagne flatly denied that and said China has been very co-operative in the effort to repatriate Canadians. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Officials with Foreign Affairs, Transport Canada and Public Safety later echoed that view and told the Commons health committee that they don't see how Canada could have acted any faster. Heather Jeffrey, assistant deputy minister for consular security and emergency management at Global Affairs Canada, noted that the number of Canadians asking to be evacuated has jumped from none to over 300 in a matter of days. Documentation and authorizations must be obtained for each one to enable passage through multiple check points within Hubei province, where unprecedented travel restrictions have been imposed in a bid to prevent spread of the virus. Whereas, other countries have consular missions in China's Hubei province, Jeffrey noted that Canada does not. "The plane is actually not the most complicated part. The most complicated part is getting Canadians from across this province to the place where we can help them directly," Jeffrey told the committee. "With a pandemic response of this nature, it's the first time we've had to assist such a large number of Canadians from within a quarantine zone." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2020. 02.02.2020 LISTEN The recent chilling news that the Europes aerospace multinational, Airbus, has conceded paying huge bribes to Ghana in order to secure contracts during Mills/Mahama administration between 2009 and 2015, has somehow reinforced Mr Martin Amidus previous allegations that the late Mills set up a Committee to investigate his then Vice President Mahama over the dubious aircraft deals. To some of us, the biggest alleged bribery and corruption scandal ever occurred in the history of Ghanaian politics, remains the dubious Brazilian Aircraft deal negotiated by the then vice president under Mills administration, John Dramani Mahama. If you may remember, during his State of the Nation Address on 19th February 2009, the late President Mills informed the Parliament that his government was looking into the decision to acquire two executive Presidential jets. However, the late President Mills was indecisive over the acquisition of the aircrafts and thus observed: "Ghana simply cannot afford the expenditure at this time and we certainly do not need two Presidential Jets" (thestatesmanonline.com, 16/06/2016). Astonishingly, however, whilst the late Mills was joyfully delivering his euphonious state of the nation address, the Vice President John Mahama, who also happened to be the chairman of the Armed Forces Council, was blissfully entertaining delegations from Brazil, and busily negotiating the acquisition of five jets, including the most expensive hangar without the knowledge of the late President Mills. Well, does the recent Airbus gargantuan corruption scandal give a clue about the dubious aircrafts deal negotiated by the then Vice President Mahama? Your guess is as good as mine. Back then, the late President Mills became suspicious of the whole deal and decided to put a committee together to review the deal, according to Mr Martin Amidu. If you would recall, a few years ago, Mr Amidu audaciously came out and told the good people of Ghana that President Mills of blessed memory set up a Committee to investigate an alleged cloudy Brazilian aircraft purchases negotiated by the then vice president, John Dramani Mahama (Source: martinamidu.com). Given the bizarre circumstances, Ex-President Mahama may choose to continue to claim birth right to incorruptibility, but we will only take him seriously if he comes clean on the Brazilian Aircraft deal as revealed by former Attorney General under the late Mills and the current Special Prosecutor, Mr Martin Amidu. In fact, back then, some of us could not trust our tympanic membranes when the erstwhile Attorney General under the late Mills and the current Special Prosecutor, Mr Martin Amidu disclosed somewhat sensationally that the late Mills somehow lost trust in his vice president, Mahama, over the dubious Brazilian Aircrafts deal, and therefore ordered an investigation. However, according to Mr Amidu, the late Mills could not stand on his ground and woefully stooped and allowed the Committee to somehow turn a blind eye to his directives. Indeed, there is serious question here that the well-meaning Ghanaians must mull over and probe carefully: did Ex-President Mahama really indulge in dubious transaction? Mind you, the allegation has become much more serious following the Airbus corruption scandal and the only way former President Mahama can obliterate the doubts from the minds of discerning Ghanaians is to lock horns with Mr Martin Amidu or face him in a competent court of jurisdiction. In fact, a carefully considered reflection on Mr Amidus chilling exposition would conclude that the late Mills lost trust in his then vice president Mahama. We should, however, not lose sight of the fact that Mr Martin Amidu was the Attorney General and the Minister of Justice under President Mills administration, who duly prepared the terms of reference of the Committee constituted by the late Mills to probe into the alleged bribery and corruption scandal. So, who says that Mr Martin Amidu is lying through his teeth and therefore did not have in his possession the necessary documentation? Whatever the case, we shall keep our fingers cross and look forward to observing the court proceedings. In fact, I will venture to stress that if, indeed, the late Mills set up a committee to investigate his vice Mahama, then he probably had an irrevocable gleam of suspicion on his mind. In other words, we can conclude that the late Mills felt Mahama was trying to rip off the nation, hence setting up a committee to unravel the furtive deal. So upon a carefully considered deliberation, reflective thinkers may draw an adverse inference that the late Mills was not prepared to allow any member of his administration to dupe the country through corrupt practices. If that was not the case, why would he set up a committee to investigate his vice president, Mahama, the sole negotiator of the alleged dubious deal? Shockingly though, we have heard the NDC faithful time and time again contesting vehemently that the late Mills did not constitute any such Committee to look into the cloudy deal negotiated by Mahama. But contrary to the NDC loyalists persistent denials, Mr Amidu, the then Attorney General, has been maintaining consistently that the Committee members included Mr William Aboah, Mr George Amoah, and Brig. Gen. Allotey (Rtd) former Judge Advocate-General. Mr Amidu would thus stress: the terms of reference of the Committee as I was instructed and drafted them for the late President were: (i) to investigate the processes adopted in selecting, negotiating, and agreeing on the acquisition of the aircrafts; (ii) to investigate the competitive advantage, prices of the aircrafts and the level of economic and financial due diligence conducted by relevant agencies in the process of acquisition of the aircrafts; and (iii) to investigate any other matter that in the opinion of the Committee is reasonably related to the foregoing terms of reference. Pressure groups never allowed the Committee to take off. But the very fact that the late President Mills even contemplated this Committee meant that he was uncomfortable with and suspicious of the alleged inflated prices of the aircrafts. Undoubtedly, the Late President Mills put his trust in his vice president, John Dramani Mahama, but if we are to believe the Airbus corruption scandal and Mr. Amidus account of the Brazilian Aircraft saga, we can draw an adverse inference that former President Mahama betrayed the trust the late Mills reposed in him. It therefore explains why the late President Mills set up a committee to investigate him. In fact, there are serious issues here that need to be considered by well-meaning Ghanaians. If, indeed, the late President Mills did not trust Mahama prior to his death, why should discerning Ghanaians go ahead and hand over our sovereignty to a supposedly untrustworthy once again? It is important to note that the President of a nation is a serious job, and as such it requires a serious and committed person. Therefore, if corruption cases are hanging on the neck of an individual who is going to look after the national coffers, and has so far unwilling to seriously disprove such allegations, then discerning Ghanaians have to be really careful about handing him another term in office. In ending, until former President Mahama comes clean on the Airbus corruption scandal and meets Mr Martin Amidu in the law court over the alleged dubious Brazilian Aircraft deal, the reflective observers will continue to stand with the indefatigable Mr Martin Amidu. K. Badu, UK. [email protected] Miranda Kerr was one of several Australian models to walk in the Victoria's Secret show. Credit:Wireimage L Brands, the publicly traded company that also owns Bath & Body Works, is on the brink of a high-stakes transition. The annual Victoria's Secret fashion show has been cancelled after nearly two decades on network TV. Razek, 71, stepped down from L Brands in August. And Wexner, 82, is exploring plans to retire and to sell the lingerie company, people familiar with the matter said. As those plans progress, L Brands' treatment of women is likely to come under even closer scrutiny. In response to detailed questions from The New York Times, Tammy Roberts Myers, a spokeswoman for L Brands, provided a statement on behalf of the board's independent directors. She said that the company "is intensely focused" on corporate governance, workplace and compliance practices and that it had "made significant strides." "We regret any instance where we did not achieve this objective and are fully committed to continuous improvement and complete accountability," she said. The statement did not dispute any of The Times' reporting. Razek said in an email: "The accusations in this reporting are categorically untrue, misconstrued or taken out of context. I've been fortunate to work with countless, world-class models and gifted professionals and take great pride in the mutual respect we have for each other." He declined to comment on a detailed list of allegations. Thomas Davies, a spokesman for Wexner, declined to comment. Gigi Hadid walks in the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Credit:AP Fiery Explosions Victoria's Secret, which Wexner bought for $US1 million in 1982 and turned into a lingerie powerhouse, is struggling. The societal norms defining beauty and sexiness have been changing for years, with a greater value on a wide range of body types, skin colours and gender identities. Victoria's Secret hasn't kept pace. Some of its ad campaigns, for example, seem more like a stereotypical male fantasy director Michael Bay filmed a TV spot in which scantily clad models strutted in front of helicopters, motorcycles and fiery explosions than a realistic encapsulation of what women want. Models Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Lily Aldridge, Candice Swanepoel and company executive Ed Razek at a Victoria's Secret in New York in 2009. With its sales declining, Victoria's Secret has been closing stores. Shares of L Brands have fallen more than 75 per cent from their 2015 peak. Six current and former executives said in interviews that when they tried to steer the company away from what one called its "porny" image, they were rebuffed. Three said they had been driven out of the company. Criticism of Victoria's Secret's anachronistic marketing went viral in 2018 when Razek expressed no interest in casting plus-size and "transsexual" models in the fashion show. Then, last summer, Epstein was charged with sex trafficking, and the festering business problems at Victoria's Secret escalated into a public crisis. Photographer Russell James (left, with Jani Friedman and Ed Razek) took nude photos of Victoria's Secret models for his books. Credit:WireImage Wexner and Epstein had been tight. The retail tycoon gave the financier carte blanche to manage his billions, elevating Epstein's stature and affording him an opulent lifestyle. Wexner has said he and Epstein parted ways around 2007, the year after Florida prosecutors charged him with a sex crime. On multiple occasions from 1995 through 2006, Epstein lied to aspiring models that he worked for Victoria's Secret and could help them land gigs. He invited them for auditions, which at least twice ended with Epstein assaulting them, according to the women and court filings. "I had spent all of my savings getting Victoria's Secret lingerie to prepare for what I thought would be my audition," a woman identified as Jane Doe said in a statement read aloud last summer in a federal court hearing in the Epstein case. "But instead it seemed like a casting call for prostitution. I felt like I was in hell." Three L Brands executives said Wexner was alerted in the mid-1990s about Epstein's attempts to recruit women. The executives said there was no sign that Wexner had acted on the complaints. 'Someplace Sexy to Take You' "With the exception of Les, I've been with L Brands longer than anyone," Razek wrote to employees in August when he announced he was leaving the company he had joined in 1983. Alyssa Miller, who had been an occasional Victoria's Secret model, described Razek as someone who exuded 'toxic masculinity'. Razek was instrumental in selecting the brand's supermodels known as "Angels" and bestowed with enormous, feathery wings and in creating the company's macho TV ads. But his biggest legacy was the annual fashion show, which became a global cultural phenomenon. Loading "That's really where he sunk his teeth into the business," said Cynthia Fedus-Fields, a former chief executive of the Victoria's Secret division responsible for its catalogue. By 2000, she said, Razek had grown so powerful that "he spoke for Les". Sometimes Wexner spoke for himself. In March, at a meeting at Victoria's Secret headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, an employee asked Wexner what he thought about the retail industry's embrace of different body types. He was dismissive. "Nobody goes to a plastic surgeon and says, 'Make me fat,'" Wexner replied, according to two attendees. Razek often reminded models that their careers were in his hands, according to models and current and former executives who heard his remarks. Alyssa Miller, who had been an occasional Victoria's Secret model, described Razek as someone who exuded "toxic masculinity". She summed up his attitude as: "I am the holder of the power. I can make you or break you." At castings, Razek sometimes asked models in their bras and underwear for their phone numbers, according to three people who witnessed his advances. He urged others to sit on his lap. Two models said he had asked them to have private dinners with him. One was Muise. In 2007, after two years of wearing the coveted angel wings in the Victoria's Secret runway show, the 19-year-old was invited to dinner with Razek. She was excited to cultivate a professional relationship with one of the fashion industry's most powerful men, she said. Razek picked her up in a chauffeured car. On the way to the restaurant, he tried to kiss her, she said. Muise rebuffed him; Razek persisted. For months, he sent her intimate emails, which The Times reviewed. At one point he suggested they move in together in his house in Turks and Caicos. Another time, he urged Muise to help him find a home in the Dominican Republic for them to share. "I need someplace sexy to take you!" he wrote. Muise maintained a polite tone in her emails, trying to protect her career. When Razek asked her to come to his New York home for dinner, Muise said the prospect of dining alone with Razek made her uneasy; she skipped the dinner. She soon learned that for the first time in four years, Victoria's Secret had not picked her for its 2008 fashion show. 'Forget the Panties' In 2018, at a fitting ahead of the fashion show, supermodel Bella Hadid was being measured for underwear that would meet broadcast standards. Razek sat on a couch, watching. "Forget the panties," he declared, according to three people who were there and a fourth who was told about it. The bigger question, he said, was whether the TV network would let Hadid walk "down the runway with those perfect titties". (One witness remembered Razek using the word "breasts", not "titties".) At the same fitting, Razek placed his hand on another model's underwear-clad crotch, three people said. An employee complained to the human resources department about Razek's behaviour, according to three people. The employee presented HR with a document last summer listing more than a dozen allegations about Razek, including his demeaning comments and inappropriate touching of women, according to a copy of the document reviewed by The Times. It wasn't the first HR complaint about him. At a photo shoot in June 2015, the company put out a buffet lunch for staff. Crowe Taylor, the public relations employee, went to get seconds. Razek intercepted her, she said. He blocked her path and looked her up and down. Then, with dozens of people watching and Crowe Taylor holding her empty plate, he tore into her, berating her about her weight and telling her to lay off the pasta and bread. Crowe Taylor, who was 5-foot-10 and 140 pounds, fled to a bathroom and burst into tears. She said that she had complained to HR but that as far as she could tell, nothing happened. She quit weeks later. In October, shortly after Razek had left the company, Monica Mitro, a top public-relations executive at Victoria's Secret, lodged a harassment complaint against him with a former member of the L Brands board of directors, according to five people familiar with the matter. She told colleagues that she had gone to the former director because she didn't trust the HR department. The next day, the head of HR told Mitro that she was being placed on administrative leave, the people said. She recently reached a financial settlement with the company, they said. 'A Voyeuristic Journey' Russell James was one of Victoria's Secret's go-to photographers. The company at times paid him tens of thousands of dollars a day, according to draft contracts reviewed by The Times. At the end of sessions with models, James sometimes asked if they would be photographed nude, according to models and L Brands executives. James was popular; he had a knack for making women feel comfortable. He also had a close relationship with Razek. The women often consented. The nude photo shoots weren't covered under the models' contracts with Victoria's Secret, which meant they weren't paid for the extra work. In the industry, "everyone is using their influence to get something," said Miller, the model. "With Russell, it was getting girls to pose for his books or portrait series nude." In 2014, James published a glossy collectors' book, Angels, which featured some of the nude photos. The women agreed to have their photos included in the book, according to Martin Singer, a lawyer for James. Two versions of the books currently sell on James' website for $US1800 ($2688) and $3600 ($5376). Victoria's Secret hosted a launch event for Angels during New York Fashion Week in 2014. Attendees included supermodels and the company's chief executive at the time, Sharen Turney. Loading "This ample volume offers an unprecedented and personal view into James' most intimate portrait sittings," the book's jacket says, noting that James met many of the women during his 15 years working for Victoria's Secret. "Readers will be taken on a voyeuristic journey into a world of subtle provocation." At one point, a poster-size version of one of the book's photos was displayed in a Victoria's Secret store in Las Vegas. The model's agent complained to Victoria's Secret that his client's photo was being used in the store without her consent. James also complained about it and asked for it to be removed, according to Singer. The company took down the photo. Effective Date: December 19, 2019 We have prepared this privacy notice (Privacy Notice, Notice, Privacy Policy, or Policy) to explain to you how we collect, use, and share information and Personal Data (as defined under applicable law) we obtain through your use of the Internet sites, applications and online services (Services) that are operated by, controlled by or affiliated with Vox Media, LLC, and any of its subsidiaries, affiliates, brands and entities that it controls, including Curbed, Eater, Grub Street, New York Magazine, Polygon, Recode, SB Nation, The Cut, The Intelligencer, The Strategist, The Verge, Vox, Vulture, and other affiliated sites and applications (collectively we, us, or our). 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If you dont want a social network to collect the information about you as described above, or you dont want a social network to share it with us, please review the privacy policy, privacy settings and instructions of the applicable social network before you visit and use our Services. Our Information Sharing Practices (a) Generally. We share Non-Personal Data, including Usage Data, de-identified Personal Data and aggregated user statistics, with third parties in our discretion. Information collected via the Sites is shared among our affiliates. For example, we may share your information with our related entities including our parent and sister companies for customer support, marketing, and technical operations. We share User Information, including Personal Data, as otherwise described in this Policy, and under the following circumstances. (b) Service Providers. From time to time, we enter into relationships with third parties who provide services to us (for example, analytics and research companies, advertisers and ad agencies, data management and storage services, credit card processing services, merchandise sales facilitators, sweepstakes or contest prize fulfillment). We share your information with third parties for the purposes of facilitating your requests (such as when you choose to share information with a social network about your activities on the Sites) and in connection with tailoring advertisements, measuring and improving our Sites and advertising effectiveness, and other enabling enhancements. We share aggregate information about our visitors with our advertisers, sponsors, and promotional partners, such as how many persons visited a particular page or activity, the average age of our visitors on the Site(s) or page(s), or the likes and dislikes of our visitors, but this information is not specific to any individual visitor. We obtain geographic information such as zip code clustering from other sources, but this aggregate information will not reveal the precise location of a specific visitor. We also obtain other demographic information from third parties to improve our products and services, for marketing purposes or to display more relevant advertising. In those circumstances, we disclose User Information so that such service providers perform those services. These service providers are only permitted to use your Personal Data to the extent necessary to enable them to provide their services to us. They are required to follow our express instructions and to comply with appropriate security measures to protect your Personal Data. And our sites use certain Google analytics and other services, and certain pages use the Google AMP Client ID API, each of which enable collection and sharing of your information (including Personal Data) with Google for further use. For specific information on Google usage and how to control it, please see How Google uses data when you use our partners sites or apps and Googles Privacy Notice. (c) Operational Providers. For your convenience, we may provide the opportunity to purchase certain goods, merchandise and services through the Sites (including, without limitation, retail purchases, print and digital magazine subscriptions and special event tickets). Companies other than Vox Media, its parents, partners, affiliates or subsidiaries may process these transactions. We call these companies that conduct our e-commerce operations, order and contest fulfillment and/or contract services operational providers. They are third parties that perform services on our behalf. If you choose to use these optional services, our operational providers will request your personal information to fulfill your order or request. The voluntary submission of your personal information to these operational providers, including your order or request, will be governed by the specific providers terms of use and privacy policies. To facilitate an order or request from you, we may share your personal information with the provider. The operational provider may also share your personal information and information about your purchases with us. We may store this information in our membership database. In most instances, we request that our operational providers adhere to the provisions in our Privacy Notice and that such providers only share visitors personal information with us, unless necessary to complete a visitors request or order. Operational providers are only permitted to use any personal information for the purpose of conducting the sale or fulfilling your requested service or order. However, you must read an operational providers privacy policy to determine the extent of use and disclosure of your personal information collected online. We are not responsible for the collection, use and disclosure practices of operational providers, nor are we responsible or liable for their services. (d) Events. Our Events and promotions may be jointly managed, sponsored or offered by third parties. If you voluntarily choose to enter or attend an Event, we may share your information with third parties as set forth in the official rules that govern the Event as well as for administrative purposes and as required by law (e.g., on a winners list). By entering a contest or sweepstakes Event, you agree to the official rules that govern that Event, and may, except where prohibited by applicable law, allow the sponsor and/or other parties to use your name, voice and/or likeness in advertising or marketing materials. Some events may be managed wholly by a third party and will be governed by any rules or terms they provide for that event and it is your responsibility to review and comply with those terms. (e) Third-Party Direct Marketing. We may share your information with third parties for our own direct marketing purposes (for example, email blasts, special offers, discounts, etc.). If you have not opted out of us sharing your information with third parties for marketing purposes, we may also share your information (including Personal Data) with third parties for their own direct marketing purposes. Please note, messages delivered from a third-party will subject you to the third-partys privacy policy. We may also match your email address with third parties and use such match to deliver custom offers or emails to you on the Services and off the Services. (f) Third Party Features. We may allow you to connect our Sites to a third party service or offer our Sites through a third party service (Third Party Features). If you use a Third Party Feature, both we and the applicable third party may have access to and use information associated with your use of the Third Party Feature, and you should carefully review the third partys privacy policy and terms of use. Some examples of Third Party Features include the following: Liking, Sharing, and Logging-In. You may choose to log in, create an account or enhance your profile on the Sites through the Facebook Login feature. By doing this, you are asking Facebook to send us certain information from your Facebook profile, and you authorize us to collect, store, and use in accordance with this Privacy Notice any and all information available to us through the Facebook interface. After you have connected, Facebook also sends us additional information from your profile that allows us to display a Facebook Friends module on your profile page. The Facebook Friends that are displayed only include your Friends that also have accounts with our Sites. Brand Pages. We offer our content on social networks such as a Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Any information you provide to us when you engage with our content (such as through our brand page) is treated in accordance with this Privacy Notice. Also, if you publicly reference our Sites on a third party service (e.g., by using a hashtag associated with us in a tweet or post), we may use your reference on or in connection with our Service. (f) Change of Control. In the event we go through a business transition (such as a merger, acquisition by another company, bankruptcy, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, including, without limitation, during the course of any due diligence process), your Personal Data will likely be among the assets transferred. By providing your Personal Data, you agree that we can transfer such information in those circumstances without your further consent. Should such a business transition occur, we will make reasonable efforts to request that the new owner or combined entity (as applicable) follow this Privacy Notice with respect to your Personal Data. If your Personal Data would be used contrary to this Privacy Notice, we will request that you receive prior notice. (g) Other Disclosure Scenarios. We reserve the right, and you hereby expressly authorize us, to share User Information: (i) in response to subpoenas, court orders, or legal process, or to establish, protect, or exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims; (ii) if we believe it is necessary in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, fraud, or situations involving potential threats to the safety of any person or property; (iii) if we believe it is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding significant abuse of the Services infrastructure or the Internet in general (such as voluminous spamming, denial of service attacks, or attempts to compromise the security of information); (iv) to protect and defend our legal rights or property, our services or their users, or any other party, and to protect the health and safety of our users or the general public; and (v) to our parent company, subsidiaries, joint ventures, or other companies under common control with us (in which case we will require such entities to honor this Privacy Notice). Anonymous Data When we use the term anonymous data, we are referring to data and information that does not permit you to be identified or identifiable, either alone or when combined with any other information available to a third-party. We may create anonymous data from the Personal Data we receive about you and other individuals whose Personal Data we collect. Anonymous data will include analytics information and information collected by us using cookies. We make Personal Data into anonymous data by excluding information (such as your name or other personal identifiers) that makes the data personally identifiable to you. We use this anonymous data to analyze usage patterns in order to make improvements to our Services. Public Information If you identify any User Information as public, you are authorizing us to share such information publicly. For example, you can elect to make certain of your User Submissions (such as your alias, bio, email or photos) publicly available. Also, there are areas of the Services (for example, message boards, discussion rooms, and other online forums) in which you are able to post information that automatically will be available to all other users of the Services. By choosing to use these areas, you understand and agree that anyone can access, use, and disclose any information that you post to those areas. Users Outside of the United States and Consent to Transfer The Services are operated in the United States. If you are located in another jurisdiction, please be aware that information you provide to us will be transferred to, stored and processed in the United States. By using the Services or providing us with any information, you consent to this transfer, processing, and storage of your information in the United States, a jurisdiction in which the privacy laws are not as comprehensive as those in the country where you reside or are a citizen such as the European Union. You understand that the U.S. government can obtain access to the Personal Data you submit if necessary for investigative purposes (e.g., terrorism investigation). We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Notice. We use appropriate and suitable safeguards for transferring your Personal Data to the U.S. (e.g., standard contractual clauses issued by the European Commission, which can be accessed here). Important Information for California Residents: Your California Privacy Rights These additional disclosures for California residents apply only to individuals who reside in California. The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) provides additional rights to know, delete and opt out, and requires businesses collecting or disclosing personal information to provide notices and means to exercise those rights. The words used in this section have the meanings given to them in the CCPA, which may be broader than their common meaning. For example, the definition of personal information under the CCPA includes your name, but also more general information such as age. Notice of Collection Although the information we collect is described in greater detail in Sections 1-6 above, the categories of personal information that we have collected as described by the CCPA in the past 12 months are: - Identifiers, including name, email address, phone number account name, IP address, and an ID or number assigned to your account. - Customer records, billing and shipping address, and credit or debit card information. - Demographics, such as your age or gender. This category includes data that may qualify as protected classifications under other California or federal laws. - Commercial information, including purchases and engagement with the Services. - Internet activity, including your interactions with our Service. - Audio or visual data, including pictures or videos you post on our Service. - Geolocation data, including location enabled services such as WiFi and GPS. - Employment and education data, including information you provide when you apply for a job with us. - Inferences, including information about your interests, preferences and favorites. For more information on our collection practices, including the sources we receive information from, please review the different forms of information collected through various means as described in more detail in Sections 1 6 above. We collect and use these categories of personal information for the business purposes also described in Sections 1 6, as well as our sharing practices described in Section 7. We do not generally sell personal information as the term sell is traditionally understood. However, to the extent sale under the CCPA is interpreted to include advertising technology activities such as those disclosed in the Advertising (Section 13) as a sale, we provide you the option to request that we not sell your personal information. We do not sell the personal information of minors known to be under the age of 16 without affirmative authorization. We sell or disclose the following categories of personal information for commercial purposes: identifiers, demographic information, commercial information, internet activity, geolocation data and inferences. We use and partner with different types of entities to assist with our daily operations and manage our Service. Please review Our Information Sharing Practices in Section 7 above, Advertising in Section 7 below, and our Cookies and Tracking Technologies Policy for more detail about the parties we have shared information with. Right to Know and Delete If you are a California resident, you have the right to delete the personal information we have collected from you and the right to know certain information about our data practices in the preceding 12 months. In particular, you have the right to request the following from us: - The categories of personal information we have collected about you; - The categories of sources from which the personal information was collected; - The categories of personal information about you we disclosed for a business purpose or sold; - The categories of third parties to whom the personal information was disclosed for a business purpose or sold; - The business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling the personal information; and - The specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you. - To exercise any of these rights, please submit a request through our online form available at voxmedia.com/contact#ccpa_data or email us at vmprivacy@voxmedia.com. In the request, please specify which right you are seeking to exercise and the scope of the request. We will confirm receipt of your request within 10 days. We have a duty as the holder of certain personal information to verify your identity when making requests to know or delete personal information and to ensure that dissemination of that information would not cause harm to you if it were distributed to another person. To verify your identity, we will request and collect additional personal information from you to match it against our records. We may ask for additional information or documentation if we feel it is necessary to confirm your identity with the necessary degree of certainty. We may communicate with you through email, a secure message center, or other reasonably necessary and appropriate means. We do have the right to deny requests under certain circumstances. In such cases, we will notify you of the reasons for denial. We will not provide you with specific pieces of personal information if the disclosure creates a substantial, articulable, and unreasonable risk to the security of that personal information, your account with us, or the security of our systems or networks. In no event will we disclose, if we have collected it, your Social Security number, drivers license number or other government-issued identification number, financial account number, any health insurance or medical identification number, an account password, or security questions and answers. Right to Opt-Out To the extent we sell your personal information as the term sell is defined under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information by us to third parties at any time. You may submit a request to opt-out of by clicking Do Not Sell My InfoPersonal Information. You may also submit a request to opt-out by emailing us at vmprivacy@voxmedia.com. Authorized Agent You may submit a request through a designated agent. You must instruct that agent that they will need to state that they are acting on your behalf when making the request, have reasonably necessary documentation, and be prepared to provide the necessary personal information to identify you in our database. Right to Non-Discrimination You have the right not to receive discriminatory treatment by us for the exercise of any your rights. Financial Incentives Financial incentives are programs, benefits, or other offerings, including payments to consumers as compensation, for the disclosure, deletion, or sale of personal information about them. We may offer discounted prices to consumers who sign up to be on our mailing lists or join our loyalty programs. Such programs will have additional terms that require your review and agreement. Please review those terms for the details of those programs, how to withdraw or cancel, or to assert your rights specific to those programs. We generally do not treat consumers differently if they exercise a right under California law. However, in certain circumstances, discounted prices will require you to be on our mailing list or a member of our loyalty program. In such circumstances, we may offer a price difference because the price is reasonably related to the value of your data. The value of your data will be explained in the terms of such incentivized programs. Shine the Light Californias Shine the Light law permits customers in California to request certain details about how certain types of their information are shared with third parties and, in some cases, affiliates, for those third parties and affiliates own direct marketing purposes. Under the law, a business should either provide California customers certain information upon request or permit California customers to opt out of this type of sharing. To exercise a Shine the Light request, please contact us at VMPrivacy@voxmedia.com or Vox Media, LLC c/o Legal Department, Vox Media LLC, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20036. You must put the statement Your California Privacy Rights in the body of your request, as well as your name, street address, city, state, and zip code. In the body of your request, please provide enough information for us to determine if this applies to you. Please note that we will not accept inquiries via the telephone, email, or by facsimile, and we are not responsible for notices that are not labelled or sent properly, or that do not have complete information. Important Information for Nevada Residents - Your Nevada Privacy Rights If you are a resident of Nevada, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of certain Personal Data to third parties who intend to license or sell that Personal Data. You can exercise this right by contacting us here or email us at vmprivacy@voxmedia.com with the subject line Nevada Do Not Sell Request and providing us with your name and the email address associated with your account. How We Respond to Do Not Track Signals Internet browsers can be configured to send Do Not Track signals to the online services that you visit. California Business & Professions Code Section 22575(b) (as amended effective January 1, 2014) provides that California residents are entitled to know how Vox Media, LLC responds to Do Not Track browser settings. There currently is no consensus among industry participants as to what Do Not Track means in this context. Therefore, like many websites and online services, the Services do not alter their practices when they receive a Do Not Track signal from a visitors browser. To find out more about Do Not Track, please visit here. Advertising (a) Generally. We use other companies under agreements with us to serve third-party advertisements when you visit and use the Services. These companies collect and use click stream information, browser type, time and date, subject of advertisements clicked or scrolled over during your visits to the Services and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services likely to be of greater interest to you. These companies typically use tracking technologies to collect this information. Other companies use of their tracking technologies is subject to their own privacy policies, not this one. In addition, we share with these third parties any personal information you voluntarily provide, such as an email address, in response to an advertisement or sponsored content link. (b) Targeted Advertising. In order to serve offers and advertisements that may be of interest to our users, we display targeted advertisements on the Services, or other digital properties or applications in conjunction with our content, based on information provided to us by our users and information provided to us by third parties that they have independently collected. (c) Your Ad Choices. Some of the third-party services providers and/or Advertisers may be members of the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) or the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) Self-Regulatory Program for Online Behavioral Advertising. You can visit here, which provides information regarding targeted advertising and the opt-out procedures of NAI members. You can opt-out of the use of your behavioral data used by DAA members to serve you interest-based advertising on third-party sites here. If you are accessing the Services through an application (i.e., mobile phone or tablet) you can download the AppChoices application from your devices application store (i.e., Google Play, Apple App Store, and Amazon Store). This DAA application allows participating companies to offer an opt-out of customized advertisements that are based on predictions about your interests generated from your application usage. For more information, visit here. Please note opting out through these mechanisms does not opt you out of being served advertising. You will continue to receive generic ads while online or on your device. (d) Mobile. We may from time to time offer certain location or pinpoint based services, such as location assisted navigation instruction. If you elect to use such location-based services, we must periodically receive your location in order to provide such location-based services to you. By using the location-based services, you authorize us to: (i) locate your hardware; (ii) record, compile and display your location; and (iii) publish your location to third parties designated by you by means of location publication controls available within the applications (for example, settings, user preferences). As part of the location-based services, we also collect and store certain information about the users who elect to use such location-based services, such as a device id. This information will be used to provide you the location-based services. We use third-party providers to help provide location-based services through mobile systems (unless you opt out of such location-based services with such providers) and we provide the information to such providers to enable them to provide their location-based services, provided that such providers use the information in accordance with our Privacy Notice. Choice/Opt-Out From Communications We offer you the opportunity to manage your communications from us. Even after subscribing to one or more newsletters and/or opting in to one or more offers to receive marketing and/or promotional communications from us or our third-party partners, users may elect to modify their preferences by going to the Communications Preferences page anytime or by following the Communications Preferences and/or Unsubscribe link provided in an email or communication received. You may also be able to change your preferences by updating your profile or account, depending on which of our Services you are using. Please be aware that if you wish to remove yourself from a newsletter and/or other marketing emails from third parties that you consented to through the Services, you must do so by contacting the relevant third-party. Even if you do opt-out of marketing emails, we reserve the right to send you transactional and administrative emails including those related to the Services, service announcements, notices of changes to this Privacy Notice or other Services policies, and to contact you regarding any goods or services you have ordered. Retaining, Modifying and Deleting Your Personal Data You may request access to the information you have provided to us. If you wish to make a request, please contact us using the details in the Contact Us section below. If you would like to update, correct, modify or delete from our database any Personal Data you previously submitted to us, please let us know by accessing and updating your profile through your login. If you delete certain information you may not be able to order services in the future without re-submitting such information. We will comply with your request as soon as reasonably practicable. Also, please note that we will maintain Personal Data in our database whenever we are required to do so by law, for necessary operational reasons, or to maintain uniform business practices. Please note that we need to retain certain information for recordkeeping purposes and/or to complete any transactions that you began prior to requesting such change or deletion (for example, when you enter a promotion, you may not be able to change or delete the Personal Data provided until after the completion of such promotion). We will retain your Personal Data for the period necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Policy unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. EU Data Subject Rights If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have the right to: (a) request access to your Personal Data and rectification of inaccurate Personal Data; (b) request erasure of your Personal Data; (c) request restrictions on the processing of your Personal Data; (d) object to processing your Personal Data; and/or (e) the right to data portability (collectively, EU Requests). We can only process EU Requests from a user whose identity has been verified. To verify your identity, please provide your email address or [URL] when you make an EU Request. For more information about how to get access to Personal Data and for exercising your rights, you can submit a request here by selecting the I am an EU resident and would like to exercise my individual rights option. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. To view additional information about behavioral advertising and manage your preferences, you can do so by visiting: http://www.youronlinechoices.eu/. If you have accepted our use of cookies and other tracking technologies, we will collect your information in accordance with this Privacy Notice based on your affirmative informed consent, which you may withdraw at any time through the methods provided herein. If you have not accepted, then we only collect your personal data based on our legitimate interests. Security We have implemented commercially reasonable and appropriate technical and organizational security measures to help protect your Personal Data from accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, misuse, or unauthorized access or disclosure; unfortunately, however, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your User Information, we cannot guarantee its security. You use the Services and provide us with information at your own initiative and risk. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure (for example, if you feel that the security of any account you have with us has been compromised), please immediately notify us of the problem by contacting us using the details in the Contact Us section below. Links The Services contain links to other websites that we do not control, and the Services contain videos, advertising and other content hosted and served by third parties. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any third-party. We may also integrate with third parties who will interact with you under their terms of service. One such third party is YouTube. We use YouTube API Services and by using the Sites or Services, you agree to be bound by the YouTube Terms of Service located here. Childrens Privacy The Services are intended for a general audience and are not intended for and should not be used by children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under the age of 16 and we do not target the Services to children under the age of 16. If a parent or guardian becomes aware that his or her child has provided us with information without their consent, he or she should contact us using the details in the Contact Us section below. We will delete such information from our files as soon as reasonably practicable. Sensitive Personal Data Subject to the following paragraph, we ask that you not send us, and you not disclose, any sensitive Personal Data as this term is defined under applicable data protection and privacy laws (for example, social security numbers, information related to racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion or other beliefs, health, biometrics or genetic characteristics, criminal background or trade union membership) on or through the Services or otherwise to us. If you send or disclose any sensitive Personal Data to us, you consent to our processing and use of such sensitive personal data in accordance with this Privacy Notice. If you do not consent to our processing and use of such sensitive Personal Data, you must not submit such content to our Services. Changes We update this Privacy Notice from time to time in our discretion and will notify you of any material changes to the way in which we treat Personal Data by posting a notice on relevant areas of the Services. We will also provide notice to you in other ways in our discretion, such as through contact information you have provided. Any updated version of this Privacy Notice will be effective immediately upon the posting of the revised Privacy Notice unless otherwise specified. Your continued use of the Services after the effective date of the revised Privacy Notice (or such other act specified at that time) will constitute your consent to those changes. However, we will not, without your consent, use your Personal Data in a manner materially different than what was stated at the time your Personal Data was collected. Contact Us If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice, please feel free to contact us by email at vmprivacy@voxmedia.com. For beginners, it can seem like a good idea (and an exciting prospect) to buy a company that tells a good story to investors, even if it completely lacks a track record of revenue and profit. But the reality is that when a company loses money each year, for long enough, its investors will usually take their share of those losses. So if you're like me, you might be more interested in profitable, growing companies, like BCE (TSE:BCE). While profit is not necessarily a social good, it's easy to admire a business that can consistently produce it. In comparison, loss making companies act like a sponge for capital - but unlike such a sponge they do not always produce something when squeezed. Check out our latest analysis for BCE How Fast Is BCE Growing Its Earnings Per Share? Even with very modest growth rates, a company will usually do well if it improves earnings per share (EPS) year after year. So EPS growth can certainly encourage an investor to take note of a stock. Over twelve months, BCE increased its EPS from CA$3.15 to CA$3.31. That's a modest gain of 4.9%. I like to see top-line growth as an indication that growth is sustainable, and I look for a high earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margin to point to a competitive moat (though some companies with low margins also have moats). BCE maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 2.5% to CA$24b. That's a real positive. In the chart below, you can see how the company has grown earnings, and revenue, over time. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers. TSX:BCE Income Statement, February 3rd 2020 While we live in the present moment at all times, there's no doubt in my mind that the future matters more than the past. So why not check this interactive chart depicting future EPS estimates, for BCE? Are BCE Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders? We would not expect to see insiders owning a large percentage of a CA$56b company like BCE. But we are reassured by the fact they have invested in the company. To be specific, they have CA$32m worth of shares. That shows significant buy-in, and may indicate conviction in the business strategy. Despite being just 0.06% of the company, the value of that investment is enough to show insiders have plenty riding on the venture. Story continues It's good to see that insiders are invested in the company, but are remuneration levels reasonable? A brief analysis of the CEO compensation suggests they are. For companies with market capitalizations over CA$11b, like BCE, the median CEO pay is around CA$9.3m. The BCE CEO received total compensation of just CA$4.2m in the year to December 2018. That's clearly well below average, so at a glance, that arrangement seems generous to shareholders, and points to a modest remuneration culture. CEO compensation is hardly the most important aspect of a company to consider, but when its reasonable that does give me a little more confidence that leadership are looking out for shareholder interests. It can also be a sign of good governance, more generally. Does BCE Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist? One positive for BCE is that it is growing EPS. That's nice to see. The fact that EPS is growing is a genuine positive for BCE, but the pretty picture gets better than that. With a meaningful level of insider ownership, and reasonable CEO pay, a reasonable mind might conclude that this is one stock worth watching. Now, you could try to make up your mind on BCE by focusing on just these factors, or you could also consider how its price-to-earnings ratio compares to other companies in its industry. Although BCE certainly looks good to me, I would like it more if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see insider buying, too, then this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying, could be exactly what you're looking for. Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. "I am very excited to announce that we are growing our partnership with High Sierra becoming the official gear partner of Life is Good Adventures with Life is Good and Austin Adventures, uniting our fun travel and lifestyle products with a brand that brings them to life across their adventure-seeking community," says Till Quante, VP & Business Unit Head at American Tourister & High Sierra. Life is Good Adventures are exciting, life-changing journeys packed with curated activities for guests to unplug and reset from their busy lives. In addition to connecting with nature through biking, hiking, rafting, and horseback riding, travelers will savor the destinations' local cuisines, explore hidden gems under the direction of expert guides, and build optimism-based practices like journaling and making time to reflect. "Celebrating the outdoors and the incredible benefits of travel are core to our DNA," said Bert Jacobs, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Optimist of Life is Good. "Life is Good Adventures provide an opportunity to unplug from the negativity we inevitably face and develop your own practice of optimism. Building on the initial success of our first two years, we are thrilled to grow these once-in-a-lifetime experiences with our friends at Austin Adventures and High Sierra as we continue to expand our tribe of travelers." "Not only have we created life-changing adventures with Life is Good over the last two years, but we continue to embrace their optimistic philosophy in everything we do. We can't wait to see where else we can explore together over the next three years," added Dan Austin, CEO and Founder of Austin Adventures. For every guest who books, Austin Adventures will donate $100 to the Life is Good Kids Foundation, which improves the quality of care for more than 1 million of the nation's at-risk youth. Life is Good Adventures are available to book now for travel dates starting in May 2020. This year, Life is Good Adventures will be visiting incredible destinations for families or adults only including: To learn more and explore Life is Good Adventures, click here. Visit LifeisGood.com for more details, and follow Life is Good on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. About Life is Good The Life is Good Company is the original positive lifestyle apparel brand dedicated to spreading the power of optimism through art and messaging. The company donates 10 percent of its net profits to help kids in need through the Life is Good Kids Foundation. The Foundation's signature Playmaker Program provides teachers, nurses, social workers, and other childcare professionals with training, support, and workshops that help them understand trauma and compassion-informed care. Over 12,000 childcare professionals are engaged in the Playmaker Program, which improves the quality of care for more than 1 million kids each year. Life is Good is a registered trademark of The Life is Good Company. Visit LifeisGood.com for more details, and follow Life is Good on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. About Austin Adventures Based in Billings, Montana, Austin Adventures has spent more than 35 years building an international reputation as a top provider of luxury, small group, multisport tours for adults and families to the world's most captivating destinations. Austin Adventures has perfected the art of creating one-of-a-kind itineraries featuring exceptional regional dining, distinctive accommodations, incredible guides, and exhilarating activities, all while keeping all-inclusive rates and services the norm. In addition to scheduled group departures on all seven continents, Austin Adventures has developed a reputation as the leader in customized trip planning and execution. All backed by the industry's best money-back satisfaction guarantee. About High Sierra: High Sierra, specializing in user-friendly adventure lifestyle gear, offers versatile lines tailored for outdoor enthusiasts, skiers, travelers, students and professionals looking for the smart choice in durable and functional backpacks, duffels and wheeled luggage. For more information visit www.shop.highsierra.com. High Sierra. Curious by Nature. About American Tourister With more than 85 years of experience helping people get more fun out of travel, American Tourister has grown to become one of the most trusted and recognized travel brands in the world. Joining the Samsonite family of brands in 1993, American Tourister's, commitment to offering durable and affordable luggage began in the 1930s and continues to the present day. SOURCE Life is Good Related Links http://LifeisGood.com Omicron Outbreak: Night curfew in Kerala from Dec 30, no New Year celebration post 10 pm Kerala cop kicks, beats up passenger for travelling without ticket on train, video goes viral Complete lockdown in Kerala? Here's what Health Minister has to say New Covid curbs in Kerala: Attendance at marriages, funerals capped at 50 Kerala declares coronavirus as state disaster after 3 test positive India oi-Madhuri Adnal Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 03: The Kerala government on Monday, 3 February, declared coronavirus a 'state disaster' after the third person tested positive for the virus in Kasargod. State Health Minister K K Shailaja told reporters that the government has declared the epidemic as a 'state calamity' to take all necessary steps to ensure the outbreak is effectively controlled. The decision was taken at the apex committee of the State Disaster Management Authority chaired by Chief Secretary Tom Jose. Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry on Monday issued a travel advisory informing the public to refrain from travelling to China. Earlier in the day, India reported a third case of novel coronavirus with another person from Kerala, who recently returned from China, testing positive for the infection, the Health Ministry said. "The patient has tested positive for novel coronavirus and is in isolation in the hospital. The patient is stable and is being closely monitored," the ministry said. The patient has travel history from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, in China. The Health Ministry on Monday updated its travel advisory, which was issued on Sunday, and asked people to refrain from travelling to China in view of the deadly coronavirus outbreak in its Hubei province and said travellers on return from the neighbouring country could be quarantined. As many as 130 samples have been tested of which 128 have been found to be negative so far. The death toll in the coronavirus epidemic, the epicentre of which is China, soared to 361 with 57 deaths on Sunday alone while the number of confirmed cases climbed to 17,205, Chinese health officials announced on Monday. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 15:28 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20624738f 1 National coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,Natuna,Indonesia,China,health-ministry Free The government is saying it has prepared several scenarios for after the 14-day quarantine for the 243 people evacuated from Wuhan and other Chinese cities on Sunday to Raden Sadjad airbase in Natuna, Riau Islands, including a possible extension of the quarantine period and evacuation for those who require further medical treatment. The Health Ministrys disease control and prevention director general, Anung Sugihantono, said if no single evacuee exhibits respiratory disorders or other symptoms related to the coronavirus infection, they would be immediately released after the two-week observation period as the people who were rescued on Sunday had received clearance from Chinese authorities. However, options are on the table if some people need further medical treatment following signs of coronavirus infection, he said. We could extend [the quarantine period] or relocate [the patient] to a more specific place to receive treatment, Anung told reporters in Jakarta on Monday. A hospital in Natuna was already prepared but we also anticipate if hopefully, such a thing will not happen [the evacuees] need to be relocated to Jakarta should they require such treatment. As of 8 a.m. on Monday, no returnees including the flight crew who picked up the evacuees from China had shown symptoms of coronavirus infection, Health Ministry spokesperson Widyawati said. Health workers continue to periodically examine the conditions of the evacuees at least twice a day, while the government had also made arrangements to ensure the comfort of the evacuees during their two-week quarantine. According to the last information, our [evacuees] friends cannot communicate with their families because they still use a Chinese telecommunications operator [in their phones]. We are working to set up a wifi network today so that they could communicate with their families, said Anung. The government evacuated 243 people 237 Indonesian citizens and a foreigner, plus five Foreign Ministry officials from Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, and other cities on Sunday, using Batik Air Airbus A-330 airplane flying from China to Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands, before transferring them on three separate Indonesian Military (TNI) flight to Natuna. The number was less than the 245 people originally planned to be taken out of China, as four people were unwilling to leave and three people were declared sick at the time of departure and did not receive clearance from the Chinese government to leave the country. The death toll from the virus in China climbed to 362 as of Monday, Johns Hopkins CSSE reported, exceeding the 349 fatalities in China following the 2002 and 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak. As of Monday, no cases of infection have been observed in Indonesia, Anung said, with lab test results from 34 people seven foreigners and 27 Indonesians showing negative for the coronavirus. Editors note: Paragraph eight of this article has been edited. Remember when the father of a 13-year-old boy accused Gritty of punching his son in the back? Philadelphia police got involved. Local news stations went down to Chris Greenwells house to get the story directly from him. The entire Delaware Valley was talking about this firecracker of a story. Its case closed now, with authorities clearing Gritty of any wrongdoing. Via 6 ABC: Police said an investigation was completed by the South Detective Division. Officials said the results of the investigation determined the mascot did not commit physical assault as alleged. This was the only inevitable conclusion to a he said/she said situation. Comcast-Spectacor told Greenwell at the time that there was no video evidence of what had happened. In a statement, the Flyers ownership group says they took the allegations seriously and conducted an investigation that was not able to support Greenwells claim. The alleged incident took place at a photo op for season ticket holders, with Greenwell alleging that his son had touched Gritty on the head, which resulted in the mascot getting a head of steam and then punching the teenager square in the back. Reaction on the Crossing Broad Facebook page was overwhelmingly skeptical of Greenwell, because of what people perceived to be questionable pieces to his story (like asking for perks as reconciliation). They also noted that he used the photo of himself, his son, and Gritty on Facebook despite leveling the assault allegation. This photo right here: There was also no eyewitness able to corroborate the claim, apparently, even though the room reportedly contained other fans who were getting photos taken. Grittys handler, who looks like a young Marc Anthony, I assume was also interviewed for his account. Heres the full police statement via KJ over at KYW: Waste run-off and trash from Chinese-owned banana farms are polluting a river in Laos, affecting over 500 families in the countrys Oudomxay province who rely on the rivers water for daily use, local sources say. The Chinese use a lot of chemicals in their banana farms, a resident of Navang village in the provinces Houn district told RFAs Lao Service on Jan. 31. Sometimes their pipes leak, and the waste flows out into the Beng river. Trash and packing foam are also dumped into the river, making it very dirty, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. We have no choice but to use the river for bathing and other uses. In this village, at least 500 families are affected, he said. The pollution has gone largely unaddressed for more than a year, a second villager said, adding that villagers first reported the problem to local authorities at the end of 2018. They came and inspected the farms, and at first things improved a little, but later things became the same again, he said. Now were afraid of diseases, as lots of fish, crabs, and snails in the Beng river have been killed by chemicals." "The water is very dirty and is filled with foam used for wrapping bananas, he said. 'Yes, the river is dirty' Also speaking to RFA, a district official said that local authorities regularly inspect the Beng river and nearby farms. Yes, the river is dirty, the official said, also speaking on condition he not be named. And some places have more trash, especially foam and packing paper, than others. The banana plantations use these materials to wrap up bananas, and after they are harvested, they throw them away. Then, the wind blows them into the river. Reached for comment, an interpreter for the locally operated and Chinese-owned Chin Kotang Company said his company does not pollute. We dont have trash, and we dont throw trash away, he said, adding that another Chinese-owned company with farms in the district might be at fault. You can go and ask them, he said. New concessions granted Concerns over chemical run-off from heavily polluting Chinese-owned banana plantations led in January 2017 to government orders forbidding new banana concessions, though many farms were left to operate under contracts valid for several more years. But local officials have recently granted a number of firms land for new banana plantations in provinces that include Xayabury, Oudomxay, Borikhamxay, and Savannakhet, sources told RFAs Lao Service in reports last year. In late May 2019, Laos state-run Vientiane Times newspaper reported that bananas were expected to be Laos' top agricultural export last year, with the bulk of the crop being sent to China and Thailand. Illnesses and deaths have long been reported among Lao workers exposed to chemicals on foreign-owned farms, with many suffering open sores, headaches, and dizzy spells, sources told RFA in earlier reports. Chemical run-off from farms has also polluted many of the countrys water sources, killing fish and other animals and leaving water from local rivers and streams unfit to drink, sources say. Reported by RFAs Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Richard Finney. [February 03, 2020] Precision Optics Announces Appointment of Jonathan Everett as VP of Engineering GARDNER, Mass., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Precision Optics Corporation, Inc. (OTCQB: PEYE), a leading designer and manufacturer of advanced optical instruments for the medical and defense industries, today announced the appointment of Jonathan Everett as the Company's new Vice President of Engineering. Mr. Everett joins Precision Optics from BAE Systems from their Precision Guidance and Sensing Solutions business where he was focused on new product development for next generation multispectral targeting systems, with expertise in optics and electro optics for both development stage programs, as well as current production products. Overall, Mr. Everett's career spans over 25 years of technical leadership experience, individual contribution to new product development, and program management with companies manufacturing electro-optical products for military, medical, industrial, and commercial markets. Prior to BAE Systems, he was Director of Program Management and Chief Engineer for Technology Development at American Science and Engineering from 2014 to 2018. Previous positions include Director of Programs and Engineering at General Dynamics Global Imaging Technologies, Engineering Manager Defense Systems & Electro-Optics at Elbit Systems of America (fmr. Kollsman), Product Manager Optical Metrology at Optikos Corporation, and as Optical Product Manager at Diversified Optical Products. Mr. Everett holds a BS from University of Rochester in Optics, is named on numerous patents and has published a number of articles. Precision Optics' CEO, Joseph Forkey, commented, "I am pleased to announce the appointment of Jon Everett to the newly created position of VP of Engineering. Jon has tremendous experience in developing new optical-based technologies and products for a number of the world's industry leaders. His extensive experience in the defense industry aligns well with our efforts to expand our presence in that market. Overall, the expansion of our engineering capabilities is a key growth objective for the Company as we look to further expand our efforts to develop new technologies, increase our prduct development pipeline and move existing development projects towards commercialization. I look forward to leveraging Jon's experience and leadership as we continue to grow our business going forward." Jon Everett commented, "I have been impressed with Precision Optics technology and with the capabilities of their technical team. I am happy to be joining the company at such an exciting time and look forward to contributing to the ongoing development of optical technology, particularly in micro-optics and 3D systems, as well as the transfer of this technology into products for customers." About Precision Optics Corporation Precision Optics Corporation enables innovation in minimally invasive surgery, diagnostics and treatment through optics and photonics. Precision Optics Corporation has been a leading developer and manufacturer of advanced optical instruments since 1982. Using proprietary optical technologies, the Company designs and produces next generation medical instruments, MicroprecisionTM micro-optics with characteristic dimensions less than 1 millimeter, and other advanced optical systems for market-leading medical device companies. The Company's innovative medical instrumentation line includes state-of-the-art endoscopes and endocouplers as well as custom illumination and imaging products for use in minimally invasive surgical procedures. The Company believes that current advances in its proprietary micro-optics and 3D imaging technologies present significant opportunities for expanding applications to numerous potential medical products and procedures. The Company's website is www.poci.com. Investors can find Real-Time Quotes and market information for the Company on www.otcmarkets.com/stock/PEYE/quote. About Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that express the Company's intentions, beliefs, expectations, strategies, predictions or any other statements related to the Company's future activities or future events or conditions. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's business based, in part, on assumptions made by the Company's management. These statements are not guarantees of future performances and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including those risks discussed in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K and in other documents that we file from time to time with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by law. Company Contact: PRECISION OPTICS CORPORATION 22 East Broadway Gardner, Massachusetts 01440-3338 Telephone: 978-630-1800 Investor Contact: LYTHAM PARTNERS, LLC Robert Blum Phoenix | New York Telephone: 602-889-9700 [email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/precision-optics-announces-appointment-of-jonathan-everett-as-vp-of-engineering-300997816.html SOURCE Precision Optics Corporation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Help.org, a trusted online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones, has announced the Best Rehab Facilities in Akron, Ohio for 2020. The informational guide recognizes the top 18 rehab facilities based on cost, treatment options, location, accompanying services and more. According to recent studies, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people under age 50. In Akron, deaths related to opioid abuse increased significantly from 2011 to 2015. Substance abuse among adolescents is also escalating in Akron with 55 percent of high school students reported using alcohol, 38 percent reported using marijuana, 8 percent reported using prescription drugs without a valid prescription, and 2 percent reported using heroin. With the growing need for accessible and high-quality rehab programs, Help.org has developed a unique ranking process to help connect individuals with treatment providers that meet their needs. The Help.org research team analyzed thousands of facilities across the country and then identified the most cost-effective and highest rated programs in larger cities like Akron. Each facility was evaluated based on rehabilitation services, treatment approaches, cost, special programs for unique demographics and ancillary services. The website also provides information about drug use and side effects as well as educational articles. For a detailed listing of the Best Rehab Facilities in Akron, Ohio please visit https://www.help.org/best-drug-and-alcohol-rehab-centers-in-akron-oh/. 2020 Best Rehab Facilities in Akron, Ohio (in alphabetical order) Akron Urban Minority Alcoholism Drug Abuse Outreach Program Inc. 665 W. Market Street Akron, OH 44303 330-379-3467 Arrow Passage Recovery 721 Lincoln Way E. Massillon, OH 44646 855-790-7398 Child Guidance and Family Solutions 18 N. Forge Street Akron, OH 44304 330-762-0591 Community Health Center 725 E. Market Street Akron, OH 44305 330-434-4141 Crossroads Center 311 Martin Luther King Drive E. Cincinnati, OH 45220 513-475-5300 IBH Addiction Recovery Center 3445 S. Main Street Akron, OH 44319 330-644-4095 Inpatient Rehab Placement 87 E. Tallmadge Avenue Akron, OH 44310 330-349-8121 New Day Recovery 960 Boardman-Canfield Road Youngstown, OH 44512 330-886-4744 Ohio Addiction Recovery Center 1151 S. High Street Columbus, OH 43206 800-481-8457 Oriana House ADM Crisis Center 15 Frederick Avenue Akron, OH 44310 330-996-7730 Rosary Hall 2351 E. 22nd Street Cleveland, OH 44115 216-861-6200 SMART Recovery 7304 Mentor Avenue, Suite F Mentor, OH 44060 440-951-5357 Sojourner Recovery Services 1430 University Blvd. Hamilton, OH 45011 513-896-3497 Summit County Health District Counseling Services 1867 W. Market Street Akron, OH 44313 330-923-4891 Tarry House Recovery Home 564 Diagonal Road Akron, OH 44320 330-253-6689 The Bluffs 2650 Lodge Road S.W. Sherrodsville, OH 888-481-7821 The Recovery Village Columbus 3964 Hamilton Square Boulevard Groveport, OH 43125 614-362-1686 The Ridge Ohio 25 Whitney Drive, Suite 120 Milford, OH 45150 513-275-7571 ABOUT HELP.ORG Help.org is an online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones. The website provides the latest research through scientifically proven methods, community recovery resources as well as information about local financial assistance. Help.orgs team of researchers, activists and writers work together with addiction counselors and other professionals to offer useful and accurate resources to help individuals seeking recovery. To learn more, visit https://www.help.org/. Sen. Bernie Sanders will win the first delegates of the Iowa caucus, largely thanks to a group of Ethiopian immigrants who work at a pork processing plant. The Intercept reported Monday that at a satellite caucus site in Ottumwa, Iowa - about an hour and a half southwest of Des Moines - 14 of 15 caucus-goers selected Sanders as their choice. A lone participant backed Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who wasn't viable at this caucus location because she didn't amass 15 per cent of those gathered. Sen. Bernie Sanders was back in Washington Monday as the caucuses in Iowa got underway. He was the first winner of delegates thanks to meat packing workers in Ottumwa who backed him 14-1 versus Sen. Elizabeth Warren Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at a Super Bowl party at Ingersoll Tap Sunday night in Des Moines, Iowa. Caucuses will be held all over the state at 7 p.m. CST, but satellite locations will provide delegates to the Democratic candidates as well Bernie Sanders won the support of 14 out of the 15 caucus-goers at the 'satellite' caucus in Ottumwa, Iowa Monday at noon. The group was largely Ethiopian immigrants who work at a nearby pork processing plant This year, Iowans who aren't able to make it to the 7 p.m. CST caucus have some alternate options to participate, like this particular 'satellite' caucus, which kicked off at noon. There are also a number of caucus locations all over the world. Officially, the first Iowa caucus was held in Tbilisi, Georgia over traditional Iowan fare - pizza with ranch dressing, according to reporter Joshua Kucera, who was on-site. Other caucus locations include Glasgow, Scotland, Brooklyn, New York, Washington, D.C. and several places in Florida and California, among others. The amount of delegates Sanders nets from the Ottumwa caucus site won't be known until later tonight, when the full amount of caucus-goers across the state, and world, are counted. The count from Tbilisi won't be released until the full caucus gets underway. Monday's caucuses mark the first official votes of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary after more than a year in the making. The caucuses come as Sanders' campaign seems to be gaining steam, while that of Vice President Joe Biden - long considered the party's frontrunner - sputters. Sanders ascent already has the party establishment fearing that the self-proclaimed democratic soclialist will tank Democrats chances to retake the White House from President Trump, who won by small margins in 2016 via the Electoral College, while Democrat Hillary Clinton won the popular vote. Sen. Bernie Sanders addresses an overflow crowd Sunday night in Des Moines as he enter his campaign's Super Bowl party. Sanders is now topping the polls in Iowa, making the Democratic establishment nervous over fears he'd get trounced by President Trump Sen. Bernie Sanders (left) holds the hand of Jane Sanders (right) as they enter the candidate's Super Bowl party Sunday night in Des Moines, Iowa Vice President Joe Biden (right) has long been considered the Democrats' frontrunner - and remains so in national polls - but he could get Bern-ed in Iowa Monday night, as the Vermont senator has overtaken him in recent surveys Former Secretary of State John Kerry (right) provided some last minute drama in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses, as he was overheard on the phone brainstorming how he could jump into the race if former Vice President Joe Biden (left) looks to be losing to Sen. Bernie Sanders John Kerry (left) denied the news report and that he was worried about 'the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party - down whole.' Kerry is on the campaign trail as a surrogate for former Vice President Joe Biden (right) The most dramatic example of party fears being expressed came from an overheard phone call from former Secretary of State John Kerry, in the Hawkeye State as a surrogate for Biden. Kerry was the Democrats' 2004 nominee and lost. NBC News reported Sunday that Kerry was workshopping what he could do to get into the 2020 race because of 'the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party - down whole.' 'Maybe I'm f***ing deluding myself here,' Kerry said. Once the story came out, Kerry denied that he was mulling a 2020 bid in an expletive-laden tweet, which he later deleted, posting a cleaner version. Iowa polls have shown Sanders and Biden neck-and-neck, though have given the Vermont senator a slight edge. The Real Clear Politics polling average on Monday showed Sanders with a 4 point lead over the former vice president. One especially important poll - from the Des Moines Register and CNN - had to be scrapped on Saturday over an error in administering the survey. Sen. Amy Klobuchar seems to be benefiting from late-breaking Iowa voters. She's shot up in the polls in the past week and her events are attracting crowds numbered in the hundreds For months, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg has also had a strong showing in the Hawkeye State - meaning Monday night's caucuses could end up being a five-way split Recent polls also show Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, gaining steam - as a number of late-breaking Iowa voters are flocking her way. Additionally, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg have, for months, had strong interest from voters in the state - meaning it could be a five-way race. On top of that, the way the Democrats caucus in Iowa is unique. Once the Democrats are inside the caucus location they gather in groups with their candidate of choice. Candidate must have a threshold of 15 per cent to be viable, so a lot of politicking happens each caucus night - making the results incredibly difficult to predict. This year, too, the number of initial supporters who came out for each candidate will be reported publicly. That could allow multiple candidates to claim victory. Candidates like Andrew Yang, who has been polling under 15 per cent the whole time, could point to the original vote total to prove that the campaign has enough support to continue on. In the past, Iowa has been where many a campaign died. With the raw vote totals being reported in Iowa this year, candidates like Andrew Yang (left) could point to those numbers and say he has enough grassroots support to move on. Yang appeared with comedian Dave Chappelle (right) in Iowa last week Impeachment has forced the campaigns of the U.S. senators running for president to get creative. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (left) deployed her husband (right) Bruce Mann and her dog Bailey to get out her message on the trail while she was stuck in Washington Sen. Elizabeth Warren's dog Bailey, a 20-month Golden Retriever, even took the candidate's place in her famous 'selfie lines.' Allowing Warren, who was stuck in Washington due to President Trump's impeachment trial, to cover more ground One example, was Biden's 2008 effort. While he came in fifth place in the caucuses, because of the 15 per cent rule his vote total only amounted to 1 per cent. He dropped out the day after. Impeachment has also cast an odd spell over the run-up to the caucuses this year. It kept three leading contenders - Sanders, Warren and Klobuchar - off the ground for days at a time. The fourth U.S. senator running for president, Colorado's Michael Bennet, has bypassed Iowa and has been focusing on New Hampshire, which holds a primary next week. Warren's campaign made-do by deploying her 20-month Golden Retriever Bailey, escorted by her husband Bruce Mann, to campaign stops last week. Bailey even took over Warren's famous selfie lines once the Massachusetts senator was back in state, so she could cover more ground. The Democratic caucuses in Iowa are unique. Caucus-goers gather in groups to back their chosen candidates. If their group doesn't amount to 15 per cent of those at the caucus site, they can choose to be redistributed to a viable candidate. In 2016, caucus-goer Samuel Kreamer is seen joining the group of Bernie Sanders supporters, once his pick, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, wasn't viable Sanders' campaign utilized his wife Jane and a number of buzzy surrogates including the three so-called 'Squad' members who've backed his campaign. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hosted campaign events one weekend Sanders was away, while Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar came to Iowa this past weekend. The newly-divorced Omar even brought her boyfriend, who also recently split from his spouse. Tlaib's decision to encourage a crowd of Sanders supporters in Clive, Iowa Friday night to boo the Democrats' 2016 nominee Clinton showed more splinters in the party. By Saturday morning, Tlaib was walking back her actions. Clinton has popped her head back into the fray to disparage Sanders, who was her primary rival last cycle. In a documentary, she said of Sanders: 'Nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done. He was a career politician.' 'It's all just baloney and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it,' the ex-Democratic nominee added. She's said more recently that she still stands by those comments. How to understand the Iowa Caucuses (and why there may be more than one 'winner') The Iowa caucuses are essentially small local meetings where neighbors and strangers stand up to show their support for a particular candidate, and to persuade others to join them. Iowas 41 national delegates are up for grabs, but the real stakes for the candidates are all about momentum. The caucuses are the first opportunity for Democrats to express their preferences in whats been a long and tumultuous primary. They set the tone for the monthlong sprint through the early primary states, after which the field of candidates is typically culled. The winner usually receives a boost in media attention and fundraising that can propel them through subsequent contests. An unexpectedly bad performance, meanwhile, can hobble a candidate. Attendees hold letters reading Caucus during a campaign event in Coralville, Iowa The caucuses dont always pick the eventual nominee, but for Democrats theyve been more predictive - every winner since 2000 has gone on to become the Democratic nominee. And historically, theyve been known to catapult underdog candidates campaigns to prominence - like they did with Barack Obama in 2008, or Jimmy Carter in 1976. WHERE AND WHEN DO THEY TAKE PLACE - AND WHO PARTICIPATES? The caucuses begin at 7 p.m. CST on Monday. Democrats gather in school gymnasiums, union halls and community centers - known in caucus parlance as precincts. There are 1,678 precincts in Iowa this year and an additional 99 satellite precincts, which are for caucuses held outside of the state or at different times of the day and in locations that may be more accessible to those with disabilities or those who have to work during the main event. Some precincts could have hundreds of Iowans show up, and some may have fewer than 10. The 2008 Democratic caucuses set a record when nearly 240,000 Iowans turned out; this year, party operatives are expecting turnout to be big, but likely not record-breaking. Any registered Democrat who will be 18 by election day can participate, which includes 17-year-olds with an upcoming birthday. And Iowans can newly register or switch their party registration at their caucus site the day of - so campaigns have been courting disaffected Republicans and new voters across Iowa. WHAT HAPPENS AT A CAUCUS? There are essentially two rounds of voting in the caucuses. When all the caucusgoers at a precinct have signed in, the attendees elect a caucus chair, who directs the proceedings. Representatives of the campaigns have an opportunity to stand up and give a last-minute pitch for their candidate, and then the caucuses begin, with a process known as the "first alignment." Thats where attendees gather in the designated area for their favored candidate. In most precincts, any candidate that receives the support of 15% of the people in the room is considered "viable" and moves on to the next round of voting. Caucusgoers who chose a viable candidate on their first round are locked in and cant choose a new candidate on the second. Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg's shadow is cast on the Iowas state flag in Coralville, Iowa Supporters of candidates who didnt meet that threshold, however, have four options: They can support a viable candidate, or join with supporters of another non-viable candidate close to 15% support to get them to viability. Alternately, they can try to entice supporters of other non-viable candidates over to theirs to get them over the threshold. Or, they can go home. This part of the caucuses - known as realignment - is the most crucial, and typically the most chaotic, portion of the night. Well-organized campaigns have volunteers, staffers and surrogates working the room, trying to win over caucusgoers from opposing campaigns. Its part of the reason why having staff and surrogates who know their area and have built a community there is so important for the campaigns. At the end of realignment, the caucus chair takes a final count of the room, and transmits the numbers to the Iowa Democratic Party. Changes from 2016 will allow for additional reporting of caucus results HOW ARE THE RESULTS CALCULATED? The results in each precinct are used by the Iowa Democratic Party to calculate whats known as the "state delegate equivalent," or how many delegates each candidate gets at the Iowa Democratic Party convention. That number ultimately translates to how many of Iowas 41 national delegates each candidate gets at the national convention. HOW ARE THIS YEARS CAUCUSES DIFFERENT FROM YEARS PAST? For the first time, caucusgoers will record their choices on a slip of paper, which theyll sign to certify their support. The caucus leaders will collect those presidential preference cards and turn them into the Iowa Democratic Party, and theyll be used if any candidate requests a recount. This year, there are only two rounds of alignment, rather than the multiple rounds in years past, and supporters of a viable candidate after the first alignment are locked in to that candidate. In previous caucuses, every attendee could choose a new candidate on each realignment. The satellite caucuses are new, and the Iowa Democratic Party is allowing attendees to check in early rather than at their precinct site, a move aimed to cut down on the long lines and wait times in years past. But the biggest change is the change in how the Iowa Democratic Party will report its results. Previously, they only released the state delegate equivalent numbers; now, theyre releasing the raw totals from the first and second alignments, as well as the state delegate equivalents. The Associated Press will be deciding the winner based on state delegate equivalents - but with more data being released, the campaigns have signaled they plan to spin the numbers in their favor, whatever the eventual result. - Associated Press Advertisement Overall, 11 Democrats are currently running for president. Former Rep. John Delaney - who was the first Democrat to announce his bid - dropped out Friday and encouraged Iowa voters to back a moderate choice. His campaign bus has been repurposed to promote D.C. statehood on the day of the caucuses. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is skipping the first caucus and primary states, focusing on races on March 3 - dubbed 'Super Tuesday' for how many states vote. The other billionaire in the race, Tom Steyer, campaigned across Iowa, but is only averaging 3 per cent support in the polls. Bansy Kalappa By Express News Service BENGALURU: Former Congress minister MTB Nagaraj is a bitter man, but hasnt given up hope of making it to the Yediyurappa cabinet. On Sunday, he made a last-ditch pitch for his cause and visited Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. The CM spoke to me for 38 minutes, he assured me that he will give me some position to work and serve the people. I dont know what he has in mind, he did not specify, but I trust Yediyurappa, he will do as he says, Nagaraj told TNIE, but added, I never expected such a situation. It is a strange situation for Nagaraj and Adagur H Vishwanath, who crossed over to the BJP from the Congress-JDS coalition but lost the bypolls. Nagaraj, a cabinet minister in the Kumaraswamy cabinet, was one of the last few MLAs to leave the coalition government in mid-July. He was seen literally running into the special aircraft bound for Mumbai in mid-July, at the peak of Operation Lotus. ALSO READ | 'Ready to sweep BJP office': Kumathalli on edge after missing Karnataka Cabinet berth Asked if he had expected to land in a no-win situation, he said he had never imagined it. Today, people call and tell me that they are unhappy that I lost, they say they regret not voting for me. He said it was Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, and former CM HD Kumaraswamy who ensured his defeat in the bypoll. They are angry that my exit led to the collapse of the government. Even Shivakumar supported my opponent, and they split my community votes, he said bitterly. ALSO READ | Yediyurappa will take care of all who brought BJP to power in Karnataka: Somanna The other big loser, Vishwanath, did not make an effort to meet Yediyurappa but did point out that when DyCM Laxman Savadi, who lost his assembly seat, and possibly CP Yogeshwar, another loser, can be accommodated, the CM will have to keep his word. The sky will not fall if I am denied a ministerial berth, said Vishwanath, adding that he had managed to boost the BJP vote share in his constituency Hunsur, from a few thousand to over 53,000. We have been cleansed of the stain of disqualification, and it is up to the CM to keep his word, he said. Protest sites in Delhi are 'under watch' to ensure that the polling personnel or voters face no obstruction on 8 February, which is when the polling is scheduled to take place, observers deployed told the Election Commission on Monday. New Delhi: Protest sites in the National Capital are "under watch" to ensure that the polling personnel or voters face no obstruction on 8 February, which is when the polling is scheduled to take place, observers deployed told the Election Commission on Monday. At a review meeting on poll preparedness chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, the observers assured the poll panel that preparations are progressing as per schedule and gaining momentum, an official statement said. They also told the Commission that an adequate deployment of police force and companies of central armed police forces is being made and "protest sites are under watch to ensure that no obstructions for polling personnel or voters would hamper movement on 8 February", it stated. Shaheen Bagh, Khureji Khas and Hauz Rani are some of the sites in the city where protestors are demonstrating against the amended citizenship law. Besides the Delhi chief secretary and police commissioner, the meeting was attended by top officials from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana through video link. Nodal officers from the Union Home Ministry and the Railways were also present. The commission emphasised on the need to take strict action against "intimidators and violators of law". It was of the view that preventive measures be taken promptly to ensure smooth movement near all polling stations and maintenance of peace. It told officials that due vigilance by expenditure observers needs to be stepped up and stringent action taken so that electoral atmosphere is not vitiated. CEC Arora held the review to ensure that due steps are taken for smooth coordination amongst various wings of the administration and police forces of adjoining states, particularly at border check posts, for preventing illegal movement of cash, liquor, arms or anti-social elements. By ANI NEW DELHI: Addressing a rally in Vikaspuri area here in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly polls on February 8, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said that a Pakistan minister is supporting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal because 'he knows only Kejriwal can feed 'biryani' to protestors in Shaheen Bagh'. "Why is a Pakistani minister making statements in support of Arvind Kejriwal? Because he knows that only Kejriwal can feed biryani to protestors in Shaheen Bagh," alleged Adityanath. The UP Chief Minister was referring to Pakistan Minister Fawad Chaudhry's tweet in which he had said, "Under pressure of losing another State election (Delhi), he (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) resorts to ridiculous claims and threats endangering the region." Chaudhry had posted the tweet in response to PM Modi's comment that India can defeat Pakistan in a war within 7-10 days. ALSO READ: Javadekar calls Kejriwal a 'terrorist', says 'enough evidence' exists to prove that Slamming Chaudhry for his comments, Kejriwal had said, "Prime Minister Modi is my PM as well, will not tolerate interference in our country's internal issues." "Narendra Modi is India's Prime Minister; he is my Prime Minister as well. Delhi election is our internal issue, and we have zero tolerance for interference by the biggest sponsor of terrorism. No matter how hard Pakistan tries, it cannot attack the unity of our country," Kejriwal had said in a tweet. People have been protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh area since December last year. The CAA grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh if they entered India on or before December 31, 2014. Medical workers care for an nCoV-infected patient at a hospital in Chongqing city of China on February 1st (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) The victim was a 44-year-old man who traveled to the Philippines from Wuhan, China. This was the first 2019-nCoV-related death outside China reported so far. nCoV is classified as a Class A contagious disease, a group of extremely dangerous infectious diseases that can transmit very rapidly and spread widely with high mortality rates, including the likes of influenza A-H5N1, SARs, Ebola or smallpox. Earlier, the World Health Organisation declared the nCoV epidemic in China as a global health emergency of international concern./. Cruise lines worldwide will deny boarding to passengers and crew who have recently travelled to China, a global industry body said Monday, as fears grow over the deadly new coronavirus. In a statement, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said its members were taking extra precautions to prevent an outbreak of the virus on board cruise ships, where infections can spread rapidly. "CLIA Members have suspended crew movements from mainland China and will deny boarding to any individual, whether guest or crew, who has travelled from or through mainland China within the previous 14 days," the body's Hamburg office said. CLIA represents some of the world's largest and best-known cruise lines, including TUI, AIDA, MSC, Costa, Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruises. The cruise companies were also carrying out careful screening of passengers and crew before boarding, and changing itineraries where necessary, CLIA said. The industry body added that cruise ships were well equipped to deal with health emergencies. "The cruise industry is one of the most well-equipped and experienced when it comes to managing and monitoring health conditions of passengers and crew," the statement said. All ships are fitted with medical facilities and have medical professionals "available around the clock", it added. The SARS-like virus that first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan last month has infected more than 17,000 people and killed over 360 so far. It has spread to more than 24 countries, including Australia, Germany and Japan. In a sign of growing anxiety, more than 6,000 tourists were temporarily confined to their cruise ship at an Italian port last week after two Chinese passengers fell ill. They later tested negative for the coronavirus. A ban on recent visitors to China DALLAS, Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- International research firm Parks Associates will host the eleventh annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, February 17-19, 2020, at the Omni Austin Downtown in Austin, Texas, featuring sessions on opportunities in energy monitoring, data, and energy management services. Recent Parks Associates research reveals 11% of US broadband households participate in a time-of-use program, representing 53% of households whose utility offers such a program. Parks Associates: Adoption of Energy Programs At Smart Energy Summit, industry leaders from utilities, service providers, manufacturers, and technology companies will participate in panel discussions that address the current challenges, new services, and incremental shifts utilities are making to leverage connectivity in the home to launch new services and save energy on the grid. "Consumer interest and awareness in utility and energy programs have increased over the past year, and many are seeing the crossover opportunities with the connected devices in their homes," said Patrice Samuels, Senior Analyst, Parks Associates. "We look forward to hearing from industry leaders at Smart Energy Summit sharing the next stage of growth for utilities and energy providers." The sessions "Utility Marketplaces: Building Customer Relationships" and "Utility of the Future: Resiliency, New Services, and Incremental Shifts" feature the following speakers: Jonathan Coons , Director, Marketing, EFI , Director, Marketing, Remi Demerle , Director, Vertical Marketing for Utilities, Semtech , Director, Vertical Marketing for Utilities, Ryan Gooch , VP, Sales, Powerley , VP, Sales, Reed Hinkel , Senior Manager, PSA Certified, Arm / PSA Certified , Senior Manager, PSA Certified, Joe Jankosky , Global Director, Utilities and IoT, Intel , Global Director, Utilities and IoT, Anne Arquit Niederberger , VP, Market Development, Enervee , VP, Market Development, Jayesh Shah , Head, Digital and Marketing Strategy, Direct Energy "The penetration rate of smart home devices in the US is rising, as is the opportunity for change," said Jonathan Coons, Director, Marketing, EFI. "EFI is uniquely positioned and excited to help accelerate both the consumer's adoption of the smart home suite of products and how utilities leverage this category to improve customer engagement, satisfaction, and program adoption and ultimately positively influence energy-saving behavior. We are doing this every day via instant marketplace technologies, as well as other digital and traditional program engagement portals." "Utility marketplaces built on choice engine technology are coming of age, and we'll be sharing independent impact results that highlight their many customer and utility benefits," said Anne Arquit Niederberger, VP Market Development, Enervee. "Key to achieving these results is the efficient shopping ecosystem we're building, together with retailers, manufacturers, and other technology vendors. With roughly one billion energy-using consumer product purchases made annually, we have an unprecedented opportunity to transform markets and the utility-customer relationship at scale." Parks Associates will also host a pre-show research workshop, "Trends and Opportunities in Residential Energy Management," on February 17, featuring detailed findings from the firm's consumer and industry studies on the smart home, IoT, and energy management markets. To request data or an interview, contact Elizabeth Parks, [email protected], 972-490-1113. About Smart Energy Summit Parks Associates' eleventh annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer examines the changing role of utilities and energy providers in the IoT era and offers research and insights on new opportunities to empower consumers with smart solutions to manage and save energy in the home. The conference identifies new business models and technologies that provide opportunities to change the customer relationship and drive engagement and participation in utility-sponsored programs. Follow the event on Twitter at @SmartEnergySmt and #SmartEnergy20. www.ses2020.com Elizabeth Parks Parks Associates 972-490-1113 [email protected] SOURCE Parks Associates Students from Pakistan, who are studying at various universities in China's Wuhan and nearby cities, cry for help after India flew special Air India jets to evacuate the stranded Indians from China amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak. In several video messages which are going viral, these Pakistan students were seen appealing for help and evacuation and slamming the Pakistan government over its refusal to save the lot. The Pakistani government has said that it will not evacuate its citizens from the coronavirus-hit Wuhan to show "solidarity" with all-weather ally China. However, India recently evacuated 324 Indians from Wuhan city. A group of Pakistani students wearing protected masks said in a video, "Indian students are returning back as their government is rescuing them. Indonesian students are being provided funds by their embassy and they will be rescued soon. We want to ask our government: Are they waiting for us to die?. If not, then we should be rescued as soon as possible". In another video, a group of Pakistani students from a university in Xinjiang said in their video message, "Our University is located 2-3 hours distance from Wihan city. There are chances of virus reaching to this city. Even this area is already infected, but nobody is taking our concern seriously". A female student said, "Our provincial government told us to talk to the Chinese government, whereas the Chinese government told us to speak to the Pakistan embassy. Sadly, our embassy said that death is God's willing, which can come at any place". Around 30,000 Pakistanis, including a large number of students, are based in China. Over 500 students currently reside in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that began late last year. So far, at least four Pakistani students in central Wuhan have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man born with one arm has launched a career as a designer after getting a bionic arm and learning to draw with it. Dan Melville, 27 - from Reading - was born without a right hand. He got a bionic arm in 2015 and his 'life completely changed'. Dan Melville - who was born with one arm - launched a career as a designer after getting a bionic arm and learning to draw with it He now runs Handy Dan's 3D Prints where draws and then prints his creations, which have included ornaments, vases and even skulls. In the clip, Mr Melville admits he's a 'massive geek' and is seen drawing a sketch of Baby Yoda. He said: 'I just want to draw my own fan art but with a bionic arm. Bit different I guess.' He says he never traces his designs and claims that drawing freehand is a 'much better way of learning'. He explains that drawing is tricky as he can't feel touch with his arm but says: 'The way that this technology is going, that soon enough I'll be able to hold and feel the pen.' He set up a printing company where all the designs were drawn by him and within a year, he was able to quit his job as a retail assistant to pursue his dream In the clip, Mr Melville admits he's a 'massive geek' and is seen drawing a sketch of Baby Yoda It all started when Mr Melville's friend asked him to draw a picture of her using his new bionic arm. She liked it so much that she offered him some money for it. This planted the seed for Mr Melville who went on to buy his first 3D printer for 1,500. He started drawing up some designs for family and friends before going on to earn commission. It all started when Mr Melville's friend asked him to draw a picture of her using his new bionic arm He set up a printing company where all the designs were drawn by him and within a year, he was able to quit his job as a retail assistant to pursue his dream. Mr Melvill said: 'Before becoming a designer, I just worked in retail and I never thought the time would come where I could actually use my college qualification in design. 'The bionic arm is definitely the push I needed to go into design because I wanted to be able to create something that's incredible and life-changing'. He said: 'I just want to draw my own fan art but with a bionic arm. Bit different I guess' The arm - designed by firm Open Bionics - uses pulses in Mr Melvill's muscles to determine whether he wants to open or close his hand. The arm - designed by firm Open Bionics - uses pulses in Mr Melvill's muscles to determine whether he wants to open or close his hand There is a button on the hand that changes the grip pattern, helping him to pick up both heavy and delicate objects. Mr Melvill said: 'The first year of starting my business was a quiet one but then it began to pick up and by the second year, I had quit my job working in retail. 'I use my bionic arm to draw and it took a while for me to get the hang of it because you can't actually feel the pen in your hand - or your hand at all - but you learn how to do it. 'Sometimes it turns out great, sometimes it turns out not so great. It's just about practice. 'It has definitely changed my life for the better. I'm now doing something I love and that's the best part'. But he said it doesn't come without challenges. He said: 'Not being able to feel the pen makes it much, much harder. 'I don't think people realise how difficult it is.' He now runs Handy Dan's 3D Prints where draws and then prints his creations, which have included ornaments, vases and even skulls In 2014, Mr Melvill became an ambassador for Open Bionics- a UK company that builds low-cost bionic arms for people with disabilities. The company only began selling to the general public in 2018, once the prototypes had been tested. The Prince's Trust helped Mr Melvill get his foot on the ladder by offering him expert advice about starting a business from scratch. A special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002) court on Monday remanded Kapil Wadhawan, Chairman and Managing Director of DHFL (Dewan Housing Finance Ltd), to the Enforcement Directorate's custody till February 7. Wadhawan was booked and arrested in the case involving underworld gangster Iqbal Mirchi in a money laundering case last Monday. On January 27, Wadhawan appeared before the special PMLA court in Mumbai after the ED asked the court to issue a non-bailable warrant against him and four others including Mirchi's wife Hazra, sons Junaid and Asif, and Sunny Bhatija (Kapil's brother-in-law). DHFL, the country's leading housing financier, has come under the scanner of the ED in connection with its alleged link with global terrorist Dawood Ibrahim's aide Iqbal Mirchi, is now suspected of fund diversion. The non-banking financial corporation had come under the ED's scanner after investigations revealed that a loan of Rs 2,186 crore extended by DHFL to Sunblink Real Estate Private Limited had reached D-company in Dubai. Sunblink had facilitated routing of the amount to Mirchi. The ED alleged that Kapil Wadhawan "diverted" funds from DHFL to shell companies and later these dubious companies got amalgamated with Sunblink Real Estate Pvt Ltd to "cover" alleged diversion of loans acquired from DHFL. DHFL belongs to the Wadhawan family who also owns RKW Developers located at the HDIL building. RKW Developers Director Ranjit Bindra acted as a broker to negotiate the deal with Iqbal Mirchi in London. The route of Sunblink was "purposefully created by Kapil Wadhawan as CMD of DHFL and others just to obfuscate the trail of money for the purchase of properties" from the Mirchi family, the agency alleged. The ED has filed a criminal case against Mirchi alias Iqbal Memon, his family and others to probe money laundering charges for alleged illegal dealings in purchase and sale of costly real estate assets in Mumbai. Mirchi, who died in 2013 in London, was alleged to be the right-hand man of global terrorist Dawood Ibrahim in drug trafficking and extortion crimes. Also Read: DHFL lent Rs 14,000 crore to 25 group firms, reveals forensic audit Also Read: ED raids DHFL premises over alleged links with Iqbal Mirchi Edited by Manoj Sharma LUANDA President Yoweri Museveni and his Rwandan counterpart have agreed to hold the next round of talks at Gatuna/Katuna border on February 21, 2020 as part of efforts to mend relations between the two countries. The two countries also agreed to refrain from actions that are perceived to be financing or supporting rebel or opposition groups seeking to overthrow each other. These and others were agreed upon during the quadripartite summit held between the two leaders at the invitation of Joao Manuel Gonsalves Lourenpo, the President of the Republic of Angola, and witnessed by Felix Antoine Tshisekedi, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Luanda, Angola on Sunday, February 2, 2020. The meeting was a follow-up of the Quadripartite Summits held in Luanda, on 12 July and 21 August 2019. The Heads of State exchanged views on strengthening their political, diplomatic, economic and cultural relations, a communique from the meeting reads in part. The Republic of Uganda and the Republic of Rwanda have pledged to continue to prioritize the permanent dialogue between the two countries for the development and well-being of their peoples, it added. The meeting also resolved that both countries release people held over various crimes. It remains to be seen whether the leaders will stick to the agreement. Since the August meeting, officials between the countries have held talks one in Kigali in September and another in Kampala last December. However, the talks have not been enough to resolve the standoff over the border closure. The border has remained closed and several Ugandans have been shot dead or injured for trying to cross into Rwanda through the various porous border points. Kigali has continued to accuse Kampala of detaining her citizens and supporting armed groups that want to overthrow the administration there. This is despite Kampala recently releasing nine Rwandans accused of espionage and expecting Rwanda to reciprocate. On Wednesday this week, Mr Kagame addressed diplomats in Kigali telling them that he was not about to tell his citizens to return to Uganda because he has no control over their while in Uganda. We have had hundreds of Rwandans arrested in Uganda. And we have raised this matter with Ugandan authorities. We have families of hundreds of families coming and appealing to us asking why you dont ask Uganda to release our people, he said. He told Rwandans just stop going there because if you go there, I have no control. They may arrest you, and your families will come to me and say you have been arrested. And there is nothing I can do about it. Related 11 of 12 Courtesy photo/Tamaulipas government 12 of 12 State and federal authorities found shanks and animals following a raid this week at the prison in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, officials said. With the assistance of the Secretariat of the National Defense, or SEDENA, soldiers with the Mexican National Guard and Tamaulipas state police officers searched the Centro de Ejecucion de Sanciones, or CEDES prison, in the Sister City on Wednesday. Health officials in California have reported three more cases of coronavirus in the state, bringing the total number of patients infected with the respiratory illness in the US to 11 as the virus death toll climbs to 362 worldwide and infections spread to more than 17,000 people in nearly two dozen countries. On Sunday, the San Benito County Health Department reported a 57-year-old man who returned to the US after travelling to Wuhan, China had infected his wife. The couple have isolated themselves inside their home. Health department officials in Santa Clara County also reported a case in the Bay Area, where a man who recently returned from Wuhan is in stable condition and quarantined inside his home. Health officials said he didn't leave his house while he had symptoms except to seek medical care. Meanwhile, Chinese officials have slammed the White House's response to the outbreak as a fear-mongering "overreaction" caused by poor coordination with Beijing as the country combats the spread of the flu-like illness. A foreign ministry spokeswoman told reporters at a briefing that the US "hasn't provided any substantial assistance" following the US evacuation of its personnel and a strict travel ban on Chinese travellers entering the US. Hua Chunying told reporters: "All it has done could only create and spread fear, which is a bad example." Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Show all 154 1 /154 Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Paramedics wearing personal protective equipment carry patient on a stretcher on to an ambulance in North Point district in Hong Kong, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker wearing protective gear takes a rest as he waits for ambulances carrying patients infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at an entrance of a hospital in Daegu, South Korea YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker sprays disinfectant on an ambulance after carrying a patient infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Daegu YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective face masks shop at a supermarket in Casalpusterlengo, one the northern Italian towns placed under lockdown due to the new coronavirus outbreak EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A trolley bus is disinfected amid fears over the spread of the novel coronavirus in Pyongyang, North Korea REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant as a precaution against the COVID-19 coronavirus in a local market in Daegu, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective facemask walks outside a nearly empty shopping mall at lunch time in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing protective facemask and gloves puts a drawing made by a girl living in the area asking residents to wear protective gear, next to a quarantine notice for people who have travelled and a notice asking people to register outside a residential compound in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman is taken into an ambulance amid a coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulances and health workers are seen outside the Padua's hospital, northern Italy EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers in coaches leave MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire after being repatriated to the UK from a cruise ship hit by the coronavirus in Yokohama, Japan and head to Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People rest in a temporary hospital situated in the Tazihu Gymnasium in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buddhist monks wearing protective face masks pray during a blessing ceremony for the people affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, at a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers wearing protective gears carry a patient infecting with a new coronavirus to a hospital in Chuncheon, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Soldiers in hazmat suits sanitize cargo from a China Airlines plane at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan City, Taiwan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Barricades are seen to block the entrance a the gate of a local mall in a nearly empty area in Beijing, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor wearing a protective facemask waits for customers at a shop in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The body temperature of an Iraqi child returning from Iran is measured upon her arrival at the Najaf International Airport AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers hand out free facemasks at a shopping district in Quezon city, Metro Manila, Philippines Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers wearing protective gears carry a patient suspected of contracting the new coronavirus toward an ambulance at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker disinfects a shop at a market in Shanghai AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A restaurant worker wearing protective clothing as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus passing a bag of food to a customer on the street outside their restaurant in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A recovered patient is discharged from Leishenshan Hospital, the newly-built makeshift hospital for novel coronavirus patients, in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a factory with sanitising equipment in Huzhou, China China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to a patient inside an isolated ward of Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A drone operated by the Suwon municipal government flies around Changyong Middle School spraying disinfectant, in Suwon, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers transfer medical waste at Leishenshan Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective mask rides a bicycle with his children in Guangzhou, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a railway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Changsha, Hunan province, China cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman repatriated from Wuhan carries a child as she walks upon her arrival at the Van Don airport in Vietnam's Quang Ninh province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff checking the body temperature of a patient who has displayed mild symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker in protective suit transports oxygen tanks at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Boys wearing protection masks, gloves and modified water bottles sit on a cart at the airport arrival terminal in Guangzhou EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Employees work on a production line manufacturing protective suits at a clothing factory in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits move a patient at an isolated ward of a hospital in Caidian district following an outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in protective clothing, including face mask and gloves, carries a bucket as he works inside of The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton, southern England, after it closed for "urgent operational health and safety reasons", following reports a member of staff was infected with the strain of the novel coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers of the ecology and environment bureau collect samples from the sewage system of a hospital in Xinle, Hebei province China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man in protective clothing cleaning the County Oak Medical Centre GP practice The British government warned the outbreak of novel coronavirus was a "serious and imminent threat" and reported four new cases that brought the total recorded in the country to eight. Two hospitals The Royal Free and Guys and St Thomas', have both been designated as "isolation" facilities, with both currently housing Britons who have returned from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to the newly completed Huoshenshan temporary field Hospital in Wuhan. The global coronavirus death toll rose again with Hong Kong announcing its first death from the outbreak on 4 February EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff wait as coaches carrying Coronavirus evacuees arrive at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, in Milton Keynes, after being repatriated to the UK from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A crew member of the cruise ship Diamond Princess talks to a worker wearing protective gear standing near the vessel, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Doctors scan a patient's lungs at Huoshenshan temporary hospital built for patients diagnosed with coronavirus in Wuhan Xinhua News Agency/AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective suits walk from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesians who arrived from Wuhan are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam. People evacuated from the Chinese city at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak, were transported to a quarantine zone on a remote island at the edge of the South China Sea, shortly after landing Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a market in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members hugging each other in an isolation ward at a hospital in Zouping in China's easter Shandong province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A portrait of Dr Li Wenliang is left at Li's hospital in Wuhan. He is regarded a whistleblower on the outbreak and died of the coronavirus which triggered wide-spread mourning on Chinese media Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear enter the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where people tested positive for coronavirus, after the ship arrived at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Firefighters and personnel from the health ministry participate in a drill to prepare for the potential arrival of passengers infected with the coronavirus at the Viru Viru International Airport, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Scientists are at work in the VirPath university laboratory as they try to find an effective treatment against the new Sars-like coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to patients at the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital to receive patients with mild symptoms caused by the virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A girl wears a mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man is transferred from the World Dream cruise ship to an ambulance at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong as health officials conduct inspections AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers from a disinfection service company enter Lotte Department Store in central Seoul, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man who arrived from Hubei province talks with police at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor holds a handheld digital thermometer near health officials preparing a health check for arriving passengers from China at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A resident walks across an empty track in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A scientific staff member works in a secure laboratory, researching the coronavirus, at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members preparing equipment to meet passengers of a military plane, which evacuated citizens of Russia and ex-Soviet countries from China's Wuhan province Vsluh.ru via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff wearing protective suits as they prepare to disinfect a Vietnam Airlines plane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi Vietnam Airlines/AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A South Korean person, who was evacuated from Wuhan, arrives at the National Medical Center after showing suspected symptoms of novel coronavirus, in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was on board cruise ship Diamond Princess and was tested positive for coronavirus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor being disinfected by his colleague at a quarantine zone in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buses carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, arrive at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesian health officials conduct an exercise drill in transporting a patient requiring isolation at the Belawan port in Medan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Pasteur Institute in Dakar, designated by the African Union as one of the two reference centres in Africa for the detection of the new coronavirus that appeared in China, is hosting experts from 15 countries on the continent this weekend to prepare them to deal with the disease AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A government worker disinfects a co-worker after visiting a quarantined woman's home in Qingdao EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An aerial view of the deserted roads and bridges in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers hold a strike outside the Hospital Authority as they demand for Hong Kong to close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person has their tempriture checked in Qingdao, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Malaysian nationals being directed from a bus by health officials in protective suits as they arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, after being evacuated from Wuhan Malaysia's Ministry of Health/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People hoping to buy face masks crowd outside a medical supply shop that was raided by police for allegedly hoarding and overpricing the masks, as public fear over China's Wuhan Coronavirus grow in Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government has been heavily criticized after failing to immediately implement travel restrictions from China, the source of a deadly coronavirus that has now killed hundreds and infected thousands more Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Residents wearing masks and raincoats volunteer to take temperature of passengers following the outbreak of a new coronavirus at a bus stop at Tin Shui Wai, a border town in Hong Kong Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Italian citizens repatriated from Wuhan going though a health control zone after landing at the Mario De Bernardi military airport in Pratica di Mare, south of Rome, prior to be placed in quarantine Italian Defence Ministry/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers arrange beds in a 2,000-bed mobile hospital, set up in an exhibition center, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor checks conditions of occupants in a hotel accommodating isolated people in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city of Wuhan, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital. The Chinese army deployed medical specialists to the epicentre of the spiralling viral outbreak that has killed and spread around the world AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A baby wearing a protective face mask is pushed by a woman as they arrive from Shenzhen to Hong Kong at Lo Wu MTR station AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A young child wears a protective mask and is covered in plastic while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance crews arrive at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, as it prepares for a return flight from Wuhan, China. Eighty-three Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan are being flown back to the UK Tom Maddick / SWNS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman carries a baby wearing a protective mask as they exit the arrival hall at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Camp beds at a Medical Assessment Center set up at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on the eve of the arrival of German citizens evacuated from Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Funeral parlour staff members in protective suits help a colleague with disinfection after they transferred a body at a hospital in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Muslims wearing masks pray for the victims of coronavirus at a mosque in Ahmedabad, India Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical officials waiting for people who wants to check the novel coronavirus at Myeongdong shopping district Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift homemade protection and protective masks while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A patient assisted by medical staff gets off an ambulance in Wuhan AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People line up to buy face masks from a medical supply company in Nanning, southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Countries began evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city hardest-hit by a new virus that has now infected more people in China than were sickened in the country by SARS Chinatopix via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Millions spent their normally festive Lunar New Year holiday under lockdown Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children with face masks wash their hands before prayer at Erawan shrine in Bangkok. Thailand has detected eight Coronavirus cases so far AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An Indonesian health officer points at the screen of a thermal scanner for passengers China confirmed that the deadly Wuhan coronavirus virus can be transmitted between humans AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Hospital workers wearing protective eyewear and masks examine an Indonesian student who returned from China in quarantine at a hospital in Banda Aceh AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance staff dispose of an outfit at the hospital in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person checks the temperature of a passenger to help stop the spread of a deadly virus as he arrives at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International airport in Palembang AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Nepali students, wearing face masks, attend a class at Matribhumi School in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Two Buddhist monks wear face masks while walking along a street in Yangon AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting a residential area in Ruichang, part of Jiujiang in China's central Jiangxi province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers are seen at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020. - China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken thousands of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) HECTOR RETAMAL AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Vapor blurs the goggles of an ambulance driver while they work, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Yangzhou AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff getting on an ambulance in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor of traditional masks wears a facial mask at his shop in Thamel EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An airport official checks the temperature of a passenger upon his arrival at the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An ambulance driver talking with medical staff in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team leave the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market The new coronavirus appears to have its origins in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a popular transport hub AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers produce protective suits at a factory in Nantong AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures after they landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Thai royal guard wears a mask while on duty at the Grand Palace in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a face mask rides a nearly empty subway train in Beijing AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A shopper wearing goggles with a face mask and gloves uses a self checkout machine at a supermarket in Wuhan AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Italian Red Cross putting on protective gear, getting ready to give health checks to passengers that landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of the Hong Kong government's Civil Aid Service gestures at the entrance to the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village which is being used as one of two quarantine centres for people who have been in close proximity with suspected cases of a SARS-type virus. Hong Kong will turn two holiday camps, including a former military barracks, into quarantine zones for people who may have come into contact with carriers of the Wuhan virus, officials announced AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff wearing protective suits at the Zhongnan hospital in Wuhan STR/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Malaysia Health official checks passengers going through a thermal scanner upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting Yingtan North Railway Station, China China banned trains and planes from leaving the major city at the centre of a virus outbreak on January 23, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed lives and spread to other countries AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A passenger walks past a quarantine control station at Narita airport, Japan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Patients queue up to seek treatment in Wuhan Tongji Hospital Fever Clinic, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Quarantine workers spray disinfectant at Incheon International Airport, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of staff checks the temperature of a guest entering the casino of the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau, after it reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jin Yintan hospital Little is known about the new disease which, if confirmed, would be only the seventh coronavirus known to science that can infect humans Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Three Gorges Medical Laboratory offering free masks to the public in Yichang, China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Gabriel Leung, right, chair professor of public health medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, speaks about the extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team conducting searches on the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine officer at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, uses an electronic thermometer to check the temperature of passengers arriving by plane from Wuhan The virus causes symptoms of viral pneumonia, and has already led to several deaths EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A screen shows cancelled flights at Tianhe airport in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials hand out information about the current coronavirus at Kuala Lumpur International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A store owner argues with security guards as he attempts to enter the closed Huanan wholesale seafood market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Handan, China's northern Hebei province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff and security personnel stop patients' family members from being too close to the Jinyintan hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus maya-goodfellowAn airport staff member uses a temperature gun to check people leaving Wuhan Tianhe International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A rescue worker walks past a notice about new coronavirus that has broken out in China Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members carry a patient into the Jinyintan hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A staff member checks body temperature of a child after a train from Wuhan arrived at Hangzhou Railway Station in Hangzhou AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine station measures passenger body temperatures at Narita Airport JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a notice displayed near a quarantine control station at Narita airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a poster alerting on coronavirus screening ahead upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An employee sprays disinfectant on a train, as a precaution against coronavirus, at Suseo Station in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Kazakh sanitary-epidemiological service worker uses a thermal scanner to detect travellers from China who may have symptoms possibly connected with the previously unknown coronavirus, at Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Pharmacist Liu Zhuzhen stands near a sign reading "face masks are sold out" at her pharmacy in Shanghai AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in a protective suit at the closed seafood market in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers wear protective face masks at the departure hall of a high speed train station in Hong Kong AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A notice for passengers from Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wears a mask while riding on mobike past the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market Getty Chinese officials previously had criticised the US response to the outbreak after Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross suggested the epidemic would "help" bring jobs to the US if companies leave China. Last week, US officials mandated drastic travel restrictions and screenings on the heels of the World Health Organisation's declaration of a global health emergency and a national emergency declaration. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Department of Health and Human Services announced that foreign nationals who have travelled to China within the last two weeks will be denied entry to the US, effective from 2 February. US citizens returning from the Hubei province will also be subject to quarantine for up to two weeks. All Chinese travel to the US will be funnelled into seven US airports, where passengers will face additional screening and possible self-quarantine. The travel restrictions follow suspended flight services from most commercial airlines US officials airlifted more than 200 US citizens and diplomats with their families from Wuhan to a southern California military air base, where they were subject to health screenings and quarantine. Students of Dr Rafiq Zakiriya Women's College in Aurangabad have welcomed the 'Mobile Free Zone' initiative. The Principal of the college, Dr Maqdoom Farooqui said that students are happy as their concentration levels have increased. "Girls are happy as their concentration levels have increased. Their interaction with each other has increased as well. This was done with the consent of parents, students and teachers," he told ANI. The Vice-Principal of the college said, "If they need to make a phone call, they can use a cellphone in the reading room for which they need to write their name, roll number, mobile number and the name of the person they are calling in the register." She also said that the students could access the internet in the computer room and reading room. Welcoming the move, Taiyaba, a student said: "We respect the Principal's decision to make the campus a 'Mobile Free Zone'. Initially, we had problems but later realised it is a good initiative. We are spending more time on our studies and talking more with our friends now," she said. "Students waste time on phones. With this initiative, we are concentrating more on our studies." Fatima said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi, Feb 3 : Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar shared a hilarious behind-the-scenes video from the sets of 'Sooryavanshi' where he introduced Katrina Kaif as the new ambassador of Swachh Bharat mission. The Bollywood actor shared the clip on his Twitter handle with the caption, "Spotted: The newest #SwachhBharat brand ambassador on the sets of #Sooryavanshi." In the clip, Akshay can be heard asking Katrina, "What are you doing?" To which she replies, "Saff Safai". And within minutes, she takes the broom and hits the Misson Mangal actor with it. As the post went viral, one fan gushed, "Katrina mam is looking so amazing and awesome thank you for inspiring us to keep our work place clean..." A user wrote, "Haha katrina ko safai sirf akki sir karva sakte he." Another wrote, "Clean it right girl!! Love the pairing." A post read, "Maybe it came by mistake...he must be talking about behind the scenes." On the work front, Katrina will be seen as Akshay's love interest in 'Sooryavanshi'. The film also features Neena Gupta, Gulshan Grover and Sikander Kher. 'Sooryavanshi', which is jointly produced by Rohit Shetty Picturez, Cape of Good Films and Dharma Productions, will release in March. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 3, 2020 19:43 707 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206251dff 1 World OIC,Organization-of-Islamic-Cooperation,Middle-East,Palestine,Middle-East-conflict,Trump-effect,trumpet,Donald-Trump Free The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has agreed on a resolution to reject United States President Donald Trump's peace plan for the Middle East, saying it "does not meet the minimum aspirations and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and contradicts the terms of reference of the peace process. They also called on all 57 member states not to deal with the plan or help implement it. The resolution was made after the Open-Ended Extraordinary Meeting of the OIC Executive Committee in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday. "Indonesia urges all OIC members to remain united and committed in full solidarity for Palestine," Deputy Foreign Minister Mahendra Siregar said in a statement received by The Jakarta Post on Monday. He led the Indonesian delegation at the meeting, which was held at the request of the Palestinians in response to Trumps "deal of the century" announced last week. The peace proposal required a future Palestinian state to be "demilitarized", while formalizing Israeli sovereignty over settlements built in occupied territories. In order for the OIC to achieve a joint position, Mahendra argued that the Muslim world should consistently be united in resolving the issue of Palestine and Jerusalem while retaining the principles of a two-state solution that respected international law and "internationally agreed parameters". Mahendra added that the Muslim world should reaffirm the importance of dialogue between parties concerned to achieve lasting peace and stability for Palestine and the region. Indonesias suggestion was offered after Saudi Arabia, as host of the meeting, had barred its regional rival from participating by not issuing visas for Iranian participants, Reuters reported. "The government of Saudi Arabia has prevented the participation of the Iranian delegation in the meeting to examine the 'deal of the century' plan at the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said as reported by Fars news agency. Mousavi said Iran had filed a complaint with the OIC and accused Saudi Arabia of misusing its position as host for the organization's headquarters. There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials. Iranian officials have condemned Trump's plan for resolving the conflict between Israel and Palestine as a non-starter after it was officially announced last week. The Palestinian leadership has rejected the plan, saying it heavily favored Israel and would deny them a viable independent state. Saudi Arabia and Iran are locked in a proxy war as they vie for influence across the Middle East. They support opposite sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen. Popular Human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju, has reacted to the protest by some members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) led by the General Overseer, Rev Enoch Adeboye in Lagos. The popular cleric was seen carrying a placard in protest over insecurity that has led to the loss of lives of many. Also Read: Video: Nigerians React As Pastor Adeboye Leads Protest On Insecurity The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), in general, held peaceful protests across the country over the alleged persecution of Christians. Reacting to the act, the activist expressed that the protest confirms all his views about the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration. See his tweet below: Trump impeachment trial: Senate votes against adding more witnesses, sets vote on impeachment articles Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Senate Republicans Friday voted to reject a resolution that would have allowed more witnesses and documents in the impeachment trial and prolonged it, and passed instead a resolution to make President Trumps acquittal possible next week. Fifty one Senate Republicans rejected the resolution to call witnesses, possibly including former Trump national security adviser John Bolton and acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, according to Reuters. And 49 Senators, all Democrats except Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah, voted unsuccessfully to approve subpoena of documents and witnesses in the trial. The resolution would have prolonged the trial by several months. All 53 Republicans then voted to approve Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells resolution on the timeline of the trial while the 47 Democrats opposed it. A majority of the U.S. Senate has determined that the numerous witnesses and 28,000-plus pages of documents already in evidence are sufficient to judge the House Managers accusations and end this impeachment trial," McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement. Instead of Saturday, the Senate will now reconvene on Monday when Trump's legal team and House managers will have two hours each to make their final statements. Then on Wednesday, the Senate will meet at 4 p.m. to vote on the two articles of impeachment that accuse the president of Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress. On Tuesday, senators are expected to make their stands public on the Senate floor. Republicans Friday night rejected many other amendments sought by Democrats. According to leaked details from Boltons forthcoming book told to The New York Times, Trump allegedly asked him to withhold military aid from Ukraine until it launched investigations into Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden and his actions as head of the U.S.'s Ukraine policy. During the Obama administration, Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion in aid to Ukraine unless a prosecutor investigating the Burisma energy company was fired. At the time, Burisma was paying his son, Hunter Biden, $1 million a year to sit on its board. The twin brother of Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, one of the House Democrats' witnesses in the impeachment inquiry, is suspected of being the person who leaked details of Bolton's manuscript to The New York Times. Vindman's brother, Army Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, a senior ethics lawyer for the National Security Council, is in charge of the review process for manuscripts written by former NSC officials, such as Bolton's book that was submitted to the NSC on Dec. 30. During his House testimony, Alexander Vindman testified that he told his brother, Yevgeny, about the president's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump is accused by his opponents of pressuring Zelensky to investigate Biden. The two brothers discussed the call and Yevgeny told Alexander that he knew the transcript was moved to a top-secret server. Trump later took to Twitter to denounce the Bolton manuscript claims, arguing that The Democrat controlled House never even asked John Bolton to testify. It is up to them, not up to the Senate! The Associated Press then released a fact check of the statement, labeling it false in its entirety noting that the House had tried to get Bolton to testify but he declined. House Democrats decided not to pursue a subpoena compelling Bolton to testify in the House proceedings because he threatened to sue, which could have meant an extended court fight, noted the AP fact check. However, Trumps acquittal looks imminent. Michael Gerhardt is a law professor at the University of North Carolina. During the House impeachment hearings, Gerhardt embarrassed himself. He claimed that if what President Trump was accused of doing is not impeachable, then nothing is. Thats absurd. If the House hadnt impeached Trump because of his Ukraine stunt, presidents could still be impeached for a multitude of offenses e.g., selling state secrets to a foreign power or shutting down the Supreme Court. Now, Gerhardt is saying that at some point we are going to see ethics charges brought against the[] lawyers who represented President Trump during the Senate impeachment trial. Thats what he told CNN yesterday. This time, the professor is probably right. Bar complaints, however frivolous, are likely to be filed against one or more of Trumps lawyers. Its hard to go wrong betting that the left will engage in authoritarian tactics. The modern left is hostile to any right that stands in the way of its quest for power be it the right to free speech, to free exercise of ones religion, or to a vigorous legal defense. Ethics charges against members of Trumps legal team would be baseless. As Jonathan Turley observes, in litigation, lawyers typically present one-sided renditions of the facts that include claims the other side considers false and that may, indeed, be false. But even if a judge or jury rejects these assertions of fact, we dont hit the losing lawyers with bar charges. Turley also notes that the Washington Post gave Adam Schiff four Pinocchios for his denial of any contacts between his staff and the whistleblower. If bar complaints are to be filed in connection with the impeachment, Schiff should be the subject of one. But arguments like these are of no importance to the modern left. All that matters is that the lawyers in question defended a president the left despises. Therefore, the left despises these lawyers. Therefore, these lawyers must be punished. They arent going to be jailed, so the left will settle for bar complaints. For now. The heartbroken mother of three children killed when they were struck by a ute driven by an alleged drink-driver in Sydneys west wants to forgive the man facing a range of charges over the fatal crash. Leila Abdallah revisited the scene of the crash on Bettington Road in Oatlands on Monday where her children Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna, 8, were killed alongside their cousin Veronique, 11, on Saturday evening by a Mitsubishi Triton allegedly driven by Samuel William Davidson. The guy, I know he was [allegedly] drunk, driving on this street. Right now I can't hate him. I don't want to see him, [but] I don't hate him, she said addressing the media, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Leila Abdallah at the scene of the crash on Sunday. Source: AAP "I think in my heart to forgive him, but I want the court to be fair. It's all about fairness. I'm not going to hate him, because that's not who we are. Davidson allegedly returned a 0.15 blood-alcohol content reading three times the legal limit. His ute veered from the road and mounted the footpath prior to Davidson running a red light, police allege. The mother, who has a further three children with her husband Danny, said they had been relying on their faith and support from God since her childrens deaths. I am sad, I am heartbroken but I am at peace because I know my kids are in a better place," she said. A topless Samuel William Davidson is walked by a police officer on Saturday night. Source: Nine News Mourners revisit crash site On Monday as the local community continues to come to terms with a tragedy NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy described as one of the most tragic, mourners gathered at the crash site to leave flowers and tributes for the four children killed. The children had been en route to buy ice cream when they were struck, along with three other children who were with them. A young girl leaves a tribute at the crash site. Source: AAP Antony, Angelina and Sienna. Source: Nine An 11-year-old boy is in a stable condition in Westmead Childrens Hospital while two girls aged 13 and 10 suffered minor injuries. Davidson was denied bail when his matter went before Parramatta Local Court. He is due to return to the court on April 2. Story continues Mr Abdallah spoke with reporters on Sunday paying tribute to his children and their cousin. "I don't know what to say. I'm numb, probably that's what I feel at the moment. All I want to say is please, drivers, be careful," Mr Abdallah said. "These kids were just walking innocently, enjoying each other's company ... and this morning I woke up and I have lost three kids." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. Members of a civic group stage a protest against the Ministry of Unification to condemn the government's lapse in its support policy for the resettlement of North Korean defectors in the South, at the Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Nov, 8. 2019. Korea Times file Declining number attributes to end of 'mass defection' from great famine, strengthened border surveillance, and high broker fee contribute By Jung Da-min The number of North Korean refugees who entered the South last year was the lowest in 18 years since the government started to document figures in 2001. According to data from the Ministry of Unification, Jan. 27, 1,047 North Koreans defected to South Korea in 2019, down 7.9 percent from the year before. Among them, 845 were women, accounting for 81 percent. Defections to the South had been on the rise from 1,043 in 2001 to a record high 2,914 in 2009. After North Korean leader Kim Jong-un took power in 2011, however, the number began to fall and has remained at around 1,100 to 1,500. Another dip was observed in 2017, the year President Moon Jae-in took power. The number stood at 1,127, down 21 percent from 1,418 a year before. North Korea watchers attribute the continuing decrease in recent years to a strengthened crackdown on refugees both in North Korea and China, as well as the ending of "mass defections" in the wake of the widespread famine in the North from 1994 to 1998. "First of all, chronic food shortages in the North have been eased, ending mass defections. Some of those who defected from the North for food entered the South at the time, leading to the sharp increase in the number of North Korean defectors here," said Lee Kwang-baek, president of the Unification Media Group and Daily NK. "The biggest factor contributing to the decrease in the number is the decline of such mass defections due to food shortages." Lee said strengthened surveillance of border areas, coupled with the increased cost charged by brokers for crossing the border, has also contributed to the decrease. "After 2010, many North Korean defectors who had already entered the South brought their family members from the North. But such a thing started to decrease due to the strengthened surveillance and increased cost," Lee said. Chun Ki-won, a pastor with the Seoul-based Durihana Mission who has been helping North Korean defectors since the 1990s, also said most of the defectors coming to the South now are those who had already gone to China during the days of mass defections while there were a small number of those "newly" brought from the North by their family members who have already entered the South. When defectors in the South want to bring their family members from the North, they need to hire brokers but the cost has risen since 2010, he said. "The cost used to be from 500,000 won ($424) to 2 to 3 million won until the early 2000s but the price suddenly started to increase after 2010. It was 10 to 15 million won last year," Chun said. North Korea watchers also say insufficient welfare programs for defectors here and their difficulty in adjusting and settling down in the South can be another factor discouraging some North Koreans from defecting, as they regard it as "immigration" for freedom or money. Last year there was a case where a North Korean defector mother and her six-year-old son were found dead at a state-built apartment in Seoul, presumably due to starvation. It was found they could not receive multiple welfare programs due to legal loopholes. The Centre questioned in the Delhi High Court on Monday the maintainability of a plea seeking to prevent MPs from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from entering the Parliament, alleging that they are continuing to hold their seats illegally after the disbanding of the state. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, represented by central government standing counsel Anil Soni, contended that the petitioner -- a retired professor -- ought to have first made a representation to the authorities before approaching the court. The petitioner contended that 10 MPs, including Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and National Conference chairman Farooq Abdullah, from Jammu and Kashmir were continuing in their positions and enjoying all the perks associated with the office at the expense of the state exchequer. Justice Brijesh Sethi heard both sides and reserved judgement in the matter. The petition by professor Abdul Gani Bhat has alleged that the 10 MPs, four in the Rajya Sabha and six in the Lok Sabha, from the erstwhile state are "illegally" continuing in their seats in Parliament. It has sought directions to the central government not to allow the 10 MPs to enter Parliament. It has further alleged that "presence of the 10 MPs from the erstwhile state in the Parliament was immoral, illegal and unconstitutional". The plea has sought that they be stopped from enjoying the salary, perks and other facilities granted to MPs. Parliament on August 5 last year had abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted a special status to the state, and had reorganised it into two Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / February 2, 2020 / Compare-autoinsurance.org (http://compare-autoinsurance.org/) is a top auto insurance brokerage website, providing car insurance quotes online from trustworthy agencies all over the United States. This website offers car insurance info about different coverage types, available discounts, and money-saving tips. Car insurance should be purchased by any driver, not only because it is mandatory, but also because it protects against financial loss. Sometimes car insurance can get expensive, and some drivers will choose to drop their insurance completely. 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Sacramento Daily Union We guess 1870s news writers were too classy to add "Idiotic" or "Duh." We feel no such compulsion toward restraint. Continue Reading Below Advertisement While driving through Middletown, the truck driver lost control and crashed, damaging the supports of the cage. The cage's roof collapsed, sending the entire band into the literal lion's den. For an instant the vast crowd were paralyzed with fear, but for a moment only, and then arose such a shriek of agony as never was heard before. The awful groans of terror and agony which arose from the poor victims who were being torn and lacerated by the frightful monsters below was heartrending and sickening to a terrible degree. A group of locals quickly raided a nearby hardware store and, armed with everything from pitchforks to crowbars, opened the doors of the cage. Of the 10 band members who fell into the cage, three escaped with minor injuries, four were seriously injured, and three were killed, "as the bodies were so frightfully torn and lacerated as to be unrecognizable by their most intimate friends." Play stupid games with death, win stupid prizes. Fellow drysuit-clad firefighters and paramedics traversed the ice out to their coworker and the mannequin, and slid in the water to save them both. The rescue firefighters clipped rope around the victims, while their coworkers wrapped the rope around a tree before hauling both the victim and the rescuer across the ice to shore. Sharing the outdoors with others always has some great surprises. Last week while preparing to lead a bird walk at a local nature center, suddenly a taxi cab pulled up where we were meeting in the parking lot. Out stepped a gentleman that looked like he had just been on a far-away safari adventure! He had a camera around his neck. Duffle bags full of who knows what and an unshaven face. Looked like something Out of Africa! I asked him if he was here for the bird walk and he said, Yes. Joining the rest of us, we started walking slowly past the nature centers feeders for a quick look at some seed-eating birds. Starting up a conversation with the mystery man revealed that he was just arriving from a flight from Costa Rica where he was trekking outdoors in search of the many amazing animals that call this tropical paradise home. He lived in Canada. Recently retired, he periodically travels around the world in search of certain species of wildlife on his target list. Upon asking him what bird species he was targeting at our walk he replied, pileated woodpecker, Carolina wren and northern cardinal. His number 1 priority was to see our largest local woodpecker, the pileated. The rest of the group agreed that they would be delighted to see one of these amazing birds. So off we went. Near the feeders we quickly found several cardinals and a Carolina wren for him to observe and photograph. Part of the mission was easily accomplished Walking down a tree-lined path, we observed numerous robins, cedar waxwings, a few titmice and chickadees. After about 20 minutes of walking we finally heard the loud calls of a pileated woodpecker not too far off. We walked down another trail under some large pines, oaks and sweetgum trees. Suddenly, three pileated woodpeckers flew overhead into some tall trees just off the side trail. Watching closely, we followed them to a group of the trees nearby. After a few minutes of quiet searching, we finally spotted the birds feeding high up in the trees. Our Canadian adventurer was able to photograph a couple of the pileateds as they fed high overhead. He was very pleased to say the least! We continued birding for another 30 minutes or so. While walking back to the nature centers parking lot, our guest shared some interesting stories with us. About his travels to Africa. He had slept the night before in a tropical forest next to someones house in Costa Rica in an attempt to photograph a red-eyed tree frog. During his entire trip, these beautiful amphibians had eluded him. He offered some locals $20 if they could bring him a red-eyed tree frog before his flight to Houston the next day. Surprisingly, he had to shell out $200 as the locals brought him 10 red-eyed tree frogs by the morning! He photographed several and they then were all happily released. So, not only natures creatures offer us many surprises. In addition, some of us that enjoy, respect and appreciate our amazing natural world offer wonderful surprises as well. Enjoy your nature trails and others that share our adventures. For questions or comments, e-mail Jerry at jwalls443@gmail.com Nature note: Attracting Birds to Your Property will be held at Dennis Johnston Park on Thursday, Feb. 6, at 10 am. Included will be a feeder watch session at this park located at 709 Riley Fuzzell Road in Spring. Visit www.hcp4.net/tap for additional information. New Delhi, Feb 3 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh slammed, here on Monday, his Delhi counterpart and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on tall claims on providing cheap power. He was a shifty character who had mastered the art of deceit and lies to mislead the people, the Congress leader said addressing a public meeting in Hari Nagar for Congress candidate Surinder Setia. Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of turning the entire country into Shaheen Bagh, he said it was using the protest to polarise Delhi elections and in the process destroying India's foundations. Taking on Kejriwal, Singh said the AAP leader had done nothing exceptional by providing cheap power and setting up mohalla clinics. All Congress Chief Ministers were doing that, he added. "Some people will surely be happy with these freebies. But what has he done for the development and progress of Delhi? What has he done for creating jobs for your children," Singh said while questioning Kejriwal as how many jobs had the AAP given to youth in Delhi. "In Punjab, we have given jobs to 11 lakh youths," he said. What Delhi needed was economic and industrial development, he said and added, there had virtually been no progress in Delhi in the last five years. He, however, regretted that both the AAP and the BJP had sacrificed Delhiites' interests in their turf war. The city that witnessed huge progress under the Congress regime had been deprived of any development over the past five years. He said only the Congress could ensure Delhi's development and work for strengthening and uniting India. Criticising the BJP, the Punjab Chief Minister said, "They are attempting to polarise Delhi elections with Shaheen Bagh. But they will not succeed as people have seen through their game". Stating that the entire country had become Shaheen Bagh with protests against the new citizenship law (CAA) and the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC). "There is unrest in universities. Students are on the streets, and are being shot at," he said, and added, it was not the India for which so many had sacrificed themselves. He said in contrast to the BJP's divisive politics that had weakened the nation, the Congress always worked towards strengthening India. The final NRC draft in Assam deleted 19 lakh names, he said. "Will they all be put in detention camps that they have built. Where will all those people, being brand non-citizens, go," the Congress leader asked. In an informal chat with the media later, the Chief Minister said, "Kejriwal is giving subsidy on power to only a section of residential consumers and spending Rs 1,600-1,700 crore on it. My government spends Rs 9,000-10,000 crore on power subsidy to all sections of society. He is also making Delhi commercial and industrial consumers pay through the nose by cross-subsidising them." Singh later held a road show in Kalkaji for party candidate Shivani Chopra. House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) speaks during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 23, 2020. (Senate Television via AP) Trump Lawyers, House Democrats Make Final Arguments in Impeachment Trial House Democrats made their final arguments in President Donald Trumps impeachment trial in the Senate on Monday, calling on senators to remove the president from officewhile Trumps lawyers said he should be acquitted. The impeachment trial is slated to culminate with a likely acquittal vote being cast in favor of the president. The Senate announced the final vote will be held Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. On Monday, Democrats summarized and repeated their arguments alleging that Trump abused his power and obstructed Congress over a phone call he made with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. They also said Monday that their arguments should compel the subpoena of documents and witnesses, including former national security adviser John Bolton. House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the lead impeachment manager who likely has spoken the most during the impeachment trial, argued that a conviction of the president would mean senators took a stand against tyranny. When the history books are written about this tumultuous era, I want them to know I stood up to tyranny, he said on the floor. Schiff continued, Its not too late for us to honor ours, to wield our power to defend our democracy. Today, you have a duty to perform with fidelity, not without a sense of surrounding dangers, but also not without hope. I submit to you, on behalf of the House of Representatives, your duty demands that you convict, Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), an impeachment manager, also said on the Senate floor. The House has presented to you overwhelming evidence that Trump has committed grave abuses of power, Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) said on the floor. Trump Team Responds The trial will end this week with a vote on Wednesday. House impeachment managers and Trumps legal team are scheduled to first make their closing arguments, which came after senators voted last Friday to not call in any witnesses in the trial. Trumps legal counsel presented arguments on the floor. Former Clinton impeachment prosecutor Ken Starr, Trumps attorney, questioned whether if the House impeachment managers had tried to actually carefully gather or assess the facts in their impeachment inquiry last year. Starr suggested that the House impeachment vote was carried out in a hopelessly partisan manner and implied that it was invalid in light of prior impeachment inquiries against former Presidents Bill Clinton, Richard Nixonwho resigned before an impeachment vote could be cast by the Houseand Andrew Johnson. Those inquiries were held in a bipartisan manner while Trumps was not, Starr said. President Donald Trumps lawyer Ken Starr speaks on the Senate floor on Feb. 3, 2019. (Senate TV) The president sets the foreign policy; the unelected staff implements the foreign policy, Mike Pupurra, a White House deputy counsel, said on the floor, adding that a number of White House officials, including national security adviser Keith Kellogg, have said that Trumps July 25 call with Zelenskywhere Trump asked his counterpart about investigationswas fine. He also noted that Zelensky, his top adviser, and foreign minister also disputed Democrats claims of any quid pro quo pressure campaign. If the Ukrainians didnt know about the pause, there was no leverage implied, he said on the floor, referring to a claim that Zelensky and other officials didnt know about a hold on military aid. Democrats have alleged Trump held the aid in exchange for politically advantageous investigations and said it amounted to an abuse of his power. The House violated every principle of due process and fundamental fairness in the way the [impeachment] hearings were conducted, said Trump legal counsel Patrick Philbin. Its significant because: Denying the president the ability to be present through counsel, to cross-examine witnesses, and present evidence fundamentally skewed the proceedings in the House. This didnt give Trump the ability to have a fair proceeding and reflected the fact that the proceedings were not truly designed as a search for truth, he argued. As the final leg of the trial proceeded, Trump asked Monday on Twitter, Why didnt the House do its job? likely referring to the rushed nature of the impeachment proceedings in the House. I hope Republicans & the American people realize that the totally partisan Impeachment Hoax is exactly that, a Hoax. Read the Transcripts, listen to what the President & Foreign Minister of Ukraine said (No Pressure), he wrote on Twitter. Its not clear if the acquittal vote will be bipartisan. Two Republicans might vote for at least one of the impeachment charges while some Democratic senators in states that Trump carried in 2016 have signaled they might vote to acquit. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) both voted with Democrats in the failed bid to compel witnesses last week. Meanwhile, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Doug Jones (D-Ala.) have not said whether they would vote to convict Trump. A good job. I thought they did a good job. They gave us a lot to think about, and I think it gives us more reasons why the one thing that stuck in my mind is they said that there wasnt a witness that theyve had so far that had direct contact with the president, Manchin said last month, referring to Trumps legal team, according to the Washington Examiner. So, I think that it reaffirms why I would love to hear from [Mick] Mulvaney and [John] Bolton. Jones, meanwhile, told CNN that he is still undecided. Im getting there, he told reporters. Im going through all my notes. Im going through everything, and I really do want to hear the arguments and some conversations from colleagues. House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), whose committee drafted the two articles of impeachment against Trump, wasnt in the Senate on Monday. Last week, the Manhattan lawmaker said he needed to return to New York while his wife is sick. An Iranian official says his country will stop sharing with Kyiv evidence from the crash of a Ukrainian airliner shot down near Tehran last month after audio from the investigation showing the authorities were aware immediately that a missile may have downed the plane was leaked by Ukrainian media. The semiofficial Mehr news agency quoted Hassan Rezaifar, the director in charge of accident investigations at Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, as saying on February 3 the move was linked to the audio leak from a day earlier. "The technical investigation team of the Ukrainian airline crash, in a strange move, published the secret audio file of the communications of a pilot of a plane that was flying at the same time as the Ukrainian plane," Rezaifar said, according to Mehr. "This action by the Ukrainians led to us not sharing any more evidence with them," he added. A transcript of the recording, released over the weekend, contains a conversation in Persian between an air-traffic controller and a pilot who was reportedly flying a Fokker 100 jet for Iran's Aseman Airlines. In the conversation as the small plane flew from Iran's southern city of Shiraz to Tehran, the pilot insists he saw what he believed was a missile and then an explosion in the area where the plane went down. The UIA Boeing 737-800 crashed several minutes after taking off from Tehran's primary international airport on January 8, killing all 176 people aboard. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged on February 2 that the recording, first aired by the Ukrainian television channel 1+1, was authentic. Iranian authorities initially denied any responsibility for the accident, but three days after the tragedy the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) admitted the plane was shot down "unintentionally." Zelenskiy said on February 3 that he had canceled a trip by Ukrainian investigators to Tehran to participate in the decoding of the plane's black boxes and called on Tehran to bring them to Kyiv. With reporting by Mehr, UNIAN, and Reuters I always considered Trulioo to be the most innovative player in the digital identity space and way ahead of the competition, said Lisa Stanton, Trulioo's newest board member. "Lisa's deep, extensive work across a wide range of traditional finance, security and fintech companies will be a massive asset to Trulioo as we continue our strong momentum from 2019 and enter a period of significant growth. - Stephen Ufford, CEO at Trulioo. Trulioo, the leading global identity verification provider, today announced the appointment of Lisa Stanton to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Stanton is currently an executive at American Express and will help guide Trulioo along its mission to verify the globe. With over two decades of payments and digital security experience, Stanton brings a proven track record of driving forward innovation and business growth in fast-paced and emerging industries to the Trulioo Board of Directors. Previously, Stanton was CEO at InAuth, a leading digital intelligence company that provides digital security to the leading financial institutions around the world. InAuth analyzes device and associated identities to ensure trust across digital channels. As CEO, she helped secure the companys Series A funding round and built a world-class team and client roster, which led to American Express to become a customer, an investor, and ultimately the acquirer. Ive known Trulioo for years and really admire what the team has built. I always considered Trulioo to be the most innovative player in the digital identity space and way ahead of the competition, said Stanton. As digital fraud and ID theft continue to rise and as two billion people still lack access to traditional banking, now is a critical time to leverage the power of digital ID and risk mitigation solutions to solve these complex challenges. Existing Trulioo customers understand that digital identification is opening the door to expanded, more personal and secure relationships with users, and Im eager to be a part of its mission to verify the globe. Lisa brings serious credentials to our Board of Directors and she is an ideal addition to our already impressive board, said Stephen Ufford, CEO of Trulioo. Her deep, extensive work across a wide range of traditional finance, security and fintech companies will be a massive asset to Trulioo as we continue our strong momentum from 2019 and enter a period of significant growth. Prior to joining InAuth, Stanton was the founder of the U.S. division of Monitise, hosting a mobile banking and payments platform for hundreds of banks and credit unions. Stanton also spent 17 years at Citizens Financial Group in a variety of leadership roles and was the SVP of Payments and Distribution prior to leaving in 2007. Stanton is currently a Board Advisor to Nationwide Building Society in London and is advising a number of other fintech startups. About Trulioo: Trulioo is a global identity and business verification company that provides secure access to reliable, independent and trusted data sources worldwide to instantly verify consumers and business entities online. Trulioos marketplace of global identity data and services, GlobalGateway, helps organizations comply with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Customer Due Diligence (CDD) requirements by automating Know Your Customer (KYC) and Know Your Business (KYB) workflows. Trulioo supports global clients to instantly verify five billion people and 250 million business entities in over 195 countries all through a single API integration. Named as a CNBC Disruptor 50 Company, Trulioos mission is to solve global problems associated with verifying identities by powering fraud prevention and compliance systems for customers worldwide in an effort to increase trust and safety online. For more information visit trulioo.com. Richmond proves the left hates you and your gun By Michael R Shannon Virginias 2nd Amendment recent rally was a huge disappointment for Big Nanny Mike Bloomberg, Gov. Ralph Northam and gungrabbing busybodies across the nation. The event failed to produce the Reichstag Fire the left was secretly hoping would occur. Over 22,000 armed 2nd Amendment supporters gathered in the state capital with loaded firearms and there wasnt even a single accidental discharge. Talk about your misfire! And the armed militia groups planning to storm the Capitol that forced Northam to declare a state of emergency? The feds arrested six losers before they could stock up on jerky and one of those was a Canadian. Had there been violence, it would have provided the perfect pretext for the left to accelerate the 2nd Amendment rollback in Virginia. Simply owning a gun would be all the red flag authorities would need. Although entirely peaceful, the event was a failure. The very next day leftist legislators passed three 2nd Amendment violations the rally crowd specifically opposed. What the rally did accomplish was revealing how the left, its stenographers in the Opposition Media, its elected officials and its stooges in law enforcement view normal Americans who value a Constitutional right leftists dont like. That view alternates between utter contempt and hyperventilating fear. The left initially tried to discourage turnout by characterizing the gathering as a Klan rally without the carbon footprint. Those who were willing to risk being photographed near the only confirmed racist in town Gov. Northam famous for his blackface/Klan robes photo and nickname Coonman in his college yearbook received additional discouragement when warned they might be caught up in violence from armed militia groups were going to storm the capitol. Law enforcement stooges angling for an appointment piled on, too. Attendees who wanted to convene on the capitol grounds were going to be penned up like illegals behind an Obama fence. Participants were told to come early because there would only be one entrance to the concentration pen and there would be a single bathroom inside for thousands. (The accepted rule of thumb for abortion rights rallies and illegals amnesty gatherings is 1 bathroom per 100.) Fortunately, 2nd Amendment supporters arent a stupid as Gov. Coonman. Rather than be herded into Northams Gitmo for Guns, thousands more armed supporters stood outside the fences where current law allows the open carry of weapons. (Look for this to change in the near future.) Storming militias, white supremacist groups, assorted bigots, law breakers, armed bullies and triggerhappy vigilantes all failed to put in an appearance. That didnt stop the left from using its favorite adjectives anyway. Northern VA Cong. Don Beyer tweeted, [Richmond] drew large numbers of white nationalists, militias and racist conspiracy theoristsNeoNazis tried to use the rally to launch violent attacks. All of which are lies. WoePost columnist Petula Dvorak, the chubby chronicler of conventional wisdom, combined lies and contempt. Y'all, it smelled like fear out here in VirginiaOne group pushed through crowds in a conga line of camo and CarharttRacist, white supremacists coming through, one line leader bellowed, laughing, like everyone should know he really isnt racist. The writer who really captured the lefts Zeitgeist was a creature named Will Bunch who writes for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Hes also the most dangerous because he would deny your constitutional rights because hes afraid. Heres his description of a gathering of lawabiding Americans exercising a right guaranteed by the Constitution, America although we may be too frightened to even admit it just witnessed arguably the most successful use of terrorism on U.S. soil in nearly a generation, even if this time was non- lethalAmerican citizens were deprived of [1st Amendment] rights on Monday on Martin Luther King Day, of all days by an intimidating bullying, armed mob. Do not dare call this peaceful. Bunch was evidently too lazy to discover the Virginia Civil Defense League, which organized the rally, has been holding their event on that day for over a decade. Why? Because 2nd Amendment supporters have jobs and need a day off to travel to Richmond to contact their legislators. And Bunch is too fearful of an inanimate object and too drunk on his faux outrage to grasp that my exercise of a constitutional right does not threaten him. His fear is our problem. Theres no compromise with antigun extremists. They have an agenda and a longterm plan. Each compromise is another step toward neutering the 2nd Amendment. The language Northam, Beyer, Dvorak, Bloomberg and Bunch use is not how one refers to someone whose views they respect. Their language is not how one refers to someone whose constitutional rights they respect. Their language is how the authorities refer to people they intend to disarm and force into an outdoor enclosure with one bathroom per 6,000. Michael R. Shannon is a public relations and advertising consultant with corporate, government and political experience around the globe. He is a dynamic and entertaining keynote speaker. He can be reached at mandate.mmpr (at) gmail.com. He is also the author of Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!). Home From March 31 to April 3, 2020, analytica, the worlds leading trade fair for laboratory technology, analysis and biotechnology, will be held, now for the 27th time, on the exhibition grounds in Munich. From March 31 to April 2, it will be accompanied by the analytica conference, where scientists will report on current topics in analytics. Among the main topics of this years conference there will be analytical coupling techniques and data management. The scientific program of the analytica conference is organized by Forum Analytik, consisting of the Association of German Chemists (Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker, GDCh), the Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Gesellschaft fur Biochemie und Molekularbiologie, GBM), and the German Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Klinische Chemie und Laboratoriumsmedizin, DGKL). Analytical chemistry is one of the most variegated disciplines in chemistry and interfaces with numerous sub-disciplines. Many Nobel Prizes have been awarded for analytical developments, and often technological leaps are based on insights gained through highly developed analytics. At the analytica conference, experts from all over the world will show what current hot topics in the discipline are. Among the main topics of the conference there will be analytical coupling techniques and data management. How can a large amount of analytical data be processed efficiently? And what role does artificial intelligence play e.g. in medical analyses? The speakers will give an overview of novel methods, procedures and techniques. The lectures are going to focus on current developments in topics such as chromatography and mass spectrometry, as well as data processing. With his expertise on the current topic of particulate matter, Professor Dr. Ralf Zimmermann, Helmholtz Zentrum MunchenGerman Research Center for Environmental Health, among others, will chair sessions on the latest developments in high-resolution mass spectrometry. Further sessions with experts such as Professor Dr. Michael Rychlik, Technical University Munich, will address the use of modern methods in foodstuff analysis. The analytica conference will take place at the ICM International Congress Center Munich, on the fairgrounds. Admission is free for visitors of analytica. The joint booth of Forum Analytik will be located in Hall B2, 505. The 10-member Libya Joint Military Commission is tasked with supervising a truce that has all but collapsed. Representatives from Libyas two warring parties began United Nations-led talks in Geneva on Monday, the world governing body said. Five senior officers appointed by the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) and five appointed by eastern-based renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar were participating in the talks, the UN said in a statement. Known as the Libya Joint Military Commission, the 10-member body, created at the conclusion of a 12-nation summit held in the German capital Berlin last month, is tasked with supervising a tentative truce that has all but collapsed. The meeting was being moderated by Ghassan Salame, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya. Countries that took part in the Berlin process reneged on their pledge to stop interfering in the armed conflict, and backed the belligerents with advanced weaponry in violation of a 2011 arms embargo, almost as soon the conferences 55-point communique was issued. At a UN Security Council briefing last week, Salame expressed his anger and disappointment over what he described as unscrupulous actors inside and outside Libya who cynically nod and wink towards efforts to promote peace while continuing to double down on a military solution. Stalled offensive Haftar launched an offensive in April to wrest control of the capital, Tripoli, from the GNA, headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj. The military campaign, which Haftar says is aimed at removing terrorist elements from western Libya, has largely been stymied by GNA-aligned forces. Analysts have in recent weeks noted the departure of several aircraft, many of them capable of carrying heavy loads, from the United Arab Emirates to military bases it controls in eastern Libya. UAE continues large weapons transfer to #LNA/#Libya: Kazakhstans AZee Airs Ilyushin Il76TD, 1of4 heavylifters shuttling between #Benghazi Benina and/or Al-Khadim AB in Al-Marj #Libya & Aqaba King Hussein & UAE, is flying likely towards Erbil completing morning delivery to Libya pic.twitter.com/HYk52xoY7j Yoruk Isk (@YorukIsik) January 31, 2020 The UN has in the past accused the UAE of supplying Haftar with advanced weapon systems. Abu Dhabi has emerged as one of the 76-year-olds key supporters, due in part to their common aversion of Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood. Meanwhile, Turkey became to first country to openly declare its involvement in Libya after its parliament in January ratified a motion by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to deploy troops in support of the embattled GNA. The annoucement came after Erdogan and al-Serraj signed in November a security cooperation agreement and seperate maritime demarcation deal that drew the ire of several eastern Mediterranean countries. Under the new agreement, Turkey is able to conduct exploratory work in areas of the resource-abundant seabed that previously lied outside its exclusive economic zone. Emadeddin Muntasser, a Libyan political analyst and human rights advocate, said the two parties were stockpiling weapons ahead of any future confrontation. Without overtaking Tripoli, Haftar cannot declare total victory. Without pushing him [Haftar] out of western Libya, the GNA cannot declare victory either, Muntasser told Al Jazeera. Therefore, each side will continue to look for an opportunity to advance of consolidate its position whenever possible. [February 03, 2020] 2020 Global Prepaid Card Market: Payment Trends, Market Dynamics, and Forecasts to 2025 - ResearchAndMarkets.com The "Prepaid Card Market: Payment Trends, MarketDynamics, and Forecasts 2020 - 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Despite the dominant trend towards mobile and contactless payments, the prepaid card market remains vibrant and dynamic. In certain parts of the world, physical cards remain the preferred mechanism for payments along with cash. In the United States, prepaid cards remain the preferred choice for the unbanked market segment as well as the market for under the table transactions. However, the US government is increasingly clamping down on illegal activities with broad measures of investigation and enforcement. Some market segments prefer to use physical cards in certain situations. Surprisingly, the millennial generation has a high affinity towards certain cards, especially designer offerings as they appeal to their sense of style. There is a robust market for both closed-loop and open-loop prepaid cards. In the case of the former, major merchants leverage prepaid cards as a means of furthering brand identity and driving additional sales such as the gifting market. In addition, the unbanked market often turns to cards as a means of conducting non-cash, debit transactions. Closed-loop cards are getting increasingly creative in terms of how they position themselves within the overall payments ecosystem. This is an interesting dynamic as the same companies are also pushing hard for next-generation mobile payments and wireless wallet infrastructure. The move towards a cashless society is substantial, further driving the prepaid card market. However, we see a transition from physical cards (credit and debit) towards completely virtual. This will not happen without continual improvements in identity management, privacy, and security measures. This report evaluates the major driving factors for prepaid card ownership and usage. The report evaluates usage market segment including demographic profile, card type, and industry vs. government programs. The repor assesses retail challenges relative to shopping and related card usage. The report also analyzes the payments ecosystem including issues related to mobile payments in contrast to physical card usage. The report also provides forecasts for 2020 to 2025 covering all major areas including corporate usage, retail, and government. Select Report Findings: Prepaid card demand remains strong for youth, unbanked, and underbanked segments Stricter anti-money regulations are anticipated in United States paralleling those in EU Virtual prepaid cards are rapidly gaining traction in conjunction with online spending habits Alternative currencies will be increasingly used in lieu of prepaid cards for certain purchases Steady growth through 2025 to benefit data services providers and financial intermediaries Key Topics Covered: 1 Executive Summary 2 Introduction 3 Banking Impacts Payment Flexibility 3.1 The Unbanked and Underbanked Segments 3.2 Payment Models 3.3 Mobile Payment Methods 3.4 Unbanked / Underbanked Population 4 Payments Ecosystem Challenges 4.1 Economic Issues 4.2 Multiple-Nationalities 4.3 Banking Accounts 4.4 Cost Factors 4.5 Security Issues 5 Payments for the Unbanked Segment 6 Retail Challenges Impacting Commerce and Payments 6.1 Retail Demand Depends on the Economy 6.2 Industry Concentration 6.3 Seasonal Cash Flow 6.4 Crime-Related Losses 6.5 Protecting Customer Information 6.6 Trends Affect Demand 6.7 High Worker Turnover 6.8 Changing Buyers Need 7 Online Shopping Challenges and Opportunities 7.1 The Rise of High-Tech Shopping 7.2 Most Vulnerable Products 7.3 Wireless Challenges at the Point of Sale 7.4 Shopping with Smartphone Trends 8 Merchant Strategies 8.1 Embrace rather than Fight against the Current Trend 8.2 Offer Unique Products 8.3 Offer In-Store Reviews 8.4 Focus on Brand 8.5 Enable and Empower In-store Shoppers 8.6 Digitize Your Store and Your Employees 9 Convert Shoppers into Buyers 9.1 Boost Loyalty and Sales 9.2 Personalizing the Shopping Experience 9.3 Analyzing Data 9.4 Figuring Out the Potential of Mobile Devices 9.5 Embracing Social Media 10 Data Solutions to Support the Strategies 10.1 Finding the Easy Data 10.2 Getting at "Hidden Data" 10.3 Mining "Big Data" 11 Strategies for Checkout and Point of Payment 11.1 Keep Form Filling To Bare Minimum 11.2 Organize the Checkout into Stages 11.3 Add Progress Step Links or Back Buttons 11.4 Utilize Familiar Mobile UI Elements 11.5 Enable Guest Checkouts 11.6 Offer Quick Payment Options 11.7 Remove Distractions 11.8 Provide Security Reassurances 11.9 Take Advantage of Geolocation 11.10 Keep It Lightweight 12 Prepaid Cards Market Forecasts 2020 - 2025 For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bly902 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005361/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Spanish News Wellton, Arizona - On Thursday, February 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th, the Wellton Library will host Conversational English for Spanish-speakers at 12:00 p.m. These sessions are an opportunity for English learners to work together and practice basic vocabulary in a relaxed setting. There is no charge to attend. The Wellton Library is located at 28790 San Jose Avenue in Wellton. For more information, call (928) 785-9575. A Group of Ministers (GoM) formed to review, monitor and evaluate the preparedness to contain the deadly coronavirus infection in the country held its first meeting on Monday. The high-level GoM includes Union ministers Harsh Vardhan, Hardeep Puri, S Jaishankar, G Kishan Reddy, Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Mansukh Lal Mandaviya. The ministers were apprised of the three confirmed cases reported from Kerala and the preventive steps and measures taken to contain coronavirus, the Ministry of Health said. The GoM also took note of the government announcing temporary suspension of e-visa facility for Chinese travellers and foreigners residing in the neighbouring country and a fresh advisory saying anyone with travel history to China since January 15 can be quarantined. "e-Visa facility for Chinese passport holders has been temporarily suspended, e-Visa already issued to Chinese nationals is also not valid temporarily and the facility for submitting the application online for the physical visa from China is suspended," the ministry said. They were also informed that 645 people evacuated from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, have been admitted to quarantine centres of the Army and the ITBP in and around the national capital. All inhabitants are medically examined on a daily basis, though none of them have tested positive for coronavirus, the ministry said. The ministry has also advised that people having compelling reasons to visit India should contact the Indian embassy in Beijing or consulate in Shanghai or Guangzhou. The Ministry of Aviation has also issued instructions to all national and international airlines operating from China to comply with the above travel advisory. The GoM was also briefed that as of Monday, 72,353 passengers in 593 flights have been screened for the infection. Screening of passengers is ongoing in 21 airports, international seaports and border crossings, particularly with Nepal. Universal screening in all flights from Singapore and Thailand, besides Hong Kong and China is being done. Further, 2,815 people are presently under community surveillance across the country. Out of a total of 338 samples sent for testing, three are positive, 335 negative, while 70 are being processed, the health ministry said. The ICMR National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune has been made a nodal centre for coordinating diagnostics for coronavirus. Twelve regional labs have been activated, standardised and are testing the samples. "The GoM was also apprised that adequate materials like Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and N95 masks are available and the situation is closely monitored in all states and union territories. "The preparedness and actions are being reviewed at the highest level everyday by the Union Health Minister and the Cabinet Secretary, in addition to Secretary (HFW). A 24x7 control room is operational (011-23978046). IEC material is prepared and widely disseminated through various channels of print, electronic and social media," the statement said. The meeting was attended by Secretary (MHFW) Preeti Sudan, Secretary (Foreign) H Vardhan Shringla, Secretary (Civil Aviation) Pradeep Singh Kharola, Special Secretary (Health) Sanjeeva Kumar, Additional Secretary (Shipping) Sanjay Bandopadhyay. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Wardha : , Feb 3 (IANS) In a shocking incident, a jilted lover attempted to murder a young college lecturer by dousing her with petrol in full public view in Maharashtra's Wardha, police said here on Monday. The incident happened this morning in Hinganghat town around 7 a.m. when the victim stepped out of a bus at Nanderi Chowk, to proceed to her teaching job in a private college, around 100 metres away, said Investigating Officer Pratibha Dudhbale. "We have managed to trace the accused, Vicky Nagrare, 27, soon after the incident. He is currently detained and police are questioning him. He and the victim belong to the same village, Daroda. The 25-year old victim was working as a part-time lecturer with Matoshri Ashatai Kunawar College nearby," Wardha Superintendent of Police Basavaraj Teli told IANS. According to Wardha Police, the woman is stated to be 'critical' after she sustained more than 40 per cent burns, her face has been totally scarred, besides her chest and back, while medicos fear she may lose her vision if she survives. After initial treatment at the local Hinganghat Hospital, she was shifted to the specialised Orange City Hospital in Nagpur this afternoon. An investigator said that since the past three-four months, the accused had been stalking and pursuing the victim, but she repeatedly spurned his overtures. "They used to travel in the same bus and three months ago, she had a bitter altercation with him on the bus journey after which she informed her family. They advised her to handle the matter tactfully," the investigating official said. This morning, the accused reportedly followed her on a bike and after she alighted, took petrol from his vehicle, poured it on her head and set her ablaze before fleeing from there. Shocked passersby and locals immediately rushed to the victim's aid, attempted to douse the flames and rushed her to the local hospital. Condemning the incident, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said he has directed the SP to probe the matter and ensure stringent punishment to the accused. Bharatiya Janata Party's Wardha MP Ramdas Tadas said the matter is very serious and raises questions of women's safety. The Maharashtra DGP's office has sought a detailed report on the incident which has sent shockwaves in Wardha and colleges campuses across the state. DEXTER, MI - Dexter School Board President Michael Wendorf resigned Jan. 31, citing a move to California as the primary reason for his 15 years on the board coming to a close. He was elected to the board in 2005, serving as its president since 2014. There is never really a right time to step aside from something you love doing, but the district is as strong as it has ever been with a new elementary school, many updated facilities and, most importantly, a great superintendent, a dedicated team of directors and administrators as well as our rightly acclaimed teachers and staff, Wendorf said. Wendorf said the highlights of his 15 years start with the relationships hes been able to build with educators and students. Being able to focus on great outcomes for students. Having the trust of the community, Wendorf said, has helped he and other board members to be able to grow the district and make its curriculum more rigorous and personalized. Wendorf also pointed to community support for millage requests, allowing the district to maintain and expand its buildings and facilities. Dexter also has increased its financial transparency, he said, with financial updates provided four times a year. State law requires the board to fill the vacancy within 30 days. The term for the seat runs through December 2020. Those interested should submit the following application materials by no later than 4 p.m. Feb. 19 to the District Offices at Bates School, 2704 Baker Road, Dexter MI 48130: Notarized affidavit affirming application eligibility (form attached and posted at dexterschools.org/board ); Resume including home address, telephone number and email address; Letter of intent no more than one page long which details the candidates experiences and qualifications they would bring to board service; No more than two letters of reference (if desired optional). Qualified candidates will interview with the board on the evenings of Feb. 25 and 26 (if needed, depending on the number of applicants.) The board will select an appointee immediately following the interviews. Anyone interested in applying, should contact Hope Vestergaard at vestergaardh@dexterschools.org or 734-424-4102. Grievance filed against Dexter School Board member denouncing her social media use Dexters D.J. Busdeker turns NHL heads for OHLs Saginaw Spirit 1940s Dexter factory given new life with brewery, shared office space on the way A 14-day joint military training exercise by Indian and Bangladesh armies was flagged off on Monday here in Umroi in Meghalaya, Defence officials said. The exercise christened 'SAMPRITI-IX' is an important bilateral defence cooperation endeavour between India and Bangladesh, they said. This is the ninth edition of the exercise which is hosted alternately by the two countries, the officials said. The Bangladesh Army contingent is being led by Brigadier General Md Shafiul Azam and both armies will familiarise each other in various tactical drills and procedures. Soldiers from both the armies will hold joint tactical operations like cordon and search, raid and house clearance drills. "During the joint military exercise SAMPRITI-IX a command post exercise (CPX) and a field training exercise (FTX) will be conducted during the next two weeks," Defence PRO Wing Commander Ratnakar Sing, said. For both CPX and FTX, a scenario where both nations are working together in a counter terrorism environment will be simulated under the UN Charter, he said. The FTX curriculum is progressively planned in which the participants will get familiar with each others organisational structure and tactical drills, the Defence official said. Subsequently, joint tactical exercise will be conducted wherein the battle drills of both the armies will be practised. The training will culminate with a final validation exercise in which troops of both armies will jointly practice a counter terrorist operation in a controlled and simulated environment, he said. Singh said greater cultural understanding will be emphasized to strengthen military trust and cooperation between two nations to understand each other at the tactical level. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A water tower for a former prisoner of war camp in Braintree, Essex, has been listed for sale as a four-bedroom home. Now a luxurious albeit unconventional five-storey house, the red-brick structure has been painstakingly transformed by its current owners Jon and Victoria Oakley. The couple, who own local businesses, took a risk when they snapped up the derelict tower in early 2017 for 285,000 without planning consent but they jumped at the chance to tackle their own Grand Designs-style project. Called The Water Tower, it once fed the water supply to High Garrett prisoner of war camp directly next door. War effort: the water tower once fed the water supply to High Garrett prisoner of war camp directly next door Historic England records High Garrett as a German Working Camp. Locals believe it housed around 700 Italian - and then a few years later German - prisoners, many of whom worked on local farms during the day before returning to the open prison-style camp in the evenings. The tower's war effort wasn't limited to supplying water to the camp, it seems. Owners Jon and Victoria say they found radios and wiring when they entered the property and they believe it was a Marconi communications hub, acting as an early warning system for nearby Wethersfield airbase which was used by the RAF and US military during the 1939-45 conflict. Overcoming planning hurdles It's now a five-storey home after 14 months of renovations that included fitting insulation and adding another skin of brickwork to the outside of the building. Walls are now one-metre thick, and switching the heating on is rarely necessary, says Jon. Upon buying the property in Halstead Road, the couple found a few panels from the original water tank lying in the field so they tracked down the makers a family-run business in Wales who told them they'd made the panels in the Twenties or Thirties for the Royal Engineers but hadnt known what they were to be used for. Grand Designs: owners Jon and Victoria took a risk when they bought the derelict tower without planning permission "We knew that the derelict water tower had passed through a few developers' hands but all plans to go up a storey in brick were denied," says Jon, "Once we'd found the original suppliers of the panels we were able to go to local heritage and offer to invest in the same company in exchange for permission to reinstall the 'tank' level and put a bedroom in there." The transformed tower now has windows, a huge open-plan extension on the ground-floor level and en suite bedrooms on each of the four upper floors. How the Water Tower interiors look now The interiors are a mix of modern greys and whites, with light-reflecting mirrors, pendants and glass surfaces dotted throughout. "It's very Essex, all chandeliers and sparkling floors," says Jon. "People can always dress it with something else, it's a good starting point for someone. "For us, with kids and a dog, it's easy to look after." "Kardashian room": although intended to be a bedroom, the top-floor 'tank' level is currently used as a dressing room On the top floor, a seven-metre square room that resembles a water tank from the exterior is currently used as a dressing room, with a wall of shoes. Jon calls it "the Kardashian room", although he says it was intended to be a large bedroom and the en suite has a luxe freestanding bath. Ready for the next adventure Having spent a "substantial amount", the couple and their two young children are now ready to find their next adventure. The Water Tower sits in a one-acre plot but as the Oakleys have been renting the field next door, they would like to move to a property with a bit more of its own land, for horses. Damian Prior of Zoe Napier, the agents marketing The Water Tower, says the homes unique nature makes it very difficult to value. First listed for sale at 1.3 million in October 2019, it's now on the market for 1.2 million. "As we launch this rebrand, we are upholding the Global Energy Show's reputation of showcasing the best in energy and innovative technologies from top suppliers, with more than 700 exhibitors across five exhibit halls and growing," said Nick Samain, Vice President, dmg events, organizer of the Global Energy Show. "We want to leverage our platform to share how Canadian energy companies are not only transforming with the industry but also leading the dialogue and making meaningful contributions on the global stage." Every year, the Show brings together more than 50,000 industry professionals, government officials and companies to have forward-thinking conversations about creating a prosperous and sustainable future for upcoming generations. Delegates from more than 110 countries are represented during the three-day exhibition and conference. With the rebrand, the Show strives to draw global attention to the increasing pace of technology that is driving growth in sustainable energy production. The event will also profile the oil and gas sector as a hub of solutions-based innovation and promote the Show as an inclusive event for all energy players. "Canada continues to be one of the most important and reliable energy producers in the worldand Alberta is at the epicentre of it," said Samain. "Through the Global Energy Show, we want to convince the world that Alberta and Canada are great places to invest and do business inwhether that opportunity lies with oil and gas or new and emerging sectors. As we strive to meet global energy demands, the Canadian energy sector must continue to diversify, innovate and expand into new avenues for growth." Global Energy Show is taking place June 9-11, 2020, in Calgary, Alberta at the BMO Centre. In 2020, audiences will see the return of existing programs including the three-day Strategic and Technical Conference, Global Market Seminar Series, Awards Gala and GPC VIP program. In addition, the Show will launch the Global Energy Investment Forum and the CEO & Ministerial Summit to foster dialogue and promote investment in the sector. For more information on the Global Energy Show, please visit www.globalenergyshow.com. About dmg events: dmg events is a leading organizer of face-to-face events and a publisher of trade magazines.We aim to keep businesses informed and connect them with relevant communities to create vibrant marketplaces and to accelerate their business through face-to-face events. dmg events organizes more than 80 events across 25 countries, attracting over 425,000 attendees and delegates every year. The company's portfolio of products includes many industry-leading events in the energy, construction, hospitality & design, coatings and transportation sectors. ADIPEC, Global Energy Show, Gastech, EGYPS, The Hotel Show and INDEX are the company's flagship events. For more information visit www.dmgevents.com. SOURCE Global Energy Show For further information: Shae Pollock, Account Manager, Edelman, [email protected], 403-817-0632 The West Gate Tunnel builders had no clear plan for disposing of the 2.3 million tonnes of soil removed from the construction site, even as tunnelling was due to begin. Leaked documents from the builders show they had not settled on a transport plan or a dump site for the soil as late as last October, two months after Premier Daniel Andrews said digging was about to start. It can also be revealed that three councils Melbourne, Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay warned that contaminated soil would be dug up along the $6.7 billion toll road connecting the West Gate Freeway in Spotswood and CityLink in Docklands and stricter controls were needed. The project's builders, John Holland and CPB Contractors, now want to ditch the project, alleging the amount of contamination with PFAS a group of potentially carcinogenic chemicals was underestimated when they signed the project's $5 billion construction contract. Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Joice Alves. Reach her on Messenger to share your thoughts on market moves: joice.alves.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net ON OUR RADAR: UK, DRUGMAKERS, RYANAIR, WORLDLINE (0755 GMT) Futures point to a higher open in Europe after Brexit and reports on Saturday that Boris Johnson would consider a looser trade agreement with the European Union, similar to the bloc's ties with Australia, rather than follow EU rules to reach a closer deal. Johnson is expected to give a speech on trade today. Traders are also expecting some eurozone and UK PMI numbers, which will be released this morning. In terms of single stocks, Siemens Healthineers shares are down 6.5% in early Frankfurt trade after it said Q1 profit fell on higher diagnostic gear costs Meantime, UK drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline is also on the radar after it said it is collaborating with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus outbreak. In terms of M&A, traders see payments company Ingenico shares rallying 17% after Worldline agreed to buy its French peer in a deal which would create a new European champion in the sector. Ryanair shares are seen 1-2% higher after 3Q revenues beat estimates but the company said it may have to push back its long-term target of flying 200 million passengers per year by as much as two years due to delays in the delivery of Boeing's MAX jet. Some other earning results could move stocks: Swedish telecoms operator Tele2 Q4 earnings beat forecast company launched a new restructuring programme. Julius Baer is seen 2% lower as it said it will cut 300 jobs after 2019 profit drop. Other corporate headlines: Sri Lanka to probe graft accusations over Airbus deal Imperial Brands names Stefan Bomhard CEO (Joice Alves) ***** EUROPEAN STOCKS SEEN HIGHER (0650 GMT) European bourses are expected to open higher this morning as investors get some relief from the fact that the UK left the euro zone ending years of uncertainty around the Brexit outcome. Fears from Asia will likely put a brake on the enthusiasm. As traders in Asia returned from a week-long Lunar Year break, shares across the region and global commodity prices stumbled on concerns that the coronavirus epidemic will hit demand in the world's second-largest economy. Investors will also have their eyes on PMI data from the euro zone, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands and Spain that will be released this morning. Back in the UK, today's PMI data will likely see little market reaction as services PMI due Wednesday matters more for the economy. Financial spreadbetters at IG expect London's FTSE to open 15 points higher at 7,286, Frankfurt's DAX to open 21 points up at 12,981 and Paris' CAC to open 12 points higher at 5,806. (Joice Alves) *****? (Reporting by Danilo Masoni, Joice Alves, Julien Ponthus and Thyagaraju Adinarayan) They returned from China and turned to doctors for help In Kyiv, two patients of the Oleksandrivsky Hospital, who were hospitalized with suspected new coronavirus did not show any signs of the disease. The Ministry of Health's Facebook page reported that. "According to the results of a medical examination and consultations of two patients who are in the Oleksandrivsky Hospital in Kyiv, there was no suspicion of infection caused by 2019-nCoV. Laboratory tests are being conducted to establish the etiology," the statement said. Suspicion was also rejected in three more cases of people who returned from China; they were diagnosed with adenovirus infection. As we reported, in Zhytomyr, a girl was hospitalized upon the return from other regions of China; she was put for treatment in a hospital and had 15 tests. It is noted that the child was hospitalized in the infectious ward of the Children's Hospital. Ahn's fresh experiment is met with skepticism Ahn Cheol-soo, a two-time presidential candidate, has unveiled a plan to launch a new political party in the run-up to the April 15 National Assembly election. At a press conference Sunday, Ahn said his party would be completely different from other political parties, saying it would be "small, sharing and innovative." Accusing existing parties of being outdated and producing merely fake news, the software entrepreneur-turned-politician said his party would be less dependent on the Assembly's financial support. "Mobile platforms will be used to help members join in the party's decision-making process," he said. "I will also achieve innovation by using blockchain technology that will make the party's finances more transparent." Ahn said the party would take the pragmatic and middle-of-the-road line and do away with "ideologies" and "parochialism" that have long defined Korean politics. The party will be the fourth created or co-led by Ahn, who entered politics in 2012, meaning that he has "founded" a party once every two years. Considering that he had pledged to create a party that would last 100 years, his promise Sunday sounds hollow. Ahn faces hopes and challenges. Given that the percentage of undecided voters abhorring large parties exceeds 30 percent in some opinion polls, he may find a niche in the upcoming election. Yet it remains to be seen whether his centrist party can gain a significant foothold, given the political landscape that has become more polarized amid the brouhaha involving former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, who was indicted on charges of corruption and other irregularities. Furthermore, Ahn's brand value appears to have diminished somewhat following his string of election failures. His fresh experiment with a new party has been met with skepticism. Although Ahn vowed to make this party different, his commitment still looks vague. He should show that the party will be trustworthy enough to serve the broader populace for a long time. Otherwise voters will not fall for carpetbaggery again. Rescue operation undertaken after NEWSAR called to injured hiker near Corwen This article is old - Published: Monday, Feb 3rd, 2020 A rescue operation was carried out near Corwen last night after a hiker was injured. The North East Wales Search and Rescue (NEWSAR) team were called to the scene after reports that the one of the three walkers had slipped and suffered a suspected fracture to their lower leg The casualty was given first aid before volunteers used a rope system to protect the move of the stretcher down to our Landrover. They were then carefully driven back down to the road for handover to Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust crew. A video of the callout has also been released by NEWSAR. Video showing the weather on last nights job. Horrible night to be out and we were glad to be able to get the casualty sorted and off to hospital. Massive thanks to the local farmer for access, which made the evacuation much easier, quicker and more comfortable for the casualty. pic.twitter.com/0KAi5tkgcH NEWSAR (@newsar) February 3, 2020 *Picture: Newsar Mia Hernandez came to the stage door after seeing Hamilton on Broadway fully prepared for what she wanted to say to Lin-Manuel Miranda. She had been a fan of the creative force behind the show for years, going back to In the Heights, his first big splash on Broadway. She had seen the show a few years earlier, and it had inspired her to get onstage herself. Thats why, for her 30th birthday, she made plans with her then fiance John, to whom she is now married, and her best friend Alyson Miller to see Mirandas Hamilton in New York. It was just at the start of Hamilton-mania, but Miranda was still able to walk out of the stage door after the show without being mobbed. He headed straight for Hernandez and her posse. And all she could do was squeak. I tried to put the words out, and then I started giggling because I was squeaking like a 12-year-old fan girl, said Hernandez, 34 and a stay-at-home mother of two who now lives in Austin. Ally goes, Im sorry, my friend appears to be losing her (expletive), and I start giggling more. He smiles and takes my hand and said, You dont need to lose your (expletive). In response, I went (squeak) and started giggling some more. She never did get a word out. The moment has been preserved in a selfie taken by her husband-to-be in which she looks a little dazed. Hes so relatable, she said. To the people he connects with, hes really special. I really wish I could have told him that. On ExpressNews.com: SA actor is understudy in big-buzz Broadway show Like Hernandez, theater fans have flocked to stage doors all over the world for decades, hoping for a moment of connection with the performers they admire. In years gone by, many sought autographs; in the digital age, selfies are snapped and posted. Newbies can find countless sites devoted to stage door etiquette Theater Mania recommends being patient and bringing your own sharpie as well as directions to the stage doors at various Broadway houses. A number of fans responded to an Express-News call for their stories. A handful are former San Antonians who now live elsewhere; a few declined to share their ages. Here are their accounts: Trevor Chauvin: The first time I met Kristin (Chenoweth) was at the stage door of Promises, Promises.When she finally came out into the cold New York City street, she turned and I swear she was glowing. As butterfliees filled my stomach and tears filled in my eyes, I simply asked for a hug and told her what she had meant to me all these years. She squeezed tight and signed my poster and gave me another squeeze. Chauvin, 32, is project manager for the Broadway show ad agency RPM. Allison Newsom Cornwell: Ive got a Patti LuPone one! On her website, she used to have a thing where you could email her to ask questions. I emailed her once to inquire about the stage door for a concert she was doing in Houston, and she said shed definitely come out to greet. Concert day arrives, I go to the door and give her my name. She says something along the lines of Oh, yes! Im so glad you found the stage door! and we proceed to take a photo. I was impressed that she remembered me since wed only had the one email encounter and I didnt really know, until then, if she read her own emails anyhow. Fast forward about five or more years. A friend of mine is working at a coffee shop in New York City and in walks Ms. LuPone. He knew the story from the Houston concert so he says, My friend met you after a concert in Texas several years ago. She asked who the friend was, and he said Her name is Allison Newsom. She responds, Allison Newsom! Its been a long time! with a smile. Cornwell, 39, is a middle school theater teacher. David Nanny: I have been able to meet Bernadette Peters a few times at the stage door. She toured while I was in college, and we saw her perform a concert with the Fort Worth Symphony. I attended just a few days after breaking my ankle and having major surgery to repair it. At the stage door, she recognized me from previous meetings and made small talk. When she saw my cast, she asked if she could sign it. She had her assistant find a gold pen to sign with. The other fans held my foot up so she could sign. I wore it with pride for six weeks and then made the doctor cut around it. I still have the cast and the pen! Nanny, 41, is theater arts supervisor for the Northside ISD. Randall Rudd: Went to a show hosted by Wolfman Jack. After the show, Wolfman approached. We shook hands. I forgot I had a fistfull of french fries. Smushed them into his hand. Rudd is a filmmaker. Krystal Newcomer: I met Dave Thomas Brown after seeing American Psycho on Broadway. I told him I had seen him as J.D. in Heathers and if he would sing Freeze Your Brain and he did! I was a mess. He was so sweet and handsome! Newcomer, 36, is the Woodlawn Theatre comptroller. Frank Grisby: I was invited backstage after meeting Lisa Vroman (Christine) and Franc DAmbrosio (Phantom) of Phantom (of the Opera) at the Orpheum in San Francisco and got to sing All I Ask of You with her. Fast forward three years and she came to a performance of Jekyll (and Hyde) I was in (her Raul from Phantom was our Jekyll) and it was her turn to visit me at the stage door. Good times all around. Grisby, 40, is director of grocery e-commerce for Walmart. Nickie Barron: When I was seeing Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Majestic (Theatre) in 2016, I was so happily surprised to see one of my favorite actors, Ben Fankhauser, in the cast. I was so excited when I saw him and decided to meet him at the stage door. So I get to the stage door, overwhelmed with excitement, I wait for about 10 minutes before he comes out. I stood there talking to my friend, meeting a few other members of the cast, but waiting close to the door so I could be the first to say hi. Finally, as I was turning around to face the door, he walks out, and out of sheer excitement I let out a shriek and grabbed his arm. His face was mortified, but he was nice enough to take a picture with me and sign my playbill. It is still to this day one of my most embarrassing moments. Barron, 15, is a student at North East School of the Arts. On ExpressNews.com: Cats is a love-it or hate-it deal Molly Cox: I was 10 and with my grandma and her best friend on my third trip to London. She bought us tickets for M. Butterfly, distinctly different than the Madama Butterfly tickets she thought she was purchasing. The saving factor for her was that Anthony Hopkins was in it. This was 1989, pre-Silence of the Lambs, but post-a million other things shed seen him in. The show ends, and Im asked to wait alongside the theatre while she hails a cab. A man opens an exterior door, and comes out, and I recognize him as a guy from the show, so I stop him and ask him to sign my playbill. Hes amused Im American and had been brought to this show. He produces a pen, signs my playbill and leaves. My grandma comes to retrieve me, and the three of us pile into the back of a black taxi. I mention I met the man in the show while they were getting a car, and he had signed my playbill and chatted with me. Neither of them could grasp that Anthony Hopkins had apparently skipped by them, so I showed them the playbill where he had chicken-scratched his signature with a pen. They were beside themselves. We return to the hotel, get out of the taxi, get up to rooms, and realize I had left the playbill in the car. Cox, 41, is president and CEO of SA2020 Maggie Weathington Wilmoth: We have had the best experiences with Tim Hughes from (the musical) Hadestown! My husband and I ran into him after the show, walking to the subway. He walked and chatted with us and even recorded a video asking (our daughter) Lilly Grace to come to New York City to see the show. We tagged him on Instagram in the post, and when I took her to New York City a couple months later, he remembered us, I think he even remembered her name! He welcomed her with open arms and was like, All the way from Texas, again! Wilmoth, 44, is a real estate broker. Jessica Roberts: It was 2016 and my friend and I just saw Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs at the Majestic. After the show, we made a beeline for the stage door. We met up with a mutual friend and waited for about 15 to 20 minutes. When he came out he went straight for my friend and I. I managed to keep my composure and asked for a selfie with him. He says yes, he takes my phone takes the picture with me, and one with my friend (still using my iPhone because her battery died). Alan goes to our mutual friend and asks for a selfie as well. He hands Alan his phone and asks, Wheres the selfie camera? My friends response, Its an Android. We all had a good laugh, needless to say. Roberts, 28, is a caption agent for CaptionCall. Georgina Morgan: Years ago, my sister and I saw Blue Man Group in Boston. We heard that they were signing autographs after the show, so we headed over to the stage door. They stayed in complete character, fully committed, makeup and all. They didnt speak; they were quirky; they gestured and emoted, just like on stage. When we asked for their autographs, the first Blue Man took my postcard and slapped his hand on it, creating a hand print. The second Blue Man took my postcard and kissed it, creating a kiss print. The third Blue Man took my postcard and pressed his face, cheek side, creating a profile print. I still have the postcards, packed carefully away somewhere. Morgan is a choreographer. Joseph Urick: I was in New York City working on a internship, and I went to go see Gore Vidal's The Best Man.I got to see James Earl Jones play the president of the United States. After the show, I waited for him outside the stage door, along with a huge crowd. After a few minutes, he came out. He waited through the applause and stood for photos, but he then addressed the crowd, thanking us and turning to each person around the barricades, going in a circle. I was at the end of this circle. Anytime anyone would mention Darth Vader or Mufasa, he would politely but briefly end the conversation, and move onto the next person . I began to fear he would skip me, as he was getting visibly irritated and tired. But he didn't skip me. He still had his warm, modest smile, and asked me if I liked the show. I told him that I thoroughly loved his performance, and that my favorite role of his was Your 1979 production of King Lear, in the Park, under Joe Papp's direction, alongside Raul Julia He began to walk up to me, shook my hand, and said, Raul Julia! I have not heard that name in years! We then proceeded to have a 15 minute conversation on the sidewalk about Raul Julia, Joe Papp and Shakespeare! He asked me about my work, my education, and when we finished, he told me I want you to tell the folks at (the University of Florida) if they are pumping out students like you, then they are doing a great job. Do give everyone there my best." His security guard then took him into his car, and then he left. There was still a small group of stragglers standing near me, and all of them had these shocked expressions, one person even asked me, How did you do that? dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN ANNE DRAGO, Stonington, Girls Basketball, Senior; Drago was named to the all-tournament team at the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament. In two games, she scored 38 points and had eight rebounds. DANTE WILK, Westerly, Boys Basketball, Senior; Wilk was named MVP of the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament after the Bulldogs beat Chariho in the title game. Wilk had a combined 35 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and eight steals in two tournament victories. TYLER LABELLE, Chariho, Boys Basketball, Junior; LaBelle scored 41 points in two games to earn all-tournament honors at the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament. LaBelle had 22 in a win against South Kingstown and 19 in a loss to Westerly. ADDIE HAUPTMANN, Wheeler, Girls Basketball, Senior; Hauptmann scored 32 points in two games in the Montville Christmas Tournament. She also had 20 rebounds, seven assists and eight steals. Vote View Results NEW HAVEN A man from Orange who posted on Facebook what police deemed a threatening message about participants in last years New Haven Puerto Rican Festival has been granted accelerated rehabilitation, which could result in the second-degree breach of peace charge being dismissed. Police said Jeffrey Hanson, 53, of High Plains Road, posted a message on the WTNH Facebook page last Aug. 7 stating: This is why we need 30 round magazines. The comment followed the news stations article titled City Of New Haven prepping for this weekends Puerto Rican parade. There was no violent incident associated with the festival, which was held Aug. 10 on the New Haven Green. But the Facebook post prompted police to deploy more officers, including a SWAT team and personnel from the Hazardous Device Unit. The FBI investigated the posting. The threat jolted many in New Haven, especially since it came several days after a gunman shot and killed 22 people and injured 24 more at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. The suspect reportedly told police he wanted to shoot as many Mexicans as he could. He also reportedly had posted online a racist screed aimed at Hispanics and immigrants. According to the New Haven police warrant, a person using the name Jake Wilson posted the message. His profile photo on Facebook was an image of Captain Quint from the movie Jaws pouring beer into the mouth of a shark. The cover photo was the Betsy Ross American flag and the intro portion of the Facebook page stated: African American homosexual conservative. Democrats hate me because they cant own me. Special Agent Anthony Duback of the FBI Joint Terrorism Unit was able to identify Wilson as being Hanson, who is a white man. On the afternoon of Aug. 9, the day Duback identified Hanson and pinpointed his address, Duback, accompanied by members of the New Haven and Orange police departments, went to Hansons home. Hanson admitted to placing the Facebook post, the warrant stated. The document also quoted Hanson saying he had been expecting this and asking: What took you guys so long? Hanson stated he had no intention of creating an issue, the warrant added. Hanson stated he only put that out because he was bored. Hanson stated it was really stupid and apologized. Hanson stated he neither had nor has any intention of hurting anyone. According to the warrant, while police were interviewing Hanson, his wife showed up and her husband told her: I did something stupid on Facebook. Hansons wife told the police she was completely unaware of the post. But she was quoted saying: Jeffrey is very opinionated and sometimes really stupid. The warrant also said she told police she does not know what Jeffrey does throughout the day while she is at work. The wife confirmed Hansons statement that he did not own any firearms. A few hours after his arrest that day, Hanson posted a $50,000 bond and was released. When Hanson appeared in court Aug. 12, the conditions of his remaining released included having no weapons, firearms or ammunition and deactivating all social media accounts. According to the Connecticut Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification Program, on Jan. 21 Hansons disposition hearing was scheduled for Jan. 21, 2022. Under accelerated rehabilitation, which is granted to those with no previous criminal convictions, a defendant is placed on probation for up to two years. If the defendant satisfactorily completes the program, the charges are dismissed. Hansons attorney, Douglas Rudolph, said neither he nor Hanson wanted to comment on the case. The court file has been sealed because of the accelerated rehabilitation agreement. A message seeking comment was left with the prosecutor . The judge in the case was Superior Court Judge Philip Scarpellino randall.beach@hearstmediact.com Probe opened into beating journalist in Russias Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area pixabay.com 14:48 03/02/2020 MOSCOW, February 3 (RAPSI) Investigation has been initiated over battering a journalist in Surgut, a city in Russias Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, according to a news release of the Investigative Committee. The case is opened over intended infliction of bodily harm, the statement reads. According to investigators, on January 24, employees of one of the citys auto impounds used force against a local TV reporter, who wanted to have an interview with them. Investigation is underway. When the 15-year-old Kings Fish House restaurant in Carlsbad closed in early October for a major renovation, some of its regular customers had a beef with the management. Heath Bumgardner, vice president of operations for Kings Seafood Co., said vocal local fans of the Long Beach-born restaurant chain were firmly in the if it aint broke, dont fix it camp. But the modernization effort, now rolling out at all 11 Kings locations, was necessary to keep up with the times. The reality is that in the restaurant industry you have to do your best to stay current, Bumgardner said. To stay current on ambience it is a large project that takes a complete renovation. One of the things that was important to us is that we remain the communitys neighborhood fish house. Carlsbad has been good to us for the past 15 years so we wanted to give back to the community. When it opened in 2003, the 7,065-square-foot Carlsbad restaurant had a more casual look, with old-fashioned, red-checkered tablecloths, cane wood chairs and kitschy knickknacks and antique signs on the walls. It was dark inside and had a long wall separating its bar and dining areas. Advertisement During its $2 million remodeling this fall, the interior was gutted, the central wall was removed, new roll-up window walls were installed and the raw bar was updated and expanded with a new wraparound look that includes a suspended liquor shelf. All of the casual furniture was replaced with leather banquettes and higher-end chairs and the flooring was upgraded with rustic wood. A selection of chilled shellfish at the raw bar at Kings Fish House in Carlsbad. (Darren Edwards) The changes make the restaurant more open, more inviting, less cluttered and more upscale. Yet despite the upgraded look, Bumgardner said it was important to Kings management to keep the menu approachable for customers of all incomes. The main menu hasnt changed in the intervening months, but over time Kings has been updating some of its dishes, broadening its cocktail selection and adding new items. One example is the new miso-yaki wild Chilean sea bass with sauteed baby bok choy and shimeji mushrooms, priced at $36.50. The large menu features a large raw bar, sushi rolls, grilled catch of the day, seafood salads, sandwiches, fish and chips, poke bowls, shellfish and whole fish options. Kings Fish House is part of the Kings Seafood Co. family of restaurants, which was founded in Long Beach by brothers Lou and Mickey King in 1945. The company operates 21 restaurants in California, Arizona and Nevada, including 11 Kings Fish Houses, five Water Grills, including one in downtown San Diego, and several individual concepts like Fish Camp, Meat on Ocean and Lou & Mickeys, which is in the heart of San Diegos Gaslamp Quarter. The companys signature is the freshness and diversity of its seafood, thanks to running its own seafood distribution business since the 1940s. Collectively, Kings Fish House restaurants buy and serve more than 2.5 million oysters each year. Kings Fish House Carlsbad Hours: Opens at 11 a.m. daily. Closes at 10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 9 p.m. Sundays. Phone: (760) 431-3474 Online: kingsfishhouse.com pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com WHAT would you do if you found a spare $70bn down the back of the sofa? You could buy Uruguay which has a GNP of $55bn or so; also pick up Nicaragua (GNP $12.8bn) and still be left with change in your pocket. Or you could do what the famous American private equity firm KKR is doing and bid for Walgreen Boots Alliance (WBA), the world's largest retail pharma group. If the deal goes through it will be the biggest private equity transaction on record. Although it incorporates the famous Boots name, WBA is of relatively recent origin and was inspired by the takeover ambitions of the Italian billionaire Stephano Passina. Mr Passina had grown his own pharma chain first in Italy, then across Europe and finally merged it with Boots. Five years ago Walgreen, the US healthcare retailer, purchased Alliance Boots and Mr Passina emerged as a significant shareholder. Today, WBA has become one of the world's largest purchasers of prescription drugs. Its portfolio of retail and business brands includes Walgreen, Duane Reade, Boots and Alliance. Among its global health and beauty products are No 7, Soap & Glory, Liz Earle and Botanics. It is valued at $46bn and trades in 25 countries with 440,000 employees. The group is organised into three divisions; retail pharmacy USA (Walgreen and Reade), retail pharmacy international (Boots) and pharmacy wholesale (Alliance). Retail pharmacy USA is the group's main business, accounting for almost three-quarters of group revenues and operating profits. Last year revenues were $104bn, up 6pc but operating income fell 15pc. An added problem for WBA is that sales of prescription drugs account for more than 70pc of the division's revenue which makes it a hot topic in the US and vulnerable to political and regulatory change. It also faces the wave of consolidations within the US as shown when its rival CVS purchased Aetna. The division operates in 50 US states and its footprint covers 80pc of the population within 8km of Walgreen's 9,600 stores. Retail pharmacy international operates 4,600 stores in eight countries. The UK is its largest market. Revenues last year were $11.5bn, down 7pc, but operating income fell a massive 48pc. The tough conditions on the UK high street are a challenge for 170-year-old Boots. Its pharma business has pricing pressure with NHS cuts and its beauty business faces intense competition from supermarkets and online. Boots' property portfolio also requires attention. Its 2,500 stores include many small pharmacies on high streets vulnerable to online competition. Some analysts believe it needs to up its game in e-commerce and find a new format for its shops. The group's third division is one of the largest pharmas wholesalers and distributors. Operating under Alliance Healthcare, it services more than 115,000 pharmacies and hospitals from its distribution centres in 11 countries, mostly in prescription drugs. Since its listing five years ago, WBA experience as a public company has been traumatic. Revenues have risen 35pc to $137bn but net income fell 20pc to $4bn; the share price has fallen 25pc. The group is grappling with tough conditions in its profitable prescription drugs wing in the US and the beauty business in the UK. To cope, the group has promised savings of $1.8bn by 2022 so stores closures and redundancies can be expected. Delisting might be the best course of action. To some observers, KKR's $70bn buyout proposal is a real test and Mr Pessina's shareholding could be critical to getting it over the line. If the deal falters, WBA shares trading at $52 could be an interesting play. For those with long memories KKR pioneered leverage buyouts and were the 'stars' of 'Barbarians at the Gate' and are no slouches. Nothing in this section should be taken as a recommendation, either explicit or implicit to buy any of the shares mentioned. New Delhi, Feb 3 : The Delhi Police have found that Sharjeel Imam, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student arrested for making inflammatory speech, was spreading false information over the new citizenship law (CAA). He was also trying to instigate people by claiming that Muslims were being put in the detention camps and killed in Assam. The police sources related to the probe said, here on Monday, Imam was trying to spread fear among Muslims by stating that they were on the government's radar. He also tried to provoke Muslims by raising the issues of Babri Masjid and J&K. On January 28, Imam was arrested by a Delhi Police team from his village in Jehanabad district of Bihar after four days of search. On Monday, his custody was extended for three days after the initial five-day police custody. The police seized pamphlets, laptop and mobile phones from Imam's Delhi house. In one pamphlet, Imam had called the Muslim political and religious leadership "disappointing". In one pamphlet, a copy of which is with IANS, Imam said, "The Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed last week. This law is unconstitutional and intends to discriminate Muslim and put them in detention camps. It has started in Assam and will follow elsewhere." Muslims across India must reject the NRC and the CAA unitedly, it added. On abrogation of Article 370, Ayodhya verdict and the CAA, Imam said, "There are more than enough grounds for an strong reaction from Muslims across India". Imam wanted international media attention and staged a protest to cause disturbances in Delhi, the source said. "Assam has started burning and the people are being killed. But the role played by our religious and political leadership has also been disappointing. Thousands of Muslim youths are ready to disrupt Delhi, which will attract international media attention to our issue. "The students of Jamia Millia Islamia have given a protest call from the Jamia Jama Masjid. We Muslim students of JNU, request you to join the protest in large numbers and plan for a disruptive chakka jam," he appealed in the pamphlet written in English as well as Urdu. DARIEN The Board Of Education will convene a special meeting Tuesday to discuss allegations of Darien High School sophomores sharing answers before English and World Studies exams. Chairman Tara Ochman said the purpose of the meeting, which will be held at 6:30 p.m., is stated as an Administrative Report of Recent Test irregularities at Darien High School. Ochman said there will be an opportunity for public comment following the report. The meeting follows an announcement last Friday to high school parents that the multiple-choice answers for World Studies and English exams were breached and widely distributed to the sophomore class, compromising the exams integrity. The tests are being re-administered this week. Student discipline is an administrative responsibility in the first instance, and the Board of Education does not receive information, comment, or have a role in deciding such student disciplinary actions, Ochman said. According to Captain Jeremiah Marron of the Darien Police Department, the department is aware of the incident. However at this point we have received no information that a crime has been committed, he said. Darien High School is overseeing the investigation and any requests for information pertaining to the incident should be directed to the schools administrative staff, he said. We wish to hear from the community, and we also ask that public comment be mindful that children are involved and refrain referring to any personally identifiable information, she said. Darien High School administration said though there was a concern that the integrity of the assessments were breached, what was more important was the integrity and reputation of the school. When academic dishonesty goes undetected or unchallenged, those who suffer most are the students who value honesty. Learning thrives in an environment in which students are free to express ideas, where they are challenged to think and create and in which they are valued and respected. Integrity is the foundation of this kind of learning environment, the letter said. It was signed by Principal Ellen Dunn, Francis Janosco, English Department Chair 6-12 and Keith Keeler, Social Studies Department Chairman 6-12. All confirmed cases of academic dishonesty will be handled according to the policies of the Darien Public Schools and the consequences are commensurate with the violations of policy, the letter said. However, technology used makes it impossible to identify the specific students who approached the exam dishonestly. The two tests are being administered in a shortened format on Monday, Feb. 10 and Wednesday, Feb. 12. I am certain that there are sophomores who were unaware of the academic dishonesty being perpetrated. I ask those students to see this decision not as a punishment but rather as a defense of their values, the letter said. We demand better from those who made the decision to violate our expectations of honesty and integrity at DHS by either participating actively or by remaining silent. This is a teachable moment because no learning environment can thrive on a foundation of mistrust, the letter said. It also addressed the many rumors surrounding this situation that are untrue and that we are unable to address in protecting the privacy of our students. The school held a meeting Monday with students. The school board will hold its regular meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Board of Education meeting room at 35 Leroy Ave.